Size doesn't matter, it's what you do with it!


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18th April, 2025
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A NEWSLETTER FOR SOLOS
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Read time: approx. 3-4 mins

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Size doesn't matter, it's what you do with it!

Hi Reader,

Welcome to the latest edition of The Hub Newsletter!

In each edition, I share helpful tips and ideas about how you can grow your solo biz by using what's been proven to work for others, just like you.

Okay, so let's dive into today's edition...

Email Marketing for solo biz owners

Size doesn't matter, it's what you do with it!

What am I talking about? πŸ€”

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Your email subscriber list, of course!

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I see a lot of email marketers get caught up in a never-ending chase for more and more subscribers, whilst failing to generate any real value from the subscribers they already have.

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Let me give you an example:

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A few months ago, I had a chat with a prospect (I won't name her) - let's call her Alexa (not her real name).

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Alexa booked a call with me, with a view to me helping her "grow her email list".

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We met and chatted for just over 30 minutes - she's lovely, great at what she does, and is extremely driven to take her business to the next level using email marketing (great idea, btw!).

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During our chat, I asked her what her main objective was for her email marketing, she explained that she wanted to grow to 10,000+ subscribers - she'd seen others in her niche do similar so knew it was possible.

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But therein lay Alexa's problem...

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When I began to dig a little deeper into her current revenue model, it turned out that she was not actually generating any real revenue from her existing email list (approx. 2.3k subscribers, at that time).

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So, I asked her... "Do you believe that by growing from 2.3k to 10k+ subs, you'll be able to generate the revenue you're looking for?".

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There was a silent pause. 🫀

She hadn't stopped to consider her actual problem - generating income!

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The 2.3k subscribers she had then were bringing in almost zero revenue - but that was down to Alexa not implementing proper email marketing strategies, even after doing the hard work of attracting people to her list!

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So, the most critical component of every successful email marketing system is how to monetise it - not how to grow it!

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What would you rather have - 1k subs making $5k/m, or 10k subs bringing in $0k?

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Yeah, me too. 😊

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P.S. Since that first call, 'Alexa' has become one of my valued 1-2-1 clients. The first thing we focused on was monetising her existing list.

Kit Feature

Are you collecting testimonials from your customers?

If you're a premium Kit customer (i.e. you have a paid plan), then you have access to a suite of apps via their Apps store (under the 'Automate' menu).

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One app in there you can use for free is called 'Senja'.

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It allows you to collect testimonials from subscribers that you can subsequently use in your marketing content, via emails, website, and socials.

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I use this to automatically request a testimonial by inserting it into an email in relevant sequences - that way, I never forget to ask for them.

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You can get started with their free plan, which allows up to 15 testimonials - and then if you like, you can upgrade to the premium plan once your limit has been reached.

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The app can be found inside Kit, however, if you want more info, you can check out their website using the button below;

Tech you might find helpful

Startboard.so

Do you consider yourself an organised person?

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Or more of a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants-see-where-the-wind-blows-me type person?

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I'm the former, my wife the latter (it's okay, she'd agree with me!).

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Especially when I'm working - I need to know where everything is and have it easily accessible. That's why my radar for helpful little apps is always on receive mode - constantly looking for opportunities to improve the way I work.

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This little free app, 'Startboard', is one such find.

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Essentially, it's a way of bookmarking web URLs that you regularly visit, making it super simple to click on whichever link you're looking for.

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It also supports 'boards', in other words, a way to group related links; e.g. 'Work', 'Personal', 'Socials', 'Banking' etc.

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If it sounds like something you'd find useful, get your free account using the button below - it's literally free - nada, zilch.

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There's a helpful video tutorial on that page so you'll see all of the features included in the app.

Think you're too old to be a solo biz owner?

Here's a finger-licking bit of inspiration for you!

πŸ— It’s Never Too Late: The Story of Colonel Sanders

By the time Harland Sanders was in his 60s, he’d worked his way through many jobs... farmhand, soldier, streetcar conductor, lawyer, and filling station owner.

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But what finally stuck? Fried chicken.

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At his small roadside service station in Corbin, Kentucky, he started cooking meals for travellers - and people couldn’t get enough.

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He perfected a fast-cooking pressure-frying technique and crafted his now-legendary blend of 11 herbs and spices.

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But at 65, the new highway rerouted traffic away from his restaurant. His business collapsed. Most people would have retired. Not Sanders - he got on the road.

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With nothing but a dream and his recipe, he drove across the U.S. pitching it to restaurant owners. Slept in his car. Got told β€œno” over 1,000 times.

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Then someone said "yes". Then another.

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By age 73, he had over 600 KFC franchises and had sold the business for $2 million (that's about $20m in today's money). KFC is now in 150+ countries.


πŸ’‘The takeaway (no pun intended!)

You're never too old and it’s never too late.
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Reinvention doesn’t have an age limit. If your dream takes 5 years to create, the world doesn't care which 5 years of your life you choose!

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So if you’ve been letting your age stop you from building your dream - keep going.

πŸ’™ Ask me your questions

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Hit the button below and ask me anything - I'll be sure to reply, and you never know, your question could well be the inspiration for my next blog or video!

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P.S. No question is too silly or basic!

Have a great weekend!

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Cheers,
John

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John Bellingham
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Kit Approved Expert &
Email Marketing Strategist for Service-Based Solos

272 Bath Street, Glasgow, Scotland G2 4JR
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