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Hello, hello, hello, my podcast people and thank you for joining me for yet another episode of My favorite podcast. Merry Christmas to you if you celebrate, if you don't, Merry Monday, and welcome to the second to last episode of 2023 and the last solo episode of 2023. If you're listening to this on the day that it drops, it is Monday, December 25th.
And we are talking about my top five online business predictions for 2024. But first two housekeeping items slash important announcements. Number one, this Thursday will be the final episode for 2023, and it's going to be a guest episode with two of my favorites, Meredith Root and Alex Parker. If you've been listening, to the, you know, previous episodes and, you know, I was kind of going back and forth. Should I drop that episode on Christmas or on Thursday? So I had to go with Thursday so that I could get this announcement out first. Um, it's the 11 billionth time that they've come on. I already recorded the episode and it was really fun.
Yes. We talk about business and kind of like lifestyle and setting goals and things like that, but the episode was largely, you know, friends shooting the shit. Not like in the bro chacho way. We you're like, shut up. Right? Not in that way. We talked about them as a couple. We talked about them coming out and being out.
We talked about living life authentically. We talked about pleated pants. We talked about Doc Martens. We talked about The L Word. The L Word is a show. For those of you who don't know, The L Word is a show. And we had some hot takes on that. But overall, it was just a really, really great episode. And I hope you check it out.
So that'll be out this Thursday. Second announcement, as of 2024, which is like, what, like next week, I am going to be moving to one episode, one podcast episode per week. It will drop on Monday. The same way we've been doing these Monday episodes. It'll be on, um, YouTube as well. Um, the show itself isn't going anywhere, right?
Anywhere. Right. Maestro on the Mic isn't going anywhere. I'm just making space for, I don't even know what, but, you know, addition by subtraction is a very real thing. So I'm taking away one of the episodes. My word for the year, I'm pretty sure it's going to be write, W R I T E. And I know that I'm going to need energy, like mental energy, just a lot of energy to build that habit.
Writing comes pretty easily and I'm going to say I'm good at writing, but, I do need the energy to build that habit because right now it's kind of write, writing as I want to, even though I do tend to get it done weekly. Um, I want to be more intentional about that and that's going to take energy in order to build that habit.
So creating some space for that. Also just making space for something new. I don't know what yet. I do feel that the business or, you know, me personally, it's kind of moving in a different direction or a new direction. And I don't know what that is, but the only way that I'm going to get to that direction is having the space to allow for that, to, to fill in.
So I'm doing that. Um, the coolest part about running my own business is that if I want to go back to two episodes, I can. I know that I have the bandwidth to do it. Oh, hit the mic. I know I have the bandwidth to do it. And you know, it comes fairly easy. Um, You know, in, in that same vein, I do not feel like I'm going through the motions with making two podcasts episodes, but it feels like I could, like, I could get there and I can get there very quickly.
And I don't want that. I really enjoy making this kind of content and I want to stay enjoying it. And so I think that by cutting back to one, I can stay really excited about it and be like, Oh, I'm excited to put that in the next episode. Um, but then it also have space to lean into whatever other endeavor it is.
I really don't know. I have some ideas bopping around, but oftentimes the universe is like, you have a plan, do whatever, you know, we're gonna do something else. So we'll see, cutting back to one. And also as of 2024, I will have 540 podcast episodes for you and anyone that is listening, to pick from. I do feel like I'm kind of getting to a point where I'm like, I've said everything I want to say.
People have a question. I'm like, I said it, that was episode 239. So while I know that once is never, I am totally here for having that second, third, fourth, fifth, 11 billionth time that someone needs to hear that I'm all for having that be them hearing it via searching for that episode and then listening to a previous episode.
So that in mind, I feel like I said that in mind and learning times, but that in mind, if you go to www.themovementmaestro.com/podcast, there is a search box that will be at the top of the page. You can type in whatever you want and all of the relevant or, you know, related posts. Um, I should say.
I call them posts, but episodes and blog posts will come up. So you may need to listen to it via the actual website. Um, because like I've told you in the past, I've said in the past, the major players, I'm thinking about Apple podcasts right now, it only shows 300 episodes at a time. This will be episode 539 moving forward.
It'll be, you know, over 500 episodes, which means that those earlier episodes, you will not be able to like go and scroll back on Apple podcast and listen, but you can listen to the, through the website. So cutting it down to one episode. You can search for past episodes. I'm, I'm certain that there is a podcast episode about it.
And if there isn't, please write to me. I've actually had a few of you do that and I love it. And, um, I love when people start the, they start the email or the DM being like, I searched, I tried looking, but I didn't find it. I'm like, bless you. So if you don't find what you're looking for, you can DM me, you can shoot me an email, you can text me.
3107372345. And I am happy to, to make an episode about that. All right. All right. So let's jump into the main topic for today's episode, which is online business predictions for 2024. Right off the bat, I think that we see what we look for and also what is around us to that end. Just remember that when you're listening to any kind of predictions, including mine, and you're listening to marketers in general. I'm not going to lie that it's like, I wanted to insert this piece because I've been scrolling.
Cause I'm always scrolling. I like being on Instagram. I like being online. But I stay getting annoyed when I'm scrolling and I see people sharing content that looks to position something as essential that abso fucking lutely is not essential for success in online business. For example, nothing is dying, right?
Meaning we are dying, but in terms of platforms, people will be like, Oh, X is dying. X is dying. Like people have been saying Facebook is dying. It's thriving, right? Is your demographic there? Are you making reels? Like there's money to be made over there. LinkedIn, LinkedIn be popping off or so I hear. I'm not going over there, but I could very easily say like, eh, LinkedIn isn't worth it, don't do it. Because it's not what's around me.
It's not what I'm looking for. Right. So if someone's saying that something is dying, dying, it's likely that it's just not relevant or desirable for that person. So keep that in mind. Okay.
Second part here, the foundations and the fundamentals as it relates to online business. Will always work, right?
Foundations and fundamentals being, you know, be a goddamn human, a goddamn decent human, that, and actually care about other people. And that's always going to work, and that relating piece will always be at the heart of, of, of business success, online business success. So lean into that, right? Strategy and all that shit aside, just lean into that.
Soft suggestion, if you haven't already, go and read The Go Giver. It's by, uh, I don't even fucking know. Uh, we'll link it in the show notes. We'll link my, uh, Amazon affiliate link, but I assign that to my Instagram Intensive folks each round and I read it again and while it can be a little bit. It's, it's a, it's a made up story.
Right. But, and so it can be a little bit like, ah, you know, eye roll, but also like at the heart of it is legit. And I think that it presents what I consider to be the foundations, the fundamentals of running a successful business. So if you haven't read it. It's a very quick read. You can listen to it on Audible.
It's like a two hour book, super, super short. So check that out. All right, now officially onto the my top five online business predictions slash suggestions for 2024.
Number one, in person business will always be a thing. So if you are in the in person space, go forth and crush it. From a strategy perspective, pound the pavement.
That's how you're going to make those relationships, establish those relationships, and also look to utilize SEO. On like- using social media isn't really as important for a brick and mortar business. Like, yes, have something. I have an entire episode, how to use Instagram for brick and mortar business.
Courtney, thank you. Um, you can listen to that. But I wouldn't be putting all my, my energy there. How does this prediction or suggestion relate to online business? Well, in person is, and always will be, the easiest way to start an online business because it's the fastest way to build trust. So if you're looking to build your online business, go in person as well.
Go and form those relationships, establish those relationships, talk to people, right? If especially you are going B to C, business to consumer. In person is a phenomenal way to learn what your avatar, which is typically the general population, actually wants and is actually ready for. If you're just in the online space and you're only doing things on social media, the algorithm tends to kind of silo you and it attracts, you know, puts you in groups with people that are like you.
So you, if you're like a personal trainer, then you're typically seeing content from other personal trainers. You're a physical therapist, you're seeing content from other physical therapists. Maybe you're following them. And so you think everyone knows this. You're a personal trainer. You think everybody's doing this.
Meanwhile, the average person is not doing that. They don't know that. They're eleventy billion steps behind that. And you don't realize that because you're just seeing people like you. So going in person, going to the airport, friends, go to the airport and see where the average person is at and then tailor your marketing accordingly.
My second online business prediction slash suggestion is that the pandemic boomerang is very real, meaning a lot of folks popped off during the pandemic, because- with their online business, because everybody was online. And then maybe the summer after that, the algorithm, quote unquote, opened up and people went viral and now folks are seeing what it's actually like and just how hard this is, and that the algorithm giveth and the algorithm taketh away. People are dropping out. People are like, fuck this. Like it's, it's, I don't know how to, I can't predict this. Like they have a hard time, um, converting people into actual customers. Right? Because if you built a platform off of entertainment, it can be very difficult to then monetize that.
So we see folks giving up. You listening to this or watching this, keep going. You want to succeed in online business? Keep going.
Third prediction slash suggestion for online business in 2024 is there is a lot of supply. There will continue to be a lot of supply. I mean, there's a lot of people that are providers providing something, selling something online.
The solution to this, three things. Number one, lean into more you. More being M O A R, which is a better, bigger, badder way to spell more. Differentiation in the space or standing out in the space comes from leaning into what I'm going to call your unique relevance. And I was introduced to this term by, um, Ali.
Did I bring her on for a podcast? Maybe did I bring her on? I think I've been talking about it. Either way, brought Ali in for a Mafia dinner and she shared this quote. And she didn't know who said it, but she was like, I can't remember. But here's the quote, “Differentiation is not just being different.
Differentiation is being uniquely relevant.” And I fucking love that. I love that because I see this talk in the online space about standing out. And it's like, is it just standing out to just stand out and just like go do weird shit? No. If you're looking for attention, maybe. Seth Godin talks about that, right?
You can just go set yourself on fire if you want attention, but that's not the attention that you're looking for. What we're thinking about here in terms of differentiation and standing out is actually presenting or leading with what makes you the most qualified to help your avatar. What makes you the best fit to help your people?
And typically it's going to be leaning into more you, leaning into your experiences, leaning into your beliefs, leaning into your values, leaning into your proprietary system, how you like to do things. Right? That's how you're going to differentiate yourself in a very noisy, very crowded space.
Second part here with the antidote for the fact that there's a lot of supply is niche way the fuck down, right?
Niche, the riches are in the niches, especially when your niche is rich, right? But niche, weigh the fuck down. Be okay with quote unquote, smaller numbers. Laura Jean, we had a discussion the other day in the Mafia and she was, she said a great quote. She was like, smaller doesn't mean bad. Uh, small doesn't mean bad.
Get your mind out of the gutter. I'm just going to, or keep it there, whatever you want. You're adults. Autonomy is sexy. The big here, the big thing being, don't be fooled by B2B numbers, right? Business to business numbers, where you're seeing people make these like bazillion dollar months and having these massive launches and just having like 50, 000 people in their fucking ecosystem or whatever.
That's not the standard. That's not the default for things. And I really want, if you kind of circle back to what I said a little bit earlier in the episode and leaning into that book, The Go Giver, really look to relate with people. And the way you're going to do that, it's going to be more on that one to one, one on one basis and quote unquote smaller numbers.
Niche down and then own that niche. Be the person, the go to for that specific thing. Have the courage to niche down, whether it's like you work with women age 50 and above. I see people that are 52, 56, and they're like going after this 40 and above, 35 and above crowd. Fuck that. Go for 50 and above. I always think about Joy, right?
My girl. She is the pregnant and postpartum climbing coach, right? The coach. The only one. The number one coach for pregnant and postpartum climbers. I got my girl Megan, she is the coach for pregnant and postpartum runners, specifically marathon runners and half marathon runner. Niche way the fuck down.
People need to see their name on things to know that it's for them.
Third part of this antidote, if you will, to the fact that there's a lot of supply in the online space is leaning on affiliates and leaning on referrals. Again, when there's a lot of supply, trust is going to be a, it's going to be great for helping people make a decision.
All right. There's a lot of supply. That means people can take their time, which I'm all about. Let people take their take as long as they want to make a decision. One of the things that's going to help them make a decision is someone they trust here and getting a getting a recommendation for some from someone they trust.
We can go and read a bunch of reviews on Amazon, but I know when I read them, I do read all of them, I'm also like is this person like the worst though? Like they had the time leave this review like do they just not know how to like know how to use stuff? Whereas if it's someone that I trust and they're like, now this is the thing, use this. Or like do not use that. Stay away from that from that person.
I really you know place a lot of credence in that. So to that end, look to develop those relations with other people and other business owners and lean on affiliates. I do affiliates for my Instagram Intensive and for those of you that don't know, an affiliate means that the person who sells the thing, they get a commission for selling that, right?
They sell a thing for you and you give them money for doing that. You have looked with this to kind of shortcut the trust cycle, just a little bit, because you're saying, Hey, you trust me. Can you put me in front of your audience so that the trust that you have with your audience, they're willing to extend to me? Obviously at the heart of this, the foundation of this is having that initial relationship where someone wants to be an affiliate for your product. They know that what you're delivering is good. They know that they can, they, they trust, you know, putting you in front of their audience. I know that you're going to deliver on the thing. But I think that that is going to be a phenomenal way, especially, it doesn't really even matter where you're on your business.
You can be more in the beginning phases of things by, by all means. Um, but I think that when there's a lot of supply that, that can be one way that we, um, answer that.
Number four or prediction slash suggestion. Number four for online business in 2024, consider working for someone else. Now this could be a little bit of a hard swill, hard swill.
That's not right. A hard swill, a hard pill to swallow or tough pill to swallow. Side note, I cannot swallow pills. Like really small ones sometimes. But it's never, I just chew things. So it's random, but figured I'd throw it out there. Um, but we saw this entrepreneurial boom that accompanied the pandemic, right? People going out on their own, people realizing that they didn't want to work for shitty bosses, things like that.
And that was awesome. But I think that, you know, in the past three years, some folks have learned that they are phenomenal at delivering a service and maybe that's all they want to do. And they're not so good at the rest of business. Yes, these things can be learned, right? Marketing, advertising, uh, you know, promoting things and, uh, all of that side of it, right, everything else besides actually delivering the service.
But it is very tough to run a business if you don't have those other things. So to that end, perhaps you bring your skills and you work for or with someone else. I'm really thinking about the four domains of the CliftonStrengths here. The four domains, first off, you know what the CliftonStrengths is?
It's a test that you can take. And I recommend it. Gives you language for like what you're good at. I spoke about it in previous episodes. We will link it. I have no, um, like affiliate code or anything like that. Um, no affiliation with them, honestly, but I think it's fucking phenomenal. But they have four domains and those domains are executing, influencing, relationship building, and strategic thinking, right? And so all there's 34 strength total and they, uh, group them into four different domains. You take the test and you can find out the order of those 34 strengths. You have, everyone has all these 34, but they're in a different order. The cheapest test that you can take that they offer will tell you, tell you your top five strengths and it'll tell you like which domains these are in.
What I have found, and I've been talking to Allegra about this, is that folks that don't lead with influencing strengths or relationship building strengths, it can be very tough for them to attract an audience. It can be very tough for them to even build an audience because they really struggle to go and put their work out there.
They really struggle to just post on social media and to make content. They may be phenomenal with executing or strategic thinking, right? But we know that the hardest part of building a business is customer acquisition, right? It's getting the customers. So you can have all these skills and all these, like this ability to do things.
But if you have no customers, very tough. Yes, I always said like, you know, a good product can really, can really go a long way, right? But it can be tough to get that initial, initial customer. If you really struggle with this kind of relationship building or influencing strength.
So let me actually go into that idea a little bit further. For folks that do have the really high in influencing and relationship building strengths. It can be easy to attract an audience. And once you get eyes, that is the hardest part, strategy, layering strategy on, that is like gas, pouring gasoline on a fire, right?
If you can build trust with people, you can attract, attract an audience. You can sell things, right? I know plenty of people and I've worked with them and I was one of them, right? Where you don't have to even have this big, fancy sales page. You could, you don't have to have this big, fancy course, big, fancy funnel.
You could just be like, Hey, I have this thing and I think it might be helpful for you, and if you want to buy it, here's a button. And people will buy it because you've built the trust. They know what you're bringing, they know your values. And so they, they believe that you can solve the problem, or maybe they just want to support you because they really like you, right?
And then you layer strategy on that and it really becomes, you know, gasoline on a fire. The flip side of that is when people don't have that ability or they're not high in those, I don't want to say that because that sounds bad, but they're not high in those strengths. All right. Maybe they're super organized.
They're really good at researching things. That can be really tough to attract the audience, attract the customer. The solution to me there is partner with somebody else or go and work for someone, right? Uh, the, when I talk about this, I think about, uh, CrossFit box owners, where a lot of these folks started a CrossFit box because they like coaching.
They like CrossFit or they like coaching. And then they start a business and they're like, fuck, I have to like clean the floors. I have to manage a team. I have to run payroll. I have to do the financing. I have to do the marketing for this. I have to go and get customers. I have to retain the customers.
And they're like, I just want to coach. And that's it. Maybe that's you. You just want to deliver the service. If so, take your skills and go work for somebody or work with somebody. I want to kind of flip this here so as to not pick on what we call the super learners, which is like, in my mind, I have a specific type of person that I'm thinking about that would be really good to work with somebody else or work for somebody else, right?
Because they just, it's going to be tough for them to attract an audience. I don't want to pick on that person because there is a flip side of this where it's folks that maybe are high in influencing skills, they're high in relationship building skills, but they don't lead with executing skills or executing strength.
These people may have a tough time sticking to one thing, right. Or actually seeing something through. Which can be really difficult for running a business. It can also be difficult for building trust, right? You can get that initial audience, but if you're like ping ponging all around, people are like, wait, what do you do?
Like, to that end, that person may really benefit from working with someone or for someone who holds them to a timeline and a routine. All that to say you don't have to do it alone. If you have, you know, you did the foray, you, you, you tooken, taken the token, wow, taken the trip into the entrepreneurial world and you're like, I don't know about this.
This is, I'm struggling with this. There's something that's missing. All right, last episode I talked about, uh, like basically are you cut out for the entrepreneurial lifestyle or is entrepreneurism for you? Something like that. I don't even remember the title. I'll be talking so much. Um, but if you're like, man, I am really not liking this or I am really struggling, this can be something to think about.
I will strongly suggest that you go and take your CliftonStrengthFinders. I think it's like 25 bucks or something like that because it will give you language and it can help you identify what you are really good at. So on one hand, you could take these things that you're really good at and then look to match with somebody that has, you know, complimentary skills.
But I think for some people can really elucidate why certain things are tough for them. Maybe why it's so tough to post and so tough to show up online. Y'all know that I'm not one for like banging my head against the wall. I'm not one for like championing the struggle. If you want to do something, you're like, yeah, I want to get better at this.
Cool. But I'm won't full support if you're like, this is just so fucking hard. I don't enjoy it. Every day is a struggle. Fucking do something else. All right. Take the things that you're really, really good at, double down, triple down, triple down, quadruple down on them, right? That's going to tie into that more you that we were talking about.
And then maybe you look to work with somebody else or work for somebody else. All right.
Last prediction slash suggestion for online biz in 2024, right? Fifth and final suggestion here, use AI and use it to assist, not create. Um, so AI is phenomenal at doing certain things and horrendous at other things.
Right. We see some of the pictures that makes people be having like, it has a tough time with like appropriate number of limbs and fingers and things like that. But I have not really gone down the rabbit hole of using AI to generate images, but I have used it kind of on the content creation, the word side of things.
Um, and so a non exhaustive list of what AI is great for, namely I've been leaning on chat GPT. Um, but we see a lot of like. So many things, so many programs and software out there has AI built in now or building it in because it's like, yo, we got to keep up with everybody else. Um, Zoom has it built in, uh, Riverside FM, which is the, um, podcasting software I use for remote podcast episodes has it built in, Descript, which is the other editing software that I use has it built in now and the functionality is quite good. So a list of non exhaustive list, non exhaustive list of things that it's good for, podcast show notes, chapters for videos, pulling clips from content. It's kind of meh at this, but I think, I think it's getting better coming up with titles, shortening titles, summarizing texts, or, you know, creating, um.
Creating like a, I don't know what the name of this is, um, but if you're like going to give a talk and you're like, I don't really know how to come up with a blurb for that, it can help you out with that. Um, in terms of summarizing texts, it's also great for creating short form content for social media, or you could create carousels from a blog post.
If you really like to write a lot of stuff, cool. Use it to make shorter posts. You can use it to shorten social media captions. If you're like, man, this is just too long. Cool. Ask it to summarize it for you. Ask it to shorten for you. You can use this to describe your tone and then once it has that description of what your tone is, right, how you write, you can then say that you want it to generate the content or use that tone as it's helping you generate the content. And again, when I say generate content, I mean, you're going to ask it to do something from an input, right? You're going to give it content to make something from. Um, you could ask it, you could ask what to do to change the tone of your content, so as to have a different impact. I'm thinking about right now a client that I'm working with, and I had her use it. She's very good at like listing things out, and like presenting information, and I was like, Hey, you could use AI to give suggestions on how to change the tone so that it is more um, influential, or so that it inspires people to take action.
Because that's a different type of writing. Yeah. So then you have words and you have a, an understanding and explanation of, oh, I see the difference here. And then you can look to lean into that style of writing. Um, lastly, Zoom summaries. For those of you that do your calls via Zoom, Zoom is called, uh, AI companion or something like that.
It's phenomenal. Provides you summaries after you're done. I think I'm gonna start using it for marketing, but you could just send it to your clients and be like, Hey, this is what we talked about. Then you can maybe not, you know, take as copious of notes if that's something that you struggle with. So many things that you can use it for.
The main thing with AI, to understand here is that the better the input, the better the output. And better meaning more specific, right? Which is often the hardest part. And like having the language, AI is kind of like its own language of like inputting these like almost its own language. So my number one resource for that is actually my girl Allegra Stein.
I actually just talked about her a few minutes ago with the CliftonStrengths. But she did a webinar all about how to use chat GPT for your coaching business. And I think she's also so masterful with describing and explaining and teaching how to generate these better inputs and how to come up with these better inputs and what to say to chat GPT so that it actually spits out things that you're like, Oh yeah, I want to use this.
Of course, the stuff that you're going to get from AI, it always tends to sound a little bit robotic and things like that, but it can really be great for just kind of jumpstarting the brain, getting you past some of that writer's block or whatever. Um, so number one resource, Allegra, she did a webinar. On that, you can go to her website, allegra stein.com.
We'll link that in the show notes and you can check out that and purchase that, uh, the replay of that webinar there. Right? So there you have it. My top five online business predictions for 2024. Yes, they're more so suggestions, but it is what it is, right?
To repeat, reiterate, in person will always be a thing. So go forth and crush it if that's what you're doing.
If you're looking to go into online business, remember, um, in person business, fastest way to start an online business and the easiest way to build trust and also the best way to know what the general public, where they're actually at and what will actually help them.
Number two, the pandemic boomerang is real.
People are leaving. They're realizing how hard this shit is. So just keep going.
Number three, there's a lot of supply in the online space. So in order to stand out, lean into more you, niche way the fuck down, and consider leaning on affiliates and referrals.
Number four, consider working with or for someone else.
And then number five. Use AI and use it to assist, not to create.
Um, that's all that I got when it comes to thinking about 2024. I was like, is it going to be longer? No, that's it. I mean, the episode is still longer than the rest of them. Um, but there you have it. My top five online business predictions for 2024.
And don't forget the foundations, the fundamentals will always, always work.
Next episode, this Thursday will be the finest, finest. The finest and the final episode of 2023. It's gonna be that guest episode with Meredith Root and Alex Parker. Would love for you to tune in. Had a blast with that one. After that, the next episode will drop on Monday, January 1st, which is also my 39th birthday.
So, you know, that should be fun. Uh, and we're gonna be moving to one episode per week, which will continue to be published every Monday, just like we've been doing. You'll be able to listen to it here, wherever here is for you. You'll be able to watch it on YouTube. And don't forget, if you go to themovementmaestro.com/podcast you can search for any keyword you want and any episode or blog posts that is relevant will pop up.
All right, as always, just so grateful for your support. It's been a banger of a year and you know, it's weird to like be like, ah, should I do like a wrap up episode? Cause I'm like, but I'm going to talk to you next week and like time is a flat circle. So yes, I know we have this kind of arbitrary, like, yeah, it's like the end of the year, new year, things like that. But, um, we're just going to keep rocking and rolling with this. Yes. It's down to one episode, but that's because we're making, excuse me, down to one episode per week, but that's because we're making space for MOAR.
M O A R. All right. Hope that you are having a phenomenal, phenomenal holiday season, and I will catch you on Thursday. Until next time, friends, Maestro, out.
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