How I Built It

As an elder millennial, TikTok as a platform scares and upsets me. I’m not really sure how to use it to grow my audience (if it even can) and I’m worried it’s just going to be a huge time suck. But according to Rebecca Simon, if your business isn’t on Tiktok, it’s a huge missed opportunity. SO naturally, I asked her how a small business owner can make the most of the platform; Rebecca offered some of the best advice I’ve heard for any social network! So if you’re wondering how you can grow your audience through TikTok, this episode is for you. Plus, in Build Something More, I ask Rebecca how some of my favorite Tiktoks were made.Top TakeawaysIt's important to have the right SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures) in place with VAs, employees, or even just yourself.The direction all social media is moving in is video. Instagram rebranded as a "video" platform, and TikTok is leading the charge. That's why it's so important to be there.The biggest benefit is TikTok is pushing you to new people. Discovery is much be

It's another live coaching call! This time I have podcaster and WordPress site builder Nathan Wrigley. We chat about how I format this show, record the bumpers and the intros, and the benefits (and potential pitfalls) of batching. Then we roll into making money: how to find and land sponsors, and when to think about monetizing your podcast. Nathan has been a podcaster for a long time, so it was great to field his questions as well as get his perspective. Plus in Build Something More, we talk about what it's like to run a virtual summit.Top TakeawaysHave a good process for outreach to guests and sponsors. You can better track, schedule and batch!Should you think about monetization before you launch your podcast or after? It's a great question! You should think about why you're starting your podcast and how you can monitize. But you should wait to launch until you have a money making plan.One this is absolutely necessary though: Build your email list!Show Notes:Nathan WrigleyNathan on FacebookCan Solo Developer

Sometimes you know you're destined to run your own business. You work for companies and realize that you can't really work within the confines of a corporate structure. It's something I realized pretty much in high school. And it's something today's guest, Lauren Kennedy, has known all her life. Realizing then, she took her drive and built a marketing automation company…with a twist. While both marketing and automation can be terms associated with the impersonal, she's set out to build a people-first company. And that's the main focus of our discussion today. Of-course, it didn't stop me from asking about marketing automation. And in Build Something More, we talk about being active and helping people on social media, including Reddit.Top TakeawaysSales is the authentic exchange of knowledge - you're showing people what you know, and what you can do. Put another way, your knowledge is not proprietary. Your ability to do it is.The goal of marketing automation is to get as much done with as few resources as poss

Often, when it comes to launching, writing, recording, building funnels, or whatever else it is we need to do, it's easy to start because we're motivated. But the longer a project goes on, the harder it can be. The more frustrating it can get. And the more likely quality starts to go out the window. Well, today's guest, Elizabeth Pampalone, has a solution: get it all done in 1 day. From launching websites to writing a full year of blog posts, Elizabeth's process of blocking off a whole day and walking with her clients through a tried and true framework has proven successful. Here is how she does it. Plus, in Build something more, we chat about early businesses and how to handle premium products for clients.Top TakeawaysImplementing is the hardest part of the work for most people - building that into a day, and into your schedule helps you ship.You need a "Deep Work" style day to get the work done. Eliminate distractions and context switching.Checklists are a huge help. They reduce the mental energy of figurin

Hey everybody and welcome to episode 234 of How I Built It, the podcast that offers actionable tech tips for small business owners. Today's sponsors are TextExpander, and Nexcess. Jason How knows a thing or two about ads, start with this: don't start with Ads. Jason gives us a couple of important aspects of running ads you think to think about before actually running the ads - like how to get your offer to a place that will compel people to actually click on ads.Top TakeawaysBEFORE you run any ads, you need to get your offer right. Figure our whom you serve and do the research to make sure your offer is a good one. The messaging will be completely based on the offer. Get people into your funnel with a clear CTA, and have a good confirmation page.Show Notes:Jason HowJason on LinkedinJason on FacebookJason on TwitterAgency J on LinkedinZipMessageS.I.N. Offer by Todd BrownHyrosCreator CrewSponsored by: Nexcess | TextExpander ★ Support this podcast ★

Look. I get tons of backlinks and cold outreach every day. It’s frustrating and annoying. It’s frustrating and annoying because it’s blanket cold outreach. The people reaching out don’t know me and are just swinging wildly. There’s gotta be a better way, right? That’s what Andy Cabasso is here to talk about. How can YOU get effective with your cold outreach to grow your traffic and your business? It’s a great conversation. Plus in BSM we talk about domain authority. Top TakeawaysPeople doing outreach need to recognize that content creators are getting pitched to constantly. It's SUPER important to personalize to prove you actually did the research.When it comes to cold outreach, one of the most important aspect is the follow up! When you create content, you should spend as much time promoting it as you did creating it. Organic SEO is great, but competitive.Show Notes:PostagaAndy on TwitterSkyscraper Technique by Brian DeanSam Brodie & Selling Your BusinessSemrushUbersuggestWP OwlsDeliverability Podcast on

It's a listener questions episode! I thought it would be fun to round out the summer by answering some questions you've asked about how to run and grow a podcast. I hope you enjoy! in Build Something More, I tell you all about what I learned at Skip the Grind and how it's shaping my business, and this podcast, moving forward.Top Takeaways The biggest way to grow your show is by having a clear Call to Action and a strong show notes page. BUILD YOUR LIST! No matter what you're trying to do - build a community, sell products, sell a course or service - your email list is the life's blood of your business and your podcast can help you grow it.There are 2 million podcasts but only about 65% are actually active. For comparison, There are over 37 million YouTube channels. Show NotesSend in Feedback or Ask a Question!Why Course Creators Should Start a PodcastCourse Creators Community PodcastHow Skip the Grind Showed Me to Focus my BusinessNext Steps for How I Built ItPodcast Subscribe ButtonsPodcast Stats from BuzzSp

Today's Episode is a little bit different. See, my friend Alastair McDermott has a couple of problems he'd like to solve: launching and promoting an online course, and growing his podcast. I believe these 2 things go hand-in-hand. A podcast is a great way to establish trust and expertise, which in-turn helps you sell more courses. So instead of Alastair dropping knowledge on us (which he does anyway...) we flip the script in this live coaching call, and he asks me a bunch of questions! This is one of my favorite episodes of the year - and highly educational for both of us! Top TakeawaysBeta testing your course is a great, lower-risk way to get your information out there and get real feedback. A podcast is a fantastic way to grow your audience, estabilish trust and expertise, and sell your courses. One way to grow your own podcasting audience is to guest on other people's podcasts!Show NotesAlastair McDermottAlastair on TwitterThe Recognized Authority PodcastBuilding and Evolving Profitable Project Plan with J

All too often, we hear only the success story. The Olympian who won the goal. The successful millionaire who launched a business from her dorm room. It's easy to assume these stories are without struggles. But what we don't see is the sacrifices the olympian made. We don't see the dozen other ideas and years of work the successful millionaire put in. Today we get to hear it all. Paul Lacey is as generous with his time as he is with his story. See, Paul has gone a long way in his travels as a web developer, from the pre-dot-com burst to crashing an agency and bouncing back. And he's learned a ton along the way that he generously shares with us in today's episode. So I just tried to get out of the way and tell his story. I think you'll love it.Show Notes:Paul LaceyPaul Lacey on TwitterWP BuildsFourth DoctorHow Giving Back saved my some gigRon Gijsel EpisodeCompany of OneCreator CrewSponsored by: Podcast Liftoff | TextExpander ★ Support this podcast ★

Google has recently rolled out a new set of metrics to help website owners create better websites. They're called Core Web Vitals and understanding how they work will be important for building your website, and getting it ranked better. Luckily we have Andy Schaff. He's the Development Architect and Portent and we have a fantastic chat about how to make your website more performant, from the ground up. We get pretty technical - but don't worry because I rain down analogies like it's my job. Andy drops a ton of knowledge about backend performance and gives both developers and small business owners starting points for making websites faster - and why your Google PageRank depends on it. Plus, in Build Something More, we talk about what it's like going through an acquisition from the employee's POV.Show Notes:Andy SchaffAndy on TwitterWebPageTestPage Speed InsightsGoogle's LighthousePingdomThe Page Speed Optimzation HierarchyCreator CrewSponsored by: Podcast Liftoff | TextExpander ★ Support this podcast ★

If you're anything like me, you feel like there's not enough time in the day. Maybe you're take on too much, or maybe you're doing things you don't need to do. Either way, you (and I!) both need a change - and that's where Reinart Bacalso comes in. He specializes in helping business owners reclaim their time by automating what they can, and putting the right processes in place. And today he's going to give us his framework. Plus, in Build Something More, we talk all about his toolkit. Show NotesReinart BacalsoAgency Rocket Fuel Facebook GroupUsing Systems to Run a More Efficient Business with Shannon ShafferRangeZapierTimeryHow to Hire a VA That Actually Helps You with Matthew YahesLoom.comZipMessage.comJoin the Creator CrewSponsored by: Termshub | TextExpander | The Events Calendar ★ Support this podcast ★

AmyJune Hineline has lots of perspectives. Not only does she have a background in nursing that she's brought to the open-source world, but she also actively works with both WordPress and Drupal. That sort of experience is exactly what helps communities grow. AmyJune has dedicated her time to helping people get involved in open source, and she offers great advice here for people who want to contribute, as well as mentors in the space. Plus in Build Something More, we talk about what Drupal and WordPress can learn from each other. Show Notes:AmyJune HinelineAmyJune on TwitterAmyJune on LinkedInAmyJune on InstagramMatt Jetpack on TwitterCreator CrewSponsored by: Linode | TextExpander | The Events Calendar ★ Support this podcast ★

Let me tell you something: I'm not great at social media. I KNOW...totally shocking. But you know who is? My friend Jean. In fact, we had a SUPER long chat all about content strategy and social media. It was super helpful and we covered a lot of ground, from growing your audience to TikTok. Plus there's a Build Something More pre- AND post-show. We talk about parenting in the pre-show and accents, culture, and repurposing in the post-show.Show Notes:Jean PerpillantJean on LinkedInJean on FacebookCaboPress Blog PostPexelsElements EnvatoMusic for MakersDesign PickleCreator CrewSponsored by: Linode | TextExpander | The Events Calendar ★ Support this podcast ★

Michelle Frechette knows a thing or two about building a community. Not only does she do it for multiple WordPress businesses, but she's cultivated quite the community on Twitter! As someone who's trying to grow my own community, I had lots of questions for Michelle and she generously answered them all. Learn all about what it takes to grow a community today. Plus in Build Something More, how to help those underrepresented in your community.Show NotesMichelle FrechetteMichelle on InstagramWorks by MichelleGiveWPMatt Medeiros Episode with MichelleBig Orange HeartUnderrepresented in TechCreator CrewSponsored by: Linode | TextExpander | The Events Calendar ★ Support this podcast ★

New to the show? Start here. Subscribe: https://howibuilt.it/subscribe ★ Support this podcast ★

In January, I rolled out the Creator Crew, a membership that allows people to support the show directly in exchange for more, ad-free content. 6 months in, how do I think it’s going? Find out about this behind-the-scenes episode. And in Build Something More, we’ll talk about exact numbers, metrics, and what I’m measuring. Show Notes:Failed Patreon ExperimentCreator CoursesBuild Someting ClubSponsored by: Restrict Content Pro | TextExpander | The Events Calendar ★ Support this podcast ★

You've heard multiple guests on this show talk about the importance of building your email list...but what do you do with that list once you have it? Well, copywriter Matt DeFeo tells us: we need to tell stories. Matt gives lots of actionable advice for how we can improve our email copy and start selling more without annoying our subscribers. Plus, in Build Something More, he tells us how he went from law enforcement to copywriting and the story is incredible.Show Notes:Matthew DefeoMatthew on FacebookMatthew on TwitterSPF and DKIM TutorialHoney CopyMiddle Finger ProjectLemlistApp SumoCopyHackersNeverSpamWritesonicContent RowImpact PlusSEO PressorSwipe-WorthyMilloJustin GoffMarketing ExamplesCreator CrewSponsored by: Restrict Content Pro | TextExpander | The Events Calendar ★ Support this podcast ★

Continuing a series on finances this year, today we tackle how to handle debt and invest in yourself and your business. Travis Hornsby took himself from being deep in debt to be able to support him and his family through his own business - and he gives us the framework so that we can do the same thing. Plus in Build Something More, we talk all about investing.Show Notes:Travis HornsbyTravis on TwitterTotal Money MakeoverStudent Loan Planner PodcastCreator CrewSponsored by: Restrict Content Pro | TextExpander | The Events Calendar ★ Support this podcast ★

Podcasting can be like your own personal stage. If you're a speaker,  you have the opportunity to create your own portfolio of work, allowing potential event organizers and audience members to see what you know and you speak. This can lead to more paid speaking gigs and a following. But that's not the only reason speakers should start a podcast.Show Notes:Should You Start A PodcastCreator CrewPodcast LiftoffSponsored by: Restrict Content Pro | TextExpander | The Events Calendar ★ Support this podcast ★

The feast and the famine are two staples in running your business, right? It's doesn't have to be! That's the message from Kelsey Kerslake, who went from $200 to $16,000 in her bank account in 3 months! Kelsey shares her story, tips, and what you need to do to grow your business and avoid that feast and famine stress.Show NotesKelsey KerslakeKelsey on InstagramKelsey on FacebookCreator CrewSponsored by: Restrict Content Pro | TextExpander | The Events Calendar ★ Support this podcast ★