Welcome to the Trusted Podcast

Welcome to the first episode of Trusted, a new limited series podcast where we’re going to dive into the alternatives of the BS of online business.

First, a quick intro. I’m Maggie Patterson, and I landed here in the online business world in early 2013. Before that time I’d been freelancing for corporate clients for eight years, and I was excited by the possibilities in the online business world.

Even with years of corporate and agency experience, and as a business owner, I bought it.

The Struggle of Working Behind-the-Scenes

I quickly learned that not everything was as it seemed, but I struggled in a big way.

As I worked behind-the-scenes of online businesses, including multiple seven-figure ones, I was up close and personal with tactics that made my stomach churn.

The fear. The manipulation. The coercion. The tricks. The cult-like tactics.

It was all too much, and I quit working with these types of businesses for both my sanity and the sake of my integrity. I returned to my roots working for tech companies with my agency….but I also knew the online business world needed people to call this shit out.

I created Small Business Boss to do just that. To be an alternative to this BS, and through my podcast, the BS-Free Service Business show, the podcast I co-host with my friend Michelle Mazur called Duped, Instagram, and the masterminds I run, I’d like to think I’ve made the online business world a bit better.

Trusted is part of that ongoing dialog. I’ve been wanting to do an analysis and breakdown of individual tactics, and the trusted alternatives for a while, and it didn’t quite fit in with my other podcasts.

And a funny story. When I initially came up with the idea for Trusted, it was going to be something you had to sign up to access. I was going to turn it into a  training or a private podcast that you had to give me your email to access.

As I worked on the content for Trusted, I couldn’t shake the feeling that it would be doing it a disservice to require people to sign up to access it. If I want things to change, I feel the need to get this to as many people as possible.

While there’s nothing wrong with having an opt-in for people to sign up for, that wasn’t the right move for this content. It really goes to show how even as someone who calls out this BS I was struggling because I’ve been indoctrinated with the idea that I must be growing my list. (Spoiler alert: I get way more action from my podcast and Instagram as people learn to trust me….and many of my clients never even sign up for my emails.)

The way we’ve been taught and conditioned in online business is hard to break free from, especially as it’s reinforced every single day by celebrity entrepreneurs. But in this case, I trusted myself and followed what I know works for me, and for my community. 

We Don’t Have to Buy into this BS 

My goal is to be a voice for a different way of doing things in this industry. Where trust comes first. Where we don’t have to buy into the BS anymore.

To advocate for each of us as business owners to do no harm, and to stop buying into the idea that these shitty, shady tactics are the only way to do things.

Because they’re not.

We’ve got choices. We’ve got alternatives.

I know because I work outside the online business world every single day. And none of them are engaged in this crap.

The Alternative: Building a Trust-First Business

The alternative to what we’ve been taught in online business is to move from fear to putting trust first. That’s the way marketing and sales are done in the real world, and in Trusted, we’re going to break down common online business tactics and dig into the alternatives.

Over the next five episodes, I’ll look at one tactic or problem and then talk through the alternatives.

But before you get started with episode 2 which looks at the rise of the idolized high-income influencer, I want to talk about why it all comes back to trust.

A quick history lesson.

Let’s talk about how we got here. At the start of this industry, people realized they could use the internet to make lots of money. Fuelled by greed, they started using tactics that would help them make money faster.

A new approach to marketing, sales, and service was born, and over the years, that approach has become business as usual. We’ve been taught this is “just the way things are done”.

But these strategies, these tactics, are rooted in fear. Fear is a powerful motivator but is that really how you want to do business?

Because you’re listening to Trusted, I can guarantee it’s not. But you’re likely feeling stuck, or like you can’t succeed without using at least some of these tactics.

Here’s the thing. Fear is pure poison. It’s designed to ensure the seller wins at all costs.

It’s why weaponized stories and sales tactics, invented authority, insider secrets, and mindset manipulation are the pillars of online business. They get the job done. They use fear to make the sale.

But as we’ve talked about on Duped, there’s a high cost to doing business that way. Sure, maybe you’ll make bank, but without your values or integrity intact. 

When you put trust first, you’re creating a win-win which serves both you and your customer.

When you put trust first, you lead with your values and you’re in integrity.

When you put trust first, you’ll be able to build a business simply, and sustainably.

We’re going to get into the nitty-gritty of some ways to focus on trust over fear over the next few episodes, using my TrustDNA Method.

While TrustDNA is a method, it’s not a cookie-cutter, one-size-fits-all kind of thing. Think of it as a starting point for focusing on trust in your business. It’s a way to ensure you’re putting trust first with your marketing, your sales, and your service.

At the heart of TrustDNA are the five trust cores: 

• Truth: Lead with your authority and values 
• Transparency: What you see is what you get
• Time: Offering realistic, supportive time frames 
• Respect: Treat everyone with fairness and dignity 
• Results: Doing what you say you’re going to do

We’ll be talking about each one of these in more detail as we examine the alternatives to tactics like false scarcity, coercive sales conversations, and more.

And as a heads up, so you know what to expect, Trusted is a six-episode limited series podcast, but I’m leaving the door open to future seasons in time.

Onwards to Episode 2 of the Trusted Podcast

Ready for episode 2? We’re going to dive into the rise of the idolized high-income influencer, including why it’s a problem, and more importantly what your alternatives are to building your business this way.