This may sound like a silly concept. But I've realized something about myself. I am attracted to other people who love to help people. Like it is just like this force of nature that I can't really explain until I get to know someone and then I'm like, Oh, that's it. That's the thing. You know how some people have like this, this it factor or something about them that you're just like me, and I can't quite put my finger on it. For me, it's people that are motivated and
inspired to help other people. And that is exactly what today's guest does. I cannot wait for you to hear my chat with Monika fros, who is a digital product coach for women, business owners and host of the podcast empowered business. Monica is somebody that I've followed for a while as she's navigated blogging, and now podcasting and just doing really incredible things with content creation. She has two brands. One is redefining mom, which is a website for helping women thrive
and both motherhood and business. And then she has empowered business, which this is the brand where she's committed to empowering 1000 women to earn $100,000 through digital products. Monica is someone who spent 11 years working for a fortune 100 company running multi million dollar marketing campaigns with really large brands like Microsoft
and HP. And now she's taking all of that expertise and providing online marketing education to small businesses that are looking to build a profitable revenue stream through digital products, their online courses and podcast, right? Like she checks all the boxes. Plus, she was just so much fun to chat with. So please enjoy my conversation with Monica froze. Welcome to the profit podcast where we teach entrepreneurs how to start launch and
market their podcast. I'm your host, Krystal, Proffitt, and I'm so excited that you're here. Thanks for hanging out with me today. Because if you've been trying to figure out the world of podcasting, think of this show as the time saving shortcut you've been looking for. So let's get right to it, shall we?
Alright, Propffitt Podcast listeners, I'm so excited for today's guest. Welcome to the show. Monica.
Thank you so much for having me. I'm excited to be here. Yes.
Well, it's always so funny. I always talk to guests a few minutes before we go live. And it never fails. We always start a little bit of a conversation. And I'm like, wait, wait, wait, we have to save that like, like, don't tell me the whole story. But I we were just chatting about how our worlds have kind of overlapped and intersected over the last few years. And we can get into that. But I think that you are one of our only guests to have on the show that truly have a
background in blogging. You've been doing blogging for a really long time. And so I would love your perspective on how you got into blogging. Is that something that you just always knew you wanted to do? Right? I mean, who said when they were a little girl, I want to be a blogger one day, it wasn't a thing. It wasn't a thing you get into it?
Well, I wouldn't consider my blog myself a blogger anymore, but it's definitely how I got started I for a while I called myself, the anti blogger, blogger. And now I tell people, they don't have to blog. So we've come like really full circle on this topic of blogging. So I mean, looking back, blogging, and it's like original form was like online journals. And those I did my friends were really into that, like open diary was a thing. And that was a Live Journal, I think was
a thing. So that was like a form of blogging. And even when blogging became blogging, and started getting a little bit more chattered about online, it was still more like a Tell, tell stories about your life type thing. But really what blogging is one done right, which is what I repeat all the time to my students is content marketing. So I have this whole thing about blogging. So I started
blogging in 2013. My first blog, which still exists today, but we don't actively put blog posts on it anymore is redefining mom, and that was born out of me being very upset about the maternity leave policies in the United States. I started it when I was seven months, seven months postpartum. I was in the throes of really bad postpartum PTSD that was undiagnosed at the time. And I had my corporate career and I just felt like there's something wrong with how we treat working moms in
this country. And I have something to say about it. I've always been outspoken and opinionated. So I put a blog on the internet and I started kind of Any rants with no other objective I wasn't trying to make money. Then the the world of monetizing blog started picking up because when I started blogging and learning WordPress, there was like two people teaching it super technical. I remember getting very frustrated, because you know, I worked full time, too, I didn't have and it wasn't
supposed to be monetized at that point. So I paid someone like $400 to to get me started, because I had no idea what I was doing. Now. I mean, learning WordPress, so much. WordPress is not intuitive, in my opinion. But it's so much easier than it was back then. Because people are actually teaching in a more simplified way. So I did the traditional blogging from 2013, to 2016. And then I quit my job in 2016, to take the business full
time. And what really occurred to me so my backgrounds in corporate marketing, everything I did in corporate was ROI driven return on investment. And there's some backwards ways that blogging was taught for a long time, which was lead with free content, and make money off of sponsored posts, send people away from your site. So you've spent all this energy getting people to your site, and then send him away and display ads
for pennies on a click. And also like affiliate marketing, I thought, but if I'm sending people away to recommend other products, why don't I find a way to bring them in my world. So I can own that relationship first, and then recommend the product and get the kickback. So from like a marketing perspective, I thought, this is a whole lot of work for very little payoff, at the end of the day, and I could not see how to grow an actual business beyond replacing my paycheck, which is
different. Replacing your paycheck isn't all that hard. I don't I don't want to say that like it. It's not easy either. I'm not saying that. But I mean, you can blog and replace, like an average paycheck. But turning it into a company with cash flow and employees is a completely different ballgame. And I could not see how it was going to be feasible with these typical blogger models that some people do it but they drive insane amount of
traffic. And I just that disconnect between all of this effort to get people to my site, just to send them away, just confused me. And then I, it really dawned on me that wait, blogging when used in a business not for ranting about, you know the maternity leave policies which are very valid. But if I want this to be a business, I have to start with the end in mind. So I backed up and thought, what am I selling? What am I actually going to make money on in this business. And that's where
my love affair with digital products came from. I launched my first digital product, much like I started my blog accidentally. i When I quit my corporate career, all of my working moms on redefining mom, were like, wait a minute, you are the spokesperson for the right to work and changing workplace policies. And now you quit. So what's going on? I'm like, Wait, I didn't quit. I'm going to build my own business. Like, well
tell me more about that. And I didn't. The the roadblock was well, I didn't really know how to help them. And I thought well, step one, like everyone was asking for, like, what did you do? I'm like, Well, step one was honestly we came up with a really intricate budget family budget, because my paychecks paid legitimate bills in the
house, like, we need it to make money. So we have what is known today as the family budget spreadsheet, it was really born out of a need, which is all digital product is a digital product is a solution to a problem that someone's having. My audience is problem at the time was, I would love to get out of corporate like you did, please teach us your ways. I'm like, Well, you probably need to understand how you're going to financially afford it. My husband, I put together this thing.
I made it into a template. And it took on a life of its own. And it's made us a lot of money. Very unintentionally. And from there, we just I've launched so many digital products since then. And now I teach it so it's like, I don't really blog anymore. My my mode of putting out free content is now podcasting. And I can tell you like my fly that too.
Yes, yes. Well, before we move into podcasting, because I find this so interesting, I actually want to know a little bit about what the journey was like in creating content, because there's a lot of people that are starting at a podcast, or they're just now going to be creating their first website. And they're like, oh, this idea of putting out free content. Like it's, it feels a little scary, you know, I
feel I have to be vulnerable. Like there's, I'm sure you know, all the feelings that we have whenever we're putting ourselves out there. But tell me more about the timeline of you just doing your blog kind of for fun, like how you started with the ranting and everything. And what was the timeline to where you were like, You know what, I could actually turn this into something Was it yours was at months? What did that look like?
So I say I had my first daughter at a time when my career was taking off. And I think this happens to a lot of women. That's the intersection we have kids as our professional lives are also gaining steam. And that could be really overwhelming. So I did not have the time to focus on. i There was no consistency of me putting out content. It was like responding to things. So, for example, one time my friend who I worked with said, Are you sitting down cuz I have to tell you
something. And she mentioned how Gwyneth Paltrow had just come out with this. Working moms, she hasn't harder than the average, eight or nine to five working mom. And she's like, so before you read it, you should be sitting down because I think you're gonna. And I think I opened the blog post response with excuse me, Gwyneth, but I actually work, like the reality of working in corporate is not nine to five Ps. And I got picked
up by Fox News because of that. After that, I also went to the White House found me and I met President Obama through because of my blog, and which is, I was making no money, you would think if you're getting put at a table of six people to meet the president united states that you must be doing really well. I was making nothing off of this blog. I just he, they were doing a working families event. And I came up. You know, there was
less competition for blogs back then, too. So I came up in Google, I guess, for their press people. And it was a really cool experience. But what happened was, so that was going to the White House was about two years after starting redefining mom, it he challenged me. I don't back down from a challenge. So I thought, well, what am I ever going to get in front of the leader of the free world again, to give my opinions, I even I went after things like student loan interest, you
name it. And I told him what I thought about how hard it was to actually manage a family in this country. And so he listened to me. And at the very end, he said, Your Spitfire, and I laughed, because I am. And then he said, So what are you gonna do about it? And I'm like, no, what are you gonna do about it? What are you talking about? You know, and I'm like, I'm like, Well, I'm not going
into politics, that's not happening. And then it just after that my mind just kept exploding with ideas of, no, how could I make a bigger impact, like, if I don't want to go into politics, and I, I think that we need corporate, like, women in corporate who are changemakers. But I didn't know how to stick that out and be present for my kids in the way that I want it to be. And at that time, I didn't know I was going to have another baby
because I felt like it. I couldn't honestly, I just didn't know how I was going to manage another maternity leave, and all of that. So that was a big conversation in our in our household about having another baby and I said I can't do it in corporate, I just can't go through that. Again. It was such a dark period for me. So I left the White House, and I thought, I'm gonna make this a thing
like why not? Why can't I make and that was when monetization, the monetization around blogs, it really started picking up people were really starting to talk about it on the internet. I thought I could I could do this. And then i Eight months later, I quit. So I it was pretty it was three years after I started, but eight months after the White House.
Oh my gosh, this is so fascinating. And now, this is actually a perfect place to bring up. I don't know if it's your mission statement. I don't know what it is like what you call it. But tell everybody about the I mean, is that the driving force behind your business about helping? Is it 1000 Women make $100,000 a year? Is that what it is?
Yes. So it's a Help 1000 Women make $100,000 a year through selling their knowledge and skills with digital products, which would result in $100 million in the hands of women. And I passionate about that, because I'm and this I've heard this can be controversial, I still have a hard time understanding why this should be controversial. But I believe I made a statement on my own podcast that I believe in financial independence, even in a marriage and that
triggered some people. I have very unique experiences in my own life, which has led me to the point where I don't understand the idea of asking like permission to spend money or not having access to my own money, my own retirement accounts, credit cards in my own name to build my own credit, you know, I just the world functions off of money, and everyone needs to have like, I always tell my husband. when this first started
becoming my talking point, I get it. He was like, Does this mean that like, you know, want me around? Or what what does this mean? And I said no, it means that you could be gone tomorrow, like your nothing is guaranteed. How am I going to take care of our girls, if you're not if we don't have your paycheck tomorrow, if something happens to tomorrow, and it's like I don't know why people always seem to go. When I say in context of married women, people tend to go to divorce. I'm
like, that's not what I'm saying. But hey, even if that is what happens in your life, you should be able to take care of yourself. If that happens, and I went to things where I saw women have to give up their credit cards from the get they got married, which is bonkers to me. They didn't have retirement accounts, couldn't buy cars in their own name because they weren't building credit. It couldn't leave abusive situations, my own brother in law passed away in the Air Force when my sister
was pregnant. So I saw a lot of things that were just made it so important for women to be able to have that earning potential. And then women do good things with money, too. We invest back into our community. And that's just like proven like you can Google it. And women do big things with their wealth. And so it just really over the years, I got real passionate about helping other women achieve it. And there's, I'm very careful, there's nothing easy about building a business.
Like I think I'm very fortunate with my circumstances, I had a great education, I had a great corporate job, I have a lot of great background experience. But I did build a life around myself where I get to support my students, I have full time employees who I get to treat fairly. I employ a full time nanny. And I work about 35 hours a week at this point I did, I finally am to the point where I don't work, like nights and weekends. But I was for a while when I
was building this, you know, so. But I never could have been present for my kids like I am now when I was in corporate cuz my corporate job was too demanding.
Yeah, I mean, there's, there's so much to be said about building a business over time, because like you said, there's so many different pieces of it that happened organically, who would have told you like in 2013, you're like, I'm starting this blog, and you're going to meet the president pretty soon, you'd say, What are you even talking about, right? Like, there's so many different things along your journey that you just
can't predict. And I think so many people do want to have that laid out, give me the five year plan, and we're gonna follow it to the tee, and everything's gonna happen the way that we think it's supposed to. And it just doesn't work out that way. So I really appreciate you sharing your story. But above all else, I just I love the mission that you have to help women make more
money and, you know, make a bigger impact. Because I do I totally agree with you that I think, you know, women businesses tend to reinvest back into women owned businesses and in our communities really well. So I think that that's, that's a really good point to make. But I do want to transition into learning more about your podcast. So everybody here loves to talk about, you know,
why did you start a podcast? Why do you transition from blogging, but I want to know more about because I know that you said, you know, you have your blog that still exists, it's out there, but you're not actively posting on it. So was that a decision that you made several years ago, like, Hey, I'm just gonna let this live there and start a new brand. Tell me a little bit about how that worked.
So I would say, so I had my second daughter in 2018, I did go on to have another child. And I did not I had contracting support in the business, but I didn't have any employees yet or anything. And at the same time, this is things you can't predict when you start when you start something like this, I also became known as like the Pinterest advertising person for about four years in the blogging world. i Because of my ROI, mindset on things, and everyone was going for the
heyday of free Pinterest traffic. And I kept saying I think paid ads is going to become very important on this platform. So I was one of the first to learn it. My course on that has start taking off in 2018, as well. So it got to the point where I was putting out the blog posts weren't serving my business, there was no direct ROI to me and blog posts personally for me, because I get like, I can just stream with conscious conscience conscious, really well. Um,
but I did it myself when I write. So a good blog post and worrying about the keywords and everything. And it was taking me eight plus hours that I just did not have I didn't newborn, I had this course taking off. And so at the time, I stopped putting up blog posts because it just wasn't serving me. And then it turned into, I kind of grew in a in a weird way. In hindsight, I didn't really realize I was doing it. But I made a choice that I was going to put my content creation
focus behind the paid firewall. So I was always really good at collecting leads before the paid firewall, but I pretty much was hyperfocus that if you were coming to me, you were going to hand over your email or pay me money like that was it those and that's how I teach nowadays to those are the two primary modes of of how I was going to work with you so that I would take people on my email list and for about two years how I really cultivate it was I would write and and it's funny
because these emails would take me almost as long as a blog post, and yet get seen by less people and only one out one. So but what it did was email is a great way to to grow relationships, and I knew probably about a year into that. So probably mid 2018 and 2018 I kept thinking I need to have a podcast like I knew talking medium would be great
for me. But bandwidth was a huge issue. And I also knew that while I was growing a really great email list of engaged like a get engaged community there I was still missing out where I was writing on All these great emails and they were only getting seen. So some of those, we did end up repurposing into blog posts once I started realizing that, but that was really all I could manage to put out for content, and I put so much into my paid courses. And when you put out good products, you get good
referrals. So I, I was fortunate in the sense that I spent all my energy pouring into my students. And then the referrals just kept coming. So it wasn't hard for me to sell. Then I decided I was no longer going to do Pinterest advertising, I just got totally burned out after four years. And I was really disconnected from the bigger mission.
I was I started redefining mom to help women, working women, and I'm like, now I'm teaching Pinterest ads, like what this is so to me, and I just I just really impact is very important to me. And I, during the pandemic, I had one of those. Just, I thought I was handling the pandemic fine. I really did. I was like, This is great. I love being home, you know, like it doesn't my life doesn't change that much. I still have to travel,
I'm not stressed out. But nine months into the pandemic, I went through some sort of weird depression. And I told my husband after we just built a house so that I had an office to work in during the pandemic, um, I'm going to blow up my biggest revenue stream, and he was like, You're, that's kind of crazy. And I'm like, Yeah, but I'm gonna do it anyways. And luckily, it worked out. But through doing that, and coming up with the new mission of how it was gonna make an impact that I
knew it was now is the time to podcast. So it was kind of like blogging was how I did it initially, then it was a heavy focus on my email list. And then it was okay, I need to get back out from the paid firewall and really started attracting people in a bigger medium. And podcasting is also a great way. I've always had a pretty solid network, I've always joined programs, and I learned that incorporates I just kind of came into my, my business, but podcasting. Wow, it totally opened
your network up. Because not only I get pitched all day long, but it's just when you like, get to talk to other people interview them. And then it's like, their network opens up, and then they have shows that you can get on. And it's a great way to grow.
Yeah, yeah. And it's it's such a cool community, like, especially like behind the scenes, like we were just talking about Stephanie, Stephanie, we're giving you a shout out here. You know, it's like Stephanie has has helped Monica with our podcast here and there. And it's like, it's such a tight knit group of people. And you get to meet so many incredible people that are
doing amazing things. But like you said, it's like, they're super connectors of like, oh, you know, and I'm sure Monica, when we're done here, I'm like, Oh, you'd be a perfect guest to go on this podcast. And you should, you know, reach out to this person because your message would work really well for them. So the cool thing about podcasting is it doesn't feel like everybody's competing with one another. It's a way for all of us to share our messages. Because you and I both
know, everybody has a unique message. You know, Nurse Monica, she's the one that started the blog, and she got shocked at the president. Like, why no one else has come on the podcast and talked about that. I mean, it's, it's probably not gonna happen. But I think it's just such a unique way to connect with your listeners, and really just be able to tell your story in a really unique way. So first of all, you haven't told us what is the name of your podcast, everybody can go run and check it
out. It's called the Empowered business podcast. Okay. And so listeners always love to hear a little bit like behind the scenes. So do you post every week? What is your format, how longer episodes like, tell us a little bit about what that looks like, for your podcast?
Yeah, so I'm a perfectionist. And with that means I never would have started this if I didn't give up on the perfectionism. And that's really the point I got to it was, it was time if I was going to be launching this new brand, and the new brand is empowered business. It was just I had to make it happen. So, um, I don't know if I really knew what I was gonna do when I started per se. But what I did know was that I needed a Podcast Producer. So that's where Stephanie came
in. So through my network I met with, you know, I knew a lot of other podcasters and Stephanie came highly recommended. I got with Stephanie, she had a launch package. So this made my life so much easier. I cannot imagine launching without
Stephanie, she made my life. So everything from scripting my intro, finding the music, getting the launch graphics up, what I what I had to do, I didn't mean if you make a few decisions, of course, but she said we're going to launch I think with five solo shows she wanted me to launch with that was a lot. I mean, solo shows. So what I quickly learned from those five solo shows was oh, so for me, this is pretty much like doing a blog post. It's a lot of prep work that goes into it.
So then it was I can't remember how I got my first interview. It was definitely I interviewed a lot of friends in the for the first couple interviews. And I realized Whoa, interviews are so Much easier. And yes, so much easier. And but yet people do love my solo show. So I've just kind of I'm 40 I think we're really feeling our 41st or 42nd episode. So I'm still kind of muddling my way through because then I also, I had surgery in June. So I was like around Episode 2020, like,
between 20 to 25. And so I was batch recording. And then I also realized that I didn't do a good job in the first 20 episodes at representing diversity, which is super important to me. And so I, I had a retort right after the surgery, that was a big conversation we were having, I'm like I didn't, I did a bad job here. And I want to do
better. And so we had to rework that which meant I was gonna do more interviews, because I really wanted to highlight the Platt put other women on the platform, then, then women who look like me, essentially. And so now it's like a mixture of solo shows that are very, I will say, my, my solo shows are, at this point, very strategic towards what we're doing in the business. So we don't do sponsors, essentially, my business sponsors it. So if I do a solo show, it's content creation that I
can run paid ads to. It's very strategic content towards leading into a paid program. I get behind this people love behind the scenes like so I've gone behind the scenes of my six figure launches and broken down very, you know, details of that. Right now, I would say we have more interviews out there. And it started, it was born out of this, this is easier for me to do. So let's do more interviews. But then it turned into Wait, this is a great way to highlight other women and give them
a platform. And now I'm really loving that too. So I like I like both. That's just what I'm rolling with right now. It's good change. I mean, that's everything about having a podcast, you can do whatever you want. It's yours.
Yes, this is like such a point I want to hit home because people will come to me and they'll say, Well, I've been told this, or I learned online that and this is what like the perfect way to do this. And I'm like, first of all, there is no magic blueprint to have a Joe Rogan size podcast, okay, he's an anomaly. He like there will never probably be another show like his ever again. But the thing is, is that at the end of the day, and what I love that you've said over
and over again, it's about the message. It's about, like, what the like, what is the impact you're trying to make with your show? And I think that whenever you put that as the top priority, so many other things just kind of fall into place. I mean, maybe that's me, like putting words into your mouth as long as your journey. But I mean, would you agree?
I would totally agree. Honestly, I never I didn't launch with the intention of making the charts. I don't believe in vanity metrics to be honest with you. I don't Yeah, I don't need to go viral, I would say I've had many instances throughout the years of going viral and like a certain sector. And I just don't care. I, you know, and maybe, maybe I should, I don't know. But to me, it is about the impact. And I'm not, I'm not for everyone. I'm not trying to be for
everyone. And so it's it's about serving the people who I can help and amplifying other people around me. And as long as I'm doing that, and it is serving, because I do have employees, I do have overhead this and I do pay for a Podcast Producer. So the podcast does have to serve the business as well. So that there is twofold, but I'm not, I'm not looking. And don't get me wrong. If I ever see myself in the charts. Or if I open podcast app and you know, high in my category. I'm not gonna scoff
at that. That's cool. I'll take it. But I guess it's just not my main objective. And I think maybe that is born out of doing this online world for as long as I have that. I don't think true success is done. Is is being viral. Like that's not that I believe I'm I'm a creator. I don't think I'm an influencer. I'm like, maybe a micro influencer to to a degree but not I don't I don't need a million Instagram followers. I don't I really do think
even downloads can be a vanity metric. So though I heard that my downloads are pretty decent, but I wouldn't even know I don't even know what I benchmark it against. And that's how I always felt about pageviews. To to my blog, everyone was focused on pageviews. And again, to the conversation of, okay, I got 20,000 pageviews. What does this do for me to 20,000 people pay me money? No, great. So why do I care? You know, I just, I just don't care about that kind of stuff.
Yeah, I think I think that you just gave someone a gift that's listening that has been worried about that, because that's honestly, it's it's the stats that people don't even have that keep them from even getting started, right. They're like, if I can't get hit this metric in the first six episodes or in the first six months, then why should I even begin and I think that it's
really important for what you just said. It's like You know, it just, it doesn't matter anyway, like, if I'm making an impact with my business and my community, like, that's really what's most important. But you also hit on something that I'm curious about, because I get questions a lot. And I'm curious with you having a blogging background, do you do show notes for your podcast? Like on your website? Like you would do a blog posts?
Yes or no. So we do have show notes for every episode. Right now, Stephanie's team manages it from a because of bandwidth. But I do recognize we could do better with SEO, like optimizing it. So it's like double dipping, podcasting, and really blogging because I essentially write myself a blog post for solo shows. And then I and we don't, we don't fully leverage it right now. It's actually one of the things that's perpetually been written down in my
to do so I do recognize the power behind that. And I think that's smart to leverage if you're, especially if you're putting a lot into your content to leverage that in the written form on your website to get that SEO juice behind it.
Yeah, and it's really it's kind of a weird dynamic, too, because like, I don't find myself finding somebody in Google through SEO, and then going to their website and listening on their website. I'm not necessarily listening to their audio file that they embed there, but I'll see it and then I'll say, Oh, that's really good. I'll grab my phone, and then I'll go listen. So it's a really weird dynamic, because people are like, Why would I spend so much time to put it on
a website? Whenever I could just do it all on my show notes. But
well, I mean, if your web if you're if, if your website is built out, then getting your an episode found on Google also exposes them to your business as a whole. I you know, so it's also about getting them. And then recently, I did, because I do run low paid, I have a pretty decent understanding of paid ads. I mean, I did teach paid ads in Pinterest for four years. So I'm pretty good with paid ads. And we so we run targeted traffic to those solo shows that I do
that are very content heavy. And I installed its convert box which thrive cart bot convert box, because I was recognizing I was kind of going a little bit against my own advice. Because really, when I bring people and I want them to do one of two things, get on my email list or pay me money. And so I was driving this traffic to the podcast page. And yes, it was helping in you know, I, there's a whole logic behind. Once they came to the page, now they're in your retargeting pixels.
But I was like, I need to do a better job at getting these people that are coming to an individual episode onto my email list. So now we're using convert box. And that's been going very well, I just started it maybe two or three weeks ago. So I don't have a lot of stats behind it. But heck, it's more email subscribers from
that traffic that I was getting prior. So that's something I'm really like, also in the mind of, if I get people from outside sources, whether it be targeted paid ads, or our SEO starts taking off on our topic, how am I bringing them into my world, because you still even if they listened on your if they listened to the episode on the webpage, or they go, you know, to Apple and you still aren't controlling the relationship, like you don't have
much ownership over that relationship? And and I do think that's a very important part of growing a business, the more you can own the relationship, the better.
Well, and to that point, you said something earlier about you know, your your podcast is your main source of free content. So do you make calls to action and every single episode to like to have people come like sign up for something that will get them on your email list?
Pretty much? Yes, I would say the two major things that we say, are DMS on Instagram, because we Instagrams been one of our main strategies that we've been working on this year. And I do answer my DMs, which is like a legit thing I do. So it's a great way to communicate with people. And then also, our evergreen training is like we really tried, I used to have like 40 ways to get on my email list between the two businesses, we've really narrowed that into like redefining mom has one main opt in.
And the Monica fro slash empowered business side has one opt in. And that's just if you it really simplified everything, just one way to get to get on our list and then once because once someone's on your email list, the sky is really the limit. Like that's where you can really they can get to know you, and we reiterate our podcast like crazy in our emails.
That's what I was gonna ask, is that like part of your welcome sequence when someone like first gets into your world?
Yeah, so I've always approached my welcome sequence is a little different than other people, which is kind of also the beauty of running a business, you get to do what works for you. So because I've always had such a strong, I've had a lot of ways for people to get on my email list we had, we never, we don't really have
one onboarding sequence. But each targeted opt in sequence, I would say leads to the podcast actually, at this point, we ask people this is by like the fourth email or like this is what I'm about. This is what you're going to mainly get. please unsubscribe if you don't Want this and we get them to the podcasts, we send out weekly podcast emails as well. So we're always telling
people to go listen to the podcast. So basically, yeah, a lot of our ever, we, we even pretty much decided we experimented with a free Facebook group again, I, I closed one down in 2018 out of a bandwidth issue. And I, I'm you know, it doesn't work for us. Just, we tried again, that was a call to action for a little bit of time on the podcast.
Now, it's really like, we want you on our email list, and we want you listening to our podcast, and then from there, you'll get to know me enough that you'll decide if you want to pay me money.
Yeah, yeah, this is great. And I love to hear that you're experimenting with different things. Like you're not just committing to something and you're just like, so frustrated with the whole process, but you're like, I'm going to show up anyway. And I'm going to do it because I promised I was gonna do it like I love it's probably comes from your mentality of what's the ROI? Like, what kind of impact is this going to have?
Yeah, and consistency, honestly, is there was in my opinion, I'm assuming you're gonna have symphony, but if you don't, that's cool, too. I can't see how a podcast would be worth my time and effort if I wasn't consistent. Like that. It that is I, you know, you I, when people say how did you do this? And I hate to say it boils down to consistency. In some ways. I'm like, that sounds so cliche and Intuit agree easy, but it kind of is the truth. Yeah. Showing up every day.
I don't. I know a lot of people who treat their business is kind of like, well, I don't really feel like working today. It's like, I don't, I don't know what that's like, What do you mean, you don't feel like working today, I wake up every morning. And I have it's a it's a workday to workday. And that's and I treat it as if I'm going to corporate. So consistency, I think it's just
very important. And so how I, as long as I'm showing up and putting out regular episodes on a podcast, I can experiment with all the marketing tactics around it. Because podcasting is a strategy I tell my students, it's total time. So podcasting is a strategy, but the tactics around it change. And so you can experiment with different tactics. But I know I have to show up every week as the strategy for this podcast to be worth worth our time.
That's a mic drop moment for everybody that's listening. Like you said it that was like, oh, yeah, and to go back, I think like, isn't it one of those phrases like, the the concept of consistency is simple, but it's not always easy, right? It's not always easy for people to keep up and keep going. And that's honestly one of the biggest struggles that I see.
podcasters face is the consistency. So you know, setting up systems, setting up processes, and then just committing to every week, rain or shine, whatever is going on, it's like, you know, we just got to make it happen. Yeah,
and there are some days that I'm looking at the calendar, and my episodes do 70. And I'm like, but I don't want and you just do it, and I and maybe that does come I think I do have a bit of a suck it up attitude to things. I don't think that everything I business is supposed to be fun or can be fun. I do things I don't want to do all the time. I think that's kind of just part of life. So that could just be my attitude in general towards thing. I don't expect my business to be my
main source of fulfillment, either. I think at a time I did, and I think that wasn't fair to the business. And it wasn't fair to me. Because it started as a hobby, you know, and, and so my husband actually has a hobby that he come hobby, and he loves it. And I've warned him because he he has a really good corporate job. And I really like his benefits. And I'm like, Okay, I'm not gonna poopoo you being an entrepreneur, considering you know what I've done for the last five, six years.
However, be aware that when you take a hobby and make it a business, there are some unfun things and responsibilities that come with it that make it not as fun
now 100% 100% Oh, my gosh, I feel like I could ask you so many other questions about your podcast, but I want everybody to go check it out. Because it's so good. So it's the Empowered business podcast. Is that right? Yep, that's right, perfect. So we're gonna have a link to it in the show notes and all the other amazing things that Monica is doing, but we're gonna switch gears and transition to some rapid fire questions. So are you up for that? I'm up for
that. Well, my first one is what piece of advice would you give to a brand new podcaster?
I think we kind of covered it, which is consistency. You have to stick to your schedule and show up.
Yeah, yeah. Okay. So I want to I want to go back to what you said earlier. So you said you launched with five episodes? Did you record everything before you launched? Meant to ask that follow up question.
Yes, all five episodes dropped at the same time. So it was like a really quick intro episode was episode one. Setting the frame of it. I think it was like a 10 minute episode of my intentions behind the podcast, why I started the podcast and then the four episodes. I really I I personally use the things that I got asked the most at the time. And then I also, two of the episodes were just my journey over the last five years and breaking it down into like bite sized chunks.
Yeah. Okay. All right. Yeah, that's good. I was like, I meant to ask that follow up question earlier popped in my head and then just came back to me. So Okay, the next Rapid Fire question I have is a two part question. What is the dream podcast you would love to be on? And who is a dream podcast? Guest you would love to interview?
That is a great question. All right. So this is cliche, and any PR person in podcasting would tell you this. But I binged Amy Porterfield, when I got started, and so it would be like a full circle moment to be on Amy's podcast. That would be pretty cool for me to be on her podcast. So I am going to go with that as cliche as it sounds. The dream guest Oh, there are so many. I mean, we could go big and be like, hey,
why not just bring President Obama on. But But I think we're I'm gonna there's a recent show on Netflix called made that came out. And it's based on a true story about a woman who leaves an abusive relationship. She wasn't physically abused. But the misunderstanding of mental emotional and financial abuse and financial abuse was a really big component of this, which plays into my bigger mission of I've seen a lot of financial abuse is especially in the context of
marriage to women around me. And I watch Oh, I was fired up watching this 10 mini series. And then I realized it was based on a true story. And I would love to have the person she wrote a memoir, and I would love to have her on my podcast to talk to her.
Oh, that's such a good one. We'll link to that in the show notes as well. And it's funny because you said this earlier, and I was like, oh, that's one of my rapid fire questions. It's Do you consider yourself a perfectionist?
Yeah. And I've had to, I've had to really work on trying to let it go. Perfectionism will stop me for forward movement. I so I took the Colby probably in 2017. So early on of this being a full time thing for me. And the Colby, the three major things it measures and measures four but the fourth thing I've never really wrap my head around but the three major things for me it measured was follow through. Why am I I'm blanking on on. It's like research. It's I can't think of the word that
they use. But basically like that finding fact finding is a fact finding follow through and Quickstart and I came up super high on fact finding but also super high on follow through. The problem is the fact finding and the perfection is me stops me from taking action. But once I commit to taking action, I will follow that through that's why probably podcasting I'm so good at where's my husband is a really high Quickstart. And I liken it to he throws up templates in there
with one finger left to catch. So nine fall and then he looks at me like what are you gonna pick up my nine plates. I'm like, I would not have thrown the 10 plates, I would have probably one that I was catching. And I would have done great with it. So but it has, I can get stuck in that research mode and the paralysis like many people want to start podcasts, I'm sure do they, you know all the research that's out there. I also subscribe at this and I think I've done this
pretty well throughout. I find one person like one teacher that's gonna show me how to set up my podcast. And you know what it's gonna it is going to be their way you can tweak later I just like take one person to listen to get it up, get it running. And then once it's going expand your horizons like how else can you You know who else can you learn from that's gonna teach a little bit differently and and but I think the noise out there can really be distracting from getting going.
Yeah, oh, this is so good. So such great advice like just so many different things for people that are starting their business getting into podcasting you have shared so much and I really appreciate it. So where can everybody connect with you Monica?
Yeah, so we pretty much centralized everything under Monica fros.com And then we also have if you go to Monica froze.com forward slash profit podcast the way that you spelt profit you it's just a simple it will give you a link to our training our podcasts and also our Instagram because I do respond to gram adopt to people so you can message me over there. It's at Monica dot froze. And you know tell me what you thought of the episode and we can talk yeah,
for sure. That's always good to say that should be the call to action like everybody go to Monica's Instagram go follow her and go check out her free resources and send her a DM and say this was the number one mic drop my Oh man that we had in the episode, we would love to hear what that is. But thank you so much for coming on the show today.
Well, thanks for having me.
It was such a fantastic conversation. I truly feel whenever I get to the point where I'm like, Oh my gosh, like, I know, we're gonna have to cut this off soon. I always feel like saying, can we just go for 30 more minutes? I do I want to ask every single guest the same question like, are you free just for the rest of the day? Can you just block off your calendar and just sit here and chat about online business all day? Because that's
how I felt with Monica. It was such a fantastic conversation and I want you all to go follow her immediately. Go listen to the Empowered business podcast, go check out all the incredible things that she's doing. I love her mission, where she just so boldly states that she wants to empower 1000 women to earn $100,000 A year through their digital products. It's just it's so awesome. And like I said in the beginning, I'm really attracted to people that are trying to help others and serve
them so well. And it's just, it was such a pleasure to speak to Monica. So go follow her check all her information out in the show notes, Krystalproffitt.com/episode311. Go say like connect with her on Instagram and tell her your number one takeaway we would love it if you would take a screenshot were listening to this episode, tag me tag Monica and let us know what you thought about today's episode. But that's all I have for you today. So again, the show notes are
Krystalproffitt.com/episode311. And as always remember, keep it up. We all have to start somewhere