How I Built It

While there have been big leaps in membership software in the last 5 years, membership sites are still some of the hardest to create and run properly. That’s why I brought in Melodie Moore. She’s been building, maintaining, and scaling 7 & 8-figure membership sites for the past 10 years. Her team kills shiny object syndrome and creates massive success in less time by utilizing psychology, state-of-the-art tech, and effective systems. Today, you’re going to learn her process, and how to launch a successful membership.In How I Built It Pro, members got to hear us talk about parenting, general thoughts on Twitter, and…improv?! Get this and every episode ad-free, and extended, over at https://howibuilt.it/proTop TakeawaysThere are 3 major mistakes content creators make that Melodie breaks down: acting too big, having to finish before you sell, and thinking a tech person is your savior. Listen to hear how to avoid them!Most platforms don’t think about the entire customer journey. When you’re evaluating, think

When I left Twitter, it wasn’t on a whim. I had been considering it for a long time…like middle of the pandemic long. As people jumped ship from Twitter, Mastodon seemed to be the clear front-runner for replacing Twitter.I’m hesitant at best, but Tapbots (from the makers of the incomparable Tweetbot), have put out a Mastodon client called Ivory, and I’ve decided to give it t try for a bit.LinksTrying out IvoryFollow me on Mastodon, I guess Get your FREE copy of my Automations Library ★ Support this podcast ★

If you create online courses, you won’t want to miss this very special discussion! I’ll be joined by Ronnie Burt, Business Lead at Automattic, who’s overseen development of the Sensei LMS plugin. We’re going to cover: - Managing emails for your online courses- A.I.’s role in assisting with online course creation.- Sensei’s upcoming A.I. Quiz Generator- A.I.'s impact on society This is a audio version from a live stream we did on April 17th, 2023. This live stream is presented by Sensei. Learn more here: https://howibuilt.it/sensei Get your FREE copy of my Automations Library ★ Support this podcast ★

It’s another Automated Solopreneur episode! Today I’m telling you 4 types of tasks you can automate – as well as questions you can ask yourself to determine what you can automate based on what you do on a daily basis. Those 4 types of tasks? Common, easily repeatable tasksInfrequent tasks that have a high level of effort to do.Tasks that require specific timingTasks that you cannot forget to do.In How I Built It Pro, I talk about when you might be automating too much, plus my plans for making the membership more automation-centric. Show NotesHow to Determine What to AutomateThe Automated Solopreneur Get your FREE copy of my Automations Library ★ Support this podcast ★

One of my favorite things to do is easily automate input and idea capture from my Stream Deck. I've got two, plus a Stream Deck Pedal, so I try to make the most of them!I've greatly improved my process for creating social media content in a centralized place with a Stream Deck automation I'm going to tell you about today. Show NotesHow to add a Google Doc via Your Stream DeckStream Deck | Stream Deck+ Get your FREE copy of my Automations Library ★ Support this podcast ★

Lots of people look at the overnight success of creators, and wonder why it’s not happening for them. But the truth is…it wasn’t overnight. There’s a lot of trial and error, learning, and adjusting until you get it right. And that’s what Haley Akins is here to talk about today. She’s had quite a journey as a motion designer, surviving the death of Flash to emerge as a course creator and educator showing a new generation of motion designers how to be successful. And she does it with a little help from YouTube.Top TakeawaysPlay with gateway videos. Look for popular topics on YouTube, and make a video about them to get people subscribed. They give them lots of value.Looks like VidIQ and TubeBuddy can be super helpful. Be sure to look at the analytics and see what’s working for you and what isn’t YouTube loves consistency and predictability.It takes time to become successful on YouTube. Be patient, and keep going.Show NotesHayley AkinsHayley on TwitterHayley on InstagramHayley on LinkedinPodcast LiftoffJack Thoma

I’m a pen and paper guy for sure, but the Kindle Scribe is a perfect companion for me. And as a result, I’ve been using the freeform notebooks more like a planner. I still use (and love) my William Hannah notebook, but my friend Brian sent me an interesting link the other day: hyperpaper.me. It's a customizable PDF planner for eInk devices, and I love it.Read the review here Brought to you by TextExpander Get your FREE copy of my Automations Library ★ Support this podcast ★

Alex Marshall started coaching in February 2020…I think I just heard the collective groan. Alex did too, which is why she turned to social media — specifically Instagram — as a way to gain followers and leads. And while most of her leads still come through social media, in the intervening 3 years since she started coaching, she want on a journey that nearly lead to burnout and leaving social altogether. Today she’s back in a way that works best for her, and we discuss how you, dear creator, can have a healthy relationship with social media too. Plus in the Pro show, we discuss ChatGPT. It was newly hot when we recorded. It was fun listening back given where it is today.Top TakeawaysIt’s easy to put too much pressure on yourself when you feel you need to post every single day, or that your whole life is content. But you need to do what’s best for you.It can also feel like you need to be everywhere. Alex recommends picking one platform that does well for you and stick with it for a while. For her it’s Instagram

I’m experimenting with the Due app for iOS. What makes it interesting is the persistent reminders — which will repeat until you mark the task complete.Check out the blog post here. Get your FREE copy of my Automations Library ★ Support this podcast ★

Look I’ll cut to the quick: YES. As a creator, you still need a lawyer. Actually, the rise of the creator economy reminds me a lot of the rise of online freelancers. The internet has made making money so easy, most people don’t do their due diligence. That’s why I called my friend Sam. See, she became a young, successful lawyer, before throwing it all away to start…a food blog. That flopped.But she learned from that experience. And today, she helps online educators, coaches, and creators through her legal knowledge and experience. And in today’s episode, we’re putting that to the test.Top Takeaways:In starting her legal business, Sam did 3 important things: talk to her customers, write 10 hyper-SEO’d blog posts, and got people on her mailing list (where she always has soft promos)When it comes to digital products, you still need a contract in the form of Terms and Conditions. Make sure you have the user opt-in at checkout before they make the purchase!Submit your big important content to the US Copyright Offi

Every so often I consider switching to Notion...that is until earlier this year when I decided I was going to double down on Airtable. See, Notion scares and confuses me. It doesn't work the way my brain works, and I'm already a huge fan of Airtable. It's the very basis for my podcast planners.But up until now, I haven't really been using Airtable to its fullest potential, probably because I've had my eye on Notion. So here is a controversial opinion: Airtable is better than Notion.This clip is brought to you by TextExpander ★ Support this podcast ★

I wax poetic on a number of automation-based topics, like switching from Zapier to Make, how ChatGPT can help creators (and exposes a gaping hole in the education system), and rebranding the YouTube channel to focus on automation tools. In PRO, I'm thinking of switching off of Castos, and sales numbers from my latest launch.Show NotesJoin How I Built It PROMake vs. Zapier: Why I MovedChatGPT is Exposing Our Broken Education SystemThe Automated Solopreneur | YouTubeSponsored by: The Solo Creator Club | Groundhogg | LearnDash (00:00) - Intro (01:55) - Make vs. Zapier (13:24) - Sponsors: LearnDash, Groundhogg, Solo Creator Club (17:22) - Thoughts on ChatGPT/Generative AI (28:40) - The Automated Solopreneur (32:02) - That's it! ★ Support this podcast ★

A few weeks ago, I wrote that I was Considering a Different Calendar App. After testing BusyCal, Cron, and Calendar 366, while also looking at several others, nothing comes close to Fantastical. Here's why. ★ Support this podcast ★

There’s nothing better than good gear and automation talk, and that’s exactly what we’re getting today. Cat Mulvahill is one of my favorite YouTube creators because she has shown me so many cool things about eCamm Live. But it turns out we’re both also huge Stream Deck nerds. So if you’ve been looking to get the most out of your Stream Deck (or need a compelling argument to buy one), today’s episode is for you.Top Takeaways:Cat uses her Stream Deck with eCamm Live to do transitions, lower thirds, and more during recording. Because of that, she barely has to edit her videos. It’s like storyboarding your whole video in advance!She and I both use our Stream Decks for more than just streaming though. One of Cat’s cool actions in a multi-action that sets up her entire bookkeeping workspace. This cuts down considerably on the amount of time she spends on the actual accounting stuff.When it comes to creating content, she picks topics that are interesting and solve a problem. That usually generates comments and quest

RSS has been such an integral part of my life basically since Google Reader. And since Google Reader shut down, I have been on a bit of a quest to find a good replacement. I think Reader by Readwise is that Replacement.This clip is brought to you TextExpander ★ Support this podcast ★

How do you grow a newsletter to 20,000 subscribers in less than a year? Try this ONE trick! Want to 5x your YouTube downloads? DO THIS! These are both titles I could have given this episode — and taking the advice of Jake Thomas, I should have! See, Jake studies YouTube titles to see what makes people click. And while he gives some away for free in his newsletter, he also has a whole searchable database that you can pay to get access to. So today, Jake tells us how he built his subscriber base up to 20,000 in a year, as well as the importance of good titles, not just on YouTube, but everywhere.Top Takeaways:Titles and thumbnails are super important because if they don’t get people to click, no one watches. So spend time on them — and use Jake’s tips!You DO still need good content. Both Jake and I have been considering more quality over quantity lately. Instead of super timely stuff, make it evergreen, really good, and dial in the titles.If you’re getting started, find your niche, and look at similar channels

I had a t-shirt in college that was my prized possession. It read: "There are 10 types of people in the world: those who understand binary, and those who don't." The joke being that 10 or “one zero” in binary is actually “2” in decimal.I’m sure if I looked hard enough, I could find my college ID from freshman year, where that shirt is featured. The shirt is top-of-mind because I saw a post on LinkedIn that made me think of it. It made me realize: There are two types of people in the world. Those who ask for answers, and those find them. ★ Support this podcast ★

If you’ve ever heard me say, “I’m a recovering WordPress developer,” you’ve also heard me credit today’s guest, Kronda Adair. And while she started in WordPress, she quickly moved into one of my favorite areas of expertise: automation. Specifically, Kronda’s an email automation expert. And today, she’s going to tell us the RIGHT process for automation, how to test, and why your business depends on email automation.Top Takeaways:Automation is employing technology to improve your processes. You can vastly improve how you work, and your customer’s journey if you automate the right things.To start, step away from the tools and focus on the process. Map what you need to do with pen and paper. Once you do that, you have a job description. And you need something to fulfill that job. That’s when you look for the tools.Two things you need to do with automating email: do it manually first; this helps you make that job description. Next, go through the automation yourself. See what the subscriber will see. This may be t

 Last week I told you about the best way to create an only course...but what's the best way to sell it? I firmly believe tools like Teachable and Kajabi are overpriced. When looking at LMSs, I turn to WordPress. And these days, Sensei is doing the coolest stuff, as it attempts to retake the title of best WordPress LMS.This clip is brought to you by Sensei - Automatic ★ Support this podcast ★

There’s an old adage that more people are afraid of public speaking than of death, meaning that at a funeral, more people would rather be in the casket than giving the eulogy. I suspect that when push came to shove, most people would actually choose the eulogy, but that’s beside the point. Public speaking is hard. And truth be told, most people are bad at it…if you feel that way, don’t fret. Mike Pacchione is here to help. He’s coached people like James Clear, Amy Porterfield, and Donald Miller on public speaking, and today, he’s teaching us his best stuff.Top Takeaways:The greatest gift you can give your audience is to be completely present with them. That means don’t memorize! Know your stuff, practice your talk, and be with them in the room!Most people say too much. Embrace silence and be concise. Silence lets a point land, and communicates to your audience, “hey. That was important. Remember it.”The best speeches are not the ones you’ve given the most. Back to the first point, they are the ones where you’