Podcasts about Google Sheets

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.

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.

In dieser Folge geht's um zwei Tools, die in fast jedem Unternehmen im Einsatz sind – Google Sheets und Microsoft Excel. Beide sind Tabellenkalkulationsprogramme, die sich in ihrer Philosophie, Funktionsweise und Tiefe deutlich unterscheiden. Wir schauen uns an, wie sie funktionieren, was sie besonders macht und welches Tool besser zu welchem Arbeitsstil passt.

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

Individual portfolio management Google Sheet-ல எப்படி செய்வது, Stock Split & Bonus இரண்டும் வெவ்வேறா போன்ற பல விஷயங்களை இந்த வீடியோவில் பேசியிருக்கிறார் வ.நாகப்பன்.

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

Welcome back to another episode of the Heater Dynasty Podcast! This week, host Eric Heater takes fantasy football managers on a tour of the AFC North—one of the most intriguing divisions heading into the 2025 season. From superstar quarterbacks to late-round sleepers, this episode is packed with data-backed fantasy football picks, projections, and insider strategy. Eric also walks listeners through his custom Google Sheets template for player projections, which is available on Patreon, Etsy, and linked across his social media accounts.Download this tool to create your own custom NFL Player Projections and Rankings.Link for Google sheet: https://www.etsy.com/listing/17363727...Link for Website: https://heaterdynasty.com/Link for Patreon: / heaterdynas. .Link for Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7b7Ct8t...

Episode SummaryIn this episode of OnBase, host Chris Moody talks with Angela (Bruns) Herlihy about crafting and scaling an account-based strategy that aligns teams and delivers results. From her early days in gymnastics to leading marketing ops in a public company, Angela shares a compelling story of grit and growth.She walks through the operational realities of building ABM frameworks in resource-constrained environments, redefines what ABM really means across sales and marketing, and explains how to make strategic decisions with imperfect data. Angela's hands-on experience and pragmatic mindset offer a roadmap for anyone navigating the messy middle of ABM adoption.If you're looking to operationalize strategy, influence pipeline, and align GTM teams—this episode delivers both inspiration and actionable advice.Key TakeawaysABM Surfaces Everything: Account-based strategies expose every operational weakness—data silos, unclear accountability, or misaligned teams. But if addressed early, they lead to better GTM alignment and faster deal velocity.Reframe ABM as a Strategy: ABM isn't a campaign or a tech tool—it's a company-wide approach to relationship building. Angie's team embraced a tiered model (1:1, 1:few, 1:many) and shifted toward lifecycle-based engagement.Get Scrappy with Data: With limited resources, Angela built centralized dashboards using Google Sheets and manual inputs—creating a shared source of truth across sales and marketing.Co-Ownership with Sales: Alignment means co-creating everything from account selection to success metrics. Dashboards, engagement trackers, and real-time sales alerts made collaboration a practice, not a one-time effort.Lead with Progress, Not Just Revenue: Revenue is a lagging indicator. Angela focuses on buying group engagement, deal progression, and pipeline influence to maintain momentum and build trust.ABM ≠ Just Marketing: Angela avoids jargon and explains ABM through real-world examples that resonate with sales, leadership, and marketing alike. Her redefinition of ABM makes it feel like a growth strategy for the entire business.Quotes“ABM doesn't just require operational alignment—it forces it.”Best moments 00:30 – From South Dakota gymnast to GTM leader: Angie's journey.04:00 – How ABM surfaces internal misalignments and drives cross-functional clarity.07:00 – Evolving ABM from campaign-based to lifecycle-based strategy.08:40 – Scrappy ABM: Centralizing fragmented data without overhauling tech.11:00 – Aligning marketing and sales through shared metrics and processes.13:30 – Redefining ABM and earning internal buy-in with relatable use cases.15:30 – Balancing speed with long-term data discipline.Tech recommendationsPerplexityClaudeHubSpot (for its rapid evolution and product breadth)Resource recommendationsPodcasts:Talking Shop by Kelly Hopping – GTM alignment and real-world marketing challengesProf G Pod by Scott Galloway – Sharp insights on business, tech, and leadershipNewsletter:Marketoonist by Tom Fishburne – Humorous yet insightful takes on marketing absurditiesAbout the guestAngela (Bruns) Herlihy is a seasoned B2B marketing leader with a rare blend of technical expertise and strategic insight. Currently at DoubleVerify, Angela has built and scaled a full-stack marketing operations function covering everything from campaign management and analytics to website strategy and ABM.Her career spans roles in market research, database marketing, and marketing operations at companies including Gartner Digital Markets and LaserSpine Institute. Angela's work has influenced demand gen, reviewer acquisition, and full-funnel ABM strategy. She's known for her ability to scale marketing functions from scratch, align cross-functional teams, and drive operational efficiency with measurable impact.Angela brings a unique mix of grit, precision, and vision to her work—skills rooted in her background as a competitive gymnast.Connect with Angie.

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  

Today I'm speaking with Miquel Palet, Founder of GetInvoice Miquel Palet is a Barcelona-based entrepreneur and product leader, known for founding Ucademy, an edtech platform, and GetInvoice, a tool for automating invoice retrieval from emails and other sources. With a background in engineering from Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Miquel combines technical expertise with a passion for simplifying business processes. His ventures reflect a commitment to innovation and user-centric solutions. GetInvoice is an AI-driven invoice automation software that automatically retrieves and processes invoices and receipts from emails and web portals, including Amazon and Google Ads. We extract all invoice data and integrate with accounting tools like QuickBooks, Xero or Business Central, and other tools like Google Drive or Google Sheet, to automatically forward all processed invoices. GetInvoice is already used by more than +1,000 freelancers, startups, and small businesses around the world that are looking to automate their pre-accounting work and save +10 hours every week. In this episode, we talk about . . . Guest: Miquel Palet, founder of Get Invoice and co-founder of Ukademy Background: Engineering and entrepreneurship from Barcelona Get Invoice: AI-driven software automating invoice retrieval from emails and portals like Amazon & Google Integrations: Works with Xero, QuickBooks, Business Central, Google Drive & Sheets Origin Story: Born out of a pain point at Ukademy while scaling fast Market Focus: Small businesses (10–200 people) in Europe and the US Milestone: Bootstrapped growth reaching and surpassing $10K ARR within 6 months Security: Uses secure Google/Outlook APIs with strict access limitations Growth Strategy: Lean, product-focused, and quick iteration Fun Fact: Inspired by Spotify Wrapped to create an email analytics campaign Language: Currently English-only despite Spanish roots Reading: Balances business books with classical literature like The Iliad   Contact details:   Get Invoice https://www.get-invoice.com  Miquel Palet https://linkedin.com/in/miquelpalet  Miquel Pale https://x.com/paletmiki  Accounting Apps newsletter: http://HeatherSmithAU.COM Accounting Apps Mastermind: https://www.facebook.com/groups/XeroMasterMind  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/HeatherSmithAU/  YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/ANISEConsulting  X: https://twitter.com/HeatherSmithAU   

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 ★

The Rush for Early CertificationIn Episode 79 of the Insurance Business Babes podcast, hosts Joanna Wyckoff and Kathe Kline emphasize a time-sensitive issue for agents: annual certification season is here, and this year, it's more important than ever to get it done early. With sweeping industry changes, particularly around MAPDs, and PDPs, waiting until the last minute could seriously jeopardize your business. Delays in certification reporting can easily make agents “not ready to sell” when the season kicks off, resulting in missed opportunities and unhappy clients. As Kathe puts it: “You cannot wait this year, folks. There are so many changes.”Smart Strategies for Getting It DoneProcrastination is the enemy. Joanna recommends blocking certification time into your calendar now—before life inevitably intervenes. Whether it's illness, a family emergency, or a tech blackout, leaving certifications to the last minute is risky. Schedule recurring blocks, tackle certifications carrier by carrier, and consider a Google Sheet to keep track of your progress. For those juggling multistate contracts, breaking it into manageable pieces is a lifesaver. And don't forget to use this opportunity to update all your carrier contact information.Organizing for Sanity: Tech & Email HacksOverwhelmed by the flood of carrier emails and events? Joanna suggests setting up a dedicated carrier-only email account to keep critical messages visible while filtering out the noise. The duo also discuss leveraging AI and tools like Fixer.AI to sort, filter, and even auto-respond to routine communications—though no tool is perfect, and human oversight remains essential.Weatherproof Your BusinessLife happens: tornadoes, internet outages, demanding clients, or simple burnout. Both hosts remind agents to plan for the unexpected, leaving margin in your schedule so last-minute problems don't snowball into missed deadlines. Embrace automation, use online booking links for client appointments, and practice with new technology before AEP so you aren't scrambling during the busiest time of the year.Final Thoughts: Adapt and ThriveThe insurance landscape is shifting dramatically, with premium increases and commission changes on the horizon. Now is the time to diversify product offerings, sharpen your workflow, and cement your status as a trusted advisor. As Joanna says: “Work smarter, not harder.” Get those certifications done early, stay organized, and set your business up for success in this challenging new environment.This episode is sponsored by ⁠CertifiedMedicareAgents.com⁠. Use the coupon code BABES2024 for a free lifetime BRONZE membership.

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.

In this no-BS, episode of The Extreme Personal Finance Show, Chris sits down with librarian, musician, and metalhead financial rebel Jessie May—author of Money Hacks for Metalheads and Old Millennials. From DIY gig life to decoding Roth IRAs and the broken promises of the American Dream, Jessie shreds through the noise to deliver practical, empowering money advice for those who feel like the system's working against them.What You'll Learn:Why investing felt intimidating—and how Jessie took control anywayHow bartering your skills can build wealth and band momentumWhat the new American Dream might look like todayWhy childcare, housing, and healthcare are crushing the middle classSmart tips for budgeting, saving, and keeping your freedomJessie's approach to low-cost investing (hello, VTI and S&P 500)The truth about systemic inequality, and financial literacy gapsWhy tracking expenses and using Google Sheets still slaysContact Chris:https://heavymetal.moneyhttps://www.facebook.com/MoneyHeavyMetalhttps://x.com/MoneyHeavyMetalhttps://www.instagram.com/chrislugerhttps://www.tiktok.com/@heavymetalmoneyemail: chris at heavymetal.moneyResources and Links:Money Hacks for Metalheads and Old Millennials: The Revised and Expanded Second Editionby Jessie May https://amzn.to/406ZC7GJessie's IG@jessiemayonthewebJessie's Substackhttps://jessiemay.substack.comOwl Makerhttps://www.youtube.com/@owlmakerSimple Path to Wealth: Your road map to financial independence and a rich, free lifeby J L Collins https://amzn.to/45u7ofEAmy Tung Barrysmith from Year of the Cobrahttps://www.facebook.com/amy.tung.barrysmith/Turkey Vulturehttps://turkeyvulture.bandcamp.com/album/dead-to-mehttps://www.youtube.com/@turkeyvulturebandJessie Mayhttps://jessiemay.bandcamp.com/album/this-dreamSubscribe to the podcast and leave us a 5-star review if you're ready to fight back against the financial system—with guitars, spreadsheets, and unapologetic energy.

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 ★

Bears hibernate for the winter, sometimes podcasts hibernate for the spring. What'd we miss? This week: escape room Google Sheets, demo day for real this time, and a quick check in with everyone's favorite increasingly problematically monopolistic fruit company.

Running a small nonprofit often means juggling strategy, people, programs, and inbox chaos, all while making what feels like a million decisions a day. If you've ever felt stuck between leading and just trying to keep up, this episode is for you. In this candid and insightful conversation, Maria chats with returning guest Veronica LaFemina about one of the most overlooked pain points in nonprofit life: how decisions are made, delegated, and communicated. From messy inboxes to that nagging feeling of "did I already assign this?"- Veronica offers both clarity and real tools to help leaders make better decisions, faster. 

  In this episode of #Trending, hosted by Dr. Hamma sitting in for Jim Love, we explore the longest ChatGPT outage ever, which lasted over 12 hours and exposed our growing dependency on AI. We also discuss Wikipedia's paused AI summary experiment due to negative feedback from editors, and the growing privacy concerns as nearly 15% of 23andMe customers request data deletion amidst the company's bankruptcy sale. Finally, we cover Google's new Gemini feature for Google Sheets, which promises to simplify the creation and editing of spreadsheet charts, addressing a common productivity pain point. 00:00 Introduction and Headlines 00:34 ChatGPT Outage: A Wake-Up Call 03:32 Wikipedia's AI Summary Experiment Halted 06:15 23andMe Bankruptcy and Data Privacy Concerns 09:16 Google's Gemini Revolutionizes Spreadsheet Charts 11:46 Conclusion and Sign-Off

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!

In this episode of the Product Team Success podcast, I explore how AI-agentic workflows are transforming product operations teams, saving product managers 5-6 hours per week while delivering deeper strategic insights than ever before. Episode Highlights: After fifteen years leading product teams at Amazon, Just Eat and beyond, I've discovered that the difference between overwhelmed and empowered teams often comes down to one thing: how effectively they can harness agentic AI. Five exceptional product operations leaders share their practical implementations: Graham Reed: Holistic AI Systems Moving beyond point solutions to create integrated AI workflowsThe challenge of multiple disconnected AI tools in the product lifecycleWhy organizations need solutions that tie together the entire product development process Tommy Oakes: AI as the Ultimate Copilot Why we're in the "late early adopter" phase of AI implementationThe importance of keeping AI in the "passenger seat" - enhancing rather than replacing PMsHow AI enables product professionals to focus on high-impact complex problems Lucy Pinticus Rothwell: Revolutionizing Customer Feedback Analysis Implementing an LLM chatbot that analyzes Zendesk support ticketsTransforming hours of manual analysis into minutes of AI-powered insightsThe importance of leading with customer needs, not pursuing "AI for AI's sake" Joe Alim: AI-Powered Competitive Intelligence Using Perplexity for enhanced market researchHow AI dramatically expanded what one person can accomplish in competitive analysisThe surprising results when comparing AI deep research against manual competitive analysis Javier Garcia-Azorriz: Standardizing Feature Requests Creating an automated workflow using Zapier, Google Sheets and ChatGPTStandardizing feature requests for easier digestion at scaleHow automation transformed quarterly planning sessions The Future of Product Operations The future isn't about managing more tools—it's about creating cohesive AI systems where machines handle routine analysis while humans focus on strategic decisions. Whether automating feedback analysis, streamlining competitive research, or generating holistic product insights, agentic AI is transforming how product teams operate. About This Episode This episode is brought to you by Productboard, the leading product management platform trusted by customer-centric organizations like Zoom, Salesforce, and Autodesk. For over a decade, Productboard has helped product leaders build the right products faster by mastering the voice of their customer.

If you're serious about building a high-trust, high-retention culture, personalization matters. But how do you scale those handwritten notes, thoughtful gifts, and one-on-one moments without burning yourself—or your team—out? In this episode of Recruiting Conversations, I walk through a step-by-step framework to institutionalize care inside your culture. I'll show you how to move from random acts of kindness to intentional rhythms of significance that don't just look good—they build loyalty and attract better talent. Episode Breakdown [00:00] Introduction – The leadership challenge: how to personalize value adds without burning out. [01:00] Personalization vs. Automation – Why automated systems can't replace intentional human touchpoints. [01:30] Step 1: Shift the Mindset – From occasional gestures to systemized care moments. [02:00] Step 2: Create a Shared Playbook – Give your team a menu of high-touch actions to draw from: Handwritten notes Milestone cards Book gifts Welcome kits Video shoutouts [03:00] Step 3: Assign Ownership – Build a “care team” and give them freedom, budget, and responsibility to lead the rhythm. [03:30] Step 4: Tie It to Culture – Reinforce your values through the touchpoints. Show people what “living the mission” looks like. [04:30] Step 5: Track It – Use a Google Sheet, Trello board, or CRM tab to log every gesture, who received it, and why. [05:30] Final Shift – You're not scaling volume. You're scaling intentionality—doing the right thing for the right people at the right time. [06:00] Final Challenge – Define your five core touchpoints. Then pick one way to systematize them this week. Key Takeaways Systemize the Heartbeat – Make personalized leadership part of your culture's rhythm, not an afterthought. Give the Team a Menu – Most people want to care—they just need ideas and structure. Build a Culture of Care – Highlight moments that align with your values. Make it part of the identity. Track It to Scale It – Thoughtful doesn't mean chaotic. Structure creates sustainability. Lead with Intentionality – You don't need more volume. You need more moments that actually matter. In a world full of automation and shortcuts, the leaders who lead with care always stand out—and they build teams that last. Want help creating a high-touch leadership rhythm inside your team? Subscribe to my weekly email at 4crecruiting.com or book a session at bookrichardnow.com. Let's scale your leadership without losing your personal touch.

Turn the “summer slump” into a season of strategic wins! In this episode of SoTellUs Time, Trevor Howard and Troy Howard share two powerhouse strategies—High-ROI Projects with Clear Timelines and Intentional Break Techniques—that will help you maximize productivity, recharge your team, and set the stage for a blockbuster Q4. Whether you're a solopreneur, small business owner, or leading a larger organization, these actionable tactics will keep you ahead of the curve all summer long.

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

I'll be honest—I don't officially do web development anymore. But when a nonprofit asked for help, I thought I could knock out a simple WordPress portal in 25 hours using no-code tools like Zapier and Advanced Custom Fields. Boy, was I wrong.What started as a straightforward project quickly turned into a nightmare of under-scoping and tool limitations I never saw coming. Zapier didn't work with WordPress custom post types the way I expected. Advanced Custom Fields still requires custom coding for Gutenberg blocks after seven years. Google Sheets automation had quirks I'd never encountered. It was starting to look more like 60 hours, not 25.That's when I reluctantly turned to ChatGPT for help—and it completely saved my butt. Instead of writing custom code from scratch or going back to the client with double the budget, I started "vibe coding." I'd describe the problem, ChatGPT would write the solution, and we'd iterate together. It wrote nearly 2,000 lines of code for me, handled complex features I would've needed premium plugins for, and let me stay flexible when the client requested changes.The result? A 30-hour project instead of 60, a happy client, and a reminder that sometimes the tools we resist most can be the ones that save us.*Want 40+ automations plus my AI swipe files? Head over to https://casabona.org/streamlined*Top TakeawaysVibe coding can be a massive force multiplier, even if you're not a developer—ChatGPT walked me through everything and cut my project time in halfAlways scope projects more carefully by testing tool limitations upfront, especially when assuming "obvious" features exist (spoiler: they often don't)AI coding made me more flexible and agreeable to client requests because I wasn't emotionally attached to hand-written codeShow NotesI built an app with AI and now I'm scared for WordPressHow to vibe code: 11 vibe coding best practices to start building with AI ★ Support this podcast ★

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

In this episode, Mitch and Kevin dive into the behind-the-scenes journey of transforming raw marketing chaos into real-time clarity. They talk through the uphill battle of data tracking in the med spa space—where disconnected systems, HIPAA compliance, and manual reporting made performance tracking a nightmare. You'll hear how they moved from spending days compiling KPIs to building a dynamic, automated dashboard using tools like ChatGPT, Google Sheets, and Looker Studio—slashing a $20K/month problem down to just $120. If you're ready to move beyond gut feelings and start tracking real marketing ROI, this one's for you. RESOURCES: https://www.partnerwithalpha.com/goodies LEARN MORE AND JOIN THE ALPHA COMMUNITY: https://www.partnerwithalpha.com/   FOLLOW ALPHA AESTHETICS PARTNERS: https://www.instagram.com/partnerwithalpha/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/alpha-aesthetics-partners/

Send us a textEver wondered how someone turns a single TikTok video into a $100,000 month? Or how entrepreneurs with zero coding experience build profitable apps? This candid one-on-one conversation pulls back the curtain on these exact questions.Meet Xanth, a 21-year-old entrepreneur who recently joined the 8am community after generating six figures in profit from one viral video. Now, he's setting his sights on app development—specifically a recipe app concept that could leverage viral sharing mechanics. What unfolds is a masterclass in modern entrepreneurship as Arlin shares his own journey building Maxi, a personal development app that grew to $25,000 monthly revenue without a single line of custom code at the start.The conversation weaves through practical advice about developer relationships (beware of "timeline leak"!), the spiritual side of idea generation, and the transformative power of simply taking action despite uncertainty. You'll hear how successful apps often start as cobbled-together solutions using tools like Webflow and Google Sheets before evolving into proper applications, and why the most valuable ideas often come as "downloads" during moments of meditation or clarity.Whether you're looking to build an app, scale an ecommerce business, or simply understand how today's digital entrepreneurs think, this raw dialogue delivers actionable insights without the fluff. The most powerful takeaway? "If you don't know how to do something, just do it." Sometimes the simplest advice is exactly what we need to hear. Support the showConnect with me on IG: https://www.instagram.com/arlin and Apply to 8AM Worldwww.8AMapp.com

Corey Abbott and Joe Lynch discuss tech-driven drayage: a PortPro perspective. Corey is the Chief Growth Officer and his team lead enterprise initiatives at PortPro, an innovative technology company that keeps the drayage industry moving efficiently with its operating platform built for drayage trucking companies, brokerages, and those that do both. About Corey Abbott Corey Abbott, Chief Growth Officer and his team lead enterprise initiatives at PortPro, focusing on developing comprehensive products designed to enhance the customer experience, guided by their needs and feedback. Corey spent over a decade at STG Logistics, the nation's leader in containerized freight, and XPO Logistics, where he built operational, financial, and back-office solutions to help companies and users across the globe. He also partnered with companies across multiple industries and modes of transportation (OTR, Drayage, Intermodal, Global forwarding, LTL, Supply Chain Warehousing/ Transloading, Expedited Air, Road, and Water). He held roles of CIO, Intermodal, and Drayage, and most recently, Chief Product Officer. He holds a Master's degree in accounting and finance from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. About PortPro PortPro is an innovative technology company that keeps the drayage industry moving efficiently with its operating platform built for drayage trucking companies, brokerages, and those that do both. Its flagship TMS platform streamlines order entry, dispatch management, container tracking, communication, appointment-setting, accounts receivable, accounts payable, reporting, AI-driven features, and more for our customers - who can then provide full transparency and better service to their customers. Visit www.portpro.io for more information and to schedule a demo. Key Takeaways: Tech-Driven Drayage: A PortPro Perspective Corey Abbott and Joe Lynch discuss tech-driven drayage: a PortPro perspective. Corey is the Chief Growth Officer and his team lead enterprise initiatives at PortPro, an innovative technology company that keeps the drayage industry moving efficiently with its operating platform built for drayage trucking companies, brokerages, and those that do both. Drayage carriers and brokers face the following challenges: Operational Inefficiencies & Lack of Real-Time Visibility: Difficulty managing complex drayage processes and tracking critical information (containers, status, appointments) leads to wasted time, errors, and increased costs. Manual Processes & Poor Communication Hindering Productivity: Reliance on outdated methods for order entry, scheduling, invoicing, and communication creates administrative burdens, slows down operations, and limits collaboration. Stuck with Outdated Tech or Ill-Suited Systems: Drayage carriers and brokers often face a dilemma: either wrestle with legacy TMS platforms that hinder integration and lack modern AI, or try to force-fit traditional TMS solutions missing crucial drayage-specific features like appointment management. Missing the Mark on Drayage Needs: Existing TMS options frequently fail to address the unique complexities of drayage, lacking the specialized fields and functionalities required for efficient appointment scheduling, container tracking, and overall drayage operation PortPro customers enjoy the following advantages: DrayOS: A Purpose-Built Operating System for Drayage: PortPro's flagship product, DrayOS, is a cloud-based TMS (Transportation Management System) built specifically for drayage operations. It streamlines everything from dispatching and invoicing to document management and container tracking, offering users a centralized platform that eliminates manual workflows and siloed systems. Automated Workflows and Real-Time Visibility: With features like EDI/API integrations, automated billing, and GPS-based container tracking, PortPro empowers carriers and brokerages with real-time operational visibility and faster decision-making. This reduces delays, improves on-time performance, and boosts overall efficiency — critical in an industry where time is money. Compliance and Scalability at the Core: PortPro's technology is designed to adapt to regulatory complexities like AB5 and environmental compliance laws. It helps companies stay ahead of legal changes while scaling their operations without needing to invest heavily in back-office expansion. This makes it especially valuable for mid-sized drayage companies aiming to grow. Specialized AI Agents & Optimizers: PortPro launches AI-powered tools integrated directly into their TMS, offering targeted automation for specific drayage workflows like spreadsheet updates and empty container returns, accessible via an AI Marketplace and customizable chat interface. Key AI Features for Efficiency: The initial rollout includes "AI Chat" for real-time data queries, "Spreadsheet AI Agents" for automatic data synchronization with Excel and Google Sheets, and "Empty Return Agents" to automate the often cumbersome process of managing empty container returns. Addressing Drayage's Manual Inefficiencies: These AI innovations directly tackle the significant administrative burdens in drayage, which can account for up to 20% of operating costs, freeing up operations teams to focus on more strategic and customer-centric activities. Learn More About Tech-Driven Drayage: A PortPro Perspective Corey Abbott | Linkedin PortPro | Linkedin PortPro PortPro's Informative Blogs Case Studies Latest news about PortPro PortPro's Complementary Carrier Guide to Growth State of Drayage Industry Report The Logistics of Logistics Podcast If you enjoy the podcast, please leave a positive review, subscribe, and share it with your friends and colleagues. The Logistics of Logistics Podcast: Google, Apple, Castbox, Spotify, Stitcher, PlayerFM, Tunein, Podbean, Owltail, Libsyn, Overcast Check out The Logistics of Logistics on Youtube  

In this episode, Nathan Wrigley chats with Arpit G Shah, founder of Creative Work Designs, about WPSyncSheets plugins. Arpit shares how his tools enable bi-directional syncing of WordPress and WooCommerce data with Google Sheets, making tasks like import/export, inventory management, and bulk edits easier, no need to manage data directly within WordPress. He also discusses pricing, large-scale data handling, upcoming AI features, and future plans for integrating with other platforms like Airtable. This episode is perfect for anyone looking to streamline WordPress and WooCommerce data workflows. If you're a WordPress or WooCommerce user who relies on Google Sheets, or wishes their site and their spreadsheets “just talked to each other”, this episode is for you.

Sigma Computing recently hit $100M in ARR — planning on doubling revenue again this year— and in this episode, CEO Mike Palmer reveals exactly how they did it by throwing out the old BI playbook. We open with the provocative claim that “the world did not need another BI tool,” and dig into why the last 20 years of business intelligence have been “boring.” He explains how Sigma's spreadsheet-like interface lets anyone analyze billions of rows in seconds, and lives on top of Snowflake and Databricks, with no SQL required and no data extractions.Mike shares the inside story of Sigma's journey: why they shut down their original product to rebuild from scratch, how Sutter Hill Ventures' unique incubation model shaped the company, what it took to go from $2M to $100M ARR in just three years and raise a $200M round — even as the growth stage VC market dried up. We get into the technical details behind Sigma's architecture: no caching, no federated queries, and real-time, Google Sheets-style collaboration at massive scale—features that have convinced giants like JP Morgan and ExxonMobil to ditch legacy dashboards for good.We also tackle the future of BI and the modern data stack: why 99.99% of enterprise data is never touched, what's about to happen as the stack consolidates, and why Mike thinks “text-to-SQL” AI is a “terrible idea.” This episode is full of "spicey takes" - Mike shares his thoughts on how Google missed the zeitgeist, the reality behind Microsoft Fabric, when engineering hubris leads to failure, and many more. SigmaWebsite - https://www.sigmacomputing.comX/Twitter - https://x.com/sigmacomputingMike PalmerLinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-palmer-51a154FIRSTMARKWebsite - https://firstmark.comX/Twitter - https://twitter.com/FirstMarkCapMatt Turck (Managing Director)LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/turck/X/Twitter - https://twitter.com/mattturckFoursquare: Website - https://foursquare.comX/Twitter - https://x.com/Foursquare IG - instagram.com/foursquare (00:00) Intro (01:46) Why traditional BI is boring (04:15) What is business intelligence? (06:03) Classic BI roles and frustrations (07:09) Sigma's origin story: Sutter Hill & the Snowflake echo (09:02) The spreadsheet problem: why nothing changed since 1985 (14:04) Rebooting the product during lockdown (16:14) Building a spreadsheet UX on top of Snowflake/Databricks (18:55) No caching, no federation: Sigma's architectural choices (20:28) Spreadsheet interface at scale (21:32) Collaboration and real-time data workflows (24:15) Semantic layers, data governance & trillion-row performance (25:57) The modern data stack: fragmentation and consolidation (28:38) Democratizing data (29:36) Will hyperscalers own the data stack? (34:12) AI, natural language, and the limits of text-to-SQL

Subscribe at Thisnewway.com to get the step-by-step AI workflows.In episode 3 of This New Way, Aydin sits down with Philippe Dame, CPO of Recollective, to unpack how AI is transforming qualitative market-research, sales operations, internal knowledge-sharing, and day-to-day productivity.Phil walks through the product pivot that turned Recollective's vast unstructured data into an “AI-first” insights engine, then demos a stack of no-code automations — from AI-powered lead scoring in Google Sheets to a self-serve Vertex AI search that makes every doc, deck, and Gong call instantly searchable.You'll hear concrete play-by-plays, see cost breakdowns , and learn how to start small, scale fast, and turn AI into a force-multiplier across your org.Timestamps:00:35 Phil's background and early web-tool days01:44 Pivot to Recollective and focus on market-research tech03:18 Why hybrid qual + quant research matters03:58 Unstructured data → perfect AI playground04:50 “Roadmap reset” after ChatGPT pressure06:00 How the team up-skilled on LLMs & vector DBs08:12 First AI features: summarization → theme extraction → comparisons09:05 Making space for AI work without derailing commitments10:10 Company-wide AI wins: sales data mining & lead scoring13:08 Relay + Google Sheets workflow for automated enrichment16:18 Running internal “AI office hours” to drive adoption17:05 Staying current: newsletters, trials, and cost control20:25 Seat-based vs. usage-based pricing—Phil's take23:04 Perplexity as Phil's go-to research sidekick24:50 Cutting the “collaboration tax” with self-serve AI answers27:24 Live demo: Recollective's Ask-AI tab & verbatim citations31:28 Segment @mentions for instant comparative analysis37:04 Emotion tagging and drilling into negative feedback38:30 Building an internal Vertex-AI search in one afternoon42:23 Agent Builder setup walkthrough44:34 Relay use-cases: lead workflows, news scraping, stand-up bot53:23 n8n migrations: 4,000 Gong calls plus on-the-fly analysis56:30 OpenAI Playground & Notebook LM for ad-hoc knowledgebases1:02:20 Google AI Studio multimodal experiments (free)1:04:04 Start simple—one use-case, one stakeholder, iterateTools & Resources Mentioned:AI / LLMs & Model-PlaygroundsChatGPT (OpenAI)OpenAI Platform & PlaygroundClaude (Anthropic)Perplexity Pro- Google Gemini (Workspace)Google AI StudioKnowledgeBase & Search Vertex AI Agent Builder / Search (Google Cloud) Notebook LM (Google) Internal Vertex-powered “ask-AI” portalAutomation & WorkflowsRelay (no-code workflow tool with AI steps)Zapier (reference point)n8n (open-source automation + AI agents)Data, CRM & Sales EnablementGoogle SheetsSalesforceOutreachGong (call recordings)Collaboration & ProductivitySlack (AI channel, human-in-the-loop flows)Notion (company intranet)Google Drive & Google CalendarRSS feeds + custom “Article Extractor” scraperCore ProductRecollective (Phil's qualitative-research platform with built-in AI features)Developer / Engineering UtilitiesCursor IDE (AI-assisted coding, briefly cited)

If you're still manually sending thank you notes, chasing spreadsheets, or struggling to keep up with donor touch points, this episode could save you THOUSANDS of dollars.I'm talking with Rachel Bearbower, an absolute systems wizard and the founder of  Nonprofit Automation Agency, to break down how nonprofits can implement systems and automations that actually feel personal.Rachel walks us through some compelling case studies, including a monthly giving program that used customized workflows to segment donors by gift size and deliver messages that felt like they came straight from the Executive Director's inbox. You'll hear how my team used Zapier to automatically send scholarship applications from HubSpot to Google Sheets. The kicker? These automations helped scale communications to over 4,700 event registrants without sacrificing personalization!Plus, Rachel shares her “The One Minute Thank You” trick that lands pre-written, customizable drafts in your inbox the moment a donation comes through.Resources & LinksConnect with Rachel on LinkedIn or Instagram or book a demo. You can also learn more about Nonprofit Automation Agency on her website.Check out Rachel's FREE Resources: 5 Ways to Automate Your Stewardship and Create a Remarkable Donor Experience. This show is presented by LinkedIn for Nonprofits. We're so grateful for their partnership. Explore their incredible suite of resources and discounts for nonprofit teams here. Through April 30th, LinkedIn is giving away 6 months FREE of Sales Navigator Core to the first 2,000 eligible nonprofit professionals! Click here to apply.My book, The Monthly Giving Mastermind, is here! Grab a copy here and learn my framework to build, grow, and sustain subscriptions for good.Let's Connect! Send a DM on Instagram or LinkedIn and let us know what you think of the show! Head to YouTube for digital marketing how-to videos and podcast teasers Want to book Dana as a speaker for your event? Click here!

Google went AI nuts at Cloud Next, possibly taking the lead. OpenAI is reportedly ready to unveil up to five new models. Canva enters the AI arena with innovative features. This week's AI news is explosive. Catch up now!Newsletter: Sign up for our free daily newsletterMore on this Episode: Episode PageJoin the discussion: Thoughts on the news? Join the convo.Upcoming Episodes: Check out the upcoming Everyday AI Livestream lineupWebsite: YourEverydayAI.comEmail The Show: info@youreverydayai.comConnect with Jordan on LinkedInTopics Covered in This Episode:Google Cloud Next AI Announcements RecapOpenAI ChatGPT Memory Feature DetailsOpenAI and Elon Musk Legal BattleCanva AI Suite Expansion OverviewAnthropic Claude Max Subscription PricingMicrosoft's Data Center Strategy PivotShopify's AI Usage Mandatory PolicyUpcoming OpenAI Model Releases OverviewTimestamps:00:00 Technical Glitch with Equipment04:48 Gemini 2.5 Pro Launch07:06 Google's New AI Collaboration Protocols13:28 ChatGPT Enhances Memory for Personalization17:37 AI Surveillance Accusations in U.S. Agencies20:56 Canva Launches AI-Powered Suite23:10 AI Graphic Design Evolution26:02 "Musk's Lawsuit: A Delay Tactic"28:14 Anthropic Launches Claude Max Subscription34:05 Microsoft Pauses Data Center Expansion35:39 Microsoft's $80B AI Investment Strategy42:05 Shopify's Bold AI Integration Shift44:25 Maximize AI Before Hiring48:31 OpenAI Model Tiers Explained51:41 "GPT-5: Concerns on Model Autonomy"54:20 AI Innovations and Controversies OverviewKeywords:Google Cloud Next, AI updates, OpenAI, countersue, Elon Musk, Canva AI features, Gemini 2.5 Pro, Large Language Model, ChatGPT memory feature, AI race, GPT 4.1, Vertex AI, Google AI Studio, agent to agent protocol, Google Workspace, Google Sheets, MCP protocol, Google DeepMind, GDC, Ironwood TPU chip, Lyria AI model, AI video model, AI music generation, Elon Musk's Dodge team, government AI monitoring, Ethical AI use, Canva Sheets, Shopify CEO AI memo, Anthropic, Claude Max, Microsoft Copilot, AI infrastructure, Recall AI feature, data privacy concerns, AI-powered productivity, GPT models, AI operating systems, personalized AI, GMPT 4.5, AI sandbox, Nvidia hardware, test time computing, AI reasoning, ChatGPT preferences.Send Everyday AI and Jordan a text message. (We can't reply back unless you leave contact info) Ready for ROI on GenAI? Go to youreverydayai.com/partner

Imagine turning casual event interactions into lifelong patient relationships.In this episode of the Ground Marketing Series, we dive into a complete, actionable framework for dentists eager to expand their practices. I unpack the art of pre-event planning, setting intentional goals, and constructing an irresistible activation kit. Drawing on wisdom from marketing legend Seth Godin, we learn that storytelling lies at the heart of effective marketing. We'll cover the essential roles within an event team— the magnet, the messenger, and the connector—each playing a crucial part in generating and nurturing potential patients.We'll discuss hands-on tips for booth presentation and interaction strategy. Learn how captivating signage and engaging team activities can drive your booth traffic through the roof! This episode brings to light the importance of crafting messages that avoid clichés and resonate with potential patients. Discover key metrics to gauge your event's success and develop an adaptable, scalable marketing system that ensures no opportunity slips through the cracks.What You'll Learn in This Episode:Strategic steps for effective pre-event planning for dental practices.The pivotal roles each team member plays in a successful marketing event.Techniques for creating engaging, memorable booth experiences.Essential do's and don'ts to maximize your event's impact.The art of immediate lead follow-up and team evaluation post-event.Insights into metrics and tools for tracking and optimizing marketing efforts.Get ready to transform community events into powerful marketing victories—tune in now!‍‍Learn More About the Ground Marketing Course Here:Website: https://thedentalmarketer.lpages.co/the-ground-marketing-course-open-enrollment/‍Sponsors:CareStack: Modern, Secure, Cloud-Based Dental Software for Growing Your Practice! With state-of-the-art features including Online Appointments, Integrated Payments, Text Reminders and more. Click the link here for a special offer: thedentalmarketer.lpages.co/carestackCallRail: Call tracking + AI that turns calls into campaigns that convert, quality patients, and cost savings. Start a free trial today! Don't forget to mention The Dental Marketer sent you!) callrail.comOryx: All-In-One Cloud-Based Dental Software Created by Dentists for Dentists. Patient engagement, clinical, and practice management software that helps your dental practice grow without compromise. Click or copy and paste the link here for a special offer! thedentalmarketer.lpages.co/oryx‍Other Mentions and Links:‍People:Seth Godin‍Groups:Chamber of CommerceRotary Club‍Tools:EventbriteGoogle FormsJotformMailchimpActiveCampaignGoogle SheetsAirtableCareStackCallRailOryx‍Businesses/Brands:Invisalign‍If you want your questions answered on Monday Morning Episodes, ask me on these platforms:My Newsletter: https://thedentalmarketer.lpages.co/newsletter/The Dental Marketer Society Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2031814726927041‍Episode Transcript (Auto-Generated - Please Excuse Errors) Michael: leveraging community events for maximum impact. This is gonna be the step by step guide to making an unforgettable impression. At local events and converting it into real growth. Now, community events aren't just about handing out freebies. They're a powerful system for relationship building, trust marketing, and establishing your practice as the go-to in the neighborhood.Seth Godin said, marketing is no longer about the stuff you make, but the stories you tell. But here's the kicker. To win at these events, you need more than a table and smiles. You need smart systems, a team with purpose and follow up that drives revenue. I cannot tell you how many times I've gone to events where I'm either just an attendee or I'm a vendor.it's almost like a pet peeve of mine where I see so many things going wrong. It feels like, oh man, this, employee who's hereis the wrong employee. You're doing the wrong things. You're just not feeling it. And you can see the mistakes.You can see almost the opportunities lost in every single minute almost,not just every single interaction, every single minute that they're there. So this episode. Definitely it's gonna be a, game changer for you because you're gonna realize a lot of things that maybe you've been doing wrong or a lot of things that you could be doing better.Now this is real data why this works. 43% of patients only visit the dentist once a year. 27% go twice a year. Events help turn rare visitors into loyal patients, okay? They see you, they talk to you, they engage with you, they interact with you. They're more likely to go with you. 59% of dental practices rely on front desk staff for marketing.Your team needs training to represent you well at community events, so it's not just like, Hey, let's all go out. The whole team has to go out. They need to be trained. 77% of patients prefer online booking, but only of practices offer it. So your event setup should promote real time scheduling.Don't let it get lost in the weeds where maybe you are booking people on the spot, maybe you have a specific software right, and you're booking them on the spot, on the iPad, and then you book them. And then you notice when you get back to the office, it's triple booked double book, and it's not cohesive.Don't lose people like that because I cannot tell you how bad it will be if you have to call that lead back and say, Hey, you know, the time you booked doesn't work. Can I put you in another time? First you gotta get them on the phone, try and find them, try and reach them, right? But you most likely will.And then from that point on, gotta convince them to, to change. So no email marketing, ROI is 44000%, It's huge. Capturing emails at events is high value. If you can capture phone numbers or even text them even better, right? So here's a step-by-step guide, step one. This is crucial pre-event planning.This is the foundation phase, so choose the right events 90 days in advance if possible. Easy breezy. How to do this. You look for events where your ideal patients already gather. You look at PTA meetings you hear word of mouth where they're going, they're doing.Farmer's markets, events in the Chamber of Commerce calendar and the rotary, club calendar, school health fairs. You just ask for events, right? A lot of apartment complexes have events, community center, senior homes. You can even use platforms like Eventbrite Facebook parent groups, Facebook groups in your community.And like I said, chamber of Commerce right now, here's a pro tip. If any of these events, you decide, Hey, I really want to go to them, try to attend first as a guest. Observe the crowd flow, the booth engagement and the vibe before you commit. And then you can go. A lot of the times in the ground marketing course, I teach you how to do this and how to actually get fantastic referrals and partnerships, but new patients without ever participating in an event.Meaning like without ever being a vendor, you're just there. But if you're like, oh my gosh, the booth engagement is fantastic, we gotta be here, we gotta support. Yeah, definitely continue to pursue that. Right now you wanna set clear measurable goals. So example targets. These are examples, right? I want to collect 75 emails or 75 contact information.I wanna book 15 appointments on the spot. On site, and I wanna generate 200 plus impressions in the community. That means 200 plus people know about us, we've handed out. Something specific to them, they know about us. And then now you wanna work backward from your goals. Reverse engineer. If your team can engage 20 people per hour, plan your booth design game, call to action accordingly.Okay? You wanna design it that way? It doesn't just happen that way. For example, let's just say it's a huge event and only one person's available and they're going, they're setting up, they're doing it all. They're at the booth, they're talking. right?You're not gonna get everything that you want. You're not gonna get 200 email contacts or contact information or 200 leads because it's just one person. So you gotta, adjust accordingly. Now, you wanna design portable activation kit. The whole system for this, the actual layout, pictures and everything is in the ground marketing course.Like I'm gonna tell you right now, you don't need flash. You need systems that trigger interaction and capture data. That's it. I've never been too over the top or over fancy with it. I've seen a ton of boots like that, and that's great. That's fantastic. But in this episode, you're gonna hear what's most important and what you need to invest more in on than being off lash right now.What you're gonna want in this portable activation kit is branded tablecloth and banners. With your logo, maybe a game if you like, right? Like a spin to win or a Plinko board. IPads with intake forms, It can have Google forms or jot forms or a signup sheet. I still do the signup sheet, but it's up to you, You can have the iPads with linked to your practice management software. I know Cares Stack and orx do it fantastically. Great booking portals on there. Then obviously lead magnets, right? Pre kids, dental, emergency guides, or all the freebies you want to give out that are in there, hygiene kits, information flyers, things like that.So that's step one. Okay? The pre-event planning Phase A, you're gonna choose the right events 90 days in advance, if possible, or just in advance, right? You don't wanna go on the calendar and say, oh, snap, there's an event tomorrow, let's make it happen. No. Take time to plan ahead. B, set clear and measurable goals crucial.Have to have measurable goals. Never once did I go out and say, let's just see how many people we sign up. No, in the moment, you're gonna be like, oh, you know what? This is not that good, or whatever. You're gonna get in your head and you're gonna just sign up. Five people. You gotta have clear, measurable goals and say, okay, you know what?From here we're gonna do 75, and that means you're gonna put in the work to get those 70 fives while you're there. Right? Be set. Clear measurable goals. See design a portable activation kit, like I told you, cable tablecloth, banners, maybe a chair if you like. spin the wheel, whatever freebies you wanna give out, and something to sign up people on.Okay, step two is the booth strategy. So make it magnetic. This step is all about stopping people in their tracks. Creating a magnetizing presence and turning curiosity into conversations. Most booths are background noise. Yours should be the events gravitational center. So what you wanna have is a solve a local pain point with words that actually work.I'm gonna give you three examples of what not to say anywhere in the booth. Hey, we're accepting new patients. No. That's so long ago. Don't ever use that again. Two, come get a free toothbrush. Nope, throw that out. Three. General and cosmetic dentistry. Throw that out. These are vague, they're overused, and they don't spark emotional or practical urgency.You want to craft micro messages that solve actual local problems. For example, could be a pediatric practice. You can say. Somewhere in the booth, right? Struggling to get your kids to the dentist without a meltdown. Ask about our no tears visits. Why this works. It uses parents' pain point tantrums, and stress.It includes emotional relief. So no tears. And it's specific. It's not generic. Here's a cosmetic example. Want to boost your confidence before your next big event. Ask about our mini smile makeovers. Same pain points that attacks the next one. Busy parent example, no time for dental appointments. Ask how we get families in and out under an hour.Boom, ate and insurance neighborhood example. Confused about your insurance. We simplify it and yes, we take yours. Boom. This one right here, members have used, I got this one from members. Fantastic. I'm gonna say it again, confused about your insurance question mark. We simplify it and yes, we take yours and the exclamation point that one does fantastic.And you can have like a sandwich board in front of your booth and have that on there, right? These examples, these sayings. Now pro tip, print your core message in large text or on your banner, right? And have every team member memorize and repeat it naturally. So have these banners with these messages on there as well.But like, what I like to do is to have a sandwich board, right? Just in case it changes up. I don't have to get a new banner for every little thing. Now that was a right. A, is solve a local pain point with words that actually work. B. Grab attention within three seconds. Why? Well, The average event goer decides in under three seconds whether or not to approach your booth.So you must stack the deck in your favor with visuals. Motion, sound and simplicity. Use a high visibility game, right? Why? ' cause movement plus potential reward equals attention. Examples are spin the wheel, right? Each wedge is a prize. Maybe free whitening, something specific In one of our live ground marketing workshops that we had this past month in March, 2025. We dove deep on incentives. So if you're a member of the ground marketing course, definitely go check that out. But that is gonna be an episode for later on. In the ground marketing series.Now you can discuss the incentives with your team. See what you want to give best Plinko board, right? It's nostalgic, it's fun and easy to brand with dental punts. you can do a mini basketball hoop or ring toss. These are especially effective for family events and kid heavy areas. Now the signage above the game should read the incentive.The incentive only, Not all these instructions, not the name of your practice and everything you do. No, just win free whitening, spin and win. Everyone gets something. Play for a free gift, right? That's it. That's all it should say. Important point here is to display what prizes are available.are drawn to visible rewards. Keep them attractive, but within budget. Whitening, goody bags, water bottles, gift cards, whatever you decide as an incentive, have that out on display. Have standing team members outside of the booth avoid the mistake of sitting behind the table. Always. Instead, place the magnet.A few steps in front of your booth. Now I know what you're thinking. What is the magnet? We're gonna discuss that a little bit further down. On the roles of who they are. But the magnet is someone, it's a person you wanna put them out and about, right? Train them to use eye contact, hand gestures toward the game prizes, and an enthusiastic opener.Something like this. Hey there. Hey, grab whatever you want. It's all free. The one that works the best, the one that I always use hands down, never fails is, Hey, grab whatever you want. It's all free, and that's it. I just stay quiet after that, and then they come and then boom.The further out a person stands without blocking walkways, the more psychological welcome they create. That's a pro tip. You can use t-shirts with a hook as well. These are walking, talking billboards. Don't just put your logo, use a question or statement that invites curiosity. Here are examples that you can use to put on your t-shirts.Ask me how we make kids love the dentist. Ask me about free whitening Fridays. I can get you out of pain fast. Your smile deserves this. Those are examples, right? Or like I said, you can do the Medicaid example one. And yes, we do take yours, right kind of a thing with insurance. So assign different shirt slogans to different roles.There's gonna be three specific roles, and we'll discuss that in a little laterin this episode. Now the three second layering formula to ensure people engage with your booth within three seconds. This is it. There's a visual element, and then I'm gonna discuss the purpose. So the visual element, bold banner, purpose.Communicates core offer or pain point. Visual element. Motion game purpose creates eye catching interaction. Visual element, a friendly greeter. Purpose builds trust, initiates engagement, visual element, branded t-shirts. Purpose reinforces message and makes team approachable. Visual element giveaways displayed purpose creates curiosity and visual incentive.Now, the common mistakes to avoid is too much text on signage. Keep it short. Five to seven words max per message. That's including the sandwich board. Passive team members who wait for people to approach. Oh my goodness. This is, I had a. Dime for every time I saw this, this is a humongous mistake.Passive team members who wait for people to approach do not be that person. Do not have anybody like that on the events. Okay? Third, boring swag. Ditch the basic stuff sometimes unless it's branded and bundle it with a compelling offer, right? But remember, whenever it's at a booth, you want it all.Decompartmentalize. You don't want everything in a baggie. Convenience is not the name of the game When you're at an event, the name of the game is for them to come and chat and sign up, That's what you want them to do. You don't want them to just grab a little baggie and go and say thank you and buy.You want them to be there and shop around, talk, and then finally over cluttered tables with no clear flow. So you don't want it to be over cluttered. You want to have a system in your table. In the ground marketing course, I show you exactly how to do that with just a regular hygiene kit.I don't do anything over the top or too flashy. Now, there's been many, many great examples of this, but I'm gonna give you an example of a member of ours. It was at a local PTA carnival. It was a pediatric dental office, and they use a spin to win, no cavity club prize wheel. T-shirts said, no meltdowns, no tears.Just smiles. And a team member who shouted, You wanna win something your kids will actually love? That's all they said. Hey, win something your kids are actually gonna love. Come on in. Come on in. They collected 112 contact information, so point of contacts, 112, booked 27 appointments immediately, and had a 74% show rate over the next two weeks.All from one. Afternoon. That's just one afternoon. That's amazing. So that's what you wanna do when it comes to be right. Grab attention within three seconds. Now here's the key C rolls and flow. This is the, that you're gonna have for the events. It's your triple threat event team. So instead of calling everyone helpers, give them roles with clear purpose.The first role is The magnet. Where are they gonna be? Right outside of the booth. Right next to the booth. They're just not really standing right behind the booth the whole time. They could once in a while, but they're outside of the booth and their role. Is just to say hi to everyone in the most bubbly way.Attract and invite foot traffic, right? Their script. Get ready for this. If you can write this down, it's, Hey, grab whatever you want. It's all free. And that's it. That is their script. the work that they're gonna have to do honestly is hold themselves back from saying too much. Because that can kill the curiosity of the event goer.All you wanna say is, Hey, and then wave your hand, right? Like If you can see, if you're watching this on YouTube, you can see me wave my hand. Hey, grab whatever you want. It's all free. And then point to everything that's free at the booth that's it. Have them draw closer to be like well, what's all for you?What is all you're not gonna answer? That they're gonna answer that themselves with their eyes and when they go to the booth. So that's it. That is the script. Hey, Grab whatever you want. Come on over here. It's all free. Don't, oh, and the toothbrush is free. And then the floss is, no, don't do any of that.Just say it's all free. And then have them come over. That's it. And you get the next person. The next person. Right Now the next role, the next person. Your team is the messenger. They are inside the booth. Okay. I like to say that instead of behind, but they're inside the booth. Their role is to have these conversations, answer questions.If somebody's in there, like opening their mouth and saying, why do I have sensitivity here? Can you see? And then they're engaging, their role is signing people up. Also, the magnet could be signing people up too. Just in case it gets too busy. That's why I say they're outside of the booth sometimes.But if they see that the booth is popping and it's packed, now the magnet has to go behind the booth and sign people up while the other person is talking to everyone else, right? They're engaging with the person. So the magnet kind of has two roles. They have to have their eyes on that booth.Now the messenger, their role is to educate, answer questions and point visitors to sign up. Hey, yeah. what we're doing this month is we're signing up everyone, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, right? This month we decided to partner up with this business, and what everybody's doing is they're giving us their name and number, and I personally will give you a call.What's your name? And then you continue to sign them up. That's the messenger's role. They're behind the booth. Honestly, everybody in your team should probably never be sitting down, even, even in a lull, right? they're standing, they're engaging, they're doing things.So that's the messenger. Remember now you have the magnet. They're outside of the booth. The messenger is inside of the booth, and now you have the third team member. The connector, okay. Their role, they are walking around the event to the vendors, to the other vendors. Their role is to build relationship with the vendors, the organizers, the schools, the small business owners, every other booth there.And the people who are in charge of the event. Their role is to get their business information to sign people up on the spot. 'cause remember those people the, at the booth, the vendors at that booth, they're most likely not walking around. You have someone walking around, you have someone signing them up.You have someone collecting their business information, building rapport so that tomorrow you can go to their place of business and get the rest of the employees to sign up, maybe do a lunch and learn, maybe have some type of collaboration or program that you can do just for them. That's your role. Okay.The connector's role is to go out to the vendors and sign up the vendors. 'cause most likely they're not your patients, so they can come on it. And then you're collecting their business information so you can go to their place of business and execute more strategies, ground marketing strategies, and build great partnerships with those businesses.So there's three, right? The magnet just outside of the booth. The messenger, they're inside of the booth and the connector, they're walking around. Creating partnerships with the other vendors and the organizers. Got it. Awesome. So then step three is you're gonna offer a design from freebie to the front door.So your goal is not just to give things away, it's to trigger interest, build reciprocity, and create momentum that gets people to book, show up and become long-term patients. This step turns the booth from a passive branding tool into an active patient convergence system. So a, you want to create a compelling ethical incentive.Forget free cleanings, right? It's overdone, undervalued, and invite slow commitment window shoppers. Instead, craft layer tiered offers that feel exclusive and valuable requires something in return. And reinforce the long-term value of your practice. Now, I'm gonna give you an example. This is for adults.The offer could say, Hey free first Invisalign session and take home whitening kits, Or you can say Free smile consultation. Plus take home whitening kits. Then you can put on the bottom. It includes examine x-rays, custom smile assessment and a whitening kit must attend appointment rate and then continue why it works.Whining is seen as a cosmetic bonus, not a fix. It also positions your practice as cosmetic forward and modern, and it's easy to tie in with Invisalign or SMILE design conversations for kids. Your offer can say, join our no cavity club. The entry into your monthly, quarterly raffle prizes, could be like toys, ice cream, gift cards, electric toothbrushes, right?So that's part of the no cavity club. You always get prizes and then you also get free dental prize bags, right? Branded floss stickers and cool kids swag, all that other stuff. So your enter to win in a raffle all the time if you're part of the No cavity club, to win a huge prize. And then you're also, get, you know, like hygiene kits.But. Rebrand it, call it something different. That way it feels more exclusive and it works because parents love recognition programs for kids. It adds community and reward structure and it gets families emotionally invested, inre care and return visits. A pro tip for this is display a poster at your booth with last month's winner and a real kid photos with permission of course, that always works when you actually have proof, right? Hey, this is the last month's winner. Especially if it's a community event. People will, Hey, I know that kid goes to, he's my best friend, right? Or all these things, they'll feel more inclined or families. You can offer a smile makeover giveaway.One entry per household. One winner gets a full consult with digital smile design and bonus prizes for all entries, right? Small gift bags. Et cetera. Right? And it works because it's aspirational. People love the idea of a transformation. You collected dozens or hundreds of leads and create cross selling into whitening, ortho, and cosmetic options whenever you do a raffle.Real quick, I wanna mention something. Don't ever have just one winner. Everyone should win something, right? So always plan that you want people to come in. Not just give you a bunch of names and numbers and say, oh man, they all wanted to win, but they didn't make everybody a winner. Now with, visuals, the offer type and the suggested sign copy, this is how it should stay on your booth, right?So let's just say you're offering whitening. You should say, Hey, free whitening with your first visit. Ask us how. The no cavity club kids can win big. Join the No cavity Club today, right? Smile makeover. Want a new smile? Enter our makeover giveaway. Make these signs bold, easy to scan in under eight words, right?Don't make it too wordy. You can add scarcity and urgency. Even the best. Offer false flat without psychological triggers, scarcity and urgency. Create fomo, which drives people to act now instead of later. So you can have a whiteboard or a flip chart at the booth nine Invisalign spots remaining.13 whitening kits left today. You can even have a countdown timer on an iPad screen and say, next free whitening session giveaway is in five minutes. Right? People will, wait at your booth until they can be the first one to do it. If you do catch them waiting to be the first one to do it, make them feel like a VIP and say, Hey, you know what?You ain't even gotta wait. I got you in right now. Are you gonna be available Monday? I'll even put you on the schedule immediately. Boom. You'll make them feel special, important, and they're gonna show up no matter what. And you can also have a physical prize board, right? Cross out slots as people win or book, right?Oh, we only have 12, 10, 11, 13. And verbally, you can yell out, you know, we only have 10 whitening kids left, so grab one while they last. The smile makeover drawing closes in two hours and turn out to be included. We only block five Invisalign day specials each month. You want one right. And it works because it makes them feel exclusive. Not everyone gets this. You're one of the few. It's simple. It's super easy. It takes 30 seconds to sign up and scarcity, only a few left. Once they're gone, they're gone. And you got one. This trifecta bypasses analysis paralysis and motivates decision making on the spot, even from skeptical attendees.So that's gonna be fantastic to utilize. Now, here's the key. Mainly one thing post event follow up. This is where the ROI is made. This is one of the final steps, you wanna segment and nurture leads within 48 hours. So sort your context right from hot. Those are the ones that are booked or very interested to warm.They were curious or maybe they weren't committed and then cold. They just entered a raffle. Now tools you can use is,a lot of our members use Cares Stack or orx or their practice management software right, to see the appointment follow up. You can definitely use that. I know Cares Stack and Orxsponsor the podcast. So if you ever needed a couple months for free to utilize them, definitely go in the show notes below. It's not gonna be in the first link in the show notes below, but scroll a little bit down you can click on their deals that they have for you if you are interested in.Cloud practice management software, an all in one cloud practice management software that a lot of our members utilize that they can just put on their iPad and then they can schedule on the spot. So it's pretty fantastic. You can also use MailChimp or, an email system, like Active Campaign or anything like that.You want to use these tools to know, okay these, are booked appointments. Cool. Awesome. And then these were other people that just entered for a raffle and they're cold. Or maybe they're warm and you wanna retarget. So post event recap, right? Maybe you're saying We met 150 plus amazing families this weekend.If we missed you, our event special is still Available. Click below to book. You want to do that? Send it out to your actual cold leads and maybe even send it out to some of the patients you haven't seen in a while that you know, they're in their community because this will make them curious.See what it is, what are they doing? Oh man. What was the special that was happening at the event? Oh, cool. They're participating at the community. So now you're not just targeting, the people who were at the event. You're also targeting people who you haven't seen in a while. So definitely do that, and then you can use the same photos and text or emails so they recognize your team and so forth.Now, for hot leads, call within 48 to 72 hours. I mean, As quick as possible. Offer a warm, friendly touchpoint and a clear call to book if they haven't booked yet. So that means if they signed up, they put their name, number, and you said, I will personally give you a call to get you on the schedule this week.now's the time to call them. Be warm, friendly, and then get to the point. Just give them options. Don't say when are you available? No. Give them options one to two that they can schedule. Now, step five. Here's the big major part you wanna measure and optimize. This is gonna to be everything for you.This is the difference between a random act of marketing and a repeatable system that builds wealth. Community events are only profitable if you can measure exactly what you gain from them. Identify what's working and scale it and eliminate what's not, and save time, energy, and money. track these metrics.Every time without exception, you need to quantify both the top of funnel, that means leads and engagement, and the bottom of funnel appointments and production. Here's what to track. Okay? Leads collected. So total number of new contacts. Who gave you permission to follow up? That means emails, phones, or booked Both Total and source. So if they were booked at the event, track it. If they were warm, they gave you the info, track it. If they were only raffles, track it. Like I said, you can use Cares Stack or Orx their forms that you can use directly on iPads or if you want, you can sync Google Forms to your CRM, right?But tag the event source. So these leads are trackable in future campaigns as well. So that's number one. Leads collected, track it, two appointments booked. Number of appointments scheduled on the day and within the following seven days. So breakdown by onsite bookings, maybe let's just say it was 20 post event bookings via email or text message.And then you wanna track the show rates. Why this matters. This is your true conversion rate. Don't just measure interest. Measure action. Like I tell you before, your practice management software, they may let you segment by source and measure, show rate versus no shows and then revenue generated.Now this is within 60 days total treatment, accepted and paid from patients who came from the event. You don't want to wait six months to evaluate ROI look at hygiene visits, emergency treatment, accepted whitening, or ortho starts, and follow up family bookings. Set up event lead as a referral source in your practice management software, and then run a report after 60 days with that filter.Right now, cost per lead, the formula is total event costs, plus number of quality leads. So example is, let's just say the booth fee was $400. Materials is $300, the total 700, but leads collected was 105. Cost per leads are $6 and 67 cents.Why this matters? It helps you compare this event's efficiency against others. Other things as marketing such as ads, mailers, et cetera. Sometimes you don't have to, majority of the time, I wanna say at least like 80 something percent, you don't have to pay for a boothymaterials, you're gonna get them anyways to hygiene kit in the ground marketing course.I show you exactly how to do all of this just with hygiene kits. Your cost is super low. What I just said right now, the example the booth V $400 materials 300, that's a lot higher. That's a lot higher than I've, ever really done. But we're taking it there because I want you to see the potential.five is return on investment, right? So the formula for the ROI is revenue minus cost. Divided by cost. So the example is revenue generated is $4,000. The cost was $700, like the example we said. So 4,000 minus 700 divided by 700 equals 4.7. So 470% was the ROI. Now this matters because you'll know exactly which events to repeat, which to drop, and which to scale with confidence.Not every event is gonna be a banger. Some events are gonna be like, okay, you know what? We did get a good amount. It's good to, for us to continue that, you know, every quarter and some events are gonna say, oh my gosh, we have to do more. We have to invest more. And that, that we've gotten an incredible amount.Let's back them up. Let's see if we can create our own event with them. And then some events are absolutely fantastic, but they only host 'em once a year, right? Like employee benefits fairs or school events and things like that. But at least you know it's fantastic.The ROI is great and you're locked in for years and years to come. Tool options, right? You can collect these leads with an iPad, Google Forms or Cares Stack, right? Appointment tracking, like I said, you can use. Your practice management software, if you're looking for a new one, like I said, cares Stack and nor sponsors our podcast.So definitely check them out. You get an exclusive discount, and you can check 'em out for free too. Revenue by Source. You want to collect reports right on your practice management software, the metric ROI tracking. You wanna use custom Google Sheets or Airtable or just a way to collect the ROI and then dashboards.You wanna have insights so you can do that with. Your practice management software. I know if you have Cares Stack, I think it's smartview. And then orx is Orx Insights. But you can utilize whatever practice management software you want to utilize,something that will help fantastically with the leads collected appointments booked, the revenue generated.An easy way to track this you can use a software called CallRail. their new sponsor for the podcast. And they're fantastic at what they do. So for example, they have call tracking conversation intelligence. So they transcribe all your calls. And something I think is cool is they convert assist, so they convert leads with AI powered next steps.Coaching and follow up messages. So they'll literally highlight, okay, they were looking for this is a trend we see that all the leads want in the community. Or maybe my tone wasn't the best or what I said, I fumbled here a little bit too much. And that's what caused them to be disengaged in the conversation on the phone or whatever.Right? But primarily they track. lot of great things. So I would definitely use them when you can, not only to figure out how many leads are coming in, where they're coming in from, if they booked appointments, but at the same time see the conversation, see the trends and so forth. And then on top of that, you know, you can track everything else.So if you want, you can check them out for 14 days for free. So what I would do is on your next event that you have coming up, enroll for the 14 days for free. Then after that in your debriefing meeting, okay, let's look at the hot leads, look at all the data generated from Call rail and see where you guys are.if there's any cracks leaking, where you can glue them when it comes to answering the phones converting them, getting them in the practice and so forth. And how many leads came in. I mean, Call role makes it super easy. But definitely I'm gonna put a link in the show notes below if you wanna.Check them out. They help with everything like that, with ROI, tracking, appointment, tracking leads, collection, even improving your front office skills and phones, right? So, Yeah, I do that. Check out CallRail or if you want, you can use Google Sheets or whatever practice management software, system you have, and try to, you know, maneuver it that way.and the key is to debrief after every event. So within 24 to 48 hours of the event, gather your team for a 15 to 30 minute huddle.This is where all the magic happens. This locks in wins, identifies flops and builds your repeatable event engine. Ask these seven questions. What worked extremely well? Not what worked. What worked extremely well? Scripts, offers, games. What got the most attention? Did the magnet, the messenger, the connector shine?Who shined the most? what worked extremely well? Question number two is what flopped or fell flat? Was there a prize that wasn't exciting enough? Did anyone get confused about the offers? Three. Did people understand our messaging immediately or did we need to explain things over and over?Four? Was there any downtime? Track the busy times or slow times, right? For future booth placements, sometimes it's a popping event. Where you decided to set up is not popping. It's not that good. It's in a dead spot of the event. So that's something to keep in mind. Was there any downtime? Five. What questions came up repeatedly from attendees?This reveals content gaps you can fix with signage or handouts. Six. Did any tech or process slow us down? iPad glitches. QR codes didn't load. You know, you wanna fix that immediately. And then seven, how did each team member feel in their role? That's probably one of the most important because they're gonna be your main ones, right?For this whole thing to be successful. So they have to feel super comfortable. And then you wanna build a post event template and you can use a format. Now we do have this format in the ground marketing course. It's for all our members. So if you're remember and you're listening, definitely go check out that format.Download the post event template so you can use it, utilize it all the time. And go from there. If you're not part of the ground marketing course, definitely enroll. I'd love to see you in there. You can go in the show notes below. It's the first link in the show notes below, and you can check out everything that's inside of the course and we continue to add to it all the time.But you wanna continue to do this, track it. Do a post event huddle, repeatable growth engine. That's what this is gonna be. Once you do this three to four times, you'll have a playbook of top performing offers. You'll have a refined booth strategy and a trained team that knows how to execute without micromanagement, and most importantly, you'll have a predictable new patient system.Awesome. So if you have. Any questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out to me on this. But the best way to reach out to me, especially with ground marketing, is being a member of the Ground Marketing course. You can go in the show notes below, click on the first link in the show notes below to check out more, and roll into the course and see everything we have to offer you.And thank you so much for tuning in. I'm excited to see you in the course. And for the next episode. It's ground marketing at schools. What you need to know, we're gonna discuss how to approach schools and offer value to teachers and parents. Alright, thank you so much for tuning in.We'll talk to you in the next episode.