IAM2900 – Business Coach Helps Online Coaches Get Booked Out

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Transcription:

Megan Yelaney 00:00
Being a CEO means being the boss of your own life, um, taking charge and deciding what you truly want your life to, life's legacy specifically to look like. And then going out there and taking charge and getting out of your comfort zone, not giving up when things get hard and realizing that your purpose is so much more than just you. As a CEO, you're responsible for so many other things, so many other people, and it's gotta be bigger than just you. And so having that bigger, bigger vision, I think that's like a huge thing that a CEO has to embody.

Gresham Harkless 01:01
Hello.

Megan Yelaney 01:01
Hello. Hello.

Gresham Harkless 01:02
This is Gresh from the I Am CEO Podcast. I have a very special guest on the show today. I have Megan Yelany of meganyelany.com. Megan, it's awesome to have you on the show.

Megan Yelaney 01:09
Thank you so much for having me. I'm really excited to be here.

Gresham Harkless 01:12
Yeah, super excited to have you on. And what I want to do is just read a little bit more about Megan so you hear about all the awesome things that she's doing. And Megan is a business coach who specializes in helping online coaches get booked out with with one-to-one clients and scale their businesses to 6 figures. She started in network marketing in 2011, building that business to 6 figures and transitioning to her own health and fitness coaching in 2017, scaling that to 6 figures in 6 months. She has since gone full-time into business coaching and has scaled that business to multiple 6 figures in 1.5 years. Megan specializes in client attraction, utilizing social media marketing strategies as well as launch strategies to help her clients and students have a strategic plan to launch their programs profitably in, in an organized and stress-free way. Megan, are you ready to speak to the I Am CEO community?

Megan Yelaney 02:00
Yeah, I'm very ready.

Gresham Harkless 02:02
Awesome. Let's do it. So I wanted to kick everything off with what I call your CEO story to hear a little bit more about your background and what led you to start your business.

Megan Yelaney 02:09
Cool. Yeah. So, uh, you touched on it a bit in the intro, but I really got started in business with network marketing in about 2011, um, with Beachbody. And I was, um, very typical to a lot of network marketers. I got into it because I just loved the product. and I was already a really big fan of it and sort of working the business without getting paid. I had tons of people do it with me and didn't know you could get paid. So I was like, what? I'm sitting on a gold mine. And so it was just such a natural transition for me. It felt, never felt salesy, never felt icky. It felt really great 'cause I just truly believed in it. And I started like seriously working that in 2013. And I mean seriously like treating it like an actual business and not like a hobby. And that, skyrocketed when I really went all in about a year and a half, I would say. Um, was able to quit my side jobs. Um, I was pursuing acting, um, mainly musical theater at the time. And, uh, so I was able to quit all those side jobs and just perform and just do that. And it was awesome. It was a dream and I absolutely loved it. And then in 2016, I started to feel this pull to start doing something else. I had done so much personal development and business growth between coaches, taking courses, going to seminars, and just had a lot of things I wanted to offer people and services that I couldn't because I could only sell them what the company had and either the opportunity to build the business or the products. I felt a little limited. And that year we also went digital, everything went online. And so my paycheck started to go down significantly. And it was one of those things I was working harder and harder. And seeing less and less. So it was kind of twofold of just not wanting to be in this position and not wanting to just say, woe is me, this sucks. I wanted to take charge and also just having that pull to do my own thing anyway, regardless if the income was going down or not. So those 2 things combined really inspired me to go out on my own. I joined a group coaching program, got really clear on who I wanted to help, started my own health and fitness coaching outside of that, and then really realized pretty quick, like within about I would say 4 months of starting that the reason I loved, um, my business wasn't the health and fitness part. While I, I'm a huge proponent of it, it was the business part. It was helping people build businesses, helping them find financial freedom and quit jobs they don't like, make extra money, support their family. That's what I loved. I loved the social media marketing part of it. So I went all in with that and haven't looked back. And it's, it's really just proof that when you are truly doing what you know you're meant to do and you're passionate about it, Um, it's, it's gonna take off. Um, and that's, that was like the difference maker for me.

Gresham Harkless 04:43
So. Yeah, I love that. I love the kind of, you know, story and the way that you progress to it. ‘Cause I think a lot of times, sometimes we think we wake up and we figure out exactly what we should be doing and wanna do, but a lot of times we have to work through things and then we start to really understand, like, I really enjoy this aspect of the business. So it starts to kind of manifest and grow from there.

Megan Yelaney 05:01
Yeah, totally.

Gresham Harkless 05:03
Absolutely. So, so I know you touched on it a little bit. Can you take us a little bit more through your coaching business? Tell us, you know, some of the people you're working with and exactly like how you work with your clients?

Megan Yelaney 05:11
Yeah, for sure. So I help, um, uh, different types of online entrepreneurs, but mainly focus on online coaches. So this could be anyone, uh, who's a health and fitness coach, who's a life coach, relationship coach, business, social media. Um, I've helped virtual assistants. So anyone who's trying to attract clients online, I personally have not worked with anyone who has a brick and mortar business or who is trying to attract people like to their brick and mortar business. But that being said, everything I teach is really about client attraction online. So it totally can apply for brick and mortar. I just teach it. I just happen to mainly attract and work with online coaches since that's the background I came from. And I really help them. I have programs ranging from beginner to advanced. So I help them start if they're, if they're really brand new, they've never been in business before, but they have certifications. They know they're passionate about helping people with this thing. But they just don't know how to get it out there. I help them start, start that business, get their first few clients, um, and get a system really to attract and find them regularly. So it's not just random and they got lucky, but it's actually like a foolproof system. And then I have, um, other higher level programs for entrepreneurs who are already full-time, already making decent money and want to really take that off and scale. And especially people who are like maxed out with clients, they can't possibly take any more because of time. But they feel limited with their income and they want to grow. So I help them diversify their product suite and really just use their time wisely and be able to reach more people without working all the time. So those are like the 2 kind of main things I do, um, with clients online, as well as social media marketing and speaking to your ideal client in a way that makes them go, wow, I need your service and not in a way that's salesy or spammy.

Gresham Harkless 06:52
Right. And then, and that was actually what I was going to ask you. So is that part of, I heard you say it a couple of times, the client attraction part, is that exactly what that means where you do? have those clients come to you because you're speaking their language, so to speak?

Megan Yelaney 07:03
Yeah, exactly. Yeah, 100%. And I like to call it, it's, I mean, it's market research. It's like such an old term, but it's really like reading your clients' minds and, or making them think you're reading their minds. And really you just ask them what they actually need, but then you, it's just like having a good conversation with someone. You repeat, or like a therapist, you just repeat back what they actually just said to you. And it's pretty amazing what happens when you do, because people feel heard. They feel like, oh wow, you get me. You actually paid attention to what I said. You're not just trying to sell me this product, but you're, you're selling me the transformation I'm actually seeking. And switching to that like transformation focus and what you can do for the client versus like, look at this thing I have, you should get it because I'm selling it. That's the biggest like client attraction, really speaking to that deeper emotional reason. I mainly work with women and I've worked with men before, even men too, but especially women buy emotionally. Um, we buy emotionally, we justify logically. I'd say a Probably most men do too though. And so if we're just talking logically all the time, we're gonna miss such a big part of the market who's like, I just wanna like pull at my heartstrings, you know? Um, and that's really what we focus on a lot too.

Gresham Harkless 08:09
Yeah, that makes so much sense. And a lot of times we don't realize that we're, we're necessarily doing this, but I, I think it's like, uh, what do you say? It's almost like we're finishing each other's, uh, uh, sandwiches or, or, or sentences. So the same idea and same concept where you're so— I'm frozen. There you go.

Megan Yelaney 08:24
I love that. So good.

Gresham Harkless 08:26
Exactly. So, so people know so much about like what they're their target market, who they're working with, a lot of times it's because it's an extension of who you are and what you're passionate about, that, that kind of connection automatically happens. So it's not like it's forced or salesy or anything like you kind of mentioned, uh, sometimes happens when you're not paying attention to that stuff.

Megan Yelaney 08:43
Yeah, 100%. It's 90% of the time, probably even more, you are helping someone that was the previous you. And that's like when, when you're so passionate about it, like I was, was with Beachbody when I started. it was so easy for me to share because it transformed my life. So I was like, well, this is simple. I'm just gonna share my story. Um, and so when, when you're actually coaching on something you've been through, which again, most people are, you just speak your, your truth and you don't try to fabricate it. Don't try to embellish it. Um, especially on social media now, people are more attracted to realness than like the curated perfect Instagram feed. That's like kind of old school now. It's like people aren't as attracted to that. They want their seeking real authentic, uh, stories. And so the more you can just kind of bare it all and be honest about the struggles and how you overcame them, um, that's when people are like, wow, she's, she gets me. She's been where I've been. Or he gets me. He knows what I'm going through. And that's really attractive.

Gresham Harkless 09:36
So. Yeah, absolutely. Especially in this day and age where we have so many choices at our fingertips that we can choose, you know, this person and that person. A lot of times you do want that deeper emotional, uh, connection so that you understand this person actually gets me and understands Um, who I am and what I'm going through. So definitely appreciate that. So now I wanted to ask you for what I call your secret sauce, and it could be for you or your business, but what do you feel kind of sets you apart and makes you unique?

Megan Yelaney 09:58
Oh, I love that. Um, so my brand is actually called #PrettyAwkward, and this was developed actually when I, when I was a health and fitness coach, I, um, was trying to do, which was 2 and a half years ago, I was trying to do the typical fit pro girl, um, side. It's called like the booty pose.

Gresham Harkless 10:16
Mm-hmm.

Megan Yelaney 10:17
Um, I'm sure anyone who has been on Instagram can know what that is. And I literally couldn't do it. It was just this, basically this pose that all these fitness influencers would do. And I, my body just wouldn't do it. I couldn't, I couldn't do it. I couldn't like turn my thumb into that way. And I just felt really like weird when I was doing it. I was like, this doesn't feel right. And so one day I filmed myself attempting to actually record it and was going to just take a screenshot when I finally got the pose. never got it. And so I just said, you know what, I'm gonna just upload this video. This is such a ridiculous video of me attempting to do this thing. I was talking to my friend while I was doing it and it ended up like, for my account anyway, going viral and people like going, whoa, this is hysterical. And I just made fun of the fitness industry pretty much.

Gresham Harkless 10:58
Okay.

Megan Yelaney 10:58
This is so weird. And this is like pretty awkward. And, um, one of my friends helped me come up with that and it was really just about like embracing your quirk, embracing What makes you, you to actually build your business. Because at the end of the day, everyone I know is pretty awkward. We just don't say it. So, um, I was just kind of calling it out and that's, I think that's been my secret sauce. And that's what I help my clients really with is like, let's find what makes you, you and that unique gem. And like, let's just go full force with that because I don't want you copying what everyone else is doing. You're just going to be one of many versus like, oh, that's her thing. And then when you, when you operate from that way, that secret sauce, um, I never have to fake anything. I never have to worry if it's going to look weird because that's part of my brand. Like I joke around when I mess up, it's actually part of my brand and I have way more people love that. So, um, so yeah, it's like me being quirky and weird. I just started doing these singing videos. I'm the, I'm the singer and actress. So I started doing these like business singing videos and people are loving that. So.

Speaker B 12:00
Mm-hmm.

Megan Yelaney 12:00
I think just like thinking outside the box and trying to be like unique, but not trying to think too much outside of yourself to get that far, if that makes sense.

Gresham Harkless 12:09
Absolutely. So I wanted to switch gears a little bit and I wanted to ask you for what I call a CEO hack. So this could be an app, a book, or a habit that you have, but what's something that makes you more effective and efficient?

Megan Yelaney 12:18
Yeah, so a couple ones. I love this question. Um, the biggest one I'd say this year that I've implemented is Asana, and that's been, it's such a simple, um, tool to use. You can get it on your phone or on your computer, and it's just a organization system for your team. I think Trello is very similar, but it has kept me so organized. It's really helped as our team's grown to assign tasks and set due dates and even little things like pick up dry cleaning, like go run an errand. Like I put everything in there and it really helps me just organize my life. And basically if there's not a task in there, it doesn't get done. So it's like my bread and butter, it's my Bible. Um, and I, it's just been amazing for myself and my clients.

Gresham Harkless 12:55
Now I wanted to ask you for what I call a CEO nugget. So this is like a word of wisdom or a piece of advice, could be related to client attraction or anything business. related, but what's something you would tell your younger business self or something you find yourself telling clients as well?

Megan Yelaney 13:08
Oh yeah. Um, this quote was something that one of my best friends always says, and I've heard it from many entrepreneurs. Um, but it's, what is for me shall not pass me. And I think it's just a good life lesson, but also for business, especially if you're attracting clients and you have a lot of friends who are doing something similar, it can be, you could, it can be very competitive and you can feel that comparison really seep in. And I've really like, this is how I've lived this year 100% was if someone is meant to work with me, they're meant to work with me. If they're, if they're meant to work with someone else, that's who they're meant to go to. And it is one helps me attract way more people, but also like not be disheartened if someone doesn't sign up with me and signs up with a really great friend of mine and actually be happy for them and encourage it. And that has come so full force back to serve me in a really great way. I have a very abundant mindset because of it.

Gresham Harkless 13:59
Awesome. Awesome. Awesome. So now I wanted to ask you my absolute favorite question, which is the definition of what it means to be a CEO. And we're hoping to have different quote unquote CEOs on this show. So Megan, what does being a CEO mean to you?

Megan Yelaney 14:09
Ooh, love this. Um, being a CEO means being the boss of your own life, um, taking charge and deciding what you truly want your life, life legacy specifically to look like. And then going out there and taking charge and getting outta your comfort zone, not giving up when things get hard and realizing that your purpose is so much more than just you. As a CEO, you're responsible for so many other things, so many other people, and it's gotta be bigger than just you. Um, and so having that bigger, bigger vision, I think that's like a huge thing that a CEO has to embody.

Gresham Harkless 14:43
Yeah, absolutely. And then it puts everything kind of holistically in, in one kind of, um, perspective, because I think a lot of times we think, you know, the day-to-day, the mundane tasks and things that we're doing or we're not doing. But a lot of times, like you said, if you have team members, if you have people that you're providing services for, they need what you're able to provide. And you not doing that is kind of cheating, not just yourself, but it's also cheating the world of the greatness that you are. So, I think that's an incredible definition and definitely incredible perspective.

Megan Yelaney 15:10
Cool. Thanks. Yeah.

Gresham Harkless 15:11
No problem. Well, I definitely appreciate that and I appreciate your time even more. What I wanted to do was pass you the mic, so to speak, just to see if there's anything additional you want to let our readers and listeners know. And then of course, how best they can get ahold of you, find out everything you're working on.

Megan Yelaney 15:24
You can find me at, uh, meganyelaney.com. And then, uh, hang out a lot on Instagram. Instagram stories is really fun. @meganyelaney, all same, M-E-G-A-N-Y-E-L-A-N-E-Y. Same on Facebook as well. Getting into LinkedIn now, um, mainly, uh, Instagram and website, I would say. And then I also have a podcast called the #PrettyAwkward Entrepreneur Podcast. And we talk about a lot of what we just talked about today, and that's been, um, That's just been like a passion project. I absolutely love doing it. It's so much fun, as you know, and really fun featuring a lot of people. So that's been a really, really fun platform. And I have a great freebie, um, how I attracted 5 high-ticket clients in 1 week with zero paid advertising. And that's on my website as well as the pop-up. And you can just go to meggaling.com/hightickets with an S. Um, but yeah, that's all the goods there. We've got a lot of free resources and just really good, um, blogs and tips for you to get started with your business.

Gresham Harkless 16:20
Nice. Well, I definitely appreciate that, Megan, and we will have those links in the show notes as well too, so that everybody can follow up with you, uh, subscribe to the podcast, hear all the awesome things you're doing. But, uh, appreciate you again, and I hope you have a phenomenal rest of the day.