Ep 190: FAQ: "But Pia, can you actually do quality work in an intensive?"

Most entrepreneurs I meet built their businesses because they want more agency over their lives. They want to make more money and have more freedom over how they spend their time.And yet, starting a small business usually comes with anything but financial freedom and stability, at least at first. But once you nail down your processes you’ll start to feel like you’re the boss of your business instead of being employed by it. That’s what the first two phases of building a No BS Agency are all about.The third phase, building your Authority Machine, is really the key to building long-term stability.The reason I love teaching people how to build an Authority Machine is because I have personally experienced just how much financial independence and freedom the Authority Machine grants you.Today, I share how an Authority Machine can give you the freedom and independence you want.Tune into this episode to hear:How an Authority Machine does the heavy lifting of bringing in and nurturing leadsHow your Authority Machine leverages supply and demand to allow you to consistently raise your pricesHow an Authority Machine builds an audience large enough to diversify your income streamsResources:No BS Agencies MasteryThe Price to Freedom Calculator™No BS LaunchpadNo BS Agency Owners Free Facebook GroupStart reading the first chapter of my bookPiasilva.com

Everybody wants to be seen as an authority or an expert, whether you use those words or not.Why? Because being seen as an expert or an authority is what allows you to continuously raise your prices, sell more and more profitable projects, and achieve higher and higher levels of freedom and ease in your business and your life.Inside Mastery, we talk about building an Authority Machine as the third phase of building a No BS Agency. So this month, I’m going to tackle the most common questions I get about it, starting with, “What is an authority machine, anyway?”Tune into this episode to hear:Why an Authority Machine is not the same thing as creating contentThe three main elements of an Authority MachineWhy your point of view has to be unique and specific, now more than everHow an Authority Machine brings people into your orbit for the long haulWhy building an Authority Machine is the last step in the No BS processResources:No BS Agencies MasteryThe Price to Freedom Calculator™No BS LaunchpadNo BS Agency Owners Free Facebook GroupStart reading the first chapter of my bookPiasilva.com

Today I’m talking with one of my star students turned No BS Mastery coach, Sara Chambers, about ditching proposals, committing to the No BS process even through bumpy times, and how she’s been able to up level her business since joining the program.Sara Chambers loves collaborating, community, and coffee. Alliteration is clearly her favorite literary device and she’s a fierce advocate for the Oxford comma. Before Sara founded Elly and Nora, she spent the greater part of her career helping non-profits, authors, and lifestyle brands in marketing, public relations, communications, and everything in between. She is passionate about helping her clients achieve results that grow their income and ultimately their impact.Tune into this episode to hear:How the lead product process helps Sara build trust and rapport with clientsThe “hole” Sara fell into when her retainer work slowed downHow Sara went from “Who am I to charge that?” to embracing value-based pricingLearn more about Sara Chambers:Elly and Nora CreativeInstagram: @sarachamberscreativeConnect with Sara on LinkedInResources:No BS Agencies MasteryThe Price to Freedom Calculator™No BS LaunchpadNo BS Agency Owners Free Facebook GroupStart reading the first chapter of my bookPiasilva.com

What happens if the client hates the work you bring to their Intensive?Presenting your work to a client is always a little nerve wracking. You’ve put time and effort and love into it and it’s hard not to take it personally when the client isn’t excited about it.So of course when I tell people that we do entire branding projects in one-to-three day intensives, their biggest question is, “What happens when the client hates the work?”Let’s break this down.Tune into this episode to hear:What it really means when the client accepts or rejects your workThe key process that minimizes (and practically eliminates) the risk that clients will reject your workThe magic of the Magic HourWhy you shouldn’t ask your clients, “What do you think?” and what you need to do insteadResources:No BS Agencies MasteryThe Price to Freedom Calculator™No BS LaunchpadNo BS Agency Owners Free Facebook GroupStart reading the first chapter of my bookPiasilva.com

Can you actually do quality work, bespoke custom brands and websites and amazing copy in an intensive? For real?Today I’m going to break down the three major assumptions behind that question. Because absolutely yes, you can do quality, custom work in an intensive, and I wouldn’t do it any other way.Tune into this episode to hear:Why the time your clients pay for is not the hours you put into each projectHow intensives allow you to immerse yourself in one project at a time and lead to better workWhy you don’t want to give clients a ton of time to consider the workWhy laboring over a project doesn’t always make the end result betterResources:No BS Agencies MasteryThe Price to Freedom Calculator™No BS LaunchpadNo BS Agency Owners Free Facebook GroupStart reading the first chapter of my bookPiasilva.com

How do we put a stop to dragging project timelines and scope creep? Intensives.Intensives are a core piece of the No BS model that I talk about on this podcast and inside our No BS Agency Mastery program. But a lot of people have preconceived notions about what intensives are and what they aren't.So today I want to tell you exactly what intensives are and how they can help your business. Tune into this episode to hear:How intensives stop scope creep, client indecision, and dragging timelinesWhat 1-3 days means on the client side and on your side of the equationWhy the lead product to intensive model makes clients actually excited to say yes to your workHow we deliver intensivesResources:No BS Agencies MasteryThe Price to Freedom Calculator™No BS LaunchpadNo BS Agency Owners Free Facebook GroupStart reading the first chapter of my bookPiasilva.com

Chris Do is a major name in the industry with a massive following across social media and YouTube.And while we have very different philosophies about scale and how we work with clients, there actually is a lot of overlap between Chris’s methodology and the No BS way. So we had plenty to talk about during this conversation that I’m so excited to share with you today.Chris Do is an Emmy award-winning designer, director, CEO and Chief Strategist of Blind and the founder of The Futur—an online education platform with the mission of teaching 1 billion people how to make a living doing what they love.Tune into this episode to hear:The difference between being a soloist and a conductor in your businessChris’ recommended hiring approach as your first hireHow to go from being an order-taker to developing strategy Why designers need to become aware of their cognitive biasesHow to overcome clients seeing hiring you as a riskHow to build real clout Learn more about Chris Do:The FuturTikTok: @thechrisdoYouTube: @thefuturInstagram: @thechrisdoResources:The Win Without Pitching Manifesto, Blair EnnsNo BS Agencies MasteryThe Price to Freedom Calculator™No BS LaunchpadNo BS Agency Owners Free Facebook GroupStart reading the first chapter of my bookPiasilva.com

Picture this: You get all dressed up and drag yourself to a networking event. You spend a couple of hours meeting people. Maybe you have a few nice conversations. You leave at the end of the night exhausted and wondering why you even went to the event and if there was any value in it. Last week I talked about how connecting with people in real life and building your network is the go-to strategy for finding new leads for your business, especially in the first couple of years.But maybe you’ve tried it and you felt like it just didn’t work and wasn’t worth the effort.Today, I want to talk about why it didn’t work for you and what you can do to change your approach so that when you make the effort to connect with people, it really will translate into prospects and sales.Tune into this episode to hear:Setting the right expectations for meeting people who are the right fit for you in any given eventAll the things you need to be crystal clear about to be “memorableWhy you need a clear, specific ask and a commitment to following upHow to make the most of the connections you madeResources:No BS Agencies MasteryThe Price to Freedom Calculator™No BS LaunchpadNo BS Agency Owners Free Facebook GroupStart reading the first chapter of my bookPiasilva.com

“How do I get leads?”It’s the million dollar question. When you have a business, you need sales. To make sales, you need leads. And finding them is probably the biggest challenge that small business owners face.Maybe right now you’re taking whatever work you can get and relying on referrals to bring in new business. But when you rely on referrals, you have no idea when the next one is going to show up and you have  no control over your business or how much money you make. Which means you’re stressed out all the time.So how do you stop relying on referrals and start finding leads? That’s what I’m talking about today.Tune into this episode to hear:Why different lead generation tactics are required at different stages of your businessWhy you have to get comfortable building your network and letting people know you exist, sorry introvertsThe key to closing more salesThe right time to start your authority machine (and why jumping the gun doesn’t usually work)Resources:No BS Agencies MasteryThe Price to Freedom Calculator™No BS LaunchpadNo BS Agency Owners Free Facebook GroupStart reading the first chapter of my bookPiasilva.com

Back by popular demand, here's an episode that answers a question I get asked all the time. Tune into this episode to hear:How to use a lead product to stop doing proposals and start getting paidHow to create a lead product that is clear, actionable and valuable for your clientsWhy a lead product sets you apart as the expert even in a sea of free proposalsWhy signaling that your time is valuable from the outset means less client sticker shock and more free time to really develop your businessResources:No BS Agencies MasteryThe Price to Freedom Calculator™No BS LaunchpadNo BS Agency Owners Free Facebook GroupStart reading the first chapter of my bookPiasilva.com