July 5, 2022

Debunking the Myths of Online Business with Stacy Tuschl

Debunking the Myths of Online Business with Stacy Tuschl

As online business owners, we tend to get in our own way on the path to expand our impact and grow a business. In this episode, business expert, Stacy Tuschl shares how to use intentional implementation to get out of your head and finally achieve the results you want in your digital business!

Be honest... When was the last time you compared yourself to other online business owners?

As entrepreneurs, all too often your biggest roadblock to success is YOU and that’s exactly where intentional implementation comes in!

This week, I’m chatting with Forbes-Featured small business expert, Stacy Tuschl about how to quiet the mind chatter that’s getting in the way of your ability to grow a business and scale your impact.

BY THE TIME YOU FINISH LISTENING, YOU’LL LEARN: 

  • The truth about online business owners that no one is talking about
  • The importance of intentional implementation
  • Why the word “if” is limiting your ability to succeed and grow a business

 

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Transcript

Courtney Elmer 0:00  

Welcome back, you're listening to the AntiFragile Entrepreneurship™ Podcast and this is episode 129. Now today we're talking about how to clear the mind chatter that comes with running an online business. So that you can get rid of the doubt that's holding you back and create the greater income, impact and influence that you deserve. That's all coming up next.

 

[Intro]

Courtney Elmer 2:27  

Now I am joined today by a very special guest, Stacy Tuschl. Now hers as a name you might recognize because not only is she a Forbes featured, small business expert, she's been a leader in the online business space for the past many, many years. And she's someone who I remember back in the very early days of running my business. She's someone who I've looked to for advice through the years. Because what Stacey shares is always real. It's real, it's genuine. Stacy, welcome to the AntiFragile Entrepreneurship™ Podcast.

 

Stacy Tuschl 5:10  

Thanks for having me Courtney Elmer.

 

Courtney Elmer 5:12  

I think that where I would love to start today is, , you started your first business at the age of 18, which is pretty impressive in and of itself. And that grew to a very big business that you still run today. And I was reading your story. And one of the things that jumped out to me and caught my eye was that at that time, , once you had started that business, and you started to grow very quickly, was that local businesses started reaching out to you and asking for help asking, , what was your secret? Would you please tell us what you did? So we can do the same thing. What were some of those problems that they were reaching out to you asking for help with? Yeah,

 

Stacy Tuschl 6:09  

Yeah Courtney Elmer. So I think some were problems. And some were aspirational of way. But they didn't know it was a problem until they saw me doing the opposite, They're like, I've heard you're not like in the building all the time. Yet. The business looks like it's doing well. And you're you're somehow taking off and you're doing this? And can you tell me how to do that? Because so many times we think what we're doing is normal, We think everybody works seven days a week, Like everybody is on call. That's what it takes to be a business owner. So yeah, if I'm in the middle of dinner, I might have to sneak away on a phone call. And I think what people started to see was, I wasn't being the normal, typical small business owner.

And that excited people, right Courtney Elmer? And then they started to realize what they were doing. For the first time was a problem. Like they didn't know it until they could see and, and I always tell people to being able to see what's possible and see what's out there will really make you think differently about the way that you're running the business. So I would say Courtney Elmer, the biggest frustrations were the business needing them like, it's exhausting. Like they're doing everything right. I was doing everything the beginning. So I know what that feels like. But multiple hats all the time can't shut it off. Maybe wondering how did I grow it so fast? How was I getting those consistent leads? I think everybody has their different pain point. And which one stands out to them the most? 

It was really interesting to see, Wow, do I have something different here because it wasn't one person, it was one and then another and then another and then started to kind of get around like, oh, you can ask her for your advice, and , check in with her and all the things. So it's funny how that works Courtney Elmer. But I always started to look at the people that were more successful than me. And that's how I knew I could do it in a different way. And I'm excited to be able to now be that example for other people to say, Hey, you don't have to be working 24/7. Right. You can, you can take time. And you can build systems, and you can build a team and and build a business you love Courtney Elmer

 

Courtney Elmer 8:04  

And then for those that are listening, I know there's so many of the audience going Yes, but how like, how do we do that? So what were some of the things that you were doing differently? And when was that moment for you that you knew you were onto something?

 

Stacy Tuschl 8:45  

So I think now what I was doing differently, Courtney Elmer, but I had a different mindset or a different skill set of delayed gratification and being okay with it. I think today, too many people are expecting this to happen overnight. They're like, I've been doing this for three weeks. I don't get it. Like I have been working for 20 years, like what do you mean three weeks, I think people they, , it's not their fault, because they're hearing marketers say, you can do this, you can do this fast you can. And I'm not here to say you can't do it fast. But I am here to say they might be exaggerating a little bit on how easy this is and how quick this is going to happen.

So for me Courtney Elmer, I had always been committed to the end result. And it wasn't with a deadline, When I hear somebody come to me as a client and say, Well, my husband says if we don't start making money by December, then we're going to close it. Like I never had that thought like that is a very dangerous thought to have of like, well, if this doesn't work out, then I'm not going to do it. Like you have to remove that if if you want this to work, It was I'm going to do this as long as I need to do this because I am figuring this out and this is going to be a thing right now So I think a lot of us are looking for that fast result. And we don't get the fast result, we complain about not getting the result, which then therefore, still doesn't get us the result takes us even longer. And then we're listening to other people. And that's what's happening for them. So now we feel good that we're being normal, But I always tell people, I don't want to be normal and anything, I don't, I'm not here to be average, I am not here to be normal. I am here to really like live the life that most people don't get to live. But anybody could live like that I'm not special, I'm choosing a different path. That's an option for anybody listening Courtney Elmer, but it will take you being committed, and maybe not getting that result as fast as you want it to

 

Courtney Elmer 10:50  

For those listening, they've probably heard in the online space about their thoughts and how that really influences the results that they're getting. But for a lot of people, especially those that aren't trained coaches, it's really kind of nebulous, it's conceptual. And it's like, how do we really kind of begin to become aware of what the thoughts are in our head that are driving the outcomes that we're getting in our lives and our businesses? Do we begin to recognize these thoughts that are in our head? And how do those thoughts play a role in the outcomes that were able to achieve? Or not achieve?

 

Stacy Tuschl 11:34  

Yeah Courtney Elmer, so what's really interesting is, now I can see it, but before when I wasn't trained in this, I would think the things I would say were facts, I would think I would say something like, Man hiring is really hard right now. I can't find it. There's no good people out there. And that, to me was a fact, it was so true. I believed it with every ounce of my body, But that is a thought. Then because you say that or you think that your actions start to follow. So all of a sudden, you have this hopeless feeling? Well, your actions come after that feeling. So if you're not feeling very hopeful, you start to not try you start to not put yourself out there because you don't believe there's anybody to even attract. And then the result is, you're right. Nobody is coming to work with you Courtney Elmer.

So same thing, if you talked about with clients, If it's like, there's no more leads, leads are so much harder to get these days, your action start to be what you're thinking. So all of a sudden, you're not trying to get clients today, because you believe they're not there. You're making all of these things up, like as if they were facts. But I don't know about you. But Courtney Elmer, I'm not taking off all summer. I'm not not working on my business all summer, I'm still going to be buying things I'm still going to be learning, But we think, no, that's what everybody's doing, or that's what, right. So then our actions start to follow that lead, and we prove it to be true.

So those little tiny little things we say that we start to believe because we say it over and over again, It starts to show up in this results of what you're getting or not getting. And when people ask me, like, how are you so successful? Or how have you done this? And I think looking back Courtney Elmer, I always believed I could be like, Well, where did that come from? What like, I chose to think that if Courtney Elmer could figure it out, so good i and that's the five rows. I could have easily said well Courtney Elmer is smarter than me or she did this and I didn't do this and she has this but I don't have that and then I'm sitting here and Courtney Elmer is making all the money. And the idea here is is you get to choose what you want to think. And I think a lot of us choose negative thoughts that really hurt our business and we don't even see it until we're here with the result and we're not happy with our result.

 

Courtney Elmer 14:57  

Amen to everything , and for you listening right now if you don't listen into another second of this episode, take what Stacey said, to heart and really let that sink in and marinate on it. Because this was the biggest shift for me and my own business as well.

 

Stacy Tuschl 15:42  

I think one of the biggest things I saw too Courtney Elmer, it wasn't like, Oh, I'm Specialist is working for me, it's not working for somebody else, what I really started to notice it, when I would teach to clients the same thing, the exact same thing. And one would have crazy success. And the other wouldn't say like, how you follow the same thing. But one person went at it at a completely different angle, because she chose to believe it could work for her. And the other one was like, oh, it's not working for me. So then she started to not do some of the things that I had suggested, because she already believed it wasn't gonna work for her. Right. So that's where I realized, oh, wow, this is this is so much more important than I even realized in the beginning.

 

Courtney Elmer 16:26  

Yeah, it's so true. We spend a lot of time on social media, we spend a lot of time in our inboxes. We're getting emails from people out there that are doing things that we want to be doing, we're seeing people succeed in the social media space. And so we have this tendency without even realizing it, to compare where we are right now to where someone else is. So thank you for digging into that. Because I think , and there's more that I want to dig into you here as well with your formula and everything. But that right there so valuable, and I want those listening to really take heed, because if nothing else, if you walk away from this episode with nothing else, start noticing what you're thinking. That right there is enough to change a lot. Okay, so I want to hear about your foot traffic formula. Tell us about what that is a high level overview and what led you to develop this.

 

Stacy Tuschl 18:40  

So Courtney Elmer, one of the things that I have gotten pretty good at is generating leads getting clients, even in our studios, we started with 17 kids. Today, we have I think there's like 1500 that come on a weekly basis through our doors. So even even in our online consulting business, we have grown pretty rapidly and people they're like, I don't get it how I want leads out everybody wants more customers. Like let's be real, So it was really me showing, and I always look at what what how have I done it? What have I done to get this to happen? So really me breaking it down and discussing and really sharing with my clients, what this looks like and how we're doing it. So basically, it starts with driving traffic, right, which is visibility getting out there getting people to see you. 

A lot of people spend most of their time in traffic Courtney Elmer. However, they don't have the rest of the formula setup. So you get nothing from it. It's like you posted on Instagram today. Great. But that's it your bank account and change. You might not even have great engagement, But you did it. So traffic traffic that leads into touch, which is where we actually make a connection. So it's where the visibility turns into actual qualified lead. So this is going to be where somebody may might raise their hand Courtney Elmer. And then when I say raise their hand, I mean I might do an Instagram For real, let's say, if you go to my Instagram, you'll see what I mean. But let's say I did a real and I talked about something for a minute. And then I say, and if you want my copy of my five step framework for blah, blah, blah, comment below with this word. So my visibility, is you watching that real, you turning into a lead, is you saying the word I said to say, you have raised your hand and said, I want what you're talking about?

 

Courtney Elmer 20:26  

I have done that so many times on your Instagram, it is so effective. So I'm saying this is highly effective. So pay attention for you listening.

 

Stacy Tuschl 20:34  

If Courtney Elmer has done it, that it is working, So as that happens, like, it's me and my team. And I always tell people like I don't fake pretend like it's me, they might say, hey, it's Courtney Elmer, here you go. Or, or if it I don't say anything, it's it is me. But we're all in there supporting the people that have raised their hand, right Courtney Elmer? And from there, we can qualify and ask questions and, and see if they're a good fit. Or if they maybe anything we put out there leads perfectly into transaction, which is the third tee.

So if I put out something that my program is going to help even solve even better, anybody that raises their hand is potentially a good fit for my program, So we drive traffic, we try to get them to become a lead, whether that's an email, a phone number, them saying something right, not not watching a reel, but actually saying hello, I'm here, I'm, I'm engaged, right. And then we try to sell them something because we are serving with what their that their problem was specifically. Now, what happens is people start with traffic, and then they kind of stop, where you really need to start is with transaction.

So what I mean by that is you need to figure out, we call it the best seller, what is your best seller, and get really specific on what it is. So our best seller is called well oiled operations. And it has to do with anything you can think about when it comes to systems hiring, firing in between, like everything, you name it, it's there. So when I think about what the program offers, I strip micro pieces of content from the program. Okay, I'm not taking the program and putting it online for free. That's not what I'm saying. I'm saying, How do I teach the what and the why from the program, right and grab those micro strips. And then I take that information and say, What would I have as an asset to gift them? 

So from there, I now can go okay, if somebody raised their hand for my KPI spreadsheet, but I have a way more in depth spreadsheet inside of the program, like, you can see how it makes sense how that thing would get you to eventually want to buy the program, So now if I know what my touch point is, how do I create traffic, that's going to get you to want the touch point. Okay, so this is where I'm saying people start with traffic, and nothing's happening. Because you have to start a transaction and work your way back. And you create your traffic plan once you've got the touch and the transaction in place. And then it's a triangle.

So the middle is tracking. And that is our like secret sauce like that is where we track our traffic to see what worked, we track our touch points to see what's working, we track our transaction. So I have a couple job descriptions that are out there for free, like a social media manager, one and then executive assistant one. They seem like they're created equal, like they're both job descriptions. What we have noticed, for some reason Courtney Elmer, is the Social Media Manager, people that raise their hand, they are that more of those people fall into the client purse like the client dream client. 

So as we were talking as a team, the team said, Listen, I know we keep promoting this one, assistant job description, but it's not at when we tracked it, it's not actually producing the qualified leads that the Social Media Manager one is we're like, Okay, let's get rid of that one. Let's add something else in split test, So when I say track, I mean, know your numbers and do something with the data. A lot of people don't know their numbers, so therefore, they can't do anything with the data. So what do they do Courtney Elmer? They go with their gut, and they start thinking up thoughts that they make it to be setbacks, like, this isn't working. It's like, Well, do if it's working? What are the numbers? How many? Give me details? Like I want the facts, So that's a big overview of it. But really, if you could rewind that and read, like, pause it and do it. That would be the easiest, fastest way to get leads today.

 

Courtney Elmer 24:39  

Yeah, and so smart, too, because Stacy, what you did with that was you reverse engineer the process. And this is what I hear this from online entrepreneurs all the time, where they're like, my program is so good. What we offer is so valuable, I know it can help people, but how do we get people there and when you take a look and the times where I've sat down with people and actually to help them dig in, okay, what are you doing right now to get traffic? What are you doing? When I teach our podcasting students, I'm teaching them the same thing, like every episode that you design, you should already have an end in mind where you are leading that listener, what's the call to action? And what action do you want them to take at the end? And the truth is that it is really simple. And it's often the things that we're not doing, we're not thinking about.

 

Stacy Tuschl 25:53  

yeah Courtney Elmer. So being really intentional. One more thing I'll say about like the best seller too. So a couple of years ago, I decided I wanted to create a program called foot traffic formula, but it didn't exist yet. And as we created it, we said, this is going to be our number one best seller. So it wasn't like we took a tally of what was selling and said, Oh, that's our best seller. We said Our intention is this is our best seller. And when we put it out, nine people bought, which is not very exciting Courtney Elmer.

I was expecting way more than nine people it was like my life's greatest work. And I was like, wait nine, like, or maybe it was like seven, it was something really sad. And then I'm like, we're gonna do it again. Maybe I didn't launch it, right. So the next month, to people like, Oh, this is getting worse. This is not this is not good. But I didn't let the thought of like, Oh, this isn't good, come into play, it tried. But I pushed it away. And my thought was, this is the program that's going to change people's lives. So we kept at it.

And that program within 12 months produce like $850,000 Real bad start, but because my mind was saying this is it, they need this, I have to figure out how to sell it to him. And I'm gonna keep figuring out how to sell it to him until it starts selling. And we did the same thing we actually now. And this is this is another thing too, where I get to decide what my best seller is and where I lead. And what I want people to do. Our best seller this year is well, oils operations. That is what we talk about. That is how we come up with our comp our content, when you decide the actions follow. But a lot of people are watching their actions and letting that lead. But a lot of us aren't happy with our results. Like we're not happy with what we're seeing. And yet that's leading our mind and our direction. So be more intentional versus like, here's what happened. Here's what I got.

 

Courtney Elmer 27:51  

Yes, absolutely. And I think that is a perfect segue into your book, the implementation code, because , when I was reading about you and your values, and really what you value as a company and say something I've always admired about you in the industry for the time that I've followed you is that you do approach everything with that intentionality. And so your book, the implementation code kind of digs into this a bit, doesn't it? Can you tell us a bit more about that?

 

Stacy Tuschl 28:46  

Yeah Courtney Elmer, I really have a pretty open book mindset of, well, here's what I do, like, try it Number one, because most people won't. So it doesn't even matter if I give away all my secrets, because my competitors could have been watching, listening, reading all of my staff, everything that I've ever done, and it's like, we're still in the same unit, I mean, that it doesn't matter. So I shared what I was doing and how I've done it. 

And the biggest thing for me Courtney Elmer, when I think about how I am is taking action, going into it of this might not work but that's okay. Because I can figure this out. And I can continue like I can outlast right I'm a big survivor fan. So like the outwit, Outlast, outplay. I'm like, oh, that's me, Recession come in. I'll still be here. Like, I don't care I'm holding on. Other people will fall off. Other people won't be able to handle it. Other people will let their thoughts say maybe I should have done this. This was a bad idea. And my thought is going to be I'll be here at the end like I'm sticking around, But to have that mindset actually work. It takes a lot of action.

 

Courtney Elmer 31:52  

Adam Grants book that I was reading recently. Maybe think again, I think this is where I read this. And he might have been quoting someone else. But he said, , all of the great composers out there when you think of music, and you think of all like the Beethoven's in the box and Tchaikovsky's and all these great composers, he said, they didn't become great, because they produced perfect pieces of music every time he said, they became great, because they were prolific. They were always composing. They were always writing, they were always trying new things. And then I feel like, gosh, that rings so true. And everything that you said as well, where it's like, it's it's the choice to keep going, but you can to keep trying and to not quit. Well,

 

Stacy Tuschl 32:33  

and I think we have this idea in our head of what it's going to look like later. And then we get to later we're like, I thought it was going to be easier. Like I thought it was going to be right. But there are certain things we have to be okay with and not have that hustle, like, hoping I'm gonna figure this out now. It's like, well, no, it's the next project. It's the next 90 days, We don't hurry and do it overnight. That's the problem Courtney Elmer.

We're our own boss Courtney Elmer, we make up our own deadlines. And our deadlines are like yesterday, always. So we always feel behind. We always feel overwhelmed. We always feel like we can't keep up. But you're the one doing that to yourself. So if you don't slow yourself down and get that under control. Now, it will not be any easier at seven figures. Eight, it's not going away, You multiply and make like 10 times the problems you have if you don't fix those problems now.

 

Courtney Elmer 33:23  

Yeah. So true. Stacey, I feel like we could continue talking another half an hour. This has been so valuable. Where can people go to connect with you?

 

Stacy Tuschl 33:39  

Yeah Courtney Elmer, so the best place is my podcast. So right now, as we're recording this, it's called foot traffic, but we're actually switching it to well oiled operations. And then my favorite place is Instagram. I love Instagram comm say hi. Or we have a Facebook group, a free Facebook group called foot traffic operations.

 

Courtney Elmer 34:07  

Awesome. Stacy, thank you so much for your time today and for being here.

 

Stacy Tuschl 34:15  

Thank you so much, Courtney Elmer.

 

Courtney Elmer 34:18  

Join me back here next Tuesday. I'll see you then. And until then, go live your EffortLESS Life®.

Stacy TuschlProfile Photo

Stacy Tuschl

CEO/Author/Mom/Growth Coach

Stacy Tuschl has made a name for herself as an expert in growing small businesses. Put it this way, Stacy started her own business at the age of 18 in her parents' backyard and turned that company into a multi-million dollar business she still runs today (The Academy of Performing Arts has two locations in her home state of Wisconsin). In addition to being a Small Business Growth Coach, Stacy is a bestselling author, and founder of the Foot Traffic Formula - helping small businesses around the world get more customers in the door, more profit in their pocket and more happiness in their homes.

When local area businesses started asking Stacy how she grew her company so rapidly, it sparked the inspiration needed to launch The Foot Traffic Podcast. Her podcast now has over 1 million downloads and is frequently on the top 30 of all marketing on iTunes. She’s interviewed leading experts like Suze Orman, Dave Hollis, Jasmine Star, and Amy Porterfield.

Stacy was named the 2019 Wisconsin Small Business Person of the Year by the United States Small Business Administration. She was featured in Inc. Magazine as one of the top 10 podcasts for moms looking to grow a thriving business and has also been featured in Forbes, Fox Business, Huffington Post and popular podcasts like Online Marketing Made Easy with Amy Porterfield, Eventual Millionaire, and Social Media Marketing.