What stage of small business growth are you currently in, and are you prioritizing the right actions for that stage? In this episode of "Sequence Over Strategy," Michelle Warner discusses the importance of understanding and aligning with the five stages of small business growth, with a special look at what happens when you prematurely outsource or automate your processes. From the importance of validating your business idea to finding product-market-founder fit and building a solid foundation, Michelle provides invaluable insights to help you steer your business in the right direction and avoid the pitfalls that entrepreneurs often fall into.

They say you are the average of the five people you spend the most time with. What happens when you apply that line of thought to your business? It’s your network that determines your business’s worth. In this episode of Sequence Over Strategy, Michelle Warner discusses how to create and nurture strong networks, and how specificity, involvement, and consistent communication will build deeper connections with the right people.

If you know you’re going to get new business after a keynote or other speaking event, should you also be getting paid for it? In this episode of Sequence Over Strategy, I take this question head on, and immediately starts digging down into what we really need to answer instead.

Using listener Jay Acunzo's question as a case study, Michelle emphasizes the importance of distinguishing between when speaking serves as a marketing tool versus a paid product, and shares the tools you need to do it for your own work.

What does First Mover Advantage look like when we’re talking about marketing strategies? At first, it looks like a lot of well-earned success, but then the wave crests and what used to work doesn’t anymore.

What job are you asking your marketing strategies to do for you? In this episode of "Sequence Over Strategy," Michelle Warner, a business designer and strategist, shares her decision-making process behind starting a podcast and why she doesn’t rely on it for awareness. Today’s question concerns transitioning from private to group coaching. Michelle highlights the importance of understanding the job you need your marketing strategies to do and how to align them with your business goals.

Are you feeling overwhelmed by the idea of expanding your business and adding new customer segments and products? In this episode of Sequence Over Strategy, Michelle Warner guides you through the ‘Five Whys’ exercise to uncover the root of your business challenges. By focusing on the impact of marketing efforts on your new ventures, you'll gain clarity on whether your current marketing strategy aligns with your growth plans. Discover the key to avoiding the chaos of running multiple businesses and embrace the power of asking the right questions with the Sequence Over Strategy mindset. Let's simplify your marketing efforts and set your business up for success!

Are you tired of throwing spaghetti at the wall and hoping something sticks in your business? In this episode of Sequence Over Strategy, Michelle Warner dives deep into the world of relationship and traffic marketing and helps you understand the importance of choosing the right marketing approach. You'll learn how to meet your leads in a powerful way, whether you're a coach looking for clients or an entrepreneur seeking sustainable growth. Toss the spaghetti back in the pot and embrace the sequence over strategy mantra for building a sturdy business. Let's make marketing fun and effective again!

I’m sure you’ve heard the scary stat that 50% of small businesses don’t make it past year 5. That’s terrible.

You know what’s more terrible? That 50% tipping doesn’t happen until year 5, which means there are a whole lot of entrepreneurs and business owners struggling through those first 5 years. A whole lot more than the 50% who ultimately close up shop.

Yet the reason for the struggle isn’t that those business owners don’t know what to do. Goodness knows there is no shortage of information out there teaching and telling exactly what to do.

But there's the rub: There is so. much. information out there that the point gets missed: the conversation becomes what information is good and what’s bad instead of whether the information is the important thing or not. 

Because guess what? It’s not about the information. If it was about the information, businesses wouldn’t be able to get to year 5. But they do....

Let's live in a world where we’re all going to run a marathon next year. 

(marathon runners don’t come for me, I’ve been you before, all the respect to you).

But let’s live in that world for a minute because I have a question for you:

If you are going to run a marathon next year, how are you going to train? 

You have 2 options:

1. You will run a series of short, intense sprints 3-4 days a week until the marathon, never running for more than a mile at a time
2. You will run long, slow distances slowly building up your endurance

This is not a perfect example of training plans, I know that, but humor me and choose. 

If you have to run a marathon next year and these are your only 2 choices, how are you training? A or B?

I’m guessing (hoping) all of you chose B.

Which is correct and wildly obvious: Option A is a great option to win a 100m race; Option B is a great option to win a marathon. 

But Option B is a terrible option to win a 100m...