Hello. Hello. Welcome, everybody, back to the podcast. I am so excited. I have such a special guest today. I want to introduce you all to Michelle Vroom. She's an incredible client who I've worked with for a very long time, and I can't wait to tell you a little bit about that and let you learn about what she does. She's incredible, and she's just an example of what's possible to so many of you, and so I can't wait to talk about it.

Michelle, welcome.

Thank you for that introduction. We have worked together for a long we have.

Why don't you go ahead and just tell everyone a little background about you and your business, and then we'll lead into our time together.

Sounds great. So I am a business coach who helps women reach 10 k months using their Facebook group. I didn't used to be able to speak so clearly about what I do, because it has been an evolution, as Catherine knows. I've been in business for almost 6 years. Can't even believe I'm saying that. Like, has it been 6 years? Almost. We're a couple months away. And I started my business when my oldest son with 6 months old.

I have 3 boys at home. And I remember just wanting something different, like, wanting more than the corporate job that I had. And I decided to pursue some new opportunities that came my way soon after I had him, and that's how the business was born. Kind of unintentionally, but I think that's how the best things happen. I was prior to running my business, I was in a cushy corporate job that was making, you know, a lot of money. I was the breadwinner of the family. And so to go from that to my own business in involved what was for our family at the time a very big financial sacrifice, and that was pretty scary. And so we did it.

My husband, thankfully, was very supportive, has always been very supportive, which has certainly helped, and I don't think that I could have ever imagined just what my business would bring me, and, like, where I'm at today when I look back over the last 6 years. You know, when I started my business, I was doing full service marketing, like, doing the work for my clients, whether it was social media management, website copy, developing tag lines. Like, I was doing it all because I thought I should. In And over the course of my business and primarily from working with with you, Catherine, I really zeroed in on coaching, and then even after transitioning to 1 on 1 coaching, started zeroing in on group coaching, and, you know, really thinking about, like, what aspects of coaching I enjoyed, and what I wanted to lean into, and it's just kind of been, you know, a really a really cool journey. A very difficult journey at times, but a very cool journey. And I think that's that's sort of the the overview. I mean, there's so much more I know we'll get into, but that's kind of an

I'm so excited to dig into details. So I don't necessarily wanna 0 in on, like, our 1st months of working together, but why don't you give the background of, like, why you came to me and then what's happened over the last 4 years because it's been 4 years since we first started working together, which is crazy.

That is crazy. So I was a year and a half into business when I knew I needed a business coach. I knew I needed a business coach because I had too many offers. I was undercharging. I knew that more was possible. That was never a question in my mind. More is possible, But how how long do I wanna wait for that to come? And so I remember searching in a Facebook group, like, looking for a business coach. A couple people referred you and tagged you in the thread, and I booked a call with you.

And I remember filling out the application saying, like, I want to get to 8 to 10 k months. Like, I I know that's possible. I just don't know how to get there. Right? I just don't know how to get there. And so that was sort of where I was at. Like, at the time, I think I was making maybe, like, 1,000, 2,000 a month, you know, super super low revenue for the work that I was doing and the amount of time that I was spending. I had just welcomed my 2nd a child into the world. He was only a couple months old when we started working together.

And so it was no longer it's not like I wanted to work all the time when It was just my 1st child, but now that you add another child to the mix, it's like things change with every kid. Right? And so I knew that I needed to run things differently. I knew for my mental health and sanity, I needed to run things differently. And so, you know, I knew I wanted to work with you from the very first call. I think I wasn't an immediate yes on the call, but I think I sent you, like, maybe an email 30 minutes later within an hour after just saying, yes, I'm in. And we hit the ground running. And I know that initially we talked a lot about, you know, moving into coaching, and I need a lot of sales help, like, there was definitely a lack of confidence, but also fear of success and fear of, you know, supporting clients. I had had some bad client in prior to working with you that I think left me, you know, fearful of can I deliver? Right? And so that was, like, our main, like, stuff at the beginning.

Right? And then very quickly grew, doubled my revenue that year, the 1st year that I worked with you, and continue to do that every single year with the exception of last year, which I know we'll get into. And a lot of that was due to my mindset. I mean, I didn't really know what mindset was. It's something I didn't think your thoughts were important. Like, I think I had some level of understanding about that, but so much has changed in the last 6 years just in terms of coaching and mindset, and I think there's a a greater awareness about that than there was at the time when I hired you. And so, you know, I thought we're just gonna get into strategy, but, like, there's so much more that happened as a result of that, and that's been, I think, the biggest peace that we've worked through. It's not that we haven't worked through strategy and we haven't worked through, you know, moving from 1 on 1 coaching to group coaching, creating that scalable offer, But at the core of everything has been my mindset around what's possible. And so I grew very quickly, especially in that 1st year of working with you and and doubling my revenue every single year You know, how do I manage my time? Like, I'm serving more clients.

What does that look like? And so I think those were a lot of the the things that we cover kind of over the last 4 years, and then last year was obviously a very different year. I don't know how much of that you wanna get into now, but that was obviously a very different year, which involved, I think, some different perspectives. You also supported me when I had my 3rd child. So I had my 3rd child. He's he's a pandemic baby. I had him literally May 2020, like, 2 months after, you know, everything locked down, at least in our area, but it was all across the world, of course. And, you know, a lot changed there. Crate, like, taking a a full maternity leave.

I say full, it probably wasn't as long as it could have been, but, like, taking a maternity leave to some degree and then dealing with, you know, the level of clients that I had at that point, still had a lot of 1 on 1 clients. Like, there were so much that came up there. So you've really supported me, you know, before reaching 6 figures, but then after reaching 6 figures and now working towards 7 figures, there's so much more that we have to dive into that, You know, was different than when I first came to you.

Yeah. And I do wanna talk about that difference, but, first, I can't help but just think the Michelle that you were when we first started to work together, like, what she would think about everything you've accomplished today. And then and I want you to share a little bit of what that looks like, what has been possible because of what you've done over the last several years. But then, also, I'm even more excited for you because I'm like, what does Michelle today not think is possible for the future? And I see that per year, and I'm so excited.

Yeah. So good. You know, I think I knew that I would be successful. That was never a question for me. I don't believe that I thought it was gonna happen as quickly as it did. I don't believe that I like, the Michelle at the at the time, you know, five and a half years ago, like, would never have expected to double her revenue for 4 straight years. Like, that just was not something that I thought of. I wouldn't have expected to be in the home that I'm in, like, thanks to my business.

Almost 3 years ago now. We moved into our dream home, like, truly our dream home. I absolutely love it. I look around every day, and I think I can't believe I live here. I mean, My business provided that. Right? Like, my business provided all of that. It's not that my husband didn't do anything. Of course, he did.

But my business, I mean, my business was the breadwinner when my husband lost his job for 6 months because of the COVID lockdowns. And I was, you know, 7 months pregnant and didn't have Quarry, which is so funny because prior to hiring you, when I was a year into business, I was also pregnant 2 months prior to giving birth, and I lost 3 clients in one day, which was the majority of my client base and had had almost nothing coming in. So when you look at even those 2 situations, you know, 3 years in between them. I mean, that's a really powerful testament to the fact that not only my my business carry us, but I made, like, a 20 k plus month, you know, on maternity leave, like, while I was taking that month off. And so, you know, those are the things those are just some examples of the things that my business has provided. I mean, being able to hire. I have 2 full time people working for me. I mean, that's incredible.

Like, I don't think I ever expected that also, and just what the ripple effect would be of the wealth that my business is bringing in. You know, one of those team members was able to purchase her own home last year. Like, that is when when I remember seeing the picture, I knew I knew that she was actually purchasing her own home because I was contacted, like, as her, you know, employer. But when I saw the picture that she posted on Facebook of her closing on the house and, like, how happy she was. Not that I think I'm responsible for that. I mean, she's, you know, worked hard. I don't I don't mean to take any form of, like, credit for that, But just knowing that in some small way, my business contributed to that is massive. Like, that really has stuck with me too.

Not just the impact on my life, about the impact on other people's lives. And I don't know that, like, Michelle, at the time when I started working with you, would have thought like that it would go that far. Like, I think it was like, okay. I just wanna make an 8 to 10 k a month, and then I'm good. But I didn't think about what came after that. And the Michelle today, who's going after 7 figures, like, I have some really, like, scary goals and, like, big dreams, like, I just shared with you. I don't mind sharing here publicly. I I don't know that Any family members are gonna listen to this? So if they do, like, they'll they'll know what our goal is, which is fine.

But, my husband and I wanna buy a second home in South Carolina, and that literally what's so interesting too is when when that came up, it just came up like the other the other week. So this is super super recent. And I think there's I can see that it's possible, but there's definitely a part of me that's like, well, how long is it gonna take? And when I told my husband about it, he is so excited. It's not even he's like, yeah. We'll probably start, like, looking at, you know, like, getting a realtor by the end of this year or into next year. Like, he he's thinking differently about my business than I ever did. And so, I mean, you could say so much more about this, but like, I just I I think I believe that certain things are possible, But I I always and you know this from our work together. I always, like, overestimate how long it's gonna take to get there.

And, like, we'll talk about hiring and I'll be like, well, I'm not ready yet. I've gotta wait, you know, much longer, and it's usually throughout the conversation me realizing, no, wait, you're here already, and you also have to start making decisions from the perspective of the person who's already gotten there, because I think that's been really powerful too.

Yeah. Oh my goodness. I am just so proud of you and so excited for you and what's to come. And as you talk, like, I want to even share with everyone listening, like, you shared where you started, and then you've created this multiple six figure business. You're going for 7 figures. Like, it takes time. We're gonna talk about the process and what that looks like in a moment. But I know that, like you said, that happened faster than you thought it could happen.

And I'm curious from your perspective. I didn't ask you to think about this question ahead of time, and I'm gonna toss it to you anyway. Do you think it was harder to make your 1st 100 k in business, or do you think it's harder now? Like, what are your thoughts on that? Because I have some thoughts and perspectives, but I'll ask you first.

That's a great question. My answer probably would have been different prior to last year. I think that there was a belief that, like, okay. You get to 6 figures, and then it's, like, good. Like, you're good. Your mindset's good. Like, everything's good. Now, I mean, I I actually look back, and I think the first 6 figures was easier in many ways for me to to bring in.

Not not necessarily there was a lot strategy. Right? That that and and mindset, of course. Mindset's always part of it. There was definitely a lot of strategy that I think needed to be done leading up to the 6 figures, but it's almost like after the 6 figures, there's still strategy. The strategy is so much it's actually so much simpler at its core, which makes it more challenging because it's, like, going all in on fewer things and repeating and, like, sticking with things. Like, I actually think on the way to 6 figures, there was a lot of you know, I've been fairly good about shiny object syndrome, though it certainly has come up for me and and you've coached me around it, but I don't know that that was ever, like, a primary massive problem. It came up for sure. But there are definitely, like, on the path to 6 figures.

It's like, oh, exciting. Like, you get to try a bunch of different things and, like, do a bunch of different offers, and some of that is just the natural course. But now it's like no. I I have landed and even last year I mean, I know we'll talk about last year, but I landed on some core things that are working really well, and now it's just making them work even better. And I've never been in that position before in my business, and I can see how challenging it is to, like, keep your brain on task and not think that you have to do something different or do more to get to 7 figures.

Yeah. So good. I think that that 1st year, there's so much learning. Like, there's such a learning curve of all the things you have to figure out to make the money, but then every year, and you and I have talked about this, like, you've never arrived. You've never just, like, figured it out and it's done and you ride the wave forever. And in part because even once you learn to make that first 100 k, then you have to learn to make it again, but in a different way, and then again, in a different way. So part of that, and this will lead into your your last year, but part of that is really understanding that you have to slow down to speed up, and I know that there's a concept we've talked about too where when you look at someone who's grown and it looks like it's exponential growth, when you really zoom in, it looks more like a staircase. And there are these moments where you really have to stabilize and focus on maintaining your revenue level, in making it in a different way so that then you're ready for that next growth spurt, if you will.

So last year was a year where you had to learn that for herself and dealt with all the feelings and all the things you probably made that mean, which weren't true because that was exactly what needed to happen. But I wanted you to share a little bit about what that year was like for you, what you expected, how you knew you needed that year, or if you even really understood that you needed that time. Like, how did you make the decision to slow down, or did it just happen? Just tell everyone.

Oh, gosh. So much here. I don't know that I'm fully new. Like, people say, you need to slow down, like and and I think we throw that out, you know, out there, and we know that that's true, but do we really know what that means? Because it means a lot more than just throwing it it out as a phrase, and I don't know that I really understood the meaning until I went through last year. So there were noticeable cracks, if you will. And I don't know I mean, you'll probably remember this when I reference it. You you obviously didn't know I was gonna bring this up, but toward the end of the prior year. I had some pretty big breakdowns that fall, like, tearful Voxer message.

I mean, I've I've cried a lot in our coaching, which I'm fine with admitting, but, like, tearful Voxer messages just talking about how stressed I felt and how I just felt really overwhelmed. And, not not in a way that I felt before because I had a pretty full one on 1 client base. 2020 was a challenging year with some client situations, and so that certainly had built up. And then I just hired my team one of my team members as full time, or actually it was even prior to that. It was like thinking about it and knowing I needed more support, But just feeling like my business was really messy. And I remember crying to you about it pretty regularly and having some, like, almost like panicky not panic attacks, but, like, panicky moments where it was hard to catch my breath. And so that was starting to kinda seep in the cracks even prior to 2021, like, toward the the tail end of 2020. And so I think looking back, like, there definitely something definitely needed to change.

I just didn't know what it was, and I didn't know what it meant to, like, slow down in the way that you're referencing. And so I think that I did believe going into 2021 that I was just gonna double my revenue again. Like, I did it before. Right? Why not? Like, keep doing the same things. But the same things and I don't know how else to explain this. Hopefully, I'll I'll be able to do it justice, but the things weren't always working the way that they did before because what I had built up until that point was a great 6 figure business, and I could keep going with that and, like, just stay the course. And there's no shame in that, But I didn't want that, and so what I wanted required me to think differently. It required my business to look different.

In some ways, my business looks the same, but in other ways, it looks very different. And all of that led to kind of the staircase part. Right? That you're talking about where it's like a pause on the big revenue jumps. And I, throughout most of last year, I had a really hard time with that. I felt like I was going backwards. Felt like I was losing touch with my audience. I felt like people didn't wanna work with me anymore. I was, like, dried up.

I mean, I'm trying to remember what else I said to you because there was so much I said. And that was a big part of our work last here was, you know, me being okay with that. Because you do see people talking about those big leaps, like quantum leaps, so to speak, And they don't talk about what went into them, or they keep doing the quantum leaps, but what is it costing them? Right? Like, some people do keep growing like that, but they can't handle that growth. I mean, I'm thinking about a couple people in mind right now. I've massive you know, built these massive businesses seemingly overnight, But then couldn't handle it, and the business infrastructure couldn't handle it, and it came crashing down. And so, you know, I didn't want that either, and so it was kind of like being okay with the fact that, like, I can slow down and I don't have to double my revenue to be able to get to 7 figures. Like, this gets to be a year that is a very important turning point. And I remember my husband and I talked to me about it at the beginning of the year, and he was, like, Yeah.

Like, he reminded me even throughout the year, like, remember, it's a turning point. Remember, it's a turning point. And even though we had plenty of money to sustain us if I didn't really work much last year, it's still it was more of a pride thing. And so I had to keep reminding myself and, like, owning the fact that, no, this this is what I want. Like I can't have it both ways. Right? And the way that I've chosen is the slower quote, unquote path just for that year. Right? And so it was intentional, but I kept acting like it wasn't intentional, which I think messed with my mind a lot.

Yeah. And, I mean, it just caused you so much I'll just use the word pain generically here, but it caused you so much pain to not really just, like, own the fact that this was a decision or this is something that needed to happen and to feel like something was wrong, where instead, I think, over time as the year went on, from the outside looking in, saw that you began to really, like, accept that this is what was needed and to see that this period, could you have doubled your revenue again? You could have. Like you said, I don't even know what that would have cost you or, I mean, I have some ideas.

I don't know what that would have even looked like. Yeah.

Yeah. You could have. You still had a great year, multiple 6 figures. Like, it's not like you had a bad year by any means. Old me

would have loved last year. Isn't it stuff like your effective changes because old me would have been like would have killed for what I made last year, but it didn't seem good enough.

Right. And you're just used to that pace of doubling. And so for career of not doubling your revenue. It felt like something was wrong, but what I really want to make sure that everyone here is that I do believe that you eventually got to was if you had pushed to double your revenue, you could have, but by slowing down, that's not the end all, be all. Like, last year's results weren't the end of your business, the end of seeing success, in what's possible for you. Last year was a moment to set you up for even greater success moving forward. So if we look at the short term, if we only look at last year, then, sure, maybe you didn't make what you could have if you had pushed. Right? But if we look at the long term and we play the long game, which is what I'm all about.

You're going to make more money long term because you took the time to slow down last year. In so let's talk about some of the things you did during that year. Like, what did that actually mean or translate to tactically? Yeah.

So a couple of things. Number 1, really going all in. And when I say all in, I think I was all in before. But last year was all in, meaning, like, willing to put in the work and wait for the results, kind of all in because I think there's different versions of all in. Me doing that for my signature group program, the DreamCloud Accelerator. Like, I made a very intentional choice last year to shift away from having just, like, a full roster of 1 on 1 clients. Like, a full roster for me at my height of 1 on 1 with probably 10 ish clients, maybe even more, and it was not sustainable, especially adding a 3rd child. I mean, that third child, Some people told me it'd be easier.

It was not easy for me, adding a 3rd child to the mix. Like, my husband and I talk every day about, How did we do this? Like, he's gonna be 2, you know, in a couple months, and we're still, I mean, reeling in some ways because there's just so much more now going on, right, in our family, and so I knew that I couldn't sustain that nor did I want to. I really didn't want to deep down, and I wanted something different. And so we had talked a lot about, you know, what would it look like to have that scalable offer, like, what would it look like to only have, you know, 2 group coaching calls, you know, a week or whatever. And and I remember just feeling really excited by that. And so I really started off the year with the intention of how can I go all in and make the Dream Client Accelerator a business or a program that had brought me in 6 figures already? Like, how can I make this the driving force behind 7 figures? And so what that meant is really examining the program and getting rid of some things that were no longer serving me in the program, which can be really hard because I love the program, in And zeroing in on some aspects of the program that I hadn't had the courage to do prior and, like, really going deep. So no longer being, like, a little more general. Like, this program, I went all in on, I'm gonna help you get to 10 k months using your Facebook group, and it took me, quite frankly, probably the entire year close to it to even get to that point where I was that specific, but being more specific about who this program is for, what it delivers, having a very specific intentional framework in the program for helping people get results, which is going to continue to be a really big focus for me this year.

It was like last year was setting the stage for that. You know, setting the stage for being able to take on fewer 1 on 1 clients but still bring in multiple 6 figures because there was a belief that I had, you know, which I'm sure we're gonna touch on too that, like, there's no way. Like, 1 on 1 was my bread and butter because it's the highest ticket, you know, offer. There's no way I can recreate that revenue through a group coaching program because I also felt like sales had dipped for that program starting out the year. And so there was a lot of, like, mental drama around that program that I think, you know, really working through last year, you know, gave me the push for what's gonna happen this year. Team was massive. I mean, again, always had the 2 team members. Like, the 2 team members started in 2021 or 2020, so it wasn't getting used to new team necessarily.

It was, like, delegating more and, like, putting systems in place and also challenging my team to take ownership of entire projects, entire strategies, which I had never really done before. And so that required me being a leader, and that was something that I felt so ill equipped to do last year. Still still do sometimes if I'm honest, but, like, feel better about it now. And so working through that and being able to start to, like, in relinquish the hold that I had on my business. Like, if I clenched my fist, it's like that's how tightly I was holding my business last year. So tightly that it was like I was constantly just, like, gritting my teeth and, like, you know, put applying pressure. And so starting to release some of that 2 other people, you know, starting to release some of that in terms of the offers that I delivered and the clients that I took on and the strategies. Like, going back to some of the core strategies that worked, and then putting a system around them so that I'm not the one always doing that.

Like, that was also, I think, a big piece of it too. There were a lot of other things that I'm trying to think of, like, what were the big kind of categories of things that that made a huge difference last year. Although, am I missing anything? You might have other things that I might be missing.

Well, I think you touched on so many things that I was thinking about, and, you know, when I talk about it or think about it, you know that we like to structure our businesses the way that I teach it into different departments, and it's really if we look at marketing and sales or your growth department, and then we look at the delivery of client programs, coaching, whatever, client support and bundle that all up into client success. Last year was a huge year for you in both areas to make those scalable. In other words, to be able to get results in both categories without you. You handed off sales calls and trained a team member to do that for the majority of your calls. Team members are like, we could go on and on and on, but you have strategies to bring clients in through the boot camp, through sales calls that you don't even have to be the primary person doing anything. You're leading those initiatives. And then on the back end, yes, you're still coaching, and that's because you want to coach. Right? But you have a team who's supporting and handling all the other things.

And if there for any point that you didn't wanna coach, there's a way to scale your business without that. But as long as you want to, we can build a business that allows that. So last year was so much of that, and, you know, when you were talking about just almost your jaw clenching and, like, white knuckling, things holding on to things. No wonder like you felt the way that you felt before going into last year, like, when of the CEO, a business owner, an entrepreneur, any human being for that matter, tries to hold on and control everything. Of course, it's gonna feel that way. And so last year, there was a lot of that learning of not just because it's not easy, and so I also wanna commend you.

I'm a control freak already. Like, I already struggle with control and giving up control in life, and so apply that to business, and there you have it.

And I just wanna commend you because you did such a great job of learning to really let go and and lead, and your team is getting just phenomenal results Yeah. That, obviously, we can give them credit for, but you credit core for leading them, and I know that you're bringing in consistent clients every single month without having to do it all yourself.

Yeah. I mean, just to give some commentary on some of this you don't know because I was gonna give you an update today. You know, toward the end of last year, I would say, mid October was when we really honed in on, like, that sweet spot with DCA, and it was just, okay, now we're just gonna get people in. And every single from October through December, we signed 5 DCA clients every month easily. And I remember there being Kreim's full transparency where we would do a launch for DCA, like, prior to that year and get 3 people in. Four people, maybe 5. Right? During a launch, like, where you're putting all of this effort in, and this just came from a combination of sales calls. A couple people purchased from the sales page, which was exciting.

That's something that I wanna, you know, ramp up again this year. But that was huge, just having that, like, consecutive revenue. And then at this time of recording, we are talking in January, so we are about to end the 1st month of the new year. And not only did I sign 2 new 1 on 1 clients today, which I didn't tell you about the second one, but we are actually at a 50 k sales month. It won't be all cash collected this month, which is fine, But literally, like, almost at 6 figures for the year in sales, and it's It's January. It's 1st. Right? So I wanna share that too because I had an entire year where I will, you know, had some of my lower revenue months that I haven't seen in a while, where I, you know, of course, had a great year, but, like, really not the way it it I expected it to go. And it set me up so well that literally in January, 1st month of the new year, I'm bringing in more in sales.

I mean, I'm trying to remember. I maybe I've had it I don't even know if I've had a 50 k sales month before. I feel like it's it's been close, but most of that has been, like, cash months. Right? This is like, I mean, something that I haven't experienced before at least at this level, and and definitely not, like, kicking off the year. And so I share that because, I mean, I have more clarity about where I'm going and how I'm gonna get to 7 figures than I've ever had before and less control in the sense of the day to day. I mean, last week, my team member sold somebody on a sales call. Right? Like, didn't have to do anything, didn't get on the call, like, heard about it in Slack, welcomed the person in, and that's amazing. Even more than, like, the sales and the clients.

We have more inquiries, more interest. Right? And some of those will pan out into clients, some may not right away, When you look at the scope of what's ahead of us for this year, I feel very, very optimistic. I feel very excited about what's to come, and, yeah, I thought I'd share that too. I haven't even given you all the flavor of the so Katherine's hearing this for the 1st time, but, like, that's a really big deal to kinda kick off the year with this, you know, at a time where we've just gotten through the holidays and January feels like a long month for people, like, I am seeing great interest and a lot of that is due to the clarity that I have about how we can support clients and what that looks like and who's a good fit for DCA and who's a good fit for 1 on 1.

In yeah. So, obviously, congratulations. That's amazing. And what comes up for me that I wanna tell you to think about, this is like behind the scenes coaching almost because you would come to me in a coaching call and give these updates. And so real time, I love that this is on the podcast, but when you're talking about hitting 50, 60 k numbers, I want you to think about how close you are to that $1,000,000 run rate. Right. Do you know what that $1,000,000 run rate is, like, what that monthly is if you had to guess?

Oh, if I had to well, I I was gonna do the math.

Yeah. Well, you do the math. I can just tell you. Yeah. You tell me. It's 83,000 and change. Like, basically, 84 k. You're not that far off Right.

From having a $1,000,000 run rate for a sales month, and then from there, the cash months are gonna continue to climb. So it's happening. Yeah.

And it's like it's actually a very similar cycle, right, to back when we were trying to get me up to 10 k months. It's like there were the sales came first and then the cash floated. Like, it's this it's actually the same cycle just at a different level and requiring much, much less of me. I mean, I can say on a personal note, there. There's always stress, of course, and I don't wanna diminish the fact that there are new stressors that I'm dealing with at this level of business, but I am working less than I worked. I am less stressed on the day to day. I feel like I have time to think and to be creative. We're gonna carve out more of that time for me this year now that I have a babysitter, praise God, who's who started just the other week.

I mean, There are so many things that are happening, and and the kids are in a busy stage. I mean, I've got 6 year old, a 4a half year old, and an almost 2 year old, And I am less stressed and making more in my business than I did when I first started and had 1 6 month old.

Yeah. It's phenomenal. I love it. Yeah. In yeah. And so, again, like, just that learning to make the money in a new way. So you learn to to sell 1 on 1. You learn how to deliver results clients and packaged that up into a container that was different than doing the work for them.

Then you went through a process of really learning how to even start the group program and hire team members. And just each year, you had to learn more and more, but now you truly are making that multiple 6 figures with a team who's doing a lot of the work with a proven process inside of your program DCA, Dream Client Accelerator, for those who are just hearing about it for the 1st time. There's a proven process where people can get the result, and it's without you holding their hand every step of the way. Now they have every bit of support that they need, but it doesn't require you to tell them everything or to a coach on everything.

Not at all. In fact, you know, one of them, I I checked in with the group prior to coming on this interview, and someone posted a question about something related to the framework and the others who had gone through the framework were actually answering the question and doing exactly what I would have done. Like, Not even just my team member, my client success manager, of course, jumped in, but so did everybody out. Like, so did a couple of other ladies in the program, like, a like, oh, okay. Great. They're I mean, they're learning and applying it and teaching it to each other. Not that I'm not doing anything. I don't wanna sound like that, but they're there.

Like, the framework is so clear that people in the program are learning it and being able to answer other's questions, like, which is so powerful for them. So powerful. It's not just powerful for me, it's powerful for them. And so, that was another update. I was gonna gonna give you so giving you all the updates, but, like, It ties in well with what we're talking about. It's like, oh, okay. Cool. I went and I go I went and ate lunch.

Like, I went, like, went to the bathroom, chilled, you know, because This is what's happening.

Yeah. And we did really hear that, not just you, but everybody listening. Clients are getting answers. They're getting results while you had lunch.

Lunch, and they're getting them faster than if they waited for me to pop in the group because I'm not in there, you know, every 5 seconds, obviously, at certain times that I check-in. But, You know, the fact that they're able to hear from their peers too is also really powerful, and that that never happened before in DCA. Maybe a little bit, but not to the level that it is now and and and how I think it will continue to to happen because there was never such a clear, simple, strategic framework. It was like, Some people were over here doing this. Some people are over here doing this, and it felt like I was just corralling so many different people. I mean, listen. I'm not saying that it's perfect and that there's not challenges now, which there obviously are, but it just felt like there was always, like, I could never really wrap my hands around the program, and I think that was the biggest challenge because it pretty much was a 1 on 1 coaching program.

Yeah. So I wanna talk about that transition from 1 to 1 one to many. Tongue twister there a little bit. Could you share some of your biggest fears or challenges, like some of the things that you had even thoughts about, beliefs about that you thought would be a problem going into that transition, and maybe you can share what you think now if if there's something clear, but what did you think about it? And what were you afraid of, or what were you worried about?

I was afraid of loss of revenue Because the 1 on 1 coaching was such a big chunk of my revenue, so I was afraid of loss of revenue. I was afraid that my clients wouldn't get results. Control. It's up to the client, ultimately. I mean, you can control how you show up and coach, but you can't control everything. So but but it felt like I could control and manage 1 on 1 easier than a group of people going through, and that was at the time when DCA was much smaller than it's becoming, you know. And so it was like, you know, okay. I'm gonna lose control.

They're not gonna get as good results, and I'm gonna make less money. Like, those were the sort of the reoccurring Thoughts that kind of came up for me when I thought about making that transition.

Okay. And looking back, what do you know now that you wish you had known then?

What I know now is that my clients can get better results with less of my time. They don't need me there every 5 seconds to get results. And, I mean, we've even done some recent coaching around the power of a group and the power of, you know, how how people can to get faster results with the group program, which is honestly a new concept for me because 1 on 1, as long as I've had it, has always been my shining star. It's not that 1 on 1 doesn't serve a purpose, but just realizing, wow, like, I don't have my team. My client success manager can manage a lot of things. They don't need me there every 5 seconds. Like, sometimes they'll reference something that she told them or that she did, and it's, like, cool because it's not just the Michelle show. Right? They're not now yes.

Of course, they love when I coach them. Yes. It's, like, special, you know, to be on that coaching call and to get support, but they're able to, I think, become more independent and stronger business owners than they would be if they worked with me 1 on 1, and that is a pretty powerful realization.

So many good things. And I wish that you had known all of those before, but I'm so glad that you're sharing them here so that everyone listening like, really listen to what she said. In I meant what I said earlier. You really are an example of what's possible, and everything that you've experienced, like, there aren't shortcuts. Everyone's gonna have to do the work and go through it. But if they listen to the lessons that you learned, the things that you faced, the things that you know now. It can certainly help at least with their own thoughts to know that it's normal. That's so much of I think so much of this journey.

It's just knowing that what you're going through is normal and okay and part of the process to get to where you wanna go.

Yes. Having you as a coach To even be able like, sometimes all I need to hear from you is it's normal, and it's it's much easier to shift and move through it now. Yeah. And that's really powerful because as you grow to new heights in your business, it can feel even lonelier. Right? It feels like, well, is anybody else at this stage? And no one else is really talking about it or being, you know, potentially open or transparent about it. And so Having that support and being told that you're normal, like, I don't know that I would have realized that last year was actually a very necessary part of my growth if you hadn't coached me around that. You know, I had all these thoughts about, well, I'm going backwards and this isn't normal, and to hear you say, like, there was 1 Voxer message. I think when you walk walked through the phases of, like, first, you make the 100 k, then you make another 100 k in a different way.

Like, when you walked through all of that, that was so refreshing to me to be like, oh, Okay. Like, this is actually a thing. I'm not crazy.

Yeah. Yeah. Nothing has gone wrong here. Everything is happening exactly as it's supposed to. And those are a couple of thoughts that really helped you. Like, this is normal. That's a thought that served you very well and I think will continue to. I'd love to hear what other thoughts that have really stuck with you or stood out that you've clung to maybe that have helped you so far to scale to where you are now.

For sure. I'm gonna work it till it works. A 1000% has just, like, totally been the reason why I'm here. I'm gonna work until it works. I can figure this out. I'm learning as I go. Like, I'm I'm learning. I'm never gonna arrive.

I think those are just some of the ones that that rise to the surface. Like, people are watching. Like, this is necessary for getting to 7 figures. Like, reminding myself of what's necessary along the way, I think, is really important.

Awesome. And what would you tell everyone who's listening? In they're sitting there thinking, okay. I have a roster full of 1 to 1 clients. I'm thinking it out, trying to go to group. Like the idea of everything that I'm hearing about going to a scalable offer or scalable selling. Like, what would you tell them to help them in that transition?

I would say kind of going back to the staircase piece, like, this is what is needed to get to where you wanna go. Like, what's possible with group is so much more than you can anticipate from having done 1 on 1. This is what's needed to have a greater impact, not just for you and for your family, but for the people that you're serving. And this is truly, like, what freedom looks like. It's like everybody talks about freedom, but no one really explains what it looks like. And if you've gotten this far, you've been uncomfortable before, you can do it again. I think that's probably another thought, by the way, that that has helped me that I I'm gonna offer up here.

Yeah. Awesome. Thank you so much for joining me. I'd love for you to tell everyone where they can find you online and check out all the things. I mean, you've got a podcast, a Facebook group, so definitely mention both of those. And if you're working to get to your 1st 10 k and you wanna learn how to do that from a Facebook group, she has the perfect program for that, so tell them about that too.

Yeah. So, you can find me at on Facebook. Market Like A Boss is my Facebook group. There are 65 100 women in there and counting, so an incredible amazing group. It's where I share a lot of stuff about getting to 10 k through your Facebook group, but also, you know, behind the scenes stuff about my business, and Catherine will be featured in there. She and I, you know, we'll do we're gonna be doing a live soon, in there just about my business journey, so that's a great place to go. I have a podcast, Market Like a Boss as well, so easy to remember. And then the Dream Client Accelerator, otherwise known as DCA, which we've referenced several times throughout the interview, really is truly like your ultimate one stop shop to reaching a 10 k month using your Facebook group.

There are a lot of ways to get there, and I will never be the one to say there's one right way. But if you are on Facebook, you need a group. Facebook has changed. It's changing. You need a group in order to, have that impact, to have that visibility, And so I'm leaning into what I do best and what I know best, which is groups. And if that's you know, if a 10 k month is something that's on your radar for this year, but also you know, if you have a Facebook group and and you want that simple repeatable strategy, the DCA is definitely going to deliver that to you.

Definitely go check that out. Thanks again, Michelle. So great as always.

Yes. So fun. Thank you.