044 Laura Roeder | From Web Designer to a Business Based on Freedom

Every entrepreneur I know wants to make a difference in the world yet they also want to build a life of freedom along the way.  Laura Roeder did just that!

After college, her career started in web design, but in 2008, the social media craze pulled her in a new direction. We talk about mindset issues and even the fears Laura faced on her journey to a business centered around “freedom”. Learn from Laura’s ups and downs in this episode.

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Laura’s Target Audience: Laura’s target market is small business owners, many of whom are service providers, wanting to grow their business using social media & online marketing. Her business also helps people to hire and build a strong team. 

Laura Roeder is a savvy businesswoman and a woman of action. Her early career days were spent in the graphics and web design industry but she soon realized she couldn’t have the life of freedom she wanted, not unless she created a scalable business and built a solid support team around her.

So that’s what she set out to do and five years later, she has all she dreamt of and more! Today her business serves the market with social media and online marketing programs, not web or graphic design. The majority of Laura’s income comes in through the products she creates and sells. Unlike many people she chose not to consult or speak because those two areas didn’t allow for the kind of time freedom, she was looking for.

With an eye on the future and her freedom, Laura released ALL of her previous clients from her graphic and web design days to set out on her first product launch. Though she doesn’t recommend everyone takes this same approach, severing all her old ties to her previous endeavors was the fuel she needed to push herself and go full throttle into her next endeavor: information products about social media and online marketing.

One of her first key successes occurred when she created a product about using Twitter and, without spending a dime on paid advertising, she generated $3k in her first week. She knew she had found her path, not just because it was generating income but because it was fun and simple for her to create the product and sell it.

From that success, she has continued to build and grow. Along the way she has developed systems, developed teams and learned the best way to utilize her time. Instead of working on the details of her business, today she focuses on new courses, optimizing and advising where she’s needed.

In this episode, here’s what we’ll cover:

• How soon did she begin creating info products after launching her social media marketing business?
• Every opportunity has to be created by ____ (fill in the blank).
• What’s one of the most fun things about being an entrepreneur according to Laura?
• Why copying others doesn’t always work.
• What’s the top thing that keeps people’s businesses smaller than they want?
• Why is it important to hire a project manager?
• The Richard Branson branding lesson.
• Why you can’t wait for that “someday” to find extra time.

Practical & Actionable (at [30:45]):

What is practical and actionable? The biggest practical and actionable item according to her is to get some help in your business, even if it’s just a little thing. Start with the most obvious: what do you hate doing? Do you hate customer service, graphics, or bookkeeping?

You know what your pain point is in your business and where you should hire someone. Put a few hundreds of dollars into that area, get a little bit of the work done and take baby steps.

RESOURCES AND LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS SESSION INCLUDE:

• Laura’s web site
• Laura on Twitter
• Hire Your First, Laura’s program
• Seven Day Bootcamp For Getting Out of The Trenches
• Share the LOVE and TWEET about this episode

To give Laura a shout out for being on the show, follow her and send her a message: Laura Roeder. Connect with me on LinkedIn or Twitter at @genehammett and let me know what you liked about the episode!

Do you have questions about today’s episode!?!

Did you know that you can apply to chat with me by phone? This is a limited time offer to help anyone that is serious about refining their business as well as developing a clear & compelling strategy that will drive them forward. Complete the questions and our team will follow up with you to schedule time for your “Business Breakthrough Session”. These are limited to 30 minutes, completely free and oh, so valuable.  Apply Now!

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