Creating content can feel like a giant chore. Every day, it’s a new post, a new blog, a new Reel to create. The machines and algorithms just keep telling you to create more, more, more. Worse, the “experts” are out there telling you that you need to create 3 videos per day to stand out, release a podcast, video, and blog weekly, and you have to be in your stories all. of. the. time. Oh, and don’t forget those email blasts! If this is already making you tired, that’s honestly the correct reaction...
Sep 26, 2023•10 min•Season 2Ep. 63
You’re great at what you do and so you thought, “I’m going to go out and do that for myself.” Then the reality of having to get clients settles in and it can seem incredibly hard to grow your business. Can I be honest? I was stuck in that pattern for years. Over 10 years in fact. What finally worked and “clicked” three years ago? It wasn’t anything I did or could learn.
Sep 19, 2023•15 min•Season 2Ep. 62
There are so many misconceptions about marketing. Especially for those of us doing our best to bootstrap and grow our business, it can be all too easy to piece together what we find online and try to figure it out on our own. The reality? Strategies that worked for someone else might not work for you. That’s because your business is different and unique to you. But another reason that rarely works? To adopt a marketing strategy, you need to understand how it worked for them and how to tweak it t...
Sep 12, 2023•16 min•Season 2Ep. 61
Not many people can take a blank canvas and create a beautiful website. Believe me, it took me years of observation and practice to start seeing how a design could come together. While I know that not everyone can afford to hire a professional web design agency for their first site or even an update, that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t have a beautiful website either. If you’re trying to DIY your website just a little bit longer and aren’t satisfied with how everything has come together (but yo...
Sep 05, 2023•14 min•Season 2Ep. 60
Picking out the colors you want to use in your business can be an incredibly personal experience. You’re choosing how you want people to see your business, how they feel when they come to your website or view your social media, and you’re expressing something about your unique business. Choosing colors, however, can’t just be about what you think looks good. Did you know that the colors you choose can actually exclude customers from interacting with your business? One of the easiest ways to make...
Aug 29, 2023•13 min•Season 2Ep. 59
Do you think that a website can’t do anything for your business? I’m going to tell you a dirty little secret that most agencies won’t tell you - building a website is not a magic fix to your online presence. I often hear from my customers that they built a website and “nothing happened.” Well of course not. This isn’t Field of Dreams. You can’t just build a website and hope that people will come to it. You have to bring people back to your website over and over again. There are many ways you can...
Aug 22, 2023•15 min•Season 2Ep. 58
Are your ideal customers spending more than a few seconds looking at your website? I’m talking - don't fill out a single form, schedule a call, or even make it off of your homepage. If you feel like your website does nothing for your business, it’s because you’re not actually telling the people who visit your website how to work with you. Today, we’re going to learn the strategies that keep customers on your website and actually get them to take action. Hint: it’s all about clear communication. ...
Aug 15, 2023•16 min•Season 2Ep. 57
One of the best sales tools that you can use as a service-based business might surprise you. It’s trust. When your potential customers feel like they can trust you, they’re far more likely to buy from you. Building trust - or credibility - with your clients is easy when they can see you and shake your hand. You’re a real person! You have a real office they can visit! But what about building trust with your online audience? How do you build trust with someone who has to interact with you in a tot...
Aug 08, 2023•12 min•Season 2Ep. 56
You have a website and you know that you want to get leads from that website. But how do you get people to visit it? You need to optimize it for SEO. Your website can be the best lead-generator for your business when it’s not only built correctly but built to bring in traffic and the right people from Google. If you’re looking to get more clicks, attract high-quality leads, and grow your business, then you need to unlock the power of SEO to boost your website. Listen now if you want to know what...
Aug 01, 2023•13 min•Season 2Ep. 55
Do you have a solid plan to grow your business? Did you create an actual business plan with where you saw your growth going, or did you sort of wing it because you were an expert in the service you’re providing your clients? There’s not really a wrong answer here. I’m not sure I know that many entrepreneurs actually put together a full business plan as you might learn in college. Your business honestly tends to grow in ways you might not have been able to foresee, too. Creating a plan can seem, ...
Jul 25, 2023•14 min•Season 2Ep. 54
The great thing about AI and products like ChatGPT is that they can make our lives easier, giving us more time to connect with our audience. The problem? It can actually prevent us from forming those connections up front. In today’s episode, Rachel Allen of Bolt From the Blue Copywriting joins me to talk about how we can use ChatGPT effectively but still maintain that important human connection with our audience. We’ll dive into: [3:40]: The AI “Apocalypse” [6:19]: How ChatGPT works [7:49]: What...
Jul 18, 2023•43 min•Season 2Ep. 53
Last week I officially hit 3 years in business as Captain Coder! When I started Captain Coder in the middle of a pandemic, I had a pretty strong vision for what I wanted to create. But the reality of running a business is that things are going to change. I’m not sure any business grows exactly how the founders imagined it from the start. Whether you’ve just started on your own entrepreneurial journey or you’ve been doing this awhile, you’re going to find new things that surprise you all of the t...
Jul 11, 2023•12 min•Season 2Ep. 52
Are you keeping 25% of your customers from working with you? You might not know it, but that could be exactly what’s happening if you don’t prioritize #DigitalAccessibility. Ensuring everyone can interact with your website and your content online means that you’ll reach your entire audience and won’t exclude people from working with you. In today’s episode of the #CaptainCoderPodcast, we’re revisiting a special interview with one of my best friends from college. We discuss her journey with the d...
Jul 04, 2023•1 hr 5 min•Season 2Ep. 51
Being an entrepreneur means that we get to pursue the things that we want and we tell ourselves what to do. The problem with that is we can often forget something else we’d planned on doing before, or we choose the new “shiny” thing to avoid the harder piece in our business that actually needs attention. And of course, sometimes that new shiny thing just seems like a lot more fun to play with than anything else we’re currently working on. Shiny object syndrome can actually be one of the biggest ...
Jun 27, 2023•11 min•Season 2Ep. 50
Have you been struggling to get your dream client’s attention? I want you to picture this scenario: you’re scaling your service-based business, helping only the people you want to help with their services. Your clients respect you, pay their bills on time, and you’re able to help them because they’re exactly who you should be working with. Sound a bit far-fetched? I get it. When you first start your business you often find yourself taking any and every client you can just to get paid. But what i...
Jun 20, 2023•15 min•Season 2Ep. 49
If you want more leads and sales, then you need to read this. For most service-based businesses, our number one resource of new sales is referrals, but you can’t control how often those come in. What do you do when you need to generate steady leads and sales for your business so you have control over whether or not you can scale? The answer is not posting more often on social media. The truth is that your #1 leads generator should never be a platform that you don’t own or have any real control o...
Jun 13, 2023•10 min•Season 2Ep. 48
You’re probably neglecting this big thing in your business. Website engagement. It’s not all about social media. In fact, social engagement is great, but what really leads to sales is how much your dream client interacts with your website. When your ideal customer is actually spending time on your website, you know that you’re providing something that they actually want to look at. But the average amount of time someone spends on a service-based business’s website is less than 2 minutes! Improve...
Jun 06, 2023•21 min•Season 2Ep. 47
The real secret to marketing online isn’t really a secret at all. In fact, it’s what we all know is a best practice but is hard to do so we look for other shortcuts. But nothing can beat creating regular content that provides free and useful information to your audience. It not only helps to attract new clients, but it can also keep your current clients around for longer. And yet, who has time to create something new and fresh every week? Where even do you get your ideas for that content? Well, ...
May 30, 2023•18 min•Season 2Ep. 46
Want to get one of the best ROIs you can get in marketing? I’m talking $42 back for every dollar you spend. The answer might surprise you - it’s email marketing! Having a healthy email list can be the key to growing your business online the easiest way possible. The key to growing your email list? A lead magnet your ideal customer can’t wait to download! Learn how to create a lead magnet that will actually get opt-ins in today’s episode of the #CaptainCoderPodcast. Listen now on your favorite po...
May 23, 2023•19 min•Season 2Ep. 45
Imagine this scenario: your ideal customer went to their fellow entrepreneurs and friends and asked if anyone knew a “good” accountant, graphic designer, lawyer, social media manager, etc (insert-your-service-based-business-here). That ideal customer was given your name and three other people that they were told were all excellent. To help them decide whom they might want to work with, they visit all of your websites to get a feel for who you are. The About Us page (or Our Story page, depending ...
May 16, 2023•16 min•Season 2Ep. 44
You started your business in part to make more money and remove that income cap a normal 9 to 5 job puts on you. And then tax time comes around and you have sticker shock. Been there, my friend. If you’re tired of having an unexpected IRS bill every April and want to learn how you can keep more of your income, then today’s episode of the #CaptainCoderPodcast is for you! I sit down with @wendybarlincpa to learn how we as business owners can keep more of our hard-earned money. Tune in on your favo...
May 09, 2023•38 min•Season 2Ep. 43
When you work with clients one-on-one, you know that inevitably you’re always chasing that next sale. You need to keep that stream flowing so that you know that your business is going to keep growing. A steady source of leads helps you to know that you’re going to have some predictability in your business. This helps you to make better financial and hiring decisions and better predict your growth. Especially when you’re growing your service-based business online, you need to have something in yo...
May 02, 2023•13 min•Season 2Ep. 42
Do you dream of spending more time growing your business and taking a vacation once in awhile? AI might just be your ticket to saving hours in your day and making those things a reality! You have far too much on your plate to not take advantage of time-saving products. In today’s episode, I talk you through a few of the most popular ways you can save time (and maybe even some money) using AI tools. Listen now at the link in my bio or on your favorite podcast app!...
Apr 25, 2023•13 min•Season 2Ep. 41
Have you ever visited a competitor's website or another business in your industry and noticed that they have media mentions from prestigious organizations such as Forbes, Entrepreneur, and Mashable? You’ve probably sat there and wondered - how did they do that? And how can I get media coverage like that? In today's episode, I’m joined by Cahill Camden, the CEO of Press Jockey . He's not only gonna talk to us about the things that you need to know (and be prepared for) if you want to go out and g...
Apr 18, 2023•40 min•Season 2Ep. 40
Are you cutting out 25% of your total possible audience? If you’re not focusing on web accessibility you are! Web accessibility basically means that we design and build websites so that everyone can access and navigate them, no matter what their abilities are. Not only is providing an accessible website to your customers just the right thing to do but it’s also required by law in many countries. Why aren’t all websites accessible if it’s required by law? Well, the short answer is that building a...
Apr 11, 2023•23 min•Season 2Ep. 39
Got a WordPress website? You may be a target for hackers. WordPress powers 43% of the internet, which makes it a huge target for bad people. If you have a WordPress website, you need to be thinking about security, full stop. Luckily for you, there are some simple steps you can take to make your website more secure and keep those hackers out! Head to your favorite podcast app and listen to the latest episode of the #CaptainCoderPodcast to discover how to keep your WordPress safe....
Apr 04, 2023•22 min•Season 2Ep. 38
As a solopreneur and especially as a service provider who created your business because you’re good at what you do, you might feel like it’s impossible to delegate out your main job functions. I know how you feel. I code websites a very specific way and know that it could be hard to teach that. But not delegating out tasks and trying to wear all of the hats is a quick trip to burnout city. If you’re new to delegating and just thinking about bringing on your first team member, or simply if this i...
Mar 28, 2023•19 min•Season 2Ep. 37
I get it - you want quick results.. You just want to grow your business so that your income is stable, you get that freedom you’ve been looking for, and you can have better control over your time. I know that it’s easy for a DIY business owner to get suckered into some marketing “hacks” that they think will solve all their problems. Shiny Facebook Ads or posts in groups tell you that they made THOUSANDS of dollars following these systems! But what can actually happen when you use any of these ta...
Mar 21, 2023•19 min•Season 2Ep. 36
Only about 10% of your followers will actually see that newest Instagram post. Want to get your content in front of a larger audience? You might be ready to run some ads on Instagram! Ads can be a great way to get in front of more people - and more people who really want to hear from you. In today’s episode, I’m going to walk you through whether or not you’re actually ready to run ads on Instagram, the decisions you need to make before starting an online advertising campaign, and the steps you s...
Mar 07, 2023•17 min•Season 2Ep. 35
If you want to make blog writing a better habit (and improve your website in your search rankings), then there is a new tool on the market that you’ve probably heard a lot about. Chat GPT. I know, I’m a bit of a creation purist. Why am I talking about ChatGPT? Because I recognize that it can be a tool to help you write on a schedule and higher-quality content without having to go hire someone to do it. Especially if you’re in the DIY part of your business, ChatGPT could be an easy solution for y...
Feb 28, 2023•15 min•Season 2Ep. 34
