Stacking The Bricks - Real Entrepreneur Confessions

We're going on a quick break, but this episode includes a sneak peek at what's coming up next. Thanks for a great season, and for all of the positive comments. If you love the show, consider leaving us a review on Apple Podcasts: https://lovethepodcast.com/stackingbricks  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

I recently joined friend Jonathan Stark on his podcast "Ditching Hourly" where he typically talks about business strategies and best practices for helping freelancers and consultants escape hourly billing. And we talked about that world of business quite a bit, including how people often copy the wrong parts of the successes they've seen.But as a self-published digital author himself, Jonathan also wanted to grill me on exactly how we launched The Tiny MBA and sold thousands of copies without a publishing deal...and without boxes of books sitting in my basement.So I indulged him!In this episode, you're going to hear my answers to Jonathan's questions about:Why we decided to make The Tiny MBA a physical, printed book in the first placeHow and why we picked our printing and distribution partner (and why it's not Amazon)And Jonathan and I riff on my new "secret weapon" for building pre-launch momentum, and why it created a 90% conversion rate and some of the fastest sales I've ever seen.I also learned that Jonat

This week I'm talking customer research with Eteinne Garbugli. Eteinne is the author of a book called Lean B2B, and after learning that his book included our Sales Safari customer research framework, I offered to talk with him and answer some of his remaining questions about the methodology.In the next 30 minutes, you'll hear Eteinne and I talk about:- the surprising origin of Sales Safari itself- what we really mean when we say "customer pain" and the many forms it can take- why strategically choosing an audience is actually a lot more straightforward than most entrepreneurs make it ...and a whole lot more.In the full interview, we also talked about a bunch of other topics related to entrepreneurship and some of Eteinne's favorite lessons in The Tiny MBA, but you're here for the Sales Safari so I'm jumping straight into that here on the podcast feed!This is some of the most in-depth information we've ever published about Sales Safari outside of our paid courses, so I'm excited to share it and hope it helps y

This week I'm stopping by The Cognitive Bias Podcast with David Dylan Thomas to riff on a topic we're both very passionate about: the intersection of ethics and capitalism.Dave is one of the best people I can think of to talk to about this because as a designer and a strategist, He spent a lot of his career thinking about the implications of bias on our work as creators.And one of the things I've heard Dave talk about over and over and over is how so many of the ethical problems we face in business today might actually be designed problems that we can better solve. And in some cases only solve. If we first understand to the cognitive biases that those problems are rooted in.Dave has spent so much time thinking about bias that he literally wrote a book about it called Design for Cognitive Bias, about how to understand the impact of biases on our customers, our teams, even ourselves. The book is amazing. Everyone who makes things should absolutely read it.Back to ethics and capitalism. Seemingly opposing forces

This week I've got a quick brick for you today, on the topic of bosses.One of the things I don't think we talk about enough is how the bosses we've had inform the bosses we become, and that includes becoming our own bosses too.A few weeks back I had the chance to sit down with Lauren Williams from Workplace Harmony and the host of a very fun show called "Caffeinated Convos and Horrible Bosses" where she asks her guests to share their best stories about the worst bosses they've had, and try to learn lessons that can make us better bosses today.Lauren and I talked more about my backstory and The Tiny MBA on her show, which you can go listen to at anchor.fm/horriblebosses, and dig into her archive for more horrible boss catharsis.But in today's mini-episode, I share:- My horrible boss story, and how it informed my approach to business- As well as the impact one amazing boss has had on my life in ways that still impacts me, more than 15 years later.All that and more inside this caffeinated conversation with my ne

This week The Tiny MBA podcast tour comes with a twist! Isn't there always a twist? Is it still a twist if you know a twist is coming? I guess M Night Shyamalan would say so.... ANYWAY.I'm bringing you an episode from a brand new show called "Grow the Show" by my friend Kevin Chemidlin and his podcast company, Cue 9 productions.As you might imagine from my repetition of the word "show" this is a podcast about...podcasts. More specifically, it's FOR podcasters. Ya see, Kevin is a professional podcaster himself, now producing successful shows of his own as well as for others. He recently started helping his fellow podcasters - as the title of his new podcast would suggest - grow their show.GTS is a little less of an "interview' show and more focused on making sure each episode teaches a very specific lesson, from a very specific aspect of starting, growing, and even making money with podcasts. The expert just before me was Eric Nuzum, whos name you might not know but whose work you likely do: it includes a bunc

This week we're taking a break from the Tiny MBA podcast tour to bring you a very special conversation with a very special guest: Nilofer Merchant.Nilofer comes with some serious credentials:She's worked as an executive and strategic consultant at massive companies like Apple, Adobe, Autodesk, Nokia, and many moreShe's shipped 18 Billion (with a B!) dollars in products across her 25 year careerShe's famous for (but not always known as the source of) the phrase "sitting is the smoking of our generation" from her viral TED talk by the same nameShe's written three business books, and currently writes an advice column about making hard business and life decisions that I highly recommend subscribing to: https://atwork.substack.comBut don't get it twisted: unlike many voices in positions of corporate power, Nilofer is a creator like you and me, and uses her position and experience in the business world to make the business world a better place for more people.Nilofer is one of us :)Which part of why I asked her to

Over the last few weeks, I have been visiting podcasts all across the internet, talking with entrepreneurs and creative people, just like you.And this time, I took a virtual trip to India to visit to my friends Mayur and Shai-zada on the Remote Explorers Podcast where they talk about remote work and more generally, the culture of work.In the full episode that you can find on their podcast feed, we talked a lot about the current and future state of coworking, but here on Stacking the Bricks I pulled out some of the highlights about business, entrepreneurship, and education that are most relevant to you, including:The three most valuable parts of a college education, and why it might be more valuable for some people than othersWhere the "Tiny" in Tiny MBA came fromAnd since this is a podcast about remote work, a few of my best tips for adapting to remote work (hint: it's got nothing to do with software)So with that, I hope you enjoy this very special presentation from the Mayur and Shaizada, the Remote Explorer

Over the last few weeks, I have been visiting podcasts all across the internet, talking with entrepreneurs and creative people, just like you.And this time, I paid a visit to Will Toms and the REC Philly community here in Philadelphia. REC - which stands for "resources for every creator" - is a pretty incredible community and resource center geared towards helping artists, musicians, and other creators turn their creative skills into real business opportunities.Just last year, they opened an amazing facility for that community of creatives, sort of like a gym but with digital audio stations and recording studios instead of treadmills and weights.I also admire their dedication to education, and making sure that their community knows how to make the most of having access to those incredibly powerful tools.But most of all, I love the people. The staff, the leadership, and every community member I've met at REC is smart and creative, some of the best Philly has to offer.So I was excited when the team invited me t

Over the last few weeks, I have been visiting podcasts all across the internet, talking with entrepreneurs and creative people, just like you.We'll not necessarily JUST like you, because you might have noticed that these last few conversations have been visits to podcasts hosted by dudes!Thankfully, I was able to end this white-male-podcast-host streak by visiting with Colleen Schnettler and Michele Hansen on the Software Social Podcast.Among a sea of white dudes talking about how awesome they are, Michele and Colleen's show stands out as something...special and needed. It feels less like an interview, and more like two smart professional friends offering weekly stories and support about what's going on in their respective businesses.I love shows like this, that feel more like a human conversation that we, the audience, just get to listen in to.So if you're into software and business, and like me want to hear more diverse voices talking about the things we're interested in, I highly recommend checking out the

Over the last few episodes, I've been visiting podcasts all across the internet, talking with entrepreneurs and creative people just like you to talk about some of their  favorites tidbits from my new book, The Tiny MBA. In THIS episode I visited with Tony Lopes on the Self Made Strategies Podcast, where he  explores modern collaboration, craft, and persistence.In this shorter excerpt from the longer conversation you can find on his site, we talk about:- The biggest hurdles and challenges in publishing a book (hint - it's not writing a book).- Making reversible decisions- And what people get wrong about risk - keep in mind that Tony is a lawyer!And a whole lot more!With that, I hope you enjoy this in depth conversation I had with Tony. Here we go! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Over the last few weeks, I've been visiting podcasts all across the internet, talking with entrepreneurs and creative people just like you to talk about some of their  favorites tidbits from my new book, The Tiny MBA. In THIS episode I visited with Matthew Arnold on the Iowa Idea podcast, where he  explores modern collaboration, craft, and persistence.We talk about:- Why businesses - especially agencies - get distracted by awards- What it means to "flintstone" your work- And what people get wrong about passionAnd a whole lot more!With that, I hope you enjoy this in depth conversation I had with Matt. Here we go.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Over the last few weeks, I've been visiting podcasts all across the internet, talking with entrepreneurs and creative people just like you to talk about some of their  favorites tidbits from my new book, The Tiny MBA. In today's episode, I visit with Brendan Hufford from the SEO for the Rest of Us podcast to talk about some of his favorite lessons from The Tiny MBA.We talk about:Learning and feedback loopsBuilding in publicThe valuable knowledge that's often locked up behind closed doorsIn the full episode (which you can watch on Brendan's youtube channel) we talk more about the backstory and design of the book, so you can go check that out over there if you like. But for here on the stacking, the bricks feed, I jumped straight to the part where we start talking about the lessons that Brendan learned from the book and wanted to share.I hope you enjoy this in depth conversation with Brendan and I. Lets go! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Over the last few weeks, I've been visiting podcasts all across the internet, talking with entrepreneurs and creative people just like you to talk about some of their favorites tidbits from my new book, The Tiny MBA. And today I'm sharing an episode from a live stream that I did with Ken Rimple and Becca Refford at Chariot Solutions, an enterprise tech consulting firm right here in Philadelphia. Chariot is a big force in the Philadelphia tech community, doing lots of great things for technologists in the region.In today's episode, we riffed on a few of Ken and Becca's favorite nuggets from the book, including:The power of slowing down to take a look for hidden CThe real reason self-promotion feels achy to you. And we explored a hidden theme of "wellness" in the book!Also, a quick shout out to Hannah Litvin, the designer behind The Tiny MBA. In this episode, we talk a little bit about her designs and the design process that we went through together. If you're thinking about creating a book of our own, and are

Hope you're safe, hope you're well, hope your loved ones are well, hope you're finding ways to stay sane and of course, finding ways to keep stacking the bricks to build your own product business.Over the coming weeks I'm going to be adding new episodes to the Stacking the Bricks feed to highlight conversations that I've been having across the internet with creators and entrepreneurs.Why have I been having these conversations?One: I'm stuck at home, just like you!But two: I have a new book, The Tiny MBA100 Very Short Lessons about the Long Game of BusinessShort enough to read in 20-30 minsAvailable as an ebook but also for the first time, a paperback book!Today's episode is one of the first conversations I had about the book, with Louis Nicholls from the Sales for Founders podcast.Louie was one of the beta readers, and invited me to kick off a new seasons of his show to talk about the book and to go deep on a few of the lessons inside.I'll let him introduce the episode in a moment, but if you want to get your

Nathan Johnson left a corporate gig to bootstrap an affiliate business to 100,000 users. But to get it any bigger - and profitable - he would have to give up the very thing he left his corporate gig for: freedom. Ouch.Find out how he changed course to build a different business that DOES let him travel and spend more time with his family, while helping his growing audience of professional photographers.Links & show notesNate's website: http://natephotographic.com/The Film Guides that started it all: http://natephotographic.com/vsco-film/Nate Johnson's Twitter: https://twitter.com/firstnateNate Johnson's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/firstnate/?Additional Episodes, Essays, and moreStacking the Bricks: http://stackingthebricks.comAmy Hoy: https://twitter.com/amyhoyAlex HIllman: https://twitter.com/alexhillman See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

I've been wanting to do an episode with Brennan Dunn for a LONG time. He's one of our most successful students, having built an empire of resources and products for freelancers at doubleyourfreelancing.com. But freelancing rates aren't the only thing Brennan has figured out how to double...now he's mastered the art of personalizing on-page content to boost conversion rates, often 2x or more!Brennan has come a long way since he joined 30x500 with the idea to build and AirBnB for homecooked meals...and in this episode you're going to learn how he built his empire by stacking the bricks.Links & show notesBrennan on Twitter: https://twitter.com/brennandunnBrennan's Double your Freelancing: https://doubleyourfreelancing.comBrennan's Drip Automation & Personalization Course: https://doubleyourfreelancing.com/drip-course/Rightmessage: https://rightmessage.io/stackingthebricksChurnbuster: https://churnbuster.ioAdditional Episodes, Essays, and moreStacking the Bricks: http://stackingthebricks.comAmy Hoy: https

Dave Ceddia knew how to ship, but none of his projects had ever made a sale.Today, $15,000 in sales of his book "Pure React" later, he knows how to create new, bigger products for his loyal and growing audience.In this episode, you'll find out how he stopped thinking of himself as a "lifer" at a cushy job to being in control of his professional future.And - YES - the Stacking the Bricks podcast is officially back!Links & show notesBook recommendation: Personal MBA by Josh KaufmannBook recommendation: Badass by Kathy SierraDave's Website: https://daveceddia.comPure React: https://daveceddia.com/pure-react/Additional Episodes, Essays, and moreStacking the Bricks: http://stackingthebricks.comAmy Hoy: https://twitter.com/amyhoyAlex HIllman: https://twitter.com/alexhillman See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Donovan picked up JFS in December. Read it over Christmas. By the end of February, he'd grown his mailing list to 1,500 people. He created a landing page and JFS'd an email course on CSS animation, with a price tag of $49. In the first 7 days, he made 50 sales — for a total of over $2,000.NICE.To learn more about how Donovan did it — including specific techniques for getting traffic to his blog posts — listen in right now…Show NotesDonovan's blog - http://hop.ie/CSS Animation Rocks Course - http://cssanimation.rocks/Amy's Book, JFS - http://justfuckingship.com/Save 10% off JFS during the month of October using the code STACKER. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Here is the double-edged sword of the software business:All the “features” in the world will not matter if you don’t have the customer pipeline.It is better to lose many customers over a missing feature than spend a month on a feature that people say will make them sign up.Yet there really are features you’ll require in order to get and retain your best customers.OK, so maybe it’s a triple edged sword. Or maybe a citrus reamer. Shut up.I understood this in an intellectual sense, and I tightly managed our list of features for a long time. But we still built stuff that didn’t matter, while at the same time not building fast enough some of the things that really did.But we did not at any point do enough marketing. Never. Not once. Not even now. (It’s #1 on my agenda for this year.)So we will have these new features that our best customers really, truly need — features that will remove objections, and help us land some big fish, and retain them, too.But it’s not like overcoming an objection will magically draw ne