| Most business owners start showing up on their social media from a place of feeling awkward and uncomfortable. In today’s episode I chat with the amazing Clare Wood, Money Mentor, CPA and Business Coach about why it’s definitely been worth the struggle and pushing through the fear to start showing up on social media. Links Clare Wood Website Clare Wood Instagram Clare Wood Facebook Hayley Osborne Instagram (Social Soul) Hayley Osborne Facebook Clare Wood’s Bio Let’s introduce today’s guest, Clare wood. Clare is a business coach and a money mentor. She’s a numbers nerd, a CPA, a wrangler of two boys, a drinker of wine, a gym junkie, a wanderlust and a podcaster with a reality TV addiction. She loves Empowering Entrepreneurs to manage their money and make more money. A very big warm welcome to the podcast, Clare wood. Hello, Clare, and I am so excited to have you join me today. Transcription Clare Wood: Thanks so much for having me, Hayley. Hayley Osborne: I’ve just read out your really impressive bio to my listeners and also described you as a master business coach helping people to go from feeling stuck to growing seven figure businesses. But in your words, I would love you to do an intro into who you are and what you do. Clare Wood: Yeah, amazing. So as you said before, my name is Clare wood, and I’m a business coach and money mentor. And I help entrepreneurs to unlock their stories around money to really empower them to grow their businesses to a seven figure business. And I know for some people that might sound a little bit intimidating or overwhelming. But that’s one of the things that I do is normalise that this kind of success is possible for anyone, even you in any industry. I also am an accountant by trade, I’m a CPA and so the other thing that I really love doing is teaching business owners about profit. Because we talk a lot I mean, gosh, even I’m doing it, they’re talking about seven figures. But we talk about sales a lot. And I really want to teach people about the power of profit, and how to understand their numbers and learn to love them. Hayley Osborne: Amazing. So, Clare, you have been a business coach for a few years now. And you’re my business coach. So thank you so much for coming on my podcast, I’d really love you to share to start with, with our listeners, what’s been your biggest platform of marketing your business so far? And I guess the growth that you’ve seen as a direct result? Clare Wood: Yeah. So look, to this day, the time of recording, Instagram is still the biggest platform where I find potential clients. So yeah, it’s definitely Instagram. Yeah. So one of the things I’d say, I don’t have a massive Instagram following. But my Instagram following has grown since, you know, I started my business, I’ve been very consistent over the years. But the growth that I’ve achieved in my business has been consistently up levelling significantly year on year. So from in the last 12 months from the prior 12 months before I’ve doubled my sales, and my profit has increased by multiples of that as well. So I definitely am a big believer in the power of the platform, Instagram. Hayley Osborne: Yeah, amazing and you know for a lot of entrepreneurs, and I guess, people that I talked to that have side hustles and day job, you know, it really your story and success path has really grown and just through that one platform, so if you really do pour your energy in, you know, the results will follow, I guess as well. I wanted to ask you, you know, initially, I mean, you have loads of confidence in the platform at the moment, you know, I watch you along with others appear in your feed, but your stories as well. So what were the struggles you had initially with showing up? Clare Wood: Oh my gosh. My story with Instagram has evolved so much over the years. So firstly, I was really reluctant to get onto Instagram. Because when I was first getting started in business, I had this perception that Instagram was her you know, models and cool people of which I am neither, let me assure you. And, you know, I’m not good at making things pretty. I’m not very eloquent, I had a whole bunch of fears around actually even having an Instagram profile. So that was the first hurdle was even accepting that this might be a marketing platform that I was open to. And then when I got on there, you know, I mean, I’ve still got my first post, you guys can go and have a look. If you had nothing, but she has gone way, way, way back when and I think I posted some picture of me with zero caption. No hashtags, I had no idea what I was doing. But you know what, I bloody did it. And I got started. And that’s the thing that, you know, I’m really proud of, for me for doing. And then as you’re I was on the platform and watching other entrepreneurs showing up, I noticed that people start to do this thing where they talk to the camera. I was like, I should talk to the camera. Everyone seems to be talking to the camera. It’s a great way to build a connection with people. The first time I did it, I honestly I bawled. I was and I was so so nervous. I literally, I just couldn’t do it. And my husband would be like, what are you doing? And he’s like, he still trying to recall those fears. I like, so nervous, and he just roll his eyes. And yeah, you know, I guess the thing is, is that I knew the power of being able to give people like that real connection with you who you are. So I stuck with it. And it’s so funny. Now, you know, five years into my business, I show up on Instagram all the time I do lives. But I did have to push through a lot of discomfort, particularly around talking to the camera. And it wasn’t just like, oh, it was a bit awkward the first time it was literally like I was in tears, I reckon for months, months and months and months of nervousness. And yeah, I guess that’s the thing that I would say, if you are thinking about showing up on Instagram and thinking, I don’t wanna talk to the camera, please don’t look at other people and think they’ve got it all figured out. Most business owners that I spoke to started somewhere, you know, started from a place of feeling awkward, not liking the way that they look on camera, all of those things. But for me anyway, it was definitely worth the struggle. And like I said, it’s now become where I find most of my high ticket premium coaching clients. Hayley Osborne: Amazing. Yeah. And you do hear, like, of a lot of business owners struggles. But you know, the old saying goes, you can’t show up, when you feel confident you’ve got to keep you got to keep showing up to become confident. So I feel like that’s something that you have sort of that has grown on you. And it’s a really great example, for other business owners to learn from and also grow. So I guess, and I kind of have you kind of covered this, but what tips would you share with our listeners to keep showing up in two areas, in particular, not so much your feed, because anyone can post a photo and write a great caption. And, you know, Instagram has been around for a fair few years now. But it’s the stories and the reels that that get the most engagement. So what what tips would you share to have consistency that you incorporate into your day for those to more difficult kind of things to muster up? Clare Wood: Yeah, great question. First of all, let people know your bit. You know, a lot of my stories aren’t business tips, they’re just stupid stuff that’s gone. With my husband, or my kids, and they go into the gym, or, you know, people build connections with people. So, you know, it doesn’t have to be all about business. It’s about just letting people into snippets of your life. You know, he’s me at the gym. He is, you know, once I did a story, like I don’t know what to wear to this event tonight, which outfit should I choose, and I was trying on different outfits. To this day, that’s been one of my most highest viewed stories people loved giving me some fashion tips. Let people behind the scenes of you. Of course, we want to add heaps of value and, you know, share business tips advice around your specific area of business, and help people you know, with their business and also show that you know what you’re talking about. And the other thing that I would say is share other people’s content. So let me share why this is important. Because if you share something that someone else is doing their audience, a lot of the time they’ll then reshare it and sometimes audience will go, Oh, who’s this person? I don’t I do that all the time. I’m like, Oh, who’s that person that shared it. So you know, for example, if you listen to a great podcast episode, share it got I love this episode, you can even add a bit of your own insight. This is one of the things that I always say to people is to make sure that you regularly appear on Instagram, take a little snippet out of it. And yeah, and that person might reshare onto their stories, if you tag them. If you read a great book, share, you know, share the book, tag the author, the author might reshare with their own, it’s and we’re not doing it from a place of expecting something in return, necessarily. But it really is a great way firstly, to give something back that feels good. Secondly, it helps your audience if you’ve got a great book, you know, podcast episode, if someone writes a really great caption, you can share that. And thirdly, yeah, it does potentially give you the opportunity to get in front of other audiences, if they do reshare it. And it also helps you to build a relationship with that person. I know that definitely for me, you know, the people that that message you all the time, it helps you to build a relationship with them, and then it gives me interest in their business, I want to go and have a look and check them out, as you know, and see what they do. So that’s one tip that I’ve got. The other thing, like I said before, is just about with the confidence thing, like fake it till you make it. You know, I even when I record reels, gosh, they’re awkward, I feel icky. I trust me, I record a lot and then delete them. But you know what, I bloody just don’t give up. I’m saying bloody a lot. I hope that’s okay. But, you know, I just say just keep showing up. And yes, push through the discomfort, I can assure you even those big names like, oh, it’s easy for them, I bet you that the first couple of times they did it, they felt awkward, they felt uncomfortable. And they just kept on doing it. So yeah, that’s my Hayley Osborne: Yeah, amazing. And I will say to like, obviously, even for myself, you know, I do share a lot of business tips. And I have been running Social Soul for a couple of years now. And it took a little bit for me, even though I’m a marketer, and social media expert, it took me a little bit to move away from the business and talk more about my life, my private life. And it was actually it was quite awkward at the beginning because I wasn’t sharing that. And then when I started to share the other part of me, it the flow just happened. And it just felt so much easier. So I think I know that you’re really good at that. And I just want people to know, you know, you don’t have to share everything about your whole life. But it is nice to give people a window, because that’s the part that is the authentic and connector sort of part. Clare Wood: you’ve hit the nail on the head and the things that we think that people you know, I’m like, why would anyone give a crap? The truth is, a lot of clients come to me and they’re like, I love that you’re a mom, because I’m a mom and I you know, I really want a coach that understands what that’s like, or someone will go, I really love that you’re, you know, big into travel or whatever it might be for you. Like, that’s how we build connection. Having things in common or things that we think is cool, like I love really fashionable people even not, I’m not myself. And I’m always just like, I love that you’re like show your outfit. So we show behind the scenes like so. Yeah, let people into a bit of you. Hayley Osborne: Yeah, really good. I also wanted to say, obviously, I speak with a lot of business owners and entrepreneurs about their social media and their marketing strategy. And many of them don’t actually realise the time you need to invest in actually connecting authentically with people. And by this, I mean, our own individual output connecting with like minded souls, as opposed to just reactive. How much time would you say you allocate every day to engage, reach out and connect with people? Clare Wood: Look, for me, it changes Truthfully, I’m doing a lot less now than I used to in the high growth period of time. But you know, I used to spend probably, maybe one to two hours a day on engagement, outreach, interacting with my audience. Some people think that sounds like a lot. And I know a lot of clients of mine that are interested to get into Instagram, especially in the early stages. I’m like, you need to put in the groundwork, you know, what, and I’m like, what else are you doing? You’re sitting here twiddling your thumbs waiting for clients to come along. If I’m showing you that this is a really effective way of building relationships, then why wouldn’t you want to give it a try? I’m not saying that everyone needs to spend that amount of time definitely not. I think that doing anything is better than doing nothing. And like I said, I think that once you have established relationships and you know built trust and rapport with your audience, you can you know, it does and have to be as much as it as it is in the early stages, necessarily, but you had to get an indication. Now I probably spend between 30 minutes to 60 minutes a day at the moment on Instagram. And that sort of replying to comments, DMS, and yeah, and doing some outreach myself as well. Hayley Osborne: Yeah, that’s, that’s amazing. And, you know, in hindsight, if you do, if we do look at how much screen time we actually have, and how much of that we’re actually using to build our business, you know we would surprise ourselves with the amount of time that we’re locked on our phone. And if we’re using it for good rather than for, you know, just playing around, then that can have such a huge impact on your business. Clare Wood: Just something on that note, too, like, for me, I don’t sit down and go, I’m gonna go and find some customers. It is not like that at all. Like, I genuinely just love being on the platform. And I feel like all these people that I’ve never even met are my mates. So like, make it a fun place, if you’re on there. And there’s people that you’re following, and you’re just like, Oh, I didn’t get some new people to follow. Like, I genuinely for me, my engagement time isn’t a chore. It’s genuinely just like me hanging out with my online mates. And anytime that there’s some negativity or someone that I feel, you know, isn’t aligned to me, I just move on. That’s the kind of cool thing about it that you get to choose who you surround yourself with online. And yeah, just doing it from a place of genuine connection rather than looking for clients necessarily. Hayley Osborne: Yeah, amazing. So on that to in choosing, I guess, who you surround yourself with? I want to ask you, what is the one thing or one person that has been the most influential in your business journey? So? Clare Wood: Yeah, so for me, it would be my business coach that I’m working with at the moment, Ruby, you know, it was a massive investment for me at the time to lean into it. And I remember when I first made the invoice, I was like, oh my gosh, what am I doing, but she’s really been the person that just empowered me to really, really level up as an entrepreneur. I joined her mastermind, I’m now working with her privately. But you know, in saying that, I’m not just, you know, I surround myself with incredible business owners, I’ve got so many amazing women in my circle that I mixed with. And for me, it’s really, you know, it’s not about how much money someone’s earning or anything like that. It’s about someone’s attitude, their positivity, and where they’re going. And I want to surround myself with people with drive, and, you know, and kindness and positivity, and who want to chat business with me. So, yeah. Hayley Osborne: And I guess this then leads on to my next question, which maybe you have just answered it, but what do you wish that you’d done sooner in your business? And what advice would you give to business owners and entrepreneurs? You know, within the first year, at the moment of their journey, Clare Wood: Can I answer this with two answers? Hayley Osborne: Yes you can. Clare Wood: Okay, firstly, I wish that I had focused on growing my audience before trying to sell the accountant in me my business, you know, I’m very blessed. It grew, you know, up to $5,000 months pretty quickly. And I was, you know, I had a baby and all that kind of jazz. And I was, I was only working, you know, part time, I was really happy with that. So I spent, I didn’t know, I had no marketing at all, I just was literally like, okay, find a client, make profit. And when I look back now, at like, a lot of the entrepreneurs around me who have, you know, who are doing really well, they had just focused on showing up building an audience before they even had a product to sell. So, um, you know, that would be a big thing that I would say is really, really just grow your audience, grow your list, show up and deliver value. The second thing is that I wish that I had lent in from an investment perspective much earlier. So I did have a coach right from the start. My very first business coach helped me sign my first clients. But I don’t know I kind of just would dip in and out of investing in my business. I worked with the coach for bit and then I’d be like, I don’t need a coach anymore. I’m a coach. And if I look back now, I wish that I just lent in, gone to the conferences, join the high ticket mastermind. When you lean into a really uncomfortable level, that’s when you start to show up differently. So looking back, if there’s something you struggle with, hire an expert to help you. Oh my goodness. If you need help with Instagram, hire a marketing expert. And, you know, yes, a big fear that people have what if it doesn’t work out? Well, that’s just life. The alternative is that you just keep doing nothing and sit there and go, Oh, I hope things are good. Just, you know, a magically we’re gonna find clients, you really need to lean in and hire people. And you can you know, who’s going to be you know, people have a reputation, the market, you know, you know who’s someone good to work with. And yeah, and someone whose content resonates with you. So for me on, I would just say, I wish that I’d invested more sooner. Hayley Osborne: Yeah, amazing. And in saying that, too, obviously, you’re very, you’re a very busy woman, and you have a young family. And I know that the balance is really important for you. How do you manage this so well? And what advice would you give those businesses with younger children like yourself? Clare Wood: That just made me laugh so much? How do I manage it so well? Oh, my gosh, I tell you what, every day and every phase is really different. I have some stages where I’m like, Yes, I am nailing this, I, you know, I’m nailing mom biz life. And other times, I’m like, this is an absolute freakin disaster. So I don’t want to put myself that I’ve got it all figured out. Because I don’t. But in saying that, I’d love to share with you guys a few of my tips around how it works for me and my family. So firstly, I’m very blessed that I have a very supportive husband, he also runs his own business. So we both do have flexibility in hours. So, you know, we kind of do just have to, like one person’s helping out the other person’s not, that happens a bit. The second thing, we have childcare for our children, you know, at various stages of look like different things. So either childcare or school, we have had sometimes a nanny come to our house, or, you know, it’s a mix of me and my husband caring for the kids. So yeah, I would really don’t, don’t try to have business with the kid in the background. It’s just, it’s not fair on you. It’s not fair on them. I know because I’ve done it at various you know, hire yourself some, some help get, you know, get some some child care and support, and then also get support outside. So I have a cleaner that comes twice a week, it sounds indulgent, people come to, like, my mom comes to my house. And she’s like, oh, did you get rid of the cleaner? And I’m like, No. Like, let’s be clear, I don’t have this glistening, or anything. But you know, with my husband and I both at home full time to young kids, a dog, you know, we need like to keep everything ticking along. I am aware, of course, that some people, you know, aren’t at a stage where they can afford that investment. But you know, even if you can buy, like, you know, before, we bought a really nice Dyson vacuum cleaner that makes cleaning easier. One of my clients has bought one of those Robo vac things that vacuums the floors, like anything that you can do to make things a bit easier for you outside of business as well. Do it. Hayley Osborne: Yeah, amazing. And I mean, I know I have a handheld vacuum cleaner, and that just works a treat for quick fixes and tidying things up. Okay, so at the time of recording, we are January 2021. And in terms of businesses spring boarding into their 2021. Any key advice, you know, that you would kind of give for this year? Clare Wood: Oh, yes. Okay, juicy. Guys show up. Like, this would be the biggest piece of advice that I give to everyone. But you know, I need to take like, he said, like, if you want your business to grow, you need to show up and serve. You need to be doing the reels, you need to be showing up on Instagram, if that’s the platform that you’re using, whatever your marketing strategy is, make sure that you show up for that audience because that’s the way that you get more eyeballs on your business. I definitely think that video and voice platforms are going to continue to grow into this year. I think that short form is going to continue to overtake long form. So I think that people are really keen for like just teach me something really quick. And yeah, the other thing that I would say is set yourself a plan and hold yourself accountable to your plan. A lot of people don’t even look at their numbers. And you know, my big passion as a business owner is saying get in there, get your hands dirty. Know where you’re tracking against those numbers. And yeah, and if you don’t like where things are course correct. Hayley Osborne: Lovely and what’s in store for Claire? Would this fabulous year of 2021? Clare Wood: Oh, okay. I have an inside scoop. I don’t think I’ve actually shared this anyway, I’m writing a book. And yeah, and I’m hoping that the book will be out by the end of 2021. The other you know, for me this year, last year was a massive year of creation, I created a membership, a mastermind, a course. And this year for me, it’s really about not creating anything new, just scaling what I’ve got. And the other thing that I’m doing this year is retreats. So I’m running a retreat in my first ones in Feb. This year, and I’m hoping to run quite a few retreats this year, which really excites me, I there’s just something so powerful about in person connection. So that’s what the plan for this year looks like. For me. Hayley Osborne: This sounds so exciting. And I honestly cannot wait to watch you and your journey and read your book. How exciting 2021 Hello, Clare wood. This has been an absolute pleasure having you on my podcast, amazing insights for business owners and entrepreneurs, even if they’re just starting out, or they’ve been in business for a couple of years and kind of, you know, need a little bit of a kick. So I would love you to tell our listeners where they can connect with you online and learn more about what you do. Clare Wood: Oh, yay. Oh, first and foremost, obviously, please come and say hi to me on Instagram. @clare_wood_coach, I need to say that because a lot of people spell Clare with an I. And I also have a podcast which I very creatively called the Clare wood podcast. So make sure you go and tune into that as well. And yeah, I’d love to connect with you guys. Drop me a DM. Say hi. Make sure you tune into the podcast. Hayley Osborne: Thank you so much, Clare. It’s been an absolute pleasure. Clare Wood: Thank you Hayley chat soon! |
