Episode 8: Serving Others by Starting a Podcast and Membership Site- Interview with Mandy Chamberlain!
OT Entrepreneurs! This was the BEST interview. Sooooo many great business tips from Mandy Chamberlain of Seniors Flourish and the Learning Lab! I simply can’t list how much I learned from this rock-star online OT business owner.
Here’s a run-down of what we discussed:
5:00 The start-up story of Seniors Flourish
6:20 Mandy dispels the online business myth of “if you build it, they will come!”
7:10 How building a relationship online and supporting others can boost your business…and possibly make you start podcasting. Don’t be afraid to just try! Everyone has doubt in new endeavors!
10:45 Why you must figure out who your audience is, speak to them, and know where they hang out on social media.
13:40 Amy Porterfield’s trainings were helpful.
16:50 How Mandy started the membership site by focusing on connections, building an email list, and SERVING OTHERS. LISTEN to the questions your customers are asking when you are first starting out! Be open to feedback, growth, and change.
23:40 Pricing- why she decided to price her membership site at a low rate for the extremely high value it offers her customers. [Laura oohs and aahs over the site at this point and encourages everyone to go check it out. Crazy deal for the value she offers. Unbelievable!]
29:00 She built her own website!!!!!!! Mapped it out on paper first and then taught herself to code and used Wordpress plug-ins to design what she wanted.
31:09 “The Membership Guys” podcast was helpful.
32:20 How you can build your business by thinking about who you’re serving and what THEY want.
35:00 Why doing online business is STILL WORK (ie, not “passive” income).
36:15 How Mandy organizes her time and tasks each week.
37:14 Why entrepreneurs truly love working and have a tendency to over-work.
39:00 Mandy spills the beans that she hates marketing. [Laura’s comment: What?? But she’s SO good at it!]
40:00 Mandy’s marketing: email lists, free webinar with an offer at the end, FB lives, “challenges”, Instagram. (Focus on connection!)
42:15 The webinar that didn’t go as planned…and what Mandy learned from it.
45:06 Discussion about email funnels
48:15 Mandy gives tips for doing Facebook Live.
50:25 Why you should let people see behind the scenes of your business on social media. Get outside of your comfort zone!
51:45 Tips for scheduling Facebook Live [Laura’s comment: I gotta start doing these!]
53:45 Why you may not need a super pretty logo and website…
56:40 Why you should take one small step and just do it!
57:45 Why you should listen to your customer and hold your own ideas loosely.
59:45 The one thing that most improved Mandy’s effectiveness as a business owner.
My favorite quote from the interview: “It’s those connections with people that get lost sometimes because we’re in business mode…it really comes down to serving from the heart…really trying to be a good businesswoman…serving my clients…and being true to myself.”
I love Mandy. I was a fan of hers before this interview but now I just feel connected to the heart behind her business. Don’t you?! After the interview I found out she has like 13,000 followers on Instagram. So now I feel like I need to have her back on to do another episode JUST about Instagram and OT business!
Connect with Mandy at www.seniorsflourish.com and check out the Learning Lab! You can also find her on Instagram @seniorsflourish and Facebook.
Pick an action item from this episode! I’m going to try a FB Live (am terrified but I’m going to do it!)…what small step are you going to take? Comment below in one sentence or less!
P.S. If you’re looking for information about the Therapy in the Great Outdoors retreat that I announced at the end of this episode, click here.
