Welcome to Series 6 of the Plutus Awards Podcast hosted by Michelle Jackson. Our community is filled with hundreds of stories from creators and entrepreneurs just like you. And through this show we share these stories of challenges and successes from bloggers to podcasters, from writers, speakers, and more.
In this season we talk about a somewhat taboo topic — the deadly sins that personal finance (and other content creators) can make. We share lessons learned, how to avoid these mistakes, and the fact that we’re all human, putting our creative work out there into the world. This season’s conversation is about the inherent risks we’re taking in developing online brands, our own hubris, and the impact that how other people perceive us can make us or break our online brand.
Today’s guest is Marcia Armstrong and she talks about committing the sin of inconsistency. In this episode, she shares how too many zero-revenue months forced her to look at her business and the steps she took to turn things around in a little over 30 days once she committed to being consistent.
Marcia Armstrong – The Sin of Inconsistency: Commit to Your Process to Achieve Results
Notes and summary from this episode
Marcia-My name is Marcia Armstrong and I am an award winning financial coach and I help working professional women see money differently in order to build generational wealth.
Michelle-How did you get into financial coaching and you have a little bit of an accent, where are you from originally?
Marcia-I am from the beautiful island of Barbados! We are a small island but we create a big impact. I was actually laid off in 2020 and went into full-time entrepreneurship in 2021. I was helping people with their rent and I realized that every time I was giving I was waiting for my next paycheck. But, I realized that I need more money in order to do good things in the world. God said that you don’t necessarily need more money but you need to be a better steward of your money. I listened to podcasts, prayed and was able to become debt-free a year later. I realized that there were many other women wanting assistance. At a Purpose Life we help redefine who you are.
Michelle-You went through this transformative experience, what was it like starting your business and what surprised you about starting a business.
Marcia-The road for me was not easy. I did have the finances because I got paid out because of the layoff. But, I had to switch my mindset going from an employee to an entrepreneur. I was still a slave to my business. There were many parts of business that I didn’t understand such as marketing and sales. And in an online business I had to become visible and share my story. I realized that the issue was bigger than me. So, it was a learning curve. There are so many people that offer a solution. I realized that I learned about business from a practical perspective via joining online groups and connecting with other people.
Michelle-In this season of the Plutus Awards Podcast we’re talking about the 7 deadly sins a creator can make in this space. Could you share what you felt was a mistake you made in relation to consistency.
Marcia-I wasn’t committed to the process.We can become the bottleneck in your own business. Imposter Syndrome can also show up. If you don’t show up you can be forgotten. The day that I’m not consistent, I’m telling my audience that what they’re going through doesn’t matter. It’s a daily commitment to show up. Function over feelings. Everyday isn’t harvest day.
Michelle-If you could share some examples where inconsistency initially impacted your business. What did you notice?
Marcia-One of the things definitely would be my offer. We have to sell. I realized that I would do everything else, but when it came to selling and sharing my offer it was crickets. I wasn’t sure how to create it and bring it over without being sleazy. I had to get out of my head. There’s a lot of different ways to sell. Sometimes I would sell for zero days or only one in a month. Making no money for the month. People can’t buy what they don’t know you offer. I had to get out of my own way and I gave myself a task to sell every day.
MI-What was the turning point?
MAR-You would come to the end of the month and brought in zero dollars in revenue but still have to pay for all of the expenses. So, I had to get real with myself and ask myself “ Marcia, what are you actually doing to make money?” I still have money blocks that I’m overcoming. I had to grow through my fear and help people. I was tired of seeing zero dollars. Why isn’t my business reflecting what I have to offer others so why isn’t my revenue showing it?
Michelle-What were some of the steps that you took to make consistency happen?
Marcia-There are two different aspects to it. I started doing batch recording. It took a lot of pressure off of me. I didn’t have to wake up and record. I reverse engineered to get the results that I wanted. I batch record up to 2-3 months of content. More now than before. My main platform is LinkedIn. I also use Facebook and Instagram. I’m not afraid to reach out to people and collaborate. Just being more strategic about the things you do. I also do in-person workshops in Barbados as I believe in the one to many model. I also raise my hand for opportunities.
Michelle-What is your business model? What types of products do you have? Could you talk about the financial returns?
Marcia-In regards to my offer-I offer online group coaching and workshops. I have collaborated with governmental organizations in Barbados and digital products. You have to have a value ladder.
Michelle-You go into Target and there’s a value ladder in there.
Marcia-I used to do one-on-ones but they take a lot of you. Right now I’m building out a course and I’m trying to stop exchanging time for money. I’ve actually made my first 5 figures in business and my goal is to make more. I see myself as a billionaire dollar person.
Michelle-When you changed your process to becoming more consistent, how did you figure out what steps to take and when did you see a change in your revenue?
Marcia-You have to look at your analytics on social media and see what posts worked the best. What didn’t have any engagement. Document what worked, what didn’t and what needed to be improved. I was able to see change within 30 days. Look at what is working for you and run with it.
Michelle-How long did it take to see an uptick in sales?
Marcia-Within a month or so. And in regards to people coming to me because my content was bringing people in asking about the services I offered.
Michelle-Sometimes it’s hard to know if you’re focusing on the wrong thing until you don’t get the results. Are you using scheduling tools? What are some of the tools that you’re using?
Marcia-I have a theme and overarching idea of what I want to share. I use Meta Business and it’s free. It allows you to post to Instagram, Facebook. For LinkedIn I use hootsuite. I use Convertkit for my CRM. I use MetaBusiness. I also use templates and I love, love, love Canva. You can also schedule from Canva as well. Sarah, BizTemplateBabe.com
Michelle-What is the number #1 tip that you would share for listeners?
Marcia-Believe in yourself?
Micia-Number one practical tip?
Marcia-Have a to do list. I have a planner and get up and do it regardless of how you feel. No excuses.
Michelle-What does your day look like?
Marcia-I operate from a place of rest now. Being busy is different from being productive. I work from 9-12 and then 5-6 pm. I no longer work weekends at all because weekends are for me. I work Monday-Friday and people book sessions with me.
Michelle-Wait 9-12 and 5-6 what is that?
Marcia-That’s when they can book an actual session with me. Content creation is a specific day in a week that goes towards creating content. I have another day to do videos. I repurpose the videos-work smart.
Michelle-You are getting the revenue that you’re looking for with this work schedule?
Marcia-Yes. I realized that people want faster solutions right now and so I looked at my data and sent people to one-on-one consults.
Michelle-I work similarly but you’ve given me some ideas on how to rework my schedule.
Follow Marcia
Website: https://apurposelife246.com
Business page: A Purpose Life
A.Purpose.Life (Instagram)
A Purpose Life (TikTok)
Facebook Group-Purpose Life Finance Hub
0 Comments