Tools Check-in: What am I using so far in 2024?

Why We’re Not Doing Summer Camp (and How it’s Affecting my Business)

If you have kids and you’re a solopreneur, you know how tough summer care could be — especially if you have small children. Today, I'm diving into why my wife and I decided to skip summer camp for our kids and how this big decision is changing how I’m structuring my business for the summer.

Discussion Topics:

1. Financial and Family Considerations: The high cost of summer camp motivated my wife and me to find a solution that allows us to save nearly $10,000 while providing more quality family time.
2. Flexible Scheduling: My wife and I adjusted our schedules so one of us is always available to care for our kids, which highlights the importance of managing work flexibility as a solopreneur.
3. Temporary Chaos: I anticipate that managing my kids full-time will lead to some chaotic and stressful days, but it's a worthwhile trade-off for the family time we cherish.
4. Support Network: Leveraging support from family, friends, and babysitters is crucial to our adjusted childcare strategy, emphasizing the value of a strong support network.
5. Deep Work Planning: I plan to maximize productivity by scheduling meetings on specific days and blocking off consecutive hours for focused work, illustrating the importance of proactive scheduling.
6. Temporary Shift in Priorities: Recognizing that the summer period is temporary, I remind solopreneurs to take advantage of this time to make memories with their kids and cherish the flexibility our work allows.

Sponsored by Liquid Web

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Solopreneur’s Guide to SEO in 2024 with Lauren Gaggioli

One day in March I started getting regular inbound requests from my coaching form – I had no idea why. When I looked into it, it turns out that I was ranking at #2 on Google for “Podcast Coach.”

Not to sound like a broken record…but I had no idea why. I didn’t feel like I was doing anything special. I didn’t do keyword research. I didn’t write content in a certain way.

So I wanted to learn more. That’s why I sat down with SEO pro Lauren Gaggioli to get the real truth about search engine optimization in 2024. We cover a bunch of stuff from why quality human-written content will ALWAYS beat AI-generated stuff to the long-game SEO strategy that keeps paying off for years.

Plus, I get Lauren's real talk on whether social media is even worth it for driving traffic in 2024. Her perspective will not surprise you.

If you're a solopreneur, blogger, or content creator feeling lost with SEO, you need to hear what Lauren has to say. Stop wasting time on strategies that don't work and start optimizing intelligently!

Top Takeaways

• SEO is about appealing to Google's bots and making your website discoverable for relevant search queries. BUT…Google prioritizes quality, human-written content over AI-generated or keyword-stuffed content.
• SEO is a long-term investment, and it's essential to commit to it for at least 12 months to see meaningful results. While social media can be useful for engagement, SEO is more effective for driving targeted traffic and revenue.
• Researching low-difficulty, high-relevance keywords and focusing on answering the questions your target audience asks is crucial for SEO success.

Show Notes

• Lauren Gaggioli
• Imperfect action will get you there
• The Marshmallow Test
• Keyword difficulty is more important than volume
• Mangools

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Make Your Website a Team Member with Monica Pitts

Context is everything. It’s easy to think that if you have a salesperson who’s actively frustrating potential clients to the point where they never consider hiring you, you’d fire that salesperson. But what if your website is doing it? Would you fire your website?

You should. That’s why I’m SO excited to have Monica Pitts on the show today. She’s going to tell us how we can save HOURS per month by making our website a member of our team (sound familiar?). We spoke for over two hours – and you’re getting the best parts of it. We cover everything from mindset to automation, and of course, we cover tools.

Top Takeaways

• Your website doesn’t need to just be a brochure site – it can actually take work off your plate. This is why you need to treat it like an employee, not just a static asset.
• Be cautious about relying too heavily on third-party automation tools like Zapier. Consider native integrations first for faster processing and a better user experience.
• A website is crucial for your business. It offers a reliable source of information compared to social media platforms and serves as a long-lasting marketing approach. Social Media is great to show people you’re alive, but you need a website to attract customers.

Show Notes

• Monica Pitts
• Gravity Forms
• Formidable Forms
• ConvertKit
• Active Campaign
• Great Things Require Time
• Why You're Leaving Money on the Table with Email Automation with Kronda Adair

Sponsors:

• Check out Liquid Web
• Memberful: Get your free trial for at memberful.com/streamlined

Forget the Tools: Focus on Mindset with Rashelle Isip

I know this is going to sound like an Italian stereotype, but my mother makes the best chicken cutlets. They are thin cuts of chicken, perfectly breaded and seasoned, and taste amazing hot and cold.

I’d watch her in hopes of learning how to make them as well (or at least close to it). She’d tell me things like, “You just know how much breading to use,” and “cook them until they look right.”

What she didn’t do was walk into the kitchen and get paralyzed over which pan to use, or the perfect wooden spoon for the job. She’d get right to work.

As solopreneurs, it’s easy to fall into the trap of “this tool will get me back on track,” but it’s often your mindset that needs adjusting first. That’s why today I’m talking to Rashelle Isip, The Order Expert. Much like me, she helps business owners be more productive and less stressed. But while I’m an implementer, she focuses more on mindset and taking a look at everything going on in her clients’ lives.

Top Takeaways

• Take a step back to evaluate the systems in place and reassess how they impact daily routines and overall life. This is crucial to putting the right system in place, and not just copying someone else’s, which won’t work for you.
• When adopting new tools, approach them with curiosity and intentional limitation to assess their effectiveness in streamlining systems, getting organized, and maintaining focus.
• Maintain a positive mindset, adapt to unexpected setbacks with flexibility, and remember to be forgiving and gentle with yourself when things don't go according to plan.

Show Notes

• Rashelle Isip
• The Green Zone Conversation Book

Sponsors:

• Check out Liquid Web
• Memberful: Get your free trial for at memberful.com/streamlined

Rebranding my YouTube Channel

There's an old adage in construction that you should measure twice and cut once. The idea being that cutting is a permanent action. If you cut a piece of wood, you can't put it back together. So you should measure where you're cutting, make sure you're measuring it right, and double-check your work before you take that permanent action.

Now on the Internet, things aren't necessarily as permanent. Sure. Things that are online could be online forever. But as far as setting up a YouTube page or a podcast or a website, well, you can change them pretty easily. I just kinda made a decision and I ran with it. And now I'm kind of regretting that decision.

But because nothing is permanent on the Internet, I am rectifying that.

Top Takeaways:

1. When rebranding your YouTube channel, focus on creating a clear and specific mission for your content. This will help the YouTube algorithm understand and recommend your content to the appropriate audience.
2. Regularly review your analytics to see which videos are performing well and update those thumbnails and descriptions to optimize visibility. The title and thumbnail have the biggest impact on click-through rates.
3. Consider the performance of your top videos and use that information to guide your content strategy. If specific topics or types of content are consistently performing well, consider creating more content around those topics to leverage your existing success.

Sponsors:

• Check out Liquid Web
• Memberful: Get your free trial for at memberful.com/streamlined