AskPat 2.0: A Weekly Coaching Call on Online Business, Blogging, Marketing, and Lifestyle Design

#1181 Wendy Lewis used to work as a writer at a marketing and ad agency. And she's still a writer, but she also has a new passion: reflexology, working with athletes and helping people regain function. She's excited to create her first online reflexology course, but she's feeling stuck. The whole thing seems a little overwhelming to her. I want you to pay attention to how Wendy describes an online course before we start talking about the solutions to making the online course creation process easier for her. Because as you'll find out, things are often a lot easier than we think they should be. And there's a lot of things that I've learned over the years that I pass on to Wendy in this conversation, that I would love to pass on to you as well. So whether it's an online course or something else that you want to create, let's get through it, and let's get through it together. Show notes and more at smartpassiveincome.com/ap1181.

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#1180 In this special "Where are they now?" edition of AskPat, we're bringing back Julienne DesJardins from JulienneDesJardins.com (originally on AP 1027). She supports business owners through virtual assistant services, email service providers, Squarespace, and social media management. She was first on the show back in 2018, when she was having trouble because she'd met her client limit. She was looking at building out her team and creating an agency, and wanted to know where to take things. We talk about the advice I gave her, how she's taken that advice, and where her business has gone since then. There's a lot of great stuff in here, from nerding out on project management to how Julienne steered her business through the early days of the COVID pandemic. You'll hear all about the great stuff she's done and implemented in the past couple years, so you can hopefully learn how to do something similar in your own business! Show notes and more at smartpassiveincome.com/ap1180.

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#1179 When you discover the niche you should be focusing on, it's like the clouds part—everything becomes clearer. But once you've chosen a niche, how do you communicate the change to your audience without alienating them? Today we're talking with Erica James from Erica James Travel, as well as the Erica James Travel Show Podcast. Erica is a travel agent who's having some issues with niching down. She knows what she's good at and the kinds of services she wants to provide for her travel agency clients, but she's afraid of going about things the wrong way. But thankfully, we go deep and find some possibilities to help Erica make this transition in a way that feels good to her and her customers. There's a moment in this episode where you'll hear things click for Erica, and boom, things are ready to take off. Show notes and more at SmartPassiveIncome.com/ap1179.

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#1178 Today, we're talking with Heba from Mommy's Happy Hour. Through her book and podcast, she helps women balance a career with raising a family. She's a voice for mommies out there—and she wants to be more of a voice. She wants to lead this community even more. But she's struggling with something that many of us struggle with: how to brand and position herself. How should Heba put herself out there? We discuss some ideas to help her build her reach and presence, including podcast guesting and taking full advantage of the book she's written about the first year of motherhood. We also talk about the importance of macro patience combined with micro hustle. What's that mean? Listen to find out!

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#1177 If you're a creative person of some kind, you know what it's like to be in a flow state, so focused on the thing you're working on. That's how you create great art, right? Well, if you treat your business ideas in the same way, you can create something great there, too. Today I'm talking to Chris Fleck, a person of many talents: art, comedy, video production, and more. There's so much he loves to do, and is really good at, but he's a little bit stuck. He has too many business ideas. He's being pulled in multiple directions, and as a result he feels like he's going nowhere. You might be able to relate to Chris, faced with multiple options and not sure which one to pick. You might worry about what'll happen if you choose one path and leave the others behind. How do you make the right choice? That's what we're talking about today. Show notes and more at SmartPassiveIncome.com/ap1177.

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#1176 Today's guest has a popular website that helps people learn written Chinese, at WrittenChinese.com. She also has a big email list. But despite these resources, she's struggling to put it all together and make best use of what's she's got. She feels like she's "in a life raft in the middle of the ocean with a bag of gold bullion, but there's no land in sight." I help her hone her unique selling proposition, figure out how she can take advantage of ads, and dig into how she might use affiliate partnerships in a smart way. Nora's dilemma doesn't have obvious answers, but there's nothing wrong with a challenge! Together we find some starting points to experiment and see what resonates with her audience so she can effectively monetize her existing website. Show notes and more at SmartPassiveIncome.com/ap1176.

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#1175 I rarely hear from an entrepreneur who has been through so much but is still smiling at the other end of things. Sarah Murphy, a medical herbalist, is one of those entrepreneurs! Like so many of us during the pandemic, Sarah has had to make a series of pivots with her business. Since she was last on the show in episode 1120, she's dealt with the ripple effect of the pandemic, decreased traffic on her website, Brexit (she's in the UK) . . . even a fire in her manufacturer's warehouse. Yes, really! But Sarah has come out on the other side with flying colors — she even made the decision to launch an online course in the midst of things. Today we're gonna sit down with Sarah and hear all about it. Show notes and more at SmartPassiveIncome.com/ap1175

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#1174 Hel Reynolds lives in Wales, where she runs a business called Comms Creatives that trains corporate communication professionals to use social media. She's experienced a lot of success already but she's a bit confused as to what to prioritize as she grows her business. This has been a challenge for me personally as a number three on the Enneagram test, so this advice definitely comes from experience. I take Hel through my tips and strategies for prioritizing while still getting to play, particularly my 80/20 rule, avoiding content bloat, and focusing on learning.

If you're looking to gain a little more clarity and focus in your business, this is the one for you. I can't wait to follow up with Hel down the road and see where she's at! Show notes and more at SmartPassiveIncome.com/ap1174

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#1173 Chris Roy runs an amazing company called Doobert.com. Doobert is a technological solution that connects rescue organizations with transportation for rescued animals, foster homes, and more. The only issue is that Doobert needs to bring in more funds to keep running effectively and grow. Chris has tried Google ads and selling physical products, but they haven't quite panned out. How can he increase Doobert's income? We brainstorm a few methods for pulling in some much-needed cash — partnership opportunities, sponsorship opportunities, donation appeals, and more strategies. I can't wait to see how Chris incorporates these ideas! Show notes and more at SmartPassiveIncome.com/ap1173

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#1172 This coaching session digs down to one of the core questions of entrepreneurship: How do we combine our passion with monetization . . . and keep it authentic? Jason Lazarus is about to go all-in with his new podcast, The British Blacktrepreneur. He has ten episodes in the cue with a long-term goal of monetizing the show and earning six figures through his business. Where does he start? If you're looking to monetize your podcast, this is the one for you. We go over several ways Jason can use his podcast to earn income, some mindsets and strategies around the process, and how the podcast can help complement other areas of his business. Let's get started. Show notes and more at SmartPassiveIncome.com/ap1172

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