BECOME A VERY VERY V.I.P.
My thirst is never quenched, no matter how many times I do it, I want more, more, more.
I want to simplify, organize, and streamline your business––and give your business the structure (and confidence) it desperately needs.
From mapping out sales strategies and polishing your marketing plans to streamlining product & service delivery to mapping out an easy-peasy PR plan, I can dictate it all.
Do this.
Do this.
Don’t do that.
So, how about it? Are you ready to step back from the brink of burnout, confusion, and overwhelm and let your favorite bossy pants lead the charge?
So you can get a better idea on what I’m all about––and the kinds of things we’ll work on in Very Very V.I.P.––allow me to take you on a tour of my viewpoints on simplifying and organizing your business.
And yes, there is homework! Why not get started now as you read along?
(When you do your chores, the Universe can do it’s chores.)
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VIEWPOINT NO. 1 TO SIMPLIFY & ORGANIZE YOUR BUSINESS
To simplify and organize your business, create a results-driven product or service, or a suite of results-driven products or services that’s infused with your personality, designed for your perfect people, and feels so dreamy to you, you can’t believe people would pay you for it!
Here’s why:
+ If your product or service doesn’t get results for your customers… you’ll be exhausted from selling a “that’s nice to have offer” vs “a lean, mean, results-driven machine that everyone wants.”
+ If your product or service isn’t packed with your personality it will be so lackluster that you won’t even want to use it, and you won’t be freakishly excited about marketing it.
+ If your product or service isn’t designed for the people you naturally align with…you’ll always feel like nobody understands what you’re selling and then blame yourself for your lack of success.
+ If your product or service isn’t something you’re obsessed with, no matter how much other people love it, you’ll quickly get bored of it and move on.
Make sense?
Below, I’m giving you two examples of what this looks like with two products I made up––Outsource Nag and Rosy Reverie.
Service-Based Business Example: OUTSOURCE NAG
Let’s say you love to nag others to do their chores, so you create Outsource Nag. A-done-for-you-nagging-service that nags your client’s spouse, significant other, children, or roommates to do their chores.
RESULT: Your client’s spouse, significant other, children, or roommates are doing their chores without your client having to nag them.
Since you can only nag so many people a week, you also create a course on how to expertly nag one’s spouse, significant other, children, or roommates to do their chores.
RESULT: If your clients do the course the way it’s designed… they will know exactly how to expertly nag their spouse, significant other, children, or roommates to do their chores.
And because you’re so obsessed with nagging––and really good at it…you always get them to do their chores––you’ll never run out of things to say about nagging in marketing emails and social media posts.
Outsource Nag becomes a viral sensation (who doesn’t get tired of nagging?) and you secure a recurring guest expert spot on the Today show where each month you share your top 3 nagging tips with Hoda Kotb & Jenna Bush Hager.
(You’ll notice that in Outsource Nag, there’s nothing extra, no, fluff, no filler. Could you say this about your own service-based offer?)
Product-Based Example: ROSY REVERIE
Let’s say you love making candles and your favorite scent is wild rose. So you create a wild-rose-candle-of-the-month subscription. With over 150 wild species of roses and 30,000 cultivated varieties, you’ll never run out of scents.
RESULT: Your customers will always have a good smelling bathroom, and something glamorous to post on the gram once a month.
And because you’re so in love with making candles and smelling wild roses, you always have something new to share in your marketing emails, social media posts, and your yearly pitch to be featured on Oprah’s favorite things.
(You’ll notice that in Rosy Reverie, there could be thousands of products with all of the different scents of wild roses that exist, but it’s clear what the offer is and who it’s for. Could you say this about your own product-based offer?)
Outsource Nag and Rosy Reverie are results-driven, packed with personality, and designed for a specific audience in mind––simple and organized.
Yet everywhere I look, I see so much clutter.
Everyone is trying to put all of their ideas into one one offering.
And as a high-level creative, I totally understand why! We love our ideas.
But I do have a solution for that, which I will reveal in Viewpoint No. 5 to simplify and organize your business.
ACTION & ACCOUNTABILITY CHECKPOINT
Go through your existing products and services and ask yourself these questions:
- What’s the one result from using my product or service?
- Is my personality packed into my product or service?
- Is my product or service designed for my perfect people?
- Is this my dream product or service?
VIEWPOINT NO. 2 TO SIMPLIFY & ORGANIZE YOUR BUSINESS
Before I share VIEWPOINT NO 2. I want you to think of an awesome experience you had buying something.
For me it was when I got a boob job back in 2005.
(Four years after I quit stripping! Talk about leaving money on the table. More on that another day.)
The plastic surgeons that I was thinking about hiring invited me to an event at a fancy country club. Free drinks. Free dinner. Free desert. So of course I went.
During the dinner they did a slide presentation of the “before and afters” of some of their clients, shared their backgrounds, professional accomplishments and accolades, and we even got to meet their families!
It was a fun, high-level, no pressure sales event. They were so classy.
They didn’t try and get you to book your surgery at the event. (That would’ve been so uncomfortable.) Instead, you could book a time at their office for a private consultation on your surgery of choice.
That’s exactly what I did!
And that’s VIEWPOINT NO. 2
To simplify and organize your business, you don’t need a gazillion opt-ins, funnels, and CTAs. All you need to do is create ONE, high-quality, fun and low-pressure sales experience where people can get a taste of what it’s like to use your products and services.
Think about this… I went to that country club dinner in 2004. And almost 20 years later, I’m still talking about it! (And if you live in Minneapolis, and need a plastic surgeon recommendation, let me know.)
Yet most entrepreneurs overcomplicate their sales experience––when they don’t need to. You need to zero in and focus on ONE thing that will ‘turn your potential customers on’. And ONE thing you are excited to deliver over and over.
Let me show you how this works.
Remember the pretend businesses I made up: Outsource Nag & Rosy Reverie?
In case you don’t recall, Outsource Nag is a-done-for-you-nagging-service that nags your client’s spouse, significant other, children, or roommates to do their chores.
And Rosy Reverie is a wild-rose-candle-of-the-month subscription.
Outsource Nag could provide one free complimentary nag per customer.
(I would sign up for that! I’ve been nagging my husband to sell his band equipment for 7 years now. Clearly I’m not good at it. If Outsource Nag could accomplish that feat, I’d be all in––and so excited I’d even give Outsource Nag a percentage of the sale of Chad’s band equipment.)
Outsource Nag could also create a free webinar with her top tips to be an expert nag. Sounds like tons of fun, and something I want to learn.
Rosy Reverie could create a webinar, or an in person event, where people could smell the candles, learn about wild roses––while drinking rosé of course. And if they signed up for the candle of the month subscription that day, their first candle would be free.
All of these sales experience ideas would fast-track sales for Outsource Nag and Rosie Reverie—without overwhelming them with too many options. Plus they would be so much fun to promote! I can see the ads now.
No matter how results-driven your product or service is. No matter how much you pack your personality into it. No matter how aligned it is with your perfect people. No matter how much you live it, you can’t expect customers to just whip out the cash and buy it on the spot.
You have to give them a sales experience where they’re inspired to buy.
ACTION & ACCOUNTABILITY CHECKPOINT
Go through your sales experience and ask yourself these questions:
- Do I actually have a sales experience or am I just pitching, pitching, pitching?
- Am I freakishly excited to invite people to my sales experience?
- Am I being super generous and giving potential customers a taste of my expertise during the sales experience?
P.S. Don’t let tried and true ideas hold you back. Use your imagination to WOW yourself and your customers with a sales experience that will have them begging for more. If you’re doing this right you should not feel burnt out and overwhelmed, It should feel fun and aligned.
VIEWPOINT NO. 3 TO SIMPLIFY & ORGANIZE YOUR BUSINESS
To simplify and organize your business, craft a repeatable visibility plan on social media to invite people into your sales experience.
Hang tight. I’m going to show you how!
But before I show, do you remember the pretend businesses I made up: Outsource Nag & Rosy Reverie?
In case you don’t recall, Outsource Nag is a-done-for-you-nagging-service that nags your client’s spouse, significant other, children, or roommates to do their chores.
And Rosy Reverie is a wild-rose-candle-of-the-month subscription.
Got it?
Ok! Let’s start with creating a visibility plan for Outsource Nag.
Remember how I told you that Outsource Nag was creating a complimentary webinar where she was going to share her some expert nagging tips? And that she also was going to share 3 expert nagging tips a month on The Today Show?
Well, we are not going to waste those expert nagging tips.
Instead, Outsource Nag is going to create hundreds of expert nagging tips packed with her viewpoints and personality she can share on TikTok and Instagram.
(You can also do this for LinkedIn and Facebook.)
I can already see the videos and posts now:
– 3 Reasons You Shouldn’t Nag Before 10:00 AM––And What The Optimal Time To Nag Actually Is
– Why Your Nagging Isn’t Working––And What To Do Instead
– This Popular Nagging Style Is Actually Costing You Money AND Wasting Your Lipstick
Then we would style these differently for each platform.
+ TikTok would be straight-up binge-worthy educational videos––with appropriate hashtags and keywords.
+ Instagram would be the exact same content, hashtags, and keywords––but styled in Instagram fashion with Reels, carousel posts, lives, Stories, highlights and captions.
Outsource Nag’s TikTok bio might read like this:
😊OUTSOURCE NAG I Expert Nagging Tips
Get my FREE audio: How To Nag Like A Pro Without Your Loved Ones Hating You ⬇️
Outsource Nag’s Instagram bio might read like this:
😊OUTSOURCE NAG I Expert Nagging Tips
Loves glowy skin & Gossip Girl
Get my FREE audio: How To Nag Like A Pro––Without Your Loved Ones Hating You ⬇️
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Then once Outsource Nag has cycled through all of her tips, we would start over and recycle the content––making sure everything was still relevant and current by updating the language, the clothes, the styling, etc.
I would also make sure that Outsource Nag was creating content that would turn into assets that would serve the life of her business. Content she’s always excited to share, and content her perfect people always want more of.
All of her TikTok and Instagram content would tell the story of Outsource Nag and lead people to her bio, where they would enter her sales experience with the free audio: How To Nag Like A Pro––Without Your Loved Ones Hating You.
Are you getting how simple and organized VIEWPOINT NO. 3 is?
Well guess what? We’re going to use the same system for Rosy Reverie.
In case you don’t recall, Rosy Reverie is a wild-rose-candle-of-the-month subscription.
And do you also remember that Rosy Reverie was creating a webinar about wild roses.
Well, we are not going to waste that educational content. Instead, Rosy Reverie is going to create hundreds of educational nuggets about wild roses packed with her viewpoints and personality she can share on TikTok and Instagram.
I can already see the videos and posts now:
– 3 Shocking Reasons Regular Roses Are Ruining Your Day
– What You Don’t Know About Regular Roses That Could Be Hurting Your Love Life
– Top 10 Wild Rose Scents Of 2023 (What’s Hot. What’s Not.)
Then we would style these differently for each platform.
+ TikTok would be straight-up binge-worthy educational videos––with appropriate hashtags and keywords.
+ Instagram would be the exact same content, hashtags, and keywords––but styled in Instagram fashion with Reels, carousel posts, lives, Stories, highlights and captions.
Rosy Reverie TikTok bio might read like this:
🌹ROSY REVERIE I Wild Rose Tips
FREE 10 minute audio: Everything You Never Learned About Wild Rose Scents ⬇️
Outsource Nag’s Instagram bio might read like this:
🌹ROSY REVERIE I Wild Rose Tips
Loves organic yams & Yellow Stone
Get my FREE audio: Everything You Never Learned About Wild Rose Scents (But Should Know) In Under 10 Minutes ⬇️
____
Then once Rosy Reverie has cycled through all of her tips, we would start over and recycle the content––making sure everything was still relevant and current by updating the language, the clothes, the styling, etc.
I would also make sure that Rosy Reverie was creating content that would turn into assets that would serve the life of her business. Content that she’s always excited to share, and content her perfect people always want more of.
All of her TikTok and Instagram content would tell the story of Rosy Reverie and lead people to her bio, where they would enter her sales experience with the free audio: Everything You Never Learned About Wild Rose Scents (But Should Know) In Under 10 Minutes
Isn’t it so SIMPLE to simplify and organize your business with VIEWPOINT NO. 3?
And the best part? You can use this social media visibility system for the life of your business.
ACTION & ACCOUNTABILITY CHECKPOINT
Go through your social media visibility plan and ask yourself these questions.
- Does my social media visibility plan stem from the product or service I’m actually selling?
- Am I turning my content into assets I can use for the life of my business?
- Are the majority of my posts driving my perfect people to my sales experience?
You know what else? Once you consistently implement VIEWPOINT NO. 3, the next viewpoint is way easier to achieve. Media people and podcast hosts are always on the lookout for fun, fresh talent that’s in it to win it.
VIEWPOINT NO. 4 TO SIMPLIFY & ORGANIZE YOUR BUSINESS
To simplify and organize your business, instead of pitching your product or service to podcasts, you’re going to look for the void that’s missing and fill that gap by pitching your viewpoints and your expertise.
Let me show you what I mean by using Outsource Nag and Rosy Reverie (the pretend businesses I made up).
In case you don’t recall, Outsource Nag is a-done-for-you-nagging-service that nags your client’s spouse, significant other, children, or roommates to do their chores.
And Rosy Reverie is a wild-rose-candle-of-the-month subscription.
Let’s start with Outsource Nag.
Outsource Nag is a huge Jenna Kutcher fan and has listened to every episode of the Goal Digger podcast. And now that Outsource Nag’s product is ready to sell, her sales experience is ready to go, and her social media visibility plan is rocking, it’s time to build some buzz.
But since podcasters are in the business of putting on a good show, Outsource Nag isn’t going to pitch the Goal Digger podcast about her product.
Instead, Outsource Nag is going to look for the void that she can fill in the Goal Digger podcast––and pitch that void.
For example, on this episode Jenna talks about How to Find Joy and Peace Without Sacrificing Productivity or Progress.
And while I haven’t listened to this episode, I’m confident saying that Jenna probably doesn’t talk about how to expertly nag your spouse, significant other, children, or roommate to do their chores.
This is a perfect opportunity for Outsource Nag to pitch the Goal Digger podcast on her viewpoints on productivity––which will, of course, include expert nagging tips.
(I don’t know about you, but I would get a lot more stuff done if Chad would just do his chores the first time I ask him!)
Can you see how this strategy would fit into Jenna’s existing content?
All right, let’s get Rosy Reverie some PR.
Her favorite podcast is the Goop podcast.
And she’s going to follow the exact same steps as Outsource Nag.
She’s going to look for the void that she can fill on the Goop podcast.
For an example, here’s an episode called What We Get Wrong About Manifestation.
And while I haven’t listened to this episode, I’m confident saying that they aren’t talking about how immersing yourself in the scent of wild roses calms your nervous system and brings about feelings of joy, hope, love and happiness––all feelings that accelerate manifestation.
So that’s the void that Rosy Reverie can pitch to the Goop podcast.
And the best part of this simple and organized strategy? Once you get big time press mentions, you have instant credibility. If you’ve been on the Goal Digger or the Goop podcast, all of the other big podcasts will want you as a guest.
You can also use this look for the void strategy anywhere you want to insert yourself into conversations with other people who have big audiences or magazines, radio and TV shows, being a guest expert, or securing brand sponsorships.
ACTION & ACCOUNTABILITY CHECKPOINT
- Make a list of your favorite podcasts or major publications
- Look for the void
- Pitch your void and your expertise
And when the podcast host asks, “Where can people find you online?” You simply invite them into your sales experience. When your business is simplified and organized you’ll always know where to look for opportunities!
VIEWPOINT NO. 5 TO SIMPLIFY & ORGANIZE YOUR BUSINESS
I’m especially excited about VIEWPOINT NO. 5 because it adds all sorts of fun into your business and brand.
And it’s specifically designed with high-level creatives in mind so you don’t ever feel boxed in or bored in your business. It also keeps IdeaRhea under control.
What is IdeaRhea? The condition of suddenly erupting with waaaaaay too many ideas and wanting to act on them all immediately.
I’m constantly spilling over with new business ideas and every one of them is going to get my face on the cover of Fast Company.
Like the designer handbag line, the cleaning company, and my YouTube channel.
And if you’ve been following along with the other four viewpoints to simplify and organize your business, you’ve already heard of Outsource Nag and Rosy Reverie––the pretend businesses I made up.
Outsource Nag is a-done-for-you-nagging-service that nags your client’s spouse, significant other, children, or roommates to do their chores.
Rosy Reverie is a wild-rose-candle-of-the-month subscription.
Both of these fake companies are companies I would LOVE to start someday….but for now, I’m just creating fake sales, marketing, and PR plans for them so I can show you how to simplify and organize your business.
Ok, time to reveal the final viewpoint.
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VIEWPOINT NO. 5 to simplify and organize your business is to get an Idea Box.
This one is courtesy of my friend Betty Jean Bell, who got so frustrated with my IdeaRhea while we were working together on a project in 2011, she warned me that if I didn’t get my focus under control, she’d quit.
She then told me to get an idea box and put all my ideas in there.
An idea box is exactly what it sounds like—a physical box where you store your ideas.
It works better than anything else I’ve ever tried to keep my IdeaRhea under control.
Writing your ideas down and putting them into an actual box takes the heat off them, restores your idea overwhelm, and keeps your creativity on fire.
We never want to dampen your creativity, just harness it into your products and services that will make you money NOW.
No matter who you are, you only have so much time and energy to execute on your ideas––and execute them well.
The world doesn’t need any more ordinary products and services! Or products and services that don’t drive results for their customers.
I’ve been designing products and services for decades and I can instantly spot ones that were made up on the fly, and not properly prototyped and rigorously tested.
You can have a hugely successful business with just one exceptional product or service.
I love what Scott Galloway said, “Never bet against a great product.”
As you simplify and organize your business, your ideas will become more focused. You’ll get to know yourself better and learn to recognize what’s an actually good idea that you can turn into a profitable product and service—and what’s just a fun wish.
ACTION & ACCOUNTABILITY CHECKPOINT
1. Go through all your ideas and write them down onto notecards.
2. Determine which ideas are going into your main product or service and which ones are going into the idea box.
3. Put your ideas for later into the idea box.
P.S. Your idea box becomes a rich resource for creativity and inspiration. So the goal here is to keep the ideas running. And to make sure that you’re being strategic with those ideas. One of the reasons I’m such a prolific creator is that I don’t hold back on my ideas, ever. And I want to teach you to do the same.
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P.S. Remember you don’t have to do this alone if you become a Very Very V.I.P. :)
We can do it together. And I will pour all of my ideas into your business to simplify and organize it AND keep you accountable to do the work that moves the needle in your business.
XXXO
HOW VERY VERY V.I.P. WORKS
Focus On Success: Each month, we’ll pick a specific area for you to simplify, organize, and streamline. Your product or service. Your visibility plan. Your PR plan. Your sales & marketing strategies, etc.
Personalized Strategy Session: We’ll have one, private 60-minute call each month to work on your focus of the month. You won’t be overwhelmed. I’ll tell you exactly what to do.
Ongoing Support: Between our monthly sessions, you’ll receive continuous creative direction, editorial feedback, and emotional support via email and Voxer.
Monthly Extravaganzas: Once a month, I bring all my VERY VERY VIP clients together for a Zoom extravaganza to dish on the latest trends in business & social media (what’s hot, what’s not). You can sip on your favorite beverages––from espresso to boba to champagne––whatever fits your fancy!
We Keep Working Until The Job Is Done – You can expect it to take at least 6 – 12 months to simplify, organize, and streamline your business. Most of my private clients continue to work with me beyond the 12 month period. I became an outsource business partner for them, a confidant, and their business bestie. They trust my ideas and I spoil them with luxurious support and whip cracking accountability.
INVESTMENT $497 / Month
‘Since working with Erika, I’ve streamlined my business, launched a program that sold out, and spoke on a stage of over 1000 people in Las Vegas (despite struggling with a lifetime of stage fright).
Erika has been instrumental in giving me the editorial confidence and cojones where I FINALLY feel clear, comfortable, and confident in my direction … poised and ready for whatever may come next.
I owe so much of that to Erika- who is so generous with her sage advice – and when needed … a swift kick in the a$$.’
– Sarah Ashman, Creative Director & Style Maker
‘Erika doesn’t TELL you what to do – she leads you to your correct answers – unveiling what you need to do to make your business successful.
She’s not your run-of-the-mill business advisor who dishes the same advice to everyone. She’s truly a master at seeing your genius and unfolding it for you and into a do-able plan.’
– Adeline Arjad Cook, CEO, LOVE LOVE TENNIS
‘Working with Erika was THE best decision I could have ever made for my business. I know a lot of people say that, but she’s unlike anyone else out there on the market.
There’s no other program out there that gives you this level of high-end expertise, intimate group connection, and guidance on your business that ISN’T fluff. It’s for entrepreneurs who are serious about elevating their brand without doing the hyper, cookie-cutter, tried-and-true stuff everyone else is selling on Facebook.’
– Jennifer Lee, Strategist + Creative Director, Luxury Design Lab
I owe my confidence and definitive point of view as a Podcast Advocate, pundit, and podcast mentor zeroing in on having conversations that shift the cultural norm directly to working with Erika and her masterful weaving of story, teachings and action taking.
It’s the investment that catapulted me to who I am now as a thought leader in podcasting – championing women’s voices with a heavy emphasis in diversity and challenging outmoded cultural dynamics.
– Elsie Escobar, Co-Host – She Podcasts, Podcasting Specialist, Advocate & Pundit
Over the past few years, we’ve collaborated closely to transform me from being exclusively a sales page designer to a conversion designer, specializing in branding, messaging, and positioning for both high-end product based businesses and online brands.
With her help, my business dreams are coming true. Because I’m so clear on who I am and what I want, I’ve been able to manifest creative projects in the industries I want to work in––without really trying. I can’t recommend Erika enough!
– Melissa Burkheimer, CEO + Conversion Design Director of Melissa Burkheimer Studio
Erika helped me transition from business owner to visionary. With her support, I had the courage to shed structures of what I thought a business needed to look like, and transform my work into its truest form. By trusting in her years of experience and passion for evolving business strategy with the times, I was able to focus on creating without questioning the finer details. Erika reminds me that the world doesn’t need any more half-hearted side hustles. It needs well-paid feminine leaders with bold viewpoints.
– Xandra Sunglim Burns, Writer & Magical Mentor
Erika helped me cut the mental & creative clutter so I could focus on what I do best. Developing six and seven figure funnels for info products for creative entrepreneurs. A bold audacious mirror that stares back at you and tells you to f*cking do it, Erika will push you to places you didn’t know had. I’ve worked with Erika for years and I would never look back.
– Nicole Edwards, Launch Coach & Strategist
Other coaches (might) keep you accountable. But Erika will make you brilliant.
She will sashay into the depths of your brain to uncover what is lust-worthy about you, your ideas, and how you work. Be careful: you will likely start getting turned on by your own business when this happens. Your customers will too.
Hang out with her for a while and you will inevitably become clearer and more decisive. In business, and in life. (Oh, and her hot seats are actually life changing. Join and see for yourself.)
Having her in my back pocket over the past year is the reason why my work is the sharpest it’s ever been. As I write this, I’ve just closed a multi-five figure contract with a perfect-fit client who loved my work so much that she decided to book 5 more projects in advance.
It’s rare to find someone who is both business-savvy and creatively-minded. Erika is just as much about the bottom-line as she is about making sure that your business feels fun, creative and totally original to you. So stop being bored. Stop being small when you know you’re meant for something big. Work with Erika. You’ll be so glad you did.
– Natalie Taylor, Launch Strategy & Copywriting for Digital Course Creators