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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 --> 00:02:18.200] Now, on to the episode.
[00:02:18.200 --> 00:02:22.280] All right, so a little background history as to who I am.
[00:02:22.280 --> 00:02:27.240] So my name is Connor Tyson, married, two kids, lifelong resident of New York.
[00:02:27.240 --> 00:02:30.520] I graduated Quinnipiac University with a degree in finance.
[00:02:30.520 --> 00:02:39.640] I hold a Series 65 investment advisory license, New York life insurance license, and also obtained the charter financial consultant designation.
[00:02:39.640 --> 00:02:45.960] What does all that mean is that I have a lot of different areas of which I can help people with, with their finances.
[00:02:45.960 --> 00:02:51.800] But when I was in the industry itself, I realized that it's really about habits and behaviors, not what, right?
[00:02:51.800 --> 00:02:53.960] The what was the products and services.
[00:02:53.960 --> 00:02:56.120] And they don't teach this stuff in schools.
[00:02:56.120 --> 00:03:01.480] And a lot of people are trying to build a car driving down the highway, trying to figure this stuff as they go along.
[00:03:01.480 --> 00:03:03.320] And it's not working out too well.
[00:03:03.320 --> 00:03:10.360] You see it with student loan debt, credit cards, and divorce, number one reason for divorce, money issues.
[00:03:10.520 --> 00:03:11.640] I just was like, you know what?
[00:03:11.640 --> 00:03:12.680] I took it upon myself.
[00:03:12.680 --> 00:03:13.800] I put the flag in the ground.
[00:03:13.880 --> 00:03:25.320] I wanted to become a personal financial wellness coach and just help people with gaining clarity, confidence, and control of their personal finances and help them with the habits and behaviors.
[00:03:25.320 --> 00:03:33.880] And the things I wasn't compensated for as a financial advisor, which was budgeting and debt elimination and communication about money and how to teach your kids about money.
[00:03:33.880 --> 00:03:43.800] So that's what really led me to start my business: to meet people where they're at and help them obtain what they truly want in life.
[00:03:43.800 --> 00:03:45.600] And it's been working out quite well.
[00:03:44.840 --> 00:03:46.560] And I love what I do.
[00:03:46.880 --> 00:03:49.280] Yeah, when starting my business, I started small, right?
[00:03:49.280 --> 00:03:53.520] So I used a little bit of my personal savings to kick the business off.
[00:03:53.520 --> 00:03:57.280] I focused on being a lean, mean, fighting machine, right?
[00:03:57.280 --> 00:04:01.760] So you want to minimize the overhead and try to expand as much revenue as you can.
[00:04:01.760 --> 00:04:08.720] So I leveraged my industry experience of the network I built out with working colleagues.
[00:04:08.720 --> 00:04:19.280] And I really got into networking and getting the message out of what it is I do, who I serve, how I serve them, and having people feel comfortable with referring people to me.
[00:04:19.280 --> 00:04:20.720] I did marketing on a budget.
[00:04:20.720 --> 00:04:22.080] I did word of mouth.
[00:04:22.080 --> 00:04:24.000] I used social media.
[00:04:24.000 --> 00:04:27.280] I did referral campaigns for people.
[00:04:27.280 --> 00:04:30.480] And I wanted to gain visibility as much as I could.
[00:04:30.480 --> 00:04:32.480] Another thing is, obviously, podcasts.
[00:04:32.480 --> 00:04:34.880] You want to be the loudspeaker before the magnet.
[00:04:34.880 --> 00:04:36.000] I kept costs low.
[00:04:36.000 --> 00:04:39.600] I used tools that were very inexpensive, if not free.
[00:04:39.600 --> 00:04:41.520] My website, I did it myself.
[00:04:41.520 --> 00:04:43.040] I used Canva.
[00:04:43.040 --> 00:04:47.360] I used AI when I could to make it more efficient.
[00:04:47.360 --> 00:04:53.840] I really focused on the client experience because that's in what it is I do, the client comes first.
[00:04:53.840 --> 00:04:56.720] And if you take care of them, the rest will take care of itself.
[00:04:56.960 --> 00:05:04.400] My biggest success with my business would probably be building genuine client relationships, right?
[00:05:04.400 --> 00:05:17.280] Where really getting to know and creating deep, trusting relationships with your clients where it's easy for them to introduce you to people and make referrals and not hesitating to do so.
[00:05:17.280 --> 00:05:22.880] And they almost become raving fans of what it is that you do because they feel that transformation in their lives.
[00:05:22.880 --> 00:05:31.560] And I've been able to grow my business steadily through introductions, referrals, word of mouth, because they can speak to what it is I do, what I did for them.
[00:05:31.560 --> 00:05:36.120] My biggest failure would probably be paid advertising.
[00:05:36.120 --> 00:05:42.680] I put a lot of money into Facebook ads and invested time and money into campaigns that didn't yield much results.
[00:05:42.920 --> 00:05:45.800] The ROI on that was not very fruitful.
[00:05:45.800 --> 00:05:47.160] And I learned some tough lessons.
[00:05:47.320 --> 00:05:51.000] Like, you really need to know who you're working with, like the digital ads.
[00:05:51.000 --> 00:05:52.680] It wasn't the right fit for my niche.
[00:05:52.680 --> 00:05:58.520] Meaning, like, the audience prefers personal connection and credibility over generic ads.
[00:05:58.520 --> 00:06:03.080] And I put a lot of time and energy into that, and it didn't yield what it is I needed.
[00:06:03.080 --> 00:06:07.880] So that was my biggest failure trying to bootstrap my business, especially when I was struggling.
[00:06:07.880 --> 00:06:10.120] I got the shiny object syndrome, right?
[00:06:10.120 --> 00:06:11.320] Like, oh, it has to be this.
[00:06:11.320 --> 00:06:14.280] And I tried a lot of different things instead of focusing on what worked.
[00:06:14.280 --> 00:06:20.360] So if I could refine what was working versus trying to find other substitutes for that, I probably would have got further along.
[00:06:20.360 --> 00:06:33.000] My biggest tip for people to help bootstrap their business would be understand your client psychographically, not the demographics of their age, where they live, their income.
[00:06:33.320 --> 00:06:38.280] What is it they're saying themselves about the challenge they're facing or what are they looking to solve for?
[00:06:38.280 --> 00:06:39.640] What are they Googling?
[00:06:39.640 --> 00:06:41.640] What are they saying to their best friend?
[00:06:41.640 --> 00:06:44.120] What is it they're really struggling with?
[00:06:44.120 --> 00:06:45.880] What is that you solve for?
[00:06:45.880 --> 00:06:52.040] And if you get that message down and you know what they're saying, you can disseminate that information to your network.
[00:06:52.040 --> 00:06:54.920] And when they hear those things, they can introduce you.
[00:06:54.920 --> 00:07:04.440] And introductions or referrals are the lowest cost form of marketing with the highest results, the biggest return on investment, and the conversion is very high.
[00:07:04.440 --> 00:07:12.840] My biggest tip to people is really understand what you do, what you solve for, how you do it, and what is it the client is saying to themselves.
[00:07:12.840 --> 00:07:16.240] Like, my instance, people want to get out of debt or get budgeting.
[00:07:16.240 --> 00:07:17.440] That's not what they want.
[00:07:17.440 --> 00:07:19.040] What is it they're saying to themselves?
[00:07:19.040 --> 00:07:23.280] What they want is the feeling of being debt-free and what that would enable them to do.
[00:07:23.280 --> 00:07:32.720] They don't want a budget, they want the feeling of control over their money and what that would enable them to do: sleep better, stop the money fights.
[00:07:32.720 --> 00:07:33.680] And what is it they say?
[00:07:33.680 --> 00:07:35.600] Like, I find myself winging it.
[00:07:35.600 --> 00:07:37.760] That's their words, winging it.
[00:07:37.760 --> 00:07:39.280] I'm winging it every month.
[00:07:39.360 --> 00:07:46.080] So, I tell people: listen, if you ever hear somebody say, I'm not a numbers person, I'm always winging it with my personal finances.
[00:07:46.080 --> 00:07:47.600] That's an introduction to me.
[00:07:47.600 --> 00:07:51.360] They listen for that and they introduce me to people.
[00:07:51.360 --> 00:07:54.240] Like, oh, here, you got to talk to Connor.
[00:07:54.240 --> 00:07:59.840] If you're a small business owner and you're struggling, you're a solopreneur, you're not alone.
[00:07:59.840 --> 00:08:00.640] And why?
[00:08:00.640 --> 00:08:02.320] They don't teach you stuff in schools, right?
[00:08:02.320 --> 00:08:07.440] You're passionate about some idea, product, or service, then it's like, okay, great, go run a business.
[00:08:07.440 --> 00:08:12.400] The fact that you're struggling and trying to stay bootstrapping your business is not your fault.
[00:08:12.400 --> 00:08:18.240] I need some help in how to launch this business in a successful way.
[00:08:18.240 --> 00:08:24.480] So I have resources on my website, which is at progressfc.com, right?
[00:08:24.480 --> 00:08:25.760] You want to make some progress?
[00:08:25.760 --> 00:08:28.160] FC is financialcoaching.com.
[00:08:28.160 --> 00:08:30.640] So it's progressfc.com.
[00:08:30.640 --> 00:08:31.360] You can visit there.
[00:08:31.360 --> 00:08:32.560] There's tools and resources.
[00:08:32.560 --> 00:08:36.880] I have business launch kit, any solopreneur three years and under.
[00:08:37.200 --> 00:08:40.960] I help people with cash flow management to simplify it.
[00:08:40.960 --> 00:08:42.560] It's not a complicated thing.
[00:08:42.560 --> 00:08:45.920] The difference between you, me and an accountant is they read different books.
[00:08:45.920 --> 00:08:55.280] So, if you get that knowledge of how to be proactive versus reactive, you can really grow your business and you don't have to keep bootstrapping it every single month.
[00:08:55.280 --> 00:08:56.800] That would be my last thought.
[00:08:56.800 --> 00:08:57.840] You're not alone.
[00:08:57.840 --> 00:08:58.880] Reach out for help.
[00:08:58.880 --> 00:09:03.080] You're obviously listening to this for a reason, and I commend you for that.
[00:08:59.840 --> 00:09:04.920] And if you need help, reach out.
[00:09:05.240 --> 00:09:12.920] And everybody gets a 45-minute consultation to talk about their business, what they're struggling for, and how we can solve that.
[00:09:12.920 --> 00:09:21.000] 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.
[00:09:21.000 --> 00:09:29.000] If you feel your story would be valuable for the listeners of this show, please visit frugal.show forward slash guest.
[00:09:29.000 --> 00:09:34.360] What if your business had a 24-7 sales and marketing team without the overhead?
[00:09:34.360 --> 00:09:39.640] Here's why that matters: 78% of leads go with the first responder.
[00:09:39.640 --> 00:09:45.240] The odds of qualifying a lead drop by 80% after five minutes.
[00:09:45.240 --> 00:09:49.400] Only 27% of leads are contacted by a sales rep.
[00:09:49.720 --> 00:09:55.400] 63% of companies take longer than an hour to respond to new inquiries.
[00:09:55.400 --> 00:09:59.320] And 50% of sales go to the vendor that responds first.
[00:09:59.320 --> 00:10:06.280] Businesses that use AI for lead response see a 67% increase in conversion rates.
[00:10:06.280 --> 00:10:15.800] AI-powered chat increases sales by 30%, and companies using AI also reduce customer support costs by 30%.
[00:10:15.800 --> 00:10:21.400] And automated follow-ups can boost lead engagement by 50% or more.
[00:10:21.400 --> 00:10:27.000] And that's why I built an AI automation agency called LeadLoops.pro.
[00:10:27.000 --> 00:10:41.000] 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.
[00:10:41.000 --> 00:10:44.360] Basically, it's a tiny army that never sleeps.
[00:10:44.360 --> 00:10:48.160] You can learn more at leadloops.pro.
[00:10:48.160 --> 00:10:56.160] The other thing I want to tell you about is I'm now offering a free marketing report at getafreemarketingreport.com.
[00:10:56.160 --> 00:11:06.400] 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.
[00:11:06.400 --> 00:11:11.520] 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 --> 00:02:18.200] Now, on to the episode.
[00:02:18.200 --> 00:02:22.280] All right, so a little background history as to who I am.
[00:02:22.280 --> 00:02:27.240] So my name is Connor Tyson, married, two kids, lifelong resident of New York.
[00:02:27.240 --> 00:02:30.520] I graduated Quinnipiac University with a degree in finance.
[00:02:30.520 --> 00:02:39.640] I hold a Series 65 investment advisory license, New York life insurance license, and also obtained the charter financial consultant designation.
[00:02:39.640 --> 00:02:45.960] What does all that mean is that I have a lot of different areas of which I can help people with, with their finances.
[00:02:45.960 --> 00:02:51.800] But when I was in the industry itself, I realized that it's really about habits and behaviors, not what, right?
[00:02:51.800 --> 00:02:53.960] The what was the products and services.
[00:02:53.960 --> 00:02:56.120] And they don't teach this stuff in schools.
[00:02:56.120 --> 00:03:01.480] And a lot of people are trying to build a car driving down the highway, trying to figure this stuff as they go along.
[00:03:01.480 --> 00:03:03.320] And it's not working out too well.
[00:03:03.320 --> 00:03:10.360] You see it with student loan debt, credit cards, and divorce, number one reason for divorce, money issues.
[00:03:10.520 --> 00:03:11.640] I just was like, you know what?
[00:03:11.640 --> 00:03:12.680] I took it upon myself.
[00:03:12.680 --> 00:03:13.800] I put the flag in the ground.
[00:03:13.880 --> 00:03:25.320] I wanted to become a personal financial wellness coach and just help people with gaining clarity, confidence, and control of their personal finances and help them with the habits and behaviors.
[00:03:25.320 --> 00:03:33.880] And the things I wasn't compensated for as a financial advisor, which was budgeting and debt elimination and communication about money and how to teach your kids about money.
[00:03:33.880 --> 00:03:43.800] So that's what really led me to start my business: to meet people where they're at and help them obtain what they truly want in life.
[00:03:43.800 --> 00:03:45.600] And it's been working out quite well.
[00:03:44.840 --> 00:03:46.560] And I love what I do.
[00:03:46.880 --> 00:03:49.280] Yeah, when starting my business, I started small, right?
[00:03:49.280 --> 00:03:53.520] So I used a little bit of my personal savings to kick the business off.
[00:03:53.520 --> 00:03:57.280] I focused on being a lean, mean, fighting machine, right?
[00:03:57.280 --> 00:04:01.760] So you want to minimize the overhead and try to expand as much revenue as you can.
[00:04:01.760 --> 00:04:08.720] So I leveraged my industry experience of the network I built out with working colleagues.
[00:04:08.720 --> 00:04:19.280] And I really got into networking and getting the message out of what it is I do, who I serve, how I serve them, and having people feel comfortable with referring people to me.
[00:04:19.280 --> 00:04:20.720] I did marketing on a budget.
[00:04:20.720 --> 00:04:22.080] I did word of mouth.
[00:04:22.080 --> 00:04:24.000] I used social media.
[00:04:24.000 --> 00:04:27.280] I did referral campaigns for people.
[00:04:27.280 --> 00:04:30.480] And I wanted to gain visibility as much as I could.
[00:04:30.480 --> 00:04:32.480] Another thing is, obviously, podcasts.
[00:04:32.480 --> 00:04:34.880] You want to be the loudspeaker before the magnet.
[00:04:34.880 --> 00:04:36.000] I kept costs low.
[00:04:36.000 --> 00:04:39.600] I used tools that were very inexpensive, if not free.
[00:04:39.600 --> 00:04:41.520] My website, I did it myself.
[00:04:41.520 --> 00:04:43.040] I used Canva.
[00:04:43.040 --> 00:04:47.360] I used AI when I could to make it more efficient.
[00:04:47.360 --> 00:04:53.840] I really focused on the client experience because that's in what it is I do, the client comes first.
[00:04:53.840 --> 00:04:56.720] And if you take care of them, the rest will take care of itself.
[00:04:56.960 --> 00:05:04.400] My biggest success with my business would probably be building genuine client relationships, right?
[00:05:04.400 --> 00:05:17.280] Where really getting to know and creating deep, trusting relationships with your clients where it's easy for them to introduce you to people and make referrals and not hesitating to do so.
[00:05:17.280 --> 00:05:22.880] And they almost become raving fans of what it is that you do because they feel that transformation in their lives.
[00:05:22.880 --> 00:05:31.560] And I've been able to grow my business steadily through introductions, referrals, word of mouth, because they can speak to what it is I do, what I did for them.
[00:05:31.560 --> 00:05:36.120] My biggest failure would probably be paid advertising.
[00:05:36.120 --> 00:05:42.680] I put a lot of money into Facebook ads and invested time and money into campaigns that didn't yield much results.
[00:05:42.920 --> 00:05:45.800] The ROI on that was not very fruitful.
[00:05:45.800 --> 00:05:47.160] And I learned some tough lessons.
[00:05:47.320 --> 00:05:51.000] Like, you really need to know who you're working with, like the digital ads.
[00:05:51.000 --> 00:05:52.680] It wasn't the right fit for my niche.
[00:05:52.680 --> 00:05:58.520] Meaning, like, the audience prefers personal connection and credibility over generic ads.
[00:05:58.520 --> 00:06:03.080] And I put a lot of time and energy into that, and it didn't yield what it is I needed.
[00:06:03.080 --> 00:06:07.880] So that was my biggest failure trying to bootstrap my business, especially when I was struggling.
[00:06:07.880 --> 00:06:10.120] I got the shiny object syndrome, right?
[00:06:10.120 --> 00:06:11.320] Like, oh, it has to be this.
[00:06:11.320 --> 00:06:14.280] And I tried a lot of different things instead of focusing on what worked.
[00:06:14.280 --> 00:06:20.360] So if I could refine what was working versus trying to find other substitutes for that, I probably would have got further along.
[00:06:20.360 --> 00:06:33.000] My biggest tip for people to help bootstrap their business would be understand your client psychographically, not the demographics of their age, where they live, their income.
[00:06:33.320 --> 00:06:38.280] What is it they're saying themselves about the challenge they're facing or what are they looking to solve for?
[00:06:38.280 --> 00:06:39.640] What are they Googling?
[00:06:39.640 --> 00:06:41.640] What are they saying to their best friend?
[00:06:41.640 --> 00:06:44.120] What is it they're really struggling with?
[00:06:44.120 --> 00:06:45.880] What is that you solve for?
[00:06:45.880 --> 00:06:52.040] And if you get that message down and you know what they're saying, you can disseminate that information to your network.
[00:06:52.040 --> 00:06:54.920] And when they hear those things, they can introduce you.
[00:06:54.920 --> 00:07:04.440] And introductions or referrals are the lowest cost form of marketing with the highest results, the biggest return on investment, and the conversion is very high.
[00:07:04.440 --> 00:07:12.840] My biggest tip to people is really understand what you do, what you solve for, how you do it, and what is it the client is saying to themselves.
[00:07:12.840 --> 00:07:16.240] Like, my instance, people want to get out of debt or get budgeting.
[00:07:16.240 --> 00:07:17.440] That's not what they want.
[00:07:17.440 --> 00:07:19.040] What is it they're saying to themselves?
[00:07:19.040 --> 00:07:23.280] What they want is the feeling of being debt-free and what that would enable them to do.
[00:07:23.280 --> 00:07:32.720] They don't want a budget, they want the feeling of control over their money and what that would enable them to do: sleep better, stop the money fights.
[00:07:32.720 --> 00:07:33.680] And what is it they say?
[00:07:33.680 --> 00:07:35.600] Like, I find myself winging it.
[00:07:35.600 --> 00:07:37.760] That's their words, winging it.
[00:07:37.760 --> 00:07:39.280] I'm winging it every month.
[00:07:39.360 --> 00:07:46.080] So, I tell people: listen, if you ever hear somebody say, I'm not a numbers person, I'm always winging it with my personal finances.
[00:07:46.080 --> 00:07:47.600] That's an introduction to me.
[00:07:47.600 --> 00:07:51.360] They listen for that and they introduce me to people.
[00:07:51.360 --> 00:07:54.240] Like, oh, here, you got to talk to Connor.
[00:07:54.240 --> 00:07:59.840] If you're a small business owner and you're struggling, you're a solopreneur, you're not alone.
[00:07:59.840 --> 00:08:00.640] And why?
[00:08:00.640 --> 00:08:02.320] They don't teach you stuff in schools, right?
[00:08:02.320 --> 00:08:07.440] You're passionate about some idea, product, or service, then it's like, okay, great, go run a business.
[00:08:07.440 --> 00:08:12.400] The fact that you're struggling and trying to stay bootstrapping your business is not your fault.
[00:08:12.400 --> 00:08:18.240] I need some help in how to launch this business in a successful way.
[00:08:18.240 --> 00:08:24.480] So I have resources on my website, which is at progressfc.com, right?
[00:08:24.480 --> 00:08:25.760] You want to make some progress?
[00:08:25.760 --> 00:08:28.160] FC is financialcoaching.com.
[00:08:28.160 --> 00:08:30.640] So it's progressfc.com.
[00:08:30.640 --> 00:08:31.360] You can visit there.
[00:08:31.360 --> 00:08:32.560] There's tools and resources.
[00:08:32.560 --> 00:08:36.880] I have business launch kit, any solopreneur three years and under.
[00:08:37.200 --> 00:08:40.960] I help people with cash flow management to simplify it.
[00:08:40.960 --> 00:08:42.560] It's not a complicated thing.
[00:08:42.560 --> 00:08:45.920] The difference between you, me and an accountant is they read different books.
[00:08:45.920 --> 00:08:55.280] So, if you get that knowledge of how to be proactive versus reactive, you can really grow your business and you don't have to keep bootstrapping it every single month.
[00:08:55.280 --> 00:08:56.800] That would be my last thought.
[00:08:56.800 --> 00:08:57.840] You're not alone.
[00:08:57.840 --> 00:08:58.880] Reach out for help.
[00:08:58.880 --> 00:09:03.080] You're obviously listening to this for a reason, and I commend you for that.
[00:08:59.840 --> 00:09:04.920] And if you need help, reach out.
[00:09:05.240 --> 00:09:12.920] And everybody gets a 45-minute consultation to talk about their business, what they're struggling for, and how we can solve that.
[00:09:12.920 --> 00:09:21.000] 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.
[00:09:21.000 --> 00:09:29.000] If you feel your story would be valuable for the listeners of this show, please visit frugal.show forward slash guest.
[00:09:29.000 --> 00:09:34.360] What if your business had a 24-7 sales and marketing team without the overhead?
[00:09:34.360 --> 00:09:39.640] Here's why that matters: 78% of leads go with the first responder.
[00:09:39.640 --> 00:09:45.240] The odds of qualifying a lead drop by 80% after five minutes.
[00:09:45.240 --> 00:09:49.400] Only 27% of leads are contacted by a sales rep.
[00:09:49.720 --> 00:09:55.400] 63% of companies take longer than an hour to respond to new inquiries.
[00:09:55.400 --> 00:09:59.320] And 50% of sales go to the vendor that responds first.
[00:09:59.320 --> 00:10:06.280] Businesses that use AI for lead response see a 67% increase in conversion rates.
[00:10:06.280 --> 00:10:15.800] AI-powered chat increases sales by 30%, and companies using AI also reduce customer support costs by 30%.
[00:10:15.800 --> 00:10:21.400] And automated follow-ups can boost lead engagement by 50% or more.
[00:10:21.400 --> 00:10:27.000] And that's why I built an AI automation agency called LeadLoops.pro.
[00:10:27.000 --> 00:10:41.000] 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.
[00:10:41.000 --> 00:10:44.360] Basically, it's a tiny army that never sleeps.
[00:10:44.360 --> 00:10:48.160] You can learn more at leadloops.pro.
[00:10:48.160 --> 00:10:56.160] The other thing I want to tell you about is I'm now offering a free marketing report at getafreemarketingreport.com.
[00:10:56.160 --> 00:11:06.400] 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.
[00:11:06.400 --> 00:11:11.520] Again, that's at getafree marketingreport.com.