Kate Ahl built a business around being a Pinterest expert for bloggers. We talk about how she started her business and built a loyal customer base, what it takes to succeed in a busy niche and whether the world really needs another Pinterest person.

Marketing automation can help you save time and keep your sales funnel flowing. But there’s a line between automation and acting like a robot. Today we talk about how too much automation and not enough human interaction loses sales.

Craig McBreen joins us to talk about what branding is, how your personal brand and business brand intersect and what you need to think about as you develop a brand.

We answer a listener who asked us whether a proposal she received for developing branding, logo and website was fairly priced. Plus we talk about prank videos, reaction videos and strange licensing schemes.

Being a podcast guest can help you generate leads but you need systems in place to make it an effective marketing tactic. We talk about what those are, then dive into masterminds, how they can help you, how to set one up and what you can expect.

Does caffeine get you going or just create an illusion productivity? We talk about getting out of the whirlwind, learning to relax and what it takes to be productive. Plus how to tell a better business story and why empathy wins over confrontation.

We talk with this family of tea importers and tea blend mixologists about how they got involved in the tea business, how to brew a great cup and how they get the word out about their products.

On our last solo episode of the year we talk about what you can do in the upcoming year (and beyond) to improve your business. From tiny details to big steps, make this a year of better work and more play.

Instead of aiming to be the best, how about simply seeking "better"? We talk to Terry Lancaster about how to build good habits for business, fitness and life by taking small, simple actions every day.

We talk about our breakup with iTunes and some podcatcher apps we like. Plus we discuss the effects of physical health on your business and productivity. Finally, we issue a productivity challenge to you with a free downloadable action item list.