Tiny Course Empire Podcast

I’m a huge believer in having more than one revenue source. Multiple streams of income means when one is down, another is up, and your cash flow is smoother as a result. It’s what protects you from the inevitable downturns every business will face, whether it’s a global pandemic or a seasonal sales slump.

One of my favorite income streams comes from affiliate marketing. I get to recommend the best tools and resources to my community, and earn commissions for doing so.

Plus, there’s no products to create, no team to manage, and no customer service to handle.

All of that makes affiliate marketing a big win in my book, but maybe the best thing of all is that I don’t have to be selling all the time to earn really good commissions. Instead, I’ve found other ways to promote affiliate links when and where they serve my community best.

In this episode, I’ll tell you all about them.

Prefer a transcript? Here you go!

Maybe the most appealing thing about launching an online business is the low start-up costs. There’s no inventory to buy or warehouse space to rent, no shipping fees or even staffing to worry about.

All you need is a handful of software applications, and you can be up and running in less than a day, and for very little upfront investment.

One thing that keeps costs low is the availability of “freemium” tools and software. I use many of them every single day to handle a variety of business needs, including:

What I love most about freemium tools is the upgrade path. They’re fully functional even on the free tier, and they grow with you as your needs change. No more changing platforms because you outgrew a tool (what a pain). And because the developers have a viable business model—meaning they make money—freemium tools typically have a good, stable track record as well.

On this episode of the Tiny Course Empire Podcast, I’ll give you the inside scoop on the freemium tools I depend on every single day to keep my business running. I’ll tell you which ones I’ve used for free for years and have no intention of upgrading, and which ones I pay for and why. Listen in, and you might just find a few new favorites, or maybe some new uses for the tools you’re already using.

Prefer a transcript? Here you go!

In July 2021, our website server crashed. What started as an inconvenience quickly turned into a catastrophic failure, as we discovered that the recovery systems we had in place simply weren’t good enough.

Four days later, all sites were still offline, as we were still putting the pieces back together. Better systems would have saved us so much time, money, and frustration.

In this episode, we’re facing the hard facts about what it really takes to protect your business from this kind of disaster. I know so many small business owners who either don’t understand the risks, or who simply choose to ignore them.

Because here’s the truth: Sooner or later, your server will crash. Your website, maybe your entire business, can be gone in a flash.

Will you be able to recover quickly when it happens? Will you be able to recover at all?

Listen in to find out what you can do right now to prevent (and recover from) this kind of disaster in your online business.

Prefer a transcript? Here you go!

So much of the outsourcing advice I hear is… well, it might be doing you more harm than good, if I’m being honest.

Don’t like to do something? Just outsource it.

Don’t understand how that software works? Just outsource it.

Don’t have the time or skills to write that sales page? Just outsource it.

Now, I’m not saying you should never do those things. Of course you should. Freeing up your time for more important, high-leverage projects is how you increase profits and grow as a business owner.

But there’s a catch. Jumping too soon into outsourcing to avoid doing things you don’t like or that feel overwhelming will often lead to disaster.

You have to have a plan, and that starts by asking yourself just a few, simple questions. Answer these, and you’ll be in a much better position not only for outsourcing, but as a business owner on the way up.

Prefer a transcript? Here you go!

What if I told you that you don’t have to spend months (years!) creating your next course? That with nothing more than a pen and paper and an hour or so of focus time, you could develop a rock-solid course outline to take you all the way through to the finish line?

What’s more, what if I said this process is actually the key to creating real transformation for your students?

That’s what this week’s episode is all about.

I’m going to take you from idea to outline in under an hour. By the time we’re done, you’ll have found your focus and you’ll have a map to follow as you create the rest of your course. All that will be left is to fill in the blanks, because you’ll have already done the hard work of nailing down that outline.

Prefer a transcript? Here you go!

“Which day is best for sending email?”

Sooner or later, every business owner asks that question about email marketing, as if there is some window of time during which your subscribers are impatiently clicking the refresh button and waiting for your email to arrive.

Maybe that’s true if your name is James Clear. For the rest of us though, that sweet spot doesn’t exist. In fact, in this episode of The Tiny Course Empire Podcast, I want to make the case that the right answer to that question (for everyone but Mr. Clear) is:

Every day. You should email your list every. Single. Day.

Maybe you’re nodding along, knowing the power email has in your business. Or maybe you’re imagining a mounting list of spam complaints. Heck, maybe you’re even searching your inbox for my latest email just so you can reply and tell me how wrong I am (you wouldn’t be the first).

But here’s what I know:

Emailing my list more-or-less every day (I’m not perfect) is what has allowed me to build a multi-six-figure business. I can’t promise it will do the same for you, but I do know that a daily email habit will have a bigger impact than you can imagine, and I hope you’ll consider it.

Prefer a transcript? Here you go!

Build brand awareness.

Develop stronger relationships with your customers.

Stand out in a crowded marketplace.

Earn a better return on your investment.

Those are just a few of the reasons small businesses (especially the bootstrapping kind like you and I run) prioritize content marketing over other strategies. Even if you have the cash flow to invest in ads, you’ll likely find that organic traffic through content marketing offers a more sustainable plan.

Even as the wearer of a multitude of hats, I consider content creation to be my most important job. I spend the better part of each day writing, whether it’s emails, podcast episodes, course content, or answering questions in the Six-Figure Systems member area.

I’ve always known how important content is, but I used to worry about running out of ideas. Maybe you can relate? I’ve discovered something magical, though.

The more I create, the more ideas I have.

But you know me. I still like to have a system. It just makes everything easier and more efficient.

In this episode of the Tiny Course Empire Podcast, I’m taking you behind the scenes of my content development system and showing you how I find an endless supply of ideas, keep track of them, plan my calendar for more effective marketing, and basically, never run out of things to say.

Prefer a transcript? Here you go!

As a small business owner, you probably know that content creation is a powerful way to grow your audience, but which style is right for you?

Should you start a podcast? Launch a YouTube channel? Publish a blog? It seems like an easy decision, but the truth is, there’s more to consider than just your personal taste (although that does play a role).

In this episode, I’m sharing a four-step process you can use to find the right content style for you and your growing business.

Prefer a transcript? Here you go!

How many items are on you to-do list right now?

You probably have products to create, affiliates to meet with, blog posts to write, Facebook groups to moderate, clients to serve, taxes to file… The list is endless, and we haven’t even touched on personal projects yet.

If you’re feeling a little overwhelmed with it all, that’s to be expected.

But what if I told you I have a simple system you can use to prioritize your projects and get everything done, without working 60+ hours every week? Would you be on board with that?

Because that’s what time blocking has done for me.

Now, I’ll be the first to admit that I’ve been an on-and-off time blocker for years. I’ve abandoned the idea in favor of a “more flexible, spontaneous” approach to life, but I always come back to time blocking—usually after a particularly stressful month where I felt like I got nothing done.

In this episode of the Tiny Course Empire Podcast, I’m breaking down exactly how I schedule my weeks, why I use my calendar as my to-do list, and how you can get more done, too.

Prefer a transcript? Here you go!

I get asked that question a lot, so in this episode of the podcast, I’m breaking down most of the systems we use to run this tiny empire.

When I sat down to make the list, I realized I could talk for days about this stuff. There are a lot of pieces that all work together to create what you see on the blog, as a customer, or in the member site. I can’t possibly cover them all in a single episode, so this episode focuses on the big players.

If you have questions about something not mentioned here, post them below. I’m happy to answer any questions you have, or help you choose your own online business technology.

Prefer a transcript? Here you go!