Service Based Business Society Podcast

Tiffany-Ann Bottcher: 00:00

Hello and welcome to the Service Based Business Society podcast. I'm your host, Tiffany Ann Bottcher. I left the corporate world to build my own businesses and along the way I've learned that scaling isn't all highlight reels. It's messy, it's hard, and it's totally worth it. As a mom of three, the author of the data driven method, and a serial entrepreneur, I know firsthand what it takes to build something bigger than yourself.

Tiffany-Ann Bottcher: 00:24

This show is where we get real about entrepreneurship. The good, the bad, the beautiful, and yes, even the ugly. Each week, I'll pull back the curtain to share stories, lessons, and strategies that help ambitious entrepreneurs scale their success. So let's get started. Welcome back to another episode.

Tiffany-Ann Bottcher: 00:41

Today's conversation is punchy and practical. We're digging into how to escape survival mode, simplify your marketing, and scale in a way that still protects your time and your sanity. My guest, Safiya Sator, a certified marketing, business, and sales mentor who helps women entrepreneurs build profitable, freedom first businesses is here on the show. With over a decade in the game and her signature reach 50 framework, Safia focuses on creating sales ecosystems that grow on autopilot. That way, you're not glued to your business twenty four seven.

Tiffany-Ann Bottcher: 01:13

She served over 200 clients, grown a community of thousands, and teaches the fundamentals that still win in 2025. Message, offer, audience, and the back end that actually converts. Safia is incredibly knowledgeable. And this episode will dive into growth and hustle in a way that we haven't talked about on the show before. We're gonna get into the real talk behind sustainable growth.

Tiffany-Ann Bottcher: 01:35

What to fix before you pour on traffic. How to balance family and business empire, plus the mindset shift that takes you from hustling to held by your systems. It's conversational. It's actionable, and it will make you relook at your next quarter. Welcome to the show, Safiya.

Safia Sattaur: 01:51

Tiffany, thanks for having me.

Tiffany-Ann Bottcher: 01:53

So we were we were chatting even a little bit before we hit record, and there was a couple of things that came up for me right away, and I can't wait to dive into them. But first, I'd love to just hear a little bit about how you ended up in the online space. Because if I go back, you know, even, I don't know, not ten years ago, business was done so differently. And so as we were chatting, even before we hit record, we really started to to realize how different things affect so many different types of business owners. And and I think that the online space really brings a whole new world of resources and information and connection for people who are growing through business.

Tiffany-Ann Bottcher: 02:28

So I'd love to hear how you ended up here and and doing your thing in the online.

Safia Sattaur: 02:32

Yeah. Great. So when I started my business, I was actually I had two kids at the time when I started this business. And I was out literally networking. I was out doing live events, doing live workshops, hosting, like, live events and small intimate local workshops.

Safia Sattaur: 02:50

And then I had my third. And at that point, I was like, I don't know that I wanna be out there. I had this little baby. I'm trying to lose the baby weight. And literally, I'm at my desk, and I'm like, let me see what all the buzz is.

Safia Sattaur: 03:03

I don't even know what intuitively let me led me to social media, but I'm like, let me see what's going in going on in the social media space. And Facebook was the thing at the time. The Facebook groups and whatnot. And that's when I'm like, let me just start marketing on social media. And so I started with Facebook groups, like so many of the other people in my space at that time.

Safia Sattaur: 03:25

And just like my Facebook page, my Facebook group, going lives, having my own Facebook group, and realizing that I could literally have access to hundreds of thousands of people with the click of a button from my home with my baby in the next room. Right? And so that was what led me to being more bringing my business online. And the more I did that, the more I realized there's a ton of other people out there that are also building, growing, starting these online businesses. And I think, like with many people in my space, you learn as you grow.

Safia Sattaur: 03:59

Right? And so as I started adopting strategies, as I started seeing what was working in my business, that by default, I started using with some of my clients and passing that knowledge on, passing those strategies on, and seeing it work so well for some of my clients, sometimes even better than it was working for myself, you know? And so that's what kind of brought me into, like, the online landscape.

Tiffany-Ann Bottcher: 04:21

It's so interesting because, like, I have three as well, and I transitioned as my from corporate just after my third. And it was I I mean, I'd been in in the boardroom for really my entire adult life, and I didn't really realize you almost like, you don't really know what you're missing. You do. Like, obviously as a mom, I was like, I'd love to be home with my kids. But I also was at like the, hey, went to school for a lot of years and I love my career and like something's got to pay for the roof though.

Tiffany-Ann Bottcher: 04:47

All, you know what I mean? Like there's it's and so but it was during COVID that being home and seeing like all the little things that I was like, oh, I was like, I really I really am missing out on a lot of different things. And what could what could I do, instead, which was crazy because, know, you kind of get on a path. Right? You're on a life path, and you're thinking, hey, like, this is this is the path.

Tiffany-Ann Bottcher: 05:09

This is what we're doing. And so, yeah, it's very interesting that that shift of, you know, and and going from two to three is no joke. People say it's you know, once you have two, what's three? I'm like, that is a lie.

Safia Sattaur: 05:19

Yeah. That's so true. It's such a lie. Like, that third way in some ways, it's more difficult. In some ways, it's a lot easier, but it is it is so different.

Safia Sattaur: 05:26

But the COVID the COVID position is so interesting because the I feel like what happened at that time is that there was like a value shift in the world. I think people really started to reassess how they're spending their time. You literally see people around the world, like, randomly here one day and here the next. Like, how do I want to be spending my time? Through COVID, interestingly enough, I had such an influx of clients who were in the boardroom, who were they were like corporate, you know, men and women.

Safia Sattaur: 05:56

And it's like, well, how can I now leverage what I've been doing? Or I'm not happy with what I've been doing. I know there's something else out there for me. I don't know specifically what that is yet, but I know there's a deep calling. And that's because you were listening to, like, what these values of, like, how do I really wanna be showing up and living my purpose?

Safia Sattaur: 06:16

And so that that was such a rewarding time for me to help people really to unlock what that brilliance is and teach them how to package that into something that they can market and they can sell and make a very comfortable living with life with online. You know? And so there's a lot of bad that came out of it, but I also think there was a lot of really good opportunities that came out of it as well.

Tiffany-Ann Bottcher: 06:37

Yeah. There's you know, it's interesting because, you know, fast forward however however long, you know, we all try to black out, like, when was that really? Was such a life change. Right? And so but I was speaking to someone yesterday and they're one of my clients.

Tiffany-Ann Bottcher: 06:50

And their their wife has has had a baby and she's going back to work. And so he said, you know, I said, oh, does she work in the you know, does she work online? Does she work from home? Or does she have to go into the office? And she was like, no, no, she commutes.

Tiffany-Ann Bottcher: 07:00

But, you know, after COVID, everyone was working from home. But now since she's been gone, the initiative has been now, like, everybody they want everybody back in the office most of the time. And so it's interesting because I think that we are starting to see that shift now where it's kind of, like, been far enough away that now people are kind of like, hey, like, what how are we evolving again? And so he said a lot of people for their organization specifically, like, moved. Like, they were like, oh, well, if I don't have to be here to work here, you know, I I've moved away.

Tiffany-Ann Bottcher: 07:26

And so I'm I'm like, well, presents a whole new slew of problems for people because now, like, it's like, oh, you're expected back in the office, but by the way, I live in a totally different province.

Safia Sattaur: 07:35

I know. That's and my husband as well, they just started going back into the office three days a week before for the past few years, it's just been like a hybrid. Now it's three days a week, and now they're talking about going back into the city every So, I mean, we live in New York, but that commute into Manhattan and things like that, you know, when you're doing it for so many years and then you stop and you realize my commute is literally downstairs, it frees up so much of your time. And I think there's so many studies that were done that workplace productivity was up, like work life balance was up. People were so much happier working from home.

Safia Sattaur: 08:08

So I always joked. I'm like, everybody's like, oh, I'm working from home. I'm like, guys, this is just Tuesday for me. This is like my every day,

Tiffany-Ann Bottcher: 08:15

you know? Yeah.

Safia Sattaur: 08:15

So everyone's like, do you work from home? I'm like, I've been working from home. So

Tiffany-Ann Bottcher: 08:19

Yeah. Totally. I I would love to really break it down as to the the direction of why everyone is going back. Like, what are some of because it is more common. And so is it that people wanted them back?

Tiffany-Ann Bottcher: 08:30

And so now it's kinda like, well, everybody else is doing it, so I'm gonna jump on the bandwagon and and

Safia Sattaur: 08:33

put up.

Tiffany-Ann Bottcher: 08:33

But I'm stupid because there were so many studies, and and there really was a positive direction for so many people. So I'm curious what you know, obviously, there's always the flip side. Right? What is the negative? So okay.

Tiffany-Ann Bottcher: 08:44

I think it's interesting when you're talking about, you know, you get in the online space and there's so many different things, different ways of delivering the message. And you kinda said, I was doing some things and then I was getting some good traction. So then I started, you know, sharing them with others. And I I think that was so interesting. This this week has been Level Up Summit in Texas, is for for Go High Level.

Tiffany-Ann Bottcher: 09:04

Right? And you see so many people who are sharing and and not Go High Level related, but saying like, a year ago, I was here as a person in the crowd watching. Now and a lot of them, they were people who had developed some kind of bolt on product for the software. And now they're it's changed their world. Right?

Tiffany-Ann Bottcher: 09:21

They're now doing like these crazy things. They're like, hey, like, maybe they bought a new house. They're like, their financial situation is entirely different. Their their business situation is entirely different. And all of them are saying like, what a difference a year can make.

Tiffany-Ann Bottcher: 09:33

And I think that it's crazy when you are open minded to see what some of those different things out there are. That it's like, hey, none of those people set out thinking, hey, I'm gonna build an extension or, you know, some kind of add on to some software that they didn't know about. It's it's that path. Right? Or it's like, that wasn't the path.

Tiffany-Ann Bottcher: 09:50

And so I think that that online, you know, the the willingness to to be open minded and kind of roll with the different directions is really just an opportunity for everyone.

Safia Sattaur: 10:00

Absolutely. I couldn't agree with you more. And I think the willingness is the key here because I feel like there are certain people who are meant to be in an entrepreneurial role, and there's certain people that are meant to be in a corporate role. Right? And if you're in the corporate role and you've got that calling and you step into the entrepreneurship world and role, you absolutely can succeed because you're bringing all those years of experience.

Safia Sattaur: 10:26

But I also think it's because you got that thing. You got that spark. You got that discipline. You've got that drive. You've got that mindset.

Safia Sattaur: 10:34

And that is what actually will take you to that next level. Right? And then you've got people who have never like, for me, I've always worked for myself. I mean, I had a small I worked corporate for, like, at a law firm for, like, a year before my first was born. But I've always sort of been in my own business.

Safia Sattaur: 10:52

Always have. And I knew when I had my first child that I wasn't gonna go back corporate. I knew that. Like, I just in my gut, I'm like, I didn't know what I was gonna do, but I knew it was gonna be building something on my own. And I and I and I don't think that everybody has that within them.

Safia Sattaur: 11:10

And I don't say that to be, you know, I don't say that to be cocky or I don't say that to be, like, exclusive or anything like that. But I really do see and I know this from working with so many people who have come to me with an idea. And those people who make it, those people who stay in business, those people who sustain and scale, it's because they have that. There's a lot of people out there that love the idea of having a business more than having the business itself. Totally.

Safia Sattaur: 11:36

Know, honestly. So you you've gotta really be in touch with yourself as well and ask yourself those questions because, yourself, do I like the idea of this or am I like, can I show up and do this every single day? Or is the security and security of knowing that I have a paycheck coming in every two weeks, is that more aligned for me. And nothing is wrong with either or. It's just really knowing what your path is and honoring that.

Tiffany-Ann Bottcher: 12:13

You know? 100%. Yeah. It always I mean, I worked hard. I worked hard in corporate.

Tiffany-Ann Bottcher: 12:18

I I definitely made some great progress there. But let me tell you, I work so much harder now. Like, it's like you, you know, it's like I thought I worked hard then, and now I'm like, I did. I worked really hard, but I work way harder now. But it's different.

Tiffany-Ann Bottcher: 12:32

I agree. I still, I don't miss a tournament game. Like, you know,

Safia Sattaur: 12:48

Yes. Exactly. Yeah.

Tiffany-Ann Bottcher: 12:50

So, you know, what are some of the things that you're noticing in your own business and that you're implementing for clients that are really those those kind of newer things? Because I feel like the the online just technology availability is is just growing right now. It's it's crazy. Like, if we had this six months ago, this top the stuff that you'd be talking about as super cool is, like, so six months ago, and I feel like it's evolving so quickly. So what are the kinds of things that you're loving right now?

Safia Sattaur: 13:16

I'm loving AI. I'm not gonna lie. I am loving AI. I love that AI can help us take an idea and just flush that out. I'm not saying it has to replace your thoughts or it has to replace your creativity.

Safia Sattaur: 13:27

But I'm loving leveraging AI and not just for creative writing or, like, things like that, but, like, literally building out calculators. I just created this whole new calculator for some ads performance for another client. And the hours it would have taken me to, like, sit down and do that, I'm like, just plug these parameters in and it built me out this beautiful so I'm loving that. And what I love about that as well is, like, the versatility of it because now I have this tool that I can share with clients. Now I have this tool that I can use with multiple clients.

Safia Sattaur: 13:59

Right? I'm also loving that I'm seeing a lot of people, like, understand and appreciate the importance of brand identity. Meaning, I feel like when you come into the online space, you think, okay. It's content you've gotta create. You gotta put content out.

Safia Sattaur: 14:18

You gotta market yourself. You have to do things organically, or you have to do things like or you choose to do things via ads. I am in this unique situation because I've done both. I built my business organically, and then I started leveraging ads, and it was a game changer. And so I know what it's like to have ads running in the background of your business and then also having somewhat of an organic presence, like, complementing each other.

Safia Sattaur: 14:42

And I think for a while there, you had two sides of the camp where it was like everybody was doing it organically or you're trying to go viral, you're following all the trends, you're doing all the things you see on social media, or you've got all the ads people in the other camp, which is like funnel and this and that and that. Right? What I'm seeing now, and I think it's long overdue, is you actually need both. You need to be blending both. And more importantly, not just for a sales perspective, because that's always like the bottom line, but for a brand perspective.

Tiffany-Ann Bottcher: 15:16

Definitely.

Safia Sattaur: 15:17

The industry, as with so many industries, have become so noisy. Like, there's competition for everything. And so I always say this from day one, it's never gonna change. People buy from people. People buy from the people that they feel that connection to.

Safia Sattaur: 15:31

And so it's easy to pump a couple dollars into ads or, like, you know, like, spend hours creating a really good con piece content or going trying to figure out how to go viral. But none of those things necessarily build trust and credibility. It's when you can create that connection with your audience and you can build that cultivate that sense of community, which is what I'm seeing more people lean towards now, really cultivating community with their audience, not necessarily trying to always grow, but how am I creating that sense of community and connection with my existing followers, my existing email list, my existing audience? That I'm loving because I think it's long overdue. I think a lot of people were so focused on growing the numbers, growing the followers, getting to like the ten ks months, a hundred ks months, or whatever that metric was that you felt you needed to hit.

Safia Sattaur: 16:21

And I'm seeing, and I'm actually helping a lot of my clients to move in this direction as well, which is it's not necessarily more. It's what we're doing with what we have in front of us and how we're really building out really strong, loyal communities that continue to market for us even when we're not.

Tiffany-Ann Bottcher: 16:39

Mhmm. There's something to be said for having those people in like, you know, once you have some people online or I remember when I started, people would ask in, like, Facebook groups. Right? You know? I'm looking for such and such product.

Tiffany-Ann Bottcher: 16:51

And you would see, like, people would, like, oh, yeah. So and so. So and so. Yep. This person, so and so.

Tiffany-Ann Bottcher: 16:57

So so. And I was like, how do you get on that list? Like, that that's the marketing. It's it's that that tag is worth so much because it's not, it's not me being like, you know, you got the person who's like, I can help you. And it's like, I mean, of course, you're going to say that it's you.

Tiffany-Ann Bottcher: 17:10

But it's the other people who are like, no, no, like, you know, Sam's the best. You gotta talk to Sam, Sam, Sam, Sam. And you're like, okay, like you know, whatever that and and it's there's they're like, oh, no. You gotta talk to so and so. You gotta talk to so and so.

Tiffany-Ann Bottcher: 17:37

And so, you know, that that is so that's that that credibility piece for sure.

Safia Sattaur: 17:42

The community, yes. But I also think that speaks a lot to service. Right? So I'm a big, big, big believer in people over profit. Right?

Safia Sattaur: 17:51

And for your audience, all service based business owners here that are probably with listening to this podcast, it's the service you deliver. It's the quality of over delivering almost, right, without undervaluing yourself, of course. There's a whole other conversation around that. But but, you know, same thing. Like, I can hire another ads agency.

Safia Sattaur: 18:10

I can hire another social media. I can hire another content creator, copywriter, blah blah blah. There's a dime a dozen. But when you value the client in front of you, you show up for that client, you deliver with excellence. You know, you prioritize the people over the profit.

Safia Sattaur: 18:25

That's what builds that connection and that, like, cult like community where people are like, oh my god, you've got to work with my girl, Safia. You've to, like, call her. And that's that back in the day that was well, not back in the day. People are still tagging now. But that's that same, like, word-of-mouth inculcating the market and everybody just wanting to work with you is building that expert level, like, sought after status.

Safia Sattaur: 18:49

Right?

Tiffany-Ann Bottcher: 18:49

Yes. Yeah. I and I think it's really TikTok for me that it seems to be showing people that are that like, they're running ads for running ads. And it and I think they phrase it really well in that they're saying like, hey, like, so you you've got your your message that you like. It's just taking that message and just getting it in front of a bigger audience.

Tiffany-Ann Bottcher: 19:07

And so and they have, like, creators doing the ads for this. And so I'm like I'm like genius, first of all. Gee, I love good marketing. Like, when people nail the marketing to and you're like, so good. Like, that was great.

Tiffany-Ann Bottcher: 19:18

And you're like, this is well done. And but today, I was I was literally just, doing my little doom scroll there. Guilty pleasure TikTok every once in a while. And so I'm, like, get I'm getting ready in the morning, and I'm flipping through. I'm, like, blow drying my hair and, like, doing the doom scroll at the same time.

Tiffany-Ann Bottcher: 19:31

And, there's this ad, and it says person that's you know, it starts out with, like, I'm gonna save you from all the things that you should not buy in the TikTok shop. And so it's this creator. And so she's got her first one. She holds up this, hey, this is really thin. It doesn't fit very well, blah, blah, blah.

Tiffany-Ann Bottcher: 19:44

And then she gets on this whatever makeup that they're all promoting right now. And she's like, I'm like, this, is this even supposed to match my face? And, like, you're she's putting it on and you're like and it And then, like, you, like, drop in the, like, oh, by the way, this one's amazing. You're like, I see what you did there. I see what you did.

Tiffany-Ann Bottcher: 20:16

And and it's a paid ad. Right? And so you're like, why would someone pay to run an ad that says don't buy these things? And then you're like, uh-huh. Because we're actually set like, it's it's crazy.

Tiffany-Ann Bottcher: 20:25

The level of genius that goes into I just I I love the, like Listen.

Safia Sattaur: 20:30

I geek out over stuff like that. I study funnels. I study ads. I study marketing. I love that stuff lights me up because it's like, you have to and if that's the thing.

Safia Sattaur: 20:39

Right? Like, the market is so much more sophisticated. The market knows when it's being sold to you. And some people love being sold. Like, I almost love almost don't beat around the road.

Safia Sattaur: 20:49

What are we selling? Just get to it. Right? Right. Again, you have to know your message, know your story, know your vibe, and also know your audience.

Safia Sattaur: 20:56

And I think that in a lot of spaces in terms of, like, b two b or services, people know. Like, people have caught on. And I think the more authentic you can be, the more funny you can be, the more real you can be, the more human you can be in spite of AI, the more people will again, comes back to that connection. Right? And something like that TikTok that you watched, you felt that connection to the girl because you're like, it's funny.

Safia Sattaur: 21:20

It was relatable. Okay. Maybe I will buy that. Right? Versus this blends perfectly or this whatever.

Safia Sattaur: 21:26

Like, you know that's you're being market to marketed to in that way. So from a marketing perspective, you always have to be thinking outside of the box. You always have to be, like, looking at the different angles and the different objections and the different all the things and how are we putting it together in a way that's unique to this particular client and unique to this particular product or offer that you're selling.

Tiffany-Ann Bottcher: 21:48

Yes. I love that because I feel like I also geek out on these kinds of I'm like, I love a good sales process. Like, sometimes I'm like, I just like I'm enjoying the process here. Like, let's let's really because you can tell that someone's, like, dialed it in. Right?

Tiffany-Ann Bottcher: 22:01

You're like, okay. So we're doing this. We're doing oh, that was a perfect follow-up. Just the right time. Great messaging.

Tiffany-Ann Bottcher: 22:06

Like, I it's so funny. I do the same thing over, like, different, content. I'll be like, oh, that's something like, one of my kids will be like, hey, mom. Have you seen have you seen this? And I'll be like, I was like, oh, I love that edit.

Tiffany-Ann Bottcher: 22:16

And my daughter always rolls her eyes. She's like, that's not what I'm showing you. Yeah. Yeah. And I'm like, no.

Tiffany-Ann Bottcher: 22:21

No. It's good. It's good. I like it. The and and it's it's it's oftentimes, it's those out of box thinking.

Tiffany-Ann Bottcher: 22:27

You know? I mean, if we look at Red Bull, I feel like Red Bull did it so early on. Right? I mean, you've never seen Red Bull other than Red Bull gives you wings, which like, I mean, even my six year old is like, but mom, it gives you wings. They don't ever market their product.

Tiffany-Ann Bottcher: 22:41

No. I mean, they've built a huge I mean, there is like literal sports that have been, like, created, like, you know, professional cliff diving at the Red Bull. Like, you know, it's like nothing is about the the drink anymore. It's like it's just a presence in places. And I just, like, I love I love, like, watching and observing to see where people go with these kinds of things.

Safia Sattaur: 22:59

Absolutely agree. And I think that's also, like, such a testament to how different it gets to be. Like, doesn't have to be the traditional TV ad or social media ad or social media post. It could literally be like, I'm working with a client right now, and there's an event that's happening in the city, and it's a designers event. And it hasn't been marketed.

Safia Sattaur: 23:21

But what they're doing is just everybody is just wearing the outfits. It's all influencers, all social media creators, and things like that. And the the marketing is just going to be, damn. That looks amazing on her. There's no flashy marketing.

Safia Sattaur: 23:39

There's no big ad budget. There's nothing like that. It's just the clothes will speak for themselves on these people who have a massive following. Because when you look good, you tell me the girl's not gonna post it. She's not gonna, like, show it off and tag it.

Safia Sattaur: 23:55

That's and that's the beauty. Like, has evolved. There's it's and if you're not evolving with it, you're you're leaving so much opportunity on the table. Like small businesses, online entrepreneurs, there's so many different ways of looking at marketing now besides just let me run an ad or let me try to go viral. Right?

Safia Sattaur: 24:14

And you've got to start to think outside of the box because everybody's doing the traditional methods. Right? And you've got to really start to, how can I be innovative with my marketing? You don't need to recreate the wheel, but how can you be different? How can you not I hate to say this, but stand out in a way, but at the same time, stay in integrity of your brand voice.

Safia Sattaur: 24:39

Because there's a lot of people who might try to do that, and then it's like, you missed the mark. Because now you're trying to do what you saw some other brand doing, and it just doesn't fit. It doesn't align, and that flops. And people will remember that too. Right?

Safia Sattaur: 24:52

So it's really, really important that whatever strategy, whatever you look at it also aligns with your brand voice, aligns with your brand values, your mission, and things like that as well.

Tiffany-Ann Bottcher: 25:01

Absolutely. Yeah. You saw that, campaign that it's like a small I I mean, I I interpret it to be small just based on location. The Mercedes dealership in Alberta. Okay.

Tiffany-Ann Bottcher: 25:12

So they started running these it was, I think on TikTok is where it started. And they have like, like realistically, it's crazy. It like went totally viral. And then all these other car dealerships are like trying to copy it. And so now it's like, it's like the T move version of the original Rellie is like what some of it feels like because they like, they nailed it.

Tiffany-Ann Bottcher: 25:28

Right. And so, and it's just turned into this whole thing. I actually was geeking out and, and reached out to their actual social media manager and was chatting with her because I was like, hey, like, this is crazy. Like, did you know that this was going to and she's like, no. We were just having fun.

Tiffany-Ann Bottcher: 25:42

And I think that that I mean, cars, if we think about, like, scammy sales, when people think people where do people go to? Don't be a used car salesman. I mean, are the Mercedes. They're not used cars. You know what I'm saying?

Tiffany-Ann Bottcher: 25:53

Like, it's not and so now it's like, okay, we have to create content all the time. This is this. And so she's gone like, hey, I'm gonna go a different direction. I'm gonna be different. They actually went and like ended up going to like the Mercedes in Europe and like it's been this whole thing.

Tiffany-Ann Bottcher: 26:05

And and so I love seeing that just, you know, how are how are you doing it differently. Right? And putting your spin, but still being true to yourself. Because now you have these other car dealerships who are trying to do the same thing, and you're like, yeah, that's not quite the same because it doesn't feel as authentic to them. Right?

Tiffany-Ann Bottcher: 26:21

It's just it's like Exactly. It's out of alignment.

Safia Sattaur: 26:24

Yeah. Absolutely. Yes.

Tiffany-Ann Bottcher: 26:26

Yeah.

Safia Sattaur: 26:26

I It's okay to, like, experiment, but just know when you're, like, veering off a little

Tiffany-Ann Bottcher: 26:32

too much. Totally. It's interesting, though, because I think that, you know, at one point, people are like, oh, I got a web website. I and I remember it's like, you know, you're like, oh, I have this idea and blah blah blah. I mean and you're like, oh, I got a website.

Tiffany-Ann Bottcher: 26:42

And so it's like, okay. Well, I mean, everybody has a website now. Like, that it's so hard to get a website. Yes. And so you're like, okay.

Tiffany-Ann Bottcher: 26:48

Well, I'm gonna run ads to the website. And it's like, you know, people spend a lot of money on on and I feel like everyone at one point goes through their whole ads are gonna solve my business problem. And so they run a month, they spend a bunch of money, and they're like, I got nothing. I got nothing from these ads. Yeah.

Tiffany-Ann Bottcher: 27:02

And so you're like, okay. But the concept of paying for more traffic, ultimately, if the whatever you were offering was not great and you just pay for more of that, it's still it's just more of not great. And so

Safia Sattaur: 27:14

I always say that. I'm like, ads are not the magic pill. No. Even if on the surface, your face front, your website, the landing page, what have you, has nailed the messaging and is perfect. And you get the lead, you get the sale.

Safia Sattaur: 27:29

If your back end cannot back that up, then, you know, you're getting you're just getting you're wasting your money. You're throwing your money away on the ads, and you're also doing such a disservice to the person who trusted you to give you their information and their money. Right? And so I say this a lot with clients who are doing like lead gen ads, which is, you know, once you have paid, whether it's in your time or in your money to acquire that lead, it is your responsibility. It's your due diligence to convert that lead.

Safia Sattaur: 27:59

You might get them to opt in. You might get them to register for whatever, but what are you doing on the back end to retain them and convert them into a client and to increase their lifetime value? Right? So now you've got the lead, whether how much ever you paid for it, what are we doing at that point? So to your point, yes, if you're running traffic to something that sucks, it's gonna suck regardless.

Safia Sattaur: 28:21

But even if you've done all the AI or hired the best copywriter and the best designer and everything and you've got the perfect front facing offer and they get in the door and you can't back that up, you will absolutely just be throwing money away. So I a lot of the times I tell my clients, they're like, let's build the back end first. Let's make sure your back end is very solid. I'm not saying we need to put all the bells and whistles and throw a lot of time into it, but we have to make sure your offer is solid. The deliverables are solid.

Safia Sattaur: 28:50

These are the things like, again, you quality over quantity, people over profit. I don't care how much money you're wanting to spend to bring people in. If they're in and you're not taking care of them, you're gonna lose them. And you're gonna lose them fast, you're gonna lose them along with their friends because they're not gonna recommend. Right?

Safia Sattaur: 29:08

And it's this it's this chicken up before the egg situation where a lot of people are like, well, I need to grow before I start focusing on like, you know, like building all these other things. But no, I think it's like, build it. You don't need to go above and beyond and build an entire thing, but make sure that the foundation is really strong. Your deliverables are solid and in place. Test it to a small audience if you have to before you release it to a bigger audience, but make sure people are going to get the result from whatever it is that you're selling.

Safia Sattaur: 29:39

And then let's throw traffic it. Let's then let's scale it, right? And sometimes we'll just want to get to that finish line. They just want, you know, they just see that, the volume, the volume, the volume. But don't chase the volume, chase the quality first, you know?

Tiffany-Ann Bottcher: 29:52

Absolutely. Yeah. Because we've we're all I'm sure every business owner can think of one client that they knew on the way in was not not really a fit, and it was like a timing thing where you're like, oh, I mean, like, we have capacity right now. It'll be fine. Famous last words.

Tiffany-Ann Bottcher: 30:08

It'll be fine. It is a slog. It is never enjoyable.

Safia Sattaur: 30:12

Yes.

Tiffany-Ann Bottcher: 30:13

It is like, oh my gosh. I I can think of a client at one point and and it was just like a it's just not an it's not alignment on communication. And it's like, I say blue, and she's like, why did you say red? And you're like, no. Said I said blue.

Tiffany-Ann Bottcher: 30:25

Blue. And she's like, you said red. Why is it red? I'm like, no. No.

Tiffany-Ann Bottcher: 30:28

But it was it was blue. We are so happy to have you, but it is blue. It is so blue. And it's just like, I'm like, I knew. I knew.

Tiffany-Ann Bottcher: 30:36

I knew this was not the right. And so, you know, it's making sure that and at one point, our marketing messaging, we I had worked with someone to change some of our messaging and we were ending up with more of that, those kind of people. We had we had more incoming.

Safia Sattaur: 30:51

Yes.

Tiffany-Ann Bottcher: 30:52

But, like, not the ideal fit. It's just if and so, you know, years ago, I remember, when I was still in corporate, it was like my we did a lot of, like, innovative stuff. And I remember someone saying to me, you know, Tiffany Ann, it used to be like a banana down a garb rater, and lately, it's like a pineapple down a garb rater. And I'm like, okay. And now it's, like, in my mind, and I can think I haven't seen this guy in years, but I think of this comment that he said.

Tiffany-Ann Bottcher: 31:19

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. For like the next ten years. Because when something is not quite in alignment, whether that's the client, whether that's the offer and your actual ability to deliver it, or it goes from like, hey, we're just, we're going, we're doing, and then like, it can be a rough road if it's not quite right.

Safia Sattaur: 31:36

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So how do you, Tiffany Ann, in your company, how do you deal with clients like that? I'm turning the questions around.

Safia Sattaur: 31:43

Sorry. I love it. I love it. I've never this is not usually the direction we go.

Tiffany-Ann Bottcher: 31:47

You know, it's tough. I actually have said that we we had a meeting last week and I said, you know, I'm not good at trying to not like, recently I had someone, the last person in, and I said, I really am not sure that we're the best fit for you. We're we're very we're very modern and innovative. You know, it's like most of things are on the cloud virtual. We have clients all over North America, but we do have a really good base of local people.

Tiffany-Ann Bottcher: 32:12

And so, but it's like, just because we are still accustomed to, like, I mean, we have a client across the continent, and I can do business with them. No problem. So the fact that you're, you know, across town, ultimately, that doesn't really change a lot in terms of how our processes go. So I was like, I I don't really know if we're the best fit for you. And she's like, well, I heard you're great.

Tiffany-Ann Bottcher: 32:30

So I want to do it. And I was like, now what do you say? Because I was like, I mean, thank you. But it's like Yeah. Yeah.

Tiffany-Ann Bottcher: 32:36

I knew right away that I'm like, oh, but you she loves paper. She's like, oh, no. Like, I love my paper. And I was like, oh, it's really tough. Paper doesn't do virtual very well.

Tiffany-Ann Bottcher: 32:45

And so it's it's that piece. And I am not great at like, I'm like, okay. But now what? Now I know you're not really the best fit for us.

Safia Sattaur: 32:54

Yeah.

Tiffany-Ann Bottcher: 32:54

And so I always, you know, I I always just think, you know what? That comes down to really trying to work on that messaging on the way in and make sure that it's super clear. Our our client agreement really lays out very clearly who is responsible for what.

Safia Sattaur: 33:08

And I mean But then you're still gonna have situations where if someone heard about you through someone through someone

Tiffany-Ann Bottcher: 33:14

Mhmm.

Safia Sattaur: 33:14

I just wanna work with this person because you got x results for that person, and I want similar results. Right? And what doesn't matter what's said on paper. This is the person I want because I want those I either wanna work with you because you're sought after or I wanna work with you because my friend or this person or this other person told me, I've seen the results you get, so I want that replicated in my business. And they're not thinking about that misalignment.

Safia Sattaur: 33:37

They're not thinking. I mean, I always say no two businesses are the same. Right? And for me personally, I customize everything I do for my clients. Right?

Safia Sattaur: 33:44

Every client gets a customized strategy based on their unique business, even them as a business owner. Right? I remember once I actually had to I actually had to fire a client and give them a full refund after working with them for a while because it had been like two months in. And I, at that point, there were several communication barriers and there were several things that, you know, for lack of a better word, I felt like there was no responsibility on their end. And we had just started.

Safia Sattaur: 34:15

It was like just starting our second month together. And I was like, if this is how the first month is, I can only imagine how the next few months is going to be. And I had a very frank conversation, and I actually ended up sending them a refund and without even going negotiating back and forth because I knew for myself, and this is something I've had to learn in business over the years, is that is a very strong boundary for me. My time is so valuable. And the time that I'm going to put into a client is so valuable that you're getting my brain, my team, my resources, my support, my strategy.

Safia Sattaur: 34:49

And if it's not going to be received or it's not going to be executed upon or whatever the thing was, I'm trying not to give too many details away here, but I know that that's my time could now be spent on another client or with my children or at the gym or somewhere else. And so Exactly. To me, that's a very hard line for me is when my time boundaries are pushed. And I have no worries giving you the refund because I know that another client is just around the corner for me. That's not something that I worry about.

Safia Sattaur: 35:20

But yeah, that alignment, knowing what that alignment is, is so key. But I'll tell you, like starting out in my business, I probably would have held on. I can't afford to lose a client. Heck no. Like, I'm going to do everything.

Safia Sattaur: 35:33

I'm going to twist. I'm going to bend. I'm going to break my own boundaries for that client because I need that money or I want that portfolio builder or whatever the case may be. And it's unfortunate that we sometimes feel like we have to do that, especially when starting out. And I get it.

Safia Sattaur: 35:49

Like, you have to know what your values are, what your financial situations are. And I mean, I wouldn't have been able to say that in the beginning, but I'm very grateful that I'm able to do that now.

Tiffany-Ann Bottcher: 35:58

Absolutely. Yeah. It's it's tough. I had a a great client. She she calls me.

Tiffany-Ann Bottcher: 36:03

She's like, so someone asked for your number. Don't don't don't work with her. You don't wanna work with her? I was like, oh, great. Well, thanks for giving her my number.

Tiffany-Ann Bottcher: 36:10

And so, like, I see the the call pop up on my calendar and I'm like, okay. And I mean, even had she not told me that it was probably not a fit, it was I knew from the call it was not a fit. And I was trying to, like, dance. But it's like now it's like she knows someone, so you're, like, trying to dance a little bit out of it. It was tough.

Tiffany-Ann Bottcher: 36:26

It was that was rough. And I had, like, tried my best, and she just was like, no. No. I really wanna do it. And I was like, I'm trying not to be blunt.

Tiffany-Ann Bottcher: 36:32

I'm trying to like and it's like, it was so tough.

Safia Sattaur: 36:34

You'd just be like, so what was your budget?

Tiffany-Ann Bottcher: 36:36

And then over I would have seen that would have I was like, oh, how am I gonna dance out of this? And in the end, yeah, she was so upset that I didn't that we didn't end up working together. She went in like a Facebook group and she and my my client was like, oh, yeah. She was angry. She was like, yeah, it seemed like she didn't even wanna work with me.

Tiffany-Ann Bottcher: 36:52

And blah blah blah. And I was like, man. I was like, saying no is actually way harder than saying yes. But it's I think in in business, that is, you know, we really have to. And same thing when I started out, I said yes to way more things because it's like, okay, you're getting some traction and and but you just have to not get in the habit of doing that forever.

Tiffany-Ann Bottcher: 37:11

I always say, you know, it's it's there's a lot of people on the online space. Like, I look at Gary Vee as a as an example who was like hustle hard, hustle, hustle, hustle for years. It was like the like, if you're not doing meetings at 3AM and blah blah blah, then like, who what are you even doing? And then it was like this weird shift of like, how it's like, oh, it's like we it went way back the other way. And I was like, okay, but it's but you you built your empire on the 3AM meeting and the hustle.

Tiffany-Ann Bottcher: 37:36

And so if you're giving that advice to people who don't yet have an empire, they cannot you you can't like skip over the steps. So I do that. It's like you gotta earn your stripes, and sometimes the stripes suck for lack of a better word. But it knowing though as you grow, it's like not staying in that. It's like, okay, we've evolved.

Tiffany-Ann Bottcher: 37:54

Actually, now it's like we don't have to because a lot of times people get into like, oh, well, of course we have to just do it. And it's like, well, do you? Is it even profitable? Is it, is it affecting your team? I saw it.

Tiffany-Ann Bottcher: 38:04

It's like if it's hard on your team and it's super not profitable and you're not enjoying it, like, what are what are we really doing here? It's it's no different than when the kids come home from sports and it's like, you know, it's like, guys, we're we are doing this to have fun. Just so we're clear. Like, when we started this, it was it was because we liked it. You know?

Tiffany-Ann Bottcher: 38:21

It's like, it's tough.

Safia Sattaur: 38:22

I think, like, hustle doesn't have to be a dirty word either. No. No. Right? Like, I think that there's this negative connotation with hustle or this, like, badge of honor connotation with hustle, which is like, I hustle, and that's why, therefore, that's where I'm at.

Safia Sattaur: 38:36

Or you're hustling, and so therefore, you're burning out. And I think that you everything it only has meaning with the meaning you give it. Right? And so hustle does not have to be this dirty word. I think that and in in, like, the feminine entrepreneur space, it's like your feminine energy or your masculine energy.

Safia Sattaur: 38:54

Right? And to your point, you have to have those seasons where you might have to work a few more hours. You might have to put in a couple more, you know, work on the weekend, hustle, miss a couple of games or whatever the case may be. But I think it's the recovery from that and the sustainability of that. Like, if you're hustling and then you're finding yourself every day you're hustling, that's when we've got a problem.

Safia Sattaur: 39:17

If you hustle for two weeks and then you put systems in place or you have a process now so that the next time around, you hustle but you hustle a little less, that's progress. Right? And I think that that's when we get to look at hustle as not this dirty word or this thing that to be proud of or to be shamed about, but more of like, this is just how I'm showing up in this season of my business. And if I'm smart, I'm putting things in place in this season of my business so the next time around that I need to show up in this way, it's a little easier. Or it's a little bit more streamlined or efficient or whatever it is for your unique business.

Safia Sattaur: 39:57

And I think that's what people fail to do. They hustle. They get through this. And it's like, I talk about this a lot with survival mode, right? Like, you hustle and you get through this and it's like you're in survival mode because you've got to make that next sale.

Safia Sattaur: 40:07

You've got to launch. You've got to hit your income goals. You've got to do whatever the thing is for you. And you never you never evolve out of that. Yes.

Safia Sattaur: 40:16

It's like, okay, so I did what I had to do. I hit that milestone. Now let me take that same energy and apply it to the next milestone and the next milestone and the next milestone. And it's just not sustainable. It's not.

Safia Sattaur: 40:26

And that's when you see far too many incredibly talented, brilliant people burning out or burning their businesses down. And it's because that's not a sustainable model. Like, you can hustle, but you better make sure when you're hustling, you're being smart about how you're putting things in place. Again, for lack of sounding like a beating a dead horse over and over, but putting things in place so that you're working smarter, not harder, whether that's a team, whether that's an SOP, whether that's an automation, whatever that is, you've got to be hustling smarter, basically. Yes.

Tiffany-Ann Bottcher: 41:02

That's in when I started the podcast, it was, you know, scaling without losing sleep was kind of like this

Safia Sattaur: 41:08

piece. Yeah.

Tiffany-Ann Bottcher: 41:09

And it's interesting because in my mind, it's because I believe it's like, let's optimize. Let's do these kinds of things. And then it was actually someone reaching out doing, like, some podcast guest reach out that was like, I love your messaging about, like, never losing sleep over your business and blah blah blah. And I was like, where does it say like, I literally, like, said to, like, someone on my team, I'm like, where does it say that? Do we say that?

Tiffany-Ann Bottcher: 41:29

And he was like, yeah. It's I I think it's, like, in the intro. I was like, it is? Because it's like like, you know I mean? Like, you just you you kinda get going.

Tiffany-Ann Bottcher: 41:36

Right? And I was like, well, that's not very authentic. And he and he was like, yeah. I always wondered. He's like, you did that before I was here.

Tiffany-Ann Bottcher: 41:42

He's like, I don't know. It's just that's what you say. And I was like Yeah. So I literally went back at the beginning of like, this is season five. And I went back and I rerecorded the intro.

Tiffany-Ann Bottcher: 41:51

And every time I log into our platform, I the the, like, initial trailer now that was like the first thing that was ever launched in the podcast is sitting in draft because I'm like, yeah, that feels really out of alignment. And the first episode of this season, I say scale it. Like, I lose sleep, but it's by choice. Because it's like it's it's I get going on something. You know, the other night, I was, like, down a rabbit hole working on some AI stuff.

Tiffany-Ann Bottcher: 42:13

And I was like, my husband was like, you seem like you're really into whatever you're doing over there. Like, are we are we going to bed soon? And I was like I was like, you go ahead. I'm I'm I'm in and I was so I was having so I was really thoroughly enjoying it. I'm like, I am so happy to lose sleep over this.

Tiffany-Ann Bottcher: 42:28

You know, it's like, it's it's a difference. And so I just it's like the growth and the evolution and not staying, you know, stuck in that same thing. Agreed. Agreed. Totally.

Tiffany-Ann Bottcher: 42:37

Yes. And I

Safia Sattaur: 42:38

get into those zones too.

Tiffany-Ann Bottcher: 42:40

Go ahead. Right? I I love love when you're really in the zone. And and, you know, it's like you're down a rabbit hole. You're you're working on something, and it's like, this is this is fantastic.

Tiffany-Ann Bottcher: 42:49

So what is one tangible tip that someone can implement in their business from your perspective that can really drive that difference for them?

Safia Sattaur: 42:57

Tangible tip. I think I said it earlier, and I would reiterate it, and I say it over and over. Just build systems. Build a system. Put things in place in the background of your business that runs twenty four seven so you don't have to.

Safia Sattaur: 43:10

Again, it comes back to what I was saying before, whether that's an SOP, an automation, a team member, something has, you know, scheduling posts, whatever it is for your unique business. We are not meant to be our business. We are an extension of the biz or the business is an extension of us. Yes. Right?

Safia Sattaur: 43:28

And I think it's so easy to get our identities caught up in our business, and it's hard for a lot of people to detach from that. And that's when you see people losing marriages and getting unhealthy and all these different things. Right? And so systems are meant to make your life easier. Structure, systems, support, it is like it is the most valuable asset you can build in your business because it's that thing that's repeatable.

Safia Sattaur: 43:53

It's that thing that's going to allow you to scale, and it's also the thing that's going to make your business sustainable. So that I will go hard all day, every day preaching for systems, strategies, and structures in the back end of your business.

Tiffany-Ann Bottcher: 44:05

I love it. I I could not agree more. What a fantastic discussion. Thank you so much for being here.

Safia Sattaur: 44:11

Thank you for having me, Tiffany Ann.

Tiffany-Ann Bottcher: 44:12

So someone wants to connect, learn more about what you do, where is the best place for them to do that?

Safia Sattaur: 44:18

You can find me on Instagram. I'm Safiy Satar everywhere. You can find me on Instagram, though. Send me a DM. I'm super open to, like, conversations.

Safia Sattaur: 44:25

I love when people send me DMs and just connect there. And I also have a private podcast series. Like, did a little six part secret audio series so they can find out a little bit more about my systems and strategies and things like that and how I help my clients through that series.

Tiffany-Ann Bottcher: 44:41

Fantastic. I love that. And I I love it's it's like mysterious. I'm like, oh, a secret. I'm like, we what what I want that.

Tiffany-Ann Bottcher: 44:48

I love that. Right? It's just that that those little differences that's immediately so interesting. Well, again, thank you so much for being here. It's been fantastic.

Safia Sattaur: 44:54

Thank you so much.

Tiffany-Ann Bottcher: 44:55

That's all the time we have for today, but the conversation doesn't stop here. Be sure to subscribe to the Service Based Business Society podcast on all of your favorite apps. And if you're hanging out over on YouTube, search for Tiffany and Watcher. Your likes, comments and shares don't just help the show, they help more entrepreneurs find the real stories and strategies that they need to scale. Until next time, keep pushing, keep building, and I'll catch you in the next episode.