79. Exactly how I approach investments to get an ROI every single time

Are you sitting on a goldmine of business courses you've never opened or programs you barely log into?

Let's be real, mama — we've all bought that course that's still sitting unopened or joined that membership we barely log into. I've been there too, and I've spent well over six figures on my business education throughout the years.

In this episode, I'm sharing exactly how I approach investments to ensure I get an ROI every single time - not by implementing everything perfectly (hello, that's impossible when you have kids!), but by being strategic about what I invest in and how I use it.

In this episode you'll discover:

• The game-changing mindset shift that will make you feel WAY less guilty about not completing every module of every course you buy 🙌
• My three non-negotiable questions I ask before making ANY business investment (these have saved me from so many bad decisions!)
• Why you should be incredibly selective about WHO you learn from (especially when it comes to mentors vs. skill-building)
• The #1 mistake I see people make after investing in high-touch programs like Masterminds (please don't do this!)
• How I used AI to help me implement new strategies within my already packed mom schedule

Getting a return on your investments isn't about being perfect — it's about being strategic. Your time and money are too precious to waste on investments that don't move the needle for your business. This framework will ensure that every investment you make pays off in real, tangible results.

Ready to get a massive ROI on your next business investment?

If you're looking for a high-touch container where I personally ensure you get a massive ROI, applications are open for my CEO Mom Mastermind! We work with moms who are currently booked out of their 1:1 services and want to build leveraged offers with minimalist marketing strategies and automated lead and sales systems. The investment is increasing TONIGHT, but if you get your application in before then, I'll honor the current rate if you join us within 7 days.

APPLY FOR THE CEO MOM MASTERMIND HERE →

LINKS
📈The CEO MOMS Growth Matrix - feeling stuck or plateaued at your current revenue? Snag your custom roadmap for sustainable growth from $0 to multi-6-figures in this FREE training! >>> yaelbendahan.com/matrix

🔥Join my FREE 3-Day Program, LEVERAGE - the process that’s creating multi 6 figure years working nap times and being a full time mama of 6. Claim your spot here >>> https://yaelbendahan.com/leveragepod

💰Offers in Your Pocket - 11 Offers You Can Pull Out of Your Pocket and Sell This Week! Only $9 - yaelbendahan.com/pocketoffers

✨Join the Collective
In the "building" stage of your business? Join the MOMentum Collective - my most accessible mentorship program for moms growing to $5-10K months.

💃 Apply for the CEO Mom Mastermind if you're ready to scale sustainably to $15-20K+ months. Read more about the mastermind here OR go straight to the application here.
Want to chat about the mastermind before you join? DM me on Instagram - instagram.com/theyaelbendahan

Transcript

0:00

The second shift, is lean all the way into coaching and support. And this is especially important in high touch programs like Masterminds or group coaching. If you've invested in a container that includes access to a coach, use it. Use it for the love of God. Okay? This is the biggest mistake that I see people make. They pay for coaching and they never actually get coached Welcome to the Raising Your Business Podcast. I'm your host, Yael Ben Dahan, founder of CEO Mom Academy, mom of six, and lifelong reading addict. This podcast is here to empower moms to run their businesses and lives like the powerhouse CEO they are. I want you to believe that you can have the business success you desire. And be present with your family and to give you my best tips and strategies for how to make that happen. I'll be sharing the honest reality of balancing business and motherhood, biz models that work for you, marketing simplicity and the mindset of a CEO mom. Now let's dive in. Hello. Hello. Welcome back to the podcast. And today as the investment for the CEO of my Mastermind goes up tonight. I wanted to dive into something that I know a lot of you struggle with and something that I struggled with too in the past, which is how to actually get a return on all those business investments that you're making because let's be real, we all bought that course that's still sitting unopened or courses or we joined that membership that we barely log into or we invested in the coach Who and advice we never implemented. I've been there too. Okay, so today I'm sharing exactly how I approach investments to ensure that I get an ROI every single time, not by implementing everything perfectly because hello, that is impossible and you have kids. I. Can never do anything perfectly but by being strategic about what I invest in and how I use it, which is most important. So before we get into the nitty gritty of the investment strategy, I wanna discuss, I just wanted to mention that we currently have six spots available in my CEO Mom Mastermind before the investment increases. It is going up tonight actually, if you're listening to this on April 10th, it's going up tonight. And whether or not those six spots fill because it is just, I've upgraded the container so very much that the investment needed to be upgraded. Accordingly, it's probably gonna go up even more. But if you are looking for a high touch container where I personally ensure that you get a massive ROI on your investment, this might be the perfect fit. Okay. So just the me Mastermind on Instagram, if you, if you want details, you wanna chat about it or. If you just wanna get your application in, shoot it through, it's in the description, and I will reach back out to you. And if you get your application in before tonight, I will honor. Your, I'll honor the current investment if you join within seven days of your application. Alright, so now let's talk about making smart investments. So I wanna start with a confession. Okay. I have personally spent well over six figures on my business education throughout the years, okay? I've invested in$27 courses all the way up to$24,000 coaching programs and pretty much everything in between. And I've had some investments that were absolutely home runs, right? Like I've mentioned this before, the 20 K investment that I did at the end of 2020 when I had my new baby. I one and a half Xed that investment in just eight weeks because I showed up. I took a consistent action. I focused only on money making activities. I've been part of masterminds. I'm in masterminds right now. I've been, I was in a mastermind for five years. Okay, so like. I am a, an investor and I'm a long-term investor as well. But I've also had investments that were total guts, right? There were programs that I never even logged into or courses that I abandoned after module one, masterminds or group programs where I lurked and didn't ask a question, or I found that I was becoming the coach and I was coaching other people in there instead of. Being coached. And the difference between those experiences was not just the quality of the programs, it was my approach to the investment. And when I look back at the investments that paid off massively versus the ones that didn't, I realized that there were very specific patterns and how I chose them and how I engage with them. And that's what I wanna share with you today, right? The exact strategy that I now used to ensure that every business investment gives me a return. Because when you're a mom with limited time, limited resources. You can't afford to waste either one on investments that don't really move the needle for you, right? So let's talk about how to make sure that never happens again, or you can do your best to make sure it never happens again. The first thing I wanna talk about is investing in mentors who have lives that you want to model. Okay? So one of the biggest shifts I made in my investment strategy is being. Incredibly, incredibly intentional about who I learn from, specifically when it comes to mentors versus just skill building. So here's what I mean. I am happy to learn specific skills from pretty much anyone who's great at that skill, right? If you wanna teach me Facebook ads for a specific type of offer, amazing. I don't care if you're a 22-year-old dude living in your parents' basement, right? If you know your stuff about ads, I'll learn that specific skill from you. But when it comes to mentors people who are guiding my overall business strategy, my overall business growth, I am super selective. I'll only invest in mentors whose lives I actually want to model and whose lives I can actually identify with. And this was a game changer for me'cause I used to invest in business coaches just sometimes based on their revenue numbers and their marketing claims. But then I realized that their business model required being on calls until 9:00 PM every night, or traveling to speaking gigs. Multiple weekends e or having a gigantic team or, or creating multiple pieces of content every day. And I'd be like, well, I don't want any of that, right? I don't wanna be, I wanna be done working by 3:00 PM honestly, I wanna be home for bedtime. I wanna, I wanna lean team. Tiny, tiny, tiny team. I observe Shabbat every week as an Orthodox Jew. I, I, I don't have time to waste on business models or mentors that don't align with me, right? So now I ask myself, does this person have a life that I actually want? And do they have values that align with my, my values? Do they approach business in a way that honors the priorities that I have? And so when I was looking for a coach a few years ago, right? I specifically sought someone who had built their business while raising young children, right? Not someone who built their business first and then had a baby. With a full-time manual ready in place and a house manager and someone to cook them, do meal prep for them, right? I wanted someone who understood the real constraints of motherhood from day one, and that doesn't mean that mentor has to be identical to you in every way. They absolutely do not. But there should be enough alignment in your values and your lifestyle that their strategies will actually translate to your reality and. If you are investing in a high ticket mentor or mastermind, make sure you're not just buying into impressive revenue numbers or flashy marketing. Make sure you're buying into a business model and lifestyle that you actually want to emulate. Okay. The second thing are, there are three questions that I ask myself before any investment that I make. So before I make any business investment right now, I run it through three very highly specific filters that have saved me from so many bad decisions. Okay, so the first one is, what specific gap will this fill in my business right now? Notice I said that right now, right? Not, not three months from now. Not in some ideal future scenario. Does investment address an actual specific challenge that I'm facing? In my business today. So for example, when I was thinking about how to structure my podcast and how to launch my podcast, right? To make it more strategic for business growth, I invested in a program specifically about podcast strategy. So it wasn't a random, oh, this looks so cool, maybe I should have a podcast. It was addressing a specific gap that I'd identified. And so same thing, like for example, like I, I would love to have a YouTube channel. I know right now with my bandwidth and with what's going on in my life and, and just. A lot of different factors, it's probably not going to happen. And so I'm not gonna start investing in YouTube programs for the one day when I might want to start a YouTube channel. Okay? When I'm ready to, I will look for the right place, the right program, the right person to learn from. And I'll buy from them, right? The second one is, do I have the actual bandwidth Start implementing this within the next 30 to 90 days? And this one is huge for us moms. Okay? You have to be brutally honest about your current capacity, right? Look at your calendar, look at your family commitments. Look at your energy levels. If, if you can't see exactly when and how you're gonna implement this in the next 30 to 90 days, it's probably not the right time. And I've learned this the hard way'cause I used to buy things thinking, oh yeah, that's a big, it's a big, big job, but I'll get to it. When things slow down, newsflash things never slow down. When you have kids, they literally never do. In fact, they only speed up. I can tell you from experience as a mother of a nine month old to a 15-year-old. Every year goes by faster. Every week goes by faster. Every day goes by faster, right? So now I make sure I have a specific implementation plan before I buy or I know exactly how I'm going to use the container. So if it's a mastermind, for example, it may not be a one strategy that works, but I might have an idea of like, I want to fill my Mastermind. How are you gonna help me do that? And I'll speak to the mentor about that. I'll be like, you know what's, what's your method? Or maybe I already have learned their method and I want just their personal eyes on, on my stuff, right? So. It's going to be like very, very applicable to where I currently am. And and I have to know like that the thing that they do is something that I actually can implement, that I have the capacity to do it, whether in time, money, team, whatever it is. The third is, is this aligned with my long-term business vision or is it just a shiny distraction? Okay, so every investment that you make should move you closer to your bigger vision and not pull you in random directions. And I get messages like, oh, should I start a podcast or should I, I dunno, get on TikTok. And my response is always, does that platform, does that strategy align with your overall business direction? So for example, when I invested in that$20,000 coaching program that I mentioned earlier, it was not a spontaneous decision. I mean, I made the decision very, very quickly, but it perfectly aligned with my existing goal of scaling beyond one-to-one services and selling high ticket. While working less with a new baby at home without having to get on sales calls and running every potential investment through these three filters has dramatically increased my ROI because I'm not wasting money on things that don't fit my current reality or my long-term vision. Okay, so now let's talk about how to get more value from investments you've already made, because chances are you're sitting on gold mines that you're not fully utilizing. So the first big mindset shift that changed everything for me was you do not need to implement a hundred percent of a program to get a massive ROI. Okay. And I used to feel so guilty about not completing every single module or watching every single bonus of every program that I bought, but I realized if I get, if I buy a course for$500 and I get one strategy from that course that makes me 5K, who cares if I only went through 20% of the material? It's the 80 20 rule. If 20% of the material is gonna gimme 80% of the results, I'm fine with that. Okay? So now I approach every program or container with the goal of finding just one valuable insider strategy. I can implement immediately and find a return on investment in some way. And this takes so much pressure off and actually makes me more likely to take action, right? So for example, I once bought a course on. It was on Instagram, like Instagram content, right? And and I, and I just glanced through. I didn't even watch the whole thing. But I did get a, I did get a whole bunch of really great hook ideas that I implemented with my subject lines and my subject line. Open rates jumped up. And that alone was worth the investment, even though I never finished the full entire course and I didn't do all the pieces. But like even just those things, even when I go back and look at those hooks and I think of like, oh, what's a great hook I can use for this particular Instagram post? I've already made my money back. Okay. Because I'm getting more and more people looking at my, at my posts. So I just think that's just a really important to thing to think about. Like, why do you feel that You must, must, must watch every single minute of every single video and download every single PDF. You don't, okay? The most important thing is that you get what you need outta the program, whatever that is. The second shift, is lean all the way into coaching and support. And this is especially important in high touch programs like Masterminds or group coaching. If you've invested in a container that includes access to a coach, use it. Use it for the love of God. Okay? This is the biggest mistake that I see people make. They pay for coaching and they never actually get coached, right? And I, when I was in my longest, my longest term mastermind that I was ever in, there would be periods where I would like turtle, I would go into my little shell and I wouldn't say anything to the coach for a while and she'd be like, and, and then I would come back and be like, well, here's everything that's go, that's been going on. And she's like, I can't even track along with that because like, so it just happened while you've been like hibernating, right? And like, now you have to catch me up. It's gonna take some time to catch me up. So what I learned was to keep them. Like up to date on what was going on with me, even when I wasn't moving forward necessarily. Because that at least kept them, like, kept what I was going through at the moment, top of mind for them. And then I was able to then come in and be like, okay, now I'm having this issue, or now I have this question. And they had the context to give me feedback. So in my own experience, I've seen the biggest ROI when I show up to every call that I possibly can, right when I ask questions, even if they feel stupid. Quotes, if I request feedback, if I, if I'm entitled to feedback, I'll request feedback on projects, submit my work for review. And especially engage with the community. So when I joined that 20 K program, I was in every single call I posted in the group on a regular basis. I submitted everything for review. I. No wonder I got such a massive return, right? I extracted every ounce of value possible, and the people I connected with in that program, a lot of them are still friends till today, I made such incredible, incredible connections with some of the most quality, quality humans in that program that I consider that pretty much like worth the entire investment. Okay. And. This is also exactly what I tell my own mastermind clients, right? Use me, use the container, get on the calls, submit your work for review, ask questions. In Slack, the clients who get the biggest results are never the ones who, in quotes, figure it out on their own, right? They're the ones who fully utilize the support that they've paid for. Like here's a very, very like recent example. Yesterday we have, we have, biweekly. We have two coaching calls per month in the C on Mastermind. We have one coworking call. We just get on, get work done, or, just maybe they'll get coached if people have any questions. Like, it's like just a free for all sort of call where you like, basically sit down and use that time to get work done or get feedback or do some round table brainstorming. And then we have one pod funnel call every month and yesterday was our coworking call. And one, only one client showed up to that coworking call. At the beginning. Then another one came in a little bit later. But she came in, right? And it's my client, Katie. She's incredible. She's speaking at the Midwest Digital Marketing Conference soon. And she was like, oh, I was just wondering if you have any ideas for. I was thinking about like what to send people to, like what, what, what, what free offer to send people to, what kind of funnel I should put, we literally, in Zoom right there, I pulled up a whiteboard ma, we mapped out her speaker funnel. Very, very, very aligned. The last funnel we mapped out together has a 50% conversion rate all the way through. Okay. So we have, we have good, we have a good track record here. We mapped out her speaker funnel. She downloaded the PDF. Voila. There she, there we go. She, she has a speaker funnel that she could, she's, we literally took stuff that she already had, or she was a masterclass that she already wanted to deliver, but she didn't have like, the kind of motivation to like, put it out there. And she goes, okay, now I have motivation to record this because I'm gonna stick it in this funnel. Which, feels the most aligned thing possible for her and for what she's talking about at the conference. And so she came onto that coworking call, like, oh, I'm not really sure what I'm gonna ask. I mean, I had, I had some thoughts about this, like I'll just throw some things around and walked away with a funnel mapped out. Okay. So use the freaking container that you, you're paying for. Okay. That is so, so, so important. So last thing that I like to talk about is systems for implementation, right? The final piece of getting consistent ROI on your investments is having systems in place to ensure that you implement. Because I am, honestly, I am so great at starting things, not great at finishing them. Implementation is where most of us fall short. I love learning stuff. Not great at implementing the stuff unless I have some sort of reason to, some level of accountability. So. I like to have some sort of accountability partner, so what, either I look for a buddy in the new program that I joined, or I just like, will go to my, my friend Monica, and I'll be like, here's the thing I just joined and I really need you to hold me, hold me accountable to this. I actually was about to join a webinar program recently, and then I was like, you know what? I'm not focusing on webinars right now. Right now I'm focusing on my pod funnel, for example. And so I was like. If I do, if I join this, this is just gonna be a shiny object. This is not going to move me closer to my goal, so I'm not gonna join it. And I talking it out with her helped me make that decision. So, having some sort of accountability partner to to like hold me to what I say I'm going to do is crucial. And finally, I use the, I use AI a lot. Like I've been using chat GPTA lot to be like, well, here's what I wanna do. Help me map this into my, my, my week, my day to day. Help me create a project plan for this. Help me create a priorities list for this. What can I delegate to my assistant? I will literally just brainstorm back and forth with it to help me like literally figure out exactly how I'm gonna fit this implementation piece into my existing life. So I highly recommend using it as a sort of, like shooting back and forth brainstorm partner because it is so powerful that way. It is so powerful. It will just take all the information you give it and be like, okay, well here's what you can do. And I'll be like, yes, but I have this limitation. Okay, fine. Now let's work around that limitation. It's, it's, it's a little bit mechanical. It doesn't always work a hundred percent, but it really, really helps me figure out like, where am I not seeing things right? Where am I missing something? May maybe, maybe I'm just too close to my own schedule to understand where I can fit things in. And so I will literally just go to AI and I'll be like, well help, let's help me figure this out. I have X amount of hours to work every day. I'm already doing X, Y, and Z, and this is how long it takes me. So how can I implement this? Where can I fit it in? What can I outsource, et cetera. And the last thing is I use the one thing method. So at the end of every training or call or whatever, I'll write down the one thing that I plan to implement from what I just learned, right? Not five things, not 10 things, just one, right? And this is very hard for me to do because I love ideas and I love having ideas. But one thing will make implementation manageable, especially with the limited time blocks that we have as moms. So these systems, right? Having an accountability partner, having using AI to help me fit implementation to my schedule. Using the one thing method, they ensure that the good intentions actually translate into action, which is where the real ROI happens. Okay, so let's wrap this up because I like to give you value and I also like to respect your time. So let's wrap this up with the key points to remember from today's episode. Okay. First of all, be incredibly intentional about who you learn from. Okay? Learn skills from anyone, but only invest in mentors whose lives and business models you actually want to emulate and whose values you can actually align with. The second thing is run every potential investment through, through these three filters, right? Does it fill a specific gap right now? Do you have the bandwidth to implement it? Soon. And does it align with my learn long-term vision? Third, you don't need to implement a hundred percent of our program to get a massive RO. I focus on finding and implanting just one valuable insight that's gonna give you the biggest bang for your buck rather than perfect consumption. No one's gonna give you a failing grade if you don't consume everything. Okay? Fourth, lean all the way into coaching and support and use every aspect that you can of the containers that you're in. And that is where the real value is. And like I said, even the network. Is a value that is underestimated. Okay, and finally, put systems in place to ensure the implementation actually happens. Schedule it, track it. Get accountability for it. Remember, the most expensive investment is the one that you make and never implement no matter how affordable it seems at the time. And the most valuable investment is often not the one with the fanciest marketing or the biggest promises or the biggest investment, but the one that actually fits your life and business as it exists today. So listen, your time and money. Are too precious to waste on investments that don't move the needle for you. All right? Your time can be better spent with your family. Your money can better spent on your family or yourself. So use this. Framework that I've given you to make sure that every investment you make pays off in real tangible results. And if you're looking for a high touch container where I personally ensure that you get a massive ROI on your investment, I would love to invite you to check out my CEO Mom Mastermind. Okay. Inside the Mastermind, I'll work with you to create custom strategies for your unique situation, alright? Not generic advice that ignores your reality as a mom. Like, I don't know, like wake up at 5:00 AM and get work done. Which some moms do. I'm very happy for them. I'm not a morning person, right? Or just, I don't know. This morning routine is what you need. You need an hour of journaling every day or. You need to hire a team for the million dollar business that you wanna have, right? We're not gonna go. We don't go there. Okay? You'll get the most specific customized feedback on every single thing that you do in the Mastermind, we focus on moms who are currently booked outta their one-to-one, and we help'em build leverage offers. We help'em build minimalist marketing strategies and systems that create profitability and also presence. With your family, which to me is the most important thing. And I currently have six spots available before the investment goes up. And I would love to support you in creating your own version of a leveraged multiple six figure business that does not require sacrificing your family time, your energy, your mental space. So just shoot your application through and I will send you a custom loom video mapping out exactly where I see you could get a return on investment. With the Mastermind, exactly what we would work on in the next 90 days to 12 months to make sure that happens. Okay, so that is what I'm offering in April. And if this episode gave you some insights about getting better ROI and investments you've already made, I would love to hear about it. So take a screenshot while you're listening, share on Instagram and tag me to let me know your biggest takeaway. Alright, I'll see you in the next one and I hope to see you and your application in my inbox soon because I know, I know that if you are a burnt out mom and you are ready to just take what you already have and use it to make more money, the Mastermind is the perfect place for you. Okay? So if that feels like you, if you're like, yes, you know me maybe you feel like you're, the business that you built just does not align with where you are right now and you don't really know how to change it or fix it. This is what we can do together, okay? So just shoot your application through. This is your next step, okay? Not someday, not when the kids are older. If you are booked out of your one-to-one, or you don't want to bring on any more one-to-one clients, you wanna leverage the, your ip, the time that you have, your existing offers, or maybe you wanna create offers that leverage your expertise. If your business has outgrown your current model, alright, apply for the CEO Mom Mastermind. I will send you a personalized loom outlining exactly how we will restructure your strategy for sustainable growth as a mother with your current life reality. No guesswork, no fluff, just real results. How are you gonna get an ROI? Exactly what I can see for you to take action on in the next 90 days and the next 12 months. What we would do together to get you to where you wanna go. So what you're hearing on this podcast, this is just a taste of how we coach, strategize, problem solve together inside the CEO My Mastermind. I am real with you. I'm not gonna hold back. I do not pull punches and I'm gonna be very, very transparent, right? And if this helped you think differently, imagine what we could do with your business on a Zoom call with me knowing your business literally all up in your business. That is the power of being inside the CEO my Mastermind. And that is what I want for you. So get that application through and I can't wait to see it. I can't thank you enough for listening to Raising Your Business. I hope this episode has inspired you to take another step towards building a business and life that you love and growing your income in a way that works for you and your family. If you enjoyed this episode, please take a second to rate and review and let's connect on Instagram. Screenshot and share it on Instagram stories so we can get the word out to more mom business owners like you. Tag me at theelbendahan and share your biggest breakthrough from today. See you next week.