Attention corporate escapees and aspiring entrepreneurs: are you ready to build a thriving, balanced business that aligns with your values and fuels your passion? As an entrepreneur, you've traded the corporate grind for the freedom to forge your own path. But let’s face it: building a successful, sustainable business isn't always easy. The road ahead is filled with challenges, from generating consistent leads to avoiding burnout.

Join us as business growth strategist Deb Boulanger shares her proven strategies for transitioning from employee to CEO. Learn how to create a scalable, six-figure sales system that combines automation and authentic human connection - without sacrificing your health or time. Deb's insights will empower you to close high-value clients, boost your revenue, and build the purposeful, fulfilling business of your dreams.

Find out Deb's secrets for standing out in a crowded market, generating consistent leads, and having sales conversations that convert - all while prioritizing your personal well-being. Get ready to say goodbye to burnout and hello to the balanced, profitable business you deserve!

Key Takeaways in this Episode:

• Leverage automation and AI to streamline your sales process without losing the human touch.
• Develop a visibility strategy that positions you as a trusted authority and attracts your ideal clients.
• Implement practices and habits to maintain your energy, focus, and fulfillment as your business grows.
• Avoid the common pitfalls of splitting your attention and overemphasizing social media.
• Prioritize building authentic, value-driven sales conversations that convert without feeling pushy.
• Establish a consistent lead-generation process that keeps your pipeline full without constant input.
• Balance your growth ambition with personal well-being to prevent burnout and maintain a purposeful life.
• Understand your core values and align your business practices to ensure long-term fulfillment.

“The truth is entrepreneurship, especially among women has increased exponentially. But, 30% of the 36% of women who left corporate in the great breakup are going back to corporate because they couldn't make it work, and the overwhelm and the stress were just too much. So be visible. Connect with the right people. Create content that they find valuable and useful, and then you invite them into conversation… then extending the invitation to work together” - Deb Boulanger

About our Guest: 

Deb Boulanger is a business growth strategist and founder of The Launch Lab for Women Entrepreneurs, where she helps successful women leaders transition from corporate careers to entrepreneurship. With a focus on replacing six-figure salaries and building thriving businesses, Deb teaches women how to package and price their services, stand out in competitive markets, and avoid burnout. Her mission is to empower women to take control of their careers, earn more while working less, and live a balanced, purposeful life. Through her podcast, Life After Corporate, Deb amplifies the voices of women entrepreneurs and provides the practical strategies they need to succeed.

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Connect with Patty:

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Hello everyone, and welcome to this week's episode of The Marketing, Media and Money Podcast. I'm really excited today because we're going to talk about a subject that I really love. Because what if you could scale your business with a six figure sales system that generates consistent leads and revenue without sacrificing your health or type, and we're going to discover how combining automating processes with authentic human connection can transform your business into a profitable, balanced powerhouse that truly aligns with your values. And I have to tell you, I am really excited because person we're having on today, and this is her wheelhouse, and she walks her talk, and she's going to share some really good stuff with us, because really honestly, this is something that, if your zone of genius is here, we're not always worrying about how to automate and what the processes are. We're focusing a lot more on serving our clients. But what if we could do both? What if we could have both? What would that do to our bottom line? So let me tell you a little bit about her. So Deb gulinger is a business growth strategist and the founder of the launch lab for women entrepreneurs, where she helps successful women leaders transition from corporate careers to entrepreneurship with a focus on replacing six figure salaries and building thriving businesses, den teaches women how to package and price their services stand out in competitive markets and avoid burnout, and her mission is to empower women to take control of their careers, earn more While working less, and live a balanced, purposeful life. And through her podcast, life after corporate, Deb amplifies the voices of women entrepreneurs and provides the practical strategies they need to succeed. So thank you so much Deb for being here with me today. I am going to love this conversation, and I know my audience is going to too.

Thank you so much, Patty. I'm honored to be on your show, so start studying.

So, let's just dive right in, you know, so you help women transition from corporate careers to entrepreneurship. But what would you say are the biggest mindset shifts they need to make to confidently move from employee to CEO, especially when they're facing the challenges of building something from the ground up.

Yeah, so many corporate women leaders have deep expertise in a subject matter that they built an entire career on. But then when you transition from corporate to entrepreneurship, whether you're an executive coach, leadership coach, or consultant of any flavor, getting business and getting clients is the number one challenge. So some people are lucky, they have warm leads, or maybe it's the former employer who's their very first client, and they bring them on for a project that's rare these days. More often than not, you have to very quickly establish a position in the market what you want to be known for, identify that value proposition that's really going to have demand, and start getting out there with a visibility plan that attracts new clients to you.

And I think sometimes what happens is they think, Oh, I am so ready, because I've been very, very successful in my field. I think sometimes what they forget is, you may be very successful at corporate, but the reality is, you're still doing what somebody else has already created and is telling you to do, right, you know? So you might be really, really good at it, but when you transition to entrepreneurship, well, now you're kind of the CEO, and you know, the buck stops with you. So I think that sometimes that can be a little tougher. And one of the things that I love that you talk about is transforming scattered sales and marketing efforts into a cohesive system. I love it when you talk about this. So could you walk us through the essential steps for creating a six figure sales system that's both scalable and sustainable? Yeah, and

I do want to acknowledge what you just said is that there is an identity shift. You know, the first step is detoxing from that corporate environment identity, identifying that coming from corporate to entrepreneurship, where you had all the confidence in the world, or at least, learn to show up confident in the corporate world, whether you felt it or not, there's not a lot of confidence in this New area. So it everything is going to feel overwhelming, so just be prepared for that. But like you said, Patty, what I like to do is net it down to a few simple things so you don't have to do all the things. There are just four things that you really need to master. So once you have gone through the process of i. Identifying who the ideal client is, who wants to really purchase your services, who you're here uniquely, to support, to help, to help them transition from wherever they are to where they want to be. Then there's a visibility strategy that you need to put into place. You need to connect with the right people. So we need to find out, where are they hanging out, where are they gathering, online and offline, and how can you show up and be in service to that community of executives, leaders, entrepreneurs, whoever that is that you serve. And you know you do this masterfully, Patty as well. You know there's a visibility strategy. You're speaking on other people's platforms, you're creating a marketing messaging strategy that helps you stand out from everyone else. Because the truth is, entrepreneurship, especially with women, has increased exponentially, but 30% of the 36% of women who left corporate in the great breakup are going back to corporate because they couldn't make it work, and the overwhelm and the stress was just too much. So be visible. Connect with the right people. Create content that they find valuable and useful, and then you invite them into conversation. Now whether that you're speaking on stages, offering webinars, workshops, how are you engaging your audience and conversation and then extending the invitation to work together so the the visibility plan is really the four C's, connect, create great content, have a conversation, and then convert those who are ready into being clients who are ready to work with you.

That's really brilliant, too. Because I think a lot of times when someone leaves corporate, where they've been hanging out, as you say, is by the water cooler, right? You know, I mean, they're hanging out by the water cooler. That's where a lot of information, which, whether it's accurate information or not right, gets exchanged. And it's totally different when you have to go out there and do lead generation, which can be a major time dream. What do you think are some effective strategies to establish a consistent lead generation process that doesn't really require constant input, but keeps their pipeline full, because that's what they're really used to, right? You know that this was what they were doing, and they had them, and they were told what strategies to use, but now they sort of have to do it for themselves, and I think that could be really tough.

Right, right? You don't have a sales force, right? So you are sales, your sales, your marketing, your product fulfillment, your product development, client service, all of the things initially, you need to do it yourself in order to find out what's working. So in our mastermind programs. We have something called the morning Power Hour, and that is connecting with people in your networks. It could be people on LinkedIn who match your ideal client profile. It could be industry associations, professional networks that your clients belong to. And when you're a member of those networks, you have a member directory that is available to you. But are you reaching out? Are you connecting with those people? Are you having those conversations? So if you dedicate an hour every day to making 10 new connections, then you'll find that you have your calendar booked with conversations with people who probably can either introduce you to someone who can refer you, or maybe who have a direct need for what you offer.

And I think that's really the name of the game, right? Because I think a lot of times, and I see this a lot with entrepreneurs, you know, they're spending a lot of time having calls, but they're not really intentional, they're not really productive. And I think that's why a lot of times entrepreneurs experience those inconsistent revenue spikes, you know. So what would you say? Would you recommend just kind of smooth out the peaks and valleys and create more of a predictable, steady income?

Yeah. So we have something called the revenue calculator, which is a tool I'm happy to give to your audience as well. It's very straightforward. When you input your revenue goal and the prices, the average price of your service offerings, if you're a consultant, there may be a range. If you're a coach, typically, you have packaged offerings and where you want that revenue to come from based on your own capacity, right? So as as consultants or coaches, you can't do everything bespoke. You can't work with people one on one. You'll cap out your time. You'll cap out your revenue. So where you have leverage in your business is where you want to focus the majority of your revenue. And then calculate what is your. Sales close ratio. How many conversations are you having with people before someone says yes to becoming a client? It could be 50% of the time, 30% of the time, 20% or 10 when you're first getting started, and that will tell you exactly how many qualified conversations you need to have on your calendar every single week. Once you do that, the mystery is solved. You know, you need to have five conversations per week with qualified people, and to do that requires that you amplify your visibility, and it's really hard if you're going after people, one on one, searching through LinkedIn or the member directories. And I have what I call my cheers strategy of lead generation, and that's being in front of the room, right? So Patty you and I both did this. Couple weeks ago. We were at a conference. We're both speakers. When you're in front of the room, it is the most powerful lead generation strategy, because everyone wants to connect with you. You just poured into the audience and gave them a lot of value. So you established your expertise as a thought leader, and everyone wants to follow up with you in a one on one conversation. Now not everyone's going to close, but being consistent with showing up on opps, which is other people's platforms, is the fastest way to scoop up audiences, convert a good portion of those people onto your email list and also invite them to have a conversation. And you've probably heard this statistic from Daniel Priestley that people, on average, need to spend about seven hours with you before they make a decision to purchase. And so the more you can expose yourself to the same audience over and over again, the more likely they are to raise their hand and say, hey, you know I I really love the way you position things. I love the way you make it so clear for me, what would it be like to work together?

And I think that's really important. And going back to speaking from the front of the room, right? I think it is really key, because you're right. They may not always be ready to hire you, right, but they can be ready when they just heard you and got to experience you and the value that you bring I have to tell you when you were talking earlier about what is your close ratio, right? So you know how many conversations you have to have. I feel like, from a speaking point of view, that is so true too, because I know, for me, on an average, every time I speak, I get at least five more speaking engagements. But I think it's because I asked for them. Because I think a lot of times, you know, like you and I were at that conference, and people, for the whole four days we were there, were like, Oh my gosh, that was so amazing and stuff. And literally, my very nipped statement was, Well, who do you know that has an organization that would love to have me share it with their audience and I and they kind of get this glazed looks. Sometimes, if they're not speakers, if they're speakers, they totally get it, right? Yeah, they're not speakers. They're like, Oh, I hadn't really thought of that. And then all of a sudden, like, Oh, I could introduce you to this person or that person, and it's kind of an easy ask, because you're not asking them to book you, you're just asking them to do an introduction. But when they introduce you, they're doing it right off of feeling like they experienced you and they had that value. So I kind of feel like that's an also another ratio that I think is very, very important. And you know, I heard you when you were fabulous.

I know, I wish our our sessions didn't overlap so much. I wanted to spend more time with you, but I I got to do that last and then, you know, we got to spend some time over dinner, which was great fun, over tapas that were just incredible and cheap, and in Denver, so that was fun. But yeah, speaking engagements are number one. And also, you know what we're doing, here you were on my show, I'm on your show, podcast swaps, getting on shows with people who share your ideal client audience but offer something different and complimentary to your your audience, and being a super connector. I mean, it is also the law of reciprocity. When you meet someone and you get value from them. You know, what channels can you share with them? How can you amplify their voice? And so I think also, you know, I'm going to go back to LinkedIn a little bit, because what we're doing on LinkedIn, and our philosophy of LinkedIn, is we're creating a community we consider our connections and our followers, members of our community and we do have a separate life after corporate community on LinkedIn as well, for people who have been through our webinars and five day master classes, but when you have that sense of community, then you're not only talking to them. You're also helping them amplify their voices within your community. So whenever you comment, share, you know, engage with other people's content. So I think it's about being a good social citizen online as well, that people will start recognizing you that you're not there just to pitch them. You're really there to be supportive of them and their mission.

I think that is really important, and that's really kind of where in the engagement comes, right, rather than just posting and worrying about vanity metrics, right? So it doesn't matter how many likes you really have, but how did people really engage with your content? And I know one of the things I've heard you say is that you emphasize the need for Category dominating content, which I think I've never quite heard it put exactly like that before, and I really like that. So what types of content are most effective for entrepreneurs that are trying to stand out in a crowded market, and what's the best approach for creating it consistently? Yeah, so

I think it comes down to what you want to be known for. And so having a number one is having a clear vision. What do you want to be known for? So I want to be known for helping to close the revenue gap with women entrepreneurs. So women are earning 30 cents to the dollar. So that's something that I will always put forward in my messaging, that I'm here to close the revenue gap. Because people don't connect with what you do, they connect with why you do it right. And then the category dominating content is when you can take a situation, whether it's a mindset or a belief or a practice that people have that's really not serving them, and you can flip it on its edge and show them there's a different way of thinking about it. So let me give you an example. They'll bring that home. So most women entrepreneurs, when they think about pricing their services, the question they ask is, What am I worth? Right? So I'll say No one's buying your self worth, you know. Or if they say, What should I charge for an hour of my time? I'll say, No one's buying an hour of your time. They're buying a solution to a very expensive problem. So I coined a term called Return on advantage ROA, and when I explain that to them, that it's you know what your pricing should equate to a percentage of the return on advantage that your client receives, right? So if you Patty, are bringing something to your clients, and it's a million dollar strategy for them, at the end of the day, they're going to capitalize on a million dollars that they weren't going to be able to achieve without the strategy that they work through with you. Then if you charge $100,000 for that service and bringing them that level of insight and that level of capability in their business, then that's a great exchange of value, because their return on advantage is, you know, the ability to grow faster, to grow further, to reinvest in the business, to hire more team. You know, that's how we think about pricing.

I really like it. But when they are approaching their pricing and packaging, and I know you talked about the calculator that you have, which I think is really great, but when they're looking to replace or exceed their previous income from corporate while also scaling effectively. So how should they approach that? Because I think that is also not just thinking about what's the value I bring but the way that you just change those questions is that, oh, it's not about your dollars for an hour. It's not about those things, but when they're actually thinking about replacing or exceeding their previous income, and when they leave corporate, that's what they're thinking about, right? I can't even tell you how many times people have come to me and said, Patty, I need you to help me. This is what I was making a corporate and their very first thing they want to do is, what do I got to do to replace that income? That's the name of the game. So yeah, do you go with them for that? When they come to you?

Well, it depends on the business model, right? So coaches and consultants are different. It's a slightly different business model. So what we had this year was we had 50% of our people in the reliable revenue mastermind closed six figure contracts their first year in business. So within the first six months, people were closing six figure contracts. But they're all consultants, and that's doable. When you're a coach and your price point is 5000 or $10,000 you need multiples. So one of the things that I teach all of my clients, whether you're a coach or consultant, is you need leverage in your business model. You need to have something that sold one to many where. And this is possible for consultants as well, because I ran a group consulting program in corporate it was something I. Launched. It was a business unit I ran for a number of of years that executives love to get together with other people in their same role, to solve problems, learn from each other. And when you have a community like that, it literally almost runs itself. And this is a program where you could charge 20, 25,000 you know, up to toward $50,000 a year for these corporate executives to belong to this inner circle. And that's an underutilized business model for many consultants. So I think consultants are always thinking about being so of service, they do too much done for you, instead of more advisory or fractional advisory services. So the other business model that I think is great for consultants is fractional advisory so whether you're a CMO, CXO, CFO, CHRO, offering those services to smaller companies that can't afford a full time executive in that role is also a great way to bring in leverage into your business model. So you want to look for things that don't require a lot of hands on bespoke work, but where you can develop something that's a framework that you can rinse and repeat.

And I think that is really important, because we don't always think about those things, right? We just don't always think about it. And I know that early on in my career, I considered myself a coach, but it didn't take me very long before I realized that I'm a strategist, but I'm a consultant, and I kind of balance my business with some fractional cmo work and also doing consulting and doing strategy as well. I don't call myself a coach. I although we all know that no matter what you call yourself, we are doing coaching as a verb, even if we're not doing it as and now every day, right? But I love that you talked a little bit about automation, right? Because I think automation is a game changer, but it can feel impersonal if you don't do it, right? So how do you feel that entrepreneurs can incorporate automation in their prospect engagement, but while still maintaining the human touch that fosters genuine connection. Because you're really talking about connection is one of those four C's, and here's where I feel like it can get lost, because I think we really want that human connection now more than we ever have.

Yeah, and you know, there's multiple ways that you can go about it. For us personally, we have a hybrid approach. We've used technology to identify the right people on LinkedIn. We may create some opening scripts to open up the conversation, but I also have a social setter who's in there reading people's profiles, asking relevant questions, offering some of our free resources to people who are just getting started. So we're converting clients directly off LinkedIn with that combinational automation and human approach. And once people become clients, I mean Patty, I think we're just scratching the surface with how AI can help out with the client experience. But even with a simple CRM system identifying the right onboarding experience for your clients that can is something that can be automated, as well as periodic check ins, automatic email sequences. And for your prospects, you know, offering them a webinar or a free something, something that that is attractive to them, and then suddenly they're on your email list. I think more than 50% of the time, people then ignore people on their email list. So, you know, having a nurturing strategy, which, again, can be automated one to many, you know, having a weekly newsletter, or having a tip of the week, or having something that really engages that audience. So I think people are craving connection. I think people are burnt out on coaching. I agree with you. I don't, I don't even like calling myself a coach anymore, because the the label has been become so tainted, because there there is no certification program for business strategists. We were just really great at business, and then took that strategy on the road and started sharing it with other people. So I love that you're differentiating yourself that way. But yeah, the automation can come from the lead generation. Of course, the most extreme version is is paid traffic. But when you're first getting started, highly recommend you stay away from paid ads, you're just not ready for it. It'll say, it'll suck up a lot of money and won't deliver a whole lot in return, you're much better off with a human engagement strategy that's augmented by technology.

I absolutely agree with you. I think sometimes people feel like, oh, you know, I just got out of court. Bread and, you know, I have a severance package, or whatever the case may be, and they want to dump it there because they think that's going to jump start, but I don't believe that's true, and I love how you just put that in a way that I think makes a lot of sense. So hope everybody is listening, because that was really a gold nugget right there. So sales conversations, they can be daunting for new entrepreneurs, right, especially if they've transitioned out. What are some core strategies for building authentic, value, driven sales conversations that convert without feeling pushy or salesy? Because even on LinkedIn, we've been talking a lot about LinkedIn, and I have to tell you, I've noticed over the last six months that LinkedIn has also gotten a little bit pushy and salesy at times. But like everything else, you just have to keep the clean and be intentional about who you accept and clean them out if they don't do you know, I have to, I have to tell you, Deb, I have to kind of remind myself sometimes that everything doesn't have to be a teaching moment, right? You know, because sometimes when I'm removing a connection because I don't want to, because otherwise they got to the so hard sometimes not to want to teach and so this could be a teaching moment. I'm like, No, it doesn't need to be a teaching moment. By me. Yeah,

yeah. I can't tell you how many emails I've received and I've written back. Have you ever heard of the can spam act? You know, it's like, this is illegal, and you know, this email could, it could cost you $15,000 for each or $1,500 I can't remember what a lawyer once told me, for each unsolicited email you send, I totally get it. So yeah, you have to be discerning about the connections, and you can start smelling them a while away after a while, you know, I just look at their summaries and say, Okay, if I accept you, you're going to pitch me something. But the sales process is really not unlike a coaching a true coaching conversation. So number one, you should be talking about 30% of the time, right? The purpose of a sales conversation is really to let your prospective client at this point describe their situation, what they've tried, what's worked, what hasn't, what their vision for their business or their life, is what's getting in the way. What is that costing them the longer it continues? So it's about asking good questions, and the trap that most people fall into is they either talk too much, they start coaching or teaching right there on the spot. They make an offer, but they speed through it, and they focus on the features, not the transformation, or the voice gets really fast, or the voice gets really soft, or they lean back in the chair, like all of these things are, tells that you don't have confidence in yourself, and that's going to be picked up by the person on the other side of the Zoom screen or the other side of the table, and you're not going to get that sale. So it's not about all the features, all the benefits. It's really about that person. And is now the time for them to embark on a change. And you know, the level of investment when it comes to the pricing conversation, I think we're in a time right now where people are, just in general, more price sensitive. At least in the United States, people are holding on to their cash a little bit more tightly, and so having flexibility in your offers, or flexibility in pricing plans, I think has been a game changer for some people this year. So just the pricing conversation, the the sales conversation, is never about you. It's never about the product. It's really about asking good questions and shutting up.

I think that is so true, and it's so interesting, because it seems like it should be just basic, right? And now that we do have aI too, it's kind of the same thing, input equals output, right? You know, that's what we say with AI. It's kind of is in these conversations as well. And one of the things that I find is people feel like people will be able to make a decision better if you give them more information. And I always want to say, we're not in the information business. We're in the transformation business. Google is in the information business. So giving people more information. If they want more information, they buy a book, they you know that's not what they are. They want to know about. Well, what are the results that I can expect to get if I hire you? And sometimes people just focus on the wrong things. But I think again, like you're saying it's just because they don't always have the confidence to be able to even be having that sales conversation in the first place, right? So, yeah, I think, I think what you said is so, so true and spot. On.

And the next thing really is focusing on those client results, because that's what we're here for. And, you know, dialing in your client transformation system to deliver the results sooner. So we're always analyzing, well, what happened in that group? You know? How come? You know, 60% of the people got over six figures, and 40% of the people didn't. How could we have supported those 40% differently so that they would have achieved that goal? So we narrowed it down to 100 day plan, and using the same model of the 4c is the 100 days to 100k plan is getting in front of the right people, connecting with the right people, getting in front of the right rooms, creating great content. And you have to be visible, right so visibility is currency, and so the more you can automate your visibility, and taking a piece of content and repurposing it in many different channels, in many different ways. There are AI tools for that now so that can be automated as well. So and all of this is going to increase the noise to a certain extent. It's going to just get a I think we've already experienced it's getting a lot louder in the channel. It's a lot more crowded, and that's why standing for something that you believe in, talking about your why talking about the transformative results, having your clients talk about the transformative results that they're getting is going to be imperative to stand out and even just basic to survive in this current climate.

I absolutely agree. And one of the things that I really love about you, Deb, is that you're passionate about helping women, which is my passion as well. But I love that you're passionate about helping them build balanced, purpose driven businesses, right? So what practices or habits do you recommend to help women balance that growth ambition, but also balance that with personal well being, while avoiding burnout. Because I think sometimes when, especially when somebody's transitioning and they're going all in, because they want to shorten the learning curve, they want to get there faster, they can really burn out, because it can be a lot if you don't really have balance. And while I have to say, Deb, I'm not 100% component of, oh, we need to strive for work life balance. I can't really believe in work life flow works better for me, but I do know that there has to be some practices or habits that they take on if they're really going to balance that and not burnout, yeah.

So to the end that you know this is creating a new identity, I am a huge fan of meditation, right? So I go on a meditation retreat every year. It's where I've gotten the most insights. It's where I get to calm my nervous system. It's where I get to be centered in the present moment. So having a practice, and for me, that means anywhere from a half hour to an hour every morning. So that means I've got a three hour morning routine if I also want to shower and put on makeup, and, you know, look good for the Zoom calls, and then moving my body, right? So moving the body getting exercise. It's also a great way for me. Personally, I love to listen to podcasts. I love to listen to interviews. So I feel like I'm walking, and I'm not focusing on this as an activity, as exercise. I'm using it to also increase my knowledge, or, you know, learn something new, or get creative. But also sometimes those silent walks are great, where I'm just listening to my own intuition. What do I need to let go of? What's no longer serving me? Where is there stress in my life and good communications with, you know, partners and friends? You know, I I want to be a better friend. You know, I want to be there for my friends. I want to spend more time with the people who mean something to me, and that means that my business needs to be simple and it needs to be easy to run, and I've got the right people in place and the right technology so transparently, I'm still not at a place where the business will run without me, I think that's the place we need to get to next, right? Especially if we're We're planning an exit strategy at some point in the future. But my business doesn't consume me, which

I think is so important. You know, the number one question I ask myself is, does this bring me joy, and does it feed my soul, and that's my top criteria when I'm being intentional about the decisions that I make. But I love what you said about having that time for yourself in the morning. You know meditation is important to me, moving my body over the past six months as after I had COVID for seven weeks, literally became. So important for me, but it also really gave me a lot of clarity of what was I doing that didn't serve me anymore. But I have to say, three days a week when I meet with my accountability partner, we literally have a system where we do it while we're doing hair and makeup. And it is amazing that once you meditate and you do some of those things, you start thinking about what are some things I want to work on, or maybe get rid of or simplify. And then when I get on the call with Tanya, my accountability partner, then we could talk through those things while we're doing hair and make them by the time I'm done and hitting zoom or out the door, whatever the case may be, I'm geared up and I am ready, and I think that is super important.

Yeah, a close colleague of mine told me that just the act of running your fingers through your hair is a nervous system regulator. So I'm not surprised that you know it kind of like calms the mind, calms the entire nervous system, which brings more clarity, right? So when we're nervous, we're stressed, we're not thinking clearly. So I think that is so cool that you do it during the morning routine. I love that.

It's so funny, too. We'll text each other and be like, Hey, you're almost ready. It was really funny a couple weeks ago. This was a new one. She said, Patty, I'm running behind I'm getting ready to jump into the bathtub. And literally, we had our accountability call while I was doing hair makeup. She was actually in the bathtub. Super funny. It was on the phone, you know, and stuff, though. But hey, you make it work, whatever it is that you have to do, right? So

Wow. Three times a week. That's amazing.

I know you would be surprised how we always have things to say then, but I think that when you take that time, like what you said, to do the walk and meditation, you actually have the time to be thinking about things that then you want to be able to talk to the other thing that we do is, once a month, we have a one hour VIP day with each other, and I literally throw all the stuff that I want to do, I prep for it. And then she tells me we're both strategists so but we ask each other questions to get Claire to say, Well, what about that? Why are you doing that? And what's the reason? How is that gonna, you know, whatever, and we ask each other the questions for us to ponder on. We always do that. What's a month, on the first Monday of the month, and I think it really sets the tone. And so having those people in your life that learn and trust and really be able to share, I think sometimes, as an entrepreneur, I really think that the more successful you get, and the higher up the ladder you get, it can be more lonely,

Yeah, yeah, fewer people you're you're breathing rarefied air, you know, at that. But especially as a woman, yes,

I really think so. So So what do you say talking about women, what do you think are some foundational steps that they need to take to set themselves up for sustainable growth and long term success?

I think, you know, the first thing is to be realistic about what's possible. You know, I had a conversation once with a prospective client who's now a client who another coach had said that she could replace a $400,000 salary or first year in business. And I looked at her and said, there's no freaking way that's going to happen. So I don't want to be the bearer of bad news, but unless you've got miracles in the wings waiting to just close, it's not going to happen. So I think being realistic and also expecting to invest like this is not something that you were trained to do in corporate. It is a completely different way of thinking. Being earning money is extremely rewarding, and it's going to be a lot harder than you imagine it to be. So plan for sustaining your monthly expenses through those first few months, until, or the first year, really, until you start ramping up your revenues and can sustain yourself. Get help, get education and get community, because this is not a road that you want to travel alone, as you just said. You know, having accountability people, and the number one piece of feedback I get is how beautifully curated my rooms are. That which is, you know, once I got really clear on who my ideal client was, that smart, accomplished woman in business who has been a leader, and I have a whole room of smart, accomplished women leaders. They're there to support each other, these relationships turn into sometimes lifelong relationships, and so getting in the right rooms and finding the right community is important too

I think so. So what advice would you have for ensuring that your business aligns with your core values and your life goals? Yes, and how does this alignment contribute to the long term fulfillment? And I think for women especially, yeah

I mean understanding what your core values are is foundational. Because you want to do things that are alignment with your core values. You want to be with people who are also aligned with your core values, and you want to be doing work that sustains you and and lights a fire inside, not work that that drains you. So I think it's important to understand, how much do you want to work? You know, where do you support your family? You know everybody. There's no one right schedule for everybody. Some people get up at 5am and they spend those first couple hours doing their deep, deep thinking work, deep writing work, so that they're available for their kids when they're getting ready for school. For me, I'm an empty nester right now, so my days have a lot of ease and flow, and I can be working on the kitchen table in my pajamas until 10 o'clock in the morning, or I might just enjoy Saturday mornings as my expansive strategy creation time. So I think everyone has their own rhythm and what's going to work in their life, and just make sure that you prioritize the other people around you who mean so much to you, so that they don't feel left out as you go into this entrepreneurial endeavor that's consuming so much of your time and mental bandwidth,

Which I think is really important. I know for me, I do get up at four o'clock every morning. So that is that is me. But one of the things that I've actually found is I love to get up early once I have a couple cups of coffee and go through my process that I do in the morning. I am raring to go. And I found that I used to love to have relationship building calls at that time, right? I really loved it. It kind of just kind of got me going. But what I learned over time was that that always energizes me, and I flicked it. And for me, I find that when I am the most creative and in the zone, that's when I need to be doing revenue generating activities and revenue generating activities only in the afternoons. Even though I get up early, I can get on the phone or get on zoom with a power partner or somebody who just jazzes me up. And we're working on building relationships, and I like to end my date with that, right? You know, since I do get up so early. So I always like to tell my clients, everybody has that time of day for them. For some people, it's in the after summer, you go to the morning. I even know some people who it's at night time for them, I can imagine, but there are people, so you just have to know when that time is. And that's kind of one of the things about being an entrepreneur. So I feel like, if you're in corporate, you know this is when you had to do it right, right? Because this is what you did. And when you became an entrepreneur and a CEO, now you actually have the luxury of learning about yourself if you didn't already know, and say, Wow, this is when my best productive time is to do revenue generating things. And I know for me that once I was in revenue generating activity, if I wait to admin like I was done for the date, I could do it again tomorrow, but as soon as I moved over to admin, that was like a time sucking, an energy drain of buzz kill, some buzz kill. It's important. We have to sometimes do it, but I can't just go back and forth into those things, so I had to actually really learn that. So I think it is really important of getting to know yourself and recognizing when those times are and whenever that is. I also my husband works out on Sunday mornings. And I love taking that hour that he's up there and setting up my week so that when Monday comes, I already have it. It feels good to me. I don't really consider that working on Sunday. I'm really it's a gift I give myself to be able to wake up on Monday. So like you said, whether you're doing it on Saturday morning, at your table, in your jammies or whatever it works you know, I think that is important. So Deb, I think it's important to know what not to do, as much as it is to know what to do, and that people love to talk about, these are all the things to do. What would you say are some of the most common mistakes that you see new entrepreneurs make when they're setting up their sales system, and how can they avoid those pitfalls to ensure like a smoother journey?

I think, you know, they put too much emphasis on social media or or too much emphasis on what social media is going to do for them, right? It's to the point where that's. Just the price of entry. And I think you should, I don't know if you agree with this, but pick your platform. You know, have one primary platform, maybe a secondary platform, but you can't be on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, Tiktok, all the places, threads, you know, find out where your ideal clients are, and just establish a presence there. I also see in the early stages, you can split yourself in too many different directions. So I see a lot of clients who are sometimes multi passionate entrepreneurs. They want to launch this thing, this thing and this thing. Just launch one thing and generate some momentum behind it, get clients into that offer, and then your next offer is going to be clear. Your clients are going to tell you what they want next, right? And that's where you get greater client lifetime value. So don't split your attention into a different directions, because when you split your attention, you're splitting your revenue, and it dilutes it all

Absolutely so I have to say, Deb, this has been absolutely fabulous. I love the gift of the pricing calculator, and you already gave me the link to that. So if you're watching or listening, just look down. It's already there for you. And Deb, what is the best way for people to connect with you?

Yeah, the best way to connect with me is on LinkedIn. I am Deb Boulanger, no matter what platform you're on and the life after corporate podcast too. So if you like this show, if you like what we were talking about today, we talk about that more on life after corporate Patty's on the show. A lot of great experts are there as well.

That's wonderful. I was just reading your newsletter that you have with the podcast this morning. It was so good. So make sure you subscribe to that too when you get to her on LinkedIn, because it is absolutely fabulous. So thank you so much for being here with me today. Deb, I really appreciate it. It has been a fabulous conversation, and I love having you here and really sharing all your brilliance with my audience.

Patty, I'm so grateful for you and our newly, continually evolving relationship. I look for other opportunities to collaborate. Thank you so much.

Thank you and to my audience. Thank you so much for being here again with me this week, and if you enjoyed today's episode, and I am sure you did, please like subscribe and review the podcast on your favorite listening platform, and make sure that you take a look at our sister right the marketing media Money Magazine, and you can get that by going to m3Digitalmag.com, in the meantime, check out all of Deb's information. Go to LinkedIn, get your hands on that pricing calculator for sure. And if you have any questions, reach out to her. She is just a vault of information and so very generous with the value that she shares as well. So thank you so much. We'll see you again next week. You have a phenomenal week. Bye. Now.