How to Find Clients without Paid Ads or Posting 24/7 on Social Media

Makena: Hello everyone, and welcome to our third episode in the mini business series that we’re running right now. 

A couple of weeks ago, we talked about The Simplified Six-Figure Business Strategy For Heart-Centered Entrepreneurs. 

Last week, we discussed The Multiple Six-Figure Roadmap–How To Break Through Your Income Plateau So You Can Really Grow.

And this week, we’re going to get a little more specific. We’re going to get dialed into how do you find clients. 

This is one of the top questions we get from clients during business coaching: How do I find clients without posting 24/7 on social media or without running paid ads?

Now, by the way, there’s nothing wrong with either of those strategies if they work for you. But many of the people who work with us either don’t necessarily want to do that, or they’ve tried it, and it hasn’t worked for them. So that’s what we’re going to talk about today.

I want to start by saying that my mom and I–Gigi, who’s my cohost on this podcast–love helping women grow successful businesses. Many of our clients are also in careers, but the majority are entrepreneurs. This is really a passion of ours, and it’s a big part of my purpose because I believe that the more money women make, the more good they do in the world.

This is something I’ve seen again and again. Of course, it’s a generalization, but I’ve noticed that when women start earning at a higher level and have more financial and time freedom, they pour back into their families and loved ones. They ignite their own creativity and innovation. They get excited. They donate to causes they believe in. Ultimately, they make the world a better place.

So, in my book, money in the hands of women is a very, very good thing.

The problem, though, is that about 95% of the women entrepreneurs–or aspiring entrepreneurs–that I talk to are confused and overwhelmed. 

So, why is that? Well, they’re bombarded, as we all are, by a million different messages about how to grow their business, about what it takes, about what strategy they should be using. And they also might have a lot of ideas of their own, but then they’re not sure where to start. 

So, enter: confusion and overwhelm.

So, today’s episode is really–I want to talk about some things that I’ve learned in my 12 years plus as an entrepreneur now. I’ve run two successful businesses in that time and helped a lot of other people build their own businesses. 

So, I want to share a little bit about what, in my experience, you don’t need to find clients and to grow your business.

And then, as a direct result of that, we’ll talk about what you do need, or what I’ve found to be really, really effective.

Now, what I’m talking about is more for early, earlier-stage businesses. I would say, as you grow, then you might diversify into some of these areas. So, what I’m going to share here is a little bit more geared toward earlier-stage businesses.

But I will say that a lot of these are true even as you’re scaling. So, I really thought, at one point–I remember, I was making six figures plus for many, many years. And then I started slowly to grow when I stepped into coaching and then got to multiple six figures.

And I got to this certain point of multiple six figures plus where I was like, “Okay, I feel like I’ve reached the point that I can reach with the way that I’ve approached it. And I must need more fancy marketing at this point, right? It’s like, how do I add fuel to the fire?”

And so, I went out there and hired ads experts, and I tried a whole bunch of different marketing strategies and poured a lot of money into that type of marketing. And it’s not that it didn’t work at all. We did get some clients that way, but in the end, when I looked at it all after a couple of years, I really saw that maybe we had broken even or something like that. And it was a lot of time, and a lot of work, and a lot of energy. 

Now, I’m not saying that’s everyone’s story. But I will say that when we started to grow again, it came from doubling down on the things we’re really good at.

And so, it didn’t come from a whole bunch of fancy new things. 

Now, there are exceptions to this. There are times when you need or want to learn a new strategy. 

But the most important thing here is that you put everything through the filter of: Is this really a fit for you? Is this a fit for you? what you’re curious about? what brings you alive and makes you magnetic?

And it’s not that everything you do in your business is going to bring you alive and make you magnetic, but we are all unique snowflakes, as Gigi puts it. She says, “We’re all unique snowflakes.” 

And so, in that, there really isn’t a one-size-fits-all.

So, even everything I share with you today, I want you to feel into it, right? Run it through your own filter–not so much from your mind, but from your heart, your soul, your deeper knowing, your intuition–whatever you want to call that.

So feel into: Okay, does this resonate for me? Does this fit for me? And that’s such a valuable skill as a business owner. 

Because how do you start to cut through the confusion and overwhelm? You learn to listen inward, and you learn to run something through your own checks, right?

So, when I see something online, someone says, “This is the way to do something, or, I believe this, then I can feel into that and go, Does that feel true for me?”

And sometimes something might trigger me, and then I realize, like, “Ooh, maybe there’s room for me to grow here. Maybe there’s room for me to expand my perspective.”

But in general, though, I can fairly quickly now see, like, “Oh, does that strategy or that approach or that coach resonate with me, or does it really not feel like the right fit intuitively?”

So, that’s a whole lot to share as kind of a precursor, but I do want you to keep some of these things in mind as we go through today.

It’s also why we don’t teach a whole lot of strategy in the coaching that we do. We teach–it depends on the stage of business. I would say for the earlier stage of business, we do teach some skills. There are some really important business skills for you to learn.

And then really, we support people to come to their own clarity, right? To see what’s really right for them. Then take these skills–and maybe there are some different strategies we teach or other people teach–and then to really find what’s the right one and to go for it.

And so much of this is about your own clarity, your own focus and determination, your excitement for what you do, and really putting yourself out there.

So, here’s what you don’t need to find clients and grow your business. I’m going to tell you 10 things, and I actually came up with this while writing an email that’s going out to our list soon. So maybe a small number of you have heard this already, but we’re going to go deeper here.

First, you don’t need paid ads to grow your business or to find clients. 

It’s not to say, again, that there aren’t people for whom this works great. There are many people who use paid advertising, especially at a certain stage in business–which is quite large.

When you’re in the seven- to multiple-seven-figure range, then at that point, we’re talking about real scale, and that’s where things like paid ads can often start to make more sense. There are people who are smaller and who are successful with paid ads, but it’s a whole rabbit hole.

And for most people who work with us, it’s not the strategy they lean into. The main point I want to make here is that you don’t need paid ads. You don’t need them to build a six-figure, a multiple-six-figure business, or even a seven-figure business.

Many of our clients have seven-figure businesses without paid advertising. 

That’s number one.

Number two: You don’t need a social media manager. 

Now, there may come a point at which you choose to hire one. But a lot of people think they need this way before they actually do. And that can be a huge expense.

When we really look at how many clients are coming in from social media, oftentimes, that number is fairly low. So, you don’t need somebody that you pay to manage your social media. You can keep your social media pretty simple.

In fact, that leads me to number three, which is that you don’t need to post daily on social media necessarily. There’s so much content out there these days. You’re going to have a hard time standing out just by volume–just by posting a lot on social media. But a lot of times, that’s what people think they need to do.

Now, of course, the algorithms do like it if you post more often. But again, you need to take this in the larger context of your strategy and go, Is social media a big part of the strategy that I feel fits for me?

If it is, then you might want to align yourself behind it and really go for it. And social media is a broad term. If that’s true for you, you probably want to pick a particular platform and really double down on that–really learn that platform.

There are definitely people out there, again, that are doing this, that are building the large majority of their business through social media. But many of the people who end up coming to us, it’s not their primary desire. And many people are building very successful businesses with little to no social media.

So, I just want you to know that that’s possible, if that’s the right fit for you.

Okay, number four: You don’t need a fancy branding photoshoot. 

Now, I am the queen of photoshoots, as some of you know. I love, love, love to do creative, professional photoshoots. I’ve been doing them for many, many years, starting way back when I would just trade or do different things to be able to afford them.

And over the years, I’ve progressed to being able to invest in those photoshoots. But I love them. I do multiple shoots a year.

But I don’t need them to grow my business. It’s something I do because it’s something I’m passionate about and it’s fun. And sure, it gets attention. People take notice, and they think it’s beautiful or creative or whatever they think. But it’s not the thing that really drives my business or moves it forward.

So, you can totally have a successful business without any fancy paid photoshoots. You could do videos that you make yourself. You could go out with a friend and get some pictures done. Or again, you don’t even need social media at all.

Just keep in mind that this is not a necessity in order to grow.

Number five: You don’t need an expensive website. 

For that matter, you may not even need a website at all. And a lot of people balk at this one when I first say it.

But the truth is, a website is like a business card for most entrepreneurs. It’s something that’s nice to have, and it’s great to have a place that people can go to find out a little bit more about you and how to contact you. So having something there can be good.

But it really doesn’t need to be fancy. It really doesn’t need to be that until a later stage of business. And then, if you want to do that–if you want to invest the time, money, and energy into that–great.

Most people put way too much attention and money and energy into their branding, their website, their photos, early on in their business when the truth is, they’re just not there yet. It’s just not time for that yet.

And when the time comes, you’ll know it. You’ll have an abundance of clients. You’ll have a lot of business coming in, and you’ll feel like, “Ooh, the simple page I have up doesn’t match with the brand or the business I’m running anymore.”

These days, you can do something so simple with a template. You don’t need to have something professionally designed. You can go on Squarespace or any of these build-it-yourself website platforms, find a template you like, and put up a simple page with an “About Me,” a little bit about your offerings, and a “Contact Me.”

It’s very, very easy, and you don’t need to spend a lot of time on it.

All right, number six: You don’t need, quote-unquote, “passive online programs” to find more clients and grow your business. 

This is something that, when people tell me, I want to build passive income through my online programs, I just have to pause because I’ve been in this industry my entire career–all 12 years.

I was on the marketing side of things first, and then I came over to the coaching side. So, in those years, I have been behind the scenes of lots of different businesses ranging from early stage to multiple seven figures and beyond. And I’ve run my own business for many years now in this space.

And what I’ve seen is this: Online programs are not passive. They can bring in money while you sleep–that’s true. But the engine that it takes to bring clients in who are purchasing those programs on a continuous basis is far from passive. In fact, it takes a lot of time, a lot of energy, and sometimes a lot of team, depending on how you do it.

There’s really not much that’s passive about it, other than the fact that when that credit card goes through–cha-ching!–you might be in bed at that particular moment. But during the day, you’re probably working pretty hard at filling those programs.

So yes, if you don’t want to do a lot of actual coaching or fulfillment or working with people, it’s something you may want to consider as you get further along in your business. Once you have enough clients, it might save you time.

For example, we do have online programs now that are self-study, or a mix–where people can go through the program on their own, but they can also get some hours of coaching with me or with us. That works really well.

But just keep in mind, you don’t need passive online programs to grow. And in fact, most people who try to do this too early in their business don’t find it to be the most effective way to grow.

All right, number seven: You don’t need a huge audience to find clients or to grow a successful business. You really don’t. 

Of course, that’s one path, but I know many people who build huge audiences and then don’t have paying clients.

These are audiences that are used to free content, let’s say. A large audience does not necessarily mean someone is making good money. So in terms of having a sustainable business, the two don’t always go hand in hand.

Now, of course, it’s helpful if you have a larger audience, especially if it’s the right kind of audience, and they’re trained to purchase and invest with you. That’s a whole other conversation. 

But just know that you don’t need a huge audience to create a six-figure, multiple-six-figure, or even seven-figure business.

Number eight: You do not need a pushy sales process. 

So, when I tell people they need to learn sales in order to have a successful business–especially for early-stage businesses–a lot of people balk.

And they balk because they think about pushy sales tactics. They think about the used-car-salesman kind of cliché or other experiences they’ve had that have been negative sales experiences. 

But I want you to think about this: Have you ever had a really great sales experience?

Have you ever truly enjoyed buying something or being assisted by a salesperson to purchase something? I hope you have because there are some amazing salespeople out there, and it can be a really beautiful experience.

Think about it: Have you ever had an experience where someone truly understood what you needed and helped you find a solution? Maybe they supported you in moving through your fears, and you were happy to make the investment. And later, you were even happier that you did.

I hope you’ve had that kind of experience. If you haven’t, then there may be some rewiring to do here. But just know: You do not need a pushy sales process.

There’s a way to sell that’s heart-centered, authentic, and never pushy or salesy.

Number nine: You don’t need a mile-long to-do list in order to find clients and grow your business. 

In fact, simplification is the key here. It’s the key to growth.

So many people are just busy–so busy–with a lot of things that aren’t actually getting them results. This is one of the top things I support people with: narrowing down, zooming in on what really, really works for you.

What is going to move the needle?

So, you don’t need to have a million things on your to-do list. Or if you do, you get to them later–once you’re bringing in a lot of business, once you have a lot of clients coming through.

It’s a trick that our mind plays on us. It says, Oh, I’m already so tired and so busy, I don’t have time to do more. But the truth is, it’s not about doing more–it’s about doing the right things.

And finally, number ten: You don’t need to fully overcome your fear and self-doubt. 

This one might surprise some of you.

With women entrepreneurs especially, I see this is a huge stumbling block: fear, self-doubt. 

Thinking, I don’t know if I have what it takes. Why would anyone listen to me? Why would people invest at that level? Will they invest at that level? Can I provide value?

So many different versions of this. Or, I don’t really want to put myself out there.

So, if fear and self-doubt come up for you, here’s the perspective shift I want to share: It’s normal, and it’s not going to go away.

Of course, it will diminish over time. It will reduce. The more practice you get at something, and the more you put yourself out there, the less fear and self-doubt you’ll have. 

But so many people are sitting around waiting for their fear and self-doubt to magically disappear before they take action. And it just doesn’t work that way.

You take the action. You walk with your fear. And over time, the fear starts to diminish. Over time, the self-doubt starts to lessen. And one day, you wake up and think, Oh, I feel pretty confident at this!

But then, you grow in some other area, and all that fear and self-doubt comes up again. Because whenever we’re going outside of our comfort zones, fear and self-doubt are a part of the process.

Okay, so we’ve covered a lot in a short period of time here, but I did want to give that high-level overview because even though there is a time and a place for some of these–and every business is different, like we talked about–the truth is, there is a much simpler path to the growth and financial freedom that you want.

And so, I’m going to share what that is now–kind of my high-level overview. I’ve touched on some pieces of it, and this is really–you know, I’m making this broader about growing your business, but it is also about finding clients.

So, I’m going to break down for you: What do you really need to do to find clients without posting on social media 24/7 and without–what was the other one?–oh, paid ads.

All right, so number one: Eliminate distractions and busy work. 

This is where you really want to zero in on what is really going to move the needle to get you results. Then you want to focus 80% of your time and energy there–whatever time and energy you have available to work on your business–and then watch the magic happen.

What do I mean by this? Most people are spending 80% of their time doing things that are bringing in maybe 20% of their results. 

This is the 80/20 principle–I believe it’s called the Pareto principle.

That doesn’t work that well, but it’s what we get caught up in doing. We don’t take a step back to really ask, What really moves the needle here? Or, What is going to move the needle?

And you might have to test some things and try some things to see. But you want to eliminate as many distractions as possible.

When I was really stepping into coaching–and Gigi, my mentor and business partner, started mentoring me–she had to work with me so much on this because I was the kind of person who was all about the to-do list.

It’s not that I loved my to-do list; it’s just that I wanted to check everything off. I wanted to have all my ducks in a row, have everything organized, everything beautiful, everything perfect. 

I was definitely a perfectionist.

And in that, I would spend so much time on all these things that weren’t actually moving my business forward. And Gigi said to me, “You have to get out there and focus 80 percent of your time on getting out in front of people, talking to people, and doing activities that are actively going to bring in business.”

And then, you’ll start making money to a point where you can hire support and get a team, and a lot of things become possible when your business is growing and money is moving.

That was a big wake-up call for me, and it took me a long time to learn this lesson. I still have to remind myself sometimes. 

But anytime I have a to-do list, I flip it and I go, What are the income-generating activities? What are the things that are going to get me connected to people? And those are the most important things. Everything else comes secondary.

I want to say that I’ve had very successful clients–clients who have built very successful businesses–starting with just 10 to 15 hours a week.

Sometimes, people say to me, “I don’t know how I’m ever going to do this. I’m working a full-time job.” And yeah, it’s going to be a lot when you’re working a full-time job to put in that 10 hours or whatever it might be for you each week.

But that’s the starting point. You do that for a while, and you start to build up your results. Then, maybe you’re in a position to go part-time or to move out of that job and into something else that’s part-time and then eventually transition completely. 

Or maybe it even happens faster than that.

So, just know that eliminating distractions and busy work is going to save you time. And also, you can build your business–or at least get the first stage of it off the ground and running–and it doesn’t need to be a full-time thing.

Number two: Once you’ve eliminated distractions and busy work, you want to create your client cultivation flow.

So, what is a client cultivation flow? 

This is what I call the process that you take people through–from meeting someone, let’s say, at a party or a networking event or even online, or somebody introducing you to them–to actually enrolling them as a client.

There is a flow to this, and there should be a flow to this. In the sense that, it’s very rarely just going to happen instantly. And it can, especially as you grow and have more of a reputation, but in the beginning, and for most businesses at those early to medium stages, there needs to be a process in place where you’re warming people up.

Where you’re getting to know them, they’re getting to know, like, and trust you, and you’re taking them through a process. 

It’s not just willy-nilly, kind of made up in the moment.

This is one of the big things we teach our clients–how to create that client cultivation flow so you know exactly what you’re doing. You’re not floundering. You’re not losing people.

Here’s the analogy I always use: Imagine a bucket. 

This is the bucket where your clients and money are going to come into. You’ve got this beautiful bucket, and you’re so excited. Hopefully, you didn’t spend too much time on the website for the bucket, but it’s beautiful; you’re ready, and you’ve got your services and offerings.

You go out there, and you think, “I need to get in front of more people.” 

So you go to networking events, or you use whatever strategy you’re using, and lots of people are coming into this bucket in the sense that you’re meeting people, and you think, “Oh, these would be great clients.”

But somehow, you’re not actually getting clients or making money. And you’re like, This is so weird. I need to meet more people. So you do–more and more people are coming into your bucket. 

And occasionally, you get a client, but mostly you’re not.

And you’re like, “What is going on here?”

In this story, you look at the bottom of the bucket, and you notice there are holes in it. 

This is what happens when you don’t have a client cultivation flow in place.

You’re bringing a lot of people in, potentially–and hopefully, you are–you’re getting in front of people, and you might even have opportunities to have conversations with them. 

But because you don’t have this flow in place, they’re leaking out the bottom of the bucket.

When you have a client cultivation flow in place, you know how to guide people through this process. Some people will still leave because it’s not a fit for them or it’s not the right time, but many more will stay in the bucket and have a beautiful experience working with you.

Okay, so that’s a little bit about what that’s all about. 

You want to eliminate distractions and busy work, and then you want to have a clear process in place–a client cultivation flow that really works. It’s something that’s proven but also customized to fit you, your personality, and your industry.

Then–Only then, once you have the leaks filled in your bucket, do you go out and start looking for clients.

And here is where I want to say: you start by focusing on your network and your extended network first. 

So, what does that mean? This doesn’t mean you have to go sell to your close family and friends. That’s not what I’m talking about. But think about it–you probably know a lot of people who are not your closest people.

If you drew circles on a piece of paper, you have your inner circle–your very, very close friends or family. And then you have a circle outside of that, which would be, let’s say, more extended friends. And then, you have a circle outside of that, which would include, I don’t know, people you went to college with but aren’t in touch with anymore.

People from other jobs. People you met that one time at a party. So, you have a bigger network than you probably think. If you went through your social media accounts, your phone, all these different places, you’d be like, “Oh, I actually know a fair number of people.” Maybe not well, maybe you haven’t talked in a while–and that’s where the client cultivation flow comes in.

This is where you can use different ways of approaching people to spark a connection again and see if it’s going to go anywhere. But there is so much opportunity waiting in the wings of your network.

In fact, I usually tell people–and this is absolutely true in my experience for most people I work with–let’s say, eight out of ten people I work with have at least six figures to multiple six figures of revenue sitting in their warm network. And that might even be a very low estimate.

But I would say they could build a six-figure to a multiple six-figure business purely through their warm network–at least six figures, at least for a time.

Because then, through that, they’re going to be working with those people. And then those people are going to refer others. So, it grows.

You don’t need to get out there and do a ton of stuff just to get in front of a ton of new people. Instead, it’s about doing things like having catch-up calls or coffees with people, maybe hosting small gatherings or events, making lists of people, and being really strategic about connecting with them.

But not connecting with them to try to sell everyone something, because nobody wants that. Nobody wants to come to your gathering and then feel like you’re trying to sell them your program, right? 

Sometimes, that might be appropriate, but most of the time, you need that client cultivation flow.

You need a process that you take people through so they can sort of self-select into the next step, every step of the way.

And this is what most people are missing. 

From there, once you really feel like, “Okay, I’m tapping into my extended network. I’m doing a lot with that. I’m talking to people. I’m reaching out. I’m hosting gatherings,” whatever that looks like for you–only then would I say to start casting a wider net.

And you want to do this in a way that works for you. My recommendation is to keep this really simple. Don’t go out and try ten different strategies because you’re going to halfway do every strategy, and you’re just going to be frustrated and overwhelmed.

Instead, you want to pick one strategy to start. So, outside of your core network–and this is what we teach a lot of our clients to do–start there.

Outside of that, pick one other strategy, and that’s it. For a while, you test it out. This could be something like: “I’m going to attend events where my ideal client would be hanging out. I’m going to attend lots of events, and I’m going to continue working with my network while meeting the people I connect with at these events.”

Or it could be: “I really want to go for getting booked on podcasts.” So, you make that your strategy. You test it out for three to six months, really get great at it, speak on a lot of podcasts that your ideal clients listen to, and see if it works.

Or it could be speaking–getting out in front of other people’s audiences. This is different from hosting your own events. It’s more like saying, “I want to get in front of other people’s groups and share my message.”

And again, there needs to be an invitation process and a client cultivation flow to take those people through–to guide them to the next step so they can get to know, like, and trust you even more. 

Then, hopefully, they’ll say yes to working with you.

So, whatever you choose here with this wider net, you want to pick something that fits with your aliveness. You want to pick something that really works for you.

People used to come to me when I was in online marketing, and they would say, “I think I need to do a video series.”

And I’d ask, “Okay, do you have a curiosity about being on video? Do you like being on video?”

And they’d be like, “Oh my god, no, I hate it. I have no interest.”

And I’d say, “Hmm, okay, something’s not quite lining up here.”

And they’d respond, “But everybody’s doing it. And they say that’s what you really need.”

And I’d say, “Well, yes, it can be effective, but if you hate it–if you absolutely hate it, and it’s not just fear holding you back but a total lack of interest–then it’s probably not the best direction for you, right? It’s probably not the thing we want to focus on.”

There are so many different things you could be doing. And so, I say the same thing to you: What are you curious about? Even if it scares you–because a lot of things are going to scare you in the earlier stages of your business–what are you really curious to explore?

What would be a way for you to put yourself out there more?

So, those are the four steps that we’re going to really focus on today in terms of attracting more clients, finding more clients, and then actually enrolling them to grow your business: 

eliminating distractions and busy work, 

creating your client cultivation flow, 

focusing on your network and your extended network first, 

and then casting a wider net with one strategy to start.

Now, if you’d like to go deeper–because I know we covered a lot today, but we weren’t able to dive deeply into some of these areas, like, What is a client cultivation flow? or, How do I eliminate distractions when it feels like everything is something I have to do?–I do have a class coming up.

It’s happening in just a few days or about a week from the time of this recording. It’s called Focus and Flow. It’s a two-day, live online business training where we’re going to go through all of these pieces in more detail.

What is the 20 percent of your efforts that gets you 80 percent of your results?

How do you move through overwhelm to really see what to focus on?

What are your financial goals, and what’s the plan to actually reach them?

We’ll also dive into heart-centered, authentic sales–teaching specific things around that and even practicing it.

It’s going to be a really powerful weekend. It’s structured as two half-days, so it’s not overwhelming, and we’ll take breaks throughout.

If you can’t attend all the sessions live, I still recommend signing up because you’ll get the replays. But I encourage you to come to as many sessions as you can live–it makes a big difference to be there in real-time.

The class is happening on January 25th and 26th, and you can learn more and register at wayofthemuse.com/focus.

I also have a special for our podcast listeners: a promo code just for you. When you go to sign up, you’ll see a box that says “Have a coupon code?” on the signup page. Make sure you look for it–it’s on the bottom right if you’re on your computer or at the bottom of the page if you’re on your phone.

Type in the word PODCAST (in all caps), and you’ll get 50% off whatever the current pricing is.

The pricing is tiered, so it starts out low and goes up every few days. Be sure to check it out soon so you don’t miss the lower pricing.

I would love to see you there, and I’d also love to hear any questions you have about today’s episode.

If you come to the class, you’ll have the opportunity to ask those questions live, and I’ll coach you through them. 

If you can’t make it to the class, feel free to email us at support@wayofthemuse.com. Send us your questions, your feedback, or any “aha” moments you had. We’d love to hear from you.

All right. Thank you so much, everyone. We’ll see you next week.