Phone a Friend: A Live Coaching Session with Abby Connolly

My very first intern is on the show with me today, except now she runs her own thriving design studio. I put Abby on the spot for a live, no-prep coaching session so you could hear exactly what it sounds like when I work with a client in real time.

In this super speed, rapid fire session we get into her offers, her pricing, and the one thing that's capping her growth right now. Plus the story of how a phone call about filing an LLC turned into an actual business (her parents literally bought her the domain for Christmas).

Thing you might want to dive into your own business together? Let's chat.

Check out Abby's work.

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:00

Today I have a longtime friend on, my very first intern, Abby Connolly, who is running her own design studio called Arc and Co-Design. She was kind enough to hop on today and let me do a super fast mini coaching session with her live. So consider this your sampling of what it's like to work with me and sit in while I coach an amazing agency owner in real time.

SPEAKER_00 0:21

Hey Abby, thanks for being on the podcast today. I'm so excited to be here after listening to so many episodes. It's cool to be a part of it.

SPEAKER_01 0:29

I'm so honored that you would be a part of this little uh kind of all of the coaching sessions that we do condensed into a super fast episode so people can get a chance to see what it's like um to work with me and kind of go through that process at hyper speed. So I'm so grateful you're willing to do that. I'd love to start by sharing a little bit of how we know each other um and how we worked together initially. So I'll let you kind of share that story.

SPEAKER_00 0:56

Yeah. So I was a senior in college and it was when you still lived in Nashville. And I think you DM'd me at the time and were like, hey, I need some design help. Would you be willing to assist? I have my own business. And I was like, oh my gosh, absolutely. And it was, you know, at first I was like, this is so cool. And I was so impressed. And just we continued to, I think I worked for you for like a year as an intern in college. And um it just kept like I just kept being so impressed by like you started as Suzy Marketing and then you went into Lawson House. And so it continued on, and I was like watching you grow firsthand. And I didn't in college, you're trying to figure out what you want to do with your life, and I didn't have a dream job. And then I saw you doing what you were doing, and I was like, this is my dream job. And I had had truly like five internships before it, and I was like, no, this is what I want to be doing. And so one day I called you. Um, I remember exactly where I was as outside the design building, and I was like, hey, Susie, clients are coming to me. Um, I don't want to do this like outside of your work. I want to make sure you know that I'm like designing a logo on the side. And you were like, file for an LLC. Like I so vividly remember this phone call. And I was like, file for an LLC. I'm 20 years old. And you were like, Yeah, like file for an LLC. So, anyways, it was like November when you told me that. And I went home that Christmas and asked for a domain for Christmas for my parents, and they were like, Okay, let's do it, my bath. Like, what are you? And I was like, and we're gonna file for an LLC. And they were like, All right. So that Christmas, I started my business because quite literally you told me to. And I was, I thought about it and I was like, you know, I could do this. And so when everybody asked, like, how why'd you start your business? You are an integral part of that story, um, which I love because it's just so cool now, like six years later, being able to like still have you as a mentor and be able to be like, Yeah, I interned for Susie. And then she's the reason why my business exists today.

SPEAKER_01 3:13

So well, you were exceptionally kind in telling that story. You were an awesome intern, and it was such an easy, like, of course, you're gonna go do your own thing. Some people I always say, like, unfortunately, you have the entrepreneurial bug, which uh you just you are at some point going to start a business. I feel like it's just something you're born with. So um was so clear from the beginning. Well, why don't you tell us about your business now? Um, because you have a thriving business, and I'd love for you to tell everybody a little bit about what you do. Um, and then you know, one of the things I help people with in coaching is really nailing down their offers. So I'd love for you to go into a little bit too like what are those packages? How do you support your clients?

SPEAKER_00 3:50

Yeah, absolutely. So it typically starts um if we're if we're getting into the entire funnel pipeline, people will find me either referrals are huge or um referrals, word of mouth, Instagram. And so in combination, that's typically how I get my clients. And they'll come in and do a clarity session.

SPEAKER_01 4:13

I'll uh I'll stop you for a second. Tell everybody business name, what you do.

SPEAKER_00 4:17

Like give us your like perfect. Um, my business name is Arc and Co-design. I do branding, um, web design and digital marketing for clients um here in Nashville and then beyond. Cool. That's awesome.

SPEAKER_01 4:34

Okay, I interrupted you, but I want to make sure everybody was on the same page. So um I want to dive into a little bit of I do want you to go through your offers and your funnel and everything, but even before we dive into that, yeah, I want you to talk through your goals and kind of where you're at with your business currently.

SPEAKER_00 4:50

Yeah, so I would say I am at somewhat of a crossroads where I've grown the business up until this point and I am maxed at um being able to do the work myself. So I have a studio manager. She helps me with admin and marketing for my own business. But when it comes to actually executing the work for clients, I'm the only one doing that. And so I feel very tapped at max capacity in that way, but I'm wanting to grow. And the vision is to um have a team that can support me and be able to help propel um the vision forward and do the client work and just have a larger ecosystem to work within, other than just me. So awesome.

SPEAKER_01 5:41

Um very cool. Well, I think our goal today is to come up with a few things that you can do to kind of get closer to that vision. So in every coaching session that I do, I try to leave people with three actionable things you can do over the next two weeks to move that forward. And for me, normally moving things forward means either we're saving money or we're making money. Um, because it's business, not just friendship and fun. Um, so that is how we're going to measure success. So today, I'd love for you to start. I interrupted you before, but I'd love to you to start by going through those offers in the funnel, and we're gonna see where I can find. Um, Cheyenne calls them leaky buckets. Um, she's a funnel expert, but I'd love to find kind of where your leaky buckets are in your funnel and um in some of your offers first.

SPEAKER_00 6:28

Yeah. So people find me either referral or um through Instagram or social media. So those are the two main ways. It's either current clients referring new clients or just like a friend of a friend. And then um they'll come through and we'll get clear, we'll do a discovery call on what they're needing. So from there, the discovery call will end up either putting them in three different offerings: a website, a brand, a combo of both, um, or ongoing marketing if they're looking for just social media or um ongoing like email marketing or um landing pages, and um it that is kind of more like a customized based on where you are and what you're needing marketing-wise. But the first two is branding, web design, ongoing marketing retainers.

SPEAKER_01 7:25

Very cool. Can you give me like ballpark price points for those? I know that that's hard to every website's different um and custom scoping everything, but like ballpark where you like to be.

SPEAKER_00 7:35

Yes. So um the branding is 3k, the like ballpark, the um web design is six, the combo of both would be eight. And then the ongoing marketing is really custom. So it can be anywhere from three to six K depending on the scope of the project. Okay. Monthly. Monthly. Yep.

SPEAKER_01 8:01

Very cool. Do you have an ICP or do you have a target audience that you're going after?

SPEAKER_00 8:07

So it is typically businesses that have already had a brand or logo and aren't coming like, hey, I'm just starting this thing. It's they're established, their business is making money and they need something that is gonna grow with them. So a lot of small business owners, a lot of creative business owners, um, and business coaches. Very cool.

SPEAKER_01 8:31

That's awesome. Do you have a favorite type of client to work with?

SPEAKER_00 8:34

Oh um, I feel like each of them has a unique take. And so I love the ones that are kind of blissfully unaware that are like, I really need your help because that's how you can like really be able to be make the biggest difference in their company.

SPEAKER_01 8:53

So very cool. That's awesome. Okay. Um, so right now you are sitting in a spot where you're working all the time to deliver all of this. So your offers to me, I feel like are pretty strong, but we can come back to that. Lead gem wise, you're almost 100% referral-based right now, right? Yeah. Okay. So kind of the next step in my coaching is typically trying to figure out how do we get you out of just a referral-based business only. Um, have you done any kind of outreach? What are things that you've tried in the past?

SPEAKER_00 9:23

Um, I've tried to just DM businesses on Instagram. Um, really, just the businesses. Uh I'll choose like a category. So for example, I DM'd like 10 to 15 dentists back in April, heard nothing from any of them and was like, well, and so then I continued to follow up on warm leads from referral because I was like, haven't heard anything from the people sitting in my DMs that I reached out to. So I would say that, and then I will email or text friends and be like, hey, do you have anyone in your network that would need my services? So that is the extent of um reaching out to people that I do.

SPEAKER_01 10:06

Very cool. In terms of um your sales process, so these people are coming through. Um the next thing that I normally take people through is the sales process. And we're gonna come back to each of these and come up with kind of, hey, here's here's the biggest thing. Um with the sales calls, you are typically getting on that first call with them. Are you doing a follow-up call after that? What is your current process?

SPEAKER_00 10:29

Yeah, so actually, because of you in one of your episodes, I changed my sales process. So somebody will jump on a call, we'll go over everything that they're looking for. I will send over a loom and a proposal. But the thing that has been the game changer to closing the sales is on that first call, I make sure that we have a time to go over what I sent for uh just for their clarity so that they can be like, hey, I have questions on this. Cause I'll say, like, you know, you will, I'll send this over, but we still need to discuss it and I'd love to walk through it. And so then we have a second call already scheduled by the end of the first call. I send the loom and then we follow up. Um, and sometimes it's even looked like sending voice memos back and forth in between, um, just so people can get as clear as possible before we jump on that final call. Um, and so yeah, I I took I took that from you.

SPEAKER_01 11:26

Nice. That's awesome. Um, very cool. No, no, no, I'm just kidding. Um okay. And then the next um kind of category. When I say category, I mean like normally when people work with me, we're moving through this. Obviously, not at like rapid speed for a podcast, but we're going through this um every two weeks, we're tackling one of these topics. So the next one that we'll tick typically is team. Um, and looking at who you want to add to your team or if there's people that you need to get rid of um or not get rid of. But if there's people that you need to help them figure out, hey, here's where you better fit on the team, here's how we're going to move this through. Sometimes get rid of um and figure out how to move people around. Who's on your team currently? Who do you want to add to your team?

SPEAKER_00 12:10

So I currently have a studio manager named Lily. She's amazing. She again does admin stuff. So any of the um new leads coming in, she will email back and set up a call for me to take. She does a lot of my own marketing. So whether that's social or newsletter related, she'll do that. And then um, as far as who I want to add to the team, I think a designer or marketer, I have like these debates in my head of what that looks like and who it needs to be. But as of now, it's like designer, marketer, eventually an account manager, project manager. Um, but this is where I would love your insight because I'm like stuck in my head so much about it, and just verbally processing is already helping.

SPEAKER_01 13:00

Um, okay. And then in terms of, and this is kind of where team comes into play. It's a real chicken and egg situation. You're currently sitting at 10K a month. You're wanting to grow to 20K. Correct. You're in that really tough spot where we're like, okay, do I bring on the extra help to help me get to 20K or do I wait to hit 20K so that I can afford the extra help? Um a lot of people kind of get stuck in that cycle because you're like, I have no more minutes to go make more money. So if I have more help, then I can go make more money, but can I afford the more help if I don't?

SPEAKER_00 13:34

Exactly. That sums it all up. That sums my life up right now.

SPEAKER_01 13:39

Um, I think that's most people. Um, it is a really tricky situation. So we can definitely come back to that. Um, I think one of our biggest goals from this super speed coaching session will be to leave with a decision on timing for that and kind of what it would look like to bring somebody on. Um, next up is kind of we go through what I call CEO mindset. So a lot of people struggle at this point. And I feel like this actually impacts the chicken or egg situation more than anything else. Um, you start to feel this pressure of like, I am a freelancer, I deliver all this work for my client. This is what I'm doing. To step into a business owner role requires me to not be delivering everything myself and to let go of some of that control and to see myself as more of the CEO instead of I'm a well-paid freelancer and I'm getting help from contractors or assistants. Um, but really trying to step into that growing a team mindset. Where do you feel like you are with that right now?

SPEAKER_00 14:41

Um, in terms of what I like, I guess clarity around what part of the process I'm in. Is that what you're saying?

SPEAKER_01 14:51

I think um, like when you picture bringing in help, do you picture that freeing you up to do what? Is maybe a better question.

SPEAKER_00 14:58

Oh, got it. Okay, yes, that's helpful. I picture myself having the freedom to be able to creative direct in the sense of like I'm putting together the creative briefs and curating the overall aesthetic of a brand, but not the one actually executing it. So let me back up. I'm taking the sales calls. I love doing that. So I'm taking the sales calls and I'm following up and I'm helping them on board. Um, somebody would probably come in and do sort of the like more admin side of that onboarding, but I'm making sure they're comfortable with the team and then they are able to jump in and people who are would actually be better than me at design and marketing are taking over and taking care of the client.

SPEAKER_01 15:44

Okay. So ultimate vision right now is that they're buying the whole brand and not just, I really like Abby. Um something I think a lot of people struggle with is they want to hire you, which is a really tough this whole process. Um so I think if your ultimate vision is to step out of that um and to be more of that client lead, it sounds like you still want to set strategy as a part of that on and be a part of that acting as the creative director, but having the actual execution taken care of. Exactly. Okay. With all of this in place, so now we've got your offers in place, we've kind of got a good sense of where your lead gen is and your sales process, things there. I've got a good sense of kind of what growth looks like through a team and where you are. I think what's happening um is because you don't have a consistent flow of leads, feeling this pinch of I feel like I can't make this next hire because I'm not making enough sales calls in order for that to happen. So I'm capped. But even if I did have that, I can't move forward on this. Exactly. Exactly. The order that I think you should go in, and I'll say this too to our listeners, because I know we're doing this publicly, if you will. Um, this is not advice that I am saying, hey, this is what everybody should do. Um, the reason I think you hire a coach and you hire a one-on-one coach is because this is so specific to um the way you like to sell, what you struggle with in your business, the type of business owner you are, um, and the season of life that you're in. I know you well enough to know that given more time, you are not going to sit around and just spend more time designing. You're gonna want to go pursue growth, leads, network, go find more business. So I'm not worried about freeing up more of your time and it not being super profitable, which makes me think one of your first moves needs to be hiring somebody to take off of your plate, whatever's taking up the most time. So I don't really care if it's a designer or a marketer. Um whatever you feel like this is what's bogging me down, this is what's going to give me more time back. Um, for years, I had a sticky note on my computer that said, if I have more time, I'll make more money. Um, and I came back to that over and over and over again. So I feel like for you, you're gonna have to hire a marketer and a designer at some point. It doesn't matter who you hire first, right? Other yarn, if there's one of those that's going to give you back more time, that's the one that I would start with. Okay. Is there one that comes to mind immediately?

SPEAKER_00 18:22

Designer. Okay.

SPEAKER_01 18:24

You're spending the most time designing.

SPEAKER_00 18:27

Yes, and executing the design where I can start the marketing strategy and do that sort of a thing, and then uh have the designer, like I pictured the designer taking over from the strategy from the deliverables that are needed. And then that feels like the most urgent, most important need that's taking up and consuming the most time. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 18:49

Um, so I would say number one is putting together a job description for that. Um one option you do have is write both job descriptions, post both, see who you get, and decide, you know what? Actually, this person, I could sell different services and they could take over this. And I actually do think they could help with design. You don't have to hire both just because you're listing the job. You can kind of see which one you get. Um, and I would put out failures for those immediately and kind of figure out what you want there. Think debate over part-time, full-time. We'd have to dive into a lot more of your numbers and figure out that spot um for where you should be and kind of level of seniority and all of that. Right. A much more deep dive. But I think just what I'm hearing is step one is hire that person. So I'd be like, next two weeks, list that job description or both job descriptions. With then the thought of as you're starting, lead gen is gonna be your next key because the key to hiring a new hire and not going crazy and not losing all your money is to have a lead gen plan in place. And so whether that's going to be you investing in lead gen, whether you have plans of like, I'm gonna go, you've got to DM a lot more people than 10 to 15 people. So um, you know, I'm gonna go DM 20 coaches a day, I'm gonna go network, I'm gonna go on a podcast tour, I'm gonna go whatever it is that you're like, I'm gonna go pitch to these people. You know, number one for me is bring in new business, especially with this empire coming on. And so when they come on, that seesaw shifts and you get to go and run that. Wow. Um, so I would say that's kind of step one, step two.

SPEAKER_00 20:33

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 20:34

How do you feel about that so far?

SPEAKER_00 20:36

Great. I'm like, okay, the you actually answered one of the questions of like part-time, full-time. Um, so yeah, it's it's definitely interesting to think like, okay, I can I think um I'll do what you said where I put both out and see what I get.

SPEAKER_01 20:52

I think you should put both out. I'll answer the part-time, full-time real quick because there's pros and cons to both. Part-time is great because it's obviously less expensive. That's the biggest process of part-time. Um, and you can hire someone who's more senior. The problem with part-time is they're they're part-time bought in. They're not there. They're not going to be able to take as much off your plate, and they're not going to necessarily scale with you. Um, they are potentially building their own business on the side, um, what they do, uh, is they're taking on part-time work. It's very hard to kind of find that person that you're like, you're part-time, and you also want nothing more from this is a career. Which is I think most people go into part-time expecting. They're like, I want you to be fully bought in. I want this to be the heart and soul of your passion. Right. But I only want to pay you 20 bucks an hour. And like, that's just not possible. Right. On the flip side, if you bring on somebody full time, you're making a big commitment to them. And that can feel scary to be like, I'm gonna W to somebody. And for a while I struggle like, am I even grown up enough to have a W to Yeah, exactly. Aren't we going to be like, um, no, you're too immature for that. Um, but I felt this pressure of like, if I bring on somebody in W2, this is like, now we're real business. And it felt like there's just some imposter syndrome there. The bet like the best part about W2 go is that they wake up every day and this is their job. Um and I wanted people who, when somebody said, Hey, what are you doing for work right now? They said, Oh, I work at Lawson House. Right. I wanted that to be their full-time thing. Um, so there's not like a it's a different seasons. I've had hundreds of contractors that have come through different businesses that I've worked for. I've had lots of employees. Um, it just depends on kind of what risk you're willing to take for the level of commitment.

SPEAKER_00 22:47

Yes, makes total sense.

SPEAKER_01 22:49

Okay. Lead gen-wise, lots of options there that we could go into. Um, but I will say that I do recommend doing your own manual personal outreach first on a couple different platforms. Um, if you didn't listen to last week's episode on LinkedIn, I would go and listen to that one. There's tons of stuff packed in there. Um, Instagram, obviously, cold email is great. Whatever you're getting any response from, that's what then you can go and invest money in with an agency to go automate. But first, saying, I'm gonna reach out to five people a day or whatever that is. I also would say, well, how does that feel right now in terms of like feasibility getting that done?

SPEAKER_00 23:32

Good. Yeah, I feel like that's definitely possible.

SPEAKER_01 23:34

Cool. I have no issue with your offers. Um, a lot of times I'll kind of like restructure people's offers or kind of move things around there, but like I feel like your offers are really solid. The only thing I might add is something that somebody can test you out. Um, so kind of like a strategy or something that they can get some short amount of time with you that then could be applied to a bigger session with you or bigger work with you later on. Okay. Um, have you ever tested anything like that or any kind of strategy session?

SPEAKER_00 24:02

Yeah, I have what I call a clarity session. So it's $250 if they book those for it. I've had one person take it. Um, so it hasn't been, you know, crazy successful, but it's there if people want to take that first step.

SPEAKER_01 24:18

I would say the last piece of homework I would give you, and I'm really like stacking you up, this would be like stretch this out over a longer period of time, typically. Yeah. But I would take that clarity session, go get feedback on it from some people that you really trust and be like, hey, is this valuable? Is this priced correctly? What should I add here? This is a really funny thing with these low offers. Most of the time, title matters so much. If you call it an audit versus a strategy versus a clarity session, like it just really matters what you call it. And then I would figure out like, am I pricing it too low, too high? Like, you might be pricing it too low. Um, that's kind of my initial thought. Um, is are people getting to test you out in the way they want to? Um, and then I would go and run a sales blitz with your clarity session or whatever you're gonna call that with all of the people that you've worked with in the past. I would go and say, Hey, we're at the second half of the year, we're in Q3, Q4. Now's the time. If you are wondering if you need to get your marketing in place, I would love to work with you. Let's start with this clarity session. Okay. Um I did this, I ran my first strategy session campaign in Nashville when we launched. We just rebranded to Lawson House and we sold 12 of them in 20 days. That was kind of my goal. Um, and then eight of them turned into long-term clients. And so your goal is to just get those people to convert. Um, and I've seen that work so well for so many clients.

unknown 25:45

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 25:45

What were you offering them at like the pricing?

SPEAKER_01 25:49

Man, you're aging me because prices have just gone up so much. Um, I think I was offering them, I want to say it was like 275, 500, somewhere in there. Um, but I also was keeping it very um, what I was offering was super simple. So I was basically like, we're gonna write your one-liner um for your messaging. So making sure that your messaging is clear for the year. And then I'm gonna write you a 12-month marketing plan that was basically just like, here's everything that I would do if I were you. Um, and this was before AI. So I was like actually writing it. Uh um I it would be a lot better if I had had the tools that have no. But um I basically took that in like the 12 months was just my sales pitch. And so it was me being like, here's everything we could do for you. And we had a lot of people sign on for brand website and retainer just from that initial pitch. Um, so that was super valuable. And we didn't sell that all the time, but that was kind of my, I knew if I can sell them on a strategy session, I can move them forward. Later on, I think I charge a thousand up to a thousand, um, just depending on what was included there. Okay. Okay, now it makes sense. So, but I would say if you went back to all the people that I've referred to you in the past and been like, I have this new thing. It's Abby's magic hour. That'd be a terrible title. If you had something that was like, here's what I'm doing, I'd love for getting people in my way. I think that that would help you convert people and give you a really clear next step for people. Amazing. Okay, those are my three super speedy takes. What questions do you have?

SPEAKER_00 27:34

Um, off the top of my head, I'm like, I will definitely have questions as I start to implement them. But right now, I think it's clear. Just being able to make the job description, get that up, already feels like freedom. Um, and so just taking the next steps and getting out of my head about these things is so much clarity. And nothing off the top of my head is a dire question at all. So it might be, it might come as a voice memo to you later on.

SPEAKER_01 28:07

Well, you know, I love that. Um, and if you're listening to this and you're like, oh my gosh, I wish that I could just take my brain jump and put this somewhere like this. Um, I would love to schedule a call with you and talk to you about this. Typically, I don't do these sessions as speedy. I mean, I've clearly known each other for a while. Um, and so there's definitely some pre-work we've done on getting to know her and her business and kind of what she wants out of this. Um, but I would love to get to know you in the same way and help guide you through that process. Um, with any of my clients that give you these three action items, they're not normally this massive. Sometimes they're things like have a hard conversation or look at your PL. Right, right. Um, over time uh we kind of get into the weeds on some of these things and really start putting it into action. And then of course, I'm there for voice messages or slacks or whatever you need along the way. Abby, if somebody is in need of a brand website or marketing support, how can they work with you? How can they find you?

SPEAKER_00 29:02

You guys can find me at ArcCodesign on Instagram, A-R-C-C-O design. And then um the website is the same, arccodesign.com.

SPEAKER_01 29:13

Awesome. That's great. I love that your parents got your domain name for Christmas as well.

SPEAKER_00 29:17

That's all that's yeah, you were the one that told me we went home, got the domain name, and now the the whole business exists because of that. So full circle being here today.

SPEAKER_01 29:28

Thank you so much for sharing just so much insight into your business and your numbers and kind of where you are in next steps. I really appreciate you just kind of opening that up for us. We'll have to have you back on soon so we can get an update on where things are. Yes. Um, and uh yeah, and we'd just love to hear some of your branding and design tips next time as well. So thanks so much for um being on with us. Thank you so much for listening. Until next time, sell well, and then