The Modern Consultant
Content changes lives. The Modern Consultant is for high-level consultants like YOU who are creating content that transforms people's lives… and changes the world. Join me (Marc Aarons) every week as I interview impact-driven founders, consultants, and coaches committed to making a difference through the power of their content. After conducting 1,600+ coaching sessions, I’m grateful to say that I’ve helped 800+ creators successfully launch their online courses… and I feel like I’m just getting started! This show is my way to expand my own impact through my content, and share what I learn along the way with people just like you.
#46. How Untapped Traffic Sources Led to $100k In 3 Days?
March 8, 2024 • 16 MIN
Traffic source of $100k in 3 days case study I mentioned on the last podcast episode was paid advertising. But when someone reference paid advertising, most people think of Meta or Google PPC ads. Then leads acquired through those channels are nurtured using email sequences. Instead, we spend $50k of advertising budget on acquiring email lists. Result? Less competition = Low Cost per lead = Higher Profits. We used the following 3 untapped email sources to acquire leads with CPL of $1 on avg. to get to $100k in 3 days: 1. Buying an entire Email List 2. Running ads in the email newsletter 3. Cross-Promotion of email lists Want to know more? Key points I covered: Architecting a Growth System: I delve into the meticulous process of architecting a growth system for businesses, focusing on creating automatic sales, offers, and audience generation to drive ROI and impact for my clients. Paid Advertising Strategies: This episode reveals compelling insights into leveraging untapped sources for acquiring leads at a low cost with high return on investment, steering clear of traditional paid advertising channels. Strategic Sales and Offer Systems: I discuss the significance of comprehensive sales and offer systems, emphasizing the value of creating entry offers and leveraging order bumps and one-time offers to increase average order value and achieve early profitability. Impact-driven Business Model: I emphasized the importance of creating offers designed to change lives and generate a return on investment along with a return on student impact, ultimately delivering rewards to businesses that they can be proud of.
#45. The Circle Of Choice: Use It To Coach Yourself And Clients
February 16, 2024 • 15 MIN
Last week, I spoke about two clients. In January, both did $100K. Client A did it in 3 weeks and Client B did it 3 days. The fascinating part? Client B, did less work - no webinars or sales calls, and it took less time. That said, I went on to share how Client B did $50K the week after they did $100K. However, that $50K came from doing more work. Like, A LOT more - 2 live webinar/workshops, more emails, and more follow-up. Naturally, that was a bummer, because by doing more, they hoped to make more. As a result, they thought about saying no to doing webinars ever again in the future. And that's when I spoke about The Circle of Choice - a tool for making better executive decisions. If you're curious about why I spoke him out of NEVER doing live webinars again in the future and how I did it with the Circle of Choice, then this episode is for you. And if you're a nerd about personal growth, then you'll especially love this one. Key Points: 1. Architecting Growth: Marc introduces the concept of the ""circle of choice,"" a powerful executive decision-making tool aimed at steering your business towards success. 2. Decision-Making Dynamics: The discussion offers valuable insights into how our thoughts, feelings, and actions influence the outcomes we experience. 3. Goal Oriented Strategies: Real-world examples and scenarios are explored, illustrating how deliberate decision-making aligns with specific goals and can pave the way for increased success, profitability, and impact. 4. Self-Leadership and Empowerment: The concept of the ""circle of choice"" extends beyond decision-making, encompassing self-leadership and visionary behavior change, empowering individuals to leverage their abilities and create tangible impact.
#44. $100K in 3 days without sales calls or a webinar w/ Marc Aarons
February 10, 2024 • 19 MIN
Back in October, one of my clients did $100K in a week. In this episode, I talk about the upgrades to the campaign that brought in $100K in 3 days. The biggest difference? No sales calls. No webinars. $100K in 3 days from emails, sales page, and text messages. There's a lot more to it like changes to the offer, including price points, and product improvements but one of the best parts was this: Multiple sales for the $10,000 price tier without having to hop on a call or webinar. This makes it way more scalable. Lots to cover.
#43. From 20-year Navy veteran to Hollywood Screenwriting w/ Nicole Schwegman
January 23, 2024 • 51 MIN
Imagine... - You joined the Navy...but you didn't know how to swim? - Your Mom told you to "find a man"...so you went to the grocery store and picked up your husband. - You wanted to get better at cooking...so you decided to learn from a Presidential chef. All of this is true, and then some, of Nicole Schwegmann, 20-year Navy Veteran, who, has done it all from driving warships to being the lead media correspondent for the entire U.S. Navy. This, is a podcast unlike any other. We talk about it all: overcoming fears, taking bold actions, her career switch, sacrifice for nation, and much, much more. She will retire from active duty service in March 2024 and next, she'll be entering the world of entertainment - a lifelong dream. If you've ever wondered about how to turn adversity into the adventure of a lifetime, then, you're in for quite the ride today. Here's what we cover: 1. Overcoming Challenges: Nicole's journey from the Navy to Hollywood was shaped by overcoming personal fears and cultural influences. Her resilience and determination serve as valuable lessons for navigating through life's obstacles and pursuing one's goals. 2. Defining Success: Nicole emphasizes the importance of personal fulfillment and enjoyment in one's career, rather than simply achieving conventional success. Her perspective highlights the value of aligning one's professional pursuits with their true passions and values. 3. Taking Tangible Steps: Nicole's advice on taking concrete actions, such as enrolling in classes, writing scripts, and networking, demonstrates the significance of commitment and preparation in pursuing one's ambitions. 4. Self-Discovery and Personal Growth: Nicole's journey of continuous learning and self-improvement, from culinary school to screenwriting, underscores the importance of investing in personal development and seizing opportunities for growth. 5. Transitioning Into Civilian Life: As a veteran, Nicole shares insights into the challenges of transitioning from military culture to civilian life, emphasizing the importance of seeking guidance and mental preparation for life beyond military service.
#42. Top 10% Globally Ranked Podcast in 1 Year: Behind-the-scene w/ Marc Aarons
January 6, 2024 • 17 MIN
To recap 2023, let me take you behind the scene of the Modern Consultant Podcast: - 3160 listeners. - 38,829 downloads. - 41 Episodes. That's quantitative perspective. From qualitative perspective: - Reconnected with my collegues, friends, past clients and got them to share bunch of secrets. - Had an honor of talking to modern consultants behind $100k to $100B contracts. - Explored almost every topic ranging from marketing, sales, business growth, sleep, AI, and much more. Key Points Covered in this episode: 1. Revenue Contribution: The podcast significantly contributed to a 5 figure contract in 2023, with potential for a 6 figure contract in 2024. Listeners turned into clients after engaging with long-form episodes, demonstrating the podcast's role in generating revenue. 2. Audience Engagement: The podcast garnered around 38,829 downloads from 3160 listeners in 2023. Despite relatively small numbers, Marc emphasizes the meaningful connections and the opportunity to reconnect with business contacts and friends, highlighting the importance of a loyal and engaged audience. 3. Integrating the Podcast into Sales: Marc delves into how the podcast fits into the sales process, particularly in the middle and bottom of the funnel. Long-form conversations allow potential clients to align with the host's values, understand his strategic problem-solving approach, and gauge his expertise, all of which can influence their decision to engage in a service contract. 4. Strategic Partnerships and Intimacy: The podcast has been instrumental in creating deep connections with potential strategic and referral partners. Marc emphasizes that podcasting is a powerful tool for building intimacy and trust within the business community.
#41. Ethics & Leadership In the Time Of Artificial Intelligence w/ Bhushan Sethi
December 26, 2023 • 51 MIN
Have you ever wondered what it takes to be recognized as a leading voice in leadership? That's something that Bhushan Sethi, our guest on today’s Modern Consultant podcast knows quite a bit about. That's because he's ranked #81 on the '2023 Power List of the top 200 biggest voices in Leadership'. As a partner at PwC he has led high performance teams at Fortune 500s to even greater levels of success. One of my favorite quotes? "Transformation isn’t just about change; it’s about evolving the core of your business". And that's just a taste of so much more. Topics We Cover: 1. The importance of responsible AI, emphasizing the need for diverse datasets and diverse developers for ethical and impactful AI applications. 2. Addressing societal issues such as racism and classism while navigating the challenges posed by the pandemic and geopolitical tensions. 3. Business leadership, ethics, and the intersection of AI with ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) considerations. 4. Insights into the significance of understanding clients, reinventing business models, and aligning profit-making with positive environmental and societal impact. 5. Relatable personal anecdotes, including Bhushan's experience as an immigrant and his approach to teaching leadership to his children. References and Links: https://twitter.com/bhushansethi1 https://www.linkedin.com/in/bhushansethi
#40 Economist shares how to clarify your business positioning w/ Sean Ericson
December 19, 2023 • 43 MIN
Marketing is the communication of value. If you want to communicate value clearly, then behavioral economics can help. That's because behavioral economics combines the study of economics (this includes the study of how groups of people make purchase decisions) and psychology (how individuals make decisions). That said, we have a very special episode of The Modern Consultant here today, because I have the pleasure of hosting Dr. Sean Ericson - an economist specializing in innovation and climate change. While his current work is focused on electric utilities and meeting their decarbonization goals as we adapt to a changing climate we talk about much more: We talked about: 1. Sunk cost and its impact on decision making, emphasizing the importance of focusing on future prospects. 2. The link between behavioral economics and evolutionary biology. Drawing from psychology to understand decision-making processes. 3. Individual and group decision-making, exploring the balance between individual costs and collective benefits, with climate change as an example. 4. Game theory implications on personal relationships and the influence of one's actions on the choices of others. 5. The complex interplay between relationships and transactions, highlighting the positive externalities of relationships in economics. 6. The concept of trust in collaborations, the impact on decision-making and values, and the psychology of self-sabotaging behavior.
#39. Oprah Winfrey at her doorstep. Learn the visibility framework w/ Lisa Fabrega
December 12, 2023 • 57 MIN
How does Oprah show up at your doorstep? For starters, you might be an actress turned leadership coach to 6, 7, and 9-figure entrepreneurs. This is the story of Lisa Fabrega - my guest today on The Modern Consultant. For more than ten years, she has helped entrepreneurs, corporate executives, Academy Award nominees, and Nobel Prize organization candidates break through boundaries that have been holding them back from their next level. Her signature approach enables clients to reach their highest levels of success and impact. Topics We Cover: 1. Transitioning from a career in acting to becoming a successful business coach for high-powered executives. 2. Overhauling branding and marketing strategies to attract attention from influencers like Oprah and Gayle King. 3. The impact of having the right inner circle for success and protection. 4. The significance of capacity over strategy in business, especially for leaders facing rapid growth. 5. Achieving authentic visibility and its impact on business growth and leadership. 6. The energy exchange in pricing and sales methodology, and the importance of being compensated for intellectual property.
#38. Analyzing 500,000+ YouTube Videos and More SEO & Product Research w/ Tory Gray
December 5, 2023 • 57 MIN
As we gear up for 2024, I've been thinking to myself, who are all the experts that are on the frontlines of being able to help expertise-driven businesses grow faster online? Who's doing it with data? If I could find a "superexpert" for every single one of the 9 steps I used to help my clients win, who'd I wanna have a conversation with? That's when I thought of this week's guest - Tory Gray. Longtime friend and CEO of Gray.Company, an SEO, Data & Digital Market Intelligence consultancy. In this episode, we dive deep on her extensive experience in SEO and growth strategy, owning both product and marketing roles for in-house startups and reputable agencies. Topics We Cover: 1. AI Tools Beyond Content Creation 2. The Importance of Human Curation with AI-generated content 3. SEO as an investment and determining your target market, emphasizing the need to understand audience awareness levels, competitiveness, and conducting competitor research. 4. The Future of Data Accessibility References and Links: Tory's Website: https://thegray.company/ Her LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/torygray/
#37. $100 Billion Dollar Negotiations w/ Christine McKay
November 28, 2023 • 64 MIN
After our Jay Abraham episode, I kept thinking to myself, who'd be a great follow-up to buying, growing, and selling businesses? Then, a Modern Consultant listener recommended I chat with this week's guest. Why? Well, she's a master of negotiation - $1M+ deals, $1B deals, and $100B deals. So, no matter what level of business you're playing at, there's something everyone can learn from here. Meet Christine McKay, CEO of Venn Consulting, a master business negotiator with extensive experience in M&A (mergers and acquisitions), divestitures, and integration. She is also the author of the book, Why Not Ask? A Conversation about Getting More and contributing author for several compilation books. Topics We Cover: How The Hardest Negotiation Starts Within The Four Primary Styles of Negotiation The Champion Style of Negotiation Evaluating the Success of a Deal Benefactor, Maverick, and Ambassador Styles of Negotiation Negotiation as a Way of Life Understanding Negotiation Styles in Relationships and Business References and Links: https://www.vennnegotiation.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/christinemckay/ Book: https://www.amazon.com/Why-Not-Ask-Conversation-Getting/dp/1734954906
#36. Should She Scale Her Group Coaching Program? w/ Leslie Chen
November 21, 2023 • 81 MIN
For years, she's tested, refined, and perfected her small group coaching program. She's done it so well, that she boasts an incredible 95% success rate. And with those kind of results, her next natural question is... "How do I help more people?" But then, the next thought is... "Will it make it worse for those who are already inside my program?" That, right there, is the conundrum many skilled coaches and consultants face. Effectively, do we stay small and help a few people really well? Or do we scale, and help more people, but not as well? This week on The Modern Consultant, I have the pleasure of saying to our guest Leslie Chen... "What if you could have both?" Then, in this week's special "coaching podcast" episode, you'll hear me walk her begin to architect how to do it. More about Leslie: She is running an executive weight loss coaching program focusing on helping a community of high-impact women remove a toxic relationship with food while experiencing automated, inevitable weight loss. Topics We Cover: Lead generation and scaling Leslie Chen's business Refining messaging and value proposition Scaling coaching program without compromising quality Surveying and data collection for decision-making Pricing and revenue considerations Lessons learned and future goals References and Links: https://www.riselean.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/leslielchen/
#35. Doubled His 6-Fig Business In 8 Months Working <20 hrs/week with Zack Arnold
November 14, 2023 • 76 MIN
This week on the Modern Consultant, I have the honor of hosting Zack Arnold. Zack is an award-winning Hollywood film and television editor (Cobra Kai, Burn Notice, Empire, Shooter, Glee), a member of the American Cinema Editors, a documentary director (GO FAR: The Christopher Rush Story, narrated by Mark Hamill), an American Ninja Warrior, and the creator of the Optimize Yourself program and podcast. With his group coaching programs, he helps ambitious creative professionals and entrepreneurs design a unique path towards a more balanced, more productive, and more fulfilling career they deserve. Zack's website: https://optimizeyourself.me/
#34. She grows Kajabi's 19,000+ paid member community w/ Maruxa Murphy, Community & ROI Strategist
November 7, 2023 • 52 MIN
Imagine this - you're the head of Kajabi, a platform for creating and selling online courses. In 2023, with 19,000 customers, you hit $60M in revenue, and you're valued at $2 billion. Who do you call to help grow your community from 19,000 to 100,000? Maruxa Murphy - The Heartful Community Architect & Revenue Strategist I'm proud to call a friend, client, and this week's guest on the Modern Consultant. She’s been featured in Forbes, Reader's Digest, Fox News, The Huffington Post, NBC, and The Austin-American Statesman for her work in creating profitable enterprises that do good in the world. Maruxa believes in empowering all individuals to live their fullest lives, and her work has been instrumental in bringing people together to create positive change. To learn more about Maruxa, visit: https://www.revolutionarycommunities.com/
#33. 7-Figure Digital Operations for Social Media Marketing Agencies (SMMA) w/ Jhana Li
October 29, 2023 • 52 MIN
This week on the Modern Consultant, I have the honor of hosting Jhana Li. Jhana first stumbled into Operations 5 years ago, while traveling full-time in a converted van through North & South America. Since then, she's been COO at 2 successful startups, directly consulted over thirty 7- & 8- figure businesses, and coached hundreds more. She helps founders scale their businesses & scale themselves out of the day-to-day by training their Operator to become the Second-In-Command. Her mission lies in transforming purpose-based businesses into vehicles for growth & good.
#32. Lessons from 1.5 Billion Advertisements w/ Brian Kurtz
October 24, 2023 • 83 MIN
This week on the Modern Consultant, I have the honor of hosting Brian Kurtz. Brian Kurtz has been a serial direct marketer for over 40 years. He had two careers. The first spanned 34 years as a force behind Boardroom Inc., an iconic publisher and direct marketer. His second career, which he is seven years into as the Founder of Titans Marketing, is a direct marketing educational and coaching company where he has also continued working with the best-of-the-best including past guests on The Modern Consultant (Jay "$50B man" Abraham & Kevin "CopyChief.com" Rogers)
#31. Inside Look: Converting 600,000+ Email Subscribers w/ Marc Aarons
October 19, 2023 • 24 MIN
A few weeks ago, we had about 350,000 email subscribers and now it's about 600,000+ subscribers which changes our focus from getting more subscribers to "how do we convert?" This week, I take you behind the scenes of how I'm doing that for an active client project. For confidentiality reasons, I can't share everything but here's what I do cover: -Average email open rate (as of Sept 2023 from a database of 200M emails) -How I’m getting 150%-250% higher email open rates -Why 2,210 people asked us to sell them something -2 kinds of emails I send in every campaign -3 subject line templates you can use right now
#30. Product-Driven Marketing: How To Scale 1-on-1 Marketing, Sales, & Delivery w/ Daniel Ferrari
October 10, 2023 • 77 MIN
This week on the Modern Consultant, I have the honor of hosting Daniel Ferrari. Daniel Ferrari is a marketing strategist who specializes in helping D2C brands. While his background is predominantly in copywriting, he has developed expertise in, bringing in other copywriters to execute his big ideas. Daniel's expertise lies in helping businesses with offers/product creation, product-driven marketing strategies, and more. Years ago, when I met Dan for the first time, he was working for The Motley Fool, a 9-figure direct-response driven company. Dan was responsible for around 60% of their front-end acquisition. That was over 5 years ago. Just wait till you hear what he's up to now.
#29. Step 3: We added 372,424 emails in 1 day w/ Marc Aarons (Solo Episode)
October 4, 2023 • 21 MIN
I'm back with another solo episode. If you missed the last two episodes, watch them for full context. The first few seconds of this episode are a recap clip from my episode with Jay Abraham, the $50B man (that's how much he's generated for his private clients in profit). Then, the following episode, I introduce the 9-step roadmap I'm using to drive all client results through the end of 2024. Finally, in this episode, I share: - Problems you run into at each step - How to solve them - Results my clients are having at various steps Highlights: - Step 3: We added 372,424 email subscribers in 1 day (client update) - Step 9: Building a sales system that can handle a $1M per month without sales calls. Find out more about what I'm up to here: https://8020solutions.co/
#28. The First 3 Steps To Grow Your Expertise-Based Business
September 26, 2023 • 9 MIN
Audience is who you serve. Offers are what you serve. Sales are how you tell them about the offers. In this episode, I'll reveal our 9-step process for improving all three, based on our past client work and what we'll be executing on for clients through 2024.
#27. Buy, grow, and sell businesses w/ Jay Abraham
September 18, 2023 • 50 MIN
Jay Abraham: “Marc, do I have your permission to use vulgarity?” Had you told me the man who’s made $50 billion in profits for his private clients would’ve been asking me for permission to curse on my podcast, then I’d be Dwayne “The Rock” Johnsoning my eyebrow at you. That said, I told him “Absolutely”. Never imagined I’d have this much fun talking about how to buy, grow, and sell businesses. But, if you know Jay, then hey, it’s to be expected because: His advice helped the Icy Hot brand you see at CVS and everywhere else go from $20,000 to millions in under a year. He’s also helped a candy company in China sell 49% to Hershey’s for half a billion dollars using his methods. And so long as it doesn’t distract from the deeper mission of maximizing profit for a positive impact, he never misses an opportunity to sneak in a joke or three.
#26. A.I.M. To Get More Referrals: Accessibility, Influence, and Memory w/ Michael Roderick
September 11, 2023 • 48 MIN
Michael Roderick helps thoughtful givers become thought leaders. To do it, he uses two frameworks. The first is the Thought Leadership Triple Threat - which is combination of becoming a scientist, celebrity, and magician in your niche. The other framework, drastically increases your referability for both more leads and new business. That's the A.I.M. framework, which stands for accessibility, influence, and memorability. If you're lacking any of the 3, then your referability drops. Why Listen: Michael went from high school teacher to Broadway Producer in 2 years. To do it, he had to master the business of creativity, and then developed frameworks to make it repeatable for himself as well as his clients.
#25. From Clients to Courses: The First $100K w/ Rob Howard
September 4, 2023 • 47 MIN
What does it take to make the first $100K? If you're an established service provider, that's already at multiple 6-or-7 figures in annual revenue, then figuring out how to your first $100K in online courses or curriculum-based coaching is your magic question. Answer that question, and you now have a pathway to $1M in productized revenue, which gives you the option to walk away from service-based revenue. However, in today's episode, we cover a controversial take: Don't try to escape your client-services business...even if you can do it with online courses.
#24. Should online courses have community? w/ Jordan Godbey
August 29, 2023 • 46 MIN
This week on the Modern Consultant, I have the honor of hosting Jordan Godbey, Jordan is the founder of GrowthCommunity, an entrepreneur, and certified Circle expert who's launched over 40 communities for his clients. He's also a course creator himself who generated over $1.5m dollars with a niche course and his passion is helping other experts build community-powered courses that deliver powerful transformations in their students' lives. While that may sound a lot like what I do - through our podcast, we found the difference: while I focus on making sure that the curriculum within a course is exceptional and delivers the transformational value, Jordan focuses on making sure the community infrastructure that surrounds the course, is also exceptional to support the learning journey.
#23. $1M Course Launches: The Traps and Freedoms of 7-Figure Business w/ Luisa Zhou
August 21, 2023 • 49 MIN
This week on the Modern Consultant, I have the honor of hosting Luisa Zhou, former space station engineer turned multi 7-figure course coach for professionals who want to escape the 9-to-5, and grow a freedom business on their terms. In a social media world where influencers flip between "vulnerability overshares" and meticulously filtering public personas to grow their follower counts, Luisa has taken a noticeably "quieter" approach. As a self-described business minimalist and very private person, you may hear about her german Sheperd Falco, but that's about it. I don't know about you, but personally, I find that refreshing, because she focuses on creating what I call "high-utility" content. Content that's focused on helping people, as opposed to content that's too focused on being "likeable". Sure, likeability matters - but once trust is established, there's going to be a lot more time spent on problem solving to get to someone's goals, as opposed to knowing the latest that happened on their last dog walk.
#22 Books Grow Business: The Art and Science of Nonfiction Book Writing w/ Bryna Haynes
August 15, 2023 • 64 MIN
Books grow businesses - no surprise there but if you want to do it well, then it will require time, attention, and intention. In today's episode I interview book writing and independent publishing expert Bryna Haynes, where we talk about why it takes 12-14 months, how it can take less time, and where both books and courses fit into the business model of thought leaders.
#21 Codify and Scale Your Brand Voice w/ Justin Blackman
August 8, 2023 • 46 MIN
About Today's Guest: Justin Blackman is a brand voice expert who’s written for more than 429 people and managed to sound like every one of them. He uses an ultra-specific voice mirroring process called Brand Ventriloquism® to analyze and replicate the nuances that make your voice unique, and documents it so you can scale your content without sacrificing authenticity. He’s created voice guides for Amy Porterfield, Stu McLaren, Todd Herman, Bobby Klinck, and Danny Iny — and worked with top brands including Puma, IHG hotels, 5-hour Energy, and Red Bull. He also runs copywriting workshops that show you how to evolve your style and punch, power and pop to your everyday writing at the Brand Voice Academy - all the people say he’s pretty fly for a write guy.
#20 Artificial Intelligence and The Future of Sales Copywriting w/ Kevin Rogers
August 1, 2023 • 80 MIN
Can A.I. replace sales copywriters? That's just one of the questions I'm finding the answer to on this episode of The Modern Consultant with our guest, Kevin Rogers. If you're in the world of direct response copywriting, then Kevin needs no introduction. That's because he's the founder of CopyChief, a community of direct response copywriters and the world-class companies who hire them. With over 9,294 members, a training vault for learning copy, a professional job board and over 795,550 podcast downloads. If there's anyone who has his pulse on how the world of professional copywriters are not just reacting to AI, but how they are using it in their daily workflow, it would be Kevin.
#19: $14M on OnlyFans: Inside the Marketing, Sales, and Delivery of a Content Business w/ Bryce Adams
July 25, 2023 • 55 MIN
Can an OnlyFans creator teach you how to grow your online education business? That’s the question I’m answering today with the help of Bryce Adams, who, after growing a successful 7-figure E-Commerce brand, started an OnlyFans account on a whim in the middle of the pandemic. The first night, she made $62, showed it to her boyfriend, who then replied… “Wait what?” A few scrolls and market research clicks later, then told her: “We’re gonna crush this. Give us 6 months.” The rest is business history: They transferred the parts of their E-Commerce skills that they could but quickly learned that any content business can be a grind. That said, they leveraged market research, positioning, product development, and hiring within their families to drive $10M in revenue in 2 short years. Now, they have a team of over 20 employees, give over $100,000+ to charity, and also run their E-Commerce business in less than 30 minutes per week. This…is not a regular story. Inside, you’ll find stories of family, altruism, community growth, paid advertising, organic marketing, and everything in between. Relevant for Modern Consultants that want to spend more time with their families? Yes. Definitely. But only if you’re open to finding insights that are off the beaten path. TImestamps: [00:00:00] “How’d you describe who you are and what you do?” [00:00:54] How she donated $100,000 to various charities. [00:03:15] Started e-commerce business out of high school, grew it with friends and family. Transitioned to digital space. Tried OnlyFans, saw opportunity, did market research. Committed full-time and scaled quickly. [00:07:31] Boyfriend girlfriend team evolves adult content business strategy. [00:11:16] Being authentic on OnlyFans creates community and support. [00:15:02] Team of over 20 employees handles editing, content creation, and support. [00:18:53] Exploring creator economy, payments, and investments [00:23:26] How her family reacted to her doing OnlyFans. [00:27:25] OnlyFans is a secure and transparent platform. [00:29:33] Building a dream house, expanded space, new gym. [00:35:00] Focused on product, building content, social media. Bringing in more fans. Creating safe content for different platforms. Displaying personalities and friendships to more people. Working and documenting experiences for enjoyment. [00:37:03] Filming is done on a phone. Fans appreciate authentic and raw footage. Travel with friends who capture content. [00:44:04] Paying customers better than free; dealing with YouTube comments. [00:50:16] Data-driven approach overcomes fear or success. About Bryce: Bryce Adams is a serial entrepreneur who built her first multi-million dollar business right out of high school. Most recently she's known for being the #1 liked creator on OnlyFans and earns in the top 0.01% of all creators on the platform. She's also the first creator on the platform to have over 1 million active fans. Bryce loves animals and lifting heavy weights. You can find her on Fitbryce.com and Instagram fitbryceadams (both SFW).
#18 The Power of a Statement Piece Point of View w/ Hillary Presswood
July 18, 2023 • 68 MIN
Hillary Presswood is a creative director, positioning coach, and founder of Statement Piece Studio @ hillaryweiss.com. She’s also the former co-host of the cult-favorite Youtube marketing talk show Hillary and Margo Yell at Websites (#HAMYAW), and has had her work featured on Business Insider, The Next Web, The Observer, and more. Since 2011, she’s helped thousands of brands all over the world get seen and heard (and make serious cash) through her 1-1 client work, writing, coaching, and videos. Nowadays, she’s on a mission to help more small businesses define their “statement piece”, a.k.a. the bold point of view that makes them radically relevant to their perfect people.
#17 Educational Content: Deliver Value at Each Stage of your Client Journey w/ Marc Aarons
July 11, 2023 • 13 MIN
On this episode of The Modern Consultant, host Marc Aarons discusses the newly redesigned website and the importance of positioning. Marc introduces the Product Flywheel Framework, which consists of four parts: Revenue Flywheel, Audience Flywheel, Offer flywheel, and Sales flywheel. He emphasizes the Sales flywheel and the role it plays in the customer journey. Marc explains that values-driven decisions are crucial when choosing clients to work with and provides tips on incorporating values into positioning. He also shares the importance of analyzing patterns across clients to align values in service professionals' work. Marc discusses how positioning affects every touchpoint in the customer journey and highlights the value of a diagnostic tool in identifying potential problems and solutions. He uses examples like 16personalities.com and Rubik's cube to illustrate the importance of sequencing and problem-solving. Marc introduces a diagnostic quiz to analyze the product flywheel framework and create custom roadmaps. He stresses the need for a roadmap before starting any project and the impact of delivering content at the right time. Marc concludes the episode by sharing content needs for service professionals in the early stages of the customer journey and encourages feedback.
#16: From $0 to $1M, then $1M to $20M in Course Sales w/ Danielle Leslie
July 4, 2023 • 85 MIN
Danielle Leslie is the CEO of Culture Add Labs, creator of Course From Scratch, a partner in MemberUp, Host of the SINCE3000 podcast, and investor in Yuga Labs and Ocho Wealth. She was called a unicorn by Afrotech for growing her bootstrapped business to $20M+ in 4 years. She’s been called the Millionaire Maker by Forbes because women are generating $1M+ from their online courses after taking Danielle’s programs. She’s been in the online course space for 10+ years and was employee #27 at Udemy. She's helping people leverage their Culture Add, their cultural advantage, to create profitable online courses and lives that are as unique as they are. She’s spoken for Meta, Afrotech, BlogHer, Teachable, Kajabi, and more. She has an email list of over 300,000 people interested in monetizing their personal brands and knowledge online and has taught her free Online Course Masterclass live to over 250,000 people and has over 10,000 Course From Scratch Members. She lives in Los Angeles, CA, and is a shining example that we are all alchemists—all born with the power to transform our thoughts, word, and story into our dream business and life.
#15: Lessons from selling a 7-figure E-Commerce brand and starting a course business w/ Gamal Codner
June 27, 2023 • 47 MIN
Gamal, an accomplished entrepreneur, sold his 7-figure e-comm brand in under 4 years. Now he teaches entrepreneurs how to turn their lifestyle businesses into desirable businesses people want to buy. With $10M+ raised and 9 successful business transactions totaling over $50 million, Gamal is an official Shopify & Amazon-verified coach. His consulting practice has helped 20,000+ founders generate over $96M annually in trackable revenue.
#14: Sleep Is A Skill: Sleep Optimization Strategies w/ Mollie Eastman
June 20, 2023 • 46 MIN
Mollie Eastman (McGlocklin) is the creator of Sleep Is A Skill, and the host of The Sleep Is A Skill Podcast. Sleep Is A Skill is a company that optimizes people’s sleep through a unique blend of technology, accountability, and behavioral change. After navigating insomnia while traveling internationally, she created what she couldn’t find - a place to go to learn the skill set of sleep. With a background in behavioral change from The Nonverbal Group, she became fascinated with chronobiology and its practical application to sleep and our overall experience of life. Knowing the difference between a life with sleep and without, she’s now dedicated her life to sharing the forgotten skill set of sleep. In the spirit of that goal, she has created the #2 sleep podcast, written a popular weekly sleep newsletter for over four years, partnered with luxury hotels & lifestyle brands, and has appeared on over 150 podcasts.
#13: From a $5K investment to a boring $12M per year business w/ Nathan Hirsch
June 13, 2023 • 43 MIN
Nathan Hirsch is a lifelong entrepreneur and focuses on the unsexy or boring parts of entrepreneurship (bookkeeping and hiring). He is currently the CEO of EcomBalance/AccountsBalance and Outsource School. Nathan is best known for co-founding FreeUp.net in 2015 with an initial $5,000 investment, scaling it to $12 million in yearly revenue, and having it acquired in 2019. Today, he leads EcomBalance/ AccountsBalance, an online monthly bookkeeping service for eCommerce and digital businesses, and Outsource School, a membership teaching business owners how to hire effectively online. Nathan has appeared on 700+ podcasts and you can follow him on LinkedIn. --- Ready to go from idea to implementation? Join The Modern Consultant email list, and we’ll share weekly emails and a monthly free workshop for you to productize and scale your expertise. https://bit.ly/3oD6g5T If you’re interested in becoming a client, then also join the email list to hear when new client enrollments are available.
#12: From $3K to $100K Contracts, Depression, Then Pitching $1M w/ Jude Charles
June 6, 2023 • 107 MIN
For over 17 years, Jude Charles has been producing documentaries for entrepreneurs. He has produced stories for Google, Steve Harvey, and dozens of visionary CEOs. Jude is the author of Dramatic Demonstration. This book is a roadmap that teaches you how to dig deep to find compelling stories that no one else knows, and then leverage those stories to grow your business. Jude’s mission is to lead and empower entrepreneurs to have relentless, unwavering courage. --- Ready to go from idea to implementation? Join The Modern Consultant email list, and we’ll share weekly emails and a monthly free workshop for you to productize and scale your expertise. https://bit.ly/3oD6g5T If you’re interested in becoming a client, then also join the email list to hear when new client enrollments are available.
#11: We’re a Top 10% Globally Ranked Podcast with only 10 Episodes?
May 30, 2023 • 17 MIN
In just a few episodes, we’ve become a top 10% globally ranked podcast. In today’s episode, I take you on a behind-the-scenes journey of how we got here, mistakes made, lessons learned. I also share a few life updates, business updates, and where we plan to take the podcast from here.
#10: Profit First Professional sheds light on the growth challenges of $1M, $10M, and $100M Businesses w/ Rocky Lalvani
May 23, 2023 • 55 MIN
Today’s guest is Rocky Lalvani, founder of Profit Comes First - a website where he weaves together his expertise in Economics, Pharmaceutical Sales, Profit First and being a fractional Chief Financial Officer to demystify financial growth for small businesses. Remarkable, since Rocky started with nothing when his parents immigrated to the United States when he was two years old, and his parents already being in their 40's. Even more remarkable when you learn that just a few years later, his mother passed away when he was just 7 years old. Despite every imaginable challenge that would create, he sees it as ever the more reason to live life fully, and in alignment with values that make life meaningful. In today’s episode, we start with profit, but we end with the priceless value of life. --- Ready to go from idea to implementation? Join The Modern Consultant email list, and we’ll share weekly emails and a monthly free workshop for you to productize and scale your expertise. https://bit.ly/3oD6g5T If you’re interested in becoming a client, then also join the email list to hear when new client enrollments are available.
#9: Consultant to Coder: 1 Year to 100 Legal Firms Using His SaaS App w/ Wouter IJgosse
May 16, 2023 • 62 MIN
Wouter IJgosse is the founder of DecisionVault.com, a SaaS app that helps legal practices and estate planning attorneys streamline data flow and simplify client intake. In just one year, Wouter has grown his user base from just one (his wife) to over 100 legal firms. Join me as I learn firsthand from Wouter: - How hitchhiking through 22 countries prepared him for entrepreneurship - How he transitioned from consultant to coder - The pros and cons of being a technical vs non-technical founder - How much you can expect to spend on app development as a non-technical founder - How to know if including SaaS in your consulting business model makes sense or not - How to select your first hire as you scale your SaaS company --- Ready to go from idea to implementation? Join The Modern Consultant email list, and we’ll share weekly emails and a monthly free workshop for you to productize and scale your expertise. https://bit.ly/3oD6g5T If you’re interested in becoming a client, then also join the email list to hear when new client enrollments are available.
#8: From Music Production to $100M Sales w/ Brian Speronello
May 9, 2023 • 72 MIN
In this episode of The Modern Consultant podcast, I have the pleasure of hosting Brian Speronello. As a sales copywriter and growth strategist, Brian has helped his private clients generate over $100 million in sales. And when he’s not breaking sales records, you might find him over at freelancelikeapro.com, helping the next generation of freelancers make the leap to full-time. That said, here’s what we covered: -How Brian’s Dad being a chemical engineer influenced (and didn’t influence) his choice of career -How and why Brian left the corporate consulting world for independent consulting -How he got started in strategic marketing for one of the Top 5 PR firms in the United States -Why and how he left for the world of direct response marketing -When consultants and teams of consultants should and shouldn’t hire sales copywriters -What product/service offer mix of low-ticket, medium-ticket, or high-ticket offers make sense for consultants -How much you should expect to invest before validating an online offer -When to learn sales copywriting yourself and when to hire for it ----------- Ready to go from idea to implementation? Join The Modern Consultant email list, and we’ll share weekly emails and a monthly free workshop for you to productize and scale your expertise. https://bit.ly/3oD6g5T If you’re interested in becoming a client, then also join the email list to hear when new client enrollments are available.
#7: How to attract Fortune 500 Clients like Verizon and IBM w/ Earle Richards
May 2, 2023 • 64 MIN
Earle Richards is an experienced strategy, operations, and analytics professional that’s sought after by Fortune 500 clients like Verizon and IBM as well as brands that you’ll probably hear about in the future. Whether you’re a consultant wanting to grow your thought leadership or someone that wants to understand the psychology of top performing consultants before starting a project, then today’s episode is for you. Inside, we cover: -How 70% of all new business for him comes through referrals -How he implemented an inbound marketing strategy that got IBM, Verizon and others to come knocking on his digital doorstep -When and why not to productize your consulting -How to onboard and guide Fortune 500 clients through successful projects -The little known “tells” that reveal when a project is likely to fail -The growth stages of an independent consultant’s journey -- Ready to go from idea to implementation? Join The Modern Consultant email list, and we’ll share weekly emails and a monthly free workshop for you to productize and scale your expertise. https://bit.ly/3oD6g5T If you’re interested in becoming a client, then also join the email list to hear when new client enrollments are available.
#6: The Conversion Framework That Grew His Client From $13,000/mo. to $202,000/mo w/ Ross O’Lochlainn
April 25, 2023 • 91 MIN
Ross O’Lochlainn is a former engineer-turned-conversion strategist who runs Conversion Engineering — a company that helps education and coaching business owners sell more programs without relying on the launch model. In today’s episode we cover: [4:47] – Who is the man behind Conversion Engineering? [15:40] – Ross shares the appeal of applying engineering to human psychology and marketing [21:22] – How did Ross make the shift from engineering to marketing? [27:39] – Knowing everything now, what would Ross tell to himself if he could go back in time? [32:44] – Ross discusses the Offer Cube [36:55] – How did Ross come up with the Conversion Engineering Model? [48:12] – What books assisted Ross in his consulting journey? [59:51] – How do you incorporate the Conversion Engineering Model to your business? [1:10:32] – How do you find the right people for your business? [1:18:12] – Ross shares how the market always evolves and moves from one thing to the next [1:27:49] – What personal and professional books Ross recommends that could change your life Ready to go from idea to implementation? Join The Modern Consultant email list, and we’ll share weekly emails and a monthly free workshop for you to productize and scale your expertise. https://bit.ly/3oD6g5T If you’re interested in becoming a client, then also join the email list to hear when new client enrollments are available.
#5: From Wall Street Finance to Scaling 500 Digital Agencies w/ Juliana Marulanda
April 18, 2023 • 80 MIN
In today's episode of The Modern Consultant, we welcome Juliana Marulanda, a former Wall Street professional turned founder of ScaleTime, a business operations consultancy that has helped scale 500 digital marketing agencies. Join us as we discuss the challenges of scaling in various industries, particularly for consultants and service providers. We'll explore why consulting is one of the toughest business models to scale and how to paraglide above the most common growth plateaus and pitfalls. We'll also dive into scaling with a team versus productizing services, one-on-one versus group program models, and also cohort-based delivery models. If you're looking to productize your expertise without compromising client outcomes, this is the episode for you. Learn more about Scale Time: https://scaletime.co/ ----------- Ready to go from idea to implementation? Join The Modern Consultant email list, and we’ll share weekly emails and a monthly free workshop for you to productize and scale your expertise. https://marcaarons.ck.page/e80656462f If you’re interested in becoming a client, then also join the email list to hear when new client enrollments are available.
#4: From $7/hr Programmer To 7-Figure Agency w/ Primoz Bozic
April 11, 2023 • 124 MIN
Primoz Bozic is the founder of media properties such as PrimozBozic.com, CopywritingProdigy.com, and StrategicParenting.com. In today’s episode, we cover his journey from a $7 per hour programmer to 7-figure marketing agency owner in Slovenia, where the average hourly rate is $10 per hour. While there’s no shortage of insightful gems for professional marketers and online business builders, we also get personal, starting with who he was before starting his consulting journey: - Bullying that led to him repeating the last year of high school - Breakdancing his way out of depression - How he left his “hobby” of national Slovenian powerlifting and is now practicing yoga in Copenhagen, Thailand We cover it all. If you already know Primoz, then prepare to discover stories he’s never shared before. ----------- Ready to go from idea to implementation? Join The Modern Consultant email list, and we’ll share weekly emails and a monthly free workshop for you to productize and scale your expertise. https://marcaarons.ck.page/e80656462f If you’re interested in becoming a client, then also join the email list to hear when new client enrollments are available.
#3: From Academia to Ethical Online Marketing w/ Margo Aaron
March 29, 2023 • 58 MIN
In this episode of The Modern Consultant podcast, I have the pleasure of hosting Margo Aaron. Margo is the co-founder of Brainstorm Road, a community of practice for shipping your dream project. Her work has been featured in Inc, The Observer, Thrive Global, and Thought Catalog. She's taught thousands of students how to sell honestly and market ethically through her online courses. You can find her over at ThatSeemsImportant.com where she writes the most popular unknown newsletter on the internet. Topics we cover: - How Margo went from academic research to marketing - Why the world of personal development is helpful for marketers - To understand human behavior, use empathy and perspective taking. - Can marketers use positive psychology to motivate buyers? - Should your marketing include stories that are painful for your audience? - From consultant to online creator: how should we mentally prepare? - How to set boundaries in business and creative expression - How vulnerable should consultants be online? - How can consultants get better at messaging without becoming professional copywriters? - How should consultants market to people who don't know their brand or track record? - What would "Margo the Marketer" travel back in time to tell "Margo the Researcher"? - Where can we find out more about Margo? ----------- Ready to go from idea to implementation? Join The Modern Consultant email list, and we’ll share weekly emails and a monthly free workshop for you to productize and scale your expertise. https://marcaarons.ck.page/e80656462f If you’re interested in becoming a client, then also join the email list to hear when new client enrollments are available.
#2: From Grad School to 700,000 Website Visitors w/ Marc Aarons
March 29, 2023 • 58 MIN
To kick the show off, we wanted to do something special. Here's the backstory: Recently, I had the opportunity to be interviewed by my friend and fellow podcaster, Brandon Fong. He has a top 2% globally ranked show where he’s interviewed NYT bestselling authors, former Olympians, and one of the original sharks from Shark Tank. Something you wouldn’t know though is that in the highlight reel for his podcast, he has guest after guest saying that out of hundreds of interviews, Brandon’s was the best. After being interviewed by Brandon myself, I can say with confidence that I agree, which is why I asked him if he'd let me use the interview to kick off the show. Here’s a touch of what we cover: - How I grew up as an Encyclopedia kid - How I immigrated to the United States when I was 16 to go to college. - How becoming a research assistant on a Harvard-led study taught me the basics of copywriting - How an online course helped me grow my first website to 700,000 visitors. - How sending surveys to your audience can tell you who they are, what they want to buy, and what price points they want to buy it at - Why I launched The Modern Consultant I’m excited to share this one because, honestly, it’s a fun chance to share more of my life in a way I’ve never done before. Want to check out more of Brandon's episodes? Check out his show here: https://link.chtbl.com/7fm
#1: Welcome To The Modern Consultant
March 29, 2023 • 16 MIN
Welcome to the first episode of the Modern Consultant! Meet your host, Marc Aarons, as he shares: - The "Why" behind the Modern Consultant - Who this show is for - Who this show is NOT for - What you can expect as a listener