Welcome to the Scaling Success Stories series!
If you’re new to this series, I ask online entrepreneurs questions regarding growing and scaling their business.
This is the series description:
You can get your fill of online business tips by reading the other interviews on the Scaling Success Stories page.
Interview with Elaine Rau from Lady Boss Blogger
It was my pleasure interviewing Elaine Rau, founder of Lady Boss Blogger, the online platform and blog that helps entrepreneurs learn how to start, grow and scale their own online businesses. Elaine has been featured in 200+ magazines, books, and publications and has become an online influencer. She loves speaking at conferences and colleges about blogging, social media, and influencers.
Check out what Elaine had to say to my questions!
1. Why did you start an online business and how does your passion still drive your business’ growth today?
It was out of necessity. My boss wouldn’t let me go bury my brother-in-law who had just been murdered overseas, so I quit, moved to Honduras to be with my husband and his family, and realized I didn’t have a plan to how I was going to survive there!
So, I started a blog that turned into my online business.
2. At what point did you realize that your business was “taking off” and that you could really make money from it?
I started making money the first week I started it. I emailed 100 women, 10 got back to me and 1 agreed to pay me to get featured on my blog and that is how I made the bulk of my income my first year.
3. At what point did you realize you were living the life you wanted to?
After 2 years of being in business, I finally had all my systems in place and basically almost everything was automated so now I have complete time freedom.
I just came back from a month in Bali where I was able to enjoy my time there because business was being taken care of by my systems and my team of 17 interns.
4. One of the biggest fears of outsourcing is trusting the people you hire to run your business the way you would. How did you overcome this and where did you find the right freelancers and employees to help you grow your business?
Instead of outsourcing experts, I prefer to hire interns who I can train in the exact way I like my projects completed.
This way it’s a win-win, I love that I get to mentor them and they love learning what I have to teach!
Editor’s note: Elaine took a unique approach to outsource as did Kara Fidd, who hired a family member to be her executive assistant.
5. A common myth is that as you grow and scale your business, you have to sell your soul to make money, especially when you venture into paid advertising. How do you debunk this myth in your business?
Testing and automation should be your two best friends in business, they are designed to make your life easier, not harder. Embrace them and they will embrace you.
6. Why do you think most people fail to grow their businesses and what advice would you offer them to keep pushing, despite all the setbacks?
They aren’t consistent and they give up too quickly.
We love people who are constantly there for us through thick and thin, so be that person.
I didn’t fail to publish a brand new blog post for my audience every single day for 2 whole years… was it hard to do? Yes. Did I do it anyway? Yes. How else was I able to garner over 150K followers in such a short time?
Do what others won’t do, be consistent and your growth will be as such as well.
Editor’s note: Jeff Proctor, McKinzie Bean, and Carly Campbell would agree that most people don’t give themselves enough time and don’t realize all the work that goes into being a successful entrepreneur.
7. How important has niching down been (no matter how hard it hurts) to your business’ growth and profitability?
Choosing a niche is super important, which is why I have two brands: my personal brand ElaineRau.com and my professional brand, Lady Boss Blogger.
But make sure to pick a profitable niche, otherwise you’re setting yourself up for failure.
8. What do you attribute your success to and how do you explain it? Do you think the same strategies will help you reach your next monetization goals? Why or why not?
I am a creator.
I like creating things and shaping their existence.
Before I started my platform, LadyBossBlogger.com, I searched all over for a solid website that produced daily content that I could learn from as an aspiring female entrepreneur and when I couldn’t find it, I created it.
9. To scale, you really need to have a systemized business. What steps have you taken to build those systems and how do you optimize them?
I invested in social media automation tools and email marketing tools which have been essential to my business growth.
10. If you could speak face-to-face with yourself when you first started your business, what pearls of wisdom would you impart?
You are stronger than you think and you’ll surprise yourself at what you’re capable of.
Keep pushing, you got this!
About Elaine Rau
Elaine Rau, the founder of LadyBossBlogger.com, has garnered a massive online audience of 150,000+ followers across all her social media channels in less than 2.5 years. It’s an online platform and blog that helps entrepreneurs learn how to start, grow and scale their own online businesses. Elaine has been featured in 200+ magazines, books, and publications and has become an online influencer. She loves speaking at conferences and colleges about blogging, social media, and influencers.
Conclusion
Thanks for participating in my series, Elaine!
As you can tell, it’s NOT EASY growing and scaling an online business, but there are some things you can do to aid you in the process.
Inspired by Elaine?
Now, it’s your turn!
I assembled the Scaling Blueprint to show you how to…
- Outsource Effectively
- Systemize Your Business
- Shatter Your Revenue Goals
After working with six-figure and seven-figure clients, I know the difference between how they function.
Let me help you start scaling successfully.
Cheers to future success!
