In The Trenches

Brian Cristiano is the founder of BOLD Worldwide . His love of video and production helped moved him into advertising. Through BOLD, he has been able to help brands or teams connect with fitness, sports, and outdoor consumers. In this broadcast, Brian Cristiano and I talk about: How he has been able to leverage content to create engagement. How he has been able to pitch to big name companies using old school business development techniques. Growing a team, using freelancers to remain flexible, how to know when to transition work from contractors to full time staff members, as well as how to determine who your early key hires should be. The benefits of moving away from a project based revenue model toward a consistently repeating revenue model. The importance of asking potential clients pre-qualifying questions about budgets and expectations. Brian s weekly podcast called Out of Scope where he talks about sports, business, and marketing. How to find Brian Cristiano online: Website: Boldworldwide.com,

Rob Wormley is a content marketer and author. Over the past seven years, he has developed digital marketing strategies and content for best-selling authors, Hall of Fame speakers, and businesses all across the country. He currently works as the Head of Content Marketing for When I Work. In this broadcast, Rob Wormley and I talk about: How Rob s background in journalism has helped him become a successful content marketer. What WhenIWork.com is and how Rob creates content for small businesses. Why Rob only develops online content strategies quarterly. How Rob uses content creation as a tool to test strategies in real time. How Rob measures the success of the content that is created. How to develop high quality, actionable content and why it is the most effective marketing strategy. Why he does not create content that he can not promote. Why he thinks email out-reach is still effective. Rob s advice for being authentic, generating leads, and scaling over time. How to find Rob Wormley online: Website

Grant Baldwin is a professional speaker, the founder of The Speaker Lab, and creator of Booked and Paid to Speak. Grant started his speaking career as a youth pastor, but eventually moved on because he felt compelled to try something else. After several months trying to figure out his next steps, Grant decided to try his hand as a professional speaker. He’s since spoken at hundreds of events and to tens of thousands of attendees. He now also helps others with their speaking careers through The Speaker Lab. In this broadcast, Grant Baldwin and I talk about: Grant’s background in youth ministry and his love of speaking. The differences between talking in front of large audiences vs. small audiences. How to find the balance between what you want to speak about and what people will pay you to speak about. Multiple ways to earn an income from speaking. Several ways to find speaking engagements even if you’re just starting out. How speaking can lead to more book sales (for the authors in the audience). Gran

Nathan Chan is the founder and CEO of Foundr digital magazine. Wanting to personally discover the answers to all his questions about the daily struggles of starting a successful business, Nathan began to interview world-changing entrepreneurs in the hope that he could learn from them. He started Foundr while working a full time job, but the rapid success of the digital magazine led Nathan to quit his day job and double down on Foundr. In this broadcast, Nathan Chan and I talk about: His background before beginning the magazine. Why he choose to create a digital magazine. The 3 ways he knew it was time to give up his day joy to work on the magazine full time. How he was able to find his feet after transitioning from part time to full time in the magazine. How he realized the importance of building the Foundr brand. The Goal Pyramid process to decide what to focus on at any given time. How Nathan built the Foundr  team and his insight in hiring people that are a good fit. His advice for those who want

Cloris Kylie is a performance coach and branding expert. She always had the heart of an entrepreneur, but didn t always follow that. With a background in engineering, marketing and management, Cloris has developed coaching and training programs in lead generation, personal branding, communications, public speaking, social media platforms, digital marketing, and career development. In this broadcast, Cloris and I talk about: How she began a business helping students with preparing for the ACT and SAT How she began expanding her business to include helping those in graduate school; then to help people in a job search; and then to help authors, coaches, and entrepreneurs How she finds fulfillment by helping people one-on-one How she persevered to line up opportunities to be on various TV and radio shows How to leverage another person s platform to grow your list Major takeaways from pitching to TV and radio shows: Don t just approach as pitching your book/product Connect your message with current events

Sangeet Paul Choudary is the Founder and CEO of Platform Thinking Labs, and the author the the number 1 bestseller “Platform Scale.” Sangeet is also the co-chair of the MIT Platform Strategy Group at MIT Media Labs, Boston, a Global Fellow at the Centre for Global Enterprisein New York, a speaker at the G20 Summit 2014 in Brisbane and an advisor at 500Startups in Silicon Valley. At the G20 World Summit 2014, Sangeet was hailed as a forefront researcher into how businesses can better use metadata and current technology. He has advised C-level executives globally on platform and network strategies, has been featured on leading media globally and has lectured at the world s leading universities. In this broadcast, Sangeet and I talk about: Traditional business models vs. supply based business models vs. the modern business model Which part of a new business should work traditionally and which part should work like a platform? Two ways to think about about platform building, whether you’re starting from scrat

Brennan Dunn is the author of “Double Your Freelancing Rate.” He’s a freelancer, author, blogger, podcaster and software developer. He’s been in and around the world of freelancing for around 7 years, starting with a side business and growing it into a successful agency. In this broadcast, Brennan Dunn and I talk about: How he was able to build a successful high-revenue agency How he would do things differently now if he were to build an agency including: Moving away from a one-and-out project model toward a recurring projectized model Streamlining products and projects Not trying to build a brick and mortar company Brennan explains how high end freelance work can be projectized when you have multiple clients who need the same service (revenues can be gained through licensing and offering clients on-going value) We discuss some of Brennan s tips for pricing and contract creation, such as: Remembering that clients spend money on solutions not your technical functions They are not paying you for what

Mark Hayes is the founder of Rocketshp, a digital marketing agency in Auckland, New Zealand, and co-author of The Growth Hackers Guide to the Galaxy (Insurgent Publishing). Mark began his career as a successful business development manager at a large corporation in New Zealand, a more traditional suit job at which he was good but wasn’t passionate.  Because of this, Mark shifted his focus, deciding instead to pursue a career in the marketing industry, working as a brand manager and content strategist for digital marketing companies.  After gaining knowledge and experience in the digital marketing industry, Mark discovered the concept of growth hacking and decided to move in that direction. Mark developed a web presence and began blogging to build an audience, and eventually started his own agency.   Not long after its successful launch, the agency was acquired by another digital marking agency, providing Mark with another opportunity to build a new business Tiger, Tiger which was later rebranded as Rocketshp

Breanne Dyck is an author, learning strategist, and operations consultant. She helps microbusinesses (and their owners) make more money and have a bigger impact by applying the principles of adult learning in their digital course design. In this broadcast, Breanne Dyck and I talk about: How her experience taking courses as an entrepreneur led her to help other small business create amazing courses Breanne explains how your core promise to customers is at the intersection of what they think they want and what you, as the expert, know they need Why she recommends changing your perspective away from What do I want to teach? toward What do they want to do? Why Breanne thinks it is so important to listen and understand what your client thinks they want, even when we know better, and how to use that same language to talk to your client about what they need Two of the difficulties that content creators have that hold them back from being successful, including: Trying to create courses too early in their car

Honoree Corder is the author of “Prosperity for Writers.” She has been a successful entrepreneur for almost twenty years, earning her first fortune and developing a lot of her skills with Shaklee Corporation, then as a business coach, and now as a successful author, executive coach, keynote speaker and corporate trainer. In this broadcast, Honoree and I talk about: Why Honoree wrote her first book How Honoree received a traditional publishing deal for her first book but turned the deal down Her process to become a successful self-published author, including hiring a professional editor and graphic designer How her first book gained traction slowly How she has successfully used white labeling to sell books in bulk Honoree’s favorite marketing strategies including: Thinking of a book as ever-green marketing Asking the important question: “Who would benefit by sharing the content that I have created?” Strategies and techniques that she has used  to sell books Why developing strategic partnerships wi

Matt Gartland is the founder of WinningEdits.com, a creative agency that helps authors with the development of their books, podcast and other products. Matt specializes in digital content development at the nexus of web technologies, business thinking, editorial strategy, storytelling, and modern publishing. What Matt Gartland and I talk about in this broadcast: How he created Winning Edits to be an intersection of good story telling and the digital experience How one of his biggest challenges has been clearly communicating the value of professional editing Matt talks about how the limits of his own time and the great demand for the work he was providing drove him to partner with other editors, who share his work ethic, to create Winning Edits He gives us a helpful explanation of the three editing phases Developmental Editing Line Editing Copy Editing Matt discusses how referrals are the primary way in which he brings in new business We talk about the hybrid nature of the publishing business, with

Greg Rollett is the founder of Ambitious.com. Greg started Ambitious.com to inspire millennials to do great things. What Greg Rollett and I talk about in this broadcast: How he used his experience in the music industry, especially being an opening act to help him with his writing career with Mashable.com How people often fail because they do not aim high and they do not share their best work when writing for others Greg gives us his advice for people who want to build their own media platforms Define who you want your audience to be Collect data about that audience Define what your goal for the consumer is after they get your product Create content to match the goals you have set Greg reminds us that media is consumed for two reasons: to be entertained or to solve a problem; the best media combines the two. Greg explains why the fastest way for people to make money is to niche down to solve a particular problem for a particular group of people What the strategies Greg used to create Ambitious.com

Paul Minors is a productivity writer. Paul started his platform by creating book summaries of popular non-fiction books. This helped him build a small, passionate audience organically through Google SEO. He has since turned his platform into a productivity resource – helping people do, be, and have more. According to Paul, productivity is the best way to get the best out of life. What Paul Minors and I talk about in this broadcast: How Paul s book summaries came about Why Paul built PaulMinors.com and his strategy behind what he s doing Paul s idea of getting more out of life through productivity How Paul used Google Analytics to grow his business Paul s automation workflow for emails and the pros and cons of automation Personal engagement how Paul develops relationships with his list How to add credibility to your message Challenges of converting email list to paying customers How to get Paul s products, including the Personal Productivity Toolkit Paul s advice for beginners Contact Paul Minors online: Paul

Justin Sloan is a professional video game writer, with credits including Game of Thrones and the Walking Dead. Justin is also a novelist and screenwriter, with dozens of books to his name, including “Falls of Redemption” and “Military Veterans in Creative Careers” among many others. Justin studied writing at the John Hopkins University and at the UCLA School of Theatre. Justin is also the co-host of the Self-Publishing Answers Podcast. Justin was also in the Marines for five years, living in Japan, Korea, and Italy. He currently lives in the Bay area with his wife and kids. What Justin Sloan and I talk about in this broadcast: How Justin began his writing career How Justin met Ashley Miller and got inspired to pursue his passion The techniques Justin used to connect with people in his industry to accelerate his career How Justin learned to connect with the right people The importance managers and agents in these creative careers The advantages of self-publishing How Justin learned to outline his work

Max Altschuler is the founder of Sales Hacker Inc. and the author of Hacking Sales one of my personal favorite books on selling. He was the second business hire at Udemy.com, setting up their customer onboarding process. He pioneered some advanced growth hacks including technical web-scraping and figuring out how to access data to build massive lists of leads (which we talk about in today’s interview). What Max Altschuler and I talk about in this broadcast: How to define your ideal customer How to gather relevant information about your ideal customer How to find your ideal customer Why it s important to discover (or create) hacks to help grow your business How business development can work alongside sales hacking How to develop the right mindset for sales Following up and marketing to your ideal customer Core message from Max s book: Build, test, measure, and optimize the more you can do that in your sales process, the better you ll be. – Max Altschuler Contact Max online: Hacking Sales on Amaz

Scott Levy, is a retired US Marine, who transitioned into the creative field of film, acting in both videos and movies (full length motion pictures). Over his 18 year acting career he has also performed in a plethora of TV and video games. In one of his favorite roles to look back on, he co-starred next to Vanilla Ice in The Helix: Reloaded. What Scott Levy and I talk about in this broadcast: What is was like to work with Vanilla Ice on the set of The Helix (and what it was like to hang out with Vanilla Ice in Las Vegas at the daytime Emmy s) Why his time with the Marines unknowingly prepared him for a career in the film industry Why it s important to recognize defining points in your life and in your generation How he broke into the film industry after his military career (with no prior connections) The road he traveled down to land an interview with George Lucas and Skywalker Sound How socializing with other actors on The Lost World set gave him the confidence to move forward in his acting career Th

Tyson Adams is the co-founder of Zuddha Organic and the founder of Jhai Coffeehouse. In his businesses, he is combining his passions for philanthropy and entrepreneurship. As a result, he has started several clean water projects in Laos, where Jhai Coffeehouse is located. Tyson went to the University of Washington and left on a one-way ticket to South East Asia. He stayed for four months and came back with the idea to start these coffee shops. What Tyson Adams and I talk about in this broadcast: Why Tyson started the business of importing coffee to the US from Laos How Tyson organized and promoted coffee fundraisers through US high schools to raise money for philanthropic initiatives in Laos Why Tyson decided to transition from providing books for the communities to clean water projects How Tyson was able to position his non-profit to provide clean water in the local community How Tyson started Jhai Coffeehouse and how it helps to give back to the community How Tyson used crowdfunding to start a non-p

Geoff Woods is the founder and host of The Mentee Podcast. His weekly podcast provides a platform to deliver valuable information and profound wisdom for those looking to make the transition from employee to entrepreneur. On his podcast, Geoff shares what he has learned from his mentors and uses it to help others who are looking to do the same. In today’s broadcast, Geoff delves into the way you can quickly find high level mentors for yourself, as well as how he personally has connected with dozens of business leaders in a very short period of time. What Geoff Woods and I talk about in this broadcast: Why he decided to launch his podcast The road that led him to where he is now and where he hopes to do in the future Hear him tell us about the event in 2013 the changed his way of thinking His reaction to his income being immediately cut by 40% Why amazing friends only are not enough How to build an army of mentors for yourself to help you get where you want to go The importance in having conversations

Bjork Ostrom, together with his wife Lindsay, are the founders of both foodbloggerpro.com and pinchofyum.com. In less than 5 years, he and his wife built a side hobby - food blogging - into a $300,000+ per year (and growing) online membership site.  As a non-profit employee and 4th grade teacher by day, Bjork and his wife navigated the early challenges of developing their passions into both a successful business and something they would enjoy doing on a daily basis. Based out of St. Paul, Minnesota, Bjork and his wife are now working together to take the business to the next level (and to see if they can't crack the 7-figure revenue mark). Bjork's wife, Lindsay, started Pinch of Yum in 2010, making their first dollar through an ad network. They started doing income reports in 2013. This instigated a lot of questions, which led to the development of Foodbloggerpro, which they rolled out over the course of 3 months from November 2012 to January 2013, raising over $10,000 in pre-sales. Foodbloggerpro now makes $

Sean McCabe a Hand Lettering Artist & Type Designer based in San Antonio, TX, the founder of seanwes.com and the creator of Learn Lettering 2.0. Sean also hosts a podcast for creative entrepreneurs at https://seanwes.com/podcast/. In the past the past 10 years, Sean has used his business experience to grow and sell a computer repair business, run a profitable web design firm, and build and launch a phenomenally successful series of courses on hand lettering that have grossed six figures within 3 days of launching. What Sean McCabe and I talk about in this broadcast: How Sean moved from playing in a band to start his first company How Sean pivoted his company from computer repair to web design to hand lettering How Sean learned to strategically approach the growth and expansion of his business How Sean leveraged both physical and digital products, including creating a successful course Why Sean waited 2 years to build his first product The pros and cons of physical products The 80/20 approach to bal