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Welcome to the Grit Reapers, the podcast for aspiring online entrepreneurs that cut through all the crap in the online business world and dishes out the raw and real truth about what it really takes to have a successful online business.

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No sugar coating, no get rich quick schemes, just honest advice with a healthy dose of humor and hope. We're your hosts, Gayle and Candice, two online entrepreneurs who've been there, done that, and lived together.

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Tell the tale. So if you're looking for straight talk, practical tips, and the occasional reality check to get your online business moving, you're in the right place. Let's get down to business. Welcome back to another episode of the Grit Reapers.

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We're so happy to have you here. Hi, Gail. Hey, Kenz, how are you? Yeah, all good, thank you. Excited to talk about this topic, which is how do you make money online? The question that everybody asks, and we get asked all the time.

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How do you make money online? Exactly, exactly. So I think we're going to start off with that. There are some, like, real practicalities to that question and then some other stuff that we are going to share with you that is going to save you tons of heartache and money in the long run if you know this.

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So stick around for that good stuff and time. Exactly. And all right, so let's start with a really practical. The practicalities, like, how do you actually make money online from a totally, totally, like, logistical point of view.

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All right, so Gail and I feel like they're just a couple things that you would need to have in place in order to have your business running in the digital space. And we're going to outline that. So the very first thing I think that comes to my mind is you would need a platform or software that can house or host what it is that you want to sell.

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So let's make that practical. If you're a coach or a therapist or a service provider or a consultant, and really all you do is meet with the client or the patient, you would need something like Zoom.

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Right. So you would need the software like Zoom, where you could actually do the thing you want to do with the person in a digital way. If you were thinking to yourself, hey, I've got all this knowledge about, I don't know, working with women over 40 who have put on weight.

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But. And I want to make a course. I want to make like an online course. Cool. Then you would need something like a platform that could house all your videos that people could sign up and log in to, to. To watch the videos.

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So something like Kajabi, which Gail and I both house our businesses on. So the first thing is a really practical thing. It's like you would need a platform or a software that would help you do the thing you want to do in the digital space.

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Right. Cool. Gayly. What else do they need? Like on a super practical level, okay, so you would need a way to take payments. Okay. And that could be. So say you. You used a platform like Kajabi, they have a built in payment gateway that you would then link to either strap or PayPal, a payment processor.

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Or if you are a service provider or a coach and you're doing these kind of online consultations, and you may not have a platform, then you would just need to have some way of invoicing, you know, invoicing, just plain invoicing.

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Or if you've got a strap account or something like that, you know, invoicing from there, or wise or PayPal, they all have invoicing capabilities. So a way for you to take money for the service that you're providing or the course that you're providing?

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Yeah, absolutely. Which actually makes me think that possibly the third thing you would want to think about is the idea of kind of having an online business for some people is really appealing because it means you can get in front of more people, that you're not limited to your geographic location.

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You can kind of start working with people all over the world. And if you do have that vision, you don't want to be manually invoicing people. Right. It would be a big weight of your shoulders if you were trying to sell a course that when someone signs up, you don't have to then go yourself to your laptop and write an email.

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Like, things could be what we say, like automated. Right. So ideally, you want to look for a way. To automate parts of your business so that it becomes like things are happening in the background and you don't have to be worrying about it.

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So that is what we would say are like automations. Kajabi has that built into the platform. So once someone purchases, you can set up a flow that you want to send an email or you want to grant them an offer or.

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And you don't have to be manually doing that. So I would say that's a big one for me, like having the manual aspect of managing clients kind of removed so that in the digital, in your digital business, it's happening through Automations.

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Yep, absolutely. But also, you know, when you first starting out, you may choose to do it manually. But just remember that there are options out there to have Automations running for you.

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Yeah, 100%. Anything else on your mind, Gail? Like in terms of just practically what do you need? So I mean I really think that that is kind of it. You would then obviously have to promote it. So you would have to have, you know, platforms to promote it.

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You might have heard of people saying, you know, you have to build your email list so you want to be able to message people. You might have to, you know, you can choose, you might decide to promote it on LinkedIn or you might decide to promoted on like your Facebook or you might grow a Facebook group or on your Instagram.

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But in order to sell, you know, you might have put all of this in place and we're going to talk about that in the next section. But in order to sell, you have to have people to sell to. You can have the most amazing course, you can be the, the best expert in your field.

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But if people don't know and don't know who you are or don't know that the course is there, you are not going to make any money online. So that is the next thing. You have to have a process to promote your expertise 100%.

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And I like that you said, you know, you may not start by automating things but just knowing that that's a big part of online business. And I suppose in the same breath it would be, you may not start off with an email list, but in the, in the back of your mind just to have that like again, when you get into this world, you'll hear people always speaking about your list, your list, growing your list.

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It means your email database. Right. And so again, if you were on a platform, a lot of them come with kind of like native email systems, email marketing systems like Kajabi has, you can run your whole business in Kajabi, they've built in that feature but other, other platforms don't.

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Or like if you were just delivering your thing through Zoom, you might have Mailchimp or ConvertKit, where, you know, you were gathering email addresses from people who are kind of keen to learn from you or follow you, so that if one day you evolved your offers and maybe did create a course, then you've actually been collecting like this.

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This group of people that you could let know about what you've got coming. So an email kind of system would also be on my radar? Yes, definitely. Okay, cool. So, like, in a very practical way, how you make money online, and I suppose the thing we have not said is you need a skill.

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Like, you actually need something that you're trying to sell and preferably that you really good at it. Right? Like, you've got to have some skill, expertise, talent that you want to promote.

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And in a very practical level, you've got to have people who want to buy it and then the logistics, like where you're going to host it, how you're going to take payment, how you're going to let people know. So I feel like in. In a. On a very superficial level, we've kind of answered that how you make money online, be good at something, have people who want to buy what you're good at, have a way to host your stuff, have a way to get money from people, and have a way to let them know what you're doing.

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That's like, on a super practical level, right? But here's the gold, guys. Here's the gold. We want to save you a lot of heartache, time and money. And the stuff that no one really tells you is, like, how you make money online is far more complex and layered than just the logistics.

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Exactly. All right, so, Gail, lead us into this part. Tell our audience what. What is the gold we're going to share with them. Okay, so as Ken was saying, you know, the logistics are almost the most simple part of making money online.

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And you might be thinking to yourself, like, how can tech be the most simple part? Well, what, what, what you actually need to make money online. And we've said, you know, you need people to buy your skill, but you have to find out whether people are actually actively searching for.

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And it's not necessarily your skill, but it's the transformation or how you can help those people get from point A, where they are, to point B, where they want to be using your skills.

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So they're not buying your skill. They are buying their own transformation. You know, they are buying the solution to their problem, and your skill may be what can help them get from A to B. So you have to find out what people are actively searching for.

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Solutions to problems. So you need to find out what problems are first. And remember, some problems are created greater than other problems. Okay? So some problems are just an annoyance. Other problems are like bleeding neck problems that people are actively searching for.

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So first of all the problem then does your skill set, is your skill set something that can solve that problem? Right. And will people, can you show people how that skill set is going to solve the problem for them?

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Okay, that was a bit long. But can. I know, I know, but it is actually you just said it so well and I feel like sometimes this doesn't quite make sense to people, right? Because you, you have this thing that you are so good at, right.

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And like you just know you can help people and maybe you've like got a very successful business offline, you've got like a waiting list of people trying to get in with you or you've never struggled with like client referrals.

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Like you've got a really successful business, you've got a good reputation. And I think that sometimes that, that confidence, rightly so, that confidence and enthusiasm when you now want to get in front of more people and you, you, you kind of think that that's just going to like carry over into now this online space and then you just like baffled with why it's not working, you know, and so Gail has said it in such a good way, but it, it's totally normal if this doesn't quite kind of link in your brain, you know, it's like you've got something you're really good at.

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Just make sure that the, the thing you're really good at is not just what people say they interested in, but what they will actually pay you to do. Right? Because all of us have had this experience where everyone's like, oh, you should create this six week in person like or like on Zoom live coaching program.

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I would totally buy that. Right. So they expressing interest and you think that means they will buy and then you build it out and then no one buys, right? So interest and intent are not always the same thing. And, and the only way you're going to find out if the thing that you are now bringing online is the thing that people are going to pay for is maybe to ask some people like hey, I'm thinking of doing this, is that something you would pay for?

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Right. So actually too before you start building because like I, I do think a lot of us like to feel in control. Like yay. I've decided to go online, I'm building my website, I'm doing my Branding.

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I've registered the company. We feel like those are actionable steps. So it makes us feel like good about what we're doing. And I think what Gail and I are saying is that's great, but before you do that, just make sure that this idea that you have is actually what will make you money.

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Okay? Yeah. And I think the to add a layer to that is you may have something you really good at, it may be the thing people will pay for, but the way you are presenting it is not landing with people.

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Right. So a skill that a lot of us have to really wrap our heads around. And I mean, I'll tell you, I still am working on this is how do I explain to people what I can do in a way that matches what they are desperate for?

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And it sounds so simple. It's like some of you might be thinking, seriously, like that is not a problem. Okay, go try. You know, you soon realize that actually what you are describing, even though it is what people are looking for, you're not using the right words.

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Or like Gail is saying, you've almost got to sell to them what they want their outcome to be rather than what you can do. Does that make sense? Can we make practical. Gailey, can you think of like a practical way to explain this?

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So Kenz, I was just thinking about like the progression of my messaging for my your brand Genius program. Right when I first started it was all about, you know, we're going to create these digital scripts, then you're going to have, you're going to train chat GPT on them and then you're going to have a personal AI.

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Okay, so people kind of got that, but then they were just like, you know, but I can use AI and I can just tell it what I need. And I wasn't, I wasn't bringing through the value of the time saving and the specificity.

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And actually the messaging has like really progressed kind of to now where I'm like having a personalized AI. I'm not telling it about scripts and things like that. Having a personalized AI is the quickest way to build your online business.

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And that's a long way from the first. Like my outputs from ChatGPT are too generic, you know, like I can't use them to now where we actually talking about business growth. And how do those link? Well, you know, being able to create specific relevant digital assets quickly and efficiently means you can get offers out, you can pivot, you can do everything.

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And that all relates to business growth. And you can see just based on you know, people signing up, the changes in the messaging. So. So that's the kind of thing. Yes, my skill set is getting chat GPT to create, you know, these scripts and then you won't get generic outputs.

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But people are just like, well, why? That doesn't really matter to me because I can use AI, you know, so that's what we talking about. You know, same product, it's the exact same program that I've launched each time. But the, the, the positioning and why it's important to people and how it's valuable to people has changed so much.

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Yeah. So I hope that's a practical example. Yes, yes. So, yes, there are like these logistic, like logistics you need to run an online business and make money. But, but really, if you asking in a bigger, broader sense, like how do people become so successful online, it's because they have mastered the art of selling people what they want.

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Right. And then delivering on that promise. So that's the success that build. It's not just that they're telling people, I can get you what you want, it's that they can actually do it. But the way they've presented it is by talking more to what their person wants versus what their expertise are, is.

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Yes, that's really good. So talking to what their person wants to the outcome their person wants rather than your expertise. Exactly, exactly. Okay. So it does feel a bit like, I don't know, I often feel like it's complicated stuff to explain with words, but it really will save you a lot of time and energy, you know, building out this thing and then coming and realizing, oh my goodness, like nobody actually wants what I thought was such a good idea.

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Or you say famous last words of every online business owner is, I've got such a good idea. I just know this is what people need. Oh, that is funny. And absolutely, you have to get good at showing the value.

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Of what? Of the transformation that you can give people. And there are actually a few, like you might be sitting listening to us and thinking, oh, gosh, this sounds really complicated, but there are a few practical ways that you know. So if you're sitting here and say, for instance, you're a social media expert or, or you know, you're a Facebook ads expert and you've got this idea, there's some really practical ways that you can see if people are searching for this kind of thing, and some of them may sound a little counterintuitive.

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So for me, the first one is to see if other people are teaching it right. And you may go but like if other people are teaching it, like is it not saturated? Okay. The fact that other people are teaching it is a good thing because it means that people are searching for it.

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And you will have, you know, you will grow your own audience, an audience of people who love the way you teach, who resonate with your experiences, who you know. So you'll grow your own audience. If people are teaching it already, it's a good thing.

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Okay, don't be put off by that then. Ken and I were just talking earlier about looking at what people are searching for online. You can just go into Google and type in, you know, your idea. So how do you create reels?

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For instance, you can go, you can look, you can see if people are searching it. And then at the bottom you can also look at those, you know, what people, what other things people have searched for. So look at those kinds of things. And what other ideas have you got for that, Kat?

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I think that's Also not like YouTube also has, you know, in the, in the search bar of YouTub, the minute you start typing like what is it? It will give you an auto suggestion. And in fact that is actually showing you the most commonly searched for questions.

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Like on YouTube, those are great free ways to just get a sense in your niche or in your field. Like what are people searching for? Right. And then do you have something that you're good at that you could answer that with?

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You know, that's a great way to start. And, and I, I love the idea that you have which is like, okay, you've got a different approach to let's say pain relief. That's great. But you're not selling your different approach, you selling pain relief.

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Right? What you then going to educate people on is your approach is your approach. So what most people do is they do it the opposite way around. They start with, I have this approach to help you with your pain relief versus let me help you get pain free.

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Right? That is what your person wants. Your person wants to be pain free. Your person doesn't is not searching for what is this unique approach that XYZ has developed? No they searching for pain remedies or pain relief. You want to speak to what your person wants and then tell them how you do that.

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That's the difference. And you know what, Kenza, I heard it. I've been doing this live training. I heard it in such a good way and it really, it really resonated with me. So if you say to your client, I am going to get you pain free, you want your client to lean in and go, how are you going to do that?

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And that is when you can say, well, I have this new or I'm going to do it this way or this is my framework or we going to do five things first. And you know, so just remember that. So if you can say to somebody, I'm going to xyz, which is the solution.

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You want them to lean in and go, how are you going to do that? That's really nice. That's a really good way. That is the gold. It sounds like that is not gold. But guys, let me tell you, that's gold. Because if you get that now, if you get that coming into this space, you will already be 20 steps ahead of people who don't know this.

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I love that. It's a really simple way to think about it. I'm going to get you. What do they want? And you want them to say how? And that would be your methodology, your approach or whatever it is. That's fantastic. There are layers to online business.

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Gail and I are always available to answer questions. If this is piqued your curiosity or like you just struggling with something, please reach out to us. Email us team@the grit reapers.com we are always happy to help because we want people to succeed.

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We actually want you guys to like, get in, get into the mud with us. We are still in the mad. Gale and I very much in the found each other in the mud bath. Thank God. You know, like when you see in the movies two girls lying in a mud bath with Gail.

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We said come and find us in the mud bath and we can give you some tips on how to not get too messy or how to clean yourself or because we've learned, you know, but just get in the mud. We want you to succeed. If you've got questions, don't try. Work it out on your own. Just reach out.

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We're available and yeah. Gailey, any closing thoughts? One of the closing thoughts is that Kens and I are very, very transparent about this. You know, this is a no BS podcast.

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A lot of the big gurus paint this really rosy picture of owning an online business. And while the last five years have been such a learning curve and, and yes, brought in really good income, I.

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I just want people to, to not put their last sense or their last hope into starting an online business. Because an online business takes as much work as a physical business. In fact, sometimes I feel like it might be a bit more so there are definitely ways to make money online, but you have to be strategic about it.

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You have to have some reserves behind you and. Yeah. Don't people who you can talk to. Yeah. Honestly, Absolutely. That's a great way to close this. All right, guys, we will catch you next week for another episode.

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Thank you for tuning in.