125. Uprising Series: How Jenna Larson pivoted from a $100K loss to GroupTrack’s highest revenue month

[00:00:00 - 00:01:22]Welcome to the third episode of the uprising series. Now let me know, have you ever been in that situation where you've been on top of the world, right? Like, everything's going well, you've been getting all this success only to have the rug pulled out from under you? Well, that's exactly what happened to today's guest, Jenna Larson, CEO of Grouptrack CRM. For four years, Jenna's company had been experiencing consistent growth month after month, year after year. But then, seemingly overnight, everything changed. A major client pulled out. Industry shifts caused her some panic, and suddenly her future and her future of a business looked incredibly uncertain. In this episode, we're going to be diving deep into Jenna's experience of facing these unexpected challenges in her business and how she managed to not just survive, but actually thrive through it all. We're going to be covering how losing a year client impacted her business, the mindset shifts required to overcome setbacks, why going back to basics was the key to their turnaround and the importance of human to human connection in 2024. So strap in because we have a lot to cover. My name is Deirdre Tshien, CEO and co-founder of Capsho the fastest way to create content that gets you more clients. And this is Win the Content Game.

[00:01:34 - 00:05:01]We've been running group track for four years, and we have been so incredibly blessed because within those four years, our company has grown like no other. Every single month, it's been like 5% increase. Increase. And so, you know, our first kind of entrance into this world has been really positive, and we weren't really, like, impacted with, you know, a lot of the up and down that a lot of organizations are faced with. And so it kind of gave us this really, like, sense of security. Like, okay, people love the tool. Things are going really well. Like, it's a consistent growth that we can count on until 2024, when all of a sudden the market is, like, literally changing overnight. And here's the thing, right? Like, we've been hearing rumblings about it. We've been hearing from a lot of our clients that all of a sudden people are just not buying like they used to. When you think about, like, 2020, really up through 22, people were at home, people were looking to buy things, to do things, and so the coaching industry was just, like, killing it by literally just showing up. So in 2024, all of a sudden we start hearing rumblings from our clients, like, whoa, things are changing. People are not buying. And there's really a feeling of panic in the industry. And so because we've been kind of scooting along and having all this amazing success, we weren't really feeling it until one day we get a message from one of our amazing clients that we've had for years and he was like, hey, hate to let you know, but we've had some major changes in our own organization. We have to make some changes. And starting in two days, we're no longer able to be in the same type of relationship that we have. So with this particular client, his company was paying us a minimum of ten k every single month. So when you look at that, that's like over $100,000 per year. And like I said, like, we kind of got into a place where we were really just feeling comfortable and consistent in counting on that revenue. And so to go from feeling like, okay, we're really good, and this is just gonna continue to, oh my gosh, everybody's struggling and now it's immediately hitting us. And we literally have two days to figure out what to do was like a very different feeling, right? So we kind of felt like the rug was pulled out from under us. And I'm not sure how much you guys are aware, but a lot of people don't realize how incredibly expensive it is to run a SaaS company. I know you guys get it. Just with developers, if you get a good developer, you better count on paying them ridiculous amounts of money. And the truth is, like, they earn it for sure. But, you know, this was like the first time where I'm sitting here talking to my co founder, like, oh my gosh, like, how are we going to be able to pay these people that we employ or contact or are really making the tool so wonderful? So I feel like there's just this really big shift that's happening. And ours was not a shift, ours was a slap, you know what I mean? Like two day notice. And so it really kind of freaked us out. I'm just going to be honest. Right? Again, it's like those feelings of like, am I going to be able to pay these people whose families now are reliant on our company being able to do that for them? So a lot of stress, I would.

[00:05:27 - 00:08:40]Oh, a lot of explicit. I was like, you know, stomach dropped. Like, you're joking. And I think it's just that idea that you said, like, it's a set it and forget it type of thing where we just kind of assume that our growth is going to continue. The clients who have been with us for four years, they're just going to continue. Right. I think what happens is we really start to get to a place where we not take it for granted, but we get comfortable. And I think the entire coaching industry has been comfortable for years. Right? And so, again, this isn't even just me. I think that a lot of people who are probably watching this are like, oh, shizzle. Yes. Like, we're not getting the same amount of clients. Our clients who have been there for years all of a sudden are canceling. And it just is a really, like, terrible place to be where you feel like, okay, trajectory was this way, and all of a sudden growth is halted if not going backwards. And so you really start to go into this scarcity mentality of like, holy smokes, what are we going to do? And I think that's been the biggest blessing. There's been so many things this year that have been thrown at us. And because our tool integrates on top of Facebook and Instagram, it's not only just, like, our internal stuff, but if they make a change, it completely screws us up. So I don't know if you're familiar, but one of the changes Facebook has rolled out recently is this an encryption in doctor, let me tell you, e to e has become like a new curse word at my business because we're just, like, constantly fighting it, right? But it's like these things end to end encryption, the API and Facebook are changing, and now you can't go live, like, all of these things that have been thrown at everybody in the market, which are just like, for a lot of people, halting their progress completely. What has been incredible for us, I feel like, is we had the spiral moment that weekend. I'm just like, oh, my gosh. My husband literally brought me, like, three things at Cold Stone. Like, that's how bad this eye roll was. But again, it's like the 100k loss, the encryption, the API and Facebook groups. Like, everything feels so big right now and so, like, full on spiral. And then I was like, okay, what do we do? Like, we're entrepreneurs. What do we do? And I think through all of those massive setbacks, every single one of those has turned into something better than it was before. And I think that's the beauty. So what we've been able to do is say, well, what do we need to do to step up to the plate? And 90% of it has been going back to the basics. Like the things that we did a long time ago. Like when we were hustling, getting back to relationship building, back to those personalized conversations away from one to many sales. Right? Like, we really started getting back and having those intimate conversations with people. And with every single one of these massive setbacks, we've been able to actually go completely the opposite. And because of that, and literally, I can point to those three things being, like, things that could literally have just put us out of business. Every result has been better because of it.

[00:08:40 - 00:09:09]I want to get 100% want to get into that, because, like, people need to hear this. But before we do, I just. I want to ask you, like, a relatively pointed question, because I feel this, like, when I get in my head about things, and as you mentioned, like, things were stacking, right? Like, you lost this big client. That is revenue, and you're having to. You're in the middle of a rebuild as well, by the way, Jenna. Like, you know, just, like, the same way that cap show has, like, I know your pain. I know your pain. You're in the middle of a rebuild. You, like, a lot of money has been invested into this.

[00:09:10 - 00:09:10]A lot.

[00:09:11 - 00:09:29]It's like, literally, I've got goosebumps with knowing how much is going into this rebuild. As you mentioned, the e to e thing, the Facebook group thing, was there, like, any moment when you were just like, you know what? I think, you know, our time was good, but I'm ready to pack it in. Like, was there any moment that that crossed your mind?

[00:09:29 - 00:11:37]A lot of the time, honestly, you know, I'm like, it's like one thing after another. And here's the thing. Especially with our tool, a lot of times people don't realize what's going on internally, so they might get frustrated if something like a feature breaks or whatever. And so they oftentimes think, oh, well, group track just isn't good. And if they really understood what we were going through in the background, like, I mean, you know, we've. We've invested over $400,000 in relaunching our tool. And because of all these other things that have popped up, we've had to postpone that by a full month. That's a big, big deal. But it's like, really? We invested all this time over a year and a half, and then all of a sudden Facebook wants to go to hell. And like, and here's the thing, right? People are freaking out in the market. So if they can't send DM's or they can't go live in their group or they can't, you know, do the things and they see that they're not making the same amount of money that they used to. The first instinct is to be like, well, I'm just going to be in a chip. I'm going to leave Facebook. I'm going to do all these things. I'm going to close my business. And of course, when they do that, then it packs our revenue. And so what it's taking on our end is like extra coding, extra pushing, extra everything, but then also getting super creative on, like, well, let's figure out the strategy that is going to work in 2024. And again, it's, there are days where I'm like, to my business partner, is this it? Like, are we, are we done? I mean, and truly, like, you know, some serious conversations about, like, where are we going? And is this investment that we just going to did, is it actually going to work or is it for nothing? And there is that in the back of my head that it's like, could have been for Matthew, you know what I mean? And I have to be okay with that. But again, I think that, like, doubling down and looking and really figuring out what are the things that matter and what are the things that are going to push us and actually work in 2024. So as much as I hate that we have gone through this and the stress that it's called, like, literally, my husband was like, I have not seen you this stressed in years. But again, it's like the weight of your entire company on your shoulders.

[00:11:38 - 00:12:03]Okay, so talk to us about what. Like, we went through this incredible, incredible stressful period where you lost revenue and all these other things are happening in the industry. And then, but then you mentioned you went back to basics. I mean, was it just literally, like, overnight? You were like, okay, cool, I'm gonna pick myself. Did you give yourself a bit of, like, space and time? Or like, and did you, were you like, okay, now I really have to think very intentionally about the strategy, or were you just in, like, implementation mode?

[00:12:03 - 00:14:26]So thank goodness I reached out to one of my business mentors. She is a girl that I grew up with in the corporate world, and then we both transitioned together and I called her. I was like, you need to bring burritos over right now. And having a meltdown come over. And so she literally dropped everything, drove to my house with the burritos, and we sat down for a day and we mapped things out, and we're like, okay, let's go through everything. What's our lead gen strategy, our nurture strategy? What's our conversion strategy, what's our retention strategy? And we basically just look for holes. And there was a gaping hole. And it was that realistically, there was no one sitting in our sales position. We had kind of always been passive. So what that means is, right, I'm not out looking for clients. I'm not doing ads, I'm not doing marketing. We really focus on a Facebook group strategy that is fairly passive in that people join our group organically. Once they're in our community, then we bring them through our system. But again, we weren't really, like, focusing on making offers and things like that. And so basically, I was like, wow, no one is in this position. I'm going to do it. And so I switched roles with Lindsay, who's one of our team members, and come to find out, she was like, thank goodness. I hated doing that. I was like, but it wasn't her zone of genius. She was so much better on the back end. And so we flipped roles. I went into sales mode and service mode, and I was so happy. She was so happy. And, wow, what a difference. Feeling really content in your job actually makes in results. And so I went back to basics. I started messaging people, building relationship, like, getting into the DM's, like, literally the things that we teach, we started, like, just doubling down. And the reaction from it was so positive. So many responses in the DM's, so many people being appreciative. Wow, the CEO is in messenger with me. What? And just that level of support and service within our community. And so when you go to make an offer, which we did, people bought because they're like, wow, this is incredible. And so I think, like, getting it back into that, like, how do we just truly go back to service and support? And then when people are ready to buy, make that direct offer and people say yes, right? And so it's. Lindsey and I were kind of laughing. We're like, well, who knew?

[00:14:26 - 00:14:27]Who knew?

[00:14:27 - 00:14:45]Doing the things that we know work, actually work, right? And so it's just been so much happier on our team. And obviously the revenue being back just brings us back to that place of like, okay, we're proactive. We're on top of it. And we're not feeling that scarcity mentality that was kind of creeping in.

[00:14:46 - 00:15:08]Yeah, for sure. And that scarcity mentality, like, I know for me, it can paralyze not just you as the fan, but, like, for anyone who has team members, it can also paralyze them, too, because we're all suddenly in a mode of, like, okay, well, we can't spend money anymore. And, like, how, what was, was that actually impacting, starting to impact you and your team 100%?

[00:15:08 - 00:16:55]At one point, I was, like, putting in our group message, hey, this is where we are. Hey, this is what's happening. And, like, at some point, my co founder messaged me and was like, jenner, you're freaking the team out. Like, he was like, can you not do that? And I was like, yes, I cannot, but can you talk to me about this, you know, because I'm the one that's in charge of sales and revenue and all of those things. And, you know, again, it's a good lesson that, like, freaking your team out does not actually help you get better results. Who knew? Going back to the basics and actually just getting into the work rhythm, then serving and, you know, doing those things is what actually makes the difference. And it's been incredible because as much as I so wish we could avoid all of these hurdles that we've had in the past couple months, everything has been such a good lesson that we can then take back to our clients into the market and be like, look, here's our mistake. Here's what we weren't doing here was what was really not working. Here's how we pivoted, and here's how you can pivot, too. And so it's just given us so much more to, like, be in the trenches. Right? And I think, too, like, as I said in the beginning, like, we have just grown month over month for month for the four years we've been in business, and we never experienced a lot of that pain that so many people are feeling where they're like, I'm doing the work and it's not working, or, you know, whatever. And so it was very humbling to feel that pain as well. But again, like, as the CEO, to really understand that feeling of what it does feel like to be in scarcity or what it does feel like to, like, do things and not have them work, it's a good reminder and a good lesson so that we can relate more to the feelings of our consumers and have that empathy and to, like, really get to a place where they, like, we feel what they're feeling.

[00:16:55 - 00:17:07]That's incredible. I mean, I I'm actually really amazed by the fact that you've had four years of just, like, amazing growth, because that in itself is quite an unheard of story in the entrepreneurship journey.

[00:17:07 - 00:17:07]Right.

[00:17:07 - 00:17:16]Yeah. So that. That is insane, first of all. But it's kind of like, I guess, in a way, very. Like, the pessimist in me is like, well, it had to happen at some point.

[00:17:17 - 00:18:19]I didn't want it to, though. Like, it's so funny because the first month we didn't grow, I freaked out because, again, it's not normal, but it was our normal. And I'm talking, like, you know, like five k month over month. Month, you know, plus. Right. And so to even have a month where we're stable, I'm like, that's not okay. And then to go to months where we're going the other direction, I mean, talk about a tailspin. You know what I mean? It really screws with your mind quite a bit when you are used to that level, and then it just feels like it's taken away. And what's crazy is as quickly as you grow, you can go down that quickly and quicker, and I don't want to continue that. So, yeah, it's. It's a lot of mindset stuff, and I am very like, eh, mindset? That's dumb. Like, I don't talk about it. I don't want to hear about it. I'm like, the best way to change your mind is do the work and see the results for themselves, and that will change your mind, you know? But it's been a humbling, humbling quarter for sure.

[00:18:19 - 00:18:36]Wow. Okay. So, yeah, talking like that bit, which is like, you know, you used to think about it this way, where it was like, just do the work, and then. But now you having gone through it, I can see that it's like, actually the mindset piece. Like the. You almost have to get on top of that first, because otherwise you're gonna be paralyzed in doing the work.

[00:18:36 - 00:18:37]Yeah.

[00:18:37 - 00:18:42]What was that transition? I don't know the exact word, but what was that like for you?

[00:18:42 - 00:20:16]Yeah, I mean, for me, it's. It's literally go back to Jenna. I have always been the type of, like, worker where I'm like, just tell me what to do, and I will go do it like a crazy person. Like, that's how I was in corporate. You give me a goal, I'm going to crush that goal, and then I'm going to do ten times, because that's just how I am built. And it's so interesting because as I was, like, as revenue was going up and I was moving into a little bit of a different type of role, like more CEO, more big picture, and all those things, I lost that part of me, right? Like, we kind of gave it to someone else. And so it's so funny, because the moment I met with my mentor and we were like, she was like, who are you? You know what you're good at. You know what you love to do? Go do it. And flipping roles with Lindsey and getting me back into the sales and giving me that, like, rush of adrenaline to be like, I'm in action and I'm doing the things now. I'm, like, actually obsessively working, which I love it, like, working our tool, in fact, right, is my happy place. So I want to be doing these things. And I think that makes a big difference. If you're in a position where you hate what you're doing, you're not going to do it, and you're not going to do it consistently or get good results. And so I think that was a big piece, too, is like, getting me back into the Jenna zone of what I love. It's like, no. I'm like, oh, let's go. And I think that makes a huge difference. So for me, it's not like I had to sit down and be like, okay, you can do this. I'm like, wait, I get to go back into this. Okay, that's so crazy.

[00:20:16 - 00:20:27]Right? And this is an important thing because I feel like we get told a lot of things, like, for me, and some of this is more, maybe we weren't told, but we things up along the way.

[00:20:27 - 00:20:27]Yeah.

[00:20:27 - 00:20:49]And, you know, being sass, it was like hypergrowth. And what does hyper growth look like? It's like building a team and et cetera. And then. And to your point, it's like, well, if you're going to step into the CEO role, you have to x, y, z. You have to, like, do these things. And. And it's interesting, when you talk about this to be like, well, the things that we get, are they always the right thing for you?

[00:20:49 - 00:20:50]Right.

[00:20:50 - 00:21:14]So let's talk about that, because I want to just debunk some of these myths that, like, or things that we feel like we need to do in order to succeed or at least look like we're succeeding. So, yeah, because it feels like that was a bit of your experience even now when you were like, yeah, I'm now the CEO, which means that I have to do high level things. But you're like, actually, no, this is what's best for the company, for the business, is me doing this thing.

[00:21:15 - 00:23:36]Yeah, absolutely. And I think it's like, when we talk about, like, scaling a business in general, I think, like, the standard journey is you start as a solopreneur, you do the work, you learn the things. Then as your business grows, you bring on a team member to delegate that work to, and you're expecting them to get the same results that you were. And I don't think that's often the case. And I will even say, Lindsay, who I love and adore, and she's probably the best team member I could ever have. He will even tell you, I just don't have that same natural sales skills that know that I. And so we kind of placed her in that position because it just felt like that's what you're supposed to do. And I moved into those other roles where I'm doing other CEO stuff. And it's like, I think there's just this idea that that's what you're supposed to do. And we see it in our own community all the time. Like, people will come use group track, they'll start working their Facebook group, getting results, doing the DM and all the things. The first thing they want to do is delegate it out. And they're very surprised a lot of the time to hear that. I'm like, nope. I'm the one that's in the vms. I'm the one that's working the system. I'm the one that's connecting with the clients. And again, I think it goes back to your point of sometimes we have to sit down and be like, wait a minute. What are the key roles that need to be filled in the job? And it's not just about, well, who's the owner, who's the boss, who's the whatever. It's about who actually on your team has the right skills to fulfill that role and get the best results. And literally, you know, that time with my mentor where we were, like, auditing my business, it was glaring that we had just taken someone who we love on the team and stuck her into a role that we assumed, you know, because she's been trained and all the things that she would just love and go be a beast at, it's just not the case. And again, I think one of the most beautiful things is not only is our revenue going back up because I'm in this role, but we're so much happier because I'm doing what's my zone of genius? Lindsey's doing her zone of genius, and it's like, how the heck did we not realize this before? But again, to your point, I think we get sucked into this trap of, well, you're supposed to just do this because that's what it looks like to grow. And I think that's probably one of the most valuable lessons that's come out of all of this, is just relooking at your business model and saying, who is the right person for the role, not following what we think everybody else is doing and what we're supposed to do. Yeah.

[00:23:36 - 00:23:52]Oh, my gosh. Okay. I want to get a little bit into the going back to basics because I know that you, you touched on it. So I I think I know what it is that that meant for you in terms of going back to basics. But can you just, like, really quickly outline to us what actually that was for you, what was going back to basics?

[00:23:52 - 00:25:29]Absolutely. I think to put it in a few words, most importantly, is human to human connection. Right. I think in 2020, we could throw up a couple pieces of content. People were on their devices. They were looking for something to do, and they would throw money at you. And we didn't really have to work. We just had to show up a couple times, and then it worked. And so that was a lot of people's entry into this business, is to just think, oh, I just do this, and it happens. And that is not the way it works anymore. And I think that's why we love collaborating, because it really is about the content plus the follow up and the real service behind it. And so, you know, it really is getting back to not this one to many model that we were also loving, but getting back to that one to one connection, building relationships, understanding your leads and their needs and what is going on, and not just giving a one size fits all experience. Right. So one of the strategies we teach inside of our group is called the White Glove group strategy. And the idea is as people walk into our Facebook group, we're really going to uncover their needs and then say, oh, you're looking for this? Let me show you the content relevant to your problem versus, oh, you just walked in my group here. Like, we just know and we don't. And so going back to like, hey, what brought you here? What are you looking for? And, like, really getting into the weeds with our leads is what we had to do and building that relationship and, like, really giving them that very individualized support is absolutely the game. Changer.

[00:25:29 - 00:25:42]That's amazing. And I do want to highlight your group. So can you tell people a little bit more about your group? It's free, so everyone go join it right now. But we'll tell you where and what it's all about.

[00:25:42 - 00:27:18]Yeah. So our Facebook group is the organic sales system powered by group track. And so, basically, inside of our free community, we are going to serve you at a level that you've probably not experienced in many other groups. And the reason for that is we practice what we preach, which is actually connecting with everybody in our community, uncovering their needs, and bringing them to the content that is relevant to their problem. Because we want to make sure that you feel like you're served and supported, not just a number in our community. So what we teach in there is specifically how to organically grow your business on social media using a strategy, systems and skills, because all three of those are vital to your business. And so we teach you the strategies and the skills that you really need to find new leads on social media. Nurture them in an environment such as a Facebook community, convert them into clients, but most importantly, keep those clients buying. And when you do those four things, amazing things can happen. And again, those are the four things that we are really focusing on when we talk about going back to the basics. And those are the things that we believe very strongly have enabled us to get those two months in a row of our highest revenue ever without any ads or anything like that. But truly, by just serving and supporting the people that are honoring us with the presence inside of our Facebook community. So we would love to have you guys come in as well and experience exactly what we teach our clients to do with their own Facebook group members. And we have no doubt that you'll feel very supportive.

[00:27:18 - 00:27:32]It's incredible. So highly, highly. I mean, Jenna and I are going to be doing a lot more together. This is how much I believe in a strategy and that we believe in each other. So definitely go join Jenna's group. But is there anything lasting that you want to say?

[00:27:33 - 00:28:42]I think that here's the real truth. If you want your business to thrive in 2024, you have to pivot. I see a lot of people that are experiencing things like we have, and like the other companies that we're hearing behind the scenes. It's happening. It's a reality. And you have two choices. You can either continue to do what you were doing, but not get the results that you were getting, you know, before, or you can pivot. And again, thank goodness we pivoted. And we pivoted fast and we figured out what's working and we just are like trying to get the message out to people that it is still so, so possible to use social media and content and connections to build a thriving business. But if you want to thrive in 2024, you absolutely have to pivot and get back to that relationship building one to one connection. Because people do not trust the market. They don't trust a lot of coaches anymore. And in order to get through the noise, you are going to have to be the person that they connect with and they really feel that trust with. And so there's lots of ways to do it, but you have to do it if you want to thrive in.

[00:28:42 - 00:29:30] Wow, what an incredible journey that Jenna has been on. Her story is such a powerful reminder that even when things seems to be falling apart, there's always a way forward if we are willing to pivot and get back to basics. Now, if you want to experience Jenna's organic sales system firsthand, make sure to join her free Facebook group. It's called the Organic sales system, powered by group track and we've left the link for that in the show notes. And if you want to get into the nitty gritty of implementing my entire content marketing system called the Honey Trap Method, then you have to listen to my Limited Podcast Series called Content Marketing Tips. And I will I break it down for you piece by piece through that podcast. You can find that in the show notes as well. Thanks so much for tuning into today's episode. My name is Deirdre Tshien and as always, stay intelligently lazy.