In The Trenches

Roland Frasier is co-founder and principal of three current Inc. Magazine fastest growing companies. He has founded, scaled or sold 24 different 7 to 9 figure businesses ranging from consumer products to industrial machine manufacturing companies with adjusted sales ranging from $3 million to $337 million. He is currently growing DigitalMarketer, RivalBrands, and Plattr while advising over 150 other companies on digitally-centric customer acquisition, activation, referral, retention, and revenue strategies and plan implementation.   I brought Roland onto the show today to talk about strategy and thought process; specifically, how he thinks about business and the problem he's had to solve, at various levels of resolution. My big takeaway from this call is that each of us probably has all the information, facts, and "data" we need to make big things happen. We just have to get out there and get our hands dirty. Stop searching for the latest "hack" and instead implement (and really get after it when you do). 

Connie Ward is career coach and counselor.   As an ex-broker working in financial services, after crashing and burning she decided to help people differently, which lead to creating Passion And Purpose Mastermind for people who are confused about their career path, wanting to start a business or those who are in business and want to help more people. She is using Meetup as a way to leverage her business.   In today’s call, we zoom in on Connie's ten-step strategy for client generation and precisely how leveraging meetup to get clients consistently. I think this is a particularly interesting conversation because I didn’t hear a lot of people talking about MeetUp.   We go through Connie’s exact situation where she was. Where she lives, there aren’t a lot of people, and she was able to get a room full of people and then close over nine thousand dollars worth of coaching clients from that one event and continue to run Meetup groups and leverage this strategy. So it seems to be highly effective.   In this

Nick Usborne is an online copywriter and site optimization expert with over 20 years of experience online. During a career spanning 40 years in the marketing industry – offline and then online – he has worked with dozens of major companies. Since 1997, he has been working exclusively on marketing online and internationally recognized as a leading expert on the subject of writing for the Web.    He attributes his success to “conversational copywriting,”.   In today's conversation, we talk about, why is conversational copywriting the future of not just copywriting in general, but also for all interactions online? How do we write to engage with our customers and clients? Because if you can engage the readers, and if you write copy that gets responses, that gets people replying, sharing, and taking action, that's the purpose of copywriting right?!   You are probably implementing this idea of conversational copywriting into your email sequences, your social media strategy or your sales page strategy, even if

Michele Moreno is a camera coach who works with entrepreneurs, creators and anyone who wants to get in front of the camera. She helps them show up, present and crush their video presentations. As an actress, singer, business writer, confidence expert, Michele helps people become a better versions of themselves, and turn their viewers into clients. My big takeaway from today's call is that the 20% of effort that creates the 80% of your results from video presentations is all stuff that's under your control. It has nothing to do with big budget editing, expensive cameras, snazzy lighting, or anything like that. The critical pieces are the things that you do when you're on camera and how you show up, speak, look, and engage. That is what we cover in today's conversation. In this broadcast, Michele and I talk about: How Michele stepped into the world of acting Why Michele made the switch from actor to coach Where to begin with video presentation How to overcome the fear of the camera and crush

AJ Wilcox is an online marketer since 2007 and founder of B2Linked  which is a LinkedIn Ads performance agency. Extremely active in the online marketing community, he is a LinkedIn Certified Ads Partner, and he manages the official LinkedIn Ads group forum, and he is a board member of SLC | SEM among other things. An exotic car nut and a triathlete. He lives in Utah with his wife and four kids.   In today's call, AJ and I discuss: How he got his start growing this agency? How he was leaving from his company as an employee and then decided to start this company from scratch and what that process was like, and also how quickly he got it up and running to a point where it replaced his day job income, and then somebody has grown substantially since then?   All right. Let's go ahead and dive into today's conversation.   In this broadcast, AJ and I talk about:   AJ's entry about how he got into LinkedIn advertising and growing the B2Linked How to go all in on your business after you'd been laid off? How t

Travis Ketchum, founder & CEO of the contest-optimizing service Contest Domination, joins the show today. Since 2012, Travis’s software has allowed him to give businesses the tools to expand their email lists and create new customers through contest engagement.   Travis speaks about his entry into the world of contest marketing and the struggles of creating and promoting new software. He delves into advice for getting maximum engagement in contests and converting those contest participants into customers.   In this broadcast, Travis and I talk about:   Travis’s entry into the world of technology and business How Travis conceived a way to encourage contest engagement The investment necessary to get into software How Travis launched and initially promoted the contest software The pros and cons of working with affiliates The importance of designing contests with specific goals in mind Why choosing appropriate prizes for the contest audience is key How to bring in customers with activation offers

Yaro Starak, a self-made millionaire, started his internet business model in 1998. Since then, he has owned several businesses and made millions of dollars with his simple model. He has been featured in Forbes, Entrepreneur Magazine, and HuffPost where he is known for explicitly sharing his entrepreneurial journey.   Today, Yaro talks about his most recent business Inbox Done. He shares his personal experience with his email inbox, why he created the business, and how it is helping others. On the business side, he delves into how to scale a services business, why systemization is key, and how he is able to create several different businesses from one model. For anyone who is thinking about starting a business or has one of their own, this episode is for you. Now, it is your turn to make millions.   In this broadcast, Yaro and I talk about:   Managing your inbox and why someone else should be managing it for you How Yaro pivoted from creating content to owning his own company The amount of time we spend

In this episode, I discuss e-commerce cooperatives with Barth Getto, Owner of Empowery. Barth has an extensive background in marketing, and decided to put his skillset to use helping small businesses via Empowery. Empowery is a member-owned e-commerce cooperative that is focused on giving cooperative members a broad range of insight into the e-commerce industry, daily support, and key data that helps make pivotal e-commerce decisions. When you are a part of a cooperative, you have the knowledge of the cooperative at your fingertips.   Barth gives us an in-depth look at cooperatives with a focus on his e-commerce cooperative. Barth highlights why being a part of a cooperative is a powerful tool especially when you are developing your own e-commerce business.   In this broadcast, Barth and I talk about:   How cooperatives play a specific role in a segmented market Why Barth chose a cooperative model in this company How Barth´s company helps people selling products online How can you join Barth's network

David Burkus is a best-selling author, and a sought after speaker and associate professor of leadership and innovation at Oral Roberts University. David’s innovative views on leadership have earned him invitations to speak to leaders from a variety of organizations. His TED talk has viewed over 1.9 million times, and he is a regular contributor to Harvard Business Review.   Today, David speaks about his newest book, Friend of a Friend, which offers readers a new perspective on how to grow your networks and build key connections, based on the science of human behavior, not rote networking advice. It offers a strategic way to approach this idea of relationship building in the context of business.   We don't just talk, we get into the weeds but how to connect to people how to follow up and more. So even if you're the most socially awkward kid on the block, this will still work for you.   All right. Let's go ahead and dive into today's conversation.   In this broadcast, David and I talk about:   David’s

Antonio Centeno, originally a US marine, worked for Google writing over 100 men’s style and fashion articles that have over 800,000 views. Today, with over 11 years of experience in men’s style, Antonio is CEO of Real Men Real Style where he creates videos, podcasts, and articles on Men’s Style. With a focus on dressing men to impact others and make more money, Antonio has turned his content platform into a million dollar business.   Today, I sit down with Antonio to better understand what it takes to monetize content (to the tune of 7-figures), reframe failure, and create meaningful relationships.   In this broadcast, Antonio and I talk about:   How to start creating content and monetizing it fast How to bounce back from failure Why creating content to sell information rather than products is an important differentiation How creating content for larger profit items is a more streamlined approach to make money Why three types of people are attracted to content Why Antonio chooses to host events and

Ajit Nawalkha is the Co-founder of Mindvalley Teach, Evercoach, and Global Grit Institute. He is also the author of Live Big: A Guide to Passion, Practicality and Purpose. Starting as an intern in Mindvalley Ajit quickly moved up the ranks to become CEO of the company. He has a unique perspective on business and shows us how we, too, can have it all - Passion, practicality and purpose. In today’s conversation, we talk about how we can reframe business to make it work for us and our life. We look at how creating and scaling a business can be a simple mindset switch. Ajit highlights the major stumbling points of entrepreneurs and how we can avoid them. If you are an entrepreneur creating your own business, this is an episode you won't want to miss. In this broadcast, Ajit and I talk about: How Ajit´s childhood created the mindset he has today What makes us a product of the people who have impacted us Why we need to take off of our blinders when we are chasing a dream What it means to live big A

Michael Zipursky is the CEO of Consulting Success, and is a coach, consultant and author. Michael´s list of clients include organizations like Panasonic, Dow Jones, Financial Times, Royal Bank and many others. He has written 5 books including “Profitable Relations: How to Dramatically Increase Your Profits By Giving Customers What They Really Want,” and “The Consulting Success System: How to Become a Successful Consultant.” In today’s conversation, we talk about how to grow a successful coaching or consulting business. Michael imparts the four pillars of consulting success that are proven to add value for a client and create a sustainable consulting business that does not rely on its network. He also shares how to convert client consultations into long-term (and high-paying) clients, and how to handle initial intake / consultation calls, to get someone to make a decision on whether to hire you now, rather than waiting in limbo for a reply. If you are a coach or consultant, this is going to be one of

Jordan Harbinger is the host of a top 50 iTunes podcast (The Jordan Harbinger Show) with over 4 million downloads per month. This makes Jordan's show one of the most popular shows in the world. Today, I sit down with Jordan to discuss how he grew his podcast from scratch in such a short amount of time, how he was able to recover from a challenging business breakup, how he was able to reframe "starting over" as a positive, and tips and tricks you can use to grow your reach and influencer through a podcast.   If you enjoyed today's interview, please do me a favor and share! This podcast spreads through word of mouth alone (I don't advertise). So thank you in advance for your support.   In this broadcast, Jordan Harbinger and I talk about:   How Jordan was able to get 1 MM downloads on his new podcast What it was like to start a business over from scratch Why it is important to reframe ¨starting over from scratch¨ to ¨moving forward with new experience¨and the role this played for Jordan How a personal br

Today, Seth Godin, a 19 time bestselling author and long-time marketer, joins me on In the Trenches. Seth Godin has been featured in the Guerrilla Marketing Hall of Fame, the Direct Marketing Hall of Fame, the Marketing Hall of Fame, and was recently quoted on the TV show "Billions" (which is braggable, so I had to add that). A self- proclaimed teacher, Seth inspires and teaches others how to level-up their life and business.    In today's conversation, we talk about the state of marketing, what is working and what's not, and this critical idea of "the smallest viable audience." Seth and I also dive into some more contentious marketing topics like growth hacking (good or bad), how we can do meaningful work while avoiding the race to the bottom, how to be an agent of change, and more.   Oh, and if you enjoyed today's interview, please do me a favor and share! This podcast spreads through word of mouth alone (I don't advertise). So thank you in advance for your support.   In this broadcast, Seth Godin an

Today, I delve into Kindle publishing with Steve Scott, who is the author of over 70 self-published books. Steve Scott pivoted from being a blogger to a self-publishing machine, and that change enabled him to start making $30,000 every month from his writing. Steve and I take an in-depth look at the digital publishing realm. Steve highlights why he started self-publishing and the tricks of the trade that allowed him to get to where he is today. From self publishing process details to larger digital realm logistics, Steve gives us a peek into the life of a writer in the age of e-commerce and the internet. In this broadcast, Steve and I talk about: How Steve got into the digital realm How Steve pivoted from blogging to self publishing and the lucrative results How Steve leverages his subscription and email lists to sell his books Why Steve chooses to use paid advertising How changing online regulations can hurt profits Why it is important to diversify income streams How the release of the aud

Today, I am joined by Jeff Cohen, a Senior Executive from Seller Labs. Jeff specializes in helping sellers win at Amazon every day with his wide array of software tools. Seller Labs was featured on INC 500 Fastest growing companies, and it continues to grow each day which means Jeff is continuously finding ways to adapt and scale Seller Labs.   In this episode, Jeff and I talk about the intricacies of scaling a business and how to invest your time so that it adds value for the business. As the business grows and evolves, the business faces different problems which require new solutions. Jeff shares how he has adapted and scaled Seller Labs business while imparting with us some of his best practices.   In this broadcast, Jeff and I talk about:   Why Seller Labs was recognized on INC´s 500 list How businesses qualify for INC´s list How Seller Labs has evolved from 2012 to 2018 How Seller Labs uses the market to test the popularity of their new software apps Why time and place were important factors whe

Today, I sit down with the founder and creator of Live your Message, Marisa Murgatroyd. According to Marisa, At 4’11 and a quarter, she’s called the shortest woman in marketing, but that doesn’t stop her from having huge ideas. She’s the “go to” brand builder for industry luminaries and heavyweights such as Justin Livingston, Callan Rush, and Danny Iny.   Marisa helps entrepreneurs create a business that is authentic and aligned with who they are, to empower them to turn up the dial on their “inner superhero,” so they can be the superhero to their tribe, as well as in their own lives.   In today's conversation, Marisa shares how she pivoted her career from documentary film-making to creating and selling digital products. She reveals how to engage a community successfully and create content that makes a difference.   In this broadcast, Marisa Murgatroyd and I talk about:   How a career in NGO film-making led Marisa to creating digital content and courses online How Marisa was able to gain initial tract

In today's broadcast of In The Trenches, I sit down with author, content creator, brand strategist, and copywriter, Kayla Hollatz. Kayla, a professional copywriter, shares her journey from day job to self-employed. She shares the unavoidable struggles and enthralling successes that make her business what it is today, and shares her journeyfrom employee to entrepreneur.   In this broadcast, Kayla and I talk about:   How to get started with copywriting What does taking the leap from employment to entrepreneurship look like The power of copywriting How to stand out from the crowd in Copywriting Get focused on selling your personal brand Do what you do for your clients for yourself The wonders of word-of-mouth referrals Defining brand voice The area where people don`t spend enough time when defining their personal brand How to understand your current brand voice The area where we have the biggest opportunities The website pages with the most traffic How to make sure your copy fits with your overall

Cary Richards is the founder of infostack.io. Infostack is a company that curates collections of premium tools and resources, and makes them available for limited periods of time at extreme discounts. Cary produces these "stacks" in a number of niches and industries, from self-publishing to entrepreneurship to software development to health, fitness, and beyond.   Cary had a rocky start when it came to entrepreneurship. For years, he hustled to make an extra income on the side - something that would let him quit his job and work full time on his creative and entrepreneurial pursuits - but with limited success. He stumbled into self-publishing as a potential avenue for this type of career, but after years of struggling to get noticed, he realized his breakthrough wasn't going to be from writing. That's when he came across the idea of selling other peoples products instead of his own. And not just as a basic affiliate, but as someone who curates high quality, premium resources and tools, and then sells them t

Roosh Valizadeh is a contreversial men's dating advice writer. Recently, Amazon has banned and removed nine of his books from their bookstore. Immediately after Amazon banned his books, many other platforms (though much, much smaller than Amazon) like Kobo did the same. It's important to note that many of these books have been selling for years, with thousands of sales and dozens of reviews. Amazon did not give Roosh a reason for the removal of his books, including his new release (and Amazon bestseller before it was banned and removed) "Game," which you can purchase directly from his website (see links below). For years, I've been telling my readers and listeners to start their own business or creative pursuit on their own platform, and not to 'rent' the space of a platform like Facebook, or Amazon, or Google - because they can decide on a whim how they operate, which could crush your business. Now, the threat is greater because it's not just a change in the algorithm of a platform that could tank your b