All Episodes

Paid Memberships Pro is the lifeblood of my main product offering, The Podcast Liftoff Playbook. So in this first bit of 2023, I want to tell you everything I love about the plugin, and why I thought it best for my membership/learning site.This clip is brought to you by Paid Memberships Pro

It's episode 300! I thought I'd wax poetic on the top 10 things I've learned from both running this show, and the guests I've had on. After that, I talk a little bit about what's in store for How I Built It, and where I'd like it to go in the future. Plus, in the PRO show, I talk about what life without Twitter has been like. Become a ProTop 10 LessonsBuild Your Email ListTalk to your customersExperimentNiche/Specialize/FocusDon't be afraid to say noPeople care about the problem you're solving. Not you, not the tech you used. The problemTell Good StoriesDo things that don't scale at firstShip what you have and iterateDon't be afraid to askShow NotesConvertKitPodcast LiftoffLearning Management and WordPress: LearnDash with Justin FerrimanMaking Better Leaders with Chris LemaDesigning the Profitable Project Plan with Jennifer BournThe Best Way to Build Community is Easier Than You Think with Drew DillonThe Most Important Thing You Can Do as a Creator with Marie PoulinTurning WordPress Sites into iPhone Apps with Scott Bolinger and AppPresserJoin How I Built It ProSponsored by: Groundhogg | Ahrefs | LearnDash

Most attempts to start a community these days feel a lot like the approach the Underpants Gnomes from South Park took in making money. Step 1: Launch a Discord, Step 2: ???, Step 3: Community! But it’s not like that at all. And Drew Dillon, founder of Burb and community expert, is here to set the record straight.Top Takeaways:You need to think of the community as a business. Create a reason for people to care and engage. And close the look by making sure the community isn’t just about you - it’s about people connecting.Start with a hypothesis. Ask what you think your audience has in common and why they might want to come together. Then test and iterate. Start with a Zoom call first and see if people want to connect after.Do things that don’t scale at first. With 10-20 members, you can really get to know them and understand their needs (and those of the community). Around 50, you’ll likely need to start automating.Show Notes:Drew DillonDrew on TwitterDrew on Linkedin Burb on LinkedinSPI 603: The Secret to Building the Best Community interview with Drew DillonHow To Build a $1000/year Membership with Jay ClouseBurb BlogGarbage Day NewsletterJoin the Creator CrewSponsored by: Paid Memberships Pro | Ahrefs | LearnDash

Molly Keyser made half-a-million dollars selling a 15-page, $59 eBook without spending money on ads. How do you ask? She created something SUPER valuable, that immediately made the buyer money. And throughout this episode, Molly is going to tell us how she went from professional photographer to online educator making digital products, all by knowing and serving her niche. There’s A LOT to unpack, and I know you’ll find a lot of actionable tips here.Top Takeaways:Clearly define your niche so you can serve them, and stay true to that niche. Remember: Just because you know how to do something doesn’t mean you should teach it.For your digital products, you need to solve a problem for your audience. Painkillers sell better than vitamins most of the time. And bonus points if you can point to immediate ROI.If you (or you from 2 years ago) aren’t your ideal client, immerse yourself in communities of your ideal clients so that you can learn their biggest pain points.Show Notes:Molly KeyserMolly on YouTubeMolly on FacebookMolly on InstagramMolly on TiktokProduct Ladder by Chris LemaJoin the Creator CrewSponsored by: Paid Memberships Pro | Ahrefs | LearnDash

We’ve been told for years that creating an “ideal customer avatar” is the best way to understand your audience. But the truth is that’s just guessing on your part. Do you know how you actually get to understand your customers? Have customers! Talk to them, and then write content for them. That’s what Will Shultz recommends. And as a Sales and Marketing coach, he knows a thing or two.Top Takeaways:You need someone in-house to make your content. That’s how you’ll create great content that shows a deep understanding of your customer and their journey.If you’re having trouble coming up with content, take what you’re creating for a specific client and generalize it. That way, you’ve written for someone. Chances are there are similar folks out there.Don’t worry about giving too much away for free. You differentiate yourself by becoming trusted and valued. You do that by showing people you deeply understand their problems.Show Notes:Will ShultzWill on LinkedinFree Virtual Consulting SessionsUpgrade 438Join the Creator CrewSponsored by: Paid Memberships Pro | Ahrefs | LearnDash

I know what you’re thinking. Budgets? That’s what you’re going to base your entire year on.I know this because that’s what my wife said. But fear not, my friends. Like Transformers™, it’s more than meets the eye.Show Notes:My 2023 Yearly Theme Cortex PodcastJoin the Creator CrewSponsored by: Paid Memberships Pro | Ahrefs | LearnDash

Earlier this year, Amazon announced the Kindle Scribe -- their competitor to the reMarkable 2. It's more affordable, they had an initial deal for Prime members, and a good trade-in price for my Kindle Oasis. SO the $500 device got down to $238. I bought it. Here are my initial impressions. Show NotesKindle Scribe reMarkable 2Read my initial thoughts Want to see a video demo? Join How I Built It Pro

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