AskPat 2.0: A Weekly Coaching Call on Online Business, Blogging, Marketing, and Lifestyle Design

Today we’re having a chat with Meg Brunson who’s doing a number of things with online business. We’re going to talk about balancing and branding them, and how they all fit together (or don’t). Meg is launching a podcast called Familypreneur, which covers the topics of parenting, entrepreneurship, and raising entrepreneurial kids. But she’s not sure at which point her side ventures merit their own...

Nicole needs a little help. She’s an amazing photographer, but she’s worried that her competition is getting ahead of her because of their age advantage. She wants to make sure that her audience grows with her, and that she’s attracting an audience outside of her age group. I’m going to talk this through with her today—a lot of it’s mindset, but a lot of it is specific strategies that she could im...

Today’s coaching call is something I think you’ll relate to. David McBride is calling in from Northern Ireland, and he’s having a hard time focusing on one thing. Bright Lights Syndrome, Squirrel Syndrome—call it what you like, we’ve all been there. David is just starting out too, so if you’ve gone through the process of getting your business running, you know how hard this is. Let’s get started!...

Today’s coaching call is with Stacy. She wants to go on speaking tour and she wants to write a book: Which should she do first? Her second question: Before either of those things, what type of editor should she choose to help her finish her book? Check out Stacy online at StacyBrookman.com. If you want to be considered for a coaching session, apply via the form at AskPat.com. Today’s sponsor is Fr...

Today’s coaching call is with Brian Matiash of Matiash.com, a photographer who sells a number of products and podcasts at well. He has two main questions. How can he double the size of his email list, and how can he sell without selling out? In this episode I mention a few tools to help with giveaways: KingSumo (for Wordpress) and Gleam.io. Check them out! If you want to be considered for a coachi...

I’m talking to Sam today, from Byte-by-Byte.com. He helps software engineers interview for jobs (like Google, Facebook, etc). He’s testing his new course right now, and he’s a little burnt out. He’s doing pretty much everything himself and wants to focus on building his audience next. He feels like the best thing he can do to improve is to grow his audience, but he feels like he’s hit a barrier an...

Today’s coaching call is with Jackie Bolen, who needs to make a big decision but doesn’t quite know how. Jackie is a blogger and writer who teaches ESL (English as a Second Language). She was an ESL teacher in South Korea for ten years, started blogging, and fell into the online business world. Now back in Canada, she’s quit her job and is focusing full-time on her online business. With thirty boo...

Today’s coaching call is with Cathy, a full-time professor and mom of three. She helps academic women—specifically moms—write and publish more. She makes most of her money via coaching and online courses. She’s had a great first year, but is wondering how much she should reinvest in her business. What should she be spending it on, business-wise? Check out Cathy’s site at CathyMazak.com. If you wan...

Welcome to the first episode of AskPat 2.0! To recap, in case you missed Episode 1000, going forward the episodes of AskPat will be much more than a single answer to a single question. Instead they’ll be a live, one on one coaching session! Through this process, you’re going to learn so much more in terms of how to discover the problems in your own business so you can tackle them head on. If you w...

Today is a very special episode, and an important announcement! Since February of 2014, I’ve been answering questions five days a week here on AskPat. It’s been an amazing journey—999 questions answered and 4,000 questions submitted from listeners. To everyone who’s been listening and asking questions, thank you! Recently, I’ve noticed that I’ve been wanting more. I’ve been wanting to ask question...

Jackie has a question today about personal growth. She’s making enough money online that she could pay her bills, so she’s considering going full-time with her online business. What advice do I have for her? Jackie’s website is http://jackiebolen.com. Do you have a question about personal growth? Record it at http://askpat.com/. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privac...

Today’s question comes from Cookie, who has a podcast called Weight Loss Made Real. She has three short questions. Should she periodically offer new freebies to her audience? How often should she mention her free book on her podcast; on every episode? Does it make sense to use Facebook ads to lead people to the podcast? Check out Cookie's podcast at http://realweightlossrealwomen.com/category/podc...

Today’s question comes from Chris. He has some physical, original products, like teeshirts, that he’d like to sell on Amazon. Should he still use Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA)? How does he market those products? What thoughts and advice do I have? In this episode I recommend checking out Benny Hsu’s website, http://getbusylivingblog.com/, where he talks about selling teeshirts in a similar manner. B...

Today’s question comes from Razwan. He’s been reviewing Halal-certified restaurants on Instagram; is reviewing restaurants monetizable? Do you have a question about monetization? Record it at http://askpat.com/. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

Today’s question comes from Emilio. How can he improve the open rate for his email marketing? In this episode, I recommend https://glockapps.com/, a great tool for testing emails before you send them. Do you have a question about email marketing? Record it at http://askpat.com/. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-m...

Today’s question comes from Troy, who has some questions about mastermind groups. What should he consider when setting up his mastermind, what should he talk about in his first meeting, what tools do I use, and what suggestions do I have for paid masterminds? Troy’s website is http://troydelaney.com/. In this episode I mention a presentation I gave at Social Media Marketing World, specifically abo...

Jason has a question about podcasting: Should he publish segments as separate episodes or as one long episode? Starting at Episode 900 and leading up to (and including) Episode 1000, I’ve been leaving clues to a puzzle. Next week I’m giving away $1,000 to a random person who solves it, every day! You can also get multiple entries for sharing the podcast. To enter into the drawing go to AskPat.com/...

Today’s question comes from James: How he can get more traction on his site in a bootstrapping kind of way? James’ website is http://lasercutterfaq.com. Starting at Episode 900 and leading up to (and including) Episode 1000, I’ve been leaving clues to a puzzle. Next week I’m giving away $1,000 to a random person who solves it, every day! You can also get multiple entries for sharing the podcast. T...

Darcie has a question about online courses. Should she bundle her courses together or package them as separate modules? Darcie’s website is https://ergonomicshelp.com/. Starting at Episode 900 and leading up to (and including) Episode 1000, I’ve been leaving clues to a puzzle. Next week I’m giving away $1,000 to a random person who solves it, every day! You can also get multiple entries for sharin...

Today’s question comes from Juan. He has a podcast, but wants to try different formats of podcasts. Should he put the new podcasts in the same feed? Juan’s website is http://disruptivo.tv. Starting at Episode 900 and leading up to (and including) Episode 1000, I’ve been leaving clues to a puzzle. Next week I’m giving away $1,000 to a random person who solves it, every day! You can also get multipl...

Today’s question comes from Dominick, who asks: How do I drive more traffic to my website? Dominick's website is http://PeaceofMindFinances.com. In this episode I recommend a blog post on SPI: How to Launch a Brand New Website (With a Bang!)—https://www.smartpassiveincome.com/how-to-launch-a-brand-new-website/. Do you have a question about traffic-building? Record it at http://www.askpat.com/. Tod...

Alana has a question about starting out. She’s building a website and looking for new clients—how does she put everything she’s learning together, and what suggestions do I have for her? In this episode I mention my new, free five-day challenge and course: Build Your Own Brand. In this course I walk you through the process of creating a foundational website. Check it out today at https://smartpass...

Today’s question comes from Borja, who asks if it's hypocritical to encourage people to have a mentor even if he doesn’t have one? If someone wants to hire a mentor, does the mentor need to be more successful than them? Borja’s site is https://borjagiron.com. Do you have a question about mentorship? Record it at http://www.askpat.com/. Today's sponsor is DesignCrowd: A website that helps businesse...

Today’s question comes from Paul, who asks if I know any good members-only WordPress plugins. Also, what are some added-value items he can give to his community? Paul’s website is https://www.recoveryelevator.com/. In this episode I mention my book, Will It Fly?, which is all about idea validation and testing your next business idea. Check it out at https://www.smartpassiveincome.com/will-it-fly/....

Today, Amy has a question about podcasting. She’s about to relaunch her podcast—is there a way to get into the New and Noteworthy section on iTunes when she does? Amy’s website is http://makermama.com/. In this episode, I mention my new course, Power-Up Podcasting. It will take you from no podcast to a vibrant, thriving podcast in just weeks. You can sign up for the waitlist at http://poweruppodca...