Are you ready to build a brand that attracts the right clients and drives real profit? In this episode of The Vicki Kotris Podcast, host Vicki Kotris, a digital marketing and brand-building expert, sits down with Jennah Lear, founder of Blue Louise Studios, to unpack the essentials of creating a powerful, profitable brand.
Jennah shares her journey from corporate life to entrepreneurship and reveals the key brand foundations every business owner needs to attract and retain clients. They tackle common marketing misconceptions, the mindset shifts that make selling feel effortless, and the power of building a supportive community of women entrepreneurs.
If you’ve ever struggled with branding, marketing, or feeling confident in sales, this episode is packed with actionable insights. Plus, get an inside look at an upcoming sales workshop designed to help you close more deals and grow your business with ease!
🎧 Listen now to learn how to position your brand for success!
Savvy & Sovreign Sales Workshop Link: https://www.facebook.com/events/1005425051464730
Connect with Jennah: https://www.bluelouistudio.com/
Thank you again for tuning into another episode of the Vicki Kotris Podcast! I want to support you, cheer you on a HYPE you up!! If you're celebrating anything (and I mean ANYTHING), send me a DM and let me highlight you on a recent episode.
If you're looking for support in building a social media content strategy, I'm your girl! Send me an email to vkkotris@gmail.com and we can set up a FREE account audit.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:05):
Hello, and welcome to the VickiKotras podcast.
I am your host, none other thanVicki Kotras.
I'm a retired corporate girlytwo times six figure founder
who's obsessed with brandbuilding sales generating and
digital marketing.
My mission with this podcast isto share the lessons I've
learned to help you make moremagic and money with your own
marketing efforts and to feelinspired to continue on your own
(00:28):
journey as a creator andentrepreneur.
Here I'll share real lifestrategies, marketing tips, and
mindset shifts that have helpedme go from cubicle to creator.
This podcast is for businessowners, creatives, or those just
looking for a little moresparkle in their day.
So let's kick off this week'sepisode.
Jennah Lear, Blue Loui Stu (00:48):
love it.
felt like your brand is meh justokay but know it could be
magnetic then this is theepisode for you Joining me today
is Jenna Lear the brilliant mindbehind Blue Louise Studios where
(01:09):
strategy meets design to helpwomen entrepreneurs build brands
that position them as the go toexperts in their field She's all
about crafting brands that don'tjust look good but they work
attracting those dreamy clientsand making sure your business
stands out in all the right waysAnd if that wasn't enough Jenna
recently added publish author toher list of accomplishments with
(01:31):
her 2024 book, market yourmagic, the key steps to building
a brand that attracts a mustread for any entrepreneur ready
to level up their brand game.
So if you are ready to stopplaying small and start showing
up like the expert that you knowwhat you are, then you are in
the right place.
Let's dive in.
Hey, Jenna.
Thanks for joining.
(01:52):
Yeah.
Yeah.
Thanks for having me.
I love it.
I'm so excited.
Vicki (01:56):
Absolutely.
So one of the things that I talka lot about in the podcast And
that long time listeners know isthat I was really focused on
building a creative venture andI let that kind of guide my way
of leaving corporate America andyou have kind of a similar path
where you just stay in it.
(02:16):
felt kind of annoying or tuggingto start your own thing.
So that's going to be my firstquestion to kick it off today.
So you can share a little bitabout your background, but what
was your, I can't do thisanymore moment in corporate
America?
And was it like this slow burnor this nagging, or was it
something like a dramatic, youknow, Jerry Maguire exit for
(02:38):
you?
Jennah Lear, Blue Loui Studio (02:40):
I have had my fair share of Jerry
Maguire exits.
They are epic, but they'reusually, they're usually not,
they're not the, they're not theprettiest.
They're, they're pretty afterthe fact, right?
I make a great story, but, um,you know, I think for me, Vicki,
it's, it was.
Just a combination of so manythings.
And I think the one thing islike, I've always been really
(03:01):
ambitious.
I've always been a hard worker.
I've always thought like, okay,if I just get to college, if I
just get the job, like I'll beable to like, build life on my
terms.
Right.
And.
It didn't end up like being likethat.
And I kept seeing, um, mycolleagues going off and getting
all of these like great jobs andthey're, you know, they're like,
(03:21):
I'm so happy.
I love my work.
And I'm like, what, when does itget to be my turn and being
unapologetic about owning that?
Question for myself, right?
Um, and so for me, I think thebig catalyst was, you know,
Vicki (03:36):
Yeah.
Yeah.
Jennah Lear, Blue Loui Stu (03:50):
this is it.
And just being like, annoyingly,um, resilient and being like, I
will figure this out because atthe end of the day, I think
we're all called for something.
And, um, for me, I knew I wasmeant for more.
I didn't know exactly at thetime what that was in
(04:11):
particular, but I knew thatthere was no way that I had all
of this.
This, you know, energy and thispent up angst, like it wasn't
just because I'm like, you know,upset about my life or anything.
It was because there's somethingcalling me for something bigger.
And I was running towards that,even though I didn't know which
direction to run.
(04:32):
So that was kind of, kind of aoverview of how it all, how it
all happened.
Vicki (04:37):
you know, even having the.
I want to say courage, eventhough I know sometimes it
doesn't feel that way, but thecourage to try something new and
then I say again, in quotes,fail at that because it's, I
think failure is always aredirection, but you were just
saying earlier how you were justtrying a bunch of things and
kind of seeing what fit.
(04:58):
So was there something that feltmore.
or authentic to you that waslike, Oh, this clicks now.
Like, this is what I like.
Or, I guess, how did you come tothat moment?
Jennah Lear, Blue Loui St (05:11):
Yeah.
Yeah.
So I wasn't the person thattried like all the different
things like pottery or, youknow, like, uh, you know,
artwork or like, I wasn't thatperson.
I kind of have always been in myrealm of advertising, marketing,
design.
I'm a graphic designer by trade.
Um, but there was this elementof, you know, trying out
different artwork and different,um, different things I was doing
(05:35):
through my jobs.
Right.
And, um, for me, I.
I got into the branding side ofthings because I had always
worked with a company brand.
So I knew like you had to stickwith this.
This is how you like leveragedit, all of that.
But, um, what really, reallyresonated for me was this
particular moment when I joinedthis random program out of
(05:57):
nowhere, it kind of fell fromthe sky.
And it was a bootcamp to learnhow to become an entrepreneur in
90 days, you know, specificallyfor women, I thought, well, I
haven't paid off the first setof loans.
So going back to college andgetting a different degree,
that's not going to work.
So let me try this bootcamp.
Right.
And, um, for me, I, I learnedthrough that program, what it
(06:19):
meant to, um, see women trulywant to support each other.
And I don't think I was everexposed to it to that level
without hidden agendas, withoutlike, you know, all of kind of
the BS were almost taught as, asyoung girls.
Um, and in that program, I sawwomen.
Going to battle for others andtheir dreams and their visions
(06:41):
and not letting them give up ontheir selves themselves.
And owning a business is hard.
You know, like I, I wanted tohelp women grow their brand.
I knew that, but it, for me, itwas like the click was.
Oh, this is what happens whenwomen support each other.
Like it's a whole new world.
I want to be a part of that.
(07:01):
I want to lead that.
I want to be a catalyst forthat.
And so I always knew it wasprobably going to be branding or
design work or something likethat, which I didn't deviate
from much in my career.
Um, but the click and the bigaha was, was that seeing this
world of what happens when womencome together and genuinely
(07:22):
authentically.
Truly want to see each otherwin.
It's the most powerful thing inthe world.
Vicki (07:28):
Yeah, it is.
And it goes against a lot of themessaging that we are bombarded
with, just culturally.
I don't
Jennah Lear, Blue Loui Stu (07:37):
Yes.
Vicki (07:37):
that that's what women to happen throughout time, and it
just kind of evolved in, youknow, the patriarchy, and I
could talk about that forever,but of
Jennah Lear, Blue Loui Stud (07:49):
Oh, yes.
That's a whole road
Vicki (07:51):
Yeah, we could probably spend two hours on that, um, but
I think that's not naturallywhat you hear, or a lot of the
messaging is women are bitches,or we'll go behind your back,
and I think that there are somany communities that have
proven that that's notnecessarily true, that's just
kind of propaganda that we buyinto somewhere along the road,
(08:13):
so I have, I've experienced thesame myself, and I really love
that, and I was inspired By thatsame level of community when I
started my business, too.
So finding it along the way, andI share that with listeners
also, is Seek out your people,seek out your tribe, and know
that they exist everywhere inevery industry and every
(08:34):
community.
you and I have kind of proventhat that exists.
So
Jennah Lear, Blue L (08:39):
Absolutely, absolutely Yeah, absolutely
Community is everything for thisjourney.
So yeah.
Vicki (08:46):
So you've, you've, your business has evolved since you
started and you were, haveworked with so many different
individuals, specifically femalebusiness owners, right, but in
different verticals in differentindustries.
What is something that you knownow about working with these
(09:06):
business owners that maybe youdidn't know then?
Like what has been that Maybe acommon thread in the tapestry of
starting, of watching women growand build their own businesses.
Jennah Lear, Blue Loui St (09:21):
Yeah.
Yeah, I mean, okay So there'salways like a million things I
could say to this right and Icould go down a bunch of
different roads But I kind ofalways answer this question
Coming up for me now and what'scoming up for me now in this
moment and also hindsightlooking back is, um, everything
gets to be rooted inpossibility.
(09:43):
And I think sometimes we forgetthat, like, especially if you're
ambitious, if you're a hardworker, you kind of stick your
head in the sand and you'relike, I'll just build, I'll just
build, I'll just build and it'llbe cool.
Like it'll work and they'll comelike, you know, like I'll have
this successful business.
But possibility is really kindof like that light that keeps it
(10:04):
all together.
If we're not making decisionsbased on what we see possible
for ourselves, if we're notcreating things for our clients
and our customers based on whatwe see possible for them, and
we're not overarching, growing abrand, sharing a message, or
really doing work in the worldas a purpose driven business
owner that's rooted in It maynot be like this now, but here's
(10:28):
what I see possible and how dowe work towards it?
Then that's really what I thinknewer business owners, but what
I would tell, you know, youngself in the beginning, um, to
keep at the forefront.
I've always kind of been thatperson that's been like, you
know, like, imagine this dreambig, always been that type of
person.
Vicki (10:48):
Mm
Jennah Lear, Blue Loui (10:48):
there've been so many times around, like
in my journey where, you know,it goes like this, where it's
like, Possibility gets snuffedout pretty quick when you're hit
with a lot of no's or, you know,you know, wrong turns or
setbacks, which is a part ofbusiness, but how do we keep
possibility at the forefront inthe beginning?
And now eight years into, and Ithink that's the consistent
(11:11):
through line.
Vicki (11:12):
Oh, it's so funny that you would say this because here,
this is my little kind of offroad tidbit, but last night I'm,
I'm a big journaler, love, Ilove to journal and so I decided
to just, whatever journal was inmy room, I decided to just, you
know, jot some notes down orwhatever in it.
So
Jennah Lear, Blue Loui St (11:29):
Yeah.
Vicki (11:29):
it and it's from 2021 and it's funny because it was this
one particular day that wasprobably one of the worst days
in our business.
So we, primary business at thetime was that we own and operate
a food truck and, um, our foodtruck was, was, uh, trapped in a
flash flood, and having neverbeen in a flash flood before, I
(11:51):
didn't know what happens.
Like, I just assume your car isin eight feet of water, it's
completely flooded, your enginewill never run again, and so at
the time I'm writing down like,we have a business.
Like, I want to leave mycorporate job.
How am I going to leave mycorporate job if we don't have
this business?
We're going to have to startover from scratch.
Like, it is every panickedpiece, every little panic like
(12:15):
anecdote you could possiblyimagine of your world crumbling
there's no way out, to, I'mreading it now, almost four
years into the future, andlaughing about it because it was
just one It was a big bump, butit was like one bump along the
way and we figured it out.
We put all the pieces together,but I, I tie that back to your
(12:39):
idea of just overall possibilityand overall belief that things
will work out and having thatvision before anyone else does.
Because if you can't see it, ifyou can't believe it, if you
can't find a way or a solution,You don't have a business.
You don't have
Jennah Lear, Blue Loui St (12:58):
Yeah.
Vicki (12:59):
that will buy from you.
Like you, you can't possibly goon like that.
So
Jennah Lear, Blue Loui St (13:04):
Yeah.
Vicki (13:04):
that strength, which is easier to find when you've done
it for a longer period of time.
But I just, I, it's funnybecause as soon as you said it,
I was like, ooh, that's a littlesynchronicity and I love that.
Jennah Lear, Blue Loui St (13:14):
Yeah.
I love that.
Yeah.
It's interesting.
I think that I just had thisconversation last night too, so
there's definitely a pattern,but this piece of like, um, when
you sign up to be anentrepreneur, you don't sign up
to have it all figured out.
You sign up to find a way.
You sign up to deepen trust inself.
You sign up to literally be aprofessional problem solver.
(13:38):
And I think sometimes we getthat because of course we want
to feel comfortable and we wantthings to feel safe or secure
but That is not this journey.
And so, yeah, you probablylearned so much through that
experience that you look back orcould help someone else navigate
it now.
And I think that's really whatit's about, too, is from a
leadership perspective is beingable to look back and say, I've
(13:59):
been through it.
I can guide you and I cansupport you through it, too.
Vicki (14:03):
Yeah.
Absolutely.
And it's nice to know that thatit exists, you know, and that's
why
Jennah Lear, Blue Loui St (14:07):
Yeah,
Vicki (14:08):
mentors and that community is so important too,
and I've always made that apriority too.
So, um,
Jennah Lear, Blue Loui Stud (14:14):
on.
Vicki (14:15):
to segue a little bit and talk more about you as a brand
strategist and how you guidebusiness owners through owning
their brand, making it somethingthat they are Take care.
earning six figures, potentiallyseven figures and beyond, um,
and where that actually starts.
(14:36):
So this question, and this mightbe a little bit of a loaded
question, but if you had to helpsomeone create a brand in 24
hours with zero budget, soeverything is organic, what
would be a go to strategy orwhere do you start
Jennah Lear, Blue Loui Studi (14:55):
Oh man.
Okay.
Build a brand.
And my, my mind is rapid firing.
So I'm like, well, what are we,what are we after?
Are we after profiting in 24hours?
Are we after this or after that?
But I always start everyone outat the same place because it is
the foundational for all brands.
And so, um, it comes down to,especially within a 24 hour
stretch, are you connected toyour core three?
(15:17):
Do you know why you're the go toexpert for what you have to
offer?
Cause you're not the only one inthe world doing what you're
doing.
So why you.
Do you know who you're talkingto?
Because no, you can't helpeveryone in the world.
So really get clear on who areyour ideal clients who have a
problem that you can solve,right?
Niche, because it's really goingto help you move faster in your
business.
(15:38):
And then three, the third piecein the core three is, um, What
do you believe to be true?
What's your message?
And if you can answer thosethree questions, then you have
the foundation or the start of afoundation for a brand that, um,
you can market anywhere,anytime.
So when I work with clients tohelp them build their brand and
(15:59):
build out their strategies andreally take that step to
attract, you know, their dreamyclients on repeat, um, it's from
this place of, There's not onestrategy that fits all and I
think that lots of people havebuilt businesses on One strategy
right like join a Facebookgroup.
I'll show you how to leverageFacebook groups, right or Host
(16:21):
an event.
I'll show you how to you know,make events your main thing and
I love events I've used that togrow my business, but it's one
client attraction strategy Inthe lineup in the perfect recipe
for my business and building outa true client attraction
strategy plan.
What works for me is not goingto work for you, Vicki, and what
works for you is not going towork for someone else.
(16:42):
And so when I talk to, um,really purpose driven women
entrepreneurs who are on a bigmission, they want to learn how
to consistently attract and theywant to be able to impact more.
Um, it comes back to what's thefoundation.
And, um, Also, how are weputting together the strategies
that are going to work for yourbusiness?
And it's based on this.
(17:02):
I'll give you a little bit of atidbit for our listeners.
It's based on this.
If you know who your dreamingclients are and you know what
they need, then you know wherethey are.
And if you know where they are,you can get in front of them.
And if you have a strong messageand you're rooted in your brand,
all you got to do is get infront of them and serve.
From there you will convert intoclients and customers.
(17:24):
And so it really is simplifyingthis whole marketing strategy
hoopla that I think we sometimesget lost in, especially in the
online world of, um, just makingit really distilled down to the
basics.
And how can you lead thatmovement?
How can you really lead thatmission unapologetically?
So, so yeah.
Vicki (17:44):
I love that.
And so for listeners to know,Jenna runs this really amazing
and it was a small groupintensive and now it's, it's
opened up as a, as a monthlylike strategy group.
Um, but it's called the CASTprogram.
You can talk about that a littlebit more, but I'm, what I wanted
to share is that.
Um, I joined in helping me growdifferent areas of my business.
(18:06):
And so the main crux of it isbuilding a client attraction
strategy that is purposeful, butalso is unique and helps you
build your messaging, createthat foundation.
And what I think is funny is asI was going through it is, um,
and I've talked to otherbusiness owners who have felt
the same.
(18:27):
When you think of brand, youthink of my logo, my colors.
I need
Jennah Lear, Blue Loui St (18:32):
Yeah.
Vicki (18:33):
I need all of these things.
You do not, at least my brain,did not immediately go to the
idea that it's really about youas a business owner, and it's
about your level of service.
when you're working with acustomer.
So what do you want to be knownfor?
Like, what do you want them tocome to you as?
(18:53):
And you were just talking aboutthis.
How do you want to assertyourself as an expert, which is
all rooted in storytelling.
So how are you going to use yourexperience and mix that with the
service that you're providing sothat you can provide know,
whatever your specialty ortalent is to a client or the
world or however, you want tolook at it so I
Jennah Lear, Blue Loui St (19:14):
Yeah.
Oh,
Vicki (19:18):
It's not obvious, and I don't know if you experience the
same when you work with, withpeople who say, I want a brand,
I want a website, and you haveto kind of say, well, what is
the purpose?
Because there's messaging andthere's, you know, certain
things to put in there thataren't about like a color
scheme.
So I'm curious to know what yourthoughts are
Jennah Lear, Blue Loui St (19:38):
yeah.
Yeah.
No, thank you for sharing all ofthat.
And it's true.
And I think this is one of thethings that's still kind of
elusive about building your ownbrand, especially as a small
business owner and entrepreneur.
And it's actually how it allstarted.
I, um, stepping out as a graphicdesigner and, and helping women
with designing their brands,which I still do, but it's not
(19:58):
at the forefront so much anymoreis, And have people come to me
and say, okay, Jenna, I'm readyto take my brand to the next
level.
Um, let's build a website, youknow, I'm ready.
And I'm like, okay, let's do it.
Let's talk about it.
And so, some of the foundationalquestions I would ask is like,
okay, who are we talking to withthis website, right?
Who are we attracting?
Who do we want to convert?
Who are your ideal clients?
(20:18):
What's your message?
What, you know, what is yourexpertise?
How are you positioning yourselfas the go to?
I wasn't getting concreteanswers.
I was getting crickets.
And I don't think there's anyright or wrong for those that
didn't know how to answer thosequestions.
But that told me there is a hugefoundation missing in the brand
building process.
And so that's why I created CASPso that you can really move
(20:40):
through those five steps, whichpeople tend to cherry pick,
right?
This isn't anythingrevolutionary from the
perspective of it's never beendone before, but I think people
cherry pick their marketingalong the way.
Cause you just don't know whatyou don't know.
And so through CASP, I've takenthe key five steps to be able to
get the clarity, build themessage so that you can step out
and also build a clientattraction strategy, but also
(21:03):
when it comes to building awebsite or, you know, marketing
your masterclass.
You always know who you are, whoyou're talking to, and what
problem you're solving for them.
And that is such a big piece ofthe brand process that gets
missed, hence why I created theprogram.
Um, and I often sell it as aclient attraction program and
not a brand program becausethere's still a lot of education
(21:24):
that goes into what is a brand.
Especially for someone whodoesn't have a million dollar
marketing budget, right?
Or who doesn't have thenotoriety of someone like, you
know, like Nike or somethinglike that.
Where do you actually start as abrand?
As an entrepreneur who justknows they want to serve and
they know the magic that they doput out into the world.
And how do you get it out thereand start to attract?
(21:45):
This is how,
Vicki (21:46):
Yeah, amazing, amazing.
So when you, so as you're movingthrough the program, and I know
this because I went through CASTmyself, but when you're moving
through and you think, okay, Iknow who I'm talking to, I have
the right messaging that I wantto include, you were just
talking about That there aredifferent, there's like a
different variety of clientattraction strategies that one
(22:07):
can use.
And so, in, in the spirit ofdemystifying marketing, which is
kind of what we're talking aboutnow, and you saying, I want to
simplify this process.
And I will point out like, Thereason why we probably feel so
confused, like how could it bethis easy to follow these steps
is because we have companieslike Amazon and Nike that have
(22:29):
thousands of people in amarketing department to
overcomplicate the buying
Jennah Lear, Blue Loui Stu (22:34):
yes.
Vicki (22:35):
And we have to remember that, that as entrepreneurs, we
don't have a hundred milliondollar marketing budget, like
some of these.
billionaire corporations, andthat is okay.
And there is so
Jennah Lear, Blue Loui St (22:48):
Yeah.
Vicki (22:48):
can do with free resources and, um, technology
and automation and all of thesedifferent ways that.
You can put your own marketingstrategies together.
So I say that as
Jennah Lear, Blue Loui St (22:59):
Yeah.
Vicki (23:00):
big lean in to how would you advise someone to pick the
right client attractionstrategy, aka, how are you going
to get your product or servicein front of someone?
So how are you going to sellthis and market this
appropriately?
would you educate someone onpicking the right pathway?
Jennah Lear, Blue Loui St (23:20):
Yeah.
Yeah.
It's, it's, it's, I say simplebut take it with a grain of salt
in that you do get to put in thework for it to be simplified for
you.
Right.
Um, but it really comes down.
Vicki (23:30):
what I always say.
It's
Jennah Lear, Blue Loui Stu (23:31):
Yes.
Vicki (23:32):
but not easy.
You still have to work at it.
Jennah Lear, Blue Loui Stu (23:35):
Yes.
A hundred percent that nailedit.
Um, It comes down to who areyour dreamy clients, which is
why I tout niching so much,right?
Like really being intimate withunderstanding who you're
serving, what their problemsare, what solutions they seek,
you know, what, what, what havethey accomplished so far that
they still have yet toaccomplish?
(23:58):
And that doesn't mean you haveto be a coach and work B2B or be
a business coach.
You know, this is any serviceprovider, any product based
business.
You have to know.
What's your ideal clients need?
And if you know what they need,then really the, the, the bridge
in this gap is how can I be theleader to serve them?
(24:20):
Right?
If my clients, for example, youknow, I serve purpose driven
women, entrepreneurs, they'reafter building their brand and,
you know, understandingmarketing or building out client
attraction.
Um, So I'm going to be theleader and I'm going to, you
know, I'm going to not rest onmy laurels and wait for someone
to find me.
I'm going to lead.
I'm going to go out there andI'm going to talk about, Hey, if
(24:41):
you're confused on how to buildout a marketing plan, then come
to this free masterclass.
I will teach you why I can lovewhat I do.
Right.
I have results and I can, I canteach you from, you know, proof
and, and, and results, but also.
I am willing to be the leader tostep out and say, I can help you
because I understand the gapsthat you have.
(25:02):
Why?
Because I understand who you bemostly because I am you a few
steps back, right?
And so that's really it guys isjust really lean into who your
ideal clients and customers are,seek to solve their problem and
be the person that solves itbefore money's involved.
And I said that, right?
(25:23):
Like I give tons of free value,free advice, free training, free
speaking.
And it's because at the end ofthe day, we are building out
that no, like trust factor to beable to say, yeah, I am the go
to expert.
And guess what?
I'm not the go to expert foreveryone.
So if you're resonating withwhat I'm saying, you're
resonating with, you know, whatI'm teaching, then I most likely
(25:44):
am the expert to be able to helpyou.
Um, but I also am being bold andknowing that when I step out and
host that free masterclass.
I get to attract, I get tomarket, I get to sell into it, I
get to enroll into it andwhoever shows up, I trust that
I've done the due diligence inmy marketing and my messaging to
attract the most ideal client soI can serve them nine times out
(26:05):
of ten.
There's usually someone in theroom that says, okay, how do I
move forward with you, Jenna?
How can I sign up for a program?
What do you got?
You know, how can we, how can wekeep going?
And so that's how I think youcan really simplify the process.
Vicki (26:17):
Yeah, I love that.
There's so many nuggets that I,that I want to explore, but I
would just for one, I'm, I'mgonna, I think, summarize what
you're talking about and, and Ithink there was
Jennah Lear, Blue Loui St (26:27):
Sure.
Vicki (26:28):
suggestions in there for the listeners too.
And we're talking about theclient attraction strategies.
We're talking about differentchannels that you can sell or
market your services.
Some of the things Jenna justmentioned are.
Absolutely things that youshould try in your own business,
like hosting that free whichcould be a Zoom call or a
webinar where you're invitingpeople in to learn something
(26:51):
new.
Um, Jenna's done that with howto launch a business or how to
Um, sell new products, launch anew product.
So she is, she truly is themaster at this, which I've
learned so much from her in thepast.
So that's one way she hostsevents, um, podcasts, our client
attraction strategy, that couldbe conversations that we're
(27:12):
having.
And my hope is that anyonelistening takes, it takes, you
know, tips away and says, howcan I implement these things in
my own business?
I'm not charging for this.
I don't want to charge for thisbecause I think that you could.
should be free at its core.
What we're really talking abouttoo, and I, and, um, this is a
(27:33):
good segue, I think, into theSovereign and Sales Conference
that we're hosting and I'mworking with you on in April, is
giving yourself the opportunityto sell.
A more intimate experience toyourself, like to the things
that you are a specialist or anexpert on that should have a
(27:54):
higher price tag so you arealways able to provide free
information and really weshouldn't.
take ourselves that seriouslybecause if there's an answer to
anything we can google it we cango to chat gpt but the
Jennah Lear, Blue Loui St (28:06):
Yeah,
Vicki (28:07):
in my opinion is the um, kind of inner cocktail of what
we bring to the table ourexperience our History our
working with clients or settingup our own businesses.
Those are things that are valuedand can be shared in You know,
maybe a one on one approach or aservice based model, however you
(28:27):
want to set this up.
But I just wanted to be clearthat there's so many different
examples of client attractionstrategies and you can use them
in your business in whatever wayI think makes the most sense.
So fill
Jennah Lear, Blue Loui S (28:40):
right.
Yeah.
Vicki (28:42):
but I just wanted to be
Jennah Lear, Blue Loui St (28:43):
Yeah.
No, it's good.
It's good.
Because I think oftentimes Ihear, well, just, just give me
the solution.
And it's like, I'm not gonnalike promote, go start your own
podcast.
Because if that's not the waythat your ideal audience learns
or receives information, that'snot a good client attraction
strategy for you.
Right.
(29:03):
Or, you know, if, if, you know,your ideal clients, um, are out
of state and you're, you runyour business online and you
attract people from a completelydifferent state, maybe hosting
an event is not the best clientattraction strategy for you.
And so, yeah, to your point,kind of tying these 2 pieces
together is.
Really learn who your idealclients are so that you can pick
(29:24):
the right client attractionstrategy and a little bit of my
soap box and I'll keep thisshort and sweet is, um, know
that you, I always teach clientsand coach clients on two to
three client attractionstrategies, not 20 and also
referrals and networking is onlyone client attraction strategy.
So if that works for you, doubledown on it, but no, it's just
(29:46):
one.
Social media is just one eventsare just one.
And so.
You get to really think outsideof the box, have fun, be
creative, but build your recipeof client attraction strategies
that work.
Yet your idle clients reallytruly need.
And I think that's how you canreally start to lock in the
sustainability of your businessand marketing as a whole as
(30:08):
well.
Vicki (30:09):
I just saw this creator talk about this topic on and I
was like, Oh, this reallyclicks.
I want to hear what you thinkabout it.
So she said.
When she, and I think she, shedid something with marketing, I
can't remember, but she wastalking about how she works with
clients and she asked them, howdo you, what's your number one
way that you get clients?
(30:30):
And she goes, word of, or theclients will respond, word of
mouth.
And she goes, so you are solelyrelying on the story that
someone else tells about you toget a new
Jennah Lear, Blue Loui Stu (30:41):
Yes.
Vicki (30:44):
When you really think about it, that's a scary place
to be.
I mean that, I think that welive in like review hell, and
that's why I think about toolslike Google and Yelp and stuff
that come out.
They're helpful, but ifsomeone's saying, this product
or service or item or whateveris pretty shitty, you are not
there to say, this is what makesit great.
(31:04):
Well, then you have nothingleft.
You have, you don't have thatbasis where you can set the
stage.
You can tell the story andcreate that interest.
So
Jennah Lear, Blue Loui St (31:15):
Yeah.
Vicki (31:16):
think about that?
Is, do you agree?
Do you disagree?
I'm so curious.
Jennah Lear, Blue Loui Studi (31:22):
I, first of all, thank you for
sharing that because I am sopassionate about this piece.
And another reason why I hostthe cast programs, we expand
beyond word of mouth andreferrals because, um, I fully
100 percent believe that if weare relying solely on that, we
are relying on other people togrow our business.
(31:44):
And I don't know about you, but,um, call it a control issue.
Call it just, you know, owningmy own authority.
I don't want to rely on otherpeople to grow my business.
I want to have some, um, youknow, authority, some power,
some control, and also peace ofmind.
And knowing that I know how totake this business to the next
level.
I know how to serve and I knowhow to attract.
(32:07):
And really, if I know thosethings that I know, no matter
what happens with the businessevolution, I can grow it.
Right.
And, um, and I think thatautonomy is the word I was
looking for.
Um, so I think that, you know,creating that autonomy and
taking your power back andmaking some true power moves in
the marketing realm meansstepping outside of relying just
(32:29):
on word of mouth and referrals.
Um, it doesn't mean that they'renot great and they can't work.
It just means.
Um, there's more available foryou.
There's a higher possibility.
Vicki (32:39):
Yeah.
Yeah, I agree.
I'm glad you said that, becauseI think, I, I totally think the
same, and it, and honestly, I'dnever thought about it before,
because you, I think we holdthat at such high regard if
someone will mention our name ina room and say, Jenna did a
really great job, or I lovedworking with Vicki, and this is
what, you know, she brought tothe table.
it's very complimentary, butit's a good reminder that it,
(33:02):
the story doesn't stop there,and we have a
Jennah Lear, Blue Loui Studio (33:05):
A
Vicki (33:06):
to continue to tell our story.
And that's really leaning intothose marketing strategies,
those client attractionstrategies, whatever it is that
we choose.
Jennah Lear, Blue Loui (33:16):
hundred percent.
And I think that's the key tobrand building as well.
To become known as the expert,you got to put yourself out
there.
You have to actually show thatyou are the expert in what you
do.
And so I think strategies andthose, those plans and the
marketing plan, it serves as away to also validate that you
can walk your talk, um, beyondjust looking for a referral.
(33:39):
So yeah, spot on.
Vicki (33:41):
So let's talk about the conference that you're hosting
in just a couple weeks becausethis will come out before so I
just want to, I want to talk
Jennah Lear, Blue Loui Stu (33:50):
Love it.
Vicki (33:51):
and I want you to, I want you to explain where you think
the gap is.
In business owners who say, Iknow I want to make more money
and I know that because I meetwith business owners all the
time when I ask what theirbiggest goal is.
It's I want to make more moneyand I want to spend less time on
my business.
So it's always time.
It's always money.
(34:11):
Um, and then what is that gap inbetween not in the receivership
of that or not feeling like youcan't get to the next level and
how does that relate to thisconference that you're hosting?
Jennah Lear, Blue Loui St (34:25):
Yeah.
Yeah.
So, um, okay.
So first things first, I thinkone of the pieces of advice I
received that I'm forevergrateful for and I want to pay
it forward is if you want abigger business, you get to make
more offers and or raise yourprices.
So, um, so at the end of theday, that's really what it comes
(34:46):
down to.
And I think what I find inmyself too, right?
Like it was an, until I bridgedthis gap that I started to
really shift in making moremoney and, and creating bigger
impact.
And it was learning how to sell.
And there's such resistancearound that.
Cause we don't want to be theicky car salesman, right?
We don't want to push people.
(35:07):
We don't want to, you know, wedon't want to try to convince
people.
And I get those type of likefeelings and the mindset around
that.
And so therefore we're like, youknow, we tell ourselves we're
bad at sales.
Some of that may be true, right?
You know, you, we, we startedour business to work our magic.
And just because we're a greatphotographer or a chef doesn't
(35:28):
always mean we're great atselling.
Um, and so.
It's just like any other skillset until you really put the
time and energy into learning,practicing, failing a little
bit, right?
Um, and then learning from that,um, and getting in the rhythm of
it, you won't get better.
And so for me, I like to kind ofbring it back to like my own
experience, and then how can Ihelp others have the
(35:49):
breakthrough.
Through his iPad.
And so sales and learning deepconnected, deep connection and
sales and learning how to take astand for people and, um, not
leave it at like, no, okay, bye,but go deeper, um, and really
own your leadership around whysomeone's connecting with you as
the expert and how you can helpthem.
(36:10):
This is what sales is.
So selling is serving.
And if I don't sell, I can'tserve.
And if I can't serve, I don'thave a business.
And if I'm not in business, itwould break my heart.
I love helping womenentrepreneurs grow.
And so just like I've learned, Iwant to be able to teach others
on how to sell, sell low ticket,excuse me, sell high ticket and
(36:33):
anything in between.
But at the end of the day.
It's this Vicki, it's shiftingyour relationship with selling
so that you can step out and youcan always be in sales mode
because you're always in servingmode.
And what does that mean to be ahighly generous leader?
That's constantly impactingothers.
(36:53):
That's selling.
That's what I want to teach.
That's what I learned.
It shifted everything for me.
I went from making 40 K a yearto 120 K a year.
And it's with some small shiftsthat you can have this too.
That's why I wanted to createthis event.
Um, and it's an opportunity forus to go deeper on that.
And it is also last piece onthis.
It also is a slightly vulnerabletopic, right?
(37:16):
Um, to put yourself out there inthat way to say like, Hey, this
is, this is what's been, youknow, what I've been doing and
it's not working and really.
Own that, that gap for yourself.
Um, and so when I create events,I created no judgment zone.
I really create a container thatsets the intention that you are
here to grow.
And I also set the intentionthat there are other women in
(37:38):
this room that are here tosupport you and hear you and see
you.
And so you're not just learningmy sales process and some
shifts.
You're also learning how to stepout as a leader and allow
yourself to receive that supportfrom others who are also on this
journey Just like you so I'mreally excited for this event
Yeah,
Vicki (38:01):
to be a part of it because I think that there is,
you can make such an impact inthese conversations and it, I
said this word before, but thatdemystifying the sales process
is you're not selling.
You're, you know, you're notDanny DeVito and Matilda selling
a car that's been slappedtogether with, you know, like,
(38:23):
like a glued on bumper.
You're truly selling somethingthat's transformational.
And again, going back to, like,whether you are a dentist who's
who's fixing someone's smile,whether you are a, um,
hairstylist who's making someonefeel beautiful and amazing so
they can go out and serve theworld, whether you are a coach
(38:43):
who is helping folks throughsome hard times or through some
transformational times.
You know, like, that's what youare always selling, and it's
not, and, and so I, I want tochange, I want to turn that into
a question, um, without givingaway the farm Jenna, like some
pieces of information that thelisteners can take away, what is
(39:04):
the biggest issue that you seebetween them?
Um, within that sales process,is it like handling objections?
Is it not going for the ask?
Is it like not being confidentenough to share the offer?
Like what, what do you see isusually the hardest part for,
we'll use female entrepreneursas our, our, our test group
(39:24):
here, but where are they, wheredo they struggle the most?
Jennah Lear, Blue Loui Studio (39:28):
I mean you hit some of the big
ones right there, so thank youfor sharing that um You know
it's kind of what's coming upfor me is twofold one is
Actually, threefold.
So bear with me.
Um, one in the very first issales and lead generation or
marketing or two differentthings.
And I believe that if we'redoing per the previous like
(39:49):
pieces that we've been talkingabout, we're doing the deeper
work to attract the rightpeople.
Sales is easier because we'vealready got the people who need
us in the room, right?
Or on the call.
So there's the first gap.
So we'll talk a little bit aboutthat.
The second thing that I oftensee is we don't believe this is
true.
Like foundational doctrine thatselling is serving.
(40:11):
So how do we start to shift thatmindset and really embody being
like this, this highly generousleader who is out to make a big
impact and guess what?
You get to make good money withthat too.
You're not running a charity.
You know, this is for profitbusinesses, this event and who I
help.
The third thing is exactly whatyou said.
It's objections.
(40:32):
What I find and what the bigshift for me was is Really
owning that if you come to me Wetalk about what your gaps are
and I say I can help you andthen um I share how I can help
you share the investment and Iget a I don't know or I get some
hesitation or some resistance Meas the leader knowing.
(40:52):
Okay.
I know that we're on this callfor a reason You found your way
to me for a reason, and I'mgoing to be the person, the buck
in the road, if you will, that'sgoing to take a stand for you.
So if you're in resistance forhaving the thing that you said
you need, and I can help youachieve that, then let's talk
about it.
(41:12):
And this could come with The topmain objections, money mindset,
right?
Or just being rooted in like,you know, money scarcity.
Money is a big deal, right?
Time.
Do I have the time for thisshift?
Do I actually want the thingthat I say that I want?
And there's a couple otherobjections that we'll tackle at
the sales workshop day.
(41:33):
But the key piece here with thisthird point, Vicki, and anyone
that's listening is reallyunderstanding that yeah.
You get to be the person thattakes a stand for someone to
believe in themselves and to sayyes to themselves.
And often times I have been, um,my client's first coach.
I'm always honored when theyshare that with me.
And it's usually the scariestyes that they've made in a
(41:57):
while.
Cause it's scary to invest inyourself.
Vicki (42:00):
Yeah.
Jennah Lear, Blue Loui Stud (42:01):
You know, those that are listening,
our product or service space,it's scary to invest in
yourself.
So really having theunderstanding and the
communication nuances is what'sgoing to help shift those nose
to a full body.
Yes, I'm in, how do we getstarted?
And so, um, we'll, we'll tacklethat on that day too.
Vicki (42:18):
oh, I love that, and I think it also applies to so many
different areas, because if
Jennah Lear, Blue Loui Stud (42:25):
Oh, yeah,
Vicki (42:26):
to, if you're afraid to even ask the question or go a
little bit deeper, odds are youhave some difficulty being
vulnerable in other ways.
You know, maybe you, it's withyour partner, or this is
something silly, but I, I talkabout, I've talked about this on
the podcast before, when itcomes to sales, and I've been in
(42:48):
sales for a long time, so I havemore experience, but it doesn't
mean it gets that much easier.
It's not like people slamming adoor in
Jennah Lear, Blue Loui S (42:54):
right.
Vicki (42:54):
or telling you to buzz off is any more fun, even if
you've done it for 10, 50
Jennah Lear, Blue Loui St (43:00):
True.
Vicki (43:01):
like it, no, it doesn't get more enjoyable, but I think
point, Jenna, you're talking tothe right people, the
conversation gets easier becauseyou know that you created a
position for them and an openspace to purchase that product
or service, and if they stillchoose not to.
Yeah, I'll use, you know, Ithink this is a term you always
(43:23):
use, like, light and love, like,you, you know, go and, go and
enjoy your life and I'll be herewhenever you're ready.
It doesn't have to be, uh, sucha hard or harsh conversation.
is something I've mentionedbefore, too, is that I think we
get caught up in the culturalsignificance of sales, the kind
(43:45):
of
Jennah Lear, Blue Loui St (43:45):
Yeah.
Vicki (43:46):
the rudeness, the mass, we lean into the masculine a
little bit too much.
But what I think is reallybeautiful is you're creating
these containers for femalebusiness owners, which is like,
listen up, there's a There arenot new, but there are other
ways to sell your product orservice in a way that if you're
(44:07):
marketing to women, this is howto have those conversations and
these are the things to ask
Jennah Lear, Blue Loui St (44:13):
Yeah.
Vicki (44:13):
is how to handle those objections, which we all can use
a lot more training on that willjust have that trickle down
effect into more areas of ourlives, not just selling it.
our businesses,
Jennah Lear, Blue Loui Studi (44:25):
Oh yeah.
Vicki (44:26):
more authentic conversations and relationships
with the people around us.
So I really think it's useful nomatter what.
Jennah Lear, Blue Loui Stud (44:33):
Oh, absolutely.
And this, you don't have to bein the beginning of your
business for something likethis.
This is something that eightyears in, um, if one of the
mentors that I was following waslike, Hey, there's a sales
workshop coming up.
I'd be there like that.
Right.
Because sales is the lifeline toactually having a profitable
business.
And if this is the gap, let'shandle it.
(44:54):
Right.
So that you can get out thereand serve more.
Um, so, so yeah, this issomething that's going to serve
you in the beginning, in themiddle.
And.
Um, where you're at now, ifyou're a little further along
too.
Vicki (45:05):
Absolutely.
Well, I know we're, we'rewinding down our time together.
So I have just a couple morequestions for you, but I want
to, I want to ask you, what areyou most excited about in 2025
in either calling into yourbusiness or something that you
are doing for yourselfpersonally, which self care is.
The only way.
So I'm just curious.
Jennah Lear, Blue Loui St (45:27):
Yeah.
Yeah.
Well, we just talked about megetting to a beach by the end of
the week.
So I think, I think my self careis, is leaving town in one way
or another, just, you know, kindof change of scenery, you know,
breath of, um, fresh air.
But, um, I think for business,you know, and I'll try to keep
this as short and sweet aspossible, but I have after
(45:49):
seven, eight years, I'veexplored a lot.
I've had a lot of wins.
I've also had a lot of like.
failures that I've learned from,right?
And I finally feel like I'vegotten to a place where I know
my lane in terms of what I feelgood teaching, coaching,
supporting on.
And so for this year, it'salmost like a rebuild for me in
(46:11):
that am I creating somethingcompletely new and having to go
through all the rigmarole of,of, you know, maintaining that
or building it.
No, but what I am creating issomething that I think has an
opportunity to be even biggerthan what I've imagined.
And that's because I've wentthrough all the phases to
understand that like, this is mysweet spot.
(46:34):
So leaning into really expandingthe cast club, which is kind of
like cast 2.
0 that we've talked about sofar.
And what does it look like tojust build this really powerful
network of women entrepreneurs?
Who have marketing and strategyin the gap, but also bigger than
that.
We're just on a really bigmission to grow their brand, get
(46:55):
their message out there.
And I want to lean into the factthat impact and income go hand
in hand.
And so 2025 is really findingthe sea legs around that.
Um, so it feels reallybeautiful.
Vicki (47:09):
That's amazing, Jenna.
I have no
Jennah Lear, Blue Loui St (47:12):
Thank you.
Vicki (47:12):
will accomplish all of that.
Because you, you are that.
You said you are your, you keepyourself as kind of your, uh,
you know, your example or youravatar for the women that you're
marketing to.
And that's exactly you.
You are.
inspirational, you have apurpose driven business, you
help others do it, which is justthat trickle down effect for the
(47:33):
world that we live in.
There needs to be more femaleentrepreneurs.
There needs to be more femaleswho are evangelizing their
message and how they cantransform the world that we live
in.
So I'm so, I'm so glad to knowyou and that that's your mission
for this year.
Jennah Lear, Blue Loui St (47:48):
Thank you.
I appreciate that.
And I'll add this last piece.
Like we need women around usthat remind us we're a big deal
and that's a big piece of thistoo.
So, yeah.
Vicki (47:59):
amen to that.
And then my
Jennah Lear, Blue Loui St (48:01):
Yeah.
Vicki (48:01):
close this out.
If your business had a themesong, what would it be and why?
Jennah Lear, Blue Loui Stu (48:08):
Ooh.
Okay.
I often have thought about this.
So, because when I, when I wouldhost my conferences, I would
always have a walk up song.
Um, and so, yeah.
And so I think the, the songthat I'm really like, hold is
tried and true is, um, QueenHerbie and if you've never heard
(48:30):
of Queen Herbie, go look her up.
She's Um, and she, she speaksinto a lot of things that
entrepreneurs face, specificallywomen.
Um, but she has a song calledvitamins and it is the
embodiment of confidence, takingcare of yourself, being on this
like next level.
You can't mess with me.
I'm on a mission.
(48:51):
And so, yeah, that would be thetheme song.
Vicki (48:54):
I love it.
I don't know Miss Kirby, but Iam gonna look her up
Jennah Lear, Blue Loui St (48:58):
Yeah.
Queen Herbie.
Go look her up.
She's awesome.
Vicki (49:01):
Queen Herbie.
Got it.
Yes.
Okay.
I will be looking up QueenHerbie.
Hello, and welcome to the VickiKotras podcast.
I am your host, none other thanVicki Kotras.
I'm a retired corporate girlytwo times six figure founder
who's obsessed with brandbuilding sales generating and
digital marketing.
My mission with this podcast isto share the lessons I've
learned to help you make moremagic and money with your own
marketing efforts and to feelinspired to continue on your own
(00:28):
journey as a creator andentrepreneur.
Here I'll share real lifestrategies, marketing tips, and
mindset shifts that have helpedme go from cubicle to creator.
This podcast is for businessowners, creatives, or those just
looking for a little moresparkle in their day.
So let's kick off this week'sepisode.
Jennah Lear, Blue Loui Stu (00:48):
love it.
felt like your brand is meh justokay but know it could be
magnetic then this is theepisode for you Joining me today
is Jenna Lear the brilliant mindbehind Blue Louise Studios where
(01:09):
strategy meets design to helpwomen entrepreneurs build brands
that position them as the go toexperts in their field She's all
about crafting brands that don'tjust look good but they work
attracting those dreamy clientsand making sure your business
stands out in all the right waysAnd if that wasn't enough Jenna
recently added publish author toher list of accomplishments with
(01:31):
her 2024 book, market yourmagic, the key steps to building
a brand that attracts a mustread for any entrepreneur ready
to level up their brand game.
So if you are ready to stopplaying small and start showing
up like the expert that you knowwhat you are, then you are in
the right place.
Let's dive in.
Hey, Jenna.
Thanks for joining.
(01:52):
Yeah.
Yeah.
Thanks for having me.
I love it.
I'm so excited.
Vicki (01:56):
Absolutely.
So one of the things that I talka lot about in the podcast And
that long time listeners know isthat I was really focused on
building a creative venture andI let that kind of guide my way
of leaving corporate America andyou have kind of a similar path
where you just stay in it.
(02:16):
felt kind of annoying or tuggingto start your own thing.
So that's going to be my firstquestion to kick it off today.
So you can share a little bitabout your background, but what
was your, I can't do thisanymore moment in corporate
America?
And was it like this slow burnor this nagging, or was it
something like a dramatic, youknow, Jerry Maguire exit for
(02:38):
you?
Jennah Lear, Blue Loui Studio (02:40):
I have had my fair share of Jerry
Maguire exits.
They are epic, but they'reusually, they're usually not,
they're not the, they're not theprettiest.
They're, they're pretty afterthe fact, right?
I make a great story, but, um,you know, I think for me, Vicki,
it's, it was.
Just a combination of so manythings.
And I think the one thing islike, I've always been really
(03:01):
ambitious.
I've always been a hard worker.
I've always thought like, okay,if I just get to college, if I
just get the job, like I'll beable to like, build life on my
terms.
Right.
And.
It didn't end up like being likethat.
And I kept seeing, um, mycolleagues going off and getting
all of these like great jobs andthey're, you know, they're like,
(03:21):
I'm so happy.
I love my work.
And I'm like, what, when does itget to be my turn and being
unapologetic about owning that?
Question for myself, right?
Um, and so for me, I think thebig catalyst was, you know,
Vicki (03:36):
Yeah.
Yeah.
Jennah Lear, Blue Loui Stu (03:50):
this is it.
And just being like, annoyingly,um, resilient and being like, I
will figure this out because atthe end of the day, I think
we're all called for something.
And, um, for me, I knew I wasmeant for more.
I didn't know exactly at thetime what that was in
(04:11):
particular, but I knew thatthere was no way that I had all
of this.
This, you know, energy and thispent up angst, like it wasn't
just because I'm like, you know,upset about my life or anything.
It was because there's somethingcalling me for something bigger.
And I was running towards that,even though I didn't know which
direction to run.
(04:32):
So that was kind of, kind of aoverview of how it all, how it
all happened.
Vicki (04:37):
you know, even having the.
I want to say courage, eventhough I know sometimes it
doesn't feel that way, but thecourage to try something new and
then I say again, in quotes,fail at that because it's, I
think failure is always aredirection, but you were just
saying earlier how you were justtrying a bunch of things and
kind of seeing what fit.
(04:58):
So was there something that feltmore.
or authentic to you that waslike, Oh, this clicks now.
Like, this is what I like.
Or, I guess, how did you come tothat moment?
Jennah Lear, Blue Loui St (05:11):
Yeah.
Yeah.
So I wasn't the person thattried like all the different
things like pottery or, youknow, like, uh, you know,
artwork or like, I wasn't thatperson.
I kind of have always been in myrealm of advertising, marketing,
design.
I'm a graphic designer by trade.
Um, but there was this elementof, you know, trying out
different artwork and different,um, different things I was doing
(05:35):
through my jobs.
Right.
And, um, for me, I.
I got into the branding side ofthings because I had always
worked with a company brand.
So I knew like you had to stickwith this.
This is how you like leveragedit, all of that.
But, um, what really, reallyresonated for me was this
particular moment when I joinedthis random program out of
(05:57):
nowhere, it kind of fell fromthe sky.
And it was a bootcamp to learnhow to become an entrepreneur in
90 days, you know, specificallyfor women, I thought, well, I
haven't paid off the first setof loans.
So going back to college andgetting a different degree,
that's not going to work.
So let me try this bootcamp.
Right.
And, um, for me, I, I learnedthrough that program, what it
(06:19):
meant to, um, see women trulywant to support each other.
And I don't think I was everexposed to it to that level
without hidden agendas, withoutlike, you know, all of kind of
the BS were almost taught as, asyoung girls.
Um, and in that program, I sawwomen.
Going to battle for others andtheir dreams and their visions
(06:41):
and not letting them give up ontheir selves themselves.
And owning a business is hard.
You know, like I, I wanted tohelp women grow their brand.
I knew that, but it, for me, itwas like the click was.
Oh, this is what happens whenwomen support each other.
Like it's a whole new world.
I want to be a part of that.
(07:01):
I want to lead that.
I want to be a catalyst forthat.
And so I always knew it wasprobably going to be branding or
design work or something likethat, which I didn't deviate
from much in my career.
Um, but the click and the bigaha was, was that seeing this
world of what happens when womencome together and genuinely
(07:22):
authentically.
Truly want to see each otherwin.
It's the most powerful thing inthe world.
Vicki (07:28):
Yeah, it is.
And it goes against a lot of themessaging that we are bombarded
with, just culturally.
I don't
Jennah Lear, Blue Loui Stu (07:37):
Yes.
Vicki (07:37):
that that's what women to happen throughout time, and it
just kind of evolved in, youknow, the patriarchy, and I
could talk about that forever,but of
Jennah Lear, Blue Loui Stud (07:49):
Oh, yes.
That's a whole road
Vicki (07:51):
Yeah, we could probably spend two hours on that, um, but
I think that's not naturallywhat you hear, or a lot of the
messaging is women are bitches,or we'll go behind your back,
and I think that there are somany communities that have
proven that that's notnecessarily true, that's just
kind of propaganda that we buyinto somewhere along the road,
(08:13):
so I have, I've experienced thesame myself, and I really love
that, and I was inspired By thatsame level of community when I
started my business, too.
So finding it along the way, andI share that with listeners
also, is Seek out your people,seek out your tribe, and know
that they exist everywhere inevery industry and every
(08:34):
community.
you and I have kind of proventhat that exists.
So
Jennah Lear, Blue L (08:39):
Absolutely, absolutely Yeah, absolutely
Community is everything for thisjourney.
So yeah.
Vicki (08:46):
So you've, you've, your business has evolved since you
started and you were, haveworked with so many different
individuals, specifically femalebusiness owners, right, but in
different verticals in differentindustries.
What is something that you knownow about working with these
(09:06):
business owners that maybe youdidn't know then?
Like what has been that Maybe acommon thread in the tapestry of
starting, of watching women growand build their own businesses.
Jennah Lear, Blue Loui St (09:21):
Yeah.
Yeah, I mean, okay So there'salways like a million things I
could say to this right and Icould go down a bunch of
different roads But I kind ofalways answer this question
Coming up for me now and what'scoming up for me now in this
moment and also hindsightlooking back is, um, everything
gets to be rooted inpossibility.
(09:43):
And I think sometimes we forgetthat, like, especially if you're
ambitious, if you're a hardworker, you kind of stick your
head in the sand and you'relike, I'll just build, I'll just
build, I'll just build and it'llbe cool.
Like it'll work and they'll comelike, you know, like I'll have
this successful business.
But possibility is really kindof like that light that keeps it
(10:04):
all together.
If we're not making decisionsbased on what we see possible
for ourselves, if we're notcreating things for our clients
and our customers based on whatwe see possible for them, and
we're not overarching, growing abrand, sharing a message, or
really doing work in the worldas a purpose driven business
owner that's rooted in It maynot be like this now, but here's
(10:28):
what I see possible and how dowe work towards it?
Then that's really what I thinknewer business owners, but what
I would tell, you know, youngself in the beginning, um, to
keep at the forefront.
I've always kind of been thatperson that's been like, you
know, like, imagine this dreambig, always been that type of
person.
Vicki (10:48):
Mm
Jennah Lear, Blue Loui (10:48):
there've been so many times around, like
in my journey where, you know,it goes like this, where it's
like, Possibility gets snuffedout pretty quick when you're hit
with a lot of no's or, you know,you know, wrong turns or
setbacks, which is a part ofbusiness, but how do we keep
possibility at the forefront inthe beginning?
And now eight years into, and Ithink that's the consistent
(11:11):
through line.
Vicki (11:12):
Oh, it's so funny that you would say this because here,
this is my little kind of offroad tidbit, but last night I'm,
I'm a big journaler, love, Ilove to journal and so I decided
to just, whatever journal was inmy room, I decided to just, you
know, jot some notes down orwhatever in it.
So
Jennah Lear, Blue Loui St (11:29):
Yeah.
Vicki (11:29):
it and it's from 2021 and it's funny because it was this
one particular day that wasprobably one of the worst days
in our business.
So we, primary business at thetime was that we own and operate
a food truck and, um, our foodtruck was, was, uh, trapped in a
flash flood, and having neverbeen in a flash flood before, I
(11:51):
didn't know what happens.
Like, I just assume your car isin eight feet of water, it's
completely flooded, your enginewill never run again, and so at
the time I'm writing down like,we have a business.
Like, I want to leave mycorporate job.
How am I going to leave mycorporate job if we don't have
this business?
We're going to have to startover from scratch.
Like, it is every panickedpiece, every little panic like
(12:15):
anecdote you could possiblyimagine of your world crumbling
there's no way out, to, I'mreading it now, almost four
years into the future, andlaughing about it because it was
just one It was a big bump, butit was like one bump along the
way and we figured it out.
We put all the pieces together,but I, I tie that back to your
(12:39):
idea of just overall possibilityand overall belief that things
will work out and having thatvision before anyone else does.
Because if you can't see it, ifyou can't believe it, if you
can't find a way or a solution,You don't have a business.
You don't have
Jennah Lear, Blue Loui St (12:58):
Yeah.
Vicki (12:59):
that will buy from you.
Like you, you can't possibly goon like that.
So
Jennah Lear, Blue Loui St (13:04):
Yeah.
Vicki (13:04):
that strength, which is easier to find when you've done
it for a longer period of time.
But I just, I, it's funnybecause as soon as you said it,
I was like, ooh, that's a littlesynchronicity and I love that.
Jennah Lear, Blue Loui St (13:14):
Yeah.
I love that.
Yeah.
It's interesting.
I think that I just had thisconversation last night too, so
there's definitely a pattern,but this piece of like, um, when
you sign up to be anentrepreneur, you don't sign up
to have it all figured out.
You sign up to find a way.
You sign up to deepen trust inself.
You sign up to literally be aprofessional problem solver.
(13:38):
And I think sometimes we getthat because of course we want
to feel comfortable and we wantthings to feel safe or secure
but That is not this journey.
And so, yeah, you probablylearned so much through that
experience that you look back orcould help someone else navigate
it now.
And I think that's really whatit's about, too, is from a
leadership perspective is beingable to look back and say, I've
(13:59):
been through it.
I can guide you and I cansupport you through it, too.
Vicki (14:03):
Yeah.
Absolutely.
And it's nice to know that thatit exists, you know, and that's
why
Jennah Lear, Blue Loui St (14:07):
Yeah,
Vicki (14:08):
mentors and that community is so important too,
and I've always made that apriority too.
So, um,
Jennah Lear, Blue Loui Stud (14:14):
on.
Vicki (14:15):
to segue a little bit and talk more about you as a brand
strategist and how you guidebusiness owners through owning
their brand, making it somethingthat they are Take care.
earning six figures, potentiallyseven figures and beyond, um,
and where that actually starts.
(14:36):
So this question, and this mightbe a little bit of a loaded
question, but if you had to helpsomeone create a brand in 24
hours with zero budget, soeverything is organic, what
would be a go to strategy orwhere do you start
Jennah Lear, Blue Loui Studi (14:55):
Oh man.
Okay.
Build a brand.
And my, my mind is rapid firing.
So I'm like, well, what are we,what are we after?
Are we after profiting in 24hours?
Are we after this or after that?
But I always start everyone outat the same place because it is
the foundational for all brands.
And so, um, it comes down to,especially within a 24 hour
stretch, are you connected toyour core three?
(15:17):
Do you know why you're the go toexpert for what you have to
offer?
Cause you're not the only one inthe world doing what you're
doing.
So why you.
Do you know who you're talkingto?
Because no, you can't helpeveryone in the world.
So really get clear on who areyour ideal clients who have a
problem that you can solve,right?
Niche, because it's really goingto help you move faster in your
business.
(15:38):
And then three, the third piecein the core three is, um, What
do you believe to be true?
What's your message?
And if you can answer thosethree questions, then you have
the foundation or the start of afoundation for a brand that, um,
you can market anywhere,anytime.
So when I work with clients tohelp them build their brand and
(15:59):
build out their strategies andreally take that step to
attract, you know, their dreamyclients on repeat, um, it's from
this place of, There's not onestrategy that fits all and I
think that lots of people havebuilt businesses on One strategy
right like join a Facebookgroup.
I'll show you how to leverageFacebook groups, right or Host
(16:21):
an event.
I'll show you how to you know,make events your main thing and
I love events I've used that togrow my business, but it's one
client attraction strategy Inthe lineup in the perfect recipe
for my business and building outa true client attraction
strategy plan.
What works for me is not goingto work for you, Vicki, and what
works for you is not going towork for someone else.
(16:42):
And so when I talk to, um,really purpose driven women
entrepreneurs who are on a bigmission, they want to learn how
to consistently attract and theywant to be able to impact more.
Um, it comes back to what's thefoundation.
And, um, Also, how are weputting together the strategies
that are going to work for yourbusiness?
And it's based on this.
(17:02):
I'll give you a little bit of atidbit for our listeners.
It's based on this.
If you know who your dreamingclients are and you know what
they need, then you know wherethey are.
And if you know where they are,you can get in front of them.
And if you have a strong messageand you're rooted in your brand,
all you got to do is get infront of them and serve.
From there you will convert intoclients and customers.
(17:24):
And so it really is simplifyingthis whole marketing strategy
hoopla that I think we sometimesget lost in, especially in the
online world of, um, just makingit really distilled down to the
basics.
And how can you lead thatmovement?
How can you really lead thatmission unapologetically?
So, so yeah.
Vicki (17:44):
I love that.
And so for listeners to know,Jenna runs this really amazing
and it was a small groupintensive and now it's, it's
opened up as a, as a monthlylike strategy group.
Um, but it's called the CASTprogram.
You can talk about that a littlebit more, but I'm, what I wanted
to share is that.
Um, I joined in helping me growdifferent areas of my business.
(18:06):
And so the main crux of it isbuilding a client attraction
strategy that is purposeful, butalso is unique and helps you
build your messaging, createthat foundation.
And what I think is funny is asI was going through it is, um,
and I've talked to otherbusiness owners who have felt
the same.
(18:27):
When you think of brand, youthink of my logo, my colors.
I need
Jennah Lear, Blue Loui St (18:32):
Yeah.
Vicki (18:33):
I need all of these things.
You do not, at least my brain,did not immediately go to the
idea that it's really about youas a business owner, and it's
about your level of service.
when you're working with acustomer.
So what do you want to be knownfor?
Like, what do you want them tocome to you as?
(18:53):
And you were just talking aboutthis.
How do you want to assertyourself as an expert, which is
all rooted in storytelling.
So how are you going to use yourexperience and mix that with the
service that you're providing sothat you can provide know,
whatever your specialty ortalent is to a client or the
world or however, you want tolook at it so I
Jennah Lear, Blue Loui St (19:14):
Yeah.
Oh,
Vicki (19:18):
It's not obvious, and I don't know if you experience the
same when you work with, withpeople who say, I want a brand,
I want a website, and you haveto kind of say, well, what is
the purpose?
Because there's messaging andthere's, you know, certain
things to put in there thataren't about like a color
scheme.
So I'm curious to know what yourthoughts are
Jennah Lear, Blue Loui St (19:38):
yeah.
Yeah.
No, thank you for sharing all ofthat.
And it's true.
And I think this is one of thethings that's still kind of
elusive about building your ownbrand, especially as a small
business owner and entrepreneur.
And it's actually how it allstarted.
I, um, stepping out as a graphicdesigner and, and helping women
with designing their brands,which I still do, but it's not
(19:58):
at the forefront so much anymoreis, And have people come to me
and say, okay, Jenna, I'm readyto take my brand to the next
level.
Um, let's build a website, youknow, I'm ready.
And I'm like, okay, let's do it.
Let's talk about it.
And so, some of the foundationalquestions I would ask is like,
okay, who are we talking to withthis website, right?
Who are we attracting?
Who do we want to convert?
Who are your ideal clients?
(20:18):
What's your message?
What, you know, what is yourexpertise?
How are you positioning yourselfas the go to?
I wasn't getting concreteanswers.
I was getting crickets.
And I don't think there's anyright or wrong for those that
didn't know how to answer thosequestions.
But that told me there is a hugefoundation missing in the brand
building process.
And so that's why I created CASPso that you can really move
(20:40):
through those five steps, whichpeople tend to cherry pick,
right?
This isn't anythingrevolutionary from the
perspective of it's never beendone before, but I think people
cherry pick their marketingalong the way.
Cause you just don't know whatyou don't know.
And so through CASP, I've takenthe key five steps to be able to
get the clarity, build themessage so that you can step out
and also build a clientattraction strategy, but also
(21:03):
when it comes to building awebsite or, you know, marketing
your masterclass.
You always know who you are, whoyou're talking to, and what
problem you're solving for them.
And that is such a big piece ofthe brand process that gets
missed, hence why I created theprogram.
Um, and I often sell it as aclient attraction program and
not a brand program becausethere's still a lot of education
(21:24):
that goes into what is a brand.
Especially for someone whodoesn't have a million dollar
marketing budget, right?
Or who doesn't have thenotoriety of someone like, you
know, like Nike or somethinglike that.
Where do you actually start as abrand?
As an entrepreneur who justknows they want to serve and
they know the magic that they doput out into the world.
And how do you get it out thereand start to attract?
(21:45):
This is how,
Vicki (21:46):
Yeah, amazing, amazing.
So when you, so as you're movingthrough the program, and I know
this because I went through CASTmyself, but when you're moving
through and you think, okay, Iknow who I'm talking to, I have
the right messaging that I wantto include, you were just
talking about That there aredifferent, there's like a
different variety of clientattraction strategies that one
(22:07):
can use.
And so, in, in the spirit ofdemystifying marketing, which is
kind of what we're talking aboutnow, and you saying, I want to
simplify this process.
And I will point out like, Thereason why we probably feel so
confused, like how could it bethis easy to follow these steps
is because we have companieslike Amazon and Nike that have
(22:29):
thousands of people in amarketing department to
overcomplicate the buying
Jennah Lear, Blue Loui Stu (22:34):
yes.
Vicki (22:35):
And we have to remember that, that as entrepreneurs, we
don't have a hundred milliondollar marketing budget, like
some of these.
billionaire corporations, andthat is okay.
And there is so
Jennah Lear, Blue Loui St (22:48):
Yeah.
Vicki (22:48):
can do with free resources and, um, technology
and automation and all of thesedifferent ways that.
You can put your own marketingstrategies together.
So I say that as
Jennah Lear, Blue Loui St (22:59):
Yeah.
Vicki (23:00):
big lean in to how would you advise someone to pick the
right client attractionstrategy, aka, how are you going
to get your product or servicein front of someone?
So how are you going to sellthis and market this
appropriately?
would you educate someone onpicking the right pathway?
Jennah Lear, Blue Loui St (23:20):
Yeah.
Yeah.
It's, it's, it's, I say simplebut take it with a grain of salt
in that you do get to put in thework for it to be simplified for
you.
Right.
Um, but it really comes down.
Vicki (23:30):
what I always say.
It's
Jennah Lear, Blue Loui Stu (23:31):
Yes.
Vicki (23:32):
but not easy.
You still have to work at it.
Jennah Lear, Blue Loui Stu (23:35):
Yes.
A hundred percent that nailedit.
Um, It comes down to who areyour dreamy clients, which is
why I tout niching so much,right?
Like really being intimate withunderstanding who you're
serving, what their problemsare, what solutions they seek,
you know, what, what, what havethey accomplished so far that
they still have yet toaccomplish?
(23:58):
And that doesn't mean you haveto be a coach and work B2B or be
a business coach.
You know, this is any serviceprovider, any product based
business.
You have to know.
What's your ideal clients need?
And if you know what they need,then really the, the, the bridge
in this gap is how can I be theleader to serve them?
(24:20):
Right?
If my clients, for example, youknow, I serve purpose driven
women, entrepreneurs, they'reafter building their brand and,
you know, understandingmarketing or building out client
attraction.
Um, So I'm going to be theleader and I'm going to, you
know, I'm going to not rest onmy laurels and wait for someone
to find me.
I'm going to lead.
I'm going to go out there andI'm going to talk about, Hey, if
(24:41):
you're confused on how to buildout a marketing plan, then come
to this free masterclass.
I will teach you why I can lovewhat I do.
Right.
I have results and I can, I canteach you from, you know, proof
and, and, and results, but also.
I am willing to be the leader tostep out and say, I can help you
because I understand the gapsthat you have.
(25:02):
Why?
Because I understand who you bemostly because I am you a few
steps back, right?
And so that's really it guys isjust really lean into who your
ideal clients and customers are,seek to solve their problem and
be the person that solves itbefore money's involved.
And I said that, right?
(25:23):
Like I give tons of free value,free advice, free training, free
speaking.
And it's because at the end ofthe day, we are building out
that no, like trust factor to beable to say, yeah, I am the go
to expert.
And guess what?
I'm not the go to expert foreveryone.
So if you're resonating withwhat I'm saying, you're
resonating with, you know, whatI'm teaching, then I most likely
(25:44):
am the expert to be able to helpyou.
Um, but I also am being bold andknowing that when I step out and
host that free masterclass.
I get to attract, I get tomarket, I get to sell into it, I
get to enroll into it andwhoever shows up, I trust that
I've done the due diligence inmy marketing and my messaging to
attract the most ideal client soI can serve them nine times out
(26:05):
of ten.
There's usually someone in theroom that says, okay, how do I
move forward with you, Jenna?
How can I sign up for a program?
What do you got?
You know, how can we, how can wekeep going?
And so that's how I think youcan really simplify the process.
Vicki (26:17):
Yeah, I love that.
There's so many nuggets that I,that I want to explore, but I
would just for one, I'm, I'mgonna, I think, summarize what
you're talking about and, and Ithink there was
Jennah Lear, Blue Loui St (26:27):
Sure.
Vicki (26:28):
suggestions in there for the listeners too.
And we're talking about theclient attraction strategies.
We're talking about differentchannels that you can sell or
market your services.
Some of the things Jenna justmentioned are.
Absolutely things that youshould try in your own business,
like hosting that free whichcould be a Zoom call or a
webinar where you're invitingpeople in to learn something
(26:51):
new.
Um, Jenna's done that with howto launch a business or how to
Um, sell new products, launch anew product.
So she is, she truly is themaster at this, which I've
learned so much from her in thepast.
So that's one way she hostsevents, um, podcasts, our client
attraction strategy, that couldbe conversations that we're
(27:12):
having.
And my hope is that anyonelistening takes, it takes, you
know, tips away and says, howcan I implement these things in
my own business?
I'm not charging for this.
I don't want to charge for thisbecause I think that you could.
should be free at its core.
What we're really talking abouttoo, and I, and, um, this is a
(27:33):
good segue, I think, into theSovereign and Sales Conference
that we're hosting and I'mworking with you on in April, is
giving yourself the opportunityto sell.
A more intimate experience toyourself, like to the things
that you are a specialist or anexpert on that should have a
(27:54):
higher price tag so you arealways able to provide free
information and really weshouldn't.
take ourselves that seriouslybecause if there's an answer to
anything we can google it we cango to chat gpt but the
Jennah Lear, Blue Loui St (28:06):
Yeah,
Vicki (28:07):
in my opinion is the um, kind of inner cocktail of what
we bring to the table ourexperience our History our
working with clients or settingup our own businesses.
Those are things that are valuedand can be shared in You know,
maybe a one on one approach or aservice based model, however you
(28:27):
want to set this up.
But I just wanted to be clearthat there's so many different
examples of client attractionstrategies and you can use them
in your business in whatever wayI think makes the most sense.
So fill
Jennah Lear, Blue Loui S (28:40):
right.
Yeah.
Vicki (28:42):
but I just wanted to be
Jennah Lear, Blue Loui St (28:43):
Yeah.
No, it's good.
It's good.
Because I think oftentimes Ihear, well, just, just give me
the solution.
And it's like, I'm not gonnalike promote, go start your own
podcast.
Because if that's not the waythat your ideal audience learns
or receives information, that'snot a good client attraction
strategy for you.
Right.
(29:03):
Or, you know, if, if, you know,your ideal clients, um, are out
of state and you're, you runyour business online and you
attract people from a completelydifferent state, maybe hosting
an event is not the best clientattraction strategy for you.
And so, yeah, to your point,kind of tying these 2 pieces
together is.
Really learn who your idealclients are so that you can pick
(29:24):
the right client attractionstrategy and a little bit of my
soap box and I'll keep thisshort and sweet is, um, know
that you, I always teach clientsand coach clients on two to
three client attractionstrategies, not 20 and also
referrals and networking is onlyone client attraction strategy.
So if that works for you, doubledown on it, but no, it's just
(29:46):
one.
Social media is just one eventsare just one.
And so.
You get to really think outsideof the box, have fun, be
creative, but build your recipeof client attraction strategies
that work.
Yet your idle clients reallytruly need.
And I think that's how you canreally start to lock in the
sustainability of your businessand marketing as a whole as
(30:08):
well.
Vicki (30:09):
I just saw this creator talk about this topic on and I
was like, Oh, this reallyclicks.
I want to hear what you thinkabout it.
So she said.
When she, and I think she, shedid something with marketing, I
can't remember, but she wastalking about how she works with
clients and she asked them, howdo you, what's your number one
way that you get clients?
(30:30):
And she goes, word of, or theclients will respond, word of
mouth.
And she goes, so you are solelyrelying on the story that
someone else tells about you toget a new
Jennah Lear, Blue Loui Stu (30:41):
Yes.
Vicki (30:44):
When you really think about it, that's a scary place
to be.
I mean that, I think that welive in like review hell, and
that's why I think about toolslike Google and Yelp and stuff
that come out.
They're helpful, but ifsomeone's saying, this product
or service or item or whateveris pretty shitty, you are not
there to say, this is what makesit great.
(31:04):
Well, then you have nothingleft.
You have, you don't have thatbasis where you can set the
stage.
You can tell the story andcreate that interest.
So
Jennah Lear, Blue Loui St (31:15):
Yeah.
Vicki (31:16):
think about that?
Is, do you agree?
Do you disagree?
I'm so curious.
Jennah Lear, Blue Loui Studi (31:22):
I, first of all, thank you for
sharing that because I am sopassionate about this piece.
And another reason why I hostthe cast programs, we expand
beyond word of mouth andreferrals because, um, I fully
100 percent believe that if weare relying solely on that, we
are relying on other people togrow our business.
(31:44):
And I don't know about you, but,um, call it a control issue.
Call it just, you know, owningmy own authority.
I don't want to rely on otherpeople to grow my business.
I want to have some, um, youknow, authority, some power,
some control, and also peace ofmind.
And knowing that I know how totake this business to the next
level.
I know how to serve and I knowhow to attract.
(32:07):
And really, if I know thosethings that I know, no matter
what happens with the businessevolution, I can grow it.
Right.
And, um, and I think thatautonomy is the word I was
looking for.
Um, so I think that, you know,creating that autonomy and
taking your power back andmaking some true power moves in
the marketing realm meansstepping outside of relying just
(32:29):
on word of mouth and referrals.
Um, it doesn't mean that they'renot great and they can't work.
It just means.
Um, there's more available foryou.
There's a higher possibility.
Vicki (32:39):
Yeah.
Yeah, I agree.
I'm glad you said that, becauseI think, I, I totally think the
same, and it, and honestly, I'dnever thought about it before,
because you, I think we holdthat at such high regard if
someone will mention our name ina room and say, Jenna did a
really great job, or I lovedworking with Vicki, and this is
what, you know, she brought tothe table.
it's very complimentary, butit's a good reminder that it,
(33:02):
the story doesn't stop there,and we have a
Jennah Lear, Blue Loui Studio (33:05):
A
Vicki (33:06):
to continue to tell our story.
And that's really leaning intothose marketing strategies,
those client attractionstrategies, whatever it is that
we choose.
Jennah Lear, Blue Loui (33:16):
hundred percent.
And I think that's the key tobrand building as well.
To become known as the expert,you got to put yourself out
there.
You have to actually show thatyou are the expert in what you
do.
And so I think strategies andthose, those plans and the
marketing plan, it serves as away to also validate that you
can walk your talk, um, beyondjust looking for a referral.
(33:39):
So yeah, spot on.
Vicki (33:41):
So let's talk about the conference that you're hosting
in just a couple weeks becausethis will come out before so I
just want to, I want to talk
Jennah Lear, Blue Loui Stu (33:50):
Love it.
Vicki (33:51):
and I want you to, I want you to explain where you think
the gap is.
In business owners who say, Iknow I want to make more money
and I know that because I meetwith business owners all the
time when I ask what theirbiggest goal is.
It's I want to make more moneyand I want to spend less time on
my business.
So it's always time.
It's always money.
(34:11):
Um, and then what is that gap inbetween not in the receivership
of that or not feeling like youcan't get to the next level and
how does that relate to thisconference that you're hosting?
Jennah Lear, Blue Loui St (34:25):
Yeah.
Yeah.
So, um, okay.
So first things first, I thinkone of the pieces of advice I
received that I'm forevergrateful for and I want to pay
it forward is if you want abigger business, you get to make
more offers and or raise yourprices.
So, um, so at the end of theday, that's really what it comes
(34:46):
down to.
And I think what I find inmyself too, right?
Like it was an, until I bridgedthis gap that I started to
really shift in making moremoney and, and creating bigger
impact.
And it was learning how to sell.
And there's such resistancearound that.
Cause we don't want to be theicky car salesman, right?
We don't want to push people.
(35:07):
We don't want to, you know, wedon't want to try to convince
people.
And I get those type of likefeelings and the mindset around
that.
And so therefore we're like, youknow, we tell ourselves we're
bad at sales.
Some of that may be true, right?
You know, you, we, we startedour business to work our magic.
And just because we're a greatphotographer or a chef doesn't
(35:28):
always mean we're great atselling.
Um, and so.
It's just like any other skillset until you really put the
time and energy into learning,practicing, failing a little
bit, right?
Um, and then learning from that,um, and getting in the rhythm of
it, you won't get better.
And so for me, I like to kind ofbring it back to like my own
experience, and then how can Ihelp others have the
(35:49):
breakthrough.
Through his iPad.
And so sales and learning deepconnected, deep connection and
sales and learning how to take astand for people and, um, not
leave it at like, no, okay, bye,but go deeper, um, and really
own your leadership around whysomeone's connecting with you as
the expert and how you can helpthem.
(36:10):
This is what sales is.
So selling is serving.
And if I don't sell, I can'tserve.
And if I can't serve, I don'thave a business.
And if I'm not in business, itwould break my heart.
I love helping womenentrepreneurs grow.
And so just like I've learned, Iwant to be able to teach others
on how to sell, sell low ticket,excuse me, sell high ticket and
(36:33):
anything in between.
But at the end of the day.
It's this Vicki, it's shiftingyour relationship with selling
so that you can step out and youcan always be in sales mode
because you're always in servingmode.
And what does that mean to be ahighly generous leader?
That's constantly impactingothers.
(36:53):
That's selling.
That's what I want to teach.
That's what I learned.
It shifted everything for me.
I went from making 40 K a yearto 120 K a year.
And it's with some small shiftsthat you can have this too.
That's why I wanted to createthis event.
Um, and it's an opportunity forus to go deeper on that.
And it is also last piece onthis.
It also is a slightly vulnerabletopic, right?
(37:16):
Um, to put yourself out there inthat way to say like, Hey, this
is, this is what's been, youknow, what I've been doing and
it's not working and really.
Own that, that gap for yourself.
Um, and so when I create events,I created no judgment zone.
I really create a container thatsets the intention that you are
here to grow.
And I also set the intentionthat there are other women in
(37:38):
this room that are here tosupport you and hear you and see
you.
And so you're not just learningmy sales process and some
shifts.
You're also learning how to stepout as a leader and allow
yourself to receive that supportfrom others who are also on this
journey Just like you so I'mreally excited for this event
Yeah,
Vicki (38:01):
to be a part of it because I think that there is,
you can make such an impact inthese conversations and it, I
said this word before, but thatdemystifying the sales process
is you're not selling.
You're, you know, you're notDanny DeVito and Matilda selling
a car that's been slappedtogether with, you know, like,
(38:23):
like a glued on bumper.
You're truly selling somethingthat's transformational.
And again, going back to, like,whether you are a dentist who's
who's fixing someone's smile,whether you are a, um,
hairstylist who's making someonefeel beautiful and amazing so
they can go out and serve theworld, whether you are a coach
(38:43):
who is helping folks throughsome hard times or through some
transformational times.
You know, like, that's what youare always selling, and it's
not, and, and so I, I want tochange, I want to turn that into
a question, um, without givingaway the farm Jenna, like some
pieces of information that thelisteners can take away, what is
(39:04):
the biggest issue that you seebetween them?
Um, within that sales process,is it like handling objections?
Is it not going for the ask?
Is it like not being confidentenough to share the offer?
Like what, what do you see isusually the hardest part for,
we'll use female entrepreneursas our, our, our test group
(39:24):
here, but where are they, wheredo they struggle the most?
Jennah Lear, Blue Loui Studio (39:28):
I mean you hit some of the big
ones right there, so thank youfor sharing that um You know
it's kind of what's coming upfor me is twofold one is
Actually, threefold.
So bear with me.
Um, one in the very first issales and lead generation or
marketing or two differentthings.
And I believe that if we'redoing per the previous like
(39:49):
pieces that we've been talkingabout, we're doing the deeper
work to attract the rightpeople.
Sales is easier because we'vealready got the people who need
us in the room, right?
Or on the call.
So there's the first gap.
So we'll talk a little bit aboutthat.
The second thing that I oftensee is we don't believe this is
true.
Like foundational doctrine thatselling is serving.
(40:11):
So how do we start to shift thatmindset and really embody being
like this, this highly generousleader who is out to make a big
impact and guess what?
You get to make good money withthat too.
You're not running a charity.
You know, this is for profitbusinesses, this event and who I
help.
The third thing is exactly whatyou said.
It's objections.
(40:32):
What I find and what the bigshift for me was is Really
owning that if you come to me Wetalk about what your gaps are
and I say I can help you andthen um I share how I can help
you share the investment and Iget a I don't know or I get some
hesitation or some resistance Meas the leader knowing.
(40:52):
Okay.
I know that we're on this callfor a reason You found your way
to me for a reason, and I'mgoing to be the person, the buck
in the road, if you will, that'sgoing to take a stand for you.
So if you're in resistance forhaving the thing that you said
you need, and I can help youachieve that, then let's talk
about it.
(41:12):
And this could come with The topmain objections, money mindset,
right?
Or just being rooted in like,you know, money scarcity.
Money is a big deal, right?
Time.
Do I have the time for thisshift?
Do I actually want the thingthat I say that I want?
And there's a couple otherobjections that we'll tackle at
the sales workshop day.
(41:33):
But the key piece here with thisthird point, Vicki, and anyone
that's listening is reallyunderstanding that yeah.
You get to be the person thattakes a stand for someone to
believe in themselves and to sayyes to themselves.
And often times I have been, um,my client's first coach.
I'm always honored when theyshare that with me.
And it's usually the scariestyes that they've made in a
(41:57):
while.
Cause it's scary to invest inyourself.
Vicki (42:00):
Yeah.
Jennah Lear, Blue Loui Stud (42:01):
You know, those that are listening,
our product or service space,it's scary to invest in
yourself.
So really having theunderstanding and the
communication nuances is what'sgoing to help shift those nose
to a full body.
Yes, I'm in, how do we getstarted?
And so, um, we'll, we'll tacklethat on that day too.
Vicki (42:18):
oh, I love that, and I think it also applies to so many
different areas, because if
Jennah Lear, Blue Loui Stud (42:25):
Oh, yeah,
Vicki (42:26):
to, if you're afraid to even ask the question or go a
little bit deeper, odds are youhave some difficulty being
vulnerable in other ways.
You know, maybe you, it's withyour partner, or this is
something silly, but I, I talkabout, I've talked about this on
the podcast before, when itcomes to sales, and I've been in
(42:48):
sales for a long time, so I havemore experience, but it doesn't
mean it gets that much easier.
It's not like people slamming adoor in
Jennah Lear, Blue Loui S (42:54):
right.
Vicki (42:54):
or telling you to buzz off is any more fun, even if
you've done it for 10, 50
Jennah Lear, Blue Loui St (43:00):
True.
Vicki (43:01):
like it, no, it doesn't get more enjoyable, but I think
point, Jenna, you're talking tothe right people, the
conversation gets easier becauseyou know that you created a
position for them and an openspace to purchase that product
or service, and if they stillchoose not to.
Yeah, I'll use, you know, Ithink this is a term you always
(43:23):
use, like, light and love, like,you, you know, go and, go and
enjoy your life and I'll be herewhenever you're ready.
It doesn't have to be, uh, sucha hard or harsh conversation.
is something I've mentionedbefore, too, is that I think we
get caught up in the culturalsignificance of sales, the kind
(43:45):
of
Jennah Lear, Blue Loui St (43:45):
Yeah.
Vicki (43:46):
the rudeness, the mass, we lean into the masculine a
little bit too much.
But what I think is reallybeautiful is you're creating
these containers for femalebusiness owners, which is like,
listen up, there's a There arenot new, but there are other
ways to sell your product orservice in a way that if you're
(44:07):
marketing to women, this is howto have those conversations and
these are the things to ask
Jennah Lear, Blue Loui St (44:13):
Yeah.
Vicki (44:13):
is how to handle those objections, which we all can use
a lot more training on that willjust have that trickle down
effect into more areas of ourlives, not just selling it.
our businesses,
Jennah Lear, Blue Loui Studi (44:25):
Oh yeah.
Vicki (44:26):
more authentic conversations and relationships
with the people around us.
So I really think it's useful nomatter what.
Jennah Lear, Blue Loui Stud (44:33):
Oh, absolutely.
And this, you don't have to bein the beginning of your
business for something likethis.
This is something that eightyears in, um, if one of the
mentors that I was following waslike, Hey, there's a sales
workshop coming up.
I'd be there like that.
Right.
Because sales is the lifeline toactually having a profitable
business.
And if this is the gap, let'shandle it.
(44:54):
Right.
So that you can get out thereand serve more.
Um, so, so yeah, this issomething that's going to serve
you in the beginning, in themiddle.
And.
Um, where you're at now, ifyou're a little further along
too.
Vicki (45:05):
Absolutely.
Well, I know we're, we'rewinding down our time together.
So I have just a couple morequestions for you, but I want
to, I want to ask you, what areyou most excited about in 2025
in either calling into yourbusiness or something that you
are doing for yourselfpersonally, which self care is.
The only way.
So I'm just curious.
Jennah Lear, Blue Loui St (45:27):
Yeah.
Yeah.
Well, we just talked about megetting to a beach by the end of
the week.
So I think, I think my self careis, is leaving town in one way
or another, just, you know, kindof change of scenery, you know,
breath of, um, fresh air.
But, um, I think for business,you know, and I'll try to keep
this as short and sweet aspossible, but I have after
(45:49):
seven, eight years, I'veexplored a lot.
I've had a lot of wins.
I've also had a lot of like.
failures that I've learned from,right?
And I finally feel like I'vegotten to a place where I know
my lane in terms of what I feelgood teaching, coaching,
supporting on.
And so for this year, it'salmost like a rebuild for me in
(46:11):
that am I creating somethingcompletely new and having to go
through all the rigmarole of,of, you know, maintaining that
or building it.
No, but what I am creating issomething that I think has an
opportunity to be even biggerthan what I've imagined.
And that's because I've wentthrough all the phases to
understand that like, this is mysweet spot.
(46:34):
So leaning into really expandingthe cast club, which is kind of
like cast 2.
0 that we've talked about sofar.
And what does it look like tojust build this really powerful
network of women entrepreneurs?
Who have marketing and strategyin the gap, but also bigger than
that.
We're just on a really bigmission to grow their brand, get
(46:55):
their message out there.
And I want to lean into the factthat impact and income go hand
in hand.
And so 2025 is really findingthe sea legs around that.
Um, so it feels reallybeautiful.
Vicki (47:09):
That's amazing, Jenna.
I have no
Jennah Lear, Blue Loui St (47:12):
Thank you.
Vicki (47:12):
will accomplish all of that.
Because you, you are that.
You said you are your, you keepyourself as kind of your, uh,
you know, your example or youravatar for the women that you're
marketing to.
And that's exactly you.
You are.
inspirational, you have apurpose driven business, you
help others do it, which is justthat trickle down effect for the
(47:33):
world that we live in.
There needs to be more femaleentrepreneurs.
There needs to be more femaleswho are evangelizing their
message and how they cantransform the world that we live
in.
So I'm so, I'm so glad to knowyou and that that's your mission
for this year.
Jennah Lear, Blue Loui St (47:48):
Thank you.
I appreciate that.
And I'll add this last piece.
Like we need women around usthat remind us we're a big deal
and that's a big piece of thistoo.
So, yeah.
Vicki (47:59):
amen to that.
And then my
Jennah Lear, Blue Loui St (48:01):
Yeah.
Vicki (48:01):
close this out.
If your business had a themesong, what would it be and why?
Jennah Lear, Blue Loui Stu (48:08):
Ooh.
Okay.
I often have thought about this.
So, because when I, when I wouldhost my conferences, I would
always have a walk up song.
Um, and so, yeah.
And so I think the, the songthat I'm really like, hold is
tried and true is, um, QueenHerbie and if you've never heard
(48:30):
of Queen Herbie, go look her up.
She's Um, and she, she speaksinto a lot of things that
entrepreneurs face, specificallywomen.
Um, but she has a song calledvitamins and it is the
embodiment of confidence, takingcare of yourself, being on this
like next level.
You can't mess with me.
I'm on a mission.
(48:51):
And so, yeah, that would be thetheme song.
Vicki (48:54):
I love it.
I don't know Miss Kirby, but Iam gonna look her up
Jennah Lear, Blue Loui St (48:58):
Yeah.
Queen Herbie.
Go look her up.
She's awesome.
Vicki (49:01):
Queen Herbie.
Got it.
Yes.
Okay.
I will be looking up QueenHerbie.
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