02:51 - James has read a lot of books, and ranks Sue Rice’s Tiny Thunder among the really good ones.

05:29 - You can only tell your brand’s story so many times. But there are endless other stories you can tell.

10:27 - The hero’s journey gets old. Little story snippets can be much more effective in marketing.

12:41 - Forget about the nitty gritty. People want to know where you can take them.

15:57 - When you tell the right stories, prospects relate to you on a much higher level.

18:19 - The market is flooded with cut-and-paste templates that win nobody over.

20:34 - Sue Rice’s method of using stories not only works, it’s actually fun for you and your audience.

23:11 - The big names have used storytelling for ages, and shaped public thinking with their content.

26:29 - You do not have to talk only about your product to get the sales.

31:22 - What is a metaphor, and how is it different from an analogy? Sue explains.

34:46 - Is it really, really bad to use cliches?

39:21 - Speaking to emotion is not light marketing. Here’s why.

00:57 - For James, 2022 was a year of breakthroughs in surfing and in business.

03:25 - Travel was once again possible last year, and James took full advantage.

04:05 - Household and health improvements were also in order in 2022.

05:35 - James took a rest from recording, but the James Schramko podcast powered on.

06:48 - And the team’s cracked the formula on social media, which has been exciting.

08:12 - Podcasting was huge in 2022, and Charley Valher gave us the benefit of his knowledge on the best podcast tools. 

09:19 - How do you make seven figures as a freelancer? Will Wang let us in on his trade secrets.

09:59 - When COVID struck, Brendan Elias took to Zoom, and shared with us how to host a successful virtual event.

11:29 - With all the noise and competition in the market, you need a good offer - a Holy Grail offer, which Kenneth Yu is a master of.

12:20 - A launch campaign may be easier than you think. John Lint and James discuss.

13:16 - Zero to 100K in just nine months? Nils Vinje did it, and revealed how in Episode 890.

14:46 - When conversations get heated, Mark Joyner knows how to keep his cool, and teaches other people his methods.

16:34 - SuperFastBusiness was a good thing, but James had something better in mind. In episode 927, he explains his drastic decision to delete SFB.

18:34 - Is video podcasting really better than audio? Charley Valher discusses why it’s worth the extra effort.

19:25 - Dr. Justin Sung struck the biggest chord with our audience, on his missio

01:17 - If you’re always thinking for yourself and for your team, you’re not alone.

03:56 - When James couldn’t get a VA from India, someone suggested the Philippines. The rest is history.

07:45 - How do you train your team so they’re not afraid to challenge you?

12:52 - Lloyd uses a simple framework to coach an independent team.

19:19 - It’s important to teach your team failure is okay, and to reward positive behavior when it happens.

23:33 - Here’s how to train your employees according to their situation.

25:24 - How is 10-pin bowling the perfect metaphor for team management?

29:54 - A lot of visionaries behave in ways their team members can’t understand or relate to.

31:14 - If you’re not being the person you want your team to model, you are the problem behind a lot of poor behavior.

35:59 - Have you’ve done the subconscious and the conscious coaching with no result? this is what Lloyd recommends.

38:21 - This is where hiring a Director of Operations may be in order.

01:28 - When Chris and partner went full-time on their business, success came almost overnight.

03:08 - James can remember scaling his own business, first larger, then purposely smaller.

04:33 - Where did Chris go from hitting the six-figure month?

06:01 - When you don’t enjoy or excel at something, the solution is getting someone who does.

06:57 - Just because you can grow doesn’t mean you should.

08:05 - A lot of people wanting big revenue don’t consider the responsibility it entails.

10:38 - Chris came to a point where he had to redefine success, and choose between self care and burnout.

13:24 - You have a lot more control over your life than you may realize.

16:04 - Deciding where your true happiness is, and then getting there, is a process.

20:47 - When Chris decided he was stepping down, he naturally had to break the news to his team.

21:38 - Here’s what backing away from the high growth business did for Chris…

25:25 - When you make such a drastic step, do you have to change your alter ego?

27:26 - Kids completely change mindset in the business game.

28:57 - If you’re in a growth phase, it pays to have a mindset coach, or at the very least, boundaries.

31:50 - It took a while, but Chris managed to step away from his high-pressure situation.

35:57 - This episode could be quite important for someone dealing with burnout at work

03:27 - To illustrate how great Kleq is, James looks at the past and probable future of his community.

05:43 - An app for your business gives great usability to a membership, as James and John discuss.

10:56 - You can achieve engagement and retention without a social media platform - here’s how.

13:49 - Effective decisions aren’t based on opinion or emotion but on actual data.

15:29 - Pod coaching and a power wall, for masterminding and private coaching, add new levels of value to a revamped membership.

17:50 - Here’s what James and John bring to the membership game…

19:37 - There’s lots to benefit from when you use Kleq as your membership site builder.

01:09 - Gert has a way of approaching SEO that differs from the norm, and people respond to it.

03:54 - A lot of people have a common story when they go to Gert for help.

06:17 - When a client’s no stranger to SEO, is it better to work with what they have, or start fresh?

07:46 - After gaining the client’s trust and arranging an audit, what comes next?

10:52 - Knowing what needs to happen with your SEO, the best way to achieve it is by working backwards.

13:37 - When things are going well, that’s when you should keep the momentum going.

14:53 - Is knowing what Google wants a sort of magical power? Gert demystifies.

16:38 - When the tools ask you to nominate your own keywords, do you know what to put?

17:40 - How did Gert’s client respond to the great results he got?

19:06 - SEO Leverage does much more for its clients than just get them links.

22:17 - Some people want to redesign their site before SEO - this is where a lot can go wrong.

25:22 - Where do you really want to be in the search results?

27:54 - Gert’s working relationship with James’s team goes back, and everyone agrees it’s a good one.

Will’s client and the subject of this case study was bowled over by the results he got in just 30 days. [01:38]

Knowing what you do well is key to success, and Will Wang helps people with that. [04:21]

Different clients have different reactions to Will’s initial analysis. [07:25]

A business is like a bucket - you have to fix the leaks before you can profit. [08:36]

Many business owners aren’t charging enough for the value they deliver. [10:32]

Once you’ve got a sound value proposition, you can raise your prices across the board. [12:50]

With a good sales offer and rewarding rates, the next goal is increasing business. For this, you need a channel like cold email outreach. [14:35]

A great offer should convert well - that doesn’t mean it needs no help. [17:38]

Drastic changes can trigger strong emotions. [18:40]

Are setters and closers worth hiring? Will shares what he knows. [20:45]

If you want to grow your online business, you need to enable your team accordingly. [24:10]

The episode wraps up with words from Will… [27:36]

After many years in service, James’s membership was in serious need of declutter. [01:27]

When you have years’ worth of content, you have to answer the tough questions of what to keep and what to let go. [03:53]

Kleq meant a new membership platform, a new system of organization, a new way of doing things. [05:15]

Different people have different wants and needs, and the fact is online membership platforms can’t cater to them all. [06:59]

There will be things membership portals can and can’t do, and it’s important to determine what features are worth having. [09:54]

At time of recording, this is where the migration process is at. [11:56]

Here’s what members can expect in the new setup, and what won’t be there. [13:26]

This is what higher tier subscribers get… [18:38]

James’s platform migration plan has kept him and his team busy. [21:54]

Starting fresh can be a major challenge, but so worth it. [25:21]

As a membership site builder, Kleq puts more features at your disposal than you know what you do with - great scope for growth. [28:41]

The migration has James more excited than he’s ever been in his time online. [32:38]

How high a level of task can you entrust when you hire a Filipino? Pretty high, says James. [02:17]

As far as overseeing, there’s not much difference between a virtual assistant from the Philippines and a Western VA. [05:08]

Depending on where your team member is, weather and infrastructure may be a concern. [06:58]

There’s an idea that Filipinos lack critical thinking. How true is this? [10:33]

Can you find a VA with specific industry experience? [12:56]

These are do-not-hire warning signs… [16:38]

There are some things you generally wouldn’t look to hire a VA for. [20:15]

What’s the biggest difference between a Filipino VA and a Western hire? [21:24]

The advantages of a service-based culture… [22:36]

Is your business ready to hire Filipino workers? What kind of employee skills training should you provide? [25:11]

Sometimes, you have to let someone go. How do you do it without feeling bad? [27:50]

It’s important to establish the expectations you and your new employee have of each other. [32:34]

With so much being done online, data breach is a genuine concern. Here are some safeguards you can implement. [33:34]

How do you pay employees legally from the Philippines? [36:35]

How much bandwidth can you expect from a VA? These are the factors that affect that… [39:12]

The Philippines has a lot of holidays, and James suggests you let your team observe them. [41:15]

If you think you can hire someone part time to do everything in your business, you’d better do some rethinking. [42:35]

Sustainability is key when it comes to performance, not max efficiency. [44:05]

How competitive is it to get good VAs? And how do you catch and keep the good ones? [46:24]

Make it easy for your team members by copping the exchange rate on their salary. [48:21]

What’s the best way to qualify a candidate for skill? [49:38]

Here’s how high on average a salary runs… [51:04]

Why not just hire from your home turf? [53:44]

Filipinos can work with Western hires - here’s how to integrate them. [55:49]

You can get better applicants for a job by doing this… [57:36]

Counterintuitive as it sounds, you’ll achieve more when you simplify your business. [03:31]

The right business model is key to hitting your 100K per month revenue goals. [13:10]

Three things have made it possible for James to make his current income. [15:06]

How to make 100k in a month? It doesn’t take an elaborate plan. [23:48]

What can you offer that will deliver real value for your client? [37:47]

You need a traffic channel you can lean heavily into and sustain. [44:32]

If you want to be around for the long haul, you need to innovate. [51:58]

You won’t get much done with a dull axe. Make sure to have whitespace at work. [55:44]

A great many business owners could use more fun in their lives. [59:22]

When you can buy other people’s time, that is massive leverage. [1:01:58]

You know how to make 100K a month online - now let the money work for you. [1:06:24]