Today Kristen welcomes two special guests from her 6-Figure Mastermind, where they discuss what it means to “belong” in the network marketing industry, their company, and in the Mastermind.
Gina Luker built a large audience and online business for 10 years before recognizing the profit margins in network marketing and shifting into a nearly 7-figure business.
Alison Petty grew to 6-figures utilizing the ‘cookie cutter’ approach to running her network marketing business, but it took stepping into her uniqueness to scale over and beyond 6-figures.
They discuss how they’ve shifted their mindset on what it means to ‘belong’ and how it’s positively impacted their businesses and their lives.
Here are a few highlights:
- Why Gina thought she wouldn’t belong in the Mastermind
- The question Kristen asked Gina when she was doubting joining the mastermind that changed everything
- What happened once Gina was inside the mastermind and decided that she belonged
- How slowing down to focus on systems impacted Alison’s team
- What happened when Alison went to Hawaii for two weeks and didn’t work her business
- How they both knew they were ready for more–beyond the Social Selling Academy and into the Purpose & Profit Mastermind
Gina and Alison come from different companies and backgrounds and they both questioned if they’d fit into the Mastermind. Listen to their stories of discovering that their differences were the secret sauce to significant business growth AND making lifelong connections inside the Mastermind.
Thanks for listening! If you’re ready for high-level coaching and teaching in your network marketing business, check out Kristen’s exclusive Mastermind for six-figure earners in the network marketing industry. Get all the details about the Purpose & Profit 6-Figure Mastermind and join the waitlist here.
Find Gina on Instagram where she shares mixed media art tips and tutorials (@the.gina.luker).
Alison shares about her approach to healthy habits and weight goals here (@thealisonpetty).
Connect with Kristen:
If you’re ready to learn the simple process of running your social selling business online, you have to check out Kristen’s live group coaching program! The Social Selling Academy: www.thesocialsellingacademy.com
Interested in Kristen’s exclusive mastermind for six-figure earners in the network marketing industry? Get all the details and join the waitlist here.
Do you have a business full of customers and almost no builders? You’re in need of a reboot! Learn the three skills you can learn that will completely change your recruitment game. Check it out here.
Transcript for Episode #117 Belonging with Alison and Gina:
Kristen Boss (00:05):
Welcome to purposeful social selling with Kristen boss. I’m your host, Kristen boss. I’m a mindset and business coach with more than 15 years experience in both the product and service based industry. I believe that social selling is the best business model for people wanting to make an impact while they make serious income. This is the podcast for the social seller, who is tired of feeling and authentic in their business and desires to find a more purposeful and profitable way of growing their business. In today’s social media landscape. In this podcast, you will learn what it takes to grow a sustainable business through impactful and social marketing. It’s time to ditch the hustle and lead from the heart. Let me show you the new way. Hey Bosses. Welcome to another episode of the podcast. This week. I have two special guests with me.
Kristen Boss (00:53):
They are two Purpose and Profit mastermind members. They’re both in their second round of the mastermind with me. I have with me, Alison and Gina, and the topic we have for today is something that they both kind of worked on individually, but they had this in common with each other. Uh, and it’s been kind of fun. I’m gonna have them talk about this too, but I also saw a great friendship happening between them. Um, they’re both in their second round. And so the topic is about belonging and we’re gonna be talking about why that’s important, why maybe you are in your company and you’re looking from side to side and thinking like, but I’m, I’m different from everybody else. Or maybe there’s something, maybe I’m doing things wrong because I’m different. Or maybe I need to be more like them, or maybe sometimes when you are deciding when you’re choosing growth in your life, sometimes it can feel lonely.
Kristen Boss (01:46):
Sometimes it can feel like, um, isolating or feel like maybe, um, the circles you put yourself in when you’re choosing growth, it might feel uncomfortable at first. And then I just know for me, I’ve been in many rooms that have made me very uncomfortable because I decided I wanted to grow. And it’s very, very easy to think. I don’t know if I belong here and to struggle in that. And so Alison and Gina are gonna share a little bit of their mastermind experience. Uh, we’re not quite halfway through round two. Um, and I’m gonna just be asking them a couple questions, cuz they’ve come from, uh, very different places. I’m super excited for you guys to hear their stories. So without further ado, I’m gonna go ahead and have them introduce themselves. So Gina I’ll have you just start by introducing yourself how long you’ve been, uh, in social selling and kind of also what brought you to the mastermind?
Gina Luker (02:39):
Oh gosh. Okay. So I have been an influencer, um, since 2009, I oftentimes tell people the best time to start a business online is either in 2009 or today. Um, because way back then, um, it was pretty easy to grow. Um, there weren’t, there wasn’t as much competition. Um, and so honestly I didn’t even get into social selling until about four and a half years ago. I have tried to make money. I have made money. I won’t say try. I have made money in every direction that you could think of as an influencer. I I’m a published author. I had a, a book deal. Um, I used to have an Etsy shop. I’ve done affiliate marketing and I still make passive income from my blog content. That’s still sitting there with ad revenue on it. I still get affiliate revenue. You know, I still have all those income streams, however, social selling, uh, with the, the art supply company that I work with has been the most profitable lane out of all of them that I’ve had. So, um, yeah, I joined, uh, my company about four and a half years ago. It was really easy for me to grow in the beginning because I had spent 10 years building an audience that, and I had built trust with them. So, you know, ever not success stories are typically not overnight. And I know mine definitely wasn’t
Kristen Boss (04:02):
Well, you put in so much work before you decided to join a company. You had an, you had an audience, you had built so much trust. You put so much value in the online space. So that by the time you, you know, aligned yourself with the company, aligned yourself with an offer, like it took off. And you know, Charlotte was like that too in her mastermind, you know, mm-hmm, <affirmative>, she, she was blogging for a long time before she aligned with, you know, network marketing and because she was a blogger and she grew so much from putting the value out in the world, you know, that she was able to grow as well. And I think I’m so glad that you’re talking about that, that you’re talking about like, Hey, I’ve made money a lot of ways, as you know, uh, with blogging, with affiliate marketing, with, you know, ad spend or, you know, with paid ads and those things. And I think it’d be, I, I can just imagine people listening to this being like, okay, this is really good for me to know, to talk about, you know, bringing people who have, you know, influence with their audiences to a, to this business model, because you’re like of all business models, this one’s the most profitable, right?
Gina Luker (05:01):
Yeah, it is. Yeah. The, because you don’t have to worry about like product development and product fulfillment. And like, I mean, like I said, I had an et shop. I had a really successful Etsy shop. Like mm-hmm <affirmative> I was one of the top 10 home decor sellers on Etsy when I left. Um, but you can only make so much product with your hands a day. Yep. And, um, this,
Kristen Boss (05:24):
Well then you’re actually dealing with profit margins. Like how much does it cost me? Yes. To, you know, buy this product, create the product, sell the product. And after, you know, tax and shipping and those things, what are my margins mm-hmm <affirmative> and this is why network marketing is such an amazing business model because not everybody wants to go out and start a company from ground zero and be in charge of like the deliverables, the services, you know, the profit margins and the hiring and all of that. Like, you know, I, there are some people that are like, oh, I think, you know, coaching would be easier. I’m like, oh, that’s funny. You wanna see the inner workings of my company. Go ahead, tell yourself that like, yeah, but network marketing, the business model is there, it is ready for you. And it’s like one of the very few business models where you can be profitable immediately.
Kristen Boss (06:09):
I don’t think people understand just how extraordinary that is. Like you could be profitable immediate immediately instead of like, you know, a lot of startup companies it’s like, you might be profitable after a year. And my best friend and I were talking about this the other day, do you know, like outside in, in the world of business, you know, especially with e-commerce, like they say that, um, you know, normal profit margins in business is between two and 10%, two and 10%. And I tell you guys this in the mastermind, I’m like, you guys have insane profit margins. Like you <laugh> like your entire, your entire business, your entire check is profit. Like I’m literally me and a VA are your biggest expenses or, you know, not Kristen boss, but like your growth where you’re choosing to grow. It could be in the mastermind in the academy or whatever else, but the expenses are so low for network marketers. So Gina, what,
Gina Luker (06:59):
Like, Oh, I was just gonna say, I did like, along that path of the million things that I did before I landed in network marketing, I, I had had a coaching program for, for, uh, for bloggers and for social media, not, not social sellers, but for social media, uh, growth. And like, I think the beautiful thing is if you’ve ever aspired to be a coach, like it was even though it wasn’t as profitable as it is now, the lessons that I learned in the three years of doing that, now I get to use that experience. And I am a coach to my team members. Yeah. And so like, I remember, I don’t know you got time for this story, but I remember when I was a coach, I thought if I could just get a thousand people a month, like if I could just get a thousand students into my monthly membership, like mm-hmm, <affirmative>, my, my world would be drastically different. Right. Mm-hmm, <affirmative> a thousand people, a thousand people, a thousand people. And, um, I had another business coach that kind of talked me into shutting that down and, and leaning into network marketing because she was like, this is so much more profitable. And I know it was like six months later and I hit a thousand people on my team and I was like, oh, this is the thing I was trying to manifest was a thousand people, but it was on my team and not my coaching program. Does that make sense?
Kristen Boss (08:21):
Oh yeah. And it’s like, again, it’s more profitable because what it takes, yes. People don’t understand what it takes to run a membership of a thousand people. Like you could have. I mean, the expenses alone of running that is probably, I would guess without ad spend and all that, probably 40, 40 K a month between contractors, um, optimization, running the systems. Like, and I hope someone like literally heard that and sat down and realized, oh, I’m in such a profitable business model where I don’t have to think about spending 20 to 40 K to run <laugh> a month as a business to run this. Right. Yeah. So Gina, what brought you to the mastermind? You started in the academy and I loved it. And then you decided I need to be in the mastermind.
Gina Luker (09:04):
I did. I started in the academy. I found you and I listened to your podcast and I watched you on Instagram for a while. And then I joined the academy and then, um, I listened to the academy and I quickly realized that, um, as a leader, the problems that I faced were not the same as the average academy student. Yeah. But I knew you had the answers for the academy students and where they were. And I had seen you grow as a coach and as a business owner throughout, I probably watched you for a good, like six months solid before I joined. Um, and I had seen your transition and your growth. And I was like, man, okay. If the, if the academy is this good, I can only imagine how good the mastermind would be. And I do remember messaging you on Instagram. And I was like, look, I think I wanna apply, but I don’t think I belong.
Gina Luker (10:02):
Like, I don’t think I’ll fit in. I, I remember that very vividly. And you, you, you came back with a really good coaching question <laugh> and that, I dunno what deal you said. Um, I think you, I don’t know exactly, but you said something along the lines of, um, will you decide that you belong in that room? Like, will you decide that you belong there? Mm-hmm <affirmative>, you’re the only one keeping you out of that room. Yep. And I was like, okay, she’s gonna like challenge me. And I like to be challenged. So I, I just, and I almost didn’t sign up for the second round.
Kristen Boss (10:38):
I know I was gonna bring that up,
Gina Luker (10:39):
Alison. Yeah. Alison is the reason I am in the second round. So here we go. Yeah.
Kristen Boss (10:44):
Well, you are the reason, but you had, I think what was so fun is like, um, you had decided not to renew and, um, but when we do the renewals, it’s about halfway through the mastermind. And so, um, and it was fine. Like I was delighted to serve you, but I, you came out of your shell shortly after renewals in the mastermind and like, deciding we talk about this a lot, like deciding to be seen and deciding to add value. And when you, I think when you saw, like, you would say something and the group would be like, oh my gosh, this is so good, Gina, this is amazing. And I think you realize, oh my gosh, I have, wow. I actually have a lot of value to offer this room. And I think it was the last call of round one where I was like, love you all, if you’re not continuing yada ya. And we were, I think we were about to start the live event for the, like, it was two days.
Gina Luker (11:36):
It was like, it was like the next day.
Kristen Boss (11:38):
Yeah. Day. I think it was just like, I can’t remember if you said something. Oh, I think it was like, you commented. You’re like now I’m regretting not renewing. And I think it was Christy Roach. That was like, Kristen, let’s just smuggle her in. And then, then I saw Alison petty. She, she commented. And it sounds like you guys had a conversation. And I remember like, I had never done this before, but I’m like, who am I to keep someone like, if they want to be in that room, I’m not gonna keep them from being in the room. So I remember I’m like, Gina, okay. If you want, like round two, you gotta be super decisive. We’ll send out the invoice today on the contract. And, and it was so fast. And like, I’m like, you won’t be able to be at the live event, but you can be with us virtually, you decide how this looks and you were even like, I’m gonna be traveling a lot. I’m like, Gina, you decide how this looks. And you were so decisive and it’s been so fun watching who you are in the second round and how much you’ve given to the members. So like, when do you feel like you decided, like I actually belong here? And how did that shift things for you?
Kristen Boss (12:42):
I’ve seen a shift as your coach.
Gina Luker (12:44):
<laugh> right. Yeah. I’ve had a massive shift because I was like embarrassed to ask questions in the beginning because people were asking questions about how to deal with kids and how to deal with their relationships and like very personal things. And I was like, I pretty much felt like I had it together and I do have it together. Like I have a really great solid marriage. I don’t have any little kids at home, so I don’t have the same struggles that like the ones with little kids do, my kids are all, all grown and, you know, uh, all that good stuff. Um, I, I just, I felt like I didn’t wanna get in the way of their personal progress. Mm-hmm <affirmative>, but yet I had technical things, like I wanna ask about conversion rates and trip wires. And like, I had very technical things because I am just, I’m just further along in my journey than I felt like. And I felt like I was too far in my journey and I didn’t wanna like, make anybody feel bad by asking these questions. And I know now, like when I say things, a lot of times they’re hidden Google and they’re like, what does that even mean? <laugh> cause they don’t even speak the same language, but you do. And I don’t have many people that I can have those conversations with. So,
Kristen Boss (13:59):
Yeah. And it was when you started asking tactical things, like, I think it was when I coached you on your funnel, like maybe a month or so ago. It was so first of all, I was like, yes, I’m so excited to coach someone on their funnel. And second of all, I think for the people in the mastermind that weren’t there yet, it was very exciting for them to look at like, oh, this is how a funnel works. That’s what I can do when I get my business there. Like everyone learned from your funnel. And when I was, cuz you know, I think it was at the second live event. I’m not sure if you, cuz I know your daughter got married that weekend, but like it was at this, this round is when I actually talked about funnels. I’m like, we’re gonna build funnels so that you can actually optimize some things.
Kristen Boss (14:42):
So I mean, as soon as you were like gave yourself permission and I would just call it like taking up space, deciding that like my problems might look different than theirs, but my problem matters just as much. And I invested to be in this room and gosh, darn it. I’m gonna get the coaching I want. And then it’s been so fun watching your coaching and now like you’ve got your funnel up and running. You’ve got your trip wire converting at insane, like 60%, your landing page is actually doing really good. So it’s like, it’s good for them to see that. But it, it was just so fun once I saw you decide I belong here and I deserve to raise my hand more and you decided I’m in this. It was Gina 2.0 came. And it was like, and she brought the whole room with her. <laugh>
Gina Luker (15:28):
It it’s helped me realize that like, cuz I didn’t, I didn’t wanna be the girl that like overstepped my boundaries. I think that’s another reason I kept so quiet for the most part. Because like it’s your coaching space and your, your, your it’s, your mastermind mm-hmm <affirmative>. But the things that I usually leaned into talking about are like very technical coachy kinds of things. And I was like, I don’t wanna say something and she’s like, no, that’s wrong, but
Kristen Boss (15:57):
<laugh> instead I’ve been like, that’s great. Love it, Gina. <laugh>
Gina Luker (16:01):
Let’s hear
Kristen Boss (16:02):
More of it.
Gina Luker (16:03):
Cause we are on the same page very much on a lot of things. So
Kristen Boss (16:06):
Yeah. And you’re, and, and just so my audience kind of knows where you’re at. Like you’re, you’re fairly close to seven figures in your business. You’ve been doing this for a while. You are, I would call you a very seasoned network marketer. You’re in a different, and we even had to talk about like you embracing your season of like, yes, like you’ve, you’ve put in so much work. It’s okay for you to enjoy the residual components of your business without feeling guilty, without being made wrong for it. But even still you’ve applied all of the you’ve you went to work on the systems, you went now you’re coaching your team. And so it’s so funny even while you’re like, okay, I’m in a different season. I still see you choosing growth, but in very optimized, systemized, very healthy ways that people need to see like, okay, this is what this version of being closer to seven figures in network marketing seven figures a year. This is what the work looks like at that face. Right. And I, I think it’s been good for people to see that being like, okay, it looks different, but it makes sense. Right,
Gina Luker (17:04):
Right. Yes. Super
Kristen Boss (17:06):
Good. All right. So I wanna introduce Alison and then we’ll kind of go back and forth a little bit. Alison I’ll have you unmute yourself and tell my people a little bit about you and what brought you to the mastermind and yeah. Tell my people. Yeah.
Alison Petty (17:22):
Yeah. Well, hi, I’m Alison and I was introduced to you, Kristen, actually it’s been a year. You don’t know that, but I was introduced to you. Tomorrow’s my birthday. And I was introduced to you on my birthday.
Kristen Boss (17:33):
You’re a Gemini? Happy Birthday.
Alison Petty (17:39):
Exactly. Um, and Kelly, Higginbotham reached out to me and sang me happy birthday and a voice text. And I reached back to her and was like, girl, what are you doing? I can tell that things are different. Like whatever you’re doing on social media. And so anyway, I was introduced, um, by another network marketing friend and she highly recommended you. I got into SSA. I read, I did like your recruit reboot, um, and your other, um, whichever other $9 training it was and just Ben you for like a couple weeks. And at that time, um, I decided like, I’m, I’m ready for what’s next a little bit like Gina, I knew that like what was happening in the SSA, which is remarkable and amazing. I knew that I was ready for the next steps because a lot of the things that some of the SSA struggles with consistency and, um, being brave on social media, that wasn’t really where I needed to work. I really needed to work on my systems and implementation and growth for my team. And the mastermind really blew that open for me.
Kristen Boss (18:46):
I remember the first live event, one of the things I coached you on where you were just like, Kristen, this is just so different. It’s so different. And like you had to give yourself permission to like carve a different path. Like I think you’re the only person from your company that’s in our mastermind, much like Gina is the only person from her company in our mastermind. So it’s almost like you weren’t there with a sideline or a crossline or another friend to like compare notes with which a lot of the women in there do. And there is an advantage to that. So for you, you’ve had to really learn to, like, I think the coaching that keeps coming up for is like Alison having her own back and deciding like I know my team and I know what works. And so you kind of had like a, yeah, like your world was blown up a little bit at the first live event. And I remember you had to decide, am I going to go home and implement, even if I don’t see examples of this anywhere in my company. In fact, what if I’m the only person in my company that does this
Alison Petty (19:46):
Right. And I remember that coaching because you know, you’re right in the mastermind room. First of all, I’m not one to take the mic and be seen even though in my personal life, I’m very outgoing. I’m the first on the dance floor, but professionally, I don’t know, it’s back to that belonging that I’m sure that we’ll get to, but taking the mic and really talking about all of the different things that in my business I was doing and for all of the women in the room to turn around and be like, what it was just exactly. Almost the permission I needed because, um, you’re right. I’ve been paving my own way in the company that I work with and I love it. And I know, I know down the line is that I will be that pioneer. Um, and I know that I’m doing that right now, but in the meantime, you know, six months ago or eight months ago, it felt very, very scary. And so I’m grateful for the mastermind that really gave me the permission and the confidence to know that yes, do that. What if, what if your skills and talents and unique gifts, what if that unlocks freedom for other people in your business? So here I am,
Kristen Boss (20:54):
It’s so funny. It’s like it, you were in two different, I’m gonna call ’em like thought, thought models, thought paradigms where you had one thought that was like, you know, I’m not sure I belong, but, or it was like, it was about belonging. And then the second thought model was like, and it’s come up a lot for you is like, I’m different. Yeah. And you’ve kind of learned over the last eight months. Like it’s actually great that I’m different. Like that is not a disadvantage. Like this is a good, and I think I’ve like mentioned it, like I’ve coached you through it several times. I’m like, oh, this is just another flavor of I’m different, but seen as a disadvantage instead of an, an advantage. And I think, I think I’m finally seeing you like really shift out that and being like no different is good. I like different.
Alison Petty (21:35):
Yes. Right. Well, you know what I did, Kristen, just from all of your coaching and from all of the support in the mastermind is I went back and re studied my strengths. And I got really, really clear instead of focusing on being different or any weakness or what makes me different, really focusing on what makes me different in the most powerful ways and what I’m starting to notice. And the team that I’m really truly blessed the lead is that I’ve invited them into that too, for them to be able to be like, no, what can you contribute? Where do you shine? And I feel like I love network marketing network marketing has completely blessed and changed my whole life in every area. But I also think there’s some parts of it that are so incredibly cookie cutter that sometimes can make people like me think, you know, I started at cookie cutter cookie cutter got me to six figures. And then when you wanna start growing beyond that, it’s like, oh wait, that’s not what we do. But the truth is, is beyond six figures and to seven figures, that is what you need. You need, you need those unique talents. You need to focus on the strengths and really branch out of that. And I’m so incredibly grateful for every single human who supported me in that path. Cuz it it’s more fun over here <laugh> than it was being so scared.
Kristen Boss (22:51):
Yeah. Cuz when you, when you had described, I’m gonna call it like the cookie cutter cutter method that you were taught of like how to grow from six to seven figures. And I heard it, I challenged you. I was like, I’m exhausted just hearing that. That sounds, I don’t see how that, and I even challenge you. I’m like, I don’t see how that’s duplicatable because if someone’s doing it that way, like a lot of people are probably opting out of working towards six figures when they’re like, well, if that’s what it takes, I don’t want it. And so I’m like, Alison, we have to like figure out something that’s scalable for you. So you have the same impact with more people with less of your time. And so that not only is that scalable, but it’s appealing and duplicatable for people in your organization so that they’re not shutting down and being like, I don’t wanna be on 41 on one calls every week and it’s it repels them.
Kristen Boss (23:46):
So, you know, now that you’ve shifted, like we really, we worked on your systems, we worked on like this concept of group coaching. We worked on like, how can we scale? So that there’s more of Alison in other areas of your life. And you gotta taste of all of the hard work you put in with your systems, your coaching, your onboarding, like how you were selling those things to your team when you went to Hawaii. So describe what happened in Hawaii. I said, I was gonna have you on the podcast to talk about Hawaii because I was so freaking thrilled for you. So what was your experience in Hawaii?
Alison Petty (24:20):
Yeah. So what was really great is, so I was in Hawaii for two weeks and March of 2022 and I came home from the mastermind in October, hit the ground, running with my team, really created, um, some massive systems. And what I ended up finding is that really diving in with my team, focusing on their strengths, allowing them to shine, use their voice instead of just using my voice, allowing them to do that, the ownership, this is the magic, the ownership that my team took in that and just us creating a coaching team instead of us being individual coaches, we literally created a team and we’re all supporting each other. So what that translated into me in Hawaii is I had, you know, six months of growth and training and passing on skills with my leadership team. So I went to Hawaii and they handled literally everything like the bosses that they are, no one was fearful that the, the team was a well oiled machine.
Alison Petty (25:27):
Clients were taken care of, coach teams were taken care of business grew. And meanwhile, I’m having sexy time with my husband, you know, and like doing the things that matter to refill our soul and our cups so that I can come home, be a fully present mom with my kiddos. My kids were there too, but you know, we had so much family time. And in the meantime my team felt confident. They felt like they had everything they needed. And what ended up happening of course is like building that system. Even though at the time <laugh> putting your head down and watching some numbers drop on the back end while you’re creating it. I had to be coached on that pretty regularly. But the freedom that lies in that beyond it has been pretty, pretty incredible.
Kristen Boss (26:12):
Yeah. So you had to do the slow down to clean up your systems to sell your organization on the systems, to work on your leadership, to work on the coaching. It was just kind of like the necessary we have to get these things in place. Otherwise it’s gonna constantly feel like your hair is on fire. You’re gonna be exhausted. And it like you’ll see losses eventually, but let’s slow it down and put all these things in, in place to protect future loss, to mitigate future loss because people are falling through the cracks or because you’re burnt out or because there’s not systems in place. So yeah, you had to be coached on like, okay, how are you? Okay. Do you like and re and, and it’s not just you. I think there were a lot of people in the mastermind that had to be coached through why working on the systems and slowing down to put all those things in place is so vital.
Kristen Boss (27:01):
Um, and now like they are seeing like, oh, now that that’s done now, all of my focus can now be towards growth recruitment, duplication, and now we can grow. Now. Now we have all the systems to support massive growth. And it was super fun when you were at the second live event, you’re like, oh, uh, I see where my business is going now. Like in the beginning, when you’re slowing down and working on your systems, you’re hoping, you’re like, okay, I’m gonna trust this process. I’m gonna trust. It’s going to lead to growth. And six months later after you had done so much work, literally inside, outside in your systems, in your leadership coaching, you finally were seeing the fruits of that at the live event. Cuz I remember you saying like, uh, I’m actually seeing where my business is gonna go this year.
Alison Petty (27:48):
It’s it’s really been insane. And I really think like having the mastermind, being with you guys really helping me like say like, how are you? Okay right now that has been so powerful for me. And I have just over to my right behind my computer. How am I? Okay, what is the gift in this? And I choose to belong. And these are the things that I come back to almost every day. Like how is this? Okay, how is this a gift? And so in the time when I was slowing down and watching some numbers shift around, I really had to coach myself continuously on what am I creating? What am I building? What’s the long game. And I would hear you a lot in my head and yes, it has been worth it. And now I know that my team is so incredibly set up for quarter one for 2023 for us to have exponential growth. And I believe that, but you know what, they believe it. And when they believe that and they trust what we’ve created and they’re doing that work, we are about to have so much fun and really changed so many lives.
Kristen Boss (28:48):
Yeah. What have you noticed, like, you know, once you took the time to develop all those systems and your team, like they bought into it, they saw the benefit of the systems. Like what did you notice in them once they got on board with like, oh, I see what you’re doing.
Alison Petty (29:03):
Right. Well, I’ve the number one thing I noticed is their confidence in themselves is leaders. Like when you have a place, a system, um, just a back office or what, whatever, in my, in my case, the system that I built, what we’re plugging in coaches and clients to, when you can trust that and leverage it as your own tool, it gives them the confidence to utilize their own strengths in the way that they talk to people. But they don’t have to use their strengths in back and forth create like using their energy on the system. Yes. I don’t know if that makes sense. Yes. But I’ve noticed that now they are so much more innovative. Like they come up with way more creative ideas. Not that you guys, you know, not that they weren’t creative before, but when you have something that’s doing the bulk, you know, 80% of the work, yes. It releases so much bandwidth for you to think about how do I wanna show up in the world and what other ways can I create and bring energy to, um, something, because you don’t have to worry about how people are being supported. It’s really beautiful.
Kristen Boss (30:10):
It’s so true. This is, this is the benefit. This is why I tell people. I’m like, once you have a system in place mm-hmm <affirmative> and you have built that out and you have taught your team how to utilize the system, how it’s a benefit to them. What you’ve just said, it’s so true. Like it frees up their bandwidth cuz now they’re not thinking like, oh, well if I recruit somebody, I’m not sure where I’m gonna plug ’em in what I’m gonna teach. ’em where the next step is. Do I have to need to send ’em to a YouTube now? Like that’s all solved. So now they have the creative bandwidth to think, okay, well what’s a fun way to get more clients. What’s a fun way to grow my team. Now all of their energy is being expended on growth ideas instead of like, you know, tinkering and systems.
Kristen Boss (30:54):
And you know, you might hear me say this in the academy where I’m like, please stop tinkering in systems and go out and meet people and get clients and get customers like, unless you’re a six figure earner, your job is to go out and just get customers, get new leads and not be caught up tinkering in systems. But that’s where that’s, that’s what stalls teams is. You have. If you have a bunch of people that, and everybody’s coming up with their own little system and like now everybody’s tinkering in little systems instead of going out and getting clients. That’s what a team stalls.
Alison Petty (31:27):
Exactly. And I built the system with that in mind. I hope that it’s something that they will forever be able to use, really focus on their own strengths and their own energy and innovation and creation. And honestly, it’s something we created together so that they can take ownership of it, feel good about it. And then when their teams are large enough that maybe they want their own it’s duplicatable so they can copy it and use it. And it’s theirs. It’s, it’s really been beautiful. And what I’ve loved the most is just watching this. This is, this is why I love network marketing. You know, I started to make $900 a month to close an income gap. I felt that was bonkers when that happened. And then it just started growing and growing. I found that I loved it and I love talking about it. I found a, um, natural way to connect with my audience.
Alison Petty (32:15):
And it’s just been really beautiful. But now the people that I’ve worked with, I got to a point where I felt like they couldn’t grow without something like that. And you know, without having a system and now that they, now that they have it, I’m really watching them become the people that I ever like imagined when you work into leadership, you just want people to see their light and the belonging and being a part of something remarkable. And now that I’ve been able to slow down and really gift that power to them, you, I mean, just, I feel emotional even talking about just how proud I am of them. It’s been so fun.
Kristen Boss (32:54):
Yes.
Alison Petty (32:55):
And, and pain and painful, but very fun, right?
Kristen Boss (32:58):
Yes. Yes. So, um, you know, by the time this podcast airs, like I’ll have been, um, I’ll have announced that, you know, I’m shifting the structure of the mastermind where it’s now like it’s no longer just like renew every six months indefinitely. Now it’s like one year, like we’re gonna teach you, you’re gonna do all the systems, the leadership, the coaching, the mastery, getting your team in order. And then after a year you can opt in to be an alumni member and be in our alumni community or you can choose to go elsewhere. But I think I announced it to you guys. I don’t know. Maybe it was like six weeks ago because I really sat with like, I’m like, do they need to be with me forever? I don’t think that’s the answer. I don’t think that
Alison Petty (33:36):
Is the answer. Yes <laugh>.
Kristen Boss (33:37):
And I was just like, okay, I love them. I’d love to keep them forever. But like, you know, having them renew every six months at the full investment price, I, you know, I’m not sure that’s the best for them. And when I, when I have watched you guys, especially this, this, these past two rounds, when I watched how much work you accomplished in round one and where all of your businesses are in round two, I’m like, this is 100% a one year program. And then beyond one year, you know, we’re gonna be having the alumni community where you pay, you know, $2,000 for a whole year where you get to be in there and you get once a, like you get to be in a Facebook community with all the other alumnis who went through the systems, the training, you know, that their mindset is the same.
Kristen Boss (34:18):
They all have the same coaching skills because you really are developing your coaching muscle in there. Like we’ve kind of joked in there about like, some of you girls have been like, can you just hand us a certification? Like, can we be certified? And like, maybe that’ll be down the road. I’m not sure, but in the alumni community, you get to come to the live events if you want. And you get once a month support calls and access to like the mastermind material. So if I create something new, if I update something, you have that for life. Instead of like, Hey, just keep, you know, renewing with me every six months when I really thought about it. I’m like one year, one year, this is so approachable when you are comparing it to your lifetime earnings and your career of network marketing. So I’d be curious, like, so what, what were your thoughts, Gina, if you just wanna share, like, what were your thoughts when I kind of shared like, Hey, you know what, the answer is just a year and then you can just decide from there. And how has that, like maybe shifted some things for you in how you see your business and ongoing investment and those things?
Gina Luker (35:14):
I think it was a breath of fresh air. Um, I was already committed for the next six months <laugh> I was like, I already had the money in the bank, like I was ready for it. Um, cuz I like, you’re stuck with me at this point, unless you just kick me out for whatever reason <laugh> um, like I’m alive for, for Kristen, um, at this point. Um, but seriously though, it it’s, it just speaks to your integrity. The fact that, you know, people can constantly come up with new ways to like sell to their students or they can serve them on an incredibly high level, which is what you do and support them and then offer them continuing support because we, within a year you get everything you need. I mean, I think you said it’s like getting a master’s degree yeah. In business in a way.
Gina Luker (36:08):
And um, I, I, I believe that like it’s a lot of work. Um, but it’s in it. I, I cannot articulate enough just how it, it really, truly just speaks to your integrity as a coach and as a human being. Um, instead of another, I would’ve, I would’ve invested the 20 grand, like cuz I believe in you and your coaching and, and this, the container that you provide is worth it alone. I I’ve said this, I think during the event, like I, I adore you as a coach, but you’re only like 5% of the reason I joined the mastermind. It was the group itself. Not just you, but like the container that you create that has the biggest impact and value for me because I’ve made relationships in this group that I fully expect to have through the rest of my life. Like with Alison, like Alison and I are like lifelong friends now <laugh>
Kristen Boss (37:14):
I know that’s why I had you guys on the podcast together. I’m like, oh, your journeys are kind of parallel on the same level. I have to have you guys on together. And you know, I don’t know if people in my audience don’t know this, but Gina you have been in many, you’ve been in several masterminds across multiple industries. Like with like other like big name coaches. Like you, I have, you have been around, you’ve been in quite a few masterminds. So I think there’s some value. I, I, I really appreciate your insight so much because you have, you have something to compare with this mastermind to you’ve been in many others.
Gina Luker (37:48):
I have been in ones that everybody would know their names and I will tell you there’s no other experience like this and I didn’t ever continue with them pass one round for a reason.
Kristen Boss (38:01):
Mm. Yeah. And I, when you came back and you said at the live event, literally on camera in front of everybody and I lo I loved it so much. You’re like Kristen, you’re 5% of the reason I’ve rejoined. And I was so delighted to hear that as a coach because I’m like, I don’t want to be, I don’t want you to buy for me. I want you to buy for you. I want you to invest for you and the relationships you’re in the experience you’re in. Like, I don’t want people to pay for proximity. Like, oh, I just wanna pay to just be near Chris and boss those things. Like, first of all, that’s just not the offer. I want them to be like, no, I want transformation. And when you said the value was in the container and the relationships and who’s in that room and the quality of conversations in that room, that’s when I’m like, I, I was proud as a coach to say, like, I I’m very proud of this container, but it’s like, I can create it and said it, but you guys showed up in such extraordinary ways.
Kristen Boss (38:53):
And we, I worked really hard on like the onboarding and setting the tone at the live events. But you guys all decided like to own the container as your own and you made it that way. And I, I seriously, I tell my husband all the time, I’m like, I am so proud of all these women and what the things you guys have all accomplished. Um, Alison, what was your kind of thoughts about like when I decided I’m shifting the structure of this mastermind, because invest with me indefinitely doesn’t feel right. Um, but what was so funny is I had coached you on another round at the live event. And I remember I just went home. I don’t know. I had coached several of you on round three and I went home and I could not sleep. I was like, this is not sitting. Well, I think this is just a one year program, but what was kind of your thoughts when you heard about the shift and now understanding like, wow, I have this almost like you can have a sense of completion, right?
Alison Petty (39:42):
Yeah. Well, I was honestly grateful. I felt a lot of relief because a lot like Gina, I want to be in this container. I see me being in this container and with the, with these elevated women for life, either in friendship or in the mastermind. And so I’m incredibly grateful what made my decision easy instead of it feeling kind of conflictual like 20 grand, a hundred percent worth it, you know, like a hundred percent, but also 20 grand is a lot of money. And so really thinking like, Hey, Kristen obviously has our best interest at heart. She wants the people to continue. She wants to celebrate and have this container for people. So I felt really relieved that I will be able to make the best decision for myself. Um, but the 20 grand, well, well worth it, but now, um, I feel like it’s gonna gimme the permission to really focus on what my business needs. Yep. And based on what my needs are, I can choose to do another round or I can be in the alumni round.
Kristen Boss (40:38):
Yep. And you, I love your story so much because the first round of the mastermind, we were at the Denver four seasons and you are gonna go and be like at a Sheraton or something. And like you called the front desk and they’re like, um, I don’t think you understand what this room rang. You really wanna take advantage of this. You’re like, fine. I’ll go. And you were a different woman after <laugh>, after your five star experience at the four seasons.
Alison Petty (41:01):
So first of all, yes. So I am like so close to platinum with Marriott and I’m like, I was like six nights away and the Marriott was just a couple doors down and I was like, I am staying at the Marriott. It’s cheaper. I’m gonna get my status. And then I’m gonna go to the four seasons. So you’re right. I call the four seasons and I tell ’em my story. And they’re like, dude, do you understand your room rate? And I was like, oh, okay. I’m totally in. And then I walk into this room. I took a bath every night. I got room. I’ve never been treated like that before. It was the best thing ever. I cannot wait for Chicago.
Kristen Boss (41:38):
And I’ll never forget when you came up to me the last, the, the cocktail sendoff and you came to me and you were a little teary eyed. You’re like, I didn’t know. I needed, like, I needed permission to have this experience for myself. And like mm-hmm <affirmative> to myself and like to, to do something luxurious for myself and to give myself that permission. And I honestly think it wasn’t just you, I saw that transformation happen with so many women in the room where like, normally they would’ve felt like guilty or I overly indulged, or this is too much, this is too fancy. I don’t need it. And I was just like, I want you all to just be okay with this, with yourself, feel safe in this like really nice five star environment and realize like you’re still a kind and generous and good person. And like your kids aren’t suffering because you’re there. And like, it’s okay for you to experience that. And so it was fun seeing that, which is why like with the whole, uh, pandemic thing, like we had to move it this last round. But the fact that we’re going back to Chicago for seasons, I’m like, so <laugh>
Alison Petty (42:38):
Ready for that. No, that was super big for me because, um, my husband and I, when we first met, we, um, we’ve lived off of one income. I mean, and we’ve been together for, I don’t know, 17 years and we’ve always lived off one income and always been incredibly frugal. There’s always been plenty, but there’s, I, I think in my mind part of my story is that there’s always plenty because I don’t indulge. Um, and I it’s become part of my identity, even as a six figure earner. We still bank money and save and hoard all this money away. And I remember the first time I hired a housekeeper and my husband was like, we don’t, we don’t that like, we don’t pay for help. And I’m like, we pay for help. Like, and then as soon as she started coming regularly, he had so much shame around hiring someone to help us. But then he started to be like, oh, we don’t have to spend time on Saturday doing these things. And it slowly unlocked that. And so the four seasons staying there was like my experience of like, oh, oh, okay. This is, this is okay. And I’m safe and it’s okay to do this and treat yourself.
Kristen Boss (43:45):
And it’s okay to be this version of me too.
Alison Petty (43:48):
Yes, it is. And it’s not shameful or wasteful or, um, it, yeah, no, it’s not. I still have to coach myself on it quite a bit, but I am like,
Kristen Boss (43:58):
You turned into a snob, you didn’t walk out of the S and like suddenly have your, you know, nose way up in the air and treated people differently. It’s like,
Alison Petty (44:06):
No, I
Kristen Boss (44:06):
Think people fear that, like, I think that people won’t allow themselves to have that five star experience or to spend money because I think there’s like this, how am I going to be perceived? And I like, and we have to heal those parts of ourselves because if, if you’re not okay with that, then how would you be okay. Receiving more in your business.
Alison Petty (44:26):
Right, right. Right. Well, I do know this for Chicago. Um, I’ve looked out the rooms on the front end and the back end and Brian is coming. So my husband’s coming to Chicago. Yeah. And I’m like, we’re having the five star experience. And, um, so I’m excited for him to experience that and just really be treated well.
Kristen Boss (44:45):
Oh, it’s such a great experience. So fun. And like you guys were saying like the mastermind and that’s partly why I decided to shift it to like selling it only as a one year, like one year it’s done. Um, because I wanted it to feel because it is like an MBA, the things you learn in there, like money, man management, the finance part, understanding your profits, your margins, like outsourcing, delegating your systems. Like it’s things not, not taught in network marketing period. It is not taught to network marketing as business owners. Mostly because most people come to this, you know, with like, I, I’m just looking to close an income gap. I’m just looking to like, pay for soccer, pay for my car payment, maybe pay for mortgage. And the next thing you know, you have six figures coming in and you’re not understanding like, okay, well, like how do I leverage this for tax benefits?
Kristen Boss (45:31):
What’s the healthy investments here? Uh, what should I be paying, wait, I have to pay myself or do I need an S Corp or an LLC? Like all of these things were suddenly you’re thrust into business ownership, but without having all the knowledge and the information of like, this is what it takes to run healthy, profitable businesses in a way that serves you. And so like, it’s, it’s like I created an MBA program for network marketers. I’m like, if you, if there was a college for six figure earner network marketers, this is, would be what it is. And I, that’s why I also was like, you just need to learn these skills. And then you have this mastery for life. Like you, you, I think you both might say this, like, you’re probably not gonna be the same person ever after your one year in the mastermind, which is
Alison Petty (46:13):
Like, no. And I, I wanted to say that the people within my company who have noticed that they are noticing a difference and what I talk about, um, talking about systems, talking about business things, my brain has went from, you know, six figure earner, um, doing things this, this, this way to really taking full ownership of my business and it’s different, is it okay that I can be different? Like, I’m, I’m literally different in my company because I don’t know other people who are TA within my company. Um, and in network marketing that are talking about these things, it’s separate in the mastermind.
Kristen Boss (46:56):
Mm-hmm <affirmative> yep. Gina, what do you wanna add to that?
Gina Luker (46:59):
Well, I’m curious if Alison is a engram four, um, <laugh>, you know, your engram, the whole thing, like engram four is all about like being visual, being yes. Weird and misunderstood. And I am the typical four wing five. So I’m like the Bohemian. Imagine that the artist is a Bohemian. Um, and, uh, because that’s the thing, like, we always feel like we have to overexplain ourselves and people need to understand, because I, I am the only per I, I was the first person in my company, I think, to join SSA. Um, I don’t think anybody else had joined SSA. Now there’s a few others, but they learned about you through me. Um, and then, um, like I’ve even had you just finished the summer of success. Right? Mm-hmm and I’ve had like so many people that took it from my company say, is it worth it?
Gina Luker (47:57):
Is it worth it? And I’m like, well, I better mastermind. So <laugh>, what do you think really wanna ask me? Because it really has changed my life. I mean, it’s not just changed my life, my business, and like the way I approach my business, but it’s also a changed, like my personal life and, and the way that I approach myself with kind kindness and, and not like beat myself up about every single thing that I do. Um, cause I’m really hard on myself. Well, I used to be now I give myself grace, which I learned to do through you. So that in and of itself.
Kristen Boss (48:41):
Yeah. That seems to be like one of the biggest lessons that everyone in the mastermind learns like radical self-compassion while also taking ownership. Like I’m, I’m gonna own these things in my business and not shame myself for how these things have gone. And I’m gonna have a lot of love and compassion while I address it. But most people, when they see something in their business that maybe went wrong, went sideways, they look at it, but through the lens of like shame, I’m wrong, I’m terrible. And then they beat themselves up and then they end up perpetuating the problem or avoiding it because they feel so emotionally bad about it. Where in the mastermind we learn for you to create, be a safe place for yourself so that you can be honest in your business and, and transform the areas that need to be transformed. But if it’s too painful, you either avoid it or try and fix it from the wrong place.
Kristen Boss (49:35):
And so what’s been so fun. Is all of you girls who are in your second round, like I’m seeing the fruit of that in all of you, like across the board, all of you are able to approach your businesses so different. Like I’m seeing business owners instead of women who are grappling with the business, like they are owning, like they are business owners and the caliber of thinking I’m seeing across the board is extraordinary. It’s so fun to see as a coach. I’m like, yes, women CEOs bossing it up. I freaking love it. So good.
Gina Luker (50:06):
It’s interesting. You said it that way because I, the other thought that came to my mind was, um, I don’t feel like I’m grasping anymore. I just like make my choice. And sometimes I do have to sit with it for a while. Like not all decisions have to be instant decisions. Um, there’s been a few, like my funnel, I started it and I built the core of it. And then I like sit it down and it took me a good solid two weeks. And then one morning I woke up and the finishing touches hit me. And within three hours it was up and running. Yep.
Gina Luker (50:43):
So, um, and it’s because I wasn’t grasping, like I, even though I had it, it was functional. Even when I sat it down and walked away, it was functional, but it wasn’t in hustle and it wasn’t in grasp and it didn’t feel complete. And so I, I was just like, okay, I’m gonna like put a pin in this. And once I figure out how to Polish it, then I’ll, I’ll do it. And I still put it out messy. There were still typos in my emails and words that I had to rearrange on landing pages. That didn’t make sense. I still had to go back and clean up. Oh yeah.
Kristen Boss (51:21):
Every event there’s typos on my sales page, without fault every event, I have someone that DMS me with a screenshot of my sales page and being like, this is
Gina Luker (51:29):
<laugh> Alison.
Kristen Boss (51:32):
Uh, they’re like, this is, this is, you know, just so you know, you have a typo and I’m like, thank you so much. Appreciate it. But I’m like, I’m always an example of the messy implementation. I’m like, listen, when you see me put out an event, I’m like, we’re still gonna get 15,000 people there and there’s gonna be typos on the sales page. Like it’s not gonna be a problem. It’s not even a problem. Yeah. So we’re pretty much at time. Um, ladies, thank you so much for just offering your insights, offering your stories. I’m sure my audience just got a lot of value from both of you. It’s been such a blast having you in the mastermind and we’ll probably see you both in Chicago. So thanks ladies. Thank you!
Kristen Boss (52:13):
That wraps up today’s episode. Hey, if you love today’s show, I would love for you to take a minute and give a rating with a review. If you desire to elevate the social selling industry, that means we need more people listening to this message so that they can know it can be done a different way. And if you are ready to join me, it’s time for you to step into the social selling academy, where I give you all the tools, training, and support to help you realize your goals in the academy. You get weekly live coaching so that you are never lost or stuck in confusion. Whether you are new in the business or have been in the industry for a while. This is the premier coaching program for the modern network marketer go to www.thesocialsellingacademy.com to learn more.
