The Builders: Recent Episodes
Matt Levenhagen
"The Builders" Podcast is designed for those that are 'building' stuff on the web. Whether that's building a business, an agency, building teams, building products, services.. or building websites.. if it's related to building something, it's fair game. Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/the-builders/support
In this engaging episode, host Matt sits down with Danny Nathan, the forward-thinking founder of Apollo 21. They delve into the world of product development, customer-centric innovation, and the significance of lean customer development. Danny shares his professional journey from the realm of traditional advertising to becoming a key player in the innovation sector, emphasizing the importance of building products that solve genuine customer problems.
Danny discusses the methodology behind Apollo 21’s success, highlighting the principle of “Crawl Walk Run” in product development. This approach emphasizes starting small, validating ideas through customer feedback, and gradually scaling to meet larger business goals. He also touches on how innovation shouldn’t just be about creating new things but also understanding and embedding meaningful changes within an organization’s culture and operations.
Key Takeaways:
- Lean Customer Development: Begin the product development process by talking to customers to understand their pain points before building anything.
- Crawl Walk Run: Start with the smallest thing that can be built to create value, then iterate and expand based on customer feedback.
- Relentless Collaboration: Build strong trust-based relationships with clients to ensure successful partnerships and product outcomes.
- Expect Clients to Outgrow You: Develop a mindset that allows clients to eventually internalize operations, fostering long-term trust and collaboration.
- Focus on Solving Real Problems: Ensure that any product or innovation effort is centered around addressing genuine customer needs.
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In this engaging episode of The Builders, host Matt Levenhagen is joined by marketing trailblazer Daniel Den to delve into the intricacies of designing impactful marketing messages. Den, a luminary in the realm of differentiation and messaging, shares his journey from his early entrepreneurial ventures to becoming a successful digital marketer. The episode is filled with insights about breaking through market noise using the novel X Factor Effect methodology, illustrated with real-world experiences and personal anecdotes.
Daniel recounts his early success in 2009 with the innovative car insurance advertorial and the subsequent challenges posed by copycat competitors. He elaborates on their methodology, emphasizing the importance of differentiation through multiple unique selling propositions (USPs) to create a formidable market presence. The discussion also touches on crafting a compelling "microphone message," standing out in competitive markets, and leveraging authentic storytelling to build robust customer relationships. Whether you're a seasoned marketer or a budding entrepreneur, this episode is packed with practical insights to help you refine your marketing strategies.
Key Takeaways:
- The Power of Differentiation: Daniel highlights the significance of standing out by stacking multiple unique factors, making your business uncopyable.
- Crafting a Microphone Message: Importance of creating a marketing message that breaks through the noise, making your audience want to hear more.
- The Role of Authentic Storytelling: Leveraging real-life stories to resonate with your audience and beat AI-generated content.
- Building Trust with Your Audience: Creating a trustworthy presence that fosters customer loyalty through consistency in branding and social proof.
- Action Brings Clarity: Encouraging entrepreneurs to start somewhere and refine their approach through exploration and experimentation.
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In this enlightening episode, Matt Levenhagen shares a candid behind-the-scenes look at the technology that powers his web design and development agency. Focusing on the transition from an aging MacBook Pro to a new model, Matt underscores the critical importance of performance, multitasking, and convenience in his day-to-day operations. The podcast delves into the decision-making process behind choosing the right tools to support a high-paced, global business environment.
Initially, Matt sets the scene by discussing the technical difficulties he faced with his older MacBook Pro, such as battery issues, performance degradation, and the need for a reliable upgrade to sustain his growing business demands. Emphasizing the pragmatics of switching to a new MacBook Pro, he maps out how this change was essential in maintaining a seamless workflow and ensuring that his agency's operations stayed unaffected during the transition.
The episode serves as a comprehensive guide for tech enthusiasts and business owners alike, highlighting thoughtful considerations that go into choosing a machine that's a workhorse for a professional running a digital enterprise. Matt articulates the hardware choices he made, including opting for the M3 Pro chip and additional memory for better multitasking capabilities, and explains how the new setup contributes to the efficiency and effectiveness of his work.
Key Takeaways:
- The necessity of upgrading to new technology when running a business to ensure continued efficiency and productivity.
- Selecting the appropriate hardware and software is critical for tasks such as developing, managing team communications, and content creation.
- The decision-making process behind selecting a new MacBook Pro, focusing on the M3 Pro chip for its multitasking capabilities.
- The importance of a seamless transition from old to new hardware to avoid downtime in business operations.
- Understanding personal workflow patterns and the day-to-day tech stack can facilitate smoother technology upgrades.
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In this fascinating episode, host Matt delves into the intricacies of human connection with guest Ron Macklin. From the fluidity of personal growth to the foundational ways we can improve our relationships, this conversation unpacks Ron's journey from an engineer to an author and thought leader in communication and relationship building. Ron introduces his "Macklin Method," a framework designed to establish trustful connections both personally and professionally.
Ron elaborates on the transformative power rooted in understanding our "stand" – our core beliefs and reactions – and how acknowledging this stand affects our interactions. The discussion later shifts to Ron's writing process, shedding light on the emotional and technical journey behind writing his book. Through a narrative that resonates with readers, Ron aims to intertwine the elements of his method with a relatable story that reflects universal human experiences.
Key Takeaways:
- Humans have a significant capacity for change and self-improvement, which is a major theme throughout the episode.
- The "Macklin Method" includes steps like understanding one's stand, being an offer of help, and allowing others to contribute to us.
- The importance of deep human connection as a source of happiness and fulfillment is emphasized, supported by Ron's book, "Everyone Is Afraid."
- Ron discusses the enriching experience of writing his book and the challenges he overcame, particularly in terms of ensuring its storytelling nature.
- Allowing others to contribute to us is highlighted as a vulnerability that many struggle with but is crucial for establishing meaningful relationships.
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In this episode of the podcast, we dive into an intriguing conversation with Monica Pitts, a web designer who looks at websites as integral team members of a company. As the conversation unfolds, Monica shares insightful experiences and methodologies that contribute to the creation of impactful online presences for her clients.
The episode begins with Monica discussing her background in agriculture, evolution into the web design space, and how she found her niche working with construction companies, tradespeople, and non-profit organizations.
She emphasizes the importance of viewing websites as employees that work diligently for a company, reflecting on the significance of a site's functionality, design, and content alignment with organizational goals. Monica highlights how her team's consultative approach with clients has led to the development of websites that not only look aesthetically pleasing but also perform effectively in attracting talent, automating processes, and serving as valuable resources internally and externally.
Key Takeaways:
- A website should be treated as an active member of a company's team, contributing substantially to achieving business goals.
- Web design involves a consultative approach, asking clients critical questions to ensure the final product aligns with their needs and challenges.
- Consistency in web design is vital for maintaining a professional image and facilitating a user-friendly experience.
- Automating repetitive tasks and updating content efficiently can significantly enhance website functionality.
- Specializing in specific industries, such as construction or non-profit sectors, allows for a deeper understanding of client requirements and tailored web solutions.
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In this insightful episode, Matt Mower delves into the intricate world of leadership decision-making and the necessity for specialized tools to assist top-level executives in steering their organizations more effectively. Matt draws from his rich background in programming, technology leadership, and strategic roles to shed light on the common pitfalls of startups and the missed opportunities within enterprises that fail to grasp the changing dynamics of their business environments.
Matt reflects on his entrepreneurial journey, recounting the lessons learned from the highs and lows he experienced while navigating various startups. He discusses the significance of having a system that supports leadership in making consequential decisions and the challenges businesses face in managing opportunities and aligning their teams around a unified agenda.
Key Takeaways:
- Dynamic Decision Making: Businesses should treat decision-making as an OODA loop—observe, orient, decide, act—and continually reassess their actions in response to changing circumstances.
- Vision Centrality: Maintaining the vision as central to a business’s day-to-day operations is vital for strategic direction and growth, yet often difficult to sustain over time.
- Systematic Leadership: Leadership teams, just like sales or operations teams, need a system like Agendascope to effectively manage complex decision-making processes.
- The Importance of Flexibility: The ability to adapt assumptions and approaches is critical for the success of entrepreneurs and startups.
- Depth of Experience: Matt Mower taps into his substantial technical and strategic expertise to diagnose common obstacles that inhibit business growth and proposes the benefits of a coherent leadership tool.
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In this insightful episode, we delve into the elements that fuel successful digital marketing strategies and business growth, featuring the seasoned insight of guest Michael Buzinski. Michael, fondly known as Buzz, shares his entrepreneurial journey, from his early beginnings to becoming a multifaceted business owner and digital marketer.
The conversation primarily revolves around Buzz's innovative 'Rule of 26' methodology, which promises to double website revenue by focusing on three crucial KPIs: traffic, conversion rates, and average revenue per client. He emphasizes the power of incremental changes and the need for businesses to understand their value in the marketplace.
Additionally, Buzz provides actionable strategies for raising rates and effectively communicating your worth to clients.
Key Takeaways:
- The 'Rule of 26' is a strategy designed to double website revenue by improving traffic, conversion rates, and average revenue per client by 26% each.
- Identifying an ideal client profile is essential for increasing conversion rates and creating targeted marketing messages.
- Incremental price increases can streamline a client base and help businesses charge what they are genuinely worth.
- When scaling a business, it's crucial to have systems in place and ensure that any new hires have clear instructions and expectations to perform effectively.
- Virtual Assistants (VAs) can be a valuable asset when they're given proper guidance and tasks align with their strengths and language proficiency.
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In an engaging episode of the builders podcast, host Matt welcomes David Baer, a seasoned marketing expert and creative partner. The conversation unveils David's unique trajectory from theater management to wine marketing and eventually to pioneering strategies in direct response marketing. David shares valuable insights into the evolution of his career, the pivot points that led to entrepreneurship, and the lessons learned from the peaks and valleys of his journey.
David delves into the essence of strategic marketing, discussing how tactics and strategy interplay like the precarious rungs on a bridge in an Indiana Jones film. He speaks to the necessity of aligning marketing initiatives with broader business strategies and the importance of adopting technology, such as AI, in ways that amplify a business's capabilities. The episode is rich with David's experiences and his philosophy on nurturing a business ecosystem where technology enhances, not replaces, human potential.
Key Takeaways:
- Embrace the concept of strategy as a guiding force to navigate from the current state of business to the desired future state, understanding that it's not a straightforward path, but a squiggly line filled with tested tactics.
- Utilize AI and technology as a way to expand organizational capacity and improve efficiency, rather than replacing the workforce.
- Marketing tactics should be employed in the context of the overarching business strategy, ensuring each step taken aligns with the end goal.
- Trust, but verify – a lesson David stresses from his journey through entrepreneurship, highlighting the importance of due diligence in business decisions.
- Access to advanced marketing and AI tools is leveling the playing field for small and medium businesses, allowing them to compete with larger enterprises.
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In this insightful episode, Matt Levenhagen delves into the dynamics of partnerships and team collaboration across organizations. With his extensive background in team building and project management, Matt unpacks the key elements that ensure successful and harmonious relationships in the workplace.
Starting the conversation with a candid observation on the longevity and depth of working relationships, he emphasizes the importance of synergy, mutual respect, and shared business ethos for enduring and productive alliances.
Matt candidly discusses the intricacies of agency collaborations, emphasizing the necessity for goodwill, seamless communication, and cultural compatibility to drive joint ventures forward.
By weaving personal experiences with practical advice, he offers a nuanced perspective on establishing meaningful connections within and beyond one's company. His approach underscores a holistic view of business partnerships, where value, talent, and personal rapport are equally crucial.
Key Takeaways:
- Building lasting business relationships requires a combination of mutual respect, a culture fit, and delivering value.
- It is critical to not only establish business connections but also to foster personal rapport, leading to an enjoyable work environment.
- Equally important is ensuring timely compensation and clear communication, which are foundational for trust and smooth operations.
- Personal relationships with agency owners or team leaders can significantly enhance the collaboration and project outcomes.
- The challenges and rewards of outsourcing are balanced through strategic partnerships that focus on mutually beneficial goals.
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In this enlightening episode, Randy Wilson delves into the crux of transforming life's challenges into stepping stones for growth. His candid discourse encompassing opportunity, preparation, and the pursuit of genuine desires resonates with anyone standing at the crossroads of personal and professional evolution. Randy's tale, starting from an unexpected career setback to finding solace and direction in self-education, serves as an inspiration for self-driven improvement.
Randy's region-centric upbringing in the Midwest laid a foundation for work ethics, however, it left him unprepared for the curveballs of corporate unpredictability. His pivot from corporate life to self-reliance showcases a quintessential journey of American entrepreneurship.
He emphasizes the pivotal role self-learning plays in recognizing and seizing opportunities. Through his podcast, Rich Mind, Randy seeks to echo timeless values of resilience and lifelong learning, making his narrative particularly engaging for those in their decisive years of personal development.
Key Takeaways:
- The store closure that prompted Randy to seek control over his destiny through self-education.
- Randy's realization that resenting past influences is unproductive and that self-improvement is continually achievable.
- The importance of discipline and presence in positioning oneself to capitalize on arising opportunities.
- His motivation for the "Rich Mind" brand is rooted in providing generational value and personal experiences that resonate universally.
- How Randy leverages his podcast as a medium to impact lives positively and drive change at an individual level.
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In this dynamic episode of the builders, host Matt engages with Ben Johnson, the innovative CEO behind Particle 41, to unravel the complex interplay between technology, entrepreneurship, and business growth. The dialogue opens doors into the formulaic aspects of transforming ideas into executable and profitable business ventures, with Ben underscoring the vitality of thorough market research and entrepreneurial adaptability.
The conversation covers the nuances of business strategy, market segmentation, and the importance of addressing industry needs with a creative touch. Pondering the technological advancements since the days of the Commodore 64, Ben reminisces on his formative experiences with tech and how his journey has led him to equip companies with the tools to thrive in a modern, digitally-driven landscape.
Key insights into the role of technology in scaling businesses are explored as Ben maps out the process of transitioning from legacy systems to cloud-based solutions. As an advocate for custom software at customer-touch points, he provides a pragmatic view on leveraging technology as a conduit for business growth and customer engagement.
Key Takeaways:
- A successful entrepreneur needs to validate their business ideas with market research and be willing to pivot or adapt as necessary.
- Building a business often requires a co-founder or team that can complement one's skill sets and share a unified vision for growth.
- Moving businesses from legacy systems to the cloud is not merely trendy; it's strategic for scalability and future-proofing.
- Investing in custom software can offer high value at the intersection between customer experience and brand identity.
- Engaging in mastermind groups and seeking counsel through coaching or advisory services can be pivotal for business owners at any growth stage.
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In an enlightening episode of the builders podcast, Jeremy Shapiro dives deep into the intricacies of structuring and scaling a business. His insights into drawing up an effective organizational chart and identifying key roles underlying current business operations serve as the foundation for strategic growth.
From discussing the critical differences between working in versus on the business, to the significance of hiring and delegating effectively, this episode is a treasure trove for any entrepreneur looking to elevate their enterprise to the next level.
Jeremy emphasizes the vital role of documenting roles, responsibilities, and key performance indicators (KPIs) to enable not just delegation, but informed and focused team productivity. He also challenges common entrepreneur reservations such as the fear of losing control over quality, and the misconception that scaling requires exponential increases in team and resources.
Key Takeaways:
- Map out an organizational chart for your business as it stands today, identifying all the roles and responsibilities, not titles.
- Understand the difference between working on your business (strategic planning and vision) versus working in it (daily operations).
- The freedom gained by hiring others can increase your business's capacity, even if new hires aren't performing at the same level initially.
- Recognizing the importance of letting go of perfectionism can accelerate business progression and focus on value delivery.
- Identifying and leveraging the ‘superpowers’ or strengths within your team can lead to cross-pollination of skills and ideas, fostering growth and innovation.
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In this engaging episode, guest Kristin Schvago shares her deep insights into branding, marketing, and creating a customer-focused business strategy. The conversation unlocks the often-overlooked simplicity behind marketing and selling—fulfilling promises and satisfying customer desires.
Kristin emphasizes that branding should not be overcomplicated; it's fundamentally about making and keeping promises to customers. Drawing from her extensive experience, she elaborates on the significance of understanding customers' desires, concerns, and questions to streamline the buying process. Creating a 'jerk-free' business and work environment is a central theme, as Kristin advocates for workplaces devoid of individuals who make things harder for others.
Key Takeaways:
- Branding is about the promise made to customers, while the brand represents the promises kept.
- Effective branding and marketing can be simplified to understanding and fulfilling customer desires.
- Interviewing five to seven customers of a particular segment can lead to actionable insights for businesses.
- A strategy to maintain a 'jerk-free' business environment is critical for reducing stress and improving productivity.
- Kristin prescribes empathy and love as guiding principles for entrepreneurship and interactions within businesses.
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In this episode, listeners get an insider's perspective on the enigmatic world of website analytics with Philippa Games, a seasoned expert in the field. Philippa demystifies the process of dissecting analytics and leveraging the data to bolster business objectives. Understanding the narratives behind the numbers is her forte, making her insights invaluable for businesses looking to extract actionable steps from overwhelming data sets.
Philippa emphasizes starting with clear business and website goals before diving into the analytics. Customizing tools like Google Analytics four to fit these goals can yield insights into customer behaviors and preferences. Philippa shares fascinating case studies where analytics led to the creation of new products or the optimization of existing processes—demonstrating that with the right analytical approach, data can be transformed into a strategic asset.
Key Takeaways:
- Every page of your website should have a strategy, and understanding what actions you want visitors to take is crucial.
- Site search analytics can offer a gold mine of insights into what your audience is looking for, which can drive content and product development.
- Setting up analytics properly is vital to ensure accurate data collection for meaningful insights.
- Holistic analysis involving a blend of technical skill and creative thinking can reveal unexpected opportunities for business growth.
- Consulting with analytics experts like Philippa can help businesses interpret overwhelming data to make informed decisions.
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In this introspective episode of "The Builders," host Matt Levenhagen takes a deep dive into the philosophy of lean startups, beyond the surface of initial business launches, and applies it to internal business processes and ventures.
His refreshing take on minimizing risk and fostering innovation through rapid, iterative testing of products and services comes to life through real-life examples drawn from his decades-long experience in the trenches of entrepreneurship and internet marketing.
Matt discusses his journey from testing various special reports to hitting gold with a report on PPC advertising, which eventually morphed into a robust 200-page guide and associated products.
Listen in as he unravels how this lean startup approach allowed him to refine his business strategies over the years, leading to the evolution of his agency and its offerings. Moreover, Matt provides insights into his current suite of plugins developed under Unified Plugins, detailing the lean methodology in action within his product development process.
Key Takeaways:
- Lean startup principles can be effectively applied to product and service innovation within an established business, not just at the startup phase.
- Rapid, iterative testing with minimum viable products (MVPs) can save time and resources while finding the market fit.
- A successful product or service can evolve from a simple test, such as Matt's special report on PPC advertising, which grew into a larger, profitable venture.
- It's essential to gauge the market's response to a product or service before fully committing to its development.
- A lean approach can be applied to various business areas, from plugins and digital products to services and even marketing strategies.
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In this engaging episode, Matt welcomes intellectual property expert Andrei Minkoff to explore the significance of trademarks for entrepreneurs. The conversation starts with Andrei's foundational story, which is rooted in his father's encounter with copyright infringement, fueling Andrei's eventual immersion into the world of intellectual property law.
Andrei shares his journey from Russia to Canada, his struggles with establishing his law career overseas, and how these experiences led him to launch Trademark Factory. With profound insights into the trademarking process, Andrei highlights the importance of protecting one's brand and the ingenuity of his business model, which guarantees results for a flat fee.
Key Takeaways:
- Trademarks are crucial for legal brand ownership and enforcement against imitation.
- Andrei Minkoff’s journey in IP law was inspired by his father's struggle with copyright infringement in Russia.
- Founding Trademark Factory, Andrei developed a unique trademark registration service with guaranteed results for a guaranteed budget.
- Statistics show a high percentage of trademark applications initially get rejected, highlighting the importance of professional help in the process.
- Entrepreneurs should value their brand and consider trademarking early to avoid costly legal disputes.
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In this engaging episode of the Builders Podcast, host Matt welcomes Jeannette Sibly, an expert in leadership coaching and talent advising. With decades of experience and a hands-on approach to driving tangible business results, Jeannette shares insights from the trenches that are particularly relevant to small and medium-sized business leaders.
Jeannette discusses the nuances of hiring, the transformative power of effective coaching, and the common pitfalls that companies face in the employment process. From the importance of knowing who you're hiring to the critical role of job fit in an employee's success, Jeannette emphasizes the high cost of intuition-based hiring and the substantial benefits of a structured, data-driven approach.
Listeners are provided with a wealth of knowledge, including actionable strategies for improving hiring processes and optimizing team performance. Jeannette's focus on people challenges and her tools for understanding the core of an individual make this episode a must-listen for any business owner or manager looking to refine their hiring and management practices.
Key Takeaways:
- Hiring the right people is less expensive than training and exiting, but doing it poorly can be costly and detrimental to your business.
- Jeannette advocates for a balanced hiring approach, with one-third of the decision based on interviews, one-third on vetted assessments, and one-third on thorough due diligence.
- Proper assessments are vital for determining job fit; legitimate assessments should have technical manuals, high validity and reliability, and account for distortion.
- Employers must understand that job fit is the number one indicator of job success, and not all capable job applicants will necessarily fit the job.
- Leadership and hiring managers should be equipped with the right questions and tools to discern between an interviewee's rehearsed responses and their true potential and fit for the role.
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In this episode of "The Builders," we are thrilled to have Jim Bishop, a renowned leadership coach with a background as a trained scientist, share his unique insights on transforming leadership and executive coaching's pivotal role. Jim takes us on his journey from his scientific beginnings to becoming an influential figure in human resources and leadership. He discusses his holistic strategy for reshaping work cultures, emphasizing the shift from reactive measures to proactive leadership styles that significantly impact workplace dynamics.
Our conversation with Jim illuminates the essential transition leaders must undergo, especially in the face of challenges brought about by the pandemic. He highlights the importance of adaptability and emotional intelligence in today's rapidly changing business environment. By focusing on midlife leaders, Jim offers guidance on navigating through these shifts with a redefined sense of purpose and connectedness, which is vital for personal and organizational growth.Key Takeaways:
- Jim Bishop's expertise lies in enhancing work cultures and honing the leadership skills of executives through effective coaching.
- The evolution from traditional training methods to a coaching-centric approach enables leaders to transform their experiences into powerful tools for cultural change.
- The unprecedented disruptions of 2020 have underscored the need for a leadership paradigm shift, prioritizing flexibility and emotional intelligence.
- Bishop's approach is particularly impactful for midlife leaders striving to recalibrate their definitions of success to focus on more meaningful aspects like purpose and legacy.
- Embracing authenticity in leadership fosters a dynamic team environment and culture, paving the way for innovation and improved organizational performance.
This episode not only explores Jim's transformative coaching methods but also delves into how leaders can navigate the complexities of today's business world with resilience and foresight. Join us as we uncover the strategies for building a culture that thrives on innovation, purpose, and connectedness.
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In this enlightening episode, Matt welcomes Mark Grabin, an advocate for utilizing mistakes as opportunities for growth in business settings. With a compelling commitment to the concept of continuous improvement, Mark shares his extensive experience and insights on the positive transformation of workplaces.
From the onset, Mark delves into his diverse background, explaining the trajectory of his career that led him to focus on fostering better organizational cultures through continuous improvement and lean management principles. He reflects on his early days in manufacturing and how a move to healthcare consulting offered a broader perspective on the necessity of empowering employees and recognizing the universal desire to contribute meaningfully to one's work.
As the conversation unfolds, Mark emphasizes the importance of cultivating psychological safety in the workplace, asserting that an environment where employees feel secure to raise concerns, admit mistakes, and seek help is pivotal for fostering continuous learning and growth. He further discusses how the principles he learned in manufacturing and healthcare can apply to any business, and underscores the role leaders play in modeling constructive responses to mistakes.
Key Takeaways:
- Continuous improvement and respect for employees are critical components of lean management and organizational success.
- Psychological safety and effective problem-solving are foundational for building a culture that embraces learning from mistakes.
- Mistakes should not be met with punishment but should be used as opportunities for improvement and prevention of future errors.
- Organizations benefit from self-assessment and openness to change, especially when persistent issues are rooted in systemic problems.
- Mark Grabin's work includes books, podcasts, speaking engagements, and his company, Kinexis, which focuses on supporting continuous improvement through software.
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In this enlightening conversation, Matt and AJ Saunders delve into the strategies and mindsets required to harness the power of e-commerce and digital marketing to advance business goals. The episode provides a deep dive into creating a minimal viable online presence and building upon it through strategic marketing efforts.
The host and guest commence by examining the essence of starting small when venturing into e-commerce. AJ emphasizes the significance of establishing a straightforward, functional system that allows for testing and growth, urging businesses to transition from traditional methods to more automated, customer-centered online solutions. They then pivot to the vital role of content strategy and social media presence in scale and outreach. AJ illustrates this with his personal victory on LinkedIn, where consistent, strategic posting led to real business opportunities.
Key Takeaways:
- A fundamental starting point for any e-commerce endeavor is developing a minimal viable product or service – focusing on strategy over breadth.
- Incremental marketing strategies are vital to test the waters before allocating major resources.
- Networking and strategic content sharing can significantly contribute to business growth.
- Consistent, value-driven engagement on platforms like LinkedIn can help attract ideal clients over time.
- A library of content, such as a Trello board filled with social media post ideas and drafts, can streamline and inspire regular posting.
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In this episode of The Builders, host Matt welcomes Carrington Crothers, a remarkable photographer and entrepreneur from Prospect Street Studio. Tune in for an insightful discussion as Carrington shares her intriguing journey from a student with changing majors to becoming a founder with a successful career in photography. The conversation dives deep into the power of networking, the pivotal moments that shape a career, and the importance of building relationships beyond immediate business needs.
Carrington discusses her transition from feeling like a 'hot mess' with no clear career path to finding her passion in photography. After gaining hands-on experience and learning a valuable lesson in happiness over job security, she took the leap to start her own studio. The dialog also highlights the significance of being more than just a provider of photographs, as Carrington emphasizes the role of strategic imagery in solving business problems like return rates and enhancing search engine optimization (SEO).
Key Takeaways:
- Networking and building long-term relationships can significantly influence one's career trajectory and create new business opportunities.
- Personalized photography holds more value and can significantly influence a brand's online performance compared to stock images.
- Strategic imagery goes beyond aesthetics, serving as a communication tool to enhance user education and business goals.
- Carrington values helping her clients bridge the gap between their current state and their desired achievements through tailor-made photography strategies.
- Prospect Street Studio is specialized in creating images that not only resonate with audience engagement but also contribute to tangible business outcomes.
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In this insightful episode of "the builders," host Matt welcomes back Joel Solomon, a financial guru and self-improvement enthusiast who captivates the audience with his dynamic approach to money management and personal growth. As an advocate for continuous learning, Joel shares his unique perspective on turning financial responsibility into a fun and engaging activity. This episode not only delves into the significance of reading for professional development but also provides a deep dive into the power of budgeting and transforming one's financial landscape.
Joel Solomon prompts entrepreneurs to always prioritize 'paying themselves first' and sheds light on the importance of understanding personal money personality types, which can significantly impact business decisions and relationships. As the conversation unfolds, Joel introduces fun and motivating techniques like 'The Budget Game' to help listeners effectively manage their finances. By the end of the episode, Joel passionately asserts that focusing on money with positive energy can lead to phenomenal growth both personally and professionally.
Key Takeaways:
- Emphasize the importance of learning and growing every day, with Joel Solomon advocating the reading of a book a week to enhance knowledge and mindset.
- Understand the imperative of paying oneself first in a business to secure personal financial stability.
- Learn about the 'sugar pie' money personality types that Joel and his co-author created and their influence on how individuals and businesses handle finances.
- Discover 'The Budget Game,' an engaging approach to budgeting that turns a typically mundane task into a motivating and goal-oriented activity.
- Recognize the impact of concentrating on money and how this focused energy can lead to unexpected financial opportunities and 'money miracles.'
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In this enlightening episode of The Builders, we warmly welcome back Pete Mohr, delving into the art of delivering transformative client experiences. Our focus: creating the greatest future impact for clients. This episode is a treasure trove of insights on business coaching, nurturing client relationships, and fostering strategic growth. It's an essential listen for anyone seeking actionable strategies to elevate their business's value to customers and refine operational efficiency.
Pete introduces the 'Promise' framework, a pivotal concept spotlighting the transformative journey businesses undertake to elevate clients from their current challenges to a future of enhanced possibilities. We explore how to craft unique solutions that distinguish your business in a competitive landscape. Pete sheds light on visualizing and articulating the future benefits clients will gain, and the importance of a robust action plan to turn these visions into reality. Crucially, he underscores the power of feedback and success metrics in ensuring that your business consistently delivers on its promise of transformative impact.
Key Takeaways:
- Deeply understand client challenges and innovate distinct solutions to stand out.
- Effectively communicate the future benefits and transformative potential of your services or products.
- Develop and implement action plans that resonate with your clients' future aspirations.
- Continually measure success and gather feedback to refine and enhance your impact.
- Ensure your team and resources are perfectly aligned to fulfill the transformative promise to your clients.
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In this insightful solo episode, Matt Levenhagen delves into his strategic blueprint for 2024, focusing on the integration of services and products. He reflects on pivotal decisions, emphasizing the '4 Key Pillars' that are central to his vision for growth and innovation.
Matt shares his journey of transitioning from an insurance niche to a broader focus, underlining the importance of adapting and refining business strategies. He also introduces Unified Plugins, a burgeoning product arm of his business, and discusses how it fits into his comprehensive services-plus-products strategy.
The episode highlights the creation of a cohesive ecosystem, where diverse websites and content not only coexist but thrive together, bolstering the overall brand.
Wrapping up, Matt expresses deep appreciation for his team's dedication and his listeners' unwavering support.
Key Takeaways:
- The integration of services and products is key in a dynamic business landscape.
- Strategic planning and focus on core pillars are instrumental for business evolution.
- Adapting business strategies to current trends and needs is vital for success.
- A unified ecosystem of products and services enhances brand strength and growth.
- Passion, team support, and strong relationships are cornerstones of business success.
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Alexander Day Ritter shares his origin story, growing up in a small village in Belgium and his early fascination with computers and technology. He discusses the importance of creativity and how it has shaped his career in AI.
Alexander emphasizes the need for businesses to embrace AI and the potential it holds for improving processes and creating value. He also talks about the concept of AI agents and how they can revolutionize industries and transform the way we work.
Key Takeaways:
- Embrace AI as a tool to improve processes and create value in your business.
- Think of your company as a story and communicate that story to inspire your team and customers.
- Focus on soft skills and creativity to thrive in the AI industry.Start collecting and storing data now to prepare for the future of AI.
- Use AI agents to offload tasks and increase productivity in your business.
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Donna Dubay, a certified Director of Operations and Business Growth Strategist, joins the show to discuss the importance of operations in small businesses. She explains that while marketing and front-end activities are important, it is equally crucial to focus on the back-end operations to ensure the smooth running of the business.
Donna emphasizes the need for a clear vision, measurable goals, and a well-defined team to achieve success. She also highlights the importance of work-life balance and taking time for personal well-being.
Key Takeaways:
- Operations in small businesses are often overlooked but are crucial for success.
- Having a clear vision and measurable goals is essential for growth.
- Building the right team and delegating tasks can help alleviate the burden on the business owner.
- Prioritizing work-life balance and personal well-being is necessary to avoid burnout.
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Victoria Pelletier shares her journey from a challenging childhood to becoming a successful corporate executive and entrepreneur. She emphasizes the importance of personal branding and how it has played a significant role in her career success.
Victoria highlights four key components of a strong personal brand: subject matter expertise, storytelling, differentiation, and legacy and impact. She also discusses the importance of authenticity and connecting with your audience on both digital and in-person platforms.
Key Takeaways:
- Personal branding is essential for career advancement and building relationships with clients and customers.
- A strong personal brand goes beyond subject matter expertise and includes storytelling, differentiation, and a focus on legacy and impact.
- Authenticity is key in building a personal brand and connecting with your audience.
- Personal branding should be consistent across all platforms, both digital and in-person.
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Summary:Anne Laffin, a marketing consultant and fractional head of marketing, joins Matt Levenhagen on The Builders podcast to discuss how she helps early-stage startups wrangle their chaos and get organized.
Anne shares her own journey from working in market research and financial services to starting her own company and working with startups. She emphasizes the importance of being open to feedback and flexible in the ever-changing startup environment.
Anne also highlights the significance of messaging and creating a marketing plan that is adaptable and focused. She concludes by discussing the challenges of defining roles and maintaining clear communication within startups.
Key Takeaways:
- Startups should be open to feedback and flexible in order to adapt to changes and find the right path.
- Messaging is the foundation of effective marketing and should be clear, consistent, and aligned with the company's goals.
- Marketing plans for startups should be shorter-term (3-6 months) and regularly evaluated and adjusted based on results.
- Startups often struggle with defining roles and maintaining clear communication, which can lead to chaos and inefficiency.
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In this riveting episode of The Builders podcast, we sit down with Roy Coughlan, a man whose story is a beacon of resilience and entrepreneurial spirit. Roy takes us through his remarkable journey, starting from his early days as an entrepreneur in Ireland to becoming an influential podcast coach.
We delve into the highs and lows of his career, exploring how he navigated through significant challenges, including a tough stint in the construction industry and navigating financial hurdles in property investment.
What stands out is Roy's unwavering resilience, as he shares how he overcame personal and professional setbacks and transformed them into opportunities for growth. The episode shines a light on his transition into the world of podcasting, where he conquered his fear of public speaking and embraced meditation for mental clarity and strength.
Roy's expertise and insights into podcasting are not just about techniques but also about the heart and soul that goes into creating impactful content. Join us as we uncover the inspiring story of Roy Coughlan, from enduring hardships to coaching others in the art of podcasting.
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Welcome to this inspiring episode of 'The Builders' featuring the dynamic Dan Hafner! In today's talk, we delve into Dan's incredible journey from embarking on a DIY app-building project to founding a thriving business and agency, Dapper Mobile Apps.
Discover how Dan, starting with a passion for technology and a self-taught approach, turned his app-building hobby into a professional venture. We'll explore the challenges and triumphs of his path, including his initial steps into app development, overcoming industry hurdles, and the strategies that led to his business success.
Dan also shares valuable insights into entrepreneurship, the importance of hands-on experience, and his approach to App development can provide a quick turn around - money loves speed!
Join us as we uncover the story of a man who transformed a personal project into a leading name in the app development industry.
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Welcome to another engaging episode of The Builders. I'm your host, Matt Levenhagen, and today I'm excited to share my insights on a topic that's fundamental to the success of any agency: The Art of Capturing. In this episode, I delve into how capturing every detail, be it client requests, teamwork dynamics, access control, or the creation of comprehensive how-to guides, forms the backbone of effective agency management.
As someone who has navigated the transition from solo work to leading a team within a bustling web design and development agency, I've experienced first-hand the challenges and rewards of this evolution. I'll walk you through the journey of how we transitioned from using Notion to Atlassian Confluence and finally to ClickUp, exploring the unique advantages each tool offered in managing our complex tasks.
An integral part of this process is capturing client requests accurately and effectively. I'll discuss strategies and systems we’ve implemented to ensure every client communication is documented and organized, ensuring nothing falls through the cracks. Additionally, I'll share how tools like Slack and ClickUp have revolutionized our approach to teamwork and communication, fostering a collaborative and efficient work environment.
Security and accessibility are paramount in our line of work. I'll talk about how we handle sensitive client information and access management, particularly our adoption of 1Password. This tool has been a game-changer in securely managing access details and ensuring our clients' data is safe.
Lastly, I’ll touch on the importance of creating detailed how-to guides. These resources are not just about giving instructions; they are about building a knowledge base that empowers the team and enhances our service quality.
Join me in this episode as I unfold the layers of capturing every crucial aspect of agency work, a practice that has been instrumental in the growth and success of my agency. Whether you’re running an agency, part of a team, or just interested in organizational strategies, there’s something in this episode for everyone. Let’s dive in!
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In this solo episode of The Builders, I'm thrilled to share my journey with you – a story of growth, learning, and innovation. We delve into how my agency has evolved over the years, embracing challenges such as full-site editing themes and headless CMS in WordPress.
Our conversation takes you through the trenches, revealing how we've expanded our services beyond traditional WordPress development, including working with videographers and copywriters to deliver sophisticated and comprehensive solutions. I discuss our venture into headless CMS projects, reflecting our commitment to stay on the cutting edge of technology.
This episode isn't just about the technicalities; it's a reflection on growth mindset, stretching our capabilities, and the importance of a versatile, skilled team. I hope this episode inspires you, whether you're a web developer, an agency owner, or simply someone passionate about the ever-evolving world of digital creation.
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Join me, Matt Levenhagen, as I welcome David Caha to "The Builders" for a captivating episode where we delve deep into the realm of marketing analytics. David isn't your typical marketing guru; with a background steeped in academia and science, he brings a fresh, meticulous perspective to the digital marketing landscape. In this episode, we explore how David transitioned from the academic world to launching his own agency, focusing particularly on the health and wellness industry, where precision and care in analytics are paramount.We tackle the often-underestimated importance of analytics in marketing, discussing not only its challenges but also the undeniable benefits it brings to the table. From the initial investment to the ongoing maintenance, we dissect what it truly takes to implement an analytical approach and how it can transform the effectiveness of marketing strategies through methods like A-B testing and targeted traffic analysis.For entrepreneurs and business owners alike, understanding the intricacies of website investment, maintenance, and the pitfalls of neglect are crucial. David and I dive into these topics, emphasizing the importance of finding clients who value digital growth and the necessity of building solid relationships. As we wrap up, we touch on David's specialized work in the burgeoning field of psychedelic therapy and how carving out a unique niche in the market can position an agency as a leading expert.Whether you're looking to enhance your digital marketing prowess or just curious about the intersection of science and marketing, this episode is an invaluable resource. Tune in to gain insights that could be the game-changer for your business's online presence.
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I'm delighted to welcome Joel Salomon back to another episode of "The Builders." Joel is a master prosperity coach, and he's got some serious wisdom to share about the power of mindset in business. I was particularly struck by his story about starting his hedge fund, where he "acted as if" he had secured initial investments—and then actually secured them. It's a must-listen for any entrepreneur out there.
In this episode, we dig deep into the role of mindset, especially for those of us grinding it out in the entrepreneurial trenches. From actionable strategies like understanding your sales numbers to the importance of visualization and vision boards, we cover it all. But it's not just about the business side of things; Joel also shares valuable insights into personal growth, letting go, and even the energy of money.
So, tune in to learn how to elevate your mindset and your business. Whether you're just starting out or you're an established business owner, this episode is packed with tips that can help you act "as if" your dreams are already a reality. Trust me, you don't want to miss this one!
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Hey everyone, welcome back to "The Builders" podcast, Episode #143. Today, we delve into the nitty-gritty of business challenges and the transformative power of understanding your numbers with Colin Sanburg. Colin is not just a business owner; he's a business turner-arounder. He's navigated the complexities of financial difficulties, made tough calls, and ultimately emerged stronger.
This episode is packed with wisdom as Colin shares his journey from facing challenges in manufacturing to becoming an investor with a keen eye for numbers. We discuss the importance of strategic accounting, not just for number-crunchers but for every business owner. Whether you're in digital or traditional sectors, understanding your numbers is key to overcoming challenges and ensuring profitability and cash flow.
We're all about actionable insights here on "The Builders." So, if you're in the business of better living through business savvy, you know what to do—hit that subscribe button and let's keep the conversation going!
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In this episode of #TheBuilders, we dive deep into the journey of transitioning from an operator to an owner in your business. If you've ever felt stuck in the daily grind, handling every detail yourself, this episode will offer you actionable insights to break free and elevate your role.We discuss the importance of systems, processes, and clear communication within a team. You can't expect your team to read your mind, so we tackle the pitfalls of not having a well-defined process and how it hampers growth. Whether you're struggling with outsourcing or keeping your team aligned, we cover it all here.Don't miss out on this episode if you're aiming to work "on" your business rather than "in" it. We get into the nitty-gritty of making your business more sellable and freeing up your time, all while it continues to grow and profit. Tune in now!
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In this episode, I delve into a weekend getaway that turned into an unexpected business troubleshooting adventure. As entrepreneurs, we often find ourselves in situations where business challenges don't respect our personal time. This weekend was no exception. As I was enjoying a Frank Lloyd Wright tour, the tranquility was punctuated by client emergencies that needed my immediate attention. But being prepared has always been my mantra, and this scenario tested my readiness and responsiveness against unforeseen business hurdles.
Equipped with my trusty laptop and the essential tools of my trade, I navigated through client and partner issues, ensuring that business continuity was maintained even in my absence. I share how the ability to stay connected, having a reliable team back at base, and maintaining open channels of communication with clients and partners can make a huge difference in managing unexpected business issues. It's about striking that delicate balance between addressing critical business needs and enjoying a well-deserved personal break, showcasing the life of an entrepreneur in its true, unpredictable form.
Join me in this candid narrative as I unfold the events of that weekend, share the lessons learned, and the importance of being prepared for the unexpected. Whether you're on a weekend getaway or simply away from your desk, the business world continues to spin, and how we respond to these unforeseen challenges defines our entrepreneurial journey. It's a blend of preparation, rapid response, and maintaining a calm demeanor amidst the chaos that keeps the entrepreneurial spirit resilient and ready for whatever comes next.
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Welcome to another eye-opening episode of "The Builders" podcast. Today, I'm thrilled to bring you an enlightening conversation with Kris Ward, a visionary entrepreneur and author who knows a thing or two about work-life balance. In this episode, we delve into how you can build a business that enhances your life instead of draining it—because let's face it, who wants to be a slave to their business?
Kris started her entrepreneurial journey 14 years ago, navigating from exhaustive 12-hour workdays to a liberating 6-hour schedule without compromising the growth of her business. She even managed to step away for two years without causing a blip on her company's radar. How did she do it? By focusing on what truly matters and implementing strategies that align her business goals with her personal aspirations.
We also explore the "3 D's" that could be damaging your business, why a $5/hour help could be a game-changer for you, and how changing lives across the globe can simultaneously elevate your business. Join us as we uncover valuable insights for entrepreneurs who dream of a life that's about more than just business. Buckle up, Builders; this episode is a game-changer.
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Hey there, Builders! Welcome to Episode #139 of "The Builders" podcast. This episode is an absolute treasure trove for anyone interested in entrepreneurship, AI, and business growth. I had the pleasure of diving deep into a conversation with Jonathan Green, an expert in AI and ChatGPT technologies. We explored everything from the setbacks that fueled our entrepreneurial journeys to the strategies that have helped us succeed.In this episode, Jonathan shares invaluable insights on the practical aspects of entrepreneurship, such as attracting clients, learning from experiences, and the necessity of taking massive actions. We also got into the nitty-gritty of AI, discussing how to best interact with it to streamline business operations. If you've ever been curious about how AI can be a game-changer for your business, you won't want to miss this.But it's not just all technical talk. Jonathan and I get personal, discussing our own setbacks, learnings, and how we've evolved our businesses over the years. You'll hear about the importance of personal branding, pricing strategies, and even how to "fire" clients that are not a good fit.So tune in, take notes, and get ready to build a smarter, more efficient business. Don't forget to hit that subscribe button for more insights and stories from the trenches of entrepreneurship!
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Hey everyone, it's Matt Levenhagen! In this special episode of "The Builders," I sit down with an incredible guest, Joel Salomon, who shares his remarkable journey from starting to pursue his dream job in money management in 1992 after finding a roadmap to follow to eventually launching his own hedge fund by 2012. But the didn't end up being all smooth sailing; just as he thought he had it all figured out, his initial investors pulled out, throwing a curveball his way. Learn how 'act as if' and manifestation played a role.
I was truly inspired by how he took this setback as a chance for personal growth. In December 2015, he listened to a speaker who was dishing out bad financial advice to his audience. That led him to a pivotal moment of clarity, realizing his ultimate goal and purpose: to help others achieve financial freedom.
We also dive deep into the world of self-publishing. My guest has penned three impactful books, one of which became a bestseller in its first week! He shares invaluable insights for anyone looking to publish their work. We wrap up the episode by exploring one of the most potent rules from his best-selling book—Belief.
So, grab your favorite cup of joe, and let's jump right into this inspiring tale!
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Hey everyone, Matt Levenhagen here, and welcome to episode #137 of The Builders podcast. In today's episode, I'm giving you an agency update on Unified Web Design — the highs, the lows, and everything in between. Over the past year, we've been scaling like never before. While growth is exciting, it's also packed with challenges that I can't wait to share with you.
We've been investing heavily in our team, our systems, and new initiatives. I'll be diving into some key operational changes we've made, how we are overcoming obstacles, and the new exciting projects we've taken on. The journey of entrepreneurship is never linear, and that's what makes it both thrilling and, at times, nerve-wracking. So, sit tight and get ready for an insider's view of our growing agency.
If you're an entrepreneur, a web designer, or someone who's interested in the behind-the-scenes of business growth, you'll find tons of actionable insights in this episode. And for those of you who've been following our journey, you'll get a fresh perspective on what's been happening at Unified Web Design. I'm excited to share this journey with you, so let's get started!
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In this latest episode of The Builders podcast, I have the pleasure of chatting with Amy Foley, the co-founder of Inbound Backoffice. We get into the nitty-gritty of her journey from working solo at home to heading a thriving business. We discuss how she scaled her team to handle growing demands and share valuable pointers on networking and referrals—essential tools for any entrepreneur. If you're a freelancer on the rise or an established business owner, this episode is loaded with gems for you.
We don't stop there, though. Amy delves into her tactical strategies for forming key business relationships and successful agency partnerships. She's got a passion for helping others and a knack for getting things done—qualities that shine throughout our conversation. I also weigh in with my two cents on how advancements in AI and chatbots are poised to disrupt the way businesses operate and how we can think about it. You'll want to hear this part.
Last but not least, we spotlight HubSpot's robust features. It's not just a CRM; it's evolved into a comprehensive marketing solution. Amy and I break down its myriad capabilities, from email marketing to website development, and discuss why it's become a cornerstone for many modern marketers. So buckle up for a jam-packed episode that takes you through the ups and downs of entrepreneurship, tactical networking, and the future of business tech. Trust me, you won't want to miss it.
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In today's enlightening episode of "The Builders," we sit down with Tyler Pigott, a seasoned marketer and entrepreneur, to delve deep into the art of crafting a compelling vision for your business. But we don't stop there.
Tyler shares his perspective as a generalist vs a specialist (someone going into a business being 'known' for a specific craft) . Ever wondered what fuels long-term decision-making? Tyler spills the secrets. Plus, we discuss the invaluable experience of having a mentor or coach by your side and the tremendous impact it can have on your business trajectory.
I even share my own entrepreneurial experience, shedding light on the strategy behind adding products to Unified Web Design's service-based model—always with an eye on the long game.
Whether you're a budding entrepreneur or a business owner rethinking your current approach, this episode promises actionable insights that you can apply immediately to up your game.
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Entrepreneurs, get ready to dive into the world of servers, growth, and security without a hint of techy jargon (or a minor hint). In this episode, I'm sharing my personal journey from the trenches, revealing how I've navigated the complexities of servers and growth strategies without the tech overwhelm.
Discover the actionable insights I've gleaned from the front lines of my own server experience. Whether you're an aspiring entrepreneur or seasoned veteran, these tips are tailored for those who prefer plain English over technical lingo. Join me as we explore the roadmap to robust servers, sustainable growth, and secure online ventures.
Tune in to episode 134 of "The Builders" and empower your entrepreneurial journey with no-nonsense advice. Together, we'll demystify the technical aspects of growing your online business in a way that's both engaging and easily digestible.
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This episode explores the power of visualizing ideas through the art of graphic recording with Ashton Rodenhiser. Ashton explains how she turned her creative skills into a career as a graphic recorder, capturing the key ideas and insights from meetings, conferences, and presentations through illustrations. She discusses how graphic recording can improve meetings by helping people engage, remember information, and make connections visually.
Ashton shares tips for how anyone can start incorporating visual note taking into their own lives through simple doodling and drawing techniques. She recommends starting with basic shapes like lines, circles, and squares and building a "visual vocabulary" of icons that represent multiple ideas. Ashton stresses that the drawings don't have to be perfect - it's the process of listening, processing, and visually representing information that matters most.
Key takeaways from the episode:
• Graphic recording can improve meetings by helping up to 80% of "visual learners" engage and remember information presented. • Simple doodling techniques like drawing lines to connect ideas or using icons can boost information retention by up to 29%. • Anyone can learn the basics of visual note taking - it just requires practice drawing simple shapes and building a set of visual "shortcuts" that represent multiple concepts. Neatness and artistic ability are not important. • The illustrations created through graphic recording can be used as accountability tools, reminders, and even marketing materials to demonstrate the value of meetings and presentations.
Offer from the Episode (not sure when this will expire, so definitely check it out asap if you're interested!)
Title: The Beginners Guide to Sketchnoting
By link: http://www.sketchnote.school/book
Coupon: builders
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Welcome to Episode #132 of "The Builders" podcast, hosted by me, Matt Levenhagen. In this engaging episode, I sit down with Ron, a recovering engineer turned team builder, who has set out to change the stories we tell ourselves. Our conversation isn't just about transforming team culture; it's about redefining the very art of connection and openness within teams. Join us as Ron shares lessons on building trust, nurturing relationships, fostering creativity, and embracing change. We explore questions like, "What stories shape our culture?" and "How can we free ourselves from narratives that no longer serve us?" This isn't just a podcast episode; it's an invitation to discover who you want to be within your team and as a leader. Subscribe and tune in for actionable insights and stories that will challenge you to think differently about yourself, your team, and the culture you cultivate.
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Welcome to the 131st episode of "The Builders" where I, Matt Levenhagen, your seasoned host and founder of Unified Web Design, delve deep into the why and how of building authority online. We kick things off with a throwback to my humble beginnings, navigating the treacherous waters of early online entrepreneurship, and the stash of old products that paved the way for my business's success today.
I shine the spotlight on an old product - Niche Authority, a pivotal milestone in my journey that shaped my perspectives on online authority. As we weave through my story, we'll be revisiting Episode 1, the very beginning, where we discussed the importance of a strong business identity as the cornerstone of a successful business.
In this episode, we talk about everything from building a compelling website to creating a lasting first impression. We cover why a business, especially an online one, should prioritize website development, and why first impressions often hinge on the quality of your homepage. We delve into the importance of trust-building and presenting an image of authority to your audience, all while keeping things simple and easy to navigate. I'll be sharing personal insights from my journey of building my first website and the lessons I learned along the way.
Finally, we dive into the more technical aspects, including content management, user experience, professional design and how these contribute to a company's image of professionalism and legitimacy. I emphasize the importance of incremental improvements and leveraging relationships for business growth. You'll also get an insider look into search engine optimization and how it contributes to your business's authority.
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In Episode 130, we dive into a fascinating conversation with David Van Beekum, one of the minds behind Tweva, a revolutionary platform that's redefining local advertising. David shares his journey from being a tech enthusiast to becoming a successful entrepreneur, and how his father's passion for sound and audio technology in the '70s influenced his career path.
We delve into the complexities of building a business beyond just creating a website, as David recounts his experience in developing a unique software for small food distributors and the challenges he faced in securing a patent for it. He provides valuable insights into the patent process, highlighting the importance of uniqueness and the risks involved.
The conversation takes a poignant turn as David shares the impact of his business partner and friend's sudden passing (instrumental in developing the ideas behind Tweva). He discusses the importance of networks in business and the challenges he faced in securing VC capital.
Finally, we explore the concept of Tweva, a social TV channel for your city that allows community participation and offers a platform for businesses and influencers. David explains how Tweva makes it easy for businesses to advertise on local screens and how it provides a platform for sharing local, relevant content. He emphasizes the importance of creating 'infotainment' - content that is not only informative but also entertaining.
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In this episode of The Builders Podcast, I, Matt Levenhagen, delve into the process of navigating change and balancing business priorities while exploring new strategies. I share my journey of starting a new YouTube series on The Builders channel, a venture that was both exciting and challenging. This series was a departure from my usual style, featuring a completely new format and approach. However, the time and effort required to produce these videos led me to reassess their impact on my overall business operations.
I discuss the importance of understanding the full context of your business activities when considering new strategies. This includes acknowledging your baseline operations, the role of marketing, and the need to constantly reassess your strategies to ensure they align with your business goals. I also share my experience of adding a new SEO person to our team, a strategic decision aimed at enhancing our content strategy.
In the process of exploring new content formats, I discovered the tool Veed.io and the benefits of short-form content. This led to a shift in our content strategy, incorporating lessons learned from the phased-out YouTube series. I emphasize the importance of trying new things and pushing your limits, even if it means stepping outside of your comfort zone.
I also share my increased respect for YouTubers and the amount of work that goes into creating engaging content. This journey has taught me valuable lessons about time management, the value of presence in content strategy, and the importance of learning from failures or stopped initiatives.
Join me as I navigate the complexities of change, explore new strategies, and provide insights on how to effectively balance business priorities and content strategy. Whether you're a business owner or a content creator, this episode offers valuable insights into managing change and making strategic decisions.
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Welcome to Episode #128 where we delve deep into the heart of my business operations: time tracking. We'll pull back the curtain on how I've mastered this crucial aspect in running my web design agency efficiently. From invoicing to hourly tracking, discover how I've developed an intricate dance of cash flow, all while staying close to the numbers and enjoying the process.
I share with you an inside look at our meticulous tracking mechanisms for employees and external collaborators alike. Through meticulous systems like Freshbooks and spreadsheets, you'll see how we record hours and translate this into the financial flow of the business.
The takeaway? Good software and processes are key. If I can manage this, given the complexity of my agency's operations, you certainly can, too. So join me as I unravel the nuts and bolts of time tracking, an invaluable tool for running any business. I hope you enjoy the journey as much as I have.
Thanks for being part of the builders' crew. Enjoy the episode!
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In episode #127, I delve into a topic that's truly close to my heart: optimizing for conversions through a holistic look at website performance. This episode serves as an in-depth exploration of how every element of a website, from its loading speed to its design, influences its ability to convert visitors into customers.
From an SEO perspective, we discuss the importance of site speed and reliability, and how these factors impact search rankings and bounce rates. I also shed light on the vital role that technical teams play in maintaining both the server and the website framework, underlining that you don't always need a new website—sometimes, just a fresh design will suffice.
I share insights into specific optimization strategies, such as image optimization, using CDNs, and minifying, while emphasizing that sometimes an issue requires a total rethink. I underline the importance of a holistic approach to conversion optimization, explaining why every component of the website matters.
Throughout the episode, I share why I'm passionate about this topic and why it's crucial for other agencies and marketers to have someone who can help their clients with their websites. Tune in to understand the intricate web of factors that influence website performance and, ultimately, conversions.
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Welcome to episode #126 of my podcast where I delve into my latest adventure – launching a new YouTube series. This isn't just about a new series; it's about trying something different and stepping out of my comfort zone. It's about the pursuit of impactful content, the need for success to extend reach, and balancing the technicalities of optimization with the heart of content value.
In this episode, I pull back the curtain on the process of producing the series – from leveraging AI tools for scripting, refining ideas with personal research, to experimenting with recording techniques. Unlike my previous work, where the focus was me or my guests, this time it's about other companies and their fascinating stories. From global giants like Netflix and Amazon to smaller enterprises, we'll dive into what makes them unique.
Taking a step back, I also reflect on the broader context of running my business while venturing into this new territory. As you listen, you'll understand that it's not just about the end product but also the journey - the learning, the courage, the willingness to stumble, and the constant pursuit of growth. Remember, it’s not just about me, but you as well - how can you step out of your comfort zone? How can you take action today? Join me on this journey of exploration and innovation. Until next time, peace.
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In this episode, I had the pleasure of speaking with Kevin Palmieri, a successful podcaster and coach. Kevin shared his inspiring journey from job hopping and personal struggles to finding his passion in podcasting and coaching. He opened up about his early life, his dissatisfaction despite earning a high income, and the personal issues that led him to a life-changing decision.
Kevin's story is a testament to the power of self-improvement and the importance of finding your passion. He talks about how he was inspired by Joe Rogan and how he started his podcasting journey with a focus on holistic self-improvement. Kevin also shares how he and his business partner have built a successful business around their podcast, offering services like coaching, podcast production, and social media management.
This episode is filled with valuable insights on how to turn your passion into a profitable business, the importance of starting with your perceived area of expertise, and the power of consistency and impact in achieving long-term success. Whether you're an aspiring podcaster, an entrepreneur, or someone seeking inspiration for personal growth, this episode is a must-listen!
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In Episode 124, we are joined by Rick Girard, a pioneer in transforming the landscape of recruitment. Journey with us as Rick talks about his intriguing path from an ambitious photographer to an innovative force in the hiring industry. His transition was sparked by an unplanned twist of fate during a snowboarding trip, leading him to challenge conventional wisdom and shift from relying on gut feelings to using evidence-based practices in hiring.
Dive into this insightful conversation as Rick unravels the shortcomings of traditional hiring practices. He makes a compelling case for why settling for mediocrity in recruitment is detrimental and introduces an evidence-based approach that emphasizes core value alignment.
Discover Rick's unique methodologies for distinguishing 'builders,' 'improvers,' and 'maintainers' during the hiring process, and learn about the potential pitfalls of 'vanity hires'. Rick also outlines his transformative interview process, highlighting the role of initial phone screens, value alignment interviews, and team interactions in creating a robust selection framework.
Rick's company has revolutionized the hiring process by seamlessly integrating AI. This groundbreaking tool streamlines the recruitment process, accurately identifying whether a candidate is a builder, improver or maintainer, and assessing their alignment with company values. Tune in to learn from Rick Girard on how you can transform your hiring process and bring the best talent onboard.
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Join us in episode 123 as we sit down with Ricardo Boggs, whose journey represents the fusion of technology, business, and personal growth. His story starts with a passion for technology, ignited in the era of .com and nurtured through hands-on experiences like building computers and software. Ricardo's interest in tech led him to an education in Management Information Systems, which acted as a launchpad to a diverse career that included a stint at CityBank.
What makes Ricardo's story unique is not just his technological prowess, but his understanding of business and his passion for personal development. His ability to explain complex technical concepts to non-techies and his communication between business and other departments have been key factors in his success. But beyond that, his intrinsic motivation and dedication to empowering people have led him to the Brave Thinking Institute, where he'll be transitioning into a speaking, teaching, coaching, and motivational role.
In this episode, Ricardo shares his insights about the importance of communication, the extrinsic and intrinsic motivators that drive a team, and how he's helping others find what truly drives them in their lives. Tune in for a conversation that dives deep into the nexus of tech, business, and personal growth. Don't forget to share, like, and subscribe!
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Join me in this insightful episode of our podcast where I had the pleasure of hosting Kavin Patel, a seasoned entrepreneur and the co-founder of Convrrt. Kavin shares his journey from his early hustling days to building a successful SaaS company focused on conversion optimization.
We delve into the world of white labeling, discussing its potential and why more companies are choosing to focus on their core competencies and partner with others. Kavin also shares his thoughts on the impact of AI in the industry, and how Convrrt is leveraging it to help businesses convert visitors into leads, and leads into customers.
We also touch on the challenges of bootstrapping a business, the importance of setting processes early on, and the future of Convrrt. This episode is packed with valuable insights for anyone interested in SaaS, conversion optimization, and entrepreneurship. Tune in!
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In this enriching episode, we journey with Angela Mulrooney, an expert in mastering authenticity in personal branding. Angela, originally a dentist, found her true calling in helping others discover their unique voice and brand identity. Her transformative journey from babysitting riches, through dentistry, to becoming a personal branding maestro is as captivating as it is inspiring.
Angela's story is one of courage, resilience, and redefinition. She candidly shares how a career-altering injury led her to reassess her path and ultimately identify her true passion. This episode is rich with valuable insights, as Angela details her methodology for empowering clients to show up authentically and build a strong personal brand. She also provides a fascinating discussion about the nuances between social media platforms and how to use them effectively.
Join us as Angela imparts wisdom gained from her personal journey and shares a wealth of knowledge about personal branding, shedding light on the importance of authenticity and the power of being unapologetically yourself. Tune in to learn about the incredible transformation that can happen when we align our professional lives with our true selves.
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Welcome back to another solo episode of our podcast, Episode 120 (Pt 2.. Listen to Part 1 for full context: Ep. 116). This time, I take you on an exciting journey of our transition from Trello to ClickUp for project management.
In this episode, I share the process, challenges, and insights we gained while transitioning our team from Trello to ClickUp. This move was a significant one for us. The decision wasn't made lightly, but the benefits it brought to our team are undeniable. Learn about how we trained our team members, tackled initial obstacles, and how we hit the ground running.
Find out why we made the switch, how we kept our team updated, and the importance of being ahead of your clients' needs. Understand how we're managing the continuing transition of our documentation from Confluence to ClickUp, and why the move is well worth the effort. I also share my thoughts on how project management tools need to scale as your business grows.
Join me on this tech journey, exploring the world of project management, and stay tuned for more exciting conversations in upcoming episodes.
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In Episode 119 of my solo podcast, I dive into the importance of building strong relationships with agency partners and clients in the digital marketing and web design industry. I share my experiences of how focusing on relationships rather than just getting projects done has had a significant impact on my business growth and revenue consistency.
I discuss how building relationships leads to accountability, mutual respect, and a strong bond that goes beyond just completing projects. By investing in these connections, you can become an integral part of each other's businesses and visions, leading to more consistent work and long-term success.
So, whether you're an agency owner, digital marketer, or web designer, join me in this episode as I share valuable insights from the trenches on how to establish and maintain meaningful relationships with partners and clients. Let's work together, grow together, and experience some amazing things in our businesses!
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In this episode of The Builders Podcast, we dive into the inspiring journey of AJ, a successful eCommerce marketing consultant. From his early days creating courses and helping companies with content development, KPIs, and analytics, to finding his true calling in eCommerce, AJ shares valuable insights and experiences that have shaped his approach to marketing and strategy.
Learn about AJ's "Ah-ha moment" that changed his perspective, the challenges he faced working with coaches and real estate agents, and how he discovered his niche in eCommerce. With guidance from experts like Christina Hooper, AJ has developed a solid marketing strategy and a unique approach to multi-touch point marketing that keeps him top-of-mind for his target audience.
Tune in to hear about AJ's desire to scale his business and achieve his dream of living in Monaco, as well as the importance of having a solid strategy and playing the long game for success. Don't miss this episode packed with valuable lessons and actionable tips for finding your own path in the world of eCommerce marketing.
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Hi, I'm Matt Levenhagen, and in Episode 117 of my podcast, we dive deep into the importance of ongoing marketing and website improvement efforts for any business! I'll be sharing my own experiences and examples of how my agency, Unified Web Design, LLC, has been continuously improving our websites and marketing strategies.
Throughout this episode, we'll discuss the benefits of continuous improvement, how it helps with client acquisition and retention, and its role in keeping our agency moving forward. We'll also explore our current marketing strategies, focusing on digital agency partnerships, custom design/dev work, and targeting insurance agencies. I'll share my experience with social media marketing and networking for referrals and visibility, and our efforts in other areas.
As we delve into the importance of a strong online presence, I'll explain how our five websites have played a critical role in promoting our business and establishing credibility; and what our work and roadmap looks like to continuously improve them. I talk about a series of recent updates to ALL our sites to improve or expand content.
Join me in this episode to learn more about maximizing your business’s growth through marketing and site improvement insights. Share your own experiences or questions on the topic, and let's continue the conversation!
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In Episode 116 of our podcast, I (Matt Levenhagen) take you on a journey through the process of considering a switch from Trello to ClickUp as the project management tool for my growing agency. With a larger team and multiple roles to manage, I discuss the importance of finding the right tool to streamline operations and improve overall efficiency.
Throughout the episode, I share the key steps I follow when evaluating and transitioning to a new project management system: identifying the problem, researching and evaluating potential solutions, involving the team in the decision-making process, and planning for a smooth transition. I also emphasize the importance of being prepared to revert to the previous tool if the new one doesn't live up to expectations.
Whether you're facing a similar decision or simply interested in improving your agency's project management, this episode offers valuable insights and practical advice from my personal experience. Stay tuned for a potential follow-up episode where I will share the outcome of my decision and any lessons learned along the way.
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In this podcast episode, I dive deep into the world of custom web design and discuss the 'why' behind choosing a custom approach. As the owner of a web design agency, I share my unique approach and process for creating custom websites without starting from scratch.
Discover how my team and I use a mix of boilerplates, third-party features, and our in-house tools to deliver the perfect balance of customization and efficiency.
Learn about the importance of better branding, the freedom of designing without limitations, and how to avoid potential pitfalls when working with custom web design.
Plus, get insights into our tiered process and how we leverage the power of WordPress to create almost any custom feature. Join me for a comprehensive look into the exciting world of custom web design!
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Welcome to a special episode of The Builders Podcast! I asked my audience on social media to submit their burning questions on digital marketing, web design, SEO, and more. However, I took an interesting twist: since no one actually submitted any questions (everyone must know everything already, haha!), I turned to ChatGPT to generate 10 engaging questions from various digital marketing personas.
In this episode, I dive into a wide range of topics, including the secret to finding and retaining top talent, handling the balance between customization and scalability, managing and prioritizing client projects, and the benefits of custom WordPress sites over platforms like Wix. Moreover, I discuss SEO best practices, building strategic partnerships, keeping up with web design trends, and determining pricing structures for design services.
The uniqueness of this episode lies in the AI-generated questions and the valuable insights shared in response. If you enjoy this episode, let me know, and I might create more like this! Whether you're a fellow agency owner, a web design enthusiast, or a small business owner looking to revamp your website, you'll find valuable takeaways and advice that can help guide you on your digital marketing journey. So, tune in for some great AI-powered insights and don't miss out on this one-of-a-kind episode!
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In this solo episode, Matt shares his personal experiences with self-doubt, past failures, and the transformative power of visualization in driving business success. He opens up about his own struggles with thoughts like "things are going too well" and how he's learned to conquer those fears doing something similar to meditation and letting go of negative thoughts.
Matt discusses his journey through past business failures and the challenges of managing a growing agency. He reveals how he's overcome old negative habits and quieted the negative thoughts by embracing positive visualization. Learn the concept of counter-visualizing, a skill Matt uses to replace self-sabotaging thoughts with positive, goal-oriented imagery. From breaking down goals by quarter, month, week, and day, to the powerful skiing analogy, you'll gain valuable insights into Matt's personal journey and how visualization has played a crucial role in his business growth.
Finally, Matt shares the importance of daily routines, self-discipline, and habits in maintaining momentum and achieving success. He emphasizes how knowing his numbers, staying focused, and finding motivation from simply getting started has helped him propel his business to new heights. This podcast is an essential listen for anyone looking to learn from Matt's experiences and harness the power of visualization for exceptional business growth.
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In this solo episode I share a number of changes I’ve recently made in my agency to help streamline, simplify things that will help us focus our energy on those things that have a greater impact, fit our vision, strategy and have the most potential.
In any business, decisions have to be made. Sometimes that means phasing initiatives out. Sometimes that’s consolidating or eliminating something completely. You always have to be conscious of your time and how you spend your time; opportunity cost. And you have to be brave and make tough decisions for the sake of your entire business, your team and those you care about.
It’s easy to get wrapped up in something.. but you can’t be selfish and do something just because you ‘want it’. You have to think about it’s impact; the bigger picture. These are the things I talk about today. I talk about how I’ve phased out one of our products.. a number of them. How I consolidated them into one. I talk about changes to my blogs focus and why those decisions were made.
I even talk about how ChatGPT is changing a lot .. new ways I’m using it. Why things like this we need to embrace to stay competitive and DO MORE. And I end by challenging you to go out into the world, spend some time thinking about your business as a whole.. what decisions might be beneficial to you or your business? And encouraging you to take action!
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In this episode, we are joined by Edwin Carrion, a self-proclaimed God-made millionaire and successful entrepreneur who started his journey by washing cars to make money for what he wanted at the time. Edwin shares a couple life-changing events that influenced and shaped him as a person and brought him closer to God.
He shares his experience building a 20 million dollar company and what he did when he lost all of it. How did he pick himself up? What profound lesson did he learn that has him running multiple multi-million dollar companies today?
Edwin emphasizes the importance of finding balance in all areas of life, taking care of oneself and personal life, and not ignoring our relationship with God. He talks about the impact of working too many hours on relationships and the dangers of spending all your time building a business and neglecting other parts of your life. And the importance of having your why and urgency for your pursuits.
Throughout the episode, Edwin shares his insights on investing in oneself, having gratitude for what you have today, and the power of finding purpose and fulfillment. And the importance of investing in yourself. The difference between getting free coaching vs investing 1000s of dollars.
Join us as we learn from the journey of a God-made millionaire who shares his insights and experiences in life and business, and who’s on a mission to leave a legacy through his business consulting and mentoring.
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In this episode, John Mendez shares his story of how he discovered the power of entrepreneurship and the impact of books in shaping his life. Growing up, John did not have a lot of role models, but he was fortunate to be surrounded by successful entrepreneurs who inspired him to take control of his life. He found college easy, but he quickly realized that the traditional education system was not going to teach him the skills he needed to succeed in life.
One book that had a profound impact on John's life was Rich Dad, Poor Dad, which helped him to shift his perspective on money and finances. He became obsessed with learning more about personal finance and entrepreneurship and eventually dropped out of college to pursue his dreams. John shares his journey of how he got into real estate, started his own podcast, and began to share his story to inspire others.
John's podcast, "Walk to Wealth," is all about helping young people transform their mindset, develop self-confidence, and build wealth through entrepreneurship and personal finance. He discusses his Dream 100 List of guests and how he strategically reaches out to big-name guests to feature on his show. John believes that sharing your story is one of the most powerful things you can do to help others, and his podcast is his way of making a positive impact on the world.
If you're interested in entrepreneurship, personal finance, or simply want to be inspired by a young entrepreneur who is changing lives through his podcast, then this episode is for you. John's passion for helping others and sharing his story is contagious, and his insights and lessons learned along the way are both informative and inspiring. Tune in to learn more about John's journey and the pillars that form the foundation of his podcast.
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In episode 109, I speak with Alex Fink, the creator of a groundbreaking app that helps users filter out the junk on the internet. Alex shares his journey and explains why he left his previous work building perception systems and cameras to tackle the problem of information overload. He tells us how his wife inspired him to build a content filter.
He used crowdfunding to raise the necessary funds for this project. Our conversation takes an interesting detour as Alex discusses the different types of crowdfunding and the benefits and drawbacks of each, and shares tips on how to build a successful campaign.
We explore the evolution of crowdfunding over the past few years and how it's changed the way startups raise funds. Alex talks about the challenges of finding the right investors and why he chose to avoid institutional money. He shares insights on how to build a strong team and how to manage outsourcing. Alex also provides advice on how to test potential team members and what to look for when hiring.
We then delve into the mechanics of the app and how it uses a built-in search engine and AI to filter out clickbait and rewrite headlines. Alex explains how the app generates bullet-point summaries, creates nutrition labels for content, and penalizes articles without external references. He also discusses the importance of customization and transparency in the app and how it scrubs content from both sides of the political spectrum without any bias.
Overall, this episode is an enlightening exploration of how technology can help us navigate the web and make sense of the deluge of information available to us. Alex's app is a game-changer, and his insights on crowdfunding and team-building are invaluable for anyone looking to launch a startup or build a better world.
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In this episode I’m joined by Jono Petrohilo. Jono has a VERY interesting story. He has a background in fitness and share’s his story of running bootcamps in Australia. His journey from being ranked #75 to #1 within a year is truly inspiring!
What led him to courses? It starts by him leveraging courses himself to find greater success in what he was doing in fitness. Eventually he starts creating his own courses in this space and achieving great success. Today he generates over a million dollars a year selling courses and has won the “Australia Fitness Educator of the Year” award twice for what he provides.
Today Jono is branching out and helping anyone that is interested in creating and promoting courses in their niche or vertical. So he’s going outside of fitness to share his experience from the trenches. He provides some great insights, advice and tips for anyone that wants to get started. There’s so many benefits to creating courses.. I know you’ll walk away from this episode inspired to do more courses or get started!
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In this episode I'm joined by Darrell Evans. Darrel is the Founder of MindShift Business Coaching. He's serial entrepreneur and investor with a proven track record of helping companies achieve real results. We start the episode giving him the room to talk about his story and share his journey as an entrepreneur. He takes us from his childhood where he caught the bug.. to selling sports wear.. to working at Taco Bell (from Fry cook to General Manager).. real estate.. to the mortgage industry where he discovered marketing online. Until we land on what he's doing today running an agency and consulting.
In these conversations we don't plan where we land. In this case, we circled back to 2003 where he started marketing online and his experience with email marketing. Learn how he approaches email and stays 'top of mind'. What are his secrets to building out content. How does he save time? How does he create his follow ups (drips)? How does he write?
We have a nice discussion about how anyone can start writing their emails. He shared a simple 3 step process to creating emails that provide value. And we share our experience with conversational writing. So much to learn from Darrell. Enjoy the episode!
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In this solo episode I share a couple of stories from my own web design agency. 2 distinct, fresh experiences that illustrate how an agency can work with other company's teams or other experts. Cross-functional, agile teams are amazing when they are implemented in organizations. This is first hand experience from the trenches.
First I share the story about a new initiative between my agency and another companies team. On my side there are two resources we've committed to the project. One is a web developer that's already been doing work for this company for the past 2+ years. And another is a more recent addition (to this project) on the design side. On the other end we are working mostly with their copywriter, but also 2 founders and their back-end web development team.
Second I share a simpler situation where our client hired a conversion export to help them with their eCommerce store. I'm analyzing, working on the wireframe, copy and helping redesign those pages. In the process I may also bring in a specialized copywriter to help with the sites copy. Once this is done, my development team will translate the new designs onto the WooCommerce pages/templates.
One of the huge benefits of agencies and companies working together like this is the ability to achieve goals one couldn't do alone. Bringing in other teams and experts into a project can not only help deliver more quality results, but spur more innovation, creativity and productivity. It's a beautiful thing to behold. Enjoy the episode!
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In this solo episode I talk about ChatGPT and other AI solutions. Solutions we have been using way before ChatGPT and where I'm seeing the future in the context of our web design agency. While there are two sides to this conversation and many are only seeing the negative aspects.. I focus more on the positive. The understanding that we aren't fighting this and we need to adapt. That if I help and encourage my team to use these tools, it only benefits our clients with greater results and efficiency.
There's so many great opportunities to use solutions like this already. We've been using other AI solutions to help with content that I'll discuss. We've used it to help with content, presentations and more. There are things specific to our design process where ChatGPT is going to be used. And we're looking at other solutions where we can leverage these tools.
Do these technologies change a lot? Yes! But that doesn't mean the 'human' is removed from the process and our clients will only want to deal with bots. How does this affect our team? Should they be worried that an AI bot will replace them? I answer this question and more in this episode.
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In this solo episode I talk more about the new vertical my agency is launching into -- insurance. Having an insurance background, this was probably always going to be a thing at some point. But the way we've positioned ourselves as an agency, the team we built, the processes etc, is optimized to meet this new challenge with true confidence.
In true 'The Builders' fashion, I break it all down from the trenches. What got us here? Why are we so confident? And why define a vertical in the first place? It's probably obvious, but it provides a lot of benefits. We can sculpt our offerings and what we build to a very specific use-case; specializing. But also, it now allows us to execute on the marketing and sales side of things on a completely new level. We can better target this market and, because of Matt's background, communicate with them in a way that should close more sales!
I also dive into the numbers game. What sales experience in the past did I attain (hint, I was an insurance agent for a decade) and how does that apply to what we are doing now to help insurance agencies? Packed with lessons from the trenches.. enjoy!
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In this solo episode I provide an update for my own business and what we're building. Actually, last year was the year we worked on building so we could launch into this year with a couple initiatives and start marketing them. Before I dig into that I provide a brief update of how my web design agency is doing.
The first initiative I cover is our launching into the insurance vertical. We're going to be building websites for insurance agencies (for starters). I'm really excited to help agencies enjoy the fruits of having full-site editing block themes. And of course, these are custom sites and include design as well. I talk about how we're actually going to market it. I hired some help.. who is she, where does she fit in and what's she going to do for us!
Then I provide a Unified Toolkit update. We're also poised to start marketing and driving traffic to this project. How will I be doing that?
And then I bring it all together and give a little insight into the grand vision. How do all these projects plus my agency all work together as a unit? These aren't all individual strategies. They all tie together and form a long term vision for the Unified brand! Enjoy the episode!!
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In this episode we are joined again by Jennifer Denney. She is the founder of Elevated Marketing Solutions and has been in digital marketing for over 15 years. Her 3rd time back, it’s always a great, insightful conversation about agency life, running teams and businesses.
We start out by talking about what it means to tie revenue to employees and some potential pitfalls there. It’s always important to make sure employees don’t just become a number.. she shares her thoughts around this. Then we talk about agency growth. What are her feelings about growth and why did she decide to keep her own agency small?
Finally I moved us into a conversation about Maslow’s hierarchy of needs applied to business. With her psychology background this is something we really connected on; we shared ideas from books we’ve read. And then we circle back talking about employees.. Hiring people because of their POTENTIAL. Good stuff.. enjoy!
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To we are rejoined by Joe Matz. Joe had a light bulb moment, a campfire, an ah-ha…! And he wanted to share that with us. This new focus is what our conversation revolved around. If you do guesting on podcasts or want to, THIS is your episode.
He runs some groups where podcasters and guests come together to ‘mingle’. From that he himself has learned a lot. He shares some of the lessons he’s pulled from these groups and his own experiences being a podcaster himself.
Why do people want to do guesting on podcasts? What holds people back? How are podcasts evergreen? These are some questions we answer. And we land on highlighting some of the common mistakes guests make. GREAT stuff if you want to get your message out there and share your own stories on podcasts. Enjoy!
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In our 100th episode I’m rejoined by Doland White! He was my first guest that took a chance on me. This is his 4th time back! As always, we had a ton of fun. I don’t think I laughed so much on an episode. But through that we dove into some really great topics and he dropped gold.
We start by talking about the company he works for, Brave Thinking Institute. Their mission statement is, “We empower people to create and live a life they love.” They teach people how to build and bring dreams to life and have certified over 4500 life coaches that are out there in the world helping others.
We talk about his role there as their ‘Chief Operating Officer’ (COO). What does that all entail? How does he help operationalize their strategies? What experience has he brought to the table and how does he think about this role? I found this most interesting because from a business owners perspective, these are roles we may have in our own companies or will need to fill someday.
We touch on time management and maintaining relationships while being busy in our day to day. What can we do to make sure we don’t lose touch with those that we care about and are grateful for? I had him talk a bit about his personal relationship with Bob Proctor. He shares what was it like meeting him for the first time and his personal relationship with him off stage.
And finally we land on something I’ve wanted to talk to him about since the first episode. His music! Turns out he is part of a group called, “Dave and Doland”. His and Dave’s relationship writing and creating music goes back 30 years. They even have songs on the radio! How did they meet? And what does music mean to him. So many insights in this episode.. enjoy!!
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Today we are joined by Irina Poddubnaia. Irina is a SAAS founder and a business consultant who specializes in Operations and Processes Optimization. She has over 8 years of experience in eCommerce with its different challenges and obstacles, from running a fulfillment center in China where she was living for over 2 years to launching her own software TrackMage.
We, of course, start by talking about her journey as an entrepreneur. Why did she go to China to do business? What lessons did she learn from her experience and how did that, years later, influence what she does today? Who helped her on the tech and programming side?
She has an amazing solution for eCommerce stores for customers to track their orders. Heavily focused on the fulfillment side of things one of it’s core features is capturing traffic that many businesses give away to other large companies. Instead, keep that traffic, capture it, provide more offers and increase sales!
We also have some fun talking about what it’s like developing software, testing software.. and what a mess Facebook is. haha.. Fun conversation. Enjoy the episode!!
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Today we are joined by Per "The Price Whisperer" Sjofors. I think as businesses we can all agree that pricing is one of those things that can make or break your business. If you don't price yourself right, it could lead to all sorts of problems. Per is THE pricing expert and it was a real pleasure talking with him!
We start, of course, by diving into his story. He's helped build or grow multi-million dollar companies before doing what he does today helping businesses with their pricing strategy. Through it all, his CEO journey, he always was fascinated by pricing and the impact it has. In fact, he had developed a formula years ago and thought he had it figured out. Today, he admits that formula did not work.
Today he has new ways of developing a businesses pricing strategy including using an AI system he built to help crunch the numbers. He shares real stories and examples from the trenches (which we love!). Learn the power of increasing prices and how it can help select your best customers. Learn how to defend those decisions to your paying customers or clients.
Learn what willingness to pay research and how people equate value to price. And finally I asked the question, how does a small business figure out how to price their products or services? What methods can be used? Great stuff! Important topic for all of us.. enjoy!
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Bob Hunter is back! 2nd episode with Bob was just as awesome as the first. We start off by touching base on his quest to be a guest on a 100 podcasts. This was his 14th .. so we've contributed twice to this endeavor! And I asked him what his biggest lesson or takeaway was so far and you'll love his answer!
From there we did a bit of a recap of what he does and the subjects we covered in the previous episode. And then we land on the core of todays topic when I posed the question, "What do you do with the funds after you have them or what should they be used for?" Because getting a loan to just get a loan is not the answer. You want to make sure those funds are contributing to your business in some way, shape or form.
But interestingly, the conversation landed on a topic that we weren't even planning before we talked that day. We talked about using those funds for staffing and hiring people. But it got way deeper. Turns out Bob also built and owns a staffing business! He built something so he could staff his own business and then decided to do that for others! (love that) And his whole thing is something that I do myself and that's hiring offshore from places like Philippines, India, Pakistan, Ukraine and beyond.
So if you enjoyed our first episode or are interested in finding new and better ways to find good people to expand your teams and business, this episode is DEFINITELY for you. Enjoy!
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In this solo episode I talk about the launch of Unified Toolkit. A WordPress framework to build custom themes and websites. This is something I've been dreaming about for over 2 and a half years. Step by step while building my agency I developed the plan and products. Today it consists of a WordPress Full-site Editing block theme and 3 plugins. But there's much more to come.
In 2023 and beyond we'll be adding more features, plugins and more related to the theme. I'll personally be creating more training to help build sites, but also to help freelancers and agencies use our toolkit to go out and sell.
This is part of the grand vision. Our agency will use the toolkit and we'll be using the toolkit to go after new markets. I land towards the end of this episode and talk about 'what's next'. Touching on where we are with the agency too.. adding our 6th full-time person to the team!
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In this solo episode I talk about something that incredibly important in my agency and with my team - quality assurance. As always, I speak to it from the trenches. This is how I think about it and how our team applies it daily to ensure everyone involved in a project has less stress.
Our first stop is 'Why it Exists' in the first place. Why is it so important to make sure you have good processes in place and 'buy in' from everyone involved in a project? What influences how it's applied? And what is the impact if it's not applied? I also break down from a web design and development perspective how our team as a whole approaches it. Who get's involved and what does it look like?
I discuss specific examples which include projects we've applied it to in the realm of web development and on the design side. Also, I explain how user testing in general is also part of the process and the importance of the all important retrospective. Enjoy the episode!
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In this solo episode I talk to a topic that is near and dear to my businesses heart. Retention. I follow along with an article I found, using it as a framework and injecting my own experiences from the trenches. I share how I deeply think about this topic and deploy it in my business. I have clients and partnerships that have lasted years.. even to the very beginning of my agency. How has this happened and what has worked?
We work really, really hard to get the business, but we are failing ourselves and our company if we can’t maintain and retain what we’ve acquired. From building relationships with your clients or customers, understanding their business goals, communication to the art of reporting, there’s a lot of great takeaways and real world experience to share.
I then land on something that is something I’ve been grappling with myself this past year. How do you grow your company and still retain those precious clients/customers? Here I too share my experience and the things I’ve been putting in place to ensure we don’t slip in this area. Enjoy the episode!
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Today I’m joined by Kristi Spencer. She is an etiquette consultant helping a range of people and organizations get better in this department. As our focus is business in this context, we talked about it from a businesses perspective (mostly.. personal can influence the other). Of course, in true The Builders' fashion we also dug into her story a bit and her ‘why’. Why is she passionate about Etiquette?
I used my own experience in business to guide the conversation.. I have teams so we talked about etiquette in that context. How can it be implemented, what can it improve..? Meetings.. many listening to this have meetings! How should we think about this topic when running or participating in meetings?
Then we talk about it from a customer service perspective. I share my own experience and she provides her thoughts. The portion on the ‘dynamic pause’ is dynamic! Don’t miss that. :-) Kristi’s whole life lead up to her focusing on this and she LOVES helping others get better. Definitely tune in if you or your business could use some help in this department - or you’re just curious.
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In this episode I am joined by Bob Hunter. Bob is the founder of Oxford Pierpont and MyBusinessCredit .com. Oxford Pierpont is designed for larger corporations and My Business Credit for smaller businesses needing funding under a million dollars.
The conversation starts things off by talking about his background and journey. Bob was diagnosed with Sickle Cell Disease which took his right eye vision and his left ear hearing. This forced him out of a job he loved and lead him to starting his own companies. This story quickly transforms into a story of recovery and inspiration. His strength of character and perseverance are unquestionable.
From there we talk about his passion. Selling money! He helps businesses, big and small, get funding and financing. We talk about how to get funding, how to improve ‘business credit’ (the differences with business credit and personal) and how to approach it all. His expertise is helping businesses do the right things to improve their credit and get the funding they need. GREAT conversion.. one of those I personally didn’t want to end. Enjoy!
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In this episode I’m joined by Ozan Bilgen. He is the founder & CEO of Base64.ai Inc, the fastest-growing artificial intelligence startup in New York. Like always, we first dive into his story and what his journey looked like as an entrepreneur. From Turkey to the US.. from working for Microsoft, Paypal and Uber. He’s got a fascinating story!
We talk about his business. Where did he come up with this innovative idea that leverages AI and Machine learning? How does he approach business in general? Like many of us he’s tried a lot of different things to market his business.. what has worked best for his company?
Then we land on technology. I picked his brain about where he sees AI and Machine Learning today and where we’re headed with it. Don’t miss this one.. he’s a high caliber guest with amazing insights.
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In this episode I am joined by Michelle Nedelec and her cat Dolores. As I like to do, I asked her about her journey and we explored her path from her first businesses, building websites to what she does today. Today she’s an international speaker and helps entrepreneurs be as successful as possible by taking the tech stuff off their plate.
How can you partner with others to help you do more? One of the things you can do is get help with your tech. It’s also valuable to have another pair of experienced eyes to take a look at your business and find ways to extract more from what you’re doing currently. She provides some examples as to how she has helped others that includes having helped a large business with a large list they never followed up with over the years.
How do you grow a business without losing control? Or ‘control the faucet’. It’s easy to get help that brings in too much and overwhelms you. How do you avoid that? Get insights and more great lessons in general in this one from someone that’s been building and helping businesses for decades. Enjoy!
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In today’s episode I am joined by Matt Bailey. Matt Bailey teaches Digital Marketing to the world's biggest brands and prestigious universities. Microsoft, Google, Hilton, Orange, Nationwide, P&G, Disney, and HP are just a few of his training clients.
We start with his personal journey and story and what lead him to ‘education’ as a focus. Why molded him and what were those early years like? He was building and marketing websites in the late 90s.. what was that like, what traffic did he get and what lessons could he extract that is still applicable today?
From there we dive into lessons small businesses can learn from big businesses. The importance of business owners educating themselves so they can ask good questions; especially when talking with agencies helping them. We also talk about analytics and data and understanding not just how to get a lot of traffic, but how to focus on what’s contributing to revenue AND most importantly profit. A lot of great lessons in this one.. don’t miss it!
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In this episode I’m joined by Nicky Billou. He’s a best-selling author, an in-demand and highly inspirational speaker, an advisor and confidante to some of the most successful and dynamic entrepreneurs in Canada and co-founder of eCircle Academy. He’s really passionate about helping entrepreneurs which shines through in this episode!
First he shares his story and message about how precious freedom is.. sharing his families story leaving Iran and moving to Canada. He spent a stint in corporate America before going into business for himself. He shares a number of stories starting with a life changing one where he found the money to invest in himself which resulted in huge success.
Nicky also talks to us about the importance of developing a great ‘message’ for your business, the importance of embracing your ‘value’ when pricing your services AND the importance of investing in yourself to get to the next level. A lot of gold in this one.. enjoy!!
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In this episode we are joined again by AJ Saunders. AJ and I dive deeper into the topic of building great niche content that is constructed in a way that gets results. Learn what type of blogs he has.. we talk about how to manage content - DIY vs hiring others.
We then talk about what makes good content.. how to choose topics. I share my experience with the conversational writing style in copywriting and content creation. Should we hold anything back with our content? How does AJ think about that?
That leads us into CTA’s.. Calls to Action. We’ve written content so now how do we reel them in and construct something that encourages them to take a beneficial action on our site? Because.. we aren’t writing content for our health, right!? If you write content or are wondering how to approach it, this episode is for you!
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In this episode I am joined by Melane Mullings. Melane has an incredible story. When she was just 17 she was diagnosed with cancer. While she did beat cancer, the experience she had had a real impact on her and was a catalyst as to what she did with the rest of her life.
One of the things I noted is she doesn’t just identify problems and endure through them.. once she has endured, she looks for ways to make change and improve those things. As an example, her stay in the hospital and poor emotional care motivated her to become a RN and eventually start a nurse recruiting business.
After 13 years she sold that business and started a consulting business and wrote the book she always planned to write.. in fact, she wrote the chapters on her business journey! Besides her own story, we dive into some of the topics she is personally passionate about.. in the context of helping others succeed. Getting to know yourself, the power of reading a book a month.. to Emotional Intelligence (EQ). Great stuff! Enjoy!
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In this solo episode, I share my own business journey. We've just completed the development of our last 2 plugins (total of 3) and the release is planned. Then I talk Unified Toolkit and how these will be added there and what else we're doing. And I reveal for the first time the new niche/vertical we are preparing to launch into.
What does this all mean in the context of Unified Web Design? Because that is our core. Our anchor. How do we continue to maintain that? I share how I define 'AGENCY FIRST'. Why that's so critical and how we still get other projects done; like the plugins and the work being done for this new niche.
It's always fun sharing my own lessons and stories from the trenches. If you've followed this podcast you've enjoyed a front row seat into the inner workings and progress we're making with my agency. This episode is another glimpse.. and another step in our progression. Enjoy!
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In this solo episode I talk about my absolute FAVORITE topic. WordPress! This one is inspired by a Twitter post.. someone was asking if any of ‘us’ were experiencing people moving away from WordPress. Of course, that's anecdotal right? But it’s a great spring board into talking about why continuing to use, build sites with WordPress or move to WordPress is still a GREAT decision.
I talk a lot about it’s flexibility. How it can be used as a framework instead of a single, block solution. From headless CMS set ups to FSE themes to classic. We cover all the bases. On top of that, I share real world experiences and projects to drive home my perspective. A client moving from a non-WP to a WordPress site, non-WordPress agencies getting into the WP game.. blended builds (eg, WP, WooCommerce with a dash of Angular) ..
Buckle up! And get ready to become a fan. Enjoy!
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In this weeks episode we are joined by Michael DeLon. He is a marketing strategist focused on helping business owners develop their message, write (speak to write) their book and market it via his marketing systems. We begin by taking a bit of a dive into his story and journey. How he ended up where he is today helping businesses as a consultant.
From there we have a great conversation around the reasons we should think about writing a book. How it can be used to open doors and close sales; even if you don’t have a lot of experience in your domain. “People are going to buy YOU more than what you sell” is only a taste of the wisdom he dispenses..
To drive his own message home he shares some great case studies.. examples of people he has helped sculpt their passions into a powerful message and book. And we weave in some lessons about sales, networking and so much more! Don’t miss this one! Enjoy!
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On this episode we are joined by AJ Saunders. AJ is the founder of AJS Digital Group and has been doing digital marketing for over a decade. We start by chatting about his background and some things we have in common. We both were members of the Warrior forum.
I go back a little further.. early 2000s on that forum. He joined around 2010. But we both have similar experiences and it played a roll in both of us working out how to make money online. We talk about the benefits of such forums and where their true value lies.
Then we get into his businesses and specifically around his experience with digital marketing and affiliate marketing. Today he’s really focused on helping businesses with SEO (including affiliates!) and guiding them with their content strategies. There are a lot of great nuggets around that in this episode. Enjoy!
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In this solo episode, I talk about the very real problem of all these money opportunities online that distract us from what we should be doing. This is not a new problem. I first started seeking opportunities online around 2003. And through the last few decades I’ve seen a lot of trends and opportunities come and go.
But I’ve enjoyed success in a number of arenas. And a BIG reason for that is my skills around ‘staying focused’. This is what we get into in this episode. How do I filter out all that noise? How do YOU pick a path and put your blinders on or only look deeper at opportunities that are in tune with what you’re already doing?
Your business plan should be your guide. You should have a clear picture of where you want to go and what you want to do. And then everything you do is for that end. There is certainly the risk you could ‘miss out’ and expect that to happen. But that’s balanced by a much more stable and long term business that will provide for you for years to come. Enjoy the episode!
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Today I’m joined by Roland Pokornyik, the founder of Chamaileon.io. Roland decided to become an entrepreneur at age 16 and has been on a journey building software products online ever since. While riding a train one day, he looked at his email.. and it dawned on him that they look pretty bad on mobile devices. And that’s when he decided to enter the ‘email builder’ market and develop his first product with friends back in 2012!
We dive into that journey a bit and then talk about his service and email building. He’s not actually an email service, but a platform for teams to take advantage of an Email Design System. We talk about the benefits of such a system. And his thoughts around email in general.
Through that we also talk a lot about the challenges of marketing such products. And how important it is to find a niche, focus on a narrow product and look for ‘your’ channel. Because it’s different for all of us! There isn’t a one size fits all solution and things have gotten much more competitive in recent years; so there are challenges around that and that’s why it’s so important to narrow your focus.
Great conversation with someone ‘building stuff on the web’. Dive in and get ready to be inspired!
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In this episode I’m joined by Cristina Samoila. She’s unBEElievable ( her website is beeproductive.eu .. see what I did there? ) at what she does for her clients. She helps businesses create scalable automations, systems and processes inside their business to help them run a smoother, more efficient business that is set to grow faster and smarter.
I have her start telling her story about how she fell in love with all of this. What event happened where she said, “hmmm.. I really love this!”. And how did she turn that into a business helping others implement these things.
She also shares her definitions and provides an analogy that helps us better understand what processes are and how documentation fits into the picture. And towards the end we talk about how business owners can get excited about all this.. hint, it’s not about getting excited about the work involved. Enjoy the episode!
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In this episode I’m joined by Atiba De Souza. Atiba has been around a long time on the web! He started building websites in the mid-90s. And in fact, they did something really, really innovative for that time. They built website search engines! BEFORE GOOGLE! That story alone is so fascinating.
We’re taken through the evolution of the web in this one.. In the 2000s he started working for an agency with government contracts and building search engines for them (including the EPA!!). When that phase was behind him and after some soul searching he started doing work for the private sector again.
In this phase (2003-07) he realized Google and Merchants on the web had a problem. He figured out what it was, the solution and helped both solve those problems. He saw new problems just a few years ago.. and explains why he’s hyper-focused on video creation and marketing!
Really, really great conversation. Especially if you find yourself wondering how to get your content in front of your target audience.. or trying to figure out why you aren’t getting the results you expect in search. You’ll gain some insight into how to solve for that.. and some great tips around how you can gain the courage to create video for the web! Enjoy!
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In this episode, I’m joined by Christina Hooper. Today she helps those that have fallen out of love with the business.. helping entrepreneurs take things to the next level via consulting and speaking at events. While she’ll tell you her entrepreneurial story isn’t anything special, I’ll beg to differ. While it’s not flashy, it’s certainly inspiring none the less. We all arrive at our destinations, where we are today, on varying paths.. and within that there are lessons and common threads that others will connect with or find inspirational.
But the best part of this chat was that she weaved in her thoughts and ideas around how to tell a good story as a guest on podcast! What do you do when you story isn’t “Things are going ok, but then.. your world falls apart.. you lived out of a car, homeless.. and some amazing things happened to turned everything around”? When you’re done listening to this episode, you know what to do.
At various points of her story we dive into relevant topics that contain great lessons. From the power of strategic partnerships, the evolution of hiring.. to what you need to do to prepare to sell your agency or business. So much gold in this hour. Don’t miss this one!
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In this episode I virtually sat down with Genesis Amaris Kemp. She’s a Visionary Life Coach, Motivational Speaker, Author and Podcaster. We began the conversation as we often do by listening to her story, her journey, in her own words. As she puts it, we discussed the lows and highs.. we talk about the lows too because that is what contributed to her development personally and professionally.
She spent 15 years in corporate America. Starting out in real estate, working for a cancer center to building a career in the oil and gas industry, she shares how that all developed. There are many positive aspects of that and inspiration to extract. It’s inspiring how she approached life with a positive attitude, how she overcame ‘situations’ and how she used networking as a powerful advantage.
But there were also negative aspects. Working in the industry where she was a ‘Chocolate Drop in Corporate America’ ( her words, not mine - she has a book with the same name ), was tough. Micro aggressions, feeling inadequate, being held in positions longer than she was supposed to, suspect of people’s (or businesses) intentions .. were just some of the things she experienced just because of how she looked on the outside.
Through all that, she’s come out the other end to speak to that, to share that story.. to be a voice and have the conversation around diversity, equity, inclusion & belonging. I really enjoyed this conversation.. she’s an amazing human being. If nothing else, it’ll make you think deeper about this topic and help answer the question.. how can we do better?
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Our guest today is Inbal Claudio. We listen to her story from working in the service industry, starting a real estate brokerage, starting her own candle company to pivoting to a tech startup We all hear the stories of non-techie founders who try to start a tech company or build an app with no experience. She was the same, but she found her way through this gauntlet! A lot of lessons shared.
This is where her support systems come in. Her Father being in tech was able to be a sounding board for her. Her husband was very supportive. She was able to find, through some trial and error, a great developer to help her build, maintain and manage the project. We discuss the pitfalls trying to find good developers and things to look out for; there are a lot of people that aren’t entirely truthful in that space.
Besides those challenges, we also talk about how she balances everything as a Mom and wife to someone in the military. There’s a lot of nuggets of inspiration and insights in this episode for busy mom’s wanting to become an entrepreneur or those looking to build something in tech starting from a disadvantage. Enjoy the listen!
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In this episode we are joined by Laura Raynak. She shares her long journey through corporate America and how she landed where she is today as a successful business owner. This journey includes many challenges and a path of discovery. It includes moments she had to stick up for herself, fight and make difficult moves to continue to move forward with her career. It’s a story of learning the lessons and resilience.
While she started out her journey getting a degree in Bio-chemistry & Molecular Biology, Laura’s passion is recruiting. We dig into why she’s loves recruiting and why she chose that path. We follow her story as she finds her way through various jobs .. always learning. Always growing. She talks about those that helped her, inspired her.. and how by chance it finally all came together.
There are many stories of Entrepreneurs.. of struggles and messy journeys. It’s rarely a straight line. But Laura’s story is inspiring.. she worked hard and is now proudly running her own business and doing what she loves. We round off the episode talking about her thoughts and advice around building diverse teams. Good stuff.. enjoy!
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In this solo episode, I talk about the launch of my new WordPress product, Unified Email Capture.. that was happening the day after this recording! And did launch by the way. :-) This plugin is the first of a series of plugins we are launching that will eventually form what we call a ‘toolkit’.
This toolkit is first and foremost going to be used in-house for our own sites and client projects; to build custom websites. But while we’re at it, we’re making each component available to the public as a premium plugin.
I talk about what got us here, the process and how our business as a whole benefits. Why ‘this’ plugin? How does it benefit our business and our future as an agency? Buckle up.. this is a true to form episode from the trenches. Enjoy!
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In today’s episode, Bridget returns to share her business’s story with us. We start by laying the groundwork.. and maybe getting a little distracted talking about social media (totally my fault, haha). Then we’re taken on an intriguing journey .. how it started through what things look like today.
Why did she leave her job? What she doesn’t like about working for others.. The challenges of leaving a job and go out on your own. What unique skillsets did she gain over the decades to help guide her to what she is doing today. How did her peers play a role. And how important was that! (hint: very)
The last 15 minutes or so we started talking on a topic we hope to continue someday.. we talked a bit about pricing and how to price yourself. And why you shouldn’t price yourself too low! But what if you need the work and need to take what you can get? Bridget has you covered.. You.. well, tune in to find out! Enjoy!
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One of the goals of The Builders is to share stories to inspire the listener and learn from; real life stories from the trenches. Being that pricing is such a critical component of so many businesses and agencies, this is a topic that we should visit from time to time.
Building off of Episode 4, I share my personal pricing strategies and how it's evolved over the years. What’s happened in the past year and a half since that episode? How big of a role does recurring income play now in my business and why I think it's something everyone should consider.
I round it off with a discussion about why ‘Hourly Billing’ is not always bad AND what my plans/goals are for the future. Big goals.. balanced by a no stress approach. Enjoy!
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Today I’m joined by Ben Gabler. Ben is the Founder & CEO of Rocket.net (a web hosting company). As we do with all our guests, the first episode is always about the person and their journey. So we dive into his backstory and how he fell in love with his craft.
His family always operated businesses so it was natural for him to gravitate to building a business. Uniquely, it was delivering pizzas where he really learned about the fundamentals of business. From there he fell in love with tech through the lens of being able to communicate with anyone on the planet using the Internet.
As years go by he found his way to HostGator, did some startups, ended at GoDaddy.. until we eventually land on where he is today and building his hosting business. We finally talk about differentiation and what he thinks sets them apart in the marketplace. And so much more.. enjoy!
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Danielle’s back for a 3rd episode! In this one, we check in to see how her web development business is going and to talk WordPress shop. Of course, that’s how we started. Both of us are pretty passionate about WordPress so it’s natural for us to go there. 🙂
We talked about the current state of WordPress, blocks and full-site editing (FSE themes). I was happy to hear she is ready to build her first FSE theme! We also talked about how WordPress has changed, the eco-system, the different ways to build and how it’s gotten better. Danielle is happy we are leaving the stage of ‘what has changed’ to the ‘what are they adding’ stage of WordPress' evolution.
After that we caught up on how her web development business is going. She talks about her new business name, why she calls the business a ‘studio’ and what new things she’s been offering for services. It was a lot fun catching up.. an interesting conversation. Especially for those that love WordPress. Enjoy!
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In this episode Matt’s joined by Matt Campbell. We dig deep into his journey building a wedding site that enjoys 4 million visitors a year due to use SEO & Content Efforts. It’s not by accident either. As you listen, you realize he’s doing exactly what he was cut out to do.
Matt’s love for music led him straight into a career as a DJ early in life. And like many of us, life happened, he got married and he found himself moving to Las Vegas and doing something entirely different; working for someone else.. until that entrepreneurial itch kicked in and he launched into something that again reunited him with his love for music. He built a wedding website.
The site itself started out great, but as many that depend on SEO have experienced, Google made changes that dramatically affected his traffic and revenue.. but, one of the things that’s amazing about this story is it didn’t end there. He didn’t give up, learned more about his craft and built it back better. It’s a GREAT comeback story.
If you are interested in or depend on SEO, this is the episode for you. ENJOY!
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On this solo episode, Matt dives deep into what influences him. The key is what shaped his mindset, attitude and stick to it’ness can be found back in his early 20s (3 decades ago). In those days he was one of those young people that were lost, mad at the world, and just wanted to have fun -- and be an artist. But it wasn’t easy and it wasn’t playing out like he’d envisioned or hoped.
But he had something in him… something drove him to look for those answers to solve the problem. And it all started with a visit to a local bookstore. There he saw a golden book sitting on the shelf that said something about you could grow rich.. thinking. That book would be the first of many books and audio tapes that would over time remap his mind to become more positive and resilient.
Through sharing his story he lands on some lessons that can be applied by you or anyone. Some advice that if you’re ready for it, could change your life or business. If you’re struggling, this could be an important listen! Enjoy!
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Today I’m joined by Joe Matz. Over the last 30 years Joe has run and owned a variety of businesses. From restaurants to schools. But what’s most interesting is he’s done that in 3 different countries! He spent years in Italy (twice), years in Brazil and back here in the United States.
One of his big strengths is going into business knowing literally nothing.. not even the language. He had to learn these languages on the fly! He’s taken all his knowledge and experience and now coaches people to help them start over and find their ‘thing’ that sets they apart.
He’s a master at guiding people and creating a roadmap to find what they are uniquely suited for, they can differentiate themselves with and want to do. There’s gold in this episode.. Enjoy!!
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Matt is joined by.. I mean, Doland is joined by Matt Levenhagen! What? Doland had this great idea to do a Sadie Hawkins episode.. but instead of the girls asking the boys to the dance, Doland turns the tables and interviews Matt about his business. It was a lot of fun!
So we talk about how I ended up doing what I do. Why did I decide to start an agency? We talk a LOT about ‘truth’ in business. How sacred it is and how it’s shaped how I approach just about everything now. We dive into a variety of stories from my past that influences me today.
We end the episode with Doland posing the question, “What pisses you off?” And then talk a little bit about how I’m developing the team and how I look at that. Good stuff! Hope you can join us for a listen!
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Matt’s trying something brand new in this episode. He’s always been a big fan of follow alongs himself.. following along while someone or a business does ‘something’. Today you’ll listen in as he shares highlights from a week at his agency. Real calendar items, real projects.. what his team is working on.
Follow along as he shares the type of meetings he has - how many meetings does he have on a weekly basis? What is Matt working on personally.. what is one of his big focuses each week? How’s that plugin development going? What type of client projects are they working on?
Within that he extracts lessons and gives you insights into what they are doing or why they are doing what they are doing. This includes how they manage and prioritize everything daily. Join us and experience the excitement.. Enjoy!
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Today Matt talks about identifying the pain points on a website and solving them. Matt is the founder of a web design agency and their whole job is to help a client identify and solve these issues. After defining what pain points are in this context, he provides 7 examples for real world projects he’s been involved with.
Sometimes a problem stems from how a site was coded or designed. Sometimes it’s related to how something specific functions on the site. Other times it could be an issue with a form not converting enough leads or a site constantly crashing or being hacked. Whatever the case, there’s always a solution or roadmap that can be created to improve the situation.
Whether you are a business or an agency/freelancer, this is a valuable episode.. the insights and experience shared may help you avoid some of these issues or at least know what that roadmap could look like to move you into a better place. Enjoy!
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In this solo episode Matt takes you through his design process. Besides doing web development, website maintenance and custom coding work, they design websites! And wouldn’t it be amazing to pull back the curtain a bit and see how they take a clients vision, how they work with a client and translate that to a design mockup? Which in turn can be translated to code?
It all starts with receiving the requirements, talking with the client, discovery and research. You will see what influences his design decisions. Matt highlights some of the key elements that he pays attention to when doing the actual design work. He talks about the structure, layout, imagery, colors, brand and typography.
This episode will give you great insights into what it’s like for the client and how a design process is implemented.. while maintaining flexibility. It’s a great, broad overview of the process. Enjoy!
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Today I’m joined by Nathan S. Bryan, PhD. Dr. Bryan is an international leader in molecular medicine and nitric oxide biochemistry. He has been involved in nitric oxide research for the past 18+ years and has made many seminal discoveries in the field. These discoveries and findings have transformed the development of safe and effective functional bioactive natural products in the treatment and prevention of human disease and may provide the basis for new preventive or therapeutic.
Now, of course, this is a business podcast. And we definitely get some unique insights into what it’s like to transition from being full-time in academia to starting a business and developing products (today he runs his businesses full-time). What was that journey like? What were some big lessons?
It was a real pleasure learning more about him and his mission. After talking with him I have no doubt he’s going to change the world with his discoveries and products! Inspiring.. and important work. Enjoy!
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In this episode Matt updates the builders crew about his own business. Besides this podcast, his primary business is running a web design agency and is on a track to launch a new product later this year. A lot of what Matt does revolves around WordPress. He’s been building sites since ~2004 with WordPress and has specialized in WordPress development since 2012.
While discussing the state of Unified Web Design, Unified Toolkit and The Builders, he could hear some of the questions out there. If you’re running a busy agency (or any successful business), how on earth do you fine the time and manage building something net new?
Well, in true to ‘from the trenches’ fashion, he describes how he’s doing it uniquely. Agency First thinking.. setting clear objectives and goals, all hands on deck with his team and incrementally moving towards a single vision. For starters.. dive in to get a glimpse of how this happens in the real world. Enjoy!
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Today I’m joined by Geoff Chan. He is the found of a digital agency called StackFive. It’s a great conversation about his journey to becoming a web developer. We share our stories about how our Father’s influenced us along with others. “Getting in the reps”. One of the key ways he gets better at something is to set a goal to do 'x' number of projects and then back filling that with other methods to learn how to do something.
Geoff and I took a similar path to learning that included learning ‘by doing’ projects and learning from others. I worked with people that helped me become a better developer; he did the same. He learned by being part of teams and finding smart people.. and asking lots of questions. Even dumb ones.
We end with what he’s doing today. He now runs a successful agency along with a partner and has built a 5 person team. It’s an inspiring episode! Especially for those that are building a career or business in tech. Enjoy!
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In this episode we are joined by Brian Bauer. He is the founder of a CRO Agency called Bauer Entertainment Marketing. We first talk talk about his journey from becoming a 3rd generation drummer in his household, his work on in radio, becoming a member of a touring band and landing in Nashville where he eventually takes all that experience in the entertainment industry and builds an agency to help others.
One of my favorite parts of the conversation is how his team and agency responded to the pandemic. How they maintained their momentum and grew over 300% since. We talk about how he survived, what he did for his clients and we identified some key traits for those that kept their businesses open.
From there we talk about story.. after our initial conversation I really wanted to highlight how he took his story and love for entertainment and baked that into his brand story. Then we land on another thing he’s passionate about - conversions. He shares some key insights into how a business can incrementally improve their conversion rates and how we can adapt to an environment where ads become more expensive and more difficult to target. Good stuff! Enjoy!
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In this episode, Matt’s joined by Ilisa Millermoon. Ilisa is an “Intuitive Energy Artist” working in Acrylic Ink and Gouache. But through this conversation there’s so much more that she does.. the art is a means to an end – it is a ‘tool for healing’. It’s interwoven into more services and the content she creates for her ‘tribe’.
We talk about her journey to becoming an artist; from years working as a goldsmith, in management to making the leap and becoming a full-time self-employed artist. What did that transition look like? She shares some amazing advice and insights into becoming your authentic self and creating a business that attracts ‘your people’.
I was really interested in how she wove 'story' into her artwork and how she sells her art. We visit that and how she personally looks at marketing. What does she focus on the most? Does she use any of the traditional methods we come to think about when promoting our products and services online? A lot of gold from the former goldsmith in this one. Enjoy!
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In this episode, Matt talks about marketing for non-marketers. There are a lot of people that find themselves in business because of their passion, talents and just because they do their thing.. their craft. But at some point think, “I would really like to market this business now”.
But that sounds easier said than done. You’re busy! You don’t know much, if anything, about marketing and where to start. Matt been online for almost 20 years marketing a range of products, services and businesses. From his offline insurance agency in the early days, as an affiliate for near a decade, his own digital products, memberships, web design services and more. It’s engrained in him.
But he doesn’t talk about it much these days (“been there, done that”).. here’s a rare exception. He shares what he thinks about when he’s marketing his business. And his advice to those that don’t have that base of knowledge about marketing.. how to approach it so it’s less stress and how to ‘grow it’ in your business so your business can thrive. Enjoy!
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In this episode, Matt provides his perspective on estimating - from the trenches. Estimating is an important part of any agencies business. That’s how we win business after all. But if one is not careful, estimating can soak up a lot of time. Time that would be better spent in our areas of your business or taking care of your existing projects, clients and team.
Learn how Matt approaches estimating in his AGENCY. When it’s a ‘cost of doing business’ and when additional fees come into play. A big part of this is prequalifying before you spend the time. He discusses what he does up front to save him (and the prospects/leads) time. How do you find out if it’s a good fit first? How can you leverage intro calls? What other ways are there to prequalify?
But when do fees kick in? Listen to the episode to find out!
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In this episode, Ryan Lawrence joins us again to discuss WordPress Full-site editing (FSE) and it’s impact on existing or future client sites and projects. Both Ryan and I service clients and other agencies that use WordPress. In fact, for both of us, the vast majority of our clients have WordPress sites or build them.
But a lots been changing with WordPress. And the reality is the separation between the ‘ideal roadmap’ for WordPress' development team (their vision) and the Real Life application - how it’s actually used on a day to day basis - is bigger than ever.
As developers we have to be prepared for almost everything; there are endless ways to actually develop a site with WordPress.. and the reality is many of our existing clients and projects will have a slower, gradual adoption of FSE - if they do at all. Having said that though, new clients and new projects, complete redesigns.. that’s where the opportunities to build FSE themes really exist. So much to dig into here from the trenches.. enjoy the episode!
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Today Ed Fox joins us. Born and raised in Australia (now living in America) Ed’s been a serial Entrepreneur since he was a kid! He was finding creative opportunities to sell stuff already when he was 7 years old. He was building businesses when most people are still trying to figure out who they are in their teens.
But this is not by accident. Ed grew up in an environment surrounded by others in business.. almost everyone he mentions in his family had a business of some kind and influenced him. So it was instilled in him at an early age and he had no one around that would tell him, “you can’t do that, Ed!”.
One of the things that always intrigues me is how successful people come up with ALL THOSE IDEAS. So I had to ask, “Ed, how do you come up with ALL THOSE IDEAS??” He shares his secrets and there are some amazing takeaways that I plan to implement in some way into my own business; I have no doubt some of you’ll benefit in the same way. Enjoy the listen!
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In this episode Matt dives into a topic near and dear to his heart: project and time management… getting things done. He starts out recapping how 2022 is going, networking and his experience so far with his new VR headset. Then we he shares his experience from THE TRENCHES as it relates to the main topic.
A big part of how he manages his day to day is having an awesome team to help him in a variety of ways. But, as he discusses, the transition to having a team didn’t mean he got less busy. It just meant he entered a new phase of his business this past year with a new role.
He talks about how he applies ‘Kaizen’, how he tracks time, how he balances and gets stuff done, self-managed teams, agile project management and so much more. And how he applies ‘Getting Things Done’ to his business. Digging into how he captures everything into his businesses systems, processes and documentation.. and how it forms a ‘less stress’ framework. At the end he shares his vision for the coming years. Good stuff! Enjoy!
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In this solo episode with Matt, he talks about ‘building’ from a different angle.. building YOU and your confidence. You can have a perfect idea and a perfect plan to execute that idea, but if you don’t have the confidence or ability to see it through, then that’s a sad state of affairs. You deserve more in your life!
We have enough obstacles and things to overcome in life and business, we certainly don’t want to stand in our own way. You don’t want to be paralyzed and not take action because a small voice inside you says you’re not qualified..
Matt pulls from his personal journey building himself up over the years, building confidence, and finding himself in a place where he doesn’t allow ‘Imposter Syndrome’ to control his own pursuits. You’ll be introduced to a number of areas that he believes changed him for the better over the past 3+ decades and could help you if you focus on them.
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In this solo episode with Matt Levenhagen, he talks about what him and his team are building! In 2022 they are on a path to launch their own product called Unified Toolkit (UTK). It is currently in development. This is not his first product. He’s built, launched and sold many products over the years. So his insights will most certainly be unique.. especially around some no-hype, realistic expectations for how things will go.
UTK will provide a brand new Full-site Editing WordPress Block Theme, a suite of new plugins and resources for freelancers and agencies. It’s an ambitious project! Matt shares the status, who’s doing what on his team and what the launch plans are. And the ‘why’. Why THIS project makes sense in the context of his Web Design Agency. Enjoy!
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In the first solo episode of the year, Matt talks about Virtual Reality, it’s impact on web design and businesses. We first learn about one of Matt’s pastimes to set the stage for the topic.. why is he getting into this topic now and why the interest? Then we learn about what VR is and how it relates to AR or mixed reality.
With that foundation we delve into aspects of VR that will start impacting your own websites or the websites of your clients. Where is it today? You might be surprised to know someone could be looking at your website in virtual reality right now! And where is it headed? In what ways might a business leverage VR to sell more of their products and services?
If you’re a web designer or developer, how might it present itself to you? Do you need to worry about it? Enjoy the episode!
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In the last episode ( last solo episode ) this year, Matt Levenhagen shares 6 big takeaways. These are things that made a big difference, impacted sales and helped grow his agency. One of the great things about a podcast that shares stories from the trenches is that the lessons are relatable and translatable. Take one or a few of these and they could have a positive impact on your business as well! Or serve as a great reminder not to ignore these things.
Networking had a major impact as an example. It’s something everyone can learn to do or apply in some form in their own business to get similar results. Building the team.. trying new things. When hearing them, they may sound to simplicistic.. Too fundamental. But the fundamentals are easy to let slide. And, done right, can have REAL impacts on a businesses success .. Enjoy!
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This week we Rhonda Negard joined me to talk about her journey and provide advice about starting your own business. How many people are at a corporate job right now and have dreamed about being in business for themselves? She shares her advice on how to make that transition and be prepared ahead of time.
Of course, in between there you’ll find many other nuggets. From networking, not being afraid to take advantage of an opportunity if you don’t know everything, learning from doing… we share our own stories when we lost a job and transitioned into something else. How do you start if one day you just find yourself without a job? So many nuggets.. enjoy the listen!
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In this episode I’m joined by Bridget Willard. She’s written marketing books, does consulting and helps people with marketing, strategy, copywriting and social media account management. She’s got a really interesting background… we are taken on her journey to discover herself and what she’s meant to do.
Mid-way through Bridget shares her challenges with mental health and how she overcame some pretty serious issues herself.. She describes that journey and how she found her way to her “why” and a better place in her life.
The episode is capped by us talking about her business, website and social media. I was curious about her company branding which centers around 'hospitality'.. so we dig into that and what it all means. As well as how she likes to look at social media.. “Good afternoon everybody…“ “Noooooorm!” Enjoy!
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I’m joined today by Alexandra Spalato. She’s a freelance developer and entrepreneur with several years of experience working as a WordPress expert at Codeable. Alexandra is a co-founder of “Gatsby WP Themes” and is super passionate about the building Gatsby themes for WordPress AND Headless CMS. So, of course, after discussing a bit about her background and journey, we dive headlong into a discussion about Headless Development!
Find out the Pros and Cons having a site built using a Headless architecture. Who’s this for and what is possible today? What’s the future look like? I know I learned a lot from the conversation.. and I believe our conversation hints at the future of how websites are built. Enjoy!
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My guest today is Jennifer Denney - her second time on the show! This is a relatively focused episode around the topic of business reviews and planning. She talks about her philosophy around end of the year reviews and what she things of them.
This takes us into a fuller, more robust approach to year round planning which takes into account a great number of things including the ever changing landscape and team involvement. And there's something just as important as what to planning what to do - I'll keep that secret so you're encouraged to dive into this dynamic episode! Enjoy!
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Today's another solo episode. First, I dig into my efforts around improving this podcast and my video/audio. Just because I can code and am a web developer, doesn't mean I'm good at THIS! haha.. But I am learning and working hard to slowly improve over time. A big issue for me, even though I have a decent mic, is background noise and static. But hopefully I'm resolving that!
Beyond that I talk about working on your business, expanding what I'm doing on YouTube, consistency and some recent agency lessons! I think this could be a great new segment on my solo episodes... pulling apart and talking about recent lessons in my own agency -- from the trenches!Enjoy!
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In this episode, I talk about a couple business topics. Have you ever tried to go paperless with your notes? If you are like me, you like to take notes on notepads.. not just typing them into the computer. I have been using a solution for years and introduce you to a new way to do it! Scannable and searchable.
I talk about some new Twitter friends, my end of the year review.. more about our focus going into 2022. Hint, networking is going to be a bigger focus. And look out Milwaukee market.. here I come. :) I also talk puppies. We recently had the big decision about if we are ready to introduce a St. Bernard puppy into our household. What did we decide?
And I close with a touch on some WordPress stuff.. and the "Always Learning" mindset. Enjoy!
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In this episode I'm joined by Lorraine Ball. Lorraine has an amazing story and shares her journey from 20 years in corporate America, running her own agency for 19 years before selling it to what she does today - podcasting and training. There are a lot of lessons within.
We talk about motivating teams to meet big goals. We are walked through an experience while working for an insurance company where she rallied the employees around a BIG goal. She was told it couldn't be done, but this is the story of how she didn't listen.. and got it done! And those lessons were carried over to her own business and building an agency.
We also touch on other topics including social media, processes, systems.. and a surprise topic at the end related to agencies. One that I have a special interest in. Worth the listen! Enjoy!
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In this episode, Al Wagner joins me to talk business and networking. Al has built a sizeable payroll business called TruPayroll - they are located in 24 states. He's certainly an authority on building businesses and, the topic we'll talk a lot about, networking. A bulk of his business stems from his networking efforts.
Like we do with all our first time guests we start with his journey to becoming an entrepreneur; what influenced him. We talk about how he built his practice and how his payroll business grew out of that - hint, networking helped! On the topic of business networking his talks about the best way to approach it to maximize your results. Building relationships first is a big part of that. Tons of nuggets in this one and some great takeaways. Enjoy!
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In this episode I touch on a couple of business topics related to clients, products and services. We start off by discussing the 'added value' service called 'Teaching'. While some providers are built to just get the job done with minimal communication, there's another side to that coin. You can help a client solve problems, execute on their website's roadmap, but also communicating what's happening with the site - where the problems lie or what happened. Operating under the principle that the client needs to have at least a general understand of the framework their business generates revenue on, where pain points lie and helping them develop a roadmap to a better site, has been a huge value.
I also talk about diversification.. from making sure your agency has more than one client and/or doesn't rely on one giant revenue source to branching out into other things like products or affiliate marketing. And then we land on creating products that are complimentary to your other services or products. Enjoy!
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I’m joined today by Ryan Lawrence. Ryan has been a freelance web developer, working from home, for more than 15 years. As I have also worked at home for at least that long.. a bit longer.. we have a lot in common with how we manage working from home and dealing with our day to day.
We talk in depth about having good work-life balance, how we personally manage it and the stresses of working and doing what we do. We talk schedules, taking breaks, regular vacations, mixing work with pleasure.. and meditation. It’s a GREAT episode. Enjoy!
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I'm back with Shoumo Ganguly in a valuable episode for small businesses looking to compete and reel in larger clients. Shoumo's experience having worked inside larger corporations and organizations and understanding how they operate provides a lot of insights. His experience as a consultant and mentor to small businesses shines through as well -- it's always good to talk to someone in the trenches and working through these issues with others.
There are a range of challenges for small businesses when trying to become providers or sell services to larger businesses. Learn how to navigate these larger organizations and set yourself apart. What is the best way to learn more about the stakeholders and decision makers? How do you prepare? How do you deal with the complexity? What can you do that brings value? All these questions are answered in this densely packed, actionable episode! I hope you join us!
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Danielle is back with me for another episode. Today I wanted to talk to her about her new website service, “Overnight Websites”. I really wanted to dig into the idea.. we start by laying the groundwork and learning about the service itself.. the choices she made (eg, choosing Oxygen as the framework). Then we go deeper into the idea. I was interested in how she generated the idea, what inspired it and how it developed.
We also, being the WordPress nerds we are, talked a bunch about WordPress, page builders, site builders, gutenberg blocks and more! We talked about what it's like to be a night owl.. (hint).. and her game plan. How has she thought about her new service and where she sees it down the road. AND.. how she'll get the word out. Enjoy!
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In this solo episode I talk about a variety of topics.. My addition of YouTube as a place to post episodes, my experience with Riverside.fm so far. I talk about doing podcasting while try to run a very busy web design agency and business. The challenges there.. and how I'm careful not to add too much to my plate.
I chose a couple other business related topics to dig into including ‘choosing your clients', how to let a client go, using tools to improve productivity.. and I end with some news. The closing of Hexater.com's WordPress theme marketplace.. and what the future brings. I hope you join me!
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In this episode we're joined by Mohammad Nafisi. Him and I met a number of years ago while he was going to a school in my hometown of Beaver Dam at Wayland Academy. He was a student from Iran and met my nephews who also attended this school. For the breaks he would stay with them, my family, and that's where I first met him - I came home for the holidays and there he was!
We instantly had a connection.. he was so inquisitive and was really interested in what I was doing in tech. After a few years out of touch, we reconnected this past year on LinkedIn. Today he's just about ready to start his life after college -- looking to create a business startup. We talk about his life, journey, his knowledge around startups and so much more. Enjoy!
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In this episode we have Wilson Mattos joining us. He co-founded Rapid Crush and serves as it's current CEO. Wilson and I first met many years ago at a seminar I spoke at (in 2009). We remained friends and have had a number of great business adventures together.. In this conversation we start by digging into his roots, where he's from (Brazil), how he came to America and his journey climbing the corporate ladder to become a business leader and entrepreneur!
We dig deeper into a couple of great topics and he shares some incredible nuggets. We talked about partnerships, how him and Jason Fladlien first met and maintained their partnership for over 10 years. We also talk about his team, culture and relationships. Good stuff! I hope you take a listen.. enjoy!
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Today Vova Feldman, owner of the popular WordPress Platform, Freemius, joins me to talk about his journey and business. We start out having him dig into his past and he talks about his family's migration from the Ukraine to Israel when he was 4 years old. We learn how those experiences shaped him, how he discovered his love for building things, programming and business.
From there we talk about how his company leverages and creates content for his user base and fans. We discuss how he started his company, built relationships and found his first customers. Learn how he prefers selling, his focus on the long game and his approach to marketing. Great guy, great conversion! Enjoy!
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Quitting gets a bad rap. Some people will tell you quitting is never a good thing. But is that true? The truth is there are different types of 'quitting'. There's a spectrum. And if you quit something it doesn't mean your overarching plans, goals or strategy has to change.
In fact, sometimes quitting can be the strategy. When we are testing something, we need to define when we are quitting. In this episode I tell the story of products I tried to sell years ago and they didn't work. I quit each attempt, but I didn't quit the idea and eventually succeeded! I'm doing the same thing with this podcast and discuss that.
Don't miss this episode! Learn why micro-quitting.. is a good and healthy thing to do!
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Join me for a discussion with Stephen Wilson Downey; our first guest from Ireland! Stephen and I first met on LinkedIn. We got on a call and talked about his product (an AI-based WordPress plugin) and what he was doing in the WordPress space. Of course, that lead to him being on this podcast episode.
Stephen's got an interesting backstory.. we dig into his roots, his journey as a chef and how he discovered his love for business and entrepreneurship. We of course also dive into what he's been building these last couple of years. We get into AI systems, machine learning.. well, if that doesn't pique your interest already, I don't know what will! Enjoy the episode!
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In this solo episode, I'm back at it telling stories from my past. This is the story of how I first learned the power of systems and processes as a literal insurance salesman and how that carried over to my stint as an PPC advertiser, affiliate marketer, creating my own system and processes called “Campaign Blasting“.. to today running a web design agency and teams.
This is without a doubt one of my favorite topics BECAUSE I think it has a significant impact on any business or endeavor. Systems and processes working in concert can help your business or agency become more efficient, consistent and streamlined. A system is a living thing.. everything under it can be iterated on and improved over time. It's a framework to help you continuously improve. Enjoy the episode!
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Doland White is back with another great conversation around building teams. If you're run a business or agency for any length of time, you may find yourself in a position where you need to consider how you might grow or scale your team. But what does that mean? What is the difference betweening scaling and growing your agency or business? What is elasticity ad how does that play a role?
He starts by defining the 3 dimensions of a team.. From there we both share stories, he extracts lessons from them.. and we benefit from his decades of experience building teams. 100% worth a listen if building teams is a thing for you and your business!
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In this solo episode I dig into two topics that, when combined, form a powerful foundation for your marketing and getting more business. The first topic is 'discovering your competitive advantage'. Knowing what sets you apart can play a big role in how you attract business. And sometimes, it's not something you know up front; sometimes it develops organically as you work with customers or clients.
Then I discuss 'defining what you do'. You could decide that you are a jack of all trades and do everything and anything. But I'm willing to bet that if you define what you do and limit yourself, you'll do so much better! That doesn't mean you just say 'no' or don't help that customer or client. That's what strategic partnerships and referral business is for!
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If you're building an agency or business, this episode is for you. Besides revealing my 5-10 year vision for my agency, I delve into how my web design business has developed. Any time we release a service or product it can end up being something we didn't anticipate.. my agency has been the same way.
But as I talk about in this episode, that doesn't mean we let go of our initial vision. You adapt, take advantage and then circle back! I also talk about my current products and my suite of products I'm releasing later this year or early next year. At the heart of this new product is the goal to help agencies and freelancers; to provide them a toolkit.. so, if you are one of those two things, exciting things coming! Enjoy!
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I'm joined by Widmaer Telisma in this episode. Wid, as we call him, currently runs a successful web marketing agency in Montreal (Canada). Him and I have a very similar story these past 15 or so years; in fact, he had joined one of my memberships back in 2007. That is where I first met him hanging out in my community and forum. We both started our days online doing a wide variety of things to make money. In the early days we did a lot of affiliate marketing, PPC (AdWords), some Adsense and so much more.
But today we have another parallel.. he followed the path of starting his own marketing agency which he's been doing successfully for the past 5 years; as you know, I run a web design agency. We talk about his journey, common experiences and touch a variety of topics related to building and managing an agency. I hope you join us.. Enjoy!
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In this solo episode I dig into telling stories to sell your personal brand, services and more. Learn how I incorporate stories into my business.. how to connect stories from your past into a conversation that helps 'soft' sell. Learn the types of stories you can tell and how to deliver them.
Stories are things we tell verbally.. but we are also telling a story with the content we spread across the web. Your websites, social media and other avenues all work together to tell the story of your brand. Being your authentic self, telling the good and the bad stuff and curating your stories over time is powerful and will help you attract more business. Enjoy the episode!
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I get to be a nerd today and get excited about a WordPress plugin! I've grown to love Advanced Custom Fields (ACF) over the past few years running my web design agency. In the past I didn't want 'another plugin' and I created a lot of custom code that leveraged WordPress' core features (eg, metaboxes and the customizer).
Today though, I reach for ACF more often than not. In this podcast I tell the story around the transition, the influence Hexater themes had on my approach to themes, how I broke from that, how I now use it when I'm building custom themes for clients.. and dig into the plugin itself a bit and why I find it such an important solution in my toolkit.
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I'm joined by Matthew Biggar in this episode. Listen in as we discuss video, social media, building brand, audiences and more! Are you interested in how you can leverage video in your business? Then this IS the episode for you. That's his speciality!
Matthew's been using video and teaching others how to use video for years! He's had his own production company and in recent years pivoted and started his own YouTube channel. We discuss playing the long game, building audiences, we touch on analytics, how to tie all your web properties together and so much more. Check it out!
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An episode about building a podcast on The Builders Podcast... need I say more? As with all the content we talk about on this podcast, I'm talking from the trenches; talking to what I'm doing and have experience with. The past 20 episodes has been a journey. I've learned a number of lessons, have a pretty good feel for what we're doing now, the benefits.. and I'm ready to share my experience so far and some lessons.
Buckle up as I dig into the 'why'. Why I still am doing solo episodes (like this one) while still doing guests, why I keep things simple (hint: avoiding stress points). I talk to the value I'm getting from having guests.. more importantly the value my listeners get! Also I dispense some lessons.. starting a podcast and keeping it simple. Enjoy!
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Join me for a discussion with Jenney Denney. She's been doing digital marketing for over 15 years, runs an agency and has a lot experience and knowledge to share! We get to know more about her, the journey and how she landed where she is today. What influenced her, what guides her...
We also talk about her experience with virtual teams. She's lead large teams in virtual environments; her first team in 2006! Before many companies even thought about it. So I asked her about her experience with that and what tips or insights she might be able to offer. We also talked about starting and building a business in general. I found her REALLY inspiring.. I hope you get a chance to listen in! :)
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Join me for a discussion with Shoumo Ganguly. Shoumo is a business consultant and expert on the topic of business models. With a long and storied career with many large corporations (from IBM, projects with Toyota and a long stint at PricewaterhouseCoopers) he's got a lot of experience and insights to bring to the table.
As I do with all my guests in our first episode, we get to know him.. he tells his story from his roots in India, to the story of his career and his arrival in America in 1999. He walks us through what's influenced him and what led him to starting his own consulting business.
Then to cap it off we dive into his ideas around Business Models.. how he's take things he learned in the corporate world and molded it, boiled it down for small businesses. If you're starting a new business or building one, there are some great nuggets in this episode. Don't miss it!
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This episode is for freelancers or agencies that would like to hear a perspective from someone that sets up and manages hosting for clients. OR it's for businesses that would like to extract some thoughts around the importance of choosing a good web host and what the process is around moving to a new server and web host.
Whether you're just launching a website or have an existing, growing business, your server is an essential piece to insure your customers can purchase, visitors can access your content or you can generate leads. You don't ever want to be in the position where you're talking to your developer or hosting company and "this is costing me money" comes out of your mouth.
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In this episode I talk about how to infuse flexibility in your business in that you can handle spikes in your volume without hiring a huge team off the bat. And why you may not want internal hiring to be your only solution to getting stuff done.
What avenues are out there for your business to operate like a cloud computer or server platform where you can scale it up or down depending on the time of the year, amount of business coming in and so on. A powerful solution that can help you take on more.. but better be prepared for the valleys.
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In this episode I'm having a conversation with 2 other web developers. We start by diving into their backgrounds and journey. Ryan's been a web developer for over 15 years. Danielle's been at it for around 9 years. Both, like myself, focus a lot on WordPress, but we talk about 'what else' we do or will be doing. We all worked together as a team in a previous company; that's how we met.
Some of the topics we cover are related to being a freelancer vs agency, how we define our business, niches, our history with WordPress, what challenges we all face.. which includes that dreaded "Imposter Syndrome" and how we each think about and deal with it. And cats.. some references to cats. :-)
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In this episode I talk about generating ideas and brainstorming. This something I take very seriously in my own business. It's a never ending process... and often ideas simmer for long periods so I can develop them. When they are ready, they may see the light.
I touch on a recent idea that is just now seeing the light of day. It's something that started to gel around a year ago. I thought of a name for a product, bought the domain, have thought about the sales page, how I'll market it and who my audience is; I didn't start start developing the product until this past week.
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This episode digs into the awesomeness of WooCommerce - a WordPress eCommerce plugin. I have been using and developing with WooCommerce for years. It's my go to solution if one of my clients needs to sell products on their website (digital or physical).
We have an eCommerce WordPress theme at Hexater called, Furniture Shop. Hexater.com itself is driven by a cart-less install of WooCommerce (we use Freemius for the cart). I've built and manage WooCommerce for clients.
WooCommerce is great to use out of the box, but you can also customize it to be whatever you want it to be.
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If you're an agency that needs to or is trying to hire good web developers or have some other reason you need to find good people to do work for you, this episode is for you.
After building multiple teams over the years I've learned some lessons that helps me find good people relatively consistently (knock on wood). I've hired people to help me build niche sites, create content, design and develop. I've worked with creatives and tech'y people to build stuff on the web.
There's a process and some key things you need to consider if you are going to have success; considerations depending on who you are seeking and from where. Enjoy!
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This episode will take us on a journey into my past. I reference a thread I participated in on the Warrior Forum back in 2003-04. When I was active there.
We're talking about just getting something launched and not getting caught up in making everything perfect before you take action. Just launch it! Too many spend weeks, months or even years because they don't feel confident that they are ready and everything is perfect.
When the real answer is to just get something minimal viable together and get it out there. By the time some people launch 1 product or service they could have tested 10 and found that winner.
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This is a conversation with the one and only Doland White.
Doland and I met while working at the same company a few years ago.. he was the CEO and I was just one of the web development grunts. ;) ...but no, we built their WordPress business together and he taught me a lot as I helped build the themes and a team of designers and developers.
He's been involved with technology in some shape or form for over 3 decades. He worked at IBM, 11 years at Novell, Symantec.. and other great companies. He started as a programmer, made his way into management and beyond. There is SO MUCH to learn from him!
In this episode we dig into the business of building a business. How to keep things simple in the beginning, how to put things in place so you don't get overwhelmed, growth vs scaling and so much more!
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This is a new type of segment for the Builders Crew! I’ve chosen a specific type of page on a website (the Team Page) and we’re going to go through a project from start to finish. This will be great for anyone that has or is planning a team page .. whether that’s your business OR something you are building for someone else.
I’m providing some background on the project as a whole and the relationship between us, the agency and client. We’ll look at what decisions and changes were made along the way and what impact they had. As well as how that process looked.
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It's a question you've heard or seen a million times if you've spent time in web development communities online. Should I learn this or what should I learn next?
No question is a dumb question of course.. let's start there. But often I think there doesn't need to be a next. It's ok to just focus on the basics at certain times or getting better at what's in front of you. Or just chilling until something comes along that tells you what to learn; that inspires you to take action.
The better thing to do often is to simply look inside yourself. What gets you excited. What past experience might tell you what is a good direction for you. In my opinion how much money you can make isn't the right question either; I've a big proponent of following your passion.. doing things that inspire you first.
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Introducing a new segment! The “Builders News Minute”. A minute I share what’s new since the last podcast.
But more importantly, we get into the business of testing in business. Where testing is applied and how it influences and touches almost everything.
Testing is something to be embraced and understood. You usually have to start with an educated guess and ‘choices’, but over time you can measure results and data to guide you through improvements.
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If you are starting an agency or are established, heads up! This is a great episode. ESPECIALLY if you don't currently sell web design services but have clients asking.. "can you provide web design services or do you know WordPress?"
Here's what's exciting... You don't have to do it! You don't have to be the expert. Partner up with an agency, find expertise, provide your clients more value and create new opportunities!
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I find the evolution of products and services fascinating. In so many cases the ideas we start with evolve into something else or we focus in on something we couldn't predicted. Even as an agency we are doing things today that we would never have thought of on our own 2 years ago.
In this episode I explore this and use some examples where this has happened in the real world for both products and services.
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Last summer I needed to pause the podcast to focus on the business. This episode ushers in a new go at it.. I talk about what we've been up to, how the business is doing and the future of this podcast (new'ish format.. mostly related to length).
Enjoy!
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While a lot of people or gurus today preach charging high from day 1, that's not exactly the path I took. While a lot of gurus or internet experts preach value pricing over hourly, I'm not a purest in that regard either.
This is my story (putting it all out there!).. from a fledgling developer back in 2012 charging $15/hour to where I am today averaging over a $100 per hour... landing web development and design projects for $5000+. I dig into the why I started super low (hint, experience, knowledge, relationships) to how that developed and I raised my value and pricing over time.
I don't know if this is a blueprint for you to follow, but my hope is sharing my story helps someone uncertain about pricing have an ah-ha moment that improves their situation.
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Building a business is tough. There are a lot of moving parts. But something that I have always gravitated to from day 1 is defining what my speciality will be. A specialty in your chosen field, business or career allows you to build an identity and brand that is more valuable and makes your services easier to sell. It helps you attract better projects, projects you are perfect for.. and allows you to ask for more money.
It makes the job of marketing and selling your services or products easier.
In this episode I dive into the process in choosing a great specialization for yourself. Then how to leverage that specialization in your marketing and to get more business. And I define what role it plays; in that it shouldn't be looked at as something that limits what you can do. It can open more doors and attract greater opportunity.
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Bootstrap has been a major part of my web development toolkit since 2014. Back then I had created a custom WordPress theme framework with Bootstrap baked in; over the years I've continued to use it for Hexater themes, have refined how I use it and have it baked into a custom theme framework I use for clients (I specialize in building custom WordPress themes).
Beyond that I've built a LOT of landing pages, sales pages and funnels using it. I get client work all the time where I find Bootstrap under the hood. So, bottom line, I have a lot of experience with it.
In this episode I dive into how I use it and create my own Bootstrap themes or templates that I can use for client work or future themes; over and over again. Bootstrap isn't as sexy as let's say React or Angular. But it's a huge part of my business and I love using it; as do my clients. Why is that? Listen and find out!
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In this episode I touch on 3 things that form a great starting point for any business. By doing these 3 simple things it can help you form an identity you can leverage in a number of ways. We'll touch on the psychology behind it and how it can help you start building authority day 1.
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