Episode 10: Margie Analise Talks Entrepreneurship, Business and More

Show Notes

00:37

Welcome to this week’s SDM interview show. This week I sit down with my good friend Margie and Elise. Margie is an entrepreneur. And we’ve known each other on social media for about 10 years, she’s pivoted her business, and sit down and relax and enjoy the chat. We’re marching and I talk about entrepreneurship, how she learns, and what changes she’s made in her business. And we truly think this might benefit you. So I’m here with my friend, Margie today, and what we’re going to talk about is Marty’s introduction into the entrepreneur world, what she’s done and, and how she’s made a business for herself. Welcome, Margie.

01:26

Hey, Ron, it’s great to be here. Thanks,

01:28

Margie, you and I have known each other for a long time. So I think we first met on Twitter, probably eight or nine years ago. And we’ve kind of stayed in touch with doc on Facebook, we often talk one on one, just bounce ideas off, which is really, I think, important when you’re working at home by yourself, and stuff like that. So. So we hope you enjoy this. And let’s just margin talk a little bit about, let’s tell everybody a little bit about yourself.

01:59

Well, now, where do I begin? Well, back when I was born? No, I’m just kidding. Um, I guess I’ve been doing my thing for about nine years. And you know, I don’t think you know that you’re an entrepreneur until you take that leap. And you find out Yes, I am or No, I’m not. And it’s one of the best things I did. So I’m definitely an entrepreneur at heart. I love helping people figure out their entrepreneurial journey to so that really pumps me up in life. But I like to have fun. I play the drums, which a lot of people don’t know, didn’t say I play them well, but I play them. And I also, you know, I have like a left brain and right brain work and simultaneously. So it’s, it’s an interesting journey.

02:46

I bet. And you know, I know you like to help people, you’ve always been very helpful. So why did you decide to be an entrepreneur and when like, what kind of lights you to?

02:58

Well, it’s not like a unicorn rainbow kind of story. Many years ago, right before I started my entrepreneurial journey, my sister, one of my sisters was diagnosed with cancer. And it just hit me like a ton of bricks. And I reexamined everything in my life. And I thought, What am I doing, I was, at the time climbing the corporate ladder, wasn’t really finding the fulfillment there that I thought that I would. So I was pretty disillusioned. And then my sister got sick. And I thought, Wait a minute, you know, life’s first I wanted to just shake people say life is short, do what you love. And I really did. I just want, because that’s what I felt in my heart. But that was the catalyst for me saying, you know what, whatever happens, at least I can say that I took a chance on doing finding out what it is that I love to do, and then doing it.

03:49

And it’s so true that health and family’s impact. I know when I went full time on my own, there’ll be two, it’ll be nine years in March. In the next month, my dad at the time, had cancer was diagnosed with cancer. My dad had pancreatic cancer and, and I basically, when I was packaged out of the job I was in I was actually glad to be out because the corporate ladder as we know can be no fun. And, and then I went out on my own and it’s just kind of grown since then. So it’s amazing how it’s often helped have a family or a loved one that causes us to get involved in entrepreneurship isn’t

04:31

ya moron often than I think people realize.

04:34

Yeah, it’s so it’s so true. I was reading was an article assisting Darlene Dickinson, who’s on Dragon’s Den candle, which, frankly in the US is the same as shark tank and she was talking about that, and it was helped inside her family to cause her and she was actually a single mom to sleep. He gave her some flexibility. And I think that’s one of the things that many of us, including myself, like about being on An entrepreneur, is that flexibility you can, you got to be dedicated at what you do, but you have a little bit of flexibility on when you do it, how you do it, where you do it, and you’re not caught. I don’t like to use the word you’re not responsible for anybody because you still have clients. And as far as I’m concerned, you’re responsible to your clients. But you have a little bit more where you can adjust a little bit when you agree.

05:27

Oh, my gosh, absolutely. And I think it brings more fulfillment, because I really believe that everybody has something inside of them that they can share with other people and make a living, teaching, and sharing and helping people through. So I think it gives a lot of fulfillment, but also that freedom that we crave, to manage our own time schedule, and to be able to say no to things we don’t want to do. And yes to the things that we do want to do so yeah, absolutely.

05:54

And where do you learn in your business or in a normal corporate business to get chance to meet people all over the world? I mean, I only know in my career, which, before I got into marketing, only one situation where early in my career, we had an office in London, so I got a chance England saga chance to talk to people from Toronto and London, England, but the friendships and the colleagues I have all over the world from what I do is, to me, one of the most thrilling parts about doing this, if you know what I mean?

06:28

Yeah, I do. I think it’s, it’s been incredible. Like you say, for me, also, the relationships through social media, and people that have got to me and I can call friends now would never have happened otherwise,

06:42

no, so true. So in your business, what kind of services do you provide? What do you like to do? Frankly, what do you not like to do?

06:53

Oh, that’s a long list. So let’s just focus on what I like to do.

06:56

What do you like to do?

06:58

I you know what, I love helping people with branding. Number one, because, because I got it wrong. Like I had a bit of a business background, and I thought going online is gonna be a piece of cake. And oh, my God, I couldn’t have been more wrong. And I know how hard it was for me. And so that’s what I love to help people with, because I struggled with it too. And I know how much other people struggle with it. So figuring out your brand, like, Who are you? Why should people work with you? What, what makes you different, what makes you stand out, I think you’ve got to build your brand before you build your website. So that is, for me the first piece of the puzzle for people that they need to really get that down so they can attract the kind of people they love working with from the get go.

07:40

So, so true. I mean, I’m you’ve heard me talk about this book again. And I’ll mention it again, one of my favorite books on branding is a book called The inside of and it’s written by a gentleman by the name of Robert bloom, it’s probably about eight or nine years old at this point. And I think, and it’s probably the best book I’ve ever read on branding. And the reason I say that is the quote on the back is Discover Your Business Insider advantage and start growing. So what he really focuses on what makes you different, and what gives you your edge on competitors. And something we were talking about before we got on this interview was let’s not keep fighting everything on price, because for as I’m concerned fighting price is a end to the bottom and then tell the business look at Payless shoes in the us right now. There’s a good example, right?

08:34

You and I tell my clients that and I put it on social media, you will never be the cheapest. That’s not the point you want efficient. You want to fish for the people that see the value of what you do. But you have to be able to communicate that. And until you can answer that question. You can’t if you can’t expect other people to understand why they should choose you if you can’t answer that question yourself. But I see a lot of people try to throw their website up first and get clients and go into social media, but they have no idea what their messaging is. So they blend in to the sea of sameness. And they also usually end up looking like a cookie cutter, because they try to model after other people who have been successful doing what they want to do,

09:12

then I think coffee to be honest with you copying your competitors isn’t a good way to track clients because they’ll just go to their competitor because they’ve been around longer. So from that standpoint, it’s again, what makes you different. What can you provide? Is it personal service? Is it 24 hour service? Silly hours is a flexibility. There’s, there’s, there’s a million things you just have to find. I think

09:41

and it’s one of the hardest things for people to brand themselves. I think one piece of advice that I could give is if people are struggling with this, go research some of the great companies that did this, like Domino’s Pizza 30 minutes or less. That’s how they branded themselves. And so that’s the one example that comes to mind. So how do you stand out, well, they were selling pizza like everybody else, but they had a, I guess you could say an angle on it a different take on it. And that’s what it takes to be able to stand out.

10:10

I mean, I just finished listening to an amazing podcast series on a podcast called business wars. And it talked about two companies. It was a seven part 30 minute series in branding. And one was McDonald’s, and the other was Burger King. And it talked about the business war for McDonald’s and Burger King going back to the 50s. And what they did in branding, to battle it out for and they’re still battling today. And it’s all about their angle on what they did and how they did it and how they change with the times. And that’s what I think people need to be really aware of.

10:49

Oh, absolutely. Branding is everything. If you haven’t defined your brand, there’s no sense in putting up a website, because you’re not going to get very much out of it. Like that is the whole key. And I learned it the hard way. Like I made all those mistakes. I look like a cookie cutter like everybody else. And I didn’t stand out. And it takes it takes time to find your own voice. And it takes help.

11:10

I think the hardest part is people are tempted, and I’ve done it, I’m sure they’ve done it. They’re tempted create a website and make their name their brand. I think I personally think making my personal name, my brand is the worst thing I ever did say that. I rebranded my website, my corporate name about two and a half years ago. And that’s probably the best thing I did. And the other reason for doing it is it means if I ever decide to get out, I can actually sell the brand.

11:44

Yeah. And if you have an exit strategy don’t have an exit strategy.

11:49

And I’m not I’m not looking to get out. I mean, I’m only 51 I have no problem saying that. And, and I’d people work so I mean that’s but you have to have some thought of that. Like, you know, who knows Robert Cairns, who knows marching? Who knows? Unless you’re Troy Aikman or Dale cheater or you know what, or dale earnhardt jr. Like, who cares? Like, honestly, you know, it’s an interesting discussion. Um, one of the things you and I have talked about for years is website platforms. And I’m gonna go here, and this is probably not going to be very popular amongst the WordPress people in my, in my circle, because I tend to commiserate with a pile of WordPress developers, because that’s what I did. But I know you’ve moved away from WordPress with a lot of your clients, how come?

12:47

Well, it’s a personal decision, right? It’s a personal preference. Um, as part of what I do, I do take on some web design clients, I do the branding and design. And

12:59

like I said, I’m a left and right brain person, which probably a lot of entrepreneurs are. So I love the, I love the creativity, I need the creativity and I also need the structure and, and some strategy. And I started on WordPress, I hated learning it years ago, hated it, because I came from HTML coding. Oh, anybody else cringing out there. And so you know, I really dug it for a long time, I kind of had it down pat. I knew which themes that I like to work with that were stable. And I, you know, figured out the right host, to recommend to my clients that was more secure, and that kind of thing and the plugins that you should have and shouldn’t have all that stuff that takes a long time to figure out. And what I found with the changes, and after being hacked myself several times, which was extremely discouraging, I almost just threw in the towel, honestly, because you put your heart and soul into making your website, building your brand. And then it’s none of it is usable. And you just, I don’t even know what the word is to describe it. But it’s really hard to gain the momentum to get back at it. And I struggled with that for a bit. But I did go back to WordPress, I figured out hosting has a lot to do with that, that kind of thing. But with all that being said, for me, I just find with all of the changes, and all of the maintenance that is required behind the scenes to keep your updates or your plugins updated and that kind of thing. A lot of clients, they say they’ll do it and they don’t do it. And there’s just a lot of moving pieces that you always have to keep in mind. So my strategy for moving away from it was because I don’t offer the maintenance after I build a website for the most part. What I was looking for was a platform that would be very easy for them to use an update on their own. And also one where they didn’t have to worry about updates and checking boxes and making sure that things were you know, always ongoing because they don’t think about those things. So I, I did, I moved away from WordPress and found a couple of different platforms that I use now one is more creative. And the other is a lot simpler for users on the back end.

15:24

I think what you need to do is do what’s right for you. And it’s easy for people like WordPress to say all WordPress, we know WordPress, right now, when the worldwide market is somewhere between 32 and 35%. Right now, depending on who you talk to all CMS content management systems out there. I think what people have to be aware of, and it doesn’t matter what platform you choose, there’s always pitfalls. And there’s always potential security issues. So I think what you got to realize that going to another platform, doesn’t get rid of the security problems, it doesn’t get rid of the hack attempts, it doesn’t get rid of any of that I kind of have a bit of a phrase in my business that says it’s so wonder if you’ll be hacked, it’s when you recover from that hack. And I do care plans for security. And I tell my clients, I will never 100% guarantee you will not be hacked. What I can guarantee is, if you are hacked, you can recover within a week. Yeah, that will guarantee guarantee the other and it’s the old, you know, frankly, Mac, Windows versus Apple discussion. Everybody said, Oh, Apple has no viruses. And then this past week, they released issue with issues in the iOS store last week, there was an issue on the Apple iOS that came out. So the point is, when you gain market, when you gain market, and you become big enough, you just become a target. I mean, that’s the nature of the beast.

16:58

I agree, nothing is impervious, you cannot I mean, as hard as people are working to me. and secure. They’re also on the other side people working to find ways in. And so I agree with you, we can’t look at any one thing and think that it’s fully protected and nothing will ever happen. But we have to I think make the best choice for us and what we want what we’re looking for. And just know that we need to take steps to ensure that we’re doing best practices to keep things as secure as we can.

17:31

Oh, I agree with that 100%. And I and I know from talking to you, one of the platforms you like is Squarespace. And the cool thing with Squarespace. And correct me if I’m wrong, they do not offer email. So you know, a client would have to go somewhere else with email. And I actually think that’s a good option. I am not a big fan for small businesses, of going to standard WordPress shared hosting email or, or web hosting shirt email, I’m moving ban of going to something like G Suite, which is Google’s email, that’s my preferred solution. But if you don’t like that, look at Microsoft Outlook, you can pay Microsoft to host your email. I actually know several medium sized companies that have asked us for 20 or 30 people, they do not run a mail server, they actually go to either Microsoft or Google and post by email for me and we’re done with us. And and I think that’s the one advantage of not going to a standard email. Standard hosting platform is you don’t have email as an option.

18:36

I agree I moved my email as well, because there were just too many problems too much hacking to my or spam. Just lots and lots of problems all the time. And that really calmed down once I moved away from the you know, hosting, regular hosting email thing. So yeah, I agree.

18:56

Um, no, in projects you’ve done, Jeff, a project that you really enjoy doing that stood out for you? No.

19:06

I don’t. Because every time I take on a new project, I think, Oh my god, this is the most. So I think part of that is because it’s a new challenge. And I hopefully by the time each, each project comes along that I’ve learned a little bit more that I’ve expanded a little bit more so I can offer more, and bring more to the table. So honestly, I think that yeah, it seems like every project I take on, I’m like, Oh my god, this is gonna be so much fun. This is the best one ever. And then the next one comes like oh my god, this is the best one ever. So,

19:39

yeah, I enjoy it. I understand that. I mean, we take on projects as entrepreneurs, often not for money, but by challenge or by learning ability or buy something else. And there’s other things that drive us to projects. You know, I’m working on a project right now and it’s it’s all challenged, and it’s just it’s just really intense. Yeah. And that to me is better for my head than saying, oh, here’s a couple, not a couple 1000 bucks doesn’t help, but you don’t want him. Hmm.

20:10

Yeah, I agree. And, and for me, too, it’s all about a fit. Like, I don’t take on a lot of projects, because I like to be able to give good turnaround, I like to have good control. I like to be able to dedicate my time and that creative flow to it rather than being disjointed on on a number of different projects. So I really make sure it’s a good fit for me before I say yes.

20:33

Yeah. And it’s always better to under promise and over deliver. I mean, absolutely. That’s, you know, when you get into that mentality, it makes it so much easier.

20:42

Oh, absolutely. Yep.

20:45

What’s the most challenging thing is being an entrepreneur?

20:54

I probably speak for a lot of people out there, where it’s figuring everything out. Some of the biggest challenges I’ve had is learning how to set up contracts, great, learning how to over deliver, but not give everything away for free.

21:14

That’s a big one.

21:15

It’s huge. And and I think that we’re always learning, there’s always some new little thing that you learn with every experience. But I think for me, those Well, those for sure. Also, one thing that I’m really starting to work on now in my business, and to help people with is finding balance. And I know people hate that word. They don’t think there’s any such thing. But if you are all business and no life, what good is it? And there’s a saying Dolly Parton quote, actually, that is kind of my new business philosophy, because it sums it up really well. And she said, Don’t get so busy making a living you forget to make a life.

21:59

Yeah, so true. I would suggest anybody that’s having a balance problem, especially entrepreneurs, go look up Tony Robbins, go look at his podcast, he spends more time in his podcasts, interesting enough talking about relationships, and entrepreneurs and people that work at home, and how those relationships impact a business decision. So there is a balance, you just have to find it. And that’s the important thing. And his point is, if you’re everything from your sex life, to your romantic relationship is out of whack at home, guaranteed your business relationships are going to be able to walk as well. And that’s

22:42

because we’re one as as solopreneurs our business and us as a person. They’re so intertwined. Like there’s no, there’s no you shut your door, walk, you know, walk home from your office and turn it off. It doesn’t happen. You know, you’re 3am in the morning thinking about, Oh, I should do this, right should do that. And yes, it all flows, what’s going on in our emotions, what’s going on in our life, what’s going on our business, it all overflows into each other. And there’s no line of delineation. And new membership program I’m setting up is to help people figure these things out, like setting better boundaries, so that you can start to have more separation, and you can start to enjoy your life instead of working 24. Seven, because to have a business where you’re working 24 seven and missing out on time with family and friends and not taking care of yourself. What kind of who wants that? Like, that’s not why we got into this?

23:37

Yeah, I would I would agree with it. I think part of the problem with this is time management. Absolutely, to say it. So, you know, I, I’m a bit of a, as you know, a bit of a productivity junkie. And one thing I’ve been is an understatement. And one of the things I’ve worked on over the years is trying to perfect my time management system. And I’ve gone through some changes that basically use the same system I use today and kind of the way I manage is everything I do goes into my calendar. And I take to do list items and kind of work through them every night and say, Okay, what do I need to do tomorrow, I will schedule those in my calendar to be done all my project stuff. If it needs to be done, the next day goes into my account. Then I like to leave about 30% kind of freak because emergencies come up phone calls come up things like that. And then I kind of I go one more, I color code, all this stuff in my calendar. Now. kind of the way I manages. The secret is that calendar is not just the business calendar, it’s the business, personal family, whatever it goes in the same calendar, the same to do lists. And I think where a lot of people get in trouble, especially entrepreneurs, his wife calls up husband and says, Did you realize john has a soccer game tonight. It’s such a cop. Oh, wife, this is one minute 630 I won’t be there. The problem is, if you scheduled that in the same calendar, you would realize Shawn had a soccer game at six o’clock and you wouldn’t have.

25:12

That’s a really good point. And I think that you are absolutely right. There’s a separation between business and personal life that doesn’t exist. That’s a carryover from corporate world. And that doesn’t work in entrepreneur world. So it’s our life, our life and our business are intertwined. And I think you’re absolutely right.

25:30

I think everybody’s having time management issues, frankly, should work up a gentleman by the name of Dan Allen and go read a book called Getting Things Done. It’s probably one of the best systems out there. He’s just rewritten the system action for computerization with a manual system, but it’s not about it’s not about it being manual. It’s about what’s taught in the book. So I think that kind of he’s a good and I’m just kind of as we speak, I’m looking at my bookshelf, there’s also a really good book called time power, written by Brian Tracy and anybody new printer, I space most Brian nice master sales guy, and probably one of the best out there just a couple of resources that people can kind of check out to help them.

26:15

Yeah. And, and on that note, I think there’s three things people really struggle with number one, knowing what the priority should be. So they’re busy doing busy work, that’s not getting them any return on investment. So again, knowing your brand and knowing what you’re going to put out there for sale. And focusing on the priority things is, is number one to setting those boundaries. So you don’t overwrite your personal life with your business life, etc. And then three, like you say, time management, then how do I manage these tasks, but knowing what you should be focusing on is is critical. You know, and then setting really good boundaries, so that you can still have a life and run and grow your business.

26:56

No question. Yeah. So so as we move on, and I’ve thrown a couple block resources out there. Do you have any favorite business books? Or entrepreneur? What’s your theory? Yeah.

27:08

Oh my god, there is one that is my all time favorite. Nothing has come close. And it’s an older book, but it’s great. So everybody go get it because it’s cheap, too. It’s called positioning by our recent jack trout.

27:23

I know what

27:24

I do you know why I love that book is for me, I could I consumed almost all at one time. Because it’s smart. Like you just want to be in a room with these two guys brainstorm me after because they really reading that book for me shifted my perspective, understanding how do I stand out against my competitors? How does it work? And so they give lots and lots of real life examples of companies that we’re all familiar with. But they explain the, the underbelly of it, they explain how it works. And it’s not complex, but it’s a new way of looking at it. And I think a really, really powerful way of looking at it,

28:04

guys, it is a great book. I don’t think books, some are timeless, like that one. Yes, the inside advantage is timeless. There are books aiming by Brian Tracy’s pretty well, timeless, Tony Robbins, timeless. I think there’s books like that, that kinda end the test of time. And then there are some that sort of really good book, one of my favorite books, there’s a book called to start with why. And oh,

28:31

I have that. Yeah,

28:32

yeah, it talks about why you should do something in showing potential customers the why of things instead of that, you should just do it. And one of my favorite examples from that book is to talk about the iPod. And most people don’t realize creative lapse was the first pivot table with an mp3 player. They said, Oh, it can hold five gigs of songs. And then Apple came up with the iPod and said, folks, you can take the 1000 songs in your pocket on the go. And they’ve told the customer exactly why they need it. And we know with the iPod. Yes. So I mean, yeah,

29:08

it’s like the positioning. That’s how they positioned it in the customer’s mind. And it’s so powerful. You don’t have to be first. You have to get the first mindshare.

29:17

No, no question about that. Yeah,

29:19

that’s that’s a great book, too. Yeah.

29:21

Are you a podcast listener at all? And do you have any favorites?

29:26

I’m not as much as I would like, just cuz I’m too busy. I’m too busy my business time. There is one and it is called, oh my god, what is it called?

29:42

Oh,

29:43

I can’t even think of it. It’s by Shawn D’Souza. He’s the owner of psycho tactics. And he’s amazing. And his podcast is very different. He’s a smart, smart guy. Super awesome. If you email him, he’ll actually write back to you. And he’s so knowledgeable. Yeah. Very

30:02

Yeah, it’s it’s funny because people all the time say to me, Oh, you like podcasts How many? And I say it changes. And right now and I’m just looking I’ve got I’ve got 19 podcasts on my podcast. Now, most of them are pretty caught up, and only one of them is a non business podcast, believe it or not.

30:29

I do believe it. Yeah, that’s what I like to learn about.

30:33

Raleigh’s are WordPress based, technology based, business based marketing based. They’re in that kind of realm. And then the one that’s not shouldn’t surprise most people listening that is knowing most sports junkies is actually the Hockey Night in Canada. Because I have to listen to something to take my mind off. But I tend to repurpose my time, a little more. So when I’m working, if I’m working on some mindless graphics, I’ll listen to something. If I’m out commuting, I’ll listen to something if I’m out doing some going for a walk, I’ll listen to something. So I tend to, and I have my favorites. I mean, there’s no question. So you know, there’s just so we all do marketing? Do you have a favorite tool? Or to take like for marketing?

31:25

Hmm.

31:29

Good question.

31:32

Um,

31:35

I guess not so much as a favorite. But I definitely do have a recommendation, I switched from putting some of my content from YouTube on to Vimeo, which I think is a smart move. Because, you know, if you want to be found through your video, as you know, I mean, this is no surprise, if you want to be found YouTube is the world’s second largest search engine. So our videos need to be on YouTube. Absolutely. But I find when it’s more content more for courses or programs, I decided that there’s too much. You know, they always have those suggestions at the bottom of that kind of thing. I don’t want people seeing that I want them to stay focused on what they’re paying for and what they want to accomplish. And so I made a switch over to Vimeo. So I guess that’s probably been my latest, um,

32:30

I just changed

32:32

my Yeah, my latest tool, that kind of thing. I think so many of them. I just use intuitively that when you ask me to think about it, I’m like, I’m like, Oh, my God, I don’t know.

32:43

They’re essentially interesting in the editing, that is Vimeo actually has a pro plan. Yeah, YouTube really frowns on people putting membership content on their site. That’s, so you got to be very careful. You know, they get complaints. It’s interesting. They don’t like sales videos on their site. But everybody’s running webinars to you, too. So it’s a tough, it’s a bit of a tough go, I think, to the other place to look for videos Wistia these days? I think Wistia has that power. video. But

33:21

yeah, and people don’t think about that. They usually just put everything on YouTube. And I did that for a long time. And then I thought, you know what i i think it looks more professional actually. It removes those distractions, and it gives you a place where your content is a little bit, I guess a little bit more secure. It’s off the beaten path a bit. So you can. To me, that’s a bit of a value for people that are paying to see that content, especially

33:48

I would agree. And one last question, which I kind of just came up with. What else is there? I know, there was something you and I were talking about? And I was in a very heated discussion with somebody over yesterday. Why do you need a website in today’s market? Why can’t I just create a Facebook page, a Twitter account, an Instagram account? And say, forget a website? And I’m good to go?

34:16

Oh, well, my knee jerk answer to that is you don’t own any of that other stuff. So you can’t control a Facebook does have they changed the rules. And you’ve built an audience of a million people that could be wiped out in a split second. I mean, those, here’s how I explain it to my clients, and social media and all those things out there are tools to drive people to your website. Once they go to your website, you want to drive them to your list to build your list. Once you get them on your list. That’s the relationship building those of your potential clients that want to work with you. So that’s how it works. You don’t control that outer hemisphere, Facebook and all that stuff. So and if the people think about it, what’s the first thing that you do when You want to check something out, you want to see what a store has to offer? Or you go to Google? What do you expect to see you expect to see a website? If you just see a Facebook page, aren’t you? Like, don’t they have a website? I mean, it’s funny how, as a consumer, we look at these things with the expectation. But when we’re in business for ourselves, we’re like, well, do I really need that? My answer? Absolutely, until you see, the majority of things change over where websites become extinct, which I don’t believe will happen at all. Because that’s your presence on the internet. And there’s too many companies making money off of that, that they there will always be there. I think it will change like everything else over time. But for today, we have to deal with what we have today.

35:41

I would agree, I would agree with him. I mean, you know, the it used to be if you wanted to find a company, you know, we’re gonna date myself a little bit. I know what you’re gonna want to do pages book. Yeah. You know, and I hate to say it, and I’ll use this as an example, who is the biggest advertiser in your pictures? And Trump, I can tell you, who has all the illicit escort services? And, you know, illegal or not, that’s where they advertised, not the newspaper, not not online. And one of the first industries legal or not, that moved to the internet, was the sex industry. And that should tell you something. I mean, that’s where people go, I mean, with the demise of payphones, because their cell phones we all have in our hand, excuse me now. And we all have the phone with the grass. Nobody goes to the internet. If I want to find something out, I grab the phone, I grab Google. I do a search. And I’m done. And, and by the way, that’s what you do to our listeners that if you have a website, you better be mobile optimized, you have mobile action on it. One of the things I do now, on WordPress sites is on the bottom of every website they do there’s a call. But that only shows up on mobile, because people on mobile are more likely to call you right away.

37:03

Yeah, that’s a that’s a good point.

37:07

think we’re at a stage where 50 to 60% of all searches are being done on mobile, right. And if you’re in a retail environment 37% will walk into a retail store after doing a football search. Mm hmm. Head on restaurants. That’s great. So, yeah, so websites do matter, because that’s what people are looking for.

37:31

Yep. And the thing that connects them when they do go to your website is your brand.

37:35

No, no question. comes back to brand.

37:39

Yeah, it really does. You know,

37:41

what, forget, you know, to mention, what brands come to mind, the two that come to mind every time is Coca Cola, McDonald’s, and they have why, you know, there’s not much difference between the parent Nike shoes, and a $40 per shoes accepted as Nike brand. Really, when you think about it, notice how I didn’t say Wendy’s. And you know, so I didn’t say Burger King.

38:06

Mm hmm. Because McDonald’s comes to mind right away, comes to mind right away. And that’s all branding. You know, and that’s what people need to realize, and May, and that’s why they should brag. because, frankly, at the end of the day, bragging changes can take a couple of years, they’re hard to do, I think

38:31

they are and it’s a really personal thing. And it’s always ongoing. If it’s not evolving, something’s wrong. One thing I’d like to say to people, you know, sometimes when we hear those big companies, we think, Oh my god, I can’t compete with those. The thing is, is that you don’t need 100 million people to be in your circle, you want your circle to be more narrow and just become well known in your own circle. And that will expand over time. So don’t don’t worry about hitting the whole world big like Coca Cola, or McDonald’s just, you know, focus on serving the people you really love working with in the best way possible. And just keep honing your brand voice and then, you know, you’ll you’ll become recognized in your industry in your sphere. And I think that’s the most important thing that we’re not after everybody in the world. Right? We’re not selling hamburgers for 35 cents like McDonald’s way back when

39:26

I would agree with that. I mean, even take social media, one of the first things on Twitter when Twitter was new, I’ve been on Twitter for over 10 years now was how do I get to 2000 followers? How do I get to 5000? Yeah, how do I get to 10 times as you know or don’t know I just shy of 20,000. Now I’ve plateaued over the last couple years because be honest with you haven’t really worked out. And the reason I haven’t worked out it is yes, it provides me some business. don’t disagree, but it’s about finding the right people. You know, as a friend of mine jewelry stores will tell you it’s not about to tempt people to walk in. It’s the one person with the right amount of money for the right job.

40:08

Yes.

40:10

And that’s, that’s what I was trying to say that is, when you’re hurting your personal brand, just realize you’re not everything to all people, you will resonate with certain kinds of people. And that doesn’t make you good or bad. It just means you’re attracted to certain things.

40:25

Yeah, you know what, that is such solid advice. Because I think, for a lot of people, and this can go on for a long time as they think they need to appeal to everybody, but it’s okay for people that hate you. It’s okay for people to go, Oh, my God, I would never work with them. Because you want a reaction, you don’t want to be warm, because that is mainstream, you’re a wallflower, nobody’s paying attention to you, you’re either hot or cold, people love you or they don’t love you. And that’s when you know, you are really defining who you want to work with, or who you want to attract.

40:58

I just went through that recently, as as you know, I do pretty regularly, I’ve done a Facebook Lives, and I’ll be back at them next week. And a couple weeks ago, I did a facebook live on a company called Big endurance International Group, which in my businesses, to me, the company to stay away from. And I pointed out that AIG is also ones of a service called Constant Contact, which is a mailing service. And I said, well, because are owned by ej to stay away. Do you know, I got Facebook messages, five, Constant Contact Canadian reps telling me I didn’t know what I was talking about. And I wish the conversation had gone public. And one was somebody who’s close in my circles and basically said, I want nothing to do with you. And my response, that’s okay. But I, you know, even with a negative reaction, that you’re actually getting your message out there because I, I had multiple reactions.

41:57

And, and I think the thing is, it acts what people forget is acts like a filter, you want to filter out the, I don’t want to say junk. But let’s say, you know, you’re panning for gold, though I’ve never done it’s probably bad analogy. But you know, you want to find the goal, don’t worry about the other stuff that falls away. You want to be able to find the gold and let your message be your filter that either turns people away, because you know what, they weren’t the right fit anyway, and just brings in the good stuff brings in the good ones.

42:26

Along with that, I would say to when you meet with prospective clients, you know, it has to do with the right fit comment is I’ve actually walked away from meetings and said, I don’t care what this person offers me, I’m not working with it. And that, for a lot of entrepreneurs is a tough pill to swallow. And I’ve actually said I’ve had clients come to me x LP, who Malaysia and they’ll say I don’t want because you know, it’s gonna be, you know, it’s gonna be hassle. And I’ve made the mistake impasse of actually over pricing my services to get rid of people, and they buy them

43:06

to say no,

43:09

I just say no,

43:10

it you know, it’s true. It’s so not worth it. And I think, especially for people who are starting up or trying to grow their business, and they’re not quite where they want to be. desperation is a terrible fuel. And if you really need the money, it’s hard to say no, but just work harder on defining your brand. And, and getting those ideal clients in your backyard. Because,

43:38

is there anything else you want to add to that conversation or anything else was talked about today?

43:43

Um,

43:46

you know, I just, I want to encourage anybody, if you are following your dream, if you’re in business for yourself, expect and it’s going to be all over the place, expect their highs, great days are like, I got the world by the tail. And then there are days where you’re like, Oh, my God, I can’t do this anymore. But that’s normal. So, you know, I just really want to encourage people keep going at it. But don’t stand still. If there’s things that you don’t know how to do, learn how to do it, or get help doing it. And never give up your life to run your business. Because when you’re 100 years old, sitting in that rocking chair, you’ll look back and you’ll have a lot of regrets, and it’s not worth it. So keep everything in balance. And enjoy what you’re doing. Because this is a choice, nobody’s making you do it. So make sure you’re doing things that you really, really love. And just say no to the stuff that you don’t because the good stuff will come. I would

44:37

agree with that. And the other tip I throw out there to go with it is especially when it comes to entrepreneurs and contracts and stuff like that. Take a week and watch five episodes of Judge studio and watch judge dude, and you will realize as an entrepreneur, the reason you should have a written contract That’s all I say there. Take the time try it, and then get rid and realize what she says. And kind of move on from there. Yeah,

45:10

I second that if you don’t have a contract. Oh, yeah, get a contract. That’s what I’ll say.

45:19

for your time today, Margie, where can people get a hold of you if they want to talk to you? What’s the best way?

45:26

Yeah, well, right now, I am rebranding my site. So my site is going to be down for a few days longer, but that depends on when you’re listening. Just head on over to Margie and elise.com. Yes, Rob. I have my name. My brand right now. It’s Mar gi e a n a l i s e.com. Or you can reach me at Margie at Margie and elise.com. If you want to email me, need help with branding. You need help getting everything in balance and enjoying your life while you build your business. I’m your girl. So head on over we can chat. And, you know, just keep going keep at it and I’m here as a resource if you need help.

46:06

Thanks, Margie. Have an awesome day.

46:08

Thanks, Rob. It’s been fun. Thanks so much for having me as a guest.

46:12

My pleasure. Thank you for listening to the SDM interview show. This Podcast is a production of stunning digital marketing comm agency that can help you with your web design, or press security and digital marketing needs. Please subscribe to this podcast. This podcast can be found on Stitcher Radio, Spotify, Google podcasts, Apple podcasts and more. Please don’t miss the next edition. This podcast comes out every Thursday for your listening enjoyment. Until next time, please keep your feet on the ground

46:52

and keep reaching for the stars. And we’ll talk to you all soon. Have a great week everybody. Bye for now.