The Kim Doyal Show

This episode is brought to you by my sponsor, Content Snare

This podcast interview is long overdue (we recorded a few months ago) and I'm excited to finally share this with you.

I had the good fortune of connecting Jürgen Strauss a few years back through a mutual friend. Jürgen is one of those people who instantly makes you feel at ease and is a true pleasure to talk with. He also has a brilliant understanding of processes and systems, how to grow a team (through outsourcing), and how to scale a business with WordPress. Jürgen is a certified WP Elevation consultant and is also the founder of the Innovabuzz podcast (which I have had the good fortune of being a guest on).

Questions I Asked Jürgen

* Can you share your background & business with the listeners?

* You've also got your podcast, the Innovabuzz podcast, can you share a little bit about the podcast and why you started it?

* What has the podcast done for your business?

* One of the many reasons I wanted to have you on the show was because I know you've got some amazing skills when it comes to systems & processes. How did you get into that?

* What are some of the things you see people afraid of doing or afraid to implement when it comes to creating processes & systems?

* For web development agencies, is there a common mistake people make?

* What's coming for the rest of this year for you?

What You're Going to Learn

* How Jürgen went from chemistry to the internet

* How he's learned to build remote teams in China, Japan, Singapore, India, Europe, and North America while being based in Australia

* How to focus on building strategic relationships and partnerships to grow remote teams

* How they position their projects for long-term work with their clients

* How his podcast was originally focused on innovation and has morphed into so much more (and what it's done for his business)

* How to connect with startups and get feedback and responses when using their tools

* How to make sure your team understands the why behind the company and their tasks

Where to Connect with Jürgen

Website | Facebook | Twitter

This episode is brought to you by our sponsor, ContentSnare 

Anyone who has ever worked with clients to create their website can tell you that the hardest part of the process tends to be getting the content from the client to put into the website.

My guest today, Christine Thatcher, and her business partner, Michelle Hunter, have solved this problem and are now showing other people how to do the same. What's fun is that I connected with Christine through our mutual friend (and sponsor of this podcast episode), James Rose of ContentSnare.

One of the things that I was most excited about when Christine explained the Content Bottleneck Course to me was that they've created wireframes for client content (many people are familiar with wireframes for websites, but not for getting client content). We also talked about the soon-to-be-released Designing to Delight Course, which will help you "Master the Art of Drama-Free-Design" (I wish I had this when I was doing websites!).

Questions I Asked Christine

* Before we get into your content course and design course, can you share your background with the listeners?

* How long have you been doing client work?

* What made you decide to step into course creations?

* How did you decide what to create for the design course (who was this for)?

* What made you decide to create the content course?

* Can you share a little bit about what the content course consists of?

* When are your courses available?

What You're Going to Learn

* What Christine's biggest challenge was when she created her first course

* How she decided to price her course

* What her students say is the biggest shift after having taken her course

* The importance of leading the client through the design process

* How she collaborated with her business partner, Michelle Hunter, to create 'Say Goodbye To Content Bottlenecks"

* Why she moves her content due date to the middle of the project

Get the Courses & Join the Facebook Group

Designing to Delight

Sat Goodbye to Content Bottlenecks

Drama Free Design Collective

Where to Connect with Christine

Website | Facebook | Instagram

I have a confession to make.

I was SUPER hesitant to jump into live streaming. For a few reasons. The first reason was that I would have to "get ready", as in, do my hair & makeup every day (O.K., technically I don't have to do that. I get that most people really don't care if what you look like if the content is good, but this was my hang up). Another reason was that I didn't want to just jump on at talk at people.  I wanted to have a strategy, plan it a bit, and make sure I had some time to promote the live stream.

When I did jump in I got results INSTANTLY.

I was floored by the engagement, the number of people that showed up (more than normally show up for a webinar), and the traffic to my live stream post after the event (I pull the videos into my site with Simple Social Press and write a post along with the video. The bonus with using Simple Social Press is that it also pulls the Facebook comments into the site as blog comments, which is awesome).

I knew I wanted to have someone on the show to talk about live streaming and after seeing Ross Brand everywhere, I knew I wanted to connect with him. We recorded this a few months ago and things have just gotten bigger (and better) since we first connected.

Questions I Asked Ross

* Can you share a little bit about your background and how you got into live streaming & broadcasting?

* What is your current business?

* What are some of the things people are doing with live streaming?

* How are people monetizing live streaming?

* Why do you think people are so hesitant to get into live streaming?

* Who are some of the people that you see doing live streaming well?

[clickToTweet tweet="Now you're seeing their face and you're hearing their voice and you're hearing them laugh...' @iRossBrand " quote="Now you're seeing their face and you're hearing their voice and you're hearing them laugh...' @iRossBrand" theme="style6"]

[spacer]

What You're Going to Learn

* The three different ways people are monetizing live streaming

* How Mario Armstrong, of the 'Never Settle Show' is using live streaming to grow his brand

* What differentiates live streaming from T.V.

* The technical basics you need to get into live streaming

* The power of finding the right platform for your audience

* Why you should look at live streaming as a content strategy

[clickToTweet tweet="I call it the portfolio method & that is, it's just good content to add here to your digital footprint. @iRossBrand" quote="I call it the portfolio method & that is, it's just good content to add here to your digital footprint. @iRossBrand" theme="style6"]

[spacer]

Where to Connect with Ross

Website | Facebook | Twitter

I have a confession to make.

I was SUPER hesitant to jump into live streaming. For a few reasons. The first reason was that I would have to "get ready", as in, do my hair & makeup every day (O.K., technically I don't have to do that. I get that most people really don't care if what you look like if the content is good, but this was my hang up). Another reason was that I didn't want to just jump on at talk at people.  I wanted to have a strategy, plan it a bit, and make sure I had some time to promote the live stream.

When I did jump in I got results INSTANTLY.

I was floored by the engagement, the number of people that showed up (more than normally show up for a webinar), and the traffic to my live stream post after the event (I pull the videos into my site with Simple Social Press and write a post along with the video. The bonus with using Simple Social Press is that it also pulls the Facebook comments into the site as blog comments, which is awesome).

I knew I wanted to have someone on the show to talk about live streaming and after seeing Ross Brand everywhere, I knew I wanted to connect with him. We recorded this a few months ago and things have just gotten bigger (and better) since we first connected.

Questions I Asked Ross

* Can you share a little bit about your background and how you got into live streaming & broadcasting?

* What is your current business?

* What are some of the things people are doing with live streaming?

* How are people monetizing live streaming?

* Why do you think people are so hesitant to get into live streaming?

* Who are some of the people that you see doing live streaming well?

What You're Going to Learn

* The three different ways people are monetizing live streaming

* How Mario Armstrong, of the 'Never Settle Show' is using live streaming to grow his brand

* What differentiates live streaming from T.V.

* The technical basics you need to get into live streaming

* The power of finding the right platform for your audience

* Why you should look at live streaming as a content strategy

Where to Connect with Ross

Website | Facebook | Twitter

Thanks to this episodes sponsor, ContentSnare, Get Website Content From Clients Without The Hassle

 

Feel like No One Is Listening?

I've been there. And I'm going to warn you, this might be a bit of a rant, but it needs to be addressed.

It seems like lately, I'm having a lot of conversations about people feeling frustrated with their business, or wondering "what to do?"  I don't think this is a coincidence since I feel like I've finally gotten clarity around all of this myself. The thing that boggles my mind (and this isn't a judgment because I did the exact same thing), is that when we're TOLD what will change things and make the difference, we do nothing about it.

Even if the person who is guiding us or helping us is walking the walk, has actual REAL LIFE evidence that what they're telling us works. We still don't listen! We are crazy creatures.

Before I dive into this any further, let's dispell the myth once and for all:

Building an online business takes time and work, just like any other business.

Exciting, isn't it?

NO!

That's the problem with us... the basic, boring response of doing the work is NOT what we want to hear. This is the internet, after all, things are supposed to be MAGICAL here, right? It's all supposed to be easy.

The problem with easy is that it's subjective.

First, let me tell you that I will take building an online business over working a job any day. After having spent 20+ years in retail management, where I was on my feet all day (in dress shoes mind you, dressed up since I was the manager yet I still had the pleasure of being an extra pair of hands on a daily basis), and two bunion surgeries and plantar fasciitis later, that this beats doing that all day long (and now that I've stopped doing service work it's that much better).

I get it that not all jobs are physically laborious, but we're not digging ditches or sitting in traffic for 2-3 hours a day (another reason I need to move out of the Bay Area in a couple years). I get that some of you may have day jobs too, so I'm not poking at you here, I'm simply pointing out to people that don't appreciate how much easier it is to work for themselves.

Yes, there are struggles, challenges, money stress... I'm not negating that.

But there's like this idea that this is all smooth sailing.

This rant was brought on by an email I read this morning about someone feeling unhappy about their business. They had debated even continuing (this is a successful marketer), then realized they wanted to do things their way. They were tired of launches, fancy sales copy, marketing tactics, etc.

Before I tell you why I think this is hogwash, let me say that what came through loud and clear in this email to me was that this person was TIRED. More than anything, they need a break. Some time off, a little space, and probably some simplification in their business (see what 14 years of therapy with an amazing therapist can do for you?).

Now let's get into why this is hogwash...

No-one is making you do ANYTHING you don't want to do!

Don't want to do a 'launch'? Great. Don't.

Don't want to write 'fancy copy'? Cool, write whatever you want.

Want to be more authentic and do things your own way? Sweet, no one is stopping you.

BUT... and you knew this was coming...

You STILL have to market your business! If you had a brick & mortar store, would you be whining about having to market it? You better be good at writing copy (fancy or otherwise) if you're going to do any marketing. You're going to have to SELL... that's all marketing is, selling.

The methods used for marketing online are obviously differ...

Thanks to this episodes sponsor, ContentSnare, Get Website Content From Clients Without The Hassle

 

Feel like No One Is Listening?

I've been there. And I'm going to warn you, this might be a bit of a rant, but it needs to be addressed.

It seems like lately, I'm having a lot of conversations about people feeling frustrated with their business, or wondering "what to do?"  I don't think this is a coincidence since I feel like I've finally gotten clarity around all of this myself. The thing that boggles my mind (and this isn't a judgment because I did the exact same thing), is that when we're TOLD what will change things and make the difference, we do nothing about it.

Even if the person who is guiding us or helping us is walking the walk, has actual REAL LIFE evidence that what they're telling us works. We still don't listen! We are crazy creatures.

Before I dive into this any further, let's dispell the myth once and for all:

Building an online business takes time and work, just like any other business.

Exciting, isn't it?

NO!

That's the problem with us... the basic, boring response of doing the work is NOT what we want to hear. This is the internet, after all, things are supposed to be MAGICAL here, right? It's all supposed to be easy.

The problem with easy is that it's subjective.

First, let me tell you that I will take building an online business over working a job any day. After having spent 20+ years in retail management, where I was on my feet all day (in dress shoes mind you, dressed up since I was the manager yet I still had the pleasure of being an extra pair of hands on a daily basis), and two bunion surgeries and plantar fasciitis later, that this beats doing that all day long (and now that I've stopped doing service work it's that much better).

I get it that not all jobs are physically laborious, but we're not digging ditches or sitting in traffic for 2-3 hours a day (another reason I need to move out of the Bay Area in a couple years). I get that some of you may have day jobs too, so I'm not poking at you here, I'm simply pointing out to people that don't appreciate how much easier it is to work for themselves.

Yes, there are struggles, challenges, money stress... I'm not negating that.

But there's like this idea that this is all smooth sailing.

This rant was brought on by an email I read this morning about someone feeling unhappy about their business. They had debated even continuing (this is a successful marketer), then realized they wanted to do things their way. They were tired of launches, fancy sales copy, marketing tactics, etc.

Before I tell you why I think this is hogwash, let me say that what came through loud and clear in this email to me was that this person was TIRED. More than anything, they need a break. Some time off, a little space, and probably some simplification in their business (see what 14 years of therapy with an amazing therapist can do for you?).

Now let's get into why this is hogwash...

No-one is making you do ANYTHING you don't want to do!

Don't want to do a 'launch'? Great. Don't.

Don't want to write 'fancy copy'? Cool, write whatever you want.

Want to be more authentic and do things your own way? Sweet, no one is stopping you.

BUT... and you knew this was coming...

You STILL have to market your business! If you had a brick & mortar store, would you be whining about having to market it? You better be good at writing copy (fancy or otherwise...

As someone who has done more organic marketing than paid traffic, when I first came across Ben Perry and his Organic Facebook Marketing I was immediately intrigued. I think the ideal situation is organic with a paid strategy, but when you're first getting started (or rebooting things), then having an organic strategy in place is a must.

The beauty of a good organic strategy is also that you're getting data without having to pay (at least monetarily, you're going to have to pay with your time, because just like anything else, growing a business organically takes work and time).

I connected with Ben through is Facebook Group, Organic Marketing Secrets.

What I loved instantly about Ben was his willingness to show up, every day, and do the work.

[divider top="no" divider_color="#95aa4d" size="1" margin="40"][divider top="no" size="2" margin="30"][/divider]

Questions I Asked Ben

* Tell us about your background (what were you doing before starting your online business)

* When you joined the military was your intention to have a long-term career?

* Have you found that when you share your story it connects you more with people?

* Where did you start with internet marketing?

* What made you decide to go into organic Facebook marketing?

* Let's talk about Facebook Live. What are your insights around this medium?

* Why do you think people hesitate to show up?

[clickToTweet tweet="In essence, I saw my freedom taken away. - Ben Perry" quote="In essence, I saw my freedom taken away. - Ben Perry" theme="style6"]

What You're Going to Learn

* How his daughter's cancer diagnosis drove him to re-enlist in the military

* How Ben went from being discharged from the military to a thriving online business

* The initial product (person) that inspired Ben at 16 to get into marketing (and is where he picked up after he left the military)

* How jumping full force into Facebook in 2013 forced Ben to cash out his military retirement so he could work with a mentor

* How Ben used the GI bill to pay for school and support him while he was completing school and immersing himself in marketing and sales

[clickToTweet tweet="I didn’t see my life as falling apart, I saw it as falling into place. - Ben Perry" quote="I didn’t see my life as falling apart, I saw it as falling into place. - Ben Perry" theme="style6"]

[spacer]

Where to Connect with Ben

Website | Facebook Group

As someone who has done more organic marketing than paid traffic, when I first came across Ben Perry and his Organic Facebook Marketing I was immediately intrigued. I think the ideal situation is organic with a paid strategy, but when you're first getting started (or rebooting things), then having an organic strategy in place is a must.

The beauty of a good organic strategy is also that you're getting data without having to pay (at least monetarily, you're going to have to pay with your time, because just like anything else, growing a business organically takes work and time).

I connected with Ben through is Facebook Group, Organic Marketing Secrets.

What I loved instantly about Ben was his willingness to show up, every day, and do the work.

Questions I Asked Ben

* Tell us about your background (what were you doing before starting your online business)

* When you joined the military was your intention to have a long-term career?

* Have you found that when you share your story it connects you more with people?

* Where did you start with internet marketing?

* What made you decide to go into organic Facebook marketing?

* Let's talk about Facebook Live. What are your insights around this medium?

* Why do you think people hesitate to show up?

What You're Going to Learn

* How his daughter's cancer diagnosis drove him to re-enlist in the military

* How Ben went from being discharged from the military to a thriving online business

* The initial product (person) that inspired Ben at 16 to get into marketing (and is where he picked up after he left the military)

* How jumping full force into Facebook in 2013 forced Ben to cash out his military retirement so he could work with a mentor

* How Ben used the GI bill to pay for school and support him while he was completing school and immersing himself in marketing and sales

Where to Connect with Ben

Website | Facebook Group

 

I've been thinking about this a lot in the last month or so and knew it was time to share it on a podcast with you guys.

Hopefully, through the writing of these show notes, I'll be able to articulate exactly what I mean and it makes sense to you (hopefully by now you guys are familiar with 'Kimspeak' though and this will flow for you).

I've been sharing how I've been a little obsessed with all this stuff 'behind the scenes' lately... and it's working. Taking the time to work on this stuff and figure out the things that people can't see is helping me create better stuff that people can see. The end product.

I'm going to share something with you from one of Seth Godin's books, "What To Do When It's Your Turn (and it's always your turn)":

"WAIT.

While standing on one foot, we ask, impatiently, "what's this about?"

We don't go to a movie unless the coming attraction tells us exactly what to expect.

We don't listen to music we're not sure we'll like.

And we want to know how to pigeonhole every idea and every book so we can move on and click.

Please, wait.

Let it simmer. It might not be for you, but at least this time, postpone the relief of resolution.

This is your opportunity to make something that matters."

-Seth Godin

Amen.

[clickToTweet tweet="We're living in a time when it's easy to get distracted, get consumed by information, and stay stuck." quote="We're living in a time when it's easy to get distracted, get consumed by information, and stay stuck." theme="style6"]

[spacer]

We're living in a time when it's very easy to get distracted, get consumed by information, and stay stuck on the hamster wheel. Yes, entrepreneurs can get stuck on the hamster wheel just like employees do. What happens is we start our businesses excited and motivated. We take off from the start line guns blazing (I don't know if that's the correct saying here, but you get my point).

Then a few months in you realize, "hmm... this is hard work. This is going to take longer than I expected" and you start looking for a different path. You still want the results you hoped for when you started, freedom, income, making your mark on the world, but all of the sudden you realize that just like a job, you have to show up every day and do the work.

Don't worry, before you think this is going to be another post or rant about "doing the work", hang with me for a minute.

What I've realized (just in the past couple of years), is that we often think we're doing the work. And we are... sort of.

Here are some of the things I'm referring to, tell me if they sound familiar:

* Reading posts and books about what you're doing

* Buying and starting courses (because after all, it's that ONE course that will change everything, right?)

* Creating cohesive branding collateral (logo, site, lead magnets, etc.)

* Mapping out products and services

* Sharing things on social media

* Making lists of ideas

* Creating multiple opt-ins on your site

* ... etc., etc., etc.

Here's why that's only 'sort of ' doing the work.

You NEVER actually produce anything.

Cue the sad music...

Let me share a couple examples/stories because I think it will make more sense and probably connect on a deeper level for many of you. Before I share these stories with you let me s...

I've been thinking about this a lot in the last month or so and knew it was time to share it on a podcast with you guys.

Hopefully, through the writing of these show notes, I'll be able to articulate exactly what I mean and it makes sense to you (hopefully by now you guys are familiar with 'Kimspeak' though and this will flow for you).

I've been sharing how I've been a little obsessed with all this stuff 'behind the scenes' lately... and it's working. Taking the time to work on this stuff and figure out the things that people can't see is helping me create better stuff that people can see. The end product.

I'm going to share something with you from one of Seth Godin's books, "What To Do When It's Your Turn (and it's always your turn)":

"WAIT.

While standing on one foot, we ask, impatiently, "what's this about?"

We don't go to a movie unless the coming attraction tells us exactly what to expect.

We don't listen to music we're not sure we'll like.

And we want to know how to pigeonhole every idea and every book so we can move on and click.

Please, wait.

Let it simmer. It might not be for you, but at least this time, postpone the relief of resolution.

This is your opportunity to make something that matters."

-Seth Godin

Amen.

We're living in a time when it's very easy to get distracted, get consumed by information, and stay stuck on the hamster wheel. Yes, entrepreneurs can get stuck on the hamster wheel just like employees do. What happens is we start our businesses excited and motivated. We take off from the start line guns blazing (I don't know if that's the correct saying here, but you get my point).

Then a few months in you realize, "hmm... this is hard work. This is going to take longer than I expected" and you start looking for a different path. You still want the results you hoped for when you started, freedom, income, making your mark on the world, but all of the sudden you realize that just like a job, you have to show up every day and do the work.

Don't worry, before you think this is going to be another post or rant about "doing the work", hang with me for a minute.

What I've realized (just in the past couple of years), is that we often think we're doing the work. And we are... sort of.

Here are some of the things I'm referring to, tell me if they sound familiar:

* Reading posts and books about what you're doing

* Buying and starting courses (because after all, it's that ONE course that will change everything, right?)

* Creating cohesive branding collateral (logo, site, lead magnets, etc.)

* Mapping out products and services

* Sharing things on social media

* Making lists of ideas

* Creating multiple opt-ins on your site

* ... etc., etc., etc.

Here's why that's only 'sort of ' doing the work.

You NEVER actually produce anything.

Cue the sad music...

Let me share a couple examples/stories because I think it will make more sense and probably connect on a deeper level for many of you. Before I share these stories with you let me say that there is zero judgment here.

Both are examples of people I know and am close with,