This episode is sponsored by Sitelock With my 'anti-hustle' campaign I kind of surprised myself with the title of this post. Well... the "Massive Action" part anyways. I knew I was excited about launching the new show (Freedom Papers Podcast), but I had no idea what that was going to be like. I'm writing (recording) this episode almost exactly a month after the inception of Freedom Papers and I'm floored at how much we've accomplished, which is also why I've decided that what I've learned from this experience over the past month is going to be my new indicator for everything I do online. From Idea to Production First, I apologize if you've listened to the Welcome episode of Freedom Papers, but this little story bears repeating. It's such a testament to trust and patience (something I'm constantly working on. The trust is easier than the patience). I just looked up my initial interview with Jon (Perez) and it was almost 3 years ago exactly (bear with me, I swear I'm not a numerologist but I love these little synchronicities). August 15, 2013. And here we are three years later and we've found "it". Jon and I hit it off right away (how could you not with him, right?) and stayed in touch. We would chat on skype, talk about our businesses and how we could support one another. We knew there was a great chemistry there and wanted to work together. We tried a handful of things to make that happen: Here's the thing though... None of those "felt" right. And I'm here to tell you that what you feel matters. We implemented and took action on each of those tasks, but somehow life always got in the way. Our course (Selling with WordPress) was great, but it felt like a struggle to complete and while I can't really speak for Jon (although clearly I attempt to), our hearts weren't into it. We were looking for that "thing". The big payday, the solution... the ONE thing that would change our trajectory. I have zero regrets about everything we've tried. I know without a doubt that we wouldn't be doing Freedom Papers if it weren't for having tried everything else. Here's the real kicker. If I were to break down each of those other things we did and step back for a minute I can easily tell you that I had a niggly feeling with all of them (in one manner or another). Not that it wasn't right or a quality product, simply that it didn't inspire me to do more, grow it or really stick with it. Those were all things that came after everything else (and trust me when I tell you that the podcast we were doing was a TIME SUCK... the concept was great but the chemistry with the 3rd person wasn't). My guess is that you guys can all say the same thing. Every time you did something that didn't work out you knew in your GUT that you should have let it go sooner. O.K., back to idea to production. We came up with the idea for Freedom Papers on July 18th. When this episode airs it will be exactly ONE month later. In that time frame here's what we've done: Recorded 8 episodes Logo, website & branding: done Email list Produced the intro for the podcast (Jon was the creative brilliance behind that) Launched the show Mapped out our strategy for production (creating systems as we speak) Mapped out our monetization model (I could not be MORE exited) Tracking EVERYTHING we're doing Connected with an amazing transcription service and have transcripts already Are converting the transcripts into a physical newsletter... Freedom Papers (literal papers.. haha) Launching a GiveAway next week for the show ... and a few other things that are TOP SECRET As you probably know by now, I'm not really one to shout from the rooftops "Look what I DID!" (although I have every intention of doing that more). I'm sharing this with you because doing this has been effortless. It has completely taken on a life of its own. Remember when you were a little kid and you could get lost for hour...

This episode is sponsored by Sitelock. Dallas and I connected about a year and a half ago through the same mastermind. I knew right away that Dallas was 'my kind of people'.... his energy is great, he's super positive and probably one of the most giving people I've met in a while. His story is a bit of a 'tears to triumph' story in that like many of us, Dallas hit rock bottom before getting clear on what he really wanted to do with his business. I hadn't heard Dallas' entire story before this interview. I was honored that he shared it with me (us) and think you're going to be inspired as well as interested in being an "Unlimiter" in your own life. In the beginning of the interview Dallas & I talked about things we both learned through the mastermind together, the value we got and how we think things are shifting in that space. Questions I Asked Dallas What were you doing before your current business? Can you share with the listeners what it is you do today? I know you had some personal struggles & challenges... can you share what that was and what has shifted for you? We all know mindset is important. What made you decide to focus on this? What are some of the challenges your clients face? What does it mean to be an 'Unlimiter'? [Tweet "I lost complete and total control of my brain. @DallasHardcastle"] Through his journey Dallas has created some rituals & daily routines. He has 8 things that he does everyday and he shared those with me during our time together. Resist the interruption of your left brain ( don't let the analytical part of your brain analyze how you're going to do what you're going to do). Think more.. "what can I do" Block out the distractions (more overwhelmed) -quiet your mind. Focus on ONE thing Take & diversify different types of information (mentally rehearsing the days events) Make time to exercise (physical exercise) Exercise your imagination (take time out to do this) Remain as relaxed as possible Practice visualization Become very detail oriented Find out more about working with Dallas and becoming an Unlimiter

This episode is brought to you by my sponsor, Sitelock. E-Commerce is one of those things that I've thought about jumping into on and off since I started my business (in 2008), but never pulled the trigger. I started looking into more seriously this past year when I realized I needed to shift the way I was doing business. My overall arching 'theme' has been to stop trading time for money. I've already created some recurring revenue streams but they were more of an after thought than a well planned strategy. Then I hit a wall. I knew it was time to pull the plug on the amount of services I offered and provided (I still do them, but it's more about who I want to work with and whether or not I feel I'm the best person to provide the value someone needs). And then of course there's my motto...."If it's not fun, I'm not doing it." I found Chloe Thomas after getting her recent book, Customer Manipulation (which we talk about in the show). Of course I purchased her other books after getting this one. I'd love to tell you that I've started my new e-commerce site and store, but that's not happening yet. At this point in my life I've finally gotten smart about not taking too much on at once. What I can tell you is when I do launch my e-commerce store I'll be following Chloe's steps! Chloe went deep with me in terms of the brand [Tweet "I'm a big fan of keeping your e-commerce store simple @"] Questions I Asked Chloe There are SO many places I wanted to start with for this interview... but I think it makes sense to start with your background because you have an extensive background in eCommerce. Can you share your background with the listeners? You've worked with people from solo entrepreneurs to big companies. This is a two-part question.... can you give examples of each and share a little bit of their journey/success? Shopify vs. Woocommerce or another self-hosted commerce solutions. Where do you begin? Who should do what? Dropshipping? FBA? Teespring? T-shirts? Gearbubble? Determining profitability of a niche? Is there such a thing as a crowded market? Subscription model? Customer Manipulation: Latest book, what it's about, etc. Best place to connect with you? What You're Going to Learn Where you should start if you want to launch an e-commerce store How the owner of an electronic cigarette e-commerce store has achieved massive success Why you need to have some level of passion for what you're selling (or you may struggle) Which platforms you can use for creating your e-commerce store Why you don't need to have an individual personality behind your store How you can bring in a personality to your store (be humans behind it) without having to be a personal brand   Where to Connect with Chloe Website | Podcast | Twitter | Facebook Links from this episode Chloe's Books: Customer Manipulation eCommerce Master Plan eCommerce Marketing Get the first chapter of Customer Manipulation FREE here! CrateJoy The Automatic Customer (book) GearBubble TeeSpring

This episode is sponsored by Sitelock. I've been thinking about doing an in-depth post on WordPress Visual Editors (besides Thrive Content Builder & Beaver Builder, which of course are still my favorites!) for a while now. I'm still planning on it, but thought I would do a podcast episode first to gauge the interest as it's probably going to be a pretty time-intensive piece of content (which is O.K. too, but nothing like getting a little validation first). There are a LOT of WordPress Visual editors on the market now and I expect we're going to see more. I'm going to skip any of the visual builders that have shown up in JV Zoo during the past year because I have no idea if they're going to be around or supported (not that I can guarantee this with the rest of these plugins, but more they'll more than likely be here longer than the JVZoo products). What's interesting is that I've had this conversation a few times now (I think I've talked about this on the podcast before), but with the amount of new tools and options that are starting to show up I thought it was time to revisit this. We'll start by addressing the elephant in the room. Which is whether or not you should use page builders. Obviously you know my answer, but before you write them off, let's talk about when and why you would want to use a page builder. If you look at why the team at Beaver Builder created their awesome plugin it was simple. They wanted to find a way to be more efficient with their client work. They were repeating tasks/work on their client projects and wanted to deploy the sites quicker. So they built the solution they needed. Less time on a project does NOT mean it has less value. You're still providing the client with what they want and you're doing it quicker. I know there are arguments out there about it not being as clean (referring to code here) or as light on the site... but I think we should look at this from the bigger picture. First, most of these tools are getting better and better. Some use the WordPress customizer (for some reason this still isn't my favorite option... I don't know why. I probably need to spend some more time using it, which I will be with one of the latest tools, Elementor). Whether you're building sites for clients or for yourself, here are a few things to consider when deciding if you want to use a page builder: That being said, here are the page builders I'm going to talk about today. Keep in mind this isn't a full list... it's simply the ones I've looked at, used or currently use. If you guys want me to do a full post / video review of these tools let me know. It will take a decent amount of time to complete it, but I'll make it as complete as possible. Thrive Content Builder: O.K., I won't go into details here on this because I've written about Thrive a handful of times and am about to publish a new post with 4 videos on Thrive for you (which I'll link to as soon as it's published, but in the meantime you can checkout a recent post I did where I explained why I use Thrive & Beaver Builder). I primarily use Thrive for landing pages (sales pages, squeeze pages, webinar pages, etc.). But in the post I'm about to publish I used the Thrive Content Builder for the first time in a standard post. Pretty awesome! Beaver Builder: See above. :-) I'll do an updated post on Beaver Builder in the coming months, but in the meantime you can checkout the recent post & video I did on why I use Thrive and Beaver Builder. I use Beaver Builder for creating site pages. One of the most amazing things with Beaver Builder is the community support. There are a lot of 3rd party developers creating add-ons (keeping the core plugin lighter and more streamlined). What I love about this is that the Beaver Builder team is completely supportive and is active within the Beaver Builder Facebook group. Elementor: This is the newest page builder to hit the web and I have to say, I'm LOVING it. Oh...

This episode is brought to you by my sponsor, Sitelock. I had the great pleasure of being on Chuck's podcast after we had connected via social media (twitter I think). Talk about a ton of fun (it was also mu first blab). I enjoyed it so much and appreciated how Chuck Wang shows up that I asked him right away to be on my show. Chuck's story is one that I think many people can relate to. He started out on his entrepreneurial journey with a drive for the 'almighty dollar' (his words, not mine) and how he ended up losing it all and turned it around through serving others. Chuck shared a real-life story of one of his companies (who creates podcasting software) and how he helped them streamline their process (most valuable process). I absolutely love the insights and step-by-step instructions Chuck shared with me. Questions I Asked Chuck Before we get into MVP.Consulting, can you fill us in on what you were doing before your launched your current business and podcast? You share some really personal challenges on your About page... what made you decide to share at that level? What gave you the idea to start MVP.Consulting? What's your business model? Why did you decide to launch your podcast? How has the podcast shifted your business? What's on the horizon for you for the rest of 2016? [Tweet "I would rather go small and live a big life than "go big" and live a small life" @TheChuckWang"] What You're Going to Learn How Chuck figured out what he really wanted to do (we talked about passion and finding that) Why he decided to create a human experiment to change the trajectory of his life What it meant to Chuck to be 'soul poor' What his rock bottom was.... after he was chasing the almighty dollar When he had to file bankruptcy and how his life turned around after that Why he needed to hit the 'reset' button on his life How to create your most valuable process Where to Connect with Chuck Podcast | Twitter | Linkedin | Facebook [Tweet "Inspired Works was my gateway drug to get out of that - @TheChuckWang"]

This post may contain affiliate links This episode is proudly brought to you by my sponsor, Sitelock Sometimes I wonder if I'll stop learning things the hard way. OR... maybe that's simply part of my journey in this lifetime. This episode will probably be a mix of tangible with philosophical, so sit tight, it might be an interesting ride. I've mentioned recently that I'm going through some major changes in my personal life and with my business. I've recently sold my house, which I've owned for 14+ years and was the house my husband and I bought together (he passed away in 2003). I was talking with my mentor/therapist about all these big changes and the attachments to the house and she asked me if it was because my husband and I bought this house together. It wasn't. It was really more that this was MY house. When we bought this house life was full of promises. We had two small kids (they were 4 & 1 when we moved in), I had a new career I was excited about and everything felt like it was in front of us. Fast forward a year and half later and my life as I knew it was gone. Turned upside down in with one tragic accident (stay with me here, it will get better, I promise). This house represented me. My ability to survive... and... here's the kicker... getting to do things however I wanted to. It sounds so odd to say this, but I've often said that losing my husband was easier than a divorce. I've watched people I love go through a divorce and there can be soooo much pain, anger and resentment. And then you have to find a way to navigate a new path with the person you least want to engage with. I never had to share my kids or worry about how someone else was raising them. Deciding to sell my house is sort of like closing a chapter in my life. We've created amazing memories here and it's been an awesome place to raise my kids. But I'm ready... Ready for what? I'm not sure... I will of course be sharing the journey with you. All of this personal sharing brings me to the opportunities and income that are right in front of us, we just don't always see them. I had something 'hit' me on the way home from my last trip up to my therapists and it was something that I think every single person listening can benefit from. "Stop looking outside of yourself." How many times in your business have you made a decision but somewhere along the way (or deep down), you had a niggly feeling it wasn't what you wanted to be doing? I'm not talking about doing things to pay your bills or take care of your family. I think we all get that when you start a business we all do 'what we don't want to do in order to do the things we DO want to do' (say that 10 times fast!). But we're subscribed to so many sites, marketers and people who are doing things bigger and better than we lose ourselves and keep searching for something else. Then I had my HOLY MOLY moment. Let me give you the scenario... I check my email and get a notification from PayPal that Hatchbuck just sent me $70.42 (hatchbuck was my previous email provider prior to switching to Active Campaign. I LOVED hatchbuck... but switched to Active Campaign for a few reasons, which I should get into in another post or podcast). The same day I had shared on social media a new tool called 'Connect Retarget' by Wilco De Kreij. I have a few of his products (all lead gen / Facebook advertising related) and he's a great guy. His products are great, he sticks around (not a JV Zoo product) and continues to develop amazing software. Anywho... I knew I was going to get it (and will probably promote it more in the future, I just wanted to be able to test it and use it first) and thought I'd share it socially one day during the launch. I'm sitting in bed that night writing an email and get a PayPal notification that I just made $98.50 for Connect Retarget. No emails, no ads... just one simple share. So total for that day was $168.92.

Thanks to my podcast sponsor, Sitelock for sponsoring this episode! If you've ever wanted to hang with the guys from Beaver Builder, you're going to love this episode! I'm having a ton of fun doing these follow up interviews with previous guests and I feel like the team at Beaver Builder are old friends... (they're simply awesome people...  in addition to their tool being an amazing page builder). We started the interview off by catching up a bit with what has happened sine our last interview (which was March 6, 2015... btw, I recorded this interview with the guys a couple months before we published). The cool thing about the timing of this interview is that it's right in line with some of the things I've discussed on my last two solo shows (where I discussed getting out of client services). If you haven't listened to the first interview, you're going to want to listen to that which will bring you up to speed on where things are today. We caught up with some of the personal things happening with the guys... Billy and Justin have both moved into new houses a couple hours away from Robby, who is still in the South Bay. A few months prior to this interview the guys made a decision to completely phase out of client services and focus solely on Beaver Builder. We talked about the transition, how they've supported their long-term clients during the transition and how long everything has taken. In April of 2016 Beaver Builder celebrated their two-year anniversary (and this is when they started completely transitioning out of client work... so for those of you who have a product or want to develop a product and get away from services, know that it's going to be a process. It might not take you two years, but it will probably take longer than you think). [Tweet ""It's hard to focus on two separate things at one time... client services or your product" @beaverbuilder"] What You're Going to Learn How the company has grown over the last two years What goes into reaching a million dollars in sales When they stopped client work How the community has rallied around and supported Beaver Builder How they decide which features to add and when What the learning curve has been for them with marketing Questions I asked When did you transition out of client services? What would you recommend to someone who wants to get into the product side of things (themes or plugins)? Having a background in development & design, what was it like to start having to market yourselves? Can you share a tangible marketing experience that worked and one that didn't? How much time to you guys spend doing the different tasks/elements of the business? [Tweet "One of our goals was simple but powerful" @beaverbuilder] This is truly a behind the scenes look at what it's like to build a software company from idea, to minimum viable product to going full time with your product. They've added two full-time support people, 3 contract developers and a designer to the Beaver Builder family. I could not be happier for Justin, Billy & Robby with their well deserved success and growth of this amazing product! If you haven't checked out Beaver Builder, you're going to want to. It's an amazing tool created by even more awesome people. Where to Connect with Beaver Builder Website | Facebook | Twitter Links from this episode Beaver Builder Plugin Beaver Builder Podcast Episode 53 Why We Ditched Our Silicon Valley Offices to Work From Home - Robby McCullough

Nothing beats unsolicited validation when you're not sure about that feeling in your gut. There's something inside of you that has become more of a push than a nudge, you know without a doubt that this is what you want to be doing... you're just not sure how to get there. Then you take that leap. You put something out there... a message, a post, a product (a podcast) and people reach out to you telling you they feel the same way! That's what happened for me with my last solo episode which was milestone episode 100. I had been thinking about what I wanted to do for that episode for a while. Part of me thought do a big party, live stream, celebrate... whatever. But it's not where I'm at right now and it felt like that would be forcing something or doing something because I thought that's what I should be doing for the 100th episode. I don't want to repeat everything I said in that post or episode, but the message that seemed to resonate with SO many people was when I shared that I was getting out of client services. I have to clarify also that I do have a couple clients I'm still working with and will continue to work with (in case they're reading or listening) but that's only because they're lovely people and I enjoy working with them. Other than that? I'm done. Here's the truth: I have yet to meet a freelancer who doesn't eventually want out of the client work. And... that makes sense! Not simply because there is a frustration level involved in working with clients (because we all know that could be a podcast in and of itself. That would also drain the life out of me and as much as my ego wants to rant, who needs more negativity, right?)... but because as human beings we're hard wired for more. Gone are the days of doing one thing for 30 years (and my guess is that even for the people who did that there was a level of boredom that sank in. They just didn't think they had other options). [Tweet ""I have yet to meet a freelancer who doesn't eventually want out of the client work." @kimdoyal"] We have SO many more options today. And maybe that's part of the problem? Seeing other people going for what they want... doing business the way they want to do business... you question why the hell you're not there as well, right? And I'm not talking about the side they share on social media (as someone who has actively participated in all of that I have to say I am really grateful to be on the other side. I still use social media but I don't get why people feel the need to broadcast every little thing they do. The armchair psychologist in me says there's going to be a bit of a crash for these people. What happens when the 'lights go down' so to speak. But I guess that's for another podcast as well). I received a handful of emails and comments about what I shared in episode 100. Which completely validated that I'm on the right path and headed in the right direction. Even if I've got a nervous pit in my stomach on a daily basis. I know this is something I've got to do. [Tweet ""Seeing other people going for what they want... doing business the way they want to do business... you question why the hell you're not there as well, right?" -@kimdoyal"] The Future of WordPress As A Business Let me get my crystal ball. Can you picture that? I've got my Madame Kim.... errr... Madame Chick turbin on, big chunky rings on my fingers and I'm gazing into a crystal ball. I rub my hands over the ball and give you a "hmm... very interesting"... O.K., I don't know where the bucket that came from, but I had to run with it. First, let's look at what I'm talking about when I refer to WordPress As A Business. These are the business types I'm referring to: WordPress websites WordPress maintenance / hosting WordPress training / teaching / documentation (general) WordPress specialty (think focusing on a specific aspect of WP, ex: Woocommerce, marketing, speed,

You know how there are those people that when you talk with them initially you feel like you've known them forever? And then every time you talk with them you walk away with a smile on your face and know your day was made better because they were a part of it? Yea... that's Troy Dean. Oh... and besides being a great guy and ridiculously fun to talk with, he knows how to create and scale a profitable online business. Which is why I was super excited about talking with him about his latest venture, Rock Star Empires. Yep, a Course about Courses. Troy has plenty of experience (and more importantly data) on creating successful online courses. Many of you probably know Troy from WP Elevation (which started as on open-ended community/membership and shifted to a course) or Video User Manuals (a WordPress plugin that you can install in your site with step-by-step WordPress tutorials). Troy's focus these days is the online education space... and he explains how he transitioned into that (while keeping the other businesses running). And of course we had a ton of fun. [Tweet ""You're constantly reacting to client demands" @troydean"]   Questions I asked Troy You're still running WP Elevation & Video User Manuals: Why step into a course on courses? Time for Money Trap: Discuss What are some of the challenges you see people face when: Taking a course Launching a course What are some key components to creating a successful course? I love that you did a beta run of the program... how did that go? Can you share what's included in the course? [Tweet ""How do you build your online empire by positioning yourself as the Rock Star in your niche?" @troydean"] What You're Going to Learn Why Troy took WP Elevation from an open-ended community to a course he re-0pens a few times a year The one factor that makes a HUGE difference in getting people to commit & complete a course The shocking statistic on course completion (this one kinda blew me away) Why Troy doesn't produce the course until he sells it (I've been there!) How you can successfully launch your own course What Rock Star Empires is all about... Where to Connect with Troy Website | Facebook | Twitter

The problem with referencing songs when you're writing is that they get stuck in your head. Like... forever. I just got done writing an email about my friend Troy Dean's new course (Rock Star Empires) and referenced a bunch of 80's music (more specifically, Van Halen songs... because I love Van Halen). Then as I opened my editor to start writing out this post and thinking back to when I launched the podcast, the song "Oh What A Night"... "(late December back in 63... what a very special time for me... " even though I wasn't even alive in 63, the 'Oh What a Night' popped into my head. You're welcome. And for those of you who don't know the song? Go to YouTube... it's by The Four Seasons and is just as awesome song). So for whatever reason... when I start reflecting on the good things in my life, 'Oh What A Night' cues right up. I'm always amazed at how music can transport me back to another time & place in seconds. Or change my mood (lift my spirits, energize me, calm me down or even bring me to tears). But it's not just the music... it's the lyrics. It's the 'why' behind the music. Which brings me to my own 'Why'. I think this is something that as entrepreneurs we find ourselves re-evaluating from time to time (which is a good thing). I am going through some major changes in my personal life (selling my house, probably the last summer my daughter will be living at home, my son has started working, is getting his drivers permit and I have completely closed the door on certain aspects of my business). As my kids start taking off in pursuit of their own dreams, my why has totally shifted. When I started my business 8 years ago my kids were a HUGE part of my 'why' (to provide for them, be home for them, etc.). They're still a part of my 'why' but more from the perspective that I want them to see that you can go for what you want... have dreams, ignore the herd and follow their hearts. The Journey So Far When I decided to launch my podcast a few years ago I did it for the SOLE purpose of wanting to have more fun in my business. I don't think I had quite found my voice in my writing yet and was struggling with being the technician, which was NEVER a goal of mine when I decided to start an online business. I've done a lot of personality tests (one of my favorite tests for entrepreneurs is Roger Hamilton's Wealth Dynamics Test) and I'm never surprised when it reveals that I want to be the 'Star'. So being behind the scenes as a pair of hands (keep in mind this is what my perception was when I started this... and it's all about how you position something) has always been frustrating. In the last three years I've... launched an outsourcing company participated in a high-end mastermind (raced a Ferrari, went ziplining, snorkeling, ATV racing in Mexico, hot air balloon and connected with some wonderful people) gotten into paid advertising traveled more than I had in the previous 5 years (Hawaii a couple times, Mexico, Scotland, France, Las Vegas (not a fan), St. Louis, Park City Utah doubled my email list launched a high-ticket, done-for-you podcasting service done coaching (stopped for a while  and will be doing so grew my team to 12 people gotten one child graduated from HS and off to college (3 more years for the second one) had a friend live with me for a year decided to sell my house (recently) ... enjoyed it all and decided it's time for a new chapter All of this has been a wild ride. Most of it amazing, some of it frustrating and exhausting. The podcast, while not always as consistent as I would like it to be, has been the one constant (along with this brand). And outside of the podcast, there are going to be some massive changes. Massive Changes The first big change is happening in my personal life. I've decided to sell my house. It's a little sooner than I was planning (my son has 3 more years left in high school and I was plannin...