The Graham Cochrane Show

There's a reason why I make fun of Facebook Ads so much in my content.   Simply put, there is a MUCH better way to grow your business than running ads.   There is a marketing strategy that no one seems to want to talk about, and yet it works day and night for me and my businesses.   Today I want to share that strategy with you and give you 5 reasons why it is truly the best and most effective way to market your products!

Everybody wants to be "the best" at what they do in career and business.   Instead, I believe you should focus on simply being good enough.   When you focus on trying to be the best there are 4 key consequences that people fail to realize.   But when you focus instead on just being good enough to make a living there are 3 key benefits that follow.   Sound crazy? Let's discuss!

Are you afraid to start a business because you feel that the topic or niche you're serving is an oversaturated market?   Are you stuck in a business that you've already started and think it's because of market saturation?   What if I told you that market saturation is actually a good thing?   That might sound a bit crazy but trust me it's true.   Today I want to help change your mindset on market saturation plus give you three tips to start (or grow) your business even if the market is saturated!

There’s this “motivational” video on YouTube that’s a compilation of Elon Musk interviews (billionaire founder of Tesla and Space X) called WORK EVERY WAKING HOUR.   In it Musk actually shares some fascinating thoughts that I found very inspiring indeed - but I was intrigued to hear what this “work every waking hour” thing was really about.   About half way through the video it cuts to an interview where Musk says the following:    “When my brother and I were starting our first company, instead of renting an apartment we rented a small office and slept on the couch and we showered at the YMCA.   We had one computer, so the website was up during the day and I was coding at night. 7 days a week. All the time. I briefly had a girlfriend at that time and in order to be with me she had to sleep at the office.   Work hard. Every waking hour. That’s the thing I would say, particularly if you’re starting a company”   Wow! We have a lot to discuss...

In a world of powerful data and analytics tools at our fingertips, could looking at the numbers actually be hurting our business and growth potential?   I mean, the quote goes: "What gets measured, gets managed" right?! Maybe.   Today I want to uncover the darker side of our insatiable appetite for analytics and make the case that there's a better way to grow your business than looking at the numbers.

I’ve always heard the average millionaire has 7 or more streams of income. Meaning they earn income from 7 different sources.   As compared to say the average worker in America which has exactly one stream of income - their job.   Over the years I've slowly built up to 10 streams of income myself (not including my wife's business) and in today's episode I break down exactly what they are and give you 6 ways you can begin adding some more streams of income to your life!

Things ain't what they used to be when it comes to online business.   If you are running or building your business and presence online in 2020 like many of us did in the past 5 years you probably won't hit your income goals this year.   Or worse, you'll have to shut your online business down entirely.   Today I want to kick off the new year by sharing with you 3 huge mistakes I see online business owners making in today's landscape that will hold your business back in 2020.   Let's discuss!

As the New Year rolls in and everyone is excited about making resolutions and becoming a better person, I feel like there is a huge missed opportunity.   Instead of announcing bold new goals to the world for 2020 that have no basis in reality, there is something more strategic you and I can do.   In fact it's a simple question that you should ask yourself (and your spouse if you're married).   It's a question my wife and I ask each year as we wind down and look ahead to the next 12 months.   And it's a question that has so much potential to change your life.

We all are in the business of selling something and a transaction must take place in order to pay our bills - but are you too focused on selling your thing that you get the order of things backwards?   Instead of selling and then giving our customers the thing they bought (and hopefully good service) what if we gave BEFORE we ever sold anything?   Today I want to share with you not only WHY this is so powerful for your business (i.e. it will help you sell more) but 6 practical ways to actually implement this giving strategy in real life.  

Which would you rather have: a $1 Million product or a $1 Million launch?   It's kind of a trick question as million dollar launches are virtually impossible for most people to pull off and can create a TON of stress and pressure if the revenue is necessary for your survival.   Plus, even if you DO someone hit a $1M launch there's no guarantee you can repeat yourself.   Having a product sell $1M over a few years time nice and consistently with virtually no work is much more appealing - and realistic!   I'm a big fan of slow and reliable growth. It’s the tortoise vs the hare approach.   What does this look like practically? Building an evergreen model of online business verses a launch model. Let's break down the differences.

How often do we get tripped up in business (and life) because we are trying to run someone else's race and not our own?   How often does comparison and jealousy lead down the path of wasted time and discontentment?   What would it look like in 2020 if you simply ran your OWN race in business?   How much more joy and freedom would you have? How much more could you get DONE?!   The question becomes then: what does it take to practice "selective ignorance" and run your own race?   Today I have three things for you that will help you do just that!

In a sea of ever growing content and media it’s getting harder and harder to stand out. Safe, predictable, expected content won’t cut it. And I’d argue it never did. One of your power tools to growing your audience and consequently your income is to create polarizing content - content that divides. Sound scary? Welcome to the club. But you know what is scarier? Having nobody listen to what you have to say.

Can I go on a rant for a minute? If you're looking to start a business, you will never have everything lined up or figured out perfectly before you launch. Never. And this is true for one simple reason: things change. Constantly! The secret then to creating a lasting profitable brand is to two fold: start now and evolve later. Both verbs (start and evolve) are crucial. Let me give you some examples that will drive this home.

Want some "low hanging fruit" type easy ways to increase revenue in your business? Then it's time to realize an important truth in business: there is no “one price fits all” scenario. If you have only one tier/option for your product at one price you’re making a mistake. Some people will be glad to spend more with you if you only offered more value.  Your job is simple: give people the option to give you more money! That's what tiered pricing is all about and exactly what we're talking about in today's episode!

There's nothing really special about me or my business that allows me to run it in under 5 hours a week.   I've simply followed a 4 step process over the past 10 years that have allowed me to reduce my work hours little by little, each year.   And the good news is you can follow that same 4 step process.   Maybe your goal isn't 5 hours like me. Maybe it's just 20 hours a week but with a six figure business. That would be sweet.   Let me show you how!

Here's a secret to have a successful business: you don’t need to innovate, just add value. That's right - you don't need some once in a lifetime, original idea to make a good living. And you certainly don't need to be in front of the "wave" in order to make a profit. You simply need to find ways to add value to people day in and day out. Today I'm going to give you 7 different ways you can do just that.

One of my students recently grew her email list by 25X in just one week! What's her secret? That's what I'll be discussing in today's episode. The fastest way to get more subscribers on your email list so you can sell more product and grow your business.

Every good story or movie follows the same 7 element pattern. Without one of these 7 elements, audiences rarely connect with the story and it has no impact. Ironically the best way to sell your product to the world is to use the exact same 7 elements in your sales copy, positioning, and branding. Author turned marketing coach, Donald Miller, wrote an incredible book called Building A StoryBrand: Clarify Your Message So Customers Will Listen and in today's episode I want to break down each of these 7 elements so you can apply them to YOUR business.

People over profit sounds like a nice idea. But is it really a wise business philosophy? Granted, profit over people sounds like a recipe for disaster but is the idea of focusing on people and letting the profitability of our businesses take care of itself a smart move? The answer might surprise you!

If you need to dramatically increase revenue in your business then you need to charge more.   It's that simple.   But by charge more I don't simply mean just increase your prices (although that might be in order).   I mean you need to create and offer some premium products or services that cost a lot more than your base line stuff.   But what if you are racking your brain and wondering: "What will my people actually pay me more for?"   You're in the right place my friend.   In most businesses around the world we see time and time again that there are 3 things people will almost certainly pay more for.

Email is taking over our lives as business owners.   We spend hours and hours inside our inboxes many of us trying to “manage” our email and achieve what’s called “Inbox Zero” where we clear out our email inbox each day.   What a giant waste of time!   Today I want to break down the 3 biggest mistakes we are making with email each day and then I want to show you a better way.   Specifically I'm going to show you my 4 steps to handling email like a boss - so you can ACTUALLY make money and grow your business!

I recently got an email from Hannah and she asked a great question:   "Should I sign up for Kajabi now even though I'm not making any money or should I use cheap alternatives until I'm making enough to switch to Kajabi?"   Now - as an unapologetic Kajabi evangelist you know where I stand on Kajabi. It's the absolute best platform to run your entire online business on.   I use it to run a million dollar a year business.   But it's not the cheapest game in town.   If you're starting out and don't have a lot of money (or any money) coming in, does it still make sense for you to build your business on Kajabi?   I answer that question today.   Also - you can grab your 28 day free trial of Kajabi + the 28 day challenge training videos here: http://GrahamCochrane.com/Kajabi

Some days I just feel like I'm one giant phony.   If you've ever asked the questions: "Who am I to create this business/content/product?"   or   "I'm not an expert, why should people listen to me?" then welcome to the club.   What club is that?   Club Imposter Syndrome. And yes - it's a real problem.   Today I want to be candid about how I've struggled with feeling like an imposter in both of my businesses over the years and share the 3 steps you can take to beat it.

I used to scramble for content ideas for my business. I’d sit at my computer staring at a blank screen waiting for a good video or blog post idea to come. Basically I was "winging" my content strategy (if you can call that a strategy) and I hated every minute of it. I've since changed my ways. These days I actually map out a year's worth of content in advance. That's right - 12 months of content - all pre planned out before the year begins. And the best part? I do this all in one day. Today I want to show you how you can do the same.

As a business owner you should always be investing in your future and building wealth. Last episode we talked about cash flow management for your business (bank accounts, taxes, paying yourself a salary, setting aside profit).  We then talked about there being 3 things you should do with your business profit (after reinvesting in your business) and the first one was build cash reserves. Today let's talk about the other 2 things - and they both revolve around investing.

How you handle the money and finances in your business will make or break you.   If you don't have a strategy and system to manage the cash flow each and every month - even when the numbers are small - you are headed for stress and trouble when both the good and the bad times come.   Over the next two weeks I'm going to dive deep into how I handle the money in my business and give you some frameworks you can follow in yours.   Today we're going to talk about the foundations of a healthy business: cash flow, paying yourself, and handling expenses, taxes, and profit.

What does it take to earn six figures a year? Well it depends on who you ask. Personally I believe there are a few myths floating out there about the subject and I want to bust them right here and right now. Today I'm tackling 3 myths in particular when it comes to earning $100,000 a year or more in your business so you know the truth and better achieve your goals!

Selling via a webinar can be a powerful strategy when launching or promoting one of your online courses or memberships (or heck, even coaching spots!) But HOW you run your webinar can be the difference between a fun live training and a profitable one. Today I want to share with you 4 keys to running profitable webinar, one in which your attendees get massive up front value and you convert more of them into buyers!

Overwhelm is the problem of our day. Too much information is overwhelming. Too much conflicting information is overwhelming. On top of that, our lives are too busy to take the time to comb through and make sense of it all even if we could! In every niche there is overwhelm and that means smart people (like you) can create a business opportunity by simplifying the topic and helping people get results faster. You don’t have to be the “expert” on the subject - you just need to help simplify things for the beginner and give them clarity and a path forward. In today's episode I want to give you a 3 step process you can start TODAY to help turn your audience's overwhelm into an opportunity to start or grow your business!

Should you use YouTube or Facebook as the primary tool to grow your business? I say, why not use both?! They are each totally different animals with different strengths and weaknesses - but when harnessed together you can create an audience building, business growing machine! Today I'm giving you a simple 4 step strategy you can use to leverage both of these powerful tools to grow your business and put more money in your pocket!

My first course launched back in 2010 to the sad tune of about $170. My most recent course launch did over $170,000. It's safe to say I've gotten a lot better at this thing. But in thinking back to that original online course that started it all for me I can identify three critical mistakes I made that seriously hampered my revenue. Granted I had a much smaller audience back then, but even so I could have easily made more money had I avoided these three mistakes - and so can you with you first (or tenth!) online course. Let's take a time machine back almost 10 years ago and learn from Graham's stupidity and ignorance

Today I’m going to give you a path way to earning different (and better) types of income. This pathway will help you not only earn more money but work less as well. One of my favorite books of all time is Robert Kiyosaki’s follow up to Rich Dad Poor Dad - a book called The Cashflow Quadrant. The Cashflow Quadrant shows how there are really only 4 ways we can make money. Two of them are taxed at the highest rates and require the most effort. The other two ways are taxed the least and require far less effort. These are the two ways I try to make a living and I would encourage you to do the same as well.

Smartphones are like fire: when controlled they can provide heat and help you cook a meal - but when they get out of control they can burn your entire life to the ground. We used to leave our work at the office or at our place of business. Now it not only follows us home, but it follows in the bathroom, on our lunch break, and in our car while we commute. This “always on” mode is slowly but surely burning us out as we are never truly free from our work. Today I want to share with you: - 4 ways that your phone is keeping you chained to your work - 3 steps to free yourself from your phone - and finally 3 benefits from being off your phone more. Let's dive in!

When it comes to selling your stuff, the words you use matter. And while there are a million ways to write effective sales copy, I've found that underneath every effective sales pitch (or page or email or Instagram post) are three key steps. Today I'm going to walk you through each of these 3 steps so you can begin incorporating them into your sales messaging and start generating more revenue!

When you run a business, whether you know it or not or verbalize it or not, you are putting something and someone first. There is a pecking order or a list of priorities. It could be the shareholders, you as the CEO, or just generally profit at any cost. This leads to underpaying employees, making cheaper goods that don’t last, and a whole host of other awful things. But what would businesses look like if they were more selfless? I've discovered that if you become others focused instead of self focused in your business, you gain four tremendous benefits.

Is it better to launch your business without a product or to build the product first and then launch? I have two friends who have approached their online businesses two different ways and in today’s video I break down which one is more strategic and why. If you’ve ever been unsure about the best way to start your business (product or content first) this will help!

What if I told you that your refund policy could determine how many sales you get and how your brand is perceived in the marketplace? Today I want to address the concept of "risk transfer" and how it is a powerful tool you can use to increase revenue, delight customers, and give you a competitive edge in your niche.

One of the things I get asked about more than anything else is the fact that I don’t work on Fridays. Ever. I’m such a fan of 3 day weekends that I not only tell people about it, but I think YOU should be taking Fridays off as well First let’s talk to the business owner - then we’ll address the employee who is starting a business on the side.

There are two ways to look at other businesses or brands in your niche who do virtually the same thing you do: They are your competitors They are your collaborators You get to decide which one they are.

What if you could make a few simple adjustments to your business workflow and give yourself a nice 30% raise this year? Well you can, and today I'm going to share with you three powerful income boosting levers you can dial up to give yourself that much needed raise in your business.

One of the smartest things you could do to grow your business online is to give away your best content for free. What?! Then how can you still sell courses and memberships if you give away your best stuff? I break all of that down in today's episode!

Is it really risky to start a business? I submit to you it's actually riskier NOT to! Today we're going to talk about the power of multiple streams of income and how it's actually safer (and smarter) to start your own online business, even on the side.

Are you harnessing the simple power of authenticity to grow your brand? Perhaps, like me, at times you've been caught up in trying to run your business the way you think you are "supposed" to run it and presenting yourself as you think you "should" present. Today I want to share with you the power of what Bob Burg and John David Mann call The Law of Authenticity and how it can help you and your business thrive.

There are 4 key elements (or pillars) to creating any type of passive income. No matter what you sell these 4 pillars must exist in some way shape or form in order for you to be able to create sustainable, hands free, automatic income in your life. Today I break down each of these pillars in depth so that you can begin to create your own passive income stream!