The Food Blogger Pro Podcast

How to work in your zone, set a morning routine, and optimize your workspace with Bjork Ostrom. ----- Welcome to episode 110 of the Food Blogger Pro podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork talks about 10 habits that can help your business grow long-term. 10 Simple Habits that Create BIG Growth for Your Business Forming habits can have an exponential affect on your business' growth, and Bjork has seen that first-hand as he built Food Blogger Pro. Bjork talks about 10 habits that have had a huge impact on his productivity and on Food Blogger Pro's growth. He recommends apps, systems, philosophies, and practices that you can implement today into your business to see growth long-term. In this episode, Bjork shares: What a "black book" is How to keep track of your to-dos How a morning routine can impact your business How to get to "Inbox Zero" An easier way to keep track of receipts How to save articles to read later How to optimize your workspace Why you should turn off all push notifications How do perform a time audit How to find ways to "work in your zone" Resources: Evernote Things Asana Trello Getting Things Done Clear Koalcat's Clear Five Minute Journal Headspace Mixmax Boomerang Shoeboxed Pocket Moment Rescue Time The War of Art If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions for interviews, be sure to email them to podcast@foodbloggerpro.com.

How to implement systems, shift your business' focus, and narrow your offerings with Greg Hickman. ----- Welcome to episode 109 of the Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork talks to Greg Hickman about building systems, building courses, and building a profitable business. How Systems and Courses can Build a Profitable Business Shifting the focus in your business might be a scary step. But for Greg, shifting his business focus came via a challenge, and he learned that it was a necessary step for growing his business. He went from focusing on mobile marketing to automation and marketing funnels. Now he helps other businesses narrow down their offerings and use trends to build out their systems. He talks about finding the right product to sell, tools he recommends for marketers, and how you can give your audience value. In this episode, Greg shares: How he got started helping businesses with their funnels and automation How he knew how to make a shift in his business How a challenge led him to his new business model Why he helps his clients understand their problems Why narrowing down your offerings makes running your business easier How to not be a slave to your business How to use trends to build your systems and automations How to figure out a product to sell Why you should go as premium as you can The tools he recommends for marketers Resources: System.ly Zero to Scale Podcast The Mobile Mixed Podcast Infusionsoft WP Curve Amy Porterfield Funnels That Scale 056: Working in Your Area of Brilliance with Meghan Telpner 105: How Food Bloggers Use Courses to Build their Businesses with Randle Browning ActiveCampaign Leadpages ClickFunnels Unbounce Instapage No Leads Left Behind Facebook Group How to Use Marketing Automation to Scale Your Funnel from 6 to 7 Figures Webinar If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions for interviews, be sure to email them to podcast@foodbloggerpro.com.

Common mindsets for entrepreneurs, how to find success through breakthroughs, and how to grow a podcast into a success with Natalie Eckdahl. ----- Welcome to episode 108 of the Food Blogger Pro podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork talks to Natalie Eckdahl about growing her podcast into a six-figure success. From Struggling Podcast to Six-Figure Success "If you build it, they will come." That's what Natalie thought of her audience when she first built her podcast back in 2014. While that wasn't exactly the case, Natalie started to understand her audience and quickly grew her struggling podcast, The Biz Chix Podcast, to a six-figure business. Along the way, Natalie has coached many different types of women entrepreneurs, and she has learned about their struggles, issues, and tools for success. The lessons she has learned helps her educate, encourage and promote entrepreneurial women looking to grow their businesses. In this episode, Natalie shares: Why she decided to start her podcast How she scaled that podcast into a seven figure business Why it's important to understand your audience Why she recommends joining a mastermind group The common mindset issues she sees in her clients How to be intentional with your time Resources: BizChix The BizChix Podcast 24 Exceptional Women-Hosted Podcasts for Entrepreneurs in 2017 The 5 Best Podcasts for Women Entrepreneurs Dave Ramsey Entrepreneur on Fire Amy Porterfield Michael Stelzner Pat Flynn Flipped Lifestyle On Air Coaching Work with Natalie The Five Second Rule Will Smith on Skydiving 80/20 Sales and Marketing: The Definitive Guide to Working Less and Making More BizChix Live 2017 If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions for interviews, be sure to email them to podcast@foodbloggerpro.com.

Why "going viral" early might not be best with Sarah Wu. ----- Welcome to episode 107 of the Food Blogger Pro podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork talks to Sarah Wu about her viral blog and why "going viral" quickly might not be the best thing for everyone. How to Go Viral, Kill Your Blog, and Start Over Going viral. It's the dream for all bloggers, right? Not exactly. Sarah Wu experienced what it's like to have a viral blog early in her blogging career. She was featured on news outlets like Good Morning America, AOL, and Yahoo, saw her page views quickly grow, and started getting more comments. However, going viral wasn't what was best for Sarah and her blog about school lunches. In this episode, Sarah shares: Why she decided to document school lunches How her blog grew Why she decided to start as an anonymous blogger How she was featured on Good Morning America, AOL, and Yahoo Why you should focus on becoming an expert Why smaller goals are important for growing your blog Why going viral early might not be the best thing for your blog Why it's important to be yourself Resources: Fed Up with Lunch Andy Bellatti Trust Me, I'm Lying: Confessions of a Media Manipulator Speech is Beautiful Follow Sarah on Instagram If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions for interviews, be sure to email them to podcast@foodbloggerpro.com.

How to refine your brand, share your story, and help others with Carol Cox. ----- Welcome to episode 106 of the Food Blogger Pro podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork talks to Carol Cox about refining your brand and sharing your story. Discovering Your Unique Brand How would you define your brand? It's an interesting and important question to answer about your business. Carol, however, thinks it's even more important to gauge how your audience defines your brand. Once you understand that, you can then refine your brand and use your expertise to support your audience. Carol's advice will show you how you can help your readers by choosing the stories you share and the niche you pick. In this episode, Carol shares: What a brand actually is How to gauge the way your audience views your brand How to refine your brand Why you should excavate your story Why failures make good stories How to create a story bank Why you should process through your story before you write about it How to help someone along their "Hero's Journey" How you can find your niche How to make a "signature talk" Resources: 360°Reach Gorilla Suit and the London Marathon Hero's Journey Speaking Your Brand Calendly Grab your free PDF Follow Carol on Facebook and Twitter If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions for interviews, be sure to email them to podcast@foodbloggerpro.com.

How to pick a course topic, price your course, and feel confident to teach with Randle Browning. ----- Welcome to episode 105 of the Food Blogger Pro podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork talks to Randle Browning from Teachable about creating courses to generate income and leads. How Food Bloggers Use Courses to Build their Businesses What are you an expert at? Maybe it's cake decorating. Maybe it's vegan cooking. Or maybe it's cooking with the ever-so popular Instant Pot. Regardless, you can make a course about it. And creating that course is a great way to build your online presence and business. Randle Browning works for Teachable, a site that helps you build and sell your own online courses. She has so many tips that will help you pick the perfect course topic, create your course, and then successfully launch your course. In this episode, Randle shares: Why you should pre-sell a course How to segment your email list based on a course How to gauge interest in your course idea How to price your course How to pick a topic for your course What "expert" means and how to feel confident enough to teach a certain topic Why you don't need to be the "Ultimate Expert" Resources: The Waco Vegan Liberty Harbor RV Park Teachable 097: How to Create a Full-Time Income from Blogging Using The Egg Carton Method with Bjork Ostrom How to Create a Mini Course to Build Your Business Make Fabulous Cakes The Raw Academy The Creative Curator MailChimp ConvertKit Tim Ferris Tasty Food Photography Follow Randle on Instagram and Twitter Get 1 free month of the Pro Teachable Plan with promo code food (valid until August 15th) If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions for interviews, be sure to email them to podcast@foodbloggerpro.com.

How to track expenses, pay yourself, and set up bank account for your business with Cathy Derus. ----- Welcome to episode 104 of the Food Blogger Pro podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork talks to Cathy Derus about tax advice for bloggers. How Bloggers Should Handle Their Taxes and Accounting Photographing, cooking, connecting, writing…these are typically the aspects of blogging we all love. Cathy, on the other hand, loves spreadsheets, tracking expenses, and talking to other bloggers about taxes. Cathy started her businesses, Brightwater Financial and Brightwater Accounting, as a way to help small business owners like bloggers navigate the confusing tax side of their businesses. It's a topic that is incredibly important for all bloggers to understand, and Cathy's goal is to make the process a little easier. From setting up a bank account for your business to tracking expenses, this episode is a crash-course to understanding taxes and accounting. In this episode, Cathy shares: How her diverse knowledge helped her launch her own practice How her blog helped her explore her interests and experiences The difference between accounting and financials When you should start expensing blog purchases Why you should have a separate business bank account for your blog How to pay yourself from your business' money How to put aside money for the IRS What an EIN is and why you should get one What quarterly taxes are and why they're important for businesses Resources: 063: Personal Finance for Business Owners with Jeff Rose from Good Financial Cents Brightwater Financial Brightwater Accounting Tax Checklist for Food Bloggers The Lively Show by Jess Lively 099: Sponsored Content and Getting Paid What Your Work is Worth with Danielle Liss Quickbooks Online Shoebox Ed Profit First Simple Numbers, Straight Talk, Big Profits Quickbooks Self-Employed Open for Business Follow Brightwater Financial on Facebook and Twitter If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions for interviews, be sure to email them to podcast@foodbloggerpro.com. Be sure to review us on iTunes!

How to find inspiration, deliver value, and grow your engagement with the Pinch of Yum Team. ----- Welcome to episode 103 of the Food Blogger Pro podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork talks to Lindsay and Alana from Pinch of Yum about creating awesome recipe videos. Answering Questions about Recipe Videos Spend five minutes on Facebook or Instagram, and I bet you'll see at least one or two recipe videos in your feed. Recipe videos are the thing for food bloggers right now, and we always get questions from bloggers about how they can make viral food videos that will help deliver value, boost engagement, and grow followings on social media. That's exactly what Alana, Bjork, and Lindsay talk about today. Today we're sharing the Q&A session from our recent One-Day Recipe Video Bootcamp event. Alana, Bjork, and Lindsay answer some of your questions about gear, lighting, writing engaging captions, and their personal success with recipe videos in this Q&A. In this episode, Alana, Bjork, and Lindsay share: How video has changed Pinch of Yum's social media presence How to easily keep track of your Instagram statistics What kind of lenses and monitors you can use for food videos What kind of lighting you should use for food videos Why Lindsay doesn't include links to her recipes on her food videos on Instagram What Alana's two most important food video purchases are How the POY team decides on the recipes they turn into videos How Bjork makes his famous "Fresh Baked Cookies" ;) Resources: Get the Bootcamp Bundle! Nutrifox Edit Academy Pinch of Yum Social Blade Canon 28mm f/1.8 lens Canon 70–200mm f/2.8 lens smallHD 701 Lite Monitor VIVO Ultra HD Monitor Imorden 7" Articulating Hotshoe Mount Arm The Scran Line Bon Appetit Food and Wine Feed Feed Foodsteez Mic Shock Mount Mic Pop Filter If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions for interviews, be sure to email them to podcast@foodbloggerpro.com. Be sure to review us on iTunes!

How to write with focus, read with purpose, and build your community with Gabriela Pereira. ----- Welcome to episode 102 of the Food Blogger Pro podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork talks to Gabriela Pereira about becoming a better writer and building a community around your writing. How to Write with Focus, Read with Purpose, and Build Your Community Gabriela got her MFA in 2010, and after she graduated, she realized that a lot of people don't actually need a formal education process in order to write. If you give yourself permission to own your creativity and writing, and if you learn a few key skills along the way, you can be a writer. She started DIY MFA to teach others how they can do exactly that. By focusing on the work at hand, Gabriela has been able to practice, evaluate, and fine-tune her craft and teach others how to do the same. Gabriela's strategies about finding the right writing system, tracking productivity, staying inspired, and understanding strengths and weaknesses all play into finding one's voice and writing style. In this episode, Gabriela shares: What an MFA is Why she considers herself an instigator How she calculates and tracks her productivity How to find a writing system that works for you How she stays inspired How she writes personal posts Why it's important to get input from the right people Why you should know your strengths and weaknesses Resources: 099: Sponsored Content and Getting Paid What Your Work is Worth with Danielle Liss DIY MFA DIY MFA Book The Writer Igniter Setting the Mood for an Optimal Writing Session Gabriela's personal post James Altucher DIY MFA Radio podcast Starter Kit If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions for interviews, be sure to email them to podcast@foodbloggerpro.com.

How to trust your gut, why you need to build your own path, and why you should pursue the work (not the end) with Bjork Ostrom. ----- Welcome to episode 101 of the Food Blogger Pro podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork talks about the lessons he learned after five years of publishing Income Reports on Pinch of Yum. What I Learned After Five Years of Income Reports The Pinch of Yum Income Reports chronicle the experiment Bjork and Lindsay started as a way to find out if it was possible to create an income from a food blog. Spoiler alert: It is. After five years of publishing these income reports and sharing the process of turning Pinch of Yum into a business, Bjork has learned quite a few lessons. From learning to trust his gut to building their own path to learning how to learn, the 20 lessons Bjork discusses will help anyone in pursuit of starting their own business and becoming their own boss. In this episode, Bjork shares: How and why he started writing the Pinch of Yum Income Reports Why you need to listen to your gut How you can learn more information about your industry Why you should dedicate time to reflection Why working with the right people is important Why you need to build your own path Resources: Register for the One-Day Recipe Video Bootcamp! Pinch of Yum on Facebook and Instagram Pinch of Yum Income Reports Youth Frontiers This Week in Startups podcast The James Altucher Show Mixergy podcast Marketing School podcast MacBreak Weekly podcast How I Built This podcast This American Life The War of Art If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions for interviews, be sure to email them to podcast@foodbloggerpro.com.