Business Contradictions Part 5: Making Six Figures [486]

Right , you don't want to go to a nine to five . You want to do things on your terms whatever , right ? So you decide okay , I'm going to make money this way . And first of all , let me be very clear yes , you are creating a business so that you can create revenue , so that you can pay yourself a salary or a cut or whatever you want to call it . Right .

So , absolutely , this is crucial . You get to make money in your business and you don't get to feel bad about it . Okay , I'm going to make that very , very clear , and even what I'm talking about today , if any of these things are your desires , I also don't want you to feel bad about it , right , like ?

I'm just going to be very candid and clear in this conversation , because I think there's a lot of things that again misconceptions , but a lot of things that are not said in our industry , and so I'm just going to let it go today . So we'll see what happens . Okay , so today's business contradiction is everyone wants to hit six figures .

So the stat when it comes to women in business is that 12% make over 100K in revenue . And I want to be really clear about this .

When I started my business my first business in 2012 , first of all , I didn't even know , I didn't even think about six figures , and let me also be clear that I wasn't thinking about making that in my business , but I actually did . When I was 21 years old , I was working as a recruiter and I was on a straight commission job .

You can call that your own business if you want . I got straight commission and at 21 years old , I made six figures . Now , did I make it after that ? No , I did not . I didn't start my business till I was 40 . Okay , and so this is . I'm just being very , very clear . Was it exciting that I made six figures at 21 years old ?

Yes , it was straight commission . I also full transparency . I don't want to say that I didn't work my ass off , because I did work really , really hard . I've always been a go-getter , the one who stays the latest , like when I worked a nine to five , even though I was straight commission . No one was working at home back then .

So it was 1999 , right , and so we were going into the year 2000 . I was an IT recruiter . Everybody thought that when the date changed , that everything was going to , like you know , not work anymore . So we hired a lot of programmers to fix all of those date issues . So that is full transparency . I worked my booty off .

However , that did not hurt , right , that helped a lot to get there . And so then after that I took on commission or salary plus commission jobs , but I always loved that I never made the same amount , like I was in control of making more and I did love that about my job .

Like I got a base salary and then I could decide I'm not sure you're working today Like , are you gonna work because ? Are you gonna call more people ? Are you gonna talk to more people ? Like it really was a relationship-built business and I think that really helped me going into this business .

But again , I never , ever , like I don't know if I thought it was a fluke back then , but it was never my goal to make six figures , it was just never on my mind , but I thought it was cool that at 21 years old I made that much money . And so when I started my first business , my skincare business in 2012, .

I started that business because my daughter was in kindergarten I was working as a recruiter at the time and I was . My daughter was struggling with reading and she was behind everybody in her class and I was like okay , I asked a friend of mine . I was like do you wanna go into a skincare business ?

Let's learn how to make skincare in our basements and let's sell it . And we did . That's a whole nother story , but I did not make six figures in that business , I don't even . I just wanted to pay my bills in that business , which I don't even know if I really accomplished that .

It was like money here and there was not consistent because I had no idea what I was doing . I love to say that that's the business I learned how to do everything wrong in , because I did everything wrong in that business . But I can talk about it now , right , and I can see the holes in that business now that I'm so far away from it .

So , anyhow , when I started this business , it was my friend and I decided just , we weren't making money . She was going into doing mortgages and I didn't wanna go back to recruiting . I had built all of our social media . I had done logos for us , I had done our website and I just had friends that just started asking me to help them with their businesses .

Now , I had no idea what I was at the time . I would say now , looking back in 2015 , I was a VA , but I didn't know that at the time . I didn't know that was even a thing . I thought I was just helping everybody out virtually , and so I kept getting pushed into the social media side .

We had built our Facebook page to 5,000 followers and everybody wanted me to help them do that and I was like , okay , again , I really had no clue what I was doing .

I was just playing around and because everybody kept pushing me towards marketing and social media , I decided , okay , well , if I'm gonna do this and I'm gonna charge people with this , I'm gonna get some real training . I don't really know what I'm doing .

I've been flying by the seat of my pants , and so I decided to invest in different trainings and really start to take in and learn more about social media . So when I joined , we'll fast forward . I still don't . I never expected 10K months or six figures . It was just never in my mind .

It was just pay the bills , pay the bills , pay the bills , that's the priority . Pay the bills , or go back and find , go get a job right .

And so , matter of fact , I wanna say about halfway through 2015 , when I started this business , I actually did get a part-time job and I was recruiting and interviewing like 10 hours a week , so it did help supplement my income .

And then things started like I started getting a lot of clients and I was like , okay , I can't do both , it's too hard , I don't wanna do both , I don't wanna go into an office . So I'm just gonna go all in on this Again , still not thinking of making six figures . The first mastermind that I joined people started talking about six figures .

I'm like , really , that's the goal . Like , yeah , 10k months , 10k months , that's what you want , that's your goal , that's your goal , that's your goal . I was like , okay , so I didn't even know that I wanted that . I just it's like 10K months meant you made it right . And I was around a lot of service providers .

We were charging $500 to $1,000 a platform , meaning if you had Facebook , instagram and LinkedIn and you wanted posts on all those . It was anywhere from 1500 to three grand retainer a month .

So when you're doing those types of things , you can get to 10K months a lot quicker , not gonna lie , depending on the workload you want and how good you are and how well you retain your clients .

And so I'll never forget getting off a call with a mentor and I was in , I was actually at an event for this mastermind in Minneapolis and my still current friend , we got , we got up earlier , but he goes , it was central time , we already got up early , so we were the first ones down there . And she's like , how'd your call go ?

And I was like it was good , you know . And I said we're talking about , you know , reaching 10k months , and I'll never forget that . She said why 10k months ? And I just kind of looked at her like probably a deer in the headlight , look right . And she goes why not 12k months ? Why not 15k months ? Why not 20k months ?

And I was like , well , I guess you're right , like there was no deep why of why I wanted a 10k month , except that everybody else was doing it right . And so and by the way , just to be very , very clear to actually hit six figures , you only need I think it's 888 or something dollars a month . To reach six figures is not even 10k , it's just 10k .

Five figure months is was the thing . I actually have a shirt that I earned that says five figure months when I was in the mastermind . So it was a very big deal to people . Right , and I Think that we get to disconnect is does that mean I'm successful ?

Because the reason , the whole reason I started my business was so I could have more time for my kid to help her reading . By the way , that did work out . She did improve her reading after I I Worked for I started , you know , my own business . So that did help her .

But then it became the thing of Let me work 80 hours at my desk so that I can get six figures . So I'll never forget the beginning of .

I don't ever remember what if it was January of 2019 or January of 2020 , I can't remember but I was like I don't know a hundred dollars , something silly , like that , shy of making a 10k month and I just assumed it was never gonna happen for me . I just kind of like , whatever I was , I happy that I made like 9,000 something .

Yes , I was thrilled after years in business and you know , making , yeah , I don't know anywhere from 40 to 60,000 a year , like that felt really , really good .

And , by the way , even if you make a 10k month , even if you make a hundred thousand dollars , I just want to be very , very clear that it's not all go in your pocket , so there's also all the taxes and and the expenses and all the things get there .

I don't want to get into that right now because this is probably gonna be a long episode , because I have a lot to say about this . However , I think it's important that that we also talk about that . Okay , so January 2020 , we're gonna say it was January 2020 . It might not have been , but I can't remember .

I'll have to go back in my notes and look to confirm that . So , anyhow , I wasn't really thinking about making 10k months . After that , I was just thinking again Increase what I'm doing , pay the bills . So I so my son flunked out of college and no , I'm getting this mixed up . I'm totally , totally getting this mixed up 2020 .

2020 is when the world shut down . I'm going to be clear here . I did have a whole 2019 issue of my son flunked out of college , but that was not 2020 . Okay , so the world shut down in 2020 . I had a client . I had several clients . I had a client who asked who I did not hold my boundaries .

My boundary was always , when I did retain her clients , it was to do three months . You had to commit to 90 days . I did her ads . She did not want to do the final 30 days and I was . I was a people pleaser . I think that's the best way to explain it . I was such a people pleaser and so I refunded it .

The payment had just went through and I gave her money back and canceled without a 30 day notice , without anything , and I was so angry at myself . And here's the kicker it wasn't because she needed the money or she couldn't afford it , or we weren't getting results because we were killing it .

It was because she wanted to take that money and buy another program . She was into buying all these programs and that was like a kicker . That was a kicker and not mentally really was hard to swallow . I'm like watching my revenue keep going down .

If you've heard the story , july of 2020 is when I did my 100 live videos because I didn't like where my revenue was at . Again , I don't . I wasn't necessarily thinking I need to be at 10K months . I just thought I need to be higher than I was and I said I can control the KPI of me going live 100 times in July . I'm going to focus on that .

We're going to see what's going to happen . In September of 2020 was when I was if you've ever seen that day I almost killed my business . I was going to quit because I was done and I only saw $2,000 coming into my account that month . That's all I could see .

Okay , we're at the third of the month and you literally don't think you can have any more money come in . You're crazy .

But anyhow , back then , that's what I thought I told my mentor the same one that I was at the event with in 2019 , when I had this conversation , or with a friend who was in the program too , and she said you know , she said it's time , it's time to go all in Like you have nothing to lose . I was like you're right , and so I .

Magically it seems magic and I know all the hard work went in but I did hit a 13K month . I generated $11,000 in recurring revenue in three weeks . I don't know how . I still don't know how . I think it has a lot to do with I was all in . I was like super focused on creating recurring revenue .

I was super focused because I had just done those hundred lives . I had been very , very visible . You know , the market was saturated , but it's not as saturated as it is today . I really think a lot of that played into it . And also , I promoted someone that they had . They were a Yahoo top coach and I promoted them and I was really proud of them .

I knew them kind of , but I mean not in a deep way . They had seen me at an event in 2019 and came up to me and knew who I was and I was floored because I didn't know who this person was at the time and I was like what ? Like how do they know me ? And it was because that's when I started getting visible and I was just like floored .

She was a keynote speaker at an event and I was just like , how does she even know who I am ? And so , anyhow , I knew her from that event and I was excited for her and I shared you know , look , who is one of the top coaches in the world ? And I was really proud of her . She asked again on a call .

Again , I had no intentions out of sharing this , I had no idea this was going to happen . And I she said , let's , let's have a call . And then she's like I have some clients who need you , who need your help . And I was like , okay , again , none of this was ever preplanned . I had no idea this was going to happen .

I didn't even know she had clients that needed what I did and that was running ads at the time , and so she hired me , hired me , and then all her clients started hiring me and it just compounded and every month I was getting a new client and so my revenue just kept compounding . And again , I never hit a 10K month .

I exceeded that because I just went all in . But here's the thing I want to say If I would have only made $8,000 a month , would I have been okay ? Yes , I would have been so blessed Creating $4,000 in additional revenue , or is that right ? $6,000 in additional revenue from the 2000 I saw coming in already Huge , huge right .

And the thing is , is that now we don't even see people promoting I can help you get to six figures , now it's I can help you get to 100K months . Yes , this is a real thing . If you haven't seen this , it's out there . And there are people and my mentors are making well over 100K months , like that is just the way , it is right .

That's what they're doing . And so I personally got my business to multi six figures and if you've ever watched the day I almost killed my business , like it was $270,000 in a year that I created . But if I would have quit , I would have said goodbye to that . So here's the thing I found Making multi six figures is great and that's always .

That's always my goal . Yes , would I go for a million ? Yes , but I don't focus on the money anymore , because here's why it's exhausting . At the time I was running I think I had about 15 one-on-one clients . I was told to keep up the momentum . I needed a higher team .

I had all these team members , so I was making a lot of money , but I was also spending a lot of money too , and so , and then I was worn out because I had to monitor what everybody was doing . I was managing people . I had started my inner circle , so I had this other program going on where our people were depending on me , and it was a lot .

It was a lot . And so when I finally decided you cannot keep this up , this does not make sense , this is not make sense , this is exhausting . And I met a new mentor who I fell in love with , who did not hire her first team member until she hit a million , and I realized I was over complicating this .

I was over complicating this and I did not need all this team and I also did not need all these clients , because I literally lived at my desk , I lived at my desk , I lived at my desk , I lived at my desk . This was not freedom , and I gave up $100,000 a year worth of clients because I was too tired and I was too exhausted and I just didn't care .

I wanted freedom and this was not what I signed up for . And so I realized okay , I'm still making over 100K . Right , I'm still making six figures a year . I'm losing 100K . Am I okay with that ?

And I'll never forget when I told my inner circle this story in Orlando , like I was just so real , raw and honest and it gave so many people permission oh , my gosh , my six figures are what I need to look like six figures and make me feel like I have time , freedom , maybe in your , where you live . It may be multi six figures or it may be $50,000 .

I don't know , but I think your six figures looks different from my six figures and I'm using the word figuratively , but I'm talking about that money that helps create freedom in your life , that helps take stress out of your life . That may not be 10K months and you get to own what that looks like .

And I want to be very , very clear Nobody can promise you six figures . No one . Nobody can control your work ethic . Nobody can control the people that come across your feed , no one can control the way that you say things You're messaging , unless they're doing it for you , right ?

And still then , there's a lot of variables here and , matter of fact , if anybody is promising you any amount of money , that is against the FTC rules and they're going to get in big trouble for that .

So I just want to make that very , very , very clear no one can promise that you can make an amount of money , because if that were true , more than 12% of women would be making six figure months or , sorry , six figures a year , right ? So you get to decide . What is your six figures ? I made multi-six figures when I wasn't looking to make six figures .

I just wanted to pay my bills . And sometimes , when we strive onto something and we think that means I've made it , no , it doesn't . No , it doesn't Not . If you're exhausted , like me , you have . I had three or four team members at the time . I have no team now . I pay contractors to do projects for me . It is the most amazing feeling .

That's freedom to me . I can pick up right now and go to Hawaii if I wanted to , except I'm not traveling as much this year because it's my daughter's senior year , but if I wanted to , I could . My work can go with me . That's freedom . That's what I wanted .

That's what I wanted all along , but I allowed myself to like keep making the money , keep making the money . Can you make higher ? Can you make 20K months ? Can you make 24K months ? Can you make 30K months ? Yes , I've made all of that , but is it always worth holding ?

You get to be the answer on that and I know this is a really long episode , but you get to decide . Is that , is that what I want to hold ? Is that what I want to do ? That was . I would not say that that was easy money . It feels like it was easy to get it . Then I had to keep it and then I had to .

You know , I had deliverables for all those clients that I took on and even though I had team , I was the only one running ads . Nobody else was running ads for me . I was doing it all . My team was doing organic social media for the clients that I had . But again , what's your 100K month ? Or , sorry , what's your 100K year ?

What does that look like to you ? What does that feel like to you ? Again , it may be 3K a month , it may be 5K a month , it may be 8K a month , it may be 15K a month , I don't know . But I believe what we desire , what we air quote , need to pay our bills right , our cost of living , our 100 , our 100 , six figure year , should all look different .

What that looks like to me and you should look different , because all of our situations , our businesses , the amount of work we want to put in , the amount we charge people , all of that looks different . Now let's say you work a full-time job . You want to quit said full-time job . You know your number that you get to get to to quit full-time job .

It may not be six figures . It may be six figures , but you get to decide . What does that look like ? I will take freedom . I can always make money . This is the thing I believe . I can always make money , I can always increase my revenue , I can always increase my output , but I will still take freedom .

And I can have freedom and an over six figure year , multi-six figure year . I just didn't know how to do it back then . And then , when you have all of this and you have team that you're paying and you have all these responsibilities , it's hard to get out of it right , because you have to let people go , as you let clients go .

But the quickest way to let clients go is actually just to raise their rates . Most of them won't stay , which I knew when I was gonna raise my rates . So Think about this clearly again . Six figures is great . It does not mean you've made it . You get to decide what that looks like and what that means to you .

I've had the over 300k year , but that didn't bring me happiness and it definitely didn't bring me freedom . Where do you want to be ? What does six figures look like to you in your business , in your situation , when people say money isn't everything . Yes , it is , and in some aspects right , because we do need to pay our bills .

And I don't want you to people to say money's not everything and you're like , oh , I can do this for free , because I also don't want you doing that . But decide what success looks like to you , decide when you want to be and go after that amount , and it's your six-figure amount . No matter if it's six figures or less or more , that's your amount .

That's what you desire . I Hope this episode helped you realize that there are a lot of contradictions when it comes to revenue in our businesses and Whether your goal is to make Money to help with groceries , money to help pay off debt , money to put your kids through college , or money to retire your Spouse or partner , like whatever that looks like .

You get to decide . But don't forget about that thing called freedom that Literally makes you feel wealthy , and that thing called health that , if you're sitting at your desk working 80 to 90 hours a week , is Going to get forgotten , and I believe that true wealth is health , is freedom , peace , joy and happiness 100% .

So define what that looks like for you and again , even if you want to hit six figures . You're not wrong . There's nothing wrong with that .

But make sure you get deep in your why and when somebody asks you , why do you want to make this , don't stumble on your words or stall or look like a deer at a headlight , like I did , because I had no real reason of why I wanted to make it and I didn't even hit it . I exceeded it when I wasn't even Desiring that amount .

It just wanted To cover my expenses . I wanted to cover my bills . So think about this . I hope this episode helped you . Thank you for listening to the whole thing . I know it's longer than my normal episodes , but if you have any thoughts about this , I would love to have a conversation with you offline .

Feel free to reach out to me at its Chrissy Connor on Instagram or Chrissy Connor on Facebook and let's chat .