Trailblazer FM: WordPress without the drama

Dan and Nathan jump on the show this week to share with me their pride and joy, PodcasterPlus Blocks . A WordPress plugin that lets podcasters build customisable, automated podcast websites using modular blocks that pull content directly from RSS feeds, enabling design freedom without having to rely on third-party player embeds. Some of the best products are born out of a problem the creators had....

Accessibility is often an after thought to a web build, even considered optional. We assume that most people are able to access our content and at best slap on a third party accessibility widget to tick a box. Gen Herres, my guest today, challenged several of my limiting beliefs... more people have hidden disabilities than we realise even if it were only a few, why exclude them and automation alon...

What do you normally sacrifice when delivering for a client whilst trying to stay within the budget AND meet deadlines!? Look, we're all small businesses here, how on EARTH do we deliver quality without overwhelm? I am sure we'd love nothing better than to tinker till we hit perfection but that aint gonna pay the bills right!? What if there was a way to do it all tho!? Sam Sayer is here to share h...

I can't doomscroll for 5 seconds without some "marketing guru" telling me what I should be doing to market my business. It's bloody exhausting! You might remember I burned out trying to do everything back in 2023 and I nearly closed down this very podcast as a result ! Rob Cairns is a long time friend of mine, who's championed both my mental health and the work I do with the podcast. I asked him t...

Posts, pages, categories, media, WordPress has you covered. But when it comes to complex builds where do you turn? Great Opomu suggests... WordPress!? Whaaat!? Well I happen to agree if I am honest, I was saying this in 2016 ! WordPress and the ecosystem has done a LOT of growing up since then. The code base has matured, there are epic tools out there for rapid application development and the comm...

When asked what you do, what do you say? "I build websites" or "I am a web developer". Heck even "I build websites in the XYZ industry". Sounds nice and nichey right!? Well maybe not. Alex Curtis joins us today and shares his own experience of niching down. He shares what he does, who he does it for and the all important ingredient that defines your business, the end result. Spoiler alert: The nic...

I having banged on for years about niching down have to admit that today's epic guest, young Adam Lowe is right when recommends we consider becoming a little more generalist! Why? Because like it or loath it, AI, machine learning, automation and other tools are making building websites a commodity and we might wanna consider become the "glue" that holds our client, their team and systems together....

"Why are most WordPress developers musicians" was a throw away comment from Zack during a random online natter. What was likely meant in jest sent my mind in circles. If it was a movie you'd see flashbacks of all the podcasts I have done in the past and behind most folks being interviewed, hanging on the wall would be a guitar, or a keyboard nearby. "YES.... WHYYYYYY".... and with that I invited t...

Feeling stuck, and don't know how to get... well... unstuck!? What does stuck even look like? How do you know you're stuck? Why is this opening so confusing? What's with all the questions? Let's face it, running a creative business is hard work. We wanna do that thing we love (be creative) but we own a business. The business has SO many demands on our time and attention that we can no longer enjoy...

Finding it a slog to market your business, plugin or theme? You might be missing the secret ingredient... Passion. In today's episode I chat with my good pal Davinder where he unpacks his experience of creating content focused on WordPress and how it naturally grew into a profitable business model that pays well, allows him to do what he loves and brings real value to the community as a result. As...

AI streamlines your processes and makes you more productive right? I learned the hard way that it can seriously affect the quality of my output, my happiness and my reach! In this episode I share how AI nearly led to me completely shutting this podcast down, and how my relationship with AI is evolving and changing for the better. No hate toward it (AI), but this is a warning to myself and others n...

You know that thing you love doing that lights you up? What happens when it becomes your job and you feel completely overwhelmed by it? In this episode I share how Trailblazer FM once fulfilled me, then became a burden. How trying to monetise a hobby robbed me of the joy of creation, and led me to burnout, to the extent I felt I had no choice but to stop podcasting. Thankfully the story doesn't en...

Overwhelmed, overworked, on the brink of burnout? Agency life is known for its fast pace and demanding clients, and I know from personal experience how burnout can completely de-rail you. As I slowly return recovery, I invited Cat Burchmore onto the podcast to help me learn how I could prevent burnout as a business owner by leaning on automation more. In this episode we explore how implementing au...

Struggling to break out of the feast and famine cycle? Do you feel like you're constantly putting out fires and not making the progress you want in your business? Brent is a seasoned agency owner who started his first digital agency at the tender age of 17. In this episode, he shares his journey of navigating the challenges of running an agency, from landing his first clients to eventually selling...

Time tracking is often seen as a necessary evil - something that takes time away from doing client work or feels like micromanaging employees. In this episode I interview Ilia from Toggl to discover why those assumptions are wrong. We discuss real-world examples of how time tracking provides valuable data to help agencies work more efficiently, provide better project estimates, optimise team membe...

Running an agency is tough, but invaluable lessons can be learned from those who've spent years growing in the trenches. In this episode, I sat down with Jon Tsourakis, a veteran agency owner of over 15 years, who doesn't look a day over 30. (Had to say that in case he reads this.) As the founder of Oyova , Jon has led his digital marketing agency from humble beginnings to a thriving team of 30. H...

Do you feel like your website or brand is lost in the endless sea of search engine results? Does it seem like no matter what you do, you just can't break onto page one or get those coveted top rankings? Well, today's guest, Jason Barnard is here to help you finally stop getting buried by search engines. Known as the "Brand SERP Guy," Jason is an international authority on managing brand search opt...

Are you struggling to attract high-paying clients who see the immense value in what you offer? Do you find yourself exhaustively pitching potential clients who just don't get what makes you different? In this eye-opening episode, Helen Knight joins us to share her proven framework for positioning yourself as the obvious choice for your ideal clients. You'll discover new ways to identify and align...

Struggling to build your business? Cash strapped and wish you had investment? What if I told you, you already have everything you need to build an exciting and growing business? Meet Zara and Aaron , the founders of Choppity . They are building their business in public, keeping costs razor thin and laser focusing on their niche. The results are difficult to deny! A powerful solution, tonnes of pot...

The vast sea of online courses makes it challenging for any one course to stand out. But what if there's a method that not only grabs attention but also ensures course completion, builds trust, and positions you as an expert they can't wait to buy from? In this episode, we unravel the secret sauce behind course delivery that people are ignoring. Discover the transformative power of email-delivered...

Do you ever feel like your web agency is stuck in a cycle of one-and-done projects? You deliver an exceptional website, only to watch the client fade away, turning what could have been a fruitful, ongoing collaboration into a fleeting transaction. But what if there was a way to turn that one-time project into a long-term partnership? In this episode, we explore an often-overlooked tool that can tr...

Struggling to make logo design pay? In this episode, we meet Ian Paget, the man behind Logo Geek, who turned his passion for logo design into profit. I ask: What does it take to go all in on logos? What can we learn from others? How can we improve our skills? How do we keep motivated? Ian delivers! Full show notes: https://trailblazer.fm/make-a-living-designing-logos/

Struggling to grow your agency or finding it tough to reel in new clients? Perhaps you feel conscious that your agency isn't yet what you'd hoped it would be? Simon Penson's journey is sure to inspire you. His own agency journey began at his kitchen table, of all places, where he faced and overcame a multitude of challenges, ultimately leading to the successful sale of his agency. His story highli...

Ever felt like you're on a never-ending hamster wheel of agency life? Trying to build a business that will support the life you want for you and your family, but never quite getting there? You're not alone. Many of us are caught in this relentless cycle, believing that success is just around the corner if we work harder, grow bigger. But what if there's another way? My guest in today's episode, Da...

Creating website policies can feel pretty overwhelming. It’s easy to think copying and pasting templates will do, but this shortcut can put both agencies and clients at risk. In this episode, I was really pumped to chat again with Hans from Termageddon . He walks us through his journey of building a tool that does the heavy lifting. He shares valuable insights into building a business on a firm fo...