I’m already getting nostalgic about what a year 2018 has been. It will always be the year that everything changed for me, and in the most amazing ways possible. Though, it did not come without its share of pain (more on this next week).

Business-wise, it’s no secret that things changed and moved incredibly quickly for me this year. In January of 2018, I made $712. I decided to focus absolutely everything into my email list at that point since I knew I wanted a more consistent income.

 

Quickly after, I started seeing my list grow by the hundreds and even thousands per month, and sure enough, my income became much more consistent, quickly exceeding the income I had at my day job. A couple of months after that, I was able to resign from my 9-5 job completely.

 

So, I did a round up of the five best business investments and decision I made this year. I want to thank each of these things/products/decisions from the bottom of my heart for supporting me in getting where I am today. And, I also want to share how you can get a jumpstart on using these in your own side hustle and business too!

 

5- Active Campaign

 

I used (and liked!) MailerLite up until I switched to Active Campaign. I technically switched at the end of last year but didn’t really understand how to use it and leverage it until this year. The ease of use and the formatting make this a really incredible platform. By far what won me over about Active Campaign in comparison to other CRMs is the incredibly sophisticated tagging and segmenting the platform has. This is super helpful as a side hustler because it can help you automate so much of your communications and sales. Plus, starting at only $9 per month, Active Campaign isn’t too big of an investment!

 

If you sign up for Active Campaign through my affiliate link, I will hop on a totally free 30-minute video call with you to discuss how you can leverage this platform! (We will record this so you can continually refer to it!)

 

4- Facebook Ads

 

For the first year or so of my business, I would occasionally log into the Facebook Ads manager to try and tinker with ads, and would end up running away from the confusion it caused. This year, I got serious about learning them and even joined a mastermind (more on this below!), and I am SO grateful I did. Facebook Ads are the most powerful marketing tool that’s pretty much ever existed and it is worth your while to use them in your business. My biggest advice is to learn from someone who knows what they’re doing or you’ll probably waste some money and potentially pull your hair out. Ah, entrepreneurship fun!

 

3- Marketing Mastermind

 

When I decided to get serious about my email list early last year, I joined a year-long marketing mastermind. The primary focus was Facebook Ads, but since those running it were so experienced in working with online entrepreneurs, they were extremely supportive with landing pages, email sequences, sales emails, sales strategy, and really all the mechanics needed to grow and profit online.

 

This experience also really opened my eyes to the value of masterminds and group work. Yes, we learned a lot about Facebook ads from videos and trainings. But the real value came from the community, the ideas from other entrepreneurs, the questions asked and the accountability.

 

2- LeadPages

 

I had my eye on LeadPages for a while, but I wasn’t quite ready to make the investment. Now that I have, I couldn’t be happier with this decision and recommend it to anyone that’s trying to grow their email list! The pages are so easy to use and the templates support you in so many different methods of list-building and selling. I use this tool every week, sometimes every day, and I have learned SO much about online marketing.

 

Interested in LeadPages but want support to make sure you set it up right? If you sign up through my referral link here, you’ll also land a totally free 30-minute video call with me to discuss your LeadPages strategy and the best uses of the platform! (We will record this so you can continually refer to it!)

 

1- High-Level Masterminds

 

As I realized the power behind my marketing mastermind, I couldn’t get enough of that type of community and work and throughout the year, continued to join two other higher-level masterminds. What’s incredible about a good mastermind is the combination of having your mentor (the person who runs the group) AND having those in the group in your corner. If you’re considering joining a mastermind, I recommend reaching out to someone you look up to or have learned from (or would like to learn from) and asking them if they host one or if they recommend. A good mastermind leader will not allow just anyone in their mastermind and will pay attention to the chemistry and dynamic of the group, so make sure you trust the person running it to do just that!