Building Authentic Bonds and Growth in Entrepreneurship with Tracy Beavers

Join us as we share the tale of our business friendship and how authenticity and organic growth have been the bedrock of our entrepreneurial successes.  Special Guest Tracy Beavers shares her expertise on fostering genuine connections, overcoming challenges, and achieving success in entrepreneurship. Discover practical tips, inspiring stories, and actionable strategies to elevate your business and cultivate meaningful bonds in today's competitive landscape. We even dive into starting your own podcast and doing a weekly live on Facebook or you're preferred platform.
Tracy Beavers is, a woman of many hats—author, TV presence, and coach—shares her insights and the genuine work and growth of her online business. Together, we unravel the threads of creating meaningful business relationships and the joy of connecting without the crutch of paid advertising.
Enroll in Tracy's FREE Masterclass   How To Grow Your Email List & Attract Your Ideal Clients Without Paid Ads: 4 Simple Strategies You Can Use Today!
https://www.tracybeavers.com/a/2147650686/ySEtjrjb

Ready to go all in on growing your email list? Enroll today...
Business Visibility Made Easy: The Step-by-Step System to Grow an Email List of Your Ideal Clients (without paid ads)
https://www.tracybeavers.com/a/2147650687/ySEtjrjb

Are you ready to say goodbye to fear, frustration, and overwhelm when it comes to growing and scaling your business? You’re in the right place. Welcome to  Beyond Common Business Secrets Podcast I’m your host, Tracey Watts Cirino

Chapters

• 1:10 Authentic Entrepreneurial Growth and Success
• 10:58 Organic Email List Growth Strategy
• 18:43 Building a Supportive Business Community
• 31:20 Podcasting Growth and Success Tips
• 34:35 Podcasting and Business Growth
• 44:59 Inspiration for Business Growth
• 48:58 Confident Entrepreneur Facebook Group and Masterclass

Transcript

Tracey Watts Cirino: 1:10

Hello and welcome to Beyond Common Business Secrets. Congratulations for being here. We have one of my favorite Tracys in all the world. Tracy and I met literally in different female groups and she's like one of my first probably I would say my very first real online friend. That came about because of social media, so she was the person who changed everything for me to teach me who I'm kind of closed off in that way, you guys know from hanging out with me on Beyond Common Business Secrets. The thing is is that I'm so, so excited to share this guest with you because I've seen her grow by leaps and bounds as her friend. I'm so proud of her as just another female entrepreneur in the same space. I'm in awe and so grateful to learn from her and grow with her all the time. So, Tracy, I'm so excited that you're here. I just want to welcome you. Welcome, Tracy, to the podcast. Can you say hello and then I'm going to do your proper intro?

Tracy Beavers: 2:17

Yeah, for sure, thanks for having me. I appreciate it very much.

Tracey Watts Cirino: 2:21

Yeah, I'm so excited. So Tracy is the CEO and founder of Tracy Beavers Coaching. Tracy has a proven track record in marketing, sales, business growth. She would not tell you this, but she is like a major networker connector. So if you need more of those people in your life, you need to get in Tracy's Facebook group because she's awesome. So, with an award-winning career spanning 20 years and a multi-six-figure business, tracy has helped hundreds of entrepreneurs with everything from overcoming the fear of sales and growing their businesses visibility through organic marketing strategies.

Tracey Watts Cirino: 2:58

She has been honored nationally by Vanity Fair. This was awesome. When this happened last year, the Vanity Fair lingerie as the support award winner for women and entrepreneurship. It's just amazing, trace. That was just the coolest campaign ever. I loved everything about it. She's a published author. She's been featured on top business podcasts and has been a regular contributor on one of Hometown's premier TV shows. Kajabi looks to her as one of their expert coaches for small business owners and she is the creator of two online programs Business Visibility Made Easy and Be a Confident Entrepreneur. So round of applause that we are so blessed to have Tracy with us today. So how are you? This might be confusing for everybody. Trace, trace, it's going to be fun.

Tracy Beavers: 3:53

You have the cooler spelling, though You're a C E Y, I'm just a plain old C Y. I always wanted to be a C E Y or a C I E or something fancy, but alas, I have the boy spelling of Tracy Well what is hilarious?

Tracey Watts Cirino: 4:07

My, that's so funny because everywhere as a kid I would have disagreed with you. I would have totally, because I couldn't find my name anywhere. Yeah, that was tough. I think I was like I don't know 20 when I finally found the key chain that had my name spelled right and so I bought it. I think I still have it, but my dad used to always say that because he was the one that did that, my mom would be like I don't know, ask your father, that one that did that. My mom would be like I don't know, ask your father. That was like always her thing and he like to him. He was like that's the way it's supposed to be spelled. I'm like okay, well, I didn't know, you were like a major grammar person. But that's funny because when I did research on it, they said that EY, c-e-y was the boy way and.

Tracey Watts Cirino: 4:51

C-Y was the girl way, so I'm like that's so funny. Yeah, yeah, cy is the actual is the boy spelling of of Tracy's, the masculine spelling. Oh, that's hilarious. Well, um another fun fact one of my absolute best friends growing up she lived four houses away from me, crazy Tracy, and she was um she C I CIE yes, also fancy and she could put the heart over her eye at the end and I was like, oh man, and she had beautiful, has I don't know what I'm saying like had.

Tracey Watts Cirino: 5:23

So Tracy has beautiful writing like she has the little hearts over her little eye at the end of her name.

Tracy Beavers: 5:27

So cute yeah, it is, and yeah, or CEE, there's another one that's so funny.

Tracey Watts Cirino: 5:32

Yeah, I remember as a kid though, um, my sister's name is Jennifer, so this is gonna date me. But you know, or CEE, there's another one. Yeah, I remember as a kid, though my sister's name is Jennifer, so this is gonna date me. But you know, everyone listening it's like you. You might remember this. Uh, we would watch romper room and they would always say, I see Jennifer, they never said Tracy. It was like I never met another Tracy until I was maybe I don't know fifth grade, and then after that I had a ton of friends named Tracy. Like it got bigger as I got older, right, right.

Tracey Watts Cirino: 6:01

At the end of my life, I thought no one had my name. Did you have that experience?

Tracy Beavers: 6:07

I didn't really think about it. Now that you mentioned it, I'll tell you what experience I have is that people call me Stacey all the time? Oh same it.

Tracey Watts Cirino: 6:13

I'll tell you what experience I have. Is that people call me?

Tracy Beavers: 6:15

Stacy all the time, oh same, All the time. And I'm like what in the?

Tracey Watts Cirino: 6:17

world. You know, when I got my first salon job like my very first salon job, I think I was like 16 and there was um, another Tracy there and she spelled it it's the I, okay, and they wanted me to change my name because, like you guys think people would know you about and I was like, no, I'm not doing that. It felt so inauthentic talking about being authentic in business. I was like no, they were so pushing, they literally had cards made and they were calling me Lacey. I'm like, absolutely not. Well, it's so funny.

Tracey Watts Cirino: 6:51

One of my favorite clients and all of my like her name was Lacey, and I remember it's so funny. One of my favorite clients and all of my like her name was Lacey and I remember it's so funny. I was like, would you have still come to me if they really changed my name and we were both Lacey? Like that would have been so weird. But to this day, if I'm out and about anywhere and someone calls me Tracey Marie, my sister freaks because that's what they called me. Like she's just like, oh, I like she just remembers that time in life where, like, I worked there for five years. So it's like there are people still that will call me Tracey Marie after all these years, because that's what I had to go by.

Tracey Watts Cirino: 7:24

But that was my compromise. I used my name, but, yeah, I was like I'm not coming up with a stage name, I'm not doing that. It's just like not for me. So funny, right, right, yeah, it's like even then I felt very, it's just very clear on what's right for me and growing my business, and that's so much of what I think you do really well. It's like you're really clear with your authenticity. It's like you're really clear with your authenticity. So can you share with us a little bit about your company and what you've been working on, because you're doing so many cool things?

Tracy Beavers: 8:01

Thanks, yeah, so it's Tracy Beaver's Coaching and I started years ago building this business alongside my full-time job. I had a very long career in corporate and marketing and sales and business development and I just got completely fed up with the corporate culture. It just didn't fit me anymore. But I couldn't just leave, because we're a two-income household and there's no way in heck I was going to go to my husband and go hey guess what I'm going to do?

Tracy Beavers: 8:31

I'm going to quit my six-figure salary and I'm going to make no money for a while. You know couldn't do that, so I decided to build this alongside the full-time job, and it's evolved over the years as our businesses do evolve. That's one thing that I finally got clued in on. Early on I kept thinking the faster I run, the faster I build, the faster I'll get it done. And then I finally woke up one morning and was like this business is never going to be fully built. Why am I running myself ragged?

Tracy Beavers: 8:59

So, but, as you mentioned, I am all about authenticity. You'll hear me say that a lot. For anybody that wants to connect and follow me, authenticity is very important to me, because I do believe that when you are your authentic self and you are doing things that are in alignment for you, with your gifts and your talents, that's when the universe opens up and the goodness starts to flow and things start to click. I'm also all about building with ease. So I am a simple person. I don't get fancy with things unless I have to Um, you know. So if I can find a simple way to do something, I want to do it.

Tracey Watts Cirino: 9:37

But yeah, yeah, I love that. So, um, trace, one of the things I loved I loved that you have really focused on from from where I have sat, from afar, right Is that you really, um, have been really crystal clear about organic growth. So can you share, cause I, I know a lot of our listeners are people that have a uh, in-person business, right Like, so some of them are brick and mortar, some of them are coaches that just have a really established practice. I know we even have some doctors, but mostly everybody, as far as the information that you guys have answered the surveys, this is what we are, and so if there's different out there, please reach out, let us know, because I always like to be updated on our growing audience.

Tracey Watts Cirino: 10:30

But the majority are service-based business owners. So, even like medical practices and some skincare clinics, majority are service-based business owners. So even like medical practices and some skincare clinics, but service-based and one of the constant questions we get all the time is okay, I want to take my business online or develop another arm, so I hope that's been part of your journey. So can you walk us through what that organic piece looks like, part of your journey? So can you walk us through what that organic piece looks like, because I really feel our audience would be really vested in that.

Tracy Beavers: 10:58

Sure, absolutely so. I am a visibility and organic email list growth strategist. I am a business and sales coach, but that's my specialty is helping online entrepreneurs get visible so they can grow their email list, because that's where the money is made. The income, the stable, consistent monthly income comes from that email list. And so, when it comes to organic strategies, I am all about them, because I had a very painful experience with Facebook ad, with paid ads on Facebook, very painful to the tune of thousands of dollars wasted that didn't result in any conversions and despite hiring experts to help me who came highly recommended and had had success for other people, they just didn't work.

Tracy Beavers: 11:44

And so I had to kind of say to myself okay, you have built multi-million dollar businesses for corporate when I was in corporate, millions in portfolio growth, market share all over the place. How did you do that? Because you never had to run a paid ad when you were marketing, right? So I just went back to the drawing board of everything that I had learned about sales and being successful in sales and incorporated that into organic strategies that I use. I'm primarily on Facebook. That's my jam. You'll see me over on Instagram. You'll see us over on LinkedIn, but my playground is Facebook. But I took all those strategies and just incorporated them into the Facebook platform and that's what's brought me success. So I have an over six figure year business with an email list of about twenty eight hundred people and you know, organic strategies.

Tracey Watts Cirino: 12:44

So good. Yeah, I love that it's. I think. I think that is what we bonded over originally.

Tracey Watts Cirino: 12:52

When you said that I was like, oh, I was just thinking back because that was my, that was my same experience and I've shared that often on on the podcast that even though I paid for the premium like I paid the best experts and I had great content, I had great ideas you know like I had all the pieces because I had been very successful in other industries that the transition seemed simple, but that did not work for me. And if I wasn't the type of person that is kind of resilient, we're like, okay, if I got hit by a car, all right, I'll backed up over me, right, well, it's in reverse, okay, well, I'm still get up anyway. Like, let me. So if I wasn't like that level of crazy resilience yeah, I don't know that I could have, with you know, like handled that. So that is why I'm just really passionate about speaking out about the fact, even if the first strategy, the first thing you did, didn't work out, that might've been what we would call like okay, it wasn't the ideal outcome, but you're not a failure, like it's just one little thing of what not to do on the journey.

Tracey Watts Cirino: 14:07

So I think now going back cause I feel like I've known you for so many years now in this like online world but I think that's what it like I think somehow we bonded and it's just funny because you were like, hey, do you want to like have a coffee chat?

Tracey Watts Cirino: 14:20

And I was like, yeah, okay, like it was just fun. But I don't know if I just never really realized that people would actually be authentic and even though I had used social media way back then to grow my other in-person businesses, I don't like I had like me not not to ever walk in a room and just make it about me and start yelling, and that's what social media felt like for me. Like, so I had to get over that and honestly, it's like you and a couple of other people that I connected with in those very beginning years are really like the pillars of how I got over that. It was like, no, you can actually build friendships. People that, oh, was like, no, you can actually build friendships. People that, oh, my goodness, when you see each other in per person at the airport, like after knowing each other online for a long time, it's like a crazy thing.

Tracy Beavers: 15:16

Yeah, for sure. I totally agree with you. It feels like so my clients and students have feel that way too. They're like I don't, I don't want to be the loudest voice in the room. I don't, even though I'm a. I'm a, my voice is loud and I'm an extrovert. I don't enter the room that way either. I mean, that's just not, that's not the way we, that's not the way we were taught, right and so. But it feels that way in the online space. It literally feels like you are standing naked on the side of the interstate with a big sign that says look at me, look at me, look at me, look at me. And when I shared that with my students in the group, last round.

Tracy Beavers: 15:55

they were like oh my God, that's exactly what I feel like. And we think that everybody, we think that everything we post, comment like heart, is being seen by everybody on the platform, like every move we make, and the reality is that nobody's paying that much attention to us.

Tracy Beavers: 16:17

And you know, and if they are, we'll stalker and I'm going to block them. But yeah, it feels like you know and also my students will tell me I feel like a broken record. I feel like, and I feel like a broken record sometimes to talking about my eight week group coaching program, talking about my free Facebook group, talking about visibility and email list, growth strategies and all the things I teach. I'm like I feel like this is all I ever talk about and that people are going to get sick of it.

Tracy Beavers: 16:48

And what's funny is I still have people that'll say wait you have an eight week group coaching program or I don't know what you do.

Tracey Watts Cirino: 16:55

What are you?

Tracy Beavers: 16:56

again oh right, oh, you have a free Facebook. I'm like, seriously, I've been talking about this, I feel, like my entire life, until I could throw up and they still. You know what I mean. So they're hard to pay attention. First of all, very small percentage of people on social media actually see what we post, right Everything.

Tracey Watts Cirino: 17:15

It's like I think it's 2.7% currently. Probably so, however many followers you have on each one of your accounts, 2.7 was the most updated version that I read recently. 2.7 of them are actually see it. So, but this is interesting that you brought this up, because this is a tried and true leadership technique that I remember teaching years and years ago and it's still so true now that when you are so sick of your own voice and you cannot even stand it, that is when people are just starting to pay attention.

Tracey Watts Cirino: 17:54

So it's when you're working in a group, in a team environment, you have a bunch of employees. So it's the same way with social. So that's so funny that you use that as the way to explain it, because that is kind of in the back of my mind Nobody when, when I'm so sick of myself, I want to grow up. Yeah, when people are just like, it's fine, it's kind of sparkly and new to them right at that moment. But I'm over it, I want to burn it down. You know, I know, yeah, let's talk about something else, exactly, exactly.

Tracey Watts Cirino: 18:26

That's like that leadership, discipline of consistency, which I'm not always the best at, um, cause I just want to make something else, but it's like, but I just kind of go back and sprinkle it in Right, and that's and and and that is um, I just think that you do it in such a beautiful way. Can you share your Facebook group, um, so people can jump in there? Because that, to me, is the perfect example of like Tracy has this amazingly engaged Facebook group and it's authentic. Like, it's like not where everyone's trying to like, like I, I'm never a big fan of those overt messages.

Tracey Watts Cirino: 19:05

Yeah, I like a straight shooter, this is what we're doing. Yeah, like, you know what I mean. And so I would rather say hey, I have this really cool thing, are you interested in it? And be that upfront. Yeah, then dancing around Like if it's, if it's all you. But those like weird overt things that are like why are they asking that question? They that are like why are they asking that question? They just want to know if you know, and so I don't see that in your group and I love that. So can you share your group?

Tracy Beavers: 19:32

with us? Absolutely. It's called be a confident entrepreneur, get visible, grow your email list and your income, and we have over 2,500 online entrepreneurs in there it is, I am told. I mean not to sound like a braggy raggerson, but I'm told that it is one of the best groups on the platform and it's for the reason that you said. The people that are in my group are warm, kind, supportive people like you and I that want to succeed, want to cheer on other people, and you can promote your offers anytime in my group, but and I was afraid to do that in the beginning because there are so many groups where that it just turns- into a spam fest.

Tracy Beavers: 20:12

You know it's just spam fest and nobody's paying any attention to anything else anybody's doing, and so that's primarily one of the reasons why I created the group in the first place, because I couldn't find a community that I really wanted to be a part of and I thought, well, okay, I'll just build my own, and so you can promote your stuff anytime, but it's not a spam fest and you can get help with anything anytime. That's the other thing I love about it is, you know, I don't know all the answers. I can't possibly know all the answers, but we have experts in there on every topic, and so if somebody's stuck in Kajabi, they can post. Why is this not working in Kajabi? A Kajabi expert is going to swoop in and answer their question, and I'll tag people in the group too. Like you're saying, I loved I'm a natural connector. I've tried to turn that part of myself off and I can't do it, don't?

Tracey Watts Cirino: 21:00

That's like your core genius. I am not that way. That's like the. That's like your core genius. I am not that way. So I always am very blessed to attract those people to me and keep that about yourself. Like I'm more of like here it is, this is it. I'm a mic drop person, right, and then I just like get in my zone again and I like had to work long and hard at accepting that of myself. Like I don't, like I have a lot of amazing friends that are those connectors and I can never be that way because it's not who I am. But I love and appreciate that within you. Oh, thanks.

Tracy Beavers: 21:37

Thanks. So like you know. So like, if somebody posts and says, like the Kajabi help thing, that I'm going to get into the comments and I'm going to tag four or five people in my group that I know are Kajabi experts and connect, you know, that person with the other person, or if there's a member that joins that I know would be a great collaboration partner for another member, I'm going to make sure those two people get together and at least know each other's names. You know what I mean.

Tracey Watts Cirino: 22:04

Yeah, and so just for know each other's names. You know what I mean. I love that, yeah, and so just for clarification and reference, kajabi is an online platform that hosts people's courses and groups. We've talked about Kajabi on the podcast. We talk about FG Funnels. We've talked about Kartra. These are all different softwares that you can use to make your online business more functional for your, for your customers.

Tracey Watts Cirino: 22:32

So, just if people are like, oh, what is that?

Tracey Watts Cirino: 22:34

I just want to give a little bit no, no, no, I know, like in any, in any and every industry, there's jargon that we use, but that you have to remember that that, depending on what phase and stage our listeners are at, that, you know, just want them to know.

Tracey Watts Cirino: 22:50

So, um, trace, I love what you said, too, about like I can't pass me know everything, and that was exactly why we started these segments on behind the business secrets that are like coaching the coaches. Let's come on and have like a really authentic chat about you know what it's like to be in business and get a look behind the curtain. So what is something currently that like, can you? I know I want to save for the end, like what you're currently working on that everyone's going to love. So let's save that. But can you tell me what your current like maybe an area that you want to grow, or something in your business that is a stretch goal for you that we can kind of like just do a little download on and see if we can come up with some fun stuff for you?

Tracy Beavers: 23:32

Sure, that sounds great. So I have had on my list of things for my business for over two years two or three years now to have a podcast. So for me, my piece of regular weekly content is a live weekly training. I've been going live every Thursday at 1130 Central in my group, on my YouTube channel, on Instagram when it's just me, and that's been great. And I started with that because I was building alongside my full-time job and I needed to save time and pushing the live button was a lot easier for me than trying to.

Tracy Beavers: 24:11

Tech is not my love language, right, I was like no, I don't want to buy all the equipment, I don't want to learn the tech, I'm just going to push a live button and go live. But I have been told that I should have a podcast by lots of people. They love my content. They tell me it's easier to consume on a podcast platform. I totally get it. So I've had this on my list for a while, but other things have been more priority until now. But I think in the next, this summer is going to be a really good time for me to get this podcast figured out.

Tracy Beavers: 24:49

One thing I have decided to do I haven't decided on a name yet. But what I was trying to figure out was how do I make this as easy on myself as possible? And because what I was visioning in my head was I'm going live and I'm doing that and I need to keep doing that for the algorithm and the reach and all that. But then I thought, okay, then I'm going to go over to a podcast mic and basically rerecord the whole thing again and I thought, no, I don't want to do that. And so a friend of mine said, okay, just take your live content and make that your podcast.

Tracey Watts Cirino: 25:22

That's what I was going to say. You can literally and this was not possible when we, when I started Beyond Common Business Secrets three and a half years ago. It wasn't possible to do this then, but it is now. This is the awesome thing about how evolved technology is. What is the best way so that you are tapping into that new market but causing yourself no additional hard work, no stress is just strip the audio. Just strip the audio and put that on the on the podcast platform, um. I personally use uh, it's called Buzzsprout.

Tracey Watts Cirino: 25:56

I am not like I have learned to be tech savvy, but I always tell a story of like I literally got to graduate early because I wrote a paper on how to do computers. They didn't even think I was smart enough to turn one on, let's just be clear and I was fine with that because I wanted to graduate early. I wasn't even getting into the conversation of how absolutely ridiculous it was that they were giving me. You know, that'd be a whole different conversation today, but over time it was like by falling in a puddle because people were asking me to coach them and come teach them at their business. I'm like, why? Like I was forced into getting an email and then starting my first business, because it just natural evolution.

Tracey Watts Cirino: 26:43

But technology is not my jam. Right, I learned to make it easier and I teach a lot on tech for people because of all the personal struggles I've had with it. But to me, like if I could start over from scratch, I would have done what you, but I didn't know that was an option, right, it just was like oh, for 20 years people had said oh, every time I would speak on stage they would say, oh, do you have a radio show? And I would go no, and I would just walk away. Like to me, like 20 years of being asked the same questions are like like, why don't I?

Tracy Beavers: 27:14

start one Like.

Tracey Watts Cirino: 27:15

I'm a slow learner in that way. So now, but you can just literally grab the audio Yep, same thing and just put it in a podcast format and just going to extend that reach Cause, what I have found is that we have a very tiny, almost nobody follows us on YouTube, and if you're listening, you need to be following us on YouTube. Please help a sister out. It's Tracy Watserino there. But because our people like to listen to the audio, right, right, so Beyond Common Business Secrets has been ranked in the top 5% of all podcasts in history. Nice, that will continue to grow strong, right, and that's just an interesting thing about the type of listener that you have, right, so you already have people that love what you're doing on YouTube and on Facebook, but just stripping it and then you'll just have another audience, um, so it's like.

Tracey Watts Cirino: 28:13

This is. This is the best way I ever teach. Content distribution is keep your main thing, your main thing, and that's your repurpose, so you don't need to make like. So for us, the podcast is the main thing, right, and YouTube is the extra, exactly Right, I teach the same For you, it's the same. I know it's not funny, but you have to hear it from an outside perspective when it comes to you, because I can never see my blind spots, even though I teach it to someone else.

Tracy Beavers: 28:44

Right. I think you know the holdup for me not only has been the time factor and other things being a priority in the business, but also just not having that light bulb moment when I thought, why can't I just strip the audio of the live? I mean, it's a. It's a different vibe and format. If you will, then the traditional podcast, which is what we're doing, which is the interview you know, just later.

Tracy Beavers: 29:08

And then you all that you know and it is very, very set, but there are lots of podcasts out there that are live, I mean you could do it, you, you could have it be that way, um, but when you do live, what, um?

Tracey Watts Cirino: 29:24

what do you record on?

Tracy Beavers: 29:25

right now I record on StreamYard so I can just strip the audio from stream.

Tracey Watts Cirino: 29:28

That's what I thought, cause I was like I re. I thought we did something before, yeah, so yeah, that's what I thought, cause I was like I thought we did something before, yeah, so StreamYard, yeah, it lets you strip the audio. So that is an easy. That is an easy thing. It won't require any. You know, change up from you.

Tracy Beavers: 29:40

Right, right, I just think I think I need to wrap my head around that.

Tracy Beavers: 29:44

So I was planning also on using Descript if, if needed, throwing it into that so I could edit it easier if I need to. I don't know, my, my lives are pretty clean, like I follow the same format that I have for years and I feel like if I added on an intro that said hey, you know, welcome to the podcast, this is my, this is my version of a podcast, or something like that. I'm live every week. This is what you're going to hear is my life, weekly training and just letting them know. That's why they're going to hear me say you know, hey, I'm a, I'm live on Instagram and Facebook and and and then the outro being you know, I hope you enjoyed this live training. And also I was thinking, um, I could put a call to action of if you love this live training and you would like to catch me live and ask me questions about your business, come join my free Facebook group, because my Facebook group grows my email list like crazy.

Tracey Watts Cirino: 30:33

Oh, yeah, now you're making it and that's funny that you're telling me this now, because that was on on our list of things to add this year was to go back to doing cause. I used to do a ton of Facebook lives. I just don't that much anymore in our group, and so that is on our list. So maybe you'll inspire you know, we'll inspire each other to go backwards, right, like to go backwards, to go forwards. I love it. So here's another. Here's another hot tip for you yeah, please, inside of Buzzsprout, and I can even send. I think I even have a referral link I can send you or I can even put in the show notes for anyone else that's thinking of starting their own podcast, because this is helpful for everyone. So here's the thing you can set your intro and outro so you don't have to record that once, right, right when.

Tracey Watts Cirino: 31:20

In the beginning, when I first started this podcast, I had to say the same thing every time oh my gosh, because it wasn't an option yet. Technology is so quickly evolving. I was like, oh, and I'm not very, uh, I don't like scripts, I'm more off the cuff, I'm authentic in the moment. I just kind of know what I don't know, like, if people come on with questions, so I'll get guests that are like oh well, what are you going to ask me? And they want to be like so prepared and that's the jam.

Tracey Watts Cirino: 31:49

I am the type of person that, like we authentically, what comes up is just always a better way to go. Um, so it's so funny because now, um, like see just how even we started today, like the whole intro is already there, people know where they are and I'm just like, oh, congratulations that you're good to meet Tracy today. No, so that's, that's the piece of like you can make it super simple and if you are not doing a lot of editing now with your lives, you're not going to have that much more For you. It's literally like two extra steps, and the best advice I could give you is, right now, start stripping the audio. Just test it out over the next few weeks and get a couple of backlogs, like I I don't know why, I had it in my head when we started, but I had to have eight. That was just my, my security blanket. I created eight podcasts. I don't know why.

Tracey Watts Cirino: 32:43

And I know that's um that's best practice actually is to have six or eight in the can before I knew any of that, though Like this was like not, there was literally nobody to ask do any of that? Though Like this was like not, there was literally nobody to ask. Nobody was telling you anything about podcasts when we started, we couldn't even get. I was trying to hire someone to edit. We couldn't find someone, like I had to figure it out, which was not fun as a non-tech person.

Tracey Watts Cirino: 33:06

So now there's a ton more. There's just so much advanced stuff that you can do in that way, so I would just start a backlog now, before you even set the date, so you can just test, cause it's only two or three extra steps for you.

Tracy Beavers: 33:20

Okay, cool. Um, tell me, you mentioned that you've been in the top 5%. How did you? How does that happen? Give me some tips on that.

Tracey Watts Cirino: 33:28

So that, for the way that that happens is, um, like our guests like, so you're a guest, well, we send out an email letting you know that, hey, your podcast is going live. So it happens by you sharing it on all your platforms with your audience. It happens with you saying, oh, I had a really good time and so you recommend other people like that. And then consistency yeah, you recommend other people like that. And then consistency yeah, so that because, like, because it's up and down, because we have like, uh, over 10 000 downloads this time, and then all of a sudden, you know, because there's changes with apple and whatever, um, we always let people know that we really love when they uh do a five-star review or any type of, or even a conversation in the review spot on Apple or Spotify or wherever you're tuning into. This is so much appreciated because it authentically lets us know what's working. You know, it's like there's a lot of cost involved with producing a podcast and all the hours and work and all the things. So we appreciate that feedback and that's just how it grows. So it's like where I think the first time I'm like, oh, hello, I don't even know if I had a microphone the first time, to be honest, and it was like is anyone you know? Is anyone cares? I'm even listening, and then all of a sudden you see, oh my God, there's a hundred people, oh my God. So it just is like you know what. I'm going to show up and act as if we're in an intimate conversation and that's the same way I recorded my audio books as well Is like I want to.

Tracey Watts Cirino: 35:02

I write in the way I speak, which is like down and have some tea and chat about life Me too, yeah, and so I think you already have that approach and that's going to come through. Okay, cool, nice, thanks for that. It's just like that Like you, just like how you're seeing your Facebook group. That's like how it took off with us for the podcast. It's like, oh, my goodness, oh, wow, I really like it. Like who I don't like there? I think it's like 17 different countries. That it's like amazing, yeah, that it's like amazing, yeah, that's awesome. So, yeah, like, share. Share this episode with a friend, everyone listening. Share it If you have a business bestie or somebody that would benefit from all of the deep dive conversations that Tracy and I are having. Share this podcast episode with a friend.

Tracy Beavers: 35:45

Yeah, so you mentioned um the time it takes to produce. Tell me more about that, the time it takes to produce.

Tracey Watts Cirino: 35:56

Tell me more about that Like, so, um, when you are like, when you're starting out, you maybe don't know what your audience wants to hear yet. So there's that testing and research. Um, we don't do as much of that now because we have an audience that tells us what they like and, go figure, we used to spend so much time on. The guest ones are harder because you have to. It's like both of our schedules. We always want to time it with what's you know, so there's a little bit more involved in timing and man hours behind the scenes of getting that right and we, for a while, we're spending all of our time more on that. And then this year we, at the end of last year, we had some different surveys that went out and people were like they were. They love just me, podcasts, go figure, cause I like to learn about other people, but I just share whatever's happening. This is what's going on, like the energetic vibe I feel in business, like I can almost compile all the conversations I've had with different business owners, the coaching calls, the groups. I'm a part. Now that we've provided more of these Tracy ones, now they're like oh, and we love the guest ones too. So I think you just find the groove of it. Yeah, and you're already doing all of that with your Facebook lives, so you're just adding for you three extra steps.

Tracey Watts Cirino: 37:32

I just for the audience listening. I never want to make it sound. I don't like when gurus and so-called experts make it sound so easy that then you're sitting there thinking like, well, maybe I'm dumb because I can't do it, because I remember feeling like that and there's still people that I listened to. Sometimes I'm like wait, no, that's not true. That will never be that easy, because that doesn't align with my energy. Like you have to pop yourself out of listening to every guru, right, oh for sure, take it back to what's best for you. So that's why I say it that way.

Tracey Watts Cirino: 38:07

It's like there are lots of steps in man hours behind the scenes. It's not like, oh, go, go, go to extract the audio and just go. You already have all those fundamental behind the scenes steps set up in your business. So I can say that to you freely. And then I can also say to the audience listening hey, there's tons of research done on the backend, there's tons of man hours and how to edit and cut and write out just bullet points so that you don't have glitter or squirrel syndrome, that oh and go over there and then no one knows what you're talking about. You've got to know your talent and skill and that does take time. But you have to start right. It's like whoever's listening that that's thinking about doing a Facebook group, doing a live or a podcast. It's like you have to start somewhere. But no, there will be work involved.

Tracy Beavers: 39:03

Yeah, for sure. Oh, yeah, no, I have a business. Uh, Bestie and I were just having that conversation this morning. She said, if I see one more online, you know, big wig, that I call them the big people, cause I can't pronounce the word guru but you know the, the multi-million dollar people that just say, oh, we'll create it and put it out there and people will buy it. And I'm just like no, there's a crap pile of work that goes into building an online business, you know. So, yeah, I get a little tired of it myself.

Tracey Watts Cirino: 39:39

Well, and that's where, like, I think that's like what my life purpose is. It's like to ask those questions that make you think a little deeper about it, because it's all truth in this moment. But as you get more refined, there's a new layer of truth. There's a new like. Refined, there's a new layer of truth, there's a new like. You know what I'm saying. So it's just you have to follow your authentic energy of like what is true for you and knowing what you want to accomplish, like. You shared with us today how you were crystal clear. You're two income household, yeah, and you're not going to be like hobby Uh, I'm doing this. You grew it steady. And I remember celebrating with you when you finally to be like hobby uh, I'm doing this. So you grew it steady. And I remember celebrating with you when you finally quit your job, because it was like touch and go for a minute and then, all of a sudden, just a rocket launch, so so excited. I'm just so grateful to celebrate that with you.

Tracy Beavers: 40:25

Thanks, Thanks. Um, so you have a podcast, Mike. What do you like? What kind of Mike do you have there?

Tracey Watts Cirino: 40:31

You know what's so funny? I recorded my audio book for Beyond Common the 12 Essentials for Success in Life in the Workplace that book. I recorded that during I think I had to do the recording during COVID. So my sound engineer put a package together where I just paid him for everything and then he dropped off stuff at my house, so nice. So I think that's almost why I was like, oh yeah, now's the time to start a podcast, right, right. So I think it was kind of like why I ended up doing it. He, yeah, so I just paid a fee and all this stuff with.

Tracey Watts Cirino: 41:10

You know, so I don't think that that's the norm. I think that there's. Yeah, that's not the norm, but it just so happened to be that I had to record the audio book and we had scheduled studio time, but then COVID kicked in. It was like March, when the schedule was like crazy Cause, yeah, cause everything, everything got pushed back and that was a scary time. Um, yeah, so that. So for me, I, I really have, I, I've, I've had a good time with this. This is called a audio technica. It's been fine for me, I don't know. Okay, cool, yeah, there's so many I was like I could send you pictures of it, but yeah, so for me it was kind of like. I love when that happens, when it's just oh, it must've been meant to be, because it was all put together that way.

Tracy Beavers: 41:57

For me Right, Right when it shows up at the doorstep. That's awesome yeah.

Tracey Watts Cirino: 42:01

It was like, yeah, I had to pay X amount for whatever, and you just bundled it. And I hear it here we go, yeah.

Tracy Beavers: 42:14

I saw on Apple the other day I was, um. There was a podcast that was recommended Um and I went to listen to it and it was a video and I did not know that you could do that on Apple podcasts, I was like just that they just um launched that last week actually. Can you do that on Buzzsprout?

Tracey Watts Cirino: 42:25

too Well, I already do it everywhere, so I I was actually um just telling the video what's that?

Tracy Beavers: 42:34

Can you upload the video Like cause? I have a video of my live weekly training and I'll have a video of my um. You might be able to just upload that into Apple. Can you upload that into Buzzsprout, or does it have to be audio?

Tracey Watts Cirino: 42:49

In Buzzsprout it needs to be audio right now. Okay, it's not to say so. This is what happens. Like that change just came about. So that's kind of what I was waiting for. That's funny. So this is a little bit advanced for people listening. But here's the thing, because that new update came out last week, there also will probably be where Buzzsprout and some of the podcast platforms will probably allow you to just upload your video and then you'll be able to separate both.

Tracey Watts Cirino: 43:17

Um, we use, uh, like we don't edit, like the podcast itself in the video that go out every week for us are very raw, like if, if your cat came across the screen, if the dog starts going, like we don't edit that stuff out, we do it real life. But we do make the sound quality better because sometimes, like it's raining here right now, so it might not be as clear as it is when it's, or somebody could be in a hotel, like just scheduling things, and you, you know just technology. So the only thing we do with the audio is we run it through a sound enhancer to make the quality better. So that's just. And is that in Buzzsprout or is that a separate platform? I do it separately, but now they do offer it. Oh, okay, yeah, so, yeah, so you could do everything right in there. So that's like one of those things yeah, so okay. So why did you?

Tracy Beavers: 44:10

choose Buzzsprout, if you don't mind me asking.

Tracey Watts Cirino: 44:13

I did tons of research. I talked to a hundred different people that had podcasts, because I'm a giant nerd research and out of all the questions I had and things that I wanted to do, that was the most simple tech savvy, okay, and it was the most cost-effective and grow with you, nice, and it's still the same now. So that that's why, yeah, nice, from a technology standpoint, I feel like they're like the Apple of for podcasts. It's simple, oh, nice, okay, you know how, like I just like Apple products better than you know some of the other ones, because it makes it simple. User for my creative brain. Yeah, so do you have any other questions about starting a podcast?

Tracy Beavers: 44:59

Oh, I'm determined to do it, though I've talked about it long enough. It's like you know.

Tracey Watts Cirino: 45:06

Yeah, so now that we did a deep dive on it, how, on a scale of one to ten, how much more likely are you to do it?

Tracy Beavers: 45:11

Oh, a ten, I mean I was. I was pretty much at like seven, eight before we started talking, but knowing that Buzzsprout's easy you're not, you don't love tech either and you can navigate it, um and yeah, I feel I feel confident about it. I just need to name it and you know absolutely.

Tracey Watts Cirino: 45:29

So you've inspired me. All right, I'm going to. I'm going to set a date. I got to look at my calendar so I can't do it on the spot right now, but I'll set a date for when I begin my lives again and maybe I'll just start taking, even if even if I just take the podcast episode and put it live for everybody. You know, yeah, I need to, I need to do that so you have some amazing stuff coming up in your business, thanks, in addition to your new podcast that everyone's going to be waiting with bated breath to listen to. So that gives you some motivation, right, fingers crossed. Yeah, I was like. So tell us what's happening. You have this huge thing that you're about to do in your business.

Tracy Beavers: 46:06

Yeah, so I have an eight week group eight week group coaching program. It's called business visibility made easy. It is the step by step system to grow an email list of your ideal clients without paid ads and without having to create yet another free lead magnet. And I'm on launch number seven of it. It's one of the most fun things I've done. The students absolutely love the program and every time we launch, I do free live masterclasses and so I have those coming up.

Tracy Beavers: 46:36

The masterclass has a very similar name. It's how to attract your ideal clients and grow your email list, and I teach four simple strategies that people can actually go implement that day, even if they don't join my program. I'm actually teaching people, which I hear from people all the time that attend my masterclass. They're like this is refreshing. You're actually teaching me something you know, rather than just attending a webinar or a masterclass where it's all fluff and there's no, there's no real information and it's just kind of they're just pitching their program at the end.

Tracy Beavers: 47:11

No, I teach you stuff. So you know, even if you don't join the group coaching program, come join the live masterclass, learn some things. There's two awesome exclusive bonuses that everybody gets when they show up live to the masterclass. And one is the Facebook growth toolkit to learn all of my best practices for leveraging every nook and cranny of Facebook. And the other exclusive bonus is new clients in 30 days. It's a new little training that we put together full of strategies and even mindset shifts to help people have quick success getting new clients. That's awesome.

Tracey Watts Cirino: 47:47

I'm excited. I'm going to definitely make sure I'm at one of your masterclasses for sure, and I will make sure that we include the link for everyone to sign up in the show notes. Um yeah, trace, I'm so excited because I love. I love that Like one of one of the things I didn't know that I would love, that I do so much of now is I write a lot Like I do it, cause I love to write, so I do a lot of copywriting, like email copywriting for clients.

Tracey Watts Cirino: 48:20

I have to tell you, years and years ago, owning my salon, we had always had to have emails going out and I hated everything about the email list, and now I have found like it was like overcoming tech challenges, figuring out that it's really about developing a relationship, figuring out that it's really about developing a relationship and that it's such so, so that's so funny. I have quite a few clients that I want to share this with, because they I'm doing their email writing and then, if they can find new ways to grow their email list, that would be awesome. Yeah, I'd love that. Thanks, absolutely. Yep, I'm writing a note for two of them right now. Um, so, thank you. Thank you so much for being here. I literally could talk to you all day, but we want to make this digestible enough for you know people on their walks and writing to work and everything. So we'll include the show. We'll include the link to your masterclass in the show notes and Trace what's the name of your Facebook group? Again, it's called.

Tracy Beavers: 49:18

Be a Confident Entrepreneur. Get Visible, grow your Email List and your Income.

Tracey Watts Cirino: 49:23

Hey, I'm so excited, so join us there. And, tracy, thank you so so much for being here. We so appreciate you taking the time to share all your brilliant magic with us and for everyone. As always, have the most beyond amazing day, and we cannot wait to see you on the next one. Take care.