Archive 1: 2012-2016

240: Web Design and SEO: Optimize Your Website Using Cutting Edge (and Common Sense) Tweaks and Factors with Jeremy Knauff

Jeremy Knauff is a US Marine Corps veteran, proud father, and husband who has dedicated over 17 years to helping businesses grow through digital marketing. As the founder of Spartan Media, he specializes in web design and search engine optimization (SEO). Jeremy is also an author for Search Engine Journal, a prominent industry publication. His expertise spans web development, digital marketing strategies, and helping companies improve their online presence.

The low-hanging fruit is to use the Google PageSpeed tool to measure your site's speed (remove slow plugins), as well as the mobile friendly test (refine your tap targets and adjust images that are too big).

Next, optimize your site for what your users want, as well as their intent (for those customers who come to your site for a specific purpose, for example, to find a phone number or address).

Quotes:                                                                                                                                   

“When somebody comes to a website, they're coming there for their own needs. So that's an example of basically setting the stage for the customer, not for the owner.” – Jeremy Knauff

“Most websites tell you right off the bat how great they are and how they're the best. But that's not what anybody cares about.” – Jeremy Knauff

“You have to figure out what the particular visitor is trying to accomplish, and route them in a way that's going to be most efficient for them.” – Jeremy Knauff

Takeaways:

07:39 Website speed matters more than most business owners realize, with even a tenth of a second delay potentially impacting revenue.

12:53 Most websites make the mistake of talking about themselves instead of focusing on what users actually want.

14:00 Before building a website, understand the different intents of potential visitors and create pathways that efficiently guide them.

17:40 Mobile responsiveness is now critical, with Google using a mobile-first index that prioritizes mobile-friendly websites.

24:10 Adding too many plugins can dramatically slow down a website's performance, especially on WordPress.

Resources

• Spartan Media (Website)
• Spartan Media (Facebook)
• Spartan Media (Twitter)
• Amazon found every 100ms of latency cost them 1% in sales (Blog post)
• Jeremy Knauff on Search Engine (Journal)
• Mistakes Smart Web Designers Make That Can Kill SEO (Podcast)
• Google PageSpeed Tool (Tool)
• Mobile Friendly Test (Test)

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239: Escape the Rat Race: Learn, Take Action, Achieve Success, and Scale Up with Mark Walker

Mark Walker is a successful real estate investor who transitioned from a high-tech corporate leadership role to becoming a full-time entrepreneur. He founded Lux Mana Investments, focusing on residential and multifamily property investments. Mark began his real estate journey in 2004 after reading "Rich Dad, Poor Dad" by Robert Kiyosaki, which inspired him to pursue passive income strategies. He successfully purchased and developed properties, including a 64-unit apartment complex, and ultimately quit his corporate job in January 2015 to pursue real estate investing full-time.

In our discussion today, Mark talks about discipline, lifestyle, decision-making, priorities, procrastination, and inspiration.

Quotes:                                                                                                                                   

“Learning leads to action, and it's the action that actually leads to success.” – Mark Walker

“I'm never done learning. I'm constantly focused on learning more, figuring out what's working, what's not working, and what can improve.” – Mark Walker

“Procrastination really is a self-inflicted stress that we all have complete control over.” – Mark Walker

Takeaways:

02:10 Successful entrepreneurs prioritize learning and continuously seek ways to improve their skills and knowledge.

08:48 Breaking free from the corporate paycheck mindset takes time and mental preparation, even after achieving financial independence.

11:33 Creating passive income requires setting clear lifestyle goals and building financial strategies around those objectives.

15:04 Procrastination is a self-inflicted stress that entrepreneurs can control by making daily conscious choices.

21:43 Making time for important goals happens naturally when you're truly passionate about your objectives.

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238: Repurpose Your Career: Find a Career or Business That Fulfills You At Any Age or Skill Level with Marc Miller

Marc Miller from CareerPivot.com is a professional career changer for his clients. He's here to help you discover not only who you are, who you work best with (environment). For example, some people are "structured anarchists" and "stealth competitors."

Listen in and discover the difference between talents (things you do innately) and skills (things you learned). Speak authentically, develop your brand, find out how people see you, what's different about you, and where you fit best.

Quotes:                                                                                                                                   

“The key piece here is understanding who you are and where you are going to fit.” – Marc Miller

“For most of us, it's more important who we work with in the environment than what we actually do.” – Marc Miller

“If you have skills that are not essentially attached to your innate talents, and you overuse them, that's when you get burnout.” – Marc Miller

Takeaways:

02:06 Career changes are normal and necessary in today's fast-changing job market, with professionals potentially switching careers 3-5 times in their lifetime.

08:35 Understanding your innate talents and skills is crucial to finding a fulfilling career that matches your true personality.

22:28 Entrepreneurship isn't for everyone, with only about 10% of people naturally suited to starting their own business.

30:44 Learning problem-solving skills is more important than mastering specific technical tools that may become outdated quickly.

44:06 The future of work involves continuous learning and periodic reinvention across different stages of life.

Resources

• Career Pivot (Website)
• Repurpose Your Career (Book)
• 100 Year Life (eBook)
• Will It Fly by Pat Flynn (Book)
• Who Moved My Cheese by Kenneth Blanchard (Book)

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 46:35 — 42.7MB) | Embed

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237: Money Answers: Setup Your Business Structure, Get Financing, Put Your Money to Work for You, Refinance Student Loans and Optimize Your Mortgage with Jordan Goodman

Jordan Goodman from MoneyAnswers.com has a number of financial solutions to not only setup your business structure correctly, but obtain business financing, optimize your mortgage, and more.

Quotes:                                                                                                                                   

“One word that is the key to success in life and business is leverage. And by leverage, I mean leveraging other people's expertise, finances, and contacts.” – Jordan Goodman

“The two greatest forces of personal finance and business finance are inertia and apathy. People don't do that, and they don't care.” – Jordan Goodman

“I wish people learned more of this stuff in school, but they don't. You can go through the finest university, and they don't give you anything about how to start a business.” – Jordan Goodman

Takeaways:

05:00 Choose the right business structure from the start to protect personal assets and make future selling easier.

16:06 Banks are tough on small business loans, so explore alternative financing options like peer-to-peer lending and specialized lending platforms.

21:21 Don't let money sit idle in low-interest bank accounts; seek out investment opportunities like commercial real estate income funds that offer better returns.

29:19 Student loan refinancing can dramatically reduce interest rates and help borrowers pay off debt faster.

30:54 Mortgage optimization techniques can help homeowners pay off their mortgage in 5-7 years instead of 30 years.

Resources

• MoneyAnswers.com (Official Website)
• Business Answers Today (877-627-5555): Setup Your Business Structure (sole prop, S-corp, C-corp, LLC, or LLP)
• Corporate Lending Solutions (877-290-2510): Get Business Funding
• Commercial Real Income Funds (888-444-2102): Invest In Small Commercial Property Renovation
• Dream Funded (Quity Crowd funding)
• Credible Money Answers (866-540-6005): Refinance Student Loans to 2-3%
• Truth In Equity (Optimize Your Mortgage With A Home Equity Line Of Credit)

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 34:07 — 31.2MB) | Embed

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236: Get More Clients with Less Marketing, Overcome Burnout, and Develop Profitable Habits with with Mary Cravets

Mary Cravets is a business growth and development expert who specializes in helping driven entrepreneurs expand their businesses effectively. With a professional background spanning real estate, business-to-business networking events, and business consulting, she has developed a unique approach to helping business owners get more clients and create sustainable growth strategies. Mary is known for her speaking engagements and strategic business development guidance.

Mary Cravets from MaryCravets.com/bigimpact says that instead of drowning people in content, you should build your own path and breeze through the "what the hell" period.

Develop better habits, delegate sooner, narrow ideas, land your favorite clients, and become more productive.

Quotes:                                                                                                                                   

“The way that I work is I start with real fundamental concepts that help people build their own path, using their strengths, their values throughout every area of their business.” – Mary Cravets

“In client generation, there's no queue; you just have to be self-motivated. So you have to build structure into your business so that there is some kind of self-imposed queue.” – Mary Cravets

“You have to be willing to build from your priorities, and not someone else's, even if it's fun, even if you've made a commitment.” – Mary Cravets

Takeaways:

05:21 Focus on 3-4 marketing tactics that actually work instead of trying 27 different strategies.

09:26 Build a system of rewards for consistent marketing actions to overcome the lack of immediate feedback.

12:01 Delegate tasks and hire help sooner than you think you need to in order to grow your business.

16:23 Be willing to say no to commitments that don't align with your business priorities.

19:22 Prepare your to-do list the night before to hit the ground running and maximize morning productivity.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 26:21 — 24.1MB) | Embed

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235: Make Facebook Your ATM: Profit from Social Media Ads and Marketing with Sally Hendrick

STOP posting randomly on social media without a real strategy!

Sally Hendrick from MakeFBYourATM.com and SocialMediaMarketingLab.com wants you to capture the right cross-section, split test your landing pages, market affiliate products, and make those sorts of small tweaks that get you results on Facebook.

Sally Hendrick is a digital marketing expert and founder of Social Media Traffic School, an online marketing academy focused on target market research, sales funnels, and Facebook advertising strategies. She helps entrepreneurs clarify their business goals and create effective social media marketing plans. Sally runs the Social Media Profit Lab and offers free resources like the "Top 10 Mistakes with Facebook Ads" guide through her website Make FB Your ATM. Her background includes helping clients develop clear marketing strategies, from those unsure of their business direction to those with fragmented marketing efforts.

Quotes:                                                                                                                                   

“It’s not about the 10 ways to get there, it’s about the result. That's the part I've got to solve for someone.” – Sally Hendrick

“You really do have to research and focus on that one result that you want to help people who are struggling with it.” – Sally Hendrick

“You might be that type of entrepreneur where you're multi-passionate, and you want to help everybody do everything. But when you hire a business coach, you eventually understand that they're really focusing on one major thing at a time.” – Sally Hendrick

Takeaways:

00:47 Stop posting randomly on social media without a clear strategy and proper website setup.

05:16 Focus on the specific result you want to help people achieve, not multiple scattered approaches.

14:25 Use creative targeting in Facebook ads by incorporating unexpected interest groups and attention-grabbing visuals.

15:43 Create content funnels that guide potential clients through a natural progression of interest and engagement.

20:19 Develop free training resources that showcase your expertise and build trust with potential customers.

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234: Innovate, Systematize, Repurpose and Scale: Overcome Criticism, Find Simplicity and Be an Imperfect Superhero with O-Shot Creator Dr. Charles Runels

Dr. Charles Runels is a multifaceted medical professional with a rich background spanning various roles. He has worked as a lifeguard, research chemist, emergency room doctor, and wound care center director. Currently, he is known for developing innovative medical procedures like the Vampire Facelift and O-Shot. Dr. Runels has authored several books available on Amazon and has written about his medical techniques.

Dr. Charles Runels (phone number: 888-920-5311) is the inventor of the O-Shot, Vampire Facial, Vampire Facelift, and the Priapus Shot.

He's developed and trademarked a widely respected and medically documented procedure that uses Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) to improve sex, treat injuries, heal Peyronie's disease, fix post-pregnancy incontinence, and more. Dr. Charles has gone from living in his car to running a 2 million dollar per year business by becoming excellent, modeling mentors, packaging, and repurposing. He's also learned many lessons about simplicity, authenticity, and hiring the right people. He also shares Stan Lee's secret about making superheroes real, that you can use in your marketing starting today.

Quotes:                                                                                                                                   

“The enemy to progress is not ignorance. The enemy of progress is the illusion of knowing, thinking you know when maybe there's something that you don't know.” – Dr. Charles Runels

“If you want to be a superhero, give up being perfect. People will actually like you better.” – Dr. Charles Runels

“The only way to make no enemies is to sit on the couch and watch television all day. If you get up and make something happen, you make some friends and enemies.” – Dr. Charles Runels

Takeaways:

03:53 The internet allows professionals to connect, share knowledge, and innovate faster than traditional methods.

13:23 Always be learning and teaching, adapting your skills to create new opportunities.

25:12 Being an imperfect hero makes you more relatable and appealing to people.

35:19 Breaking traditional business models and creating your own path can lead to greater success and satisfaction.

40:17 Simplifying complex ideas makes learning more effective and engaging.

Resources

• 888-920-5311 (Dr. Charles' Office #)
• O-Shot (Website)
• Membership Cube and Webinar Crusher (Book)

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 49:13 — 45.1MB) | Embed

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233: Personality, Philsophy, and Passion: Differentiate in the Marketplace, Create Noise, and Take Meaningful Risks with Frank Gibson

Dr. Frank Gibson from Last Call Program wants to talk to you about personality, philosophy, and passion. He invented a solution to treat alcoholism called Sobrexa and started a huge movement on social media. Listen in as he discusses how he's changed the conversation and updated an industry for the first time in decades.

Dr. Frank Gibson is a multifaceted professional with a rich background in medicine, entrepreneurship, and scientific research. He has established himself as a successful businessman who transitioned from running three state-licensed medical clinics to creating the Last Call Program, an innovative approach to treating alcohol use disorders. Dr. Gibson has been featured on over 50 TV and radio programs in the US and Europe, including appearances on the PBS series and American Milestones.

Quotes:                                                                                                                                   

“You want to be joyous on the last day of your life. You don't want to compromise.” – Frank Gibson

“Our use of social media serves as a platform for knowledge, positive exposure and growth. It lets people get to know and trust us.” – Frank Gibson

“Sometimes you just got to go after it. Sometimes you need to risk it all without question.” – Frank Gibson

Takeaways:

02:35 Breaking through industry barriers requires understanding modern science and challenging outdated treatment protocols.

18:20 Successful entrepreneurs view obstacles as strategic opportunities for innovation, not insurmountable roadblocks.

24:59 Social media marketing is most effective when focused on education and building trust rather than direct selling.

28:20 Personal passion and authenticity are critical in connecting with potential customers and creating meaningful content.

30:43 Continuous learning and adaptation are essential in rapidly changing marketing landscapes.

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232: Mantra Leadership and Mantra Design: Innovate, Buy, or Die with Dana Oliver

Who wants to work for a jerk? No one, that's who! Dana Oliver from MantraLeadership.com has a lot of "best practices" for start-up communities and entrepreneurs to get along with others and manage others effectively. Pay attention to peoples' needs, identify what they want, and trust them.

Dana Oliver is a seasoned professional with approximately 30 years of experience in the medical device industry. He previously served as a senior director of research and development at Medtronic, helping grow the company from $100 million to $2 billion in annual revenues. Dana has applied for over 30 patent applications and been granted 25 US patents. As an author, he has written two books: "Mantra Leadership: Don't Become the Emperor with No Clothes" and "Mantra Design: Innovate, Buy or Die". These books focus on leadership skills and innovation strategies for businesses.

He also has a concept called Mantra Design, where simple beats better. You should get onto the peer level with your customers to discover their unmet needs and long-term pain. Run your product by 12 to 20 people to tease out the 75% to 90% of features (and hot buttons) to focus on.

Quotes:                                                                                                                                   

“Who wants to work for a jerk? If you want the best from your employees, they need to feel motivated to come to work and give their all.” – Dana Oliver

“Innovation starts with an eye—not the letter ‘I,’ but the eyeball—meaning you immerse yourself in your customer's world.” – Dana Oliver

“Simple always outperforms better. Even if superior technology exists, if it’s not simple to use, people won’t fully adopt or embrace it.” – Dana Oliver

Takeaways:

08:18 Innovation starts by deeply understanding your customer's world and observing their actual behaviors, not just listening to what they say.

11:23 Simple solutions beat complex technologies every time, focusing on features that delight 80% of customers.

18:30 Every morning, identify the single most important task to accomplish and the longest lead item that needs addressing.

21:16 Technology and product development should solve real problems in people's ecosystems, making their lives easier and more efficient.

24:13 Getting close to customers and seeing through their eyes is the foundation of successful product development and business strategy.

Resources

• Mantra Leadership (Website)
• Mantra Leadership (Book)
• Mantra Design (Book)

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 27:51 — 25.5MB) | Embed

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