Meet Annie

She is a former Disney storyteller, Best Selling Author, six-figure founder, and branding expert. In 2013, she quit a dream job telling stories at the Walt Disney Studios to start her agency, Greatest Story Creative. Since then, Annie has branded 125+ businesses spoken for 1000s. And release two best-selling books, including her newest, Established Yourself, Brand, Streamline and Grow Your Greatest Business.

What's the best way to grow a service business without living on social media?

This is what I get all the time. Because you know, nobody, nobody that I know in real life wants to live on social media wants to like have to be on all the platforms and posting what they had for dinner. And so many people feel like they don't want to put themselves out there in that way. And, you know, I think it's possible to grow a service-based business without relying on 24/7 social media. And I had to carve that path out for myself. That's a little bit of how I've been able to grow my business to consistent six figures by letting go of what the Guru constantly says about how you have to do this 24/7 Bro marketing approach. I tried all that it almost burnt me the heck out. And back in 2016, I decided you know what, I'm gonna double down on relationships. I'm gonna double down on making the business I already have the best possible business it can be and not stressing about my follower count and my likes and all of these things that seem like they're important, but weren't moving the needle for me. And that's, you know, you just mentioned my new book. That's exactly what I'm sharing and establish yourself. Is that process? How do you take your existing business and make it take it to a new level of passion and profit without it being all about social media, there are so many ways to grow a business. And I know that's something you talk about a lot, Laurie with those that you interview, because with this being social capital and being about relationships, right, like people just forget that even the things you see online happen because of those behind-the-scenes relationships. And so what I teach and what I practice myself is to not stress about 24/7 marketing, but instead optimize the people you already know your past clients, your current clients, your referral partners, and make sure those relationships are fantastic. Get in front of them consistently. And if you do those kinds of things, you can have a sustainable business that you love that loves you back and not have, you know, more than just a couple, a handful of followers on social media.

Lori: I agree with that. And I've seen several startups or I like to call them solopreneurs where their corporate turned into entrepreneurs. Focus on building their social media. But really, that's just one piece of the puzzle. There's a lot of movement and area that you can lead to traction can happen without even using social media. Social media is a great place to have one message communicated to many people at once. But it takes time and consistency but it shouldn't be the end of all

How do I stand out with my marketing?

That's like I think everybody's favorite question to ask like how do I stand out? And I like it but I'm going to ask are a different way, which is it's the wrong question altogether. Okay, because I think that everybody is. So I think everyone thinks that their kind of main consideration with marketing is standing out that, oh, I need to come up with something original. So I get people's attention. And I'm sort of of the mind that nothing, there's nothing original under the sun, like, you're not going to create something that is just so different from what everybody else says that that is going to be your marketing, that is an efficient strategy. And sort of, you know, there are only so many words in the English language, for example, to describe what a leadership coach does or doesn't do. And people are kind of trying to search for this elusive perfect message and perfect logo and ways to sort of stand out. And when I say is trade standing out for understanding, there's way too much focus on this creativity. But creativity doesn't mean anything without context. Yep. So I know you, you and I, Laurie, I'm sure you've had people on the show. I won't have your name names. But some people say what they do, and you're just like, your eyes glaze over. You're like, what did they just say? Like, that sounded good. I'm sure they get what I call people who are seeking applause instead of action. Because if you're getting a reaction to what you're saying, you're likely not necessarily getting revenue from it is that there are two different reactions, like when people kind of clap for you, like, I don't think that's a good sign. I think that that's a sign of, Wow, that's relative. I have no idea what that would mean for me or anyone I know. But that sounds like, that's, that's the impression I used to get when I go around saying, Hey, I'm a Business storyteller. Like I help you tell your story and your business. And like, I absolut. But nobody understood the context of that. So they go, Wow, that's so amazing. And the phone wouldn't ring, right? And, and now I proudly embrace that, like, so many 1000s of people do this. I do branding. And I'm most known for helping you tell your story. And I embrace that, like, that's okay for me to lead with something that a lot of people do because it's the context that matters first, for the creativity to come in later. So I think that that's something where some permission to let go of this, like, I think this sort of impossibly high bar to stand out. It's not about standing out, like if people understand what you do, and you develop strong relationships, you can have a successful service business, you absolutely can. And that's often I think the thing holding back a lot of the folks that come into contact with them are so wanting the security blanket of a creative message, that they don't even seem to care much that people don't get it. Because they think it's doing the marketing for them. And instead, it's possibly confusing and repelling their ideal client. Sure.

Can you share your most successful or favorite networking experience that you’ve had?

Sure. You know, it's one of those things, it's, you know, in the book that I that I've released with establishing yourself, I go through four, six areas of business, and one of them is referral relationships. And I prioritize that first over general marketing. So you're like, right there in that zone of like, it's so important to, to network, but to do so really intentionally trying to think of like an exact maybe a story about networking? I don't know, like, I think I think it's, I think the magic happens when you put yourself in the orbit of people who are in similar kinds of businesses. And so I, you know, I think we've both been there when we have had our brain picked, and we're exhausted. And we're just like meeting with the wrong people. And our time is being wasted. I've gotten some of the best connections from investing and being part of some sort of a group, a group, not just any group, but a group that aligned with my values. So So what came to mind when you asked me about a story was I had joined this collaboration catalyst group that never could ask about as I don't think she runs it anymore. But she was sort of pairing people who were at similar places, service-based business owners with accountability partners and that kind of thing. And so it was a good pond for me to be with people who are in similar places. And I met this woman named Draya Jones. And she's, she's an incredible social media expert. She's, she'll be the first to teach you not to overdo it not to be on every platform. I liked her common sense strategies, but we became fast friends back in, I think it was 2017. But because of that connection, she went on to be my first guest when I have a show called branding with friends. So she's just been our only two-time guest. She just came back and she just had a baby all at the same time. But you know, being able to meet her, and then she introduced me to a dear friend of hers that came into her work orbit called Megan Megan sin. She is an incredible burnout, burnout-free business coach. So if you struggle, you want to have a seamless business. Megan's a great resource, especially as a therapist. And that's also been such a rewarding connection. So just because I knew Draya Draya connected me to Megan, Megan and I have become good friends. And I've spoken for her mastermind. I've worked with many of her clients. And it's just like an excellent fit. So I'm all about networking when it's a good use of my time. And I think that, for me, the takeaway from the story is when you want to network, don't think about who you want to be around, and try to get yourself in the communities of people even if you have to pay to be in that gate with you know, whatever it is a month to try it out to be around the people that are good for you to meet and worthwhile for you to be networking with. Because, you know, all things being equal. We can't take every virtual coffee that you know, someone else wants to have with us. We got to be strategic if we don't want to spend a million hours on our business every week. So that's what I would say is seeking out those communities to get those rewarding relations. tips to help grow your business.

How do you stay in front of and nurture those relationships in that network in that community that you create?

I think I think that's important to call out because, you know, I've one of the things I'm always talking about is how like, you don't have to have 1000s on your email list to have a successful business. But you do have to be top of mind with people. And so my best advice for that is really, and what I have been practicing is creating what I call consistency containers, or consistency container systems. So consistency is my bottom StrengthsFinder strength. It's like at the very bottom of the 34 different profiles, which I was shocked to learn. But it makes sense that I've been able to be so strongly consistent because I have systems. After all, I have a way of doing things. So a couple of ways I stay in touch with people on my list and just people in my network. I don't like I used to write a log every week. And that was so draining, and I wasn't seeing the return on it. And it was so much time. And I said you know what I was going on maternity leave, like forget this. And I started a show, as I just mentioned, called branding with friends, and branding with friends hit a lot of goals for me because it was something I could delegate something I could automate. It's a YouTube show that gets syndicated to my blog. And I send out an email about it every month when the new episodes come out. And it allows me to interview people who are experts at what they do, but they intersect with branding. So I had Draya on to talk about posting on LinkedIn I've had, I just had an expert come on to talk about inclusivity and your branding or confidence in branding and having people come on so it allows me to network better. So I'm always seeking guests that allow me to kind of meet complimentary referral partners, right? So it gives me a way to make those introductions pretty naturally, feature them to my audience, and then have content for my audience. It's very on brand. So like my best content, because I am a high-ticket branding services person who does your marketing, messaging your consistent visual branding, and website, I need to always be getting in front of people and talking about what branding is and what the value of it is, you know, my goal. And the goal of my content, staying in front of people is not about teaching people how to do their logos. It's about making sure that people know that branding is important and know that I'm a great resource when they're ready to invest and up-leveling their business. So branding, my friend allows me to do that. And I have been able to do three episodes since I launched it right before my maternity leave about a little over two years ago. And so we've been consistent with that. And then I have I batch my social media. So I don't touch my social media, but once a year, I run it through a tool called a Smarter cue. And other than that, I just really try to be genuine and ensure my clients on even simple things. Like I just had my assistant go in and have everybody's birthday so that every for the first three years I knowing somebody they're getting an email from me on their birthday that says personalize it says hey, you know, I love that we're working together wishing you a happy birthday. I don't have to do it. But it's a great way to stay on top of mind with people.

What advice would you offer the business professionals looking to grow their network?

If you're looking to grow your network, I think one of the things that that doesn't come naturally to you, you could consider starting some sort of consistency container, whether that's that YouTube shows podcast or blog interview series that has given me a natural way to reach out to people that I admire that I would want to have a connection with. So again, I think having that intentionality of having something to offer them doesn't have to be a show but that's one example. Being reciprocal is huge. Being a clear communicator about what you do. I have something for everybody that I know Laurie is going to share with you shortly that will help you do these things. But you know, my best advice is truly to be very genuine, be very reciprocal. If you're asking someone to meet, like see what you can do to support them and be good about follow-up. There are so many people I meet with who I never hear from again, I never really stay a part of their lives and never hear from them. And that's a loss for them and me, so, you know, having those parts of a relationship is not just that first coffee, it's staying in touch. So what are you doing once you've met somebody to let them know what you're up to? You know, when you have that new thing, keeping that list and, you know, not in class, but like letting people know, like, Hey, I'm working on this, that you'd find it interesting. That kind of thing that works hard to do, especially without assistance. But when you have it, that is an authentic way to grow your network that is not going to be about numbers, but about the quality of people who have formed relationships with you.

What would you tell yourself to do more or less differently concerning your professional career?

Oh, my gosh, I love that question. So I would tell myself to give myself more permission, more permission to do things that felt scary. And it's funny to ask this question this way because my first book is called permission to try. And it is that exact question as a book. So it is, you know, what would I tell myself when I was 27 years old, and working at the Walt Disney Studios and pondering quitting the dream job I had worked so hard to get. So that's what that book is about, as anybody who's thought about, especially in your 20s, thinking about pivoting, thinking about quitting something and not especially something good, and not knowing what's going to come next and how scary that can feel kind of giving yourself a pep talk about changing your life. And so, better or worse, I've cathartically processed that kind of a question and put the answers into, or at least my best answers into a self-development book

Connect with Annie

linkedin.com/in/anniefranceschi

greateststorycreative.com 

greateststorycreative.com/biz 

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