Home
cover of episode Building a Million $ Business WITHOUT Ads! w/Tori Dunlap

Building a Million $ Business WITHOUT Ads! w/Tori Dunlap

2024/10/28
logo of podcast Living The Red Life

Living The Red Life

Key Insights

Why did Tori Dunlap focus on organic growth for her business?

She didn't have the money for ads and had to dedicate time to grow slowly and organically.

What is Tori Dunlap's philosophy for building a community?

Serve before you sell; focus on providing value and building trust before asking anything of the audience.

How did Tori Dunlap convert a viral TikTok video into 100,000 email subscribers?

She built a quiz funnel that offered a free personalized money plan in exchange for email addresses.

Why does Tori Dunlap emphasize moving followers off social media platforms?

Social media platforms are unpredictable; moving followers to owned platforms like email ensures better control and sustainability.

What is Tori Dunlap's most controversial belief about money?

Money is political and influenced by systemic oppression, not just personal choices.

What advice would Tori Dunlap give her younger self?

Worry less and enjoy the process more, trusting that things will work out.

Chapters

Tori Dunlap discusses her journey from a side hustle to a full-time business, emphasizing the importance of organic growth and the challenges of building a sustainable business without relying on ads.
  • Started Her First $100K as a side hustle in 2016, went full-time in 2020.
  • Grew to over 5 million social media followers organically.
  • Emphasizes the importance of building an authentic community.

Shownotes Transcript

Tori Dunlap, founder of Her First $100K and the bestselling author of Financial Feminist, who shares her expertise on organic growth, audience engagement, and brand building. Tori delves into her philosophy of "serve before you sell," explaining why businesses should focus on providing value before asking anything of their audience. She emphasizes that creating trust through valuable content—not simply promoting products—is the foundation of a loyal community. Tori also highlights the importance of narrowing down a brand’s message and voice to resonate deeply with a target audience, as trying to appeal to everyone often results in a diluted brand identity.

As the conversation progresses, Tori explains her strategic use of automated messaging for identifying and engaging her most loyal followers, which allows her to tailor content and even upsell products based on their engagement level. She discusses the value of moving followers from social media to platforms she owns, like email lists or her podcast, so she’s not reliant on the algorithms for business stability. Tori concludes by stressing the significance of being authentic and even polarizing in her messaging, which helps attract a committed audience aligned with her values and vision. For those looking to grow a community or launch a brand, Tori’s approach provides practical insights into cultivating an engaged audience that’s built on trust and shared values.

CHAPTER TITLES

3:00 - Serve Before You Sell

5:20 - Using Automated Messaging for Audience Engagement

7:45 - Evolution of Messaging Rules and Strategy

10:12 - Building Customer Support Through Custom Conversations

12:30 - Targeting Ads to Highly Engaged Followers

15:03 - Importance of Audience Engagement Over Conversion

16:22 - Strategies for Organic Growth on Social Media

17:02 - Top Lessons for Growing Your First Followers

18:04 - Creating Value First: Why Trust is Key

18:48 - Developing a Strong, Clear Brand Identity

20:06 - Using Social Media as Top-of-Funnel Engagement

21:12 - Moving Followers to Platforms You Own

21:57 - Finding the Right Niche and Audience Sweet Spot

22:10 - Building Stronger Connections by Being Polarizing

Connect with Tori Dunlap:

Herfirst100k.com

IG - Herfirst100k

Connect with Rudy Mawer:

LinkedIn)

Instagram)

Facebook)

Twitter )