Creating multiple streams of income in your business is a great way to scale strategically and efficiently. But, it can be overwhelming if you do it all at once. On this episode, I'm chatting with Holly Haynes all about how she did it and what she would do differently.

Holly helps female entrepreneurs take back control of their time with proven productivity techniques, systems, and structure to create a strategy that scales long term. An industry expert, host of the Crush the Rush Podcast and featured Thrive author with a 20-year business consulting background with Fortune 500 companies, Holly runs her strategic coaching business and the Crush the Rush planner company while raising her twin daughters with her husband in addition to working for a non-profit in Columbus, Ohio.

Grab the Side Hustle Starter Kit: https://hollymariehaynes.mykajabi.com/StarterKit

Episode Transcript:

[00:00:00] Lindsay: Holly. Thank you so much for being on the Book Your Dream Clients podcast. I'm super excited to have you on today. 

[00:00:49] Holly: Thank you so much for having me. I'm very excited as well.

[00:00:54] Lindsay: I love what you do. We have very similar audiences. We have very similar goals to help women. So I would love for you to introduce yourself to our audience, who I know is going to love.

[00:01:05] Holly: Yeah. So my name is Holly Haynes and I live in Columbus, Ohio. I currently work full time and I have built a full-time six plus figure business in the last 18 months during the pandemic while raising twins who just turned eight. So I really am super passionate about teaching women, how to build.

[00:01:27] Full-time business, whatever that looks like for you on a super part-time schedule, because we're all busy and we all have different priorities in life. And no one wants to spend all of that time working. So really teaching the systems and the strategy and the structure and mindset around what you can do to really build that dream business, but not do it 24 hours a day.

[00:01:49] So yeah, I guess a quick background as we sort of dive in. 

[00:01:54] Lindsay: Okay. I love how you said, build a full-time business business, but not using full-time hours. You don't have to do that. And I think the best people to teach that are moms with little ones, because. We know how to really focus that. I mean, I don't think anyone can be more efficient than a mom who has a baby laying down for a nap.

[00:02:15] Like we can get a lot done. And I always say I built my business on that times and I'm sure you did too. And you have twins and you are balancing all the things like most of us are. And so why did you decide you don't want to work on your business every day? Was that what you were doing 

[00:02:31] Holly: when you first start?

[00:02:32] Yeah. So I actually started in network marketing when my girls were about 18 months old. So it was very much like the nap, time hustle and long story short, it went very well. And I ended up building a decent sized team, but I completely burnt out because every waking minute of free time that I had. I was working and it was the days when, you know, you're sending like hundreds of messages on Instagram and you got to post on Facebook 12 times a day.

[00:03:00] Like it was a little bit of a different environment than it is now. And I just burnt out and I was like, you know what? This is not going to work well. One, I wasn't making the sort of money that I should have been making, given the amount of time that I was putting in. But I just realized that I had to stop trading dollars for hours.

[00:03:17] Like it's not a one-to-one ratio. So in January of. 2020. I decided I was going to give myself a year challenge. We actually talking about this before the interview aired. I really liked like one year challenges. And I was like, I'm gonna pivot my business and teach a little bit more of what I know, which was going back to my corporate career, but I'm going to give myself one year to do it.

[00:03:41] But the number one thing I did at the beginning of that year was figure out when I'm going to work and when I'm not going to, because at that point in time, My family was so sick of me working. Like they resented my laptop on the kitchen table. They would like roll their eyes when my phone came out or I was like, Hey, you know, like smile for Instagram stories.

[00:04:02] They really were so over it. So I had to figure out a better way. And so I just, I sort of started 20, 20 fresh with like, these are my business hours, these are the rules and we have one year to figure it out. And so that's sort of how I got to today. What are the. 

[00:04:19] Lindsay: Things that coaches, especially when they're first starting, I think it's a challenge because they really love building their business.

[00:04:27] Like it's really fun. We could probably do it all day and all night if we really were allowed to, because we decided to create something from our brain and we can see it actually growing on the screen in front of us. And it, at times it's really exciting to just work on it and perfected and play with it.

[00:04:44] And yes, those hours can just be, I feel like the time goes by really fast when we're sitting in front of the computer sometimes, and it's hard to justify why I would have to pull myself away from something that I love. What do you mean that doing this too much is going to hurt my business and the, and the things around me.

[00:05:03] So what are some signs that you are putting way too many hours into your business and everything else is kind of dwindling away. 

[00:05:11] Holly: Yeah. I mean, the biggest sign for me was that my family resented everything about my business. And honestly, if you want to have a successful business and you, like, you do have a partner or a family, like they've got to be in it with you because it is no easy path and you really don't want to be doing it by yourself.

[00:05:28] So that was my first sign. My second sign is what I call the three S's and it's scrolling snacking and sneezing. And that was. I loved what I was doing, but I knew that like something had to change because the stress and anxiety that was building up of like, oh, I have to get up at like four 30 today.

[00:05:45] Then I have to work till 11. O'clock like, that is just not sustainable. And so I really had to just think about like, This is not like a short game, right? Like this is a long game. This is like a three to five to 10 year game. So what do I need to do today? So that, I'm where I want to be five years from now.

[00:06:04] And it just felt very different than like, oh, I have to spend five hours today doing XYZ, because I knew that if I spent an hour consistently as an example, every single day that I would get much closer to my goals and if I wasn't consistent. And so I, I honestly. Truly slowed down a little bit to speed up in the longterm.

[00:06:27] Lindsay: I think one of the biggest light bulb moments for new coaches out there is setting their hours. Like they didn't even think that they could do that. And I always say, is this how you want to be running your business in five years? And they say, well, no. And then the, the thing that really catches their attention is what if you were working a full-time job and your boss said, yeah, you're going to have to clock in at four 30.

[00:06:51] And at like midnight you'll be done, I would say, no, thank you. I'm not doing that. I have to spend time with my family. I have things to do. So is that how your business is running? Our, I always say, are you being your own worst boss ever? How are you treating yourself as you work through? And if we give ourselves two hours to craft a month's worth of Instagram posts, we'll get it done.

[00:07:14] But if we give ourselves a week to do it, we'll get it done until it's all a matter of 

[00:07:18] Holly: blocking out your time. Yeah, exactly. And I, I came up with a schedule that's like eight hours a week. So typically it's like one to one and a half hours, Monday through Friday. And then Saturday mornings, I typically do like some sort of like creative session where.

[00:07:33] I have like white space to just like brainstorm and, and think a little bit past like just being in the weeds. And then Sundays I plan. And so at a minimum, it's eight hours a week and that's like 420 hours a year. Like it's a lot of time. And so in my head, I was like, I'm just gonna stick to this and I'm going to be really consistent with it.

[00:07:53] And that's what works. I mean, that's how we got to where we are now. So it worked really 

[00:07:57] Lindsay: well for you, and that's kind of a part of what you teach is, you know, set your hours so you can streamline your business better. And I think that does allow the, I think we have a tendency to go to our computer and try to find something to do instead of having direction on what to do.

[00:08:14] Do you 

[00:08:15] Holly: see that. Yeah, I actually experienced it this morning because I was sitting down and I knew the number one thing I had to do was create content for my membership club. Yeah. Like my brain didn't want to do it. Like, and I think that happens to all of us. And so then you like start scrolling and you start like, oh, get a snack or I'll get breakfast.

[00:08:36] And I'm like, no, Holly, like you only have one hour before the kids are up. Like you have to get this done. Like there's no other time to do this today. And so I, for me, it's a mix of like turning off all of the distractions, which is very hard to do, and it's not easy. And then like setting those deadlines.

[00:08:52] Cause I knew if I got it done this morning that I would have the rest of the day to do whatever I wanted, which is much more fun. So I sort of use that as motivation 

[00:09:01] Lindsay: and we don't, we have so many distractions on right in front of us in our hand. It's unbelievable. So how do you stay focused? Do you have any special tools that you use.

[00:09:11] Holly: Yeah. A lot of people ask me this and I wish I had this like secret sauce that everyone would be like, yes, that is it. But it's, I try to keep things really, really simple. So one I set business hours to during that hour or whatever the timeframe is, I am super specific on what I want to do. So like the content example you gave.

[00:09:31] Maybe I'm writing content, but that's all I'm doing. Not doing anything else. I will go as far as like putting headphones on, so I don't hear people. I will turn like my timer on so that I know I have a set period of time to do it. For me early morning hours are the best because no one is up. And I'm not a night person.

[00:09:51] Like I will fall asleep on the couch at nine 30. So it just like I've tried the night and I've just done. Like, I just, just I'm much better in the morning. So I just try to be really consistent with those things. It's not rocket science and it's not fancy tools. Like I think people are like, oh, use Trello or use the sun, which I do.

[00:10:10] I mean, I do have planning tools, but I always say like, it's not the tool. That's going to get you to the next step. It's the consistency of showing up and just following through with whatever you need to do, like you could do the exact same thing with a Google doc, as you can Trello. It just depends on like what you liked the best.

[00:10:30] But I think so often people are like, I need this new fancy tool and it's going to solve all my problems. And it's really not because you're going to have the same habits behind the tool. So you've got to really focus on like following through with those habits. Oh, 

[00:10:43] Lindsay: definitely. And it's a skill you have to sharpen.

[00:10:46] If it's something that's not been a part of your daily life, if you're just kind of a wing it person and you're trying to be more structured in your business, it isn't going to be yes, because you plugged everything into a sauna. You will magically have it done 

[00:11:01] Holly: nice and colorful, but you have to actually 

[00:11:03] Lindsay: do it so you can check it off.

[00:11:07] But, you know, we're always tempted with the tools. And so I just love to ask that because sometimes we can get inspired and I don't use anything fancy either. I just use a sauna. I love the Toby I'm on my internet browser, but I feel like with, with everyone, you have to look at your. And how, 

[00:11:24] Holly: how your, the 

[00:11:25] Lindsay: surroundings are.

[00:11:26] So for me, I can set a timer because I have three kids walking in here all the time who needs something, a puppy who has to go potty every 25 seconds outside and stuff. Like if I set a timer, then that's another thing that I have to do. So I have to do it my own way and setting hours giving me. Two hours a day or whatever it is to work on my business.

[00:11:47] And then I can, if I don't get it done, I'll move it on to the next day. And I think we beat ourselves up too much 

[00:11:52] Holly: about staying 

[00:11:53] Lindsay: on task. Are you okay with moving things to the next 

[00:11:56] Holly: day? Are you, if, if you don't get it done or what does. Yeah. I actually use this method called the cake method and it's it's, I mean, everyone has heard like pick three things.

[00:12:07] And so for me, I think of my day as like a three layer cake and everything else is sprinkles that I don't get done. So I'll go into my day and I'll be like, oh, I know that I have a bunch of nine to five meetings. That's one layer. I know that maybe I want to record a podcast. That's another layer. And then like, maybe my girls have girl Scouts.

[00:12:25] That's like the third layer. So those are things that like, absolutely have to happen for the day. I have a list of like a hundred other things, but I just sort of have those on like a piece of paper or in my trailer. And if I don't get them done, I just move them to whatever category we're looking at.

[00:12:43] And there are some days when three things don't get done. And so I'm like, you know what, that's fine. Like we're going to do the most important thing for the day. One thing at a time, and then we'll just adjust. So I mean, I think there are so many different ways that you can plan your day and list things out.

[00:12:58] But like the bottom line is, is you have to prioritize. What's the most important thing today. That you need to get done and then everything else has sprinkles. So that's how I like to think of it. And then, like, I don't get angry with myself when I don't get a hundred things done because one it's impossible, but two, I know like, Hey, here are the top three things I'm going to try to do today.

[00:13:20] And most of the time I'd say 95% of the time I will get them done because it's just a small, simple. 

[00:13:27] Lindsay: Love that. Okay. So you mentioned you have a membership. What other kind of layers of your income streams do you have 

[00:13:35] Holly: going on? Yeah, so this is actually an interesting story and something that I'm like super passionate about talking about, and that is having multiple layers of income.

[00:13:45] And I w I think I knew this in my head. Cause you hear people talk about it, but like as a new. Entrepreneur or you're like, I don't like, how is this even possible? So I started out actually with a course and I developed a course and launched it. And I had a really small list because I could not resell to my network marketing lists, like legally, I just wasn't allowed to pitch them and less they like re opted in.

[00:14:10] So my list was like less than a hundred people. And when you think about like, let's just pretend you have a $97 course, or let's just make it a hundred for ease and you have a hundred people on your list. And then let's just say like 1% by like, you're not going to. Make your dream income off of that model, at least initially.

[00:14:33] So the course was like great for me to create, but I was like, I have to come up with different ways of bringing income in one so that it could be more predictable. And to like I needed something a little more higher ticket, at least in the short term, because I don't have a large list in income as a really big goal of mine.

[00:14:51] So I started with the course, and then I added in one-on-one coaching, which is my favorite thing to do when you're first getting started, because I truly feel like you can use that as a platform to ask questions figure out if what you're teaching is working and then use it to create products longer-term.

[00:15:10] So I layered in some one-on-one coaching. And then out of that created my membership, which is a monthly membership. And basically it came from me asking questions in my one-on-one coaching and designing it around what people were asking. So now I've got a course that, you know, is occasionally bringing in income.

[00:15:30] I've got a membership which is monthly income, which is a little bit more predictive, predictable. And then I have one-on-ones that I can like layer in as I have time or feel like I need some, like. Quick like cash infusion, which a lot of people just don't talk about. Like they talk about impact and being able to serve, which are obviously like number one.

[00:15:53] But I mean, we all started this business to make some sort of money. So I really liked that model because I started having like multiple income streams. And then I layered on top of the. This past year, I'm a high ticket mastermind offer which really helped just get ahead in terms of planning and being able to serve and being able to have that predictable income.

[00:16:20] And then as a side, we also introduced a planner which creating a planner is not probably the best income stream right off the bat because it's an actual physical product, but now we have what, four or five different. Ways to bring in income. And then on top of that, I layered affiliates. So like, I will recommend different tools that I use or have partnerships with other coaches.

[00:16:45] And that has been able to bring in different income streams as well. So that's what it currently looks like. Now it started with a course and then it sort of built on slowly on top of that. I think 

[00:16:57] Lindsay: it's important to note that Holly didn't one day decide I'm going to have a course, a membership coaching, a planner mastermind all at one time.

[00:17:05] She slowly built it up. And I know that so many of us are want to have all the things right now. If you could go back and change the order that you did things, would you change it or do you recommend sticking to this? 

[00:17:20] Holly: Yeah, that's a great question. Yes. I would change the order. I actually so in October of this past year, I actually simplified my product suite just a little bit.

[00:17:30] I would anyone that's starting. I really truly, truly recommend just doing a couple of one-on-ones off the bat because you don't need a fancy website. You don't need fancy tools. Like you could use a PayPal business link for people to pay you, which is free. Like it's not hard. And it's going to give you.

[00:17:48] So much information that then you can develop your products, wheat to what makes sense for you and your clients. So I really try to take that like community aspect first and like, what are people asking for? The second thing that I did when I launched my course that I would do again, is I taught it live.

[00:18:07] So I would, I wish I would've started with one-on-ones first, but then when I did do my course, one thing that. I do think I did write it once I taught it live. So, so often I see people spending like six months creating this like beautiful course, which is amazing. But then when they go to sell it, they're like, no one's buying it or I don't have a list.

[00:18:29] So I really love the live launch model, which is basically marketing. Before you have it, which sounds super weird, but you map it out and then you teach it live and you can teach it in like a Facebook group. Like, again, you don't need anything fancy, like I've had clients go through and do like a six week live course where each week is a different theme, which eventually is a module.

[00:18:51] In their course, they teach it, they get feedback. Then they go back and actually put it in like a fancy tool and then they watch it. So that model, I love like starting with one-on-ones and then doing like some sort of live launch and then taking that feedback and figuring out like, what's the best next thing.

[00:19:09] That's what I probably would do going forward. And then you can think about layering in. Different types of products, like a low ticket, mid ticket or high ticket, but you don't need all of that to be successful. And I think so often people just get stuck in like the creating of like, I need a tripwire, which is like a very low ticket offer.

[00:19:29] I need a course or I need this. And you really don't. You just need to think about what's the best way for you to serve. And then what's the best use of your time based on what your goals are? 

[00:19:41] Lindsay: Well, I think a lot of people stay in the creative zone, for example that, like 

[00:19:46] Holly: Holly said, 

[00:19:47] Lindsay: they'll build their course for six months.

[00:19:48] They'll stay in that zone because. It's a safe zone and no one is rejecting their chorus at that time. No one's rejecting their ideas, their anything. And so they're staying safe by I'm working on my course and they kind of just kind of ghost out and they're deep down into this creative zone. And then all of a sudden, you know, they launch it and it doesn't work out the way it does, which happens to everybody.

[00:20:12] It's not a big deal. It's so much more hurtful that way because they rejected this massive thing that you've been working on for months. And you take it so personally, because you've spent so much time on there and you can't get that time back. So, yes, I totally agree with you. Suggestion of working with clients first working on your group program, do what life or is this what I did with Stena coaching academy, which is four years old in February.

[00:20:37] And that's exactly what I did. And then you can keep just perfecting it as you go. And then pretty soon it's all done and people can just go in and do it. But the initial part of it. Do one thing at a time, get it done, do it well, make sure it's effective for the people who are investing in you and then move forward to the next thing.

[00:20:55] And then, then you have a mastermind yet to, so how did you decide that the mastermind was the next best step for you? 

[00:21:02] Holly: Yeah, so, you know, I'm sort of dabbling at the time in. My membership and the course, and at the time the planner hadn't quite come out yet. And for me personally, being in a mastermind.

[00:21:17] Is what changed the game for me? Like I'm the type of person that I'll I'll purchase a course and then I'll take it. But at this point I had probably taken 50 plus courses and I was like, it's not a course. That's going to get me to the next level. Like, I need somebody that's like two or three steps in front of me that can like give me ideas and introduce me to people.

[00:21:36] Like I was still fairly new to this like entrepreneurial world. So joining a mastermind and sort of my like year long challenge. Is what changed the game. And I was like, I want to bring that to my community. I also knew that I needed a high ticket offer whether it be a course or something that was more than like $200.

[00:21:57] So for me, I created the mastermind community based on how I learned and what I liked. So it's very much a mix of. Partnership and community, but where there's also, I call it like my MBA, a business, and it's like everything I learned in like six months as I scaled really, really fast. So we talk about like, press and.

[00:22:20] We go and trademarks and like stuff that like you don't think about that you wish somebody would tell you. And then I layer on top just like community aspect, where we meet once a week and we have office hours and you can ask questions. And it's been, life-changing, it's been life changing for me to lead it, but also I've seen so much growth in my clients.

[00:22:41] And I, we were talking about this before. Like it's how I knew it was the right thing to do because it's. So good, like money aside, like it just like, it just lights me up to talk about it. And it's like my it's probably my favorite thing to do. As. 

[00:22:58] Lindsay: I love, I love those kinds of sessions. I don't drive my soca calls either because I get to see how everyone's growing and I love answering questions.

[00:23:08] I could do it all day and it is, it is a great marker. To tell you that yes, you are doing the right thing. Cause this absolutely lates you up no matter how long you've been doing it. I know a lot of people who want to launch a mastermind for example, and they've done the other things, but they wonder how they can differentiate the mastermind from their course, from their membership.

[00:23:29] How, how do you, how did you decide. This is what I'm only going to teach you the mastermind and not in my other 

[00:23:35] Holly: programs. Yeah. So my background is in customer experience and product development. So I put a lot of time into creating my product suite and making sure that it all works together, which kind of goes back to the philosophy of slowing down to speed up.

[00:23:52] So I like hit pause on everything and took like a couple of days. Long-term like, what does this product suite look like? So you start with the planner, which is just like super introductory. Like it's a tangible thing. It shows up at your door. Like you get to know me, like it's not expensive. And then the planner leads you to the membership, which is where you get like a little bit more of the community and the club training.

[00:24:17] More group focused instead of one-on-one right? Because you're in a community. And so the price point is at a place where you're getting a lot of help and support, but it's in a group setting. And then the mastermind is sort of like the graduate of the clubs. So I have a lot of club members that then are like, Hey Holly, we want more of this.

[00:24:38] Like, we want more of you and the community. And then they'll move on to the mastermind and the difference between the club and the mastermind is obviously the one-on-one support that you get from me. But the training is just much more high touch and customized. So like, as an example of the club, like we plan the club content a quarter in advance and it's based on questions that people ask me where the mastermind content is.

[00:25:05] Planned out maybe two or three weeks in advance. And you know, if people are asking like how to build funnels, then I'll teach a course on that or a class on that, how to do that, or I'll bring in an expert if I don't know how to do it. So it's really me like working for you in the mastermind to make sure that you have what you need without you.

[00:25:25] To spend time to like go find a course or go find somebody to teach you. But I also layer in accountability in the mastermind, which I don't think a lot of masterminds have. And that is once a week, we meet as a group on Mondays and do. Office hours where you can ask questions, but then every Friday I will check in with you.

[00:25:45] So I will ask you, like, how did your week go? Like, where are you at with your goals? And so if you layer on that accountability for six months, like people see a lot of growth. And so it's just more, a lot more high touch, but that's sort of how the product suite works. And then we have a graduate mastermind program.

[00:26:02] So after you go through the mastermind, you're in this like graduate community. And so it's just like one big community, but with different levels of. 

[00:26:10] Lindsay: Hmm. I love that. And I can see how you honor your time more with the value that you provide. For example, with your mastermind is kind of almost not on demand training, but if they need something, you'll create it or you'll reach out and find somebody.

[00:26:23] And I think that's a great way to keep people in with you because they know that you're their go-to girl. The people you bring in are top-notch and they can rely on you to help. And they seek your advice because they admire what you do. So I like that. I think that's really manageable, especially with all the other things you have going on.

[00:26:43] I think the important thing to take away from this conversation is in my, in my opinion, if you want to do all these things, And, but don't do them. All right. Now, just pick one. I think get set up for clients decide and run, run your course, go launch your course, go do it. I think this is a perfect time to launch a course.

[00:27:03] This time of year is fantastic. And then work with your students, perfect your program, and then choose the next best thing for you. But working, working increments, take small steps. Do you have anything else to say? 

[00:27:15] Holly: Yeah. I mean, if I was listening to this podcast, like two years ago, I would be. That's insane.

[00:27:22] Like I could never do all of that. Like it's so even when I tell the story, like, I'm just like, I, I still can't believe that it looks like what it does today, but it, honestly, it came back to what I talked about at the beginning was one step at a time. And I showed up every single day, so that one hour or that two hour, and I was like, what's the best next step?

[00:27:41] Like, what are we going to work on? And what's the focus. And just not getting tripped up by like the shiny objects and then just knowing your, your path. Right? So like taking some time to figure out from a income stream perspective, like what are all the different ideas you have and then pick one and follow it through and then come back and think about the next one.

[00:28:02] And then eventually you'll have this sort of product suite that you could choose from. But I would highly recommend not doing it all at once. Like it's impossible and you're not going to make as much progress because you're going to have so many things. Started at one time. Oh yes, absolutely. 

[00:28:15] Lindsay: It's like putting a little bit of water in six different cups and you can't, we can't run off of that.

[00:28:21] How can people find your crush, the rush planner so they can get started working with. 

[00:28:27] Holly: Yeah. So you could just go to Holly, Marie haynes.com. The planner is on there. I also have a quiz that you can take, which will give you your business productivity personality. So if you start to feel overwhelmed or you're like, I don't know what to start with next, the quiz will give you results of how to get focused based on what your personality is, which is super fun.

[00:28:47] And the podcast, the crush, the rush podcast. I talk a lot about the tools and tips that I gave here to. 

[00:28:54] Lindsay: Awesome. We'll put all those links in the show notes. Of course, Holly, thank you so much for being on the podcast. It was really great to hear your story and how you've evolved. You're doing amazing.

[00:29:05] And I think everyone's going to love this episode. 

[00:29:07] Holly: Thank you so much