Matt Report

Episode 45: Who’s behind TorqueMag.io

What do you do when your agency is burned by bad service and unlucky outsourcing? Roll your own offering. Our latest guest Robert Neu of YouNeedFat.com takes us down the journey of starting his WordPress agency and why web marketing along with seo services became the cornerstone of his success. Armed with a developers background and the hustle to do things right, he declares when you want something done right you do it yourself. Let’s go! Interview with Robert Neu of YouNeedFat.com Making it happen My favorite type of WordPress entrepreneur story is one that starts from a passion to put out a damn good product or service. In my humble opinion, we’re living at the tail end of the minimal viable product or MVP. As of late, I'm seeing that theory flood the market with half baked products and niche services that can't sustain past a short shelf life. Don’t get me wrong, I think there’s a use case for MVP but I think it gets trumped by good old fashioned elbow grease and a desire to put out something great. AsI mention in the interview, Fat Media's website is one of the best around and it’s success pays tribute to that attention to detail. Not a slapped together theme or landing page but a well though out funnel. Why listen to this episode? We’re going to learn from his story of getting burned in the past by well known SEO firms promising results and not delivering -- to the point they fudged their reports. This hits home with me because I fell for the same pitfalls when I started Slocum. I relied on 3rd party vendors to deliver a service that never really helped my client or my bottom line. Hopefully in today's episode we all learn from this mistake. Realizing this wasn't going to build a healthy and scalable business, Robert did something about it. Armed with a cache of tools, the Genesis framework and WordPress dev skills he now brings a strong offering of home-brew services to his client's. Work life balance It’s been a while since we talked about enjoying the work you do. “You need a fat presence on the web to succeed.” A call to action that really sets the stage for Fat Media's clients and brand alike. It's the type of twist on things that sets him apart and lures the kind of client that is willing to have some fun with the whole process. Why so serious? After this interview you might not be offering up such dry geek speak anymore. Want the secret to long term success? Enjoy what you do and make your customers experience your service the same way. How do you fuse your lifestyle with your business? Yo, you like this theme? Something I'm really proud of is our new Minimize theme. I plan on writing more about this launch, but I wanted to let you know you can download it from the WordPress.org repository or contribute on GitHub. Maybe you know someone that could use the pro version packed with premium support and more colors? Send them here. So if you're looking for something lightweight, responsive or just want to dig into our code and #DramaPress it up -- go nuts! :)

Episode 44: Avoid getting burned by other agencies

At the MattReport, we're always looking for new and interesting ways folks have launched their WordPress business. Some people believe that there's no difference in a WordPress business, than say, a banana stand -- I disagree. Enter Eric Hamm creator of the Catalyst framework and the Dynamik Website Builder to challenge just that thought. Eric has a tremendous story about starting out as a web marketer who taught himself how to develop a free WordPress theme that matured to a $20k monthly revenue business. WordPress entrepreneurs unite! Let's dive in... Interview with Eric Hamm of CobaltApps.com (upset there's no video? Sorry! My laptop died last week and good ol ex-IT manager forgot to backup his files! So potentially I've lost my last 5 interviews and that's going to cause quite a headache for my past guests. Here's to Apple being able to fix everything...) Eric and I had a chance to chat before the interview and it was clear that he had a TON of stuff to talk about. We fly through the history of his WordPress career starting from consulting on WordPress sites with bigger name bloggers like Leo Babauta of ZenHabits.com and others that are popular today and saw tremendous growth back in 2008. The concept of Frugal Site Design was born and Eric quickly realized he needed to shift to a digital product. Not only was his own brand name hurting him, but he wanted a more consistent passive income. Thus, Frugal theme was born and received a good boost from the connections he made in the internet marketing space. I love the idea of connecting with folks that have a larger audience to get your name out there. Service is like running; Product is like riding a bike I loved this little analogy that Eric brings up. Think about running up a hill on a hot summer day. It sucks right? If you're on a bike, once you get to the other side of the hill you can coast a bit. That doesn't mean you can give up on peddling, but to gain momentum is going to be a lot easier. On the flip side, as someone who enjoys to run, finishing that 5 mile run and tackling the hills can feel really rewarding. What do you prefer? Finding a new audience So I don't want to ruin all of the surprise, but there's a big lesson in cultivating an audience in this episode. That's exactly what Eric is leveraging by moving his Catalyst customer base of around 6,000 to StudioPress more dominate pool of 90,000. Find the right audience for your product or service and capitalize. I hope you enjoyed the first audio only episode of the MattReport -- if you did consider subscribing to my newsletter or tweeting this out to other folks who might find it interesting. Thanks! What's in your toolbox: Forklift 2 Outro music: Pain and Jeopardy by Just Plain Ant  

Episode 43: How CobaltApps found a way to $20k in monthly revenue

If you're a premium WordPress shop or just running your own business, where do you set the bar? My next guest has a relentless pursuit to create something awesome that his users will love. But hey, that's easy when you're total revenue from a premium plugin exceeds $1 million in sales right? Not so much. Meet Dale Mugford co-founder of BraveNewCode the developers behind the WPtouch mobile plugin. We chat about launching the company, supporting customers and introducing  the new pricing structure of version 3.x. This is going to be a fun ride so I hope you're strapped in! Interview with Dale Mugford of BraveNewCode http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-ImaGyORzo Listen to the audio version The relentless pursuit of perfection You might be familiar with that phrase from the Lexus brand. When I listen to Dale's story and hear the devotion he has to his product -- that's the first jingle that comes to my mind. Next would be an almost Apple-esque approach to finer details and packaging. This is very apparent when you visit their newly designed website and watch their brand video. They are telling a story about the product and what it solves without focusing on WordPress -- amazing. If you're going to be in the premium WordPress market, I'd say BraveNewCode sets the bar for brand experience. Looking for feedback As I approach 50 published episodes, I want to hear from you. Do you like the direction of the podcast? Are you looking for something more? Let me know in the comments or contact me. I'd love if you joined the VIP mailing list or shared this post with your Twitter peeps!

Episode 42: How BraveNewCode built a million dollar business from WPtouch

Every now and again you come across an individual who is just knocking it out of the park with awesome stuff. Recently for me, it's Chris Lema an author, speaker, coach, VP and WordPress blogger. If you don't already subscribe to his blog or follow him on Twitter -- you should make a point to do so. Chris joins us today to talk about becoming great at our craft and offers actionable advice for those of us looking to stop trading dollars for hours. Even if you're a long time follower of Mr. Lema, he never ceases to amaze us. Carry on to the show! Interview with Chris Lema of ChrisLema.com http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8A67uzAM5bE Watch on YouTube Listen to the audio version Start talking business and stop talking technology How do we deal with the $500 client? You know, the mechanic that just wants to get his coupons online. No social media, no inbound marketing and certainly not publishing a YouTube series. Just get the coupons online. If we're stuck talking about all this technology and marketing lingo then the chances are we're not talking about their business. The value of getting these coupons online and driving real customers into the mechanic's shop. Let's break down that conversation: "Hey can you get me a site with coupons that my customer's can download?" "Sure can!" you respond. Upselling from the $500 What's the value of this to the client? If 50 coupons were downloaded a month, what's the overall gross? Let's say 50 x 24.95 for an oil change? So we're already roughly $1,200 in gross sales. So Mr. Customer are you willing to invest $500 to make $1,200? Sure that's easy. But what if that's 50 coupons a month for 12 months? Now we're talking nearly $15k in yearly revenue. Now their initial budget of $500 is something like a 3% investment with that kind of annual intake. Well sure that sounds great for the business owner -- but what about you? Sweeten the pot. Mr Customer, I think we can generate you $15k a year with these coupons but it's going to take at least a 10% investment to make that kind of money. Now the wheels are turning. But what about supporting and scaling this, how can we add even more value? Mr Customer, if we add lead capturing to these coupons we can do some direct marketing and sell packages like maintenance and other higher price tag items. If we landed ten $1,000 maintenance jobs per year through this list, that's another $10k in potential revenue. Now we're at $25k in potential income -- do you think this is all possible on a $500 budget? You see where I'm going with this. Sell on value, not the technology. It also dosen't have to be monetarily based -- the value could be your process, your knowledge or support. Capitalize on the value proposition of your engagement. What Chris taught me Chris and I are alike. We both talk about the business end of WordPress and we're both trying to leave an impact on the community and this world. I'm sure I have a lot more to learn from Chris, but the first lesson he's taught me is the importance of connecting others. It's always been on the back of my mind with Matt Report -- to find people doing awesome things with WordPress and expose them to an audience that otherwise might not have found them anywhere else. In my recent trip to WordCamp Chicago (a great time by the way) I was able to meet Chris in person. He was constantly making sure I met other folks he knew I should be meeting. I know these relationships are going to beneficial moving forward for everyone and I appreciate all that Chris has done for me and the community this far. Expect great things to come! Like this show? How about subscribing the the newsletter or leaving me a review on iTunes!

Episode 41: Become a great WordPress freelancer with Chris Lema

Brad Williams founder of WebDevStudios joins us to give us a behind the scenes look at this fast growing WordPress agency. He's also a fellow WordPress media man and hosts The Dradcast another WordPress podcast. (It's great, just don't tell him I said so.) Here's a fascinating journey of an entrepreneur who picked up his whole life to start his company. If you're thinking about quitting your day job, sit back and relax as Brad shares his stories about the climb to the top. Brad Williams co-founder of WebDevStudios http://youtu.be/4s0so_aVoSc Watch on YouTube Listen to the audio version Process of elimination A lot of "web 2.0" web marketing entrepreneurs are looking for the quick start. Get 10,000 fans. Keyword stuffing. Over seas outsourcing for SEO. Wrong. Brad's going to take us down a path of hard work and elbow grease. There's no magic potion to grow something organically. WebDevStudio's started with the $500 client and now operates with a team of 12 talented programmers, designers, and project managers. What does this mean? You can do it too. Do good work, plan as far ahead as you can, and understand you want to scale. Brad knew he wasn't a designer and made that one of his first long term goals. As you complete a project and move on to the next, you're going to find what works and what doesn't. You may stumble along the way, but learn from these experiences and focus on what you do well with. I'm listening to this podcast as I'm writing this outline and I just can't keep up. There's so much great conversation going on that you I just want you to dive in to the episode. If you love this interview -- please, SHARE IT! Had some video technical difficulties in this episode -- sorry about that. Audio works fine and you can get it on iTunes. How about leaving me a review? 

Episode 40: How Brad Williams built one of the leading WordPress agencies

Yes, I jumped Jeff of WPTavern ahead of the line! The orignal WordPress media man has been all in the news lately. One fascinating thing about Jeff is, he never fancied himself an entrepreneur. Like many of us, he stumbled upon WordPress and started using it on his own. He fell in love with writing about tech and then that passion transitioned over to WordPress. Continue on to the show to learn more about his adventure from the ground level to now working for Matt Mullenweg! Interview with Jeff Chandler of WPTavern.com http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S73nMxUD1rI Watch on YouTube Is there money in WordPress news? Are you sick of hearing it yet? On my other show, Week in WordPress, I invited Syed Balkhi of WPBeginner.com and Adam Warner of Foo Plugins to dive into this topic a bit more. #DramaPress perhaps -- but listen to what Jeff has to say. It's not easy and starting 5+ years ago is certainly no easy feat. I really enjoyed learning about Jeff's journey and I hope you do too. See, he didn't set out with an end game in mind. Times got tough -- real tough -- but his perseverance pulled through in the end. What do you think of WordPress media? Here to stay, just getting geting started or ready to fizzle out? Discuss!

Episode 39: Accidental Entrepreneur Jeff Chandler of WPTavern.com

I found Brent through this article, where he told us never to say WordPress in our web project negotiations. We want to leave the tech out of the conversation and focus on what we're solving. After 15 years in the business and selling his agency in 2012, Brent has an interesting story to share about his new pivot into an education product over at Ugurus. Join us in episode 38! Interview with Brent Weaver of Ugurus http://youtu.be/VUwwzzwcreQ Watch on YouTube Listen to the audio version Don't say WordPress I think we get so excited about using WordPress for a new solution, we spend so much time talking tech we aren't talking about the value we're providing. Why is this important? The customer's don't live and breathe this stuff like you and I do everyday. Basic client's might balk at hearing too much about responsive design, widgets, and custom post types. We want to avoid "the geek speak" and focus on what pain we're solving for them. Setting expectation I know when I started out, I was so excited to land a job that I just wanted to start working on it right away. One of the lessons we learn as young entrepreneurs is to set the expectation with the customer. Be it in the design, the function of the site, or as we talk about in this episode -- when to get paid. I couldn't agree more with Brent, that these expectations need to be set before signing on the dotted line. It's not just for the sake of the customer, but for the health of your business and sanity. What did you think of this episode? Do you like it when I bring in people from "outside" of our community? Let me know in the comments and subscribe to the mailing list!    

Episode 38: Make more money without saying WordPress