The Smart Passive Income Online Business and Blogging Podcast

#429: I couldn't be more excited to finally reveal a project we've been working on in secret for almost a year! My business partner, Matt Gartland, joins me to talk about the exciting new SPI Pro Community, a membership community for aspiring entrepreneurs. Online community development, a private network rooted around common goals, focus, ethics, and vision. It all starts with our Founding Members. Will you be one of them? Podcast show notes available here: https://www.smartpassiveincome.com/session429

#428: In this session of the SPI Podcast I speak with Kevin Fremon, an entrepreneur who's just getting started building an online membership community to better serve and support his audience. We discuss why it's so important to test your idea before you commit, the differences between various membership platforms, and what makes a community leader smile like a giddy kid. Podcast show notes are available at https://www.smartpassiveincome.com/session428

#427: This episode of the SPI Podcast is about the business at SwitchPod, a physical product my videographer, Caleb Wojcik—who joins me—and I created. From an idea in 2017, to a $418K Kickstarter launch in 2019, to building and shipping it, to placement on Amazon and retail stores... It's been awesome, and we want to share what we're learning along the way to help you fast-forward your own physical product success. Podcast show notes available here: https://www.smartpassiveincome.com/session427

#426: In an effort to spend more time listening to and amplifying the voices of SPI's Black community, we invited people to submit a recording via SpeakPipe sharing whatever they felt comfortable. Team Flynn did not disappoint. Numerous Black entrepreneurs responded, sharing their challenges, promoting their businesses, sharing advice and resources, and telling their stories. Podcast show notes available here: https://www.smartpassiveincome.com/session426

We’re pausing our regular content this week to honor and mourn the lives of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and the countless others in the Black community who have been taken too soon. My teams at SPI Media, Fusebox, Flynndustries, and SwitchPod are taking stock of what we need to do to help bring an end to systemic racism. We’re also opening up a forum for our Black community members and Black entrepreneurs to be heard at http://smartpassiveincome.com/contribute.

#425: Imagine you sell a valuable premium product—one people aren't buying because of the high price point. How do you get them to buy? In this episode I share an honest, authentic marketing tactic used successfully by my friend Rick Mulready, from The Art of Online Business Podcast and RickMulready.com. Here is step-by-step guidance on leading people to a higher-priced product using a lower-priced workshop. Podcast show notes available here: https://www.smartpassiveincome.com/session425

#424: Ann Handley is a Wall Street Journal-bestselling author who helps businesses escape marketing mediocrity to ignite tangible results—and she's here to talk about how we can best portray our authentic selves to effectively market our brands. Learn why so many people are bad at marketing, an incredibly simple way to approach marketing that turns what most people do on its head, and whether likability is even that important. Podcast show notes available here: https://www.smartpassiveincome.com/session424

#423: In this episode of the SPI Podcast, I talk to Prerna Malik about how to become a better conversion copywriter. You'll learn the elements of Prerna's proprietary copywriting process, how to lead a browser to become a buyer, the difference between a bad testimonial and a great one, and how to get social proof before you even have your first customer. Podcast show notes available here: https://www.smartpassiveincome.com/session423

#422: In this solo show, I share a little ten-point quiz you can take to test the strength of your email marketing strategy, and I let you in on some of my email marketing secrets. This isn't the traditional stuff I hope you’re doing already, like writing great subject lines, cleaning your email list, and paying attention to deliverability. No—these are tips from deep inside the Smart Passive Income toolbox. Podcast show notes available here: https://www.smartpassiveincome.com/session422

Podcasting has definitely been affected by the pandemic. Numbers are down for some, however, in some industries, the numbers are way up. Why though? Also, why might now be a great time to start a podcast, and how do we, in this environment, best grow our podcast? All that and more in this episode. Check out Buzzsprout, which we talk about in this episode:  smartpassiveincome.com/buzzsprout. And download the SPI Podcast Cheat Sheet, which gives you step-by-step guidance on starting your podcast. 

#421: In this episode, I interview Deborah Niemann, who helps people all over the world raise their goats and make cheese and soap via her online courses. We cover how to position yourself as the expert and actually be that expert, ways not to create your online course, and the importance of collecting email addresses early on. Podcast show notes available here: https://www.smartpassiveincome.com/session421

#420: Self-proclaimed serial entrepreneur and childhood classmate of mine Jeff Fenster is here to tell us how he's created multiple successful businesses in an all kinds of spaces. These include a small payroll company, a digital marketing agency, a construction company, and most recently, a healthy-dining establishment. You'll learn about the different "types" of entrepreneurial minds, what it means to "reverse-engineer" a business, and why it's good to be the dumbest guy in the room. Podcast show notes available here: https://www.smartpassiveincome.com/session420

At a time when we are craving connection and the ability to connect with others, there's an amazing opportunity in the online world that you may be able to create a business from - membership websites. Memberships right now are thriving, bigtime. In fact, we at SPI are working on one of our own right now, and we wanted to bring Stu McClaren on to talk about this opportunity and even how to validate a membership idea and how to get started today.

#419: For this special episode, I asked some of my parent entrepreneur friends a few questions about owning your own business and working at home. Then, the unprecedented health crisis of 2020 happened, and they found themselves in even closer quarters with their kids. You'll learn tips, plans, strategies, and tools for juggling family and business, and how to ask for forgiveness when the inevitable ball does fall. Podcast show notes available here: https://www.smartpassiveincome.com/session419

#418: Jordan Harbinger, often referred to as “The Larry King of podcasting,” talks about the role of luck in business success and how to cultivate relationships with publicists, agents, and others. His podcast, The Jordan Harbinger Show, has been a top 50 iTunes podcast for over twelve years and receives over six million downloads per month. Podcast show notes available here: https://www.smartpassiveincome.com/session418