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Making mistakes is a natural part of life–and *sigh* one of the joys of being human. But instead of fearing our slip-ups, we should actually embrace it when things go wrong. It’s just like that old adage about Thomas Edison and the light bulb: He didn’t fail once, but he did succeed in finding 10,000 methods that didn’t work!
Even our very own Nicki Krawczyk, multi-seven-figure entrepreneur and founder of the Circuit Sales System brand, has made some mistakes along the way (hard to believe, we know!). In this episode, we hear about some of Nicki’s biggest business mishaps–including a casual $40K that went down the drain–but most importantly, what she’s learned from them.
Looking for closed captioning or a transcript? Watch the episode on YouTube!
A Sneak Peek at the Episode
[2:30] When Nicki was first looking for an operations manager, she made the mistake of not being specific enough about the traits that the person in this role would have.
[8:52] When hiring a professional to fill a role, it’s important to have a system in place to check in, make sure that the work is getting done, and identify any potential issues that need addressing.
[15:43] Nicki wanted to employ a marketing assistant but realized she was trying to fit too much into one role. It was easier (and more effective) to look for multiple experts across fields like copywriting and design. You *can* find dedicated freelancers!
[21:48] Once you hire someone for a role, you can still experiment to see if they have other zones of genius beyond what you specifically hired them for.
[22:34] If you hire an agency, Nicki advises us to partner very carefully with them. Even though an agency may be in charge of something, you still need to be the expert in your business and your audience.
[25:25] It’s important to be aware that agencies might not be as focused on your numbers as you are. Having a deep understanding of the metrics you care about will help you communicate your focus to your agency.
[28:11] Whether you hire an agency or whether you hire someone in-house, the workload might not be as hands off as you anticipated. You still need to advocate for your business and ensure that the work aligns with your strategy.
[33:19] After seeing consistent sales each month, Nicki told her agency to dial up the ad spend but did not check in on the results. Overspending by $40,000 (with no sales to attribute to this) was a painful reminder to check your numbers at least on a weekly basis so you can see anything looks off.
Mentioned on this Episode
Related Links
- The First Step to Hiring the Right Person for Your Team
- 12 Sales Funnel Mistakes That Cost Course Creators Money
Must-Hear Takeaways
As with every episode, we highly encourage you to listen to the entire conversation! But, here are a few of the highlights:
“Could we have found a unicorn? Yes, absolutely. But it was so much smarter when we took a step back and said you know what? We are trying to do too much with this role. We don’t actually need this role and we need actually probably fewer hours than a full-time role, or even if we hit those full-time hours, but we’re doing it with experts in what they do. We’re going to save so much time—particularly my time. I didn’t have to review things. I didn’t have to provide as much feedback.” – Nicki
“I hear some business owners say, ‘oh no, you have to have on staff employees because freelancers are never as dedicated. But as people who have done a lot of freelancing, you can absolutely find dedicated freelancers—and by dedicated I mean people who care about your company, who are passionate about the mission, who want to help your customers and clients and who want your company to succeed.” – Nicki
“Some of us say, ‘oh, I can’t do this at all. I’m going to give it to an agency.’ And we think that because the agency is an expert, they’re going to look at our goals, they’re going to look at what we want to have happen, they’re going to look at our assets, they’re going to look at our numbers, and they’re going to know the right thing to do. And that is not always the case.” – Nicki
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About the Energize Your Online Business Podcast
Are you sick of the stress, chaos, and risk of trying to keep up with the next big thing in digital marketing? And what about the confusion of trying to scale, build a team, and still try to make sure your business is worth the effort it takes to run it? You are not alone.
Join Nicki Krawczyk, a 20-year marketing veteran and owner of a multi-seven-figure-per-year digital training company and her co-host Kate Sitarz as they bust through the online business industry echo chamber to talk about how to make consistent, predictable sales and how to scale your business with simple and stress-free systems.
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