Success Story: Turning Socials into a Sales Machine - Nichole from FBD Interiors

Nichole joined the program with her last few dollars and a trickle of inconsistent leads. Within weeks, she was fully booked; all through organic social media and a clear, psychology-driven strategy.

In this conversation, we unpack what changed: a single, defined audience, a simple message that spoke directly to their pain points, and a disciplined posting rhythm that built trust fast. No viral hit, no paid ads - just a cohesive system that turned awareness into demand.

We also talk about the mindset shifts that made it possible.

The decision to stop trying to please everyone, to trust one framework, and to show up consistently even when things felt uncertain. 

Nichole’s story is proof that clarity beats complexity and that when your marketing aligns with your audience’s reality, results follow fast.

If you’re not sure which way to turn with your socials, or wondering whether organic marketing still works, this episode is your answer.

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Transcript

Welcome And Guest Introduction

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Welcome to Write This Down with Maddie Birdcage. As a global marketing advisory founder, a business educator and psychology-informed strategist with a full family life and an addiction to luxury trouble, I'm here to let you into the inner workings of my businesses, my family life and my mind to show you how to live a good life. Each episode I promise to give you practical takeaways you can take action on right away to get you closer to being that calmed, growth-focused CEO in control of your business, your marketing, and your life. So make sure you write this down. I'm here today with Nicole Davis from Fresh Bar Design Interiors. Nicole is a student of ours who completed the Express Mode program, which has now been integrated into the full library. But all of the teachings that Nicole has been using in what she's been doing is a direct reflection of the frameworks that we use every day for our clients and for our students. So I'm really excited to have you here today, Nicole. To be here. Yes, wonderful. So do you want to introduce yourself, tell us a little bit more about who you are and

Nicole’s Function-First Design Philosophy

SPEAKER_00 1:08

what you do?

SPEAKER_01 1:08

Yeah, so my name's Nicole and I have a business Fresh by Design Interiors, as Medi said. And I'm a qualified interior designer, qualified kitchen designer. And what I found when I studied interior design is it was mainly aimed at like colours and curtains and things like that, which I did like. But I ultimately went on to do kitchens and bathrooms because that was more about like creating a space that was really practical. And then you could overlay the finishes on top, like colours and curtains. And I personally really enjoyed that a lot more because you were creating a really like practical space, especially for busy families these days. Both mum and dad work. So the house needs to be operating like really well, supporting you really well to make your life easier. And colours and nice curtains and rugs just aren't going to help with that or fix any of the core issues. And so ultimately that's what my business does. So we start with your floor plan. We have a system called flow. So it's finalize your floor plan, lock in your services, and then overlay your finishes. And basically that just gets you like a really good core design that functions really well and supports you and makes daily life easier. And then we can overlay the finishes and make it look however we're aiming to, whether it's mid-century, art deco, modern, it's really easy to do it in that way. And you get the best of both worlds. So yeah, that's what we focus on.

SPEAKER_00 2:24

Incredible. Well done. Um, okay. So tell me about, first of all, how did you even find out about Birdcage and what we do? Oh my God. Okay.

SPEAKER_01 2:35

So I've been following you since like maybe a year post-COVID, I would say. And every video you did, I was like, cool, because I'm not into like fluffy colours as much. Like I'm sure it's the overlay, but you need that core thing first. And I also felt like that was very similar to you, where you had like the systems, the psychology, and all of that set up. And then you can really like talk about if you want to do a rogue video and talk about colours, you can, but you have that framework. And so those were the videos you were uploading. And so I was quite literally just scrolling TikTok and being like, binge, binge, binge. Like I'd just spend hours on your page. And then I was like, no, like I can do it myself. But every video of yours I watched, I was like, I can't do it myself because you just had such a unique approach to the point where like I would see other people on TikTok or Instagram, and it just didn't hit the same because it was like post five times a day, but they wouldn't tell you like who how to figure out your ideal audience or like what to say, and just your whole framework was just so different. So yeah, I found you on TikTok and I spent like two years bing.

SPEAKER_00 3:39

I think that's that's a similar story for a lot of people. And do you know what I think it is? I I know that we attract a very smart, intelligent, a thinking audience. And the one, the one downfall that I see with that, and I know it in myself and I know it in my team, is that because we are people that figure things out, we often believe that, oh, I can I can just take this idea from this 60-second video and I'll be able to figure it out, right? And I think that yes, you you certainly will be able to figure it out, but it's gonna take you a lot longer. You know, this is we're celebrating 10 years in business this month. And for me to have figured out to get to this point, that's 10 years plus the eight years prior, nine years prior of my marketing career. And so what I what I really get a lot of pleasure out of is that I get to shorten that learning curve for people that probably could figure it out for themselves, but we get to do it in a space of just a few weeks. And that's what happened in your case, right? Yeah. So you mentioned that there wasn't a lot of insight from other marketers telling you about how to find your target audience. And I think you have done a really great job in so clearly identifying who it is that you're targeting. So why don't you take us through first of all who your target audience is for your business, and then um, yeah, we'll go from there.

SPEAKER_01 5:06

Yeah, so my target audience is mainly families. Both parents are typically working, family life is busy, they've got maybe one to three kids, and they really want a space that works for them and looks pretty, but they're very detail oriented. They're not so focused on the colors and the styles, so they're less likely to come to me with like the setup mood board of like all of these colors they like. They're more likely to come to me and say, I'm struggling with cooking, you know, there's not enough bench space. Um, so they're really detail-oriented, they know what their problems are, they know that they want a really good solution that is going to last them years to come. Um, and especially with bathrooms too, like they're quite an investment. And so they want to do it once and do it right.

SPEAKER_00 5:49

Yeah. And before we go any further with that, I want to ask. So I think a lot of people think that to hire an interior designer, it means you've got a multi, multi-million dollar property, you've got an endless budget. What do you say to people who think that that is the only type of person that can hire an interior

Finding Birdcage And Strategic Fit

SPEAKER_00 6:10

designer?

SPEAKER_01 6:10

Well, I think there's a really common misconception, especially with kitchens, because a lot of the time, like, well, traditionally it's been you go to a kitchen manufacturer, they give you a free design, you like it, they sell you on some colors and you go with it. But actually, built into that service is that design fee. And so when they're giving you a quote for, say, $25,000, there'll be a big chunk of that for the design fee. So they sell you on free design, come in, and it's free if you don't go with them. But if you do go with them, it is built into your quote. So you're sort of paying for it regardless, even though you think it's free, it's really like it's kind of just a misleading statement. So you don't have to have a multi-million dollar home. You know, you're paying for it regardless with a kitchen and with a bathroom. You might go to a builder say, but again, you're actually paying for the service that's just built into their quote. So why not actually hire someone that can understand all your pain points, has like 10 plus years experience plus the degrees, knows what they're talking about, and is actually going to listen to your pain points and give you a solution that is going to last like 10, 20 years or as long as like the materials will last. So you don't have to have a multi-million dollar home or earn lots of money. Like you are paying for it regardless. It's just an industry secret that no one tells you.

SPEAKER_00 7:25

Yeah, for sure. And I know with me when I've done kitchen designs, if I haven't decided to go with that kitchen designer, they don't technically let you share that design with others, right? So yeah, it's really the other thing, I've done a few renovations myself as well. And um, I mean, my sister is just like you, she's a qualified interior designer. So I I do get a bit of help from her, but there's so many times where I've gone and done my own kitchen design, it's then been built, and then I start using it, and I find I've done this wrong. You know, this is too big a draw, or these cupboards aren't working, or I forgot to put the bin somewhere, you know. So I think um one benefit I really see with having a proper interior designer, someone who really thinks about functionality, is that you actually save money down the track. Instead of having to then redo it or put up, you know, you've spent 20 grand on a kitchen, instead of hating the layout of it, you actually have something that you really love and that makes your life easier.

SPEAKER_01 8:25

Yeah, absolutely. And you spend a lot of time in your kitchen, like you are ultimately cooking dinner every night. And if that's a painful chore, you're working full-time, juggling kids, you get home at maybe like four after the school run, and then you've got to go and cook dinner or get snacks, and everything's painful, like it's just a horrible end to your day. So for sure. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 8:43

I avoid cooking dinner at all, of course. That's my husband's job. Okay, so it is so evident to me, and when I see your content, it's so evident that you truly understand who your target audiences are, the pain points that they're going through, and also the what we're calling the expanded self, which we used to call it the transformed identity, but I've since done a bit more research into psychological studies, and there there is this phenomenon they're talking about, which is the expanded self, which is the person that each of us is trying to become in our own way. Now, tell me how you figured out who your audience is and how did you get to understand them so well?

SPEAKER_01 9:23

I would say before I signed up to the express mode, my ideal client was, I think that was the core of it, but I didn't realize that. And I had quite a few jobs on the go where I would kind of like dread working with them. And it's not that it was the client or the client's fault, it's just it might have been a multi-million dollar home. The kitchen was kind of fine, but the clients wanted to replace it or they wanted to replace it with a certain style, but they didn't care about like how it actually functioned. And so when I started express mode, I kind of wrote down all my clients what their jobs were and crossed off any that I didn't want to work with. And that was like 80% of them, I would say. Wow. And again, like it's not the client's fault, it was just the project that it was.

SPEAKER_00 10:07

Yeah. And it's just, it's just like you're we're not, you know, we can't we're not friends with everyone, we don't get on with everyone. Yeah. It's yeah, it is very important to make sure that you're aligned. But I really like that process of because I think that's that's a big thing that a lot of people are stuck on. I don't know who my target audience is. And I think there's this, there's this narrative that your target audience has to be someone that's going to pay you the most. And it's not true, right? No.

SPEAKER_01 10:36

Like if someone told me like families, you know, like that from an outside perspective, families are busy, they don't have a lot of spare money. You know, that's kind of the general, like I'm from a small town in Hawke's Bay, and so that's very much the the vibe, the general feeling. But when I started doing express mode,

Target Audience: Busy, Practical Families

SPEAKER_01 10:53

I was, it was just so easy. Like I could write down exactly what I wanted, just kind of jotted down all my thoughts. And then as I sort of moved through the process, it really helped me like funnel into who I wanted to deal with, which was like the busy families. Um, and you really just can't stray from that because if you do, if you tell yourself like, oh, they can't afford my service, and you start kind of veering off, you're quite literally just basically doing a U-turn and going back to exactly where you were. So you really just have to like the one thing I would say about Express Mode and everything you do is just you actually just have to follow the framework. And anytime you think about listening to like a Tony Robbins podcast or diary of a CEO and you start like straying and writing down their notes, it just doesn't work. You just need to like follow Maddie, follow her advice, like literally stick with it linear path, and you'll get there. And like the results you get will be so amazing. And then everything else is quite literally like a hundred times easier. Like you won't dread making content, like you'll actually be excited about it because you're excited for your ideal audience to find you because you know you're gonna deliver an amazing service and they're gonna be so happy. So yeah, you just have to like focus, don't stray and don't think like, oh, these people won't pay me. Because if you find the right people, they'll definitely pay you.

SPEAKER_00 12:06

Definitely. I agree. I think um that's why I'm I think you've gotten the results that you have, and we'll talk about your results. But I believe that the reason why you've had such success with this is because you you really did commit, you know, you committed to the program, you committed to doing the work, you committed to showing up on socials, even if it felt uncomfortable at first. And you just went through the process step by step. And I think where a lot of people come undone is where they and it's not just with our programs, it's with with anyone, you know, they sign up to a methodology and then they start doing it, and then they start second guessing themselves because it feels different to what they've been doing before, and then the results are diluted because the way they're using it is diluted. So I think you've really nailed it that if you are signing up to whether it's one of our programs or as a client or um to anyone else's programs, you have to just actually do it step by step. And I had a similar result when I started working with my first business coach back in 2020. It was the first time I've ever hired a business coach or anything like that. And I remember just thinking, I'm paying this money, which I actually don't have, but I'm putting it on the credit card and I'm paying this money, and I'm just gonna do everything that this person tells me to do, even if I don't believe it, because I'm paying this money. And so I think that this it's it's yeah, it's like the law of exchange. It's this idea that if you commit to something and you pay the money and you do the things you're supposed to do, that's where the results come through. Yeah, I would 100% agree with that. Yeah. Okay, so talk to me about where you were at the stage with your content creation before you joined the program.

SPEAKER_01 13:47

Yeah, so I think the biggest thing for me is because I wasn't clear on my audience, I was really just doing like whatever. So you'd actually done a video and you were like, um, you need all these pieces of content, and it was like top, it was like controversial, educational, and then you had like an angle piece. And I remember doing that, and once I started doing that, it was definitely like better than absolutely nothing that I was doing. But I just wasn't seeing like many results. So I would post on TikTok a couple of times a day. I'd done like 30 videos maybe and had got one client, which was amazing. And she was actually like still my ideal client today, which was good. But I was like, okay, I'm too terrified to show up on Instagram because TikTok is kind of safe, right? Like people you know, they're less likely to see you, goes out to a wider audience, and like you don't feel like you're on the stadium. But Instagram really terrified me because like it just feels so much more personal, like more people can see you. And so I definitely was really scared to show up on Instagram. I didn't do it. If I did, it was really basic. I definitely wouldn't do talking to camera videos. Um, I would just keep it carousels and really simple and ultimately never saw any growth, any like customers come through. And it was just really defeating. And I think before Express Mode, this is another thing. Like I would compare myself to other designers that had lots of clients, um, not really locals, but outside national and international. And you kind of wonder, like, how did they get there? And it probably was that they signed up like to Instagram 10 years ago and they've started posting, but you see it, like you see from your day one what their like day one million is sort of thing, and you compare yourself to that. And then you think maybe that should be my ideal client. Like they're doing these projects, they look cool. Okay, like that's what I need to do. But after doing express mode and like realizing who I really want to work with, that became so much easier to then like write content ideas and script them out, and you know that like what you're doing is going to be worthwhile because even if you only get 250 views, you only really need

The Myth Of “Free” Kitchen Design

SPEAKER_01 15:50

one person to think like, wow, I really like her, I'm gonna inquire on the website. You don't really need 250 people to sign up. Like you would probably be like me, incredibly overwhelmed and not set up for it. So the more you kind of start doing it and you find your ideal clients are finding you and you're getting more business, like it is really slow at the start, but you just have to ignore all of that, keep going, and just if if you get 200 views, whatever. I mean, that's 200 more than zero. So like just take it and just keep going. And now I like love showing up on social media. I've got like, I don't know, maybe 600 followers on Instagram. So like not that much, but I really just don't care. It's just nice to be on there sharing what I know, and then also like my ideal client, I don't want them to go to someone else and get a really bad design. So, like, that's ultimately my driver. You just keep going, they'll find you, and eventually you'll get some traction, and then it's amazing.

SPEAKER_00 16:42

Yeah. So, how long from when you posted your first bits of content after doing express mode and having your strategy and having that content plan? How long from there till you think your first client came through your socials? Two weeks. Two weeks. Yeah, that's that's really good. I mean, that's quick. And I don't think it happens as quickly for everyone. So if it doesn't happen that quickly for you, don't be discouraged. But Nicole's raised a really good point, which is you don't need 20,000 views on a video. If you have 200 views on a video and you post five times a week, that's a thousand people seeing your content. If five percent of them come through as paying clients, what's that? Like five? Five, five clients for most businesses, five leads in one week is probably too many. So I think that's we need to reframe this idea of oh, I needed 20,000 views on a post for it to be successful. That's not the case at all. So yeah, that that's amazing. So if you're happy to share, tell me about where the business was at financially versus where you are at now. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 17:54

Well, I think everyone has a breaking point when they start a business. Like for mine, it was I just hated my job, my car got broken into, and I was like, okay, I'm just gonna start a business, buy a car, and I'll figure it out. And that was very much very similar to like the point or the breaking point of when I signed up to express mode. So I was not enjoying my clients. Um, I signed up in February, I think. So like the summer holidays are always a good time to like reflect on how you want the new year to begin. And I did not want to repeat the last year. And we had had a pregnancy loss at the end of that year, and we had another one in the start of February, middle of February. And so I wasn't really focusing on my business. I'd ultimately hit rock bottom at that point mentally. And I was like, okay, I either need to go back to employment and just give up, or I need to like grow up, just harden up, sign up to express mode. You've been thinking about it for like at least two and a half years now. I think you've done enough thinking. And I quite literally had had like four months off. I had, I think, little more than $10 over the express mode cost. And I was like, okay, I'm gonna give this a go. This is like my last chance. I'm at my breaking point, just commit. And so that was when I went on to express mode, and I just honestly haven't looked back, like it's been so amazing.

SPEAKER_00 19:11

I'm so sorry to hear about yeah, what's happening in your personal life, but the reality is as a small business owner, what happens personally is so reflective of what happens in your business. Like if you where our mental states are at, it will affect our bottom line directly. And there's just things like pregnancy loss, it's just something that you can never help, and it's something that's so challenging to get through. Actually, what business podcast talks about how do you navigate running your business while you're you know, when you experience a miscarriage, like that's where else is that spoken about, right? But it's like as as women, but even you know, as men, I'm sure like your husband as well, like that would have affected his work and his career and and what he's doing as well. But it's just like I don't think we can look at business in a vacuum like that because it is so dependent on everything else that's happening around you. As I said, I had a similar situation where I signed up with my business coach with my bottom dollar, and it it came after having my second child and not wanting to repeat the experience that I had when I had my first, where I was literally back at work pretty much straight away as a new mum and trying to juggle being a mother, but then also working, and I knew that I couldn't keep going the way that I was going, and so yeah, I think that there just comes this breaking point where you're like, get your shit together, either like let this dream die or get your shit together and step up.

SPEAKER_01 20:40

And I'm really pleased you weren't with the second me too, and you really just have to like commit and just ignore everything else. Like, I was we'd had the second loss, we had this really surprised surgery that we weren't expecting. And within 24 hours of coming out of the anesthesia, I'm like on my laptop replying to clients, giving them new deadlines. And I just remember sitting there being like, I'm not even excited to get back to this project, I don't want to be doing this anymore. Like, I need a break. But if you're just a solo person, you don't have that option if you haven't like built your systems and built your business up. So it really was like make or break. And then when I signed up, I just said like nothing is going to get in my way. So, like for anyone saying high school people might see me, or I'm really tired, I need a camera, I need a better phone, I need a microphone, like all of that, I can truly say, like, I've probably been exactly where you are. And very recently, like about eight months ago, and I was navigating the loss. And I understand that we've got to be empathetic and kind to ourselves, but you also need to get to a point and actually commit and just decide that nothing else matters. You are going to show up, even if you're tired, even if you're hungry, you don't have a camera, like whatever your

Defining Ideal Clients And Saying No

SPEAKER_01 21:50

excuses, I promise you that actually once you start and you commit, you can push all those thoughts aside. But if you're sitting there thinking about all these excuses, you're not going to get anywhere. Like you just have to make a commitment and stick with it no matter what's going on to actually get out of that situation.

SPEAKER_00 22:05

That's such great advice. And I think that you know, you've got two drivers happening here. You've got the personal one of I'm not going to let myself fail, which I think is so strong. But then also because you had that clarity piece around this is the these are the people that I want to help, it also it your mission felt bigger than just you, right? It's like, yeah, I want to grow my business and get all the freedom and the abundance and the satisfaction and the success that comes with that. But it's also, as you said before, I don't want my people to go to someone else and to have a disappointing experience. I want to be the one that helps them and make sure that it's what they want. Yeah, absolutely. So tell me, like, where is the business at now? So it's been what, eight months since you since you've joined the program. Where's the business at now?

SPEAKER_01 22:57

So I would say we get, we went from basically having like zero, maybe one lead a month, to now having like one to five a month just from the content that I've been putting up, which is not even like fully committing, you know, it might be like five Instagram posts a day. And I ultimately ended up Oh yeah, sorry, five Instagram posts a day. No, sorry, five Instagram posts a week, yeah. And every now and then on TikTok. And that's because I went really hard in the first like couple of months, started getting clients, realized, okay, my systems, like my pen and paper system is just it's gone, it's outgrowing. So I actually ended up slowing down to start putting systems in place because I just actually couldn't keep up with all the leads that I was getting. And I would say, I don't actually think we've had one that's inquired and not gone with us, which is amazing. So yeah, I really like hone in the fact that you might get 200 views like a week or on a video, whatever it really doesn't matter. Like you only really need kind of one to five of those, and you'll very quickly outgrow your systems, and then you can just kind of keep building from there.

SPEAKER_00 24:00

Yeah, that's incredible. And I think I love that metric of everyone that's come through from the content that lands on your website where your website messaging is matching your social media messaging, and then they get on a call with you, and then what you're saying on that call matches all of those three things. That's that's the key. That's the consistency key. That's the the clear example that I really understand your needs. And do you find that when people jump on the call with you, they're less interviewing you and they're more just like, okay, what how what's the next step?

SPEAKER_01 24:38

Yeah, so I had committed coming up to Auckland. So I'm from Hawke Space, so I committed coming here for the podcast. And I think a day before I was leaving, I had someone inquire about working with me who was quite literally on the way to this drive. So within three days, we sort of talked, we talked about details, what the process looks like. And it's really is just questions from them of like, what does the process look like? What does it include? And like, what are my next steps? Because often they're just faced with this overwhelming renovation or new build project, and they're just confused about what the next steps are. But by the time they actually get to you on that call, that really is their only question. It's not like, what do you do? What do you offer? It's just how do I work with you and where do we start? And like they don't really even ask about pricing either. Like they're just so committed.

SPEAKER_00 25:22

It's it's not a sales pool anymore. It's more just a like a let's get started on the project call. Yeah, that's the big shift I noticed with my business when I started taking organic content seriously because prior to that, probably five years ago, I was a hardcore ads girly, Google SEO girly. I thought social media was just like for the fluffy marketers, but obviously I've done a huge backflip on that. But that's the biggest thing I found. We went from having discovery calls where people were like, send me case studies, send me this. Like, what are your results? What is your proof? Why you double the price of the person next door? To I love everything that you talk about. What is the best package for me?

SPEAKER_01 26:05

Yeah, absolutely. And being able to have everything really cohesive. So you mentioned website. So once I went through Express Mode and worked through my ideal audience and got all the clarity, not only did I change my Instagram posts and my TikTok and my approach, I changed my entire website. Like I overhauled it, I changed all the copy, the images. And you might be in a small town like me, and a lot of people do find you on Google. But if you're if they find you on Google, they go to your website and then they're like, oh, I want to know a bit more about it. And they go to your Instagram or TikTok and it all speaks the same language, they're not confused. They know exactly what you offer and they really just need to know the next step. So having that whole system work, like once you complete Express Mode or whatever program you end up doing, make sure that everything is together and like it really just takes so much of the work out of everything. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 26:56

Having the strategy piece up front, that's probably the biggest resistance that we get from people that, especially because so many other marketers just say, Oh no, I'll just do your website, I'll just do your socials from the get-go. But if you're pre-working all of that, it's just like how you would work with understanding your client briefs, right? Like you would never show up and say, on the first meeting, here's your kitchen design, right? You'd want to talk to them, understand what their vision is, understand their goals, how they live, what they're going to be using it for. And then it's then when you've pre-worked all of that, the answers are obvious. The answers literally write themselves.

SPEAKER_01 27:34

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 27:35

So yeah.

SPEAKER_01 27:36

I remember when I first started my business, maybe like eight months in, because I was contracting for a bit, and I was like, oh my God, I need a logo because everyone tells you that the logo is so important. Even like back then it was way more. Pick your brain colours, all of that. And I did pick them and I did do a logo, but what was I doing a logo for? Like I was just picking something out of thin air of a style I liked. And I think I paid maybe like $1,600 to get this logo done. And for what? Like they ask you who your client is or who you want to work with. And if you don't actually know the answer to that, you get an average design, which is not their fault. They're going off the lack of information that you have or the lack of clarity. So you pay $1,600 for a logo, maybe. You maybe pay someone to give you some brand colours and stuff. But all of that could equal up to two, two and a half grand. And you might end up changing it in six months, eight months, or definitely after you do express mode or another program, you'll change it because you realize like my ideal clients do my ideal client does not want like this bold, screaming loud font. Like they actually want something calm because you're trying to give them a calm experience. So like, even things like that, it's just quite literally no point wasting that kind of money until you've done it and you have clarity.

Commit To A Framework And Execute

SPEAKER_01 28:45

Otherwise, you're just going to end up redoing it and there's no need for it.

SPEAKER_00 28:48

We've had to have that challenging conversation with people so many times. Even a recent advisory client of ours, she came to us with an existing logo and website. We started the strategy piece and we've we've started working with her on socials, and then we had to have that tough combo, which was you need a new logo and a new website because this is not going to hit. So yeah, I think people they think I need to be in a certain place before I do a strategy, or I need to have this sorted before I do a strategy. What would you say to people that think like that? It's just wrong.

SPEAKER_01 29:21

Like it's just honestly wrong. Like I have no other words for it. Like, I would say my recommendation is like do the strategy and then start implementing and then set your systems up and your process up at the very start because I'm now doing that because I was getting too many leads from the organic content. And I was just you literally using pen and paper, which I was really lucky. Like one of my clients was like someone who could do all of that because I didn't know people like that existed. I just thought pen and paper was it. But she ended up setting me up on recommending systems and like just having the leads come in, it's all automated. Like it just takes so much stress away. Whether you've got one client or 10 clients, there will get to a point where you have more clients. Than you can handle. And like if you've got the strategy, you're implementing it, you've got the systems, like it's so much easier. And no one will care about your logo or your colours, like ultimately, that if they resonate with your message and what you're saying, like then implement your brand colours and stuff. But like there's just no point starting with the fluffy stuff. You need the strategy first, or it's just never gonna work. 100%.

SPEAKER_00 30:22

Well, I obviously agree. So you talk a lot about organic content. Have you delved into paid ads yet? No. We can't handle enough. We can't handle the leads as is. Let me set up my systems.

SPEAKER_01 30:33

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 30:34

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 30:35

But Max did definitely talk about that in some of the um calls that we did. And because I I ended up going express mode, but doing extra calls with Max, which was amazing. And there was one video that did really well, and she was like, you need to make that a paid ad. And I'm like, okay, but let me do my systems first, like I can't handle any more. But yeah, like I would say when I first started my business, I would just do a random Google ad. And like when your website doesn't speak to the ideal person and you have no organic content because you're too afraid to show up. Like the ad is going into the abyss. I never got any clients from it. It was quite literally a waste of money. And yeah, so I'm ready to run paid ads when I've got my systems. I feel like it'll be way more effective now.

SPEAKER_00 31:15

Yeah, for sure. Yeah, I think um there's a lot of marketing activities that make you feel good as a business owner. I think designing that logo is one of them. Uh randomly boosting posts or randomly making ads, that's another, that's another one that makes you feel like you're doing something, right? But it's it's like you have to just be really honest with yourself and and really just say, am I doing this just because I want to feel like I'm making progress, or do I actually want to make progress and do the groundwork first?

SPEAKER_01 31:46

Yeah, I definitely boosted a couple of posts in my early days and like they were not. I look back on them because I would have screenshot them as like that was the other thing. I did screenshot things along the way, and I look back at it and like before Express mode, none of it lined up. And like one of them that I boosted really didn't line up with my ideal client. So I was quite literally like pushing them away because I didn't have a strategy or any clarity. So it just didn't work and it was a waste of like whatever, like $50 or something, which when you are scrappy as a like business owner in the star and you're not doing well because you're not doing organic content, like every dollar matters, and that's why I say like save the money on a logo, save the money on your colours and every other fluffy thing, like boosted posts, and like actually just to a proper program. Yeah, agree, obviously.

SPEAKER_00 32:30

But I mean I've done I've been there in the past as well. We Facebook ads I think we were around before Facebook ads. So when Facebook ads first came out, there was definitely a huge learning curve for us as well. But I think um yeah, that's the strategy that's where the strategy for us actually became evident. I was because we are celebrating our 10 years this year, I went back into all of my old stories on our old Instagram account in the archive, and I actually could see where I started talking about strategy and how we started developing, and I was this one video that's like, we're trying this new thing out where we do this and this and this, and I'm just like, I can literally pinpoint where that came about, and it came about because we were running the campaigns for clients, but they weren't getting the results that we were hoping for, and so for me it was very obvious that it feels like something's missing, and I think that's a feeling that a lot of business owners have with their marketing. It's like I'm doing all of the things that this person told me to do, but it just feels like there's something missing, and it is that strategy piece, yeah. Okay, so wow, I think we've covered pretty much like everything. Is there anything else that you wanted to like add or say or share about your business?

SPEAKER_01 33:43

I would say it's really easy to get caught up in the noise on TikTok and Instagram. Like, there are thousands of millions of marketers trying to sell you their course. And like I saw one on the way here, and it was basically saying, let us automate all of your posts, you know, say goodbye to the heartache of social media. We'll put out one post a day for two weeks, and it's this amount of money. And I can almost guarantee that that sale, whatever the thing is, it's not even a course, is probably going to get you nowhere. And I think it was more than express mode to be able to do it. So, like, there are so many people that you can listen to, but I would just, yeah, get into express mode or the school or any other of Maddie's programs and just like follow all of her advice, all of Max's advice if you do calls. Like Max is a genius, and if she tells you to do something, like

From Content Fear To Consistent Posting

SPEAKER_01 34:32

actually just do it and implement it and don't think about it for too long. Like, just ignore all the noise, do your thing, get a strategy, get clear on who you want to talk to and like the problem of social media, and it's like no longer hard to show up because you end up really enjoying it, you're getting clients, which makes you feel really good. And even if you're not getting clients, you end up feeling really good because you're really like in alignment with who you are, what you value, who your clients are, and what they value. And they should be fairly similar and yeah, you're just in alignment. So that's another thing. Like I'm very spiritual and I'm like, whatever happens, happens, and what's for me won't miss me, and like all of those quotes. And like while I love them, like I was sitting there thinking, if it's meant to be, the universe will help me. And then I go on TikTok and I'd see your video, and I'm like, I'll keep scrolling because I'm like, well, why? That's obviously not the answer, right? Like, it's not like the universe just giving you an answer on TikTok, you're just there to doom scroll. But actually, when I signed up with you, that was really in alignment. And like you can be spiritual and woo-woo like I am, and I fully get it, but there actually comes a point where you just need to be like smart and logical, and yeah, that's definitely this.

SPEAKER_00 35:39

Yay. And I mean, this is a perfect example of how well our content is working, and we're attracting people like Nicole, who is clearly our ideal student, our deal client as well. So yeah, amazing. Thank you so much for being here. Now tell us if people want to connect with you more, if they want to see what you're doing, they want to work with you, where can they find you?

SPEAKER_01 36:00

So Instagram and TikTok is both F for fresh, B for buy, D for design, underscore interiors, sorry. And then their website is just fbd interiors.co.nz. So we're on TikTok, Instagram, and the website. And you can always inquire on the website as well.

SPEAKER_00 36:14

Woohoo. Thanks, Nicole. Thank you for thank you for joining me and thank you for hanging out. And we are, yeah, we're gonna be watching because we know there's some pretty exciting big things ahead. Yeah, cool.