{"id":8141,"date":"2020-11-13T16:50:43","date_gmt":"2020-11-13T16:50:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.growthtools.com\/?p=8141"},"modified":"2021-02-04T16:58:00","modified_gmt":"2021-02-04T16:58:00","slug":"quit-your-day-job","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.growthtools.com\/?p=8141","title":{"rendered":"How This Course Creator Quit Her Day Job and Made $12K per Month with Partnership Marketing"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Eighty hours per week.<\/strong>\u00a0That\u2019s how much <a href=\"https:\/\/shannonmattern.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Shannon Mattern<\/a>\u00a0had to work to keep her business afloat in the fall of 2017. Despite her best efforts, she was tired, running out of ideas, and couldn\u2019t seem to break away from her business for even a few days.<\/p>\n<p>The worst part?<\/p>\n<p>From the outside, it seemed like Shannon had done everything right:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\n<ul style=\"padding-left: 0; margin-left: 0;\">\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\n<ul style=\"padding-left: 0; margin-left: 0;\">\n<li style=\"display: flex; list-style-type: none;\">\u2714 <span style=\"padding-left: 10px;\">She waited until her side business\u00a0replaced her 9-to-5 income to start working on her business full time.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"display: flex; list-style-type: none;\">\u2714 <span style=\"padding-left: 10px;\">She consistently executed and took action every single day.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"display: flex; list-style-type: none;\">\u2714 <span style=\"padding-left: 10px;\">She created great products that her clients loved.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/blog.growthtools.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/ShannonMatternHeadshot.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-8136\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" data-src=\"https:\/\/blog.growthtools.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/ShannonMatternHeadshot.png\" alt=\"A photo of Shannon Mattern\" width=\"304\" height=\"304\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.growthtools.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/ShannonMatternHeadshot.png 1080w, https:\/\/blog.growthtools.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/ShannonMatternHeadshot-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/blog.growthtools.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/ShannonMatternHeadshot-1024x1024.png 1024w, https:\/\/blog.growthtools.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/ShannonMatternHeadshot-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/blog.growthtools.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/ShannonMatternHeadshot-768x768.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 304px) 100vw, 304px\" \/><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-8136\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.growthtools.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/ShannonMatternHeadshot.png\" alt=\"A photo of Shannon Mattern\" width=\"304\" height=\"304\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.growthtools.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/ShannonMatternHeadshot.png 1080w, https:\/\/blog.growthtools.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/ShannonMatternHeadshot-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/blog.growthtools.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/ShannonMatternHeadshot-1024x1024.png 1024w, https:\/\/blog.growthtools.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/ShannonMatternHeadshot-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/blog.growthtools.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/ShannonMatternHeadshot-768x768.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 304px) 100vw, 304px\" \/><\/noscript><\/a><\/p>\n<p>When Shannon started working for herself three years ago, she had high hopes for what she could accomplish. She pictured a higher income, relief from the long hours she put in while working a job and a side hustle, and more time to focus on what she loved: teaching her students how to build DIY websites.<\/p>\n<p>Instead of gaining freedom from her new venture, Shannon found herself financially and physically stressed. She had enough money\u00a0coming in every month, but she was still operating paycheck to paycheck \u2014 only this time with the added expenses that come with self-employment.<\/p>\n<p>For two years, Shannon tried every marketing strategy under the sun, with little success. Then, in the beginning of 2019 \u2014 after two years of hustling \u2014 she started to turn things around.<\/p>\n<p>How?<\/p>\n<p>She focused on one thing and got really good at it.<\/p>\n<p>That one thing was marketing to Other People\u2019s Audiences \u2014 or OPA for short.<\/p>\n<p>These days, Shannon continues to use OPA to pull in $15,000 per month, while working half the hours she used to. Plus, she enjoys her work a lot more.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI love what I do now,\u201d says Shannon. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t feel like a grind anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-8140\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" data-src=\"https:\/\/blog.growthtools.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/55.png\" alt=\"Shannon's Average Monthly Revenue: 2018-2020. You could quit your day job too if your coaching or course revenue looked this good every month.\" width=\"1600\" height=\"916\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.growthtools.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/55.png 1600w, https:\/\/blog.growthtools.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/55-300x172.png 300w, https:\/\/blog.growthtools.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/55-1024x586.png 1024w, https:\/\/blog.growthtools.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/55-768x440.png 768w, https:\/\/blog.growthtools.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/55-1536x879.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\" \/><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-8140\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.growthtools.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/55.png\" alt=\"Shannon's Average Monthly Revenue: 2018-2020. You could quit your day job too if your coaching or course revenue looked this good every month.\" width=\"1600\" height=\"916\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.growthtools.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/55.png 1600w, https:\/\/blog.growthtools.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/55-300x172.png 300w, https:\/\/blog.growthtools.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/55-1024x586.png 1024w, https:\/\/blog.growthtools.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/55-768x440.png 768w, https:\/\/blog.growthtools.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/55-1536x879.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\" \/><\/noscript><\/p>\n<p>In this piece, we\u2019ll walk you through how Shannon was able to grow step by step. We\u2019ll show you:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\n<ul style=\"padding-left: 0; margin-left: 0;\">\n<li style=\"display: flex; list-style-type: none;\">\u2794<span style=\"padding-left: 10px;\">How OPA (partnership marketing) helped Shannon blow past her previous growth goals and plateaus.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"display: flex; list-style-type: none;\">\u2794<span style=\"padding-left: 10px;\">Why partnership marketing worked when dozens of tactics had failed before.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"display: flex; list-style-type: none;\">\u2794<span style=\"padding-left: 10px;\">The biggest \u201cAha!\u201d moment that made Shannon realize she could have fun <em>and<\/em>\u00a0market her business at the same time.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"display: flex; list-style-type: none;\">\u2794<span style=\"padding-left: 10px;\">How she was able to rake in more than $20,000 from one successful partnership, less than six months after trying the tactic for the first time.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><em>We\u2019ve helped many coaches, consultants, and course creators scale their businesses throughout the years. <\/em><em><a href=\"https:\/\/lp.growthtools.com\/skyrocket?utm_source=gc&amp;source=shannon-blogpost\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Book a complimentary strategy session<\/a><\/em><em>\u00a0and we\u2019ll audit your business strategy and talk through a 90-day plan to skyrocket revenue.<br \/>\n<\/em><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h.aqwxqtalf4il\">Why Shannon Got Stuck (Right After Leaving Her Job)<\/h2>\n<p>Every month, Shannon posts an income report on her website, detailing how much money she made the previous month and where it all came from. August 2020 was no exception.<\/p>\n<p>When she <a href=\"https:\/\/shannonmattern.com\/august-2020-income-report\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">looked back<\/a>\u00a0on her growth, she noticed one key problem that stalled her progress right after she jumped into entrepreneurship\u00a0full time: falling victim to Shiny Object Syndrome.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cI was looking at what everyone else was doing to explode their traffic and 10x their email list,\u201d explains Shannon, \u201cso I started chasing shiny objects that pulled me off course.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>See, from 2014 to 2017, Shannon built her side business\u00a0from zero to $5,000 per month using just a handful of tactics. Her first winners included building an email list, creating valuable content to give her audience, and SEO.<\/p>\n<p>After leaving her full-time job, Shannon felt pressure to perform. Her small business\u00a0needed to <em>grow<\/em>. So she tried every tactic she could think of.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI was doing everything,\u201d says Shannon. \u201cI was on Instagram, I was doing SEO, I was on Pinterest \u2014 every single tactic that you could possibly think of. I was trying to go all-in on all of them all at the same time. And it was exhausting.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>After a year of trying the \u201cdo everything\u201d strategy, Shannon was feeling burned out, tired of living hand to mouth, and was down to her last few thousand dollars in savings. She knew she needed to change her approach, but she wasn\u2019t sure how.<\/p>\n<p>Then, in December 2019, she read about the Growth Tools Partnership Accelerator. Shannon had been reading the Growth Tools blog for some time, so she was immediately interested, but she was hesitant. She\u2019d already bought or consumed <em>dozens<\/em>\u00a0of trainings\u00a0before \u2014 with little success.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI was like, \u2018Am I really going to spend more money on another course?\u2019\u201d says Shannon, \u201cBut it was different. It was an intensive thing where you actually show up and get some one-on-one feedback.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>So Shannon signed up, and beginning in January 2020, went all-in on partnership marketing. Soon, she found the program to be a total game-changer for her marketing skill set\u00a0and business.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h.1apgn4h2n6pb\">Shannon Accelerates Her Growth with OPA<\/h2>\n<p>There were two factors that ultimately made Shannon decide to sign up for the Growth Tools Partnership Accelerator:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>She knew this wouldn\u2019t just be another course where materials were fed through an online platform. Instead, Shannon had weekly calls with a live coach who would answer her questions and feed her suggestions one on one.<\/li>\n<li>Shannon realized something about her own strategy had to change. What she had done up to that point wasn\u2019t working, and if she didn\u2019t do something soon, she\u2019d burn out and her own business\u00a0would fall apart. \u201cSomething had to give,\u201d she explained. \u201cMy strategy was unsustainable.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Shannon also trusted our Growth Tools team because we told her exactly what she was going to do before she signed up for the program. She scheduled a free strategy session (<a href=\"https:\/\/lp.growthtools.com\/skyrocket?utm_source=gc&amp;source=shannon-blogpost\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">you can schedule your own strategy session by clicking here<\/a>), one of our coaches talked with her about her business, and together they decided partnership marketing would be the right fit for her growth goals.<\/p>\n<p>You can learn more about OPA in our <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.growthtools.com\/blog\/partnership-marketing\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Partnership Marketing 101 post<\/a>, but here\u2019s the gist of it:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Find a content creator in a space related to yours.<\/li>\n<li>Pitch them on how you could educate their audience for free.<\/li>\n<li>Teach their audience something awesome.<\/li>\n<li>Watch the leads pour in.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Basically, you find people who are already talking to your target audience and offer to give away free value in exchange for exposure.<\/p>\n<p>Let\u2019s clarify a bit with an example.<\/p>\n<p>When a Hollywood producer is launching a new movie, do you see them running Facebook ads? Nope.<\/p>\n<p>What about sending emails out to an email list? Nope again.<\/p>\n<p>What they do<em>\u00a0<\/em>is send their top stars on a publicity circuit to visit Ellen, Jimmy Fallon, and other media outlets. The stars help Jimmy and Ellen entertain their audiences and get the word out for their new movie at the same time.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s a win-win.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-8138\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" data-src=\"https:\/\/blog.growthtools.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/56.png\" alt=\"Hollywood makes movie &gt; Actors + Actresses hit the news circuit &gt; Show hosts get free content &gt; Audience hears about the movie &gt; $$$ Tickets sell\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1144\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.growthtools.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/56.png 1600w, https:\/\/blog.growthtools.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/56-300x215.png 300w, https:\/\/blog.growthtools.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/56-1024x732.png 1024w, https:\/\/blog.growthtools.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/56-768x549.png 768w, https:\/\/blog.growthtools.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/56-1536x1098.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\" \/><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-8138\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.growthtools.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/56.png\" alt=\"Hollywood makes movie &gt; Actors + Actresses hit the news circuit &gt; Show hosts get free content &gt; Audience hears about the movie &gt; $$$ Tickets sell\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1144\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.growthtools.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/56.png 1600w, https:\/\/blog.growthtools.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/56-300x215.png 300w, https:\/\/blog.growthtools.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/56-1024x732.png 1024w, https:\/\/blog.growthtools.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/56-768x549.png 768w, https:\/\/blog.growthtools.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/56-1536x1098.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\" \/><\/noscript><\/p>\n<p>And you don\u2019t need to be a movie star to make this strategy work for you. You just need a valuable skill worth sharing. Then, you only have to find the right people to partner with, and making your business stand out\u00a0becomes simple. For Shannon, this strategy was a no-brainer.<\/p>\n<p>Why?<\/p>\n<p>First of all, she knew she had a skill that a lot of people\u00a0wanted to learn about. She previously had sold a DIY web design course and received rave reviews. She just needed to get in front of more people.<\/p>\n<p>Second, she understood that partnerships are the number one way to grow a coaching or course business from zero to six \u2014 or even seven \u2014 figures. Here\u2019s why they work so well:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\n<ul style=\"padding-left: 0; margin-left: 0;\">\n<li style=\"display: flex; list-style-type: none;\">\u2794<span style=\"padding-left: 10px;\">They require no previous experience, results, or marketing expertise.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"display: flex; list-style-type: none;\">\u2794<span style=\"padding-left: 10px;\">All you have to do to get more customers is teach \u2014 something a coach or course creator is already doing.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"display: flex; list-style-type: none;\">\u2794<span style=\"padding-left: 10px;\">Most importantly,<strong>\u00a0it\u2019s the fastest way to get in front of an audience without having to build one from scratch<\/strong>.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>That last point was a big deal to Shannon,\u00a0who realized that an audience was the puzzle piece she\u2019d been missing in her marketing.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNone of my previous training worked until I had an audience,\u201d explained Shannon. \u201cAfter I worked with Growth Tools, I could apply what I knew in a whole new way.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Shannon also had an existing podcast\u00a0called \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/shannonmattern.com\/blog\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Pep Talks for Side Hustlers<\/a>,\u201d which made outreach easier. She already felt comfortable with audio interviews and could offer to swap features with her target partners.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-8137\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" data-src=\"https:\/\/blog.growthtools.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/pasted-image-0.png\" alt=\"Pep + Talks for side hustlers\" width=\"1152\" height=\"866\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.growthtools.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/pasted-image-0.png 1152w, https:\/\/blog.growthtools.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/pasted-image-0-300x226.png 300w, https:\/\/blog.growthtools.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/pasted-image-0-1024x770.png 1024w, https:\/\/blog.growthtools.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/pasted-image-0-768x577.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1152px) 100vw, 1152px\" \/><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-8137\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.growthtools.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/pasted-image-0.png\" alt=\"Pep + Talks for side hustlers\" width=\"1152\" height=\"866\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.growthtools.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/pasted-image-0.png 1152w, https:\/\/blog.growthtools.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/pasted-image-0-300x226.png 300w, https:\/\/blog.growthtools.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/pasted-image-0-1024x770.png 1024w, https:\/\/blog.growthtools.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/pasted-image-0-768x577.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1152px) 100vw, 1152px\" \/><\/noscript><\/p>\n<p>That highlights another great point about partnerships: They let you start where you\u2019re comfortable. For Shannon, this meant podcasts.\u00a0If you\u2019re terrible with audio but have a great writing mind, you can start with blogs or <a href=\"https:\/\/growthtools.com\/ag\/execute-a-%E2%80%9Cguest-emailing%E2%80%9D-partnership?\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">guest emailing<\/a>. You can do whatever works for you.<\/p>\n<p>But the biggest win for Shannon was her ability to <strong>focus<\/strong>. Now, instead of running around chasing shiny objects, she was able to get really good at one thing. And soon, her efforts paid off.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h.ala4tfq3lliw\">How Shannon Raked in More Than $20K from Just One Partnership<\/h2>\n<p>Here\u2019s an example of how this works. For one of her partnerships, Shannon reached out to another course creator, <a href=\"https:\/\/expertvatraining.com\/meet-kathy-goughenour\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Kathy Goughenour<\/a>,\u00a0who trains people to become virtual assistants (VAs).<\/p>\n<p>Shannon knew this would be a great fit because VAs often help people with website marketing tasks, and that\u2019s exactly what Shannon teaches people to do. She teaches people to build websites and market themselves online without being techy \u2014 perfect for VAs who help successful entrepreneurs.<\/p>\n<p>So she started by inviting Kathy onto her podcast. And because this was one of Shannon\u2019s first times\u00a0pitching a partner, she went for a very soft ask.<\/p>\n<p>Instead of pitching upfront, Shannon talked to Kathy after the podcast\u00a0and said, \u201cI help people build websites even if they\u2019re not technical. If you ever have a need for that, I\u2019d love to set up another time to talk and partner together.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Immediately, Kathy invited Shannon to present to her audience. As it turns out, virtual assistants often have a ton of questions about web design, but Kathy didn\u2019t have any resources or experts to turn to for information.<\/p>\n<p>A few weeks later, Shannon hosted an hour-long presentation in her new partner\u2019s group. By the end of the training, several people had signed up for Shannon\u2019s free web design email training, and over the next few months, for paid programs.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-8139\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" data-src=\"https:\/\/blog.growthtools.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Screen-Shot-2020-11-09-at-3.01.20-PM.png\" alt=\"WordPress + Demystified: How to create an amazing website for your VA business (even if you're not techie)! With Kathy Goughenour of Expert VA Training and Shannon Mattern\" width=\"1600\" height=\"902\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.growthtools.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Screen-Shot-2020-11-09-at-3.01.20-PM.png 1600w, https:\/\/blog.growthtools.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Screen-Shot-2020-11-09-at-3.01.20-PM-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/blog.growthtools.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Screen-Shot-2020-11-09-at-3.01.20-PM-1024x577.png 1024w, https:\/\/blog.growthtools.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Screen-Shot-2020-11-09-at-3.01.20-PM-768x433.png 768w, https:\/\/blog.growthtools.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Screen-Shot-2020-11-09-at-3.01.20-PM-1536x866.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\" \/><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-8139\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.growthtools.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Screen-Shot-2020-11-09-at-3.01.20-PM.png\" alt=\"WordPress + Demystified: How to create an amazing website for your VA business (even if you're not techie)! With Kathy Goughenour of Expert VA Training and Shannon Mattern\" width=\"1600\" height=\"902\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.growthtools.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Screen-Shot-2020-11-09-at-3.01.20-PM.png 1600w, https:\/\/blog.growthtools.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Screen-Shot-2020-11-09-at-3.01.20-PM-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/blog.growthtools.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Screen-Shot-2020-11-09-at-3.01.20-PM-1024x577.png 1024w, https:\/\/blog.growthtools.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Screen-Shot-2020-11-09-at-3.01.20-PM-768x433.png 768w, https:\/\/blog.growthtools.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Screen-Shot-2020-11-09-at-3.01.20-PM-1536x866.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\" \/><\/noscript><\/p>\n<p><strong>Looking back, Shannon can attribute more than $20,000 in revenue to that one hour-long training in a Facebook group.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Shannon continues to use OPA as her primary marketing tool to this day, and in August 2020 she brought in more than $19,000 of revenue \u2014 her biggest month so far.<\/p>\n<p>Now, Shannon has:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\n<ul style=\"padding-left: 0; margin-left: 0;\">\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\n<ul style=\"padding-left: 0; margin-left: 0;\">\n<li style=\"display: flex; list-style-type: none;\">\u274c <span style=\"padding-left: 10px;\">No more 80 hour work weeks.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"display: flex; list-style-type: none;\">\u274c <span style=\"padding-left: 10px;\">No more financial stress about whether or not she\u2019s going to be able to pay her bills.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"display: flex; list-style-type: none;\">\u274c <span style=\"padding-left: 10px;\">No more one-on-one clients that suck up her time.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><em>And<\/em>, as an added bonus, she now enjoys her work more than ever. \u201cI just get to show up, do what I love doing, and not \u2018sell,\u2019\u201d she explains. \u201cAll I have to do is say \u2018Hey, if you want to learn more, go here,\u2019 and send them to my funnel.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s way more fun than just selling all the time.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3 id=\"h.xlk1ka10usha\">Shannon Doubled Her List Growth with OPA<\/h3>\n<p>When we talked to Shannon, we also asked her to tell us about her success in terms of a common metric: Email list growth.<\/p>\n<p>Her answer?<\/p>\n<p>It depends. \u201cIt\u2019s hard to say an average,\u201d says Shannon, \u201cbecause I just hammered down on partnerships so much. It could have been 20 to 50 for one partnership, then hundreds for another one.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Part of the reason email subscribers\u00a0vary in number so much is that <strong>Shannon specifically looks for <\/strong><strong>subscriber<\/strong><strong>\u00a0quality, not just quantity. <\/strong>Now that she has the hang of partnerships, she is at the point where she can vet potential partners to make sure they\u2019re likely to promote her to their audience.<\/p>\n<p>Still, in just a few short months, Shannon used OPA to more than double her list growth rate, while keeping the focus on quality.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI was bringing in maybe 100 or 150 new email subscribers\u00a0before,\u201d she explains. \u201c<strong>Now I\u2019m adding sometimes five or six hundred every month<\/strong>, and it\u2019s quality over quantity, too.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h.jyptw17q2t2u\">How Coaching Helped Shannon When Courses Couldn\u2019t<\/h2>\n<p>These days, Shannon is excited to continue partnering with other course creators and coaches. She still uses her own podcast\u00a0to open doors and start conversations, but she\u2019s adjusted to using more direct asks\u00a0in her outreach.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Growth Tools coaches called me out on my soft pitches,\u201d says Shannon. \u201cThey said inviting people on the podcast\u00a0was great, but there was no reason not to go for a direct ask.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>It took a bit of encouragement and mental work to start using more direct asks, but when she did get used to it, Shannon realized that it was all just a mental game.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou can still build a genuine relationship and add a ton of value without the slow playing that I was doing,\u2019\u201d she explains. \u201cI was totally out of my comfort zone, but I did it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In addition to calling her out when she needed to overcome mental blocks, Shannon credits the personalized attention and pace of the coaching program as deciding factors in her success.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m very independent, so <strong>I loved that the coaches just gave me everything I needed to hit the ground running,\u201d<\/strong>\u00a0says Shannon.<\/p>\n<p>In addition to regular check-ins, her coaches also made themselves available for impromptu questions. This allowed her to work through the program very quickly while still getting the support she needed.<\/p>\n<p>At the end of the day, it was Shannon\u2019s ability to focus on the <strong>one thing<\/strong>\u00a0that would move her business forward and give her the cash flow\u00a0she needed to truly escape the 9 to 5.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat I learned from Growth University was a really solid, stable way of marketing my business that springboarded me to where I am now,\u201d Shannon says. \u201cAnd I\u2019m super grateful for that experience.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h.66aritwbtqia\">Stuck in a Marketing Rut? Try OPA<\/h2>\n<p>If you\u2019re reading this right now and thinking, \u201cWow, Shannon is a boss. I could never make $15,000 in one month,\u201d I\u2019ve got two things to say to you:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>You\u2019re right. Shannon is a boss.<\/li>\n<li>You\u2019re wrong. The strategies we talked about in the blog CAN help you fully quit your day job\u00a0and make $10K per month or more.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>You don\u2019t need to grind out 80-hour work weeks.<\/p>\n<p>You don\u2019t need to juggle 17 different marketing tactics.<\/p>\n<p>You don\u2019t need a complex, multi-part funnel with 11 upsells and downsells.<\/p>\n<p>You <em>do<\/em>\u00a0need direction, focus, and a healthy dose of gettin\u2019 it done. And sometimes, you might need a little push to get you started.<\/p>\n<p>If that sounds like you, do me a favor. Get out a piece of paper and answer this question:<\/p>\n<p><strong>If you had to pitch five people next week on a partnership for your business, who would they be? <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Write down the answer. Now go do it.<\/p>\n<p>Who knows? You could be the next OPA success story.<\/p>\n<p><em>We\u2019ve helped many coaches, consultants and course creators scale their businesses throughout the years. <\/em><em><a href=\"https:\/\/lp.growthtools.com\/skyrocket?utm_source=gc&amp;source=shannon-blogpost\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Book a complimentary strategy session<\/a><\/em><em>\u00a0and we\u2019ll audit your business strategy and talk through a 90-day plan to skyrocket revenue.<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Eighty hours per week.\u00a0That\u2019s how much Shannon Mattern\u00a0had to work to keep her business afloat in the fall of 2017&#8230;.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8140,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,14],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8141","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-case-study","category-marketing-coaching"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.growthtools.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8141","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.growthtools.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.growthtools.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.growthtools.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.growthtools.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=8141"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blog.growthtools.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8141\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.growthtools.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/8140"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.growthtools.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=8141"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.growthtools.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=8141"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.growthtools.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=8141"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}