The Strategy Hour Podcast: Systems and Marketing for Service-Based Businesses with Boss Project
Episode 910: My Plans and Predictions for 2025
Release Date: December 19, 2024
Host: Abigail Pumphrey, Business Strategist and Co-Founder & CEO of Boss Project
Introduction
In Episode 910 of The Strategy Hour Podcast, host Abigail Pumphrey delves into her strategic plans and industry predictions for the year 2025. Drawing from her experiences of turning a layoff into a seven-figure online business, Abigail shares actionable insights tailored for creatives, consultants, coaches, agency owners, and service providers aiming to build profitable and sustainable online ventures.
Reflecting on 2024: Lessons and Achievements
Embracing Intention Over Rigidity
Abigail begins by reflecting on her approach to planning. She admits to having taken a more intuitive and less rigid approach in 2024, stating:
“I just stopped deciding what that future looked like and tried to move through things intuitively and take things one step at a time.”
[02:04]
This shift was a response to the overwhelming pressure of setting and achieving yearly goals, a sentiment echoed by her team member:
“I was tired of all the pressure to set myself up for the right year to accomplish all of the things I ever wanted to accomplish.”
[01:37]
Successes in 2024
Despite a deliberate slowdown to recalibrate, Abigail reports significant accomplishments:
-
Email Subscriber Growth:
Abigail successfully grew her email list by 10,000 subscribers organically in six months. She highlights this achievement:“I brought in 10,000 email subscribers in just six months. Now I felt like that was such a huge success...”
[06:30] -
Press and PR Milestones:
Being featured by CNBC marked a pivotal moment, reinforcing her influence in the industry:“Being interviewed and featured by CNBC felt like such a huge sign...”
[07:00] -
Social Media Engagement:
Engagement on platforms like Instagram soared, largely due to strategies from her Instagram Profit Playbook:“Our engagements skyrocket this year and in large part thanks to the strategies I teach inside Instagram profit playbook.”
[08:30] -
Co-op Growth and Pricing Strategy:
A strategic price increase in her co-op program led to sustainable growth and improved operational margins:“We took a price increase... it absolutely made a major difference in us hitting milestones with our co-op growth.”
[08:45] -
One Day Launch Challenge:
Abigail’s live launch challenge attracted over 7,400 participants organically without any ad spend:“We had over 7,400 people go through that challenge, all organic. Not a single ad dollar was spent on the challenge.”
[09:30]
Strategic Focus for 2025
Doubling Down on Front of Funnel
Abigail emphasizes the importance of increasing traffic in Legion (a strategy term likely meaning the initial stages of customer acquisition):
“If you want to see growth in 2025, traffic in Legion needs to be your focus. Like, how are you going to get more people seeing your offers?”
[00:00]
She plans to enhance her front-of-funnel strategies by ensuring entry points are effectively connected to sales funnels:
“Every lead magnet will have a sales funnel, but every purchase will have an onboarding sequence that includes upsells.”
[19:27]
Optimizing Order Bumps and Upsells
To boost revenue, Abigail intends to incorporate strategic order bumps and upsells without overwhelming customers:
“Order bumps are necessary to create enough margin to make our business operational, but also to continue to amplify results for people.”
[13:37]
She cautions against unethical upselling practices:
“If you're upselling a multi-thousand dollar offer when someone came in for less than a hundred bucks, make the checkout separate.”
[26:42]
Enhancing Onboarding Experiences
A streamlined and strategic onboarding process is set to be a priority, ensuring clients effectively utilize available tools and resources:
“I want better client experience across the board. Making sure people have what they need to be successful.”
[18:56]
Integrating Paid Advertising
After a hiatus from paid ads, Abigail is reintroducing a measured approach by collaborating with a contractor to manage and scale her advertising efforts:
“I'm very hesitant about scale. I just felt like I didn't know what I'm doing. And at this point, I feel like I know exactly what I'm doing.”
[14:16]
Industry Predictions for 2025
Division Between Growth and Shutdown
Abigail predicts a stark divide in the industry where businesses either adapt and thrive or fail to sustain:
“I predict there is going to be a staunch division, those that are rising to the occasion and pivoting and adjusting... and then a lot more businesses shuttering their doors.”
[21:14]
Importance of Flexibility and Intuitive Decision-Making
Success in 2025 will hinge on the ability to remain flexible and make intuitive business decisions rather than being tethered to rigid plans:
“I want to see more businesses focus on making intuitive decisions rather than the right decisions. Because there is no right.”
[22:37]
Emphasis on Traffic Generation and Lead Nurturing
Generating more awareness to drive traffic into businesses will be crucial, as it leads to more warm leads that are easier to convert:
“More awareness will lead to more warm leads. Warm leads don’t need to be convinced. Warm leads will convert if presented with an offer that truly solves problems.”
[11:17]
Responsible Use of Order Bumps and Upsells
Businesses must implement order bumps and upsells responsibly to maintain ethical standards and customer trust:
“Order bumps can be up to 100% of the initial face value, but not necessarily more. It needs to be reasonable.”
[26:28]
Final Thoughts and Encouragement
Abigail concludes by encouraging her audience to adopt her strategies and remain adaptable:
“If you listen to what I'm about to say and you're like, I don't even feel like I could do that, it's probably because you need to do some of this pre-work first.”
[11:17]
She invites listeners to engage with her programs and community to further their business growth:
“If you haven't snagged [Digital Product Jumpstart] yet, you can find out more @bossproject.com/jumpstart.”
[31:23]
Abigail expresses her enthusiasm for the upcoming year, balancing structured plans with the readiness to improvise:
“I have mapped out my pricing... my team is also hard at work developing their own individual goals and plans. I do not remember the last time I felt this prepared going into a new year.”
[29:10]
Key Takeaways
- Focus on Traffic: Increasing visibility and nurturing leads are paramount for growth in 2025.
- Strategic Planning: Balance intuitive decision-making with structured strategies to remain adaptable.
- Ethical Upselling: Implement order bumps and upsells thoughtfully to enhance revenue without compromising trust.
- Enhanced Onboarding: Prioritize client onboarding to ensure successful utilization of products and services.
- Flexible Goals: Be prepared to adjust plans in response to changing economic and industry landscapes.
Connect with Abigail
For listeners looking to implement Abigail's strategies or seeking further guidance, she encourages joining her community and engaging with her offerings:
- Join the Community: Share goals and predictions with fellow entrepreneurs.
- Programs and Courses: Explore offerings at bossproject.com/courses.
- Contact: Reach out via Instagram @bossproject.com or through her personal profile linked on the Boss Project website.
Note: This summary excludes promotional segments, advertisements, and non-content portions to focus solely on the valuable insights and strategies shared by Abigail Pumphrey.