In today’s episode, Ryan Johnson, shares one of his weaknesses in growing his business - having a strong social media presence. He shares with us the importance of having a social media presence and why it matters to your business.  

These days, most of your customers can be found on various social channels, so you need to be able to be found wherever they are. Additionally, your competition is there. So if you're not there, you’re missing the boat.

Moreover, having your business on social media platforms increases your exposure to new business, while also building your authority in your niche. Finally, social media is an effective way to drive traffic back to your website as well as promote your products and services.

“With all those benefits, you’d think that it would be a priority for most of us as business owners. But the fact is, it’s not. And I’m guilty of this as well.” - Ryan S. Johnson

A business owner must have strategy, consistency, and purpose for their business to get results on social media. Missing any of those will typically result in your efforts falling short. 

“Starting from scratch, I’m going to create a game plan to set up my company social platforms properly, provide engaging content, build an audience, and start attracting an audience and building authority.” - Ryan S. Johnson

In line with this, Ryan announces a 30-day hiatus of the podcast to make way for implementing his social media growth plan.

“When I return, I promise I’ll share all the details - what worked, what didn’t work, and the easiest way for you to build your social media presence for your business.” - Ryan S. Johnson

If you want to be on this social media journey with Ryan to see what we’re doing, follow us on Instagram and Facebook. Our social media handle is @homepreneurinc. You can also search for Homepreneur Inc on Linkedin.

Our favorite part of recording a live podcast each week is participating in the great conversations that happen in our comments section. Feel free to drop your thoughts, questions, and suggestions in our social media accounts or email us:

Facebook: @homepreneurinc

Instagram: @homepreneurinc

Email: [email protected]

www.successmadefromhome.com

In today’s show we wrap up our series on how to effectively use virtual assistants (VAs) as a busy entrepreneur. Ryan dives into his top 3 secrets to hiring, training and managing virtual assistants. Optimizing the process of hiring, training and managing virtual assistants will allow you to regain your time and grow your profits. 

Ryan shares why you should manage your expectations when you hire a VA. He discourages trying to make your VA a jack of all trades. Doing so can lead to disappoint for both you and your virtual assistant.  

“ The problem when you put too many items on one VA’s plate is something is bound to fall through the cracks. Also, the likelihood that your VA is proficient in all of those activities isn’t great.” - Ryan S. Johnson

In order to train and maximize the results with your virtual assistant, Ryan recommends that you use SOPs (standard operating procedures). He also discussed this in a previous episode. Ryan shares more about the importance of having systems and processes in place. 

“SOPs are the documented processes that a company has in place to ensure services and products are delivered consistently every time.” - Ryan S. Johnson

Your success as an entrepreneur greatly depends on your willingness to delegate. Ryan has also spoken about this in past episodes - and the advice is extremely relevant when talking about how to effectively manage virtual assistants. 

“You have to stay out of your own way and not become a bottleneck in your business.

So, like I’ve said before -YOU MUST RESIST THE TEMPTATION TO DO IT ALL YOURSELF!” - Ryan S. Johnson

To learn more about the Ryan’s top 3 secrets to hiring, training and managing a virtual assistant, download and listen to this episode. 

Our favorite part of recording a live podcast each week is participating in the great conversations that happen in our comments section. Feel free to drop your thoughts, questions, and suggestions in our social media accounts or email us:

Facebook: @homepreneurinc

Instagram: @homepreneurinc

Email: [email protected]

www.successmadefromhome.com

Checkout ClickUp for task management

15 Must Have (Mostly) Free Tools to Run Your Small Business

How To Work On Your Business Instead of In Your Business

The Secret to Getting 10X as Much Done in Less Time: The Art of Delegation

In this episode, our host Ryan Johnson shares with you what he considers as the top three mistakes you must avoid when using virtual assistants (VAs) as a busy entrepreneur, as well as the foolproof solutions to shortcut your success with VAs. Ryan has worked with virtual assistants since 2009, and has been in the trenches to see what works and what doesn't. 

This is the second installment in our series on how to effectively use virtual assistants in your business as a busy entrepreneur. If you've missed the first show in this series, go check it out - since every episode in this series builds on each other. 

Ultimately, by the end of this series, you'll not only see why it's a no brainer to have a virtual assistant - but you'll also know the best way to use them in your business in order to get awesome results.

“The ultimate goal with this episode is to shortcut your success so you avoid pitfalls that I have seen many people fall into using virtual assistants.” - Ryan S. Johnson

Ryan itemizes the mistakes to avoid using a virtual assistant in your business. Most of the tips are from first hand experiences, since Ryan has been working with VAs for over a decade. Some of his best advice boils down to preparation, and ensuring that proper benchmarks are in place.

“Regardless of how exciting it sounds to have a virtual assistant in your business that's taking tasks off your plate that are bogging you down - if you hire a VA without having a plan in place for how you're going to use them and what role they'll play - then you could find yourself unnecessarily wasting a lot of time and money.” - Ryan S. Johnson

As with any kind of business, micromanaging and poor delegation is a recipe for disaster. This is one of the basic pitfalls for any entrepreneur, especially when working with a virtual assistant. 

“This is an easy trap to fall into, especially if you have to transition from being a solopreneur, where you were used to wearing all the hats in your business, to all of a sudden managing a VA that you hired to take tasks off your plate.” - Ryan S. Johnson

To learn more about the mistakes you should avoid when using a VA, download and listen to this episode.

Our favorite part of recording a live podcast each week is participating in the great conversations that happen in our comments section. Feel free to drop your thoughts, questions, and suggestions in our social media accounts or email us:

Facebook: @homepreneurinc

Instagram: @homepreneur.inc

Email: [email protected]

www.successmadefromhome.com

Checkout ClickUp for task management

15 Must Have (Mostly) Free Tools to Run Your Small Business

How To Work On Your Business Instead of In Your Business

The Secret to Getting 10X as Much Done in Less Time: The Art of Delegation

When we think of virtual assistants (VAs), we don’t just think of remote workers who take on assigned tasks. In reality, they are “success partners.” In other words, using a VA in your business can have a massive impact on your success if you take the right approach. In the previous episode, we talked about delegation - and we can’t stress enough how important VAs are when it comes to succeeding mastering delegation.

In this episode, our host Ryan Johnson digs deep into why you need a virtual assistant, especially if you’re a work-at-home entrepreneur.

Ryan shares with you some of the things that he personally does to make a VA relationship work. They’re not merely people who get things done, but they can also serve as your right hand to handle many of your ongoing business operations.

“Having a virtual assistant on board who can take over the routine tasks you’re currently doing will help you have more time to focus on important revenue generating activities that will help scale your business and grow your profits.”  - Ryan S. Johnson

You can typically hire a VA to do the same thing you'd have someone local do for a fraction of the cost without sacrificing quality. Moreover, VAs remove time-sucking tasks off your plate and save you significant time. Ryan shares several benefits of hiring a VA in this episode. 

“I literally gain at least five hours every day by delegating tasks to my VAs.” - Ryan S. Johnson

There are some challenges you should be aware of when it comes to running a remote team, or if you just have one VA.  Ryan gives a rundown of potential issues that might arise and some of the non-negotiables that you will encounter when you hire a remote-based assistant. 

“Sometimes language can be a challenge. But for some VA activities this is a bigger deal than others. For instance, if someone is answering my phones they should speak impeccable English. So I choose VAs where English is either their first language or they speak it so well that you don't feel like you're dealing with an AT&T customer service rep in another part of the world - and I know we've all had bad experiences with that! On the other hand, if they're doing graphic design work for you, or other tasks that don't require perfect English, then you just need them to speak well enough to be able to communicate ideas.”

To learn more about why you should have a VA in your business ASAP, download and listen to this episode.

Our favorite part of recording a live podcast each week is participating in the great conversations that happen in our comments section. Feel free to drop your thoughts, questions, and suggestions in our social media accounts or email us:

Facebook: @homepreneurinc

Instagram: @homepreneur.inc

Email: [email protected]

www.successmadefromhome.com

15 Must Have (Mostly) Free Tools to Run Your Small Business

The Secret to Getting 10X as Much Done in Less Time: The Art of Delegation

Today’s episode is the last installment of our series about Productivity Hacks for Busy Entrepreneurs. This series has been all about providing strategies to help you get more done, gain more time, and be more efficient. In today's episode our host Ryan Johson shares the ultimate stress-free guide to alleviate some of that business fatigue you’re experiencing so you can start working ON instead of IN your business, and get back that loving feeling back.

Make Each Day Your Masterpiece Through Meditation

It’s not a coincidence that a growing number of Fortune 500 CEOs are practicing meditation and encouraging meditation in their companies. Ryan shares the benefits of meditation for entrepreneurs and ultimately how it can help you work on your business.

“Listen, don’t overthink this. In fact, when you’re meditating – do nothing. And, try to make a habit of doing it everyday around the same time. This one thing alone has helped me achieve incredible peace and resilience in my business.”
- Ryan S. Johnson

Be Proactive Instead Of Reactive

Another way to start working ON instead of IN your business is to become a proactive, instead of a reactive, entrepreneur. Ryan discusses some examples of how someone reactive goes about their day vs someone proactive.

“If you're reactive: you get into the office, check your email, and dig into whatever is at the top of your inbox. But, if you're proactive: you plan the night before and you identify the ONE MAIN OBJECTIVE you must accomplish the next day.”
- Ryan S. Johnson

The ONE Thing Stand Between You and Your Goals

Ryan shares solid examples of becoming a proactive entrepreneur. He shares how identifying your one main objective, using a task management tool, and delegating tasks, can greatly improve your time and performance in working on your business - instead of in your business.

“This concept is coined by Gary Keller, author of  ‘The One Thing.’ He suggests that no matter how success is measured, personal or professional, only the ability to dismiss distractions and concentrate on your ONE thing stands between you and your goals.” 

- Ryan S. Johnson

To learn more about the secret to working ON your business, instead of IN your business, download and listen to this episode. 

Our favorite part of recording a live podcast each week is participating in the great conversations that happen in our comments section. Feel free to drop your thoughts, questions, and suggestions in our social media accounts or email us:

Facebook: @homepreneurinc

Instagram: @homepreneur.inc

Email: [email protected]

www.successmadefromhome.com

TOOLS MENTIONED ON THE SHOW

ClickUp

The Value of Whitespace: 4 Easy Steps To Greater Clarity, Creativity & Hitting Your Goals

The 9 Step Morning Routine to Conquer Your Day

15 Must Have (Mostly) Free Tools to Run Your Small Business

Today will be the third installment in our productivity series for busy entrepreneurs. If you didn’t catch the first and second one, make sure to check out, EP 006 -The 9 Step Morning Routine to Conquer Your Day, and EP 007 - The Value of Whitespace: 4 Easy Steps To Greater Clarity, Creativity & Hitting Your Goals.

In today's show, Ryan Johnson talks about something that has the potential to make an immediate impact on your business if you start doing it today. Honestly, it can also determine just how successful your business will become. The topic of the show is the art of delegation - and just how much of a game changer it can be in your business. 

What is the formal definition of delegation? To delegate means to entrust another; to empower another person to act.” Delegation is the act of empowering others to accomplish a task. 

It seems like that would be easy to do, but it's actually one of the most challenging things that entrepreneurs deal with.

“When you're being a super-preneur and not delegating, then your most important decisions and actions get delayed because you’re too busy putting out fires and working on tasks that aren't the highest and best use of your time.” - Ryan S. Johnson

Ryan shares how delegation is one of the biggest challenges among entrepreneurs. Most entrepreneurs have the “get-it-done” mentality. Most entrepreneurs are problem solvers by nature. You often forget you only have a limited supply of personal resources, in terms of time and mental energy.

“It's actually a mental shift that has to occur in order to change your focus from being consumed with the business of day to day tasks, and instead putting your attention on the most important areas of your business that will actually lead to increased growth - whether that means more profits or greater influence.” - Ryan S. Johnson

Ryan shares why delegation is important and how it can help you as an entrepreneur. He also provides suggestions on how to be an effective delegator. 

“Your ability to delegate is one of the biggest differences between being an entrepreneur with a  successful business that produces continued income (which doesn't require your consistent daily involvement) - versus struggling in your business, and feeling like your business owns you, instead of the other way around.” - Ryan S. Johnson

To discover more about mastering the art of delegation, listen to this episode.

Our favorite part of recording a live podcast each week is participating in the great conversations that happen in our comments section. Feel free to drop your thoughts, questions, and suggestions in our social media accounts or email us:

Facebook: @homepreneurinc

Instagram: @homepreneur.inc

Email: [email protected]

www.successmadefromhome.com

The Value of Whitespace: 4 Easy Steps To Greater Clarity, Creativity & Hitting Your Goals

The 9 Step Morning Routine to Conquer Your Day

15 Must Have (Mostly) Free Tools to Run Your Small Business

We hope you’re enjoying our current series on Productivity Hacks for Busy Entrepreneurs. Today, for part two of the series, our host Ryan Johnson talks about something that we often take for granted in our businesses and our personal lives - WHITESPACE. 

Whitespace is the gap that you purposely create in your calendar between meetings or other activities. It's the time that you consciously allot in your schedule to think, distraction-free. If you feel like you've hit a plateau in your business or you're stuck in a rut professionally, financially, or even personally - adding more whitespace to your life might actually be the answer.

Spending some time alone and creating whitespace is necessary if you're looking to be more creative and innovative. In this episode. Ryan shares three benefits of whitespace for busy entrepreneurs.

“Don't make the mistake of thinking whitespace is only for ‘artsy’ people. It's also critical if you're a leader or entrepreneur because it helps you become more focused and clear about your goals.” - Ryan Johnson

Being a get-it-done entrepreneur, Ryan shares how it was initially a struggle for him to create whitespace. He mentions that he coordinates with his assistant to make sure she clears his schedule on specific days to allocate that as a “whitespace day.”

“Some weeks my efforts to create white space fall short. However, I think instead of us beating ourselves up about how we've fallen short, it's better to focus on practical solutions that will help us create the white space we need to level up our businesses and our lives.” - Ryan Johnson

Ryan shares four secrets to creating whitespace. He also poses a challenge for you to schedule at least 2 hours of whitespace in your calendar in the next week. It doesn't have to be 2 consecutive hours, but at the very least give yourself 30-minute sessions.

“Keep in mind the mantra that if EVERYTHING is important, then NOTHING is important!” - Ryan Johnson

To learn more about the value of whitespace and the four steps for greater clarity, creativity and achieving your goals, listen to this episode.

JOIN THE CONVERSATION

Our favorite part of recording a live podcast each week is participating in the great conversations that happen in our comments section. Feel free to drop your thoughts, questions, and suggestions in our social media accounts or email us:

Facebook: @homepreneurinc
Instagram: @homepreneur.inc
Email: [email protected]

LISTEN TO OUR PODCAST
www.successmadefromhome.com
EXPLORE THESE RESOURCES

The Value of Whitespace: 4 Easy Steps To Greater Clarity, Creativity & Hitting Your Goals
The 9 Step Morning Routine to Conquer Your Day
15 Must Have (Mostly) Free Tools to Run Your Small Business

Forbes published an article called The Seven Early Morning Routines Used By Highly Successful People. According to the article, “Successful people are very much aware of the work and dedication behind every step forward. They also know that big achievements are built on the basis of very small ones obtained on a daily basis.” And guess what - it all starts with having a solid morning routine.

In today's show, our host Ryan Johnson talks about his morning routine as well as the top morning routines of highly successful entrepreneurs. If you don't already have a morning routine, you should definitely consider creating one after listening to this episode.

Ryan shares how hectic his day was before he had a morning routine in place. The direction of his day was dictated by what happened when he opened his email when he woke up. 

“I was immediately in fire fighter mode, sending emails or making calls to address whatever issues were at the top of my inbox. All this was happening before I even got out of bed!” - Ryan S. Johnson

There are different factors that will make the perfect morning routine. It’s really based on the individual. Ryan shares his personal step-by-step morning routine guide which he personally follows that’s made all the difference in his businesses. Many of the activities are also ones which productivity experts highly recommend as game changers in your day. 

“Having a morning routine will anchor you and ensure you stay focused on what's most important and achieve your highest level of productivity.” - Ryan S. Johnson

To learn more about the 9-step morning routine to conquer your day, check out this episode.

Get The Seven Early Morning Routines Used By Highly Successful People

https://www.forbes.com/sites/palomacanterogomez/2018/10/18/get-the-seven-early-morning-routines-used-by-highly-successful-people/#1bc05281540a

JOIN THE CONVERSATION

Our favorite part of recording a live podcast each week is participating in the great conversations that happen in our comments section. Feel free to drop your thoughts, questions, and suggestions in our social media accounts or email us:

Facebook: @homepreneurinc
Instagram: @homepreneur.inc
Email: [email protected]

LISTEN TO OUR PODCAST
www.successmadefromhome.com
EXPLORE THESE RESOURCES

The Value of Whitespace: 4 Easy Steps To Greater Clarity, Creativity & Hitting Your Goals
The 9 Step Morning Routine to Conquer Your Day
15 Must Have (Mostly) Free Tools to Run Your Small Business

Ryan Johnson, your host for the Success Made From Home podcast is a big supporter of productivity hacks. Productivity hacks are tools, shortcuts, tricks, or strategies that help you get more done in less time. Over the next three episodes, he will be sharing his Top 15 Must-Have Mostly- Free Tools to Run Your Small Business.

Today’s episode is the last in the three-part series. The focus is on marketing tools that will help you create enticing content for your audience, and allow you to capture leads.  These awesome tools will help you market your business as if you had a full-fledged marketing team on your squad!

Marketing tools (aka - your money makers), are must-haves for any entrepreneur. These tools are used for creating content and capturing leads, which in turn allows you to convert leads into cash.

“if your business has an inconsistent social media presence because you don’t have the time and can’t think of what to post - this is the tool you need in your life.”  - Ryan Johnson

For each marketing tool, Ryan gives a brief description of the tool, and then he gives details on how you can use it to be more productive in your business. The ultimate goal is for you to pick and choose which tools you can apply to your business to level up your productivity.

Ryan goes deep into his must-have marketing tools in this episode, namely Kartra, RelayThat, Vidnami and Promo Republic.

Ryan goes deep into discussing his favorite marketing tool, hands down, that he uses every day in his business. He uses it as part of his services for his clients’ businesses, and his own companies, to build marketing funnels and automate much of the marketing process. 

“Before using Kartra, I was piecemealing my marketing. I had a separate software to build forms that captured leads, another software for landing pages, another for email marketing, and then more software for my helpdesk and calendar management. Besides being hectic to get all of those pieces to work together, it was also ridiculously expensive to pay all those subscriptions. But now everything is in one place, so it eliminates the issue of one software not playing nice in the sandbox with the other.” -  Ryan Johnson

If you want to give Katra a try, you can get a 14-day free trial through this link.

To learn more about these free (or inexpensive) admin tools that are a 100% must-have for any entrepreneur, listen to this episode! 

Links:

Kartra - 14-day FREE TRIAL

Promo Republic

RelayThat

Vidnami - Get 25% OFF Vidnami, plus a Video Marketing Pack for FREE.

Disclosure: We only recommend products we would use ourselves and all opinions expressed here are our own. Some of the resources listed may contain affiliate links, that at no additional cost to you, we may earn a small commission.

JOIN THE CONVERSATION

Our favorite part of recording a live podcast each week is participating in the great conversations that happen in our comments section. Feel free to drop your thoughts, questions, and suggestions in our social media accounts or email us:

Facebook: @homepreneurinc
Instagram: @homepreneur.inc
Email: [email protected]

LISTEN TO OUR PODCAST
www.successmadefromhome.com
EXPLORE THESE RESOURCES

The Value of Whitespace: 4 Easy Steps To Greater Clarity, Creativity & Hitting Your Goals
The 9 Step Morning Routine to Conquer Your Day
15 Must Have (Mostly) Free Tools to Run Your Small Business

Ryan Johnson, your host for the Success Made From Home podcast is a big supporter of productivity hacks. Productivity hacks are tools, shortcuts, tricks, or strategies that help you get more done in less time. Over the next three episodes, he will be sharing his Top 15 Must-Have Mostly- Free Tools to Run Your Small Business.

Today’s episode is the last in the three-part series. The focus is on marketing tools that will help you create enticing content for your audience, and allow you to capture leads.  These awesome tools will help you market your business as if you had a full-fledged marketing team on your squad!

Marketing tools (aka - your money makers), are must-haves for any entrepreneur. These tools are used for creating content and capturing leads, which in turn allows you to convert leads into cash.

“if your business has an inconsistent social media presence because you don’t have the time and can’t think of what to post - this is the tool you need in your life.”  - Ryan Johnson

For each marketing tool, Ryan gives a brief description of the tool, and then he gives details on how you can use it to be more productive in your business. The ultimate goal is for you to pick and choose which tools you can apply to your business to level up your productivity.

Ryan goes deep into his must-have marketing tools in this episode, namely Kartra, RelayThat, Vidnami and Promo Republic.

Ryan goes deep into discussing his favorite marketing tool, hands down, that he uses every day in his business. He uses it as part of his services for his clients’ businesses, and his own companies, to build marketing funnels and automate much of the marketing process. 

“Before using Kartra, I was piecemealing my marketing. I had a separate software to build forms that captured leads, another software for landing pages, another for email marketing, and then more software for my helpdesk and calendar management. Besides being hectic to get all of those pieces to work together, it was also ridiculously expensive to pay all those subscriptions. But now everything is in one place, so it eliminates the issue of one software not playing nice in the sandbox with the other.” -  Ryan Johnson

If you want to give Katra a try, you can get a 14-day free trial through this link.

To learn more about these free (or inexpensive) admin tools that are a 100% must-have for any entrepreneur, listen to this episode! 

Links:

Kartra - 14-day FREE TRIAL

Promo Republic

RelayThat

Vidnami - Get 25% OFF Vidnami, plus a Video Marketing Pack for FREE.

Disclosure: We only recommend products we would use ourselves and all opinions expressed here are our own. Some of the resources listed may contain affiliate links, that at no additional cost to you, we may earn a small commission.

JOIN THE CONVERSATION

Our favorite part of recording a live podcast each week is participating in the great conversations that happen in our comments section. Feel free to drop your thoughts, questions, and suggestions in our social media accounts or email us:

Facebook: @homepreneurinc
Instagram: @homepreneur.inc
Email: [email protected]

LISTEN TO OUR PODCAST
www.successmadefromhome.com
EXPLORE THESE RESOURCES

The Value of Whitespace: 4 Easy Steps To Greater Clarity, Creativity & Hitting Your Goals
The 9 Step Morning Routine to Conquer Your Day
15 Must Have (Mostly) Free Tools to Run Your Small Business