Streamlined Solopreneur: Build Systems so Your Business Supports Your Life

If you've ever wondered what goes into creating a fantastic affiliate program, Lindsey Miller from Liquid Web has the answers for you, starting with one simple rule: your affiliates are partners. We talk about lots of stuff like content creation and working with your partners to help them help you. We also discuss how to come up with rates. Don't miss this episode!  Show Notes Lindsey Miller | Twi...

Brad Touesnard is a well known developer in the WordPress community, and CEO and Founder of Delicious Brains, a company that makes fantastic WordPress products. You might know them best from WP Migrate DB Pro, but they do lots more! Brad tells us all about their new product, SpinupWP, why they decided to solve this problem, and lots of other great advice for both business and development.  Show No...

Mihran Papazian is the CEO of Brushette, a company that plans to revolutionize...toothbrushes! In a rare episode, we cover what it's like creating a physical product, from the deep research they did, to visiting over 1,000 factories in China to find the right manufacturing partner. Mihran's experience and deep knowledge means there's lots of great takeaways here - no matter what you plan to make. ...

James Kemp is the founder and lead developer of Iconic, a popular WooCommerce extension shop. James has managed to do well in an increasingly saturated space. His approach to solving problems and determining if there's a market for his new ideas is an interesting one. He offers lots of great advice on everything from research to development, and launching.  James Kemp Iconic Freemius Vova Feldman...

Stephanie Scapa is the Co-Founder and CEO of WEYV, a platform that aims to compete with Spotify, Apple Music, and Amazon. They have a unique business model to help them do it! We discuss running a large-scale project, what deep product research looks like, and how they came up with the pricing plan.  Stephanie Scapa WEYV Altair Amplitude Joe's Podcast Course Sponsored by: Plesk | Pantheon ———— Str...

Yuriy Popov is the Customer Success Manager at KeepSolid, where they make a suite of apps. The most popular is VPN Unlimited. We dive deep into how KeepSolid pivoted to focus on where they saw the industry going, from the Snowden revelations to the continued support for better online privacy. We also talk about the importance of listening to your customers, a recurring theme on this show!  Yuriy P...

Before Sam Brodie founded OffSprout, he successfully sold a niched business that focused on websites for lawyers. Sam generously shares his advice and experience with us, from niching down to how to properly keep your books. There's tons of great advice in this episode, so make sure to listen to the whole thing!  Sam Brodie OffSprout JurisPage CaboPress WP Influencer Project Sara Dunn and Niching...

Andre Gagnon has SaaS/Subscription fatigue and decided to do something about it. He helped create and launch ProjectHuddle, a WordPress/plugin-based competitor to the likes of InVision. At least, when it comes to getting design feedback. The tech in this episode is super interesting, and we get philosophical about owning your products and data!  Show Notes Andre Gagnon ProjectHuddle Medium Adds a...

Jan Thielemann is a plugin developer who got his start as a digital nomad who wanted to make enough money to fund his adventures. So he started a small side business selling plugins for Divi, where he found a good niche. He offers great advice about starting on your own, and the difference between truly passive and "half-passive" income.  Show Notes Jan Thielemann Divi Sensei Freemius Jan's Travel...

Every so often on this show, I will have somebody who knows lots of something I know very little about, and Amanda is one of those people. She is a live captioner. We talk all about what it's like being a live captioner, her the stenographic keyboard, and more. I like her journey and all of the information that she gives us in this episode.  Amanda Lundberg ( email ) White Coat Captioning WordCamp...

Brennan Dunn is a freelancer, educator, and founder of RightMessage, a personalization platform. It's used by people like Pat Flynn to make sure their website is targeting the proper audience. We talk about how he built RightMessage and the importance of personalization and segmentation.  Show Notes Brennan Dunn RightMessage Double Your Freelancing CaboPress Landing Page School ConvertKit OptinMon...

Dan Stocke knows marketing, and knows the pain of using the Facebook Ads Manager. So he created an easier way to do it. We'll talk about how he took his idea from need to launch, talk to developers, and refined the process based on feedback.  Show Notes Email Dan Stocke: dan@buzzfrenzy.com Buzz Frenzy WordCamp Minneapolis Book: Contagious Sponsored by: Castos | Plesk | Pantheon ———— Streamlined So...

Laura Elizabeth is a fantastic designer who wants to "teach design to developers." Her story from consulting to products is fantastic, and her method for building buzz and tension around her course worked perfectly. This is a fantastic case study for people who consult, but want to move into selling online courses or selling products.  Show Notes Laura Elizabeth ( on Twitter ) Client Portal Design...

Mike McDerment is the founder of the incredibly popular accounting software FreshBooks. His story is an interesting one - where he started with an MVP and then built it up from there. His journey relatable, and I'm really excited to talk to him today.  Show Notes FreshBooks Sponsored by: Castos | Plesk | Pantheon ———— Streamlined Solopreneur helps  solopreneurs automate their business so they can...

Nathalie Lussier is has created a unique, powerful LMS plugin for WordPress that people seem to love. That's because Nathalie, on top of using the product herself, listens to her customers. In this episode, she'll give us lots of great advice for how to grow our business and improve customer relationships.  Show Notes AccessAlly 30 Day List Building Challenge Autologin Links Sponsored by: Plesk |...

I focused a lot on automation in 2018, so I was really excited to talk to today's guest, Chris Bintliff, on how he used automation for his client-onboarding process. Chis is a fantastic, energetic guy and offers a lot of great advice here. If you're looking to save time through automation, this is for you.  Show Notes Chris on Twitter The Automated Consultant Not Really Rocket Science Zapier Typef...

Anton Kraly is the founder of Drop Ship Lifestyle and has an incredibly story of how he got to where he is today. I'm grateful for Anton's time and for sharing both his story, and his tips on how we can get into drop shipping.  Show Notes Anton on Twitter Drop Ship Lifestyle The 4 Hour Work Week Alibaba Alexa Architect Theme Membirium Infusionsoft Sensei LMS Vimeo Pro Invision Power Boards Sponsor...

Myke Hurley is a well-known podcaster and founder of Relay FM. To kick off Season 6, he gives us some fantastic advice on starting shows, sponsors, and lots more. His story is incredibly interesting and I think it's a great way to start this season and the new year.  Myke on Instagram | Twitter Relay FM Brad Dowdy and Nock Co. 5by5 Stephen Hackett / 512 Pixels The Best Advice I Never Took Libsyn M...

In the run up to the release of WordPress 5.0, I created a mini-series on Implementing Guteneberg on my YouTube channel. This episode combines the 4 interviews for your listening enjoyment!  Justin Sainton In Episode 1, I talk to Justin Sainton about how his agency, Zao, used Gutenberg to create a custom light fixture builder. You can find Justin:  On Twitter At His agency, Zao Rene Morozowich In...

Vova Feldman started one of the most popular plugin marketplaces in the WordPress space. His story is one that came out of filling a need, but also a realization: while there are a lot of people selling plugins in the WordPress space, we can be doing better. He offers advice on building your business, and a community around it, and much more.  Show Notes @VovaFeldman | Email: vova@freemius.com Fre...

Kim Gjerstad is one of the founders of the popular newsletter plugin, MailPoet. In this episode we talk about how he’s been able to build a successful product and company with a fully remote team. Kim gives great advice about on boarding, tools, and building a company culture.  Show Notes Kim Gjerstad - kim@mailpoet.com MailPoet Buffer’s Open Blog Matt Mullenweg on Remote Environments We Work Remo...

Daniel Espinoza is a man who wears many hats: agency owner, product seller, family man, and more. In the episode we get into how he manages keeping everything running smoothly. This is a fantastic conversation for anyone who wants to diversify what they do, without getting too overwhelmed.  Show Notes Daniel Espinoza Grow Development Shop Plugins Beka Rice and Jilt Start with Why Easy Digital Down...

Liam Martin is the founder of Time Doctor. In this episode, we talk all about how he founded the company, from idea to how it's grown to the massive user base it boasts. We also talk about how long it takes for companies to become overnight successes, and how to set yourself apart from other services.  Show Notes Liam Martin Time Doctor Running Remote SXSW Sponsored by: Creator Courses | Pantheon...

Chris Lema is a man who knows how to build a good product. And in this episode, he's going to tell us all about how he helped build Liquid Web's Managed WooCommerce Hosting. We'll talk about what eCommerce shops need, the importance of performance, and he'll give us lots of great tips.  Show Notes Chris Lema | Twitter Liquid Web CaboPress Bryce Adams and Metorik Brian Richards and WooSesh PerfMatt...

I can't believe we've reached episode 100! This episode is an introspective (retrospective?) on how I built How I Built It . I'll go over the idea, what I've learned over 2 years of podcasting, some pretty sweet automation, and more. I want to everyone who's listened, shared, came on, and sponsored the show. I wouldn't have been able to get here without all of you! Question of the week: Why haven'...