From Inspiration to 7-Figure Education Brand

An introduction to the Personal Enterprise Growth Framework.

For the last seven lessons, we’ve explored the fundamentals of attracting an audience and what that means for an expertise-based business:

• You know that there has been an acceleration in 7-figure solo businesses in the last decade, with even more solo 6-figure companies with no employees.

• You understand that a mentor mindset takes perfect advantage of the crystallized intelligence you possess at midlife and how it’s also the perfect marketing methodology.

• You get that creating a media brand allows you to do more effective marketing that flies under the radar of people’s natural allergic reaction to being “sold” to.

• You choose your topic based on your personal sense of purpose, allowing you to connect deeply with prospects through ideas that challenge the status quo.

• You’ve sketched out your ideal prospect with a deep understanding of what they think, feel, see, and do in the context of the problem you solve.

• You have a concrete goal for your efforts: Achieve a minimum viable audience. More than just a large enough group of engaged fans, these people reveal what they want to buy.

• You appreciate the continued power of email for converting prospects into clients and customers, and you know how to make a strong list happen with either your time or your money.

You’re now ready to develop your specific Personal Enterprise strategy. And to get you started right, we’re going to do something a bit different for this introduction to the Personal Enterprise Growth Framework. 

I’m giving you an actual viable idea in a lucrative market, but I’m going to use a fictional narrative to demonstrate how the framework works in the context of a real world example. 

This idea also highlights a collaborative approach that experienced content creators can take, which is just one way to put the personal enterprise approach to work. 

You’ll see how you can adopt a hybrid creator/producer role that allows you to “borrow” the authority of a subject matter expert to create a high-income partnership. 

Let’s dig in. 

A Freelance Writer Seeks the Next Level 

Sally is a freelance writer specializing in content marketing. She’s been on her own for a few years and has managed to land several anchor clients on retainers that provide her with a comfortable living. 

Still, she wants to do more. Because she specializes in serving digital businesses that sell courses, membership sites, and SaaS, she’s had a front-row seat that motivates her to build one of these businesses herself.

Sally has never felt comfortable promoting herself, which is common among talented writers. But she knows from her freelance work that she has no problem whatsoever “selling” someone else — whether a brand or a personality, as the case may be. 

During her quarterly online meeting with her bookkeeper, Jennifer, Sally has an epiphany. Jen has had an independent bookkeeping business for 25 years and has been incredibly successful. Over time, she’s developed a powerful referral marketing system and an automated productivity framework that provides her a high six-figure income while working 20 hours a week. 

Jen has mentioned on several occasions that she’s bored. She considers retiring early at 55, but that’s not exactly going to cure her boredom. She may nonetheless sell the business or pass it along to her daughter. She’s been very candid with Sally about all of this, given they’ve become friends over the last ten years. 

This sparks Sally’s imagination. She starts doing some research and asks Jen if they can meet for dinner next month when she’s in Jen’s hometown for a conference. In reality, Sally signs up for the conference so that she has a reason to see Jen in person. 

The Market Opportunity 

At dinner, Sally makes her pitch. 

They should start an online training business to help people become independent bookkeeping professionals. The ability to “work from home” has been a strong draw for decades, and post-pandemic, the shift to “work from anywhere” has only intensified the desire.