James Schramko Podcast

Mandi Ellefson helps business owners structure businesses that deliver more while demanding less of them. [01:33]Here’s why James changed his business goal from super fast to super sustainable. [03:02]Growing a business is not the same as scaling up a business. Discover the difference and how it impacts you. [05:48]Is client debt an issue for you? Here’s how our two experts address it. [07:08]When people know you’re good at what you do, you eventually hit capacity. What then? [10:21]Not all clients deserve your time and attention. James and Mandi discuss why. [11:34]Raising your price just a little can have a surprising impact on your bottom line. [14:44]Being the business bottleneck not only holds things up - it can also chew up a lot of your time. [16:42]You can learn a lot about task management from James’s orthodontist. [22:11]There’s more than one way to manage bottlenecks in a business. [23:26]Take care of this, then think about your marketing… [28:56]If task handover is your aim, there are two ways of training your team member that can help. [32:36]When you focus less on process and more on actual thinking, a big shift happens. [24:42]

What is a full stack business owner, and why would you want to be one? [00:42]Money to live on, or a future fortune? This is why the decision is so important…. [02:39]James switched from company to personal brand, and has noticed several things. [05:32]You can sell a personal brand business. Is the trouble worth it, though? [07:11]There are ways you can actually do well with a personal brand… [10:15]James used to be about building a business to sell. Here’s what’s changed since then. [13:23]You can go with one or the other, but there’s really no right or wrong. [15:34]Can you build with the intent to sell, and still have great business cashflow? [16:32]People sometimes glorify the sale of a business, but it does come with difficulties… [17:48]The process of selling a business profitably requires a certain set of skills. [22:26]Are some business models more suited to selling than others? [26:18]If you’re looking to sell your business, it’s a good idea from the start to have your number. [29:38]Keep your head in the game of doing business, at least till you’ve made the sale. [31:00]

With the prospect of fatherhood, wealth became a matter of some importance for Charley. [01:52]The amount of money you make doesn’t determine how wealthy you are. [04:12]There’s nothing like kids to spur you on to success. [05:22]Why are so many business owners challenged when it comes to wealth-building? [07:21]You want to keep some of the money you make, but when is thrifty living a sign of a scarcity mindset? [10:14]Wiring and conditioning play significant roles in our ability to build wealth. [12:43]Who are the Joneses you’re looking to keep up with? [17:24]Can wealth make you more authentic? [23:29]The past hugely impacts the money mindset we have today. [27:46]Tell me who you hang out with, and I’ll tell you who you’re likely to become. [30:32]When you’ve outgrown the crowd that got you where you are… [37:10]Luckily, you can rewrite the money mentality you grew up with. [39:42]Where do you go to get better educated about wealth? [42:25]

Dr. Justin Sung was a medical professional. Now he helps people learn how to learn better. Why the shift? [00:56]People like to say things are evidence-based. It takes a lot of research, however, to be able to claim that. [05:16]There are a lot of misconceptions surrounding learning, some of them learned at school. [09:50]If enough people say a learning method works, does that give it credibility? [13:07]How can course creators and educators produce better material for their clients? [16:01]This course creation tip can save you time, money and trouble. [19:00]Are you learning without application? How do you prevent learning material from becoming mere shelf ware? [21:05]Course creators can and should help their customers get better results. [25:55]It’s one thing to create a course. It’s another to market it. [29:31]Justin gives would-be learners an unusual parting tip. [33:33]

It’s one thing to get SEO advice - it’s a whole other beast to implement it, and do it consistently. [00:55]What if you’re coming late to the SEO game and have years and pages of content? [03:07]SEOLeverage has almost 30 people working behind the scenes to help clients rank. What do they do? [06:26]So now you’ve got SEO and clicks are free, you can turn off the paid traffic, right? Not so fast. [08:39]You don’t get fit by going now and then to the gym. Neither do you rank by putting intermittent effort into SEO. [09:50]Here’s what we stand to learn from those who actually implement… [11:55]Gert’s SEO app has been undergoing tweaks in the background. Where is it at to date? [13:04]If you want to work with an agency, you’ll still need people. Here are the roles you’ll ideally have… [16:05]There are some clients who you just know will do well with SEO. What have they got that others haven’t? [20:15]

SEO in 2008 was both easier and harder. Today testing plays a key role in success. [02:16]Just because Coca-Cola has a billboard doesn’t mean you need one. [05:18]This works well for so-and-so - maybe you should give it a try. [07:22]How’s that lead magnet strategy working for you? [08:56]How you begin your article could impact your ranking. [10:24]Does region affect SEO at all? [12:22]This is how you can test without endangering your entire site. [15:20]If it doesn’t work, can you put everything back? [18:05]Switching domains was a calculated risk that’s worked for James. Here’s why. [20:01]

Brenton has matured in his business without many of the dramas that plague other entrepreneurs. [02:09]James’s guest knew early what kind of life would make him happy, and what wouldn’t. [04:43]Sports kept Brenton levelheaded, and one sport in particular. [05:49]Is it a one-thing-at-a-time journey, or is there a five-year plan? [10:17]With such a simple business, these are the sort of things that keep it running. [15:01]Brenton and James talked a decade ago about OwnTheRacecourse. How much of that still influences what Brenton does? [18:03]When you don’t need a huge team… [21:40]Work-life balance is not an illusion. [26:20]What does the future hold for this swim coach turned entrepreneur? [27:44]

Podcast highlights:One of the biggest dilemmas in SEO is where to get accurate information. [00:56]Do you have an SEO provider you can trust? [05:11]You’ve put in the resources, with no return on investment. What to do? [07:10]This is why you should be linking internally… [13:07]Links from outside still carry weight, provided they’re relevant. [17:13]Do images affect your SEO at all? [21:50]What kind of relationship do paid and organic traffic have? [24:30]This episode can be summed up in two pointers… [28:14]

Even good things outlive their usefulness. After over 10 years, James Schramko is putting away SuperFastBusiness in favor of a more personal brand.

Dream of creating a digital course to sell online? Former lawyer Stevie Dillon's info product has made clients $300K in sales. Hear her story here.