I have a cool story to share with you about a client, Michelle Garcia, and what she did RIGHT. I think you’ll glean some great insight from this and really relate to her predicament!
Michelle Garcia is a yoga instructor (with a 500-hour master-level certification, ahem!) and a meditation educator. She’s refreshed her website concept twice in 2-3 years trying to find her place in the online world – the place where magical momentum starts to take place.
Most recently, she started a great podcast called Live with Meaning. Michelle has always done things the right way. She educates herself, she takes “consistent” and long-term action, and she puts in the work.
But, in 6 months of podcasting, she didn’t gain 1 new subscriber. (Yes, ouch.)
I hear this kind of result ALL too often. Was the industry just too competitive? Was it her? Was it something else? (Can you relate???)
Now, here’s the part that makes me so stinkin’ proud and prompted me to write about this.
Michelle didn’t take months off to re-evaluate or allow herself to get stuck. She took action.
She started asking people what it was about her that people are curious about? What do people like about her? What are her gifts?
As it turns out…. people unanimously pointed to how much they were in awe of her “transition” as she retired from 20 years working in the field of law enforcement, both as a patrol officer and a detective. How did she manage the change and find a new passion and purpose?
BAM! It may seem simple, but trust me… most people would never do the work to get to this point.
Listening to Michelle tell me this turn of events fired me up big time. We mapped out an entire monetization and marketing strategy for turning her yoga/meditation business into one as a fire/police career transition specialist. And she can even keep her company name, “Live with Meaning,” because it speaks to what retirees need and want.
Finally, I want to share that I discouraged her from spending time marketing online right now. (Shocking, right?)
Instead, I encouraged her to speak directly to the HR staff at her local police and fire departments. Get on their good side (bring cookies!) and ask questions. What programs do they have in place for retiring officers? What budget might they have? What’s the best approach for creating a program to service their department?
She can monetize immediately that way, develop her programs, then take them to the next department and the next and next. When she’s ready, she can then develop this into an online format and become a go-to specialist in the nation with a team beneath her. The competition is low and the reward is HIGH. Best of all, she can do what she loves and believes based on her own experience.
Two lessons:
- If something isn’t working, investigate what might be a better fit for your business, and don’t stop to dwell. Take action.
- Online marketing isn’t always the answer in the beginning – it entirely depends on your industry and goals. If you’re unsure of what to do, hiring a coach can dramatically speed up your results and save you a lot of time, money, and energy.
Did you enjoy learning about Michelle? What about this post gets you excited about your own potential? Let me know in the comments section!
When Michelle’s site is complete with the new changes, I’ll send you a follow-up about her progress. 🙂
xoxo
Amber Vilhauer
