She's Just Getting Started ® - Tips for Starting a Business, Starting a Podcast, Strategies for Online Business

Ep 302: This one strategy causes people to ACTUALLY buy - for small business owners.

• Kimberly Brock: Business Coach, Podcast Coach, Strategist

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What makes customers choose your business over countless alternatives? After a recent trip with my 16-year-old daughter, I had a powerful reminder for you and your business so it will ACTUALLY be successful.

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Speaker 1:

Well, hello. This is Kimberly Brock, and for over 20 years I've been running my own businesses that have not only been profitable but personally fulfilling to me. So now I'm on a mission to help other new business owners, just like you, make money doing what you love to. Now we're going to have some fun, so let's get started.

Speaker 2:

Now we're going to have some fun, so let's get started. It's just a very simple concept that you need to fully understand so that you can build a successful business, whether you're starting or you're building one now. Maybe you have a product business you're selling products you make or resell, or maybe you have a coaching business. Maybe you have a service business. Whatever it is, this is for you. This is what you're going to have to have in order to be successful. These days, competition is high we know that and today is just enlightening and it's going to help you focus on what matters most in your business, so you can actually build it in a way that helps you live.

Speaker 2:

New here welcome. I'm so glad that you found this podcast. I have no doubt it's going to help you along your business journey, whether you're in the idea stage, starting or growing. This is for you and I'm so happy you're here. If you're new, make sure you get plugged in, so scroll down right now. In the show notes There'll be a link that takes you to my website where you can download some free goodies that are for you. And again, whether you are starting a service business, product business, coaching business, I have all kinds of tips, things that will help you, and I have some resources that are going to just speed up this whole process for you. For example, I have a 16-step checklist that will help you get your business started. If you haven't done that, and if you are trying to grow your business or even start a podcast, I have resources for you as well. So you make sure you check everything out right now and if you've been listening a while, thank you so much to all my loyal listeners. I am so happy that you're here. I hope you are getting value each week out of this podcast. I put my heart and soul into it just for you, because I want you to be able to live your business dream, just like I have for the past. Now, gosh, 25 years. Okay, I do this for you every week and I'm so happy for you because you actually have the courage to do this, you're actually taking steps and you're making it happen, and I'm so happy for you. So, anyways, that is it.

Speaker 2:

If y'all ever have any questions for me or anything I was going to tell you, you can always go to my Instagram. It's just start with Kimberly Brock and the link is down below. I do have some videos up on YouTube as well, and that one is Kimberly underscore Brock. So I don't know what platform you're on, but again, in the show notes, everything is there, but you can always DM me on Instagram if you have any questions, you want to know anything, or maybe you want to inquire about coaching and see if it could be for you. I do offer one-on-one coaching and you can inquire about that as well. So that is it On to the episode.

Speaker 2:

Well, hello friends, how are you? How's everything going in your business? I hope it's amazing. I hope you're loving it. I had a big week this past week and I had to tell you about it and it was what kind of spurred this week's topic because I think it's so important. So I can't remember if I told y'all or not. I think I have told you on this podcast. I know I've told people in coaching and in my groups and just kind of mentioned it.

Speaker 2:

So if you're a longtime listener, you may know this, but if not, you know that I've had online boutiques. I had them for 16 years and I closed them shortly before COVID. It was like 2018. And then I started this business very end of 2019. Well, my youngest daughter, ava, is 16. And we had just kind of toyed with the idea that maybe we could. She had thought about starting a business, right, and I said, well, we could maybe resurrect in this very room, which was my online gift boutique for women and kids. And I said, because it already has the branding, we already have the domain, we have everything. All you'd have to do is just start selling stuff. And so she and I actually went to Atlanta Market. So if you are a product seller, if you sell products, if you resell products, or maybe even if you're a wholesaler and you wholesale products, maybe you've had a booth at Market.

Speaker 2:

Well, I took Ava and it was a total blast, and for me it was a blast because I love it. She did have fun, but you know, she was stuck with her mom for the whole weekend and she was like my note taker was really cool. She for the whole weekend and she was like my note taker was really cool. She was like my intern the whole time. I was like this is amazing. I'm walking around looking at merchandise to try to show her and teach her about business and how pricing works and how you talk to wholesalers, and she would be my note taker when she would take pictures and then just put pricing and get ideas.

Speaker 2:

And we're about to have a business meeting later this afternoon, she and I, no-transcript, with a mentor or a coach like me. That's what my daughter and I are going to do. We're going to kind of regroup after last week and just kind of think about how she could actually make money doing this. What would, what would it take? You know? What amount of money is it going to take to get started? How much is she going to need to make? Does she want to make? She's going to have school and AP classes and all this stuff. So how realistic is this? Does she just want to sell locally? Does she want to do local and online? What does she want to do? Does she want to do it at all after being at market? Right, these are the things that we all think about, right, when we are starting a business. And so, anyways, we were shopping and we were looking at products that she could carry.

Speaker 2:

Now, back in the day, I sold a lot of monogrammed and personalized gifts, so all kinds of bags and backpacks and lunch kits and all that. Well, y'all, the landscape has totally changed since I was selling online starting in 2003. All I had to do was get ranked on Google, and if I had placement on Google for key terms that people were searching for, like monogram nap mats, monogram cutting boards, monogram soaps, monogram tote bags, blah, blah, blah, I could get found and people would buy. That is not the case anymore, and so that is a whole consideration. As I'm talking this through with ava, how are you actually going to sell it? Because you can have a little website, but I'm going to be honest, it's not going to be ranked right. So it's going to take either you being on social media or me and you. I can help you. Um, you are going to have to figure out how you're going to drive people either to the website or maybe you do local like flash sales, maybe we do flash sales for the website.

Speaker 2:

We're talking through all these things, starting today in our business meeting, and it is just reminded me, after shopping and looking at everything, how important it is for you to stand out, because we looked at hundreds of products all kinds of jewelry, all kinds of body products, clothing, lotions, diffusers, candles, cutting boards, dishes, bags, what else? Journals, t-shirts, y'all everything. All kinds of little cosmetic bags, all the stuff that the young girls like. So I liked having her there because you know, I'm a woman of age now I've declared and she is this young, hip, 16-year-old and kind of knows what girls like her age. So it's good. But after walking through there, looking at everything, I kept thinking of all of y'all Even if you don't even sell products and you sell services or you sell coaching y'all I was realizing how important it is that manufacturers and wholesalers and business in general has some type of edge, something that stands out, something that is different.

Speaker 2:

Maybe you have a better feature on your jewelry Like. The big thing to my daughter was with all the beaded bracelets and earrings and necklaces and all that. She's like Mom, we wear these 24 hours a day, even in the shower. I'm like you wear your jewelry in the shower. She's like I mean we don't mean to but we do. But when they go tan or when they go do whatever, they have their necklaces on and she's like a lot of them turn. They have their necklaces on and she's like a lot of them turn. Look, and she had some nice brands. I won't say what it is, but it was turning and it's because she is keeping it on.

Speaker 2:

But we found a jewelry line that was higher than just like regular Target jewelry or like Francesca's or something like that. It was higher than that. But the big thing was it's waterproof, it's not going to turn, lifetime warranty, all these things. And she said that is a hot button for me and my girls. That's what she said. She said because all this other jewelry turns and if it doesn't say that it's like waterproof or I can't I can't remember all the terms that they used. I'll have to look back at some of the catalogs and stuff that I got. That was a big thing.

Speaker 2:

And so we bought a couple of pieces of samples to wear ourselves, to test out, right. And then we were looking at some body products and they were like, listen, look at the ingredients, there's nothing in here that's bad for you. Because my 16-year-old daughter is know all the body products that people use and there are ingredients in them that are not so good for you. And so for her, as we're walking around, she was like it has to be totally natural ingredients, nothing that's bad for you. So when we found a brand that had that and super cute packaging that totally stands out, she was like, okay, this is a win. This stands out and I'm realizing as we're shopping that we are getting worn out and everything becomes a blur.

Speaker 2:

You know, when you go to the mall and then you're like, oh my gosh, I've seen those kind of shirts five times. Okay, now I've seen those kind of pants 10 times and everything just kind of blends and I was just realizing more and more, if any of us want a successful business, we are going to have to have an edge. We are going to have to stand out in some way. Whatever it is, whatever you're doing that's different or better, or a whole new look or a whole new way to use it. You have to have something that stands out.

Speaker 2:

And if you don't have something right now, I highly suggest you take some time. Maybe talk to a friend, talk to a group of friends on a Zoom call, facetime call, whatever it is, and say, hey, y'all, I'm thinking about starting this business, that's this. Or maybe you already have your business and you're thinking about offering a service or a product or something for your business. You better get the collective wisdom of some other people to look at it and go well, it's got to be this, or I'll just go to Target and buy it Y'all. We have so much competition right now for products Number one product competition is so high. It's so different than when I had my boutiques. Nowadays you've got Shein, you've got Amazon, you've got Target, you've got HomeGoods and TJ Maxx and all these fun stores like that, and you've got dupes. You've got the whole dupe world that is all over the internet.

Speaker 2:

So what are you going to do? You're going to have to create this brand that either stands on something or stands out for something. So you're going to, your business is going to have to take a stand one way, with your, with your virtues or whatever you stand for, or something exciting and new, some way that you do it, some gap in the market, something that's different, something that you would want if you were a buyer Like my daughter. If she's buying a jewelry, she is willing to pay more right and use more of her own money to buy jewelry that's not going to tarnish Because this name brand which I'm not going to name that all the girls buy is turning Now granted, she may not be taking care of it like they directed resurrected. I'm just saying she would be willing to spend as much as this name brand that she's been on, and maybe even a little more, to know that she could safely keep it on right, keep the bracelets on, keep the necklace on, because they like to do this right.

Speaker 2:

And I'm just saying this is for this product line. I'm not saying this is for what you need to sell, but for whatever you sell, think about it right now. If you are going out to buy what you offer, what would be your dream list of things for this thing? Again, whether it's a product, service program, whatever you're doing, what would be the dream way? And I think you have to think like a consumer. You have to be your best consumer, your most critical consumer, and you have to think what would make this amazing. Also, too, some of you have to realize that maybe you've been doing something a certain way. Maybe it's time to shift right and go with whatever the trends are now.

Speaker 2:

Even the jewelry person was saying no. Usually in years past we would sell people stuff that would you know. We'd sell them a year's worth of jewelry, we'd sell the stores and we'll replenish over the year these styles they're like. It changes so fast now. I don't recommend you do that. I recommend you buy some pieces. Now you have it, you sell out and you call me and ask me what's popular now because it's probably going to change in a few months.

Speaker 2:

I mean y'all, the market is shifting fast. Buyers have dupe options, they have Amazon, they have Target, they have all these things. Whatever it is that you're selling, it has to have something that stands out. I cannot express to you enough how important this is. It was just really glued into my head when I was shopping for products. If you're a service provider or a coach like me, that can be hard right, because you're not selling a physical product and it's maybe not as tangible, but maybe you could be thinking about the way you want to offer it.

Speaker 2:

And I've shared with y'all before is when I started this business, I was just doing one-on-one coaching and then went into kind of group programs after that and all that and I have seen a rise in one-on-one coaching. That is what people seem to want right now. Now everyone likes a good group program and I'm not saying anything negative about group programs. I'm just saying that I have even noticed a shift in my type of business and I want to adapt. What is it that people want? People want a one-hour power call to knock out the list of stuff that's been driving them crazy and help them make decisions, help them figure out next steps, help them get focused on what matters right now. And they also want affirmation that what you're doing is right. And if this is you, you're probably shaking your head. That's why I'm getting more coaching clients now than maybe I ever did in the beginning. It's crazy, it's it's nuts, because that's all I did in the beginning. But now I have, you know, my courses and workshops you can do on your own and all that good stuff. But I just find it interesting how everything shifts and that you have to meet the demand demands of what people want.

Speaker 2:

Okay, and if you are starting a new kind of product or service that it's not real common, you better make sure that it's something people will pay money for. And the way you do that is just to offer it at a discounted price right now and see if people actually buy. Because you can ask people all day long would you want this, would you pay money for this? And some people will say yes, some people will say no, but you may get a lot of people going yeah, sure, but then when you actually make it, they don't buy it. And that's why I'm saying you've got to have some kind of samples, a discounted rate. You've actually got to prove that people will hand you money for what you want to offer and it has to have an edge Y'all. It has to have something.

Speaker 2:

Again, let me repeat, it has to be something that you stand on, some kind of virtue. There's some kind of charity you, something that you stand on some kind of virtue. There's some kind of charity you're working with, there's some kind of belief system that you have. That has to be paramount. Or you have to stand out by the way that it looks like. If it's a product packaging, the actual aesthetics of it, it has to have ingredients that maybe you know are a certain way. Or maybe you're what you are not in the industry where you're doing all organic or anything like that, but you're trying to be in the, in the pricing game, which I hope you don't have to get into because it's it's a, you know, sometimes a road to the bottom to try to be the lowest price, but maybe you've found a way to offer something less expensive. That is a way to stand out. So I'm going to be honest For some of my clients, they've found a way almost like a dupe I mean not really a dupe, but just something that's similar that they offer a lower price, and people will buy it.

Speaker 2:

So my point is, though what is sustainable and what is a way that you can either stand on something or stand out Because you have to? There are too many brands that we walked right past this past week at Market. For you, it may be something you stand on, your virtues, maybe it's your faith. Whatever it is, y'all you have to pick this. You have to decide on this, no delaying this any longer. Today is the day. If you really want a successful business, decide now, right now, what is going to be your key differentiator that people can see or know immediately, because if they don't, they may never get to you to know that, so it's going to have to be in the forefront, whatever. That is Okay.

Speaker 2:

So think about your business today. What are you selling? If you were trying to buy it yourself as a consumer, what would be your dream way to have it or to have it made? And think in the think, like in the minds and the eyes of a consumer, which could be you, because you probably love what you sell. What would be the ideal thing about it Is it that it's waterproof, it's got good ingredients, it's, you know, made in the USA. I mean, people love that too. People love that too, like this jewelry line that my daughter like. She loved that it was made here in the USA and it wasn't all this China cheap jewelry. Not that she's some highfalutin person, so y'all don't get the wrong idea. She's willing to save her money to have nice pieces of jewelry versus a ton of cheap, because she knows it falls apart.

Speaker 2:

I'm just giving you this as an example so you can just understand, right, the things that people think about when they're spending their hard-earned money. Okay, so y'all think about this. Now, go get some coffee, go get some tea, go on a walk. Walking will help your brain think. I'm telling you, go take your dog on a walk right now, a slow little walk, no headphones, and just think about your business and what is really making it stand out and analyze if you already have your business open. You have products or services, whatever.

Speaker 2:

Ask yourself right now what have been the things that people have said? Oh, I'm so glad. What is it? Are you more convenient? Are you do ship faster. Is there something that they like about it? That they can trust you better, that you have certain experience, whatever that is. That's your edge, right?

Speaker 2:

I know a lot of people had told me, too, they loved that I'd had different kinds of businesses, because I can give the pros and cons of certain kind of businesses when they were trying to decide theirs. I've had people tell me that that. So that's why I like to share with you all that I've had, you know, a photography business, online gift boutiques and now this coaching business. I've had all those. I've had courses, I've had workshops, I've had group programs, I've had live group programs, and I get it. I get these different angles and the pros and cons, and people have told me they loved that right, and so there's things like that.

Speaker 2:

I'm not saying that's necessarily my main thing that I talk about, but they're happy with that, just like they're happy that I'm helping people make money doing what they love, right. It's not just about making money, it's making money doing what they love. To them, that stands out, and they know I'm a person of faith too, and they like that Right. So there's things that just have to be differentiators. Another one for me could be that I have a podcast and I have a successful podcast. Right, that's something that people are like. Oh, I could actually listen to her before I book a call with her. Yeah, for you it may be a YouTube channel. Maybe you wrote a book, maybe you speak locally.

Speaker 2:

Right, just something. Something has to stand out and to help you get noticed and to be appreciated by the people that you are best suited to serve. Okay, so that's it. Y'all Today, remember, you have to stand on something or stand out. Right, you have to. You got to take a stand. Whatever it is, you have to pick a lane so that people don't just walk by me and my daughter did with all the products just going right by us, just blurring by. You know, it's almost like doom scrolling. When you're shopping, you just get kind of mesmerized and just everything's going by. When you're shopping, you just get kind of mesmerized and just everything's going by and it doesn't stand out. How are you going to stand out? How are you going to stand out and leverage it? Because there probably is something too real quick. There is something too that you did probably implement that you're like I always wanted XYZ and now I have it. I'm so glad I have that. You better be leveraging that. You better be leveraging that, whatever it is Okay. So that's it. I'm so glad I have that. You better be leveraging that. You better be leveraging that, whatever it is Okay. So that's it.

Speaker 2:

I hope this helps you If you do need help with your business. We can even have a quick Zoom call and just talk real quick and I can see what's holding you back right now and just give you an idea of what that is so that you can start taking steps to make it happen. Or even book coaching with me so we can work on it together. You can reach me below. Down below in the show notes there's links. Again, you can DM me. Start with Kimberly Brock. I would love to help you and I'm so excited for you. So that's it. Y'all. Have a great day Until next time. Bye now. Now this episode may be over, but our relationship does not have to end here.

Speaker 1:

Head on over to KimberlyBrockcom and, yes, you can get more valuable information for your journey and you know what.

Speaker 2:

You don't need to go through this alone. I would love to help you.

Speaker 1:

Thank you so much and have a great day. Bye.