The Kim Doyal Show

So here's the follow up to my little mention in last weeks episode about accountability.

My interview with Wes Ward, my new accountability partner and uber brilliant (and fun) branding sensei (yes, I actually just used the word 'Sensei'... I think it was a subconscious move considering we talked about The Karate Kid and Mr. Miagi in this interview. Literally. I swear it makes sense though).

First, before I share a bit about this interview, I should tell you right off the bat that I'm intentionally not going to share some of the "meat" of the interview in the post / show notes. And I promise it's not to 'make you listen' to the show, but there is no way I could do it justice. Especially since throughout most of the interview I feel like a little kid, giddy with excitement about having my mind blown over communicating value (trust me, it's so much MORE than that though).

Literally.

The Mind Blowing Part

Having been online for almost 6 years full time now (that kinda trips me out to say that!) I'd like to think I've seen my fair share of methodologies when it comes to marketing, creating content, branding, etc. Of course my 'fair share' is relative to the space I'm in, the sites I visit and who I'm connected to or subscribe to. Which is why it's SO ridiculously important that you step outside of your comfort zone and connect with other people.

Be OPEN.

Which is what I have become over the last year and a half when I realized certain things just didn't "feel" right. I couldn't quite put my finger on the disconnect other than I knew I needed to start trusting myself, showing up as myself and completely detaching from the opinions of other people (good or bad). To say the results have been amazing would honestly be an understatement. But that's not what this interview and post is about.

I connected with Wes in a Facebook Mastermind I'm in (and yes, I promise I'll share more of this journey with you too) and neither of us could attend the live in person mastermind in Palm Beach in October. At the live mastermind the people who were there set up accountability partners with other members of the group, so when I was on the first call the week after I put something in the chat asking if anyone was looking for an accountability partner. Which is when Wes popped up and said yes, dropped his email in and we chatted on skype later that day (Wes is in Melbourne, Australia... gotta love skype!).

Oh.

My.

God.

At one point towards the middle of our call I had to stand up and walk around because I was so excited and couldn't sit still, literally. And at this point in my life I'm pretty chill, so this doesn't happen often (note to self: find more things that get you so excited you have to get out of your chair!).

You'll hear about Wes' background and what he's doing now that has completely made me look at branding and storytelling in a different way (it's much better and MUCH more fun!). I've started working through Wes' training, Publish and Grow, over the last couple of weeks and will be sharing some BIG changes to my business, a new brand (don't worry, The WordPress Chick isn't going anywhere) and some updates on this process.

I know personally that for a LONG time I avoided doing this type of "work" because quite honestly it didn't feel like "work". You know what I'm talking about right? That old way of thinking about "work" and what it should look like (I still battle this one from time to time but it's easing up).

Let me give you a couple insights into the interview that might shed some clarity on what I'm referring to when I say doing this type of "work":

Value proposition

Story behind the brand

What are the results you deliver

What is the value you provide to your clients & customers

THAT'S what I'm talking about.

The stuff that requires you to close your email, get creative, do some soul searching and get CLEAR on the things that will build your brand and business for the long...

So here's the follow up to my little mention in last weeks episode about accountability.

My interview with Wes Ward, my new accountability partner and uber brilliant (and fun) branding sensei (yes, I actually just used the word 'Sensei'... I think it was a subconscious move considering we talked about The Karate Kid and Mr. Miagi in this interview. Literally. I swear it makes sense though).

First, before I share a bit about this interview, I should tell you right off the bat that I'm intentionally not going to share some of the "meat" of the interview in the post / show notes. And I promise it's not to 'make you listen' to the show, but there is no way I could do it justice. Especially since throughout most of the interview I feel like a little kid, giddy with excitement about having my mind blown over communicating value (trust me, it's so much MORE than that though).

Literally.

The Mind Blowing Part

Having been online for almost 6 years full time now (that kinda trips me out to say that!) I'd like to think I've seen my fair share of methodologies when it comes to marketing, creating content, branding, etc. Of course my 'fair share' is relative to the space I'm in, the sites I visit and who I'm connected to or subscribe to. Which is why it's SO ridiculously important that you step outside of your comfort zone and connect with other people.

Be OPEN.

Which is what I have become over the last year and a half when I realized certain things just didn't "feel" right. I couldn't quite put my finger on the disconnect other than I knew I needed to start trusting myself, showing up as myself and completely detaching from the opinions of other people (good or bad). To say the results have been amazing would honestly be an understatement. But that's not what this interview and post is about.

I connected with Wes in a Facebook Mastermind I'm in (and yes, I promise I'll share more of this journey with you too) and neither of us could attend the live in person mastermind in Palm Beach in October. At the live mastermind the people who were there set up accountability partners with other members of the group, so when I was on the first call the week after I put something in the chat asking if anyone was looking for an accountability partner. Which is when Wes popped up and said yes, dropped his email in and we chatted on skype later that day (Wes is in Melbourne, Australia... gotta love skype!).

Oh.

My.

God.

At one point towards the middle of our call I had to stand up and walk around because I was so excited and couldn't sit still, literally. And at this point in my life I'm pretty chill, so this doesn't happen often (note to self: find more things that get you so excited you have to get out of your chair!).

You'll hear about Wes' background and what he's doing now that has completely made me look at branding and storytelling in a different way (it's much better and MUCH more fun!). I've started working through Wes' training, Publish and Grow, over the last couple of weeks and will be sharing some BIG changes to my business, a new brand (don't worry, The WordPress Chick isn't going anywhere) and some updates on this process.

I know personally that for a LONG time I avoided doing this type of "work" because quite honestly it didn't feel like "work". You know what I'm talking about right? That old way of thinking about "work" and what it should look like (I still battle this one from time to time but it's easing up).

Let me give you a couple insights into the interview that might shed some clarity on what I'm referring to when I say doing this type of "work":

Value proposition

Story behind the brand

What are the results you deliver

What is the value you provide to your clients & customers

THAT'S what I'm talking about.

The stuff that requires you to close your email, get creative, do some soul searching and get CLEAR on the things that will build your brand and business for the long...

Have you ever noticed how the "obvious" things aren't always as obvious as we think they should be?

That tends to happen to me more often than I realized I until I started thinking about today's podcast and show notes. It's really more of an awareness than a 'DUH!' moment I suppose, but it truly hit me like a ton of bricks so I thought I'd go with the DUH! moment. It's kind of like what happens when you buy a new car... all of the sudden you see that car EVERYWHERE! Like everyone went out and bought the same car as soon as you did (if only we were all trend setters).

So let's start with my 'DUH!' Moment.

And I'm going to go out on a limb here and assume I'm not the only one who has had this realization.

A friend of mine recommended a book to me (think I mentioned this previously) called 'The Slight Edge.' The Slight Edge is about doing the little things, day after day that add up and make a significant difference over time - in your personal life, career, whatever. The content doesn't really matter, it applies across the board. Then I finally decided to read Steven Pressfield's "The War of Art", which I'd heard about on plenty of occasions but finally bit the bullet after seeing him interviewed on Oprah's Super Soul Sunday (this is part of my Sunday ritual... coffee, the newspaper and Super Soul Sunday). One of my favorite lines (and I'm paraphrasing here) was about getting our "hearts where are ass's need to be." In other words, get out of your head and get to work.

Novel idea, huh?

In my post "Do You Ever Wonder?" I asked people if they ever wondered what differentiates those who succeed from those who don't, when both people appear to have the same knowledge and skills? Needless to say I got an answer (not from anyone specific, but simply from what showed up in my life). It's actually REALLY REALLY simple. And obvious.

Ready?

Show up.

Do the work.

Every. Single. Day.

Then I started thinking about my business, the past 5 1/2 years and where I am today.

Could I be further along? Sure, but I don't think I would have been ready for the things that are happening in my business today a few years ago. In fact, I know it. But what I DID realize is that I have done the work. I've shown up, I've stuck with it and now have a business and a brand that not only supports my family but is growing exponentially. And when I say exponentially I'm not only referring to income. I'm talking about connections, relationships, projects... all of it.

And I can see where I have plenty of "work" to do in terms of the work I'm doing and how I spend my time. Do I work everyday? Yes, unless I'm sick or really truly need a day to myself.

But, and here's the rub, can I be more effective with how I work and what I'm working on?

Am I doing things strategically? (As well as organically, which I know sounds a bit confusing, but there is a certain level of 'flow' that I need to allow too.)

Does my day have definitive direction as opposed to just a to-do list?

You get the picture.

The "shiny object syndrome" keeps us from doing the work. People who get caught up in the latest, greatest training or "thing" that they think will be the "answer" to their business growth get stuck here because it's easier to purchase something than it is to sit your ass in your chair and start writing. Creating. Whatever it is for you. What I've realized for me is that once I start writing and let myself just go with it everything flows.

Which brings me to my next point for today's show.

The Reality of Accountability.

I could probably sum this up with one sentence.

Truly.

But that would be boring, plus, I'm SO friggin excited about my new accountability partner that this may get more wordy than I've anticipated.

The ONE thing that is without a doubt the main factor in whether or not accountability will work for you is the person you choose to be accountable with.

I've tried setting up accountability with a han...

Have you ever noticed how the "obvious" things aren't always as obvious as we think they should be?

That tends to happen to me more often than I realized I until I started thinking about today's podcast and show notes. It's really more of an awareness than a 'DUH!' moment I suppose, but it truly hit me like a ton of bricks so I thought I'd go with the DUH! moment. It's kind of like what happens when you buy a new car... all of the sudden you see that car EVERYWHERE! Like everyone went out and bought the same car as soon as you did (if only we were all trend setters).

So let's start with my 'DUH!' Moment.

And I'm going to go out on a limb here and assume I'm not the only one who has had this realization.

A friend of mine recommended a book to me (think I mentioned this previously) called 'The Slight Edge.' The Slight Edge is about doing the little things, day after day that add up and make a significant difference over time - in your personal life, career, whatever. The content doesn't really matter, it applies across the board. Then I finally decided to read Steven Pressfield's "The War of Art", which I'd heard about on plenty of occasions but finally bit the bullet after seeing him interviewed on Oprah's Super Soul Sunday (this is part of my Sunday ritual... coffee, the newspaper and Super Soul Sunday). One of my favorite lines (and I'm paraphrasing here) was about getting our "hearts where are ass's need to be." In other words, get out of your head and get to work.

Novel idea, huh?

In my post "Do You Ever Wonder?" I asked people if they ever wondered what differentiates those who succeed from those who don't, when both people appear to have the same knowledge and skills? Needless to say I got an answer (not from anyone specific, but simply from what showed up in my life). It's actually REALLY REALLY simple. And obvious.

Ready?

Show up.

Do the work.

Every. Single. Day.

Then I started thinking about my business, the past 5 1/2 years and where I am today.

Could I be further along? Sure, but I don't think I would have been ready for the things that are happening in my business today a few years ago. In fact, I know it. But what I DID realize is that I have done the work. I've shown up, I've stuck with it and now have a business and a brand that not only supports my family but is growing exponentially. And when I say exponentially I'm not only referring to income. I'm talking about connections, relationships, projects... all of it.

And I can see where I have plenty of "work" to do in terms of the work I'm doing and how I spend my time. Do I work everyday? Yes, unless I'm sick or really truly need a day to myself.

But, and here's the rub, can I be more effective with how I work and what I'm working on?

Am I doing things strategically? (As well as organically, which I know sounds a bit confusing, but there is a certain level of 'flow' that I need to allow too.)

Does my day have definitive direction as opposed to just a to-do list?

You get the picture.

The "shiny object syndrome" keeps us from doing the work. People who get caught up in the latest, greatest training or "thing" that they think will be the "answer" to their business growth get stuck here because it's easier to purchase something than it is to sit your ass in your chair and start writing. Creating. Whatever it is for you. What I've realized for me is that once I start writing and let myself just go with it everything flows.

Which brings me to my next point for today's show.

The Reality of Accountability.

I could probably sum this up with one sentence.

Truly.

But that would be boring, plus, I'm SO friggin excited about my new accountability partner that this may get more wordy than I've anticipated.

The ONE thing that is without a doubt the main factor in whether or not accountability will work for you is the person you choose to be accountable with.

I've tried setting up accountability with a han...

One of the things I love MOST about what I do is that you never know when one thing is going to lead to something else and what that something else might be! That was the case with my interview with Andy Hayes. I was introduced to Andy Hayes from Jonathan Perez over at Sure Fire Web Services when I interviewed him for the podcast. He said Andy was very instrumental in giving him direction for his website and business (you can listen to my interview with Jonathan here), so of course I asked for an introduction. :-)

The title of this post and episode was taken directly from one of Andy's clients, which of course was one of the things I asked him about during our interview (how could I not, right? When someone refers to another person as "The Quentin Tarantino" of anything, you gotta ask! You'll have to listen to the show to hear the story).

Why I was SO interested in talking to Andy.

Over the past several months I've been digging into the other side of my business (for lack of a better description). The how and why of everything I do, not from the personal heart-centered perspective, but from a strategic business perspective (novel idea, eh?). I realized with the changes I made in my business that not only was it time to take a  look at this but I was ready to take a look at it... and more importantly, do something about it.

To give you an idea of what I'm talking about, let's start with a question. I've asked this question to the last 4 people I've done strategy sessions with (more about that in another episode) and they all had the same answer (and because I have to qualify everything, this isn't a dig at their answers. I would have given the same answer even a year ago).

What do you want people to do when they come to your site for the first time?

Their answer?

"I don't know".

Bom bom bom...

My answer? I want them to opt-in. I want to build a relationship with them and that starts with getting them on my mailing list so I can communicate regularly with them.

That question though is just the beginning.

There's SO much more to the 'user experience' (never in a million years thought I'd be using that terminology) than what you someone to do when visiting your site. This topic has completely opened my eyes to the way I do things (still a work in progress of course and assume I will be for a long time). The content I create, the direction I'm taking my business, how I layout my post, pages and sidebars and what I want to offer in the future. Yea, I know. It's a lot.

Of course my interview with Andy also led to another introduction I requested from him and have already hired the person he introduced me to! BUT... you'll have to wait a couple weeks for more details on that (I'm still in the beginning phase of this project).

Andy's background is pretty extensive with technology and the user experience (he moved to Scotland for one company), but it was his training and teaching that I was interested in. He does workshops (in person and online) on topics such as:

Website Critiques

How to Build a "Top Shelf" Content Marketing Strategy and

Think Like Your Client

I told Andy right away that I was interested in doing a class for my audience where he does the Website Critiques! In the interview he explains what he does, some common issues he tends to see as well as a few easy fixes.

You can register for the Website Critique Teleclass here (Tuesday, October 22nd from 5 - 6:30pm PST).

Oh, and you'll also hear about Andy's book, "Create a Website That Converts", which you'll get a free PDF copy of when you register for the class (I read the Kindle version and it's great).

I had a great time talking with Andy and am REALLY looking forward to the class! You can also submit your website for one of the critiques during the class! And don't worry, Andy's a great guy and will be kind. Direct, but kind. And you'll walk away knowing exactly what you can do to have your own Website That Converts!...

One of the things I love MOST about what I do is that you never know when one thing is going to lead to something else and what that something else might be! That was the case with my interview with Andy Hayes. I was introduced to Andy Hayes from Jonathan Perez over at Sure Fire Web Services when I interviewed him for the podcast. He said Andy was very instrumental in giving him direction for his website and business (you can listen to my interview with Jonathan here), so of course I asked for an introduction. :-)

The title of this post and episode was taken directly from one of Andy's clients, which of course was one of the things I asked him about during our interview (how could I not, right? When someone refers to another person as "The Quentin Tarantino" of anything, you gotta ask! You'll have to listen to the show to hear the story).

Why I was SO interested in talking to Andy.

Over the past several months I've been digging into the other side of my business (for lack of a better description). The how and why of everything I do, not from the personal heart-centered perspective, but from a strategic business perspective (novel idea, eh?). I realized with the changes I made in my business that not only was it time to take a look at this but I was ready to take a look at it... and more importantly, do something about it.

To give you an idea of what I'm talking about, let's start with a question. I've asked this question to the last 4 people I've done strategy sessions with (more about that in another episode) and they all had the same answer (and because I have to qualify everything, this isn't a dig at their answers. I would have given the same answer even a year ago).

What do you want people to do when they come to your site for the first time?

Their answer?

"I don't know".

Bom bom bom...

My answer? I want them to opt-in. I want to build a relationship with them and that starts with getting them on my mailing list so I can communicate regularly with them.

That question though is just the beginning.

There's SO much more to the 'user experience' (never in a million years thought I'd be using that terminology) than what you someone to do when visiting your site. This topic has completely opened my eyes to the way I do things (still a work in progress of course and assume I will be for a long time). The content I create, the direction I'm taking my business, how I layout my post, pages and sidebars and what I want to offer in the future. Yea, I know. It's a lot.

Of course my interview with Andy also led to another introduction I requested from him and have already hired the person he introduced me to! BUT... you'll have to wait a couple weeks for more details on that (I'm still in the beginning phase of this project).

Andy's background is pretty extensive with technology and the user experience (he moved to Scotland for one company), but it was his training and teaching that I was interested in. He does workshops (in person and online) on topics such as:

Website Critiques

How to Build a "Top Shelf" Content Marketing Strategy and

Think Like Your Client

I told Andy right away that I was interested in doing a class for my audience where he does the Website Critiques! In the interview he explains what he does, some common issues he tends to see as well as a few easy fixes.

You can register for the Website Critique Teleclass here (Tuesday, October 22nd from 5 - 6:30pm PST).

Oh, and you'll also hear about Andy's book, "Create a Website That Converts", which you'll get a free PDF copy of when you register for the class (I read the Kindle version and it's great).

I had a great time talking with Andy and am REALLY looking forward to the class! You can also submit your website for one of the critiques during the class! And don't worry, Andy's a great guy and will be kind. Direct, but kind. And you'll walk away knowing exactly what you can do to have your own Website That Converts!...

You know you're on the right path when someone reaches out to you to encourage what you're doing... even when it's something you've just started and you don't even know them.

That was my first interaction with Marcus Couch. Not too shabby, huh?

Marcus is one of those natural 'Go Givers' (book by Bob Burg) and an amazing community builder (I almost used the word connector as opposed to community builder but he really does so much more than connect people).  After one of my first podcasts had aired I received a tweet from Marcus saying he liked the show & to keep  it up (I swear I took a screenshot of the tweet but for the life of me I can't find it. :-( Note to self: keep better track of this stuff!)).

Marcus has had a pretty amazing career and his journey to WordPress is a little different than some of my previous guests (of course everyone's journey is interesting... it's one of my favorite elements to the interviews) in that it was due to having a podcast in 2004 that he found WordPress! I know I didn't even know what a podcast was in 2004. Just sayin. :-)His background was in graphics and technology, which then led him to music and doing artwork for album covers (I asked him if there were any bands he worked with that we would know... and due to having grown up in suburbia and being a high school student in the late 80's you can probably guess my knowledge of rock music was pretty much Van Halen, Def Leppard, Poison.. you get the picture, but he did share a band with me).

When he found how easy it was to produce an RSS feed with WordPress for his podcast (prior to that he had been hard coding it) he jumped on it right away. Once he put the podcast on WordPress it skyrocketed the show to the point where he had a weekly feature broadcast on Sirius Satellite Radio! I told him when I received his bio that I had no idea he was such a 'celebrity'. From being the marketing director of Entrepreneur.com to working with companies like Absolut Vodka, Footlocker and Godaddy ( to name a few), Marcus has gained been around the 'marketing block' so to speak (was that a completely goofy sentence?). The work he does with clients today is based on getting them results. He shares a really cool story about an experiment he's running which is creating some solid proof for his skills when it comes to results for his clients.

Community Builder Extraordinaire

Marcus and The WordPress Community

WordPress Plugins A - Z

When Marcus tweeted to me about my podcast he let me know he was co-host of the WordPress Plugins A-Z podcast with John Overall. They review the latest & greatest WordPress plugins, both bringing to the table a few plugins they've each found in the WordPress plugin repository (*listen to the episode to hear how many plugins are added to the repository daily!). I love how Marcus connected with John to join him on the podcast - he simply offered (after hearing the other co-host was leaving the show). Novel idea, huh?

TIP!

Without a doubt, one of my biggest 'takeaways' from this interview with Marcus was that it's really not as hard as we think to reach out and connect with people. Marcus jumped into the WordPress community with both feet (for both the podcast and WP Tavern, but I'll get to that in a minute) and even received some snarky comments from people. But it didn't stop him. Fortunately for us he stuck with it and continues to give back to the community.

WP Tavern

Just this past June Marcus joined WPTavern.com where he writes about, surprise, WordPress plugins. I have to tell you that I must have asked or commented a few times about when he actually sleeps! I find myself time challenged just to keep up with this site, content and clients, let alone a few sites!

Marcus is stellar at bringing people together and pooling resources and sites into one place to better serve his audience, which of course led to another new WordPress venture called WordPress Radio! WPR.

You know you're on the right path when someone reaches out to you to encourage what you're doing... even when it's something you've just started and you don't even know them.

That was my first interaction with Marcus Couch. Not too shabby, huh?

Marcus is one of those natural 'Go Givers' (book by Bob Burg) and an amazing community builder (I almost used the word connector as opposed to community builder but he really does so much more than connect people). After one of my first podcasts had aired I received a tweet from Marcus saying he liked the show & to keep it up (I swear I took a screenshot of the tweet but for the life of me I can't find it. :-( Note to self: keep better track of this stuff!)).

Marcus has had a pretty amazing career and his journey to WordPress is a little different than some of my previous guests (of course everyone's journey is interesting... it's one of my favorite elements to the interviews) in that it was due to having a podcast in 2004 that he found WordPress! I know I didn't even know what a podcast was in 2004. Just sayin. :-)His background was in graphics and technology, which then led him to music and doing artwork for album covers (I asked him if there were any bands he worked with that we would know... and due to having grown up in suburbia and being a high school student in the late 80's you can probably guess my knowledge of rock music was pretty much Van Halen, Def Leppard, Poison.. you get the picture, but he did share a band with me).

When he found how easy it was to produce an RSS feed with WordPress for his podcast (prior to that he had been hard coding it) he jumped on it right away. Once he put the podcast on WordPress it skyrocketed the show to the point where he had a weekly feature broadcast on Sirius Satellite Radio! I told him when I received his bio that I had no idea he was such a 'celebrity'. From being the marketing director of Entrepreneur.com to working with companies like Absolut Vodka, Footlocker and Godaddy ( to name a few), Marcus has gained been around the 'marketing block' so to speak (was that a completely goofy sentence?). The work he does with clients today is based on getting them results. He shares a really cool story about an experiment he's running which is creating some solid proof for his skills when it comes to results for his clients.

Community Builder Extraordinaire

Marcus and The WordPress Community

WordPress Plugins A - Z

When Marcus tweeted to me about my podcast he let me know he was co-host of the WordPress Plugins A-Z podcast with John Overall. They review the latest & greatest WordPress plugins, both bringing to the table a few plugins they've each found in the WordPress plugin repository (*listen to the episode to hear how many plugins are added to the repository daily!). I love how Marcus connected with John to join him on the podcast - he simply offered (after hearing the other co-host was leaving the show). Novel idea, huh?

TIP!

Without a doubt, one of my biggest 'takeaways' from this interview with Marcus was that it's really not as hard as we think to reach out and connect with people. Marcus jumped into the WordPress community with both feet (for both the podcast and WP Tavern, but I'll get to that in a minute) and even received some snarky comments from people. But it didn't stop him. Fortunately for us he stuck with it and continues to give back to the community.

WP Tavern

Just this past June Marcus joined WPTavern.com where he writes about, surprise, WordPress plugins. I have to tell you that I must have asked or commented a few times about when he actually sleeps! I find myself time challenged just to keep up with this site, content and clients, let alone a few sites!

Marcus is stellar at bringing people together and pooling resources and sites into one place to better serve his audience, which of course led to another new WordPress venture called WordPress Radio! WPR.

I had to start this interview off by asking Bob what a Rusty Nail was (the reference on his site was to a cocktail, not an actual nail that was sitting out in the rain and got rusty :-)).

A rusty nail of course is a cocktail (you'll have to listen to the interview to find out what's actually in a Rusty Nail (I've become kind of a skirt about hard liquor, so I don't think I'll be trying one anytime soon). This was just one of the fun little tidbits I picked up from Bob's "About" page, which I always check out before I'm going to interview someone, regardless of how well I may know the person (speaking of which, when was the last time you reviewed and updated your "About" page? I think mine is in for an update soon!).

BobWP (we'll just say Bob for the rest of the post) and I had connected on Twitter through the #GenesisWP hashtag sometime earlier this year. It was when a conversation started about connecting with other Genesis enthusiasts at WordCamp San Francisco that I got to connect more with Bob, and of course in person at WordCamp SF (the dinner out with everyone was definitely the highlight of WordCamp SF for me).  As soon as Bob and I started chatting while at WordCamp I knew I wanted to have him on the podcast!

Like everyone else I've interviewed I had to ask Bob about his story and what lead him to a business focusing on WordPress and training. Many of my interviewees have had a previous 'career' or experience in Web Design, but Bob's background stemmed from owning his own design company (print design) that he owned with his wife. He got into WordPress when he realized everything was moving away from print and with his love of learning and teaching he stepped into WordPress.

*Fun Side Note*

One of my subscribers just let me know that she took her first WordPress class from BobWP! And now she has a full WordPress business herself, so I'd say that's a pretty great testament to Bob's teaching skills!)

Bob still works for himself and his wife works at home along side him, which I would guess not many people can do successfully and stay together... Bob and his wife have done this for years and have clearly made it work. Oh... and did I mention that Bob and his wife live on an island in the state of Washington? Yep! And somehow he still manages to network and connect locally.

When I asked Bob to share something fun about himself, it just confirmed what I thought about him when I met him, that he's a great guy and does more than his fair share of giving back. And no, I'm not going to tell you. :-) You have to listen to the interview to find out what Bob's 'fun fact' is!

Make sure to stop by Bob's site and connect with him on Twitter (he's pretty active on twitter), you won't be disappointed.

Links from this episode

BobWP Online

Bob on Twitter

I had to start this interview off by asking Bob what a Rusty Nail was (the reference on his site was to a cocktail, not an actual nail that was sitting out in the rain and got rusty :-)).

A rusty nail of course is a cocktail (you'll have to listen to the interview to find out what's actually in a Rusty Nail (I've become kind of a skirt about hard liquor, so I don't think I'll be trying one anytime soon). This was just one of the fun little tidbits I picked up from Bob's "About" page, which I always check out before I'm going to interview someone, regardless of how well I may know the person (speaking of which, when was the last time you reviewed and updated your "About" page? I think mine is in for an update soon!).

BobWP (we'll just say Bob for the rest of the post) and I had connected on Twitter through the #GenesisWP hashtag sometime earlier this year. It was when a conversation started about connecting with other Genesis enthusiasts at WordCamp San Francisco that I got to connect more with Bob, and of course in person at WordCamp SF (the dinner out with everyone was definitely the highlight of WordCamp SF for me). As soon as Bob and I started chatting while at WordCamp I knew I wanted to have him on the podcast!

Like everyone else I've interviewed I had to ask Bob about his story and what lead him to a business focusing on WordPress and training. Many of my interviewees have had a previous 'career' or experience in Web Design, but Bob's background stemmed from owning his own design company (print design) that he owned with his wife. He got into WordPress when he realized everything was moving away from print and with his love of learning and teaching he stepped into WordPress.

*Fun Side Note*

One of my subscribers just let me know that she took her first WordPress class from BobWP! And now she has a full WordPress business herself, so I'd say that's a pretty great testament to Bob's teaching skills!)

Bob still works for himself and his wife works at home along side him, which I would guess not many people can do successfully and stay together... Bob and his wife have done this for years and have clearly made it work. Oh... and did I mention that Bob and his wife live on an island in the state of Washington? Yep! And somehow he still manages to network and connect locally.

When I asked Bob to share something fun about himself, it just confirmed what I thought about him when I met him, that he's a great guy and does more than his fair share of giving back. And no, I'm not going to tell you. :-) You have to listen to the interview to find out what Bob's 'fun fact' is!

Make sure to stop by Bob's site and connect with him on Twitter (he's pretty active on twitter), you won't be disappointed.

Links from this episode

BobWP Online

Bob on Twitter