How This Mom Entrepreneur Consistently Earns over $100K a Year by Just Staying Focused on Customer Solutions

Michelle Shaeffer claims she became a $100K blogger by accident. Startup Nation, you might be wondering how that’s possible (and how you can do it, too). Here’s what she did.
 
Michelle had been struggling in her copywriting business for eight years before unlocking the secret of a highly profitable blog. In between client projects, she would hang out on online boards for freelancers and writers. She would ask questions, read responses, and give some of her own advice when she could.

At first, the questions people asked were interesting and made her think. But soon she realized that she was answering the same questions over and over again. She wanted to help out other writers, but the process was becoming tedious. 
 
She sat down with her virtual assistant and asked, “What is the fastest way to take my answers and put it on the internet so I can just link people to them and be done?”
 
Her assistant recommended WordPress, a website platform that was just starting to gain popularity online. (The company that owns WordPress is now worth $1.16 billion.) Michelle began posting helpful advice with this content management system. She didn’t even realize that she had created a blog.
 
ALL SHE WAS DOING WAS SOLVING A NEED IN A NICHE COMMUNITY.
 
But then she started getting emails from readers. “Can I hire you to help me with my blog?” No advertising budget. No cold calls. Just potential clients anxious to pay her for her expertise.
 
Startup Nation, you want this to happen to YOUR business. Here are Michelle’s top three tips for creating a business like hers.
 
Play the long game
 
Michelle was struggling to figure out her business for eight years before starting her blog. After launching her blog, it took two more years for her to sign her first client. She says that decade of her life was frustrating. She was trying to put the pieces of together like a puzzle without being able to see the full picture of what it’s supposed to look like. 
 
If you’re struggling, remember the long game and remember that the skills you’re learning now will pay off down the road. All that time Michelle was becoming a better writer. She becoming an expert in how to run a successful blog. 
 
They say it takes 10,000 hours to become an expert. Success isn’t made overnight. Keep hustling. 
 
Make money first, build your business second
 
Michelle started her business to feed her kids. One day her son was hungry, and Michelle realized that the only thing in her pantry was an old packet of ramen. Starting a business wasn’t an option. It was a necessity.
 
Get your basic needs met before you start thinking about scaling or landing your ideal client. Put the oxygen mask on. Breathe.
 
If you don’t, you’ll make desperate decisions and your stress levels will skyrocket. That is NOT a good mindset for growing a business. Determine your financial baseline, the amount of money you need to eat, keep a roof over your head, and provide for your family. 
 
Do what you HAVE to do until you can do what you WANT to do. Just don’t lose sight of the business you WANT to do. You’ll get there eventually.

Scale from success
 
What’s working in your business, Startup Nation? Even if you’ve only had one sale, where did that sale come from?
 
When you find success, replicate it. If one person finds you, try to use the same strategy to get 10 people to find you. Someone responds to your blog – write 10 more blogs. Someone responds to a Facebook ad – 10X your ad spend. Someone clicks an affiliate link from your Youtube video – record 10 more videos.

The same goes for meeting client solutions. Once you realize you've provided true value to your customer, do it again. Keep giving value to build trust with your target audience. This is the reason why content marketing is such an effective way to build your business.
 
How do I do it again? How do I do it bigger? How do I do it better? These are the questions you need to ask to build the smaller wins into bigger wins. 

KEY TAKEAWAY
The secret to success is listening to your customers. Once you figure out what works with your target audience, keep building on that positive trend.

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