LY Podcast: Ep. 41: Creating A Product to Fill Your Own Gap with Stephanie Shaw

Melissa Anzman (00:00): This is the Launch Yourself podcast, episode number 41 with Stephanie Shaw. For more information and show notes, go to launchyourself.co/41. Welcome to the Launch Yourself podcast. My name is Melissa Anzman. I'm a bestselling author and the CEO of two businesses, an employee experience company, launch yourself where I help entrepreneurs diversify and scale their business by launching digital products each week, you'll hear mind blowing interviews, where we peek behind the curtain of other people's launches, as well as actual tips and strategies that you can implement in your daily work life to create launches that actually make you money. Thanks for spending some time with me today. Now let's get started on today's episode. I'm really excited to interview Stephanie Shaw. Stephanie works with busy women who need to find a balance between their work and personal lives. Women who struggle with adrenal fatigue, type two diabetes, anxiety, or life in general, she partners with you to show you how a whole food based diet and exercise can change the way you think feel and act.

Melissa Anzman (01:10): The struggle is real, and she knows it all too well, which she shares a little bit of during today's podcast. Stephanie has a background in public relations, corporate communications and nonprofit management. So people often refer to her as an extrovert, but she would much rather curl up with a good book, hang out with family, whip up a good meal, or hit a local gardening center. She's a wife, mother, nutrition, coach cook and educator. And on today's podcast, she shares a lot about her own journey from corporate into being an entrepreneur, how she found the gap, the market that she serves. And what's really interesting and unique about her program and who she serves. The other thing that I really liked talking about is she shares some of her own limitations or struggles or those things that she thought would hold her back at the beginning.

Melissa Anzman (02:07): Something like attack and goes deep and how she's overcome them and still have enabled to blast past it and become a really successful entrepreneur with a course that has been launched. So that's what we're going to talk about. I can't wait for you to dig in now. Hey Stephanie, thank you so much for coming on the latch yourself podcast today. I'm so excited to have you on. I'm excited to be here, Melissa. Thanks for the invite. Of course. So you have a really interesting business and I thought our listeners had to hear it because it's a little different than what we normally do here. Not too much different. There is a thread. We are the same launch yourself podcast, but if you could, Stephanie, since we talk about launches here and really that launches that moment in time, that has decided to propel yourself forward or grow your business, diversify, it, it, which launch would you like to share with our listeners today?

Stephanie Shaw (03:03): I'm going to talk about the launch of, um, something that I'm working on called mind, body business. And I like to give you a little bit of background about why I started it. I'd love to hear. Yeah. Yeah. So I had this story that right now I have a smile on my face and it's all good, but it comes with some drama. So, so listen closely. We all love the drama, but we all have the drama too. Yes, we do. So I spent 20 years in corporate America. Um, and then about 10 years running a nonprofit organization. And in March 27, 2000, um, March 23rd, actually 2017, I was on a business trip. We were in new Orleans and I'm like, Hey, I gotta get the bourbon street. Um, coworker in our we're walking along. I step on a bourbon street and then I thought I was having a stroke.

Stephanie Shaw (03:56): So my face would numb body went numb. Um, it was, uh, it was the strangest reaction that I've ever had. And that led to two years of 18 different physicians, $20,000 out of pocket to help world or now health facilities. Um, I saw Western and Eastern medical doctors, cardiologists acupuncturists, physical therapists. And I keep adding an S on the end because I went to everyone to try to figure out what was wrong with me. Um, and what no one ever everyone tried to diagnose me on an individual level, no one ever tied it back to my actual hormones, which was the problem. And when I finally got an answer, a response from a naturopathic doctor, he gave me two sheets of papers, like do this, don't do this. And I'm like, wait, what? You know, I may type personality. I need to have details from that.

Stephanie Shaw (04:51): I ended up launching a new career and also, um, something that I now like to share with other high achieving women who are always on the go, but maybe find themselves gaining extra weight. And they don't know where it's coming from. You know, maybe you're eating right exercising, but you can't get rid of the weight or you find yourself having a lot of low energy, or you're finding yourself in a situation where there's brain fog or you're yelling at the kids all the time. There's just so much going on and you can't figure out why that's where I come in to help you figure out that why and help you get to the next level.

Melissa Anzman (05:31): I love that. Not that you went through that, um, drama and health health drama, for sure. But I've loved that you created something out of your own experience. That was such a difficult thing. And it, and you know, at the end of the day, you were looking at your life and your career and you're like this corporate thing isn't for me. Right. And not only is it not for me, but it could be helping make me perhaps, or the stressors of it. And what can I do about it? Not just stopping at the answers you were getting, but like, how can I actually turn this into more answers and help other people, which listen, everyone, I say everyone in quotes y'all, can't see me, but everyone had a corporate job in the past. Although friends side note, total sidebar. I have worked with people now in the online space who have never had a corporate job.

Melissa Anzman (06:25): And I honestly, I don't get it. They they're they're unicorns to me. I don't even know who are aliens, not unicorn. They are, but that aside, like we've all had the corporate job. So to me, you know, taking your corporate job, leaving it and launching a business is cool. And I'm so glad we do it, but it's not like a lot, right. It's a choice that we make, right? Where that launch moment is, is taking something of like, Hey, this isn't working for me. I found a gap in the market and I'm going to solve it and do it to help other people. So I love that your own experience really dictated, you know, the creation of the mind body business method.

Stephanie Shaw (07:05): Yeah. And so that, that gap in the market, or that helped me launch this was, um, there are so many things out there for weight loss. There's so many things for low energy. There's different diet. That's more than a lot of times they're created by no offense by men, for men though. There's nothing there. I don't want to say there's nothing. There's limited information that teaches women. If they begin to balance their hormones, if they began to use their cycle as their superpower, then they can completely change the trajectory of their health, longterm. And, um, immediately as well.

Melissa Anzman (07:42): That's so interesting. I, um, worked on a book launch in the same space in, in the hormone hormone space. And I know nothing about it. I'm not even going to pretend and I, I'm not, you know, I'm not reading up on it or anything now, although after this conversation, but that being said, like, you know, the, there is a need out there. My whole point, the book I worked on was became a New York times bestseller. And um, so there is a deep need out there and that was several years ago. So the market hasn't realized that. So tell us a little bit more about, you know, what this method is and really like how, yeah. Like just more about what it is and how it sort of shows itself up for women entrepreneurs for you.

Stephanie Shaw (08:31): Yeah. So what I discovered is, again, people could put you in a pockets and someone could help you lose weight. Someone can help you be better at business. Someone perhaps could help you with your mindset. But in my mind, if you don't change your mind, you can't change your body. If you don't change your body, you can't change your business. So that's why I came up with mind body, and it is a 16 week protocol. I work one on one with people and I give them an individualized plan. Because for example, someone gave me a plan that included pineapples or peanuts that wouldn't work for me. Um, or if someone gave me a plan that didn't sync with my cycle, that wouldn't work for me either. So each person that comes, um, gives an individualized plan and we work on four different areas. Um, the metabolism, inflammation, hormones, and mindfulness.

Stephanie Shaw (09:27): So with mindfulness, um, yes, we do meditation and journaling, no womb meditation, but I often say it's, we teach people how to think about what they think about and then also how to respond. So instead of responding with a, I can't, I don't, I won't respond with it actually being your choice. I choose not to. And just small little mindset changes like that. It's so impactful. I got children. You're like when you reframe that, as I choose not to, especially for women and listen, I am totally outspoken spoken blunt person, right? Like the listeners know that I totally am straight forward in that manner, but I still have the shits, like have it in my conversation, working on that note. Like that's not how it is. And so I love that you, you know, even that one moment of just reframing something simple as I choose something different, or I choose this or choose not to, it's such an helpful change in how we, as women have been told to respond to opportunities, questions, responsibilities, and so on.

Stephanie Shaw (10:40): So I love that you've tied that into your overall approach. Yeah. I think that's super, super powerful that that switch, that tiny switch is super powerful. And then we look at, um, four, three other areas as well. So metabolism, um, some people think they have a slow metabolism of fast metabolism, but our goal is to help you have a steady metabolism because that's what you really need. So making sure that you get protein at each meal, making sure that, um, you are implementing healthy snacks, that you're eating breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I actually had one client it's just like eating too much. Like I'm like, are you complaining about that complaints about eating too much? What's wrong with you.

Stephanie Shaw (11:24): But, um, but once you figure out what to eat and what's right for your body, you're no longer starving yourself. You can eat all day long. If you want, as long as you're eating for your body. And that's what we help you do. And we work with inflammation also. So again, there's two types, there's acute and you want to keep that that's the good inflammation that of whites infection. You know, you get a scratch or scar or what have you. But a lot of people don't realize that they have chronic inflammation in their body. So if you're getting headaches, you are frequently having a cold or flu viruses are connecting to you. You probably have, you may have chronic inflammation and that, um, while we're looking at these things, they help you lose weight and have more energy. Chronic inflammation can also cause things like cancer and diabetes.

Stephanie Shaw (12:10): So we look at that, teach people how to eat a more influx anti inflammatory diet, um, and how to get toxins out of their home and to help them release stress. And lastly, we look at hormones, so there's several different hormones that, um, are triggers to weight gain. Um, and I'll just, I'll talk about a couple of them. So insulin cortisol and estrogen. So with insulin, it's the fat storage and you know that you need to eat some sugar, but you don't need to eat too much. So how can we reduce our sugar intake or get rid of the white sugar, cortisol our stress hormone? How do we keep our balanced diet and how do we make sure that we're keeping, um, learning how to be more calm? And what you actually find is once you get all of these hormones aligned that calm comes naturally to you, which is the coolest thing.

Stephanie Shaw (12:59): Cause I'm, I'm, I could be in a grocery store. Someone comes up behind me, I, before I would be like, and now I'm kind of like, no, start over, but you know, that adrenaline, um, reacts differently. Cause you need the cortisol, you need the adrenaline, but you just need to re to learn how to get it to react differently. And then we look at estrogen and that's huge, um, making sure that we're getting enough fiber, you know, bees, little chia seeds, making sure that we're getting enough exercise. Those are the, um, the components that we look at in the mind body business. Okay. So you have this great 12 week program where you work with women. One-on-one how are you selling it right now? How do people sort of get into the program or become aware of the mind, um, the mind body business method?

Stephanie Shaw (13:51): So what I do is I offer a free guide that goes over the four different pillars and the information that I just talked to you about lately free, and it walks you through all of these steps on how you can make these changes for yourself. Okay. So you have a lead magnet set ups on your website. So your, is, are you driving traffic to your website in a specific way or how's that working? So, so funny, you said that I'm like trying to get out of my head, the lead magnet funnel, Todd jargon. All right. Yeah. Let's talk the jargon. So yes, you're right. So the guide is the lead magnet and the lead magnet, um, takes you to a webinar, evergreen webinar that evergreen webinars then sends you to book a call. So I've created this backend funnel. Um, and then along with the guy, um, you also get into, um, into my email nurture sequence. So I provide a nurture sequence

Melissa Anzman (14:52): As well. Oh, I love it. So that's good. So we know the setup of the sale, which I really liked. So to repeat it is a lead magnet to a evergreen webinar, to a consult, which I love because it's, I'm guessing a high ticket price, um, products because it's one on one work for 12 weeks. So that's a really great process. They want high touch, they wanted additional information from you. I love that. So how are you getting people into your actually Madigan funnel? How are you driving traffic to it? Are you doing organic reach ad reach? Like what's your backend on that side? So both I'm doing a ton of organic reach. So I have a Facebook group. I've actually done a lot of direct messaging with folks, which I know some people shy away from, but it's actually been working for me. Um, and I've been able to establish some great relationships that way.

Melissa Anzman (15:38): So I have a Facebook page, a Facebook group, and I recently started using my personal page to just kind of, you know, test the waters a little bit and I'm driving traffic that way. Um, I have a very strong email list. I have a, like a 37% open rate. So people are actually reading the emails because I'm providing good information to them. And I also am doing Facebook ads, but to be honest with you, that nurturing of folks through email through Facebook is where I'm actually finding my clients at. Um, and because I get, they get to know and love, you know, like of low, right? Yeah, totally. And so I, I like this approach. I like that you're sharing that because you know, you're either,

Speaker 3 (16:22): There are two types of entrepreneurs

Melissa Anzman (16:24): You're in the organic reach or you're in the Facebook. Yes. Right? Yes. I like that. You're combining both. I combined both too, because you know, depending on what you're selling and what you're doing, one could be a lot stronger than another and that may change throughout, like by the day, even. Right. So with your Facebook ads though, for your paid reach, are you, um, doing ads to your lead magnet? Is that how you're getting them to your list? So it's a DeRay direct, direct conversion ad to lead magnet. Yes. Yes it is. I'm using conversion and I am putting them directly into the lead magnet, love it at 11. And you know, the thing is, is that, um, those, this is just like the good marketing lesson to add in here, which is when people are nurtured, when they're warm, even if they come in cold, you know, those Facebook ad leads may turn warm as soon as they get in your nurture sequence.

Melissa Anzman (17:16): But once they do know, like, and trust you, they will buy because they know what they know, you know, what you're talking about. And they have, you've been able to meet them on their customer journey of where they are. They know they have the problem. They know now that they're solution aware and that you have the actual solution to provide to them. So I love that approach. And I think it's important when you get them to start the nurturing process that you're not selling to them right away. So it's, it's true. Nurturing, truly giving them as much as you can give them. And then again, they go into that know and trust. So interesting. So this is a TA I'm, bro. I'm glad you brought this up because this is a topic that, um, you know, there's so many different mindsets around it. Um, you know, nurture deeply and then sell.

Melissa Anzman (18:01): There's a lot of people that say sell first, so they know not to expect free from you. Right. Like sort of train them. So I like for you though, you're saying, listen, I don't have a $27 offer to give people. I want people to get on my list. I want them to get immediate value from my lead magnet. I'm going to tell them what they need to know along the way, bring them on the journey. And then I'm going to say, now that you're here guessing, and then you sell them. Yeah, exactly. So I, um, I can talk a good game. Talk about metabolism, inflammation, hormones, but until people can start to learn that I actually know what I'm talking about and then know like trust and can trust what I'm saying. I've found that that is the best way to actually get clients that not only, so if you start with selling, you may get people on a call.

Melissa Anzman (18:53): But I think when you start doing it the opposite way, when you get them on the call, you're no longer, you don't have to sell. At that point. It has been so amazing since the switch, um, I'm on a phone call and I'm like, Oh my gosh, I'm about to tell them the price. And I'll say the price. You're like, okay. I'm like, what? But it's because they've already gone through that journey with me. So now they're ready to hand you their credit card. Yeah. I like that. And you know, sales is definitely when the consult, so no one loves, okay, not everybody. Most people, most people don't love a phone sales console, right. People will do anything in their power to not get on the phone with someone and be like, bye I'm the best. Now there are people who do that really well.

Melissa Anzman (19:41): So I don't want to take away from them, but for most of us that's uncomfortable. But what you're really saying here is that you've created the energy exchange between you and your buyer through a nurture sequence and asking for the sale is just part of that exchange at that point, right? Like I'm hard selling or I have to like how to it, or have a script or all those hard and fast used car salesman sales that we think about. It's more of I've given, given, given, and you've learned, learned, learned. And so now here's the next, most viable step for you to continue to get success. Right. And not, not only that, then, then the client I think, starts to think of. Um, this is a never another level of service that they're providing me. They're not selling me something. They're just serving me at a deeper level. I love that. I love serving me on a deeper level. I love to get better results. That's the whole point. Exactly, exactly. Amazing. So through this, I mean, you, you launched this method not terribly long ago, right? It's been about a year and a halfish. Maybe I may be overestimated that year plus. So how, what has been really easy for you along this journey and what has been like, Oh, heck no, that was so hard.

Stephanie Shaw (21:04): So can I hire a sales person? Right. I think so. I had the advantage of, um, my nonprofit closed. So I had the advantage of making this full time. So I think that was the easiest part that I still got up every morning saying exact time step from my bedroom to my office. And I worked. So I worked all day long, just like I normally would. So I think that was the easiest part I do. And I joked about the sales part. I think that was the hardest part because I hadn't made the switch in my mind about servicing someone versus selling them a product. So initially that was the hardest part. Um, the technology, while initially hard, I've been like, I'm the biggest geek now. And I'm like, Oh, I can do that in this platform. And Ooh, I'm so cool. I love it. Garage band. So if it changes, I guess it's changed throughout the process. Yeah.

Melissa Anzman (22:04): Awesome. And you know, the thing, like, I want to comment on these things because there are things that people do struggle with. So the first, like let's talk about schedule. So I love that for you. That was really easy. And I like your approach to it for me, schedule is something I still can't manage. And I'm like almost 10 years in. And it is I, because I have the corporate mindset still. And so I'm like, Oh, button, seat, button. Like I just, you know, have to, and then I also have that fighting, urging me. Like you're an entrepreneur for a reason. Why aren't you sitting at your desk for nine hours straight? Right. Like

Stephanie Shaw (22:40): I get that

Melissa Anzman (22:42): Tug of war of constantly. Like, what's my schedule. Like,

Stephanie Shaw (22:46): But I love that you insisted

Melissa Anzman (22:48): Treating your own business, like something different, you treated it like a business from the start. You treated yourself as an employee in your business from the start, which is such a great, like such a great thing to do if you can, because otherwise you get, most people get further down the road of like, I'll show up when I want, or they buy into that four hour work week thing. And I'm like, who are these people?

Stephanie Shaw (23:16): Please teach me.

Melissa Anzman (23:18): I mean, I would take four hours a day. Like, I don't know, four hour

Stephanie Shaw (23:23): Know, no I get it. So I've been fortunate that in my 30 year career, I never had like a boss. So I've always been on my own to show up from eight to five. So I think it came a little naturally, but I also realized there were time periods where my family doesn't necessarily respect that they're like, you're not working out. So I had create those boundaries and I had to like stay on that schedule. And I think it really, it helps in the long run. Absolutely.

Melissa Anzman (23:53): And the other thing was tech. And I just want to point out for all those of you who are listening, who are like, I hate tech. I'm never going to figure it out. It's so hard. Stephanie said the same thing. And she is sitting here talking about funnels and lead magnets and ads and all the things on her own. And so I just want to give encouragement that tech doesn't have to be a stumbling block. It's something you can either hire out or you can learn and you don't need to learn all the things you just need to learn. The right types of things,

Stephanie Shaw (24:26): Encourage everyone to know, know enough to be dangerous. And then like you said to hire out, but the platform. So I, in 2013, I thought about starting a business and, um, MailChimp was around then a couple other things were around, but it was so much work. It was so much more difficult. Things are a lot easier now. And it's a lot of plug and play things out there. So if you get out of your mind that I can not and switch the way that you're thinking, I think you'll find. Yep. Yep. I think you'll find, um, Melissa was snapping [inaudible].

Melissa Anzman (25:02): I heard my snap and had no idea what it was snapping cause it's so you know, that mindset shift,

Stephanie Shaw (25:09): Change your mind. You can do anything. So, yeah.

Melissa Anzman (25:13): But amazing. So, okay. The big question is what advice would you give to someone who is, you know, looking to do something similar or following in your space or, or, you know, you know, maybe it's two answers. That's the first and the second is if you just feel like your corporate thing is killing you, like truly killing you in your body. So what would your advice be in those two instances?

Stephanie Shaw (25:39): Corporate is killing you run or find any job or something? No, no, no, no. I w so for the corporate perspective, I would think, um, figure out why it's killing you. So it may be, it may just be a hormonal or emotional or stress issue. It may be that you're not saying no enough or not saying no the right way. It may be mindset. So figure out why it's actually killing you. Um, because you can allow, I, you know, thought I had to work 60 hours a week and go to every single activity for my kids. So I was actually doing it to myself, learn how to set some boundaries and it may not be as bad as you ultimately think so I think. Yeah.

Melissa Anzman (26:24): But, and for the other audience, like what advice would you give for somebody who is looking to start a business maybe after having a 30 year career doing something else? Like what would advice, what advice would you give them?

Stephanie Shaw (26:38): I would, um, go with your gut. And I know that sounds like kind of flu flu, but for 15 years, I've always wanted to do something that involves food. Like, I didn't know what started restaurant nutrition. So my gut has been leading me this way for so long. So figure out what your passion is, figure out what you're good at, figure out what you would do and not have to get paid for, especially if you're getting ready to switch careers. Cause I would, I would honestly, if I was filthy rich coach people on nutrition and not get paid for it. So figure out all of those things and then get a mentor. I, um, for so long, I am, I need a mentor. I could figure this out on my own. And I've had two mentors now that have in the short amount of time that I've worked with them has completely changed my business. So I think that's really important.

Melissa Anzman (27:30): I love that. Amazing. Thank you. So Stephanie, where can people find you online?

Stephanie Shaw (27:36): You can go to my website, which is LeighandOllie.com to get all the information on me. If you have are interested in joining my Facebook group, the Facebook group is Leigh and Ollie Coaching, and it is designed for women only because we talk about everything on it now in the Facebook group. So those two ways are perfectly to get in contact with me.

Melissa Anzman (28:01): Amazing. And we'll be sure to add all the links in our show notes on this site. Um, thank you so much for being on. I love your story. I love what you've created out of a necessity to serve yourself and how you could pass it along to others. It's been such a pleasure having you on the show today. Thank you so much.

New Speaker (28:18): To join the launch yourself workshop where you'll learn, why your digital products aren't selling nearly as much as you planned for and how to diversify and scale your income by launching the right way text launchyourself, all one word to: 44222.