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  • - When I went out on my own and became my own boss,

  • every insecurity that could come flooding in did.

  • I didn't feel like I was enough.

  • I didn't think I was strategic enough.

  • I didn't have the right answers.

  • I didn't have enough education. I wasn't-

  • I didn't look the part,

  • like all the different things came up.

  • - Hey, welcome to our YouTube community.

  • Today I am honored to bring you

  • a very powerful interview with Amy Porterfield,

  • who's been called the Queen of Online Marketing.

  • She's the New York Times bestselling author of the book,

  • "Two Weeks Notice: Find the Courage to Quit Your Job,

  • Make More Money, Work Where You Want, and Change the World."

  • She's the host of the "Online Marketing" podcast

  • with almost 50 million downloads,

  • and she's taken over 50,000 students

  • through her online courses.

  • To our YouTube community, be sure and subscribe and share.

  • Little shout out to Dudley from Cape Town, South Africa,

  • Sampson from Nigeria,

  • Jane from Zambia,

  • Andrew from Ukraine,

  • and Darren from Cooksville, Tennessee.

  • Thank you guys for commenting.

  • If you have questions, comments,

  • tell us in the comment section where you're watching from.

  • We've got people from all over the world.

  • If you're ready, comment right now, "I'm ready."

  • Are you ready? Comment, "I'm ready."

  • Let's go to the interview now with Amy.

  • Well, Amy, I've been waiting to have you on for a long time.

  • Welcome to the podcast.

  • - Well, thanks so much for having me, Craig.

  • It's great to be here.

  • - It is an honor to have you,

  • and we're gonna talk more about your new book.

  • I'm gonna go and hold it up for now.

  • "Two Weeks Notice: Find the Courage to Quit Your Job,

  • Make More Money, Work Where You Want, and Change the World."

  • Congratulations on your new New York Times bestselling book.

  • - Thank you so, so very much.

  • It's been a wild ride.

  • - Well, I can only imagine,

  • and I want to ask you about the book,

  • but I wanna dive in and first get a little bit

  • of your leadership story because what you've been able

  • to accomplish is quite profound.

  • Your influencing a lot of people.

  • And I kind of wanna start, Amy, at the beginning,

  • and this definition's not original to me,

  • but someone said that leadership is influence.

  • At its core, at the very root, that's what leadership is.

  • I'm curious, when was the first time

  • that you recognized that you actually had influence

  • in the lives of other people?

  • - Ooh, such a great question.

  • You know, I always felt like I was born to be a leader

  • and I don't think I was born to be a lot of things,

  • but to be a leader, yes.

  • And so in high school, I really actually felt it.

  • I was a cheerleader, captain of my cheerleading squad,

  • and I was involved in leadership in high school

  • and I always have been drawn to inspire

  • and empower and get my voice out there.

  • So I think that's when I kind of started honing in on it.

  • I wouldn't have known it was leadership back then.

  • But looking back, it definitely was.

  • - Right. So, in the early years,

  • probably when you started to recognize

  • that you had some leadership gifts,

  • I'm also guessing that you had some insecurities as well,

  • because almost all of us do.

  • Can you tell me, because this might help some people

  • that are listening right now,

  • how did you work through some insecurities

  • to grow in your confidence as a young and aspiring leader?

  • - You know, I have been very insecure

  • for a lot of my journey, to be quite honest.

  • It ebbs and flows for sure.

  • And I think where I really started to notice it

  • is when I started to build my own business.

  • And so I was in corporate for many, many, many years.

  • And definitely the insecurities came up there,

  • but I wasn't in charge of really big projects.

  • But when I went out on my own and became my own boss,

  • every insecurity that could come flooding in did.

  • I didn't feel like I was enough.

  • I didn't think I was strategic enough.

  • I didn't have the right answers.

  • I didn't have enough education. I wasn't-

  • I didn't look the part,

  • like all the different things came up.

  • And so I've navigated those for a really long time.

  • And in my book I talk about this difference

  • between confidence and courage,

  • and I didn't have a lot of confidence,

  • but I don't think you start out with a lot of confidence.

  • I feel confidence is earned,

  • but courage is that faith that you have

  • in a higher power or in yourself.

  • And so I've had to rely on courage

  • a lot of the way through my journey.

  • And it's absolutely been something

  • that's helped me immensely.

  • - That's an interesting perspective.

  • I haven't heard someone share kind of that contrast

  • before between courage and confidence.

  • And to me it's almost like,

  • you need confidence and a little stupidity, right?

  • When you're starting out,

  • just like you don't even know what you don't know.

  • And so you would say that confidence is earned.

  • Can you take me through, and I'd love to know,

  • you mentioned a couple of insecurities,

  • that you're not enough, you weren't strategic enough.

  • Could you pick one of those,

  • maybe one that stands out to you the most,

  • and tell me how you actually earned the right

  • to be confident in that area?

  • Because I think Amy, as you know, we're, you know,

  • we have so many in our leadership community

  • that just feel inadequate.

  • Most of us don't feel like that we're enough.

  • And you have overcome,

  • you started from scratch and built something really special.

  • I'd like to know that journey of how you built confidence,

  • what it took, and do you own it today?

  • Are you always confident or do you still backslide

  • into some of the insecurities?

  • So if you can just walk us through that, that'd mean a lot.

  • - Okay. So when I talk about this idea

  • of confidence is earned, what I mean by that is

  • when you start to put yourself out there,

  • and in my case start to build a business,

  • and I do my first launch and it doesn't work out,

  • and then I do another launch and I make a little money,

  • and I do another launch and I start to grow it,

  • that is where the confidence comes in.

  • I have a proven track record.

  • It might be small, but like inch by inch,

  • it's starting to work.

  • So my confidence starts to grow.

  • I'm earning it, I'm putting in the time,

  • I'm putting in the work, but before it starts to work,

  • and it took me a good two years

  • before my business really started to work,

  • that's where I had to rely on the courage

  • because the number one insecurity I had

  • is that I wasn't good enough.

  • I've always struggled with my weight.

  • As a woman, this is kind of a big through line

  • that we see a lot where I didn't wanna get on video,

  • I didn't wanna show my face.

  • I didn't wanna put myself out there.

  • So I felt like I wasn't good enough to be on camera

  • or I wasn't strategic enough in the sense of

  • I didn't have a business degree.

  • I didn't know how to build an online business.

  • I was making it up as I went.

  • So it just came back to I am not good enough.

  • And so every time something didn't work,

  • I would reinforce that.

  • But here's how I came out of it.

  • And why today I think I absolutely have a lot of confidence

  • and I absolutely backslide at moments,

  • but then can catch myself pretty quickly,

  • is because I got clear on what I wanted.

  • It all comes down to your why.

  • And for me, this is something I teach to all my students.

  • And that is, what do you want? Why do you want it?

  • And in the early years when I was still in my corporate job,

  • I wanted to call the shots.

  • I wanted to be the boss.

  • I wanted to work when I wanted,

  • where I wanted, how I wanted.

  • And I wanted to be more creative than I could.

  • And as a woman, I knew I was hitting that glass ceiling.

  • And so when I got clear on what I wanted,

  • in the beginning, it was very selfish.

  • I wanted more freedom.

  • And so every time I would get knocked down,

  • I did my first launch, I made $267.

  • I thought I'd make like $100,000.

  • So I was devastated, got knocked down.

  • But I was like, oh, but I want this bad enough.

  • I'm gonna try something new. I'm gonna change it up.

  • So I got back up and that was all courage and faith for me.

  • Absolutely. Until it started to work.

  • And as I mentioned, I would do launch after launch

  • after launch and it started to click.

  • And so that's when I started to step into confidence.

  • And when I would backslide,

  • ask myself what did I want.

  • Now, 14 years in, what I want is to help people.

  • Like, I have found my mission.

  • I feel as though I can help people step into a world

  • of entrepreneurship and become their own boss

  • and make as much money and as much impact as they want.

  • That is my why today.

  • That why is so strong that it helps when I get knocked down

  • to get back up really quick.

  • So really to me, courage into confidence,

  • it's really about your why.

  • - That's super interesting.

  • And I would love to sit down maybe with, you know,

  • a thousand leaders and talk through their why.

  • Because it seems like most people do often start out

  • with a selfish why, you know, like,

  • I want to do this on my own terms.

  • I wanna be a leader, I wanna be important,

  • I wanna have influence.

  • And I think the truly most successful leaders

  • don't start with I, but they start with you.

  • It's like, I want to help you achieve your dreams.

  • I wanna help you be more successful.

  • I wanna help you have a bigger ministry. I wanna help you.

  • So I would be curious,

  • and we can't solve, answer the question now,

  • but how many of the best of the best of the best,

  • their why is more driven by you than it does by I?

  • And I think that's a really great insight

  • and it shows in what you do that all of your content

  • is really focused on the listener,

  • on someone else.

  • And that's a big compliment to you.

  • You know, you blew by something

  • and you mentioned a handful of failures,

  • just one after the other in the early years.

  • Could you pick one or two of those failures

  • that you experienced?

  • And kind of walk me through,

  • what did it feel like when you didn't hit your target?

  • How did that shake you?

  • What'd you say to yourself? How'd you overcome it?

  • Because I think there's a lot of people would look at you

  • and say, man, she's got it all going on,

  • and they have no idea the pain of the journey

  • and the price you paid along the way.

  • Give us some insight to a failure that really stung

  • and what you learned from it and how you grew through it.

  • - So, coming back to that first launch.

  • So I was one year into my business

  • and I decided to create my first digital course.

  • At the time, I was doing more consulting,

  • coaching on marketing and social media,

  • but I knew that wasn't my end all be all.

  • I didn't really love doing one-on-one work.

  • And so I wanted to get out of that as fast as possible.

  • So I rushed to create my first digital course,

  • had no idea what I was doing,

  • and chose a topic that I wasn't an expert in.

  • So when I teach my students today, I always say,

  • you're looking for that 10% edge.

  • You want to have gotten results for yourself

  • or for somebody else,

  • and you need to be 10% ahead of those you serve

  • so you can lead the way.

  • Well, I didn't know that back then.

  • So I decided, this is kind of ironic,

  • since I just launched my first book,

  • I taught authors how to use social media

  • to launch their book.

  • I had no business teaching that, but I was desperate.

  • In the first years of building a business or anything new,

  • there's a little bit of a desperate energy.

  • I've gotta make this work.

  • I've gotta prove that I can do this.

  • So I kind of just grasp on to anything.

  • And so I launched this first course, like I said,

  • I made $267 and I cried for about seven days,

  • like secretly, behind closed doors, I was devastated.

  • And what I made it mean,

  • and thank God I didn't give too much time to this,

  • I made it mean that I wasn't cut out to be an entrepreneur.

  • I looked around on social media and it looked like

  • everybody else that was doing what I wanted to be doing

  • was making millions, which we know is not true.

  • I didn't know at the time that social media

  • is everybody's highlight reel.

  • And so I looked around thinking, what's wrong with me?

  • I'm not cut out to do this.

  • I'm always going to be someone's employee

  • 'cause I can't figure this out on my own.

  • And luckily I have a husband who's like,

  • my biggest cheerleader and after a few days he said,

  • enough is enough.

  • You need to get yourself together.

  • You need to stop telling yourself this lie.

  • Let's try it again.

  • Let's put you out there again

  • and let's do it a different way.

  • And thank God I had him.

  • And I think we all, as entrepreneurs and as leaders,

  • we need somebody who believes in us

  • just a little bit more than we believe in ourselves.

  • Because that changed everything.

  • And I know you have a wonderful wife that

  • likely believes in you just a little bit more

  • than you believe in yourself.

  • And I know that we are so very fortunate,

  • but if you don't have that person, go find them.

  • Because Hoby, my husband, helped me get back in the game

  • and that's really what changed things for me.

  • But at the time,

  • I told myself I wasn't cut out to do this.

  • - Yeah. Hoby's a great dude and I'm thankful

  • that I have Amy as well.

  • And I cannot even imagine how difficult it would be

  • if you don't have some form of support system

  • of people around you that are cheering you on.

  • Because the truth of the matter is,

  • nobody is successful in a vacuum at all.

  • Ever, ever, ever, ever.

  • It's often a result of the people that are around us.

  • You have a philosophy that is interesting to me

  • and you give credit to, you know,

  • you only made $287 the first time,

  • now you do make millions,

  • and you have a eight figure business,

  • and you credit your eight figure business.

  • One of the principles is that you say,

  • you do the same thing over and over and over again,

  • just better.

  • I'm interested, I can feel that

  • when I look at what you do

  • because everything feels like it's gone through

  • a really scrutinizing process to make it better and better.

  • Can you tell me a little bit about the process?

  • How do you measure what you do

  • and how do you determine how to make something better?

  • - Ooh, I love this question.

  • So the number one goal in my business

  • is that we are our own benchmark.

  • We try not to ask everybody else

  • what their numbers look like

  • and judge ourselves against everybody else's results

  • because we just wanna compete against ourselves.

  • And so early on, we started tracking our metrics.

  • And I'm not a big numbers girl,

  • but I really had to focus on what numbers matter the most.

  • So let's say we would do a launch,

  • and I have a digital course that I sell.

  • So we do a launch of this digital course

  • and early on we would track our numbers.

  • And in the early days I didn't have any goals.

  • I was just like, okay, we made some money.

  • That's exciting. I didn't know if I could make any.

  • But then I had to get serious and start saying, okay,

  • if we made, let's say, $10,000 on this launch

  • and we converted at 5%,

  • can we convert the next time at 6%?

  • So we started to compete against ourselves very early on

  • and really keep the numbers close by.

  • When I work with Tony Robbins,

  • one of the lessons I learned is this power of debriefing.

  • Everything he did after he got off stage,

  • after we did a launch,

  • he would immediately sit down with us and say, okay,

  • what worked, what didn't work?

  • And he'd get feedback from everybody.

  • He'd give his feedback and we'd document it all.

  • So the next time we went back out, we had all those notes.

  • So I adopted that in my company as well.

  • After every single launch, we do a debrief,

  • what worked, what didn't work.

  • And we put together a report.

  • We take the time to do so, might take a few hours,

  • but then we're done.

  • But I always go back to that,

  • so does my marketing team, before we do our next launch.

  • And so, how do we know what to fix?

  • How do we know how to get better?

  • We usually take two or three areas

  • that either worked really well and ask ourselves,

  • how can we enhance this?

  • Or take an area that didn't work really well and say,

  • how can we fix this?

  • But we're only gonna do that with two or three areas.

  • For instance, show up rate for a webinar.

  • I just did one today.

  • So we have a bootcamp that I've done three times now.

  • This was my third.

  • And we wanted to increase our show up rate.

  • And so I think we went from something

  • like 35% to 48% show up rate today.

  • We just did this.

  • And that was one of the metrics we were tracking.

  • And the reason it went up is we were intentional about it.

  • We didn't increase everything,

  • just that show up rate today.

  • It meant sending text messages,

  • it meant doing DM's in Instagram.

  • We tried some new things and it worked.

  • And so that's really what we do.

  • We just choose a few things and we go deep.

  • - So I'm gonna ask you a question

  • that's impossible to answer.

  • I'm gonna have you just take a wild stab.

  • In a year, and just gimme a wild stab.

  • And I'm gonna illustrate something in the back end of this.

  • How many different things do you think

  • that you actually measure?

  • Wild guess, wild guess. Pick a number.

  • - In a year.,I think probably only 10 things.

  • - Okay.

  • And, so why would you limit it to 10

  • and how do you select those 10?

  • - I would limit it to 10 because the more numbers I have,

  • the more overwhelming it feels for me and my team.

  • There's only so many things that we can do.

  • I have a small team, I have 20 people on my team,

  • which some people listening are like,

  • holy cow, that's so huge.

  • But for the volume we do, it's a pretty small team.

  • And so I know that we can't get to everything.

  • So if I keep their eye on what's most important,

  • I know that the levers will be pulled correctly.

  • And the reason why we chose these specific levers

  • are they're the areas that I know that I'm good at.

  • So for instance, show up right on a webinar.

  • I know I can do webinars well.

  • Conversion rate on a webinar,.

  • I know I can control that. That's another thing.

  • What can I actually control?

  • I can get better at a webinar, I can get better at selling.

  • And so that's one area.

  • Email open rates. We're fanatics about email.

  • Open rates, click through rates,

  • we're checking those all the time

  • because that's something that we can control

  • and it's an area of strength.

  • Let me give you an example of something

  • we probably don't track close

  • that could benefit us, but we don't.

  • Probably social media engagement.

  • I don't love social media.

  • It's not my most favorite thing to do.

  • We do it, it's almost like a necessary evil

  • and I make the best of it,

  • but it's not where I wanna spend my time.

  • This last year I built a TikTok channel

  • because I had a book coming out and I thought,

  • I've gotta have a TikTok channel, it's gonna explode.

  • I'm gonna put everything into it.

  • And I don't like doing TikTok.

  • And so if you don't like it, it's likely not gonna thrive.

  • So I just said, why did I do this?

  • So we're just gonna cut bait.

  • That's not something I'm gonna track.

  • So I kind of lean toward my strengths and I track those,

  • and I'm intentional of those and it's allowed me

  • to build a multimillion dollar business.

  • - Well, I wanna wrap back,

  • 'cause you've said a lot that's really valuable

  • and I want to drive a few things to those who are listing.

  • You're a fanatic about numbers.

  • And it's interesting to me how often I'll talk to a leader

  • and ask them some question about kind of basic numbers

  • and they're like, ah, I'm not quite sure.

  • And so, I think you would say,

  • to be really, really good you have to be

  • a student of your numbers.

  • Then interestingly enough,

  • you said you probably measure around 10 things.

  • One of the things I wanted to ask you about,

  • and I may ask more specifically,

  • but we know that growth creates complexity

  • and complexity kills growth.

  • So you have to really work to keep things simple.

  • And, great compliment.

  • The 20 person team is not a small team,

  • but for the volume of your impact, it's really lean.

  • And so you've worked to keep it

  • really, really, really focused.

  • And by measuring maybe 10 or so things,

  • you keep the things that are most important out in front.

  • That's super, super important.

  • So if someone's starting something, know your numbers.

  • If you're building something, know your numbers.

  • And then know what you're measuring, and do debriefs.

  • I like what my friend said about doing debriefs.

  • Sometimes something works great

  • and so people don't debrief it.

  • But you really need to understand why it works.

  • Because if you don't understand why it's working when it is,

  • you won't know how to fix it when it's not.

  • So the debrief is a massively important part.

  • I wanna move on.

  • You've got something, and you've got

  • about five times as many episodes on your podcast,

  • which I always respect because I don't know

  • how you get 'em all done.

  • But in episode 531, you talk about the four step checklist

  • that you use before adding something new to your business.

  • Can you kind of talk us through,

  • since you are really, really focused,

  • since you do the same things over and over again

  • and doing 'em better and you're not adding a lot that's new,

  • how do you determine when it is right

  • to bring something new into what you do?

  • - Ooh, I love this question.

  • Well, one of the biggest pieces

  • of bringing something new into your business

  • is really looking at what is working

  • and what can we optimize.

  • So when I was working for Tony another thing

  • I learned is that an entrepreneur that

  • is constantly reinventing the wheel, starting from scratch,

  • is someone that is going to have a slow growth.

  • Because always starting from scratch means

  • that you've gotta figure it out every single time.

  • And the reason why it happens a lot

  • is because as entrepreneurs, most of us are very creative.

  • We love variety.

  • The shiny objects are definitely gonna get our attention

  • 'cause we're moving fast and we wanna change things up.

  • I think one of my strengths is that

  • I actually don't love variety.

  • I love going deep with just a few things.

  • And so what I learned early on in my business

  • is in order to, before I add something new,

  • I first have to ask myself,

  • what's already working and what can I optimize

  • so I do not have to start from scratch.

  • And that has been something that has helped me immensely.

  • Also, simplifying things.

  • You used that word earlier

  • and I'm really a fan of a simple business.

  • And so when you add something new,

  • what are you going to take off your plate?

  • What is going to be retired?

  • What is no longer going to get your focus?

  • Because as you know Craig, when you say yes to something,

  • you're saying no to something else.

  • It just happens. It's how the universe works.

  • And so when I add something new,

  • I have to ask myself what's gonna come off the table

  • or what's no longer going to get

  • the attention that it was getting?

  • I'm only one person, or we're only one small team.

  • And so that's another area that I absolutely focus on.

  • - It seems to me that a big part of your success

  • is focus, meaning when you do get more successful,

  • you have more options and more options

  • can actually be more distracting.

  • And it seems like you've done a really, really good job

  • of saying no to what could be good opportunities

  • to continue to say yes to the things that are the best.

  • And that's not easy to do in in in what we do.

  • I'm curious, is there something that you said no to recently

  • that is shocking to people?

  • - You know, so I just launched this book,

  • and one of the things I decided not to do

  • was a lot of in-person interviews,

  • and I recently just canceled some big interviews in New York

  • because I knew it was going to take me off my game.

  • Getting on a plane,

  • traveling even though it was for a few days,

  • absolutely kind of wrecks my flow in terms of what I do.

  • So much of what I do is online.

  • Like today, I did that live training.

  • Here I am in my own house, in my own studio.

  • And so I tend to say no to a lot of in-person travel.

  • I also don't like to leave my husband and my dog.

  • My son's at college, so he's not here, but I am a homebody.

  • And so if you're gonna build a business that you love,

  • you've gotta do it on your terms.

  • And in my early days, I said yes to everything.

  • I was so scared I would miss out.

  • FOMO, fear of missing out, was very real for me.

  • But in my maturity of growing my business,

  • I realized I'm not going to miss out on something

  • just 'cause I'm not there.

  • I could create my own success here.

  • So I tend to say no to a lot of in-person things.

  • - That's really smart.

  • And you think about if you do

  • a live in-person television show, it comes in then it goes,

  • but if you do a podcast from your house,

  • it lives on forever.

  • Meaning there's more opportunity

  • for someone to hear this interview six months from now

  • and there's almost no opportunity

  • to hear the TV show you did on the road.

  • So in that vein, is this true, and if it is,

  • I might try to argue with you back and forth

  • and see if you can convince me.

  • Is it true you're doing a 32-hour work week?

  • - Oh yes, that is true.

  • However, during my book launch that was not true.

  • I threw that out the window.

  • But I'm back into a normal schedule

  • and we work Monday through Thursday, eight hours a day,

  • and we take Friday, Saturday, and Sunday off.

  • And the reason for that is

  • I really wanted to create an environment

  • where my employees, including myself,

  • we loved the lives that we lived.

  • And I was working my life away.

  • For much of my business, I worked six, seven days a week.

  • And I get scared to say that to people

  • because my students will say, but Amy,

  • maybe that's necessary to create what you created

  • and now that you have the engine going,

  • you can take a break.

  • I actually don't believe that 'cause I've seen

  • so many of my students and peers start

  • with shorter work weeks and have had great success.

  • And I didn't want it just for me, you know,

  • I teach people how to quit their job

  • and start their own businesses

  • and I have a team of 20 full-time employees

  • that I don't want to quit me.

  • I don't want them quitting.

  • And so I wanted to create an environment

  • that felt different than the nine to five grind.

  • And so yeah, we do work a four day work week,

  • but when we are launching we add those Fridays back in.

  • - Sure. And I think that's smart

  • because you want to be strategic with your time

  • and there's times to sprint, there's times to run,

  • in a more reasonable manner.

  • I'll tell you what I like about the 32-hour work week

  • is also what I like about even, you know,

  • I'll leave the office today at 3:30.

  • I probably did get here earlier than most people,

  • but I have a hard end to the work day.

  • And what it does, if you have some kind of parameters

  • around you're not gonna work until you're finished,

  • 'cause you're never finished, right?

  • If you have a hard end to your week or you're day,

  • what it does is it forces you to say no to things

  • you might have said yes to otherwise.

  • It teaches you to delegate some things

  • that you don't need to be doing.

  • It makes you way more selective

  • and it makes you make decisions faster.

  • And so a lot of times,

  • and we're finding even in a lot of businesses,

  • chiropractors, eye doctors,

  • they'll do more business in a four day focus period

  • than they would've done in a five day work period.

  • Which, if people can do that,

  • I think that's really, really smart and effective.

  • - I love that you said that.

  • I will say when we moved to

  • a four day work week about two years ago,

  • the four days became more important.

  • Less meetings because you can't get your work done

  • if you're in meetings all day.

  • And more focus.

  • So what my team is not doing is

  • they're likely not running to a dentist appointment

  • in the middle of the afternoon on a Wednesday.

  • That's what Fridays are for. All the personal stuff.

  • Sometimes it happens.

  • But we had to get way more focused with that time.

  • But I wanted to touch on something that, you know,

  • I've gotten to meet you and your beautiful wife in person

  • and one thing that's unique about you,

  • and I really do mean this,

  • is that you don't come with a lot of ego.

  • And when you ask me that question,

  • what are some things that you've said no to,

  • or, you know, gotten better at,

  • and I think as a leader we say yes

  • to a lot of things based on our ego.

  • It's gonna make us look good, it's gonna make us sound good.

  • I am very guilty of this.

  • When I launched my book, I wanted the Today Show so bad.

  • And I've been told, and I don't know it's true,

  • they don't sell books, they do sell books.

  • It's good, it's bad, I don't care.

  • My ego was tied to, I gotta get that morning show.

  • And I never got it, for the record.

  • And I looked back and I thought, that was pure ego.

  • I wanted it to make me look good.

  • I wanted to say I got that.

  • And so I've been starting to explore as a leader

  • where my ego is showing up and where it's not serving me.

  • And when I say no,

  • I typically am saying no to things

  • that would make my ego feel really good.

  • But at the end of the day,

  • it's not good for me or my business.

  • - That's a great thought.

  • Have you read the book "Ego Is the Enemy?"

  • - No. And I think I need to,

  • 'cause it's like a really big top of mind for me.

  • "Ego is the Enemy." Okay. I'll check it out.

  • - I wish I could quote the author,

  • but we'll link to it in the notes.

  • And I read it years ago one time and it was helpful then.

  • But that's good when you can actually identify

  • where your ego is drawing you to the wrong places.

  • Because all of us as leaders, if we're not careful,

  • we'll move toward more of a self-centered,

  • egotistical leadership style.

  • And that's always counterproductive.

  • It's never, ever helpful. And it's good to recognize that.

  • I wanna ask you a couple of questions kind of

  • in your sweet zone and spot.

  • And then I wanna shift to the book

  • because it's too good not to talk about.

  • But I think you've been called

  • the Queen of Online Marketing.

  • Is that true?

  • - (laughs) I would never call myself that,

  • but I've heard it a few times.

  • - I think I've heard that a couple times.

  • And so you would be a massive proponent

  • of driving good, strong email lists, correct?

  • - Yes. I'm obsessed with teaching people

  • how to grow an email list.

  • - So, tell me why and then I wanna ask you

  • a couple of questions about it.

  • Why does email matter so much in today's business world?

  • - A lot of people will say, you know what?

  • Social media is what's driving my business.

  • I post on Facebook and Instagram and TikTok or wherever.

  • And I spend a lot of time on Facebook

  • and they'll tell me how many followers they have,

  • and all of that.

  • And what I'll tell them is that

  • when you build your business on social media,

  • you are building your business on rented land.

  • You do not own TikTok, you do not own Instagram.

  • And at any time, Mark Zuckerberg or Elon Musk

  • can change that algorithm and boom, your business changes.

  • Also, studies have shown that email marketing

  • converts four times higher than any social media posts

  • that you put out there.

  • And you own your email list.

  • At any time, I can send an email. I can do this today.

  • I've done this in the past as an experiment

  • before I've stepped on stage talking about email lists.

  • I can send an email with an offer that I've had for years,

  • remind my audience that I have that offer

  • and I will make thousands of dollars

  • before I go to bed tonight.

  • I can't say that for social media. It's very fickle.

  • And so email marketing will make you more money

  • and solidify your relationship with your audience.

  • And it's wild how many people

  • have built businesses without email lists.

  • And what I'll tell 'em is it will get so much easier

  • if you start to build that email list.

  • - That's good.

  • So I'm gonna preface this

  • because I don't want someone tuning out.

  • They might say, well, I don't have an email list,

  • blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.

  • But when you're passionate about open rate,

  • what you're passionate about is you want to add value

  • to whoever is on the other side.

  • And so, to someone listening right now,

  • they're on the treadmill, they're like,

  • I don't have an email list, I'm done with this thing.

  • Well you have employees, you have team members,

  • you have a church, you have volunteers, whatever.

  • And you're trying to get some message to them.

  • Could you tell us how you get people to open an email?

  • What are you putting in there?

  • And then I wanna try to convert that to whatever we do.

  • How do we get people's attention?

  • If I'm sending a video to church members,

  • I want them to open it. I want to communicate value.

  • If I'm announcing something that we're doing,

  • I want people to feel valued.

  • And so I'm gonna convert whatever you say

  • into different areas but what do you do

  • to get someone to open it?

  • - So the first thing I do

  • is what my dad used to tell me every day.

  • He'd drop me off from school in second grade

  • and I'd get out of the car and he'd say,

  • Amy, before you go, it's better to listen than to talk.

  • He would tell me that all the time

  • and I'd always get "talking" on my report card.

  • But I've taken that into my business

  • because before I write an email,

  • before I put out a social post,

  • before I do anything to attract my audience,

  • I have to really understand what are they thinking

  • and where are they right now.

  • So here's how I teach this.

  • I teach it by this concept of an invisible bridge.

  • So if you want people to get into your church,

  • you want more people in seats at your church,

  • that's your goal.

  • Well, before they get their butts in those seats,

  • you've gotta walk them over an invisible bridge.

  • That invisible bridge basically is,

  • what do they need to believe, understand,

  • or really start to think about before they're ever ready

  • to take that action you want them to take?

  • What do they need to believe?

  • What do they need to understand?

  • What mindset shift do they need to make

  • before they're ever ready to put their butt in that seat?

  • Or to buy your product, or to get on your webinar,

  • whatever it might be.

  • So when I'm writing an email,

  • I'm thinking about where are they right now

  • and what do I need to say to them

  • to start getting them to walk across that invisible bridge?

  • Is it a question I need to ask them?

  • I need to meet them right where they're at,

  • so do I need to say,

  • I know what you're thinking and put it out there?

  • So for example, for my audience,

  • when I wanna help people build digital courses,

  • one of the things that I know why they're not doing it

  • is they have no idea what topic they would choose.

  • So an email subject line,

  • it's the subject line that gets those emails open.

  • But whatever you're doing,

  • it's that first thing you're saying to them.

  • And I might say,

  • here's how to come up with your first topic

  • of a digital course.

  • I'm meeting them right where they're at,

  • so I can help walk them over that invisible bridge.

  • So what do they need to know,

  • understand, be aware of, believe,

  • before they're ever ready to take

  • that action you want them to take?

  • That's the kind of stuff you're talking about in your email,

  • your social or whatever you're doing.

  • - Sure. So that's so powerful,

  • because we can apply that to anything.

  • And I like the way, Amy, you talk about them.

  • You want to get inside their mind, their heart.

  • You want to know what problems they're facing.

  • So if we're doing a meeting and it's Wednesday at 8:00 AM,

  • you probably wanna think about,

  • what was their morning like?

  • What are they coming in?

  • what do they have for the rest of the week?

  • What do they care about?

  • And then adapt your message to

  • whatever's gonna help leverage their interest

  • in order to bring about your desired outcome.

  • I like the way you said, and I wrote it down,

  • do you want to think about what do they believe

  • or what do they need to believe?

  • What do they need to understand?

  • What do they need to think?

  • The way I teach it to our younger communicators here

  • is I call it know, feel, do.

  • So if you're ever gonna stand up,

  • and like at church, they may make announcements.

  • I forbid people to make announcements.

  • We don't announce. We never announce, we only lead.

  • We're not gonna announce. We're gonna lead.

  • We're gonna lead to an outcome.

  • And before we say anything,

  • it's what do I want them to know,

  • so there's information,

  • what do I want them to feel,

  • because without emotion,

  • truth doesn't just move us to action.

  • We have to feel something.

  • What do I want them to know?

  • What do I want them to feel?

  • What do I want them to do?

  • And if you can't clearly articulate those three things,

  • then don't even attempt to start.

  • And I think you're going through

  • a very similar process in your emails

  • which leads to a high click through rate,

  • leads to tremendous profit,

  • most importantly, leads to changed lives on the other side

  • that people are doing something that adds value to them.

  • Let's talk about how you do it.

  • The book, New York Times bestselling book,

  • "Two Weeks Notice: Find the Courage to Quit Your Job,

  • Make More Money, Work Where You Want, and Change the World."

  • To be honest, my first thought is,

  • I don't wanna talk about this book

  • 'cause I have a bunch of team members

  • I wanna keep here, kinda like you.

  • You've got 20 of 'em that you want to keep.

  • I'm all about retention,

  • I'm all about creating the right environment.

  • But there are some people

  • that need to go out and do something.

  • Tell us your story.

  • Years ago, you had a hunch

  • you could do something on your own.

  • How'd you have the courage to make that leap?

  • - So I was working for Tony Robbins for almost seven years

  • and Tony had a meeting where he brought in

  • a bunch of online business owners

  • to do something like a focus group

  • and talk about their businesses.

  • I was brought in that day to take notes.

  • And so I sat at the side table to take notes and these guys,

  • they were all men and they started to talk about

  • their businesses and they talked about freedom.

  • They talked about being creative

  • and building things from scratch

  • and designing new products and programs.

  • And I just realized they all were calling the shots.

  • And never in my life have I ever called the shots.

  • I grew up with a really strict father. He was my first boss.

  • And then from there I just had bosses

  • throughout all my career, of course.

  • And for the first time in my life,

  • I thought, I wanna do something on my own.

  • And so it was really, really heavy on my heart

  • and it took about a year to kind of figure out

  • how I was going to do this.

  • And about a year from that fateful meeting,

  • I went out on my own and started my business.

  • And it's been 14 years now.

  • And in the book I talk about how to build a runway

  • to quit a nine to five job and to start your own business.

  • What does that look like?

  • Because the book's called "Two Weeks Notice,"

  • but I expect it will take people a little while.

  • 3, 6, 9 months to actually get out and go out on their own.

  • So what does that runway look like?

  • And I help them design it and then I help people

  • get started with the business.

  • Like, what exactly to do.

  • So for me,

  • I started doing social media for small businesses,

  • but I realized I did not like that.

  • And so about two years in is when I started

  • to build the business I have today.

  • So now I teach people how to grow their email list

  • and how to take their expertise

  • and turn it into digital courses

  • so that they can build businesses and sell online.

  • - Congratulations on 14 years of doing this.

  • - Thank you.

  • - And so when you started the business,

  • that was a big jump from only working for bosses.

  • The bosses call the shots, now you are the boss, right?

  • How would you hope

  • that your team members would describe you?

  • What qualities do you hope they see in you as a boss?

  • - The first one is, I hope they feel I'm compassionate.

  • We have a value in my business

  • that you never know what somebody's going through.

  • And we lead with compassion no matter what we do.

  • And I really want my team to feel that way.

  • Yesterday, one of my team members sent me a text

  • and she said, did you hear about my mom?

  • My mom has breast cancer

  • and she has to get surgery this week,

  • and I hadn't heard yet.

  • And so we were talking about it, going back and forth,

  • and then she, the last text she sent me was,

  • I love that I have a boss

  • that I could talk about all of this with,

  • and then still talk about the business strategy.

  • And that was like the biggest compliment

  • that I got from her.

  • So leading with compassion and really understanding

  • who my team members are is important to me

  • and I hope they feel that way.

  • And then the other one is,

  • I hope that they see me as a leader who takes risks.

  • And I think that's important.

  • I don't expect them to be very risky in my business,

  • but I do expect myself to take the risks,

  • build the vision for them,

  • and encourage them that we have the ability

  • to do what I want to do.

  • And I think it's important that we step

  • outside of our comfort zone on a regular basis.

  • I think if you asked any of my team,

  • they'd say that they were uncomfortable more often than not.

  • And I see that as a really good thing.

  • I wanna shake things up,

  • I wanna push ourselves to the limit.

  • And so I think that I do that with them.

  • - I think you've got a unique ability,

  • and I think as all leaders we should work toward this,

  • you can both drive something,

  • meaning you get results and you're not

  • gonna sit around and let things stay flat,

  • but you do it with compassion.

  • And that shows in the way you treat people,

  • in your hospitality and how you care for people.

  • And so as leaders, we need to make sure

  • that we do have all of those qualities.

  • So if those are two of the top qualities

  • you would want in yourself,

  • you've got 20 team members.

  • If you look at them, what would you say-

  • Is there a quality that stands out above all the others

  • that if I want to add someone to the team,

  • they better have this?

  • What's one of the top qualities,

  • most consistent qualities you see

  • in your most effective team players?

  • - Coachable.

  • One of our values is that everybody needs to be coachable.

  • And what I mean by that is that, you know,

  • everyone comes with skill sets

  • and knowledge into our company,

  • and we expect a lot from our employees

  • in terms of their ability to make things happen.

  • But I also don't think, expect them to know

  • exactly how we do everything.

  • And if they keep an open heart and an open mind of,

  • let's try it this way,

  • maybe we could talk to that person in a different way

  • and change our communication style.

  • If they're open to being coached,

  • then I never have a problem with anyone

  • because I know that their heart is in the right place.

  • So that's a big one for us as well.

  • - So I'm guessing for them to be coachable,

  • you have to be coachable, correct?

  • - Yeah, absolutely.

  • And I've gotta follow my sword more often than not.

  • I mess up a lot.

  • I find myself saying sorry more than I'd like to admit.

  • But if I can be coachable

  • and if I could see the errors of my way,

  • and I encourage them to give me that feedback,

  • then I feel as though it can be reciprocated.

  • - So can you remember a recent time

  • someone gave you feedback that was maybe difficult to hear?

  • - Oh, absolutely.

  • It happens quite a lot.

  • I have friends that I encourage to kind of call me out,

  • and my employees as well.

  • I think recently one of my employees

  • was going to take time off

  • when I didn't think it was appropriate.

  • And I was hotheaded in the moment and I was mad like,

  • why would you ever take that time off?

  • It was during my book launch, it was opening day,

  • it was a big deal, but I took it very personal.

  • I wrote a book, that doesn't mean everybody on my team

  • feels that invested in it.

  • And so they had asked for that time off

  • and I was so hotheaded about it,

  • not to them, but to their director.

  • And I actually didn't need the feedback.

  • I got off the phone,

  • I knew that I was in the wrong

  • and I quickly picked that phone back up

  • and said that was ridiculous.

  • I did not need to address it in that way.

  • I understand where this guy's coming from,

  • let's figure this out.

  • So I usually can catch it.

  • But yeah, they'll definitely call me out.

  • - Well, you said earlier, and again,

  • you just blew by it, you said,

  • I encourage people to do this in friends.

  • And I think that's really important

  • because a lot of times if someone works for you,

  • or even if they're a friend,

  • they just don't feel the freedom to do that.

  • And the more successful you are,

  • the less likely people are to give you helpful feedback.

  • And that really makes us vulnerable.

  • We need feedback, we need coaching,

  • we need help all the time.

  • And so I think the fact that

  • you encourage people to do it is helpful.

  • And I just wanna encourage those who are listening right now

  • to not assume that they're gonna do this.

  • And not only encourage it, but applaud it.

  • When someone does bring me feedback,

  • I often try to say thank you so much,

  • because not everybody will do that,

  • but what you did was really helpful to me.

  • And so you encourage it and you applaud it.

  • And then if you'll create an environment

  • where you seek and receive feedback,

  • then your team members will do it as well.

  • And the sky's the limit

  • to what you can do if you're coachable, right?

  • - It's so true.

  • And one of the things that my team doesn't necessarily know,

  • if they hear this, they will,

  • but when it doesn't work,

  • one area I really have to work on,

  • and it's an area I'm weak on in that I'm working on now,

  • is really beating myself up behind the scenes about it.

  • So when I do get the feedback,

  • and it is very honest and real, I accept it,

  • I take it and I'm great upfront.

  • But when I'm alone, I'm really hard on myself.

  • Like, why did I do that?

  • And sometimes it's hard for me to let it go.

  • So I think the next step in my evolution of growth

  • is I take the feedback and I accept it.

  • And then behind the scenes I accept that I'm not perfect.

  • And these things are gonna happen,

  • and forgive myself quickly and move on.

  • So that's my second phase that I'm working on now.

  • - Okay. Trick question here.

  • Actually, not trick, but it's interesting.

  • Can you tell me what does it mean

  • to have a high capacity for zero?

  • - Oh yes. Okay.

  • So this is something I've been working on for a while.

  • A high capacity for zero looks like this.

  • You've never done something that you want to do.

  • In my case, it's teaching people

  • how to leave their job and start a business.

  • But for all of us that are

  • starting a business for the first time,

  • we have never done it.

  • Are you willing to go down to zero social media followers,

  • zero people on your email list,

  • zero understanding of what the heck you're doing,

  • zero ego involved?

  • The higher your capacity for zero, starting from scratch,

  • because we have to do it when it's something new like this,

  • the higher your capacity to look like a beginner,

  • to put your ego aside, the more chances you have to succeed.

  • So I'm teaching my students and myself

  • to strengthen that capacity for zero.

  • And it really comes back to

  • what we discussed earlier, the ego.

  • Because a lot of people, like,

  • imagine you and I, we're good at what we do.

  • Put us in a whole other setting

  • and let's say that they made you and I,

  • we have to become dog trainers.

  • And we've never done that before.

  • We're going to look foolish in the beginning, right?

  • We're gonna have no clue what we're doing.

  • And so are we willing to go through that uncomfortable time

  • in order to get to what we want?

  • And it comes back to your why.

  • The stronger your why,

  • the easier it is to have a higher capacity for zero.

  • - Would you agree too, Amy,

  • that sometimes even if you have a high tolerance for zero

  • in an unrelated, maybe just like in a hobby,

  • so you're trying something completely new,

  • that that crosses over to help create

  • both humility and confidence in your business?

  • - Love that you asked this. Yes.

  • So just yesterday, it's not a hobby,

  • but yesterday I started this thing

  • where I had to put this patch on my stomach,

  • and it's tracking my insulin and glucose.

  • And I'm gonna sound like an idiot

  • even talking about it, so new to me.

  • But I had to get this app and I had to connect it.

  • All of it was foreign and I was so frustrated yesterday,

  • it felt very overwhelming and I thought, oh,

  • this is what my students feel like

  • when they're trying to build an email list,

  • or this is what they feel like when something's not working,

  • 'cause it wasn't working yesterday.

  • I think having those hobbies or interests in our lives,

  • even outside of our work, to start from zero,

  • makes us a stronger leader.

  • - Yeah. I think that's so true.

  • And pushing yourself in all areas to grow

  • helps you to grow in your business

  • or your leadership as well.

  • Let's have a little bit of fun with a lightning round

  • and then I'll let you talk a little bit more

  • about how our community confines you.

  • But do you happen to have a favorite leadership quote?

  • Does anything come to mind?

  • - Ooh, a favorite leadership quote.

  • I don't know, Craig, you put me on the spot.

  • Now I can't think of one! - It's hard, it's hard.

  • How about, is there a book that you've read

  • on leadership or even something

  • that's shaped you recently that you might wanna recommend?

  • - So there's this book called "The Gap in the Game."

  • Dan Sullivan, and what's the other guy?

  • I feel terrible now.

  • There's two guys that wrote it and I love it

  • because the whole premise of the book

  • is to be excited and understand where you're at

  • and where you've gone versus where you want to go.

  • It was a very big eye-opener to me.

  • - I enjoyed that book as well.

  • I think maybe our mutual friend Roy,

  • I think Roy told me about it, perhaps.

  • I'm not sure if he pushed it on you or not.

  • Is there a leader outside of Tony Robbins,

  • 'cause we know you worked with him,

  • is there a leader outside that's really pushed you

  • and helped you grow in developing your leadership?

  • - Absolutely. Michael Hyatt.

  • Michael Hyatt is a dear friend of mine, but he's my mentor.

  • He's my coach. I love everything he does.

  • He leads with compassion and heart,

  • but he's so incredibly strategic.

  • So he's a huge influence in my life.

  • - CEO of Thomas Nelson for years, right?

  • And now just one of the best online mentors

  • to people all over the world.

  • He's world class.

  • Hoby is a great guy. Very talented.

  • What do you do that makes him a little bit insane?

  • Just for fun?

  • - I worry about everything.

  • So he's my sounding board,

  • sometimes when he even doesn't want to be.

  • But yes, I drive him nuts.

  • - So at the end of your life,

  • you've created tons of online content.

  • You've changed a lot of lives.

  • When people would summarize you in one sentence,

  • Amy Porterfield was what?

  • If you had one sentence to summarize you

  • that would make you feel most successful in a legacy,

  • what would that be?

  • - Amy Porterfield was compassionate.

  • - Beautiful.

  • - That's important to me. - Very good.

  • I think you'll live up to that.

  • The book is called "Two Weeks Notice:

  • Find the Courage to Quit Your Job, Make More Money,

  • Work Where You Want, and Change the World."

  • You can get it anywhere books are sold.

  • It is a New York Times bestselling book.

  • Amy, you have a lot to offer.

  • What have we not talked about

  • that our community might find value in

  • and how can they find you

  • and what else might they look for

  • that would add value to their leadership?

  • - Well, thanks for asking.

  • I have a podcast called "Online Marketing Made Easy."

  • So email list, digital courses,

  • entrepreneurial mindset, webinars.

  • We get into all of it.

  • So if you're looking to grow your business,

  • "Online Marketing Made Easy."

  • Thanks for asking.

  • - We spent just a bit of time with you, Amy,

  • and it was helpful both professionally

  • and just inspirational to see

  • what you've done, what you've built.

  • I think you're a great example of adding value,

  • that you add so much value

  • that people talk about it and wanna grow.

  • And that's what we wanna do on the podcast

  • is we wanna bring very high impactful value

  • to you each time.

  • And so wherever you're watching this,

  • be sure and hit subscribe.

  • If you don't get the leader guide,

  • go to life.church/leadershippodcast and we'll send you

  • the leader guide with additional links

  • and questions for your team.

  • That'll be available for you as well.

  • We'll also show you how you can get Amy's book

  • and find out more about her.

  • And then be sure and share this with others.

  • Just invite them.

  • Amy may not be the most passionate about social media,

  • but she may repost you even if she sees it.

  • So tag her. - I do a lot of it.

  • I do a lot of it. So I would love to repost.

  • - Tag her and tag us and we'll try to repost it.

  • And then we'll be back with you

  • on the first Thursday of each month.

  • And an occasional bonus episode as well,

  • where we feel very, very called to invest

  • in your leadership and help you grow

  • because we know that everyone wins

  • when the leader gets better.

  • Amy, thanks for being on today, you're world class.

  • - Thank you my friend. Take care.

  • - Bye-bye.

- When I went out on my own and became my own boss,

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