Client Case Studies

*From Burned Out To Balanced: A Client Case Study*

If revenue is your ONLY business goal…I hate to tell you but it’s not as great as you think.

Don’t get me wrong revenue IS important!  We have operating and team expenses AND we want/need to get paid for our services.

But if you think more money is going to make you happier, study after study is there to prove that wrong.

That’s what I want to showcase in my client case study.  Feeling excited and on fire in your business is what sustains your business for the long term!

I use my framework: Mindset-Strategy-Organize-Implement in unique ways with each client.  There is no one-size-fits all or ‘secret’ template to slap onto your business.

Let’s dig into this case study and why it’s so juicy to support you on YOUR journey!

Result:

After 4 years in business and trying all the things…my client was burned out.  We started working together in year 3 of her business. 

Her revenue went from $28k in year 1 to $128k in year 4!  Which is amazing and sexy and all the fun things but she was not enjoying her business.

On the outside…things looked good…she had tons of followers and engagement.  But this was not sustainable…she wasn’t spending time with her family and felt like she was having a mental breakdown.  

Our work together was focused on what SHE wanted and what fit her life.  Instead of her marketing and business defining her life and schedule she got super intentional and flipped the script.  Her revenue went up despite the fact that her content strategy went on auto-pilot.  This created SUCH a feeling of peace for her AND more connection with her family because she could actually focus on them!

Mindset:  The client felt that if she wasn’t on social *constantly* her business would fail.  She felt that each post needed to exceed the last one and that each reel had to be funnier or wittier than the previous one.  I am SO proud of how far she’s come- she now has a more relaxed relationship with social and feels more confident in her content.

Strategy:  Even though she was posting constantly she had ZERO strategy around it.  She just relied on ‘inspiration’ and hoped that it wouldn’t run out!  We got super clear on the categories and themes for each day and even detailed what type of post it would be (static vs reel).

Organize: She was constantly in ‘creation mode’ for social media.  She didn’t have a good system for organizing content as her ‘inventory’ or repurposing it.  She was the one creating the copy, making the graphics, posting in multiple places, and doing it every single day.  She was sooo burned out.  Her content creation took up 80% of her time.  We created a plan for her to get ahead of her content creation and made a system she could pass off to someone else.

Implement: Getting organized and on top of social content is no small fete!  Especially in the beginning when she was creating current content AND trying to get two weeks of content written in advance to one day hand off to a VA.  I am SO proud of how she has stayed in the ‘messy middle’ and allowed herself to try new things.  She has tested and tweaked different platforms and leaned into what works for her!

Takeaways: 

1. Set yourself up for the long game!  I always say, “consistency over intensity” especially in content marketing.  I want to inspire you NOT to try to be the outlier with the viral post…but to instead…build trust with your audience.  Show them that you deliver quality content on a consistent basis (whatever that looks like for you)!  
2. Don’t be afraid to do something different than ‘you’ve always done it’.  Yes it may be messy and hard in the beginning…but having a coach alongside you to see the vision through is SO powerful!  How often do people stop because it’s hard?  ALOT!  Don’t let that be you…get support if you need it!
3. If things look ‘great’ on the outside but don’t feel good on the inside…it’s okay to shake things up!  Don’t feel like you have to keep doing something because so many people would ‘love to be in your shoes’!

I love sharing these stories…they may not be the same problem you have in your business but you can still apply my mindset-strategy-organize-implement framework!  The goal is to see what your business needs from YOU and get the right support for that!

*From A Dream To $331k Of Revenue*

So many business owners think they need to be at a certain point in business before they get support.

This client hired me THREE months before they opened their doors.

So if you think you need a certain $ of revenue or client load BEFORE you hire support… think again!

That’s what I want to showcase in my client case study.  Hiring me right out of the gate was what supported this client to create multi-six-figures in their FIRST year of business!

I use my framework: Mindset-Strategy-Organize-Implement in unique ways with each client.  There is no one-size-fits all or ‘secret’ template to slap onto your business.

Let’s dig into this case study and why it’s so juicy to support you on YOUR journey!

Result:

It was years in the making….before they even hired me this client had a long road they had traveled.  It was a brick-and-mortar location that needed lots of leasehold improvements before it could open.  Once the logistics were in place, they hired me before they even had revenue coming in the door.

They were overwhelmed with everything that goes into starting a business.  Today they feel so peaceful around their systems and processes.  They created $331k in that first year.  Trust me…it feels so scary to pay someone for support when you have zero dollars coming into the door but these clients say it was the best investment they made!

Mindset:  They felt overwhelmed.  In addition to starting a business they have two young girls…like really young..one is a baby!  They knew there were so many types of professionals they could hire but liked my combination of left-brained and “woo” to support them.  They knew the other ‘analytical types’ could show them numbers but couldn’t help them get more booties in the door.  They knew the marketing companies could get more eyes on their content but couldn’t support them to know their numbers were correct!  Basically, they got a couple of different professionals in one when they hired me!

Strategy:  We worked together to get the back end of their business setup so it was running like a well-oiled machine from day one.  Initially, they hired a marketing company for the grand opening.  After the grand opening, we created an organic marketing plan.  They knew their content topics each day, where and when they were selling, and they had my eyes and feedback on their posts.  When I saw something that could be tweaked and an opportunity to speak to the problem they solved…I spoke up!  As we worked together, the organic marketing piece got easier and became an integrated piece of their day.

Organize:  Since I had the accounting know-how, I was an integral part of setting up their POS and working with the rep to make sure the system worked properly for their specific needs.  

We worked to create spreadsheets for each item they crafted and sold so they knew the exact direct costs and overhead costs associated with it.  This helped them to determine pricing and to see which items were the most profitable.  This spreadsheet is a living breathing document that grow with them and the products they create. 

We worked together on staffing and schedules to see when the most support was needed and how to make the team hours count toward creating more revenue.

We worked on revenue and expense projections and calculated daily overhead rates each month.  This was their basis for calculating revenue/cash needed to support all the daily expenses.

Implement:  I’m not going to say they implemented their organic marketing strategy right off the bat!  That was actually NOT the case at all.  They are more on the introverted side and really wanted to make a product that ‘sold itself’.  Unfortunately, a product can’t sell itself if people don’t know about it!  I supported them to get visible online as well as build relationships through the emails they collected when people purchased.  They quickly learned the numbers and metrics we looked at each month in QBO.  We also pinpointed online data that we wanted to follow and track.

Takeaways: 

1. Don’t feel like you need to wait until you’re at a certain point in business to get support!  If this client had not gotten support, there are so many areas that could have been terribly wrong and ended up costing them lots of $$$$ later on!  
2. Digging into your costs and overhead is wildly helpful when creating revenue projections!  It takes a little thought and organization but helps you know how much cash you need vs how much cash you want.  BOTH are good but you’ve got to know what it takes to keep the lights on!
3. An organic marketing strategy does not have to be complicated!  This client kept theirs to two platforms.  They didn’t do any crazy dancing or pointing reels…they showed their authentic selves and people loved it!

I love sharing these stories…they may not be the same problem you have in your business but you can still apply my mindset-strategy-organize-implement framework!  The goal is to see what your business needs from YOU and get the right support for that!

**Closing Down A $97k A Year Revenue Stream ON PURPOSE**

(and feeling da** good about it)

So many business owners feel like they can’t say “No” to money.

Not only did this client say “No” to money…she closed down a very profitable piece of her business.  On paper…it checked all the boxes.  Energetically, she felt trapped and stressed out about it.

That’s what I want to showcase in my client case study.  There’s no “right” way to run a business.  Listening to YOUR voice and intuition is the key.

I use my framework: Mindset-Strategy-Organize-Implement in unique ways with each client.  There is no one-size-fits all or ‘secret’ template to slap onto your business.

Let’s dig into this case study and why it’s so juicy to support you on YOUR journey!

Result:

We started working together 1:1 when this client already had a multi-six-figure business.  She had grown COVID when so many of her peers were floundering!  She had added new offers and they were SO profitable!

However…she had a feeling of anxiety about this revenue stream.  It was wildly out of her hands.  If something ‘hit the fan’ there was no way she could jump in and take over.  She was losing sleep and felt very out of control with a piece of her business.

At the end of the day…she closed down the revenue stream!  It was bringing in $98k annually but it was energetically depleting her.  With the information she had at her fingertips she knew the exact effect closing this revenue stream would have on her business.  

When she shut it down there were no surprises on her P&L and she knew what the $ repercussions would be.

Mindset: I am SO blown away by this client’s mindset.  She trusted herself and her business to tell her what they needed.  She was in tune with herself to see how this revenue stream affected her in business and in her personal life.  So many people are scared to ‘turn down money’.  She knew that closing this revenue stream would actually open her up for MORE money because the way she was making it would be aligned.

Strategy: The first step was to get her accurate data.  She needed to know the revenue and expenses associated with this revenue stream.  If she was going to close it she wanted accurate numbers at her fingertips.  She is a very intuitive person AND knows she’s running a business and wanted the data.

Organized: This was a QuickBooksOnline (QBO) and spreadsheet (SS) project.  We were able to tag direct expenses in QBO to that specific line of revenue.  We created a SS to drop in the revenue number from that specific revenue stream from her POS system.  For indirect costs related to the revenue stream, we pulled them into the SS and calculated the % allocated to the revenue stream.  She was able to look at our SS and see 1) the revenue it generated 2) the expenses allocated to it and 3) the net profit the revenue stream brought in. 

Implement:  She was blown away by the net profit number that the revenue stream brought in!  She had NO idea it was that profitable.  Even knowing that…she felt confident that closing it was the right decision.  She was able to take the net profit of closing that down and see how it would affect her overall net profit.  

Takeaways:

1. You do you in your business BUT have the data to back it up and know how it will affect your business.  Make decisions from an informed neutral place…not a frantic and reactive place.  Having a neutral 3rd party (me) was so helpful for her to take the data, take her intuition and have a safe place to play around with her ideas.
2. Your business gets to look how YOU want it to look.  Your offers don’t need to be built on what ‘experts’ in your industry say you need to do.  Or how other businesses like your ‘scale’.  YOU are the visionary in your business.
3. Know what you want!  This is so important and piggybacks off the previous takeaway….sometimes we get so focused on what we ‘should’ do or what a ‘successful’ business looks like that we forget what WE actually want.    If you’ve found yourself looking around and asking, “How did I get here?” take a moment and reassess.

I love sharing these stories…her problem may not be the *exact* problem you have in your business but you can still apply my mindset-strategy-organize-implement framework!  The goal is to see what your business needs from YOU and get the right support for that!