One of the things that I’m so, so passionate about when it comes to building your business is making sure that you’re spending your time and money on things that will bring you a return on your investment when you’re just starting out.
And I’m so adamant about it for you, because I’ve made so many decisions that delayed my success that I don’t want you to make the same mistakes that I did. It does not need to take you three years to be able to quit your day job, not because you’re not making enough money to replace your paycheck, but because you’re spending too much of it on things your business just isn’t ready for.
That’s why I teach you how to DIY your own website for free inside my Free 5 Day Website Challenge – so that you can get your business off the ground quickly without spending a ton of time and money having someone do it for you when it’s inevitably going to change 6 months to a year in.
And that’s why I love introducing you to people like today’s guest, Elle Drouin, founder of Styled Stock Society – a stylish stock photography membership for women entrepreneurs.
I’m a total fangirl (and affiliate) of Styled Stock Society not just because their images are gorgeous, but because they make you look like a total boss even if you’re on a budget. And it’s not just stock photos – they have Canva templates for all the assets you need to create to run an online business.
There is absolutely a time and a place to invest in hiring a professional to design your website or design a brand for you or create custom assets like freebies, and that time is AFTER you’ve done the work to validate your ideas, and that’s exactly what Elle and I get into in today’s episode.
Elle and I talk about:
- Elle’s transition from financial planner to photography membership site for female entrepreneurs.
- How Elle’s dog’s Instagram led to her first paying client.
- Why Elle’s first course flopped, and what she learned from it that changed everything.
- Elle’s marketing strategy and how she grows her audience.
- How she’s grown her team and what her first hire looked like.
- Elle's philosophy on money.
- Her thoughts on pivoting in your business.
- The one belief Elle had to change about herself to get where she is today.
My favorite quotes from Elle:
- “If you have a solution to a problem that people actually have, and you're willing to put that solution in front of them, you've just got to take the chance.”
- “You kind of have to be conscious of how much you're actually spending and making sure that you're not spending it all.”
- “I've been very intentional with anything that I've created or launched to make sure that there are people that actually want it and are willing to pay for it and it's actually going to enable them to grow their business.”
Resources mentioned in this episode:
Bio:
Elle is a product stylist, photographer, crazy dog mom, and Founder of Styled Stock Society – a stylish stock photography membership for women entrepreneurs. When she’s not styling and shooting photos, she’s also the human behind the Instagram-famous pup @mochiandthecity (who is far more popular than she’ll ever be).
