Bootstrapped Web

We have both reached a turning point in our marketing campaigns. Jordan has launched a new marketing funnel for Carthook’s Shopify tool. Brian has been running a new marketing campaign for Ops Calendar. We share how the campaigns are working for us and offer each other advice on how to improve our strategies. We also discuss how we keep our team culture positive when we ourselves are super busy and can’t give our undivided attention to individual projects. Our teams are growing and changing and we explore how we are coping with these mostly positive developments. It’s a good time for both Ops Calendar and Carthook! [tweetthis]These calls are dripping in, inbound, organically...these just feel like good signs to me. - Brian [/tweetthis] Here are today’s conversation points: Carthook’s new paid marketing campaign. Ops Calendar is finding a new audience and why Brian is excited by this. How Brian uses and makes sense of Audience Ops’ analytics and metrics. How Jordan set up his marketing campaign. Jordan’s 3 blog post marketing strategy. Other insights into email and ad marketing. How we differ in our methods of team building and encouraging positive company culture. [tweetthis]I tell people on my team think like an owner, think what do I need to fix this - Jordan[/tweetthis] Resources Mentioned Today: Audience Ops Carthook Ops Calendar As always, thanks for tuning in. Head here to leave a  review in iTunes.

Today on Bootstrapped Web Jordan and Brian discuss what’s going on in their individual businesses. Brian is setting up Ops Calendar and takes today’s episode as a chance to get Jordan’s feedback from the customer’s point of view. Listeners who are interested in Ops Calendar can get excited because Brian gives a detailed description of what his service offers. Jordan has had some problems with retaining new team members. He shares what he has learned about the hiring process and how he keeps company morale high. He also shares a new service he has found for businesses who hire team members in different states and he is psyched by his results. [tweetthis]All your employees, there is a level of trust... it's better for everyone to be honest. - Jordan[/tweetthis] Here are today’s conversation points: The benefits of providing hardware and tools to your remote team members. The role trust plays in working with a remote team. Ops Calendar is going live! Jordan’s advice to Brian regarding Ops Calendar’s structure. What Ops Calendar can do for each tier. Why a business should always be recruiting. The importance of staying positive when business isn’t going as expected. How much transparency is too much? Why the service Officeengine is awesome! [tweetthis]Having full-time employees, especially in different states, adds a massive layer of complexity. - Brian [/tweetthis] Resources Mentioned Today: Carthook Ops Calendar Officeengine As always, thanks for tuning in. Head here to leave a  review in iTunes.

We cover a lot in this episode of Bootstrapped Web. We give our listeners an update on both companies’ progress and we discuss some exciting news in the startup world. Brian shares some of the goals he has for Audience Ops in the near future. Jordan has an awesome story to share about his new VIP client.  We compare our business needs and consider the unexpected problems that come with growth. We also discuss two really insightful articles that just came out, Amazon’s New Customer, by Ben Thompson and Why I Bought Your Software by Justin Jackson. Both articles are great reads and we have some good takeaways from them. [tweetthis]If it's not 100% core to what we do, first option will be to integrate with the big player in the field. - Jordan[/tweetthis] Here are today’s conversation points: Jordan's new VIP customer. Ben Thompson’s latest article. The Amazon and Whole Foods merger. Why the merger is a good thing. Lessons Jordan has learned from his new hire. The benefits of mastermind groups. The biggest expense for any growing company. How do you know when you’ve reached “feature completeness?” Brian’s Ops Calendar update. Justin Jackson’s latest article. Seeking Wisdom with David Cancel. [tweetthis]I feel like, if you're not in such a cut-throat, competitive space, you can get by with a slower road map. - Brian[/tweetthis] Resources Mentioned Today: Amazon’s New Customer, by Ben Thompson Audience Ops Carthook Drift Front App Intercom Ops Calendar Seeking Wisdom Why I Bought Your Software, by Justin Jackson As always, thanks for tuning in. Head here to leave a  review in iTunes.

Happily, our client loads are increasing, but our staffs are starting to feel the increased workload. So, we need to hire more people to keep up. It’s a good problem to have. On today’s episode, we compare our staffing needs and discuss how we are trying to build a process that frees us both up for “CEO tasks.”  As our businesses grow, our roles change. Brian shares his plans to cope with a couple of team members exiting the company. While Jordan recently spent some time away with his family. He shares how that trip changed how he looks at his team and responsibilities to the company. [tweetthis]I have to perform better as a CEO...the interference portion of my equation is just preposterous. - Jordan[/tweetthis] Here are today’s conversation points: The uptake in business for Audience Ops. Brian’s plan to cope with the increased workload. Filling team positions for growth at Audience Ops. The ups and downs of working with a remote team. Jordan’s recent trip to New York. The “performance equation:” performance= potential - interference. How the performance equation has helped Jordan look at Carthook’s growth differently. How difficult it can be to transition into the “CEO role.” [tweetthis]Forget limiting the headcount, let’s get more than enough people on board and spread the work around. - Brian [/tweetthis] Resources Mentioned Today: Audience Ops Carthook Productize As always, thanks for tuning in. Head here to leave a  review in iTunes.

Today Brian and Jordan discuss growth. In Jordan’s case he is dealing with sudden growth, and in Brian’s case, he is planning for growth. Both share how they are handling this wonderful problem. Jordan has been focused on getting Carthook’s marketing up and running again, but it has become clear that his team needs him to focus on improving the customer support. It has been a struggle to really pinpoint what the team needs. Jordan calls it “customer success,”  but Brian isn’t so sure that’s the best title for the position. Brian is working on his KPI (Key Performance Indicators.) While making the dashboard for these KPI, he learned that sometimes you need to just hire someone. Brian is also planning to do some hiring, he needs two project managers and a writer. He caps off today’s topics with an article from the website Baremetrics. [tweetthis]I'm now in this mindset with this business, it is all about growth. - Brian[/tweetthis] Here are the conversation points: Brian’s four major categories for his KPI. When to know you need to hire someone. Jordan’s ever-growing stress. Jordan’s undefinable job description. What does “customer success” mean? What Jordan needs for this new position. The importance of taking care of “home base.” Brian’s hiring needs. Josh Pigford’s blog post. [tweetthis]What we need to do is work harder and smarter on making sure existing customers are satisfied and happy. - Jordan[/tweetthis] Resources Mentioned Today: Being a Solo Founder: Pros, Cons, Tips, and Tricks, by Josh Pigford Audience Ops Carthook Ops Calendar As always, thanks for tuning in. Head here to leave a  review in iTunes.

We are both hitting some major growth right now in our businesses, and that means a lot of excitement and a lot of restructuring. We talk about project managing, hiring the right people, and the efforts we are putting into our marketing and lead generation. Jordan recently went to Europe and met up with his team. He tells us how the trip went and the exciting milestone he saw while working with the Carthook team in Europe.  Jordan has also had some people leave the company. He explains why they had to go and how he plans to bounce back. Carthook’s marketing has stalled because of a sudden flux of customers, Jordan discusses his concerns and how he plans to fix the problem. Brian has really sunk into his Facebook ad campaign. He is working to generate leads for Audience Ops and filter people into a funnel that will lead potential clients to a consultation. He explains the 3 step ad campaign and shares how it is working for him. Brian is also hiring some new people and offers some advice for Jordan regarding his marketing problems. [tweetthis]We only have a certain number of bullets to fire, in terms of people we can have inside the company. - Jordan[/tweetthis] Here are our conversation points: Jordan’s trip to Europe. Brian’s Facebook ad campaign. Brian’s current hiring needs. How to create evergreen content for lead generation. Jordan’s concern about customer support quality. The “2 worlds” of Carthook. Why Trello isn’t working for Jordan and his team. How to discern what is urgent in your business. What are the expectations of a Project Manager? The difficulties of firing team members. Brian’s podcast relaunch. The 3 phases of online software. How to build a brand online. [tweetthis]My whole goal right now, is to drive more leads into Audience Ops. - Brian[/tweetthis] Resources Mentioned Today: Appointment Audience Ops Calendly Carthook CasJam Expert Secrets by: Russell Brunson Facebook Help Scout Intercom Seeking Wisdom Trello War of Art by: Steven Pressfield Weworkremotely.com Zendesk As always, thanks for tuning in. Head here to leave a  review in iTunes.

We are back discussing our businesses and the progress that we have been making. On the personal front Jordan is heading off to Europe and Slovenia to work and hit the beach. Brian has been getting healthier with the BulletProof diet. Brian has been recording new episodes for his Productized podcast. He is hiring one person to take care of the editing, shownotes, social stuff, and posting. He is also trying to make two videos a week. He is also launching the Sell to Strangers webinar for his funnel. Jordan plans to get a lot of work done in Slovenia including writing a script for a webinar. He also wants to finish up the documentation for product including video. Jordan feels that he needs to go a little harder on his marketing and create more desire. [tweetthis]If you want to grow your business, you have to sell to strangers. - Brian[/tweetthis] Here are today’s conversation points: Brians Productized podcast and his video progress. Jordans list of things he wants to do for his business while in Slovenia. Writing scripts for webinars. Making a public calendar or roadmap to help hold yourself accountable. Education for products has two parts - how to use the product, and how to get the most out of using it. Using webinars for funnel content. How Click Funnels grew off the back of one webinar Steal My $17,000 a Day Funnel. Case studies and client interviews and the wins possible. Marketing to marketers for Jordan’s business. The project manager side of Audience Ops. Breaking down processes and putting the right people in the right positions. [tweetthis]We need to create interest and get people excited with our marketing. - Jordan[/tweetthis] Resources Mentioned Today: Carthook Audience Ops Ops Calendar Calendly Productize Podcast Baremetrics As always, thanks for tuning in. Head here to leave a  review in iTunes.