The Build Cycle

What's up builders!

It's been a minute, but this episode brings it back in a big way. My friends Simon and Giulio are co-founders of Bike Connection Agency, a marketing and event firm focused on the cycling market.

If you're considering taking your own industry relationships and experience and creating a marketing or event agency, there's a lot to learn here about how to do it, what services to provide, and more.

Over the past six years, BCA has built up to four annual events and servicing a handful of premium marketing clients, which simultaneously sounds like a lot and not that much.

And that is one of the most fascinating parts of this interview - how they're balancing work and life by creating a business that meets their needs while still allowing for a massive amount of free time for both of them.

At a time when many of us are examining our own work - life balance and re-prioritizing personal and professional goals, to hear these two discuss it is incredibly refreshing.

The icing on the cake is their relationship. Starting a business with a lifelong friend can be tricky, but they've created a system of open, honest communication and trust that should be a benchmark for any of us. We get a little personal on this, and it's amazing.

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Have you ever tried to come up with a business idea that's mostly automated and creates a great passive income stream?

Or tried to figure out how to take your skillset and turn it into a low-effort lifestyle business?

Well, that's almost exactly what my guest today has done. Tina Wilmott already knew the Public Relations agency business, so when she wanted to take control of her time and her life, she found a gap in how brands were able to get their news in front of the media. She launched Endurance Sports Wire, and quickly hired a small team to handle the daily tasks.

In theory, it could basically run itself, but as you'll learn, the dream is much harder than the reality, especially for those of us with an entrepreneurial, growth mindset. If you want to launch your own side hustle or lifestyle business, or you're just interested in PR and media, this is a great episode for you!

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For full show notes, links and images, check out this show's post at tylerbenedict.com/podcast

Be sure to subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Pandora, TuneIn, Overcast FM, or wherever you listen to podcasts and leave a review and rating! And let me know who you'd like to hear interviewed...just message me on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.

With the start of a fresh year, I thought it'd be fun to talk Mindset. We're all probably thinking through the ways we can perform better, manage better, grow our companies, and, hopefully, strike a better balance between work and life.

My guest today is entrepreneur mindset coach Joe Trodden. He focuses on working with early stage founders, those who have launched and built a small team, usually in their first few years of business. His goal? To help them, and us, push past some of the pain points that come as our teams grow but we still think of ourselves as the fearless leaders who can solve all the problems.

I know this is something I've done many times, and it's definitely a limiting factor for any company's growth. Here's how you overcome that by sharing your vision in a way that your team can execute.

SHOW NOTES & LINKS

For full show notes, links and images, check out this show's post at tylerbenedict.com/podcast

Be sure to subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Pandora, TuneIn, Overcast FM, or wherever you listen to podcasts and leave a review and rating! And let me know who you'd like to hear interviewed...just message me on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.

We've all seen subscription boxes for everything, and kids toys, coding boxes, learning kits and more are common.

But a toy RENTAL service that's focused on eco-friendly sustainability whose toys are returned and sent back out to a new family? How does that even work? How is it safe? Is THAT business model as sustainable as its products?

I interview founder and CEO Rachael Classi on how she launched, where the idea came from, and how this early startup is sourcing products and pricing their service.

This is probably the youngest startup I've interviewed, but there's still plenty to learn. And it's an interesting concept with lessons and ideas you can apply to your own business.

For more show notes and links to connect with Rachael, head over to this show's post here:

https://tylerbenedict.com/2020/12/01/ep-072-how-tiny-earth-toys-launched-a-subscription-toy-rental-service/

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This episode is a mix of startup story and content marketing ideas, perfect if you're:

• looking for an uncluttered channel to promote your brands or products.

In this episode, Magma co-founder Jake Warner recounts his inspiration for creating an app that lets anyone create a well designed, easy to share, searchable digital magazine straight from their phone! Not only can you share it, but it can have links, videos and more...and it's SEO friendly with Google.

This one really impressed me, and I'm looking at how I can use it myself to promote my own businesses.

For full show notes and links to things mentioned in this episode, go to:

http://www.tylerbenedict.com/podcast and click on this episode!

Hello Builders and Content Creators!

It's been a while, but we're back in action with a new sound, new guests, and a few new topics to help you grow your business!

This is a quick episode, just letting you know what's coming up, and explaining why it's been a while since the last episode went live. And, as usual, there's at least one little takeaway to help you along your entrepreneurial journey.

Here's what's new:

• Fresh intro music

Links from this episode:

• Bite Size Content Marketing newsletter

• Facebook

Thanks a ton for staying subscribed. Now, let's get back to work...

We deal with PR agencies and PR people all the time over on my cycling tech blog, Bikerumor.com. Some are great, others could use a little help. And we see a mix of brands small and large, new and established, choose to work with a PR agency all the time, with mixed results. To say there's a lot of bouncing from firm to firm would be an undestatement.So I reached out to Verde Brand Communications' founder Kristin Carpenter to learn more about how a company should work with a PR firm, what they can expect, and how they can get the most out of it.

If you're a brand interested in hiring a PR agency to promote your brand, craft your message, and help get it in front of the media and consumers, this episode will give you a LOT to think about!

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Two of the biggest takeaways are that you need to have realistic expectations, and you need to communicate with the agency.

Regarding communication, it's critical that the brand keep the agency aware of product launch dates, delays and other timing issues. Why? Because if a launch is going to be late, it's better to know ahead of time and push the promotional push back, too.

Another thing to consider is where they're getting your coverage. Sure, getting on Oprah or the Today Show might be huge awareness wins, but they may not move the sales needle if those shows aren't targeted to your customer base.

Regarding retainers and pricing, one thing I'd personally recommend is weighing the option of hiring someone in-house full time (or part time) versus an outside agency. Pros include having someone there day in, day out that can ensure your PR efforts are deeply integrated into everything else your brand is doing, from sales to marketing to production and scheduling.

It also gives media a direct point of contact that (usually) knows most of the technical questions. Cons might be that the person lacks the direct communication lines that a good, established PR firm already has with media and key editors. That list can take a long time to curate, as do the relationships.

Thanks for tuning in. If you like this, could you share a link to it with a friend? Or just tell another entrepreneur about this podcast? That really helps me grow my audience and continue getting amazing guests for you. Speaking of, my next guest's startup story is amazing…be sure to to hit subscribe on your favorite podcast player so you don't miss it!

WANT MORE?

For full show notes, links and images, check out this show's post at tylerbenedict.com/podcast

Be sure to subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, Overcast FM, or wherever you listen to podcasts and leave a review and rating! And let me know who you'd like to hear interviewed...just message me on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.

Are you struggling to come up with good content marketing ideas? 

Trying to figure this whole content marketing thing out?

Not sure where to start?

My guest today is Melanie Deziel and she has a super simple framework for helping anyone come up with a limitless supply of content ideas. Even better, she helps you pick the right ones based on your message, your strengths as a communicator, and the publishing mediums available to you.

Her experience as a journalist turned brand story teller took her from Huffington Post to the New York Times to Time Inc, where she developed branded content programs for these major publishers. She coaches brands, marketers and startups on how to create better content marketing ideas. And now she's sharing her framework with us so we can create better brand stories to connect with our customers.

The Takeaway

I really like her Focus and Format starting point. And her idea of a Content Language. Let's face it, we all have our strengths, and learning to embrace those and pour fuel…dare I say Content Fuel…on them to drive real growth takes guts. But she's right, and she's not the only expert saying exactly that. Double down on the things that work for you, and maintain a minimum viable presence elsewhere.

For more ideas and links to connect with Melanie, check the show notes at tylerbenedict.com/podcast and click on this episode.

Want to learn more Content Strategy?

If you want to master content marketing strategy and learn how to create and execute a complete strategy, and come meet and learn from Melanie in person, join us both at Peak Content Summit in Asheville, North Carolina. Get the full speaker list and more details at PeakContentSummit.com.

Ever wondered how to start a conference? Launch a seminar? Or host your own event? Then this episode is for you! After launching and selling two separate events-related companies, AppsEvents founder Dan Taylor found himself also running Google Suite educational conferences. Now, his company hosts more than 300 events globally

In this episode, we talk about how he started, how he chose the topic and curriculum for his events, and how to market an event to attract more attendees. If you've ever wanted to start you own conference, mastermind, seminar, etc., this episode will tell you how to launch your own event and grow it!

WANT MORE?

For full show notes, links and images, check out this show's post at tylerbenedict.com/podcast

Be sure to subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, Overcast FM, or wherever you listen to podcasts and leave a review and rating! And let me know who you'd like to hear interviewed...just message me on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.

BROUGHT TO YOU BY...

This episode is brought to you by Peak Content Summit, the premier content marketing strategy conference for brand managers, content creators, influencers, marketers and anyone else who wants to maximize their influence, reach and revenue through content marketing. Check it out at PeakContentSummit.com.

The very first time I saw Tifosi's products in the store, I knew they were absolutely going to kill it. With a retail price that was one third of the premium brands that were popular at the time, but a look and feature set that seemed on par with those premium brands, Tifosi offered something people wanted at a price point they were willing to pay.

And it worked. They've grown like crazy, now owning more than 70% of the cycling specialty market for sunglasses, and they continue to develop top notch designs and features while retailing for about half what the big brands cost. Walk into almost any bike shop or independent running store and you'll likely see a Tifosi display on the counter. So, how did they get there? What were the challenges in going up against Spy, Oakley and other major brands? Today, we'll hear their startup and growth story directly from co-founder Joe Early.

THE TAKEAWAY

One of the biggest takeaways any consumer product brand should remember is Joe's tips on getting a good rep. When I had my beverage company years ago, we had a couple of great distributors with reps that seemed good, but those reps would barely even mention our product when they went into the stores.

Why? Because our sales volume was so low compared to their beer brands that it wasn't even worth their time. Many were just order takers, and that was it. They didn't have to sell. And it killed us. Nurturing your sales force, giving them the tools to do their job, and sometimes even helping to get those first accounts open, can sometimes make all the difference in the world.

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