Podcast Summary: Grow Your Local Business

Episode: How To Market Your Business Before You Have Clients
Host: Leslie Presnall
Date: September 23, 2025

Episode Overview

In this episode, local marketing expert and life coach Leslie Presnall tackles a common obstacle for new business owners: "How do you start promoting your business if you don’t have any clients yet?" Leslie breaks down essential mindset shifts, dispels common misconceptions, and shares concrete, actionable strategies for building momentum—even when you feel like you have nothing to show. Drawing on her own experiences launching programs from scratch, Leslie empowers listeners to get visible, share their expertise, and proactively build the foundation for a steady stream of local clients.

Major Discussion Points & Insights

1. The “I Need Clients to Start Marketing” Myth

[01:08–03:10]

• Leslie addresses the common belief that you must have clients, testimonials, or a portfolio before you can market your services.
• This belief leads many new business owners to “stay stuck at zero” and not take action.
• She reframes this challenge: “Every single business owner on the planet started in this exact position.”
• The key is not to make lack of proof a problem or a reason to stay invisible.

2. Getting Started Without External Proof

[03:11–05:32]

• Leslie shares her own story of launching the LocalPreneur Academy with zero students and zero testimonials.
• She recounts:

  “I just had to go out there and start telling people that this was what I was really good at, that this was my expertise…” (Leslie, 03:48)

• Leslie’s first step was to personally reach out to five business owners, sharing her experience and inviting them to join.
• The lesson: Be your own proof and use your past experience, skills, or any results you’ve achieved for yourself.

3. Use Your “Extra Time” as an Asset

[05:33–08:25]

• In the early days, you have more time than clients—use it wisely!
• Action ideas by business type:
  • Bakers: Spend time baking and documenting your creations—share photos online.
  • Social Media Managers: Build your own presence with fresh content.
  • Estheticians/Photographers: Invite friends or family for sessions and showcase those transformations.
• Notable quote:

  “You get to be your own client, or you get to go out and invite your friends, family, neighbors, strangers off the street to come in and be your clients in the beginning.” (Leslie, 07:38)

4. Creative Content is Enough

[08:26–10:12]

• You don't need endless before-and-after posts or formal testimonials.
• Even a simple selfie or a reel explaining what you do is valuable.
• Focus on consistently telling your audience:
  • What you do
  • How you help
  • What problem you solve
  • Repeat this daily, regardless of client content.

5. Daily Mindset Shift & Practical Action

[10:13–11:18]

• Leslie’s actionable question:

  “Ask yourself every single day, how can I tell my people how I can help them today?” (Leslie, 10:15)

• Client work to share is not a prerequisite for marketing—and cannot be an excuse for invisibility.
• If you’re local and looking to grow, consistently share your offer both online and offline.

6. Three-Step Action Plan

[11:19–11:58]
Clear, actionable plan for beginners:

1. Decide who you can help.
2. Tell them how you can help.
3. Invite them to work with you.

• “That’s it. Simple, repeatable. It works.” (Leslie, 11:54)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “One of the biggest lies that new business owners believe is that you need clients before you can start marketing… It keeps so many people stuck at zero.” (01:10)
• “Every single business owner started a business without clients… None of it. So the solution here is just not to make this a problem at all.” (02:06)
• “I just had to go out there and start telling people that this was what I was really good at, that this was my expertise, that I could help them grow their local business…” (03:48)
• “You get to be your own client… or you get to go out and invite your friends, family, neighbors, strangers off the street to come in and be your clients in the beginning.” (07:38)
• “It really does get to be as simple as you just posting, telling people, here’s what I do, here’s how I can help you, here’s a problem that I solve.” (08:46)
• “The point is you cannot stay stuck here. Not having client work to share cannot be the reason that you don't show up in market. You have something so good that you have to be out there offering people.” (10:38)
• “Decide who you can help. Tell them how you can help them. Invite them to work with you. That’s it. Simple, repeatable. It works.” (11:53)

Key Timestamps for Important Segments

• 01:08 – Myth: Needing clients before you can market
• 03:11 – Leslie shares her own beginnings: outreach without proof
• 05:33 – Using your time wisely and being your own client
• 08:26 – Creative approaches to content and consistent messaging
• 10:15 – Daily mindset and action question
• 11:19 – Simple, repeatable three-step plan

Takeaways for New Local Business Owners

• No one starts with proof—don’t let this stall your marketing.
• Use your early, client-free days to proactively create work samples and share your abilities.
• Don’t be afraid to leverage your own story, practice your skills, or showcase results with friends/family.
• Stay visible, share simply, and invite people to work with you—start before you feel ready.
• Success is built on consistent, simple action: define who you help, communicate how, and extend invitations.

For further learning or support on this journey, Leslie invites listeners to her LocalPreneur Academy program.