Feel Like You’re Doing Everything Right, But Still Not Making Money?

Hey Friend!

What’s up, friends? Welcome to another week. I don’t know about you, but our summer is coming to an end, and it’s bittersweet. We’ve had the best time with trips and busy schedules, summer afternoons, a couple of sunburns, and slow mornings. But I feel like it’s also time to get back to work making money. It’s time to dig back into routine and focus on the balance that I love that comes with routine.

So how about you? How is your summer coming to a close? Come on over and share with us in our Facebook community. How does that look for you? What are you most excited about for this next season? If you’ve got kiddos in school or are heading back into homeschool, what are you most looking forward to this next season?

A Fun Conversation About Making Money

Today, I have a fun conversation to share with you. I had this conversation with a student inside my Podcast to Profit Mastermind. She’s about 30 days into her podcast journey and has a question so many of us ask when we begin something new.

I’m doing everything right – why am I not making money?

We’ll dive into what that looks like, the mindset behind it, the reality, the inventory of where you actually are, and then the tactical.

We’ll also consider what you can control and actually do about it. If you’ve ever felt that way, this is definitely a conversation you want to listen to and lean into.

Don’t Let Making Money Push You Into Desperation and Fear

P2P Student: Outside of the framework of Podcast to Profit, if I had to boil down one question, it would be, what are the most effective ways of moving the needle forward to making money? Obviously, I have a powerful story that’s going to bring an impact. I know that.

But also being very practical, our family needs money. My old mindset would have said what other coaches say: double the amount of messages you send to people daily. I won’t double my messages because I’m doing two weekly podcasts!

So I’m balancing that mindset of the hustle, and I need to do more versus just relax. It’s all in God’s hands. What are the things I can control versus just staying consistent and leaving the rest up to God?

Stef: This is everything, and this is everyone, right? This is for everyone saying I’m on the call. I’m doing the work, and I’m literally doing everything you say. But, yeah, I need money now. And so we get into that space of desperation. When we come from a place of desperation, it’s a place of fear.

There’s zero blessing in the action of desperation and fear. I’ve experienced that time and time again because I constantly leaned into desperation and fear. Does this sound familiar?

• Let me try this tiny offer because that’s easier to sell.
• Let me talk about that, even though that’s not my brand.
• Maybe I can change the keywords for the 30th time in 30 days.

So, we sabotage ourselves because we truly need to make money. There’s always something we can do to make money. We’re entrepreneurs! We can do whatever we need to do, right?

Fully Surrender to God

Stef: But there’s also this place of full surrender, knowing God knows every hair on your head. That’s not meant to be a cop-out answer. The promises in scripture run so deep that He will take care of your every need. We can let go of fear and desperation and come from a place of strategy with a sprinkle of patience, which is the most annoying thing I can say to you right now.

Then, strategically focus on only the things we, as humans, can actually control. Your emotions will always push you into desperate action, which you want to run from. You’ll dig a hole worse in your financial situation because you‘ll start over. You’ll build something that isn’t aligned and do this and that.

Run from that! Just check yourself before any action happens. Ask yourself:

• Is this a hasty act?
• Is this an emotional action?
• Is this a fear-led action?

If it is, we‘re done with those. Now, we focus on the second piece: patience and trust. We go to a deep place and ask a really hard question: Am I fully relinquishing control over my business, finances, and worries around those things right now? What would you say to that question?

Yes/But!

P2P Student: So here it comes. Yes, because this topic is something I’ve been wrestling with for a while. It’s challenging to surrender, you know. But bills are due, and bills are late, or whatever. Yes, there is the surrender, and you know, Lord, I need you. I understand it’s entirely in your hands and your timing and all of that.

It’s about a money mindset. How is your family managing money, you know? But there’s still that, like, what happens if, you know, a bill is due? And then what? That’s my thing.

There’s a God-Solution to Every Problem

Stef: So remember that there’s a God-solution to every problem. But what happens is sometimes we focus on the outcome that we believe has to happen for it all to make sense. So we’re hyper-fixated on this business, which must make money right now. But did God say that? Did God say you’ll pay your bills with this business right now?

Or is there potentially something distracting you because your vision is so hyper-focused on what you think you should do and this one outcome that you are so desperately trying to get to? There’s obviously a blessing in this business that you’re building. Look what you’re doing. But what if you’re missing that thing? Are you going to pay your bills with this right now? Because you’re going to build this other thing in time.

My Personal Journey Making Money

There were weird and unexpected things that happened in those years when the money was completely gone from my end. We still had bills to pay and things to do. I was still building, but this other thing would happen.

For example, somebody reached out via email and contracted me to run their social media for two months. They paid me $2,000. It’s not what I did, but it was a blessing that I could do what God asked me to do. What’s interesting is that God’s got your bills. God’s got your family. But we can’t miss the ways in which maybe God’s answer is coming in.

And so I just say all of that from a personal experience place. Maybe He lets you miss a bill. And there’s some type of reason that’s happening. He’s going to figure out all the little details and make sure that they’re going to make sense for you.

So, just work on that. God, how are we going to pay the bills this month? I want to work on this thing, but I know you’ve got this. Am I missing it? Open my eyes spiritually. Open my eyes, Lord:

• To the Solutions
• To the Answers
• To the Ways

Where is it? Whatever it is, I’m so good with it right now because I know He will make a way for me to build what He’s calling me to do eventually. Some tips show how that worked out for me.

What Can You Actually Control Making Money?

Stef: Now, to the third point, what can you control? Because you want an easy answer, right? How do you make the most money? Well, I’m telling you guys in Podcast to Profit how you make the most money.

• You focus on consistency in what you’re doing.
• You’re doing everything I’m telling you to do.
• You’re fixing the things and doing what I’m saying.

You can control that, but what you can’t control is how fast it works. You literally have no control over that piece. Is it going to work? To the depths of my core, I believe the answer is YES! But I don’t know when.

So, you stay consistent until you’re doing two episodes a week to the best of your ability and offering coaching. Coaching is the fastest way for you to make money. Because your superfan number is smaller, people can work with you more quickly. But the best way you grow is exactly doing what you’re doing.

Wait for God to Happen

The last strategic thing I have to say is this: don’t jump off if there isn’t any water under it. This business takes time to build. Even when you’re not growing fast enough, stay the course. You’re not doing it wrong and don’t need to redo it, start over, pivot, or quit.

That’s the entire point of obedience. God happens when you stay in it long enough that you don’t even think it’s possible.

Sometimes, we have to do something we don’t want to do for a while to financially supplement while we’re building the thing. That’s just the reality of where we’re at. I asked God, “Please give me something to supplement while I’m trying to make this work.”

When I relinquished control, there was a knock on the inbox. It was like, would you do this? That’s the amount of money we needed for two full months to get me to the next step. Then, people started asking me if I would coach them. I’m like, okay, God’s got me here.

My Trust Began to Grow

As I started to see that He had those little pieces, my trust in it grew, so I knew. I felt the anointing of the Lord over the business, but it was not income-producing. That’s where we look. We don’t change our strategy on the call, but we might change our strategy around making money. You’re saying online tutoring. What can you do in a short amount of time while you’re pitching the coaching? Hopefully, this is shorter than you think.

What’s your super fan number? 125, right? And only one month in! I just want you to imagine if you promised yourself that:

• You Won’t Give Up
• You Won’t Stress
• You Will Just Do Whatever You Have to Do

Imagine following the road map for 12 months. Imagine if you didn‘t give up and stayed consistent for 12 months. You didn’t deviate from the plan, you didn’t go rogue, and you didn’t rebrand. Where would your brand be? Look what you’ve done in 30 days! Twelve months is tomorrow.

You Control How Much You’ll Show Up

P2P Student: Another school year. This makes it tangible. So, the 30,000-foot view would be two podcasts per week. I’ll learn about Facebook and email.

Stef: That’s the plan. So, for you, be hyper-focused on the top of the funnel. You’re basically following Podcast to Profit. I’m telling you to do that because we will build the nurture. And, yes, we’re going to build the offer, which needs coaching for you right now. You’ve got all this set up the way that I asked you. Then, you’ll focus on the top of the funnel.

• Do as many podcast interviews as you can take.
• Try to get on shows that are super relevant to your brand and your business.
• Do swaps with people.
• Control the organic growth as much as you can.

You can’t control the outcome, but you can control how much you show up. If you can show up on five shows a week, do it. Get on five shows. That’s all you can control. You can’t control how many organic leads come from those conversations. That’s not for you to control. It’s not mine to control.

When I finally gave that piece up and just did what I could, success happened. No one that does all that they can is going to be a failure.

Do What You Can

P2P Student: I just wanted to make sure I know what I can do, and I’m doing what I need to do.

Stef: Just do what’s in Podcast to Profit. Everything else is yelling at you, “Do this. It’s too simple.” You’re unavailable for any of that. I’m just doing it. If you’re like, “I already did what Stef said,” watch the video again. What did you miss? There’s gold in there. For example, one student said, “I love that Steph mentioned the preview section of the email in the video.” It was one little mention. That’s what I’m talking about.

Because every gold nugget I know is in those videos. Everything I know to where I’m sitting right now is in there. So you think you did it? But did you? Is it right? Is it to the best of your ability? Are you showing up with everything you have to make this your business model? If that answer is yes, it’s just a matter of time. Don’t let your belief waiver. I know the bills are due, but God’s got that part.

This Is Holy Work

P2P Student: I don’t want to minimize any of that because from January through May, I was with a high-ticket coach creating my high-ticket offer. But her lead strategy was Instagram. I had a couple of conversations, but there were a lot of crickets for the amount of work I was putting in.

So here we are one month into this and having more conversations than I ever had. One girl didn’t just want fifteen minutes of a discovery call, so I said, “Well, I typically charge for an hour.” I gave her a four-package deal. It was, like, $250. I was trying to build the airplane while I was flying it. I have proof of one fruit of the labor, and it’s coming.

Stef: Yes! You’re doing holy work. Holy work is what you see in the Kingdom of God.

I pray this blesses you!

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