How I Built It

If you've been following me for any amount of time, you will know that I take my note taking and idea capture very seriously. And last year, I made a decision that Craft would be my one and only notes app.I don’t think that’s working out for me. Mostly because I have 3 kinds of notes:Big planning notesRandom thoughtsResearch notesCraft has been great for the random thoughts and research but I think is best suited for Big Planning.So I’m going to switch back to Bear Notes for random thoughts to see how that works out. Get your FREE copy of my Automations Library ★ Support this podcast ★

Lots of people are becoming creators now. In fact, Craig Chavis Jr. describes being a creator as sharing your expertise. But does that make you a business owner? Not so fast! That’s a completely different thing. And in today’s episode, we dig into what those differences are, finding the right message for your business, and how creators can become business owners. In How I Built It PRO, we talk about putting yourself into a corner, and how owning a business is kind of like surfing. Top TakeawaysPut the message above the messenger. You need to figure out what people want, so you can offer to help them get what they want.A creator is anyone who shares their expertise. And while many people try to sell their knowledge, you need to find people who want it. So you frame your expertise as results or what they will have once they work with you.People think having a business is setting up a website. But you can’t build a business virally.Show NotesCraig Chavis, Jr. Craig on LinkedinCraig on InstagramCraig on TwitterHo

Just how important is writing? According to YouTuber Mark Ellis, your career depends on it. And as someone who’s grown his audience to 1 million monthly views in just a couple of years, he knows a thing or two. That’s why he’s going to take us through his process for creating content, repurposing, and how you can start! In How I Built It Pro, we talk specifically about growing his YouTube channel and podcasting on YouTube.Top TakeawaysMost videos Mark publishes start out as blog posts, highlighting the incredible importance of repurposing.His team has been crucial because they can do the things he doesn’t have to do. That way he can focus on writing, recording, and growing his audience.Mark also makes $2,000/mo from Medium, which is free to get started on. He’s leveraging the reach on other platforms to grow his own business.Show NotesMark EllisMark on YouTubeMark on TwitterMark on InstagramMark on LinkedinMaking the Most of Your Stream Deck with Cat MulvihillThe Axis of Awesome 4 ChordsHow to Hire a VA That

I'm starting a short series here on how I've configured my Stream Decks! Today, the Stream Deck+. LinksScreenshot of my Stream Deck+How I've Configured my Stream DeckGet Your Own Stream Deck+ Get your FREE copy of my Automations Library ★ Support this podcast ★

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