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Prompts Used

Prompt 1: Context Setup

You are an expert data extractor tasked with analyzing a podcast transcript. 
I will provide you with part 1 of 1 from a podcast transcript. 
I will then ask you to extract different types of information from this content in subsequent messages. Please confirm you have received and understood the transcript content.

Transcript section:
[00:00:00.240 --> 00:00:05.600] What if your business had a 24-7 sales and marketing team without the overhead?
[00:00:05.600 --> 00:00:07.200] Here's why that matters.
[00:00:07.200 --> 00:00:10.800] 78% of leads go with the first responder.
[00:00:10.800 --> 00:00:16.400] The odds of qualifying a lead drop by 80% after 5 minutes.
[00:00:16.400 --> 00:00:20.560] Only 27% of leads are contacted by a sales rep.
[00:00:20.880 --> 00:00:26.560] 63% of companies take longer than an hour to respond to new inquiries.
[00:00:26.560 --> 00:00:30.560] And 50% of sales go to the vendor that responds first.
[00:00:30.560 --> 00:00:37.440] Businesses that use AI for lead response see a 67% increase in conversion rates.
[00:00:37.440 --> 00:00:47.040] AI-powered chat increases sales by 30%, and companies using AI also reduce customer support costs by 30%.
[00:00:47.040 --> 00:00:52.560] And automated follow-ups can boost lead engagement by 50% or more.
[00:00:52.560 --> 00:00:58.160] And that's why I built an AI automation agency called LeadLoops.pro.
[00:00:58.160 --> 00:01:12.160] LeadLoops texts new leads instantly, follows up after hours, reconnects old contacts, handles Google reviews, recovers abandoned carts, and even a voice bot that answers calls.
[00:01:12.160 --> 00:01:15.600] Basically, it's a tiny army that never sleeps.
[00:01:15.600 --> 00:01:19.280] You can learn more at leadloops.pro.
[00:01:19.280 --> 00:01:27.360] The other thing I want to tell you about is I'm now offering a free marketing report at getafreemarketingreport.com.
[00:01:27.360 --> 00:01:37.600] All you have to do is give me your business information and I check your online presence and send a detailed report in a day or two showing what's working and what to improve.
[00:01:37.600 --> 00:01:42.800] Again, that's at getafree marketingreport.com.
[00:01:42.800 --> 00:01:45.520] Welcome to the FrugalPreneur podcast.
[00:01:45.520 --> 00:01:46.880] I am your host, Sarah St.
[00:01:46.960 --> 00:01:47.600] John.
[00:01:47.600 --> 00:02:05.880] This episode is what I refer to as a showcase episode, where I feature a bootstrapped entrepreneur and they briefly share their tips, tricks, tactics, techniques, and tools that help them bootstrap their business and the successes and failures along the way.
[00:01:59.680 --> 00:02:16.520] My hope is that each of these showcase episodes will provide at least one valuable takeaway that you can implement right away in your own bootstrap business journey.
[00:02:16.520 --> 00:02:18.040] Now, on to the episode.
[00:02:18.040 --> 00:02:19.640] My name is Marianne Saint.
[00:02:19.800 --> 00:02:29.800] I am a marketing consultant for business owners and creatives that want to simplify their business, make more money, and live a better life.
[00:02:30.120 --> 00:02:33.160] I started my corporate career after grad school.
[00:02:33.160 --> 00:02:35.880] I got my MBA and then I started working in the corporate world.
[00:02:35.880 --> 00:02:42.920] I was in the insurance industry and I was working with agency owners and their teams, telling them, hey, this is what corporate wants you to do.
[00:02:42.920 --> 00:02:43.720] This is the thing.
[00:02:43.880 --> 00:02:45.560] It's going to help you grow your business.
[00:02:45.560 --> 00:02:52.760] And what I realized is that, man, I'm working with a lot of older men and they have been successful in their careers.
[00:02:52.760 --> 00:02:57.320] And now they're trying this new venture, but they really have a lot of stuff together.
[00:02:57.320 --> 00:03:02.680] And I should be bringing something to the table that's more than just, hey, corporate said you should do this.
[00:03:02.680 --> 00:03:06.120] So during that time, I had started in photography with my creative outlet.
[00:03:06.120 --> 00:03:16.680] And I realized that I could use that as a business venture to test them ideas on the side, marketing, sales, all that sort of thing, put a lot of the stuff that I was teaching into practice.
[00:03:16.680 --> 00:03:18.200] And that just exploded.
[00:03:18.200 --> 00:03:19.720] It continued to grow.
[00:03:19.720 --> 00:03:24.440] So in 2020, when Austin had done a big corporate restructuring, I decided, you know what, now is the time.
[00:03:24.440 --> 00:03:26.280] I'm going to take it full-time.
[00:03:26.280 --> 00:03:32.280] And then in 2022, I moved the photography studio from Hawaii to Dallas.
[00:03:32.280 --> 00:03:41.240] During that period of time, too, I had just been helping other business owners on the side, just word of mouth, with their systems and processes.
[00:03:41.240 --> 00:03:47.840] And if you can get your business foundation into place, then you can just really grow everything so much better.
[00:03:47.840 --> 00:03:52.560] And so, after working with so many people, just as they came along, I decided, you know what?
[00:03:52.560 --> 00:03:54.560] I'm going to start my sales and marketing agency.
[00:03:54.560 --> 00:03:58.000] We have a good thing going here, and I need to spread the word to more people.
[00:03:58.000 --> 00:04:01.040] And this year, we launched Agency Ignite also.
[00:04:01.040 --> 00:04:04.640] Making sure that your financial position is in order is really important.
[00:04:04.640 --> 00:04:07.040] And I have not always been the best at that.
[00:04:07.040 --> 00:04:12.160] So don't think that I have all the answers more so that I've made all the mistakes.
[00:04:12.160 --> 00:04:18.960] So if you want to bootstrap your business, I do think it's important for you to be running two things at the same time.
[00:04:18.960 --> 00:04:28.800] So if that means getting a boring job, working for somebody else, but it's reliable and it's steady, you can still work on your business on nights and weekends.
[00:04:28.800 --> 00:04:30.320] You can wake up early.
[00:04:30.320 --> 00:04:32.720] All this extra work is going to build dedication.
[00:04:32.720 --> 00:04:37.600] And I think it's really important to try to reduce financial stress as much as possible.
[00:04:37.600 --> 00:04:42.320] If you can pay your bills, if you have a roof over your head, it's just going to help that much more.
[00:04:42.640 --> 00:04:49.280] You still are going to have, probably, have stressed from long days, nights, and weekends, that sort of thing.
[00:04:49.280 --> 00:04:50.880] You're going to have to say no to more things.
[00:04:50.880 --> 00:04:52.640] You're not going to be able to go out like before.
[00:04:52.640 --> 00:04:59.920] You probably really should save money, but this is what's going to allow you to grow your business and eventually live the life that you want.
[00:04:59.920 --> 00:05:18.640] So, my biggest thing: get something else on the side, be really frugal, know that it's going to be a little bit of a grind for a while, and just know that on the other side, you're going to have a business you love, but more importantly, you're going to have built the dedication and discipline in your own life that's really going to set you up for success forevermore.
[00:05:19.280 --> 00:05:27.200] Sweet Dash is the ultimate all-in-one business software platform designed to simplify your operations and supercharge your growth.
[00:05:27.200 --> 00:05:44.360] Say goodbye to Tech Tool Overload and hello to a single unified system that handles CRM, proposals, scheduling, contracts, invoicing, subscriptions, project management, client portals, file sharing, and marketing, all in one place.
[00:05:44.360 --> 00:05:50.920] With Sweet Dash, you'll enjoy one login to streamline your business, saving you time and sanity.
[00:05:50.920 --> 00:05:57.080] No code automations that put your business on autopilot by slashing manual tasks.
[00:05:57.080 --> 00:06:01.080] The roll kicker, unlimited users and clients.
[00:06:01.080 --> 00:06:06.920] This means you can invite your team, clients, and contractors without worrying about extra fees.
[00:06:06.920 --> 00:06:10.600] But Sweet Dash isn't just about software, it's about community.
[00:06:10.600 --> 00:06:15.080] Their roadmap thrives on user feedback and live support sessions.
[00:06:15.080 --> 00:06:18.440] Ensure you're never alone on your journey to success.
[00:06:18.440 --> 00:06:29.080] Trusted by tens of thousands of small businesses with over a thousand glowing five-star reviews on Captera and G2, Sweet Dash is a platform you've been waiting for.
[00:06:29.080 --> 00:06:34.040] You can try it free, no credit card required, at sweetdash.com.
[00:06:34.040 --> 00:06:39.960] That's S-U-I-T-E-D-A-S-H dot com.
[00:06:39.960 --> 00:06:46.920] Sweet Dash, one login, one platform, one low price, unlimited potential.
[00:06:47.240 --> 00:06:54.840] My business's biggest success was being smart about saving money and putting money away when I was working in my corporate job.
[00:06:54.840 --> 00:07:00.360] I really loved the corporate work I did, and the only reason that I left is because I felt like I was splitting my attention too much.
[00:07:00.360 --> 00:07:05.480] It got to the point where I was not being a good employee on both sides of the equation.
[00:07:05.480 --> 00:07:14.120] But getting that extra money and being able to put it away made a big difference when there was lean times in my startup business.
[00:07:14.120 --> 00:07:19.680] The biggest failure in bootstrapping my business was relying on people.
[00:07:20.240 --> 00:07:31.280] I made a really bad business investment decision with somebody who promised the world and I didn't do my due research to make sure that they were actually legitimately doing what they said they were doing.
[00:07:31.280 --> 00:07:33.200] Lost a ton of money.
[00:07:33.200 --> 00:07:34.160] That's a huge problem.
[00:07:34.160 --> 00:07:40.080] So I would say do your research and if you don't understand something, do not invest in it.
[00:07:40.080 --> 00:07:46.960] And if you don't really, really know somebody, even if you do, it's probably a better idea to not invest in something, somebody too.
[00:07:46.960 --> 00:07:50.240] Trust and honesty are huge, huge in life.
[00:07:50.240 --> 00:07:54.560] You do not want to work with liars and you don't want to work with scam artists.
[00:07:54.560 --> 00:07:57.360] And remember, they're going to make themselves look good.
[00:07:57.360 --> 00:08:11.920] So whether it's an employee, whether it's a potential partner, be really, really careful that you protect your resources, protect your energy, protect the business that you've built, and make just really smart decisions.
[00:08:11.920 --> 00:08:13.600] Don't let anybody take you for a ride.
[00:08:13.600 --> 00:08:19.520] The biggest technique that I would say when you're trying to bootstrap your business is to just start.
[00:08:19.840 --> 00:08:25.920] So a lot of times I've been in a little bit of analysis paralysis, but you can't get stuck there for too long.
[00:08:25.920 --> 00:08:30.400] Think of the minimally viable product that you can get to market and go with that.
[00:08:30.400 --> 00:08:32.240] You're going to learn so much along the way.
[00:08:32.240 --> 00:08:34.560] Don't get distracted by shiny object syndrome.
[00:08:34.560 --> 00:08:39.440] Don't waste your money on things that are hacks or are designed to be a shortcut.
[00:08:39.440 --> 00:08:46.880] If it's a shortcut that you learned something on the other side and that you're getting through like that, then that is potentially a good answer to your problems.
[00:08:46.880 --> 00:08:52.800] But if you're not learning something and you're not being able to iterate, it's just a waste of time and energy.
[00:08:52.800 --> 00:08:55.200] Your network is so, so important.
[00:08:55.200 --> 00:08:56.960] It really is your net worth.
[00:08:56.960 --> 00:09:00.760] I know that's the saying that goes around, but you need to leverage your network.
[00:09:00.920 --> 00:09:07.720] You need to be out there creating relationships and looking for ways that you could potentially work with other people.
[00:09:07.720 --> 00:09:10.040] That was another huge thing for me.
[00:09:10.040 --> 00:09:16.600] And I'm really grateful for the people I know that could either give advice or business or business alliances.
[00:09:16.600 --> 00:09:18.680] That is a really important thing.
[00:09:18.680 --> 00:09:25.880] The other thing that I would say is that you need to quickly figure out how to spread your message and get your face on social media.
[00:09:25.880 --> 00:09:33.640] It is definitely intimidating for some people to record themselves, to create videos, to put themselves really out there.
[00:09:33.640 --> 00:09:45.640] Dig into those feelings and figure out what's holding you back and what lie that you're telling yourself about why you can't make it, why you shouldn't be front and center, and push past that because that's another aspect of bootstrapping your business.
[00:09:45.640 --> 00:09:51.800] Free exposure online, word of mouth, all those sorts of things means that you need to put your faith out there.
[00:09:51.800 --> 00:09:52.520] It's difficult.
[00:09:52.520 --> 00:09:53.880] I've had a really hard time with it.
[00:09:53.880 --> 00:09:59.000] I'm still learning how to do it better, but that's going to be a huge key to your business growth.
[00:09:59.000 --> 00:10:09.720] Building a business is one of the most exciting, stressful, exhilarating, personal growth-developing journeys that you can take.
[00:10:09.720 --> 00:10:17.560] Every time I thought I had it figured out, something else came along to make me realize: wow, life is really a journey, and I am still learning.
[00:10:17.560 --> 00:10:24.040] And that's one of the most exciting things about business: building a business, managing a team, creating the life that you want.
[00:10:24.040 --> 00:10:26.760] It's not easy, and it is not for everyone.
[00:10:26.760 --> 00:10:28.200] And that is okay.
[00:10:28.200 --> 00:10:33.000] But if you have an idea that you want to put out into the world, you need to go for it.
[00:10:33.000 --> 00:10:35.080] Don't let anybody hold you back.
[00:10:35.080 --> 00:10:37.000] Don't let doubt get in the way.
[00:10:37.000 --> 00:10:45.760] Be willing to pivot and change as you need to and understand that you're going to take this amazing journey of self-development and growth.
[00:10:44.840 --> 00:10:47.200] And that's really, really cool.
[00:10:47.760 --> 00:10:55.120] I would love to connect with your audience and just learn more about them, provide more value.
[00:10:55.120 --> 00:11:01.040] If you go to themarionmethod.com, you can find a free marketing audit.
[00:11:01.040 --> 00:11:02.720] We can schedule a call.
[00:11:02.720 --> 00:11:08.800] If you have some quick questions, I would love to be helpful and you can ask me anything there.
[00:11:08.800 --> 00:11:11.840] But get in touch, follow along on all social media.
[00:11:11.840 --> 00:11:14.800] But the first place to go would be themarionmethod.com.
[00:11:14.800 --> 00:11:19.520] Thank you so much, and good luck in your journey of business growth.
[00:11:19.520 --> 00:11:27.520] I hope you enjoyed that episode and were able to take away a valuable nugget of information that you can implement right away in your own business.
[00:11:27.520 --> 00:11:35.520] If you feel your story would be valuable for the listeners of this show, please visit frugal.show forward slash guest.
[00:11:35.520 --> 00:11:40.960] What if your business had a 24-7 sales and marketing team without the overhead?
[00:11:40.960 --> 00:11:42.640] Here's why that matters.
[00:11:42.640 --> 00:11:46.240] 78% of leads go with the first responder.
[00:11:46.240 --> 00:11:51.840] The odds of qualifying a lead drop by 80% after five minutes.
[00:11:51.840 --> 00:11:56.000] Only 27% of leads are contacted by a sales rep.
[00:11:56.320 --> 00:12:01.920] 63% of companies take longer than an hour to respond to new inquiries.
[00:12:01.920 --> 00:12:05.920] And 50% of sales go to the vendor that responds first.
[00:12:05.920 --> 00:12:12.880] Businesses that use AI for lead response see a 67% increase in conversion rates.
[00:12:12.880 --> 00:12:16.800] AI-powered chat increases sales by 30%.
[00:12:16.800 --> 00:12:22.400] And companies using AI also reduce customer support costs by 30%.
[00:12:22.400 --> 00:12:28.000] And automated follow-ups can boost lead engagement by 50% or more.
[00:12:28.000 --> 00:12:33.400] And that's why I built an AI automation agency called LeadLoops.pro.
[00:12:33.560 --> 00:12:47.560] LeadLoops texts new leads instantly, follows up after hours, reconnects old contacts, handles Google reviews, recovers abandoned carts, and even a voice bot that answers calls.
[00:12:47.560 --> 00:12:51.080] Basically, it's a tiny army that never sleeps.
[00:12:51.080 --> 00:12:54.680] You can learn more at leadloops.pro.
[00:12:54.680 --> 00:13:02.760] The other thing I want to tell you about is I'm now offering a free marketing report at getafreemarketingreport.com.
[00:13:02.760 --> 00:13:13.000] All you have to do is give me your business information and I check your online presence and send a detailed report in a day or two showing what's working and what to improve.
[00:13:13.000 --> 00:13:18.120] Again, that's at getafree marketingreport.com.

Prompt 2: Key Takeaways

Now please extract the key takeaways from the transcript content I provided.

Extract the most important key takeaways from this part of the conversation. Use a single sentence statement (the key takeaway) rather than milquetoast descriptions like "the hosts discuss...". 

Limit the key takeaways to a maximum of 3. The key takeaways should be insightful and knowledge-additive. 

IMPORTANT: Return ONLY valid JSON, no explanations or markdown. Ensure:
- All strings are properly quoted and escaped
- No trailing commas
- All braces and brackets are balanced
Format: {"key_takeaways": ["takeaway 1", "takeaway 2"]}

Prompt 3: Segments

Now identify 2-4 distinct topical segments from this part of the conversation.

For each segment, identify:
- Descriptive title (3-6 words)  
- START timestamp when this topic begins (HH:MM:SS format)
- Double check that the timestamp is accurate - a timestamp will NEVER be greater than the total length of the audio
- Most important Key takeaway from that segment. Key takeaway must be specific and knowledge-additive.
- Brief summary of the discussion

IMPORTANT: The timestamp should mark when the topic/segment STARTS, not a range. Look for topic transitions and conversation shifts.

Return ONLY valid JSON. Ensure all strings are properly quoted, no trailing commas:
{
  "segments": [
    {
      "segment_title": "Topic Discussion", 
      "timestamp": "01:15:30",
      "key_takeaway": "main point from this segment",
      "segment_summary": "brief description of what was discussed"
    }
  ]
}

Timestamp format: HH:MM:SS (e.g., 00:05:30, 01:22:45) marking the START of each segment.

Prompt 4: Media Mentions

Now scan the transcript content I provided for ACTUAL mentions of specific media titles:

Find explicit mentions of:
- Books (with specific titles)
- Movies (with specific titles)  
- TV Shows (with specific titles)
- Music/Songs (with specific titles)

DO NOT include:
- Websites, URLs, or web services
- Other podcasts or podcast names

IMPORTANT: 
- Only include items explicitly mentioned by name. Do not invent titles.
- Valid categories are: "Book", "Movie", "TV Show", "Music"
- Include the exact phrase where each item was mentioned
- Find the nearest proximate timestamp where it appears in the conversation
- THE TIMESTAMP OF THE MEDIA MENTION IS IMPORTANT - DO NOT INVENT TIMESTAMPS AND DO NOT MISATTRIBUTE TIMESTAMPS
- Double check that the timestamp is accurate - a timestamp will NEVER be greater than the total length of the audio
- Timestamps are given as ranges, e.g. 01:13:42.520 --> 01:13:46.720. Use the EARLIER of the 2 timestamps in the range.

Return ONLY valid JSON. Ensure all strings are properly quoted and escaped, no trailing commas:
{
  "media_mentions": [
    {
      "title": "Exact Title as Mentioned",
      "category": "Book",
      "author_artist": "N/A",
      "context": "Brief context of why it was mentioned",
      "context_phrase": "The exact sentence or phrase where it was mentioned",
      "timestamp": "estimated time like 01:15:30"
    }
  ]
}

If no media is mentioned, return: {"media_mentions": []}

Full Transcript

[00:00:00.240 --> 00:00:05.600] What if your business had a 24-7 sales and marketing team without the overhead?
[00:00:05.600 --> 00:00:07.200] Here's why that matters.
[00:00:07.200 --> 00:00:10.800] 78% of leads go with the first responder.
[00:00:10.800 --> 00:00:16.400] The odds of qualifying a lead drop by 80% after 5 minutes.
[00:00:16.400 --> 00:00:20.560] Only 27% of leads are contacted by a sales rep.
[00:00:20.880 --> 00:00:26.560] 63% of companies take longer than an hour to respond to new inquiries.
[00:00:26.560 --> 00:00:30.560] And 50% of sales go to the vendor that responds first.
[00:00:30.560 --> 00:00:37.440] Businesses that use AI for lead response see a 67% increase in conversion rates.
[00:00:37.440 --> 00:00:47.040] AI-powered chat increases sales by 30%, and companies using AI also reduce customer support costs by 30%.
[00:00:47.040 --> 00:00:52.560] And automated follow-ups can boost lead engagement by 50% or more.
[00:00:52.560 --> 00:00:58.160] And that's why I built an AI automation agency called LeadLoops.pro.
[00:00:58.160 --> 00:01:12.160] LeadLoops texts new leads instantly, follows up after hours, reconnects old contacts, handles Google reviews, recovers abandoned carts, and even a voice bot that answers calls.
[00:01:12.160 --> 00:01:15.600] Basically, it's a tiny army that never sleeps.
[00:01:15.600 --> 00:01:19.280] You can learn more at leadloops.pro.
[00:01:19.280 --> 00:01:27.360] The other thing I want to tell you about is I'm now offering a free marketing report at getafreemarketingreport.com.
[00:01:27.360 --> 00:01:37.600] All you have to do is give me your business information and I check your online presence and send a detailed report in a day or two showing what's working and what to improve.
[00:01:37.600 --> 00:01:42.800] Again, that's at getafree marketingreport.com.
[00:01:42.800 --> 00:01:45.520] Welcome to the FrugalPreneur podcast.
[00:01:45.520 --> 00:01:46.880] I am your host, Sarah St.
[00:01:46.960 --> 00:01:47.600] John.
[00:01:47.600 --> 00:02:05.880] This episode is what I refer to as a showcase episode, where I feature a bootstrapped entrepreneur and they briefly share their tips, tricks, tactics, techniques, and tools that help them bootstrap their business and the successes and failures along the way.
[00:01:59.680 --> 00:02:16.520] My hope is that each of these showcase episodes will provide at least one valuable takeaway that you can implement right away in your own bootstrap business journey.
[00:02:16.520 --> 00:02:18.040] Now, on to the episode.
[00:02:18.040 --> 00:02:19.640] My name is Marianne Saint.
[00:02:19.800 --> 00:02:29.800] I am a marketing consultant for business owners and creatives that want to simplify their business, make more money, and live a better life.
[00:02:30.120 --> 00:02:33.160] I started my corporate career after grad school.
[00:02:33.160 --> 00:02:35.880] I got my MBA and then I started working in the corporate world.
[00:02:35.880 --> 00:02:42.920] I was in the insurance industry and I was working with agency owners and their teams, telling them, hey, this is what corporate wants you to do.
[00:02:42.920 --> 00:02:43.720] This is the thing.
[00:02:43.880 --> 00:02:45.560] It's going to help you grow your business.
[00:02:45.560 --> 00:02:52.760] And what I realized is that, man, I'm working with a lot of older men and they have been successful in their careers.
[00:02:52.760 --> 00:02:57.320] And now they're trying this new venture, but they really have a lot of stuff together.
[00:02:57.320 --> 00:03:02.680] And I should be bringing something to the table that's more than just, hey, corporate said you should do this.
[00:03:02.680 --> 00:03:06.120] So during that time, I had started in photography with my creative outlet.
[00:03:06.120 --> 00:03:16.680] And I realized that I could use that as a business venture to test them ideas on the side, marketing, sales, all that sort of thing, put a lot of the stuff that I was teaching into practice.
[00:03:16.680 --> 00:03:18.200] And that just exploded.
[00:03:18.200 --> 00:03:19.720] It continued to grow.
[00:03:19.720 --> 00:03:24.440] So in 2020, when Austin had done a big corporate restructuring, I decided, you know what, now is the time.
[00:03:24.440 --> 00:03:26.280] I'm going to take it full-time.
[00:03:26.280 --> 00:03:32.280] And then in 2022, I moved the photography studio from Hawaii to Dallas.
[00:03:32.280 --> 00:03:41.240] During that period of time, too, I had just been helping other business owners on the side, just word of mouth, with their systems and processes.
[00:03:41.240 --> 00:03:47.840] And if you can get your business foundation into place, then you can just really grow everything so much better.
[00:03:47.840 --> 00:03:52.560] And so, after working with so many people, just as they came along, I decided, you know what?
[00:03:52.560 --> 00:03:54.560] I'm going to start my sales and marketing agency.
[00:03:54.560 --> 00:03:58.000] We have a good thing going here, and I need to spread the word to more people.
[00:03:58.000 --> 00:04:01.040] And this year, we launched Agency Ignite also.
[00:04:01.040 --> 00:04:04.640] Making sure that your financial position is in order is really important.
[00:04:04.640 --> 00:04:07.040] And I have not always been the best at that.
[00:04:07.040 --> 00:04:12.160] So don't think that I have all the answers more so that I've made all the mistakes.
[00:04:12.160 --> 00:04:18.960] So if you want to bootstrap your business, I do think it's important for you to be running two things at the same time.
[00:04:18.960 --> 00:04:28.800] So if that means getting a boring job, working for somebody else, but it's reliable and it's steady, you can still work on your business on nights and weekends.
[00:04:28.800 --> 00:04:30.320] You can wake up early.
[00:04:30.320 --> 00:04:32.720] All this extra work is going to build dedication.
[00:04:32.720 --> 00:04:37.600] And I think it's really important to try to reduce financial stress as much as possible.
[00:04:37.600 --> 00:04:42.320] If you can pay your bills, if you have a roof over your head, it's just going to help that much more.
[00:04:42.640 --> 00:04:49.280] You still are going to have, probably, have stressed from long days, nights, and weekends, that sort of thing.
[00:04:49.280 --> 00:04:50.880] You're going to have to say no to more things.
[00:04:50.880 --> 00:04:52.640] You're not going to be able to go out like before.
[00:04:52.640 --> 00:04:59.920] You probably really should save money, but this is what's going to allow you to grow your business and eventually live the life that you want.
[00:04:59.920 --> 00:05:18.640] So, my biggest thing: get something else on the side, be really frugal, know that it's going to be a little bit of a grind for a while, and just know that on the other side, you're going to have a business you love, but more importantly, you're going to have built the dedication and discipline in your own life that's really going to set you up for success forevermore.
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[00:06:47.240 --> 00:06:54.840] My business's biggest success was being smart about saving money and putting money away when I was working in my corporate job.
[00:06:54.840 --> 00:07:00.360] I really loved the corporate work I did, and the only reason that I left is because I felt like I was splitting my attention too much.
[00:07:00.360 --> 00:07:05.480] It got to the point where I was not being a good employee on both sides of the equation.
[00:07:05.480 --> 00:07:14.120] But getting that extra money and being able to put it away made a big difference when there was lean times in my startup business.
[00:07:14.120 --> 00:07:19.680] The biggest failure in bootstrapping my business was relying on people.
[00:07:20.240 --> 00:07:31.280] I made a really bad business investment decision with somebody who promised the world and I didn't do my due research to make sure that they were actually legitimately doing what they said they were doing.
[00:07:31.280 --> 00:07:33.200] Lost a ton of money.
[00:07:33.200 --> 00:07:34.160] That's a huge problem.
[00:07:34.160 --> 00:07:40.080] So I would say do your research and if you don't understand something, do not invest in it.
[00:07:40.080 --> 00:07:46.960] And if you don't really, really know somebody, even if you do, it's probably a better idea to not invest in something, somebody too.
[00:07:46.960 --> 00:07:50.240] Trust and honesty are huge, huge in life.
[00:07:50.240 --> 00:07:54.560] You do not want to work with liars and you don't want to work with scam artists.
[00:07:54.560 --> 00:07:57.360] And remember, they're going to make themselves look good.
[00:07:57.360 --> 00:08:11.920] So whether it's an employee, whether it's a potential partner, be really, really careful that you protect your resources, protect your energy, protect the business that you've built, and make just really smart decisions.
[00:08:11.920 --> 00:08:13.600] Don't let anybody take you for a ride.
[00:08:13.600 --> 00:08:19.520] The biggest technique that I would say when you're trying to bootstrap your business is to just start.
[00:08:19.840 --> 00:08:25.920] So a lot of times I've been in a little bit of analysis paralysis, but you can't get stuck there for too long.
[00:08:25.920 --> 00:08:30.400] Think of the minimally viable product that you can get to market and go with that.
[00:08:30.400 --> 00:08:32.240] You're going to learn so much along the way.
[00:08:32.240 --> 00:08:34.560] Don't get distracted by shiny object syndrome.
[00:08:34.560 --> 00:08:39.440] Don't waste your money on things that are hacks or are designed to be a shortcut.
[00:08:39.440 --> 00:08:46.880] If it's a shortcut that you learned something on the other side and that you're getting through like that, then that is potentially a good answer to your problems.
[00:08:46.880 --> 00:08:52.800] But if you're not learning something and you're not being able to iterate, it's just a waste of time and energy.
[00:08:52.800 --> 00:08:55.200] Your network is so, so important.
[00:08:55.200 --> 00:08:56.960] It really is your net worth.
[00:08:56.960 --> 00:09:00.760] I know that's the saying that goes around, but you need to leverage your network.
[00:09:00.920 --> 00:09:07.720] You need to be out there creating relationships and looking for ways that you could potentially work with other people.
[00:09:07.720 --> 00:09:10.040] That was another huge thing for me.
[00:09:10.040 --> 00:09:16.600] And I'm really grateful for the people I know that could either give advice or business or business alliances.
[00:09:16.600 --> 00:09:18.680] That is a really important thing.
[00:09:18.680 --> 00:09:25.880] The other thing that I would say is that you need to quickly figure out how to spread your message and get your face on social media.
[00:09:25.880 --> 00:09:33.640] It is definitely intimidating for some people to record themselves, to create videos, to put themselves really out there.
[00:09:33.640 --> 00:09:45.640] Dig into those feelings and figure out what's holding you back and what lie that you're telling yourself about why you can't make it, why you shouldn't be front and center, and push past that because that's another aspect of bootstrapping your business.
[00:09:45.640 --> 00:09:51.800] Free exposure online, word of mouth, all those sorts of things means that you need to put your faith out there.
[00:09:51.800 --> 00:09:52.520] It's difficult.
[00:09:52.520 --> 00:09:53.880] I've had a really hard time with it.
[00:09:53.880 --> 00:09:59.000] I'm still learning how to do it better, but that's going to be a huge key to your business growth.
[00:09:59.000 --> 00:10:09.720] Building a business is one of the most exciting, stressful, exhilarating, personal growth-developing journeys that you can take.
[00:10:09.720 --> 00:10:17.560] Every time I thought I had it figured out, something else came along to make me realize: wow, life is really a journey, and I am still learning.
[00:10:17.560 --> 00:10:24.040] And that's one of the most exciting things about business: building a business, managing a team, creating the life that you want.
[00:10:24.040 --> 00:10:26.760] It's not easy, and it is not for everyone.
[00:10:26.760 --> 00:10:28.200] And that is okay.
[00:10:28.200 --> 00:10:33.000] But if you have an idea that you want to put out into the world, you need to go for it.
[00:10:33.000 --> 00:10:35.080] Don't let anybody hold you back.
[00:10:35.080 --> 00:10:37.000] Don't let doubt get in the way.
[00:10:37.000 --> 00:10:45.760] Be willing to pivot and change as you need to and understand that you're going to take this amazing journey of self-development and growth.
[00:10:44.840 --> 00:10:47.200] And that's really, really cool.
[00:10:47.760 --> 00:10:55.120] I would love to connect with your audience and just learn more about them, provide more value.
[00:10:55.120 --> 00:11:01.040] If you go to themarionmethod.com, you can find a free marketing audit.
[00:11:01.040 --> 00:11:02.720] We can schedule a call.
[00:11:02.720 --> 00:11:08.800] If you have some quick questions, I would love to be helpful and you can ask me anything there.
[00:11:08.800 --> 00:11:11.840] But get in touch, follow along on all social media.
[00:11:11.840 --> 00:11:14.800] But the first place to go would be themarionmethod.com.
[00:11:14.800 --> 00:11:19.520] Thank you so much, and good luck in your journey of business growth.
[00:11:19.520 --> 00:11:27.520] I hope you enjoyed that episode and were able to take away a valuable nugget of information that you can implement right away in your own business.
[00:11:27.520 --> 00:11:35.520] If you feel your story would be valuable for the listeners of this show, please visit frugal.show forward slash guest.
[00:11:35.520 --> 00:11:40.960] What if your business had a 24-7 sales and marketing team without the overhead?
[00:11:40.960 --> 00:11:42.640] Here's why that matters.
[00:11:42.640 --> 00:11:46.240] 78% of leads go with the first responder.
[00:11:46.240 --> 00:11:51.840] The odds of qualifying a lead drop by 80% after five minutes.
[00:11:51.840 --> 00:11:56.000] Only 27% of leads are contacted by a sales rep.
[00:11:56.320 --> 00:12:01.920] 63% of companies take longer than an hour to respond to new inquiries.
[00:12:01.920 --> 00:12:05.920] And 50% of sales go to the vendor that responds first.
[00:12:05.920 --> 00:12:12.880] Businesses that use AI for lead response see a 67% increase in conversion rates.
[00:12:12.880 --> 00:12:16.800] AI-powered chat increases sales by 30%.
[00:12:16.800 --> 00:12:22.400] And companies using AI also reduce customer support costs by 30%.
[00:12:22.400 --> 00:12:28.000] And automated follow-ups can boost lead engagement by 50% or more.
[00:12:28.000 --> 00:12:33.400] And that's why I built an AI automation agency called LeadLoops.pro.
[00:12:33.560 --> 00:12:47.560] LeadLoops texts new leads instantly, follows up after hours, reconnects old contacts, handles Google reviews, recovers abandoned carts, and even a voice bot that answers calls.
[00:12:47.560 --> 00:12:51.080] Basically, it's a tiny army that never sleeps.
[00:12:51.080 --> 00:12:54.680] You can learn more at leadloops.pro.
[00:12:54.680 --> 00:13:02.760] The other thing I want to tell you about is I'm now offering a free marketing report at getafreemarketingreport.com.
[00:13:02.760 --> 00:13:13.000] All you have to do is give me your business information and I check your online presence and send a detailed report in a day or two showing what's working and what to improve.
[00:13:13.000 --> 00:13:18.120] Again, that's at getafree marketingreport.com.