Archive for November, 2016
192: Create Fearlessly: Get a High Converting Website for Your Business with Stephen Christopher
Stephen Christopher is the founder of Sequest Digital Marketing, a company that helps businesses improve their online presence through services like SEO, pay-per-click advertising, and web design. He is also the host of the Business Revolution podcast, where he talks with entrepreneurs and shares advice about business growth. Stephen has experience running several businesses and is known for focusing on what his company does best, while also making sure his clients are well taken care of.
Stephen Christopher from Seequs.com wants to help you with your organic search results, pay per click advertising, and web design.
Choose the top one to three objectives for your website: that’s usually for your hot, warm, and cold leads. For example, your hottest prospects who want to buy right now could be looking for a phone number, the warm leads might fill out a contact form to request service, and the cold leads might only want to signup for a video or short report.
Don’t take anything for granted, be super persistent (failure leads to perspective). Change the “bad” things about your business.
Quotes:
“Client success is not optional. We’re committed to providing as much guidance as possible because their success—both within our work and overall—is essential to us.” –Stephen Christopher
“Never give up. There is always a way to make what you want happen. What you’re doing right now might not be the right approach, so if you fail, it’s time to shift your perspective.” – Stephen Christopher
“Sometimes you might be doing something with the potential to succeed, but it’s not aligned with who you are or who you’re truly trying to become.” – Stephen Christopher
Takeaways:
01:02 Focus on what your business does best and let go of the rest.
06:17 Make your website easy for visitors to take action, like calling or filling out a form.
12:32 Good communication and customer service are very important for keeping clients happy.
21:53 Learn from mistakes and use them to build a better business.
26:53 Set clear company values and use them to guide your decisions.
Resources: Seequs SEO agency, Business Revolution Podcast, Business Revolution Facebook Group
Case studies: Petri Plumbing and Hal Elrod
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 35:00 — 32.0MB) | Embed
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191: Power and Bliss: Find Clarity and Focus Through Self-Care, Meditation and Consistency with Avalaura Gaither
Avalaura Gaither is an intuitive consultant, life coach, and author with a background in psychology and social work. She holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a master’s degree in social work from Howard University. Avalaura is the author of two books, “Power” and “Bliss,” which focus on reclaiming personal strength and living a life filled with passion and purpose. She also runs Avalaura’s Healing Center and is active as a speaker and meditation guide.
Avalaura Gaither has a background in psychology and social work. She found herself trapped in her career and became an entrepreneur by becoming a guide for others in the areas of daily self-care, meditation, and stress relief.
Quotes:
“Get your mind right, your business will be tight.” – Avalaura Gaither
“The painful stuff—that’s where the magic is. It’s where you discover your true purpose and what will set you apart from everyone else.” – Avalaura Gaither
“People bring things out of you that you can’t bring out of yourself.” – Avalaura Gaither
Takeaways:
01:37 It’s important to know yourself and your reasons before starting a business.
09:57 Doing personal work and asking yourself honest questions helps you figure out what kind of business fits you.
19:08 Reading about self-care is not enough; you have to take daily action to see real change.
20:01 Meditation can be adjusted to fit your schedule and needs, not just done one way.
25:27 Having a coach or guide can help you find the right approach for your personality, instead of just following a book.
Resources
- Avalaura’s Healing Center (Website)
- Bliss: A Practical Guide to Living a Life of Purpose & Pleasure (Website)
- Power: Escaping the Fear from Within (Website)
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 33:25 — 30.6MB) | Embed
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190: Love Yourself Successful: Network Using Offline Events, Profit from Social Media and Jumpstart Your Business with Katrina Sawa
Katrina Sawa is a business coach known as the “Jumpstart Your Business Coach.” She is the author of the book “Love Yourself Successful” and the creator of the Jumpstart Your Biz in 90 Days system. Katrina helps entrepreneurs, especially those who are not tech-savvy, grow their businesses both online and offline by focusing on practical marketing strategies, networking, and building supportive relationships.
Katrina Sawa has a lot to say about networking, social media, landing speaking gigs, and making money doing what you love. She gets 60-65 speaking gigs per year. She says you should become a member of multiple speaker associations and private message prospects on Facebook and LinkedIn using her templates, and later move them off social media to help them and their businesses.
Quotes:
“Your website is your most important marketing tool—it should be the central hub of your business, where everything flows in and out.” – Katrina Sawa
“If you can meet people in person, it’s often faster to build relationships and move them to the next step than if they’re just an online friend or follower.” – Katrina Sawa
“If you want to delegate, it might only cost a few hundred dollars a month to offload tasks, allowing you to be more consistent.” – Katrina Sawa
Takeaways:
02:01 If people around you are not supportive, you need to either communicate better, set boundaries, or move on.
06:48 You don’t have to learn every technical skill—hire someone to help with things like websites if it’s not your strength.
13:42 Every business website should have an opt-in box, a freebie, and some kind of email marketing.
16:00 Reaching out to people on social media and moving the conversation to a phone call can lead to speaking gigs and new business.
24:32 Being consistent with your marketing and getting help from a team, even if it costs a little, is important for business growth.
Resources
- Three Business-Building Gifts (Website)
- Love Yourself Successful (Free Gifts)
- Jumpstart Your Marketing (Katrina Sawa’s Products)
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 28:45 — 26.3MB) | Embed
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189: Live With Purpose, Overcome Limiting Beliefs and Focus on One Thing with Author, Entrepreneur, and Speaker Joe Apfelbaum
Joe Apfelbaum is the CEO and co-founder of Ajax Union, a digital marketing agency based in Brooklyn. He is a public speaker, certified Google trainer, and a published business author. Joe also hosts the CEO Mojo podcast and runs a weekly video show called GrowTime.tv. He is currently working on his book, “Average Joe to CEO.”
Joe Apfelbaum, CEO of Ajax Union, has had quite an entrepreneurial journey and wants you to live a life of purpose, on purpose. Topics covered:
- how to get past the rough years, discover your reason, develop an abundance mindset
- the difference between being “satisfied” (a temporary solution to hunger which is a slow painful death) and being fulfilled (self aware and successful with perspective)
- how to focus on one thing: how Joe went from being spread too thin with seven side businesses, to making a lot of income in a short amount of time (less is more)
Quotes:
“Don’t just have a purpose—live with purpose. Even when you breathe, do it with intention. Take a deep breath, fill your lungs completely, and breathe with purpose.” – Joe Apfelbaum
“Success looks different for everyone. Most people don’t actually know what success means for them because they’re too busy measuring it against someone else’s.” – Joe Apfelbaum
“People will either love you or hate you, but most are just stuck in mediocrity.” – Joe Apfelbaum
Takeaways:
00:58 Being passionate about your business is important for long-term success.
03:07 If you want to make money, focus on adding real value to others.
06:39 The people you spend time with can affect your mindset and success.
12:31 It’s good to feel fulfilled, but you should always keep your hunger to grow.
15:31 You need to find a balance between working hard and enjoying the moment.
Resources
- Ajax Union (Facebook)
- Joe Apfelbaum’s (Blog)
- CEO Mojo (Website)
- Ajax Union(Website)
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 36:20 — 33.3MB) | Embed
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188: Take Inspired Action and Use Boundaries to Create More Freedom with Petra Monaco
Petra Monaco is an author, entrepreneur, and coach who helps women build confidence, take action, and create the life they want. She is known for her book about dreaming, believing, and taking action, and she also runs a blog at PetraMonaco.com where she shares advice on mindset, boundaries, and self-care. Petra has experience as a single parent and has overcome personal challenges, which she now uses to guide others through coaching and online courses.
Petra Monaco from PetraMonaco.com wants to give you more confidence and a bigger vision, so you can push yourself further. She also provides coaching for authors to deal with mindset, accountability, and excuses. She sells a course about how to start an Etsy e-commerce store selling handmade goods.
Quotes:
“Boundaries are a form of self-care, not something that’s going to constrict you or make you rigid.” – Petra Monaco
“If something is draining you, ask yourself: Is this really something I need to be doing, should be doing, or even want to be doing?” – Petra Monaco
“You can’t change a habit or adapt to a new routine in just a week. It often takes two to three weeks to fully implement.” – Petra Monaco
Takeaways:
01:11 Everyone struggles with confidence and motivation, and it’s normal to have ups and downs.
03:08 Focusing on what you can do in the next 90 days helps keep goals realistic and manageable.
07:43 Building new routines takes time and commitment, and it’s important to decide what matters most.
09:37 Setting boundaries in your schedule is a form of self-care and helps prevent burnout.
20:00 Journaling about your fears can help you understand and challenge what’s holding you back.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 25:17 — 23.2MB) | Embed
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187: Blog Monetization and Inbound Marketing: Build a Library of Content to Gain Trust and Authority with Douglas Karr
Douglas Karr is the founder of the Marketing Technology Blog and the CEO of DK New Media, an agency that helps marketing technology companies with their inbound marketing strategies. He is also the author of “Corporate Blogging for Dummies,” where he shares his expertise in the world of corporate blogging and online marketing.
Douglas Karr from The Marketing Tech Blog stops by to talk about monetizing a blog. The game has changed, and search engines now reward quality over quantity.
This means that to build trust and authority, you should spend more time on your content, republishing and update content as needed. Educate your customers early, and inform them about helpful tools or how something in your business was created. Create an editorial calendar with 12 subjects and 4 subtopics to keep your content marketing consistent.
Quotes:
“Everything we do online revolves around authority and trust. You need to establish authority first, and once you earn trust, people will be willing to do business with you.” – Douglas Karr
“If you have exceptional content, you’ll consistently attract attention, no matter the source.” – Douglas Karr
“Stop focusing solely on constant production, as it can wear you down and lead to a decline in quality.” – Douglas Karr
Takeaways:
02:31 Good blog content should be updated and improved over time instead of just making new posts all the time.
05:36 Most conversations about your blog now happen on social media, not in blog comments.
08:43 Building trust and authority with your audience is more important than just posting a lot.
14:13 Updating old blog posts with new information can help them rank higher in search results again.
26:37 It’s important to have a clear call to action on your blog so readers know what to do next.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 32:58 — 30.2MB) | Embed
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186: Six Figure Writing and Virtual Assistant Secrets: How to Start and Scale Your Freelancing Income to Create the Lifestyle You Want with Laura Pennington
Laura Pennington is a former inner-city teacher who transitioned into a successful career as a freelance writer, virtual assistant, and project manager. She is the owner of Six Figure Writing Secrets and Your Way to VA, where she helps others build sustainable freelance businesses from home. Laura is also an author and course creator, offering resources and training for aspiring writers and virtual assistants.
Laura Pennington left her job as a 7th grade teacher to become a freelance writer and virtual assistant. She has advice about getting initial clients, scaling your business, and filling your schedule with nothing but your ideal clients.
1. evaluate your own experiences: you don’t need to have been good in the past (office skills, data entry, phone calls)
2. work samples (logos, write a white paper, write blog posts)
3. marketing plan (job boards, contracts)
4. long-term marketing (cold calls, chamber of commerce meetings, trade shows conferences)
Quotes:
“The days of working at the same company for 30 years and retiring with a pension are gone. At this point, we don’t even know if Social Security and Medicare will be there when we retire.” – Laura Pennington
“The way you build your business and the clients you choose to work with play a crucial role in shaping your lifestyle.” – Laura Pennington
“Once someone finds a good freelancer, they have no reason to look elsewhere. Not only will they continue to order from you, but they’ll also refer to their friends.” – Laura Pennington
Takeaways:
04:42 Freelancing can start as a side job and grow into a full-time career if you want it to.
07:26 Picking the right clients and saying no to bad fits helps avoid burnout and low pay.
12:35 Focusing on repeat clients and steady work makes freelancing more stable.
15:07 Choosing a specialty or niche lets you charge more and stand out from other freelancers.
28:28 Raising your rates over time is important so you don’t get stuck working for too little.
Resources
- Your Way to VA (Website)
- Six Figure Writing Secrets (Website)
- Laura Pennington’s Courses on Teachable (Courses)
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 35:12 — 32.2MB) | Embed
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185: The Book Activation Method: Overcome the Fear of Publishing and Create the Perfect Book to Boost Your Business with Deborah Ager
Deborah Ager is the founder of Radiant Media Labs and creator of the Book Activation Method workshop. She is an author who has written and co-edited several books, and she helps experts turn their knowledge into published books to grow their businesses, gain visibility, and attract more clients. Deborah has a background in both marketing and writing, and she uses her experience to guide business owners through the process of planning, writing, and using a book as a business tool.
Deborah Ager from Radiant Media Labs and creator of The Book Activation Method wants you to embrace your fear and use it to move forward. She also wants to get a book out of you in the following steps:
1. master market and idea
2. align with mission: book sales, speaking, which publisher, authority
3. mining your material: blog posts, existing presentations, themes and ideas
4. mark out the tools: find the time/space to write, calendars, Evernote
5. map your mind: get messy with a mindmap
6. brain to book: break to-do list into do-able chunks, word count or time goal, schedule, write or speak
7. marketing
Quotes:
“We’re not fighting fear or trying to eliminate it. Instead, I’d rather embrace it because it’s going to show up no matter what.” – Deborah Ager
“When we’re experts around our own topic, it’s hard for us to see it with fresh eyes.” – Deborah Ager
“When you share stories, especially case studies, people feel more connected rather than feeling like they’re being sold to.” – Deborah Ager
Takeaways:
02:26 Many people are afraid to start writing a book, but taking small steps every day can help move past that fear.
05:02 Before writing, it’s important to know who your book is for and how it will help your business.
08:31 A book doesn’t have to be long; even a short book can be useful if it shares your main ideas clearly.
10:49 It’s normal to feel nervous as you finish your book, but looking back at your past work can help you feel more confident.
13:04 Using your old blog posts, talks, or presentations can make writing your book easier.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 25:50 — 23.6MB) | Embed
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184: Time Really is Money: Scale Your Business to $5,000 Per Hour with Rob Slee
Rob Slee is an author, investment banker, mentor, and business owner who specializes in helping entrepreneurs and freelancers increase the value of their time. He wrote the book “Time Really Is Money,” which explains how people can scale their businesses and focus on higher-value activities to earn more per hour.
Rob Slee, author of Time Really is Money, wants to help you scale to a:
- $50/hour business (where you are the value proposition)
- $500/hour (where you manage employees)
- $5000/hour (where you only deal with the culture, niches, and business model)
- $50k/hour (changing industries)
- $5m/hour (changing the world)
Quotes:
“Working the hardest and putting in the most hours doesn’t necessarily equate to value—it often just leads to early heart attacks.” – Rob Slee
“The higher you go in the value ladder, the fewer hours you work, but the more value you create.” – Rob Slee
“We all settle at our comfort level, sticking to tasks we know how to do—sometimes better than anyone we could hire. As owners of our time, whether we run a business or manage our own schedules, we tend to fall into familiar routines.” – Rob Slee
Takeaways:
01:53 If you own your time, you should focus on the tasks that create the most value, not just work harder.
04:43 Spend your time on high-value activities and let others handle the lower-value tasks, even if they don’t do them perfectly.
08:24 Build simple systems or checklists for tasks you outsource so you don’t have to keep explaining things.
18:36 Write down how you spend your time for a week to see where you can make changes and focus on higher-value work.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 24:43 — 22.6MB) | Embed
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183: Scale, Build Your Team, and Outsource Remote Workers with Nathan Hirsch
Nathan Hirsch is a serial entrepreneur and expert in remote hiring and e-commerce. He is the founder and CEO of FreeeUp.com, a platform that connects businesses with reliable remote workers, and the co-founder and CEO of Portlight. Nathan started his entrepreneurial career by selling textbooks in college before building a successful $7 million Amazon drop shipping business.
Nathan Hirsch from Freeeup.com has several insights about outsourcing your team in the departments of biz-opp, e-commerce, marketing, and web development. Nathan began his entrepeneurial journey wiht a business that re-sold textbooks, and has since branched out to supplying workers for e-commerce businesses.
Quotes:
“If you can identify businesses that people rely on but that fail to satisfy the end consumer, that’s a great opportunity to step in and create change.” – Nathan Hirsch
“If you’re not making your end customer happy, eventually someone else is going to find a way to do it.” – Nathan Hirsch
“I’m all about calculated risk. If this business is doing well, why not pursue it? I can always go back and apply for jobs later.” – Nathan Hirsch
Takeaways:
01:14 Starting a business by solving a problem you see around you can lead to success.
04:58 Making customers happy should be the main focus of any business.
06:21 Doing all the work yourself at first helps you understand your business before hiring others.
13:26 Hiring can take a lot of time, so finding a faster way to get good workers is important.
23:05 Always have training materials ready so you can easily replace team members if needed.
Visit the Freeeup Marketplace Page on Facebook
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 27:17 — 25.0MB) | Embed
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