S2 E46 How To Build 7 Figure Personal Brand!

Ever wondered how a near-fatal accident could transform a life and ignite the passion to build a thriving business? Join us as we sit down with Teegan, a remarkable serial entrepreneur who took the leap from a government job to carving out her own path despite immense personal and professional hurdles. Hear how she navigated financial strains, life-threatening injuries, and the tribulations of starting from scratch. Teegan shares her invaluable strategies for business growth, content creation, and making the most of LinkedIn, along with insider tips on what makes a stellar resume.

Teegan isn't just a powerhouse professional; she's also a dedicated mother of two, skillfully juggling her bustling career with family responsibilities. Learn about her daily routines that include waking up at 4 AM for some quiet time and the importance she places on quarterly breaks for self-care. Teegan's career evolution—from assisting mid-level leaders to focusing on senior executives—highlights the importance of balance and purpose, both in business and personal life. Supported by a strong team, her story is a testament to the power of organization and determination in achieving work-life harmony.

Personal branding and authenticity are more than buzzwords for Teegan; they're the cornerstones of her success. Delve into her candid reflections on overcoming imposter syndrome, maintaining genuine connections on LinkedIn, and fostering trust and empathy through collaboration. Discover how her commitment to authenticity and collaboration has led to high-value contracts, prestigious awards, and a significant presence on platforms like LinkedIn podcasts and Forbes councils. This episode is packed with practical advice and real-world examples, offering a blueprint for aspiring entrepreneurs and professionals eager to make a meaningful impact.

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

People want to see the mess at times, one of my highest performing social media posts was a.

Speaker 1: 0:07

Now and then, when I worked for the government, I felt like I was making an impact in the community.

Speaker 1: 0:13

I felt like I was making an impact for kids that had family situations like mine and I was broke and I was bartending on the side and I was exhausted and then a semi-truck smashed into me and I almost died and it was like all right, I'm not doing that anymore. What comes next? And it's like like life sucked and in that moment I was on cloud nine in life. I had been rapidly promoted. I was on cloud nine in life, I had been rapidly promoted and when I posted about that how I was so happy in life until something shook me to my core to make me realize that no, I just was hiding, I wasn't being honest with myself because it was too painful or I didn't have the level of maturity at the time to be able to do that to pivot and then I pivoted and I was freaking broke and I grew my business and I learned the hard lessons and I invested money in the wrong people to teach me and then I, you know, invested wisely with some great people.

Speaker 1: 1:17

That really helped me and it has been a learning lesson and I I think it's important for people to see that and obviously people like to hear it Otherwise that post wouldn't have done so well.

Speaker 4: 1:42

If you want to learn about how to grow and scale your business to achieving your wildest dreams, then you got to tune into this. This episode is absolutely incredible as we dive into figuring out how to get job placements, how to grow as an entrepreneur what are even employers even looking for in a resume, or to actually get that dream job of yours. Or maybe you're wondering about hey, how do I grow as a business or as a coach, and I want to grow my clientele. What is actually working? How do I create content? How do I grow on LinkedIn? These are all things that we're diving right into, as we have an amazing guest that's actually already eclipsed about 28,000 followers on LinkedIn, when at first she was nervous and scared to even get in front of the camera, and now you can't even get her away from it.

Speaker 4: 2:45

She's doing amazing things with content, with her business. She's a serial entrepreneur, so she's now started in one vertical and she's actually growing into many different verticals and we get to learn about what those lessons are and actually how to grow a sustainable business. She's been featured in Forbes and also Business Insider and it just keeps growing and growing. We even had her speak on a major stage at the Pfizer Forum, in an arena at one of our events. So I'm super excited for you guys to hear from Tegan as we go into this deep dive of an interview to really learn about how does she get started, what really works on LinkedIn, what's the tactical things that actually grow a business, even through content creation, and also, what does it take to get your dream job. Let's get right into it. Welcome, tegan, to the Forever Podcast. I'm so excited to have you here.

Speaker 1: 3:46

Thank you for having me. It's been a minute.

Speaker 4: 3:48

It's been a minute and I've been wanting this for a while. Anyways, you know, and we were actually you were able to drive up from Chicago to come through. So I appreciate your time and I just can't wait to dive into so many things that I don't think a lot of people know you for.

Speaker 1: 4:07

You know, there's a thing called privacy. Yeah. And I'll be real with you. Yeah. But on social media there's a limit to what I want people to know. Yeah, and we can get into it.

Speaker 4: 4:18

Yeah, yeah, you want to put the blinders up.

Speaker 1: 4:22

Open book for you on this podcast.

Speaker 4: 4:24

Okay, Exclusive, hot take right now. Exclusive. Well, this has been super cool. So I think the first place I want to start is what is a day in the life for you? Let's just walk through just a day in the life Like. What is it like to be Tegan?

Speaker 1: 4:40

Well, first of all, I have two kids.

Speaker 4: 4:41

Yeah.

Speaker 1: 4:42

And so they are my priority, but in order to give them everything that I would like to give them in the world, everything else matters too.

Speaker 4: 4:50

Yeah, of course.

Speaker 1: 4:51

So a day in the life.

Speaker 4: 4:54

Yeah Gosh, what is it like?

Speaker 1: 4:56

Balls nonstop. I'm sometimes triple booked because there's so many different balls in the air. Yeah. Because there's so many different balls in the air, yeah, and there's so many different teams that I support that it gets a little chaotic. So I live out of my calendar. So I get up around 4 o'clock, not because I meditate or do yoga or go to the gym, but just because I want some silence, get the kids off to where they need to be at, and then I start and I go hard. And.

Speaker 1: 5:33

I am determined this year to have quarterly breaks.

Speaker 4: 5:36

Okay.

Speaker 1: 5:37

So I can decompress, so I can turn it off.

Speaker 4: 5:39

Interesting. So you're carving out that time for yourself to have those quarterly breaks. I'm going to try.

Speaker 1: 5:46

I recently worked with an executive who I helped to negotiate six weeks of vacation time. Okay. And she said I have not worked this hard in my career to not see my sons, to not go on a girl's trip, to not spend time with my husband and not to do what the F I want to do. Yeah. And I said I need some of that in my life.

Speaker 4: 6:06

It's so real though. People work, work, work and like, go for goals, try to achieve them and then, like you, look back, you're like man I've spent no time for myself.

Speaker 1: 6:16

Well, I'm, I'm an incredibly selfish human being. Yeah. And that I do what I do to achieve my goals. Yeah, and that I do what I do to achieve my goals. Yeah, and, luckily for the world, I'm not a sociopath and my, my, my driver in life is to create better opportunities for the ones that I love and my community. Yeah. So, yeah, there's a win, win yeah.

Speaker 1: 6:43

But so when I'm working, I get so much satisfaction out of it. I get to be so connected with people who matter to me that when I am on a trip, most of the time it's like a hybrid work trip.

Speaker 4: 6:59

You don't completely disconnect.

Speaker 1: 7:00

Yeah, I don't completely disconnect. Okay, okay. But that's going to gonna change and so a day in the life of Tegan is pretty chaotic, but it's so purposeful okay and it's so organized and I have such a support team um that anything that does not bring me joy or anything that somebody else could do for me is done by someone else.

Speaker 4: 7:26

Yeah, yeah, wow, and, and what and when do you usually end your day Like what time.

Speaker 1: 7:33

Okay, so my last meeting last night was at 11 PM. Okay, so when the kids get home, I'm, I'm there. And then after bed I work for a little bit longer, and then I decompress.

Speaker 4: 7:46

Yeah, yeah, you kind of have. I mean it's just funny because I'm more. I was curious because a lot of people get into entrepreneurship to have control of their time, to have choice, and it's like those are the ones without little kids. When you're an empty nester or when you don't have kids, life is different yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, for sure, but you're always working, though, pretty much besides family and carving out. That time, I don't think you're building something in me to turn it off like I'm always going.

Speaker 1: 8:20

I'm always thinking like my husband always says I'm really really good at coming up with expensive ideas and he's really really good at making them happen I feel like yeah, my ideas are are expensive as well, and I'm I'm trying to cut back no, you, you, you, gotta, you gotta. Keep on renting out stadiums and bringing the community together.

Speaker 4: 8:45

I'll support that all day oh man, well, what, what so in your? So with jolt, your uh career. Let's just talk about that real quick, because, um so we, we helped launch your brand, probably. What was it three years ago, four years ago? So you rebranded it, yeah rebranded it Yep, and that was yeah, I think it was like, was it three years ago?

Speaker 1: 9:13

It was right before the pandemic.

Speaker 4: 9:16

Oh yeah, it was right before. Oh, my goodness, because we were all in person. Yeah, yeah, I was just talking with somebody where I'm like that 2020, 2021, it like messes with my time.

Speaker 1: 9:29

Yeah.

Speaker 4: 9:29

Like I always like oh well, it was like two years ago. Like dude, that was like four years ago. Yeah pandemic. I was like it's all hazy. It's all hazy, but where has it grown now? Because you know you were doing resume writing for executives and so where is it now grown now, several years later?

Speaker 1: 9:50

Yeah, so when I first started working with you, I was still at the point in my life where I wanted to work with people like me, people who worked for what they had. People who didn't have people, who didn't inherit large networks, who had doors open for them. Kids will change that about you. Yeah, yeah.

Speaker 1: 10:13

And and and and really just my drive changed that about me. So I started niching down to working with more senior level leaders and executives, because they're more in alignment with what phase of life I'm at. I'm so driven, I'm so focused, I have so much clarity, and so I shifted. And while I did that, I was building out a team of resume writers who, more so, worked with mid-level leaders or new grads and things of that nature, so I could still support whoever wanted my assistance, but do so in a way that that created more impact for more people, and I was using my time in a way that felt better for me, because some people will drain your energy and then some people will light your ass on fire, yeah, yeah those are the people that I want to surround myself with I call that vampires and shepherds

Speaker 4: 11:13

yeah so people are just like constantly draining your energy. They're like you know, take a bite out of you every single time. You're just like you feel exhausted just by even being around them. And then other people are shepherds, kind of guiding you to where you need to go, being a positive light in your life, which is just so crucial. Like to actually understand the difference between the two and then know how much time and energy you're giving to both is so critical. And so now, so when you niche down as far as the people that you were serving, how did that transform your business?

Speaker 1: 11:52

I got to have more time to do other things, which was perfect timing because, in the pandemic my husband and I my husband inherited land from his great great grandfather, and so he's a black man, and to be a black landowner was something that him and his family are really proud of, and something that is really important to me to have that legacy stay within our family so our kids don't lose the struggle, the, the impact, um, the meaning behind what they were able to achieve and the struggle that so many others have been through.

Speaker 1: 12:41

And then the pandemic happened and you know know, funding was nuts then and that sucked. Yeah, that was really hard. And so we started flipping homes to recoup some of the funds and to do some deals, and he's always been interested in developments and so he went back to get his master's in real estate investments and managerial accounting and my big plans he's going to figure out a way to make happen, yeah yeah.

Speaker 5: 13:18

And so you know the past couple of years Cool, such a good team.

Speaker 4: 13:21

Yeah, such a good team, yeah.

Speaker 1: 13:22

For sure. So I'm, on one hand, working with executives and, on the other hand, doing some family projects, flipping homes and providing opportunities for people in our community. Yeah creating jobs, creating opportunities, letting people that came from where we came from know that there's options out there, despite any generational curses that you might be dealing with.

Speaker 4: 13:54

Yeah, that's amazing. So you're in resume writing, you're also in real estate.

Speaker 1: 14:02

I am a firm believer in diversifying your revenue streams. Yeah. If you have all your eggs in one basket and something happens. Yeah. Then how are you going to support you and yours? Yeah, and so I am risk adverse. And so how can I set up different channels? Okay, so if I buy this home and I start renting it out, here's revenue coming in. But if you know, if they don't pay their rent, well, I've got a business. Who you know, who? Can get a new tenant in.

Speaker 1: 14:31

Okay, well, how do I make sure that that you know property can can um stay nice and how do I get more properties and where else do I park my money? Yeah. Early on, I want to say in like 2008,. I was working with a client who subbed me out to work on LinkedIn profiles for wealth management advisors.

Speaker 4: 14:59

Okay, so basically revamped their profiles and yeah, okay.

Speaker 1: 15:02

But I learned all about the industry.

Speaker 4: 15:06

Right by wealth management?

Speaker 1: 15:07

Yeah, by learning how they support their clients. Yeah. How do they pick their niches, the what it? How are the ultra affluent creating generational wealth? Yeah. And I wanted a piece of that. Yeah, yeah. And so now we're figuring it out.

Speaker 4: 15:22

Nice. I mean, we're learning as we go. Nice, nice, that's uh, that's incredible, because a lot of now, as a counter argument to the, diversify your revenue streams. I, I'm a big believer in that, um, but a lot of people will also say, if you, if you diversify too quickly, your attention is all over the place and you can't laser in on like one channel. What is your thought process on that?

Speaker 1: 15:50

Chasing the shiny object is dumb. It is. But if you have a strategic plan and long-term goals which can iterate at any time, you can position yourself to build something you never thought was imaginable. Right right.

Speaker 1: 16:10

And so it is slow. It took me three years to train up my resume writing team to how I wanted them to be delivering client projects. Could they have submitted it to a client, as is? Yeah, would the client have been fine with it? Yeah, it looks way better than it was. But I know so much about business and what is going to attract hiring teams to talent that I want to make sure that those subtle nuances are there. Three years to build that team out to allow me to scale what I had built and I had started my business. I had left recruiting and working for the government in 2017. Okay.

Speaker 1: 16:52

Yeah, and I didn't work with you for years to rebrand to where. I thought like all right, I'm coming out on the scene, I'm doing things differently. Let me feel confident in my skin. Yeah, yeah, because I had that imposter syndrome like I'm, I can get people jobs yeah but I'm not the best writer. Fast forward, I'm a fantastic writer. Let me teach others to do what I do yeah so I can scale yeah now that I've scaled what's, and so it doesn't happen.

Speaker 1: 17:25

I mean it could, but not for me. It hasn't happened overnight. It's been slow, it's been painful, it's been a lot of learning lessons. I've lost a lot of money, but I've also invested a ton of money in working with the right kind of people to get the knowledge that I needed to expedite what some of my goals are. I'm not a tax strategist, but if you need a good one, I can refer you to Ron. He's the one that's helping me out with that kind of stuff. So I don't try to do it all and be it all. I don't mow my lawn, I don't weed my garden beds, I don't clean my house. I've got people who support with that and that slowly makes it all possible.

Speaker 4: 18:15

Gotcha Delegate. Delegate where you can.

Speaker 1: 18:20

It's hard not to chase that shiny object.

Speaker 4: 18:22

Yeah.

Speaker 1: 18:22

And it's hard to give up control. Yeah, but you have to do those things if you want to scale, if you want to be a solopreneur, great. Yeah. You're going to have a six-figure business. You might even be able to get to seven figures. Yeah. You're going to be able to impact the lives of those that you serve. Yeah. But if you want to create a company, it's a little different.

Speaker 4: 18:47

Yeah, totally Totally. And just talking on the brand side, um, really quickly, cause I feel like you have a great personal brand um, and it's evolved over the years. But I remember when we first met um, you were actually like terrified of the camera. You were actually like terrified of the camera.

Speaker 1: 19:10

Yeah, you were terrified, yeah.

Speaker 4: 19:11

And then you know, fast forward, years later, you can't stop being in front of the camera.

Speaker 1: 19:16

That's how I met you. I was going to an event about getting more comfortable being on camera. Yes, because before it was vomit induced.

Speaker 4: 19:25

Yeah, I mean you were like, yeah, you were. I mean you use different words with me, but you were like Jamar, like that's just, like it's not me. I don't do it. You know, like I'm trying to figure out, like I know I need to, but it's, it was extremely hard.

Speaker 1: 19:43

It's threefold. Yeah, I'm an introvert. Yeah. And so being in large groups of people make me feel really uncomfortable. Yeah, and all the lights on me is just not my vibe. Yeah. I like attention. Yeah. But I don't like that much attention. I'm private. Yeah. And so, and I have a family, and when you put yourself out there, you're taking a certain risk, a risk of being judged. I didn't post yesterday about Juneteenth. I'm a white mother with black sons. Yeah.

Speaker 1: 20:16

And I got crucified and it's like you don't know the conversations I was having at home. Right. And I don't have to be the voice of Juneteenth. Yeah, that's ridiculous. I'm a white woman. Why don't we elevate some black content creators on a holiday? That's talking about black history, and so you can never win as a content creator, and so I was terrified of that, and what I realized with working with people like you and others is that if you stay true to you, you can't go wrong, and that's the third point is that imposter syndrome of I'm not sure I have what it takes.

Speaker 1: 21:01

I'm all over the place. I have so many skeletons in my closet. I'm not perfect. I have so much to learn, and once I realized that I also had so much to give, it just faded away. It was like no, I'm going to stumble over my words. I have a speech impediment. I might mispronounce somebody's name. You know all of those things that race through your head when you're having anxiety about being in front of the camera and having a personal brand. Right.

Speaker 1: 21:29

But the more and more you do it, the more lives you impact, the more people who said thanks for saying that. Somebody needed to say that.

Speaker 4: 21:37

Yeah, yeah, a hundred percent, and you've just grown. So so far, um with that and it's just. It was just incredible just to see the journey, even for you know where you're going to take it next on the next few years, um is absolutely incredible. And as far as why, so we know that you do resume writing. You're involved in a lot of different ventures. Yeah, um, why did you double down on linkedin in particular?

Speaker 1: 22:05

well, I'm a little ratchet on Facebook, and so You're a little ratchet on Facebook.

Speaker 4: 22:13

So If you aren't ratchet, you can go.

Speaker 1: 22:18

You get to see another side of me, because that's like high school friends and family.

Speaker 4: 22:24

Yeah, yeah, different crowd.

Speaker 1: 22:25

Different crowd, yeah different crowd, and so I mean, we all have different personas, different hats that we wear, and when I'm in business, I'm going to carry myself to a different standard. I might watch my mouth a little bit more. I might be a little bit more considerate of, like, what I have on. Just that corporate is instilled in me. Yeah, that corporate is instilled in me, yeah.

Speaker 2: 22:54

And in home life I might say something reckless or I might post something that's not politically correct because it was funny yeah, but in a cancel culture.

Speaker 1: 23:01

You know, you, you, you gotta be thoughtful yeah about the type of influence that you have and the standard that you're setting when people pay attention to you, and so on. Linkedin I had been using LinkedIn for work forever. I primarily worked on other people's LinkedIn profiles.

Speaker 1: 23:24

I hardly spent time on mine because I was so busy building other people up and when I finally decided, no, I need to do this for myself. I want to be this next version of me and I am going to force myself to do it. I was a little bit all over the place for a while and I still am a little bit all over the place, but it's sincere. So I, my poor team, I irritateate them. I changed my whole entire june content calendar around because I was like no, it's my birthday month, we're gonna celebrate me yeah, we're gonna talk about things that irritate me, so so you'll see um content.

Speaker 1: 24:04

It's like uh, you know interview tip.

Speaker 2: 24:05

Yeah, answer the phone saying hi, this is tegan bartos, you know interview tip.

Speaker 1: 24:07

Yeah, Answer the phone saying hi, this is Tegan Bartos. You know like little things like that, where I'm like on Facebook I might say what the fuck. Yeah, like answer the phone with your name. Are you crazy? Where on LinkedIn it's more like hey, here's a great tip on how to elevate your executive presence. Answer the phone professionally. Yeah, both versions are me Answer the phone professionally, Both versions are me, but on LinkedIn.

Speaker 1: 24:35

everybody's there with the same purpose, Everybody's there to do business, to focus on their careers, to be their professional, authentic self. Where on Facebook, some people share music, some people post their dogs and their kids, and so why would I put my effort into another platform where there's so many ways that your head can turn? Right, right. On LinkedIn. It's geared exactly towards what my mission is.

Speaker 4: 25:00

Yeah, yeah, it's got your target persona right on there. Yeah, I mean that's where executives hang out. Yeah, know, on LinkedIn, and you've been able to build up an audience on LinkedIn. So what's the key, what's the tip that got you to where you're at today as far as on LinkedIn?

Speaker 1: 25:21

I think, being a giver, because when you give, you get, and when you're genuinely giving, you get. And when you're genuinely giving, when I give advice, it's not because I get anything from sharing a tip on resume writing or interview prep or sharing a job lead. It's because I genuinely want to support others and elevate the standards in which people present themselves, because I know that they're going to have better opportunities then and I'm going to attract the type of people who want to have an elevated experience in life and careers. And so giving my knowledge away without charging people for it, taking conversations into the DMs and then out of the DMs Not because there's an ulterior motive like, hey, let me write your resume. It's good people know good people. Let's chat. What can I learn from you? What can you learn from me? What are you interested in? How can I help you? And being that connector, so many of my clients say, oh, my dream job. I would love to work at this fintech company. Yeah.

Speaker 1: 26:30

Well, let me look and see who I know there. Let me put you all together, because good people know good people, yeah, and so when you for me, I'm an introvert, I listen, I connect people, I see I'm also neurodivergent, I'm dyslexic, and so I see things in a slightly different way, and so I put pieces together that other people might not have put together in the same way, and then things happen from it and people appreciate that yeah and so, um to get over my fear of being on camera I hate I joined everybody's podcast yeah, I joined everybody's LinkedIn lives, everybody's audio rooms to get more comfortable when.

Speaker 4: 27:13

I saw that. I saw that like intentionality around it. Like I'm going to do lives, I'm going to do podcasts, audio rooms, like I'm just going to do it.

Speaker 1: 27:24

They're awful. Like looking back, I was so uncomfortable. Like looking back, I was so uncomfortable and, um, I had somebody reach out and they're like you should delete these off of youtube because these videos don't represent who you are now. And I was like, yeah, they're trash, but you know what I've worked really hard to improve the way that I deliver content and the guests that I have on and and whatnot.

Speaker 1: 27:51

And I don't want that history to go away because I'm not ashamed of where I came from. I'm proud of that progression and I want to help other people see that it's possible too.

Speaker 4: 28:00

Yeah, for sure. I mean, I totally agree with that. It'd be like, uh, an NBA basketball player saying like I'm going to delete my old high school videos, you know because I don't want nobody to player saying like I'm going to delete my old high school videos, you know because I don't want nobody to know that, like, that's where I was at and this is where it's like, why, why, when you, when you got the reps in you got the shots up you know, never going to be perfect.

Speaker 1: 28:22

Yeah. And I'm okay with that. Yeah. And I think that everybody should embrace their shortcomings and celebrate how far they've come.

Speaker 4: 28:33

Yeah, 100%. I would also say on LinkedIn. I feel like you're a really good storyteller.

Speaker 1: 28:38

Oh, thanks. That's like one of the things that I've been working on getting better at, and I don't feel like I'm there yet.

Speaker 4: 28:45

I just keep it real and I think that's refreshing for people, because so many of it I think it's super refreshing because, like on LinkedIn, everybody's so like stiff and it's kind of turning into like the early Facebook days on LinkedIn, where people are just sharing the highlights. You know, I graduated, I got this job, I got this, I got that and it's like whoa, look at me, but people aren't being real and like you'll have a story to your post, give real tactical advice, and then we also learn more about you, and so it. It just it goes through a full story and then you actually get something from the post you know and then when you mash that up with your branding and you know your imagery and things like that, it just elevates the whole thing and then people get to know you a lot more and I feel like over the years, your storytelling has actually gotten a lot better and people are. People are seeing that for sure.

Speaker 4: 29:42

Thanks, yeah, yeah. No, it's I mean. And because you're so real and authentic. No, it's I mean, and because you're so real and authentic. That's why, when we had you on the first lead the movement you know event, that's where, like we gotta have tegan on stage because she's gonna tell it like, like it is I know.

Speaker 1: 29:58

And then when I said, when I was like I don't want to work at a company that says we're family, that shit's toxic I was like, oh gosh. I'm like, oh, everybody's like wait a minute yep whoops it's all, it's all good. I thank god you're. You're uh, moderator randy. He kind of like like, oh, let's explore that alternative perspective yeah, just flipped it like to a positive thing yeah yeah, I mean I, but honestly that's what I wanted I.

Speaker 4: 30:29

I wanted healthy debates on there not everybody just yeah you know, oh, we're so perfect, we're so this and this is what's working, blah, blah. It's like I kind of want some people, you know, just having some conversation on there spice things up a little bit get teaking on there. Get teaking on there. Get Tegan on there, she'll spice it right on up.

Speaker 1: 30:50

I believe in civil discourse and I think that's why I struggle so much in life. Yeah. Is because, like that devil's advocate or that alternative perspective or learning about taboo topics, Mm-hmm, I think it's brilliant. And when people just no, you don't want to talk about that, Well why? Because like an easy one.

Speaker 1: 31:18

Talking about money is taboo, but then how are people supposed to manage their finances better? How is our country, our world, supposed to have better conditions? World supposed to have better conditions? Yeah, and so um, I, I, I think I really frustrate, especially my mom and all my family.

Speaker 1: 31:38

They're like you just never know what she's gonna say but, the loose cannon, but I do so with great intentions and I think that people see that that I'm not curious. People see that that I'm not curious because I'm a jerk. I'm curious because I genuinely want to know why you feel that way like it's an election year. People are going crazy. Yeah, um, I can talk to any side of the table yeah I want to hear your thoughts on it.

Speaker 1: 32:05

I I I want to understand the deeper societal impacts based on different policies on what that could happen. Like I talked about book banning, you know one of the interesting things is Texas has the largest book bans. Texas also has the highest rate of school shootings. Do those correlate? I don't know rate of school shootings are. Do those correlate? Yeah, I don't know.

Speaker 1: 32:33

Like I mean, it's just, it's just fascinating to dive deeper, not because there's a right, or wrong answer yeah, I like living in the gray because within the gray I can be creative, I can be my messy self. Yeah, that makes things happen it's.

Speaker 4: 32:47

It's a certain mindset. You have to have to live in that middle ground, but I think that's where most people are actually at. Yeah is the middle ground. I know online and social media and stuff, we have this like blue verse, red type thing. I think most people are in the middle, like when you actually have one-on-one conversations with people. Yeah, I think most people are, yeah, are in the middle and most people will have a, a discussion and try to figure it out. I think what happens is we just hear who are the loudest on both sides and so you just see like, oh, everybody's saying this, everybody's saying that. It's like not really you know.

Speaker 1: 33:26

And this is the tricky thing about personal branding If I support one thing, people just make assumptions that you are then this to people, then they're willing to ask more questions or they're willing to look at it with innocence versus defense. And so when you can cultivate a brand of trust, integrity, empathy and authority because the things that I talk about I know, yeah, and the things that I follow is what I want to know, and so there's a bit of a dichotomy between my brand and the creators that I support, and there's a lot of that comes through in my content. It's not black and white. A lot of times it's raw, yeah, and I think when we're thinking about personal brands, that can be really uncomfortable, especially for corporate executives. Yes.

Speaker 1: 34:44

They don't necessarily have the luxury of making too many mistakes. Yeah yeah, so it can surely get interesting.

Speaker 4: 34:51

Yeah, yeah. So talking about your personal brand, so what has your personal brand done for your business? Like as you started to grow it and still continuing to grow? It what has it done for your business, like what are the changes? Like what are the actual stats around helping your business?

Speaker 1: 35:09

Stats. Ooh, I should have had Angela. Come, I'll fill those numbers for you. Um, so I don't know what my metrics are, because my social media metrics I kind of view as vanity. I can have 500,000 impressions on a post, a million impressions on the post, and not do a single dime of business. Viral posts don't equal revenue, but what it's done behind the scenes is an influx of referral business so much so that I can't keep up with it. Business so much so that I can't keep up with it. It's opened up corporate opportunities which are significantly different revenue streams and it's brought me to where I'm at today and opening up a JYC recruiting arm. Because I've worked with so much talent over the years, because I'm so deeply passionate about cultivating a culture of fulfillment and integrity and ethics and options in the workplace, that my clients who are brilliant, who said, okay, I'm going to go start something of my own, tegan, I want you to help me build it. That is creating a different level of impact than I would have ever dreamed up. Wow.

Speaker 1: 36:37

And so my brand has led to opportunities and has completely altered the course of my business, from being a solopreneur to having a team, to building out other revenue arms within my organization, to having a completely different business that I don't even talk about online. That has a lot of synergy, because the things I'm doing outside of my brand on LinkedIn are all interconnected with the people that I meet online. Yeah. And, as an introvert, the best way to meet people is sliding in those DMs. Yeah, yeah.

Speaker 1: 37:08

Man, jamar, that post I really resonated with. Like I, you know, did a little bit of research and I found this and I, you know, wanted to share that with you. And then you say, wow, you know, thanks for taking the time to. You know, find that out. Yeah. It's going above and beyond, because I'm genuinely interested. For sure.

Speaker 1: 37:26

And genuine people get genuine opportunities. But I'm in credibility yeah you know my online course that I white label to universities, the government boot camps. I mean those are six-figure accounts yeah um, that course was recognized and gained an award, and then that award just by promoting it. Yeah. And by other people promoting it and talking about that course and leaving me reviews and things. My coaching program exploded. Yeah.

Speaker 1: 38:03

To the point where I had to, you know, bring other coaches in. Yeah, and so there's that. I mean LinkedIn invited me to be on a LinkedIn podcast. I mean they invite tons of people on podcasts but not everybody. And it's like people are like well, you got to pay to be in Forbes or whatever, so they don't invite everybody to be on the Forbes coaching council, or like you're, on what is it the um?

Speaker 1: 38:26

Forbes black yeah, yeah, yeah they don't invite everybody right and so you don't have to dull someone else's sparkle yeah because everybody can do it yeah I don't see you doing it. Yeah, you know, that's, that's my facebook talk, but on linkedin.

Speaker 4: 38:43

It's more like hey, you want uncut, unfiltered, go to facebook like well on linkedin.

Speaker 1: 38:51

it's just the principle of you don't have to tell the world you're fixing her crown, just fix it. Yeah, yeah.

Speaker 1: 38:58

And making that comment when somebody else is being a bully or whatever. Just standing up, having the confidence to do what's right, it sets you apart. Just standing up, having the confidence to do what's right, yeah, it sets you apart. And I've gotten so many different opportunities building out emerging leadership programs, building out internal mobility programs, recruiting trainings, all kinds of opportunities. Shoot equipment just being sent to my home, offers to go on retreats to record there yeah it's.

Speaker 1: 39:32

It's amazing what cultivating a brand will do for you, like I have. I don't know how many followers I have. I think I have like 20 something thousand followers.

Speaker 4: 39:39

It's not a lot compared to like influencers right but these doors are still opening, yeah it's it, it's it's we call it micro influencers. You know where, where you. But you have a core audience that especially you know. Other people may see that, but like you've built up a community, you know of people that are following you, that engage with your content, that like you and that still has power.

Speaker 4: 40:05

And I just was talking with somebody I wrote, I read this book called uh tour smart okay a long time ago when I was doing music and stuff, um, but they said the the best thing to have. You're not trying to get millions of followers. The best thing that you're trying to find is a thousand core fans yeah, because that's all you need for you they're all going to show up. If you launch a course, if you launch a book, if you are performing a show or you're speaking somewhere, you know for a fact that you're going to have a thousand people show up for you yeah and that's all you're working towards, yep, and then if you get to the thousand, then okay, go shoot for two thousand, but you don't need a million, like it's totally a vanity number.

Speaker 4: 40:44

Yeah, you know, especially on social media now, um, but the the best thing is that you now built up a community where you have people that are going. So if you have an idea, you're like, okay, and you can test that idea, yeah, you could actually implement that idea and test it. And then you know you have a certain amount of people that are going to show up like no matter what.

Speaker 1: 41:04

Yep.

Speaker 4: 41:05

Yeah.

Speaker 1: 41:06

And it's difficult, because imagine how long it would take to nurture a thousand relationships. Yeah, but on a platform like linkedin it makes it easy. You go to the tab where people are talking about work, anniversaries or birthdays or new job announcements, and that's your tickler to touch base with them yeah, yeah and and if.

Speaker 1: 41:26

And if they have that setting turned off or whatever, then you manually put it in to remind yourself to follow up. Or have those core group chats with different people, like I've got my core group chat for those of us who volunteer within domestic violence and brainstorming on ideas on how to help people who are facing different things. Some people have to completely delete their LinkedIn profile, so how do we help them find a job then? Or if somebody is, you know, having to move states and start from scratch, well, what resources are there in that state? Because I don't work in that state, I don't understand the systems there. And when you get more people involved on a topic that you care about in these micro groups, then all of a sudden you can be a connector with more and more because, there's so many strands that connect us.

Speaker 1: 42:21

Like you said, most of us aren't radicals, most of us just care. We want to have a good life, we want to live the type of lifestyle that we want, which may be different from each other, but at the end of the day, we want the same thing. We want to be comfortable, and there are some of us who want to live a life of abundance, and that's okay too. Yeah, and by being able to nurture those relationships in a variety of ways hosting a LinkedIn, local yeah.

Speaker 1: 42:55

You can bring so many people together, like when you guys did that, there was tons of people who came out, yeah, and like how would I have met them any way else? Yeah. And so it's a great way in the digital age where everyone feels so freaking lonely, to meet good people. It's a big issue right now. Yeah.

Speaker 4: 43:13

Loneliness is a huge issue, and I think you just dropped one secret that I want to highlight for everybody watching and listening is that so you purposely go into and create LinkedIn groups or chats that support a certain topic or initiative, but you bring people into that group to be able to talk and build kind of like a small community around it. For sure, but you're still taking people kind of off the the feeds yeah and then into a group.

Speaker 4: 43:43

and I just had um Janide on the podcast and he also said, like the best way to build on LinkedIn is to take it off LinkedIn. Yeah, you know, like and you kind of just mentioned it like of you know a LinkedIn, local or some kind of networking events. And then he's like, yeah, create that community outside of it. Like, if you can, you can still be in the platform, but try to take those conversations where they're not just in chats or just in comments and you're building real community around that, and then people will show up for you. He also mentioned commenting on other people's posts.

Speaker 4: 44:17

Oh for sure, because that's the way he grew to 50 years. I don't know how many thousand he is at, yeah, but he was like I commented on 100 people's posts a day. Yeah, in the beginning he's like I don't got time for that anymore, but he's like I still comment, though he's like I still comment, but not 100. But to grow fast, you know, comment and actually interact.

Speaker 1: 44:39

Givers get yeah, and so.

Speaker 4: 44:41

Back to what you were saying. Yeah.

Speaker 1: 44:42

Yeah.

Speaker 4: 44:43

You got to give.

Speaker 1: 44:44

Because if you want to be seen as a thought leader on a topic, then you want to thoughtfully engage with other thought leaders on that topic, with other thought leaders on that topic.

Speaker 1: 44:55

I have a really respected peer here in Wisconsin who focuses on interview prep and she's got some awesome tips and tricks and she'll post that tip and trick and I'll say, ooh, I love that. Something that's also worked well is what are your thoughts on that? And so you're supporting, you're recognizing the value of that person, you're adding a tidbit and you're having a call to action. Yeah, so you're keeping the conversation going. That that call to action might be we should do a live about this like this topic is amazing. I've got a girlfriend in holland.

Speaker 1: 45:32

I've never met her before but I've got a girlfriend in holland and she thinks that hobbies should be included on a resume and most people are like don't put that on your resume. And she's like no people want to hire people that they know.

Speaker 4: 45:45

like what's the first thing you do in an interview?

Speaker 1: 45:48

right.

Speaker 4: 45:48

Like they add. They ask you like hey, well, what? What do you do outside of work? Like, what are you? What are your passions? Are your passions? Yeah? Exactly it might be smart to put that on a resume, oh, and so many people don't agree on it.

Speaker 1: 46:00

I don't always agree on it. Space is limited on a resume and I can learn about that all day, but anyways yeah saying hey, I'm not sure how you feel about this topic. Let's jump on a live and and hash it out yeah. And now all of a sudden you're having dialogue and it's recorded so people can play back to it. So when people Google that topic, now you're coming up. Right.

Speaker 1: 46:25

And it's being seen, and people who talk about that topic, like Forbes or Business Insiders and things like that are reaching out to you for quotes every day. Yeah. And now, all of a sudden, when your name is Googled, you're in all these magazines, respected magazines. You're getting invited to all these respected business schools because you're talking, you're willing to talk about the topics and you're doing so in a way that cultivates trust.

Speaker 4: 46:51

Yeah, and it's organic, it's natural.

Speaker 1: 46:53

Yeah.

Speaker 4: 46:54

It's authentic because you're actually curious and you want to learn about it. I think being curious in business, I think is like a number one tip for any entrepreneur.

Speaker 1: 47:05

And you're supporting other peoples that are in the same niches? Yeah, because you're not competing with them. Yeah, you're collaborating with them, and when you stop having the comparison trap or the competition trap, like, no, I'm not going to support your content because you're a resume writer too. I don't care, I want you to have business. I have more business than I know what to do with. Let me get to know you so well and see your work and collaborate on like there's a group of us.

Speaker 1: 47:35

I'm in four different resume writer groups okay where we meet to talk about resume writing trends, best practices, new tips and tricks on how to do different designs. And without us collaborating, I wouldn't be the writer that I am today my clients wouldn't get the results that they get yeah and I.

Speaker 1: 47:54

I don't view them as competition. I I view them as a resource yeah and so when you support other creators in your space, you're only more likable, you're only going to get better at your craft. You're only going to see oh, I didn't like how he did that. That chat gpt is clear as day yeah, but I really love how she did that right, Right Like. Oh, that was sexy, Like you know, I want to use that. Yeah. And and you you get inspired when you support other people.

Speaker 4: 48:27

Yeah, yeah, for sure. I mean that comparison trap is is. I think that's also what people struggle with the most, especially on social media is the comparison, because everybody's posting the highlight reel and so you only see, like man, that they're killing it though. But I'm actually going through a dip right now, or I'm going through some real struggles and challenges, but really that they are too, but really that they're they are too.

Speaker 4: 48:58

Yeah, I just got in a conversation last night where we were like talking about you know, a lot of big creators and like they got a lot of stuff they're going through too. They may look like on social media they're killing it. Yeah, there's some stuff behind the scenes and yeah, but that's like everybody's going through that, but they're just not outwardly talking about it because, like you said, I mean a lot of are private people. They don't want everybody to know everything they got going on. And we're not saying to share everything, but just be honest and genuine about your content just a little bit, because when everybody just posts the highlight reel, it looks fabricated and then it looks like that's what society is.

Speaker 1: 49:35

When it's not, there's a reason why, like basketball wives is so popular to watch, you know, versus it is because people want to see the mess at times, one of my highest performing social media posts was a now and then, when I worked for the government, I felt like I was making an impact in the community. I felt like I was making an impact for kids that had family situations like mine and I was broke and I was bartending on the side and I was exhausted and then a semi truck smashed into me and I almost died and it was like all right, I'm not doing that anymore. What comes next? Yeah and it's like like life sucked and in that moment yeah.

Speaker 1: 50:28

I was on cloud nine in life. I had I've been rapidly promoted, and when I posted about that, how I was so happy in life until something shook me to my core to make me realize that no, I, I just was hiding, I wasn't being honest with myself because it was too painful or I didn't have the level of maturity at the time to be able to do that, to pivot, yeah. And then I pivoted and I was fricking broke and I grew my business and I learned the hard lessons and I invested money in the wrong people to teach me and then I, you know, invested wisely with some great people. That really helped me. Um, and it has been a learning lesson and and I I think it's important for people to see that and obviously people like to hear it, otherwise that post wouldn't have done so well. One of the other posts that has done really well is a post about a Victoria's Secret model who's also a coder, and that post blew up and it was Women's History Month and it's about how women are treated in tech.

Speaker 1: 51:29

Well, I work with a lot of women. I work with a lot of men in tech who want to be allies to women in tech or who realize they've maybe made some poor choices along the way but want to do better. Let's get a coaching session on how to make that work, how to do that, and so, um, people don't want to just hear about you. They also want to hear about things that are happening in the world that they care about. Right, you have a mother, do you have a sister? Do you work with women? All right, this post is relatable, and so there's the balance of what you can share and it gives insight as to who you are and what you care about. And, at the end of the day, people want to do business with people that they can trust, people they like, people that are in their budget. People want to do business with people who are out of their budget and aspire to get to the point where they can work. I don't even know if we have enough time to get down that route, but pricing when?

Speaker 1: 52:28

you're an entrepreneur building a business and you're working on your pricing. There's iterations to that.

Speaker 4: 52:34

Yes, from where you start to where you go. There's a whole, yeah, I, I let's, let's end. I got one more thing I let's end the podcast on that. No, we'll, um, we'll bring that up in a second, but okay, what I want to, I want to do a quick segment. That's uh, brought to, brought to you by visit milwaukee.

Speaker 5: 53:07

Immerse yourself in a place where bold ideas are sought after, where all are. Visit Milwaukee where you'll remember not just the meals, the celebrations or the uncommon coasts. What you'll remember is how we made you feel. Come experience Milwaukee, where fresh meets fearless every day.

Speaker 4: 53:23

Okay, and so what has been your experience in Milwaukee? And when you're outside Milwaukee, what do you hear about Milwaukee?

Speaker 1: 53:35

Okay, are they going to listen and come and find me? No, you give your honest opinion, honest opinion so my husband's has a big side of his family here in milwaukee okay his auntie lives up here okay maxine, you're my girl. I love going and getting cocktails with her. There's lots of nice spots around milwaukee where you can go and eat out yep uh, it's developed a lot.

Speaker 1: 54:05

It's also incredibly racially segregated and um. Over the years it's changed a little bit, but it's felt when you're walking down the street and and things of that nature. So there's a little bit of work to do yeah, yeah um. Her son happens to be the mayor okay um, and so hearing some of like the political side of things that are happening in Milwaukee, it's like, oh, that's interesting, so I don't. There's only so much I can share.

Speaker 4: 54:44

It's like you have a different perspective. You have a different outlook on it because of some of the people that you're associated with.

Speaker 1: 54:51

Yes, and I'm heavily involved in workforce development and so, being in Chicago, we partnered a lot with Milwaukee. So I know the skeletons of Milwaukee, but I also know the people of Milwaukee. They're deeply passionate about making Milwaukee a great place to live. They're deeply passionate about expanding opportunities for the next generation, creating a tech hub for Milwaukee, making sure that children abuse decreases, that people have access to the food that they need, the support that they need within the community, and so I have a big hub around the nonprofit space, the political space and the cocktailing space, and so, overall, I would visit the zoo is awesome.

Speaker 1: 55:52

Yeah, bring my family up here a lot to visit family and I'm really proud of the progress that the community is choosing to make together.

Speaker 4: 55:56

Yeah, no, that's, that's great. That's great. I do feel like there's there, it's definitely evolving and I feel like the biggest change has been in the past. I would say seven years, yeah, I would say has been the biggest changes, like biggest leaps I've seen, especially with, like community downtown, the developments like there's a lot happening. The RNC is going to be here, uh, this year, 2024, if you're watching this in the future, um, but like, yeah, there's a lot of good progression that's happening.

Speaker 1: 56:27

Um, but just like any, any city, that's um, that's kind of on the come up, like you got to get past yeah some of the uh the history well, it's interesting because we're so close to Chicago and it and it's, I mean, and it's segregated there too, but it's just the. The history here runs deep. And. I think it's amazing that the community is coming together to pave the way forward.

Speaker 4: 56:49

Yeah, yeah, for sure, for sure, um so, um. We're going to go back to the, the pricing uh thing, but first I want to ask you because we get a lot of people that are entrepreneurial spirits Maybe they're trying to start their business, they're already entrepreneurs, maybe they're already established entrepreneurs that are watching this and listening what is your number one channel for lead generation? Because I know there's so many different ways to acquire leads and depending on your business and what you're doing, but what has been your number one channel and, like, what's actually working for you?

Speaker 1: 57:26

So my business coach would be so irritated that I haven't done more in this avenue. But honestly, clients come to me on On the resume writing front. Clients come in my DMs. They'll wait two weeks to even get a call to make sure it's right to work with me and then still wait until I'm available if they don't want to work with someone on my team.

Speaker 4: 57:47

So it's inbound.

Speaker 1: 57:48

It's inbound and heavily referral. Every single one of the clients that I have worked with has referred me to multiple people. I had one client in January who had my entire January booked with people that she referred me to because they were going through layoffs. And so she was like you got to work with her. This is how I went from this company to this company. It's more than just resume writing, it's the consulting. Yeah, yeah, the career consulting aspect, and and so my previous clients are my biggest cheerleaders. Yeah.

Speaker 1: 58:22

And then, on the other front, like all the business that I'm doing outside of resume writing, a lot of that has come from the relationships that I've nurtured with clients. Yeah, They'll say, you know, I've got this business need. I'm having a difficult time retaining diverse talent. All right, let's do a recruiter training on diverse talent. How do you attract them? Are you looking at the? You know where are you recruiting from. And then, all right, so we've increased our diversity recruitment numbers, but diverse talent's not staying. All right, let's look at your leaders. Let's look at how your leaders have been trained. Let's look at the cultural awareness. And that just continues to create opportunities.

Speaker 1: 59:05

And so. I am huge on inbound leads because I produce so much quality content and because I collaborate with so many amazing thought leaders.

Speaker 4: 59:16

So I think that's it. I think you just summed it up at the end. So content and collaboration really helps, because it's a number one priority for you helps produce the inbound lead so you don't have to go outbounds really at all.

Speaker 1: 59:31

I would not like having to do that, because some people are going crazy.

Speaker 4: 59:34

Outbound, you know they're just an X amount of emails, cold emails, cold calls, messages, or they're running ads. I mean there's so many different ways to acquire leads, but you're more focused on putting out quality things out there, giving everything pretty much away for free. And then people they get curious or they want to just talk with you because they're like man, I mean you're giving us so much, yeah, and the inbound keeps coming. But then, as you do great work, we, uh, we just did a show, um that we're producing for visit milwaukee, all about the culinary world, oh, and so we get to talk to all these chefs, but how and when they open?

Speaker 4: 1:00:12

their restaurants, yeah when they open their restaurants. We were kind of asking like well, how do? How do you get like, especially in a new city, how do you get awareness? They said by just serving good food.

Speaker 1: 1:00:26

Yeah.

Speaker 4: 1:00:26

You know, because the people will taste it, they'll try it out. Once they love it, they'll bring their friends and then it snowballs. So it's very similar to what you're saying. Is like like you get the inbounds, so they're curious, but then they actually start to work with you. They get great results. Then they got to share the share, the message. So it's like a good service or a good product will always be a great marketing tool for people.

Speaker 1: 1:00:49

Yeah, because it is really difficult once you have a poor reputation. Yeah. To flip that script You've got to refine your offer. Hone that in, master it before things really explode. And if that's not how it works for you, great.

Speaker 4: 1:01:16

That's how it worked for me. That's cool. And so, just talking about going back to the pricing, um, because I I feel like that could be a whole episode in its own Um, especially when you're, uh, starting as a small business and then you're learning how to scale, you have a team, so there's a lot of elements and there's levels to it, right, yeah, what would you recommend somebody as a starting point in your profession? As far as, like, if somebody wants to get into resume writing, they want to get into career coaching, what is a good starting point? And then, what do you feel like the tiers are and what are the variables to it? Because I know that also may be another thing.

Speaker 1: 1:02:01

So I feel incredibly uncomfortable selling. So pricing has always been one of my challenges as a business owner, and I'm still lower than some of my competitors. But if I could go back and do it again, if I could have the confidence that I have now and the skillset that I have now, what I would do is I would price myself. What I would do is I would offer free services to loved ones. Get examples of resumes that I have permission to share. Submit them to resume writing competitions to validate that you are delivering quality product.

Speaker 4: 1:02:45

Fulfilling credibility.

Speaker 1: 1:02:47

And then price yourself where the elite are priced at. You don't have to work as hard if you don't have to write as many resumes in the resume writing industry. So if you can increase your ticket and write three resumes a month instead of 300, I mean that's the difference between a $100 resume and a $3,000 resume package. That's the same money at the end of the a $3,000 resume package Right, that's the same money at the end of the day, but you're doing a lot. The work is a lot different. Yeah.

Speaker 1: 1:03:22

That gives you more time to cultivate those relationships. Yeah, for you to grow quicker. Yeah, yeah.

Speaker 1: 1:03:28

And it'd be less painful. And you have to get comfortable saying the price out loud. How much do your services cost? Yeah, $397. $3,997. It's essentially four grand. This is what you get for it. These are the results you can expect. Here's my guarantee, and I have pricing transparency on everything. You don't have to book a call to know how much it costs. It's going to be right there on the website, because I'm not selling you If you don't believe that you deserve this I don't like selling, so this is not the best advice for people who can sell.

Speaker 1: 1:04:05

I'm not going to be able to sell you. You either know you are worth this investment in yourself or you're not going to invest. So I'm not going to waste my time. I'll have a quick chat and give you some advice, some personalized advice, because in my industry that's the difference is personalizing it.

Speaker 1: 1:04:23

I can give all the free advice, but that doesn't mean it's going to work for you, because there's no one size fits all. So that's the secret sauce in my industry. So when you can harness the secret sauce in your industry, you can charge top dollar and go in there with your head held high, knowing that you are delivering a service that's on par with everyone else, and then, for me, I exceed it. So what most resume writers do? They have a resume writing package, a LinkedIn optimization package, maybe an executive bio cover letter, things like that. Well, I offer resume writing and LinkedIn optimization as a bundle and as a bonus offer. 12 different guidebooks salary negotiation, interview prep, getting recommendations, writing cover letters all of it.

Speaker 1: 1:05:14

And so people feel like they're getting more value in working with me. Because they are, I don't need to charge you for scripts, I'm going to give you the scripts. I want you to be successful. And people are attracted to that. They feel that sincerity, they understand that value and they're willing to pay for it. And so if I was starting off, that value and they're willing to pay for it. And so if I was? Starting off.

Speaker 1: 1:05:39

I would create an amazing product. Get validation that is fantastic. Yeah, Price myself on par with the elite. Yeah. And have enough time because my pricing is where it's at to be able to juggle all those other balls, because being a solopreneur is really hard. When you've got a team supporting you, it's a lot easier. Yeah, yeah. But then you also need to raise your rates to support that team yeah to support the team.

Speaker 4: 1:06:01

And that's where the tears start to happen. And then you've got to do it because you have overhead, and I think you gave some absolutely incredible advice on pricing. I think one of the golden nuggets I heard is like you've got to practice saying the price like you have to. I, I advise people to like, look in the mirror, like, and just say it over and over and over again, because you are probably losing. If you're listening and watching this, you're probably losing a lot of money by not being confident. Yep, because people can sense it a mile away If you can't.

Speaker 1: 1:06:39

As soon as you switch up, the trust that you just built on that call is lost.

Speaker 4: 1:06:43

All that, you know, all that helping and guiding and being consultative for them, that right approach and really listening to their needs, their wants. And then once it's like well, okay, hey, I'm almost there, I'm almost ready to go, but like how much does this thing cost? And you go, um, so yeah. So like, look, you know, we can do a discount if you need to, like you haven't even dropped the price yet you better not discount your services there's only one thing you can't get back it's your time.

Speaker 1: 1:07:13

Give abie a pamphlet, a video or something, but, lord, do not discount your time. That's pricing too, because so many people will be like, oh, I'm doing a Black Friday sale, 50% off, those hours don't change. I'm not giving you 50% less of my effort. You're going to pay full price and you are going to reap the rewards, and for me, being in the resume writing industry, as soon as you get your sign-on bonus, your sign-on bonus is going to be at least 10 times the amount my package was You're good. Yeah.

Speaker 1: 1:07:45

And you think you're about to lose your job. Okay, we're going to work that into the negotiation. Your severance package is paying for me. Yeah, you don't even have to pay for it out of pocket right in my industry. It's really easy to get creative with people paying for my services because they're about to get that money right back yeah somebody else is paying for it. That's true.

Speaker 4: 1:08:02

You're an immersion leader doesn't take as long to to get the return on investment right because if it works well, then you're going to secure a job quickly.

Speaker 1: 1:08:14

Um but even, even, like flipping homes yeah, so we. The first one was kind of a nightmare, the second one, well, it was a nightmare too. I mean flipping homes, it's just something always comes up right.

Speaker 4: 1:08:24

Well, a lot of variables that can go wrong.

Speaker 1: 1:08:27

Yeah, but the people that we hired to do those jobs trust us that they're going to get paid that they're going to be treated with respect. The realtors that we built connections with know that the work that we're doing is quality work and that we're mission driven in the community, and so that's attracting people to stay with us, even during the rocky moments. And so in an industry like that, where it's not as easy as like resume writing, not that resume writing is easy. It's just all that I know. Yeah.

Speaker 1: 1:08:58

But in other industries, for our listeners, if you're like. Well, I'm not a resume writer. My industry is completely different. A lot of the same principles apply. Oh for sure you prove yourself, you prove who you are. People are going to want to work for you. People are going to want to do a good job you people are going to want to do a good job.

Speaker 1: 1:09:17

People are going to want to buy it from you because when you have that network, those relationships, people are going to want to support that. Yeah, and you never knew your friends until you opened up your own business. And do they want that hookup or are they going to support you and pay? Yeah there's levels to friendship and there's levels to pricing. Charge them full price.

Speaker 4: 1:09:37

Yeah, yeah, that's incredible. That's incredible. I know a lot of people got a ton from this episode. I feel like we can go in so many other different directions, so there may have to be a part two in somewhere in the future, especially where you're going. I think there's like a ton.

Speaker 4: 1:09:53

Next year Big changes and they will not be under NDA when that ink is dry, oh man it's gonna be so cool to talk about it, but, uh, where can people get connected to you? Um, how can people just get it, you know, a step into your world?

Speaker 1: 1:10:09

on LinkedIn okay yep, tegan Bartos, on LinkedIn. You can, you'll. You can message me. My phone number is public. My email is public. If somebody wants to get a hold of me, they can get a hold of me. I'm available, I make myself accessible.

Speaker 4: 1:10:26

Gotcha. And then what are you looking for as far as from people I know you kind of mentioned? You're really open to collaboration.

Speaker 1: 1:10:33

Yes, if anybody wants to jump on an audio room and talk about opportunities within your industry or areas in which they think that the industry can progress in to elevate your brand, I would love to have a conversation about it. I try to go on LinkedIn Lives every Friday at 11 o'clock Central Time for 30 minutes just to spread awareness, spread knowledge, support others, and so if anybody wants to do that, hit me up, we'll get it scheduled.

Speaker 4: 1:11:06

Sweet. Well, everybody listening. I always say this every single time If you have heard something impactful and you really want to take that next step and actually change your circle to change your life, reach out to Tegan. She is available. These aren't like people in the sky that are just like untouchable, not reachable. Everybody I have on this podcast is reachable and they've outwardly said please connect. So I know only like 2% are actually going to connect. But good people know good people. Yeah, good people know good people. So reach out, connect, follow their journey and please like, comment, subscribe to the show and we're going to see you guys on the next one. And don't forget you can change your circle to change your life. We're out, peace. Don't forget to like, comment and subscribe. And don't forget to hit that notification bell for more amazing content that we're going to be putting out. And don't forget you can change your circle to change your life.