Show Topics:

• Leaving a non-profit to start a for-profit
• Sharing pictures without tasteless advertising on twitter
• The best podcast mixer
• How to create consistently good content

Sam: I work at a non profit and do web design and consulting on the side. Its taking a huge toll on me and my family while I put in 14 hour days and still not able to get everything done. Even though the real work Im supposed to be doing at the nonprofit is my passion, I’m considering calling it quits and doing the same kind of work on my own as a profitable social enterprise. Any advice?

Also, is it realistic to think that one can manage a small sized (40 person) company 100% via email? I’m thinking this would not be a best practice for a CEO considering having to interact with so many people, would it?

I appreciate your thoughts and as always thank you for all the great work you do. I listen to your shows during commutes and I love your book.

P.S. you’ve inspired me to start podcasting .. my next questions will come through via new audio equipment I get next week.

Michael: Wants to create a website similar to what I have at justinlukasavige.com.

Here are two tutorials that show exactly how I’m creating content through my tumblr page and sharing it on facebook and twitter.

Kyle: Hey Justin! I was watching your podcast studio tour video and was wondering about the sound mixer you use. I do some podcasting and was looking into getting a sound mixer, but didn’t need all the extras that came on the Mackie 1202, so is there is a smaller/cheaper version that gives me the same features you use?

There’s not  a cheaper one that I’m aware of that gives you insert jacks, but if you’re looking for cheaper, you’re probably not going to be using a compressor/limiter/gate. The Behringer 802 will likely fit your need well at a much cheaper price.

Scott: How to create consistently good content every day of the week.

I’m blogging every day of the week at Coach Radio as well as creating topics, tips, and techniques posts at Need a Topic for premium members.

First, I use an editorial calendar to capture my thoughts. I’m a visual guy and I need to see what’s going out when since I rarely send a post out on the day I write it.

I come up with ideas at random times like when I’m in the shower. I need to be able to capture those ideas so I can create content when it needs to go out. I never miss a schedule day of writing or recording. Never.

Because I do this so religiously, I’m never at a loss for idea when I need them. Right now I have a file of at least 50 ideas, many I’ll never write about. That’s one of the reasons I created Need a Topic, so I could help others create content consistently on their own.

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I’ll help you turn your ideas into a business that changes the world (and your bank account). Here’s how.

Download the show | Leave a review on iTunes | Submit a question or call (919) 355-8275.

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This is a funny video that’s actually safe for work. We’ve been having fun with some of these phrases around the office lately. Enjoy.

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Without disrespect to other professors, the thing I love most about the Free Agent Academy is the idea filter. Here’s a real copy, with options A, B, and C changed.

Jonathan Pool leads the Idea group within FAA and is downright amazing. Here’s how it works.

Before our students get to Jonathan to work on their idea, they’re also working with Gary on their calling and Deb on their personality style. Jonathan builds on that to help each student personally create their own filter. Students narrow their ideas down to their top three (this is from a list of 40-50 that Deb helps them create) and run them through this filter.

I’m amazed that most people will never, ever, do this in their life. They work somewhere because the pay is good, because they like the city, it’s close to family, or because the people are ok.

They never love their work however because they never took the time to figure out if it was a good fit for them. While we’re focused on self-employment at the Free Agent Academy, I’ve sent several people through these first three classes so they can figure out a better traditional career path. It work exactly the same.

The key in creating your own filter is knowing yourself to set it up correctly in the first place, then sending the right ideas through it. If you have any reds, your idea isn’t going to fit. There’s a poor chance you could even change things to make it work better.

If it’s yellow, you might be able to change some things around to fit you better. Green is best and we’re ideally looking for that color in every section.

We’ve never had anyone not find an idea that was all green. Your idea is out there too, just waiting for you. It’s probably right under your nose in fact. Are you paying attention?

Have you run your ideas through a filter like this? What’s stopping you? Join the Free Agent Academy so we can help.

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Many have been asking to see sample Need a Topic emails. This is a service where I send topics, tips, and techniques on Monday, Wednesday and Friday for only $7.

Here’s a sample Blog Tips email. I’ve shared a blog topics email and I’ll share a techniques email as well. Check out Need a Topic for free for the first seven days.

Blog Tips

On the Mac side of things, ecamm call recorder is the way to go. It effortlessly records video and audio and includes a number of settings to get it just right.

Many options exists on the PC but none are that great in my mind. You can try VodBurner, SkypeRec, PrettyMay, or Call Burner.

Another option is to use google voice and record your phone conversation. It’s a step down in quality from Skype but could work well to get started.

Check out Need a Topic for free for the first seven days.

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While Self magazine had good intentions, I want to approach this headline a bit differently. The premise of their article is what to do if you screw up. I want to talk about intentionally doing things that could get you screwed.

It doesn’t matter if you’re working for yourself or someone else; if you’re the janitor or the CEO. You should be pushing the envelope and doing scary things. This isn’t Office Space where you work just hard enough not to get fired. If you’re doing that, you’re not alive. You’re not being who you are, and you’re letting a lot of people down.

I interviewed CEO Ryan Blair a while back and asked him if he ever pushed the envelope enough to worry about being fired by his board. He told me his directors actually had a plan to let him go at one point until he talked them out of it. That’s the difference between you and a guy who took a company from $600,000 per month to $10,000,000 per month in just two years.

Are you pushing things enough to worry about getting fired? Or are you just working hard enough to avoid getting fired?

Blog to grow your business
At Need a Topic you’ll get topics, tips, & techniques three times a week to help you stand out from the crowd and actually make money from your time blogging. I cover writing, audio, and video to help you become profitable. Try the 7 day free trial.

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Show Topics:

• Make money from your blog
• Better to start a newsletter or a podcast
• Creating fictional characters for a podcast network
• Multiple twitter IDs for projects or one for everything

Jason: I was asking about affiliate income from blog or podcast. From what I’m learning, a blog in and of itself is not normally a huge income producer. Usually, you need to have a product or service to drive income from the blog it seems. So, thinking this through, if I wanted a blog / podcast on Entrepreneurship for children, I really need to have a DVD / curriculum or something to sell.  Or have an affiliate connection where I’m getting 50% of the price of an e-book and getting huge amounts of traffic.

Alan: Should I start a newsletter or a podcast?

Sam: I’m thinking about creating a site with some concepts similar to Mignon’s (Grammar Girl) and really like her idea of creating fictional characters so that if authors change, subscribers are not put off by the change. I also like the caricatures she has for each of her subject matters areas as well. If I do something similar, would there be any legal (or moral) violation in doing so?  For instance, if I had a Grammar Guy, Money Lad, or Adventure Queen (I don’t have any of these – they are just examples), etc. would that be too much of a rip-off of her idea?  Any quick ideas on how I could implement something like this without ripping that off?  If not, would it be legally problematic if I did use that model (as long as I didn’t use any of her existing names)?  Do you see any unforeseen consequences in doing so? 

Tony: Do you think I should use one twitter ID for everything, or separate for different endeavors like my job?

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I’ve put a big importance on face-to-face meetings lately. They’re not required, but sure do help when it comes to hashing out new ideas or brainstorming about the future.

Steve Jobs, the creator of iChat, even had this down. He said, “There’s a temptation in our networked age to think that ideas can be developed by email and iChat. That’s crazy. Creativity comes from spontaneous meetings, from random discussions. You run into someone, you ask what they’re doing, you say ‘Wow,’ and soon you’re cooking up all sorts of ideas.”

I’ve met some of my current friends through social media, and I love them all. We’ve created together, laughed, and even cried, without yet meeting in person. But they don’t come close to the relationships I have with people I get to see on a daily or weekly basis.

I take long distance if that’s all I have, but it’s not where my best ideas are born. One of my friends (who I’ve never met in person) is planning on bringing his family here for three weeks this summer. I can’t wait to see what we’ll create together.

Do you go out of your way to work with others in person?

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Alan sent me some really cool MeTags and wants to know how people will use them. Leave your ideas in the comments. If Alan like what you come up with, he’ll make you some custom tags for free.

Remember to leave your ideas on how you would use your own custom tags (in the comments). If Alan like your ideas he’ll send you some of your own custom tags.

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Many have been asking to see sample Need a Topic emails. This is a service where I send topics, tips, and techniques on Monday, Wednesday and Friday for only $7.

Here’s a sample Blog Topics email. Over the next two weeks I’ll also share a tips email as well as a techniques email. Check out Need a Topic for free for the first seven days.

Blog Topics

As you probably know, I do at least one interview each week and I call it Your Story. I started it for a number of reasons and it’s grown far beyond what I ever dreamed it could be.

No matter your line of work or your blog’s background I encourage you to consider doing interviews. Stick with me on this because they don’t need to be done in audio like I do.

A few weeks ago I interviewed an interesting couple in Berlin. Between the sharing they did, and the re-sharing from their friends, I estimate the show could have been in front of 200,000+ people. Only a fraction of those listened of course, but it was neat to see the show spread around the world.

In the gather/warm/close marketing cycle, most people neglect gathering new people. When the people I interview spread the show to their community I’m always in front of a new audience.

Who to interview

• Manufacturers in your line of work. Mommy bloggers can interview a host of companies making speciality products.
• Authors. Sometimes I have them on my regular show but if they have an interesting story I interview them for that series.
• People you want to build a relationship with. Many people are flattered to be interviewed. I’m always honored to do it and I’ve never turned anyone down. This is a great way to get to know someone and then guest post for them.
• People with big followings. Some interview shows are built around this idea but I rarely look at how influential a person is. It’s great when a show is shared but I’m more concerned about talking to interesting people.

How to interview

Check out Need a Topic for free for the first seven days.

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To address a few recent questions about sound deadening, I created this video to talk about what I use. I talk about the difference between dynamic and condensor microphones.

The camera has a dynamic microphone by the way. You’ll hear a bit of a room echo in the video, but much less since I’m using some sound deadening panel.

Are you a podcaster? What are you using for sound deadening when you record?

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Show Topics:

• Google docs
• Where do you listen to podcasts?
• Tell your story
• Speech to text software

I’m finally launching a t-shirt give-a-way promotion when you join Need a Topic. All current members are receiving them now and new members are next in line.

Dustin: I submitted a question on your website, and noticed that you’re using google documents to power this form. How does that work? I have a contact form on my website that I’m not super happy with, plus it’s another WP plug-in, so I was curious; How is this form working for you? Do you get notifications when the spreadsheet is updated, and do you find it’s easier to sit down and reply when you have a list of sorts? I’m a big database/spreadsheet nut, so I’m thinking this might fit me well.

Abigail: Calling to tell me where she listens to Coach Radio.

Marta: I listened to your interview on the Better at Marketing Podcast and something you said caught my attention. I’ve heard you say it before but this time it hit me straight on. You said that a lot of people think they don’t have a story to tell, let alone an interesting one. That is me! Especially since the Storyline conference it has been on my mind and what I’ve come to realize that it seems ordinary and boring to me but that it might be interesting to others. How do you take what is boring to you and write it and share it with any enthusiasm. How did you start sharing yours and know what parts to share?

Speak publicly whenever you can. When people ask you about your story, tell them and watch to see what they find interesting.

Randell: Hey Justin, I tend to express myself better verbally, and I hate to type. Do you recommend a particular speech to text software? I know there are several out there, but I value your opinion so I would love to know your thoughts on this.

Dragon Naturally Speaking Home Edition (affiliate link) is the best I know of and won’t break the bank.

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I started a discussion on the best WordPress plugins a little while ago, and I want to throw out one of my favorites.

WordPress Popular Posts allows me to add a customized section to my sidebar, listing the six most popular posts. Currently I have it set to display the most popular posts over the past 30 days. This gives me an idea of what people are visiting most often.

Take a look at the plugin on the right side of the page. It may look very different from the picture here since it changes dynamically throughout the day.

Of the six listed here, four of them are well over one month old. My analytics confirm my hunch that people are bookmarking, sharing, and organically searching and finding those posts.

What are the most popular posts on your site?

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A few weeks ago I wrote about changing my twitter ID. Since I started on twitter in 2008 I’ve been using @pastdue, the brand of my first radio show.

Since I don’t host that show any longer, it was starting to make less sense to use it, and it doesn’t have as much meaning the years go on.

So I asked you, my faithful friend, to help me think of a new name. Above are those results.

30% said I should use a brand name. Since twitter is personal, this was the last thing I wanted to do. I follow very few brands, preferring to talk to real people. There’s a lesson here if you’re using a brand name.

12% said I should inclue the word coach in the ID. I’ve always hated that word, even though it’s in the name of my website. I’m more of a guide who goes the distance, rather than a teacher. Everyone knows the word coach though, which is the reason I used it on my site.

I also didn’t want to get locked into a word for the rest of my life. This is the only time I plan on changing my ID.

Interestingly, 21% said to use JustinLukasavige, even though it’s five characters longer than Lukasavige (which I mentioned was available). That was the number one suggestion, even though twitter’s 140 character limit is the name of the game.

My New ID

Last week I changed my id to @Lukasavige. It’s three characters longer than my old ID, but it’s my name and not a confusing word. While it is confusing to spell, most of the time people are clicking links rather than listening to a word.

I hope this helps you pick or change your ID.

How to Change Your Twitter ID

One important note: it’s easy to change your ID. Log into your twitter account, then click settings. Highlight and change your ID from there. Your current followers will still be attached to your account when you make the change.

Sign out of twitter and use another email address to create a new account. Grab your old ID and update the bio to alert people of the change. I also made an annoying picture to help tip people off.

Do you like your twitter ID or do you want to change it?

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Show Topics:

• Saving lives by washing hands (and doing business)
• Partnering to create a global business

5,000 children die every day by diseases that can be prevented by washing their hands. Bridget Hilton and Ben Richardson are out to change that with their company, Jack’s Soap.

Their soap is organic certified and PETA approved. When you buy a bar, they also buy a bar in a foreign country (to help the local economy) and donate the soap. They also partner to teach disease prevention instead of just donating soap and walking away.

Ben and Bridget started small just a few months ago with a big idea. They went to 99designs for packaging ideas, then went to work to partner with small retail shops, along with selling on their website.

Ben and Bridget have a goal of donating 10,000 bars during their first trip overseas.

Connect with the team at Jack’s Soap on twitter and facebook.

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Joshua Gordon has been a friend for a long time and for the past year or so, also one of the most fun clients I’ve ever worked with. In that time he’s quit his job to become self-employed and had to figure out how to make money on his own.

He started by charging a few hundred dollars per client to jumping right into a $12,000 sale! Lately he’s almost had too much business coming in with almost $30,000 forecasted over the next three to four months. Read on to see how he’s doing it. Oh, and notice how he uses his hair and his 2-year old to help. Something other marketing people won’t tell you or even do themselves. This is personal.

How to Get Clients

Recently, I closed a $12,000 deal – the biggest of my freelance marketing career. I currently have 2 more deals in the works, with another 3 or 4 prospects circling. By my estimation, I have a shot of closing $30,000 worth of business in the next 3-4 months. The impact this would have on my family and our financial goals would be huge. Needless to say, I’m excited.

For me, success moving forward hinges on three things:

1. Knowing the value I have to offer.
2. Knowing what kind of person I’m naturally drawn to.
3. Genuinely wanting the best for my (potential) clients.

I’ve developed an informal ‘sales process’ around these 3 tenets. By using this 30 day ‘track’, local business owners have gone from ‘I sort of remember that marketing kid’s name’ to paying clients eager and excited to work with me. This is what I do:

Step 1: Pick your targets.

I picked 4 owners based off of four stores that Sarah and I really like. We go there regularly, I honestly want these places to succeed, and I know each store’s owner is involved in the day to day operations.

Step 2: Visit each in biz 4 times

I’d check out their store once a week for a month – paying for something each time. Over the course of the four potential interactions w/the business owner, I make sure a few things happen:

1. They remember me. This isn’t too hard, since I have longer curly-ish hair, and (especially during the first couple conversations I take my CRAZY cute 2 year old with me). I also ask their name, and use it in conversation.
2. They figure out that I work in marketing. They figure it out, I don’t tell them. A pretty typical question to be asked is ‘how is your day going?’ right? I often answer something like “Awesome! I just had a meeting with a client that I’m doing some marketing for, and I’m really excited!”
3. They tell me what their biggest challenge is. This usually happens by conversation #3. I go in (without my kid), make a purchase, and ask how business is going. I then ask a more pointed question – often something like ‘So, do you tend to rely a lot on foot traffic for your business?” or “So, I’m curious… where does most of your business come from?”. I NEVER offer solutions during this conversation. That comes next.

Step 3: Initiate a 30 minute conversation

We sit down to discuss a specific challenge they’re facing – and suggest some solutions. The initiation usually takes place on 2-3 days after visit #3. I stop in at the business again, and say ‘Hi _____, I was thinking about what you said last time we talked. And I’ve got some ideas that could help with that issue.” From there, we set up a 1/2 hour conversation (I usually take them out for coffee) to discuss specifics, and give some ideas on potential solutions.

If it’s obvious that they’re interested in hiring me, we’ll start talking about a contract. If not, I move to Step 4…

Step 4: Follow-Up

Two days after having coffee with them, I’ll email or call to follow-up. I’ll often send them a summary of our conversation, along with any specific action points they need to take. I also make sure I visit the store a couple times over the next few weeks as well – just to make casual conversation. I can’t emphasize enough how much this entire structure is based on genuinely wanting to help the biz owner – even if that means not getting the job.

At the end of the day, a small business owner doesn’t hire you because of what you can do for them. They hire you because they know you, they like you, and they trust you – and building those things take time and intention.

Am I missing anything? What would you do differently?

Joshua Gordon gets excited about marketing because he loves spreading the word about cool people doing awesome things. He’d love to connect with you on his slowly-being-built-out website. He’s also talks about cool things on Facebook and hangs out with amazing people on twitter. Join the conversation!

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Show Topics:

• Growing a business by podcasting

Derek Sisterhen joins me to talk about growing a business by starting a podcast. Congrats to his wife, Elisa, and him for the birth of their first boy, Owen.

During this show we talk about our experiences in growing my business through a podcast. We started a show on AM radio in 2008 and have grown from there.

Check out How to podcast for a tutorial on getting started.

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Yesterday I hung out with some friends who are thinking of moving to my small town of Woodland Park, CO. As I was showing them around we were talking about the house they want to build. All 300 square feet of it.

In a culture where bigger is better and more impressive, this couple wants to go ultra small. They’re tired of unused and wasted space and they’re going to simplify their lives in a big way when they make their next move.

I don’t care what size house you live in or how much stuff you have, but I think you should be unreasonable.

Be unreasonable in your marriage: don’t settle for average, strive for greatness.

Be unreasonable in your work: don’t settle for an ok job, fall in love with your work.

Be unreasonable in your relationships: don’t settle for surface level, go deep, get vulnerable, and know everything about the people you do life with.

Be unreasonable with your schedule: five days a week of nine to five is boring. Mix it up and include your family at odd times.

Unreasonable for me is the only way to live. What do you need to do to become more unreasonable?

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After the Free Agent event this weekend, I’m still heavily thinking about community and how most people will never have it.

It’s a shame, really.

Some people rearrange their lives for it. Some switch jobs or become self-employed. We ended up moving to Colorado for it.

Somewhat rhetorical (since you probably like the idea but won’t rearrange your life around it), but what are you willing to do for it?

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Show Topics:

• Worldwide business business from North Dakota
• Partnering to make a business stronger
• Content marketing for a web design firm

Garrett Moon and Justin Walsh have partnered together to build a web design firm in…Bismarck, ND.

Garrett is a designer and Justin is a developer so they compliment each other well. They met in the old school world of advertising and decided to start a business.

They began working together on a side project before jumping head first into a business.

Content marketing is a big draw for clients around the world. From their blog to a great podcast, they put out content that people find helpful, which also keeps them coming back from more.

Connect with Garrett Moon and Justin Walsh on twitter and facebook.

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I’ll help you turn your ideas into a business that changes the world (and your bank account). Here’s how.

Download the show | Leave a review on iTunes | Submit a question or call (919) 355-8275.

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I gave some top Air Force Cadets some weird advice last night. I told them to do whatever you want right now, and figure out a career later in life.

These guys are the top of their class; an elite set of jumpers that you’ll see parachuting into stadiums around the country before football games. They have the best grades and can do about anything they want. So why tell them to do anything now and figure out the important stuff later?

There’s a big difference between 20 years old and 55 years old. The older you are, the more experience you have in life and your career. You know what you like and what you don’t. The key is to take your experiences and turn them into work.

These guys have their entire lives ahead of them. Doing what they love now will give them the experience they need to design a career or start a business.

Are you doing what you want? Or are you stuck doing something convenient?

Blog to grow your business
At Need a Topic you’ll get topics, tips, & techniques three times a week to help you stand out from the crowd and actually make money from your time blogging. I cover writing, audio, and video to help you become profitable. Try the 7 day free trial.

Photo by Beverly & Pack

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Show Topics:

• Should I display pricing on my website?
• The definition of real community

Free Agent event this weekend.

Jimmy: I have been going back and forth on whether to put the price of my coaching package on my website. I currently have my price on my services page on my website, but I don’t know if that is preventing people from contacting me after they look at my website. I’m starting to get more and more traffic from my blog posts and Google adwords is optimized and bringing quality traffic in my area, but no phone calls or emails for the free 30 minute consult after they view my services page. My gut feeling tells me to take it off so I can explain the value of coaching before I tell them the price, but I figured you would be the best person to ask and other coaches may have this same question.

Community post. Have you had it since college? Where?

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I was in a brainstorming session with Kevin Miller, Gary Barkalow, and Jon Dale last week and we got to talking about community.

Jon brought up a definition of community that Gary created a number of years ago and we all agreed you need these three things:

• friendship
• context
• mission

If you want true community, it’s a given that you need friendship. You can’t go deep with people you’re not friends with.

Next is context. True community brings people together around similar ideas. You might be into running, healthy eating, knitting, or marketing. Whatever it is, you have to have context.

Mission is the hardest of the three to find and it’s why many people never get to experience true community or brotherhood. Mission is what you’re working on together. If you’re co-working with a group of people, you might have friendship and context, but unless you’re working on the same thing, you don’t have a shared mission. Your buddy might be celebrating a win in his business, and you can celebrate with him, but you’re not fully engaged if your mission isn’t the same as his.

If you’re trying to create community but something doesn’t feel right, my guess is that you’re missing one of these three requirements. It’s something we’re constantly working to improve at the Free Agent Academy and getting pretty good at.

You may have had a community in college or the military, but most of us haven’t had it in years and may not ever have it again. It’s a shame really, but has become part of my mission in 2012 to help more people find it.

Are you looking for community or have you found it?

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I’ve been wanting to write about the plug-ins I use at Coach Radio for a while, but I’ve been wrestling with creating a list. It’d be easy to go down my list and share the plugins I’m using, and while I may do that at some point, I thought it best to start with a disclaimer.

Using too many plugins can and will slow down your site and slower-loading sites get hit with a search penalty by google.

That should be reason enough not to use too many plugins. I suggest 12-15 max for most shared hosting. (If you don’t know, you’re probably on shared hosting.)

Secondly, plugins shouldn’t be viewed as a fix. Finding and paying for a good theme (I use the Standard Theme) means many of the features you want are built into the website. That saves the time and hassle of installing and setting up multiple plugins that increase load times.

Currently, I’m running 18 plugins at Coach Radio, but that will soon change in the next release of the Standard Theme (3.0). I expect to be delete at least six of them as more functionality is added to my theme.

How about you? How many plugins are you running on your website? What’s your favorite?

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After 205 shows at Coach Radio, almost half of them being interviews with world changers, I’ve decided to change the schedule up a bit.

In this short audio clip, I talk about the reasoning behind the change and what you can expect from here forward.

I haven’t gotten tired of talking to amazing people in the least. In fact, I’ve taken my own advice about getting fired up, inspired, and motivated from these interviews, and I’m doing something with it.

As you can imagine, staying abreast of people and stories is fun and it’s something I’ll never give up. It keeps me going every day. Tracking people down, researching, and scheduling interviews, on the other hand, takes a great deal of work each week. Not only am I busy with projects, but the folks I talk to are sometimes much busier.

My priority at Coach Radio has always been to provide resources to build businesses. Interviews, blog posts, helpful products, etc. That won’t change, and neither will my desire to keep 95% of what I do here free. For now, though, the schedule of Your Story episodes will be reduced somewhat. I’m not doing away with them, but you’ll likely notice the reduced schedule.

Thanks for allowing me to pull back, if only slightly. Focusing on my projects will allow me to bring you even more lessons that I hope you can use in your own business.

###

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My friend, Kevin Gainey, got me thinking about fences and dreams the other day. Kind of weird since I seem to have inspired him to think about it in the first place. Wait, did I just inspired myself? Moving on…

You really do need to read Kevin’s post to get a full view of this topic. He expanded my thinking when he said wide open spaces scare the hell out of him. Even though I brought it up, I got to thinking:

Wide open spaces scare the hell out of me too.

So why did I say I want more wide open space in 2012? Precisely because it does scare the crap out of me.

Many of us confine ourselves to a box. We set goals, resolutions, and deadlines. Those are all great things of course, but it fences us in; confines us to a box. How can you think outside the box if you’re working inside a fence? (Feel free to tweet that.)

In the past I’ve had full schedules: every hour of every day is planned out and committed to. Good and bad. I know what I should and will be doing, but I don’t leave myself open to new experiences.

The Solution

A bit of both. I plan the important things: client meetings, radio shows, lunches (or I’ll forget to eat), dates with my wife; it’s all there. The rest is open. I have an idea of what I’ll do with it in my mind, but it’s wide open.

Do you get it? I’m creating wide open spaces so I can then build fences around the things I want to do. I’ll establish clear guidelines and strategies once I know what space I’m working in.

What about you? Are you scared of wide open spaces?

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Show Topics:

• Unsupportive parents
• Social media and time zones
• What I’ve learned in 6 years of business
• Staying disciplined after success

Todd: Were your parents supportive of your decision to leave the airlines, and did you care? It seems a lot of people still seek approval to be a free agent from people like family, even if they are able to dismiss others.
Rob: I like to think that I understand the basic concepts around interaction through social media and building a community, but I am having trouble implementing them lately.  Almost exactly a year ago, I moved from Illinois to Kathmandu, Nepal.  

Unfortunately, when I first moved to Nepal, I was unable to keep up with the podcast because of tech issues like power outages and intermittent internet, etc. Now that most of the tech issues are solved and I’m back at it, I have found another problem. Most of the listeners and fans of my podcast live in the US. Before the move, it was easy for me to check the social media outlets and respond to questions and answers from fans at several scheduled points throughout the day. Here in Nepal, most of my time online is when my fans and followers are sleeping. Right now, the time difference from my previous location is almost exactly 12hrs. Email is fine, and I interact with a number of friends/fans that way on a weekly basis, but I’m getting very little love on facebook, especially compared to before. According to my stats, my listenership has increased, but interaction has decreased.

Can you give me any advice for dealing with this situation?  Are there better times to schedule posts or questions? 

Michael: How do you find the balance as you go along and share the journey? 6 Things I Wish I Knew 6 Years Ago

Todd: How do you remain disciplined as a free agent, despite your success. It seems like a lot of people can get sloppy once they have found success.

###

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I recorded a show with author Dan Miller in his Franklin, TN office. Afterwards I shot this quick video to show a setup slightly different (and perhaps simpler) than mine at coachradio.tv/tour.

This show was released over a year ago and that’s also how old this video is. It’s interesting to note that Dan hasn’t changed his audio setup much since then.

Is Dan’s office what you expected?

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My good friend, Mary DeMuth, asked me what it’ll be like for me to be uncaged in 2012. As a pilot turned entrepreneur, I’ve always had this drive to explore and experience adventure; to push the rules and find better ways to do things. 2012 will be more of that, and I’m being very intentional about it.

This is a picture of me and some friends flying in the mountains for the first time in 2000. Life was about adventure for me then, and that theme is still in my life today.

Check out the short interview I did for Mary and share how you’re living uncaged in 2012.

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Show Topics:

• Building a community that shares
• Quitting a job to build a business that hasn’t made any money
• Creating a list of epic quests

Steve Kamb created a community for nerds, desk jockeys, and weekend warriors to level up their lives.

Out of college, Steve got a corporate job that was unfulfilling. He connected with the 4 Hour Workweek, which blew his mind with possibilities.

Steve didn’t know where to start, so he just wrote. After 20 articles a month for five months, he had 90 subscribers to his blog.

Even though Steve enjoyed his job, he quit after 18 months. Amazingly, he still hadn’t made a single dollar in his business.

As Steve expands on his concepts, check out his list of epic quests.

His income stream now includes eBooks, clothing, and affiliate sales. A big thing he’s expanding on is his speaking business. He’s spoken at Google and has an engagement coming up at Facebook.

Connect with Steve Kamb on twitter and facebook.

###

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2012 marks the start of my seventh year in business. From the days of being an airline pilot, I’ve come a long way, but still have a few things I wish I had known back then.

Since going full time and needing my business to produce income, I’ve had several ups and downs. Some months I didn’t know where I was going to get grocery money from. I’ve stared at the celling of my office while laying on the floor, ripe with fear.

I’ve had huge things happen, like speaking on a five day cruise and working with companies large and small, all over the world.

If I could somehow reach back to that guy, brand new in business six years ago, this is the advice I would give him.

Don’t Take Advice from Most People

Most people (friends and family included) don’t care if you succeed, or even want you to. They might sound like they care, throwing out a “good for you” every so often, but deep down, not many of us want others to excel; to reach a level beyond where we are.

Be careful who you take advice from. I didn’t listen to the naysayers, the ones who gave me a list of reason why an idea wouldn’t work. Truth-be-told, you and I only need one way to make our ideas work. (You know you want to tweet that.)

Do Take Advice from Some People

Since I had a very short list of people who believed I could excel in business and would help me do it, I had to rely heavily on others. I hired coaches along the way, and continue to put myself around people I can learn from.

Find those people who have a vested interest in your success and talk to them every chance you can get.

Travel

In the beginning, I barely had the funds to go anywhere. I pushed myself to head out of town and meet people at events. The first one I showed up to was at my friend Dan Miller’s house, outside of Nashville, TN. Dan and I have become good friends since then, as have many of the people I met over the day-and-a-half.

If you only have $100 per month to spend on marketing, you’re smart to spend it attending as many events as you can. Network, and get to know like-minded people. You’ll help each other get to places you never thought you’d reach.

Marketing is Fun

I love marketing. I love it so much, it’s become my main focus in business. Plain and simple, if you’re not having fun marketing, you’re not marketing the right way.

Your friends may have told you that writing is the best way to spread the word about your business. If you’re pulling your hair out to write a 350 word blog post, writing isn’t going to be your thing.

Stop doing the things you hate and do something fun. Your market will take notice and so will your bank account.

Share the Journey

I wish I had talked more about my early journey while I was doing it. I tried all those marketing things that weren’t fun for me. They didn’t work.

I had days where I flew around the country for eight hours, then spent another eight in a hotel, building a website. I wished I had talked about that more and invited people along for the ride. My audience would be much bigger today.

You’ll have Bad Days (but they get better if you stick with it)

Of course you’ll have bad days. That’s what entrepreneurship is all about. If you don’t want bad days, don’t start a business. If you can handle the roller coaster (trust me, it’s a fun one), launch a business, then hang on for the ride. There aren’t seat belts and it’s scary, but you’ll have fun, and hopefully a successful business at the end.

What About You?

What’s one thing you wish you could tell yourself six years ago?

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photo credit laughlin

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Show Topics:

• Reselling products on eBay
• Twitter ID’s
• Which metrics to track for business

Dan: (writing back in with an update on setting his speaking fees) Interesting how it worked out. It is a fairly small gig speaking to 30-40 interns for a company. I asked for $150 and they came back and said their budget was $120. I said this was fine, but I really like your idea of having a few products available. I don’t have any completed products yet but I’m hopeful that I can by the time I speak. I’ll definitely have business cards/flyers to hand out. I also plan on video taping everything to use as a marketing tool.

Michael: When I first set up my twitter account I was just goofing around to see if it was something I’d want to keep using. Now that I’ve decided to keep using it and my followers are starting to build a bit, I’m interested in a better user name to brand myself. I’d like to just use my name but the trouble is, every variation on my name and initials has been taken (last name first is the only thing I can find available). Even the old business names I’ve used in that past are all taken. Any thoughts on what I should do? Of course they suggest just tossing a random number behind my name but it means nothing and looks a bit weird.

I’m looking for feedback on the same thing.

Ryan asks about the key metrics I track in my business.

In addition to standard financial reports like balance sheets and profit and loss statements, I track other things that are helpful to judge growth. Social media is one of the biggest things I track.

Coach should track how many people request consultations, how many consultations you do, and how many convert to clients.

###

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Want to meet influential people? Hang out with other influential people. No surprise there, of course, but how is slightly more complicated.

To kick off your hanging out, you have to first become friends. Take a close look at those folks (they probably don’t know you yet) and figure out how you can help them. Helping them is probably not giving them your product or service for free, unless they’re already looking for what you can offer.

People are very kind to send me stuff all the time and I love it, but unless it solves a big problem (even if it’s just pleasing my wife), we’re not going to become that close.

Ideas to get close to influential people:

• Interview them on your blog or podcast to introduce them to your audience (some people do filter and will only do interviews for large audiences)
• Comment on their blogs and offer suggestions when asked
• Help foster relationships and connect them with other people you know
• Ask them how you can help

Let’s talk. How have you helped someone and become close in the process? 

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photo credit Joe Shlabotnik

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When I joined twitter, back in 2008, I was hosting a radio show called Past Due Radio. Since Past Due was my main brand at the time and it was much easier to spell than Lukasavige, I threw it out as my twitter ID.

A few years ago I handed over the reigns of Past Due Radio to my Lead Financial Coach, then a few months ago, wrapped up that project completely. Today, I’m still left with pastdue as my twitter ID.

I actually like the ID since it’s short and easy to spell, but I get a lot of questions about it and people seem to be a bit confused. Yesterday a few folks on twitter suggested some names for me, but I want to know what you think.

This is a two question survey (survey is now closed) that I’d your feedback on.

Should I change my name? If yes, to what?

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Show Topics:

• Turning abandoned shipping containers into medial offices
• Creating a global company while still in college
• Finding people and resources to launch and grow a company

G3Box team members Gabby Palmero, Susanna Young, and Clay Tyler join me to talk about their new business: turning abandoned shipping containers into medical offices.

The team began working together at Arizona State University and the project was kicked off in the Spring of 2012. They’ve had many ups and downs since then, but have surrounded themselves with many people who have helped them launch their ideas into the world.

They’re all still college students and their backgrounds are in engineering, though Billy Walters is getting his minor in business. Susanna is the CEO, Gabby is the COO, and Clay is the technical officer. Billy will handles finances and administration.

They’re started a for-profit LLC and a non-profit. Initially their market will be hospitals in the US, disaster response units, FEMA, the Red Cross, mining, oil and gas companies, and then focusing on improving maternal mortality rates in developing countries.

“Doing it ourselves wasted a lot of time, so we hired local companies who knew what they were doing to build them out.” – Gabby Palermo

Connect with the crew at G3Box on twitter and facebook.

###

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There was much excitement when some of the first telephone calls were made back in March, 1877. Click on the picture for a larger view, or go to the NY Times to read the full story.

Seems the world was on the edge of a revolution in telegraphy. It’s easy to get wrapped up in the next best thing, right?

I bet there were a lot of people back then saying things like, “But my customers don’t use telephones.” Sound familiar?

The truth is, just because your market doesn’t use the technology today, it doesn’t mean they won’t use it tomorrow. If all of a sudden everyone is using twitter, google+, and facebook (do you know anyone without a telephone), at what point will you jump in and use it?

Already, 50% of Americans are regularly using social media.

Will you use it before it’s too late? 

Check out some of these social media tutorials if you need to get started.

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Show Topics:

• A $12,000 client
• How to blog/podcast consistently
• How to price myself as a speaker

Rendezvous member is signing a $12,000 contract today. Wow!

If you want your own group, you can submit an application.

Jake: Thanks for your Need a Topic service, it’s brilliant. Currently I’m in a rut with my online activity. Working two jobs plus going on vacation recently with no online access means my site has no fresh post or podcast in probably two months. I hate the feeling of not being reliable and regular the way my favorite blogs and podcasts are.

I know the importance of consistency in blogging, but I haven’t developed any kind of schedule for my writing. How did you discipline yourself to stay consistent back in the early days?

Also, should I apologize to my audience for the break in communication? How do I lead back in? Thanks, and love your work.

Dan: I am in the process of landing my first speaking gig sometime in February and was asked to provide my fee that I charge.  Since this is my first speaking gig, I was hoping you could provide some insight as to how to go about finding the correct rate to charge.

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Ideas come to me everywhere, as you likely already know. Even in the shower. That’s why I bought this cool board that allows me to write while I’m in there. The shower is one of my happiest places, and I could probably live in there like Kramer did in that episode of Seinfeld.

As excited as I get about things (it’s not too difficult), I’ve learned to sleep on them before acting. Nothing like jumping in and launching a business (I could seriously have the website nearly complete in a day) and not being excited the next day.

Do you sleep on your ideas? What filter do you run them through before launching?

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It’s the first workweek of 2012. As you head back to whatever it is you do, are you happy? Think about everything you do in your job or business. Break it down into pieces. Do you enjoy it all?

Instead of focusing on what you don’t like, make a list of everything you enjoy. Can you do more of that in 2012 and less of what’s dragging you down? It might be a simplified solution, but one many people never think to do.

I love what I do, but still don’t enjoy everything. Lately, I’ve been cutting the bad parts out like fat from a steak; carving out the small pieces that aren’t fun and outsourcing or stopping them completely.

If you don’t enjoy what you do and want to become self-employed, join the Free Agent Academy. We have specialist in every area to help you find and connect with the thing you’re excited about, then build it into a business that makes money.

What percentage of your job do you enjoy? I’m at 95% and getting better every day.

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Show Topics:

• A challenge to do impossible things
• How to stop living a normal life
• The importance of professional photos for your website

Joel Runyon is challenging you to do impossible things, and join him as he travels and does the same.

Joel was tired of living the “normal life” so he decided to do something about it. He create the impossible list, then set out to do it.

Joel graduated, couldn’t find a job, then settled for working at UPS. Fast forward to today, he recently quit his job and has no idea what he’s going to do next. Sound fun?

A few links from this show:

• Spyr Media – the web firm that Joel recommends
• Six4Eleven – the team who provided the great photographs you see on Joel’s website – be sure to check out the promo video they put together

Connect with Joel Runyon on twitter and facebook.

Photo copyright joelrunyon

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Each morning I scour through many blog posts in my RSS reader and share out the most interesting and helpful ones on twitter. To avoid overwhelming my followers, I’ve begun using bufferapp to spread my tweets over a predetermined schedule throughout the day.

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Show Topics:

• Colorado move update
• Getting the support of your wife when going full time

My wife, Christine, joins me to talk about doing business spouseless. As always, she tells the truth, maybe even on the dirty side. You’ve got to respect that though.

We talk about our updates after moving from North Carolina to Colorado. Christine really didn’t want to move, but now is glad we did. I asked her how to had the guts to do something she wasn’t crazy about.

Our advice to getting your spouse on board:

• Ask for a chance
• Prove it
• Forecast
• Dream together

###

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2012 may be your year; it is for me. Put down the computer and make it happen.

More Trail Talk videos.

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One year into the show, with a kids & money theme.

The sun was shining through a beautiful blue sky as I made my way down a deserted interstate. It was 8:30 on a Saturday morning and I was on the way to host my very first show on AM 1030 in Raleigh, NC.

I remember suddenly becoming scared when I saw an NHL Hurricanes bill board. The bill board had little to do with my feeling of dread; that was most certainly due to the fact I had never hosted a show in my life and I realized I had no clue what I was doing. I kept driving.

No Going Back

People in Raleigh, NC were counting on me. Well, at least my friends and family in the know were counting on me. They knew I had been working hard to launch a local show and they were all listening. How many radio show hosts have you ever met in real life? I promise you, it sounds cooler than it actually is.

The parking lot was empty except for one car. Jeff was my new producer and he waited for me by the front door. I grabbed my stuff, which mainly consisted of five pages of notes and made my way across the parking lot.

This is one of the instances where you look back and remember things to be much bigger than they really were. That building was huge in my mind; an everest of sorts. There was a problem though – Jeff forgot to bring the key to the building. Since it was a Saturday, there was no one there to let us in.

Locked Out

Jeff said everything was under control. He had already called another tenant in the building and a spare key was on the way. Would it be there in time for me to get settled in for the live show at 9:06 AM? My thoughts ran wild. What do I say when I open the show? How do I go to a break? How will I know when it’s even time for a break? Should I invent a stage name in case I screw up? It would be much easier to walk away from it all.

The key arrived at exactly 8:59 AM, just seven minutes before I was due on the air. Looking back, I’m glad I didn’t have to sit in front of the studio microphone for those thirty minutes, while anxiety was building up. Bent over a trash can outside was a much nicer place to keep my head clear.

9:02 AM – we flipped the power on for the computers and other equipment I was clueless about. The news was being run remotely from the station headquarters 80 miles to the West. Precisely four minutes later intro music began playing while I fought to get a ‘chewing on cotton balls’ sensation out of my mouth. Here we go…

On Air

As it turns out, you can [attempt to] make up for the fact you have no idea what to do the first time you’re on radio by typing out five pages of notes. Yup…I read every one of them. Towards the 50 minute mark I even read slower so I didn’t run out of notes before the outro music signaled the end of the show.

I didn’t know where the commercial breaks were. Jeff was behind the window waving to get my attention. He was kindly giving me two minute, one minute, and thirty second warnings, and then even counting down the final ten-seconds on his fingers, but I didn’t see him. It’s tough to read your notes and watch someone 15 feet away at the same time. I could hear the bump music though and that was my savior.

9:56 AM arrived and I was safely off the air without hurting anyone or myself. I was afraid to talk to or see anyone though. My wife, Christine, shoots it straight and if it was bad she’d tell me. I love her for that.

The Results Come In

I mustered up the courage to call my truth-teller on the way home. While she didn’t have a glowing review, she seemed thrilled to be married to a radio show host. Now I had the distinct honor of hosting an unheard-of Saturday morning show on a little-known AM station. I was big time!

Launch Without a Plan

If you get to know me, you’ll quickly find out I like to start an initial plan and jump long before it’s finished. It’s one of the ways I get so much done. Many people plan in perpetuity. They’re always thinking, strategizing, and talking and never actually doing. Too little planning and too much planning will both hurt you. Thankfully, I’ve found a happy medium. I fail here and there, but I launch things, or, as Seth Godin says, I ship. I’m not always successful, but because I launch so many ideas, you tend to only see the ones that succeed.

Past Due: Radio survived on the AM radio waves for two years before I built a studio in my office. During those two years I accidentally grew my download stats to 1,000 per month. I say accidentally because I really had no clue what I was doing. I didn’t even think to record the first two or three shows, or, more likely, I was so afraid during those first Saturday mornings. I knew I wouldn’t want to listen to them, and I never ask Jeff to record them.

Two years into I felt I was getting better and might even have a knack for radio. Past Due: Radio was a show about finances and was slowly taken over by my Lead Financial Coach, Derek Sisterhen. I was much better at helping people with their businesses, so I focused all my time on working with those clients. Coach Radio was launched just before the two year mark to focus on my work with businesses.

From 1,000 per month to 10,000

Over the next 12 months I grew my monthly downloads from 1,000 per month to over 10,000 per month. I learned what I needed to do to market and facilitate the spread of the show. I also began interviewing some pretty cool people, which has certainly had something to do with the popularity of the show.

Is starting a show right for you? I don’t know.

If you enjoy talking, answering questions, or interviewing others, it could be the most fun you’ve ever had, not to mention the boost your business will get from it.

While I don’t directly help people start their own podcasts, I’ve written a number of podcasting guides. Jump in and learn how easy it is to start your own podcast.

If you have questions, leave them in the comments and let’s get your show going.

Blog to grow your business
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You just finished reading My First Radio Show: Scared Out of My Mind on Coach Radio. Feel free to comment on it! Here's a behind-the-scenes look at how I built the site and a suggestion for hosting.

Show Topics:

• Adding humor and yourself to a professional website
• Putting it on the line and hosting a big conference
• Creating a membership site for revenue
• Creating a business while continuing to work full time

Bryan Allain is a blog coach who ads a splash of humor. Not afraid to add a bit of his true self into his work, he does it all from from his home in Lancaster county, PA.

Bryan starting blogging in 2001, when it was much harder to update a site like today’s current blogs. His blog started with personal, family stuff, and has grown into a side business.

I first ran into Bryan when he released a book called 31 Days to Finding Your Blogging Mojo at the end of 2011. Since then, he’s been working on building and launching things like Killer Tribes, a site for his 1-on-1 and group coaching, and My Killer Tribe, a community of people learning how to blog and relying on each other for help.

Getting paralyzed by fear isn’t something Bryan allows to happen. He’s hosting a big conference in March with a big lineup and a great price.

Listen to the interview to hear how he’s doing it all on the side while continuing to work a full time job.

Connect with Bryan Allain on twitter.

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You just finished reading 198 Coach Radio – Humor, Business, Launching a Conference: Bryan Allain [Your Story] on Coach Radio. Feel free to comment on it! Here's a behind-the-scenes look at how I built the site and a suggestion for hosting.

Today I talked with two personal clients and two corporate clients. One corporate client is one of Canada’s largest companies, and the other is a venture backed company launching in the U.S. How I take notes and keep track of each is different.

I don’t have a great reason why I use separate systems for personal vs. bigger clients, so I’ll lay both out here and let you decide what to use.

Personal Client Notes

My personal clients are usually people in the early stages of launching and growing their own business. I keep a pages document (or Word on a PC) in a dropbox folder.

In that document I type the date we met and bold it so I can find it easily by scanning. I keep track of our conversation there, along with homework at the end of the note.

Within dropbox, I create a folder for each client. I keep copies of their personality profile and other documents we might share back and forth, such as logos, etc. I name a document “meetings – client name” and keep it within the same folder.

Benefits of dropbox:

• I can store any type of file
• I can access it from anywhere with an internet connection
• If I’m synced, I don’t need an internet connection
• You get 2GB (and some extra with this link) for free

Corporate Clients

For some reason, I began using Evernote to keep track of notes for larger clients. I’m not sure why I was looking for something different, but I like some of the pros, like the ability to share notes (for premium users) with my team.

You can share folders within dropbox, but if multiple people have the same document open at the same time, you have a problem.

The way I keep track of meetings is much the same here. I create a notebook for the company I’m working with, and keep those notebooks within a larger one called “clients”. Within that notebook (similar to a folder) I create a note called “meetings – client name”.

Benefits of Evernote:

• Share folders with multiple people (the sharer has to be a premium subscriber)
• Easily access notes across different platforms (PC, Mac, Android, iPhone, internet browser, etc.)
• Easily add audio and photos on the fly, right from your phone
• I can access notes from anywhere, without an internet connect
• Notes are automatically synced to the web and my other devices
• Free (though I pay $5 / month for the premium version)

There are other options to keep track of meetings, such as google docs. I gave google docs a shot recently, but didn’t like it as much. It’s just as easy to search for what I need and organize into folders, but I don’t care much for the interface. It’s also more difficult to access those notes offline if I’m traveling.

What do you use to keep track of client notes?

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photo credit avlxyz

You just finished reading How to Keep Track of Client Notes on Coach Radio. Feel free to comment on it! Here's a behind-the-scenes look at how I built the site and a suggestion for hosting.

Show Topics:

• Self publishing printers
• Tracking eBook downloads
• Using Google Adsense
• The best Mac setup for a new business

JD: I read your book over the weekend, and it was very helpful. I have put the final touches on a rough draft for my book, and I was wondering who printed your book. I also enjoy your show, and thanks for the help.

Michael: Hi Justin, I’ve been listening to your podcasts and find them very informative. I would like to know how best to track an ebook in pdf on my site with Google analytics. I have read over track event view and track page view but am still unsure set this up. Any suggestions? My knowledge of coding is sparse.

I don’t use google analytics to track downloads. Instead, I use Libsyn.

George: Justin I have been seeing a lot of information about google adsense, especially linking it to your blog. Do you recommend this when trying to get more traffic to your blog and also making a smaller residual income. Also can you even link adsense to a wordpress blog.

Anna: I listened to your show about podcasting equipment and the information was very helpful. Your recommendations are the direction I’ve been leaning toward because it sounds like the set-up I have at my job. I have a Canon video camera (hard disc, not tape), but I got it specifically because of the ability to plug in a mic and then I have an iMac with iMovie…which I love!

However, as I look at launching my personal blog and consulting business which will include producing videos and podcasts down the road, I need to purchase equipment. I have a PC, but I want to get a Mac for the reasons you stated. I just don’t know whether to invest in a MacBook or the iMac. I’m kind of leaning to an iMac and an iPad. The iMac would be for production purposes (and cheaper than a MacBook, and then an iPad would be portable for meeting with clients and showing videos, etc.)

Do you think that’s the way to go? Thanks for all you do!

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You just finished reading 197 Coach Radio – Book Publishing, Adsense, Tracking Downloads on Coach Radio. Feel free to comment on it! Here's a behind-the-scenes look at how I built the site and a suggestion for hosting.

If you’re like me, it’s been a while since your wedding.

I got to thinking about my wedding and the people who were there. If I were to get married today, would I still invite the same people who were at that wedding?

What about the people I’ve met since then. I have many friends who closer to me now that I didn’t know ten years ago.

Who are you inviting in to your business? Ten years from now, who do you want to invite? Begin establishing those relationships now.

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At Need a Topic you’ll get topics, tips, & techniques three times a week to help you stand out from the crowd and actually make money from your time blogging. I cover writing, audio, and video to help you become profitable. Try the 7 day free trial.

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It comes down to whether or not you’re willing to stick up for your beliefs; whether you’re willing to offend or turn people off.

Or are you trying to cater to everyone?

Marketing to everyone is reaching no one.

Blog to grow your business
At Need a Topic you’ll get topics, tips, & techniques three times a week to help you stand out from the crowd and actually make money from your time blogging. I cover writing, audio, and video to help you become profitable. Try the 7 day free trial.

You just finished reading Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays? on Coach Radio. Feel free to comment on it! Here's a behind-the-scenes look at how I built the site and a suggestion for hosting.

Show Topics:

• Idea to funding
• Teams in different cities (and other parts of the world)
• Designing and manufacturing a new clothing line
• Kickstarter success

Kristin Glen (Denver, CO) and Shannon Whitehead (Austin, TX) created Revolution Apparel a few years ago in Sydney, Australia. They wanted to create a business that combined adventure, passion, and purpose. The outcome was a women’s clothing line that’s eco-friendly.

Kristin and Shannon went through a process of designing a new piece of clothing called The Versalette.

Instead of raising capital through venture capitalists or traditional loans, (Kristin and Shannon both hate debt) they decided to raise capital and test the market by using Kickstarter. Their initial goal was to raise $20,000, but they’ve long since surpassed that mark.

Connect with Kristin, Shannon, and Revolution Apparel on Facebook and twitter.

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I’ll help you turn your ideas into a business that changes the world (and your bank account). Here’s how.

Download the show | Leave a review on iTunes | Submit a question or call (919) 355-8275.

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You just finished reading 196 Coach Radio – Funding a Business: Kristin Glenn and Shannon Whitehead [Your Story] on Coach Radio. Feel free to comment on it! Here's a behind-the-scenes look at how I built the site and a suggestion for hosting.

Two years ago I made the decision to pull my radio show off an AM station in Raleigh, NC, and built out a studio in my office to broadcast online only.

Doing so was a scary decision, and since I’m sort of analytical (I hear my wife laughing at that understatement), I went online to brainstorm everything I could do once it was built out. Mindmeister is my tool of choice (affiliate link, but you always get three maps for free).

The image above (click for full size) shows my brainstorm from over two years ago. I love the simplicity of Mindmeister and also the full set of features. Even though this mindmap is two years old, I’m still using it to implement ideas.

What’s your tool of choice for brainstorming?

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At Need a Topic you’ll get topics, tips, & techniques three times a week to help you stand out from the crowd and actually make money from your time blogging. I cover writing, audio, and video to help you become profitable. Try the 7 day free trial.

You just finished reading Best Brainstorming Tool on Coach Radio. Feel free to comment on it! Here's a behind-the-scenes look at how I built the site and a suggestion for hosting.

Show Topics:

• Pricing for workshops and coaching
• Brand or business name for Facebook page
• Avoid non-paying clients
• Video podcast microphone

Steve: I plan on holding weekly workshops in 2012 to build my coaching business. I haven’t taken any type of coaching training program, but have 20 years of experience in encouraging, giving advice, counseling, motivating, inspiring, and teaching. How should I go about monetizing and charging for the workshops and seminars? How should I offer coaching? How do I charge: hourly, weekly, or monthly? What should I charge? Am I allowed to gather material from the web and sell them to my clients? What about giving them away for free?

Darrin: Business name or blog name for Facebook?

Eric: I had a consultation with a self employed couple who are having trouble with their finances. 

I quoted them a fee and he said he needed to break the fee up into 2 payments. No problem of course. I told him it be $250 to start the coaching and the balance could be paid in 30 days. I told him I’d send him an electronic invoice and a budget spreadsheet. I didn’t hear anything from them for about a week, so I sent a reminder that I was waiting on the spreadsheet. I got an answer that she was “Working on it” and that it might take an additional week. I thought this odd, nobody takes that long for this assignment. As the appointment date got closer, I sent another reminder and also asked if they had received the invoice and could take care of the payment before our meeting. He said he had not, so I said I’d re-send it. 

The check arrived and I expected it to be for $250 as we had agreed. It was for $100. There was a note written on my $250 invoice that said “Here’s a check for $100 as retainer, the rest to be paid after the coaching call.”

So, I was a bit non-plused. They cancelled their first meeting because they were not ready despite many offers I made to help her get prepared including filling out the spreadsheet for her. I expected a check for $250 and get one for $100 with a note telling me he’s changing the agreement. Without asking me if this is OK first. They reserved a new date after the cancellation and I have had other clients that wanted that time. Clients that have paid in full and had to take another time further out.

I am getting more than a little uncomfortable with these clients. I don’t need these clients, and part of me would be happy not to deal with them. My instinct is to tell him no, he has to pay the $250 prior to the meeting due to the fact that he has a time reserved and we do require the $250 up front unless other arrangements are made.

Part of me does not want to go through with coaching these guys because of my experience with them up to this point. It has not been a “match made in heaven”. My worry is that my personal feelings are involved here. I want to do what is right and do everything for the right reasons.. Based on my interactions with these guys so far, I don’t see them as being a “fun” client. It will be sweaty work, so I know part of me may be looking for an excuse to move on.. That’s why I wanted to take some time to try to figure this one out before I do something that’s not right from a moral or ethical standpoint.

Dominic: I saw that you use a Heil PR-40 microphone and I just bought one. However, I hadn’t really thought things through, I just read that it was a good mic.  Now, I know I’ll need a mixer and other equipment to get the audio into the computer.  My question is, when video podcasting, how do you get the video from a video camera, and the audio from an external, into the same file?  I mean, I can see that you could make two separate files and then chuck out the audio from the camera, and import the recorded audio from the mic.  However, I had just imagined that there was an easier, more direct route than this!  What’s the best thing for me to do.  I have a fairly good budget (aprox $5,000), so you can play with whatever ideas you want.

Also, I saw that you have a compressor.  I’m not entirely sure how to use one, but I have heard the difference in audio quality that one can make.  Considering I don’t know really how to use one, do you think it is advisable to get one or not?

Another thing.  At the moment I have a really basic windows laptop: Intel core2 duo 1.8GHz, 4GB Ram, Basic sound and graphics card.   Do I need to upgrade to a better laptop?  Do I NEED a Mac, or are PCs okay?

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You just finished reading 195 Coach Radio – Avoiding Non-paying Clients on Coach Radio. Feel free to comment on it! Here's a behind-the-scenes look at how I built the site and a suggestion for hosting.

Unless I’m on the phone, I’m usually listening to music while I work. I listen to a broad range of stuff in a number of different ways. It sets the mood and helps me stay creative.

Here are a few ways I listen. Note, I don’t pay for any of these, including premium services.

iTunes

iTunes was one of the first ways I began listening to music many years ago. I’ve imported CDs for fast access, and I also listen to radio stations around the world. My favorite is Classic FM, found under Classical. This works on both Mac and PC.

Grooveshark

I listen to grooveshark most. There are no commercials and you can create and save playlists to your heart’s content.

Pandora

This is the newest one I’ve been playing with. I like how it introduces new music to me. I do a quick search for Susan Tedeshi, since I like her music, then Pandora creates a channel with similar artists.

What do you listen to at work?

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The best day to post a blog is one where you’re inspired to create something awesome. Pay no attention to the folks who say you have to blog every day, or on Wednesday at 9am because more people are browsing then.

If you don’t have anything good to say, don’t say it. But if you create something that’ll knock the socks off your community, it’ll spread like wildfire, even if you post it on Sunday at 7pm.

Blog to grow your business
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Show Topics:

• From lawyer to world traveling foodie
• Traveling the world on savings and freelancing
• Following through on dreams

Jodi Ettenberg is a former lawyer from Montreal and New York, now traveling and eating her way around the world.

After becoming a lawyer Jodi worked in New York, all the while paying off her college debt and preparing to travel. She started a blog with a friend, then took it on as her own.

Everyone has a dream, but I asked Jodi if she could pinpoint what lead her to follow through with hers. First two years she lived on savings. Now she freelances as a writer to fund her travel. Listen to hear why she doesn’t directly monetize her website.

Connect with Jodi Ettenberg on Facebook and twitter.

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I’ll help you turn your ideas into a business that changes the world (and your bank account). Here’s how.

Download the show | Leave a review on iTunes | Submit a question or call (919) 355-8275.

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Ideas tend to land in my head at weird times. They’re not so weird if I think about it. I’m either having fun, laughing, relaxed, or in my element. The problem is that those times usually find me in the shower (relaxed), at a bar or coffee shop (laughing with friends), or in the mountains (in my element).

When you realize where your inspiration hits you most, put something there so you don’t lose a great idea. I never lose an idea in the shower any more, likewise with hiking.

Where are you when your ideas strike?

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Perhaps you’re frustrated with calling. Maybe you hate that word. I sure do.

My friend, Gary, pointed out an interesting passage to me this weekend.

“For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.” – Philippians 2:13

Did you catch that? That thing that’s gnawing at you, burning in you. God gave you both the desire and that power to do it. My only question, why aren’t you doing it?

Blog to grow your business
At Need a Topic you’ll get topics, tips, & techniques three times a week to help you stand out from the crowd and actually make money from your time blogging. I cover writing, audio, and video to help you become profitable. Try the 7 day free trial.

photo credit plenty.r.

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Show Topics:

• First speaking engagements
• Creating a life plan for clients
• Business idea for website themes
• How to find customers in 30 days

Jimmy: I purchased and read your book “Become a Coach”. Great book. I launched my financial coaching business a few months ago and I’m searching for my first client. I am doing everything I can to get clients. I write weekly articles, pass out business cards, and tell everyone I know, even strangers. The good news is I landed the opportunity to talk in front of the Financial Peace University class at my church on Dec 11^th. The only issue is I’m kind of nervous and don’t know exactly what to say. Can you give me a few pointers on what I should and should not say to the group. The instructor told me there are 10 couples in the class. I Love the advice you give and the blog, thanks in advance for any help.

Pick a few points and don’t try to pack too much information in. They want hope, inspiration, and motivation more than anything. They already know what to do, so don’t teach, just lead. Open your talk up to Q&A.

George: I am sitting here writing out my my coaching model and I notice on your coaching process form you mention something called a life plan. Is the life plan something you developed or is it something you picked up from somewhere? Could you share some more information on this life plan? I am also in the process of putting together my entrepreneurship/success academy for middle and high school students. I am also thinking about putting together a financial summer camp for ages 7-18. Any advice on how I should structure this program.

I use the free Mind Meister to create life plans.

Aaron: I own licenses for Standard Theme, Thesis, Headway, Genesis, and Platform Pro. What would you think of a service that allowed you to pay a nominal fee ($5-$10) to test out a WordPress installation that had all 5 themes installed? Kind of a try-before-you-buy system for premium WordPress themes. A user pays the fee and within a few minutes receives a URL, username, and password. They have 48-hour access. I’d expect to make something off the fee, but I’d also send emails at 24 and 48 hours into the trial that included affiliate links for each of the themes (and for hosting). I’m about 99% sure I’ve got the technical knowledge to script this all on the backend. I would lock down each site so that you needed the username/password not only to log in but to view the site at all. That would prevent people from posting inappropriate content and making it public.

You can play with some of the themes already, but not usually the backend.

If the theme allows it, I think it’d be a great idea to let people do it for free, then giving them a lot of info that breaks down the difference between them, to help them make a buying decision. Sounds like that’s where the money is.

Michael: Differences in WordPress themes. If I only had 30 days to find customers.

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Continuing the rant (s)…

Last I looked, I’ve never seen a company send a newsletter, create a facebook page, or reply to me on twitter. A company has never sent something in the mail and they’ve never called me.

Behind every one of those actions is a person and on the other end, to receive, is another person.

Thrifty Car Rental screwed up last month when I rented from them. I didn’t get a corporate apology letter. Instead, I received an email and phone call from Stephen. Now you’re talking.

I don’t care how big you are, don’t hide behind your business. If it’s not you, put someone in charge of this.

Would you rather hear from a company or from a person?

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At Need a Topic you’ll get topics, tips, & techniques three times a week to help you stand out from the crowd and actually make money from your time blogging. I cover writing, audio, and video to help you become profitable. Try the 7 day free trial.

photo credit Andrew 94

You just finished reading Cut the Corporate Crap on Coach Radio. Feel free to comment on it! Here's a behind-the-scenes look at how I built the site and a suggestion for hosting.

Show Topics:

• Traveling the world as a photographer
• Documentaries through photos
• Freelancing and not settling

Suzette Munson created Love 41 as an online retail business with a mission to give 100% of profits to orphans, widows, and street kids in Africa.

After traveling to Rwanda about one year ago, Suzette couldn’t sleep at night thinking about the people she met. It was so overwhelming that she had to do something abou it.

Instead of creating another non-profit, Suzette created a business that would give not 1% or 10%, but a full 100% of profits back to people who could benefit from the money.

Love 41 sources and sells apparel and jewelry from around the world. Suzette spends her day working with designers and creating her own unique lines.

Africa New Life Ministries is their partner in Africa. They’re a great organization that is changing the world in a big way. Suzette’s intention is not to keep it in Africa, but to expand beyond to other parts world that need help.

Connect with Suzette Munson on Facebook and twitter.

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While I’m on a rant, I need to talk about the messages you’re sending out.

I’ve received the nicest emails from companies, but they were addressed, “Hey, you guys…”. It’s ok if you don’t use my name, but write directly to me. I’m not sitting here with a group of people reading your stuff. It’s just me, so write to me and me only.

Same goes for twitter, facebook, and everywhere else you put out a message. Write directly to one person and make them feel special.

While you’re crafting your email, tweet, or update, think about your ideal customer. Create it just for them. It’ll sound better and you’ll move people to action instead of make them think they’re on a mass mailing list.

Are you guilty of this?

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photo credit Samuel Huron

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