The DollarSprout Podcast

Behind the Scenes of My First Year in Business

I officially took my business full-time 10 months ago! In today's update, I share where we've been over the last year, what my business looks like today (revenue, revenue projections, and hours I'm working), and my goals and plans for the rest of 2023. Click here for the episode transcript. [https://dollarsprout.com/s2-ep12-first-year-business-update/]

S2 EP11: How Adrienne Built a Wildly Profitable $300,000 per Year Presentation Design Business as an Introvert

Today’s guest is Adrienne Johnston. Adrienne is a freelance presentation designer who works with companies like Microsoft, Samsung, and Meta. Adrienne left her job in finance in 2018. After working consistent 70-hour weeks, she was determined to build a business that gave her the freedom and flexibility she yearned for, but without the networking or sleazy sales calls. Today, Adrienne’s business brings in over $300k per year working less than half the hours as her previous corporate job. In this episode, Adrienne shares: * The marketing strategy that’s worked the best for her as an introvert (and brought in her best and biggest clients) * An epiphany she had early in her business that pushed her to raise her rates * How she avoids “sales calls” and still lands huge corporate clients * Why her niche is so wildly profitable and tips for finding your own profitable niche * The dichotomy between being an analytical person in a creative industry * And so much more! Resources: * Episode Show Notes [https://dollarsprout.com/s2-ep11-adrienne-johnston/] * Free Webinar: How Adrienne Built a Six-Figure Design Business [https://www.adriennejohnstontraining.com/six-figure] * Adrienne’s course [https://www.adriennejohnstontraining.com/] * Adrienne’s freelance website [https://adriennejohnston.com/] * Adrienne’s Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/adriennebjohnston/]

S2 EP10: How Jenny Weg Built a $6,000 per Month Social Media Management Business as a Total Beginner

Today’s guest is Jenny Weg. Jenny is a full-time mom and social media manager who started her business out of a desire to stay at home with her first child after maternity leave.  Like many business owners, Jenny’s journey has been a nonlinear one. After building her business as a full-time freelancer and course creator, Jenny decided to go back to a full-time job and keep her business for supplemental income. She’s learned to adapt her business model to support her family throughout the changing seasons of life. And that, as you’ll hear in Jenny’s story, is the beauty of having an online business. In this episode, Jenny shares: * How she got her first ever freelancing client (and tips for networking and getting referrals) * Why she decided to go back to a full-time job * How much profit her business makes per month now that she’s only doing it part-time * How she made $20k with her first course launch with no training or prior experience (and, more importantly, how she won a related bet with her husband) * What she did really well (and what she would change) with her first course launch * The best investment she made in her business that paid off 55x in the first 6 months * And so much more! Resources: * Episode Show Notes [https://dollarsprout.com/s2-ep10-jenny-weg/] * Jenny’s Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/mrsjennyweg/] * Jenny’s Social Media Manager in a Month Course [https://workfromhomemama.org/]

S2 EP9: Building a $10,000 Etsy Shop in 4 Hours a Week with Julie Berninger

Today’s guest is Julie Berninger. Julie is a blogger, podcaster, Etsy seller, and co-founder of Gold City Ventures, where she teaches others how to start a successful Etsy business selling printables. In 2017, Julie started her own Etsy shop, The Swag Elephant, selling temporary tattoos for bachelorette parties. After realizing she didn’t want to deal with the hassle of shipping orders, Julie switched to selling bachelorette scavenger hunt printables.  Over the course of two years, she was able to build her Etsy shop to $10,000 a year working just 4 hours a week. Even after taking 6 months off for a cross-country move, her shop still brought in over $10,000. Through her E-Printables Course, Julie teaches others how to create and sell printables on Etsy in nearly any niche. In this episode, Julie shares: * The #1 mindset trap for most people when starting an Etsy shop (and most online businesses) * How she built a strong support community of entrepreneurs in the early days of her business * Some printable niches you never would’ve guessed were profitable (or even possible) * How the 80/20 rule applies to an Etsy printables business * The biggest mindset change that improved her life and business * A few dos and don’ts for starting an Etsy shop * Things to avoid when starting your Etsy shop Resources: * Episode Show Notes [https://dollarsprout.com/s2-ep9-julie-berninger/] * Julie’s Free Workshop on How to Sell Printables on Etsy [https://goldcityventures.com/free-workshop/] * Julie’s E-Printables Side Hustle Course [https://goldcityventures.com/e-printables-course/] * Julie’s Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/goldcityventures/]

S2 EP8: Army of One: Building a Lean, Profitable Business as a Solopreneur with Whitney Hansen

Today’s guest is Whitney Hansen. Whitney is a financial coach and business mentor who I’m a financial coach who helps ambitious people manage their cash flow, pay off debt, work towards their goals, and live life on their own terms. Whitney started her business in 2010. After working two jobs to pay off her $30,000 of student loan debt in just 10 months, friends and family started asking Whitney for help with their own finances. From that grew a financial coaching and education business that’s helped thousands of clients and students pay off debt and achieve their financial goals. In this episode, Whitney shares: * Why she decided to switch from a more scalable business model (online courses) to a less scalable one (1-on-1 coaching) * How she realized it was time to stop blogging (even though she was making passive income from it) * How she got clients in the early days of her business and where most of her clients come from now (I was surprised!) * Which side hustles she recommends to her clients based on their financial situation * Her advice for someone just getting started in their business Resources: * Episode Show Notes [https://dollarsprout.com/s2-ep8-whitney-hansen/] * The Money Nerds podcast [https://www.themoneynerds.com/] * Whitney’s 1-on-1 Financial Coaching Services [https://whitneyhansen.com/customized-coaching/] * Whitney’s Become a Financial Coach Course [https://whitneyhansen.teachable.com/p/becomeafinancialcoach] * Book: Company of One [https://www.amazon.com/Company-One-Staying-Small-Business/dp/1328972356]