when your business is not what you think it is

Brilliant scene from the movie, The Founder : --------------------------------------------------------------- Finance whiz Harry Sonneborn lays it out for Ray Kroc (McDonald’s owner): “You don’t seem to realize what business you’re in. You’re not in the burger business. You’re in the real estate business. You don’t build an empire off a 1.4% cut of a 15 cent hamburger. You build it by owning the land upon which that burger is cooked. What you ought to be doing is buying up plots of land. Then turning around leasing said plots to franchisees…” --------------------------------------------------------------- That one critical shift—in knowing what business you’re actually in—changes everything. Case in point: McDonald’s revenue last year was a whoppin’ $23.18 Billion. And a similar shift is available for every coach and course creator too. Maybe not to the tune of billions of dollars. But certainly for at least a few million. That shift being: To realize that as a coach or course creator, you aren’t in the coaching or course business. Coaching and courses is just how you monetize . The business you’re actually in? Is the content business. Specifically: Giving 99% of your content for free. Selling 1%. It took me YEARS before I realized this. But once I did, it really did change a LOT. First, it felt incredibly freeing and much more fulfilling. Instead of worrying about how I could sell more courses and coaching, I got to focus instead on creating better content. Which also naturally resulted in more sales. It also changed how I spent my time. Instead of obsessing about how to improve my funnels and systems (beyond a certain “good enough” point—which you do have to have), I got to obsess about adding more value, improving my teaching and communication skills, and focusing on my zones of genius. That being said, you also have a lot of options for HOW you go about it. Option #1: You can create a LOT of free content on the platform(s) of your choice. This is the most popular default these days. And it’s great…IF you somehow manage to go viral. Otherwise, you’re likely signing up for a few years of having to create a LOT of content before you’re able to drive significant revenue. Option #2: You can pay for ads to “give away” your free content that’s actually just a sales funnel. I’ve made millions this way. BUT in my experience, this is very hard to get right. And very expensive if you don’t. Plus, consumers are wanting more trust and value-alignment with who they buy from. Which means that the days of being able to build your business around just running ads to a funnel, are numbered. Option #3: You can create less content—that has a wider and longer reach. So you can get better results with less work. AND have your work pay off forever after you do it. Of course you can mix and match all three options too, but let’s be honest. Most new coaches and course creators don’t have the time or money to do more than one strategy at a time. Thus why I chose Option #3 to start with. Because I personally prefer the strategy with the biggest pay-off. That doesn’t leave me at the mercy of someone else, or some social media algorithm. AND that allows me to create the most impactful content too. If you feel the same way I do, here’s how I can help you with - in my experienced opinion - the best way to grow your business: Learn my favorite growth strategy - and the cornerstone of LZ.com’s traffic acquisition - right here: [Watch a free masterclass explaining the strategy]( . Or if you already know you want to add this to your business: [Enroll in Clients Come to Me]( to get the full system with step-by-steps, templates, guides, and Q&A support. Or if you want us to do it FOR you: [Hire my team]( to do it all for you so you can focus on doing what you love. (Your business does need to be at 6-figures or more in annual revenue for this option to be a good fit.) Luisa Zhou --------------------------------------------------------------- [Unsubscribe]( Zhou Ventures, Inc., 54 State Street, Ste 804 #5511 Albany, NY 12207