Samantha Ste Marie is a Summit Host as well as a Productivity and Client Acquisition Strategist for online service providers. Since starting her business nearly ten years ago, she has ghostwritten three bestselling books in the business genre, worked with some of the online course industry’s leading educators, and helped hundreds of aspiring business owners start and grow their service based businesses.

She has made it her mission to debunk the idea that hustling is the way to grow a business and show as many entrepreneurs a different way to achieve their goals. She is the founder of two online programs: Launch Your Services, which helps aspiring service providers launch their businesses, and Pitch It REAL Good, which helps business owners land new clients with ease.

Can you tell our readers about your background?

I’m someone who had a really hard time figuring out what I wanted to do with my life. I would look around and see my classmates getting excited about going into radio broadcasting, social work, and all these interesting things, but none of it ever clicked for me. Fast Forward to age 26 when I finally graduated with my undergrad in English only to realize I still didn’t know what I was doing. I was soon recruited into a marketing role for a company that on the surface seemed like the next Google, but on the inside was quite toxic. That’s when I truly started taking my side-hustle of writing and editing for local businesses seriously. I genuinely hoped that one day I could take it full-time and blow that corporate popsicle stand.

What inspired you to start your business?

I was kind of forced into it on a random Monday when my boss called me into his office and sent me packing ten minutes later. I was in such shock and felt so embarrassed that I just went to my car and cried. A LOT. But after a good ugly cry in the car, I went home and decided that I never wanted someone to have that much control over my career again. I dove headfirst into my side-hustle and landed three new clients within two days. 

Where is your business based?

My business is all online but I am based in Ottawa, Canada.

How did you start your business? What were the first steps you took?

My first step was cruising around the internet to find any kind of paid writing and editing work. I started out on Upwork but quickly realized that they take a serious cut of what you make. I quickly switched to looking at local ads online and found my first client who just happened to post that they needed help with creating social media content.

What has been the most effective way of raising awareness for your business?

It has been serving my current clients so well that they spread the word about me. I have one client that has caused a serious ripple effect in my business and has led to tens of thousands of dollars in revenue all because she likes to talk about the work I do for her on her social media and in her communities. 

What have been your biggest challenges and how did you overcome them?

My biggest challenge has been pulling the trigger on big decisions. It took me getting fired from my job to start my business so I’m sure you can guess that I struggle with taking risks. Whether it’s investing in a business coach or raising my prices with current clients, my anxiety goes a little haywire. What’s really worked for me is proving those thoughts and feelings wrong. This means I do my research and make sure I’m thoroughly educated about my potential decision. If I want to hire a coach then I want to see how they’ve helped people in my specific situation. If I want to raise my prices, what is the industry average and what would that mean for my income. Information fuels my ability to cope and move forward.

How do you stay focused?

I make sure to have a space for work and a space for play. As silly as it sounds. When I’m in the space I have set aside for work it allows my brain to transition from relaxed to “I mean business.” I also make sure to: stay out of my inbox, close any internet tabs I’m not using, put on my noise cancelling headphones with a good playlist, and have a hot beverage at the ready!

How do you differentiate your business from the competition?

My big thing is helping my clients get their to-do lists done… FINALLY. I don’t help people who want to get things done so they can then pack more into their days. I want my clients to get through their to-do lists so they can unplug and actually reap the rewards of being a business owner… Having freedom. While many strategists talk about being productive and staying focused, I teach about prioritization and balance.

What has been your most effective marketing strategy to grow your business?

It has definitely been showing up as a real person and having conversations in the DMs. I don’t think I’ve gotten on a sales call in almost two years and it’s because I’m all about getting personal in the DMs. You’ll find me sending tons of voice notes and really showing who I am in these 1:1 conversations. There’s something special that happens when you send someone a message and they actually get back to you. We forget that there are people behind all of these accounts and by reminding your audience of that, you win over their trust and respect. 

What's your best piece of advice for aspiring and new entrepreneurs?

Done is better than perfect! You don’t need a fancy website, a logo, a cohesive Instagram feed, or professional photos. All you need is an offer, your pricing, and an audience to offer it to. By audience I do not mean any kind of following, just people to go out and talk to about what you can help them with. If you have those three things then get started and the other fancy shmancy things can come later!

What's your favorite app, blog, and book? Why?

My fave app has to be Spotify! I genuinely don’t know what I would do without it. I pop my nose cancelling headphones on, choose a “focus” or some kind of instrumental playlist and get to work. My fave blog has to be Hubspot. I know it is a BIG blog but they’re content is genuinely SO helpful. It’s always broken down into actionable steps and more resources. My fave book has to be The Great Gatsby. I am actually someone who doesn’t enjoy books related to business, even though I’m a bestselling ghostwriter in the business genre. I read for fun and can dive deep into anything sci-fi, fantasy, or historical fiction.

What's your favorite business tool or resource? Why?

I absolutely LOVE ThriveCart. As someone who offers both services and digital products, it’s an amazing place to host your products, have people purchase them, and integrate all your other pieces of software. Their customer support is amazing and they’re Facebook community is a great place to learn more about leveraging the platform. 

Who is your business role model? Why?

My business role model is Gemma Bonham-Carter. She was actually my first client in the online course space and she has completely changed my life. She has introduced me to so many other clients and I’ve had so many opportunities because of her. She is also one of the rare online business owners who goes above and beyond for every single client and student that she has, which I can confidently say because I’ve witnessed it. She is a mom of two and has grown an amazing business with authority and grace, which I hope to do as well. 

How do you balance work and life?

I keep it quite simple. I’m a mom of one and have a rule that I do not work in the morning. Once 1:00pm hits, my husband comes home and I head to my office to work for a few hours. Once my daughter was born I knew I would have to work less and to be honest, I wanted to. So I spend my mornings with her and then focus on my business in the afternoon. All of my clients and students know this and fully support this schedule I’ve established. 

What’s your favorite way to decompress?

My go-to way to decompress is to brew myself a big cup of tea and watch Bon Appetit. It’s a YouTube channel all about cooking and I could seriously watch it all day long. I sometimes even have it playing in the background while I’m working. There’s something about watching people cook that just relaxes me. Plus I can then take their recipes to my own kitchen, which is also a great way for me to decompress. 

What do you have planned for the next six months?

Now that my daughter is a few months old, I’m getting back into the swing of being more present on social media. I’ve brought on a social media manager to help me with this and we have some amazing goals and plans for the future. I will be launching my new program called The Time Saver Society, which is for online service providers who are close to burn out because they’re constantly serving clients and want to get a handle on their to-do list so they can actually unplug at the end of the day. I’m so excited to bring a fresh perspective on what it means to be productive. 

How can our readers connect with you?

They can connect with me on:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/samanthastemarie/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/findclients

My website: https://www.samanthastemarie.com/