The very first video I posted on my YouTube channel went viral. It wasn’t professionally shot, I was nervous on camera, and I filmed it in my living room with the camera on auto. So what made it take off?

In this episode, I’m taking you behind the scenes of how that video went from a handful of views a day to hundreds of thousands of views, why it took months

before it finally caught on, and the three things you need to do if you want your own videos to be much more likely to go viral. Viral videos aren’t just a nice bonus on YouTube. They’re one of the biggest drivers of channel growth, and the process behind them is simpler than most people think.

If you want to learn how to get views on YouTube even when you’re starting with zero subscribers, check out my free YouTube growth strategy class here: https://creatorfasttrack.com/workshop-registration

In This Episode, I Cover:

• Why viral videos are essential for growing a YouTube channel, not just nice to have
• How YouTube tests a brand new channel’s videos with small audiences before pushing them out widely
• Why you shouldn't give up on a video that doesn’t take off right away
• The two types of research that helped me find video ideas I knew would perform well
• The free tools I use for keyword research
• How to create a thumbnail and title that are clear, eye-catching, and a little bit intriguing

Free Resources to Grow Your Online Business:

YouTube Growth Strategy Class: https://creatorfasttrack.com/workshop-registration

The $100K Method (free private podcast): https://www.gillianperkins.com/100k-method-signup

Small Business 101 (free course): https://gillianperkins.com/free-training-small-business-101/

Work with Gillian Perkins:

Startup Society: https://startupsociety.com

$100K Mastermind: https://gillianperkins.com/100k-mastermind

Connect with Gillian:

Website: https://gillianperkins.com

Instagram: https://instagram.com/gillianzperkins/

What happens when you get everything you worked for and it still isn't enough? That's exactly where this week's guest, Sam Vander Wielen, found herself. Sam spent years building a career as an attorney, only to discover that the title, the salary, and the respect that were supposed to make her happy left her miserable instead. So she walked away and built a business from scratch — one that's since made over $10 million from a single digital product. In this episode, Sam and I dig into what she calls "the happiness trap": the belief that once a certain thing happens, we'll finally feel happy, worthy, or at peace. We talk about why that belief rarely holds up, even when the thing you were chasing actually comes true, and what to do instead if you're waiting for "someday" to start feeling better about your life.

If this conversation has you thinking about finally starting the business you've been sitting on, my free Small Business 101 course walks you through exactly how to get started: https://gillianperkins.com/free-training-small-business-101/

In This Episode, I Cover:

• What the "happiness trap" is, and why almost all of us fall into it without realizing it
• Sam's story of chasing a law career for the status and security, only to find it made her miserable
• Why even wild success in her own business didn't automatically deliver the happiness she expected
• The reason we tend to revert to the same baseline of happiness no matter how much our circumstances change
• How negativity bias explains why one nasty comment can undo ninety-nine kind ones
• The "arrival fallacy," and how it can trap you twice — once chasing a career, then again chasing the business meant to replace it
• Sam's practical steps for building happiness now instead of waiting for "someday," including her "five-second rule" for trying new hobbies
• Why Sam believes it isn't your job's — or your business's — job to make you happy
• Her advice for anyone sitting on a business idea right now, and how to find out if people actually want it before you build it

Connect with Sam Vander Wielen:

When I Start My Business, I'll Be Happy: https://www.samvanderwielen.com/book/

On Your Terms: https://www.samvanderwielen.com/podcast/

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

Free live class (her last one of 2026, Monday, October 19) on how to start an online business legally, plus what's changing with AI disclosure policies and ADA website lawsuits — sign up for free access and the replay here: https://samvanderwielen.samcart.com/referral/oct-live/rOhbxf8KbgOnMbqq

Free Resources to Grow Your Online Business:

$100K Method (free audio course): https://www.gillianperkins.com/100k-method-signup

Small Business 101 (free course): https://gillianperkins.com/free-training-small-business-101/

Work with Gillian Perkins:

Startup Society: https://startupsociety.com

$100K Mastermind: https://gillianperkins.com/100k-mastermind

Connect with Gillian:

Website: https://gillianperkins.com

Instagram: https://instagram.com/gillianzperkins/

I used to believe raising my price would scare buyers off. Then I tried raising them, and... my conversion rate went from 6% to 13%!

This episode breaks down what happened during our second $100K Mastermind launch. Second launches are usually the weakest, because they don't have the hype of a first launch or the momentum of the launches that come after - and I've definitely experienced that! But this one broke that pattern. In fact, it became my best launch to date, netting $164,464.40 in just two weeks! So, today, I'm excited to walk through exactly how we made it happen.

In This Episode, I Cover:

• Why raising my price increased my conversion rate instead of hurting it
• Why people tell you your product is "too expensive" (because that's rarely the real reason they don't buy)
• A simple addition to our offer that made it almost impossible to say no to
• Why I didn't send a single email to my full list for this launch
• The one number thing that separates webinars that convert from those that just falls flat
• What happened when we got 4,000 people registered for two webinars

FREE Resources to Grow Your Online Business:

The $100K Method (free audio course): https://www.gillianperkins.com/100k-method-signup

Small Business 101 (free course): https://gillianperkins.com/free-training-small-business-101/

Work with Gillian Perkins:

$100K Mastermind: https://gillianperkins.com/100k-mastermind

Startup Society: https://startupsociety.com

Connect with Gillian:

Website: https://gillianperkins.com

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

Screenshot this episode, share it to your Instagram Stories, and tag @gillianzperkins. I love seeing which lessons resonate most.

Until next week, stay focused and take action!

I put all my effort into building an amazing course and thought that alone would be enough. Well, it wasn't- and it cost me a year or two of spinning my wheels before anything sold.

In this episode, I'm breaking down everything I wish I knew before I ever tried to sell an online course. After almost ten years of doing this (eight of them actually profitable), I've learned the hard way what makes some courses actually sell while others just sit there. This one's for anyone who has an online course idea, is building one right now, or already has one that isn't converting the way they hoped.

In This Episode, I Cover:

• Why a great course is almost never enough to make it sell on its own
• The real reason people buy a course (and it's NOT the content inside it)
• Why cramming in more modules and bonuses usually backfires
• Why pricing based on your hours of video is quietly costing you money
• The uncomfortable truth about giving away your best material for free
• Why your first launch is guaranteed to teach you more than it earns you
• The one thing that can quietly wipe out your course business's profit margins

FREE Resources to Grow Your Online Business:

Free Audio Course ($100K Method): https://www.gillianperkins.com/100k-method-signup

Small Business 101 (Free Course): https://gillianperkins.com/free-training-small-business-101/

Work with Gillian Perkins:

$100K Mastermind: https://gillianperkins.com/100k-mastermind

Startup Society: https://startupsociety.com

Connect with Gillian:

Website: https://gillianperkins.com

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

Screenshot this episode, share it to your Instagram Stories, and tag @gillianzperkins — I love seeing which lessons resonate most.

Until next week — stay focused and take action.

In this episode, podcast coach and God-Led Business host Stefanie Gass joins me for an honest, unscripted conversation about the changes we've each made in our businesses over the last year - new platforms, overhauled teams, and product lines we simplified (or didn't, lol). If you're running an online business and wondering whether it's time to shake something up, this one is for you.

In This Episode, I Cover:

• Why Stefanie added YouTube after years of podcast-only growth, and what changed when she did
• The real reason we both overstaffed our teams, and how we knew it was time to cut
• Why offering a cheap "dip your toes in" option is quietly costing you sales
• What happened when Stefanie stopped niching down on a specific topic... and let faith lead her content instead
• The unstructured, no-slide format that still converts better than anything polished
• How to know when one product has earned the right to become your whole business

Stefanie's Free Podcast Bootcamp:

• 5-Day Profitable Podcast Bootcamp, free with code GILLIAN: https://stefaniegass.com/gifts
• Listen to God-Led Business: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/god-led-business-make-money-online-work-from-home-passive/id1437868374

Gillian's free $100K Method audio course:
https://www.gillianperkins.com/100k-method-signup

Connect with Gillian:

• Website: https://gillianperkins.com
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@gillianzperkins
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gillianzperkins/

Connect with Stefanie:

• Website: https://stefaniegass.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/stefaniegass

Screenshot this episode and share it to your Instagram Stories - tag @gillianzperkins so I can see it.

Until next week - stay focused and take action.

This week I'm breaking down a policy change YouTube announced a few weeks ago that's about to reshape how every creator reads their own analytics. It's a quick, practical episode for anyone who publishes on YouTube - or watches their view count as a signal of how they're doing.

In This Episode, I Cover:

• Why YouTube changed how Shorts views were counted a year before this update
• What actually counts as a "view" starting August 24, 2026
• Where your old, more honest view count is still hiding in your analytics
• Whether this change touches your monetization or Partner Program status
• Why I still don't care about a view under three seconds long
• Which channels are about to see the biggest (and smallest) jumps

Free Resources to Grow Your Online Business:

• Early Access - Why Your Audience Isn't Growing: https://www.gillianperkins.com/early-access
• $100K Method (free audio course): https://www.gillianperkins.com/100k-method-signup
• Small Business 101 (free course): https://gillianperkins.com/free-training-small-business-101/

Work with Gillian Perkins:

• Startup Society: https://startupsociety.com
• $100K Mastermind: https://gillianperkins.com/100k-mastermind

Connect with Gillian:

• Website: https://gillianperkins.com
• Instagram: @GillianZPerkins

Screenshot this episode and share it to Instagram Stories - tag @gillianzperkins so I can see it.

Until next week - stay focused and take action.

Everyone's using AI to make more content, but Kimberly Ann Jimenez has taken a different path - she used it to rebuild how her entire business runs, and now she does more in half the time with a smaller team than ever.

Today I'm sitting down with Kimberly to talk about her AI strategies and systems. She’s the COO of The Business Lounge and a woman who's spent about a decade helping service providers, coaches, and small business owners turn their content into consistent customers. We get into how AI has shifted buyer behavior, what people still need from real humans in an AI world, and - my favorite part - exactly how she built a team of AI "thought partners" and agents that know her business, her offers, and her voice.

In This Episode, We Cover:

• From accidental entrepreneur to CMO - how Kimberly went from a background in academia (and zero interest in business) to managing over 100 social media channels and a multi-seven-figure ad budget in corporate, then building her own company with her husband Chris
• Why she scaled down on purpose - how her core community grew to serve over 10,000 people, and why she moved from "really large" to a more boutique, three-tier model (community, small-group coaching, and just four one-on-one seats a year)
• How the buyer changed after COVID and after ChatGPT - the three waves she watched play out: wanting more one-on-one connection, growing more sophisticated, and now craving in-person, "look over my shoulder" access - plus why old-school tactics like Facebook ads are trending back in a "throwback season"
• Information overload vs. the age of insight - why long-form podcasts and deep content are winning, and why AI's confident-but-wrong answers are sending clients back to real experts (one client burned $1,000 on a Gemini-built Facebook ad plan before Kimberly's team fixed it)
• Her AI "thought partners" - how every team member has a trained Claude project (named Rosalina, Edie, Harvest) tied to a central knowledge hub in ClickUp, so the whole team stays in sync through "context handoffs"
• 3 files that instantly upgrade your AI - the ideal client avatar, your offers, and your goals. Keep your conversations inside one project with these three files and, in Kimberly's experience with clients, results improve by at least 50%
• 3 simple agents to start with - an inbox agent (turned her 2-hour email slog into 5 minutes), a podcast/content research agent (Google Trends + VidIQ), and a lead-research agent that briefs her on new leads before she reaches out

Connect with Kimberly Ann Jimenez:

📺 YouTube - Kimberly Ann Jimenez: https://www.youtube.com/@KimJimenez

🎙️ The Business Lounge Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-business-lounge-podcast-with-kim-chris/id1207088296

📲 Instagram: @kimannjimenez

Work with Gillian Perkins:

👉 Startup Society membership: https://gillianperkins.com/join-startup-society

FREE Resources to Grow Your Online Business:

🎧 Free audio course - The $100K Method: https://www.gillianperkins.com/100k-method-signup

📚 Free course - Small Business 101: https://gillianperkins.com/free-training-small-business-101/

Connect with Gillian:

🌐 https://gillianperkins.com

📺 https://youtube.com/gillianperkinsonline/

📲 Instagram: @GillianZPerkins

Screenshot this episode, share to Instagram Stories, and tag @gillianzperkins - I'd love to see you listening!

Until next week - stay focused and take action.

What if you could reclaim 10+ hours a week without working harder, waking up earlier, or finally finding the perfect productivity system? Grab my free 10-episode series, The $100K Method, for the systems that let me build a business that doesn't need me in every corner of it: https://www.gillianperkins.com/100k-method-signup

Delegation sounds simple: hire help, hand things off, get your time back. In reality, it often creates more questions and more management, unless you build the right structure around it. This week I'm joined by Gina Cotner, founder and CEO of Athena Executive Services, one of the top US-based executive assistant agencies. Gina's spent the last decade pairing highly skilled EAs with busy founders and executives, and she doesn't just treat delegation as an outsourcing task. She teaches leaders how to build trust, transfer real ownership, and create accountability so their business runs better without them doing everything.

In This Episode, I Cover:

• Why delegating a task doesn't automatically buy you your time back
• The one habit that turns a hire into a task-doer instead of a real partner
• Why the first 30 days with a new hire matter more than any month after
• The exact three questions Gina uses to hand off a project and make it truly theirs
• What a US-based executive assistant actually costs, and how that compares to overseas VAs and solo freelancers
• How to tell early whether you've hired the wrong person for the role

Special Offer for Work Less, Earn More Listeners

Receive 5 free hours of service added to your first full month of work with Athena Executive Services (AES) — a $275 value! Just mention this offer during your first call with them.

Connect with Gina Cotner:
Website: https://www.athenaexecutiveservices.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/athenaea/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aes_executive_assistants

Grow Your Online Business:
Free training, Small Business 101: https://gillianperkins.com/free-training-small-business-101/
The $100K Method (free 10-episode podcast series): https://www.gillianperkins.com/100k-method-signup

Connect with Gillian:
Website: https://gillianperkins.com
Instagram: @GillianZPerkins