Stevie Says Social

I hate when my fave podcasters go AWOL, so here's a little update and a few things I wanted to share! I'll be back on the podcast airwaves in July - will you miss me? Send me a DM on Instagram if there is something in this episode that resonated (@steviedillon_). See you soon!Want more? Here's how we can help you: → Free Workshop — Create our knowledge-based lifestyle business in 2025 → Subscribe to the Fully Free Newsletter — Come and join the party on Substack! Subscribe for weekly articles, essays and behind the scenes to help you build a lifestyle business. → Join Lifestyle Business School — Get the complete Operating System for starting or growing an expertise-based online business to the Lifestyle Business Sweet Spot. Enjoy this content? Follow and subscribe for more: → Follow Stevie on Instagram — https://www.instagram.com/steviedillon_/ → Subscribe to Fully Free on Substack — https://lifestylebusinessschool.substack.com/ → Subscribe to Lifestyle Business School on Youtube — https://www.youtube.com/@lifestylebusinessschool

nline business is changing. With the prevalent decrease in the social media engagement, here's three very specific and practical things I'm doing to adapt to the new environment.Social Media — invest in your performing content to get more engagementEmail Marketing — start nurturing your email listRole of Podcasting, YouTube and Substack — for the handy top of funnel OR middle of funnel platformIn this episode, I'm breaking down how I've traditionally captured it (hello Instagram, podcasting, and email marketing

I haven't launched anything for nine months. I have been dark on social media, and I have only sporadically appeared on this podcast. So you might be wondering - Stevie, where have you been? What have you been doing and what is coming next? And if you have, you're gonna love today's podcast episode.And if you haven't, then this is the episode that you didn't even know that you wanted!Episode Shownotes:00:00 Introduction and where I've been00:52 The concept of seasons in business05:16 Rediscovering myself: music and reading07:35 The power of domino habits13:27 Balancing business and parenthood17:13 Clarifying my mission and future goals24:02 Conclusion and final thoughts———Recommended next episode: → Ep 250: I've Worked 5 Hours a Week Since March. Here's How.Want more? Here's how we can help you: → Free Workshop — Create our knowledge-based lifestyle business in 2025 → Subscribe to the Fully Free Newsletter — Come and join the party on Substack! Subscribe for weekly articles, essays and behind the scenes to help you build a lifestyle business. → Join Lifestyle Business School — Get the complete Operating System for starting or growing an expertise-based online business to the Lifestyle Business Sweet Spot.

Read this series on Substack: https://lifestylebusinessschool.substack.com/For your lifestyle business to really SING, there's one final step in the four part personal brand series – to turn what you've conjured up so far and giving it a talkaboutable edge!Getting this right from the outset is like sprinkling magic fairy dust on your business.Having a talkaboutable edge to what you do bakes BUZZ right into the very fabric of your business, and makes people stop, sit up and pay attention when you start talking about it.It also makes everything you do to try to get attention after that point about fifty million times easier.In this episode, we walk through exactly how to do it: 00:00 Introduction to talkaboutable edge00:18 Recap of previous episodes00:50 Defining talkaboutable edge03:55 Examples of talkaboutable edge08:30 Steps to create a talkaboutable edge10:03 Developing thought leadership16:01 Creating a mission-based business17:49 Crafting a unique concept22:07 Infusing your concept into your business28:30 Conclusion and next steps ——— Recommended next episode: → Part One (Don't Build Businesses. Build Personal Brand Projects Instead!): https://lifestylebusiness.school/276→ Part Two (Three Layers Deep: All Aboard the Niche Train): https://lifestylebusiness.school/277→ Part Three (‘You Talkin' to ME !' – Market Well to Sell, Sell, Sell): https://lifestylebusiness.school/278→ Part Four (Attention on Tap: How to Bake Serious Buzz

Welcome to Part Three of our five-part series on setting up your personal brand for success! In this episode, we dive deep into the crucial art of positioning. It's not just about finding a niche; it's about understanding the customer journey, choosing the right market and how marketing and positioning work hand in hand to make your brand irresistible.You can view Part One and Part Two of this series here,  and subscribe to the podcast to be notified when the next part is released.Ready to turn your niche into a powerhouse brand? Let's dive in!Episode Shownotes00:00 Introduction: The importance of positioning01:09 My journey: From corporate job to social media manager02:55 The turning point: Bali and beyond04:08 The biggest mistake: No niche, no market05:55 The power of positioning10:05 Understanding the customer journey14:09 Steps to effective positioning16:12 Choosing the right market21:42 Conclusion: position well to sell22:48 Next steps and further learningRecommended next episode: → Part One in the Series: Don't Build Businesses! Build Projects!→ Part Two in the Series: Three Layers Deep: All Aboard the Niche TrainLinks Mentioned: → '‘You Talkin' to ME!' – Market Well to Sell, Sell, Sell' - Read this article on SubstackWant more? Here's how we can help you: → Free Workshop — Create our knowledge-based lifestyle business in 2025 → Subscribe to the Fully Free Newsletter — Come and join the party on Substack! Subscribe for weekly articles, essays and behind the scenes to help you build a lifestyle business. → Join Lifestyle Business School — Get the complete Operating System for starting or growing an expertise-based online business to the Lifestyle Business Sweet Spot.

To stand out and sell — always, but especially in 2025 — you've gotta niche.Happily (especially if you are a personal brand), that DOESN'T mean putting your sweet little multi-passionate self into a box for twenty years and throwing away the key.But it DOES mean that you should create individual PROJECTS under your personal brand (I talk about that more in part one of this series here) and niche them sufficiently so as to cut through.How? Choose a market that has in-built demand, and then to go three or four layers deep to specialise within it. In this episode, I show you how. PS This is Part Two in a five part series to help you set up a personal brand for success. You can view Part One here, and subscribe to the podcasts for the other posts in the series to come!Episode Shownotes:00:00 The importance of niching01:25 Common mistakes in niching03:06 Stages of business development09:17 The need for a niche in a crowded market12:31 Three-step process to effective niching13:04 Step 1: Choosing a profitable market17:05 Step 2: Going one layer deeper18:14 Step 3: Niching by vehicle25:29 Conclusion and next steps———Recommended next episode: → Part One in the Series: Don't Build Businesses! Build Projects!Links Mentioned: → 'Three Layers Deep! All Aboard the Niche Train' - Read this article on SubstackWant more? Here's how we can help you: → Free Workshop — Create our knowledge-based lifestyle business in 2025 → Subscribe to the Fully Free Newsletter — Come and join the party on Substack! Subscribe for weekly articles, essays and behind the scenes to help you build a lifestyle business. → Join Lifestyle Business School — Get the complete Operating System for starting or growing an expertise-based online business to the Lifestyle Business Sweet Spot.

This one is aimed squarely at you, my little ‘personal brand-based' founder darlings — in other words, the current and aspiring content creators, consultants, coaches, freelancers, creatives and knowledge-based founders of the Internet.Over a series of five podcasts (because brevity ain't my strong point), I'm going to break down for you everything I know about how to set a personal brand based business for big fun, big freedom and BIG money.In this episode, we're starting strong

Your offer suite is the beating heart of your business. Without it, you don't have a business. In this episode, I will show you how to map out an offer suite with one flagship offer as the crown jewel. You'll discover why small (and might is best) and the ONLY three offers you need to hit a million dollars (plus, how to structure to reach your time and money goals. I cover: Why a simple offer suite is the key to a lifestyle business that prioritises balances; The only three offers you need, which order to create them in and the job each does; How to map a profitable offer suite. Episode Show Notes:00:00 The importance of an offer suite00:37 Creating a high-converting offer suite01:48 The case for a simple, streamlined offer suite12:26 First offer: Flagship offer16:10 Second offer: Entry offer21:33 Third offer: Anchor offer25:22 Mapping out your offer suite34:04 Conclusion and next steps———Recommended next episode: → Ep 252: How to Create an Irresistible, “Hell Yes” Online Course, Coaching or Membership Offer (Inspired by 2am Flights and Toddler Meltdowns)Links Mentioned: → Get Create and Validate for 60% off to create your first or next irresistible online course in the next 12-weeks→ 66% off Dream & Design where you can design (or re-design) a wildly aligned, time leveraged expertise-based business model that feels just right for youWant more? Here's how we can help you: → Free Workshop — Create our knowledge-based lifestyle business in 2025 → Subscribe to the Fully Free Newsletter — Come and join the party on Substack! Subscribe for weekly articles, essays and behind the scenes to help you build a lifestyle business. → Join Lifestyle Business School — Get the complete Operating System for starting or growing an expertise-based online business to the Lifestyle Business Sweet Spot.

In this week's podcast, we'll be revisiting through our Podcast Best Of series on how we make, manage and grow money in order to make work optional.Active income is never passive. Work is work.But the income from your work can be funneled into assets that CAN be passive – and that, ultimately, is the game.These days, I am passionate about sharing that message with others. Even moreso in this online business world, where we have the capacity to build high profit margin businesses.And, where a little know how on what to DO with that income is life-changing. And so, in this throwback episode, I am sharing with you the six steps for building a business that will one day allow you to make work optional and to enjoy true passive income. ———Recommended next episode: → ❤️‍

Let's talk about finding alignment and balance in new motherhood, especially when your traditional business model and success no longer serves the life you want to create.In this podcast episode, I share my experience with running a business and raising 2 young kids, finding myself again and building a business that truly lights me up.This is an interview that first aired on Rachelle Saevils 'Behind the Fold' podcast, where she shares interviews breaking down the real and raw BTS of motherhood and business. We discussed: • 5:38 - My business growth, fears and preparation during and after my first pregnancy.• 12:57 - The time in between my first and second child of feeling unaligned and conflicted, that caused me to rethink my whole business model.• 20:00 - The experience and struggles of having my partner become the primary care giver while I continued working.• 23:30 - How my motherhood identity and mindset changed from one birth to the next.• 26:15 - Learning about the power of self care, slowing down and being okay with extended timelines when it comes to goals.• 34:00 - Focusing on what matters most to you, even if it means a revenue dip in your business for a season.I hope this episode encourages you to seek balance among all the areas you may be juggling in whatever that might look like for you- give yourself some grace. If you love this episode, definitely check out Rachelles podcast, Behind the Fold.———Recommended next episode: → I'll be doing a motherhood and business Q+A podcast episode soon. Have a question for it? DM me on Instagram here: @steviedillon_Links Mentioned: → Behind the Fold Podcast on Spotify→ Behind the Fold Podcast on Apple PodcastsWant more? Here's how we can help you: → Free Workshop — Create our knowledge-based lifestyle business in 2025 → Subscribe to the Fully Free Newsletter — Come and join the party on Substack! Subscribe for weekly articles, essays and behind the scenes to help you build a lifestyle business. → Join Lifestyle Business School — Get the complete Operating System for starting or growing an expertise-based online business to the Lifestyle Business Sweet Spot.

Ahhhh, attention (aka traffic, aka your ‘top of funnel' in marketing speak). The darling of the Internet!Understandably so, it's the tip of the proverbial Internet iceberg and the ONLY thing that's visible when we're scrolling online. And for that reason, we're obsessed with it and start to think that the ultimate success of our online businesses lives and dies by it. And whilst it's true that it matters, it's just one piece of the marketing funnel pie. Let's talk all things top of funnel – aka traffic, aka the darling of the Internet – and answer some of the biggest questions.[

Recently, Google embarked on a mission to answer one question: ‘How do consumers decide what they want to buy and who they want to buy it from?'The answer was.. squiggly, the say the least. To stand out and sell in 2025, you're not just ‘one funnel away' anymore. Instead, it's essential to build an ecosystem of touchpoints to satisfy the savvy, skeptical buyers that you're the real deal. The 'middle of funnel' is more important (and squiggly) than ever, and to stand out and sell? Yours needs to be robust. The test is this — if someone found you right now, would they have 7-9 hours of touchpoint available with you to binge on demand? ⁠If not, you need today's episode. And if you do, you still need it - because there's four other tests I share, too. Episode Show Notes:00:00 The changing landscape of marketing00:14 The middle of funnel squig02:25 Reasons why the landscape has changed02:26 Reason one: Trust desert03:30 Reason two: A more discerning market04:33 Reason three: Savvier research abilities05:41 Five tips for standing out08:18 One: Build a strong brand14:34 Two: Establish a middle of funnel trigger18:41 Three: Automate your middle of funnel ecosystem25:35 Four: Create long form content32:56 Five: Inject authority markers[

Marketing has changed. If you want to drive the volume and quality of traffic you need to sell your scalable offers in 2025, this is for you. Side note — this is absolutely NOT for the full-time content creators, and the people who spend their days marketing online for a living. It's for the people who NEED to understand how this stuff works to build the thing they ACTUALLY DO (without it taking 18,273 hours a week). Episode Show Notes:00:45 Understanding the marketing funnel02:09 The Importance of messaging in marketing07:10 Building an effective marketing funnel14:35 Bottom of funnel22:56 Middle of funnel27:44 Top of funnel34:28 Conclusion and Next StepsPS [

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In the past month, I experienced the “tipping point” in the leveraged business model I started building out from scratch 12 months ago.All leveraged expertise-based models have them, IF YOU KNOW TO STICK WITH IT LONG ENOUGH TO GET TO THE MAGIC ✨But, this isn't always in line with the rhetoric online. We hear of “quick wins”, “six figure launches” straight out of the gate and unicorns who build their dream business in a year. And sure, with some business models, that may actually be possible. Take a service-based or freelancer business model for instance. You can build it in a day, book yourself out in a week and be making $10k in a month. The trade off? That the revenue comes at the expense of your time.. forever. When you're creating a leveraged business model that ultimately gives you compounding revenue, high profit margins and MORE time back as time goes on, it's different. There's the decision to start.Then, the build.And then FINALLY, the tipping point. The tipping point is the inflection point where the work you have done up until that point starts to compound and snowball. Your revenue starts to really increase. Your time and the energetic lift starts to decrease. And all of the hard work starts to pay off.But, it's a process, and it's in NO WAY instant. I think being more honest about this is only going to serve people, because they might then have more realistic expectations, stay in it for the long run and actually start to see the fruits of their labour over time. In today's podcast episode, I am going to share a little about that process. I've followed this exact same process now for three iterations of my business.. and it's the SAME EVERY TIME.Podcast Episodes Referenced:Ep 185: ❤️‍

It's official ONE WEEK until my 7th business birthday (and my ACTUAL birthday!

⏰ PSA: The price for Lifestyle Business School increases by up to $900USD in 24 hours, and we have just added a new super accessible payment plan. Click here. This is a business strategy podcast Q+A, where I am answering some JUICY questions. Let's call it a big ‘ol business strategy sesh! I answer: ➡️ I am a creative and I want to expand my clients/audience with a leveraged offer like a digital course or products. What is the best way to do this?➡️ I want to create a low cost digital product, around $30. Can I be successful with this? ➡️ I have a specialised niche and I want to create something lower cost to serve them. Should I? ➡️ How much time do you need to dedicate each week to build a successful lifestyle business?And more!These are some of the questions that have been coming through as we prepare to close the doors on the current price, extended time bonus and all of the other special bonuses. Whether you are thinking about joining Lifestyle Business School, or you simply love a good strategy jam sesh – this is for you!

I'm launching this week (could you tell?

This is the replay of the workshop I hosted earlier this week. It's absolutely PACKED with value, and will be taken down in a few days, so enjoy!PS Doors to Lifestyle Business School are currently open with some very special added bonuses only available in this launch.1️⃣ I've added a FULL course as a Fast Action Bonus (Avail Now): Operational Elegance -- which is the full back end blueprint for systemising and streamlining your business.  Think finances sorted, project management, systems, structure and about 500% less stress on the daily. 2️⃣ I've frozen the price until the end of the month instead of raising it before launch: The price of Lifestyle Business School will be increasing by almost 25% ($500USD) after this launch. I was almost going to do this BEFORE the launch. It was priced so low and stayed that way over the past 12-months while I was building everything out. There are seven FULL and comprehensive courses in Lifestyle Business School, detailing every single step of building out a leveraged, expertise-based lifestyle business. Over the coming months, I will start selling these individually for between $999US and $1,499US, and I can't do that with the current price of Lifestyle Business School!3️⃣ Testing (in this launch) offering unlimited curriculum access: This is a big one, and the one I have gone back and forth on SO MUCH (I will record a podcast episode about this). Usually, Lifestyle Business School is 12-months of access to everything. Join now, though? And you have UNLIMITED access to all curriculum for as long as the Lifestyle Business School course exists.---If you're ready to join us and you want to get the TRIPLE WHAMMY of time, money saving and bundle bonuses.. click here.

Today, we are going to walk through the EXACT steps for growing a leveraged, expertise-based online offer to a very specific revenue amount. I want to make this really practical for you, so I will be specific with the numbers: The goal? Get to a replicable $500k year with a $2k offer. The first year is set up, the second year is going to be where we make it happen. Both are important – and I will explain why knowing THAT is important, too. And PS -- this isn't even a hypothetical either, because this mock scenario closely mimics my EXACT path over the past 12 months of rebuilding my business. So, here goes! And if you want the full step-by-step broken down in much greater detail – I am sharing the FULL process (including how to do it with strategies that are working RIGHT NOW) in this week's free workshop: The Predictable 3-Part Operating System for Building a Simple, Time Leveraged, Online Course Based Business Model or Revenue Stream

Want to retire early in 10 years, and live on $80k forever? With a lifestyle business, you can. [Read the full blog post here].People want a quick win, and the industry sells the pipedream of a gazillion dollars in two seconds.. but if you're willing to develop the skill of being a course creator?A LOT can happen in 10 years ⌛️A. LOT.Here's the cliff notes: Invest $10k a month from the profits of your high cashflow online course business for 10 years (instead of spending it on Gucci bags, a big team or lifestyle creep). At year ten, you can retire with $2m in the bank. You'll take $80k a year for the rest of your life without depleting the balance. Here's your road map for retiring in 10 years, if you start today

In the past 12 months, I've created 8 online courses. That's 680 lessons, according to my course platform. [Read the full blog post here].It's all been part of a grand master plan I hatched in mid-2023 to build out the complete operating system for building a leveraged, expertise-based lifestyle business.The eight courses are designed with that specific endgame in mind. Here's a summary: Lifestyle Business School Roadmap: This is the overarching roadmap for mapping and tracking your progress to your personal endgame. Dream and Design: Design the leveraged expertise-based business model that satisfies the Monday Morning test and feels just right for you. Create and Validate: Build a simple, leveraged expertise-based offer suite (and the engaged lead list to sell it) in 12-weeks. Deliver and Delight: The full delivery playbook for building out a stand out and streamlined online course, group program, membership or mastermind. Rinse and Repeat: The ultimate collective of every live launch and promotion under the sun. Traffic Playbook: Develop and execute a simple but sophisticated marketing plan to sell your scalable offers. Automate and Accelerate: Build out a fully automated system of cascading campaigns to sell your offers on autopilot.. while you sleep. [Not currently included in Lifestyle Business School] Operational Elegance: The full back end blueprint for running your online business including systems, structure and streamlined processes to simplify, scale.. or step back!Here's why it was important to me, though. When I looked around, I saw too much piecemeal advice. “Implement this strategy for success!” – one course would say.“Do this and get your next 1000 followers!” – another would say.  The truth is, everything worked (if implemented). But, the advice was piecemeal.They were tactics, when ultimately what someone needs to build a successful leveraged lifestyle business is a simple, holistic strategy, and a clear map with all of the pieces laid out in order. That's what I have created in Lifestyle Business School. Want more?

To get sales, you need leads!To get leads, you need traffic! So, how do you get it? What's working now? [Read the full blog post here].The truth is, times have changed. The landscape is crowded. Ads are costly. And getting attention feels about as easy as screaming to a band to pull you up on stage in the middle of a rock concert. So let me lift the lid on how I do it, and what's working right now. Want more?

So, you have big business goals – incredible!What's your plan to achieve them? Q4 is sneaking up on us, and as anyone in online business would know that means prime money-making season!There is a lot of opportunity in the final three months of the year. [Read the full blog post here].Whether you're well behind on your annual sales goal or you're simply looking to maximise the opportunity that this time of year brings, preparation will give you the BEST chance of making this your biggest quarter of sales yet!The best way to prepare? With a simple, actionable marketing plan. If you haven't created yours yet, now is absolutely the time. Planning ahead will allow you to get strategic, and squeeze the most juice out of this prime time on the online business calendar. In today's piece, we will walk through how to create a simple marketing to smash your Q4 goals, and set yourself up for a strong end to what has for many been a more trying year. Want more?

You know the whole “money in your sleep” thing? “Build a funnel and watch the money roll in whilst you're catching z's”? The truth is, it's real – but not in the same way it's been taught, sold and done online for the past few years. [Read the full blog post here].The standard advice is that you set it up once, flick the switch to “on”, and watch the sales start rolling through the door. As much as I'd love to sell you that strategy, it doesn't quite work that way. That's the bad news. The good news? Is that when done the right way, at the right time, using principles that work right now, and the right “full funnel” strategy, an evergreen funnel can become one of the most powerful automated workhorses for generating bonus profit in your business. In today's piece, I am going to share with you how to build out an evergreen funnel system to sell your online course, program or membership the RIGHT way. (No BS or unrealistic promises included). Side note – We have just added a fresh new course soldier to the Lifestyle Business School lineup. It's called Automate and Accelerate, and it's a step–by-step, here's-exactly-how-you-do-it system for building out an evergreen funnel system to sell your offer/s on autopilot. It includes the full strategy for creating a front end evergreen funnel to make sales immediately, and then the three to six month back end ecosystem to continue to cycle your leads through a series of offers to make profit.. without lifting a finger. You can check out Automate and Accelerate and join us in Lifestyle Business School here.Want more?

Active income is never passive. Work is work.But the income from your work can be funneled into assets that CAN be passive – and that, ultimately, is the game. [Read the full blog post here].These days, I am passionate about sharing that message with others. Even moreso in this online business world, where we have the capacity to build high profit margin businesses.And, where a little know how on what to DO with that income is life-changing. And so, in today's piece, I am sharing with you the six steps for building a business that will one day allow you to make work optional and to enjoy true passive income. Want more?

Truthbomb: The ONE metric just about every single person underestimates is the amount of traffic they are able to deploy for their online course or group offer launch.[Read the full blog post here].They put BIG effort into a launch, and maybe secure a handful of sales. On “paper”, it performed great and achieved all of the benchmarks for success. But still, THEY consider it a flop. The culprit?  They simply didn't drive the volume of traffic required to achieve their sales goals.Want more?

Building a successful online course business in 2024 requires an irresistible, hell-yes core offer.[Read the full blog post here].Here's the kicker, though.Whilst making sure your offer is irresistible to the person you're selling it to is non-negotiable (something we covered in detail in last week's piece, and this one too), it's only step one.Building an offer that sells is one thing. Building one that lights you up, fulfills you, gives you more of what you want and allows you to reach your goals so you can run it for the long term without burning out? Well, that's entirely another.Here's one thing my seven years in online business has taught me: Success isn't success if it doesn't give more of what you want.This is a Naval Ravikant quote, and I have it pinned everywhere:On my laptop screensaver. My phone. My desk. Everywhere. It serves as a reminder for me of what “success” is and what it isn't. In an online world that has for so many years  espoused financial and “numbers” based success as the only true indicator of it, it's important to remember. For so long, “success” and “alignment” haven't co-existed, nor have they been together “considered”. On the one side have been the people chasing “success” at any cost. And on the other, those seeking “alignment”. But it's only recently that anyone has considered the two to be mutually exclusive. Thankfully, the tides are changing. When I started talking about wild alignment, and building a lifestyle business, just TWELVE MONTHS AGO – it was new, and novel. Today, there's lots of talk of freedom-based business, and balance, and building a business that complements your life without scaling to the moon. In today's piece, I want to share with you what I feel is the critical “foundation” for achieving this in practice.Want more?

Recently, I embarked on an extended Euro-trip. [Read the full blog post here].EXCITING, of course – but, with a catch. The flight to Dubai en-route to Europe departed from Brisbane at 2am. Tricky in any event, but even moreso with a two and four year old to contend with. I did the sleep math olympics trying to figure out how to cope. My realisation?From a toddler perspective, I was likely screwed regardless of HOW I decided to approach things (especially since those awesome inflatable travel beds for kids on planes are banned on my Emirates flight – damn, right). And so, I started focusing on my own sleep. “If we get on the plane at 2am, they MIGHT go back to sleep for a few hours and it's going to be smart to try and catch at least a couple of hours myself so I'm not zapped and losing my proverbial s$%# when we arrive in Dubai 14-hours later” – I thought. In other words? I started to focus on the things I thought I MIIIIIIGHT be able to semi-control. And so began my deep-dive into the world of getting sleep on planes.  Plot twist: This turns into a content piece on how to create an irresistible, hell yes online course coaching or membership offer so bear with me. Want more?

Simple scale, complex fails. Has a catchy ring to it, right.And, a whole lotta truth. Here's how I know. [Read the full blog post here].As a person, I am naturally someone that tends to overcomplicate things. Give me a task to complete, and I will somehow singlehandedly find the most complex, convoluted way of completing it. Back in my corporate days, I worked as a Marketing Manager. Working closely alongside me was our PR Manager – who was the exact vision of what you would expect a PR Manager to be. Vibrant, sociable, vivacious.And, light on detail. Whenever we were given a project to work on, she and I would approach things so very differently. I always admired her approach: Pick up the phone, get it done, smiling all the way. Meanwhile? I would sit at my desk for hours upon hours, writing up complex plans and generally just overcomplicating things. Of course, both were strengths in a way – and our very different approaches complimented each other. When I started my business, though? I noticed myself taking that same tendency to complicate things into it. And, let me tell you: THAT did not serve me well – until, it did. In many ways, it was my tendency to overcomplicate things that resulted in the business I have today.I have spent many years learning the art of simplicity. As a result? I create online courses sharing the same simple strategies I created for MYSELF to eliminate my tendency to overcomplicate. Of course, old habits die hard, and the truth is?That still every day I have FIGHT MYSELF not to overcomplicate my business. Want more?

This isn't a piece on passive income. It's not a piece on the freedom to work from anywhere. Or, to pick up and travel the world. Instead? It's about building a drop everything business and how I built it. [Read the full blog post here].You see, when most of us think of course or digital-product based businesses we think of the fun freedom that it may one day give us the opportunity to enjoy. We aspire to build the “bucket list” business:One that creates deep impact for those we serve, whilst simultaneously giving us time, freedom and happiness in spades to spend time with little ones, live without financial burden and go on extended staycations. I know I sure did. Happily, six (almost seven) years of hard work, trial and error in, I have mostly done that. But, here's the clincher. It's not the “bucketlist” business that I have been the most grateful for this year. It's the drop everything business. It's building a business that has afforded me the ability to scale back and work less not by choice, but by necessity. From about March on this year, I have worked around 5-hours a week.The fact that I even COULD – without financial burden or business ruin? – is something that I will always be eternally grateful for.And so, in today's podcast episode I want to share with you some of the things that made that possible for me.  The truth is that it is, unfortunately, highly likely that at some point in all of our business careers there will come a time that we're forced to slow down, pause or stop business as usual for less-than-desirable reasons. It might be a diagnosis, or a chronic health condition, or an accident. Whatever the reason, having the foresight to know HOW to set your business up in a way that supports you even when you aren't “in it” is, I think, a superpower and a gift. Want more?

To sell an online course or leveraged offer, you need people to sell to. [Read the full blog post here].The problem? Those looking to build an online course business from scratch usually fall into one of two camps. 1) They are existing content creators looking to leverage their extensive audiences by building a course based business around it; or2) They are service providers seeking to take their skillset and build something more leveraged from it. My experience is that usually? In both cases, the founder hasn't started or prioritised email list growth, and they are either starting from scratch or they are starting with a small email list that they haven't nurtured. So, how do you start and build an email list so that you are able to successfully sell an online course, group coaching program or membership? Here's two things to keep in mind first and foremost: Firstly, quality matters much more than quantity. The secret? A super aligned email list, and high quality nurture of the people on it. Alignment comes from making sure that the lead magnet you offer to people in exchange for their email address is very closely aligned to the topic of your core offer. High quality nurture means that your lead magnet is more than just a PDF. People need several touchpoints with you (the number is up for date, but it has increased with time – last time, it was around 17) before they are ready to buy from you. And secondly, your email list growth should be done WHILST you are building your business. It's common to spend months and years spinning your wheels trying to hit a magical number BEFORE you start selling, but actually? The act of starting your course business and launching will be the thing that grows your list as you go. For both of those reasons, the strategy I recommend for people that want to build a successful course business in 2024 is to start by creating a mini-course and delivering it live over four or so weeks. Read more about it in my blogpost.Want more?

Have you ever dreamed of jumping on a plane and running away? [Read the full blog post here].Wanting to live the laptop lifestyle and work from anywhere but unsure how to *actually* do it without your business burning down? Wonder how all of those people on Instagram every European summer actually afford to do it? In a week, I am jumping on a very last minute plane to Eurosummer, family (including a wild 2-year old and lively 4-year old) in tow. This hasn't been something I've had on the planning list for a long time (please listen to last weeks podcast episode where I share about losing my Mum for more context on my snap decision). More than anything? This trip is an exhale. This trip is therapy. And, this trip is a complete disconnect from reality, to reflect, honour, enjoy and heal. At the same time, I know there will be some wondering how I can be so lucky or privileged to make this happen. Which, of course, I am. But, it's not all that. And maybe, it could be possible for you too. If you've ever dreamt of an extended trip and feel compelled or inspired to make it happen, in today's podcast episode I am going to share how I've done it, what it is costing, my thoughts, fears and nerve-citement around doing it with young children and all of the nitty gritty. Let's dive in. PS. Here's the link to the card I use (I get points if you use my code, my travel fund thanks you). Want more?

Read all the details from this week's podcast episode in my blogpost here!This is a story about grief, loss and how to navigate it as a personal brand.Almost six weeks ago now, I lost my beautiful mum. (It hurts to type that). It feels like my security blanket has been ripped from under me.I feel alone, exposed and honestly? Just so very sad. Here's the thing as a personal brand business. Personal things happen. They bleed into business. And as a result, running a very front-facing business in challenging times feels extra challenging – something that has absolutely been my experience over the past while. Today, I want to share a little about my experience navigating profound loss as a personal brand.—Helpful Resources:Insanely helpful conversation: Navigating Grief [ft Therapist Gina Moffa] – With Sam Vander Wielen. I resonated with so much of this. It talks about personal brand businesses in particular, and listened twice. Feeling seen: Motherless Daughters – Grief support for mother loss. Simply scrolling through these has helped me a lot, the posts are real and reflect a lot of the things I think myself. Simply knowing I am not alone has helped immensely. Questions and conversations with loved ones: List of Questions for Interviewing Your Loved Ones – Brendon Burchard wrote this list of questions he asked his Dad. Lucy Percy at Head and Heart Estate Planning  sent me some Legacy of Love conversation starters (not sure if she is offering these, but her Instagram is useful also). Want more?

Pre PS  We've currently waitlisted our Lifestyle Business School program and we'll be reopening soon. Join the waitlist here if you want to get updated on the best deal and the special VIP bonuses soon as we re-open doors.Last episode I talked about some of the cons of having a membership site as your offer. Now, let's switch sides and talk about the pros of building a membership site. And, when you go into it with realistic expectations - there are many! I do think it's important to start with the cons however, because they aren't usually considered and it's the reason people become disillusioned and give up. Memberships can be magical - with some big ifs and buts. They can be magical

Pre PS  We've currently waitlisted our Lifestyle Business School program and we'll be reopening soon. Join the waitlist here if you want to get updated on the best deal and the special VIP bonuses soon as we re-open doors.Should you create a membership site? So often, it's sold as the ultimate dream:"Create a membership site and you too can enjoy recurring revenue - forever", they say. Which is kind of true.Only, it also comes with a very, very big asterisk:Memberships are one of the most advanced, psychologically trying, long-game, difficult leveraged business models out there. And, no-one is sharing THAT when they are selling the dream. In October 2023, I launched my very own online membership site. Believe me when I say that I have aged 26 Internet years in the months since (just kidding - kind of).Here's the truth though: They are no joke, and this is coming from someone with six years in the online business space, experience in every leveraged business model under the sun, an advanced understanding of data and advanced marketing concepts  and serious grit and resilience. Cliff notes, though: I am a sucker for punishment and I actually enjoy the game of it.But, honestly? I think I'd be in the minority here. It's kind of like an Ultra Marathon runner: It takes a special breed to want to put yourself through it, but it's worthwhile if you have what it takes, you're willing to play the long game and you're up for the task

I am taking a short break of one to two weeks from new podcast episodes. Here's a ‘best of' episode from the vault until I'm back!Last year, I spent in excess of about $35,000 on a huge rebrand. The thought process was this —> I want to build a company. I have a team and I don't want it to feel like it's just about me. Stevie Says Social no longer aligned. And, at the time, all of those things were true. Still are, really. But over the subsequent months, my thoughts on how I want to position my business and personal brand shifted slightly AGAIN, and so in today's podcast episode I want to share some of that nuance with you in case it serves you also. As with ALL decisions in business, there is no “universal truth” when it comes to these things, only ever what serves YOU and the goals you have. And here, right now, are my thoughts (and upcoming shifts) in terms of what serves ME and this small + mighty business in this moment.In this podcast episode we discuss:✔️ Bringing My Personal Brand Back to Life✔️ Exit Businesses v Lifestyle Businesses✔️ Projects v Businesses✔️ A Personal Brand is the Most Important Superpower You Have Online✔️ So, What's Changing? ✔️ And More!Want more?

How do you create an online course that sells right now?The truth is that times have changed, and what worked even just a few years ago no longer does. The online course market is maturing, and with the growth many are starting to wonder:"Are people still buying online courses?"Here's my two cents: Yes they absolutely are, but it's uneven at the moment.Some people are killing it and some are finding it tough. If you're wondering how you can create an online course that sells right now, here are seven things to keep in mind. 1. Cultivate Trust and Authority2. Contracts Create Friction3. Creating an Online Course That Sells Requires Transparency4. New Offers Require Time in the Market5. Positioning is Everything6. Risk Reversal is Extra Helpful7. Trust and an Irresistible Offer Are King and Queen Right NowWant more?

In 2007, I spent six weeks in a hostel in the middle of Guatemala just “because”.Truly, I'd never felt so free.The two years prior had been spent working like a donkey, with good people but in a field I hated.The endgame? Admission to the Supreme Course of Queensland as a lawyer.It was an accolade I spent 7 years working towards..Only to quit, 6-weeks to the day later. And so, there I found myself in a computer shop in Puerto Escondido, Mexico, on a steaming April afternoon checking my emails when my brothers friend messaged us on Facebook.“Wanna come visit?” – he wrote, “I'm just down the road in Guatemala!”We looked at each other.Of course we would. It wasn't even a QUESTION.We were free. The world was our oyster. And we could do anything, be anyone, go anywhere!And so it came to be that I ended up spending the best, most carefree, most FUN 6-weeks of my life living out of a backpack in a dingy hostel dorm room in Antigua.Acutely aware that I had opted out of life for a little minute, and feeling grateful as heck for it.Five years later, I started my online business chasing that kind of freedom again.And on the surface, the promise of it all felt..  intoxicating.Time freedom – to work when I wanted!Location freedom – to go back to Central America, or London, or ANYWHERE BUT HERE!Financial freedom – to make more than a doctors wages working on the goddamn INTERNET!I wanted it.The sense of adventure.The possibility.The wonder that came from not knowing what would come next.The Tuesday afternoons spent outside (and not in an air-conditioned cubicle)ALL OF IT.

I don't care about leaving money on the table. I don't care about “maximising” my revenue” or getting the “most” out of every day. Here's what I do care about: Spend Tuesday mornings at a 10am Pilates class. Stuffing around making labels for my new spice racks just because. Googling cool new hair-dos for my little girl. Sitting on the floor with her at 2pm on a Friday, playing hairdressers.I care about travel. I care so much about travel. I care about renting a month-long Airbnb in Norway just because. And getting a van, and traveling around the English countryside stopping at every cute pub along the way. I care about driving down the California coast. Showing my kids Hearst Castle. Visiting Old Town Ibiza, and sipping Sangria at 10pm on a hot August evening. I care about feeling free – really, truly free. Waking up on a Monday and relishing the week ahead. Spending the morning sitting in a cafe, writing for three hours over two half-strength cappuccinos. And never again sitting in  an air-conditioned cubicle with no natural sunlight, taking orders from a girl called Samantha and waiting for Friday. I care about life. And living it, unconventionally and messily.And having fun. And being the poster girl for living free. And above all? After building a $2.5m business to the ground in the name of wild alignment, NOT sacrificing all of that at the altar of some arbitrary revenue goal that won't even give me more of what I want. That's why I have the business I (now) do. And the values I (now) have. And it's why I'm now so passionate about sharing with others my ethos for building a simple, highly profitable one-person + a tiny team style business to the Lifestyle Business Sweet Spot ®In this week's podcast, I'll be sharing with you the Seven Commandments of Building a Business to the Lifestyle Business Sweet Spot.Want more?

In the past two years, I have gone from three full time team members.. To me, one part time contractor. The result of scaling DOWN my team? My business went from 40% profit margins on a good month.. To 80%, always. I halved my revenue.. But took home WAY more profit. And I felt lighter, happier and more fulfilled than I had in years, with my days spent working on the things that truly light me up. Two years on, things looked so very different.. It feels like a dream. The no-team dream. Systems Over TeamSo, what changed? And specifically, what ENABLED me to re-build my business A One-Woman Show Working 5-Hour Days With 80% Profit Margins?Here's the cliff notes: From a business model perspective, I moved to a model that felt far more aligned. It required fewer moving parts, fewer offers and fewer resources. And I started prioritising systems over team. It looks like this: ✔️ A Simple Model: One of the most overlooked “secrets” to an elegant business is simplicity. More offers, more work. I worked on refining my business model and offer suite to be simple.✔️ Increased Leverage: I built offers that leverage my time by packaging my Intellectual Property into scalable offers that were divorced from my time (and didn't require big team to run).✔️ And Systems BEFORE Team: Rather than hiring FIRST, I worked to systemise as much of my business as possible, so that my time is now leveraged by processes, automations and tools instead of another set of hands. Together, those three things, once achieved, are a little thing called Operational Elegance –  and it has changed my (business) life. Operations doesn't sound sexy. But truly, it is the thing that has set me free. I want other people to experience it, and it's why I have dedicated my entire business mission since 2022 to help others achieve the same. If you resonate with this mission?  Lifestyle Business School is for you. Want more?

Here's 7 things I see holding business owners back from their goal to build a leveraged business model.This is based off seven years of experience and working with hundreds of online founders, and noticing patterns.I hope recognising these will help you to shortcut the process.[PS Our newsletter is live! Subscribe here]. 1️⃣ Time & the Hockey Stick EffectBuilding a leveraged business model takes MORE time upfront, and less time later on.2️⃣ Misaligned PositioningGet clear on who your offer serves, and match what you do to their problem.3️⃣ Too Many OffersAt max, you need three offers - an audience offer, a core offer and an anchor offer. They should all complement and feed into each other.4️⃣ Not Applying Scalable Traffic Strategies to a Scalable Business ModelThe traffic strategies that work for a 1:1 or service business model won't be enough when trying to sell a leveraged offer. More units to sell means that you need more eyeballs to see your offers.5️⃣ Not Making ROI based investment decisionsOnce you have the offer sorted, learn the math involved to make ROI based decisions to invest wisely to grow.6️⃣ Solving the Wrong ProblemKnowing the problem, and solving the right one, will cut your journey in half (or more) 7️⃣ Product-Model-Founder MisalignmentThere is no right way of doing online business, only what is right for you.You need clarity on your endgame, and the model that fits you as the founder.In Lifestyle Business School, we focus on a structured approach to building a leveraged, expertise-based business model - actively working to avoid these pitfalls to build an aligned model with structured strategy that is right for YOU.Join Lifestyle Business School at lifestylebusiness.school/join.Want more? Subscribe! With over one million downloads and counting, make sure you hit the follow/subscribe button right now to get new podcasts episodes automatically every week. Download our FREE 26 Page Expertise-Based Business Diagnostic: Get Clarity on what to work on first or next to help you start or grow your leveraged expertise-based online business. Click here to get it for free. Join Lifestyle Business School Today for $149/m: Get the complete Operating System for starting or growing an expertise-based online business to the Lifestyle Business Sweet Spot. Click here to join today. Follow Stevie on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/steviedillon_

Ever wondered EXACTLY how I create digital courses? The nitty gritty "I do this, then this, then THIS"? I have been creating online courses now since 2018, and have learnt a LOT about what works and what doesn't when it comes to the "creative process". When developing my very first digital course in 2018, I went to Bali for six weeks, wrote a 50,000 word manuscript in the final week because I had no idea what else to do and then came back to spend the next six months figuring out how to make it into a course that people would buy (more on that in this episode)!I don't recommend that approach

“My launch failed”, she wrote to me one Sunday evening.Weird, I thought.I'd seen the funnel — it was good. So, I asked to dig into the stats.“What was your conversion rate?”, I asked.She stared at me blankly.“You know.. the percentage of people in the launch that bought?”Oh. There was six days of silence, and she emailed me back.“5.4%”.Well, I thought.. the launch didn't fail. Actually, it converted GREAT. There just wasn't enough traffic.It was EASY for me to see the issue. And, to objectively see where the opportunity was to improve.But, she couldn't see it, and subjectively, in her mind it was a big fat flop.It's kind of the industry's fault that this sort of thing is a HUGE issue.We EXPECT fast success. Knock it out of the park wins in two seconds. And when it doesn't work out like that? We scrap the WHOLE thing, and go and build something else from scratch. But, that is a story for a different day. For today? Let's talk about HER, and how this scenario can be avoided with ONE thing.This scenario is common:GREAT launch.HIGH conversion rate.But, low traffic, so it's perceived as a flop.It is a very common and vicious cycle that occurs when someone decides to start trying to build a more leveraged business model, and it looks like this:Person builds offer; They promote it on social media to a small audience; They launch it and due to very small registrations, perceive the WHOLE thing as a flop (it's not, the LAUNCH worked great) despite a high buy rate; Even if they DO realise that it was just more traffic that was needed, they have NO idea how to get it;So, they try to haphazardly invest in Meta ads, or pitch podcasts with crappy angle and poor pitch game so nothing works; They launch again with the SAME amount of traffic as the first launch; They get even smaller results because everyone bought the first time, and eventually they give up altogether.I've seen the cycle too many times, and here's what I've realised.There is ONE thing missing, and it's letting down their WHOLE game.That one thing?A simple, effective marketing plan in place to drive the amount of traffic they need to sell their scalable offers with (relative) EASE.And that's what we'll be talking about in today's podcast episode.Want more? Subscribe! With over one million downloads and counting, make sure you hit the follow/subscribe button right now to get new podcasts episodes automatically every week. Download our FREE 26 Page Expertise-Based Business Diagnostic: Get Clarity on what to work on first or next to help you start or grow your leveraged expertise-based online business. Click here to get it for free. Join Lifestyle Business School Today for $149/m: Get the complete Operating System for starting or growing an expertise-based online business to the Lifestyle Business Sweet Spot. Click here to join today. Follow Stevie on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/steviedillon_

Wondering how I am thinking about business "growth" in 2024? The things I am focused on to build my version of the lifestyle business sweet spot? The actions I am taking that go against the grain of "traditional" business advice? That's what I'm breaking down in today's podcast episode where I'll be sharing with you 7 counterintuitive things that I am doing to build my business in 2024.Links and Resources Mentioned in Episode:Episode 158: Our Podcast Makes Us $8,300 an Hour — Here's HowFree Failed Payment SOP: Get the exact Standard Operating Procedure template we used to recoup failed payments in our online business. BRAND New Deliver and Delight Course just added to Lifestyle Business School: Deliver and Delight is the FULL playbook for implementing stand out, streamlined delivery processes for any high or low touch course, program, coaching offer or mastermind. We hand you our done for you workflows, standard operating procedures and automations for the three phases of managing any online offer. Want more? Subscribe! With over one million downloads and counting, make sure you hit the follow/subscribe button right now to get new podcasts episodes automatically every week. Download our FREE 26 Page Expertise-Based Business Diagnostic: Get Clarity on what to work on first or next to help you start or grow your leveraged expertise-based online business. Click here to get it for free. Join Lifestyle Business School Today for $149/m: Get the complete Operating System for starting or growing an expertise-based online business to the Lifestyle Business Sweet Spot. Click here to join today. Follow Stevie on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/steviedillon_

Testimonials are money-makers, plain and simple. If you want to bulletproof your authority, shorten your sales cycle and give your buyers peace of mind that they are making the right decision, you NEED a process in your online business for collecting, distributing and SHOUTING YOUR TESTIMONIALS FROM THE ROOFTOPS. Whether you're newer to business and wondering how to get social proof when you're just starting out, or your a seasoned business owner with people raving about you but no solid process for capturing all of that goodness, this is a must listen and business game changer. Prefer to read? Click here, and we break it down in FULL blog post style in detail. Links and Resources Mentioned in Episode:Ep 162: Don't Take It Personally: Inviting Frank, Fair Feedback from Your Clientele and Using It to ImproveFree Failed Payment SOP: Get the exact Standard Operating Procedure template we used to recoup failed payments in our online business. BRAND New Deliver and Delight Course just added to Lifestyle Business School: Deliver and Delight is the FULL playbook for implementing stand out, streamlined delivery processes for any high or low touch course, program, coaching offer or mastermind. We hand you our done for you workflows, standard operating procedures and automations for the three phases of managing any online offer. Want more? Subscribe! With over one million downloads and counting, make sure you hit the follow/subscribe button right now to get new podcasts episodes automatically every week. Download our FREE 26 Page Expertise-Based Business Diagnostic: Get Clarity on what to work on first or next to help you start or grow your leveraged expertise-based online business. Click here to get it for free. Join Lifestyle Business School Today for $149/m: Get the complete Operating System for starting or growing an expertise-based online business to the Lifestyle Business Sweet Spot. Click here to join today. Follow Stevie on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/steviedillon_

Curious EXACTLY how we went about setting up the back end of a brand new offer?Not just the theory, but the here's-exactly-how-we-did-it nitty gritty?Delivering with excellence is both art and science, and in today's podcast episode, we're breaking down exact how we have set up the back end of our membership, Lifestyle Business School.Whether you are thinking about creating a new course, program or coaching offer, or you already have one and it's feeling a little scattered, we will share how to build or refine your back end infrastructure so you can deliver well, streamline your business operations to give your time back and provide you with the peace of mind that comes with knowing you are building intentionally and with excellence in mind. PS Prefer to read? We break it down in full blog post style here. Links and Resources Mentioned in Episode: Free Failed Payment SOP: Get the exact Standard Operating Procedure template we used to recoup failed payments in our online business. BRAND New Deliver and Delight Course just added to Lifestyle Business School: Deliver and Delight is the FULL playbook for implementing stand out, streamlined delivery processes for any high or low touch course, program, coaching offer or mastermind. We hand you our done for you workflows, standard operating procedures and automations for the three phases of managing any online offer. Want more? Subscribe! With over one million downloads and counting, make sure you hit the follow/subscribe button right now to get new podcasts episodes automatically every week. Download our FREE 26 Page Expertise-Based Business Diagnostic: Get Clarity on what to work on first or next to help you start or grow your leveraged expertise-based online business. Click here to get it for free. Join Lifestyle Business School Today for $149/m: Get the complete Operating System for starting or growing an expertise-based online business to the Lifestyle Business Sweet Spot. Click here to join today. Follow Stevie on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/steviedillon_