

The SDM Show
Rob Cairns
The SDM Show discusses all things Business, Marketing and WordPress. This show was formerly known as The SDM Business, Marketing and WordPress Show.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Sep 15, 2025 • 36min
Episode 596 Hiring, Delegating, and the AI Revolution With Kasim
The source is a podcast episode from "The SDM Show" with host Rob Cairns, featuring guest Kasim. The primary focus of the discussion revolves around the crucial role of executive assistants for business owners and entrepreneurs. Kasim emphasizes the distinction between a virtual assistant (VA) and an executive assistant (EA), advocating for the latter as someone capable of acting as a "clone" of the entrepreneur to handle higher-level tasks and provide valuable "margin" for strategic thinking. The conversation highlights the challenges entrepreneurs face in delegating and the importance of measuring success by output rather than time spent. They also touch on Kaim's unique hiring framework for acquiring top talent, which involves strategic "fly traps" within the application process to identify proactive and detail-oriented individuals. The discussion then transitions to the impact of AI on communication, hiring practices, and the future of the workforce, with Kasim sharing his new venture, AEO.co, which focuses on "Answer Engine Optimization" in a world increasingly dominated by AI-driven search.

Sep 13, 2025 • 29min
Episode 595 Navigating Client Support for Digital Agencies With Ryan Waterbury
The SDM Show, hosted by Rob Cairns, focuses on business, life, productivity, digital marketing, and WordPress. In this particular episode, Rob Cairns and guest Ryan Waterbury of One Dog Solutions discuss the critical importance of clients adhering to established support systems and guidelines for agencies and solo operators. They emphasize that clients often disregard official support channels, leading to inefficiencies and frustration for business owners. The conversation highlights the need for agencies to set clear boundaries and enforce their terms and conditions to protect their time and mental well-being, even if it means parting ways with clients who refuse to cooperate. Both hosts advocate for proactive communication, detailed client submissions, and the use of dedicated ticketing systems to streamline the support process and foster mutual respect.

Sep 12, 2025 • 38min
Episode 594 Brand Visibility and AI in the Modern Digital Landscape With Jon Mest
This episode of "The SDM Show" features an interview with Jon Mest discussing the critical role of brand visibility and artificial intelligence (AI) in modern marketing. Mest, who previously worked in M&A and various startups, shares his journey to developing Chatrank.ai, a tool designed to help businesses improve their presence in AI overviews and answer engines. He explains that traditional SEO methods are becoming less effective as AI models increasingly curate information, leading to the creation of Chatrank to analyze brand perception by AI, recommend content strategies, and optimize websites for better AI visibility. The conversation underscores the importance for businesses, regardless of size, to understand how AI models perceive them, adapt their content, and monitor competitor activity to effectively leverage AI for increased sales and customer acquisition.

Sep 11, 2025 • 9min
Episode 593 Reflections at 58: Lessons in Life, Business, and Well-being
The provided audio transcript features Rob Cairns, founder and CEO of Stunning Digital Marketing, discussing personal and professional lessons learned over 58 years. Cairns emphasizes the importance of mental and physical well-being, advocating for therapy and regular doctor visits, and highlights the benefits of exercise like walking. He also stresses the value of constructive communication, accepting others for who they are, and removing negative influences from one's life. Finally, Cairns advises against overworking, prioritizing appreciation over solely monetary gain, and expresses gratitude to his listeners and dedicates the show to his parents.

Sep 8, 2025 • 32min
Episode 592 InfluenceWP With Ryan Logan
This podcast episode features Rob Cairns interviewing Ryan Logan about Influence WP, a platform initially conceived as a broad WordPress directory that has since refined its focus to exclusively assist WordPress product creators. Logan explains that Influence WP aims to boost the presence of these creators and help them reach more customers, while simultaneously helping consumers find trusted deals and save money. The discussion highlights the challenge within the WordPress community of reaching beyond "echo chambers" and connecting directly with end consumers, rather than solely communicating among creators. They also explore the growing trend of WordPress businesses diversifying into non-WordPress platforms and the potential for Influence WP to offer an alternative for expanding reach through its partnerships, giveaways, and planned community features, including its unique "concierge listings" service.

Sep 3, 2025 • 48min
Episode 591 Conquering Imposter Syndrome and Unleashing Your Inner Expert With Christine Blosdale
In this podcast episode from "The SDM Show," host Rob Cairns interviews Christine Blosdale, an expert authority coach, about imposter syndrome. They discuss how this feeling of inadequacy impacts entrepreneurs and why individuals struggle to recognize their own expertise. Blosdale shares her personal background and explains how her childhood experiences shaped her ability to identify strengths and weaknesses, which she now uses to help clients overcome self-doubt. The conversation emphasizes the importance of narrowing down one's message, focusing on serving others, and surrounding oneself with positive influences to combat imposter syndrome effectively.

Aug 29, 2025 • 29min
Episode 590 Ryan With Hyperdrive WP: Optimizing WordPress Websites for Business Growth
The podcast episode features an interview with Ryan from Hyperdrive WP, a company offering a WordPress framework extension designed to optimize websites. Ryan explains that Hyperdrive WP focuses on improving site speed, responsiveness, and search engine optimization (SEO), while also providing a user-friendly backend for clients to easily edit content without excessive code bloat. The discussion also touches on the importance of websites as a foundational online presence over social media, the integration of conversion-based design principles, and a streamlined 20-30 day migration process for clients. Furthermore, the conversation explores hosting options, pricing tiers based on page count, and the company's approach to integrating AI in the future, emphasizing current strategies around effective indexing and on-site principles.

Aug 27, 2025 • 46min
Episode 589 Marketing Attribution and Wicked Reports With Scott Desgrosseillers
This podcast episode features an interview with Scott Desgrosseillers, the founder of Wicked Reports, a marketing attribution platform. The conversation, hosted by Rob Cairns of Stunning Digital Marketing, focuses on the critical importance of marketing attribution for businesses, particularly those spending at least $10,000 monthly on ads. Desgrosseillers explains that traditional analytics tools like Google Analytics 4 and ad platform reports are often inadequate for providing clear insights, as they are primarily designed to serve the ad platforms' interests. Wicked Reports, in contrast, aims to offer an accurate "scoreboard" of marketing performance through first-party data attribution and AI-driven insights, helping companies understand their new customer acquisition costs (NCAC) and return on ad spend (ROAS) by analyzing specific campaign goals and data. The discussion also touches on the rising costs of digital advertising, the impact of AI search on traditional search, and the ongoing relevance of platforms like Instagram and email marketing.

Aug 26, 2025 • 33min
Episode 588 WordPress: Product Development in a Changing Ecosystem With Brian Gardner
This podcast episode features an interview with Brian Gardner, a prominent figure in the WordPress community, hosted by Rob Cairns of the SDM Show. The discussion centers on the challenges and opportunities within WordPress product development, especially concerning the adoption of the block editor versus traditional page builders. Gardner expresses his frustrations with the saturated design market and the competition from platforms like WebFlow, while Cairns shares his positive experience transitioning to block-based themes. They also explore the impact of AI on the web and the WordPress ecosystem, acknowledging its disruptive yet beneficial nature for content creation and workflow, and discuss the importance of WordPress core development, including the upcoming admin redesign. The conversation highlights the collaborative spirit of the WordPress community and Gardner's new venture into the real estate industry with niche WordPress products.

Aug 25, 2025 • 5min
Episode 587 All About Domains and Management Tips
The SDM Show, hosted by Rob Cairns, a digital strategist from Stunning Digital Marketing, focuses on business, productivity, and digital marketing, particularly concerning WordPress. This specific episode offers five key points for effective domain management. Cairns advises listeners to never accept a free domain from a web host and to always register their own domain name to maintain control. He also suggests keeping domain registration and website hosting with separate companies to avoid complications. Furthermore, he emphasizes the importance of tracking renewal dates with reminders and hiding WHOIS information to prevent spam. Finally, Cairns recommends using two-step authentication with domain providers for enhanced security.