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In today's episode, I’m walking you through 4 questions to ask before investing in a course or programme. Plus I'm giving you all the details about the new Busy to Boss Academy and sharing how you can get access to two FREE lessons from the programme.

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In this episode, I want to take you behind the scenes of the Busy to Boss Academy with a good in-depth look at what you can expect if you join us.

Since I started this programme, more than 100 incredible students have been in the Academy. It’s been, and continues to be, the best journey I have ever gone on in my career.

When it started in 2020, I remember seeing some people getting amazing results after just a month or two of being in the Academy. And with each lesson, with each call that passed, it got more and more incredible. It was the fuel I needed to put my all into this programme.

While I was on maternity leave (this time last year), I felt the need to update the programme. I had such insightful feedback from our students and there were some changes felt could really make this the best experience for every student that was in it.

And those updates have definitely worked because the retention of our current students is incredible. Most of our members have been in the academy for longer than a year and they keep re-signing. One of the perks of staying with us is that after your first year you then become a VIP member, which includes things like extra calls.

In this episode, I want to help you know whether the Busy to Boss Academy is right for you. I’ve been talking a lot about the Academy lately because I want to give you the time you need to work out whether this is the right investment for you and your business.

creating the Academy

When I first launched the Busy to Boss Academy in April 2020, I hadn't actually created any of the content inside it. I created it with the founding members in mind and refined it with their feedback.

So, when you hear me talk about the new Busy to Boss Academy it’s basically an upgraded and streamlined version.

I launched the very first version of the Busy to Boss Academy in October 2019. Back then, it was a 12-week group coaching programme and only four people joined. Now, they were four amazing people but I just didn’t feel good about the programme. It felt like there was something missing. (I talk about that more in the 100th podcast episode)

I knew I didn’t want to do it again and I needed something different. I was in the shower (where I get all my best ideas) when I had the vision for what is now the Busy to Boss Academy: a 12-month membership meets group coaching programme meets mastermind. An immersive holistic business experience.

My desire here was to create a singular school/hub where you get instant access to all my years of business wisdom and experience learned from taking my business full time in 2017, all the way to now where I have built a business to support my life, not one that takes over it.

It was something I wish had been around when I started this journey. If this had existed, I wouldn't have needed to enrol in anything else. This programme has the perfect blend of the core curriculum, as well as so much support from us as the coaches and an amazing community.

I’ve been part of the productivity and planning community since I was 22 years old. And I have noticed over all this time a gap between people who have all the information that they could ever want around building a business (because there is literally no shortage of information) but they have no results to show.

People are still struggling: they’re listening to podcasts, reading blog posts, doing all the things with little to no results. You could look at it as ‘maybe it doesn’t work’. But it’s not because the strategies don't work. It's because there is so much confusing and conflicting information out there. Plus, so much of it is surface level.

But the Busy to Boss Academy is all about developing the deep awareness you need of what is best for you and your life. You don't find that in DIY methodologies. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with using DIY strategies. That used to be me! I was on YouTube, browsing Pinterest, saving everything on Instagram, listening to podcasts.

The problem is that you are not really learning how to go into the inner workings of your own mind and business and figure out how to create an implement a plan that is best for you. You consume and consume and consume without taking action, or you get overwhelmed and talk negatively to yourself. All of this stops you from achieving your goals.

So this was the inspiration when I designed the Busy to Boss Academy. I really wanted people to understand business strategy and intentional planning on all of these different layers. It’s not a one-size-fits-all process. I help you work on your business productivity and planning mindset so you can apply it to your life.

What I never could have predicted was the power of the community that was created through the Academy. Something I really pride myself on is that you are not just a number in the Academy. I can tell you every single member’s name and business. I make sure I’m across everyone’s mindset struggles and desires so that in the coaching calls, when they bring a question to me, I can help them. A big question we ask on coaching calls is ‘how does that sit with you? How does that feel?’. Because it's got to feel like a good plan first, before you can take action on it. So you can create a custom process for yourself.

what to expect from the academy

What I want you to get out of the Academy is creating the work/life blend you desire. A lot of students come into the Academy because they don't know what to focus on. They don't know what to prioritise, and they're stuck in this spiral. I don't want any of those self sabotaging behaviours to slow down the process for you.

We want to help you create a business that doesn't take over your life. We want to create a business that supports your life where your life comes first and your business comes second.

That is truly what matters to me the most. You could have a million dollar business, but be working 24/7. You could take a Friday off, but feel so miserable because you think you should be working. So many people have it so mixed up and think that having a successful business means you're bringing in £10k a month and you've got passive income and you've got 10k Instagram followers. All these things that look great externally. But if you're miserable on the inside, and working 24/7, and making sacrifices, that doesn't matter, that's not the point.

But what I believe is that you can have it all. You can have a successful business that grows with your family, as your family grows with your business.

Within the Academy, we have women who all have different businesses and lead different lives that have been able to make this amazing progress and gain so much clarity. More importantly, they have been able to move forward.

The program is also designed to be sustainable because you're not just hustling and bustling 24/7, you're actually digesting it and applying it to your life in a very sustainable way. One of the reasons is because when you join the Academy, you are making a 12-month commitment.

This long-term commitment means you can work through things bit by bit and actually implement them. You have time to do the work. We are not supposed to figure everything out in a month, we have our whole lives to create whatever it is that we want.

Because again we're all different, our businesses are different, our priorities are different, yet we forget this and think that someone else's style is going to be our style. And I don't just teach you my step-by-step process, I teach you how to create your own process.

what you get in the academy

So you are going to get access to seven different modules broken down by five phases. This is all brand new content. I am currently in the process of revamping the entire curriculum of the academy based on feedback from our members to make it way more specific, way more actionable, way more transformational.

I’ll be drip-feeding the content. So when you join, you will get access to the welcome module and the pre-work module (the mindset module) and that's it. But don’t worry, you will get so much more because each lesson and phase will be added gradually and they’ll all be digestible and sustainable.

And the reason I'm doing this is because there is no rush. You will be having breakthrough after breakthrough after breakthrough each week. So don't feel like you have to go through the whole programme immediately to finally become the boss of your life.

Each week, new lessons will be dropped to make up the rest of the phases.

So let's walk through those phases…

pre-work phase

The pre-work mindset module is so important in setting you up for success. In this, you will master the distilled daily habits of high earners and high achievers. To start your day with the things that will make the most impact on your business. These are non-negotiable, and the things that will take you from ‘maybe this will work’ to taking small calculated action steps that actually pay off. So before we get started with the five key phases, you will prep like a boss and do the internal work needed to protect yourself, your business and your life while you implement what's to come.

phase one: decide

This is all about planning, operations and automation. We will create your unique perfect day schedule so you can get way more done in less time and create momentum in your business. Week after week, we'll design your weekly calendar to turn you into a productive powerhouse, and set up a productive schedule that works for you and your lifestyle.

We will also cover automation in this phase. We're going to analyse your processes, and then streamline your business. So you have more freedom, more growth, and more work on setting things up like workflows, processes, automations funnels.

phase two: define

This is all about getting your foundations ready. So this is where we will assess your current business model systems and processes to get a real feel for your overall situation. We'll identify what is working, where we can make improvements, and where we need to just introduce maybe a new way of doing things and then develop a plan of execution just for you will create your own productive business plan that sets you apart and will make sure you're crystal clear on all of your numbers.

This includes working through things like quarterly debriefs, sales, planning and income projections to make sure you know exactly where you should be focusing your marketing efforts going forward, to be able to set up your own profit strategy.

phase three: rise

This is where we talk all about your goals. So now that your day-to-day business is running smoothly, it's time to tackle your goals. So in this phase, we will create a project plan and a timeline for your big goals. And then add it to your calendar so you can hit your targets with ease. Whatever your goals are (repeatable launches, consistent sales, fully booked 5k months) we are going to get you there.

You're going to learn how to plan each and every quarter like a pro. So you can guarantee that every quarter is more successful than your last. And this is where our quarterly planning parties really come into play. Everything we do in these quarterly planning parties is going to funnel down into our monthly planning parties and weekly accountability system, which will all support the work you're doing in these phases.

phase four: shine

I'm most excited about because this phase has been created with our members in mind: a whole module dedicated to launching. This is where you'll create your own sales system that is designed for freedom. I will be giving you the exact blueprint of how to implement a productive launch strategy that works for you, your business and your life.

You'll finally get the process for growing and scaling your business like a boss and not just as a cute hobby. You'll have the tools you need to execute profitable launches, re-launch each quarter and scale like a pro.

phase five: thrive

This is when we focus on getting you going on your own and making sure everything in your business supports your plans, goals and dreams. Some of the things we'll be doing in this phase include; creating your editorial calendar and content strategy with purpose. You'll know exactly what content you should be creating and when and you will have a content plan that leads directly to sales instead of having content for the sake of content.

Now, I would say ‘at the end of this programme, you'll have x, y, z’. But the truth is, there is no real end to this programme. Once you are in the Busy to Boss Academy, you are in this family for life if you choose.

Being the boss of your life is a daily living and breathing experience. That is where the magic happens. You are going to be equipped with tools to make this a life long process. So no more falling off the bandwagon.

live calls

Now, the core content that I just walked you through is something you work through in your own time. But the main foundation that the Busy to Boss Academy is built around is our live calls.

We usually have one live event a week. You don't have to come to all of them at all. But they are a great way to get to know the other members, and you'll get so much benefit from them even if you don't have a question.

So, let's take an average month. The first week of every month we have our monthly planning party. This is where you join me along with your fellow bosses to get crystal clear on your vision and set goals to action it so this is the perfect place to reflect on the previous month and get a plan in place for the month ahead.

This second and fourth week of the month we have our hotseat coaching calls hosted by myself and our incredible co-coach Joanne, who is a mindset and retail mentor for product based businesses. This is the perfect place to bring any questions you have about the curriculum that you're working through, or anything that you are working on in your business right now. They are always so, so good.

The third week of the month, we have our monthly mastermind session. This is something I introduced last summer, and our members love these sessions. So during the mastermind session, we come together as a group to chat about any industry updates, and basically give you feedback on anything that you want to talk through. It's a very open space, anything goes. And rather than just being coached by one of the coaches, it's much more of a collaborative session where members can really come together and discuss things once a month as well.

We also have a monthly mindset coaching session, which is usually hosted by Joanne or the two of us together. This is usually on a specific topic every single month, based on what we feel you need the most.

Every quarter we have our quarterly planning parties. So if you join in this round of the academy, you will get to come to our Q2 planning party, which is happening at the end of March. They are so much fun.

momentum monday

This was such an amazing addition. So can you see now how our system funnels together we have our quarterly planning parties, we have our monthly planning parties, and then we have our weekly accountability system.

So every Monday, members check in with me on Instagram through a DM and they tell me three things they're working on this coming week. They give me a reflection of the previous week and they just share a general life update with me in terms of how they're feeling etc.

And this is incredible because it holds the students way more accountable and it allows me to really get to know you. And that is so it's so powerful. I love the chats we have every single week in those check-ins. It also makes our coaching more efficient because we can understand your business better.

special bonuses

Now in addition to all of this, you also get some bonuses. You get something brand new that I'm introducing: a monthly online marketing live class.

Again, this is based on feedback from members. There are so many topics outside planning and productivity that our members have questions on. But there isn't a place for those within the core curriculum itself without things getting too messy.

So I've decided from March to start hosting one monthly live classes in the Facebook group based on an online marketing topic. Topics will be things like creating a monthly content strategy, driving traffic to your website, how to sell, how to create reels and stories.

The second bonus that is super exciting is our new events. So twice a year, we will be hosting a week long intensive coaching event with a guest expert delivering a live training every single day for a whole week. I am so excited about these, I'm hoping the first one is going to be in April or May. And the second one is going to be around September. The first one is going to be all about visibility, getting ideal followers and having your content seen. And the one in September is going to be all around mindset.

You can also join our book club, hosted by Thalia from Wild Books. Our members absolutely love it.

Whenever you join and whichever payment option you choose, you will get access to these. There are payment options, so you can pay in full for the year or you can split your investment across the 12 months, which is what a lot of our members do.

How to know if a course is right for you

If you feel hesitant about signing up for this or for any coach or mentor programme, it's so normal. So I wanted to walk you through four things that will help you consider if the Busy to Boss Academy, or any investment you make in your business, will be worth your time and investment.

1: look at the creator’s lifestyle

So number one, I want you to look at the lifestyle of the course or programme creator. Would you want their life? You may see that the creator spends every waking hour working. If they taught you to run your business in the same way would that align with you?

Don't just look at what results a mentor can get you, look at whether they get those results themselves without having to sacrifice their time mental health and important relationships.

It's so important for your values to match up.

I don't want my business to take over my whole life and take up my whole schedule. And I believe it doesn't have to be that way either. And it doesn't have to be for you.

Choose coaches, courses and programmes by creators who are living the lifestyle you want, and embody the values that you have.

There is no point learning how to build a profitable business that is a success on the outside, but makes you miserable on the inside.

Making more money is great, but not if you have to sacrifice joy to get it.

2: how did they achieve those results?

Look at how the coach or creator achieved their results, the result that they are teaching you to achieve in their programme. Is it how you ideally would like to achieve it as well?

Let's say you want to make more money from your business and generate more sales. You need to learn how to do that. If you found someone who can teach you how, look at how that person did it: did they hustle, hustle, hustle and work 24/7 driving themselves mad? Does that sound like fun to you?

We all operate differently. Some of us love to hustle. Some of us don't. And I'm guessing if you're here listening to this, you want to be a boss, you don't want to be busy. Maybe you want to build a business that supports your life, not one that takes over it.

So if your lifestyle is a bigger importance to you, you need to look for a mentor who is someone that has built their business around their lifestyle.

And another thing to look at with this point as well is: did this person invest a lot of their earnings back into the business? This is especially relevant if you're signing up for any business or marketing related programme. There are so many business owners who will invest so much of their earnings back into the business and pay themselves a really small wage.

Choose a mentor that aligns with the way that you want to do business, choose a programme that will not only help you get the results you want, but in a way that aligns with your values.

3: return on investment

Investing in your business is a transaction you give money and you get something else in return. So what exactly do you get from the thing that you are considering investing in?

I want you to grab a piece of paper and a pen or maybe your journal and a pen and draw two columns. The first column should be called ‘external returns’. And the second should be called ‘internal returns’.

For external returns: what do you get externally after you have completed this programme? What are the external results you will get outside of yourself?

For internal returns: what will you get inside? How will you feel? How will you think?

Every time I'm considering investing in something and I feel hesitant, I make this list because it gets me out of my emotions and into observing the facts. Once I have them on paper, I can analyse if the results I'm going to get from this are worth the money investment.

Sometimes we focus so much on the investment and not enough on what we gain in return. But focusing on what we'll gain can give us a less emotional and a more objective view of whether we want to invest or if it will be worthwhile.

4: testimonials

If you're not sure what you want to invest in, and you're not sure if that thing will be worth it, spend some time reading testimonials. And I know this sounds really obvious. But I also know that there are so many of you listening to this who just don't read testimonials.

I love reading testimonials, I think they are the best example of how to know if an investment will be worth your time and money. And it helps me to feel motivated to be that next success story.

You can find testimonials on the sales page of the programme that you're thinking of investing in, or on the creator's social media profiles. Look at what results others have had from being in this programme and see if anyone has achieved the results that you are hoping to get from this. Can you imagine yourself in a few months time being one of those success stories? How would that make you feel?

And one final point: you are more than capable of showing up and going through whatever programme you're thinking of investing into and getting results from it. I think sometimes we stop ourselves from making the investments we need to make because we don't trust ourselves to do the work.

Maybe we've joined courses in the past that remained untouched. Forgive yourself for the times that you didn't take action and the courses you didn't finish. If you don't your lack of trust in yourself and your ability to do the work will always get in your way of investing in yourself.

P.S here are some testimonials from Busy to Boss Academy students you may want to see…

Joining the Busy to Boss Academy was by far and away the best decision I could have made for my business and myself. To begin with I was hesitant because I felt that I wasn’t far enough along on my business journey to really benefit.

I couldn’t have been more wrong, since joining the academy it’s given me the confidence to go for it. I now have a brand name, physical products, wholesale stockists and have signed up to 4 shows this year, not to mention my website coming soon too.

There are so many things to love being part of the Busy to Boss Academy. I love the fact that you can ask questions whenever you want and are never made to feel like it’s a ‘stupid’ question. I love that Holly and Joanne’s extensive knowledge gives you the clarity and reassurance to make the best decisions for your business. I love the amazing ideas and curveballs they throw right back at you and get you thinking. I love the community and friendships I have made in the Academy. I love having a wonderful group of women who support each other, are kind to each other and who genuinely care. I love the feeling that my business is now in the best possible place to move forward. And maybe most importantly I love the feeling that I never want to leave!
– Helena, Copperberry Studio

I had just finished 1:1 coaching with Holly when she launched the Academy and although I had gained so much confidence and structure in my business, the Academy offered the support system and community I was craving. It has turned out to be so powerful and beneficial for me - both personally and for my business.

Having a network of likeminded business owners is wonderful. It’s affirming and inspiring but it’s also reassuring because when one of us does share a vulnerability it will often turn out that we are not the only ones feeling this way.

Holly and Joanne’s guidance and support has been wonderful. I’ve been coasting along in business during a difficult patch in life but I can’t tell you how wonderful it is to know that they (and the community) are there when I do have questions. Or, indeed, if I just need a permission slip or cheering on or accountability.

The Academy is SO helpful in the community aspect and also the knowledge that Holly and Joanne bring to every call. I am in awe of the way they both go above and beyond to understand where every member is at and to really help each of us get the personalised help we need. It is so so valuable and I feel beyond grateful to have these two in my corner along with the rest of the community.

– Michelle, The Unfinished Bookshelf