14. The Role of Podcasting in Scaling Your Business, with Sierra Scacco

Do you want to start a podcast to work smarter, not harder, in your business? Smart move! In today's episode, I'm joined by Sierra Scacco, scaling and productivity coach. We chat about when and how to scale your business, and where a podcast fits into those plans.

Connect with Sierra:
Instagram: @sierra.scacco
Podcast: One Productive Mama

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This episode was produced by me, The Podcast Teacher! Contact me at Hello@ThePodcastTeacher.com.

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Transcript

Julia Levine:
Welcome to podcasting for introverts. I'm Julia Levine AKA The Podcast Teacher. I'm a fellow introvert, entrepreneur, and educator. If you want to start a podcast and expand your reach without social media, this is the show for you. Let's get started. Hey. Hey. And welcome back.

Julia Levine:
One of the things that I often hear from aspiring podcasters is that they want to start a podcast to work smarter, not harder in their business. These are often business owners who are trying to serve a larger audience through a one to many product, such as a course or membership. And a podcast is the perfect way to expand your reach to a wider audience without a ton of extra effort. Sierra Scacco joins me in today's episode to talk about this particular stage of business and the role that podcasting plays. Sierra is a business scaling coach that helps Coaches sign more dream clients and make more money in less time by focusing on productivity, team building, and scaling strategies. She is also a wife and mama to 2 little boys and has run her business for almost 3 years while being home with them full time. Sierra, thank you so much for being here today. Could you just start by telling us a little bit about you and your business?

Sierra:
Yeah. Thank you so much for having me. I'm super excited to be here. So I am a scaling coach, and my focus is really to help other coaches in the online space, Like, take their business to the next level with a focus on productivity, on, doing more in less time, And really finding ways to amplify yourself, like, with purpose, if that kind of makes sense. Like, it's a very purposeful work that I like to do. So I actually started out as a copywriter a couple years ago, and I loved writing, but I burned out very quickly. So That was mostly because I had no way to organize my time. I was doing all the things every single second of the day.

Sierra:
Like, I just I felt like I had to hustle. I had to do everything to move forward. And, yeah, I I saw success that way, but I also was exhausted. So, that kinda led me to figuring out my own way of structuring my time of figuring out what my most important areas of my business were, and I started to

Julia Levine:
teach that to other people, and that's kinda how I got here. So Awesome. Well, I think most of us have some type of similar story that we can relate to of, you know, doing too much, getting burnt out, wanting more of our time back, etcetera. So I know Absolutely. I know the feeling. And so you said that you are a scaling coach, and I know that that word is kind of thrown around a lot in the online business world. And Sometimes it's often confused with growing your business. So can you talk a little bit about the difference between scaling and growing?

Sierra:
Yeah. Absolutely. So, essentially, the way that I look at it is growing your business is really about the foundations. So it's about creating something that is moving in the right direction. Typically, when you start your business, you're in that growth stage. Scaling, on the other hand, is when you're building that momentum. So things are going really well, and you're just ready to, Like I had mentioned before, like, take it to the next level. So there's something that I've actually heard other coaches say, and it's that it's Harder to go from, like, 0 to 5 k months in your business than it is to go from 5 k to 10 k months and so on.

Sierra:
And it's absolutely true when you, like, Breakdown what you have to do in each stage because after you've grown your business, everything moves a lot more quickly. And so the only way to keep up the pace with your business And not hit a plateau is to learn how to scale rather than just stay in that growth period.

Julia Levine:
Yeah. And one of the things I've often and heard as a differentiator is that growing is kind of matching kind of time for dollars, but Scaling is making more dollars for less time type of thing. And so that can look like Like a one to many type program rather than a one to 1 coaching situation or whatnot. Exactly. Yeah. So that's a situation that a lot of business owners find themselves in when they're a couple years in. I know this was me last I was completely maxed out with 1 on 1 clients. There were no more hours in the day, and, I was kind of Levine, I hit a cap revenue wise because there wasn't any more of me to give to 1 on 1 clients, and so kind of where did I go from there? So that was my situation, but what are some other situations that people might be in that would give them clues that This is the right time to start scaling their business.

Sierra:
Yeah. And and I love that you shared your experience with that because that's literally the things that people see is they're trading that That time for dollars, and it gets to a point where it's not sustainable. Like you said, you can't take on any more clients. There's only so much time in the day. So, typically, when There like, when people are ready to scale, there's a couple signs I like to look for. So you might see all of these signs. You might see, like, a couple of them, and that's gonna be like a indication, like, oh, I need to, you know, start be to be a little bit more aware of of what I'm doing in my business. But, Basically, these signs are, 1, you are making at least 5 k in your business, or if you have, like, a lower ticket offer That wouldn't quite get you to 5 k.

Sierra:
You are selling out your services. Like, there's there's a demand for your time. You Also might have a full client roster and maybe even a waiting list. Like you mentioned, you maxed yourself out with 1 on 1 clients. That would be a a On point sign that it is time to scale because you literally can't take on anymore. You also might start to be feeling very overwhelmed or Anxious or even irritated with your business? I know that those are things that people might not wanna talk about too much because It can be seen as, oh, like, I'm I'm not being grateful for my business because I'm irritated with it. But those those tensions, those frustrations tend to come up when we are Overworking ourselves, and so that's if you're starting to feel like those are really affecting your day to day, it's a good indicator that maybe it's time that something needs to change. The other thing that you could be looking for is that you're just ready for more.

Sierra:
So maybe you have 1 killer offer and you're ready to add in an offer Sweet. Like, you just know that there's something more for you to do. Or maybe you're ready to keep your single offer, but you want to branch out to make a bigger impact in the space, so reach more people. The last thing that I like to look for is that you feel like there's not enough time in the day. So it it's kind of tricky because we think there isn't enough time, Or we might think there's not enough time because we aren't being super purposeful with the time that we have. And that's where, like, one of the things that I really like to do is Find those those hidden pockets of time in people's day to restructure their schedules. But if you feel like you have a good handle on your schedule And you're still feeling like you don't have enough time to get everything done, this is definitely a time that it's time a sign that it's time to scale.

Julia Levine:
Yes. I know. I could probably check almost every single one of those boxes that you just mentioned when I decided to pivot and focus on scaling. So now that people know kind of what it looks like when they are ready to scale, what are some of the Things that they can do. How is how does this look in different businesses? What does this look like?

Sierra:
Yeah. There are so many ways, and this is, like, really where it gets Be fun and you get to, like, implement your specific, personality, the things that you enjoy, like, really make it your own. So one of my favorite ways is to To basically amp up your offer suite. Right? It's very simple. Almost every type of business can do this where you add in a variety of low, mid, and high ticket offers to reach a variety of people. So maybe that looks like some, like, 1 on 1 services or done for you services, Or maybe that includes, like, some memberships or courses or something that's a little bit more passive. So kind of creating various areas for people to to connect with you. The other thing that you can do when you're ready to scale is start thinking about your marketing.

Sierra:
So many people start with organic marketing, so posting on social media or Just the things that they can do manually, essentially, like the things that that they're putting out. But when it's time to scale, you might wanna think about including paid ads or other types of, like, paid marketing, affiliates or or things like that. Another way to start scaling is to get some support. So hiring a team, Especially if you've been doing this all on your own, you're a 1 person show, having that team or even just 1 virtual assistant is an absolute game changer when it comes to what you can accomplish in your business. And the last thing that you can do is really start to branch out into even more areas. So getting onto all of the social media platforms, start blogging, a YouTube channel, or if you haven't yet started a podcast and you're listening to this podcast right now, I'm pretty sure Julia would agree that now is the time to to start that podcast.

Julia Levine:
100%. Absolutely. Let's talk about how does Podcasting fit into a scaling plan. What does that look like? Where do obviously, I'm passionate about podcasting, and I can see All the ways it fits, but I'd love to hear from your perspective. How does a podcast fit in to a scaling plan?

Sierra:
Yeah. So And I'm sure you've talked about this a lot, that podcasting is a powerful tool. And what I love about it personally is that it gives you So much more content to work with, so much more, abilities to reach people in different, different ways. So you can repurpose your podcast episodes into various Platforms. Or you can find ways to incorporate, like, storytelling elements or educational elements or Sharing about your services, like, it's a different way to connect with people. Some people learn best by looking at something on a page. Other people learn best from listening and from hearing. So It really allows you to take your expertise and get it out to an even wider audience.

Sierra:
I also think that if you already have a podcast and now you're thinking of scaling so maybe, you know, you're you started the podcast while you're growing, which is A great place to start it too. Like, there's really not a right or wrong time to start it in the business, like, scaling timeline. But if you already have your podcast, then figuring out how to get your podcast out to more people and in front of more audiences. So I know, like, I I am an introvert, and getting my podcast in front of more people is a lot easier said than done. But finding small ways to promote your podcast or share it or use the areas that you're already using. So if you're on social media, like, using that as a place to share your podcast, even if you don't want to go out and, you know, post it everywhere and and get on a bunch of interviews or things like that, Those small ways are going to add up tremendously.

Julia Levine:
Yeah. And I think that I kind of see a pod which you alluded to, but I see a Podcast as kind of the cornerstone of your content. It's the center of that content wheel, and everything else that you create kind of revolves around it. So I encourage people to put a lot of time and effort into creating this one really Stellar piece of content, which is their podcast episode, and then repurposing it in a lot of different ways, which you mentioned. And so putting that content on social media, putting it on LinkedIn, putting it on YouTube, turning it into a blog post, Like, getting as much bang for your buck as you possibly can. I kinda see that as, like, Scaling in a nutshell is like doing more, making a bigger impact with less. And so the podcast can be really that That less that nugget that creates that ripple effect, creates that bigger impact.

Sierra:
Absolutely. And I I think, you know, it's funny that you mentioned that because For me and I I have a podcast also, and something that I have struggled with in the past is I would create a podcast episode based on, like, an Instagram post, which It's fine, but I felt like I would be running out of, like, things to say. Like, I I felt like I was confined to This one post. But if I take it the other way around, like you mentioned, you can do so much more with it if you create that 1 piece of content first and then think about spreading it to those either long form or short form content areas.

Julia Levine:
100%. And and it doesn't have to be perfect right off the bat. Right? Like, I I preach that, you know, you should have the podcast as your cornerstone content strategy and everything else should come from that. But, of course, I'm guilty of taking an idea from an Instagram post or from something else and turning it into an episode And then being like, well, I didn't get as much out of that as I wanted to. Yes. So it doesn't have to be perfect right off the bat, it's certainly a process and an evolution for sure. Yeah. So when we're talking about all the different things on your plate, Even if you are outsourcing some of them, obviously, time management is a huge component.

Julia Levine:
And I know with podcasting, it can be a huge time suck if you don't have the right systems in place. And so I'd love to hear from your perspective, what Tips do you have for managing time as you scale so that you're not trying to juggle all the things simultaneously and get Super, super overwhelmed. Yeah. This is this is one

Sierra:
of my favorite things to talk about, and it's honestly one of Hardest things to do, not even just when you're scaling, but at any stage of being a business owner because it's a lot different than a typical 9 to 5 where someone tells you exactly how you should be spending each hour of your day. We could literally do, like, a whole other episode on time management, but I'll just give you a couple So first of all, take some time to figure out what your goals are for your business and then make sure that what you're doing each day is working towards that goal. So it it's really about being purposeful with your time because it's easy to want to jump on every latest trend and get on all the platforms all at once, But all that's going to do is just lead to burnout and working way, way, way too much. You should also set a limit for how long you want to work each day. So it doesn't need to be like a hard line. If something comes up or you work, you know, a couple minutes later or, like, 30 minutes later, that's okay. But Having that limit is going to force you to be more productive and purposeful with your time because you're gonna know that there is an end time that you're working towards. So I like to use a 4 hour workday with my clients and for myself.

Sierra:
I found this to be super beneficial, not just because I work with purpose Or because I have more time for my kids, although those are super big reasons, but also because I know that I need to preserve my energy. So running a business as an introvert is definitely taxing, And it takes a lot out of you. So it because it requires so much more energy up front than, like, your basic office job, recognizing your limits And allowing yourself to work only a certain amount of time is literally going to be a game changer for just how you feel. And like I mentioned before, preventing those feelings of frustration, of anxiety, of Irritation with your business. And then lastly, creating a schedule that honors your boundaries and energy levels beyond working a certain amount of hours per day. So if you do video calls with clients and that's taxing on you, have those workdays be a little bit shorter or plan breaks in between your calls or better yet, limit how many calls you take per day. If you're podcasting, maybe that means you record your episode one day and you, you know, put everything into it, and that's kind of exhausting, so then edit, upload, do all the other things you need to on the 2nd day. Sometimes, for me, I know splitting up those Gives you a bigger boost of creativity.

Sierra:
That I mean, that's just how it is for me. Basically, managing your time as a business owner It's all about recognizing your goals and your limits and then figuring out a way to make them work together because your business should be working for you and not the other way around.

Julia Levine:
I love that, and I love that you incorporated the energy piece into it. Because as introverts, that is Something that is a real struggle for me personally, and I know for for many of the listeners of this podcast. And so, Yeah. It's not just time management, but it's energy management. So that's a huge takeaway for me. I I'm scribbling some notes over here. It's always easier to hear things from other people rather than, you know, some of the things you know in your brain, but it just It takes hearing it from someone else to, like, really make it click. So this conversation was so valuable for me, And I'd love for you to share where people can connect with you and learn more if they would like to continue on this journey.

Sierra:
Yeah. So you can find me on Instagram at Sierra dot Scacco. I'm there every day, Monday through Friday, so feel free to send me a message. Tell me you heard this episode. And I also have

Julia Levine:
a podcast called 1 Productive Mama that I post biweekly episodes on. Fantastic. Well, thank you much for being here today, Sierra. This was wonderful. Thank you so much for having me. Thanks for listening. If something in this episode resonated with you and you're thinking about starting your own podcast, I have a free resource that will help you. It's called the podcast road map.

Julia Levine:
Levine questions to start your journey. To grab it, just head to the podcast teacher.com/roadmap. See you next week.