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

It's a listener questions episode! I thought it would be fun to round out the summer by answering some questions you've asked about how to run and grow a podcast. I hope you enjoy! in Build Something More, I tell you all about what I learned at Skip the Grind and how it's shaping my business, and this podcast, moving forward.Top Takeaways The biggest way to grow your show is by having a clear Call to Action and a strong show notes page. BUILD YOUR LIST! No matter what you're trying to do - build a community, sell products, sell a course or service - your email list is the life's blood of your business and your podcast can help you grow it.There are 2 million podcasts but only about 65% are actually active. For comparison, There are over 37 million YouTube channels. Show NotesSend in Feedback or Ask a Question!Why Course Creators Should Start a PodcastCourse Creators Community PodcastHow Skip the Grind Showed Me to Focus my BusinessNext Steps for How I Built ItPodcast Subscribe ButtonsPodcast Stats from BuzzSproutSponsored 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/

Today's Episode is a little bit different. See, my friend Alastair McDermott has a couple of problems he'd like to solve: launching and promoting an online course, and growing his podcast. I believe these 2 things go hand-in-hand. A podcast is a great way to establish trust and expertise, which in-turn helps you sell more courses. So instead of Alastair dropping knowledge on us (which he does anyway...) we flip the script in this live coaching call, and he asks me a bunch of questions! This is one of my favorite episodes of the year - and highly educational for both of us! Top TakeawaysBeta testing your course is a great, lower-risk way to get your information out there and get real feedback. A podcast is a fantastic way to grow your audience, estabilish trust and expertise, and sell your courses. One way to grow your own podcasting audience is to guest on other people's podcasts!Show NotesAlastair McDermottAlastair on TwitterThe Recognized Authority PodcastBuilding and Evolving Profitable Project Plan with Jennifer BournHow to Hire a VA That Actually Helps You with Matthew YahesAuthority by Nathan BerryPricing Creativity by Blair EnnsWant to participate in a live coaching episode? Leave a Message Here.Sponsored by: Nexcess | Termshub | 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/

All too often, we hear only the success story. The Olympian who won the goal. The successful millionaire who launched a business from her dorm room. It's easy to assume these stories are without struggles. But what we don't see is the sacrifices the olympian made. We don't see the dozen other ideas and years of work the successful millionaire put in. Today we get to hear it all. Paul Lacey is as generous with his time as he is with his story. See, Paul has gone a long way in his travels as a web developer, from the pre-dot-com burst to crashing an agency and bouncing back. And he's learned a ton along the way that he generously shares with us in today's episode. So I just tried to get out of the way and tell his story. I think you'll love it.Show Notes:Paul LaceyPaul Lacey on TwitterWP BuildsFourth DoctorHow Giving Back saved my some gigRon Gijsel EpisodeCompany of OneCreator CrewSponsored by: Podcast Liftoff | 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/

Google has recently rolled out a new set of metrics to help website owners create better websites. They're called Core Web Vitals and understanding how they work will be important for building your website, and getting it ranked better. Luckily we have Andy Schaff. He's the Development Architect and Portent and we have a fantastic chat about how to make your website more performant, from the ground up. We get pretty technical - but don't worry because I rain down analogies like it's my job. Andy drops a ton of knowledge about backend performance and gives both developers and small business owners starting points for making websites faster - and why your Google PageRank depends on it. Plus, in Build Something More, we talk about what it's like going through an acquisition from the employee's POV.Show Notes:Andy SchaffAndy on TwitterWebPageTestPage Speed InsightsGoogle's LighthousePingdomThe Page Speed Optimzation HierarchyCreator CrewSponsored by: Podcast Liftoff | 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/

If you're anything like me, you feel like there's not enough time in the day. Maybe you're take on too much, or maybe you're doing things you don't need to do. Either way, you (and I!) both need a change - and that's where Reinart Bacalso comes in. He specializes in helping business owners reclaim their time by automating what they can, and putting the right processes in place. And today he's going to give us his framework. Plus, in Build Something More, we talk all about his toolkit. Show NotesReinart BacalsoAgency Rocket Fuel Facebook GroupUsing Systems to Run a More Efficient Business with Shannon ShafferRangeZapierTimeryHow to Hire a VA That Actually Helps You with Matthew YahesLoom.comZipMessage.comJoin the Creator CrewSponsored by: Termshub | TextExpander | The Events Calendar ————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/

AmyJune Hineline has lots of perspectives. Not only does she have a background in nursing that she's brought to the open-source world, but she also actively works with both WordPress and Drupal. That sort of experience is exactly what helps communities grow. AmyJune has dedicated her time to helping people get involved in open source, and she offers great advice here for people who want to contribute, as well as mentors in the space. Plus in Build Something More, we talk about what Drupal and WordPress can learn from each other. Show Notes:AmyJune HinelineAmyJune on TwitterAmyJune on LinkedInAmyJune on InstagramMatt Jetpack on TwitterCreator CrewSponsored by: Linode | TextExpander | The Events Calendar ————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/

Let me tell you something: I'm not great at social media. I KNOW...totally shocking. But you know who is? My friend Jean. In fact, we had a SUPER long chat all about content strategy and social media. It was super helpful and we covered a lot of ground, from growing your audience to TikTok. Plus there's a Build Something More pre- AND post-show. We talk about parenting in the pre-show and accents, culture, and repurposing in the post-show.Show Notes:Jean PerpillantJean on LinkedInJean on FacebookCaboPress Blog PostPexelsElements EnvatoMusic for MakersDesign PickleCreator CrewSponsored by: Linode | TextExpander | The Events Calendar ————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/

Michelle Frechette knows a thing or two about building a community. Not only does she do it for multiple WordPress businesses, but she's cultivated quite the community on Twitter! As someone who's trying to grow my own community, I had lots of questions for Michelle and she generously answered them all. Learn all about what it takes to grow a community today. Plus in Build Something More, how to help those underrepresented in your community.Show NotesMichelle FrechetteMichelle on InstagramWorks by MichelleGiveWPMatt Medeiros Episode with MichelleBig Orange HeartUnderrepresented in TechCreator CrewSponsored by: Linode | TextExpander | The Events Calendar ————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/

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In January, I rolled out the Creator Crew, a membership that allows people to support the show directly in exchange for more, ad-free content. 6 months in, how do I think it’s going? Find out about this behind-the-scenes episode. And in Build Something More, we’ll talk about exact numbers, metrics, and what I’m measuring. Show Notes:Failed Patreon ExperimentCreator CoursesBuild Someting ClubSponsored by: Restrict Content Pro | TextExpander | The Events Calendar ————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/