The Smart Passive Income Online Business And Blogging Podcast

#829 Getting caught using other people's content is not a good look. On the flip side, we should also try to protect our own work against theft! So, where's the line between inspiration and copying? How do we build on existing ideas while respecting other people's output? Essentially, what are the rules for “stealing like an artist?” Today, I'm joined by Todd Herman, entrepreneur and author of The Alter Ego Effect, for a fantastic chat on this topic. Don't miss this interview, because Todd has worked with some of the world's top athletes and public figures to help them reach their highest potential! In this episode, we unpack how to build on existing concepts while giving credit where credit is due and staying on the right side of the law. Todd and I also discuss generating original ideas, preventing others from copying you, apprenticeships, and honoring your mentors. Enjoy! Show notes and more at SmartPassiveIncome.com/session829.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice a

#828 Do you ever wish you could condense everything you need to read and learn into a podcast episode? If you're anything like me, that should sound pretty good faced with today's information overload culture. Well, you and I are both in luck! Google has a new tool for that, and this thing is amazing. I found out about NotebookLM from TikTok recently and seeing it in action really blew my mind! There's one key aspect that makes this tool different from ChatGPT and everything else. Setting NotebookLM apart is the ability to use your own documents, articles, books, links, videos, and other resources to train a niche AI assistant. Imagine then turning your files into easy-to-digest FAQs, briefing documents, or even audio podcasts. You have to listen in on today's episode because this is one of the coolest things I've seen in a while! Show notes and more at SmartPassiveIncome.com/session828.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-in

#827 How do you create and sell your first physical product in today's digital world? If you've ever asked yourself that question, today's expert guest has the answers you're looking for! Thiefaine Magre of Prouduct is joining me for an illuminating masterclass on building a physical product portfolio. Listen in because we cover everything from merch to manufacturing and shipping solutions to help you get started! So what is the right first product for your audience members, and how do you test to find out if they'd buy it for you? Today, Thiefaine shares his sales-first approach to prototyping to zero in on in-demand merchandise. We discuss white-label products, packaging, third-party logistics companies, and more. This is a fascinating conversation that can help you uplevel your brand and enhance the experience you offer around it. Enjoy! Show notes and more at SmartPassiveIncome.com/session827.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-

#826 I'm so excited about the future of SPI! We have big changes coming and today's episode will loop you in on some of them. Don't worry, though, we're not going anywhere! Listen in on this revealing roundtable with my friends and partners Matt Gartland and Caleb Wojcik. Today, we dive into our history and discuss the new roles everyone's taking on to build something much bigger than ourselves. This episode is about what's coming next for us, but we also look at some of our forward-thinking ideas from the past. Matt, Caleb, and I have a fun chat about multimedia projects and the time we had the number-one video podcast in the world! Everything we've learned from our successes and failures is going into this new chapter of SPI. We want you alongside us, so join in for a sneak peek at what we're working on! Show notes and more at SmartPassiveIncome.com/session826.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

#825 Having a narrow focus is a fantastic way to run a business! But what happens when you set your sights on more ambitious goals? This is what I'm discussing with ConvertKit CEO Nathan Barry today. With a rebrand to Kit, they've built an incredible operating system for creators who mean business. In this episode, you'll hear all about the powerful app store they're launching to supercharge how we use their ecosystem. Kit will also come with an enhanced hub for next-level analytics, and a slew of performance improvements. Finally, Nathan and I chat about the Creator Network, the number one tool I use to grow my Unstuck newsletter, and Kit's free tier for users with up to ten thousand email subscribers. This is way more than you can get anywhere else, so go to SmartPassiveIncome.com/convertkit to sign up! [affiliate link] Show notes and more at SmartPassiveIncome.com/session825.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

#824 I am shocked at the results of my Shorts experiment. It's only been two months, but I've already amassed over a hundred million views. That's just part of it, though. The big surprise is the money coming in. In the first twenty-eight days since Short Pocket Monster started being monetized, I made almost $15,000. What?! I didn't think this was possible! Tune in today because I break down one of the key mindset shifts that helped me wrap my head around short-form content. This was a struggle, but I had to let go of perfectionism to find a winning formula. I had to prioritize quantity over quality to get the YouTube algorithm to kick in! Now, you'll want to listen in because providing value for your audience is still vital. In this episode, I share my thoughts on finding the stand-out balance between quantity, quality, and substance. Enjoy! Show notes and more at SmartPassiveIncome.com/session824.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-no

#823 When someone's on your website, what are the best practices that convert them from visitor to buyer? If you want more newsletter subscribers, how do you design a landing page that gets the job done? In fact, what is the balance between copywriting and graphics that gets the biggest results? These are some of the questions I ask my expert guest, Martin Cris, in today's interview. If you don't know how to optimize your website, join us for this fantastic conversation to learn more! Martin is a master at creating sales pages that convert. He and I discuss everything from writing effective headlines to prompting your clients for compelling testimonials. We share design dos and don'ts and even get into how to leverage AI to fine-tune your messaging. This is the episode for you if you want to ensure you're not losing sales when people click on your links! Show notes and more at SmartPassiveIncome.com/session823.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/p

#822 Why do we let vanity numbers get in the way of making a meaningful impact? Instead of gathering a large audience, one of the most powerful things we can do is bring people together in small groups. With human connection coming at a premium, is this where online business will go in the Age of AI? In this roundtable episode, we tackle the state of community building in 2024 and share our best tips for newcomers in the space. Joining me for this chat are the incredible Natalie Franke, Head of Marketing at Flodesk, and SPI CEO Matt Gartland. So, why are small-scale communities having such a moment in 2024? How do you find your competitive advantage and attract members to your private group? What is the number of people you need to start, and how do you grow without sacrificing deep relationships? Listen in to hear our thoughts and strategies! Show notes and more at SmartPassiveIncome.com/session822.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-n

#821 What does it take to start landing paid speaking gigs? If you don't have an extraordinary life story, how do you begin crafting your talks? Also, what are the steps to establish yourself as an authority and get your name out there? These are the questions we answer in today's chat with Grant Baldwin of The Speaker Lab! Here's the thing. If you build it they absolutely will not come. Unless you have the right assets in place and put in the promotional work, this is true for most of what you do online. The same goes for building a successful public speaking business! In this episode, Grant shares the roadmap he's used to help thousands of people get up and running. He and I dive into finding your niche and creating your first talk, setting up an effective digital presence, shooting a demo video, and reaching out to event planners. Enjoy! Show notes and more at SmartPassiveIncome.com/session821.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-

#820 As you're giving out your knowledge online, does the presentation around it reflect the value you're offering? This is important because the "gift wrapping" around your content can help you level up fast. On YouTube, for instance, we often hear that the title and thumbnail are vital for your success. It's so important that I even hired a thumbnail guy, Jonathan Sippel, for Deep Pocket Monster! Another example is the jingle I use on my new Shorts channel. If you've listened to last week's episode, you know I'm already seeing massive numbers and earning thousands of dollars after only doing short-form content for a little over a month. These are the same type of videos I see plenty of other creators doing. The difference? My focus on presentation helps me stand out from the crowd. Listen in because you can apply this strategy of going the extra mile on packaging to anything! Show notes and more at SmartPassiveIncome.com/session820.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notic

#819 We talk a lot about resisting distractions, and for good reason. Training your focus is vital in entrepreneurship! That said, I know a lot of us have or want kids. Well, one of the best traits to develop as a parent is being interruptible for your family. This is coming straight from Jon Acuff, author of How Teens Win. I sat down with Jon for a fantastic in-person chat all about understanding our kids and helping them unlock their passion and potential. With teenagers at home, I know how important this topic is parent entrepreneurs! So, how do you communicate with young people and allow space for them to open up about their struggles? When you have more than one child, how do you get quality one-on-one time with each? Also, what are the tricks that make navigating around technology easier as a parent? Listen in to find out! Show notes and more at SmartPassiveIncome.com/session819.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info

#818 I did it this time. I finally cracked the code on Shorts and boiled my approach down to a simple formula. A month after starting from scratch, I'm only putting in fifteen minutes of work per day and getting millions of views! With a fresh understanding of what viewers want, my results are huge! In fact, I already have over 100K subscribers and am eligible for monetization on YouTube. You know I love Pokémon, so I started a new channel in the niche for this experiment at Short Pocket Monster. With no promotion, I published videos daily and let the algorithm do its magic. So why am I seeing such massive numbers this time? It turns out, the key is creating bingeable content. Listen in on today's episode to hear exactly what I'm doing and how you can replicate my success! Show notes and more at SmartPassiveIncome.com/session818.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

#817 The easier you make it for readers to unsubscribe, the more effective your emails will be! Because this is counterintuitive, many of us land in people's spam folders without knowing it. But here's the good news—a joint announcement from Google and Yahoo has shed light on the best practices that get our emails in front of more people. Join me and my expert guest, MV Braverman of Inbox Welcome, to learn more! So, what are the recent changes you need to know about? How do you set up your emails to avoid getting blacklisted? What are the tools that help you understand why you're not getting the results you want? MV does an incredible job of breaking down the technical aspects that play a huge role behind the scenes. We talk about authenticating your emails, using Google's Postmaster Tools, avoiding block lists, and setting up new domain names. Listen in! Show notes and more at SmartPassiveIncome.com/session817.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/

#816 There are billionaires who are unhappy and die with regret. There are also people who waste their time and never take advantage of the opportunities in front of them. So, what does it mean to live a full life? Today, I want to share something I've never talked about before. This is something that really brought home the importance of finding meaning and focusing on the things that matter. It also brought me to tears because it was a message from a dying friend. At 41, with an 11-year-old daughter and a son heading into high school, it's unbelievable how fast time has gone by. If you feel the same way, join me for this chat to hear how I'm making the most of the moments I have with a renewed focus on nutrition, sleep, and longevity! Show notes and more at SmartPassiveIncome.com/session816.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

#815 This may shock you, but our most popular episode isn't one of my interviews with famous guests like Tim Ferris or Gary Vanerchuck. It's actually session 122 with Shane and Jocelyn Sams, two teachers turned millionaire entrepreneurs! In today's episode, I'm excited to have Shane back on the show to learn about the next step in this incredible journey. He shares a peek at his first book, Earn More, Live More, and delivers an absolute masterclass in storytelling for business. We discuss the ups and downs of the writing process and the mindset tricks that finally unlocked Shane's inspiration. We also dive into an effective story framework you can leverage again and again to grow and engage your audience. Shane and I also get into rebranding to enter the next chapter of your life and why everyone should have a podcast even if no one listens. Enjoy! Show notes and more at SmartPassiveIncome.com/session815.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy

#814 Are you doing brave work and does it make you proud of yourself? Were you to start over, would you do things the same way now? If you're anything like me, asking these questions can lead to some uncomfortable realizations. That said, the answers you come to can propel you into the next chapter of your life! Today's episode might be the push you need to start doing something that lights you up. Joining me for this roundtable chat are author Todd Henry, Jason Feifer of Entrepreneur magazine, and SPI CEO Matt Gartland. My guests and I discuss everything from leveraging short-lived social platforms for audience growth to building up your bravery in business. We touch on rebranding a podcast and how our show might change, book publishing, evergreen content, and understanding the value you bring to your audience. Enjoy! Show notes and more at SmartPassiveIncome.com/session814.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

#813 You don't have to be an expert to start helping others. In fact, being just one step in front of your target audience is often enough to build a successful business. The key, however, is niching down enough to take advantage of your unique combination of skills! My guest, Kourt from The Station Bakery, is a perfect example of someone carving out her space online. She helps her audience of home bakers discover great new recipes while also building income streams around their passion. I always say the riches are in the niches, so listen in on my chat with Kourt to learn more! In this episode, we discuss starting a brand from scratch, staying on top of niche trends, making money from Instagram and YouTube, the golden rule of building an audience, and why going offline can grow your online business. Enjoy! Show notes and more at SmartPassiveIncome.com/session813.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

#812 A lot of people are sick of how social media platforms are doing everything to get us hooked on their content. Many, like my friend Tommy, are quitting the internet to take back control of their time and attention. But what do you do if you need to be online for your business? Today, I share my quick tips for managing the information overload we're subjected to. This episode is especially valuable in an election year, so please listen in! Learning fewer things, having selective curiosity, and developing your capacity for storytelling are all vital for the modern online entrepreneur. I talk about each of these elements today to help you succeed in the Age of AI while staying healthy and focused on your goals. Tune in and enjoy! Show notes and more at SmartPassiveIncome.com/session812.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

#811 The way podcasting connects me with entrepreneurs in niches I know nothing about is so powerful. I'm lucky because that's a great way to get inspired and learn about strategies I haven't tried. Today's episode is a perfect opportunity to do just that! My guest is Becky Rapinchuk from Clean Mama. She helps her followers declutter their homes and establish effective cleaning routines. Becky's business insights about manufacturing and selling physical products are especially valuable, so listen in on this behind-the-scenes session to learn more about her brand! So, how do you write sales copy to create an organic connection with your audience? How do you create consumable products and sell them on a subscription basis? Also, what should you do to stand out in a niche dominated by someone as popular as Marie Kondo! Tune in because we tackle all those questions with Becky! Show notes and more SmartPassiveIncome.com/session811.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at htt

#810 If you're looking for a shortcut to get your content in front of more people, this is it. The best part is you can apply the strategy I share today on any platform to boost your views, likes, or engagement of any kind. I wanted to record this quick solo episode because I'm getting massive results after studying outliers from other people online. I'm referring to content that gets a big spike in engagement compared to a creator's baseline. This has been a fantastic source of inspiration for videos on my YouTube channels. Now, I'm not going out and stealing other people's ideas. Here's what I'm doing instead. I'm analyzing titles, thumbnails, and basic video structures and bringing proven formats to my niche. Listen in on today's session to learn how you can uncover these viral frameworks and leverage them to create original posts that stand out. Show notes and more at SmartPassiveIncome.com/session810.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privac