Don't know what to write? Take a stand. (Jen McFarland)

How do you start writing if you keep staring at a blank page? Are you in your own way? In this episode of the second season of the Launch With Words Podcast, Bridget is joined by marketer and coach Jen McFarland for an insightful conversation on why small businesses should put their audience first with their website content.

"You just have to get started." Jen McFarland

Follow Jen on Twitter

https://twitter.com/jensmcfarland

Jen's Blog Post on ClickFunnels

https://womenconquerbiz.com/clickfunnels-review-2022/

Take an Ephipahy Course and Stop Decision Fatigue

https://epiphanycourses.com/

More Episodes
https://launch-with-words.castos.com/

Get the Launch With Words Plugin for free on WordPress
https://wordpress.org/plugins/launch-with-words/

Episode Transcript

00:19.23
Bridget Willard
Hey hey thanks for joining me on this latest episode. I'm here with the Jen Mcfarland. Welcome! I am doing fabulous.

00:26.61
Jen McFarland
Hey hey how are you doing, Bridget? How you doing listeners?

00:33.64
Bridget Willard
And so we're we're talking to our small business owners. You and I have worked with a lot of clients and what's like so something that you kind of wish I feel like you wish they had an epiphany about?

00:49.16
Jen McFarland
Ah I feel like all of us as consultants give our clients small epiphanies every single day and that's one of the reasons why I started a new business called Epiphany Courses -- because it's our job as consultants to do that. But then there are people who can't afford us as. Consultants. So Why not give them little epiphanies? And that's my new business called EpiphanyCourses. They are courses based on business decisions, so in in an hour or less, you can make some exceptional business decisions on things that often confuse a lot of people. Like I am a total tech Nerd. We've just spent the last.

01:25.62
Bridget Willard
Um.

01:26.80
Jen McFarland
What hour talking about all of our tech nerdiness? And so a lot of things that I am passionate about people get really confused about. And so that's kind of my focus whether it's on my podcast or my website or now with courses is to just help people untangle the techie bits that seem to really keep them from taking action on things.

01:47.95
Bridget Willard
Yeah, um, with the Launch With Words starter pack the whole point of it is that it gets imported as a blog draft and so they know how to use the Draft Folder in WordPress. So just write. You know? A lot of people wanted it to be complicated, like a course, I'm like no -- small business owners don't have time for this crap. They just need to get in there write a blog post.

02:11.56
Jen McFarland
Yeah, and well what I love about what it is that you've done is it's like you're giving them drafts and you're giving them prompts. Like so many people hate the blank page and I'm one of them. And I've actually sometimes hired people just to help me keep the blank page from staring back at me. And when I see somebody else start it then I'm like oh okay now I got this. Now I can do this because I love to write; I hate the blank page. And that's what is so powerful about Launch With Words, I think, in the people that I work with they're like: I don't even know how to get started. So now I can be like well actually here's the thing.

02:45.69
Bridget Willard
Yeah, the blank page is anxiety's best friend and in small business owners. We sometimes forget that we have so much to talk about and I suffer from the same thing. I would just open Google Docs and and go oh this person keeps asking me this question. That's my next blog post. This is my next blog post. This is my next blog post. Or even brainstorming with friends. You know? Um, but I always recommend that small business owners have some kind of journal or something where they collect those things all in one spot so that when they sit down on Friday afternoon to write their blog posts.

03:08.81
Jen McFarland
Yeah, yeah.

03:24.23
Bridget Willard
for the month or the week -- depending upon how often they want to publish --they'll just have that those headlines. But I know there are other tools and methods. For example, you're doing a lot of podcasting, which can be transcribed into words on your website. So like how is somebody start with.. Do you like do you think that it would be easier for some people and their personality types to start with making videos?

03:50.55
Jen McFarland
You know it's interesting when I work with people I tell them? Okay, This is so easy. You can start with a notebook -- just a little piece of paper next to your desk and you can start taking notes and if they look at me and they're like I don't know. I'm like okay. Or you can start talking on video, you're doing videos to your group or you're doing all different kinds of things and then we just transcribe it and put that on your website. And they're like okay or they get even more freaked out, you know? And the point is I'm like -- look figure out the thing that you like to do and do that.

04:25.20
Bridget Willard
Yes.

04:29.12
Jen McFarland
And that's all that needs to happen. Like I used to make Facebook Lives and then I'd be like, "I went live!" And I'd always said it to like "only me." Only me -- like I would practice. I practiced for years just doing it the first time with nobody, no risk, and then doing it the next time to everybody and.

04:43.19
Bridget Willard
Yeah.

04:48.65
Jen McFarland
It it just you just have to get started.

04:49.83
Bridget Willard
Yeah, getting started is tough because of our inner critic. Um, some people don't like the way they look, or they don't like the sound of their voice, or, or, or, or. Um and the thing is they I think a lot of us think that we're gonna be criticized. But it's our business. So what I encourage people to do is to tap into their passion like what is it they wish -- like one of the prompts is what is that you wish people knew about your industry? What is a common misconception? Like I'll never forget my neighbor when I lived in in Dana Point. I lived at the top of the stairs and she would see me I mean she would walk by my front window by my desk when she um when she went upstairs and she she asked me one day -- she said, "Bridget what exactly are you doing when you're sitting at your computer all day?" And I finally just said, "I put words on the internet."

05:44.18
Jen McFarland
Exactly. It's like how I talk to my relatives were like I have no idea what you do and I'm like that's fair and I explain it. And I'm like oh or yeah I just help people be on the internet and they're like okay.

05:55.40
Bridget Willard
Yeah, and then if they have more questions. Right? So it's like I know when I was working in construction, there were so many things that we wanted people to understand. You know? ah that you know. If you have a crack in a concrete panel, it's not cosmetic. It's going through all 6", you know? There's always something in your industry that you wish somebody would understand. When I was working in a travel agency. They're like travel agents are still relevant? Travel agents are not paid by the person booking the travel. They're paid.

06:15.82
Jen McFarland
Right.

06:31.37
Bridget Willard
From the wholesaler. They're um, they're paid from the travel. And that there are deals you can get with the travel agents that aren't even available to the general public because they're literally wholesalers. So. Unless you. Yes unless you tell them! and that's the whole thing.

06:31.85
Jen McFarland
Right.

06:41.74
Jen McFarland
Exactly and people don't know that unless you tell them? ah.

06:50.49
Bridget Willard
It's like do something and like to me I'm like almost channel that rage. I I was talking to somebody and they're like all into Thenagram or anagram or what what aneogram and um I was like I think I'm a 5 or an 8

07:02.45
Jen McFarland
Enneagram yeah.

07:09.27
Bridget Willard
So I decided to take the $20 test last night. and I'm I'm not any of those. I'm a 4 or something like that. No I'm my 6. I'm a six. I'm a 6. I don't know what? No I'm a 6. I think I don't know I can't remember but I'm know I'm one of the ones that's fueled by fear.

07:17.24
Jen McFarland
I'm a 3

07:28.32
Bridget Willard
Think it's a 6 but all these numbers could you just give it a name like at least I know ISTJ but like what enneagram people need to you know, come up with a name for each number. I know and I as a math person but you know, but but it was like it's all fueled by fear.

07:38.14
Jen McFarland
And make it easy.

07:45.87
Jen McFarland
Yeah.

07:47.40
Bridget Willard
Like my all my motivations are fueled by fear. And then I'm pretty heavy in like 8 and 9 or something that are like really into anger and anger comes from fear. So obviously there's a lot of fear going on. And that self-awareness you know, it's just like oh I kind of didn't realize that about myself. But I've you always used that to fuel you know people see it as passionate. That I see it as I don't want to be homeless. So ah, what keeps you going, Bridget on a daily basis? Fear. Just fear. Fear what being homeless. Like what do you want.

08:21.13
Jen McFarland
Fear absolute fear the fear.

08:26.00
Bridget Willard
When you when you start your own business right? You have to it's on you to educate people about what you do.

08:33.22
Jen McFarland
Right? So so a couple things. One: just to go back to something that you said earlier about everybody watching you. Think of it as the gym. When you are sweating it out at the gym, are you looking at the person next to you and and judging them? No, you're sweating it out. You're thinking about your own stuff.

08:46.91
Bridget Willard
Now.

08:52.31
Jen McFarland
It's the same thing about your business. You're educating people. They're not judging you. They're truly interested if they're watching it. And then about the fear: I totally understand that and feel that because when I left my job and, you know, it was super emotional and I start I had not I was not really ready to have a business yet. I was kind of playing around with side projects and stuff. I still remember when I was like the end of this job was there I was like staring me in the face; I had to leave. And I looked up at my husband and I said look I'm not going to let us be homeless. You know? That fear was really there. And I think in the Enneagram I'm whichever one is like achieve! You know? Achieve, achieve! You know? I'm like I'm like Parks And Rec. You know, I'm I'm like let's go! I'm Leslie Knope. I've got like the the notebooks with things and we need to go do it! And you know.

09:28.20
Bridget Willard
Okay.

09:34.40
Bridget Willard
Ah, Leslie Knope.

09:42.15
Bridget Willard
But yeah.

09:44.66
Jen McFarland
Everybody has that whatever it is that that drives them. And the thing about not if you don't talk about what you're passionate about then nobody really knows what side of what side of the field you're playing on. If nobody knows that you can fix that crack in your foundation.

09:56.28
Bridget Willard
Yeah.

10:03.15
Jen McFarland
Then they're not going to come to you for that. You know? I talk about things that I'm passionate about. And I whenever I do it I think of it as being super high risk but it's always had some sort of payoff. You know? And I have a hard time getting my clients to do that. Even though when they see it

10:03.24
Bridget Willard
Right.

10:22.70
Jen McFarland
paying off for other people. They're like I want that. And it's like well if you want that then you have to go after it and you have to take a stand.

10:26.61
Bridget Willard
How did they find that though? How did they find what they're really passionate about? Because there's you know. I mean, I know what I think. I know what I think, but I want to know what you think. Like how do you get that person who says -- well I don't know what I'm passionate about -- how do you get that out of them? How do you extract that? Or how do they extract it from themselves?

10:46.91
Jen McFarland
You know it's interesting because I don't consider myself a coach. A lot of people lately have been calling me like a marketing coach. And I think it's because I love listening to people and I will just repeat back to them. I'll be like well what I'm hearing you say is. You know you do this and they're like well yeah. And I'm like and do you love doing this? And they're like well yeah. And I'm like well write about that. Make videos about that. Tell people about it because if you're not then they just don't know. And it took me a long time in my own journey to really realize that. Like I feel like there's always a risk when you say something controversial. Like I wrote this blog post about ClickFunnels. Like and I said it's good for some people but I just don't really think it's good for small businesses because it's really expensive and there's so many other ways that you can do it that are free, cheap and easier.

11:40.96
Bridget Willard
Ah, ah.

11:43.20
Jen McFarland
And don't break all the time. So so I wrote this like long and it was really just a post for myself. Honestly, it was me like I'm taking a stand. I've cleaned up so many ClickFunnel's messes because a lot of people I work with don't have the money for it and on and on. And I wrote like this 2,000 word blog post about it. And then I SEO'd it because I was like well I might as well see if I can get this to show up in search. And then I forgot about it. It was like last May and then -- I was telling you before the show -- I was interviewed for a documentary because of that blog post and it's crazy.

12:16.84
Bridget Willard
Wow.

12:20.64
Jen McFarland
Like I'll admit when they sent me the message in Linkedin, I was like is this for real? Bike who is this? But and then I was and and so I'm researching the guy because I'm like a big time researcher and I'm like well it might be for real and I was like okay well I'll meet with you and then you know we're talking on Zoom and I'm like oh dang this is for real.

12:23.62
Bridget Willard
Ah.

12:40.45
Jen McFarland
And they're like when do you want to meet? And I was like well I don't know. I have this that and the other thing going on. And they're like um how about in two days? And I was like holy cannoli! And I had like a film crew -- some guy who had like won an Emmy who lives in Portland (I'm in Portland, Oregon) -- who like came and filmed and I was just like.

12:54.68
Bridget Willard
Whoa. Ah.

12:57.91
Jen McFarland
I can't believe this is happening because of a cheeky post I wrote about ClickFunnels a year ago. And that's why you take a stand. That's why you talk about the things like if you are cleaning up messes over and over and over again. If you know about a product that's on the market that everybody's talking about. Like my example is about something super niche that like a lot of people don't know about unless you've been marketed to about it. But there is something in every so stinking industry out there that is used by everybody or talked about by everybody. Like to talk about construction, you know, Hardie® Plank

13:25.77
Bridget Willard
Yeah.

13:34.21
Bridget Willard
Yep.

13:34.67
Jen McFarland
Siding is talked about here all the time. Well fast forward to when I had a REALTOR®. She's like yeah it doesn't really do good in all this rain we have here. So maybe don't get that. And I'm like but everybody says. And she's like it doesn't matter so like why can't somebody be talking about that here?

13:42.14
Bridget Willard
Yep.

13:49.61
Bridget Willard
Yeah I mean I would if I were doing siding that wasn't Hardie® Plank, right? I mean, or or a mold remediation company, or even a REALTOR®. And and so -- to use my active listening skills -- what I hear you saying is, take a stand.

14:06.68
Jen McFarland
Yeah, and then -- to use my active listening skills -- say it loud. Get loud about it. I mean that's that's what you were saying over the course of the weekend. You were talking about it and you know how it doesn't have to be this whole big thing.

14:10.21
Bridget Willard
(singsongy) Loud loud, get loud, get loud, get loud, get loud.

14:24.88
Jen McFarland
Like if you research ClickFunnels, until you get to my post -- which is probably like number 10 at this point or 7 on like reviews of ClickFunnels -- everyone is saying how lovely it is. And then you get to this one person who's like -- well actually I give it 2 stars because it's not good for small businesses and that's my post. So.

14:34.40
Bridget Willard
Yeah, okay.

14:43.97
Jen McFarland
You know I said it loud .I shared the heck out of it when I first came out and and that's what you have to do. It's not even about the SEO necessarily. It's about the fact that I really talked about something. And it was long and and it made a lot of sense. It doesn't have to be long.

14:44.85
Bridget Willard
Yeah, yeah.

15:01.99
Jen McFarland
It doesn't even have to be a blog post. It could be a video and the transcript would would drive people there. It's really just about sharing what you care about in a way that helps people. And I wrote that because I was tired of cleaning up messes. And I thought even if I have like one client or former client who reads this,

15:04.47
Bridget Willard
Like.

15:19.13
Jen McFarland
and thinks twice, then I've done my job.

15:19.66
Bridget Willard
Well by advocating for your current, past, or future customer -- and taking that stand -- you are actually promoting yourself as an expert.

15:33.18
Jen McFarland
Yeah.

15:34.73
Bridget Willard
And you're saying, look -- all these shysters are saying this, I'm telling you the real deal.

15:38.90
Jen McFarland
And that was exactly why they asked me to be in that documentary. They're following all of these high flyers around and then they're interviewing me in my basement. And I'm like well, actually a sales funnel is really just word-of-mouth and how you get people to be your customers. Everybody has a sales funnel. And they're like,

15:54.95
Bridget Willard
Right.

15:58.10
Jen McFarland
Oh wow! You know? I was like brought in literally -- they said -- "to be the voice of reason." And it's because they gathered that from that blog post. And without even knowing it, that's actually what I do in terms of marketing. When I talk to people, and they're my clients, it's about like

16:16.30
Bridget Willard
Yeah.

16:16.26
Jen McFarland
what makes sense? This doesn't make any sense. What you're telling me and you're not even taking any action. You don't have any, you don't even have a website because you're so freaked out about it. What's it going to take? What's it going to take? How can we get you there so that you can feel good about it or it's just good enough?

16:26.41
Bridget Willard
Yep.

16:34.81
Jen McFarland
Like I work with a lot of people and I'm like let's get you to that good enough website. You know, so that it has accurate information on it and you can start to feel comfortable enough to add things to it.

16:43.33
Bridget Willard
Yeah I mean if if they're kind of hesitant to publishing on their WordPress, Webflow, Wix, Squarespace site, then maybe writing in Microsoft Word or Google Docs is the first step.

16:59.13
Jen McFarland
Right? Oh I Tell people that. Yeah, I tell people that all the time. Yeah.

17:00.94
Bridget Willard
Or voice typing in them. Google Docs has native voice typing. You have to pretend you're a secretary. Ah you have to pretend you're dictating to a secretary though. "Comma, da, da, da da. Next paragraph."

17:14.31
Jen McFarland
I know and that's so hard. That's why it doesn't work for me. It comes out as like, you know, this. I don't know, just ocean of consciousness. You know I you know it is so funny. And I guess that this is probably also the part where I say I'm a recovering English Major. So I come at the written word you know, just by my own nature because I was an English major. Like that's what my Bachelors degree is in and so I love to write. You know, I'm listening to your show before this interview, and everybody's saying you don't you don't even have to write much people don't read.

17:48.57
Bridget Willard
I Know yeah.

17:50.12
Jen McFarland
They don't read blogs anymore and I'm like I do! So there are still people who do and it's really just about getting your content up there. And whatever it's going to take. I mean, I think the Launch With Words product is great because a lot of people need that. Oh, it's, you know, it's June 1st. And I know that I have a prompt and they're waiting for me. And whatever it takes for you to go from knowing there's a prompt to like not doing it, to knowing there's a prompt and then taking action on it. I mean that's that's what that's what needs to happen. And like having that tool is I think very powerful for people to get them started.

18:26.83
Bridget Willard
Yeah, and thank you. I mean, of course, and also thank you. But I mean I I also see as I ask people actual my actual friends that I kind of had in mind when I built this or had it built is is that decision making process. So I know we might go a tiny bit over the time, but I really want you to talk about your Epiphany Course because in the preshow, I was like yes! If you are like just starting your business or struggling in your business, I feel like this is the tool before you start anything. Can you tell them? Can you tell us about your course?

19:05.21
Jen McFarland
Yeah, so what Epiphany Courses is they are filler-free, online business courses. So there's no extraneous bonuses. These are not 16-hour courses. It's helping you make decisions in an hour or less. So if you have a question about how do I find marketing tools for my small business?

19:24.85
Jen McFarland
In an hour or less, there's ah, a system that I use that is very easy for business owners to go through and say oh okay, this is what I need. You know what kind of web platform do I need? You know, all of these questions that we get over and over and over again as marketing consultants. My business partner's a finance consultant. We just see all of this misinformation out online. And we wanted a place where we could have low-cost, quick courses, so that people could be like -- oh you know I do this that and the other thing I should really have a Shopify website. Or I should have a WordPress website you know, whatever it is. Help people make those decisions without having to go through all the blogs and without having to go through social media -- which is my least favorite thing by the way. "Hey guys. Um, so what email marketing program do you use?" And then it's like 7000 responses. And they have no idea what you're talking about, what your business is about or anything.

20:09.80
Bridget Willard
Ah.

20:15.48
Bridget Willard
Ah, it's engagement bait. It's engagement bait.

20:15.61
Jen McFarland
And I'm like -- that needs to stop. Ah so I just hate that. No no these are like business owners these are in like small business platforms. Sometimes as people I know and I'm like girl don't ask. Ah.

20:29.33
Bridget Willard
I told you like 10 hours ago but it's.

20:35.21
Jen McFarland
Ah, so that's that's fundamentally what Epiphany Courses is. Auick courses. Not a lot of ah crummy, BS bonuses that don't make any sense. Just get in and get out because business owners don't have time. For if I gave you a 16 hour course would you ever take it no matter how good it is? like would you ever go through it all? You wouldn't. And a lot of courses are trying to to sell you on a concept that you may not even need. So these courses are before that happens. Do I even need it?

20:54.48
Bridget Willard
Probably not.

21:02.82
Bridget Willard
Right.

21:07.31
Jen McFarland
And that's that's the thing we don't go into it thinking that you need XYZ we go into it with what's the information we can give you so you can decide for yourself.

21:14.26
Bridget Willard
And how do people find out about that course or those courses all right? So your biggest challenge is spelling Epiphany and I will make sure that I spell check it in the show notes. Jen, this has have been amazing.

21:20.59
Jen McFarland
http://epiphanycourses.com

21:29.89
Jen McFarland
Thank you so much for having me This is great.

21:33.32
Bridget Willard
Oh my gosh I'm so excited. Thank you guys! Going to the outro.

21:45.24
Bridget Willard
What the heck? User error. Go machine.