The Food Blogger Pro Podcast

Welcome to episode 58 of the Food Blogger Pro podcast! In this episode, Bjork goes solo and talks about overcoming "the resistance." One of the hardest things about doing a creative endeavor is simply doing it. Not getting distracted. Not doing other less important things. Not putting it off endlessly because the idea of actually doing it is scary. This is called the Resistance. The Resistance is what keeps us from moving forward, from trying new things, and from making progress. And we all have it somewhere inside, and it usually shows up much more often then you would like to imagine. But once you are aware of the resistance and what it looks like, you'll see it everywhere. In this episode, Bjork gives 5 tips that help you overcome the Resistance when it rears it's ugly head. In this episode, Bjork talks about: What the resistance is and how is presents itself How "building your castle" can help you find motivation to create content How rewarding yourself for the Work can help you move forward Why taking the very first small steps can help you start a seemingly huge project Why fixing small things can hinder progress Why being too committed can keep you from being outstanding Resources: 5 ways to make money for your blog Essentialism by Greg McKeown 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!

Welcome to episode 57 of the Food Blogger Pro podcast! In this episode, Bjork interviews Kickoff Labs founder Josh Ledgard about finding the right idea and growing your audience. Josh Ledgard started his entrepreneurial journey while still working at Microsoft - he would start projects, bring them in, and then gain support for the project from his superiors. He then slowly and methodically planned to start his own business, saving up money for a year and dreaming up big ideas. The business he and his cofounder eventually started was not one of their original ideas. Instead, they "happened upon" a product that people really wanted to use, and they ran with it. Learn more about Josh, his awesome story, and their amazing marketing product, Kickoff Labs, in this enlightening interview. In this episode, Josh shares: How he was an "internal entrepreneur" at Microsoft before he started his own business How he transitioned from a corporate employee to self-employed When he hires work out instead of doing it himself How Kickoff Labs started What Kickoff Labs does to help you launch a product How Kickoff Labs has helped launch PlateView How you can build a following for your blog A critique of the PlateView landing page Resources: Kickoff Labs 4 hour workweek PlateView Nutrifox 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!

Welcome to episode 56 of the Food Blogger Pro podcast! In this episode, Bjork talks with Megan Telpner about creating a business, staying small, and finding the work you should be doing. Meghan Telpner is the CEO of the Academy of Culinary Nutrition, an online school where students learn to create healthy lives through cooking. The school has certified over 700 people to practice as culinary nutritionists and Meghan is a sought-after speaker about entrepreneurship. She didn't start there, though. Meghan's career online began back in the early 2000s, and she's fine-tuned (and rough-tuned) her business to grow it into what it is today. Meghan has found that just "doing the work" isn't good enough, and that to really excel you need to be working in your area of brilliance. In this episode, Meghan shares: How she got started in the nutrition space Why she folded her blog into her personal business Why she deleted a large part of her content to get more traffic in the long run Why she keeps such a small team despite the revenue to expand How she keeps from getting bored with her business The advice she would give herself a few years ago Resources: The Marilyn Denis Show Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert (the trickster book Bjork mentions) MeganTelpner.com culinarynutrition.com Meghan on Twitter Academy of Culinary Nutrition on Twitter and Instagram Nutrifox 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!

Welcome to episode 55 of the Food Blogger Pro podcast! In this episode, Bjork talks with Jason Logsdon from Amazing Food Made Easy about self-publishing a cookbook. For many bloggers, getting a cookbook deal sounds like a dream come true. That's when they know they've "made it." As it turns out, though, getting a cookbook deal with a major publisher isn't all puppies and roses. When it comes down to it, publishing a cookbook is more about brand awareness than it is about income, and much of the legwork done for creating and marketing the book is still up to the author. Jason Logsdon published his first cookbook when his blog was still rather small - and he quickly discovered how self-publishing can actually be a simple, rewarding process that allows you to generate income even with a relatively small audience. In this episode, Jason shares: Why he chose such a specific niche to blog in The 4 simple steps to self-publishing When it's better to self publish vs. traditional publish What an average blogger can expect to make from a traditionally published cookbook How much money a self-published book can bring in How much traffic he had when he published his first book Who does the editing when you self-publish Why it's a good idea to publish a print book What tools he uses to layout his books Resources: CreateSpace Under Pressure by Thomas Keller Goats in Trees Calendar Amazon Whispernet 052: How to Sell 4,000 Cookbooks Before You Even Publish with Megan Gilmore from Detoxinista Amazing Food Made Easy Selfpublishacookbook.com Self Publishing Made Easy by Jason Logsdon 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!

Welcome to episode 54 of the Food Blogger Pro podcast! In this episode, Bjork talks with Jeni Elliot from The Blog Maven. Jeni Elliott knows that just doing the work isn't going to turn your business dreams into a reality. Instead, she's a proponent of doing the right kind of work, using both tactics and strategies to achieve your overarching goals, and maintaining a work-life balance. She got her start not in the blogging world, but in the business world, where she helped small business owners meet their goals. As an avid blog reader, though, she found that she could apply her strategies to blog businesses and see profound impact. So, she made The Blog Maven her career's work, and along the way has learned what it takes to turn a blogger into an entrepreneur. In this episode, Jeni shares: How you can have a business and still have a life Why a good website isn't the only thing you need Whether or not "making money" is an acceptable blogging goal What the difference is between a blogging tactic and a blogging strategy What tactics entrepreneurs can use to build their business If food bloggers should think of themselves as a source of recipes How you can find a niche that your audience is interested in Why finding solutions is different from providing recipes Resources: ConvertKit The Blog Maven 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!

Welcome to episode 53 of the Food Blogger Pro podcast! In this episode, Bjork talks with someone most of us are probably familiar with, Pat Flynn from Smart Passive Income. Do I even need to introduce Pat? I mean, he's kind of an online business celebrity. In the world of passive income, Pat has come to embody what it means to run a passive income business. If you haven't heard of passive income before, definitey check out Pat's website where he talks a lot about it. This episode doesn't go too deep into the intricacies of what passive income is. Instead, Pat talks about what he's done to determine whether a passive income business idea will really take off - whether or not it will fly. He talks about his two passive income business and how they continue to bring in money today after creating them years ago. He talks about how he can manage with so many things on his plate while still adhering to The One Thing that Jay Papasan talked about in this episode. In all, it's a really incredible episode, so let's just jump right in! In this episode, Pat shares: What he would do if he had to start over again How reading a dating book helped him learn how to meet people Why getting laid off was the best thing that ever happened to him How you can do many things while only focusing on one at a time How he makes passive income with two niche websites Why people don't find success How he gets real feedback from his audience What you can do to see if your business idea is viable Resources: The Game by Niel Strauss Videofruit Internet Business Mastery IBM 68 | Cubicle Escape Story with Cornelius Fitchner Green Exam Academy Smart Passive Income Evernote The One Thing 047: The Surprisingly Simple Truth Behind Extraordinary Results with Jay Papasan Secutiry Guard Training HQ FoodTruckr.com Will it Fly by Pat Flynn foodbloggerpro.com/survey 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!

Welcome to episode 52 of the Food Blogger Pro podcast! In this episode, Bjork talks with Megan Gilmore from Detoxinista. We all know that writing a cookbook is a LOT of work. From the recipe development to the photography, a cookbook author is a busy bee. One thing you might not know, though, is that the author is also expected to presell copies of their book to their audience before it even publishes. As you might imagine, this can be quite the task! When Megan Gilmore, the author behind Detoxinista, set out to presell copies of her first cookbook, they expected the average number of sales - somewhere around 500 cookbooks. Instead, she blew everyone at 10 Speed Press out of the water with a whopping 4,000 cookbook presales - the largest presale in the history of 10 Speed Press. Today, she's here to tell us how she did it. In this episode, Megan shares: How she got her first book deal What the difference is between an advance and royalties Why a cookbook deal isn't necessarily a good way to make money, but is a good business decision Why cookbook authors run presale campaigns What she gave away as part of the preorder campaign How she raised awareness about her book before it was released How she promoted her book once it was officially released What the writing process is like What you need to do before you create a cookbook Resources: 015: How to Find Your Voice and be Heard in a Noisy World with Dianne Jacob Lutefisk Just Say No mug Physique57 Detoxinista Every Day Detox by Megan Gilmore Detoxinista on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, and Instagram 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!

Welcome to episode 51 of the Food Blogger Pro podcast! In this episode, Bjork dives into the intricacies of branding with Aaron Scott from Your Brand Week. For some new businesses, branding can be an afterthought, or even something that isn't thought about much at all. In reality, though, your branding can be the first and last impression that a visitor can have about your business. A logo can convey meaning, type can encourage continued reading, and colors can invoke emotion. When it all comes together, your branding can be a powerful tool for your business. Aaron Scott and his wife, Amanda, recently launched Your Brand Week, a boutique branding agency geared toward helping small businesses create meaningful brands in an affordable and efficient manner. Today, Aaron chats with Bjork about what a cohesive brand is and how it can impact your business. In this episode, Aaron reveals: How they found clarity about what direction their business should take How they turned a service into a product What branding is When rebranding is necessary What you should be thinking about when designing a logo How to know if your branding conveys the correct meaning for your business Why typography is so important How to use different fonts on your website Why complimentary colors aren't the best choice when choosing colors What your brand guidelines should include Resources: Built to Sell by John Warrillow SPI 158: How to Productize your Service-Based Business Google Fonts Adobe TypeKit Adobe Color Moo.com - FBP members get a discount! yourbrandweek.com/foodbloggerpro for $1000 off blog branding Your Brand Week on Twitter & Facebook Pickles & Honey 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!

Welcome to episode 51 of the Food Blogger Pro podcast! In this episode, Bjork talks all things video with Tim Schmoyer from VideoCreators.com. We've all heard it recently: video is the new thing. Get into video. Video is key. Okay, okay. We get it. We need to get into video. But once we make that commitment and dive right in, how do we get people to watch it? And beyond that, how do we get them to keep watching it? Keeping viewers engaged with your video is extrememly important. The longer they watch your video, the more interested they are in your content, and the more positive signals they send to YouTube (or whereever you upload). Tim Schmoyer, founder of VideoCreators.com and long-time successful YouTube Vlogger, is here today to share his secrets to creating engaging videos that your viewers just can't peel their eyes away from. In this episode, Tim shares: What his very first video was like How he comes up with new content every week The most important thing video needs to have How to keep a person's eyes glued to the screen The best kind of video cuts for YouTube How long your videos should be How to satisfy viewers' expectations within the first 15 seconds How to prepare before recording a video Whether or not you need a team to be successful Resources: Frame.io Find Your Voice Upwork Video Creators on YouTube Videocreators.com Schmovies on YouTube 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!

Welcome to episode 49 of the Food Blogger Pro podcast! In this episode, Bjork chats with Allison Schaaf from the meal planning service PrepDish. Allison Schaaf started her entrepreneurial adventure with two key components: a focused goal and great branding. But what has kept her going in creating a business that brings in hundreds of thousands of dollars every year was something else entirely. In a word: Accountability. Allison found a while back that working with business coaches has helped her business skyrocket. And while the coaches helped her get to where she is today, she also discovered that accountability of any sort, from a coach to a friend to a dedicated group, is what helps her set and achieve her goals. In this episode, Allison shares: The very first step she took when starting her new online business What set her apart from other similar businesses How she worked through struggles at the beginning How she gets the word out about her business What she learned from her business coach and how it's helped How an accountability group helps her reach her goals The process she uses to set strong, realistic goals Resources: Entrepreneur on Fire episode 1310 with Allison SPI episode 201 with Allison 047: The Surprisingly Simple Truth Behind Extraordinary Results with Jay Papasan InfusionSoft CrateJoy MailChimp WooCommerce Leadpages prepdish.com/pro 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!