Episode 104 | The Secrets to Successful Hiring Microsode

If you’re looking for creative ways to sell more without being salesy, building a strong brand reputation is the key. 

Laura Bell Main is the Co-Founder and CEO of SafeStack, an online education platform offering flexible, high-quality, and people-focused secure development training for fast-moving companies. She and her co-founder have built a brand reputation as global leaders in secure software. 

Laura is the co-author of Agile Application Security and Security for Everyone. Her work has been featured in international publications including WIRED and MIT Tech Review. She has presented at BlackHat USA and RenderATL, as well as leading international software development and cybersecurity conferences.

Transition From Service-Based to Product Business

Laura’s business began as a consultancy. The first few years of SafeStack were dedicated to validating their framework and serving high-growth companies. 

When Covid hit in 2020, those companies made drastic budget cuts and Laura and her co-founder started looking for creative ways to solve the same problems at a different price point. As the product side of the company took off, they decided to separate and sell the consultancy. 

Now leading a team of 12, Laura is CEO and also the head of sales and marketing–which looks completely different now than it did in their service-based model. 

Brand Marketing and Creative Sales Strategies

SafeStack’s target audience is software developers, who Laura says are resistant to traditional sales techniques. Instead, she and her co-founder have focused on building their brand reputation. Through speaking at conferences and high-quality content, they do as much as they can to build that reputation before starting a conversation with the customer.

Another effective strategy has been creating opportunities to speak with their customers one-on-one, whether that’s at an in-person event or interacting with them online. They use just enough automation to keep people moving forward through the sales process, but not so much that it feels impersonal.

Approaching the conversation with empathy is key. Laura starts by talking the customer through their frustrations, helping them identify their biggest challenges before presenting a solution. She always gives the customer plenty of opportunities to ask questions. 

After a customer starts using the product, Laura and her team are always on hand for support. They help leaders identify who’s engaging and who may need more encouragement. For SafeStack, it’s not just about adopting a new software but changing the entire team culture.

Enjoy this episode with founder and CEO Laura Bell Main…

Quotes

“I moved between some really exciting organizations, but what stayed the same was I was always really curious…I was always pressing buttons and saying, ’I wonder what happens if I do this?’”

“I don’t sit around for a long time and say ‘This is going to be very hard’ and stop.”

“Software takes an entire team of people and all of these roles to build, and all of those people need to be involved in keeping it secure.” 

“Culture change for a software is really difficult. We can’t change it on our own, but we can make it easy for a leader to grow a program so they can change it.”

“This is the year of getting out of my own way and caring a bit less about what other people think.”

“When do I invest in the company brand and its name and put myself behind that label versus when do I lead with my brand, and how can they support each other?”

Links mentioned in this episode:

Visit Laura’s website: https://www.laurabellmain.com/ 

SafeStack website: https://safestack.io/ 

Connect with Laura on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauradbell/

Ready to take your website strategy to the next level? 

Incorporate dynamic elements like a blog, podcast, or e-commerce store to drive strategic growth for your business.

Expanding your content creation efforts with a blog or podcast can be a powerful marketing tool, provided it reflects your passion and resonates with your audience.

Considering e-commerce integration? Imagine showcasing your products directly on your site, bypassing third-party platforms like Amazon. The potential for revenue generation and brand expansion through merchandise sales is enormous.

Dive into your website analytics to glean valuable insights into your audience's behavior and preferences. Use this knowledge to refine your marketing strategies for optimal results.

Join us for actionable advice and strategic insights on updating your website for business growth and brand development. Whatever your next step may be, let's navigate the path to success together…

Quotes

“You can't outsource your podcast in the way you can outsource your blog by having somebody ghost write for you.”

“We added the podcast several years into the business, it's a way really for me to come out from behind the business brand a little bit.”

 “The podcast was the modern day version of marketing our business a little bit more, while sharing the founding stories of really cool people.”

“We've been getting some great clients from our podcast. So it can certainly be a great business builder.”

“It really depends on what you're going to enjoy doing more as the creator or as the owner of the business. And also what you think is going to resonate more with your target audience.”

“I think you just have to have fun creating the content, you don't want to add one more thing to your plate unless it's really going to bring you joy.”

“The big advantage of having the shop live on your website and selling your own goods (versus having an affiliate shop, let's say through Amazon or another third party tool) is you can make more money.

From making cabinets in Northern California to helping women across the country build the kitchens of their dreams, Camille Fina knows what it takes to turn a brick-and-mortar shop into a successful online business.

Camille is a kitchen designer and cabinet maker with over 35 years of experience. Through her online program Kitchen Remodel Rockstar, she’s helped thousands of women learn how to talk to contractors, develop a detailed budget, and create a design plan for their dream kitchen. 

Camille is also the host of the Kitchen Sink Podcast and the creator of the Carpentry U Scholarship Fund. Every year, she donates $100,000 to women and girls who want to work in the trades. 

Know Your Customer

From day one in her cabinetry business, Camille knew exactly who she wanted to serve. While most cabinet makers work with builders and market to men, Camille decided to target women and sell direct-to-consumer. Specifically, she wanted to work with “regular families” – the ones who couldn’t afford to spend $75,000 on kitchen cabinets but still wanted the job done right. 

Camille zeroed in on $12-20k kitchen remodels, a sweet spot that was faster, easier, and more profitable than the larger projects her competitors took on. She developed a sales strategy that spoke to her target market and the business quickly took off.

Transitioning to an Online Business Model

As Camille’s 50th birthday approached, she felt it was time for a new adventure. She decided to launch a podcast to share what she’d learned from decades in the kitchen industry. The show was a success, and it wasn’t long before she had women contacting her from out of state for help with their kitchen remodels.

Since she was serving the same target audience, Camille applied the strategies that worked in her cabinetry business to the podcast. She used Facebook ads to drive traffic and started selling virtual kitchen design packages, helping clients plan, measure, and assemble their dream kitchen. 

And if they need cabinets as well, Camille proudly ships nationwide.

Enjoy this episode with entrepreneur Camille Fina…

Quotes

“Without customers, you don’t have a business. It’s that simple.”

“My marketing brain started thinking, ‘I wonder if I could design a kitchen for someone in Georgia.’ Could I apply the things I do in my regular world?”

“I wanted a way to be there digitally without being there physically.” 

“There were a lot of failures in there that didn’t work. But enough of it worked to keep me going.”

“Everything I’ve ever done in any business, I’m always trying to make an impact. I’m always trying to change the industry in some way–it’s personal to me. The kitchen design industry for me is personal, with women and empowerment and not getting taken advantage of.”

Links mentioned in this episode:

Visit Camille’s website: https://kitchenremodelrockstar.com/ 

Send Camille an email: camille_l@sbcglobal.net 

There is nothing more powerful than owning real estate on the internet superhighway

In today's digital age, a well-crafted website is not just an option but a necessity for modern entrepreneurship and brand development. It serves as the cornerstone of your online presence, offering a platform to showcase your offerings, engage with your audience, and drive business growth.

Understanding your target audience, maintaining professionalism, enhancing user experience, and implementing effective marketing strategies such as copywriting and lead generation are pivotal steps in crafting a compelling online presence.

While considering the costs associated with website hosting, development, and maintenance, it's crucial to recognize the long-term value of your website as a potent marketing tool.

Investing in a website isn't just an expense; it's an investment in the future success of your business.

Let's embark on the journey of unlocking the power of your online presence together…

Quotes:

"Your website is truly like your modern day business card."

"At minimum, you need at least a one page website."

"If you're selling a product, the first thing everybody does is Google that person or that thing and want to learn more about who is behind it."

"Your about section doesn't have to be your entire resume, but  you want to share enough to establish your credibility, your reputation, your know-how about the thing that you're doing or selling."

"You just want to make it super simple for people to take that next action."

"In the event that a website visitor is not quite ready to do business with you or purchase from you, but they are curious about you and just want to stay in touch and get to know you better, have an opt-in and a way to capture their email addresses."

"Sara Blakely, one of my favorite founders of all time, says ‘A website should be a central hub for your brand, an extension of your business that is available 24/7 worldwide.’ That is absolutely the truth. There is nothing more powerful than owning real estate on the internet superhighway."

If there’s a formula for becoming an industry leader, Sara Connell has cracked it. From struggling to make $20,000/year to six figures and now a multi-million dollar company, she’s sharing a behind-the-scenes look at her strategy–and how you can replicate her success.

Sara is a bestselling author and founder of Thought Leader Academy, where she helps coaches, writers, and entrepreneurs become published authors and in-demand speakers. She’s been featured on The Oprah Winfrey Show, Good Morning America, The View, FOX Chicago, NPR, and Katie Couric. 

Sara’s writing has appeared in The New York Times, Forbes, and Good Housekeeping. She’s the author of five books and has been nominated for a national book award and ELLE magazine Book of the Year.

The 5-Part Strategy for Thought Leadership

Sara’s 5-part strategy for thought leadership begins with writing a book. Being a published author is an instant credibility boost, regardless of your industry. After the book is written, then it’s time to craft a signature talk. Sara helps many of her clients become TEDx speakers and monetize their speaking for additional income.

The next step is community building–growing an engaged audience around your book and speaking topic. That’s followed by the transformation phase, or as Sara calls it, “monetizing the mission.” In this stage, she helps her clients increase their prices and transition from one-on-one client work to a one-to-many model. 

The last and most important part of the strategy is leadership. Sara offers mindset support to help her clients embody their identity as a leader. 
 
The 3S Framework

To create compelling thought leadership content, Sara recommends using the 3S Framework:

• Story: Your origin story and the reason why you’re doing this work.
• Situation: A statistic, study, or fact that demonstrates the current situation. This should include stakes (or what will happen if the situation doesn’t change).
• Solution: How you’re going to solve the problem.

Enjoy this episode with founder and bestselling author Sara Connell…

Quotes

“I prioritize mindset and faith above everything. To me, if I have to choose between strategy and the mindset work, that’s where it all happens. That’s where all the magic happens because that’s the identity–when we step into the greater version of ourselves.”

“Everyday I woke up and said, ‘What does the 7-figure CEO do?’”

“It’s about leading a movement. The book is a piece and a portal to your movement, to attract clients, to open doors for speaking engagements and the media…but ultimately you’re leading a movement.”

“So many people want to do a book to tell their story and they’ll write a great book, but it doesn’t give them the book outcomes they want. So we start with the outcomes…and reverse engineer the outcome.”

“Instead of informational content, we coach people on how to create transformational content.”

“The average American adult has an attention span of 2.9 seconds. So if our content doesn’t magnetize someone within 2.9 seconds, they’re moving on.”

Links mentioned in this episode:

Visit Sara’s website: https://www.saraconnell.com/

Connect with Sara Connell on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/saraconnellauthor/ 

Send a DM on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/saraconnell/ 

Bestselling Book Bootcamp: https://www.saraconnell.com/bestselling-book-intensive 

Crisis is inevitable, touching every aspect of life. Yet, it's how we face it—with empathy, support, and teamwork—that truly matters.

Within your team, it’s important to balance short-term crisis management with long-term organizational stability, which means you need to build a supportive and understanding workplace culture.

It’s important to extend the same support and empathy to clients during their crises, reinforcing your company's ethos and adding personalized connection.

Then, you need personal coping mechanisms during a crisis. What’s really helped me is that I feel very called to my work and it’s such a personal outlet in turbulent times.

Life is full of peaks and valleys - make sure you maintain perspective and resilience.

Quotes

“It's a roller coaster, and just ride it, you're going to be scared s***less sometimes, and you're going to be super happy other times. And you have to just remember that when you are in that low point that there will be a high point.”

“Work has always been an outlet, like a very positive outlet for me, because I feel like my work is really a vocation more than it is a job.”

“Whenever there's a valley, there's always a peak.”

“The more we close ourselves off to hurt, the less likely we are to also experience those high highs because I think those two extremes are actually very much connected to one another”

“I have just had a very deep belief that everything happens for a reason in life, the good or the bad. Typically, there is a positive outcome at the end. It might be a while, but there is.”

What if you could get paid to grow your email list?

According to Adrienne Hill, hosting a virtual summit is one of the best ways to expand your network and add new email subscribers–all without spending a dollar on ads.

Adrienne is a Project Manager with experience managing multi-million dollar launches for Fortune 500 companies. As the Founder and CEO of Build A Life By Design, she’s channeled her corporate expertise into building her own brand and helping other entrepreneurs thrive online. Through her courses, coaching programs, and done-for-you services, Adrienne helps entrepreneurs activate Social Media Sales Machines so they can scale their business to 6-figures and beyond.

Why Summits?

With her background in project management, Adrienne viewed summits as the simplest way to launch her business. Instead of relying on one person (herself) to get everything done, she realized she could leverage a large group of people to create something even more powerful.

In her first summit, Adrienne brought together 20 contributors to share their expertise through an interview series. As the host, everyone who signed up for the free event went straight to her email list. She was able to grow her inbox by 1,000 people in just two weeks. The other contributors also walked away happy, having grown their list by dozens or even hundreds.

Adrienne begins planning her summits three months in advance–but once the planning stage is over, promotion is surprisingly easy. With 20 contributors all required to promote the event to their audience, you have the opportunity to reach thousands of new people.

Use a Summit to Fuel Your Live Launch

A core part of Adrienne’s summit strategy is the VIP ticket: a low-cost offer for attendees to upgrade their tickets and enjoy more summit resources. This keeps the event profitable and allows her to make anywhere between $10-94k on each summit. She then puts a portion of that revenue away to spend on ads during her next live launch.

Adrienne has found her sweet spot to be hosting four summits a year. In between those events, she runs paid ad campaigns to continue growing her email list. Then when it comes time to launch, her list is full of warm leads.

Enjoy this episode with CEO Adrienne Hill…

Quotes

“To me, the art of sales is learning to put someone else’s needs above your own.” 

“People who are okay with the status quo and they like having a job with the nine-to-five security and all that stuff, they think entrepreneurs are right out of their minds…we’re comfortable with a level of risk they would never be.”

“The thing about summits is people either don’t know they exist at all or they’re highly misunderstood…but just like any business strategy, if you execute it well you’re going to get great results.”

“I don’t want to sit there and hustle myself to death on social media and hope something sticks.”

“It’s a great business-building tool and it’s also a great networking tool.”

“You never need to run ads to a summit. It’s 100% organic, 100% free, zero ad spend. That’s one of the things I love about it.”

“In the entrepreneurial world, every time you have a failure, every time a lesson comes in or something falls apart, you grab those learning moments and treasure them. Because that’s exactly what you need to improve your performance.”

Links mentioned in this episode:

Claim your virtual workshop seat: https://www.socialsalesmachine.com/VLL_free

Visit Adrienne’s website: https://www.buildalifebydesign.com/ 

Connect with Adrienne on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adrienne-hill-coaching

"Technology is an amazing enabler; it is people who are the key to success in distributed work."” -Sheryl Sandberg, Former COO of Meta

Ever envisioned leading your team effortlessly while sporting cozy slippers? Rachel Gogos turned this dream into reality when she founded The brandiD from the comfort of her home in 2007.
Embark on Rachel's inspiring journey into remote work, a legacy spanning 17 years. The brandiD has seamlessly navigated the recent surge in remote work, emerging as a leader in the field. Here's your chance to delve into the intricacies of remote team management:
🌎 The benefits of a global reach
⏰ The challenges of team members in different time zones
👔  Maintaining work-life balance even with the always-on feeling
🔧 The essential tools for remote work success 

Join us in embracing the future of team management. Elevate your skills, foster global collaboration, and revolutionize your remote work experience.

Quotes

"The beauty of working remotely is depending on what your role is in the company, you can almost work at any time of the day when it fits your schedule."

"Building culture with a remote team is a challenge in building relationships. Close work relationships amongst people is a challenge with a remote team because you don't actually get to connect in person."

When it comes to growing your business, simplicity is key. To make more money, you don’t necessarily need to add more products–you just need to make better use of what you already have.

Tim Calise is an entrepreneur, investor, consultant, and podcast host who helps service business owners uncover the profits hidden inside their existing businesses. By the age of 25, Tim raised over $325 million for his investment company before moving on to building a 7-figure tech-enabled fitness business with his wife. 

Tim was one of the four executive team members at GymLaunch alongside Alex and Leila Hormozi, where he oversaw the development and launch of ALAN, a machine learning SaaS company. Currently, Tim helps make founders' dreams come true by implementing his Product to Profit™ Framework.

Transferring Skills from Other Industries

Tim is a big believer in what he calls talent stacking–taking his previous experiences and applying them to a new industry or problem. Launching a side business in college helped him develop his pricing and pitching skills. Working in hedge funds gave him the business and finance expertise he needed to open his first gym alongside his wife. 

From there, it was an easy jump to working with GymLaunch, where Tim’s experience nurturing leads put him in the ideal position to launch the ALAN software. After exiting from ALAN, Tim moved on to a new problem he could solve: helping service businesses create recurring revenue.

The Product to Profit™ Framework

The goal behind GymLaunch was to help gym owners make more money. One of the main problems that Tim kept running was poor profit margins–or what he called the “pay and pray strategy”. Most gym owners were spending $50+ to acquire a new customer, but the industry standard of free trials meant it took a long time to make that money back.

Tim came up with a new model where business owners use paid products and offers to get back their acquisition dollars at the time of purchase. For example, if your customer acquisition cost is $50 then your entry-level offer should be at least $100. The key is to use existing offers (like turning an onboarding program into a paid course) rather than reinventing the wheel.

Today Tim uses the same framework to help service-based businesses across dozens of industries generate more revenue and increase their profitability. 

Enjoy this episode with entrepreneur Tim Calise…

Quotes

“The core principle was we were our customer. We saw a problem, we solved it, and within 24 hours we had that business launched.”

“So many of us get into business from a delivery perspective. Take fitness, for example–so many personal trainers become gym owners. They’re really good at the service, but most of them have no idea how to run a business…I would say ‘What are your gross margins?’ to a gym owner and their eyes would glaze over.”

“I found peace in being a mentor and a coach, which was unexpected.”

“I’ve moved from me doing the execution to building a community of people who identify with the way I think and my perspective on the world, which is ‘How do we get to where we want to go without selling our souls in the process?’”

“When you have concentrations of revenue–either around a single product or customer–that is a risk to an investor.”

“We take the best stuff and bring it on the front end, and then we demonstrate or document behind-the-scenes, case studies, things like that, to show you what it’s like to be a customer before you pay us a dollar.”

“People resonate with confidence, clarity, and insight, and that’s what I’ve spent the last 20 years building and now it’s a matter of packaging and putting it in the right place.”

Links mentioned in this episode:

Visit Tim’s Website: https://timcalise.com/ 

Connect with Tim on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tcalise/ 

You want to make your audience the hero of your website.

 

In this microsode, I delve into the world of personal branding and web strategy. Join Christy and me as we explore the importance of crafting a compelling narrative about yourself to enhance your credibility and reputation.

Key Points:

1. Audience-Centric Website Design: A website serves as a critical element in personal branding, acting as a virtual storefront where potential clients assess professionalism and credibility. Learn how to tailor your website to resonate with your potential clients and make them feel seen and understood.

2. Strategic Positioning: Effective personal branding involves positioning oneself as an expert in their field, communicating their value proposition clearly, and identifying target audiences for maximum impact.

3. Clarity in Communication: You may struggle to articulate your skills and offerings concisely, leading to a lack of confidence and clarity in your personal branding efforts. Your website serves as a powerful tool to communicate that message. Discover the importance of showcasing your authentic self and how to strategically position yourself to attract and engage your target audience.

4. Crafting Compelling Bios: Dive into the art of crafting a bio that goes beyond a simple narrative or resume. Learn how to unearth intriguing tidbits from your life story and weave them into a compelling narrative that enhances your credibility and builds trust with potential clients.

5. Social Media Amplification: Leveraging social media platforms strategically can enhance personal branding efforts, providing opportunities to showcase thought leadership, build relationships, and increase visibility.

Mastering the communication of your personal brand through your online presence is essential for establishing credibility, building trust, and attracting your ideal clients. Learn how your personal brand can boost your web presence in today’s microsode…