Podcasts about Google Sheets

A lot of early-stage founders have understood—mostly because more and more people are talking about their early-stage strategies—that you need to validate your ideas. You need to make an effort to figure out if the thing you're planning to do is actually reasonable to attempt. Validation is important and absolutely worth doing prior to building.That much, many people have understood.But here's where things get interesting. Often enough, validation looks like checking if people have the problem—checking if people have the challenge that your idea solves. And if you find people complaining about it, if you find people mentioning that they struggle with this, to some founders, that's a sufficient reason to build a software-as-a-service solution.Then they bring it to market and realize something frustrating: even if they directly engage people in their market, even if they directly show this and onboard people into the product, they still don't get a sale.People stick with what they're currently doing, even though it is something that, from your perspective as a founder, is much worse, much more expensive, much more complicated, much less scalable.Why is that?This episode of The Bootstraped Founder is sponsored by Paddle.comYou'll find the Black Friday Guide here: https://www.paddle.com/learn/grow-beyond-black-fridayThe blog post: https://thebootstrappedfounder.com/the-missing-piece-in-your-validation-strategy/The podcast episode: https://tbf.fm/episodes/419-the-missing-piece-in-your-validation-strategyCheck out Podscan, the Podcast database that transcribes every podcast episode out there minutes after it gets released: https://podscan.fmSend me a voicemail on Podline: https://podline.fm/arvidYou'll find my weekly article on my blog: https://thebootstrappedfounder.comPodcast: https://thebootstrappedfounder.com/podcastNewsletter: https://thebootstrappedfounder.com/newsletterMy book Zero to Sold: https://zerotosold.com/My book The Embedded Entrepreneur: https://embeddedentrepreneur.com/My course Find Your Following: https://findyourfollowing.comHere are a few tools I use. Using my affiliate links will support my work at no additional cost to you.- Notion (which I use to organize, write, coordinate, and archive my podcast + newsletter): https://affiliate.notion.so/465mv1536drx- Riverside.fm (that's what I recorded this episode with): https://riverside.fm/?via=arvid- TweetHunter (for speedy scheduling and writing Tweets): http://tweethunter.io/?via=arvid- HypeFury (for massive Twitter analytics and scheduling): https://hypefury.com/?via=arvid60- AudioPen (for taking voice notes and getting amazing summaries): https://audiopen.ai/?aff=PXErZ- Descript (for word-based video editing, subtitles, and clips): https://www.descript.com/?lmref=3cf39Q- ConvertKit (for email lists, newsletters, even finding sponsors): https://convertkit.com?lmref=bN9CZw

SUMMARY: In this episode, Aaron and Terryn tackle one of the most critical (and often overlooked) aspects of running successful operations: project plans. They share stories from launches gone sideways, explain why clear roles and timelines prevent chaos, and break down practical tools for keeping teams aligned—from simple Google Sheets to robust platforms like Asana. Along the way, they highlight the dangers of last-minute pivots, the importance of quality control, and why debriefs are essential for long-term success. Whether you're a visionary leader, a project manager, or part of a fast-moving team, this conversation will give you actionable ways to streamline your next big initiative.   Minute by Minute: 01:07 A rap battle, sports jokes, and setting the stage 02:23 Why project plans matter for digital teams 03:23 Contractor teams and the challenge of no clear leader 05:07 Physical teamwork vs. digital collaboration 06:29 Timelines, roles, and why launches get scrambly 07:20 Tools: from paper to Google Sheets to Asana 09:03 The beauty and chaos of project plans 10:01 Breaking down roles: strategy, marketing, and delivery 13:39 The role of quality control in complex projects 19:40 Debriefs, dials, and learning from each launch

Andreas Rossberg unpacks WASM 3.0, covering new capabilities like garbage collection, exception handling, tail calls, and support for 64-bit addressing with multiple memories. The discussion explores deterministic profiles following relaxed sim, WebAssembly's capability-based security model, and advances in sandboxing and module design. Andreas connects these features to practical use cases in JavaScript engines and applications like Google Sheets, then looks ahead to experimental work on threading, stack switching, and async programming models shaping the next phase of the WebAssembly ecosystem. Links Website: https://people.mpi-sws.org/~rossberg GitHub: https://github.com/rossberg Resources WASM 3.0 Completed: https://webassembly.org/news/2025-09-17-wasm-3.0 Chapters 00:00 Intro – Andreas Rossberg and the WebAssembly 3.0 Update 01:05 The State of WebAssembly Today 02:15 Why WebAssembly Exists Beyond the Web 03:20 From WebAssembly 2.0 to 3.0 – What's Actually New 04:30 Garbage Collection: A Game-Changer for Managed Languages 06:00 The Vision of WebAssembly as a Universal Compilation Target 07:40 How GC Support Unlocks Java, Kotlin, and Dart on WASM 09:10 Expanding to 64-bit Memory – Performance and Limits 10:40 WebAssembly for Databases, AI, and LLMs 12:00 Sandboxing and Security by Design 13:10 How Capabilities and Static Analysis Keep WASM Safe 14:30 Multi-Memory Support and Real-World Use Cases 16:00 Developer Ergonomics vs. Specification Purity 17:20 Tail Calls and Functional Programming Benefits 18:40 Function Tables and Secure Indirection 20:00 Exception Handling Finally Arrives 21:10 Determinism, Efficiency, and Why It Matters for Blockchain 22:30 SIMD and Hardware Divergence Across Platforms 24:00 Balancing Portability with Performance 25:20 The Design Philosophy Behind WebAssembly 26:30 Why WASM Rejects Language-Specific Features 27:40 Proposal Process: Who Decides What Gets In 29:00 Browser Vendors and Implementation Challenges 30:10 Early Deployments: GC, Tooling, and Adoption Stories 31:30 Threads, Stack Switching, and the Future of Concurrency 33:00 Async/Await and Coroutines on WebAssembly 34:30 What's Coming Next for WASM Developers 35:40 How to Get Involved – Working Groups and Proposals 37:00 Closing Thoughts and Thanks We want to hear from you! How did you find us? Did you see us on Twitter? In a newsletter? Or maybe we were recommended by a friend? Fill out our listener survey (https://t.co/oKVAEXipxu)! https://t.co/oKVAEXipxu Let us know by sending an email to our producer, Elizabeth, at elizabet.becz@logrocket.com (mailto:elizabeth.becz@logrocket.com), or tweet at us at PodRocketPod (https://twitter.com/PodRocketpod). Follow us. Get free stickers. Follow us on Apple Podcasts, fill out this form (https://podrocket.logrocket.com/get-podrocket-stickers), and we'll send you free PodRocket stickers! What does LogRocket do? LogRocket provides AI-first session replay and analytics that surfaces the UX and technical issues impacting user experiences. Start understanding where your users are struggling by trying it for free at LogRocket.com. Try LogRocket for free today. (https://logrocket.com/signup/?pdr)

Send us a textIn this episode of The Inspired Podcast, Ms Amber Red, Adrienne, Sasha, and Aubrie are diving into the power of Excel and Google Sheets for your business—yes, those “boring” spreadsheets can actually change the way you run your beauty or PMU business!Sasha shares how she used ChatGPT + Excel to build customized analytics sheets and pivot charts to track our email marketing data. Since Kajabi doesn't give in-depth email analytics, Sasha created a smarter way to see exactly when our email list is opening, what subject lines are working, and what links are getting clicked. She even customized formulas to fit Inspired's needs—covering everything from tags, courses, coupon codes, forms, links, and more.Aubrie jumps in with her love for Google Sheets and how she used it in sales to keep track of follow-ups. Adrienne talks about how she uses Excel for inventory, client management, and finances. And of course, we end with a fun round of the programs we absolutely cannot live without—Sasha swears by Trello, Adrienne and Amber both love CapCut, while Aubrie shouts out ChatGPT and Canva.This episode is a mix of practical tools, business hacks, and real talk about what's actually working for us behind the scenes. If you've been looking for ways to streamline your workflow, boost productivity, and finally make sense of your email and business data, you'll love this one!Support the showFollow Ms Amber Red on all social media platforms: IG: InspiredByMsAmberRed - https://www.instagram.com/inspiredbymsamberred/ IG: MsAmberRed - https://www.instagram.com/msamberred/ TikTok: MsAmberRed - https://www.tiktok.com/@msamberred?_t=8We7Q2Gtd0&_r=1 FB: MsAmberRed Permanent Makeup - https://www.facebook.com/Msamberred FB Group: Inspired by Ms Amber Red - https://www.facebook.com/groups/inspiredbymsamberred Website: http://www.inspiredbymsamberred.comSupport our podcast here! - https://www.buzzsprout.com/2235069/support Disclaimer: The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are the speaker's own and do not represent the views, thoughts, and opinions of Ms Amber Red & Inspired by Ms Amber Red. The material and information presented here is for entertainment purposes only. “Inspired by Ms Amber Red" name and all forms and abbreviations are the property of its owner and its use does not imply endorsement of or opposition to any specific organization, product, service or view.

Award-winning film composer Juan Carlos Enriquez shares his career journey from progressive rock bassist to scoring Disney+ projects. In this episode, discover the pathway from assistant to lead composer, essential organization systems using Google Sheets for managing 40+ cues, and techniques for adapting musical themes across genres - from Cumbia to orchestral scores. Topics Include: - The composer's career ladder - Organization systems for managing complex film scores with multiple team members - Recording with live orchestras and working with directors - Creating cohesive scores for projects like Disney's "Mesa Para Dos" and Telemundo's "Velvet"

Part 2 of podcast guest Dr. Lauryn Brunclik (of She Slays the Day podcast fame) and her conversation with Kiera. In this follow-up to Becoming Business Savvy with a Clinician-First Mindset, the pair discusses seeking other revenue streams to obtain financial freedom. The chat includes fixing your pricing structure, living below your means, understanding the spender and saver mindsets, time management, and more. Episode resources: Subscribe to The Dental A-Team podcast Schedule a Practice Assessment Leave us a review Transcript: The Dental A Team (00:00) Hello, Dental A Team listeners, this is Kiera and welcome back to part two of my chat. If you liked part one, you are going to absolutely love this. I am so excited and I can't wait to dive right in.   Kiera Dent (00:10) Lauryn, I'm very curious. Like you've talked about it at length. Like what do people do? Like what's the how, how do we get into this?   How do we have multiple streams because agreed all eggs in one basket? gosh. It's, ⁓ to me, that's like just a ticking time bomb. Like one bad day, one bad patient, one bad procedure. Like it's just going to explode because you're sitting like you're sitting on the edge of fear all the time to where you are in like cortisol adrenaline, like you are pumping. And then what you do is you go into complete shutdown because you can't handle it anymore. So your body and your system literally like just shuts down on you. You become apathetic to life.   Dr. Lauryn B (00:23) Mm-hmm.   Kiera Dent (00:44) things aren't exciting for you anymore. You become very numb to walking through the world. And it's like, I feel like the world of color goes into very like gray. It's very subtle. It's like, it's, there's no, there's no life left. It's just, are living life, but you're not actually being and living day in, out. So what are some tacticals? Like I'm so curious. I love to hear that.   Dr. Lauryn B (01:04) Well, so,   I mean, ultimately what you have to, I'm no cashflow expert. My husband would like laugh, not, he wouldn't laugh. He'd just be like, what's she gonna say right now? So like cashflow will multiply the more you start putting your money to work, okay? So it's very, very, step one is simple. It's exactly what you said. You have to have cashflow coming from your clinic.   Kiera Dent (01:14) okay.   Dr. Lauryn B (01:33) You have to. Like, you need to spend less money than you are bringing in. Okay?   Kiera Dent (01:42) Ooh, love that. Ding, ding. All right, great. Got it, team. Got it all.   Dr. Lauryn B (01:45) Like, so it's   it's simple. what did you say? Like you said, there's only three ways to make it happen. Like lower your overhead. Yep. Yep. See more people. Yep.   Kiera Dent (01:50) There are, either cut your costs, increase what you're producing. like for how many patients you're seeing and   or collections, because a lot of times you're producing enough, but we're not collecting the money that we're actually producing. that then costs, people are have no money. And I'm like, you have 500,000 sitting in your AR that's not collected. So you actually have money. You just have a broken system of how to collect it. And to your point, my husband said this very early on when I started that company, he said,   I care, don't lose money. He was like, yeah, I'm not going to give you any rules, any parameters. He's like, just don't lose money because that's going to cause a lot of strain on us. And I thought about that a lot. It's like, ⁓ I guess that's a great, a great plan. Like it's really been a good thought for me. But it's like, if you are going to lose money on having a business, go be an associate for someone else. Like it's a hobby at that point. It's not a business. So I'm like, if you're not going to have your business make money for you, like truly no judgment.   Dr. Lauryn B (02:24) Thanks, husband.   Yes.   Kiera Dent (02:44) go honestly be an associate, go work for someone else so you're taking home a paycheck. When owners are working for themselves and making less than they are as an associate, I'm like, we have a big problem here. And now you're mad because you got way more problems. You can't just clock in, clock out and leave for the day. And I'm like, that's actually not a business. That's a hobby. And it's a bad hobby. You have no freedom. No, it's delusional. No.   Dr. Lauryn B (02:57) Mm-hmm.   And they're like, but I have the freedom when I'm the owner. You don't have freedom? can't afford a vacation. what? You have   no freedom.   Kiera Dent (03:11) Stop lying to yourself just because you own a business. People are like, I wanted this texture, have more time. And I'm like, yeah, tell me how that's going for you. Probably not great. All right, so we gotta have a business that actually cash flows. Simple stuff.   Dr. Lauryn B (03:16) How's that working for you? Yeah.   Yes, so step   one is very simple, but not is you have to fix the pricing structure, the collections, your payroll blow. You need to look at the profit margins of your clinic. Very easy, very difficult, but very easy.   Kiera Dent (03:37) And they're   industry specific too. I don't know how it is in chiropractic, but I know in like dentistry, we say right now, even with all the things like I want 30%, we're talking all things, fringe benefits, 401k. Like 30 % for payroll, 25 to 30 is about average. And we aim for, I don't know how it is in chiropractic, but I aim for a 50%, not including doctor pay, 50 % overhead in dental practices, 30 % of doctor pay, because I'm like, that's what you're gonna get paid as an associate. It's like, let's at least pay you that.   Dr. Lauryn B (03:45) No, that's pretty yeah, that's pretty healthy. ⁓   Kiera Dent (04:04) And then hopefully we've got a 20 % profit, but that profit debt services click in and that's a real fun zone and taxes. Like I love it. No, you're not getting your W two people are not taking taxes out. You own this business. All that money comes to you. So do not get trapped in that like tax trap. but like, like that's a very simple formula and you look, what is my supplies? What are my rent? Like, what are all those things? And if you figure out the benchmarks, then you know, which one am I bleeding money on quickly fix that hole. So we stopped bleeding it again.   It seems so hard. And you and I are on the other side of that equation saying, no, actually it's like real simple. You just look at it real quick, figure out what it is. You can build your practice to support whatever numbers you need, or we cut. Usually it's easier to increase production and collections than it is to cut. But a lot of people are just overspending in ridiculous ways that I'm like, no, no, no, no, no. Like I have a practice, I looked at their numbers. They shouldn't giggle. I did giggle, because I was shocked. They're like, here, we have no money.   And I was like, all right, send me your P &L. Let's take a look at it. So I did. Year to date, they produced 528,000. So they're doing about 85,000 per month is what I calculated when I ran the numbers. But when I looked at their take-home pay, they're taking home, so it's 528. I'm super happy for them. Like don't, there's no judgment on that. They're taking home 250,000 of that 528 is going to the doctor, which again, I'm happy that they're taking home the money. But what's happening is the practice is not producing enough for that.   They're running all their kids through it. They're running their cars through it. They're running everything through it, which again is not a bad thing. But if you don't have cash in your business to hire people, I was like, we're a little off on the percentages.   Dr. Lauryn B (05:37) Yeah. One of my favorite things to teach people   is because people are like, I just want to learn tax strategy. I want to learn tax strategy, tax strategy. And you're like, okay, here's the thing about tax strategy is you can only do tax strategy. Can't see I'm doing air quotes here. If you have money that you don't want to give the government, if you are spending   Kiera Dent (05:47) you   Mm-hmm. Air quotes, I see them.   it.   Dr. Lauryn B (06:06) much as you make and the government's like, yeah, you're good. You don't know anything. Like there's no strategy to be had. Strategy can only apply to profits. you know, like to money you've made. So, so that's where it's like, okay, I get that you really want tax strategy, but like you're, you don't need strategy yet. You just need to create more.   Kiera Dent (06:09) There is no tech strategy. ⁓ That is a tech strategy. No.   Yes.   You   just need money to then pay taxes on. Then we can talk about what it's gonna be. Yes.   Dr. Lauryn B (06:37) Yes, then we can talk strategy.   But yeah, so like that's where it starts. The next hard part, and this is where I kind of touched on like, we went into this career because we believed this career was gonna take care of us while we took care of other people. And so everybody's got a little different version of what that means. ⁓ What car they think they should be driving.   Kiera Dent (06:42) That's a point.   Ready.   Dr. Lauryn B (07:06) once they have made it, what ⁓ their house situation should look like, how many vacations, their spouse, if they're buying their spouse, designer bags and things like that. Like we have in our head once we make it, what life will look like. And so after you fix your cashflow thing, the next thing is like,   you gotta kind of continue to live below your means for a while. Because if all of a sudden you've fixed your profit margins and you have an extra $30,000 flowing into bank accounts a month that does not have a job, like, you're just like, we're gonna move into a bigger clinic, we're gonna hire another doctor, we're gonna do this. And all of a sudden that...   Kiera Dent (07:58) Let's go!   Dr. Lauryn B (08:04) that potential, but like you have to have money in excess to build wealth upon. If you fix the first problem, which is we don't have enough money, okay great, now you have enough money, and then instead of building wealth, you buy a Birkin, which I still keep sending my husband all of the memes and reels that like Birkins are apparently, you know, they are also   appreciating, they're beating the S &P. So I'm just saying maybe a Birkin was a bad example because that would be an investment. ⁓   Kiera Dent (08:36) See?   I why not? think there's a   lot we could probably justify in the investment realm. Like it's fine. I'm here for it.   Dr. Lauryn B (08:46) Right, right. But   no, you know, if it's like one of those things where if you just lifestyle inflate after you fixed your cashflow issue, what's going to happen is, is you're going to still be, you're going to have like golden handcuffs where you're like, well, yeah, the clinic is bringing in 1.2 and like, yeah, I do keep 350 of that, but I still.   like I'm paying off my student, because your student loan payment now is increasing and like this and like your mortgage and all of this stuff. And you're gonna, you have the potential if you're not careful to feel just as squeezed financially, even though you've gone to the next level of salary and income, but you can still feel that exact same financial scare. And so like that's another thing where it's like, okay, you have to figure out,   the balance for you and your spouse because like my husband, ⁓ my husband is definitely, so this is from Garrett Gunderson. He's a really great financial wealth advisor. don't know if he's in your guys's world. Yes. Okay. Yes. So he was on my podcast and he was talking about how basically within all the   Kiera Dent (09:53) I love him.   Definitely. We love him.   Dr. Lauryn B (10:04) that he's coached people through, there's basically, he used a different word, but right now I'll just call it the the saver and the spender. Okay.   Now the spender tends to be the visionary, the CEO. It tends to be the person that's like taking the risks to build the things. They're like, we had a record year, we're   reward ourselves, we're gonna do this, we're gonna do this, life is fun, this is great, this is like a... And then they often marry a ⁓ saver that is just like...   I don't need all of that. I don't need another vacation. I don't need a fancier car. I don't need this. ⁓ And it can actually make them very uncomfortable that, you know, so my husband is, we'll call it   saver. ⁓ And we go, I mean, our travel budget a year is insane.   we should definitely be putting that towards crypto and like buying a duplex and like building more. But   Kiera Dent (10:57) you.   But why? But why?   Dr. Lauryn B (11:04) If someone told me like, no, no,   no, here's the plan. You get one trip a year and then we're gonna just like   all of this money and then you can start around 45, like, know, and then at 50, it'll open up a little bit more. Like, I'd like, well, that's no fun. I don't want that. And so you have to figure out, because there's a ditch on both sides of the road, right? And so you have to figure out like, when do you want to retire?   Kiera Dent (11:28) Mm-hmm.   Dr. Lauryn B (11:33) Like what is that number? What is that freedom number? How much money do you need coming in in like passive investments? Like how much do you need your crypto portfolio to be doing? Like your real estate portfolio. What's that number of monthly income or annual income? And when do you want to get there by? And this is going to be so dependent on whoever you're talking to.   if you're 50 and you're like, I want to get there by 55.   and you're starting,   not great. Like, yeah, okay, you know what? Your travel budget, you just need to not worry about that for five years. Like, you got some work to do. But like, if you're sitting here at 35 and you're like, I'd like to retire by 50, and like, I still wanna take our kids on some vacations, but I do think we should be, you know, then you just gotta pick where are you pinching pennies? Like, because you gotta pinch them somewhere. So like, maybe it's...   not designer handbag season. Maybe it's not getting the newest vehicle. Maybe you'd rather live in a bigger house, but drive a more reasonable car. Whatever it is, maybe you have no problem giving up vacations, but you need that pool in your backyard. Again, there's a ditch on both sides. think that as this couple, you need to come together and figure out.   that equation where even after you're getting some of these doctor luxuries that you've worked hard for, there's still money left over that is being invested wisely.   Kiera Dent (13:13) love Lauryn that you talked about Garrett Gunderson and I love that there's the saver and the spender in every relationship because this happens like it's a real thing. ⁓ And I love that you talk about like, okay, one step one is like, you got to make money and you got to keep the money. So it's like, make the money and keep the money. I have like, okay, if we could just follow that. Jocko Willings, he's got a quote. This is like discipline equals freedom. And it sits in my kitchen, which I think is a very smart place to stick this sign. I see it all the time. And I'm like, that really is step one is like discipline on this.   Dr. Lauryn B (13:28) Make the money, keep the money.   Kiera Dent (13:43) And I think that there's like, one of our consultants, says, choose your hard. And I think about this, like both sides have a hard, like spending all the money has a hard of like being broke. Saving the money has the hard of you've got to actually put like parameters in place. So both have it. But for me, I'd rather sleep at night knowing I've got money in the bank rather than like sitting there wondering how I'm going to make payroll. Like to me, that's the hard I would rather choose. I would not rather not choose the other side. So I'm going to be disciplined there. And then,   I really started working on and I heard at a conference about like just an easy way. Cause my husband, I'm the spender. He's the saver. And it's really thrilling for me because I felt annoyed. I felt like I was dragging him like an anchor. Like we were going on vacation. We're buying the cars and like, don't like cut my wind out of my sails. Like I was so angry about it. So we actually had to make a vision board of both of us. Like what are his dreams and what are my dreams? And we like co put it up on the wall. It literally sits in our bedroom. And it was one of the best things I ever did because he wasn't able to see what inspires me and what I'm excited about what   what's important to me. And I was able to see what's important to him. We also figured out like what's our BAM, our bare ACE minimum as a couple and where we want that. And then when you're talking about like the savings, I really found this awesome principle where it's kind of like, ultimately, what does it actually cost you to get to financial freedom? And when I did this exercise and I do it with a lot of clients, you can actually break it down. like, what does that like, bougie, whatever life you want that to look like, what does that look like? What's your mortgage? What's your HOA? What's the internet? What's the utilities like?   What's our groceries? What's our food bill? What's our children bill? Like how many cars do we have on this? And like literally build that out to what's like my highest end. And then you actually scale it back down to basically like, what's my security bucket? Like for me to just survive, like you said, like the monks, like what is it for me? Like scrap it all down. Let's go back to dental school. Let's go back to chiropractic school. Like when I was at my like most broke, but I could scrap like you guys, can top around and like a boss, like I know I could get through. So like, what is my like minimum amount?   Then what I do, so basically taking that all the way up to my financial freedom, like where I've got money making money, it's a money making machine for me. And then how do I actually break that down? So I've got security, then I've got like growth, then I've got independence, and then I've got freedom. And then beyond that are like your prosperity and your legacy buckets. And so when I look at this, it's like, you basically just chunk it down. And what I mean, I'm such a nerd, I really am. I've like learned to fall in love. I like took that amount of like total dollars.   Then I looked at like, how much money do I actually need to make? What tax bracket am I in? How much do I need like pre and post tax? Like again, total nerd side on my side. But then I was able to look and I'm like, okay, for this practice, I know that for them to be like, just baseline, they need to be making about a hundred grand a year. Like that's pre-tax. So we know like we're to take tax out. We can survive. That's like our security. Then our growth goes up to 202 post-tax. Then our independence is at like 553. Well, now I know my mile markers of what I need to do. And I also have those parameters. you said, where am I going to penny pinch?   This does not mean that I don't have certain luxuries, but it means that I'm like, it's like a gradient and I'm able to see what I'm working towards. And I remember my CPA, he told me once he said, Kiera, it actually becomes a lot easier to make money. And like once you, like in a few years, once you've bought a few of the things that you really are looking for, and I was like, you're full of it. Like, I don't believe you for a second, but it's true. Like as you evolve.   You buy the things you want, you get the house that you want, you get the car that you think you want, you get the designer bags, like it's not all overnight. And then you're like, wow, I have a decent amount because I've learned to make the money, save the money, not spend everything that I've got. I'm able to then plan for these purchases that I want. I love Profit First, Mike McAllags. He's like my fangirl central every time he's on the podcast. I like just love him so much, but I'm like, okay, then I have buckets. have my travel bucket. And you're right, Mike, my travel.   Dr. Lauryn B (17:18) yeah. Sweep account. Sweep! ⁓   Kiera Dent (17:28) amount, that's something that fuels me. So we pump money into a travel fund, but we have those to where I now have budgets and our clients have budgets and you can have budgets. And it's not for me, clients have even told me that's more freeing than it is otherwise, because they actually know I can spend this money guilt free and go on the trip. can go and buy this car guilt free because I have the money.   Dr. Lauryn B (17:46) Mm-hmm.   And that's probably really   helpful for your spouse too. A lot of times the saver spouse, like it's hard for them until there's like an act, like that's the permission they need of like, no, we ran the numbers and we like this amount of money was proportionally taken and it's there. It's only to be spent on this. And they're like, okay.   Kiera Dent (17:52) Thanks.   Yes.   Yes.   Okay. And then the spender feels good because they're not just blowing all the money. So it's on this like, it's a good balance, but I love it. Like it's very simple. And now I'm very curious, Lauryn, because you've talked about like not having your business as your only asset, like that's cash flowing for you. Once we've got a simple, we like make the money and we keep the money like check that off. Then we go into these like, I love the idea. There's a ditch on both sides of the road. So which one are we going to do? We figure out like, what do need today? What are my future like?   Dr. Lauryn B (18:28) Mm-hmm.   Kiera Dent (18:41) kind of nice purchases that I want to, how do I build up to these other ones that I can save for? What's my total number? Like I know my number for financial freedom is psychotic. When I look at that, it really is. I actually have it.   Dr. Lauryn B (18:51) Is it really? Because I'm   interested that you said that because most people when they do that exercise are kind of like, ⁓ it's surprising to them that it's actually not higher. like, so.   Kiera Dent (19:12) Well, let me just clarify.   Let me ask this for you, Lauryn. What I found is for me to hit like my security, my vitality, my independence. Like we're talking like pretty much up to freedom. I'm actually it's good. Like we're there, but my absolute freedom, like where I never have to work another day in my life for me, that number, that number is a little more extreme. That one, but like even looking at it now, cause when I told you, I'm like, it's psychotic. I just pulled the spreadsheet up. What's fun though is I built this.   Dr. Lauryn B (19:30) ⁓ okay.   Yeah. Okay, the like I quit number, the like.   Kiera Dent (19:42) gosh, I like I should honestly look, I think I built this spreadsheet, I'm going to we're gonna hold everybody I know you're like on pins and needles, I'm just gonna scroll back to when I actually made this. It's on Google Sheets, you can go back to like when it was built. So I built this and I think this is really just telling for people I built this in 2022. So May 13 2022 at 1026 am is when I built it. We're now recording this in 2025. So we're only talking just over three years since I originally built it.   I told you Lauryn that my number for absolute freedom, we're talking like I put it all because I have a jet in there. I have a charter jet. I have a private like I put all these things like it was just I have like I want to   Dr. Lauryn B (20:17) You have a jet in there? Okay, well most people when   they do the exercise the way I have them do it aren't putting jets in there. I love you, Kiera. Okay, we're gonna stay friends because I want on that jet. Kiera error.   Kiera Dent (20:25) Like I'm telling you this is my absolute freedom. This is the absolute absolute like here is living this life I mean girl you can come cuz I just like   I wanted to see like what does this look like and I want to have like I don't want to retire in a retirement home I want to live in a villa like I've got some pretty lofty things in this like we're talking I went for like   Dr. Lauryn B (20:41) Right. Did you put the pilot   costs in there too or does that just come with a jet?   Kiera Dent (20:45) So my husband actually wants to be a pilot. So that's already like built in. So I've got like that. I also have friends that are pilots like, you know, yellow, we're gonna have that. Thank you, thank you. So on that, and I actually went through this, like I built it the first time, but we're talking three years. And I look at that to have that absolute freedom. The annual income pre-tax would be 4.6 million, which that can sound like an outlandish number. However, based on where the business is now, it's not that outlandish. And that was just a short.   Dr. Lauryn B (20:49) Okay. Okay. Okay. The jet makes a little more sense now, but yeah, got it.   No, it's doable.   Kiera Dent (21:15) three year period where I'm like, I mean, we got a jet, I got play money. mean, guys in-house chef, live in nanny, we've got all the cars, I've got my Lambo, I've got chartered flights in there, like you name it. And I look at this and I often assess because Kiera three years ago wanted some of these things and Kiera today might look at that and be like, know, I actually don't want these things, but this is what I'd rather. I'd rather like buy a house for my parents or I'd rather do this, but you will shift and change.   Dr. Lauryn B (21:16) And that's got a freaking jet in it.   Kiera Dent (21:45) But it's so crazy because when I look at that, I'm like, all right. So I know if things get tight in the business, I know, all right, rock on. Like pre-tax, we need to make a hundred grand. Like easy. We can handle that. We can create that. We can figure that out. That's it. Again, just a math equation. But then when you look up and you scale up, it becomes so much more doable and realistic. And then for me, I don't know how you feel, Lauryn. It's like, now the number doesn't feel like, got it. I know actually like what I'm working towards. I know how I can now do the math equation. It's not like I have to make   500 million to be free. It's like, no, I need this money because it will now go into investments. It will go into other places. I know how much that's going to generate for me. I know how much it's going to estimate grow. And I don't know. It just is pretty magical. So I'm very curious. Like, what are your other revenue streams that you recommend when we're looking at this and we're building that financial freedom? We're looking at like, okay, I kind of am. I'm hoping that people listening to this podcast are putting like dots together. Like, okay, got it. Like make the money, keep the money.   Dr. Lauryn B (22:17) Mm-hmm.   Hmm.   Kiera Dent (22:38) figure out how I'm gonna spend it, but not overspend it and still keep the money so I don't pinch on that side. Then I'm gonna look to see where I ultimately wanna get in my life. Now, like what are some other things like if we're there, how did you get it to where you weren't just reliant on your business anymore?   Dr. Lauryn B (22:52) So first I will say that none of this is any tax or legal advice and you must talk to your CPA or whatever. Yeah, here's my little disclaimer. I am not an accountant or anything, a lawyer or anything like that. So right now, so I just interviewed someone on crypto. So I am really, really lucky that my husband, he's a very early adopter. And so   Kiera Dent (22:58) This is true our little disclaimer there guys go talk to people that are not   Dr. Lauryn B (23:21) We have been pretty involved in crypto for   Kiera Dent (23:26) Which is why you said   do crypto like all the things like I should be putting this in crypto not going on trips. I now get it. All right, go on.   Dr. Lauryn B (23:33) So I just interviewed someone on my podcast who's like a crypto investor and like some of the predictions that the crypto people, the crypto people are saying about   going to happen with crypto, what could happen with crypto in the next five years,   4.6 million would be easy. So like if our current crypto ⁓   Kiera Dent (23:55) Chump change, like truly, truly.   Dr. Lauryn B (24:01) account like amount that we have invested   did even a fraction of like what like we'd be we'd be pretty   pretty pretty good even if that doesn't happen in five years if it like takes 10 so crypto for us   Kiera Dent (24:08) Mm-hmm.   Dr. Lauryn B (24:14) and like i said i just i knew that like that was the thing that for him but like i just really got i got off this interview and i was like how much did you invest last month we need   double it we need to like and he's like yeah   This is so exciting. Like I have been priceless. I've been really obsessed with a Cartier watch lately. Like a real like, and so I have was, I'm already   Kiera Dent (24:28) That's where he'll spend there, Lauryn.   Dr. Lauryn B (24:37) about my 2026 vision board because I'm in Enneagram three and we do weird   like that. And so I I was like, I want to go to Switzerland and   Kiera Dent (24:41) I love it.   Dr. Lauryn B (24:46) want to   to Switzerland and buy a Cartier watch. Cause that's where they're made. And like, and now I'm like, you know, maybe we should   Kiera Dent (24:52) Yeah.   Dr. Lauryn B (24:56) delay, that would be better put into crypto. And he's just like, this is the saver husband is just like, this is the greatest thing in the world. So anyway, so that's one bucket. ⁓ And you know, he spends a good amount of time each week, each day monitoring. So I won't even call that passive. I think that crypto can be a lot more passive depending on how you do it. I'm not going to get any deeper into the waters here because we are at my like limit of understanding of crypto.   Kiera Dent (25:02) He's loving it. Okay, so crypto. Okay.   Okay, perfect.   Dr. Lauryn B (25:24) I know   that you can   very active in investing and there are ways that can be much more passive. ⁓ So real estate, obviously   think that real estate is the secret of the wealthy for decades and decades and decades and it's not such a secret anymore. It comes with its own things. We both experienced 2007. I luckily had just gone into school, but there are people who lost their asses in 2007 with real estate. So not foolproof. Also,   Kiera Dent (25:50) only.   Dr. Lauryn B (25:54) not incredibly passive. We throw the word passive around way too much in this, but I will say where the majority currently and where we're like next year, how I'm getting to 3 million and this and that, a good percentage of it is very, very active in the personal brand coaching side of things.   Kiera Dent (25:56) I would agree on that. You gotta have a lot of doors, lots of doors, lots of time.   I agree.   Dr. Lauryn B (26:22) I have built and have continued building. ⁓ so, you know, podcast, sure, that makes some money, but like where very actively, where I spend more time on than in my clinic is in the online space of coaching courses, programs, webinars, membership. And that's when you find, and here's the thing.   is like every dentist listening, every chiropractor listening is like, okay, so I need to coach other dentists. I need to coach other chiropractors. And it's like, no, what I'm saying is, is online, there is a lot of money that can be made. It's not easier, but it's also not harder. It's its own hard. I just solved a different problem for someone. So I had the business that we solve this problem. And then I figured out a way. So we talked about the financial.   Kiera Dent (27:05) Right.   Dr. Lauryn B (27:18) freedom, but then I figured out the time freedom that I wasn't needed there all the time. So I could sit and go, what's another problem that I can sell a solution to?   Kiera Dent (27:33) Okay, let's like pause there. I'm very curious. How did you get, how did you solve the time solution? Like guilt free, like walk me through. I know it's like a pile whole nother episodes. Like do it in like a chunk or probably close to time.   Dr. Lauryn B (27:38) God, that's.   Yeah, well, I mean,   you ultimately, you pay for your time. So like, I am not collecting as much money from my clinic as I could if I was there doing the service. Like, that's just kind of obvious. ⁓ So I am paying for doctors that I wouldn't need a doctor. I could get rid of an entire doctor's salary if I just worked full time.   Kiera Dent (27:59) Right.   Dr. Lauryn B (28:10) I could also get rid of my amazing and well-paid director of ops. So this was a big game changer for us is so like, you may have a doctor on staff that's like your clinic director. You know, they're really in charge of like patient care, whatever, things like that. I recommend having a not office manager, a director of operations.   Kiera Dent (28:25) Thank   Dr. Lauryn B (28:39) Okay, like this is not an office manager. A lot of time your office manager is like by default, the person who's been with you the longest. Like we hired in a specific skillset that was going to be my eyes, ears, hands, feet, pretty much everything except my visionary brain.   Kiera Dent (28:40) Nothing.   and   Dr. Lauryn B (29:03) She does HR meetings, she does hiring, she does firing, she monitors stats. I meet with her once a week and I get reports. I pay her pretty well. And like honestly, she needs another raise and so does my other doctor. Like, so this is what's hard.   Kiera Dent (29:17) Yeah.   So let's just break it down. I   don't wanna know exactly what your Director of Operations gets paid, but let's give a range so people understand, because I think people don't realize what we're paying for that. So are we talking? Okay, perfect. And for some of you, might hear like, yes. And I would say that that, I would say it's probably 60 to 150 penny upon, for dentists, the size and practice, like I have seen that come through. So again, looking to see where it is.   Dr. Lauryn B (29:27) Probably 60 to 90 grand.   depending on your city and things like that.   can.   and   especially like if you're running multiple clinics. Yeah.   Kiera Dent (29:44) Yes. So   when you said that though, when we were talking about the audacious number and we're like, Hey, 4.6, like it seems so, but you're like, it's really big. But I think if people were to hear that and think K 60 to 90, if I were to pay somebody 90, but not have to do all the meetings, not all the hiring, not all the firing, what is your time worth? Go to Dan Martell, buy back your time. He's one of my favorites. Like what is your dollar per hour when you're doing dentistry or when you're doing chiropractic?   And could you hire that out? Like how many hours could you do or use your visionary brain to grow the business, grow other things? Well, yes, that's a great salary. It also, think when we put it with your time, I think a lot of people could see that on a balance sheet of a very good investment because I think time is one of your greatest assets. So again, I just want to highlight because a lot of people may think it's like 200.   Dr. Lauryn B (30:26) Mm-hmm.   Well, and I'm in a circle back.   So, cause I said, there's like the two different reasons you're burning out. Although I've listed like 17 at this point. You you've got the person who just wants to care for people and they have to run a business. And then you've got the person who's like, I've solved this. So like, I don't remember who said it, but they basically said there's like two types of people. And this is a really great question to ask when you're hiring. It's one of my favorite questions. ⁓ Are you the type of person?   Kiera Dent (30:39) Yeah   Dr. Lauryn B (30:57) who wants to solve the same problem every day and get more efficient and faster and better at solving that puzzle, or are you a person who would rather have a brand new puzzle every day and figure out   to solve that puzzle? There is no wrong answer here. You are not a less than person because people hear that and they go, oh.   I wanna be the exciting person. And this is why so many people end up in entrepreneurship that shouldn't is because they hear the air quotes, right answer there. the exciting answer is I want a new puzzle. Most people are not psycho like   if you   that you're that person, when you're really, this is totally cool to be like a more efficient problem solving, like same puzzle. But that's what a business is.   Kiera Dent (31:49) Yes.   Dr. Lauryn B (31:50) after a   certain point, you are solving the same problem. And so I literally couldn't. I couldn't, so like, yes, I could say like, well, I had the option of not spending that money on salary and just like stepping into my practice even more and being that director of ops and being that, I couldn't. I was done. At this point, this had been like 12 years.   Like, this is really more more recent. I've been in practice 15 years. So it was really more like three years ago that I was like, I can't, I want to. And I feel like a bad person that I'm like, I can still be the visionary. I can still check in and I still love hands-on patience. Like, ⁓ but like we need to hand this baton to somebody better because I will die if I have to keep hiring and doing some of this stuff.   Kiera Dent (32:47) You   How did your team and doctors take that? Because I think people are so scared of like, well, why does Lauryn get to go have one or two days in the office and we're here five days? Like, did you have any of that backlash? Like, how did that go?   Dr. Lauryn B (32:50) And so.   they're continue, you know, like, yeah, your people are people are people. And we can't, we can't, as if I don't get, my husband has to talk me off a ledge, you know, once a month about like, can you believe, like, we, they're just humans who are also living their experience and wanting more money and like seeing you live abundantly and feeling feelings of jealousy. Like you can't cure anybody who says like they've cured jealousy.   from their team culture, they are lying. So like feelings of jealousy and greed, these are natural human emotions that your staff is going to go through. And so, you know, I would say that more recently as we, because like we're talking about like, hey, the clinic numbers are not good enough for...   Kiera Dent (33:36) Yeah   Dr. Lauryn B (34:00) abundance and bonuses and raises. We've told you what we need the clinic numbers to be at in order for raises to happen.   Kiera Dent (34:06) I hope everybody listening   just heard how she was a CEO and she told them, these are what the numbers are. This is what we have to do. It's not, me give you bonuses and pay you more in hopes to get that number up there. Like rewind that, listen to that over and over and over again, because you have to have this team needs to see that. Otherwise, this is how you don't make the money and keep the money. You make the money and you pay more money and you're broke. Go on.   Dr. Lauryn B (34:27) Yeah, and for the first, that's   how I got to the worst, the best worst year of my life, you biggest revenue, but worst income was because we had been giving raises based on like effort and like they're working really hard. They deserve a raise. So an employee can deserve a raise, but there's not money to give them. So like we're simultaneously this year dealing with like, hey,   I wanna give raises, but like it's gotta be here and we're close, but we're not there. They simultaneously see me just fucking killing it in the online space and spending, because also like in the personal brand, like I coach healthcare providers how to launch a personal brand. And so like I talk about like, hey, I got a $2,000 affiliate check. We invested $13,000 from crypto. If you go find me on Instagram @DrLaurynB, you will see like,   My posts are about abundance and what a personal brand can do for you and how like the behind the scenes of like, yeah, we are, we're talking about diversifying income. Like this is how much our real   portfolio made last month. People want to know that, but my staff sees that. And so they're like, well, she rich. Why is she trying to tell us   she can't give us, why is it? And so, so like even literally this month.   Kiera Dent (35:45) that we don't have money. because the business, the business.   Dr. Lauryn B (35:52) We're in like calm, kind, one-to-one conversations having to be like, you know, but I will say my husband and I, like, this is like real life. These are conversations that literally happened like a week and a half ago where I came to my husband because prior the clinic was all the money. It was all the money. It was the biggest thing. It was really in the last two years that things switched.   where it was like, now my clinic is like, when do we call my clinic my side gig? Because I'm literally making four times as much on this personal brand in digital space. ⁓ And so we realized that,   Kiera Dent (36:20) Yeah.   Mm-hmm.   Dr. Lauryn B (36:32) there isn't money for raises that they want. There isn't money for bonuses. But can I,   Lauryn Brunclik.   who loves my employees, can I give them, can I shower them with birthday presents and anniversary presents and Christmas presents? Can I buy them lunch because they saved my ass because I came in late from a podcast recording or this or that? Yeah, because Lauryn can, like the personal, like we are fine. We are rich, great, this is great.   But like my head was so like the only money from a business mind that we can spend is the money that's allowed. And it's like, no, no, no, no. Now we're entering a whole new ball field where it's like, you know what? I can, but it's not gonna come from bonuses and raises. Those come from clinic performance. And so we are kind of going like, okay, FYI, this isn't coming from chiropractic. This is coming from me.   Kiera Dent (37:30) Right.   Dr. Lauryn B (37:41) loving and appreciating all that you do in this clinic so that I can. So what does this look like? You take a week off and you go golf the greatest like golf whatever courses and like you just like have this bucket list thing. This looks like you showing acts of appreciation, bringing gifts, buying them dinner, like whatever it is like.   showing appreciation for your staff that they are there so you can live your best life. They were there so you could leave early and go watch your kids dance recital. So like, although our natural instinct is to only show them that we appreciate them through raises and bonuses, and that's what they want. So like anytime you can do it. ⁓   Kiera Dent (38:38) I agree.   I agree. I feel like both.   Dr. Lauryn B (38:40) Sometimes   you have to figure out more creative ways to show your appreciation to them that they are doing that so you can't.   Kiera Dent (38:49) I love that. Wow. Lauryn, this is such a fun podcast. think like to put a pretty bow on this. What would you say if a doctor, your listeners, my listeners, if they're listening to this, what would you say would be like, wrap up takeaways from I mean, we have gone the gown. I love this. I felt like we were on the most random road trip of like we were going to this stop going to this one.   Dr. Lauryn B (39:08) I'm not sure if we took this entire transcript   and uploaded it to AI. It would be like, no, you guys are amazing. Here's your silver thread.   Kiera Dent (39:17) That would be amazing. So what would you say would be kind of like key takeaways or things that maybe we didn't get to that you just feel like listeners, business owners, those running the day to day clinic, whether you want to be on whichever side of this burnout coin, if you want to be there and serve the patients but are sick of doing the business, if you're on the side of like, gosh, I like just want to run the business and do other things outside of this, like looking at the burnout, looking at the generations that we're going through. I mean, we went the gamut of   from investments and passive income to appreciating your team as you as a person rather than the business. Like so many fun, different like ideas and aha moments. Any last thoughts you wanna add to put a pretty bow on today's podcast?   Dr. Lauryn B (39:57) All well, that's a really hard question, but you're lucky I actually do have something to say. was like, oh God, okay. All right, so was listening to a podcast this morning. Simon Sinek had Arthur Brooks on, and Arthur Brooks is, I don't know, political science, behavioral science, I think behavioral science. And he just very briefly in the interview said that like,   Kiera Dent (39:59) I know. Hey, good, good.   Dr. Lauryn B (40:21) It's human nature that we go through a reinvention of our career and have to reinvent ourselves every seven to 12 years. And that's just, that's gonna happen. So from the time that you graduate high school until the time that you retire, you're going to need to reinvent yourself multiple times. And the more that you fight that, the more that you, you you're at that seven year itch or whatever,   and instead of embracing reinvention, whatever that looks like for you, maybe you're bringing on new services into your clinic. like, it doesn't need to mean you need to lean out at that point, but you might just need a little, like, re-ignition, a reinvention of your brand. ⁓ The more that you fight that and go, I shouldn't feel this way, what's wrong with me? Like, like if you're sitting there broke and you're just stuck,   in a place of instead of reinventing yourself into this wealthy, healthy doctor that you know you can be, but instead you're like, God, I'm 39. I don't have my shit together. I should be making more money. I should, like, the more you just sit in this, what's wrong with me? It's just gonna torture yourself. I truly believe that people, you know, let's say they get 12 years into their career.   I believe that there are ⁓ too high of a percentage of people that literally just plan on embracing the suck the rest of their career instead of reinventing themselves for something joyful and abundant. And that just makes me so sad. So that's what I would say is my final thing is if you feel wherever you're at in your career, if you're feeling this, like this is your permission. It's not from me, it's from Arthur Brooks. He's some smart.   Kiera Dent (42:17) Yeah.   Dr. Lauryn B (42:18) Like you were smart enough to be on Simon Sinek, all right? He's giving you permission. This is not just a unique thing. This is human nature. And so figure it out. What does reinvention look like for you? ⁓ And just start doing the work.   Kiera Dent (42:35) Lauryn, that was absolutely beautiful and I hope people listen. I hope they take action. They take advice. ⁓ Because I think what you just said is so freeing and so beautiful. So I really hope people don't just listen, but actually take action. So Lauryn, I love this today. It was so fun. How can people get in? It's a great time. I'm like when we in person, I guarantee you'll be someone we will be fast friends in real life. Like just loved having you on here today. How can people get connected with you? How can they see your   Dr. Lauryn B (42:51) We should meet up in real life.   Kiera Dent (43:03) life again, I believe like when we watch other people we become like them. So it's like, I want people like you. I want people that are abundant. I want people like this is what the podcast is for. This is why we bring people together. How can people get connected with you if they want to know more about you see what you're doing? How can they   Dr. Lauryn B (43:07) Mm-hmm.   yeah, and if you   related to this, you'll love my Instagram, because this is everything that I talk about. So it's @DrLaurynB and Lauryn is with a Y. So ⁓ Instagram is definitely the place I hang out the most. Send me a DM if you listen to this. Like I am in my DMs all the time. And I would just, yeah, that's the best place.   Kiera Dent (43:34) I love it. We are millennials. Instagram's our jam. We're not on Snapchat, all right? It's Instagram, okay? It's gonna be that way forever. But Lauryn, I loved it today. Thank you for joining me. Everyone here, I hope you picked up nuggets. I hope you take action. I hope you truly commit to living your best life. And as always, thanks for listening and I'll catch you next time on the Dental A Team   Dr. Lauryn B (43:37) This jam. Yeah.  

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Do you use Google Sheets with JAWS? Want to learn how to navigate, format, and organize data more efficiently? Then “Ten Tips for Increasing Productivity with Google Sheets and JAWS” is the episode for you. Objectives: In this session we provide an overview of Google Sheets, plus show you how to: Turn on accessibility settings Create/rename a new spreadsheet, plus navigate an existing spreadsheet Apply formatting to cell data Insert a function Sort and filter data Verbalize column and row titles Navigate among multiple spreadsheets Access a list of Google-specific keyboard commands Enable compatible keyboard shortcuts from other spreadsheet applications Search the menus for a command

Some of the best storage deals you'll ever find aren't on LoopNet, in a broker's inbox, or even listed anywhere at all. They're hiding in plain sight, tucked behind a Dollar General, spotted on Google Maps, or sitting right in front of someone else who just doesn't know what they're looking at. In this episode, Alex Pardo continues his 6-part series on the 16 proven methods for finding off-market storage deals. This is Part 5, where Alex reveals three creative strategies you can put to work immediately: “flying for dollars” on Google Maps, the Dollar General hack, and how to build an army of property finders to send you deals. These methods are all about speed, leverage, and using other people and tools to multiply your results. You'll Learn How To: Use “flying for dollars” on Google Maps to spot mom-and-pop storage facilities Train virtual assistants or even your kids to help you build a steady deal pipeline Leverage the Dollar General hack to uncover hidden opportunities in small markets Recruit property finders, mail carriers, contractors, even friends, to send you leads Use simple tools like DealMachine or Google Sheets to organize and track your pipeline What You'll Learn in This Episode: [00:00] Why the best storage deals are often hiding in plain sight [01:00] Recap of the first 12 strategies in the series [04:00] Strategy #13: Flying for dollars with Google Maps + VA training [10:00] Spotting faded signs and gravel driveways as buying signals [11:00] Strategy #14: The Dollar General hack and why it works [15:00] How to gamify deal finding with your family [16:00] Strategy #15: Building an army of property finders bird dogs [18:00] Tools like DealMachine and simple Google Forms to track leads [19:00] Incentives that keep property finders motivated and bringing you deals [20:00] How Storage Wins members are applying these strategies successfully Who This Episode Is For: New storage investors looking for practical, low-cost ways to find their first deal Operators who want more deal flow without burning money on expensive marketing Anyone who wants to uncover hidden opportunities before the competition ever sees them Why You Should Listen: This episode gives you three powerful but overlooked ways to find deals quickly, even in competitive markets. Instead of waiting for overpriced broker listings, you'll learn how to create your own pipeline of opportunities—so you can buy facilities with less competition and more upside. Follow Alex Pardo here: Alex Pardo Website: https://alexpardo.com/ Alex Pardo Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alexpardo15 Alex Pardo Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alexpardo25 Alex Pardo YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@AlexPardo Storage Wins Website: https://storagewins.com/ Have conversations with at least three to give storage owners, brokers, private lenders, and equity partners through the Storage Wins Facebook group. Join for free by visiting this link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/322064908446514/

Turning a side hustle into a profitable business is exciting, but sloppy bookkeeping and unclear invoices can drain your energy—and your wallet. In this AI-enhanced revisit, Rob Broadhead and Michael Meloche share a practical playbook for mastering side hustle finances, from clean record-keeping to professional billing. Why Side Hustle Finances Matter from Day One A side hustle isn't “extra cash”—it's a business. Rob warns that ignoring taxes or mixing personal and business funds can lead to stressful bills or legal trouble. Famous entertainers have learned this the hard way, and so can new entrepreneurs. Treat every paid project like a true business. Without strong side hustle finances, you can't see profits, plan for taxes, or protect yourself legally. Michael adds that registering an LLC shields personal assets but also demands accurate books: “If you can't track your personal budget, learn fast for your business.” Building a Side Hustle Finances Foundation The first step in managing side hustle finances is to separate them. Open a dedicated business bank account and credit card to keep personal funds safe and simplify reporting. A credit card provides fraud protection and reward points if you pay it off monthly. Choose tools that fit your stage: Wave (free tier), QuickBooks Self-Employed, FreshBooks, or Google Sheets. Snap photos of receipts and store them digitally so every expense is documented. Pro Tip: Pay off the business credit card monthly. You'll earn rewards and maintain a clean paper trail without carrying debt. Professional Invoicing for Healthy Cash Flow Clear, professional invoices are a cornerstone of good side hustle finances. Include: Business and client contact info Project details and dates Explicit payment terms (Net 30, due on receipt, or milestone-based) Offer multiple payment methods—Stripe, PayPal, ACH—and embed a “Pay Now” button to speed up processing. Rob notes that many companies pay at the last possible moment, so set firm terms and late-fee policies from day one. Challenge: Review your current invoice template. Does it clearly state deadlines and late-fee penalties? Update it before your next project. Managing Cash Flow and Hidden Costs Large deposits can trigger bank holds, especially if you've rebranded or opened a new account. Plan ahead so you can cover payroll or expenses without tapping personal savings. Understand the real cost of every payment method. Credit-card and ACH fees can quietly chip away at profits, so build those numbers into your pricing. Contracts and Boundaries Before starting any project, define what “done” means and capture it in a written agreement. Even a simple contract from LegalZoom can protect your work and ensure you're paid. No contract, no work. Require deposits and pause projects if clients miss payments. Never deliver final source code until the check clears. Key Takeaways for Side Hustle Finances Treat your side hustle like a business from day one. Separate accounts and track every expense with reliable tools. Send professional invoices with firm terms and enforce them. Anticipate bank delays and processor fees to keep cash flowing. Use contracts and deposits to protect your time and income. By following this side hustle finances playbook, you'll not only stay organized and get paid on time—you'll also build the financial habits that turn a part-time gig into a thriving business. Stay Connected: Join the Developreneur Community We invite you to join our community and share your coding journey with us. Whether you're a seasoned developer or just starting, there's always room to learn and grow together. Contact us at info@develpreneur.com with your questions, feedback, or suggestions for future episodes. Together, let's continue exploring the exciting world of software development. Additional Resources Financial and Accounting Applications (Free and Low Cost) Accounting For The Entrepreneur Estimation Essentials: How to Nail Pricing for Development Projects From Side Hustle to Success The Developer Journey Videos – With Bonus Content

Watch Josh and Will transform a simple meal planning problem into a fully functional web app using nothing but AI prompts. From Will's basic Google Sheets button to a sophisticated menu generator with search, filters, and editing capabilities - all built live in under 30 minutes!We're not coding experts, just two curious minds showing you how accessible app development has become with AI tools like Claude and ChatGPT. Whether you want to solve personal productivity challenges or prototype your next big idea, this episode proves anyone can build functional apps today.Head over to our website at ⁠⁠⁠hitechpod.us⁠⁠⁠ for all of our episode pages, send some support at ⁠⁠Buy Me a Coffee⁠⁠, our ⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠, our ⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠, and to see our faces (maybe skip the last one).Need a journal that's secure and reflective? Sign-up for the ⁠Reflection App⁠ today! We promise that the free version is enough, but if you want the extra features, paying up is even better with our affiliate discount.

A viewer asked me to suggest some tools he could use to evaluate his investment portfolio and asset allocation. So in this video we looked at three of my favorite investment tools:1. Empower: https://go.robberger.com/empower/yt-3...2. Kubera: https://go.robberger.com/kubera/yt-3-...3. Google Sheets: https://robberger.com/investment-trac...Join the Newsletter. It's Free:https://robberger.com/newsletter/?utm...

Most clinics don't fail because they're bad at treatment—they stall because their tools don't talk. EMR here. Scheduler there. Email somewhere else. A texting app. A CRM you meant to set up “one day.” In the gaps between them? Patients and leads fall through. This week's episode gives you a simple, durable way to fix it—without another fancy platform, without months of setup, and without you doing more. What You're Getting Today The hidden trap: Platform sprawl → missed follow-ups → lost revenue The fix: A single Google Sheet + one “quarterback” to run it How to scale it: SOPs your whole team can follow Your next step: Grab the free Sheet + video walkthrough that can completely transform your follow-up process—and the impact you have with your practice. The Lead Management and Patient Follow-up Tracking Sheet and Training is the same tool I use in my own clinic. It makes it easy to track follow-ups, set timely reminders, and stay top-of-mind with the people most likely to say yes down the road—so no one, and no revenue, slip through the cracks. Grab your copy here. USEFUL INFORMATION: Check out our course: How to answer, “Do you take my insurance?”  

Do you have important files in your nonprofits' Google Drive that are associated with their owners' personal gmail address? Google lets you migrate those files to Shared Drive so your organization never loses access to them. Google Workspace is fantastically easy for nonprofit start ups to set up and doesn't take a lot of technical know-how to manage until you grow to a larger staff size. One of the common issues we run into is ownership of files. In Google world, the creator “owns” the files even when shared or saved on a shared Google Drive, and if that owner leaves the organization – through any number of scenarios – the organization no longer has access to those files. Depending on how important the files are, that can cause problems! For example, if you are using an outsourced CFO – or if a photographer “shared” files with you – you can lose access. A while back Google created “Shared Drive” and we recommend moving files from individually shared folders to organizationally owned folders. In this podcast, Steve shares a Google Drive trick for nonprofits on migrating those files to Shared Drive relatively easily, by making the owner a temporary manager of the new folder. The takeaways: Google regards the “owner” of files as the creator. Various options for sharing files may not grant complete access to those files for as long as they are needed. Community IT recommends creating Shared Drive in Google Workspace and migrating individual files and folders there to preserve organization access to them. This changes the “owner” from the individual to the organization. If you are running into migration issues with shared files disappearing, it is probably because the file was “owned” by someone outside your organization, or even someone within your organization using an individual gmail account to access Google. It is very easy to mistakenly log in to Google under other accounts to do your work!To migrate files in that situation, Google makes it possible to solve the ownership problem without a third-party tool. Staying within the Google universe preserves the file formats and makes migration easier. Links remain valid as will dynamic connections within Google Sheets.Community IT recommends creating a Shared Drive and temporarily making those external people managers with their individual gmail account. That gives them the ability to move whole folders of their files into the Shared Drive, where they become “owned” by the organization even after the individual leaves. This also helps clear up files created by external vendors where ownership needs to sit with the organization not with the individual owner, such as photos.It sounds complicated, but Steve walks through how to approach “ownership” in the Google Workspace universe and make data management as easy as possible. _______________________________Start a conversation :) Register to attend a webinar in real time, and find all past transcripts at https://communityit.com/webinars/ email Carolyn at cwoodard@communityit.com on LinkedIn Thanks for listening.

Creating a Wealth Creation Plan: Mastering Your Finances with Jared BriggsIn this episode of the Jared Briggs Show, Jared dives into the importance of being good stewards of wealth and offers practical advice on managing finances. He expresses his concern about the financial struggles many Americans face and attributes these issues to a lack of financial education. Jared shares his personal system for money management using a detailed Google Sheets plan. This system helps individuals track income, fixed and variable expenses, and allocate funds towards a 'financial freedom' account aimed at achieving personal goals. He emphasizes prioritizing financial freedom over debt reduction, leveraging financial tools such as credit cards properly, and continually increasing income. Jared encourages listeners to take control of their finances through disciplined money management and a focus on wealth creation. He also offers free personal consultations to help others create their own wealth creation plans.00:00 Introduction to the Jared Briggs Show00:31 The Financial Struggles in America01:10 The Concept of Managing Money01:51 Creating a Wealth Creation Plan02:36 Practical Steps for Financial Management11:06 The Importance of Financial Freedom19:12 Mindset and Education in Financial Success20:21 Becoming a Good Steward of Wealth22:47 Conclusion and Opportunities for Personal Guidance

Nonprofit Sector Sees Positive Trends and AI Empowerment Amidst Challenges In this week's episode of the Nonprofit Newsfeed the duo delve into the latest updates and insights impacting the nonprofit world. Nonprofit Wellness Index Sees Positive Shift The episode kicks off with an encouraging update on the Nonprofit Wellness Index, which has reported its best month since inception. This index, tracking metrics like donation activity, ad spend, and job sector churn, showed a significant rebound from previous months, with notable increases in nonprofit job postings on platforms like Glassdoor and a rise in ad spending on Facebook. While some of this growth might be seasonal, the data suggests a positive trend for the sector, potentially signaling a more stable period ahead. Google for Nonprofits Expands AI Capabilities A major highlight is Google's expansion of its Nonprofits Workspace, now offering AI credits to organizations in the program. This includes access to powerful tools like Google Sheets, Gemini Notebook, and other AI-driven resources, providing nonprofits with high-value, cost-effective solutions. George emphasizes the importance of leveraging these free resources before investing in third-party tools, likening their value to the underutilized Google Ad Grant. Legal and Governance Challenges with ESG The conversation shifts to the complex landscape of ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) policies, spotlighting a lawsuit by Texas against corporations implementing ESG practices. This legal pushback, fueled by conservative think tanks, highlights the contentious nature of ESG in corporate governance. Despite criticisms of ESG's broad metrics, George underscores the inevitable market forces that will drive sustainable practices, regardless of political opposition. Gender Equity in Nonprofit Leadership The episode also touches on the Candid 2025 Nonprofit Compensation Report, revealing persistent gender disparities in nonprofit leadership. Despite efforts towards DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion), women remain underrepresented in CEO roles at large organizations, prompting ongoing discussions about achieving true equity in the sector.

Nonprofit Sector Sees Positive Trends and AI Empowerment Amidst Challenges In this week's episode of the Nonprofit Newsfeed the duo delve into the latest updates and insights impacting the nonprofit world. Nonprofit Wellness Index Sees Positive Shift The episode kicks off with an encouraging update on the Nonprofit Wellness Index, which has reported its best month since inception. This index, tracking metrics like donation activity, ad spend, and job sector churn, showed a significant rebound from previous months, with notable increases in nonprofit job postings on platforms like Glassdoor and a rise in ad spending on Facebook. While some of this growth might be seasonal, the data suggests a positive trend for the sector, potentially signaling a more stable period ahead. Google for Nonprofits Expands AI Capabilities A major highlight is Google's expansion of its Nonprofits Workspace, now offering AI credits to organizations in the program. This includes access to powerful tools like Google Sheets, Gemini Notebook, and other AI-driven resources, providing nonprofits with high-value, cost-effective solutions. George emphasizes the importance of leveraging these free resources before investing in third-party tools, likening their value to the underutilized Google Ad Grant. Legal and Governance Challenges with ESG The conversation shifts to the complex landscape of ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) policies, spotlighting a lawsuit by Texas against corporations implementing ESG practices. This legal pushback, fueled by conservative think tanks, highlights the contentious nature of ESG in corporate governance. Despite criticisms of ESG's broad metrics, George underscores the inevitable market forces that will drive sustainable practices, regardless of political opposition. Gender Equity in Nonprofit Leadership The episode also touches on the Candid 2025 Nonprofit Compensation Report, revealing persistent gender disparities in nonprofit leadership. Despite efforts towards DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion), women remain underrepresented in CEO roles at large organizations, prompting ongoing discussions about achieving true equity in the sector.

A baby nuked our Google Sheet (true story). Then we built a season-long gambling blueprint: survivor planning, home-dog rules, and one-bet-a-week compounding. Plus futures: KC–WAS, Bills–Packers, and a spicy Seahawks take. Chapters 00:00 Intro & Labor Day “no days off”00:18 Survivor pool + why gambling never sleeps02:42 The $10K rollover plan (one bet a week)05:30 Bankroll compounding & risk of ruin06:05 RedZone hype + East vs West kickoff life08:04 Survivor Week 1: Eagles vs Cowboys debate12:25 Coaching nerves, vibes, and variance14:45 J-DAWG's Survivor pick: Commanders > Giants18:43 Best bets mindset: MLs > teasers20:13 Parlays Michael actually placed22:42 Home dogs: Seahawks vs 49ers24:13 Jets-Steelers, Rodgers jitters & Tomlin drama26:52 Futures: Darnold MVP? KC-WAS? Bills-Pack?29:01 Division winners lightning round33:03 Patriots reset, rookie QB reality checks35:25 Vegas talk, apps, and cash-out culture36:22 Tracking our picks publicly (uh oh)37:15 Wrap: optimism before Week 1 carnage

Welcome back to another episode of School Counseling Simplified! Throughout September, we're diving deep into classroom lessons, one of my favorite Tier 1 interventions. Sometimes we're given lesson plans, but other times we're left to create everything from scratch. That's why this month I'm sharing practical strategies for scheduling, planning, and teaching lessons with confidence. These tips are pulled directly from my Stress-Free Classroom Lessons course, a five-module training designed to help you feel prepared and supported when delivering class lessons. In this episode, I'll walk you through three game-changing scheduling tools that make the process seamless and manageable: 1. Google Sheets Create a simple form that lists your available times. Share it with teachers so they can sign up directly, avoiding endless back-and-forth emails. Teachers take ownership of choosing times, while you stay in control of your availability. Set it up at the beginning of the year so teachers can reserve their slots for months ahead. 2. Calendly Use this free, user-friendly website for scheduling. Teachers can easily reserve lesson times for the entire school year. Add important details like location, duration, and virtual links. Customize hours, set time limits, and color-code events to keep everything organized. 3. Google Calendar Pair with Google Sheets or Calendly for maximum efficiency. Create recurring calendar invites that include lesson details, virtual links, and reminders. Invite teachers directly so lessons appear on their calendars. Color-code lessons, groups, and individual sessions for quick organization at a glance. While it takes time to set up initially, the payoff is a smooth, structured year. Pro Scheduling Tip: Be practical and remember that you're in control. For instance, if Mondays are difficult due to travel or frequent holidays, avoid scheduling lessons on that day. I personally recommend having teachers sign up for the entire year in advance. This approach allows you to balance your time across class lessons, small groups, and individual sessions. At the same time, remain flexible, because your schedule will naturally shift to accommodate your needs and the evolving needs of teachers throughout the school year. Resources Mentioned: Join IMPACT stressfreeschoolcounseling.com/classlessons   Connect with Rachel: TpT Store Blog Instagram Facebook Page Facebook Group Pinterest Youtube   More About School Counseling Simplified: School Counseling Simplified is a podcast offering easy to implement strategies for busy school counselors. The host, Rachel Davis from Bright Futures Counseling, shares tips and tricks she has learned from her years of experience as a school counselor both in the US and at an international school in Costa Rica. You can listen to School Counseling Simplified on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and more!  

How to Create a Free Cash Flow Valuation Chart in Google Sheets for any stock you want!Newsletter: https://qualityatafairprice.substack.comPatreon: https://www.patreon.com/LongacresFinanceDisclaimer: This video is intended for entertainment purposes only and should not be taken as investment advice.#dividendstocks #dividendinvesting #dividendincome #dividends

In this episode of The Sports Hangover, Mike & J Dawg go off on fantasy football auction drafts in Google Sheets (why?!) and reveal their $54 rookie gamble that could make or break the season. Plus, Mike drops $1,000 on an NFL Survivor pool and explains why betting Week 1 is actually galaxy-brain genius. We also break down the UFC's shocking Paramount+ deal, ESPN stealing NFL RedZone, and the latest Shadour Sanders controversy.

This Podcast Is Episode 641, And It's About A Week In The Life Of A Profitable Contractor- Habits That Pay Off If you're a small construction business owner, you know what it feels like to be busy but not consistently profitable. You're running from job sites to supply runs to client meetings, answering calls at night, and still wondering where the money went at the end of the month. Here's the truth we see every day as construction bookkeeping specialists: The most successful contractors aren't just working harder—they've built weekly habits and systems that keep the business running while they build. In this post, we'll show you what a streamlined, systemized week looks like in a small construction business. Whether you're a solo contractor or leading a small crew, these routines can help you stay organized, improve your cash flow, and protect your profit. Why Weekly Habits Matter in Construction When you build consistency into your week, everything improves: You stop forgetting to invoice or follow up You get paid faster Jobs stay on schedule Clients feel informed (and complain less) You catch issues before they become emergencies The goal isn't to overload your week—it's to create a rhythm that keeps your business stable and growing, without requiring you to do everything at the last minute. Monday: Plan the Work, Work the Plan Morning – Weekly Kickoff Start your week with a short job planning session. Whether you're solo or managing a team, ask: What jobs are active this week? What phase is each job in? What materials, subs, or permits are needed? What deadlines are coming up? Use a whiteboard, spreadsheet, or project management tool (like Buildertrend or Trello). Assign daily goals to each job to ensure that nothing falls behind. Afternoon – Estimate & Lead Follow-Up Block off time to follow up on: New leads that came in over the weekend Outstanding estimates Questions from potential clients Even 30–60 minutes of focused follow-up keeps your pipeline warm and prevents "ghosted" leads. Pro tip: Utilize email templates for follow-ups and store lead information in a centralized location, such as a Google Sheet or CRM. Tuesday: Tidy the Books & Track Job Costs Morning – Track Labor & Materials Take 30–60 minutes to: Log hours worked so far (your crew's and yours) Review any receipts from the job site Match expenses to job names This provides a real-time view of how each job is performing against budget, enabling you to address issues before they escalate. Afternoon – Vendor Check-Ins Call or check with your suppliers: Confirm deliveries Handle any backorders Pay invoices on time (if possible to avoid late fees) Building good vendor relationships keeps your jobs on track and your business in good standing. Bookkeeper's tip: If you send us your receipts and labor updates every week, we can update the job cost reports and alert you if anything appears to be incorrect. Wednesday: Build and Communicate All Day – Focus on Production Mid-week is often when contractors are on-site all day. But don't go silent on your clients or back office. End of Day – Client Touchpoints Send a quick project update to each active client: What was completed today or this week? What's scheduled next? Are there any delays or updates they should be aware of? A 2-minute message can prevent hours of frustration or confusion. Systematize it: Use a weekly client update template or a shared project board where clients can check their progress. Thursday: Invoice, Collect, and Prepare for the Weekend Morning – Invoicing & Payments Every Thursday, review: What milestones were completed this week? What invoices should go out today? What payments are overdue? Send invoices promptly—don't wait until the end of the month. Progress billing maintains a healthy cash flow and reduces the risk of late payments. Afternoon – Financial Catch-Up Take another 30 minutes to: Send payment reminders Record payments received Pay subs (if applicable) Review your upcoming expenses Automation tip: Utilize QuickBooks, Joist, or another invoicing tool that automatically sends reminders. Friday: Review & Reflect Morning – Job Wrap-Up or Prep Use Friday mornings to: Finalize the week's job work Clean up job sites Prepare materials or tools for Monday Afternoon – Weekly Financial Review Block 30 minutes to review: Profit & Loss report Cash on hand vs upcoming bills Job profitability (are we still on budget?) Even a basic check-in provides insight into how your business is performing, not just how you perceive it's doing. What to ask your bookkeeper: Are we on budget for our active jobs? Did we hit our revenue and profit targets this week? Any unusual spending patterns? Weekend: Rest & Reset (Or Catch Up, Smartly) Use the weekend to rest—or if you need to catch up, keep it light: Review new lead inquiries Clean up receipts or paperwork Organize tools or truck inventory Try not to overload your Saturdays. You're running a business, not burning yourself out. Set boundaries: Let clients know you're unavailable on Sundays unless it's an emergency. Protect your peace. Recap: Weekly Rhythm for a Profitable Contractor Day Primary Focus Monday: Job planning & lead follow-up Tuesday: Job costs, receipts, vendor check-ins Wednesday: On-site work & client updates Thursday: Invoicing, collections, and financial review Friday: Job wrap-up, P&L check, planning Weekend: Light admin or complete rest This weekly flow doesn't have to be perfect. The point is to build structure into your week so you're not always reacting—you're leading. Why This Works When contractors follow a simple weekly routine: Jobs run smoother Clients are happier You get paid faster You make decisions based on facts, not gut feelings You work fewer nights and weekends You don't need to be a spreadsheet wizard or tech genius. You need systems that fit your workflow and a few key habits to stay consistent. And if you need help setting that up, that's where I come in. Need Help Building a Weekly System That Works? As construction bookkeeping specialists, we help small contractors: Automate financial tasks Track job costs easily Set up smart invoicing and reminders Build habits that protect profit Let's chat and streamline your week, so you can get back to building what you love. About The Author: Norhalma Verzosa is a Certified Construction Marketing Professional and serves as the Web Administrator of Fast Easy Accounting, located in Lynnwood, WA. She holds a Bachelor's Degree in Psychology and is a Certified Internet Web Professional, with certifications in Site Development Associate, Google AdWords Search Advertising, and HubSpot Academy. She manages the entire web presence of Fast Easy Accounting using a variety of SaaS tools, including HubSpot, Teachable, Shopify, and WordPress.

Join host David Pisarek and community-builder Lauren Andraski in this insightful episode of the Non-Profit Digital Success Podcast, where they explore how non-profits and consultants can create websites that truly connect, engage, and deliver impact.Lauren, founder of Consultants for Good, shares her journey from managing a simple Google Sheet to leading a thriving network across six continents. She reveals the strategies behind user-friendly design, the power of listening to your audience, and how to use analytics to make data-driven improvements.Discover the keys to:Designing a website that serves multiple audiences effectivelyUsing feedback loops to improve functionality and user experienceLeveraging simple tech solutions to scale your communityCustomizing content and navigation for different user typesMaking data and analytics part of your growth strategyWhether you're building a new site or optimizing an existing one, this episode offers practical, real-world advice you can apply right away to strengthen your online presence and mission impact.Tune in to "How to Build Great Non-Profit Websites with Lauren Andraski" to learn how to blend strategy, simplicity, and community insight for a website that works as hard as you do.

N-Gram Analysis for Amazon PPC: How to Reduce ACOS with Negative Phrase Match Keywords?If you're struggling to lower ACOS or control wasted spend, this episode is for you!Discover how N-Gram Analysis for Amazon PPC can reveal hidden and wasted ad spend, empower you to add the perfect negative phrase match keywords, and dramatically boost your results.Stephen and Andrew break down N-grams, from unigrams to bigrams and trigrams, and show how you can spot high-ACOS terms and negative opportunities even in the messiest search term reports.You'll learn hands-on tactics with Google Sheets and how AdLabs makes deep-dive analysis fast, simple and scalable.Ready to take control of your Amazon PPC? Watch now, drop your questions below, and subscribe for more masterclass strategies on N-Gram Analysis for Amazon PPC: How to Reduce ACOS with Negative Phrase Match Keywords!

An airhacks.fm conversation with Adam Dudczak (@maneo) about: early programming experiences with Commodore 64 and Pascal, demo scene participation through postal mail swapping of floppy disks, writing assembly code for 64K intros with music and graphics, developing digital library systems using Java Servlets and Hibernate, involvement in reactivating Poznan Java User Group in 2007, NetBeans Dream Team and NetBeans World Tour, appearing on Polish breakfast TV to discuss Java programming, working at Supercomputing Center on cultural heritage digitization projects, transitioning to EJB 3.0 and Glassfish based on conference inspirations, joining allegro in 2014 to rewrite search functionality from PHP to Java microservices, handling 14K requests per second with Solr-based search infrastructure, migrating big data stack from on-premise Hadoop to Google Cloud Platform, developing private banking application for children using Spring and Hibernate then migrating to Google Sheets with 70 lines of JavaScript, discussing public cloud cost optimization strategies, comparing AWS Lambda versus EC2 versus container services based on traffic patterns, emphasizing removal of code when moving to public cloud to leverage managed services, standardization benefits of Java EE for long-term maintenance and migration, quarkus as modern framework supporting old Jakarta EE code with fast startup times, importance of choosing appropriate persistence layer (S3 vs relational databases) based on cloud costs, serverless architectures for enterprise applications with predictable low traffic, differences between AWS Azure and GCP service offerings and pricing models, Turbo assembler project klatwa Adam Dudczak on twitter: @maneo

This Podcast Is Episode 640, And It's About How To Build Systems That Support Your Construction Business Turning the 3 Pillars—Marketing, Accounting, and Production—Into Repeatable Routines(without adding more work) You've done the hard part—you're running a construction business, getting jobs, and turning out quality work. Perhaps you've even begun to refine your marketing, job costing, and project delivery strategies, thanks to the three pillars we've discussed: Attracting the Right Jobs, Controlling the Money, and Delivering Projects Profitably. But here's the next step that will take your business from reactive to reliable, from "just getting by" to scaling sustainably: You need systems. Not paperwork piles. Not more apps. Just smart, repeatable steps that make your business more efficient—even if you're still a one-person show. As construction bookkeeping specialists, we help contractors every day who are great at swinging hammers but are overwhelmed by admin. This post will show you how to build simple systems around your existing workflow, so you can run your business more smoothly, make better decisions, and free up your time. What Is a "System" Anyway? A system is simply a repeatable process that occurs consistently without requiring you to reinvent the wheel each time. It could be: A checklist An automation A template A recurring habit Or a combination of all of the above The goal is predictability—so your business can function smoothly whether you're at a job site or taking a day off (yes, that's allowed!). Why Small Construction Businesses Need Systems You might be thinking, "I'm not a big company—I don't need systems." But the truth is, you need them even more. Why? Because without systems: Every invoice is different Every client interaction takes extra effort You forgot to track your hours or materials You lose receipts or miss billing for change orders You're constantly reacting instead of planning The right systems save you time, reduce stress, and increase your profitability. And they don't have to be complicated. System #1: A Simple Lead-to-Job Process The Problem: You get an inquiry, scribble notes on paper, forget to follow up, or lose track of what was discussed. Sound familiar? The System: Create a basic lead intake form (Google Form, CRM tool, or paper checklist) Pre-qualify leads with a few standard questions: Project type, location, timeline, budget Save all client information in one place (e.g., Google Sheet, Notion, Trello). Use a standard estimate template so every quote includes: Scope Pricing Timeline Payment terms Send a welcome email template after a job is accepted (include next steps, policies, and what to expect) Bookkeeper's Tip: Keeping track of leads and estimates helps you compare projected vs. actual profits, so you can learn which jobs are truly worth your time. System #2: A Weekly Money Routine The Problem: You're too busy to check the books, so you don't know if you're making or losing money until tax time. The System: Set aside 30–60 minutes each week to review your finances: Reconcile transactions (or send to your bookkeeper) Check outstanding invoices Follow up on late payments Log hours worked and materials used (by job) Review your cash flow forecast for the next two weeks Even if you outsource the bookkeeping, your weekly check-in keeps you in control. Make it part of your Friday routine, just like packing up your tools. Bookkeeper's Tip: We can set up automated reports to send you a cash flow summary, job costing update, or overdue invoice list via email each week—no extra work on your end. System #3: Job Costing and Change Order Tracking The Problem: You think you're making money on jobs, but in the end, you can't say for sure, and you might've given away work for free. The System: Use a spreadsheet or job costing software (like QuickBooks Projects or Buildertrend) Track: Labor (hours × rate) Materials (receipts, delivery invoices) Subcontractors Permits, rentals, and other direct costs Add a simple change order log to each job file Description, date, price, status (pending/approved) Get approval before starting extra work   Bookkeeper's Tip: When you track jobs this way, we can help you compare estimated vs. actual costs and margins—so your future quotes get sharper and more profitable. System #4: Project Timeline & Client Communication The Problem: Clients get anxious when they don't hear from you, and scope creep happens when there's no clear plan. The System: Break each project into 3–5 major phases (demo, framing, finish work, etc.) Assign rough start/end dates Use a whiteboard, app, or calendar to stay on track Send weekly updates to clients (template email or quick text summary) "Here's what we completed this week… Here's what's next…" Bookkeeper's Tip: When jobs stay on schedule, you're more likely to invoice on time and get paid faster, which improves your cash flow. System #5: Receipts, Invoices, and Tax Readiness The Problem: You have a shoebox full of receipts and scramble to find documents when tax season rolls around. The System: Use a digital system like Dext, Hubdoc, or even a shared Dropbox folder Snap photos of receipts as you go—tag them with the project name Save estimates, signed contracts, and change orders in organized folders Send invoices promptly at milestones (use progress billing templates) Review reports monthly with your bookkeeper (Profit & Loss, Job Profitability, etc.) Bookkeeper's Tip: With clean books and digital records, tax time is painless—and you'll never miss a deduction. The Myth of "More Work" The biggest myth about systems is that they add more to your plate. In reality, they save you time and stress by preventing confusion, wasted effort, and missed revenue. Stop rewriting the same emails Stop digging for info buried in texts Stop guessing at prices or costs Stop forgetting to bill for work you did With systems in place, your business becomes predictable, profitable, and easier to manage—even as you grow. Ready to Systemize Your Construction Business? You don't have to figure this all out on your own. As construction bookkeeping specialists, we help small contractors establish and maintain systems that align with their workflow. Whether it's: Automating job costing Simplifying invoicing Organizing digital receipts Reviewing job margins Or building custom templates We'll help you take the guesswork out of your money—and give you back control of your time. Let's identify one or two areas in your business where a system could save you hours (and dollars) every week. You build homes. We'll help you build the business behind them. About The Author: Norhalma Verzosa is a Certified Construction Marketing Professional and serves as the Web Administrator of Fast Easy Accounting, located in Lynnwood, WA. She holds a Bachelor's Degree in Psychology and is a Certified Internet Web Professional, with certifications in Site Development Associate, Google AdWords Search Advertising, and HubSpot Academy. She manages the entire web presence of Fast Easy Accounting using a variety of SaaS tools, including HubSpot, Teachable, Shopify, and WordPress.

On this episode of I Do Wedding Marketing, I'm thrilled to be joined by Ron Sefcik of Ron & Jess Marketing! If you've ever said, “I need more leads” or “I wish I could book more of the ones I already get,” then this is your episode. Ron is a seasoned wedding marketing expert who dives deep into the real difference between a leads problem and a bookings problem—and how to solve both.We talked about everything from tracking your lead sources (yes, even if you've been avoiding spreadsheets like I have

Join Brian and Mike Cohn as they unpack the five essential pillars that take Agile from “just the motions” to meaningful, measurable impact. Plus, get a behind-the-scenes look at their revamped course built for real team transformation. Overview In this episode of the Agile Mentors Podcast, Brian is joined by longtime collaborator and Agile thought leader Mike Cohn for a deep dive into what really makes Agile stick. They explore the five foundational pillars—mindset, practices, roles, teamwork, and support beyond the team—and share stories of what happens when teams get them wrong (like obsessing over story point math or demoing a copyright update in a sprint review). Along the way, they introduce the newly available Working on a Scrum Team public course and explain why it’s designed for entire teams, not just isolated roles. Whether you're new to Agile or knee-deep in transformation, this episode will help you rethink how to build an Agile approach that actually works. References and resources mentioned in the show: Mike Cohn #80: From Struggling to Success: Reviving Agile Teams with Mike Cohn Scrum Team Roles and Responsibilities Working on a Scrum Team Course Mountain Goat Software Certified Scrum and Agile Training Schedule Subscribe to the Agile Mentors Podcast Want to get involved? This show is designed for you, and we’d love your input. Enjoyed what you heard today? Please leave a rating and a review. It really helps, and we read every single one. Got an Agile subject you’d like us to discuss or a question that needs an answer? Share your thoughts with us at podcast@mountaingoatsoftware.com This episode’s presenters are: Brian Milner is SVP of coaching and training at Mountain Goat Software. He's passionate about making a difference in people's day-to-day work, influenced by his own experience of transitioning to Scrum and seeing improvements in work/life balance, honesty, respect, and the quality of work. Mike Cohn, CEO of Mountain Goat Software, is a passionate advocate for agile methodologies. Co-founder of Agile Alliance and Scrum Alliance, he thrives on helping companies succeed with Agile and witnessing its transformative impact on individuals' careers. Mike resides in Northern Idaho with his family, two Havanese dogs, and an impressive hot sauce collection. Auto-generated Transcript: Brian Milner (00:00) Welcome in, Agile Mentors. We're back for another episode of the Agile Mentors podcast. Thanks for joining us. I'm with you, as always, Brian Milner. And today, I have the one and only Mike Cohn back with us. Welcome in, Mike. Mike (00:12) Thanks, Brian. Good to be here. Brian Milner (00:14) Always happy to have Mike on the show and really appreciate Mike making time to come on. Wanted to have Mike on because there's some things Mike's been talking about recently that are really interesting and people have been asking a little bit about this and I thought maybe it'd be just a good opportunity to talk through some of the stuff that Mike's been writing about. I know you spent, Mike, a lot of time helping teams to not just do Agile but to really get solid results from it. to see impact from it. And I know the topic you've been talking about recently is sort of these five pillars of supporting real agile improvements, the mindset, practices, roles, teamwork, and support beyond the team. So I thought maybe we could just dig in and drive through those and maybe learn a little bit about those as we go. Obviously also to talk a little bit about the exciting new course that's being launched here, the working on a Scrum team course, because I know that was originally just for private classes, right? And now it's being open to the public. Mike (01:23) Yeah, we've done working on a Scrum team as a private class for probably 20 plus years. It's been kind of our main offering to private clients. But we're hearing from a lot of people that they have one team and they can't really get a private class approved with the budget and such. So what we're doing is going ahead and making that course available as a public course. So two people from your company, five people from another company all in the same class the way we've done our certified courses for decades. And so we're going to start offering this as a public course. And the exciting thing there is that it's really meant to be a team-based class, where things like Scrum Master training, great class, but it's really meant for the Scrum Master, right? And working on a Scrum team is really designed, and you and I helped you and I design this course together, but it's designed to be something that is a whole team training, right? So good for anybody on a team. Brian Milner (02:16) Yeah, yeah, it's been really great teaching those in the private classes and I'm excited to think about the public being able to come in and take that now. Let's talk a little bit about these pillars and, I think people are gonna be really intrigued by the concept here. The first one is mindset, I think, and just wanna start there and say, what does it actually mean to... think Agile and what is the found, why is that kind of the foundation for successful transformations? Mike (02:43) Remember the kind of the early days of agile and there was a lot of conversation about could you be agile without understanding the principles, right? If you just did the practices, were you agile? Other people were saying, no, you have to start with the principles, right? And so do you start with principles? Do you start with practices? And I remember these early debates and they often devolved into a discussion of the karate kid movie, right? Remember that one, right? And, you know, can you just wax on? Brian Milner (03:12) Ha Mike (03:12) for long enough, just do the practices. And then all of a sudden, your karate instructor or your agile coach is, OK, you're agile. And it's like, wait, all I know how to do is wax a car, right? And so there were these discussions about practices versus principles. And I was kind of always on the side where you better understand the principles to do this. Just knowing the practices, waxing on all day, is kind of just going through the motions. And so you have to understand the principles. And the idea that I wanted was that if a team truly understood all of the principles underneath Agile, I don't just mean just the manifesto, but all the principles that are there from Lean, from Kanban, from everything, that if you really understood those, you'd kind of invent the practices, right? You do those and you go eventually to go, hey, we should probably meet every day. Or hey, if we tested first, that might be a really good thing. Brian Milner (03:57) Yeah. Mike (04:05) So you'd invent the practices if you really had that type of agile mindset. And so for me, when we're working with organizations to get them truly agile, and I don't mean like more agile than less agile, but agile in a way that's going to stick, you got to change mindsets, right? You've got to do more than just the wax on. So people have to get the mindset. Brian Milner (04:27) Yeah, I love that. I know that I've experienced some things in the course of working with people that's it's sort of like you, if you're not on the same page with the principles, then you start to talk through the practices and you run up against a problem. And really what you find out the core of it was, well, we weren't aligned on really the principle behind this. So why would I want the practices then, right? ⁓ Mike (04:49) Yeah. Well, that's where you also end up then with a lot of team debates about things, right? Because you're arguing about the practice. if you'll say you and I are arguing about the benefit of some practice, if we agree on the principle, we might just have different views on it. But deep down, we'll probably agree on some practice, or we might find an alternative one. But if you don't agree on the principles, you end up with a lot more of these kind of annoying. mean, team debates are great. I mean, I love. Brian Milner (04:54) Yeah. Mike (05:12) you know, having a team debate, arguing stuff like that, but not about pointless things, right? And not without some sort of foundation. They just kind of get in the way. It's just frustrating for everybody. Brian Milner (05:21) Yeah. Well, I'm kind of curious, what kind of signs or signals do you think teams should look out for to kind of clue in and let them know that what might actually be going on here is more of a mindset issue? Mike (05:36) think sometimes it's when you hear the appeal to authority, right? Somebody says, you know, well, we got to do it this way because the scrum guide says, right? Or the one that annoys me is we have to do it this way because Mike Cohn says, ⁓ you know, that was like, no, I, somewhere else also said, think, right? Don't just, you know, don't just, you know, blindly do story points or something. Cause I say they're a good thing. I want you to think too. Brian Milner (05:50) You You Mike (06:01) And so I think that kind of appeal to authority when teams are debating things. It's where we also see teams who think they're agile because they do a set of practices. We use a particular agile tool, so we must be agile. We do daily meetings. We must be agile. And those are not the things that make you agile. Those are artifacts of being agile. If you're agile, you're going to meet a lot. You're not going meet a lot, but you're going to talk a lot. Um, and so those are the artifacts of behaving in an agile way. And so I want to understand why we're doing those things. So I look for those kind of appeals to authority. Um, you know, emphasis on that type of stuff in an argument talking about how this is the right way saying there's only one right way to do something. Brian Milner (06:49) Yeah, yeah, that's great. How does working on the Scrum team deal with this? How does that address it? Mike (06:55) Well, one of the things we do, it was actually one of my favorite exercises. We do this exercise at the start of the class where we ask people to kind of map out how the organization talks about certain adsel principles and then how does the organization behave. And so for example, if a company says, people are our greatest asset, and then they treat people like dirt, we've got this kind of problem between what we say and what we do. And so I like to kind of map this out. And so we do this with the principles in the Agile Manifesto. And once we map those out and we start to see things that we say we value, but we don't behave that way, really helps us understand if we've really embraced that mindset. Or are we just doing things because an Agile coach told us to, or a boss told us to, or we did it that way in our prior company. Those are all bad reasons to do something. Brian Milner (07:48) Y eah. So this is great. So I agree. The mindset's really foundational. And there is this symbiotic relationship between mindset and practices, which came first and which comes first, as we talked about. I know a lot of teams get stuck doing Agile, though, in really only name only. So when we talk about practices, what makes the difference between going through the motions? Mike (08:00) Mm-hmm. Brian Milner (08:11) and actually doing things that work. Mike (08:13) Well, practices is kind of our second pillar, right? You have to have the mindset, right? But you also have to have the practices that come from having that mindset. so, again, I try to think of that team on a desert island, right? And they're isolated from the world. They've never talked to anybody, but they have an agile mindset. What practices are they going to invent, right? And I think those are kind of the core practices. We see a lot of problems with as an example, teams that misunderstand sprint planning. And I know when I first started teaching about sprint planning, I'd have a slide up there to have a picture of a sprint backlog. And the sprint backlog listed tasks like code this, design this, test this. And then there were estimates next to code this. It's going to take four hours testing. It's going to take three. And so we were able see all these numbers and think the point of a sprint planning was these numbers. And Even in the early days of this, I was always saying, no, it's not about those numbers. It's about deciding what product backlog items you can pick. if taking a, I don't even want to call it an estimate, but taking a wild guess about, it probably can take four hours to code. If that helps you decide how many backlog items you can commit to, great, put those numbers up there. But it was never about the numbers. And it's one of the most common problems that I see with teams in sprint planning is they get obsessed with How many hours did we bring in? How many points did we bring in? And I remember one team I worked with where we did sprint planning. Having those estimates were helpful for them on their sprint back. They were helping. And we finished the meeting. And we're using Google Sheets in a meeting to do this. We've got a row with the estimates in there. And as we start to wind down the meeting, I deleted that column that they'd spent so much time talking about. They're all kind of pissed off at me. Why'd you delete that? We spent all this time talking about it. I said, because we got the benefit, right? You got the benefit of those numbers. The benefit isn't a week from now remembering that you said five hours, because it's going to take what it takes. The benefit was the discussion that it led to of can we take more or are we already full? So I see teams get obsessed with that. This is one example, but that's one of the problems with sprint planning as a practice. Brian Milner (10:25) Yeah. Yeah. I think you're absolutely right. And that's one of the things I know I've talked about with people going through the course is sort of understanding the purpose behind the things. Just going back to, know, harkening back to what you said about, don't just do it because someone told you, you know, understand why the purpose behind it. And, know, otherwise we, I'm sure we've all had that experience before where someone just tells you to do something and says, you know, why? Cause I told you so, you know, that, that doesn't, that's not very convincing. Mike (10:52) Thanks, Mom. Brian Milner (10:53) Right, right, thanks mom. Yeah, not very convincing, but it's much more convincing when they can tell you, well, no, you do this because this is what we're trying to do. And I think you're right, that makes all the difference there. ⁓ Mike (11:05) It just, don't know anybody that responds well to being told what to do, right? My instant reaction is no, right? mean, you it could be, you know, a really, you it could be a really good thing. Eat more vegetables, you spend more time outside. No, right? Don't tell me what to do. So. Brian Milner (11:09) Right. Right. Yeah. It's almost like our default response is no until you convince me. Are there other common practices? We talked about sprint planning. Are there other kind of practices you see teams struggle with? Mike (11:28) Yeah, yeah, for a lot of people. think a huge one is product backlog refinement. I don't know what a better word would be than refinement. refinement is about making the backlog better. It's not about making it perfect. And I see teams that get stuck on backlog refinement and feel like they have to resolve every open issue, that everything has to be tiny and answered and buttoned up before we can start a sprint. And that's not the case. For me, the goal in refinement is to make sure things are small enough and sufficiently well understood. I don't want to bring in a backlog that's bigger than my velocity. If our velocity is 25, I don't want bring in a 50-point story. how about the problems of a 50-point story anyway? But I don't want to bring in some massive epic like that into a sprint. And so refinement is about making it small, making sure it's sufficiently well understood. Sufficiently well understood, not perfectly. And so Brian Milner (12:18) Yeah. Mike (12:28) The problem is these teams, and I know you've seen this, but teams who get in there, want to resolve every open issue. It's like, no, we can resolve that during the sprint. If we think about the goal and planning to make sure we know what to bring into the sprint, not too much, not too little, we're fine just enough that you're at that point. Is the button blue or red? Who cares? If it's a log in story, we're going to lock people out after some number of failed attempts. Who cares how many? Figure that out during the sprint. If it's five or three or eight, who cares? Figure that out later. So I think refinements won. Another big one would be reviews, ⁓ where sometimes teams demo too much in a sprint review. And they feel like they have to justify their existence, show everything you did during the sprint. And the most egregious example of that was this was a handful of years ago. But I literally remember a team showing Brian Milner (12:58) Yeah. Yeah. Mike (13:18) how they had updated the copyright notice on the footer of the web page, know, copyright, you know, whatever year our company, right? And it's like, my God, you didn't need to show that to stakeholders, right? We all either know there's a copyright notice on the bottom of the web page or we've seen one before. I don't need you to bring it up and scroll down to it. Now only took 15 seconds of the meeting, but that was 15 seconds of people's lives. They were never going to get back. you know, show stuff that you need feedback on, right? If you'd... Brian Milner (13:41) Right. Mike (13:45) You fixed a bug and you fixed it only way it could be fixed. Mention it perhaps, but you don't need to show it, right? Brian Milner (13:51) Yeah, yeah, know teams I've been on often it's just it's suffice it to have a list sometimes and just say here's a list of things if you want to know more about these come talk to us but we're move on to the stuff you care about. Mike (14:02) Yeah, I always have like a will show, will not show list. you know, I often, if I'm writing the meetup present, that'll put that up on Zoom or, you know, show it on a screen if we're in person. And often somebody wants to see something that's on the will not show list. Or they just want me to describe what bug was that again? What was that? You know, and I'll explain it really quickly. But if nobody wants to see it, don't bother showing it. So. Brian Milner (14:26) Yeah, I know we talk about these scrum practices quite a bit in the working on the scrum team class, but if someone signed up to take this class, what can they expect to hear or what can they expect to learn about these practices in the course? Mike (14:39) Well, I think one of the things that you and I did together in creating the newest version of the course was to look at what do you actually need to practice doing, and it's feasible to practice doing in a classroom setting, versus what should you just kind of talk through. And not everything needs to be practiced to get the hang of it, right? Everybody in the world has taken something big and split it up into smaller things before, right? I need to make. spaghetti dinner tonight. What do need to buy? Right? OK. Well, that's that's that's test decomposition by noodles, by sauce, by tomatoes. Let's make it from scratch. Right. By some garlic. Right. So everybody in the world has done decomposition. We've broken a big thing into small things. And I remember, you know, iterating over I'm still on sprint planning, I guess. But I remember iterating over exercises in sprint planning and in courses over the decades by now. And I would have one where you're planning a party for your kid, break it down into tasks. It's like, nobody learns anything from this. And so that's one where I'd rather say, OK, this problem occurs in sprint planning. How could you solve it? Other things like, let's say, splitting user stories or splitting job stories, that's a skill worth practicing together, getting feedback on. And so those type of things we try to practice in the course. other things we just talk about. mean, I'm curious on your thoughts on that. What do you think about some things being worth practicing, some things worth being better talked about? Brian Milner (16:01) Yeah, I agree. I agree fully. it's, it's, you know, there's some things, it's kind of like what you said before, there's some things that's not worth spending the time on, and it's better to just have a discussion and move on. Mike (16:13) Yeah. Yeah. I guess that's one of the things we always talked about. We always talked about return on investment of the exercise. What's the return on the exercise? And if you're going to have a one hour exercise, cool. One hour exercise. But it better have a pretty healthy return because that's a lot of time in class. And so what's the return on exercise? Is this worth a practice? Is it worth just a discussion? And if we can discuss two hard problems and give people advice on two common problems, they're probably going to face. Brian Milner (16:21) Yeah. Mike (16:41) Might be better than spending 20 minutes practicing something that they've probably done before. Brian Milner (16:45) Yeah, I completely agree. Let's move to the third pillar then, because I know this is a big one, just thinking and talking about the roles. And just as far as communication issues are concerned, even outside of Scrum, I know that's part of the big problem with teams and organizations just not being clearly defined about who does what and who's responsible for each thing. So those misunderstandings are really common failure points. ⁓ Mike (17:09) Mm-hmm. Brian Milner (17:10) How do you see teams getting that wrong and how's that derailing a Scrum team? Mike (17:15) Well, think we see it all the time on Scrum teams between Scrum Master and Product Owner and even the development team, right? Who does what? I was responding to some comments on LinkedIn this morning on some post I'd made last week and somebody had some comments. And it had to do with whether the Scrum Master or Product Owner does something. And it was interesting because in the comments on that post, I... I don't remember which one it was, but I shared a certain perspective. I feel pretty strongly that I have it right. I mean, I this is how we do it. But there were other people saying the opposite, right? And so, you know, these are people that are probably fairly experienced with Scrum, if they're following me on LinkedIn and feel comfortable commenting on a post, probably feel comfortable with it. And so there's a lot of confusion about what role does what thing. And I don't think this is something where the Scrum guy is going to have the answers for you. I think it's, I mean, you can look at the Scrum guy, oh, this. Here's my starting point answer, but we always want to play to people's strengths, right? And if you've got a scrum master who's got a lot of skill in one area, maybe they shift a little work from the PO to themselves, right? With the PO's permission, right? And the opposite, right? Between maybe PO and team. So it's fine to have default starting positions on who does what, but you always want to play to people's strengths. So I think PO scrum master, I think we see it with project managers and scrum masters, roll confusion on those type of roles as well. Brian Milner (18:38) Yeah, completely agree. A lot of those roles that are not named Scrum team roles and how they interact with the team, that's often a source of confusion as well. What are maybe some signs or symptoms that teams might be having confusion or problems in this area that maybe they don't even recognize or realize they're having an issue with roles? Mike (18:59) Any sort of conflicts, right? You know, you and I arguing over which one of us should do something. The other one would be kind of the opposite, which would be like a dropped ball. I was watching some YouTube video. I love baseball. I was watching some YouTube video the other day of like missed catches or something like that. And some team hit a baseball way up in the air and it was landing near three players, right? Three players are all looking at it. Brian Milner (19:12) You Mike (19:23) One guy waves the other two off, he's going to catch the ball and he must have been blinded by the sun because he's like six feet from the ball when it lands on the ground, right? And, you know, if we have a responsibility to catch the ball, run this meeting, right, right the backlog, the kids dropped, right? And so I think either arguing over who does something, two of us trying to do the same thing or neither of us doing it. I don't mean trying to get out of the work, right? All three players have been happy to catch the ball, but I think you've got it. You think I've got it, right? Those type of things are pretty good signs. think getting clarity around these roles can really optimize how a team works. And I think a really key thing here is that it changes over time. So I'll go back to my example of maybe the Scrubmaster has some skills that can help the product owner early on. Because maybe the product owner is new to the company. The product owner doesn't know the product as well. So they might rely on the Scrubmaster for guidance on things. Well, a year from now, we might shift responsibilities a little bit because now the PO is the expert on all things related to the product. So it's not like we want to establish clarity on roles one time and leave it forever. It's going to change. We get a new tester on the team, things might change. Product owner moves. It's going to change again. So we need to realize these responsibilities are dynamic. Brian Milner (20:39) Yeah, that's a great point. Your point about baseball just made me think about how, when you watch any youth sport in the world, when you go watch your kids play a sport, what's the one thing you always hear people scream from the sideline? Talk to each other. Call the ball. Well, that too. That too. Ump your blind. Those kinds of things. Well, let's talk a little bit about Mike (20:52) I thought you were going say, put my kid in. Brian Milner (21:00) I know this course addresses the roles and how would you say this course really helps address that issue of role confusion? Mike (21:07) think a big part of it is that we designed it to be for everybody on the team, right? Suppose you send a scrum master to a class, and it's a great class. Scrum master is going to back to the certain set of impressions about their role. Product owner goes to an equally good class about the product. They might have different impressions. Even if they took the course from the same instructor, they're hearing it a little differently. They're hearing it through their filters, right? And so when they're in a course together, there's more opportunities to clarify their understanding about those things, especially in the classes designed as we did with this one to bring out some of those differences. So I think the course helps with that. we've also designed it to mention the rules we haven't talked about, like managers and things like that. Brian Milner (21:53) Yeah, yeah, I think those are so important. And there's a lot of great discussions that come out when we have those topics. ⁓ Let's talk about the fourth pillar then, teamwork, because this, I think, builds really well on what we just talked about. And the idea that there's actually, Scrum is a team sport. ⁓ So beyond just normal human personality conflict type issues, what do you see that gets in the way of teams actually Mike (21:58) Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Brian Milner (22:18) working as a team. Mike (22:19) think ego is probably one, right? I can do everything better, just leave me alone. There's an old book that says basically, beware of a lone developer in a room, right? You know, it was referring to the developer who wants to close their door and say, I'll it done in a month, trust me, right? And one of the companies I worked with, and this one's going back like 15 years ago, but it was a really good story. Brian Milner (22:36) Yeah. Mike (22:43) is they would literally grab one unit of work. Each person on the team would grab a unit of work and take anywhere from three to 12 months to do the thing. So they were big things, but the person would do everything on it. They'd coded, tested everything. And the organization was putting out very little because of this. When they moved to Scrum in the first year, by their estimate, they said they delivered 540 % more work. over five times the amount of new features delivered. And that was through the collaboration, through the short iterations, those type of things. But it was about getting people to collaborate more. So I think there's huge opportunities to do that. One of the problems I see is when we don't overlap work. If we think about that organization I just described, you grab your thing, you're done in six months. I grab mine, I'm done in seven months. If we'd work together on those things, what's not make us any faster? No faster. But you and I could have worked on your one thing and been done in three months. OK, we're delivering value in three months, right? And so one of the things I look for a lot is how much teams are overlapping work, right? And if we're not overlapping work, there's huge opportunities to improve at that. I'll a little example of this. One of my favorite restaurants is, I don't know, barely call it a restaurant. It's a fast food deli. It's called Jimmy John's. Have you been to Jimmy John's, Yeah. Yeah, there's one near my house where I can go there and the wine will be out the door. Right. And you know, normally you see a wine out the door and it's like, crap, I'm going somewhere else. Right. These guys are so fast. They're so fast. When I get to the front, I place my order. I play this little game of can I fill up my cup? You know, I get an iced tea and they give me an empty cup and can I go fill up ice and put the tea in before they hand me my sandwich? And it's about 50-50. Right. It doesn't take long to fill up your iced tea. But the way they do that is the overlap work. As soon as I order my Italian club sandwich, somebody's already got the bread open, somebody's got a slab of meat they're ready to drop on there, somebody else has their hands over the vegetables and they're dropping the vegetables on there, and then a fourth person wraps it up. And so like four or five people touch my sandwich. Hopefully their hands are clean, but four or five people touch my sandwich as opposed to like most delis where I go and it's like you watch one person plod along making the sandwich, right? Overlap work is huge. Brian Milner (25:07) Yeah. Yeah, this episode sponsored by, no, just kidding. Use code Mike Cohn when you go to, no, just kidding. Yeah, I agree. And yeah, yeah, I'm familiar with Jimmy John's. Probably too familiar. ⁓ Yes, yeah, no, that's, I think that's part of their shtick is that they're, you know, they're known for being fast. So yeah. Mike (25:10) You Is yours just as fast? Yeah. Yeah. They call it Freaky Fast. They actually have a competition. I've seen YouTube videos of this where they get like the best teams at various restaurants race, right? And so they have like the Jimmy John sandwich making Olympics or something, but it's a skill. Brian Milner (25:36) wow, wow, yeah. You should pair that up with the hot dog eating challenge in some way and see if we could have a team sport going there. ⁓ Mike (25:48) Well, that's a good point because think about the hot dog eating. That's one guy, right? That's Joey Chesnett shoving hot dogs down. The Jimmy Johns is a team. They get the best crew at a restaurant and it's a team, right? How fast can the team go? Not how fast can one guy make a sandwich, right? Brian Milner (25:51) Yeah. Yeah, yeah. That's awesome. So what are some tips? What are some ways that you can really unite a team, especially those new teams? Because that's the fascination point for me is, how do you take this group of humans that really don't know each other and haven't worked together in the past and unite them together and have them gel as a team? How do you do that? Mike (26:21) I'll give you a couple. One, I think having really crisp sprint goals helps. So we all know exactly what we're trying to get done in the sprint. We don't lose sight of that because sometimes in the middle of a sprint, you lose sight of it. And you get myopic and you just focus on a list of tasks. And I'm going to say that it's probably similar to the team doing sprint planning and just getting them assessed with the numbers. It's not about the numbers. It's not about the tasks. It's about the backlog items that lead to some goal. So crisp sprint goals help. That's a hard phrase. Crisp Sprinkles helps. The other one I'd say is having a shared vision about where you're headed over a little bit longer term. Probably the biggest change to the Scrum Guide ever that I've liked is the inclusion of a product goal. And that was something I'd been talking about forever. mean, literally since I started doing Scrum was that sprinkles are great, but they're pretty short, right? You want to have something bigger. Brian Milner (26:52) It is. Mike (27:14) And so I like having product goals that are a few months out there. And one of the things I like doing for product goals is have teams do something like write a press release that describes their goal or create a vision in some way, write a review that you want to see come out on the App Store, Play Store, and a magazine. And one of my clients made software and they were reviewed by a major magazine and they were given an editor's choice runner up award. And they actually estimated that being runners up for that was probably worth about $10 million. First place, first time was worth about $10 million a year to them. And so they decided to get serious about this and they wrote a review. Their scrum master, she was actually combo scrum master product owner, Erin. She had the team write a review and she said, let's go earn this review. And I literally remember the email I got from her three months later. It was because it was Halloween night. I just like, you know, brought in the candy from outdoors. We're done trick or treating. And I checked my email. I a three word email from her from Erin. said we did it. And the magazine had let her know, hey, we're reviewing you. be out on, you know, like Tuesday's edition. And the review had quotes in there that were from their vision review, right? The things that they had wanted to achieve. Brian Milner (28:22) Ha ha. Mike (28:35) And that team had just really jelled around that and just became so much more productive and collaborated so much better because of that shared vision. Brian Milner (28:43) Yeah, that's amazing. getting back to the course then, I know in the course we're trying to kind of some of those collaboration muscles. What are some of the ways that the course helps to build that? Mike (28:56) think one of the key things that we're doing, and I'm excited about this, is that we're, you know, we of course use Zoom breakout rooms, right? You you go talk about this, we'll see you in eight minutes or something like that. And for this course, we're doing something where a group of three or more, when they register, can have a private breakout room. And this to me is exciting because people get the benefit of having a private breakout room. They can have sensitive discussions if they want. They can talk very specifically about. you know, what do we do about our jerk product owner? mean, whatever it is, right? You know, they can talk about their specific issues, yet have the context of a broader class. Because I think in one of the benefits of any public class is hearing how other teams are doing things. And sometimes that's because you get a good advice, you know, how did you solve that problem? We have that problem. Other times, it's just feeling that you're not alone in the world. they've got that problem too, right? And they don't have any solution for me, but I know I'm not alone in the world with this. And so I like these private breakout rooms for three or more. I think it's a novel thing we're doing with this class. And it's with the intent of combining the best of both worlds of private and public training for this. I'd the other thing is probably consistency, having everybody on the team hear the same message, having those discussions with an experienced instructor like you or me in the room to provide guidance when they have questions. know, go back to the role clarity, right? You know, they can talk about it and they're there. Then they're back in the main room with you or me and we can kind of answer questions. So I think that consistency will be huge as well. Brian Milner (30:25) Yeah, yeah, I love that idea of the private private breakout rooms that that's that's gonna be huge for a lot of people I know. ⁓ Mike (30:31) I'm excited to try it with this. This will be the first classes we do that for. I'm excited about it. Brian Milner (30:36) Yeah, yeah. Well, let's bring it home then and talk about the fifth pillar because the fifth pillar is really interesting as well. It talks about support beyond the team and teams can only do so much. Every team struggles when they're not supported well. And there's lots of studies that show leadership support is one of the biggest hurdles or obstacles to the adoption. Mike (30:46) Mm-hmm. Brian Milner (30:59) What does that support look like from outside the team and how can a team influence that? Mike (31:06) Yeah, if you're trying to be agile and your HR group has quarterly reviews of personnel that are all based on individual performance and has nothing to do about teamwork in there, it's going to be hard to focus on collaboration. So we have to kind of fix these issues. I think what we have to do here is to have team members educate those outside the organization. And we have information that we share about, you here's how to talk to a boss that's maybe mandating deadlines, things like that. And so we try to coach people through having some of those challenging conversations. And one of things I want teams to do is kind of become an example of what good agile looks like. And if you have a team that's excelling with agile and they're doing it from a kind of principles first, that mindset first approach. You're going to see other groups look at that and let's say the marketing group. They're going to look at that go, hey, that's an interesting way to work. I wonder how we could do that, right? And it's going look different for a marketing group than a tech team. the mindset is going to be the same. Principles will still be the same. And so when we get teams to do really well with this, other parts of the organization start to get interested. And then they stop being as much in our way. Brian Milner (32:20) Yeah. I know one of the most important aspects here and that we talk about is, is that you don't need to, to wait, right? If you're the team level, you don't have to just sit around and wait for the organization to make changes. you, you have opportunities to make changes as well. So how does that happen? How's the team change, you know, bring about those changes that, improve the agile process, the results. Mike (32:42) I think that's by being the example so that people see it. I think it's by having those conversations. You know, one of the things that we'll get is, you know, it's so common is the product owner that wants to change their mind all the time. I was reading something, I guess this is in our Agile mentors community, I think is where it was, but it was about the, you know, the product owner who said his favorite thing about Agile is that he can reprioritize every week. ⁓ And it's like, you can, you know. Brian Milner (33:05) Hmm. Yeah Mike (33:10) I'm not sure it's good. And I think about that, a team gets momentum, right? And you're working on a certain feature. Next sprint, it would be nice to work in that same area of this system, right? Your head's there. Just kind of keep going a little bit. And I've often described this as like, let's say you're working on three backlog items that are in a certain area of this system. Let's make it concrete. Let's say it's the spell checker in Microsoft Office, right? And you do three backlog items related to the spell checker this sprint. Next sprint, maybe your top priority is not more spell checker stuff, but maybe items, I don't know, 25, 26, and 27 on the backlog are still in the spell checker. You know what? It might be better to do those. There are probably two or three sprints away. Let's bring them into this sprint. Just get them done while my head's into spell checking. And so getting product owners or stakeholders to stop doing that, one of the ways that I like to talk about doing that is using an example of ordering a meal at a restaurant. I can order, let's say, the chicken entree. And then as the waiter is taking the orders around the table, I change from chicken, no, bring me the fish. Not a big deal. The waiter is going to cross off chicken and write down fish. If the waiter goes away, brings me back my salad, and I change my mind then, I say, hey, bring me the fish. Might not be a big deal. It's going to be a big deal if I've already taken three bites of the chicken. right? Or if he brings me the chicken. So yeah, we can change our mind, but there's a cost, right? And we want to educate stakeholders about that cost. They don't overdo it. Brian Milner (34:31) Yeah. Yeah. Well, speaking of the leaders and the organization, managers, leaders, do you think this course is appropriate for managers and leaders to attend as well? you feel like they might need to in order to really have this be an impact? Mike (34:55) Yeah, that's a good question. Is it appropriate? Yeah, I think it's appropriate. When we do this privately, we've had plenty of leaders and managers attend. I think it's great. I don't think that's required because they're not on the Scrum team. You said the name of the course is working on a Scrum team. And so they're not on the Scrum team. They benefit by knowing more how their Scrum team works. But I think what we found is that having just a key subset of people who hear the same message work through the training together, and then go back to the organization. That's enough to bring the passion, conviction, and skills that we want. So we don't truly need leaders. They're great. I would never talk a leader out of going, but I wouldn't. If I were a team and I could take the class this month or with my leader next month, I would just get the class done, right? And educate the leader afterwards. Brian Milner (35:41) Yeah. Yeah, yeah, I think that's a good plan. All right, well then we've made our way through the five pillars and for people who have come this far with us and are at this point, if they're listening and they're recognizing some of these problems we've been talking about, what would you recommend to them as next steps here? Mike (35:49) if Well, take a look at our website. If you go to mountaingoatsoftware.com. And then I think there's a courses link on the top. You can go up there and find the link to this course. It's an exciting one that we're doing. I've literally been teaching this, I think the first time I taught a class called Working on a Scrum Team was 2003 or 2004. it's a time tested course. You and I kind of redesigned it a couple of months ago to make it appropriate for public. or little better just in general and more appropriate for public. But it's a time-tested course that's now designed to be available for public settings instead of, you know, have to have 25 people or something. Brian Milner (36:36) Yeah, yeah, that's really exciting. I can't wait to see kind of how people are in, you know, react and interact in the course to some of these concepts and ideas. And we'll, we'll of course link to all these things that we've talked about in our show notes and make it easy for everyone to find the course listing and, and, you know, where the dates and everything that we're going to offer them. So make sure to check that out. Mike, thanks so much for coming on. This has been really enlightening and I appreciate you making time for it. Mike (37:01) Of course, thanks for having me, Brian. Always a pleasure.

Exploring how nonprofit fundraisers can adopt the disciplined mindset and tools of the startup world— with special guest Jeffrey Fidelman, CEO of Fidelman & Co..  Jeffrey, whose firm delivers "fundraise-as-a-service" to early-stage companies and emerging managers, shares a structured and data-informed approach to relationship-building that challenges many long-held assumptions in the nonprofit sector. This fascinating discussion will challenge nonprofit professionals to rethink the very architecture of their fundraising systems by borrowing proven tactics from startups—without sacrificing the human touch.At the core of Jeffrey's message is the idea that fundraising is a systematic process, not a single pitch or magical conversation.Jeffrey maps out a dual-layer approach to fundraising: the quantitative layer, involving workflow, analytics, and consistency; and the qualitative layer, which focuses on personalization, trust, and long-term relationship development. He draws comparisons between nonprofit fundraising and sales funnels in the for-profit world, urging nonprofits not only to expand the top of the funnel, but to improve conversions at the bottom—where so much potential is lost.A key takeaway for nonprofit leaders is the importance of tech-enabled tracking and experimentation. Jeffrey introduces the concept of hypothesis-driven outreach, advising organizations to run structured experiments over 60–90 days and adjust based on data. He explains how simple tools like Google Sheets or CRM platforms like HubSpot and Zoho can help nonprofits monitor donor progression, email open rates, and reply rates—unlocking previously invisible insights.This rich conversation also addresses transparency, both internally and externally. Jeffrey critiques the secrecy often surrounding fundraising data within nonprofit teams and stresses the importance of shared pipelines and consistent communication. As he explains, success lies in setting expectations early and “being an extension of the team, not a black box.”On segmentation, Jeffrey contrasts mass marketing with targeted outreach, arguing that larger gifts demand deep personalization. He recommends nonprofits resist the impulse to blanket every potential donor and instead invest time in researching each prospect—"go on their LinkedIn, learn about them”—to craft meaningful connections.Find us Live daily on YouTube!Find us Live daily on LinkedIn!Find us Live daily on X: @Nonprofit_ShowOur national co-hosts and amazing guests discuss management, money and missions of nonprofits! 12:30pm ET 11:30am CT 10:30am MT 9:30am PTSend us your ideas for Show Guests or Topics: HelpDesk@AmericanNonprofitAcademy.comVisit us on the web:The Nonprofit Show

This Podcast Is Episode 639, And It's About Pillar 3: Delivering Construction Projects Profitably A Construction Bookkeeper's Guide to Smarter Production for Small Contractors You've done the hard work: marketed your services, landed the job, and priced it to make a solid profit. But here's where a lot of small construction businesses lose money—even after doing everything right up to this point.   That moment is project execution—or what we in the business world call production.   As construction bookkeeping specialists, we've seen many jobs transition from profitable to painful simply because the contractor lacked systems in place to track costs, manage scope, or control labor once the work commenced.   Let's discuss Pillar 3: Delivering Projects Profitably, and how refining your production process can safeguard your profits, enhance your reputation, and alleviate stress.    Why "Doing the Work" Isn't Enough Many contractors assume that once the job starts, the hard part is over. But production is where the majority of the risk lives: Labor costs can balloon Materials may get wasted or delayed Clients can change their minds mid-project Subcontractors may not show up when they're supposed to Scope creep can kill your margins without you realizing it From a bookkeeper's point of view, this is when the numbers begin to go awry. Profitability doesn't just come from winning jobs—it comes from controlling how they're delivered. What "Delivering Profitably" Actually Means To deliver projects profitably, you need to finish the job: On budget On schedule With the client happy enough to pay (and refer you) It's not just about good craftsmanship. It's about project management. Whether you're a solo operator or have a small team, production needs structure. Fortunately, it doesn't need to be complicated. Where Small Contractors Lose Profit During Production Before we dive into solutions, let's look at where money is most often lost on the job site: 1. Untracked Labor If you don't know how many hours you or your crew are spending on a job, you can't compare it to your estimate. It's one of the most common profit-killers we see in the books. 2. Material Overruns Materials get lost, over-ordered, or wasted—especially if you're not reconciling purchases to job estimates. 3. Unbilled Change Orders Clients often add or alter project elements. If those changes aren't documented and billed, you're giving away free work. 4. Delays and Downtime Time is money. Waiting on materials, subs, or client decisions can derail your schedule and cost you future jobs. 5. Scope Creep "Can you just add this one little thing?" becomes a margin-eating monster when not adequately managed. Now, let's talk about how to prevent those losses and protect your bottom line. 7 Ways to Deliver Projects More Profitably 1. Start with a Clear Scope and Signed Agreement It may sound simple, but many contractors begin work without a detailed, signed agreement. You need: A detailed scope of work Payment milestones A change order policy Completion criteria This sets expectations and gives you leverage when things change (and they will). 2. Create a Simple Project Timeline Even a basic calendar or whiteboard showing: Job phases Material delivery dates Key milestones can help you stay on track and manage client expectations. Suppose you're using software like Buildertrend or Jobber, great. If not, even a shared Google Sheet can work. The goal is visibility. 3. Track Labor in Real Time You can't manage what you don't measure. Use time tracking tools (like ClockShark or QuickBooks Time), or even a shared text log, to record: Who worked For how long On which part of the job This allows you (and your bookkeeper) to identify when jobs are dragging and compare actual versus estimated hours. 4. Monitor Materials Closely Set up a simple system to: Track what materials were ordered Match receipts to jobs Avoid duplicate purchases If you have frequent material overruns, your bookkeeper can help you adjust future estimates and avoid surprises. 5. Enforce a Change Order Policy This one is HUGE. Every time a client asks for something outside the original scope, pause and issue a change order. Even a one-page form signed via email or a mobile app is sufficient. Change orders should: Define the change List any added costs or time Be signed before work continues When this is routine, you stop giving away "just one more thing" for free. 6. Communicate Early and Often Most client disputes happen when they're left in the dark. Set the standard for regular updates: A weekly progress email A shared photo log A short call every Friday This maintains high trust and prevents minor issues from escalating into unpaid invoices or negative reviews. 7. Review Project Profitability After Completion After every project, sit down with your bookkeeper (or even just your notes) and ask: What was the estimated vs. actual cost? Where did we exceed our budget or deadline? Did we bill for all extras? What should we do differently next time? This post-job review turns every project into a learning tool that improves your future estimates, planning, and pricing. Where Bookkeeping Supports Better Production As your construction bookkeeping specialists, we can help you: Track job costs accurately during the project Alert you when a job is going over budget Ensure change orders are captured and billed Break down labor and materials per project Provide job-by-job profit reports In short, good production data = good financial reporting. And when we work together, we can spot patterns that help you grow smarter. The Results of Controlled Production When you focus on project delivery as intentionally as marketing and money management, you'll start to see: Jobs finishing on time Less rework and missed items Higher profit margins Happier clients (which means more referrals) Reduced stress and better control of your schedule Over time, this builds a reputation that attracts higher-quality clients, enabling you to raise your rates with confidence. Final Thoughts Build Systems, Not Just Projects You know how to build a deck, remodel a kitchen, or manage a crew. But your business needs structure, too. When you build systems around how you deliver your work, you reduce chaos and protect your profits. Pillar 3: Production isn't about doing more—it's about doing smarter. With a bit of planning, tracking, and review, you can make every job a stepping stone to a stronger, more profitable business. Want Help Tracking Job Profitability? If you're tired of guessing how much money you're really making on each job, we can help you set up: Job costing systems Labor and material tracking Change order logs Profit and loss reports per project Let's get your numbers working for you. Book a free consultation today and let's build better systems together—so you can build a better business.

This episode of The Growth Minded Accountant hosted by Lee Reams II, focuses on building a "Referral Growth Engine That Runs Itself." It emphasizes that referrals are the most profitable lead source and can be generated through a repeatable process using existing tools like an inbox and calendar, without needing ads or AI.The podcast outlines a 4-part "Referral Blueprint Framework":Trigger the Ask: Identify optimal times to ask for referrals, such as after a client signs their return, experiences a financial win, during quarterly reviews, upon onboarding completion, or after providing positive feedback. A "Trigger Tracker" (e.g., a shared Google Sheet) can help teams identify these moments.Make Referrals Easy: Create a simple referral page or form (e.g., Google Forms, Calendly) and provide clients with easy-to-share copy for emails or texts.Say Thank You: Acknowledge every referral with a personal email, small gift (e.g., eGift card), handwritten note, or public recognition.Track and Repeat: Use a simple Google Sheet to track referrers, referral names, dates, outcomes, and rewards sent.The episode also highlights getting the team involved by training them to recognize referral triggers and making it fun with shout-outs, internal bonuses, and leaderboards. The host provides a 5-day checklist to launch this system.

What Can We Learn from INTERWAR Tanks to Build the Perfect Space Vehicle?Nicholas Moran (The Chieftain) returns to Cold Star Project for an in-depth analysis of interwar tank doctrine development and its applications to modern space defense.Episode Focus: How seven major nations approached mechanized warfare challenges between 1918-1939, examining their strategic constraints, doctrinal solutions, and ultimate battlefield outcomes.Key Discussion Points: Comparative analysis of French, German, Soviet, British, American, Italian, and Japanese tank development philosophiesResource limitations and industrial capacity impacts on doctrineTactical innovation versus established military thinkingPractical applications for contemporary "space tank" or patrol vehicle conceptsTarget Insights: Defense professionals will recognize familiar strategic dilemmas in resource allocation, technological integration, and operational planning. History enthusiasts get detailed examination of lesser-known doctrinal decisions that shaped WWII outcomes.Why This Matters: The same fundamental questions that plagued interwar military planners—mobility versus protection, standardization versus specialization, offensive versus defensive priorities—are now central to space-based defense planning.The Cold Star Project - Season 4, Episode 23Hosted, Directed, and Produced by Jason Kanigan“The real conversations behind the new space economy, defense tech, and policy—straight from the insiders building it.”Google Sheet: "Interwar Tank Doctrine Comparison Table Developed from Nicholas Moran's Analysis"https://coldstarproject.com/morantableThe Chieftain YouTube Channel:    / @thechieftainshatch   Previous interview:    • Nicholas Moran - Tank Research with The Ch...  --Music: W. A. Mozart, Symphony No.38 in D majorAttribution: A Far Cry Music (YouTube Audio Library), no attribution required--Remuneration Disclaimer: We were not remunerated in any way by the guest or their organization if any for this discussion. This show is for educational/commentary and entertainment purposes only and is not meant to be what is termed "professional advice".The Cold Star Project is sponsored in partnership by Cold Star Technologies and the Operational Excellence Society. Jason Kanigan is a member of the board of advisors of the OpEx Society.Cold Star Technologies website: https://www.coldstartech.comOperational Excellence Society website: https://www.opexsociety.orgAbout Jason Kanigan: https://jasonkanigan.com

Don't worry folks, Unlike the Icelandic volcano 'Eyjafjallajökull', we have not erupted, but we are quite hot and sweaty in the BGC office. Jan is just back from Washington DC where Abraham Lincon and his mates were sweltering in 35-degree heat (95 degrees in old money). Jan was a bit peeved, as his ‘Look and Tell' feature on his Meta Ray Ban glasses is still not working. Oh dear! However, perhaps he might purchase a pair of the new Oakley smart glasses, or as Jan calls them, the new UGLY glasses! (Oakley will not be pleased at being called that – as they're a very proud fashion brand!) Do you plan on spending your hard-earned cash on the limited edition gold Oakleys? Let us know: BlindGuysChat@gmail.com. Mohammed has been slaving over a hot soldering iron and has just released the latest update for JAWS and Fusion. Apparently, you can now have JAWS run off to the cloud when you encounter an unlabelled button in an app, pdf or webpage – it will find the correct label for you. All you do is press the keystroke JAWS key (insert or caps lock), with the letter G, and JAWS will label that button for you. How cool is that?! You can even save these labelled buttons on webpages that you frequently use. Woohoo!! And there's more. When using Vispero's FS Companion you can now get Google help. You can search for shortcuts for Google Docs, Google Sheets etc. But can it find Mo's underpants? (Óran! Don't be bold! -Clodagh) We chat about the emotional rollercoaster that is deciding whether to apply for a new guide dog or not. Please let us know your stories around this. It will help us, and more importantly, other listeners through their decision-making processes. And if you would like to hear Óran talking about writing for the TV series ‘Maddie + Triggs', you can listen to him (link below) on the 'In Touch' podcast produced by the BBC, where he and producer Colm Tobin and lyricist/writer Deena Diamond talk about the show with Peter White. So, strip down to your ugly nethers, take a cold one out of the fridge, and lie back for a listen to the sultry, ice creamly voices of: Blind Guys Chat! 55 out of 65 thunderstorms prefer it to making scary crackly/banging noises! Links for this week's show: BBC In Touch: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m002fjp9 (starts after 8 minutes) Email us at BlindGuysChat@gmail.com Support Blind Guys Chat by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/blind-guys-chatRead transcript

Feeling scattered every time you open your Google Drive? In this episode, I chat with organizing expert Tracy Hoth about how to become an organized CEO—starting with your digital files. Tracy is a 17-year veteran professional organizer and host of the Organized Coach podcast. She breaks down her simple framework for organizing your business so you can save time, reduce stress, and finally feel in control of your backend systems. If you've ever said “I don't even know where to start,” this episode is your step-by-step guide. Today you'll hear:Tracy's 5 essential file folders every digital business needs (and how to use them!)Her “SPASM” framework for organizing anything—from your files to your calendar to your thoughtsThe ROI of getting organized, from saving time to increasing your confidence and clarityTips for maintaining an organized inbox, creating Google Sheet dashboards, and using simple systems you'll actually stick withHow to treat organizing like a project (and get it done without burning out) CONNECT WITH KIM:Website: https://simplysquaredaway.com/Instagram: @tracyhothLinkedIn: @tracyhothFREE Download: The Only 5 Digital Files You'll Ever Need to Run a Smooth (and Profitable) Coaching Business - https://simplysquaredaway.com/5files  

What if you could design your entire life around freedom and flexibility? That's exactly what Kayla Ihrig did when she bought a one-way ticket to Mexico in 2017, launching herself into the world of digital nomadism. This journey ultimately led to an unexpected book deal, "How to Be a Digital Nomad," and a thriving freelance career.In this conversation, Kayla shares the truth about the digital nomad lifestyle beyond the Instagram highlights. While beautiful destinations like Croatia and Guatemala feature in her story, she discusses the challenges that rarely make it onto social media: loneliness, financial instability, and the mental toll of constant movement."It can be bad for your mental health," she admits, describing the delicate balancing act nomads face between enjoying their surroundings and maintaining professional commitments.Key Topics CoveredThe Reality Behind the Instagram LifeThe mental health challenges of constant movementFinancial instability and uncertaintyDealing with loneliness on the roadFrom Content Creator to Published AuthorHow daily LinkedIn posts led to a book dealBuilding an authentic audience through real experiencesThe power of consistent, genuine content creationMarketing in the Digital AgeWhy podcast appearances trump social media for book promotionBuilding genuine connections through conversationLeveraging digital platforms for unprecedented opportunitiesMaking Nomadism SustainableOrganization strategies (Google Sheets for everything!)Establishing routines and family check-insFinding community through coworking spacesThe freedom to be present for life's crucial momentsResourcesVisit writingfromnowhere.com to learn more about Kayla's journey and discover resources for your own adventure in reimagining work and life.Have a comment? Text me!Support the show****************************************************************************➡️ P.S.:

Send us a textIn this episode, Jeremy unveils two powerful tools Sports Marketing Machine is currently beta-testing — both born from real challenges teams are facing.➡️ Fan Feedback Tool: Surveys are great... until they become static, siloed, and unusable. Jeremy breaks down how their new Dynamic Survey Dashboard goes beyond SurveyMonkey and Google Forms by segmenting responses by fan type, age, zip code, and behavior — giving marketing teams actionable insights instead of generic feedback.➡️ Sponsorship Management Tool: Tired of managing partnerships with 10 different spreadsheets? Jeremy introduces an all-in-one Sponsorship Dashboard that organizes contracts, asset tracking, proof-of-performance photos, tasks, and more — eliminating chaos and enabling teams to deliver partner ROI with confidence.Whether you're a marketer drowning in data or a partnership director juggling Google Sheets, this episode shows there's a better way.

I always say to use what you'll actually use. For Famous Ashley Grant, that's Google Workspace. And today, she's telling us all about how she uses it to manage literally everything in her life – from client work to meal planning.Ashley's story hit home for me. Before implementing her system, she was constantly working too many hours, missing deadlines, and snapping at loved ones over simple questions like "what's for dinner?" Now she has a full system inside Google Sheets – and you're going to learn exactly how it works. Want access to my database of 40+ automations and AI prompts for free? Get it here: https://casabona.org/streamlined Top TakeawaysHaving a central system for capturing tasks, ideas, and deadlines frees up mental space and reduces stress - Ashley calls her client work "quests" and "quest givers" to make tracking work more funTreating yourself as a "client" in your productivity system ensures your personal projects actually get completedQuick capture is essential - immediately add things to your system when you think of them or receive them (like license renewal notices)Check out my other shows at https://network.streamlined.fm Show NotesFamous Ashley GrantFamous Ashley on InstagramFamous Ashley on FacebookFamous Ashley on XFamous Ashley on LinkedIn ★ Support this podcast ★

Snag Our Simplified Budget System!In this feel-good episode, we're joined by the fabulous Amanda—a fellow budget bestie who went from feeling stuck and paycheck-to-paycheck despite earning more than ever to building a system that brings her peace, control, and yes… a travel fund just for Disney trips.

It's an Automation AMA! From scheduling social media content to making kids' lunches (yes, really), fellow solopreneurs shared their biggest time-wasters. I ended up creating custom automation solutions for everything from podcast guest research to email management.Special thanks to Kit for letting me record in their Studios! I highly recommend them for email and newsletters!Get my free automations database at **https://streamlined.fm/automation** (powered by Kit, natch)Top TakeawaysSocial media scheduling can be mostly automated using a this kind of workflow: keep video details in Notion or Google Sheets, trigger Zapier when updated, and automatically schedule posts through Buffer or similar tools.Email overwhelm has multiple solutions including using Sanebox and Todoist for organization, plus Zapier watching for specific emails by subject or sender to automatically process them with custom workflows.Podcast guest research becomes manageable with tools like PodMatch for automated guest suggestions, intake forms for self-selection, and Google Alerts or PodScan to identify experts in your niche.AI transcription and summarization saves hours on client calls by automatically processing Zoom transcripts through ChatGPT with custom prompts for different call types (discovery, coaching, etc.).YouTube chapter creation gets easier when you use tools like Ecamm Live's marker button during recording, then search edited transcripts for your noted timestamps instead of relying on AI timing.The "one platform, do it well" approach beats spreading yourself thin across all social media—pick LinkedIn or another single platform and focus your automation efforts there.Show NotesSee the entire conversation hereHow I Keep my Email at Inbox ZeroAutomate Email Management with SaneBoxMy Brown M&M for Podcast Guest PitchingGrowth in Reverse PodcastPodMatchSanebox - Email filtering serviceTodoist - Task managementBuffer - Social media schedulingZapier - Automation platformNotion - All-in-one workspaceEcamm Live - Live streaming softwarepodscan.fm ★ Support this podcast ★

How do you grow a high-margin recruitment business without hiring a big team—or chasing every lead? And what happens when you go all-in on yourself, right before a global pandemic? In this episode, I'm joined by Jordana Matsos, founder of Higher Equity, who shares how she launched a solo sales recruitment agency with no prior agency experience—and grew it into a $500K+ business by being radically transparent, highly organized, and boldly direct. We discuss why blunt messaging often works better than polished sales talk, how Jordana systematized her entire operation to run lean, and the lessons she learned after scaling too quickly. She also shares how she created an online academy for job seekers, turning inbound candidate traffic into an additional revenue stream. Episode Highlights: [03:43] From sales leader to recruiter: Jordana's career pivot [11:16] Building the business: pricing, tools, and tech stack [14:28] Leveraging video and short-form content to attract talent [21:58] What went wrong when she scaled too fast [28:45] Creating the HireQuity Academy to serve job seekers [40:46] SOPs and templates that saved time and ensured consistency [45:48] Business development: blunt pitches, smart triggers, and warm referrals [58:30] Why transparency builds trust with both clients and candidates Blunt Messaging That Converts Jordana's “blunt honesty” approach is one of her biggest differentiators. She shares full job details upfront—company name, comp, and expectations—which earns her 55–70% candidate response rates. For clients, her pitch deck goes out in the first message, including fee structure and recent placements, eliminating unnecessary back-and-forth and building immediate trust. Systematizing Solo Success Coming from a corporate sales background, Jordana knew she had to create repeatable, efficient processes. She templatized everything—from client onboarding to follow-ups and outreach. Tools like Google Sheets, Taplio, Otter.ai, and Aspect helped her automate and scale as a solo operator. Lessons from Scaling Too Fast After a strong first year billing nearly $300K solo, Jordana hired a full-time recruiter, BD rep, and sourcer. But expenses skyrocketed, margins plummeted to 20%, and client relationships suffered. She course-corrected by downsizing, letting go of low-margin clients, and doubling down on her niche—bringing her gross margins back to 60%+. Creating a Revenue Stream with Purpose Unable to serve every candidate personally, Jordana built the HireQuity Academy—an online course that gives job seekers an inside look at how recruiters think. With templates, interview prep, and real-world advice, it helps candidates stand out—and gives Jordana an additional income stream without trading time for money. About Jordana Matsos Jordana spent 15 years leading sales teams before founding Higher Equity in 2021. She now helps companies hire high-performing sales talent while running the HireQuity Academy to support job seekers. Tools & Resources Mentioned: Taplio | Otter.ai | Aspect | Cliff AI – now part of Quantive. Connect with Jordana: LinkedIn | Instagram | YouTube | HireQuity Academy | HireQuity Recruitment Connect with Mark Whitby: Free 30-Minute Strategy Call | LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook Subscribe to The Resilient Recruiter and leave a review if you found value in this episode!

Are you struggling to stay on top of your podcast guest appearances? Without a system, opportunities fall through the cracks, deadlines get missed, and follow-ups become overwhelming. In this episode, Candy Messer shares a simple but powerful way to track every step of the guesting process, from applications and scheduling to interviews and promotions. Get ready to streamline your workflow, stay organized, and make podcast hosts want to invite you back!MORE FROM THIS EPISODE: HTTPS://PODMATCH.COM/EP/335Chapters00:00 Introduction to Podcast Guest Management01:26 Project Management Systems for Podcasting06:00 Using Spreadsheets for Tracking Podcast Appearances08:47 Creating a Marketing Calendar for Promotions11:39 Conclusion and Key TakeawaysTakeawaysWithout a system, managing podcast appearances can feel overwhelming.A project management system helps track progress effectively.Using a checklist style is ideal for those who love organization.The Kanban board style is great for visual learners.Google Sheets can be a simple alternative for tracking.Color coding tasks can provide a quick visual reference.A marketing calendar is essential for planning promotions.Plan your promotions around your content schedule.Tagging hosts in promotions helps increase visibility.Finding the right system is key to managing podcast appearances.MORE FROM THIS EPISODE: HTTPS://PODMATCH.COM/EP/335

Samantha Rose is the founder of Endless Commerce, a commerce enablement platform designed to help multi-channel consumer brands scale more efficiently through better infrastructure. A multi-exit founder and investor, Samantha brings deep operational experience across design, technology, and logistics to build systems that support sustainable, scalable growth.Before launching Endless Commerce, Samantha built and exited several consumer ventures, including GIR, an acclaimed kitchenware brand acquired in 2021, and Mvnifest, a full-stack operations and 3PL partner acquired in 2024. Alongside running Endless Commerce, she leads Hologram Capital, where she specializes in turning around distressed consumer brands with strong fundamentals but structural challenges.Whether rebuilding underperforming brands or designing the tech stack she wished existed, Samantha focuses on enabling commerce teams to grow beyond DTC into wholesale, retail, and omnichannel with confidence. She offers a playbook for founders who want to scale without losing operational grip, and a framework for tech partners who want to plug into brands at pivotal moments of inflection.In This Conversation We Discuss:[00:42] Intro[00:59] Building software from firsthand founder struggle[01:45] Solving problems with curiosity and play[03:13] Validating ideas with zero market research[06:42] Executing better instead of chasing new ideas[07:45] Turning demand into a real business plan[09:26] Developing software to solve real-life habits[10:24] Electric Eye, Social Snowball, Portless, Reach & Zamp[16:46] Differentiating in a commodity-driven market[17:23] Building with no modern Ecommerce tools[19:11] Navigating growth without today's tech stack[19:45] Going omnichannel to build retail resilience[23:31] Boosting perceived value with smart bundles[24:12] Shifting from operator to tech builder post-exit[25:31] Reinvesting in brands that need a second life[27:30] Building features from real-world friction[29:28] Avoiding early over-specialization in teams[33:47] Explaining the rebundling era of commerce stacksResources:Subscribe to Honest Ecommerce on YoutubeModular, AI-powered commerceOS endlesscommerce.com/Follow Samantha Rose samantharose.co/  Schedule an intro call with one of our experts electriceye.io/connectDrive revenue through affiliates & referrals socialsnowball.io/honestRevolutionize your inventory and fulfillment process portless.com/Level up your global sales withreach.com/honest  Fully managed sales tax solution for Ecommerce brands zamp.com/honestIf you're enjoying the show, we'd love it if you left Honest Ecommerce a review on Apple Podcasts. It makes a huge impact on the success of the podcast, and we love reading every one of your reviews!

Thank you for tuning in to Episode 298 of the Down Cellar Studio Podcast. Full show notes with photos can be found on my website. This week's segments included:   On the Needles, Hook or Bobbins From the Armchair Crafty Adventures Knitting in Passing In my Travels KAL News Events On a Happy Note Quote of the Week   Thank you to this episode's sponsors: Stitched by Jessalu. Find Stitched by Jessalu at the Central New York Fiber Festival June 7 & 8 10:00am – 4:00pm at the Herkimer County Fairgrounds in Frankfort, NY. Go find Jess and her beautiful bags there!   On the Needles, Hook or Bobbins   Granny square top Yarn: MC- Cloudbourn Fibers Wool Fingering Twist in Natural (1 skeins), Advent Mini Skeins from Legacy Fiber Artz (Steel Toes Base) & Fibernymph Dye Works (Bounce Base)- both from 2024. Hook: D (3.25 mm) Pattern: none Ravelry Project Page 3 round granny squares: Round 1= more tonal color, Round 2= speckled, Round 3= natural Yarn organization: I put 2 sets of colors in each mostly clear zippered pouch from my Yarnable Subscription kits. It keeps the yarn from the mini skeins from getting tangled. Memorial Day weekend I spent Saturday and Sunday mornings quietly working away at the dining room table on this project. Check out this Instagram reel which highlights the project so far. 13 squares around and 4 rows high for the body. I added SC to trim around all of the edges. Around the bottom, I added a round of SC and a round of HDC. I am playing around with idea of bobbles or puff stitch but want to try on before I decide.   Same as It Ever Was Hat Pattern: Same as It Ever Was by Sarah Jordan ($6 knitting pattern available on Ravelry) Yarn: Hypnotic Yarn Plush Sock (Yarnable Box January 2025) in the Intergalactic colorway Needles: US 2 (2.75 mm) Ravelry Project Page About the yarn: aqua, gray and purple. After switching to the new Knit Picks US 2 needle with a 47 inch cord, I flew through most of this hat!     Let's Get Basted Socks Yarn: Hypnotic Yarn Plush Sock in the Let's Get Basted Colorway (Yarnable November 2024 colorway) Pattern: OMG Heel Socks by Megan Williams ($5 knitting pattern available on Ravelry) Needles: US 1.5 (2.5 mm) Ravelry Project Page About the colorway- cream with gray, purple, tan/brown and small blips or orange. Spiral pooling. Progress: both socks are nearly ready for the toes.   Adrift on an Inland Sea Socks Yarn: Woolens & Nosh SW Targhee Sock in the Adrift on an Inland Sea Socks colorway Pattern: OMG Heel Socks by Megan Williams ($5 knitting pattern available on Ravelry) Needles: US 1.5 (2.5 mm) Ravelry Project Page Progress: first sock finished. Second sock- a few inches into the leg (after the cuff)   Boss A$$ B|tc# Socks Yarn: Woolens & Nosh Superwash Targhee Fingering in the Boss A$$ B|tc# Colorway (purposely not spelled out here, though it is on the label) Pattern: OMG Heel Socks by Megan Williams ($5 knitting pattern available on Ravelry) Needles: US 1.5 (2.5 mm) Ravelry Project Page 90g of yarn to start About the Yarn: Self striping with yellow, tan, peach, pink, light aqua, teal & navy Progress:  long leg and heel done on sock #1.   Ebb & Flow Socks Yarn: Woolens & Nosh SW Targhee Sock in the Ebb & Flow colorway Pattern: OMG Heel Socks by Megan Williams ($5 knitting pattern available on Ravelry) Needles: US 1.5 (2.5 mm) Ravelry Project Page Progress: nearly finished second sock. Ready for toe   David... Fold in the cheese socks #2 Yarn: Legacy Fiber Artz in the David...Fold in the cheese!!!! colorway (with cream/gray mini skein) Pattern: OMG Heel Socks by Megan Williams ($5 knitting pattern available on Ravelry) Needles: US 1.5 (2.5 mm) Ravelry Project Page About the yarn- cream, pink and blue to match rose apron David wears in this episode of Schitt's Creek. Progress: started toe of first sock   Felici Granny Stripe Blanket Yarn: Knit Picks Felici in Colorways: Punky, Whatits Galore (50g), Space Disco, Carrot Cake, Base Jump, Game Over, Secret Garden, Fiesta Pattern: Granny Stripe by Attic 24 Hook: I (5.5 mm) Ravelry Project Page 7 colorways with 100g, 1 with 50g. I have another 50g skein I could add in (more of a pain because you have to wind off half). I am matching up stripes so they end at same time or as close as possible. Changing colors typically after 4 rows-  unless its a colorway that goes back and forth with the same colors- like carrot cake. Foundation half-double crochet 101. 1 row of dc (probably could have skipped). Size: 36" wide. Was 16 inches. Now 28   Four Leaf Clover Granny Square Blanket   Pattern: Four Leaf Clover Granny Square by by Apinya Roszko Hook: H (5.0 mm) Yarn: Knit Picks Brava 500 in colorway Mint & Loops and Threads Impeccable in Colorway 01808 Originally tried center in Brava colorway- Hunter. TOO DARK. Clever simple clover pattern in just 2 rounds. Center square (in darker green)- 4g. Three rounds on outside of clover (in mint)- 12g Size:  6 inch square. Planning 5x7 blanket (30x42”) before border. Modification- the pattern calls for attaching new yarn (at the end of the square) to make the stem for the clover. I just chain to get to the center, make the stem and cut the yarn. I find it easy to crochet the granny square around it in Mint. No issues and one less end to weave in. I am joining squares as I go. I used this YouTube tutorial to remind me how to do this. Progress: more than a dozen shamrocks made. I've crocheted and seamed 7 full squares.   From the Armchair   Podcast- Cramped Created & hosted by Kate Helen Downey. 9 episodes. I've listened to 4 or 5 so far. I heard Kate talking about this project on the Culture Study Podcast: Everything We Don't Talk About When We Talk About Periods. If nothing tune in for the theme song! Its incredible.   Book: All the Beauty in the World: The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Me by Patrick Bringley.  Amazon Affiliate Link.   Musical:  The Light in the Piazza at The Huntington Theater in Boston Want to see it? Use promo code TELLAFRIEND25 for 25% off tickets toThe Light in the Piazza.   Note: Some links are listed as Amazon Affiliate Links. If you click those, please know that I am an Amazon Associate and I earn money from qualifying purchases   Crafty Adventures Tune in to hear about the graduation photo book I made for Eme.   Knitting in Passing A nice gentleman said my crochet was beautiful and that he crochets. I showed him my tank top which was nearly done at the time. We went to a grad party for my SIL and a friend of hers remembered me from Zach's birthday. She wants to crochet. We reconnected with some of Dan's cousins at a wake this week. His cousin Melissa and I often talk books, so that was fun but she also said she'd like to learn to knit and/or crochet.   In My Travels Eme's graduation! Mount Monument hike. The Foundry: we saw Cantrip SALA boutique at the Foundry We checked out 2 breweries- Big Elm Taproom & Antimony   KAL News   Splash Pad Party Registration is open View Stats and/or Verify Registration here. Check out our Sponsor List Splash Pad Official Rules Enter your FOs using the Summer Celebration Form. Then come over to this Ravelry Thread to share pics and let us ooh and ahh with you! Submit something incorrectly? Need help? Fill out this Support Form & we'll be in touch.   Splash Pad RAVELRY Links Start Here Thread Pro Shop Exclusive Items Thread Coupon Codes Thread Questions Thread   Updates for this Episode: Splash Pad Kick Off- June 1st. Click here for the schedule elisewentwest created a Google Sheets tracker for your Splash Pad Projects for those who like to plan/track outside of our official Summer Celebration Form (though don't forget to do that if you want to get your entries for prizes) Click “File” » “Make a Copy”from there, you can name your own version of the tracker and have an editable version to track your projects! The submission form is linked in the top row. In the Points column, you can select more than one option to help you track how many points/entries you earned for a project. Pattern Bundle Collection of sponsor patterns for you to browse. Thanks, SewRunKnit!   Events Stash Dash hosted by the Knit Girllls- May 29th-August 30th Summer Bingo with the Craft Cook Read Repeat Podcast . Get your Bingo Card on Instagram.   On a Happy Note Seeing Kimberly Akimbo with Megg. I never buy merch, but I bought a mug and I love it! Mammogram- all clear! Reminder: go get yours if you're due. After Eme's graduation, we all finished packing up their townhouse, then met up a brewery and walked next door for a delicious dinner outdoors at a Mexican restaurant- Agave. Antiquing with Dan on Sunday before we went to Cantrip show. I went to play cards with Dan's friends. Dan and I celebrated 21 years together! We went to see Will before Senior Prom. While waiting for him, it was so fun to see all of the outfits! My plants! Seeing real growth, transplanting and seeing things continue to thrive. Celebrating Jenna's Masters Degree My Dad, my cousins and I went to see my youngest cousin Bella in a high school production of Little Women (the musical). She played Amy (1 of the 4 sisters) and she did a phenomenal job. Dad and I got dinner before hand and caught up. Great night! Low key Memorial Day weekend! Lots of lazy morning making time to work on my crochet top. Working with Dan, Jeff, Riley and Dad to open the pool! First cookout on the back deck. Lovely warm-weather walk to Lolita for dinner before seeing The Light in the Piazza. Will's high school graduation   Quote of the Week We are not permitted to choose the frame of our destiny. But what we put into it is ours. -DAG HAMMARSKJOLD   ------   Thank you for tuning in!   Contact Information: Check out the Down Cellar Studio Patreon! Ravelry: BostonJen & Down Cellar Studio Podcast Ravelry Group Instagram: BostonJen1 YouTube: Down Cellar Studio Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/downcellarstudio Sign up for my email newsletter to get the latest on everything happening in the Down Cellar Studio Check out my Down Cellar Studio YouTube Channel Knit Picks Affiliate Link Bookshop Affiliate Link Yarnable Subscription Box Affiliate Link FearLESS Living Fund to benefit the Blind Center of Nevada Music -"Soft Orange Glow" by Josh Woodward. Free download: http://joshwoodward.com/ Note: Some links are listed as Amazon Affiliate Links. If you click those, please know that I am an Amazon Associate and I earn money from qualifying purchases.  

In this episode of the Art Marketing Podcast, we dive deep into the transformative power of AI for artists and creators. Discover how to leverage AI tools to streamline your art business, save time, and enhance your creative process. We share actionable prompts you can steal right now to elevate your marketing efforts and connect with your audience. Join us as we explore the future of AI in the art world and how you can stay ahead of the curve! (00:00) - Introduction to AI in Art Marketing (05:30) - The Future of AI and Its Impact (10:00) - Understanding Large Language Models (LLMs) (15:00) - The Emergence of AI Agents (20:00) - Practical AI Prompts for Artists (25:00) - Encouragement to Experiment with AI (30:00) - Conclusion and Future Outlook Steal These Prompts Below!  Press Release GeneratorWrite a 300-word press release for local media about my solo show opening June 15, AP style, include pull-quotes and boilerplate.” Art CriticAct as an art critic who knows my portfolio (see link). Identify the 3 aesthetic through-lines most visible in my work, then suggest wording for an ‘elevator pitch' and three hashtags I should own. Email MarketingOutline a 4-email onboarding sequence for new collectors focused on story, care instructions, referral incentive, and preview access. Include subject lines & send intervals. Interior DesignScan Pinterest Trends + Google Trends (last 90 days) and tell me which interior-design color palettes are spiking; suggest an art series concept aligned to each. Pretend you're a 35-year-old interior designer in Austin sourcing statement pieces. Draft an email explaining why _my_ [painting/print] series solves their pain points, using no more than 150 words Nurture Collectors Give me a DM template + five short interview questions to send past buyers so they'll film phone-friendly testimonial clips. Include polite opt-out language. Publicist “You are an art publicist. Draft a personalized pitch email + one-page PDF outline to approach **``** about representing my **``**. Emphasize recent sales figures, press mentions, and how my price tiers fit their collector profile.” Limited Editions “I want to release a new 24 × 36 in. print at the $750 tier. Assume my audience size is **``**, average open rate **``**, conversion **`%`**, and each buyer buys one. What edition size maximizes revenue while maintaining scarcity? Show your math and give a drop schedule (teaser, early-bird, public).” Pricing “You are a pricing strategist for fine-art e-commerce. Build a price ladder for my three tiers: $0-$100 (merch/small prints), $100-$1,000 (books + limited-edition prints), $1,000+ (originals / large LEs). For each tier list: (a) 3 product concepts, (b) perceived value boosters (e.g., COA, artist note), (c) psychological price points to test, (d) recommended gross margin %.” Comissions “Act as an operations manager. I can complete **``** commission pieces per month at **``** hours each. My hourly cost (all-in) is **``**. Build a Google Sheet structure that tells me: (1) break-even price per commission, (2) how many monthly commissions I need to hit a **``** goal, and (3) warns when I'm over capacity.”" ArtHelper Instagram account https://www.instagram.com/arthelperai/   Keep up with the latest https://linktr.ee/artmarketingpodcast Signup for a free account on ArtHelper and use my jazzy coupon code which is POD.  This will give you a free month of the Pro plan that has all the bells and whistles: https://www.arthelper.ai/

In episode 698, Eloise Jennes talks about how what felt like a massive failure on Instagram actually became the catalyst for clarity, growth, and deep alignment in her food blogging business. Elo is a plant-based food blogger, meal prep expert, and founder of Cooking With Elo, where she helps stressed-out professionals, overwhelmed parents, and health-conscious students make healthy plant-based eating way more doable and way less chaotic. With her Master's in food innovation and obsessive love for systems, checklists, and pantry organization, Elo helps you feel confident in the kitchen, even with tofu, tempeh, and beans on the menu. So if you've ever wished someone would just tell you what to cook, how to prep it, and when to eat it—she's your girl. In this episode, you'll learn how to reframe failure as a learning opportunity to refine your niche, improve your blog and discover a clear business path rooted in passion and purpose. Key points discussed include: - Failure isn't failure—it's unmet expectations: Eloise shares how she redefined her Instagram experiment as a learning opportunity, not a flop. - Hard work can still feel fruitless—until it pays off: Posting 100 blog posts and 100 Instagram reels in 100 days didn't go viral, but it laid a strong foundation for her business. - Systems matter: Eloise used Google Sheets smart chips and her love of organization to manage content creation efficiently. - Clarity comes from action: Pushing through the challenge helped Eloise realize her true niche had been there all along—plant-based meal prep. - You gain confidence through repetition: Creating content daily improved her storytelling, video editing, voiceovers, and technical workflow. - Burnout is real—listen to your body: She worked 14-15 hours a day, 7 days a week, and ended up with stress-induced gastritis, teaching her to build in sustainability. - Trust the process: Eloise held onto the belief that everything was leading somewhere, and it eventually unlocked new products, programs, and media opportunities. - Teaching is mastery: Shifting from “storyteller” to “teacher” allowed Eloise to embrace her strengths and lead her audience more effectively. If You Loved This Episode… You'll love Episode 668: The Growth Mindset Shift – How Failure Leads to Success with Donnie Lygonis Connect with Eloïse Jennes Website | Instagram

The FIRE Calc is your personal roadmap to financial independence—helping you plan, project, and achieve your early retirement goals with confidence. This is the exact same spreadsheet I used to map out my journey to FI, test different paths, and confidently walk away from my job when the numbers aligned. Unlike basic FV (Future Value) calculators, the FIRE Calc lets you model your financial journey year by year, factoring in: Income changes (career shifts, side hustles, salary jumps) Spending adjustments (cutbacks, lifestyle inflation) Taking a sabbatical or career break Debt payoff & investment growth strategies Life isn't one-size-fits-all—and neither should your FI plan be. The FIRE Calc is a customizable, interactive Google Sheet that lets you map out your FI journey year by year. Learn more at https://journeytolaunch.com/firecalc and don't miss out on our LIVE workshop on May 22!

In episode 693, Megan chats to Morgan Peaceman about building strong systems that support both content creation and content maintenance for food bloggers. Morgan Peaceman has been blogging for the last 6 years, but only really went all in as of 2023. Her approach to food blogging and recipe development comes from her love of quick and easy family friendly recipes, with fresh, simple ingredients that makes all her recipes accessible for the most novice of cooks. In this episode, you'll learn how to create sustainable systems for updating and publishing blog content while avoiding burnout and staying organized as a food blogger. Key points discussed include: - Build systems that support sustainability: Morgan shares how she structured her blog workflow to stay consistent without burning out, including tracking and updating older content regularly. - Use tools that align with your needs: From KeySearch and RankIQ to the lesser-known but powerful Thruuu, Morgan walks us through her preferred keyword research and optimization tools. - Track updates in a color-coded system: A clear Google Sheets setup using red, yellow, and green helps Morgan manage what's been updated, what's in progress, and what needs attention. - Lean on your community: Morgan emphasizes how finding a group of fellow creators, even through DMs, has been a game changer for support and motivation. - Invest intentionally in your business: Every year, Morgan makes one significant investment in her business—whether that's a branding shoot, SEO conference, or hiring help for social media. - Make your blog user-friendly: She reminds us how crucial it is to optimize recipe cards and surface key details at the top of posts to align with real user behavior. - Give yourself permission to rest: True rest is essential for longevity, and Morgan stresses how ignoring rest leads to burnout and illness. - Adapt your investments to what you need most right now: Prioritize what feels most urgent for your growth this year and allow your next steps to evolve accordingly. If You Loved This Episode… You'll love Episode 259: Deliver Quality to Your Users by Updating Your Old Content with Kathy Berget Connect with Morgan Peaceman Website | Instagram