EP. 30 / Scaling Your Business To Be Less Overwhelmed With 7-Figure Business Owner Stacy Tuschl
SHOW NOTES:
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Stacy Tuschl grew her own dance studio business in Wisconsin and now is a 7-figure business owner and founded Well-Oiled Operations. Stacy teaches people how to scale their business, when you should diversify, how to delegate well… and why you shouldn’t try to wear multiple hats at the same time! Bonus: she says she doesn’t work nights or weekends…that’s aspirational!
In our real mom moment, Rachel Dorsey of Bone + Gold shares an awesome story of her kids looking up to her.
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Show Takeaways:
“I actually don't work in the evenings I don't work on the weekends I take lots of vacation that I had to get I had to go through all of what I did to get there so I feel good about it now. But I'm also 20 years in.”
“We have people that have multiple 6 figure businesses working 20 hours a week. It is 100 % possible.”
Best advice for a mom running a business:
“I think it is possible to do both well I just think you have to really believe that because one of them will suffer if you're thinking I just don't have time to do both. I like to wear I like to wear multiple hats but never at the same time. As soon as I hear them I close the computer and I turn to them and they sit on my lap and I just like kind of just you know, just kind of cuddle with them and talk to them in the morning. Like the goal is to not try to do both because you will not do both well.”
On delegating
“I don't think anybody working for themselves should be working 100 % alone even just 1 person could change everything. So if you don't get it done, you could look at it and say well what could she do tomorrow? How could he help me with this task right? How can I get the ball rolling?”
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EPISODE LINKS:
FULL EPISODE TRANSCRIPT
Kim Rittberg (00:02):
Business owners. This one is for you. Stacy Tuschl joins us. She's a successful entrepreneur who owns dance studios in Wisconsin and now runs a multiple seven figure business and teaches others how to scale their own businesses. She's got lots of tips for business owners and says you can do it and still have balance.
Stacy Tuschl (00:18):
Okay, so I actually don't work in the evenings. I don't work on the weekends.
Kim Rittberg (00:24):
This is mom's exit interview, the show for moms who wanna craft the career and life they want. Each episode, you'll meet inspirational moms across various industries and levels who are working and living life on their own terms, and they'll bring you actionable tips from finance to business development to happiness, to crushing that imposter syndrome. I'm Kim Rittberg. I was a burnt out media executive at Netflix, US Weekly and in TV news. I wanted a career where I was fulfilled at work, but present at home with my kids. So I started working for myself and I love it, but not every day was easy or is easy. I wanted to explore with all of you how other moms were creating careers on their own terms. They're carving out flex jobs, starting their own businesses. They're taking back control. Join me and make work, work for you instead of the other way around.
Speaker 3 (01:29):
<laugh>,
Kim Rittberg (01:31):
Is that how you're feeling about creating content to grow your business? Well, if this sounds like you wanna make content that attracts and engages your ideal client and drives revenue, but you feel overwhelmed by how much time video will take, you don't know how to remain consistent and up to date on trends, maybe you're confused about where to begin. And I know you're not showing up enough on camera. Well, this is super exciting. I am launching a live group coaching course where I'll teach you all of the secrets that I've learned from 15 years in journalism and marketing from top places like Pop Sugar, Netflix, Fox, and more. I'm going to use that to help you create a system and process to create content consistently and efficiently without feeling burnt out. Tips on how to come up with fresh ideas, scripts, and templates for videos.
Basically, I make it and you use it. I'll help you get a proper setup for filming. I'll tell you what to buy and the absolute best practices to execute high quality video plus a design bible. Basically a document to ensure a cohesive look and feel that attracts your ideal clients. Very, very importantly, accountability. Right? I will be holding your hand. I'm an award-winning video coach. Yes. And I will help you make videos worthy of awards. You'll walk away with completed ready to post social videos. I will hold your hand through it, be your buddy, and be your video executive producer. You'll get real-time feedback on videos you're making and training to show up authentically and confidently on camera. Most importantly, it will be fun. That is a promise you will feel like this when we're done.
Speaker 3 (03:00):
Yay.
Kim Rittberg (03:02):
So click on my website, kimrittberg.com and we can chat because 2023 is going to be your ear.
Our guest is Stacey Tussle, founder of Well-Oiled Operations. She began by launching and running dance studios in Wisconsin and she's since grown immensely and now she runs a seven figure business where she teaches mid-size business owners effective operation systems, like how to put the right people in the right places, retain top talent, run better meetings, and feel confident knowing that their business can run effectively without them. She has so many great tips in this episode. You're going to learn a lot, but don't forget, we have a newsletter, so you could just sign up for the newsletter and get the tips later.
Kim Rittberg (03:44):
I would love to hear about your first business and how you got into entrepreneurship. I understand it started when you were 18 years old,
Stacy Tuschl (03:50):
So okay. Kind of rewinding. I was a dancer, but I started really late. I started in high school. If you're a dancer and you're going to do this as a profession, you start when you're three, maybe five. And I started when I was 14 and I really liked it, but I wasn't going to go to Broadway or do anything crazy. So I thought, you know what? I could teach middle schoolers the summer. I graduate just like how to do fun. Well maybe go to competition or two. And I kicked off that summer with 17 kids in my parents' backyard and then three years in, I'm going to school at the same time thinking I'm going to get a job, I'm going to get the nine to five, do all the things, and three years in with no marketing. Cause I don't think this is a business.
I have a hundred kids coming to my parents' backyard every Sunday. Wow. Okay. So thankfully, I actually grew up in an entrepreneurial family. So my grandfather started a construction business like 50 some years ago. So I grew up in it. My parents, my grandparents, everybody worked in the business, but it never clicked like, oh, maybe I could have a business. It just wasn't, I don't know. That never happened. Thankfully though, my parents and grandparents were seeing a hundred kids every Sunday thinking maybe this is a business, could you we you do this? Right? They had no dance background either because I started so late they didn't know what dance was. But then I did decide three years in, okay, let's go find a place to rent. Let's get out of the backyard and find a place to rent and let's see if this could really be a business. So then I was intentional. Now I was trying to grow the business. So then we went quickly from a hundred to 300 to 500. Now we have I think 1600 kids that come to us every week.
Kim Rittberg (05:27):
But that's not still your Baron's backyard.
Stacy Tuschl (05:30):
No, no, no, no, no. Yeah,
Kim Rittberg (05:31):
I was like, oh my God. Right? I was like, no, no, no. Your backyard with 1600 kids. I'm like, ah.
Stacy Tuschl (05:36):
The backyard story was three years and we're in Wisconsin, so crazy winters. So a church donated their basement when it got cold. So we were outside the whole time for free in my backyard. And then as soon as it was too cold, church basement. And then three years in, we rented our own space. And then I think five years in, we built our own facility. Facility.
Kim Rittberg (05:57):
So did you go to college and keep this going on the side or did you just go straight to doing this? How does that work?
Stacy Tuschl (06:02):
Yeah, so I went to school, went to college, and then my junior year I'm like, oh, this is going to be my business. I'm going to quit school. And my dad's like, no, you're not <laugh>. You're a junior, you're going to finish. I'm like, no, I don't want to. But I did cuz I'm a good girl and I listened. So I have my bachelor's degree in business administration and marketing, but man, I just wanna get outta school so fast because in my head I was like, oh my goodness, I'm going to get to do dance as a profession. This is crazy. So I did graduate and I'm happy I did. I'm happy I finished. But I really started the business then immediately. And so the backyard story started 20 years ago.
Kim Rittberg (06:37):
Well, I mean the idea of just, oh, drop outta school and start your business. That's such a modern thing in the tech world. Oh yeah. Our parents would've killed us if
Stacy Tuschl (06:45):
We were like 100% wouldn't
Kim Rittberg (06:46):
Start our business at 19. Absolutely not. I think it's a different era that people talk about now. It's funny you were saying about entrepreneurs because I talked to a lot of entrepreneurs on the show and I also, like my grandpa, he ran a lease business in the garment industry in New York. I never really connected that idea of being entrepreneurial, but I did connect it to my love of art being like, oh, I was playing with lease and patches at a very young age and my dad was also, he ran his own business for 25, 30 years. But you're right. I never was like, it's in my blood. I was like, yeah, now I wanna be in control of my hours so I'll be an entrepreneur. But you're right that you don't see it that way until later.
Stacy Tuschl (07:21):
It is. And what's even more weird is, so my parents worked in the construction business, but my dad went to school. It's, it's my mom's parents. So my dad went to school for finance, so he created his own tax business. So every year when taxes happened he would do taxes for people and he had his own business that way. And then my mom was really crafty and she had a crafting business where she would go to craft fairs every weekend. And I still never, ever once thought I should run my own business. It's just the craziest thing.
Kim Rittberg (07:48):
Oh my god, you're mom and I need to talk. Cause I'm a big crafter, I have to say, had a jewelry company and crafty is my first love. I joke, I only had kids so I can craft without shame. <laugh> hilarious. So talk to me, okay, so you're running this very successful dance studio in Wisconsin. At what point did you have more, grow it bigger and enjoy and start your second business?
Stacy Tuschl (08:10):
So I think there's this idea of, oh the business is so easy and so much money and free time and that's not what happens in the beginning of business. You really need to be passionate about it because when you're not making money and you're working way too much, the passion is what carries you through. So thankfully I loved what I was doing and I did it anyway. I would say mean at some point I ended up struggling big time seeing a postcard in the mail that was for a dance studio conference of how to run a business. I'm like, I signed the app, I don't know what I'm doing. I really need to do, I really need to find somebody who knows what they're doing and they can teach me because I do feel like I'm a good student. I just didn't know what to do. Right? I never worked for a real business before. I mean I worked at McDonald's and I bartended, okay. I had zero experience of what do you do in a business? Yeah, what should people be doing? I had no idea, Ray.
Kim Rittberg (09:01):
You knew how to do what you knew how to do. But the other elements, and I love this by the way, about investing in yourself cuz I think there's that point at which you have to invest yourself to get to the next level. But it's, at first it's hard.
Stacy Tuschl (09:12):
100%. I was broke, I had no money to invest when I wasn't making money and I wasn't paying myself. Part of me was like, that is stupid. And the other part was like, but I can't keep doing this so I'm going to have to. And I will tell you that first credit card swipe of that first thing. And I remember at the time it was like a thousand dollars, which was, and just, it was insane for me. It was a it thousand dollars conference for two days and this was 15 plus years ago.
Kim Rittberg (09:36):
That's a lot of luck now. Yes, for sure. With inflation, that's like $5 million now I'm so good at math.
Stacy Tuschl (09:42):
Yes. So I go to that conference and I think what I realized there was I got myself in the room with people I wanted to be like. And that for me was life changing. I'm no longer going to hang around the people that we just talk about what we wanna do, but nobody's doing it. I wanted to get in the room where they already were doing it. And what's amazing about this, when you get in the right room, people wanna tell you they wanna share. They're like, oh, don't do that. I did that. It was a horrible idea. So I just became addicted to education. And it was funny because I graduated school barely. I wanted to get outta school so fast. I just was like, why am I going to college? I have my own business. I'm thinking I'm cool. And then all of a sudden a year later I can't get enough of learning. But it was because it was the learning that I was actually excited about and it impacted me directly. And I could try something and see immediate result versus going to school for four years and then waiting. I was like, oh my
Kim Rittberg (10:36):
Goodness. All hypothetical. All hypothetical.
Stacy Tuschl (10:38):
It's like they taught me something on Monday and I implemented it on Tuesday and I could feel the result that was so exciting to me. So I think just having a mentor, having somebody who had already done it, having other people, peers that I could now start to ask questions. Now the business started to grow and it started to get easier. We started to make more money. We started to hire and I had more free time, but I have to share the struggle happened before all of that. That was not my situation. And then I think in maybe at year 10 we actually open a second location. So now we have two locations and I own both of the buildings that they're in, which is just another asset for us to have retirement wise, which we love. And then probably what happened was I worked my way out of the business unintentionally.
So I got obsessed with delegating and oh my goodness, I could hire this person and they could do this and then they could do that. And then all of a sudden it was like, but wait, what do I have left to do? And that sounds amazing to have a very successful business and they don't need you at all and you don't have anything to do. I was miserable, I was lost, I thought, but I'm a doer. I'm a worker. I come up from a very hardworking family and not having a purpose anymore. I literally was lost. And that's actually how I started my online business business because I needed something to do.
Kim Rittberg (11:56):
What year was that?
Stacy Tuschl (11:57):
I'm going to say I was lost. Okay. So 2012 was when I opened the second location. And the reason I opened the second location was because I was bored and I thought, you know what? This will give me another struggle and I'll like, it'll be fun, it'll be a fun challenge. But when you have systems in place and you already know how to do this, within one year it was profitable. And I was back a year later, wait, that didn't solve my problem. So then I thought, well opening up another studio is clearly not going to help me. What if I did something completely different? So 2013 I was back to being like, well this stinks 2014 for an entire year. I was like, I'm going to start a new business. But I didn't know what. So for a year I just thought about things. And then I actually, it's funny enough, went to a conference in 2014 where I was like, my goal is to walk out of here with a new business idea. And I did and then I opened in 2015.
Kim Rittberg (12:47):
How big did your dance academies get? Revenue wise or
Stacy Tuschl (12:51):
Yeah, so I still own them today. I'd never sold them, got rid of them. I still have both locations. I just don't work in the business. I don't work in the building at all. I work on the business only very few hours a week. It is a seven figure business. Even through the pandemic, we definitely got hit in the pandemic, but man, we figured out very quickly how to make it work. And now we're scaling back up. We're bigger than last year and we're just going to keep kind of treking along.
Kim Rittberg (13:18):
Stacy went to a conference where someone introduced her to the idea of online courses and where she learned about Marie Forlio who runs an online business training program.
Stacy Tuschl (13:28):
So at the time, so back 20 14, 20 15, there were not a ton of online business coaches that were very, very popular. And Marie was probably, I think at the time, probably one of the biggest with the biggest following. So he was thinking, show her somebody who's doing it well give her an example of what this could be. And she was the first person I ever saw doing kind of almost picture influencer, but not about buy clothes. It's like this is what you had to do in your business and here's the software you should have and here. So she was really educating online digitally and had digital courses and he wanted me to see that I could possibly create digital courses and start going on social media. At this time, I don't even think I had social media accounts. I wasn't on social media at all, which is probably why I didn't know who she was either.
Just so crazy. But I think the couple patterns that I'm now noticing is when I saw what was possible in the dance world of like, oh wow, these people are successful. And then when I saw what Marie was doing, I was like, oh I can do that. I think it's so important when you wanna do something to find evidence it's possible and find somebody who's already doing it not to copy copying is never going to work. How do you look at that and say, what parts do I love? What parts would I do differently and how would I show up authentically? It definitely took some time for me to find my voice and figure out what I needed to do and how I wanted to show up. But it was really good having somebody like her to go, oh, okay, I get it. I get what she's doing here.
Kim Rittberg (15:03):
And so your company's called the Foot Traffic formula and it helps entrepreneurs automate and drive more traffic to their businesses. So that's what you learn from running your own business and that's then the education angle that you then teach others.
Stacy Tuschl (15:16):
Yeah. Yes. And I will tell you it was a big finding your voice, finding what you're good at takes time. In the beginning I'm like, what am I going to teach? And I had to be like, what am I good at? What do people already come to me for naturally? And I actually naturally started with productivity, getting time back and that's where I started. And then I kind of fell into this marketing bubble a little bit because that my marketing degree, I've been a marketer in both my businesses and even lately, I would say our actual best seller right now is called well oiled operations. This is where I'm like, how did I not go to that sooner? But it's about pulling yourself out of the business, being so reliant on you. Of course I have a business, I haven't worked in it in 10 years, this is what I should have been teaching the entire time.
But sometimes, and I don't regret not starting there, I think I had to go through all of this to figure out this is what I'm actually good at. I have a team of 50 people, employees in my one first business. Not everybody knows how to hire or fire or train. I've been doing it for 15, 17 years is when I actually had hired my first employee. So for 17 years I've had employees, I can tell you everything you need to know about hiring. So now I'm teaching more hiring systems. Marketing is still a piece of it, but it's just funny how the evolution has happened and it had to be that way.
Kim Rittberg (16:33):
So talk to me about how big is your company and then what do the work week look like? You have two kids, I think a lot of moms interested in pulling back the curtain on another mom's work week. How much do you work each week, all of
Stacy Tuschl (16:43):
That? So this business is my primary focus. I am working in this business Monday through Friday. Anywhere from eight or nine I start to three or four each day. I have good boundaries now I didn't have them before so I actually don't work in the evenings, I don't work on the weekends. I take lots of vacation, had to go through all of what I did to get there. So I feel good about it now, but I'm also 20 years in. It's like I figured out a few things. So I have pretty good balance. This business now is generating multiple seven figures a year. So what's crazy is this business is only seven years old and the other business is 20. And this business is more than double the first business.
Kim Rittberg (17:23):
How many people work on foot traffic formula? How you said it's a multiple seven figure business. What's the structure of it? Is it courses? Is it consulting packages? How, what's the structure?
Stacy Tuschl (17:32):
So we only have two programs and I think that's another reason I think it's so successful is when you have less, you get to do more in those areas. So a couple years ago I had last and I wasn't making as much. Now I only have two products. We have a group coaching program and a mastermind and because there's only two things, we can just double down on that and just give such a great experience. We have eight full-time employees in the business and then Russ are contractors
Kim Rittberg (17:59):
And are all the companies that get advice from you. So you were running is brick and mortar and online, the people who come to you, what sort of companies do they have?
Stacy Tuschl (18:10):
So it's not usually about what they sell, it's about what they need. So I am teaching people that I don't know anything about their business. I'm going to make this up, but there could be a plumber in there or a dog groomer or <laugh> like it doesn't matter. We have a non-profit. I have no experience with non-profits. But when we have the same needs when we are trying to scale, when we are trying to hire, when we have to fire, when we need to put systems in place, it doesn't matter if you're a law firm or you're an online coach, it's the same foundational principles for business. So I do a masterclass, well how I sell this and the amount of questions of, but I'm this, can you help me? But I'm this and I'm like guys guy, I have to say so many times it's hard for people to believe that businesses are so similar, but they are. It's like do you set goals? Are you clearing your goals? What are your actions? Do you have metrics you track on a weekly basis? It doesn't matter what your business is. It's like these are things you have to do no matter what type of business you have.
Kim Rittberg (19:10):
What's your top tip for someone saying, how do I bring my business? It's the number one thing that's in common for all of
Stacy Tuschl (19:15):
Them. I think it's simplified. I think a simple business can be the best business. Every time I look at when I try to get fancy and add something or like, oh, I'm leaving so much money on the table, I need to add this other product. That is when things slow down because I stretch myself too thin and I can't give my all to six different things. So really there's a favorite or here's what's even worse, the favorite, the thing that's actually doing really well, we don't focus on that cuz it's doing well. We are trained in school. When you have a report card and you have all As and B's and you have a D, what are we trained to do? We focus on the D, raise
Kim Rittberg (19:50):
That D, raise that deed to a beer. And I, yeah,
Stacy Tuschl (19:52):
She's going to do extra tutoring, she's going to come after school. We focus on the d's. Holy cow. I see business owners, they're like, okay, I have this product over here, it's killing it. I don't want you to help me there. I have this other product I can't sell. Could you help me sell this? And I'm like, what? You can't sell it. Why do you want me try to sell it? Can I have the fun thing that's actually making money that I could double your revenue there? But their brains naturally, we try to fix the broken stuff and I tell people in business, it's so fun, we don't have to fix the broken stuff. We get to say the broken stuff maybe isn't our thing. Let's go fix the B and turn it into an A and then an A into plus. And that's when a little tweak that can be so much more to your bottom line in the business.
Kim Rittberg (20:33):
I love that you're like, don't focus on this, sunset that and grow that right green light that times eight and sunset the other one. I love that. That's the wrong metaphor. Green light, red light, right?
Stacy Tuschl (20:43):
Yeah, yeah. Just simple, simple, simple. And even with me, I didn't need the second location. I could have done more in the first location, the second location I thought, oh we're done here. It's like, no, you're never done. There's so much more you could do, right? But more you can do with that thing, you don't need another.
Kim Rittberg (20:59):
I'm going to get so many tips out of you in one minute. I'm going to ask you one last parent. I'm going to ask you one more question about me, a working parent who's ready her own business. How does being a parent, you have two kids, how does being a parent impact how you structure your business or what you want out of your career?
Stacy Tuschl (21:14):
Yeah. Oh so good. So what's so funny is I typically work before, my husband's now retired but he wasn't retired and I would have to take him to school and pick them up. So I kind of felt like a single mom-ish in some ways. So I worked nine to three and it was so funny because my one client structured her day to look like mine nine to three. And she goes, this isn't working for me. Why is this working for you? And I said, well I'm nine to three because my kids go to school at eight 30 and then I gotta pick 'em up at three 30. And she's like mine home all day. What was I thinking? Why would I do this? So everything I do is around my children. It's take kids to school, work during the day, pick them up, I'm done working. So when I am asked to speak on a Saturday event, I more than likely decline that event because I wanna be with my children on the weekends. I don't wanna be working on a weekend. So I am saying no to some opportunities that could be an amazing opportunity but just doesn't feel like a good fit for me.
Kim Rittberg (22:07):
So you're working when the kids are at school and no more, no nights, no weekends,
Stacy Tuschl (22:11):
Correct? Definitely used to <laugh>, definitely used to. I haven't done that in years.
Kim Rittberg (22:18):
Great. Bravo. I feel like that's everyone's dream. Everyone's like how do I only work when my kids are at school? And then cause yeah, I've on a lot of times people are hopping on at night and I'm trying to, I switched from working in media to running my own business very specifically because I wanted more control. I don't want my media company sending me to LA for the Oscars, which I did get to go to the Oscars. But I don't wanna do that now. I wanna work, I wanna be there for soccer practice and I wanna be there for swim. But I'm finding that sometimes my day I ended at two 30 and then I'm working at night. So I'm like, I'm trying to systematize my day better to really align with my goals. Yeah.
Stacy Tuschl (22:55):
Here's how I got out of working at night cuz I definitely did it too, is I had to realize that work will never be done. So what am I actually benefiting by squeezing in an hour or two when the kids go to sleep. I have to realize if I have X amount of hours during the day, I just have to make sure the most important stuff gets done and whatever doesn't get done. Which every day there is stuff that doesn't get done every day. That is the life of an entrepreneur and it's really hard for people to sit with that they're trying to complete the to-do list. It will never be complete ever. So
Kim Rittberg (23:26):
What's the advice that things that you don't get done, what delegate or accept that it's not going to happen?
Stacy Tuschl (23:32):
So I always say, you're either going to do it today, you're going to delete it. Sometimes I, I just would look through my calendar of all these things I had to do and there was something that I've been procrastinating on for six months and I just said, this is clearly not happening, I just deleted it. Let's just realize this is not getting done and it's okay, business is fine and clearly that's just not a priority. So I'm just going to do get rid of that. There are some things where I'm like, this is important and somebody on the team could help. So I'm a big believer in the reason I have freedom is because I have a team. Even if a team is one person, you have an assistant. I don't think anybody working for themselves should be working 100% alone. Even just one person could change everything. So if you don't get it done, you could look at it and say, well what could she do tomorrow? How could he help me with this task? How can I get the ball rolling?
Kim Rittberg (24:18):
It's funny, I do the podcast and people are like, oh do you edit it? I'm like, absolutely not. It's so much work to put in and I know from being an executive producer, I'm like, you should do what you're best at. I'm like, I'm best at interviewing, I'm best at writing, I'm best at seeing the big picture, but I save myself a lot of time and I'm like, you end up getting what you're spending, you're making back in time and new clients. So it's like I don't have to think about it anymore. But it is important to, I had a lot of things that I was doing too much work at night and I'm like gotta delegate. I have to fight a person for sure not to find that person. And
Stacy Tuschl (24:50):
Even delegating personally around the house, what can you delegate there? We don't have to hold onto everything in the house.
Kim Rittberg (24:55):
I've always delegated cleaning. I'm awful at cleaning and I hate it. Yeah, yeah. Okay, for sure. I have a couple of things that I've seen throughout your information website and I have been so excited to ask you these things. All right. Number one I read on your site or on article you wrote, the average millionaire has seven streams of revenue. When should you add another revenue stream and how do you do that? What would you recommend?
Stacy Tuschl (25:17):
Okay, so I do think it's important to diversify, but I don't think you should diversify too soon. People here diversify and they try to do all this stuff and then again, simple is easier. So start with one and master that thing. When you've mastered it, now it's time. So when you look at all of the things that I have, but if I showed you the 20 year timeline, you'd go, oh three years later she did that and then seven years later she did this and then a year went by and she did this. People try to do it like this year. Okay, so it's been 20 years. So even I rented for three years and then I built my building because that's an investment and that is something that's right. That's going to be so great. 10 years after that I bought a fort close building and I remodeled it and I put a tenant next to my dance studio.
So now I'm getting rental from the nail salon that runs from me. That was 10 years after. So when you look at my portfolio, there's a lot of stuff in there, but I mean it took years. Real estate wasn't something I could ever afford in the beginning. And then all of a sudden things were good and things felt easy and it was like, okay, now what? Only add when things feel easy. If you're adding, when you're overwhelmed, which we do all the time, we're already overwhelmed and now we're adding to our plate. Somebody listened to this podcast and thought I should do this and they're already overwhelmed and now they have
Kim Rittberg (26:33):
What? Return. Right. Wait till it settles. Like wait till it settles.
Stacy Tuschl (26:35):
Yeah. Wait till you're like, you know what really good, what would be something fun to do right now? And then go look into that next best thing. What
Kim Rittberg (26:43):
Are your best online marketing strategies for small businesses? What do you think?
Stacy Tuschl (26:47):
So huge. I love social media but it has to be strategic. So many people are doing things on social just posting once a day because you're supposed to and they're not getting results from it. Part of our program is I dive into what are the metrics? I don't track Instagram followers, I track Instagram engagement, I track how many people commented and then did we start a conversation with and then booked a call from there. My social media gets results. But cuz I track it. If you are just posting and I mean perfect. I posted every day this week, that's what I'm supposed to do. But nothing came from it. You're wasting your time. So I think tracking is the most strategic thing you could do as a business owner.
Kim Rittberg (27:29):
I love that. I do content strategy and I have realtors, another professional, they're like, should I be on TikTok? I'm like, is your audience on TikTok? Is that going to drive leads? Is it going to drive clients? So I'm, the worst thing to do is be on social and it's an expensive hobby cause it's taking you away from your business. None of us, so I'm not old, whatever. We're old enough that we don't need social media as a hobby. We're not teenagers. It's not like fun. Even if it is can be fun. You have to use a strategic So I love that tip of making sure and tracking the metrics, identifying your goals and making that as a list. It's off followers, it's engagement if lead. Yeah, could also, I like also other goals that I've found really helpful. It's also, it could be collaborations, it could be brand building, it could be if you wanna be a speaker, it could be is this establishing you as credibility to get speaking gigs. So I love how the tracking is super, super important.
Stacy Tuschl (28:17):
It is. It really is. Cuz we're just too busy to not track and see what actually worked.
Kim Rittberg (28:22):
Yeah, absolutely. I, okay, I wanna know, I know you're such an expert at hiring and building, so what roles should someone hire first in a small business?
Stacy Tuschl (28:31):
It depends on the person. Somebody really might need somebody just helping on the house to help their business because you walk into your home office, you get stopped by the dishes and you get stopped at the laundry or you get done for the day and you are so exhausted you can't do that stuff. So it's possible it's something personal. But if I were just think thinking, just business, I actually think bringing in an assistant, a right hand,
Kim Rittberg (28:56):
Help with emails, help with calendar scheduling, help with people think it's not a big deal, but sending emails that each takes seven minutes times 10, that's over an hour a day that you're just sending emails. Right.
Stacy Tuschl (29:06):
Okay. Yeah, absolutely.
Kim Rittberg (29:08):
And then a lot of people are growing their businesses, not necessarily full-time staffers, it's a lot of contractors and freelancers. How do you recommend leading a high performing team remotely, especially if it's freelancers or contractors?
Stacy Tuschl (29:23):
So in my online business, even though we actually do all live here in Wisconsin and we're all pretty close to each other, we did that purposely. Cause we have events. So I wanted everybody to be here and to be able to go to it. But on a daily basis we do not work in person together. We are all remote. So I think a good project management software is a must. It keeps everybody organized. And then regular meetings, we do a daily huddle, we just check in what's going on, who's got questions, who needs what? And then, and they're like five, 10 minutes and then it's say going break, have a great day everybody, we'll see you tomorrow. And then we're off because we can be in our project management software and keep doing it.
Kim Rittberg (30:00):
What's your favorite project management software?
Stacy Tuschl (30:02):
I do use an advance. I think mine is a little advanced. It's monday.com if you're just getting started, I would say probably a click up, a Trello probably. Those are the easiest user friendly to jump into Monday. I love if you have a team cuz it's really robust. So if you don't have a team then that's the reason I love it. And you might not need it.
Kim Rittberg (30:22):
That is a good point though. Cause I feel like people get different recommendations and it just depends on the size of your business. It
Stacy Tuschl (30:27):
Really
Kim Rittberg (30:27):
Does. Look, I feel if you get a software that has too many bells and whistles and it's just you actually annoying and it can be counterproductive.
Stacy Tuschl (30:35):
Yeah, I mean honestly I use Trello in the very beginning and I think that is so and intuitive.
Kim Rittberg (30:42):
I love it. I saw, I saw a testimonial on your site and I was like, I am super intrigued by this. Literally this person writes this. I'm like, I need to ask Stacy about this. It talked about making money with automation. So someone on your site wrote, within working with Stacy for a week, I made $700 within a few weeks. I've consistently made four figures a day from an automated marketing system that she taught. You explain how an automated system can just grow your revenue so quickly and so seamlessly.
Stacy Tuschl (31:09):
So Rachel Engo, she's, and now she's that I started, I worked with her when she started the business. Now it's been, I don't even know, years. And she's multiple seven figures. She's crushing. But her first year of business, she made 400,000 with a 50% profit margin. It was insane. How? Yeah, so weird. OK. Oh one, the first thing I did with her is we niche down. She never had a business. She was in network marketing. She wanted to know what should she do. She was like, I think I'm going to be social media man. I think I'm going to be a social media expert. I looked at all of her stuff and I was like, no offense. Some of the other stuff is okay, but this Pinterest thing is really exciting. You're doing really well on Pinterest, way better than the other ones. Go to Pinterest, try to be well-rounded, just go to Pinterest. And that really, really helped her because people weren't doing just Pinterest. People were talking about all these other platforms or they were well-rounded and she was like, I'm the Pinterest expert. So that was huge. And then we helped her build a marketing funnel and she sold a smaller offer and it started to scale. And when it's automated and it's a funnel and you can sell every single day, even when you're not working.
Kim Rittberg (32:11):
What sort of item though is passive and automated for someone like that. So it's a social media expert on interest.
Stacy Tuschl (32:17):
I think she had an e-book, a really inexpensive e-book that she did
Kim Rittberg (32:22):
My 30 bucks, 30 bucks, 50, 30 bucks or 50 bucks
Stacy Tuschl (32:25):
And she sold the course after
Kim Rittberg (32:27):
It. And the course is also passive.
Stacy Tuschl (32:29):
Yeah.
Kim Rittberg (32:29):
Wow. That's so interesting. Did she have a huge social following that that worked for her?
Stacy Tuschl (32:33):
No. So she came from, I'm not going to say the network marketing company just cuz there's some things there, but she came from a network marketing company and they were restructuring commissions and she's like, this just isn't going to make sense for me. She came a fitness, people were coming to her, so she had to switch from fitness people to business people. So very, she had no, I mean she built it from scratch.
Kim Rittberg (32:55):
That's interesting. Okay. She
Stacy Tuschl (32:56):
Was amazing. She's just crushing. Here's the thing too, all of that strategy was important, but her mind's that she's a doer, those are the people that are successful. Everyone on my testimonies on my website, they're doers. They're implementers. They're like, tell me what to do and I'm going to do it right. You gotta have that attitude and that energy. What
Kim Rittberg (33:15):
Advice would you have? Big picture advice for a mom running a business. What would be your best advice for a mom running a business?
Stacy Tuschl (33:24):
I think it is possible to do both. Well, I just think you have to really believe that because one of them will suffer if you are thinking, I just don't have time to do both. Even if you can only give x amount of hours to each or to whoever. If it's 10 hours a week or it's just during nap time or it's just in the Saturday, you can still go all in during that time. I like to wear multiple hats but never at the same time. So when it's mom mode, I need to be mom. If I'm on my phone and my child walks in the room, I have to put that phone down. I want them to, I work in my office usually in the morning and then they wake up and they come in here and as soon as I hear them, I close the computer and I turn to them and they sit on my lap and I just cuddle with them and talk to 'em in the morning. The goal is to not try to do both cuz you will not do both. Well
Kim Rittberg (34:13):
That just reminds me of, I'm going to over chair now, but I was in Michaels last year and I just had to finish an Instagram post. And for me, Instagram is for work. I don't, it's not even for fun anymore. I'll sometimes post Halloween, but generally I see it as a marketing tool. And I was finishing a post and my daughter was looking at something in Michael's and I went just around the corner so she wouldn't see me on my phone and I hear them calling, will Kim please come to such and such? My daughter didn't see me. She was really upset and she didn't know where I was and I was like, oh my God. I was on my phone for literally less than two minutes, but it was enough to make my daughter scared. And that just was to the point of what you're saying, whatever you're doing, do that thing. If you're with your kids, do that thing because they feel you're absence, they feel you're distracted. We see you on your phone, they process that they're not as important as your phone and your work. And that moment was so heartbreaking for me and I'm like multitasking is over
Stacy Tuschl (35:10):
Done sometimes though, you need to have it happen to be never again.
Kim Rittberg (35:14):
Yes. And now it's like it. If we're in a cvf, she's like, I didn't see you. I'm like, that's cuz we're hustling to get to this aisle. But it's not because yeah, I am on my phone or what It just like it really scarred me. And here's one thing Stacy wants you to take away with you from this episode
Stacy Tuschl (35:28):
And what can you lean into with just hearing that? And it might be nothing to do, it might be to slow down, it might be to simplify, it might be to do less.
Kim Rittberg (35:36):
I have a serious question. You really feel like I'm like, I'm, let's get serious. Stacey, you really feel like someone who's a mom who's trying to work nine 30 to two 30 can scale their business in a way that's significant even while working like those, what is it, five hours, 25 hours a week? You really feel like there are certain tricks and tools when you simplify and niche down and focus
Stacy Tuschl (35:59):
100% like nine to two. I have people that come to me that only work 20 hours a week at all. They can't work more than them. They might homeschool their children, they might have other obligation. So yeah, I mean we have people that have multiple six figure businesses working 20 hours a week. It is 100% possible.
Kim Rittberg (36:20):
Thank you so much to Stacy. You could check her out online at stacytuschl.com.
As you know, I love listener feedback. Every note I get, I respond, I put on air and I'm so happy to hear from you. This one is from Julia who said she found the podcast two weeks ago and she's been binging episodes. She says she's leaving active duty in the Marine Corps and switching to the reserves. So basically she's figuring out what's next for her. So she outlines what she's thinking about. Should she go to a tech company or should she go do a defense contacting job? And she's weighing which ones she's most excited about. She says, your podcast has helped me realize how fluid designing your life can be. I started outlining my ideal stay-at-home parent. What fears do I have around it as two working parents, my husband and I have a good domestic split. How would being a stay-at-home parent change that?
Would we still keep our cleaning dinners, laundry? All of those questions. And what I absolutely love about this note is she used the word fluid and that's just the perfect word for what we've been talking about on the show. I love how her note defined. What I've been thinking. If you're not satisfied with your job or career or business next year or next month or three years from now, can look totally different. So Julia, thank you for listening. Thank you for writing in. Please continue to send in your notes and your thoughts. I really appreciate them and I just feel like we're such a part of a community, so thank you. Okay, get ready for our real mom moment, like in its happiest, funniest, or grossest moments. This one is so sweet and it's from Rachel Dorsey who runs Bone and Gold. It's a full service commercial production company and they specialize in real people cinematic storytelling.
Rachel Dorsey (38:15):
Every Friday night, which is Shabbat for our family, we go around and we share something we're grateful for and something we're proud of. And almost every single chavis, both of my sons who are six and nine will say, I am grateful for my mom who works so hard to earn money for our family so we can live this beautiful life. And that is so gratifying. I do work really hard and I've worked really hard for a really long time and I've taken risks and I've put my faith and my heart out there and I have tried to do my work in a way that aligns with my values. And to know that my kids see my hustle, they see my grind, they see me working every single day and they applaud me for it means the world. Not every son gets to grow up seeing their mother do work that they love, but mine do. And that feels great.
Kim Rittberg (39:11):
You can find her at Rachel Blair Dorsey on Instagram. And if you wanna submit your real mom moment, sign it for our newsletter or contact us at kimrittberg.com. Click and there's a form right there.
Thank you so much for being here. Don't forget, if you're looking to grow your business without the stress and create amazing content which reaches your ideal clients, reach out to me at kimrittberg.com, because I am starting an amazing live group coaching course. And please, if you like this podcast, review Mom's Exit Interview in your podcast app and please spread the word. It's really meant to be a resource or tell y'all mom friends or dad friends. And I love getting feedback. You heard a listener feedback earlier, so please tell me what resonated with you. Any topics you want us to cover, you can find us everywhere. www.kimrittberg.com. We're on Instagram. You can check me out on Kim Rittberg. Find me wherever, Instagram, LinkedIn, just like don't come to my house. This is Mom’s Exit Interview. I'm your host and executive producer, Kim Rittberg. The show is produced by Henry Street Media. Jillian Grover edited this episode. And a Eliza Freelander is our publicist and editorial producer. Thanks so much.