Suzanne Chadwick
Welcome to the brand builders lab podcast. I'm your host Chadwick certified business and mindset coach, author and speaker each week we'll be talking about simple but powerful business and mindset strategies that will help you build a lean, clean and profitable business so you can learn to get out of your own way and pay yourself more, more. Forget average, it's time to level up. Hey, lovelies, welcome back to the podcast. So great to have you here. I'm excited to share today's episode with you because, you know, you can start a business, these are some things that you should do, these are the things that I'm doing as it kick off my second business. So just to let you know, everything stays the same within Suzanne Chadwick. I'm still doing one on one business coaching, I still have my programs and all the rest of it, speaking excetera. But this new business is really a continuation of the need that I find my clients have. So that's the reason why I thought about it. And so I'm going to take you through, like what I've done, how I've built it, how we've already got clients after launching like a couple of days ago. And I guess all the bits in between. So that's what today's episode is going to be about. So whether you are thinking about starting a business, whether you are already in business, these are some of the things that, you know, might help you to continue to build and grow. But these are definitely some of the beginning stages. And then I'm going to share some of the strategies and thoughts that I've got about how I'm going to build. And it's so interesting, because when you start a business, and you're learning all of these from scratch and new, it takes so long, yeah, it's not something that just happens. And so when you're starting your second business, if I'm honest, it kind of has not been too difficult. It's kind of taken me a week or so to get everything up and running after thinking about it for a while making the decision, will I do it, will I not do it, and then just kind of diving in. So I'm super excited about it. So that's what we're talking about today. Now the other thing that I did want to let you know is that we've got a live round of the board Business Academy coming up in October, we're going to be kind of launching everything in September, and then doors are going to be opening at the beginning of October, we're going to be kicking off around about the 16th. So if you've been wanting to get your business in order, get your system strategies and structures in order get rid of the overwhelm. Know what you're doing, then BBA is like the perfect place. And can I just tell you, I'm going to talk about it today. I've just gone through the BVA structure to build this business as well, because it's super practical. It's what I use. It's what I teach my client, I still stand by it. And so I know that it can help you. Yeah, so make sure that you check that out, get on the email list as well. You can just go to Sue's chadwick.com forward slash subscribe to get all the podcasts episodes into your inbox to find out when BBA launches to get amazing business branding, marketing, help and content straight to your inbox as well. But listen, without further ado, let's dive into this week's episode. I will always remember my book consultant Linda telling me or sharing the word scared sided with me, which is something that you're a bit scared of, but also very excited about. And that's probably how I feel about the new business, I feel definitely a lot more excited than scared. I really just have a, I guess an outlook of let's give it a go. Let's try and have some fun. Let's kind of you know, really follow the breadcrumbs. You know that I talk about all that all the time. And so I wanted to share with you that I have just launched my second business, which is called BVC bold vibes consulting. And it is a personal brand and content creation agency and consulting business for both men and women in the entrepreneurial space. And so the reason that I decided to create this business is that I obviously have been coaching people for a long time. If you've been around here for a while, you'll also know that I come from a brand strategy and a brand agency background. So I used to run a brand agency years ago where I delivered video photos, website messaging brand collateral to clients. So I totally understand this space. And so when I got into coaching, I just find it really interesting the journey that you go on. So, you know I came from a business and brand strategy background, I came into coaching, I was I am working with and have been working with women in business to really help them to get the foundations of their business in place plus manage their mind to get out of their own way. So that is the key thing that I do. And so why I knew that women was struggling with their mindset, I went and became a certified life and mindset coach, it was just something where I'm like, I think I need to do this next because I think it's really going to help my clients. And BBC is exactly along the same path. So the more I work with clients around building their personal brand, around helping them to share a message that really connects, and to be able to grow their business, there is a gap right now with a lot of my clients, where their ability to execute on creating that content and putting it out there is one of the things that hold them back. And so after many, many conversations, I'm kind of like, you know, something, I can do this. And I know that I say, just because you can doesn't mean that you should. But I sat down and I was like, I actually am craving, creating things with my clients building things with my clients. As a coach, I love coaching, it is like my favorite thing to do. But I also love to help my clients to create, because at the end of the day, if I'm coaching them, and this is one thing that they're getting stuck on, without me physically going and sitting in their office and holding their hand and doing it I was like, I can't like help them to execute on it, when there's not the technical know how, or they're struggling in front of the camera, or those sorts of things. So I thought, Alright,

let me do this, let me give this a go, I feel really confident in doing it. And I know that my clients need it. So that is why I decided to launch BBC. Now, like I said, I've run brand agencies before, so I get what is needed. And the great thing is that over the years, I've actually built up a great network here in Melbourne, of videographers, photographers, designers, who I've worked with myself and who I've referred my clients to as well. So I know I already have what I need in place to get the ball rolling. So there were three key reasons that I obviously started BBC One was to keep coaching my clients, but also provide support for them to create the content that helps them get notice, get back into a creative process and get out from behind the computer, I do feel like it's time for change, I just want to get out there more, and then build a business that can be saleable down the line. So this was another big reason why I decided to build this business because I'm like, Okay, let's say it in, I don't know, 1020, or however long, I want to sell my business, because it's me, because I'm running the programs, I'm coaching all the rest of it, unless I start to bring people in, then it's going to be really hard for me to sell a business. That's my name. And so BBC right now is just going to be focused on helping clients to develop their message, and then create content that converts. But we may also go into taking the courses into BBC, and doing consulting within BBC as well. And the reason that I have been thinking or forward thinking about that is because down the line, somebody else could take that over and do it. It doesn't have to be me. And the other thing within BBC, I also want to build team, so that, you know, I could be the CEO of the business, and work with clients. But then I could also bring in, for example, an account manager, or somebody who can work with my clients around messaging, I've got some great clients who do messaging, so potentially subcontracting them into the business to do those sorts of things. So that I'm not actually like delivering it on the day, but I've got other people. So once again, building a model that I can step away from, and that my clients still get the results that they need. So I would still potentially be doing the strategy, but then have other people managing the delivery down the track, not now, but down the track. So I'm really thinking forward, you know, that I always say, you know, build the business that you want in the next few years like start today, because it takes time as well. And so that is what I'm really thinking about. I'm thinking about the future of my business. I'm thinking about what my clients need. I'm thinking about saleability and commercial reality of the business as well. And so that's why BBC was born. So today, what I wanted to talk about is if you're thinking of starting a business, or if you have started a business, what are some of the things that that I've kind of learned along the way? And what are the things that I'm implementing right now for BBC, but before we dive in, I do want to caveat some of these things. By saying that I have built websites before I have been writing copy for like the last eight years. I'm naturally a fairly tech savvy person, so it hasn't been too difficult to get the frame of the business up quickly and fairly. easily. So I just kind of want to say that if you're like I have no tech skills at all says that then some of these may not apply to you. But I just wanted to give you a bit of an overview. So let's just start with the basics Yeah, is that I actually decided, I'm going to bootstrap this business, because I'm all about making money before spending it. So once cash comes in, then we'll take a look at maybe key investments that we might need to revisit. So the first thing was obviously registering the business name, which I've had in mind for over a year now. And the reason I went with consultancy instead of agencies because we want to do strategy, training, courses and consulting, and I'm not looking to take on agency specific tasks at this stage. So we're not going to be doing like Ad Management or like marketing strategies, things like that for clients at the moment. So I really wanted to focus on how are we consulting to clients, how are we like being able to deliver those things, but not have a full agency suite.

The second thing that I did was obviously buy the domain name as quickly as possible. So one of the great things and I, you know, everybody's got a different opinion on who the best host is what the best website is, this is what I know, this is what I went with. So I bought my domain through Bluehost years ago, like when I started my business, so all my domains sit with Bluehost. And so when you buy a domain with Bluehost, there's also a section where you can literally go go and click a button, and it creates a WordPress site for you. So that's all kind of integrated. And so I went and bought the domain. And then the next thing that I did was I got my visual branding done. So one of my clients is Rowena pretty from pretty creative. And she's got an offer, which is a quickie branding offer, and it's around about $1,500. You can also get your socials down for about 750. And so Rowan has been a client of mine for some time. And, you know, looking at her designs, it just really resonated with me. And so I knew that I didn't want it to be anything like my Suzanne Chadwick brands in which my beautiful designer who's not really doing design anymore, AB harbor did for me quite some time ago. And so I wanted it to be more corporate, I also wanted something that would appeal to both men and women, as we won't just be working with women for this brand. I also wanted it to be something that was really commercial. So I want it to be something that you would recognize that stood out, that was not what I already have. That would be you know, unisex, appealing, those sorts of things. And so Rowena came up with the branding, basically, with a quickie brand, it happens in like a week. So over three days, she gets sent you the mood boards, you choose the mood board, you then get the you know, the design, you can make tweaks or the rest of it, you get the socials, you get your email signature, all the rest of it. And so that all happened within a week as well. Which is great. And I absolutely love it, you can go and check it out, actually, because the website's not ready yet. We're almost done. But you can check it out on Instagram at Bold vibes consulting all one word. If you follow me on Instagram, I've actually got it linked in my bio as well. So you can go and check that out. So the next things was social and emails, I went and created just a Gmail account. And I claimed the socials too. And so we've posted a couple of posts for BBC, but the strategy moving forward will be to create an Insta site, which Amanda coho talked about in an episode on the podcast, like two or three episodes ago. So it's all the information you need to showcase the work that you do. And it acts like a website on your socials. So that when people come and look at your page, they can see who you are, how you can help them what you do. And I think the main content will share, you know, after will really be more client content as well. So we're just working on the social media strategy, but I already know that it's going to be Instasize focused and then client content focused as well, to showcase the brand experience to showcase our clients to tell that story. And so that just means that we won't be like actively running two social media accounts. My main account will still be Suzanne Chadwick and I will continue to share content on that. But obviously, we need our socials too. So we've got a Facebook page, we've got LinkedIn company page, and then we've got our Instagram, too. So that is something that we've already done now. The next thing is building the website. So as I mentioned when you've got a blue host, when you've got the blue host domain, then you can click through to WordPress site now for those I know I'm on show up with my main website. Other people love Squarespace, all the rest of it. But I actually started my business on WordPress, I have no problem with WordPress. And once again, we don't want the website to be something that we're constantly creating content on. We want it to be a website that is functional. So clients can go and see our services, and be able to contact us. So once again, fit for purpose, I want something that is simple, that is easy to manage that we can manage ourselves, that is going to obviously be SEO optimized, but that shares our services communicates our unique value proposition and helps our clients to connect with us. And so one of my other clients Janine, who was on the podcast last week, she has raved about Elementor website builder for a long time I used to use Divi years and years ago on my first website, and so they have a range of amazing templates. And so that's exactly what I did, is that I started the WordPress site, I went and bought the Elementor website building tool, as well as choosing a website template, which I absolutely love. And then I literally just went and I filled it all in, I changed it all I filled it all in. And I've just booked a session with Jeanine to go through and make sure that I have dotted the I's, cross the T's and gotten it to a place that I'm happy with, so that we can launch it. So that's my goal is to launch it in the next week or two and have it out there like I am not mucking about here, I am not overthinking things, I am starting imperfectly getting it out there. And then I know that we will continue to make it better over time as well. And then the next thing is really around getting clients. So when I started my coaching business, I connected with people I already knew and ask them if they knew people who might be interested. And that's how I actually got my first clients. So it's been exactly the same with BBC IDM, the number of clients who I've worked with, and who I'm working with right now to give them a special offer, which covers the cost of some of might, you know, my time as well as my videographer, the studio, etc. And I just want to give them a really great experience. And I want to also make sure that our process works really well. So giving them this special offer means that we get to use their content, we get to test our process, we we get to test out like the strategy sessions and making sure that it's exactly what we want it to be, we get their feedback, we also get testimonials, etc. So booking clients like booking four or five clients on one day, and then taking them all through the process, I am so excited to do this, because I want to make sure that what we are creating is going to deliver an amazing outcome for them. And one of the things that's been really interesting is that sometimes I think, you know, clients can create, or we can create content, but then it just sits there and we don't do anything with it. So one of the things that we're really wanting to do around the brand experience is not only do like a pre strategy session, which goes through what you want to be known for what your content pillars are, you know, really understanding what makes your clients want to buy from you. So going deep into, like what kind of content we're going to be creating, and why we're creating it and how it fits into the sales funnel. And your overall, you know, client communication is really important. And then having a number of different formats that clients can film in, and then having like a post production session with them as well, to make sure that where they're actually using it, where they're using it, they feel confident and if they've got any other questions and we can obviously support them as well. So that's what the brand experience and the process is going to look like as well. And so I deemed a number of clients, we've booked them all in you know, the other thing that will be due from a from a sales and marketing perspective is because I am based in Melbourne because we are going to be mainly Melbourne focus and for people who are you know, around Australia or wherever, anywhere in the world, if they come to Melbourne then we can do this with them is that we really want to make sure that we're tapping into local Melbourne communities too. So we will be looking at LinkedIn for people who are based in Melbourne and doing like connection, relationship building and then reach outs as well. We've got our my email list we've got our social media network too. We've got other women in business and other business communities that we will be tapping into as well. So I already know like all of the different people that we're wanting to potentially work with. The next thing is around brand strategy and experience so everything that all I'll be doing and that I am doing for BBC is what I teach my clients in BBA the boat Business Academy. So I've been working on the brand strategy for BVC, which looks at obviously, the vision, the mission, the values, the brand experience, what our differentiator is, who we want to work with, and how we're going to build the brand. So you need all of that for the website so that you can articulate who you're for what you do. So going through the BBA process always makes it easy, because you're just following the process. So I'm kind of diving back into the brand strategy guide that we give our clients, we're taking a look at, like, you know, what our brand archetype is, as well. And just having some fun with that, but being really clear on where we want to build the brand. And we want what we want that to look like. The second thing around brand strategy and experience is that, you know, we're looking at the brand experience, and one thing I do is that I write it all out. So what's the customer journey, for example, if somebody finds us on Instagram, then the link in the Instagram is to book a call with me, we're just, you know, kind of padding that out a little bit more as to who it's for. And what that will be once they book the call. And then they want to book in a session. And we're probably looking at, to shoot those days a month at the moment where people can book into those two days. And so once we know that they want to do it, then we send an email, which means that they can book in for their strategy call, there'll be an automation after that, for them to fill in a Google Form. With all the questions that we need, we then run the strategy session, we then prep them for the day, and I work with my videographers, and my photographers, etc, to make sure that they understand what we're doing for each person. And then we're just really automating as much as we can. So really sitting down and looking at your brand experience from the time somebody finds you. What are the all the touch points, what can you automate, can you make sure that that experience is seamless, it's easy, it feels good, like the language is what you want it to be as well. So really thinking about tone of voice, like brand voice and how you want them to feel when they're reading the emails, and they're working through whatever it is that you're obviously wanting to take clients through as well. So we've pretty much nailed that we're probably about 70 to 80% that we're working on. The next thing that we're working on, once again, also something that I go through in BBA is the business strategies. So really looking at outlining all the services for BBC what we'll offer and right now we're just keeping it super simple. We're just going to have one offer right now, which is basically the thing that I've told you, which is going to be the content day, the strategy before the support after it, and all the bits and pieces in between. And really understanding what is the profit margin. So for me, I'm always taking a look at pricing cost of service. Obviously, when I've got other people that are helping to deliver the service, I have to take their costs out, we obviously have to take our operating expenses out, we have to take a look at what the profit on each like client will be. And then think about well, if we were to have X number of clients every month at this price point, what would our overall revenue be? And then within that, we would obviously be able to see what our gross profit and our net profit would be for the business as well. So just really understanding that helps me to know what our sales and marketing levels will need to look like and what kind of goals were or targets we're trying to hit. When it comes to our sales as well. And down the line, I would definitely love to have like an operations and sales person in the business where that's their only focus is basically filling those sheets every single month as well. And then really having like an ongoing marketing strategies. So you know, creating some Cornerstone organic SEO optimized blog content, and then sharing that across across platforms, we may look at some paid ads, we'll definitely be looking at collaborations and partnerships, as well. And then the next thing is just really around systems. So I think I've mentioned we've got Calendly in place, which clients can just book into to have a discovery call, as well as booking their content strategy sessions, etc. So we have tried to make it as simple as possible. You know, we've made sure that we know what the brand is about what we do, who we're for, how much like revenue and profit the business could be generating. We've got a really clear sales and marketing strategy as far as who we're targeting and how we're going to do that. And we're just keeping it simple. I just want to remind you, you know, I

talked about this with the simple business buckets is that we just want you know, business isn't always easy, but it can be simple. So just knowing like what we are doing and how we can continue to build our audience and build our client base around what it is that we're doing, and how we're different, I think is really important. So let's talk money as well. Yeah, is that in a really quick snapshot, like my the domain was $100, registering the business was $45. Starting the trademark was around $200, that's just a start up, we'll have to pay the balance in about eight months time. The website template was about $100, visual branding came to, like 1500. Plus, I think it was 750. For the socials as well. It's about $200 for website support. And that's about it right now. So it came to around about 2895 Aussie dollars just to kick things off. And then potentially contracts will be another one five or two grand, which are a must have to have them. I've already got Calendly. And I already use Active Campaign for my email management. And I will put training videos for clients, etc, most likely into Kajabi or thrivecart. Once again, I've already got all those systems through my business already. So that is like baseline. If I was just starting a business and went for the basics, depending obviously on what your business is as well, then I would expect it to be around about 3000 to $5,000 that you could start a business with. And so like I said, as far as brute bootstrapping the business goes, that's basically what we're doing. And that's where we've started. But that's pretty much it. So I just want to kind of wanted to share with you that depending on where you are in your business journey. And this is what I can coach my client, this is what I coach my clients on. And what I teach in BBA as well, is that there are just certain things that you can do that will help you to get moving a lot quicker. Because I have done this before I can move fast. So I just like I said at the very beginning, I want to caveat that, like I can build websites, I can write copy, I can like get my branding done and make quick decisions on it. So you know, I know that if you're just starting out, that's not going to be as easy to do. But I also want to let you know that if you want to move quickly, you can do that as well. Like it's really about knowing what to focus on that when we talk about this in VBA. What to focus on what to do, how to get out of your way how to move quickly, and how to really focus on where my clients can be coming from? And how am I going to get, you know, cash in the door so that we can start to build and grow the business as well. So that is what we're focusing on. Right now as we test things out, I'm so excited for the clients that I'm going to be working with, you will see them on my Instagram, because we're going to do some really fun content on Instagram. With around the clients that we're working with, we're going to do some behind the scenes and all the rest of it. So I'm super excited for that as well. I can't wait to share it with you. Like I said, if you want to come over and check out us on Instagram, then we are bald vibes consulting, you can come and follow us and check us out. And if you've got any questions, just let me know. If you go to my Instagram, and you do want to have a conversation about working together and doing this, then you can just book a discovery call and we can have a conversation and see what this could look like for you. One of the main things I really want to do in an ideal world is that I would love to be working with the same clients on like a three to six monthly basis. So if a client did two shoots a year, like every six months, where we basically planned out six months worth of content for them, and we mapped it out to what they're selling, what they want to promote what they want to talk about what they want to be known for, and be able to bank that for them, then I would love to be working with clients on a six monthly basis where we book that in and we know that that's coming up as well like that would be that's that's the goal. Yeah, is to work with the same clients and continue to support them as well. So that is what I would do. That is what I am doing. Obviously, if you need help with anything like if you're looking for a web designer, if you're looking for a VA, if you're looking for somebody to do your branding, etc, then let me know I've got lots of people who I could refer you to who are amazing and who if I didn't have these skills, I would be outsourcing all of these two as well. And also very exciting this Friday. I've also got a branding shoot with just from the who, just to update some of my branding for BBC as well as for Suzanne Chadwick. And I also just think that's another thing is, you know, making sure that you are creating offhand caught like content on your phone, creating like higher quality content through something like BVC, also getting regular photoshoots if you do that once every six months or once a year, or however that works for you, but just understanding that, you know, we are in a content driven society. That's how people buy, they discover you, they find out about you, if you're getting business from referrals, amazing. But if you are looking to build your personal brand, and you are looking to build your community, and you want to know what content is going to really Captivate and convert for you, then that is what we're here to do as well. So super excited to be launching this scared sided like I started the podcast whether we can end it with, but let me know if you've got any questions about that as well. Yeah, I'm totally open to having this conversation and this chat, and we'd love to hear what your thoughts are. And if you enjoyed this episode, then obviously I'd love you to share it. Leave a review, whatever takes your fancy, because all of that helps too. But until next time, I'll see you then.

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