If your email list has gone quiet, you're not alone. Inconsistent sending, selling too often, and skipping the relationship-building are the most common reasons lists go cold — and none of them are permanent. This episode walks through a straightforward email re-engagement strategy that any creator or small business owner can use, even if they haven't sent an email in months.

Perfect for online business owners, content creators, and entrepreneurs who already have a list but aren't sure how to bring it back to life — because starting over isn't always the answer.

Here's what's covered in this episode:

✅Why your list went cold — and it's not what you think

✅ONE subject line you can send today to restart the conversation

✅A 3-email re-engagement sequence that rebuilds trust fast

✅Why storytelling beats tips every time with a cold audience

✅How to find out exactly what your readers are struggling with so you never run out of content

Stop starting over and start reconnecting. Grab the free resource below and put this strategy to work this week.

Resources for You

37 Best Subject Lines (Free Download)

Email Writing Secrets eBook

Show Notes:

You Don't Need 10,000 Subscribers — Your List Is Just Asleep

You do not need 10,000 subscribers to make sales. Most of you have the email list that you need. It's just asleep. And instead of reconnecting with the people already on your list, you think you need to start over. Today I'm going to share how you can wake up an inactive email list — or even just a section of it.

I have an email list that has some very highly engaged people, but then I have some very unengaged people. And I'm going to share some of the things I'll be doing in my homeschool niche business to re-engage them before I delete them from my list.

Why Your List Went Cold

So what's really been going on? You stopped emailing consistently, or life got busy, or you ran out of ideas. Or you worried — what if they unsubscribe if I email them? What if they forget who I am? So you just stopped emailing completely.

Silence kills trust faster than imperfect emails. Let me repeat that. Silence kills trust faster than imperfect emails.

Why do lists go cold? Maybe there's no clear purpose — they don't really understand why you're emailing them because you don't have clarity on it yourself. Maybe you're sending random emails that don't tie in to any kind of pain point or target market. Or here's one I used to do on a regular basis — I would only email when I was selling something. People get tired of that. There's no relationship building.

That to me is really the crux of all of it. Are you building relationships with the people on your list? Your email list is not a storage unit. It is a relationship, and you need to tend it well — just like you tend a garden well, just like you tend the hearts of your children.

Email Works Because Relationships Compound Over Time

ConvertKit grew by focusing heavily on relationships — letting content creators build relationships and consistent communication. Their philosophy centered around helping creators own their audience relationships instead of depending on social media and all the algorithms.

Email works because relationships compound over time. So let me give you an idea for how you could re-engage or find out if people still want to be on your list.

You could send this subject line today. This is the easiest, quickest win you could do this week. Just put — still want to hear from me? That's the subject line. Inside, say yes, keep sending or no thanks. They click one or the other. No — they're off. Yes — they stay on. Simple engagement restarts connection with the people on your list.

A Three-Email Re-Engagement Sequence

Here is a three-email sequence for email re-engagement. This works whether people haven't been opening your emails or you've just got a completely dead list.

Email one — reconnect. Just say hey, it's been a while. Share what's been happening and be very personal. Don't try to sell them anything in email one.

Email two — provide value. Share a lesson, a quick win, a story, maybe a mistake you made. If you can make it around a story, that will tighten your relationship a lot more.

Email three — invite action. Ask them to reply, to click, to download, or to watch something.

Reconnect, provide value, invite action. And here's why it matters — engagement wakes up inbox placement. When they begin to engage with your email, it moves away from the promotions tab and into the primary tab.

Stories Reconnect People Faster Than Tips

James Ultasure from ConvertKit repeatedly rebuilt his audience and business through direct email communication and personal storytelling. His transparency with stories built loyal readers. Stories reconnect people faster than endless tips.

Tips teach — that's nice, you've got three points. But stories connect emotionally. That's why I try to lead with a story in my emails. It could be a personal story about me. It could be a story about a homeschooler. It could be a story about a friend I've been watching struggle in business.

What kinds of stories could you share? A business mistake. A launch flop. A fear. Lessons learned. A mistake in your field. I could talk about my fear of raising my kids to not be productive adults, to not even know what to do. People buy from humans, not content machines. You've got to include stories in what you're actually doing.

And here's a great way to figure out what stories to share. Ask your readers — what are you struggling with right now? Give them three options. If you can make it into a poll, even better — all they do is click a button. You'll see exactly what they're responding to. And those responses give you podcast topics, blog post topics, offers, lead magnets, and story ideas.

Ann Handley built two multi-million dollar businesses through consistent, relationship-driven email writing. Her emails feel conversational and personal. You don't need to write your email like a corporate giant. Write it like you're talking to one person. That is how you build trust and re-engage your people.

Your List Is Not Dead — It Just Needs Reconnection

You do not need to start over. Your list is not dead. It just needs reconnection.

If this helped you, would you please share it with a friend and leave a five-star review? If you're on YouTube, leave a comment and subscribe to our channel.

I also have two free resources for you in the show notes. The first is my 37 Best Subject Lines — it covers the different types of subject lines and how to use them. The second is my Email Writing Secrets ebook, which gives you a full overview of using email to build relationships and make sales. Both links are in the show notes.

Most creators assume a bigger freebie means more subscribers. But the data — and real experience — says the opposite. This video walks through specific lead magnet examples across multiple niches, explains why simpler formats convert better, and shows you exactly how to create a micro lead magnet from content you already have.

If your email list isn't growing consistently, this is for creators who are done overthinking and ready to build something that actually works — fast, without the overwhelm.

✅Why a one-page checklist outperforms a 47-page e-book every time

✅3 real-world lead magnet examples across different niches

✅1 question to ask yourself before you build anything

✅What formats your audience is most likely to opt in for

✅How to build your micro lead magnet from content you already have

Grab the Scrappy List Building Checklist mentioned in this episode — link in the show notes.

Resources for You

Scrappy List Building Checklist

Show Notes:

You Don't Need a Giant Freebie to Grow Your Email List

One of the biggest mistakes creators make is believing they need some gigantic, complicated freebie before they can grow their email list. So they spend three months writing a 47-page ebook and then barely anyone signs up. Meanwhile, another content creator throws together a one-page checklist in an hour and gets hundreds of subscribers.

Which one are you?

Smaller, faster lead magnets often convert better because they solve one tiny problem immediately.

Bigger Is Usually Slower

Most of you already have blog posts, podcast episodes, videos, or social posts — but your list is not growing consistently. And you think — I need a bigger freebie, a better freebie, something bigger. I need a whole full course before I can promote anything.

These are lies in your head. That is imposter syndrome. Put it away.

The reality is bigger is usually slower. Bigger is usually complicated, and complicated delays action. People don't know what to do because it's so complicated. They are overwhelmed. They need bite-size benefits, bite-size transformations, things that will work — quick wins.

Nobody needs another giant ebook or another 40-minute training or another complicated resource. What they want is a quick win, fast clarity, and immediate help. People are not going to download or sign up for your freebie based on size. They download based on the speed of solution.

Simple Converts Better — Here's Why

There's a man named Justin Welsh. At a time when many creators were building six and seven figure businesses from templates and swipe files, he decided he was going to be known for lightweight digital resources — very simple systems creators could implement quickly. A minimalist approach to internet marketing. He helped grow a large creator business because people wanted practical transformation, not to be overwhelmed with complication.

The simpler the solution feels, the more likely people are to opt in. If you're multitasking, come back to me for that one. The simpler the solution feels, the more likely people are to opt in.

Think about Pablo Picasso and his sketches. He often created rapid sketches and many studies before he ever created a larger work. Those small, quick creations became incredibly valuable on their own. Quick execution often creates momentum more than waiting for perfection. Good is good enough.

Your audience does not need your masterpiece first. They need momentum.

Lead Magnet Examples Across Different Niches

So what do I want you to do right now? Go look at your latest podcast or blog post and ask yourself — what is one quick action someone could take away from this piece of content? Then turn that one action into a checklist, a script, a swipe file, a worksheet — something they could implement this week.

Here are some lead magnet examples to get you thinking.

If you're a fitness trainer, you could create a seven-step launch checklist for fitness trainers. If you're in the gardening niche and people are frustrated because weeds keep taking over, your lead magnet could be — use this simple weed control checklist to stop weeds before they spread. Download the one-page garden weed checklist below. It solves a specific problem, it's a fast solution, and it's easy to implement this week. You're not saying join my garden newsletter. You're saying get the weekly weed control checklist.

If you're in the travel niche, you could create a seven-stop road trip planner template to map your route in 15 minutes. Grab the free road trip planning template below. It solves one immediate pain point — they don't want to waste money and they don't want to waste time. You're not saying subscribe for my travel updates. You're saying get the exact road trip planning template.

If you're overwhelmed planning podcast episodes — which was me a while back — use a five-step episode outline template. It's specific, it's immediate, and it's easy to understand. You're not saying join my newsletter. You're saying get the exact podcast planning checklist.

Other ideas — a checklist like 10 things to do before your kids become a teenager, a character building template, an AI prompts swipe file in your subject area, subject line templates, sales email scripts, a quick start guide like cooking dinner in 30 minutes and what you need to do.

One of Mine — The Scrappy List Building Checklist

Here's one of my own lead magnet examples. My Scrappy List Building Checklist is one page with seven ways to build your list in a scrappy way. You could print it out and put it on the wall. Seven might sound like too many, but you could just pick one and do it this week. On the back end, every person who downloads it gets one email a day for seven days — one email for each idea — giving them a little more information. Simple. Effective.

These work because they reduce friction. People think — I could actually use this today. But when they look at a free lead magnet and think it's going to take six weeks to implement, they say no thank you.

What to Do This Week

Look at one piece of content you've already created. Brainstorm three different micro lead magnets you could make from it. You're not going to make all three — just brainstorm. You can even go to ChatGPT and get some ideas. Then pick one and make it. Simple ideas spread faster than overwhelming systems. Your audience does not need bigger. They need clarity and speed.

Stop waiting to build the perfect freebie. Build the quick solution people can use immediately. That is your micro lead magnet.

I've linked my Scrappy List Building Checklist in the show notes — grab it and see a real example of what a micro lead magnet looks like. It is one of my most popular freebies, and I think it will give you a great idea of what yours could look like too.

It’s not about doing it all—it’s about doing what matters most, with intention and grace.

You’ll walk away with practical tools to build a sustainable business and still have time for your family and yourself. We’ll talk about:

✅Why chasing balance isn’t the goal—and what to focus on instead

✅Time-blocking tips that fit around your family life

✅How to simplify your to-do list and stop the guilt

✅Ways to involve your family in your business

✅The self-care shifts that help you stay energized and focused

🎧 Ready to stop the hustle and start thriving? 

Post one way to avoid burnout in our FamilyEbiz Group to take your next step!

Resources Mentioned:

FamilyEbiz Community -  Share one way to give yourself grace or take care of yourself.

Show Notes:

Hey everyone, I’m Kerry Beck with FamilyEbiz! Today, we’re diving into a topic that so many work-at-home moms struggle with—burnout.

Balancing family, business, and self-care can be overwhelming. I’ve been there myself, feeling like I just want to drop everything and do nothing. But the reality is, we can’t do it all perfectly—and that’s okay.

The Myth of Balance & Why It’s Not the Goal

Balance doesn’t mean doing everything at the same time. Instead, it’s about making intentional choices.

• Learn to let go of urgency and focus on what’s truly important.
• Understand that different seasons of life require different priorities.
• Give yourself permission to say no to things that aren’t essential.

When I was homeschooling, I had to step back from other commitments. And guess what? That was okay! Saying no to some things allowed me to avoid burnout and stay focused on what mattered most.

Real-Life Strategies for Managing It All

Time-Blocking That Works

• Create a flexible daily rhythm instead of a rigid schedule.
• Set designated work hours that fit around family time.
• Even a small dedicated workspace (like a closet) can make a difference.

Setting Realistic Expectations & Giving Yourself Grace

• Simplify your to-do list—focus on just three priorities a day.
• Accept that “good is good enough” (your house doesn’t need to be spotless!).
• Let go of guilt when you need to prioritize your business.

For example, I bought a Roomba to vacuum instead of doing it myself. It’s not perfect, but it saves me time and energy!

Batching & Automation for Business Growth

• Pre-record content, schedule social media, and use email sequences.
• Set admin tasks at the same time each day for efficiency.
• Use a rhythm for chores—laundry on Monday & Thursday, cleaning on Mondays, etc.

Involving Your Family in the Process

• Give kids age-appropriate tasks to help with your business.
• Teach them essential life skills like cleaning and cooking.
• Communicate with your spouse so they can support your goals.

My kids even helped run our business—sometimes better than I did! They knew how to ship products and handle tasks, giving me more time to focus on business.

Prioritizing Self-Care to Avoid Burnout

Self-care isn’t a luxury—it’s a business strategy.

• Get enough sleep—even a 10-minute power nap can recharge you.
• Move your body—go for a walk or take breaks throughout the day.
• Take a quiet coffee break—even 5-10 minutes can reset your mind.
• Journal or read—find a hobby that refreshes you.

I used to take early morning walks before my family woke up. It gave me time to think, pray, and prepare for the day. My mom had a daily tea break—just 10 minutes, but it helped her recharge!

Final Challenge

This week, choose one way to give yourself grace or take care of yourself. Small changes can help you be more productive in your business and present for your family.

👉 Want more support? Join our FamilyEbiz Facebook community and connect with fellow small business owners who are streamlining their time, boosting productivity, and growing their businesses!

Thanks for tuning in—see you next time!

In this episode, we break down exactly what is causing the confusion and what to do about it. Here are 5 things you will walk away with:

✅Why a confused audience never buys — no matter how much content you create

✅How your own lack of clarity is causing no sales

✅The 3-part sweet spot every online business needs

✅How to identify your one main offer and finally stop spinning your wheels

✅A simple website test to see if your audience can even find your solution

✅Why you do not need more products — you just need alignment

Ready to stop overwhelming your audience and start turning your content into consistent sales? Grab your free spot in the 5 Fixes class and find the clarity your business has been missing: familyebiz.com/5fixes

Resources for You

Free Training — What's Missing in Your Online Business? 5 Fixes That Unlock Real Growth - Watch the replay when you sign up here.

Related Episode: How to Prioritize Tasks That Actually Make You Money

Course mentioned: BOOST! Tools to BOOST Your Business to the Next Level

Show Notes:

You Don't Have a Traffic Problem. You Have a Clarity Problem.

You don't have a traffic problem. You don't even have a product problem. You have a clarity problem. You have too many ideas, too many offers, and no consistent sales. Today I'm going to show you what's really going on, and how you can find more clarity that will drive more sales to your business.

What's Really Going On

Here's the reality. You may have multiple offers, or a lot of unfinished ones. You start and you're like, oh, I'm going to go do this, I'm going to go do that — sort of that squirrel in a cage running around. Or you don't have a clear funnel. You're really not even sure what to do daily when you sit down.

What I think is happening is you're piecing together free advice from everywhere. You've tried multiple things. You don't have one clear direction. And your people don't have one clear direction about how they can solve their problems. You don't have clarity in your business, and your audience doesn't either.

A confused mind does not buy. A confused audience means no sales. If you don't even have clarity on what your business is about, how can your audience have clarity about what your solution is?

What Airbnb and Twitter Can Teach You

Brian Chesky struggled early with Airbnb. He iterated through many different ideas and finally gained traction by focusing on something very simple — the stay in someone's home concept. He started learning directly from early users.

I actually remember when Steve and I were in San Francisco right when Airbnb had just started. We were going over to Sausalito for a few days and we booked an apartment through Airbnb. I'd never done anything like that — and at the time it was only available in the San Francisco and Sacramento area. Now it's worldwide. Airbnb didn't grow by adding more. They grew by clarifying the core idea.

Jack Dorsey said early on that Twitter was confusing and unfocused. He simplified it to one function — short updates, 140 characters. That clarity drove the business and made it successful. Clarity made it usable, and usability made it scalable.

What is your core idea? If you have too many options, you overwhelm your buyers. If you don't have a clear next step, they don't know what to do, and they're going to go find someone else. Your audience doesn't need more choices. They need direction.

How I Found My Clarity

The internet often tells you to create more, more, more. I'm telling you to simplify. Several years ago I asked myself — what do I want to be known for? What is it that I think I can help homeschool moms with the most?

And here's what I discovered. I really wanted to be known for leadership education, because I feel like it gives purpose to your homeschool. You're not just checking off boxes or going through the motions. You're raising kids who have character, who can think for themselves, who have tools to learn on their own. So I decided I was going to focus on leadership education from a Christian perspective, with a faith base. And that's what I did.

Everything I do ties back to that one thing. Sometimes it's a lead magnet, sometimes it's small bundles like my Drama Free Mom bundle — which prepares people to get into my main course, Raising Leaders, Not Followers. It all works together because it all points to one thing.

One Main Offer. One Audience. One Direction.

Here are some questions I want you to ask yourself and write down. What is my one main offer right now? Am I speaking to where my audience is today?

That second question is really important. Your solution may be right, but you may need to go back a step to where your audience is before they're ready for it. Meet them where they are first.

In our mastermind group, Janie is in the gardening niche and she's focused on weeds — she's creating a weed course. She has clarity. Jerry Ann is in the quilting industry. She was trying to do all this digital stuff, and she decided — I'm going to make small quilted projects and sell them. That's her one thing. Both of them found their focus, and now they know exactly where they're going.

You don't need more products or more solutions. You just need alignment.

Here's a really good exercise. Get someone who has never been on your website to hop on and try to find the answer to a specific problem. Don't say anything. Just watch. That will give you a lot of insight into whether your clarity is coming through to your audience.

When You Fix Clarity, Everything Changes

You're not broken. You're not failing. You're just slightly off, or you have too much going on and your people can't find the solution. The Bible says without a vision, the people perish. If you don't know where you're going, you're going to miss the target every time.

Find the sweet spot between your audience's pain point, your platform, and who you are serving. Then head toward it and stay focused. One audience, one problem, one solution. When you fix clarity for business, everything changes.

What if you had one simple model that showed you how to turn content into sales? That's exactly what I'm walking through in my free class — What's Missing in Your Online Business: Five Fixes to Unlock Real Growth replay. Sign up here. I would love to see you there.

If this episode helped you, would you please share it with one person? And leave a five-star review or a comment on YouTube — I'll be watching for those.

In this episode, we break down the mindset shift that changes everything about how you show up and sell. Here are 5 things you will walk away with:

✅Why hiding your offer is fear, not humility

✅The difference between pushy marketing and REAL service

✅Why free content informs but paid offers transform

✅The 1-sentence addition you can make to any post or email right now

✅How to start believing in your offer enough to actually share it

Ready to stop playing small and start serving at the level your audience deserves? Sign up for the free training on April 22: What Your Business is Missing? 5 Fixes to Unlock Real Growth. It’s exactly what is holding your business back: familyebiz.com/5fixes 

Resources for You

Free Training — "What's Missing? Five Fixes That Unlock Real Growth" : April 22nd Live Class (1:00 PM)

Show Notes:

Hiding Your Offer Is Not Humility — It's Fear

What if not sharing your product with your audience is actually hurting the very people you want to help? You've created something valuable, you believe it works, but you hesitate to talk about it because you're going to ask for money, and you're scared. The online world says don't be salesy. But I'm going to say something different. Hiding your offer is not humility. It's fear.

You Don't Have a Product Problem — You Have a Belief Problem

Here's the reality. You're creating content but not making consistent sales. You're showing up but avoiding the offer. You're learning from 10 different places but nothing feels complete. And you've got this thing going on in your head — who am I to sell this? Who am I to ask for money? What if no one buys?

Some of you have been working on your content for months or even years without seeing results. You believe in your product. But you keep hesitating to sell it, over and over again.

I know what that's like, because I used to not really want to put things out for sale. I just as soon give everything for free and let people enjoy it. But that doesn't work. In the last few years I've really worked on my mindset around that imposter syndrome. And I see other people — people know about their products. Why? Because they share them. They let their audience know they have something for sale.

You don't have a product problem. You have a belief problem about selling.

Selling Is Not Taking — It's Serving

Let's talk about changing our mindset. Selling is not taking. It is serving. If your product truly solves a problem, then when you do not offer it, it keeps your people stuck. Does that make sense? If your product solves their problem and you don't ever tell them about it, they just stay stuck — or they go find someone else to buy that product from.

Pushy marketing is pressure and manipulation. That is not what I'm talking about. Serving is initiation, invitation, and a solution. You are inviting them in to solve their problem. Competent entrepreneurs don't pitch — they lead.

Mel Robbins and the 5-Second Rule

There was a person named Mel Robbins. She struggled financially, she nearly lost everything. She created something just for herself called the 5-Second Rule — it was to help her get through a really hard season. Financial trouble, marriage stress, career problems, panic attacks just getting out of bed.

Initially she shared it for free, but then she realized people needed deeper help. That's when she turned it into a book, into courses, and into speaking. She turned a personal tool into a framework that has helped millions — because she didn't keep it to herself. If she had just kept it to herself, everyone else would have stayed stuck or tried to figure it out on their own.

You need to share your products if they solve a problem.

Free Content Informs. Paid Offers Transform.

People don't just need information. They need transformation — and that's what your paid offer provides. If you're multitasking, come back to me for this one. Free content informs. Paid offers transform.

If you stay in free content mode, your audience stays stuck. They're not going to see transformation. Free advice without a system is why you're not making sales.

James Wedmore started as a YouTuber giving free advice on video tips. He spent years teaching YouTube and video marketing, but he realized his people needed a different type of structure to actually succeed. So he shifted his mindset, saw the gap, and began building paid programs to solve their problems. His business exploded. His audience didn't need more free tips. They needed a proven path, a strategy, and a new mindset — and that is what he taught in his paid courses.

What to Do This Week

I want you to think about this question — and you probably already know the answer. What problem does your product solve? Write that down. Then ask yourself — what happens if your audience doesn't solve that problem?

Let's say you've got a great way to help people lose weight. If they don't solve that problem, it's not just that they don't have a solution. Their health goes down, nothing is working right, maybe their finances are even affected because they're spending money on the wrong things. When they don't solve their problem, other areas of their life hurt too.

So here's what I want you to do. Add one sentence to your next post, or a PS in your next email. Something like — if you want help with this, here's how I can help you go further. That's not pushy. That is serving. That is leadership.

Daymond John from Shark Tank started FUBU — For Us By Us — with a very small amount of money from his mom. He promoted it relentlessly himself. He was not afraid to get that brand out there. Now he's a gazillionaire who helps other people start businesses. He believed in his brand enough to promote it himself. Do you believe in your brand enough?

You're not failing. You're just holding back your solution. And in doing that, you're not serving the people you want to help.

If you want a simple way to know what to say, when to say it, and how to guide people to your offer — come to my free class on April 22nd. It's called What's Missing in Your Business: Five Fixes to Unlock Real Growth. You can sign up at FamilyEbiz.com/5fixes.

Yes, it's a free class. And yes, I will have something paid — because if you want more transformation, you'll be willing to pay for that transformation. If you feel stuck with your sales, if you're not sure how to serve your people, come to this class. We're going to talk about things that can take your business to the next level.

Inside this episode, you’ll learn a simple filter to stop the overwhelm and finally focus on what actually moves your business forward:

✅The 3-question filter that tells you EXACTLY what to work on

✅Why most tasks don’t actually grow your business

✅The difference between busy work and profit-making work

✅How to decide what to do (and what to skip) in seconds

✅A simple shift that creates momentum fast and finish what you start

Grab the resource mentioned in the podcast to start implementing this today.

Resources for You

Scrappy List Building Checklist 

Free Masterclass: What’s Missing – 5 Fixes That Unlock Real Growth 

Show Notes:

You're Not Lazy — You're Just Not Focused. Here's How to Fix That.

It's 9 in the morning. You sit down at your computer ready to work on your online business and then you panic. Should you write a blog post, post on social media, create a freebie, fix your website, email your list? Everything feels important, everything feels urgent. So you scroll Instagram for 30 minutes "researching" and then you feel guilty for wasting the time. Sound familiar?

You're not lazy. You're just not focused. And I'm going to show you how to fix that right now.

Why Nothing Is Working

You don't have clear priorities. You're following advice from 10 different experts and you're all over the place and nothing is working — which never works anyway. You feel busy all day, but at the end of the day you feel like you didn't make any progress whatsoever. You don't have a clear funnel or system to follow.

I used to spend hours deciding what to work on. I'd have 47 tabs open, 12 half-finished projects, and zero finished results. In other words, zero sales. At times I would feel like a failure. But I wasn't failing. I just didn't have the right filter for what mattered.

Not all tasks are created equal. Some tasks and some products make you money. Some tasks and some products make you feel busy. Successful entrepreneurs know the difference. Do you know the difference for your business?

Clarity Comes From Removing, Not Adding

Steve Jobs came back to Apple in 1997 and said the company had way too many products. He cut 70% of Apple's products, focused on four core products, and it saved the company. Clarity comes from removing, not adding.

I had to do the same thing. When I went through Digital Course Academy, one thing she kept saying over and over was focus on one thing and get it right. At the time I was doing different webinars every single month selling different products — some sold well, some didn't. So I decided to stop that and just focus on my course Raising Leaders, Not Followers, and launch it three times a year. I also had two events — the Life Skills Leadership Summit in February and one in the summertime — and they all worked together as parts of my funnel. I got rid of a lot of products in my store so I could focus on what was important to my audience and what solved their problem.

Warren Buffett told his pilot to write down his top 25 goals, circle the top five, and stay far away from all the other 20. Those other 20 — they distract real progress. Most people aren't unfocused. They're just overcommitted with way too much to do.

The Three Question Filter for How to Prioritize Tasks

You just need a simple filter to make wise decisions. When you have clarity, that creates momentum. When you have momentum, that creates confidence and results. Once you know what to work on, you'll actually finish things. Finishing things builds confidence. Confidence leads to taking action, and action leads to sales.

So here is our three question filter that you should ask before every task.

Number one — does this grow my email list? If yes, high priority. If no, move to question two.

Number two — does this nurture my existing list or make an offer? If yes, high priority. If no, move to question three.

Number three — does this directly support question one or two? If yes, medium priority. If no, delete it or delegate it. Get rid of it.

Write these three questions on a sticky note and put it wherever you work — your computer, your laptop, wherever. Before you start any new task, ask those questions and filter through. If it doesn't pass the filter, don't do it. It's that simple. And yes, it works.

Putting the Filter Into Practice

Let me walk you through some examples. Should I write a blog post? Does it have a lead magnet to grow your email list? If yes, do it. If not, skip it.

Should I redesign my website? Does it grow your list or make an offer? No — not today. Do it another time.

Should I post on Instagram? Does it drive people to your lead magnet? Yes, then do it. No, skip it.

The online business world tells you to just be consistent and show up everywhere. And I don't know how people do that — all over social media, emailing, everything. I have a feeling you're so spread thin that you're not making any sales, because that is exhausting and it is not effective.

Stop doing 90% of what you're doing and focus on the 10% that actually makes you money. Every day you should do at least one profit-making task. It may just be sending an email for a collaboration, but one a day. Email list building and email marketing — that is what is going to grow your business. That is what is going to make sales. Everything else is noise.

It's Not Magic. It's Clarity.

Students in the mastermind and Homeschool Blogger University who have implemented this filter say, I finally know what to work on. I'm not paralyzed anymore. I'm actually making progress. It's not magic. It's not rocket science. It's clarity.

Think about it like cleaning your house. If you try to clean the whole house in a day, you get overwhelmed. But when you focus on one part — okay, today I'm getting the bathrooms done, or I'm going to get the kitchen clean — that feeling of completion gives you the energy to keep going. It's the same in business.

One of my mastermind students, Janie, is working on decluttering her house this year. She just does 15 minutes a day, but she has clarity — and she's getting it done. Do you know the high priority task you should be working on today?

Use the three question filter today. I promise it will change how you work.

And if you want to know the complete system — what to focus on after you filter your tasks — I'm offering a free masterclass on April 22nd called What's Missing: Five Fixes That Unlock Real Growth. You can register here

If this helped you, please share it with another blogger, podcaster, or online business owner who's struggling with the same thing. And if you're on YouTube, leave a comment — I would love to know your biggest takeaway. If not, leave a review wherever you're listening.

In this episode, you'll discover how a tiny messaging shift can turn your stalled business into a thriving one. Here are 5 things you'll walk away with:

✅Why your target audience from 2 years ago is not the same person you're selling to today

✅The 2-degree mistake that's quietly costing you sales (and how to spot it fast)

✅Where to do real research — no guessing, no assuming

✅The 2-steps-back method that shows you exactly where your audience is before they buy

✅How to audit your last 5 pieces of content and rewrite just one headline to get traction today

Ready to stop spinning your wheels and start seeing real results? Grab the free 5 Fixes training and find your 2 degrees: familyebiz.com/5fixes

Resources for You

Free Training — April 22nd Live Class (1:00 PM): "What's Missing? Five Fixes That Unlock Real Growth"

Show Notes:

Are You 2 Degrees Off? Why Your Business Isn't Failing — Your Targeting Is

The 2-Degree Problem

There's a story about a pilot who was just 2 degrees off course when he left New York to go to Los Angeles. 2 degrees! That seems like nothing, right? But by the time he flew all the way across the country, he was landing thousands of miles away from Los Angeles. Those two degrees are like a snowball — you get off target, and you end up in the desert somewhere.

Two degrees doesn't feel like much until it costs you everything. And that's exactly what's happening in your business right now. And it's not your fault.

You're Not Lazy. You're Just Off Target.

You started your business, you believe in what you offer, you're willing to put in the time, you're not lazy — but you're making no sales, or very low sales. And you're starting to wonder, maybe it's you.

That is where most people assume they're failing, but that's not exactly what is happening. I've been there. Several years ago, I would spend months creating content, creating new products, but it was not solving the problem for today, at that time, with my audience. Maybe I made $100 or $200 a month. It's not that I was lazy, and it's not that I wasn't committed. I was just 2 degrees off. And that cost me thousands of dollars and hundreds of hours.

Think about Howard Schultz, who built Starbucks. He originally started growing it the wrong way — selling equipment and beans, and it wasn't working. He took a trip to Italy, saw espresso bars focusing on experience and connection, and he came back and shifted Starbucks' model completely. He's still in the coffee business, but instead of focusing on equipment and beans, he started focusing on experience. That small shift turned Starbucks into a global brand. He wasn't failing — he was just a few degrees off in how he positioned his business.

Where are you? Are you positioning your business in the right place?

Your Research Might Be the Problem

Your business isn't failing. Your targeting is just slightly off. But you're saying, I did the research. Here's the thing — if your research is 2 years old or more, you have not done it. Your audience has evolved, even from a year ago. Life is different now. You're selling to them where they were back then, not where they are now, today.

Here's a little tip, a little secret. You need to know where they are to buy your product, and then go two steps backwards. Where are they two steps beforehand? That's those two degrees. You need to know where they are so that you can bring them along and sell your product to them.

Think about MrBeast — his real name is Jimmy Donaldson. When he was around 13, he started making YouTube videos. Random gaming videos, very little traction. Instead of quitting, he studied what people were actually watching. He adjusted his titles, his thumbnails, and his format. Same platform, same creator, but a slight shift in strategy. That recalibration brings him 474 million followers on YouTube and 25 million on X. He didn't need a new niche. He needed alignment with what people were actually wanting right now.

Small shifts create massive results. Think about a little snowball — it's just a little bitty thing, but you start rolling it around the yard to make a snowman, and all of a sudden you've got a big one. You don't need to start over. You don't need a different niche. You need to recalibrate 2 degrees.

How to Find Your 2 Degrees

So how do we do that? Take a quick check on your business. Who was your audience 1 or 2 years ago? Who are they today?

I want you to write down this sentence — or type it into a Google Doc so you actually have it:

Right now, today, 2026, my audience is struggling with ___________.

Don't guess. You need to do real research. Go to places where they buy stuff — Amazon, eBay, Etsy. Talk to your customers and ask them this one question: What's your biggest struggle right now? If you're assuming, if you're not talking to people or looking at what people are buying, then you are making an assumption. You're guessing on your messaging, and you're probably 2 degrees off.

This is fixable, and faster than you think. You are closer than you realize if you just do the research. The right guidance can correct your course in weeks, not years.

Everyone's telling you, oh, just keep going, trust the process — but if you are 2 degrees off and you keep going, you're just going to be lost. You need to stop, recalibrate, and then keep going. That's what nobody's telling you.

Recalibrate, Don't Start Over

Think about what Netflix did. They started as a DVD-by-mail company, doing well during that season. But they saw a shift coming, and they saw streaming was the future. They didn't start over. They recalibrated. Same company, same audience, different alignment with reality. And they went from mailing DVDs to being the global streaming giant.

You don't need a new niche. You don't need a new business. You don't need a new platform. You need a message shift. You just need to align your offer with today's problem, not the two-year-ago problem.

Do This Right Now

Look at your last 5 pieces of content. Do those pieces speak to your current audience and what they need? Do you know their current pain point, or are you assuming it?

If it does not align with today, rewrite one headline or a hook so that you can get their attention for today. I do that with my blog posts sometimes — I'll take an old blog post and rewrite it for today. You need to make it more immediate and specific to who they are right now.

If you've been working hard but not seeing results, you're not broken. You're not in the wrong niche. You're just 2 degrees off, and I can help you find those 2 degrees.

🎉 Join Me for a Free Class!

On April 22nd at 1:00 PM, I'm teaching a free class called What's Missing? Five Fixes That Unlock Real Growth. I'm going to show you exactly where those two degrees are hiding in your business.

👉 Register at familyebiz.com/5fixes

If you have a friend who has a business and they're working hard but not seeing results — it's not them. They need to find their two degrees. Would you share this episode with them?

This episode reveals why free advice keeps you stuck and gives you the exact framework in marketing that successful entrepreneurs use to escape the trap.

✅Why learning can become procrastination disguised as productivity (and how to stop it)

✅The 3-part framework in marketing that replaces random tactics: one audience, one offer, one system

✅Why free advice rarely gives the full system (and attracts freebie seekers to your business)

✅How to choose ONE marketing strategy for 90 days and ignore everything else

✅Why tips feel exciting but frameworks create actual results

Ready to stop collecting advice and start building momentum? Grab the Business Marketing Roadmap and get invited to the upcoming class on growing your business with a framework in marketing!

Resources for You: 

FREE Business Marketing Roadmap 

Boost! Tools to BOOST Your Business to the Next Level 

Path to Profit VIP Day - Funnels

Simplify Sales: Ultimate 4 Steps System VIP Day  

Upcoming Class: How to Grow Your List with Buyers -for all Mastermind members

Show Notes:

Why Free Advice Is Keeping You Stuck (And What to Do Instead)

Many online business owners, bloggers, podcasters — we all have dozens of bookmarks, saved posts, courses started but not finished. The real problem is not a lack of information. It is too much information. Today I want to talk about why free advice can actually keep you stuck, and how successful entrepreneurs escape that trap.

Learning Can Become Procrastination

Free content is everywhere. Podcasts, YouTube, blog posts, social media. This episode is free for you. It feels productive to learn, but learning can become procrastination disguised as productivity. Think about that.

I am not against learning. I just think we need to be particular about where we are learning, and who we're learning from, and how we're learning. Because we can be following 10 strategies from 10 experts and implement zero. That's what happens a lot of times.

We need to follow one proven system at a time. And then maybe, once that one is starting to get results, you can add on to it some more.

So I want you to think about this — what one marketing strategy are you committed to for the next 90 days? Everything else becomes not now. You can make a list, get a Google Doc, and write all those other ideas down.

For me this year, it's YouTube. About three years ago, it was Facebook ads. I bought a YouTube course and a Facebook ads course, and I just followed what that person did. I'm already seeing an increase in some of my views and comments just from a few little tweaks, and I haven't even done near everything I should be doing yet.

The Problem With Free Advice

Free advice rarely gives you the full system. Each expert shares one piece of the puzzle, and you end up with random tactics and conflicting strategies.

I experienced this firsthand. I had taken a Facebook ads course, and when that person stopped offering support, I went to another guy and spent $350 in a week — and it was a bomb. I still think they had some good things, but I couldn't follow his system because my ads didn't do well following his approach. Then when I got into the YouTube course, every Friday there was a Facebook ads call, and this guy was training exactly the way I had already been taught. Now I know where to get my support, and I'm not conflicting everything.

Here's another thing I've noticed. When you seek out all the free help, you attract freebie seekers. Who you are is what people are attracted to. If you believe free advice is going to get you down the road and start making money, then you're going to attract people that only want free stuff.

You end up doing a little of everything — one expert says focus on Pinterest, another says build funnels, another says YouTube — but you end up mastering nothing. Me too.

That's one reason I am not active on Instagram or TikTok. I don't have the capacity to be active everywhere, and I'm not even going to go learn about it. When I followed Digital Course Academy, one system included webinars, emails, funnels, course creation, promotion, and marketing. One strategy. A bunch of strategies, but they all worked together.

Tips vs. Frameworks

Tips are free. Tips feel exciting. You find one little tip and end up spending three hours on it. But a framework in marketing creates results. That's why I invest in a marketing strategy, learn it, and spend time with it.

Framework thinking means: one audience, one main offer, one primary marketing system.

I've seen it over and over with my coaching students and other people who ask me for help. They love content creation, so they just keep making new things but they don't market it. Or they pick an audience and then jump to another one, and then another one. Pick an audience for this year. Pick one main offer and one primary marketing system.

When I did this, it helped me a lot. I was doing a different webinar every month. When I went through Digital Course Academy, I decided to pick my flagship product — the one I was getting the best traction on — redo it, and now I market it and open it up three times a year. Everything I do is tied together with one topic in the homeschool niche.

The Three Questions That Change Everything

Write this down. Who do you help? What problem do you solve? What offer solves that problem?

Audience. Offer. Marketing. Those three answers become the foundation of every marketing decision.

If you feel like you've been collecting advice instead of building momentum, you are not alone. The real shift happens when you stop searching and start implementing one system.

Where to Go From Here

This is something I teach in a course I created called Boost, and it's also covered in some of our VIP days. I'll put links to those in the show notes if you'd like more information on the funnel, the marketing system, the audience, the main offer, and the marketing system.

I also have a free Business Marketing Roadmap for you. When you sign up for that, you'll also be invited to a class I'll be teaching — it's going to give you a system you can actually use, with a framework, not just a bunch of tips. I'll put the link in the show notes.

If this episode helped you, would you share it with one person who needs to hear it? And if there's a place to leave a review or comment, that would mean the world to me. I am actively working on keeping up with YouTube and Facebook comments — that's actually one of the things I'm focused on from the YouTube course I took in January and February. One marketing strategy for the whole year. Implement it.

Check the show notes for links to the Business Marketing Roadmap, the Boost course, and VIP day information.

This episode reveals why the try-fail-switch cycle keeps you stuck and how mentorship for business shortens your learning curve from years to months.

✅Why social media's "self-made success" story is a myth (and what successful entrepreneurs actually did)

✅ONE decision you're avoiding right now that's probably the next step your business needs

✅How mentorship for business gives you clarity on your offer, confidence to market, and strategic focus

✅Why isolation delays momentum and guidance changes everything

✅3 places you can get support right now

Ready to stop building alone? Check out the mentorship for business resources mentioned in this episode and find the support that fits where you are!

Resources for You: 

Family Ebiz Facebook Group

Homeschool Blogger Network

Homeschool Blogger University

Family Ebiz Mastermind

Show Notes:

Why Your Business Feels Hard (And What Successful Entrepreneurs Actually Did)

Many entrepreneurs believe business is hard because algorithms change, marketing becomes confusing, competition is so high. Those are the things they say. But the real reason businesses feel defeated and feel hard and difficult is they're trying to figure everything out alone.

The Try, Fail, Switch Trap

Many entrepreneurs operate on trial and error. They try a strategy, they fail, they switch strategies, they repeat this. Try, fail, switch. Try, fail, switch. And it's not doing anything.

This leads you to burnout, to frustration, to wasted time. You're not getting anything done, and you're not even making any money.

Matt Flynn lost his architecture job in 2008 during the recession, and instead of quitting, he started documenting what he was learning about online businesses. His early success came from experimenting publicly — letting those around him see what he was learning from others who had already succeeded. He didn't try to figure it out himself, which is what a lot of solopreneurs — you and me at times — do.

The Myth of the Self-Made Entrepreneur

Social media makes it seem like successful entrepreneurs did it completely alone, by themselves. This is a lie. This is a myth. The truth is, most all of them had and have mentors. They have communities. They are part of masterminds, and behind their success is guidance and accountability.

I personally pay money to be in certain groups so that I can have accountability, but I can also have guidance from people that have gone before me.

Reed Hoffman, the co-founder of LinkedIn, says that no successful company is built alone. He was part of PayPal back in the day, and there was a network of entrepreneurs called the PayPal Mafia. They all ended up starting their own businesses, collaborating, and going on to grow massive companies — including LinkedIn. That network became one of the most powerful entrepreneurial circles in the world.

His phrase: No matter how brilliant your mind, you need a team. Your network is your net worth.

The One Decision You've Been Avoiding

Your business feels hard because you're trying to do what successful people never did — build it alone. So I want you to think about this, and ask yourself today. Even write this down.

What is the one decision you've been avoiding because you're not sure of it?

Maybe it's how to launch your product. How to start a successful email funnel. How to talk about your offer — because some of you, I know, are scared to let people know that you actually sell things. It's a hobby if you're not selling. Maybe it's your social strategy, because let's face it, social media can be overwhelming.

Whatever that one decision is that you are avoiding right now because you're just not sure — write it down. Because that is probably the next step your business actually needs.

What Mentorship for Business Actually Does

If you have guidance, it can shorten the learning curve. Instead of guessing for three years, you can often move forward in months.

In 2021 or 2022, I bought Amy Porterfield's Digital Course Academy. It was $2,000. And you better believe I worked my tail off to get that thing implemented. I bought it in September, I launched in January, because I wanted to make my money back. I didn't try to figure it all out myself. I followed a proven plan. I also joined her mastermind group, where I get training every month and I can get in and get help.

J.K. Rowling was a single mom, struggling financially, writing in isolation, and she faced multiple rejections of her book. Her breakthrough didn't come from staying isolated. It came when someone outside of her finally saw the value in her work and helped bring it to life. That shift — from doing it alone to getting the support she needed — changed everything.

Even the most gifted people need outside validation, guidance, and the opportunity to move forward.

What Happens When You Stop Working Alone

If you stay in isolation, you delay momentum. And we need momentum to be able to grow our business.

Guidance can give you clarity on your offer. In our masterminds, people come and we bounce ideas around and get the clarity we need. Maybe it's getting the confidence to actually market your product. Maybe it's strategic focus — knowing what strategy really works, instead of listening to ten different people and piecemealing it together.

Mara, one of our mastermind members, always says, you just let me talk it out — and we came up with a solution. Daniil would start talking about her problem, and as she talked, she'd go, oh, now I know what to do. Just having the support of people that get what you're doing makes all the difference. A lot of people don't get online business.

When your business stops being lonely and confusing, momentum finally starts.

Where to Get Support

I have places where you can get that support. Family eBiz has a free Facebook group, and Homeschool Blogger Network is a free one as well. But I will say, you get what you pay for.

If you're a homeschooler with an online business, check out Homeschool Blogger University — we've priced it so that even homeschoolers can get in. The other group I have is the Family eBiz Mastermind. Both groups meet at least once a month, and we work together to support each other, with trainings and other support outside of the monthly meetings.

Coming up in a couple of weeks, I'm going to be doing a training on how to grow your list with buyers — not freebie seekers — and turning freebies into customers. I know a lot of y'all need that. It's only available to our mastermind and university members.

If you learned one thing from this episode, would you share it with someone who could use it in their business? And wherever you're listening, please leave a comment or a review — that means the world to me.

Check out the links below to find the right community for where you are in your business journey.

This episode breaks down why your current building email list strategy isn't working and gives you the exact framework to create "subscriber moments" that turn existing traffic into committed email subscribers who eventually become customers.

✅3 biggest building email list mistakes keeping your traffic from converting

✅Why "join my newsletter" kills list growth (and what to say instead)

✅The "Subscriber Moment" Strategy that pauses content to intentionally invite sign-ups

✅How to turn your most popular content into a lead magnet in minutes…without creating something new

✅3-step framework that makes invitations clear, helpful, and not salesy

Ready to fix your building email list strategy? 

Grab the Scrappy List Building Checklist to get all 7 ideas with exact implementation steps!

Resources for You:

List Building Tool Kit

Scrappy List Building Checklist 

Show Notes:

You Have Traffic — So Where Are Your Subscribers? Three Mistakes That Are Killing Your Email List Growth

Traffic and Subscribers Are Two Very Different Things

You have website visitors. People listen to your podcast. Your posts get likes. But nothing is happening on your list. So let's talk about building your email list — because your email list is the number one asset in your online business. It is gold.

Here's the problem. We think traffic is going to grow our list. But traffic is attention — it's just getting people to your website. Subscribers are commitment. Subscribers are the ones that will eventually buy from you. Traffic and subscribers are two very, very different things.

Let's talk about the three biggest mistakes creators make when building their email list, how you can create a subscriber moment in your content, and how to turn your existing content into a lead magnet.

Mistake #1: No Clear Reason to Subscribe

How many of you have been on a website and it just says "Join my newsletter" or "Subscribe for updates"? Who cares? That is nothing. People's inboxes are crammed full every single day. You have to give them a real reason.

Instead of "Join my newsletter," try something specific. Get my five-step checklist for launching your first digital product. Download the podcast planning template. Grab the blog post SEO checklist I use before publishing. Grab my Easter Bible reading plan. Even a simple "Don't Worry" prayer printable — people subscribed for that because it solved a problem.

Benjamin Franklin made Poor Richard's Almanac in 1732. He did not just say, "Hey, subscribe." He gave them a reason — practical wisdom, humor, memorable sayings. And people came back year after year because they knew exactly what value they would be getting. Benjamin Franklin understood something modern creators often forget: people follow consistent value, not just content.

If your audience doesn't know what they're getting when they subscribe, they're not going to join your list. Go back to wherever you're offering your opt-in on your website. What are you offering them?

Mistake #2: Weak or Invisible Calls to Action

Many creators actually have a lead magnet but they hide it. It's stuck at the bottom of a blog post, a tiny link in a show note, or they mention it once quickly and move on. If they never see your call to action, nothing happens.

This is where you create a subscriber moment — you pause and intentionally invite people to join your list. In a podcast, it sounds like: "Before we go any further, I created the Scrappy List Building Checklist. You can get it for free — download it in the show notes." That is a real thing I really did. I paused right in the middle and put it there.

In a blog post, right after teaching step one, you say: "Want the full template? Download it here." And you put an actual sign-up form right there in the post — not just a link. That interrupts their scroll because it's not a paragraph and it's not an image. They stop and go, "What is this? My name and email — what are they giving me?" That is a subscriber moment.

Mistake #3: Trying to Create Brand New Lead Magnets All the Time

I have a lot of students doing this regularly — delaying list growth because they think they need to create the perfect freebie. A 40-page ebook. A full course. A giant toolkit. And all that does is slow things down.

You need to turn your best existing content into a lead magnet. Go back and see which episode got downloaded the most, which blog post has been visited the most in the past month, which social post was the most shared. That tells you what your audience is looking for.

You can take that blog post and offer a checklist. Take your podcast and offer an action worksheet on whatever you're teaching. Take a video and make a step-by-step guide that goes along with it. You've already done the hard work — the blog post, the podcast, the YouTube video. All you need is a little printable that goes with it.

Tim Ferriss, best-selling author of The 4-Hour Work Week — we even had our kids read it during homeschool — does not constantly create brand new content. He expands his most popular ideas into deeper resources. His blog posts about productivity eventually evolved into a full book that sold millions of copies. It wasn't anything new. He doubled down on what people were already responding to.

Don't keep making things new. Take your best lead magnet — it may already exist in something you've already published. You just need to package it differently.

The Three-Step Subscriber Moment

Here's how to create a simple subscriber moment in any piece of content. One: identify the problem you are solving. If planning podcast episodes overwhelms you — that's the problem. Two: offer the shortcut. "I created a simple episode planning template." Three: give a clear next step. "You can download it in the show notes." That's it. Simple, clear, helpful, and not salesy.

What to Do This Week

Take your last 10 pieces of content — blog posts, podcasts, whatever — and first check: do they have a clear invitation to join your email list? Did you offer a specific benefit or did you just say "hey, join my newsletter"?

Then take your most popular one or two pieces and add a mid-content opt-in. In a podcast, pause and offer the lead magnet right in the middle. In a blog post, scroll down and put an actual sign-up form in the body of the post. This alone can dramatically increase your conversions.

If your list isn't growing, the issue usually isn't traffic. It's one of these three things: no clear reason to subscribe, weak or hidden calls to action, or no lead magnet connected to your content. When you fix these three things, your traffic is going to turn into subscribers. I get new subscribers every single day because I have these things already woven into everything I do.

Free Resource: Scrappy List Building Checklist

Grab our free Scrappy List Building Checklist in the show notes. You'll get all seven ideas plus an email walking you through exactly how to implement each one. Review your last few pieces of content, add one subscriber moment, and create one simple lead magnet from your most popular existing content. That's your action step this week.

The issue isn't a lack of ideas, it's a lack of focus long enough to execute. Learning how to finish everything you start means understanding that ideas create possibilities, but execution builds business.

This episode breaks down why creative entrepreneurs struggle with completion and gives you the framework to stop chasing every idea and start finishing what actually generates income.

✅Why the creative brain loves brainstorming and starting but struggles with 3 specific finishing roadblocks

✅The "Idea Parking Lot" strategy that captures every idea without derailing your current focus

✅The 2-question framework for choosing which idea deserves your attention 

✅Why one focused idea multiplies results 

✅The 90-day commitment that turns scattered energy into actual income

Ready to learn how to finish everything you start? 

Grab the Business Audit Workbook and Business Marketing Roadmap to identify what you already have and plan your next 90 days!

Resources Mentioned: 

Business Audit Workbook

Business Marketing Roadmap (90-day planning tool)

Show Notes:

You Have a Lot of Starting and Very Little Finishing

How many of you have a notebook, a Google doc, or a phone note full of business ideas? New course ideas, new podcast ideas, new lead magnets, new social media platforms to try, new business models. You have a lot of starting and very little finishing.

The issue is not a lack of ideas. It is a lack of focus long enough to execute.

Today we're going to talk about the too many ideas trap — why creative entrepreneurs struggle to finish. Ideas build possibilities and they are great, but execution builds business. And if you are struggling with executing, with finishing a project, this episode is for you.

The Creative Brain Problem

Idea generation is actually a good strength. Creative entrepreneurs naturally notice opportunities. They connect ideas and dots. They see solutions that others miss. This is why many successful bloggers and creators succeed.

But if you don't have structure, what happens? Ideas compete for attention. Energy gets scattered all over the place and projects stall halfway through because you don't make it to the finish line. I know many of you are like this because I have watched you. I have coached you. We have been in mastermind or Homeschool Blogger University meetings. We don't get to the finish.

Creative people love to brainstorm. They love to start something. They love to design and create something. They imagine so many possibilities. That's me. I actually love to create. Sometimes I have a hard time getting to that finish line.

Do you struggle with finishing? With marketing — pulling the trigger and asking someone to buy it? Do you struggle with repeating tasks that sort of get boring after a while? Or staying focused on one thing long enough? If any of those are you, stick with me.

What Thomas Edison Can Teach Us About Focus

Thomas Edison generated thousands of ideas before successful inventions. Did you know he had a thousand patents? What made him successful was not creativity. It was structured experimentation and focus.

10,000 ways to not make a light bulb. That takes focus and that takes getting to the finish line. He said, "I didn't fail 10,000 times. I found 10,000 ways to not make that light bulb." He reportedly tested thousands of materials before finding the right filament.

He didn't try to invent 50 things at one time. He focused deeply on one problem at a time till he solved it. If you have a thing about finishing, getting to the finish line, or you've failed several times — think about Thomas Edison. Maybe put Thomas Edison on a sticky note: 10,000 ways to not make a light bulb. Maybe that will encourage you as well.

The Idea Parking Lot

Most entrepreneurs make one of two mistakes. They ignore all the ideas or they chase every idea. Neither one works well.

Let's talk about the idea parking lot. You need to find one place that you will let all your ideas go. It might be the notes app on your phone, a Trello board, a Google doc, or a physical notebook. For me, sometimes a physical notebook is the best thing. This is going to be your idea parking lot.

Every time you get a new idea, you write it down there — and you don't start it immediately. You write it down because you know it's not going to get lost and you can come back to it maybe once a quarter, once a year, and see which ones are best for where you are right now.

You have the confidence that the idea is not going to be lost and you have the freedom to stay focused on whatever it is you are working on right now. Professional creators often keep hundreds of future ideas, but they only work on one, maybe two at a time. I've had to learn this. I still have a tendency to do everything and I've had to go, Kerry, quit working on that — this is what we're focusing on this month. That's it.

How to Choose Which Idea Deserves Your Focus

Before starting anything new, ask yourself two questions. One: will this idea grow my audience, build authority, or generate revenue? Two: how long will it realistically take? Will it take weeks, months, years?

And I'll use this example — Sara Blakely who made Spanx didn't focus on a gazillion ideas. She focused on one idea. It took her two years to develop that single product and then she launched it. She handled everything herself at first — product design, prototypes, manufacturing calls, marketing, relationship building, all of it. But she was focusing on one idea. She became one of the first women to build a billion-dollar company. If you're floating from one idea to the next, stop it.

Focus is going to multiply your results. Distraction — doing a bunch of things — multiplies a bunch of unfinished projects. Which one are you?

What to Do This Week

Here's something you can do today. Write down every business idea that is currently pulling your attention — wherever you want, your phone, Google Docs, piece of paper, Trello, whatever. It may be a new course, new podcast, new platform, new lead magnet, new niche.

Then circle one idea that could generate income in the next 90 days. Which one of them are you 90% sure will generate income? If you're not sure, go do a validation call. Then commit to finishing that one project before you start another. I know that's hard for some of you, but this single decision can create more momentum than 10 new ideas.

Creative creators, you're not lacking ideas. You just need focus and finishing habits. Ideas create possibilities. Focus creates progress. Finishing creates income.

Some of you that aren't making any money — that may be where your problem is. You don't finish. Or you start a bunch of lead magnets and you never tie them to a paid product. Whatever this idea is, it needs to generate income. Your business probably doesn't need more ideas, more lead magnets, more strategies, and more platforms. It needs you to have one idea that is finished well.

Free Resources to Help You Move Forward

I have two free resources to help you take the next step.

First, grab the Business Audit Printable. Go through it and look at the things you already have — and then see where you are going forward.

Second, use the Business Marketing Roadmap. This one is planned by the quarter — 90 days. Once you decide what to generate revenue from, you can take that idea and plan your next 90 days. The audit shows you what you already have and what you might be able to use. The roadmap shows you how to move forward. Both are linked in the show notes.

So — what is the one idea that deserves your focus for the next 90 days? Start working on that and ignore everything else for a while. If you're watching this where you can make comments, leave a comment and let me know what that one idea is. I'd love to hear from you.

Learning how to start selling content means understanding that free content creates awareness, but paid offers create transformation. And when you refuse to sell that transformation, you keep your audience stuck in their pain point.

✅What Marie Forleo discovered about free inspiration & why it wasn't enough to help her audience or yours

✅The simple PS you can add to every email for 4 weeks that makes selling content feel natural instead of pushy

✅How to shift from "feeling pushy" to selling clarity, saved time, confidence, and a proven path

✅Why pressure comes from your doubt (not from selling content)

✅What happens when you truly believe your offer helps

Ready to stop hesitating and start selling content with confidence? Sign up for a 15-minute call to see if Family Ebiz Mastermind is the right fit for taking your business to the next level!

Resources Mentioned:

Family Ebiz Mastermind (15-minute call)

Episode 100: The Quiet Lies Holding You Back From Success: Fix Your Business Owner Mindset

Show Notes:

Moving from Content to Paid Solutions

Hey everyone, Kerry Beck here with Family eBiz, where we help families start and scale online businesses so you can find freedom in your life and do the things you've been called to do. Take that trip. Spend more time with your family!

Take time off with your kids and go on a ski trip if it's winter, go to the beach if it's summer. Do the things that freedom allows you to do, and that's what a digital online business is all about.

The Inconsistent Income Problem

We've been talking about a topic that I think is near and dear to a lot of you, and that is inconsistent income. You do lots of products, you get likes, you get all these things, but you're not getting sales. They're just crickets.

And today, we're going to talk about moving from content to paid solutions. How do you make this shift without feeling pushy, or slimy, or salesy?

You know, we talk a lot about serving is selling. Y'all are all great at serving, all those free tips, but when it comes time to ask for money, we have a hang-up. Now, some of that is in our mind, and that's something we do need to sort of take care of.

Money is not a bad thing. Making money is not a bad thing. It's the right fit for your audience.

Why Most of You Hate Selling

I think that most of y'all hate selling. You feel like it's just pushy and slimy. You love the serving, the teaching, the helping, but when it comes time to sell, you hesitate.

Because you think, well, if my content was good enough, then people would just buy. That is a lie. Go back, and we'll put the episode about lies in our head about our business.

No, that isn't completely true. You have good content, but they aren't buying. If I sell, I'll sound self-promotional. No, again, that's not necessarily true. It's the way that you present it.

You see, someone's problem remains unsolved because you didn't offer them a solution. That's not humility, that's hesitation on your part.

So, let's talk about reasons why creators resist selling. Sometimes you've got tons of tips and zero direction on putting them in the right place. You're teaching what to do, but you never get to how to fully apply that. That would be the paid solution.

You avoid pricing, outcomes, transformation language.

The Marie Forleo Example

You know, Marie Forleo, who's probably a billionaire of some sort, she built a massive free audience with a TV station, MarieTV. I don't know if you've ever heard, she launches B-School on a regular basis.

She did not jump straight into selling. She built trust first, then clearly invited people into paid solution. Why move them into a paid solution? What she found is free inspiration was not helping them.

People needed structure. Accountability, and results, and that's what you offer them. B-School now generates millions because it's positioned as the next step. Not a pitch.

So let's think about it. Remember, we talked about, awareness content, attention content, and decision content. Free content creates awareness. Paid content creates transformation.

And if your product doesn't offer transformation, then maybe you need to rethink it. We need to give transformation to our people. And when we refuse to sell that transformation, it keeps your audience stuck. They are in that pain point, and you're not helping them at all.

A Simple 4-Week Strategy

Now, I'm going to share a really simple way that you can sell your product, the transformation, and you can do this for the next 4 weeks. Every email that you send, I want you to put a PS, not links to resources, right?

Something like this. If you want help implementing this instead of figuring it out alone, here's where I help, and then give them the link to where you help. No hype. No countdown. Just direction.

Do your people even know that you have offers? That's one thing I found out. They don't, because they're just reading the free stuff for years. I have to keep sharing different offers than I have.

The Mindset Shift: Tips to Transformation

We also do need to have a mindset shift from sharing tips to offering transformation. You're not selling information. What are you selling?

You're selling clarity, so that they are clear on how to get this done. You're selling them time saved, money saved, you're selling them confidence, a proven path, as well.

I don't know if you've ever read a book called Atomic Habits by James Clear, but he wrote blog posts for years with no paid product. He didn't monetize early, he focused on trust. Consistency and usefulness.

And when he launched his book, it wasn't buy my book, it's, here's a system that changes how you live. Because, one, he knew his people well enough, but two, it's the way that he positioned it, a system that will change how you live.

So, tips answer questions. Are you really answering your group's questions, or the ones you think they have? You need to make sure whatever you're putting out there solves their problem and does answer some of the questions.

Transformation solves an identity-level problem. It's where they are. They need to change in their mindset. What they're thinking about that situation.

It could be weight loss. It could be travel. I don't have enough money to travel with my family. It could be start an online business. It could be something like homeschooling, or parenting, or strong-willed child.

But when you give them transformation, they will go from a problem in that area to a solution that will make their life a lot easier.

How to Sell Without Pressure

Your paid offer should finish what your free content starts, and if it does, selling becomes natural. When I give my master class on, let's say, 4 tips to raising Christian leaders, by the time it's over, I haven't told them how to do it all, I just told them 4 tips. Free content.

But then, I'm like, I know some of y'all really want more information, and I will continue in to whatever my product is, the course that I'm going to sell.

You see, selling like that takes away the pressure. I know some of y'all do not want to sell. You don't want to pressure your people, and I get it.

But that is, like, a clear invitation. It's not constant reminders that are just nagging you. That is giving your person confidence to know, here is a course that's going to solve your problem, and you don't have to figure it all out yourself.

It also will give them direction instead of desperation. When you believe your offer truly helps your audience, invitations are generous, because you truly believe this is going to help, not just something that you're selling them.

The pressure inside your mind comes from your doubt. Not from selling, it's your doubt. You doubt if this is really going to make a difference, and I can tell you that's exactly where I was, oh, 5 or 10 years ago.

I was like, is this really going to make a difference? Well, when I start having people say, this changed the way we homeschool. My kids like their new teacher now. This, that is transformation, and I can boldly, and with all the goodness in my heart, know that I am offering something that can really help those particular families.

So selling isn't about taking. It's about letting people go further so they see some transformation. It's giving them the next step. And respecting their readiness.

Some are going to be ready, some aren't. You know, I give people, it's not like I sell 100% master class, people. But I do sell a fair percentage of them. So, some of them aren't ready. I have people that buy, and they said, I've been watching your stuff for 2 years. They just weren't ready for 2 years. Now they are.

So, your audience doesn't need more free content. They need a clear path forward and permission to say, yes.

Ready to Take Your Business to the Next Level?

I would love to hold your hand a little bit, and one way we do that is through our Family Ebiz Mastermind. You can sign up for a 15-minute call to see if this is a way that you can actually get your business to the next level.

You can get rid of the strategies that don't really work, and especially in this day and age, build trust with your people, and really learn what funnels are, learn how to use emails and that kind of thing through the mastermind. And you can also get help specifically with what you're struggling with.

I would love to get on a 15-minute coaching call and just see if that's a good fit for you. That's it! All you have to do is sign up with the link below.

Hey, I'm Kerry Beck with Family eBiz. We'll talk to you next time.

You'll discover positioning strategy examples that work, including how to speak to the right stage of customer and why trying to help everyone means you help no one.

In this episode, you'll learn:

✅Why your offer might be powerful but your positioning is making you invisible

✅How to identify if you're speaking to beginners, builders, or scalers (and why it matters)

✅The exact positioning strategy examples that turned Canva from rejected startup to billion-dollar business

✅How 1 podcaster used specific positioning to land serious sponsorship revenue in a tiny niche

✅5-minute headline rewrite that makes customers say "that's exactly what I need"

Ready to make your offer impossible to ignore? Grab the free resource mentioned in this episode to start repositioning your offer today!

Resources Mentioned: 

15-Minute Coaching Call to explore the Mastermind

Episode 103: Why Your Messaging Strategy Is Killing Sales…& How to Fix It

Episode 102: How to Create Content That Converts From Free to Paid Sales

Family eBiz Facebook Group

Homeschool Blogger Network Facebook Group

Show Notes:

Your Offer Is Fine—Your Positioning Isn't

Hey everyone, Kerry Beck here with Family eBiz, where we help families who aren't making any money in their online business and growing with specific techniques, and we're talking about some of those today. We're in a series about I've got lots of free people, and I don't have any paid people, basically. That's not the actual name of the series, but that is what's going on with a lot of you.

Last week, we talked about rewriting your bio and naming the cost of not acting. I hope you have done that. If you did not hear that episode, we will put a link to that in the show notes.

But I want to just talk about something. I know that you have poured your heart into your offer, whether that's a course, a retreat, a membership, a coaching package, and it's crickets. Often, the offer is fine, but the positioning is off, so your audience can't recognize themselves. They're not… when they read that sales page, they don't see themselves, or they don't see the need for that.

Today, I want you to walk away with the offer to the right people in the right words, so they finally say, that's for me.

What Is Positioning?

So let's talk about positioning, because we've talked about messaging, we've talked about different types of content, attract content, attention content, and decision content. We have links to those other two episodes that we've already done in the show notes. You can go back and listen to that.

Today, let's talk about what is positioning? When you hear the word position, what are you thinking of? Basically, this is it: How you present your offer in the mind of a specific person with a specific problem.

Too often, we're talking about everyone. I gave you that example a couple weeks ago. Well, I just… my audience is homeschoolers. Well, what kind of homeschoolers? People that can say, my audience are Charlotte Mason, literature-based homeschoolers. That's it! And I will just say that they say the tighter your niche, the more you get rich. If you are everyone, you're going to talk to no one.

So, some language that will help you fail, let's say. The examples are too advanced for beginners, they're too basic for builders or scalers in your niche. And your promise is broad, fuzzy, not specific.

The Canva Story: A Positioning Lesson

Melanie Perkins pitched a very simple idea to some different investors. She wanted to create a design software anyone could use. She was rejected over and over by investors. They could not see the potential. Who needs design? We got, you know, Photoshop and all that stuff. They thought it was just a niche tool.

She stayed committed to her positioning, and eventually Canva now makes design easy for non-designers and for pros. It gives clarity, eventually, that help it explode into… Canva's a multi-billion dollar business for solopreneurs, creators worldwide.

So what is the lesson for us when we look at Canva? Your offer might be powerful, but if the specific person that it's for doesn't get it instantly, I mean, instantly, you know, they've got attention of a gnat when they're online, you're going to be ignored, just like Canva was ignored initially as well. You have got to get their attention, they've got to see it in that first sentence. Actually, the headline is really where you need to start.

The Three Stages: Beginners, Builders, and Scalers

So let's talk about different stages. No matter what your niche is, you've got beginners. You have builders, and you have scalers, and they're all… and it may be different words in your niche, but let's just talk about beginners, they're just starting, they're overwhelmed, they just need the basics, the templates, quick wins. I think about homeschoolers, it's their first time. They are totally overwhelmed. They don't have a clue, and they don't want to put their kids in school, but they don't want to… but they don't know what to do, and so they follow the school example.

What's a builder? A builder has some traction in whatever that niche is. They want some systems, some sort of consistency, and they want growth in that area. And it could be in business, it could be in weight loss, it could be in homeschooling.

A scaler? They are getting it, but they want to leverage what they're doing. In business, they have revenue, they have an audience, they want to leverage, and they want a team. They want higher level strategy, no matter what. Higher level strategy.

You see, each of these groups is going to hear your message differently. It will filter through. They're going to put those little lenses on. It will filter differently.

Let's take the business niche. A beginner hears, launch a podcast in 90 days. This sounds exciting, but scary. They want hand-holding. They want simple steps.

A builder hears, launch your podcast in 90 days, and they're like, cool! Alright, launched. I need monetizing. A lot of you are right there when it comes to your online business, and I get it.

A scaler hears and thinks, I need team processes, not launch help. We've already launched this product.

Get Specific or Get Ignored

So you need to rethink who is your audience? You cannot talk to all of them. There's a man named Paul Green. He has an industry podcast, and he decided, I am not going to try to help every business owner. So he narrowed it down, get this, lawn care and landscape pros trying to build a sustainable business.

Now, is that specific, or what? Yes! He was very clear. He was not speaking to beginners, and he wasn't speaking to scalers, he was speaking to builders in a specific niche. People who are already mowing lawns, already doing landscape, and they need business advice.

It was perfect. His podcast was perfect. It aligned with this ideal customer. The tighter his position, it turned into a small niche, into some serious sponsorship revenue.

See, it is very dangerous as a business owner to try to help everyone. You just can't do it. When you say, this is for any woman who wants to grow a business. This is for any mom who wants to be a better parent. This is for anyone who wants to lose weight. It is so general that you talk to no one.

You have got to get specific… and I'm gonna tell you right now, when I am trying to get my message across, I actually imagine a real person. And what are their problems? I, in the homeschool niche, I still have friends, young moms right around here that are homeschooling, and I can imagine that person when I'm writing an email or a social post or creating some content to sell.

You see, trying to catch everyone forces you into just generic-type things. More confidence, more growth, more clarity. Instead of, hey, that's me!

So you have got to shift your mindset. It may not make sense, but the narrow… the more narrow that your who is, and that stage is, where they are in your business, the more your people feel seen. And the easier it is to not feel slimy. The tighter the niche, the more you get rich.

Your Homework: Rewrite Your Headline

So I've got some homework for you. I want you to rewrite your offer. Go look at the headline at the top of your webpage for this, whatever it is you're selling. And I want you to begin using your audience's exact words. That's what I did when I redid my Raising Leaders, Not Followers. I actually talked on Zoom to many people. And I took their exact quotes and put them in that sales page. Use their words and put it in your headline.

I want you to rewrite your headline. That's it, one headline! Go look at your DMs, your survey responses, podcast reviews, YouTube comments, whatever.

And then I want you to think about a before and after. Instead of a 6-week program to gain confidence, I'm sorry, a 6-week program to grow your brand and income, or a 6-week, program to lose weight. You could say, start a faith-based podcast in 6 weeks, even if you're tech-challenged and scared to hit record. That is specific.

You know, that's one thing I don't shy away from in my home school. I mean, people know that I am faith-based, and if they don't like it, they can go somewhere else. That's fine. I'm gonna talk about things from my faith.

So, I want you to take 5 minutes today. I want you to rewrite your headline using exact words that your people already use to describe their problem.

Focus on One Stage for 30 Days

And then you really do need to decide what stage are you… is your customer, not your audience, your customer, what stage are they in? Are they a beginner? Are they a builder? Are they a scaler? That's what's gonna help.

And then for the next 30 days, and I am working on this right now as far as what stage my people are. I want you to think of every piece of content that you put out. I want you to focus on that stage and that stage alone. And you can use examples, metaphors, calls to action that fit that stage only.

And then say no to trying to speak to everyone all the time, in every post, every email, every social. You're not abandoning people. You're giving your primary audience the clarity they need to say, yes, I'm ready for the next step. I'm ready to spend money.

So, your offer may be strong. The real work is making the right person see themselves in it instantly.

You know, I've got other episodes that we have in the show notes for this one that talk about clear messaging, clear positioning, and how that can turn confusion into conversion.

Let's Get Feedback and Go Deeper

So let's work on this. Feel free in our Family eBiz group, or my Homeschool Blogger group, to write down, put something in there. Let's get some feedback on your headline, and let's get some help from each other.

Some of you, I know, would really like to go deeper with this. You would really like a lot more hand-holding. I don't know if you know this, but I offer 15-minute coaching calls to see if our mastermind is a good fit for you. And I will put a link in the show notes. You can sign up for a time that works well for you.

And this is all about seeing how we could help you serve you, so that you can, if you're a beginner, move to a builder. If you're a builder, we need to get you some consistent income. And let's talk about ways that we can do that through the mastermind.

Hey, thanks for spending time with me. Kerry Beck here with Family eBiz. We'll talk to you next time.

Most creators produce tons of helpful content, but without a clear messaging strategy, it's scattered—tips here, hacks there, random encouragement everywhere—and people can't tell what you're about or why they should buy from you.

This episode shows you how to develop a messaging strategy that tightens your message so the same traffic you already have converts better.

✅What Stephanie Gass discovered when she stopped chasing social media trends and built ONE focused messaging strategy around one core problem

✅The 1 question every visitor asks when they land on your website (and how your messaging strategy should answer it in 5 seconds)

✅Why vague phrases like "helping you live your best life" sabotage your messaging strategy and kill sales silently

✅ONE simple bio framework that creates a winning messaging strategy

✅Why a strong messaging strategy includes both the benefit of acting AND the cost of staying stuck

Ready to clarify your messaging strategy and start converting traffic into sales? Rewrite your bio using the framework in this episode and put it everywhere!

Resources Mentioned: 

Family Ebiz Mastermind (15-minute call)

How to Create Content That Converts From Free to Paid Sales

Show Notes:

Hey everyone, Kerry Beck here with Family Eviz, where we help families start and scale online businesses so you can find freedom in your life to do what you're called to do.

We are actually in the middle, or just starting a series, about a problem that I have seen over and over, and not just me, but you have told me that. When I took a poll at the end of last year, it was, I am not making sales. They're not consistent sales. It's like, I have people but they're all freebie seekers.

We talked about that. Last week, we talked about your message match. We'll put a link to that podcast episode in the show notes. Today, we're talking about, you don't have a traffic problem. You have a messaging problem. And we're going to go further into that.

The Real Problem Isn't Traffic

Because if you're a solopreneur, a content creator, a blogger, a podcaster, you probably think, I just need more traffic, more traffic!

Often, you don't have that traffic problem. You have a true messaging problem. People land on your stuff and don't instantly know if it's for them or not. They don't know what problem you solve.

Why does this even matter today? We have got to become more clear about what our message is and get that out. And I hope by the end of this episode, you'll know how to tighten up your message so you can use that same traffic and make it convert better.

You see, I believe, and I have seen this over and over, especially with some of my mastermind students, is most creators produce tons of helpful content, but it's scattered. Tips here, hacks there, random encouragement everywhere.

Is that you? Are you just sort of throwing it all out there, plastering it everywhere? You give helpful information. But you do not have a clear through line that will get people to the paid side of your business. They can't tell what you're all about, or why they should follow you, or buy from you as well.

Real Examples of Messaging Clarity

Stephanie Glass actually had this problem. She is a faith-based podcaster. She tried everything on social media, chasing the trends, trying to be generally helpful. You know what happened? Totally exhausted and unclear messaging.

Back in 2018, she sensed God saying, start a podcast. And she listened. So what did she do? She had to start a business podcast. She niched down to help women grow a God-centered business through podcasting.

Her brand snapped into focus. One core problem, one core path. That's it. We're not trying to solve everyone's problem.

Now, I will have to be honest, her traffic did not explode overnight, but her clarity and where she was did turn her listeners in to buyers.

You know, the same thing happened to me. I used to be all about homeschooling. It was… I mean, I had everything, all different seasons of the year, all the different ways to homeschool, and everything. And I realized I was speaking to everyone, but no one.

I had to really narrow it down. And that's when I really started to focus on leadership education, and focusing on my flagship product, Raising Leaders, Not Followers. And that's what I wanted, and I still do, want to be known for. I want them to have a clear message that everything coming in is going to bring them to some aspect of leadership education.

What Visitors Are Really Thinking

You see, when a visitor lands on your website, they have one thing in mind. They all listen to the same radio station. WIIFM. What's in it for me?

W-I-I-F-M. Or is this for me right now?

They are not thinking, is this generally good? If they do, they're not really interested in buying.

So, here's what I want you to do. Let's start with your bio, your headline. They're going to look at your bio, your headline, your first 5 seconds of an audio, the first line of a blog post.

And think, who is this for? What problem are they trying to solve? These people are so obsessed with trying to figure out, and what… here it is, what results can I get if I keep reading, if I keep listening? Is this person for me? Is she solving my problem?

When Vague Messaging Kills Your Sales

And what happens is, too often, we have very vague messaging. When we are vague, it kills our sales. We're giving lots of information, but our sales are, like, down in the dumps.

When you say things like, helping you live your best life, what does that mean? I'm encouraging women, or I'm encouraging homeschoolers. Helping small businesses to grow. Helping people lose weight.

That is so general. You're not really telling people what you actually do. Your Instagram or your podcast bio is generic. Your website headline could fit a thousand other course creators. Your episode titles do not have a clear problem or solution.

I actually looked at mine, and I don't know if this is the one that we will actually use. You don't have a traffic problem, you have a messaging problem. That tells us what the problem is, and then we're going to talk about solving it in this episode.

You know what happens when you're vague? People stop checking out your stuff. It's not because you aren't good, but because they can't see themselves and why it matters to them. They don't… like, why should I spend my… there is so much out there. I don't need to spend time with people I can't identify with.

The Bio Framework That Works

So, again, let's start with your bio. I want you to rewrite your bio, and this is the framework.

I [Whoever] solve [Whatever the problem is] so that they can [the result].

You want to tell who you are, what you do, how you solve their problem, and what result they can expect. Here are a couple examples.

Going back to what she said, I help Christian solopreneurs create podcast-based businesses so they can quit chasing social media and build stable income.

I help [Do what?] so that.

I help busy homeschool moms raise leaders so they can relax and gain confidence to know what they are doing is the best.

I help busy moms start simple blogs so they can share their stories and earn their first $1,000 online.

Those are all more specific. So I would like you to pause and take some time to rewrite your bio.

Just write that one sentence, and then put it in your podcast descriptions, your show notes, your social media bio, your website about me page, right at the top. You need to tell people exactly who you are and how you're going to help them.

Name the Cost of Inaction

Then, the other thing I think you need to do in your messaging is talk to people about what is the cost if they don't act.

People move when they feel both the benefit of acting and a cost of staying stuck. They feel that pain point, and they see that this could help them. This is the transformation that can happen.

So try to come up with one sentence that you can add to your next post, your next email, your episode, whatever it is, that names the cost of inaction, that names the pain that people are stuck in.

Here's one. If you never clarify your message, you'll keep posting more content for fewer and fewer clicks.

Here's another one. This… I used something like this at the end of my master class on leadership. If you keep waiting to invest in your kid's education, you'll be in the same place next year and not moving forward, not giving your kids an elite education.

Here's another one. If you keep waiting to launch your podcast, you'll be in the same place next year, still with ideas in your head, instead of episodes in people's ears.

So I want you to come up with your one-sentence bio, and your one-sentence pain point, and how you're going to help them. And once you get that pain point sentence, you need to put it everywhere for the next 30 days. Something simple, fast, you don't even need tech to do this. You just write in a sentence, alright?

You really don't need more eyes. You need clearer words. Clear messages. Clarity converts the traffic you already have.

A confused mind does not buy. Let me say that again. Clarity converts the traffic you already have.

So do those things. If you got help in this message, this episode at all, would you please share this with a friend and leave us a 5-star review? That will help us get this out to more and more people. And next week, we are going to be talking about your offers, and how you can improve your offer as well.

I'm Kerry Beck with Family eBiz. We'll talk to you next time.

In this episode, you’ll discover:

✅Why engagement doesn't equal trust (and trust doesn't automatically equal sales)

✅The difference between attention content and decision content that converts

✅Why some of your audience may never be your buyers & why that’s okay

✅3 questions your content that converts must answer

Ready to audit your content and create clearer calls to action? Grab the free Business Marketing Audit Workbook and Business Marketing Roadmap!

Resources Mentioned:

Business Marketing Audit Workbook

Business Marketing Roadmap

Show Notes:

What are some ways to turn your content into actual sales? I think it's really important. But let's be honest, the struggle is real. You are busy creating content, showing up consistently, but your sales feel stuck. You don't have to figure this out alone. We're going to share some ideas that will help.

The Engagement vs. Sales Gap

Hey everyone, Kerry Beck here with Family eBiz, where we help families start and scale online businesses. Today, what I am talking about is a topic that you, my audience, struggle with. You see, we are publishing this in the end of January, and in December, I took a poll. And one of the biggest challenges for a lot of you is this: You have people getting all your freebies, but no one's really buying.

And so we have to figure out, how do we do this? People are watching, but they're not buying. How do we fix that? Well, let's take a step back. Let's just think about this. Engagement does not equal trust, which does not equal sales. Sometimes the wrong people are watching you.

If likes paid the bills, most of us would be rich now, right? You get all sorts of likes on social media. You're showing up, you're being consistent, people are listening, watching, subscribing. But your sales feel stuck. You just have crickets. And you're like, what is wrong?

It's a Messaging and Trust Gap

Let's take a step back and look at this. It's not a motivation on your part. It's a messaging and trust gap. Your message is not matching with them and their need of whatever their problem is, and they don't have any trust in you, because your messaging is mixed up.

You see, likes, listens, comments? That is attention-getting. Sales require confidence, clarity and trust. What's the difference between attention and decision content? Attention content is, that was helpful, thank you. Decision content is, I trust you so much, I'm gonna take the next step with you.

Do you see the difference between attention, getting their attention, and then them making a decision? This is really true. I don't know if y'all have heard of Beatrix Potter, but she's very famous for her illustrations with Peter Rabbit. She became a huge commercial success, but initially, her manuscript was rejected, even though everyone loved her artwork.

So what did she do? She chose to self-publish first, and that proved demand, and it proved credibility. And after she self-published, she didn't even have to go to the publishers. They were coming to her, not the other way around. So what does that have to do with you and your business?

People admired her work. That was getting attention. But publishers didn't trust the business case yet. Trust was built when she had proof, consistency and clarity, not popularity. Just like your audience may like your content, but isn't ready to buy till they see some more proof. Your audience knowing you, who you are, does not mean the same as trusting you with their money, right?

Attention Content vs. Decision Content

So let's dive a little deeper into attention content. Attention content are things like tips, how-tos, quick inspiration, entertaining or relatable posts. It's good. It's good information, and we can put stuff out there, and we need attention-getting content.

Decision content is stories of struggle and a solution. Clear beliefs about this situation, or this idea. And what are the boundaries? Explaining why your way works better than anyone else. And then showing what happens after someone says yes. That's that transformation. And if you're not sharing transformation, you're just putting it out there, people don't see themselves needing whatever it is you're giving.

There's a man named James Dyson. As I tell the story, you'll probably remember his name better. He created 5,126 failed prototypes before he produced a vacuum that really worked. Dyson vacuums. Early on, people did not buy because the idea was brand new and so unfamiliar, they're like, why do I need this?

So he did not sell the features of his vacuum, he sold why this method works differently, and how it can help, you know, a housewife that's staying at home and cleaning, or maybe a cleaning service. Once consumers understood the reason why behind that design, trust followed and sales skyrocketed. So, the product didn't change, the story and the explanation did.

What are you doing to sell your item? You don't need to change the product. You don't need to make new products. You need to think about how are you presenting it to your audience. See, people don't buy innovation until they understand why it matters. Your audience needs clarity in making that decision as well. You see, if your content never explains why, people are just entertained. They're not converted. So you have got to explain why they should find. And be very clear about it.

Why Likes Don't Equal Sales

Clarity is probably one of the biggest things. Everyone just sort of throws up on someone on the page, and they can't really understand why they need this. Alright, so that's attention and decision type content. What about likes and listens? They do not signal sales.

Why? People engage with you, but they don't buy. Why? They like you, but they don't see themselves as buyers yet. They don't know what to do next, because you're not clear. They don't feel any urgency. They don't even understand what is a transformation.

The hard truth is this. Some of your audience may never be your buyers. That's okay. Let them unsubscribe. Because clarity is going to attract the right people. Be clear.

Starbucks did not go out and try to appeal to every coffee-drinking person. They focused on an experience and an identity in this coffee shop, and people paid more because of the experience, and they trusted that brand promise that Starbucks was putting out. So, when you speak to everyone, buyers don't hear themselves.

You know, I work with business owners, content creators, and I have a lot of people in the homeschool market, that's just because that's where I started. And if I ask, who's your ideal audience, or customer, let's just say customer. You know what they say? Homeschoolers. I'm like, okay, let's drill down. You've got to narrow it.

I mean, that is so broad. If you don't know specifically how you are helping homeschoolers, you're not going to make any sales. It's just too general. So, for me, y'all heard me talk about my flagship product, Raising Leaders, Not Followers. That is what I'm all about. Let's… I want people that are so overwhelmed, they're stressed out, they don't know if they're doing the right thing.

I want to bring them into my journey and show them the transformation that I had. But then plenty of other moms had, as well, when they started using leadership education. And so, I have to be very clear. I work with those type of people. You've got to get more specific than homeschoolers, or more specific than weight loss, or more specific than copywriting. You've got to get more specific, and be clear about that. So you're not speaking to everyone. Because buyers don't hear themselves. They need to identify with whatever you're saying.

Bridge Your Free to Paid Offers

Now, what is the bridge between a free offer and the paid offer? A lot of you put some great free content out there. But let me ask you this. Does your free content point them somewhere? Does it create awareness of a problem that you solve?

Let's be honest, most of you don't. You're just throwing it up, and hoping someone signs up for your email list, and you don't have a funnel. That's a whole other story, but if you don't even have an idea, your free item, I've said this so many times, has got to lead to a paid item as well.

So, your content should answer, when you are putting it out there, these three questions. Why does this matter? Why now? Why should they get it now? And why me? Why should I buy from you?

So, those are some things. Attention content versus decision content. Likes and listens don't equal sales, and you've got to have a bridge between your free to your paid.

Your Homework

Now, I've got some homework for you, and then I've got a resource that I think will help you. First of all, I think you need to take an audit of your content. I actually have a free business audit workbook that you can get, and we'll put that wherever you're listening to it, in the show notes.

But I want you to look at your last 10 posts, or last 10 emails, last 10 episodes, and I want you to label each one of them as one of these. Does it provide value? Does it tell a story? Hopefully a transformation story. Does it offer something?

If you have zero offers in those 10, your last 10 things, you are struggling, and that's the bottleneck. If your offers are vague, that's a bottleneck, too. So at least just audit. We're not going to go do anything, but at least audit. That's number one.

Number two, homework is this. And, I would say for each of those 10 things, put one clear call to action on all of it. Join, download, book a call with me, whatever it happens to be. One very clear call to action. Alright? Don't put 5 call-to-actions in one email. Clarity beats options. A confused mind does not buy, all right?

And if you need some help sort of thinking through as we move forward, our business marketing roadmap might be a good guide for you as well. We'll put that in the show notes as well. As a bonus, maybe you share one personal story this week, a mistake you made, a lesson learned, turning point. I've shared plenty of my mistakes. It took me a while. I had to get rid of that pride. But trust grows faster when people see there's a human behind that website.

They don't buy because they don't care. They don't buy because they're not confident yet. Your job isn't louder marketing. It is clearer leadership. It's clear content, so they know exactly what it is that they need to do.

Hey, if one thing in this episode helped you, would you please share this with another business owner? Someone that creates content, a blogger, a podcaster? I'm sure it will help them as well, especially if they're not making sales. It would mean the world to me, and also, if you would just give us a 5-star review on whatever system you're listening, that would be great. I am Kerry Beck with Family eBiz. We'll talk to you next time..

Just like Sarah Blakely (Spanx) persisted as a problem solver despite rejections, Abraham Lincoln stood for 28 years before becoming president, and Colonel Sanders faced 1,000 rejections at age 65 before starting KFC, your true identity produces peace, discernment, and focused action instead of frantic effort.

✅Why discovering your true identity must happen before you build another product, write another blog post, or create another funnel

✅2 questions that replace "Why isn't this working?" and unlock clarity instead of confusion

✅What happened when a 65-year-old man with $105/month Social Security faced 1,000 rejections … & why his true identity changed everything

✅How Sarah Blakely became the youngest self-made female billionaire without entrepreneurship or fashion experience

✅Why Abraham Lincoln's 28 years of "failure" were actually preparation for his true identity as a leader

Ready to discover your true identity? Grab the Biblical Truths PDF worksheet and listen to the Living Fearless podcast by Jamie Winship!

Resources Mentioned: 

Living Fearless by Jamie Winship (book) 

Biblical Truths PDF Download (with blank worksheet) 

Jamie Winship's Living Fearless Podcast

Switch On Your Brain by Dr. Caroline Leaf 

Episode 100: The Quiet Lies Holding You Back From Success: Fix Your Business Owner Mindset 

Episode 99: How to Take a Break from Work: Why Rest Actually Improves Your Business

Show Notes:

Well, hello everyone, Kerry Beck here with Family eBiz, where we help families start and scale online businesses so you can have freedom to do what you're called to do. Last episode and this episode, we have been talking specifically about your calling. What is your identity in your business?

I don't mean a business identity like a sole proprietorship or your brand. I mean, who are you? And what are you called to do in your business?

Identifying the Quiet Lies

You see, last week, we actually talked about identifying some of the quiet lies that you may be believing, the ones that are sort of scrolling around, those reels inside your head, like I'm behind. I miss my chance. I'm not cut out for this. Everyone else gets it but me.

Today, we get to go to the hopeful part of coming up with our identity. And then what happens after you name that lie.

And some of you are like, what does this matter? Kerry, why are you not teaching some marketing strategy, or email marketing, or social media, or whatever, funnels? Because, let me just tell you, your identity comes first. What is going on in your mind determines the outcome. It determines where you are going and what you're doing. Your identity determines, really, some of the things that you choose to do in 2026.

This is being published in January of 2026, and I thought, this is the perfect time for us to get this out there, so that you can sort of wrestle with it this month. What is my identity? Where am I being called to do?

You see, most creators try to fix their problems with tactics. Content, funnels, platforms, this, that, and the other, but identity always determines your behavior. Your mindset determines your outcome.

What if clarity in your business doesn't start with a strategy, but with hearing who you are again, and what you're being called to do, and how you could use that calling to serve your audience that you really want to serve?

You know, I will tell you that this particular episode is going to have a little bit more faith base, and yet I believe that anyone can use it. I am going to share some of my faith, that's just who I am, and I know some of you, you're like, yeah, go for it, and some of you are like, I don't know, Kerry. But I believe that the things that go on in here really do determine your business a lot of times. And for me, since I believe in Jesus Christ, I do go to the Bible.

Actually, there's a verse in the Bible, Revelation 2:17, it says, a new name is given to the one who receives it. And you see, back in the ancient Roman times, the victor was given a little white stone with their name written on it. That was part of their prize. And so it could be that that verse is referring to the name, and that is who you are, and they are the victor, and that is their identity, and I believe God's saying the same thing.

He's going to take out those lies, and He's going to give you a new name, if you will receive it, and then walk in that. So, before you build the next thing, or create the next e-book, or the next blog post or podcast, you need to know who you are and how you're building.

So let's talk about this. A lot of this information comes from a man named Jamie Winship, who has a book called Living Fearless. You'll see that in the show notes, and I really think it's important. He has affected so many people, just in a spiritual manner, but also just in relationships and all sorts of things.

Asking the Right Questions

Here's the deal. Too often, we are asking the wrong question, as he says. Most people are asking, why isn't this working in my business? Why am I stuck right here and not being able to make money?

He talks about an identity exchange, and you need to exchange those questions to two new questions. Again, this is faith-based, so I would go to God and say, what do you want me to know about this? God, what do you want me to do about this? Otherwise, you can just think about, what do I need to know? What do I need to do? But I go to God because that's where I get my most encouragement and the best wisdom as well.

Most all creators, content creators, are skilled, you're hardworking, you're disciplined. But you still operate in the negative. I'm late. I am replaceable. I don't really hear from God. And so we need to take a step back and see what can we hear up in our mind.

You know, there is a woman, Sarah Blakely, that I've mentioned before. She is the person who started the Spanx company, and she, before this, sold fax machines door-to-door. She really didn't have any entrepreneurship background. She had no fashion experience.

She had a problem. She's getting ready to go to an event, and she didn't have the right underclothing, and so she basically took some pantyhose and connecting them to some, what do you call those things, where they hold your stomach in and put them together.

Well, it wasn't like that was the answer to everything. She was rejected over and over by manufacturers when she thought this would solve ladies' problems. The lies she could have believed is, I'm not qualified, no one is taking me seriously. Is that how you feel?

That's just like Walt Disney from last week, and Max Lucado, they were rejected over and over and over, and yet they persevered. We will put that episode, episode 100, familyebiz.com/100. We will put that in the show notes, because if you missed it, you really need to start there.

What did Sarah do instead? She believed she was a problem solver, not an outsider trying to get in. She kept pitching her idea over and over, and eventually started Spanx, and became a billion-dollar company, and she became the youngest self-made female billionaire of all times.

Because she was persistent, and she believed in who she was really called to be, not in all the lies around her. Her success did not come from confidence in the outcome. It came from clarity in who she was. She was a problem solver, and she wanted to serve. She was a servant, and so she believed that was who she is, and she kept persisting in it, and ended up building a billion-dollar company.

You need clarity in your identity. So there's step number one.

Getting Rid of False Identities

Next, we need to take those false identities and get rid of them. There is a real danger for you to believe those false identities. Those are things that I've already mentioned. I'm behind everyone else. Well, you know, we all move at our own pace. And some people move slower and some move faster.

I have to work harder to be worthy. That is hustle. We don't need to hustle, hustle, hustle. We just need to do a good job and be consistent in our calling and in our identity.

Well, maybe you believe, if I rest, everything will fall apart. Well, that is not true. And if you go back and listen to two episodes before this, 99, familyebiz.com/99, I talk about how important it is for rest. That's how we started this year, because I took 6 days off during the Christmas holidays, and nothing fell apart. In fact, I even made sales.

So if you're thinking, I can't take a break, you need to definitely go back and listen to episode 99, because that might even give you a rest to take a rest, a break, and reset. What is my real calling? What is my identity?

Because our true identity is going to produce peace, discernment. Focused action instead of frantic effort. And a mindset that you truly can rest, and I believe you should rest, well, a little bit every day. If you're putting in 12 hours a day for this, that is way too much. But I think everyone needs a rest at least once a week. And I give you some ideas how you construct slowly with just 4 hours if you need to. So go back and listen to episode 99.

You know, there's another man that you have all heard of if you're in the United States. He was a president who, before he became president, lost multiple elections, five major elections. He lost the Illinois state legislature, the U.S. Congress, two U.S. Senate races, and a VP nomination.

In business, he failed, too. This is Abraham Lincoln, President of the United States, one of our most famous presidents. You see, in 1831, before he became president, he managed a general store, but it failed due to the owner's mismanagement. He lost his job.

Did he quit? No, 2 years later, he was running his own general store with a partner, and they went bankrupt. And for years, he consistently paid off the debt. Was that a failure? No, those were lessons learned. So if something doesn't work right, you need to take those lessons and move forward as well.

You see, he also was criticized through all those losses. His first election loss was 1832. It was 28 years later, in 1860 when he became president. 28 years of failure. Not winning, and probably more business failures as well.

You know, Abraham Lincoln could have believed the lie. I'm a failure. Or the lie, I shouldn't be a leader, I shouldn't lead people, because I can't do it. Did he believe that lie? No.

He believed his role was to stand for what was right, to speak out, and to persist. To stand, speak, and persist. Long before he became president, he was writing, he was reflecting, he was refining the way he thinks. He was preparing himself to become his identity, which is a leader.

He was taking those 28 years to prepare, or God was, to prepare him. It's just like King David from last episode. He is a protector, a worshipper, and a leader. When did he learn those things? When did he become a leader?

He actually was, his identity was a king. Back when he was 10, 12, and 13, he was watching over those sheep. And killing the bears and the lions, protecting them, and writing songs, worshiping, and learning to lead the sheep as well. And yet, it was probably 20-something years later when he actually became king. He was actually on the run, running from King Saul. What a story it all is.

So, we need to realize that sometime in our smallness, or we feel small, that is our preparation. Overnight success takes years to get to.

Acting from Your Identity

You don't wait for success to confirm who you are. You act every day from who you are, from your identity, from your calling, and then you let the results catch up. You let the results and the outcome just happen.

So I want to talk about two identity business questions that you can tie in with the lie that you stated last week. That was your homework. So instead of saying, why isn't my audience growing? Why am I struggling financially? Let's flip it over and go, God, what do you want me to know about myself in this season? What do you want me to do next?

Not everything, just what is the next step? I have read many books by a lady named Elizabeth Elliott. Her husband was killed when they were missionaries down in Ecuador, and one of the things I learned was, she goes, you just take the next step, and that's it. And then take the next step.

For me, I want to ask the questions every morning. What do I need to know? What do I need to do today? And that's it. And take it one day at a time. That's it.

Maybe you have low number of downloads. You have slow growth in your business, and your old identity would say, I'm bad at this, and everyone else is better. Maybe don't say everyone, just say others are better at this than me. No, we're going to exchange that negative attitude and identity for the correct one.

And you need to sit, and I would take some quiet time with a journal, and just think about what comes to your mind. For me, that's God talking to me. And He may reveal, for me, you are a teacher. So I keep teaching. Maybe you're a teacher, too. That's what I do, even in the beginning, when I didn't really have much of a list, and I was not making enough sales to live off of. But I continued to do what I knew God had called me to do.

You're a steady builder. Well, again, overnight success takes years. There's a phrase of how that goes, and I couldn't remember it, but it looks like it's overnight success. Like, Max Lucado, maybe you just heard about when he got his first book deal. Well, you didn't hear the 14 rejections. He may look like an overnight success, but he isn't.

So we need to take action on our identity. And when we identify who we are, what we're called to be, your content becomes clearer, your marketing becomes calmer, you're not just pitching things in their face all the time, and your consistency increases, because you know who you are, and you know what you need to do.

The Power of Persistence

There was a man, again, that you've probably all heard of. That started the Kentucky Fried Chicken franchise. A little bit of a tongue twister right there. But Colonel Sanders did not start as a young man. He started in his mid-60s. That makes me feel good. I'm 66, turning 67 next month!

You see, his restaurant closed when he was 50 or 60, something like that. He was living on Social Security, $105 a month. And he hit the road pitching his fried chicken recipe to all sorts of restaurants. He had hundreds of rejections. I actually read he had 1,000 rejections until he finally got a yes.

Supposedly, he had 1,099 rejections until a Salt Lake City restaurant agreed to use his recipe, and help him start a franchise. The first franchise was in 1952, and he was 65 years old. And you can read more about it, it's sort of fascinating. He floundered around in his 20s, 30s, and 40s, and 50s, and he tried to do different businesses. Can you imagine? For 30 years, he is trying to do something with this chicken recipe.

You see, in 1952, he had his first one, 8 years later. 8 years later, 1964, he had 600 franchises. You see, Sanders didn't quit after a dozen no's. He kept going through hundreds, ultimately a thousand rejections before he got a single restaurant. That's hard.

And for a lot of you, it's a side hustle. You've got an income, so that's good. I wouldn't quit your day job to start doing this. But you can continue. The biggest thing is being consistent. If you work on it once a month or every other month, probably not going to happen. If you work a little bit every week, maybe 2 or 3 evenings a week, or 2 or 3 mornings before you go to work, that can help you.

You see, Colonel Sanders couldn't believe, I'm too old, my window's closed. Instead, he believed, I'm a craftsman with something to offer. And what was the result? One of the most recognizable food brands in the world, Kentucky Fried Chicken. There's a few of them, but pretty much, people know Kentucky Fried Chicken around the world, started by a 65-year-old man. He was persistent. He did not let rejection get in the way.

Your Homework This Week

So, let me just tell you, and hopefully encourage you, you are not behind. You are not too late. You are not waiting to become someone. You're learning to become who you are, and to live from what you already are, from your identity.

So here's your homework for this week. I want you to go back and look at that one lie that's showing up in your business, and if you haven't done that, that would be the first thing. Then I want you to ask the two questions. Again, I do this, I try to do this daily, but you might just want to do it weekly. Set aside 15 minutes on Monday morning, let's say.

What do you want me to know this week? What do you want me to do this week? And just pause. So, I mean, that only takes like 20 seconds for 2 or 3 minutes, and just sit in silence. And then write down the word or the phrase that you received that comes to mind.

And I have done this off and on. You know, I think at the beginning of the week, I had it written down here. I took it upstairs. Something about strength and weakness, because I was sort of feeling weak about things and what was going on, and I just thought, and that just kept coming up all day long. That I was strong through God.

So, you want to find the truth. And you don't want to believe that you're a nobody. That's just not worth it. You need to replace that with the truth.

And if you are a person of faith, I would go find a Bible verse that speaks this truth. I would write it down on an index card. I would put it somewhere that you will see it every day. Your kitchen sink, the bathroom mirror, your car dashboard, somewhere, so that you will say it out loud every single day for at least a month. And then just work on replacing those negative thoughts with truth for at least one month. 30 days can change the way we think.

I think it's Carolyn Leaf, that has a whole book about switch on your brain, and it's all about changing the way you think, and we'll put a link to her book in the show notes as well. Be another good one for you to use. So I would really encourage you to look at her book, but Living Fearless. It's all about exchanging the negative identity for who you really are called to be, and then working towards that identity.

I will also put a link to Jamie's podcast, and those are excellent, and really, listening to those earlier this week or last week made me think, oh, I need to do this with our business group. So that's what made me do it. And then also, I have a PDF download with our biblical truths, and or they're not biblical, well, they are biblical, but they're my personal truths that I wrote down one day. You can read my truths, but there's a blank page in that PDF that you can print out, and then you can actually write your own truth there, and post them somewhere in your house.

Hey, thanks for spending time with me. If you know another online business content creator, podcaster, blogger, I would truly appreciate it if you shared this episode, maybe even last episode. I really think this is where we get hung up. We're so into strategies, and strategies are important. But if we don't believe it here, you can do all the right strategies, and it's not going to work. So this is where I'm really encouraging you to work on in your head in January, and then move forward in tactics and strategies in 2026. Hey, thanks for spending time with me. I am Kerry Beck with Family eBiz. We'll talk to you next time.

Just like David was a shepherd before he became king, Walt Disney was fired for "lack of imagination," and Max Lucado faced 14 rejections before publishing his first book, your early failures and smallness do not dictate your calling.

✅Why business owner mindset matters more than strategy when you're building an online business

✅What to do with lies business owners believe 

✅How false identities stop you from success, keeping you either striving to prove yourself or shrinking back and hiding

✅What David, Walt Disney, and Max Lucado teach you about how your identity forms before influence expands

Ready to identify the lies affecting your business owner mindset? Grab the Truth Worksheet and Living Fearless by Jamie Winship to start uncovering what's holding you back!

Resources Mentioned:

Living Fearless by Jamie Winship

Truth Worksheet (PDF download)

Show Notes:

Hey everyone, Kerry Beck here with Family eBiz, where we help families start and scale online businesses so they can find the freedom in their life to fulfill the calling where they are called to be and serve. And that's really what we're talking about this week and next week.

But let's back up just for a minute and let's talk about who this is for. If you are building a part-time business, these two episodes are for you. If you have not sort of got to the level you want, or you're just still trying to find your footing, or you're not making any money and you're wondering, what in the world am I doing?

The Quiet Lies Holding You Back

What if the biggest problem holding you back in your business isn't strategy or traffic or time? It is the quiet lies you believe up here. The lies you believe about yourself.

You show up online, but you second-guess every post. You compare yourselves to others and feel behind. Haha, that's me sometimes.

You secretly think, who am I to do this? Well, today we're going to look at a few examples, actually 3 examples. We're going to name the kind of lies that business owners believe, and we're going to walk away with a simple exercise to start uncovering them.

In our next episode, we're going to take those lies and we're talking about replacing them with truth and a simple exercise for you to get past those lies and move forward in your business. A lot of this comes from a book that I have read called Living Fearless by Jamie Winship, and it's all about finding our real identity.

A lot of what he has to say is maybe more in a personal way, but I think there is so much truth in what he says that we can apply this as business owners as well.

Common Lies Business Owners Believe

So let's talk about business. You're refreshing the analytics and you are feeling discouraged. You're creating content, but you're wondering if it even matters.

Or maybe you're starting projects, but you stop halfway, you're a little afraid to pull that trigger. You know, this is common and you're not alone.

You're thinking, I'm not consistent enough to succeed. I know a lot of y'all struggle with consistency, but we can overcome that.

Other people are more qualified than me. That's probably true. There are a lot of qualified people, there are a lot more than I am.

But we can overcome that too. That is a lie that you are believing. If I were really called to this, it would be a lot easier.

Oh, no, it wouldn't. Even the successful people have to work hard at it at times.

You see, why do lies matter so much in your own business? Lies shape the way you do many things, what you launch, or you avoid launching at all. Again, you're afraid to pull that little trigger, you're just not sure what's going to happen.

You're not really sure about how to price your offers, and so you just don't do anything whatsoever. Or maybe you're not sure about being bold and showing up, so you just hide and you sort of go through the motions, but you don't really do anything.

You see, there is a framework that Jamie Winship teaches that I think can apply to you. These false identities, these lies that you're believing about yourself in your business, keep you striving and trying to prove yourself or shrinking back.

It just depends on the kind of person, how that affects you. And I still deal with this, you know, I still wonder why, why. But I've learned some ways that I can overcome that, because what happens is, when you start speaking the truth to yourself, you bring clarity to your mind, so you can make wise decisions in your business.

You will find peace within yourself and then be able to move forward, and I think it gives you confidence to be able to act well.

David: Identity Formed in Obscurity

We're gonna look first at a person in the Bible, historical figure. They're all historical figures. Y'all know I'm a person of faith, and so I really like this guy, he's a king, and yet when he was 10 and 13 years old, he was sitting out in the fields watching sheep.

Who would have ever thought he was a king? But you see, his identity, his calling was to eventually become the king of Israel. His name is David.

He was a shepherd. He was unseen, unimpressive, and overlooked by even his dad. His dad overlooked him.

He had no audience to be a king, no title as king, and no public affirmation. You may feel the same way. You may think, I don't really have an audience, I don't really have a public place to do all of this.

Let's listen to his story and see how it plays out. You see, his identity was formed in obscurity, maybe in a small list that you have, you're forming what you need to be successful.

He was called to be a king, and that means he was a leader. He was a worshipper, and he was a protector. He was a protector of sheep from lions and bears, eventually of the men that followed him.

He was a worshipper. He wrote songs out in the fields. No one heard these songs, and eventually he wrote some of the most famous songs in the Bible.

As a leader, he learned responsibility long before he had any recognition. Maybe you are mom and dad, and God is preparing you for those kinds of things in the future, and He's using those skills to prepare you for business.

Or maybe you have a small business. You have a small list, you're like, huh? That is preparing you for your calling and identity in a successful online business.

You see, a small audience season matters. God forms identity before He expands your influence.

Now, David didn't become confident or king after his success. You see, his success revealed who he already was. Who are you right now?

That's what we want to get to. Who are you as a business owner? I know for me, I am a networker, I am an encourager, I'm an educator.

And so those are 3 things that I know in my business I can do well, and then be able to affect the people and hopefully come up with success like that. Who are you, and who are you called to be in your business?

Walt Disney: Fired for Lack of Imagination

Let's look at two current examples. The first one, Walt Disney. Did you know he was fired from the newspaper for lack of imagination?

You know, the people that work at Disneyland are called Imagineers, I think, something like that. They said he didn't have imagination.

His first animation studio went bankrupt. He could have just believed the lie, I'm not creative enough, that's what they told me.

But his identity was, and continued to be, he was a creator, a storyteller, and a visionary. So he stayed aligned with who he believed he was, that storyteller, that visionary, and then look at what's happening.

There's many things he affected, but let's just take a look at Disney movies. Look at the beginning of those movies with a little black and white. Mickey Mouse did not look like that, and they've continued to improve their movies, but very creatively.

And Disneyland, probably one of the first amusement parks ever. I think it probably was. Maybe there were some things in Coney Island or something like that, but he changed the way it all operated.

He started his businesses and really believed in the people that worked for him, and the people that worked for him, he gave them the ability and the leadership to get his customers happy all the time. Did you know they have an allowance that if they see a crying kid, they can go talk to them, go into a store and actually pick out whatever item might help that kid get over his attack or whatever it is as well.

How does this play out for you as a business owner? You see, your early failures or your smallness do not dictate your calling. Walt Disney learned that. He walked in that, even during the time periods when he was not doing well.

Max Lucado: 14 Rejections Before Success

Another person I love is author Max Lucado. You may or may not be familiar with him. He's an American author and pastor.

He has literally reached millions upon millions of readers around the world. He has a great heartfelt storytelling as well, maybe a little bit like Walt Disney, and practical insights that can encourage you in your own life.

But that is not how he started. He pursued writing when he was a missionary in Brazil. He was a pastor down there, he had no platform, no publishing deal, or guarantee of success.

But while he was down there, he would spend his evenings working on manuscripts. He took those early newsletters, those early manuscripts, and mailed them to publishers. Like, paper in a paper envelope, mailed them to publishers.

And you know what? You think, oh, yeah, of course, he got a great deal. No, his first attempt resulted in rejection after rejection after rejection, keep going.

14 times he was rejected. They said no before he ever got a yes, and on the 15th submission, Tyndale House Publishers agreed to publish his first work called On the Anvil. It was released in 1985, and it was a milestone that began a remarkable writing career.

You see, let's take a look at what happened to Max Lucado. Some really good points that you should be applying to your own business.

Persistence despite rejection. He had to go through 14 no's, didn't stop him. You know, when I was in a network marketing business, they kept saying, count your no's instead of your yeses.

It takes sometimes 7, 8, 9 no's, and then you get a yes for $300 or $400. Same with Max Lucado. He simply kept believing his voice mattered, and that was his calling. He believed in his calling, he believed in his identity.

Since his first book was published in 1985, he is one of the most widely published and read authors. Let me say, he's written over 40 adult nonfiction books. This is since 1985.

What is that, 30, 40 years ago, yeah, 40 years ago. He's written dozens of children's books. I have some, and I've read some to my kids and grandkids, devotionals, gift books, Bible studies, over 150 million products are in print, books and devotionals, and translated into dozens of languages around the world.

A global reach. Some of his works still remain on the bestseller list, and he's won multiple industry awards.

What does this say? He did not wait until he had a platform to write. He just kept writing.

That's what I encourage you to do. If you're a blogger, if you're a podcaster, keep producing, keep publishing.

Max Lucado kept producing content while serving in a ministry and taking care of his family. So he did it as a part-time business. That's how you can get started.

And he didn't let rejection define him. He knew his calling, and he persevered to go down the path he felt like he was calling.

His story reminds us that identity, that is who you are before any success, matters more than whatever analytics, metrics, or platform you're looking at.

How to Name the Lies

So how can business owners talk about the lies? How can we name the lies? You've got to name them, and naming them is clarifying.

But let's talk about what is a lie in a business world. It is something like, this always happens, or I never get any sales, or I never this, or I always that, or everyone else gets invited to do this.

That is a lie because it's not true. Lies are accusing who you are inside, they mess with your head, they add shame to you, so you're dealing with shame on top of that lie, and they are very vague and very heavy, sort of pull you down.

What about truths? We need to contrast that with truths, and we're going to talk all about truths next week. But truth is specific.

It is clarifying, not condemning you. It will lead to action, not paralysis. We're gonna talk more about that.

So what sentence do you repeat in your head about something at work? What is it that you are believing? Leave a comment wherever you're listening to this.

What label do you quietly place on yourself or on your business as well? I want you to take a step back. I want you to take a deep breath, seriously, even if you're driving, you can take a deep breath and just say, what lie am I believing about myself as a business owner, content creator, a podcaster, or a blogger?

And if you're a person of faith, ask God what it is. He'll show you. He already knows what it is.

And I would really encourage you to be honest with yourself and write it down. Writing it down is not agreeing that's true. It is exposing it out there, and we can get rid of that thing.

We'll talk next week about replacing our lies with truth and identity. So your homework from now until the next episode is to write down any lie that you are believing about your business and about you and your business.

It might be one or two, it might be three or four. Next week, we'll only choose one, because you just need to start with one. You don't want to get too overwhelmed.

But think about that. And the other thing I would really encourage you to do is grab the book, Living Fearless, by Jamie Winship. The link will be in the notes.

And then I have a truth, it's my truths, but have a little PDF that you can use. It's the things that I have said to myself to replace the lies in my head, but it also comes with a blank worksheet for you to write down the truth, so we will really use that next week, but you can go ahead and grab that and download that as well.

Thank you so much for spending time with me. If any of this resonates with you, would you please share it with one coworker, another person that's in the business world, another blogger or podcaster or content creator? That would mean the world to me.

Hey, thanks so much. I am Kerry Beck with Family eBiz. We'll talk to you next time.

Henry Ford discovered that shortening the work week to 40 hours increased productivity (not decreased it). Winston Churchill took strategic naps during World War II to have more clarity in his decision making. Rest is essential for better business performance.

• Why learning how to take a break from work improves problem-solving, creativity, and reduces decision fatigue
• 9 scientific benefits of taking a weekly rest day from work
• How to take a break from work one day a week (or start with 4 hours and build up)
• 5 Practical tips to take a break as a busy mom or dad
• Why rested brains make better decisions and rested hearts show up better for family and customers

Ready to protect your rest time? Start small this week—even 4 hours counts as learning how to take a break from work!

Recommended Resources

REST - Take a 1 day break from work every week. You deserve it and you'll have more clarity in your business.

Just like Mr. Rogers built trust through predictability, gentleness, and emotional safety, you can create consistent emotional stability (not hype) that makes your audience feel safe.

✅Why trust marketing matters more than ever in 2026

✅How to share your process, not just your products 

✅3 Step Consistency Formula

✅How to make your marketing human & build trust

✅Your assignment: Choose one trust-building habit to implement in 2026

Ready to build trust with your audience? Grab the Business Marketing Roadmap to plan your monthly offers and content for 2026!

Resources Mentioned:

Business Audit Workbook 

Business Marketing Roadmap

5X Method: Turn 1 Podcast into 5 Money-Making Assets

Show Notes:

Hey everyone, Kerry Beck here with Family eBiz, where we help families start and scale online businesses so they can find freedom in their life and do the things that they want to do.

We are finishing up 2025 when this publishes. It will be the last week of December. Think about what you've gone through, look at where you started your year, and then see the growth, hopefully, that your business has made, because we need to be able to share that and see that.

Sometimes we get so down in the trenches that we don't really see the big picture or see the growth that's been going on. So I really want you to think about that, looking back on 2025.

But today, we're going to look forward to 2026 and a new type of marketing that I really believe in. I think online marketing has changed forever.

Welcome to the World of Trust Marketing

We need to enter into the world of trust marketing. You know, people buy from someone they know, they like, and they trust. That trust factor is really low right now.

I mean, it could be the economy, it could just be the world and all that's going on, and we don't really need to worry about all the reasons. We need to realize that people aren't gonna buy from us unless they trust us.

So I believe what I want to do today is talk about how you could build a brand that people will follow, they will trust, and buy from repeatedly. It's no longer, marketing is no longer about persuasion. It's about relationship.

Think about Mr. Rogers' neighborhood. You know, he built trust through three things: through predictability, through gentleness, and through emotional safety.

You see, his audience followed him for generations. I mean, I still remember as a kid watching Mr. Rogers Neighborhood, and my kids watching it as well.

We followed him not because of fancy graphics or big budgets, but because he made us feel safe. How do you make your audience feel?

Are you just cramming things down their throat to buy all the time? Or are you building a relationship? It makes me feel really good, because I have some homeschool moms, they're like, oh, when you send an email, Kerry, I read it. I don't read all of my other ones, but I know that you're going to send me something of value.

And I hope that would be true. I had another Mastermind member say, oh, Kerry, your podcast, I'm listening to, this is a Mastermind member who has a successful business and is growing that, and she says, I listen to your podcast every single time. It is so good.

Those are, that means I am building a relationship with people that do know me, they like me, and they trust me. So trust is created through consistent emotional stability, not hype.

If all you're doing is sending offers all the time, that's not going to build trust. And today, I want to talk about 3 ways that you could build trust with your people.

Share Your Process, Not Just Your Products

The first one is share your process, not just your products. Now, you do need to share your products. I know a lot of you aren't making any money because people don't even know you have something to sell.

But on the other hand, some people are just product, product, product. That's all I want to do is make sales.

People need to see your process, so here are a few things you could do. Maybe show behind the scenes what's going on. You know, I have taken some pictures of my, when I'm trying to organize my house or clean up the homeschool room or whatever, and it's a disaster.

And I can post those and talk about that, and then my audience can relate to it because their house isn't very clean either. So show things behind the scenes of whatever your niche is.

Share what you're learning. You know, I am learning along with you. I'm always learning something new, and I'm trying to implement that.

In fact, yesterday I was teaching a private Facebook ads group coaching, and we were all going through a course together. And I was sort of honest. I mean, like, I had lots of leads.

From those ads, I was paying like 70 cents a lead, which is really cheap. Most of them are like $2 a lead, but I was paying that, but I wasn't getting the conversions, the sales conversions. I probably could have kept buying ads and, you know, maybe gotten a thousand people on my list.

But that wasn't the whole reason I was running the ads. I wanted to make money, and I wasn't converting as well.

I'm sharing that with you right now. It's a little scary to share something like that, because you see, that ad worked in years past. It was not working this past fall.

And so we need to be honest. Things don't always work right, you know? I tell my homeschool moms, you know what, my kids did not always like homeschooling.

If you're watching or listening to someone that says, oh, my kids love it all the time, that's not true. I just can't imagine that.

So be honest, share what you're learning, and let people see your imperfect humanity, which goes along with sharing some of the mistakes that you make. You can always take those mistakes and twist them around and turn them into a positive as well, or the mistake you made and how you fixed it.

I did that with my Christmas product. I have a bundle, and I talk about crying on the freeway from one Christmas celebration to the next because I put too much stress on myself. And we found a solution, and I share that solution.

Share your process, not just your products. Creators who build in public grow deeper loyalty because people trust what they can actually see, what they can witness.

Show Up Consistently

Number two, show up consistently. If you're not showing up in their inbox at least once a week, I would think that would be a goal in 2026.

I have some people that are like, oh, I only want to send them an email once a month. Well, they're not going to remember who you are.

So weekly email or maybe a bi-weekly if you're there, but get to where by the end of next year you're sending an email. And with AI, it's pretty easy to do it, and if you want some help on doing that, I have a course called the 5X Method, where you can take one podcast and turn it into five money-making assets, and I'll put the link to that in the show notes as well.

So weekly or bi-weekly podcast or content, maybe it's a blog or a podcast, however you get your content out. For me, a podcast is just easier.

So it's weekly email, weekly or bi-weekly blog or podcast, and then a monthly offer. Every month, you need to be making an offer.

I had a girl that's part of my homeschool blogger university, and she came to co-working. We do a once-a-month co-working session, and she was working, this was a month ago, on her 2026 marketing calendar. She says, I'm not always organized.

I need to already know what product am I going to sell each month. So that's important. If you need help with that, I have a free resource called Business Marketing Roadmap.

And you can break things down into months, and it'll give you the different things that you need to prepare for. I don't know if you've heard of Seth Godin.

He has blogged daily for decades. That is over 7,000 days, 7,000 blog posts. You see, his trust isn't built on the perfect blog. It is built on consistency.

How will you be consistent in 2026? Consistency signals reliability, and reliability will build trust in your readers, your followers.

Make Your Marketing Human

So show them the process and then show up consistently. And then number 3 for us today is make your marketing human.

We have so much automation, it doesn't come off like it's a real person. When you write an email, you ought to be imagining one person like you're writing an email to just that one person.

So what are some ways that you can become human again in your marketing? Tell personal stories. I try to include a personal story in all my emails, even if it's just, hey, I was taking care of my grandkids last week and whatever happened.

Or I have some pictures. Sometimes my two older grand girls like to sew, and so we'll do a sewing project, and I'll put a picture of that in the email. It's nothing, really, it's just I become a human to them.

So tell personal stories, use real conversations. Don't just write as if you're writing to a periodical journal. Lean into being authentic.

Authenticity will build trust. Vulnerability will build trust. Sharing some of, it took me a while, I don't know how many of y'all know my story, but my husband left 9 years ago, and I walked in shame.

I thought the whole world knew me. It took me 4 years before I would share my story, and the first time I shared it was in El Salvador with some of my lady, the moms down there.

That's hard. But you know what? When I've shared that story online, especially with my homeschool moms, pretty much I always have some of them reach out to me afterwards that are struggling in their marriage.

Now, I'm just, y'all know I'm a person of faith. I pray for Steve every single day and believe that we will be reunited someday. And so that's my story, and yet I think God uses that story.

I also share stories of business, so I'm giving you my homeschool mom, Christian group, that kind of story. In business, when I share something that flops, you know, I have had webinars with goose eggs, zero sales, and that's embarrassing.

And yet I learn from those mistakes, and I can move forward. And now I can do things that work. And one thing I'm learning is trust is going to be more important in what I do.

All starting now, I've already been doing some of this, because this last part of making myself more human is sending personal DMs, personal emails, voice notes, whatever.

You see, about a month or two ago, I was recruiting for Family eBiz Mastermind, and I wanted to get, I had a few groups that had some slots open, and I wanted to open that up. And I actually wrote some personal emails to some people that had been on my list for a while, and I mentioned their specific business in it.

And I had one of them I sent, and the very next day she had signed up and said, thank you, your personal email really made me think this is what I need to do, where I need to be. Wow.

That made me realize we have got to build trust, and some of that is being very personal to them. So realize that small creators, when you use genuine personal communication, you often will outsell these huge influencers who just rely on cold automation, because you are building trust.

Your 2026 Trust-Building Habit

So what do you need to do? Share your process, not just your product. Show up consistently. And then make your marketing human.

Those are just things you should consider. I would encourage you, this is the last week of December, choose one trust-building habit that you will implement in 2026.

Maybe it is weekly email. Maybe you're not there, but you're going to say by the end of the year I will be sending out weekly emails by the fall.

Maybe it's I'm going to be more personal in my storytelling. And stories sell, by the way, that's a whole other topic, but stories sell. It's how you make them feel.

And really, personal stories can make them feel safe, and they will trust you. Or maybe you're going to show more behind-the-scenes content.

Weekly email, personal storytelling, more behind-the-scenes content, or I am going to plan one monthly offer that serves my audience deeply. It's something I know will help them. I'm not just doing it to try to make some money, although we do need to make money.

This is a business, it's not a hobby. So trust marketing, that's where it's gonna be. That's where it is now.

And it'll be exciting to see how y'all grow that trust factor. So please, if there's a place where you can leave a comment, let me know which one of these things you plan to do in 2026.

I am Kerry Beck with Family eBiz. We'll talk to you next time.

Just like General Dwight D. Eisenhower used his matrix to manage World War II logistics and presidential duties, your business needs the same level of clarity to prioritize what's important over what's just urgent.

✅Learning how to set business goals requires reflection before planning (what worked, what drained you, what brought ROI)

✅3 categories of goals every business needs

✅How to break your year into 90-day sprints with weekly focus tasks

✅Why reviewing strategies quarterly (not yearly) helps you detect successes and failures early

✅Exact planning system using a paper calendar and quarterly reviews that keeps you aligned

Ready to plan your 2026? 

Grab the Free Business Audit Workbook to walk through every section of your business and set goals that stick!

Resources Mentioned:

Business Audit Workbook 

Business Marketing Roadmap

Show Notes:

Hey everyone, Kerry Beck here with Family eBiz, where we help families start and scale online businesses so they can find freedom in their life to do what they're called to do.

We are finishing out the year 2025, and last week we talked about data-driven decisions. You don't just guess, you've got to look at your data, and I encourage you to look at that weekly. Not for 2 or 3 hours, but just a quick check-in every week, even just a 15-minute check-in, and to put it on your calendar.

Today, we're going to talk about a 2026 game plan and how we can set some goals that are real goals, not just, you know, sometimes we make goals and then by the second week of January, we forgot what they were. So some goals, and then next week, we are talking about what type of marketing to use in 2026, so I can't wait to share this with you.

Goal Setting Requires Reflection

Let's talk about your 2026 game plan. How do we set business goals that actually happen?

You see, goal setting doesn't really work unless you take some time to reflect. And I would really encourage you, in the next week or two, to find some time that maybe you can be by yourself, and you can reflect on what has happened in 2025.

I'm going to talk about that in just a minute. But if you don't reflect on what happened in the past, you are just guessing about what you're going to do in 2026.

The Eisenhower Matrix: Urgent vs. Important

You know, General Dwight D. Eisenhower developed something called the Eisenhower Matrix. It's a very simple system, it's a square, and you've got urgent and important.

And different things go in different blocks, I'm not going to go explaining it. But the whole idea is, where are you spending your time?

When you are planning and when you're walking through, are you just doing what's urgent, that just pops up all the time? Are you doing things with intention, purpose, the important tasks that you need to do? Because sometimes it's real easy to just go check email.

Well, sometimes that isn't really helping. I would really encourage you that every day you do at least one business-building task. It might be to send an email out to collaborate with someone.

It might be to get some emails written that you're going to send out about a brand new product, but every day, you should do one. Some of these tasks are gonna take 5 minutes, so I'm not saying 2 hours every day, but do something that will grow your business every day.

That is important. That is not urgent. That is important, and sometimes the important things get put on the bottom of the pile.

So Eisenhower used this thinking to manage his World War II logistics and later his presidential duties. He didn't try to do everything, he prioritized everything. Your business needs the same level of clarity.

Take a 2025 Audit

So let's take a look back at 2025. Again, I would go to the coffee shop, I would get away from your house, from your normal routine, take your laptop so you can look at things, and if you have a planner that you use, you might take that so you can go and look back at what you did.

And take a little audit of 2025. I actually have a resource for you that's about taking a business audit. It's completely free, and we will put that in the show notes for you, and it goes through all the different sections of your business so that you can plan well.

In fact, I will be going through that myself, because I think it's about time that I get ready to go. So what do you want to ask yourself? What worked? What didn't work?

You know, and I will say this, I have learned that some of the things that I love to share with people, I mean, products, they're not really selling that well this year, and I'm having to back out. I've done less webinars, because not that the webinars didn't work, but the products that were connected to it are the ones that people are looking for.

So I had to do some reflection about what was working and what didn't. What drains you?

And if you can get someone to help you do that and pass it off, then all that's great, you know? So whatever is draining you, that thing that you just don't want to do, but you know you need to do. What brought the most return on your investment?

Where are you making the most money? For me, in the homeschool, it's my two events. That is where it's at, and then my flagship product, Raising Leaders, Not Followers.

And so I realized that last December, and I sort of pulled out of some stuff that wasn't really making me money. It was just stuff that was busy work.

What felt aligned in your business with you, and what felt out of line. You can sort of think about that and think through these things, and that's just a quick overview. You can use the business audit to help you dig even deeper, but get by yourself and think about these things and make some wise decisions.

If you give yourself some time to think through it, then you have time to be able to plan and be organized. You know, it is said that businesses that review their strategies every 3 months, so moving into 2026, you're going to make these decisions now for January, and at the end of every quarter, review each one of those.

Now, I've talked about weekly stats, but I'm talking about sort of the big picture. Those weekly stats are the day-to-day things that you need to pay attention to.

But if you look at the whole overall picture of Q1, you will be able to detect successes and failures early, and you can stay aligned and remain agile without waiting till the end of the year. You may be waiting till the end of the year this year, but in 2026, you're not going to.

So this allows you to pivot quickly, both those weekly stats, and then we're going to look at the goals and look at those from a quarterly perspective as well. You see, it's not guesswork, it's a system, and we're going to help you get that system up.

Three Categories of Goals

So here are some different categories of goals. You would have revenue goals, visibility goals, and system goals.

What are revenue goals? How much money do you want to make? What percentage of growth do you want this year over last year? Those are revenue.

Visibility. This would be podcast growth, the collaborations and what's working and not, SEO, ads. How are you getting yourself out there? And you have a goal for that.

And then system goals. This is what's our automation system, what templates do I use, what workflows do I use. Every major company, from Apple to Disney, run a formal annual planning cycle.

They know the direction before they start walking. Do you know what direction you're going to be going in 2026 before you even get started?

I've already been thinking through some of these things, and I am making some changes, and where I spend my time is going to be different based on what happened in 2025 and based on where I see marketing going in the future as well. So we need to plan, we need to have goals as well.

Planning Your 2026 Quarters

Let's talk about 2026. You know, you're not going to necessarily have a public planning time because you're a solopreneur. But you can plan as well.

So weekly, you're going to look at those stats, the engagement and the email opt-ins and the revenue. And then every quarter, we want to look at the goal that you set, and we're going to talk about those in a second.

And that will break your year into 90-day plans, 90 days for each quarter. You can take your big annual goals and then chop them into 90-day sprints. Break those sprints into weekly focus tasks.

Here is how I did this. I like online calendars, and I like paper and pencil, but this was January. Yes, I spilled something here.

Look at all that different stuff I've got. These were even notes about what I wanted to do for the whole year. And every month, I've got these things in here.

There are things that I do every month. On the last Friday of every month, I send an email out for a collaboration that I'm a part of. I can go through right now and pencil all those things in.

I know the dates of my events. I can put those in here. And if I am collaborating with someone, I know those.

But everything that I know right now about 2026, I put on this calendar. And then, let's just go to December. That's what I've been working on.

So then each quarter, I can plan my podcast, I can plan the content, what kind of emails I'm going to write now. And in this Sunday column right there, those are my Family eBiz podcast topics. And then, I don't know if it's in Monday or Tuesday, those are my homeschool, because I publish my Family podcasts, my eBiz podcasts on Mondays, and I publish the homeschool one on Tuesdays.

So that helps me have everything in here. If someone wants to send a sponsor an email, I can look at this calendar and go, oh, I can't do it on that day because I've already committed myself, or, you know, we've got a promotion.

I can launch my flagship product three times a year. I can put that in there. And I do put in, November's sort of crazy, but there's a collaboration that I was a part of.

And then all these different things, if I have appointments with people, my mastermind meetings, everything is on this page. And I keep it in this lovely manila folder. Yes, I am really old school, 2025.

And I just keep it there. It goes in my backpack when I go to take care of my grandkids.

But that is what helps keep me going. I do have another calendar, one of those big dry erase four months calendar, and I keep that right there, because it's color-coded, it's easy for me to see sometimes the big picture of what's going on.

So at the end of every quarter, so this is the end of fourth quarter, you need to be reviewing what just happened and look back at quarter one of January, February, March. What happened then? What worked? What didn't work? And begin to plan for each one of your quarters.

I also have Business Marketing Roadmap, and that is really broken down. I think there's a page in there for monthly.

So you can fill in stuff, but it also has a quarterly page as well, and you can get organized with that and print one out for each quarter. Maybe put it in with your little paper annual calendar.

Breaking Down Your Annual Goals

So then each quarter, I would break down my annual goals. So I would encourage you, you want what is your visibility goal, revenue goal, and a systems goal.

For me, last year, because I haven't set my goals for 2026, I shouldn't. Visibility goal, I was increasing my ads.

Which meant I needed to make more money so I could have an ad budget. And so that was my goal, was to increase my visibility through meta ads.

Revenue goal, I had an amount of money that I wanted to make this year, but then I also broke it down into, like, my different things. How many Raising Leaders did I want to sell this year? How much money did I want to bring in for each of these events?

And sort of look at it from there, so I can have an overall number, but where is it going to come from? And that's what I've worked on.

And then a systems goal. I don't know that I really had a systems goal last year, but I would say automation, just getting some things. Like, one of my goals for this year is funnels.

I have, I teach funnels, I've got some good funnels, but I've got some lead magnets that just sort of sit there. And they don't really take my people on a customer journey to where they can actually buy some products. I'm working a little bit better on that as well.

So set those up, big picture, and then quarter one. What are you going to do in quarter one to meet that goal?

And then at end of quarter one, you can look and say, this worked, this didn't work, and then you will review for quarter two as well, at the end of March. And then you can go through the year as well.

I would love to hear how you plan your 2026. If you are listening to this and you can leave a comment, please leave a comment, let me know what you're thinking. That would be so helpful to me.

And please share this with just one friend, one, maybe a person that you collaborate with as well, a networking opportunity. That would mean the world to me.

Hey, I am Kerry Beck with Family eBiz. We'll talk to you next time.

Just like Sam Walton transformed Walmart in the 1980s by tracking store data daily instead of monthly, you need your own version of hard numbers that show what's actually working in your business.

✅4 marketing metrics that show real growth 

✅Why vanity metrics like follower counts and page views don't indicate success

✅How to create a 2026 dashboard you check weekly (not yearly or quarterly)

✅What Sam Walton knew about fixing mistakes quickly & doubling down on what works

✅3 categories to track weekly

Ready to stop guessing and start scaling? Create your 2026 marketing metrics dashboard this week—it only takes 30 minutes!

Resources Mentioned:

Business Audit Workbook 

Show Notes:

Hi everyone, Kerry Beck here with Family eBiz, where we help families start and scale online businesses so they can find freedom in their life to do what they're called to do.

Today, we're continuing a series on systems and ending up the year and being ready for 2026. Yes, this is December, if you're listening to this later, but December. I want to talk to you about something that a lot of, well, I will say even my students do not take this seriously.

They guess at what's going on in their business. You need to stop guessing, and you need to find the marketing metrics that actually matter.

Your Follower Count Doesn't Pay the Bills

Let me tell you, your follower count on Facebook or Instagram or TikTok does not pay your bills. Conversions pay your bills.

So we need to not worry about some metrics and be sure we're worrying and paying attention to the important ones. Decisions that are based on data will help you scale that business and find more freedom in your life. Not feelings, not guesses, not throwing spaghetti marketing on the wall and hoping something happens.

What Sam Walton Taught Us About Data

You see, back in the 1980s, Sam Walton, the founder of Walmart, transformed the data that they were taking in on all the different stores. He began tracking every store's data daily, not monthly.

Now, why would you do it daily? Well, one, he is measuring daily, and if there's a mistake, you can quickly fix it. His competitors were guessing about what was selling.

And so you need to also pay attention. Now, I'm not saying you need to get in and track all your data every single day. We're not a huge retailer, largest retailer in the whole world.

You see, Sam Walton built a system that helped them grow exponentially to where they are the largest retailer in the world. So you need your own version of data, store data. Not guesses, what seems to be working, but hard numbers that show what is working.

This really hit home with me. Once I started running meta ads, I realized I better know my numbers, or I'm going to be losing some money. And I will say this, when I am running ads, I check them every day.

It is something I'm not going to lose money because I'm just guessing at what is going on. I want to know how many people are clicking on there, how many leads am I getting, how many sales am I getting from those ads. I have to know that, or again, it's just throwing ad money on the wall and hoping something sticks.

The Marketing Metrics That Actually Matter

Let's talk about some different tactics that you can use. You need to track the metrics that show real growth.

What are those metrics? Alright, if you're multitasking, come back here, get a piece of paper, write this down. If you're driving, don't write.

Number one, email opt-ins. This is an indicator of whether you have an audience that's interested in your topic. So you want to see that people are continually opting in.

I was reading something by Josh Coffey, who I follow with ads, and he said your number one job as a business owner is getting new customers every single day. You should be getting email opt-ins every single day, and if not, you need to go back and see what's the problem. Why am I not?

So you need to pay attention to your opt-ins. Now, once they get on your list, the next metric is their engagement.

Number two, list engagement. What's your open rate? What's your click-through rate? Now, that is going to be different from niche to niche or business to business, but if your open rate is less than 10%, that is a problem.

They're not really interested, or you need to warm up your list. Click-through rates, usually I say 1-2% is a good click-through rate. For me, personally, on the open rate, I get an open rate of about, it depends on the email, 30 to 45%, but I was happy a lot at 15-25% when I was working on engagement.

Number three, your conversion rate. What percentage of your subscribers are actually buying something from you? If you're not making sales, you need to go back and rethink your money-making process. What are your strategies to make money?

Number four, what is your revenue per subscriber? That is something that I am going to be working on tracking in 2026. This is the most accurate health metric of your business. How much money are you making for every single one of the subscribers?

You see, you could have a small list and you can still be making money. Back in the day, when YouTube was just starting out, a lot of those people, the small YouTubers, were making money, more than the big YouTubers.

What was happening? See, the smaller ones had high engagement. It wasn't the size of their audience that drove revenue, it was their engagement.

And so you need to go back and look at these. You're looking at your email opt-ins, your list engagement, your conversion percentages, and then how much money are you making for each subscriber that you have. Look at those things and realize that better engagement is going to be bigger numbers, all right?

Ignore Vanity Metrics

Number one, you need to track the metrics that matter. Number two, ignore vanity metrics. Ignore them.

What do I mean by that? These are numbers that don't indicate success. They just make you feel good.

Oh, look, how many Instagram likes I got. Look at how many followers I have. Look at how many page views I have, but I don't have any conversions.

Those, you may have a whole lot of high numbers, but if you're not making money off of it, it doesn't really matter. You see, many, go back to the YouTubers, many creators with small but loyal audiences were earning more than all those big creators.

The smaller creators focused on depth, going deep with each person, rather than wide in an inch thick and a mile wide. They wanted to build a relationship so when they had new content, people were just dying to buy whatever it was. So ignore the vanity metrics, pay attention to the metrics that matter.

Create Your 2026 Dashboard

Number three, create a 2026 dashboard. Commit that every week you will look at these metrics.

Sometimes it's probably only going to take 15 minutes, and if things are growing, that's all you need, you just need to keep doing it. If you're not growing, then you're going to need to go into each one of these and see what you could do to change them.

What should be on that lovely 2026 metric dashboard? What's your traffic like? And that includes different things.

Like, I was in Google Analytics this morning and looking at a brand new blog post that I put out last month about Advent Candles in order, and it was part of a collaboration. I had over, I've had over 2,000 views on that thing.

Now, that's really nice, the vanity metrics. But how many buyers have we gotten from that? And I can track that because I have a lead magnet, and I go to that lead magnet and see how many buyers I got from that.

So, number one, what's your traffic like? Number two, email sign-ups. Number three, conversion rates.

Number four, what's your revenue per offer? If you're running an offer right now, how much money are you bringing in? And then, what is your revenue per subscriber?

You're wanting to look at these metrics and pay attention to them. Again, you don't have to do it every day, but I would really encourage you to just pencil in 30 minutes a week.

You see, businesses that track weekly dashboards, not yearly, that's really nice, or not even quarterly, by the time you've gotten to the end of the quarter, you've had 2 or 3 months of mistakes that you could have fixed. You see, if they are tracking weekly, you're going to scale much faster.

You can correct the mistakes quickly and double down on what works. Think of it like Sam Walton's store-by-store data, daily. Think about it for your content, okay?

He's looking at inventory and sales, and you're looking at content and sales. So I would encourage you to choose these are 3 just general metrics. Again, traffic metric, email metric, and revenue metric.

Those are the three major ones. And make yourself a Google Doc, or whatever doc you like, and just have a doc for every month, and on that doc, you can do the weekly, and write all your numbers in, and track them, and just see how you're doing.

I would love to hear how you're putting this into practice, and if this is helpful to you, would you just share our podcast with one person, one small business owner, content creator, blogger, or podcaster? That would mean the world to me.

Hey, I am Kerry Beck with Family eBiz. We'll talk to you next time.

Just like Charles Spurgeon multiplied his reach with preaching booklets that circulated without him in the 1800s, your lead magnet should share your message and grow your list while you're babysitting grandkids or baking cookies.

✅Why how to grow your email list matters for expanding your impact and serving more people

✅The high-demand lead magnet strategy that converts better than 12 mediocre freebies

✅How to create a 24/7 welcome tour that nurtures and sells automatically

✅Where to add entry points everywhere so your list grows without you posting

✅Your assignment: Choose 1 lead magnet and create one new entry point today

Ready to grow your list on autopilot? Grab the 25 Lead Magnet Ideas freebie and the Business Marketing Audit to analyze your email system!

Recommended Resources

How to Get Your Next 1000 Subscribers - on sale this week - SAVE 50% with code: NEXT1000

25 Lead Magnet Ideas

Business Marketing Audit

Show Notes:

Well, hello everyone, Kerry Beck here with Family Ebiz, where we help families start online businesses to find freedom in their life, to do the things that are important to them. Today, we're talking about one of my favorite topics, emails.

Some people are a little afraid. If you follow me for any length of time in homeschooling or in family ebiz, you know I send a lot of emails at times. We're going to talk about your email growth game plan, how to grow your list while you sleep, or how to grow your list while you're on vacation.

You Need a System, Not a Hobby

You see, if your list only grows when you post, you don't have a system, you have a hobby. It is all dependent on you, and you just sort of dabble in it.

You need to get to the point of a system. We're in the middle of a series on automation and systems, and so you need a system.

But why does that matter? And why does list growth matter? One, you will have more of an impact to serve your audience, to help the people that need your help.

Charles Spurgeon is a theologian back in the 1800s. He began publishing preaching booklets that circulated without him. For years, he was multiplying his reach long after writing them, long after he was alive, because he is still having an impact on people based on those preaching booklets.

And so he would preach, and he would leave them wherever he was, wherever he would go and preach at churches, and he could leave a stack of those, and people could get those afterwards. And basically, that's what you need to be doing with your email list.

Y'all probably heard me say it a gazillion times, if you have a good lead magnet that you can offer for free, just like Spurgeon was offering these preaching booklets. Now, he wasn't trying to make money off of that, he was trying to change people's lives, but a good lead magnet works the same way. It shares your message when you're offline.

You know, it's nice to be able... I'm leaving in 2 days to go babysit for 5 days. Now, I will work some, but not like I would at home, because I gotta go drop them off at school, and pick them up, and do this, that, and the other, and so we'll be doing some things, and baking cookies, and all sorts of things, but I won't have as much time.

Will my list still be growing? I surely hope so. Because I have lead magnets out there that work for me even when I'm not online.

Tactic #1: Create a Simple High-Demand Lead Magnet

So I want to share today 3 tactics that you can use to grow your email list while you sleep. The first one is to create or find your high-demand lead magnet.

What does this look like? First of all, it needs to solve a problem that your audience has. It doesn't solve it like your paid products, but it needs to solve a problem.

This could be a checklist, it could be templates, it could be cheat sheets, it could be printables. Whatever your audience consumes the best. It could be a video, it could be an audio, whatever they consume.

You see, bloggers who use one high-converting freebie, they will grow faster than someone has just 12 mediocre ones. And some of you are like, oh, I gotta get a new lead magnet for this, and a new lead magnet for that. No!

You just need a few lead magnets that convert, meaning people will actually sign up for your free item. If they're not signing up for your free item, then that is not a high-converting freebie. You need to keep stats on that.

We're going to talk about that, I think, next week is our data-driven podcast episode. So, it's really important. If you need ideas on this, I have got a lead magnet for you, believe it or not - 25 lead magnet ideas. And we will be putting the link to it in the show notes, wherever you are listening to this.

So, number one, tactic number one, create a simple, high-converting lead magnet.

Tactic #2: 24-7 Welcome Tour to Automate Email

Tactic number two. 24-7 welcome tour. Welcome to my world.

Let me make you feel at home. And it's all automatic. For me, with AWeber, it's been called campaigns, now it's called Workflows.

You can see what your email service provider does, I don't know what they call it, but it's something, so when they sign up for that lead magnet, they're going to get a series of emails. And what is in that email funnel?

You need to welcome them. Make sure they got the item that they were asking for. Maybe tell a story, maybe a quick win, and then a soft pitch.

You don't do all of that in one email. You're going to space them out. I highly recommend sending one email a day for 4 or 5 days, something like that, because then they get used to opening your email.

And you want them to get to know you, to like you, and trust you. So you welcome them, and you relate to whatever their problem is. Then you might tell them a story in your niche, and some value content there.

And then a quick win, something they could do that day that they could get a quick win, and then some sort of soft pitch to something that's a paid item. You see, Gillian Perkins has her own business, and her business continued to grow through maternity leave. Why?

Her funnel welcomed, nurtured, and sold automatically. Are you doing that? Most of you will have a welcome, but do you have anything for sale on that welcome?

So, you need a 24-7 welcome tour. That's an email funnel.

Tactic #3: Add Entry Points Everywhere

Lead magnet, welcome series, and then tactic number 3, add entry points everywhere. What do I mean by entry points? How will people find this lead magnet and sign up, and your list grows, and then you can sell to them?

Well, hopefully everything you put out needs a job, whether it's a blog post, a podcast, no matter what. It needs a call to action. I call it a job, and that's what you're trying to get people for.

So, on your website, you could have your lead magnet there. And blog posts are great places. I mean, every blog post, I think, needs a lead magnet sign up.

It may also have a for sale something, but every blog post and every podcast in the show notes, if you have a podcast, that is another place, that's another entry point. Your social bios are another place on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, wherever. You can offer a lead magnet there.

Pinterest, great place. And not just in your bio, but you can be pinning images of that lead magnet so that it gets out there even more.

You see, a content creator, or an online business that adds 7 opt-in touchpoints to their blog can double your monthly subscription, possibly, in 60 days. But you've got to get it out there. You can't grow a business if you don't get it out there.

So, add entry points everywhere, and those are just a few. You might think of some other places as well.

Take Action This Week

So, tactic number one, you need a high-converting, simple lead magnet. Tactic number two, 24-7 welcome tour, email funnel. And tactic number 3, add entry points everywhere.

Now, here's what I want you to do. I want you this week to choose one lead magnet and create one entry point today. If you already have a lead magnet, choose your best one that gets the most traffic, and add it one new place.

You know, a few weeks ago, we talked about 10-minute activities. This is a 10-minute activity. You go find, and you could do it in more than one entry point.

Maybe in 10 minutes, you can add it 3 places, I don't know, but put something out there and get that lead magnet, growing your email list so you can eventually grow your sales as well. And like I said, I have my 25 lead magnet ideas, and you're welcome to sign up for that. I also have a business marketing audit, and there's an email section on your email system, and so you can go to that section, and there's several questions that you could answer, and that will help you as well.

We'll put links to the show notes. If you really want to dive into growing your email, and where you're going to get your next 1,000 subscribers, I do have a course, and it's called How to Get Your Next 1,000 Subscribers with Free Methods. So, everything in there, all the strategies, you're not going to buy ads for it, is what I mean.

Now, ads are going to grow your list faster, but you don't have to buy anything. Everything in that course is a free strategy. And if you want to this week, you can use the code NEXT1000, and you can get it for 50% off.

So, that might be something that would be helpful to you. Hey, thanks for spending time with me. It would mean the world to me if you share this with someone that is trying to grow their email list.

Hey, I'm Kerry Beck with Family eBiz. We'll talk to you next time.

Just like McDonald's built their empire on the Speedy Service System in the 1940s, your business needs repeatable systems that anyone can follow—systems that run WITH you and WITHOUT you.

✅3 methods on how to automate your business onboarding so it feels personal 

✅Why launch kits save you from recreating assets every single time you promote your products

✅The exact content workflows for batching emails, podcasts, and social media

✅How to use templates in Canva and standardized processes like newsrooms do

✅Your assignment: Pick 1 system this week, outline it, and build it so it runs on autopilot

Ready to simplify and scale? 

Grab the Business Marketing Audit—half of it focuses on analyzing your systems for 2026!

Recommended Resources:

5X Method: Turn 1 Podcast into 5 Money-Making Assets in 5 Minutes

SAVE $10 with code NOV10

Business Marketing Audit

Business Marketing Roadmap

Show Notes:

Hey everyone, Kerry Beck here with Family Ebiz, where we help families start online businesses so they can find the freedom in their life and do the things they're called to do. For me, that's going to see my grandkids, or going on vacation, and then also being able to volunteer at church and help with kids.

There's all sorts of things I've been able to find freedom. One thing about freedom, during this semester, we just finished last week, I don't work on Wednesdays sometimes till 3 o'clock. And so, I have the freedom to be able to go to church, minister to ladies, minister to the kids, all sorts of things.

That's what I want for you. So hopefully these podcast episodes are helping you get your business online. And today, we are going to talk about freedom.

Time Freedom Formula: How You Can Work Less and Earn More in 2026

We're starting a series, and I really want you to take this time to really prepare for 2026. If you're waiting till January 1st, that is way too late. You should have already been thinking about it, to be honest.

What I see from a lot of people, including some of my Mastermind members and Homeschool Blogger University businesses is they're working non-stop, but revenue doesn't grow. What you need, you don't need more hours. What you need are repeatable systems.

Systems that put things on automation. And that's what this series is all about over the next 3 or 4 weeks.

Systems Give You Freedom

Systems are what gives you the freedom to be able to do things, and things are going on autopilot. If you think about the production of a car, back in the golden age of car building, they would do it just everyone was working on one car. Well, Henry Ford completely changed that and created an assembly line.

Ford didn't work faster or harder. He built a system that worked for him and without him. In the 1920s, auto production skyrocketed because of a standardized workflow.

You need many assembly lines in your business. An email mini assembly line, a social assembly line, a content creation assembly line. You need a system, and each one of them needs to be a lot of it on autopilot.

Do you have that? If not, this episode is for you. And if you're multitasking, come back to me, because I've got 3 tactics that I think can help you put things on autopilot, and put things on repeatable systems.

Tactic One: Identify the Tasks You Should Never Do Daily

The first tactic isn't a system, but I want to tell you, you need to identify the tasks that you should never do daily. You should never do these every single day that you're working.

Formatting your content every day. Scheduling for Pinterest every day. If you're scheduling, why are you doing it every day?

Email tagging, or social tagging. Uploading podcast episodes every day. Those are just a few.

How do you choose these tactics? I've got 3 things you need to look at. Number one, is it repeatable? And is it repeated in your business? If so, those are the ones you need to start with.

Is it low thinking? To where you don't need someone to interpret information or data. And is it a high time cost? In other words, it's a time suck.

Is it repeated? Low thinking? High time cost? If it is, you need a system for it.

I don't know if you've ever read the book, The 4-Hour Workweek, by Tim Ferriss, but he automated his inbox and his customer responses to it, and that saved him tons of time. It freed him to grow his profits rather than push buttons. An email inbox is a great way, great place for you to maybe get started.

It is a time suck for me, and some days I don't even look at email. Isn't that terrible? So, number one, you need to not do tasks that are repeated, that are low thinking and high time costs. And those are ones you need to get on a system.

Tactic Two: Use Automation Tools as Your Digital Employees

Number two, use automation tools as your digital employees. What do I mean? You might use ConvertKit automations, or your email service provider.

I use AWeber automations. I don't send an email for every lead magnet that someone picks up. I don't send an email for everything that someone's bought.

Those are all on automations, whatever your email service provider calls them. You might use Zapier, so that maybe they take an action on your webpage, and Zapier is going to automate. It's going to add them to a list, or whatever.

Let's go back to email service providers, automation. I haven't figured it out, I don't use it, but AWeber actually allows you, if they click on things on your webpage, it can actually start an automation for you. So there's something I know I need to do, I just haven't done it.

Canva templates. Are you creating a new Pinterest image, or a new blog post image, or a new Instagram, whatever. If you're doing it all the time from scratch, stop.

You need templates. I just sat down today. I had 5 blog posts, I think, that I needed to make a vertical pin image and a square pin, because we're in the middle of 30 days.

I had my pin images. Those are the ones I want to look really good, because I get Pinterest traffic from it, and that's one of my high traffic senders.

I have a project. And it's got like 5 or 6 templates, and for each one of them, I can just whip it out. Now, I actually, I got stuck on one of them, and I was reviewing keywords, so I didn't do it, but I could get all 5 of those pins and squares in 30 minutes.

And then it's done, and I am done till sometime in December. Otherwise, I would have spent 2 or 3 hours, 30 minutes on each. Use your templates.

That has saved me time, especially during my own 30 days of thanks, and I create an image, square, and pin for every single one of them. Well, what's the moral of this story? Digital employees don't sleep.

They don't burn out, and they don't ask for vacation. Those automations are working for you 24-7.

So, you need to think of one repeatable task that you need to automate before December 1. That's tactic number two.

Tactic Three: Use AI to Save Time

Tactic number three is, it made me think of this with digital employees, AI. Now, AI is not gonna replace you. You need low-thinking things for AI to do.

But I have started creating my podcast episodes, my outlines, with AI. I tell it what I want to do, the content, and it pops it out, and it actually gives me some of these historical stories, like the Tim Ferriss story and the Henry Ford. That was from AI.

I didn't have to go researching all of that. And so that is a system. I have a prompt that I already have.

I can fill in the title of what I'm going to talk about, the content, and it pops everything in for me in an outline form, which is I prefer speaking from bullets and outlines. You may not. But it's a prompt that's already made, and it has saved me hours and hours of prep time.

For these episodes that I do here and in the Homeschool Coffee Break as well.

It's similar to what I call my 5X method. My 5X method is I record one time, like I'm doing right now. I take that transcript and give it to AI.

And AI gives me 5 titles, it gives me descriptions, and social, and blogs, and everything. Gives me 5 different pieces of content. That's pretty cool.

And I know some of you already have the 5X method, because it came out this past summer, and some of you grabbed it then.

What You Need to Do This Week

So, what do you need to do this week? You need to pick one repetitive task and automate it before December. This is coming out, I think, November 23rd or 24th, so take out Thanksgiving a few days, you've got about 10 days that you could work on this and automate it.

Get it automated, and start saving yourself some time.

If you need help looking at your systems, I have my business marketing audit, and the second half of it is systems, and you can go in there, and that might help you get some ideas on what do I need to automate? What's working, what's not working.

And you can get that, there'll be a link in the show notes as well. Or some of you want to just dive deep, 5X method into AI, you can get that as well, and I'll have a link to the show notes. In fact, in November, you can get it for $10 off.

Isn't that a cool thing? Just use the code NOV10, and you will get $10 off.

Let's Review

So, let's review for a minute. You need to identify the tasks you need to quit doing every day. Quit doing, if it's repeated, low thinking, high time costs. Quit it.

Number two, automate. You need to put things on system. Automation tools are your digital employees.

And number three, AI. Use AI, get it on a system, and start using it over and over again. It'll be on a system. And AI will save you time, depending on what type of content you need to promote.

Hey, thanks for spending time with me. Would you please leave us a 5-star review? That would mean the world to me. And be sure to subscribe to our channel as well. I'm Kerry Beck with Family eBiz. We'll talk to you next time.. We'll talk to you next time.

Just like Henry Ford revolutionized car production with assembly lines, you need mini assembly lines in your business—for email, social media, and content creation—that work on autopilot.

✅Why time freedom comes from systems, not more hours of work

✅3 criteria for identifying tasks you should never do daily 

✅How to use automation tools as your digital employees that work 24/7

✅Why AI can save you hours on content creation without replacing your unique voice

✅1 repeatable task you need to automate before December 1st

Ready to build your systems? 

Grab the Business Marketing Audit to identify what needs to be automated in your business!

Recommended Resources

5X Method: Turn 1 Podcast into 5 Money-Making Assets in 5 Minutes

SAVE $10 with code NOV10

Business Marketing Audit

Show Notes:

Hey everyone, Kerry Beck here with Family Ebiz, where we help families start online businesses so they can find the freedom in their life and do the things they're called to do. For me, that's going to see my grandkids, or going on vacation, and then also being able to volunteer at church and help with kids.

There's all sorts of things I've been able to find freedom. One thing about freedom, during this semester, we just finished last week, I don't work on Wednesdays sometimes till 3 o'clock. And so, I have the freedom to be able to go to church, minister to ladies, minister to the kids, all sorts of things.

That's what I want for you. So hopefully these podcast episodes are helping you get your business online. And today, we are going to talk about freedom.

Time Freedom Formula: How You Can Work Less and Earn More in 2026

We're starting a series, and I really want you to take this time to really prepare for 2026. If you're waiting till January 1st, that is way too late. You should have already been thinking about it, to be honest.

What I see from a lot of people, including some of my Mastermind members and Homeschool Blogger University businesses is they're working non-stop, but revenue doesn't grow. What you need, you don't need more hours. What you need are repeatable systems.

Systems that put things on automation. And that's what this series is all about over the next 3 or 4 weeks.

Systems Give You Freedom

Systems are what gives you the freedom to be able to do things, and things are going on autopilot. If you think about the production of a car, back in the golden age of car building, they would do it just everyone was working on one car. Well, Henry Ford completely changed that and created an assembly line.

Ford didn't work faster or harder. He built a system that worked for him and without him. In the 1920s, auto production skyrocketed because of a standardized workflow.

You need many assembly lines in your business. An email mini assembly line, a social assembly line, a content creation assembly line. You need a system, and each one of them needs to be a lot of it on autopilot.

Do you have that? If not, this episode is for you.

Tactic One: Identify the Tasks You Should Never Do Daily

You should never do these every single day that you're working. Formatting your content every day. Scheduling for Pinterest every day. If you're scheduling, why are you doing it every day?

Email tagging, or social tagging. Uploading podcast episodes every day. Those are just a few.

How do you choose these tactics? I've got 3 things you need to look at. Number one, is it repeatable? And is it repeated in your business? If so, those are the ones you need to start with.

Is it low thinking? To where you don't need someone to interpret information or data. And is it a high time cost? In other words, it's a time suck.

Is it repeated? Low thinking? High time cost? If it is, you need a system for it.

I don't know if you've ever read the book, The 4-Hour Workweek, by Tim Ferriss, but he automated his inbox and his customer responses to it, and that saved him tons of time. It freed him to grow his profits rather than push buttons. An email inbox is a great way, great place for you to maybe get started.

It is a time suck for me, and some days I don't even look at email. Isn't that terrible?

Tactic Two: Use Automation Tools as Your Digital Employees

What do I mean? You might use ConvertKit automations, or your email service provider. I use AWeber automations.

I don't send an email for every lead magnet that someone picks up. I don't send an email for everything that someone's bought. Those are all on automations, whatever your email service provider calls them.

You might use Zapier, so that maybe they take an action on your webpage, and Zapier is going to automate. It's going to add them to a list, or whatever.

Let's go back to email service providers, automation. I haven't figured it out, I don't use it, but AWeber actually allows you, if they click on things on your webpage, it can actually start an automation for you. So there's something I know I need to do, I just haven't done it.

Canva templates. Are you creating a new Pinterest image, or a new blog post image, or a new Instagram, whatever. If you're doing it all the time from scratch, stop.

You need templates. I just sat down today. I had 5 blog posts, I think, that I needed to make a vertical pin image and a square pin, because we're in the middle of 30 days.

I have a project. And it's got like 5 or 6 templates, and for each one of them, I can just whip it out. Now, I actually, I got stuck on one of them, and I was reviewing keywords, so I didn't do it, but I could get all 5 of those pins and squares in 30 minutes.

And then it's done, and I am done till sometime in December. Otherwise, I would have spent 2 or 3 hours, 30 minutes on each. Use your templates.

That has saved me time, especially during my own 30 days of thanks, and I create an image, square, and pin for every single one of them. Well, what's the moral of this story? Digital employees don't sleep.

They don't burn out, and they don't ask for vacation. Those automations are working for you 24-7.

So, you need to think of one repeatable task that you need to automate before December 1.

Tactic Three: Use AI to Save Time

AI is not gonna replace you. You need low-thinking things for AI to do.

But I have started creating my podcast episodes, my outlines, with AI. I tell it what I want to do, the content, and it pops it out, and it actually gives me some of these historical stories, like the Tim Ferriss story and the Henry Ford. That was from AI.

I didn't have to go researching all of that. And so that is a system. I have a prompt that I already have.

I can fill in the title of what I'm going to talk about, the content, and it pops everything in for me in an outline form, which is I prefer speaking from bullets and outlines. You may not. But it's a prompt that's already made, and it has saved me hours and hours of prep time.

For these episodes that I do here and in the Homeschool Coffee Break as well.

It's similar to what I call my 5X method. My 5X method is I record one time, like I'm doing right now. I take that transcript and give it to AI.

And AI gives me 5 titles, it gives me descriptions, and social, and blogs, and everything. Gives me 5 different pieces of content. That's pretty cool.

And I know some of you already have the 5X method, because it came out this past summer, and some of you grabbed it then.

What You Need to Do This Week

You need to pick one repetitive task and automate it before December. This is coming out November 23rd or 24th, so take out Thanksgiving a few days, you've got about 10 days that you could work on this and automate it.

Get it automated, and start saving yourself some time.

If you need help looking at your systems, I have my business marketing audit, and the second half of it is systems, and you can go in there, and that might help you get some ideas on what do I need to automate? What's working, what's not working.

And you can get that, there'll be a link in the show notes as well. Or some of you want to just dive deep, 5X method into AI, you can get that as well, and I'll have a link to the show notes. In fact, in November, you can get it for $10 off.

Isn't that a cool thing? Just use the code NOV10, and you will get $10 off.

Let's Review

You need to identify the tasks you need to quit doing every day. Quit doing, if it's repeated, low thinking, high time costs. Quit it.

Number two, automate. You need to put things on system. Automation tools are your digital employees.

And number three, AI. Use AI, get it on a system, and start using it over and over again. It'll be on a system. And AI will save you time, depending on what type of content you need to promote.

Hey, thanks for spending time with me. Would you please leave us a 5-star review? That would mean the world to me. And be sure to subscribe to our channel as well. I'm Kerry Beck with Family eBiz. We'll talk to you next time.

In this episode, we're breaking down five 10-minute daily habits that build your business visibility like a snowball rolling downhill—starting small but gaining unstoppable momentum.

• Why consistency beats intensity every single time when building business visibility
• The visibility snowball effect and how it applies to your marketing
• 5 simple habits you can do in 10 minutes that compound into massive reach over time
• How Julia Child and Crystal Payne built visibility through small, faithful actions (not viral moments)
• Which single habit to commit to from now until the end of the year for maximum impact

Ready to build your visibility momentum? 

Grab the Scrappy Marketing Checklist mentioned in this episode to get more details on these visibility-building strategies!

SAVE 60% off Email Marketing Secrets with code: NOV60

SHOW NOTES

Hey everyone, Kerry Beck here with Family Ebiz, where we help you start online businesses and find the freedom in your life to do what you're called to do.

We are talking today about something that I know if you're a solopreneur, sometimes you struggle, or maybe this is a side hustle. We are talking about small steps that build momentum, and you could even call this the visibility snowball.

Big Results Don't Start Big

Because I think it's important that we realize people don't just make some big splash in the world one time, and then they just keep going. No, it is like a snowball. You know, you start to roll a snowball, you're gonna make a snowman, it just starts with a teeny tiny, you just grab some, and you roll it around in the grass, and you're getting a little bit more every time.

You see, big results in your business don't start big. They start by rolling something tiny over and over again.

Visibility, that's what we're talking about today. Visibility rarely comes from one viral moment. It comes from repeated compounding actions, and I'm going to talk about 5 things, 5 different habits that you could build, and each one of these are things you could do in 10 minutes a day.

The Power of 1% Daily Improvement

Before we do that, I want to talk about some examples. James Clear, I don't know if you've read the book Atomic Habits, but he talks about how it is important to just improve 1% daily. You don't want to improve 50% and then stop and do nothing.

It's like, you know, people that pin everything on Pinterest for a week, and then they wait 3 months. That's not going to help you. It is better to have tiny actions that are consistent. Those are going to make massive impact in your business.

So, 10 minutes a day isn't impressive at first, but a few months later, you're going to look down the road and go, I'm suddenly visible, even though nothing seemed to be happening in the beginning. It was nothing super sudden, it just happened.

So, if you are dealing with raising a family, if you're juggling a business, maybe you're working full-time and trying to do this, you're working in the margins, some of you are homeschooling. This is the path you need to take. Being a little bit consistent, even 10 minutes a day, can get you further than spend all day Saturday working and then wait 3 months.

Google doesn't even know what you're doing and what you're about if you're inconsistent.

Julia Child's 10-Year Overnight Success

You know, I think about someone else, Julia Child, I like to cook. I have two of her cookbooks sitting right over there. She did not become an overnight success. In fact, it took her 10 years to become an overnight success.

She spent years writing letters, testing recipes, teaching tiny cooking classes, and publishing small newsletters. Her tiny visibility habits created a loyal audience before she ever had a TV show or a hit cookbook as well.

What is our lesson for us? Don't underestimate small, consistent touches with your audience. And I personally believe you should be writing them at least once a week.

In fact, earlier this month, I was teaching a class to my mastermind members, and I gave them a three-sentence template, so that you just fill in the blanks with your niche and whatever it is you want to teach, and it's a quick little email that you could send.

Crystal Payne's Consistency Strategy

Another person that we got to know in the beginning is Crystal Payne. She is the money-saving mom. In fact, I bought rights to one of her e-books about daughters growing up to have their online business, and I will find a link to that for some of you that might be interested.

You see, again, she started simple. Daily tips, consistently posting. No big viral moment, just steady, faithful publishing. And 10 years later, she has millions of readers, best-selling books, and a best-selling podcast as well.

Her strategy wasn't intensity, it was consistency. So think about this, it's not intensity, it is consistency. It is a visibility snowball.

Why the Visibility Snowball Works

And so most online businesses, content creators, they stop, they start, they stop, they start, and the algorithms don't even know how to categorize them. Consistency, it builds trust.

People are going to buy from someone that they know, like, and trust. It builds SEO authority, or even Pinterest authority. Repetition. It builds repetition, and people need multiple touches before they buy. It said that they need at least 7 touches before they buy something from you.

Are you emailing enough? Are you reaching out to your audience enough? Seven times is a lot. Now, that means 7 times in one week, although with a launch, you might want to do that, but consistency every day, over weeks and over months as well.

And then visibility is going to compound, and you'll get invited to podcasts. Your list grows, your audience returns automatically, and your content works for you, even when you're offline.

5 Ten-Minute Visibility Habits

So, I told you I had 5 10-minute visibility habits. I'm going to go through each one of these, and at the end, I want you to think about which one are you going to do from now until the end of the year?

This is publishing middle of November. That gives you about 6 or 7 weeks for you to be consistent over the next till the end of the year. And then, you're starting 2026 off on the right track.

Habit Number One: Refresh One Old Piece of Content

Update a blog post, and I'm going to tell you, it's super simple. I am doing this for a few of my Thanksgiving blog posts, and here's how I'm doing it. I'm taking it, I'm giving it to ChatGPT, giving it some prompts, and then I've got a new blog post. It's already in my voice.

Add a pin, add some internal and external links, and a call to action. Why does this work? Google loves fresh content, and small updates can revive SEO fast.

I do this also in June. I participate in a homeschool 10-day blog post. We produce 10 days of blog posts. That's a lot. And so what I do is I choose a topic that I already have blog posts, and then I freshen those up, maybe with some new examples or something. Fresh images, those types of things.

So, number one, refresh an old piece of content.

Habit Number Two: Engage in Three Places Your Audience Already Hangs Out

Maybe comment on a Facebook group thread, a post in your niche, podcast guest reel, just content somewhere, 3 different places. You can take 10 minutes and just put a timer on when you're doing this.

You have to see, engagement boosts your reach much faster than just posting new content. The algorithms like engagement because they know that you're helping people. Many creators get more traffic from a thoughtful comment than a new post, so think about that.

Just take 10 minutes and engage with your audience wherever they are.

Habit Number Three: Send a Short, Value Email to Your List

Just one tip, one tool, one story. Why does this work? Because it keeps you on top of their mind. It keeps you on top of mind. It builds authority, it drives traffic without creating new content.

And, you know, I do have, for those of you that don't know, have an email writing secrets book, and it is on sale this week for 50% off, so you can get that. And that may give you some tips as well to improve your email writing, your emails that you send out.

And like I said, with our mastermind this month, their template was a three-sentence template. A three-sentence email, you can do this.

Habit Number Four: Repurpose an Old Idea into a New Medium

What do I mean? Take one blog tip and turn it into a reel. Turn it into a pin, a quote card, a short email, just take one thing you've already written, one tip, and then turn it into something else and post it.

Visibility multiplies with more work. So, you take that one idea, and then you're going to recreate it every day for a week, let's say, in different places, and then do it again the next week.

So, repurpose one old idea into a new medium, a new platform.

Habit Number Five: Pitch Yourself for One Micro-Opportunity

What do I mean? Maybe go try to be a guest on another blog. I know tomorrow, the day I'm taping this, tomorrow I have a post going out on Kelly Warner's blog, and so I will get exposure to her audience. Maybe be a guest on a podcast.

Do some sort of collaboration, a roundup of posts. Small pitches can build long-term visibility and return on investment. One, yes, could bring traffic for years. I know that I still get commissions from people that I put something out a long time ago, and so that's pretty cool as well.

Pick Your Habit and Start Today

So, let's go over these, and I want you to think about what is it that you are going to do. You're going to pick one habit, and you're going to do it every day, or maybe every weekday, till the end of the year.

Number one, refresh one piece of old content. Two, engage in three places where your audience already is. Number three, send a short value email to your list. Now, you may not want to send a short email every single day, but you could work on that and go ahead and schedule them out so that you're getting one at least once a week.

Number four, habit number four, repurpose one old idea into a new medium, and then number five, pitch yourself for one micro opportunity.

You see, visibility doesn't require massive action, just consistent action. So, which one?

If you take 10 minutes a day for the next 30 to 60 days, your visibility snowball will be rolling by 2026.

So, I also, if you want more details on any of these, they're not all lined up the same, but I have a scrappy marketing checklist, and I go into more details on some of these. Not all of them, but some of them. So we'll put links to that in the show notes.

Ready to build your visibility momentum? Grab the Scrappy Marketing Checklist for more visibility-building strategies!

SAVE 60% off Email Marketing Secrets with code: NOV60

In this episode, we're breaking down how to plan your business for 2025 so you can have the freedom to be fully present with your loved ones this December.

In this episode, you'll discover:

✅Why planning your promotional plan now means you won't miss the magic of the holidays

✅How to map out your Q1 calendar with monthly promotions, email sequences, and content

✅The budget planning process that aligns your revenue goals with your actual launches

✅What to include in your annual promotional calendar (launches, events, seasonal content, and family time)

✅How time blocking and ideal week planning help you work smarter, not harder

Ready to plan your way to a peaceful holiday season? Grab the Business Marketing Roadmap to get started!

Recommended Resources

Marketing Strategies & Overall Planning: Side Hustle in a Weekend

Boost!

45+ Email Templates - Get Q1 emails scheduled

This episode from the archives originally focused on vacation campaigns, but the strategies work perfectly for the holiday season when you're out of town. Instead of losing momentum during the busiest travel season of the year, you can set up an automated system that keeps your business running and generating revenue.

In this episode, you'll discover:

✅Why every entrepreneur needs a holiday campaign during November and December

✅How to choose profit-producing offers that sell while you're away

✅The secret to staying top-of-mind without checking email on your phone

✅Smart ways to use free content strategically during your time off

✅How to create urgency and scarcity so people buy now (not in January)

Ready to enjoy the holidays guilt-free while your business works for you? Grab the Holiday / Vacation Campaign Tool Kit—it's easy to adapt for your holiday campaign and includes everything you need to set up your automated system before you leave town.

SAVE $110 with code: SMOOTHIE - Good through Friday, November7.

Click here to get your Vacation (Holiday) Campaign Tool Kit

Show Notes:

How to Flip on a Money-Making Holiday Campaign While You're Celebrating

Well, hello everyone. Kerry Beck here with familyebiz.com and today we are talking about how to flip on a money-making campaign while you're celebrating the holidays, which I thought was very appropriate to record here at the beach, right? That's where a lot of us want to go during Thanksgiving and Christmas. We all love the holidays and we want that freedom, but too often we get so bogged down in our daily work that we never really take time off during November and December.

So what I want to talk to you today about is how you can make money while you're celebrating the holidays. Whether that's a week or whether that is, I don't know, a month or two, you can just decide whatever that looks like for you.

The Freedom Business Mindset

You know, most of us are a team of one. Some of us have a virtual assistant or a few people that are helping us but we do not live in corporate land. We do not have vacation days. And so we want to think and go outside that thought that there is no way to earn money unless I am working day to day all the time.

Now I will tell you I just want to bust through that thinking. It does take planning and I believe that you can come back from your holiday to money in your account. That's what it's all about. The freedom for us to have a business that we want.

For me, the freedom is for me like this last weekend when I'm recording this. We had cousin camp and I barely worked on Friday and I am catching up today. But I did not even turn my phone on to look at social media. I was so focused on our grandkids and I wanted to focus on them.

I wanted to have that a good experience. I wanted to grow that relationship with the people that are most important in my life. I wanted to help my girls be able to have a time with just their husbands, some time and some freedom as well. This is what I call a freedom business.

Do you have a freedom business? Are you dreaming of that freedom business? If you are, you are in the right place. We are going to show you how you can set up a holiday campaign, a holiday automation that just works on autopilot.

The Power of Email Automation

And this really is the power of email. Now, it does have to be planned ahead of time. If you're working on it during the holidays, that is not the point. All right?

So there are several components and over the next three weeks, if you're listening to the podcast, some of y'all have already bought the whole course and so you'll be getting extra like I think there's going to be five or six videos, but we're going to be talking about the main points.

And here they are. First of all, you need to continue to give away free high value information that builds relationships. That builds that know like and trust factor. And you have to ask for sales.

And I will tell you right now, most of you that have talked to me or have answered questions say, "I am terrible at sales." If you are terrible at sales, you need to work on that because if you're terrible at sales, you're not going to make money. You can't just throw up a website, create 5,000 courses. Some of y'all think if I just keep making more products, I'll make more money.

No, you have got to learn how to sell. Now, this is not a series on serving and selling. You can go back and watch some of my podcasts. In fact, I will list them where you are listening to this. But I truly believe that when you serve your audience, you will make money. You will sell to them. You will find the people that relate to you as well.

So you're going to have to ask for sales in your emails. And then on your next holiday season, all you have to do is make small little tweaks along the way. You will have already done the work.

Why Every Entrepreneur Needs a Holiday Campaign

So it is holiday time. Time to celebrate Thanksgiving and Christmas with family. And you need to be able to go away for a while and still make money. And I have done that myself.

So why do I believe that every entrepreneur needs a holiday campaign? Let's talk about this. What if you came home to Major Moola? I mean like really major moola because you had it all set up correctly.

And what if you stayed top of mind with your list? You didn't just disappear for two weeks or even a week or a long weekend. You stayed top of mind so they knew who you were. You were celebrating with family or maybe you were on the beach in the Bahamas suntanning.

Or maybe if you're in the wintertime, you're on the ski slope skiing. Or maybe you're taking in a show at New York City. I don't know what your type of holiday celebration is, but you think about that and think about being able to actually check those things off your bucket list. That would be awesome.

So this is a holiday sequence that you turn on when you leave and when you come home, you turn it off. All right? You're celebrating, enjoying time with your kids and then you turn that back off when you get back home.

This requires automation. Your business is still working for you at all times. That really is what an online business is all about. Your family wants your undivided attention.

And if you are constantly on your phone. And who wants to type an email on their phone anyway? You will be a better business person if you will take a brain break. That's a whole another topic.

And I was reading in my son's Inc. magazine about a guy who actually takes well he started with just one break from his business and he went away with a journal and that's it. He didn't have his laptop. He didn't have he may have had a book to read as well. That's what you could do during the holidays.

Plus, you could spend time with your family when it's time. Maybe your kids are taking a nap. You can read a book or you can be journaling in the morning, early in the morning or late at night after they go to bed. That means you would still be growing up here as well.

Now, we want to take time off during the holidays, but we do not want to ignore our list because if you ignore your list they will forget you or they will lose that know like and trust factor because they don't even remember who you are. You have got to stay consistent with your list. You must stay in touch with your readers.

Plus, if we do this correctly, you will have a funnel that is reusable. Unless you have a dedicated salesperson. Got a dedicated salesperson? Leave something in the comments. I would love to chat with you as well.

Now, I do need to tell you this is not a flash sale just because you're celebrating the holidays. Sometimes we run a flash sale because we're away and that is a viable option, but that is not what we are talking about. This is something that keeps our business running and instead of deep discounts, we're still going to ask for the full sales price.

Picking That Perfect Profit Producing Offer

All right, so that's sort of why. Now, let's talk about picking that perfect profit producing offer. You've got to figure out what are you going to offer these people while you're gone. So think about it. What would you offer? Leave something in the comments wherever you're listening.

My first thought to you is what do you know for sure will sell? This is not the time to experiment because you're not there to even check on what's going on. This is not the time to launch something because you're not there to launch. You need to find a proven winner. Something you know for certain is going to flip it on and it will make sales.

All right. A few things you might consider are what I would just go through your library of courses. What is it that you have that you know sells on a regular basis? That could be it.

Or another idea would be affiliate products. Find an affiliate product that is available year round. So if you turn this back on next winter, it would still be around and it would be even a bonus if you have an affiliate product that has recurring income because then not only do you make holiday money, you make money the rest of the year.

Making Strategic Decisions

Now, choose your item, whatever your offer is going to be. Then you need to make some decisions.

How many offers are you going to have? Really, that depends on a few things, two factors. How often have you been emailing them already? And how long is your holiday time off?

If your holiday time off is a long weekend, let's say 5 days, starts on Thursday, comes back on Monday, that's going to look different than a two week holiday. A two week holiday might actually have two or more offers as well. So it really depends.

Remember that you should be emailing your list consistently. And if your list responds to your consistent emails, you could set this up however you like.

So how long will your readers buy now and not in a few weeks? That's another thing to consider. That's another decision. You have got to decide. To get holiday money, you need to include urgency and scarcity. If you don't include both of them in some way, somehow then it's not going to matter.

The Importance of Free Content

All right. And then the other thing I think the last thing I want to sort of point on before we close this out is free content. You know, if you've been around me for any time, you need to be sending your people free content. Content on a regular basis. So you are adding value to their life, to their business, to their hobby, to whatever it is you're giving them.

This means you schedule you do a podcast every week or you put out a blog post every week. At a minimum one time a week, you need to be giving something out. And if you post a blog post or you schedule your podcast on whatever your podcast platform is, so we need to realize there is a need for time off during the holidays.

You can come home to money as a one soloreneur. Some of y'all are like, "It's impossible." No, it isn't. And we're going to continue to show you how to do it.

What we talked about today was figuring out that perfect profit producing PPP, perfect producing product. It's four Ps. All right? Or course whatever the offer is. You've got to decide on that. Then you need to know what kind of regular free content you're also going to remind them of and give out in your sequence. That is what your job is right now.

This week, you need to go and decide those things. Now, before I close, I do need you to know that we have a brand new course called Vacation Campaign Toolkit. It will be selling for $97 later this month, but right now you can get it for $27. And I'm going to tell you what it includes.

It actually includes five complete video trainings. If you're listening to the podcast, even what I told you today, you're going to go dive deeper into getting that profit producing product offer. Next week we'll talk about emails and you will get actually we have a podcast. You'll get that plus you'll get a second video training on emails.

Then we'll talk about tech and the tech part is you'll get that in the podcast but then we'll continue to talk about how to monetize every place you can through that whole holiday season and then how do we follow up and review what is going on. So those are our five trainings.

Then you'll also get a three-week calendar. Five days a week it'll tell you day one this is what you do. So for three weeks, over the next three weeks, you could have this holiday campaign completely set up and you'll get a checklist so that you can make sure that you have done everything and you don't have any missing parts, no leaks in that funnel.

You'll get an eight-step worksheet. That's where you're going to be really thinking and answering the questions that we've talked about today. And we'll also give you the PowerPoint slides. I'm not using PowerPoint in this, but some people would like to print them out and take notes along the way.

And then finally, we're going to give you a resource list. These are the best platforms, I believe, to make the campaign go smoothly with as few hitches as possible. So wherever you're listening to this, there should be a link to the holiday campaign toolkit. Go grab it. I would love to work with you.

I may even throw in I'm going to just do this right now. The first three people that sign up for the vacation campaign toolkit in June 2024, that's when we're recording it, will get a free 30 minute coaching call with me. That is worth $50 alone. I charge $100 an hour for coaching.

So for $27, you get the whole toolkit. And if you're one of the first three, you will also get a $50 coaching and we will talk about all of this and how to set this up and what's the best offer for you to make.

Ready to Set Up Your Holiday Campaign?

Want to enjoy the holidays guilt-free while your business works for you? Grab the Holiday / Vacation Campaign Tool Kit—it's easy to adapt for your holiday campaign and includes everything you need to set up your automated system before you leave town.

SAVE $60 with code: SMOOTHIE - Good through Friday, November 7. Click here to get your Holiday / Vacation Campaign Tool Kit

Thank you so much for spending time with me. I am Kerry Beck with familyebiz.com. We'll talk to you next time.

You’ll hear why one signature offer matters, how batching content multiplies your reach, and the simple automations that stop decision fatigue so daily sales keep rolling in.

✅ The #1 mistake entrepreneurs make that kills daily sales (hint: stop trying to sell 50,000 different offers)

✅ How to choose your ONE signature offer that sells consistently (plus examples from Marie Forleo, Amy Porterfield, and Jenna Kutcher)

✅ 4 steps to waking up to sales in your business with simple systems

✅ Why batching content and using repeatable workflows saves massive time while keeping you consistent

✅ How a simple 3-email funnel can start generating regular sales once you drive traffic to it

✅ The role accountability plays in keeping momentum when you're burned out or stuck

Grab the link in the show notes to join the Family eBiz Mastermind and get the support and systems training mentioned in the episode.

Show Notes:

Imagine Waking Up to Sales Notifications

Hey everyone, Kerry Beck here with Family eBiz, where we help families start and scale online businesses, so you can find the freedom in your life to do what you've been called to do. We are continuing on talking about growing our business.

What would it feel like to check your phone or your laptop in the morning and see sales notifications before you even brushed your teeth? Wouldn't that not be awesome?

Most entrepreneurs wake up stressed. Looking at emails, that is the worst thing to look at. Unfinished projects, confusion.

What if instead your systems were working while you sleep? And I have to be really honest. I woke up this morning, and I do check my sales, usually first thing in the morning, and there were sales.

Some of them I was not expecting. I was like, how did that get in there? And then I was like, oh, yeah, that little funnel was working like it was supposed to.

What Barbara Corcoran Can Teach Us About Systems

There's a lady named Barbara Corcoran, probably butchered her name. She's a real estate mogul on Shark Tank, and you've probably seen her. I love listening to her.

I learn something from her on a regular basis. She had a small real estate office in New York City. What did she do?

She systematized her small office with checklists and trainings. So that deals would be going through even when she wasn't around. That foundation helped her scale her business to New York City's number one real estate firm.

Wow. One of the biggest cities in the country, and she is the number one real estate mogul there. She often tells people, don't build a business, build a system.

So let's talk about that. How can building a system apply to you as well? Well, it ties back, because imagine your business was running like that.

Predictable, repeatable. It can. You just have to have systems in place.

And you really need to know which systems to put in place. Do you know which systems? What I want to do is share 4, I think four steps, to waking up to sales in your own business with these systems.

Step 1: Create or Choose Your One Signature Offer That Sells

First, you need to create or choose your one signature offer that sells. Don't go trying to sell 50,000 different offers. That's your problem, because I have heard so many of you people are, well, I'm going to create new products so I can make some money.

That does not work. Pick one product. And mine is Raising Leaders, Not Followers.

That is gonna be, that is my flagship product. I have other products for sale, they're on my website, but that is my flagship, and most everything that I sell in there helps people get to raising leaders, not followers. So you need to choose that, because too many offers scatter your effort and confuse your customer.

They don't know what's important. So, focus on one thing. Most successful digital entrepreneurs had one clear offer.

I don't know if y'all know who Marie Forleo is, but she started something called B-School, and that is what she's known for. Amy Porterfield, Digital Course Academy, and Jenna Kutcher, her Pinterest course. So they focused on one thing.

So, here's the practical tip. Choose the offer, how do you choose it? The offer that solves your audience's biggest problem, and then refine it until it's repeatable and profitable.

Keep selling it over and over. It's like, oh, I sold it, now I need to go to the next one. No, I launched Raising Leaders, Not Followers, 3 times.

Actually, in 2026, I'm going to do it 4 times. And so, keep doing it over and over and over again. So, pick your signature offer.

Step 2: Build Some Simple Systems to Sell That Signature Offer

Then build some simple systems to sell that signature offer. You need some email funnels. You want to automate your nurturing, your lead nurturing, and your sales conversations.

You want to batch the content, like I am right now recording. I don't know how many episodes I've recorded. I think I will have recorded about 6 episodes today for content, and then I batched it, and it saves me time, I stay consistent by producing content in chunks.

This will also, for some of these episodes, it will turn into a blog post, it turns into a YouTube, it turns into all sorts of things. And so, I record it once, and then I can multiply. And then that repeatable workflows.

We have a workflow. I record it, and then we get a title and a description, and then our social post, our engagement post, our blog post, our email, all on one episode. So, I can batch it, and then we can get it out there to our people, and schedule it out a ways.

So, you want it repeatable, and some other things you might have are templates. Checklists and automations to reduce decision fatigue. One of the things I am working on personally is using AI to actually do some of my posting and scheduling.

It's not going to make a decision on the title and those kinds of things yet, but it will hand me all my information, and then I choose it, and then it will go off and put it in all the places online that I need it to go to. I'm still working on how to do that. I know it is possible.

You see, a small blogger who sets up a simple 3-email funnel with a tripwire can easily start seeing sales on a regular basis. You just keep driving traffic once you set that up and you see that it converts.

Step 3: Lean on Accountability to Keep That Momentum Going

So, one signature offer, simple systems, lean on accountability to keep that momentum going. Sometimes we get burned out, sometimes we want to quit, sometimes we just don't know how to make the next step, because we are so stuck in the minutiae of the details. What happens without accountability?

You stall, you second guess, or you quit when it gets tough. With accountability, you keep moving forward, even when motivation dips, even when you don't know what the next step is. As I've shared in recent episodes, I have my mastermind groups, and sometimes those ladies, I love listening to them.

They're like, they start talking, and to ask a question about, here's where I'm stuck, and after about 2 minutes of talking, they're like, oh, this is what I need to, this is what I'm gonna do, and we didn't even give them any suggestions. Getting on with people that get it. Now, a lot of times, we do help them, because I have some that are, like, going on, I'm thinking, what about this?

And they're like, I don't know why I didn't think of that. And so we do, there's a balance. Sometimes it's just talking it out with people that understand it.

It could be, most of the time, it's talking it out, saying something, and someone throws an idea, and then they keep talking, throw an idea, and they keep talking. And that's what accountability and just having that support, that board of advisors for you. Think about a fitness coach.

You are less likely to skip a workout when you know someone is expecting you. Business is the same way. And I believe masterminds accelerate this.

Why Masterminds Accelerate Your Business

You see, when you are part of a mastermind, you avoid wasting months or years trying to figure it out alone. You have support, people that have already done that. I have seen people that have done a launch, and two months later, they're helping their mastermind friend who's doing their first launch, and they can work together.

Direct benefits is you get feedback, you get clarity a lot faster, you get encouragement, you push through those tough spots, you get shortcuts, you learn what already worked instead of reinventing the wheel. That's one reason I pay Amy Mastermind big bucks to be able to not reinvent the wheel. I might as well just listen to someone who's already done it.

I'm going to follow their system. I took a Facebook ads course, and I was talking to Bethan about it, and she's like, oh, look, you're using the sales page template. I'm like, why should I reinvent it?

You've already got it down the way I need it, and so I'm just going to follow that template right there. And so, it's just not worth it. This is why masterminds accelerate your business.

You don't waste those months trying to figure it out. You get feedback, encouragement, and shortcuts.

Real Examples of Systems That Work

There's a lady named Michelle Schroeder-Gardner. She has a business called Making Sense of Cents. The second one is Cents, like money.

Making sense of the money, cents. She built her blog into a $100,000 a month business. How?

She focused on systems, affiliate funnels, and email sequences, and the sales kept coming in because she used a system. She started with a small peer group that helped her keep moving forward in the right direction as well. And this isn't just a dream.

It's what members of our Family eBiz Mastermind are building. Businesses that make money consistently, even while they sleep. And if you're ready to stop the hustle and step into focus, accountability, and systems at work, the doors are open right now.

They'll be closing this week. Get off that little hamster wheel. You don't need to be on it, and if you are, you are probably stuck, and you're probably not making much money.

So, if you have questions about, let me know. If you look in the show notes, you should be able to get the link to be able to sign up. If you do have questions, send me an email or a DM, and I would be happy to chat with you.

We would love for you to join us. We have some great groups, and a few slots are open, so let's fill those slots. Hey, I'm Kerry Beck with Family eBiz.

We'll talk to you next time.

You’ll hear how to find encouragement when you want to quit, accountability to keep you consistent & outside perspective to spot blind spots.

✅Why entrepreneur loneliness derails many entrepreneurs and how to stop it

✅How encouragement helps you keep going after failed launches and tech breakdowns

✅Practical accountability habits that lead to consistency and results

✅Quick ways to gain clarity using outside perspectives and small advisory groups

✅Different kinds of accountability groups (free and paid)

Grab the free training mentioned in the episode — 5 Ways to Make More Money Online

Show Notes:

The Reality of Entrepreneur Loneliness

Hey everyone, Kerry Beck here with Family eBiz, where we help families start and scale online businesses, so you can gain freedom in your life to do what you are called to do. Today, we are going to be talking about solopreneur.

Most of you are a solopreneur. Maybe you have a virtual assistant, or maybe someone trades some work with you, but most of you do all your work on your own. I get it, me too.

I do have a virtual assistant, but for the most part, I am here working it out all by myself. You know what happens sometimes? It can sort of be lonely, don't you think?

And I want to talk to you about the loneliness. You make your decisions alone, you feel alone. You celebrate your wins alone, you face your failures alone.

No wonder so many entrepreneurs give up. And that's not the way it should be. That shouldn't be the way it is in life, and it shouldn't be the way it is in business as well.

What Thomas Edison Can Teach Us About Building a Business

So I want to talk to you today a little bit about a solution that might be able to help you. Thomas Edison had a lab at Menlo Park. You see, he was not a lone genius.

He actually built a team of about 15 to 20 people. Engineers, thinkers, machinists, all of them that could work together to brainstorm, to test, and refine ideas. You see, most of us don't realize that team is what helped develop the light bulb.

It was not developed by itself, or by only Thomas Edison. It was born in what we would call a team. Do you have a team that you can work with?

Because really, breakthroughs rarely happen alone. They usually happen with a team. And that could be something like a mastermind, it could be something maybe with a coach.

There's all sorts of ways, but today I want to talk to you about a man named Napoleon Hill, and what he coined the word mastermind, meaning we mastermind, we're thinking all together as a group. Why? Because he studied people like Andrew Carnegie, Thomas Edison, Henry Ford.

All of those people did not work on their own. Now, yeah, there are names on everything, and so it sounds like they did it all by themselves, but they did not work alone. They all had peer networks.

And that's a type of mastermind. So what I want to do is talk about how a mastermind can help you, and then some different types of masterminds that you might be able to get.

Different Types of Masterminds You Can Join

First of all, when you are in a group, and this isn't necessarily a group of 20, although when we started, when we joined our first mastermind, I think I've told you it cost us $10,000. There are about 20 of us, and each person could bring a partner or someone to come with it, so there are about 40 people in the room, and that was our mastermind.

We were in two different ones for the first 5 years after when we came home from seminary, and we were really building our online business at the time. That's one kind of mastermind. That's not necessarily what I would suggest.

You better be making some money, because you don't want to be losing money on your mastermind. There are free ones where people just get together. I call those more of accountability groups, and I've been in those as well, and usually when I join them, it is for a limited amount of time, and we are all looking at the same goal.

We have paid masterminds that I am still in today. I pay $1,000 a year to Amy Porterfield to be in her coaching group to mastermind. We have meetings where we can get together, and they'll put us in small groups, and we can work through some different issues.

So those are a bunch of different types. How does that help you? You're probably going, I gotta get over there and make some money.

Encouragement When You Want to Quit

Well, first of all, encouragement when you want to quit. We all experience burnout. It can be so isolating.

You have no boss, no team, no cheerleader. Some of you do, maybe in your family. Hard days are going to come.

A failed launch. Low sales. Tech breakdown. I have experienced every single one of them.

I've had launches with goose eggs, meaning I made zero sales. That's hard. You need someone to be able to bounce that off of, and sort of see how to move forward.

A mastermind group, those members will remind you that you're not alone. I'm thinking of some of my mastermind groups that I've run, and some of them have become quite good friends and support each other in the hard times and the good times. Again, Thomas Edison's Invention Factory.

He surrounded himself with encouragers, collaborators, when most people would have quit at 1,000 tries. You know, he went to 10,000 tries. Takes a lot of perseverance, and I think because he had a group, a mastermind group, that helped him to keep going.

Accountability So You Follow Through and Clarity to See Your Blind Spots

So, encouragement. Number two, accountability, so you follow through. It is so easy to procrastinate or start chasing the shiny object.

When no one's watching, no one can see exactly what you're spending your time about. Mastermind partners provide a little gentle pressure. Hey, you said you're gonna launch on Friday, how's it going?

Can I help you? That would be even better. Accountability leads to consistency.

Consistency leads to results. So, Ben Franklin, back in 1727, was part of the Junto Club. What was that?

These are a group of men that would meet, and they would hold each other accountable, both personally and in their business growth. That was, what, 300 years ago? Maybe more?

So, encouragement when you want to quit, accountability so you follow through, and then three, clarity, because you can't always see your blind spots. I can't. Working alone, you get so stuck in your head, you're just, like, right there, so there, and sometimes just another person coming and looking above it can help you see some of the solutions that you are completely blind to.

I know sometimes we'll be talking in our mastermind groups, and I'm thinking and I say something, I'm like, cool. Why didn't I think of that? It's like things you know, but you just don't always see, because you're in the details sometimes.

Masterminds give you multiple perspectives, often spotting what you can't see. I like to say it's like a board of directors, a board of advisors. Just 5 minutes of an outside perspective can push you through.

You know how one person that I work with, and she's talking about her problem, and then all of a sudden she goes, okay, I think I just figured it out. She just needed someone to listen to her that got it. How many people in your life get it?

How many people get that online life, that online business? So, sometimes just having someone listen to you for 5 minutes, you figure it out yourself, or they may be able to offer some quick perspective, save you a lot of frustration.

The Multiplying Effect of Support

You know, I am a part of Amy Porterfield's mastermind. She is a part of her own mastermind group. She has a coach, Michael Hyatt.

So, it doesn't matter what level you are, you need people to hold you accountable, to be able to encourage you, and to help give you clarity. It's really a multiplying effect. Encouragement fuels confidence.

Accountability fuels action, and clarity fuels smart strategies. When you know where you're headed, you can make smart decisions as well. And then all together, you're going to get faster results, less wasted time, and stronger resilience, perseverance.

That's what you need. Encouragement, clarity, and accountability. And some of us know, just give me the strategies.

Well, I can give you lots of strategies. But do you know when to use it? Do you have the clarity of when to do it?

If it doesn't work, do you have people that can encourage you? Or if you're procrastinating or going after the wrong thing, do you have someone that will help you stay focused in where you're supposed to be? This is what I think is so important.

It's where you get unfiltered advice and support. My question to you is, do you have it? Now, I know some of you are in some masterminds, let's say, that are just some people that get together once a week or once a month, and that is great.

Do you have people that have gone before you in those groups to be able to help you move forward? In whatever areas of your business. But I think those are great.

I personally put my money where my mouth is. That's why I pay $1,000 a year to Amy Porterfield to be able to get the support that I need. She has a Q&A every single month for any question that I might have, or she's got regular training.

She has people specialized in different areas of my business. It is well worth every penny that I pay her. Plus, she has a we have a group, a private group, that we can encourage each other, and I've made some good friends as well.

This is important. Oprah Winfrey says she wouldn't be where she is today if she did not have that trusted circle of friends or advisors surrounding her to help her make wise decisions.

Join Me for a Free Training

If you are tired of building alone, you're craving accountability, or you just need some support, some clarity, ready to step into the next level, to scale, I hope you will join me. We are giving a free training this week, I believe, I think it's Tuesday, I have to check today.

Anyway, it is 5 Ways to Make More Money Online. So I will be going through some strategies, but I'm also, at that time, opening up some slots for our mastermind. We have a few slots open.

I would love for some of you to join me. That would be awesome. But I hope you will at least come to my free training, and it's a masterclass.

You're going to get a lot out of it. And so, you can just find the link in the show notes, and then join me live. Joining me live, you will get an extra little bonus.

I can't remember now. Probably, we're gonna probably give a bonus for getting there early. The 15 minutes before it starts, you get a bonus.

Anyone that shows up, 15 minutes, and then it goes away at that, the hour. So, hey, thanks for spending time with me. I am Kerry Beck with Family eBiz.

Talk to you next time.

You’ll hear real business stories (Starbucks, Airbnb) and practical steps to pick a 90-day priority that multiplies momentum and revenue.

✅ How “shiny object syndrome” stalls growth & how to fix it

✅ Why one growth lever (not 10) is the fastest path to income

✅ How to set a 90-day priority and break it into daily actions

✅ Simple accountability systems to keep you on track through distractions

✅ How to choose channels, momentum, and launches

Resources Mentioned

Free Class

Show Notes:

The Power of Focus: How to Stop Chasing Shiny Objects and Grow Your Business

Hey everyone, Kerry Beck here with Family eBiz, where we help families start and scale online businesses so you can find the freedom that you need to be able to follow your calling, wherever you've been called to do in this life. Thanks for spending time with me.

I have a question that I want to start out with, and this is it. Have you ever sat down at your desk, ready to grow your business, but you find yourself, 3 hours later, scrolling Canva templates, signing up for another free challenge, or researching a tool you know you'll never use?

That is called the shiny object syndrome, and it is one of the major reasons that solopreneurs stay stuck. They don't stay focused on revenue. They don't stay focused on what a real strategy is, a strategy that will actually start your business or scale your business.

Today, what I want to do is talk to you about the power of focus, and I want to start with a story.

The Starbucks Story: Focus on One Thing

It is Howard Schultz of Starbucks. I should have grabbed his book. It's sitting right over there on that bookshelf.

You see, before Starbucks exploded, Schultz focused on one thing. He was creating an Italian espresso bar experience here in the United States. His investors kept pushing him to sell his beans in supermarkets, or to start selling food in his stores, in his cafes. He refused. He focused on one thing, and that was the customer experience.

And that is what scaled Starbucks into a global giant. You see, success comes from focus, not trying to do all the things.

Now, I'm not saying you don't have to do something like, you know, if you're working on a funnel, you're gonna have to do some email and some images and things like that. But many of you start going down... I'm gonna build my list. Oh, I'm gonna make some... oh, I'm gonna create another product, because creating another product will bring me money.

If you're not making money from your current products, why going down those shiny object rows? That's not gonna bring you any money. So you need to take a lesson from Howard Schultz and focus on one thing, one major thing.

And we're going to talk about it at the end. I want you to be able to think: What is that one thing I'm going to focus on in Q4? This episode is published at the 1st of October, and that means it is the beginning of Q4. What are you going to focus on, and how are you going to get there by the end of December?

Scattered Energy vs. Focused Energy

Let's talk about focus for a second, then we'll come back and see what you decide to do. You see, energy plus time scattered gives you a shallow impact. It is wasted energy. Scattered energy doesn't really do anything.

It's as if you took 1 cup of water, and then you tried to water 10 plants. Are they gonna grow? No, none of them are going to grow. You haven't focused on any of them. You just gave a little bit of time to each one of those little plants, a little bit of water.

And that's what some of you are. You're busy all the time, but you're not moving the needle in your revenue, or you're not moving the needle in your list growth, or whatever it is you're focusing on. There's a lot of motion, but no progress. So there's one of the problems.

Let's go the other side. That same energy could be focused. And if you focus that energy, you will grow deep roots in your business, and you will see real growth in your business. It's as if you take that one cup of water, and you water one plant. That one plant might start growing. It's the same in your business.

Don't go trying to water all the different areas, everything. I'll give you an example. Everyone, it seems like, is talking about Instagram and TikTok. Do I spend time on Instagram or TikTok? No. Do I post once a week? Well, I don't, but Ross does. Once a week, he posts to Instagram at the same time he's posting on Facebook.

My focus is Facebook. Why? And this is really important, why would I choose Facebook over something else? Because when I did a survey a couple years ago, 100% of my homeschool moms, when I said, where do you spend the most time online? Out of everything you do, where do you spend the most time? Facebook. Well, that's why I do.

And now, I'm sure I could grow my business on Instagram and other things, but that's where I focus it. Where do I get the most traffic? Pinterest. Not... I mean, there's lots of ways, out of the social ways. Pinterest, 30% of my traffic comes from Pinterest. So I'm going to focus relationships in Facebook and try to build traffic in Pinterest. I'm not going to worry about all the other things. I do do some other things, but that is where you need to focus.

Channel your energy into one direction, and you will see your results multiply over and over. Consistency feeds one offer, one funnel, one audience, and you will have stronger growth. So, focus your energy.

Focus Creates Momentum

Focus also creates momentum. Shiny objects are all out there! That just resets you back to square one! And then you got a new learning curve for every single one of those shiny objects. If you double down on one thing, it will accelerate your progress instead of starting over. Momentum.

So, if you will focus, that will build momentum. Momentum will compound over time, and you will start stacking up results as well.

And I can tell you, let's go back to Pinterest. I've been doing Pinterest, I don't even do it the right way. I am sure I do it all wrong, but we try to be consistent on pinning all the time. I've been doing that for 10 or 15 years. I still have the ugliest pins in the world, and getting rankings somehow, I don't know.

Why did I go, one year I'm gonna do this, now I'm gonna do Instagram, now... no, I just kept doing it, because it kept sending traffic. So the core truth is scattered energy means your business is probably going to get stuck. Focused energy. That's where you're going to see growth and income and impact.

3 Practical Ways to Regain Your Focus

So let's talk about 3 practical ways that you can regain your focus. I want you, and think about this, and if there's a place to leave a comment, leave it wherever you're listening to this.

1. Pick One Growth Lever

One growth lever. Is it list building? Is it one offer that you're going to work on in Q4? Or maybe a launch you're going to launch? One thing.

I was talking in a coaching session last week. She's going to launch something in January, but two of them are like, well, I've got to do these other things in October, November, December. I'm like, no! Focus on that launch.

When I first launched Raising Leaders, when I redid everything back in 2022, I spent October, November, December, and January. My focus was getting Raising Leaders launched. Now, there were lots of little pieces in between, but that is what I focused on for 4 months.

So, pick one growth lever.

2. Set a 90-Day Priority

90-day priorities. What are you gonna have done? What are the main things you need to do with that one growth lever?

It's not whack-a-mole, you know that little game, you get the thing and the moles are always coming up, and every day you're hitting something different? That is not going to do anything for you. You need to look right now at what your goals are at the end of the quarter.

3. Get Accountability to Stay on Track

Because distractions will pop up. Or tech issues, or you get sick, or you have a family emergency. You need to get some kind of accountability, because there will be things. And there's always gonna be shiny objects popping in. So you don't want to go running down those shiny object roads.

The Airbnb Example: Obsessive Focus

There's a man named Brian Chesky from Airbnb. Early on, he and his team focused on one thing. Their first 100 customers.

Now, think about, Airbnb is global. I'm going to El Salvador to see some of the teachers in the school that I helped found back in 2020, and I'll be staying in an Airbnb. This is not a very... this is a poor area of San Salvador, and there's Airbnbs right there, so they are all over the place.

But what did they focus on in the beginning? Their first 100 customers. They hand-delivered key exchanges. So here, we're gonna hand you the key, you go stay at this place. Or, like, I know we stayed at... this is the first year or two, I don't remember, but we stayed in Sausalito. It was founded up there in San Francisco, somewhere area, and that girl was there. She led us into her apartment and gave us the key, told us where everything was, and then left to go stay with a friend. Hand-delivered.

Maybe we were one of the first 100 customers, I don't know. They photographed apartments themselves. They weren't always professional back then. They perfected the process, and their obsessive focus on the first 100 built a foundation for millions. Billions by now.

So... Pick one growth lever. 90-day priorities, and get accountability.

Join the Free Training

Now, if you're tired of chasing shiny objects and ready to focus on what actually grows your business, I hope you'll join me for my free training, 5 Ways to Make More Money Online. We're going to walk through how to build some systems and sell consistently.

If you're serious about accountability and clarity and momentum, you're going to love what I'm going to share at the end of that masterclass. So, find the link in the show notes. I can't wait for you to join me. If you get there 15 minutes early up until we start, there'll be a free little surprise just for you.

Hey, I'm Kerry Beck with Family eBiz. We'll talk to you next time.

Here’s what you’ll discover:

✅Why organic reach is shrinking and what to do about it

✅How a simple $10/day ad can bring in new buyers

✅The secrets to testing ads without throwing money away

✅Why meta ads buyers often become your best customers

Recommended Resources:

Facebook Ads Intensive (retail $600) - ON SALE $97 through Oct 5.

BONUS: Mastermind members & HBU members ONLY receive 2 group coaching, specifically on the course.

Not a mastermind or HBU member? No problem, join one of our groups and buy the FB Ads Intensive. You'll get group coaching and feedback on your ads, landing pages, and more.

Homeschool Blogger University:

FamilyEbiz Mastermind

You’ll get simple frameworks you can use in webinars, sales pages, and email sequences so closing feels natural and supportive.

✅The 4P framework: Problem → Promise → Proof → Pitch

✅Why selling = serving (and why it’s ethical to charge for transformation)

✅How to ask for the sale multiple times without being pushy

✅How Mary Kay quit feeling icky about selling and built her billion dollar company & how you can follow her system

✅A 60-second elevator pitch exercise to sharpen your ask

Recommended Resources:

7-Day Webinar Action Plan

VIP Day: The Webinar Sales System: Create, Market & Sell Without the Stress

Show Notes:

How to Close the Sale Without the Icky Feeling

Hey everyone, Kerry Beck here with Family Ebiz, where we help you start and scale online businesses to find freedom in your life to do what you've been called to do.

We are talking about closing the sale. Most of you are like, I don't like selling. I love teaching, but I don't like selling. I like getting on an event or teaching. I get to that sales part at the end, and I just cringe up.

The Real Reason Entrepreneurs Struggle with Sales

You see, the number one reason entrepreneurs struggle to make sales isn't because their product isn't good. And it isn't even necessarily their marketing. It's that 30 seconds when they need to ask for the money. And it's hard.

I've been afraid in the past to let people know that I was selling something on the webinar. I do all this great teaching, and then I just fumble through the sales presentation. I just talk so quickly, let me just get it over, because they don't want to listen to it. Well, not really.

There is a whole mindset shift that you need to make so that you don't have that icky feeling when you get to the close. Or maybe you just didn't share it, because you didn't know if it would really change their life. You had that imposter syndrome. I'm often too worried about charging money, oh! And yet, again, God has helped me get past that, and that's my mindset shift.

By the end of this podcast episode, you will have some practical tools and a mindset shift to take that closing the sale to feel natural. And you won't feel that icky feeling, all right? I'm going to share why webinars have been my secret weapon for closing the sales and being able to scale my business as well.

Dale Carnegie's Sales Breakthrough

Now, I do want to start with a story. Dale Carnegie, who wrote the book, How to Win Friends and Influence People, he started as a failed farmer and a very unsuccessful salesperson. In the early 20s, his early 20s, he was so afraid of rejection that he would walk right past a potential customer. This is before online, obviously. He is face-to-face sales. He did not want to approach them.

But he had a big breakthrough. What happened? Mindset shift. He realized that selling was about solving their problem. It was not about convincing and trying to talk someone into buying something they didn't need.

That's the stigma of a used car salesman. My dad's a very successful salesman. He's 95 years old, he doesn't sell anymore, but he has often told my kids, you know what? If you could be a good salesman, you can do anything in life. And it's really true, because selling is not trying to get someone to buy something they don't need, or don't want. It is about solving their problem. A lot of it is about listening to them, paying attention to them.

So what is their problem? Do I have something that can help solve that problem? That is a good salesperson. That is when Dale Carnegie had some great breakthrough. He discovered that when he focused on understanding his customers' genuine needs first, that close was just natural. It was a helpful conversation to solve their problem, whatever their need was. It wasn't some interruption, and I gotta push through and go through it quickly. No, he had a mindset shift that shifted from selling to serving.

The Service Mindset: Selling is Helping

You've heard me say it a gazillion times. You serve before you sell. And that's what we're going to explore today. Selling is helping. Selling is serving. You're not taking their money, you're solving their problem.

This, again, this is a service mindset. If you truly believe your solution would help people, or... I mean, if someone had a solution for my problem, and let's just say I was trying to lose weight, and they're like, Kerry, I know this is going to work, but I'm not going to tell you, because it would cost you $10. That wouldn't be a very good friend.

If you truly believe your solution helps people, you are not selling. You are being selfish if you don't tell people about it. You are withholding good information from your audience, so serve before selling.

You need to realize, to give yourself permission, it is okay to make a profit. You are in business, you are not in a hobby. Well, some of you are in a hobby. It's ethical to be compensated for the transformation that you provide. You know, if you go to a gym and you hire a coach, you're gonna pay him. Because he's going to help you get a transformation in your life, just like you can help your audience find that transformation.

Why Webinars Work So Well

And this is exactly why, especially in an online business, webinars work so well. They let you demonstrate the value of what you teach and what you know and who you are before you ever ask for the sale. So you serve in a webinar before you sell.

The 4P Method: Problem, Promise, Proof, Pitch

I'm going to show you two different tactics. The first one is called the 4P, problem, promise, proof, pitch.

You are going to clearly look at their pain points and address their problem. You want to use their words. That's why we talk about validating, listening to your audience. So you're going to talk first about the problem. People buy on emotion, and they justify on logic.

Present your... so we're looking at the problem, and then you're going to go, okay, but you know what? Here's a good solution, and that solution is a bridge to that transformation. You want to be specific. This is your promise. Here's what I promise to do. I do this in my, Racing Leaders, Not Followers Masterclasses. By the end of this, you... here's what you will know. And so I show them that desired outcome, and I'm very specific in the transformation. And I focus on that after state, the benefits that they will get, not the features. Hey, you'll get 6 modules, I'll show up 3 times in the 9 weeks for some coaching. No, I'm going to show them that transformation.

So, problem, pain points, promise, what's your solution, how are you going to help them? Proof. This is where you provide evidence that your solution works. If you have client testimonials, use them. If you have case studies, use them. Or, if you don't, but you just have your own results because of the process that you've used, use that as well. Social proof builds confidence in their decision. Every time they hear about another person that has found success, they're like, oh, if that person can do it, oh, if that person saw that, oh! And so, the more you can give them proof, the more confidence and the more trust they have in your solution.

Problem, promise, proof, pitch. Did you see that? There are 3 things to do before you ever sell them anything. And this is a clear, specific offer, and it includes, here are your next steps. And I tell them, hey, you need to go in and click the link in the chat. You'd want to tell them exactly what to do, no friction in the buying process.

This is perfect for a webinar. You have 45 minutes to build trust before you ever pitch them. And you're not asking strangers to buy, you're asking people who have received massive value from whatever it is that you have taught. So... Problem, promise, proof, and pitch.

Thomas Watson's Multiple Ask Strategy

Next, this is tactic number two. This is IBM's Thomas Watson Sr. He teaches that you need to ask for the sale multiple times, not just one time. In fact, in the early 1900s, he would tell his salespeople, ask for the order 5 times in the presentation. I can... y'all are like, icky, icky, icky.

You know what? If it solves their problem, you need to ask, and that is something... it is said that a person needs to hear a sales pitch 7 times before anything that you want them to move in action, 7 times before they will take action. He's talking about 5 times. So, ask for the sale multiple times. That can be an email. It can be in a webinar, it could be in a Facebook Live. wherever.

So, how do we do this modern-wise, email sequence? First, you could give a direct pitch, then you might handle objections, you can offer different payment plans, you do need to create some sort of urgency and scarcity, and then a final call to action, and maybe send those emails out over a series of several days.

So, in my VIP webinar day, I am going to be giving you templates on how you can do these different emails, and you can just basically fill in the missing information, exactly how you can go into soft asks, like Thomas Watson, IBM man, 5 times. I'm going to show you different ways, so you can do something called a trial close in your webinar presentation.

Mary Kay Ash's Feel, Felt, Found Method

Alright, number 3, Mary Kay Ash. Mary Kay Cosmetics. She did not like selling. She started her empire in 1963 at age 45 with $5,000, and she felt icky asking for the sales. You notice a little thing. Who was it? Dale Carnegie. He didn't like rejection, but he also was afraid to tell people what he had. Mary Kay, she was terrible at closing the sale because she took the rejection personally.

One thing I learned in network marketing, you need to count your no's. How many people need to say no before you get a yes? And then you just focus on that until... because you know you're going to be getting yesses, say, every 10 times.

Well, Mary Kay's breakthrough came when she developed the feel, felt, found method for handling objections, and this is what she would say. I understand how you feel, and then she would tell it. Others have felt the same way, and maybe tell a story. But here's what they found when they tried it.

Pretty simple way. I just learned about this, and I think I am going to be using it in some of my, upcoming classes that I teach. This approach helped Mary Kay build a billion-dollar company and empowered thousands of women to become successful entrepreneurs.

All right, this validates that emotions, those feelings, and the way they feel, and others felt that way, too. That, we can take that and redirect it into a positive outcome. Making your close, making your pitch, your sale feel more collaborative rather than confrontational.

Your Action Steps This Week

You can use your sales page to do this in writing, you can use your webinar, you can use your emails. If you want to plan your webinar in 7 days, there's some stuff in there to help you with this. You can get our 7-day webinar action plan.

So, I would encourage you, whatever method you use. Practice your pitch out loud this week. Record yourself giving your pitch. You can practice the feel, felt, and found method with some common objections. Or you can role play with a family member. Time yourself and see if you can clearly communicate what your offer is in 60 seconds. It's an elevator pitch. Now, I wouldn't do that when I first meet someone, but you need to be able to know how to communicate that transformation in 60 seconds or less.

Three Key Takeaways

So, 3 historical lessons that we talked about. Dale Carnegie went from selling to serving. Selling is serving. It's not convincing. Two, Watson, persistent pace. Most sales happen after multiple asks. And most people give up after one ask, including some of us. 3. Mary Kay, she handled objections with empathy. Not arguments. How people were feeling.

So, this week, I'm going to challenge you. Reframe every sales conversation, every sales... actually, I would just pick one sales page. And work on that. And go and see if you are offering some sort of empathy, or are you offering the problem, the promise, the proof. Yeah, testimonials, and then the pitch. Look if you offer that in your sales page, or if you just tell a bunch of features.

Think about, how can I help these people make the best decisions for the situation? And your product isn't for everyone. My product, my mastermind isn't for everyone. My VIP day isn't for everyone, although I do think it's for anyone that wants to scale and make consistent income. Events drive sales. Sometimes, that means people do buy from you, and sometimes it doesn't. Both outcomes, you are serving your people.

Remember, people don't buy products or services. They buy a better version of themselves. They buy solutions to their problems. They want to see themselves become a better person, or their kids become a better person, or their family. Your job is not to convince them that what they need is what you're selling. Your job is to help them see that they're capable of a transformation that they are searching for, and you can walk with them and journey with them along the way.