success story – Page 2 – Meron Bareket

IIP070: Why Would You Pay For Something That’s Free?

Episode Highlights

How my guest made the transition from jumping from helicopters and running convoys into Baghdad to becoming an independent author and publisher.
The similarities between army life and successful entrepreneurship (mainly SOPs, systems and teamwork)
How my guest started making money by allowing people to download everything he has for free
How the Pay What You Want model was born, and how it allows my guest to make 3x more money than he would had he used traditional payment models
How to use Gumroad to sell anything online within a few seconds and with no technical knowledge
How to make money from attending conferences
DO’s and DONT’s When Using the Pay What You Want model

Today’s Guest

When Tom Morkes was 22 years old, he was in-charge of 40 guys and a dozen MRAP, when he was running convoys in and out of Baghdad. His role in the US Army required him to come up with new SOPs and TTPs (Tactics, Techniques and Procedures) for convoys, since the type of technology and environment they served in were new to the army. He had to figure out everything on his own without being able to rely on previous knowledge in the communication.

In many ways, he agrees, there are many similarities between his role in the army and becoming an entrepreneur.

When you become an entrepreneur, you find yourself with no manual. There is no step-by-step guidance and you need to figure it out for yourself. You need to figure out what works for you and in what way. In the army, Tom spent a lot of time planning the worse case scenario and then trying to define best practices in order to avoid, handle and get out of such scenarios. In many ways, that’s what we do in the early days of entrepreneurship.

When he left the army, Tom knew he doesn’t want to answer to other people’s order anymore. He decided to use his skills of writing and started his first website. He sailed forward — meaning he was failing but learning. For the first 6 months, he didn’t make a single dollar.

“But that might be due to the fact I didn’t offer anything to sell.”

He had an idea that he decided to test out: After attending a conference held by Seth Godin with a hundred other people, he decided to take the notes he made and create a small e-book from it titled, 2 Days With Seth Godin. Of course that is already brilliant branding, if you asked me. Since when I heard about it, I figured Tom and Seth are close friends at least, and then realized it was on the context of conference.

At the time, Tom had just short of 150 e-mail subscribers. He sent them an e-mail, letting them know about the book and offered it to them to download and to pay for it as much as they want. People could get it for free or choose to pay some amount of money that would go to contribute for Tom being able to continue to do his work. 80 people ended up downloading the book, half of which contributed money. In fact, on average, the book sold at $15 a piece, which was more than 3x more than what Tom would make had he made his book available on Amazon!

Ever since, Tom has been intrigued by Pay What You Want model. You can learn about it more in his latest book The Complete Guide To Pay What You Want Pricing. And in today’s episode, he shares what he learned.

Tune in to find out how you can start making money with your brand … without asking for money!

Mentioned Resources

Tom’s website and podcast, In The Trenches with Tom Morkes Podcast
Tom’s email
Tom on Twitter @tmorkes, Facebook, Google+ and LinkedIn
Tom dancing on his last day in the army
His books: The Art of Instigating, 2 Days With Seth Godin and The Complete Guide To Pay What You Want Pricing
Insurgent Publishing
Revolution Conference
Fizzle.co
Gumroad
The High Performance Athlete by Jason Winkle
Bootstrapped Mag

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IIP069: James Schramko On Building A 7 Figure Business With What You Already Know

On Today’s episode, Internet Entrepreneur James Schramko Shares:

How to make the switch from working a full time job (even when you have mortgage, debts and four children to support) into a full time entrepreneur, running a 7-figure business.
How to use what you already know to create a profitable business.
The “chocolate wheel” strategy to create businesses where customers buy from again and again and again.
How to systemize your business so you can outsource all time-consuming tasks.
Two frameworks that you can use to make your communication both in sales and in training a lot more effective.
3-step action plan to get started today.

Today’s Guest

James Shramko is an Australian internet entrepreneur. In 2005, he was working in a car agency, and while he was bringing in a nice income, not much of it was left every month after paying his mortgage, his debt and the cost of being a parent for four children. James made a decision to create his own wealth instead of working all the hours helping someone else create their own wealth.

Unlike previous guests on the show, James’ beginning wasn’t easy. For the first nine months trying to do online business — he made zero sales. He had to learn a lot, and he struggled a lot. In today’s episode James shared the processes he had to go through, the things he tried, and the lessons learned on the path to becoming a successful entrepreneur.

There are several key takeaways from today’s episode, perhaps the most important one is James’ emphasis on actually doing the right thing. There are two things to pay attention to in this — one is doing and the other one is the right thing. As James says, “Knowing what the right thing to do can be very hard.” And you will have to listen to today’s episode to find out how he chose the right thing and how you can do the same.

SOPs and Creating Fast Business Systems

One of the things that James is most known for is his insane ability to crank out new products every single month.

In order to be able to create content at this astounding pace, James has systemized every aspect of his business in order to make sure he doesn’t need to do any repetitive task that isn’t related to content creation.

Systemization Example: Systemizing Your Podcast

For example, take podcasting: James hosts and co-hosts more than 5 different podcasts. If he was to try and edit those shows, write the show notes, and share them on social media — on his own. That will probably be a full time job.

Instead, the entire content creation for his podcast is fully streamlined:

First, James records the episode
James places the recording in Dropbox
James’ team starts working on the podcast
They will remove the “uhms” and “ahs” and clean up the sound
They will add intro, outro and other bumpers
They will export the file, convert to mp3, complete tagging and add all the information to it
They will transcribe the file
They use transcription to write it as a blog post and someone else from the team will create a sharable infographic from the same content
The team shares the podcast episode when it goes live on social media, etc.

What Should You Systemize?

As James put it, “Anything that has to be done more than once in my business needs to be systemized.” For him, SYSTEM is an acronym that stands for Save Yourself Some Time, Energy and Money.

The way he developed his System is by documenting every step he takes when doing a task. Next, he gets together with his team and briefs them whether they’re online or face-to-face about the system.

The briefing includes the raw material (or what’s been input into the system), the steps he take and the expected outcome. His team is encouraged to change the process, update it and add/remove steps as much as needed as long as the end product remains the same. Then he will sit together with the team member that will do the task and will show him step-by-step how it’s done. Then the team member will do it step-by-step with James watching. When it’s been done correctly, James will let the team member complete the task on his own next time.

The Key Thing For Making Your Systems Truly Work

Here’s the caveat that many people miss. On the episode, James explains that the most important thing to do the first time your outsourcer or VA does a task on his own, is to check it thoroughly and make sure it’s perfect and return with at least 3 cycles of comments for improvement before you accept the final product.

Please allow your VA to know your boundaries for quality control and the kind of quality you expect from this deliverable. Well, this might sound tedious, but after that is done, James found that his employees can crank the deliverables time after time after time for years over years, have the same quality without him ever needing to spend time on this task again.

Creating Additional Income Streams

James has a unique view of online business that arises from his history working on a car dealership.

“I have this philosophy called the Chocolate Wheel and that is that a customer might come in to one part of your business, but sure enough they’ll move around the other parts. So it’s like this big wheel, where the slices of the wheel for each product and service and they fit well together because you typically have the same customer in the middle of that wheel. And that’s exactly like a car dealership.

“If you think about it, someone buys a car and they’ll come back to service it; or they service a car and they eventually renew their car; or they break something or they wanna update their accessories so they go into the parts department and they buy parts or accessories. Maybe they wanna finance their vehicle so they use the finance department; maybe their finance runs out and they wanna renew it so they renew their finance, and then they come back to you and they see another car and they buy a new car…

“So, the thing is, the dealership has one customer, but they’re experiencing all the different products and services. They’re buying stock, they’re buying time and they’re buying money. They buy 3 different things from the dealership on the different department labels.

“So the way to build a profitable business is to start with your one customer and see what else you can provide that they’re already consuming and that they absolutely need. And usually they’ll ask you if you provide that.”

Becoming an Internet Entrepreneur

Finally, James provided his 3-step action plan to making a transition and becoming a successful internet entrepreneur.

Be honest about your situation. Accept the fact that you’re going to have to do it yourself. You will never win a lottery not will you get a huge inheritance. So what can you do to start building your wealth?
Carve out new routines. Add repeating events dedicated to working on your business to your calendar and make sure that you stick to it. Watch less TV if you have to. No one said entrepreneurship has no sacrifices.
Start building. Focus on doing the right things. And as mentioned above, the focus is both on the act of doing as well as on the right thing. James suggests starting what you’re known for.

What do people ask you about? What type of services are you already providing? If nobody asked you anything, ask yourself what services did you need and you learned to do 2 years ago.

For James, a cornerstone of his business was to use the skills he learned in building websites, doing SEO, and writing himself checklists on how to use properly programs and repackage them as an offer he could sell online.

What have you learned in your journey that you can share with others to help them in theirs? What struggles did you say and wish there were clear resources that could help you out? All of these are great places to start and all of these are promising “right thing” to do.

Mentioned Resources

James’ website
James on Twitter @JamesSchramko, Facebook, LinkedIn, and YouTube
And his podcasts SuperFastBusiness Podcast on iTunes, Think Act Get, Sales Marketing Profit, Freedom Ocean and Kicking Back
Wealthification Training Course
James explains the 4mat framework: How To Design Powerful Training Courses
4MAT Framework
Podcast Incubator – The #1 online training and community to build a podcast from zero to a successful launch

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IIP068: Get Busy Living, Or Get Busy Dying

Create Your Dream Job: Download The 9 Step Action Plan

Note: Kary’s 9 Step Action Plan and start creating your dream job, today!

In Today’s Episode We Talk About:

A 9 step plan to create your dream job.
The similarities between the 9 to 5 hamster wheel and prison – and they key to escaping both of them.
The inspiration and lessons to be learned from the story of Andy Dufresne, and how to apply them to your escape to freedom plan.
The worst mistake you could make when trying to launch the brand of you, and how to do it right.
Why buying an Olympic gold medal on eBay doesn’t make you a champion (and what does).
Some of the things that amateurs do that break the trust and prevent people from following them – and how you should avoid them!

It’s Time To Escape The 9-5 Prison

I got a phone call last week. It was my old boss, wanting to know if I can do some consulting work for him.

As we finished talking (for the first time since I left corporate world) and I hung up, memories starting rushing through my brain.

I could see myself sitting in the company’s brand new light-blue Hyundai, playing with the radio, trying to find my favorite sports show to make my long way home more interesting.

It was only a 25 kilometers drive, but sometimes it took almost two hours to get back home.

I remember feeling trapped – by going corporate I’ve ditched my business, and now I was on the hamster wheel, building somebody else’s business instead. It hit me, that I replaced running in circles for my own good, with running in circles for someone else’s own good — with no prospect of it changing.

The Good Old Hamster Wheel

Life has become more and more about the job.

I found myself working 350 hours a month – sometimes 400. I was busy all the time. When I wasn’t at work, I was on the phone with work, or talking about work with Julie. I felt imprisoned.

Almost two years have passed this way – without me noticing, or doing anything about it.

Looking back, I know now that I fell in the most common loop the western world has to offer: I got busy dying.

This video is from one of my favorite movies, The Shawshank Redemption. The film tells the story of Andy Dufresne, a banker who spends 19 years in Shawshank State Prison for the murder of his wife and her lover despite his claims of innocence. While everyone around Andy loses hope for achieving anything with their lives – within or beyond prison – Andy has different plans.

In the movie, Andy holds in his mind a painted picture of breaking free and building a cheap motel on a Mexican beach in front of the Pacific Ocean.

Through many hardships, beatings and pain, the movie ends with Andy making it alongside a fellow inmate named “Red” (played by Morgan Freeman), to Zihuatanejo, Mexico (you’ll have to watch the movie for the full story of how he did it).

Today’s Guest

As it turns out, I’m not the only one who’s been inspired by the The Shawshank Redemption. In fact, today’s guest wrote his book, From Day Job To Dream Job in the same cell where Andy Dufresne, played by Tim Robbins, spent his days of confinement.

Author, life coach, and speaker Kary Oberbrunner is on a mission to help people escape their own ‘Shawshanks‘ and launch their dream jobs.

Kary recently wrote the Dream Job To Day Job, a book targeted at helping readers “jailbreak” from their day jobs without relying on an MBA, investors, or a lucky break. Instead, he offers his tried-and-tested 9 step plan.

Much of the book was written inside Shawshank Prison (The Ohio State Reformatory). Kary sat inside the same prison cell where Andy Dufresne served solitary confinement as punishment for playing his famous anthem of freedom, and for Kary – this book has the same goal: Playing the anthem of freedom for millions of people that feel burned out in their day jobs.

The Disturbing Facts (Or: How The 9-5 Is Killing Millions)

Here are some very disturbing facts about what the 9 to 5 is causing¹ in America today:

The Los Angeles Times reports that there is a 33 percent increase in heart attacks on Monday mornings.
According to the NCDC, more people die at nine o’clock Monday morning than at any other time of day or any other day of the week.
Male suicides are highest on Sunday nights. This is assumed to be because of them realizing that their careers — and possibly their finances as well — are not where they want them to be.

According to Kary, millions of people are squandering their talents and wasting their time in jobs they don’t love. If you feel that you are one of them, tune in to today’s episode, and then download our free PDF: Kary’s 9 Step Action Plan To Creating Your Dream Job!

For more from Kary, check out his Dream Job Bootcamp:

Resources For Creating Your Escape To Freedom Plan

Free download: Kary’s 9 Step Action Plan To Creating Your Dream Job!.
Kary’s website
Kary Oberbrunner on Twitter @karyoberbrunner, YouTube, Facebook, LinkedIn
His book: Day Job To Dream Job
Shawshank Redemption on IMDB, Wikipedia
Podcast interview with Natalie Sisson: “How To Create Your Escape To Freedom Plan, Today!”
Air-O-Swiss AOS 7146 Travel Ultrasonic Humidifier (for those suffering from stuffy nose like yours truly! 🙂 )

Download Today’s Free PDF

Click here to download Kary’s 9 Step Action Plan and start creating your dream job, today!

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Research from 48 Days to the Work You Love by Dan Miller. ↩

IIP067: Jared Easley Starves The Doubts

In this episode we cover:

How Jared Easley went from conference attendee to co-founder of the Podcast Movement.
Why podcasting can help you build your brand, authority, and network.
How starving the doubts and taking action changed Jared’s life, and how it will change yours!
How to help market leaders in a surprising way and build great relationships with them.
How being a team player allows you to build your entrepreneurial career faster and easier!
What you can do today to replicate the same results!

Today’s guest

Jared Easley, co-founder of the Podcast Movement, is a full time entrepreneur, speaker, trainer, consultant and the creator and host of the Starve The Doubts podcast. He interviews successful entrepreneurs about overcoming self-doubt and fear management. His guests include Seth Godin, Guy Kawasaki, Pat Flynn, and many others.

Today Jared joins us to share his story — from attending the New Media Expo 2013, through launching a successful podcast with guests that are at the absolute top of their market, to building relationships with his market’s leaders and celebrities, to finally following a gap he saw in the market, and co-founding his own event.

Podcast Movement

Here’s more information about the Podcast Movement, as appears on their website:

” In August 2014, hundreds of past, present, and future podcasters will converge on the Westin Galleria Dallas for two packed days and nights at the first ever Podcast Movement.
Podcast Movement 2014 will be THE gathering for anyone interested in podcasting. You can expect to find a place where not only will you leave motivated and inspired, you’ll leave a BETTER PODCASTER.”

If you’re going to be in the US in August, go ahead and check the different ticket options. Over 500 people already have their tickets!

Podcast Incubator

One of the things that Jared and I mentioned today is just how powerful podcasting is. It’s an amazing strategy that helps you:

Build up your name, brand and authority in your niche
Interview, network, and connect with your niche’s market leaders and celebrities
Grow an engaged audience of thousands within weeks
Build your mailing list rapidly and easily
Become a sought-after speaker, mentor, consultant and author

If you’re interested in becoming a successful podcaster, I’ve created the perfect resource for you. The Podcast Incubator is the #1 step-by-step, over the shoulder training course and community for podcasters, and it’s now open to the public.

My students already see amazing results, where not only all of them get into the top of the Apple New & Noteworthy rankings of their category, many of them outrank huge names in the main rankings including one show outranking Pat Flynn, John Lee Dumas, Amy Porterfield, Seth Godin, Michael Hyatt, Chris Ducker, Tim Ferriss and others!

Check out http://podcastincubator.com/ for more information. I hope to see you there!

Mentioned resources & links

Jared’s website, Starve The Doubts
The Podcast Movement (get your ticket before it’s sold out!)
Podcast Incubator – the #1 podcast training and community on the net.
Pat Flynn wearing Jared’s shirt (listen to the episode for the story behind this)
Jared on Twitter @JaredEasley

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IIP066: How To Make Money Self Publishing On Amazon Kindle

Note: click here to download the latest PDF of our passive income ideas series: Jonny Andrews Kindle publishing success checklist

The passive income ideas we cover in today’s episode include:

My guest’s Kindle publishing system that’s behind his 15 best-selling titles.
How to validate your idea and market on Amazon before writing a single word.
The 4 most important things you need to get right when publishing on Kindle in order to succeed (none of them is content, by the way!).
Why producing tens of shitty books is a bad business plan that won’t bring you success.
How to price your book.
How to get traditional publishers to drool from the idea of signing you.
A step-by-step tried and tested writing process for writing non-fiction books with super high value that people want to pay for!

More ideas for building your passive income streams:

This episode is part of the Inspiring Innovation Passive Income From Scratch series.

If you’re interested for more ideas on how to create passive income streams, check out our previous episodes from the series:

Passive Income Idea I: SaaS & creating a business without an idea (my interview with Dane Maxwell).
Passive Income Idea II: Making Money on Udemy & Skillfeed (my interview with Rob Cubbon).
Passive Income Idea III: Making Money with Affiliate Marketing (my interview with Jill Stanton).

Today’s guest

Jonny Andrews joins us today. Andrews, previously featured on Smart Passive Income with Pat Flynn and other radio and news shows throughout the US, is an entrepreneur, marketing specialist, publishing expert, international speaker, business strategies consultant, multi-time best-selling author and podcaster (host of Audience Hacker Show).

From having his identity stolen and being left with nothing and with no ability to get a job, to rebuilding himself from rock-bottom into a 7-figure income business owner, Jonny has been through a lot — and he shares what he learned from his journey with us today.

But Jonny is first and foremost with us today to share how he published over fifteen #1 best-selling titles on the Amazon Kindle platform. His books continue to rank well in their niches, generating him passive income day after day. In fact, Andrews also shared with the Inspiring Innovation audience a free webinar that he’s running titled: “How To Sell 10,000 Books In 7 Days… (Even If You Haven’t Written Yours Yet!)”.

Free gift

If you’re short on time, download our free PDF: “Jonny’s Kindle publishing success checklist now!“, covering:

How to validate your idea
How to outline your book
How to write your book
The 4 key things to pay attention to (that are more important to your sales than your content)
How to grow your audience (and sales)

Want it? It’s yours for free! Download the Kindle publishing success checklist now!

Other resources mentioned today:

Jonny’s website
Jonny’s twitter account
Free webinar: “How To Sell 10,000 Books In 7 Days… (Even If You Haven’t Written Yours Yet!)”
Audience Hacker Show – Jonny’s podcast
IIP063: Passive Income From Scratch: How To Make Money On Udemy
IIP064: How To Make Passive Income By Building A Niche Site Empire

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