John Vuong know SEO. But he knows relationships even more. AT a time where connecting with people face-to-face has become harder, John offers some fantastic advice for forging better relationship through communication - both with your current clients, and the ones that will soon be clients. Show Notes John Vuong Local SEO Search | Facebook | Twitter The Pumpkin Plan Building Your Mailing List with Angel Marie Avoiding the Famine with Jason Resnick ?Podcast Liftoff is Out! As a Listener, you'll g...
May 26, 2020•41 min•Season 1Ep. 170
I know what you're thinking - another podcast doing another episode about COVID-19. But now that we're in the thick of it, and we know it's not just "a few weeks at home," I wanted to reach out to some businesses and see what they were doing differently. There were some really great ideas. And you'll get 3 tips to help you think outside the box. Show Notes Shannon Shaffer | Listen to her episode Jason Resnick | Listen to his episode R. Alexander McManus, Esq. Ross Johnson Maddy Osman | Listen to...
May 19, 2020•48 min•Season 1Ep. 169
Let me just tell you right off the bat: my business has grown from my mastermind group. And Ken Wallace…well he really knows what he's talking about. If you need some extra business support (especially now), you're not alone. In fact, Ken has bet his own business on it. In this episode, you'll learn what a Mastermind Group is, how it works, and some ideas for conducting one. There's a little something for everyone, so let's dive in. Show Notes Ken Wallace MastermindJam Starting Your Own Mastermi...
May 12, 2020•50 min•Season 1Ep. 168
In August 2018 I was challenged to automate more. Now, nearly 2 years later, I've removed myself from core processes because of it. I'm saving lots of time, which allows me to focus on the important parts of my business. While I'm always looking to improve, I'm happy with what I've implemented so far. In this solo episode, I'm going to tell you about how you can start automating, how I automate, and some of my favorite tools. Show Notes Casabona.org Automation Series YouTube Channel Zapier IFTTT...
May 05, 2020•22 min•Season 1Ep. 167
As more businesses are starting to do commerce nearly exclusively online, it's important to know how your customers are finding you and how they make decisions. Enter Ronald Gijsel, the Community and Partnerships Manager at Yith. He's going to tech us all about the customer's journey and FREE tools to help us figure it out. His tips will help us understand our customers to, sure, sell more, but more importantly, create a better experience for them. I learned a lot here and started to implement h...
Apr 28, 2020•47 min•Season 1Ep. 166
Last week we heard from Maddy Osman about how to make money on marketplaces - and at the core of that is being able to productize your services. Now sure how to do that? Well, Brian Casel has you covered. His advice has inspired me to start offering a new service myself, and I know he'll do the same for you. Now is a great time to start looking at how you can make your business more predictable, and Brian can help. Show Notes Brian Cassel AudienceOps ProcessKit Productize Course Sponsored by: Ah...
Apr 21, 2020•54 min•Season 1Ep. 165
Maddy Osman has a unique approach to her business and agency - and it’s mostly around getting gigs on FIverr and other marketplaces. When she first told me about that, I was blown away! I didn’t think someone state-side could make a good income off of Fiverr. Maddy has proved me wrong - and offers fantastic advice how you can get started too. Show Notes Maddy Osman | Twitter How to Make Money on Fiverr CGP Grey Using Systems with Shannon Shaffer LearnDash YouTube Channel How to write a kickass b...
Apr 14, 2020•58 min•Season 1Ep. 164
Sara Dunn is one of my favorite people to talk to, and for good reason. She’s fun, honest, and has a lot of great insight! Today we’re following up on episode 69, where we talked about her starting to niche down. Now, 2 years and nearly 100 episodes later, she’s fully into her niche business. We talk about making some tough decisions, and how to stay motivated. I truly think this is something every freelancer and small business owner should hear! Show Notes Sara Dunn | Twitter | Instagram Sara D...
Apr 07, 2020•47 min•Season 1Ep. 163
Vito Peleg runs a very popular WordPress plugin called WP Feedback, but did you know he also runs a community under the same name? In this episode we talk all about the importance of community in growing your business. Now, during this episode we talk a lot about in-person events, and as I record this intro, there aren’t a whole lot of events going on right now. But digital communities are on the rise and they can be just as powerful. Take Vito’s advice to heart because it’s good, and important!...
Mar 31, 2020•44 min•Season 1Ep. 162
I’ve known Matt Adams for the better part of a decade - we’ve worked on some interesting projects together, which we’ll reminisce about as we dive into how he’s built an agency out of what started as a freelance career. We talk a lot about something that’s hard for a lot of freelancers to talk about: cashflow. Feast, Famine, and Client Relationships have been themes of this season and they all relate to the same thing: managing your money properly so you can survive as a business. Let’s hear how...
Mar 24, 2020•53 min•Season 1Ep. 161
Nathan Ingram is a fantastic freelancer, educator, and coach. I met him doing iThemes Webinars and he always manages to ask the right questions and tee up the right talking points. I’m excited to talk to him today about how to manage client relationships. Last week we heard from Erin Flynn about her process for working less and mentioned the importance for finding the right clients. Nathan is going to dive deeper into that. We’ll talk about his book on this very topic, and then we’ll talk about ...
Mar 17, 2020•58 min•Season 1Ep. 160
Erin Flynn is one of my favorite people to talk to. We are in a Master Mind group together and her insight and approach is always appreciated. Today, we’re talking about how she’s managed to build a business around literally working 2-4 hours a day. Recently she tweeted that she worked 1/4 the “normal job” hours and still hit her income goal. We’re going to talk about how she does it, and how you can do it too. Then we’ll chat a little bit about a big change we’re both getting ready for this sum...
Mar 10, 2020•54 min•Season 1Ep. 159
Last week, you heard from Angel Marie about the importance of building your list, and how you can use ConvertKit to do it. Today, I decided to pull back the curtain and tell you exactly how I use ConvertKit. Show Notes Get ConvertKit Building Your Mailing List with Angel Marie How to Set Up a Landing Page with ConvertKit Pointing a Custom Domain to a ConvertKit Landing Page Sponsored by: Yith | TextExpander | FreshBooks ———— Streamlined Solopreneur is the podcast for solopreneurs who want to aut...
Mar 03, 2020•20 min•Season 1Ep. 158
I’m so excited to be talking to Angel Marie, the Creator Educator over at ConvertKit this week. And we’re talking about one of my favorite topics: building your list. I’ve become a huge proponent of this over the last couple of years, and the contributing factors have been this podcast, my move into products, and the educator I got from people at ConvertKit like Angel. This is such a rich episode I’m excited for you to hear it. Show Notes Angel Marie ConvertKit ConvertKit on Facebook | Instagram...
Feb 25, 2020•44 min•Season 1Ep. 157
Ben Collins’ story is an interesting one! He went from forensic accountant to creating and selling online courses about Google Sheets - talk about niching down! But we talk about more than that. We also talk about location independence, and what it’s like moving from an office to working from home, with a family. Lots of great stuff in this episode, so let’s dig in. Show Notes Ben Collins | Twitter Teachable Have a Daily Schedule when Working from Home Sponsored by: TextExpander | FreshBooks ———...
Feb 18, 2020•51 min•Season 1Ep. 156
Shannon Shaffer is the founder of Purple Finch Studios, a small agency she runs in Pennsylvania, and today we’re talking about the systems and automation she put in place to make her and her team more efficient. But more than just her team benefits - her clients get a much more delightful and clear on-boarding process, communication doesn’t falter, and her projects get off to a great start. The systems she’s put in place can help us all get projects off to a great start, then keep them on track....
Feb 11, 2020•43 min•Season 1Ep. 155
As tools for podcasting have evolved, the question of, “Can I start a podcast” has changed to, “should I start a podcast?” And importantly, will it help you grow your business? We’re going to talk about all of that and more in today’s episode. We’ll go over why podcasting is getting easier, some of the basics, and why YOU should start one. At the end of the episode, I’m going to tell you about a new online course I have coming out that will give you everything you need to launch your own show. L...
Feb 04, 2020•20 min•Season 1Ep. 154
Today I’m talking to my good friend Matt Medeiros. We both share a passion for podcasting and content creation in general. On top of talking about getting involved in local businesses, and legacy, we dig deep on putting content out into the world. First you learned about content strategy from Jessica Lawlor . Now you'll learn more about one of the big important mediums for creating content in 2020: podcasting. Show Notes Matt Medeiros | Twitter Southcoast.fm Pagely Missing WPWeekly podcast, Yoas...
Jan 28, 2020•41 min•Season 1Ep. 153
If you've been freelancing or running a small business for any amount of time, you've learned a few things you probably wish you knew from the start. In this episode, I've asked a few of my freelancing friends (as well as Twitter), "What's one thing you wish you knew when you started freelancing?" There's lots of great advice, so let's get to it! Show Notes The original Twitter Thread Jean Perpillant | Twitter Sal Ferrarello | Twitter Topher DeRosia | Twitter Birgit Pauli-Haack | Twitter Jonatha...
Jan 21, 2020•31 min•Season 1Ep. 152
Jessica Lawlor is a content manager and strategist. Your content plan is integral to your small business, as I’ve learned over the past couple of year. I’m being a lot more intentional this year, and in this episode, Jessica talks about how you can too. We chat about content calendars, answering important questions regarding your goals, and how to create content even if you’re strapped for time. Show Notes Jessica Lawlor | Twitter The Write Life Airtable Click Up Nathan Ellering and CoSchedule R...
Jan 14, 2020•45 min•Season 1Ep. 151
This year, 2020, the show is going to focus heavily on Freelancers and small business owners. And to kick things off, I’m talking to long time freelancer and educator Jason Resnick. He’s the founder of the Feast community and Live in the Feast podcast, and today he’s going to tell you how to set yourself up to prevent the dreaded famine that often comes with freelance work. We’ll talk about niching down, vetting clients, and so much more. Show Notes Jason Resnick | Twitter Live in the Feast WooC...
Jan 07, 2020•56 min•Season 1Ep. 150
Lots of people like to make resolutions around the new year. Fresh calendar, fresh start. I've gotten away from doing that and instead talking about a yearly theme - an idea I got from the Cortex podcast. In this episode, we'll talk about my yearly theme, how it affects the show, and how you can pick one. Show Notes The Theme System Cortex Podcast My 2019 Yearly Theme Pat Flynn’s AMP’d Up Podcasting MacSparky’s OmniFocus Field Guide Podcast Liftoff ———— Streamlined Solopreneur is the podcast for...
Dec 26, 2019•23 min•Season 1Ep. 108
I’m ending this season of How I Built It by geeking out about audio stuff with my guest, Ryan White. He’s the US Product Specialist for Rode Microphones - a company that makes great gear, and who has an increasingly bigger presence in the podcasting space. We talk gear, room acoustics, and more. AND you can hear their newest product, the Rodecaster Pro, in action (if there’s anything to hear, that is). All of that and more, after a word from our sponsors. Show Notes Ryan White Rode Rodecaster Pr...
Dec 03, 2019•44 min•Season 1Ep. 149
I was excited to reconnect with my friend Colin Devroe on this episode. We met through the WordPress community in Scranton and I just the co-working space he and his business part Kyle created. In this conversation, we get back to basics, and talk blogging. With the ever changing landscape of the web and social media, how important is it to have your own blog? Let’s find out! Show Notes Colin Devroe Jujama Barley Writing is How I Think Bad Reasons to Not Blog Colin's personal blogging tips Zeldm...
Nov 26, 2019•55 min•Season 1Ep. 148
The 2019 holiday season is here! Many of you are business owners, remote workers, and freelancers - so I thought I'd put together a bonus episode based on my 2 popular gift guides. Here are some great gifts for podcasters, and people who work from home! Show Notes Enter the 1 Million Downloads Celebration Giveaway! Great Gifts for People who work from Home (updated 2019) Gift Guide for Podcasters (updated 2019) ATR2100 Logitech C920 Logitech BRIO Rode PodMic Rode Procaster Focusrite Scarlett Sol...
Nov 22, 2019•37 min•Season 1Ep. 108
This interview is a little different than most. See, Svetlana Kouznetsova is an accessibility consultant who’s also deaf. Our interview was conducted completely using Google Docs. The voice you’ll hear on this episode is Erin, my wife, who graciously agreed to do Svetlana’s side of the conversation. Svetlana’s story is an interesting one. We talk about how she immigrated to the US from Russia, and what it was like growing up deaf there vs. in the US. We also discuss the importance of accessibili...
Nov 19, 2019•23 min•Season 1Ep. 147
Nathan Beckord is the CEO of Founder Suite, a group of tools to help those seeking venture capital, as well as tools for venture capitalists. We talked all about how he built this after spending a decade helping startups raise their own VC. We also cover how to seek VC funding, and if business plans are even useful anymore. It’s a fun conversation in an area I’m only loosely familiar with - so I learned a lot. I think you will too! Show Notes Nathan Beckord Foundersuite Codequest How I Raised It...
Nov 12, 2019•46 min•Season 1Ep. 146
Jaclyn Schiff made her way onto the show because she’s authentic. She reached out recommending another guest, in a real way. Then, throughout the course of the conversation, we decided she’d also be a good guest for the show! She's a master of making the most of your content. We talk all about repurposing - something I could do a little better - as well as that cold outreach she’s good at. We also talk about productizing services, which is something I’m doing at the moment. So lots of great stuf...
Nov 05, 2019•45 min•Season 1Ep. 145
Tevya Washburn reached out to me over the summer and asked if I might be interested in having him on the show - it turns out his timing was great. See Tevya created a WordPress plugin to help gather and display social proof, and I had just finished read a book that talks about the importance of social proof. So we chat about how he came up with the idea, why he built it, and of-course, how. This is a pretty traditional episode of the show, and I hope you enjoy it! Show Notes Tevya Washburn Starf...
Oct 29, 2019•40 min•Season 1Ep. 144
Greg Koberger is easily one of the most interesting guys I talked to this year. Not only do we talk about team building with escape rooms - a super cool concept, by the way - but we touch on mental health, the startup culture, venture capital, and lots more. Greg is a pretty open book here and it makes for an amazing interview. It's chocked full of great advice, so enjoy! Show Notes Greg Koberger ReadMe Swagger (Open API Spec) Escape Room Finder Ron Swanson loves puzzles Allie Nimmons and Freela...
Oct 22, 2019•49 min•Season 1Ep. 143
