Being a Mom & Entrepreneur is Hard…and Other Things with Ami Youngs

SPEAKERS

Ami Youngs, Rita Suzanne

Rita Suzanne  00:01

Welcome to the mom owned and operated Podcast, the podcast about moms and for moms, where we have candid conversations about running a business, raising a family, and remembering ourselves. I’m your host, Rita Suzanne, a single mom of four, digital strategist and provider of no nonsense business strategies and tactics. Hi, this is Rita Suzanne. And today I have my guest, Amy with me, Amy, please tell everyone all about you, your business and your family. And thank you, first of all, for joining us.

Ami Youngs  00:38

Yeah, thanks for having me. I’m excited to have this conversation. So I’m Amy Spencer, Young’s I’m a mom, entrepreneur and copywriter, and I empower mom bosses to master their mindset and tame the chaos of mom life, so that they can grow their businesses without sacrificing family. And I just love working with moms because as a mom myself, it was hard to find a mentor who knew what I had been through so or knew what I was going through at the time. So that’s why I do what I do now. I started as a freelance copywriter, though, so I did that for about 20 years before I transitioned into the mentoring space. I am also a yoga teacher, I love to read. I’m a personal development junkie. And I have two boys who are now eight and 10. We live in Northern New York, and we have a dog and two cats.

Rita Suzanne  01:43

I love it. Okay, so my first question is always like, what did the path of becoming an entrepreneur look like for you?

Ami Youngs  01:52

Yeah, so as I kind of just alluded to, you know, I started in my mid 20s, as a freelance copywriter. As a side hustle for my full time job, I worked on things like website copy, and E newsletters and blogs for small business owners when those were pretty new things. So that was kind of exciting to jump in, you know, when blogging and and all the web stuff was pretty new. And I never really pushed to create a full time income from that it was just like something I did for fun for extra money. But then, when I got married, and had my oldest I, at the time was working like a 45 minute one way, commute way. So you know, I did some remote work for them for a little while. And then when they started pushing me to come back full time, I realized I didn’t want to add two more hours onto an already like nine to five job with my commute. So I decided to quit, and really focused on pursuing a full time income or money out. And as I worked to kind of build my business, I realized that I couldn’t do things the same way I did when I was single, when I was doing it as a side hustle. That work that I had to put in was a lot different when I wanted it to be my full time income. And it was a lot harder when I was also caring for an infant. So you know, I started looking for mentors who were doing doing things with kids at home, and I couldn’t really find them at that time. So I learned what I could I took what I put I created, you know, strategies that work for me. And over time, I decided to start helping other moms were starting and growing businesses do the same without all that extra learning curve.

Rita Suzanne  03:51

I love that I think that that’s so important to have someone who can teach you along the way. And oftentimes, I think that we’re afraid to even ask for help. So you know, knowing that someone is out there to help you is so important. Even if it’s you know, especially in the beginning, do you find that when people are first starting out? They’re, you know, bootstrapping, or you know, they’re low money funds. And so how does that work with your services?

Ami Youngs  04:22

Yeah, so, you know, I know as when I was first starting as a mom, we had one income, so it wasn’t like I had a lot of extra money to invest in my business. I was doing a lot of, you know, following the mentors that I resonated with and then taking all of their free stuff, every free challenge they did every freebie they offered, I was in it until I was making enough that I could invest in, you know, maybe their low ticket offer and then continue to grow and invest in myself. And so, a lot of the stuff that I offer you know, I’m a free group I do free workshops or free master classes. And then I also have a range of offers for moms in whatever, you know, stage of business they’re in. So I have the low ticket, you know, $11 to $100, kind of mini courses or, or workshops, longer workshops, and then I have some mid ticket offers that are, you know, a little bit more. And then I have my high ticket like high touch one on one and mastermind stuff. So I try to make it accessible for as many moms as possible, because I’ve been there you know, I get how it can be. It can be number one, it can be hard for us to convince ourselves that we’re worth investing the money in because we I don’t have any clients, I don’t, you know, we don’t have a lot of money, whatever it is, but then it’s also, you know, when you’re first starting out, taking those little steps can start to build the momentum to get you where you want to go. So I want to make sure that every mom out there who’s growing a business has access to the resources that they need.

Rita Suzanne  06:10

Yeah, I think that’s important. I know that one of the first things I had to learn when I started was that my mindset wasn’t there. So I think that that’s a goes hand in hand with what you’re saying with, they don’t feel like they deserve it. It’s because they don’t really know what they could do just yet. Right?

Ami Youngs  06:31

Yeah. Yeah, absolutely. And mindset is actually really at the core of everything that I teach when I’m working with clients, because I believe that if the mindset isn’t there, then no strategy, no action, no marketing, no content is gonna do anything for you, if you don’t have the mindset that you can actually be successful.

Rita Suzanne  06:55

It’s funny, because I remember my first coach, she told me, she said, you know, you really have a mindset problem, I had no idea. I had no idea what that even meant. So, you know, now having been in the business for, you know, in this industry for so long, I understand what it means. But when someone who’s not familiar, hears mindset, what to you, does that mean?

Ami Youngs  07:23

I mean, mindset really is just how do you perceive the world around you? Do you look at it, like, everything’s a problem? Like, everything is a challenge? Like you’re the victim, or, you know, nothing goes right for you? Like, is that how you see the world? Or do you see the world as possibility and opportunity and solutions? Right? So I think, in helping people to see their mindset may not be where they want it to be. I usually just start with like, what are the thoughts that you think when you’re faced with a challenge? What are the, you know, what’s the voice that comes up? Is it you know, that negative Nancy or is it supportive? Sally, who’s like, yes, we can do this, you know, it’s really about like, what are you hearing in your head every day?

Rita Suzanne  08:18

Yeah, I think that’s so true. And in believing in themselves, because often we’re, you know, work because we’re not seeing our client, you know, clients coming in, or any sales coming in, then it’s easy to fall into that little pattern of, nothing’s working for me. And this isn’t meant to be for me, but if you just can flip your mindset around a little bit, then you know, things will start to happen. And and it’ll be easier if your mindset is there with you along the way. So I love that you’re tackling that I think it’s super important foundational piece that a lot of people miss.

Ami Youngs  08:57

Absolutely, absolutely. And I think that when, you know, when I first started with personal development and learning about my mindset, you know, I would hear like, just switch that belief into something that you want to believe. And it would be like, Okay, well, right now, I don’t believe that I can run a business with a baby at home. I think it’s too hard. And so I’m just gonna start telling myself, I can have a million dollar business with a baby at home. But that gap between my current reality and where I wanted to be was so big, that there was no belief there was just words coming out of my mouth. So I had to learn to take the baby steps even in my mindset, like okay, yes, this is hard, but I know I can do it. Right. Maybe that’s where you start. Yes, this is hard, but I know I can get my first client. or Yes, this is hard, but I know that I can, you know, do one thing today to help me get closer To my goal, and start there, and then gradually, you know, get to that belief of I can build a million dollar business and the baby at home. Yeah, I

Rita Suzanne  10:09

think that’s true. Because for me something like that is seems so unrealistic, right? Like, I’m a realist, and, and, and so some of the woowoo stuff, it just is too much for me, but a lot of it I do, you know, I do prescribe to like journaling and affirmations. And because I say that, because I realized what she had told me, as you know, you put these affirmations up and have them around you. And at first I was just like, This is so silly. But I would catch myself just glancing up there and reading them and then starting to believe them, even though they you know, at first I thought that they were silly. And then I had so many breakthroughs with journaling, and you know, all these other things that it started to be for me a reality that if you don’t have your mindset, mindset, correct, then your business cannot succeed, right? Because, yeah, you’re going to stumble through a lot of it, especially in the first two years, you’re going to be stumbling all over yourself.

Ami Youngs  11:10

Yeah. Yeah. And that mindset isn’t like one and done. It’s not like, Okay, now I’ve got a positive mindset, and everything’s gonna go great. Mindset is something that you’re constantly working on every level in your life in your business, there’s going to be another belief that you’re like, Oh, I didn’t, even though that was there. Right. And, and now that’s something I have to like shift and change. So that’s another thing that I think people don’t either they don’t get, or they don’t really want to put the work in because it is daily, consistent, regular work that you have to do to, you know, look at Rico’s affirmations every day, do that journaling every day. And yeah, the, the mindset challenges that you face are going to change over time, but there’s always going to be something that you’re working through,

Rita Suzanne  12:05

especially, you know, because life is throwing stuff at you every day. And no, like, for me, when I started my business, I’ve had the most challenging nine years of my life, you know, and so, does this coincide with me starting my business? I’m not really sure. But I think that having the tools that I got from, you know, help me with my mindset really helped me get through a lot of it. And so I think that that was important. So let’s switch a little bit from mindset. Let’s talk about what is your core service that you offer for your business? Yeah,

Ami Youngs  12:42

so I would say that, you know, my core service really comes down to three things. It’s that mindset, first and foremost, like I said, and then there’s also strategy. So time and energy management, as well as marketing strategy, business strategy. And then there’s the messaging part, which is, you know, the content creation, and the copywriting and the email and the sales pages. Because the women that I work with mostly are online service based entrepreneurs. So they’re creating the content. They’re doing the website, they’re doing the sales pages. And that’s a big part of what they do. And it’s also a part of like my experience and my knowledge. So it’s kind of those three core things for me.

Rita Suzanne  13:31

Well, I love that you talked about messaging a little bit, because I feel like that is one of the biggest stumbling blocks that a lot of entrepreneurs happen upon. So can you tell us like, some tips on how to get your messaging? Correct? Because I think that that, and, you know, just knowing what differentiates you is the two main things that entrepreneurs struggle with.

Ami Youngs  13:58

Yeah, so it’s really, it comes down to a couple of really basic things. And when I say basic, I mean, like, you really should have these things locked down when you start your business, or else they’re gonna keep, like, you’re gonna keep stumbling over them every step of the way. So knowing who you’re serving, and then knowing how you’re solving their problem. So what problem you’re solving and how you’re solving it. And when you know those things, then you can create messaging that uses their language, the people that you’re serving, that talks to the problems and the pain points that they have, but also that talks, the things that they desire, the goals that they’re trying to reach. So your messaging isn’t just about you, your business, what you do, it’s about your person, and how you support them and how you help them. And that that I think is really key. So and that can evolve over time, like it’s going to change as you grow as you learn as you offer new things as your business evolves, but it’s something you have to know when you start, you have to know like, who am I serving? And how am I helping them? What problem? Am I solving for them? And it seems really basic, but so many people that I talk to are like, yeah, yeah, I did that ideal client exercise. I know who I’m serving, but then it’s like, Okay, so tell me about them. It’s like, well, they’re women who run businesses, like

Rita Suzanne  15:38

50 and 75.

Ami Youngs  15:43

It’s like, oh, okay, well, now we got to really dig in. And we got to really like figure this out. And you don’t have to know everything about them. I tell my clients, like you don’t have to sit down and like, know everything about them. But a great way that I, that I’ve learned works for most people, is to think about like, either, if you’ve never had a client before, what experiences have you had that relates to what your clients going through and think about who you were at that time, or had some clients think about your absolute favorite client, and then think about, you know, who they are, what they do, what they you know, what they look like, what the problems are, that they have, and that way, you’ve got like a real, when you sit down to write your content, or create your sales page, whatever it is, you have, like a real person in your head, that you can speak to, you know, talk to them, like you’re talking to a friend to talk to that old version of you, or talk to your favorite client. That makes it a lot easier. I think when you sit down to create content, when you’re like, Okay, I’m just going to have a conversation, I’m just gonna, like, tell them what I’m excited about, or tell them you know, tell them how I solve this problem, or give them my favorite tip on XYZ. I mean, when you sit down with a girlfriend, you know, you’re always sharing like, that recipe or, you know that, that product that you love, or whatever it is, and that’s exactly what you need to do in your messaging to really create that connection, that will then get you clients or customers.

Rita Suzanne  17:18

Yeah, I think that’s so important. For me, I think that because I’ve been so into branding and marketing for so long, that I think that that’s something that people fail to do. And often, like you said, clients will come to me and they would want help, but they wouldn’t know who their target audience is. And so I subscribe to the power of one. Do you do that as well?

Ami Youngs  17:43

Oh, um, I’m not exactly sure. Okay, what that is? Yeah.

Rita Suzanne  17:48

So the power of one is basically when you have one ideal person in mind. So just based on what you were saying is, what is the power of one. So then you get to know that person in an out. And that way, when you’re sitting down, and you’re writing copy, or you’re creating your social media posts, or even when you’re creating your offers, you have that one person in mind, and it actually flows easier for you. And as your business grows, you can have more people, but it would, you know, be that same person at different levels of their business and their right, because how do you create multiple offers, if you only have the power of one, you know, sticking out over there? Right? Yeah, so yeah, yeah, I subscribe to so what is the core benefit that you’re offering to your customers, and clients?

Ami Youngs  18:44

I think it’s in the knowledge that’s necessary to really create a unique physics, business structure that works for them and their family. And then the confidence to take that continued action to get the results and have the impact that they really want to have.

Rita Suzanne  19:03

I love all of that. So when someone signs up to work with you, what does it look like?

Ami Youngs  19:11

Well, it varies depending on you know, what offer they jump into, but you know, typically they’ll sign up on the website for whatever the offer is. And then depending on how they kind of came into the funnel, they’ll either get an email or a DM with the details that they need. Most of my offers include a Facebook group or a boxer kind of messaging element. So they’ll get the info they need to join the group or get that support. And then if they get calls, they’ll get all of that information in an email as well. So how to schedule or how to participate in group calls. And then you know, the, the rest is dependent on whether you program our course are one on one. But yeah, that’s the basics.

Rita Suzanne  20:04

I love that you’re offering Voxer, too. I do that with my more one to one, sessions. But I think that it’s so important because it helps you along the way. Like, what if I just have the most silly question? And I’m like, I can’t wait until next week, but I, you know, I really want an answer. And so then I, it allows you to have that instant access, but it gives us a little bit of space as well to answer it when we can, without it feeling too, you know, too heavy. So what do you think that your clients like, about working with you?

Ami Youngs  20:44

I think first they like having a mentor who knows what their current experiences it is, what the challenges they’re having our with the problems, you know, they’re working through our, I’ve had a lot of clients tell me that they really love how I hold space for them and ask them questions. That seems to be kind of a unique thing for a coach that really focuses on working with businesses. I’m not always quick to tell my clients what to do or how to do it. Although I will offer advice or give suggestions for strategy and things like that, I tend to help them kind of pull the answer out that they already know, right? They already know a lot of times what’s going to work for them and what’s not gonna work for them. And they just need someone to hold that space for them to either find the answer or to be confident enough to take action based on that answer.

Rita Suzanne  21:49

I think that that’s important. So what is your favorite thing about what you do?

Ami Youngs  21:57

I’d say I have two favorites. So I love the kind of creative elements of being able to integrate the like writing and editing into the work I do, you know, I help clients with their copy, I audit their, their social media content, I give them help with sales pages and emails. That’s fun for me. But I also really love being on the calls with them and seeing that moment where they have the shift, or they have the AHA, right, where they where they realize in real time that they know an answer, or they have a new action that they can take. There’s nothing like seeing the client, like get that shift or celebrate that action. And, you know, and know that their their results came from the work that they’ve been doing that I think is priceless, just being there with them in those moments.

Rita Suzanne  22:52

I love that too. I think it’s, you know, I think it’s so rewarding, you know, because now that I don’t do services, just witnessing my clients actually have those moments of winning is so much better. Because before I can hand them this tangible, beautiful website, you know, it’s all wonderful. It’s doing all the things but now that I’m not doing that anymore, it you know, you have to set up I guess another thing I have this list going of all the women that I’ve been helping over this past year. So it’s like, oh, great, I can add one more person to my list, which is my mission to help as many women as well, I’ve, I have a number. So that helps keep me on track. So I’m trying to help at least 100 women before August. So even if I just do one little tiny thing, I’m like, Okay, you get to get on the list.

Ami Youngs  23:45

Yeah, I love it. And I think that’s a really good example of how, when we’re maybe struggling with our mindset about how much impact we’re having, if we can really back up a little bit and think about what can success look like? That’s not like that big thing. Right? success can be Oh, I answered someone’s question in the DMS today. Oh, I, I got a new member of my group today, right? Like, these are the things and if you keep track of those things, that creates that momentum that builds that confidence.

Rita Suzanne  24:23

Yeah, I have a so two things that I think that people can do in order to help kind of make that last longer is I have a folder in my email that I call my, my kind words is what I call it, but so anytime someone sends me something nice, I put it over there. And that way if I’m struggling ever to, you know, move past a certain point or you know, ever feeling like I’m not making an impact, I can go into the kind words and just read the nice things that were said to me but then also creating what some people call a one In wall, and so just having all your wins on that wall over there and having it every time you look at it, it would be a motivator. So I think that’s important too. Yeah. So I’m excited to hear since you are so into audible and reading and stuff, what are you currently reading right now?

Ami Youngs  25:24

So I mean, I have a long list, I’m always reading at least one or two books. But right now I’m reading and working through the artists way by Julia Cameron. I, I really, I did it a long time ago. And then, you know, having kids I, I kind of, I lost the creativity that I did just for myself. And so this book is it kind of leads you through this process of rediscovering your own creativity. So I’m reading I’m working through that. And then I love novels. I love fiction. So I’m reading. Never have I ever by Josh Joshilyn Jackson. She’s one of my favorite. So that’s, that’s a really good one. And then I have an audible I’m listening to. What is the name of it? Platonic, it’s about friendships. So I’m listening to that right now. And then on any given day, I have like 1000 podcasts waiting for me to listen.

Rita Suzanne  26:35

So is the one on Audible? Is it about creating like relationships it for business? Or what is it?

Ami Youngs  26:44

It’s about the value of friendship. So I heard about it on, we can do hard things with Conan Doyle, they had the author on as a guest, so I just started it. So I haven’t like, I don’t have all the details, but But it sounded really good on the episode.

Rita Suzanne  27:05

Oh, perfect. So if a while let’s say not, if when a small business owner comes to you, and they’re struggling with problems, what is your best advice that you usually give?

Ami Youngs  27:18

I mean, I think back to like, when I first started in the online space, the thing that I struggled with most was comparing my now to someone else’s future, right. So the advice I always give is like, Don’t compare yourself or your business to anyone elses just put the blinders on. Get a mentor who knows where you’re at in your life, and can help you with the particular problems that you’re having right now. And then take action and just rinse and repeat. Because I think the thing that we forget is that, you know, our journey is our own, it’s not going to look like anyone else’s, you could have the same exact service, or the same exact product as someone else. And your journey to get it all into the world and to create success in your business is going to be completely different than that other person. So focus on what works for you. Keep doing it, and celebrate every step along the way.

Rita Suzanne  28:16

I love that I always tell my kids that. And I believe this to the only person that you’re competing with is yourself. And so like you say, I always tell my clients, I’m like, you know, definitely wear the blinders, keep them up, don’t look at anybody else, because the services that they’re offering, and especially if you have that power of one in place, right? You have that one person. So maybe that service isn’t necessarily even going to fit this person like yes, it looks beautiful. It looks shiny, but it might not be the solution that you’re one person needs.

Ami Youngs  28:50

Yeah, yeah. I love that. All right, so

Rita Suzanne  28:54

where can everybody find you online? Where are you at?

Ami Youngs  29:00

So the best place to find me is in my Facebook group. It’s the mom entrepreneur network on Facebook. And then you can also follow me on Facebook, Amy Spencer Young’s, and I’m also on Instagram at Amy Young’s coach. And that’s Amy with an AI. Yes,

Rita Suzanne  29:19

thank you, I and everything will be linked below. So I thank you so much for being a guest. It’s been wonderful having you. Yeah, thank

Ami Youngs  29:27

you so much for having me. This has been fun.

Rita Suzanne  29:33

And there you have it. I want to encourage you to remember that being a mom who runs her own business is not easy. We all struggle, but just keep moving forward. And don’t forget to make time for yourself. As moms we are usually the first thing to go to the bottom of the list. If your business is overwhelming you and you need real solutions, not just some sugar coated suggestions apply to work with me at ritasuzanne.com/apply