Discover How You Can Use Your Existing Content to Expand Your Audience and Set Your Business up for Growth

In this week’s episode of the Crazy Dad Life, I walk through the process I recently went through with wiring a side hustle site up with membership features.

You’ll learn…

• What my mindset was when I decided a membership site would work
• What software I used for the membership site
• How you can use existing video content from Instagram to deliver a free product offering for your audience
• What benefits were realized and how the first couple of days of the membership site performed
• Why standing up a membership site with a free offering allows you to know if what you are selling would even work
• Hear some of the struggles of standing up the membership site and the plugin I had to turn off

Five Things I Learned (5TIL)

Here are the 5 things I learned last week:

1. Gmail’s unsend feature
2. Trace – the app that allows you to send secret messages to your friend, and they have to work to figure out what it is
3. Switch – the Tinder for the job market
4. Slack’s integration with Google Calendar
5. iPhone hacks that include the level feature, locking focus and exposure on the camera, and a trick to charge your phone quicker

If you have something for the 5TIL, feel free to hit me on Twitter @JeffDStephens or contact me directly from the website.

The post CDL 049 – Using a Membership Site, and Repurposed Instagram Content, to Build Your Online Business appeared first on Crazy Dad Life.

Last week I talked about digging into the details. I provided 4 reasons you should pay attention to the details when you create and consume content.

This week I want to talk about our online journeys. In particular, I want to talk about how we should be sharing our journey with others. (Listen to the audio podcast by clicking on the play button)

Your story matters.

There is a lot to do when you are building an online platform. The number of tasks on your to-do list seem to only get longer with the passing of each day.

How Do You Currently Handle It?

Are you constantly digging in and trying to accomplish everything on your to-do list in a vacuum? Are you working away in isolation, hiding away from the world until you have something to show?

You need to break out of those habits.

It is extremely important for you to involve others in your journey. This is one of the main reasons why Masterminds are so popular, and productive. There is significant value when you engage with others who have a similar interest or passion for doing the work they love.

I get it. It’s natural for you to be defensive with your secret sauce. You don’t want other people to know what you are baking. You want to go into the lab and then have the big reveal later.

Or, maybe you are slightly embarrassed to admit what you are doing. Maybe you are scared people will not understand. Maybe they will laugh at you.

Why a Change is Needed

I’m going to share with you 8 convincing reasons why you should start to share your online journey with those around you.

Let’s dig into it.

1. Inspires Others

Perhaps the biggest thing you can do by talking about your journey is to inspire others. Let people know what you are doing and maybe they will be sparked to do something they love.

Let your friends and co-workers know what you have going on. Tell them about your side project and explain what it is. You may be surprised at the level of interest and inspiration you may cause.

Also, don’t forget about your kids. Let them know what you are working on. Not only will you receive fresh and unfiltered feedback but you might be inspiring the next internet mogul.

2. Justifies Your Blood, Sweat, and Tears

You will work hard as an entrepreneur. There is no doubt about that. Much of that work will go unnoticed by those around you. Even those that are seen as the most successful in the industry are labeled as “lucky”. People don’t understand the amount of work they put in to get to where they are.

By talking about your journey, you are letting people know that you are grinding every day trying to achieve something you are passionate about.

You are working damn hard, you should recognize and acknowledge it from time to time.

3. Keeps You Accountable

Holding yourself accountable is huge. This is another reason why Masterminds are so popular. If there is no one to report to every week or every month, then there is less motivation to accomplish what is on your to-do list.

When you share information about your online journey with others they will expect to see progress the next time you talk. You can not possibly see them again without accomplishing more, right?

Also, talking with others also serves as an impromptu status check for yourself. Many times the amount of work you complete goes unrecognized. By speaking to people about it you might just surprise yourself on all that you have done.

4. Teaches others

Some people keep their heads down and just work day after day at their current job. They know what they know and are just going along with what they are supposed to be doing.

Talking to them about your journey might just break them free from the monotony of their day-to-day schedule. Use your platform to help others awaken their inner creative.

Let them know what you are experiencing in the hopes that they may be able to pick up a few skills and do something for themselves.

5. It is Interesting

People love stories and crave the opportunity to hear about new things. What you are building is most likely going to be new to them.

While blogging and internet business may be commonplace with the folks you interact with on a daily basis online, most people outside the online space have no clue what you are talking about.

You have the opportunity to expose someone to something new. Who doesn’t like to be around people that offer new topics and interests? Be that person.

Think about it. At parties, people get tired of the same old conversation. Find a way you can sum up your side hustle and drop it on people when you strike up a conversation. Get them to ask you to explain more.

For example, if someone asked me what I do for fun I could say, “I help busy parents build online.” That may pique their interest and lead to a series of follow up questions, starting with, “What the hell does that mean?”

Whether you know it or not, you are doing interesting work that many people just don’t understand. Embrace it!

6. Invites Feedback

People love to give opinions and offer their input. When you talk about your side business you will often get some feedback from others that may prove useful in the long run.

Not only can you receive official feedback from others, but you might even provide feedback unknowingly to yourself.

What does that mean?

When I was a coder, there were times when I had an issue with my code and could not solve my problem. When I would call a fellow developer over and I would start to talk about it, many times I would figure out what was wrong on my own. This happened simply by talking about it.

The pure exercise of verbalizing something can often serve as a springboard for a solution.

7. Markets Your Brand

Talking about your entrepreneurial journey also provides an additional unintentional benefit. It markets your brand.

Each time you talk to one person about your side hustle, they may turn around and talk to someone else. Who better to represent your brand than you? Plus, every little bit of PR helps.

Take the time to talk to people about your project and hopefully you will gain some new members of your community.

Even better, you may gain a new customer if they are looking for what you are providing.

8. Represents You Positively

When people learn that you are doing all of this cool stuff, they may gain a new appreciation for you. They will look at you in a different light.

No longer do they see you as someone that just goes home and sits on the couch all night. They now know that you are crazy enough to try to build a side business while being a parent and holding down a full time job.

You will also come to be known as someone that is up on new technology. People will see you as a modern man, a renaissance man.

You understand the latest trends and are hip enough to not only know about social media and related industries, but you are actually a direct participant.

In Summary

The next time you are in a group situation or find yourself around others, don’t be shy. Be proud of the work you are doing behind the scenes. Engage with others and start to reap some of the benefits I’ve laid out above.

Don’t be afraid that someone is going to steal your idea. Don’t think that you need to spend hours alone working on your side business for it to be successful. Find time to work with others and to talk about all of the wonderful work you are doing.

The post CDL 048 – 8 Reasons Why Your Story Matters appeared first on Crazy Dad Life.

Do Not Lose Track of the Value of the Details

On this week’s podcast, I dig into the importance of details. I share 4 reasons you need to pay attention to details when you create content and 4 reasons when you consume content.

As an added bonus, you can download the FREE Blog Detail Checklist by clicking on the button below.

Click Here to get the Blog Detail Checklist

This checklist gives you multiple items you need to check before you hit that publish button. Don’t drive your audience away due to silly mistakes and a lack of attention. Make sure you grab the checklist today!

Why You Should Pay Attention to Details When Constructing and Consuming Content

Here are 4 key reasons why you need to pay attention to the details prior to publishing.

1. It makes you look more professional
2. Proves that you care
3. The flow of your writing is preserved
4. Shows you value your reader

And 4 reasons you should look at the details when consuming content.

1. Value may be hidden in the weeds
2. You never know what you might find (remember the Pizza Hut rescue!)
3. You may be doing something wrong
4. You may miss an opportunity

5 Things I Learned (5TIL)

In this week’s 5TIL I discuss:

1. Presidential campaign domain trolling – check out CarlyFiorina.org for a laugh.
2. Coolors.co – an amazing color palette tool that you NEED to check out.
3. A record making service – yes, those records that you used to play with a needle!
4. 2 sweet Twitter search tools – Topsy.com and Snapbird.org – and which one wins!
5. A handwriting campaign for the troops that is lacking the emotional connection – damn robots!

Again, don’t forget to grab your FREE Blog Detail Checklist by clicking on the big green button below.    

Click Here to get the Blog Detail Checklist

The post CDL 047 – Why You Need to Pay Attention to the Details in the Content You Create and the Content You Consume appeared first on Crazy Dad Life.

In this week’s episode of the Crazy Dad Life podcast I share 7 ways you can engage with influencers and maybe establish a true relationship going forward.

I also share my Michael Jordan story! (yes, he had me shook)

7 Things to Do When an Influencer Hits You Up

Here are 7 quick and easy approaches you can take if, and when, that major industry beast just so happens to send you a message.

1. Calm the F*&$ Down

It is natural to be a little freaked out and jittery when someone of influence actually realizes you are a live breathing human being.

First things first, calm down and realize they put their pants on the same way you do….hopefully.

2. Reach Back

Do not try to play the coy role or act like you are back in middle school and trying to be cool by waiting to call back the person interested in you.

You need to strike when the iron is hot and reach back as soon as possible.

3. Recognize Their Work

Everyone loves an ego stroke. Do the right thing and recognize the work of that particular influencer.

Even if it is a competitor you should still recognize the value they bring to your shared market.

4. Ask If They “Know People”

People love to be seen as someone that “knows people”. Ask them if there is someone you should know about or if they can connect you with anyone they think might align with your goals and vision.

5. See If You Can Work Together

This is obviously the Holy Grail when dealing with an influencer.

If you have the ability, or game, to get an influencer to actually work with you…*drops the mic*

6. Create Content About Them

One great strategy is to feed their audience to boost yours. What does that mean?

Do this, create a blog post about their product/service/brand. Let them know that you created the blog post and share the link with them. You have a pretty good chance that they will share it with their audience.

That should result in a nice little bump of visitors to your site and hopefully growth of your overall network.

7. Keep it Going Without Being Annoying

Ok, so in the episode I mention that old Looney Tunes cartoon with the big dog and the little dog bouncing all around him. Well, I confused these two guys (Spike and Chester)

with this guy (Ralph)

So even if I reference Ralph in the episode, I really mean Chester. Do not be Chester. Do not annoy Spike all the time.

Try to keep your new budding relationship going without seeming like an overly indulgent annoying desperate fan boy.

5 Things I Learned (5TIL)

In this week’s 5TIL I discuss…

1. Mayweather vs Pacquiao Twitter numbers
2. Periscope piracy during the big fight
3. Facebook’s super successful Donate Now button
4. Facebook’s super cool Safety Check feature for loved ones during a catastrophe like the Nepal earthquake
5. Tattoos are causing the Apple Watch some issues 

Other Links Mentioned

Here are some other links I mentioned on the show.

• CDL 045 – An Update on One of My Side Hustles
• CDL 015 – 8 Ways to Get Influential People to Notice You
• Subscribe and leave a review for the show – CrazyDadLife.com/Love

The post CDL 046 – OMG! What Do You Do When an Influencer Reaches Out to You? appeared first on Crazy Dad Life.

In this week’s episode I update you on the latest happenings with one of my side hustles.

You’ll hear some of the organizational items we are working through, the status of our audience building efforts, and how we have been hosting live events using the WordPress EventEspresso plugin.

You will also hear our next steps and where we are planning on taking the business in the coming months.

All of this is to provide a behind the scenes look at a couple of guys standing up a business in our off hours. Hopefully you will learn something in these episodes and it will inspire you to move forward with whatever you have planned.

5 Things I Learned (5TIL)

In this week’s 5TIL I cover:

1. A sweet tool for generating your own online explainer video – RawShorts.com
2. A FREE CRM tool to manage your contacts – Insightly.com
3. NHL’s aggressive move to ban Periscope and Meerkat at their games
4. Twitter’s new Highlights capability
5. Amazon’s new Amazon Destinations feature

The post CDL 045 – An Update on One of My Side Hustles appeared first on Crazy Dad Life.

Attending conferences can do wonders for your business and your personal network. But, if you are a busy parent, attending conferences can be costly and sometimes impossible due to schedule conflicts.

In the past year I have missed multiple conferences that I wanted to attend, including Podcast Movement, Dad2.0, and most recently New Media Expo.

Just because you can not attend a conference does not mean you can not receive value.

Here are several ways you can still gain tremendous benefit from live events, even if you are unable to be there in person.

You can also listen to this week’s podcast episode (above) where I dig deeper into each topic area.

Conference Hashtags

Hashtags are the cheat codes for following anything online. Whether it is a major news story or the latest meme, hashtags provide a simple way to stay informed.

The same holds true for live events. If you are missing a conference, find the official hashtag associated with the show and start following the news on Twitter. Start to build a small list of hashtags relevant to the given conference and track them when you can.

For example, with New Media Expo I was able to follow much of the happenings simply by searching on Twitter for #NMX.

Many times conferences will let you know a particular hashtag to use so they can get the most engagement and perhaps gain trending status.

Conference Twitter Lists

Once you have found information related to a conference hashtag, it is important to organize and collect it in a way that makes it easy to consume.

One particularly effective way to do this is to create a Twitter list for the event. For example, create a Twitter list called “New Media Expo 2015”.

Once you find people who are using the conference hashtag add them to your new list. This allows you to pull those folks out of your busy Twitter feed and place them in a container where you can follow the conversation easily.

Be selective with who you add to this list as many times spammers, trolls, and other internet scum will simply tag-along with the hashtag, providing no value.

Here is another hack for the Twitter list approach. Go out to the conference website and look up the speakers. Many times their Twitter handle will be listed. Add the speakers you find interesting to the same Twitter list.

Now you will be able to not only follow the conference attendees but you will also see what the speakers are talking about.

Perhaps one of the biggest benefits of isolating the individuals engaged in the conference discussion is the ability to continue to follow their tweets after the conference ends. You now have a nice little location where you can pull up people who have a common thread related to the conference topic.

Virtual Tickets

Many conferences will offer online experiences for those that can not attend in person. It will be up to you whether this option works for your particular learning style.

I recently had personal conflicts pop up that prevented me from attending New Media Expo. One good thing with conferences related to social media is the fact that they typically will bend over backwards in regard to customer service.

Here is what I did when I needed to discuss my options with conference organizers.

• I reached out via their Twitter account asking for a particular email address I could use to discuss my situation
• They quickly replied with a point of contact
• I sent an email letting them know about my situation and how I had already bought the ticket
• They offered options and I chose to take the virtual ticket to this year’s event

It was extremely easy to work with them and to come to a quick and easy resolution.

When choosing a Virtual Ticket option you do need to be careful.

I have had experiences in the past where some of the speakers’ materials were not available. Many times this is the result of the speaker not providing the information, but it still hurts nonetheless when you pay for the virtual pass.

Follow Up With the Conference

Some shows may not offer a Virtual Ticket. In this case, reach out to the conference organizers and ask if they will be posting the materials on the website in the future.

It only takes a few minutes to write a polite email asking them if they will offer the materials. Even if they have no plans of doing so, you might get lucky and they may offer to send you the material from a particular session you are interested in.

You never know until you ask.

Reach Out

If you did not attend the virtual session and the conference was not able to fulfill your request for materials, go to the next step.

Reach out to the folks on your conference Twitter list and see if they would be willing to share. You could ask them for their feedback on the conference, which sessions they liked, and what they didn’t like about the show.

You could also ask if they would be willing to share their notes or maybe even jump on Skype for a quick discussion.

Additionally, you can reach out to speakers directly. Many speakers would love to share their materials. Just make sure you do not become a burden for them as their time is probably precious (like us all). Introduce yourself, quickly get to the point, and thank them for their consideration.

Again, you will never know unless you ask.

Leverage Streaming Services

Two live video streaming services available today are perfect for occasions when you can not attend a conference in person. Both Periscope and Meerkat provide options when you want direct access to live happenings.

This was the case recently with New Media Expo.

One of the things I was looking forward to was Pat Flynn’s keynote. I attended the conference last year and thoroughly enjoyed his magic filled presentation related to moving your casual audience to raving fans.

So, I was bummed when I finally made the decision that I could not attend this year.

But, I was pleasantly surprised when Caleb Wojcik from DIYVideoGuy.com popped up on my phone.

The way Periscope works is that when someone you follow starts broadcasting you will receive an alert. This is exactly what happened. I received the alert that Caleb was at Pat Flynn’s keynote and I immediately jumped in.

I pulled up the app and the stream started. Caleb was sitting in the front row. I had direct access to the keynote as it was happening!

Even if no one you are following is broadcasting you can still do a quick search on Twitter to find someone in the global community that might be.

How do you find them? It is simple.

Go to Twitter and search for keywords such as “Periscope Live NMX” or “Live Meerkat NMX”. This will bring up a number of people who may be broadcasting live from the event. I love it!

5 Things I Learned (5TIL)

Also, in this week’s podcast I discuss the following 5 things I learned this week.

1. Marijuana delivery services
2. Norway getting rid of FM radio in 2017
3. Star Wars emojis
4. The new Twitter landing page
5. Shoes that grow with your kid…for 5 years!

If you have anything for the 5TIL, feel free to reach out on Twitter or send me an email.

The post CDL 044 – Will These Virtual Conference Hacks Change the Way You Approach Live Events? appeared first on Crazy Dad Life.

You can use all of the knowledge and skills you have gained building your online platform and apply it to your day job to become a well-rounded, highly respected, and desired employee.

In this week’s episode, you will hear how you can apply what you do online to your offline day job, and how it will benefit you personally and professionally.

Links Discussed:

• United Federation of Teachers post related to value of blogging for kids
• PicMonkey
• Easel.ly
• Piktochart.com
• Prezi
• Basecamp
• Screenflow

The post CDL 043 – How to Use Your Online Skills to Rock Your Day Job appeared first on Crazy Dad Life.

Wrong.

I recently celebrated my first year of podcasting on February 24, 2014. Yeah me!!

I’ve learned a tremendous amount over that year. Some good things, and some bad. In this week’s episode I recap my year and let you know what to expect in your first year of podcasting.

What Should You Expect from Podcasting

Here are some things I’ve learned in my first year of podcasting

• It’s damn hard…true story
• You get to meet some really awesome people and join a sweet little community in the online world
  • Here are some podcasts that I was honored to be a guest
  • The Empowered Podcast with Ellory Wells
  • Starve the Doubts with Jared Easley
  • Co-Host Episode of Starve the Doubts – Interviewing Jaime Tardy of the Eventual Millionaire
  • Beginner Internet Business (BIB) Podcast with Jonathan Taylor
  • The Life of Now with Greg Barth
  • StartupDad HQ with Joel Louis
• Discover that a lot of people still have no clue what a podcast is
• It’s a lot of fun!
• Just like blogging, you have to work to build an audience
• And the biggest finding…I’m going to keep doing it! (that could be a good thing or bad thing to you)

5 Things I Learned (5TIL)

Also, in this week’s episode I discuss the following in the 5TIL

1. How to Sell Snow – really
2. Brilliant marketing where you tell people to go somewhere else
3. Judge Judy is a boss
4. What Twitter is doing about trolls and ongoing abusive behavior
5. A sweet little app for taking pictures of documents and saving it as a PDF (TinyScan)

If you have something for the 5TIL, send me an email at jeffstephens@crazydadlife.com.

The post CDL 042 – What to Expect in Your First Year of Podcasting appeared first on Crazy Dad Life.

Typically, when I post a new podcast episode I provide enough content that it could be considered a blog post. This week I did it a little different.

Earlier today I posted a new blog post called 10 Ways I Suck at Being an Entrepreneur. In this week’s podcast I expand on that content as well as cover the 5TIL and other announcements for the show.

5TIL

In this week’s 5 Things I Learned (5TIL) this week I cover:

1. Underground bicycle parking in Japan – Awesome!
2. Conferences may not be for me
3. Facebook’s new Call to Action button on pages
4. Facebook’s new feature (Legacy Contact) for assigning someone to take care of your account after you die
5. Mexican drug smuggling drones – really

Other Links Mentioned

• Subscribe to the show – Crazy Dad Life Podcast
• Project White Coat
• My effort to move to Pinterest

The post CDL 041 – 10 Ways I Suck at Being an Entrepreneur appeared first on Crazy Dad Life.

You are most likely sitting while you are reading this. Most people are when they are consuming content online. But, do you know the damage it is doing to your body when done for long periods of time? Unfortunately, sitting is slowly killing you.

A recent report from the World Health Organization outlined the following risks:

• Physical inactivity is the 4th leading risk factor for global mortality and causes 6% of all deaths
• Approximately 3.2 million people die each year because they are not active enough
• Physical inactivity is the main cause for approximately 21-25% of breast and colon cancer, 27% of diabetes, and 30% of ischaemic heart disease
• Prolonged sitting for 8-12 hours or more a day increases your risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 90%

This Week’s Episode

As you know, I cover topics across three main tenets of the modern man’s life; his family, his career, and his pursuit of a personal passion. Not every episode will focus on tactical advice and how-to build something online. Sometimes I talk about life in general.

This week’s podcast is one of those “life” episodes. In it, you will discover some of the negative health impacts from prolonged periods of sitting and find some ways to combat your bad habits.

You are Not Alone

As entrepreneurs, online business owners, and folks generally participating in the online space, this is common territory. We often spend long periods of time sitting in our chairs plugging away on our keyboards.

I’m particularly guilty of this. In fact, I double down and do it at work all day too. I spend countless hours at work sitting in my chair working on my computer only to head home and do it all over again.

I have to do better.

In this episode I share a few ways to start getting out of your seat and begin changing your health. This includes:

• How you can simply stand more often
• Apps that you can use to help monitor your activity, including the one I’m using
• New hardware that can be implemented into your daily routine
• Ways that you can change your daily life to include more activity without going overboard
• And the importance of instilling these values in your kids (get them away from the video games!)

5 Things I Learned (5TIL)

In this week’s 5TIL you’ll hear about…

1. Facebook’s new Lite app
2. A sweet Super Bowl App that only worked IN the stadium
3. Temporary tattoos…from your Instagram feed
4. The demise of Sky Mall
5. The Exploding Kittens Card Game…yes, really

As always, if you have something for the 5TIL, just hit me up on Twitter @JeffDStephens.

The post CDL 040 – Sitting is Slowly Killing You appeared first on Crazy Dad Life.

Do you constantly come across stories or articles in your newsfeed that you’d love to read, but just don’t have the time?

As busy parents, we are constantly pressed for time. You are running around for your kids, scrambling at work, and trying to catch your breath. Even if you had the time to check your social media accounts, you probably don’t have the time to fully read what is there.

The problem is, you want to read it.

The fact is, you need to read it.

While there is a lot of junk out there circulating on the internet, and especially on social media, there is also a ton of value. If you are to grow intellectually, and in your career, you need to keep up to date with what’s going on.

Every day I find myself coming across articles that I would love to read. Yet, for whatever reason, I simply don’t have the time, at that moment, to check it out.

The Broken Approach of Yesterday

Think back many years ago. If you are are parent you might even remember the pre-internet days. Back then, we would gather newspapers and magazines and stack them in the corner, hoping to one day find that article we saved.

Or, maybe you were one of those people that ripped articles from magazines at the doctor’s office and took them home to store them somewhere.

Then the internet happened. Along with it came more and more content. How did we handle it? We bookmarked our asses off!

This resulted in a list of bookmarks in your browser that left you dazed and confused every time you tried to recall something you saved.

The model is broken.

How to Solve the Problem Today

In this week’s episode I share a few tools and strategies you can use to effectively curate the awesome content that you stumble across. These methods are especially helpful for the busy parent on-the-go.

If you are able to shift your mindset and leave bookmark death row, new tools and approaches will provide you time savings and mental relief.

Native Application Support

Many of the tools you use today to browse content on the internet have embedded capabilities that you might not know exist. For instance, Facebook has a native Save capability.

Next time you are perusing through your Facebook newsfeed and come across an article you’d love to read but can’t, save it.

Here’s how:

1. First of all, the post must have a link if this is going to work. Check to see if there is a link to an article. Most of the articles you see in your newsfeed will have a link.
2. Look up in the right hand corner of the post and you’ll see an arrow. Click on that to show the menu.
3. Click on Save
4. That’s it! Now go about your busy life knowing you can come back and read the article later

When you finally have time to go back and read the article, simply follow these steps:

1. Go to your Facebook home newsfeed and you’ll see menu items on the left side (desktop version)
2. Click on the Saved menu item and you’ll be directed to your saved items where you can read the articles. Easy!

Ninja tip: To access your saved content even quicker, simply go to Facebook.com/saved and you’ll go straight to it. Boom!

Now, if you want to do the same thing from your mobile phone, all you need to do is go to the bottom right of the Facebook app and select the More option. Again, you’ll see a Saved menu item that you can select.

This is a great way to grab those items you like out of your never-ending newsfeed stream and place them somewhere you can revisit later.

In the episode I also discuss how you can do something similar with Twitter.

Services For Saving Content

Ok, so native application support is pretty cool, but you probably don’t want to have everything stored in multiple applications. Sort of defeats the purpose of creating a system.

Perhaps the best way to curate all of the content you want to read later is to use services. One that is very interesting to me, and will probably become part of my toolkit going forward, is Pocket.

Pocket is a very useful FREE application that allows you to save items from over 300 different apps for later reading. There are a number of connectors available including those from major social media networks such as Twitter and capabilities to scrape websites directly from the browser.

Having the ability to centrally collect, manage, and read content is a game changer.

Add the fact you can automate much of the collection process and you are on your way to optimizing your daily content consumption. Using a tool like IFTTT, you can quickly set up automated methods for gathering meaningful content.

To learn more about how Pocket can be leveraged, listen to this week’s episode. To learn more about IFTTT, check out Episode 028 where I break down everything you need to know about that sweet automation tool.

In this episode I also touch on a nice little utility available from Evernote, the Evernote Web Clipper.

Bottom line, given the amount of information we come across every day, you need to implement a strategy for managing what you want to read and when you want to read it.

5TIL (5 Things I Learned)

In this week’s 5TIL I cover the following:

1. Pingroupie
2. The awesomeness of insurance company apps
3. How to find Twitter chats – thanks Jeff Page
4. The value of video in your online marketing efforts
5. The ongoing power of social media and what it meant to a local school district.

As always, if you have something you’d like included in the 5TIL, feel free to email me.

The post CDL 039 – Bookmarks Are So 1997 – Discover How to Save Content More Effectively appeared first on Crazy Dad Life.

It is safe to assume you have had a number of product ideas over the course of your life. It could have been a massive product that would change the world or a simple enhancement to an existing product.

At some point all of us have thought about making a product or offering a service.

If you identify yourself as an entrepreneur, you probably have these thoughts multiple times in a single day, and have the domain names to prove it.

Product ideas bounce randomly through your head at all times of the day, regardless of where you are or what you are doing.

In this week’s podcast episode, and in the post below, I share my experience with testing product ideas in an effort to best position your product for success.

What Do You Do When Your Product Idea Can No Longer be Ignored?

Let’s say the product idea dancing in your head just won’t go away. Let’s say it doesn’t get filed away along with all the other ideas as a “some day” project. Let’s say you really think you have found the “right one”. Now what do you do?

There are many things you could do at this point but perhaps the biggest thing you should do is research and get feedback.

My Case Study

You may think your product idea is the next big thing, but your potential market may ultimately disregard it and set it on a path destined for failure. This recently happened to me with Project White Coat. If you are unfamiliar with Project White Coat, let me quickly explain.

I interact with a lot of people online and I am continuously coming across parents that either struggle with finding time to build their online platform or claim they don’t even have time to start. I felt if I could do a brain dump and create a product that would package valuable and consumable content for them to take action, it would ultimately save them time and lead them to something fulfilling.

Given parents live a crazy life, I figured we all needed the men in white coats to come take us away at some point. The idea for Project White Coat was born.

So, what did I do next? Was there a way I could validate my idea before I spent the next 6 months in the basement building it?

How to Test Your Product Idea

The good news is it is not that hard to actually test your product idea. But, there needs to be a method to the madness. You must first enter the research phase if you want to have any chance of success.

Blindly putting a product into the market because you like it, and think everyone else will, is a recipe for disaster.

I had to do the same for Project White Coat.

Market Research

First you need to determine what the current market looks like. Do searches based on your product idea and determine how many competitors are out there offering the same, or similar, product. Seeing competition is a good thing. That means there is a market.

A mistake many people make is assuming an empty market is ripe for business just because there are currently no companies offering the product. While this may be the case, it is a rather unique situation where you discover something that has not already been tried.

If you find an empty market, there is probably a reason for it. The demand most likely isn’t there.

In my case, there are literally thousands of products out there teaching how to blog, how to “do” social media, and everything else online. Even with the crowded market, I felt my idea was still viable given the fact it would cover more than just a blog and would dive into the mindset, strategy, and general lifestyle to help bring some form of structure to your overall online journey.

At least that was my thinking. But, was it enough?

So, I have my product idea, I determined there was a market of some sort, and I’m ready to go to the next step. Testing.

Determine Who to Test

Now that you know there is a market for your product idea, you’ll need to really narrow down the “who”. In particular, the “who” that you will target as your potential customer.

Some people refer to this as your Avatar, that one person that represents the perfect consumer of your product. Get as specific as you can to identify this person.

This includes attributes such as age, gender, education level, income level, and family status to name a few.

This person will not only be used as the baseline for when you actually create your product, but will also be the key person you target during your research phase.

My Avatar looked like this:

• Male
• in his 40s
• 2-3 active kids (most likely tweens and teens)
• full time job
• wants to start a side business or at least a blog

Yes that Avatar is eerily similar to yours truly.

I had the “what” and the “who”, but now I needed the “how” and “where”. My “why” was what sparked the idea in the first place and was touched on above when discussing the beginnings of Project White Coat.

Let’s get into the “how”.

Determine How to Test

You have the product idea and now you know who wants it. What’s next?

Now you have to find them and ask them about it. The path you choose for how you do this may vary based on the particular subcomponent of your market.

Before you reach out to particular segments, you have to identify ways to ask them. Some of the more popular tools available to you include:

• Email correspondence
• Online surveys and giveaways
• Casual questions via social media
• Pre-sales of the product
• Webinars introducing the concept
• Traditional methods (i.e. phone/skype, in person, print ads) – Who does this?

How you implement these tools will be driven by the particular medium you are using, your expertise, your budget, your time, and the population you’ve identified for the test.

To touch on the strategies associated with each of these would result in a book not a blog post, so I’ll hit on the high level items here. In particular, I’ll talk about what I did for Project White Coat.

Set up an Online Survey

The main tool I wanted to implement was an online survey. So I turned to Survey Monkey. I didn’t want an intrusive survey with 100 questions, so I created a short 7 question survey that would allow people an easy way to provide insight into my project.

Rather than repeating the survey here, it would be easier for you to just see the actual survey. (Yes, that is a shameless plug to get you to go add your input to the project).

If you pay attention to the link, another strategy I used was to leverage the Pretty Link plugin so the survey link would be easy to remember. People I reached out to could simply visit crazydadlife.com/survey to participate. It made it easy for me to post on social media, mention in conversations, and talk about on the podcast.

Leverage Social Media

Perhaps one of the best environments to query potential customers is via your existing social media channels. Reach out to your followers and friends and ask them for their input.

Let them know you have a product idea and you would love their feedback. Most people will be more than happy to help someone out that is simply asking for input.

In my particular case, I had a couple of ideas that I was floating out there for review. I truly wanted help in determining what product would provide the best value. You may be surprised by the difference between what you think would be an awesome product and what people really NEED.

Your outreach can be in the form of a status update or a simple tweet. If the question is phrased in a way that piques their interest, addresses a pain point, or appeals to their emotion there is a good chance they’ll jump into the conversation or go to your survey.

Here is what I sent to my Facebook Community.

It was simple, non-disruptive, and easy to consume. I reinforced the fact it was quick and only 7 questions to hopefully quell any fears they had.

Another way to grow a groundswell of participation for your survey is to utilize giveaways or contests. There are a number of plugins out there that can assist with this process. If people have an opportunity to win something by taking a few moments to answer your question, it becomes a win for both of you.

Just make sure you offer a prize that resonates and means something to your particular audience. Offering something like an iPad may get a lot of responses, but perhaps those people simply want an iPad.

I didn’t want to implement a giveaway as I was really looking to garner input organically. That and I was too lazy.

Ask Your List

You’ve worked hard to build your email list, use it! The people that have signed up to your newsletter have given you direct access into their lives. Regardless of how much they get on social media or visit your website, they always check their email. That is the beauty of email lists and why we all build them in the first place. They provide direct access to those most interested in your message.

Reach out to them as they are your tightest community.

Just make sure you make it easy to consume, fast, and to the point. People typically don’t have the time to consume a long email just to answer a few questions.

I not only solicited feedback from my list but I also followed up with those that signed up for more information with follow up questions.

Why did I do this? Wouldn’t the test be considered done once they took the actual survey?

No. The survey is just one part. I wanted to have a conversation with the people that took that first step so I could truly understand their pain points so I could make sure it was addressed in the course.

Ask Your Friends and Family

Of course you can not forget about your friends and family. They are often the ones that will give you the cold hard truth and set you straight before you get too far down the wrong way. With that said, take their advice with a grain of salt. Sometimes they don’t understand, or don’t have the same entrepreneurial mindset that you have.

At the end of the day, thank them for their support and add it to your overall analysis.

I chose not to do ask my personal friends and family. Why? I don’t know. Maybe I still have some level of fear in me that wants to keep this whole thing truly separate from that part of my life.

I think many entrepreneurs struggle with how much they let those closest to them into their personal business pursuits. That subject is for a whole other conversation though so I’ll continue.

The True Barometer of Interest

You have come up with a product idea, done some research, and even solicited direct market feedback about your product idea. Now what?

Now you need to really let the rubber hit the road. This means you have to see if people will truly be interested in the product, maybe even those outside of your direct online community.

To do this, I set up a landing page for the product. The best tool to accomplish a beautiful landing page is LeadPages. You can literally stand up a landing page in minutes and have it ready for the world. They integrate with major platform components such as Mailchimp and WordPress so it makes it super easy to stand up.

You can check out my landing page here (again, shameless plug if you are interested in being on the list to stay aware of updates on Project White Coat).

If you don’t know what a landing page is, it is basically a one page website where people visit to typically receive something or sign up for something. It is not a full blown website per se, but really just a splash of information for the visitor.

In my case, I wanted to create a mailing list of those folks that were serious about building their online platform and were willing to sign up. It’s a very simple method to gauge interest. There is limited risk and if the product idea doesn’t hit with your audience, you simply take the page down and try again.

Once the landing page was up I was able to tell people to visit the website to learn more. Again, I did this via social media channels. Here is what it looked like on Facebook.

The intent of this post was to let people know something was coming. This is a tried and true method of building anticipation in your audience.

Think of the movie industry. What do major studios do for their summer blockbusters? They provide substantial previews and marketing, sometimes well in advance of the release date and sometimes before the movie is actually finished.

Sound familiar?

Take a cue from the entertainment industry and get the word out about your product, even if you are still working on it.

Analyze the Results – Go Time?

Only you will be able to determine if you’ve reached critical mass to move your product forward. Did you need 5 people to sign up or did you need 1000 people to sign up?

At some point you need to take all of the information gathered across your platform, and dig into what it all means. Once you have done this, you should have a much better idea of whether your product will sink or swim.

It is at this point where you’ll be able to make a go/no-go decision for your product.

Before I close this post (which turned out much longer than intended) I want you to remember this. The process of researching and analyzing the feedback of your market should never stop. Even if you do the first phase of research and analysis, periodically follow up with your market to make sure you are still on point.

Ongoing analysis and adjustment to fit the need of your market will better position your brand for long term success.

What Tip Can You Share?

If you have a tactic or technique that you use when researching or testing your product, please share with the community in the comments below.

The post CDL 038 – How to Test Your Product Ideas – and How I Tested Mine appeared first on Crazy Dad Life.

We are all constantly looking for ways to build our audience and drive traffic to our wonderful websites. The question is, where should you drive that traffic from?

In this week’s episode I discuss my thinking of how I’m planning on using Pinterest more this year.

I’ll wait here as you laugh. “How can you as a ‘Crazy Dad’ have any time to embark on this journey into the nether regions of Pinterest?”

Point taken…more on that later.

I guess you could call it a New Year’s resolution since we are near that time of year…and it’s questionable how long my commitment will last. But, I’m going to give it a go and see what happens.

Here are some of the reasons why I want to explore Pinterest more, why I don’t want to explore it, and how I’m going to set out on this adventure.

Why I Should Get Into Pinterest

Why in the world would I, or anyone, want to get into Pinterest? Check out some reasons why you should!

Growing Driver of Traffic

In a recent study conducted by Shareaholic, Pinterest continued to show growth in the amount of traffic it is driving to websites. In fact, it remains the number 2 source of social media driven traffic.

At the end of the 3rd quarter 2014, Pinterest was pushing 5.5% of the traffic while third place Twitter was only giving websites .88%!

Here is the chart from the Shareaholic study…

Untapped Market

A recent Forbes article discusses how Buzzfeed has made a conscious effort to leverage Pinterest more in their online marketing. In this episode I talk about the findings and what it means for you.

There are a number of bloggers out there, yours truly included, that are not using this growing and powerful platform.

Timeline of Your Content is Greater

Your content lives longer on Pinterest than it does on other platforms like Twitter. This could be huge for your long term strategy for content sharing

Opens New Markets

The majority of Pinterest users are women. In fact, according to an article on MariSmith.com 80% of Pinterest users are women!

Given the fact I talk “dad stuff” along with online business, this may expose me to a new audience. With that said, I do have quite a large female following (and they are friggin awesome), but this may allow me to reach a new set of folks.

Level of Engagement

Pinterest users spend time on Pinterest…real time. In the same Mari Smith article this stat stood out to me…”average American Pinterest user spends 1 hour and 17 minutes on the website.” Wow.

Shares More Likely

According to a Harvard Business School case study on Buzzfeed, removing the Twitter share button and increasing the size of the Pinterest button doubled the shares! Doubled.

Why I Might Not Get Into Pinterest

Ok, everything seems wonderful right? Well, maybe not. Here’s why.

I Don’t Know What the Hell I’m Doing

Yes, I have no shame in admitting I don’t know something. I find that to be an admirable character trait by the way.

This is definitely the case with Pinterest. I need to learn more about it in the coming weeks to really see how I can leverage it for my online brand.

It Doesn’t Align with My Target Market

I touched on the positive aspects of finding new markets on Pinterest, but there’s also the risk that my content won’t resonate with Pinterest users.

Time

Time continues to mock me every chance it gets. It’s in full blown mock mode at the mere thought of me launching any sort of engagement on another social media platform.

If I engage more on Pinterest, something has to pay the price. Maybe I’ll cut back on working out since I don’t do that anyway.

How Am I Going to Do This?

There has to be a method to the madness…some sort of plan.

I Need Help

I’m going to dig into tips and trick on the internet and filter through what I should and should not implement. Like anything online, you have to determine what makes the cut and what doesn’t.

If you have tips or feedback related to Pinterest, leave a comment below or contact me with your awesome sauce.

Post Effective Content

Like any social media channel, your content has to be solid. Hopefully mine will live up to my self professed hype.

Be Consistent

I think Time is mocking me again.

Optimize My Site for Pinterest

First and foremost I’m going to fix my stupid Pinterest button on my Digg Digg share bar. It always has the audacity to hover over the neighboring button. Not nice Pinterest button, not nice.

Your turn

I would love to hear from you. What are you doing today on Pinterest that is working? What do you love about it? What is one thing I should do when I start? Share some of your Pinterest ninja tactics, hacks, and any other overused term below in the comments!

The post CDL 037 – The One Social Media Platform I Plan to Use More Than Ever in 2015 appeared first on Crazy Dad Life.

In this episode, I take the show on the road and talk about goals. While I have only recently become a supporter of establishing goals in life and business, I find the practice of setting milestones and markers along your journey fulfilling and empowering.

There are 3 distinct segments in the episode.

Segment 1 – Goals Make You Accountable

In segment 1, you’ll hear about goals making you more accountable. You establish goals in order to serve as incentive. You want to do something and having that goal written down will most likely push you to do it.

Merely writing the goal down will serve as incredible motivation going forward. Oh, and make sure you write down where you stored your goals. I have a tendency to forget where I put things. Would hate to have you go through the same.

Segment 2 – Establishing Timelines for Your Goals

Segment 2 continues with the process of setting up your goals in chunks. Some goals should be set for the near term while other goals can be marked for later. You probably want to focus on the next year only though as things change so fast, especially for busy parents.

Think about how you want to distribute what you want to accomplish in the next several weeks and months. Then, think about how these items interrelate and lead into each other. Finally, think about what other life events you may have going on that may cause disruption in accomplishing these goals.

Segment 3 – The Mental Side of Goals

Segment 3 wraps up the topic of goals with a hard subject for many. What happens if you don’t accomplish what you set out to do? What happens if you revisit that goal and don’t get to check it off?

The important thing here is to understand that this is all a process. Even a little bit of progress is still progress. Perhaps you didn’t fully accomplish your defined goal yet you can create a few lower level items that you did do and mark those off.

Summary

I hope you enjoyed this episode and really started to think about what goals mean to you. Hopefully in the next day or so, you will sit down and write about some of the things you want to accomplish in the upcoming time period.

Also, I’d love some feedback on what you thought about the episode? Did you like the format?

If you liked the show, please subscribe HERE and leave a review.

The post CDL 036 – Are Your Goals Out of Control? appeared first on Crazy Dad Life.

Names.

Ahhh, how important is the name? What’s in a name?

This got me thinking about the process of naming and everything that goes into it. Since I’m always looking at things through a budding entrepreneur’s lens, I couldn’t help but bring this back to something we have all been through…the pain/pleasure of picking the perfect website name. So, I thought it would be a good idea to create a quick guide.

“Perfect” is a relative term of course and just like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder.

I’m going to share some of the most important considerations you should take when picking your website name.

By the way, Jeff was NOT in the top 100 this year. I know, shocking.

I did a look up on the full list of baby names and found that “Jeff” is ranked #356 this year. While that doesn’t sound good, it’s actually up from #438 last year. Focus on the positive! “Jeff” peaked at #44 in 1962. Yes, that was many years before I was born.

How do You Start?

Sometimes starting is the hardest part. Here are some quick things you can do to spark the fire.

• Jot down some keywords relative to your industry or niche
• Think about what your core business will be
• What value will you be providing to you potential audience?
• Do some research on others in your industry or niche to see what has been done in the past

What are Some Considerations to Take Into Account Once You Have Some Ideas?

Congratulations! You have an idea and you are ready to think of an actual domain name. This may not seem like much, but it is. Don’t take for granted the effort required to come up with a legitimate idea that you are passionate about.

The mindset you need as you enter this phase is to always think about one thing.

Think about that one person sitting at their keyboard getting ready to type in whatever you have come up with as your domain.

Think about how easy, or hard, it would be for that person to type it in.

Here are some quick considerations…

• Easy to pronounce – Make sure it’s easy to pronounce – don’t use complex words or words that are difficult to spell.
• Make sure it has longevity – you don’t want your domain out of date in a couple of years due to a trendy name selection.
• Avoid abbreviations if possible – There are some abbreviations you might be able to get away with such as “Dr”.
• No hidden messages – Make sure there are no hidden words or meanings in the full domain name.
  • Here are a couple of examples, see if you can spot the problem
    • Whorepresents.com
    • Speedofart.com
    • Therapist.com
  • TIP: If you want to limit the risk of this happening this is what you can do. Type out the full domain name in lower case letters and see if you can spot any hidden words or meanings. If you want to be a real ninja, go pull grandma away from the crossword puzzles and word finders and have her throw her skills at it.
• Keep it simple – Don’t get too cute with it.
• Avoid made up words – Don’t make up words that people won’t be able to associate with your business. This may work with some businesses but it will take longer to build that brand awareness.
• Avoid special characters or fancy ways of spelling words.
  • For example – PotzandPanz.com instead of PotsandPans.com
• Avoid hyphens if at all possible – Think again about that person you are telling your domain to. Do you want to say “hyphen” when telling them the domain name?
• Try to keep it as short as possible – This is harder to accomplish these days as domains are taken all the time.

What Tools Can You Use to Check Availability or Generate Other Ideas?

There are a number of free tools out there that allow you to research and even generate domain names. Here are some of the main tools I use.

• Domain Name Providers – I use GoDaddy for most of my domains. They have a nice easy interface for checking domain availability. There is a simple search bar on the homepage. Type in your proposed name and see what comes back. Even if it isn’t available, there may be other options provided that might work. Network Solutions is another domain name provider you can use to research names.
• Domain Name Generators – There are quite a few tools out there that will actually generate domain names for you. Some are better than others. Two that I recommend are Wordoid.com and Panabee.com. Both of these services will provide numerous options for you to look into as potential website names.

What If It Is Taken?

You have the next big thing and you are ready to grab the domain, but there is a problem. Some clown has already beat you to the punch! Here are a few things you can do in the event your wonderful domain choice is not available.

• But It From Them – Sometimes the current owner will be willing to part with the domain for monetary compensation. Depending on how much you want to spend, this could be an option. Go out to WhoIs.com and you can reach out to the domain owner.
• Wait For It to Free Up – While you are out on WhoIs.com, take a look and see if it is due to expire soon. If so, mark your calendar and check back after that date. You might be able to scoop it up then.
• Maybe It Just Costs More – Sometimes it will look like the domain is not available but it is actually available via auction or as a premium domain. This just means you’re going to pay more for it.
• Alter Your Domain Name Slightly – This is one of the old tricks in the book. Simply adding “HQ” on the end, or “The” to the front, can make your domain available without losing relevance.

It’s Available! What Should You Do?

Um…buy it!

I have a problem buying domains. Every time I have an idea or think I’ve stumbled upon the next big thing, I buy the domain. Now I have a bunch of half baked domains sitting around. I need therapy.

Given the low cost of domains today, go ahead and buy the domain even if your business isn’t fully hashed out. It really isn’t that big of an investment for what could be the start of something incredible.

TIP: Since most of us are parents, I have a homework assignment for you. Go grab your kids’ domain name. I bought my daughters domains a few years ago. I highly recommend you go try and grab that domain while you can. If it isn’t available see if a slight variation is there. Someday, when they are borderline famous, they’ll love you for it. Oh, and grab yours too!

5TIL

In this week’s 5 Things I Learned, you’ll learn about…

• Apple’s intriguing patent that reminds of of cats
• My love for my new iPhone 6 and two hacks that you’ll love
• More improvements with Facebook Ads
• “Better Call Saul”
• Twitter’s new image filter features

 Other Links Discussed

• HowManyofMe.com

The post CDL 035 – A Guide to Picking the Perfect Website Name appeared first on Crazy Dad Life.

You are most likely working long hours at the job only to return home to fulfill your responsibilities as a parent. After the stress of the day job, the non-stop commitments of the kids, and dabbling in your side business, a break can be a wonderful thing.

If you are headed into a break, such as a holiday or simply spending a few hours away from the daily grind, there are few things you can do to position yourself for success when you pick back up.

3 Ways to Position Yourself for Forward Progress

Here are 3 methods you should try the next time you find yourself smack dab in the middle of the ever elusive “downtime”.

By following these methods you should easily re-emerge from your break fully motivated and ready to rock and roll.

1. Spend Time Reflecting

Lost in your daily chaos are the little victories.

You may have a to-do list consisting of 235 items but the fact you knocked even one of those items off the list is something to be celebrated.

Too often we neglect to recognize our accomplishments. Too often we worry ourselves about the undone without embracing the done.

Take time during your next break to truly reflect on all things that you’ve done, big or small, and realize each movement to the right is one additional step in the direction of where you want to go.

Proceeding toward success is much harder when holding onto the negative thoughts of what remains yet to be realized. Reflect on the positive in order to position yourself for what’s next.

2. Spend Time Planning

Progressing to the next step can only be done with some level of planning.

While downtime should not be spent digging into the details of every operational area of your business, major conceptual goals should at least be considered.

Spend a few moments thinking about what is next. Determine what should have the highest priority. Figure out, at a high level, what should be rewarded with your focus and your limited bandwidth.

Then, most importantly, think about what will provide maximum value to your audience. That is what should move to the top of your ridiculously long to-do list.

3. Spend Time Listening and Absorbing

Just as tasks get lost in the daily shuffle, so does inspiration.

During your next period of downtime, look for opportunities to gain fresh perspective. Seek out others that can bring new ways of thinking and unique experiences.

If friends and family are around, feast on their viewpoints. Allow them to freely engage with you on any topic imaginable.

Take a moment to step out of your niche. Spend an amount of time away from your comfort zone. Remove the blinders from your typical daily interaction with others in the same industry.

You will be surprised at the amount of material that may present itself to you when taking a moment and listening to others.

5TIL

In this week’s 5 Things I Learned (5TIL) you’ll hear about…

1. The Doorman app that allows flexibility in home deliveries.
2. A new Google security feature which allows you to see information related to account access (who, where, and what device).
3. Google’s enhanced search features for the upcoming holiday shopping season.
4. Tumblr’s rise to the top of the fastest growing social platforms.
5. Social capabilities added to Canva

As usual, if you have something you would like to share on the 5TIL, head over to twitter and drop me a tweet!

The post CDL 034 – 3 Ways to Stay Motivated During Downtime appeared first on Crazy Dad Life.

Whether you are just starting out with a side business or have been working on it for years, this episode provides actionable methods to balance your day job and side job.

Trying to excel in your career while also pursuing your passion by building your own business can be problematic to say the least.

But, it doesn’t have to be so difficult.

6 Ways to Balance Your Day Job and Side Job

You’ll hear 6 methods I’ve used over the past several years as I’ve continued to move forward with my career while still creating something personal on the side.

1. Keep Commitment Levels Separate, But Commit to Both

While it is important to ensure that you get your work done at your day job, there are moments throughout the work day that you can commit to the side job.

Learn to use your time efficiently and effectively, even the time that seems forgotten. (TWEET IT!)

2. While Your Commitment Levels are Separate, It is Imperative that You Still Blend Them

Make sure that you take your years of experience in the day job and invest it into your side job. Likewise, make sure you bring all of the fresh and innovative approaches gathered from your side job over to the day job.

Both sides will realize benefits.

3. You Can Talk About the “Other” Job

While it is ok to mention your side job at your day job, it’s important to realize the sensitivities and the issues that may arise from having both pursuits.

Keep your mentions of each at a minimum to limit potential conflicts.

4. Maintain Separate Environments

It’s important to maintain separate environments. You may find an ideal setup to be one where you have social media accounts, email, and even computers dedicated to your side job, while you have an entirely different set of accounts and devices for your day job.

Keeping components separate allows you to logically manage each individually.

5. Don’t Hide From Either Job

Embrace the beauty of being diversified in skills and in talent. Never be ashamed of the awesome work you are doing on the side. Also, don’t be afraid to let those in your side job niche know what you do during the daytime.

Your ability to succeed at two entirely different pursuits demonstrates your genuine badass-ery. (TWEET IT!)

6. Always Make Time for Your Family

This is the golden rule. If you take one thing away from this post, understand that family is always the top priority.

Never let your responsibility to your family be driven aside by secondary pursuits of your jobs. (TWEET IT!)

5TIL

In this week’s 5 Things I Learned, you will hear about…

1. How to embed your podcast episode in a tweet so that your audience can immediately, and easily, access your content.

2. An interesting way to drive attention to your content/product using a capability called Sniply.

3. Free tools from SimplyMeasured that provide you deep level analytics for some of your most used social accounts.

4. Shoes that have auto-laces. Yes, just like those fancy kicks in Back to the Future 2.

5. SnapChat’s new money transfer service.

Your Turn

Now it’s your turn to join the conversation. How do you balance the day job with the side job? What is one key tip you would love to share?

The post CDL 033 – 6 Foolproof Ways to Balance Your Day Job and Side Job appeared first on Crazy Dad Life.

Do you look at your site and wonder why it looks so terrible? I have.

If you were a visitor to your site would you have any clue what your site was all about? I wouldn’t…at least before.

This past weekend I did something that has been on my to-do list for quite some time. I finally sat down and redesigned my website to what I always wanted it to be. In this week’s podcast I share my experience to hopefully lessen any pain you may have as you go through the same process.

It doesn’t have to be hard either. You can actually do it pretty quick with a little digging around and the help of a nicely designed theme.

You’ll hear a brief recap of my experience starting late Friday night and how I worked through some of the changes over the weekend. You’ll also hear probably the most important aspects of the whole process…the why and the benefits.

Why Should You Redesign Your Website?

Let’s be real for a second. If you want to be considered a legit presence on the internet and stand out from all of the noise, you need to have a website that pops. Something that captures your visitor’s attention in seconds and engages them from page to page. My website was lacking this before.

Here is a picture of the “Before” version of my homepage for the Crazy Dad Life site. meh

And this is the new version of the homepage.

Hopefully you like the new design. I’d love to hear your feedback, even if you don’t particularly like it. Head over to my “Contact Me” page and shoot me an email. Don’t be shy.

In the podcast I talk about various pieces of the original design that drove me nuts.

Ok, back to the subject at hand…

8 Benefits of Redesigning Your Website

Here are 8 key benefits you’ll realize if you go about updating the look and feel of your little corner of the internet.

1. Great Learning Experience

There is no doubt you will be challenged when updating your website. Each new theme comes with unique features and configurations that you’ll quickly need to understand.

While it can seem daunting and confusing at first, when you do finally figure it out it can be so sweet.

2. Go from Acid Wash to Skinny Jeans

Updating your website can be like updating your wardrobe. Ok, you may not be willing to go all the way to the skinny jean look, but you can see where I’m going here.

You need to have a site that reflects current trends and popular design, yet separates yourself and defines your vision and your voice.

3. Better for Your Business

Increasing the appearance of your site will no doubt increase the perceived value for visitors. Just as anything else in this world, the better it looks the higher opinion people will have of it.

Redesigning your website should immediately help your business increase relevance and engagement. At least that should be your goal.

4. Mobile Mastery

Do you have any idea how many people visit your site on their mobile device? If you don’t, you should.

Check your Google Analytics and take a peek. You may be surprised at the high number of folks browsing from their phone to your site. For me, my site was a disaster. It would never render correctly so I simply punted and left it as a full size site that the user had to zoom and scroll in order to navigate. Ugly.

You have to have a responsive design that allows visitors to easily receive all the awesome content you have to offer. If you don’t, they’ll bounce and most likely won’t return.

5. Take Inventory of What May Have Been Lost and What Needs to Be Lost

Going through the redesign you will very likely come across broken links, 404 page errors, and other remnants from all of your hard work online. You will also come across content that probably should be lost forever.

The redesign process allows you to truly review your content, and all of the inner workings of your site, to see what works and what doesn’t – what should and what shouldn’t.

6. Reorganize Your Content

Your content may be cluttered, confusing, and generally out of control. Redesigning your site allows you to step back and better organize how your content is presented to potential visitors. When you are redesigning your website it is critical that you do so through the eyes of the visitor.

What would I want to see when landing on this website?

What value is this site providing me?

What am I supposed to do now?

Why would I want to come back?

Ask yourself those type of questions as you start to reorganize your content and how your site is structured. Make it easy for your visitor.

7. Restructure and Refocus

Along with the reorganization, now is the time to refocus. Let that brand new visitor understand what value they are going to get from your site.

It’s important to provide a direct and concise description of the value you you are providing.

8. Better Opportunities to Build Your Email List

Building your list is crucial to any business online. Implementing fresh and clean design with a new theme allows you to revisit and fix your current opt-in environment.

Are there ways you can better present your opt-in? Is there a better looking button you could use?

While you are redesigning, take a moment to take stock of how you ask your visitors to join your community and see if there is a more effective way to accomplish your goals.

The Killer Tip

Ok, what is one thing you can do to expedite your redesign process and in turn save your sanity (and a few gray hairs)?

Get a premium theme!

I’m sure you can find a rather nice free theme but will it provide you all the flexibility you desire? Doubt it. Personally, I’m a huge fan of the Genesis Framework. So, when I started looking for my new theme I started with those based on that framework.

I wanted a company I could trust and who provided quality themes so I went with StudioPress. I highly recommend their services and their themes. There is no way I could have done all I did over the weekend without their product.

Sure, it costs money. But your time is money too.

How much is it worth to not have to spend weeks trying to figure out how to tweak a free theme to do what you want it to do? Your time is more valuable than that. You have bigger things to do than tinker with the intricacies of WordPress all the time.

Grab yourself a stunning theme from StudioPress and get cranking with the real work of building your business.

5TIL

In this week’s 5 Things I Learned you’ll hear about…

1. The new (and improved) Facebook Ads…especially the Power Editor
2. Instagram introducing the ability to edit your captions
3. A very cool personal robotic assistant-tube thing from Amazon called the Echo
   1. The real product
   2. What we all wish the real product was like
4. Somewhere you can find free Microsoft Office software for your kids’ computers
5. Repurposing old pay phones in New York with new technology

As usual, thanks for all of your support. If you’d like to subscribe to the show, head over to CrazyDadLife.com/Love and do just that.

And remember, with your family, your career, and your side hustle stay engaged, stay thirsty, and keep grinding.

The post CDL 032 – 8 Benefits of Redesigning Your Website and One Killer Tip to Save Your Sanity appeared first on Crazy Dad Life.

1. You have no shot

You look around and see people with fully built out websites running like well oiled machines. You see beautiful responsive design with functionality you don’t even understand. Then you go back and look at your piddly little blog and naturally feel overwhelmed.

How can you ever get anywhere near the others? You have so much work to do.

WHAT TO DO

Chip away at it. You’re never going to get to the end goal unless you start chipping away a little at a time. Think of a massive tree, it takes time and many chops to knock it down.

The good thing is, EVERYONE has a shot. The online world provides low barrier to entry and a level playing field for all.

2. You won’t be heard amongst all of the noise

There is no doubt there are probably thousands of people in the same niche you want to pursue. If you need proof, take a look at the business section of iTunes podcasts and you’ll see an over abundance of entrepreneur interview podcasts. The market is saturated.

There is a tremendous amount of noise online, and it grows louder every single day.

WHAT TO DO

This is an easy one. Be yourself!

It is really the only differentiator you will find. Many people talk about the same thing. It is the way the message is delivered, and the person behind the message that truly matters.

3. You are way behind everyone else

You are always going to feel behind. If you have been online for any period of time, you will come across other people that make you feel like you are way behind.

Truth is, you are.

WHAT TO DO

Deal with it.

There is a natural timeline and everyone falls somewhere on that timeline. Some are ahead and some are behind. Just know that you are somewhere on that line and each day you move further along. Just remember, there are those that are behind you too. That is important.

4. You are moving too slow

You see others launching new products, posting new content every day, and interacting on numerous social media channels. They appear to be everywhere, at all times. Yet you struggle to consistently post a single 300-500 word blog post weekly.

WHAT TO DO

First of all, stop trying to race everyone. As long as you consistently provide value to your audience, everything will be ok. You don’t have to be everywhere at once. Focus on one thing and do it well. Do it at a pace that fits your life and does not cause undue and unhealthy stress.

5.   You are doing it all wrong

Contrary to what you might hear, there is no magic formula. You will hear plenty of advice and “expert” tips but there is no particular way you need to do things. You will also hear plenty of success stories that will make you second guess your approach.

WHAT TO DO

Explore your own style. Figure out what works for you. Figure out what you enjoy and what you can get done given your current workload.

Explore different ways to provide value. Are you a writer? Blog more. Are you talkative? Start a podcast. Are you animated and love to act? Go with video.

Find your best delivery method, then learn everything about it and dive into it. Figure out how you can make it work for you, then go with it.

Remember, if it is something you truly enjoy doing, who cares how you do it!

There are a number of people making money online, but there is a vast majority of us grinding away trying to figure it out. Don’t feel like you are not worthy just because you are not raking in cash like a select few.

6. You are inferior

You come across all of these amazing people online. It’s natural to feel intimidated and anoint them rock star status.

WHAT TO DO

Remember, these people are just like you. They put on their pants just like you. They have families, they have worries, and they have struggles too. And, they started out just like you.

7. You are lost

What do you do next?

You want to create a blog. You want to start a podcast. You want to sell your product, be a coach, and write a book. You want to develop an app. You get the idea.

You can quickly become overwhelmed with all of the possibilities. While it is a beautiful thing, it can also be a curse.

WHAT TO DO

This goes back to taking it one step at a time. You can not do everything at once. Pick something and do it well. Get that one thing up and stable, then move on to the next. It’s important to note that it does not need to be complete. It merely needs to be stable and providing value to others.

Everyone feels overwhelmed and lost from time to time. Stay focused on the exact task at hand and try not to get distracted by the periphery.

5TIL

Here are the 5 Things I Learned that are also discussed in this week’s episode…

1. Breaking Bad dolls have a place…Toys R Us may not be that place.

2. Buddy Press can help turn your website into a forum/community. Check it out!

3. Prezi is a nice alternative to boring PowerPoint

4. TwitPic finally died Oct 25, 2014.

5. Facebook outages can be EXPENSIVE!

What doubts have crept into your mind? What are you struggling with while you balance family, career, and your side hustle? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

The post CDL 031 – The 7 Deadly Doubts of Building Online, and How You Will Crush Them appeared first on Crazy Dad Life.

Is your Twitter feed a mess?

Do you constantly miss important tweets you want to see but they simply scroll by too fast?

If you are like me, you probably find Twitter frustrating from time to time. While Twitter can be an amazing resource for interacting with people online and for growing a community, it can also be maddening when you are lost in the never-ending stream of tweets in your feed.

In this episode, you’ll learn how to quickly analyze the people and brands you currently follow to better understand who is really bringing value. 

You’ll hear about a tool that you can use to analyze those you currently follow. You’ll be able to better understand how they use Twitter to identify those accounts that are simply filling your feed with garbage.

After listening to this episode and going through the steps outlined, you’ll be able to reduce the amount of nonsense in your feed and start to enjoy Twitter again. As a bonus, you’ll most likely rediscover people that have been lost in the shuffle. I know I did.

Cleaning up the list of those you follow will reduce the noise in your Twitter feed and ultimately provide more value in your daily interactions.

5TIL

In this week’s 5 Things I Learned (5TIL) you’ll hear about…

1.  The growth of Facebook stickers

2.  Noodle Tools and how it can be used to help you, or your kids, with their school projects

3.  Instagram direct messages, who knew?

4.  A disappearing video service from Skype

5.  HBO’s new online-only offering

As usual, if you find something of interest that you’d like shared on the 5TIL, just send me an email at jeffstephens@crazydadlife.com or hit me on Twitter @CrazyDadLife. Hey, you’ll get free publicity and a shout out on the podcast!

Now, I’d love to hear how YOU manage your Twitter madness? Share one tip below that you’ve found useful for cleaning up your Twitter feed.

The post CDL 030 – Bring Clarity Back to Your Twitter Feed appeared first on Crazy Dad Life.

But, with all the wonderful benefits of taking breaks, there can also be pitfalls.

Taking Breaks

In this episode, you’ll hear the good and the bad with taking breaks and how you can quickly recover from some of the more common pitfalls.

You’ll hear how to…

– Regain your momentum

– Rediscover your path forward

– Reignite your passion

– Reengage your audience

5TIL

In this week’s 5TIL (5 Things I Learned) you’ll learn about…

– Unroll.me – A cool tool for managing your newsletter subscriptions

– Mashable events – The place to go if you are looking for a conference or event coming up

– The new GoPro Hero – An introductory action camera for your budding bad assness

– Tesla’s new car – Especially the fancy software upgrades that will take your car to the next level for years to come

– StumbleUpon’s chat service – A new way to engage with your friends when you discover awesome content

As always, if you’ve found something interesting to share with the Crazy Dad Life community, send me an email at jeffstephens@crazydadlife.com or hit me on Twitter at @CrazyDadLife.

The post CDL 029 – How to Recover from the Pitfalls of Taking Breaks appeared first on Crazy Dad Life.

You find yourself forgetting or just skipping doing some of those items that are easiest to actually execute.

On this week’s episode I dig into an awesome automation tool that you should check out to jumpstart your productivity.

IFTTT (If This Then That)

IFTTT (If This Then That) is a service that allows you to integrate various online tools and solutions to execute particular actions that mean something in YOUR life.

You’ll learn what it is, how it is structured, and what benefit it could provide you in your hectic life. You’ll hear how it can be implemented to automate some of those tasks you find yourself doing over and over again. You’ll also discover really cool ways that other people are using the tool to gain more free time to do the things they love.

5 Things I Learned

In this week’s 5TIL (5 Things I Learned) you’ll hear about…

1.  A really cool app for kids that provides news and current events without all of the horrific headlines found on traditional news websites. (Check it out here)

2.  A piece of plastic that you can use to get over your addiction to your phone. It’s a real thing and it’s gaining steam on Kickstarter….really. (Check it out here)

3.  A ridiculously cool technology included as part of the new NBA 2K15 game. Now you can REALLY get in the game. Their new face-scan technology will scan your face using the console’s camera and then render your (damn near) exact likeness in the game itself. You’ll be runnin’ and gunnin’ with Kevin Durant in no time. (Check it out here)

4.  An incredibly innovative piece of technology being offered on Kickstarter that may change the way you record things in your life. This drone/GoPro/smartphone/everything else cool in this world solution is something you have to check out. If you are one of those crazy people that jump off cliffs for fun, this is for you. (Check it out here)

5.  Emerging news about the (unwanted) flexibility of the new iPhone 6 Plus. (Check it out here)

As usual, thanks for being as awesome as you are. If you have an idea for the 5TIL, leave a comment below or send me a note on Twitter at @CrazyDadLife.

The post CDL 028 – Using IFTTT to Jumpstart Your Productivity appeared first on Crazy Dad Life.

How to Publish your book on Amazon

Ok, so you’ve written the next War and Peace and you want to let the world know about it. How do you take it to the next level, format it, and put it out there for the world to read your inspiring words?

In this episode, I dig into the details on how you go about formatting your masterpiece for Amazon, how to upload it, and how to launch a landing page for your craving readers.

You’ll learn:

– Where to distribute and why you might want to choose Amazon

– How to format your book to make it easy when it comes time to upload – including how you need to save it within Microsoft Word

– The importance of having cover art that doesn’t cost your customers…I used a lil tool from webresizer.com

– If you need help, Amazon provides great help via their help system here

– How to create your artwork for the cover and why you need to make it pop

– Insight into the personal details you need to include during the publishing process – especially for all of those proceeds you’ll be making from your sales!

– How to stand up a landing page infrastructure to make it easy for you to market your book and to drive traffic to your Amazon sales page. If you need help getting the website stood up, check out my video here. If you need help with figuring out how to standup a Facebook ad, check out my reference graphic.

Let me know if you decide to follow your passion and write your own book. It really isn’t that bad. If I can do it, you can do it! Get busy!

5TIL

Also, in this week’s 5TIL (5 Things I Learned) you’ll hear about:

1. The importance of video in today’s society and how it can COMPLETELY change a situation (eh hem, Ray Rice)
2. Disappearing Facebook messages
3. Cars with WiFi (Thanks Jeff Page over at Hectic-Dad.com)
4. How to generate electricity with your feet!
5. The forecast is a lil cloudy with a chance for SOLAR RAIN…gahhhhhh!

As always, thanks so much for the support. If you feel awesome today, head over to crazydadlife.com/love and hook me up with a iTunes review.

The post CDL 027 – How to Write and Publish a Book in a Weekend – Part 2: Publish appeared first on Crazy Dad Life.

Have you ever wanted to write a book but felt as if you didn’t have enough time to do it?

I’ve done the same thing. For over a year I’ve started and never finished books. I have a few that are close to being completed, but just haven’t made it across the line. That all changed this past weekend.

In this week’s podcast I share my experience from this past weekend where I successfully wrote, designed, and published a book on Amazon…from scratch.

You may say you don’t have the time. Your kids will occupy all of your time. You don’t know the first thing you would do to actually start the book.

Imagine waking up Monday morning knowing that you actually completed your book you’ve been wanting to finish for so long. In this episode, you’ll hear exactly how I went about writing my book, from idea creation, through market research, target audience definition, outlining, and final writing.

The book ended up being 45 pages in Kindle version so it wasn’t a short book by any means. I wanted to provide value yet not overwhelm the reader. I went into it with a target page count of 30 pages. I was pretty happy with the 45 when all was said and done.

If you wanted to check out the book, you can find it on Amazon HERE.

In Part 2 next week, I’ll get into the actual publishing process and some of the initial marketing.

I’m not expecting to sell a lot of these books. This was merely an exercise to 1) see if I could do it in a weekend 2) understand the publishing process and all the steps that it takes.

Also, this week’s 5TIL (5 Things I Learned) covers:

1. A super easy way to add a checklist to Evernote (I feel so dumb)
2. How Florida State misplayed the #askjameis campaign (They feel so dumb)
3. The good (ice bucket) and the bad (fire challenge) of internet memes
4. New Media Expo’s big announcement regarding this year’s conference
5. A 13 year old’s brilliant idea to battle cyberbullying…and it works.

As always, thank you so much for your support. If you want to subscribe to the show, click HERE and subscribe through iTunes.

The post CDL 026 – How to Write and Publish a Book in a Weekend – Part 1: The Book appeared first on Crazy Dad Life.

[To Listen Now – Click the GREEN Podcast Player Above the Photo]

Tell me if you’ve been here before…

You’re sitting  in front of your computer. WordPress is open. You’ve clicked to add a new post, and the cursor is blinking rhythmically, taunting you as your fingers hang motionless over your keyboard.

Yep, you’ve got nothing.

You have no idea what you are going to write about in your new blog post.

How did you end up here? How did you let this happen? Everyone else seems to be putting out content left and right with no problems. Why are YOU struggling to write one simple post?

Here’s what it feels like…

Don’t worry, we’ve all been there.

Ways to Generate Blog Post Ideas

In this week’s episode, I share 14 simple, yet effective, ways to generate blog post ideas for your next blog post.

1. Use questions and feedback from your audience

2. Remember the struggles you went through

3. Implement Google Alerts and let the content come to you

4. Attend Tweetchats and see what everyone is talking about

5. Read industry blogs

6. Dig into your podcasts to find ideas

7. Use tools like Hubspot’s blog topic generator

8. Explore your social media communities like those discussed in episode 24

9. Read and bookmark websites in your niche

10. Keep track of current events

11. Apply future trends to your particular area of focus

12. Think of something you completed or accomplished recently, and share your how-to or lessons learned

13. Check out Twitter trends

14. Visit websites that curate and present content from across the web, like Trendspottr and StumbleUpon

Each of these methods should be added to your arsenal for creating wonderful content for your audience. They are simple ways you can generate blog post ideas over and over.

How do YOU generate ideas for your blog?

Leave a comment below and share your favorite ninja tactic.

5TIL

This week’s 5TIL (5 Things I Learned) includes:

1. A fancy little workout tool you can use at your desk (FitBolt.com) from my friend Jeff Page at Hectic-Dad.com.

2. A pending deal that would see Alibaba buy SnapChat for $10 billion…a year after everyone laughed when they turned down Facebook’s offer of $3 billion.

3. An awesome dad moment from Brian Williams on NBC Nightly News.

4. The news that Facebook may not be dead to teens after all.

5. A cool technology upgrade to the NFL that will track players during the games.

As always, if you have a cool story you’d love to share, send me a note at jeffstephens@crazydadlife.com and I’ll get it into the 5TIL.

The post CDL 025 – 14 Simple Ways to Generate Blog Post Ideas appeared first on Crazy Dad Life.

One of the most important aspects of the internet is the concept of community. It’s a key reason we enjoy the online world as much as we do. It’s also a major contributing factor to the growth and dominance of social networks like Facebook.

So, what does this mean to your online business or side project?

As an entrepreneur, you need to find other people who are passionate about the same things as you. Nothing is more valuable than finding a group of people with similar interests, desires, and passions. Once you have found this community of like minded individuals, you have not only found friends, colleagues, teachers, and students but you’ve also found potential customers.

Facebook communities provide a number of options when it comes to finding what fits with your message. The problem is, you have to find the right ones.

In this week’s episode…

I share some proven methods for finding Facebook communities that matter to you and your side business. You’ll learn how to approach finding Facebook communities as a participant and as a leader.

Here’s just one ninja tip I cover in this week’s episode. Use it when you are trying to find groups as a simple Facebook user.

1. Go to your Facebook home by clicking the Home button
2. Look along the left side of the page and you’ll see a list of all of your current groups
3. Click on one of these groups – this will load the group’s home page
4. On the group’s page, if you look along the right side, you’ll see an About box
5. For the larger, more established, groups in Facebook you’ll see a number of Tags listed
6. Click on one of the tags that you are interested in and watch as a treasure trove of  Facebook communities pop up with the same tag

This tip can save you a tremendous amount of time when looking for Facebook communities.

Other topics covered include:

• Searching for groups by keyword
• Searching for groups by hashtag and getting back more types of communities  than you thought
• Particular differences between groups and fan pages, what that means for your brand, and what you should take into consideration when starting your own
• How you can participate as a leader in other groups and fan pages, ultimately driving traffic back to your page and building your online authority

This week’s 5TIL (5 Things I Learned) covers:

1. The ongoing battle against Twitter Bots (click here to check out the free tool where you can see if you are a Bot or Not)
2. Smart shoes
3. The death of Facebook gifts
4. The emergence of the latest internet word that will make you cringe…”the usie”
5. Technology that addresses date rape drugs

As usual, thank you for everything you have done for the Crazy Dad Life community. If you have something for the 5TIL, feel free to shoot me an email at jeffstephens@crazydadlife.com.

If you want to join the Crazy Dad Life Facebook community, head on over!

The post CDL 024 – How to Find Facebook Communities that Matter to You appeared first on Crazy Dad Life.

This episode presents one particular case in Texas which is unique. The story involves multiple girls, their parents, the police, the media, and an unrelenting attacker who seems to have full control over every electronic device involved.

Who is at fault? Who is the real perpetrator of the crime?

Do you remember the movie When a Stranger Calls from when you were a kid? That movie used to scare the hell out of people. At that moment when they said they traced the call and it was coming from inside the house…most people ran away from the TV. This cyber story has a similar layer of terror.

Throughout the episode you’ll hear tactical approaches for how you might keep your kids safe online, including proper security practice and one surprisingly effective method for generating strong passwords.

At the end, you’ll hear 5 ways that you can start to implement a stronger security posture with not only your kids online, but also with protecting your online identity as well. This includes:

1. Monitoring your kids’ online activity
2. The absolute need to understand what’s going on in the online world
3. Making sure your kids understand what’s going on as well
4. Implementing an effective, yet simple, password approach
5. Following consistent system maintenance procedures

You don’t want your kid to be the victim in a cyberbullying case. And, the victim is not limited to those attacked. Sometimes the one doing the attack may be falsely accused or the victim of someone taking control of their online identity.

As a parent, you have to stay diligent and informed when it comes to your kids and how they operate online.

Also, in this week’s 5TIL (5 Things I Learned), you’ll hear about:

1. The rollout of Kindle Unlimited and why you may want to ditch that Audible membership
2. Redesigned parking signs (Finally!)
3. YouTube Vice News
4. An incredibly techy fighter jet helmet
5. Kim Kardashian’s Hollywood game and the insane amount of money she’s raking in

Links in this episode:

• Story about the cyber case discussed in this episode
• Kindle Unlimited
• Redesigned Parking Signs
• YouTube Vice News
• Incredible Fighter Jet Helmet
• Crazy 8 Tools

Thanks for your ongoing support! You rock!

The post CDL 023 – When a Stranger Calls…And Tweets About It appeared first on Crazy Dad Life.

We all know how hard it is to gain an audience. We’ve all experienced the sound of crickets right after we’ve posted something we’ve been proud of. In this episode I share some ways I use Facebook to share my content.

This includes…

• Sharing to your personal timeline
• The power of using images
• Putting the social in social media
• Minimizing any stress surrounding hashtags in Facebook
• Leveraging your community
• Engaging content around your link
• Sharing other people’s content as well

In addition, this week’s 5TIL (5 Things I Learned) covers:

1. Sony Walkman’s 35th anniversary
2. Hashflags leaving us again
3. Blog posts that will get you sued
4. Home Depot’s jump into 3D
5. The unimaginable with the iWatch

As always, if you have something to contribute for the 5TIL, leave a comment below. If you have a link to a crazy article or something that really resonates with the Crazy Dad Life community, leave it in the comments.

Also, let me know how YOU share content on Facebook. What strategies do you implement when it comes  time to share your blog post with the world’s biggest social media platform.

This week’s links include:

• Sony’s 35th anniversary of the Walkman
• Crazy 8 tools you need to boost your productivity

The post CDL 022 – How to Share Your Content on Facebook appeared first on Crazy Dad Life.

In this episode, I dig deeper into content sharing on one of the world’s biggest social media platforms out there…Twitter.

You’ll learn how Twitter is different than most other social platforms and what that means for your message. I provide 7 effective strategies to share content on Twitter that ultimately boosts your website visitors.

Finally, I give you 3 indirect methods to augment your content marketing effort by using other capabilities within Twitter.

In this week’s 5TIL (5 Things I Learned) I discuss:

1. Google’s purchase of music streaming service Songza
2. The power of social media during the World Cup
3. Big data’s impact on recruiting
4. A Keurig-like device that serves…beer!
5. Vine’s unique new loop metric

Links in this episode include:

• World Cup heat map and metrics
• The beer Keurig Kickstarter campaign
• Songza

As always, thanks for all of your support! If you have a moment, I’d love for you to provide a review of the show. Just head over to iTunes and leave your quick review of the podcast. Every little bit helps.

Have a wonderful week and I’ll catch you guys next week!

The post CDL 021 – How to Effectively Share Content on Twitter appeared first on Crazy Dad Life.

But, nothing happens.

Why?

Hitting the Publish button, in many ways, is just the first step in creating content. In this episode, I dig into what happens after you hit Publish. This is where the real work starts.

You’ll hear 2 key objectives when sharing your content…

1. Don’t be annoying
2. Get it in front of people

You’ll also hear about various distribution strategies including email lists and social media channels. The strategies I share come from years of blogging and my personal methods for growing readership.

In addition, I share techniques for planning out the time between posts and how you can take advantage of automated tools.

And I touch on THE most important aspect…the follow-up. Make sure you engage with your readers. Join the conversation and enjoy the value you receive as much as the value you provide.

This week’s 5TIL (5 Things I Learned) covers:

1. Product placement tool PlaceIt.net
2. Barbie joining LinkedIn
3. The issues with Apple’s Podcast app
4. Keurig brewing full pots of coffee
5. Keurig’s method of enforcing Digital Rights Management (DRM) for their K-Cup pods

Links discussed on this week’s show include:

1. PlaceIt.net
2. Barbie on LinkedIn
3. Keurig DRM solution

As always, thanks for your support! If there is anything you would like covered in the show, just leave a comment below or hit me on Twitter @CrazyDadLife.

The post CDL 020 – What To Do After You Hit Publish appeared first on Crazy Dad Life.

In this episode, I give a glimpse into the “typical” day for a parent entrepreneur. I walk you through the day from hitting your alarm clock to setting it for the next day. Along the way, I identify moments where you can inject energy and attention to your side business.

It’s hard for parents like you to handle all of the responsibilities of family and work while also trying to build something online. A side business is hard work and it’s completely understandable to struggle with everything at once.

Take a look at your day and see where you can build margin to build that side business. See where you can fit a few minutes here and there. You’ll be surprised how all of that time ultimately comes together and you start to see momentum in realizing your vision of success.

Also, this week’s 5 Things I Learned (5TIL) covers:

1. Crazy mom bloggers (literally)
2. Amazon’s new entry into the smartphone market
3. What the NBA might be doing with their logo
4. Libraries fighting back the hands of time
5. The demise of the Computerworld magazine

If you love the content you hear on the show and the message really resonates with you, I’d love to hear your review on iTunes. Head to crazydadlife.com/love and you’ll be able to subscribe to the show and leave that awesome review.

Links in this episode include:

• Story about crazy mom blogger
• Libraries fighting the hands of time
• Subscribe to Crazy Dad Life

As always, keep grinding and let’s work together in building online in our off hours!

The post CDL 019 – A Day in the Life – Parent Entrepreneur appeared first on Crazy Dad Life.

You’ve just released a new blog post, podcast, or article. You’ve poured yourself into your work. You’ve strived to create epic content that will be read and shared by your audience. It’s sure to go viral!

You wait for traffic to your website. You wait for the flourishing engagement in your comments section. You wait for industry recognition and adulation of another killer post.

Yet, nothing happens. Why?

In this episode of the Crazy Dad Life podcast, I discuss the 5 rules of consumable content. How can YOU make your content better? How can YOU make your content resonate with your target audience? How can YOU create consumable content?

The 5 Rules for Consumable Content:

1. Keep it Relevant
2. Keep it Short
3. Keep it Simple
4. Keep it Focused
5. Keep it Organized

Additionally, the 5TIL this week discusses:

1. A tool that you can use to create MP3 files from a YouTube video.
2. SnapChat’s new Our Story product
3. Priceline’s purchase of OpenTable
4. Amazon’s “Marketplace for local services”
5. 3D printer for kids

Links in this episode include:

1. CrazyDadLife.com/Love (to subscribe to the podcast and leave a review)
2. Video2Mp3.net
3. Kids 3D Printer – The Printeer
4. Amazon’s Marketplace for Local Services

The post CDL 018 – 5 Rules of Consumable Content appeared first on Crazy Dad Life.

I give you 8 proven strategies for how to shift your mindset so you can start to think of new products, services, or opportunities in your life.

1. Observe EVERYTHING
2. Extract the main content
3. Think about the basic function
4. Apply it in a different context
5. Determine if YOU would use it
6. Keep a completely open mind
7. Write it down ASAP
8. Revisit later to determine if it’s still a brilliant idea (sometimes they suck!)

In addition, this week’s 5 Things I Learned (5TIL) covers the following topics:

1. The CoSchedule tool for managing your social media and other online tasks
2. Some of the key Apple iOS 8 features
3. The Lookout app that takes pictures and records locations of all those thieves taking iPhones
4. Pocket sized molecular sensors…that sounds cool, right?
5. The World Cup and options for apps and watching all the games

Links discussed during this episode include:

• CoSchedule.com
• Dadrenaline.com
• Lookout Theft Alerts
• SCiO Molecular Sensor article and video
• RevMedx XStat article
• CrazyDadLife.com/clap – Father’s Day social media shoutout
• CrazyDadLife.com/love – Subscribe to the podcast and leave a review!

How do you think differently? What do you do in your daily routine to think outside the box, embrace possibilities, and explore what could become amazing?

The post CDL 017 – Shift Your Mindset and Embrace the Possibilities appeared first on Crazy Dad Life.

In this episode I discuss the power of simplicity and how it worked for some of the biggest players in technology and social media. I truly believe that their simple approach for providing value to their visitors paid off huge. Learn what it means for your side business and how you can start to apply these techniques for your own website.

My Website Design

Take a look at my website at CrazyDadLife.com.

How do you perceive the website? What is the user experience from the homepage? I discuss my feelings on the website and my future plans for redesign.

Design of the Big Boy Websites

I also discuss well known websites that, to me, are failing when it comes to providing clean content to their visitors and those that are pushing the envelope with clean design. For example, compare the two websites below. Which is more user friendly in your opinion?

4 Reasons Why You Should Strive for Simplicity in Website Design

There are 4 major reasons why you should start to implement a more simple design philosophy for your website.

1. It makes it easier for users to interact with your website and consume your awesome content
2. It makes your site stand out from the crowd
3. It makes your site load faster
4. You need to be optimized for mobility

6 Ways You Can Achieve Simplicity in Website Design

I also provide 6 ways you can immediately implement simplicity in website design for your own site, including:

1. Reducing the number of ads
2. Reducing levels of navigation
3. Reducing the number of headlines vying for readers’ attention
4. Minimizing your colors
5. Helping people know what they are supposed to do when they land on your page
6. Cleaning up your content and making it easy to consume

3 Pitfalls of Simple Website Design that You Should Avoid

When and if you decide to go minimal, make sure you avoid the following:

1. Too simple, without an actual design, may be a turnoff to visitors
2. Don’t sacrifice content for simplicity’s sake
3. People may not know how to interact with your site if it’s too simple

Links discussed this week include:

• CNN.com
• Yahoo.com
• Dropbox.com
• Hellobar.com
• Speakpipe.com
• Google.com
• Facebook.com
• Twitter.com
• CrazyDadLife.com/clap (Father’s Day Thunderclap Campaign)
• CrazyDadLife.com/love (to subscribe in iTunes and to leave a review)

What are your standards for simplicity in website design? What do you find appealing when visiting websites and how would you change your own site? I’d love to hear your feedback on my site and your general philosophy on clean and minimal website design.

The post CDL 016 – The Value of Simplicity in Website Design appeared first on Crazy Dad Life.

In this week’s episode, I share 8 ways that I’ve been successful in getting influential folks to support an online campaign I’m running.

If you have not heard yet, I’m running a Thunderclap campaign to try to get a message automatically sent on Father’s Day recognizing all those wonderful dads out there. You can sign up to support at crazydadlife.com/clap and can learn about how to set up your own campaign at crazydadlife.com/thunderclap.

This episode covers techniques I’ve used and provides insight in what has worked and where you should be cautious when trying to get big names involved with your project.

This includes:

1. Get out from behind your keyboard and be personal
2. Be persistent, but don’t be annoying
3. Be personable, don’t always try to sell
4. Use consumable content
5. Reach out via social channels
6. Don’t forget good old fashioned email
7. NINJA TIP: Get that first big name signed up and build from there
8. Enable organic growth

In addition, this week’s 5TIL (5 Things I Learned) covers:

1. Google’s acquisition of Twitch
2. Facebook’s new Shazam-like feature
3. Boomerang for Gmail
4. Another example of innovative thought regarding new technology, in this case, drones!
5. Having a voice in a noisy world…is HARD!

Links discussed in this episode include:

• www.crazydadlife.com/love (to subscribe and leave a review for the show)
• www.crazydadlife.com/clap (to join the online movement to recognize dads this Father’s Day)
• www.shazam.com
• www.soundhound.com

The post CDL 015 – 8 Ways to Get Influential People to Notice You appeared first on Crazy Dad Life.

In this episode, I discuss a relatively new social platform called Thunderclap. You’ll learn what Thunderclap is and how you might use it for your business or for a personal cause. I provides examples from past brands as well as step by step processes to start your own Thunderclap. I also get into some of the tactics I’m using for my own Thunderclap campaign.

Why am I using Thunderclap? 

1. I wanted to try it out – As a participant in the online space, you should always be looking to learn new techniques and experiment with new tools. When I saw Thunderclap I thought it would be cool to give it a go.
2. I wanted to make some noise on Father’s Day to recognize all those guys out there  excelling as dads. It’s an important role and I wanted to have a coordinated message blast out on social media giving a quick and easy shoutout.

If you want to join my personal Thunderclap campaign and support dads this Father’s Day head over to www.crazydadlife.com/clap and you can join the fun. Let’s make some noise!!

Do you want to create your own Thunderclap?

If you are interested in learning more about this new and innovative platform, and are thinking of maybe starting your own campaign, you can  check out my tutorial video at www.crazydadlife.com/thunderclap. I give you step by step guidance on how to start your own campaign – and it only takes a few minutes!

This week’s 5TIL (5 Things I Learned)

1. The Twitter tool Manageflitter and specifically how you can clean up your Twitter feed.
2. Another example of how 3D printing can be an industry game changer.
3. A quick discussion on how you are constantly watched and you need to make sure you remain steadfast with your good behavior.
4. A cool new app from Adidas for customizing your shoes like never before.
5. Mashable’s job search capability for social media gigs – who knew?

Links from this week’s show include

• crazydadlife.com/clap – Father’s Day Thunderclap campaign
• crazydadlife.com/crazy8 – 8 productivity tools  you should have in your toolbox
• crazydadlife.com/thunderclap – Thunderclap tutorial video
• manageflitter.com – Twitter tool
• thunderclap.it – Thunderclap website
• crazydadlife.com/love – If you want to subscribe to the show or give a review

What would you use for a Thunderclap? What message would you want to have blasted across the online world at a particular point in time? I’d love to hear about it. Leave a message here or head over to the Facebook page and join the conversation.

The post CDL 014 – What is Thunderclap and Why Should You Use It? appeared first on Crazy Dad Life.

I share 10 ways I reestablish focus in my life and hopefully provide you a few techniques to set yourself on a path for completing more tasks and living a less stressful life.

The 10 ways to find your focus include:

1. Keep your attention on the next day or two
2. Organize your projects and work on one at a time
3. Don’t bite off more than you can chew
4. Keep a schedule that you can maintain
5. Pick some of the smaller tasks to gain confidence
6. Set short term, medium term, and long term goals
7. Use a system to keep track of what’s going on in your life
8. Limit the times you check and process email
9. Put yourself in an environment that is conducive to completing the task at hand
10. Exercise

In addition, this week’s 5 Things I Learned (5TIL) include:

1. The concept of virtual mailboxes and addresses and what it means for your business
2. Apple’s rumored purchase of Beats
3. Drones similarity to birds…in a bad way
4. Panera’s recent decision to implement kiosks instead of cashiers
5. Twitter’s rollout of its mute feature

Links for this episode:

• postaldriver.wordpress.com (Steven Tesslar’s website)
• www.TravelingMailbox.com
• www.EarthClassMail.com

If you’d like to join the conversation on Facebook, head over to the Crazy Dad Life page and Like us.

Also, please subscribe to the podcast and leave a review. Love the feedback!

The post CDL 013 – 10 Ways to Find Your Focus appeared first on Crazy Dad Life.

There are a number of famous stories of large companies starting in a garage. This includes Apple, Amazon, Disney, Google, and Harley Davidson to name a few. In today’s ever-connected and mobile world, we have the unique ability to build outside of that garage.

One particular area where we could leverage time is from our car. As a society, we spend a number of hours in our car every week. We may be shuttling kids to various events and practices, or we may be driving our daily commute. Start to make those hours work for you. Build your business from your car.

There are 4 key ways to build your business or expand your online presence from your car.

1. Invest in yourself
2. Build and create
3. Organize and strategize
4. Take a break

In addition, Jeff covers the 5TIL (5 Things I Learned) from last week. This includes:

1. His ninja tactic for the new Twitter profile page and pinned Tweets
2. An introduction to Google helpouts
3. A discussion related to iPhone Frequent Locations
4. His experience with the power of hashtags
5. A tip for configuring Google Analytics with the Solution Gallery

Links from this week’s show:

• CrazyDadLife.com/love – visit to head to iTunes and leave a review for the podcast!
• helpouts.google.com – to check out the Helpout capability offered by Google
• google.com/analytics/gallery – to see the shareable dashboard capabilities offered for Google Analytics

And finally, if you want to start your own blog, check out my new tutorial on how you can stand up your very own website in under 10 minutes! Click here to watch the video and start your online journey.

The post CDL 012 – Forget the Garage, Build Your Business from Your Car appeared first on Crazy Dad Life.

The 5TIL (5 Things I Learned) from last week include discussion related to:

• The new Twitter layout
• Ronald McDonald’s makeover
• Entrepreneur suing anyone using “Entrepreneur” in their business (e.g. Entrepreneur on Fire)
• Facebook cover photo size
• Picmonkey templates

When approaching your personal and professional life, it’s important to serve in multiple capacities. After watching numerous NBA playoff games recently, Jeff reflects on the role of a point guard and why you should strive to be one in your own life.

This includes being…

• a leader
• a problem solver
• agile
• a tranquilizer
• a distributor
• tenacious
• someone who exceeds expectations

What position would you choose to best represent the role you play in your family, career, and side business?

The post CDL 011 – Play the Point in Your Family, Career, and Side Business appeared first on Crazy Dad Life.

In this week’s episode of the Crazy Dad Life podcast, Jeff shares his thoughts on these conflicting paths kids may take. He covers the pros and cons as he wrestles with these very questions as his oldest daughter prepares to leave home for college.

How do you plan to teach your kids to go forward? What did you teach as they prepared to leave the house?

Additionally, in this week’s “5 Things I Learned”, Jeff covers:

• Fitbits
• A slick use of 3D printing
• A Facebook boosted post…that actually worked!
• Audible.com
• Lessons from Beyond the To-Do List and Rachel Cruze

Let us know how you are dealing with the conflict of protecting your kids future and the capacity to pursue their passions. These may not be mutually exclusive for all kids, but some parents and kids really struggle to find the answer.

The post CDL 010 – Take the Traditional Road or Forge a Bold Path? appeared first on Crazy Dad Life.

The post CDL 009 – Spring Cleaning Your Online Platform appeared first on Crazy Dad Life.

Shared in this episode:

• Why advertise on Facebook
• Real input parameters for two recent ad campaigns intended to grow the Crazy Dad Life community
• Techniques applied
• Approaches for laser targeting audiences for your ads
• Surprising results and findings
• Tips for experimenting with your ads going forward

Most importantly, you’ll learn that the quantity of fans is not the most important metric when building your audience. Community engagement, quality collaboration, and the freedom to express ideas with people legitimately aligned with your passion will ultimately grow your business.

Join the Crazy Dad Life community: Visit www.crazydadlife.com/love and subscribe to the podcast. (leave a review too!).

Also, pick up your FREE resource guide to the Crazy 8 tools I use EVERY day of my hectic life.

The post CDL 008 – An Inside Look: Audience Building appeared first on Crazy Dad Life.

Learn the importance of a having a virtual toolbox where you can capture ideas, to-do lists, accomplishments, and everything else you can imagine. See how you can use these tools to increase your productivity, regain hours in your day, and set yourself up for future efficiency.

What are your go-to tools? What do you use to manage your insane schedule? Share with the Crazy Dad Life community on Facebook or the comments section below.

Make sure you head to CrazyDadLife.com and pick up your FREE copy of the Crazy 8 tools that Jeff uses in his daily life. These tools are MUST HAVES and totally FREE. Something that all parents and entrepreneurs love to hear.

The post CDL 007 – Approach Your Tools With Priority and Purpose appeared first on Crazy Dad Life.

You’ll hear how he experienced it in childhood, in his career, and now in fatherhood.

If you love listening to the Crazy Dad Life podcast, it would be awesome if you subscribed and wrote a review in iTunes. It’s this sort of support that helps the show grow.

Head over to CrazyDadLife.com/itunes and you’ll be connected to the show page.

Thanks again for your ongoing support. You guys ROCK!

The post CDL 006 – One Success Trait of Being an Ass appeared first on Crazy Dad Life.

Learn some of the pitfalls new entrepreneurs face as they move ambitiously forward with their ideas. Jeff explains the value of having some form of a vision, even if it is not fully crafted.

He provides insight into branding and the importance it plays in how you are discovered, shared, or perceived.

Hear how Jeff took a disjointed ecosystem and brought it back together while building a new website to serve as the home base for the case study business.

And finally, you’ll learn about the power of creative images and the value they can bring your business.

Links discussed in this episode include:

www.crazydadlife.com/bluehost

www.crazydadlife.com/itunes (to spread the 5 star love)

www.experts-exchange.com (notice they’ve changed the domain name)

And check out the newly stood up website used in this case study. http://www.drillsandskillsbball.com (let us know what you think of Jeff’s artistic and website skills – even if it’s just the beginning version of the site)

Also, check out PodcastingAtoZ.com and if you are serious about doing a podcast, register today for the next session using discount code “CrazyDad” for an extra $500 off the price!

The post CDL 005 – A Weekend Launch Case Study – 5 Things to Get Right When You Launch appeared first on Crazy Dad Life.

Are you looking for ways to make money online? Are you looking for a way to do it without having to put in ongoing work?

In this episode, Jeff reveals how he is making 3-figures a month and doing nothing to grow the business. Sure, 3-figures a month doesn’t make you an internet mogul. But, it does provide you free money that your family could probably use.

You’ll hear the strategies he used, how he set up his side business, and lessons learned from his experiment.

Topics covered include:

• Keyword research
• Niche sites
• Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
• Passive income
• Domain registration
• Self hosted WordPress websites
• Google Adsense
• Affiliate programs
• Website ecosystems
• and much more…

Tools discussed include:

• Long Tail Pro
• GoDaddy
• BlueHost
• WordPress

Learn step-by-step how you can start your own side business that could pull in 3-figures a month with minimal ongoing maintenance. Jeff covers what it is, what is the purpose, how does it work, and how you can start your own.

If you do decide to explore your own side business, we’d love to hear about it. Leave comments below or jump over to the Facebook page and share. The Crazy Dad Life community is here for your support and any questions you may have.

The post CDL 004 – How I Make 3-Figures a Month Doing Nothing appeared first on Crazy Dad Life.

Find out what tools and techniques are thriving in today’s schools that would allow someone like this person to not only pass, but excel in school.

In this week’s episode, Jeff talks about technology. In particular, he discusses how technology is enabling today’s kids with capabilities never seen before. Topics include:

• Surprising Study Methods
• Online Lunch Money
• How Classroom Organization and Planning Has Hit the Cloud
• Using Online Apps and Textbooks
• The Level of Parental Access and Engagement
• And a Multitude of Additional Online Resources

Websites mentioned in this podcast include:

• MyLunchMoney.com
• Spreecast.com
• Quizlet.com
• KhanAcademy.org

Download this episode to get a glimpse into how our schools are operating today and hopefully you’ll be more aware and able to help YOUR kid succeed.

The post CDL 003 – One Famous Slacker Winning with Today’s School Tech appeared first on Crazy Dad Life.

In this episode, Jeff provides 6 reasons why you should get out of your comfort zone and start to explore and engage online even more than you do today.

You’ll learn the importance of building your social influence, how to grow individually and professionally, and what it means to build your own family legacy.

The 6 key reasons you should take your online engagement to the next level include:

1. Build your legacy
2. It’s the new world order
3. Increase your marketability
4. Enhanced personal growth
5. Opportunity knocks
6. It’s easy!

Learn how vast your options are when it comes to making a difference in your life – professionally, personally, and potentially financially.

The post CDL 002 – 6 Reasons Why You Should Increase Your Level of Online Engagement appeared first on Crazy Dad Life.

This episode sets the foundation for what to expect in the coming weeks.

Including…

• Productivity tips, tricks, and techniques
• Entertaining parenting experiences
• Interviews with influential and successful dads
• Tutorials and how-tos regarding social media and building your presence or business online
• And so much more…

Jump in and join the community as we embrace living the Crazy Dad Life!

The post CDL 001 – The Saga Begins – Rock Star Parenting, Killing it at Work, AND Building Something Amazing Online appeared first on Crazy Dad Life.