#37: How to Create Momentum Using Systems with Adrienne Richardson, Paid Traffic Specialist
Do you consider yourself to be a powerplayer?
If you’re a hard worker, you surround yourself with smart people and are always growing and learning - the answer is yes.
In this interview, Adrienne Richardson, Paid Traffic Specialist, shares her definition of what a powerplayer is and is not.
Adrienne also shares:
Two key things that help business owners scale to the million dollar mark.
How important it is to be a systems driven person or have one on your team.
Why business owners are also the brand’s CPO (Chief Problem Solver)
If you’re interested in hearing about Adrienne’s transition from the military to helping businesses scale to 7 and 8 figures through paid traffic, this interview is for you.
Learn more about Adrienne here: https://wearepowerplay.com or follow her on Instagram @adrienne_richardson.
Listen to the Show:
Laura (00:00):
This is the Multi-Million Dollar Brands podcast, episode number 37 with Adrienne Richardson.
(00:09):
Welcome to Multi-Million Dollar Brands, a podcast where we dive deep into the mindset and strategies of scaling your company to the multi-million dollar mark and beyond. Each week, we follow the journeys of innovators, disruptors, experts, and leaders, sharing their stories and behind the scenes of their most challenging moments and greatest lessons learned. So get ready to catapult your business to the next level of revenue and learn how to multiply your income impact and influence by growing your next multi-million dollar brand.
(00:45):
You've probably figured out by now, but there's a couple of different ways to scale a business to the multi-million dollar Mark and beyond. There's a way in which should we throw everything we have at the effort with total brute force, hoping for a certain result that isn't necessarily symptomatic, but we feel very accomplished because we're out there and we're hunting for it, we're gathering and we're bringing it back and then we're going back out there and we're hunting again. And maybe we're choosing a new path and we're forging ahead every single time. And while that is one way to scale to seven figures and beyond, and it certainly way that I have done it myself and lived to tell about it. So that's the good news, right?
(01:24):
But there's also another way, which is that we can actually create that same type of momentum using systems. And today Adrienne Richardson, paid traffic specialist and producer of her own podcast called We Are Power Players is going to be sharing her own philosophy on how she approaches growth to the seven figure Mark and beyond. She's helped gazillions of entrepreneurs, lots of entrepreneurs to do exactly just that little using paid traffic, but just how to systemize their business. So it is a little bit less stressful getting to that final destination and beyond. And so I'm just excited to share Adrienne 's conversation with you. She and I met on a mutual client and just bonded. We had a lot in common, both being faith-based consultants and entrepreneurs, and having been there, done that with a lot of different areas of entrepreneurship and coming to a very similar conclusion after it was all said and done. So coming up next is Adrienne Richardson. So excited to share this conversation with you.
(02:21):
Hey everybody, welcome back. I am here with Adrienne Richardson and she was somebody that I had the pleasure of getting to know on a project that we were both on this year. We realized we had so much in common, including our passion for helping high-level entrepreneurs get to that next level of success in their life and business. She has an incredible podcast. If you haven't listened to it called we are power players. And I just wanted to thank you so much, Adrienne , for being with us today.
Adrienne (02:51):
Thank you for having me. I'm excited.
Laura (02:53):
I am too you are an expert in lead generation and you help industry leaders and get more clients and leads through Facebook ads. But also you are very passionate about making sure that people are living their best life, both in business, as well as in their personal life. So in your opinion, what is the definition of a power player?
Adrienne (03:15):
Oh man. So when I was creating my new branding all around this, you know, powerplay media and where that came from, you know, for me, power players are people who they get after it, they go after their dreams, they work hard. They surround themselves with smart people and try to always be growing and learning. What it doesn't mean though, is that we don't ever have any fear, you know, or that we don't ever fail. For me. A power player is someone who actually can move through their fears and face it, do it anyways, or who can experience failure and look at it as an opportunity for growth. And, and so the power player idea for me was all around kind of this, I hate using the word mindset, but kind of the, you know, their way of thinking and how they move through the world. And that, and that is through, I know taking risks and going after it, knowing that it might be difficult along the way, but they're going to power through it.
Laura (04:08):
Yeah. And so you have a background in the military, which you wouldn't have known because you're a beautiful woman who specializes in Facebook...
Adrienne (04:16):
Nothing to do with the military.
Laura (04:18):
Which really wouldn't have fit my stereotype of somebody who came from military background. But do you think that has actually impacted the way that you think about your life in business today?
Adrienne (04:28):
Yeah. I always tell everybody who asks me about this, like the military played a huge role in my life. I was 17 years old when I went in the military and I skipped my last year of high school. I graduated early, went into the military and I was a very rebellious outspoken, rule-breaking you know, kid, honestly, a kid and the military taught me a lot of wonderful things. Now I am still a rule breaker today. Cause that's just who I am, but it taught me so much about grit and hard work and the ability to push through, you know, like I just, and I it's, it's something I try to teach my children too about like, it doesn't matter if you want to do it, or if you're happy about doing you do it because it needs to be done. And I think that's played a big role in me being able to move through challenges in life or hard things because I can really easily be like, yep, this sucks. I don't like this, but Oh, well let's just deal with it and push through and solve it and move on. And so that's one of the many things that I, I definitely think developed through my military. I also come from a military family. Both of my parents were in the military for 30 years. So it's been ingrained in me since childhood
Laura (05:44):
Like it or not at 17, it sounds like. You talked about also as a power player surrounding yourself with the bigger thinkers, with people who challenge you, which level you up. And I know that's something that you call the people who follow you into your audience, but what, what do you surround yourself with in order to do that?
Adrienne (06:04):
Well, I have found that the older I get and the wiser I get and the more experienced I get in business, that I am much more selective and I make that circle smaller. So when I was new, I wanted to learn from everybody who knew more than me, right? Like, let me learn from this person. Let me learn for that person. I want to see what this person thinks, do what that person thinks. And that served its purpose in the beginning. You know, I was, I was gathering, you're right. I was gathering information, but as I've gotten more experienced in business and gotten really good at being in tune with what matters to me, what my values are, what my desires are. I've started to look for people who are in alignment with that. I'm not even talking about religious beliefs at all. I'm just talking about things in life and business and things like that.
(06:52):
So I look for people who obviously I want to learn from people who are smarter than me. So, you know, some people can be, I don't know if intimidated is the right word, but like intimidated by people that are smarter than them. But I love being in a room with people that are smarter than me. And I look for those people who, again, what they're speaking about teaching about is in alignment with what I really want my, I want in my business and in my life, because what I've realized, and I just was having a conversation with a good friend about this is so much of what we believe about business in life was influenced by what someone else told us was true or real. Sometimes you just sit back and go, well, why do I believe that? Like, why do I think that that has to be this way in business? Or why do I think I can only achieve this in business? Oh, cause somebody told me that, well, what if I decided that wasn't true? That's what I try to do. I try to look for people that are smarter than me. They've achieved already what I want to achieve. And I make sure that what they're going to be planting in my mind is in line with what I want my life to look like.
Laura (07:57):
Yes, absolutely. And it's interesting because so many people ask me and I'm sure they ask you the same, which is whose formula works best because you're looking at all these different gurus with the different approaches and different formulas. And the spoiler alert is that they all work. It's just, they're based on different value systems. And it's a matter of whose resonates with you the most. And I think for a little while, it's easy to think that somebody works better than the others and it's not necessarily true.
Adrienne (08:26):
Yeah. Well, what I have found is that some work better for others based on how you want your business to look. Yes. I have clients that are like, the last thing I ever want to do is do a sales call. Okay. Well then we need to build your marketing around not needing to do a sales call. I have other people that are like, I don't ever want to sell anything for less than $5,000. And I don't mind being on the phone, you know? And so it really, again, it's like, what do you want your business to look like? And you can all the systems work. It's just which one works best to deliver what you want your business to look like.
Laura (08:59):
Yes. Which is such a great segue into our next question, because you are a lead generation expert. You have worked with hundreds, if not thousands of business owners to maximize profitability through Facebook ads and some make it to that million dollar mark and some don't or some scale and some just stay flat or even go backwards. What do you think this key is to scaling to that next level of success?
Adrienne (09:24):
There's two big things. Number one, proper expectation. I think that a lot of people, because marketers are so good at marketing that, and I'm not saying that the marketers are lying. What I'm saying is marketers, don't always paint the picture of what it takes to achieve that. And so people have the improper expectation. And honestly, I don't want to put all of that responsibility on the marketer, although that is a huge role, but number one, people don't have the proper expectation of what it takes, how hard it is, how long it takes. So they don't plan for that. It's unexpected. And so they don't expect what they wanted. Didn't turn out that way. And so they tend to either give up or they abandon their strategy. And so having an improper expectation causes you to give up. And so you never reach that mark or you abandon your strategy and then you keep doing that, abandoned the strategy, abandoned the strategy.
(10:25):
And so it keeps you from being able to scale and grow because you're not sticking to one thing and trying to figure it out. And so that's my second thing is that people don't track their data enough and know how to read that data. Because once you track the data and can read it, you can identify what's not working in your strategy and that will allow you to not give up on it. You can go, oh, actually it's working. It was just this one thing I need to fix. And so if people don't have the proper expectation and they're not tracking actual numbers and results and data in their marketing, then they actually don't know what's working and what's not. And so they just keep changing and changing and I'll try this and I'll try that and I'll see what sticks and none of it ever really sticks because they never actually identified the true problem. So that's what keeps people from scaling and growing in my opinion.
Laura (11:12):
That's so interesting. Do you think most people give up too early?
Adrienne (11:15):
Oh yeah. Yeah. Most people give up too early and we're just so spoiled. Honestly, as online business owners, most business owners in this world busted their butt, worked their butt off, got, you know, lines of credit, you know, did all these things to fund their store, you know, all these more traditional things. And it took so much money and years of effort to get their business to be a multi-million dollar business. But it's so much easier to do online that again, people think like, well, I didn't make a million bucks in my first six months. Something must be wrong and I'm exaggerating a little bit there, but that's, that's kind of true, you know? And so I think that they give up way too easy too soon. Cause they think it should be easier or it should happen faster. And when it comes to traditional business, it's like we would never, I mean, and even think about one of the things that a friend of mine does is, is he compares it to surgeons. Like a surgeon goes to school for 12 years to master their skill and to make $250-$300 thousand a year, maybe half a mil, if they're really good and they're a specialist, but we come online and we throw up a funnel and it doesn't work and we want to give up.
Laura (12:30):
So it's so, so good. And by the way, that traditional business owner that took the lines of credit and spent years building up to multimillion dollar business, that was me too, before I became an online growth consultant. So I totally relate to that. I know you've had exposure to so many different types of people. And I think that always gives you such a really cool perspective on things. And so for those who have really stuck with it, stayed consistent with their strategy, persevered through any of the roadblocks that came up and they got to that multi-million dollar Mark. How do you think they've maintained a sense of sanity or freedom like to you? What separates the people who seem like they're one day away from the funny farm and the people who really enjoy their lives at that level?
Adrienne (13:18):
A real big part of it is that expectation and that patience and that perseverance, I think perseverance is key. They're willing to solve the problem. So what, what we tend to want to do in online marketing is I tried this. It didn't work well then that's it. That model just doesn't work then, or that system doesn't work, then they don't try to dig and solve the problem. And so growing a multi-million dollar business, your problems don't get smaller, they just get different, you know, and they actually become bigger problems. Yeah. So if you want to grow a multi-million dollar business and be successful in that, you have to become an expert at solving problems. And I think what people want to have happen is, well, I will have arrived when I no longer have these problems. My business will be great when I no longer have to deal with this, I'll be good when this goes away.
(14:10):
And the truth is, as you grow a multi-million dollar business, some of those problems that you have early on, they will go away. You'll solve them. And that's why you grew. But as you want to continue to grow, you become chief problem solver in your business. You're managing a team you're managing, you know, you're looking at lead flow, you're managing finances. And so the earlier you embrace challenges and problems and you look at them as opportunities to make your business better. That gives you the best chance to me. and that's successful multi-million dollar businesses are doing.
Laura (14:43):
Would you say also that they have to change their role in the company?
Adrienne (14:48):
Yeah, I think that's huge too. I think that's and I attended a session. Pete Vargas did a thing a couple of weeks ago and Ryan Deiss was there and he did this whole thing on like the phases of a business. And at one point in time, he showed grow, grow, grow, and then the business either continued to grow or failed at this pivotal moment based on the changing role of the leader. And I think that what's really good to learn about yourself early on in business is if you are a leader naturally, and if you're not, and if you're not that's okay. But then that means that your role in the company changes and you have to get someone in that position. And so you have to be really honest with yourself about like, I love managing teams and leading people. My husband is like, I don't ever want to do that.
(15:41):
And if we tried to force my husband into a leadership role, he'd be miserable and probably wouldn't do so great at it. But that doesn't mean he can't own a company. That means he needs to have someone on his team that is really good at that. And so I think that entrepreneurs they're really good at this skill. And so they start this business and they're excited about it and they're the one doing the work. And then when the company grows, they kind of have to move into leader and not as much of a worker. And if they can't make that transition well, then that's what hurts the growth of the company.
Laura (16:11):
Yes. I found that myself and I went through Verne Harish’s scaling up programs and it's really a similar conversation. So it's really interesting to hear your perspective as somebody who has not only heard others speak about it, who have been there and done that, but also again, watch so many businesses in this really pivotal moment where they need to start making some decisions differently than they had in the past. In your podcast episodes, you mentioned that you're very systems driven. And how do you think this impacts revenue? I know you talked about being data-driven in the past, but were there any other systems in addition to data that you think really has contributed to the success of your clients?
Adrienne (16:51):
That is definitely one of my strengths. I'm in a 99 S on the disc scale. So I do love my systems where I think that it has benefited people for sure, and if you're not a systems person, you have to have someone on your team who is like, you have to have that. Because number one, it benefits my clients in a way where they always know what to expect. They always know what's coming next. It's very clear and concise. They're not left wondering. And so that helps with my client retention because they it's like, here's the report. Here's what's going on. Here's what to do next. And they always know that that, like what to expect with that in terms of team, I try as much as possible to make changes quickly. So it's like, I'll lay out here's how we're going to do this.
(17:40):
Right from the beginning, everybody knows the whole entire picture, but if we get to step three and something happens and it didn't work well immediately, I'm like document that change that let's do that. I don't tend to be like, well, let's just wait and see. I'm just, I just kind of, that's my eight also I'm an eight on the Enneagram, so I'm very decisive. And so I think that the systems, it helps with team, it can help with client retention and it even helps to keep me on track, you know? Cause there are days where we just want to be like, you know, like, and so I don't have like a bunch of systems that are actually like built out tangibly, but I definitely, every time I do something, we're kind of documenting the way that we do it and following step-by-step and, and I find not all personality types are like this, some personality types, especially your high D's.
(18:30):
They don't need to know all the details. They just kind of like show up, just tell them, you know, like, let's say they go to a conference, right. They can just show up, hey, just tell me where to go. I'm good. But then you have people like me who are so systems that if you don't give me a fricking agenda, I'm going to be like, this is a disaster. They don't even know what they're doing. Like, and so I think that the D's don't mind that much, if you have systems, but the S's and other people really mind if you don't have systems. So when you have that in your business for your clients and your staff, I feel like you just can't go wrong, but that might just be I'm biased too.
Laura (19:03):
So, so funny. I didn't know you were an eight having worked together. It's really fun because I was like, I think she's an eight. I remember thinking that. And if this doesn't shock you, I'm a three with a very strong two wing. So I'm an achiever with a very strong helper wing. And I'm usually more in my two when I'm working with clients than anything. So
Adrienne (19:24):
Yeah, I'm the eight and I have a nine wing. So that's crazy because I want to be a peacemaker. So it's like, I want to take charge and do everything, but then I want to make sure everybody's okay.
Laura (19:35):
Everyone needs to be okay with my plan, which is, which is actually great because I find that I work really well with eights because I get it. It's like, yeah, of course you want to get that done and you want to make sure that's done well, like I'm, I'm on the same page with you friend. So now I'm going to go into just some really fun questions. What is your favorite book?
Adrienne (19:53):
I have a lot of favorite books, but what's interesting is right now I'm doing a Bible study with Rachel Cruz. She's leading a study in our neighborhood and the book is called the voice of the heart by Chip Dodd. I'd never read this book before. And if you and I were having this meeting three weeks ago, I'd have a different answer for you. But that book is so good that I've bought like 50 copies. I'm like everybody that I know has to have this book, like this is a required reading. I've never had a book before that. I felt like I needed to buy one for everybody that had, I'd have to say is number one, The Voice of the Heart number two is, Bob Goff put out a book called Dream Big and oh my goodness. I love if you need some inspiration, if you're like going through times right now, where they feel hard or you're like, we all dealing with crap right now, right? Like that is such a good book that gets you back focused on your dreams. And so those are two books that I really, really love.
Laura (20:45):
Yeah. I'm in the middle Dream Big right now. And I'm going to be writing down the other book that you recommended after we record here because I'm excited to hear those. And what's really cool is both of us are very forthright about our Christian faith, but we're not necessarily a Christian company. And we have that in common. Anybody who's listened to this podcast knows that about me. And at the same time isn't necessarily that we exclusively serve Christians. And I think that's a very important thing to be able to do as a business owner is to make that decision. Am I only going to serve Christians? Am I going to be vocal with my faith for you? Was that ever a decision to say, hmm, I wonder if I should actually say what I believe too, in a, in a business setting.
Adrienne (21:28):
I think first of all, no matter what anybody's beliefs are, they always have to make that decision. Do I include this as part of my marketing, my branding, who I am or not. And I think that that's a personal decision that everybody has to make. And when I very first started, I didn't actually consider it at all. I was like, I have a skill. I want to help. Whoever needs my help and who I can help. And I didn't consider it at all. Then I got to a point where I was working with a branding company and they brought that up. They were like, you know, there's tons of people who do Facebook ads. There's tons of people who do marketing. You could really differentiate yourself if you said, well, I work with Christian businesses and I really sat on it and thought about it for a while.
(22:08):
And number one, I didn't want to make that choice because it would be good branding. Like it just felt a little bit deceiving or like what I don't know, but it just felt wrong. And so I didn't want that to be a branding choice. I wanted it to be a hard choice and something I felt called to. And I've always same thing. I never shy away from what I believe. I'm again, maybe my personality type believes that my actions and my behavior speaks louder than words. And so there are some people who feel called to really speak it and only work with those kinds of people and have influence over them. I just felt called to go out there and be a light and be who I am and be an example. And that that would speak for itself. And what's funny is I do naturally attract, I'd say probably at least 50% or more of my clients are Christians. So number one, I didn't need to make that a requirement. My actions and behavior attracted those people to me. And also, but number two, I have clients that aren't Christians. I love helping them. They have missions that I feel strongly about and I want to help and we have a wonderful relationship. So I just didn't feel that that was what I was called to. And some people do. And I think that's wonderful, but I just didn't feel that calling.
Laura (23:18):
It's cool to hear your process. And I love that you, as a brand strategist myself, say, sometimes you don't do something for business. Sometimes you do it because it feels right to you. So I love that you shared that. Favorite vacation spot?
Adrienne (23:31):
Definitely has to be the Destin Florida area. And here in Nashville, we call that 30a. If you go down to 30a, it'll just be a bunch of Nashvillians there. Cause that's where it's the closest beach to Nashville. So everybody here there, I grew up there. Actually. I was stationed there when I was in the military. My parents were stationed there when they were in the military. So I did my childhood there. It's just a beautiful Emerald coast. Cause the water looks like emeralds and it's white sand beaches that looks like snow. So it's my favorite place to go. And it's only a six hour drive. I can hop in my car and go there anytime.
Laura (24:06):
Oh nice. Yes. I'm not far from the Jersey shore, but I wouldn't say the water is Emerald. So just to wrap up, where can people find you?
Adrienne (24:13):
They can go to my website, wearpowerplay.com. They can look me up on Facebook. Just Adrienne Richardson is my Facebook page and, and they can connect with me there.
Laura (24:22):
Wonderful. Thank you so much for joining us. I really appreciate it.
Adrienne (24:25):
Thanks for having me. Laura was great.
Laura (24:32):
If you love this, make sure to visit our website, multimillionbrands.com, where you can subscribe to the show in iTunes, Stitcher, or RSS so you never miss a show and while you're at it, if you found value, we would love a rating on iTunes or simply just tell a friend about it. That would help us out too. Thanks for listening.
The Scale with Joy podcast dives into the mindset and strategies of scaling your company to the million dollar mark and beyond. Each week, we follow the journeys of innovators, disruptors, experts and leaders - sharing behind the scenes stories of their most challenging moments and greatest lessons learned-all while building their multi-million dollar empires.