Real Business Updates

Let’s skip the fluff and get straight to actionable business insights that spark inspiration, ignite creativity, and solve problems... ⬇️

I wanted to share the strategy behind my free Build a Sustaining Business (BASB) program, in the hopes that it inspires you to think differently about running your business — and encourages you to adapt best practices to suit what works for you, your audience, and your business.

First, let me say this is a program I could’ve easily charged $$$ for. That’s the level of value I want my freebies to have. Because don’t forget — even if it’s free, your ideal customer is still paying with their time, so it’s important it builds goodwill and trust.

At first glance, BASB might seem like just another free lead magnet or opt-in*. But it goes deeper than that…

*A lead magnet or opt-in is something valuable you offer in exchange for your ideal customer’s email address. But if you asked me on a deeper level…

Lead magnets help you establish authority, trust, and credibility with your ideal customer — so it has to be good. It’s like a free trial for your products or services. It also allows your customers to self-select whether or not your offer is for them, which makes your sales process more efficient. It boosts conversion rates because only the people who resonate with you stick around, and it warms them up for future offers.

So yes, BASB is technically a lead magnet/opt-in and checks all those strategic boxes, but that’s not the only reason I created it. There’s more behind my strategy and I’ll break it down below ⬇️

I got quiet and realized this is the resource I wish I had when I first started my business. If I had access to something like BASB, it would’ve saved me so much time, costly mistakes, and energy. More importantly, it would’ve helped me make decisions faster during my recent career and business pivot. I created it because I wish my former self had this resource.

Of course, it’s not entirely selfless. I also realized I want to free up more time to work with entrepreneurs that are ready to sustainably grow and scale their businesses to achieve their version of success. Basically, after working with startup and early-stage entrepreneurs for the past six years, I’m ready to support more “advanced” clients.

But part of me felt guilty about “leaving behind” newbie entrepreneurs, so I decided to create this free resource. I also plan to offer mini-courses in the future for startup founders, but my focus is now on helping those ready to GROW.

So that’s the overall strategy behind BASB! I always say you can’t blindly apply best practices — you have to make them work for you and your business.

Now in terms of the execution behind BASB… ⬇️

One of my goals is to grow my platforms — particularly my YouTube channel and this email newsletter — and BASB helps me achieve both, if done correctly.

I decided not to “gate” the lesson materials. All 15 lesson videos are available on my YouTube channel. I knew many lesson topics would perform well on the platform (this video is already the most viewed video on my channel!!), it would be more SEO-friendly, and drive more traffic to my lead magnet.

I also included a workbook to ensure people implement what they’ve learned and get results, PLUS value-packed post-lesson support emails (basically everything I wanted to say but held back on YouTube lol).

This not only helps my ideal customer further their learning but also gives people who stumble upon my lesson videos on YouTube an incentive to give me their email to access the Notion workbook and post-lesson emails.

So there you have it — a value-packed resource that helps my ideal customer, helps me, and is a win-win for everyone!

I’m suuuper proud of BASB, but don’t just take my word for it. Here’s what people have said:

Lastly… you heard it here first but I’m also working on a free program for those who already have a business and are ready to grow and scale! Reply with any questions or topics you’d like me to cover and you know it’ll be just as value-packed as BASB! 🤍

Real Self-Care…

Sustainable success can only happen if you take care of yourself. Self-care is not selfish — it’s necessary. Here are some self-care tools to recharge and stay balanced this week... ⬇️

Self-Care Challenge: Reflect on how this year is going and what you need to end it strong! Do you need to say no to some things? Do you need to say yes to other things?

Take an IG story completing this self-care challenge and tag me @selinajho to keep each other accountable!

Personally, I took a hiatus from travelling for a few months to catch up with work (the past couple of years I’ve been travelling every month which sounds glamorous — but in reality is super tiring). But I’ve given myself time to recharge and recuperate so I’m excited with some of the trips I have coming up!

As you read this email, my partner and I are in Edinburgh visiting a friend and working remotely. I’ve finally figured out how to make the “digital nomad lifestyle” work for me so if that’s something you want me to talk about, happy to do that in future newsletters and/or my YouTube channel!

Journal Prompt: What were some of the highlights of this past year? What were some of the lowlights of this past year? What do I want to do more of before this year ends? What do I want to do less of before this year ends? — Once you’ve reflected on all this, make an action plan!