Here
is the Exact Model I used to add $1,053,722 of Revenue to a
Woman-Owned Small Business in 12 months with Facebook Advertising and
How You Can Model it to Scale Your Business – (Part 1)
My
journey of taking a client's start-up business to $1Million+ in 12
months.
.....
From January 1st to December 31st
But
I HAVE to warn you, it's quite a journey.
So
let's strap in, plug into your business brain and get ready for some
mind and money expanding nuggets from someone who's been there, done
that,
AND
got the t-shirt!
I
am about to be 100% transparent with you.
Helping
my client build a 7-Figure Company was NOT built by…
Working
Less
No
Stress
No
Pains
No
Failures
No
RISK
And
many more negatives that repel a normal 'corporate 9-5’er'.
This
is not some post that will paint you a glorious life rainbow.
And
it may scare you a little.
But…
It
is my plan for you to get at least ONE
THING that
will help YOU
in
2017.
I
want to help you get...
More
leads
More
sales
More
freedom
More
peace
and
A competitive edge
Let’s
start this journey.
I
feel that it is important that I begin with my youth and move it to
the present.
Understanding
that life's failures and pains are truly blessings.
That
is extremely important for me to optimize the present.
My
past is the strong foundation behind me that helped me build my
client's million dollar company.
I
grew up with a loving mother and a father and lived on a farm in
Michigan with my 4 siblings.
We
had moved two hours north of Detroit to the farm when I was 4.
My
Dad was very strict and he ruled.
If
we broke a rule he didn't try to figure out which of us siblings did
it, he would line us all up.
He
didn't believe in playing 'favorites' – we were all punished
equally!
We
used to learn 'our lessons' from going and finding our own sticks for
him to use on us and
if
it wasn't a big enough stick, we had to go find another one.
Funny
thing is… I knew that if I cried out really loudly, he would stop
tanning my hide and go to the sibling standing next to me.
My
youngest sister thought it was weak to cry, so she got the worst of
those “lessons”.
Many
things were far from perfect growing up.
My
least favorite job was washing the crud off the chicken eggs so that
my Mom could sell them in the city.
Mom
would drive down to Detroit every weekend to sell fresh eggs, butter
she had churned and her homemade jam and baked goods.
One
of my favorite Christmas gifts was my Easy Bake Oven – I wanted to
bake like my Mom did, she made the most amazing fresh Apple Pies.
I
learned how to be Entrepreneurial at a young age. Living out in the
country you had to create your own social circle,
so
at the age of about 10, I started a “Private Club”.
Neighborhood
friends paid me a membership fee to be in my club.
It
wasn't a lot of money, but we had fun and it was the beginning of my
Entrepreneurial thinking.
And
yes, I also set up a Lemonade Stand on the side of the road.
I
used my little Red Wagon to carry the Lemonade and cups out to the
road and used it as my serving station!
My
Dad was a builder, so we were always living in the middle of a
remodeling project.
My
parents had bought an old farm house that had been used to store
grain for animals,
so
it needed a lot of work.
I
remember the time when we didn't have a roof over the kitchen and
bathroom,
and
you could look up at the stars while sitting on the toilet.
Some
highlights of growing up on the farm doing wild and fun things:
Like
flying through the air on the big rope swing hanging from the rafters
in the neighbor's barn and jumping into the piles of hay!
Or
the time I jumped off the roof of the corn crib thinking I had super
powers and could fly
And
the times we had to round up the pigs that had gotten out of their
pen – have you ever tried to catch a pig! It's not easy.
When
I was a junior, we had an exchange student from Germany live with us
for a year.
It
was wonderful to learn about life in another country.
And
when I graduated from high school, I went to Germany to live with her
family for a summer.
It
was a glorious time and after that experience I could not stay on the
farm.
The
experience of living in a big city in Germany had piqued my spirit of
adventure.
When
I got back home, I became very depressed living on the farm.
I
was anxious to find my ticket out.
My
ticket out was to get married – I was 18 years old.
Everyone
else in my family stayed near the farm, I was the only one ready for
an adventure and moved away when I got married.
This
is some of the reasoning behind me wanting to live a different life,
rather than stay on the farm.
I
WANTED A TOTALLY DIFFERENT LIFE FOR MY KIDS TO BUILD MEMORIES IN
I
wanted them to be able to explore the world.
And
not be limited to the small town I grew up in, living on the farm.
My
mom and dad were devoted to each other – they were a powerful
example of committed love.
When
my mom was diagnosed with Muscular Dystrophy, we all took it in
stride and my dad was her strongest supporter.
Through
it all, my mother never had a 'victim mentality'...
even
though she was wheelchair bound for 40 years.
Mom
and Dad were married for 69 years, before my mom passed at age 85.
And
my dad lived a few more years and passed at age 91.
What
I saw displayed in my parents lives was a COMMITMENT to each other
that you just didn't see in a lot of other families.
It
had a huge impact on me in my marriage as well.
I
also saw COURAGE displayed during the hard times, and there were
plenty, in trying to raise and feed five children on the farm.
That
was a life changer for me to say the least.
Their
commitment to each other and the way my mom gracefully handled her
Muscular Dystrophy, taught me some very important lessons.
For
example…
When
life takes a turn…USE COURAGE AND COMMITMENT TO HELP YOU THROUGH
IT.
That
is pretty important to understand.
You
can cry when something happens, but you can't feel sorry for yourself
and you better get your life back on track as soon as possible so you
don't wallow in self-pity.
Alright…
Let’s keep moving.
I
helped put my husband through college, at Central Michigan University
and we lived in Midland where I worked at Dow Chemical.
When
he graduated, we moved to the Detroit area where he got a job and I
was able to transfer with Dow Chemical.
I
was a receptionist/telephone operator, working on an old AT&T
cord-board telephone system.
I
must have said Dow Chemical a hundred times a day, as I answered the
incoming calls.
It
was just like in a SNL skit with Lilly Tomlin!
Then
my husband got an offer with the Federal Government in Colorado –
YAY,
a New Adventure!
He
would never come right out and tell people which part of the
Government.
Because
he worked for the IRS!
Nobody
wanted to talk to him when they found that out.
We
moved to Denver and I began my career as a legal secretary, not
knowing how it would serve me in the future.
We
taught snow skiing at A-Basin on the weekends
We
spent every weekend from October through April in the mountains
skiing.
When
I got pregnant with our daughter, we had no idea how it would change
our lifestyle...
Boy
were we surprised!
We
thought we would just take turns watching the baby and skiing.
That
didn't happen – LOL.
The
problem was that every time we drove up to the mountains, we were
causing a severe problem with my daughter's ears and
at
9 months, she had to have ear surgery.
She
was not able to go up into the mountains and
That
meant I had to stay home with her, while my husband went skiing.
That
wasn't fun!
Having
a sick child and daycare issues, didn't work well for long,
especially without any family support.
Another
major decision/adventure - we decided to move back to Michigan to be
near the family and the farm.
One
of my favorite shows on television at that time was Wonder Woman –
I
loved watching her help people with her Super Powers!
I
wished I had some of those Super Powers when my husband started his
own CPA practice –
It
was brutal!
We
had moved back to Michigan During a Recession to start a business!
We
must have been nuts!
Starting
your own business is so much work – we worked day and night at it.
Things
were rough, we had to sell our home and move into a small apartment
to stay afloat.
My
daughter was about 2 years old when we moved to the apartment and she
hated it!
She
would sit in the car and cry because she didn't want to go in to that
small apartment.
She
didn't understand why we weren't living in the big home we had with a
large yard for her to play in.
It
broke my heart!
I
was a legal secretary and each day when I finished my 9 to 5 job, I
would go to work for my husband's CPA business until midnight.
Fortunately
my husband and the attorney I worked for became best friends,
which
helped us survive during the recession with some client referrals.
But
basing a business on referrals alone is a huge mistake – you can't
do it and stay in business!
Everything
was old-school – we didn't have the tools we have today
I
wish I had the tools then, that I have now, to market the business
We
did not know where our next client was coming from.
We
were both working his CPA business day and night and
when
we weren't working at the office, we were attending meetings to try
and drum up business
It
was crushing us! After 2 years of struggling, we were spent.
It
was our dream to have a profitable small business.
We
wanted more freedom, not less.
We
wanted more peace, not struggle and despair.
It
was heartbreaking when we had to give up that dream and my husband
had to find a job.
When
we couldn't take it anymore, we decided to move.
We
asked a question: “Where in the United States do we want to live?”
Florida
won! A new adventure!
My
husband joined a CPA firm and we ended up in Central Florida.
We
settled into our new home and after a couple years we welcomed a baby
boy to our family.
And
we stayed in that home until my baby boy had grown up to be a young
man and had gone off to college at Florida State University.
My
husband was a huge Florida Gator fan, so it was quite a rivalry
between them during football season!
My
career had shifted to computers around the time my son was born.
I
love technology and I was successful at it.
I
was recruited by Harris/Lanier, a Fortune 500 company, as a Legal
Software Specialist in the Business Systems Division.
This
was amazing because I didn't fit their hiring profile (they only
hired college graduates and I didn't have a college degree).
And
the only reason they recruited me is because whenever their sales
people had to compete against me, I would win the client contract.
They
finally said, let's just go hire her.
My
background as a legal secretary really helped with my Legal Software
success – I could speak their language.
Unfortunately,
I traveled quite a bit, and it wasn't easy with a toddler at home.
My
toddler son would let me know how unhappy he was with me, by stomping
through my flower garden.
It
was a difficult balancing act – being a Career Woman & a Mom!
But
I was determined that I was going to have success
When
someone would say I couldn't do it, I was driven to show them that I
could.
I
was climbing that “Corporate Ladder”
and
it took its toll on my family -
My
daughter would get upset with me and say “I have to make an
appointment to spend time with you!”
I
joined AT&T/Lucent Technologies, winning many awards, including
Millionaires Club and Super Achievers Club.
Over
the course of those years in technology, I had an opportunity to work
with many types of businesses and learn a lot from them.
I
went on to hold several executive-level positions -
VP
of Sales & Marketing at an IT company, Sr Partner at a marketing
services company,
Sr
Vice President of a CRM software company and Director of Corporate
Resources for a marketing automation software company.
While
in those executive-level positions, I successfully established and
maintained critical strategic alliances,
with
PricewaterhouseCoopers, KPMG and MasterCard
and
my experience included major corporate clients; General Motors, Time,
Inc., and JC Penney
as
well as small and mid-sized businesses in Tampa Bay, Florida.
But
I paid a big price for climbing the corporate ladder and achieving
those accolades for business success –
My
children grew up with daycare and after-school programs,
My
adrenals were shot,
My
husband and I seemed to be in a competition with our careers.
After
burning-out as an Executive in Corporate America, I decided to start
my own business.
That
Entrepreneurial spirit from childhood was reignited.
I
started my business as a Marketing Consultant and
then
I began to focus on Internet Marketing,
studying
SEO, Online Marketing and Social Media platforms.
I
was committed to learning everything I could.
I
also took some time off to write my first book on the Law of
Attraction
about
how we create our own reality with our thoughts and emotions.
Then
in a moment, my Whole World Changed.
My
husband died unexpectedly with a massive heart attack.
I
thought I was going to die that night too, it felt like the chords or
heartstrings were ripped right out of my heart.
It
was the most painful experience in my life.
We
were married for 39 years, and I had no idea how to be the left over
half of a couple.
When
life takes a turn…USE COURAGE AND COMMITMENT TO HELP YOU THROUGH IT
It
took a lot of COURAGE and COMMITMENT to keep going –
My
daughter was living in New York City and my son was in his last
semester at Florida State.
Even
though my children were adults, we formed a strong bond and relied on
each other during those difficult times.
I
knew that I had to keep going forward,
even
though the PAIN of the past and the FEAR of the future were
paralyzing at times.
I
decided to immerse myself in energy healing work to heal the gaping
hole in my heart.
And
I kept reminding myself to read my own book.
After
9 months of workshops and training on many different energy healing
techniques, I finally got to peace.
Once
I had peace in my heart, my creativity kicked back in and
I
was finally able to pick up the pieces of my life and go on.
But
it wasn't easy, we were upside down financially.
We
weren't prepared for my husband's unexpected passing,
and
I was forced into a 5 year bankruptcy.
If
we would have had a successful CPA business, we would have had the
right insurance, I wouldn't have had to face Bankruptcy.
I
experienced every emotion – not just the grief from my loss, but I
also was angry that he left me in a big financial mess.
I'll
never forget what one of the creditors said to me, “Your husband
was a CPA, why didn't he take care of you financially?”
That
hurt – yes, why didn't he take care of me?
Our
big dream of having a successful CPA business didn't happen
I
had to start all over and recreate my life.
I
sold everything I could and put the rest into a storage unit and
I
rented bedrooms from friends for 3 years.
Life
is too short to spend it doing things that are frustrating and
overwhelming
So
I took a serious look at what I wanted to do with my business and
decided
to focus on Social Media and Facebook Advertising.
I
studied with the best in the world and learned everything I could
about Social Media and Facebook Advertising, so that nobody would
have to suffer like I did.
I
was determined to use my knowledge to help other small business
owners so that they don't have to go through the same thing –
no
clients,
not
depending on referrals,
praying
that a client would come in,
so
we could pay the bills.
We
lost our dream, I don't want others to lose theirs.
It's
the reason I'm so passionate about helping Entrepreneurs and Small
Businesses and doing what I do today.
I
love technology and have the ability to take complex information and
make it simple.
I
use analogies and share stories to make it easy for my clients.
I'm
known for “Taking
the Eek! Out of Geek”,
I
tap into my knowledge-base of 25+ years in technology.
I
also decided that I wanted to make a difference in the world by
inspiring people with what I had learned.
I
was honored to be invited to be a co-author in Stepping
Stones to Success
with Deepak Chopra, Jack Canfield and Dr. Denis Waitley.
My
topic in the book is Social
Media and Self-Empowerment Tools for Success.
My
clients now MAXIMIZE every dollar spent on Marketing, to get more
clients and more orders, using today's available Social Media
Technology,
At
a Fraction of the Cost of Traditional Media.
Entrepreneurs
and Small Business Owners are the heartbeat of America and I want to
help them make a difference in the world with simple, powerful
strategies I've put together utilizing this technology.
These
are fast-paced, changing times and the old ways don't work.
Our
own business failure could have been avoided if we would have had the
tools and strategies that are available today with Facebook
Advertising.
I
believe, and research shows, that profitable social media
communication is about connecting and engaging at a Personal Level.
It's
important that I also share Why I Love Facebook Advertising!
You
can Zero Right in on your Exact Target Audience.
You
are able to target your ideal customer based on:
demographics
(age, gender, income, marital status)
and
the geographics, their location (country, state, city or zip code).
But
more than that, you can also target your ideal customer based on
psycho-graphics:
their
interests,
what
they like,
the
movies they watch,
the
books they read,
the
celebrities they like...
You
Name It and You Can Target It!
By
identifying your ideal customer, Facebook lets you market directly to
them for as little as $5 a day. This is Exciting!
For
a small ad spend, you are able to test your marketing and determine
if you need to make any changes or adjustments.
It's
a very powerful form of advertising.
One
of my clients, a Woman-Owned Small Business, had focused on
Traditional
Media
to grow their business -
primarily
Newspaper advertising, with some Television and Radio advertising, as
well as Direct Mail.
She
was attempting to model her business off of an old business she owned
12 years prior using traditional media,
but
it wasn't working!
She did not have a good understanding of
how the world had changed with social media and was fearful of using
this new media.
The
client was concerned about the competition finding out what she was
doing and
she
was afraid to use social media to get her message out.
I
was continuously working with my client to help her overcome her
fears of using Facebook Advertising to generate leads and
sales.
Fear of failure and fear of competition were always in
the background of her mind.
Because
of my own experience of losing our business, I knew that the old way
of doing business doesn't work anymore.
I
suggested that we do a test with Facebook Advertising on an upcoming
campaign.
The
client still wanted to also do some traditional media on the campaign
with the following media breakdown:
*
targeted local direct mail drop of 10,000 postcards - cost $2,000
*
newspaper ad in local community paper - cost $1,000
*
targeted Facebook Ad to local community - cost $800
Results
in
that first test campaign were:
*
Direct Mail - 1 sale
*
Newspaper Ad - 1 sale
*
Facebook Ad - 30 sales
It
was so exciting when my client finally realized the power of Facebook
Advertising for her business.
After
the success of that first test Facebook Ad campaign, the client got
really excited.
She
dropped all the traditional media and focused on Facebook
Advertising.
Sales
skyrocketed:
End
of year 2014 - 2,447 sales
End
of year 2015 - 7,253 sales
Increasing
revenues from:
December
2014 - $360,613 to
December
2015 - $1,414,335
Increasing
revenues by 292%
I
hear complaints from businesses all the time, that they tried
Facebook Advertising ONCE and it didn't work for them.
But
often it's because they were running the wrong type of ad or not
targeting the right audience.
It's
equally important that you put the right message in front of your
ideal customer so that you are speaking directly to them.
I
know how important it is to engage with your audience.
When I
was first starting my marketing consulting business, I had a forum
for women that I was growing.
But when my husband died, I
just stopped writing and communicating with them.
By
the time I picked up the pieces of my life and got myself back
together, they were gone.
You
can't treat your Social Media Campaigns like a Newspaper Ad.
You
must ENGAGE! Have a conversation with them.
When
I ask business owners, "Who is Your Target Market?" they
usually say "Everyone!"
It's
not feasible to market to everyone and it's costly.
If
you target the Right Audience with the Right Message at the Right
Time, then you can Maximize your marketing dollars –
You
won't be wasting your Money or your Time, chasing after the wrong
audience that isn't even interested in your product or service.
When
you target the Right Audience, you can Speak Directly to Them, and
get more customers and orders.
I
understand that it's difficult to keep up with all the changes taking
place in Social Media,
Especially
when you are already too busy running your own business to add this
to your plate.
I
know what that is like – I was working 12-14 hour days on my
husband's CPA business. And we didn't have the tools we have today.
Business
owners I talk with are afraid that they are being out-done by their
competition.
And
it can be overwhelming when there are continuous updates to Facebook
Advertising.
I
cover the latest Social Media tips, updates and changes on the Small
Business Advocate Radio Show
with Jim Blasingame each month.
I
have been a member of their BrainTrust on the show for 6 years and my
shows were syndicated to Forbes.com for 4 years.
Here
is the link to all my shows on the Small Business Advocate Radio
Show:
http://smallbusiness.forbes.com/small-business-interviewee/kathy-perry-100403
Things
are changing so fast, and it's frustrating when you don't even have
the time to deal with it.
I
am passionate about helping Entrepreneurs and small business owners
generate leads and grow their businesses with Facebook Advertising,
Giving
them more freedom,
less
overwhelm
and
more peace,
while
staying ahead of the competition.
And
it does take Courage
and Commitment
to have Success,
with
any program!
I
don't want you to feel like I felt when we lost our business.
Between
the CPA practice going out of business and now me helping Small
Businesses and Entrepreneurs with their growth, I am on track with my
life right now.
I
have learned that my 'Super Power' is my ability to work with
Entrepreneurs and Small Business Owners and make it easy for them to
get more clients and more orders with Facebook Advertising at a
fraction of the cost of Traditional Media.
I
have Facebook Ad strategies that I have put together, that eliminate
the stress and overwhelm, of where the next client is coming from.
I'll
be sharing more about the model I used in Part 2.
If
any of this resonates with you, reach out to me and connect on
Linkedin, email or Facebook Messenger and let's have a conversation.
Thanks
for checking this out,
Kathy
Perry
813-789-9580
kathy@kathyperry.com
www.kathyperry.com
www.linkedin.com/in/kathyperry
www.facebook.com/kathyperry
www.kathyperry.linktoexpert.com