[00:00:00] Welcome to the Casey Cease Show. Casey is your entrepreneurial guide. Dive into weekly insights that blend inspiration with practical strategies to grow your business with integrity. From boosting sales to building strong relationships, Casey shares the essentials to help both your venture and personal dreams flourish.
Ready to elevate your entrepreneurial journey? Let’s dive in.
Casey Cease: Hey everybody. Welcome back for another episode of the Casey Cease Show. I have a great friend of mine here today, Liana Ling joining me. She is the owner and CEO and boss lady of several different things, ad skills, her own marketing agency, and she’s working on tons of projects. She and I have some stuff cooking as well.
And so, I wanted to bring on the show. And Leanna, I’ll let you introduce yourself, I’m not going to do it justice, but I love your story. I love you, we always have a great time together. So why don’t you share a little bit about yourself?
Liana Ling: Sure. Great to be here. I’ll share with you [00:01:00] what I think most people don’t share about themselves when they talk about them. I’ll give you a couple, just a few different tidbits.
So first of all, I started off my professional life as a litigation and corporate lawyer. So yes, I’ve been in the court. Yes, I have made grown men cry and I’ve kicked families out of their houses and all the lovely things like that.
When I was a lawyer. also I am Canadian, which may or may not endear me to you and your listeners if the lawyer thing didn’t scare people away.
Casey Cease: Yeah. A Canadian lawyer. Yeah.
Liana Ling: And two other facts that I think a lot of people tend not to know about me is I actually studied and played the harp, the concert harp for eight years. And my teacher at some point for a couple of years was the lead harpist in the Toronto symphony orchestra. And I was going to go, that was one of the routes I was supposed to go on, you know, in terms of career wise as a musician.
And the last thing is I love escape rooms and I love that Toronto has a ton of escape rooms and my husband and I have been known to go on vacation just to go to escape rooms, that’s how [00:02:00] much we love them.
Casey Cease: That doesn’t surprise me one bit. I just had a curiosity when you do an escape room who takes point on that project?
Liana Ling: You know, that’s a really interesting question, I think it depends. One thing I’ve learned about escape rooms is it really does bring out your communication style. And I actually do like to play with strangers because we’ll be like, okay, like you do this, isn’t this, we don’t do it as much anymore, cause after the whole pandemic thing, it’s all close.
Everything’s private now, but it depends because if I know it’s a type that is not my strength, then he goes first. If it’s a regular one, I’m more vocal, but he’s like running around.
So we’ve got, you just kind of figure out what your strengths are, but I have found that the main thing, like in a busy kitchen, if anybody here has worked in a kitchen, it’s you can’t be quiet. Like if you’re too quiet, then things are not happening. You have to be like, Oh, there’s a lock over here. Oh my gosh, I found this and double a triple checking everything.
And that’s why I love it, like I’m having fun going through the escape room. I’m having fun with the problem solving. And I’m also literally thinking, Oh, this is how I can [00:03:00] make like my team more efficient or we can do this just cause I’m learning so much of how everybody interacts in an escape room.
And I’m not that pleasant actually in an escape room, my daughter will
Casey Cease: Who has time? Who has time to be pleasant in an escape
Liana Ling: That’s right. Right? I’m like, so my kids don’t like to play with us cause I’m too aggressive.
Casey Cease: Yeah, I love it. My wife and I don’t play monopoly together because the similar reason,
I don’t. I’m very focused on my monopoly game, so we don’t play it. It’s just better for our marriage to
Liana Ling: out of our way!
Casey Cease: Yeah. Even with my kids, like I usually let my daughters win. Not a monopoly.
So it’s a weird thing. So
Liana Ling: Question for you about monopoly, since you’re a monopoly player. Do you find that monopoly is a good reflection of how people manage their finances and their business
Casey Cease: Yeah, I mean, my wife is far more reserved and cautious and I’m buying up all the corners beforehand because I see the opportunities. I have gone bankrupt far more times in [00:04:00] monopoly than she has. But I’ve bought so many properties, I can leverage them to the bank and then, keep going.
And so, it always frustrates them when they’re like, aha, dad’s out of money, I’m leverage. And they’re like, you’re going into debt. And I’m like, it’s monopoly, you know, but get after it. And I’ll come back and win some of the times. I lose occasionally, but you know, yeah, I mean, if you just providentially roll on go to jail too many times, you’re kind of stuck.
So there you go. But yeah, there is, I
Liana Ling: like in real life.
Casey Cease: Yeah. And some people are kind of opposite. They might be conservative, pretty reserved in real life, but real aggressive playing because, you know, it’s kind of like when you play cards with friends for dollars, as opposed to like M and M’s, right? People tend to have a different practices, but yeah, I think there’s some direct correlation, interesting question there, Liana.
So talk to us a little bit about your now I mean, I learned a lot of my ad buying skills, especially on Facebook and Instagram from you. Why don’t you share how you went from being a corporate [00:05:00] litigator to now the owner of a marketing agency, advertising agency of ad skills and entrepreneur walk us through that, transition.
Liana Ling: Sure. Yeah. So first of all, I was in a law firm and I think that’s important to notice because a lot of my decisions have been made around the type of life that I want, the type of life that I desire and want to design. So I was you know, I started off life in a small firm, which means like with almost anything, probably it’s like a ton of work.
You literally sleep there, you know, and you put in your dues that way. I then went to in house counsel and after I’d been practicing law full time for about, I think it was like eight or nine years, I got restructured. So I had just come back recently from mat leave for the second time, that’s a whole other story.
I’m not leaving in that type of environment, but yeah, and I found out that I was restructured. It was also really good lesson for me in terms of politics. So that was the thing where I, I thought, you know what? Like I’m done with politics, like I’m not good at playing the game.
Because my [00:06:00] emotional quotient isn’t that high, and I’m always working on that and I just don’t enjoy it. Right? Like I’m just very like, in your face, just like say what I mean. I don’t have time for all these games. And that’s one thing that I learned through all of that.
So I got restructured and you know, if anybody’s watching this and you had a career and you got restructured or you got fired or some way, I mean, I was really wrapped up in that identity of me as a lawyer.
So it really threw me for a loop because I didn’t know who I was anymore. Right? I was always, The lawyer, right? That’s how your parents introduce you, that’s who you are. But you know, I think like a lot of people where they had something happened to them that way it was a milestone moment, right?
It really changed the way that I saw myself. And so, I did eventually become an entrepreneur because you know, my dad was like, you have to make your own luck. You know, all that stuff, that’s true. And you just have to keep putting yourself out there. You know, I went through the, I’m staying in bed all the time to like, I don’t know where I’m going, what I’m going to do.
When you get restructured, at least when I did, they put you in this program with everybody else who got restructured, cause I guess they want to make sure you don’t like go crazy, [00:07:00] postal or something like that. And they walk you through your resume and all that stuff, and somebody was there was like, he was a matchmaker for franchises.
And that’s when I realized them and then going to listen to Chris Reiniger, who is an entrepreneur here in Canada, who was like, I think she’s the first woman who hit like a million in her private company in Canada, she Like, I’m a frustrated entrepreneur. That’s exactly what it was, I talked to some other people and I felt a franchise to me was the safest thing.
Proven system, you’re not alone, which is what I was terrified for cause I was like, what if I don’t know this? Whatever, they’re like, no, you just look, well, you can pay somebody to set up your appointments. You show up to the sales calls, you close the sales calls, you choose some of the suppliers and you just deliver. Right?
So it it sounds easy, it wasn’t, but it sounds pretty easy, but it is a pretty safe bet. Right? And that’s what I did, I bought a franchise, so I felt it was very safe for me.
I outgrew the franchise and that’s when you know, I kind of went through some of those, like, what am I doing? And, I say, I always blame David Schloss because I had found my way to New York. I wasn’t [00:08:00] living there, but I was doing a lot of work there with Lewis Schiff who Chris had actually introduced me to.
I was working, helping to run the Inc. Business Owners Council and some other stuff with him there. And we hired David Schloss to run ads, and he was like, Liana, why aren’t you running the ads? And I said, Oh, I don’t know if I’m good at this anymore, maybe I shouldn’t do this. And he said, you are good, you should be doing this and I said, well, I want to learn, like, I don’t feel like I’m equipped. Right?
And I want to learn from the best, and he said, have you heard of this guy named Justin Brooke? It’s like, no and he’s like, have you heard of Molly Pittman? I was like, yeah, of course, that was when she was coming out on the stage at digital marketer and everything. And I was like, who’s that? And he’s like, he trained her.
And I was like, really? And that’s when I saw they had a special signed up for that special. I got it under a scholarship because I asked for it. I saw you mentioned something I felt like, you know, if you don’t ask, you don’t get, and I’m in Canada. So any break on currency, I’ll take it. Right? Sign up for that, and I signed up because two things.
Number one, again, it had that [00:09:00] community. It had that phone a friend aspect. So I didn’t have to feel like I was alone. I had the confidence to be like, I can do anything, cause I like these guys back here. And it also gave me, I think it was like 30 or 60 days of direct messaging with Justin.
And that’s how it started, and I took advantage of every single thing I could in that program. And one of the things I did was at first I was afraid to message Justin. I was like, I don’t know what I’m going to ask him. And then he kind of got told us off by saying, nobody’s messaging me.
So I just started sending him screenshots of what I was doing and I had been working on a webinar with a lovely lady, Sally Hoy, who still runs Wonderled teaching. And she was doing a webinar for teachers and I was like doing when I was, you know, I picked up a couple of golden nuggets. I already knew how to run ads, but I picked up some tips, especially the five by three method and I was like running it.
And I sent a screenshot over to David Schloss. And I was like, is this good? He was like, that’s amazing I sent it over to Justin. I was like, would you see how I can improve? [00:10:00] He’s like, no, cause I was getting like 60 cent webinar registrations, you know?
And I sent him a couple more screenshots where I started to pick up more clients and showing him I was doing stuff and asking where I could improve. And he was like, no, you’re good. And that started this whole magical journey, cause before that I was nobody, I was literally nobody.
Casey Cease: I remember,
Liana Ling: in the sand.
Casey Cease: Yeah, I remember, you know, interacting with you on the ad skills communication channels and, you know, I bought my training in before the pandemic and you know, I started training and I got real serious about it after all that went down because my publishing company, I had a pivot and the, I mean, the phone of thing friend is a real deal.
I mean, with ad skills, being an ad skills pro, being able to go in there and Hey guys, I’m running this campaign, this is happening. I remember one time, one of my campaigns was disabled and you went in there with me and helped me navigate through that on a screen share, you hopped on. I mean, the value that is offered even to this day, I’m still [00:11:00] on the channels and I’m working with another one of your ad buyers on my team and that I tell him, go check with ad skills, it’s been huge, but watching, you know, I mean, we’ve known each other now almost four years and Yeah.
So, I mean, so you went from sitting all that in by the time I started engaging with you, you were a guardian there and meaning you’re offering help. You’re doing additional trainings.
How did that progress to where now you are the owner of AdSkills So walk us through that.
Liana Ling: Sure. I kept following my playbook, my playbook is I join two or three communities where I spend most of my time in. And over time I found that the best ones for me were paid communities.
So AdSkills is one of them, every single day, 15 minutes, I go in there and I see how, I don’t even say to people like how can you add value?
Because I’m also not going to do like what I call like a drive by post, you know, when you have these massive long posts and the person posts the same thing in every single group, and it’s just to like, basically show off, like, let’s be real, right? It’s basically to show off how [00:12:00] much you know.
So I actually went in and say, how can I be a really good community member today? And sometimes that’s asking better questions or helping people out or whatever. I did that every single day, almost every single day, I would say for 15 minutes. And it got to a point where people thought that I worked there because I kept showing up. Right?
But it doesn’t take that much time, I would just do it. Even when, you know, all communities have ups and downs, I still stayed with it. And I just want to say as a side that I’ve made some amazing friendships in there and collaborations, I’ve worked on campaigns that I thought I would never ever have a chance to work on, like dream campaigns, and if you want to talk about like just making money, like I’ve worked on several projects where I just teamed up with another media buyer and we served a client and it was like, that has never ever happened to me in any other group.
So I think a lot of us feel that way, so we feel like we want to give back. That’s why we’re so helpful to people. No, it’s not a cult, this is just like what we like to do, but that’s what happened. And then again, my playbook [00:13:00] is, how do I get noticed by you know, what Dennis you calls like lighthouses, you know, like people with a lot of influence.
I took advantage of the DM stuff that we have with Justin, in fact, I bought the same program twice just so I could pay for more time with him. Right? So I’ve invested thousands of dollars that way. And he, of course he started to notice me. And of course I talk about stuff online, out outside, like in Facebook and stuff and tag ad skills and make ad skills look good.
So of course, he’s going to start noticing me and then, you know, it just was like, well, she seems like she knows her stuff. Why doesn’t she show up to this one thing? And then another thing, cause the feedback was great. And at some point he said, Liana, you’re probably the only one who can deliver program at the standard that we’re comfortable with.
So he hired me to run the pro program, and he actually said Liana is going to be the new face of the pro program and pretty much that summer he shared with me and he said this publicly, so I don’t think I’m revealing anything that I shouldn’t, but he said he felt the time was right for him to move on, that he, not that he’s [00:14:00] doing a bad job, but he knows the potential of ad skills.
And as a CEO, he felt that he was actually standing in ad skills way, which is pretty wise of anybody, right? To know when they have to fire themselves, you and I’ve talked about this, right? When is it time to fire yourself?
So I think he felt it was time for him to fire himself as CEO, and I believe things are meant to be because I know he had talked to a couple of other people and they’d all had things just, for whatever reason, didn’t work out.
And it was a weird situation because it wasn’t the normal, you know, negotiate hard and, you know, all those tricks you do when you’re trying to take over a company. I just let it flow, I was just, you know what? If it’s meant to be, not to sound too woo, but it just felt that was the right thing to do in the situation.
It was a very relationship driven decision, because he knew that I had a soft spot in my heart for ad skills as well. And that was really important to him and Shauna is that somebody really love add skills, and I do, I feel like it’s my family.
David Klein says; it’s his country club, it’s like, don’t take his country club away. Right? Where am I going to hang with everybody? Right?
And so, that’s how it became and we [00:15:00] did it in a more gradual way instead of just like, boom, snap, you know, switch things over.
So, you know, we’re still in transition, changing things around and you know, each day, just trying to improve a little bit, a little bit more a little bit more, a little bit more on all the things.
And yeah, so that’s, kind of where it brings you, I guess, today where I’m at.
Casey Cease: So what, I mean, you also own a marketing agency, right? On top AdSkills right?
And so, tell us a little bit about your agency.
Liana Ling: Sure. By the way, I thought that was crucial, and one thing Justin told me was he said, I hadn’t run an ad in like two years or something like that. It was a long time, and I felt that if you’re going to be a part of AdSkills like I have to stay in the trenches. There’s no way I’m you and you can’t keep me out. You know that Casey, right?
So, I love to test and share about it and you know, with my agency I’ve, done all the wrong things and the right things, , so I’m sure a lot of us have. And you know, I have tons of clients and I have these dreams of having that beautiful office you see in the movies in Manhattan or [00:16:00] somewhere, and then I was like, nope, don’t want that.
And so, I really find it, it took me a while, but I actually refined it to only working with my ideal clients, which sounds like a dream, but it’s absolutely true. It took me a while, like I fired a client, I waited some clients out till they just like quit. And I, was just left with working with clients I adore and it’s been night and day for me.
So, because I do want to limit my time right now, I do have like a handful of clients I work with and I’ll take on projects where like, I just took one on recently, because I just adore the people involved in it.
It sounds like it’s going to be so much fun, it sounds like I’m going to learn a lot from it and then I can actually help make a difference in the world, and like it ticks all the boxes.
So of course, let’s do that, like, let’s try this out, and I’m just excited to be able to say that about all of my clients. But you know, if I’m going to be very open here, you know, I think it’s very much of a lifestyle business right now because I just didn’t want to build it into something that I wanted to sell.
I may want to do that one day, but it’s still possible, especially with all the way I’m automating everything. [00:17:00] But Yeah. like right now it’s more like, you know, keeping my foot in the trenches, being able to test and just my way of staying grounded. Really?
Casey Cease: Yeah. I mean, cause you, you’re having increased opportunities to speak and you’re being asked into all these different circles and to bring all that, and you’re so generous and gracious with your time and expertise and helping people out.
And you know, I agree with you on, working with people who you want to work with right now. I know with a strategic coach, I talk a lot about that on here, but Dan Sullivan, who’s the founder says there’s four freedoms and entrepreneur wants freedom of time, freedom of money, freedom of relationships and freedom of purpose.
And if that freedom of relationships increasingly is more and more important as I age, that I want to work with wonderful people. I want to work with people who value themselves and value other people, right? Rather than the people who are just trying to get the cheapest thing.
And you’re talking about how you paid twice for ad skills, I mean, I’ve invested, I’ve never regretted investing in high ticket items for coaching [00:18:00] environments, networking, masterminds, courses that I believe that if I had that knowledge that I would be able to not just make more money, right, but to add a ton of value to others, but also gain a ton of value.
And that’s the thing you and I have been exploring as well as, with our unique skill sets and helping business owners grow and scale their businesses is really focusing on working with people who value the expertise of others and would rather grow together.
Ready to skyrocket your business and truly connect with your audience on a whole new level. Unleash the power of your story with Lucid Books. Imagine transforming your insights and experiences into a captivating book that not only cements your status as a thought leader, but also weaves a strong bond with your ideal clients at lucid books.
We’re more than a publishing house. We’re your creative partners on a journey to turn your wisdom into a masterpiece that speaks directly to the hearts and minds of your audience. Join forces with us and let’s embark on this [00:19:00] incredible adventure together. Your story has the power to inspire, engage, and elevate.
Are you ready to share it with the world?
Casey Cease: so you have corporate lawyer over here, you know, making grown men cry in one area to the timid, insecure ad buyer who the experts are telling you like, no, you got this to now owning AdSkills and working with premium clients that you want to, what’s coming down the pipeline for you.
What do you feel like is next?
Liana Ling: Oh, wow. Yeah. No, I’m really excited with what actually is going to happen soon because I have discovered just again, just through time how I work best and I work best with entrepreneurs, business owners who are not just visionary, but it’s almost like they see themselves as being the premium or the elite and cause they think differently. Right?
I mean, I do have programs where we help beginners, but where I spend my time, like [00:20:00] almost like my inner circle time is with you in our mastermind you know, and with another mastermind, I didn’t to where everybody is.
I always want to be in a room where people are, like they’re playing at a higher level than I am. Right? Because I know that means I’m in the right room and that’s really where I love to spend my time because I know I can add value as well as receive value back.
So, I’m working on creating more of those groups that we can do that with. And the other thing I noticed too, is like, I work really well with people at a very deep level too, which doesn’t always work with all of the, you know, like the lower ticket kind of bigger volume people out there.
It does work to some extent, but I do my really good work, which I think people still haven’t seen much of that yet. In a more intimate kind of deeper level.
So, I’m actually launching as skills apprentice, which is basically think about if you could be an apprentice to like the top agency and media buyers in the world for a year, what would that look like [00:21:00] where you just have a phone a friend, you almost have like a board of advisors, which would include Casey and myself where you can, you know, like ask any questions and we’re like there to guide you.
And we’re also there to do a lot of tough love where it’s like, nope, like watch out over here. Like we see the train coming and you don’t, you know, we kind of help you in it with that there because I see that’s missing in the market with a lot of things. And instead, I’ve been doing, I think I’ve been doing a disservice to the world because I’ve been doing that privately and just very quietly.
And I realize now that it is a disservice because it more people need that, especially just, I’ve been getting more and more DM’s from people about how tough the years have been, and I was like, Oh man, if they’d only just done this or this, you know, we could have probably helped them turn things around.
And I really like how it really inspired me with Kevin nations. He’s one of my mentors and, you know, one thing he talks about is doing the opposite from what everybody else is doing.
So in the winter, when everybody else is storing up food and saving and saving and saving, you know, he’s like, no, we’re dominating, like [00:22:00] we’re making moves. We are moving forward and then when the spring comes and everybody else comes out and like, you know, rubs their eyes and be like, Oh, it’s spring here. We’re already there. Right?
Like we’ve already, you know, we’re not waiting around because we were doing all the hard work during the winter when everybody else was sleeping, for example. And this just is what gets me really excited. Not just do it for my own businesses, but to help others do that as well, because
Casey Cease: I mean, to that point, I remember doing marriage counseling, Stephanie and I would meet with couples, either premarital counselor counseling or marriage. And I remember, like, it helped having that reflection of like, oh, man, I do that also. Or, Hey, look, if you guys keep this up, this is what’s going to happen.
And then on the business coaching side, when I’m sitting with some owners who are dealing with some significant issues and helping bring a dynamic different thing, ’cause there’s something about a third party coming in who has experience, who’s been around a lot of different things. That is not as emotionally connected as you are to it.
I always tell [00:23:00] people they’re like, Casey, why you’re a coach? Why do you need coaches? Or, you know, why do you being a mastermind? I’m like, because it’s like, let’s say I’m a surgeon and you’re a surgeon and I need an appendectomy. I’m not going to perform my own appendectomy. I’m going to ask you a colleague to look inside my
Liana Ling: Well tell them what happened with us. I
Casey Cease: Yeah. Yeah.
Liana Ling: Not going to go into all the details, but you kind of did that for me, right?
Casey Cease: I mean, I think part of that is right, really just, I mean, you’re a brilliant person. You have a lot going on, but you’re also navigating different dynamics and different situations that you have to think through and explore. And you have the relational consideration., There comes a point where getting a third party perspective of all the needs that you’re needing to balance relationally, ethically, financially and being able to knock through that and then just have permission to like, go break some stuff.
I mean, I remember you were working on landing pages. I don’t know if you know this, but you can be a bit of a perfectionist if you’re not quite aware of [00:24:00] that. And I know you are, but you know, I mean, finally, I just tell people, go break some stuff, just go break it and see what happens.
And sometimes you need that, other times you need people to say, Hey, it’s okay to slow down. Sometimes you need to hear someone that’s maybe a little further along than you saying, I don’t really know, let’s figure it out. But all
Liana Ling: It was upside down, like you nailed it. Like I think within two sentences, you were like, wait a minute, stop. The whole situation is upside down, this is not real life when I thought it was,
Casey Cease: Well, cause we make up stories in our mind and then we lead into those stories and unless someone outside can say, Hey, the way you’re viewing it, it’s actually backwards in this dynamic, this dynamic is actually the other way around.
And so, you know, I think as each of us navigates the next level, I mean, I know I’m premature white here.
I asked a kid one time, Hey, how old do you think I am? And he’s like 50, and that was like two years ago I was 43 you know, and I was like no, I just, it comes honestly in my family. Like I premature white, but I also, I was talking to a younger [00:25:00] entrepreneur and I’m like, I’m the old guy. I remember thinking, talking to the old guys and I’m like, now I’m the old guy.
And I was, I’m pumped about that, it’s kind of like when I was pastoring full time, if I started getting some gray hair people, are you going to die that I’m like, I’m not like these other pastors. I want people like, take me for real for, you know, like seriously. And age and wisdom does that.
But I think really, the dynamic of investing in yourself, like I always love the opportunity when I’m able to investigate in a new group with people to learn and to grow. I mean, even in our mastermind, I don’t leave, I learned different things, but also, I mean, we’ve got members in there that are just up to date on tech.
They are trying different things, we have people that are experts in their field that are throwing things out. But yeah, I mean, Liana, I don’t know about you. I think there is this feeling or sense that maybe you have to do it the hard way all the time, even as we progress and get more and more successful, ’cause like for instance, you said you had access to Justin Brook, you paid to be able to message the [00:26:00] guy and he had to come in and chew all you guys out because you weren’t mess, you weren’t you leveraging what you had.
And I think in my brain sometimes I’m like, it’s not fair if it’s too easy when really it’s hey, there’s sacrifice, whether it’s time or money. And we’re getting to a place in our career where we’d rather invest financially to get there quicker and then combine it with the who not how and say, you know what, I might be able to figure it out on my own, but if we do a joint venture together, we might be able to build something up quicker that actually helps more people and accomplishes our goals.
So, you’re one of the most collaborative people I know, I remember reaching out to you saying like, Hey, maybe we can chat. And you’re like, Hey, even better, why don’t you come join our mastermind and be a part of what we’re doing here?
So, you know, as you’re unpacking more of this, like who’s an ideal fit to come into some of these, new
Liana Ling: With us, right?
Casey Cease: with us.
Liana Ling: Yeah. Oh, by the way, I didn’t tell you.
So I’m telling you this live, I didn’t tell you this, but I took your advice today and it all became a total non issue. I did exactly what you [00:27:00] said and I didn’t even have to go into all the other plan B’s and C’s that you and I talked about.
I just like did whatever Casey told me to do guys and it was a non issue, absolute non issue.
Casey Cease: Yeah. And I think, yeah, I mean, but also like the reality is, Hey, if you want to know how to be a good client for anybody, right?
My favorite, I don’t know about you, Liana is when I get clients who were like, I don’t know anything about marketing, I need you to handle marketing and then you start handling marketing. They’re like, I don’t like your marketing and same with coaching. It’s like, Hey, what should I do? And obviously you’re a grown person. You have to make your own decision, but also, if it makes sense, if it’s ethical and moral and goes along with your worldview. Do it, try it and test it out, right?
That’s the primary thing, because like my ideal clients are people that they value their time, they value my time. They see the value in experience. You know, I’m 45 years old, I started my first company and I was 13 as a DJ company. I was making 250 a night as a 14 year old DJing, you know, three or four nights a [00:28:00] month.
I mean, that’s big cat, I had literally the cash was in my mom’s boot in her closet. And it’s like, man, I remember burning out, I remember going to two different rigs doing two shows in a night and my other friends, I didn’t have SOP’s. I verbally told them what to do and it was a nightmare. Right?
So like, I’ve lived it way long time. So for you, I mean, it’s been a learning and growing experience for you. And as you transition even further of attracting those people who are coming into what we’re working on, who is it that you see us helping the most right now?
Liana Ling: So it’s not even, and I would actually flip that on the upside down. It’s not about helping the most, it’s about what are the type of people that get the best results? Cause yeah, we are going to help everybody, but some people get better results than others. And I have found over the years that the people who get the best results are the ones who are, as you said, they come with an open mind, cause sometimes we go into situations where like, Oh, I already know this, whatever, like, I’m not going to try anything. Right.
So, you have an open mind that you’re going to try new [00:29:00] things. And number two, you’re already pretty strong and have some expertise already. And what you’re trying to do is you’re trying to get stronger.
This is not for beginners, we have things specifically built for beginners because that’s a different way of learning and it’s a different track. This is by people who are already mature enough that they know that no, like now is my time to get stronger.
And I’m actually talking to more and more people, I’m working with more people who they actually said to me, you know what, Liana, I’m pretty strong, but I’ve always been behind the scenes. And I have this feeling that this is the year that I need to show up in the world more, I need to be out there in front, I need to be more the face of my business because that’s how I’m going to grow, and I just don’t know how to do it that way.
And I’ve been attracting more and more of these types of people, it’s very interesting phenomenon, it’s not necessarily the people who are already out there and you can see everything they’re doing. A lot of them are just coming and saying like, You’ve probably never heard of me.
And then you hear all the things they’re doing, which is for surpassing most of what [00:30:00] you read about what the more public people are doing. Right? And I was like, you’re like the best kept secret of the nation, like right here. And they want to be, you know, they know it’s their time.
They know it’s their time to step up, but they want the community, they don’t want to do it alone. They don’t want to, I always say, you know what, don’t make your own mistakes and just, you know, learn from ours because there’s going to be so many of them anyway. And, but those are the ones that we’re seeing to have like the best results from and seeing people who go the furthest. Oh,
Casey Cease: Yeah, I always tell people my shtick is what is it that you do? I say I help winners win more, that is kind of my stick of, and I’m not saying people are losers or I’m not making that adjudication, but if people are like, I know what I’m doing is working, but I know there’s more, I want more of it.
I want more in my family, I want more in my faith, I want more in my business. I want more meaning in what I’m doing. You know, I work a lot of folks who have made really good money and it’s not just the money. It’s more of a scorecard for them than getting another trinket or whatever. I [00:31:00] mean, entrepreneurs like, but it’s more of a grade for most of us.
Like, how am I doing? But really finding that what is winning look like now and how to do that. And I really feel that doing that in a context of community is most helpful for business owners and entrepreneurs and leaders.
And so, you know, I’ve kept you long enough, a little over 30 minutes now. Is there anything else that I should have asked you?
I’m going to have you back on the show, but is there anything else I should have asked you in this episode that I haven’t asked you yet?
Liana Ling: I think, you should have asked me what can we do to help you the most today?
What can I do to make day better?
Casey Cease: Can you make my day better? You’ve made it better. I think uh, yeah I mean, you, you have, been a joy always to be here and where can people find you if they want to learn more about you or are interested in learning some, you know, ad buying or anything else, tell us about where they can
Liana Ling: Well, you can find me literally inside Ad Skills Membership. Casey can attest to this, I am in there every single day. So if I’m quiet out in the social media world, I am active inside of AdSkills.com [00:32:00] every single day inside of our membership there.
So go to AdSkills.com to find the core plus membership. You want to see where I am, I’m in the Slack group there every single day. And out there in the world, you can go find me, usually find me with my handle, the lead gen queen. Okay. And I’d be happy to bump into you on social media as well.
Casey Cease: Well, Liana, thanks so much for joining me today. And for those of you listening, thanks so much for stopping by, please like, and leave a review if you found this beneficial and feel free to share with friends until next time.
Thanks so much for coming by the Casey Cease show
That wraps up this episode of the Casey Cease Show. Make sure to visit our website, thekccshow. com, where you can subscribe to the show on iTunes, Spotify, or via RSS, so you’ll never miss a show. While you’re at it, if you found value in this show, we’d appreciate a rating on iTunes, or if you’d simply tell a friend about the show that would help us out too.
You might also want to check out our book for business consultation available at lucid books or double [00:33:00] your sales strategy session at planify agency. Be sure to tune in next week for our next episode.
Welcome to another episode of The Casey Cease Show, where stories of transformation and success take center stage. In this episode, the spotlight shines on Liana Ling, a remarkable individual whose professional journey is nothing short of inspiring. Once a litigation and corporate lawyer, Liana has masterfully pivoted her career to become a powerhouse in the marketing world. She’s not only the owner and CEO of a leading advertising agency but also deeply involved in multiple marketing projects and ad skills training.
From Courtroom Battles to Marketing Strategies
Liana’s story begins in the high-stress world of litigation. With her knack for making grown men cry in court and a fearless approach to her cases, it might seem surprising that she would leave such a successful career. However, Liana’s desire for change and a passion for marketing led her down a new path. But, what’s even more fascinating is how her background as a Canadian lawyer has shaped her approach to marketing and strategy.
A Passion for Escape Rooms and Problem Solving
One of the most captivating parts of our conversation was learning about Liana’s love for escape rooms. It’s a hobby that not only entertains but also sharpens her problem-solving skills—a critical asset in her current role. Her strategy in escape rooms mirrors her approach to marketing: analyze, strategize, and conquer. Liana’s insights into the parallels between escape room tactics and effective team management in the marketing world are intriguing and reveal the depth of her strategic thinking.
The Transition to Marketing Mastery
Liana walks us through her transformative journey from being completely immersed in the legal world to diving into the vast ocean of digital marketing. Her leap of faith into entrepreneurship and her relentless drive to succeed led her to establish a thriving marketing agency. Liana also delves into the challenges and learning curves she encountered along the way, providing valuable advice for anyone looking to make a career shift or uplift their marketing game.
The Power of Community in Marketing
A key theme in our discussion is the importance of community, both in learning and in growing a business. Liana’s involvement in marketing communities has played a pivotal role in her success, allowing her to connect, learn, and share with like-minded professionals. She underscores how being an active community member has opened doors to remarkable opportunities and has been instrumental in honing her skills as a marketer.
Listen to the Full Journey
Liana Ling’s journey is a testament to the power of transformation, perseverance, and strategic thinking. From tackling legal cases to mastering the art of digital marketing, her story is a source of inspiration for anyone looking to change paths or scale new heights in their professional lives.
For a deep dive into Liana Ling’s fascinating story, tips on making a successful career shift, and insights into the realm of digital marketing, make sure to tune into this episode of The Casey Cease Show. Her journey might just be the spark you need to embark on your own path to success.
AND MORE TOPICS COVERED IN THE FULL INTERVIEW!!! You can check that out and subscribe to YouTube.
If you want to know more about Liana Ling, you may reach out to her at:
- Website: https://adskills.com/
- Social Media Handle: theleadgenqueen
Other Resources:
- Website: https://thecaseyceaseshow.com/
- Books for Business Consultation: https://lucidbooks.com/
- Double Your Sales Strategy Session at https://planify.agency/
Listen On