The Smart Passive Income Online Business and Blogging Podcast

#473 How do you show appreciation for your assistant, who basically acts as an extension of your entrepreneurial self? Or, how do you resolve conflict with an assistant, what do you do if they're not the right fit? We're going to get into all of that, discuss how my assistant's role with SPI has evolved over 7+ years, and a lot more. Jess is such a blast to work with and I'm so grateful that she's...

#472 We just had an amazing episode on the podcast earlier this week — SPI 471: How to Become a Better Communicator with Kolarele Sonaike . Definitely listen to it if you haven't had a chance yet. But today I want to share my own journey as a communicator. We're going to hop in the DeLorean and go all the way back to middle school, high school, and college — where I first started honing my communi...

#471 Communication is one of the most critical foundations to everything you do as an entrepreneur, in your personal relationships, and so much more. And becoming a better communicator is a lifelong journey — how do we do better? Our guest today is Koralele Sonaike, a Communication Skills Coach with a background as a barrister (England's version of a lawyer). He's here today to talk about approach...

#470: What is it I've found, you ask? Let me tell you: a topic that I'm deeply interested in and a way to share it that's unlike what anyone else is doing. In session 469, I talked to Nick from PokeRev about his Pokemon card collecting and how he's been able to create a community—and earn money—around his hobby. Over the last few months, he and I have built a friendship around our shared love of P...

#469 What if you could turn a hobby or passion — maybe something you loved or were crazy about as a kid — into a thriving goldmine of a business? That's exactly what Nick, AKA PokeRev, has done. Pokemon was his passion as a kid, it's something that's deeply steeped in nostalgia for him. He's managed to turn that joy into a super-successful YouTube channel. Thousands, sometimes tens of thousands of...

#468: In SPI 467 , I talked to Kristen at Bearfoot Theory , who took a month-long sabbatical from work at the end of 2020—a whole month disconnected from her business!— and managed to make more money than she had before, even while she was gone. We all need a break from time to time, and for those of us who own and manage our businesses on a day-to-day basis, it can be a real challenge to even thi...

#467 We talk about a lot of business topics here at SPI, most of them related to moving forward: how to optimize your time, build your business, launch courses, create a podcast. It's a lot of doing . But today we're going to talk about something on a different side of the spectrum: taking time away from your business to think, focus on your mental health, gain new clarity, and reevaluate your rel...

#466: We go deep in this episode. We're talking about the entrepreneurial leap—that moment when you accept the risk and truly dedicate yourself to the path of starting your own business. For me, it didn't happen the moment I got laid off or even after I started making more than four times what I'd been making as an architect. It came later, after several eye-opening experiences and conversations w...

#465 Today's guest has written some truly incredible books that I wish I'd had on hand at that time. His book Rocket Fuel was a game-changer for me in helping me realize my role in the business. His new book, Entrepreneurial Leap is a powerful book, especially for anyone who's considering making the leap into entrepreneurship. Whether you've made the leap already or need to reassess where you're a...

#464: I'm excited to introduce you to our first Follow-Up Friday episode on the SPI Podcast! Over the last couple of years we've had a lot of requests for more solo episodes of the show and now we're finally doing it. I'll be dropping a new episode every Friday to dive deeper into our Wednesday's guest interview. In this case, we didn't have a guest on Wednesday, so today it's just me diving even...

#463: Starting off in a brand-new space can be hard for anyone but there are some strategies and mindsets you can use to optimize your approach. Today I'm going to break it down for you as I talk about my new YouTube channel . . . in the Pokemon card collecting space. But how did I make some noise in a space that I was essentially coming into for the first time? How did I fit a brand-new project i...

#462: The cash flow between advertisers and podcasters recently has been insane — some projections say over $1 billion will be spent on podcast ads in 2021. So where do you start, whether you're someone with their own show or an advertiser with a product or service you want to spread the word about? If your curiosity is piqued, you're in the right place. Here to help answer your questions about po...

If you're familiar with this podcast then you've probably heard me talk about the power of podcasting. Seriously, it can be life-changing. But what's going on out there in the "podverse" — what's the state of podcasting in 2021? Whether you're new to podcasting or already have a show of your own, today's bonus episode is a must-listen: our guest is none other than Buzzsprout's head of marketing, A...

#461: Darryll was a Division I athlete when his football career essentially... imploded. By learning how to pick himself up from that event, including a serious turning point in his life due to a suicide attempt, Darryll realized an incredible new mission: to help people, specifically athletes, to find their next big passion. He's now a two-time TEDx speaker and the author of an Amazon best-sellin...

#460: So look, I usually don't try to "sell" anyone too hard when it comes to these episodes, but this one might just change your life. Why? Well, if I had to suggest ways to get started tomorrow, this would be one of my top recommendations: start freelancing now. With us today is Jay Clouse, Community Experience Director for Smart Passive Income. He's also the creator of Freelancing School, an in...

Bonus episodes are a rare occurrence here but we're doing this one because we feel compelled to tell you about an incredible shift happening in our industry and an amazing tool we're using to ride that shift. It's called Circle. Today, we're going to explain why community is everything and why we describe our commitment to the community within SPI as the beating heart of the business. We're so sto...

#459: Is there a formula to winning on YouTube? We've been getting requests for an episode just like this one for a while, which is why I'm thrilled to bring on Derral Eves, founder of VidSummit. He is an absolute master when it comes to understanding what it takes to grow massive channels on YouTube, which is why he has a new book out: The YouTube Formula: How Anyone Can Unlock the Algorithm to D...

This is the podcast for people who want to create and sustain a passive income stream online! Whether you have a side-hustle already in the works, don’t even know where to begin, or just want to crush it with what you got — this show has it all: from expert advice from people like Michael Hyatt, Amy Porterfield, and Gary Vaynerchuck to deep dives on marketing, social media, podcasting, YouTubing,...

#458: Imagine you got on an elevator today, right now even, with someone who could benefit from your business. You have 60 seconds to convince them. What would you say? To put it bluntly, nailing your pitch is mission-critical. That's why we launched an elevator pitch contest as our Challenge of the Month on SPI Pro back in July. The prize was an appearance on the SPI podcast, which is why we have...

#457: One event put Katie in a position to ultimately change the lives of tens of thousands of children and families all over the world: An email from a book publisher (whom she actually hasn't heard from since). But Katie's career isn't built on luck. She had to first ask questions — something she's insanely good at. She also describes herself as a "medium-speed" entrepreneur, mitigating risk whe...

#456: You know those stories that start out "once I was in a rock band . . . " ? It turns out that drumming in a rock band would put Josh Hall in the right place for a major entrepreneurial lightbulb to go off. Fast forward about a decade and Josh would be running his own web design firm and launching wildly successful courses for entrepreneurs hoping to follow in his footsteps. Here's how Josh di...

#455: This might surprise you, but there's really only one show that I absolutely have to listen to . . . every week. Actually, every day . The show is Tesla Daily, which is why I couldn't be more thrilled to have its host Rob Maurer on the show today! If you want a behind-the-curtain peek at how someone with over 100,000 YouTube subscribers produces a hard-hitting podcast every day , you're in th...

#454: I want you to step into the DeLorean with me for a moment, because we're going back in time all the way to January . . . of 2020. Think of this episode as a guide to the year, in terms of SPI podcast episodes. From deeply personal and heartfelt stories to actionable advice and expert strategies for everything from email marketing to TikTok, this shortlist of 17 episodes has something for eve...

#453: I've been an entrepreneur for over a decade and, oh man, I've definitely never had a year like this one. It's been a serious doozy, so some reflection needs to be done. And that's what this episode is all about. Just you and me today. I'm going to take you through five things — events, decisions, etc — from 2020. We're talking the good, the struggles, the pivots, the lessons learned, all of...

#452: How do you balance every 24 hours between business, family or personal relationships, and the rest of it? Well, what if you had eight kids on top of running a business? (Is that even possible?) Like today's guest Lisa Canning says: "the juggle is real," and whether or not you're a parent, I promise you at some point, you're going to be juggling. So many entrepreneurs feel like success comes...