Not seeing results from your marketing? Try this strategy to simplify your focus on money-making activities that actually pay off! What we are talking about today is honestly a simple shift in focus that can skyrocket your revenue—but most miss it for three all-too-common reasons (which we’ll dive into in a minute!). Forget following the latest trend or getting bogged down with busywork, let’s zero in on what truly drives your business forward: money-making activities.
Staying close to the money means prioritizing actions that directly contribute to your bottom line. It’s easy to get sidetracked by tasks that seem productive but don’t actually boost your income.(I’ve got a couple examples for you coming up). By prioritizing money-making activities, you can cut through the noise and boost your revenue with clarity and confidence.
That’s why I want to introduce you to Frenchie Ferenzci. Her expertise is in helping business owners with their growth and breaking through those plateaus that you hit along the way from 6 to 7 figures.
Ready to streamline your strategy and boost revenue quickly? Let’s dive in!
What Does It Mean To Stay Close To The Money?
Staying close to the money means focusing on money-making activities that directly drive revenue. It’s easy to get caught up in tasks that feel important but don’t move the needle. This often happens when you pour time into organizing systems or spend hours on back-end processes. While these can be helpful, these aren’t the activities that create income. If you’re feeling overwhelmed and wondering why your business isn’t growing, you need to stay close to the money by focusing your time and energy on money-making activities.
Looked for how to shorten the steps between where you spend time and you make money. For example, creating an Instagram Reel might seem productive. But if the Reel requires five or six steps before generating any revenue, it might not be the best use of time.
Now, contrast that with joining a community of ideal clients. You build relationships, have meaningful conversations, and those calls could quickly turn into paid opportunities. That’s only two or three steps to revenue. That doesn’t necessarily mean go join a community and book calls with people right now. It can look different at different times. But that’s the initial idea behind staying close the money.
How will you shorten the number of steps between the work that you’re doing and the potential for revenue on the back end of that work?
The key is to focus on actions that streamline your path to making money. So, before diving into your next task, ask yourself: “is this a money-making activity?” If it’s not, you might want to rethink how you’re spending your time. Let’s make sure your work directly impacts your bottom line.
Why Do Business Owners Get So Easily Pulled Away From Money-Making Activities?
It happens to all of us. We start with good intentions, but quickly get pulled away from money-making activities. It’s hard to stay focused, but here are the 3 most common reasons why this happens.
- Client work. Especially for service-based businesses, client work can eat up all your time. While of course it’s important and brings in revenue, it often prevents you from focusing on future growth or sales.
- The need for control. Tasks like managing admin tools feel productive because you can control the process. We crave that sense of control because it gives us instant feedback, unlike growth-focused work that might feel uncertain.
- Overwhelm. With so many strategies available, it’s easy to get lost in deciding where to invest your energy. Should you create content, book calls, or focus on social media? The choices can be paralyzing.
So, how do you get back on track? Start by reviewing your history. Look at where your past clients came from and replicate that process. Focus on what has already worked and stop chasing every new tactic. The key is to simplify and prioritize those money-making activities that move your business forward. Let go of the rest.
Focus On The Right Money-Making Activities
When you think about money-making activities, consider your marketing through these five core functions:
- Lead Gen
- Nurturing
- Conversion
- Delivery
- Retention, Referral, Upsell
Where are the leaks in your revenue journey? What can we implement to plug the leaks? Identifying these leaks helps you know where to focus your efforts.
When you consider which function you’re trying to move the needle on, “marketing” becomes less overwhelming. For example, if you’re two months out from a launch, you need to nurture the heck out of your existing audience. Or, if you see that you can sell people into your program but then they don’t continue on as clients, then maybe there’s an opportunity to improve delivery. That would actually be the closest thing to the money right then and there. Sometimes it’s actually purely a lead generation issue, and we really need to figure out audience growth. In that particular case, maybe the reels are actually a good first step.
Reverse-Engineer Your Revenue Journey
When thinking about staying close to the money, it’s often best to reverse engineer where the leaks are in your revenue journey, and then what tools or activities can we potentially implement in any of those five categories to plug the leak.
Take a moment to review your tasks and evaluate their revenue potential. Are you spending time on high-touch, high-return activities? While there is no one-size-fits-all answer, Frenchie has found that collaborating, borrowing audiences, and relationship marketing are often the most effective ways to drive sales. High-touch activities like build strong relationships often have the highest return.
We can manage our overwhelm and serve our audience better with marketing when we stop trying to have all the results in every area of our business all at once. Instead, get the clarity on the one thing you need to focus on most right now. As you grow and build your team, this becomes even more important.
Each team member should focus on one of these five areas for their job to be measurable and valuable. Additionally, you as a leader need to understand what impact they need to have so that you can measure their performance to make sure that you’re making the right hires. For example, a community manager can elevate the delivery experience for your clients, ensuring they stay engaged. This frees you up to focus on other essential activities.
Your marketing needs to work as a complete ecosystem. Focus on money-making activities that move the needle for your business. Stay close to the money by simplifying and narrowing your focus on what truly works.
Money-Making Activities When Working With A Copywriter
When working with a copywriter, it’s easy to think the copy alone will solve everything. However, it’s part of a bigger ecosystem. You need to ensure the right money-making activities are in place to make the copy truly effective.
For example, clients have wanted to hire me to write a sales page for them, but they don’t have their lead generation set up. No matter how incredible the copy is, that sales page won’t perform if there’s not enough traffic to it. You need an audience first.
That’s why I love creating lead gen copy, nurture emails, AND sales pages as a cohesive strategy. This way, we avoid any gaps in your funnel and maximize your ROI. Without strong lead gen or a solid nurture strategy, even the best sales page won’t convert. So, before diving into copy, make sure you’re aligning it with your most important money-making activities—whether that’s generating leads, nurturing your audience, or converting sales.
If you are looking to hire a copywriter, not all are created equal. A copywriter with more experience can see potential business gaps that may be in your blind spot. People can default to the idea that the copy is a silver bullet, when really it is part of the larger ecosystem. Your copywriter needs to also be able to understand which of these five areas your copy is intended to influence most at this particular phase is also really important. If you’re curious how I can support you with copywriting, check out my services guide here.
How to Build a Revenue Strategy With Money-Making Activities When Everything Feels Unpredictable
Building a revenue strategy in unpredictable times can feel overwhelming. But here’s the good news: a clear plan, backed by adaptable money-making activities, helps you navigate uncertainty.
Start by mapping your revenue targets. What do you want to achieve each month? From there, outline the specific activities you’ll use to hit those targets. Maybe it’s creating lead gen funnels, running targeted campaigns, or hosting events. Keep it simple, actionable, and aligned with your vision.
If you don’t see progress after a month, adjust your approach. The beauty of working with a strategy is that it gives you clear feedback. You learn what’s working and what’s not, then pivot based on that feedback. This process keeps you aligned with your goals.
For example, I once launched a program that always performed well—until it didn’t. No sign-ups. Instead of panicking, I shifted gears. I condensed the program, lowered the price, and re-launched it. This new approach resonated better with my audience.
By staying responsive, listening to market shifts, and tweaking your money-making activities, you ensure that your business remains flexible and profitable—no matter the state of the economy.
Don’t Let Automation Get In The Way of Innovation
Automation can feel like the ultimate goal. We want to set it and forget it. Yet sometimes automation blocks innovation. As business owners, we need to strike a balance between both.
Streamlining money-making activities through automation helps you focus on growth. However, don’t lose sight of what’s happening in real-time. Stay aware of market trends, customer feedback, and shifts in your business.
Automation makes processes easier, but innovation keeps your business fresh and competitive. Keep your ear to the ground, ensuring you’re doing the right work at the right time.
Connect With Our Guest
Grab Frenchie’s Stay Close to the Money Guide
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Frenchie Ferenczi is revenue strategist and fractional Chief Revenue Officer, she helps founders, creatives, and industry experts to optimize their path to revenue. Whether we’re talking about a short-term cash injection, launching a new product or vertical, or reviving an underperforming revenue stream, Frenchie has turned revenue goals into realities for 100+ small business leaders.
Frenchie’s mission is to build thriving business leaders who get meaningful results, leave a mark on others, and feel proud of their work daily. She brings her clients more than a decade of experience as a director at high-profile startups, including NeueHouse and The Wing. She’s been featured in Forbes, Fast Company, The Financial Times, and has been on Pix11 News, South Florida Live, and dozens of podcasts. Although she loves her work, most of Frenchie’s time is spent with her great loves–her husband, her kids, and spaghetti.
