How We 'Ditched' Our Email List And Added A New Mentorship Income Stream
This is a follow up story for Sam Munoz Consulting, LLC. If you're interested in reading how they got started, published over 4 years ago, check it out here.
Hello again! Remind us who you are and what business you started.
Hello there! My name is Sam, I am the Founder & CEO of Sam Munoz Consulting, LLC. At our core we are a website design & development company, with an emphasis on creating a “digital universe” experience that connects our clients’ business model with their tech infrastructure.
In addition to serving private clients through the SMC Studio, we have an additional branch to our business - Education & Mentorship called Making Website Magic. There, we run a podcast, create free tech & how-to articles and run programs to teach women web designers and developers the ins and outs of running this kind of business.
I have always been an advocate for doing business our way instead of how other people say we “should” run things. Because of that, we have chosen to forgeo more conventional things like email lists and an emphasis on social media.
Instead, we lean into our referral-based business - focusing on cultivating meaningful relationships in our network and providing an amazing client experience that speaks for itself.
The SMC Studio sells packages ranging from $3,000 - $30,000 and we have worked with clients all over the world. Our goal with Making Website Magic is to work with at least 15 women each year, supporting them as they grow their own businesses and continue to perpetuate women in this industry.
Tell us about what you’ve been up to! Has the business been growing?
Since our last writing on Starter Story, we have decided to change course & pivot in our focus. Originally, we thought we would scale the business by offering WordPress website templates called Effortless Website Kits. While we did initially find success there, we realized that business model was out of alignment with our goals and how we do business best.
Truthfully, EWK required things that don’t feel natural to me (things like email marketing, running ads, and growing a big social media following - really focusing on a numbers game).
Instead, we decided to lean into our love of mentorship as an additional income stream through Making Website Magic and double down on the SMC Studio, perfecting our processes, hiring a slightly bigger team to continue to serve more clients agency-style and do what we do best - small numbers, robust projects & deep relationships.
You HAVE to believe in what you’re doing and how you’re doing it - otherwise it is not sustainable.
Ditching the email list was probably the most freeing thing I have ever done in business and although it was scary (and again, totally unconventional) it felt amazing saying goodbye to something that always felt like a burden and what I “SHOULD” be doing.
What have been your biggest lessons learned in the last year?
You HAVE to believe in what you’re doing and how you’re doing it - otherwise it is not sustainable. Letting go of what wasn’t serving me and the team as a whole has been liberating and we’ve only continued to see more and more success as time goes on.
What’s in the plans for the upcoming year, and the next 5 years?
In the next 5 years we plan to expand the SMC Studio team (just a bit, I believe in the power of a small, efficient team) and get to the point where we can sustainably work with at least 15-20 clients annually.
We also plan to expand the Making Website Magic side of the business, growing the number of mentees we can support in our programs by expanding the mentorship team and offering a certification program for women who are just getting started in web design and development.
You are the architect of your own future, let go of the “shoulds” and lean into what you want in your business and your life.
Have you read any good books in the last year?
The most impactful books I’ve read recently have been Rest: Why You Get More Done when you Work Less by Alex Soojung-Kim Pang and Atomic Habitsby James Clear.
Both helped me understand more about my priorities and why breaks from business are key to future success.
Advice for other entrepreneurs who might be struggling to grow their business?
I have always been a believer in slow, sustainable growth. It’s easy to get caught up in the shiny things we see online that shout at us saying “make $500,000 in 3 days with a $47 product!” but the truth is, that’s not really how things work.
It’s okay for your growth to be slow (who decides what “slow” is anyway?) and YOU get to decide that you are successful every step of the way.
You are the architect of your own future, let go of the “shoulds” and lean into what you want in your business and your life. It will free you, it will allow you to move as quickly or slowly as you desire, and you will feel like you are winning every single day.
Are you looking to hire for certain positions right now?
In the next year we will be looking to hire a Tech Assistant who is familiar with Wordpress, Asana, and Slack. This person will be responsible for supporting the SMC Studio development team with things like content implementation as well as the Making Website Magic mentorship team with administrative tasks and upkeep.
While we aren’t actively recruiting at this time, I am always open to meeting new people interested in this space, so feel free to reach out via email: [email protected] be sure to include “StarterStory” in the subject line so we don’t miss it.
Where can we go to learn more?
I would love to connect with you, my new friend! The best place to start chatting with me is on Twitter or on Instagram, both @hellosammunoz.
You can also come hang out with us in the Making Website Magic Community to get to know the entire SMC Team and the lovely ladies who all love web design and development as much as we do, makingwebsitemagic.com/community.
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Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
