AP 1162: Where Are They Now? Lesya Holzapfel from Eat. Be Fit. Explore.

AP 1162: Where Are They Now: Lesya Holzapfel from Eat. Be Fit. Explore.

Pat Flynn:
What's up, everybody? Pat Flynn here, and welcome to episode 1162 of AskPat 2.0. Typically, you hear a coaching call between myself and an entrepreneur just like you. However, because it's the last episode of the month here, we like to do a Where Are They Now Episode. That is an update of somebody who was once on the show before. And today, we're talking with Lesya from episode 1088, kind of a while back, and we're going to discuss exactly what she has applied, what she learned from that episode, and what she's going to do from this point forward. Let's see how Lesya did. Let's bring her back. She is from EatBeFitExplore.com, helping women lose weight. And let's see exactly what she did since the last time she was on the show. Here we go.

Lesya, welcome back to AskPat. It's good to have you here again. How are you?

Lesya Holzapfel:
I'm great. How are you?

Pat:
I'm doing excellent. These are my favorite episodes to do, because you were on the show in episode 1088, we were talking about how you weren't quite sure exactly where to dive into, and were going from this to this and not really sure what to get into. And I'm really excited to catch up to see how things are going. So do you remember the last time we chatted and what came out of that? Can you recall the big lessons that you had pulled away from that episode?

Lesya:
Yeah. So, I wanted to do an online course because I'd had a food blog at that time, and I wanted to go deeper and help women with weight loss. I had a keto food blog, which I still have, and I just didn't know what to make the course about. And I was just asking you for guidance on, "Okay, there's so many things, I don't know what to do." And you helped me hone in and be like, "Well, why don't you ask your audience? Why don't you talk to people and really see what their problems are, and then take it from there?" So, that's pretty much what I did, and that really helped me get to where I am today.

Pat:
Well, tell us what happened. What did you do to reach out and what did you learn?

Lesya:
So what I did was, I did some surveys and asked my audience, "What are your challenges right now? What do you wish that you had? What would make your life easier?" And I got a lot of feedback about just meal planning in general, and prepping, and just the time that that takes. And then, a lot of women were just like, "I don't know where to start. I don't know what I should be doing as far as workouts, and food, and why I'm struggling to get results, and all the things."

And so, I reached out to a couple of those women, via either Instagram or just email, and I also had a couple of coaching clients that I was able to really dive deep with them. And from there I decided to launch a membership site, which turned into a hybrid right now, where it's now a course within a membership. But as it grew, I'm changing things based on the tweaks and all the things that the current members are saying.

Pat:
That's amazing. Well, first of all, congratulations on moving forward. How much better did it feel to just have validation that, okay, what it is that you were creating was actually, you heard it from your audience, exactly what they wanted? Because before you came on, I remember, we were a little bit just like, "Well, you have so many options and so many different choices." How did it feel to hear from your audience instead?

Lesya:
So, it gave me reassurance. Because I was like, okay, I know if I'm going to spend all my time and energy doing all this, I had to hire VA's to help me, I had to set up the site. It was a lot of work, but I had reassurance. What I actually did was I did sort of a beta launch, where I asked my email lists like, "Hey, this is what I'm thinking about doing. Are you interested? If you're interested, you're going to get the lowest price ever. It's going to be literally nothing for you. Let me know if you're interested and I'll add you to my special list, and you will get first dibs."

And I had probably like 50 women, not all joined, obviously, but I had like 50 women raise their hand and say they're interested. So I was like, okay, at least I have some kind of interest and it's not crickets. So it gave me this reassurance, like, okay, I'm going to move forward. I think it ended up being like 20 of them joined, so I'm like, Even if 10, I know that this is validated.

Pat:
Right. So, 20 women signed up. How did that feel, to just... Now you have real people. And where did you go from there? What did you end up actually doing?

Lesya:
So it was awesome. I was like, oh my God, I have a membership. This is real. People are actually paying me for my knowledge. I was shocked. I was so excited. What I realized, because first it just started out as meal plans, workout plans, and then I had these mini-trainings, I called them. But what I realized over time was that my members were struggling with other things. They say, here's the thing, it comes down... You say this also. People don't really know what they want. You ask them, and they're like, "Oh, I want this," but then you give it to them, and they still don't do it. And they're like, "Oh wait, but that's not really my problem."

So that's what I found. I was giving them the meal plans and the workout plans, but they were struggling with following through, or they weren't using them, or they were using them and not getting results. And I started to realize there was other reasons. So things would come up, like brain, mindset stuff, like habits. So I'm like, okay, I should do a brain course. And then a lot of my members had issues with hormones, so I'm like, okay, I'm going to do a hormone course. And then there was gut and bloating, so I did a gut course.

So right now, what I'm doing is I'm collecting feedback of what my members need, what they're struggling with, what they're dealing with in their life, stress, hormones, gut, all the things, and I'm creating courses for them. And I say, "What do you need? And I will create you something to help you." And now that's how I'm building out the course. But if I waited until it was all done, first of all, I would still not have launched, A, and B, I would have not really known exactly what they're struggling with, because I'd be like, well, I think they'll need this or that. But now I know. I ask them, I take the feedback, and I create.

Pat:
That's so good. So you have this amazing pattern now, where you don't even have to guess. They're telling you exactly what to do, and then you just do it, and they're like, "This is exactly what I need. Okay. Next. And then, let's keep going." So does this mean, for example, if I were to become a member, every month, I get access, or whenever you choose to come out with something, it's there for me once it's ready, and I just continually pay you to have access to these things, and future courses, and the community, or am I paying individually for each of these things?

Lesya:
No. So it's all-inclusive, which it's still such a great deal. So I like to call my membership site the Netflix of weight loss, or the Google of weight loss, whatever you think. Whatever you need, it's there. So you go in, you get the monthly meal plans, you get the monthly workout plans, but as far as all the videos and the modules per se, it's what you're struggling with.

So if you're currently struggling with hormones, cortisol, or PCOS, you have no business being in the brain course. Get out of here and go to the hormones. You don't need... And that's the thing with memberships. A lot of people get overwhelmed because there's so much content usually. But what I tell my members is, there's so much content, but you should only be focusing on what you're currently struggling with.

And if you're not struggling with anything, and you just want to learn, then learn on your own pace, but don't get overwhelmed. So I have a success path, and I have a journey that I want them to take, but if there's something in particular that they're struggling with right now, I will guide them to go to that area and focus on that until they deal with that, and then they can move on.

Pat:
That's great. That's a very, very, like you said, common problem with membership sites. The sales copy is great. The sales video is great. You get in there, and you're like, "Oh my gosh, there's so much stuff," and then you just get overwhelmed. So I'd love to ask you, how do you set those expectations? When during that process... Is it after they sign up? And how do you make them feel a little bit more comfortable seeing this library of things? And there's more coming, I'm assuming, so it could potentially get overwhelming. But you seem to be doing a good job of getting people at ease and upfront. How do you do that?

Lesya:
So, first of all, it starts way before they get in. Because if they get in and see that, I'm already too late, I already messed up. If I didn't communicate what to expect when you get in, then that's a problem to me. And for me to get into membership, like, "Oh my God, this is not what I expected," then you know people are going to leave. So it starts early. It starts at the sales page. It even starts before. It starts me promoting it. It starts with me on social media, sharing about things.

And so, the copy with my emails in the launch, the copy on my sales page, they talk about that success path. They talk about those steps. They talk about, this is what you want. You want to lose weight, but you have to cover all these pillars. It's not just about the food. It's not just about the exercise. It's all this stuff. So this is where you are right now, and this is where you're going to end. And my current members that have been with me since January, they know that every week, I release a new video. So, it's the new video in that section, so we're moving along together.

However, newer members that come in, I tell them, "Hey, look, don't worry about the new videos I'm releasing. What are you struggling with? Go to that section." But the members that have been there for a while, they're ready for the new content. And I'm not going to continue forever, because I don't want this library of 500 videos. So I have strategic modules, and after that, that's going to be the core course, and then I might have some bonus stuff every here and there, but I don't want it to constantly be that I'm creating courses for the life of the membership site.

Pat:
I love it. I love it. I'd love to ask you a little bit more about the membership if that's okay. But before that, tell us a little bit more about where we can go to find it, and see it, and see it in action. Where should people go if they're interested?

Lesya:
So, it's called the BSB Tribe, which stands for Bringing Sexy Back. I don't know why. I thought that was-

Pat:
A little Justin Timberlake action going in there. I like it.

Lesya:
I loved it. I was like, "Oh my gosh, I totally love it." So, my website is BSBtribe.com, and you'll find the waitlist there and all the things. We're closed doors, so we only open a few times a year.

Pat:
That's what I was going to ask you. Is it open all the time, or you go through seasonal launches? And it seems like it's the latter. What do you do to get people excited to get in the program?

Lesya:
Well, there's a lot of things that I do. Oh my gosh. And that's probably a good thing and a bad thing. With entrepreneurship, you want to be everywhere, all the things, all the social media, all the things. But honestly, with your help, starting a podcast, I think, has really changed the game for me. Because before then, I was doing Instagram, and I was doing like some Facebook, and all the things.

But like you say, when people listen to you, when they hear your voice, it's another connection. They really get to know, like, and trust you quicker. So I used your get started podcast guide. By the way, amazing, the best resource. Oh my God. I don't know how that's free. It was so good. So I literally followed it to a T, and I started a podcast called the Fit Moms Squad podcast.

And from there, every episode that I do... I teach, obviously, and I provide a lot of value, but I always take it back to client experiences, and client stories, and the things that my clients and members are struggling with and the things I share with them, so that I'm always incorporating that, hey, if you want to go deeper with me, I can help you inside my membership. And that's really the main thing, I think. The podcast is really where people can really get to know my style of teaching, what I represent, and all the things.

Pat:
What are your episodes about? I'm curious. You said you teach. Do you bring other people on, or is it more of a solo show?

Lesya:
So it's both. I do interviews, but seldomly, just because right now, everything going on, I'm still a mom, I still have two kids under five, so it's very hard for me to book interviews. I literally have one day that I work, and that's not really a great availability for people. So I try to do interviews whenever I can fit them in, but most of the time, it's solo episodes.

And how I determine the content is that I look at - first of all, I have a Facebook group, and when the women join, I ask them, what are your biggest challenges? What are your struggles? What are your questions? So I have a spreadsheet where I compile the most common questions, and issues, and feedback that I get, either from the Facebook group or my keto food blog, Google Analytics. I look at all the data. I really just have become obsessed with looking at all the data and see how people find me. So from there, I develop podcast episodes answering - it's either how to blank, or why blank. It's either a question or a how to episode title.

Pat:
Love it. That's so perfect. Well, well done on the podcast. One more time, what's the name of the show, since people are listening to this one?

Lesya:
It's called Fit Moms Squad.

Pat:
Fit Moms Squad. Love it. And so you have that, and that drives people to the website, and potentially the membership, which is fantastic. So this sounds like a brilliant machine that you're building now, and you're having fun and still doing it in a way that allows you to be mom at home with two young kids under five. I mean, I remember... My kids are eight and 10 now, so it's a little bit easier with school and whatnot, but I mean, man, five is that crazy age where they start to test you a little bit. So well done on that. Tell me about 2021 for you. What are your plans? What are some of your goals for the year?

Lesya:
So for 2021, I've really been thinking about it lately, and I really want to do... I want to be a minimalist when it comes to my business. I feel like I have been doing all the things, first of all, just chasing my own tail, doing all the things myself, and then I've got my hand in all these different platforms, and spaces, and all the things, and I just want to cut it down and just make it a simple, strategic business.

So my plan is to, first of all, hire help. I do have a virtual assistant that manages the customer service and the backend of the membership uploads, stuff like that. And that's great, but that's still not enough. So, I'm going to hire someone to manage the food blog, because look, keto is still very popular, and the keto food blog is a little backbone. I get ad revenue, it's generating good income, but I don't have time to pay attention to it. And it's slowly crumbling because I just cannot be everywhere at once.

So my plan for 2021 is to hire a blog manager, to hire a video editor, some more help, and to scale my membership. And right now, it's very hard to scale, A, just because just what I said, I'm a mom, so doing launches, planning all the things, it's very hard to do that with the limited time that I have. That's why I need more systems and need more help. And just because I'm everywhere, I can't really focus in on, okay, I need to finish out this course. I need to really lock in and hone in on my messaging and start launching strategically, and then repeat it and make it automatic.

Because what I did this year is I launched a few times, and every launch it was like, different approach, different messaging, and everything, and I felt like it just didn't work out that well. And on top of that, COVID and all the things, it was not a great year to start a weight loss membership, in my opinion. Because I'm like, "With COVID, nobody is thinking about losing weight." But it's okay. I still have members in there. So next year, my goal is really to get more help and really scale and take off with this site.

Pat:
Well, I love the plan. And I think you're right about 2020. And I think despite all the things that happened, still being able to not just survive, but still continue forward, and now have these big plans for 2021, I just want to commend you for that. I remember at the start of the year, when the pandemic went down, I was on a good health kick for a while, and then all of a sudden, it was like, "Everybody for themselves. Just get any food you can. There might not be any more food, so go to Trader Joe's and just get everything."

And I was like, "Okay, let's put everything in the cart, because you might not know. It might not be there anymore." And then I was like, "Okay, it's going to take a while to get back on the wagon again." So it was definitely a struggle, but I think with people probably putting on their COVID pounds, they're going to want to get that off next year. Because we're recording this at the end of 2020 here, and I think the plan is brilliant. And the fact that you are trying things and that you're experimenting and seeing what works, what doesn't, to encourage what your next moves are is fantastic.

So Lesya, I just want to say thank you again for coming on and inspiring us with this Where Are They Now? and I can't wait to connect with you again and see how things go in 2021 with you here. Any advice for those who are going through that decision-making phase, and they're trying to decide which direction to go? And this is kind of where you were at last time. And now, if you were to talk to your younger self from the last time you were on the show, what advice would you today give yourself the last time you were on the show?

Lesya:
Well, first of all, I want to thank you for having me back on the show. I was really excited. Well, so there's so many things, because... I think the main point that I would say is just do it. Stop waiting for it to be perfect, because it will never be perfect. But the closest way for it to be perfect is for you to do it and then get feedback from people and tweak it. And that's the thing, that's the great thing about courses and memberships. Once you build it, it's not set in stone and you can't go back and change it, or redo stuff, or anything. You can always change.

And so, I would say, for people, especially if there's a whole debate, which is better, membership or course, course or membership? That really doesn't matter. What matters is, how are you helping your audience solve their problem? And is it better to solve it with a course? Is it something that they can just learn and then they'll be good? Or is this something that they need ongoing support? And why not do both? You can do a front-end course and then do a back-end membership, or you can do a hybrid like I'm doing.

So not to overthink the, "Which one should I do?" Just decide one thing, and if it doesn't work out, I mean, I've even considered, maybe I should just have a course. But then I also found with my monthly coaching calls that the women need that, and they need the community, and that's their favorite part of the whole site. And that I only know because I just did it, I put it out there, and I'm getting feedback, and I'm always asking, and always tweaking. But if you sit there and just try to figure it out all on your own, stuck in your own head, you're never going to do it. So just do it, step out of that fear, even if you have five people, those five people are going to be so valuable and give you feedback and you can tweak as you go.

Pat:
Wow. I would literally drop my mic, but then it would hurt everybody's ears. But that was definitely a mic drop moment. Thank you, Lesya, for coming on, and best of luck to you and your business and your podcast. One more time, what's the podcast name, and the website, and where can we go and follow you?

Lesya:
Thanks, Pat. So the podcast is Fit Moms Squad podcast, and it's everywhere: Apple, Spotify, Google, Amazon, all the things. And my website is BSBtribe.com.

Pat:
Well done. Thank you so much. I appreciate you.

Lesya:
Thank you.

Pat:
All right. I hope you enjoyed that episode. Lesya, thank you so much for coming back and giving us an update on what's been going on. Really excited to see what you do from here. Keep up the great work. Again, if you want to check her out, EatBeFitExplore.com, no spaces, no hyphens, or nothing. EatBeFitExplore.com, which I love. I love the exploration part of that too. It's allows us to have more adventures, the healthier we are. And I love that thought. So Lesya, thank you so much.

If you'd like to get coached here on AskPat like Lesya did back in episode 1088 and maybe even come back again for a second time, I love sharing stories of people, especially students of the show, who apply, and then get results, and want to come back and share those results with others. If you'd like to go through that journey as well, all you have to do is go to AskPat.com, and you can apply on that page to potentially get coached by me. Can't pick everybody, but I'm definitely not going to pick you if you don't try at least, and I'd love to potentially help you out.

And thank you to everybody who has been on the show before and has helped all the listeners. And I appreciate you for always checking in. Make sure you hit that subscribe button on the app that you're listening to right now, if you haven't already.

And thank you just in advance for all the reviews that keep coming in. They just keep pouring in. I'm so grateful. I do get them sent to my inbox. I'm so thankful. This is why I do what I do, to hear those reviews, positive and constructive. I always want to improve and get better. So if you have any thoughts on what we can do to get better, let us know. If you enjoy the show, let us know. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. We appreciate you, and I look forward to serving you next week here on AskPat 2.0. As always, keep going, cheers, Team Flynn for the win.