I’m going to tell you exactly what it takes to start and grow your business in under 10 minutes. You ready?
The 7-step framework I’m about to show you is so simple that anyone can replicate it, from total beginners to 7-figure business owners like me.
If you’re new to my corner of the internet, welcome! I’m Alex, an award-winning marketer, copywriter and founder of the Copy Posse, where I teach rad humans how to make more money with modern marketing.
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Now, it goes without saying that building a profitable business takes time, trial-and-error and effort, no question about that.
But it does NOT have to be complicated or overwhelming.
And honestly, the more complex you make it, the less likely it is to work. Ask me how I know.
So many business owners OVERCOMPLICATE this whole making money thing.
They think things like, ‘my business isn’t working so I must need to fix my funnel, or launch more offers or post more on social media, run more ads, hire the right people, raise my prices, discount my prices’ and the list goes on and on.
And sure, all those things *might* help, but the truth is, building a profitable business is SO MUCH simpler than that.
Get your offer in front of customers who want to buy it. PERIOD.
One product sold to the RIGHT people over and over again can make you millions. And all it takes are the seven simple marketing strategies that I’m about to show you.
In this blog post, I’m revealing the exact 7-step PROFIT PIPELINE framework that I followed when I first started publishing videos and blog posts on YouTube and my site on February 13th, 2019.
And the same one that helped me build a 7-figure brand in one year. Let’s start with:
Step #1: PROBLEM
Most people think you should create a product first and then find customers to buy it. But that’s actually backward.
Successful businesses START with the problem FIRST.
I learned this the hard way when I started a business YEARS ago with – what I thought – was the perfect product.
A program teaching people how to stay at hotels for free.
The only problem was, I didn’t think about WHO this product was for and, more importantly, WHY they would want to buy it. And surprise, surprise.
This business never really got off the ground, despite the product being really, REALLY great. And it actually cost me TENS OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS.
So instead of asking ‘What can I create?’ Ask yourself: ‘What problem can I solve and for WHO?’ The more specific the problem, the easier it is to sell.
Step #2: RESEARCH
Alright, so you’ve identified a problem. But here’s where most people mess up. They ASSUME they know what their audience wants without actually asking them.
Look – just because you identified the problem, doesn’t mean you know the desired SOLUTION your audience is looking for.
When I first started The Copy Posse, I was determined not to make the same mistakes I had made in my first failed business.
So I TALKED to my ideal customers non-stop.
I chatted with them in my DMs. I had entire back-and-forth conversations with them in the YouTube comment section.
And I even surveyed them when they joined my email list to ask them exactly what they wanted.
Then I simply I created the exact solution they were looking for.
And because of that – in my first launch EVER, I made $80k.
Here’s the thing, your audience will literally TELL YOU exactly what they want to buy if you just ask them.
They’ll tell you their biggest fears, their deepest desires, and the exact words they use to describe their problems.
So stop guessing and start asking.
Step #3: OFFER
Okay, here’s something that’s going to blow your mind – your offer is not your product. Let me say that again.
Your offer is NOT your product.
Your offer is the promise – or transformation – that your product provides.
It’s the BRIDGE between where your customer is now and where they desperately WANT TO BE.
Most people think they’re selling a course, or a service, or a product.
Wrong. You’re selling a better version of what they want. You’re selling the outcome – not the process.
When I launched the Copy Posse Launch Pad, I wasn’t selling an 8-week copywriting course.
I was selling the ability to quit your 9-to-5 and build a 6-figure freelance business in less than a year.
See the difference? One is a product. The other is a transformation.
Your OFFER needs to include four things: the Problem your customer is facing, the Promise of what’s possible, the Proof that it works, and a Price that makes it irresistible.
Get your offer right, and everything else becomes easier.
Step #4: FUNNEL
And no, I’m not talking about a complicated 47-step funnel with endless offers, upsells and automations that many marketers will tell you is the secret to their success.
Your funnel is simply the journey your customer takes from ‘Who are you?’ to ‘Take my money!’ It really does not have to be complicated at all.
For my first four years in business, I used the simplest funnel ever:
FREE traffic from YouTube or social media drives to a landing page with a free offer or lead magnet.
They opt-in for a lead magnet, they get welcome emails, then sales emails for an offer RELATED to the free thing they opted in for.
That’s it. This simple funnel generated millions of dollars for my business.
I recommend you map out your customer journey – and do it VISUALLY – like this to make sure all the pieces actually make sense together.
It doesn’t have to be fancy, it just has to connect the dots for your customers.
Step #5: INFLUENCE
Here’s something NOBODY wants to talk about – but it matters more and more in this age of AI.
You NEED to create trust and influence in the minds of your customers, and this all comes down to building a personal brand.
And no – I am absolutely NOT talking about trying to be an influencer or posting 7 days a week on social media.
We tend to get so caught up in building our businesses, serving our clients, and producing results that we totally forget this one thing.
“People trust people more than they trust businesses.”
Remember, your potential clients and customers want to see WHO you are.
Not just WHAT you do.
And one of the best ways to do that is to show up on social media.
Being REAL is what actually influences connection.
Showing up as YOU is what actually builds trust.
You don’t need a big audience or a ton of followers.
I’ve posted a 10-day social media challenge here on YouTube before and I even did the challenge day-by-day with my mastermind members.
And the results speak for themself.
With a 207% increase in views on their Instagram profiles.
If you want to follow along with that challenge, I’ll link that blog post for you right here.
Just remember – influence isn’t about being fake or forced or showing up as some version of you that you THINK you need to show up as.
It’s not about “creating content” or trying to show up as an expert when you’re not.
I’m simply talking about being PRESENT, APPROACHABLE and AVAILABLE when your dream customers and clients come looking.
Step #6: TRAFFIC
Alright, let’s talk about traffic. And here’s what most people get wrong – they think more traffic equals more money.
But trust me, I learned this the hard way. Traffic ALONE will not get you a damn thing.
I’ve had content go VIRAL – I’m talking about millions of views. And what did it get me? A whole lot of nothing. Because they weren’t the right PEOPLE.
I’d rather have 100 highly qualified visitors than 10,000 random ones.
Quality beats quantity every single time. Now, with that said:
There are three types of traffic – organic, referred and paid.
Organic traffic is free but takes time and effort. You’re going to have to commit to showing CONSISTENTLY and FREQUENTLY on social media to get free traffic.
This is how I built my business for the first year—absolutely zero paid ads. Just showing up every single week on YouTube with a new video and posting on social media every day. 7 days a week.
Yes – it was a lot of work. But it also WORKED. And it was free.
Referred traffic is when someone ELSE with an audience promotes YOU in exchange for a commission. While this form of traffic is free, it does require relationship capital.
If you have the budget, paid traffic – aka running ads – is definitely a great option too. The key with paid traffic is to start SMALL and TEST WHAT WORKS.
Once you know what works, you can put more money into ad spend and bring in a lot more qualified leads in less time than free traffic.
Step #7: PROFIT
This is a big one. Listen carefully. Revenue ALONE is nothing more than a vanity metric.
I’ve seen businesses doing millions in revenue that struggle with cash flow.
I’ve also seen businesses doing $500K/year that are more profitable than companies 2 times their size.
Here’s what matters more than revenue.
Customer Value (aka how much a customer spends with you on average. This is your total revenue divided by the number of customers you have)
Customer Acquisition Cost (aka how much it costs to acquire a customer, or how much you spend on ads for a customer)
And of course your Profit Margins or the difference between your revenue and cost of running your business.
If you don’t know these numbers, you’re not running a business, you’re running an expensive hobby.
And TRUSSSSTTTT MEEEE, this is a lesson I had to learn the hard way. Track everything. Ev-er-y-thing.
Then optimize.
Even 1% improvement in conversion rate across your funnel can compound into massive profit increases.
Because at the end of the day, PROFIT is what allows you to serve more people, create more impact, and build the business and life you actually want.
If you’re serious about building a profitable business that actually works, but you have no idea where to even start.
Then take my FREE QUIZ. It will take you just a few seconds and I’ll send you a personalized list of resources to help you build your business based on exactly where you’re at right now.
And if this blog post helped you see business building in a completely new way, send me an email on which step you’re going to focus on first.
Until next time, I’m Alex. Ciao for now!
