#238: Starting and Growing An Online Business with Amy Porterfield: Extended Cut
Want to learn secrets to growing your toy brand online? In episode 238 of Making It In The Toy Industry, host Azhelle Wade revisits an extended interview with her mentor, Amy Porterfield, a multi-million dollar online business owner and expert in email marketing. During the podcast, Amy shares her journey from corporate life to becoming an entrepreneur, highlighting the importance of list building and personal storytelling in email marketing.
Azhelle and Amy discuss the evolution of Amy's business, the significance of clear partnership expectations, and tips for creating effective lead magnets for building email lists. The conversation offers valuable insights for toy industry entrepreneurs looking to grow their businesses through digital marketing strategies.
Listen For These Important Moments
00:33 On the Road: Astra Board Meeting
01:04 Introducing Amy Porterfield
04:13 Amy's Journey to Entrepreneurship
17:48 The Value of Partnerships
20:21 The Importance of Affiliate Partnerships
21:08 Lessons from a Business Partnership
25:17 The Power of Email Marketing
33:10 Creating Effective Lead Magnets
38:20 Childhood Inspirations and Final Thoughts
-
This episode is brought to you by www.thetoycoach.com
Doors to Digital Course Academy only open once a year. Join Here: https://www.amyporterfield.com/dca -
[00:00:00] You are listening to Making It In The Toy Industry, episode number 238.
[00:00:05] Hey there, toy people! Azhelle Wade here, and welcome back to another episode of Making It In The Toy Industry. This is a weekly podcast brought to you by thetoycoach. com. While you're listening to this episode, I am on the road.
[00:00:36] I'm in San Antonio for an Astra board meeting and checking out the next location for the Astra Marketplace and Academy. If you don't know, that's a toy trade show that you should attend if you want to get your product in specialty stores. But I digress. While I'm gone, I'm bringing back an old episode as an extended version of that episode. So there are bits of this conversation [00:01:00] never before aired that you are going to get the privilege to hear today. Today's podcast is with my mentor, Amy Porterfield, who is the reason that I launched Toy Creators Academy, my 12 month group coaching program for people looking to develop and pitch their toy and game ideas.
[00:01:17] Toy creators. Academy is a phenomenal program. I know you might think a gel, she's biased. Of course, she's going to say that. Well, it truly, truly is. I put so much of my toy industry knowledge and as it's grown and evolved, I've added things that I've learned.
[00:01:32] There are contacts and resources all packaged for you in one place and in the right order that you need them as you're developing your toy idea. Not to mention that there is just a ton of support from my self in this program, as well as support from other toy creators like you. So if you're interested in toy creators Academy, head over to toy creators, academy.
[00:01:53] com and check it out. You can even book a call with me to find out if TCA is right for you, but [00:02:00] okay. Again, I'm digressing. I'm getting distracted. Let's get into today's podcast episode. This is an interview that I held with Amy Porterfield. She is a multi million dollar online business owner who knows so much about email marketing, launching digital products, and creating an online business based on what you already know.
[00:02:20] Her program is called Digital Course Academy And her course is now open for enrollment. So that's why we're bringing back this episode today. So you can learn a little bit more about Amy. how she teaches, what she thinks about marketing and having an online business. . And perhaps you can check out Digital Course Academy for yourself. If you do, please let me know. I'd love to hear what you think of the program. Okay. I hope you enjoy this extended release of my interview with Amy Porterfield.
[00:02:50] Azhelle Wade: Amy Porterfield, welcome to the show. I'm so happy to have you here. Well, thAnks so much for having me. I've been looking forward to this. This is going to be a lot of [00:03:00] fun. I can't believe it. I mean, you know, I've been following you for years. This was never something I ever thought would happen, but I'm so excited and just like flattered that you're here.
[00:03:10] Amy Porterfield: I'm honored you asked. I'm so glad you asked.
[00:03:12] Azhelle Wade: Okay. Now, you know, you know, because I tell you, I've told you that my show caters to entrepreneurs and toy inventors. So I'm sure some people listening might be wondering why an online marketing expert is on the show today. Like why? But I have to say, Amy, in the, in 2020, the toy industry actually grew, grew 16%.
[00:03:33] Online toy sales were up crazy numbers in April when the pandemic first started. Like we're doing numbers that we thought we would do in 2030.
[00:03:41] Amy Porterfield: Whoa. I love hearing that.
[00:03:43] Azhelle Wade: Yeah. So since the majority of those sales happen online, I always teach my students, you really need to build your list, your email list.
[00:03:52] So there's no better time in the world, in my opinion, to bring you on the show and share all of your marketing genius with my [00:04:00] listeners.
[00:04:00] Amy Porterfield: Oh, bring it on. I mean, the fact that you know, list building is so important and you're bringing it to your community. You know, I could talk about this topic all day long.
[00:04:10] So I'm like, bring it on. Let's do this.
[00:04:12] Azhelle Wade: Okay, let's do it. But before we dive into list building, because you're you, I do want to hear a little bit about your story. So would you mind if we start off with entrepreneurship and then we dive in? Let's do it. Okay. So, I know, because I know you, that you're a super A plus style student, and that mentality serves the corporate world so well.
[00:04:33] You get rewarded for working all hours of the night and giving 150%, never seeing your family. But, so, I'm wondering.
[00:04:41] Amy Porterfield: You must have also been a corporate girl.
[00:04:43] Azhelle Wade: Like, you did it. Yeah. No, 100%. Right? You did it. So I'm curious, why did you leave? Why did you leave? You were working at Tony Robbins right before you made the leap to entrepreneurship.
[00:04:54] So why did you make that leap?
[00:04:55] Amy Porterfield: So I love this question because I always thought I would be a corporate girl and [00:05:00] I was really good at it. I always say I was a corporate yes girl. You need it now. No problem. You need me to work all night. You got it. You need me to get on a plane and meet with a client. I'm your girl.
[00:05:10] And I loved climbing the corporate ladder. I love the accolades and the raises and the promotions. I lived for that because in school I lived for getting good grades. And this was like my way of getting good grades in the corporate world. And then one day when I was working with Tony Robbins, he had a meeting where he brought in a bunch of internet marketing, in that time, gurus, like these were the top of the top.
[00:05:35] All of them were men, by the way. And they were doing these really cool things in terms of creating products and selling them online and they all had their own businesses. And Tony went around one by one and asked them about their businesses because Tony was starting to sell more online of his own courses.
[00:05:53] And so I was brought in, here's the humbling part, I was brought in to take notes. I wasn't an assistant, but I was brought in to take notes. [00:06:00] notes. I sat at a side table, wasn't even at the main table. And one by one, these guys went around to talk about their online businesses. And I don't even, I think I took the worst notes in the world that day.
[00:06:10] My ears perked up and I thought, I don't know what these guys are doing, but I keep hearing freedom, lifestyle, uh, time with family, a great revenue. And I thought, I don't know even what they're doing. I don't even get it, but I'm going to figure this out. because I wanted more freedom. I didn't want a boss.
[00:06:29] I didn't want to be told what to do, when to do it, how to do it. And as much as I loved Tony, I didn't even want him as a boss. And so it got to the point that I thought I got to figure this out. So fast forward a year from that fateful meeting. And I went out on my own and started my own business and it was a disaster in the beginning, but I did it.
[00:06:50] So it was because I wanted that lifestyle freedom more than anything.
[00:06:53] Azhelle Wade: When you told, I've heard this story a little bit before, and when you told it, it brought me flashbacks to sitting [00:07:00] in big meetings at companies like Toys R Us and being on the sidelines and just absorbing and absorbing. But with no one telling you that this is an opportunity you could have, what, In those conversations made you even think that was a possibility?
[00:07:14] Amy Porterfield: You know, that's such a great question because I never thought I would be an entrepreneur. That word wasn't in my vocabulary and it wasn't even a huge desire, but I think it got to the point that I realized I am I'm always going to be on somebody else's time, and I'm always going to be creating for somebody else.
[00:07:34] And there was just this little voice, a little knowing, like, yeah, but you could do it for yourself. You could do this. And I had just gotten married and my husband, Hobie, and I was on the road at least 200 days of the year. We, I traveled to the events. I worked on. The content Tony did at events like unleash the power within date with destiny.
[00:07:55] I got to work on that content. So I went to these events and I never saw my husband [00:08:00] and I thought, I don't want this lifestyle. So I think it was like what I didn't want propelled me into being an entrepreneur, not really knowing what I exactly wanted, but I knew what I didn't want anymore.
[00:08:11] Azhelle Wade: That is exactly what happened to me.
[00:08:13] That is the same thing. Yeah. You know, I'm sitting in the pandemic and it just realized like, I don't want to not be home. I, and I think seeing what it's like to be home was like, I don't want to go back to not being home with my partner. Okay. So today, thankfully you follow that voice and now you have this multi million dollar business.
[00:08:36] Which is super impressive to say the least, but what's even more impressive is that you've built a multi million dollar business that builds other multi million dollar businesses like that. That is so cool. It's so cool. I mean, as a student of yours, I've got to say your work feels very genuine and like very mission driven.
[00:08:56] I feel very connected to you. Okay. I've actually [00:09:00] never told you this before because I wasn't sure how you would respond, but the very first time I heard your podcast, I was like, who is this girl? And I was like, I don't, I don't know if I like this. And then, and then I did, I swear. And then I listened to the whole episode and you were like talking about Hobie at the time and by the end of the episode, I was like, Oh, she's my best friend.
[00:09:19] I need, I loved, I loved it. And I think there was just that bias that I think everybody has against Hobie. Women being in charge, knowing what's right and telling you what to do. It's a bias that even other women have, you know, so listening. So anyway, I, I, you know, I love that you shared that with me. That,
[00:09:41] Amy Porterfield: that makes my day.
[00:09:42] Azhelle Wade: Oh yeah. I digress. I was like, totally. It's one of those stories where you meet somebody or you meet somebody and then, um, At first it's, it's not the fit. And then you realize it's your own issues that you had to work through to, to see that person for who they are.
[00:09:55] Amy Porterfield: I've been there. I
[00:09:56] Azhelle Wade: get
[00:09:56] Amy Porterfield: it.
[00:09:56] Azhelle Wade: Yeah. So from the very first day [00:10:00] that you started your business, were you really as mission driven as you come off today?
[00:10:06] Like, did you always have that clear why in your head and you
[00:10:09] Amy Porterfield: were focused? Absolutely not. No. And this is another question I'm glad you asked because I think it needs to be said, and I think more people need to hear it from people, entrepreneurs like me and you, in the sense that when I left my corporate job, my why was I didn't want a boss.
[00:10:28] Again, I didn't want to be told what to do, when to do it, or how to do it. I wanted to live my life the way I wanted to live my life. And I wanted to be creative in my own right. It was very selfish in that sense. I wasn't thinking I want to change the world. I wasn't thinking I want to help tons of people.
[00:10:42] Of course, I always come from a place of wanting to help, but it wasn't at the forefront. And then about two years in, cause it took me a good two years to figure out what the heck I was doing. I realized. Wait, I could genuinely add value to people's lives. I could change lives, you know, coming from Tony Robbins, [00:11:00] he changes lives in huge ways.
[00:11:02] So I'm like, I can't change lives. I had major imposter syndrome. I can't change lives like that. But then about two years in, I realized, well, in my own way, I can. So today, and for many, many years, I wake up every morning. with the mission of helping female entrepreneurs specifically find their way in this entrepreneur, entrepreneurial world.
[00:11:23] Meaning there's a woman in a cubicle right now working a nine to five job, corporate like us. And she's like, there's got to be something more. I know, I don't know what there is. I don't know what to do. So. But I can't live my life driving into this office, working for these people every single day, hitting that glass ceiling.
[00:11:40] So my mission today and has been for a while is I want to help every single woman that wants to start her own business. And I do so, as you know, specifically helping people take their knowledge and turning it into a digital course. But that was not always my why. My why was more selfish for a few years.
[00:11:57] And that's just what it had to be to get me to where I am [00:12:00] today.
[00:12:00] Azhelle Wade: Um, you share that. Nobody shares that. Nobody shares that. Like, no, I was, I was always altruistic. But I mean, at some point you do have to think about, Like what's going to put food on the table. What's going to help you achieve your dreams?
[00:12:15] Like you have to start that way. So I love that you share that. Thank you. Now for a little surprise, have you ever heard of the way back machine? I'm very nervous. If you say
[00:12:25] Amy Porterfield: the way back machine, because those early days were a little rough. What are you going to say next?
[00:12:32] Azhelle Wade: I'm not going to say anything, but I do want to show you something.
[00:12:35] Oh
[00:12:35] Amy Porterfield: yeah. I'm so nervous.
[00:12:36] Azhelle Wade: Because when you talk about the early days, I have to say, cause I follow you like religiously. So when I. When I joined digital course Academy and I saw the quality of your course, first of all, let me start there. I was like, Oh no, I can never do this. It's like, Oh no, I don't even know.
[00:12:53] I mean, I don't even know. So I went back on your website because I was like, okay, a show. [00:13:00] Let's reframe. Amy had to start from somewhere. Okay. I went back.
[00:13:04] Amy Porterfield: Whoa. You went so far back. Like, first of all, what is that look on my face? Second of all, what's the necklace? And third, what? I don't even remember that logo.
[00:13:16] I love this logo.
[00:13:18] Azhelle Wade: I don't even
[00:13:19] Amy Porterfield: remember. I'm like blushing. I'm so embarrassed right now, but I love it so much. This is 2009. This is 2009.
[00:13:27] Azhelle Wade: And I love, honestly, I was like, okay. I was like, all right, A'Chelle, you can,
[00:13:33] Amy Porterfield: you can do this. Yes. 2010. Oh yes. This one I remember very vividly. We took that picture in my front yard and they cut out like all the grass and everything behind me.
[00:13:45] This was in my front yard. Um, when you do online, they can't help but notice you. I remember I was very proud of that tagline. So cute. Oh, gosh. It's a good tagline. I was building my email list from the get [00:14:00] go. Yes, you were.
[00:14:01] Azhelle Wade: Okay, this is amazing. And I love that red was your color because red is, red is one or was one of my favorite colors.
[00:14:08] And I would put it everywhere. Why did you choose red? I
[00:14:12] Amy Porterfield: always felt like I looked good in red. I was like, yeah, it kind of just makes me happy. It made, it makes me look good. So I used red a lot in the beginning. Yeah,
[00:14:22] Azhelle Wade: I love it. So that we're, we're, what are we at? 2012. And then you were really into the pop up game.
[00:14:28] Which was really strong.
[00:14:30] Amy Porterfield: Strong pop up game. Yes, this is when I got the book deal to write the dummies, co author the dummies book. Oh, so
[00:14:37] Azhelle Wade: good. Yes,
[00:14:38] Amy Porterfield: I remember this, what you're showing right now, took me hours to put together. No, stop. This was a big deal, yes. I was like, what do I say? What do I write? You are taking me back.
[00:14:51] Oh
[00:14:52] Azhelle Wade: my gosh. Love it so much. Let's go to 20. We're at 2014, but I think the next big visual jump happens at like [00:15:00] 2016.
[00:15:00] Amy Porterfield: Yeah, this one gets to
[00:15:02] Azhelle Wade: be, this is very, um,
[00:15:04] Amy Porterfield: Pinterest, very interest, right? It's funny. Someone was in my business at the time that was a Pinterest expert that you're saying that. Yeah. She had a lot of influence on me at the time.
[00:15:17] Very Pinterest. I remember like taking these picture. I hate photo shoots. I remember that photo shoot. I hated it. Keep going.
[00:15:26] Azhelle Wade: And so the latest one, well, before you are today is 2017. So this is where you really, you got your blue, you started to bring it in your yellow and you really cleaned it up.
[00:15:37] Amy Porterfield: What happened?
[00:15:38] It changed. Okay, so let's see here. This one was, oh, I got a, a really pro photographer, actually Jasmine Starr. Do you know Jasmine Starr? Yeah, I do. Yeah. Yes. One of my favorites. She came over to my house that day, took this picture. She's like, let's just like streamline this a little bit. I was ready to go a little bit more sophisticated.
[00:15:56] At the time I was making a lot more money by that time. [00:16:00] Obviously, I just want to let everybody know these are extensions. They're taping extensions. I've had them for years and years. Cause that's literally the length of my hair will go. We'll not go any longer than that. No, really? Yes. Okay. Black women need to hear that.
[00:16:14] Azhelle Wade: No, there is a lot of insecurity, at least for myself as a black woman, how long our hair can grow. So I love hearing a powerful white woman is still using extensions. Always. Yes. I told
[00:16:24] Amy Porterfield: my husband, you bury me, whether I'm 80 or tomorrow. Make sure my extensions are in tight. Don't put me, don't let me down.
[00:16:32] So, yes, but these are, oh my gosh. And I want to say something that, uh, I know you didn't ask, but I've got to say this. Look at all of these. And I think, oh, that poor sweet girl. She had no clue for, she was so scared for so long. Like, I just, I know, you know, when you look back at yourself and you think, I know what that was, what you were going through.
[00:16:53] Even 2017, there was some stuff going on. I was getting out of a partnership. I was. I was, it was a rough [00:17:00] time. And so I think we all should be so kind because it's tough. It's tough to be an entrepreneur and oh my gosh, I'm going to have to tell my team, you just did that. They're going to die. I can't wait till they see this.
[00:17:12] My marketing expert makes fun of me all the time. My, I have a chief marketing officer, which is like, Oh, remember when you did this way before her time? I'm like, okay, move on smarty pants. No, it's so, I loved
[00:17:25] Azhelle Wade: it though, because looking at your old websites just allowed me to let it go because, you know, you're, you're building your website when you're first starting, you want it to be perfect.
[00:17:34] And it just allowed me to move on. Like I have this like robot image on my site and I'm like, I obsessed over it for the longest time, but seeing your evolution, I just felt I'll get there. We'll get there. You know, we'll get there every step. So you mentioned your partnership and I'm so glad you did because I really want to know more about it.
[00:17:53] I don't know how much you can share, but I, as a new entrepreneur, as one of your students, I've been considering certain partnerships, so [00:18:00] I would love to know what advice would you give, uh, entrepreneurs out there who might be considering, uh, partnering with people. And I do want to caveat this with one thing.
[00:18:10] Um, I have interviewed a toy entrepreneur who partnered with a hair products company. And so that's, that's where I'm coming at this angle.
[00:18:20] Amy Porterfield: Yeah. When you say partnership and you might mean the whole gamut, but do you mean like affiliate partnership or do you mean actually getting into business and creating like an LLC together?
[00:18:32] When you say that word, what are you thinking?
[00:18:34] Azhelle Wade: Okay, good point. So when I say that word, I'm thinking sort of an agreement to kind of co promote. So whether we're cross promoting on social channels, we're selling joint products, or, and, and for a limited time. So it's not a new, we're not forming a new business together, but we have an agreement to sell together for a bit.
[00:18:52] Amy Porterfield: Great. Then I absolutely encourage it. I do believe, okay, so this is such a, uh, important topic to talk about because [00:19:00] I believe that those relationships, those affiliations are so important to the growth of your business. They are not, um, essential. Like you don't have to do it. I have friends that haven't done any of that and have grown big businesses.
[00:19:14] But I will say it's, uh, you grow faster and you get to have a wider audience when you do those types of affiliations. And the reason I love them so much is it allows you to get out in front of an audience that you normally would not have access to. And in addition to that, It allows you to collaborate with somebody and more ideas, more creativity.
[00:19:36] I think the most important thing about any of those relationships is to have very clear expectations of each other and very clear details of how you're going to But the revenue and the expenses. So as long as that's clear, I absolutely love them. Uh, funny, you should ask this question now, because in March of this year, I just did my first mini, I did a mini promo without [00:20:00] any affiliate partners.
[00:20:01] And I've used affiliate partners since 2009, that first picture you showed. And so I wanted to try something different. And so I did no affiliate partners and we did our own promo. And although it was successful revenue wise. Something felt like it was missing. There wasn't that energy around it and excitement that I love to partner with people through.
[00:20:21] And so I'm going back to using affiliate partners in September. That's how much I believe in those type of partnerships.
[00:20:29] Azhelle Wade: And the way you approach your affiliate partnerships, it's not just, Hey, here's an email. Send this link. When you have free time, you make it a community. Like you make everything a community.
[00:20:37] Oh yeah.
[00:20:38] Amy Porterfield: Like if I'm going to partner for, this is such a great lesson to remember. If you're going to partner with somebody else, like a haircare company for it with a toy company kind of thing. You treat it as though it's your own business. You go full out, you do everything you can to do a great job of that cross promotion, because I believe in karma and I believe it comes back to you.
[00:20:59] So treat [00:21:00] every partnership promotion as your own business with that kind of care, and it will always pay off for you.
[00:21:06] Azhelle Wade: Okay. Thank you. All right. I want to ask a little bit. If you could go back in time before your partnership, I don't know if this one was specifically like a business partnership or if it was more of a, an affiliate partnership, but I'm just wondering, like, what advice would you give yourself to, to start it or to create it in a better way?
[00:21:25] So say you were going to move forward with it either way. But what advice would you give yourself
[00:21:29] Amy Porterfield: back then to say, do this better? Okay. So my situation, so I do tons of affiliate partnerships. I promote other people's programs. They promote mine, but the partnership I talked about in that one picture where things were a little rough.
[00:21:41] I got into a partnership where someone came into my business and I made them a 50 50 partner.
[00:21:47] Azhelle Wade: Oh,
[00:21:48] Amy Porterfield: yeah. So they, uh, we split revenue. We split expenses. We were partners in my, I say my business, the business I started, we actually created a different business name on the back end, but no [00:22:00] one knew on the front end.
[00:22:01] Azhelle Wade: And
[00:22:01] Amy Porterfield: I did that because the person I partner with was a genius, such a marketing genius. He was incredible. He was. He was smart. He was fast. He just, uh, had new things. I didn't know. And so his strengths with bringing into this business, um, it was incredible. Like literally we did skyrocket our revenue together, but I got to a point that without getting into all the details, I lost myself along the way.
[00:22:27] I lost my voice. I started not speaking up. I started thinking, well, what does he think we should do? I would go to him with all the questions instead of turning inward. And it got to a point that I realized. Oh, this is not what I, what I want. This is not the kind of way I want to grow my business. So together we, we got together and figured out over a long period of time how to end that partnership.
[00:22:49] And it was scary and it was sad and it felt like a divorce. And, and, and, and I, to answer your question, what I would do differently or what I learned, if I, let's say I [00:23:00] did, I probably wouldn't get back into a partnership. I will never get back into a partnership, but let's say. I, if I could change anything, I would have set the expectations clear.
[00:23:08] What are you going to do? What am I going to do? How are we going to figure this out together? So I didn't lose my way along the way. I didn't set good expectations.
[00:23:16] Azhelle Wade: Oh, I see. It sounds like you almost turned yourself back into an employee in your own business.
[00:23:21] Amy Porterfield: Oh, amen. You're exactly right. I'm writing a book right now about how women can become their own bosses.
[00:23:27] And I say in that book. I literally just like started operating like I was in corporate again.
[00:23:33] Azhelle Wade: Yeah.
[00:23:34] Amy Porterfield: It's so easy to go back to that. So you, you hit it on the head.
[00:23:37] Azhelle Wade: Oh my gosh. Okay. Tell me about a time you really wholeheartedly almost quit your business. Like you're like, it's too hard. I'm done.
[00:23:47] Amy Porterfield: Okay. So it was that time.
[00:23:50] Oh, that time. And well, okay. So I, I almost quit in the sense of, I thought I had to give it all up. Cause I couldn't figure out how we were going to get out of it. But we did [00:24:00] figure it out. So let me tell you one other time, I almost quit it all. I'm going to go in that way back machine. Um, first launch, I almost literally went back to corporate.
[00:24:09] So I did my first launch and it was, I launched a digital course on a topic. I didn't know a lot about that was just my desperation. And, um, it made 267 and I had watched everybody else. Like you do, like we watch everyone else's launches and I'm like, Let the money rain in, like bring it on. And then it was 267.
[00:24:33] And I thought I am a failure. I am. And I never thought I would be an entrepreneur. So I'm like, Oh, this proves it. I am not an entrepreneur. And so. That was like literally a week of not getting out of bed. I tell this funny story where I had this black cotton target robe and I wore it every day and my husband's like, I need you to get out of that robe.
[00:24:52] Like enough's enough. So I almost said, I'm going to just have to go get a job, which was terrifying to me because it [00:25:00] meant I failed, which not necessarily, but that was a scary time.
[00:25:05] Azhelle Wade: Oh my gosh. Yeah. I can't even imagine. I would probably do the same. Uh, I would probably do the same. I would definitely think the same.
[00:25:12] I would probably at least get a freelance gig. That's what I would do. Yes, exactly. Yes. Okay. Let's get into email marketing. This is why we're supposed to be here, but I'm just, you know, pulling all your, all your knowledge for myself. So selfish. But let's dive into email marketing. Um, did you know from day one of starting your business, That list building was important for it.
[00:25:36] Amy Porterfield: So I knew it, but I didn't want to believe it because I do believe, you know, when you don't understand really how to build an email list, it feels very daunting, lots of steps, lots of work, lots of unknowns. So at that time, that's what it was for me. And so I wanted to do everything in my business, except build an email list.
[00:25:56] So I knew it was important, but for two years, [00:26:00] I didn't make it a focus. So what were you focusing on instead? I was focusing on getting clients because I was like, if I lose a client, I won't be able to put food on the table, which was not necessarily true. But my mind goes through like a deep dark place because the first two years of building my business, I did a social media management for small businesses.
[00:26:19] Now I don't do any one on one or anything like that. But in the first two years I did. So I was focused on getting clients, keeping clients. I was a yes girl still. So I did like way more than I should have for them. So I was working every hour, um, and every weekend. So I was overwhelmed by that. And then I was looking for opportunities for networking.
[00:26:39] I would go to. conferences and networking events and focus there very outward versus like, let's look at the business and think, how are we going to build a strong foundation? I wasn't doing that yet.
[00:26:50] Azhelle Wade: So when you did discover email marketing was the way you were going to build that foundation. How did you even find your voice without an Amy Porterfield to guide you?[00:27:00]
[00:27:00] How did you figure out what your voice was in email?
[00:27:03] Amy Porterfield: Well, it's funny because you are so kind to tell me that you listen to my podcast and you follow all my things and you're in my program. Well, the reason that touches my heart so much is I was you following another female entrepreneur, Marie Forleo. Oh, you.
[00:27:18] Oh, that's like, just like you listening to all the things and learning all the things. I literally did that. I'm like. Huge, huge, uh, proponent of you got to, no one's going to teach you this stuff in school in corporate, even you got to learn it outside of that. And so, uh, she was in my ear and one of the things she taught was you've got to create consistent content, consistent original content.
[00:27:39] So the way I found my voice is I started with blogging. Uh, it turned into podcasting years later, but blogging was the thing that I did over and over and over again until I finally kind of found my voice and started attracting my audience.
[00:27:53] Azhelle Wade: I did see that in the Wayback Machine. You can see the menu options change from blog and then there's blog and podcast.
[00:27:59] Yep. [00:28:00] Yep. That, that is so interesting. So there are probably a number of toy industry organizations that might be listening right now. So what tips would you have for them to find their voice? Cause it's so different from you like as an individual, but what does an organization do to find a voice that's interesting?
[00:28:17] more, I don't know, general, but still personal.
[00:28:19] Amy Porterfield: Yeah. I think that first you get super, super clear on who you're talking to. And, and you have to remember you're talking to a human being, whether they be, they're a business person or not. Like if you're talking to the consumer, maybe different than you're talking to the, the distribution in a company or whatever that, that department, but they're all human.
[00:28:40] And so having a casual, really, um, Friendly and inviting voice in all you do, no matter who you're talking to is important, but then understanding what are they thinking? What are they feeling? How can I make them think, Oh my God, you're in my head. So that's what you want to do. So really [00:29:00] understanding who is your market?
[00:29:01] Who are you talking to? That is where you want to start because then you can start creating content around that. How long do you spend on an, on writing emails? So I send one email out a week. Now I have a copywriter now, but for many, many years I didn't. And so, uh, it would probably take me a good 45 minutes to write the email that I send every week.
[00:29:20] I was slow. I was a slow writer for sure.
[00:29:23] Azhelle Wade: No, but I think that's an important thing to say because I feel like a lot of toy entrepreneurs, they don't, uh, value like really taking that time to talk to their list. Cause they think no one's listening, but it's important to say like, look, this is somebody who has built a business off of their email list essentially.
[00:29:40] And they were dedicated for 45 minutes to sit down and write a message that would resonate with their audience. That's, I think that's really, really important. Um, to say, now your email style is super personal. Have you ever shared too much in your emails? Okay. Uh,
[00:29:56] Amy Porterfield: no, but I am guilty of not sharing [00:30:00] enough.
[00:30:00] Oh. So I'm gonna take it the whole other way. I've ne I'm not an oversharer, so I'm, I'm never gonna be, uh, in that kind of danger zone of like, okay, pull it back. Yeah. Just a little bit. But I have been told by my audience, like, we wanna know more about you. Like. Tell us more about your relationship with Hobie or your struggles with, like I talk openly about my struggles with my weight and being self conscious, like share more of that or share more of your stumbles or how are you feeling?
[00:30:28] And you know, those pictures you showed, like, what was that like that year? And, um, it's not that I want to look perfect and I've got it all buttoned up. It's just that in my mind, this is my corporate mind. Really? I really think it came from that. No one cares about that. Yeah. They want to know how to grow an email list, how to create a digital course, how to do a webinar.
[00:30:47] So I feel like I'm wasting people's time by getting too personal. I've learned over the years that is actually very untrue. You're not, they, they want to know the human behind the teacher.
[00:30:56] Azhelle Wade: Do you think that they want to know the human behind the teacher after they've [00:31:00] learned from the teacher? Or, you know what I mean?
[00:31:01] Like, is there a right time
[00:31:02] Amy Porterfield: to bring that up? I, you know, I know not everyone will agree with me on this, but I'd rather lead with teaching and the, the webinars and the list building and all that, once they get into my world and they trust me sharing a lot about myself will then I feel even solidify the relationship more.
[00:31:21] If I'm building a brand around a certain topic, it's very weird for me to. Lead with, so let me tell you about my husband, Hobie, right? I could be wrong though, because I have been guilty of not sharing enough. So don't take my advice on that one. I don't know. I agree.
[00:31:37] Azhelle Wade: No, I agree. I think that makes sense. I agree.
[00:31:40] So, uh, is there anything that you've seen change in email marketing since the pandemic? Anything bigger, like more like higher open rates, lower open rates, or just like new tools that are more necessary now than, um, before the pandemic,
[00:31:53] Amy Porterfield: you know, that's a great question. I think. More so than ever, I've seen just, uh, mindsets [00:32:00] changed since the pandemic.
[00:32:01] And so it's not necessarily the tools we're still using the same tools. We're still emailing. We're still doing webinars. We're still doing Facebook lives and podcasting. Um, but I think that, uh, in the beginning of the pandemic. People were in a place like, and I think the toy industry probably felt this, like they were actually buying more than I ever expected in the beginning.
[00:32:23] And I think if you look, people are at home, they might, their jobs might be a little shaky, but they're at home and they can't do anything. And so now getting out of the pandemic a bit, I've noticed that people are a little bit slower to, to, to make their decisions or they're like, Oh, the world's opening up.
[00:32:40] I don't know what's going on. So what we've done in our business is we've, we've slowed down and said, okay, maybe they, we need to explain a little bit more of what they're buying or what they get or the huge benefits of this. So in our own marketing, we just go a little bit of that extra mile to do a little bit of handholding to [00:33:00] help them understand if what my product is, is right for them.
[00:33:02] So the communication feels a little bit different than let's say even a year or two ago.
[00:33:07] Azhelle Wade: Okay. Yeah, no, that makes total sense. Okay. I, I want you to share your list builder society course before, uh, I have to let you go. I really don't want to let you go, but I want to be grateful and respectful of your time.
[00:33:20] List builder society is the very first thing I ever purchased from you. Um, it's a great course around building your email list and teaches all the processes and strategies and how to even set up an email. I mean, it's fantastic. Uh, there's so much to explain, but the very first thing I want to explain is.
[00:33:35] a lead magnet because that is like the key to starting to build your email list. So like, could you just tell us what a lead magnet is?
[00:33:43] Amy Porterfield: Yes. A lead magnet is a freebie. Um, so it'd be like a free PDF guide, a free cheat sheet. Um, sometimes it could be a discount code. A freebie is something that you give for free in exchange For name [00:34:00] and email and a name and email is a hot commodity.
[00:34:03] And so that's what a lead magnet is. It's a freebie in exchange for a name and email. What's the first lead magnet you ever made? Okay. Well, that one that you showed on that very first, wait, can you go back to it? Let's talk about this really fast. Let me go very first one where I've got, of course, the red, the white shirt.
[00:34:23] Take me back. Oh, okay. There's no lead magnet there. Okay. This one
[00:34:29] Azhelle Wade: didn't pop up. It must've been too old.
[00:34:32] Amy Porterfield: So get free instant access to my video mini course. Oh, you were ahead of the times, right? Charge your Facebook page. Didn't even know it was a mini course, but okay. So it was obviously a mini course.
[00:34:45] This had to have been my first freebie because I don't think I even had one. That very first website you showed was not up long for the record. So that's probably why I might not talk to you about putting this up. You might not be friends anymore, [00:35:00] but yeah, so I guess it was a mini course. Cause that genuinely was my first freebie.
[00:35:04] That's
[00:35:04] Azhelle Wade: awesome. So I do, I would love if you could, uh, give an example because a lot of my students, I've told them this, I'm like, you need a lead magnet. You need to build your email list. And we'll be in our group calls and they'll be like a gel. I sell toys. I'm a freebie. What could I possibly create first?
[00:35:18] I want to tell you, I want to share this with you. Cause you're going to love this. Uh, one of my listeners, she had a product. It was actually a book. It was a book about a book of cultures about kids from all over the world. And she has plush toys and things. So when the pandemic happened, she actually launched a Kickstarter.
[00:35:34] So she created a lead magnet that was an educational tool and activity for kids to learn about different cultures. So that's how she built her list for her Kickstarter. So good. Right? Yes. So good. So what are some amazing lead magnets that your students, after taking ListBuilder Society, have come up with?
[00:35:53] Amy Porterfield: So some of the amazing lead magnets tend to be, uh, when, when my student asks [00:36:00] themselves, okay, where is my ideal client? The one I want to spend money with me or customer. Where are they right now in their journey, in their life, in their experiences? That's the perfect lead magnet to meet them where they're at and either, um, help them with a challenge, an obstacle, a pain point, or a desire, or in your case with toys, entertainment, something fun, something enjoyable, something inspiring.
[00:36:28] And so, uh, with my students, one of my students, she is a dog trainer. I always use this example. And her lead magnet, it is, um, a PDF cheat sheet. So it's super simple and it's how to get your dog to stop jumping on people when they come to the front door. So she, in her course that what she sells, she does so much more than that, but she's like, the number one thing they want is just like, don't jump on people when they come to the door.
[00:36:55] And if I can help them with that, they're going to think, Whoa, this girl knows what she's talking about. What [00:37:00] else has she got? And so that's what you want your lead magnet to be. But talking to your audience, I do think there's something to be said about the entertainment. And I was going to tell you like the exercise that she gave out, like even coloring or crafts or anything that's, that's fun just to get them into your world is a great idea.
[00:37:20] It doesn't have to be a. A cheat sheet, 10 ways to do X, y, z. Your world might feel different than that, but um, just you're wanting to meet them where
[00:37:28] Azhelle Wade: they're at. You just inspired an idea. Listeners, take this run with this. Um, when I work in the toy industry, one of the things we do to create new craft kits is you go to Michael's and you buy a bunch of pieces to build out what you think your product will be.
[00:37:42] So you can cost it out and all that. But how great of a lead magnet would it be? To give somebody basically a shopping list and say, this is what you can create like an activity book and a shopping list. Go to Michael's here's a coupon code. Cause you can download this offline, right? Coupon code shopping list [00:38:00] and instructions to this like craft, which is related to my toy product.
[00:38:03] Which is a lead magnet just to get you into my world. Oh, that's so good. You just inspired that. I love it. If this
[00:38:09] Amy Porterfield: comes to fruition, you got to tell me. That's a great idea.
[00:38:11] Azhelle Wade: That's so good. Oh, you made me think of it. I don't know what it was. It was talking about crafts. You mentioned crafts after the dog.
[00:38:17] And that's where it came from. Yes. Oh my gosh. Okay. The final question, the million dollar question for people that have come, podcast is, What toy blew your mind as a kid? Oh,
[00:38:29] Amy Porterfield: okay. So I was obsessed with cabbage patch kids. Really? I was obsessed. And here's what I was most obsessed with. Number one, their hair, because I was born with very naturally curly hair.
[00:38:42] And it's always been a pain point for me, like how to do it. So these Cabbage Patch kids had the most perfect hair, especially corn silk kids when the Cabbage Patch kids got like real hair. Yeah, it was a big deal. I don't know what that is. But what I loved about the Cabbage Patch kids, I didn't have many, like I had friends that [00:39:00] had like 10 and I thought they were millionaires and I didn't understand how that was, but I had like one or two, but it was that, that, um, adoption paper in the mail that came.
[00:39:09] If you mailed in, And you said that you have adopted this baby and you got a certificate in the mail. I remember like it was yesterday getting my certificate. Wow. So excited. So yes, I'm, I was, I loved Cabbage Patch Kids.
[00:39:24] Azhelle Wade: Oh, I love hearing that experience for you. By the way, cabbage patch kids are how I learned to braid.
[00:39:30] So I love when you said, when you said the hair, I was like, yes, the hair. I love the hair. You and I have a lot in common with that. I know. Amy Porterfield, I just can't thank you enough for being here today. If there is anything else you would like to share, please do so now. Let us know where we can find you, what you're up to.
[00:39:51] Amy Porterfield: Oh, well, thank you so much. Well, I have a podcast, Online Marketing Made Easy. And so that might be beneficial for those, some of those listening. And you can [00:40:00] find me anywhere on social, uh, with my name, Amy Porterfield. But I'll leave you with this. First of all, I adore you. Thank you for having me. You are a sweet person.
[00:40:08] Star star student in our world. We talk about you all the time. And what I love most about you is your tenacity and your excitement. And you're like, I'm going to figure it out. So anyone listening right now, she's your girl because you will teach other people how to just figure it out and stick with it and take the risk and just do it.
[00:40:28] So I love having you in my community. I was so honored when you asked me to be here. So thank you so very much. You always have a fan in me.
[00:40:36] Azhelle Wade: Thank you so much, Amy. That was lovely. Thank you.
-
🎓 Unlock dozens of trusted factory contacts, develop your idea, and grow your toy company contact list TODAY by joining Toy Creators Academy®, learn more here.