Every Wednesday at 2 pm EST, I host a show on YouTube called Money Lab LIVE. And now that show will be available as a podcast. So if you want to follow along and get new episodes of Money Lab LIVE, visit YouTube.com/MoneyLab . But now you can listen to them too!
Has Matt found his online doppelgänger? Miles Beckler, of digital marketer YouTube fame and Milesbeckler.com , joins the show to talk all things online entrepreneur. Matt and Miles both run niche sites that they've had for years and years. They both run tons of experiments and share what they've learned online. And they both have a super strong hat game (have you seen their YouTube thumbnails?), So how do you stay committed to a businesses over the years without any viral, hockey stick moments? ...
Matt just ran two business experiments that failed miserably. But they ended up being really valuable learning processes. Matt and Andrew discuss how to run useful, measurable tests in an online business. How do you come up with a legit hypothesis? How do you get meaningful data and results? And how do you move on if you find out it doesn't work? If you've ever wondered if something like Pinterest or starting a podcast would (or wouldn't) work for your business, this episode is for you. Enjoy! P...
It's listener question time! From changing course in a dying industry to starting a business with a friend, Matt and Andrew debate the answers to your burning questions: What would you if your niche site was in a stagnant or dying industry? What are your favorite strategies for helping drive traffic to the newer websites you have built? What's the best side hustle to start right now? How do you set up and structure a business with friends? And how do you find your own Andrew or Matt? Keep your q...
What does it actually mean to run a profitable business? Matt breaks down how he uses the Profit First accounting model to manage and allocate money made in his online business. Matt explains how he divides up his business revenue into certain Target Allocation Percentages and how this framework has helped him: 1) Pay himself more money as the business owner, 2) build up an account with reserves in it, and 3) have more than enough saved up for taxes every year. Matt and Andrew talk about how the...
Amazon just ripped the rug out from underneath every affiliate marketer, announcing their plan to slash affiliate marketing rates. And with just 7 days notice. Matt's business is set out to lose a whopping $176,929 with this change -- that's 40% of his entire business. So what does he plan to do about it? How does it affect Andrew? And what can every Amazon Associates member do going forward? Matt and Andrew spend the episode coming up with solutions in real time and trying to figure out the pat...
Does low competition equal instant success? Matt just wrapped up his experiment to launch a podcast in a low-competition category. The goal: trying to naturally rank and gain listeners where there's no competition. Spoiler: it didn't work. So when does focusing on low competition categories work in business? Why are Andrew's low-competition niche sites taking off but something like Matt's podcast doesn't? Matt and Andrew debate when low competition pays off and when it's not worth the pursuit. E...
Time to change things up! Jason Zook, founder of WanderingAimfully.com and Teachery.co , joins the show to talk about changing business models. Jason outlines how he and his wife decided to combine their businesses, launched a monthly membership site and changed their business model when they realized things weren't working. So how do you know when something's not working in your business? How do you find the right model and offerings that work for you and your customers? If you've been sensing ...
What would you do if your traffic went south? Matt and Andrew answer an interesting question from a listener that applies to websites in slow decline and anyone seeing a dramatic drop-off this year. Here's the question: Let's say your SwimU traffic has been in a slow, gradual decline since 2016. You didn't notice it at first, but as you compare year-over-year in Google Analytics, it's obvious. And your monthly pageviews are lower now than they were this time last year, and the year before (takin...
We're answering your questions on the show today! Matt and Andrew debate what they're doing about the dips in the market (and dips in SEO) before diving into your questions: How do you focus on growing just one website? How do you manage an affiliate site when most affiliate programs are localized by country? If your current businesses just disappeared overnight and you know they were not recoverable, what would you do to start from scratch in 2020? Has either of you had anyone quit in your busi...
The script is flipped! Matt was recently interviewed by fellow online entrepreneur Doug Cunnington who runs NicheSiteProject.com . They spent an hour in Matt's studio talking about their different affiliate marketing philosophies, from keyword research to being public with your affiliate sites (which not everyone does). And since Doug was doing the interviewing, Matt got to give an entire overview of how he got started and how he runs each of his online brands. We thought it’d be nice to share t...
Guess what: Google wants your website to load in under 1 second. Matt and Andrew talk about why they're obsessed with page speed as a competitive advantage in their online niches. They talk about the "easy, big wins" you can do today to speed up a site. They also debate how they decide what features to keep and what to cut to help speed things up. If you're looking for a way to one-up your competition on Google, this page speed optimization episode is for you. Enjoy! P.S. Check out Matt's Page S...
Procrastinate much? Matt and Andrew talk about the roadblocks they've hit in creating online products and what happened during the 30-Day Build and Launch a Course Challenge. They dissect why Matt hated the 30-day timeframe and Andrew's mental roadblocks to finishing his course. They also talk about the other distractions that got in the way, i.e. other projects that feel more in their wheel house. So what do you do when you start procrastinating on a project that needs to ship? Should you just ...
How do you create consistent content without overspending or burning yourself out? Matt and Andrew examine each of their online businesses and how their content machines are currently running. Andrew's going full speed with lots of folks on staff, Matt's running some aspects of content creation on his brands, and a few of their sites are chugging along without either Andrew or Matt having to lift a finger. So how do you strike the right balance between producing a ton of new content and letting ...
How do you build products that meet your customers' needs, not just your own? Matt and Andrew talk about their "come-toJesus" moment with their SaaS product Lasso and how they've had to re-design their whole product. They discuss how they first built the product to selfishly meet their own needs and how conversations with customers forced them to pivot. From how to survey your existing audience to understanding UX/UI principles, designing directly for your audience can totally help you clarify y...
What's your website worth? Carrie Smith Nicholson, the author of The Ultimate Guide to Selling Your Blog and a blog consultant at CarrieConsiders.com , joins the show to talk about her experience buying and selling websites. Carrie sold her old website for nearly six figures, and she and Matt talk about the entire sales process, from deciding to sell your brand to finding the right buyer. They also chat about Carrie's latest web property purchase and her plans of turning her newest website into ...
Here's a business hypothesis for ya... There are 3 major factors in a successful online business: Products (what you sell), Relationships (trust with your audience) and Traffic (size of your audience). Nail 2 out of 3 of these and you’ll make six figures. Simple, right? Matt and Andrew discuss this business philosophy (learned from the folks at Create and Go) and how it applies to each of their current brands. They also dissect case studies from around the online business world and what they sho...
Started from the bottom now we here. Matt and Andrew talk about their big business revenue jumps over the years. They dissect the moment when they hit $40,000 in annual revenue and how they finally hit six figures. From their original affiliate marketing efforts (and Matt's first $115 with Amazon Affiliates) and to their first legit SEO strategies, they break down what got them up and over the $100K mark. They reveal the secret ingredient of it all (spoiler: it's time) and whether or not they co...
Make more money in 2020! Specifically with digital products! Matt and Andrew don't want to rely 100% on the Affiliate Marketing Gods, which means beefing up their digital product game in the new year. They talk about their "come to Jesus moments" around digital products, how Matt made over $100K in digital product sales last year and what kind of products do and don't work with their audience (like membership platforms). Andrew unveils his new product for Listen Money Matters and they chat about...
Would your business fall apart without you? Matt and Andrew both had to take long breaks from their businesses a few months ago. They talk about how their businesses survived without them and how the wheels kept turning in their absence. From hiring the right people (and what that actually means) to setting up solid standard operating procedures, how do you make sure it all doesn't crumble to pieces when there's a real emergency? And how do you go about finding people you trust to take over? Enj...
Cue Julie Andrews, because these are a few of our favorite things. Matt and Andrew walk through every single tool they use to run their online businesses. They cover all their must-haves: SEO research, hosting, caching, product sales, accounting, business organization, file management, email marketing, podcasting and YouTube video production. Phew! They also share brutally honest reviews of tools they're not-so-thrilled with (cough, ConvertKit, cough). Consider this episode the MTV Cribs walkthr...
New Year, who dis? We're kicking off 2020 with our favorite kind of show: listener Q&A! Matt and Andrew answer a stack of listener questions, from dealing with a sudden drop in traffic (thanks, BERT update) to beating out a slimy competitor that's shot up the ranks in Google. And if you're worried about the next recession, Matt and Andrew discuss what they'd do to recession-proof their work. They cover it all, including how they'd turn an $1,300/month YouTube channel into a full-time busines...
It's our final episode of the year, the last one in our Greatest Hits series, and the perfect motivation for your business New Years Resolutions: how to stick with it for the long haul. (This episode originally aired in March 2019). It only took 15+ combined years for Matt and Andrew to "make it" as "entrepreneurs." And you can, too! Listen in on Matt and Andrew's beer-fueled trip down memory lane recapping the slumps, the wins and the eff-it-all moments on the loooooooong road to "success." Enj...
More goodness coming at ya from the Money Lab vault (this episode originally aired August 2019). Should you try turning a hobby you love into a money-making website? Sean Ogle, founder of BreakingEighty.com and LocationRebel.com, joins the show to talk about turning a hobby into an online business. Both Sean and Matt run websites based on hobbies they love: Sean runs a golf site and Matt runs a homebrewing website, BrewCabin.com. So how do they approach monetizing their hobbies? What does it tak...
The greatest hits keep rolling with some ultra-practical SEO tips (this episode originally aired August 2019). Good news: SEO isn't as complicated as you think. Digital content editor and writer Michelle Lowery joins the show to share her best practices for SEO writing and editing. Matt and Michelle chat about how they approach creating content that ranks on Swim University, including clever ways to incorporate keywords and how to optimize text for both robots and humans. Michelle also shares so...
The Money Lab Greatest Hits countdown continues with an affiliate marketing heavy-hitter (this episode originally aired April 2019). It's a battle royale between affiliate sites as Matt and Andrew debate the pros and cons of their different affiliate business models. From only using the Amazon affiliate program to managing tons of affiliate partners, how do they structure their affiliate revenue streams? And what are the challenges of running a site that makes 100% of its money from affiliate ma...
We're sharing more Money Lab's greatest hits, all December long! (This episode originally aired May 2019). Spoiler: classic email marketing tactics don't work for every online business. Can complex marketing funnels, slow drip campaigns and content upgrades actually hurt sales? Matt and Andrew dive into the details of Matt's multi-month experiment trying to optimize his sales funnel at Swim University. They pick through Matt's sales stats, walk through his elaborate email set up for converting r...
We're celebrating the holiday season by sharing the best Money Lab episodes@ And we're kicking things off with this super popular episode, which originally aired June 2019. Matt needs money! He's already trimmed his costs down to the bone in his business and now he wants to focus on efficient ways to ratchet up his revenue. So how can he increase the flow of his existing income streams on his websites? Should he focus on micro changes, like optimizing click through rates? Or is it something bigg...
Have you ever procrastinated creating an online course? Yeah, neither have we... Never. Nope. Matt and Andrew talk about the magic that happens when you find the perfect software for hosting and selling an online course. Matt walks through his decision-making process for choosing a new course platform (spoiler: it's Podia !) and how making the switch is already paying off (spoiler: it's upselling!). Matt also outlines how he'll leverage this new online infrastructure to make even more course con...
If you're a creative, the pressure to make perfect, consistent content is real. Thomas Frank, aka Thomas the Frank Engine, aka the College Info Geek, joins the show to talk about growing his YouTube channel to 1.5 million subscribers, his moment of burnout and how he's running his business differently since bouncing back. Matt and Thomas discuss how to remove yourself as a bottleneck from your business (even when you want 100% creative control) and the mental toll that happens when you're runnin...
