The Captain Coder Podcast

Have you been asking yourself whether or not you’re cut out for entrepreneurship? Fun fact - everyone is cut out for it - if they want to be.

I know that choosing to run your own business is not the easiest decision. Honestly, I think being a small business owner is one of the hardest things any of us could choose to do. But if you have a solid vision for your business and what entrepreneurship will look like to you, it becomes a whole lot easier.

In this episode, Liz Wolfe and I are unpacking everything you need to keep in mind when you’re running your new business.

You’ll learn:

• Her own unusual journey into entrepreneurship
• What most new entrepreneurs get wrong
• The four entrepreneur personality types
• Where new entrepreneurs should start
• Liz’s system for new entrepreneurs 
• Why visioning works
• How to start on your own

MENTIONED RESOURCES:

Liz’s CEO Personality Quiz - https://lizwolfecoaching.com/resources/quiz/

Brendon Burchard The Millionaire Messenger - https://www.amazon.com/Millionaire-Messenger-Difference-Fortune-Sharing/dp/1451665997/

Mrs. Space Cadet video - https://www.tiktok.com/@mrs.space.cadet/video/7339671823715503406 

FREE RESOURCE: Get more leads from your website

Follow me on Instagram: @captaincoder

Having a blog for your business is a great way to bring targeted traffic to your website. However, the average blog (without AI assistance) takes about 5-6 hours to write and get on your website. 

Want to get the most out of that investment? It’s time to repurpose your blog articles.

Repurposing, or transforming your blog content into other formats like social media snippets, infographics, or videos, allows you to extend its reach, engage diverse audiences across different channels, and maximize the value you get from your initial investment. 

How do you break up a long blog post and make it palatable for these other platforms so you get reach?

Let’s take a look at six ways we can do just that, including:

• Turning into audio
• Making a video
• How to make it multiple social posts
• Using it for an email
• Creating downloadable resources
• And transforming it into a visual asset

MENTIONED RESOURCES:

Streamyard

Descript

FREE RESOURCE: Get more leads from your website

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The first result on Google gets 39.8% of the clicks, but that can feel like an impossible task in 2024. There’s so much competition.

But there’s one thing you might be overlooking because it feels like “no one reads them” anymore - blogging.

Blogging has long been and still is one of the most effective ways to improve your SEO and climb the Google rankings.

Let’s talk about how you can make blogging an effective tool in your SEO belt.

In this episode, we’re breaking down:
The magic of SEO
How blogging supercharges SEO
5 steps to writing blogs that rank
And a freebie to get you started

MENTIONED RESOURCES:
Episode 79 - SEO Secrets that Generate Revenue
AHrefs free Keyword Generator


FREE RESOURCE: Write blogs that rank checklist

Follow me on Instagram: @captaincoder

On a scale of one to “Why did I start a business,” how burned out are you right now?

You started your business because you were GREAT at what you do. But you didn’t start it because you wanted to do all the admin work of running your business.

Many entrepreneurs and business owners are convinced that even though they hate it, no one can do things in their business quite like they can. 

Want to love your business AND scale it? It’s time to delegate the things that are sucking the life out of you.

Cathy Baillargeon and I are opening up your mind to the many possibilities that you have in getting help in your business.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• The signs it’s time to delegate
• Common excuses to not
• How a VA differs from employees
• Common delegation misunderstandings (and why they’re wrong)
• How to make delegation easier
• The hidden value of delegation
• What you can get help with
• And the real results of asking for help

MENTIONED RESOURCES:

Virtual Cathy

Virtual Cathy on Instagram

Virtual Cathy on Facebook

Virtual Cathy YouTube

The E-Myth Revisited

FREE RESOURCE: Get more leads from your website

Follow me on Instagram: @captaincoder

Unless you have a monopoly in what you do or you never want to grow your business beyond where you are right now, you need a website.

Even if you’re rocking sales with DMs and simple landing pages, you need a website that builds trust in your business.

Don’t believe me? I get it. I talk to people all day long who think they don’t need a website anymore.

But let me tell you - without one, you’re putting your business at risk.

Let’s break down the 4 big reasons you still need a website, including:

• It’s your home online - that you own
• How it builds trust - even with referrals
• How it can bring people to you
• And act as your silent salesperson

MENTIONED RESOURCES:

Captain Coder Podcast - Ep 079

Captain Coder Podcast - Ep 081

FREE RESOURCE: Get more leads from your website

Follow me on Instagram: @captaincoder

Are people buying from your website? Selling online - even when you’re selling services - requires high-converting sales pages.

Unlike many of the pages on your website, a sales page attempts to convert someone from a mere visitor to actual revenue.

How do you take someone from voyeur to willing to hand over some of their cold-hard cash? You have to take them through a process that ends with them signing up to be your client.

That also means your sales pages need to convert and generate revenue.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• The key elements to a sales page
• How to dial in your messaging
• How to have your other clients sell for you
• How to make purchasing seamless
• How to use design to your advantage
• How bonuses give you a boost
• And real-world statistics of what’s possible

MENTIONED RESOURCES:

AHRefs Keyword Generator

FREE Canva Template - Dream Client Persona

Leads Growth Strategy Workshop

FREE RESOURCE: Get more leads from your website

Follow me on Instagram: @captaincoder

How do you keep growing and achieve sustainable growth online? How do those big gurus making a million plus keep their business growing, getting in front of more and more people?

You need to follow the same best practices they do.

If you want your business to grow online, it’s not about the tactics. It’s about the underlying choices of “why” you choose to do what you do.

The online world changes so fast that something that worked last week might not work tomorrow. But if you have a roadmap that tells you how to think, you’ll be able to make those shifts with confidence.

Want to know what you need to do? Let’s unpack the basic roadmap to sustainable growth online.

In this episode, you’ll learn how to:

• Get your ideal customer’s attention
• Express your unique value
• Show off the transformations you achieve
• Build trust
• And connect on a human level 

MENTIONED RESOURCES:
Your Leads Growth Strategy Roadmap

Episode 78 - 5 Powerful Tactics to Attract Your Dream Clients

Free Buyer Persona Canva Template

FREE RESOURCE: Get more leads from your website

Follow me on Instagram: @captaincoder

Have you been putting SEO on the back burner because it feels like it’s too hard to mess with?

Let me tell you the secret about SEO - it’s one of the easiest things you can do for your business. It just takes a little bit of time but that’s well worth the investment.

Generating consistent revenue in your business is possible when you’re investing a bit of time and energy into your SEO.

In this episode, SEO expert Lauren Gaggioli and I are unpacking everything you need to know to start SEO with your business and the small, next best steps you need to take to make this all a reality.

You’ll learn:

• Lauren’s background in SEO
• How Google drives revenue through SEO
• The biggest misunderstandings
• The time it will take for SEO to work
• How you can implement SEO in your business
• How to choose keywords
• The competition you need to understand
• How to link everything internally
• And the foundation you need

MENTIONED RESOURCES:
Find Lauren Gaggioli online
Lauren’s DIY Website Audit
AHrefs Keyword Generator Tool
Google Search Console
Bing Webmaster Tools

FREE RESOURCE: Get more leads from your website

Follow me on Instagram: @captaincoder

Do you often find yourself working with clients that just aren’t the best fit for you but you take them because revenue is important? What if I told you that you could attract your dream clients instead?

I know that might sound fanciful if you’ve been building your business for a while, but it doesn’t have to be a fantasy.

You can attract the right leads and your dream clients to your business.

In this episode, we’re going to discuss:

• How to get clear on who you’re helping
• The best way to get their attention
• Getting them to take the next step
• Meeting them in their space online
• And shortcutting the Know, Like, and Trust factor

Let’s dive into five powerful tactics that will transform your business.

MENTIONED RESOURCES:

Episode 77: How to Cut Through the Noise in 2024

Buyer Persona Canva Template

FREE RESOURCE: Get more leads from your website

Follow me on Instagram: @captaincoder

I can’t tell you how much doom and gloom I’ve seen about the state of marketing in 2024. With the shifts from AI, changes to Google’s algorithm, and the continued push to privacy (which means losing some data), I see a lot of experts claim that it’s going to become impossible to market effectively.

What are they all forgetting?

There are real, actual human beings on the other side of your marketing efforts.

Online marketing has never been about trying to scam Google’s algorithm or have a video go viral. It’s always been about talking to your dream clients and getting them to pay attention to you so they’ll buy from you.

Rant aside, there is a real issue of needing to cut through all of the noise in the world and get their attention.

How do you do that?

In this episode, we’re going to cover:

• The process to follow to get their attention
• How to keep it
• How to build trust
• Be more memorable
• And how to get in front of new audiences

MENTIONED RESOURCES:

Episode 58: One Key Traffic Tactic You’re Missing

Episode 67: Unlocking the Earning Power of Email Marketing

FREE RESOURCE: Get more leads from your website

Follow me on Instagram: @captaincoder

No one is honest about how it looks to run a business.

Often, we see the shiny numbers of “Oh, I’m a 6 figure business owner", but we don’t share the reality of what running that business is.

Growth doesn’t just happen overnight. Honestly, it’s easy to get distracted by something that doesn’t help grow your business, get some shiny object syndrome, and have some lulls you didn’t expect.

But you know what? We often don’t look at the victories as we should either. 

I’ll be honest - I don’t often love sharing the ins and outs of my own business.

But today, I’m reflecting on some things that went right - and some things that didn’t go to plan.

FREE RESOURCE: Get more leads from your website

Follow me on Instagram: @captaincoder

A website should be an investment in your business, which means it absolutely should offer some kind of return.

The way that many customers find us is so varied these days. They see us on social media, then maybe get an email, read a blog, or listen to a podcast before they may ever really explore our websites.

Then of course some get to your website organically through Google and other search engines.

With every customer coming to us through a myriad of ways, how do you know if your website is working for your business as a silent salesperson?

There are several factors you should be paying attention to, including:

• How many people are visiting your website
• Where they’re coming from
• What they’re doing once they get there
• How it feels inside your business
• The questions you need to ask to set clear goals for your website

Let’s dive into what matters.

MENTIONED RESOURCES:

Google Analytics

Google Search Console

FREE RESOURCE: Get more leads from your website

Follow me on Instagram: @captaincoder

Can everyone - and I do mean everyone - use your website? 

What a lot of business owners don’t understand is that there are common website trends that make it harder for some individuals to use their websites.

That means you’re excluding a potentially huge chunk of your target audience - up to 27%. That’s the exact opposite of what you want to do right?

The good news is that having an accessible website is not only possible, it’s easy to make your website more accessible for everyone.

Today, we’re going to cover 5 easy ways to make your website more accessible, including:

• Writing good ALT descriptions and how to add them
• How to make links clear to everyone
• Choosing the right color combinations
• How to simplify your website copy to be readable
• And making video and audio content accessible

MENTIONED RESOURCES:

• Captain Coder Website Audit for Accessibility
• Rev.com
• WebAim Contrast Checker
• Wordcounter.net
• Grammarly

FREE RESOURCE: Get more leads from your website

Follow me on Instagram: @captaincoder

If you’ve been in business longer than 5 minutes, you know that there are a lot of things to pay attention to. It’s so easy for many of these things to hit the back burner throughout the year and even cause problems the longer you go without taking care of them.

As this year winds down, this is a great chance to take a few simple steps to prep your marketing for 2024.

Let’s take a look at the 7 steps you should take now to clean up your marketing and get ready for the new year!

In this episode, we’ll cover:

• The data you need to look at
• Talking to your dream client
• How to review your goals
• The marketing pieces you need to clean up
• And how to plan your marketing strategy for 2024

MENTIONED RESOURCES:

Leads Growth Strategy

How to Get Your Dream Client’s Attention

Unlocking the Earning Power of Email Marketing

FREE RESOURCE: Get more leads from your website

Follow me on Instagram: @captaincoder

Hear a lot about marketing funnels but have no idea what that means? 

Online experts often talk about funnels and how they can help your business grow, but they very often break it down so you understand where to start.

Here’s why this is so frustrating to me - funnels don’t have to be overly complicated and they can be incredibly powerful to help you turn prospects into customers.

With a marketing funnel, you can improve your customer engagement, increase your conversion rates, and bring more people to your business.

So how does this all work?

In this episode we’ll cover:

• What a marketing funnel is
• How to market to each stage of a funnel
• The types of content you need at each stage
• Marketing funnel examples
• Ideas for your own business
• And how to keep customers coming back

FREE RESOURCE: Get more leads from your website

Follow me on Instagram: @captaincoder

Where do you find people online that want to work with you?

One of the easiest traps to fall into when you’re a service-based business is to rely on referrals only. While referrals can bring you some of the best-fit clients, you can’t control how consistently they come in.

Take control of your leads and get the right people to your business - all with online strategies.

In this week’s podcast, I’m teaching you six ways you can drive more leads into your business, including:

• How to set everything up to convert those leads
• Where to focus your long-term strategy
• How to get in front of a new audience
• Ways to effectively network online

Let’s break down some of the best ways to get out of your box and get people to your business - consistently.

MENTIONED RESOURCES:

Episode 49: How to Get Your Dream Client’s Attention

FREE RESOURCE: Get more leads from your website

Follow me on Instagram: @captaincoder

Know you need a website, but you have no idea where you should put it?

You’ve probably heard that Wix is easy, or Squarespace gives you beautiful templates, or you found a template that you like for ShowIt, or that WordPress is the best for SEO and flexibility (but has a steeper learning curve).

So which one do you go with anyway?

Where you build your website matters.

We’re going to break down the biggest pros and cons of each of these website builders and platforms, including: 

• The costs
• The flexibility
• The features
• SEO benefits
• Web Accessibility
• And more of each platform

You’ll be able to go into your choice feeling confident that you’ll get what you need - right now.

FREE RESOURCE: Website Builder Comparison chart

Follow me on Instagram: @captaincoder

An optimized website can help you grow your service-based business online, bringing in new leads and sales on autopilot. But how do you get people to come to your website in the first place?

While you can use social media, email marketing, and ads to drive people to your website, you don’t want to have to work all the time to get those new leads.

That’s where SEO comes in!

When you want your website to generate leads and sales for your business, especially as someone who provides services for your clients, you need new people to visit your website regularly via search engines.

Today, we’re going to cover:

• The power of SEO
• How to optimize your website for SEO
• Creating free Google accounts to improve SEO
• How to get others to link to your website
• And how to build your SEO authority

These tips will help you improve your website’s ranking in search results, attract more visitors, and boost your bottom line.

MENTIONED RESOURCES:

• Google Search Console
• Google My Business

FREE RESOURCE: Get more leads from your website

Follow me on Instagram: @captaincoder

Can you still get good results with organic social media?

That’s the big question that Ania of Ask Ania Media and I are discussing in this wide-ranging episode.

No ad budgets needed here! If you want to get the most out of your time on Instagram, this episode is perfect for you.

We’re Gonna Dive Into:
[05:07]: The importance of organic traffic and storytelling
[06:11]: What the algorithm really wants from you
[08:11]: The role of emotion in a world of AI
[11:12] The mix of content your audience wants
[13:34]: How to stop their scroll
[17:28]: How to use calls to action
[23:40]: How to drive traffic to your website and landing pages
[34:02]: The power of stories

Mentioned Resources:
Ask Ania Media
AAM on Instagram
AAM on TikTok

Email marketing is one of the most cost-effective ways to grow your service-based business. Are you ignoring it?

For many of us, we believe that “no one” opens emails so why should we send them.

But email marketing has one of the best ROI potentials for any digital marketing method out there. In fact, email marketing has the potential to drive an impressive $36 for every dollar you spend.

When you’re ignoring emails in your business, you’re leaving money on the table.

So how can you as a service-based business unlock the earning potential of email marketing in your own business?

We’ll cover:

• The power of email marketing
• What you need to send emails
• How to get people on your list
• And how to keep them connected

MENTIONED RESOURCES:
Episode 45 - Grow Your Email List with a Lead Capture People Actually Want to Download
ConvertKit

FREE RESOURCE: Get more leads from your website

Follow me on Instagram: @captaincoder