Streamlined Solopreneur: Easy Productivity & Tech Systems for Solopreneurs

By Joe Casabona, Productivity & Tech Coach for SolopreneursBusiness Entrepreneurship Technology

Streamlined Solopreneur: Easy Productivity & Tech Systems for Solopreneurs episodes

October 31, 2022Creating YouTube Content for the Viewer (and not the Algorithm) with Hannah Smolinski
We must make content to serve the almighty algorithm to make money on YouTube, right? Wrong! Over the last couple of weeks, you’ve heard from creators who are doing a video that works for them — and today’s guest is no different. Hannah Smolinski is a Fractional CFO who grew her YouTube channel to 38,000 subscribers and doesn’t pay attention to analytics. Instead, she answers questions her target audience has, is generous with her time and her knowledge, and knows it’s all about the long game, not getting rich quickly.
Top Takeaways:
Don’t make money for Adsense. It’s too unpredictable. Instead, create good content and get people to know, like, and trust you.
Doing videos on free resources helps get people onto your list. From there, you can continue to provide value, promote new videos, and form relationships with potential customers.
The beautiful thing about consulting and YouTube: it allows people to really warm up to you. Hannah says most of her calls are with people who are already ready to hire her thanks to YouTube.
Show Notes:
Hannah Smolinski
Hannah on YouTube
Hannah on Facebook
Hannah on Instagram
Hannah on Linkedin
Hannah on Tiktok
Join the Creator Crew
Sponsored by: Nexcess | Ahrefs | LearnDash
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Streamlined Solopreneur helps solopreneurs stop doing it all themselves, with simple systems that give them their time back.
Each week, Joe Casabona shares one practical idea — a system, tool, or strategy to help you get your time back without having to make another decision, hire employees, or sell your soul to AI.

Looking for a place to start? Take the Solo Systems Starter Quiz. 60 seconds, 8 questions, and I will tell you what system you should build first, and exactly how to build it (so YOU don't need to make another decision). https://streamlined.fm/quiz

Connect with Joe on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jcasabona/
49 min
October 24, 2022Why Gear Doesn’t Matter as Much as You Think it Does with Dan Bennett
It’s easy to think your content will get better if you just have the right gear. Alas, a $1000 camera can’t save you if you’re not spending time on the content. But that doesn’t mean you can’t look and sound good. So today brought in Dan Bennett, who’s built his business on making people look and sound great on camera. Spoiler alert: This almost never results in buying new gear. Instead, we talk about small tweaks you can make. Then we talk about the growing importance of videos for podcasting.
Top Takeaways:
Audio is king. If you can only upgrade one thing, make it audio. And remember that you don’t need the top-of-the-line mic. In fact, you can sound great on a $40 mic if you have the right technique and environment.
Looking good doesn’t require an expensive camera. Lighting is a big part of it - get a few white lights and position them properly to give yourself the best possible picture for your camera to capture. Oh, and a little makeup to reduce your face shine goes a long way too.
But really, it’s about story-telling and getting your reps in. You can’t make a good video if you don’t make video. So use the best of what you have and start recording!
Show Notes:
Dan Bennett on Antipreneur
Dan Bennett on 1 Minute Media
Dan's Website
Sony a6400 video
Blue Yeti
Riverside
Envato Elements
Motionarray
The Secret to Finding Yourself
Join the Creator Crew
Sponsored by: Nexcess | TextExpander | LearnDash
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Streamlined Solopreneur helps solopreneurs stop doing it all themselves, with simple systems that give them their time back.
Each week, Joe Casabona shares one practical idea — a system, tool, or strategy to help you get your time back without having to make another decision, hire employees, or sell your soul to AI.

Looking for a place to start? Take the Solo Systems Starter Quiz. 60 seconds, 8 questions, and I will tell you what system you should build first, and exactly how to build it (so YOU don't need to make another decision). https://streamlined.fm/quiz

Connect with Joe on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jcasabona/
1 hr 6 min
October 17, 2022The Most Important Thing You Can Do as a Creator with Marie Poulin
If you’ve been listening for a while, you’ve heard this lesson 100 times: ship with what you have. Ship what you have. In other words, don’t waste time looking for the perfect tool or process. Instead, ship quickly and iterate. And no one embodies this credo better than Marie Poulin. As one of the best Notion instructors out there, Marie has illustrated time and time again that shipping early and iterating leads to success. We chat about how she uses Notion from delivering her course, gets feedback earlier, and leverages YouTube to grow her audience and make sales…around 90% of her sales come from there! Plus, in Build Something More, We chat about my potential switch from Airtable to Notion.
Top Takeaways:
Delivering her Notion course in Notion allows her to launch her course quickly without fussing with so many tools and allows her students a quick win by forcing them to log into Notion.
Feedback is SO important. Too many people are afraid of it, but it will ultimately save you time and make your product better in the long run.
Ship and iterate. Launching something imperfect is better than not shipping.
Show Notes:
Marie Poulin
Marie on Twitter
Marie on Instagram
Marie on Linkedin
Notion Skincare Thread
You Need to Form Good Writing Habits with Dickie Bush
Building a Second Brain
Join the Creator Crew
Sponsored by: Nexcess | Ahrefs | LearnDash
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Streamlined Solopreneur helps solopreneurs stop doing it all themselves, with simple systems that give them their time back.
Each week, Joe Casabona shares one practical idea — a system, tool, or strategy to help you get your time back without having to make another decision, hire employees, or sell your soul to AI.

Looking for a place to start? Take the Solo Systems Starter Quiz. 60 seconds, 8 questions, and I will tell you what system you should build first, and exactly how to build it (so YOU don't need to make another decision). https://streamlined.fm/quiz

Connect with Joe on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jcasabona/
59 min
October 10, 2022How to Get Published in the New York Times with Stephanie Lee
How do you get the NY Times (or the WSJ) to publish your article? Do you just email them and hope for the best? Well…you can, but according to Stephanie Lee, you shouldn’t. See, Stephanie is a media strategist who’s been published in the NY Times, and has gotten her clients into publications like Entrepreneur…through cold pitching! She says the important thing for you is to build clout markers to show you are trustworthy. And today, she walks us through how to do that using her Slingshot method. Plus, we answer the question, “Will PR outreach make me rich?” In an extra long build something more, we chat conferences, World of Warcraft, and…Scranton? Like from The Office?
Top Takeaways:
Most people ignore this fundamental thing about the media: they work with people they can trust. Just like we buy from companies and brands we trust, the media needs to know you really know what you’re talking about. They are staking their reputation on it.
You can build up trust by following the slingshot method. Don’t go for the NY Times at first. That’s like trying to pitch in the World Series. Instead, start with a trustworthy industry blog and build from there.
When you are ready to pitch, do come out with the ask right away. Read an article and send a compliment. Open a dialog, then pitch what your article is about and why it’s important to write about today.
Bonus: this, like everything good in life, takes time.
Show Notes:
Stephanie Lee
Stephanie on Twitter
Join the Creator Crew
Sponsored by: Nexcess | LearnDash
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Streamlined Solopreneur helps solopreneurs stop doing it all themselves, with simple systems that give them their time back.
Each week, Joe Casabona shares one practical idea — a system, tool, or strategy to help you get your time back without having to make another decision, hire employees, or sell your soul to AI.

Looking for a place to start? Take the Solo Systems Starter Quiz. 60 seconds, 8 questions, and I will tell you what system you should build first, and exactly how to build it (so YOU don't need to make another decision). https://streamlined.fm/quiz

Connect with Joe on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jcasabona/
52 min
October 03, 2022The RIGHT Way to Pitch Sponsors for Your Content with Justin Moore
Most brands don’t care about your numbers! It’s true, and I’m not the only one who thinks so. Justin Moore knows a thing about brand deals. He’s done 500 himself, and over 1,000 through his agency. Today he teaches creators how to get paid brand deals through his cohort-based course, Brand Deal Wizard. And in today’s episode, we cover a lot, but it’s just the tip of the iceberg.
Top Takeaways
You need to be able to articulate why brands should pay you — and it’s not just about your numbers. Most brands want to pay me for access to your audience.
There’s tremendous power for brands to be aligned with key voices in their industry.
Don’t just put brands in a box that is your pre-defined offers. Get on a call (YES — get on a call), ask them what their goals are, and come up with offers that align with what they need.
Show Notes
Justin on Twitter
Creator Wizard on YouTube
Brand Deal Wizard (Justin's Cohort-based Course)
Creator Wizard Newsletter
Don't be a Jealous Creator
Join Creator Crew
Sponsored by: Nexcess | LearnDash
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Streamlined Solopreneur helps solopreneurs stop doing it all themselves, with simple systems that give them their time back.
Each week, Joe Casabona shares one practical idea — a system, tool, or strategy to help you get your time back without having to make another decision, hire employees, or sell your soul to AI.

Looking for a place to start? Take the Solo Systems Starter Quiz. 60 seconds, 8 questions, and I will tell you what system you should build first, and exactly how to build it (so YOU don't need to make another decision). https://streamlined.fm/quiz

Connect with Joe on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jcasabona/
1 hr 2 min
September 26, 2022Want to Grow Your Business? Stop Using Someone Else’s Playbook with Cara Chace
Starting a business has never been easier. We can now sign up for a free ConvertKit account, get a nice-looking landing page, and even start selling products in mere minutes. Because of that, it can be tempting to jump into “making” the business without thinking about why your business exists. According to Cara Chace, that is a recipe for disaster. Listen on to learn why. Plus, in Build Something More, Cara tells us about her previous career as a special agent.
Top Takeaways
You need to define why you’re doing what you’re doing. This will be the guide for your decision-making. And here’s an important tip: define success in a metric other than money.
When you feel like you’re in the “messy middle” and don’t know what to do, create a brain dump of everything you’re doing in your business. Keep what you need and eliminate the rest. It helps to ask, “Would the CEO of my company be doing that 10 years from now?”
Don’t rely on someone else’s playbook for your own business because they usually have a WOW factor that you don’t have yet.
Show Notes:
Cara Chase
Cara on Instagram
Cara on Pinterest
How You Can Do $10,000/Hr Work
Join the Creator Crew
Sponsored by: Nexcess | TextExpander | LearnDash
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Streamlined Solopreneur helps solopreneurs stop doing it all themselves, with simple systems that give them their time back.
Each week, Joe Casabona shares one practical idea — a system, tool, or strategy to help you get your time back without having to make another decision, hire employees, or sell your soul to AI.

Looking for a place to start? Take the Solo Systems Starter Quiz. 60 seconds, 8 questions, and I will tell you what system you should build first, and exactly how to build it (so YOU don't need to make another decision). https://streamlined.fm/quiz

Connect with Joe on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jcasabona/
45 min
September 19, 2022Define Your Business’s Values to Prevent Burnout with Shante Cofield
“Get a real job.” “If you’re going to start a business, you need to grow.” “Hustle.” If you’re starting a business, you’ve probably heard this “advice.” You’ve also probably heard that you need to do exactly what someone else did. But all of that is poison to our creator businesses. And Dr. Shante Cofield has the antidote: Moar You. If you want to know the importance of values-based marketing, how to be vulnerable enough to grow, and the seasonality of life, this episode is for you. My conversation with Shante is real — and it’s important for anyone who works for themselves to hear.
Top Takeaways:
On imposter syndrome: We need to get objective and trust the data. It’s easy to get down on yourself, not want to brag and feel like you’re not the real deal. But you need to listen to what people are telling you. If you help them, you are helpful.
It’s easy to want to talk implementation of your new business or content because that’s concrete. But you need to define your values first. Without values, you are directionless.
On values: value-based marketing is not shouting your opinion on Twitter. Values are verbs. They are things you do, vs. the things they say. They are how you build your best life, and they need to be at the core of your business.
Show Notes:
Shante Cofield
Shante on Instagram
The Bridge Framework by Chris Lema
Join the Creator Crew
Sponsored by: Nexcess | LearnDash
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Streamlined Solopreneur helps solopreneurs stop doing it all themselves, with simple systems that give them their time back.
Each week, Joe Casabona shares one practical idea — a system, tool, or strategy to help you get your time back without having to make another decision, hire employees, or sell your soul to AI.

Looking for a place to start? Take the Solo Systems Starter Quiz. 60 seconds, 8 questions, and I will tell you what system you should build first, and exactly how to build it (so YOU don't need to make another decision). https://streamlined.fm/quiz

Connect with Joe on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jcasabona/
48 min
September 12, 2022Creating Sponsorable Content with Melanie Deziel
Perhaps it’s fitting that today’s interview is a play in 3 acts. After all, I’m talking to Melanie Deziel, speaker, author, and founder of Story Fuel. It makes sense that we talk about creating good content in 3 acts: idea generation, brand deals, and coming up with headlines. This discussion is completely packed with fantastic advice to help up your content creation game.
Top Takeaways:
When it comes to content, we often focus too much on the format, and not the actual message. instead, determine what you’re saying first. Then figure out how to best say it. The “how” drives the format and where you’ll publish.
Brand-sponsored content is being created in collaboration with or on behalf of a brand that wouldn’t be created otherwise. They are leveraging your trust, so find overlap between what the brand wants to say and what your audience wants to hear.
When writing headlines, remember they are a formula. Ask “What’s the purpose of this headline,” or put differently: what is this content doing? That should help you determine the type of headline to write.
Show Notes:
Melanie Deziel
Melanie on Linkedin
Melanie on Twitter
Melanie on YouTube
Melanie on Instagram
Say it Again: Your Business NEEDS to be on TikTok with Alex Rossman
Join the Creator Crew
Sponsored by: Nexcess | LearnDash
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Streamlined Solopreneur helps solopreneurs stop doing it all themselves, with simple systems that give them their time back.
Each week, Joe Casabona shares one practical idea — a system, tool, or strategy to help you get your time back without having to make another decision, hire employees, or sell your soul to AI.

Looking for a place to start? Take the Solo Systems Starter Quiz. 60 seconds, 8 questions, and I will tell you what system you should build first, and exactly how to build it (so YOU don't need to make another decision). https://streamlined.fm/quiz

Connect with Joe on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jcasabona/
1 hr 1 min
September 05, 2022Building a Niche Podcast and Newsletter Through Free Content with Jeff Utecht
Imagine being perfectly positioned to deal with the pandemic from a k-12 school's standpoint. That’s Jeff Utecht. Instead of just being in the K12 space, he specializes in technology implementation for K12 schools. But he didn’t just fall into that. He spends years building a brand, understanding his audience, and giving away content. How has that helped him? Listen to find out! Plus, we get deep into education during the pandemic in Build Something More.
Top Takeaways:
You create great content by understanding your niche and your audience. Jeff and his team know what their audience is asking, and created content to answer those questions.
Their podcast is a big piece of their sales funnel. Every time they put out a free guide, they do a podcast episode and encourage people to download the guide, which requires an email list. As a result, they have a great list to sell directly to (as well as continue to provide free value).
If you’re going to leverage social media, make sure to be where your audience is, and further, find the right hashtags people are following. Doing that allows you to target the right people and grow your audience!
Show Notes:
Jeff Utecht
Jeff on Twitter
Jeff on Linkedin
Jeff on Instagram
Jeff on YouTube
Jeff on Facebook
Shifting Schools Podcast
Building in Canva
Creating Better Online Courses (That You can Charge More for) with Wes Kao
Learning Management and WordPress: LifterLMS with Chris Badgett
Join the Creator Crew
Sponsored by: Nexcess | LearnDash
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Streamlined Solopreneur helps solopreneurs stop doing it all themselves, with simple systems that give them their time back.
Each week, Joe Casabona shares one practical idea — a system, tool, or strategy to help you get your time back without having to make another decision, hire employees, or sell your soul to AI.

Looking for a place to start? Take the Solo Systems Starter Quiz. 60 seconds, 8 questions, and I will tell you what system you should build first, and exactly how to build it (so YOU don't need to make another decision). https://streamlined.fm/quiz

Connect with Joe on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jcasabona/
55 min
August 29, 2022My Failed Attempt at Building a Community
When I was in college, building a community felt pretty easy. Have some event, get free food, people come, people talk. Maybe they will bring some of their friends. This happened all the time – campus events, weekends at the bar, over the summer. So I thought building a community online would be similar. Easier even! There are no geographic boundaries. I would just invite people to come to my community, and they'd go and hang out.
But that didn't happen. In fact, my community was a baron wasteland. And in July, I decided to shut down that aspect of my membership. So what went wrong? Well, I think there were a few reasons...and that's what we'll talk about in today's episode.
Top Takeaways:
Think about community as you start a new endeavor. I thought about mine too late and most of my students were already done with my content and had no reason to come back.
You need to help your members with the habit of going to your community every day. You can do that by doing more events, or even having content exclusive to your community platform.
It’s up to you to drive the community. People won’t just go to an online community and start conversations at the beginning.
Show Notes:
SPI 603: The Secret to Building the Best Community Online with Drew Dillon
Circle
Join the Creator Crew
Sponsored by: Moft | Nexcess | LearnDash
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Streamlined Solopreneur helps solopreneurs stop doing it all themselves, with simple systems that give them their time back.
Each week, Joe Casabona shares one practical idea — a system, tool, or strategy to help you get your time back without having to make another decision, hire employees, or sell your soul to AI.

Looking for a place to start? Take the Solo Systems Starter Quiz. 60 seconds, 8 questions, and I will tell you what system you should build first, and exactly how to build it (so YOU don't need to make another decision). https://streamlined.fm/quiz

Connect with Joe on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jcasabona/
29 min