#awinewith Alyce Greer
MEET Alyce
Alyce is the Founder of Bossy. Creative.
Find Alyce here:
Bossy. Creative website and Instagram @bossycopy.coach @bossycopy.studio.
Transcript
Danielle Lewis (00:08):
Oh my God. Okay, let's do it. Let's do it. Elise, thank you for being here on Spark tv.
Alyce Greer (00:15):
Thank you so much for having me. I'm so excited.
Danielle Lewis (00:19):
I am so excited as well. Our paths have crossed many times, I think over the years. I was actually trying to think about it before we came on, whether it was back in your Westfield days or my past
Alyce Greer (00:33):
Life.
Danielle Lewis (00:34):
Yeah, exactly. But that's maybe a good place to start. So obviously you are the amazing founder of Bossy Copywriting, but I would love to hear your story. So how did you get to running your own business? What's the career path? Other businesses, what's happening?
Alyce Greer (00:54):
I don't really know how I got here.
Danielle Lewis (00:57):
Perfect. I love that. We either,
Alyce Greer (01:00):
And that's all we've got time for. No, I feel like I've had the strangest, I didn't know what a copywriter was until I had a copywriting studio, which makes me sound really terrible at my job. But basically I've always been a writer and I've always wanted that to be my career, but I did not know what copywriting was or that it existed. I just assumed that I would work in magazines or something like that. So I think when I was out of school I did journalism and then when blogging kind of took off, I was in my very early twenties. So I was a big blogger, did lots of freelance writing, and I thought that I would go down that path and I kind of did, I guess. But I was just working in retail and I ended up winning a dream job. So that's what kind of kickstarted everything. So it was this big nationwide competition. You had to enter a blog. And then I just got through to the next round and the next round and the next round. And then with the final five, we had to do TV appearances and styling challenges and all sorts of things. I think my career has always been this struggle between clothes or styling and writing. So I feel like the Westwood job for me was a perfect combination of the two. And then, yeah, that's right.
Danielle Lewis (02:28):
Was it like insider or something?
Alyce Greer (02:30):
Yeah, the Westwood Insider,
Danielle Lewis (02:32):
It blogging
Alyce Greer (02:34):
Started. There was no Instagram, there was none of that. And the fashion blogger was the person to be.
(02:42):
And yeah, I got put in the final three and then the public had to vote for the winner and I won. And I had to just quickly quit my job and went on this crazy whirlwind ride. And I was actually only meant to have the job for a year. That was the big thing. It was like you get paid to shop and tell for a year, and I ended up staying pretty much my entire twenties. But the role kind of changed over time. I just sort of became an extension of their content team or their head office team. And I did media appearances. I did lots of styling. I did street style shoots, I did heaps of editorial content. And then when I was coming to the end of that, I started picking up a few freelance clients here and there and a few more freelance writing projects as well. And I would just do them on the days that I wasn't at Westfield. And then over time, I just kind of reduced my time with Westfield every year. It was like four days, three days, four days. And then I took bossy full time and gave it a proper name and a website. So Cool.
Danielle Lewis (03:49):
I love it. So tell me, so what does bossy look like today? If somebody wanted to work with you, what are the products and services?
Alyce Greer (03:56):
Yeah, it's definitely grown up a lot since then. Back then I actually offered even different services. It wasn't bossy copywriting, it was bossy creative because I offered styling and I did social media and I did copy. So it was kind of like a bit more of a creative studio. And the only reason I did that I think was because, yes, I've always liked clothes and writing, but I honestly didn't think the copywriting would take off, which touches into my whole thing about niching down and why it's really important to just pick one lane. So over time, it eventually became bossy copywriting. And then today we definitely work with a lot of clients in a whole range of industries. It's usually people that want to have a little bit more fun with their tone of voice and their copy and are willing to take a bit of a risk in order to grab the attention of their audience and use creativity to sell stuff rather than just being sleazy salesman.
(05:00):
But then we've also got a podcast now called the Bossy Type, where I kind of give away lots of bite-sized tips. And now I have a course called Bossy Copy College, and that's kind of where I'm starting to spend more of my time. But essentially that's for people. I was at the start of my business journey who couldn't afford to hire an agency but wanted to enter with a bang and wanted to have a business that really aligned with them. So it's kind of like my process, but the DIY version, so we've only had one intake of people so far, but I think it's on the 1st of August, early August, I'm having another launch and I'm doing a four day masterclass thing. So I think now I just signed up for that actually. Did you? Yay. Everybody. Go and sign up to copy camp. So I love doing stuff that's like workshops and where I can give those people that are just starting out basically all the tea on copywriting and tone of voice and how they can DIY without having to either spend hours staring at the screen or spend literally their life savings getting it done.
(06:14):
So it's kind of split between the client side of stuff, which has definitely grown up a little bit. And then now it's really exploring all of the courses and programs as well.
Danielle Lewis (06:24):
Amazing. And I want to go back to, so you said niching down. So when you made the move to park the styling, because actually I didn't quite put two and two together as to when that stopped. I always remembered you as the stylist as well. So why is niching down important, do you think?
Alyce Greer (06:45):
Yeah, niching down. I feel like I need to trademark the term niching down.
Danielle Lewis (06:50):
People
Alyce Greer (06:50):
Are so sick of me talking about it, but I think it's because when I, a niching down is essentially just narrowing down. So picking either one customer or one service that you are really good at, or just narrowing down what you do so you're known for doing something really, really well rather than diluting yourself across a whole bunch of stuff. So I have tried to really build a reputation for writing really punchy, witty, fun copy. And obviously that's my niche now. So when people come to bossy, I'm attracting like-minded people that want fun and punchy and witty copy. So it really helps to attract your dream customers and your dream clients. But yeah, when I ditched the other two, I think it was more a case of I'll just start with these three things. These are the three things that I was doing at Westfield, and I'll just see what happens.
(07:47):
And I definitely did do a bit of the styling, and I definitely did do a bit of the social media, but I think I was just really done with styling. If anyone has done styling before, it is so exhausting. I just could not anymore. And writing has always been my number one. And so when that started to pick up, I thought, why am I trying to squeeze these other two services in when they're not really lighting me up? Why don't I just ditch those and really go in on this copywriting thing? And once I did that, it kind of opened a few doors because I was able to niche down even further. I used my writing style as the inspiration for the brand, so I decided I was going to do bossy copywriting, and then I really just used my own personality to build the business. So now I feel that it's really built around me and it feels like me, and I made sure the copy and the tone of voice was really aligned with my natural writing style. So everything just feels a little bit more authentic to me. And so I've just kind of narrowed down as I've gone on.
Danielle Lewis (08:54):
I think it's though, I think that just happens as a business owner, I don't think the first thing you ever do is the thing. I think you have to actually experiment a bit, figure out what customers you want to work with, what they actually want, how to talk to them. So I kind of think that that is the path to sell a bunch of stuff go, oh, I don't really like doing that. You
Alyce Greer (09:19):
Figure out not only what works and what, but what you like doing and what you don't like doing. So then you can really craft, I always think I didn't start a business to just to just have a nine to five job. And if you are starting a business, you're at a huge advantage. You can literally build it however you want. I've started thinking it would be nice to work four days a week. I could just do a four day work week. You could just do whatever you want. It's so
Danielle Lewis (09:48):
Amazing. It's like I could literally design the life I want.
Alyce Greer (09:52):
Exactly. Yeah. So even though I'm still in that phase of it, I feel like early on I really just tried to build it around my personality and what I like and what I enjoy doing. I really doing fun copy. So I thought, why wouldn't I just want to spend my days doing that instead?
Danielle Lewis (10:10):
Yeah, that's so good. I love that because I think mean, I've said this about a thousand billion times on this podcast, but I remember, so we've been in business for 10 years now, and I just remember getting to the kind of six, seven year mark going, oh my God, I hate this. And then I was like, well, you're an idiot. You're the boss.
Alyce Greer (10:33):
You could literally change it.
Danielle Lewis (10:36):
I know, but I don't know. I think that people do that. You build this thing up and then you say yes to everything, kind of like, oh my God, someone wants to pay me money. I better do it. And then you kind of have that aha moment of, okay, if I'm going to work my ass off, I may as well do it around the stuff that I like doing.
Alyce Greer (10:58):
And don't get me wrong, I still definitely have those patches where I'm like, whoa, I have a business. It doesn't leave my brain. I'm constantly thinking about it. It's really consuming. And there are parts where I'm not having fun anymore and I want to get off the ride. But those I think are good opportunities to take a step back and be like, okay, well what can I change? Because unlike an employee, I can actually do something about it.
Danielle Lewis (11:22):
Yeah, totally. And also at some point you'll get to the stage where you can outsource the shit things. Exactly. And I know your team has grown now as well, so you've got more people on the team. So how was that process? How did you go from, I'm doing everything to, you've got an office, you've got people talking through that.
Alyce Greer (11:42):
So I did it quite strategically because I didn't have the cash to hire a full-time team. And to be honest, I'm not really keen on having a big full-time team. I'm not the sort of person, I love having people around me, but I'm not crazy about the idea of having a really full agency. That's just not really my vibe. I'd like to have a little bit more freedom, I think. So I think when it was approaching 2020, I thought, okay, I definitely need help, but I don't really want to or can afford to hire a team, so what am I going to do? The other thing is that I always try and think, because obviously for me, tone of voice and copy and branding isn't just how you speak, it's also how you act. So I try and make every decision on brand with bossy. So I thought it's probably a little bit too traditional to just follow that path. So I started exploring freelance writers, and so then I came up with the super group, and that's basically our fun way of saying our freelance network. And I just put a job ad up for freelance writers and I got hundreds of applications because it was kind of the dream because it was just like, I'll find you the work and then I'll pay you to do it. Yeah,
Danielle Lewis (13:03):
Exactly. But also they're not on the payroll, so it's not like you are working to fund a team.
Alyce Greer (13:09):
Exactly. And it meant that because copywriting is so project based, even now, I still get stressed. I'm like, I know that I have work and I've never once been without work, but any freelancer or business owner will know you stress about not having any work soon. You're like, surely it's going to dry up. I don't have anything locked in for later. So I didn't want to have these people that I was responsible for, especially when I hit those quiet patches because that's what happens. So I decided to handpick a few of these freelance writers and build a bit of a remote team, and that also helped even with things like they weren't working in the office with me, so cuts down on costs there as well. And it meant that whenever we had a project come through the door, we would figure out who the best person for the job would be.
(14:01):
So I'd really handpicked people based on their writing style or their experience in a certain industry, or maybe they were great at a certain type of copywriting. And so we would just reach out to them and they would say yes or no. And we kind of just built it up from there. And obviously anything over time, people have moved overseas, new people have come on board. It's pretty fluid, but it means that we've got this team. There's probably about 10 riders I think that we use quite often. And then I've just hired another two. We've got in total, there's now four of us in-House as employees and the rest are freelance. So those two of those employees have only just hired. They haven't even started yet. So it's something that's new because I wasn't sure whether, again, that was the path I wanted to go. But I think I love the idea of having a small team with me and then having lots of freelancers as
Danielle Lewis (14:58):
Well. And I love that too, the idea of, because I think so many people go into business and they do really try and define themselves and their brand, but then when it comes to business structure, they go, oh, well, I have to have an office. I have to have a team I love that, actually know what's right for me
Alyce Greer (15:19):
And what's a creative way of doing everything. So rather than just automatically saying, oh, it's now time to hire staff, taking a step back and being like, actually, is that the best decision for me, not only for finances, but also for my brand, and then I just slap a fun name on everything. So
Danielle Lewis (15:40):
Do you have a process for the thought process or is it just that's just a step back, think about things
Alyce Greer (15:48):
Correctly? Not really. In terms of making decisions, I'm a huge anxious person, massive overthinker.
Danielle Lewis (15:56):
If
Alyce Greer (15:56):
You ask any of my friends or my husband, it will take me weeks to decide on a chocolate bar. So even the thought of making a big grownup decision, oh my God, that's probably one thing that I don't like is that I feel a little bit isolated when I have to make big decisions just because I'm so indecisive. So I think because I leave so much time, I'm going through pros and cons. There's a lot of time to think about a creative way of doing it.
Danielle Lewis (16:28):
Well, maybe the lesson is give yourself the space to have time
Alyce Greer (16:33):
Rather than just
Danielle Lewis (16:34):
Rushing into things.
Alyce Greer (16:35):
Exactly. And think about it, journal write notes down. I've love to visualize the different options that I'm going through. And I feel sometimes it's a pain in the ass because I'll either miss the opportunity or I am just in turmoil. I can't decide. But also it's good because generally it means that I will make the right decision because I've thought about it so
Danielle Lewis (17:01):
Much. No, I love that. I think that that's a really good approach. I think we have this immediacy problem at the moment where everything's urgent. There's a client always yelling in your inbox. There's dms in every freaking platform to reply to. I feel like you feel like you've got to just make decisions.
Alyce Greer (17:18):
So
Danielle Lewis (17:19):
Giving yourself a little bit of creative space is probably really good advice.
Alyce Greer (17:24):
I think any space is good, and I totally get not having the time. You have to make decisions quickly. And sometimes I just wish I could make a decision. My best friend who I share the office with where polar opposite and she can make a decision snap decision so easily, I'm going to need a month to talk about this.
Danielle Lewis (17:44):
Oh my God, that's amazing. Good balance though.
Alyce Greer (17:48):
Yeah, very good balance, but also good to have someone that's decisive to make my decisions for me.
Danielle Lewis (17:54):
Yeah, I love that. I love that. So obviously things have grown over the years, and you've evolved from blog freelance writing to all the way through full fledged copywriting agency, small team freelancers. Amazing. So through that time, you would've had to get clients and obviously with the program, get customers. So how have you found that? So how has sales and marketing been for you in the business? Have you kind of found any ways that work for you
Alyce Greer (18:26):
For Yeah, I would say probably my biggest game changer was just when I stopped caring what other people think and I just did whatever love that. Am I allowed to swear on here?
Danielle Lewis (18:39):
Oh fuck yeah,
Alyce Greer (18:41):
Whatever the fuck I wanted. So I feel like in the beginning even I was trying to please everybody, and I've talked about this a lot, but it really is the number one thing. And I was trying to make it look like everybody would like it. I was trying to make it sound like everybody would like it. I was trying to attract everyone. And then I think when I niched down into having that really bold, for example, even with my design, I did lots of research in the beginning, and I noticed that this was back in 2016, but I noticed that there were so many copywriters and copywriting studios that were confetti and baby pink. That was just a thing to do. And then there was the really traditional dated, stuffy agencies. So I thought, all right, neither of those are my vibe. I'm just going to go right in the middle and I'm going to make everything super attention grabbing in your face, bold, bright colors. And it wasn't really like that in the beginning, but I've just kind of made it like that over time. And then I think really just framing it around my personality and even my Instagram captions. People will say, oh, I can feel you reading the caption to me.
(20:01):
I feel like you're texting it to me. So yeah, I think a combination of those things and just trying to do everything different to my industry. What does every other copywriter do? Okay, I'm going to do it this way. So that has really, really helped. In terms of clients, my strategy has always been nail the project nail one project, and they'll be back and they'll tell their friends. So it's definitely been more of a word of mouth situation in terms of the client side. And I have some pretty great SEO as well. That helps.
Danielle Lewis (20:38):
Yeah. How have you done that?
Alyce Greer (20:40):
I did it myself. I'm definitely not an SEO expert. I had a meeting with someone I used to work with at my coworking space and said, tell me all the secrets. And he basically just said to research words, which I did. I think I just used free tools. And then I went through and put them all through my website. But then I also, I didn't realize this at the time that SEO was beyond words, it was also your user experience and that sort of thing. So I got my design changed a little bit, and I actually didn't know whether it was good or not, but it definitely works. And then I spoke to an SEO person and they said they put me in some sort of platform, and it came up that it was really good.
Danielle Lewis (21:25):
Amazing. And it's really interesting because I'm a huge SEO believer and I've probably taken more of a content approach, more like how much content, blog content, consistent over time and am such a, it takes so long. Everything you talked about is very much optimization, research, all that kind of stuff. And then I think the second layer to that is consistently putting out content so that the Google guards love you,
Alyce Greer (21:57):
100
Danielle Lewis (21:58):
Serve you up. So I always say to people with SEO, just start now because it takes time.
Alyce Greer (22:04):
Yeah. It's not an overnight thing, but I think in terms of just coming out with a bang, really using your own personality if you are the face of your business, that is, I feel like those things were big game changers for me. And then when I started the course and the programs, that really allowed me to tap into a whole nother side because it was people that were just starting out or people that were not yet able to hire an agency. So while this full time I had been trying to get these big clients, I didn't have anything for these other people that were emailing me constantly. And then they couldn't afford it because they were in the same spot that I was, and they just had a million other things to buy. So I feel like that has really helped with income and not income. Well, income too, but sales and marketing. Yeah.
Danielle Lewis (22:55):
Yeah. Awesome. And I love that too. That's just listening to your customers. So you kind of go into market thinking, well, this is what I do, but over time, as you've had client phone calls, all those things, you've got, okay, what's the missing piece? What is everybody saying that I might not be solving at the moment? And then plugging something in
Alyce Greer (23:14):
And just taking note of, I would be getting emails from, they were all about 22, 23, they were starting a beauty business. And I just looked for patterns whenever there was. And I kept track of any clients that I'd lost and I'd written down why we lost them. And I would just look for those patterns. And then obviously things like the free masterclasses that I'm doing, even the copy camp one that's coming up that is completely free and everyone that has signed up is the sort people that are just starting a business or they're a freelance copywriter who's just starting out. So yeah, I feel like you're able to serve those people in a different way.
Danielle Lewis (23:56):
And it's really interesting too, because I think people get worried about doing things for free, but in actual fact delivering value to people that might not be quite there yet. Those people don't forget if you help them on their journey when they are at the stage that they can afford your services, you are their go-to
Alyce Greer (24:15):
Exactly. I don't know if it's maybe the writer in me because I've written so much for free that I'm just like, what's the big deal? Just do it. Tell everyone.
Danielle Lewis (24:24):
Totally. Totally. And I think that's the thing as well, is there are infinite resources. It's not like if you give away a free workshop or a cheat sheet or even a mini course or something. It's not like you've given away all your ideas and all your potential customers have gotten your stuff for free. There's plenty out there. And there's plenty of people that will value the paid work as well.
Alyce Greer (24:49):
Exactly. And it's just, like I said, another type of audience, you're going to get more followers or you're going to get engagement, or they might purchase from you one day or yeah, they might work with you down the track when they can afford it. So I feel like,
Danielle Lewis (25:03):
Or even just mention you to somebody Exactly. When their friend is like, I'm really struggling with copywriting. Like, oh, I follow this girl. She's amazing.
Alyce Greer (25:10):
Yeah, the amount of people that follow Bossy that are not, they're not probably never going to be bossy clients, but I know that they support everything that Bossy does. They're always listening to the podcast or listening to the workshops or whatever it might be, and I know that they talk to their friends. Yeah. And it's just a good way to give back, I think.
Danielle Lewis (25:32):
Yeah, absolutely. I think that there's a nice balance between, yes, I'm trying to build my sales funnel, I need money over time, but there's so much opportunity out there just to share and engage with potential people who are coming up through the ranks.
Alyce Greer (25:47):
Exactly. And it's too hard. I feel like trying to DIY everything yourself, the amount of nights that I have spent fighting with my laptop, trying to figure out even SEO or something like that. So to have a few different people that you can go to for inspiration or knowledge or tips or whatever it might be, I don't really think I had anyone like that to turn to when I started bossy, which is really a thing. I don't know.
Danielle Lewis (26:16):
Yeah, no, I love it. I love it. So tell me then, I feel like you've got it all figured out, but I feel like it might not have always been like that.
Alyce Greer (26:27):
I definitely do not.
Danielle Lewis (26:30):
That worries. You're coming across that way, but what's been a big challenge to date? So I think it's easy, especially, so if I look at your Instagram, I go, you know who you, you've nailed your brand. You give a lot of value as an outsider looking in, it does really look like you've got it all figured out. But I know because I'm a business owner, that is sometimes the stuff we put out there. Have there been any big challenges you've found over the years and how you might've overcome them?
Alyce Greer (27:03):
Yeah, a couple. I think the big one for me is just, and I'm still figuring it out, just the weight of owning a business and carrying that every single day. And I actually just read someone else posting this on Instagram before I came on here, but I feel like it is just so consuming. I literally cannot switch off. So it definitely does have a big effect, I think, on my mental health because I just can't escape it. I'm constantly thinking, I'm thinking of ideas in my sleep and I'm like, remember when you just used to go to your retail job at five o'clock and then you would go home and sit on the couch?
Danielle Lewis (27:45):
Oh my God, take me back. Take me back.
Alyce Greer (27:48):
Take me back there. No, wouldn't change it for the world, but it is really, really challenging. I definitely do have big ups and downs and cry
Danielle Lewis (28:00):
Lot. You have a strategy for dealing with that.
Alyce Greer (28:04):
I just kind of ride the wave. But then I also know I'm pretty in tune with how I'm feeling. So if I'm, I'm in a rut and I'm feeling really unmotivated, or if I'm just feeling a bit flat and nothing's cheering me up, I feel like I just try and take a step back and I'm pretty good at prioritizing other stuff. So being like, okay, I'm probably not in the right frame of mind to be working on this all day, but what do I love to do? I love taking my laptop and sitting at a cafe and buying lunch and thinking of a new idea or planning out what I want to do next. And then that kind of gives me another burst of motivation, I think. So yeah, I definitely feel like that just the pressure of, and not even the pressure of paying staff or the pressure of not knowing if it's going to work or anything like that, it's more so it's just constantly on my mind. So it's just a lot to carry. But I guess the other thing for me that has been a challenge that paid off was when I launched the course for the first time, I was shitting myself.
Danielle Lewis (29:23):
Yes.
Alyce Greer (29:25):
I was so scared because when I launched it, I hadn't actually made the course, which was the strategy that I was following. So I came out.
Danielle Lewis (29:35):
That's cool. That's very cool. I love that. And
Alyce Greer (29:36):
Very bold. I came out and I said, so I'm in a program, and I know you've spoken to Stevie Dylan recently. So yeah, she's kind of taught me the course world, but I feel like just taking the leap and selling something before you've actually created it is terrifying. And then when people actually buy it and you're like, oh no, I have to actually,
Danielle Lewis (30:01):
Oh shit, I've got to show up now. Damn it.
Alyce Greer (30:04):
And I think especially for me, I was so terrified because I dunno how to teach well, I didn't know. I thought how to teach people how to write because it's such a personal thing. So that was definitely by far the biggest scariest thing I've done since starting Bossy. And it eventually paid off, but just going out there and putting myself out there and selling something that I hadn't made, not knowing that if people were going to buy it and just even doing the live webinars, that was not a thing for me, and I just had to do it anyway. So now I'm in the flow. But it was just a bit more of a risk, one that I'm glad I took, but it was definitely a challenge for me.
Danielle Lewis (30:51):
I mean, I love this because, and we have I guess different kinds of businesses, but I in the past have actually spent a lot of money on developing and creating things first and then trying to sell them and they potentially not the idea not paying off. So right now, my philosophy and it has been for the last few years, is I will not launch anything without having sold it first. So I actually love that approach because it actually, as scary as it is, it kind of helps weed out the bad ideas really, really quickly. If people aren't going to pay you for the value, you're telling them you're going to give them, they're not going to pay you when it's done and you're telling them the exact same amount of value that you're giving them. So the fact that you can go out there, sell it first, and then go, oh my God, people are into this and then create it. I literally think more people need to know about that. I
Alyce Greer (31:46):
Agree. Yeah. That's why I said it paid off, because in the beginning I was like, this is crazy. I'm not doing it.
(31:52):
I would rather spend all year working on this thing and then it doesn't work. But I was just like, no, trust the process. Just do it and see what happens. So I started with a foundation round and I just came out and I said, this is what I'm selling. You're going to learn this, this and this, and that sold out in 24 hours. I was like, okay, there's obviously a bit of a demand. So it kind of validated my idea. And then when it came to my bigger launch later in the year, even that whole process, it was exhausting, but it was definitely an amazing learning curve. And I feel like if I didn't do something big like that, I usually try and do something big every year, whether it's a podcast or whether it's the course. I feel like if I don't do something like that, I feel really inspired and motivated when I've got an extra project to work on, and I feel like I would just get really complacent and the time would tick by. So I feel like it was scary, but it was worth it.
Danielle Lewis (32:57):
I actually love that though. I feel like those big kind of pressure moments of I'm launching something bigger, inspirational, brand new are the things that make you feel like you're progressing really far in business. There are these underlying always on things that we do, but the course, whether it's a book, whether it's an event, whether it's a whatever, those kind of pockets are the things that kind of help you build assets in your business that will be there then forever that help progress you ongoing.
Alyce Greer (33:29):
Yeah, I agree. And it's kind of change the shape of bossy. I started bossy because I wanted to have more freedom, but then I didn't really have any freedom. I'm sitting at my desk for 15 hours every day and I'm like, what's going on? This is not what I signed up for.
Danielle Lewis (33:45):
Something went arise.
Alyce Greer (33:48):
Whereas the course, I'm like, that's my next thing. I want to just see how it goes. And it was scary, but because it worked, that just gave me a shot of adrenaline and got me so excited for what my business and my life could look like in the next couple of years. So just doing that one scary thing I feel like has set bossy up for the next few years, if that makes sense.
Danielle Lewis (34:15):
That's so cool. And are you doing it as a launch model or an evergreen model?
Alyce Greer (34:21):
Both. So I'm having a couple of launches a year. So I think when I did it in December, that was for my class of 2022. But then the one that I have coming up now, which I'm using copy camp to lead into that and giving lots and lots and lots and lots of information, but then if people want more, they have the chance to enroll in the course straight after it's finished. So that will be my midyear intake, but then people can enroll throughout the year as well. And then what I'm planning to do and what I did for my mini program that I launched in May, that was called Caption Coach. So that was essentially an express course in caption specifically. And then I think I would like to do them for all the different elements. I think there needs to be a website copy one, there needs to be an email flow one. So just really, if people have a good handle on their tone of voice, they don't need the entire degree, which teaches 'em to come up with their voice and write all of their copy like coffee. If they just want their website copy and they can't hire someone to do it, it can still cost thousands of dollars to do that. They can DIY it, but it's through an express course. So I've got lots of ideas.
Danielle Lewis (35:35):
Oh my God. I know. Literally. So since you've been talking, I've written an entire post-it note of ideas because I'm like, oh God, I've got to do that, and I've got to do that, and I've got to do,
Alyce Greer (35:44):
That is why I can't sleep at night because I'm freaking thinking of things in my sleep.
Danielle Lewis (35:50):
Oh my God, totally. Tell me about it. Well, on that topic, so you mentioned in the moments where you're not feeling it, you can take yourself out to lunch and do more of the creative stuff you like. Do you have any other strategies in terms of looking after yourself as a business owner?
Alyce Greer (36:08):
Yeah. Well, like I said, I feel like I am pretty good at, well, relatively good at work-life balance. Obviously I work tons, but at the same time, I really, really try and prioritize other stuff because I just don't want to be that person that's working all the time. So I definitely hang out with my friends a lot. I love just even going to Pilates. Pilates is such a good one because I feel like it's so good for your mental health and it sets me up for the day. I love going to see bands. I love going to restaurants. So weekends for me, even though I might work at the moment, I'm working a lot on the weekend because I'm preparing for coffee camp. But generally I'll try not to work too much on the weekend. And then I feel like I've at least had a bit of a rest. I feel like even though it might not sound like much if I'm doing that, I'm at least feeling like I'm living my life, not just sitting at my desk.
Danielle Lewis (37:09):
No, it's so true though, right? Because I think you kind of hit the nail on the head before we all start businesses because we want freedom and flexibility in our life only to have a business and realize we have no freedom and flexibility. So actually
Alyce Greer (37:22):
Exactly
Danielle Lewis (37:23):
Baking that in and going, what do I love? I love going out. I love seeing my friends. I love seeing bands. I love to eat good food going. I need to consciously make that a part of my life and not feel guilty that I'm not at my laptop.
Alyce Greer (37:38):
Yeah, that's the other thing, the feeling guilty. I feel so guilty as I'm sure everybody does, but even the two new girls that I've recently hired, that was a huge leap for me, and that was probably for the most part, in order for me to get to that freedom goal because I feel like, yes, there's heaps to do and I could probably get through it myself, but I'm like, I'm just going to take the leap because they're both amazing and I don't want to lose them. And I feel like that's going to help me get 90% of stuff off my plate so I can focus on the course side of the business mostly. But I can also go to Europe for a couple of weeks if I want. Oh
Danielle Lewis (38:20):
My God, the dream. The
Alyce Greer (38:22):
Dream.
Danielle Lewis (38:24):
Oh, that is so good. Okay. Well, let's wrap with, so the people listening into this podcast are usually early stage female founders or aspiring female founders. So people who are just hoping to try and take the leap. Would there be any advice you have to new business owners that perhaps you wish you had have heard when you first started?
Alyce Greer (38:54):
I feel like it sounds so cheesy, but I feel like most of us don't take the leap purely to do anything, whether that's start a business or whether that's contact a dream client or whatever it might be. I feel like it all comes back to being a scaredy cat, which is me. Yes.
(39:13):
So I feel like I always try and remember, even before I did the course, I was like, what if I spend months doing this and it doesn't work? What if nobody buys it? So I always try and ask myself, even though it's really cheesy, what would you do if you knew it couldn't fail? If you knew it was going to work, you would 100% do it, so why wouldn't you just do it anyway? And if you want to be practical about it, I'm definitely a risk taking person in my life, but for some reason in business, I'm just a little bit more nervous, a little bit more risk averse. So the way I did it was obviously had my day job in inverter commas to fall back on, and then slowly started to reduce that once bossy was picking up a little bit, I found that was a good way to have a safety net, make sure I could pay my bills until I knew that it was going to work. But yeah, try not. I think a lot of people, including me, we've really let perfectionism hold us back. So waiting till everything's perfect, waiting till all your ducks are in a row, when sometimes you should just get out there and sell something before you've made it.
Danielle Lewis (40:26):
Oh my God, I love it so much. Because the funniest thing that I have found is the more perfect I try and make something, the less it works.
(40:35):
People actually love being on the journey with you, and sometimes your first thoughts are the best thoughts because it's the most authentic, the most just hard hitting, value solving versus trying to perfect it. Trying to perfect it, and then it loses something in that process. Exactly. Yeah. I just think that is the best advice ever. And I love, sometimes you see the quote tiles on Instagram that's like, take the leap, do the thing. But I love that you said it's okay to dip a toe in the water just as long as and have the safety net as long as you are moving something forward. So if you do have a dream to start a business or do anything, it doesn't have to be a business. You can keep the safety net, but you can also dedicate time every day to achieving that goal.
Alyce Greer (41:26):
And if you wanted to work, you'll find the time somewhere. Even if it means you have to sacrifice something, you will make it happen if you really want it.
(41:36):
So yeah, I feel like often we'll try and find a way. I'm like, Mrs. Procrastinate, we always try and find a way to procrastinate, or we let our perfectionism hold us back and it's at the end of the day, we're just self-sabotaging. So I feel like maybe if you're feeling like that, you might not have cracked that one feeling that you get when you have that amazing idea or you found your niche. And that's why I feel like once you find something that really lights you up and you feel like really aligns with your personality, a lot of the time you'll be jumping out of bed to build it because you're just so excited to make it work.
Danielle Lewis (42:15):
Oh my God. Or that moment where the first person pays you, you're like, oh my God, I can make money from this thing and I don't have to do the other thing. Oh my God. Yeah.
Alyce Greer (42:25):
Yeah. It's like once you see the results, it's a little bit more motivating.
Danielle Lewis (42:28):
Yeah, absolutely. Well, you are incredible, Elise. Thank you so much. Thank you for spending your time with us today and sharing your wisdom and your journey with the Spark community. I could not be more grateful. Cheers to you. Thanks for a little virtual vino.
Alyce Greer (42:46):
My pleasure. It was so nice to be here. I had the best time ever.
