4-Part Framework for a Simplified Online Business

Business Tips and ToolsMarketing Tips

Oct 15

Written By brandmerry

4-Part Framework for a Simplified Online Business

BY MICHELLE KNIGHT

Looking for a simplified way to build your business? What if I told you it could happen if you focus on one piece at a time over a 4-part system? I’m sharing all the details in today’s blog. Learn how to simplify your online business as an entrepren…

I learned pretty quickly that the mainstream way of starting and growing a business wasn’t going to work for me.

I started my business with a one-month-old and a desire to leave my 9 to 5 within the year. As I grew my business while working full time I started to recognize the complexity of most business strategies. I made modifications as I went to scale my business to 6-figures.

Then, when my family sold everything to travel full time I made even more shifts to simplify my approach.

What I’ve learned along the way is that there is a simpler way to run your business and it comes down to implementing this 4-part framework.

And this framework isn’t just for people who travel, it’s designed for the woman who has a lot on her plate. You’re busy running a household, taking care of family, working your “other” jobs, you’re so ready for a simpler way to build a business.

Think of the framework as building blocks. Each one leads to another, if you skip one you’ll feel lost and overwhelmed, and that’s no way to grow a business.

By stripping away the access, just like in life, we can’t focus on the areas that yield the best results - this framework is all about that!

ENTREPRENEUR GROWTH PROBLEMS

Look, starting and running an online business can be hard. As we’ve mentioned previously things like a saturated market and imposter syndrome can really hold you back.

But, there’s another piece of the puzzle and that’s all the information online. It can be super easy to consume bits and pieces of information and try to piece it all together, but then you’re left with quite a few holes.

You might find yourself doing all the things, working for hours in your business, but experiencing little to no results.

Or taking in all the hodgepodge of information and questioning yourself and what you should be focused on to see results or your ability to build your business.

And worse, what I like to call SOS or Shiny Object Syndrome. You go down a path and then see something or hear something and think, “Wait let’s do that instead!”

These things are holding you back because not only are you doubting your ability to do it, but you’re also all over the place (said with love)!

The fastest way to grow is to create a path and give it dedication for at least 30 days. Based on your data, numbers, and feedback you can then pivot (you’ll see this when we talk about marketing below).

By having a clear framework to follow and repeat you’re able to simplify the entire process, optimize your time, and see results.

Ok, let’s get into it!

**If you want to watch the full video and details of the 4-part framework you can watch the video below.

LEVEL 1: BRAND FOUNDATIONS

Every brand needs to start here. These are the foundational pieces of your brand and business and integral in the overall growth and success.

This level includes identifying your niche, ideal customers, messaging, core offer(s), and the emotional or connection side of your brand.

The great news is this stage doesn’t have to be revisited often, if you put in the work now, but it does require work so people skip it. If you skip it you’ll find yourself constantly spinning your wheels and wondering what’s missing.

This stage should take 4 to 6 weeks to complete. I say this very specific timeline because one of the pitfalls of this level is that so many entrepreneurs never leave it.

They stay here rethinking and reworking all the details until they realized their one year into their business and haven’t made any money. This is why guidance at the foundational level is so important!

Remember, this stage is less about creating your logo, picking your colors, and designing your website, and more about the market research, becoming better at messaging and gaining clarity on your niche and offer.

If you want to scale your business, then the foundational pieces are key.

LEVEL 2: COMMUNITY GROWTH

Once you know who you are, who you want to attract, and what you want to offer, it’s time to build that community.

You have nothing if you don’t have someone to sell too and so many entrepreneurs, especially that first year in business make the mistake of assuming they’ll sell to no one - we all know it doesn’t work like that.

Here’s where you gain clarity on and design the method in which you’ll grow your community - the lead magnet and funnel.

When it comes to the lead magnet you want to create something that solves a problem and is in alignment with your core offer. I see so many entrepreneurs go too wide at this stage in an attempt to grow their community quickly, but then they are left with a large list of random people and no ideal clients (paying clients).

Some common mistakes to avoid at this stage are:

Being too general with your lead magnet/ freebie
Not solving a problem for your audience (no one needs more stuff)
Creating a resource that’s not wanted by your audience.

The goal is to attract and bring in your ideal customer, the one that is the best fit for your paid program.

From there, and during this level, you want to create your onboarding funnel or lead magnet funnel. Think of this as the conversation!

If you were at a party and met someone, who might be interested in your services, what would you want them to know about you, your work, and your offers?

So many entrepreneurs make this crazy complex in the beginning, but it’s really just about making sure every person that joins your community knows who you are and can determine in those first few automated emails if you’re the right fit for them!

At this level, once you have these two pieces in place you begin to move into the goal of daily community growth. That’s why this stage is so important because it gives you the tools you need to do just that.

LEVEL 3: CLIENT ATTRACTION

Continuing with our building blocks we enter into level three. Now, level three is where marketing or client attraction starts to happen in full force.

With the simplified business model, every day you’re focused on three things:

Growing your community
Nurturing your community
Making a sale

So, you never fully move through this level, you are just constantly testing, tweaking, and scaling.

This level can look like utilizing social media, blogging, Pinterest, SEO, Youtube, podcasting and so much more.

Personally, I love evergreen types of content as a way to build my community and nurture my existing one. Evergreen content means content that keeps performing, it doesn’t disappear after a few hours, but rather continues to drive traffic and bring in leads.

In my business, this is blogging + Pinterest, which also gives me a major boost with my SEO. So my leads are coming in from Pinterest and Google Searches mostly.

No matter what you choose, all though I HIGHLY recommend evergreen content, you need traffic. Consistent traffic and leads entering your funnel and into your community is key to growing a business.

It ensures you always have someone to sell too!

The key here is consistently creating content, whatever that means for you. And remember, consistency doesn’t mean posting daily (that’s not simple), it means finding a schedule that works for you at this stage and sticking to it.

If your current approach to level three feels exhausting because you're posting daily on Instagram or engaging for 30-minutes every day in Facebook Groups it’s time to rethink your strategy. Consider one of the evergreen platforms above and the art of repurposing to optimize your time and content strategy.

Remember, this level is going to expand and grow as your business grows!

LEVEL 4: AUTHENTIC SELLING

At this stage, you have people coming into your community and inquiring about your services which is amazing! Now, it’s time to improve your conversions.

Think of it like this; if you have a landing page for your lead magnet and it’s converting at 20% would you choose to scrap the entire thing and start over or make some small adjustments and improve the conversion to 50%?

Hopefully, you picked adjustments because it’s the simpler and less time-consuming approach. Well, sales are the same.

You have to start somewhere and so many entrepreneurs start worrying about how they are going to sell, the conversation or script, etc.. rather than focusing their energy on Levels 1-3.

You need these levels to get people on the phone with you or in your DM’s and then you can fine-tune it from there.

Authentic selling looks like improving your sales conversations, your client onboarding and client retention - because we all know it’s easier and cheaper to keep an existing client than to find a new one.

CONCLUSION

I hope you’ve picked up on the theme here, it’s not about doing more or working harder it’s about making smarter decisions.

I witness so many entrepreneurs get too ahead of themselves. They're worried about the sales call and how they’ll do before they even have someone interested in chatting.

They’re obsessed with their website and making it perfect, but don’t have a marketing strategy to then drive traffic to the website.

The reality is driving traffic to a lead magnet landing page, in the beginning, is a better use of your time!

As you’re thinking of your own business and some of the holes that might have been exposed while working through this framework, I want to invite you to check out Roadmap to Freedom.

This exact 4-part framework is what makes up my signature group program designed to support you in making money on your terms and create a life of abundant experiences and impact.

Learn more at brandmerry.com/freedom.