SHOW TRANSCRIPT

This transcript is automatically generated by Descript.  Any errors or omissions are unintentional.

[00:00:00] Jeff Sieh: Hello, folks. Welcome to Social Media News Live. I’m Jeff Sieh, and you’re not.

Conor Brown: And I’m Conor Brown. And this is the show that keeps you up to date on what’s happening in the world of social media and more.

Jeff Sieh: If you ever found yourself thinking about what it really takes to simplify your business and make it thrive, maybe you’re searching for practical advice that cuts through the noise and gets straight to what works. Or maybe you’re eager to streamline your tools and focus on what truly matters in your entrepreneurial journey.

If those thoughts are on your mind, then you’re in for a special treat today. We’re excited to have a guest. Who has mastered this approach. She’s a pro at turning complex strategies into simple, actionable steps that lead success. Lauren Gaggioli will be sharing her journey, her wisdom, and her essential tools for building a strong, effective business foundation.

So sit back, clear schedule, clear mind, and get ready for this week’s episode of Social Media News Live. Lauren, how are you doing today?

Lauren Gaggioli: I’m so great. Thank you guys for having me.

Jeff Sieh: This is gonna be so much fun.

Conor Brown: We love having [00:01:00] Lauren on. She is a frequent returning guest, but if you don’t know who Lauren is, you should. Lauren Gaggioli is an organic content marketing expert, having leveraged SEO to grow and sell her first online business. She now supports her fellow online entrepreneurs with organic strategy, consulting services.

The Organic Marketing Ecosystem course, and through her virtual mastermind for online entrepreneurs and something big, Lauren is also the host of the brand new podcast, The Digital Entrepreneur’s Toolkit, which you can listen to now. Thanks again for being here, Lauren.

Lauren Gaggioli: Hey, Connor. I’m so happy to be here. Thank you.

Jeff Sieh: So we’re going to be talking about this entrepreneurial toolkit, but I want to make sure you guys, this, you know, this is, she’s got episode zero up and out, uh, right now. Go and listen to that. Give her a rating review because that really, really, really, really helps podcasters when they start. I would appreciate if you would do that.

We’ll put up all the links, uh, later on, but that really does help, uh, new podcasters out. So make sure you go [00:02:00] listen to that. Cause it’s, it’s a good episode. I, how do I know? Well, I just have listened to it already. So there we go. Um,

Lauren Gaggioli: that, Jeff?

Jeff Sieh: Because I’m, I’m actually the editor of her podcast. So I may, maybe a little biased, but it is a good show.

I had a lot of podcasts and hers is, is really, really good. So, uh, Jim Fuse is here saying good morning. You know what else makes it a good morning, Jim? Is our sponsors over at Ecamm. That’s right, you can find out more about them at going to ecamm. com forward slash Jeff. Use code Jeff15 to save 15 percent on your first purchase.

we are so thankful that they are uh, a sponsor for this show. One of the things is, is they have, uh, their Creator Camp, which we’ve kind of mentioned back and forth. The problem is they’re sold out, but I got you covered. If you want a chance to win a free ticket to Ecamm Creator Camp, you can go to ecamm.

com. To jeffsieh. com forward slash win and enter for your chance to win a Creator Camp. We’re going to be drawing for that coveted ticket, uh, next month. So if you want to go and, and get some extra entries, we’re going to have a secret code at the end of this episode that Connor will remind me of because I will need reminding.

Um, and you’ll have an extra set of [00:03:00] entries for that. So jeffsieh. com forward slash win. All right, let’s get into this. We’re going to be talking about, you know, this entrepreneurial toolkit. And we’re going to start right off about building a strong foundation. So, um, Lauren, you have talked about the importance of having like three essential tools in a digital business arsenal, like your payment processor, a website, and an email provider.

So why do you believe that those are must haves? And, you know, it’s easy to say, well, I bought that, I bought that, I bought that. But, how can entrepreneurs assure that they’re using them effectively and that they’re, they’re getting the ROI they need out of them?

Lauren Gaggioli: So I think we have a way of making this so much more complex than it needs to be, and I see so many folks who are frustrated because they start a side hustle and then they go, but I’m not making any money, but I’m paying for all these tools and all these different things and where’s the money? And that’s why I put the payment processor [00:04:00] first.

Because if you’re at a conference, or you are talking to your neighbor, and you’re like, hey, I do this thing, and then like, or maybe you’re talking to your mom, this has never happened to me. You’re talking to your mom, and you’re like, this is what I do, and then she goes and talks to, you know, the person at the grocery store, and they’re like, oh, I have a side hustle, and they need help with whatever it is you offer.

You can literally make. Deals that way. And if you don’t have the payment processor, like no one’s going to be mailing you a check. Like, hello?

Jeff Sieh: Right,

Lauren Gaggioli: That’s not where we are anymore. So if you have a payment processor, as long as you are like actually ethically able to deliver the service you’re promising, then you’re good to go.

You have a business. Are there like other things you should have in place like contracts and stuff like that? Sure. But I do think that we often can’t see the forest for the trees. If you can’t take payment, you’re not in business. Period. Um, so that’s why it’s number one. Uh, number two is a website. And the reason that I start there is for me, all roads lead to my website.

My [00:05:00] website’s my portfolio. My website is where I take payment. My website is how people find me if I’m leveraging Google well. And it needs to have the three F’s. And that does not include the F that you will probably say as you are developing a website quite often if you’re me, but the three Fs you need are a functional, fresh, findable website.

And if you have that, then you can build a business off of that. That’s how I built my first business. And I, I think it’s one of those things that you want to make a clear distinction between where the things live and the distribution channels. And so if you’re going like, wait a minute, what about social?

Social to me is a distribution channel. It’s not the place my, my original content lives because Zuckerberg doesn’t pay me. Original content. He can pay me for an iteration, he can be a distribution channel, but I am not developing something fresh, fun, and funky for him. Like, no.

Jeff Sieh: So,

Lauren Gaggioli: so yeah,

Jeff Sieh: [00:06:00] before we, so that was two, I think,

Lauren Gaggioli: that’s true. Yep.

Jeff Sieh: but this is a great point um, by, Ralph, he’s an accountant, so I know why he’s bringing this up. In my humble view, you need to start setting your presence to entity first. You need to have a solid foundation. So, I think you’re talking about after, I mean, you’ve identified yourself as a business, you’ve registered and all that stuff.

This is the, to get going, is what you’re

Lauren Gaggioli: Yeah. And in the freebie that I, that I’ve created around these and I go in much more detail with it, um. I do talk about you need a dedicated business account. Like that’s absolutely something that you need. I, I do agree that like the entity thing, a lot of people put that way, way down the line. If you are starting, like the second you are like, okay, I’m going to take a payment now, You need to get that in place, for sure.

I am not the person to help you with that.

Jeff Sieh: Right, right. that’s

Ralph. Ralph, Ralph can help you out. He’s, he’s really good at this stuff. Yeah. Yeah.

Lauren Gaggioli: And then the third thing is an email channel, which again, going to that distribution piece, that’s what email is [00:07:00] for. Um, you know, we know this cycle, right? You give a freebie and you’re on somebody’s email list and they contact you about their hemorrhoids, um, apparently is how this is leveraged these days.

Laughter. So, yeah, or, or not, like, maybe, maybe some people have boundaries, but, you know.

Jeff Sieh: Not my

email

Conor Brown: on

Lauren Gaggioli: do want a distribution channel that you own, and that’s what email is.

Jeff Sieh: Yeah. And we’ve talked a lot about that. We’ve had Paul Gouder on, we’ve had Liz Wilcox on, how important that email is from the get go to start. Like, I mean, seriously, if you haven’t done that yet, um, there are so many tools now that make it so easy. So make sure you get going. Uh, go listen to some of those past episodes.

So, uh, yeah, very, very important.

Conor Brown: Jeff Sieh’s three F’s are food, farts, and food, in that order, usually every single day.

Jeff Sieh: Sometimes.

Conor Brown: I love that, you know, those are the three things to focus on first, Lauren, that you’re talking about, about, you know, the, the, did we lose Lauren? Is [00:08:00] she No, I just might. There we go. It’s just taking a while. I don’t know what’s going on. We’re

going on? You know, it’s so great, but entrepreneurs, you know it every single day. We talk about it on this show all the time.

Shiny object syndrome is real. And it can even be real within just those three things. Picking a website, adding a whole bunch of plugins that you want to that website, uh, uh, coming up with a new template, something like that. Payment processors, wanting to hop from one processor to another because it offers some brand new thing you think you’re going to need.

And then email service providers. Of course, there’s always so many of them out there. They’re offering so many different things. So Lauren, in your, you know, expertise. How can entrepreneurs combat shiny object syndrome? Not just talking about these three tools, but all the tools out there. And how do you recommend people just stay focused, get their head down, and get these shiny object distractions away?

Lauren Gaggioli: I think we need to view [00:09:00] tools as employees. And when you think about onboarding a human being, you understand that there is this, this long tail effect. Like you, you have to get them in the door, right? You have to find the right person first. That’s the most important part. You have to then train them and then you have, you can’t just be like, okay and now you’re in.

Like it’s a continual feedback and, and a continual, uh, improvement along the way. And so the thing that entrepreneurs are really bad at is is really assessing how much time they have towards onboarding a new tool. And so if you view it in that light, suddenly it’s not, Oh, it’s only X amount of dollars, right?

It’s, it’s, Oh, it’s this really huge investment of time to get this thing onboarded and working the way I want it to work. And I have to stay connected to it. I need to build out time in my calendar to actually. Iterate upon [00:10:00] what I have implemented. And so if you view it as an employee, Then suddenly that changes the game and this sense of like FOMO of like, oh, that one has this thing, this bell, this whistle.

Okay, how long is it going to take you to port over everything? You’ve already got, you know, the sunk cost. Your pot committed to the tools you already have, right? You’ve done the learning curve. That’s a huge investment of your time. Do you really want to throw that out the window? For a bell and whistle that really, let’s be honest, most software, if they hear that that one’s doing it and it’s pulling people away, they’re going to add it.

You just might have to wait a little bit.

Jeff Sieh: Yeah.

Lauren Gaggioli: I would delay, delay, delay as long as possible. Unless there’s something that is fundamental to the running of your business, um, don’t, don’t tool hop. That is the kiss of death.

Jeff Sieh: Yeah. So, one of the cool things, and I think about Alton Brown. He’s one of my favorite chefs. Yeah. You know. And so, he’s got a great book. But one of his things is like, he never buys a [00:11:00] kitchen tool that only does one thing. Yeah. It’s got to do, yeah, no unit taskers. You’ve got to do it. And I, and I feel that same way about tools and, uh, in that note, our friend Dustin Stout, he goes, uh, tools equals employees, a hundred percent.

Dustin has a great tool, Magi. And one of the cool things with all this AI stuff. And the reason I bring up the Alton Brown, and his is a multi tasker. Like, you can use ChachiBT, you can use Claude, you can do all the other ones. He’s constantly adding new ones. It’s, if you want to play with MidJourney or Dolly or any of those other new image things, he’s adding it.

So, that’s why I always recommend Magi to people who want to get into AI because it is that kind of, you know, Swiss Army knife for AI. So, Dustin, way to go. And I think if you go to, I think it’s magi. whatever, for slash Jeff, you get like, there’s some discount you can get. But anyway, I just love the tool.

Dustin’s a great guy. I’ve known him for years. um, and he goes, I’m a big fan on not having to play ping pong with all the shiny new things out there. Do as much as you can with one [00:12:00] tool. Maybe, maybe one that comes includes multiple tools. Yeah. So I got you a good commercial there, Dustin, but yeah, it’s a great tool, but think about that even like with email.

I know a lot of people are fans with Kajabi. Uh, they, a lot of people use that. The problem is you got to make sure. That it does those other things well. Like, some people really like Kajabi for making, you know, their courses, but the email thing isn’t that great. So you’ve got to balance that stuff out

Lauren Gaggioli: website speed sucks.

Jeff Sieh: Yeah, so that’s, that’s another thing. So you’ve, you’ve got to look at that, like, because they’re gonna upsell you to get all the things, right? No matter if they’re, you know, so you’ve got to really think about what you’re spending your money in.

Conor Brown: us.

Lauren Gaggioli: does SEO, field this question all the time, which website builder should I use? Ease, greater ease means less control. So WordPress is harder to spin up, but once you’re in, you can do pretty much anything you want and you can improve [00:13:00] metrics.

If it’s out of the box, shiny and done, oh, guess what? You’re giving something up for that. And so there is always a cost. Right? And so you just have to understand are you going to pay it on the front end with the learning curve or are you going to pay it on the back end with now you’re locked into this tool that you’ve committed to, this website you’ve built, and you might need to port it over.

Jeff Sieh: Yeah. So, I wanted to kind of, I mean, you’ve told your origin story before on previous episodes, but I want to talk about SEO because that’s your bread and butter. Like how you leverage SEO. Cause it’s an important thing that when people start a business, they don’t think about, that’s not the first thing on their mind.

It’s like, I got to make money, but. SEO is a long term play that gets you money. So can you talk about how you used SEO to grow your first on online business and like some of the strategies that made a difference with, you know, that you were using and because there’s tons of SEO tools out there. So you had to focus on one and use that.

Can you kind of talk about that in [00:14:00] light of just, you know, our previous discussion?

Lauren Gaggioli: Yeah, absolutely. So, um, with my first, uh, company, I had a ACT and SAT prep company and I taught, uh, Uh, static online courses, asynchronous online courses. So I built them, I boxed them, I sold them. When you came in, it was, you know, you’d get email support and that sort of thing. But I was not, like, it was not high touch.

It wasn’t, it didn’t include any, like, uh, one to one component or anything like that. Purely an asynchronous online course play. And what I realized pretty early on is that I was answering the same questions over and over. In email. And so I went, wait a minute, like, it makes more sense if I create blog posts around this.

When should I take the ACT? When should I take the SAT? What is on the SAT? What is on the ACT? These really basic questions that I could have answered in my sleep and did answer, sometimes in the middle of the night, uh, by email. And I went, well, why don’t I just put this on the website? And so I started [00:15:00] blogging.

And I kind of accidentally ended up driving a lot of traffic my way before I realized that there were these really cool tools baked into Google Ads with the keyword research tool. Free. I found the keywords, I could see what the volumes were, like how many people per month were searching these terms on Google, as well as how competitive it was in a low, medium, high kind of way.

It wasn’t very granular. And that was enough, honestly. That was enough to get me going. Um, I had to learn along the way, I mean, I had a lot of missteps, but the ultimate result is I was getting 16, 000 new users to the site per month based on terms, not just getting anyone through the door. But people who were before taking their test having questions about what was on it, when they’d take it, what the test dates were, and I ended up working the four hour work week because I would capture their emails and then just email them.

And so it’s this whole cycle because traffic [00:16:00] is great, however, um, it can be as simple as understanding the questions you’re trying to answer, bringing your expertise to ride along on that, thinking about the human on the other side of the query, and facilitating a quality experience on your website that flows them onto your email list, and then just staying in touch.

Having a podcast was really important to building community. Um, people could stay with me and learn more about the domain I played in, but not specifically SAT and ACT. If they wanted that, it was behind the gate. And the podcast also allowed me to build affiliate relationships with the people I was interviewing.

So I called it a dual affinity building tool where I would interview people who could be my affiliates, but I also was disseminating really great information to my ideal client in this like dripped. way and it gave me a reason to email them. Um, so there are a lot of SEO tools, but fortunately, I didn’t know about them.

I just took massive [00:17:00] action, right? I had bare bones, basic stuff. And this is where I think we just get in our own way. We’re like, the tool, look, Lauren did this and she was able to do it with X, Y, and Z tool. If I buy X, Y, and Z tool, I too will have that success. No, the differentiator is X, Y, and Z. Action. So take massive action, even imperfect action, and you’re doing better than most people in the space, to be honest.

Jeff Sieh: So what I wanted to do is, I want to circle back around before, Conor, your question. um, what you said about your podcast. There were, if you, if you guys go back and listen or remember what she said, that she had a goal. It wasn’t just, I’m having a podcast so I can have a podcast and talk to people.

There is a goal. And she had two of them. Like she had, she was getting affiliate relationships, but she was also talking to the people who needed her services. So there was a specific reason why she was doing that. And I think that’s really important to think about, okay, why are you doing this, what I call pillar piece of content, which [00:18:00] would be a podcast?

You know, why are you doing that? And then, okay, you can want to do it, but what’s your strategy? And Lauren really had a strategy when she was doing it. So that’s really, really key, I believe.

Conor Brown: Yeah, it is. And it’s, it’s knowing what you want to target, who you want to target, and then also what kind of conversations you want to have. But at the end, there’s always got to be a CTA, right? There’s got to be in a perfect. What are they going to do with every single tool that you’re going to use? And the podcast is kind of a tool in and of itself.

It’s a marketing tool, right? Um, when you have the, the foundational tools, we don’t want to get in the, the tools of dreams sort of status if you buy it. They will come, right? You have to spend time setting it up, doing all those things. We talked about it a little bit about picking certain tools, you’re going to sacrifice certain things, but you really want to invest the time to set these things up so that they can actually do what they’re supposed to do and not just buy it, kind of half ass it, right?

And [00:19:00] expect a full amount of results to come in. So Lauren, what, what do you see? Like, digital marketers, or digital entrepreneurs who are just starting out, what are some of the bigger mistakes they make when setting up these, these foundational tools, or not doing when they’re setting up these tools? Yeah.

Lauren Gaggioli: know what you don’t know. So you might learn something later that changes your strategy and you go, shoot, I picked the wrong one. That, that stinks. You know, I did this early on with Higher Scores. I kept changing, uh, my course provider, like the, the plugin

on my WordPress site.

And like I went from Membermouse to Entreport, which was a huge heavy lift. I was like, Ooh. I can do email and um, the course and all these other bells and whistles and I researched the heck out of it. It was not a glib choice, but it ended up being a huge mistake and I ended up going back and doing member press and that just was like a total boondoggle, a total waste of [00:20:00] time. You can only make decisions based on where, where you are right now. And what you know right now. So I would say get good opinions. Get opinions from people who are a little further down the road than you because they might see blind spots that you can’t identify. Um, I didn’t know many course creators at that time.

There was nobody I could talk to except a sales rep, so guess what I did?

Jeff Sieh: Right. Right.

Lauren Gaggioli: bought, shocking. Um, so, you know, I think it’s really, this is where community can be really important. I mean, even here, like you have a great community in, in the comments. Like if somebody’s going, gee, I wonder, um, if this tool would be a good fit, like they could, they could connect and, and ping people and be like, Hey, or, you know, do you offer some sort of coaching or that sort of thing?

Um, I’d love to like buy you a cup of coffee or whatever. Um, That’s where those relationships really, really, I think, come into play and really looking at the people who have had success and knowing that it was their mind for [00:21:00] strategy, not the tools they implemented. And that if somebody is super committed to a particular tool over its function, like if they’re not leading with what it can do, if they’re saying, you should buy this because I use this, this is, I think, the problem with affiliates.

Marketing sometimes is that there’s an incentive and a lot of people do it really well, but like you have to be careful about who you’re trusting with this support. So I would say, you know, make the right choice for what can help you today. And the next step of your business as you see it now, do your research and then take the time to implement it onboard that employee.

And also put in like maintenance days where you can go in and those sequences you wanna build out or whatever. You have that time blocked out in your calendar. ’cause it does take time.

Jeff Sieh: Yeah. I really like what you said, and it’s changed my way of thinking of treating a tool like an employee. That’s really, really good. Uh, but here’s a good question from our friend, Rich Graham, watching over on YouTube, says, [00:22:00] I got way too many tools of dreams. So, what do you do? Do you fire all the employees?

You know, I mean, so, How do you handle, having too many tools? What are your thoughts on this? Oh,

Lauren Gaggioli: online entrepreneurs get really lazy. We don’t, they, we don’t treat our investments. Uh, so the same way as someone with a brick and mortar does, right? If you’re paying rent and you’re paying for a product or supplies or whatever, it, you, you’d have a closer watch on this. Like reading Michalowicz’s Profit First was hugely powerful for me.

Um, once I cleared 6, 000 of spend off of my, annual spend on tools by just doing an assessment, You know, could I have carried that? Yeah, because I had huge profit margins, but could I have more profit margins if I clear 6, 000 worth of recurring tools off my, off my P& L? Yeah. Like, do it.

Jeff Sieh: We’ve talked about like the 9. 99 and the 10. 99 little tools. They start [00:23:00] adding up. And so there’s even some tools that help you figure out and find those things. I can’t remember what there’s, there’s a couple of them. Uh, but it’s really eyeopening. Like when you start going,

Lauren Gaggioli: look at your bank account.

Jeff Sieh: Yeah, exactly.

Oh, you know, all those, uh, Netflix subscriptions and, you know, Paramount Plus and, you know, Disney, all those things start adding up and tools are the same way. So you’ve got to really, um, it’s a big chunk of change if, uh, so Rich, I feel your pain. So I want to talk real quick about your marketing ecosystem course. In that course, how do you help the students like focus on those right tools and strategies without feeling overwhelmed? Because the, there’s also a thing like you, there’s all these tools and then you’re like, well, okay, which one did they put, pick? Because they all sound really good and they’re, if you, you can’t really see what the difference is and you know, I don’t want to be locked into something and then I’ll go like, oh my gosh, they just upgraded.

So what do you tell your students in the course about getting overwhelmed with a multitude of options?

Lauren Gaggioli: I only give them like one tool to use.

Jeff Sieh: Okay.

Lauren Gaggioli: [00:24:00] That’s how. That’s how. Cause the tools are not the most important thing, right? It’s, the strategy around SEO, how you are delivering content that resonates with a human being and a tool facilitates you understanding how many human beings need to be served.

Jeff Sieh: Right.

Lauren Gaggioli: But listen, AI is great if you are leveraging AI content on your site and you are not putting it into your own voice.

Godspeed, right?

Jeff Sieh: That’s right. Yeah.

Lauren Gaggioli: good luck, friend. I, I don’t bring up AI tools because I don’t use them. I write everything because I know how I want to say it. Now, if you need that support to, you know, if you have, like, learning difficulties or things like that where, you know, executive function and logical leaps are, are, are happening in your work, then okay, like, use AI to set the framework, but then you have to go in and make sure it says exactly what you want it to say.

This is not about quantity, it’s about quality. And I would rather publish one [00:25:00] really quality article or well researched post a month and just let the chips fall where they may and make sure that I am actually addressing a concern that is people are asking about in Google. And so the only tools that I leverage are keyword research tools.

Of course, the second I launched The course, AHS completely gutted their free one, and I was annoyed. Yeah, I think I called you and I was like, Jeff,

Jeff Sieh: It always happens. Yeah.

Lauren Gaggioli: Um, so I have two options. You can use AHRFs, their paid version has the granularity you need, or SEMrush has a lovely free 10 day trial that you can leverage.

Um, it was really important to me that, that if you got my course, you wouldn’t have to pay for more, right? There wasn’t like a hidden cost. And so that’s how we navigate it.

Jeff Sieh: Yeah, it’s always something.

Lauren Gaggioli: Yeah. But honestly, keyword research is like a finite thing. You do the keyword research, then you have all this [00:26:00] data.

And based off of that, I promise you, you’ll have more posts that you can write, that you have time. So you could do this once a year and be relatively sure that as long as you are taking massive action and you’re writing, you know, with good on page, um, SEO, then you can rank.

Jeff Sieh: good to know. Good to know. And I, I’ve got so much stuff I need to do after time. That’s why we have Lauren on only a couple times a year because it gives me so much homework every time.

Conor Brown: Yeah, stuff. So much SEO stuff. Let’s transition to, to a new entity that you got going, your podcast. So excited for it. I’m, I’m one interested to hear, you know, why now? Why’d you decide to start this? But also, so it’s called the Digital Entrepreneur’s Toolkit. Entrepreneur’s Toolkit. I don’t say that word very well at all.

Lauren Gaggioli: say.

Jeff Sieh: It’s all right. It’s all right, Connor.

Conor Brown: Toolkit. Toolkit. That’s the word that I have trouble with. Toolkit. but it revolves around, you know, inspiration, motivation, [00:27:00] education, just kind of helping people take action. Like you’re talking about massive action, right? So, Again, why now? Why start with this? And then why’d you decide to do this particular framework and how does it help guide your content on the podcast?

Lauren Gaggioli: Absolutely. So, my background as a teacher has taught me that podcasts are not necessarily the best way to learn really in depth strategy, right? There’s multiple steps. And it’s, you’re having to create whole new habits around things, it’s not actually the best medium for that because so many of us are listening while we’re doing something else.

Like, we’re having a very intimate, focused and somebody’s like doing the dishes, driving carpool, like, and they’re just sort of like, it’s like voyeurism, right? So it’s a great place to, not like that, Jeff.

Jeff Sieh: My shirt’s buttoned up.

Lauren Gaggioli: Um, but you know, it’s like, it’s like eavesdropping on somebody else’s little chat, and I think it’s a great place to sort of [00:28:00] fill the energetic tank and go, wow, that’s cool what somebody else did. Or, gee, I could like make a one-to-one swap in my life around a certain concept. But when it comes to actual like implementation, I, I’ve, I’ve found through my own lived experience and through like feedback that it’s.

Just not the best place to like actually move you to taking action. So the focus of the show is two things, interviews with other entrepreneurs that will inspire and fill the tank. And what we’re taking is that first two minute blurb where like, somebody says, this is what I do and this is how I got here.

And we’re zooming in on that and we’re really going deep. And I am. I’m so grateful to our guests. I’m so lucky to have so many friends who are, A, willing to join me, and B, being so transparent about not just the highs of their journey, right, because that’s what we share in the Two Minute Blip. We share the highlight reel.

We are delving into some of the hard times, [00:29:00] too. And I think, You know, comparison is the thief of joy if you’re comparing your lived experience to someone else’s highlight reel. But if you are comparing one to one, it actually does the opposite. You don’t feel so alone. You don’t feel so odd or like you’re not going fast enough.

and the, you know, the reason right now is because it wasn’t last year. You know, like I’ve had this show in my mind for forever.

Jeff Sieh:We know that. We know

Lauren Gaggioli: yeah, we, we’ve had so many conversations. You’ve been so patient with me. Um, But then I also do solo shows and that’s where we get underneath the motivation piece, a sort of mindset work that needs to happen because our businesses flow through us.

But I have this concept of this thing called entrepreneurial enmeshment where sometimes our self worth fluctuates with our P& L. And I think that’s unhealthy for us. Growing up and becoming a mom has really showed me like, oh boy, like I need to have a stronger, firmer sense of myself outside of the roles I play.

Um, business owner is one of them, but [00:30:00] I am, I am more than that. And if I don’t fill up my tank in many different ways, I am going to struggle to parent well. I’m going to struggle to partner well. I’m going to struggle to be a good business owner and serve my clients well. So I’ve, I’ve done a lot of work on that front.

I have a lot of resources on that front. So we’re, we’re exploring that too on the show. And then the education piece happens over on the website.

Jeff Sieh: So I want to talk a little bit about the difference between inspiration and motivation when it comes to entrepreneurship. So what are the difference? So I think I know, but I want you to kind of walk us through that. Like inspiration is like when I see you or I see Connor and I, this is, this is how I interpret it.

Do something and I’m like, Oh man, they did such a great job. Maybe I can take a piece of that. And, and what I’ve learned and apply it to my own stuff. And then motivation is like, okay, I’ve got this deadline. I need to get this course done by X date because I’m going to be speaking over on this [00:31:00] conference at this date.

So that’s how I view it. Am I right or wrong? So what, how do you like classify inspiration and motivation?

Lauren Gaggioli: Yeah. To me, um, any Parks and Rec fans out there probably remember this Leslie Knope with her wall of inspirational women that also had a picture of her. And she goes, I’m, I’m a big enough woman to admit that I’m sometimes inspired by myself. I think the reason that’s so funny is because inspiration to me inherently comes from without.

Right. Like we, we look outside of us and we go, Oh, that person’s doing something really cool. I won. Like, I think all of us had that moment where we were listening to a show going, Wait a minute. That person’s doing something really cool. I, I want in on that.

Jeff Sieh: right.

Lauren Gaggioli: To me, that’s inspiration. It’s queuing off of what already exists and then bringing it inside.

Right. And then to me, motivation is You know, our, our good friend Julie Morris would have, would probably take umbrage with the term. Um, she believes it’s more habit built and habits are absolutely important, but that [00:32:00] motivation to me is more the mindset and untangling what’s inside so you can get to the core of you and tap into a wellspring that won’t dry up.

You know, and there’s, there’s good motivation and bad motivation. Um, Um, you know, if you’re constantly running from pain, that’s not a good place to be. And so how can we kind of shift so that this is more like abundance mindset and how can we untangle some of our stuff so that we’re rooted and grounded and doing what’s good and right in every situation, even if it is the longer play, right?

This is where SEO, like. It takes a whole heap of obviously know how, but also you have to trust your instincts. And that is the thing that keeps you going.

Jeff Sieh: Right.

Lauren Gaggioli: And I think a lot of us are struggling to untangle some of that in ourselves, and there’s a lot of resources to support making sure that you’re in a place where [00:33:00] You’re not draining yourself with your business.

You are, you are really flourishing and thriving.

Jeff Sieh: Yeah.

Conor Brown: Yeah. Well, let’s talk, I love what Abby said too, by the way. She said it’s called procrastination. You, you have to Procrastination gets stuff done, that’s for sure. But you, you mentioned , you mentioned resources, which I think is, is important and especially like educational resources and strategies.

I think we as solopreneurs. We do always need to be learning, right? We need to be knowing what’s going on in the world of SEO, of digital marketing, of new trends and things that can help us get our business to the next level or things that can help us automate, be more efficient so that we can live our lives because that’s kind of why we got started with this in the first place.

Finding time to do that, to sit down, to research stuff, to get educational resources can be time consuming. And you also don’t want to spend that time and at the end of it just think, Well, that was a [00:34:00] waste. I really didn’t get anything out of it. So Lauren, what, what like educational resources, strategies, those sorts of things, do you think are most helpful for solopreneurs trying to expand their, their business acumen and knowledge?

Lauren Gaggioli: So this is where I’m going to push back a little bit because I’m wired very differently than I think some of the people in this space. Like, and I, I think we talk a lot about hustle culture, right? And we’re like, that’s bad. It makes you, it makes you sick. Yes. Um, I, I’m much more of a seasonal producer.

Like, I’m a farmer, right? And what that inherently means is that I need a fallow season. So right now, I’ve recorded the podcast. Every interview is done. I’m putting the finishing touches on some solo shows. That’s all gonna be to Jeff in the next week or so and that show is a one season that drops and comes out until November.

Jeff Sieh: Right.

Lauren Gaggioli: I’m gonna [00:35:00] be done mid September and then I’m gonna homeschool my kids and like Suck my thumb on my couch for a while. I need time to rest and replenish, but I like coming to end of job. So, I use a thing called the mole method. It’s something I’ve created where I will poke my head up at the end of my fallow season and go, Hmm, what worked with the show?

what’s going on here that I enjoyed? Um, where am I driving the most pleasure? What’s, you know, delivering the most profit? How do I look at the full landscape of my business and go, okay, I was in kind of maintenance mode, just replenishing mode. Now I’m, surveying the horizon.

How, what’s going on with AI? What’s going on with the SEO? Like. And then I get fired up and go into action mode and that’s when I go back underground and I ignore the noise. And this has saved my sanity think about scientific experiments. If you change too many variables at one time, you have no idea what’s working.

And also you [00:36:00] need to have trends. To know what to change. And so because we can change things on a dime, because we are the masters of our own fate, because we are very, very risk tolerant, uh, we are pulling the slot machine lever constantly in our business. And that is going to deplete you. I always make this differentiation, like, that is a dopamine hit, not a serotonin snuggle.

And I want a business based on decisions made from, like, the place of, like, a serotonin uptake, like, you know? So, yeah. I think it’s really important when we’re taking in information to encourage a slower burn. So something like a master class course or a book that you are listening to or reading. Um, getting the full pedagogical arc, because if you’re just swapping one to one all the time, you just don’t know what’s happening.

But if you understand the underlying strategy and you’re really doing the heavy lifts, [00:37:00] then that is going to move you forward. I think in a much more, um, sustainable way and honoring your own rhythms. Like whoever you are, whatever you, maybe you are a grinder. Maybe you are somebody who really wants to check in daily and that is your thing.

Perfect. But make sure that then your days are balanced.

Jeff Sieh: Yeah. And I think that also the knowing you’re in So I’m not so much of time management. Mine is more energy management now. It’s probably because, you know, I’m so old, uh, But I think that’s really important. And then also finding those hacks that I’m always looking at ways to be more creative.

And I’ve found, kind of recently I guess, that if I read a book, Like, you know, something like Malcolm Gladwell or something, you know, like, uh, uh, uh, Grant, his stuff. Um, it spurs me to be more creative. And it, there’s, it’s not like a one to one ratio. It’s just like, things will happen. Like, it’ll be like, oh, if I’m reading this stuff, that’ll spur things on.

And, and even like going outside and walking. We’ve talked about all that stuff. But finding those hacks that help you and [00:38:00] then like making note of them so you do them again. is really, really, I think, important. We have a great question, um, from VideoLikeADad, and because I want to talk about this a little bit, he goes, he’s not really questioning it as a comedy, he goes, I only procrastinate on things I can’t remember I’m supposed to be doing.

So, I feel your pain, VideoLikeADad. But the question, let’s talk about that. I want to know on this, this idea of procrastination. So what techniques or habits do you recommend for entrepreneurs for overcoming procrastination and then that to taking that, that decisive action that is one in one of your, in your framework?

So like, what are some of those hacks that you use so you don’t procrastinate? I don’t see you as a procrastinator, but maybe you are and you just fake it really well. But, um, what are your, what are your little hacks for that?

Lauren Gaggioli: Um, I actually absolutely am a procrastinator by virtue of the fact that I like to overload my plate and then it becomes a sequencing issue against time. And so uh, I do a lot in a day. [00:39:00] I’m always moving, but am I moving towards the target? It depends. Um, so, I think what we have to remember is that, um, an object in motion stays in motion, right?

That’s, that’s part of it. Um, but that doesn’t necessarily mean the same motion. Right, so the longer you sit in stasis and the longer you, you just get up all in your brain and you’re thinking it out and you’re taking in inputs from the outside, lots of suggestions about where you ought to be spending your time, the less likely you are to take action and the longer you stay there, that, that increases your proclivity for, for staying.

Staying still. So I think taking off all those outside inputs and really tapping into like, where do you need to go next? What is your next right step? And if you feel that internal resistance, my dear friend, Jennifer Hoffman, who will be our very last episode of the season. [00:40:00] She’s brilliant. she’s like a mindset ninja.

She, I’m so grateful that she and I are connected because she has saved me so many times. She says, you know, what is the thing that’s standing in the way of action? Is it a resource? Is it knowledge? You know, really pinpoint, get specific when you feel resistance. Is it just, I don’t want to, because usually we like internalize that as like, Oh, and now I have like this baggage of like, Oh, I didn’t do it.

And I’m a failure. And look at all those people on Instagram who are crushing, No, something is standing in your way, figure out what it is, and then just take the next right step. Chunk it down into the actionable bites. Like I can show you, this, this was my launch list. Like I was getting all up in my head and I was like, I just need to write it down.

Like, yes, I have ClickUp. Yay. I need this on paper. Like, that is how I work best. Um. And so I think writing down that list of discrete steps, attainable [00:41:00] steps, and just starting to work through it and knowing that if you are feeling that resistance, that drawback, there is something actually standing in your way.

So assess it, take the time to think about it, um, and really, really unpack it. And if you need help, find help. And so this, I think, will transition lovely into our next phase,

but like. You need a community. You need people who know when you need a hug and when you need a lovely kick in the pants.

Jeff Sieh: That’s right. That’s very

Lauren Gaggioli: And, and sometimes it’s both in, in one fell

Jeff Sieh: Hopefully they’ll hug you after they kick you in the pants, but we’ll see.

Conor Brown: Dang, a hug and a kick in the pants. What a way to start the day. This is great. And we’re getting deep here today too, because this comment from Ask Ralph is, is awesome. He says, the truth of life is that there really is no set destination. It’s all about embracing the journey, embracing it and learning from it.

Procrastination is just a stepping stone. Um, on [00:42:00] the journey. Uh, beautifully said. Beautifully said. Ask Ralph. Um, I think that that’s so true. It’s, it’s all about learning and continuing and the destination is always going to move, right? Cause you’re always growing as a person and you want to bring in new things.

Um, But I also know, like Lauren, you’re talking about the importance of a community. When we do have goals, and we do have tasks, the easiest person to lie to is ourself. Right? We can set a goal and a date, but we can always just say, Eh, I’ll get to it tomorrow. And the only person we’re really letting down is ourself.

When we come into a community that’s You know, looking out for our best interests just as much as we’re looking out for their best interests. And we want to grow as a group and we want to see everyone succeed. A mastermind can really help you stay accountable, right? When you put out into the ether, when you put towards your group, Hey, I have to get this done because this is why it’s important and I need it done by [00:43:00] this date.

There’s no one to lie to except all the people that are staring us in the mastermind group. And they’re going to hold us accountable. So do you have any like great success stories from your mastermind group that you do when it comes to getting results as a group together, but each individual accomplishing their own, their own tasks?

Yeah,

Lauren Gaggioli: because what I found with the masterminds that I was part of, like, I, I like to go deep and then extricate myself and I, I don’t need the accountability really. [00:44:00] Like, I know what I need to do. Right? It’s John Ralphio. I know what I need to do, man. so what we do that’s, that’s different is that you come when you have something to troubleshoot.

I will keep you accountable if that is something that you need. Um, but you have to sign up for the, the next two weeks, right? And, and come and show up for that appointment. And I can say, did you do it? I think that, uh, a lot of my clients who do partake in the, the mastermind, they are coming out of often, uh, my courses.

So like the organic marketing ecosystem, if they have questions and they want to troubleshoot, it’s a way to just get a finger on the pulse and say, hey, like I have this post or, hey, I didn’t understand this concept and I want to go a little bit deeper into it. Um, Um, so it in that way. And so while there is community, it is less on the accountability side.

Um, because [00:45:00] I, I struggle, I struggle with wantrepreneurs because at the end of the day, just put it on your calendar and get it done. Um, and yes, there are seasons of life where your podcast comes out a year later. Like, I don’t know. I don’t feel bad about that. I did it. I was always going to do it. But I have two young children and there have been some tragedies in my life lately and like, life, lives.

And sometimes you do have to punt. Um, but I like, I like going to like conferences to get that like connection, that one to one and fill up my energy tank. But I, I fill it up big. I’m like a camel, right? I fill it up big and then I go away and I like hunker down and get the stuff done. And In the masterminds that I have been in that are more community based, more peer to peer, I found that we would just get together in kibbitz for an hour.

And I don’t have an hour on my calendar to do that every week. It just doesn’t work for my life right now. Maybe someday, but I also don’t think that’s what helps me. [00:46:00] And so I wanted to create something that was more flexible and affordable, more of like a drop in when you need that little energy hit. Um, but I also believe in kismet.

It’s like, for example, our friend, Samantha Stiles, um, of Empower Pediatric Therapy and Scott Connors of Magical Vacation Services that does grocery delivery on Disney properties. Um, they were, happened to come on the same day and Sam was, who’s also a Disney person. She was like, Scott, you need to call this other company.

They do Airbnbs. I bet you could become one of their, um, patrons. There are delivery folks and you could get like a lot of business cause part of it is, is he always, he’s always generating new business. He needs to have contacts that aren’t competition, but that support, um, in the local community.

And so yeah, he was able to, to move forward with that. So, um, I, I I believe in just getting a lot of people together and trusting that the right combinations come together at the right time, and [00:47:00] that I, I love shooting from the hip. I’ve been in this a long time, and so being able to facilitate people’s next right step, help clear some of those blocks, um, is what I, what I really love about the work I’m doing

with the Mastermind.

Jeff Sieh: And I know I’ve, you know, I’ve seen Lauren at conferences and she does fill herself up and it’s not usually water. Uh,

there there at the, at

the after

Lauren Gaggioli: It’s the bourbon you

Jeff Sieh: yes, right, so, um.

Lauren Gaggioli: The bourbon swap is my new favorite thing. talking, we were talking about, um, community and, and Dan goes, do we need people to sign a legal disclaimer to make sure they don’t press charges if we hug?

Jeff Sieh: Well, I would on Con, on Conor’s, on Conor I would, but, um,

Conor Brown:no.

Jeff Sieh: let’s talk, because I think, one, the community here, I love, that’s why I do the Friday show. I love it. I think it’s so great. We’ve got a few minutes left, but I wanted to kind of end with this question. Um, how do you foster a sense of community and support among entrepreneurs?

Who often work in isolation. A lot of us are working at home. You work at home. Connor, most of the time works at home. He kind of goes back and forth. I do. So, um, how do you foster that sense of community? You [00:48:00] mentioned going to conferences. What are some other ways that you as entrepreneurs, cause it can be a lonely thing.

I remember when I started. I went and nobody did what I did in my city, really. Like it was like, and I did BNI and that was great. Then it was like, they have no idea what I do. And then luckily things exploded right when I needed them to, you know, you know, to connect. But what do you, what do you tell people who are struggling with like, I just feel like I’m the only person who understands me.

Lauren Gaggioli: yeah, I, I think you have to start reaching out, you know, and, and I think one of the reasons that I’m so passionate about putting this podcast out is and sharing the full story is because that does, I think there’s lonely and then there’s, but am I also weird? Like, am I the only one?

Jeff Sieh: you are. Yes, you are.

Lauren Gaggioli: Yes, you are. You’re special.

You’re unique. And also, no, you’re not. Like your journey, you are right where you’re supposed to be. And I think that that is a recurring theme on [00:49:00] the show with the guests who have come and shared their full story. Like, they didn’t know what they were doing any more than you don’t know what you’re doing.

So I think, you know, we’re all figuring it out and there’s The thing I love about the podcast is it can, like, you can go on a walk and still not feel alone. Um, if you’re, you can be in the guest room at 2 a. m., you know, your little corner and desk in the guest room, which, don’t ask me how I know that’s where most people are starting.

And you can feel like there’s, there are other people out there. So I love podcasts for that. Um, it’s obviously not a back and forth, right? But a community based mastermind might be the right fit for you if loneliness is really what you’re combating, if you need the ongoing thing, ongoing accountability.

And Jeff, you are offering one right now with Paul, I know. And I, and that is the right fit for some people. There are other options, right? Meetups, you know, in your town. It’s becoming more prevalent. Um, other folks communities, look at those people you follow and [00:50:00] admire and see what they have, whether it’s online.

Um, Vincent Puglisi has a mastermind or a membership community about memberships. Like, what are you trying to do and, and is there somebody providing a community around that in that space? Like, Seek it out. It’s out there. Um, and again, this is where Google is helpful because hey, if you have that community, it should be SEO optimized so that people can find you.

Um, but yeah, and I, I think too, like, even if you’re just feeling lost, like send an email to your favorite podcast host and see what comes back. We do not thrive in isolation, but how we interact needs to fit into the broader framework of our lives as well. So Just because it works for someone else, don’t, don’t think like, this is why I built my mastermind the way I did because it didn’t work for me.

Like, the, the common methodology. So I was like, well, I’m going to make it different and it’s going to be 25 for your first session so you can test it out and see if it works for you. Um, so yeah, I would say get creative. And then also, if you [00:51:00] can’t find it, genuinely can’t find it, don’t do this just because you’re a creator.

Uh, you could create your own.

Jeff Sieh: Yeah. There’s a lot of masterminds. I mean, I, the one I’m still in over seven years with Anthony Witt and Eric Fisher. We’ve been going since we met at Podcast San Diego and started. And so it’s over 10 years now, probably every Monday. We get together. So wherever we’re at. Yeah. So, I mean, you can find those things, especially when we talk about conferences, like, don’t be scared, like, Hey, can we touch base or get like a virtual coffee?

And like, cause we’re all, I mean, Eric’s you know, he’s an Indian, uh, and, uh, =and= all, I’m an Anthony’s now is in Nashville. And I mean, we get up to see each other maybe once a year, but it’s just like, we never stopped talking. It’s just continuing the conversation. So wow. This has gone fast.

Uh, Lauren, tell people where they can find you in this brand spankin new podcast. All the stuff you got going on.

Lauren Gaggioli: Absolutely. Well, there’s, there’s a lot. Laurencacioli. com is, uh, where everything lives, but the podcast is called the Digital Entrepreneur’s Toolkit. So if you go to digitalentrepreneurstoolkit. [00:52:00] com, um, the first, the trailer, is up the first episode. Um, uh, we got more coming next week.

So if you have a minute to seek us out on your favorite podcast app and subscribe or follow or whatever we do now, I don’t even know. It’s been out of here, out for a very long time. Um, do, do that thing. Um, and if you enjoy it, then please do, you know,

take a minute to

Jeff Sieh: some great, the

interviews all of it’s good. So make sure you guys go there. Digital entrepreneurs, uh, I can’t say it either. Connor, digitalentrepreneurstoolkit. com. Go check it out. Connor Brown, where can people find out amazing stuff that you’re doing?

It’s, uh, it’s all about you right

now.

Conor Brown: Just a couple tools trying to pronounce toolkit. What are you going to do? You know, head over to vacationkingdoms. com. You can follow me at vacationkingdoms. We have a podcast as well. A couple, a few podcasts, actually, that will help you plan your next Walt Disney World, Disney Cruise Line, or Universal Orlando Vacation, [00:53:00] vacationkingdoms.

Jeff Sieh: cool too. He’s doing kind of similar to Lauren. He’s not just talking about, he’s got multiple episodes. Sometimes it’s sort of, uh, about Universal Studios. Sometimes it’s about Disney. Sometimes it’s about actually the cruise line, Disney cruise line. So make sure he goes. Check that out.

You’re going to find something that you like over there, uh, about travel. And, uh, don’t forget the, contest we got that’s going to end next month. So if you don’t have a ticket to Creator Camp, there’s a chance to enter and win one at jeffsieh. com forward slash win, and as I promised. There’s a way, yeah, the code, the extra code right here, it’s K O 1 3 H H.

So that will give you some extra entries if you go to JeffSieh. com forward slash win. And with that, we thank you guys so much, Jim’s here, VideoLikeADad, AskRalph, Dan Roth showed up today, Abby, of course, Rich Graham, everybody who was in the chat, Dustin as well. Thank you guys so much for watching and we will see you all next week.

Bye, everybody.