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One of the best things about being an entrepreneur is you get to do business how you want. In today's episode, business strategy and mindset coach Erica Reitman shares her unique strategy to setting your offers apart from the competition.

Erica is a business coach for future millionaire CEOs. She created an all-in-one biz empire building agency for badass entrepreneurs.

Instagram // Icon Agency Instagram // Canva Magazine Template Freebie

The episode:

Katrina Widener: Hi everyone, it's Katrina Widener and I'm here with another episode of the Badass Business Squad podcast. I am really excited because today we have Erica Reitman on. We are going to be talking all about how to build a business or build an offer that stands out from the crowd, which I think is incredibly important right now, especially considering we are having more and more entrepreneurs start their own businesses. More and more people beginning their entrepreneurial journeys over the last couple of years. So thank you so much Erica for coming on today!

Erica Reitman: Of course, I'm so excited to be here.

Katrina Widener: So I was hoping that we could start off by really just having you introduce yourself to anyone listening. Let them know who you are, what you do, what your business is, and then we can jump into all of the magical goodness of creating your offers. 

Erica Reitman: Yes for sure. So I am a former interior designer who is now a business strategy and mindset coach for other coaches. But don't roll your eyes, cause I'm a cool one. And I like to say I work with women to help them get to "empire status" and make "fuck you" money. And I forgot to ask you if I can curse. 

Katrina Widener: Oh yes, curse away. That is totally fine. 

Erica Reitman: Haha! And I'm currently working on a pivot in my business where we are starting a project called the Icon Agency. Basically what we're trying to do is create an all-in-one business empire building agency for other online entrepreneurs, for badass CEOs.

We are connecting the dots between high level coaching, accountability and project management, as well as done-for-you services. So basically all of the pieces of your business that you need to kind of connect and put together and all of the things that people do at some point at different stages of their business, we help you do that in one three month sprint. Very concentrated, doing lots of work, getting all the things done period of time. And you come out of that with just an incredible amount of assets and resources for your business. A game plan of how to move forward and really a way, I keep saying it, but to connect the dots in a way that feels really exciting and empowering.

Katrina Widener: I absolutely love that. I think that makes so much sense to me as a business coach, to have something where you're able to say, "Let's sit down for three months, really just knock all of this out," makes a ton of sense.

Erica Reitman: Yay, I'm glad you love it!

Katrina Widener: Yeah. Yes I do! So I know today we're talking about standing out from the crowd, which I also think is a great way to start off. Even just because the way you introduced yourself, right? Such a different way of approaching your business model, what you're offering people, than what the common one-on-one coaching model is that most coaches fall into. So I think that that's the perfect way to jump into this.

So I know that you yourself, obviously, follow this model of standing out from the crowd. So I was hoping that you could give us a little bit of just an introduction to the idea so that people listening can be like, "Okay yes I want to stand out from the crowd. But also what's wrong with maybe doing what someone else is doing or why is this something I should be putting my attention into?

Erica Reitman: Yeah. Well I think the cool thing about being an entrepreneur, especially in this online space, is you get to do business however the hell you want. So I very much am the sort of coach who, you know, I tend to attract people who are kind of like me, and I like to break all the rules and stand out from the crowd. But if that's not something that feels natural or normal for you, don't do it. Cause I got to tell you, when you are the type of business owner that really loves to stand out from the crowd it's often a harder way to do business. I'm just going to keep it real with you. Because for example, this agency that we're starting right now, I have never seen anyone else do anything like this. And on one hand, that's really cool and exciting to me. On the other hand, I have a big extra responsibility in that I need to describe this complicated new thing that nobody's ever heard of, to an entire group of people that are already familiar with all the other shit and the way everybody else is doing it. 

So in truth, it's a harder way to do business. On the flip side, I could not operate in the world in any other way. I get such a charge and I get so excited when I am able to kind of notice those holes and gaps that other people are ignoring and come up with a solution that's really just gonna give the people what they want. And that is something that as a business coach I really take notice of, but it's such a great first step really for anyone no matter what business you're in. Just really pay attention to the things in your industry that everyone says like, "Oh that's not done. That's not available. We don't do that." 

I think oftentimes we'll get questions and, you know, there will be things that our clients want from us or our customers want from us, and just because nobody else does it we automatically say, "No that's not available." So for me, I'm always trying to pay attention to those things and really think through, "Okay everybody keeps asking me about this thing. Nobody else does it. How can I figure out a way to potentially offer it?" And you can get really creative there. So for example, again with the agency, we are giving you a variety of done-for-you services. I am not doing any of those done-for-you services for you, I'm hiring other people who I am going to manage for you. I don't want to write out your five email welcome sequence, but I certainly can find a bad-ass copywriter that's going to give you the most bomb welcome sequence you've ever seen in your life. And instead of you having to find the person, having to manage the person, being the only one who's giving comments, figuring out how much that's supposed to cost, you're going to have me there helping you all along the way. 

That's really why I put together this idea and why we put together this offer. Is because I kept noticing again and again and again with all of my clients that they were feeling stuck, they were stopped in really growing themselves to empire status because they needed somebody to connect these dots for them. Nobody else was doing it and so here I am stepping up to the plate. 

Katrina Widener: I love that so much, cause I do think so often we hear when we're talking about growing our business or creating a business or deciding what new offer we want to include. It's like, "Okay well, let's look at your competitors. What are they doing? Oh, are you inspired by anything?" So even if you want to do something new, it's having to figure it all out, having this decision overwhelm. I started my business because I wanted to do the thing that I want to do. 

Erica Reitman: Right.

Katrina Widener: That's where we all really are starting out from, and I've even seen with my clients where it's like, "Okay I want to create something new or I want to do something outside of the box." But I always talk about thinking about things proactively versus reactively. And so it's saying, "Here are the pain points that my clients are having. Here are the things they're asking me for. Here's what they're wanting," and creating something from that foundation. It's often, "What is someone else doing? What can I get inspired by outside of myself or outside of my clients even?" 

Erica Reitman: Yeah.

Katrina Widener: So really shifting that way of viewing it to say, "If this was not an industry at all, how would I start out this industry?" Again for coaches, I feel like it's so easy for people to say, "I do one-on-one coaching," because that makes sense in our brains. Someone hires me, I coach you. Whereas my main thing is a group coaching program, right? I've created that because I love community, and because I'm an extrovert and because I know that it gets people great results and they get benefits from it that they also maybe would not get in one-on-one coaching, right? You have this level of community. You have people who have your back. You join a group coaching program, now you have everybody else in there is willing to refer people to you. To reshare your content on their Instagram. It's one of those things where not only was I thinking about what would help my clients more, but I was also asking myself, "What's going to be more fun for me?" 

Erica Reitman: Yes! 

Katrina Widener: "What's going to be a way that I can approach this because I love doing that?"

Erica Reitman: Yes. That is so, so important and I think it's a step that so many people skip over. Because we get into our brains and it's so overwhelming and we're trying to set up the program and do all of the things, and then sometimes we sit back and realize, "I just created an offer that I don't even want to put out there because it does not sound fun at all." So I think even more so than thinking about what your community wants and needs, you have to start with that piece of, "What is going to be super, super fun for me?" 

The other thing I will say is this is an iterative process, and as you change as a business owner, your thoughts and feelings are going to change. Maybe at one point one-on-one felt amazing for you and just lit you up, and now it's two years later and you feel differently. So I think too, it's this idea of just noticing that our business is this living breathing thing, and we should expect these changes and pivots. That is a part of it. It doesn't mean something has gone wrong. It means you're growing as an entrepreneur. Your business is growing and I always liked to be tuned into that stuff because I'm changing my mind all the damn time. 

Katrina Widener: Yes. Yes. I love it because it's true. I had so many iterations of my business before I got to where I am today, which is the Badass Business Squad, hence the Badass Business Squad podcast. And it's one of those things where I feel like a lot of people feel afraid to change, or they're like, "Oh I'm changing my business again, my audience is going to be so confused," and it's like, "No one's paying as much attention to you as think that they are, or as you're paying attention to yourself." 

But also if it really is something that's going to serve you better and serve your audience better than the previous iteration, you're getting that much closer and closer and closer to your truly aligned offer, then they're not going to care even. And if they do care, they're not the aligned client for you anyway. 

Erica Reitman: Right yeah, a hundred percent. 

Katrina Widener: So okay we have convinced everyone, maybe standing out from the crowd is a little bit more difficult, but it is more fun maybe, or little easier to get more aligned with you and provide your clients with the services that they actually need.

So for anyone who is listening who's like, "All right, great! So you sold me, but where do I even begin? How do I start thinking about this? How do I start asking myself how to like stand out from the crowd?" What recommendations would you give to them?

Erica Reitman: I mean, a lot of us spend time on social media and do a lot of aimless scrolling, but I would actually ask yourself in the realm of your industry and the other people that you follow, who you most resonate with and why, and start getting really curious about that. Because again, this is a process for me that has been going on since I started my business. So it might not be the sort of thing where you sit down one day and come up with one very specific idea and then your whole business has changed. I really would give yourself the time and space to just be open to this and let your brain kind of turn itself on and think about things in different ways.

So that's something that I love to do. I know a lot of people struggle with imposter syndrome. We all have at some point. I basically like to sit around with my notebook and a pen, and instead of getting stuck in imposter syndrome, I see what other people are doing and I get inspired by it and see how I might be able to incorporate that into my business. So even on Instagram, I'm always paying attention to what other coaches are doing. I have a collection saved of post ideas based on what I see other people talking about. I really try and always make sure that whenever I'm in that place where I need a little inspiration or a reminder of who I want to be out in the business world, I have that stuff to use.

And then the other thing I would say is to really just zone in on looking for these holes in your industry. So for example, we're going through a rebrand right now in our own business, and I have been working with and talking to, over a period of years, many different designers. And designers have very specific rules about how many revisions you are allowed, and I understand where this comes from, and I really value people's time. But I don't know how to explain to my brain that it needs to figure out all of the feedback that it might have about this one thing in two instances. Like I don't... my brain does not work like that. So I say, imagine if you were a designer and you said you get unlimited revisions for 48 hours.

It's just two days and they might be an annoying fucking couple of days for you, but I would hire someone just on the basis of that. Because again, it's always so challenging for me in however many revisions I get, I need three more. It's just this crazy thing that happens. So I think looking around for those holes and getting really creative on how you could potentially fill them. Because quite frankly whatever solution you come up with, just by talking about it and offering a solution, you're going to stand out from the crowd in a really, really big way.

Katrina Widener: Yes! I love that. I really appreciate the fact that you're approaching this too, from like a, "You don't have to completely overhaul your whole business. You don't have to completely redo your model," but how do we take some pain points in the process and really approach them from a unique creative place, right? 

Erica Reitman: Yes. 

Katrina Widener: Cause also if you think about like, "Oh my gosh. Okay. So I've got to create this brand new offer that's so unique and so different from what anybody else is doing." That's also website update, that's website copy, that's a whole new sales page or landing page, or however you're doing that. That could be new emails. That's new marketing materials. That's maybe a whole launch, right? It turns from being this one thing that feels at the beginning creative and fun, and like, "Ooh, how can I maybe surprise and delight my customers?"

Erica Reitman: Yeah, 

Katrina Widener: To, "Oh my gosh that's six months worth of work, and now I'm going to write it down on my list of something to think about and never do and never do and never do and never do," because it feels so intimidating and overwhelming. So really boiling that down. What are these little areas where you can surprise and delight your customers, but we can maybe approach things differently from the other people in your industry. It makes it feel almost like a scavenger hunt?

Erica Reitman: Yeah. 

Katrina Widener: I dunno, a creative puzzle that you get to solve and brainstorm on and yeah, that completely changes the energy behind it. 

Erica Reitman: Yeah. Another quick example, one of my one-on-one clients Jasmine does these deep dive customer avatar sessions with you. So you really can get to know your customer and she gives them a name and, you know, you get this whole document that's so much fun to read and go through. We came up with the idea together. I suggested to her, "What if you make a Spotify playlist that represents the vibe of Lizzie, who's my ideal customer avatar?" So I can put this on whenever I'm brainstorming content and getting into that space.

Now again, is this a groundbreaking idea? No, not necessarily. But it's such a fun unique ad-on that doesn't take her that much time and it is such a surprise and delight for the customers now to kind of get that extra fun way to connect with their own customer that people have been really loving.

Katrina Widener: That sounds like so much fun. Those are also the little things where it's like, okay you have coach A and you have coach B. And coach A has things set up and they're probably really good at what they do, but it's a little bit more traditional and it's similar pricing, right? Similar everything. But coach B is offering you, yeah you get this extra Spotify playlist. Or maybe you get this fun moment halfway through or something along those lines, and those are the little things that might make someone choose to work with you versus someone else. Even at the very lowest level, it's a signal of the vibe that they're going to have throughout your working process together. 

Erica Reitman: Yeah.

Katrina Widener: We talk about signaling on your website copy or your marketing all the time when it comes to especially like diversity, equity and inclusion for us white humans, right? 

Erica Reitman: Yes. 

Katrina Widener: But there's also ways that you can signal who you are in your website copy or your branding photos, or your marketing or the approach that you take, right? 

Erica Reitman: Yes. 

Katrina Widener: I have a lot of people who will hire me as a business coach, just because I incorporate Human Design in my business coaching. 

Erica Reitman: Oh, my God! 

Katrina Widener: Yeah! 

Erica Reitman: Why haven't we been talking about human Design?

Katrina Widener: I should've asked you!

Erica Reitman: This whole conversation is perfect for manifesting generators and generators. 

Katrina Widener: And I'm a generator.

Erica Reitman: Okay. I'm a manifesting generator and every other MG I meet feels the same way. We have to do things differently or our brains just explode. 

Katrina Widener: It makes so much sense that you utilize Human Design and knowing that when we're talking about this. Because it is, it's such a different approach and it's something that's going to make it feel so much more personalized. I use the word alignment a lot. It's going to make it feel so much more aligned with who you are. Because you're able to say. "Hey I know that I operate best doing something a little bit different from the rest of the world, and this is going to be a way that I can satisfy that for myself and get excited about what I'm doing, but also really bring in new clients, bring in more people." That's awesome. 

Erica Reitman: Yeah!

Katrina Widener: This has been absolutely amazing, and I'm sure we could talk about this for a really long time. 

Erica Reitman: Yeah. 

Katrina Widener: But I just wanted to make sure before we sign off, if there is any last advice you would want to give to someone who's thinking about this. Or any last words of wisdom we'll say. 

Erica Reitman: Yeah well I'm excited to share a freebie with your audience, which is really supportive of this whole idea, and I think would be a great way to get started with it if it feels like this is a good vibe for you. And what it is is a Canva magazine template in which you can really lay out the details of your offer. This is something that I have used again and again in my business to generate multiple six figures. The reason it's so cool is it again, lets you stand out from the crowd in such a big way. Everybody has a sales page. Everybody has a website. I do too! Keep your own, not telling you to ditch them, but this is just a fun different way for you to present your offer your services, even your products to people in a way that's going to make them lean in a little bit more. In a way that allows you to give them a bit more information and get them a bit more excited about it.

So I'm excited to share that with everyone listening, and I think if you are feeling like you'd love to step into this doing things differently, breaking all the rules vibe, that could be a really great place and an easy place to start as long as you know how to use Canva. 

Katrina Widener: Yeah, and I feel like most of the people who are listening to this podcast either already know how to use Canva, or I would highly recommend go checking that out. If you don't already. I'm going to be checking this magazine template out. We talked beforehand about how we both are from the magazine world back in our past lives. 

Erica Reitman: Yes! 

Katrina Widener: Also for everyone listening who's like, "Yes I want that," I will be linking to it in the show notes so you can find it really, really easily. But thank you so much Erica for coming on, this has been amazing and you've gotten me rejuvenated and excited too so...

Erica Reitman: Haha! That makes me so happy. I loved our conversation and I really appreciate you inviting me.

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