This week entrepreneur, Sheila Farragher-Gemma, gets together with us to talk all about building connections that are mutually beneficial. She has full life of business experiences in which she has reached out to people to network and generate opportunities for both parties that just make sense! If you’re someone that doesn’t really know where to start with networking or connecting with new people, this is a great listen. It’s also a great reminder for those of us that take it for granted! Join us this week, and next as we learn so much from Sheila.
Bekkah: Welcome to Business Talk, Sister Gawk. I’m Bekkah.
Ruthie: And I’m Ruthie.
Bekkah: And today’s episode title is “How to Build Strategic Partnerships.” And today with us we have a serial entrepreneur who’s done so many things, and I’m gonna have her introduce herself and give us a little bit about what she does
Sheila: Awesome! So thank you so much, Bekkah and Ruthie, for having me on. I’m really thrilled to be here; this is a ton of fun. So my name is Sheila Farragher-Gemma. A lot of people call me F.G., because, you know, hyphenated last names seemed like a good idea at the time, but now it’s just a really long name.
But I — like you said, I’m a serial entrepreneur. I started working on my own when I had my first child, which is about 25 years ago now; she just turned 25 in March. And I, like, it blows my mind that I have a child who’s 25, but anyway.
And I did a bunch of different things, but within the last kinda 10 years or so, I’ve primarily focused on sponsorship and helping platform owners find some answers for their platforms. But what’s kinda the constant that’s struck through everything I’ve done is just networking and finding strategic partnerships, which has really kinda leveraged my business and helped me grow faster, just by creating those relationships.
What Is The Definition of a Strategic Partnership?
Bekkah: Yeah, so, how would you define a strategic partnership?
Sheila: It’s really kind of, it’s a symbiotic relationship. It’s really something where both parties are getting something out of the deal. Like, it’s not going to work otherwise. So it’s — lots of times, the simplest form is like, somebody who maybe has the same demographic or has the same type of customer as you do, but they’re not doing something exactly the same as you, so they’re not really in competition.
So if you think of, like, realtor and a mortgage broker, you know, they have the same customer, but they don’t — they’re not in competition with each other; they actually work really well together because you can’t do real estate — well, you can do a real estate deal without either, but it’s easier if you have both, especially if you’re looking to get a mortgage and have someone help you find your house.
Why Is It Important to Develop Strategic Partnerships?
Ruthie: Yeah. So tell us a little bit about your “Why.” What was the moment that you were like “This is really important to develop strategic partnerships and I want to pursue this more”?
Sheila: Yeah, so, I mean, I didn’t even know kinda what it was, and way back in the early days, my first business was a business where I’d remanufacture toner cartridges, and later kind of grew it into doing laser printer repairs and stuff like that as well.
But the growth in that business was primarily through joining BNI, which is Business Network International. I didn’t really know it existed. I happened to just randomly meet a woman who invited me to go to her meeting. And I went there, and the fact — what I did was very unique, because back in 1996, this is just when national was born, and there weren’t a ton of companies doing this.
So what I was doing was very unique, and I started getting referrals, and, you know, people saying to me, “Oh, I know somebody.” And I just, I mean, it blew my mind, first of all, just the kindness of everyone, that they were helping me grow my business. Because prior to this, I felt very kinda isolated. And, you know, when you start your first business, you’re like, “I haven’t a clue what I’m doing.” So that was great, but it just, like, it opened my mind to the fact that, you know, you can really, like, do a lot by giving first and helping other businesses. And it just builds up a whole bunch of goodwill, and just kinda really leverages what you have. Like, there’s so many connections out there that people, I think don’t see, and I feel like you just have to come at it from a position of abundance rather than, you know, “I want to keep all the business to myself”, or, like, “I’ve gotta be, you know, driving myself constantly to get as much as I can.”
I mean, there’s a lot out there, and if you could make an easier path that by working with somebody, it helps you find clients easier or brings value to your clients easier, I think it’s definitely the way to go.
The First Step to Building Strategic Partnerships
Bekkah: Okay, so when you’re looking into starting with strategic partnerships, what should be your first step with that?
Sheila: It’s just building the relationship. It’s all about relationships. So, you know, having the conversation, that kinda looking into what their goals are, what they’re looking to achieve; seeing if there’s, like a good mix; seeing, like, as well if you kinda have the same values. You don’t want to work with somebody who’s, like, just so far away from where your alliance and your values — there’s always gonna be kinda a conflict.
So it’s like when you ask the question when you’re looking to start; it’s kind of not even that — to me, it’s just kinda happened naturally. I’ve kinda met people as I’m kinda going through my life. So it’s not like I sit down in the morning and ask myself, like, “Okay, strategic partnerships: Let’s make a list and go after them.” It’s kind of going to events or meeting people. I see that connection and just started having the conversation there. So it’s kinda more a natural thing, I think, than, like, actually going out and systematically trying to do it. Because then it just — I don’t know — I can’t even put in words, like, the difference, but there’s something about going out and actually trying to do it that kinda feels kinda icky to me. It needs to be, like, a natural thing where you just, like, you just meet somebody and you just know it’s good.
I guess it’s like dating, you know, if you’re, like, constantly going and and saying “Hey, you want to go out with me?” versus, you know, just meeting somebody and clicking and starting that relationship slowly. Probably horrible analogy, but —
Ruthie: No, I think that’s perfect. Can you give us an example, just so people can be, like, visualize what it would look like? So you have this connection with that person, and then, how do you pursue that relationship in a way that doesn’t make you feel icky?
Sheila: Yeah. So, probably the first one I had ended up being my business partner for years and years. We’re still involved in businesses together. But again, back in the early days, he and I — I was doing toner remanufacturing and he had a company that he did company networks, so he would go into companies and work on their network and set up their computers and all this kind of stuff. He was in a separate BNI chapter, but people kept saying to us, “You need to meet this guy. You guys could pass a lot of business together.” So we got in touch with each other and met at a Starbucks and kinda talked business for a little while, and, you know, into the conversation, we kind of found out that we were both really interested in real estate and passive income. And we started talking about that, and he — we talked about “Rich Dad, Poor Dad,” which was a book we both read, and he made comments like, “Did you see at the end of that book they have that game that’s, like, 200 bucks? What kind of crazy person would pay that?” I was like, “That would be me. I have it at home if you want to play it.”
And it just, like, it grew into, like, I was the, I’d call myself the Best Man at his wedding. His brother was actually his Best Man and I was, like, the best Groomslady or something, but I didn’t like that title, so I just took the title of Best Man. But we’ve been friends for, like, years ever since and involved in all kinds of different businesses together and things together. We — he lives in California now; we have a standing once a month meeting that we make, maybe, like once every 3 months, but we just do a catch-up.
But it’s just — it’s just a great friendship, but it happened very naturally. It wasn’t, like, again, going down through and list and saying “Okay, this is somebody that I’m going to try,” and, you know, it just feels kinda different. So it’s — as you’re like, out there — and this would be advice here.
As you’re out there and talking to people and meeting people, just kinda think beyond what the current conversation is to see if you think there maybe is more in there. Because they may not have seen it either, and you can just kinda approach and say, “Hey, I was thinking maybe we could help each other out.” But I think you always have to lead with you giving first.
You know, so, like what Jeremy did — when we met that day, he was actually going to — his B.N.I. meeting was at lunchtime and he was presenting; he was doing a ten-minute presentation, and, you know, at the end of our one-to-one at the coffee shop, I said, “Well, why don’t I come with you, and I can help you hand out your handouts and all that kind of stuff?” And he was just blown away, like, “Seriously?” And I was like, “Yeah, why not? I don’t have anything going on after this; so let’s do it.” And, you know — not that I was doing that to kind of win his favor or anything, but, just, like, if you have that kind of more natural giving and looking to serve, I think it’d do a lot better with it as well. But it has to be natural. It can’t be like “Okay, I’m gonna pretend that I’m interested in this,” you know?
How to Identify Your Value Proposition in Strategic Partnerships
Bekkah: Yeah, yeah. So how do you identify what your value proposition is that makes a partnership beneficial to the person you’re approaching?
Sheila: Yeah, so you want to — you want to see what it is you can bring to them. You want to, like, tie into their goals, and it can be all kinds of different things. Sometimes it can just be, like, an introduction, you know. They’re releasing a book, but maybe, like, you know, an introduction to you guys because you have a podcast, and that would be good for that person to have him on and talk about his book. You know, there’s so many different things; it’s hard to say, you know, it’s just an A-B-C thing.
But just kinda look for where you can help, or connections you can make, things that you can bring to the table to help their clients or students. Just — you’re always looking for the win-win.
Bekkah: So what is one of the biggest lessons you’ve learned about strategic partnerships in your career?
Sheila: The biggest lessons? That’s a good question. I think — the big lesson for me is go in giving first; don’t go in expecting something. Because I’ve had people approach me and they’re like “Okay, I see you do this; this is what I need,” and I’m like “Okay, nice to meet you too!” You know, just kinda go in with more of the giving and more of the open-mindedness of “I’m not sure where this is gonna go, but let’s talk.” Sometimes it’s not as obvious in the beginning, which I think if you kinda go in with that mindset, rather than a “what’s in it for me?” type of mindset, I think that really helps as well.
Ruthie: When we first talked with you on the phone, you had said that you were a fan of GaryVee.
Sheila: Yes!
Ruthie: And that’s kinda his whole spiel, is just, you know, giving to people and giving to people and always looking for ways that you can give. And he just says, “Give, give, give, give,” and then it’s like “Here’s how you can help me.”
Sheila: Yeah.
Ruthie: So, yeah. I feel like that — like I hear that a lot in what you’re saying.
Sheila: Right, and if you’ve ever been on the receiving end of that, I had — I was on a thing one day; I had bought this product by this woman, Daira Skyer — she’s awesome — but she does this whole, like, and I had said — and I think Google heard me — but I had said one day, I said, “I wish I could find a personal organizer for your computer, because I have, like, files everywhere and emails everywhere and archives, and I’m trying to find something and it’s like, 10 minutes to — what was that person’s name and how do I find it?”
So she has this course that teaches you how to organize your Google and have, like, a zero inbox and this kind of stuff. So she had this open office hours thing, and in the chat, I asked a question about what I was doing. So the open office hours was more about how she released her product than using the product — she does both.
And I asked a question in the chat and this woman responded to me and she says, you know, “I’d be happy to, like, help you out with that if you want to set up a call.” So she set up a call with me, and the call was, like, all about me. It wasn’t like a pitch, it wasn’t anything like that. She asked me to explain the issue I was having, she came up with some really good suggestions, and that was it. There was nothing else. It wasn’t like a, “Hey, I helped you; now what are you going to do for me?” or anything like that.
And I still don’t know how I can help this woman, but all the time, every time I see her doing something, I’m like “Okay, can I help with that? There’s just such a huge sense of reciprocity that you just want to give — like, if somebody does something really nice for you, you immediately — it’s an unbalance, or an imbalance, and you immediately feel like you need to come back and do something for them, so, it really works. It’s just so natural.
Ruthie: Yeah, that’s awesome! So you had kinda said earlier that you had this standing one month check-in that maybe sometimes isn’t — you don’t always meet once a month, but like —
Sheila: Right, yeah.
How Can Technology Help Foster Strategic Partnerships?
Ruthie: So how have you seen technology play a role in building and fostering those strategic partnerships?
Sheila: Just, like, I mean, I’ve always — I’m not very technical — I don’t use much of the fancy stuff, but, like, I’ve run my businesses, and especially this business, with my phone and Gmail, like, most of my life.
So, now that Zoom and things have come in, it’s just really handy, like, you can actually see the person and have the conversation. You know, you can take your phone and show them around to where you are at the moment. So I think that’s — it just, like, adds another dimension to it. You know, the technology we have for this call — it’s a calendar call that I just set up way back when and it happens — once a month it pops up on each of our calendars. Sometimes we make it, sometimes we don’t, and there’s no, like, kind of, “Hey, you missed the call,” or anything. It’s just kind of, like, if it doesn’t happen, it doesn’t happen. It’s not a big deal.
So I don’t beyond that — we usually do hop on Zoom and chat, and it’s had these — well, the last time we were actually talking about a business thing, he was able to share the screen and we walked through it, and, you know, it’s — I’m more kind of just, like, hands-on, not that techy in most things that I do.
Bekkah: Mm-hmm. Because I definitely think face-to-face interactions build a lot more trust in a lot of ways.
Sheila: It does, it does. And it’s been hard this year with Covid that you’re not really seeing people face to face, but I guess you are on the computer and stuff. You know, it’s — in business, a lot of what I’ve done hasn’t been a typical brick and mortar where I have customers coming into a place, or whatever.
So a lot of times, I’ve done business for people for years that, like, I may never meet them, or meet them — eventually meet them, like, “Oh my God.” And before Zoom it’s like, “Oh my God, you look so different from what I thought you were going to look like.” Cuz you build up this image in your head of what you think they look like, and it’s usually, like, totally different.
How Do You Identify Strategic Partners That Fit Your Values?
Bekkah: Yeah. And you mentioned a little bit about, you have to be careful to make sure that the person you’re choose a strategic partnership with is someone who has similar values. How do you identify if they’re going to be a good value fit? Does it just take a lot of time to get there? Or how do you — how do you define your values first to see if they match?
Sheila: Yeah. I think it’s — I think it takes a lot of time, and it doesn’t. So I think there’s probably red flags, like, in conversations you’re having. If you hear things that kinda sound selfish or “what’s in it for me?” or that kind of thing, you can get some red flags. Like sometimes I’ll have a conversation with someone, and I’m just like, “Yeah, no, I’m just not feeling it.”
But it does take time as well. There’s, like, you know, time to kind of build the relationship, deepen it. So that does take time and trust. And then — I’m sorry, what was the second part of the question? It was —
How to Identify Your Own Values
Bekkah: How do you identify your own values?
Sheila: Yes, so my own values is, like, some of my big values are, kinda — loyalty is a big one for me. Trust. You know, do what you say you’re going to do. That’s, like, I’ve got a very, what I call a high “say-do ratio.” So if I say I’m going to do something, I’ll do it. Or I’ll renegotiate.
So it — for example, if I couldn’t make it today, I probably would have reached out and said “I’m so, so sorry, but this is going on — these are the times I can make it.” But it’s, like, I really want to be reliable so that what I say I’m going to do something, I show up. That’s a big thing for me as well, so if, you know, I’m working with someone who’s constantly making — because to me, if somebody doesn’t respect that, it’s kinda, to me, feels like a lack of respect.
So, you know, that’s something that I really like in people, when they, you know, do that. Like with you guys, it’s been great, we had a great phone conversation —
Ruthie: We were 15 minutes late today…
Sheila: It doesn’t matter. 15 minutes is nothing. It’s like, you were 15 minutes late, but you told me prior to that, like, “Hey, this is happening.” Life happens; that’s fine. But if it’s just, like, “Yeah, you know, we’re supposed to do this thing with Sheila today, but, eh, don’t feel like it. We’ll just not show up.” You know? So it’s just, like, you just have to be — you have to have that trust in people, that when they say they’re going to do something, they’ll do it, or they’ll be, like, very up front about — you know, I’m fine with if things don’t work out or you — life happens. But just like, be on top of it. Say, you know, “I know that I said I was gonna do this. I can’t do it now, but this is what I can do.”
It’s like, you know, life happens; I’ve no issue with that, but it’s kinda like the whole coasting thing, like, it annoys me. So we just had this great conversation and you said “yes,” and now I’m sitting here wondering what the heck happened, you know?
Ruthie: Yeah, I think that’s so important, being a person of integrity and, like, actually doing what you say you’re going to do — that speaks volumes about people’s character. So I think that’s really good that you mentioned that.
Sheila: Yeah, yeah. To me it’s huge.
Ruthie: So I was just thinking about, like, specifically with GaryVee, but really with anyone that you admire and you’ve maybe seen from afar and you’re like, “Man, I’d really like to get to know that person. Or just see what it would be like to work with them, or whatever”: How do you go about connecting with someone or approaching a strategic partner that you’ve never, like, actually spoken to before?
Sheila: Yeah, so, I actually have a story. It wasn’t a strategic partnership, per se. Although I guess it was, in a way. But I — when my second daughter was doing college tours, I drove her and her friend pretty much around the entirety of New England, like, Christian colleges for about four days.
So they were kind of — I had this minivan and I had the middle seats out of it, so they were way in the back. I was like a limo driver. And they’re, like, chatting away and doing their thing, so I was listening to audio books, and somebody on Facebook had recommended “Profit First” by Mike Michalowicz. It’s —
Ruthie: What?? We’re reading that right now!
Sheila: Oh my gosh, really? That amazing. So you’re going to love this story thing. So I’m driving around for four days with him in my ears because I had earbuds in because at the time I didn’t have bluetooth or it wasn’t working or whatever, you know. Or they were listening to the radio; I think that was it.
So I’m driving around with him in my ears, and, like, at this point, I think we’re, like, the best of friends because I’ve just heard his entire life story. I read that book and I bought the others and read — listened to those.
So I come back from the four days going around colleges and I look him up online, and I’m like, “Oh my God; he has an event.” So I was like, “I’m just gonna reach out to him.” So I reached out and said, “Hey, this is what I do. I find sponsors for events. I’d love to work with you.” And he actually responded, like, HE responded. I know! Chills, right? So I was like, “Oh my God, now what should I do? Crap.”
So he responded; he said he was interested; he wanted to know how it works. So I told him that, and he’s like, “Well, I’d like to meet you.” And he lives in New Jersey, and he’s like, “Could you come to New Jersey and meet me for lunch?” I’m like, “Sure!” A seven-hour drive? I can do that. No problem.
Bekkah: In your head you’re like, “Absolutely I’ll make that happen!”
Sheila: Yep, yep. So I drive down to New Jersey. I get up early in the morning, drive down to New Jersey to meet him for lunch. He told me some restaurant in this town, so I have it on GPS, and I get down there. And I’m listening to his book on the way down, and I’m like, “Okay, now I have to prepare.” I’m like, studying. Such a stalker, just to hear myself speak here. So I meet — I walk into the restaurant, and the restaurant is empty, and I hear the woman behind the counter on the phone saying “She’s here.” I’m like, “Wow, I’m — that’s impressive. He didn’t think about showing up unless I actually showed up.”
So I go over and sit down; he comes over; we talk. He’s wicked nice. He end up hiring me to do his event, which I did for about four years. And then I get in the car and drive the seven hours back up to Massachusetts again. But it was, like, it was just one of those things where I was just, like, “You know what? I’m just going to do it. I’m gonna send the email.” And then I was, like, terrified. I was like, “What did I just do? Why would I do that? Who do I think I am?” But it worked out really well. So it was really fun.
Ruthie: Just a surreal moment of “Me?? You want me??”
Sheila: Yeah, exactly! I was like, “Clearly you don’t know who I am.” Yeah, so it was fun.
Bekkah: We totally get that feeling, because we’ve literally been like — Ruthie, one time, was like, “I really want the interview this guy; he just seems so awesome” so she filled out a contact form on his website.
Ruthie: And it was like — he was the CEO of this really big clothing manufacturing company, Stormy Kromer, so, like, I was like, “What if I just fill it out? We’ll see what happens.” And a couple days later, we got this email, and it was this thread, and it was someone who had forwarded it and forwarded it and, like, all these different people, like, “Who should –” and then it got to him, and then he reached out and was like, “I would love to be on your podcast!” I almost passed out.
Sheila: Oh, that’s amazing.
Bekkah: She was like, calling me, squealing.
Ruthie: And we did, and they were some of my favorite interviews because he was, like, so genuine and just, like — We’ve ne so many interviews, I don’t know if I could really pick a favorite, but I really — it was really fun to get to meet him, and he’s so cool.
Bekkah: Very great experience, yes.
Sheila: That’s really cool, and I’m glad that you’re going to, like, put this one in as your favorite now — just kidding.
Ruthie: Yeah, shuffle things around.
Building Strategic Partnerships Means You Take Initiative
Sheila: Yeah, there you go. “Now this is my favorite.” Here’s the thing, though. A lot of people wouldn’t do that. They’d be like, “Oh, I wish I could do that, but he’d never do it.” So, like, what — you lost nothing by sending — like, maybe the time you spent on it; you’ve put in the form, or whatever, but you’ve really lost nothing doing it, and I think that’s — we have these voices in our heads, like, we’re not enough, and why would these — he’s this big CEO, and this big guy, and I’m just like this little — you know?
It’s like, you’ve got to get over that, and I try really hard to get over that a lot because I can be — I have the same conversations, like, “Oh yeah, I’m just gonna reach out to him. It’s going to be weird.” Like this whole Mike Michalowicz thing was, like, literally when you stalk. I felt like a stalker in my head, you know? And, so, yeah.
Ruthie: And I don’t want people to think it was just like a “I’m gonna do this.” Like, it took me a month to like, hype myself up, like, “Okay, okay, I’m gonna send this to him.”
Sheila: You see, I’m the opposite. If I don’t do it, like, right then, I talk myself out of it. So if I literally haven’t gotten, like — I was on the website, there was a contact form, and if I hadn’t done it, I wouldn’t have done it, because then I’d have, like, come up with all the reasons not to do it, and it’s a bad idea, and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, and then I just wouldn’t have done it.
Bekkah: Yeah —
Ruthie: Yeah. I’m really — go ahead.
Bekkah: I was going to say, too, like, I forget how much I do this, and I don’t think other people do it all the time, but it’s a really good habit — just, like, that immediate response you were talking about. Like, “Wow, this person’s really cool; I should send them something.” But at the same time, I have kind of, like, learned the hard way that I can’t do too many of those in one month or somebody falls through the cracks, you know?
Sheila: Yeah, yeah.
Bekkah: And it’s like, if I’m really excited about somebody, I need to make sure that if I reach out to them, I’m, like, giving them good communication the whole time through. Otherwise it just doesn’t end well for everybody.
Sheila: . Yeah, yeah, I agree with that as well. And it’s hard, like, I’m like that as well. I’m very in the moment, and then in the next moment, and I’ve forgotten about the last moment. So I have all these things to, like, I have Google sheets, and calendars, and even with all of that, things are still falling through the cracks and it gives me such anxiety. I wish I just had, like, the way — maybe I just need somebody to follow me around and just, like, pick up all the pieces I drop, but yeah, I totally get that.
Bekkah: If you need an assistant —
Sheila: Maybe!
Ruthie: Well, we’re so excited to keep this conversation going! We have another episode with Sheila and we’re going to continue. The next episode title is called “How to Monetize Your Events,” so we’re gonna kind of wrap up and transition into the Sister Gawk portion, but can you tell us where people can find you?
Sheila: Sure, yep, so you can find me on LinkedIn under my name, the big long one, Sheila Farragher-Gemma. I’m on Facebook, @ConnectedSponsors, and if any — we can probably talk about this in the next one as well. I also have a little kind of training that I give away for free. If anyone wants to get that, it’s connectedsponsors.com/findmesponsors
Ruthie: Connected sponsors?
Sheila: — sponsors.com so it’s C-O-N-N-E-C-T-E-D-S-P-O-N-S-O-R-S dot com, forward-slash “finding sponsors.”
Ruthie: Nice.
Sheila: All smushed together.
Bekkah: Awesome. And I’m excited about this story, cuz you were telling me that you had a joint venture experience that you wanted to tell us about, so —
An Experience in Perseverance with Strategic Partnerships
Sheila: So this is, like, our first joint venture experience, and it’s with this gentleman, Jeremy, that we were in business for years. So this was another one of those situation when we didn’t really know what a joint venture was or — we were going to run a webinar, and all for this guy’s product through our database.
So he was speaking at an event that we were at, and I approached him, and I was, like — and I thought I was asking a big ask; I was basically asking him if he could spend an hour and a half so he could sell these things to our database. But I thought it was a big ask at the time, I was like, “You probably don’t want to do this, but could you think you could?”
So we set up the date and it was the week before Thanksgiving because we didn’t want to do it on Thanksgiving week; we thought that would be bad. And at this point Jeremy was living in California, and we had, like, an office out in California that he had a couple of people working there for him, and I was just working out of my home here.
And he got on the phone — we all got on the phone together, and this was before Zoom or anything, so it’s just kind of a tele-seminar. No, sorry, it wasn’t. It was a live webinar. So we were going through GoToWebinar, so you can see his slides and everything, but we couldn’t see each other. So we’re kind of on the phone together talking, and then he would put his screen up on GoToWebinar and do it that way.
So we were kinda chatting beforehand, making sure everything was okay, and we get started, and next thing Jeremy’s texting me. He’s like, “The phones are going crazy already. This is crazy!” So, like, the phone kept ringing in the office in California, so I was like, “Wow, I wonder what’s going on?”
So we went through the entire hour and a half webinar; we’re listening to him on the phone so we can hear everything, we can see the slides progress, and the webinar is a very kind of choreographed thing; you know, you build up your value, and then you do a close at the end. You know, but, it’s obviously — it needs both audio and slides for it to work.
And so we get off, and at the very end, Jeremy picks up the phone messages, the multiple, multiple phone messages from people saying “We can’t hear anything! ” So we forgot to turn on the audio. So the whole thing went out, they saw the whole pitch, like, the final thing with the price and all the rest of it, and obviously nobody bought, because they didn’t really know what it was except for just slides of it they were reading, if they stayed that long.
So we were like, “Oh my gosh, what do we do? ” And this is, like, the first time we ever ran a webinar, so we decided, “Okay, you know what? There’s nothing for it but to run it again.” So we ran it on the Tuesday of the following week, with Thanksgiving being on a Thursday; so at that point, people are traveling, they’re doing whatever, but we’re like, “Let’s just do it, get it done, see what happens.” So we ran it again, and with audio, and we actually had a really good result! We, like, sold quite a number of these courses, so it was a really good result, but, you know, it’s like, these things happen.
At the time, it was, like, the greatest disaster, especially where we kind of felt like we’d let this guy down so badly. We’re like “Oh, we’re such amateurs who don’t know how to work GoToWebinar!” But it turned out for the best, but kind of the lesson behind all that is no matter what, just keep going. You know, you’re going to make mistakes; it’s inevitable. Just learn from them and move on.
Bekkah: Yeah.
Ruthie: Yeah, been there, done that. Our first one, our mikes were turned down all the way.
Bekkah: Oh no, we felt so bad.
Sheila: Yeah, yep. That’s funny.
Ruthie: Thank you so much for joining with us and chatting with us and telling your stories. It’s been fun and we’re excited to do our next episode with you. If you guys liked this week’s episode, then go ahead and give us a review on Apple Podcasts, and we will see you again next week!
