We were lucky to catch up with Michael Leonard recently and have shared our conversation below.
Michael, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What do you think it takes to be successful?
It’s important to define your version of success as it’s different for everyone.
For the longest time I thought the way to be successful and happy was from making more money. While money is great, in reality I just wanted freedom to do what I want, when I want, with who I want – a quote I learned at a Tony Robbins event.
I think too many people and new entrepreneurs put money over everything because they never defined success. After reading tons of self-improvement books and going to events early on in my journey I realized it’s important to define your “perfect day.” Get as detailed as possible and imagine the life you want – what are you doing most of the day? Who are you with? Where are you at? What’s your schedule like?
Mapping out as much as possible – from your ideal revenue, number of hours worked, how often you work, etc. is so important. By having a day that is based around what you want it can help you reverse engineer the process and grow your business accordingly.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
I quit corporate America six years ago to pursue professional golf and online entrepreneurship. I started a blog in 2016 while working full-time and learned the power of building an online business. My first affiliate sales and Google AdSense revenue helped me see the potential of building a brand online. After writing tons of blogs this led to publishing my first book and starting my journey as a freelance writer.
After writing about different topics for years I focused mostly on golf clients as it’s my biggest passion. This led to launching my own brand, Wicked Smart Golf, which helps golfers focus on playing better without swing changes. I published my second golf book in 2022 and launched the podcast and YouTube as well. Now I focus on helping golf brands grow their business with copywriting and help golfers through mental golf coaching and digital programs.
Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?
I went from 0 to 10K on TikTok in 90 days with zero experience on the platform. I had little success on Instagram and YouTube so I figured I’d give TikTok a try. My goal was simple – stay consistent. For 90 days I pledged to post 3X a day, every day… no matter what.
And it worked. Showing up consistently led to viral videos, more book sales, more email subscribers, and more followers on other platforms. Not to mention new writing clients and new partnerships.
For anyone new to social media or a specific platform here are my biggest tips.
1). Set a content creation goal and stick with it. Create a posting schedule like I did with TikTok (3X a day, every day) was non-negotiable. This helped me show up regularly, batch content, and connect with my audience.
2.) Study your analytics. You don’t need to study every post, every day but at least once per week dig in to what is working and what isn’t. Once you find a length of video/style, keep doing these types of videos. But don’t be afraid to experiment with new ones as well.
3.) Think of everything as a learning experience. Instead of thinking of a post as a success or failure, try to learn from every one. Maybe you posted at the wrong time, the wrong hashtags, the wrong caption, etc. Don’t be afraid to post the same video with B-roll, different music, different editing, etc.
4.) Batch content – create all your videos, then edit, then upload in different sessions. This can help you avoid burnout and stay consistent so you show up for your audience and the algorithm.
5.) Stop scrolling – wanting to grow your social media is a good idea but don’t get caught scrolling more than you are posting. Get off the app and focus on other parts of your business to avoid burnout and stay creative.
How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?
Consistency + using different platforms. I’ve found that everyone has their preferences on platforms – some people love Instagram, others TikTok, and others on YouTube. Having a presence on each is a good way to become omnipresent and get your message to more people. Plus, staying consistent helps show your audience that you are committed to helping them get results.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.wickedsmartgolf.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wickedsmartgolf/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGt1yzKR05YpqipoLVkr5yw
- TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@wickedsmartgolf
Image Credits
Photos by Michael Leonard