I Started Out Clueless
When I first started an online business I had zero clue how to do it. Back then I didn't know if I should focus on increasing Facebook likes, Youtube views, LinkedIn connections, Twitter followers, or whatever else sprang up overnight.
The truth is, none of these metrics matter compared to the silver bullet of the online business world. All of the examples above are owned by someone else (Youtube, Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter, etc.). They decide who sees your updates and who consumes your content. They are in control, not you.
Every business needs visibility. Without the ability to be seen or heard, customers won't know about you and if they don't know about you then they won't buy from you. We call the ability to be seen and heard your PLATFORM.
In my book
Day Job to Dream Job, I unpack the finer points of platform building.
(You can get a free copy on audible here.) For the sake of time, I'll briefly share the 3 different posts that make up your platform. Think of these posts as the place where you show up online. (If it helps, check out this sketch from
Day Job to Dream Job done by
NY Times Bestselling illustrator
Mike Rohde.)
Post #1 - Their Space:
These are spaces where people talk about you, your businesses, or your brand. People may feature you on their own blog, RT you on their own Twitter account, or share your posts on their own Facebook wall. You can stay in the know about such mentions through a free tool called Google Alerts. (Guest posting on a blog or being interviewed on someone else's podcast are also examples of "their space.")
Post #2 - Shared Space:
You don’t own shared space, but you can have a presence. To show up here, you must register or create a profile. Examples include:
flickr.com—a photo sharing site
pinterest.com—collect and organize things you love
disqus.com—a commenting platform
youtube.com—a video sharing site
twitter.com—a social network
facebook.com—a social network
linkedin.com—a professional social network
Remember this is shared space. Many businesses find this out the hard way. Amassing thousands of “LIKES” on Facebook doesn’t mean much if you can’t connect directly with your clients or fans. When these shared spaces (like Facebook) change their “rules” it can mean lost connection and lost revenue if you haven’t collected individuals’ email addresses.
Post #3 - Your Space:
This is truly your own space. The key here is control. You determine what gets posted, sold, listed, published, or featured. Examples of your space includes a website, blog, (OR email). Here are the differences between the two:
- Websites are often “one and done,” simply because of their structure. You visit them once, then you’re done. You might return to a website out of curiosity or the need to purchase a product. But for the most part it’s static content.
- Blogs (at least the good ones) publish fresh, valuable content. Because of the ability to comment, blogs often foster a sense of community too. Blogs should include the ability for readers to subscribe in exchange for providing their email address. This way your content will be sent to readers automatically
The results are in!
The single most important component of all online business is your email list. In other words, your success as a business is deeply dependent upon YOUR SPACE.
When I say this to most authors, speakers, entrepreneurs, and coaches, they often stop making eye contact for 1 of 2 reasons:
- If they're honest they have no email list.
- If they have an email list then it's not growing and they don't know how to leverage it.
Maybe you've heard people say things like "the money is in the list" when referring to email? The truth is, these people know something that most others don't.
The secret to going pro with your passion is not about being on every social media platform, despite what you might have heard. I am passionate about helping struggling authors and entrepreneurs because more than 5 years ago I was one too! Fast forward to today, and now we have a global business with thousands of clients from all around the world.
So how did this happen? It's quite simple actually. It's because we discovered how to use our email list correctly.
The other day I called up the founder of
ConvertKit, my friend
Nathan Barry. I told him how many tribe members were asking for more help in this area. I'm committed to helping the Igniting Souls Tribe get set up for some success in 2018.
We decided the best strategy would be to host a free workshop on why email marketing is a key foundation to publishing a book and growing a business, and how you can use email to do both.
Nathan introduced me to the best woman for the job, my new friend and fellow creator Isa Adney from ConvertKit!
Isa is the Webinar Producer at ConvertKit, and she's also an author and blogger (her first blog has been viewed over 1 million times!). ConvertKit is an email service provider that is geared toward helping creators like us and other authors and entrepreneurs earn a living doing what they do best.
The live workshop will be Tuesday December 19th at 10:00am Pacific |1:00pm Eastern and you can save your seat right here!
During the workshop Isa is going to teach us:
- Why an email list is crucial to growing our readership and our business
- How to use email marketing to get published and sell more books
- What to write in our emails to help grow our audience and our business
This workshop is useful for anyone, not just those who use ConvertKit, so you’ll get real, actionable takeaways that you can implement right after the workshop, no matter what tool you use.
Be sure to register for the workshop even if you can’t make it live, because we'll make a replay available until
midnight the next day to anyone who registers.
(I think it's a smart move to make it live though because Isa has a $200 bonus that’s only available for live attendees).
In today’s podcast I share how to use these keys to unlock your future. (Listen to this episode via itunes, audioboom, or stitcher).
This Episode is Sponsored By ConvertKit
Without an email list we're only business wannabes. (
The truth hurts.) Maybe it's time to stop talking about online business and start doing online business instead? According to Email Tool Tester—and several other independent tests—ConvertKit is THE best email provider in terms of deliverability.
Check Out This Resource Mentioned
If you want to try out ConvertKit
CLICK HERE to get your first month FREE.
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“The most powerful weapon on earth is the human soul on fire.”
We still haven't done any public promotion for Igniting Souls Conference 2018 tickets. However, that hasn't stopped insiders. They've already gobbled up over 1/2 the tickets. If you've thought about coming, now is the time to secure your regular ticket OR VIP ticket. Our hotel block is limited and these rooms are almost full too. If you want to CLOSE THE GAP, personally or professionally, you need to come. Failing to attend will cost you and your business time and money. Enjoy the trailer.
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=ZSPWG9V2g6s[/embed]
We often think we need to hire experts to help us, including with the topic at hand—YouTube. We can, but I learned a powerful truth early on:
Just like phones and computers get hacked, people get hacked too. Your body is comprised of systems. Your brain is like a computer. As a result, you get hacked. Often! The majority of people agree that other people and things often gain unauthorized access of their ideas, dreams, and goals.
After doing more than 100 live events over the past decade, I've discovered the good, the bad, and the beautiful of hosting your own conference. This post and podcast is dedicated to save you time and money and increase your chance of successfully hosting your own conference that is both memorable and profitable.
(Listen to this episode via 
Here's what it meant for our conference and context:
FEEL THE FIRE: In the beginning all we see is ourselves. We feel the heat from our own fiery trials. The majority stays here forever. But our breakthrough is just on the other side of awareness—when we realize the obstacle is the way.
SEE THE FIRE: Looking outward, we now see others in need. Their struggle feels strangely familiar. Our former pain will become their future cure. With courage and clarity we do deep work so we can create deep impact.
BE THE FIRE: By leveraging our hurts into a helpful framework, we open a new way and a new world. Through serving and storytelling, people embrace the solution and experience success. As we show up filled up, we set fire to our business and brand.
As the conference host it's your responsibility to set the theme. This is often the most important step. It's something I do first and foremost before anything else.
=> Intentional Takeaways:
Don't make your attendees guess what they're going to get. We tell our people exactly what to expect. If they're going to hop on a plane or into a car it's up to you to create a culture of intentional takeaways. We told our people:
=> Dynamic Community:
We could have packed more people in the room—the business center told us so. They said if we put people in rows and not round tables we'd fit at least 100 more. It took us 2 seconds to come to a clear decision. Our answer? "No thank you." Although we could have scored more cash, community is king at our event—not the other way around.
We call it the Igniting Souls Conference, but around each table of 8 people, a spark began to appear on day one. At the end of day 2 that spark was a fiery blaze. Friendships were forged. Collaborations were created. And in some cases partnerships were primed.
=> Disjointed Speakers:
Ever been to a conference that had zero alignment? Each session felt completely random and disconnected from the previous one? This type of conference is a liability, not an asset.
At igniting souls conference each speaker is completely aligned with the other speakers.
=> Wasting Time:
I'm not a fan of wasting time. I don't want to attend a conference to massage someone's back, dance in the aisle, or listen to a 2-day pitch-fest. At our conference we don't waste time in any of these obvious ways. But, we also don't waste time in subtle ways too—like doing irrelevant exercises, prolonged table times, or even waiting in food lines. (Listen to the podcast above if you want more insider tips and tools.)
=> Beautiful = Unplanned Magic:
We love to include a few surprises each conference. This year we invited Olympic Gold medalist and World Champion wrestler Kyle Synder. Besides being the best wrestler in the world, it turns out he's an amazing speaker too. He shared what it takes to become a champion. He was joined by Tom Ryan the NCAA national champion coach of the Ohio State Buckeyes. Both men added a ton of value and our attendees enjoyed getting pictures with them.
Each year we have a photo booth. In the past attendees became boxers, swimmers, and this year firefighters. Besides creating laughs, this element also created a bonding experience for each of the tables.
The authors did an amazing job on stage. Each talk literally blew me away. And their books are each a beautiful work of art—inside and out.
We're looking for our next authors to publish. Although thousands will express interest and hundreds will apply, we can only accept 25. If you'd like to be considered 
In today’s podcast I share the entire backstory behind Ghostwriter Academy. (Listen to this episode via 
Then I'd bring up the request in my next weekly meeting with my Senior Pastor. He was a very generous leader, but rightfully so, I'd have to "sell" him on the idea. I'd explain why it was a good thing to leave my "job" for a couple days to go and talk to groups of people who needed to hear the message behind my book.
Sometimes he let me. Sometimes he didn't. Sometimes I'd have to "sell" other people on the idea too like my director, other staff members, ministry leaders, elders, etc.
I am a father of three kids. They are each two years apart. Imagine having a 5 yr. old, 3 yr. old, and 1 yr. old and trying to write as well. Since I was absolutely committed to be the best employee and father and husband, that meant writing a total of 4 books in the "margins" of life. These books were written at 12 am or 2 am or sometimes even 4 am, in between feeding the babies.
I'm not complaining.
I loved those moments of bonding with my son and daughters. And since I was up anyways, I thought rather then go back to bed I'd crank out a thousand words of the next book that loomed over my head. After all, my traditional publishers weren't about to let me miss a deadline.
This model worked so well, I began sharing it with other authors who also became 6-Figure Authors too. Fast-forward five years and today we have a Global 7-Figure Business. We're helping hundreds of other authors achieve their financial goals so that they can have the freedom to do their passion full-time too.
