How one entrepreneur went from ideas-overwhelm and no growth strategy to tripling her monthly revenue target.
Background
When Anika contacted me, she was lacking a clear business growth strategy for her company, Grad Careers Coach, which helps ambitious international students secure graduate roles in the UK. She was feeling overwhelmed with everyday tasks and putting pressure on herself to get a new membership site live, without a clear plan of action to help her move towards the goal.
We worked together to take the guesswork out of scaling her business through a solid game plan, branding, and streamlined sales and marketing processes. The result? A hugely successful membership launch and tripling of her monthly revenue in Jan 2021.
The brief
Anika wanted to add another, more affordable, package to her current careers coaching offer by launching an online membership. But a lack of understanding about which platforms to use, and worries about the expense, had kept her from moving forwards with the idea for the past two years. I could instantly see that Anika was juggling too many balls in her business, while also lacking analysis to know what was and wasn’t working. She needed to know where to focus her energy to see the progress (and results) she wanted.
How did I help Anika?
Long- and short-term goal setting
Not having clarity on what she wanted to achieve month-on-month was holding Anika back from focusing on realistic goals for the year. First of all, it was important to establish ‘mission critical’ work, so that she knew exactly what to focus on. We identified this as launching her membership offer, as well as implementing processes to streamline her business. We used these focus areas to set SMART goals and forecasting, giving Anika a clear idea of what to expect from business growth over the next 12 months – and ways to measure performance.
Understanding of business strengths and opportunities
Anika and I worked together to identify business strengths and how she could differentiate herself in a crowded market. She is now able to share these strengths with students, partners and potential investors, as well as making them work for her in her marketing materials.
We reviewed all possible opportunities for business growth and prioritised her focus, based on the potential of each one. This allowed Anika to assess each opportunity against a more objective framework. For example: which partners to pursue, and the ways in which she might work with them – from joint webinars to white-label solutions.
Finally, we worked together to identify the end goal and vision for the business, giving Anika absolute clarity on where the business was going and an idea of the success that she could achieve.
Pricing & packages
Although the new membership site was our key focus, a lack of clarity around different offers and client messaging was hindering Anika’s confidence in her business. So we reviewed the current programmes the business offered. We worked on really clarifying who her ideal customer is, and then refined the offers and price-points available to them.
Our analysis showed there was an opportunity for a better service model – both for the business itself and for the students it served. Moving to a monthly subscription was logical, as it not only provided more flexible options for students but also streamlined profits and cash flow for Anika.
Branding, marketing & lead nurturing
To create the best experience and customer journey, Anika needed to inject her brand at every touchpoint. So we worked with an expert brand designer to create a clear brand identity and logo, as well as brand guidelines, taking Grad Careers Coach from business to brand, and creating stronger credibility.
We examined her process for new leads, setting up an online quiz as a lead magnet from her website’s homepage and refining the sales funnel. She came away with a clear ongoing plan for marketing her membership and coaching offers.
On top of this, we set up a reporting system so Anika could clearly measure what was driving traffic, leads and sales, ensuring she was on track to hit her SMART goals.
What happened next?
Anika launched a membership site with over 100 people on the waitlist and paying members at launch! After 3 months of working together, Anika joined my Growth Programme in October 2020 and started to implement the growth strategy and plan we had created.
“In January, 3 months after joining The Growth Programme, I tripled my monthly revenue target! I couldn’t believe it. The support and motivation I had helped to make me feel positive after a couple of slower months.
Before working with Emmie, I didn’t have a solid foundation for my business or a good digital offering and now I have both. In a short space of time, she helped me to plan and build an online membership site that I’ve been wanting to do for the last 2 years! I was able to focus on the ‘mission critical’ tasks and get so much done each week. Alongside that, we worked on branding and marketing, reviewed current products and put in place a new payment system that made the process so much easier for my customers. I’m feeling a lot more confident about the future of my business and I feel motivated and excited about this year.”
– Anika Awasthi, Grad Careers Coach
The transformation
Before working with me, my clients worry that they’re wasting time and/or money on marketing that is not delivering a return. They often tell me they are overwhelmed by all the different possibilities for growth.
After working with me, clients have streamlined their business to save money, they’ve got a plan to achieve their 12-month targets and clarity on the mission-critical tasks for growth.
Clients tell me that I have demystified marketing and digital, and – just as importantly – given them aspirations for the future of their business and the confidence to know that they’re on the right track
About Emmie Faust
A seasoned and successful entrepreneur, I’ve founded, grown and sold multiple businesses since 2005. I now work with ambitious service-based founders and larger organisations that want to win more clients and grow their business through results-focused marketing.
My tried-and-tested process includes auditing a business and conducting further research leading to a new strategy, the creation of marketing channel budgets and ongoing marketing reporting. I also introduce clients to my most trusted suppliers.
You can work with me through 1:1 consultancy or join my six-week Growth Programme for service-based founders.
Thinking about working with Emmie?
“It’s a very worthwhile investment! Her experience, contacts and assistance will make a huge difference to your business.”
– Nick Orme, Founder, Njori
