AskPat 2.0: A Weekly Coaching Call on Online Business, Blogging, Marketing, and Lifestyle Design

You're about to hear a coaching call with Melody from MelodyWilding.com. You can also visit MelodyWilding.com/mediasecrets for free training on how to get mainstream publicity. Melody's a coach and she wants to serve more of her audience by creating a wider-reaching offer. She's not quite sure how to do that, so we walk through the process and uncover exactly what she wants to do next. Let's get started! If you want to be considered for a coaching session, apply via the form at AskPat.com. If you enjoyed today's episode and you love the format of this show and helping other entrepreneurs, can you help me convince others to listen too? All you have to do is leave a quick review and rating on iTunes (and subscribe if you haven't already). That would mean the world to me, so thank you so much! Today’s sponsor is FreshBooks, who make the best financial management software out there. It’s ridiculously easy to use and their interface is highly-visual and super-intuitive. You can actually get an unrestricted, thirty-day trial for free; just go to FreshBooks.com/askpat and enter “Ask Pat” in the “How Did You Hear About Us?” section.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week I'm coaching Luis Diaz, who has a podcast agency in the fitness entrepreneurship space. You can find Luis on his Instagram. Like with any new business, Luis's agency is having some growing pains. As he's gained clients, it's become harder and harder to scale his revenue without scaling the cost of providing the service. He's feeling stuck. How can he scale, both in terms of growth and revenue? And as he scales, how can he better manage his team and systems so he can focus where he needs to? If you want to be considered for a coaching session, apply via the form at AskPat.com. In this episode I mention Brian Casel from ProductizeandScale.com, a great site that helps solopreneurs and freelancers scale their business and services. If you enjoyed today's episode and you love the format of this show and helping other entrepreneurs, can you help me convince others to listen too? All you have to do is leave a quick review and rating on iTunes (and subscribe if you haven't already). That would mean the world to me, so thank you so much! Today’s sponsor is FreshBooks, who make the best financial management software out there. It’s ridiculously easy to use and their interface is highly-visual and super-intuitive. You can actually get an unrestricted, thirty-day trial for free; just go to FreshBooks.com/askpat and enter “Ask Pat” in the “How Did You Hear About Us?” section. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On the show with me today is Jacques Hopkins, who owns a very successful business called Pianoin21Days.com. He also has a successful YouTube channel. Jacques is at a point where he wants to create better sales funnels for his business, specifically through audience segmentation. This is a great idea but—as I know from experience—it can be completely overwhelming. Today we're going to talk about how to tackle segmentation step by step. If you want to be considered for a coaching session, apply via the form at AskPat.com. In this episode I mention Brennan Dunn, who's the king of segmentation right now. You can learn about him at DoubleYourFreelancing.com. He's created some great tools that I recommend checking out, like RightMessage and RightAsk. I also mention a book in this episode called Ask by Ryan Levesque, a great resource for understanding what questions to ask your customers through surveys and the like. If you enjoyed today's episode and you love the format of this show, and helping other entrepreneurs, can you help me convince others to listen too? All you have to do is leave a quick review and rating on iTunes (and subscribe if you haven't already). That would mean the world to me, so thank you so much! Today’s sponsor is FreshBooks, who make the best financial management software out there. It’s ridiculously easy to use and their interface is highly-visual and super-intuitive. You can actually get an unrestricted, thirty-day trial for free; just go to FreshBooks.com/askpat and enter “Ask Pat” in the “How Did You Hear About Us?” section. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Today I'm coaching Shira Karpel, who has a business helping ABA therapists (Applied Behavior Analysis), specifically ABA therapists who help children. You can find her online at HowtoABA.com and The Behavior Resource. She's thinking of branching out to start a resource for parents of children with learning disabilities as well. How does her new direction fit into her current business? How can she serve both groups? If you want to be considered for a coaching session, apply via the form at AskPat.com. If you enjoyed today's episode and you love the format of this show, and helping other entrepreneurs, can you help me convince others to listen too? All you have to do is leave a quick review and rating on iTunes (and subscribe if you haven't already). That would mean the world to me, so thank you so much! Today’s sponsor is FreshBooks, who make the best financial management software out there. It’s ridiculously easy to use and their interface is highly-visual and super-intuitive. You can actually get an unrestricted, thirty-day trial for free; just go to FreshBooks.com/askpat and enter “Ask Pat” in the “How Did You Hear About Us?” section. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

I've got Debbie Tringale on the show today, a dog training expert with a very special superpower, or "unfair advantage" as I like to call it. But her business is very location-based, and she mainly caters to local people. How can she transition her services online, gather a following, and create revenue streams for her new online business? Find out more about Debbie at MeandMyDogs.biz. In this episode I talk about idea validation, which I cover extensively in my book, Will It Fly? I also mention a book by a good friend of mine, Chris Ducker, called Rise of the Youpreneur. It's got a lot of great information in it about building a personal brand, and various models and offerings you could use in your business. If you want to be considered for a coaching session, apply via the form at AskPat.com. If you enjoyed today's episode and you love the format of this show, and helping other entrepreneurs, can you help me convince others to listen too? All you have to do is leave a quick review and rating on iTunes (and subscribe if you haven't already). That would mean the world to me, so thank you so much! Today’s sponsor is FreshBooks, who make the best financial management software out there. It’s ridiculously easy to use and their interface is highly-visual and super-intuitive. You can actually get an unrestricted, thirty-day trial for free; just go to FreshBooks.com/askpat and enter “Ask Pat” in the “How Did You Hear About Us?” section. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Today's coaching session is with June Bolneo, Founder of The Digital Workforce, a company that teaches people how to shift from the traditional nine to five to remote, online careers. She wants to better monetize, get some more time back, and go full-time with her business. Today I'm going to help her create some positive momentum! If you want to be considered for a coaching session, apply via the form at AskPat.com. If you enjoyed today's episode and you love the format of this show, and helping other entrepreneurs, can you help me convince others to listen too? All you have to do is leave a quick review and rating on iTunes (and subscribe if you haven't already). That would mean the world to me, so thank you so much! Next week I'm talking with Debbie, who has a very localized, brick and mortar business. How can she scale and expand out into the online world? Today’s sponsor is FreshBooks, who make the best financial management software out there. It’s ridiculously easy to use and their interface is highly-visual and super-intuitive. You can actually get an unrestricted, thirty-day trial for free; just go to FreshBooks.com/askpat and enter “Ask Pat” in the “How Did You Hear About Us?” section. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Today's guest is Jake Nelson. He works a full-time job as a project manager, but he wants to start something new. He has a lot of passions, he just doesn't know where to start or what to do. This is an awesome episode, especially if you're just starting out in online business. Through the call, we identify key strategies for validating your business ideas and creating blueprints for getting them off the ground. If you want to be considered for a coaching session, apply via the form at AskPat.com. If you enjoyed today's episode and you love the format of this show, and helping other entrepreneurs, can you help me convince others to listen too? All you have to do is leave a quick review and rating on iTunes (and subscribe if you haven't already). That would mean the world to me, so thank you so much! Today’s sponsor is FreshBooks, who make the best financial management software out there. It’s ridiculously easy to use and their interface is highly-visual and super-intuitive. You can actually get an unrestricted, thirty-day trial for free; just go to FreshBooks.com/askpat and enter “Ask Pat” in the “How Did You Hear About Us?” section. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The issue with a service-based business is that you can only scale so big before you either burn out or stop delivering quality work, and that's what's happening with today's guest, Julienne DesJardins. She's reaching her client limit but knows she can help a lot more people, so she's expanded her business to include a team. The problem that she's running into is that people don't want the team—they want her. How can she keep her brand running under her name but with a team behind it? And how should she package her business services? By the way, if you're on Twitter or Instagram, let me know what you thought of this episode. I know a lot of you probably have had this issue of growing outside of yourself and your business, so give me a shout out using the hashtag #askpat1027. I'd love to know your thoughts! If you want to be considered for a coaching session, apply via the form at AskPat.com. If you enjoyed today's episode and you love the format of this show, and helping other entrepreneurs, can you help me convince others to listen too? All you have to do is leave a quick review and rating on iTunes (and subscribe if you haven't already). That would mean the world to me, so thank you so much! Today’s sponsor is FreshBooks, who make the best financial management software out there. It’s ridiculously easy to use and their interface is highly-visual and super-intuitive. You can actually get an unrestricted, thirty-day trial for free; just go to FreshBooks.com/askpat and enter “Ask Pat” in the “How Did You Hear About Us?” section. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Emory is my guest on the show today. He has a hobby website called ByLand.co. He's a backpacker who once hiked the Pacific Crest Trail, and so his website is in the backpacking niche. He also runs a podcast called The By Land Podcast. I'm going to coach Emory so he can monetize that site, go full-time with his business, and help more people backpack better. Stick around! If you want to be considered for a coaching session, apply via the form at AskPat.com. In this episode I mention how effective resource pages can be, and a fantastic example is my buddy Thomas's resource page at CollegeInfoGeek.com/resources. Check it out! If you enjoyed today's episode and you love the format of this show, and helping other entrepreneurs, can you help me convince others to listen too? All you have to do is leave a quick review and rating on iTunes (and subscribe if you haven't already). That would mean the world to me, so thank you so much! A lot of people have been asking me if I have any special deals for ConvertKit. As a matter of fact, I do! You can actually get a 45-day free trial if you go to SmartPassiveIncome.com/convertkit45—you can only get that through me. Today’s sponsor is FreshBooks, who make the best financial management software out there. It’s ridiculously easy to use and their interface is highly-visual and super-intuitive. You can actually get an unrestricted, thirty-day trial for free; just go to FreshBooks.com/askpat and enter “Ask Pat” in the “How Did You Hear About Us?” section. Tune in next week, where I go deep with someone who's reached their client limit. They can only handle so many and they want to go agency but they don't know how. You can hear that coaching call next week on AskPat. See you then! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week's coaching call is with Melanie Bledsoe. She's a CPA and the owner of Bledsoe Consulting Services, providing bookkeeping and tax services for small business owners. She wants to move to full-time work with her business, but she wants to make sure she doesn't miss anything along the way. Should she hire a coach or join a mastermind group, and are either choices the best use of her money and time? You can find Melanie online at BledsoeConsultingServices.com or on Instagram @BledsoeConsultingServices. If you want to be considered for a coaching session, apply via the form at AskPat.com. If you enjoyed today's episode and you love the format of this show, and helping other entrepreneurs, can you help me convince others to listen too? All you have to do is leave a quick review and rating on iTunes (and subscribe if you haven't already). That would mean the world to me, so thank you so much! Today’s sponsor is FreshBooks, who make the best financial management software out there. It’s ridiculously easy to use and their interface is highly-visual and super-intuitive. You can actually get an unrestricted, thirty-day trial for free; just go to FreshBooks.com/askpat and enter “Ask Pat” in the “How Did You Hear About Us?” section. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Today I'm coaching Adam, one of two Founders of SEO Brothers (you guessed it, they're brothers). Adam wants to grow his company, but needs some guidance so he can put his energy in the right direction and not be kicking himself later (I've been there). We'll work through a few exercises to help him brainstorm his next steps—you can play along too, so stick around! You can find Adam's business online at SEOBrothers.co. If you like the thought experiments we go through in this episode, the first few chapters of my book, Will It Fly? are full of them, so take a look! If you want to be considered for a coaching session, apply via the form at AskPat.com. If you enjoyed today's episode and you love the format of this show, and helping other entrepreneurs, can you help me convince others to listen too? All you have to do is leave a quick review and rating on iTunes (and subscribe if you haven't already). That would mean the world to me, so thank you so much! Today’s sponsor is FreshBooks, who make the best financial management software out there. It’s ridiculously easy to use and their interface is highly-visual and super-intuitive. You can actually get an unrestricted, thirty-day trial for free; just go to FreshBooks.com/askpat and enter “Ask Pat” in the “How Did You Hear About Us?” section. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Today's guest is Amanda Brown, a UK entrepreneur who's in the midst of writing a book with her two daughters about working from home. She wants to grow her email list, but she's not sure what lead magnet she should use. We'll talk her through it so she doesn't overextend herself, so that she can create the most effective, robust lead magnet possible. You can find Amanda on the web at Homepreneur.co. If you want to be considered for a coaching session, apply via the form at AskPat.com. In this episode we refer to a recent YouTube video of mine: How to Get More Email Subscribers (17 Lead Magnet Ideas). Don't forget to subscribe to the show and leave an honest review on iTunes. I appreciate you! Today’s sponsor is FreshBooks, who make the best financial management software out there. It’s ridiculously easy to use and their interface is highly-visual and super-intuitive. You can actually get an unrestricted, thirty-day trial for free; just go to FreshBooks.com/askpat and enter “Ask Pat” in the “How Did You Hear About Us?” section. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week I'm coaching Walid Azami, a successful photographer who wants to get out there and help others do the same. He wants to monetize his business through ebooks, courses, and coaching, while also building his following and staying conscious of his followers who might not have a lot of money. How should he proceed? Check out Walid on Instagram and at WalidAzami.com. If you want to be considered for a coaching session, apply via the form at AskPat.com. I haven't asked for this in a while, but if you have a minute it would be so helpful if you subscribed and left an honest review on iTunes. If you haven't done that yet please do so, and thank you so much to all those who already have left a review. I appreciate you! Today’s sponsor is FreshBooks, who make the best financial management software out there. It’s ridiculously easy to use and their interface is highly-visual and super-intuitive. You can actually get an unrestricted, thirty-day trial for free; just go to FreshBooks.com/askpat and enter “Ask Pat” in the “How Did You Hear About Us?” section. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On today's show I'm coaching Guy Hauptman, a science teacher who has built several different online courses on several different websites and hosting accounts. He needs help managing all of them before he burns out, so I'm giving him strategies to streamline his business, as well as some advice and mindsets for outsourcing help. You can find Guy's sites at ChemVideoTutor.com, BioVideoTutor.com, PhysicsVideoTutor.com, AlgebraVideoTutor.com, and GeometryVideoTutor.com. In this episode I recommend checking out ManageWP.com, a tool that allows you to manage and switch between multiple WordPress websites from one dashboard. I also recommend an app called 1Password for managing passwords safely with multiple team members. If you want to be considered for a coaching session, apply via the form at AskPat.com. Today’s sponsor is FreshBooks, who make the best financial management software out there. It’s ridiculously easy to use and their interface is highly-visual and super-intuitive. You can actually get an unrestricted, thirty-day trial for free; just go to FreshBooks.com/askpat and enter “Ask Pat” in the “How Did You Hear About Us?” section. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Anand is struggling with a little bit of FOMO (Fear of Missing Out)—I think a lot of us can relate! He's had an amazing weight transformation in his life—losing 125 pounds and maintaining his weight loss over six years—and wants to share it with the world, but his FOMO is distracting him. Today I'm going to help him find focus, monetize his business, and defeat FOMO so he can get out there and serve others. You can check out Anand's site at UnderdogStrength.com. If you want to be considered for a coaching session, apply via the form at AskPat.com. Today’s sponsor is FreshBooks, who make the best financial management software out there. It’s ridiculously easy to use and their interface is highly-visual and super-intuitive. You can actually get an unrestricted, thirty-day trial for free; just go to FreshBooks.com/askpat and enter “Ask Pat” in the “How Did You Hear About Us?” section. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On this episode I'm coaching Lisa, who is herself a coach—a parenting coach. Her website is BratBusters.com. She helps parents understand how to discipline children while still having fun and keeping those relationships strong. She's having trouble converting her one-on-one coaching to passive income, like an online course, and finessing the messaging of her brand. I'm going to walk her through that process today. If you want to be considered for a coaching session, apply via the form at AskPat.com. Today’s sponsor is FreshBooks, who make the best financial management software out there. It’s ridiculously easy to use and their interface is highly-visual and super-intuitive. You can actually get an unrestricted, thirty-day trial for free; just go to FreshBooks.com/askpat and enter “Ask Pat” in the “How Did You Hear About Us?” section. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On this episode of AskPat, we're talking to two people—Michael Allen and his partner Ri'keam Kenebrew, of 2023 Vision—a business with a YouTube channel that helps people create music videos. Recently, they validated and launched an online course . . . but it didn't go so well. How can they make their next launch more successful? If you want to be considered for a coaching session, apply via the form at AskPat.com. Today’s sponsor is FreshBooks, who make the best financial management software out there. It’s ridiculously easy to use and their interface is highly-visual and super-intuitive. You can actually get an unrestricted, thirty-day trial for free; just go to FreshBooks.com/askpat and enter “Ask Pat” in the “How Did You Hear About Us?” section. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Today's guest is Darlene Smith, a hairstylist who's great at selling but doesn't know what to sell. She recently got involved in the promotions field and loves it. But she's been working seventy-hour weeks for a while now, and wants to find ways to create passive revenue streams. Her initial goal is small: Make an extra $200-$400 per week. How can she get there? Today I'm going to coach her to a major breakthrough, so stick around. If you want to be considered for a coaching session, apply via the form at AskPat.com. In this episode I mention Teachable, an amazing platform for creating an online course. [Full Disclosure: I'm a compensated advisor and an affiliate for Teachable.] If you're looking to start an online business it's critical to build a solid email list, and to do that I highly recommend using ConvertKit. If you want to get a forty-five day free trial (can't get that anywhere else!) check out SmartPassiveIncome.com/convertkit45. [Full Disclosure: I'm a compensated advisor and an affiliate for ConvertKit.] Today’s sponsor is FreshBooks, who make the best financial management software out there. It’s ridiculously easy to use and their interface is highly-visual and super-intuitive. You can actually get an unrestricted, thirty-day trial for free; just go to FreshBooks.com/askpat and enter “Ask Pat” in the “How Did You Hear About Us?” section. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Today's guest is Tom Drake, from MapleMoney.com, RetireHappy.ca and TomDrake.net: a financial blogger who I've known through the years from FinCon—the financial media conference. Tom has been running his online business for nine years now and he's looking to take it to the next level: His goal this year is to double his revenue. He wants to monetize better, reduce expenses, and get to a point where he can quit his day job comfortably. What advice and strategies can I offer him? If you want to be considered for a coaching session, apply via the form at AskPat.com . Today’s sponsor is FreshBooks, who make the best financial management software out there. It’s ridiculously easy to use and their interface is highly-visual and super-intuitive. You can actually get an unrestricted, thirty-day trial for free; just go to FreshBooks.com/askpat and enter “Ask Pat” in the “How Did You Hear About Us?” section. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Today’s guest is Sherree Murray. She's going through something that a lot of entrepreneurs go through, which is figuring out which business to focus on. Which one will serve the most people? Where should she focus? What are her long-term goals? We're going to work through that today and make sure there's a light at the end of the tunnel. I think a lot of you can relate. Sherree's sites are RemarkableSpaces.com and WellPlannedMove.com. If you want to be considered for a coaching session, apply via the form at AskPat.com . Today’s sponsor is FreshBooks, who make the best financial management software out there. It’s ridiculously easy to use and their interface is highly-visual and super-intuitive. You can actually get an unrestricted, thirty-day trial for free; just go to FreshBooks.com/askpat and enter “Ask Pat” in the “How Did You Hear About Us?” section. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Today’s guest is Stephen Pasquini. He has two websites in the growing Physician’s Assistant (PA) niche: ThePALife.com and SmartyPance.com. He’s been growing his business for a while now and it’s doing well, but he thinks it could improve. How can he serve his audience better? He’s also having trouble on the tech side with his website. Should he outsource help? And should he go all-in with his online business? If you want to be considered for a coaching session, apply via the form at AskPat.com . If you have yet to build an email list, or you’re looking for a great email service provider with an easy-to-use suite of tools, I recommend ConvertKit. You can get a forty five-day free trial (you can’t get this anywhere else!) by going to SmartPassiveIncome.com/convertkit45. Check it out! [Full Disclosure: As an affiliate, I receive compensation if you purchase through this link.] Today’s sponsor is FreshBooks, who make the best financial management software out there. It’s ridiculously easy to use and their interface is highly-visual and super-intuitive. You can actually get an unrestricted, thirty-day trial for free; just go to FreshBooks.com/askpat and enter “Ask Pat” in the “How Did You Hear About Us?” section. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Today I’m talking to Steve, a statistcs teacher and basketball coach who’s building an online membership site for his website: TeachHoops.com. This isn’t Steve’s first time on the show; he was actually featured in Episode 964. His membership site is growing steadily, but he wants that growth to accelerate. How can he grow his business faster? If you want to be considered for a coaching session, apply via the form at AskPat.com. I am loving this new format, and it would be so grateful to have your encouragement. If you haven’t already, please leave a review for the show on iTunes. Today’s sponsor is FreshBooks, who make the best financial management software out there. It’s ridiculously easy to use and their interface is highly-visual and super-intuitive. You can actually get an unrestricted, thirty-day trial for free; just go to FreshBooks.com/askpat and enter “Ask Pat” in the “How Did You Hear About Us?” section. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Today’s guest is Alexi Hoeft, a Calculus teacher and tutor who does both of those things mostly online! Her website is INeedtoPassCalculus.com. She’s juggling a lot of things—content, podcasting, YouTube, an online course. How can she keep all of those balls in the air, and should she? I know lots of us are in that camp of trying to do a lot of things at once. But if we’re not careful we end up with a kind of Frankenstein business. How to we manage and plan it, and what’s best? If you want to be considered for a coaching session, apply via the form at AskPat.com. I am loving this new format, and it would be so grateful to have your encouragement. If you haven’t already, please leave a review for the show on iTunes. And if you want to start a podcast, I can show you everything you need to know to get it up and running in just three days. Go to HowtoStartaPodcast.com to get started! Today’s sponsor is FreshBooks, who make the best financial management software out there. It’s ridiculously easy to use and their interface is highly-visual and super-intuitive. You can actually get an unrestricted, thirty-day trial for free; just go to FreshBooks.com/askpat and enter “Ask Pat” in the “How Did You Hear About Us?” section. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Today I’m coaching Rodney Holder, a music business coach. He used to play drums all around the world, creating records and playing with his idols. Now he’s building the lifestyle he wants through music! We’re going to be talking about all kinds of things—online course scarcity, affiliate percentages, membership sites, price points, and how to build superfans. It’s a loaded conversation and we cover a lot of ground, so enjoy! If you want to be considered for a coaching session, apply via the form at AskPat.com. I am loving this new format and really enjoying myself. It’s definitely taking a lot more brainpower, and it’s definitely a different beast. I would be so grateful to have your encouragement, so please leave a review for the show on iTunes! Thank you all for your feedback—it means so much, especially after this conversion to AskPat 2.0. In this episode we mention Teachable, a fantastic online tool for creating online courses. Check it out at SmartPassiveIncome.com/teachable. [Full Disclosure: I'm a compensated advisor and an affiliate for Teachable.] And if you haven’t done it yet, head on over to my YouTube channel at SmartPassiveIncome.com/youtube. We have a ton of awesome content coming your way there every week, so check it out! Today’s sponsor is FreshBooks, who make the best financial management software out there. It’s ridiculously easy to use and their interface is highly-visual and super-intuitive. You can actually get an unrestricted, thirty-day trial for free; just go to FreshBooks.com/askpat and enter “Ask Pat” in the “How Did You Hear About Us?” section. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Today’s coaching session is with Ethan Clarke, who has a niche website called TheMarriageProposal.com. Ethan’s website teaches men how to plan an awesome marriage proposal, all written from a guy’s perspective. The website mainly generates revenue from ads and affiliate links. Ethan wants to branch out into ebooks eventually, but right now he’s focusing on his client/vendor relationships. He currently has relationships with photographers for proposals, engagements, weddings, etc, who then guest post on his website. How can he monetize his client/vendor relationships, create new ones, and scale his niche site? If you want to be considered for a coaching session, apply via the form at AskPat.com. I am loving this new format and really enjoying myself. It’s definitely taking a lot more brainpower, and it’s definitely a different beast. I would be so grateful to have your encouragement, so please leave a review for the show on iTunes! Thank you all for your feedback—it means so much, especially after this conversion to AskPat 2.0. And hey, if you haven’t yet started your email list—I recommend ConvertKit. I used lots of different providers before ConvertKit and I like it best out of all of them. Actually, ConvertKit is one of my favorite tools out of any tool I use with my business. I’ve grown with the company as an advisor since 2015, and I have a special deal for you that you can’t get anywhere else. If you go to SmartPassiveIncome.com/convertkit45 you’ll get a 45-day free trial! Again, check that out at SmartPassiveIncome.com/convertkit45. [Full Disclosure: I'm a compensated advisor and an affiliate for ConvertKit.] Today’s sponsor is FreshBooks, who make the best financial management software out there. It’s ridiculously easy to use and their interface is highly-visual and super-intuitive. You can actually get an unrestricted, thirty-day trial for free; just go to FreshBooks.com/askpat and enter “Ask Pat” in the “How Did You Hear About Us?” section. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Today we’re having a chat with Meg Brunson who’s doing a number of things with online business. We’re going to talk about balancing and branding them, and how they all fit together (or don’t). Meg is launching a podcast called Familypreneur, which covers the topics of parenting, entrepreneurship, and raising entrepreneurial kids. But she’s not sure at which point her side ventures merit their own websites, social media channels, etc. What fits under her personal brand and what deserves its own site and branding? You can check Meg’s site out at MegBrunson.com. If you want to be considered for a coaching session, apply via the form at AskPat.com. I am loving this new format and really enjoying myself. It’s definitely taking a lot more brainpower, and it’s definitely a different beast. I would be so grateful to have your encouragement, so please leave a review for the show on iTunes! Thank you all for your feedback—it means so much, especially after this conversion to AskPat 2.0. Today’s sponsor is FreshBooks, who make the best financial management software out there. It’s ridiculously easy to use and their interface is highly-visual and super-intuitive. You can actually get an unrestricted, thirty-day trial for free; just go to FreshBooks.com/askpat and enter “Ask Pat” in the “How Did You Hear About Us?” section. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Nicole needs a little help. She’s an amazing photographer, but she’s worried that her competition is getting ahead of her because of their age advantage. She wants to make sure that her audience grows with her, and that she’s attracting an audience outside of her age group. I’m going to talk this through with her today—a lot of it’s mindset, but a lot of it is specific strategies that she could implement, and some future-proofing for her brand. Find Nicole online at Nicolesy.com. If you want to be considered for a coaching session, apply via the form at AskPat.com. I am loving this new format and really enjoying myself. It’s definitely taking a lot more brainpower, and it’s definitely a different beast. I would be so grateful to have your encouragement, so please leave a review for the show on iTunes! Today’s sponsor is FreshBooks, who make the best financial management software out there. It’s ridiculously easy to use and their interface is highly-visual and super-intuitive. You can actually get an unrestricted, thirty-day trial for free; just go to FreshBooks.com/askpat and enter “Ask Pat” in the “How Did You Hear About Us?” section. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Today’s coaching call is something I think you’ll relate to. David McBride is calling in from Northern Ireland, and he’s having a hard time focusing on one thing. Bright Lights Syndrome, Squirrel Syndrome—call it what you like, we’ve all been there. David is just starting out too, so if you’ve gone through the process of getting your business running, you know how hard this is. Let’s get started! If you want to be considered for a coaching session, apply via the form at AskPat.com. I am loving this new format and really enjoying myself. It’s definitely taking a lot more brainpower, and it’s definitely a different beast. I would be so grateful for some encouragement, so please leave a review for the show on iTunes! Today’s sponsor is FreshBooks, who make the best financial management software out there. It’s ridiculously easy to use and their interface is highly-visual and super-intuitive. You can actually get an unrestricted, thirty-day trial for free; just go to FreshBooks.com/askpat and enter “Ask Pat” in the “How Did You Hear About Us?” section. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Today’s coaching call is with Stacy. She wants to go on speaking tour and she wants to write a book: Which should she do first? Her second question: Before either of those things, what type of editor should she choose to help her finish her book? Check out Stacy online at StacyBrookman.com. If you want to be considered for a coaching session, apply via the form at AskPat.com. Today’s sponsor is FreshBooks, who make the best financial management software out there. It’s ridiculously easy to use and their interface is highly-visual and super-intuitive. You can actually get an unrestricted, thirty-day trial for free; just go to FreshBooks.com/askpat and enter “Ask Pat” in the “How Did You Hear About Us?” section. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Today’s coaching call is with Brian Matiash of Matiash.com, a photographer who sells a number of products and podcasts at well. He has two main questions. How can he double the size of his email list, and how can he sell without selling out? In this episode I mention a few tools to help with giveaways: KingSumo (for Wordpress) and Gleam.io. Check them out! If you want to be considered for a coaching session, apply via the form at AskPat.com. Today’s sponsor is FreshBooks, who make the best financial management software out there. It’s ridiculously easy to use and their interface is highly-visual and super-intuitive. You can actually get an unrestricted, thirty-day trial for free; just go to FreshBooks.com/askpat and enter “Ask Pat” in the “How Did You Hear About Us?” section. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

I’m talking to Sam today, from Byte-by-Byte.com. He helps software engineers interview for jobs (like Google, Facebook, etc). He’s testing his new course right now, and he’s a little burnt out. He’s doing pretty much everything himself and wants to focus on building his audience next. He feels like the best thing he can do to improve is to grow his audience, but he feels like he’s hit a barrier and is trying to figure out where to go next. How can he grow his audience to the next level? Check out Sam’s coaching and courses at Byte-by-Byte.com. If you want to be considered for a coaching session, apply via the form at AskPat.com. Today’s sponsor is FreshBooks, who make the best financial management software out there. You can actually get an unrestricted, thirty-day trial for free; just go to FreshBooks.com/askpat and enter “Ask Pat” in the “How Did You Hear About Us?” section. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Today’s coaching call is with Jackie Bolen, who needs to make a big decision but doesn’t quite know how. Jackie is a blogger and writer who teaches ESL (English as a Second Language). She was an ESL teacher in South Korea for ten years, started blogging, and fell into the online business world. Now back in Canada, she’s quit her job and is focusing full-time on her online business. With thirty books, three websites, and several Amazon affiliate sites, she feels she needs to pick one thing and focus on it. How does she choose? Check out Jackie on the web at JackieBolen.com. If you want to be considered for a coaching session, apply via the form at AskPat.com. Today’s sponsor is FreshBooks, who make the best financial management software out there. Go to FreshBooks.com and enter “Ask Pat” in the “How Did You Hear About Us?” section for more information. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Today’s coaching call is with Cathy, a full-time professor and mom of three. She helps academic women—specifically moms—write and publish more. She makes most of her money via coaching and online courses. She’s had a great first year, but is wondering how much she should reinvest in her business. What should she be spending it on, business-wise? Check out Cathy’s site at CathyMazak.com. If you want to be considered for a coaching session, apply via the form at AskPat.com. Today’s sponsor is FreshBooks, who make the best financial management software out there. Go to FreshBooks.com and enter “Ask Pat” in the “How Did You Hear About Us?” section for more information. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Welcome to the first episode of AskPat 2.0! To recap, in case you missed Episode 1000, going forward the episodes of AskPat will be much more than a single answer to a single question. Instead they’ll be a live, one on one coaching session! Through this process, you’re going to learn so much more in terms of how to discover the problems in your own business so you can tackle them head on. If you want to be considered for a coaching session, apply via the form at AskPat.com. Today’s coaching call is with Gianna of Family Fun Twin Cities. She has a very direct question for me today: How can she streamline her business so she's not overwhelmed? Sit back and enjoy this coaching call with Gianna! I’m excited to say that today’s sponsor is FreshBooks, who have agreed to sponsor the new format. They’re really excited too! FreshBooks makes the best financial management software out there. Go to FreshBooks.com/askpat and enter “Ask Pat” in the “How Did You Hear About Us?” section for more information. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Today is a very special episode, and an important announcement! Since February of 2014, I’ve been answering questions five days a week here on AskPat. It’s been an amazing journey—999 questions answered and 4,000 questions submitted from listeners. To everyone who’s been listening and asking questions, thank you! Recently, I’ve noticed that I’ve been wanting more. I’ve been wanting to ask questions back, to have real conversations with the people asking questions. I want to get at the root of a lot of these problems—the mental aspects of becoming an entrepreneur, for example. Today, I’m so excited to reveal what’s coming up next: AskPat 2.0! To apply to be on a coaching call with me on AskPat 2.0, visit http://askpat.com. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Jackie has a question today about personal growth. She’s making enough money online that she could pay her bills, so she’s considering going full-time with her online business. What advice do I have for her? Jackie’s website is http://jackiebolen.com. Do you have a question about personal growth? Record it at http://askpat.com/.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Today’s question comes from Cookie, who has a podcast called Weight Loss Made Real. She has three short questions. Should she periodically offer new freebies to her audience? How often should she mention her free book on her podcast; on every episode? Does it make sense to use Facebook ads to lead people to the podcast? Check out Cookie's podcast at http://realweightlossrealwomen.com/category/podcast/. Do you have a question about audience engagement? Record it at http://askpat.com/.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Today’s question comes from Chris. He has some physical, original products, like teeshirts, that he’d like to sell on Amazon. Should he still use Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA)? How does he market those products? What thoughts and advice do I have? In this episode I recommend checking out Benny Hsu’s website, http://getbusylivingblog.com/, where he talks about selling teeshirts in a similar manner. Benny uses https://teespring.com. You could also check out http://www.onlinesellingexperiment.com/ for more information on selling on Amazon FBA. I also recommend listening to Episode 99 of the Smart Passive Income Podcast: Buying Stuff and Selling it on Amazon (For 6 Figures a Year!) with Jessica and Cliff Larrew.—https://www.smartpassiveincome.com/podcasts/fulfillment-by-amazon-fba/ Do you have a question about physical products? Record it at http://askpat.com/.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Today’s question comes from Razwan. He’s been reviewing Halal-certified restaurants on Instagram; is reviewing restaurants monetizable? Do you have a question about monetization? Record it at http://askpat.com/. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Today’s question comes from Emilio. How can he improve the open rate for his email marketing? In this episode, I recommend https://glockapps.com/, a great tool for testing emails before you send them. Do you have a question about email marketing? Record it at http://askpat.com/.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Today’s question comes from Troy, who has some questions about mastermind groups. What should he consider when setting up his mastermind, what should he talk about in his first meeting, what tools do I use, and what suggestions do I have for paid masterminds? Troy’s website is http://troydelaney.com/. In this episode I mention a presentation I gave at Social Media Marketing World, specifically about mastermind groups, in 2015: http://bit.ly/2i1qi3T. Search for "mastermind groups," on SmartPassiveIncome.com for more information about mastermind groups. Do you have a question about mastermind groups? Record it at http://askpat.com/.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Jason has a question about podcasting: Should he publish segments as separate episodes or as one long episode? Starting at Episode 900 and leading up to (and including) Episode 1000, I’ve been leaving clues to a puzzle. Next week I’m giving away $1,000 to a random person who solves it, every day! You can also get multiple entries for sharing the podcast. To enter into the drawing go to AskPat.com/solve. Do you have a question about podcasting? Record it at http://askpat.com/.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Today’s question comes from James: How he can get more traction on his site in a bootstrapping kind of way? James’ website is http://lasercutterfaq.com. Starting at Episode 900 and leading up to (and including) Episode 1000, I’ve been leaving clues to a puzzle. Next week I’m giving away $1,000 to a random person who solves it, every day! You can also get multiple entries for sharing the podcast. To enter into the drawing go to AskPat.com/solve. In this episode I mention my new course, Power-Up Podcasting. In it, I’ll show you how to launch a successful podcast. Check out http://poweruppodcasting.com to sign up for the waitlist. Do you have a question about online marketing? Record it at http://www.askpat.com/.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Darcie has a question about online courses. Should she bundle her courses together or package them as separate modules? Darcie’s website is https://ergonomicshelp.com/. Starting at Episode 900 and leading up to (and including) Episode 1000, I’ve been leaving clues to a puzzle. Next week I’m giving away $1,000 to a random person who solves it, every day! You can also get multiple entries for sharing the podcast. To enter into the drawing go to AskPat.com/solve. Do you have a question about online courses? Record it at http://www.askpat.com/. Today’s sponsor is FreshBooks. Go to http://www.freshbooks.com/askpat and enter “Ask Pat” in the “How Did You Hear About Us?” section for more information. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Today’s question comes from Juan. He has a podcast, but wants to try different formats of podcasts. Should he put the new podcasts in the same feed? Juan’s website is http://disruptivo.tv. Starting at Episode 900 and leading up to (and including) Episode 1000, I’ve been leaving clues to a puzzle. Next week I’m giving away $1,000 to a random person who solves it, every day! You can also get multiple entries for sharing the podcast. To enter into the drawing go to AskPat.com/solve. Do you have a question about podcasting? Record it at http://www.askpat.com/. Thanks to ZipRecruiter for sponsoring today's episode. Go to http://www.ziprecruiter.com/pat to get started posting jobs today. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Today’s question comes from Dominick, who asks: How do I drive more traffic to my website? Dominick's website is http://PeaceofMindFinances.com. In this episode I recommend a blog post on SPI: How to Launch a Brand New Website (With a Bang!)—https://www.smartpassiveincome.com/how-to-launch-a-brand-new-website/. Do you have a question about traffic-building? Record it at http://www.askpat.com/. Today's sponsor is DesignCrowd: A website that helps businesses crowdsource designs from over 500,000 designers worldwide. AskPat listeners can receive a free download and $100 off their next design by visiting https://designcrowd.com/askpat and entering the promo code "AskPat". See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Alana has a question about starting out. She’s building a website and looking for new clients—how does she put everything she’s learning together, and what suggestions do I have for her? In this episode I mention my new, free five-day challenge and course: Build Your Own Brand. In this course I walk you through the process of creating a foundational website. Check it out today at https://smartpassiveincome.com/byob. I recommend checking out https://www.smartpassiveincome.com/convertkit, an amazing tool for building an email list. [Full Disclosure: I'm a compensated advisor and an affiliate for ConvertKit.] I also recommend my book Will It Fly?, which is all about idea validation and testing your next business idea. Check it out at https://www.smartpassiveincome.com/will-it-fly/. Do you have a question about online business? Record it at http://www.askpat.com/. Today’s sponsor is FreshBooks. Go to http://www.freshbooks.com/askpat and enter “Ask Pat” in the “How Did You Hear About Us?” section for more information. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Today’s question comes from Borja, who asks if it's hypocritical to encourage people to have a mentor even if he doesn’t have one? If someone wants to hire a mentor, does the mentor need to be more successful than them? Borja’s site is https://borjagiron.com. Do you have a question about mentorship? Record it at http://www.askpat.com/. Today's sponsor is DesignCrowd: A website that helps businesses crowdsource designs from over 500,000 designers worldwide. AskPat listeners can receive a free download and $100 off their next design by visiting https://designcrowd.com/askpat and entering the promo code "AskPat". See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Today’s question comes from Paul, who asks if I know any good members-only WordPress plugins. Also, what are some added-value items he can give to his community? Paul’s website is https://www.recoveryelevator.com/. In this episode I mention my book, Will It Fly?, which is all about idea validation and testing your next business idea. Check it out at https://www.smartpassiveincome.com/will-it-fly/. I also mention a few WordPress plugins in this episode: https://zippycourses.com and https://member.wishlistproducts.com/. Do you have a question about WordPress? Record it at http://www.askpat.com/. Today’s sponsor is FreshBooks. Go to http://www.freshbooks.com/askpat and enter “Ask Pat” in the “How Did You Hear About Us?” section for more information. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Today, Amy has a question about podcasting. She’s about to relaunch her podcast—is there a way to get into the New and Noteworthy section on iTunes when she does? Amy’s website is http://makermama.com/. In this episode, I mention my new course, Power-Up Podcasting. It will take you from no podcast to a vibrant, thriving podcast in just weeks. You can sign up for the waitlist at http://poweruppodcasting.com. Do you have a question about podcasting? Record it at http://www.askpat.com/. Thanks to ZipRecruiter for sponsoring today's episode. Go to http://www.ziprecruiter.com/pat to get started posting jobs today. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.