Program Logistics
Smart online strategy + confidence + a creative twist =
a business that cannot be stopped.
Enroll NowProgram Curriculum
Session 1: Foundations, Set-Up, Branding & Positioning:
00
Introduction & Program Orientation
- Welcome to the Program!
Introduction, overview & hello - Stage One, Program Orientation
New Student Entry Interview
01
What are we selling?
- Introduction, Hello & Evaluating Your Goals
The part in which we get cozy, say hello, take a group vow and explore the online business landscape together for the very first time. *deep lovebird sigh* - Defining Your Business Idea
Ooooh, tackling all of the big questions right out of the gate! There are two parts to the question, “What are you selling?” The first concerns itself with what kind of business you’re creating as a whole—virtual assistant services, for example—and the second relates to the actual offerings contained within that business—like what kinds of packages you offer and how you sell those services (which comes next.) This section was created explicitly for my lovable newbies who are in the very early stages of just considering striking it out on their own (we’ve got your back, don’t worry!) and walks you through determining what kinds of online businesses would suit you, given your passions, your background, your goals and your talents. …And maybe your love of brownies. - Defining Your Sales Offerings: Products, Services & Digital Offerings
The #1 most critical element for any business: Something to sell in exchange for money! Whether you’re brand new on the scene, or you’re a brick and mortar business entering the online space, or you’re an online vet re-imagining your current structure and/or hunting for fresh ideas, we’ll go over what types of sales offerings work best with a special eye for the online landscape—from services to products to a hybrid and beyond—and how to figure out which business model is best for you. - Narrowing Down Your Ideas (And Getting Rid of the Bad Apples)
Something many people struggle with: When all of the options are on the table, it’s too hard to decide. You love this, but you also love that. But what if you just combined them into one big umbrella brand? We’ve got you covered, and we’ll help light a clear path forward. - Starting With Cash Flow
Even out of the good ideas that remain, you can’t do everything at once, so where should you start? With the money, that’s where. Why you should always start with this one piece of advice, which may even be contrary to your instincts. - Special Ops Confidence Training, Part I
Taking up space and being seen without flinching, shrinking and minimizing yourself. This is where PRESENCE is born.
02
Who are we selling it to?
- The Strategy Behind Who
Before we can get to the really fun stuff, like naming your business, talking about websites, or coming up with a killer message, we’ve got to figure out who we want to buy your stuff, so we can best figure out how we should sell it to them. - Your Target Market Is Not “Anyone Who Wants to Buy It”
But how do you know who is? What’s too specific, and what’s too broad? And what if you have multiple? (Spoiler alert: It’s okay to have multiple lovers, here. In fact, with the Internet, you should.) - Targeting Like an FBI Criminal Profiler
Throwing traditional “personas” to the wind and understanding how to use your Target Markets in a way that’s actually practical and useful for your business (and not just an exercise that sits in a drawer somewhere).
03
What are we going to say about it?
- It Doesn’t Matter What You’re Selling
It only matters how you sell it. Here, we’ll talk about branding with words, and using them in such a way so your Target Market hears the call and comes galloping. (Hopefully they’re wearing shoes.) - Identifying Your Creative Twist
You know you need an edge, to “differentiate yourself.” But how in cowabunga do you do that? And what if what you’re selling is nothing particularly new or different? How can you stand out from the sea of sameness, when everybody’s selling what you are? - Implementation, Part I:
Now we get to use the work we’ve been doing to brand our business and our products and services. Here’s where we begin: Business names, product names, slogans and taglines. - Implementation, Part II
You will have a website, and you will need words for it—and furthermore, words that work for you, not against you. - Implementation, Part III
It’s not all written words, of course. Sometimes, you’ll have to say things out loud! Here, we’ll take your branding and use it to help you create a verbal elevator pitch and description of your work that magnetizes people to you, feels fresh and engaging, and gives you a signature to hang your hat on.
Session 2: Marketing, Sales, Money & Operations
04
How are we going to present it online?
- The Internet & Your Business
The online landscape has changed everything. Here we’ll talk about some of the lesser known advantages of doing business over the Internet - Your Website + an Introduction to Online Marketing
The way we get found online is drastically different from brick and mortar businesses of the past—we’ll talk about the difference between interruption marketing and permission marketing, and how we can use your website to set the stage to stand out from the sea of sameness - The Modern Day Anatomy of a Website
Learning to view your website through a whole new lens, and how one grandmother grew a multi-million dollar empire and saved the entire town’s economy - Your Website 101
Learning how to create a professional online presence on a budget—without a designer (including a survey of available tools and best recommendations) - Your Website + eCommerce: A Discussion on MONEY
Show me the money! We’ll go over the best options for accepting money via various different forms of eCommerce, including payment processors, invoicing software, subscriptions, installment payments, and more. - Your Website + Email: A Primer Into Marketing
Email is still the cornerstone of any business, online and off. We’ll talk about why this is the case, and what it means for YOU. - Advanced Tools + Recommendations
A survey of advanced tools and techniques for marketing & selling online.
05
How do we get the word out?
- Online Marketing 101
There’s a significant difference between traditional marketing and online marketing. Follow the old rules, and you might be doomed. - Getting Over Our Big, Hairy Fear of Marketing
Most new business owners to break out into hives when The M Word is uttered. Good news: You don’t have to be. In fact, once you learn how, you might actually fall in love. - The Art and Science of The Marketing & Sales Funnel
67% of the people who were about to give you money, don’t. And that’s inevitably because of a breakdown in your funnel—whether it’s a missed step, or a step that isn’t converting, or something else. Because just like you don’t meet a stranger on the street and take them straight to bed (usually), there are important steps that need to be taken to foster your relationship with your customers and clients, too. - Building Your First Funnel
Together, we’ll map out your first sales funnel, based on your actual products and services, in conjunction with your creative twist. - Building Your First Campaign
A funnel is great, but how do you get new people into it? That’s where campaigns come in. - Creativity + Strategy = Love
How can you marry proven and effective techniques and tactics, with your creative twist, and your newfound confidence, to create a strategy that feels fresh and true, gets your name out there, wows the world, and gets their attention…for free?
06
How can we make people buy it?
- They’re Interested. But They’re Not a Customer or Client…Yet
Once you’ve got their attention, you need to close the sale—or risk losing them forever (not to mention your effort). - Increase Your Desire Wattage
You’ve got your strategy. You’ve got your creative twist. But now we need to add a layer of irresistible appeal. (Hint: We want them to say yes! And to be excited about saying yes.) - Online Conversions
Certain products, and sometimes even services, can be sold and bought with the click of a button. Here, we’ll talk about closing the digital deal in ways that feel authentic and supportive—not sleazy or pushy. - Offline Conversions
Some deals and projects, however, will require a phone conversation, otherwise known as, “Let’s hop on a call to chat!” This is a great sign, except for one thing: Most new business owners are TERRIFIED. - Overcoming Objections & Iffy Eyes
Humans are programmed to resist—which can be a problem if your goal is to get them to say yes and enter into a relationship with you. How can we do this with integrity in thoughtful and caring ways?
07
How are we going to run this business?
- Business & Project Management 101
Online business is phenomenal, but there can also be a lot of moving parts. We’ll walk you through best practices for getting your work flow and systems in order, so you can reduce overwhelm, save time and money, and feel confident you aren’t forgetting ALL THE THINGS. - Managing Yourself & Your Sanity
When you’ve got deadlines and deliverables and a thousand different things going on at once, it’s critical to make sure you know how to manage your own workload—and not overcommit yourself, or promise things you cannot deliver. (Easier said than done!) - Delivering the Product or Service to a Customer or Client
First impressions do matter, and there are important steps you need to take to make sure that you’re getting the full credit that you should for the time and work you’ve put in, and making the customer instantly fall in love. - Tricks of the Trade & Best Practices
There’s plenty of “earned-in-the-trenches” wisdom I’ve learned in ten years of online business, including how to properly document everything, effectively tracking my time, easily tracking my contractors’ time, managing work projects, having difficult discussions, handling screw-ups head-on, keeping cash flow first, staying relevant, trusting your gut, and making sure you’re always fifteen steps ahead of everybody else.
08
Student Counseling & Special Advisement
- No two businesses are the same—and neither are you as students
This week, the program gets even hotter, when I’ll be taking student questions specific to their business & posting video responses to address individual concerns, as a way to end the program by helping you as much as I can, in any way that I can, before we say goodbye.
“Our best teachers teach us more about life than about anything else. They give us the chance to be slightly better people. They listen to us so that we can start listening to ourselves, so that we can remove all the junk that lies between us and our own capacity. It doesn’t matter who you are or what you do: Don’t lose your urgency. Don’t yield to the suspicion that you know enough, have seen enough, have wanted enough, have danced the perfect rumba. Don’t get yourself all pretty, perfect, and complete. Value imbalance. Remain vulnerable.”
—Beth Kephart
Program Creator
ASH AMBIRGE
Instructor, CEO & Creator of the Award-Winning Small Business Blog, The Middle Finger Project
“I’ve been in the trenches. I’ve gone from $26 to $1 million+. I’ve done it all online. And I’d had more fun doing this than anyone else—that I can guarantee. I’ve built an unforgettable brand, just by doing what I love: Writing. I’ve gotten signed by the #1 independent literary agency in the world because of that brand. I’m invited to speak all over the globe. I’ve created programs, sold services, and written books. And I’ve done it all while staying true to myself. Study under me. I’m asking you to trust in the knowledge I’ve gained over the last 10 years of building both my own 6 and 7 figure online business, as well as my clients’, to help you significantly shorten the learning curve and rocket into your own online empire. You’ll never regret this. I give you my word.”
I’m a fan. You’re a voice of originality in a world too little of it. Seth Godin
You’re the best writer on the internet.Best-selling author & speaker Michael Port
FIERCE.Forbes magazine, my 3rd grade karate instructor, and an inordinate amount of people who commented on my most recent Facebook photo.