Made for Profit

We’re rolling into the new year with a look back at what happened in social media in 2017. There were a ton of changes on our favorite platforms and we’re going to talk about which ones changed the game and how we’re changing with them to set ourselves up for success in 2018. JOIN OUR FACEBOOK GROUP AUDIBLE FREE TRIAL The post MFP 027: 2017, Social Media Year In Review appeared first on MADE FOR PROFIT.

Today we’ll be talking with our friend, April Wilkerson. We’ll dive into April’s story, how she got into the DIY space, and turned a love for learning and doing new things into a full time business as one of the biggest DIY influencers on Youtube. April and her brand, Wilker-do’s has over 540k+ Youtube subs and over 100k Instagram followers. She’s one of our favorite IG accounts to follow and interact with, and she has an amazing business to go with. Today we’ll talk about authenticity, organic growth, diversifying your income streams and going all in with April Wilkerson.   Takeaways “I’m a real person, moving through life” Awesome insight on how to approach your brand and stay “you” on social Focus on Organic growth Organic growth is still a huge bonus for building a brand. Build it and they will come. Pick a friend and just act like you’re talking to them behind the scenes. Be comfortable in front of the camera. Picture you’re talking to someone you know. Build an Audience Focus on your audience. Continue to build your audience first instead of selling them. A real audience will buy into the brand and pay for itself long term. Understand your revenue streams and stay diversified, don’t put all your eggs in one basket. In any business, you don’t want to put everything into one basket. The post MFP 026: Going All In With April Wilkerson appeared first on MADE FOR PROFIT.

We’re jumping back to 1995 and talking e-mail. As old as e-mail is it’s still a vital part of any business operating online. You’ve heard us talk about it before and today we’ll dive deeper into the details and give you some strategies to grow and use your e-mail list.   Takeaways Get started thinking about how you can use email to benefit your audience. Be tactical about it, what ways will your audience benefit from being on this email list. Do some research and dive into learning how you can become an email marketing expert Homework Sign up for mailchimp account Links Mailchimp (free up to 2,000 subs) – http://eepurl.com/ddJLKf MadMimi (free up to 500) – https://madmimi.com/ Mail Poet ($99 a year) – https://www.mailpoet.com/ ConvertKit ($$$) – https://convertkit.com/ Constant Contact ($$$) – https://www.constantcontact.com/ The post MFP 025: Building your Email List appeared first on MADE FOR PROFIT.

Facebook, Our Love/Hate Relationship Facebook…the platform we love and hate. As much as Facebook irritates us sometimes, it’s very powerful when used to your advantage. We’ll talk about how we use Facebook, what the killer features are, why we sometimes hate it, and some new things we’re excited about. *Sorry about the audio Get the After Show http://www.patreon.com/madeforprofit Get our Guide to Pricing Handmade Goods https://madeforprofit.com/pricingguide WorkbenchCon Registrations: Register Here! Takeaways Business vs. Personal- Make sure you’re understanding the different methods to using FB. Business and personal have huge differences worth recognizing. Understand that FB ads are a powerful tool. They’re also a lot of trial and error. Follow along with experts and study how they use the platform. (Jonloomer.com) Facebook is releasing a lot of new platforms and features. Educated yourself and understand these new and powerful tools for your business As we always say on MFP. Focus on building community and you’ll always win! Links Check out the king of Facebook Marketing, Jon Loomer – http://Jonloomer.com http://facebook.com/creators   The post MFP 024: Facebook, Our Love/Hate Relationship appeared first on MADE FOR PROFIT.

We’re hitting video production basics today. We’ve gotten a lot of people wanting get started making video and they still have a lot of questions. So we’ll be talking about our gear, preproduction planning, the filming and post production work. We’ll share our experiences and tips to help you get your video game rolling. LINKS Brads Camera Gear – https://kit.com/fixthisbuildthat/video-equipment Johns Camera Gear – https://kit.com/JohnMaleckiBuilds/camera-gear   Sign up for our e-mail list to get the one page downloadable MFP Playbooks. Show links may contain affiliate links which help support the show   The post MFP 023: Video Production Basics appeared first on MADE FOR PROFIT.

In this episode we’re getting back at it with another interview. In this week’s episode we dive deep with a legend in the youtube woodworking space, Marc Spagnoulo, The Wood Whisperer. The WoodWhisperer has over 420k Subscribers on youtube, 600k pageviews a month at thewoodwhisperer.com, and 240k + Likes on Facebook. Marc Spagoulo has been producing content online for over a decade now as The Wood Whisperer. He is an author, podcaster, video producer, and woodworking enthusiast. Also developing products and courses with his online guild, Marc is quite the “entrepreneur” for all things woodworking. In this episode we get some awesome insights on Self evaluation, transitioning careers, building an online content business, and running your own race.   KEY TAKEAWAYS Being self aware helps to develop not only your brand, but the future of your business Even when you don’t think what you’re doing “now” isn’t your dream, you can always take something away from that experience to help you in the future. Building an online content business – The movement into content creation is a long play, but like anything, it is worth it if you’re willing to put in the time When everyone is going right, go left. Run your own race. LINKS www.Thewoodwhisperer.com Thewoodwhispererguild.com Sign up for our e-mail list to get the one page downloadable MFP Playbooks. Show links may contain affiliate links which help support the show   The post MFP 022: Running Your Own Race with Marc Spagnuolo The Wood Whisperer appeared first on MADE FOR PROFIT.

You know we love Instagram, we have a love/hate relationship with Facebook, we’re grinding it out on YouTube, and we just got done telling you why you should be on Pinterest. But what we keep hearing is “ain’t nobody got time for all that”. So today we’re going to talk about managing your total portfolio of social media options and some of the tools and techniques John and I use to do it full time as well as how I did it when I was still working a day job full time.   KEY TAKEAWAYS Batch your content. Save time over your week by bundling your content and taking the time initially to get set up properly. How can you work batching into your process? HOMEWORK Create a plan for your content strategy and crush it! LINKS Top Apps for Instagram Tools : https://bloggingwizard.com/instagram-tools/ Our Tool Recommendations Adobe Creative Cloud Adobe Photoshop Elements: http://amzn.to/2gWlY9C Adobe Premiere Elements: http://amzn.to/2zT09fc WiFi SD Card : http://amzn.to/2z3g11c Tailwind.com Hootsuite.com Buffer.com Later.com Sign up for our e-mail list to get the one page downloadable MFP Playbooks. Show links may contain affiliate links which help support the show   The post MFP 021: How to Manage Social Media Effectively appeared first on MADE FOR PROFIT.

As a business owner or side hustler you want to focus on what’s most important to your business. John and I are both big believers in the 80-20 rule. It’s a method to show what’s truly driving your business and will help you focus on the vital few activities, clients, or products that make you the most money.   KEY TAKEAWAYS What is driving your business and the money you’re putting in Focus on what you excel at, find the 20% of what is happening in your business that makes you the most money Make sure you’re using the 80/20 rule across the board HOMEWORK Review your revenue and profit year to date by product, client, sales channel Extra credit: relate your hours invested per project to revenue and profit LINKS The Pumpkin Plan – http://amzn.to/2gYkUPe Sign up for our e-mail list to get the one page downloadable MFP Playbooks. Show links may contain affiliate links which help support the show   The post MFP 020: What is the “80-20” Rule? appeared first on MADE FOR PROFIT.

I know you might be thinking why do I want to look at a bunch of crafts, recipes and pictures of kitchens, but Pinterest is a powerful tool you can use to drive your business. We’ll tell you why and how we use it and why you should be too. Key Takeaways Get started with your first 5-10 boards based on what you like. Shoot specifically for pinterest, formating is king! Join some collab boards. LINKS Brad’s Pinterest – https://www.pinterest.com/fixthisbuildtht/ John’s Pinterest – https://www.pinterest.com/John_Malecki/ https://www.tailwindapp.com/ Sign up for our e-mail list to get the one page downloadable MFP Playbooks. Show links may contain affiliate links which help support the show   The post MFP 019: Why you should be using Pinterest appeared first on MADE FOR PROFIT.

Today we’re changing it up a bit and interviewing our friend, Ben Uyeda from Homemade Modern. We are excited to have him as our inaugural guest interview talking about using design, Networking, the creative process, and self awareness to grow your business. Key Takeaways Design – Design can be used as a differentiation point for any skill set. You dont have to be an artist in order to be a great designer, focus on your strengths and apply those to design Networking – Use tangential markets as an opportunity to broaden your circle. Find markets near or next to what you do, and branch out there Self Awareness – Catalog your strengths and weaknesses. Know what your most lucrative and dynamic assets are as a creator, and use those to your advantage Creative Process – Do not be afraid to use client work as an opportunity to be more creative on someone else’s dime. It’s difficult to set aside time when you’re not making money to push your skill sets, but it is doable. Homework Check out Ben’s channel and get some inspiration LINKS www.Madeforprofit.com/pricingguide www.Homemade-modern.com www.Modernmakerpodcast.com Sign up for our e-mail list to get the one page downloadable MFP Playbooks. Show links may contain affiliate links which help support the show   The post MFP 018: Interview with Ben Uyeda- Homemade Modern appeared first on MADE FOR PROFIT.

There are a ton of benefits to networking within your community. We’ve both seen great business growth through making new connections with peers, brands, and suppliers. We’ll give you our favorite ways and places to network and why we think it’s so important. Support us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/madeforprofit Key Takeaways Reach up, reach out, reach down Think about how you are interacting with new people Know how you can add value when you network Homework Pick one of the 3 tiers of networking mentioned in the show, and reach out to start building your network LINKS http://www.Madeforprofit.com/pricingguide WorkbenchCon Registrations: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/workbenchcon-tickets-35649607937?aff=madeforprofit&afu=228405989834   Sign up for our e-mail list to get the one page downloadable MFP Instagram Playbook. Show links may contain affiliate links which help support the show   The post MFP 017: The Benefits of Networking appeared first on MADE FOR PROFIT.

We’ll be talking about some new tips and tricks with Instagram. Over the past several months Instagram has been rolling out new features and we want to bring you up to speed and talk about how we are using the new features with our accounts. Support us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/madeforprofit Key Takeaways Post specific content for the type of post Story Swipe up Carousel Video Think about the new features rolling out for IG and try them out, IG will want to benefit those specifically to see how they perform. LINKS Peter Mckinnon – IG Stories Video – https://www.youtube.com/user/petermckinnon24/videos Social Media Examiner – https://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/   Sign up for our e-mail list to get the one page downloadable MFP Instagram Playbook. Show links may contain affiliate links which help support the show   The post MFP 016: New Instagram Tips and Tricks appeared first on MADE FOR PROFIT.

Engaging with your audience is a key part of doing business online. We’ve got so many ways to connect now through comments, Live sessions, e-mail, etc. We’ll talk about our thoughts on what’s been working for us and how you can do it most effectively. Support us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/madeforprofit Key Takeaways Consistency in key Algorithm and the community likes it Gauge your content to stimulate conversation with your audience Feed the engagement…respond Homework Dedicate a day and a time and make sure you’re engaging with other accounts who are interacting with your content. Sign up for our e-mail list to get the one page downloadable MFP Instagram Playbook. Show links may contain affiliate links which help support the show   The post MFP 015: Engaging With Your Audience appeared first on MADE FOR PROFIT.

Today we’re going to talk about YouTube. What does it take to get started on YouTube, why use YouTube and some of the basic in’s and out’s of the platform. **Sorry for the audio quality** Support us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/madeforprofit Key Takeaways Dont be afraid to get started , it doesn’t have to be perfect to get started Be ready for unpredictability in performance Have a plan. Do some research, be willing to learn from others who have gone before you. Search around and see what the “experts” Around the internet are doing. Homework Make your first Video Links Timberframe home from scratch Jab Jab Jab Right Hook – http://amzn.to/2f2li1r   Music / Video Editting Software Copyright Free Music – https://www.youtube.com/audiolibrary/music Epidemic Sound (Paid Subscription for free music, what John uses) – www.epidemicsound.com/youtube-subscription/ iMovie – Free on all Mac products Adobe Premiere – http://www.adobe.com/products/premiere.html Final Cut Pro – https://www.apple.com/final-cut-pro/ Sony Movie Studio old Version Brad Used – http://amzn.to/2gXrkks YouTube Resources Tim Schmoyer – https://www.youtube.com/user/VideoCreatorsTV Derral Eves – https://www.youtube.com/user/derraleves YouTube Creator Academy – https://www.youtube.com/user/creatoracademy Sign up for our e-mail list to get the one page downloadable MFP Instagram Playbook. Show links may contain affiliate links which help support the show   The post MFP 014: Getting Started On YouTube appeared first on MADE FOR PROFIT.

Today we’re going to finish up our 3 part Pricing series. We’re going to hit on some of the most asked pricing questions we’ve gotten since we began the podcast and give some more details on the major points we hit last week. Support us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/madeforprofit   Key Takeaways There is no one and done cookie cutter way to price. Be aware that you will always be learning and adapting on your pricing strategy Homework Sign up for our email list and download our new playbook! Sign up for our e-mail list to get the one page downloadable MFP Instagram Playbook. Show links may contain affiliate links which help support the show   The post MFP 013: Pricing – Most Asked Questions appeared first on MADE FOR PROFIT.

Today we’re onto our 2nd part of our Pricing series. We’re going to talk about the nuts and bolts, the down and dirty, how to come up with a price for your products. We’ll walk you through several methods and give you some of the pro’s and cons of each to help you price your products better. Support us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/madeforprofit Key Takeaways Priceing strategy is not based on a “one and done” cookie cutter method. You need to understand multiple aspects of how the market works in order to win. Market Price Cost price Labor rate (day rate) Homework Make a pricing spreadsheet in some form for your products using your known labor and costs Know what “levers” you can pull to change the price Sign up for our e-mail list to get the one page downloadable MFP Instagram Playbook. Show links may contain affiliate links which help support the show   The post MFP 012: Pricing – Pricing Methods appeared first on MADE FOR PROFIT.

Today we’re starting a 3 part series on pricing your products. We’ll start with Understanding your Market. Before you can price your work, you need to know your product, your competition, and your customer. We’ll dive into each of these hit some of the high points to consider. Support us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/madeforprofit Links:   Key Takeaways Push yourself further up the quality scale Understand your competition and what’s in your market Put the customer first and respond to their needs Homework Develop your quality vs. price matrix and see where you land Lay in your competition on that matrix and look for gaps Identify your ideal customer Sign up for our e-mail list to get the one page downloadable MFP Instagram Playbook. Show links may contain affiliate links which help support the show   The post MFP 011: Pricing – Understanding Your Market appeared first on MADE FOR PROFIT.

Taking your side hustle or part time gig to full time status is a huge decision. Today we’ll talk about when is the right time and what are the important things you need to think about and have in place before making that decision. Oh, and Brad quit. Support us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/madeforprofit   Links: http://startupcamp.com/write-incredible-business-plan-one-week/ – Dale Partridge – Startup Camp Key Takeaways Have A Plan In Place. Do the research in order to set yourself up for success. Have a plan for your income stream and your expenses. Is your life ready to own a business? Have you created the necessary time to run a business 24/7 Think about the processes that go into running a business. From your pipeline to your income streams. Create long term plans for real business wins Be prepared for the smaller time consuming necessities like social media and day to day operations. They can become very time consuming, make sure you’re prepared and have a plan for these daily operations. Homework Work backwards from where you are (or want to be) and create a plan for how much you need to sell in order to have your life where you want it. Work the process backwards. Sign up for our e-mail list to get the one page downloadable MFP Instagram Playbook. Show links may contain affiliate links which help support the show   The post MFP 010: Going Full Time appeared first on MADE FOR PROFIT.

Want to work with sponsors? Today we’ll give you an introduction to working with sponsors as a content creator or social influencer. We’ll discuss the why, how and when and also give you some things to think about before you starting down that journey. Support us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/madeforprofit Links: Creativity Inc. – http://amzn.to/2fl0JgK Key Takeaways People First. When working with brands remember that these are people working for these companies. A ship rises and falls with the tide. Both sides of this equation are in it together. Build a relationship and work to help the brands. Not just work for them. Homework Create a gameplan on how you would like your first brand deal to look. Keeping an open mind, brainstorm how you can build a relationship and add value for both parties. Sign up for our e-mail list to get the one page downloadable MFP Instagram Playbook. Show links may contain affiliate links which help support the show   The post MFP 009: Intro to Working With Sponsors appeared first on MADE FOR PROFIT.

There are a ton of different ways to market your business online. Today we talk about our 6 favorite online platforms and the pro’s and con’s of each one. Support us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/madeforprofit Links: Content Inc. – http://amzn.to/2uLlUgY Jon Loomer – Facebook Marketing – https://www.jonloomer.com/ If This Than That – ifttt.com Key Takeaways Make sure when you’re planning your online strategy for your business you keep your options open. Consider focusing on being wide and on multiple social platforms. Tailor the content to the specific platform. Homework Create a plan for being on multiple platforms. Focus on the specific way each platform communicates, and tailor your content for that platform. Sign up for our e-mail list to get the one page downloadable MFP Instagram Playbook. Show links may contain affiliate links which help support the show   The post MFP 008: Marketing Your Business Online appeared first on MADE FOR PROFIT.

Using social media analytics can help you grow your business online and understand what’s working and what’s not. We’ll talk about how we monitor and measure our progress and a crazy result we saw when testing some new settings on John’s Instagram account. Support us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/madeforprofit Show Links: Iconosquare – http://ssqt.co/mQc3nzF (get 20% off using this affiliate link) Social Blade – http://socialblade.com/ Key Takeaways: You cannot analyze what you dont track. Take the time to look at the numbers on what works for your channel, base your social strategy around what is already working for you. Change things up. If you’re looking for different results, make some changes and gauge the response. Analyze what is working and what isn’t. Homework: Look at your highest liked posts Test and learn – try something new pick one thing. Sign up for our e-mail list to get the one page downloadable MFP Instagram Playbook. Show links may contain affiliate links which help support the show   The post MFP 007: Social Media Analytics appeared first on MADE FOR PROFIT.

Setting goals is the topic for today’s show and we come at this discussion from two very different positions. Hear why John isn’t a fan and Brad uses a corporate learned approach for goal setting. Support us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/madeforprofit Key Takeaways S.M.A.R.T. Goals Create goals Specific, measurable, attainable, results oriented, time-bound goals. Focusing your goals in this manor sets you up to win. Make goals small enough that are attainable and easily accomplishable HOMEWORK Set up a S.M.A.R.T. goal for your personal life and for business. Show links Dave Ramsey- https://www.daveramsey.com/ Brads Guest Podcast one Green Woodworker – http://thegreenwoodworkerpodcast.com/ Chippendale Dresser Walking the cup Sign up for our e-mail list to get the one page downloadable MFP Instagram Playbook. Show links may contain affiliate links which help support the show   The post MFP 006: Goal Setting appeared first on MADE FOR PROFIT.

Time management is something we all struggle with every week. Today we discuss how we organize our own work lives and keep on task in the shop. We also offer up some tools that make it easier for us to do it. And we just launched our Patreon page! www.patreon.com/madeforprofit Key Takeaways Block Scheduling – Set time aside at the beginning of your week in order create a schedule for yourself. Use Checklists – Create checklists to keep yourself organized and on target Schedule your content into your regular schedule ( IG posts, Blogs, Videos, etc.) Batch Process – Carve out time to get similar tasks done together. HOMEWORK For your next project, plan it from start to finish. Create a checklist and estimate your time Record your time on a project and keep track of how many hours you put into each part. Show links The One Thing – http://amzn.to/2sDVJ8E www.Evernote.com www.Trello.com www.Asana.com www.Basecamp.com Sign up for our e-mail list to get the one page downloadable MFP Instagram Playbook. Show links may contain affiliate links which help support the show   The post MFP 005: Time Management appeared first on MADE FOR PROFIT.

In episode 004 we jump into selling online. We dive into our experiences on multiple platforms and discuss what we like and what we don’t like about each. Key Takeaways Have a game plan before you begin your sales journey Research and understand the different sales platforms and their benefits Analyze the cost differentiation of the platform options Make sure your website is set up to capture emails. Homework Before committing to selling make sure you have a plan for how you want to sell. Consider the volume an Content creators – Pick one brand and engage with them on IG (mention, tag, comment) Show links Gumroad – https://gumroad.com/ Shopify – https://www.shopify.com/ Big Cartel – https://www.bigcartel.com/ Woo-commerce – https://woocommerce.com/ Etsy – https://www.etsy.com/ Squarespace – https://www.squarespace.com/ Sign up for our e-mail list to get the one page downloadable MFP Instagram Playbook. Show links may contain affiliate links which help support the show   The post MFP 004: Selling Products Online appeared first on MADE FOR PROFIT.

This week we’ll talk about Converting on Instagram. This is the last in a three part series on Instagram. Show notes and downloadable Instagram Playbook at: http://madeforprofit.com/episode3 The post MFP 003: Converting On Instagram appeared first on MADE FOR PROFIT.

This week we’ll talk about Growing on Instagram. This is the second of a three part series on Instagram. Show notes and downloadable Instagram Playbook at: http://madeforprofit.com/episode2 The post MFP 002: Growing On Instagram appeared first on MADE FOR PROFIT.

In our inaugural episode we’ll talk about Community on Instagram. This is the first of a three part series on Instagram to kickoff Made for Profit. Show notes and downloadable Instagram Playbook at: http://madeforprofit.com/episode1 The post MFP 001: Community On Instagram appeared first on MADE FOR PROFIT.

Welcome to Made For Profit a podcast where we talk business in the shop and help you monetize as a maker. Each week we’ll cover the topics most important to you from marketing and selling your products to winning on social media and everything in between.   The post MFP 000: Welcome to Made For Profit appeared first on MADE FOR PROFIT.