

The Builders
Matt Levenhagen
"The Builders" Podcast is designed for those that are 'building' stuff on the web. Whether that's building a business, an agency, building teams, building products, services.. or building websites.. if it's related to building something, it's fair game.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Apr 24, 2023 • 44min
A Baseline for Growth: Continuous Marketing & Site Enhancements for Your Business
Hi, I'm Matt Levenhagen, and in Episode 117 of my podcast, we dive deep into the importance of ongoing marketing and website improvement efforts for any business! I'll be sharing my own experiences and examples of how my agency, Unified Web Design, LLC, has been continuously improving our websites and marketing strategies.
Throughout this episode, we'll discuss the benefits of continuous improvement, how it helps with client acquisition and retention, and its role in keeping our agency moving forward. We'll also explore our current marketing strategies, focusing on digital agency partnerships, custom design/dev work, and targeting insurance agencies. I'll share my experience with social media marketing and networking for referrals and visibility, and our efforts in other areas.
As we delve into the importance of a strong online presence, I'll explain how our five websites have played a critical role in promoting our business and establishing credibility; and what our work and roadmap looks like to continuously improve them. I talk about a series of recent updates to ALL our sites to improve or expand content.
Join me in this episode to learn more about maximizing your business’s growth through marketing and site improvement insights. Share your own experiences or questions on the topic, and let's continue the conversation!

Apr 17, 2023 • 45min
Switching Project Management Tools: Navigating the Transition in Your Agency
In Episode 116 of our podcast, I (Matt Levenhagen) take you on a journey through the process of considering a switch from Trello to ClickUp as the project management tool for my growing agency. With a larger team and multiple roles to manage, I discuss the importance of finding the right tool to streamline operations and improve overall efficiency.
Throughout the episode, I share the key steps I follow when evaluating and transitioning to a new project management system: identifying the problem, researching and evaluating potential solutions, involving the team in the decision-making process, and planning for a smooth transition. I also emphasize the importance of being prepared to revert to the previous tool if the new one doesn't live up to expectations.
Whether you're facing a similar decision or simply interested in improving your agency's project management, this episode offers valuable insights and practical advice from my personal experience. Stay tuned for a potential follow-up episode where I will share the outcome of my decision and any lessons learned along the way.

Apr 10, 2023 • 35min
The Art of Custom Web Design: Our Unique Approach & Process (and Why Go Custom?)
In this podcast episode, I dive deep into the world of custom web design and discuss the 'why' behind choosing a custom approach. As the owner of a web design agency, I share my unique approach and process for creating custom websites without starting from scratch.
Discover how my team and I use a mix of boilerplates, third-party features, and our in-house tools to deliver the perfect balance of customization and efficiency.
Learn about the importance of better branding, the freedom of designing without limitations, and how to avoid potential pitfalls when working with custom web design.
Plus, get insights into our tiered process and how we leverage the power of WordPress to create almost any custom feature. Join me for a comprehensive look into the exciting world of custom web design!

Apr 3, 2023 • 1h 4min
AI-Powered Q&A: Matt Answers Questions About Web Design, SEO & More
Welcome to a special episode of The Builders Podcast! I asked my audience on social media to submit their burning questions on digital marketing, web design, SEO, and more. However, I took an interesting twist: since no one actually submitted any questions (everyone must know everything already, haha!), I turned to ChatGPT to generate 10 engaging questions from various digital marketing personas.
In this episode, I dive into a wide range of topics, including the secret to finding and retaining top talent, handling the balance between customization and scalability, managing and prioritizing client projects, and the benefits of custom WordPress sites over platforms like Wix. Moreover, I discuss SEO best practices, building strategic partnerships, keeping up with web design trends, and determining pricing structures for design services.
The uniqueness of this episode lies in the AI-generated questions and the valuable insights shared in response. If you enjoy this episode, let me know, and I might create more like this! Whether you're a fellow agency owner, a web design enthusiast, or a small business owner looking to revamp your website, you'll find valuable takeaways and advice that can help guide you on your digital marketing journey. So, tune in for some great AI-powered insights and don't miss out on this one-of-a-kind episode!

Mar 27, 2023 • 1h 2min
Conquering Self-Doubt: Matt's Experience Harnessing Visualization for Entrepreneurial Growth
In this solo episode, Matt shares his personal experiences with self-doubt, past failures, and the transformative power of visualization in driving business success. He opens up about his own struggles with thoughts like "things are going too well" and how he's learned to conquer those fears doing something similar to meditation and letting go of negative thoughts.
Matt discusses his journey through past business failures and the challenges of managing a growing agency. He reveals how he's overcome old negative habits and quieted the negative thoughts by embracing positive visualization. Learn the concept of counter-visualizing, a skill Matt uses to replace self-sabotaging thoughts with positive, goal-oriented imagery. From breaking down goals by quarter, month, week, and day, to the powerful skiing analogy, you'll gain valuable insights into Matt's personal journey and how visualization has played a crucial role in his business growth.
Finally, Matt shares the importance of daily routines, self-discipline, and habits in maintaining momentum and achieving success. He emphasizes how knowing his numbers, staying focused, and finding motivation from simply getting started has helped him propel his business to new heights. This podcast is an essential listen for anyone looking to learn from Matt's experiences and harness the power of visualization for exceptional business growth.

Mar 20, 2023 • 54min
Big Changes! Making Strategic Decisions as Your Business Grows, Decisions vs Failures
In this solo episode I share a number of changes I’ve recently made in my agency to help streamline, simplify things that will help us focus our energy on those things that have a greater impact, fit our vision, strategy and have the most potential.
In any business, decisions have to be made. Sometimes that means phasing initiatives out. Sometimes that’s consolidating or eliminating something completely. You always have to be conscious of your time and how you spend your time; opportunity cost. And you have to be brave and make tough decisions for the sake of your entire business, your team and those you care about.
It’s easy to get wrapped up in something.. but you can’t be selfish and do something just because you ‘want it’. You have to think about it’s impact; the bigger picture. These are the things I talk about today. I talk about how I’ve phased out one of our products.. a number of them. How I consolidated them into one. I talk about changes to my blogs focus and why those decisions were made.
I even talk about how ChatGPT is changing a lot .. new ways I’m using it. Why things like this we need to embrace to stay competitive and DO MORE. And I end by challenging you to go out into the world, spend some time thinking about your business as a whole.. what decisions might be beneficial to you or your business? And encouraging you to take action!

Mar 13, 2023 • 48min
Edwin Carrion - Finding Balance in Life & Business: A God-Made Millionaire's Journey
In this episode, we are joined by Edwin Carrion, a self-proclaimed God-made millionaire and successful entrepreneur who started his journey by washing cars to make money for what he wanted at the time. Edwin shares a couple life-changing events that influenced and shaped him as a person and brought him closer to God.
He shares his experience building a 20 million dollar company and what he did when he lost all of it. How did he pick himself up? What profound lesson did he learn that has him running multiple multi-million dollar companies today?
Edwin emphasizes the importance of finding balance in all areas of life, taking care of oneself and personal life, and not ignoring our relationship with God. He talks about the impact of working too many hours on relationships and the dangers of spending all your time building a business and neglecting other parts of your life. And the importance of having your why and urgency for your pursuits.
Throughout the episode, Edwin shares his insights on investing in oneself, having gratitude for what you have today, and the power of finding purpose and fulfillment. And the importance of investing in yourself. The difference between getting free coaching vs investing 1000s of dollars.
Join us as we learn from the journey of a God-made millionaire who shares his insights and experiences in life and business, and who’s on a mission to leave a legacy through his business consulting and mentoring.

Mar 6, 2023 • 48min
John Mendez - Podcasting for Impact: How Books & Life Experience Determined His Focus
In this episode, John Mendez shares his story of how he discovered the power of entrepreneurship and the impact of books in shaping his life. Growing up, John did not have a lot of role models, but he was fortunate to be surrounded by successful entrepreneurs who inspired him to take control of his life. He found college easy, but he quickly realized that the traditional education system was not going to teach him the skills he needed to succeed in life.
One book that had a profound impact on John's life was Rich Dad, Poor Dad, which helped him to shift his perspective on money and finances. He became obsessed with learning more about personal finance and entrepreneurship and eventually dropped out of college to pursue his dreams. John shares his journey of how he got into real estate, started his own podcast, and began to share his story to inspire others.
John's podcast, "Walk to Wealth," is all about helping young people transform their mindset, develop self-confidence, and build wealth through entrepreneurship and personal finance. He discusses his Dream 100 List of guests and how he strategically reaches out to big-name guests to feature on his show. John believes that sharing your story is one of the most powerful things you can do to help others, and his podcast is his way of making a positive impact on the world.
If you're interested in entrepreneurship, personal finance, or simply want to be inspired by a young entrepreneur who is changing lives through his podcast, then this episode is for you. John's passion for helping others and sharing his story is contagious, and his insights and lessons learned along the way are both informative and inspiring. Tune in to learn more about John's journey and the pillars that form the foundation of his podcast.

Feb 27, 2023 • 1h
Alex Fink - A Mission to Clean Up the Web, Creation of an AI-Driven Content Filtering Platform!
In episode 109, I speak with Alex Fink, the creator of a groundbreaking app that helps users filter out the junk on the internet. Alex shares his journey and explains why he left his previous work building perception systems and cameras to tackle the problem of information overload. He tells us how his wife inspired him to build a content filter.
He used crowdfunding to raise the necessary funds for this project. Our conversation takes an interesting detour as Alex discusses the different types of crowdfunding and the benefits and drawbacks of each, and shares tips on how to build a successful campaign.
We explore the evolution of crowdfunding over the past few years and how it's changed the way startups raise funds. Alex talks about the challenges of finding the right investors and why he chose to avoid institutional money. He shares insights on how to build a strong team and how to manage outsourcing. Alex also provides advice on how to test potential team members and what to look for when hiring.
We then delve into the mechanics of the app and how it uses a built-in search engine and AI to filter out clickbait and rewrite headlines. Alex explains how the app generates bullet-point summaries, creates nutrition labels for content, and penalizes articles without external references. He also discusses the importance of customization and transparency in the app and how it scrubs content from both sides of the political spectrum without any bias.
Overall, this episode is an enlightening exploration of how technology can help us navigate the web and make sense of the deluge of information available to us. Alex's app is a game-changer, and his insights on crowdfunding and team-building are invaluable for anyone looking to launch a startup or build a better world.

Feb 20, 2023 • 58min
Jono Petrohilo - How to Create & Promote Successful Online Courses, Tips & Benefits!
In this episode I’m joined by Jono Petrohilo. Jono has a VERY interesting story. He has a background in fitness and share’s his story of running bootcamps in Australia. His journey from being ranked #75 to #1 within a year is truly inspiring!
What led him to courses? It starts by him leveraging courses himself to find greater success in what he was doing in fitness. Eventually he starts creating his own courses in this space and achieving great success. Today he generates over a million dollars a year selling courses and has won the “Australia Fitness Educator of the Year” award twice for what he provides.
Today Jono is branching out and helping anyone that is interested in creating and promoting courses in their niche or vertical. So he’s going outside of fitness to share his experience from the trenches. He provides some great insights, advice and tips for anyone that wants to get started. There’s so many benefits to creating courses.. I know you’ll walk away from this episode inspired to do more courses or get started!