EP134: How Serial Entrepreneurs Are Succeeding During This Pandemic with Abby Walker

It's incredible how a global crisis can change our perspective on so many different levels. The good news is this change of mindset that many business owners are going through right now is generating new opportunities. In this week's episode, let's talk about how serial entrepreneurs are succeeding during this pandemic with my special guest Abby Walker.

Part One of ‘How Serial Entrepreneurs Are Succeeding During This Pandemic with Abby Walker’

Abby Walker is a CEO, author, wife, and mom on a mission to help alleviate people's (mostly women's) pain so they can become the greatest versions of themselves.

She is the Founder and CEO of Vivian Lou, a line of insoles that empower women to wear heels 4x longer without pain so they can focus more on their dreams and less on their feet. 

She is also the CEO of TAOG, a line of all-natural, topical products that powerfully soothe our aching bodies, so we get back to doing the things we love without the pain.

She's the host of Undercover Woo Podcast, where she curates the information that helps both women find ways to quiet self-doubt. Live unapologetically. Feel less overwhelmed. Clean the homes and bodies in which we live. Strengthen our intuition. And become unstoppable in our pursuit of peace and freedom. 

She's also the author of the book Strap on a Pair written to inspire fellow middle-aged, middle-management, middle-class moms to take the first step—or the next step—toward finding their something more. 

Abby currently resides in Denver, Colorado, with her amazing husband, two incredible kiddos, a rescue cat, and the sweetest street dog.

“Focus on what brings more profit to your company.” — Ursula Mentjes (12:38-12:39)

How does a social entrepreneur like Abby Walker deal with this pandemic while managing her multi-million-dollar companies? 

In 2018, she partnered up with an affiliate group, and she had an urge to try something different. So, she stumbled upon this company that takes products, bundles it, and advertises on your behalf, and you pay them a commission for each sale. It was a great setup and a great organization. The volume that they were pumping through Vivian Lou was incredible. Their partnership helped Abby hit her million-dollars sales goal in November 2018, which is UNBELIEVABLE in a good way!

In March 2019, their profits had started to go down slowly. The funny thing is, she had this mantra back in 2019, where she used to say, "I don't know what I'm doing!" and that came to fruition. It was like a self-fulling prophecy because it made her think, "Maybe it's time for a change!" 

She went through her entire credit card statement. It turned out that Abby wasn't using half of the services that she was paying for. And that was like the defining moment where she had the chance to pivot and reset.

Part Two of ‘How Serial Entrepreneurs Are Succeeding During This Pandemic with Abby Walker’

Before the pandemic, I think all of us were like, "It's 2020, let's make our goals happen!" But what were the changes Abby had to make for her business to work out?

Specifically, for Vivian Lou and TAOG, she fell in love with direct to consumer marketing again, which is where the sweet spot is in terms of creativity and profitability. She stopped chasing after the numbers and started focusing on what really matters. It's interesting how she's vulnerable about saying, "It's so freeing to be operating in this space again!"

We can learn that this pandemic allowed her to pause and get back down to the core needs of the business instead of just focusing on things that weren't necessarily driving sales or increasing profitability. This is an excellent reminder for all the entrepreneurs out there!

“Noticing the tone, the intention, and the energy behind your approach is powerful!” —  Ursula Mentjes (19:11-19:14)

Let's get to the most exciting part! If you're curious about her top two sales or marketing strategies, and how it's different from what she used to do before, keep reading.

Before COVID-19, Abby was just focused on making a sale. It was almost like pushing people through the system. Admittedly, there was no pure intention with her marketing efforts. She started diving back into Facebook because ad costs have gotten lower, and email has played such a critical role in maintaining sales throughout this period. 

She is now revisiting how to gain more leads as opposed to chasing sales. Thus, the energy behind her emails shifted, and the intention behind them is far purer than they were last year. 

So, here's a sweet little reminder for all of you who are making a big difference in the marketplace. Pause for a moment, clear your mind, and let the sparks of clarity come into play. I understand it's so easy to get distracted and get bombarded by multiple things. But it's best to focus on one thing at a time instead of overwhelming yourself with a long to-do list.

If you have a sales team or a group that could use a boost right now, let us know. We'd love to support you!

How to Connect More with Abby Walker

Website: www.vivianlou.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/iheartvivianlou

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/iheartvivianlou

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iheartvivianlou/

About Ursula Mentjes:

Ursula Mentjes is the founder of Sales Coach Now, as well as a Sales Expert, Inspirational Speaker, Author and Certified Sales Coach who specializes in NLP to help her clients double and triple their sales. Sales Coach Now delivers a unique approach to sales training and coaching designed for ultimate retention and achievement. 

Discover how to transform limiting beliefs, make powerful shifts with intention, and authentically serve (sell) your clients with my free pdf, “6 Secrets to Doubling Your Sales! www.salescoachnow.com/gift 

Also, Ursula would love to partner with you at your next event, conference, or sales training session. If you’re interested in coming to Sales Camp, that’s her two-day live course then, you may find out more information here: https://www.salescoachnow.com/sales-camp/.

NEXT STEPS - A GIVEAWAY ALERT!

Be one of the first to receive My One Great Goal Digital Book, My One Great Goal Digital Workbook, and Access To My One Great Goal Virtual Event by completing an online review of my "Double Your Sales Now" Podcast:  go to this link here - www.salescoachnow.com/giveaway/.