OfficeHours.FM

By Carrie Dils

What's OfficeHours.FM about?

Each week I take you inside the virtual offices of my amazing guests, where we talk about WordPress and entrepreneurship. This interview-style show is both entertaining and informative.

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OfficeHours.FM episodes:

05.31.2018
Balancing Automation
Tonya Mork is the Founder of , with an impressive engineering background of 22 years building and leading teams in automating equipment and processes. In today’s episode, we discuss balancing automation and people, and measuring the cost of automation.
05.10.2018
Nailing Down Your Process
Brian Casel is the Founder of , a content marketing service that powers blogs from creation to publication, and host of . In today’s episode, we dive deep into the nitty-gritty details surrounding task breakdown and the level of detail...
05.03.2018
You Need to Segment Before You Can Automate
Chris Lema is the Vice President of products and innovation at the hosting company . He spends his time building out and . In this episode, we discuss how to segment your audience by their behaviors and interests, and...
04.26.2018
Personalizing Automation
Founder of Double Your Freelancing and co-founder of RightMessage, Brennan Dunn is a creator in the true sense of the word. From freelancing to running his own web development agency, to creating software, and consulting, he has a wealth of...
04.19.2018
Automation in a Development Workflow
Bill Erickson has been a Developer for 12 years, helping individuals, small businesses, and large companies build their sites. In today’s episode, we discuss all things code, from templates and automation to Bill’s perspective on time management.
04.12.2018
Building a Process, Episode 159
Chris Ford is the Project Manager for Reactiv Studios. She began her career as a classically trained graphic designer, but soon fell into web development and has been in the field for 20 years. In today’s episode, we discuss how...
04.05.2018
Leverage Automation for a Better Customer Experience, Episode 158
Jason Resnick, also known as online, is a web developer who specializes in helping ecommerce and online businesses boost their conversion rates. He also assists other freelancers in building a sustainable businesses. In today’s episode, we discuss how automation...
03.29.2018
What's your domino?
In today’s episode, Jeff Large shares why finding your domino can make your process more effective, advice that has inspired him, and why podcasting is not only powerful, but might be a key puzzle piece missing from your marketing strategy.
03.22.2018
What (and what not) to automate in your agency, Episode 156
Troy Dean of offers an interesting perspective on balancing automation with human creativity. In today’s episode, he shares what his years of experience of running a digital agency and online community have taught him about automation, business, relationships, and fatherhood.
03.14.2018
Automation in E-Commerce, Episode 155
Welcome to the kick-off of Season 5, focused on automation. Beka Rice is Head of Product at and has an obsession with all things automated. Today, we discuss why automation doesn’t have to be inhuman, how the order confirmation...
08.15.2017
Ongoing Client Services
08.08.2017
Project Plans, Episode 153
Diane Kinney and I continue our conversation on project management.
08.01.2017
Project Management Strategies
07.25.2017
Contracts that CYA with Karim Marucchi and Rian Kinney, Episode 151
On today’s episode, Carrie interviews Karim Marucchi and Rian Kinney about contracts and what to consider when you are preparing to work with a client.
07.17.2017
Proposals: Do you even need them?
07.11.2017
Project Scoping: Going Wide and Deep, Episode 149
On today's episode, Carrie is interviewing Troy Dean. This is Troy's second interview on . Troy and Carrie are discussing project scoping and putting your business in the best possible position with the client that will make you (and your client)...
06.27.2017
Jordon Rupp
Join me as indepdent web contract Jordan Rupp and I discuss what goes into a formalized discovery process for a web project.
06.27.2017
WooCommerce Price Changes - What They Mean for You
06.20.2017
Onboarding Clients for Success
In this episode, Carrie talks with Erin Flynn about Client Onboarding and how this process can be simplified by using templates and communicating regularly with your client.
06.13.2017
Growing Your Business through Contact Relationship Management, Episode 145
In this episode, Carrie and Heather talk about Contact Relationship Management (CRMs) and how that applies to a freelancer or small agency. The discussion covers when you get that customer in the door and launch the project all the way...
06.06.2017
Future-Proofing Your Business with Lead Generation & Specialization
In this podcast, Carrie interviews Brett Cohen CEO & co-founder of emagine, a digital agency located south of Boston, MA. Brett shares his insights of sales and marketing the “hard way” where there is no substitute for calling and meeting people face to...
04.14.2017
After Hours, Episode 143
03.27.2017
The Client Whisperer, Episode 142
What we talked about Managing expectations from the very first interaction with a client Taking ownership of every aspect of a project Addressing "issues" immediately (no festering) Adversarial relationship toward customers Handling hard conversations (and keeping the emotion out)...
03.20.2017
Scaling Your Freelance Business, Episode 141
What we talked about Using a business plan to decide what services you'll offer and what you won't Before choosing your ideal customer, you need to have customers to choose from :) When it's time to grow a team...
03.13.2017
Freelancing Like a Pro, Episode 140
What we talked about The process of developing a customer niche Just because you gear marketing toward your niche doesn't mean you can't serve others The three-level marketing strategy How to get a client ASAP Building confidence in yourself...
03.10.2017
After Office Hours, Episode 139
Solving all the problems.
03.06.2017
Leading, Empowering, and Inspiring
What we talked about The origins of managed WordPress hosting Serving a niche in a crowded space Find your differentiators that set you apart from the competition Empowering others (teammates) to make decisions and take responsibility for the outcome...
02.27.2017
Tailoring Your Marketing Message, Episode 137
What we talked about Going from solo owner/operator to a partnership Accountability in a partnership Inbound marketing Engaging with your site visitors Serving up content based on who's looking How to get someone into your marketing funnel
02.20.2017
Email Marketing and Automation
Marketing is simply building trust and empathy with a group of people by talking to them. - Paul Jarvis What we talked about Email marketing as two-way communication We hate marketing because we don't understand it Alienate most...
02.13.2017
A Freelancer Helping Freelancers
What We Talked About Freelancing "back in the day" Turning a passion into a revenue stream Opportunities to systematize repetitive tasks Opportunities to upsell clients (while offering great value) Quarterly "temperature" calls Defining your ideal client (and evolving that...
02.06.2017
Stretch Goals and the Power of Live Events, Episode 134
What we talked about Setting financial stretch goals (and achieving them) The power of saying your goals "out loud" Investing in your business Serving a micro-niche vs a general client base (and how that can help with content strategy)...
02.03.2017
After Office Hours, Episode 133
01.30.2017
Write On, Episode 132
What we talked about Getting out from behind the computer and meeting folk Expressing yourself through content Having a professional online persona Getting into the habit of writing with directive journaling v Brainstorming content Promoting your content (and others)
01.23.2017
An Epic Rant on Being Different in a Crowded Space
What we talked about Being different in a crowded space Internalizing what others are doing and then innovating on it Copying someone's motivation vs copying someone's results Be the freelancer that answers the phone! If your offer isn't interesting...
01.16.2017
Content Marketing is for Everyone, Episode 130
What we talked about How to do your own content marketing by making a brand plan What to do if you started blogging before you had a brand plan The backstory behind Pamela's new book, Master Content Marketing Writing...
01.09.2017
The Art of Account Management, Episode 129
What we talked about You will never get the complete story from an email or a Slack message. - Karim Marucchi Account management for small agencies and freelancers Using account management as business development Differences between an...
01.06.2017
After Office Hours, Episode 128
01.02.2017
Zen and the art of mental health maintenance, Episode 127
What we talked about The isolation and anxiety many freelancers feel Online relationships vs real-world friends How to make connections online Being your true self online without oversharing Active listening Mental health maintenance How to find the right therapist...
12.26.2016
Serving a vertical niche, Episode 126
What we talked about Benefits and challenges of serving a specific vertical niche Custom theme builds vs commercial Differentiating yourself in a crowded market Sustainable pricing Consolidation/tightening of the WordPress ecosystem Improving the "WordPress experience"
12.15.2016
Working with local clients and creating appetizing revenue
What we talked about Educating prospective clients The unique challenge of offering services in a small community Preparing for seasonality (the lows and highs) Working locally (vs digitally) Goal setting Building monthly recurring client revenue
12.12.2016
Episode 124 with Gordan Orlic
What we talked about White-labeling plugins Terrible plugin ideas GPL & software licensing A Black Friday rant about Envato Sustainable product sales The WordPress community outside the US
12.09.2016
After Office Hours, Episode 123
What we talked about WordCamp US and the Patheon drama GoDaddy's year of acquisitions and partnerships LoopConf in 2017 WordPress 4.7 & REST API What's up with Calypso? Do we need to learn JavaScript deeply? Backend vs Front-end developers...
12.05.2016
All the Things, Episode 122 with Chris Coyier
11.28.2016
Episode 121 with Cody Landefeld
11.21.2016
Engineering WordPress, Episode 120
11.14.2016
A Web Agency That's Happy Staying Small, Episode 119
Here's some of what we talked about: Working in a partnership Serving a niche audience Vetting clients Maintenance plans Design inspiration
11.06.2016
Startups & Entrepreneurship, Episode 118
11.04.2016
After OfficeHours, Episode 117
Season 3 of OfficeHours.FM is here! My panel of guests includes Rebecca Gill, Diane Kinney, and Matt Medeiros. Sometimes irreverent, sometimes serious, we cover the WIX GPL debate, subscription-based business models, and the impact of the REST API on businesses.
08.26.2016
WordPress and Ecommerce, Episode 116
This week I’ve got Beka Rice, Operations Manager for SkyVerge, Leading Contributor at Sell with WP, and Content Manager for Shop Storm. Somehow she manages to have free time and in that free time she’s traveling the world with her...
08.19.2016
Bending Words to Your Will
Travis VandeNoord

What's OfficeHours.FM about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

OfficeHours.FM episodes:

Balancing Automation

Nailing Down Your Process

You Need to Segment Before You Can Automate

Personalizing Automation

Automation in a Development Workflow

Building a Process, Episode 159

Leverage Automation for a Better Customer Experience, Episode 158

What's your domino?

What (and what not) to automate in your agency, Episode 156

Automation in E-Commerce, Episode 155

Ongoing Client Services

Project Plans, Episode 153

Project Management Strategies

Contracts that CYA with Karim Marucchi and Rian Kinney, Episode 151

Proposals: Do you even need them?

Project Scoping: Going Wide and Deep, Episode 149

Jordon Rupp

WooCommerce Price Changes - What They Mean for You

Onboarding Clients for Success

Growing Your Business through Contact Relationship Management, Episode 145

Future-Proofing Your Business with Lead Generation & Specialization

After Hours, Episode 143

The Client Whisperer, Episode 142

Scaling Your Freelance Business, Episode 141

Freelancing Like a Pro, Episode 140

After Office Hours, Episode 139

Leading, Empowering, and Inspiring

Tailoring Your Marketing Message, Episode 137

Email Marketing and Automation

A Freelancer Helping Freelancers

Stretch Goals and the Power of Live Events, Episode 134

After Office Hours, Episode 133

Write On, Episode 132

An Epic Rant on Being Different in a Crowded Space

Content Marketing is for Everyone, Episode 130

The Art of Account Management, Episode 129

After Office Hours, Episode 128

Zen and the art of mental health maintenance, Episode 127

Serving a vertical niche, Episode 126

Working with local clients and creating appetizing revenue

Episode 124 with Gordan Orlic

After Office Hours, Episode 123

All the Things, Episode 122 with Chris Coyier

Episode 121 with Cody Landefeld

Engineering WordPress, Episode 120

A Web Agency That's Happy Staying Small, Episode 119

Startups & Entrepreneurship, Episode 118

After OfficeHours, Episode 117

WordPress and Ecommerce, Episode 116

Bending Words to Your Will