The Systems You Need to Hit Six Figures

Courtney Elmer  0:00  

Well, hello there and welcome back, you're listening to the AntiFragile Entrepreneurship™ Podcast. This is episode 153. And at the time that I'm recording this, we are about to collectively flip the calendar into a new year. So if you're listening to my voice right now, and you're noticing that this year you fell short of your revenue goals, or you didn't enroll as many clients as you hoped you would, this episodes for you. Because inside this episode, I'm going to show you the four surprisingly simple systems that most online business owners completely miss, which causes them to struggle to get more leads, and get more clients. So if you're tired of spinning your wheels, creating lead magnet after lead magnet and putting it out there, and no one ever downloads them, or pressing publish on social media posts that no one ever seems to engage with, then keep listening. Because today, I'm going to show you the steps you can take right now to fix that. That's all coming up next. So stay tuned. 

Courtney Elmer

Globally ranked among the top shows in business systems and education, we're known for one thing, helping overworked entrepreneurs like you learn how to run your business systems like a true visionary leader, because when you get the right systems support, and structure in place, you can spend more time in your zone of genius. So if you're tired of listening to today's business systems influencers teach this same old worn out marketing strategies that aren't making you any money, it's time to take a look under the hood of your business systems and fix the engine itself. Because the truth is, you don't have to work as hard as you are right now to scale beyond six figures, and create the greater influence income and impact that you deserve. The secret to scaling starts on the back end of your business systems. This is the AntiFragile Entrepreneurship™ Podcast.

Courtney Elmer

I can't even begin to tell you how many conversations I've had recently, with business owners who run all different kinds of businesses across many different industries, who have many different niches that they have all told me in one way or another that they're struggling with this same exact thing. A few things really, the first being inconsistent lead flow, despite their consistent marketing efforts. It's not because they're not showing up online. It's not because they're not sending out emails. But yet they haven't cracked the code on how to generate consistent leads to their business. And this remains a struggle, it remains a mystery to them. The next thing that they're struggling with is inconsistent revenue, because you and I both know that in order to generate consistent sales, you need consistent leads. So of course, if you don't have consistent lead flow, well, you're not going to have consistent revenue either. 

Courtney Elmer

And this is despite them out there doing sales calls, leading workshops, teaching webinars, they're just not seeing the enrollments that they want to see into their programs. Another thing I've heard from so many of these people lately is that they're just tired of wearing all the different hats. They've got inconsistent support in their business, some of them might have some part time support. Some of them are trying to automate stuff just to save themselves some time, but racking up costs in tech, right? We all know that that $12 A month times 10 programs or 20 programs that you buy to automate this or that or the other thing can add up pretty quick. And they're doing most of the work themselves everything from showing up on that sales call to showing up on that group coaching call to sending those emails to scheduling the weekly newsletters that have to go out to writing the copy for their website to setting up landing pages and all the things in between. And the biggest struggle of all, they're not seeing any real traction in their business, despite having hired coaches having purchased programs having bought courses. 

Courtney Elmer

But what they're getting in those courses, and what they've been telling me is they feel like they're just getting pieces of the puzzle. And I can remember that in the early days of my business feeling like oh my goodness, this program is going to be the thing that I need to finally figure out how to grow a successful business. And in hindsight time and again, time and again. I was just sold good marketing. It got me a piece of the puzzle, but it was never the whole picture. And it was really frustrating. Now I've been running an online business for six years. And prior to that, I worked for other entrepreneurs within their businesses in various roles, specifically in marketing, in sales and in operations. And all of these many years working with business owners both prior to launching my business and now working with my clients as their consultant and their coach.

Courtney Elmer

 I began to notice that no matter how successful of an image they tried to present on the Inside, on the back end of their business, things were duct taped together, let's just be honest. And the thing that was so evident to me, but that many of these business owners struggled to realize was that all the problems they were experiencing in their business systems could be linked back to one core problem. They were missing one or more of the four essential systems that every business systems needs in order to grow. I don't care what type of business systems you have, I don't care if you're Amazon, or Microsoft, or Apple, I don't care if you have a brick and mortar. If you run a restaurant, if you're an online consultant, or a service provider, no matter what your business is, there are four systems you need to make it run. So if you've ever wondered why it always feels like you can't get on top of anything in your business systems, you just can't seem to get your act together. You're not the only one. 

Courtney Elmer

Because this is a mystery that far too many business systems owners are struggling to crack. So in this episode, I'm going to do the heavy lifting, I'm going to crack it for you. And I'm going to give you what you need to start seeing higher engagement more leads more people in your DMS and in your inbox or reaching out asking how to work with you. And ultimately, more sales, particularly as we move into this new year ahead. Now, if you've been part of my community for any length of time, you've probably heard me talk about these four systems before you might even know what they are. But in case you're new here, or you've never heard me talk about this, or maybe you heard that episode, but you can't remember what they are. The four systems that we're talking about are visibility, sales, deliverability, and operations. So to very high level visibility. This encompasses all of your marketing. It's not just your marketing, but it's your marketing, your brand, your unique positioning in the marketplace. 

Courtney Elmer

The audience who you are targeting, there's a lot of pieces that make up your visibility system. Next is your sales system. And like visibility, this is also a greater hole here. This has to do with your online funnels, your evergreen funnels, your high ticket pipelines, your sales calls, your sales mechanisms, through workshops, or webinars, there's a lot of different pieces here too, not to mention knowing how to sell. And all of these pieces make up your sales system. deliverability this is how you deliver on what you're promising. So this is your program, not the modules, not the steps you're having someone complete, but the experience you give them inside of your community. That is deliverability in a nutshell. And then operations, this is the day to day stuff. 

Courtney Elmer

Sometimes I jokingly refer to this as the junk drawer of your business systems because nobody ever wants to open this and clean it out. But it's necessary, right? This is the legal This is the taxes. This is the bookkeeping, this is the admin this is all the day to day stuff that's required to run a business. And no wonder it feels frustrating for business systems owners, because they have all of these pieces, but no systems to pull them all together into a cohesive way where one works with the other, like gears turning on the inside of a machine in order to spit out the result that you want, which is more clients more revenue. But before we can talk about the functions of these systems, or why they're so important, in order to understand why there is so essential, and how they work together to help you grow. I'm first gonna need you to play a little game with me.

Courtney Elmer

 All right, so for the next few moments, you're gonna imagine your business systems is like a car. Okay, but it's not just any old car. You have a Tesla, and you don't just have the base model. Your business systems is the one with the autopilot feature. Okay, now in order for that car to run on autopilot, there's a lot of things that need to be in place first, right that button won't do anything on its own. And I'm not talking about the technology either. We're gonna break it down to the basics what do you need to make a car run? Much less run on autopilot.

Courtney Elmer  9:32  

Not fancy leather, not heated seats although I do love those y'all when the temperature drops down here below 60 degrees. I'm in New Orleans. That's like cold for us. Okay, the leather jackets come out the big puffer jackets come out the gloves, the scars, the hats. I'm not kidding the for boots, and we have our seat warmers cranked all the way up. Okay, that is just how we roll down here in southern Louisiana winters. But the heated seats are not essential for making a car run on autopilot. You know that but it's also not a top of the line navigation system. Although that can be helpful. You don't need Bluetooth. You don't need a moonroof. What do you need? Well, first you need a chassis. I mean, brass tacks, right? You need a solid frame on which that car can be built a foundation, a structure, that's number one. Number two, you need an engine. I don't care if it's gas powered, I don't care if it's electric. 

Courtney Elmer

But without an engine, and without gas or power to that engine. Car won't go anywhere. But let's not get ahead of ourselves here because the Courtney Yeah, we know we need an engine. But guess what? car's not gonna go anywhere, either without wheels. And I'm talking about the wheels on the car itself, and the steering wheel because you know, those work together. So before we can hit the autopilot button, you need a car capable of running on autopilot. The problem is, most business owners haven't built a car, AKA a business capable of running without them. Instead, what they've built is a flint mobiel. You know exactly what I'm talking about, don't you? Yeah. What they've done is they've thrown together a couple of doors, a roof, and a floorboard, in which they've cut out a giant hole that they're powering themselves. 

Courtney Elmer

So listen carefully to my voice right now. Your business systems cannot grow beyond you, if it's too dependent on you. Bottom line, Fred Flinstones car and going anywhere unless Fred is in motion. But you and I both know that you can't be in motion all the time. That's the fastest track to burnout. So guess what, if you have a business that is dependent on you to run, then what happens when you stop? Your Business stops. And my dad always used to say, Courtney, it takes more gas to start and stop a car than it does to just keep it going. It takes more energy to get in motion than to stay in motion. So how quickly do you think you'll be able to grow your business? If it's solely dependent on uterine? Well, you're certainly not going to be able to go as fast, right, you won't be able to go or grow as fast, it will certainly never run on its own. And it for sure will burn more energy, trying to grow it, which is more costly. So not only will you save some money by learning how to build a business systems that can run without you, you're gonna save time and energy as well, which Oh, my goodness, are the most coveted resources we have as entrepreneurs

Courtney Elmer

Okay, so back to our Tesla, your chassis is your business systems structure. I'm not talking to LLCs. Here, I'm not talking to s corpse. I'm talking about the core elements that make up your business, the cornerstones of your business, your vision, your values, your mission, your unique angle, your niche, which despite what most influencers are going to tell you is not your target market. It's not who you're serving your niche is how you serve them. Your target audience is who you serve. And of course, your offers and your clients Success Path. Those are the foundational elements that every business systems owner needs and needs to be crystal clear on. And this can often be fuzzy for many people. Now your wheels are the four systems with you at the helm, the driver, steering them toward your greater vision, right, keeping the car on track, keeping it moving in the right direction, the wheels do most of the work, you just have to lightly touch the wheel. 

Courtney Elmer

Can you remember back when you were learning how to drive. I remember this clear as day I would sit there in the driver's seat. And I remember watching my parents, you know, all through the years and you just kind of touch the wheel a little gently, a little here, little there, right? You don't really do much, but you just make minor adjustments as you go. And when I first got behind the driver's seat, I'm like making these adjustments. And all of a sudden the cars like veering right and very left, I'm like holy cow. This is like, Oh, this thing is so sensitive. And really all it was was I hadn't developed the touch yet, right. And so this is what your business systems is like to you know, you've got these four systems, your wheels, you're in the driver's seat, you got to steer it toward a greater vision. But all you have to do because the wheels are doing most of the work is just a light touch to keep it moving in the right direction. Keep it from going off track. And then of course the engine. 

Courtney Elmer

So the engine is not just you. The engine is you and your team. It's the energy that you bring, and it's the energy that they bring. Because if you're trying to build a business depending on your energy alone, energy is a limited To resource so what's going to happen, your business systems will be limited in its growth. Because your battery or human, your battery is going to naturally run out from time to time. as I record this, I am counting down the days to the week off that I'm going to take in between the holidays because I'm getting to the point where I feel my battery's low, it's time to recharge. But the beauty is I built a business that keeps running even when I stop. And much of that is thanks to my team. It's their energy, and it's my energy. Collectively, we keep the car going. Last week, my executive assistant was on a week long cruise recharging Her battery. So she'll come back and I'll go on my holiday hiatus. And the truth about business systems home care we any influencer tries to get you to believe they are not the star of the show. No six figure business systems runs on its own. No seven figure business systems runs on its own. But most business systems owners who are simply trying to make it to six figures don't realize this. 

Courtney Elmer

Do you know why zero to six figures is the hardest stage in business. Because it's when you have the most limiting beliefs working against you. It's also when you don't have the resources at your disposal that a larger business would have. So what do you have to rely on your time, your energy, because you often don't have the money upfront. The problem is, most business owners who start to build businesses by relying solely on their own time, energy and effort, struggle to grow past a certain point in their business. Because time, energy and effort will always be limited resources. So most people take the Fred Flintstone approach to running their business, they floor it and they burn out. And then they step back and recharge, and then they floor it. And then they burn out and they step back and recharge and they rinse and repeat and they get nowhere. Why? Because they have no wheels. 

Courtney Elmer

They have no cohesive systems to give them traction. Okay, so now I have a question for you. Of all of these elements on your car? Which one is the most important? Which one do you think is the most important? Which one is the most essential? I just gave you a hint, actually, if you were paying attention. If you said the engine that's incorrect, the most important element are the wheels and the framework that it sits upon. Okay, we've talked about the framework, let's go a little bit deeper into the wheels. Wheel. Number one is visibility. This is your online signpost. You know, one of the hardest things about running an online business is that unlike a traditional business, where if you have a great location, and there's a ton of traffic that goes by every day, and you have an appealing storefront, and you have a great product that you sell inside, you have to get your own traffic to your business in the online space. 

Courtney Elmer

Here in New Orleans, if I were to go open up a little coffee shop on the corner and sell Ben yeas, right, it wouldn't take a whole lot of work to get traffic there, if I open that business in a great location. But in the online space, we don't have that. We don't have the luxury of just putting a sign out on the street corner saying turn here for hot freshmen. Yes, I wish we did. But it's not that simple. And this is why a lot of online business owners struggle because when they get into business, they don't realize that not only do you have to get your own traffic to your business, you have to also convert that traffic. So visibility has to do with getting the traffic to your business getting leads coming in consistently. And to do that you need a reliable mechanism in place and the right kind of mechanism for generating consistent leads. posting on social media is not a visibility system. Putting out lead magnet after lead magnet hoping that people download to get people to your email list is not a visibility system. Those are pieces.

Courtney Elmer  19:27  

Those are parts but it's not the system itself. Okay, so we'll number two is sales. Now visibility and sales go hand in hand. I mentioned it earlier in this episode. If you want more sales, you need more leads. Right? But if you're getting a ton of leads, and they're not converting, it's not gonna help you. So we need to make sure that as business owners not only do we have a high converting offer in place, but that we have reliable sales mechanisms to convert the traffic we're getting Move to the business. We'll number three is your deliverability. Because what happens if you do all that work to get the traffic and then convert the traffic, but then you don't deliver? Well, on what you've promised, what happens? Well, that person has a less than ideal experience will say. And they're either not going to tell anyone about you, or they're going to tell people that your program wasn't so great. And that negative word of mouth is detrimental to a business. 

Courtney Elmer

So what do we do to fix that we have to first have a reliable system in place for delivering our promise to our client or customer. Because their experience in working with you is going to be the thing that either gets them spreading positive news about you, or negative news about you. So there are some tech pieces here, right? How you deliver the program, how it's streamlined behind the scenes, do you have modules? Is it clunky to get through? Is it easy to get through? Is it hard to find stuff in your program? Is it easy, right? So there's some aspects like that. But what I really mean by deliverability, is their experience in working with you. And then the fourth wheel is operations. 

Courtney Elmer

This is the glue that holds everything else together, the day to day admin stuff, the unsexy stuff, the stuff that none of us as visionary leaders love to do. But luckily, there are plenty of people out there who would love to do it for you. Can you see how all of these systems work together for the greater good of the business? A lot of people are out there teaching one aspect of one of these systems. But they're not teaching the hole. They're not teaching the framework or the blueprint, if you will, for how to build and run a successful business. So you know, what happens when you have a flat tire, right? Of course you do without any one of these systems, you're gonna get nowhere. So if you have been someone who continually hits the reset button on your goals, because you haven't been hitting your goals, it's not because you're incapable. It's not because you're not as good as the rest of them. Quite the contrary, it's not because there's anything wrong with you. Chances are, it's simply because you've been relying solely on your own engine power. You've been running your business more like Fred Flintstone and not like Elon Musk. So the million dollar question, how do you trade in your fleet mobiel for a Tesla, I really wish I could tell you it was as easy as walking into a dealership. But this process is going to be more like rebuilding a classic car.

Courtney Elmer

 But fortunately, when you build something, you know, its ins and outs, you have an intimate knowledge of all the parts that make it work. So guess what that means? It's easy to tweak. Now, does it mean you have to build it all by yourself? Absolutely not. But it is going to require you to lead the process. And in order to build something that lasts, you can't just throw it together. You need a plan. I was walking through Lowe's yesterday with my husband and my son, we pass the lumber section. And my son goes, oh, I need some wood. Can we please go get some wood. And of course, my husband I looked at each other, we kind of like roll our eyes a little bit. And we're like, Buddy, why do you need wood he's like, because I want to build a house, I need a house. So I can have a desk inside of that house so that I can color I need a place to be able to color. Now of course, he's got the kitchen table, he's got his own little table, he's got plenty of blazes in our own house to color.

Courtney Elmer

But I think what he was trying to communicate to us was that he wanted his own space. And the reality is I got a new desk in my office this week. And so he probably saw that. And of course, he's thinking to himself, Okay, Mommy has a new place, you know, new desk herb space to be able to work. I want the same thing. And so, you know, we're trying to put them off and my home, buddy, we're not gonna get lumber today. That's a big project. It takes a lot of time you got to think about it. He's like, I already know what I want. And we were like, okay, so you have an idea. He's like, No, I don't just have the idea. We've all been you have to have a plan in order to build something. Well, I have a plan. It's right here in my head. Okay, he's four and a half. He's almost five. And so bless his heart. You know, he was just set on buying lumber to build this thing that was in his mind.

Courtney Elmer

 And I kind of chuckled to myself, because this is kind of how we approach our businesses, isn't it? We get this idea in our mind. We think it's not going to be that hard to execute. And so we just go start getting pieces and parts trying to put it all together and make it work. But we fail to sit down and consider the plan. And inevitably, if you've ever put anything together from Ikea, right, or even this desk that we ordered this week, we found the instructions hidden in a drawer, after we had trial and error to figure out how to put this thing together, then you know that without the plan, it's going to take you a lot more time. And it's going to be a lot more frustrating. So all of this is making logical sense so far right? The problem is, there are very few places in the online space, or offline space, where you can go to get the full plan. If you're going to build a house, first you hire an architect. If you're going to put a traditional business together brick and mortar, you're going to go to the bank and get a loan, you're gonna have to show them a plan. 

Courtney Elmer

But in the online space, this rarely happens, you can go out there and get pieces, you can hire a coach who will tell you how to build a door. And another one will tell you how to install the glass. Another one will tell you how to upholster the seats. But few are going to give you the blueprint and the raw materials for building a business that runs without you. I was just on a client call yesterday. And she was telling me about all the coaches that she had hired previously. And she said, This is why I've loved working with you because no one. And I mean no one. And I've invested 1000s and 1000s of dollars, and no one has ever taught me how to put it all together. And I get this question from people. Sometimes when I go to look for a coach or a mentorship program, a lot of times I'll sit down with a person and just recently, I had someone asked me, you know, you've got a lot going on in your business. And I'm gonna need you to pick one thing to focus on in this program, and I get where they were coming from. And sometimes people wonder, Courtney Elmer, how is it that you can teach at all? 

Courtney Elmer

Because we've all been told we need to specialize. But to that I say no, because my specialty My gift is teaching you not just what systems you need, but how they work, and how to install them all within your business. I've done it for countless businesses, and I'm here to help you do it for yours. So if you want pieces and parts, by all means go to another coach. But if you want the full plan, well call me up. This is why you listen to this podcast, right? For those of you listening who are in our programs, this is why you work with us. This is why you stay subscribed to our email list. And if you're not there, you should be because no one else is teaching the whole and its parts. Don't you ever think for a second that today's most successful companies didn't have a trusted consultant behind the scenes? Not just helping them with the planning, but helping to direct and orchestrate that plan? Do you know why Chick fil A makes $5.2 million per location and McDonald's only makes 2.6. Why? Because Chick fil A has better systems in place. Think about it. Behind every great golfer is an equally great caddy. Every boxer has a corner man in the corner of the ring. You don't need more coaches, more programs or more courses. You need a corner man. 

Courtney Elmer

That is why I built the EffortLESS Life®. We're in your corner. Because here we believe that you shouldn't have to work as hard as you are right now to build and have and savor the benefits of a successful business. Does it take work to build of course people push back on me and say Courtenay running a business can't be effortless. What are you talking about? It's hard work. Of course, it's hard work. But should it feel so hard? No, it should feel like how you thought it would feel when you got into business systems in the first place. It should feel enjoyable, and you feel exciting, should feel effortless. So if you aren't getting out of bed every day ready to jump into the driver's seat and drive. Well, perhaps it's time to take a look under the hood and see what kind of car you're driving. There's if it's a flint mobiel you're not gonna get very far. But the good news is and the hope that I want to give you here today is that Tesla's are very easy to build when you know how to build them. Because here's the reality, you have a choice, you can keep going to the parts store and investing your money in this part or that part, only to still have no clear answer as to how all the parts fit together. Or you may want to consider looking for an expert who not only knows what parts you need, but can help you put them all together so you can make your business systems work.

Courtney Elmer  29:25  

And depending on the time that you're listening to this, we're opening up a new cohort to our business systems program. Autopilot we run one to two of these cohorts every year. And we've already got a waitlist. So if you want us to work with you to help you build a business that can run without you, then I strongly recommend you get on the waitlist as soon as possible. Because we're going to be sending out applications here and reviewing them pretty soon. So if you want on that waitlist, here's what you're gonna do. You're gonna get out your phone. You're gonna go open up your Instagram app, you're going to search for my name is Courtney Elmer. There's a bunch of us Which is kind of weird because Elmer is like, not the most popular last name. At least I didn't think so apparently there are a bunch of Courtney Elmer. So it's though Courtney Elmer, and you're gonna send me a DM with the word autopilot, so I can see to it that you get priority placement on that waitlist. 

Courtney Elmer

All right, my friend. Here's to a more successful, more enjoyable, more effortless, year ahead of running your business systems. All right, my friend. So here is to a new year ahead. Full of success, full of all the best parts of your business systems, and none of the parts that aren't serving you, full of excitement, full of energy full of enthusiasm for the work that you are here to do that only you can do the work that you were put on this earth to do. And next week, it's the last episode of 2022 Crazy to think, oh my goodness, right. We're gonna be talking all about your New Year's resolutions and why? If you're smart, you shouldn't be making them. That's all coming up next week. Until then, go live your EffortLESS Life®.