Ep 128: Sprinkle Some Pixie Dust Into Your Business with Lindsay Dollinger
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Hey, B-Word listeners, I am back with yet again, one of my new besties because part of the joy to me in podcasting is really getting to connect offline with people. So I got to interview Lindsay a couple of days ago, actually, and had just had such a great time that I was like, girl, you have to be on my show. You have to share. You have to be on my show.

with my audience, your awesome sauce. So Lindsay, go ahead and take it away. By the way, you guys, before anything happens, the magic on here, we are both Disney fans. So there may be some of that thrown in.

Oh, for sure. Oh my gosh, Joanne, thank you so much. You're so sweet. And I love it too. I mean, that's like one of the things that I love the most about our industry is those connections that we can make with people and just finding people that, I mean, you're states away. I'm in Ohio, you know, and we would probably not have connected any other way. So how fun is that? But yes, my name is Lindsay Dollinger. I am the host of the Purpose in Pixie Dust podcast. So Disney is very heavily in my branding.

And it worked out really well because I started in online business with network marketing in 2016. And that's really where I got my first taste of everything business-wise because full-time, I'm a high school Spanish teacher. I still do do that. But over time, once I decided that I was committed, I was all in with network marketing, I saw my business grow and explode there. And

really built a community of women who were not only my clients, not only my teammates, but were other women in business. And I realized that so many of the principles that I was applying to my business, the network marketing business, applied to every business because I was really taking it seriously. I was treating it like a business. It was not a hobby for me. And because of that, I started falling into very organically crowds of women who were online coaches, tutors,

real estate agent, all of the things. And we just had so much in common. And I was like, this is so freaking amazing. So that's how I pivoted to become a business coach. I started that in 2020 when I also started my podcast. And where was I going with that? With Disney. Oh, but at the time when I'm like, that was a long story short for how I got to do what I was doing. But the Disney piece came in because

I was in a mastermind specifically for branding. And I think that is one of the things that has allowed me to pivot so naturally from thing to thing that I've done because I really focused on building a personal brand. And then I was finding myself going to Disney frequently, but then being very drawn to not only the magic and joy of Disney and the fun of

and the creativity, but also Walt Disney himself and this freaking empire that he built. And so I would find myself walking into like Epcot and seeing, you know, all these inspirational quotes up on the wall, especially since they've been doing construction. And just really thinking about, you know,

you know, how, like, how could I build a business and a brand like Walt Disney did? Like, not the same sort of thing at all. Like, I have no interest in running amusement parks, you know, entertainment, that sort of deal. But how could I build a brand that people love? And it was something that was in people's homes, you know, and so that's when I was like, okay, I need to start adding Disney into my branding.

So, yeah, that's kind of how the Pixie Purpose and Pixie Dust podcast transformed. It was originally the Social Selling Sisterhood and how I have been really able to, you know, scale and grow my business by finding that alignment with what I really loved. So I guess that's a really long answer. No, I love it. That's totally fine. I love that you said your business took off because you were treating it like a business and not like a part time hobby. Yeah.

So many people, we start doing those digital online businesses or the network marketing or running the podcast or whatever it is. And then they get frustrated because they're like, it's not making any money. It's not doing anything. And the answer is staring them at the face is because they don't treat it like a real business. So, yeah.

what steps did you take to make sure that you were remembering it was a real business as you got it up and running? Because you're still teaching high school, right? I mean, yeah. Yeah, that's such a good question. So the first step

thing for me. And I know it sounds very overrated now with the way social media is working, but mindset was huge. And it really was that shift like, okay, I'm actually going to do this. This has potential because I am watching other people do it. Like there is hardly anything that no one has done. Right. So if someone else in the world has done it, why can't you do it? Why can't I do it? And I distinctly remember when

sitting at my company's conference in 20, I think it was 2018. And listening to these women on stages, and they were sharing their journey, and they were sharing, you know, strategy. And hardly any of it was new to me. And I'm like, I know everything that I need to know, like what is stopping me from creating massive action. So I went to my hotel room that night, and some people went to the bar and were doing things. And I was like, you know, I'm going to sit and I'm going to

Put up a social media post, like really sharing all of this, like that was going through my mind, my story. And I'm also going to message some people that I think would, I would love to work with. And because I sent those messages, they were not spammy. I was not like multiple, you know, sending them to every single person on my list. It was people genuinely that I had a relationship with already.

that I was able to just reach out and put no pressure on them. Like I took complete pressure off of the outcome, but I just wanted to let them know, hey, this is on my heart and I want to reach out to you. And so many people either join me, book parties with me, you know, buy my product with that. And then I realized, okay, if I do that now, and I just started coming up with

activities in my business that actually got me results. So I really analyzed, okay, is me spending time, an hour and a half making a Canva graphic

is that getting me a result or what's getting me a result? Is it going live? And another thing that I did was I started looking and drawing inspiration from a bunch of different industries. So my friend that was in real estate, I'm like, okay, she does open houses and that's how people buy her product. So how could I do something like that in my business and do an open house sort of deal and let people know what this is all about and let them see behind the scenes? So

I was really getting creative and pulling from other people that I saw who were successful, who were not selling the product that I was selling. So that was a huge thing that I did. And then the second thing was that I invested in coaching. And it's very rare, I think still to this day, to find someone who is just doing network marketing, investing in a coach and investing in... So I would be like the only network marketer, or maybe there would be like one other one sitting in coaching. Okay.

Yeah, yeah. Sitting in these masterminds and these small group coaching containers, I got a one-on-one coach as well. And the other thing with that was it forced me to have that accountability where I'm like, okay,

I don't want to get on a call next week with my coach after we've come up with this list of things that I'm going to do in my next action step and not have done them. That's not the kind of person I am. And that's just a waste of my money. So investing in myself also was super, super helpful. And then just making sure that I was actually working my business the days that I said I was going to work my business. I didn't let any other thing, obviously emergencies or whatever come up, but

You know, just because I didn't feel like doing it that day doesn't mean that I wasn't going to do it that day. Like I put it in my calendar time blocks and I started planning my time super wisely so that

you know, I was actually showing up. And then I started because that was while I was in network marketing, inviting my team to do the same. So I was like, hey, jump on a coworking hour with me or a power hour with me. And, you know, if anyone listening is not familiar with network marketing, there's definitely a product side, but there's also a side that you get paid for based off of your team growth. And so my team exploded because they wanted to be in the community. They wanted, you know, someone to be on a call telling them what to do. So I started leading these for my team and

It just was so natural, you know, the progression because everyone kind of wanted to do it. I made it fun. And then those are the things that I was able to apply to my current coaching business, which is really fun. I love that one of the first things you did was invest in coaching. And yes, now you're currently a coach. So some people could say, oh, well, that makes sense. She was naturally drawn to coaching. But the truth is, I mean, you were naturally drawn to it. However...

Many, many, many entrepreneurs, especially in the beginning days, they know that they've got to spend some money. And coaching or mentorship or masterminds is not where they think their money should go to first. And I tell people all the time, I'm like, listen, if I was going to start my business from day one, all over, ignore the hiring mistakes, ignore any other things that I did that I did really well or really bad, I would get into masterminds and coaching so much faster.

Yeah, 100%. Because I'm probably in those right groups, man. It explodes your business in ways that I personally, until I got my first mastermind that was the right one, I had no idea what it could do for you.

Oh, and finding the right one is key, too, because I have definitely been in ones where I'm like, I don't know if I got as much out of this as other ones. But, you know, just the networking, the support, the accountability. And like I said, getting ideas from what other people are doing or maybe what didn't work for them. And then you can look at it from a very different.

I don't know what the word is. My words aren't coming to me today. But that outside point of view and be like, okay, I think maybe that didn't work for her because she did this three times and I probably would have done it seven. Different things like that. Yeah, masterminds. And like you said, the small group coaching is definitely something that I recommend as soon as possible. And I've heard leaders actually discourage it in network marketing. And it makes me really sad because

You know, I did get a lot from my team. I did get a lot of resources from my company. But there's just something to be said for getting outside of that as well. Getting that inspiration and accountability, it's just...

it's a must do in my opinion. Well, let me think about it. Part of what made you so successful is that you did not pull all your pieces from the network marketing. You know, you didn't look at that and say, well, what have y'all done that was successful? I'm just going to replicate. You went out and looked at other industries. What does a real estate agent do? What does a loan officer do? What is this person? And like you picked the bouquet, if you want to, you know, put it that way of what appealed to you and then put your own message and voice around it. And that

I would guess that is what really set you apart from the other network marketers and your community, which grows your business. Yep. A hundred percent. That and the branding piece I think was helpful too, because so many people were posting, you know, the graphics from the company. And I very rarely, if ever did that, if I did, it might've been on my stories because I sold a little more directly in my stories. But I had people reach out to me and they're like, are you even with a company? And I'm like, oh yeah, yeah.

Yeah, we were thriving, but I just am not posting, you know, the 10 times a day. Join me, join my company, buy this, buy that. I'm like, that's not, that didn't feel good to me. And that repels people and you accepted them instead. Yep. Yep. All right. So then you shifted and pivoted a little bit into the coaching world. Walk me through that like journey. Oh man. So that was a hard pivot because I felt called to do it for a really long time. And

I actually, I was working with my coach in my network marketing business at that time. And she had transitioned out of network marketing to be a coach. And now she does like, like not one meditation manifestation. So she's like completely, you know, shifted a lot. But anyway, she was working with me. And one day she was like, what's coming up for you? Cause I sent like this, like

almost resentment toward working my business. I was like, I was finding excuses not to work it. And that was not me. And I was like, you know, I really am feeling called to end this chapter and start, you know, coaching women in either. And I started with network marketers at first, but I started having people come to me and be like, well, can you help me with my craft business? Can you help me with my tutoring business? So that's how that kind of naturally evolved.

But it was such a hard transition just because I had grown this community and I was such a face of the brand and my team. And, you know, I had hundreds of women on my team and I'm like, how do I go to them and be like, peace out, guys. Yeah. And the cool thing was, and, you know, her and I talked to it and she was like, I've been feeling this shift from you for months and I've been waiting for you to tell it, tell

tell me it. And I'm like, why didn't you tell me? But that's not how coaching works. And so that was it for me as a coach. I've seen my clients struggle with some of the same things. And I'm like, it's not for me to tell them. They will figure it out. It will naturally come. But the cool thing was when I had that conversation with my team, the majority of them were like,

This is so you, like you're going to rock this 100%, go for it. So because I had built that brand online and I wasn't just my company, I was able to very naturally build

And I think I was making the pivot in my content before I even knew it, but I was very naturally able to be like, okay, now I'm going to shift and share a little bit more business strategy tips. I started my podcast around that exact same time. And so it was just a very natural progression. That's why I'm such a proponent of the personal branding, because I think as you start adding in those things that are really interesting to you and that you also want to share, you

everything just naturally falls into place. So I know that's not like the best answer for someone wanting something cut and dry for that. But I think when you trust your gut, trust your energy and what you really love doing and you share that, hopefully your business is a part of that. Oh girl, I align with that so much because when I was so invested in the real estate community, ran the big team, did all the things for so long that...

When I started realizing that my passion was not any longer buying or selling homes and leading other agents, like shifting out of that, I had such a fear that, you know, people would think I was crazy or they would really question what I was doing. And I knew ultimately I'd have to almost rebuild my community.

I love real estate agents, but they're not really big on podcasting. And so as I made the shift, it was like, well, how do I do this in a gracious manner? And I remember like thinking and feeling that along the way.

Yeah. And that was something that I tried to be very intentional about as well, because I'm like, I never want to burn Bridget. Like, I didn't have a bad experience. It's just my heart was not in it anymore. And I'm like, nope, that, you know, that helps no one if I'm showing up and I don't really love, you know, what I'm doing. Like if I'm leading a team meeting and I don't care about my own answer to you, then I'm not being an effective leader for you in your career. And it's just, I needed to shift, you know, and it was not them, not the industry, it was me.

Right. Right. Yeah. But I went through like a hardcore. It was almost like a grieving process. Like I felt and I mean, you probably felt that, too. Like I just felt like very it was like a bittersweet feeling, but just like really sad because I'm like, I will never again, you know, walk a stage at a national conference or host retreats for this group of women. However, I do host retreats. You know, I do speak on stage. So it just looks different. Yeah. It just takes a little bit of different alignment and energy.

I feel like you just have to know kind of like anytime you start a new job, you know, it takes a little bit of like, OK, let me get my footing back in and I'm going to do the same things with this new community that I did with the old community. It's just it's going to take a little bit of sand shifting in order to get there. Yeah. Yeah. I love that. That's great. All right. So you have some events coming up. You've got one in Disney, right? Like talk me through some of the cool things you do.

So I've always loved retreats. And that's one of the things I actually think I went to a retreat before I dived into coaching. That was kind of my first experience with it. And at the retreat, there were some, you know, coaching practices and stuff. So I love retreats myself. So again, you know, I'm hopefully attracting women into my community who are very similar to me or have similar interests. So I started hosting retreats in, you

I think it was 2019. I think we got one in before the pandemic hit. So 2019, I just went on Airbnb. I found a house that had several beds in northern Kentucky. So it was about two hours-ish from my house. Planned it in the fall. And

It sold out. I just put it up. It was pretty easy marketing for me at that point. Also though, because over the years before that, I had shared, I went to this retreat. It was amazing. I had a great time and I talked about it a lot. And so I decided that retreats were definitely going to be part of my business model. So I posted one every year at that same house. Actually, I love the property. It's amazing property. And we go back every year. But this year...

Because my membership that I created at the end of 2021 is the Magical Membership for Women Entrepreneurs. And I did a retreat...

It would probably be two summers ago now, maybe three. I don't even know what year it is. Maybe three for my network marketing team at Disney because our annual conference was in Orlando. So I actually did two down that summer. I did one that people on my team could earn and then I did one. It wasn't really a retreat, but we just got a house while we were at the conference and then went to Disney World. So it's like that would be really fun if I took my fall retreats

idea and concept, but we did it at Disney World. So yeah, in a couple weeks, we're going to Disney. We're spending two and a half days, you know, at the Airbnb or around that area. And then our last full day, we're going to Magic Kingdom together. Because I just had a blast when I went with my team. And I'm like, this is such like a fun way to tie up our two and a half days of like, intense retreating, you know, is to have that magical touch at the end. So

Well, I have that. It's so on par for your brand. Yeah. Yeah, it is. And a lot of the women I got feedback have either never been or they haven't been for 20 years. And so they're like, who better to go with than someone who goes all the time, who Disney's really their thing. So I'm super excited for that. So I made my shirt. I got my shirts in the mail from Tampa. We got everyone little ears like Mickey ears to wear. Yeah.

So I'm excited to make those goody bags when I get down there and, you know, get all that going. Oh, I can just imagine what your swag looks like. Oh, it's so awesome. All right. So now let's we always in the podcast with talking about your podcast in particular. What is it about who its target audience is? And how have you used your podcast to grow your coaching business?

Love it. Okay. So the podcast is the Purpose and Pixie Dust podcast. And like I mentioned, it's just been that name for about a year. Before that, it was a social selling sisterhood. A lot of my content in the way I set up my podcast is the same though. So again, it was just like one natural transition as I was transitioning. The podcast is for women who are building their dream business while also working full-time.

So obviously not everyone falls into that category, but maybe they're stay at home moms full time or they're just busy people. Right. So my pillars, we talk strategy, productivity and systems is the main three that I talk about when I do my solo episodes. But I also share a lot of my journey. So like.

I had a coaching call this morning with a client. And one of the things that we're working on is adding a small course that she is doing as some passive income. So coming up, I'm going to do a podcast episode about how to add a small... I keep saying small. I don't know why I'm saying small. But add a course into your product suite. And so it's very organic. And I like to share what is going on in my business or my client's business

And ways that, you know, you can apply those to your own business as well. But then I also have really inspiring women who are also building a business on my show, like how I interviewed you this week. And because not only do I learn so much from, you know, talking to people, but I know that someone who is listening that.

is completely aligned with that journey or is feeling the same things that that woman has gone through or shared, even if it doesn't apply to me. So I have had... I can't think of something right now that doesn't... Oh, I had a marriage coach on one time and she shared how... But I'm not married. So that doesn't necessarily apply to me, but there are pieces from her journey that definitely do. But also...

you know, a lot of my listeners are married. So yeah, like that. Yeah, that's the fun thing about, you know, picking and choosing a variety of guests to have on my show. Their journeys are always different. What they're sharing is always different. And I know there is something that you can pull away from their interview that you can apply to your business. So yeah,

That is half of it. And then the other reason that I have guests on is just very strategic. Like I want to network. I want to grow my own network. But I also pick guests that will share my show out. I share their show out and it just becomes a very organic collaboration. You know, I get more visible to your audience. You get more visible to my audience. And because there are always going to be people, even though they're in their audience, that

are not necessarily going to work with you right now, but maybe they're going to work with someone that you, you know, like they might mesh better with them. Their, their offering might be more aligned, whatever it looks like. So I think having that abundance mindset, like there is more than enough clients and everything to go around and has really helped my ability to collaborate as much as I do. So I share all the things that all the time, but that's kind of been my strategy with particularly guests on my show.

Okay, so you guys, if you didn't really pick up on that, I'm just going to go ahead and like repoint it out to you. Her podcast is there not necessarily to generate clients for the coaching business. That's a byproduct.

The podcast pours into people and really allows her to then bring guests on that she can then collaborate and network with and grow her business that way. And I think that that's a very important thing for people to realize. And I talk about it a lot here on the pod. So.

I'm probably beating a dead horse here, but it's really not about monetizing the podcast. It's about how the podcast can monetize your business. And I think Lindsay just does a fantastic job of that. I know I plan on having you in my life for quite some time just because we met through interviewing on podcast. And so what a great, great way to hit six and seven figures and build that tribe of women around you that you need to help you along the way. Yeah, 100%. And yeah,

I just had someone that

We did a podcast guest swap probably from January, February. We have stayed in touch on Instagram. We share each other's stuff out all the time. She just tagged me on LinkedIn, which it was so funny. She tagged me and someone that I used to work with like 15 years ago. I'm like, this is such a small world. How is this even a thing? I didn't even know she was a business coach. Now she's a business coach. But she tagged both of us on LinkedIn for someone that is in our area who is starting a podcast.

And she's like, it doesn't pertain to me, but I think it might be something for you. And you just never know. It's such a cool network that you can build.

social media, but especially in the podcasting world, I feel like as podcast hosts, we're like in our own special little community. And yeah, for sure. Especially the girls. I think we've all just formed this little tribe together now. Yeah. Yeah, absolutely. All right, Lindsay. So we'll make sure that we get obviously your link to your podcast in our show notes. But if someone wants to just connect with you on a different level, which social media platform do you play on the most and where would you like them to find you? That's such a good question.

I actually play the most on Facebook, to be perfectly honest. I have a group for my podcast on Facebook, but I'm also super active on Instagram and I'm Lindsay Dollinger on both. Okay. So I don't think there's another one. So if you type it in, yeah, you will find me. Feel free to send me a friend request, follow, send me a message and I'd love to chat more. You know, I used to think that there wasn't another Joanne Bolt. And ironically, not only was there another Joanne Bolt, but she was also a real estate agent.

Oh, my gosh. I mean, this was years ago. So when I first started my career, I mean, I'm off topic now. But true story. I was like, oh, there's no way. Like, I never even meet other Joanne. So there's no way there's another Joanne Bolt. And I got into real estate here in Georgia. I was with Keller Williams. Sure enough, I go to start doing stuff. And I started getting mail for Joanne Bolt. She was in Colorado and a REMAX agent. But the National Associations would send me her stuff by accident. And I'm like, oh, my God, this is so weird. But.

I have like a normal, you know, everyday, not everyday name, like it's not special. But I'm sure if you have a name that lots of people have, that's not weird for you. But it really was for me. Yeah, that's so strange for real. And my name, my last name or my first name is spelled A-Y instead of E-Y. So a lot of people do that. So there might be another Lizzie. But there's no A-Ys. I don't think that I know of. Right. All right. Well, thanks, Lizzie. I appreciate it. Thank you.

Thanks, friend.

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