All Episodes

The show is on break, but that's not preventing me from adding a bonus episode or two! It's no secret I love automation, and invariably those automations spill out into my personal life. I view the holidays as a great opportunity to flex some home automation muscles. Here's what I did, what I use, and some improvements. In the PRO show, I get into the gory details, share my shortcuts, and talk about Matter and the future of home automation. Show NotesBecome a PRO memberPhillips Hue Color BulbsPhillips Hue Play Color Smart LightsPhillips Hue GoPhillips Hue Light StripsMeros Smart PlugsMeros Outdoor Smart PlugWemo Smart Plug

It’s the time of the year were small business owners and creators have some extra time to tinker with (or fully redesign) their websites. I’m here with Copywriter Ame Proietti to tell you to skip the new design and focus on the copy instead. We get into what makes good copy, blog posts vs. sales copy, and we finish out with how to write good scripts. As you prepare for 2023, good copy will be at the heart of what you do thanks to Ame’s advice. Plus, in the Pro show, we broke down the sales page Ame wrote for me.Top Takeaways:Where blog posts are meant to share and educate, copywriting is meant to convince people to take an action. Ame calls it “assembling” words and sections in the best way for your target audienceTo get the best copy, you need to talk to customers. Ame recommends interviewing 3 customers and gathering testimonials to learn how you people and the language they use, which you can then mirror in your copy.Bringing in someone else can help you get the best results. They are objective and don’t know what you know. They’ll also the right questions and allow you to gain a better understanding of your offer too.Show Notes:Ame ProiettiAme on TwitterAme on LinkedinHow To Build a $1000/year Membership with Jay ClouseDon't Make Me ThinkJoin Creator CrewSponsored by: Ahrefs | TextExpander | LearnDash

It’s a good old fashioned podcast swap with Good People, Cool Things! I really enjoy this show, and the interview we have queued up for you is great.This is a conversation with Jessi Burg, who started Outgrow Your Garage so she could answer the questions and develop the resources for small business owners that she wished she had when starting out as a business owner. Some of the top highlights include how to overcome common struggles for business owners, the benefits of online courses, and why she encourages an airing of grievances among employees. Be sure to stick around until the end for a good question and a corny joke!In Build Something More, I give you a behind-the-scenes look on how this happened, and the future of the members-only part of this podcast (don’t worry. It’s not going away).Show NotesGood People, Cool ThingsWays to Grow Your Small Business with Jessi BurgPodcast Swaps Grew My Show by 21%Sponsored by: Ahrefs

How I Built Bits is back, and better than ever! The focus on the show moving forward will be highlighting helpful tools and processes for creators to run a better business. And I'm excited that the first episode is presented by Groundhogg.Groundhogg is an open-source CRM & Marketing Automation suite for serious agencies, small businesses, content creators, eCommerce experts, and WordPress professionals. Let's take a deep dive into what it is, how it works, and why it could be perfect for your creator business!Show NotesGet Groundhogg (20% off with code HOWIBUILTIT)Interview with Adrian Tobey

With the Podcast Liftoff Playbook out, and Jennifer Bourn’s Profitable Project Plan is open for enrollment right now, I thought it would be a great time to re-air her interview where she talks about running a cohort-based course, and how she built the PPP. I listened to it again as I was looking for inspiration and best practices to realize the Playbook fully. And let me tell you, this episode really holds up! For members, I talk about how my webinar → paid members sales to funnel went.Top Takeaways:Online courses are NOT passive income. If you want your course to be successful, you need to evolve it.Offering a PRO version was a big mistake for Jen because people bought the non-Pro version and tried to get the Pro benefits. The lesson has one offer OR makes the Pro benefits totally different.Running live workshop events are a great way to add accountability and more value to your self-paced courses. You're ensuring your students take action now, instead of procrastinating.Show Notes:Jennifer BournJennifer on TwitterProfitable Project PlanContent CampJennifer Bourn and Profitable Project PlanCompany of OneIntroduction to the Block Editor2021: The Year of OpportunityJoin the Creator CrewSponsored by: Nexcess | Ahrefs | LearnDash

In May, I was at a bit of a crossroads. I wasn't sure what I should do with the many things I was working on, and I felt like I was being pulled in too many directions. I couldn't focus on one thing to help take my business to the next level. So I decided to focus on Podcasting. The path from them to now lead me to cutting away a lot of projects (including projects I like doing), all in the service of growing my business. And the centerpiece: my brand new Podcast Liftoff Playbook. So today, we're getting back to the roots of the show, and I'm going to tell you how I built this hybrid membership/course site. Top Takeaways Think about what your MVP is. Don't spend too much time thinking of every possibility for a new project. You'll never launch. Instead, launch quickly, and get feedback. Don't answer questions people aren't asking. I could have added in a bunch of features I thought were cool, but they would have delayed launch, and frankly, as far as I knew, no one would use them. Spend more time marketing than building something new. Get in front of new audiences and explain the problem your new project solves for them. Show NotesSpecial offer on the PlaybookPlaybook WalkthroughPaidMembershipsProKadenceConvertKitSearchWPSponsored by: Nexcess | Ahrefs | LearnDash

We must make content to serve the almighty algorithm to make money on YouTube, right? Wrong! Over the last couple of weeks, you’ve heard from creators who are doing a video that works for them — and today’s guest is no different. Hannah Smolinski is a Fractional CFO who grew her YouTube channel to 38,000 subscribers and doesn’t pay attention to analytics. Instead, she answers questions her target audience has, is generous with her time and her knowledge, and knows it’s all about the long game, not getting rich quickly.Top Takeaways:Don’t make money for Adsense. It’s too unpredictable. Instead, create good content and get people to know, like, and trust you.Doing videos on free resources helps get people onto your list. From there, you can continue to provide value, promote new videos, and form relationships with potential customers.The beautiful thing about consulting and YouTube: it allows people to really warm up to you. Hannah says most of her calls are with people who are already ready to hire her thanks to YouTube.Show Notes:Hannah SmolinskiHannah on YouTubeHannah on FacebookHannah on InstagramHannah on LinkedinHannah on TiktokJoin the Creator CrewSponsored by: Nexcess | Ahrefs | LearnDash

It’s easy to think your content will get better if you just have the right gear. Alas, a $1000 camera can’t save you if you’re not spending time on the content. But that doesn’t mean you can’t look and sound good. So today brought in Dan Bennett, who’s built his business on making people look and sound great on camera. Spoiler alert: This almost never results in buying new gear. Instead, we talk about small tweaks you can make. Then we talk about the growing importance of videos for podcasting.Top Takeaways:Audio is king. If you can only upgrade one thing, make it audio. And remember that you don’t need the top-of-the-line mic. In fact, you can sound great on a $40 mic if you have the right technique and environment.Looking good doesn’t require an expensive camera. Lighting is a big part of it - get a few white lights and position them properly to give yourself the best possible picture for your camera to capture. Oh, and a little makeup to reduce your face shine goes a long way too.But really, it’s about story-telling and getting your reps in. You can’t make a good video if you don’t make video. So use the best of what you have and start recording!Show Notes:Dan Bennett on AntipreneurDan Bennett on 1 Minute MediaDan's WebsiteSony a6400 videoBlue YetiRiversideEnvato ElementsMotionarrayThe Secret to Finding YourselfJoin the Creator CrewSponsored by: Nexcess | TextExpander | LearnDash

If you’ve been listening for a while, you’ve heard this lesson 100 times: ship with what you have. Ship what you have. In other words, don’t waste time looking for the perfect tool or process. Instead, ship quickly and iterate. And no one embodies this credo better than Marie Poulin. As one of the best Notion instructors out there, Marie has illustrated time and time again that shipping early and iterating leads to success. We chat about how she uses Notion from delivering her course, gets feedback earlier, and leverages YouTube to grow her audience and make sales…around 90% of her sales come from there! Plus, in Build Something More, We chat about my potential switch from Airtable to Notion.Top Takeaways:Delivering her Notion course in Notion allows her to launch her course quickly without fussing with so many tools and allows her students a quick win by forcing them to log into Notion.Feedback is SO important. Too many people are afraid of it, but it will ultimately save you time and make your product better in the long run.Ship and iterate. Launching something imperfect is better than not shipping.Show Notes:Marie PoulinMarie on TwitterMarie on InstagramMarie on LinkedinNotion Skincare ThreadYou Need to Form Good Writing Habits with Dickie BushBuilding a Second BrainJoin the Creator CrewSponsored by: Nexcess | Ahrefs | LearnDash

How do you get the NY Times (or the WSJ) to publish your article? Do you just email them and hope for the best? Well…you can, but according to Stephanie Lee, you shouldn’t. See, Stephanie is a media strategist who’s been published in the NY Times, and has gotten her clients into publications like Entrepreneur…through cold pitching! She says the important thing for you is to build clout markers to show you are trustworthy. And today, she walks us through how to do that using her Slingshot method. Plus, we answer the question, “Will PR outreach make me rich?” In an extra long build something more, we chat conferences, World of Warcraft, and…Scranton? Like from The Office?Top Takeaways:Most people ignore this fundamental thing about the media: they work with people they can trust. Just like we buy from companies and brands we trust, the media needs to know you really know what you’re talking about. They are staking their reputation on it.You can build up trust by following the slingshot method. Don’t go for the NY Times at first. That’s like trying to pitch in the World Series. Instead, start with a trustworthy industry blog and build from there.When you are ready to pitch, do come out with the ask right away. Read an article and send a compliment. Open a dialog, then pitch what your article is about and why it’s important to write about today.Bonus: this, like everything good in life, takes time.Show Notes:Stephanie LeeStephanie on TwitterJoin the Creator CrewSponsored by: Nexcess | LearnDash

Most brands don’t care about your numbers! It’s true, and I’m not the only one who thinks so. Justin Moore knows a thing about brand deals. He’s done 500 himself, and over 1,000 through his agency. Today he teaches creators how to get paid brand deals through his cohort-based course, Brand Deal Wizard. And in today’s episode, we cover a lot, but it’s just the tip of the iceberg.Top TakeawaysYou need to be able to articulate why brands should pay you — and it’s not just about your numbers. Most brands want to pay me for access to your audience.There’s tremendous power for brands to be aligned with key voices in their industry.Don’t just put brands in a box that is your pre-defined offers. Get on a call (YES — get on a call), ask them what their goals are, and come up with offers that align with what they need.Show NotesJustin on TwitterCreator Wizard on YouTubeBrand Deal Wizard (Justin's Cohort-based Course)Creator Wizard NewsletterDon't be a Jealous CreatorJoin Creator CrewSponsored by: Nexcess | LearnDash

Starting a business has never been easier. We can now sign up for a free ConvertKit account, get a nice-looking landing page, and even start selling products in mere minutes. Because of that, it can be tempting to jump into “making” the business without thinking about why your business exists. According to Cara Chace, that is a recipe for disaster. Listen on to learn why. Plus, in Build Something More, Cara tells us about her previous career as a special agent.Top TakeawaysYou need to define why you’re doing what you’re doing. This will be the guide for your decision-making. And here’s an important tip: define success in a metric other than money.When you feel like you’re in the “messy middle” and don’t know what to do, create a brain dump of everything you’re doing in your business. Keep what you need and eliminate the rest. It helps to ask, “Would the CEO of my company be doing that 10 years from now?”Don’t rely on someone else’s playbook for your own business because they usually have a WOW factor that you don’t have yet.Show Notes:Cara ChaseCara on InstagramCara on PinterestHow You Can Do $10,000/Hr WorkJoin the Creator CrewSponsored by: Nexcess | TextExpander | LearnDash

“Get a real job.” “If you’re going to start a business, you need to grow.” “Hustle.” If you’re starting a business, you’ve probably heard this “advice.” You’ve also probably heard that you need to do exactly what someone else did. But all of that is poison to our creator businesses. And Dr. Shante Cofield has the antidote: Moar You. If you want to know the importance of values-based marketing, how to be vulnerable enough to grow, and the seasonality of life, this episode is for you. My conversation with Shante is real — and it’s important for anyone who works for themselves to hear.Top Takeaways:On imposter syndrome: We need to get objective and trust the data. It’s easy to get down on yourself, not want to brag and feel like you’re not the real deal. But you need to listen to what people are telling you. If you help them, you are helpful.It’s easy to want to talk implementation of your new business or content because that’s concrete. But you need to define your values first. Without values, you are directionless.On values: value-based marketing is not shouting your opinion on Twitter. Values are verbs. They are things you do, vs. the things they say. They are how you build your best life, and they need to be at the core of your business.Show Notes:Shante CofieldShante on InstagramThe Bridge Framework by Chris LemaJoin the Creator CrewSponsored by: Nexcess | LearnDash

Perhaps it’s fitting that today’s interview is a play in 3 acts. After all, I’m talking to Melanie Deziel, speaker, author, and founder of Story Fuel. It makes sense that we talk about creating good content in 3 acts: idea generation, brand deals, and coming up with headlines. This discussion is completely packed with fantastic advice to help up your content creation game.Top Takeaways:When it comes to content, we often focus too much on the format, and not the actual message. instead, determine what you’re saying first. Then figure out how to best say it. The “how” drives the format and where you’ll publish.Brand-sponsored content is being created in collaboration with or on behalf of a brand that wouldn’t be created otherwise. They are leveraging your trust, so find overlap between what the brand wants to say and what your audience wants to hear.When writing headlines, remember they are a formula. Ask “What’s the purpose of this headline,” or put differently: what is this content doing? That should help you determine the type of headline to write.Show Notes:Melanie DezielMelanie on LinkedinMelanie on TwitterMelanie on YouTubeMelanie on InstagramSay it Again: Your Business NEEDS to be on TikTok with Alex RossmanJoin the Creator CrewSponsored by: Nexcess | LearnDash

Imagine being perfectly positioned to deal with the pandemic from a k-12 school's standpoint. That’s Jeff Utecht. Instead of just being in the K12 space, he specializes in technology implementation for K12 schools. But he didn’t just fall into that. He spends years building a brand, understanding his audience, and giving away content. How has that helped him? Listen to find out! Plus, we get deep into education during the pandemic in Build Something More.Top Takeaways:You create great content by understanding your niche and your audience. Jeff and his team know what their audience is asking, and created content to answer those questions.Their podcast is a big piece of their sales funnel. Every time they put out a free guide, they do a podcast episode and encourage people to download the guide, which requires an email list. As a result, they have a great list to sell directly to (as well as continue to provide free value).If you’re going to leverage social media, make sure to be where your audience is, and further, find the right hashtags people are following. Doing that allows you to target the right people and grow your audience!Show Notes:Jeff UtechtJeff on TwitterJeff on LinkedinJeff on InstagramJeff on YouTubeJeff on FacebookShifting Schools PodcastBuilding in CanvaCreating Better Online Courses (That You can Charge More for) with Wes KaoLearning Management and WordPress: LifterLMS with Chris BadgettJoin the Creator CrewSponsored by: Nexcess | LearnDash

When I was in college, building a community felt pretty easy. Have some event, get free food, people come, people talk. Maybe they will bring some of their friends. This happened all the time – campus events, weekends at the bar, over the summer. So I thought building a community online would be similar. Easier even! There are no geographic boundaries. I would just invite people to come to my community, and they'd go and hang out.But that didn't happen. In fact, my community was a baron wasteland. And in July, I decided to shut down that aspect of my membership. So what went wrong? Well, I think there were a few reasons...and that's what we'll talk about in today's episode.Top Takeaways:Think about community as you start a new endeavor. I thought about mine too late and most of my students were already done with my content and had no reason to come back.You need to help your members with the habit of going to your community every day. You can do that by doing more events, or even having content exclusive to your community platform.It’s up to you to drive the community. People won’t just go to an online community and start conversations at the beginning.Show Notes:SPI 603: The Secret to Building the Best Community Online with Drew DillonCircleJoin the Creator CrewSponsored by: Moft | Nexcess | LearnDash

Today’s episode is a little different. Sara Loretta and I met through Jay Clouse’s Creative Companion Club. I mentioned I was offering free podcast coaching for episodes of this show, and she pitched coming on to talk about podcast guesting. While I thought we were going to talk about her advice for being a good guest, what we ended up doing was having a great conversation about our experiences. But don’t worry: it gets tied together at the end. Because we’re constantly told that online business owners need to be on brand. But the truth is being open, and showing the personal side, establishes the like and trust factors. And ultimately, that is how you be a good podcast guest.Top TakeawaysIt’s up to the podcast host to reach out to you with a topic in mind. They need to come up with the topic and questions based on what best serves their audience.As a potential guest that’s pitching yourself, you should have a few topics ready to send out to people. Podcasts are, after all, a great way to establish authority and expertise.Have a few stories to tell that reinforce your points and add background to your topic. Personal stories help people connect with you. And while you won’t win over everyone, you shouldn’t try to.Show NotesSara LorettaSara on InstagramSara on TwitterSara Loretta at NotionWhy We Succeed Podcast Join the Creator CrewSponsored by: Nexcess | TextExpander | LearnDash

It’s another live coaching call. Scott Cowan runs a podcast called Explore Washington State. It’s part of a greater site all about Washington. The podcast publishes 3-4 times per week, and he’s looking to grow his audience and potentially increase his output to 5 times a week. Listen in as I give Scott advice about SEO, website improvements, and pointing his enormous Instagram following to the show.Top Takeaways:Having a good website with easy-to-speak URLs is the best way to send people to your podcast. Easy to share on social media, and easy for listeners to share too.Optimize titles and descriptions. Use them to tell people what the episode is about, and use keywords that will help the episodes show up in searches.Instead of trying to grow your podcast directly, grow your newsletter and social media followings. Then share your show with those audiences — your newsletter especially can be ripe for growth and promotion.Show Notes:Scott CowanScott on FacebookScott on InstagramScott on TwitterJoin the Creator CrewSponsored by: Moft | Nexcess | LearnDash

Interested in starting or growing a podcast that actually generates revenue? Check out my new show, Make Money Podcasting! Listen to all of the episodes and subscribe at https://makemoneypod.com/

We all deal with grief. It could be the loss of a loved one. Maybe the loss of a job. Or the feeling that you’ve lost control of your life or your business. Throughout the pandemic, many of us experience grief in one way, shape, or form — and Dr. Sherry Walling is no different. But she decided to write about her grief. First, it was just for her. Then she shared it. Then she decided that her writings could help countless people and turned them into a book. I’m grateful she took the time to talk to us today. We get into how grief affects us, what creators can do, and the book writing process.Top Takeaways:When you experience grief, writing is a helpful exercise. It helps you process your feelings, but it also allows you to write a new reality for yourself.Life doesn’t necessarily stop, but you have more space and time than you think. It’s OK to slow down for a while.Reconnecting to hope happens in tiny moments, like getting up, hugging a loved one, and even making a meal. Listen to your body and do what is best for you.Show Notes:Get Touching Two Worlds: A Guide for Finding Hope in the Landscape of LossSherry WallingSherry on TwitterSherry on InstagramHow the Great Grief Led to the Great Resignation | FortuneJoin the Creator CrewSponsored by: Moft | Nexcess | LearnDash