Jill and Josh Stanton began their careers with individual online businesses; Jill owning a social media marketing business and Josh a software company. They were quickly becoming disenchanted with their work though, as each day began to feel more like “a job.” They decided to start a website together.
That site grew to more than 30 sites, and Jill and Josh began fielding tons of questions from family and friends on how they managed to travel so much and why didn’t they go to work every day? The idea of a blog dedicated to talking about the wonders of online business came to them and they registered the blog url that very day.
Freedom in Online Business
Creating an Online Community
Screw the Nine to Five was born and they have never looked back. The blog turned into an online community as their readership grew and they began to have more to say to those people wanting to do the same thing they were doing.
The online community that Jill and Josh started, Screw U(niversity), is built around an educational framework that breaks down the progression of a business into 5 key stages. Those stages are The Grind, The Hustle, The Engine, The Traffic, and The Profit.
People who are just starting out can learn from those farther ahead of them, but those who are farther ahead can be in community with others who are in their same shoes. And those who are ahead can serve as mentors for the beginners.
Shutting Down A Facebook Group with 45,000 Members…What???
Jill created their Facebook group as way to get to know their audience better, but when the group grew to 45k members, it became a “monster.” It was impossible for one person to manage such a massive group of people.
Jill decided to close down the group but is creating a new group where the dedicated folks who come to learn and grow can join and get back to fostering relationships with others. She is getting back to the original intention of the group.
Overcoming a Zero-Dollar Launch
In 2013, as their online business was taking off and gaining rapid traction, Jill and Josh decided to create a digital course. They thought about what kind of course to create and came up with a course on guest blogging. (Jill now laughs at this idea. “What were we thinking?”)
They spent 3 months and $5,000 creating this course. Back in 2013, creating courses wasn’t as easy as it is today. There weren’t nearly the online tools and helps there are now. It cost money and time to create courses back then.
They opened the cart for 3 days. And not one single sale came through.
After the crying stopped, they looked at what they had done and what they needed to do differently next time.
Success is Doing What You Want…
What would life be like if you could do what you want? Jill says that success for her is being able to do what she wants, where she wants, and with whom she wants. It’s being who she wants to be. Calling the shots in her own life.
“Great people, work that lights you up, and great purpose in your life…that’s what success means to me.” ~Jill Stanton
Links From Today’s Show
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- Social Media Marketing World Conference
- Jill's site and membership: Screw the 9 to Five
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