Entrepreneurs-Journey.com by Yaro Starak

Revealing interviews with online entrepreneurs, bloggers, information marketers and founders of technology startups hosted by Yaro.

Two episodes ago we had a reader question from John Paul who asked about link building techniques. [ Download MP3 | iTunes | Soundcloud | Raw RSS ] We spent the first half of this podcast episode, Everything Entrepreneurship #15, talking about where link building is at today, a topic I am very interested in because I spent the last week researching traffic strategies for my new e-guide. In the second half of this podcast Walter talks about his experience listening in to a woman who was part of a seed investment round in Twitter. We then talk about funding and doing a pitch for investment as a startup. During the show I mentioned a previous article I wrote about putting together a "pitch deck" for when we were looking for investors for CrankyAds, which includes the different areas we covered in our presentation. You can find the list of concepts to cover in your pitch deck in this article - How I Created Our Pitch Deck For Investors. [Tweet "Do The Same Old Link Building Techniques Still Work Today?"] Do You Have A Question For Our Show? To hear your question answered on our next show send me a one to two minute long MP3 explaining who you are, what you are up to and a question for Walter and myself and we will reply on our next episode. You can send the mp3 to yaro@entrepreneurs-journey.com. Or if you are shy, leave your question as a comment reply to this post. Enjoy this week's episode and we will talk to you again next week. Yaro and Walter [ Download MP3 | iTunes | Soundcloud | Raw RSS ]

Walter and I have a very strategic discussion on today's Everything Entrepreneurship Episode #14 as we look to concepts like the Blue Ocean Strategy and Disruptive Innovation as methods to carve out big profits by creating new markets. [ Download MP3 | iTunes | Soundcloud | Raw RSS ] The two books we mentioned during the call were - Blue Ocean Strategy: How to Create Uncontested Market Space and Make Competition Irrelevant The Innovator's Dilemma: The Revolutionary Book That Will Change the Way You Do Business We also talk about these topics during the podcast - How to turn an information publishing business into a hundred million dollar company Internal vs external forms of motivation The parallels between startup companies and internet marketing fundamentals And more feedback from Walter's experience in the startmate incubator program To hear your question answered on our next show send me a one to two minute long MP3 explaining who you are, what you are up to and a question for Walter and myself and we will reply on our next episode. You can send the mp3 to yaro@entrepreneurs-journey.com. Or if you are shy, leave your question as a comment reply to this post. Enjoy this week's episode and we will talk to you again next week. Yaro and Walter "Don't Miss Yaro's Latest Podcast Interviews" Sign up for the EJ Podcast Newsletter and I’ll send you new episode notices and the best interviews from my archives. Click Here To Sign Up For More Podcasts

Welcome to the first episode of Everything Entrepreneurship with Walter and Yaro for 2014. This is episode #13, which felt a bit like a new years hangover episode. [ Download MP3 | iTunes | Soundcloud | Raw RSS ] We recorded this podcast at 10:30PM local time Monday night, after Walter had his first full day at the Startmate Incubator in Sydney. You will hear how that went and what the setup at Startmate is like during this podcast. I also talk about my first project for this year, a beginners guide to traffic for bloggers, which leads us into an interesting discussion about the Long Tail and how it is so relevant for SEO today. We also talk about these topics during the podcast - The only thing startups should focus on from day one How much pressure is Walter on to perform in the incubator and how they are measuring success What content is going into my new guide on blog traffic How bloggers can make use of the Long Tail to get traffic from search engines And yes, we talk about the weather too! You can read more about the Long Tail here. I hope 2014 has started with a bang for you and your business. If you need a little help to guide you this year, why not leave us a question we can answer during the show? Just write a comment reply to this post or even better, email your audio question in MP3 format to yaro@entrepreneurs-journey.com and we will play it live during the episode. Happy listening! Yaro and Walter "Don't Miss Yaro's Latest Podcast Interviews" Sign up for the EJ Podcast Newsletter and I’ll send you new episode notices and the best interviews from my archives. Click Here To Sign Up For More Podcasts

In episode #12 of Everything Entrepreneurship, the final for 2013, Walter and I look back over the previous year and talk about some of the most significant moments in both our personal and business lives. We review how these events changed us and changed the direction we took during the year. We also discuss what 2014 has in store for us. [ Download MP3 | iTunes | Soundcloud | Raw RSS ] Here are some of the subjects we covered during the podcast - To begin this episode I talk about the biggest change and by far the hardest event in my life so far, the passing of my mother. Walter talks about how dealing with the death and illness of people close to him has changed his outlook on life. Walter explains how he researched what people like him did to launch a successful business by binging on podcasts interviews with software engineers who became founders. We close out the episode by looking forward at what 2014 holds for us A big thank you to all of our listeners for supporting us during the first three months of this new podcast. We hope you continue to join us in 2014. If you want your question answered during our next episode, leave a comment reply to this post or email your audio question in MP3 format to yaro@entrepreneurs-journey.com. Yaro and Walter "Don't Miss Yaro's Latest Podcast Interviews" Sign up for the EJ Podcast Newsletter and I’ll send you new episode notices and the best interviews from my archives. Click Here To Sign Up For More Podcasts

In this Christmas flavoured Everything Entrepreneurship #11 episode, Walter and I head into a long discussion about email and how you can best outsource and automate this very important part of your online business. [ Download MP3 | iTunes | Soundcloud | Raw RSS ] During the episode I mentioned an article from the archives of EJ where I covered how I came up with my email management system, which you can read here - Inside My Business: The Evolution Of A Customer Service System Here is what we talked about - We begin with a brief segue about Doctor Who and the amazing prelaunch process that occurred online in the build-up to the 50th anniversary special episode. Walter explains what he is setting up to run automatically without him since he is about to devote at least six months of his life to a brand new startup and incubation process in Sydney and San Francisco. The rest of the episode centers around email automation, including how I currently handle emails and some of the various systems I have used in the past. If you want your question answered during our next episode, leave a comment reply to this post or email your audio question in MP3 format to yaro@entrepreneurs-journey.com. Merry Christmas! Yaro and Walter "Don't Miss Yaro's Latest Podcast Interviews" Sign up for the EJ Podcast Newsletter and I’ll send you new episode notices and the best interviews from my archives. Click Here To Sign Up For More Podcasts

Chuck Frey has an interesting niche, one you might consider very old-school and probably because of this, not something you have thought about adding to your own business. [ Download MP3 | Transcript | iTunes | Soundcloud | Raw RSS ] Chuck makes money from directories. Do you remember directories? Those old style sites that list links to websites which you can search or manually dig through? Chuck suggests that you consider adding a directory - like a resources page with links to relevant websites, tools and products - to your website or blog. This adds value to your site, but can also become an income stream. As you will learn about in this interview, by charging a price for a premium directory listing, you can add a new and very passive income stream to your blog. All you need is the traffic to justify charging for an entry in your directory and perhaps a little groundwork to find paying advertisers. Hands Off Income What I really like about this method is that it allows you to monetize an area of your site in a way that most people do not. I bet if you are a blogger right now you probably have a resources page, which you link through to products and services via your affiliate link. That's standard advice for bloggers - sell affiliate products via a resources page. How about charging $1,000 a year for a premium advertisement on your directory resources page, then locking in five to ten sponsors? You just need them to sign up at the start of the year, pay the annual fee, and that's it. You know how much you are going to earn and receive it up front. Assuming of course you have traffic and deliver clicks to your advertisers, this could become a very stable, low-labour income stream to add to your business. It could be a full time income source if your site has enough traffic. If you are confused by any of this, have a listen to the interview with Chuck. We cover all the basics, including how Chuck has made money with his own directory, how he sets things up and how he recommends you get started. Make sure you check out Business Directory Profits, which is the guide Chuck mentions several times during the interview. What We Covered During The Interview Here's what we talked about during the interview - Chuck tells the story of how he first came up with the idea of paid directory listings We talk about Chuck's first website directory, what subject it was about and how he set up a system to make money charging for premium listings I ask Chuck to explain some of the technical options available to us to manage directories and was surprised to hear him suggest just starting with a standard WordPress page you manually update (how easy!) Chuck talks about pricing, how he recommends you find advertisers and how to keep the process as hands off as possible Where to Find Chuck Online Business Directory Profits Google+ Chuck's Twitter profile Chuck on Facebook See Chuck on Pinterest

Everything Entrepreneurship #10 features a host of great questions from our listeners, including our first ever audio question sampling the smooth aussie-accented sounds of Andrew Hellmich. Andrew asked about how to determine demand for an ebook project before putting in all the work creating the ebook. [ Download MP3 | iTunes | Soundcloud | Raw RSS ] You will also find out how Walter went with his Startmate incubator program application, which we talked about during the previous episode. Here are the other topics we covered during this episode - Carlos asked about the viability of creating an online business in another language like Spanish Alex challenged us with his question about the differences between horizontal and vertical business models (and I am still confused!) Chris is looking to form a mastermind group in his hometown, so asks for advice on what goes into a good mastermind We also cover testing for product demand to avoid creating a product that no one will buy I hope you enjoy this episode. If you want your question answered during our next episode, please leave a comment reply to this blog post or email your audio question in MP3 format to yaro@entrepreneurs-journey.com. Speak to you soon, Yaro and Walter

In episode #9 of Everything Entrepreneurship, Walter talks about his experiences along with his startup partner Brett Geoghegan during a five hour long "pitch day" as a finalist to enter the Startmate incubator program in Sydney. [ Download MP3 | iTunes | Soundcloud | Raw RSS ] With 18 different investor-mentors to pitch to, it felt a lot like speed dating for entrepreneurs looking for backers. If you are considering applying for a top-tier incubator with your startup company, you have to hear Walter's story in this podcast. Here are some of the subjects discussed this episode - The differences between a public consumer startup versus a business to business startup What exactly happens during a pitch day for a premier incubator program How Walter and Brett are applying lean principles to choose what market to go after The differences between owning a platform that other companies use versus creating a tailored solution directly for the client This is very much a startup focused podcast episode. If that's where you are with your business or plan to be soon with a new idea, or you are just curious about incubator programs, download this podcast now. Yaro and Walter

This was a thoroughly enjoyable conversation podcast interview, with David Hooper, a musician turned music marketer. David, born in Nashville, has been involved in the music industry on some level for his entire life. [ Download MP3 | Transcript | iTunes | Soundcloud | Raw RSS ] Although he started out performing music, it soon became apparent David's true talents lied in the realm of music marketing. David became very proficient promoting his own gigs using street marketing and direct response advertising. This in turn led to roles teaching others how to promote their music, consulting and eventually writing a book called the "Six Figure Musician". Can Creative People Give Away Their Work And Still Make Money? Much of this interview focused on the idea of giving away your creative output - your music, or writing, or whatever it is you do - for free, and how that can lead to making an income. I asked David in an era when music is mostly free, available on podcasts and YouTube to consume on mobiles whenever we want to, how can a musician make a living, or even more - six figures a year? I was interested to hear his answer because as a writer, I am keen to hear how we might also give away all our writing in blog posts and free reports, and even possibly give away our training courses, and yet make a profit. David's answer focuses very much on ancillary opportunities that become available to you, once your music or your writing gets you exposure. Things like becoming a paid speaker, or paid to do gigs as a musician, or selling merchandise, or getting hired as a consultant. There is an interesting topic and as a creative I just know you will love this interview. Go listen to it now. Of course, it is free. What We Covered During The Interview Here's what we talked about during the interview - David talks about his background growing up in Nashville and what his original aspirations as a musician were. We discuss how he became a music marketer for himself, then a consultant/teacher for other musicians We dive into the big discussion of how the music industry has changed and what that means for people today who are trying to make a living from their music David shares plenty of examples from music artists who are making a living from their music but not predominately from sales of the music I ask David how he personally can make a living if he gives away his book, especially if he wants to make money beyond getting paid for services like consulting and speaking This is a great podcast for any person who is creative and trying to make a living from their creativity, in a world where everything is free online. Enjoy and stay musical! Yaro Starak Relevant Links Mentioned in this Interview Seth Godin Kevin Kelly's 1000 true fans musicianbook.com MusicMarketing.com Big Bold Impact.com iTunes radio Pandora Spotify CD Baby  Where to Find David Online Twitter.com

Welcome to Everything Entrepreneurship with Walter and Yaro, episode #8. [ Download MP3 | iTunes | Soundcloud | Raw RSS ] This episode we focus on Q&A, with Colin Gray from ThePodcastHost.com asking us about his podcast hosting service and how it could be a viable business when hosting is so commoditized. Jared Easley from StarveTheDoubts.com sent me an email asking whether you could buy another person's podcast as a growth strategy, which we talked about in the second half of the episode. After listening to a video conversation between Marie Forleo and Gary Vaynerchuk, I posed the question whether I should consider starting a high-end blog services business similar to what Gary and his brother are doing with Vaynermedia. Walter's response was pretty clear about what I would be up against with this business, given his background in consulting. Here are some of the subjects we discussed - How to compete in an industry like podcast hosting when price is the only differentiator What should you be prepared for if you start a new services based business Can buying a podcast work as a growth strategy for your own podcast What about buying a pinterest account, or tumblr blog, or twitter profile - are these other types of assets worth buying? If you want your question answered on the show like Colin and Jared in this episode, just ask us in the comments below and we will reply in a future episode. I'd really appreciate a review in iTunes too if you are enjoying Everything Entrepreneurship. Thanks for listening! Yaro and Walter

This edition of Everything Entrepreneurship with Walter and Yaro focuses on passive income. We also review what I call the "holy trinity" of concepts necessary to feel completely satisfied with your business, especially as a lifestyle entrepreneur. [ Download MP3 | iTunes | Soundcloud | Raw RSS ] Here are some of the subjects we discussed - Can buying a website lead to true passive income? What types of passive income are there Why hiring good people is so important for passive income The trinity of money, freedom and passion and how I went about finding all three And a whole lot more! Also, don't forget to grab your copy of my How To Buy And Sell Blogs For Passive Profits E-Guide before the launch special price discount ends this week. Enjoy the show! Yaro and Walter

It's time for our regular weekly podcast, the first with our new title - "Everything Entrepreneurship With Walter And Yaro", including catchy intro and outtro music thanks to Carl from The Voice Market. [ Download MP3 | iTunes | Soundcloud | Raw RSS ] In this episode we focus on the concept of Product Is Marketing, which was the topic of my most recent newsletter as well. Make sure you read the comments that follow the newsletter, there is some great stuff there from Jade and Lewis for anyone who sells informations products online. This topic first surfaced as a result of my attendance at a Melbourne networking event that featured Jonathan Teo, who works for a venture capital group who have backed Twitter, Instragram and most recently, Snapchat. We start this episode with a discussion around buying a website instead of starting one from scratch and why you might want to do that. This ties in to the upcoming release of my latest e-guide - How To Buy And Sell Blogs And Websites For Passive Profits - launching next week. Enjoy our show, let us know what you think of our new music and podcast name, and don't forget to leave a comment reply with any questions you have, which we will respond to during the next show. Yaro and Walter

  Welcome to the start of a new week and of course, a new podcast with Walter and Yaro. Thanks so much to everyone who gave us feedback last week about what name to use for our show. We have now decided on a name and slogan, and with thanks to a listener Carl, who has offered to do a jingle, next week we will unleash our new name and intro.   [ Download MP3 | iTunes | Soundcloud | Raw RSS ] For this episode Walter and I uncharacteristically managed to focus on only two topics, which were - The two phases of market research, which Walter is currently working through in order to come up with a sustainable income stream for his startup, Kickspy. How to move from full time employee to part time contractor and eventually reach the point where, like Walter, you can earn enough to live off from one day's worth of contracting so you can spend the rest of your time on your entrepreneurial projects. I hope you enjoy the and as always we welcome your questions, which we will answer on the next episode. To leave a question just leave a comment reply to this blog post. Yaro and Walter

Which Name Do You Like The Best? In this week's episode of the Walter and Yaro podcast show, we begin by asking you to choose which name we should select for our show from the following finalists - Entrepreneur Cafe Entrepreneur Digest Entrepreneur Insights The Walter And Yaro Podcast Show [ Download MP3 | iTunes | Soundcloud | Raw RSS ] That fourth option is in there because after one month of using the simple Walter And Yaro Show title we have grown quite fond of it, however we are opening this up to your feedback and will rely on the wisdom of the crowd. Your job is to leave a comment reply to this blog post and tell us which name you like best so we can choose a winner. The Why Train Technique During the rest of this episode Walter and I talked a lot about researching your market to figure how exactly what your target customer wants. We cover the "why train" technique popularised by Toyota as a way to get to the root cause behind a problem by asking "why" six times (you can read more about the Why Train Technique here). We also talked about the 90/10 rule for content and sales, and we looked at what the week ahead holds for our own businesses. Enjoy the show and let us know what name you like best. Yaro and Walter