Streamlined Solopreneur: Automate Your Business, Take Time Off Worry-Free

It's the 2021 Gift Guides episode! This year I revamped the guides to be clearer, including more tools for people who work from home and podcasters, and offering more options for people looking for the perfect pen. In Build Something More, I talk about the transition from Beaver Builder to Gutenberg - why I did it, and how it went.Show Notes:Gift GuidesWork From Home Video WalkthroughPodcast Guide Video WalkthroughCreator CrewSponsored by: Accessibility Checker by Equalize Digital | Nexcess | TextExpander ————Streamlined Solopreneur is the podcast for solopreneurs who want to automate their business and take time off worry-free. Each week, Joe Casabona shares practical systems, tools, and strategies to help you reclaim your time and run your business without sacrificing your the rest of your life, or your health. Start with the free Solopreneur Sweep — a step-by-step method for finding where your business is losing time: https://streamlined.fm/sweepIf this episode helped you, leaving a review on Apple Podcasts helps other solopreneurs find the show — it only takes a minute and means a lot.Connect with Joe on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jcasabona/

Something I (and perhaps you) feel I do terribly is email marketing. I'm worried I'm not segmenting my list the right way, that I email them too much, and that what I send is not aligned with what they signed up for. But let me tell you, after this conversation with Samar Owais, I feel a lot better. Samar is an email expert, and we cover a lot of ground, from setting up a welcome sequence, to when you should sell to your list, to how to segment. This is a mini masterclass in email marketing and one of my favorite episodes to date. Plus, in Build Something More, how Apple is changing the way we measure email marketing success.Top Takeaways:When someone signs up for your mailing list, your welcome sequence needs to align with your offer and your promise...also, you should have a welcome sequence!When it is too soon to sell to your list? The very first welcome email. Everything else is fair game so soft sell, sew seeds, or even just mention.Segmentation is SO important. You're forming a relationship with your email subscribers, and you can't properly do that if you don't know anything about them.Show Notes:Samar OwaisSamar on TwitterSamar on LinkedinConvertKitCreator CrewSponsored by: Nexcess | TextExpander ————Streamlined Solopreneur is the podcast for solopreneurs who want to automate their business and take time off worry-free. Each week, Joe Casabona shares practical systems, tools, and strategies to help you reclaim your time and run your business without sacrificing your the rest of your life, or your health. Start with the free Solopreneur Sweep — a step-by-step method for finding where your business is losing time: https://streamlined.fm/sweepIf this episode helped you, leaving a review on Apple Podcasts helps other solopreneurs find the show — it only takes a minute and means a lot.Connect with Joe on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jcasabona/

Discover the advantages of subscription services for businesses, making income more predictable and enhancing customer focus. Learn from John Warrillow about the importance of going all-in for a successful subscription model. Explore strategies for demonstrating value and avoiding subscription fatigue in business.

You've heard me say time and time again - build your list! If you want to grow your business, whether you sell products, services, or are a creator, you need to get people on your email list. And today's guest, Maciek Palmowski, has definitely done that. He and his wife started the only Polish-language WordPress-focused newsletter (quick a niche) and grew it into quite a popular English-language newsletter. The format and process for putting it together are interesting too - making this a fantastic episode for those struggling with (or struggling to start) their newsletter. In Build Something More, we talk about what it's like being an ESL programmer in an English-dominated market.Top TakeawaysThe Twitter community can be a great place for finding news and growing your list!The secret to growth: stay consistent and put in the work. People will come, and share it!Trial and error is super important. Try things out and see what works. See what doesn’t. Iterate quickly.Show Notes:Maciek PalmowskiMaciek on TwitterDelicious Brains blogwpcontent.ioMailchimpNewsletter GlueGutenberg TimesCreator CrewSponsored by: Nexcess | TextExpander ————Streamlined Solopreneur is the podcast for solopreneurs who want to automate their business and take time off worry-free. Each week, Joe Casabona shares practical systems, tools, and strategies to help you reclaim your time and run your business without sacrificing your the rest of your life, or your health. Start with the free Solopreneur Sweep — a step-by-step method for finding where your business is losing time: https://streamlined.fm/sweepIf this episode helped you, leaving a review on Apple Podcasts helps other solopreneurs find the show — it only takes a minute and means a lot.Connect with Joe on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jcasabona/

As an elder millennial, TikTok as a platform scares and upsets me. I’m not really sure how to use it to grow my audience (if it even can) and I’m worried it’s just going to be a huge time suck. But according to Rebecca Simon, if your business isn’t on Tiktok, it’s a huge missed opportunity. SO naturally, I asked her how a small business owner can make the most of the platform; Rebecca offered some of the best advice I’ve heard for any social network! So if you’re wondering how you can grow your audience through TikTok, this episode is for you. Plus, in Build Something More, I ask Rebecca how some of my favorite Tiktoks were made.Top TakeawaysIt's important to have the right SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures) in place with VAs, employees, or even just yourself.The direction all social media is moving in is video. Instagram rebranded as a "video" platform, and TikTok is leading the charge. That's why it's so important to be there.The biggest benefit is TikTok is pushing you to new people. Discovery is much better on that platform that on follower-centric platforms like Instagram.Show Notes:Rebecca SimonRebecca on TiktokRebecca on InstagramCreator CrewSponsored by: Nexcess | TextExpander ————Streamlined Solopreneur is the podcast for solopreneurs who want to automate their business and take time off worry-free. Each week, Joe Casabona shares practical systems, tools, and strategies to help you reclaim your time and run your business without sacrificing your the rest of your life, or your health. Start with the free Solopreneur Sweep — a step-by-step method for finding where your business is losing time: https://streamlined.fm/sweepIf this episode helped you, leaving a review on Apple Podcasts helps other solopreneurs find the show — it only takes a minute and means a lot.Connect with Joe on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jcasabona/

It's another live coaching call! This time I have podcaster and WordPress site builder Nathan Wrigley. We chat about how I format this show, record the bumpers and the intros, and the benefits (and potential pitfalls) of batching. Then we roll into making money: how to find and land sponsors, and when to think about monetizing your podcast. Nathan has been a podcaster for a long time, so it was great to field his questions as well as get his perspective. Plus in Build Something More, we talk about what it's like to run a virtual summit.Top TakeawaysHave a good process for outreach to guests and sponsors. You can better track, schedule and batch!Should you think about monetization before you launch your podcast or after? It's a great question! You should think about why you're starting your podcast and how you can monitize. But you should wait to launch until you have a money making plan.One this is absolutely necessary though: Build your email list!Show Notes:Nathan WrigleyNathan on FacebookCan Solo Developers Exist in WordPress?The First Stuff You Should Know Episodes Were 6 Minutes LongConvertKitBuild Your List Using ConvertKit with Angel MarieNewsletter GlueCreator CrewSponsored by: Nexcess | TextExpander ————Streamlined Solopreneur is the podcast for solopreneurs who want to automate their business and take time off worry-free. Each week, Joe Casabona shares practical systems, tools, and strategies to help you reclaim your time and run your business without sacrificing your the rest of your life, or your health. Start with the free Solopreneur Sweep — a step-by-step method for finding where your business is losing time: https://streamlined.fm/sweepIf this episode helped you, leaving a review on Apple Podcasts helps other solopreneurs find the show — it only takes a minute and means a lot.Connect with Joe on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jcasabona/

Sometimes you know you're destined to run your own business. You work for companies and realize that you can't really work within the confines of a corporate structure. It's something I realized pretty much in high school. And it's something today's guest, Lauren Kennedy, has known all her life. Realizing then, she took her drive and built a marketing automation company…with a twist. While both marketing and automation can be terms associated with the impersonal, she's set out to build a people-first company. And that's the main focus of our discussion today. Of-course, it didn't stop me from asking about marketing automation. And in Build Something More, we talk about being active and helping people on social media, including Reddit.Top TakeawaysSales is the authentic exchange of knowledge - you're showing people what you know, and what you can do. Put another way, your knowledge is not proprietary. Your ability to do it is.The goal of marketing automation is to get as much done with as few resources as possible. You can make sure you communicate personally and properly with the right automations.Be a sponge. Take every opportunity to learn and absorb - about your craft, about your clients, about your employees. Then squeeze it back out.Pre show release - how hard it is to come up with an elevator pitch for yourself, imposter syndromeShow Notes:Lauren KennedyLauren On TwitterLauren on LinkedinLauren on Facebook Building and Evolving Profitable Project Plan with Jennifer BournCreator CrewSponsored by: Nexcess | TextExpander ————Streamlined Solopreneur is the podcast for solopreneurs who want to automate their business and take time off worry-free. Each week, Joe Casabona shares practical systems, tools, and strategies to help you reclaim your time and run your business without sacrificing your the rest of your life, or your health. Start with the free Solopreneur Sweep — a step-by-step method for finding where your business is losing time: https://streamlined.fm/sweepIf this episode helped you, leaving a review on Apple Podcasts helps other solopreneurs find the show — it only takes a minute and means a lot.Connect with Joe on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jcasabona/

Often, when it comes to launching, writing, recording, building funnels, or whatever else it is we need to do, it's easy to start because we're motivated. But the longer a project goes on, the harder it can be. The more frustrating it can get. And the more likely quality starts to go out the window. Well, today's guest, Elizabeth Pampalone, has a solution: get it all done in 1 day. From launching websites to writing a full year of blog posts, Elizabeth's process of blocking off a whole day and walking with her clients through a tried and true framework has proven successful. Here is how she does it. Plus, in Build something more, we chat about early businesses and how to handle premium products for clients.Top TakeawaysImplementing is the hardest part of the work for most people - building that into a day, and into your schedule helps you ship.You need a "Deep Work" style day to get the work done. Eliminate distractions and context switching.Checklists are a huge help. They reduce the mental energy of figuring out what to do next so you can just do.Show NotesElizabeth PampaloneElizabeth on FacebookElizabeth on InstagramElizabeth on LinkedinHow Your Content Strategy can Grow Your Business with Jean PerpillantMonster ContractsCreator CrewSponsored by: Nexcess | TextExpander ————Streamlined Solopreneur is the podcast for solopreneurs who want to automate their business and take time off worry-free. Each week, Joe Casabona shares practical systems, tools, and strategies to help you reclaim your time and run your business without sacrificing your the rest of your life, or your health. Start with the free Solopreneur Sweep — a step-by-step method for finding where your business is losing time: https://streamlined.fm/sweepIf this episode helped you, leaving a review on Apple Podcasts helps other solopreneurs find the show — it only takes a minute and means a lot.Connect with Joe on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jcasabona/

Hey everybody and welcome to episode 234 of How I Built It, the podcast that offers actionable tech tips for small business owners. Today's sponsors are TextExpander, and Nexcess. Jason How knows a thing or two about ads, start with this: don't start with Ads. Jason gives us a couple of important aspects of running ads you think to think about before actually running the ads - like how to get your offer to a place that will compel people to actually click on ads.Top TakeawaysBEFORE you run any ads, you need to get your offer right. Figure our whom you serve and do the research to make sure your offer is a good one. The messaging will be completely based on the offer. Get people into your funnel with a clear CTA, and have a good confirmation page.Show Notes:Jason HowJason on LinkedinJason on FacebookJason on TwitterAgency J on LinkedinZipMessageS.I.N. Offer by Todd BrownHyrosCreator CrewSponsored by: Nexcess | TextExpander ————Streamlined Solopreneur is the podcast for solopreneurs who want to automate their business and take time off worry-free. Each week, Joe Casabona shares practical systems, tools, and strategies to help you reclaim your time and run your business without sacrificing your the rest of your life, or your health. Start with the free Solopreneur Sweep — a step-by-step method for finding where your business is losing time: https://streamlined.fm/sweepIf this episode helped you, leaving a review on Apple Podcasts helps other solopreneurs find the show — it only takes a minute and means a lot.Connect with Joe on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jcasabona/

Look. I get tons of backlinks and cold outreach every day. It’s frustrating and annoying. It’s frustrating and annoying because it’s blanket cold outreach. The people reaching out don’t know me and are just swinging wildly. There’s gotta be a better way, right? That’s what Andy Cabasso is here to talk about. How can YOU get effective with your cold outreach to grow your traffic and your business? It’s a great conversation. Plus in BSM we talk about domain authority. Top TakeawaysPeople doing outreach need to recognize that content creators are getting pitched to constantly. It's SUPER important to personalize to prove you actually did the research.When it comes to cold outreach, one of the most important aspect is the follow up! When you create content, you should spend as much time promoting it as you did creating it. Organic SEO is great, but competitive.Show Notes:PostagaAndy on TwitterSkyscraper Technique by Brian DeanSam Brodie & Selling Your BusinessSemrushUbersuggestWP OwlsDeliverability Podcast on SPAM listsCreator CrewSponsored by: Nexcess | TextExpander ————Streamlined Solopreneur is the podcast for solopreneurs who want to automate their business and take time off worry-free. Each week, Joe Casabona shares practical systems, tools, and strategies to help you reclaim your time and run your business without sacrificing your the rest of your life, or your health. Start with the free Solopreneur Sweep — a step-by-step method for finding where your business is losing time: https://streamlined.fm/sweepIf this episode helped you, leaving a review on Apple Podcasts helps other solopreneurs find the show — it only takes a minute and means a lot.Connect with Joe on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jcasabona/