17 - Brand Strategies to Stand Out in a Crowded Market

Be the Anchor – Strategies and Support for Small Business Owners

I have an amazing guest to share with you, someone who will inspire your marketing journey and make you feel empowered to embrace your uniqueness. Cheryl Floris is a mother and a lifelong creative who founded Hey Sunny Studio to specifically help women in business build a thriving brand. Cheryl worked in the health and fitness industry and through being involved in bettering her own wellness, she came to understand the transformation a coach or healer could provide. But she also saw a gap in how those people were presenting themselves. So I’m talking with Cheryl all about how to market and brand your business to align with what you really want.

Cheryl explains exactly why the brand identity of your business is such a key part of marketing and appealing to the clients that you want. It’s easy to just lean into what everyone else in the health and wellness industry, or in any industry, is doing but that’s not how to stand out and be noticed for who you truly are. We talk about that, about getting noticed, about what holds you back from outsourcing branding and leaning into your individuality.

There are a lot of lessons to learn from my conversation with Cheryl. She shares her Three S Cycle of brand awareness, how to appeal to your ideal client, how she approaches teaching content creation, and the importance of leveraging your time. This is an inspirational and educational revelation from someone with clear passion and integrity. You need to learn how to embrace your business and brand with the passion Cheryl has, so soak up the discussion we have in this episode.

Key Moments

16:54 What a great designer does when developing a brand identity

21:16 Why you need to always have a hand in your marketing content

32:45 When fear of not wanting to alienate all potential clients keeps you from reaching your ideal clients

• Story, specificity, and spice - how they are the key to marketing success
• Why building trust with your potential ideal clients matters
• How do you actually create 30 days of marketing content and still have a life?

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About Cheryl Floris:

As a mother of 2 young kids and lifelong creative, I craved a career that would allow me to have freedom in my schedule, but also fulfill the purpose I was set here to - to help women in business build a thriving brand that aligned with their lifestyle and their soul’s mission.

After working in the health & fitness industry, and being involved in bettering my own wellness for over 10 years, I knew the deep transformation that a coach, healer or counsellor could provide. But there were always gaps in the businesses I worked for or with, and most of them falling under the umbrella of their brand. Whether that's connection to their visual identity, being able to pinpoint their uniqueness and leverage it, or uncovering their dream client - the gaps they had were causing friction in both their personal life and in their business.

While on maternity leave with my son, I decided it was time to leverage my own strengths - creativity, systems and connection development, and my 8 years in social media marketing. Hey Sunny Studio was born and took off immediately. Since then we've been able to work with over 40 businesses to create visual identity systems, brand strategy and websites that have allowed them to grow and step into their own power as a health & wellness brand.

Hey Sunny Studio Note:
We will be launching our own podcast in spring 2024, and will be introducing an aligned marketing mentorship program as well! Sign up to our newsletter to be the first to know and snag a spot at beta pricing.

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Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Gift Guide for Small Business Owners

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Contact Cheryl Floris | Hey Sunny Studio:

• Website: HeySunnyStudio.com
• Instagram

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Contact Kari Lotzien | Be the Anchor:

• Website: BeTheAnchor.ca
• Facebook: BeTheAnchorLtd
• Instagram: BeTheAnchor.ca
• Linkedin: Be-The-Anchor-Ltd

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Transcript:

Kari Lotzien: [00:00:01] Welcome to Be the Anchor the Podcast. I'm your host, business and leadership coach Kari Lotzien. When the seas of life get stormy, and they always will, it is not up to us, to captain anyone else's ship or to try to calm the waters of the ocean. It's up to us to set our own destination for what we really want, and to learn how to navigate those waves of life together while finding that place of security and stability with others. I call this being an anchor. If you are a dreamer, a visionary, an entrepreneur, whether you have an idea, big or small, that you think might just make the world a little bit better, kinder, gentler place, you are in the right spot, my friend. We are going to talk about everything from big ideas to mindset and strategy, and sometimes just how to get through the day. I don't want you to miss an episode, so be sure to follow and subscribe to the podcast so that we can stay connected and keep doing this journey of life together. Thanks so much.

Kari Lotzien: [00:01:10] All right, welcome to the podcast. I am thrilled today to introduce you to a amazing entrepreneur. Cheryl Floris is the mother of two young kids and a lifelong creative. Cheryl created a career that would allow her the freedom in her schedule, but also fulfill the purpose she feels she was set here to, to help women in business build a thriving brand that aligned their lifestyle and their soul's mission. After working in the health and fitness industry and being involved in bettering her own wellness for over ten years, she knew that deep transformation that a coach, a healer or a counselor could provide. But there was always gaps in the businesses that she worked for or with, and many of them fell under the umbrella of their brand. Whether that was connecting their visual identity, being able to pinpoint their uniqueness and really leverage it, or uncovering their dream client, the gaps that they had were causing friction in both their personal life and in their business. While on maternity leave with her son, she decided it was time to leverage her own strengths, her creativity and connection development, and her eight years in social media marketing. Hey Sunny Studio was born and took off immediately. Since then, they have worked with over 40 businesses to create visual identity systems, brand strategy and websites that allowed them to grow and step into their own power as a health and wellness brand. Welcome, Cheryl. I'm so excited to have you here.

Cheryl Floris: [00:02:44] Oh, I'm so excited to be here. It's gonna be so fun.

Kari Lotzien: [00:02:47] It is going to be so fun. I'm just thrilled because every time we have a chat together, it seems like we just uncover more and more need in this industry. And I think a lot of our clients overlap. Our backgrounds overlap. Where I think both of us have clients who really believe in that customer service, they want to focus on what they do in their business, and they do it really well. But they don't always know how to leverage and get the right clients in and keep that consistent funnel happening so that it doesn't feel like such a roller coaster.

Cheryl Floris: [00:03:29] Yes. Yes, 100%.

Kari Lotzien: [00:03:32] Talk to me a bit about the transition and kind of what was the factor that moved you, or the personal story that got you into this industry and kind of took you from that health and wellness place into going it on your own?

Cheryl Floris: [00:03:46] How far do you go back when you share a personal story like that? Truthfully, like I've been in health and wellness for ten years now. I started exercising, working out in high school, and that was kind of the kicker to my health journey. And I really just spent the next eight years focusing on bettering myself in every capacity that I could, whether that was personal development, taking online courses, reading about new nutrition plans, different styles of nutrition we should be focusing on, different things like that. And throughout that time, I actually had started in a network marketing business, and that was my first piece of social media marketing. And that was when Instagram had no stories, there was no reels. And to stay relevant, there was also no algorithm. You had to be posting three times a day because it was based on timeline, right? So during that time we really started to, or I started to understand how to share my story specifically and start to relate to the individuals that I wanted to be working with. Did that for quite a few years, went on a little bit of a roller coaster with moving and careers, and ended up working at a gym for four years. And during that time I learned even more about health and wellness, but also a lot about business and running the back end of a business, connecting with your members and what to do to keep your members coming month after month, especially when you are offering a membership that is a higher ticket price.

Cheryl Floris: [00:05:28] And during the time at the gym, I was able to be there for the height and the peak, but also for the fall. And that was a really big indicator to me of where gaps started to happen. Before that, my husband and I, we also owned a restaurant and there were gaps there too, that we were noticing whether that was physical with location and what was happening with the economy or in our social media, and how we were showing up for that business. And so, yeah, during all of that time, we were able to just gain so many skills with running a successful business that, yeah, when I went on maternity leave with my son, I just, I hit that point of, I can't go back to where I was working based on the economy and scheduling. It just wasn't conducive to raising kids. So I needed to create something that was going to, yeah, allow me to stay home, be present with the kids, but also something that would financially benefit us in the long run, especially now. You kind of need to have two incomes in a household, you know. So what is going to allow me as a mother and a creative woman to thrive, utilize my skills so I feel like I can fulfill my purpose as a woman, but also be present with my kids and be able to spend as much time as I possibly could. So yeah, that's kind of how Hey Sunny Studio was built.

Kari Lotzien: [00:06:55] I've been talking to a few of my guests about the evolution of business. I love this time. I think we're in such a time of opportunity because when I think back, you know, it hasn't been that long that even women being able to be in the working world, you know, we look through timelines and think, okay, then we came into we've got the 9 to 5 job, we've got all the expectations, we're still doing everything at home. And I talked about being in the 'yes, but' generation like yes, you can have a job, but don't forget you still need to make sure that the kids are looked after, that the meals are made, that the house is clean, everybody's eating well, and then we kind of instead of going, okay, we're going to outsource raising our children and looking after our families and our relationships, this time in business, I see so many women saying, okay, how can I make this all work together and utilizing that creative flair? I love meeting people who say, you know what? I didn't just try to retrofit myself or stretch myself even further to meet all of these different demands on my time, but that I really am designing, I call it creating the life that you crave.

Kari Lotzien: [00:08:08] And we have to be an active participant in that. And I think it's wild to me that I believe you went into two of probably the most challenging industries, like restaurant. It, I mean it's stressful. You talk about, I mean, your overhead, your inventory literally rots if you don't have your accurate predictions on what sales are going to be. And then in the gym world, right? It is, it's so competitive. It's so demanding. There's so many seasonal impacts to what happens there in that industry. And I talk to a lot of my clients about that difference between being in your business and operating as a service-based professional and then working on your business. And it sounds like really early on you recognize that, hey, wait, there's two sides to this pancake that have to work together, and one can't operate just because you have a great reputation and you provide great service, and people love being there, doesn't mean that that is the ticket to long term success in your business. If people don't know you're there or they don't know how to connect.

Cheryl Floris: [00:09:16] Yes, exactly. And that's where really a big passion and a big mission of Hey Sunny Studio is, is helping women be able to build a successful business at home with their kids, so marrying the two, and contribute to their household and truthfully provide opportunity for their family and their kids as they grow older. And a lot of the times, what I see with these businesses, especially in the health and wellness space, is we get so caught up in being in it that we don't know how to work on it, and the on it piece is what allows you to grow. It's what allows you to raise your prices, to book more clients, to expand from one-on-one to group training so you can help even more people. But also you can provide yourself with even more opportunity too, because you're able to get that extra financial security, which ultimately is what we need right now.

Kari Lotzien: [00:10:14] Right. And I think I want to highlight too, that when you do that well, it's not the side hustle. It doesn't mean that just because you're working from home, or that you're raising kids at the same time, that this has to be a smaller business, that there's a lower income ratio. It doesn't have to be like that. What do you think are some of the other misconceptions in your industry when you start talking about brand identity or what that looks like?

Cheryl Floris: [00:10:41] Yeah. So I think a really big misperception is that brand identity is just surface level. Right? So when we talk about the newer businesses and you think like, I'll do a logo on Canva or get one for cheap off of Fiver or throw some colors together, like whatever, it doesn't matter that much. But truthfully, it makes a huge, huge impact because we are biologically, like going back to caveman era, we are designed to tune out the white noise. So when we see the same thing, when we hear the same thing over and over and over again, we start to tune it out. I can tune in to the clock, clicking behind me and listen to that and only hear that. But when I'm washing the dishes, I'm not going to pay attention to that. Same thing when people are scrolling on social media. If they see the same thing over and over and over again, then it's really, really easy for them to just get overlooked and to fade into the mass amount of coaches and healers and therapists and counselors that are online right now. So truly, your brand identity does make a massive, massive impact in your business. Having something with colors, logos, graphics, fonts, everything that stands out from your industry, that's going to be the very first thing that catches somebody when they are flipping through their phone, when they are going through their emails, when they are looking at Facebook, when they are googling programs, that's going to be the very, very first thing.

Cheryl Floris: [00:12:19] And you have literally as long as a blink to be able to catch that person, right? Think about how fast you can scroll on your phone nowadays, and if social media is your main platform, then you need to have something that's going to catch somebody's attention and turn on the alarm of that's different. Why is that different? Is this a good difference? Does this mean there's opportunity, or does this mean that it's like it's different, but it's not attractive to me. And that's the second piece to it, is you need to have differentiating factors, but you also need to have attractive factors to your ideal clients and to your market. And that attractive piece is, again, what's going to speak to your audience. It's as easy as saying like, you are a retro esthetic brand in a sea of nutrition coaches who use fancy script fonts and neutral tones, right? The individual that loves retro, loves vintage, loves old cars, whatever. They are going to be attracted to you and they're going to start paying attention to you and what you post and what you share. So there's two key pieces that come from brand identity. And really like when you're in a position where you're wanting to grow, yes DIY that in the beginning, but you're going to hit a spot where that is going to be the snag to attracting more clients, to being able to raise your prices and to be able to stand out in your industry.

Kari Lotzien: [00:13:53] Let's dive into that. So when you think about your client who has done the DIY, they've created their logo, or they've had a friend of a friend create something for them.

Cheryl Floris: [00:14:04] Yeah.

Kari Lotzien: [00:14:05] What do you see that they're telling themselves? Like, what are we listening for when we think, okay, is this just that my business is not succeeding, that people just don't really resonate with what I'm offering? Because I think there's this point where we don't necessarily know, is it our brand? How do we know that we should be questioning or we should be looking into getting some support? Talk to me about that.

Cheryl Floris: [00:14:28] Yeah, I think that ultimately comes down to clarity, really. When we are starting out and we first DIY'd our logos and our website, we're kind of piecing together what we like that everybody else is doing, and we don't exactly know what it is that resonates with us or where we are positioned in our industry. What makes us different, what makes us unique? We're piecing everything together.

Kari Lotzien: [00:14:52] I think with my clients, like when when someone's new in business, we tend to kind of, we create our own identity based on what we see other people in the industry doing. We mirror that, we mimic it, and then over time we start to feel like, okay, but that's not really me. And then as you work with more clients, you realize, okay, these are the people that I really love working with. These are the types of jobs that I really like doing. And then there's also this piece where we go, you know what? But I don't really love this part. That phrasing, that service, that product doesn't really resonate with me anymore. And I think it takes some time. I think putting some skin in the game and just allowing yourself some time and space to say, okay, I've tried these things out and now this doesn't feel like me. And it sounds it's the same with brand, is that we start off by replicating those neutral tones and the fancy fonts and then say, you know what? I look at my website, I look at my social media and I go, I don't know who that is.

Kari Lotzien: [00:15:48] It looks just like everyone else that's out there. So it sounds like that's one of the first pieces that you connect with to go, it doesn't really feel like me anymore. As I ask the question, I thought, I think there's a spot where we say, you know what? My clients that are working with me love me. That I'm getting great reviews. I'm getting great testimonials. The clients are coming back. They're referring their friends and family. But I'm not attracting new clients, and I feel like I'm growing this one piece of my business and often, like the word of mouth referrals are fantastic because people who already know and love and are working with you will bring other people that are similar. But we want to make sure that our brand identity and what we're putting out as that public image is aligning with that. And sometimes I feel like one, especially our brand identity, can lag behind, that we don't come to that realization or that recognition soon enough.

Cheryl Floris: [00:16:43] Yeah. And that's usually one of the harder things to outsource, because we're still stuck in that mindset of why would I pay someone to just choose colors for me? Why would I pay someone to just choose fonts and make some logo that I'm going to use in the corner of all of my graphics? But what we do is so much more than that. And like I mentioned, your brand identity is so much more than that, right? When you are working with us on your brand identity, as for a lot of brand designers out there, we are diving into who your ideal client is, what they are attracted to, what problems they're experiencing, and then we're also taking a look at who you are as a whole. We want to know, you know, what your hobbies are, what you grew up doing. We want to know, like, what the color palette is in your closet. And if you would paint your fingernails bright red, or if you're someone who maybe doesn't even pay your fingernails, maybe you go for a green or a clear because you're just not flashy like that, right? And we take those pieces into consideration when building your brand identity, because that's when we start to uncover who exactly you are as an individual. Do you fall into the category of, yeah, cool and calm and neutral, like what the norm is, but what's the edge that we can utilize that's going to help you stand out? That's when we're going to tap into the further details of how you were raised and the music you like to listen to, so that we can bring in a font that's going to align with who you are and who your client is, and it's going to be that snazzy piece that makes people go, oh, that's a little different.

Cheryl Floris: [00:18:26] So yeah. So that's the outsourcing piece that a lot of people get hung up on is, well, it's just colors and fonts. But at the end of the day, it is the essence of who you are. And if you don't feel like your brand identity represents you, then your audience is going to feel that too. And you're going to start to attract clients who aren't aligned. So when you finally get to that point, when you say, this is who I want to work with, they see the value and what I have to offer. They are more than willing to pay the prices of my coaching, my healing, my sessions, whatever, then you're finally able to be in a position of this is exactly what it should look like and how my business needs to move forward. And that brand identity is the first piece of that.

Kari Lotzien: [00:19:15] Something I want to pull out from what you said, because I think, you know, you get the freebies online that say, oh, here's what you need to do. That allows those people to sound just like everybody else in their business. And like you said, gets buried in the sea of social media, websites, emails, all of it. And then I think a lot of us have, we've taken the course, we've done the initial work to talk about our ideal client and who we want, and, you know, are they a Starbucks or a Tim Hortons person, and what's their average family income and all of these kind of things? What I love about what you talked about, when you talk about nail color and what you did as a kid, and the type of music that you enjoy, what I hear in this, especially with a service based business, is that it's a bridge between two people, that you're not just selling your product or service and advertising what you do and who you do it for, but you're also advertising these are the types of people that resonate with me and the work that I want to do and what lights me up.

Kari Lotzien: [00:20:16] And then I also think of a third kind of piece to that. So with some of my clients, I'm actually working towards them moving away from if your business was an entity separate from you. So say you're growing your team and you've got some people, now, instead of you doing it all yourself and identifying that, but now we're starting to think about outsourcing, sharing that wisdom with someone else, and having maybe somebody else do our social media content creation, that kind of thing. How can we communicate that more effectively to say like, if your business was a person, would it be dressed in all sequins? Would it be wearing flashy colors and feathers, or would it be wearing hiking boots and, you know, packing a backpack and out in the wilderness? Like, I love how you've differentiated that it's a relationship in the brand voice. And I think that's such a key piece that we're not seeing in a lot of marketing materials.

Cheryl Floris: [00:21:14] There's a couple of different layers to that. One, my spicy opinion, and this is going to jump ahead of my second point, is that whatever platform you are utilizing as your main marketing platform - so if that's social media, if that's LinkedIn, if that's email marketing, whatever - I strongly believe that you still need to have a hand in it and a role in it. So if you have a virtual assistant or a social media manager and they are doing all of your posts, yes, that's great. You still need to be showing up on stories. You still need to be in your DMs. You still need to be connecting with your audience, especially especially in the health and wellness space, because there are so many coaches, healers, helpers, counselors, everybody out there that most of the clients you're working with have tried a million things already. They have done the quick fixes, they have tried the longer programs, they have gone to the seven sessions of the EFT tapping to whatever, they need to know that the person they are working with is the right person. It doesn't matter necessarily what the tools are at this point if they've tried so many things. They need to know that the person is going to do the work to also get them there, because in the health and wellness space, you're not just helping somebody lose 20 pounds, you're helping them overcome limiting beliefs, break habits, break influences from outside sources, like, you know, maybe a parent that bullied you when you were a kid, right? You are helping them in so much more than just losing 20 pounds.

Cheryl Floris: [00:22:57] And this wraps into my next point of specificity. You have to have to have to be specific with the person you are working with. And I'm not talking about their demographics anymore. Yes, that has a role, but I'm talking about what they think on a day to day basis when it's, you know, 5 p.m., they're trying to get dinner ready, they are overwhelmed and they're thinking about the one thing that went wrong today that if they just had a solution for, it would have been a game changer and made everything better. What is the list of all the things they've tried in the past? Why didn't they work and how are your solutions, how are your offers the solution for that? And how can you then relate to them in a specific way? Just talking about 20 pounds like, yeah, everybody talks about that, losing the last 5 pounds, everybody talks about that, but nobody talks about how uncomfortable it feels to be sitting out in the grass with your kids in the middle of summer, and they just want you to run around and play with them. But you know you're going to get winded and it's going to be embarrassing. So you're just going to say, no, I'll just, I'll sit and watch, you go continue to play. That's a story that's going to relate to somebody, and that's a story that's going to make someone say, oh, she gets me. I know that's me, that is exactly how I feel.

Cheryl Floris: [00:24:22] When you're outsourcing to a team, when you are growing a team, you need to be crystal clear on those points. You need to have a guide. Truthfully, brand strategy guide, brand messaging guide, ideal client, analysis, story that you can be talking about with your team on a regular basis so that you can make sure your voice is the same across all platforms. You are touching on what needs to be touched on in the actual awareness framework of attracting clients, of getting clients, of creating community. And you need to be consistently looking at your ideal clients as well, because things are going to shift and change as the world shifts and changes. So you also have to be able to roll with the punches, so to speak. And you know, what's something that your ideal clients are sharing and talking about regularly now as opposed to three months ago. Right? And how can you start to provide value on that subject?

Kari Lotzien: [00:25:25] Yeah, that was a few minutes of gold right there. Again, I want to take it back because we hear these things, right? You need to niche down. You need to be specific. You need to share stories. I feel like you're drilling even deeper into that. And I feel that a lot of our brand awareness that gets scrolled past is the stuff that it doesn't resonate because it doesn't hit our hearts. It feels very flat. It feels like we don't have an emotional connection to it. And let's be honest, like a lot of people who have chosen to work in this space do it because they really do care and they do have a personal story, and they have opinions about a lot of different things. And so we've talked about the stories. We've talked about specificity. Let's talk about the third, because this is one of my favorites. And I'm not even going to set it up for you because I love your take on this next S in the in the three S cycle. Because this is big and I want to, I really want to launch that with you. So I'm going to let you take the third S from here.

Cheryl Floris: [00:26:28] Okay. So the third S, and we break all three of these down even more in our content code, which is going to be a do it yourself workshop coming in the new year, the third S is Spice. Spicy content that is going to disrupt the norm. So again, relating back to that differentiating factor like you need to stand out now. And we are so scared of it. We have a fear of it, of even showing our face online. Like for me, you will never catch me doing a dancing reel. But maybe I need to, you know, because it's different and it's going to catch people's attention. They're going to say, wow, Cheryl needs to not dance ever again. But with all that being said, adding spice and disrupting the norm comes with sharing your particular points of view, your unpopular opinions. What makes your methods different from the thousands of other nutrition coaches out there or hormone coaches out there? Therapists, counselors, everybody, what is different about your mindset in your industry? Because it's those things that, again, are going to start filling the gaps for your ideal clients who have tried a million things in the past, it's going to start filling in the the needs that they have been missing. I cannot tell you in my ten years of being in the fitness, 11 years, actually, of being in the health and fitness industry, how many nutrition plans I did. I calorie counted, I cut out all carbs, I did keto, I did this and that and the other thing. So many, so, so many.

Cheryl Floris: [00:28:15] And it wasn't until this year when I actually found the right person, the right coach, to lead me through a program and reassure me and give me the tough love that I need, that I've been able to make progress in my goals. I've macro tracked in the past, yes, but I've never done it with somebody who has led me through in the way that she has. Right? So this again comes back to finding the person, finding the different person that is going to give you exactly what you need. Because like I said, like if social media is your main marketing right now, you are competing with hundreds of thousands of online coaches, healers, trainers. And in a world where somebody, anybody can go online and sign up for a quick weekend course and all of a sudden be an expert in hormone health, how do you, somebody who has gone to school for 4 or 5, 7 years and has taken countless certifications, has a degree, has done, you know, an astronomical amount of clinical research, how do you stand out against that person? Right? And it is going to be your unique points of views, your spicy hot takes, your unpopular opinions, and the things that go against the grain.

Kari Lotzien: [00:29:39] I'm going to push it one step further, because I think there's going to be people that you connect with based on having a similar unpopular opinion, right? I did one on my issue with challenge culture. I despise it and how we sign up for these 30 day challenges and you have to do this pushing your body to the limits. And then when your body actually just naturally needs to go into a rest state, you feel like you failed. And there's a lot of businesses that, consciously or not, have designed their whole premise around when your body needs to rest, you're going to think that you failed, and then you'll come back to us for the solution. It was a really hot topic for me, and I was just so tired of that mentality. So I can push on that button, that hot topic, and people will say, oh my gosh, that's just like me. I'm sick and tired of doing these challenges, and I do challenge after challenge after challenge, and I fail and I fail and I fail, there must be something wrong with me. Instead of looking at is this system actually optimizing this rhythm or this cycle where people fall down and then feel like they need help to get back up again over and over and over again? So there's going to be people that go, that frustrates me too. But then you have to acknowledge that there's going to be people that are die hards on the other side who are going to lash out to you, and they're going to send you messages in the DMs, and they're going to tell you how you're insane and you have no idea, and that sometimes it's also really great to just call that ahead of time.

Kari Lotzien: [00:31:21] Because there's nothing worse than being in that relationship with someone, getting into working engagement, and then recognizing that you have really different core values and beliefs, and the way that you work is not aligned with this client or this person. And now you're at a place where you're trying to repair it because they've paid you. But if you can get ahead of that and just say, these are my values and beliefs, this is how I show up, this is my unpopular opinion, it's okay to drive some of those people away and get them out of your funnel, because you're protecting yourself from the headache that may follow. And there's other people, I'm not saying right, wrong or otherwise, you can have different opinions than I do, and there will be someone else who completely disagrees with me and will be a great fit for you. But we're protecting ourselves. So I think that's a tough one, because so many of us in this industry are people pleasers. We don't want to make people upset. We don't want to tell them they're wrong. We don't want to stand on the edges. It's uncomfortable. And I think this is a big move from that, you know, early stages in this industry where we're just trying to get clients, get somebody in the door to pay. And coming into this, as you called it, stage two, I think, of now I know who I am, I know who I want to work with, and I can stand on a bit of my spice to help me attract and repel the right clients.

Cheryl Floris: [00:32:45] At the base of it really is kind of this underlying fear that we have, right? It's this fear of, okay, I know who I want to work with and who I don't want to work with, but financially, can I afford to cut out all of these people who aren't really my ideal clients? And the fear of what if I do ruffle feathers out there, right? And this is where like your personal development has to mesh with your professional development too. And you know, you are always going to place the ceilings on yourself. And if you can continue to work to bust through those ceilings, you are going to continue to succeed and being able to get to that position of, yeah financially, maybe I might not fill my client roster this month if I'm saying no to all these people, but that is energetically opening up the space for these clients that I know are out there and who want to work with me and see the value in what I have to offer and are willing to maybe pay your new prices. Right? And it's also those clients too, a reframe of the picture, it's those clients who are also willing to do the work. You know, it's the clients like, I've worked with a macro coach before and I completely fell off tracking, I ghosted, I was that client that I hated having when I worked at the gym.

Cheryl Floris: [00:34:15] But this coach, you know, I'm finally like, okay, I know her process. I know this works. I just need to trust it and I need to do the hard thing. So I am tracking my food when I don't want to. I am eating protein when I don't want to. And I've reaped the benefits of that already, right? So being able to open yourself up to these clients who want to work with you, see the value in working with you, are also going to do the work in working with you because they trust you, and thus are going to get the results from working with you. It's this full, it's this full circle effect of being able to work with somebody, and they commit to it because you open yourself up, you got specific in that person, and then getting the transformation out of it. And in the marketing world, that's fantastic because now you are regularly getting transformations. That's building trust. That's building authority with your audience. Right? But if you're constantly saying, yeah, I'm booked up, but I have no testimonials to show for it, I have zero results, I have no progress, nothing to actually give you, that's just telling people, yeah, she's filling up with clients, that's great, but where is the result? Like, is this actually going to work for me? Because I have no idea.

Kari Lotzien: [00:35:36] I want to flip this back because I also want to highlight this isn't just the health and wellness space. We've talked about gyms. We've talked about nutrition coaches. This works in every industry. I know for myself, you talk about as a coach, it's a really interesting industry because I'm really clear on the type of business owner that I work with best. I work with people primarily at what I call the teenager phase of business, where you're in a place where you're really done doing it all yourself, and you recognize that your business needs things that you can't offer. So you're looking to kind of build the strength in your business separate from you. That's my place. But you're absolutely right. I now lead with here's what I can do for you, and here's what you need to be able to give me in terms of your energy, your investment, your time. And you have to be coachable. And I think a lot of times we don't want to say that. We don't want to directly tell someone like, are you willing to change? Are you willing to consider another way of thinking about things? Because you can spend a lot of money and just justify the way you're already doing something, and tell me why you don't have time, and you don't have energy, and you don't have the resources to be able to do it, then you're not my client. And being able to let that go.

Kari Lotzien: [00:36:53] And I think it's the exact same thing in your industry, where I've been able to watch your progress over even the last couple of years, where you've done that within your business to say, okay, you know what, if you're a do it yourselfer, that's fine. Here's where you can go. But if you really want to dive into developing your brand, really thinking about what your content pillars are, but then pulling it into what are your stories, where's your spice, where is your specificity in your brand? That's going to take time and you have to show up. Yes, you can hire a web designer and say, yep, I like these colors, here's my logo, here's what I do, and then do something for me. You do all the work and then when I don't get visitors to my website and I don't get clients, I'm going to blame you for it. I think we're both in this space where we're saying, no, no, this is a partnership, and we need to both come to the table and do the work together. And to highlight that, take some, take some hutzpah to say, hey, listen, I'm not going to do all the work for you. I can, I can go to the gym five days a week, I can do all of these things, but that's not going to change what's showing up in your life. You have to come to it together. Yeah.

Cheryl Floris: [00:38:05] Yes 100%. Yep.

Kari Lotzien: [00:38:09] Okay my friends, we are well in the season of gift giving. And if you know of someone who's a small business owner in your life and you want to get them the perfect thing that you know will be so valued and appreciated and it'll just make them feel cared for, click on the link in the show notes. I've put together a guide of my favorite gift ideas for small business owners, and there is everything from absolutely free to a lot of options that are less than the price of a gift basket with lotions and candles. But it's really what people want. If you are a business owner, and maybe you just need some ideas of ways that people could support you, this might give you some good ideas of what to ask for. I'm sending you so much love this holiday season. Click on the link in the show notes. I'll send you the list. Back to the show.

Kari Lotzien: [00:39:02] You've got a course called the Content Code that is phenomenal. I want the listeners to hear, like, Cheryl is so much more than just here's some, you know, unique ideas on how to post content. And I can tell you right away, her stuff is absolutely not that content that you're going to scroll by. Like, I get hooked in, I get hooked into your stories, I get hooked into your Instagram. I get hooked into all of it because you're really living exactly what you're talking about. This isn't just what you do, it's not a service you provide, you are absolutely emulating it in your own business. So listeners, like, go check out Cheryl's stuff because you're going to be able to see this in action in her business and how she does it, and then how she can also support you. Talk to us about, like, this content code course, because I'm excited about it.

Cheryl Floris: [00:39:55] Okay. So well, first off, thank you for that. I really appreciate that. I'm glad that it's resonating with you. So the Content Code, now essentially over the last eight months, I'd say like a big bulk of this year, I was just getting so fed up with content and with marketing and trying to figure out what the heck to say that would resonate with my audience, how to, you know, strategize like an actual month of content. I was seeing all of these posts from, you know, so many social media gurus on batching your content, batch a month's worth of content, but when you have nothing to go off of, how the heck do you write 30 captions and make 30 graphics and 30 posts in like a couple days, you know? It feels impossible, right? Especially when you have young kids running around and you have a life to live on top of that. And so I found myself downloading all of these freebies. I was on Pinterest downloading freebies, social media managers downloading freebies, reels gurus, all the freebies, signing up for workshops and classes and courses. And I can't even tell you how much money I spent on flipping Instagram content anything this year. Too much. Finally, I got to the point where I was downloading a freebie and I'd open it up and it'd be the exact same thing that I learned in the last five. People are telling me to use your content pillars of education and inspiration and value, and then post five days a week and do three reels and blah, blah, blah, and, you know, make a viral statement on your reel and all of a sudden you get 40,000 views and you're going to make $1 million in a year just from that.

Cheryl Floris: [00:41:40] Right? But nobody was telling me what to say and how to get there specifically for my audience and who I was talking to. I can post five days a week. I've been doing that for eight years at this point. I can make reels, you know, in less than, well now in less than an hour. Um, and like, I can have conversation in my DMs. Like, I can relate to people, yes, but tell me what to say. Tell me what to write and how to gain that information. And so I finally just got to a point where I said, you know what? I am not going to gatekeep anymore on how to do this. I am going to learn how to gain the skills to make content relevant, to be able to make it quickly and easily, and I just want to share that with everybody, because it is a prevalent struggle in so, so many business owners, and especially when you're a mom, when you're a parent. I remember one day in the summer telling the kids, yep, I just have to sit down and write this post out for work, and then we'll go down to the beach. And it was 2, 2.5 hours, 3 hours later. Right.? Like and at that point I was like, well, now it's nap time. So I guess we're not going to the beach today because of one post, you know?

Cheryl Floris: [00:43:01] Like we need to be able to leverage our time. And when it comes to social media, we need the skills to actually be able to craft a message that is going to stand out amongst all of the noise. So here's your next layer too, of creating something that's different visually, now in your message. So in the Content Code we go so much deeper than here's 30 content ideas and here's your four content pillars. We are going to help you break apart your ideal client so that you can, relating back to what I was saying earlier, figure out what's keeping them up at night. What is their thought stream at 6:00 in the morning where they're pouring their coffee and they're thinking about, oh, if only I could whatever, then my life would be so much better. It would be so much easier. Right? And being able to uncover, again, like all of the things they've tried, why it didn't work, and what they actually need now to provide the solution and how your offer then ties into that. We provide content pillars that are specific to you and your offers and your audience. We don't go with the educate, inspire, values, we relate this specifically to you and your offers so that you can continue to create content that's going to be relevant, and that's going to help take your audience through our awareness framework, which, at the top of it, if we picture it like a funnel, is awareness. So your first piece is getting views, building your audience, gaining followers.

Cheryl Floris: [00:44:38] And the second piece to your awareness, too, is shedding light on your audience's struggles. So that's the first piece that makes them go, oh, I've felt that before, I've experienced that. And then being able to move them down the funnel of building your community and connecting with them, making them stop and say, oh my gosh, she gets me. That is exactly what I'm going through right now. How is she in my head? That is what starts to build desire for your message and for what you're saying. Then being able to shift them down the funnel into value. Sharing your spicy points of view, sharing your stories, providing methods, tips, techniques, education. And once all 3, 4 of those layers are in, then offering up your solution and saying, hey, I have these coaching spots, here's how you can work with me, and them immediately thinking, oh, I like her, she gets me, I've done a couple of the tips she's given me and they've worked, so I'm going to book in with a call for her because I feel like she's the one, right? And a lot of the times that's the layer that we're missing, is being able to develop the content and shape the message in a way that connects with your ideal client soul. And that sounds heavy and weighty. But truthfully, if you have the know-how and you have the bank of information you can be pulling from, then creating content that is relevant, that's specific, and that actually converts your audience into clients, that is what's going to move your business along and make marketing easier.

Cheryl Floris: [00:46:19] You have a obligation to market your business, especially if you're in the health and wellness space. Your mission is to help people and to transform lives, right? And if you know that what you have is special and it will transform people's lives, you have an obligation to market it. Because there are people out there who are looking for you and your solution. And so we have to stop being in this mindset of, well, I don't know how to market, the algorithm hates me, social media oh, I'm so over it, whatever. And we have to move into actually getting the skills and the knowledge to be able to market what you have. Because you know, it's your right. You have to, you know? So that's what we really drive home in the Content Code is teaching you the skills to be able to uncover all these aspects and taking that, being able to build out 30 days worth of content topic. And on a weekly basis, like I've tried to make 30 days of captions. It does not work for me or my brain or my lifestyle. So I sit down on a weekly basis and I'll write out all my captions for five days. And I've been able to do that consistently. And it's done wonders for my mental health, for my time, and being able to do the work that actually needs to be done within my business, which is hands-on client work.

Kari Lotzien: [00:47:44] Beautiful. So the link will be in the show notes, because I know people are going to be excited and go, oh my gosh, like how do I get this? Because you can hear Cheryl's passion. You know that she's the real deal. Which is exactly why I brought her on. I hear so many things that you're saying, you know? I don't know what to say. I don't know what to write. I feel like I'm selling myself. This doesn't feel like me. And what I hope that you've heard in this podcast, in this episode, is just how this isn't about a generic plan. It's really about aligning it with your personality, your vision, your business. So I know that you're going to want to check that out. We are getting to a point of wrapping it up here. I want to kind of just dive a little bit into the backstory. So you've kind of referred to your kids and building a business with young kids and kind of what that's been like. When you think about the future direction of Hey Sunny Studio and what, where you want to go, what you want this to be, kind of how you're creating the life that you crave. What either advice would you give to people who are in this place where there may be questioning, is this worth it? Is this something that I want to move forward with? Talk to us about just what your dreams are. Where do you want to go?

Cheryl Floris: [00:48:56] Oh gosh, how do I not get emotional when talking about this? Truthfully, it's about providing opportunity for like for my kids and building out. When we first started, I had this vision of having this team of moms and we're all able to contribute financially to our household, maybe bring our husbands home from work and just be able to, again, like bring this opportunity for adventure and cup filling activities and just opening the doors to possibilities for our families. And ultimately, that is, that's the dream. That is the dream. And the mission to get there is helping business owners. It's kind of Matrix-y. It's helping business owners essentially build their business to be able to do the same. Right? It's providing women in business the opportunity, the tools, the knowledge, the know-how, the visuals, so they can grow their business to a point where, yeah, maybe they can bring their husbands home from work, or maybe they can start saving for a down payment for a house, or build the house of their dreams or, you know, go on holidays once a year with their family or whatever that looks like. Yeah. So that's the dream. That is the dream.

Kari Lotzien: [00:50:16] I am so passionate about, and now I'm going to get emotional, but building business together, this is absolutely one of my pillars. I want to create community. I see too many business owners feeling like they have to do it all themselves, that it's competitive, that they need to be ahead of the game, getting up at 4 a.m., you know, eating the frog, slaying the dragon, whatever the heck we're doing. And I just, t the women that are slaying it in business, I see over and over again, are the ones who want to lift each other up. Who are just like, I get it, I see you, I have something that I believe in that I feel has value and I'm willing to share it. And we're doing that not by giving it away, not by just giving a bunch of freebies, but that we're really valuing ourselves because we're pairing this idea of nurturing others with feeding our own families, building our own bank accounts, building financial abundance. And we can do this together. But we're shifting perspective, coming all the way back to the beginning of this episode when I talked about how women in business has changed over the last few decades. You know, this is a very short amount of time that we're making substantial changes in the way business operates, and we can't do it alone. We can't. It just, it has to be together. It has to be by utilizing each other's resources and just those words of encouragement. So thank you just so much for sharing that beautiful message because I think it so connects with my audience. I know it well. I love to ask in closing, when you think about your life, what helps you to stay anchored? That idea of just a point of stability and security, feeling like you've got your feet on the ground. How do you do that?

Cheryl Floris: [00:52:08] Some people call it faith, trust, prayer. Whatever floats your boat and fits into your world. But for me, it's just, it's trusting that everything is going to work out. So meditation practice, walks, reading, journaling, brainstorming, and leaning on my circle, that is what helps me stay grounded, especially when we are living in a time where, yes, we have so much opportunity, but there's also a lot of noise out there, there is a lot of different information, there's a lot of different techniques and what you should do and what you should invest in, and it's really easy to get clouded by so much information out there and being able to come back to you, your trust in yourself, your intuition and being able to to just listen to what you need and what is going to drive your business to the next stage. That is what helps keep me grounded. Because all of this, again, at the end of the day, I'm doing it for my kids, I'm doing it for my husband, and I'm doing it for my future. You know, failure is not an option. Setbacks, yes, because we always learn from setbacks. I have had my fair share. But failure is not an option, and you have to be willing to pivot and grow and have some tenacity in that.

Kari Lotzien: [00:53:31] So good. Oh, thank you so much for your time today. I know that the audience is just going to eat this up, and I just, I really want to thank you for your passion, your integrity, just how real you are and how how you let us have a back glimpse into your personal stories and and sharing that with us today. So all the very best. Thank you so much for being here. And--

Cheryl Floris: [00:53:59] Thank you!

Kari Lotzien: [00:54:00] Just a reminder, if you have not liked and subscribed to the podcast yet, please make sure that you do. And let's be honest, navigating the world of marketing is not easy, especially for small business owners trying to do it all themselves. So if you know of someone who's on this journey, take a screenshot and make sure that you link and share this episode with them. It's how we build community together and help support others on this journey of business. Thanks so much for being here.

Kari Lotzien: [00:54:31] Please know that this podcast is meant for entertainment purposes only. It is not a substitution for medical or professional mental health advice. If you require support, please do reach out. Thanks so much.