Onto Plan Z

Ep. 99 ft. Chinwe Onyeagoro

“If they’re complaining that means they’re using it. If you hear nothing, you’ve got an issue.”

Chinwe Oneyagoro

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Bio

Chinwe is the co-founder and CEO of PocketSuite. After graduating from Harvard, Chinwe worked as a management consultant at McKinsey providing strategic advice to Fortune 1000 companies. She came to the realization that her passion was not in helping multi-billion dollar businesses increase market share, but in helping solo operators and micro businesses succeed. Her initial focus was working with small business owners to access growth capital through a network of 300+ lenders.

After raising over $150MM in capital for small businesses, Chinwe recognized that more than loans most service professionals just needed a simpler way to get booked and paid on a recurring basis by their clients. These professionals were either using too many single purpose apps or just pen and paper, spending countless hours trying to find, convert, and follow-up with clients.
By combining insight into the operations of successful service professionals with an understanding of the power of technology to automate any business workflow, Chinwe has gained recognition as a thought leader in helping small businesses succeed.

PocketSuite is an all-in-one mobile and desktop app that helps any service professional with clients manage scheduling, invoicing, payment processing, contracts and text-based client communication.

Show Notes

Download the PP version of Pocket Suite here – https://pocketsuite.io/register/profitablepilates
If you want free webinar for scheduling tips and how to rule your calendar click here – https://ditchingbusy.com/

Even as a young girl creating lemonade stands, Chinwe Onyeagoro was always thinking about franchising and creating more. Join an entrepreneurial convo with Chinwe Onyeagoro and LL discussing launching, managing, and visualizing startups.

If you have any comments or questions about the Be It pod shoot us a message at [email protected]. Or leave a comment below!

And as always, if you’re enjoying the show please share it with someone who you think would enjoy it as well. It is your continued support that will help us continue to help others. Thank you so much! Never miss another show by subscribing at LesleyLogan.co/subscribe.

In this episode you will learn about:

  • The journey to CEO and recognizing Plan Z
  • How you raise money as a small business
  • Finding the need to create a startup
  • Feedback, launching, and the process to get it right
  • Growth with sharing and celebration
  • Trust is always key for customer support and service
  • Visualization to change the status quo

Episode References/Links:

Transcript

INTRODUCTION

Lesley Logan 0:00
Hello Be It listener, I have a very special guest. And I’m sure I say that at least 17 times, but it’s okay. Because I really do have a very special guest for you today. It’s funny how things work out. And I really want you to know that if something you were working on, doesn’t work out, and you were like, but that’s the thing I was gonna do. I need you to listen this whole episode because I actually share how I spent time with a company working really hard to make something happen and it didn’t happen. And it didn’t happen because it wasn’t supposed to because the thing that I’m doing now with our guests, that’s the thing that is supposed to happen. That’s where the magic is. And I am honored, honored, to be working with them, and to be part of the mission that they’re on because our missions are so aligned. So today I have Chinwe Onyeagoro. She is the CEO of PocketSuite, which is the scheduling tool that Profitable Pilates one of my companies has partnered with, with the Profitable Pilates signature edition. This is for any service based business. So if you’re not a Pilates instructor and listen this but you are in the service based business, I really want you to check it out. Also, just I’m so excited to hear what she talks about in creating this company. Because no matter what it is that you’re creating, whether it is a lemonade stand, or it is a you know, Breathworks Company, or Pilates business, or maybe you’re an artist, or maybe you actually want to be an interior decorator, all those things. I want you to listen to how she created her company, and how she got it to grow. Because I’m a firm believer, if you build it, they don’t just come like out of the blue, you have to put it out there, share it, listen. And she she shares a beautiful roadmap that I believe that you all can be inspired by, take some nuggets with. And hopefully you try out our tool, the tool we’ve got together because it really is going to make it easier for you to do what you’re here to do. You’ve got a purpose on this planet. And you need an easy way to do it, an easy way to run it, an easy way to make it. So simple. So anyways, that being said, if you’re interested in the 30 day trial, we have the link in the show notes below. But here you are, the woman of the of the moment, Chinwe is here to share her story of how she got from being a seven year old little girl creating businesses to the CEO of an incredible incredible company PocketSuite. Thank you so much. And here she is.

Lesley Logan 2:42
Welcome to the Be It Till You See It podcast where we talk about taking messy action, knowing that perfect is boring. I’m Lesley Logan, Pilates instructor and fitness business coach. I’ve trained thousands of people around the world and the number one thing I see stopping people from achieving anything is self doubt. My friends, action brings clarity and it’s the antidote to fear. Each week, my guest will bring Bold, Executable, Intrinsic and Targeted steps that you can use to put yourself first and Be It Till You See It. It’s a practice, not a perfect. Let’s get started.

Lesley Logan 3:27
All right, Be It listeners, I have a very special woman here. I’m really excited to actually have her all to myself because every time I’ve ever got to talk to this woman there’s like six heads on the screen. And but we we met because well I’m gonna let her talk about it in just a second. However, it just amazing like the divine appointments that people you can meet on this world when you’re just working on your passion and like the purpose of solving problems. And so Chinwe Onyeagoro, I’m so thrilled to have you here. Can you please tell the Be It listeners who you are and what you’re up to right now?

Chinwe Onyeagoro 4:00
Lesley, I am super excited to be talking to you and the Profitable Pilates community. My name is Chinwe Onyeagoro. And I’m the CEO and co founder of a company called PocketSuite. I’ll tell you more about it.

Lesley Logan 4:13
Yeah. Okay. So, you know, you’re the CEO. How does, how does one get there? Because I think that is, you know, I have I was the CEO of my own companies, which is like it felt it felt really weird to be that one. There’s like four people on the team. I’m like, “Really, am I a the CEO of something.” (Chinwe: Exactly.) And then I and then I went then we came a team of 20. And I was like, “Actually, I’m not a CEO. I’m just on the Chief Visionary Officer, thank you so much.” But how did how did you get to being the CEO of this amazing company? What was the journey there?

Chinwe Onyeagoro 4:42
Yeah, it’s really funny. I joke, “I’m the Chief Evangelist Officer.” Right? (Lesley: Yes) Like, that’s really what the CEO is. Right? You’re like the face and you’re helping to create the vision as you said. So I like to tell folks that my path to CEO was very windy. Let’s say that I’m on my plan Z, you know, we, our parents talk to us about plan A, plan B. And it’s like, “No, no, let’s keep going.” (Chinwe and Lesley laughs) It’s a windy road. I’m just from a very early age, I’m originally from Nigeria. And I’ve always been really motivated to kind of understand how business works and how you help people kind of make money and live a great life. And for me, I just was very intrigued by entrepreneurism very early. So I would at the age of seven, I had friends, we’d always come up with business ideas, whether it’s like a baby sitters club, or a lemonade stand, and everybody had a role, right? So there was someone who loved to think about how much sugar do we put in the lemonade mix? And I was the one always writing the business plan. It’s like, “How we’re going to get the next lemonade stand on the next block?” Right? And so, that has just been my path. If I’m hanging out with my friends, and we’re walking, you know, down the street, we’re looking inside stores, I’m always bugged by stores that only have like few pieces of merchandise, and like, “How are they making money? Are they selling on Amazon? Are they …” And my friends like, “Are you going in to buy something or can we move on?” Right? And so that’s just my thing … (Chinwe laughs)

Lesley Logan 6:04
Oh my god, I love that so much, I would I still do this, I like look at space, and like, “Oh, my god, that would make an excellent this.” Like (Chinwe: Exactly) I just someday, I see myself just being an amazing paid consultant because …

Chinwe Onyeagoro 6:14
Exactly. It’s just in the DNA, right? So so you could kind of say that, like I always, I was always going to be on a path to sort of running a business or helping to manage a business. And I started out just asking a lot of questions. So I went into consulting, because that’s kind of the path where you can get exposure to a lot of different types of businesses, a lot of different industries, you get to like, learn fast. How they make money, and then help them make more money come up with ideas, right? So that was kind of my early, my early kind of experience or professional experience after college. And then fast forward, I started thinking about gosh, you know, there are specific problems I’d like to solve, and it’s for much smaller businesses, but like big businesses, the Fortune 500 companies are kind of fun, you get to play a little bit lot more resources. But in terms of impact, and like, but for my efforts, like would this have happened? It’s the smaller businesses, it’s the folks who are going out these heroes, right, your listeners, right, that have gone out and said, “I’m going to follow my passion. I’m going to work for myself.” And they’ve you know, frankly, I like to say that, you know, solopreneurs folks who have small teams, like you might be doing it and you’re independent, but you’re not alone. You’ve got teams of folks, right, that are kind of helping you from different parts of the ecosystem. And I was one of those folks who kind of stepped out and started helping people raise money, get business loans, created a company that was really just about you should be able to get the loan you need to help your business grow. And …

Lesley Logan 7:48
So I, I have a question about that. Because I feel like raising money is literally (Chinwe: Yeah) a being it till you see it because you’re correct me (Chinwe: Yeah) if I’m wrong, you are going into a room and you’re saying, “This is what its gonna look like. (Chinwe: Yeah) This is what we’re doing all (Chinwe: Yeah) that stuff.” And half the time you haven’t even like press play on anything, you haven’t started … (Lesley laughs)

Chinwe Onyeagoro 8:04
Totally, totally. So three things, one is most people the first money they raise is their credit card, their personal credit card, they’re just using their credit card, because you’re right, there’s no one there that kind of believes in what you see. And so you have to like bet on yourself. Right? So that’s the first thing. The second thing is the vast majority of businesses, the kind of businesses, we work with Lesley, our service based businesses, and they’re not really raising equity money, right? They’re typically getting debt, they’re getting small business loans from like banks, or credit unions or like smaller, and those are the category of folks who are looking at you and saying, “Well, can you repay me? (Lesley: Yeah) I know you want to do all this cool stuff, but like how much money you’re making today to be able to pay me back, if I give you this money.” Again, that’s why we use our credit cards, because we already have that. So I was actually helping them raise that kind of money. And then there’s a small group of folks who are creating chains of Pilates studios and chains of yoga sho… you know, studios where they can actually kind of go out to an equity investor. (Lesley: Yeah) They say their first investors were friends, family, or fools. And so you might go out to that group first to get some money. (Chinwe and Lesley laughs) And then the next wave. So I raised about $150 million in small business loans for businesses. So yay, that was really exciting. And this was a category of folks who were getting rejected about 80% of the time (Lesley: Yeah) for traditional bank loans. So routing …

Lesley Logan 9:25
Definitely, was one of those people. So (Chinwe laughs) here I was making over six figures could show every single year more and more like growth, and I went to the bank and I was like, “I just need $15,000.” I didn’t think that was a lot of money. (Chinwe: Yeah) And they, 100% I was like, “Do I borrow more? Is more better like what’s the amount that I need to borrow?” So I had to use a credit card and buy the equipment on a credit card. Hustle to pay that credit card down. So when the balance came due, I could put that on the card. (Lesley laughs)

Chinwe Onyeagoro 9:52
Crazy, crazy. Yeah, that’s it. That’s the path. Right. So and that’s the thing, right, like banks aren’t funding your growth. They’re typically funding your cash flow. Right. They’re like just saying, “Hey, you can…” They’re not funding growth because they don’t necessarily believe, right? In what you see in the future, they’re just going to fund what you’re making right now. So what I found is that a lot of folks were raising this money, and it was really to cover cash flow. And I just was confused by it, right? Like you’re primarily a service based business, you’re offering these great services to clients that are paying you that regularly, why are you raising money to cover that cash flow, it’s because they weren’t billing on time, they weren’t collecting the money upfront, they weren’t selling things like packages to be able to sell bundles. And so they were basically eroding their margin by raising this money to have to pay interest (Lesley: Yeah) on you know, something that their client should have paid for. So for me, that sort of set me down a path where I said, “Gosh, we can build a better mousetrap, a better system for making it easy for these awesome businesses to build. And to make money up front, collect deposits, get subscriptions, all of that stuff that really allows them to only raise money if they’re looking to grow and to be able to have that cash flow right up front from their clients.”

Lesley Logan 11:06
See, I love this because you are like you are working on something. You saw consistent problem was happening. And instead of like continuing to do the thing, that just puts a bandaid on the problem. You’re like, (Chinwe: Right) “How do we actually just solve the problem?” And I love this so much, because, you know, since since when I became a Pilates instructor, I was around the recession of 2008. And I was in retail at the same time. So people weren’t, people weren’t buying their diamond necklaces anymore. They weren’t buying the $500 purses. They were like, “Oh, what’s this vegan purse?” I’m like, “Yes, so I can sell you that vegan purse.” And they’re like, they still wanted to buy but they were being conscious, right? And so but it didn’t translate to me that it would cause me problems in my teaching, however, and I didn’t, what I did here was all these teachers saying, “There’s no money in teaching, there’s no money in teaching.” I was like, “Why?” And they’re like, “Well, I found the same problems. People were billing, like waiting until someone remembered their checkbook.” And I’m like, “No one goes into a store and leaves with an item without paying for it. It’s called stealing. So they’re stealing sessions from you. No, they have to pay when they have to pay.” And so I found that too. And that’s why I ended up coaching people, because I’m like, “Why is this happening? Like, who trained them on this?” And so when you went into making this, like, I love how you call it like a little mousetrap or this little way of like solving this problem, so that they only have to raise money when they have to raise money and actually have their margins on it. Okay, because I’ve been on the side of like, just just doing the part that I I’m on. That was a lot of work. And you already did the work. So how, how did you, how did you start this company? And like, how long did it take you? And like, what did you tell yourself when you’re hitting obstacles because I feel like that’s where people get stuck.

Chinwe Onyeagoro 12:45
Yeah. So so the first thing is I sort of started like, in my own backyard. And so I looked at the folks that I was working with, who I would text and then they show up, like whether it’s fitness trainer or what have you. And they give me these awesome sessions. And then they wait 90 days, 60 to 90 days to send me an invoice. And I was like, “I’m ready to pay, just send it to me.” And so I just went to them. And I was like, “Can we like can we do something different?” And I had teamed up with my co founder who was engineer number five at a company called NetSuite, and they build like big business management systems, just like you know, PocketSuite for much larger companies. So he at the time was, I think, like, there were thousand engineers in his company at that point. And so he was kind of bored. And like, “Hey, I’d love to do this all over again for much smaller businesses.” So he built the first version of PocketSuite. We went to the service providers I had worked with to say, “Hey, will you use this?” And some of them were super excited. Others were like, “No, I’m using a Blackberry. You built it on on an iPhone.” And I was like, “Ah…” Right. And so we put it in the app store and then folks started using it. And what we realized is so many folks, so many service professionals were doing everything on their phone, right? They were like scheduling appointments, they were messaging, and they were doing it across like 3, 5, 7, different apps, (Lesley: Yeah) right? They were putting client information in 7 to 10 different places. And they had to keep track of it all and it was a mess. And so when we sent them this like you know, kind of manna, right from heaven, right, this one app that had their client information, it had their calendar, it had who paid them. It had everything notes on the client, they were like, “What the fudge?” Right. And they started sending us messages like, “Can you add packages?” We’re like, “What’s packages? Can you add subscriptions?” We didn’t know at the time what it was but we started listening and we started building it out from there.

Lesley Logan 14:34
That was cool. That and I think I just want to like I love the part you listened. And I and you also and this is the hard part for a lot of people. The first one isn’t the last one. The first, you just have to get something done like, how (Chinwe: Yeah) what like what was the struggle of like done enough versus (Chinwe: Yeah) you know, like what, how did you handle like going, “Okay, this is enough done to get out for people to try.” (Chinwe: Yeah) Did you feel ready to do that? Or was you know, I mean, you’ve been in the business for so long, maybe you do. But like, I feel like I think it’s done. Is it done?

Chinwe Onyeagoro 15:08
Yeah. No, it’s a great question like this, this whole concept of like MVP, like your minimum viable product, like you don’t have to build, you know, like the Colosseum day one, right? Like, you just have to start with like, a big pain point. So for us, we said, like, “It’s about getting paid.” And so we said, like, “Let’s get invoices in here. And it’s about getting paid for your time. Let’s get invoices, and let’s get the calendar in here. And then the rest will follow.” We started with literally three features, we now have, like 33, right, but we started with three. And we said, “If we can solve this problem that we hear over and over again, that we’ve experienced personally, then we will buy ourselves the right to be able to do more.” And that’s exactly what happened. People were like, these are the three apps I use the most, my messaging, my calendar, and, you know, PayPal or Square, Cash App to get paid, right? And so if we can just like bring those all three in one app, like we’ve solved a big problem, not every every problem, but we’ve solved the big one, and then they are going to give us hopefully, the space to do more.

Lesley Logan 16:10
Yeah, I think, you know, I think that’s like really good information for starting anything. Because (Chinwe: Yeah) the it you do have to get things out there so you can get the feedback. You know, like, (Chinwe: Right) we talked about this when I started the podcast, one of my friends when I was interviewing them, they’re like, “How’d you film? Well, that was my first one. How did I do?” And I it doesn’t even matter because it’s going to go out because there’s probably only seven listeners right now. (Lesley and Chinwe laughs) So it doesn’t even matter. We have to get it out. So you actually learn so you can get the information, get the feedback, and (Chinwe: Yeah) see how people are using it. And that’s, that’s hard because that nobody, I think people kind of fear feedback. They think that the (Chinwe: Yeah) feedback means that they failed, and it’s like, “No, it’s just people asking questions and helping you get it better.”

Chinwe Onyeagoro 16:53
Well, here’s the thing, we took our first users out to lunch. We sat with them, we were like, “Talk to us about your business. Tell us more” like we were just so excited that there was like crickets, right? And for us, we’ve always thought about feedback truly, as a gift. I know it sounds cheesy, but it’s like, if they’re complaining, that means they’re using it right? Like, you hear nothing, then you’ve got an issue. But if people are giving you feedback, that means they care enough that you’ve solved enough of a problem that you’re worth spending time on to get it right. And that’s, you know, that’s all you can ask for.

Lesley Logan 17:24
Yeah, that’s really cool. You know, I just remember, this is year, actually the second scheduling tool that I I was brought in by a different scheduling tool, because the founder was a client of mine. And he (Chinwe: Oh no way) was watching how the teachers were like, paying with money. And then he was like, “How he would pay me?” And, and he’s like, he’s like, “Would you use my scheduling tool?” And, um, it was for therapists, and I was like, “If you could make it work for teachers, I could help you sell it.” And, you know, the thing is, is that I went in for a meeting, they had me, they had me for lunch, they asked all the questions, it was really fun. I was like, “This is really great.” But you know, what ended up happening there was they sold, and when they sold, the company didn’t want to expand into fitness, yet. (Chinwe: Oh no, yeah) And so it’s just like, it’s so funny how things work out because I’ve did like, I sort of liked that app. I love you, I love your tool so much more. (Chinwe: Yay) So it does way more things. And it really does solve any kind of service industries person’s problems. And I think that it’s nice, it wasn’t like so like, on one thing, you’ve been really been (Chinwe: Yeah) able to do that. So okay, you know, you you listen to people, you figu… you’d like launch with the what was the most like, solve this problem first, and you kept going? (Chinwe: Yeah) Then there’s like, it’s not maintenance, because you’re always growing, but it is sort of like, you know, getting more people to use it, getting more people to (Chinwe: Yeah) hear about it. And that’s where that’s really hard because once you get past the friends and family, (Chinwe: Yeah) getting strangers to be like, “Yeah, I’ll trust you over my seven apps that I have this system for.” How do you handle that? Like, how do you get people to like, be willing to try something new?

Chinwe Onyeagoro 17:24
Yeah. You know, early on, because you’re you’re an app that’s really like helping people earn money, like, this is what I’m using to pay my rent or my mortgage and my children’s school fees. Like it’s about trust, right? Like, you think it’s in the service industry, tech too. Right. Like, “I’m going to put my client’s credit card here. I’m going to charge something and I’m going to expect that those funds will be deposited into my account.” So for us, it was about credibility. Right. So we had a Wall Street Journal article written about us. We had TechCrunch, we were part of this like accelerator called Y Combinator, which is one of the most success… (Lesley: Were you really?) we were. Yeah. So Airbnb came from Y Combinator, and like, some of the biggest brands, Stripe, came from, like those, some of the biggest brands, you know, came from that and it’s just like, it’s a legitimacy. It’s like, we’re on a path. We’re building, you know, A-Grade, investment grade, you know, tech to solve a big market problem and that was huge because you people would call and say like, “How do I know you’re not going to like, take my money?” And we’re like, “Here’s a Wall Street Journal article on us, here’s a this.” You know, and they’re like, “Oh okay.” “We’re built on top of Stripe, like Stripe is actually the one handling your money.” And, and so like all of that, like really helped for to build that trust. And then more than anything, it’s making the users we had happy. Because when you make, when you know this, right, like when you make a user, a client, a customer happy, they’re, they’re swinging from the rafters, they’re talking about you in conversations where no one even brought up like a scheduling tool. But they’re so happy that they’re like sharing information. And our like, biggest kind of flywheel was just referrals. It’s like, “I’m an aesthetician. I have a network of friends.” Like, they’re not even asking me, but I’m posting on Facebook, like, “Check this out. They’re like an awesome (Lesley: Yeah) scheduling app.” And so it just kind of blew up from there. Like it was just this word of mouth. And like, kind of viral referral loop that started happening.

Lesley Logan 21:00
Yeah, which I’m obsessed with, because I still tell people all the time, like referrals are the like, people, even if it’s a referral via text, like people are (Chinwe: Yeah) still getting their information from a friend. You know, they’re (Chinwe: Sure) watching shows based on what their friends say, they’re buying different things. Like I have a, I went to a place last Saturday to try like aerial fitness, because a friend was like, “Hey, you should check this out.” And I was like, “Okay, I didn’t even research them.” I’m like, “Alright, I’ll sign up.” That’s … (Chinwe: Exactly, yeah) you know, and so I think, you know, we think because of ad spend that’s out there, and like all these things, that that’s the way to go. But really like your tried and true, it’s gonna grow with with people sharing and celebrating. So I love that you focus on just like making sure people are feeling happy. (Chinwe: Totally) And solving their problems and trust. That’s so good. You know, when, when Brad brought it to my attention, I was like, because, you know, the first time I was like, “I don’t know. They didn’t work out that time.” (Chinwe laughs) (Chinwe: Yeah) Like, “How I’m gonna do this?” But you know, since I’ve been coaching fitness instructor since 2009 2010, because my boss at a studio was like, “How are you getting so many clients?” And I was like, “Isn’t that my job?” (Chinwe and Lesley laughs) So I started getting really curious, like, “What is going on? What are teachers doing in sessions? What’s happening there?” And then that led to a bunch of things like helping people figure out how to pick a program, because so many people are picking programs that wouldn’t allow them to teach. And then I had to solve this problem. Like there’s no money teaching, because there’s so is otherwise people wouldn’t create franchises. If (Chinwe: Right) there’s you know, (Chinwe: Right) like, they just wouldn’t so. So when I when I was looking at everything, what I loved is, you know, so many ser… like some people have memberships and some people have packages, and some people have auto renewals. And some people want a 12 hour cancellation policy. And it is amazing to me, how, I mean, obviously, over time, how you’ve been able to go, “Okay, how do we make sure that we can do all of these things? So someone can like someone (Chinwe: Yeah) on this street corner can have packages, but literally down the street, they could have memberships.”

Chinwe Onyeagoro 23:03
Totally, totally. So one of the things that we we sort of said is, look, we want to be a mile wide and an inch deep. So we want to serve a variety of different service professionals, anyone who’s running a business for themselves, but we want to do it in a way that like really focuses on just those core things that they need. And so how do you do that? Well, on PocketSuite, when you sign up, you put in your industry and the app, auto updates and personalize it for just your industry. So I mentioned before, we have 33 features. But for yoga, Pilates, it’s like these are the five to seven features that matter most for you and you can kind of pick and choose. And so for us, it was like really important because people get bogged down by apps that have so many features, you have to take a course just to kind of learn. Right. Like, “How to use this thing?” Right? So that was really important to us. And again, like fundamentally, its messaging is like the underlying kind of base of it, and then build on top of that is scheduling. (Lesley: Yeah) And then on top of that is your payments, and then everything kind of shifts from there. But the one other thing I’ll say is, those three things are like communicated differently depending on your industry. Right. Like so, in yoga and Pilates, we are talking about like privates and duets, and classes, right. And sessions versus, you know, in another industry, they’re talking about open enrollment, and series, but those are all those are all forms of like classes, right? And so what we learned is it’s about the like the lexicon, right? It’s about how you communicate it for that industry to ensure that it works. You don’t have to stack up tons of features. You just have to get the lexicon right and the core features right. (Lesley: Yeah) And that’s what we’ve tried to do at PocketSuite.

Lesley Logan 24:48
Yeah, it’s it’s amazing. We have so many members who are in there, and the time we’re recording this in their second month and they’re obsessed they love it. It’s like it’s so fun to to see people, you know, who probably would never have thought they need a tool, like the confidence that they have in their business by having one also, like, make some… I’m like, “You are a business owner, you have like you are, look at this. (Chinwe: Right) You’ve got this app.” (Chinwe: Right) And it’s just, it’s just really cool. I, it’s, I will have to send you some of the testimonials already because (Chinwe: Yay, thanks!) they’re, they’re really, they’re really sweet. And it’s, you know, it’s a problem that has been needed to be solved. And while there’s so many other tools out there, it’s like, years ago, my thought was like, “Write down everything you needed to do. (Chinwe: Yeah) And then because you’re gonna pay for it, make them sell it to you.” (Chinwe and Lesley laughs) That was my like coaching advice on. And now it’s like, “Stop, this is the one and if it doesn’t work for you, that’s totally fine but I bet you it will.” And you also, you know, your your company really prides itself on your customer service, I have to say that you can tell because you can actually talk to your team. (Chinwe: Oh my gosh, yeah …) How did you do that, because no one else does that?

Chinwe Onyeagoro 25:59
Well, so first of all, like, I’m obsessed about great customer support and service, because for me, it’s like, look, it’s about trust. And it’s about more than just, more than just an app, right? Like this is about human connection to help folks solve human problems, right. And tech is just first helping to facilitate that. And so what we’ve done is we’ve prioritized world class product technology, world class customer success. You’ve seen it with Airbnb, you’ve seen it with Zappos, like Zappos, their motto was like, “We’re gonna keep you on the phone. We’re not trying to like, we’re not trying to hang up this call, like, traditional customer says, it’s like, ‘What else do you need? Oh, you want to buy pizza? We’ll help you buy a pizza.'” Like it’s, it’s but but what happens is, when you value the relationship, your ability, then to solve whatever problems over the lifetime of that relationship, you are in first position as a resource, as a reference to be able to help that particular pro, that particular business solve problems, right, because they trust you. And that for us is what we’re in the business of doing is, is building that trust. So we can help folks build a better business and hopefully a better life. And that’s just like, that’s the philosophy. And I will say this, Lesley, as we’re on the phone, as our team members are on the phone with Profitable Pilates community members, they’re like, “Hey, I just got off the phone with Brad and he advised me to do this, or Lesley always tells me shouldn’t discount my services.” So I’m gonna say to you, you obviously also prize, you know, customer success and customer service. (Lesley: Yeah) Like it’s that’s it? Right?

Lesley Logan 27:30
Yeah, it… your, thank you for that. I love that. I love hearing that. (Chinwe laughs) But I and I think like, you know, no matter if you’re listening, and you’re like wanting to build, you know, some like massive business or just have a side hustle or some like that, I think the those takeaways trust is so key. And I bet everyone listening to this, obviously, what I assume they want people to trust them. When you make it easy for the tools you use to also (Chinwe: Yeah) allow you to have that feeling. It’s so (Chinwe: Right) much easier to do your, to do whatever it (Chinwe: Right) is you want to do. Because it’s so funny when when I’m using in some other app or tool or website, and it’s like not working, then all of a sudden your energy isn’t there, you’ve switched into like, “This is so frustrating.” And then you have a call and you’re like, “Okay, let me, let me get back.” (Lesley and Chinwe laughs) You know, so it’s like so nice that there’s an there’s actually a tool that you like, you believe in trust. I’m, I believe in trust, and it makes it easier to just do the job you want to do. Makes it easier to be it till you see it.

Chinwe Onyeagoro 28:27
Totally, totally. And you know, and we think about a business app as well is like you’re on the one hand saying, “How do I use it?” You’re on the other hand, saying, “Why sho… Why am I why would I want clients to schedule me online? Why might I want like you’re asking business strategy questions, too, which is where again, Profitable Pilates comes in, they’re coming in knowing (Lesley: Yeah) the strategy because you’ve given them that coaching. So that makes our job so much easier.” Like, “Okay, here’s how you can do that.”

Lesley Logan 28:51
Yeah. I have to say I had so much fun making the coaching videos we did with the different features, because each time I was reading it, I was like, “And, it does this. Oh my …” (Lesley and Chinwe laughs) And this is when I and then there was some things I was like, “This one you might want not to do, you got to check your state, just an FYI. Or, you know, how about instead of doing this, just put into the price, just build it into your price, you don’t have to think about it.” So it was really fun for me because it’s just another way for me to get my coaching services out there. Because I really do, I’m on this mission that if more bodies are doing Pilates, the world’s a better place. And since I cannot teach everybody, since there’s like the every person out there that’s teaching is the best served for who they’re here on this planet for. I really want to empower them and not everyone will come into my coaching group and that’s fine. But (Chinwe: Yeah) like having this like little way to like, give them a nudge, give them that coaching. It really does make me happy. And so I’m really I’m freaking grateful for you and what you’ve built and like I love your that you’re on, you know, plan Z but plan Z is (Chinwe: Yeah) exactly where you were supposed to be. And (Chinwe: Exactly …) it really is helping not just the people that are using your app, but people like me who are like I really, I really want more people to feel successful in their business and not have, what they end up doing is they don’t charge enough because they don’t want to have fees, they only take cash, but then their bookkeeping is crazy. And then they can’t get loans, and they can’t get this. And it’s like, you know, I just want them to be able to do … whatever their dream is. So thank you.

Chinwe Onyeagoro 30:17
Well, you know, Lesley, first of all, let me just, again, brag on you, it’s like 92% of your users who are using the Profitable Pilates edition, have been watching those videos, and they’re coming back 10 times to watch those videos, like we’ve shared the, you know, analytics with you with Brad and and he’s like, “Oh, my God,” because what ends up happening is these are like, one minute, two minute, like segments of gold. That are helping people get to the business outcomes they want, which is working less, making more, having happier clients. And so you’re helping them do it not in like a two hour course. It’s like two minutes, “Here’s what you got to do to like, make sure you’re making the money you want and that you deserve.” And so I just think it’s like a really powerful path that you’re on as well, which is to reach people where they’re doing business. Right, And to be able to like, give them that nugget, and they can take action on it, right away. (Lesley: Yeah) So I thank you for that. I really (Lesley: Yeah) do.

Lesley Logan 31:11
We are a dynamic duo, Chinwe. (Lesley and Chinwe laughs) We are, we’re just solving the world’s problems one small business at a time. Okay, Chinwe, first of all, I mean, obviously want everyone to sign up for the Profitable Pilates editions, (Chinwe laughs) signature edition. (Chinwe: Yeah) So we’ll put that link below. But where else can people find you, get to know more about what you’re doing, support you?

Chinwe Onyeagoro 31:33
Yeah. So check us out. Also on our website, pocketsuite.io. You can see all the different features we have and how you can use them and see some of the members of our community ambassadors, and then you can check us out on Instagram. And that’s @pocketsuiteapp – p o c k e t s u i t e app a p p. So looking forward to hearing from you guys.

Lesley Logan 31:58
Yeah, okay, this is great. I know, I know, a bunch of our users will be listening and they’ll they’ll send it to you because they’re their high user, high loyals. They’re so fun. They love to tell people what they’re doing. And I’m so appreciative of them, because they inspire me. On those days, they’re like, “Is anyone listening? Is anyone using this?” And then you get to hear from them. So okay, we ask every guest, bold, executable, targeted, or intrinsic steps people can take, action they can take to be it till they see it.

Chinwe Onyeagoro 32:28
Yeah, I think the first thing that I would say is visualize, like, there’s so much that you can do to just change your how you feel about like what you’re doing right now, just by visualizing what you want to be feeling like when you hit your goals? Who you want to be surrounded by and interacting with, and what you want your day to be like. Right? And so visualize it, because that is something you can control right now, what ends up happening is when you visualize it, the world, the universe conspires to help you to get there, right? Because you’re it’s top of mind. So like every decision you’re making is taking into consideration that visual, that feeling, right? And if you just will it into being. And so I would just say visualization is huge. And if you cut out magazine articles, cut it, like, do whatever you need to do to like, get in that zone and stay there.

Lesley Logan 33:22
Oh, I love that. I love that because that’s something you can do. Like every day, you can just take a moment and like picture that that’s really beautiful. (Chinwe: Totally, totally) Chinwe, I hope we get to meet again. I’m like secretly hoping that there’s some tech conference in Vegas that makes you come out (Chinwe laughs) so we can go celebrate.

Chinwe Onyeagoro 33:39
Just say the word. We will, we’ll we’ll pick the next team on site PocketSuite on site. We’ll put it in, wherever region you are in.

Lesley Logan 33:45
Yes, yes. Well, you know, there’s a beautiful new casino and (Lesley and Chinwe laughs) (Chinwe: I love it.) you guys all have to go the 60th floor and visualize the next thing. (Chinwe and Lesley laughs) (Chinwe: I love it.) Oh, my goodness, thank you for being you. Thank you for all you’ve created. And thank you for letting me be part of it, in my in my own way, because I really am so proud of what to be part of what you’ve created and to really empower people. So thank you, and we hope to have you back.

Chinwe Onyeagoro 34:17
Lesley, you’ve built an awesome community. We’re inspired by you and all of the members that make the community is so great. So thanks for trusting us and for going on this journey with us.

Lesley Logan 34:28
Yeah. All right, everyone, how are you going to use any all of all this information in your life. What I want you to do is screenshot this podcast. Tag the @be_it_pod, tag @pocketsuiteapp, and let us know so that way we can hear what your favorite things or what inspired you. And you know, you might create the next feature on the app you just never know. Right? So thank you everyone. Until next time, Be It Till You See It.

Lesley Logan
That’s all I’ve got for this episode of the Be It Till You See It podcast! One thing that would help both myself and future listeners is for you to rate this show and leave a review. And, follow or subscribe for free wherever you listen to podcasts. Also, make sure to introduce yourself over at the @be_it_pod on Instagram! I would love to know more about you. Share this episode with whoever you think needs to hear it. Help us help others to BE IT TILL YOU SEE IT. Have an awesome day!

Lesley Logan
‘Be It Till You See It’ is a production of ‘As The Crows Fly Media’.

Brad Crowell
It’s written, produced, filmed and recorded by your host, Lesley Logan and me, Brad Crowell. Our Associate Producer is Amanda Frattarelli.

Lesley Logan
Kevin Perez at Disenyo handles all of our audio editing.

Brad Crowell
Our theme music is by Ali at APEX Production Music. And our branding by designer and artist, Gianfranco Cioffi.

Lesley Logan
Special thanks to our designer Jaira Mandal for creating all of our visuals (which you can’t see because this is a podcast) and our digital producer, Jay Pedroso for editing all video each week so you can.

Brad Crowell
And to Angelina Herico for transcribing each of our episodes so you can find them on our website. And, finally to Meridith Crowell for keeping us all on point and on time.

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