Podcasts about SEO

#FenceFam... It's not everyday I can get Matt Warner on a podcast for over an hour on a Friday morning... But when I do it's electric!!! And this one is no different!!! We cover everything!!!! Cheers! Remember to like, share, comment and REVIEW! The Fence Industry Podcast Links: IG @TheFenceIndustryPodcast FB @TheFenceIndustryPodcastWithDanWheeler TikTok @TheFenceIndustryPodcast YouTube @TheFenceIndustryPodcastWithDanWheeler Visit TheFenceIndustryPodcast.com Email TheFenceIndustryPodcast@gmail.com Central Fence Supply:  Visit centralfencesupply.com Gopherwood & Expert Stain and Seal IG @stainandsealexperts  FB @ExpertProfessionalWoodCare YouTube @Stain&SealExperts  FB Group Stain and Seal Expert's Staining University  Visit RealGoodStain.com Visit Gopherwood.us Log Cabin Fence IG @Log_Cabin_Fence FB @LogCabinFence Visit LogCabinFence.com Elite Technique Visit https://www.getelitetechnique.com/ Greenwood Fence Visit https://greenwoodfence.com/ Ozark Fence & Supply promo code: TFIP15 for 15% off! Visit https://www.ozfence.com/ Benji with Clever Fox for all your FENCE website, SEO & marketing needs! Visit https://www.cleverfox.online/ Stockade Staple Guns Visit https://www.stockade.com/us/ mySalesman Visit mySalesman.com Orlando Hinge Company Visit swanhinge.com   The Fence Industry Podcast is Produced by CleverFox.Online https://www.cleverfox.online/  

Morgan is back with the sequel nobody expected, but everyone asked for. After the overwhelming response to "So You Want to Start a Witchy Business...," she realized something was missing: real witchy business advice, not just general business advice that isn't witchy-specific. In this episode, Morgan lays out nine (plus a bonus) lessons pulled straight from 13 years of running Inked Goddess Creations, the kind of lessons that only apply if your business runs on more than spreadsheets and SEO. In this episode, Morgan covers: The mindset shift that changed everything for her Why delusion might be one of her most underrated business tools, and the real stories behind some of her biggest gambles, including the subscription box, the witchy advent, and the Witches Bazaar. Protecting your energy Trusting your intuition Understanding exactly why people are buying from you and not just your products Morgan also shares a cautionary tale from a trademark dispute she watched unfold in the witchy community recently, and what it taught her about naming a business the right way. New episodes every Wednesday.  Paid Patreon members' exclusive bonus content this week: Morgan goes deeper into her business delusion stories and gives even more business advice. Join Morgan on her Patreon for exclusive bonus content. Visit  https://patreon.com/inkedgoddesscreations for more details.    Consider joining Morgan's Inked Spirit Coven to deepen your magickal practice and connect with a supportive community. For more information, head to  https://inkedspirit.com.   For unique witchy supplies and tips, a monthly Witchcraft subscription box, and more, head to  https://www.InkedGoddessCreations.com. 

Volume-based keyword content is quietly undermining search performance. Lucas Tieleman, CEO and co-founder of Optiversal, has helped major enterprise retailers convert static product catalogs into machine-readable content that performs across both search and AI platforms, building on experience as former Chief Product Officer at Bazaarvoice. The conversation breaks down why "sloptimization"—churning out keyword-driven posts without added value—undermines both rankings and revenue, why answer engine optimization depends on strong underlying SEO fundamentals rather than replacing them, and how transforming product data into structured, machine-readable assets drives visibility across traditional and AI-driven search.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Want to Start or Grow a Successful Business? Schedule a FREE 13-Point Assessment with Clay Clark Today At: www.ThrivetimeShow.com   Join Clay Clark's Thrivetime Show Business Workshop!!! Learn Branding, Marketing, SEO, Sales, Workflow Design, Accounting & More. **Request Tickets & See Testimonials At: www.ThrivetimeShow.com  **Request Tickets Via Text At (918) 851-0102   See the Thousands of Success Stories and Millionaires That Clay Clark Has Helped to Produce HERE: https://www.thrivetimeshow.com/testimonials/ Download A Millionaire's Guide to Become Sustainably Rich: A Step-by-Step Guide to Become a Successful Money-Generating and Time-Freedom Creating Business HERE: www.ThrivetimeShow.com/Millionaire   See Thousands of Case Studies Today HERE: www.thrivetimeshow.com/does-it-work/  

Want to Start or Grow a Successful Business? Schedule a FREE 13-Point Assessment with Clay Clark Today At: www.ThrivetimeShow.com   Join Clay Clark's Thrivetime Show Business Workshop!!! Learn Branding, Marketing, SEO, Sales, Workflow Design, Accounting & More. **Request Tickets & See Testimonials At: www.ThrivetimeShow.com  **Request Tickets Via Text At (918) 851-0102   See the Thousands of Success Stories and Millionaires That Clay Clark Has Helped to Produce HERE: https://www.thrivetimeshow.com/testimonials/ Download A Millionaire's Guide to Become Sustainably Rich: A Step-by-Step Guide to Become a Successful Money-Generating and Time-Freedom Creating Business HERE: www.ThrivetimeShow.com/Millionaire   See Thousands of Case Studies Today HERE: www.thrivetimeshow.com/does-it-work/  

Want to Start or Grow a Successful Business? Schedule a FREE 13-Point Assessment with Clay Clark Today At: www.ThrivetimeShow.com   Join Clay Clark's Thrivetime Show Business Workshop!!! Learn Branding, Marketing, SEO, Sales, Workflow Design, Accounting & More. **Request Tickets & See Testimonials At: www.ThrivetimeShow.com  **Request Tickets Via Text At (918) 851-0102   See the Thousands of Success Stories and Millionaires That Clay Clark Has Helped to Produce HERE: https://www.thrivetimeshow.com/testimonials/ Download A Millionaire's Guide to Become Sustainably Rich: A Step-by-Step Guide to Become a Successful Money-Generating and Time-Freedom Creating Business HERE: www.ThrivetimeShow.com/Millionaire   See Thousands of Case Studies Today HERE: www.thrivetimeshow.com/does-it-work/  

In this episode, I walk you through what happens when we rely too heavily on AI for podcast strategy and podcast growth, and why your own data, experience, and judgment still matter.   I share what happened with a client's hosting data, why the titles AI writes keep getting skipped, and what I optimize on every single project.   You'll learn: Why AI can give you a podcast strategy that sounds right and still doesn't help your show grow What I look at before deciding whether a new strategy is actually working Why the internet gets podcasting wrong and how that shapes the answers AI gives you How I pushed back on AI's interpretation of a client's podcast data How to recognize podcast titles that read well and still get skipped Why podcast SEO is the one thing I optimize on every client project What SEO optimizing your content can do for your podcast downloads Why I focus on organic growth from the podcast itself instead of chasing reels, shorts, and TikToks If you've been searching for a better podcast strategy and a smarter way to use AI without stalling your growth, this episode is for you! Here's to using AI with discernment, Juliana   Want the complete bespoke roadmap to grow your show and make money podcasting? Snag this

I break down the philosophy behind Sweaty Startup and why execution beats ideas every time. In this conversation, I also share lessons from building multiple companies, learning sales through repetition, scaling with international talent, and creating systems that allow businesses to grow without depending on the owner. Topics include: • Why most people overvalue business ideas • The real skill every entrepreneur needs • How Nick scales with global teams • Delegation and decision making • Building multiple companies without losing focus • The operational systems behind growth A conversation on entrepreneurship, leverage, and building businesses that last. Grow your business:   https://sweatystartup.com/events   Book:   https://www.amazon.com/Sweaty-Startup-Doing-Boring-Things/dp/006338762X     Newsletter:   https://www.nickhuber.com/newsletter     My Companies:   Offshore recruiting – https://somewhere.com   Cost segregation – https://recostseg.com   Self storage – https://boltstorage.com   RE development – http://www.boltbuilders.com   Brokerage – https://nickhuber.com   Paid ads – https://adrhino.com   SEO – https://boldseo.com   Insurance – https://titanrisk.com   Pest control – https://spidexx.com     Sell a business:   http://nickhuber.com/sell     Buy a business:   https://www.nickhuber.com/buy     Invest with me:   http://nickhuber.com/invest     Social Profiles:   X – https://www.x.com/sweatystartup   Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/sweatystartup   TikTok – https://www.tiktok.com/404?fromUrl=/sweatystartup   LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/sweatystartup     Podcasts:   The Sweaty Startup & The Nick Huber Show   https://open.spotify.com/show/7L5zQxijU81xq4SbVYNs81     Free PDF – How to analyze a self-storage deal:   https://sweatystartup.ck.page/79046c9b03  

Do you really need AI to improve your SEO? What if your greatest SEO asset is your own voice? How can you stop letting AI replace and block the human connection in your content? In this episode, Joe Sanok talks with SEO and digital marketing expert Stephan Bajaio about why therapists and private practice owners don't need to rely on AI to improve their SEO. Stephan explains where SEO is heading in 2026 and why authentic, experience-based content is becoming increasingly valuable. They discuss how potential clients search for their problems using everyday language, and why practices should reflect that language in their websites and content. Stephan also shares practical ways therapists can use AI as a tool without allowing it to replace their voice. Rather than asking AI to write generic content, practitioners can use it to help capture, organize, and repurpose their own knowledge and ideas. Ultimately, Stephan argues that a practice's greatest advantage in an AI-driven world is its unique data, expertise, and lived experience.  

Vivienne Wagner is the Founder and CEO of Houndstooth Media Group, a boutique digital marketing agency helping mid-sized businesses turn their websites into revenue-driving assets through strategic SEO and AI-driven optimization. Known for making complex marketing concepts clear and actionable, Vivienne advises business leaders on how to position their companies to be found by both human audiences and emerging AI platforms like ChatGPT, Claude and Perplexity. Her approach increases organic visibility, drives qualified traffic, and reduces reliance on paid ads, enabling businesses to scale more sustainably. Through her SEO & AI Optimization Audit, she helps companies uncover missed opportunities, identify weaknesses, and build a clear roadmap for competing in today's evolving search landscape.

Lindsey Busfield's resume doesn't look like it belongs to one person. Starbucks barista. English teacher. Auditor of Amish chicken barns. Now she's the vice president of one of the country's top legal marketing firms. None of it was the plan. For years, Lindsey figured she'd eventually run her own business, the same way her entrepreneurial parents had. Then a two-day aptitude test told her something different: she wasn't built to be the visionary founder. She was built to be the expert, the organizer, the person who makes the pieces actually run. In this episode, Lindsey and I talk about what shifted once she stopped fighting that, how she landed in SEO for personal injury lawyers almost by accident, and why she built her business, and her team's schedule, around time with her two young daughters instead of just a bigger bank account. We also break down what SEO actually is, in plain language, and why it matters even more now that AI is part of how people search.     WHAT YOU'LL LEARN Why a philosophy degree really only points toward two career paths, and how the less obvious one led Lindsey to Starbucks What auditing Amish chicken barns taught her about process and project management, and why that skill kept following her from job to job What a two-day aptitude test at Johnson O'Connor revealed about the gap between the entrepreneur Lindsey assumed she'd become and who she actually is The real difference between being a subject matter expert and being a visionary founder, and why knowing which one you are changes how you build What SEO actually is, explained simply, and why AI search has changed what it takes for a business to get found Why Lindsey designed her agency's culture, and her own schedule, around time freedom instead of chasing a bigger bank account alone     RESOURCES MENTIONED Johnson O'Connor aptitude testing — the two-day assessment Lindsey credits with changing the direction of her career Lindsey's book, How Personal Injury Lawyers Get Leads: What Works, What Doesn't, and Why — https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0H1NB4ZDK Optimize My Firm — https://optimizemyfirm.com/ Personal Injury Marketing Minute podcast, hosted by Lindsey     CONNECT WITH LINDSEY BUSFIELD Website: Optimize My Firm — https://optimizemyfirm.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindsey-busfield/ Optimize My Firm on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/optimizemyfirm/ Her book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0H1NB4ZDK     ABOUT LINDSEY BUSFIELD Lindsey Busfield is the vice president of Optimize My Firm, one of the nation's leading legal marketing firms. Having navigated a complex career path of her own, she put the pieces of her professional puzzle together and now leads the team behind some of the most powerful law firm websites in the country. She's also the host of the Personal Injury Marketing Minute podcast and the author of How Personal Injury Lawyers Get Leads: What Works, What Doesn't, and Why. Beyond the legal space, Lindsey is a proud mom of two little girls and an avid pickleball player.       READY TO BUILD YOUR CONFIDENCE? This episode might have you thinking about the parts of your own path that never seemed to add up, or the ways you've been trying to be someone you're not in your business. If so, let's talk about it. As my gift to Girlfriends, I offer a 30-minute discovery call. We'll talk about where you are right now and what might be getting in the way. Book here: https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=13047670&appointmentType=2244195   FREE GIFT FROM SARAH Get Sarah's Freedom Calculator and discover how much your business needs to make to finally be free. Download at https://sarahwalton.com/freedom   LEARN FROM SARAH Explore Sarah's online courses and free resources to start building your business with confidence. Online Courses: https://sarahwalton.com/online-courses Free Resources: https://sarahwalton.com/free-resources CONNECT WITH SARAH Website: https://sarahwalton.com/podcast YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheSarahWalton Instagram: https://instagram.com/thesarahwalton   ABOUT SARAH WALTON Sarah Walton is a wealth consciousness coach, strategic advisor, podcast host, and mentor who helps women entrepreneurs build businesses they love. Her mission is simple: to put more money in the hands of more women. She's the creator of the Abundance Academy, The Art of Receiving, and the Game On Girlfriend® podcast. Sarah teaches authentic, heart-centered business strategies because when women have more financial power, they don't just keep it — they use it to take care of their families, support their communities, and build something bigger than themselves.   RELATED GAME ON GIRLFRIEND® EPISODES YOU'LL LOVE: Episode 299: From Corporate Layoffs to Creative Freedom — How Trinette Faint Built Her Multi-Hyphenate Career — https://sarahwalton.com/career-reinvention-after-job-loss/ Episode 316: How to Stop Being Invisible Online: The Real Work Behind Getting Found, with Carrolee Moore — https://sarahwalton.com/stop-being-invisible-online-carrolee-moore Episode 253: Ready to Reinvent Yourself? A Conversation With Anita Rombough — https://sarahwalton.com/reinvent-yourself/   LOVE THE SHOW? LEAVE US A REVIEW! Thank you so much for listening. I'm honored that you're here, and I'd be grateful if you could leave a quick review on Apple Podcasts by clicking here, scrolling to the bottom, and clicking "Write a review." Your reviews help other women entrepreneurs find the show and get the support they need to build businesses they love. Thank you for being part of the Game On Girlfriend® community! (If you're not sure how to leave a review, you can watch this quick tutorial.)  

In this solo episode, Bradley Hamner maps where developing your team actually sits inside a business blueprint. Team is one of the principles in the BlueprintOS operating system, and it carries three playbooks: attract A-players, develop A-players, and retain A-players. This episode covers the middle one and picks up directly from last week's conversation on performance improvement plans.Bradley walks through the three elements of the Develop A-Players Playbook. An ongoing training and development system for people who are years past onboarding. A current state and future state accountability chart that shows each role, who holds it, and the three to five things they own. And a performance management system, which is where PIPs live. He also explains why playbooks operate like gears in a watch rather than silos, and why the accountability chart earns its keep twice, once with the team you have and once with the candidate you are trying to recruit.This conversation moves beyond hiring and into what happens after. What are you doing intentionally to develop someone who has been on the team for five years? Can your current team see what the organization looks like three years from now? And what is your actual process when a good performer drops below quota? If you have built a team and stopped there, this episode is for you.Join us in the free Circle community and hop on the email list to get practical tools, resources, trainings, and updates on what we're working on next.https://blueprintos.com/assets/ Thanks to our sponsorsCoach P ConsultingCoach P found great success as an insurance agent and agency owner, leading a large and stable team of top-performing professionals. Today, he shares the systems, delegation strategies, and specialization methods he developed along the way. Gain access to weekly training calls and mentoring at:https://coachpconsulting.comBe sure to mention you heard about it on the Above The Business Podcast.Autopilot RecruitingAutopilot Recruiting helps small business owners solve staffing challenges by taking the stress out of hiring. Their dedicated recruiters work on your behalf every business day. They optimize your applicant tracking system, post job listings, and source candidates through social media and local communities.With their continuous recruiting approach, you can save time, reduce hiring costs, and receive pre-screened candidates without paying hiring fees or commissions.https://www.autopilotrecruiting.comMention Above The Business Podcast when you reach out.Direct ClicksDirect Clicks specializes in digital marketing solutions designed for business owners who want measurable results. Their team supports companies through paid advertising, SEO, and strategic marketing systems that help generate consistent leads.Exclusive offer for listeners:https://directclicksinc.com/abovethebusinessGet a free marketing campaign audit where their team reviews your website, SEO, content, social media, and paid advertising, then provides actionable recommendations. If you partner with them, all setup fees will be waived.About Above The BusinessAbove The Business is hosted by Bradley Hamner, founder of BlueprintOS, and focuses on helping small business owners transition from Rainmaker to Architect by building systems, teams, and operations that scale without their constant involvement.

Send us Fan MailAI for Amazon sellers is changing A+ Content, creative teams, and ecommerce workflows as brands use AI to cut costs and move faster. This video shows why human creative judgment still matters when AI handles drafts, images, Amazon listing content, and faster production. It also covers Amazon A+ Content, SEO, creative alignment, agency workflows, and how ecommerce brands can use AI without losing direction.If AI is eating time instead of improving Amazon sales, put a clear plan behind the creative, SEO, and AI work that actually matters: https://bit.ly/4jMZtxu#AmazonSellers #AmazonFBA #AmazonAI #AmazonAPlusContent #EcommerceAIWant free resources? Dowload our Free Amazon guides here:Your $1M Roadmap is here!: https://bit.ly/3SBO7VkDownload the 2026 Amazon AI Operating Manual: https://bit.ly/3SLmusPAmazon Receiving Delay Guide: https://hubs.ly/Q04cdD4c0Amazon Catalog Spring Cleaning: https://hubs.ly/Q046BVfp0Amazon Proft Margin Defense 2026: https://hubs.ly/Q042trRH0Amazon SEO Toolkit 2026: https://bit.ly/4oC2ClTAmazon Seller Strategy Report 2026: https://bit.ly/3YN1RME2026 Ecommerce Website & SEO Readiness Checklist: https://hubs.ly/Q04btghf0Amazon 2026 PPC guide: https://bit.ly/4lF0OYXTimestamps0:00 – Why Creative People Should Lead AI Work0:35 – How AI Changed Amazon A+ Content Orders1:10 – Creative Talent vs AI Specialists1:42 – How Amazon A+ Content SEO Indexing Works2:16 – Combining SEO, AI, and Creative Teams2:48 – Why Team Alignment Comes Before AI Tools3:22 – Why Ecommerce Brands Struggle With AI-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Follow us:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/28605816/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stevenpopemag/Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/myamazonguys/Twitter: https://twitter.com/myamazonguySubscribe to the My Amazon Guy podcast: https://podcast.myamazonguy.comApple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/my-amazon-guy/id1501974229Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4A5ASHGGfr6s4wWNQIqyVwSupport the show

Most Shopify brands use Google Ads to drive sales. The fastest-growing brands use it to build a DTC brand.Google Ads has become one of the most powerful ways for ecommerce brands to find new customers - but many Shopify stores are still optimising for short-term ROAS instead of long-term growth.In this episode, Nick explains why most Shopify brands get Google Ads wrong and how successful DTC brands use paid search, Shopping ads and customer data to build a scalable acquisition engine. Want some help with profitably scaling your Google Ads? Reach out to Nick's agency: team@spec.digital You'll learn:Why chasing ROAS alone can limit Shopify growthThe difference between buying clicks and building customersHow Google Shopping acts as your digital storefrontWhy product feeds, creative and offers matter more than everHow leading brands measure profitable customer acquisitionWhy Google Ads and retention need to work togetherNick also shares the biggest mistakes Shopify brands make with Google Ads, why better data leads to better automation and how to build a paid acquisition strategy designed for long-term brand growth.In this episode:(00:00 Why Good ROAS Doesn't Always Mean Profit(01:14) Stop Using Google Ads Just to Generate Sales(03:00) ROAS vs Customer Lifetime Value(05:12) The Snowball Effect of Repeat Customers(06:31) The 4 Metrics Shopify Brands Should Track(08:02) Fix Your Google Shopping Customer Journey(11:59) Why Product Feeds Matter So Much(14:04) How to Set a Profitable Google Ads Target(16:09) How to Increase Repeat Purchases & LTV(20:00) How AI Is Changing Google Ads(22:14) 5 Things Scaling Brands Do Differently(25:09) The Key to Profitable Google Ads ScalingFollow Winning With Shopify for practical ecommerce growth advice every Tuesday and Friday.Exclusive listener offers:Ships-A-Lot - Improve fulfilment costs and find hidden shipping margin leaks.Inventory Planner - Free seven-day inventory bootcamp.Omnisend - 30% off paid plans for three months with code WINNINGWITHOMNISEND.Yoast - 15% off Shopify and WordPress with code WWS15.506 - Extended 30-day free trial on any of their three Shopify apps with code WWS.About Winning With ShopifyWinning With Shopify is powered by Spec Digital, a PPC & SEO agency helping ecommerce brands grow through performance marketing.

Two identical searches now return different results across AI platforms, upending ranking logic.Lucas Tieleman, co-founder and CEO of Optiversal and former Chief Product Officer at Bazaarvoice, helps enterprise retailers convert static product catalogs into machine-readable content optimized for AI-driven discovery. He argues that answer engine optimization depends on strong SEO fundamentals rather than a separate discipline, and that success now hinges on content relevance to individual searchers rather than fixed position rankings. Tieleman outlines how brands can use performance data to validate whether their content actually serves shopper intent, shifting content strategy from volume-based production to measurable relevance.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Your Google Business Profile might be doing more for your business than your Instagram, but only if it shows signs of life. In this solo episode, TMA mentor and SEO expert Melissa Arlena of Picture Perfect Rankings shares her simple monthly maintenance routine for keeping your profile active, accurate, and working to book you clients, all in about 20 minutes a month. In This Episode: Why an abandoned Google Business Profile signals to Google (and clients) that you may be out of business The five-move monthly rhythm: posts, photos, reviews, performance check, and profile accuracy What to post weekly and how to reframe blog shares so clients actually care Using the performance tab as free keyword research for future blog content Why Google changes your profile without asking and which rogue services to remove A bonus tip on holiday hours that proves your business is alive and legit Grab the Checklist Melissa created a free printable checklist with all five monthly moves in order. Grab it at pictureperfectrankings.com/GBP, then make the first Monday of every month your marketing Monday. If you're a TMA member, the replay of Melissa's full Google Business Profile setup workshop is waiting in the new TMA dashboard, and she's inside the membership year round answering your SEO questions. Not a member yet? Get on the VIP list so you're first to know when enrollment opens. Connect with Melissa: Google Business Profile Monthly Checklist: pictureperfectrankings.com/GBP Picture Perfect Rankings: pictureperfectrankings.com/TMA (code MOTHERHOOD) Melissa's podcast: Get Booked Connect with TMA: Website | Membership | Courses: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.themotherhoodanthology.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Free Community: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/groups/themotherhoodanthology ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Our Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠instagram.com/themotherhoodanthology⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Connect with Kim: Site: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://kimbox.com ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ IG ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/kimbox ⁠⁠⁠⁠

Mi invitado de hoy en Juan Carlos Herrera @jcinvesting21 (LinkedIn), el hombre al que le confié la estrategia de mi propia lana. Asesórate con un verdadero experto en Cracks ADVISORY: https://gbm.com/advisory-osotrava/Juan Carlos, le dicen El Gringo: nació en Houston, de padres mexicanos, manejó patrimonios de miles de millones de dólares en Estados Unidos, y hoy es el arquitecto de cómo se asesora el dinero en México: lidera toda la plataforma de asesoría e inversiones de GBM y es socio fundador de dos firmas de inversión en Texas.Su filosofía cabe en una frase: cero opiniones, pura evidencia. Y su consejo estrella es el más aburrido que vas a escuchar en tu vida. Hoy vamos a entender por qué aburrido es exactamente lo que tu dinero necesita.El episodio de hoy es uno que me emociona mucho y muy pronto sabrán por que.Por favor ayúdame y sigue Cracks Podcast en YouTube aquí."Si te dicen 'no hay riesgo', corre. Esa es tu primera alarma de que es un fraude."-  Juan Carlos HerreraComparte esta frase en TwitterEste episodio es presentado por Eight Sleep, la compañía que está revolucionando la tecnología del sueño y por Hostinger, la plataforma que te ayuda a tener la mejor presencia en internet.Qué puedes aprender hoyCómo distinguir entre riesgo y volatilidad Cómo armar tu perfil de riesgo con 3 "cubetas" sin necesidad de ser experto en finanzasCómo convertir 550 pesos al día en 88 millones.Cómo detectar los costos ocultos y los fraudes que se comen tus rendimientos.Cómo saber cuándo comprar y cuándo vender sin caer en la trampa del market timing.*Este año he dormido mejor que nunca… Y no, no tuve que cambiar mi colchón.Eight Sleep creó el Pod, una funda inteligente que colocas sobre tu colchón actual y que transforma por completo tu descanso.La nueva versión, Pod 5 Ultra regula automáticamente tu temperatura durante la noche, para que duermas más profundo, sin interrupciones… y despiertes con más energía, foco y claridad mental.Cada lado de la cama tiene su propia temperatura —desde 12º hasta 43º—, así que si tú tienes calor y tu pareja frío, cada quien duerme como quiere.Y si roncas, el Pod lo detecta y ajusta ligeramente tu posición para que dejes de hacerlo… sin despertarte.Ahora también tienen una blanket y funda de almohada con control de temperatura. Aprovecha el descuento más grande del año del 10 de noviembre al 1 de diciembre:Entra a eightsleep.com/osotrava y usa mi código OSOTRAVA para obtener hasta $7,000 MXN de descuento en el Pod 5 Ultra.*Hoy en día, si no estás en línea, es como si no existieras. Pero también es mucho más fácil y accesible tener presencia online. Hostinger, que te da toda la infraestructura para convertir esa idea en algo real.Con Hostinger y sus herramientas de inteligencia artificial, como Horizons, puedes crear tu página web o ecommerce simplemente chateando con la IA. Así de fácil. Tienes hosting, dominio, correo profesional… y lanzar tu web es prácticamente hacer  un clic.Es como tener un diseñador, programador y hasta alguien de marketing trabajando contigo, porque además sus páginas ya vienen optimizadas para SEO. Y todo esto a precios bastante accesibles — especialmente en planes anuales, donde realmente se nota el ahorro.Y a ti por escuchar. Cracks: Hostinger te regala 10% de descuento si vas a hostinger.com/cracks y usas el código CRACKS. Dime qué piensas del episodio. Ve el episodio en Youtube

Gabi Kline Leon is a pet and equine photographer who built her business around a very different idea — she doesn't see herself as simply a photographer, but as a commissioned photo artist. That mindset has helped her build a low-volume, high-value business where clients regularly spend thousands, her average sale is around $6,000, and one client spent $50,000 across multiple sessions and finished artwork. In this interview, Gabi shares how she moved from Israel to the US after seeing another photographer make $62,000 in a month, landed a $5,000 first client, struggled through the early COVID years, and eventually built a business around premium pricing, in-home consultations, multiple sessions, printed products and simple pricing. We also get into the marketing side — including the magazine partnership that generated more than $100,000, the mini-session days that brought in over $10,000 a month, her views on SEO versus Google Business Profile, and why getting in front of real people still matters. There's plenty here for photographers thinking about pricing, positioning, sales, client experience and how to create a business that relies on fewer, higher-value clients. The post 683: Gabi Kline Leon – How to Build a Photography Business Averaging $6,000 Per Client appeared first on Photography Business Xposed - Photography Podcast - how to build and market your portrait and wedding photography business.

Julien Bek is a Partner at Sequoia Capital, one of the most renowned venture firms in the world.  At Sequoia, he has partnered with companies including Rillet, Tacto, and Auctor. Before joining Sequoia, Julien spent five years at Accel, where he worked with companies including Miro, Melio, and BeReal. He is also an angel investor in Revolut and Attio. AGENDA: 06:35 – What did Julien only discover about Sequoia after joining the firm? 08:05 – What does everyone get wrong about Sequoia? 13:00 – Is Series A the hardest stage at which to invest today? 14:00 – Is Sequoia less focused on ownership as outcomes become larger? 19:20 – Does Sequoia simply pay more than everyone else to win deals? 22:00 – Is the "triple, triple, double, double" growth model dead? 25:00 – What is Sequoia's investment process really like behind the scenes? 27:15 – Can a partner still invest when the rest of Sequoia votes against them? 30:00 – Why can a flawless founder pitch actually be a warning sign? 31:00 – How do you judge whether a founder is exceptional in just 30 minutes? 33:00 – How can investors tell whether a founder's story is genuine? 35:10 – Is arrogance a bad trait in a founder? 36:00 – Which great founder did Julien completely misread? 37:15 – How should investors adjust their founder assessment across different cultures? 39:00 – What does a founder's childhood reveal about their future trajectory? 40:30 – What has Julien learned from Doug Leone, Pat Grady, Alfred Lin and Shaun Maguire? 47:00 – What does it mean when "agents become the new customer"? 49:00 – Does UI become irrelevant in an agent-first economy? 50:15 – Will answer-engine optimisation become larger than SEO? 52:00 – Will AI agents destroy software margins and brand loyalty? 53:00 – How quickly will enterprises allow agents to make purchasing decisions? 54:00 – Is AI infrastructure a safer investment than applications? 56:00 – Do software margins matter less when the potential outcomes are larger? 58:00 – Could the next trillion-dollar company masquerade as a services business? 01:00:00 – Which service industries can AI truly automate end-to-end? 01:02:00 – Are enterprises simply crying out for more help implementing AI? 01:03:10 – Will AI lead to dramatically smaller teams? 01:06:15 – Is traditional private equity screwed? 01:07:00 – The most overfunded and underfunded categories in venture 01:08:15 – What is the best AI agent company outside Sequoia's portfolio? 01:09:00 – Which missed investment still haunts Julien? 01:09:45 – Which founder trait will Julien never compromise on? 01:10:00 – Which competing fund makes Sequoia bring its A-game? 01:10:45 – How Julien missed Revolut—and helped his mother retire by investing anyway 01:14:00 – What does Julien believe that other Sequoia partners might disagree with? 01:15:00 – What is Julien most excited about over the next five years of AI?

The hardest part about growing a podcast isn't knowing what to do next. It's knowing what to fix first.That's why so many hosts spend months chasing better titles, stronger SEO, bigger guests, or more content. Every one of those could be the right answer. Every one of them could also waste the next six months of your life. In this episode, I'll show you how to pinpoint exactly where your podcast performance is breaking down right now, so you can go from hoping your podcast grows to engineering growth you can predict. Hit play and let's dive in.…0:02 – How to Pinpoint Where Your Podcast Performance Is Breaking Down5:59 – Why Most Podcast Audits Diagnose the Wrong Problem9:52 – Symptom-Based vs. Systems-Based Thinking18:53 – The 5 Systems Behind Every High-Performing Podcast23:46 – What to Fix First on Your Show to Create Predictable Growth…Episode Links:Get Early Access to the Podcast Health Score™See the PodLaunch Performance Model™…Other Episodes You'll Love: This Changes Everything We Know About Growing a PodcastWhat Your Podcast Metrics Aren't Telling You…Got Podcasting Questions? Send them to me here.Support the showLove this show? Leave a review to say thanks in true podcasting style, or share it with your podcasting friends.Podcast Health Score™ See exactly where your show is losing listeners.Podcast SEO Mastery Optimize your show so it can get found 24/7.Apply for a spot on the show to get live podcasting help from me.Want more podcasting advice? See what I'm testing on Substack...Special thanks to Resonate Recordings, our implementation partner for PodLaunch® Accelerator. If your podcasting efforts aren't bringing you the listeners or sales you expected, book a strategy call for help to fix it.Follow for more podcasting insights:  LinkedIn | PodLaunchHQ.com©Ⓟ 2018–2026 by Courtney Elmer. All Rights Reserved.

We get back to paid ads fundamentals and why AI automation only works when we set clear, revenue-connected conversion goals. We share practical ways to define personas, protect lead quality, and build landing pages that help Google Ads learn what “good” actually looks like. • goal-first thinking for Google Ads and paid social automation • common conversion tracking mistakes that burn budget • building multiple personas and matching each to the right channel • avoiding spam traffic on Display and filtering low-quality leads • why gradual budget changes beat turning campaigns on and off • budget planning using CPC estimates and minimum lead volume • lead scoring methods that feed better data back to ad platforms • landing pages as single-purpose conversion tools with cleaner tracking • funnel strategy beyond one-shot high-intent clicks Guest Contact Information: Website: factorfour.comLinkedIn: linkedin.com/jeffcolemanMore from EWR and Matthew:Leave us a review wherever you listen: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or Amazon PodcastFree SEO Consultation: www.ewrdigital.com/discovery-callWith over 5 million downloads, The Best SEO Podcast has been the go-to show for digital marketers, business owners, and entrepreneurs wanting real-world strategies to grow online. Now, host Matthew Bertram — creator of the LLM Visibility Stack™, and Lead Strategist at EWR Digital — takes the conversation beyond traditional SEO into the AI era of discoverability. Each week, Matthew dives into the tactics, frameworks, and insights that matter most in a world where search engines, large language models, and answer engines are reshaping how people find, trust, and choose businesses. From SEO and AI-driven marketing to executive-level growth strategy, you'll hear expert interviews, deep-dive discussions, and actionable strategies to help you stay ahead of the curve. Find more episodes here: youtube.com/@BestSEOPodcastbestseopodcast.combestseopodcast.buzzsprout.comFollow us on:Facebook: @bestseopodcastInstagram: @thebestseopodcastTiktok: @bestseopodcastLinkedIn: @bestseopodcastConnect With Matthew Bertram: Website: www.matthewbertram.comInstagram: @matt_bertram_liveLinkedIn: @mattbertramlivePowered by: ewrdigital.comSupport the show

In this episode of The Modern Hairstylist Podcast, Hunter Donia and Jodie Brown get into a topic Hunter has been teaching and refining with his Mastermind and Modern Stylist Movement members for the past year: what has actually changed when it comes to building, optimizing, and maintaining a website as a hairstylist right now, and why what worked a few years ago is no longer enough.Hunter is honest that he hates building websites just as much as you do. But he is equally clear that if you want to attract high ticket clients and charge high ticket prices, your website has to look and perform the part. This episode covers exactly what that means in today's landscape.Key Takeaways:

#FenceFam... It's not everyday I can get Matt Warner on a podcast for over an hour on a Friday morning... But when I do it's electric!!! And this one is no different!!! We cover everything!!!! Cheers! Remember to like, share, comment and REVIEW! The Fence Industry Podcast Links: IG @TheFenceIndustryPodcast FB @TheFenceIndustryPodcastWithDanWheeler TikTok @TheFenceIndustryPodcast YouTube @TheFenceIndustryPodcastWithDanWheeler Visit TheFenceIndustryPodcast.com Email TheFenceIndustryPodcast@gmail.com Central Fence Supply:  Visit centralfencesupply.com Gopherwood & Expert Stain and Seal IG @stainandsealexperts  FB @ExpertProfessionalWoodCare YouTube @Stain&SealExperts  FB Group Stain and Seal Expert's Staining University  Visit RealGoodStain.com Visit Gopherwood.us Log Cabin Fence IG @Log_Cabin_Fence FB @LogCabinFence Visit LogCabinFence.com Elite Technique Visit https://www.getelitetechnique.com/ Greenwood Fence Visit https://greenwoodfence.com/ Ozark Fence & Supply promo code: TFIP15 for 15% off! Visit https://www.ozfence.com/ Benji with Clever Fox for all your FENCE website, SEO & marketing needs! Visit https://www.cleverfox.online/ Stockade Staple Guns Visit https://www.stockade.com/us/ mySalesman Visit mySalesman.com Orlando Hinge Company Visit swanhinge.com   The Fence Industry Podcast is Produced by CleverFox.Online https://www.cleverfox.online/  

Giulia Miotti is Senior Ecommerce Experience and Performance Manager at Bang & Olufsen, the Danish luxury audio brand where Scandinavian design meets high-fidelity sound.With over a decade of international experience across Adidas, Escada, and B&O, she's built her career at the intersection of digital innovation and brand storytelling; leading content, SEO and AI search, and ecommerce growth strategies that bring a legacy brand confidently into a digital-first, omnichannel future.In This Conversation We Discuss:[00:00] Introduction[02:20] A century of maintaining brand craftsmanship[05:02] Kicking off the brand's digital transformation[09:46] Sponsor: IntelliGems[11:47] Building omnichannel Ecommerce roadmaps[15:03] Sponsor: Klaviyo[17:24] Legacy systems and internal friction[18:17] Piloting in-store appointment bookings[23:40] Sponsor: eFulfillment Service[25:59] Winning over franchisees with customer data[27:19] Callouts[27:29] Optimizing for AI search and AEO[36:48] Why strong SEO fuels AI search success[39:02] Final thoughts and where to find GiuliaResources:Subscribe to Honest Ecommerce on YoutubeHigh-end Headphones, Speakers, and Televisions bang-olufsen.com/en/int Follow Giulia Miotti linkedin.com/in/giulia-miotti-digital/ Book a demo today at intelligems.io/ Get your free demo klaviyo.com/honest Lower scale costs today eFulfillmentService.com/honest If 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!

Favour Obasi-ike, MBA, MS discussion explored transactional keywords as the key to converting online searches into business results. Several points were raised, including keyword modifiers, intent-driven content creation, analysis of competition (including CPC and search volume), and the ongoing challenge of understanding actual customer journeys through data analysis and attribution. The conversation stressed the importance of consistent SEO practice and the need for business owners to act on this knowledge to truly benefit from organic search.Who Is This For?The conversation focused on entrepreneurs, business owners, marketers, and content creators seeking to grow their businesses online through effective SEO strategies, particularly around the use of transactional keywords. A key theme that emerged was helping those who want to boost sales, improve website discoverability, and understand user intent by mastering keyword research and practical website tweaks.Key Moments & TimestampsIntroduction to Transactional Keywords: what they are and why they matter 00:00:03The importance of website pages and matching content to keyword searches 00:06:14Examples of transactional keywords and practical modifiers (buy, order, cheap, sign up, hire, near me, company, services) 00:25:03The power of intent and understanding the buyer journey 00:17:12Insights on last-touch attribution and multi-touch user journeys 01:23:25The importance of CPC (cost-per-click) and identifying valuable keywords 01:15:14Actionable advice on keyword research, consistency, and implementation 01:41:15Final takeaways and action steps from experts 01:42:53 and 01:44:02FAQsQ: What are transactional keywords?A: Transactional keywords are search terms used when someone is ready to make a purchase or complete a specific action online—like “buy,” “order,” “subscribe,” “hire,” or “near me” 00:04:09.Q: Why are modifiers important for keywords?A: Modifiers (e.g., “best,” “cheap,” “discount,” “download,” “local”) clarify intent, match your content to customer actions, and help attract high-intent customers 00:25:03.Q: How do I find the best keywords for my business?A: Use tools like SEMrush, Ahrefs, or meetglimpse.com to analyze search volume, competition, and cost per click (CPC). Look for high CPC or low competition keywords for better ROI 01:15:14.Q: What's more important, search volume or keyword competition?A: Both matter, but targeting lower-competition keywords with reasonable search volume often yields quicker, cost-effective wins 01:17:11.Q: How can I track the effectiveness of my keywords?A: Use analytics platforms and Search Console data, not just customer surveys, to understand which keywords drive traffic and conversions to your site 01:23:25.Action Steps for Favour Obasi-ike's AudienceAudit your website: Ensure each page targets a specific, high-intent keyword or keyword phrase.Research modifiers: Add transactional and relevant modifiers to existing content and URLs.Analyze CPC and competition: Use keyword analysis tools (e.g., meetglimpse.com) to identify lucrative opportunities.Update and expand FAQs: Build trust and answer buyer questions directly on your site.Track attribution scientifically: Rely on Search Console and analytics for accurate insights instead of only customer self-report.Stay consistent: SEO is a long game—regularly update content and refine your keyword strategies.Implement, don't just learn: Turn insights into action—schedule regular SEO check-ins or book expert consultations.For more support, listeners are encouraged to book a call, or subscribe to upcoming training and resources.Ready to Rank? Book Your SEO & Web Dev Services Today

Did you know AI and affiliate review sites decide which mattress brand you see first—before you even step in a store? Here's how to win that game.Think the best mattress wins online? Think again. In this eye-opening episode, Mark Kinsley and PR/affiliate powerhouse Kris Hillberg reveal the hidden playbook behind how mattress and bedding brands become household names—whether or not their products are actually better.Discover why today's digital landscape is driven less by quality and more by who controls review sites, affiliate links, and the new “AI search” engines like ChatGPT and Google's LLMs. Kris shares insider tips on how brands are gaming YouTube, leveraging social proof, and rewriting the rules of SEO—now called GEO and AEO. If you're a retailer, brand, or even a curious consumer, you'll learn why old-school tactics are out, how social media keywords and creator partnerships are essential, and why being “real” will matter more than ever as AI-generated slop fills the web.Feeling lost as Google changes everything, review sites lose power, and affiliate commissions plummet? Kris and Mark break down the new rules—plus the biggest mistake most mattress brands make: ignoring holistic, multi-channel strategies. With concrete examples (Liquid Death, Tuft & Needle, and more!), they'll show you how to build digital gravity and create a surround-sound brand presence that's future-proof.Timestamps:- 00:50 – Why top mattress brands win (it's not product quality)- 03:45 – AI's secret influence on what brands consumers see first- 06:20 – How YouTube & social media now drive mattress discovery- 10:05 – The end of classic SEO: What is GEO & AEO?- 14:30 – Mattress review sites: Are they losing their power?- 18:00 – The “affiliate tax” and the dark side of mattress marketing- 22:15 – Why local retailers are losing to digital-first brands- 27:50 – The surround-sound strategy: What 8-figure brands do differently- 34:10 – Liquid Death & consumer-first branding secrets- 42:00 – Why “realness” beats AI in building trust- 49:00 – The 5-year plan for launching a winning mattress brandConnect with The FAM Podcast:

When Brittney Scott first came on The Bad Therapist Show, she was still in the early stages of producing her podcast, Mother Daughter Relationship Show, and figuring out what kind of marketing she could keep doing without forcing herself to become an Instagram person. A lot has changed since then.In this episode, Brittney is back to talk about what happened when she gave her marketing enough time to work. We get into the reality of publishing when almost no one is listening, the mindset that helped her stay with it, and why she approaches problems in her business so differently now.Brittney also shares how her podcast, website, email list, and social media started working together. We talk about what she needed to understand before she felt ready to hand parts of the process to someone else, and why understanding the craft and knowing what sounds like her made that handoff possible.We also talk about a much bigger change in her business: creating a coaching offer alongside her therapy work. Brittney explains why that shift made sense for her life, what she had to do to make the coaching offer genuinely different from therapy, and her advice if you're considering the same move.If you have been wondering whether to keep going with your marketing, build a new offer, or finally delegate so you can get some of your time back, this conversation is for you.More about Brittney ScottBrittney Scott is a therapist and mother-daughter relationship coach. She helps mothers and daughters improve their relationships through a clearly defined coaching program, and she hosts the Mother Daughter Relationship Show. Brittney is also a two-time graduate of Liberated Business.Topics covered on Coaching for TherapistsWhat helped Brittney keep publishing before her podcast had an audienceHow giving herself permission to be a beginner changed the way she worksWhy podcasting and SEO felt like a better fit than relying on social mediaWhat happens when your marketing channels begin supporting one anotherHow Brittney knew she was ready to hand off more of her podcast productionWhy learning a process first can make you much better at hiring for itHow being a military spouse informed what Brittney needed from her businessThe work involved in making coaching genuinely different from therapyWhy adding coaching is not the obvious next step for every therapistWhat customized business support gave Brittney that a rigid formula could notResources from this episodeThe Liberated Business Program: https://www.thebadtherapist.coach/liberatedbusinessReference book: Buy Back Your Time: Get Unstuck, Reclaim Your Freedom, and Build Your Empire by Dan MartellConnect with Felicia:Get my freebie & join the email list: The Magic SheetsInstagram: @the_bad_therapistWebsite: www.thebadtherapist.coachConnect with Brittney Scott:Website: www.brittneymscott.comPodcast: Mother Daughter Relationship ShowInstagram: @theBrittneyScottThreads: @thebrittneyscottRelated episodesFinding Your Authentic Marketing Strategy as a Therapist with Brittney Scott [Ep 114]How to Get Off Insurance and Build a Cash Pay Practice Without the Income Dip [Ep 163]Quote“I think if you're not interested in marketing at all, you're not interested in having a business at all.” - Brittney Scott

In this episode of The Ross Simmonds Show, Ross breaks down how search behavior has evolved beyond Google and why brands need a broader visibility strategy in the age of ChatGPT, Perplexity, Grok, and other LLMs. He shares five practical strategies to help marketers, creators, and business owners strengthen AI visibility, influence buyer discovery, and build a smarter content distribution engine for long-term growth. Key Takeaways and Insights: 1. Increase your brand's surface area - Visibility now depends on how often your brand appears across the sources LLMs use to generate answers. - Google and AI tools increasingly answer questions without sending users to your site. - Expanding brand mentions across blogs, videos, forums, and other platforms increases your chances of being cited. 2. Your Website Is No Longer the Only Asset That Matters - User-generated content, affiliate sites, and review platforms now play a major role in shaping buyer decisions. - Third-party trust signals can influence LLM responses even when direct traffic is declining. - Positive brand sentiment on platforms like G2, Capterra, TrustRadius, and Yelp can improve AI visibility. 3. Every LLM Sources Information Differently - Claude, Perplexity, ChatGPT, and Grok do not pull from the web in the same way. - Broad industry assumptions are less useful than prompt-specific research in your niche. - Marketers need to track which sources appear for their own target queries before building strategy 4. Reddit Requires Real Community Participation - Spamming Reddit or trying to manipulate conversations is a fast way to get banned. - Authentic engagement and value-first participation are far more effective than artificial promotion. - Building trust through genuine contribution can create a sustainable Reddit presence over time. 5. Reverse Engineer What LLMs Already Reward - Use keyword research as a proxy to estimate which queries may also appear in LLM usage. - Track prompts to see what content formats and sources are being cited. - If LLMs favor listicles, comparison pages, landing pages, YouTube videos, or Reddit threads, build for those patterns. 6. Build an AI Visibility Strategy That Drives Pipeline - The goal is not just awareness, but measurable business impact. - Teams should align SEO, content distribution, and prompt tracking into one structured visibility strategy. - Brands that play the long game will be better positioned to earn trust, citations, and conversions. —

Plus qu'une simple plateforme ou agence, Fever se positionne comme un producteur d'expériences et un acteur culturel à part entière, mêlant digital et présentiel pour générer émotion, engagement et impact. Ensemble, on explore les recettes du succès de formats comme Candlelight, la force du modèle glocal pour activer les marchés à l'international, et le rôle du sensoriel pour créer des souvenirs forts. Pourquoi l'événementiel est-il un levier stratégique pour les marques ? Comment en mesurer le ROI ? Et en quoi l'expérience phygitale répond-elle à la saturation du digital ? Dans cet épisode, Fanny Lebizay, directrice associée du pôle Brand Partnerships pour les marchés francophones chez Fever, nous dévoile les coulisses d'une stratégie où l'expérience est reine. Hébergé par Ausha. Visitez ausha.co/politique-de-confidentialite pour plus d'informations.

Episode Description:This is a From the Archive episode with Seth Godin.Seth Godin returns to the show for a conversation about making work that matters in a world obsessed with hits, rankings, followers, algorithms, and approval.James opens by talking about Seth's long body of work: Purple Cow, Linchpin, Graceful, thousands of blog posts, and Seth's then-new podcast Akimbo. Seth explains why he had thought about podcasting for years but resisted it because audio creates a different kind of intimacy. In print, the voice in the reader's head is the reader's own voice. In audio, the voice belongs to the person speaking.That intimacy made podcasting powerful, but also something Seth wanted to handle carefully.From there, James asks about the structure of Akimbo. Seth says the key to a strong solo format is assertion. What are you saying that is not obvious? What are you asking people to see differently? If you cannot make the point in 15 minutes, maybe you cannot make it at all.The conversation then moves into hits. Seth explains that platforms benefit from the long tail, but creators can suffer inside it. Amazon, iTunes, Facebook, Twitter, and other platforms need endless creators to show up with work, but they also train people to believe that if they do not hit number one, they failed.Seth's alternative is the smallest viable audience. Find the specific group you seek to serve. If it is 500 people, make something so good for those 500 people that they cannot help but tell someone else. That is more useful than chasing a vague mass audience or gaming a category so you can call yourself a bestseller.James and Seth connect this to Purple Cow. The book spread because Seth gave people a phrase they could use in a meeting. A “purple cow” became a way to describe something remarkable before people necessarily knew where the phrase came from.That is a key idea in the episode: every hit changes the people it touches. It does not simply entertain. It gives people a new belief, a new language, or a new way to see.Seth also explains the deeper forces under a lot of culture: fear and status. Fear keeps people from doing work that might not work. Status makes people compare themselves to the wrong people and measure the wrong things. The creator's job is to notice both, then act generously anyway.The episode closes with the craft itself. Seth says he does not check blog stats, does not read Amazon reviews, and does not shape his work around critics. The question is simpler: Did you change someone for the better in a way you are proud of?If yes, do it again.Editorial Note:This is a From the Archive episode. References to Akimbo as a newer podcast, This Is Marketing as an upcoming book, the altMBA, platform dynamics, bestseller lists, podcasting, and Seth's then-current projects reflect the original recording period.What You'll Learn:Why Seth Godin resisted podcasting for years.How audio creates a different kind of intimacy than writing.Why a solo podcast needs a clear assertion.Why Seth focuses on overlooked, underthought, ignored, or uncomfortable ideas.Why platforms benefit from the long tail more than most creators do.Why chasing hits can distort the work.What Seth means by the “smallest viable audience.”Why a hit has to change people, not just entertain them.How Purple Cow spread by giving people useful language.Why trying to avoid criticism often makes work invisible.How fear and status shape culture, creativity, marketing, and self-worth.Why random events should not be taken personally.Why generosity requires emotional labor.What it means to choose your customers and choose your future.Why second-order teaching matters more to Seth than personal credit.Why being “amazing” starts long before the hustle.Why the best work lives in the territory of “this might not work.”Why Seth does not read reviews or track stats.How to protect the craft from outside measurement.Timestamped Chapters:[03:19] Seth Godin ReturnsJames welcomes Seth back and introduces his books, blog, and new podcast Akimbo.[05:15] Why Seth Started a PodcastSeth explains that he had thought about podcasting for years, but worried about the intimacy of audio.[07:05] Choosing the Right MediumSeth explains why a podcast reaches people differently than writing and why he avoids formats, like Twitter, that do not fit the work he wants to do.[08:17] The Solo Podcast FormatJames asks about Seth being the only guest on Akimbo, and Seth says a solo show needs a strong assertion.[09:24] Overlooked, Underthought, and Hard to ConfrontSeth distinguishes his style from pure contrarianism and says he is drawn to things people have missed or avoided.[10:47] Hitsville and the Long TailJames brings up Seth's Akimbo episode on hits, platforms, Amazon, podcasts, and the explosion of available work.[12:21] The Trap of Platform ThinkingSeth explains how platforms train creators to feel defective if they do not become number one.[13:25] Editors Cannot Pick the HitsSeth argues that people cannot reliably predict hits and that creators should not try to game their way to the top.[15:00] The Smallest Viable AudienceSeth explains why serving a specific small group can be more powerful than chasing the masses.[16:21] This Might Not WorkJames brings up Seth's large limited-edition book and how it was built for a specific audience instead of the broad market.[17:26] Why You Cannot Reverse-Engineer Gangnam StyleSeth explains why many talented people try hard and still do not hit, because hits also involve randomness.[19:14] Don't Bet Your Work on Oprah or BieberSeth explains why waiting for a powerful person to anoint your work is a bad strategy.[20:13] Finding the People Who Must Share ItSeth uses the idea of R naught to explain why a small group of people who must tell others can create spread.[20:35] Why Purple Cow SpreadSeth explains how the milk carton, the title, and the phrase itself helped people talk about the idea.[22:26] Every Hit Makes a Change HappenSeth says the real question is: What change are you trying to make in the people who engage with your work?[23:35] What Akimbo Is Trying to ChangeSeth explains that Akimbo is for people who want to think more deeply about culture and change it for the better.[25:14] Randomness, Fear, and StatusJames connects Seth's episodes, and Seth explains that much of his work is about fear and status.[27:13] Don't Take Randomness PersonallySeth says creators should expect that many launches will not become hits and organize their work accordingly.[28:33] The Craft vs. the Outside WorldJames and Seth discuss how publishers, reviewers, bestseller lists, rankings, and critics can distract from the actual work.[29:21] It's Not for YouSeth explains why broadening a project for everyone can make it average, and why creators should be willing to say who the work is for.[32:29] What Will You Do With the Microphone?Seth says he wakes up thinking about the people he seeks to serve, not how to increase traffic or revenue.[33:30] Why Seth Ignores Stats and ReviewsSeth explains that he does not check blog traffic, book sales, or Amazon reviews because that helps him keep doing the work.[34:43] Choose Your Customers, Choose Your FutureSeth gives the six-word version of audience selection and explains why customers shape the work.[35:04] Thirsty, Dissatisfied, and GenerousSeth describes his ideal audience and explains generosity as emotional labor in service of other people.[37:22] Second-Order TeachingSeth says he wants to be judged not by his work, but by what people who learned from him teach others.[38:18] Be the Person They Want to FindSeth explains why the real work happens before SEO, LinkedIn tactics, or hustle.[40:02] How Do You Become Amazing?James asks the direct question, and Seth says the essence is confronting fear and doing emotional labor.[41:00] Where Art and Innovation LiveSeth says the work that might not work is where generosity, art, innovation, and magic happen.[42:05] Warby Parker and the Risk of Something NewSeth uses Warby Parker as an example of doing something advisors said would not work.[42:49] How Seth Builds an EpisodeSeth explains how a coincidence becomes a podcast: collect stories, find the non-obvious insight, and connect the dots.[45:07] Seth the CollectorSeth describes himself as someone who collects moments, stories, and observations that may become blog posts or lessons.[46:34] Self-Awareness and the CraftJames connects Seth's work to the ability to keep distance between your belief in the craft and society's measurements.[47:04] Jiro, Awards, and the Wrong RewardSeth talks about Jiro Dreams of Sushi and the danger of external validation taking over the craft.[48:40] Marriage, Space, and StoriesJames asks Seth about marriage, and Seth talks about listening, keeping promises, creating space, and the stories people tell themselves.[52:18] Advice for James's PodcastJames asks how to change the show, and Seth suggests making one out of every four episodes a solo episode.[53:08] This Is Marketing and Closing ThoughtsSeth says his next book is This Is Marketing, James recommends Akimbo, and Seth signs off by telling him to keep making a ruckus.Additional Resources:Seth Godin Official WebsiteSeth's BlogAkimboAkimbo on Apple PodcastsThis Is Marketing — Penguin Random HousePurple Cow — Seth's StorePurple Cow — Penguin Random HouseLinchpin — Penguin Random HouseThe Dip — Penguin Random HouseThe Practice — Penguin Random HouseBy the Way BakerySee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Don’t miss the marketplace revolution! Subscribe to our Newsletter: https://theultimatepartner.com/ebook-subscribe/ Check Out UPX: https://theultimatepartner.com/experience/ In this episode of the Ultimate Partner Podcast, Vince Menzione sits down with AWS Marketplace leaders George Maroulakos and Arif Razvi to uncover the rapidly shifting ecosystem of technology procurement and partner transformation. They dive deep into the evolution of buyer experiences, the critical necessity of executive alignment, and how agentic AI is redefining software discovery and consumption. If you want to accelerate deal velocity and ensure your business isn’t left behind, this conversation outlines exactly why integrating the AWS Marketplace into your core co-sell motion is no longer optional. https://youtu.be/Avp0sIyxRU8 Key Takeaways Embracing the AWS Marketplace should be viewed as a natural extension of your co-sell motion, not an interrupt-driven exception. Successfully leveraging the marketplace requires top-down executive sponsorship to overcome internal friction across legal, finance, and revenue operations. Partners must prepare for global expansion by ensuring local entities and currencies are wired up to meet buyers where they are. Agentic AI and natural language queries are leveling the playing field for software discovery, moving beyond traditional SEO-driven presence. SaaS pricing models are shifting toward consumption and outcome-based structures, demanding highly detailed product metadata. The speed of deal closure is drastically increased when partners are prepared to transact seamlessly through the marketplace. If you're ready to lead through change, elevate your business, and achieve extraordinary outcomes through the power of partnership—this is your community. At Ultimate Partner® we want leaders like you to join us in the Ultimate Partner Experience – where transformation begins. Key Tags AWS Marketplace, partner transformation, buyer experiences, hyperscalers, co-sell motion, revenue operations, strategic alignment, agentic AI solutions, outcome-based pricing, metadata optimization, software discovery, private offers, global expansion, deal velocity, cloud centers of excellence. Transcript Arif Razvi and George Maroulakos Audio Episode [00:00:00] George Maroulakos: From my perspective, think about marketplace as a why not as opposed to a why. [00:00:06] Vince Menzione: You can feel it happening. The ecosystem is shifting beneath us, the way Hyperscalers are partnering, how AI is remaking the channel and what it means to win in 2026. [00:00:17] Arif Razvi: Welcome to the Ultimate Partner Podcast. I’m Vince Menzi, own your host. [00:00:22] Arif Razvi: And each week I sit down with leaders at the intersection of technology, [00:00:26] Vince Menzione: partnerships and outcomes. The voices shaping how ecosystems actually work. We talk about what’s real, what’s changing, and what it takes to lead in this era where the partner channel isn’t just part of the strategy. [00:00:39] Arif Razvi: It is the strategy because being in the room changes everything. [00:00:44] Arif Razvi: Let’s start. [00:00:48] Vince Menzione: I’m excited to, because we were talking about some of this earlier with Matt, but I thought this would be a great conversation. I’m gonna ask each of you to introduce yourselves, George and Arif, and your roles. ’cause you have two very unique roles. Uh. Contrasting roles, I would call it, within the AWS Marketplace Organization. [00:01:06] George Maroulakos: Yep. Happy to do so. So I think Vince just didn’t wanna say my last name, so that’s why I’m gonna introduce myself. Mayor. Very, very good. So Mayor Laki, George Meki, pleasure to meet. Hey, I can say that, uh, all of those that I haven’t met before, lots of familiar faces as well here. Uh, so it’s really great to see. [00:01:21] George Maroulakos: Uh, I’m part of the AWS Marketplace team and our center of excellence. That focuses on buyer experiences. So like why is a buyer guy here in this partner session? And I think, you know, I’m gonna help to try to bring some perspective around what our buyers see as the value for using marketplace and. [00:01:40] George Maroulakos: Working with all of these great partners that are here in the room and, uh, you know, the experiences that we see in helping to drive, you know, the blood to all organs. I’m using that a lot, Alison, to copyright it. It’s, it was really good. I love that, that analogy. But, um, for, but for both our partners as well as for our customers. [00:01:59] Vince Menzione: That’s awesome. [00:01:59] Arif Razvi: Hey everybody. I’m Arif Roski. I’m based here in New York City, although I’m a Celtics fan. Um, uh, go, go. I, I still supported the Knicks through the championship and I’m very happy for them. So excited to be here. Excited to be among, uh, other channel and alliance leaders. I’ve spent my entire 25 plus career in channels and alliances. [00:02:20] Arif Razvi: The last seven years, uh, on AWS marketplace where I lead, uh, a couple of functions. One is I support all of Matt Ian’s feature launches. So from a go-to market perspective, uh, I support his launches. I also focus on international expansion of marketplace. So, uh, Matt alluded to this earlier. I’ll mention some, I’ll talk about some stuff in a little bit. [00:02:39] Arif Razvi: And then, uh, we do some deep engagements with some of our most strategic partners to help them accelerate and unblock their marketplace business. By embedding a subject matter expert from my team into their organization to really help drive, uh, adoption of marketplace. [00:02:55] Vince Menzione: So important. Both of your roles. [00:02:56] Vince Menzione: By the way, this is standout roles. I, you know, I. I don’t want to get into trouble here. I talk about other hyperscalers, but I said this with Matt on stage earlier. You guys have been at the forefront of driving marketplace in such a strong way, having somebody who’s customer focused, right? And that lens is so important. [00:03:15] Vince Menzione: I don’t feel, I feel like that’s missed so many times. And then you also have. You know, quite a bit of an important role here in terms of what you’re doing in embedding resources. ’cause a lot of times people get lost in the process and it seems to be the, the common currents. So, um, really great both sides of the same equation here, right? [00:03:33] Vince Menzione: Buyer led, partner built, uh, let’s start George here. Um. Let’s talk about how buying has changed. Right. We go back to the early days of marketplace. It felt like it was a listing at first and it started to become important. Organizations like Work Span started to come to fruition and started to drive, at least in my part of the world. [00:03:53] Vince Menzione: And then we started talking a lot more about Marketplace. And of course the, the cus customer commits really started driving things in a different direction. You’ve got the customer, so talk about what your journey’s been like. [00:04:05] George Maroulakos: So I’ve been with Marketplace nine and a half years, which is pretty long time since the beginning of it, and watching the evolution of, of where things have come and where they started. [00:04:15] George Maroulakos: And I remember, uh, I was covering the, the northeast region when I very first started and working with, uh, you know, different enterprise accounts and financial services and, and, and healthcare and life sciences, and talking about this. This creation that occurred called, called AWS Marketplace, and even folks within AWS didn’t really know what that meant or how to talk about it or sell it. [00:04:38] George Maroulakos: So there was this creation of a infield based business development function to help supplement the account teams and the value and the importance of marketplace as a part of a customer’s AWS journey. And when I first started the, the, the highest, uh, or most frequently subscribed to products that existed were. [00:04:57] George Maroulakos: Uh, Amazon machine images a amis and it’s very specifically open source amis. So think of Bantu or Cintas as the predominant things that were being subscribed out of marketplace. So, um, by definition, not really revenue generating. You’re, these are not the a hundred million dollar transactions or the billion dollar club that we talk about today. [00:05:19] George Maroulakos: It was very much helping. The builders go again, go back 10 years, uh, who are just getting started with the cloud and how could they find partner solutions that they trusted or that they felt were secure and helping them to start to build out and migrate their workloads into, into AWS. Um, so I existed before the. [00:05:39] George Maroulakos: Very first private offer was transacted. Nice. Um, there’s actually a, a gentleman towards the back, uh, who helped with one of our very first private offers. I see you back there, Joe. Nice, nice. Um, so we, we worked on, uh, uh, uh, really big transaction with, uh, with, at the time AppDynamics, uh, and, and helping to get. [00:05:58] George Maroulakos: You know, a customer really up and running with their implementation that, so watching over the 10 years from, you know, the builder mentality of, of getting started with the cloud to really embracing all kinds of partner based, um, solutions that go along with AWS. It’s really been, uh, you know, a, a rocket ship you referenced earlier, moving to the top right quadrant, if we want to use the, the Gartner analogy, and I think we’re at another. [00:06:24] George Maroulakos: Inflection point because with what’s going on with Ag agentic solutions, the way that our customers are finding and discovering different partner solutions is better than ever I would think. And I think it gives much more of a equal opportunity in playing field for all partners of all shapes and sizes because you’re not driving your presence based on SEO or whether or not you have the best Google search results. [00:06:53] George Maroulakos: With AgTech and how you differentiate your solutions, you’re gonna be able to really get yourself in front of more customers more quickly. And as Matt talked about earlier, the, the, the really big penetration that we’ve seen thus far is real, is on the discovery piece, the, the research area, the pre-purchase activity, so validate what’s available. [00:07:13] George Maroulakos: So I think marketplace has really evolved over the 10 year, nine and a half years-ish that I’ve been there. And I think it’s gonna continue to change here in the coming months ahead. Yeah. [00:07:23] Vince Menzione: Any predictions? [00:07:25] George Maroulakos: Yeah, I, I think, you know, the, I, the, the importance of marketplaces is only going to continue to grow. [00:07:32] George Maroulakos: Uh, and I think we’re going to see, you know, even more innovation and expectation from our customers on being able to find the right solutions and being able to procure and deploy them as quickly as possible. [00:07:44] Vince Menzione: Nice. Arif, from your side. Partner transformation. So, you know, embedding resources with the partners. [00:07:51] Vince Menzione: Right. So you basically help kickstart a lot of the, the efforts, right? George? George is looking at it from the customer side, and then you’re kick-starting it on the partner side. [00:08:00] Arif Razvi: Yeah. Either kickstarting it, uh, on the initial stages with a strategic partner. Yeah. Or accelerating their adoption of something that’s already there. [00:08:07] Arif Razvi: Right. So what we’re seeing, what I’m seeing a lot of more recently is partners who say, I didn’t know you had capabilities for us to sell into Korea or Japan, or we just, we just launched India. Yep. Matt alluded to this easier, uh, earlier that we’re making it easier for partners to expand globally. And now partners are realizing, wait a minute, I can match my. [00:08:26] Arif Razvi: Uh, my business processes on marketplace, so revenue recognition, tax collection, locally, local invoices, and now they’re starting to set up multiple entities outside the US to meet those buyers, uh, where they are. [00:08:41] Vince Menzione: Nice. And you mentioned having these resources. How do you determine who gets resources and who? [00:08:47] Arif Razvi: Well, there’s, uh, staging and there’s, uh, there’s qualification mechanisms we use. We work with the PDMs for the partners. So any PDM, uh, any pd DM managed partner can be nominated for, uh, what, what we call a compensation. [00:08:59] Vince Menzione: So you’re overlaying that organization sense. [00:09:00] Arif Razvi: We’re overlaying the PDs. We’re not replacing, we’re only doing time bound sprints to unlock very specific activities. [00:09:05] Arif Razvi: Very [00:09:06] Vince Menzione: cool. So it’s not a poll. Yeah. Cool. You’re not, you’re not there forever. [00:09:08] Arif Razvi: No. [00:09:08] Vince Menzione: You’re there to get the job done. We [00:09:09] Arif Razvi: did that before. Uh, yeah, we’re, we’re doing short sprints now. [00:09:12] Vince Menzione: Yep. Let’s talk about how the buyers are using marketplace. You’ve done some really in, we talked about this earlier with Matt, but we’ve talked about some of the innovative things you’ve done. [00:09:21] Vince Menzione: You know, being, being able to embed into a website and in the storefronts. All these things seem to be unique to AWS. Talk to us about how the buyers are using the marketplace today. And [00:09:31] George Maroulakos: yeah, I think, you know, Matt talked about earlier the. Pre the, the preconception around why customers use marketplaces for the financial incentives, the, the financial benefits that go along with it, whether it’s direct incentives that are associated with the individual product that’s out there, or the Association of Marketplace to our private pricing agreements and the ability for. [00:09:55] George Maroulakos: Transactions that occur in marketplace to count towards those commits. Um, I’m gonna amplify a, a particular point that Matt made, uh, in his talk that, you know, we have many more customers who do not have PPAs with AWS than those that do. And the volume of transactions that take place in marketplace. [00:10:11] George Maroulakos: Dwarf, uh, in volume from those that, uh, are occur from our PPA customers. So yes, there are very large transactions that occur and there is Ben financial benefit that goes along with it. But there’s many other value points that our customers find from discovery. From ease of use, from consolidated billing, from post-purchase, um, you know, management and governance that goes along with it, and reconciliation that’s available, that’s, that exists. [00:10:36] George Maroulakos: Um, you mentioned storefronts. I’m really excited. That was one of the most exciting launches. That’s why I reminded him when he was talking about it, uh, around, you know, what that means. And it’s both a presence for, um, our partners and being able to create their own storefronts on behalf of, of customers or within their own property, but also for our buyers directly too. [00:10:54] George Maroulakos: Take that next generation of something that was previously, you know, our private marketplace and curate a catalog that is very specific and intentional for the things that they’re interested to innovate with and the partners that they’re interested in using. And so I think meeting our customers where they’re at. [00:11:10] George Maroulakos: And being, you know, marketplace anywhere and everywhere is I think really important for our customers. And then the other aspect, you know, in terms of how our customers use marketplace, there’s more than one persona at our customer that we need to be, be, be aligning with. Right. Interesting. We typically talk about procurement and the value points that procurement find in marketplace, but just as important as, as the technologists. [00:11:32] George Maroulakos: It’s the Cloud centers of Excellence. It’s the innovators who are looking for those business applications or those infrastructure solutions that exist and making sure that we have the right things from the right partners available to them. So we see value all over the place with our customers and how they inter interface with [00:11:47] Vince Menzione: more. [00:11:47] Vince Menzione: You brought up something really interesting, insightful, is the fact that all the different personas in the organization that are touching the marketplace, right? [00:11:54] George Maroulakos: And it’s at different points of the journey, right? Yeah. So while there may be early discovery and research and experimentation going on from, you know, the technologists or, or, or the, or the, the, the business application owners, um, as it progresses through the, the, the. [00:12:09] George Maroulakos: The opportunity lifecycle procurement and sourcing and legal, and the shared services then become a more important part of, of making sure that we get those opportunities closed and launched. [00:12:18] Vince Menzione: Yeah, and that was one of the things we were talking about earlier is the fact that how, how, uh, it, it, the work arduous it could be. [00:12:25] Vince Menzione: To go through that whole process at a customer side. Right? ’cause they have to. [00:12:29] George Maroulakos: It is, and and you know, I think when Cloud first got started, it was quite scary for procurement, right? It became another version of Shadow it. And we were seeing things that were getting purchased on P cards because they could quickly stand up infrastructure versus waiting for the IT team to do it. [00:12:44] George Maroulakos: And so now you introduce all of these other things that. Procurement kept near and dear to their heart, and here comes another wave of, is this truly positive disruption? Is it going to affect what’s, what I’m doing affect really my goals and objectives of supporting the company. And as you, you know, you continue to express the value of marketplace, they start to see, hey, this is actually very complimentary and helped me can get better control and governance in a way that I. [00:13:11] George Maroulakos: Perhaps didn’t have before with what was going on inside the cloud. [00:13:15] Vince Menzione: So this is a question for both of you actually, but I was thinking about these partners in the room and what did they get wrong? Like what are they doing? Like what are the things we always talk about, things that they’re doing right? [00:13:26] Vince Menzione: We’re having the happy talk about all the great success that’s been going on, but what is your advice to partners that maybe are not getting it right? Like what, what, what are the things you see that. The easy stumbling blocks that could be fixed. [00:13:38] Arif Razvi: Yeah. Well, probably the easiest is, uh, waiting to talk about marketplace at the last minute and not making it part of the full commercial journey [00:13:45] Vince Menzione: Yeah. [00:13:45] Arif Razvi: That the sellers will go through. Right. So, um, but that includes being able to have those internal conversations from the executive level, getting that executive sponsorship from marketplace upfront. That filters down through the rest of the organization. So you’ve gotta get rev ops teams, finance, legal, you know, the marketplace terms, the, the standard, uh, contract that goes into your listing has to be approved by legal. [00:14:08] Arif Razvi: Uh, and then you get down to the sales teams, making sure that you’re not penalizing sales teams for doing transactions on marketplace, which will create friction, then meeting buyers where they are, right? So local entities, local currency, um, having all that wired up. Uh, I met with a, a partner yesterday at Summit who is literally wiring up 10 new regions, 10 new entities in 10 new locations on marketplace in advance of what they know is a pipeline that’s going to be building into those regions. [00:14:37] Arif Razvi: So they’re getting ready and not waiting for the last minute for marketplace. [00:14:40] Vince Menzione: I love it. And the internal, go ahead. [00:14:43] George Maroulakos: Yeah, I, I echo definitely what Arif was saying and I think the, the other aspect of that is that our customers shouldn’t feel like it’s more painful. To use marketplace versus they would any other way. [00:14:54] George Maroulakos: And so whether that shows up in pricing, it shows up in awareness of what marketplace is and isn’t, or what it can or cannot do. Um, whether it’s introducing it naturally or it’s this, oh, by the way, on the end, like the, the more. Integrated marketplace is as a part of your co-sell motion, whether you’re doing it directly on your own or through a reseller or with AWS or all of the above. [00:15:17] George Maroulakos: Um, it’s, it should be a natural extension and a value point that you’re bringing to your respective customers, not some. Interrupt driven or, or exception based activity that goes along with selling your, your, your, your solution. [00:15:31] Vince Menzione: Why do you think customer, some customers or some partners are held back or what, what, what is, is it a mindset? [00:15:38] Vince Menzione: I mean, I talk about the principles, you know that, but like, is it mindset? What is it? Is it, [00:15:42] Arif Razvi: it’s, it’s internal. Friction. Yeah. A a a lot of what I see, especially in these, in, in embedded engagements is the amount of, you know, I have a lot of empathy for this room, right? Because you are the ones that have to go internally and navigate all of these stakeholders to be able to convince them that marketplace is the route to market. [00:16:01] Arif Razvi: It’s the preferred route to market, and it’s the way that a AWS wants to co-sell. With its partners. And that’s a hard thing to do if you don’t speak the same language that the tax legal, rev ops, finance, accounting, because everything changes. When you start doing transactions on marketplace, your revenue is booked differently, right? [00:16:20] Arif Razvi: It’s booked as a w from AWS and not from the, you know, from the, so things change and having that conversation is often challenging. Uh, we are working on some tools that will help make that conversation easier. Um, and we’ve already written blogs, and again, there are mechanisms that your partner managers have internally that they can request support and guidance. [00:16:43] Arif Razvi: Uh, and we’re happy to provide that. [00:16:45] Vince Menzione: What needs to change so that marketplace becomes a true go to market engine. [00:16:49] Arif Razvi: Top down, top down, top down where, where I’ve seen the most success. From a partner is where they’ve gotten strategic alignment at the executive level. That marketplace is the way we are going to, uh, sell globally. [00:17:02] Arif Razvi: Right? Then that starts to filter down, as I mentioned earlier, into the different teams and yes, it is a journey and you may start with the US or if you’re EMEA based. Partner, you may start with just amea, but eventually you will start to expand your, you’ll want to expand your business. Um, and marketplace is a great place to do that because we have all of those mechanisms globally to help you scale without adding incremental resources to handle the tax or the compliance or the invoicing and collection and all that stuff. [00:17:30] George Maroulakos: Yeah. I’ll add to that because I’m gonna steal a second thing you said, Allison, about centering around a customer. I, I loved a lot of Allison. Come on now. I’ll be your hype guy. I absolutely, but, but, but the but demand will drive supply. And I think to what you were talking about, Arif, when are customers, when. [00:17:46] George Maroulakos: Our customers come to you about wanting to use marketplace. Yeah. How are you ready to adapt to that? How are you ready to respond to it? And if it becomes a disjointed, not centered around a customer, bespoke based, independently based interaction with the customer, everybody loses. Versus if you’re ready to embrace what that means and how to make that as good of an experience, if not better, versus how they might have traditionally procured your solution and deployed it. [00:18:13] George Maroulakos: Um, now we have a much better together story. So I think understanding that customers more and more are going to use marketplaces, particularly AWS marketplace, and want to make use of partner solutions that embrace marketplace as a part of their way to procure and deploy. You have a much better chance of being successful with them. [00:18:33] Vince Menzione: You know, it made me think about this. Is there a seminal event? Like I think about, I think back to COVID changing buying behavior, right? I’m, we’ll use AWS, an example, three boxes show up in my house every day, right? That didn’t happen before. We used to go to the store. Is there a seminal event we’re waiting to happen? [00:18:50] Vince Menzione: I, I know that the millennial buyer, we talked about this earlier with Matt, is the new buying persona. Over 50% of buyers are millennial and they’re used to doing comfortable with phones and trust Is all there. Is there something else we’re missing or what do, what do you think’s gonna happen? [00:19:03] George Maroulakos: I really think it’s what in front of us right now. [00:19:05] George Maroulakos: Yeah. Vince, I think what. Agen solutions, what Agen SaaS offers, what the power of information and research that’s now directly available to customers versus maybe indirectly available through consultancies or deeper research. Um, the velocity of what our customers are going to be able to do and with partners that they may not have even heard of right before. [00:19:32] George Maroulakos: You know, they started their journey. I, I think this is a present day. Inflection point. Yeah. Um, going back, you know, over the past several years, the advent of supporting private offers I think was a pretty big milestone for marketplace. It allowed for our partners to be able to. Work through customized terms and conditions and commercials that were important for a particular opportunity in a customer. [00:19:54] George Maroulakos: But today, the here and now I think becomes the next inflection point for the success of marketplace. [00:19:59] Arif Razvi: That would [00:19:59] Vince Menzione: Go ahead. [00:20:00] Arif Razvi: I was just gonna add on top of that, but partners need to be ready for that. Right? And if they’re not ready to accelerate a deal and get it closed in days versus stalling it for weeks to negotiate. [00:20:11] Arif Razvi: Yes. Like they’re not gonna stand. Customers are not gonna stand for that. So partners need to be ready to move quickly. If you think about all the innovations that Matt is delivering for Marketplace and Partner Central. They’re about accelerating co-sell. They’re about accelerating deal velocity. They’re about, we know f from, from the Forrester studies and others that we presented, that we’ve made public that the deal value goes up when you’re dealing with marketplace and co-selling with AWS. [00:20:36] Arif Razvi: So how can we just accelerate that? Yeah. Partners need to be ready for that and move quickly. [00:20:40] Vince Menzione: And you use partners in sort of a, you know, plural sense, but I think about those organizations as so many multifaceted. We talked about finance, we talked about all of different functions in the organization. [00:20:51] Vince Menzione: What are you doing to help that? I mean, we talked about you’re doing a lot of readiness work, but I do feel like there’s a lot of evangelism still to be done internally with those organizations. How do you think about [00:21:02] Arif Razvi: that? Yeah, we, um, obviously events like this are fantastic mechanisms to at least get the conversation started and get your head thinking about what you need to think about. [00:21:10] Arif Razvi: But we have other activities. We have, uh, rev Ops squads, right? So revenue operations teams, and we bring them together, uh, around the world op, uh, ops squad, which is operational teams, so deal desks and others that help them, uh, understand the capabilities that marketplace can bring to accelerate deal velocity. [00:21:28] Arif Razvi: And then we have, like, obviously other events like the, the, uh, marketplace Seller Conference in September where we bring marketplace sellers together and give them, you know. Guidance. And so there are ways to get this information beyond just like getting somebody from my team, of which there are very few as you, you know, as we start to, to consolidate down. [00:21:47] Arif Razvi: But um, but they are available and there’s other mechanisms and we’re happy to share those out. [00:21:50] Vince Menzione: Nice, nice. Well coming here doing this and we’ll make a podcast episode out of this as well. Can you hear. I hear us all, uh, because I do think it’s important to get in front of, especially the Chief Finance Officer and operations and all those different departmental heads who aren’t really embedded into, like, they don’t come to these events. [00:22:07] Arif Razvi: Yeah. And they also don’t log into Partner Central. That’s right. So how do they get this information right? Yeah. So we have to one to one it with them. Yeah. But that doesn’t scale when you think about what’s gonna happen now with this next wave of GSIs and sis and, and others coming onto Marketplace who hadn’t been there. [00:22:22] Arif Razvi: Yes, they’re gonna need the same guidance. Yeah. So we have to start thinking about what we’re building is AI tooling to help with those conversations. [00:22:28] George Maroulakos: Well, and, and you know, if, when I think about it from, from our buyer’s perspective, even just yesterday we held a, a couple of round table discussions with some procurement leaders that were, we’re here for the summit and, you know, we do a lot of enablement and, and awareness. [00:22:42] George Maroulakos: With alliance leaders at our partners, and that’s certainly a, the tip of the spear of getting the conversation started, but it’s not enough. And one of the things that we hear from our customers is. Well, you may have a great partnership with particular partner A, but the individual experience that I had with that sales rep doesn’t match that. [00:23:02] George Maroulakos: And so yeah, the evangelism and the awareness, yes, and the understanding of marketplace has to go beyond just the alliance team. You guys are the amplifier to it. But the folks that not only are in the back office and all the, the, the operational teams, but on the front lines and field sales need to also understand and embrace, not understand all the features and capabilities of marketplace. [00:23:25] George Maroulakos: AWS needs to handle that, but understand how marketplace fits into the co-sell strategy in what’s going on for that particular customer is very, very important to make sure our customers get the right experience. [00:23:37] Vince Menzione: Well, I think Arif, you mentioned this earlier about compensation models. And that’s a, that’s a factor too. [00:23:42] Vince Menzione: ’cause people, people, um, they’re fearful of change. They’re fear, fearful of compensation changing. Especially, especially sellers. I, um, again, that’s a coaching area. [00:23:54] Arif Razvi: Yeah, it’s a coaching area. Um, it, it, it is, um. It’s probably one of the easier ones to solve. Um, and, and, and, you know, we have these conversations with partners about net, uh, cost neutral or uh, seller neutrality and things like that. [00:24:06] Arif Razvi: Once you show them the economics of how AWS can increase their deal value, those economics sort of, they go away. The problems go away, but they, you have to get in front of those. Uh, you know, senior leaders, the CROs and the CFOs, to have that conversation to then go, okay, I get what’s going on here. I get why I’m paying. [00:24:23] Arif Razvi: The listing fee is, is about funding all of these marketing activities that we do for our partners, right? [00:24:29] George Maroulakos: Well, and then you use the word neutrality. The other end of that neutrality problem or, or, or challenge is the pricing that goes along with the opportunities that are made available to customers. [00:24:38] George Maroulakos: And so to one of your earlier questions on points of friction or what, what stops it from taking off further? When, when partners and our customers have a disconnect on. What they’re expecting to pay when they use marketplace, or if there is a unnatural cost that goes along with procuring that solution through marketplace. [00:24:57] George Maroulakos: That also tends to bring a, a pretty bad experience, not only for that opportunity in front of them, but for respective opportunities that may, may be in play thereafter. So thinking about not, you know, having an a, an unnatural experience for our customers relative to pricing as well as compensation and, and everything else is, is also very important. [00:25:17] Vince Menzione: So we’ve got a few minutes left, and we haven’t really touched on ag agentic AI and agen AI solutions. A little bit different than the SaaS solutions per se. How, how are these solutions brought and sold differently than SaaS? [00:25:30] Arif Razvi: Uh, well, as Matt said, the SaaS apocalypse is not real. [00:25:34] Vince Menzione: Yeah. [00:25:34] Arif Razvi: Um, he doesn’t, I’m glad to hear that, nor nor do I. [00:25:37] Arif Razvi: Um, I, I think what, you know, where, where SaaS has been very user seat based, you’re moving now to a world that’s gonna be more consumption based or outcome-based pricing. And so that’s really changing the dynamic and I think partners need to think about what does an outcome-based, uh, pricing model look for My particular. [00:25:55] Arif Razvi: Um, product, uh, Zendesk is a good example of, Matt published a blog, uh, earlier this week, I think it was, where we, we referenced Zendesk pricing on closed tickets or, or resolutions to tickets, right? For, for outcome-based pricing. So I think we need to think about on the pricing side, how to reprice, how to think about pricing. [00:26:13] Arif Razvi: But on the discovery side, thinking about what your, what your listing looks like, it’s no longer about marketing copy. It’s about, it’s almost, I was talking yesterday about being an API contract. ’cause the agent needs to have all the details that a person doesn’t necessarily need to have in order to make a recommendation that your product is the best fit based on the technology that’s underlying that, where it’s gonna fit in the infrastructure. [00:26:37] Vince Menzione: So three and a half minutes left lightning round. Um, but seriously, what, what if I’m in the room or even any, any partner that’s listening today, what do I need to change in the next 30 days? [00:26:50] George Maroulakos: From my perspective, think about marketplace as a why not as opposed to a why. And if you change your mindset around marketplace can be better together in helping to accelerate and expand your opportunities with our mutual customers. [00:27:03] George Maroulakos: You’ll get a whole lot more value out of it. You’ll get away from the fud in the system or some of the traditional roadblocks that you either have been or could be encountering when you think about marketplace, uh, together with your, with your solution. So think about the why not think about the value that the, the, the total solution can bring to our mutual customers and integrate it much more naturally into your total sales motion. [00:27:26] Vince Menzione: Nice. [00:27:27] Arif Razvi: I would say maybe three things. One, um, don’t just sell globally. Operate locally. Think about how your buyers wanna buy and then meet them there, right? As a partner, even if you’re doing CPPO transactions, um, you know, meet them in the location. Number two, top down, go get that executive alignment so the problems start to disappear, or at least are easier to manage when you’ve got that executive alignment. [00:27:51] Arif Razvi: And the third was, uh, don’t wait till the last minute to introduce marketplace. Work with your sales teams to make sure it’s part of the early conversation versus no procurement leader wants to know at the end of the day, oh wait, it’s coming. I gotta deal with this marketplace thing. They don’t wanna deal with it on the buyer side. [00:28:06] Vince Menzione: No, absolutely. Alright, we’ve got time for like one question in the back. Is that Eric? Yeah, that’s [00:28:12] Guest: me. [00:28:13] Vince Menzione: Hey. [00:28:14] Guest: Hi, Eric Rosenstein, um, with Cornerstone Strategy XAWS. So George, you talked about, uh, tools around that customers can use to research for self discovery. So what guidance, uh, first of all, like what capabilities are these tools gonna bring and what guidance would you give an industry specific ISV? [00:28:36] Guest: So someone that’s focused on law enforcement or private equity. That solution may be Angen solution, or it may be something more SaaS related. What guidance would you give an ISV to think about how to best leverage those tools? Is it metadata? Is it like. The outcome that your solution’s gonna drive, how would you tell ’em to best utilize those coming tools? [00:28:58] George Maroulakos: Yeah, excellent question and, and I think this is gonna, going to continue to emerge in the days, literally in weeks, weeks ahead. But recently, I, I’d say over the last six months, the advent of agent mode I think has been a game changer and the ability for our customers to use marketplace directly to research. [00:29:18] George Maroulakos: Efficiently what’s in our catalog. Prior to that, we had a category based. Old school based, search based category, click through way, which became very buried beyond the first page for any solution that was out there. Now with natural language query and the ability to propose, what am I specifically looking for, it gives partners that were on the first page or the last page in equal opportunity to be surfaced. [00:29:48] George Maroulakos: So then for a partner being able to do many of the things you just enumerated. Better metadata, better keywords, better description and differentiation for what your solution offers allows for the Ag agent search, whether it’s natively within AWS or outside of AWS through Claude Chat, GBT Crock Pick your, your, your agent of choice. [00:30:10] George Maroulakos: To be able to identify and know that your solution’s available. [00:30:13] Arif Razvi: And from a partner side to your question, I would say, uh, rich metadata, uh, both so that agent mode can find it. Yeah. Use cases, problems, it solves, you know, uh, technical specifications, pricing where you can, right. So that agents can really understand the solution, uh, that the buyer is, um, is looking for. [00:30:33] Vince Menzione: GEO is. [00:30:37] Guest: Perspective should be like as detailed as saying, so this agent is gonna act on these various data sources. [00:30:44] Arif Razvi: Yes. [00:30:45] Guest: Bringing it all together to drive that outcome that you want the agent [00:30:48] Arif Razvi: drive, if you can include what it needs to connect to in order to deliver that outcome as part of the listing. [00:30:53] Arif Razvi: Absolutely. ’cause the agent will want to know. For sure. [00:30:57] Guest: Thanks. [00:30:58] Vince Menzione: Alright, we are at time and this was a great session. [00:31:01] Arif Razvi: Thank you Vince. [00:31:01] Vince Menzione: Great to see you, George. George and I grew up, uh, five miles away from each other and went to the same college. I love it. Great to, great to spend some [00:31:09] Arif Razvi: time with you, George. [00:31:11] Vince Menzione: Thanks for listening to the Ultimate Partner Podcast. If today’s conversation resonated, share it with a partner leader in your network. Subscribe where you listen, and head over to the ultimate partner.com. For show notes related content and the resources for this episode, and if you haven’t already, now’s the time to register for the Ultimate Partner Live Event in Reston, Virginia, October 26th through October 28th. [00:31:38] Vince Menzione: Until next time, keep showing up in the rooms that matter because being in the room changes everything.

In this episode of the Grow A Small Business Podcast host Troy Trewin interviews Molly Ruland, founder of Heartcast Media, shares how she rebuilt after closing her first business with $100,000 in debt and launched a profitable podcast production agency in 2018. She grew Heartcast Media to an eight-person team and over $3 million in business, including a 71% year-over-year growth year. Molly explains how she transformed the business during the pandemic, growing 200% while keeping every employee employed. She discusses the importance of SEO, podcasting, systems, relationships, and understanding your value when scaling a business. She also shares hard-earned lessons on hiring, leadership, company culture, perseverance, and building a business that can operate without you. Check out The Next 100: Hosted by Molly Ruland, a podcast designed to remind listeners that the next 100 days can create meaningful change through small, consistent actions. Molly shares personal experiences, business lessons, motivation, and practical insights to help listeners move from feeling stuck to taking action.  Why would you wait any longer to start living the lifestyle you signed up for? Balance your health, wealth, relationships and business growth. And focus your time and energy and make the most of this year. Let's get into it by clicking here. Troy delves into our guest's startup journey, their perception of success, industry reconsideration, and the pivotal stress point during business expansion. They discuss the joys of small business growth, vital entrepreneurial habits, and strategies for team building, encompassing wins, blunders, and invaluable advice. And a snapshot of the final five Grow A Small Business Questions: What do you think is the hardest thing in growing a small business? Molly Ruland says the hardest thing in growing a small business is perseverance. She compares business growth to the ocean—there are ebbs and flows, so you have to keep going through both the good and bad periods. She also emphasizes staying vigilant by continually checking your offers and reviewing your website/content to make sure everything is still relevant. What's your favorite business book that has helped you the most? Molly Ruland shares that her favorite business book is The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership by John C. Maxwell. She reads it once a year because every time she revisits it, she finds new areas to work on. Are there any great podcasts or online learning resources you'd recommend to help grow a small business? Molly Ruland shares that she is a member of Together Digital, a women-in-marketing digital collective, which she finds to be an excellent resource. She also relies heavily on business books and audiobooks for professional development, treating them almost like mentors. What tool or resource would you recommend to grow a small business? Molly Ruland shares that she highly recommends Gamma. She says Gamma can significantly improve proposals, reports, and other business materials, and that it can change the way you work. What advice would you give yourself on day one of starting out in business? Molly Ruland shares that she would tell herself to "get a therapist." She explains that so much of running a business is a head game and that entrepreneurship can be a lonely journey. Having a strong handle on your mental health can help you navigate the challenges of leadership and avoid problems in the business. Book a 20-minute Growth Chat with Troy Trewin to see if you qualify for our upcoming course. Don't miss out on this opportunity to take your small business to new heights! Enjoyed the podcast? Please leave a review on iTunes or your preferred platform. Your feedback helps more small business owners discover our podcast and embark on their business growth journey.     Quotable quotes from our special Grow A Small Business podcast guest: You just got to keep doing it because sometimes it's going to work and sometimes it's not and that's part of the journey - Molly Ruland You got to do the stuff you don't like but when you get good at it you might realize that you actually love those things - Molly Ruland Nobody's coming to save you so understand your systems and how they work and learn how to fix them when they break - Molly Ruland      

In this video, I hit the floor at the Generate B2B conference grabbing quick hot takes from LinkedIn, SEO, CRM and ABM folks on what's actually worth the money, then Kevin and I break down the sessions we loved-----------------------------------------------------

Watch the YouTube version of this episode HEREWhat if the biggest advantage your law firm has in the AI era isn't better technology, but being more human?In this episode of the Maximum Lawyer Podcast, Tyson Mutrux is joined by Ryan Webber for a conversation about what an AI-powered law firm can realistically look like today. They explore where AI can eliminate tedious behind-the-scenes work, why fully AI-native firms may not be as close as some people claim, and how automation can actually create more room for meaningful client experiences.Tyson and Ryan also dig into the growing opportunity for law firms to stand out through personal branding, memorable in-person experiences, thoughtful gestures, and the kind of genuine connection AI can't replicate.The goal isn't to choose between AI and people. It's to use AI where it makes sense so you have more time for the work only humans can do.What You'll LearnWhy Tyson believes fully AI-native law firms still aren't realistic for most practice areas.How Ryan sees AI potentially handling up to 80% of the behind-the-scenes work in a law firm.Why AI-generated marketing still needs a human editor to make it sound and feel like you.How going more “analog” could become a competitive advantage as firms become increasingly digital.Why personal branding can help lawyers become the person clients actively seek out instead of relying entirely on SEO.How small, memorable touches can create stronger relationships with clients, employees, and prospects.Why the real opportunity may be using AI to eliminate mundane work so your team can spend more time creating human experiences.How law firms can use automation on the back end while making the front-end client experience even more personal.Timestamps00:00 — Can a law firm really become completely AI-native?02:42 — Could AI handle 80% of the work behind the scenes?03:43 — Why AI-generated marketing still needs a human touch05:02 — How much of the general public is actually using AI?09:21 — The “analog” opportunity law firms may be overlooking10:19 — Why personalized gifts can outperform traditional marketing12:05 — Creating memorable experiences for employees14:23 — Can AI actually capture someone's personal brand?17:23 — Building a brand people search for instead of relying on SEO21:11 — Why people still crave real-world, human interaction21:55 — Using AI to eliminate mundane work and create more time for people24:15 — AI on the back end, human connection on the front end25:30 — Turning an ordinary law firm visit into an experience

In this Marketing Over Coffee: Learn about treating AI like workers, outcomes over use cases, agentic, and more!! Direct Link to File Talking with Lauren, the CMO of Asymbl at Salesforce Connections Lauren was part of ExactTarget which was acquired by Salesforce in 2012. We’ve talked about Chris Baggott and Douglas Karr over the years. […] The post Lauren Esposito on Workforce Orchestration! appeared first on Marketing Over Coffee Marketing Podcast.

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#FenceFam... Can I keep growing by doing what I am now... Or am I maxed out? I don't know if there's a cut and dry answer for that? Should I keep the easy fence owner life? Or will I regret it 10, 20, 30 years out? What if I said I'm not sure? Do you know what your ultimate goal is for your fence career?  Cheers! Remember to like, share, comment and REVIEW! The Fence Industry Podcast Links: IG @TheFenceIndustryPodcast FB @TheFenceIndustryPodcastWithDanWheeler TikTok @TheFenceIndustryPodcast YouTube @TheFenceIndustryPodcastWithDanWheeler Visit TheFenceIndustryPodcast.com Email TheFenceIndustryPodcast@gmail.com Central Fence Supply:  Visit centralfencesupply.com Gopherwood & Expert Stain and Seal IG @stainandsealexperts  FB @ExpertProfessionalWoodCare YouTube @Stain&SealExperts  FB Group Stain and Seal Expert's Staining University  Visit RealGoodStain.com Visit Gopherwood.us Log Cabin Fence IG @Log_Cabin_Fence FB @LogCabinFence Visit LogCabinFence.com Elite Technique Visit https://www.getelitetechnique.com/ Greenwood Fence Visit https://greenwoodfence.com/ Ozark Fence & Supply promo code: TFIP15 for 15% off! Visit https://www.ozfence.com/ Benji with Clever Fox for all your FENCE website, SEO & marketing needs! Visit https://www.cleverfox.online/ Stockade Staple Guns Visit https://www.stockade.com/us/ mySalesman Visit mySalesman.com Orlando Hinge Company Visit swanhinge.com   The Fence Industry Podcast is Produced by CleverFox.Online https://www.cleverfox.online/  

In this solo episode, Bradley Hamner makes the case that the business owner is the wrong person to document the company's systems and processes.Bradley revisits the three components of a blueprint: personal leadership, a roadmap for growth, and an operating system built on documented playbooks. He explains why appointing a systems champion, someone already on the team who owns documentation as an actual job, moves the work further than the owner will ever manage alone, and how AI now compresses the time it takes to produce a playbook.This conversation moves beyond agreeing with the concept and into the appointment itself. Who on your team is closest to how the work actually gets done? What happens to your documentation when it depends entirely on your own calendar? And what changes if the only parts you own are the first ten percent and the last ten percent? If you have believed in systemizing your business for years but have never assigned it to anyone, this episode is for you.Visit https://workshop.blueprintos.com to register for the upcoming Above The Business workshop.Thanks to our sponsorsCoach P ConsultingCoach P found great success as an insurance agent and agency owner, leading a large and stable team of top-performing professionals. Today, he shares the systems, delegation strategies, and specialization methods he developed along the way. Gain access to weekly training calls and mentoring at:https://coachpconsulting.comBe sure to mention you heard about it on the Above The Business Podcast.Autopilot RecruitingAutopilot Recruiting helps small business owners solve staffing challenges by taking the stress out of hiring. Their dedicated recruiters work on your behalf every business day. They optimize your applicant tracking system, post job listings, and source candidates through social media and local communities.With their continuous recruiting approach, you can save time, reduce hiring costs, and receive pre-screened candidates without paying hiring fees or commissions.https://www.autopilotrecruiting.comMention Above The Business Podcast when you reach out.Direct ClicksDirect Clicks specializes in digital marketing solutions designed for business owners who want measurable results. Their team supports companies through paid advertising, SEO, and strategic marketing systems that help generate consistent leads.Exclusive offer for listeners:https://directclicksinc.com/abovethebusinessGet a free marketing campaign audit where their team reviews your website, SEO, content, social media, and paid advertising, then provides actionable recommendations. If you partner with them, all setup fees will be waived.About Above The BusinessAbove The Business is hosted by Bradley Hamner, founder of BlueprintOS, and focuses on helping small business owners transition from Rainmaker to Architect by building systems, teams, and operations that scale without their constant involvement.

Favour Obasi-ike, MBA, MS discussion explored the evolving relationship between SEO and artificial intelligence, stressing that while AI revolutionizes content generation and search, SEO's foundational importance endures. One concept discussed was the need for website structure (schema, sitemaps, quality content) to ensure both human users and AI agents can discover, trust, and transact with a site.Who Is This For?The conversation focused on entrepreneurs, website owners, business leaders (including C-suite/Fortune 500), marketers, and anyone seeking to improve their business's online presence and growth using SEO and commercial keyword strategies. A key theme that emerged was bridging the knowledge gap for those new to digital marketing, whether launching a site from scratch, rescuing one, or scaling brand visibility.Key Moments & TimestampsIntroduction, Part 2 Justification & Audience Engagement: Highlights the need for deeper commercial keyword discussion; encourages live participation 00:00:13.AI vs. SEO: Relationship & Current Landscape: Explores whether AI will replace SEO; demonstrates synergy and need for structure 00:02:42–00:12:24.Website Structure & Longevity: Analogies for domain authority and building strong foundations 00:13:11.Ads vs. SEO Investment: Explains why investing in SEO creates lasting value versus short-term ad spend 00:17:11.WordPress vs. Vibe Coding: Evaluates traditional site-building vs. new AI/code-heavy approaches 00:22:56.Learning & Mastering SEO: Recommendations for ongoing strategies, resources, and communities 00:28:47.User Search Patterns & Keyword Strategy: Examines how users shop online, with a focus on long-tail and local keywords 00:32:22.Sitemaps & Robust Web Presence: How site architecture and multiple pages boost authority 00:40:10.Live Tools & Practical Auditing: Use of isitagentready.com for real-time AI/SEO readiness checks 00:43:28.Commerce, Payments, & Security: Significance of payment protocols and HTTPS for trust 00:44:29.Color, Calls to Action & Conversion Psychology: How interface details impact buying behaviors 00:54:03.Types of Commercial Intent Keywords: Differentiates high vs. low commercial intent; relevance for product, service, and pricing pages 00:59:19.Action-Oriented Keyword Construction: Guidance for structuring keyword phrases to increase conversions 01:04:23.Takeaways & Final Thoughts: Recap and encouragement to test, research, and take control of digital outcomes 01:07:42.Several points were raised, including:Investing in SEO produces compounding, evergreen visibility, unlike fleeting paid ads.Commercial keywords (e.g., “buy now,” “pricing,” “best [product],” “alternatives to”) are essential for conversion-focused pages.Local and long-tail strategies help users “find you” for specific contexts and regions.Security (HTTPS), trust signals, and payment protocols are non-negotiable for commercial viability.Testing and optimizing details—color, CTAs, copy—directly impact sales.FAQsQ: Will AI make SEO obsolete?A: No. AI depends on well-structured SEO content to deliver relevant results. They're complementary, not mutually exclusive 00:04:31.Q: What are commercial keywords?A: Specific search phrases indicating purchase intent (e.g., “buy,” “pricing,” “deal,” “best,” “compare”). Essential for pages targeting buyers 00:52:04.Q: Should I invest in SEO or ads?A: SEO offers sustainable, long-term visibility; ads work immediately but disappear when you stop paying 00:17:11.Q: Are modern coding approaches like vibe coding a good idea?A: New site builders offer fast results, but lack the proven, authority-strengthening foundation of established platforms like WordPress 00:22:56.Q: How do I start learning SEO?A: Combine online courses (Google, podcasts, masterminds) with community interaction and direct experimentation 00:28:47.Action StepsAudit your website with tools like isitagentready.com to gauge AI/SEO readiness 00:43:28.Review your site's structure—ensure schema markup, sitemaps, and multiple relevant pages exist 00:36:01.Identify and implement high-intent commercial keywords on key pages: homepage, product/service, pricing, and demo 00:52:04.Ensure your site is HTTPS-secured and supports modern payment integrations 00:46:07.Test calls-to-action and site colors to optimize conversion rates 00:54:03.Regularly engage in industry communities, podcasts, and training to stay current.Track and measure progress; iterate based on results and user feedback.Ready to Rank? Book Your SEO & Web Dev Services Today

What if some of the people you see as competitors could actually help you grow your property management business? In this episode of the #DoorGrowShow, Jason and Sarah Hull talk about collaboration over competition and why a scarcity mindset can cause property management business owners to overlook opportunities sitting right in front of them. They break down why clients aren't necessarily choosing a property manager because of a secret strategy, service, or sales pitch, and why trying to protect everything you do from your competitors may be doing more harm than good. If you've been treating the property managers around you strictly as competition, this episode may change the way you look at them. You'll Learn [00:00] Introduction and industry overview [00:58] False scarcity and competition myths [03:19] Clients choose you for your uniqueness, not secret sauce [05:16] The industry benefits from collaboration, not isolation [06:15] Debunking false assumptions about growth and scarcity [08:39] Lead generation is easier than perceived [09:06] The abundance of property management opportunities [11:51] Overcoming fear and false evidence [12:52] Collaboration over competition explained [16:16] The neighbor strategy for referrals Quotables "They work with you because they like you. Because you're unique, because you are uniquely you." — Sarah Hull  "People don't want to buy property management. They want to buy you." — Jason Hull "Some of your neighbors could become one of your best friends and best assets." — Jason Hull Resources DoorGrow and Scale Mastermind DoorGrow Academy DoorGrow on YouTube DoorGrowClub DoorGrowLive Transcript Jason Hull (00:00) All right, five, four, three, two, one. Hey everybody, I'm Jason Hull, the founder and CEO of DoorGrow. This is Sarah Hull, owner of DoorGro and the COO. We are the world's leading and most comprehensive coaching and consulting firm for long-term residential property management entrepreneurs. For over a decade and a half, we have brought innovative strategies and optimization to the property management industry.   At DoorGrow, we are on a mission to transform property management business owners and their businesses. We want to transform the industry, eliminate the BS, build awareness, change perception, expand the market, and help the best property management entrepreneurs win. Now let's get into the show. All right, so today we're going to be talking about collaboration over competition in the property management industry. And the reason for this is because a lot of you are dealing with a lot of false scarcity.   false competition and you're not leveraging some of the people that could be feeding you business, maybe even in your own neighborhood. And so let's get into this. All right, let's talk about it. So if you've ever thought, no, I don't want my competitors   registers to know about doorgrow. I don't want them to work with door grow. I only want to do this or I only want to have the best stuff or I only want to do, you know, the whatever strategy or you know, I want all the connections. And I think a lot of times that's really based in a a scarcity mindset and in a fear-based mindset. Yeah. If you find something that's good and then you go, I'm gonna keep this little secret to myself. I I don't want to tell anyone else about it.   I only want it for me. And maybe it's a website or maybe it's, you know, a special pricing tool, or maybe it's your sales process, or, you know, maybe it's a referral source. Maybe it's what do they call it at KFC? Like the the secret ingredients. Eleven secret eleven herbs and spices. Like I can't I can't let anybody else know what I do or how I do it or why. I don't want them to know anything about me. Then a lot of times I I know it feels like hey, I'm protecting   my assets and I'm protecting my my business and I'm making sure that you know not everyone can copy me. And what it usually boils down to though is A property management is just inherently not that different. Like what one property manager does is really similar to what another property manager does. Are there slight nuances and differences between two companies? Yes, of course there are. How they do things is different.   Of course. But the product itself, what you're actually doing, is not very different from company to company to company. So you're really not saving yourself what you think like what you think you're doing is, I'm not telling anybody. I'm keeping this to myself. I don't want anyone to copy me. It it's it's all the same product. And usually people don't decide to work with you because you have the secret sauce.   They work with you because they like you. Because you're unique, because you are uniquely you. So your competitor and you might do the exact same thing in the exact same area, in the exact same market, targeting the exact same properties and clients. You do everything the same. Your pricing might be the same, the website might look similar, your sales pitches often pretty similar. That's why when you call property management companies, you kind of have deja vu and you hear the same thing again and again and again and again.   Unless you talk with one of our clients and then the conversation sounds slightly different. But it's it's all it all boils down to the same thing. And people aren't working with you because you said the magic words like, they said this one thing and now I have to work with them because no other company does that. No other company is like that. That usually is not the case. Because the product and the service is what it is. It's it's the same. But you're different.   And they like you. And that's why someone will work with you. And guess what? Your competitors probably unless unless you're maybe really mean to them, your competitors probably like you too as a person. They, you know, there's probably maybe some friendly competition there. But they probably like you too. And if you got to know them, you might find that you like them as well. And I think that   looking at this as a collaboration instead of no, it's it's all me, it has to be me, I'm the only one, I'm the best one, and nobody else in this market, everybody else is like this or like that. I'm the only one. Well, all right. I I just don't know how that really serves the industry. I don't know how that really serves the community. Well let's take a step back because I think a lot of business owners   And until your own basic needs are met, you don't care about the community. Let's be real. Like if you're you and your family are hungry and starving, you need money, you need to pay rent, you need to pay your bills, you you want to get your business going. You don't care about the community. You don't care about the industry. You care about yourself, which is fine. So let me help you see how you by being selfish and looking at yourself, you have probably some false assumptions that are causing you to not grow. And that's why you're in this that that   That camp and why you're struggling. So, first of all, like Sarah said, you may have this false scarcity mindset. So, first of all, there is, let's let's kill some assumptions. First, why do you have the assumption that there's a it's hard to grow your business? Or the assumption that there's there's only a small amount of business to go around, or the false assumption that maybe it's difficult to grow your property management business.   What if none of this was even true? These are all false assumptions you have based on bad data and bad information because you've had bad ideas or bad strategy. So, first of all, most property management companies suck in most markets. Why do they suck? Because they're stuck in a lot of this bad mindset stuff. They didn't wake up in the morning saying, I want to start a bad business today. And if you're struggling and customer service is kind of, you know, falling apart, or you've got clients leaving, or people are frustrated.   Or you're super stressed out and you're not loving your business, you didn't wake up in the morning one day and say, This is, I want to start a crappy business today. But that's the default of where you end up when you make certain decisions with certain assumptions because you have blind spots. So let's see if we can destroy a few blind spots for you right now. First, is property management, does everybody sell the same thing? Like Sarah said, no, because why? Property management isn't even the product that people want to buy from you.   They're the right owners that you want. So they're looking for a property management business owner they can partner with that they trust to take over their property. They're not just looking for the cheapest person. But when you commoditize yourself, so by having the wrong offer, you turn yourself into a commodity. You're now and because you're selling the wrong product. And if you're selling the wrong product to the wrong audience, you have the wrong offer that's optimized for the wrong people.   And so then you have the wrong clients, and then your business is really operationally expensive. Your operational costs are really high, really difficult clients to deal with because you have bad channels, the wrong channels, wrong product, wrong offer, wrong clients, right? So we, if we want to counter this and get out of the cycle of suck, one, you have to start firing bad clients. You have to start filtering the cloud clients that you bring on. You need better channels of opportunity that feed you.   Healthier business, healthier property owners, healthier clients, people that trust you, people that are not going to try to micromanage you. The operational costs are lower. They're healthier investors. And then you can sell the right product to them. And then you can have the right offer that's attractive to that type of buyer. And so then everything gets a lot easier. The other thing is Legion is hard. Let's let's attack that. Legion is not hard.   At least half of all rental properties out there are being managed by somebody that doesn't enjoy doing it or that sucks at doing it. Maybe most of them are managed by somebody that doesn't enjoy doing it because a lot of your the lot of half are probably professionally managed or less. And a lot of them are miserable or aren't even good at it. That might be you listening to this right now. And we could help you with that. But most property management companies suck. Most people.   though are not using property manager. So there's a lot of self managing people. They don't enjoy doing it. And rarely have you ever run into a vessor that says, Yeah, I'm gonna I'm doing it myself and I love it. It's my favorite thing. I love managing property. I love showing the property. I love doing inspections and leasing and maintenance coordination. They don't th it's not a hard sell.   Right. So I don't think it's hard to sell property management. I don't think it's hard to get leads. There's tons of available business out there. When scarcity happens is when your channels suck. So if you're focused on SEO, pay-per-click, like Google Ads, pay per lead, like all property management.com, social media marketing, content marketing. Here's where there's a lot of scarcity because there's very little internet or search volume.   looking for property management. And so there's a lot more scarcity there. And there are people winning at this game. But this is kind of like there's there are people winning in Vegas when they're gambling. There are winners. And you see these winners and you're like, they're winning. The lottery. They're like number one on Google. They've been there for a decade. Yeah, they're winning. And everybody else, like second place on Google, gets like a dramatically less traffic, less leads, less business. And that's   It's a hard game to play. So if you're going after Goliath and you are David, but you tr decide to do the same things, you're making really bad moves. So we've got to get you focused on better, more effective lead gen strategies where you're not do focus on digital marketing and you're able to reach these investors and owners that would love your help. They're just not looking for a property manager actively. That doesn't mean they wouldn't buy it. That doesn't mean they don't need it. That doesn't mean they would they would   like give up all that extra freedom and time that they would love to have that you could give to them. You can sell them on this. This is not hard to sell. They don't even like doing it. And you can take it off their plate. And it might even be free for them if they haven't raised rent in the last two years. You just like they might be 10% below market rate on rent. They might be dealing with mol like lots of vacancy.   If you can decrease their vacancy significantly over the course of a year, you probably could pay for your management services just by doing that. So here we are we want to destroy all these false assumptions because fear, they say that is an acronym that stands for false evidence appearing real. So if you're you're in the state of fear or in the state of false scarcity or you have the scarcity mindset.   Every decision you make from that place, from that mindset, is going to be not true or is going to be false or is going to be skewed or is going to be ineffective. And so a lot of you are making decisions from a place of scarcity, which isn't even accurate. There's tons of business out there. Tons of business. There's lots of different growth engines, lots of different strategies and vehicles you could implement on how to grow your business. If you get on a sales call with us, our team will   Give you those strategies for free. So you will be convinced we could help you and you'll know how we could help you and what we could coach you on. So reach out and set up a call with DoorGrow. We are great at this. We've been doing this for almost 18 years. So that's what I would say about that, to destroy some of those false assumptions. And so we believe in a doorgrow. We teach our clients. We believe in collaboration over competition. Right? What does that mean?   That means instead of going, I can't let my competitors know what I'm doing. I don't want to talk to my competitors. I don't want them to know what I'm doing. I would love if I knew what they were doing, but I don't want them to know what I'm doing. I don't wanna talk with them. I don't wanna work with them. I don't wanna look at them. I don't wanna have a relationship with them. I don't wanna put my pricing on my website because then they'll see it and then they'll copy me and they'll they'll do the same thing that I'm doing and they'll have the same thing because   We're the same, you know, we're doing the same thing. Yeah. And and it's that it's that fear. It's that fear and it's that scarcity and it's that well no. Yeah. There's only there's maybe two big companies or three big companies in your market and you're going, Well, I need to be one of them. So I'm I'm I'm gonna just distance myself from my competitors. And if you look at things through the lens of, hey, this is my competitor. Mm-hmm.   then it's really hard for you to want to work with or have a relationship with someone who's your competitor. So you need to be able to look at things different and realize, yeah, you might be in the same market. Yeah, you might do the same thing. Yeah, you might serve the same audience and you might have the same target and you really might have similar goals. But that doesn't necessarily mean that you can't collaborate. Yeah.   And the thing is, people don't want to buy property management. They want to buy you. And you're different than all of your competitors. You have a different philosophy. And hopefully you have a healthy mindset because really what they're buying from you as a partner partially is your mindset. It is your belief system. And if you are coming from a place of scarcity, you also are not going to be very attractive to the healthiest clients. You're not going to be attractive to the best investors. And if you're walking around going, why are all the owners in my market are cheap? You know what that tells me about you?   Yeah, we talk about this in our pricing secrets training and how to figure that out. Like you might be a cheap owner or a cheap O, as I call it, a cheap investor or cheap mindset person, right? So we gotta shift your mindset and that then you start attracting people like you, healthier people. All right, let's do a quick word from our sponsor. We'll get back into this. So our sponsor is second nature. We're talking about collaboration. Yeah.   He's been steamrolling me all day today. okay. Are we segueing into this? Go ahead. Do you want to do it? No, no, you take it. Go ahead. You just you do it. Well go ahead. To be fair, I pointed at it. I know. I didn't think she was gonna lead into it. Okay. Good. Speaking of collaboration and how to partner with someone who's really great so that there's a less of this   You know, scarcity and fear set. mind this fear-based mindset and how to focus on collaboration. Sometimes the people you want to partner with are also in your industry, but they're not direct competitors. Like Second Nature. So let's talk about second nature and then i after this I'm gonna tell you about the neighbor strategy, how you can y actually get neighboring property managers.   To give you business instead of thinking they're taking it from you. Okay. All right, second nature. So the resident experience is broken and it starts with the lease. Leases are getting longer and attention spans are getting shorter. The result is that residents don't read the lease, and PMs know all too well that just it's just a ticking time bomb. Second nature believes it doesn't have to be this way. Introducing resident onboarding.   So, Second Nature's new onboarding guide offers transparency, choice, and convenience to residents all while taking the work off your plate. Lease responsibilities and expectations are made clear and unskippable in a simplified digital signing flow. Residents can customize their living experience, whether they're selecting insurance coverage, upgrading their air filters, or choosing more expense or more extensive pest control coverage, and with group rate internet.   They get gig speed service right in their lease. Best of all, it's fully managed by Second Nature. So there's no extra work for you. This could help. It's kind of like a sounds like an onboarding wizard that they go through to bring them into a better experience. Visit secondnature.com slash affiliate dash doorgrow. So affiliate is A double F I one L I A T E dash Dorgrow.   To start revolutionizing your resident experience. Okay. Cool.   Would you like to explain the neighbor strategy? in two minutes, yes. Cool. So back when I did property management, this was one of the things that I actually really enjoyed doing. I like staying in my lane and not trying to expand into properties, areas and territories that I really wasn't interested in covering, but that I could cover because the right opportunity comes up. We all know how that goes. So   I was actually introduced to a property manager that was a neighboring property manager and I did not cover her area and she did not cover my area. But a lot of times we would talk with investors, both of us would talk with investors to go, hey, do you do this area? And I would go, Absolutely not, I won't touch that with a 10 foot pole. But I have someone who's great to talk with her and she will take good care of you. And she would do the same for me. And we would be able to send each other leads back and forth.   So that I could just cover the area that I was really great at covering and that I wanted to cover and she could do the same thing. And instead of then going, nope, don't cover that area, see you later, bye. Then I would go, well, I don't, but I know someone that can help you. And she's great. Let me get you connected with her. And that became a lead for her. And I got a lot of business from her. And I would send her a lot of business and it was really great. because some people would look at that and go, no, I have no time for that.   And it was a really great relationship that we were able to maintain and grow our businesses together collaboratively. Awesome. So if you you could be a vendor in this industry, you could be a property manager in this industry. If you think that your competitors are your enemies and you think that there's no way to collaborate with them, maybe you're not looking hard enough. And there are some big opportunities for deals to be had, for relationships to be created. And just like Sarah talked about the neighbor strategy.   There's we've had clients with short-term rental companies in the exact same city as long term rental company clients working with each other, feeding each other business. There might be a way to work out. maybe there's different types of properties, whatever, but some of your neighbors could become one of your best friends and best assets. All right. So if you've ever felt stuck or stagnant, you want to take your property management business to the next level. You're dealing with some difficulties and growing, you're you're dealing with difficulties with your mindset, whatever.   Reach out to us at doorgrow.com. Let's help you change things and start making a lot more money. And for a free training on how to get unlimited leads for free, text the word leads to 512-648-4608. Also join our free community online just for property management business owners by going to doorgrowclub.com. And if you want tips, tricks, and ideas to learn about our offers, subscribe to our newsletter by going to doorgrow.com/slash subscribe.   And if you found this even a little bit helpful, don't forget to subscribe and leave us a review. We'd really appreciate it. Until next time, remember, the slowest path to growth is to do it alone. So let's grow together. Bye everyone. Wait a few so it doesn't off at the end. Five, four, three, two, one. Okay, bye.

When customers can buy the same products from dozens of retailers, your Shopify store needs to give them a reason to choose you.In this episode, Nick is joined by Alan Dowell from Escentual, an online beauty retailer specialising in fragrance, skincare and cosmetics, to discuss how brands can differentiate in crowded markets, build customer trust and turn more first-time buyers into loyal customers.Learn more about Escentual:https://escentual.com/Connect with Alan Dowell on LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/dowell-alan/They reveal why many ecommerce brands struggle despite selling great products, how removing friction can improve conversion rates and why the best brands focus on customer experience rather than competing purely on price.You'll learn:How to differentiate when competitors sell the same productsWhy customer education, reviews and trust signals drive conversionsHow removing unnecessary friction can improve the buying journeyWhy having too many Shopify apps could be slowing your store downHow testing, personalisation and retention create long-term growthWhy mobile-first experiences are essential for ecommerce successThe episode also covers how removing 70+ Shopify apps improved conversion rates, why brands should test instead of assume, and how better customer communication can create stronger loyalty and repeat purchases.In this episode:(00:00) - Competing when everyone sells the same products(01:21) - How Essential differentiates its ecommerce experience(02:42) - Removing friction from the customer journey(05:48) - Why A/B testing beats assumptions(08:47) - The 70+ Shopify apps problem(11:41) - Why too many improvements made performance worse(12:20) - From 3.8% to 5.5% conversion rate(15:50) - Testing your store like a real customer(20:02) - Turning first-time buyers into loyal customers(25:00) - Customer data, loyalty and segmentation(30:00) - Revenue vs vanity metrics(32:28) - Turning winning tests into growth(40:13) - Final takeawaysFollow Winning With Shopify for practical ecommerce growth advice every Tuesday and Friday.Exclusive listener offers:Ships-A-Lot - Improve fulfilment costs and find hidden shipping margin leaks.https://info.shipsalot.com/winning-with-shopifyInventory Planner - Free seven-day inventory bootcamp.https://info.brightpearl.com/winning-with-shopify-holiday-planning-bootcampOmnisend - 30% off paid plans for three months with code WINNINGWITHOMNISEND.https://www.omnisend.com/wws/Yoast - 15% off Shopify and WordPress with code WWS15.https://yoast.com/product/yoast-seo-shopify/506 - Extended 30-day free trial on any of their three Shopify apps with code WWS.https://www.506.io/wwsAbout Winning With ShopifyWinning With Shopify is powered by Spec Digital, a PPC & SEO agency helping ecommerce brands grow through performance marketing.https://spec.digital/

SEO isn't dead in 2026! Especially with AI platforms popping off, there's a lot of traffic that might come your way nowadays from the likes of ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude.But how do you know what people are searching for and what you should write blog posts about? And more importantly, how do you turn clicks and readers into email list subscribers with a good freebie strategy?For answers, listen in on this awesome session with our List Building Live speaker, Leanne Wong! She covers everything from the top SEO tools to designing custom lead magnets for a complete and effective growth strategy.And for more from Leanne, visit LeanneWong.co/free-seo-resources!Also, if you need a group of business peers to team up with and take action, List Building Live listeners get 50% off the SPI Community for life! Join us at SmartPassiveIncome.com/listlive using the code 26LIST to jump on this special offer!Show notes and more at SmartPassiveIncome.com/LBL-Leanne-Wong.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode, I walk you through what my podcast experiment showed me about downloads, sales, and staying human in an online business. You'll learn: What actually happened to my downloads during my experiment and what really happened to my sales and my business What happened to listener engagement when I dropped to one episode a month Why a podcast only pays off when you're doing podcast SEO, creating evergreen content, and selling on it What the copy and paste culture is doing to everyone's results at once Why a 1% difference is enough to make you stand out What to take from somebody else's strategy and what to leave alone Why AI fatigue has people scrolling past content What to ask yourself about your values before you change anything in your business The better way to use AI and still stand out If you've been searching for ways to keep podcasting simple and build something you're proud of, this episode is for you! Here's to simplicity and standing out as yourself, Juliana   Want the complete beskope roadmap to blow up your show and make money podcasting? Snag this ➡️ https://julianabarbati.com/momentum 

What are the core aspects of successful SEO for a new practice? How can you combine Google Ads with your social media and marketing strategies? When should you hire therapists in your new private practice? In this episode, Joe Sanok gives an update on building Great Lakes Online Counseling, sharing what he's learning about growing a new private practice through Google Ads, SEO, social media, and content marketing. He and Jen discuss how to use keywords effectively, coordinate different marketing channels, and attract the right clients online. Joe also explores adding psychedelic-assisted therapy to the practice, hiring additional therapists, and the next steps for expanding the business.

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Want to Start or Grow a Successful Business? Schedule a FREE 13-Point Assessment with Clay Clark Today At: www.ThrivetimeShow.com   Join Clay Clark's Thrivetime Show Business Workshop!!! Learn Branding, Marketing, SEO, Sales, Workflow Design, Accounting & More. **Request Tickets & See Testimonials At: www.ThrivetimeShow.com  **Request Tickets Via Text At (918) 851-0102   See the Thousands of Success Stories and Millionaires That Clay Clark Has Helped to Produce HERE: https://www.thrivetimeshow.com/testimonials/ Download A Millionaire's Guide to Become Sustainably Rich: A Step-by-Step Guide to Become a Successful Money-Generating and Time-Freedom Creating Business HERE: www.ThrivetimeShow.com/Millionaire   See Thousands of Case Studies Today HERE: www.thrivetimeshow.com/does-it-work/  

Want to Start or Grow a Successful Business? Schedule a FREE 13-Point Assessment with Clay Clark Today At: www.ThrivetimeShow.com   Join Clay Clark's Thrivetime Show Business Workshop!!! Learn Branding, Marketing, SEO, Sales, Workflow Design, Accounting & More. **Request Tickets & See Testimonials At: www.ThrivetimeShow.com  **Request Tickets Via Text At (918) 851-0102   See the Thousands of Success Stories and Millionaires That Clay Clark Has Helped to Produce HERE: https://www.thrivetimeshow.com/testimonials/ Download A Millionaire's Guide to Become Sustainably Rich: A Step-by-Step Guide to Become a Successful Money-Generating and Time-Freedom Creating Business HERE: www.ThrivetimeShow.com/Millionaire   See Thousands of Case Studies Today HERE: www.thrivetimeshow.com/does-it-work/  

My guests fly in from Spain and go home with one idea. You don't need the flight. I run a live workshop where I teach one idea you can put into your business over the next 30 to 90 days: ► Workshop waitlist: https://capitalism.com/bootcamp Juan Ramón and Carlos found my podcast in 2020, ran the playbook, and it still took them three full years to make their first million dollars. Then they tripled in a single year, and when I asked what changed, they told me they did less: they cut 80% of their products. They sell a $1,000 car screen out of Spain at 40% margins, they do about $500K a month, and most of this conversation is about how much they had to take away to get there. Resources mentioned in the episode: ► Workshop waitlist: https://capitalism.com/bootcamp ► The $100K Playbook: https://capitalism.com/100K ► Merge Screens: https://mergescreens.com (0:00) A business selling $1,000 car screens at $500K a month (1:29) Five years old, $7M in the last 12 months (2:06) The night they crossed their first million (2:46) They found the podcast in 2020, and the business that never hit $10K a month (4:49) What they actually sell: pull the old radio, drop in a Tesla-style screen (5:20) Why they chased a $1,000 product instead of a $10 one, and the margin on it (6:52) "This has not been an overnight success." 7 years to 10,000 orders (7:46) A year and a half losing money, then a year and a half at break even (8:17) How they get customers without ever touching Amazon (9:02) "I do not feel successful." What $7 million a year actually feels like (10:40) Treating the whole thing as a game, and whether they think about an exit yet (12:36) The 10 days they lost 30% of their revenue (13:18) "Just pure anxiety." The fear of failing himself (14:06) What broke: a Google account, a disconnected Meta pixel, both algorithms (15:39) The two roles, and how they split the company between them (16:42) "We are a service company that sells products" (17:27) Rocket fuel: the one with the ideas and the one who keeps it from breaking (18:37) The roles were an accident. He got blocked from Facebook. (20:33) Six models of car, three screens each, and two manufacturers (21:41) What changed the year they tripled: they did less (23:25) Why removing products is what unlocks growth under seven figures (24:45) The two outbreaks: closing one store, then cutting to six products (26:04) Five hours a week on six products instead of one hour on thirty (26:39) Alex Becker on the 1% better ideas, and needing the space to have them (27:48) The first hire that finally gave him time to think (28:15) From two people and a part-time VA to nine employees (29:12) The first marketing hire was SEO, and why that was a mistake (30:57) Learning by doing, and what a partner who has your back makes possible (32:10) "The relationship comes first," agreed before they made a single sale (34:00) The pressure of entrepreneurship that nobody outside it understands (36:19) Why they fly in from Spain for a single idea (39:15) Set the outcome, not the process, and let the team figure out how (40:40) A million dollars a month, and what would have to be true to get there (43:26) What actually took them from zero to $7M a year DISCLAIMER: The information contained on this Podcast Channel and the resources available for download/viewing through this Podcast Channel are for educational and informational purposes only.

How can you get your books surfaced when readers ask an AI what to read next? What are the hallmarks of authors and businesses that last more than a decade in the indie author industry? Ricardo Fayet gives his marketing tips after more than a decade at Reedsy. In the intro, Expanding Your Book's IP through Merchandising [Wish I'd Known Then]; Guide to writers conferences [Kindlepreneur]; Rick Rubin and Stephen Pressfield on resistance and the muse [Tetragrammaton]; Pulitzer Prize winners disclose AI usage [Nieman Lab]; My new rebuilt fiction site JFPenn.com. Today's show is sponsored by Draft2Digital, self-publishing with support, where you can get free formatting, free distribution to multiple stores, and a host of other benefits. Just go to www.draft2digital.com to get started. This show is also supported by my Patrons. Join my Community at Patreon.com/thecreativepenn Ricardo Fayet is the co-founder and chief marketing officer of Reedsy, a marketplace for writers to find vetted freelancers, author training courses, and lots more. He's also the author of How to Market a Book and Amazon Ads for Authors. You can listen above or on your favorite podcast app or read the notes and links below. Here are the highlights and the full transcript is below. Show Notes How AI search actually finds and ranks the books it recommends Why keywords and search volume are disappearing as marketing metrics Building an internet footprint so your book is worth recommending Why Claude leans on Goodreads while ChatGPT and Gemini lean on Reddit Product is more important than marketing, and how to find your comp titles Passion, business sense and resilience in the authors who last You can find Ricardo at Reedsy.com. Transcript of the interview with Ricardo Fayet Jo: Ricardo Fayet is the co-founder and chief marketing officer of Reedsy, a marketplace for writers to find vetted freelancers, author training courses, and lots more. He's also the author of How to Market a Book and Amazon Ads for Authors. So welcome back to the show, Ricardo. Ricardo: Thank you, Jo. It's been a while. Jo: It has been a while. As we were saying, it's been a decade, which is crazy, because you and I see each other at events and things. For anyone who doesn't know you— Tell us a bit more about you, where you're from, and also, what is Reedsy these days and how have things changed? Ricardo: Yes, sure. I think I'm hard to dissociate from Reedsy because my only background really is Reedsy. We started Reedsy right after business school for most of the founders. There are four founders, and I'm one of them. We've been going since 2014, so it's been 12 years. We started around the same time, and you started even earlier than we did, but we've had the chance to meet at quite a few conferences since. I think the main thing we're still known for is our marketplace. Since the very beginning, Reedsy is a curated marketplace where authors can come in and look for editors, cover designers, marketers, ghostwriters, literary translators, author website designers, pretty much any freelancer you would ever need to hire throughout your writing career. That's how we started. That's our main source of revenue and our main business. Since then, as you mentioned, we've also added courses, live events, so we've got a membership under Reedsy Learning. The main thing we're proud of right now is our writing tool, Reedsy Studio, because we've been pouring a lot of engineering talent into it over the past five, six years, and I think it's a really cool writing tool that is 90% free. It also does the formatting, so it's a good alternative to Vellum or Atticus for those who haven't purchased those tools. So there's a lot of things that Reedsy does at this point, which always makes it hard for me to describe what we do. Jo: But you generally serve writers. That's probably the crux of it. Ricardo: Exactly, yes. We're mostly at the production stage. The thing we say is we help authors make beautiful books, right? That's a little bit the tagline that applies to 90% of what we do, though we also help a little bit with the marketing side of things. Jo: And then just tell people where your accent is from. Ricardo: So I'm half French, half Italian from my parents, and I was born in Spain. So depending on my mood and the moment, it might be anywhere from French, Italian, Spanish. It's anyone's guess, really, at this point. Jo: Yes, exactly. You've been part of the indie author ecosystem, as you said, since 2014. You're often at the author conferences, and you stay abreast of everything that's going on. So what are the biggest changes you've seen in the industry since you started out? Like you said, you guys came from business school. You chose to come into the industry at a particular point, and yet things have changed. So what do you think are the biggest changes, and how have you seen authors adapt? Ricardo: It's crazy, the amount of things that happened in the past 10 years. Obviously we came into the industry as a result of Amazon launching Kindle Direct Publishing, and then the Kindle Store becoming one of the number one places where people buy books. That's what enabled self-publishing in the first place as an industry, and obviously we wouldn't exist without self-publishing being a thing. But then I think probably one of the biggest changes that happened was the introduction of Kindle Unlimited and various other subscription models. Perhaps as a response to that, afterwards, I would say direct sales is the other massive change that happened in the industry. The ability for authors to sell direct to their readers via their websites, or running Kickstarters, or basically the ability to reach your customers directly. Now, obviously, artificial intelligence is probably the biggest change of them all, not just in publishing, across every industry, but of course it's going to affect publishing very strongly, or it has already started making big waves. So I would say those are the three main changes that we've seen happening in the industry. Jo: Just interestingly, given that you're French, Italian, Spanish, European— Has the pace of change been the same in mainland Europe? Because you and I have also met up at European conferences, but I just get the sense that each individual European country, the UK included, as I include the UK in Europe, goes at a different speed. Ricardo: No, they definitely do. Our market at Reedsy is all in English. We only have an English website, and I would say 70% of our market is US, then 15% UK, and then Australia, New Zealand, et cetera. We do have clients in continental Europe, but they're mostly going to be American or British expats. A lot of retired people who write books and use Reedsy services. I think the main reason for that is that self-publishing as an industry hasn't really grown in Spain, France, Italy the way that it's grown in the US and the UK, probably because these are countries where book buying habits are a lot more traditional. So all my friends from high school and university in France, they all buy books, they all buy paper books. They all buy from bookstores. They don't really buy from Amazon that much. They love the smell of paper, all these sorts of things. So obviously that makes it harder for indie authors in those countries because they cannot place their books in the places where people buy them, which is traditional brick-and-mortar bookstores, or at least it's much harder. So there is an indie movement in those countries, but it's much smaller. I would say Germany is maybe the exception in Europe, where I've seen more and more full-time indie authors, but I don't think it's a market that's comparable even to the UK. Jo: Interesting. Okay, so let's go to marketing, because you love marketing, you have a newsletter about it, and you have a book, How to Market a Book, same title as mine, and we've found each other in our Also Boughts over the years. You have, however, updated yours several times. 2025 was your last update. Mine was 2016, so yours is definitely the most up-to-date one. So what are your thoughts on how authors can reach readers now? And let's split this into two. Let's start with some tips for new authors who just have maybe one book and are really just starting out. Ricardo: Yes, first of all, sorry for stealing your title. Jo: Oh, you know, it's never been a problem. Ricardo: We were trying to come up with something… I know, I know, I know. But still, we wanted something more original, and then we realised that for SEO purposes, that's the title we should really go for. The good thing is, if you search “how to market a book” on pretty much any retailer, you're going to find your book or mine in any order really, but those are going to be the top two books to this day, thankfully, so I'm good with that. I think in terms of marketing tips for new authors who have just the one book, I'd say, despite all the changes in the industry, the basics of marketing still stay the same. One of my big mantras when it comes to marketing is that product is more important than marketing. So having a great book is going to be more important, in my opinion, than being a great marketer. Having a great product. By that, I generally don't talk about literary value or prose or anything like that, just because I'm not a book critic. I'm not an editor. My opinion on whether a book is good or not is worth zero. From a marketing standpoint, for me, a good book is one that resonates with its intended audience. So the first step for newer authors is to basically figure out who they wrote this book for, right? Have an idea of who their target market is. A great way to do that, without entering into marketing jargon like proto-personas and stuff like that, is to think in terms of comp titles, comparable titles. I think that's probably the base of any marketing, whether traditional publishing houses or indie authors, to think, “Okay, which other books out there are similar to mine?” If your book is completely unique, you have, I would say, 99.9% chance of not selling, because your market doesn't exist, and 0.01% chance of creating your own market and completely dominating it, right? So being unique is not necessarily a bad thing, but I would say 99% of the time, it is. Obviously being unique within an existing niche, within an existing market, that's completely different, but you need to work on some comparable titles. So I would say that's where I would start, and that's one of the things that AI is great at. If you even just plug in your book into an AI chat that has enough context, if you're comfortable doing that of course, or if you plug in a synopsis, like a long synopsis, you can basically ask the AI chats, “Okay, what would be some comp titles?” Either you'll have heard of those books, and you'll think, “Okay, they're good comps,” or you may not have heard of them, in which case I would really recommend buying them and reading them and seeing whether they're comps or not. I think that's where marketing starts. Jo: Yes, and we might come back to that for book discoverability. Well, let's just talk about it now, because I now pretty much use Claude for discovering books as well. I just find that the Amazon search, for nonfiction it works really well, right? As you said, if you want to learn how to market a book, you just search “how to market a book”, and our books are very well titled for that. But for fiction, it's so difficult to find new books and comp titles, especially if you don't write in a clear genre, which I don't. I know lots of people do. So we're writing cross-genre. So in terms of book discoverability, I know you've been looking into SEO for books and all of that. What are your thoughts on how authors can more effectively have their books surfaced if people are using the AIs for finding books? Ricardo: That's a very big topic. That's one of my favourite topics right now. That's what I talk about in my marketing newsletter, and I want to start a Substack on the topic as well, because I think it is the future of book discoverability. As you say, search on Amazon isn't great, and if it's not great on Amazon, you don't even want to imagine on Google Play, Kobo, all these sorts of places, right? If you search on Kobo or Apple Books or Google Play for witch cozy mysteries, the top 10 books are going to have exactly “witch cozy mystery” in the title or the subtitle or the series title, right? Jo: Yes. Ricardo: Search is very simple on those sites, so it's very easy to game, but it's terrible as an experience for readers. So I do think that a big part of search is going to move to AI, and now you have Rufus within Amazon itself that appears as a chatbot and encourages you to talk with it, to ask for recommendations. In the beginning Rufus was really terrible, but now I recommend authors play with it. In general, I recommend when it comes to AI discoverability that authors play with all the AI search tools. So it's going to be Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, Google's AI Overviews and AI Mode, Rufus within Amazon. Just like we talked about comp titles, right, ask for something like, “What would you recommend for fans of this book? Which other books would you recommend?” Or if you're looking for something specific that describes your book, what books would you recommend on… I think one of your examples was fiction around masonry or something like that, right? Jo: I always say, for example, if you ask for action adventure thrillers on pretty much anywhere, you're going to get 20 books by male authors. For those of us who are female authors, but also who have female main characters, you can then be far more granular. That's just not something that necessarily works on Amazon. So, action adventure thrillers with female protagonists written by female indie authors, which is very specific. That will work in AI, whereas that definitely won't work on Amazon. Ricardo: Exactly. So one of the great things about AI search, and terrible things at the same time, is that the concept of keyword is lost, right? So we title our books How to Market a Book because the keyword that people would search for is “how to market a book”, or “book marketing for authors”. Those were the two keywords that had the biggest search volume if we looked at Google Keyword Planner, or any search tools that give you keyword volume. When it comes to AI search, since it's conversational, and it's very personalised, and it can go as niche as you want, keywords are going to disappear, and search volume as a metric is going to disappear. The search you just told me about, maybe there are 10 people who are going to run it exactly. Most people are going to run variations of that. Since you can go as granular as you want, it's going to be very long phrases, very long sentences. So the whole concept of keywords, search volume, SEO, is going to disappear in favour of what some people call GEO, generative engine optimisation, AIO, AI optimisation, AI search optimisation. There's a bunch of names for it, but it is a different discipline. It still works on the basis of Google SEO because what most of these search engines will do is they're going to search the internet, right? They've been trained on a lot of information, but not all of that information is current. Most of these models have been trained on documents and web pages before 2021. That's why when you used the very early versions of ChatGPT, and you asked it about current events or current books, it didn't find it. It didn't have that information. Now all these models have the ability to search the web, and they do that really effectively. So the first thing they're going to do if you run a search like that is they're going to run dozens of different searches on Google or a similar search engine. Action thriller books with female protagonists. Action thriller books with female protagonists by indie authors. Action thriller books by indie authors. They're going to create what I call a corpus, so a massive document of information with candidates, books that probably meet those criteria that they have found through regular web searches. Then they're going to go through all those books and determine which are the most relevant to recommend, and they'll return with that. Then they'll usually have a verification layer as well, which is, okay, I have these five books that I want to recommend to this user, but I just want to make sure first that they are written by indie authors, that they do have a female protagonist, et cetera. And if I'm not able to verify that, I'll flag it in my answer to them. So there are these three layers. Web search, then ranking of the book candidates, and finally a verification layer, and then they serve you the answer. Obviously, that's really powerful. If that's the way that search is headed, which I firmly believe, then we as authors need to learn how to get our books in there. Jo: Yes. It's so interesting, and I do this all the time. Really niche stuff, like a thriller about anatomical Venuses, which are these models from anatomy museums and stuff like that, with an edge of the supernatural. What is brilliant is that you can find the books that come up. I actually got one that I read and reviewed, and it was fantastic. So I love the more granular thing, but we're really in the very long tail now, right? It feels like you can write a very nuanced book, and it will be surfaced, but only by a few people. So do we have to write our books and then try to not even retrofit them in the way that we used to? We used to try and figure out the seven keywords and all of that kind of thing, and now I almost feel like we just get to be grownups, where you just get to write the book and put it out there, and these things are more intelligent than the search terms. Ricardo: Yes, absolutely. I think in terms of the variety of books that are going to be read and discovered, that's amazing. A little bit like the whole indie publishing movement was amazing, because if you remove the traditional publishing gatekeepers, then suddenly zombie books aren't dead anymore. Zombies are alive again. They've… Jo: Come to life. Ricardo: They've come alive, and so you get a bunch of zombie books again. It's not a small niche audience. It's actually a pretty big niche audience that loves zombie books, and suddenly they have those to consume. This is a little bit similar on a much, much bigger and more granular scale, because anyone can find exactly the kind of book that they're looking for, with the tropes they want, with the type of characters they want, with the type of author they want, and you can basically use any kind of filter. So for discoverability on the side of the reader, that's great. For the authors, it doesn't mean that you can just write whatever you want and then rest, and readers will find them. Because your books still need to have generated a certain internet footprint and a certain review footprint in order to become interesting or recommendable to AI search engines, right? Unless you're the only book that an AI search engine can recommend for that specific search, and yours was very specific, so it might have been the only one. If there are other candidates, the AI search engines are pretty smart. They're going to recommend the candidates that have more reviews, better reviews, or are more famous, that have more, when I talk about internet footprint, more pages talking about them on the internet. That's for me the big finding I've seen. The more pages you have on the internet talking about your book, so that could be book review sites, that could be Goodreads lists, Listopia lists, anywhere on the internet where your book is mentioned, that creates a footprint for it. The more footprints, the more famous your book looks to AI search engines, and so the more worthy of recommendations it is to them. Jo: Yes, and this is one reason why I now ask people, especially when you sell direct, or say you have a Kickstarter and you want reviews, I ask people if they can review on Goodreads. Obviously Goodreads is owned by Amazon, but it is far more searchable by the bots than Amazon is. I sometimes find that Amazon gets blocked. Or Amazon blocks some of the bots, let's put it that way. They might change over time. They own 15% of Anthropic or something. But Goodreads I feel like does get indexed, and I'm not willing to engage on Reddit. I know Reddit is another popular one. Just be very clear on social media, because some people think, oh, I just need loads of influencers to talk about my book, and that will impact the AIs. But I find that social media just almost isn't even there. Ricardo: It depends on which social media. For me, Reddit is a social medium, right? It's a very weird one, but it's obviously the number one social medium used by AI search engines, and it's pretty dodgy stuff with lots of conflicts of interest, because Google has a paid partnership with Reddit. I think Sam Altman has shares in Reddit. So both OpenAI and Google Gemini heavily rely on Reddit for their AI answers, right? If you ask anything from ChatGPT or Gemini, I'd say there are very high chances that in the sources and the citations of the answer, you're going to find Reddit, right? That goes for books as well. Every time you ask for book recommendations, Reddit is going to be big for those two AI search engines. Claude, it's a little bit different. They do have a little bit of a relationship with Reddit, but I don't think it's as big. I found that Claude relies heavily on Goodreads, not Reddit. To me, Goodreads is another social medium at the end of the day, right? It's not the kind of social medium we think of, like… Jo: It's not TikTok. Ricardo: It's not TikTok. TikTok is surfaced a little bit, but not that much. It might become more surfaced in the future, but right now what I've found is, it's really Reddit and Goodreads. Facebook, LinkedIn, but LinkedIn is big for nonfiction topics more than fiction, because there are just not a lot of fiction readers, sorry, talking about their favourite books on LinkedIn. They usually go to other places for that. Jo: Yes, it's really interesting. So obviously TikTok has its own BookTok thing, so some people are finding books on BookTok, and some people like me are finding books through asking Claude, and that's just my overwhelming feeling about the industry. We talked earlier about what's changed. When I started, so 2006, there wasn't even KDP, and then KDP arrives, then you came in 2014, and probably until maybe a few years after that, there was one way to self-publish. Then what's happened since is this kind of splintering. There are so many ways to self-publish. There are so many ways to reach readers. There are so many ways to market. So someone, for example, could sell direct on TikTok Shop, only market through TikTok, and you wouldn't even know that they existed over in another ecosystem, right? So do you feel like that's happened too, this total splintering? Ricardo: Absolutely. I think there are so many different ways in which you can reach your audience now and monetise it as well, that it's absolutely possible. We both know examples of authors who are only visible to their TikTok niche, right? I think the big difference is also monetisation, because earlier you also had different ways of becoming well-known. Like you had Facebook, you had potentially Twitter, back when it was Twitter. Various social media, word of mouth. But where people bought books was Amazon. So that was your monetisation. It was either selling your book on Amazon, or potentially getting KU reads after that when KU launched. Now you can sell on TikTok, you can sell direct, you can run Kickstarters, you can start a Patreon or Substack and make your money through there. There are pretty much infinite ways through which you can monetise your content as a creator. Most of those places will also have a discoverability engine built in, so you can not only sell through there and make money through there, but also grow an audience there. That's probably the biggest competition that Amazon has ever had to face, is this sort of splintering. For us authors and content creators in general, it's amazing, because it's a bunch of different opportunities. Jo: Yes, and I think probably that's circling back to marketing. As we've said, some things have changed, some things stay the same. Is the email list still the number one way to market, do you think, for authors who want a long-term career? Ricardo: I think so. It's just the one thing you really own that allows you to communicate with readers, right? Because even if you build a following on TikTok, TikTok can change. The things we said about Facebook 10 years ago, if you build your Facebook group, Facebook can change, and Facebook changed. Facebook destroyed the reach of pages, and now groups also aren't amazing, et cetera. So the same thing that happened to Facebook can happen to TikTok, can happen to any other social media. Substack is a bit of a hybrid because it is a newsletter, it is a mailing list, but it also has a discoverability engine built in. So I still wouldn't really go all in on Substack. The great advantage there is that you do own the emails, right? So you can move away from it at some point. For me, the email list is the one thing that you are completely in control of. Personally, the main thing I check is my emails every day. I spend more time in my inbox than anywhere else, and I think that's probably the case for most people. So I do think, despite the influx of mails that readers are getting in their inbox, I still think it's one of the most important marketing tools for authors. Jo: Yes, and I still remember when I started my list in December 2008, and I still have people on the list who've been with me that whole time, and have moved email list services several times as well. So I think that's important too. The care of that list too is so important. One of the things that I am annoyed about with Substack, I don't have a Substack, but when I follow some people's, it's always constantly trying to get you to sign up to other people's lists, trying to subscribe you to this or that or the other. I'm like, “That's so annoying.” Now I've found on all these email services they're trying to pair you with other creators and cross-promote and all of this. So it feels like even the email list is becoming a difficult place unless you really protect it. So just protecting your list, I think, and remembering that those are people. Those are people who've bought your books, or people who read your emails. Like people listening to this, these are humans. Sure, some bot might be looking at the transcript, but humans listening to this are individual humans with individual email lists. We tend to forget that, don't we, as you get a bigger list. You think about it as a big number, whereas it's still individual people. Ricardo: Yes, it becomes a number, it becomes metrics, the open rate, the click rate, and all that. But the great thing about email is that you get replies in your inbox. There you remember that they're actual human beings who write you back. I think for readers, the ability to write back to an author and get a response is just amazing, right? If you write to your favourite author and they write back to you, that's the best feeling ever as a reader. So I think email is still one of the best ways to turn your readers into fans and into super fans of your brand, by just interacting with them and answering them. Because yes, you can answer comments on TikTok, Facebook, and all those places, but it doesn't feel the same as an author answering you in your inbox, I feel. So you do get that ability to create a real connection with readers directly through email. Jo: Yes, and I think that trust and the reputation is so important. Just in terms of seeing the authors that you've seen over the years, like I said, you've been going to a lot of the author conferences. You know a lot of the authors in the industry. A lot of people will know you from events. But you've also seen authors come and go, and you've seen vendors come and go. Both of us have seen people arrive, and we'd be like, “Oh, yes, I wonder how long they're going to last.” Then some people do and some people don't. So what are some of the elements that you've noticed about the businesses that last more than a decade? Ricardo: I think they need to solve a genuine problem, or offer a genuinely better solution than one that already exists. I see a lot of businesses come in and they do what another vendor already does, without doing it necessarily better. Those businesses tend to disappear, or linger there, but you don't really hear about them again. When they solve a real need… I still remember when BookFunnel came out, and they've since become massive with one very, very basic thing, which is, “We will take care of delivering your ebook files to readers.” That's how they started, and that's how they became massive. To me at the time, I was like, “That seems like a very small problem,” because I can just email an ebook file. I didn't realise that it was so complicated for a lot of readers to upload files to their Kindle or other devices, and that having a service that takes care of that for you is just massively helpful. I realised that when I published my books, actually. So businesses that solve even micro or apparently very small problems, but they really solve them effectively, they stay. Others that surf on trends, they tend to disappear when the trend disappears. When there's a new marketing trend, and that trend stops working, then those businesses tend to go. Jo: Yes, and what about the authors who last? Because let's face it, most of us don't solve a problem in a different way. Maybe you could say we solve your entertainment problem in a different version to your last book. What about the authors who last long term? What have you noticed about them? Ricardo: Two things. So the first one… Maybe three things. First one is passion. I always say to people who are looking to start self-publishing, I always say that publishing in general is probably one of the worst ways to make money. It's awful. You can pick up any other occupation and it's probably going to be easier to make money. So writers who make a career do it because they need to write, because they have a passion for writing. So a lot of people who come into the industry thinking, “I've heard about all these self-publishing success stories. Surely I can write a book and I can market it. It's not that hard. So that's going to be a great way to make quick bucks,” those generally don't last, because they don't have that genuine passion. The first hurdle they're going to face—and there's going to be a bunch of them along the way—they're going to quit. The second thing is business sense, or business education, the basics of business, right? Thinking in terms of marketing, thinking in terms of who's my reader, unit economics. If I'm selling my books at $3.99, I shouldn't be spending a ton of money. If I just have one book at $3.99, I cannot afford to pay $5 on ads to generate a sale. So those kinds of basic economics or business knowledge, I think, if not a requirement, it's a massive plus. The third thing is resilience. The industry has changed a lot, as you mentioned. There are a bunch of ways now to reach an audience. There are a bunch of ways to make money. It can also be distracting, because you go to one of these conferences and you go back thinking, “Oh, I've got to create my own website, sell direct. I've got to launch my Substack. I have to use Claude Code for my ads,” and three more things, “and I have to set up my TikTok Shop and do TikTok Lives to sell books,” right? Jo: All of those by next week. That's why we go to the conference. Ricardo: Exactly. All those by next week, right? And during that one week after the conference, you have the energy to start implementing all those things, but afterwards you lose that energy and you go back to, “I just want to quit.” So you need to have some sort of resilience, and the business sense of, “Okay, I'm going to try this for the next six months, and I'm going to stick to it, and I'm going to see whether it works or not. And if it doesn't work, I'm not just going to despair. I'm going to try something else.” That goes for marketing tactics, but also goes for books. Most authors I know who make a living writing, they didn't get there with their first book or even their first series. A lot of times I see authors who write a couple of series, and those series do okay. They sell a little bit, but not much, and it doesn't afford them to quit their day job. Then suddenly, based on what they've learned with those first two series and what they've learned potentially going to conferences or listening to podcasts like this, et cetera, they write a third series that's a hit. That's a hit, and that's instantly much easier to market, and that's when they can afford to go full time and write full time, because they've found that sort of product market fit. And product market fit for me is the main thing for marketing in general and for authors in particular. Until you find that, everything is really difficult from a marketing perspective. But finding it usually requires writing more than one book and more than one series, because you're rarely going to get the big lottery ticket on the first try. Jo: Or ever. I think it's really important. I've never had a breakout book, but I've made good money every year. I think, and Hugh Howey said this, that the real story of self-publishing is not the people who make seven figures a year, it's the people who can go on a holiday once a year, or the people who can just put a bit towards their mortgage or whatever. So you may never have a breakout series. I think that's really important, too. Ricardo: That's true. Jo: That's true. You can just keep writing and make all right money and be what we call in the mid-list. Ricardo: Yes, but you've got to keep going. You've got to have that resilience to keep going, probably because it's your passion. Exactly. You're not chasing that seven figure series. You're writing because you need to write. Jo: Yes, and you can't stop, and you get the bug. I think when you're writing that first book, I'm not sure if people understand that you either get the bug or you don't, I think. You've written a couple of books now. Do you think you have the bug, or is it more about the business? Ricardo: I don't have the bug. I definitely don't have the bug. I would've kept writing otherwise. Jo: You're a technologist, right? Ricardo: Yes. I'm more of a technologist, more of a marketer. To write my first book, How to Market a Book, I actually had to write newsletters, because that I can manage, right? One newsletter a week. Now I don't even manage that. I send it once every two weeks when I can even manage that pace. But back then I did one newsletter a week, and that's how I wrote my first book. I then put all these newsletters together, and that was before the age of AI, so I couldn't just dump all that into ChatGPT and tell it, “Create me a book based on that.” I had to do it myself. Jo: Oh, terrible. Ricardo: Terrible, I know. The days when we had to work. No, but that was a really good experiment. The second book, Amazon Ads for Authors, I actually wrote it from scratch, and I didn't love the experience. I loved the finished product, I'm very proud of it, but I didn't enjoy the experience of writing it. Amazon Ads is not the most exciting topic in the world. Even for people like me, who actually enjoy Amazon Ads, it's not super exciting to write about. The fact of having to write that whole book from scratch, I didn't love the experience. So now I do want to write a third book at some point, but I think it'll probably be in the format of the first one. Like, when I finish my series of newsletters on AI search and AI discoverability, I might do a booklet or something around it, but we'll have to see. It's not my favourite thing. It's a good thing I don't need to. Good thing I'm not an author, basically. Jo: No, but I think that's really great to recognise. You actually have written books that support your business, and that is very common for nonfiction writers. That's completely normal for nonfiction authors. So I think that's another important thing for people to recognise, is that the reasons we write are different, the reasons we market are different, and we all have different approaches. As we wind up, and obviously you talked a bit there about how easy it is to generate books with AI, and that is probably one of the biggest things that people are worried about. Now, those of us like you and I have been talking about AI at conferences and things for years now. Neither of us are afraid of it, I think basically because both of us use it, and we're technologists, so we just get on with it. There is so much fear in the community. There's so much negativity. You mentioned Substack, and now they've integrated Pangram, which is renowned for false positives around what is written with AI, and so people are very worried. If we look forward and we look at the next decade, this is not going away. This is going to change a lot of things. So how should authors be thinking about AI, do you think, if they want to prepare for the next decade? Ricardo: I think they need to play around with it, because you and I know that until you actually use it, you don't realise what it's capable of. We've both had these moments of “Oh my God, I'm going to be out of a job,” or “Oh my God, this is incredible,” the kind of things it's able to do. You also realise by using it the things it's not great at, or the things it can be good at but needing a lot of human input. There are courses out there, there are books, there are a lot of things, but for me, the most important thing is to start playing around with it. So you can pick one specific topic to play around with. Either something that you've been meaning to get into for years and haven't done, or something that really annoys you. Looking at the results of your Facebook ads, for example. If you run Facebook ads in the first place, and when you log into your Meta dashboard you cannot make sense of it, take screenshots or download the data, feed it to an AI chat, and talk with it. One of my biggest tips when talking to AI chats is asking them questions rather than asking them for things to do. Because if you just feed it your advertising data and you tell it, “Tell me what I should do,” the chat has no context about what your ads are about, what your goal is, et cetera, et cetera. If you feed it just a screenshot and you say, “Here are my ads. I would like you to help me make sense of them. What do you need to know from me in order to help me with this?” Then it's going to start asking you questions. “Okay, what are you advertising?” They're books. “Okay, what kind of books? Where are you selling? Are your ads going straight to Amazon or retailers, or are they going to your website? If you sell direct, okay, are these conversion ads?” Et cetera, et cetera. So you build that context, and they can help you with it. So that's just one example, but I would pick one thing that you want to test AI with, with zero expectations. Don't expect that by the end of the week you'll have a full system for understanding your Meta ads thanks to AI. You might get to that or you might not, but at least you'll play with it and you'll understand its capabilities, and have a sort of understanding of how it works and how you can potentially use it for other things. I think that's the best way to adapt, because once you play with it, you start thinking. You're walking the dog and you're just thinking, “Ha, I could maybe use it for this thing or that other thing,” and that's how you progressively become more familiar with it. I think there are a lot of worries around AI, but as you say, it's there to stay. So far, I think I was looking at data this morning, and the unemployment rate in the US has stayed stable ever since ChatGPT was introduced two years ago. So there are a lot of narratives out there around how it's going to replace humans, it's going to replace jobs, et cetera, which it might do. I'm not great at predictions usually, but so far it hasn't. What it will definitely do, however, is completely change the way we work. Obviously AI was one of our big reckonings at Reedsy, because we run a marketplace. Our main business model is the marketplace, where authors come in and look for editors, for marketers, for cover designers, for translators, and some of these domains and services are being transformed by AI, right? AI translations are massive right now. We haven't really seen a decline at all on the Reedsy marketplace, but we're prepared for it. It might very well happen, but what we think is happening, or is going to happen, is professionals using AI tools to provide a better output or a faster output or a cheaper output, or all three of these things. So for example, we now have literary translators who say they're open to editing AI translations, right? So you can come in, you can have your book translated with AI, whichever tool or method you choose for that. Then if you want a set of human eyes on it, you can hire a literary translator who's open to working on an AI-translated manuscript, and that's obviously going to be much, much cheaper than paying 10 cents per word from scratch for a literary translator. I'm not necessarily recommending you completely bypass literary translators, or that you go this way, but you have options, right? You have options for different sets of budgets. I think all these human editors, narrators, translators, designers, et cetera, they're not going to disappear, but they might have to reinvent the way they work in the future. Jo: As we all are doing. As you say, for me mostly it's the business side, getting Claude to help me with business stuff. Like even bookkeeping. There are bills that we've all been paying for years that we can now maybe reduce, and reducing costs as well as increasing profit is obviously good business sense. So, interesting times. But just as we wrap up, what are you excited about in what's coming? How do you see Reedsy shaping up in the next decade? What is coming for you and Reedsy? Ricardo: We're really excited about the decade to come, because obviously 10 years for a startup is a long time. I think most startups after 10 years, the founders are gone. Jo: Yes. Ricardo: Or they've exited or they've sold or whatever. We've stayed, we're the same founders, and we're still as excited because I think we have new products, right? We're working on new things. As I mentioned at the beginning of the episode, Reedsy Studio, our writing tool, is probably one of the things we're most excited about, because first, it's getting adopted very fast. It has startup-like growth that we hadn't seen for other products in a long time, and it has very cool technology built in. We probably have a team of 10, 15 engineers now working full time on it and adding a lot of things. So we've added templates for plotting your book, with relationships within different characters and places and magic systems and things like that. We've added writing goals and writing statistics. We still have the free exports. One very cool thing we've added is real time collaboration. So just like Google Docs, you can write in real time with a co-author, or you can get an editor to work in there live with track changes. So you could have an editor working on chapter one while you're writing chapter three, for example. That kind of thing. It's really powerful technology, and that's one of the things we're really excited about for the future. A business, just like authors, we've got to reinvent ourselves. We've got to find ways to keep things exciting and keep motivated, and that is definitely one of them. When adoption goes along with it, then that's obviously super satisfying. Jo: Brilliant. So where can people find you and Reedsy online? Ricardo: So Reedsy you can find at reedsy.com, R-E-E-D-S-Y.com. And there you'll find the whole suite of tools and services. For me, you can find me mostly by email, as I mentioned. That's the one place I check consistently every day, and my email address is ricardo@reedsy.com. So again, R-E-E-D-S-Y.com and ricardo@reedsy.com. You can email me any questions you have about this episode, about AI book discoverability, about marketing, about Reedsy. I always try to answer every email I get, because I think when we started Reedsy, I really appreciated people like you, and some other agents and editors and authors we contacted who were influential in the industry, who actually answered us and took the time to do that. So now I try to answer every email I get, because I feel like we've been very lucky in the beginning to have those people answering our emails, so we should do the same. Jo: Oh, well, thanks so much for your time, Ricardo. That was great. Ricardo: Thank you, Jo. Thanks for having me again.The post Book Marketing, AI Book Discoverability, And Resilience, With Ricardo Fayet first appeared on The Creative Penn.