Working Sessions gives you a behind-the-scenes look at what it's like to build a six figure side hustle from scratch.
You'll follow the journeys of John Doherty (EditorNinja) and James Sowers (Castaway) as we attempt to build successful productized service businesses while also being high-performing leaders, fathers, and husbands.
Subscribe if you'd like to hear about the ups and downs of our experience, including everything from hiring to sales to operations and finances. Can't wait to see you at our next working session!
In this episode, we provide updates on our respective businesses, helpful lessons and scenarios to aid entrepreneurs in moving forward while standing strong amidst commoditized services. This highlights discussions of lessons about becoming competitively different which would prove useful to business that offers the same service and finding a competitive edge.
As always, we also provide updates on Castaway and EditorNinja, which include...
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Thanks & Recognition
This episode was edited by PodcastBuffs.
Time Stamps and Key Ideas
00:04:59 Do what kind of works for you.Highlights individual pursuits where focus is on things that works for oneself like how to do things at your own pace.
00:09:34 Updates on EditorNinja
Pipeline kind of slowed down and they had a little bit of churn however, EditorNinja is still slowly getting into it, constantly, steadily and healthily growing. Things came slower as they doubled prices around January or February, although sales process are tightened up, people are still closing deals. Services are priced competitively, providing quality services relieving people from the burden of doing things their own or hiring a full-time editor themselves.
00:13:50 Just Be Hard to Kill
Contains a talk highlighting what Sam Altman said about a superpower of startups which is "just be hard to kill". Meaning, whatever the changing market throws unto you, one must be ready to change and look for opportunities to strive amidst the
unforgiving sea of challenges and try to rides its waves. If one can, try to outlast everybody else until you're the only one standing by then getting hundred percent of the market's attention.
00:14:45 Catching Up
Discusses a lesson that one should be greedy while others are scared and be scared when others are greedy. This tackles being competitive while also analyzing how to ride the market trends, not only just going to where everyone else is going but also striving to stand out instead of being drawn towards commoditization.
00:25:56 Updates on Castaway and Productize
Still at a mild-mannered situation as James is still exploring on his preferred tool set, still recovering slowly and getting some clients back. Mainly focusing on produtize at this moment, updating the course and exploring community angle, slowly building a business ecosystem. James is thinking of acquiring a small business and layering it into Castaway like an editing so it could handle a full spectrum of podcast production and promotion.
In this episode, we provide updates on our respective businesses and share some insights about the idea of doing more in the aspects of business and work. This highlights the idea that in order to get uncommon results, live an uncommon life which is an essential reference for a business which is striving to do a lot better in the future, always aiming to surpass expectations while also putting emphasis on work and life balance.
As always, we also provide updates on Castaway and EditorNinja, which include...
Sound interesting? You should give it a listen. We think you'll really enjoy it.
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Thanks & Recognition
This episode was edited by PodcastBuffs.
TIME STAMPS AND KEY IDEAS
(00:00:31) The idea of doing more, sometimes it requires more than you think.
Discussions involve the idea that whatever you are doing or what your goal might be setting, one should multiply it by 10x because ultimately, you'll end up ahead, always striving to surpass expectations.
(00:01:07) Uncommon results : uncommon efforts
Sharing lessons from Hormo Z's book where he likes doing more volume to learn faster, work a lot faster which will eventually result to succeding a lot faster. Most of the time, people expect that they will get uncommon result even just doing the same normal things. However, it was emphasized that if anyone wants to get uncommon results, exert an uncommon level of effort and live an uncommon life.
(00:02:50) Best practice is the baseline
Reviewed over the base line of the things that should be done and nothing more assuring than make the best practice a standard. Key to that is always striving to take action instead of just staying stagnant, doing more effort, practicing more to be able to the get work done even faster. Moreover, one must hold oneself to imposed standrads, and act accordingly as everyone are commiting and dedicating their entire life basically to the single pursuit of whatever they are trying to do.
(00:13:21) Allocate experience points like a game
Compared skills updates on games with how work should be done. Increasing attributes is like allocating more experience, more hours and more focus on things which are important in a business. This is where productize and scale comes in because this will help in the idea of how to put people and processes in place. With productize, things can be brought up and turn into process rather than just randomly doing things.
(00:28:06) Focus on what is important
Knowing what's the focus is an advantage and a strength as it would enable the business to pave a way for the things of great significance and make sure it is done and executed well. It is also what being productive is like, alloting much time to things which are in the higher heirarchy and allocating proportionate amount of time to each, for example, tasks giving it more time, based on importance.
TAKEAWAY LESSON
Doing more with what you are doing is a good practice but upon working it is a must to consider a personal space as well. Strictly getting control and putting over boundaries between work and personal space is essential as to not exhaust the body and mental health. One must not bend ones life just so you can fit your employer's preferences, and remember to take into account a work and life balance.
In this episode, we provide updates on our respective businesses and feeding the greed and fear index where business encountered a place of uncertainty in the economy while sharing some helpful advice on how businesses and individuals can not only survive, but thrive during an economic recession. This includes talking about the recent economic downturn and some helpful insights which will let everyone view situations in different perspective.
As always, we also provide updates on Castaway and EditorNinja, which include...
Sound interesting? You should give it a listen. We think you'll really enjoy it.
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Thanks & Recognition
This episode was edited by PodcastBuffs.
TIME STAMP AND KEY IDEAS
(00:04:02) Pandemic RecessionThere are winners or losers in business. Some business might have gone outside the grid during the global economic downturn as their services are getting weak demands. On the other side of the globe, there are other business who found a way through the recession and came across great opportunities especially for alcohol, soap, disinfectant and hygeine focused companies.
(00:04:48) Invest in SkillsEven with the pandemic recession, some companies which had found an opportunity with the situation has been lacking with employees so they considered hiring people and reconsidering what their market looks like. Business tend to find a person at the right time and should give the right offer for them - more like finding someone which can take the work and produce quality result.
(00:15:12) Manage ChurnTackled one of the things to be fearful of right now which is a retraction or churn. Sort of hassle to actually need more volume in order to get the same number of customers as preceding years but churn is what kills subscription and recurring billing companies. This highlights the important to be an account manager who actually cares and monitor to have more people use the service more.
(00:19:15) AI Taking Over
AI is eating the SEO world and is commonitized. AI is somehow as good as Castaway where it can affect the business prices. This raises concern that there is a tendency to either lose business or find a competitive edge and there is no way losing is an option. Having a clear understanding of what your clients need are then it must be an easy way to go as this will open up opportunities for the business.
Lesson Takaway
Despite everything, try not hitting the panic button immediately. There are plenty of people out there who can close better deals, it is not a necessity to sacrifice too much over little things and strive as not to get locked in a job you don't enjoy too much.
In this episode, we provide updates on our respective businesses and discuss the hiring framework to help business owners who are in the process of onboarding new talents. Came up with a few sharing of book lessons, experiences in our own hiring process to keep you guys informed on the things needed to focus upon delegating roles to save you some time, effort and money.
As always, we also provide updates on Castaway and EditorNinja, which include...
Sound interesting? You should give it a listen. We think you'll really enjoy it.
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Thanks & Recognition
This episode was edited by PodcastBuffs.
TIME STAMPS AND KEY IDEAS
(00:03:03) Hiring
EditorNinja talk's about Dan's book where it was emphasized that upon hiring, one must think at what they are good at, and do the process in terms of an energy and money kind of access. To make it short, hiring is somewhat similar to buying back your time and putting it in other stuffs which are actually of significance in the business.
(00:06:14) Hiring is a bet on oneself
Hiring is actually asking yourself if you can afford to hire somebody, or if you are in a position to actually bring somebody in. It's a process that needs to be delegated and outsourced carefully, looking for what's actually gonna move the needle. It was also tackled that oftentimes people make mistakes in hiring as they always focus on immediately hiring VA's or EA's without actually weighing in and asking themselves what roles am I delegating and I'm left to take on.
(00:08:46) Don't just delegate the task, delegate the role
It is good to get people to keep an eye on a task which is discussed by Dan highlighting how you don't just delegate task, you delegate the role and then they become responsible and accountable for that particular area. Delegating the role rather than the task will buy your time back, because it is as if you are replacing yourself by turning over that particular role to them and you just kind of move on to another role saving you 15-20% of your time which can be invested on other important matters.
(00:10;56) Focus on something you are good atJames talks about the idea of the accountability chart which kind of starts with picturing out what seats are needed to fill the in for the particular roles. Making a plan is essential and following a stairstep approach of hiring people to fill in those empty roles, as to only be left with ideally what business owners are good at. Basically focusing on what gives the highest value in the business and pouring attention into it.
(00:17:29) Updates on EditorNinja
EditorNinja is currently hiring and testing out VAs from different countries, basically observing the process for a month or so to see which one will do better. Announced the launch of editing for ai created content service, which has blown up pumping a higher demand for the service. In addition, the base price for copy editing and proofreading has been raised a bit - more or less 15-20% - but also considering on stepping up to a higher level, like adding AI content updating, developmental editing, and a full high touch level where customers give out content and EditorNinja will do everything for them.
(00:24:09) Updates from James
Sharing about how James is hiring three different roles which include writers, audio, and video editors then finding it quite challenging especially with the audio editor, since most entries sound almost the same with every applicant. In addition to hiring new talents, castaway is getting more opportunities from affiliate and referral relationships that can earn through promoting products/services. Another highlight is that James is trying to find a competitive edge or point of differenciation for castaway. As we encounter more of a commoditized product and services in the market, it is best to find a competitive edge over everyone else and make use of what makes a business unique and different from those catering the same service.
(00:34:29) Productize and Scale Updates
James discussed how he plans on moving Productize and Scale website from WordPress Power to Ghost because there is a theme with a more suitable directory. Also talked about planning to continue offering courses and launch sales fundamentals for founders which will be tackling more on sales.
In this episode, we provide updates on our respective businesses and share couple insights to help business owners who are considering doing in-house business or hiring freelancers or an agency. This includes discussion about handling the "In-house" objection being stuck in the dilemma of doing things in-house or outsourcing talents, and tackling helpful instances which are important in weighing in its benefits and drawbacks while maximizing ROI at the same time.
As always, we also provide updates on Castaway and EditorNinja, which include...
Sound interesting? You should give it a listen. We think you'll really enjoy it.
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Thanks & Recognition
This episode was edited by PodcastBuffs.
Time Stamps and Key Ideas
(00:04:50) In house Objection
This conversation focuses on the discussion of doing things in-house vs. hiring a freelancer or an agency to do the job. Debates about the pros and cons and instances where hiring someone to get the work done be sometimes are considered an expense or an investment for the business.
(00:07:03) The benefits and drawbacks
Discussed more on the benefits and drawbacks in possibly hiring people like a generalist or a specialist to get things done. Going over how to approach the idea of onboarding someone to do the work for you and how to make sure who you're hiring is capable of doing the job done, is it worth the cost, or will it save and buy your time back.
(00:19:01) Negotiating agreement
This part also includes ideas that it are important to consider like the best alternative to negotiate agreement which is not having to land a deal to sustain the business by defaulting to discounts. Highlights the idea to not easily slash prices in order to close a deal that could hurt the business, rather take into consideration that if you're gonna do a discount, it must be for an annual subscription or for a long-term commitment.
(00:25:3) Editor Ninja's updates
This part covers a range of topics and discussions about getting on big themes with Ed Ninja like hiring, and the sales and services offered. Considering hiring somebody like a virtual assistant to do the work and buy back time where focus can be diverted more on the things he love like exploring new product stuff, new initiatives, sales calls and closing deals. Explore over content optimizations, couple updates and new strategies.
(00:37:03) Updates on Castaway
Focuses around the current updates in castaway and productize. Discussing how everybody wants to do YouTube shorts and be Alex Hormo. Basically, sharing how James is trying to explore opportunities with emerging countries and take advantage of geo arbitrage in outsourcing talents. Also, scoping out what an outbound campaign looks like for Castaway, instead of relying on referrals, word of mouth, and personal postings.
(00:43:52:) Productize Updates
Announces the comeback of productize podcast, scoping out a 12-episode season using Castaway to do the repurposing and promotions. James talks about how he's working on moving the productized course from WordPress and building out a directory for productize, monetizing through affiliate links or some referral relationships with brands.
In this episode, we provide updates on our respective businesses and share how we qualify prospects for our services during the sales process. It's tempting to take the "easy money" of a new client, especially in the early days, but it's better to focus on right-fit clients from the start to set your business up for long-term success.
As always, we also provide updates on Castaway and EditorNinja, which include...
Sound interesting? You should give it a listen. We think you'll really enjoy it.
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Thanks & Recognition
This episode was edited by PodPanda.
In this episode, we provide updates on our respective businesses and discuss which metrics or KPIs we're tracking – and how. It's easy to spend all day refreshing your dashboards, so we provide some advice for striking the right balance between knowing your numbers and getting stuck in analysis paralysis.
As always, we also provide updates on Castaway and EditorNinja, which include...
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Thanks & Recognition
This episode was edited by PodPanda.
In this episode, we provide updates on our respective businesses and talk about the value of coaching in our lives and businesses. James hasn't had a serious coach since high school, whereas John has hired multiple coaches to support him in various areas.
We discuss the merits of hiring a coaching, but also the risks or downsides of hiring the wrong coach. If you've ever considered working with one yourself, this episode should be excellent pre-work to help you make a smart decision.
As always, we also provide updates on Castaway and EditorNinja, which include...
Sound interesting? You should give it a listen. We think you'll really enjoy it.
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Thanks & Recognition
This episode was edited by PodPanda.
In this episode, we provide updates on our respective businesses and discuss how much hand-wringing about business growth is healthy. It's easy to get emotionally attached the performance of our business, so we share thoughts around when to separate yourself from your company.
As always, we also provide updates on Castaway and EditorNinja, which include...
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Thanks & Recognition
This episode was edited by PodPanda.
In this episode, we provide updates on our respective businesses and discuss how to build a resilient business. There are a number of things that can hurt your performance – war, economic downturns, new competitors, platform risk – so how do you set your company up to thrive in any environment?
As always, we also provide updates on Castaway and EditorNinja, which include...
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Thanks & Recognition
This episode was edited by PodPanda.
In this episode, we start by brainstorming a few ways that early-stage business owners can attract prospective customers, even when their time, money, and resources may be limited. Part of the conversation is a friendly debate about how you should distribute your effort between short-term strategies (Ex: paid ads) and long-term strategies (Ex: SEO, Content Marketing).
As always, we also provide updates on Castaway and EditorNinja, which include...
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In this episode, we start by talking about how to know when it's the right time to "cash in" and sell your business. When is the right time to open your mind to selling the company? How do you know when an offer is an okay deal versus a no-brainer? What can you do today to prepare yourself for an eventual sale? We share our thoughts on each of those point and more.
As always, we also provide updates on Castaway and EditorNinja, which include...
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In this episode, we start by talking about how to balance "learning" with "doing" as an entrepreneur. It's important to continue to invest in professional development, but if you spend too much time learning, you'll never make as much progress in your business as you'd like.
So, how do you find the right combination of learning new skills and applying those skills to actually grow or improve your business? That's the question we hope to answer in this conversation.
As always, we also provide updates on Castaway and EditorNinja, which include...
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In this episode, we start by talking about a recent post from TestimonialHero's Sam Shepler, in which he suggests that selling subscription services isn't always the "no-brainer" that it's made out to be. John and I share our thoughts on the matter, considering both of our companies current sell subscription offerings.
As always, we also provide updates on Castaway and EditorNinja, which include...
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In this episode, we start by talking about how first time entrepreneurs are more likely to take a "do it yourself" approach to business for longer than experienced entrepreneurs – and what that might be costing them.
As always, we also provide updates on Castaway and EditorNinja, which include...
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In this episode, we start by talking about whether entrepreneurs should collect input from their customers and build the solution(s) they are asking for, or if they should try to build a creative solution to a specific problem and then educate customers on why they need it.
As always, we also provide updates on Castaway and EditorNinja, which include...
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In this episode, we start by talking about the recent acquisition of Carthook and use that as context to discuss our own "exit strategies." We also talk about what defines a successful business outcome and what our long-term goals are for our projects.
As always, we also provide updates on Castaway and EditorNinja, which include...
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In this episode, we start by talking about how much time, attention, and energy you should give to competitors and copycats. (Spoiler alert: Not much!) Then, we get into our respective business updates, which include process efficiencies and hiring challenges.
If you're interested in learning about...
...then you should give it a listen. We think you'll really enjoy it.
Resources we covered in this episode:
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In this episode, we jump into some company updates, which include hiring contractors, managing team availability/workload, navigating the enterprise sales process, and how narrows to focus your professional positioning. Then, we have a friendly debate about the pros and cons of on-demand services versus a monthly subscription model.
If you're interested in learning about...
...then you should give it a listen. We think you'll really enjoy it.
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In this episode, we start by talking about a recent tweet from Kevin Indig, which suggests that leaders and business owners should treat themselves like professional athletes. We then go into some company updates, which include a handful of important topics for business owners to think through.
If you're interested in learning about...
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In this episode, we go into more detail about how we landed on our business ideas, how we're fitting them into our lives, and what goals we have for them over the next year.
If you're interested in learning about how we...
...then you should give it a listen. We think you'll really enjoy it.
Resources Mentioned In This Episode:
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In this episode, we recap how we met and came up with the idea for Working Sessions. We also provide a brief overview of our projects and how they fit into our current lifestyle.
John is working on EditorNinja, an unlimited, on-demand copy editing and proofreading service.
James is working on Castaway, a done-for-you podcast promotion and repurposing service.
We also cover our goals for the podcast, including cadence, format, and subject matter. If you have thoughts on how we can improve going forward, feel free to hit us up on Twitter.
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You're listening to Working Sessions, a podcast by John Doherty (@dohertyjf) and James Sowers (@jamesrsowers) where we give you a behind the scenes look at what happens when two self-proclaimed "marketing guys" try to build a successful service business from scratch.
John is working on EditorNinja, an unlimited, on-demand copy editing and proofreading service.
James is working on Castaway, a done-for-you podcast promotion and repurposing service.
Each episode, we'll provide an update on how our businesses are doing and share some actionable advice around a specific topic, like...
We've both agreed to share the highs and lows of entrepreneurship, which includes being transparent about things like processes, tools, client interactions, and finances.
So, if you're interested in following along as two experienced entrepreneurs attempt to build six figure side hustles from scratch, you've come to the right place. Hit that subscribe button and we'll send you a new episode at least two to three times per month.
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