brandpositioning

The customer is always right.

If this is true, then understanding consumer’s opinions and preferences is the secret sauce to success.

But how do you ask the right questions to the right people in order to gather this feedback?

That’s where John Li comes in. John and his co-founder Justin were scratching their heads over this very question while trying to get feedback for their own business.

Being savvy software developers, they created PickFu – a market research and consumer feedback platform that allows businesses to gather in-depth feedback from real people in minutes.

In this episode, John joins us to discuss how conducting meaningful consumer feedback can drastically improve your business.

He explains that it is never too early to start communicating with your audience. 

Gathering feedback can help you pre-validate your products before they’ve even launched by testing logos, packaging, mottos, etc. This can be the difference between a lukewarm introduction to the market, and a rocket-fueled burst onto the scene. 

In fact, John helped a business 10x their profits by doing just this.

But collecting feedback isn’t all you should be doing. According to John,

“It's so important to connect with and listen to your audience. Run surveys, bounce ideas, have conversations, etc. But it’s also important to do market research. There might be a whole different set of people that you aren’t targeting that could open up an entirely new area of the market for you. So it's important to get feedback from both sides.”

Of course, there's an art to asking for feedback. John explains which types of questions you should ask, the different types of experiments you can conduct, and the ideal audience size for collecting usable feedback.

You don’t have to fly blind. This episode will light the way and teach you how to use feedback to fuel your business growth.

Topics Discussed in This Episode:

• John’s background and the origins of PickFu (02:20)
• The importance of market research and collecting consumer feedback (06:03)
• How often should you be doing market research? (10:31)
• The different types of consumer research experiments you can run on PickFu (15:54)
• How to encourage feedback and gather the best feedback from consumers (18:05)
• The most common myths about consumer feedback (25:28)
• The ideal audience size for meaningful consumer feedback (27:34)
• Managing negative feedback from consumers (30:23)
• How consumer feedback can save a business from failure (35:18)
• John’s goals for PickFu moving forward (37:44)

Mentions:

• Empire Flippers Podcasts
• Empire Flippers Marketplace
• Create an Empire Flippers account
• Subscribe to our weekly newsletter 
• PickFu

Sit back, grab a coffee, and learn how to gather consumer feedback that will elevate your business to new heights.

The customer is always right.

If this is true, then understanding consumer’s opinions and preferences is the secret sauce to success.

But how do you ask the right questions to the right people in order to gather this feedback?

That’s where John Li comes in. John and his co-founder Justin were scratching their heads over this very question while trying to get feedback for their own business.

Being savvy software developers, they created PickFu – a market research and consumer feedback platform that allows businesses to gather in-depth feedback from real people in minutes.

In this episode, John joins us to discuss how conducting meaningful consumer feedback can drastically improve your business.

He explains that it is never too early to start communicating with your audience. 

Gathering feedback can help you pre-validate your products before they’ve even launched by testing logos, packaging, mottos, etc. This can be the difference between a lukewarm introduction to the market, and a rocket-fueled burst onto the scene. 

In fact, John helped a business 10x their profits by doing just this.

But collecting feedback isn’t all you should be doing. According to John,

“It's so important to connect with and listen to your audience. Run surveys, bounce ideas, have conversations, etc. But it’s also important to do market research. There might be a whole different set of people that you aren’t targeting that could open up an entirely new area of the market for you. So it's important to get feedback from both sides.”

Of course, there's an art to asking for feedback. John explains which types of questions you should ask, the different types of experiments you can conduct, and the ideal audience size for collecting usable feedback.

You don’t have to fly blind. This episode will light the way and teach you how to use feedback to fuel your business growth.

Topics Discussed in This Episode:

• John’s background and the origins of PickFu (02:20)
• The importance of market research and collecting consumer feedback (06:03)
• How often should you be doing market research? (10:31)
• The different types of consumer research experiments you can run on PickFu (15:54)
• How to encourage feedback and gather the best feedback from consumers (18:05)
• The most common myths about consumer feedback (25:28)
• The ideal audience size for meaningful consumer feedback (27:34)
• Managing negative feedback from consumers (30:23)
• How consumer feedback can save a business from failure (35:18)
• John’s goals for PickFu moving forward (37:44)

Mentions:

• Empire Flippers Podcasts
• Empire Flippers Marketplace
• Create an Empire Flippers account
• Subscribe to our weekly newsletter 
• PickFu

Sit back, grab a coffee, and learn how to gather consumer feedback that will elevate your business to new heights.

The customer is always right.

If this is true, then understanding consumer’s opinions and preferences is the secret sauce to success.

But how do you ask the right questions to the right people in order to gather this feedback?

That’s where John Li comes in. John and his co-founder Justin were scratching their heads over this very question while trying to get feedback for their own business.

Being savvy software developers, they created PickFu – a market research and consumer feedback platform that allows businesses to gather in-depth feedback from real people in minutes.

In this episode, John joins us to discuss how conducting meaningful consumer feedback can drastically improve your business.

He explains that it is never too early to start communicating with your audience. 

Gathering feedback can help you pre-validate your products before they’ve even launched by testing logos, packaging, mottos, etc. This can be the difference between a lukewarm introduction to the market, and a rocket-fueled burst onto the scene. 

In fact, John helped a business 10x their profits by doing just this.

But collecting feedback isn’t all you should be doing. According to John,

“It's so important to connect with and listen to your audience. Run surveys, bounce ideas, have conversations, etc. But it’s also important to do market research. There might be a whole different set of people that you aren’t targeting that could open up an entirely new area of the market for you. So it's important to get feedback from both sides.”

Of course, there's an art to asking for feedback. John explains which types of questions you should ask, the different types of experiments you can conduct, and the ideal audience size for collecting usable feedback.

You don’t have to fly blind. This episode will light the way and teach you how to use feedback to fuel your business growth.

Topics Discussed in This Episode:

• John’s background and the origins of PickFu (02:20)
• The importance of market research and collecting consumer feedback (06:03)
• How often should you be doing market research? (10:31)
• The different types of consumer research experiments you can run on PickFu (15:54)
• How to encourage feedback and gather the best feedback from consumers (18:05)
• The most common myths about consumer feedback (25:28)
• The ideal audience size for meaningful consumer feedback (27:34)
• Managing negative feedback from consumers (30:23)
• How consumer feedback can save a business from failure (35:18)
• John’s goals for PickFu moving forward (37:44)

Mentions:

• Empire Flippers Podcasts
• Empire Flippers Marketplace
• Create an Empire Flippers account
• Subscribe to our weekly newsletter 
• PickFu

Sit back, grab a coffee, and learn how to gather consumer feedback that will elevate your business to new heights.

In today’s world, almost everyone uses email. But many entrepreneurs still underestimate the power of email marketing and its ability to establish a meaningful connection with your customers. 

This week’s guest is Greg Zakowicz, a veteran email marketer and the Sr. eCommerce Expert at Omnisend, an eCommerce marketing automation platform.

With 15 years of experience under his belt, Greg has witnessed firsthand the transformative power that email marketing can have on eCommerce businesses. According to Greg, 

“If you sell something online, you should probably be sending marketing emails. Otherwise, you’re leaving money on the table.”

In this episode, Greg discusses how email has evolved over time and how to set up a successful, automated email marketing strategy. He explains how to use email marketing in each step of the buyer journey and how it can plug the holes that social media marketing can’t fill. 

He also walks us through how to breathe life back into a dormant email list and some of the common email marketing pitfalls that trip up eCommerce business owners. 

If your list of email subscribers is simply gathering dust, you don’t want to miss out on Greg’s valuable insights!

Topics Discussed in this episode:

• How Greg got his start in the world of email marketing (01:16)
• How email marketing has evolved over time and why it remains relevant (06:49)
• Why email marketing is an essential tool for e-commerce businesses (14:39)
• The foundations of setting up a successful email marketing strategy (21:16)
• How to revitalize a dormant email list and reestablish a meaningful connection with existing subscribers (27:14)
• The common email marketing pain points that entrepreneurs encounter (34:21)
• What email marketing success looks like, and who is getting it right (40:58)
• How SMS can work hand-in-hand with email marketing (45:20)
• Pro tips for utilizing automations in your email marketing (51:38)
• Insight into any upcoming email and SMS automation trends (56:52)

Mentions:

• Empire Flippers Podcast
• Empire Flippers Marketplace
• Onmisend

Sit back, grab a coffee, and learn how to leverage the power of email marketing!

In today’s world, almost everyone uses email. But many entrepreneurs still underestimate the power of email marketing and its ability to establish a meaningful connection with your customers. 

This week’s guest is Greg Zakowicz, a veteran email marketer and the Sr. eCommerce Expert at Omnisend, an eCommerce marketing automation platform.

With 15 years of experience under his belt, Greg has witnessed firsthand the transformative power that email marketing can have on eCommerce businesses. According to Greg, 

“If you sell something online, you should probably be sending marketing emails. Otherwise, you’re leaving money on the table.”

In this episode, Greg discusses how email has evolved over time and how to set up a successful, automated email marketing strategy. He explains how to use email marketing in each step of the buyer journey and how it can plug the holes that social media marketing can’t fill. 

He also walks us through how to breathe life back into a dormant email list and some of the common email marketing pitfalls that trip up eCommerce business owners. 

If your list of email subscribers is simply gathering dust, you don’t want to miss out on Greg’s valuable insights!

Topics Discussed in this episode:

• How Greg got his start in the world of email marketing (01:16)
• How email marketing has evolved over time and why it remains relevant (06:49)
• Why email marketing is an essential tool for e-commerce businesses (14:39)
• The foundations of setting up a successful email marketing strategy (21:16)
• How to revitalize a dormant email list and reestablish a meaningful connection with existing subscribers (27:14)
• The common email marketing pain points that entrepreneurs encounter (34:21)
• What email marketing success looks like, and who is getting it right (40:58)
• How SMS can work hand-in-hand with email marketing (45:20)
• Pro tips for utilizing automations in your email marketing (51:38)
• Insight into any upcoming email and SMS automation trends (56:52)

Mentions:

• Empire Flippers Podcast
• Empire Flippers Marketplace
• Onmisend

Sit back, grab a coffee, and learn how to leverage the power of email marketing!

In today’s world, almost everyone uses email. But many entrepreneurs still underestimate the power of email marketing and its ability to establish a meaningful connection with your customers. 

This week’s guest is Greg Zakowicz, a veteran email marketer and the Sr. eCommerce Expert at Omnisend, an eCommerce marketing automation platform.

With 15 years of experience under his belt, Greg has witnessed firsthand the transformative power that email marketing can have on eCommerce businesses. According to Greg, 

“If you sell something online, you should probably be sending marketing emails. Otherwise, you’re leaving money on the table.”

In this episode, Greg discusses how email has evolved over time and how to set up a successful, automated email marketing strategy. He explains how to use email marketing in each step of the buyer journey and how it can plug the holes that social media marketing can’t fill. 

He also walks us through how to breathe life back into a dormant email list and some of the common email marketing pitfalls that trip up eCommerce business owners. 

If your list of email subscribers is simply gathering dust, you don’t want to miss out on Greg’s valuable insights!

Topics Discussed in this episode:

• How Greg got his start in the world of email marketing (01:16)
• How email marketing has evolved over time and why it remains relevant (06:49)
• Why email marketing is an essential tool for e-commerce businesses (14:39)
• The foundations of setting up a successful email marketing strategy (21:16)
• How to revitalize a dormant email list and reestablish a meaningful connection with existing subscribers (27:14)
• The common email marketing pain points that entrepreneurs encounter (34:21)
• What email marketing success looks like, and who is getting it right (40:58)
• How SMS can work hand-in-hand with email marketing (45:20)
• Pro tips for utilizing automations in your email marketing (51:38)
• Insight into any upcoming email and SMS automation trends (56:52)

Mentions:

• Empire Flippers Podcast
• Empire Flippers Marketplace
• Onmisend

Sit back, grab a coffee, and learn how to leverage the power of email marketing!

Sometimes, it’s an entrepreneur’s ability to neutralize their weaknesses that paves the way to their success.

By prioritizing important tasks and removing themselves from activities they aren’t skilled at or simply don’t like, entrepreneurs can focus their talents on areas of their business where they can make a measured difference. 

Implementing systems like these helped Lauren Tickner turn her side hustle as a fitness coach into a 7-figure online business by the age of 21. 

But Lauren didn’t stop there. She realized that the systems she used to grow her fitness coaching business could be applied to all industries. 

This revelation inspired her to create Impact School, a 7-figure coaching company that helps digital entrepreneurs implement systems that allow them to free up valuable time and scale their businesses to new heights. 

In this episode, Lauren joins us to discuss the advantages of systematization, the steps business owners should take to systematize their business, and how implementing systems has helped her own business thrive. According to Lauren,

“As a business owner, you have to fill your weaknesses. I became so systems oriented through my own lack of organization. A big lesson for me was hiring someone who was my opposite, who could ensure that those systems were set up. But only by being honest about my weaknesses was I able to find the right person.”

Lauren also sheds some light on the bad industry advice that entrepreneurs should avoid, how she diversifies her income streams without succumbing to shiny object syndrome, and some of the biggest challenges she faced when building and scaling Impact School.

Topics Discussed in This Episode:

• How Lauren helps people detach their personal brand from their business (05:06)
• Lauren walks us through her origin story as an entrepreneur (07:55)
• Hiring people who compliment your weaknesses (13:48)
• How systemization can benefit entrepreneurs (15:10)
• The right time to implement systemization in your business’s lifecycle (18:03)
• The V.I.L.E. system Lauren uses to prioritize tasks (24:33)
• The bad advice Lauren has heard floating around the industry (29:41)
• How Lauren plans to diversify her income streams moving forward (39:35)
• How Lauren avoids shiny object syndrome when acquiring businesses (44:05)
• Why Lauren decided to exclude investors from her own business (50:35)

Mentions:

• Empire Flippers Podcast
• Empire Flippers Marketplace
• Schedule a call with our expert sales advisors 
• Impact School
• Notion

Sit back, grab a coffee, and learn how systems can help you scale your business without losing your freedom.

Sometimes, it’s an entrepreneur’s ability to neutralize their weaknesses that paves the way to their success.

By prioritizing important tasks and removing themselves from activities they aren’t skilled at or simply don’t like, entrepreneurs can focus their talents on areas of their business where they can make a measured difference. 

Implementing systems like these helped Lauren Tickner turn her side hustle as a fitness coach into a 7-figure online business by the age of 21. 

But Lauren didn’t stop there. She realized that the systems she used to grow her fitness coaching business could be applied to all industries. 

This revelation inspired her to create Impact School, a 7-figure coaching company that helps digital entrepreneurs implement systems that allow them to free up valuable time and scale their businesses to new heights. 

In this episode, Lauren joins us to discuss the advantages of systematization, the steps business owners should take to systematize their business, and how implementing systems has helped her own business thrive. According to Lauren,

“As a business owner, you have to fill your weaknesses. I became so systems oriented through my own lack of organization. A big lesson for me was hiring someone who was my opposite, who could ensure that those systems were set up. But only by being honest about my weaknesses was I able to find the right person.”

Lauren also sheds some light on the bad industry advice that entrepreneurs should avoid, how she diversifies her income streams without succumbing to shiny object syndrome, and some of the biggest challenges she faced when building and scaling Impact School.

Topics Discussed in This Episode:

• How Lauren helps people detach their personal brand from their business (05:06)
• Lauren walks us through her origin story as an entrepreneur (07:55)
• Hiring people who compliment your weaknesses (13:48)
• How systemization can benefit entrepreneurs (15:10)
• The right time to implement systemization in your business’s lifecycle (18:03)
• The V.I.L.E. system Lauren uses to prioritize tasks (24:33)
• The bad advice Lauren has heard floating around the industry (29:41)
• How Lauren plans to diversify her income streams moving forward (39:35)
• How Lauren avoids shiny object syndrome when acquiring businesses (44:05)
• Why Lauren decided to exclude investors from her own business (50:35)

Mentions:

• Empire Flippers Podcast
• Empire Flippers Marketplace
• Schedule a call with our expert sales advisors 
• Impact School
• Notion

Sit back, grab a coffee, and learn how systems can help you scale your business without losing your freedom.

Sometimes, it’s an entrepreneur’s ability to neutralize their weaknesses that paves the way to their success.

By prioritizing important tasks and removing themselves from activities they aren’t skilled at or simply don’t like, entrepreneurs can focus their talents on areas of their business where they can make a measured difference. 

Implementing systems like these helped Lauren Tickner turn her side hustle as a fitness coach into a 7-figure online business by the age of 21. 

But Lauren didn’t stop there. She realized that the systems she used to grow her fitness coaching business could be applied to all industries. 

This revelation inspired her to create Impact School, a 7-figure coaching company that helps digital entrepreneurs implement systems that allow them to free up valuable time and scale their businesses to new heights. 

In this episode, Lauren joins us to discuss the advantages of systematization, the steps business owners should take to systematize their business, and how implementing systems has helped her own business thrive. According to Lauren,

“As a business owner, you have to fill your weaknesses. I became so systems oriented through my own lack of organization. A big lesson for me was hiring someone who was my opposite, who could ensure that those systems were set up. But only by being honest about my weaknesses was I able to find the right person.”

Lauren also sheds some light on the bad industry advice that entrepreneurs should avoid, how she diversifies her income streams without succumbing to shiny object syndrome, and some of the biggest challenges she faced when building and scaling Impact School.

Topics Discussed in This Episode:

• How Lauren helps people detach their personal brand from their business (05:06)
• Lauren walks us through her origin story as an entrepreneur (07:55)
• Hiring people who compliment your weaknesses (13:48)
• How systemization can benefit entrepreneurs (15:10)
• The right time to implement systemization in your business’s lifecycle (18:03)
• The V.I.L.E. system Lauren uses to prioritize tasks (24:33)
• The bad advice Lauren has heard floating around the industry (29:41)
• How Lauren plans to diversify her income streams moving forward (39:35)
• How Lauren avoids shiny object syndrome when acquiring businesses (44:05)
• Why Lauren decided to exclude investors from her own business (50:35)

Mentions:

• Empire Flippers Podcast
• Empire Flippers Marketplace
• Schedule a call with our expert sales advisors 
• Impact School
• Notion

Sit back, grab a coffee, and learn how systems can help you scale your business without losing your freedom.

Many highly skilled SEOs and digital marketers use their expertise to build high-performing websites and other online assets. 

Others recognize that their skill itself is an asset that they can leverage. So they create an agency, hiring out their SEO and PPC expertise to businesses in need.

But building an agency is no walk in the park. How do you rise above the noise and claim your spot in this highly competitive arena?

In this episode, we sit down with two entrepreneurs who’ve walked the talk—David Kauzlaric and Erich Schaefer, the minds behind Agency Elevation. This full-service, white-label agency offers a suite of digital solutions, including SEO, PPC, Facebook Ads, and TikTok Ads. 

Join us as they pull back the curtain on their journey to agency success.

Diving into their strategy, David and Erich unveil the blueprint of Agency Elevation's triumph.

One standout element? Transparent pricing. While many agencies play the hidden-cost game, David and Erich defy the norm by showcasing their pricing upfront, fostering trust and transparency.

With a 100% US-based team, Agency Elevation eliminates the hurdles of time zones and communication, ensuring swift turnarounds and effective collaboration. 

They also walk us through the common characteristics that successful agencies share. The most important ingredient of success? Focusing on a specific niche. According to David and Erich,

“Niche-focused agencies are the easiest to scale because you can get instant credibility with just good branding. All you need is a good offer, good branding, and experience or results in that industry. We see guys going from zero to multiple seven figures in three or four years because they're niche focused.“

So, whether you’re a budding entrepreneur with dreams of agency ownership or a seasoned player aiming to amplify your agency's performance, this episode holds the key. Enjoy!

Topics Discussed in This Episode:

• David and Erich’s entrepreneurial journey and how they started their agency (02:09)
• Why Agency Elevation is 100% US based (05:02)
• How David and Erich manage to serve a high variety of niches and services (09:03)
• How the agency is structured in order to scale and stand out from the crowd (18:11)
• The service hierarchy that David and Erich recommend to their customers ( 22:22)
• Why David and Erich prioritize being transparent about their pricing (25:12)
• The common traits of successful agencies (33:24)
• The benefits of niching down vs building a general agency (37:18)
• David and Erich's approach to scaling sustainably (42:06)
• Top advice for agency owners who are looking to start and grow (46:55)

Mentions:

• Empire Flippers Podcasts
• Empire Flippers Marketplace
• Schedule a call with our expert sales advisors 
• Create an Empire Flippers account
• Subscribe to the This Week in M&A newsletter
• Agency Elevation
• GoHighLevel
• David’s Facebook page

Sit back, grab a coffee, and peek behind the curtain of a successful white-label agency!

Brand positioning has been part of marketing orthodoxy for over half a century now. Yet marketers often fail to get it right, due mainly to formulaic thinking. To come up with truly novel positioning statements, according to global branding expert Ulli Appelbaum, marketers must treat it as more of a creative exercise, coming up with as many potential ideas as possible.

While Greg works his magic at yet another conference, sourcing new and exciting guests for the podcast, we'll revisit an episode with one of our favorite guests, Kevin Espiritu. Enjoy!

How do you turn a humble content site into a multi-platform, globally recognized brand?

For Kevin Espiritu, the answer lay in producing human-focused, genuinely useful content instead of churning out articles for profit. Kevin is the founder of Epic Gardening, a gardening brand with a relatively simple mission: to teach 10,000,000 people around the world how to grow plants and food. What started as just a website, is now a multi-faceted content and eCommerce brand with millions of followers on social media. 

In this episode, Kevin walks us through the things he wished he had known when he first started building his business, including outsourcing labor to free up valuable time. According to Kevin,

“When it comes to growing your business, knowing where your time is most valuable as the founder is the most important thing. If you have the resources, what you should be doing is either automating, delegating, hiring, or deleting things that are not as valuable as your leveraged time.”

We dive into the ins and outs of Kevin’s content creation strategy, discussing the techniques and approaches that helped him attract over 10 million readers to his website last year and over 3 million followers on his various social media channels. 

Kevin also shares some insights into the future of Epic Gardening, including how he plans to use the $17.5 million in growth capital he recently raised. 

Kevin’s success story is a wonderful example of the merits of a human-focused, instead of profit-driven, business strategy. Listen in to learn how to grow your brand across multiple sales and social media platforms while maintaining a cohesive brand identity. 

Topics Discussed in This Episode:

• Kevin shares how his entrepreneurial journey started and where he is today (02:22)
• The origins and inspiration behind Epic Gardening (06:25)
• The secret sauce behind Epic Gardening’s enduring success (08:45)
• How Kevin approaches creating content across various channels and platforms (16:25)
• The biggest setbacks and challenges Kevin faced while building Epic Gardening (22:46)
• How Kevin identified the right time to expand into eCommerce (27:41)
• Why and how Kevin raised $17.5 million in growth capital (34:53)
• How Kevin plans to use this growth capital to scale Epic Gardening (38:07)
• Why websites make such a good investment vehicle (41:09)
• What Kevin would do differently if he had to start Epic Gardening all over again (43:06)
• Kevin’s dreams for the future of Epic Gardening (49:26)

Mentions:

• Empire Flippers Podcast
• Empire Flippers Marketplace
• Schedule a call with our expert sales advisors 
• Create your own Empire Flippers account
• Epic Gardening
• Epic Homesteading  
• Authority Hacker
• Backlinko

Sit back, grab a coffee, and learn how to successfully scale your business while remaining true to your brand identity.

While Greg works his magic at yet another conference, sourcing new and exciting guests for the podcast, we'll revisit an episode with one of our favorite guests, Kevin Espiritu. Enjoy!

How do you turn a humble content site into a multi-platform, globally recognized brand?

For Kevin Espiritu, the answer lay in producing human-focused, genuinely useful content instead of churning out articles for profit. Kevin is the founder of Epic Gardening, a gardening brand with a relatively simple mission: to teach 10,000,000 people around the world how to grow plants and food. What started as just a website, is now a multi-faceted content and eCommerce brand with millions of followers on social media. 

In this episode, Kevin walks us through the things he wished he had known when he first started building his business, including outsourcing labor to free up valuable time. According to Kevin,

“When it comes to growing your business, knowing where your time is most valuable as the founder is the most important thing. If you have the resources, what you should be doing is either automating, delegating, hiring, or deleting things that are not as valuable as your leveraged time.”

We dive into the ins and outs of Kevin’s content creation strategy, discussing the techniques and approaches that helped him attract over 10 million readers to his website last year and over 3 million followers on his various social media channels. 

Kevin also shares some insights into the future of Epic Gardening, including how he plans to use the $17.5 million in growth capital he recently raised. 

Kevin’s success story is a wonderful example of the merits of a human-focused, instead of profit-driven, business strategy. Listen in to learn how to grow your brand across multiple sales and social media platforms while maintaining a cohesive brand identity. 

Topics Discussed in This Episode:

• Kevin shares how his entrepreneurial journey started and where he is today (02:22)
• The origins and inspiration behind Epic Gardening (06:25)
• The secret sauce behind Epic Gardening’s enduring success (08:45)
• How Kevin approaches creating content across various channels and platforms (16:25)
• The biggest setbacks and challenges Kevin faced while building Epic Gardening (22:46)
• How Kevin identified the right time to expand into eCommerce (27:41)
• Why and how Kevin raised $17.5 million in growth capital (34:53)
• How Kevin plans to use this growth capital to scale Epic Gardening (38:07)
• Why websites make such a good investment vehicle (41:09)
• What Kevin would do differently if he had to start Epic Gardening all over again (43:06)
• Kevin’s dreams for the future of Epic Gardening (49:26)

Mentions:

• Empire Flippers Podcast
• Empire Flippers Marketplace
• Schedule a call with our expert sales advisors 
• Create your own Empire Flippers account
• Epic Gardening
• Epic Homesteading  
• Authority Hacker
• Backlinko

Sit back, grab a coffee, and learn how to successfully scale your business while remaining true to your brand identity.

While Greg works his magic at yet another conference, sourcing new and exciting guests for the podcast, we'll revisit an episode with one of our favorite guests, Kevin Espiritu. Enjoy!

How do you turn a humble content site into a multi-platform, globally recognized brand?

For Kevin Espiritu, the answer lay in producing human-focused, genuinely useful content instead of churning out articles for profit. Kevin is the founder of Epic Gardening, a gardening brand with a relatively simple mission: to teach 10,000,000 people around the world how to grow plants and food. What started as just a website, is now a multi-faceted content and eCommerce brand with millions of followers on social media. 

In this episode, Kevin walks us through the things he wished he had known when he first started building his business, including outsourcing labor to free up valuable time. According to Kevin,

“When it comes to growing your business, knowing where your time is most valuable as the founder is the most important thing. If you have the resources, what you should be doing is either automating, delegating, hiring, or deleting things that are not as valuable as your leveraged time.”

We dive into the ins and outs of Kevin’s content creation strategy, discussing the techniques and approaches that helped him attract over 10 million readers to his website last year and over 3 million followers on his various social media channels. 

Kevin also shares some insights into the future of Epic Gardening, including how he plans to use the $17.5 million in growth capital he recently raised. 

Kevin’s success story is a wonderful example of the merits of a human-focused, instead of profit-driven, business strategy. Listen in to learn how to grow your brand across multiple sales and social media platforms while maintaining a cohesive brand identity. 

Topics Discussed in This Episode:

• Kevin shares how his entrepreneurial journey started and where he is today (02:22)
• The origins and inspiration behind Epic Gardening (06:25)
• The secret sauce behind Epic Gardening’s enduring success (08:45)
• How Kevin approaches creating content across various channels and platforms (16:25)
• The biggest setbacks and challenges Kevin faced while building Epic Gardening (22:46)
• How Kevin identified the right time to expand into eCommerce (27:41)
• Why and how Kevin raised $17.5 million in growth capital (34:53)
• How Kevin plans to use this growth capital to scale Epic Gardening (38:07)
• Why websites make such a good investment vehicle (41:09)
• What Kevin would do differently if he had to start Epic Gardening all over again (43:06)
• Kevin’s dreams for the future of Epic Gardening (49:26)

Mentions:

• Empire Flippers Podcast
• Empire Flippers Marketplace
• Schedule a call with our expert sales advisors 
• Create your own Empire Flippers account
• Epic Gardening
• Epic Homesteading  
• Authority Hacker
• Backlinko

Sit back, grab a coffee, and learn how to successfully scale your business while remaining true to your brand identity.

Attracting a high volume of traffic to your site means very little if your traffic isn’t converting into sales. So, how do you turn window shoppers into paying customers? 

According to Chris Silvestri, it’s all about positioning. 

Chris is the founder of Conversion Alchemy, an agency that combines copywriting and UX design with clever digital psychology tricks to help SaaS business owners improve their website conversions. 

In this episode, Chris joins us to reveal what he believes is the root of most conversion problems - many SaaS entrepreneurs don’t fully understand their audience. 

Chris explains that achieving product-market fit is not enough on its own. You need to narrow down your target audience and truly understand what drives them. This knowledge feeds your positioning, helping you create a website that clearly communicates why consumers should purchase your product. 

Chris goes on to explain the different categories he covers when compiling audience research and how to use this data to inform the copy on your site. According to Chris, 

“There are three categories of messaging that you should have on your site. First, is motivation - what brings customers to your site, and does your product provide what they need? Second, is value - are the features and solutions your product provides made clear on your site? Finally, address consumer anxiety by countering objections and instilling trust.”

Chris also sheds some light on the common mistakes SaaS owners make when writing copy for their sites and the essential features every good SaaS site should have.

If you’re looking for that extra push that will convince consumers to stop browsing and start buying, then follow Chris’s advice on how to optimize your SaaS product positioning.

Topics Discussed in This Episode:

• Chris shares a brief overview of his entrepreneurial journey so far (02:06)
• The unique challenges SaaS owners face when it comes to copywriting (06:08)
• Why many SaaS owners don’t fully understand their audience (09:20)
• The framework Chris uses to conduct audience research (10:26)
• The features every good SaaS site should have (13:05)
• How often you should revisit your brand positioning (18:00)
• How to narrow down which audience you should focus on (19:40)
• Common mistakes SaaS owners make when writing copy for their sites (25:55)
• Product problems are often audience problems in disguise (30:59)
• The toughest obstacles Chris faced when building Conversion Alchemy (33:50)

Mentions:

• Empire Flippers Podcast
• Empire Flippers Marketplace
• Schedule a call with our expert sales advisors 
• Conversion Alchemy
• Capterra
• G2
• Alchemy by Rory Sutherland
• Hotjar
• Conversion Crimes
• Fathom
• Copy Hackers
• The NN Group
• MECLABS Institute

Sit back, grab a coffee, and learn how to correctly position your SaaS product to increase conversions!

Attracting a high volume of traffic to your site means very little if your traffic isn’t converting into sales. So, how do you turn window shoppers into paying customers? 

According to Chris Silvestri, it’s all about positioning. 

Chris is the founder of Conversion Alchemy, an agency that combines copywriting and UX design with clever digital psychology tricks to help SaaS business owners improve their website conversions. 

In this episode, Chris joins us to reveal what he believes is the root of most conversion problems - many SaaS entrepreneurs don’t fully understand their audience. 

Chris explains that achieving product-market fit is not enough on its own. You need to narrow down your target audience and truly understand what drives them. This knowledge feeds your positioning, helping you create a website that clearly communicates why consumers should purchase your product. 

Chris goes on to explain the different categories he covers when compiling audience research and how to use this data to inform the copy on your site. According to Chris, 

“There are three categories of messaging that you should have on your site. First, is motivation - what brings customers to your site, and does your product provide what they need? Second, is value - are the features and solutions your product provides made clear on your site? Finally, address consumer anxiety by countering objections and instilling trust.”

Chris also sheds some light on the common mistakes SaaS owners make when writing copy for their sites and the essential features every good SaaS site should have.

If you’re looking for that extra push that will convince consumers to stop browsing and start buying, then follow Chris’s advice on how to optimize your SaaS product positioning.

Topics Discussed in This Episode:

• Chris shares a brief overview of his entrepreneurial journey so far (02:06)
• The unique challenges SaaS owners face when it comes to copywriting (06:08)
• Why many SaaS owners don’t fully understand their audience (09:20)
• The framework Chris uses to conduct audience research (10:26)
• The features every good SaaS site should have (13:05)
• How often you should revisit your brand positioning (18:00)
• How to narrow down which audience you should focus on (19:40)
• Common mistakes SaaS owners make when writing copy for their sites (25:55)
• Product problems are often audience problems in disguise (30:59)
• The toughest obstacles Chris faced when building Conversion Alchemy (33:50)

Mentions:

• Empire Flippers Podcast
• Empire Flippers Marketplace
• Schedule a call with our expert sales advisors 
• Conversion Alchemy
• Capterra
• G2
• Alchemy by Rory Sutherland
• Hotjar
• Conversion Crimes
• Fathom
• Copy Hackers
• The NN Group
• MECLABS Institute

Sit back, grab a coffee, and learn how to correctly position your SaaS product to increase conversions!

Attracting a high volume of traffic to your site means very little if your traffic isn’t converting into sales. So, how do you turn window shoppers into paying customers? 

According to Chris Silvestri, it’s all about positioning. 

Chris is the founder of Conversion Alchemy, an agency that combines copywriting and UX design with clever digital psychology tricks to help SaaS business owners improve their website conversions. 

In this episode, Chris joins us to reveal what he believes is the root of most conversion problems - many SaaS entrepreneurs don’t fully understand their audience. 

Chris explains that achieving product-market fit is not enough on its own. You need to narrow down your target audience and truly understand what drives them. This knowledge feeds your positioning, helping you create a website that clearly communicates why consumers should purchase your product. 

Chris goes on to explain the different categories he covers when compiling audience research and how to use this data to inform the copy on your site. According to Chris, 

“There are three categories of messaging that you should have on your site. First, is motivation - what brings customers to your site, and does your product provide what they need? Second, is value - are the features and solutions your product provides made clear on your site? Finally, address consumer anxiety by countering objections and instilling trust.”

Chris also sheds some light on the common mistakes SaaS owners make when writing copy for their sites and the essential features every good SaaS site should have.

If you’re looking for that extra push that will convince consumers to stop browsing and start buying, then follow Chris’s advice on how to optimize your SaaS product positioning.

Topics Discussed in This Episode:

• Chris shares a brief overview of his entrepreneurial journey so far (02:06)
• The unique challenges SaaS owners face when it comes to copywriting (06:08)
• Why many SaaS owners don’t fully understand their audience (09:20)
• The framework Chris uses to conduct audience research (10:26)
• The features every good SaaS site should have (13:05)
• How often you should revisit your brand positioning (18:00)
• How to narrow down which audience you should focus on (19:40)
• Common mistakes SaaS owners make when writing copy for their sites (25:55)
• Product problems are often audience problems in disguise (30:59)
• The toughest obstacles Chris faced when building Conversion Alchemy (33:50)

Mentions:

• Empire Flippers Podcast
• Empire Flippers Marketplace
• Schedule a call with our expert sales advisors 
• Conversion Alchemy
• Capterra
• G2
• Alchemy by Rory Sutherland
• Hotjar
• Conversion Crimes
• Fathom
• Copy Hackers
• The NN Group
• MECLABS Institute

Sit back, grab a coffee, and learn how to correctly position your SaaS product to increase conversions!

A core concept is the big idea that you wrap your product, program or service around, that you create a demand narrative and story, and enables you to showcase your thought leadership and earn your worth. It’s something you can really lean into, and get excited about, and your audience can too.

Identifying a core concept helps you can turn your expertise, passion, skills into laser focused offer to generate a floodgate of demand so you get better clients and can charge higher fees.

Lack of a core concept is one of the single biggest mistakes consultants, coaches and other expert service providers make. In the first of three parts focused on helping you earn what you’re worth, I explain why and what you can do to find your core concept for better offer positioning.

What you’ll learn is:

- What is a core concept and how it helps your business grow

- Marketing’s dirty little secret that an expensive distraction

- Attracting the best clients isn’t about tactics.

Submit feedback at jayallyson.com/podcast/qa and/or book a free strategy discovery call with Jay Allyson via jayallyson.com/contactme/scheduler.

This week we're talking about your brand positioning statement. How do you write one for your business? Why is this important? 

Your brand positioning statement is your way to tell the world what it is about you, your brand, and your business that is different. What is special about your company? The reason your customers need to know why your business is special is that they need to know how to choose what's for them.

HIGHLIGHTS:

• Learn why you need a brand positioning statement
• Discover how to showcase your differences
• Utilize the question template to create your statement

QUOTES:

"Your brand positioning statement is your way to tell the world what it is about you, your brand, and your business that is different."

"For the coaches out there and the people who are building personal brand businesses, what's great is that the biggest differentiator in your company is you."

"Think about what do you do well and what do other people do well. Why would you want to go with you versus someone else?" 

RESOURCES

Free Guide: Convert 1 Hour into 1 Month of Content

MORE ADVICE AND INTERVIEWS

Need A Podcast Coach? CLICK HERE to schedule a chat.

If you’d like more content about how to build your personal brand, check out my free Content Marketing Starter Guide.

And here are some more of my most popular thought leader interviews!

• What Business to Start with John Lee Dumas
• Personal Branding Masterclass with Chris Ducker
• Built to Serve with Evan Carmichael

Don’t want to miss the next thought leader interview?

• Click here to sign up for free tips each week directly to your inbox!

And don’t forget to leave a rating and review on iTunes.

Talk soon!

Episode 24:  Ever think about writing a book?  In this episode, I interview Cathy Fyock who’s a professional book writing coach.  We’ll discuss how she works with her authors, why you should consider writing book and part of the process involved in accomplishing it.

Cathy began coaching after writing her own books.  She had been consulting, but wasn’t as happy in this role, as she’d hoped.  She had managed to write 4 of her 5 books in less than 6 weeks.  A colleague asked her about her process for accomplishing this so efficiently.  That’s when it actually dawned on her that her process did, in fact, exist.  She was invited to give a program on it and engage in a coaching role.  That’s where it all began.

Many people want to write a book.  They recognize the need, but they don’t understand where to get started or how to stay on course to complete it.  Cathy has the solution to these and many other challenges.

What Types of Clients Does Cathy Fyock Help?

Cathy works with professional speakers, consultants, coaches, thought-leaders, solopreneurs, wealth advisors, CPAs, attorneys and realtors.  If you use your expertise as a strategy to serve your client base, codifying that expertise is a way to educate, inspire and sell your client base.

Having published a book can position you as an industry expert.  It lends a high-level of credibility to your personal and professional brand.  The topics in your book can help people realize an alignment between their goals and your ability to help them to achieve those goals. 

Your book will help promote a sense of trust and authenticity between you and your target audience.  Cathy is a huge fan of writing your own book, rather than using a ghost writer.  The process will help you to clarify your thoughts and mastery of the topic.

It May Not Be Easy

Cathy admits, writing a book is hard work.  In fact, most of her clients don’t actually love to write.  This is why having a coach is vital to the book’s organization, your accountability or other support issues.

Authority is one of Cathy’s latest projects.  It’s about the power of authorship.  It’s an anthology of stories and perspectives from 15 different thought-leaders who share their advice and experience.  It’s already a Wall Street Journal and USA Today best-seller.

3 Basic Challenges for Authors

The first challenge is FOCUS.  It’s developing the strategic plan for your book that aligns with your business strategy.  The second challenge is TIME.  It relates to disciplining yourself to find the time with an already busy schedule. The third challenge is DEALING with that NEGATIVE INTERNAL VOICE.   It’s the classic imposter syndrome.  This can be one of the greatest obstacles for some authors.  Cathy serves as their cheerleader to encourage them to accomplish what they’re capable of accomplishing.

Once the Manuscript is Written

Cathy functions as a “developmental editor.”  Cathy can work with you to ensure all the correct pieces fit together regarding flow, logic and the ability to foster reader-engagement.  She is not a publisher, but she has extensive connections with publishers and can help an author to find the right one for him/her and the subject matter. 

There are different models for publishers.  Cathy realizes the need for her authors to be able to purchase their own books at cost.  They need to maintain creative control and own the copyright (as well as future rights).  You have to understand the fine print.  Cathy can help you to navigate part or all of it.  She understands the business aspect of writing a book.

How Does Cathy Fyock Work with Authors?

Cathy loves to speak with anyone who’s even thinking about the idea, with no obligation.  For those who are ready, she offers multiple types of services.  Her Coaching Service is her main program.  It’s a one-on-one process that lasts 6 months.  It encompasses strategy planning, accountability calls, connections and post-publishing activities.

She also provides workshops, writing retreats, master classes, online courses and other services, all of which are described on her website.

Dealing with Accountability

This is obviously a significant factor for some people along their journey to writing a book.  She can help to problem solve to determine what’s getting in the way of progress.  Did you forget to book time to do it?  Did it go on the To Do List, instead of the calendar?  There are strategies Cathy can offer to help her offers to cope and to complete the journey.

While the subject matter will vary by author and the author’s experience, the process of writing a book is fairly similar.  Cathy Fyock is your book-writing Sherpa as you climb this incredible mountain. 

Blog-to-Book

This is a concept for helping people to repurpose their blogs to discover the book you’ve already written.  Cathy will add direction and perspective to help along the way.  Part of the strategy is to map the content progression from the blogs to the book outline.

Finding Your Brand Voice

Figuring out how you, as an author, want to present the ideas can concept, is an important step.  This is vital for a speaker who may be giving a talk on the stage and selling their book in the back of the room.  You need to be the same on the page as you were on the stage.  This relates to your brand voice.  It’s about authenticity and congruency.

You may have multiple degrees and accomplishments, but your audience wants you to be more conversational.  You should try to overcome the worry of what your peers will think if you present the material in a more digestible format.  Write for the audience.

Creating a Book on Tape

This is more of a publishing issue, rather than a coaching issue.  Nonetheless, Cathy is a big fan of the audio-based format for books and related products.  Hearing the actual voice of the author can convey the style and personality more effectively than just words on a page.

Cathy’s 3 Tips for Someone Who’s Considering Writing a Book

• Begin with a strategic focus.  Identify what you want your book to do for you and your business.
• Identify your thesis statement. It helps you define what it is your book is about.
• Be very clear about your targeted reader. They should be aligned with your targeted client, in most cases.  Consider the physical demographics and the readers’ psychographic characteristics.

These three tips enable you to avoid speaking at the reader.  Instead, you’ll be able to talk with him or her because you’ve figured out how to connect with the audience.  As you’re writing, always remember the WIIFM – What’s In It For Me?  If you neglect your audience’s needs, they’ll be more apt to neglect your book, from the outset.

Are You Interested in Writing a Book?

Here’s how to contact Cathy:

Email Her:  Cathy@CathyFyock.com

Website:  CathyFyock.com

Thank you for taking the time to listen to this episode.  From more information on business-related issues, visit my website at www.JimRayConsultingServices.com.

Got Podcast?

Finally, if you’re interested in developing and launching a podcast for your business or organization, I’d be happy to help.  I provide this service on a regional basis.  Visit my podcast production services page for more information.

Until next time, remember, if you need help with your small business, Let’s Grow For It!