Next Level Mentoring

22/04/2024

“I am scared to speak to potential customers”

One reason people don’t doing anything with their business idea is they are unsure if its any good.

They get excited about the idea and then pull themselves back down with the negative assumption that “no one will buy this”.

The way to overcome this is to speak with potential customers to see if they would buy your service as is or with a minor tweak.

But this is too hard.

Too much effort.

So the cycle continues.

📈 Rising excitement about your idea.

📉 Brought down with negative assumptions



———//———

If I want to you help you get your side hustle to be successful I need to address this problem.

I need to make the cycle in getting feedback from potential customers fast and with the least amount of effort.

What do I have that can help? 🤔

Oh yeah 💡

I have a community of mentors and mentees. A diverse group of people who made the decision to improve themselves and others.

Around 20 to 30 people said they would like to help by giving feedback on people’s ideas.

This gives the you real, tangible data that allows you to move to the next stage in building your business.

It gives fast feedback with limited effort.

✅A 45 year old female executive likes your business idea and would buy something like this. Great!

❌A 32 year old male business owner doesn’t find it useful for them. Perhaps that isn’t my target market.

With this data I can then sit with you and help you work out where to go from here (Start / Tweak / Shelve).

———//———

This service is part of the newly trialled Side Hustle Success Package. Made for Australian entrepreneurs 🇦🇺

You can find more details by clicking on www.nextlevelmentoring.com.au/side-hustle-success-package

P.S. The first 2 people to sign up get the full package free as part of the trial group.

18/04/2024

I have built a tool to help you work out your business idea. At the end it will send it to you so you have it ready to start building your side hustle.

Check it out at
https://form.typeform.com/to/I1AgSc6F

25/02/2024

Fancy starting your new business today?

It’s Sunday and the weather is lovely in most place in Australia

Why don’t you give yourself 60 mins to begin making your business idea real.

The first minute can be used to sign up to the ‘Side Hustle course - make your business idea real without quitting your job’.

The next 59 can be used to complete the “my business idea” module and fill in your business idea template.

You are now one step closer and are generating momentum.

www.nextlevelmentoring.com.au/side-hustle

18/02/2024

Are we misleading the next generation by glamorising entrepreneurship?

The truth is, not everyone is cut out for the sleepless nights, uncertainty, and relentless drive entrepreneurship demands.

I have tried the entrepreneur lifestyle and it brought me some of the lowest times in my life. Watching $80K in my bank erode away.

Financial stability and work-life balance - often found in professions with firm 9 to 5s - suit a myriad of individuals.

Here's a thought - your passion project doesn't have to upend your entire life.

Why not consider it as a lucrative side hustle instead? That way, you're earning extra from something you love but still maintaining financial and career stability.

That's what I do now. And I couldn't be happier.

Let's shift the narrative - are you ready to embrace the journey to professional stability and side hustle success?

Learn the steps to take your business idea and make it into a real business without needing to quit your current job.

12/02/2024

Do you want to play build your side hustle?

Who can play?
Eligible players (called side hustlers) are:
- Dreamers wanting to turn their business idea into reality
- Stay-at-home parents looking for other opportunities
- People in between jobs and scoping out their next move
- Entrepreneurs wanting to learn how to build a business in Australia.

Rules of the game
- Players must advance one square at a time and complete the action before moving on.
-Players cannot skip a square.
- Players can take as long as they want on a square but the game is designed to make progress as quickly as possible through simple, actionable advice.

How to Win
- The winner is everyone who saves hundreds of hours and dollars not having to research and the "trial by error" on how to start a successful side business in Australia.

How to play
- Eligible players can register at www.nextlevelmentoring.com.au/side-hustle

We hope you enjoy playing Build Your Side Hustle.

09/02/2024

Ever caught yourself using one of these 5 excuses to put your business dreams on hold?

"I don't have time"
"I don't know where to start"
"I don't have the right qualifications"
"I don't think my idea is good enough"
"I don't have enough money"

Get ready, because not only are we about to debunk each one, but we've got the game-changing solutions that will kickstart your journey to turning that brilliant idea into a thriving reality.

I will write a post about each one.

𝗘𝘅𝗰𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝟭 - "𝗜 𝗱𝗼𝗻'𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲".
Did you know that the average Australian spends just under 2 hours a day watching TV and another 2 hours a day on Social Media.

That is a lot of time per day.

I bet if you recorded what you do every hour each week you will find some time that could be used towards building your dream business.

You only need a couple of hours a week to get your business started.

With a couple of hours each week, and with my course, you can be well on your way to getting your first paid customer within 30 days.

𝗦𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝟭 - 𝗕𝗲 𝗵𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳.

Do you really want to give your business idea a proper go?

Is it something fun to talk about with friends but you never intend to follow through?

If you DO want to want to have your own business then you have to selfishly carve out time for it.

No excuses.

Your future self, and your future clients, will thank you for doing it.

08/02/2024

How to come up with a name for your business.

If you do not have any idea what you want to call your new business then here is a great prompt for ChatGPT or Google Bard to get some ideas quickly.

🗣️ “I am setting up a new business. It will be based in and is for helping to . It will focus on . I need some ideas for a business name for this.”

For example, here would be my prompt for my new Side Hustle course if I was starting from the beginning.

🗣️ “I am setting up a new business. It will be an online course for Australians and is for helping people aged 40+ who have a family and want start their own side business while still maintaining their current job. It will focus on the simple steps needed to help them take their idea and turn it into reality and towards their first paying customer. I need some ideas for a business name for this”

This will give a range of suggestions ranging from absolutely terrible to good.

If you get some good ones and would like to see more like that then use this prompt.

🗣️ “That is great. I quite like and also . Can you give me more options like these two please?”

Now select one. Say it out loud a few times to yourself to hear it.

Ta-da, now you have your business name.

But before you go registering the name, you need to check if there are businesses with the same name or if a similar name has been trademarked.

01/02/2024

This is my mind map for the side hustle course I just built.

It was a 6am idea that jolted me out of bed. I had to start writing down my thoughts or I would forget about it.

Glad I did.

I loved making this online course, getting deeper into important points and recording the lessons.

It’s already being used by others which is great to see.

Is there anything on there that you would like more information on?

30/01/2024

Common Pricing Pitfalls for your new business.

Let’s cover some common pitfalls that new business owners experience when trying to price their products



❌Pricing too low.

Many new business owners, myself included, tend to price their services too low at first. They feel that they are new to the industry and the only way to win is to be the cheapest.

Unfortunately it has an opposite effect on your customers. They think there must be a reason is too low i.e. it could be an inferior product or you will don't actually deliver what you promise.

The trust you are trying to build with your new customer is lost and you do not get a sale.

So don't go stupidly low.

❌Making it free

When you are first starting out, you may want to offer your product free to other people to use.

The problem with this is you don't get to know what the market is willing to pay for your product. Its crucial to know what the market will pay to have a successful business.

If you ask someone who has successful used your product how much they would pay for it, that price they give will always be higher than what a person who hasn't used it yet is willing to pay.

For example, at Next Level Mentoring I asked people who got a mentor how much they would pay for the service, they all gave a number 4x greater than what they paid. But when I increased my prices by only 2x I got significantly less people buying.

Also when someone gets something for free, they have no financial commitment to the product. Therefore, they are more than likely not going to use it properly.

Remember, you are a business not a charity.

The only time you would want to offer it free to someone is if they promise to post positive reviews of your product to help build your credibility.



❌Giving discounts straight away

"50% discount in January"

"Buy 1 get 1 free"

You have seen countless numbers of these types of discounts. You have probably been drawn in by some of them and bought.

They work for companies that have intimate knowledge of their business and their customers.

You are not at that stage. So no discounts until you truly know your customer and your business financials.

If you are doing it out of desperation then you will not get the results you want by running a discount.



❌Friends and family discounts

Remember you are a business. If your friends and family want to support you in your goals of making a viable side-hustle, they should be offering to pay full price.

So don't feel obliged that you have to do things at "mates rates" because thats what “businesses are supposed to do”.

28/01/2024

Thinking of starting a side business?

Taking that idea you have been thinking about for a while and seeing if it would actually work?

Deciding to have no regrets and give it a go?

Now is a great time to do it because it is easy to set up a business if you know what to do.

Here are the steps you need to take to do it.

➡️Determine if your idea solves a problem or is desirable. This is covered in lesson 1 of my course.

➡️Work out who your dream customer is. This is covered in lesson 2.

➡️Name your business and check the name isn’t already taken. This is covered in lesson 3.

➡️Setting up your business; Sole Trader or
Company. This is lesson 4

➡️Do you need an accountant and how to find one. This is lesson 5.

➡️Getting a website domain. This is lesson 6.

➡️Building your website; what platform to use and what should be in your website. This is lesson 7.

➡️What insurance you need. Lesson 8.

➡️Subscriptions for your business and are they essential. Lesson 9.

➡️Google My Business. Lesson 10.

➡️Why marketing and sales are important. Lesson 11.

➡️Pricing your service and product.
Lesson 12.

➡️Meeting your dream customer and getting your first sale. Lesson 13.

➡️Social Media. Lesson 14.

➡️Going forward. Lesson 15.

———//———

My name is Darren McFarlane and I help people reach their next level.

I have made a course that helps you set up your side business within 30 days and only a few hours a week.

It focuses on what’s important for starting up your side business and steers you away from the items that are not initially essential.

I am an engineer turned entrepreneur so this course is practical and simple. No fluff and no wishy washy advice.

If you want to know more then please visit https://www.nextlevelmentoring.com.au/side-hustle

22/01/2024

Have you dreamed about starting your own side business…. but there is always something stopping you?

Then you should watch my video where I reveal 3 secrets around starting a side business.

This will hopefully be the catalyst for 2024 being the year you turn your dreams into reality.

If you would like to know more then come check out https://www.nextlevelmentoring.com.au/side-hustle