One of my favorite things to do at the end of each year is plan my Yearly Theme . It’s becoming a bit of a tradition and I’ve even got my wife in on the action this year. I find it’s better to have a guiding set of principles than a number of promises I may or may not 1 complete. 2020 caused many people to change how they do things, and I was no different. that’s why for 2021, my yearly theme is going to be The Year of Opportunity. Show Notes Read the post on my blog CGP Grey’s Theme Video Theme...
Jan 04, 2021•39 min•Season 1Ep. 200
It’s that time of year again! I round up my favorite media and tech picks of 2020 - but this year I’m doing it a little differently. Over on Casabona.org, I’ve written blog posts for the past several years, but I’ve never recorded my thoughts. So this year, along with a blog post, I decided to do a podcast episode too - this lets me ramble a little more and add some thoughts on 2021. I hope you enjoy! Show Notes and Picks Tech Pick: Elgato Stream Deck How I Configured my Stream Deck Honorable Me...
Dec 15, 2020•47 min•Season 1Ep. 199
Well 2020 was unlike any year I’ve lived through, and I’m sure it’s the same for you. When I decided to come up with a theme for Season 9, which started in July, we were a couple of months into the global pandemic. I wanted focus on topics that could help you (and me) grow at a time where we were traveling less, seeing less foot traffic, and had to change in some way to make ends meet. I settled on coming up with good content, and using that content to evolve memberships, and build communities. ...
Dec 08, 2020•28 min•Season 1Ep. 198
In September 2020, my 4th book published by a publisher (6th overall) came out. It's called HTML and CSS: Visual QuickStart Guide and it's a (very) beginner's guide to learning HTML and CSS. The process was long and at times frustrating. I wanted to go through how I wrote it, from inception to hitting the shelved. Show Notes HTML and CSS: Visual QuickStart Guide MindNode Procreate Sponsored by: ConvertKit | Hostinger ———— Streamlined Solopreneur is the podcast for solopreneurs who want to automa...
Dec 01, 2020•35 min•Season 1Ep. 197
Winstina Hughes is an Assistant Regional Planner for the Maryland Department of Transportation but she's coming to us today as a member of the wordpress community! Throughout the interview we talk about all sorts of things - life, WordPress, the New Jersey Transit…and it call comes back to the main takeaway for this episode: writing what you know and creating opportunities to share your insight. This was such a fun conversation where we covered a lot of ground. I enjoyed it, and I know you will ...
Nov 24, 2020•55 min•Season 1Ep. 196
Throughout this season, we’ve talked about create content to build an audience. And the best way to build that audience and interact with them is forms. Well, Naomi C Bush tells us all about some great ways to build helpful forms for users. This is a much more traditional episode of How I Built It and I’m excited. Naomi talks about how she’s built her business, then provides some actionable advice for us. Naomi C. Bush gravity+ Gravity Forms Episode 55: Alex Cancado & Gravity Forms ConvertKi...
Nov 17, 2020•55 min•Season 1Ep. 195
Jase Rodley has A LOT going on. In fact, since we recorded this episode, he stepped down from Rank Defender to run Dialed Labs. His energy and drive are apparent in the interview, where we talk about Making Resource sites. Essentially, he tells us how to make content to fill a demand, and make a little money along the way. I even put him on the spot and have him help me through an idea during the episode. So listen for that and more - and let me know what ideas you come up with! Jase Rodley | Tw...
Nov 10, 2020•59 min•Season 1Ep. 194
It has become a bit of a time-honored tradition for me to do gift guides around the holidays. I often get asked for recommendations on office, podcast, and pen gear. I write the gift guides up on my personal site, but this episode goes into a bit more depth for people who work from home, podcast, and more! Gift Guides How I Light my Live Streams Sponsored by: Hostinger | Yes Plz | iThemes ———— Streamlined Solopreneur is the podcast for solopreneurs who want to automate their business and take ti...
Nov 03, 2020•44 min•Season 1Ep. 193
Joe Simpson did something that, in my opinion, is very difficult to do. He created a local community out of virtually nothing. Living in Castilla, CA, he built the WordPress Santa Clarita Valley meetup from scratch. And the way he did it, as well as his personal story, is fantastic. I’m so happy I got to speak to Joe on this topic; he offer a unique insight with takeaways for everyone! Joe A. Simpson Jr. | Twitter WordPress Santa Clarita Valley Meetup Sponsored by: Hostinger | Yes Plz | iThemes ...
Oct 27, 2020•43 min•Season 1Ep. 192
Virtual summits are all the rage these days, but my friend Dave Shrein was doing them before they were cool. I participated in his event last year for his agency Campaign Donut, and I thought it was so well-run, I had to have him on the show to talk about it. Dave's story is great and he offers lots of actionable advice. It's always great when I can take something from an interview and implement it, and I did just that with Dave. Show Notes Dave Shrein Campaign Donut How to Identify Your Ideal C...
Oct 20, 2020•53 min•Season 1Ep. 191
Lately on this show we've been focusing on big picture stuff, but it's really the small changes that make a big difference. Proof of that is Bud Kraus. He was trying to grow his newsletter and got nowhere….until he made a small change that grew it over 1,000 people in one year. Bud spills is secrets in this episode and tells you how you can do it too. Show Notes Bud Kraus What I'm Doing To Get People to Sign Up For My Newsletter Build Your List Using ConvertKit with Angel Marie HTML and CSS: Vis...
Oct 13, 2020•40 min•Season 1Ep. 190
I love talking to Brian Krogsgard. And if you need proof, we had a SUPER long pre-show that I'm going to release as bonus content when I roll out the Build Something Membership. And speaking of, that's the main topic for today's conversaiton with Brian: building membership through community. We talk all about how Post Status has changed since we last spoke, alll the way back in Episode 3. We get into building the membership, innovating, and what keeps your members from churning. Show Notes Brian...
Oct 06, 2020•1 hr 11 min•Season 1Ep. 189
Monetizing your podcast doesn't just mean sponsors. There are methods you can employ to generate income from your show - whether it's direct dollars or warm leads. Here are 4 ways to monetize your podcast, from landing sponsors to generating commission. And if you'd like to learn more, check out the course Podcast Liftoff . Show Notes Get Podcast Liftoff (use BUILD at checkout for a 15% discount) Sign up for Build Something Weekly ConvertKit My Pitch Deck Podtrac Memberful Wishlist Member Substa...
Sep 29, 2020•29 min•Season 1Ep. 188
Webinars can be a great way to grow your audience, but are a tough business. Today's guest, Emily Hunkler, is a pro! She is able to host consistent webinars and virtual meetups for GoWP at a time where it helps most. In this episode, Emily lets us in on how she does it. Show Notes Emily Hunkler GoWP GoWP's Niche Agency Owners Facebook Group What to Focus on in a Recession with Brad Morrison 7 Ways Your Clients Can Benefit From Podcasting Improving Customer Relationships with John Vuong Sponsored...
Sep 22, 2020•50 min•Season 1Ep. 187
I have a confession that won't be much of a confession once you start listening to this episode. I'm a big fan of David Sparks. I think he does great work in several different areas an I'm excited to talk to him about how he does it. We also both happen to be big fans of Disney and Star Wars. When we spoke, he was just coming off his first ever Sabbatical - so we'll get into that and how he manages to put out what must be dozens of hours of field guides while also running a law practice. Show No...
Sep 15, 2020•52 min•Season 1Ep. 186
I'm really excited to take to Tracey Larvenz today - he's my content manager over at linkedIn Learning and he's so great to work with! Being a Content Manager at LinkedIn Learning, it's his job to make sure there's a steady stream of new course material coming out for members. We'll talk about how he decides what to put into the production queue, and with me being a LinkedIn Learning instructor, we'll get into the course creation process a bit! Show Notes Tracey Larvenz | Twitter LinkedIn Learni...
Sep 08, 2020•43 min•Season 1Ep. 185
Let me tell you about my friend Tessa. She is very passionate about her work. And what's her work? Well she finds people who are passionate about products! In this episode Tessa will give us tips and tricks for building an advocacy program - where you can connect with people who LOVE you product. And further…you know what? I'll just let Tessa tell you about it! Show Notes Tessa Kriesel | LinkedIn Devocate WWDC Pantheon's Heroes Program CaboPress Superfans by Pat Flynn Net Promoter Score Traackr ...
Sep 01, 2020•58 min•Season 1Ep. 184
Voice Search! Amazon Echo! Google! Chip Edwards knows a thing or two about all of these topics and let me tell you what I learned: We are all sleeping on voice search. Chip will tell us the importance of being on Voice Search, and why the earlier the better. Stay tuned until the end for a special offer just for listeners too! Show Notes Chip Edwards | Twitter Create My Voice Choose Your Invocation Name The Blind Blogger Rian Kinney and Trademarks Apple, Google, and Amazon are teaming up to devel...
Aug 25, 2020•54 min•Season 1Ep. 183
Lisa Laporte is the CEO of TWiT.tv and after a few weeks of talking about how to podcast and what it can do for your content, I thought she'd be the perfect person, to come on and talk about starting a network, as well as where podcasting is going. We talk about a lot of stuff - where podcasting was and the future, but we also have a great chat about tech and more. Lots of great advice here, so sit back and enjoy! Show Notes Lisa Laporte | LinkedIn Twit.TV Artisanal Agency IAB Neilsen Cloudflare...
Aug 18, 2020•53 min•Season 1Ep. 182
One of the hardest things to do is put out daily content…and on top of that, making it helpful, timely, and in podcast form! This sounds like a ton of work, but Harry Morton of Lower Street does just that. In this episode, we'll explore how Harry can consistently put out a daily podcast about working from home - from planning to publishing. Show Notes Harry Morton Lower Street WFH Daily Podcast Movement Notion The Pod News Want to start your own podcast? Check out my course, Podcast Liftoff . Us...
Aug 11, 2020•52 min•Season 1Ep. 181
Stephen Hackett is one of my favorite podcasters, and cofounded my favorite podcast network, Relay.fm. Back in 2018, I spoke to his co-founder Myke Hurley about starting podcasts. Since then, Relay has really ramped up their membership program and I though Stephen would be the perfect guy to talk to about putting out tons of content and deciding what to make free, and what to make paid. I think they're doing a fantastic job over there, and Stephen's inspired me to reconsider my own membership pr...
Aug 04, 2020•1 hr 5 min•Season 1Ep. 180
Before we get too deep into this season, I wanted to make sure you and I have a good baseline for creating content and engaging with the audience. Taylor Waldon, the Content Strategist for GiveWP, does a fantastic job of this. We talk about how they are expanding their niche and why creating the right content is crucial. This is a must list for anyone who's creating content for their small business, no matter what you do. Taylor Waldon GiveWP | Blog Episode 54: The GiveWP Team ahrefs Sponsored b...
Jul 28, 2020•47 min•Season 1Ep. 179
A few weeks ago we spoke to Andrea Zoellner on how to implement a good Instagram Strategy. Well, another social network that seems like a hidden gem for content is LinkedIn, so I've brought on Cara North to talk to us. Cara is in the eLearning space, and we definitely talk about that, but I also wondered how she always seems to be trending on LinkedIn! So we talk about the smart way to build your network, add shareable content, and maybe even make a few worthwhile connections. Show Notes Cara No...
Jul 21, 2020•52 min•Season 1Ep. 178
Just because you're a government organization doesn't mean you can't have a little personality. That's what my friend Joe Galbo proves day-in and day-out over at the Consumer Products Safety Commission. I've wondered for some time how they manage their social media strategy there and Joe's the brains behind most of the operation. We'll talk content, memes, data and more, as well as how he can get it all done at the federal level. Show Notes Email Joseph: jgalbo@cpsc.gov Consumer Product Safety C...
Jul 14, 2020•55 min•Season 1Ep. 177
Have you every wondered how some people seem to do so much? Well this week I sit down with James Rose to unlock some of the secrets of one of my favorite topics: automation. We talk about what it is, how it works, and how you can use it to take some tasks off of your plate, and off of your mind. Show Notes James Rose | Twitter Content Snare James’ Zapier Mastery Course Zapier Airtable Calendly TextExpander Integromat IFTTT Keyboard Maestro AutoHotKey Zapier Ideas Automators Podcast Sponsored by:...
Jul 07, 2020•48 min•Season 1Ep. 176
Wondering how to build a following on Instagram? I was! It's my favorite social platform and I'm trying to be more intentional about the content. So I brought on Andrea Zoellner, who offered fantastic advice around IG strategy, taking great photos, and if those walls of hashtags actually work. Let's get into all of that and more. Show Notes Andrea Zoellner Capsule Suitcase | Instagram Tailwind Later Buffer Sponsored by: Boosted | iThemes | CircleCI ———— Streamlined Solopreneur is the podcast for...
Jun 30, 2020•46 min•Season 1Ep. 175
We're at the half for 2020, which means the end of Season 8. I'm proud to say I learned a ton, and I hope you have too! There were three big topics of focus this season: Find the Right Clients, Productize Your Services (or at least make them more predictable), and Build Your Email List / Network. Show Notes Jason Resnick Sara Dunn Nathan Ingram Shannon Shaffer Maddy Osman Brian Cassel Matt Adams Jessica Lawlor Matt Medeiros Angel Marie Vito Peleg John Vuong Marketing Made Simple Sponsored by: Po...
Jun 23, 2020•31 min•Season 1Ep. 174
We're at the halfway mark for the year and I've been trying out a lot of new tools and processes. In this bonus episode, I wanted to talk about WordPress plugins, digital products, and analog tools that have helped me be more productive! Show Notes Enroll in Podcast Liftoff! Use code BUILD at checkout WP Content Pilot Pro / AppSumo Deal ThirstyAffiliates Pro Six Colors Fusebox Hubspot CRM Apple Notes Milanote Canva Stream Deck Key Light Magic Keyboard Field Notes William Hannah Notebook Pen Addi...
Jun 16, 2020•35 min•Season 1Ep. 173
With everything happening during the COVID-19 pandemic and the economic recession, it's easy to panic, cut costs, and coast until this all blows over. But that can kill your business. Instead we need to adapt, and in today's episode, Brad Morrison tells us what his agency is doing to work through what will be a seemingly tough economy. We talk about our experiences with the last recession, what's different, and what you can do to adapt. Show Notes Brad Morrison GoWP GoWP Niche Agency Owners Face...
Jun 09, 2020•58 min•Season 1Ep. 172
Recently, I launched my brand new course. Podcast Liftoff: Launch . A lot of work goes into creating an online course, and this episode peels back the curtain a little bit. You'll learn about the journey and decision making that took place, the research and audience building, and of-course, the process and tools. Show Notes Get a special offer on Podcast Liftoff: Launch for listeners only Creator Courses ConvertKit MindNode Podcast Liftoff Mindmap My recording process | Video Resources Video Rec...
Jun 02, 2020•36 min•Season 1Ep. 171
