Do Weekly Podcast

We did a thing last week, like we do each and every week! We’re gonna chop off your head, take out the brain and stuff in new bits of knowledge. You ready to get to it? Let’s do it! Overdosing butterscotch warnings be damned!

Last week you were supposed to get yo’self booked on a podcast. Did you get yourself booked? We both did it. I managed to get myself booked on not one but TWO podcasts. One was WP Coffee Talk (not yet published) and the other is to be booked (from WP Engine, a web hosting company).

Natalie got herself booked on a podcast, WP Watercooler (Natalie had already been on that, though, so it didn’t count); she applied to be on Women in WP (hasn’t done the show yet).

Boom, mission accomplished! Challenge smashed!

For this weeks challenge we’re revisiting a challenge that we both failed to do. Back in episode 11 we set a challenge to do an educational product, it didn’t quite work out. We didn’t realize all the work that goes into creating an educational product! There’s a lot of stuff to plan and consider, y’all.

Nat and I decided we’d break the challenge down into a several steps, making it easier to consume by doing challenges bit by bit, step by step.

Your challenge (and the first step in this series) is for you to choose a subject/topic for your educational course. That’s it. Make it focused, try not to be too broad.

Now get out of here and do the thing.

As always, don’t forget to leave us that gushy 5-star review on Apple Podcasts on Apple Podcasts. And remember, kids, keep it simple and most importantly Keep it Doable!

Photo by CoWomen on Unsplash

The post Episode 056: Creating an Educational Product REDUX! appeared first on Do Weekly Podcast.

Last week we had a challenge. Did you do it? We did! I made a plan. Let’s say that I get a disability, like my head gets decapitated and I’m having difficulty doing my job it’s important to have a plan in place. So here’s what I did. I have professional liability and errors and omissions insurance. I got long term disability insurance through The Hartford, where I have my insurance policies. I also have a person who has worked with me as a PM and Operations person. I’ve communicated with her about this plan and in the event that I become incapacitated that she can step-in to help out.

Of course one of the main issues is how to communicate with those when something disastrous occurs. One thing we did recommend and talk about was to create an ICE (In case of emergency) contact.

For Natalie, what she did was to also have disability insurance. Also, ask about how disability insurance calculates your income as well, which was a question that Natalie have.

Also, product idea: Business continuity planning for small business owners. Get on that ish people!

This weeks challenge is to be a guest on a podcast (or ask for an invite). There are no shortage of podcasts. Podcasts are a great way to get the word out about your products and services and generally who you are as a person. It’s a great way to let people know who you are that you may not have access to.

For a lot of folks, there are people who make use podcast as a marketing strategy. Nathan Hirsch, of Freeeup, came on our show as an example of this strategy at work.

As always, don’t forget to leave us that gushy 5-star review on Apple Podcasts on Apple Podcasts. And remember, kids, keep it simple and most importantly Keep it Doable!

Photo by CoWomen on Unsplash

The post Episode 055: Be a Podcast Host appeared first on Do Weekly Podcast.

We asked you to peer into your future, last week! That was your challenge!! Did you do it, though? Natalie and I did.

Natalie’s strength is to plan for the year ahead. She’s great at that. There are workbooks that can help with this momentous task of planning for the future. She planned to make a plan. So she made time for herself to actually make a plan for her future. Part of that plan is to go on a trip to Hawaii.

What did I do? What I did was more aspirational. What that means, to me, is to put myself on a performance plan. I have a few things that I’d like to work on. One is a personal challenge and the other is a professional challenge. So I will pick a pair of goals and break them down into smaller bits. The business side of things I want to seek out a biz coach. The other item is to work on my operational processes.

What are you plans for the future? Share your ideas with that.

What do you do should you become disabled? We’ve already dealt with death. But what happens if you become legitimately injured and unable to work?

Natalie ran into this issue with her accountant and book keeper when they became non-responsive. No answers to follow up emails either. Later on down the road Natalie received vague communication about the status of her books. Nat learned her book keeper has been undergoing cancer treatment and, thus, been unable to work.

It’s a terrible situation but peoples’ businesses still go on. This is why we need a business continuity plan.

Have a plan for contacting your current clients should an issue arise. You don’t have to divulge all of the details but do let people know your working availability will be change.

Consider paying into disability insurance, in case you do need extra time off.

The fact is that we don’t know what might cause us to miss extended time from our work. Be prepared.

As always, don’t forget to leave us that gushy 5-star review on Apple Podcasts on Apple Podcasts. And remember, kids, keep it simple and most importantly Keep it Doable!

Photo by Alvaro Reyes via Unsplash

The post Episode 054: Plan for a Disability appeared first on Do Weekly Podcast.

What’s up, party people? Did you miss us?? WE MISSED YOU ALL SO MUCH!! Are you ready to become a dollar-aire????!! If you do our challenges we’re gonna get you there.

Last week’s challenge was to insert your pronouns into your email signature. Did you do that challenge? I did it, although I did have reservations about doing so. Natalie and I had a thoughtful discussion last week and I decided to do the thing and complete the challenge.

I elected to enter my pronouns into my email signatures (both work and personal) as well as on Twitter. Natalie also entered her pronouns into her business email signature.

Entering pronouns ensures we do our part to support less represented communities. Businesses who don’t like that we use pronouns can work with businesses that don’t use pronouns and that’s okay. Work with folks whose values your business aligns with.

Your new mission/business challenge this week is to charge a course, to make a plan, for the year ahead. Think about some big picture items you would like to accomplish and plan it all out.

Some ideas that you can plan for with this annual plan:

• Create a marketing budget
• Create a new product or service
• Pivot your business
• Develop an online course
• Learn a new skill

With any of the above suggestions, these ideas will have several steps to include, so they’re perfect to draw up a plan to accomplish these things.

All of this just comes down to making a plan to make it happen. Let us know how you do and we’ll see you next week!!

As always, don’t forget to leave us that gushy 5-star review on Apple Podcasts on Apple Podcasts. And remember, kids, keep it simple and most importantly Keep it Doable!

Photo by Alvaro Reyes via Unsplash

The post Episode 053: Create an Annual Plan appeared first on Do Weekly Podcast.

Your last challenge, if you chose to accept it, was to create a holiday-specific special.

Did you know there’s a National No Pants Day? What about National Moment of Frustration Day? No? These are opportunities, folks!

Natalie chose to do a special day promotion at National Accessibility day which is in May. Natalie’s chosen to create an accessibility course for business owners and also for developers, since she has changed the focus of per business to focus on accessibility.

For myself, I’d like to do a promotion for Giving Tuesday, to help promote a plugin I manage called Ignition Deck, a self-hosted crowdfunding platform.

Pronouns. We all have them, although many of us don’t state explicitly. For myself, I’m a guy, a male. I don’t really think about that. I just am who I am. There are folks for whom that is not the case. There are people who are trans who struggle with this and are not afforded the same privilege.

Personally, I struggled with the need to do this challenge. I didn’t see this as a move that would help my business specifically and I felt like making this change would cause uncomfortable conversations with clients or potential clients. Really, what we’re doing is trying to normalize our pronouns for folks who are not gender-binary. It’s about being inclusive. Personally, inclusivity and community are important values for myself and my business. There’s no cost to me to put myself out there with my pronouns.

So your challenge is to consider placing your pronouns in your email signature. Remember, y’all, it’s an elective process and it should feel comfortable.

As always, don’t forget to leave us that gushy 5-star review on Apple Podcasts on Apple Podcasts. And remember, kids, keep it simple and most importantly Keep it Doable!

Photo pilfered from the Asana Blog.

The post Episode 052: Put Pronouns in Your Signature appeared first on Do Weekly Podcast.

We had a challenge last week. Did you do it? Do you remember what it was? I do, dear reader and podcast listener!

Last week we were supposed to create a separate user profile on your phone. But it turns out iOS users are not able to do this. Sorry iPhonies! =(

The idea here is to setup a separate phone profiles so that you keep your business stuff on one profile and personal stuff in the other profile.

Folks, this was hard. If you have an Android device, you noticed that to create a new profile you had to set up a whole new phone, like a factory reset. So this was a time-intensive challenge.

We’re curious to know whatcha got set up. Tell us!

Holidays. Special Days. These types of days are the sort that retailers have used, since the land before time, to peddle their goods and services. Did you know that December 4th is National Sock Day? Betcha didn’t. Go crazy!

Literally every single day/week/month there’s a special holiday like Pancake Day or something else weird, or heck small business day.

Get out there and create a snappy holiday-related event.

As always, don’t forget to leave us that gushy 5-star review on Apple Podcasts on Apple Podcasts. And remember, kids, keep it simple and most importantly Keep it Doable!

Photo by Neil Soni on Unsplash

The post Episode 051: Create a Holiday Promotion appeared first on Do Weekly Podcast.

Welcome back to another installment of the Do Weekly Podcast! We’re learning stuff again this week, y’all! “Learning what,” you ask? Maybe don’t tell people to burn in hell, especially if they’re your friend IRL. Oh and that reminds me, this week’s podcast is sponsored by “Never Burn Bridges” because you never know when you might need the help of someone you gravely insulted. Now, let’s get to our show notes!

We talked about stress management and doing something to take care of your mental health. Did you do the challenge?

Stress can do a number of things to our body and mind from vomiting, heart palpitations, hair loss and more. So make time for yourself.

If you’re stressed out, you’re not alone. Here’s a good thread on Reddit about the emotional toll of running a business.

Did you do it? We want to know! Tell us!!!

This one’s a little tricky but pretty cool. This week our challenge is to create a user profile on your smartphone just for personal use. No business apps!

Our phones are our primary means of doing business in today’s world. We’re always on our phones in some way or other and the usage is exacerbated when we’re also using it for business communications.

One of our friends, Nathan Tyler, mentioned that he has a personal user profile on his phone that has none of his business apps or accounts on it. He noted how it makes it easier to ‘turn off’ when he leaves his work for the day. Nat and I thought that would be a pretty darn good idea.

Note: This works great for Android users, since you can setup multiple users per device. However, iOS does NOT provide multiple user support at this time. So, iPhone and iPad users are out of luck in this challenge. The only work around is to buy another phone but who has the time or money for that? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

As always, don’t forget to leave us that gushy 5-star review on Apple Podcasts on Apple Podcasts. And remember, kids, keep it simple and most importantly Keep it Doable!

Photo by Neil Soni on Unsplash

The post Episode 050: Make a Personal Profile for Your Phone appeared first on Do Weekly Podcast.

Welcome back to another installment of the Do Weekly Podcast! We’re learning stuff again this week, y’all! “Learning what,” you ask? Maybe don’t tell people to burn in hell, especially if they’re your friend IRL. Oh and that reminds me, this week’s podcast is sponsored by “Never Burn Bridges” because you never know when you might need the help of someone you gravely insulted. Now, let’s get to our show notes!

Did you trademark your shit, people? Last week we challenged you to trademark your logo/mark or something specific to your business.

When you trademark your service/logo mark, you’re helping to protect your business from those who also may want to use the same mark or you can protect yourself from those who may wish to misrepresent your brand and/or product.

It’s not super cheap (usually $400+ USD) but I think it’s worth it. One thing to keep in mind is that you’re doing it for legal protection and, thus, are compelled to protect your mark should someone use it.

Natalie has a plan to set up her own mark fairly soon, once work stuff settles down.

I registered my trademark some time ago. It paid off when I had to reclaim my twitter brand account.

Did you do it? We want to know! Tell us!!!

Let’s talk about stress, people. Often, enthusiasm and motivation can drop-off over time. People burn out as stress builds because it’s so easy to ignore our health.

Your challenge is to schedule time to reduce stress. Put it on your calendar.

Yep, that’s it! What’s something you do that helps you blow off steam? Schedule that and stop putting yourself on the back burner, put yourself on the front burner. I run and I recently started doing some strength training. Each item helps me decompress and unload stress and do something constructive with that energy.

You have your marching orders so get right to it!

As always, don’t forget to leave us that gushy 5-star review on iTunes on Apple Podcasts. And remember, kids, keep it simple and most importantly Keep it Doable!

Photo by Tim Gouw on Unsplash

The post Episode 049: Reduce Your Stress appeared first on Do Weekly Podcast.

Welcome back to another installment of the Do Weekly Podcast! We’re learning stuff again this week, y’all! “Learning what,” you ask? Maybe don’t tell people to burn in hell, especially if they’re your friend IRL. Oh and that reminds me, this week’s podcast is sponsored by “Never Burn Bridges” because you never know when you might need the help of someone you gravely insulted. Now, let’s get to our show notes!

We talked about getting certified. Certifications help businesses and biz owners in a couple of ways. First, a certification is a formal acknowledgement of your skills and expertise in a given subject. Second, a certification can open up opportunities and possible leads to people seeking out those skills as well as provide lead generation from organizations that recognize people with those skills (think professional directory).

Natalie took some tests to become a certified accessibility professional. That certification will provide her access to a network and directory of professionals providing accessibility consulting services — it’s something she can add to her resume and to her LinkedIn profile etc. It provides her a boost in trustworthiness, too.

As for myself, I applied to become an ActiveCampaign Certified Consultant. It was a test I took that helped me get added to their professional consultants directory. It should also help with lead generation as well.

Trademark. Do you have one for your business? What even IS a trademark??

Trademark: a symbol, word, or words legally registered or established by use as representing a company or product.

Trademarks are important. For not too much money, you can register a trademark for your business name and logo imagery. It can help prevent other folks from using your name for their business.

Some years ago, early on in my business, I registered trademarks for my business and logo. I found a user on Twitter who was squatting on the username ‘DigiSavvy.’ I filed a trademark dispute with Twitter citing the user wasn’t using their account and misrepresenting the name. Within a few days I was awarded that account. That wouldn’t have been possible had I not filed a proper trademark.

One possible downside is that you are compelled to defend your trademark in the event it’s being used by another business. Meaning that you must file cease and desist letters and contact that business owner directly when you find a violation of your trademarks being used by other business entities.

As always, don’t forget to leave us that gushy 5-star review on iTunes on Apple Podcasts. And remember, kids, keep it simple and most importantly Keep it Doable!

Photo by Lukas Blazek on Unsplash

Random observation for the week: Many hands make light work. Don’t be afraid to ask for help or to let people know that you may be struggling.

The post Episode 048: Register Your Trademark appeared first on Do Weekly Podcast.

Howdy folks! We’re back again with another episode of the Do Weekly! Today we talk about how everyone dies (not really)! Lots of arguing and lots of other stuff as we thank our sponsor, Pantheon. So let’s get down to it as we share our stresses and more!

You’ll note this episode is a little on the late side. Sorry about that!

There was a challenge! That’s what this podcast is about after all! The challenge was to find a good fit with your business — a business that has synergy with your own. Specifically, find three businesses that aligns well with yours, where each business can provide value to one another.

I reached out to a friend who does design. We brainstormed a package that we could provide value to potential leads. We each do things that the other does not provide. We’ve discussed doing templated sites that incorporate best practices and tools and also design. So that seemed like a good idea. I also reached out to an SEO consultant to do the same thing.

Natalie recently pivoted her business to focus on accessibility. She reached out to a couple product companies who have a need to improve accessibility of their product offerings (one of which she ribbed at a competition). Natalie also has a couple of WordPress products with users that have diverse needs. And she has worked on coming up with offers that help her customer’s customers as well as boosting product sales.

So look for those opportunities to partner with your fellow business owner where your products and services intersect.

Getting Certified in your field of discipline and expertise. It lets people know that you have specific domain knowledge (skills, mastery).

If you excel at accessibility there are certifications for that, having one may net you more clients. Often specialized professionals have licenses or certifications. It inspires confidence. So think to yourself: Can my knowledge be monetized more with a formalized piece of recognition?

The first step: Look at your industry. Are there official certifications? If so consider going out and obtaining a certification.

What are specific skills that have professional associations. Do the enforce licensure or certification? If so, get on that!

As always, don’t forget to leave us that gushy 5-star review on iTunes or Apple Podcasts or whatever the fuck and what not. And remember, kids, keep it simple and most importantly Keep it Doable!

Photo by Lukas Blazek on Unsplash

Random observation for the week: Share the difficult things you’re doing with other folks. It can help brighten your mood.

The post Episode 047: Get Certified appeared first on Do Weekly Podcast.