Online Business Launchpad | Start An Online Business | Online Business Growth

Ever wondered if it's possible to turn a hobby into a thriving business? Angie Wilson, the creative force behind Gnome Angel, shares her incredible journey from government employee to becoming a leading figure in the quilting industry. 

Angie Wilson started blogging way back in 2002.  She initially wrote about what was happening in her life, but eventually ended up focusing on something she’d started doing as a hobby while going through the ups and downs of IVF.

In this episode we talk about:

• The transition from hobby to full-time business
• The ongoing struggle of balancing work and family
• Gnome Angel's mission
• The value of quilting as a way of creating beautiful gifts that people treasure
• How Angie has been able to use her hobby turned business as a unique way of travelling to other parts of the world and getting paid for it.

I really enjoyed talking with Angie about her business model and the joy of combining travel with teaching. So if you’re interested in taking something you have a creative passion for and turning it into a business, have a listen.  

You'll discover how she overcame challenges, found her unique voice, and built a community of passionate quilters. Get ready to be inspired by Angie's story of transformation and creativity.

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

Website: https://www.gnomeangel.com/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I was on my way to the library to do some work, when I walked past a playing field where two young lads were doing sprint practice.

Their coach was calling out directions.  But something about exactly WHAT the coach was telling them do, caught my eye.

And it reminded me of a time early on in my business when I made the mistake of putting all my eggs in one basket … and how I managed to turn the situation around.

I invite you to have a listen.  Maybe what I learned will help you, too.

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

Quiz Creators Course:  https://onlinebusinessliftoff.com/quiz-creators-course-plus/ 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Discover the unexpected secret of selling your consultancy based business from Professor Joe O'Mahoney - why focusing on your margin isn't the only key to a successful sale. Instead, consider the multitude of factors that can elevate your multiple and result in a more valuable business. It's not just about profit margin—it's about creating an asset that stands on its own.

Our guest today, Professor Joe O'Mahoney, is a highly regarded author, speaker, and consultant who specializes in transforming consultancies. With his unique insights into the art of growing and selling consulting businesses, he advises on how to cultivate growth, increase profitability, and maximize business value.

We also talked about:

• Joe’s early career in business transformation and how it influenced his current approach.
• The evolution of consultancy and the changing needs of business owners.
• Importance of focusing not just on profit margin, but on creating an asset that stands on its own.
• The varying reactions of CEOs to his consultancy and how he navigates these dynamics.
• The concept of 'nemo washy' - a Japanese concept of gradually introducing changes for smoother transitions.
• Valuable advice for business owners who might be considering walking away from their business, stressing the significance of succession management and transforming the company into an asset.

Don't miss out on this enlightening conversation with Professor Joe O'Mahoney where he delves into the world of consultancy transformation. Listen to the full episode now!

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

Joe’s Website: https://joeomahoney.com/

Connect With Joe On LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/joeomahoney/ 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Join host Trudy Rankin in this engaging episode of the Online Business Launchpad podcast as she interviews Nick Abregu, an engineer turned entrepreneur. Nick shares his inspiring journey from leaving his engineering job to starting his own online business. Discover the defining moment that led him to take the leap into entrepreneurship and how unexpected circumstances provided the perfect opportunity to embark on his new path.

Episode Highlights:

1.  The Journey from Engineer to Entrepreneur:

• Nick's pivotal moment that led him to leave his engineering job
• How unexpected redundancy provided a financial cushion for his entrepreneurial journey

2.  Insights into Website Development:

• Trudy's experience and challenges with website development
• Nick's tips for streamlining the website development process

3.  The Onboarding Process

• Defining the purpose of your website
• Understanding the customer journey to create a seamless user experience.
• Tailoring content for different audiences by gathering feedback and insights.
• Creating a Highly Effective Website: Functionality, Colors, and Vibe
• Clearly defining the desired actions for visitors on your website
• Utilising the psychology behind colours.
• Developing the right vibe that aligns with your brand.

4.  Key Considerations

• Crafting compelling copy by simplifying your message 
• Balancing page length 
• Integrating social media platforms onto your website. 
• Vetting web design companies.
• Ensuring you own your domain name to have full control and ownership over your website.

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

Website:  https://thewebsitebuilders.com.au/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Beau Button’s lifelong passion for computers and software naturally led him to the world of gaming. So when a childhood friend suggested they start their own game company, he said yes.  That gaming company eventually became Atlas Reality, where gamers can earn cold, hard cash for playing a game that layers virtual real estate over real locations.

Building a business from scratch in the software-as-a-service industry definitely comes with its challenges.  Gaming is its own unique space, and the customer base can be a very demanding community. We talked about how Beau and his teammates learned early on how important it is to put the customer experience first.  

We also discussed:

• What it was like transition to a virtual real estate platform and the concept of virtual real estate
• Completely made up virtual environments versus real-world locations
• Generating virtual rent from virtual land and the revenue model behind it
• How they use the concept of a “treasury” in managing revenue and determining virtual rent levels
• How gamers actually earn money
• Some of the ideas Beau has for using the game to make it possible for players to gain further education and increase their financial literacy
• Future plans for expanding revenue sources and ideas of what the game might look like in the future

If you’re interested in gaming and/or gaming-to-earn or even just what it’s like to build a SaaS (Software as a Service) business, have a listen.  Beau has a lot to share.

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

Websites:  https://www.atlasreality.com/ and https://www.atlasearth.com/ 

Connect With Beau on LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/beaubutton/ 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When Brent Zahradnik was living in Florida in 2015, he was working in a totally unrelated industry to online advertising, although he did have a couple of years of experience with advertising. 

But then he met a friend who was selling on Amazon.  This friend had developed some great connections with some factories that had not done very well in the economic downturn in 2008, 2009 and had since been retooled.  Brent’s friend was basically wholesaling and taking those products and selling them on Amazon. 

And this guy came to Brent one day and said, Hey, there's advertising on Amazon, can you help me with this?

And Brent’s first response to that was actually “there's advertising on Amazon? I had no idea that existed!”

Fast forward to today and Brent has a team of 20 people who work with him to help businesses advertise on Amazon.

In this episode we talk about:

• Building that team and Brent’’s criteria for bringing people onboard as team members
• What you need to have in place in order to have a successful advertising campaign
• Amazon ads and the creatives for them
• The role that product listings play in a successful campaign
• Clicks versus conversions
• Tricky categories, e.g. clothing
• The cottage industry that has developed around creating tools to help Amazon sellers
• Standing out from other 3rd party sellers

RESOURCES MENTIONED

• Website:  https://www.amzpathfinder.com/ 
• Tools to help sellers
• Zoof:  https://www.zoof.com/
• Intentwise:  https://www.intentwise.com/
• ZonGuru:  https://www.zonguru.com/ 
• Datadive:  https://datadive.com.au/ 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When young engineer, Joe Khoei, discovered that the salespeople in his company were selling stuff that the company didn't have … and being rewarded for it with trips to Hawaii … he realised he was in the wrong role. 

So he went back to school, got an MBA and started working as a sales rep.

After 10 solid years experience under his belt, Joe started SalesX to help companies sell more. Not advertise more.  Sell more.

Fast forward to today and SalesX is now a successful agency that helps companies develop profitable customer acquisition programs.  Part of getting to that success has been made possible by focusing on developing the people he works with and growing great teams.

And because of his team ... and a not very well-known source of marketing funds, Joe is now able to give back by helping not-for-proft organisations with their marketing for free.

Listen in if you’d like to know more.

We also talked about:

• How Joe got started with SalesX
• A little known marketing resource for not-for-profit organisations that Google offers … and not many people seem to be using
• Why having a developmental pathway for people on his team is important
• How Joe made the move from being a tech expert to becoming a relationship manager
• Why participating in internship programs can be good for your business
• How automating things can make a huge difference to your business
• The importance of ensuring that the way you network fits your personality.

There is a lot of wisdom packed into this episode, whether you’re a manager, team leader or business owner.

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

Website:  https://www.salesx.com/ 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you’ve hit the wall when it comes to doing all the tasks associated with running a business by yourself, then this podcast episode is for you.

In it, I talk about my experiences in hiring freelancers to help me out with some things that had been sitting on my plate for a long time.  I found those freelancers on Fiverr and I walk you through how I went about finding the right people and getting the work done.

Not every freelancer works out, so I also explain the process I used when one person’s work wasn’t up to scratch.

So if you’re wanting to outsource a piece of work for the first time, have a listen.  And if you’d like to try out Fiverr for the first time, go to http://onlinebusinessliftoff.com/fiverr-cpa (affiliate link).  If you do click the link and decide to hire a freelancer, I’ll get a small commission at no extra cost to you. 

For which I thank you.  

It helps support the work I do with carers and caregivers who have (or want to start) their own online business.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When baby number 2 came along, and it was time to go back to work, civil servant Sophie Howard realised that the numbers just didn’t stack up.

She looked at what her salary would be versus what she would have to pay in childcare costs, commuting to work and all the rest that goes with having a job in a government agency.  And she knew there had to be another way of making a living.

With a lot of research, tons of determination and possibly a touch of beginners luck, Sophie was able to build … and then sell … an e-commerce business for over a million dollars USD.

But by then, she’d caught the entrepreneurial bug and realised she enjoyed the process of buying existing online businesses and making them more profitable.  Several 6 and 7-figure businesses later, she is now sharing what she’s learned with her Freedom Navigator students.

In this episode, Sophie shares some of her experiences along the way to owning a portfolio of online businesses.  As well as a lot of wisdom about this particular business model and how it works.

So if you’re interested in building versus buying an online business as a way to get started on your journey to entrepreneurial success, have a listen.

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

Website:  https://aspiringentrepreneurs.com 

Sophie Aspiring Entrepreneurs program (affiliate link) - https://onlinebusinessliftoff.com/aspiringentrepreneurs 

Affiliate Marketing:  https://affilly.com 

Liz and Matt Raad’s EBusiness Institute (affiliate link):  https://onlinebusinessliftoff.com/ebusinessinstitute 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As busy business owners we all wear way too many hats.  

But some of the hats we wear … and the tasks associated with them, can be painfully boring and repetitive.  

One of the most useful tools I’ve come across for automating some of those tasks is Zapier (rhymes with “happier” apparently).  But it’s not always obvious where to start.

So I asked tech expert and Zapier aficionado, MV Braverman from Your Tech Maven to share some of her favourite ways of using Zapier to turn “boring” into “already done”.

Listen in and take away some great ideas that will help take some of the load off.

RESOURCES MENTIONED

Website:  https://yourtechmaven.com/ 

LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/mvbraverman/ 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.