Rebecca (00:00.632)
Hello and welcome to another episode of the Champagne Lounge podcast. Today on the show I've got the fabulous Beck Chappell. Welcome to the show Beck.
Bec Chappell (00:08.353)
Hi, thank you so much for having me. I've been seeing this everywhere and I'm like, oh, I need to jump on and talk to Bex.
Rebecca (00:15.768)
You do, you do. And you know what? I batch record these podcasts with our members only a few times a year. So if you miss the call out and you don't read your emails enough or you don't see the post in our Facebook group, then you do miss it and you have to wait a long time to come on the show. So you've made it.
Bec Chappell (00:31.393)
I will say I did love the call out. I was like, that's a bloody genius idea. I need to steal that idea. I thought it was really good.
Rebecca (00:37.272)
I call myself a systems queen for nothing. Like there's a process to it and then there's a booking link and all the things just trickle on through. It's so good. But last week I had Kylie Dennis on the show back and she finished the episode by saying how awesome it was that she'd met you at one of our events and then through being members together and working together she's doing some awesome stuff. So she raved about your marketing excellence. Tell us about you and what you do.
Bec Chappell (00:43.137)
Yeah. So good. So good.
Bec Chappell (01:02.977)
Aww.
Oh, that's so nice because she was we had so much fun together. So I am a marketing strategist, which essentially sounds very complicated and convoluted. But actually, it essentially means that I come into businesses, ideally at the starting line. But actually, that's never when I come in. I come in generally when they've grown really quickly and they're like, oh, we didn't get that marketing stuff right. We've outsourced and spent X amount of money and we feel like we've never got return. And essentially, I'll come in and do
a bit of a health check and see where businesses are at and, and what's working, what's not working. And sometimes what we find is that it's just, you know, they're just a bit overwhelmed or they've just been focusing on places where their ideal client art and they've been following, you know, trends and things, which is one of probably the number one things I see go wrong or their product suite is just way too complicated. So yeah, I work with businesses, generally a mil up they've been in business, you know, three to five, three to five years plus.
Um, and that's why I, I mean, I do like to work with businesses that are kind of in a smaller state than that, but it is harder for them to kind of jump on board with me. Um, yeah, cashflow cashflow is king. And that's why I have my podcast cause I'm like, Hey, you can go and listen to me until you're ready to work with me and need it. Um, but yeah, so that's, that's sort of, I guess why, why I got into marketing strategy as opposed to agency, which is where I originally started when I launched my business. The reason I took, made the shift.
Rebecca (02:11.352)
Cash flow, cash flow is king, yeah.
Bec Chappell (02:31.617)
uh, was because it's what I did in corporate. I always went into businesses that, you know, they were huge. Most of the time now at 10 mil plus, and they wanted to scale, but they knew that they just hadn't got that marketing part, right? So I'd come in and we'd, we'd actually build a marketing team within the business and then scale them in a way that honored the brand they'd created and didn't kind of, um, diluted or ruin it.
Rebecca (02:55.8)
Yeah. And so you touched on it just then when you started, you went down the agency sort of route model. Um, one of the things I really liked to dive into on the show is like where people started and like what that transformation is to get to where they are now, because businesses, when we start them look so different as we're evolving and growing and doing certain things. So why don't you and I first met, you were just started, I think going out on your own. You were under the plum marketing brand.
And now you've moved over to Underbeck Chapel as your own brand in itself. So what was that evolution and why really?
Bec Chappell (03:25.249)
I was.
Bec Chappell (03:33.921)
There was a few things behind it. Like firstly, I was very successful under Plum. Like it wasn't because it was a flop or anything like that on paper, because success, I was on paper profit success, which is what we a lot of the time deem success, which I would argue isn't success. On paper, it was very great business. It was profitable, had a great client base. I was paying myself a really good wage. Happy days in theory, but actually,
It was built in a time where I had all the time in the world to be in my business. I didn't have social life because no one did. We were in COVID and a hundred percent. So the amount of time that I was spending on my business was fine then because I had literally nothing else to do. And the reality was I'd built something I was a slave to, which is something I hadn't wanted to do. I really wanted to make sure that I built a business that didn't create me really like stress and friction and, and make me want to hate Mondays. Like I'm like,
Rebecca (04:10.104)
We're in COVID, yep.
Bec Chappell (04:31.105)
life's too short to hate Mondays. You got to do something you enjoy. So there was that element of it. And then there was also the other side when I changed it to back around, I'm not building a business that I actually want to sell. So I actually took like, you know, took that kind of perspective into, cause I know a lot of business owners are like, Oh, I want to create something I can sell one day. Um, which is great. But for me, that wasn't a goal of mine. It was just, I really want to do the work that I love.
And what I realized was this agency model was what I'd seen in my corporate. I dealt with agencies and I was like, it's an executable. It's, it's easy. I'll just do their marketing. I'll be like a C a CMO outsourced, if you will. But the problem with this is there's no parameters around that. And it can, you know, how do you set a boundary when it's like, I'll just do everything marketing, you know, and before you know it and the cap on that, by the way, would have to be like so expensive per month. Most people probably couldn't afford it. Um,
And so it became this, I was just essentially executing social media or emails or things that look, it was fun and I had, but I wasn't getting into the nitty gritty strategy or working with them at a different level. And that was actually what I'd always done. I'd always gone in and problem solved. I wasn't doing that either. Uh, and I think I undervalued myself quite dramatically as to what experience I'd had and how I'd helped the businesses I'd worked in scale. Like, you know, I,
My last business that I'd worked in, we'd, you know, grown it from 10 mil to 40 mil in a couple of years. So it's like, that was not the work that I was doing. And that's probably why I was pretty miserable. So I thought, got to change this up. I got to build something that I actually enjoy.
Rebecca (06:06.712)
Yeah, and it's very actually easy to build something and have something really profitable and working really well. And for you to easily get wrapped up in it. Like all of a sudden it's bigger than Ben Hur and you're like, how did I get here? And how do I get out of this? So I know from me when I grew the video business and got to the end of COVID and just went, I need to stop. I can't do anymore. It was a hard decision, but it needed to be made to like...
close the doors on it and start afresh. Did you do that with your clients in terms of that, or did you bring some of the clients from Agency Model into the new Beck -Chapel model?
Bec Chappell (06:46.785)
Yeah, so I've shifted some with me, the ones that I guess a lot of the ones that I was just like, look, actually, the work that I'm doing, you can get a VA to do. But then there was the other ones that I was doing the more strategy based work, the more thought process driven work that I was like, I want to keep working with you anyway, because like we're having a lot of fun, you know, like I'm I'm very invested in the journey now. But I've only got five of them now. Like, you know, they're they're my very
small side of my business now, but I love them to pieces. And you know, there'll come a day where they'll probably be too big for me as well. Like as in they'll need someone actually part -time to do the things like that's the goal. But while I can still help them and I'll always hopefully help them in some regard. But yeah, I took some of them across because I guess closing the doors completely wasn't financially viable for me either. So it was like, how do I transition?
Um, because that's the thing, like we don't talk about this time of transition. It's not like you close something, open something and it's automatically successful. You have to start. Yeah.
Rebecca (07:44.312)
Oh, no, it's not. You've got to build something. You forget the growing pains you have at the beginning. I think that's what people really underestimate. You forget how many hours you put into something and how long it took to learn something new and how difficult it was to build a brand and have that brand recognition in something. And you forget the growing pains.
Bec Chappell (07:50.049)
Yeah.
Bec Chappell (08:03.809)
Yeah. And when you completely change your message from, Hey, I'm Beck Chapel. Let me do your marketing for you to, Hey, I'm Beck Chapel. Let's figure out what's not actually happening in your marketing and where we can kind of like health check it and figure out where you can just do the one percentage. You know, sometimes it's actually the 50 % is, but you know, what are the things that we can actually work on together? How can I put a strategy in place for you and you execute? It's a very different model to what I was doing. And it's a very different message. And it was one that the market.
didn't know me for, and then I started getting pretty damn controversial about the marketing stuff that I see out there. So it was like, okay, everyone has to get used to this new brand of Beck. And the fact that I'm just going to be out there more often, which is pretty much what I've done.
Rebecca (08:48.92)
Yeah, and you have been out there in your marketing and if anyone's not following back and watching her stuff, like I'll make sure I link it all in the show notes because that's where you'll find more information about the members that we have on the show, like by following them through the notes in the show. But from doing that, right, it's that we talked about it offline, you and I, when we caught up this morning, we talked about all the things that people just go and do because it's cookie cutter or it's copy someone else, so it's do this, do that.
And actually it's, there's no one size fits all. It's not a golden bullet. And, you know, for a small business owner that doesn't necessarily have the resources to bring someone in, um, cause they're a solo, solo business. One of the things that they, you know, I'm sure you get this all the time, but what are the one thing that they could go, you know what, I, I could drop that or I just, I could start that or I could think about this in a different way. It's probably the better, the better question to ask because it's not all social media post, post, post.
Bec Chappell (09:41.985)
Yeah.
Not at all. And I think like, you're so right. Like we think, we think we have to be so present on say Instagram or Tik Tok. Like everyone now is talking about Tik Tok. And I'm like, well, steer that conversation because that's a, you know, God knows what's going to happen with that platform. And I think that it's this foolproof your business in that you don't want to have to rely on someone else to have your data, to have your people, to have your ideal client. Like how do you bring them in house? And I think it can be completely overwhelming as a business owner, cause you're like, I need to be doing all of this stuff.
And I think the one thing I say is get really clear on what it is that you offer to your ideal client, how it's really helping them, but uniquely in the work that you do, because what you do, me as a marketer, I'm different to every other marketer, vice versa. We're all different. We all come at marketing with our own unique ways, right? So for example, if you're a bookkeeper, you're going to do bookkeeping in your unique way for your unique target market.
Rebecca (10:31.832)
Mm -hmm.
Bec Chappell (10:43.361)
And, and therefore you need to do your market in a way that is unique for your business. So find out who, what it is that you do get really clear on it. Don't be saying things like bespoke. I know that everyone loves this, but I'm like you, if you make it really hard to buy you, guess what? It's just hard to buy you. It doesn't look boutique. And then the other thing I would say is find out where your ideal client really hangs out and not just hangs out, hangs out to purchase. They're two very different things.
They might scroll Instagram at seven o 'clock at night because they want to chill out and numb on dog videos. I am that person. I'm not 100%. I'm not buying off Instagram, right? Like show me the sexiest pair of jeans. I'm still not buying them off Instagram. I'm going to go in store and buy my jeans. I am but one person though. And for someone, I will not be their ideal client, but understand what it is that you do and how you're going to reach your people in a way that's really, um,
Rebecca (11:19.512)
I am too.
Bec Chappell (11:41.313)
effective for you as a human, because we all do only have the time that we have and the pressures to, you know, I spent today and I said this year, I was actually doing a bit of content creation thing today that I was really curious about was 58 bucks. I was like, let's just bite the bullet and see what these people are saying, you know, because that's how how as a marketer, do you keep yourself fresh, right? Like you go and do all these other random courses and just see what people are talking about. And, you know, the amount of pressure to like,
create a video every single day. Like, and I was like, it's just not realistic. And it's also what's the ROI on that. So yeah, that would be my bit of advice. It's kind of long winded, but I think that's, you know, it's the one thing that people forget to, cause we're busy looking at the competition and what they're doing, focus more on you.
Rebecca (12:28.344)
Yeah, I think, um, you know, what, that's a really good thing to look at. It's like, so stay with the blinkers on and do what's right for you. Cause I wanted to then move that into, you know, the boundaries conversation you and I talked this morning around, um, you know, I've to like deliberately on the champagne lounges, social media done a nine tile. This is what we're all about. And now I only really want to play in stories because as a, my consumer, I'm the one that I'm my target market, you know, your.
anyone listening to hear is what we're scrolling stories. We're scrolling stories and that's at the top of the list and we want to engage in that way. And so why am I building something and spending hours creating content that just makes my feed look pretty that no one is really engaging with when I know the engagement is in stories. So I think for anyone doing that and creating content and creating their marketing materials, it's got to work for you too. Like it's got to work for you energetically if you're building the business. What's going to work for you in terms of
Bec Chappell (12:58.625)
Mm, here we are.
Bec Chappell (13:08.545)
Mm.
Rebecca (13:25.08)
how you can get stuff done. Like a weekly newsletter might not be right for everyone if you can't bulk write it, you know, it might not work. So, you know, you said you rebuilt your whole business based on the fact that you'd built something that you become a slave to. And I think we can become a slave to our marketing as well as our business, would you agree?
Bec Chappell (13:32.801)
Yeah.
Bec Chappell (13:45.121)
Oh, totally. And I think we become a slave to our marketing because we become a slave to what we deem as the market, which is actually not the market. It's just us comparing ourselves to other people. That's not our market. That's just like, and it's funny because like, I love the nine tile idea. I think that's hilarious because I'm like, when I went and looked at, you know, we were talking about, I was like, Oh yeah, that's actually a really good idea. But for me, I, and for you, I think a hundred percent for me, I still, I still will always post to.
my feet, I think, I think, you know, like never say never, but I think there's, um, you know, even today it was like, well, how can, how can you stand out? And you and I had this conversation too, right? Because it's like, well, it's not about doing more content, actually. It's not about more, more, more. It's actually about refining and understanding where your people are. Your people are in stories. Tick, you figured that out. You've got something that if they go to your page, they see a beautiful shop window, right? If they click on your Instagram profile,
That's what they're saying. But you're right. Stories are at the top. If people engage with your story, you're going to continue to come up number one for them or number three or, and that's maybe they're going to spend more time there than their feet. You'll know soon enough with your analytics anyway. But yeah, we completely become a slave to our marketing. Um, or we just flat out avoid it because we don't know where to start and we just get overwhelmed and we're like, Oh, just continue networking. And like, that's my, my strategy, which I'm not going to.
Rebecca (15:02.04)
Yes.
Bec Chappell (15:12.193)
shit on that strategy is a great strategy networking and word of mouth and referrals love those for your marketing. They should a hundred percent be a part of your marketing strategy, but they all have a cap, right? Like every platform and every channel that you go into has a cap. And you're also only going to meet to, you know, X percent of your market in each channel.
Rebecca (15:31.48)
Yeah, standing out and being unique. Now, talking about boundaries and doing things uniquely and doing things your way, I'm curious to know what boundaries you put in place when you're building your brand and what lessons, I suppose, you learn along the way of implementing those. Because I know a lot of our listeners will go, it's all very well you say that, but what does that look like? What have you actually changed to make it work for you?
Bec Chappell (15:59.553)
It's funny because one of my good mates in business, she always says to me, she's like, I idolize the fact that you switch off from your work. And I'm like, oh really? Like, I'm like, I didn't, I didn't think that was such a thing. But she, she's like, if we're going to throw the word workaholic around, she would deem herself that. But funnily enough, I get called that all the time too. Right. Um, but for me, I think the boundary was I was really bad.
at scope. So I would back when I was in my agency model business, it would be like, I can help you with everything. Just let me help you. Like, my God, I just want to see you thrive and succeed. And that's still the truth. But I also understand I am but one person and I want to see you thrive and succeed. Not at the.
loss of the relationship as well, because I keep saying yes, which is actually detrimental to the relationship more so than my client, because then I'm going to get pissed off and be like, well, why do I keep having to do all this stuff outside of scope? Well, Beck, you didn't define the scope and you also didn't call it when something was going outside it. So I've actually had to get really, I've had to put my big girl panties on and get really good at those conversations about what is outside scope and realize that it's actually.
better for the relationship to have those conversations and that my people pleasing self, which she's still strongly within me, needs to just take the back seat and understand that me saying, Hey, that's actually outside of scope. Like, you know, we can talk about what that would look like, um, is a much healthier conversation than me just being like, yeah, sure. Of course I can do that. And look, don't get me wrong. There's still like, you know, 5 % of things that I will be like, Oh yeah, like don't stress. We can make that happen. And that's just about that. There's.
There's, I guess, being commercial and understanding what is a nice to do for your client because, you know, they do pay you every month and, and, you know, you actually do want to add value for them, but understanding what is also just a drainer on you. And so far outside of scope that it's not even commercial to say yes. The other thing for me is. So that's probably the number one boundary I had to get. And I just literally had to wise up. It was, I just had to put on those big girls panties as I say, because.
Rebecca (18:16.76)
Yeah.
Bec Chappell (18:20.609)
Um, the people pleasing nature that I had was actually no longer serving me. And I've done that in all aspects of my life. Actually. I've I'm really proud of that. But the second one is the fact that I will not work stupid hours. I just flat out won't do it. It is. I think I don't actually even understand how people do it to be honest. I.
Rebecca (18:43.864)
I'm with you on that. Like I get to a point now when I'm going, you know what? This will be the last podcast of the day and I'm done. Have we done a five and I'm out.
Bec Chappell (18:50.337)
Yeah. Cause you're not, you're, you're actually not productive. And it's like, like, I know that if I'm exhausted because I've spent all morning doing really deep thinking work, I know because I've listened to neuroscience podcasts that I actually only have two 90 minute deep work blocks in me a day. So let's go with that. Like this morning, I didn't even send an alarm cause I was up last night having some pretty shit discussions with a mate and I was like,
Yeah, I actually want to sleep in tomorrow morning because I've energetically been a bit drained today. I did do a bit of work on a Sunday because it was wet outside and you know, I was just in a bit of a flow, but.
Rebecca (19:29.464)
Yeah, what creativity strikes you, take it. Yeah.
Bec Chappell (19:32.353)
You go with it. And that's the thing. I think that's the flexibility you can actually have as a business owner. And that's the thing this morning, I didn't even get out of bed. I mean, it was pouring rain in Sydney. I didn't get out of bed till eight. It was amazing. The dog was happy. I was happy. Everyone's happy. Got out of bed. I was at my computer still by nine and did some deep work this morning. We jumped on a call. I've had like a really great day. I've actually done a lot of learning and it's like, cool. I don't feel fried at the end of the day. And I think that's how I know tomorrow.
I'll go in and I'll be productive again. And then, you know, I'm not going to burn out. And the, like, I think this conversation around burnout is happening a lot. And I was very fearful when I ended up in hospital two weeks ago that I had burnout. I was like, is this just mental and it's burnout? And I started thinking through it and I'm like, no, because I actually don't, I do push myself and I expect a lot from myself, like from what I commit to, but I don't do it in a way that's.
So incredibly detrimental. Like I know my limit. And I think that's the thing. Know your limit. Because also with that, everyone has a different tolerance. Like some people might only be able to do two hours in total of deep work a day. Cause their brains just maybe on a Monday and Tuesday, they're not functioning that well. And by Wednesday, Thursday, you're like really, you know, fired up and creative and like in your zone. So like plan your week according to like your body, like really, I think like.
With my fitness journey, I've gotten really good at listening to my body and how it feels on a run or, you know, listening to my body in the ocean or wherever I am, understanding how my body feels. But the one thing I hadn't done is done that at work. And when I actually started really paying attention to that and understanding that I have a really big spike in the afternoon of really like creativity and intelligent thought, as I'm going to call it. Where I'm like, yes, like, you know, I'm smart at this time. So use that time.
And then it's not that I'm stupid the other times, but I'm just not as switched on. Like, but understanding like, I'm really tuning yourself to it. And look, it's not always going to work. You might have a client that drops in a meeting that you can't move or things like that, but as much as you can craft your week around when you're, when you're good at like different points and what you know works for you. Um, but I just don't work past five 30 or six. Like sometimes I'll work to six cause I'll find that four to 6 PM. I'm actually really.
Rebecca (21:27.544)
Yeah.
Bec Chappell (21:54.913)
really switched on. But yeah, never past six. And I flat out, if anyone messages me or emails me past six, forget it. I don't care. Like unless it is a website down or something like that and I can help. I'm just flat out not replying. I don't even open my emails past six.
Rebecca (22:14.552)
I've actually taken mine off my phone. Yeah. For that reason, it's that energetic thing. It's, it's using it as you're right. When you learn that, when you learn that you can craft it and do things to the energy levels that you've got and be all right with it. I think that's a huge thing. Like I'm super creative in the mornings, but then I don't have any guilt having a little nap most afternoons. That's all good. That recharges me and we're great. Yeah.
Bec Chappell (22:16.673)
Yeah! That like honestly I'm... Yeah.
Bec Chappell (22:36.001)
No, I bloody love a 3pm nap. Yeah. Look, and this is the thing you're actually doing a favor for your clients and the people that you're working for in looking after yourself. They don't like, I know I'll make dumb mistakes, which I feel shit about. It makes, it makes me feel shit to my client. I'm also just human. If I am doing things last minute or rushed, I know I make stupid mistakes. I flat out know it. So it's like, okay, how do I program my life?
so that I'm not putting those situations where I'm going to have to like do it at the 11th hour at 10 o 'clock at night or 7 a .m. on a Saturday or something like that. Like plan your life so that you're not doing things so that you make silly mistakes or you know at the end of the day you're all like it doesn't matter how much experience you have you're still just a human. Yeah.
Rebecca (23:22.584)
completely, completely. And I think, you know, that's the whole reason that I don't do things before 10 or after four, really, like five o 'clock wine time I'll do because that's my clock off time. That's perfect. But, you know, even if I throw the odd meat, if I say yes, I find myself saying yes to the odd nine a .m. I'm like, oh, what were you thinking? Like, I really enjoy waking up with the sun and leisurely walking the dogs and.
Bec Chappell (23:35.489)
Know thyself.
Bec Chappell (23:46.753)
Why did I?
Rebecca (23:50.36)
then by the time it's 10 o 'clock, I'm good to go. But yeah, it's about finding what's right for you. I think that's a really critical thing if you're listening to this episode to take away and go reflectively what's working in my business life, but also in my personal life so that it's influencing the right energy to serve the people that I'm serving through work, but the people that I'm around in my social time.
Bec Chappell (24:13.185)
Yeah. And I think it kind of pisses me off that like there's all these like 5am clubs and you're not going to be a great entrepreneur unless you're getting up and doing yoga at five and meditation at nine and all of the things. I just think that that is like, yeah, that might work for you. Like cool, bro. But like your success does not come down to whether you are up at 5am.
doing yoga with the sun on a cliff face overlooking the ocean. Like, and I just find it so bloody toxic because I think like, yeah, it works for some people. And I, for so long, I would try and wake up at 5 a .m. because I was like, I am not going to be successful unless my ass is out of bed at five. And it's the most ridiculous thing. It's literally crazy. Yeah.
Rebecca (24:58.68)
Yeah. It's crazy, isn't it? It's crazy. So that's it. You got to work on your work on boundaries and work out what works for you. Cause you're as unique as your marketing is all I'm going to say. We're all human. You got to do it your way. Now, I don't let any of our members leave the show without answering a little question about why you, why do you love the champagne lounge and why you're a part of it?
Bec Chappell (25:11.841)
100 %
Bec Chappell (25:23.201)
Well, I coined myself the worst member this morning and I like everyone was laughing in the cold because they're like, yeah, I've not met you. And I'm like, I am literally the worst member. So I'm going to own that. But I will say the power ups, but I will say the power ups I've been to, they're always, I just love that. It's like having a chat and figuring stuff out. Like I always find it like,
Rebecca (25:37.176)
You're not the less.
Bec Chappell (25:49.761)
you know, you get to a point where someone's like, actually kind of I'm dealing with this. Like, what do you guys think? And then, you know, it might've been a problem that someone's a bit shy about talking about or, you know, but it's a very safe space. It always comes up. People always give honest opinions. And then after the fact, like you end up having these great relationships with people because it is, I feel like it's quite intimate and it's, we don't just chat about, Hey, I'm Beck. I'm a marketing strategist and I can help you. And it's, it's beyond that. I find.
the groups where you kind of like sell yourself for five minutes a bit. I just don't like them. They're not my vibe. I know they're for a lot of people and I love that for those people, but it's not a bad thing. I am very much about creating like relationships with people because I always joke that I collect people and I feel like, you know, a champagne lounge gives me the opportunity to collect more people.
Rebecca (26:40.568)
collect more wonderful humans into your world. Collect and connect. I like that. I might need to coin that one in some new marketing strategy moving forward. Yeah, in the nicest way possible. Thank you so much for coming on and sharing that journey. I think we've got, there's been some really good nuggets in there and a lot of actionable things that I know our listeners are gonna take away and run with. So thank you so much for saying yes to being on the show today.
Bec Chappell (26:42.977)
100%. Mm.
Yeah, I'd be like, how to collect people in the nicest way possible.
Bec Chappell (27:09.057)
Thank you so much for having me.
