#541 Today on the show I’m joined by my good friend, Lewis Howes. He’s a New York Times Bestselling author, a lifestyle and business coach, a former pro athlete, a top-ranked podcaster, has been featured on numerous television programs and magazines, and that’s not even half of his list of accomplishments.Lewis and I talk about building a successful agency. Lewis shares what he’s learned on his journey to success—the trials, heartaches, triumphs, and the wisdom he’s gained along the way. Show notes and more at SmartPassiveIncome.com/session541See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

#540 I've been hogging the mic here on the SPI Podcast. Yeah, I've shared some airspace with some amazing guests in the 500+ episodes we've published. But there are still so many talented, amazing teachers and storytellers in our community. I wanted to see what would happen if we had some of them join us on Fridays to share what they know with all of us. So today, we have the pleasure of bringing in SPI Pro community member Mike Lander, who you might remember from an earlier episode of AskPat. Mike helps people become better negotiators. He packs a ton of great insight into this short episode, including his simple, step-by-step guide to negotiate anything and get a better outcome every single time. Show notes and more at SmartPassiveIncome.com/session540.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

#539 I can't believe we got here so quickly, but I'm fired up for 2022, because we have a great lineup for you this year on the Smart Passive Income Podcast—starting with today's guest, Roberto Blake. Roberto's been on the show before, and he's just a wealth of knowledge and inspiration! Today we're talking about the creator economy and how to approach it this year. With so many people creating content on all these different platforms, how do we stand out from the crowd? How do we approach the work in a way that makes sense for not just the platforms we're on, but who we are and where we want to go in our lives? If you're thinking about being a better creator in 2022, then you're in the right place. Show notes and more at SmartPassiveIncome.com/session539.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

#538 Happy new year! 2021 went fast, didn't it? A lot of great things happened this year, especially right here on the podcast. (Check out episode 534, where I share my standout episodes.) Today, I wanted to talk about a hobby I picked up at the tail end of the year. I don't remember exactly how it happened, but I ended up in a deep YouTube rabbit hole—a good rabbit hole—of Bob Ross videos. I went right back to season one of his show and found a really helpful video with Bob and his son answering questions. In the video, they made the idea of painting with oil on canvas seem a lot easier than I'd previously thought. Oftentimes, things we're unfamiliar with can seem very difficult. It almost looks like magic when we see them in action. But once you find someone who can show you the basic techniques and start to break down some of that magic, everything starts to change. So here's to learning something new in 2022! Show notes and more at SmartPassiveIncome.com/session538.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

#537 Whether or not you're already an entrepreneur, how do you position yourself for success? Not just with money, or your goals, but how do you wake up every morning excited to do something that sparks you, that lights you up? Jonathan Fields is here today to help us answer that question. Jonathan's work is all about helping people understand what truly excites them, and the Sparketype—a combination of “spark” and “archetype”—is his framework for doing that. In my opinion, of all the self-assessment tests out there, this one is the most interesting, and the one that I feel gives you answers that can push you forward. This is the exact right time for an episode like this as we roll into the new year. Here's to finding your spark in 2022! Show notes and more at SmartPassiveIncome.com/session537.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Control. We all want it, but very little is actually in our control. So what's in your control? The ability to wake up every day and be consistent with whatever it is you're trying to achieve. Perhaps 2021 didn't go the way you wanted it to, or you fell short on some goals. As you're looking toward 2022, I want to share an excerpt from a book called Great by Choice by Jim Colllins, which contains a wonderful concept called the “twenty-mile march” that might give you some direction for approaching your goals in the new year. It provides a tangible point of focus to keep you and your team moving forward, despite confusion, uncertainty, and even chaos. As we round out 2021, I hope this gives you a boost of inspiration that no matter the conditions, you've got to keep going and march that 20 miles each day. Show notes and more at SmartPassiveIncome.com/session536.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

#535 Our vision at SPI most years is to bring our team together in the fall to think about the following year, source ideas, have conversations, and arrive at a strategic plan for the next year. We lost out on the opportunity to do that last year in the height of COVID, but 2021 provided an opportunity to “reboot” our in-person team summit. In today's episode, I take you behind the scenes to understand exactly what we did in Denver, and how it's guiding the direction of SPI in 2022. To help with that, I invited my co-CEO and chief operating and financial officer, Matt Gartland, back on the show. Matt rallied us and developed this retreat in a way that was so helpful and so valuable for our company, and I wanted to bring him on to share how we ran the summit and what it means for SPI and our audience. If you have a remote team and are hoping to get together soon—it will hopefully provide some structure, motivation, and inspiration for what you can create and achieve in your next in-person team meeting. Show notes and more at SmartPassiveIncome.com/session535.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

#534 Today I'm digging back into the archives of the SPI Podcast to reveal my favorite episodes we've put out this year. I'll be sharing some of the most memorable moments from the show in 2021, and expressing my gratitude for the year that was in podcast land here at SPI. We've got a ton of great podcast content coming at you in 2022, and I can't wait for all of it. But for now, thanks for being here for the ride that was 2021. I appreciate you! Show notes and more at SmartPassiveIncome.com/session534.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

#533 Brenda Petrella is an ex-scientist who helps people get outside in nature through her online business, Outdoor Photography School. She's here to share what she's learned about niching down and building her online business in a way that works for her. You'll learn how Brenda found her niche and started her YouTube channel and podcast. We chat about the differences between online video and podcasting, and how the cohort-based podcasting course Brenda took earlier this year gave her the boost she needed to get the ball rolling. We also talk about how Brenda plans to deal with her first YouTube trolls (if and when they show up!), and how she manages the burnout of the "content treadmill." And stick around for an announcement about something new Team SPI is doing in January 2022 that could be a game-changer for a lot of people! Show notes and more at SmartPassiveIncome.com/session533.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

#532 I wouldn't be where I am today if I hadn't taken a brave step forward to discover what was out there. It's almost like a boat parked in a harbor, and the world of online business is a giant ocean. As we approach the end of 2021, how are you going to get your boat out of the marina and into the ocean, so you can lose sight of the shore—knowing that there's something better out there? Something a little scary, something that makes you nervous, but something very much worth doing? Show notes and more at SmartPassiveIncome.com/session532.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

#531 Some of my all-time favorite episodes here on the podcast are ones where we interview somebody who is not just a successful business owner, but a member of the SPI community too. Today's guest, Eevi Jones, is a member of SPI Pro, our premium entrepreneurial community here at SPI. And she helps people write children's books. How awesome is that? If that's a field you want to get into, this episode is a must-listen. Eevi is such a joy. She's so knowledgeable, and has some amazing tips for anybody who's starting anything, really. Show notes and more at SmartPassiveIncome.com/session531.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

#530 As you learned if you listened to this Wednesday's episode, our team spent a week together in Denver for our first in-person retreat since COVID. Check out episode 529 with Jillian and Tony, two members of my team who were there in Denver who help run our membership community and events and have a ton of experience and insight in community building. In that episode, I talked about the importance of meeting your team in person. Our team is fully remote—we're located all over the United States, and we don't have an in-person office anywhere. So it's really important for us to meet in person because there's just no replacement for real, human connection. That's why today I wanted to talk a little more about the retreat. Specifically, I want to talk about the dos and don'ts of running a retreat, in case it's something you're thinking of doing for your own remote team. Show notes and more at SmartPassiveIncome.com/session530.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

#529 During our team's recent retreat in Denver, I huddled with two of my team members, Jillian Benbow and Tony Bacigalupo, to record the episode you're about to hear. Jillian is our SPI Pro community manager, and Tony is our community program manager—and they're also the cohosts of our Community Experience podcast. Tony and Jill are absolute rockstars when it comes to community, and I'm so excited for you to dive into this conversation with us. Because community—and I cannot stress this enough—is the future of business. Bringing a niche community together to feel welcome with each other, to inspire, motivate, educate, and entertain, is where long-term business success is going to come from. We talk about all sorts of things community today, from how to manage trolls and haters, to accessibility and inclusion and making sure the community feels welcoming for everybody. We talk about how to get people motivated and comfortable stepping up and having conversations. So whether you have your own free Facebook group, are planning on launching a big premium community for your paid course members, or anything in between or outside those options, listen closely. Show notes and more at SmartPassiveIncome.com/session529.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

#528 This might sound weird, but I've learned too much. There are a lot of things I picked up in school and in college, and even as an entrepreneur, that are just superfluous. Why am I talking about this? Because it has everything to do with the new book I'm writing, tentatively called The Lean Learner. I've talked about the book a little bit on social media, in SPI Pro, and with a few people, but I wanted to take time in this episode to go into more depth. The Lean Learner is about how to learn the things that matter to us most and can help us get to the next level, while excluding the things we don't need to learn right now. It's about understanding how to learn what we need to learn so we can get results faster. The Lean Learner is definitely not ready for the world yet—I'm still in the middle of writing it—but I think there's nothing better than working in public and sharing things as they're coming along. I'll share a little bit about the struggles and decision points I've had with this book already, including the decision to go with a traditional publisher or self-publish again. And I'll talk about some of the mentors and influences who have inspired me in my writing, with this book and others. Show notes and more at SmartPassiveIncome.com/session528.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

#527 I'm so excited for this episode. We are speaking with one of my favorite people in the world: Michael Bungay Stanier. Michael is an author who's written a bunch of amazing books. He's also the founder of a training and development company, Box of Crayons, that has taught coaching skills to hundreds of thousands of people. In fact, one of Michael's books has been hugely impactful on my own business, and it's called The Coaching Habit. The Coaching Habit has guided the exact process I use when I coach my students—you can hear it in action when I'm coaching people on AskPat 2.0. Speaking of coaching, Michael also wrote another game-changing book called The Advice Trap, about how we default to offering advice to people before we know the full circumstances, and how to change our behavior to be more helpful to them. But the big focus of today's conversation is Michael's new book, How to Begin: Start Doing Something That Matters. And this book is incredible because it gets to the heart of why we do what we do. How do we make sure that what we're going to do moving forward is actually something that, like Michael says, matters? How do we have the courage to let go when we need to? And how do we navigate the raging waters that sometimes happen when making these decisions? We talk about how to know whether or not the direction we're going is one that lights us up. You're going to love this conversation because Michael is just a great, genuine person, with a ton of amazing insights to share. Show notes and more at SmartPassiveIncome.com/session527.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

#526 If you listened to this Wednesday's episode, 525, we spoke with Derrick Reimer from SavvyCal, which is a tool that competes with Calendly, a very popular calendar/scheduler. In that episode, Derrick and I talked about competition. We talked about standing out. We talked about how to get started and grow your business in a crowded space. Now, Derrick's in the software business. But there are strategies and principles to help you stand out that apply no matter what type of business you're in. Whether you're an app developer, or a content creator, or serving an audience in some other way, you need to find ways to set yourself apart from everyone else out there. That's why today I want to give you four ideas to help you frame how you can stand out from the competition. Those four things actually have an acronym: P-A-S-T. Why P-A-S-T? Well, that's what you'll find out when you listen in to this follow-up Friday episode. Let's do this! Show notes and more at SmartPassiveIncome.com/session526.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

#525 How do you compete in a space where there are already established players? Whether it's software, or information products, or physical products, it's not always possible to create something entirely original. There are likely others who have already built something and started cultivating an audience or customer base in your space. Today we're talking with Derrick Reimer, who created SavvyCal, a competing tool to popular schedulers like Calendly. As a competitor to an established option, Derrick had to go about things thoughtfully to make sure there would be a market for what he wanted to create. We talk a little bit about SavvyCal itself (and it's a really cool scheduler!). But the big focus of our conversation is how to get started in a crowded space and create something better than what exists. Because it is definitely possible—you just have to go about things smartly. You're going to learn a lot—because I learned a lot—and I hope you'll take what you learn and apply it to the market and niche you're in. Show notes and more at SmartPassiveIncome.com/session525.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

#524 In Wednesday's episode with Los Silva from eCom Powerhouse, we talked about some of the big mistakes entrepreneurs make. That conversation is a great one, so check it out if you haven't already. And it got me thinking about the mistakes I've made along the way. And I've made a ton of them. In fact, we could talk for seven to eight hours about all the mistakes I've made in my business. But this is a follow-up Friday episode, so I want to talk about just the five biggest mistakes I've made since embarking on my entrepreneurial career in 2008. I'm not going to talk about the little stumbling blocks, like using the wrong software tool. No, today is about the big, juicy mistakes. The ones that can create forks in the road, and really teach you something valuable. So if you're the kind of entrepreneur who's afraid of making mistakes as you build your business, this might be the perfect episode for you! Here's to the mistakes we all make, and what we can learn from them. Show notes and more at SmartPassiveIncome.com/session524.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

#523 We all make mistakes in business. I have made several, and this topic is one of the centerpieces of my conversation today with Los Silva of EcomPowerhouse. Los is somebody I recently met and have become fascinated by. Why? Because in getting to know Los, I've begun to realize that his secret to success goes against the grain of what a lot of people talk about. Because sometimes the best way to grow is to actually slow down and go smaller. It's to try lots of different things at the start until you find what clicks. And it's even—yes—to fail, because failure is an opportunity to learn. You'll hear about Los's origin story in the eBay world, and the failures he went through, until landing on something he could lean into. He shares a ton of insights he's learned along the way, including how to hire and delegate the right way, and why he doesn't like to compete or compare himself or his business to anyone else's. He even shares a little thought experiment for those of you out there who are thinking about how to start positioning and selling your very first product. This episode was a good kick in the butt for me, and I think it might be for you, too! Show notes and more at SmartPassiveIncome.com/session523.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

#522 I'm going to let you in on a little secret. It's something I've learned over time that I know I even have to embrace even more now, and it's something that we should all embrace and do more of. Have you ever had trouble selling a thing you made, perhaps because you're just afraid of failing, or you don't want to feel icky about it, or you don't want to let people down or sell out? Perhaps you're afraid of selling because just you don't even know how to? Beyond those questions, there's a chicken-and-egg dilemma that many creators face: how do you sell something with confidence if people haven't actually tried it yet and found great results? Well, what I'm about to share with you in today's episode will help you solve these problems. I'm going to tell you how to find the people who can help you test and sell your next product or service, and who can help tell the story of the transformation they experienced as a result of what you've created for them. Because selling shouldn't be scary—and, as I like to say often, you most definitely can sell and serve at the same time. Show notes and more at SmartPassiveIncome.com/session522.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

#521 It's one thing to create an online course. But it's a whole other thing to figure out how to get people interested in it. How do you get people to find your course? How do you launch it? Do you do a fireworks launch, or a fireplace launch? What do those two terms even mean? Well, we're going to talk about all of that and more today with one of my favorite people in the world: Jess Catorc. Jess was actually on the podcast before, over five and a half years ago, in session 229. Back then, she was a blogger, writer, and brand strategist who helped people with their websites. Now she's become one of the top people over at Teachable, where she co-leads creator launch initiatives. She was head of partnerships for a while, and she's one of the smartest people I know. Jess and I talk about all things online courses, like how the landscape has changed in the past five years, how to launch a course successfully today, how to know if your course content is actually working, and why community is such an important element of the online course experience. We have so many tips, strategies, and resources to share with you in this episode, including a very special project called the Creators Guild. I'm so excited to share this conversation with Jess, because she's just amazing. So, sit back, buckle up, and enjoy. Show notes and more at SmartPassiveIncome.com/session521.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

#520 This past Wednesday I interviewed Mike Pacchione, who is an amazing speaker and coach. Mike once worked with Nancy Duarte, whose organization helped people like Steve Jobs create presentations. And we all know how wonderful Steve Jobs's presentations were. And so Mike is super high caliber when it comes to helping people with their speaking. He even helped me with some of my first presentations back in 2012 and 2013, and he's completely influenced my entire speaking career. Mike and I had a great chat earlier this week about storytelling, so make sure to check out that episode if you haven't already. Because storytelling is absolutely key. It's one of the most valuable skills you can learn as a content creator. Great content, one that relates to people, one that people resonate with, one that people share, always has some sort of story at its core. That's why today I want to tell you a story. A few stories, in fact. Stories about the power of storytelling. Show notes and more at SmartPassiveIncome.com/session520.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

#519 When I think back on my 13-year entrepreneurial career, I think about some of the skills I've learned to get here, and one of the most important skills is storytelling. But storytelling is not something I've always been good at. In fact, at one point I wasn't great at it at all. But it's a skill that can be learned. When I started sharing lots of content, I realized I needed to learn how to better engage people through stories, to keep them on the page, or screen, or on a podcast like this one. Then, when I started speaking live, I really started to hone my storytelling skills. And there's no other person I can thank more for this than Mike Pacchione, who was my speaking coach back in 2012. I started speaking in 2011, got really hooked on it, and like everything I do, I went and found an expert to help me get better faster and minimize the mistakes. We're going to tell lots of stories today, and break down how stories should be told. Because story is, like I said, what engages an audience. It's what brings emotion to the points you're making. It is what helps transport a person from, "Hmm, I wonder if this is something I should keep paying attention to?" To, "Whoa, what happens next?" This is what brings connection, and storytelling is the key to connection. That's what we're going to talk about today with my former speaking coach, Mike Pacchione. Show notes and more at SmartPassiveIncome.com/session519.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

#518 “Audience driven.” It's a term that has become a part of our vocabulary here at Team SPI, and it's why we put on the Audience Driven Summit earlier this month. An audience-driven approach is the way we've always believed a business should be built, and it's the stance we're doubling down on today. It's how we believe all businesses should be created. And if you joined us in this Wednesday's episode, you heard how Arvid Kahl built his own business in the exact same way, where you spent some time to build an audience first, and then you understand, well, what does that audience need help with? What are the biggest struggles that they might be having? And then you figure out, well, how can I get a few of these people some results? What works best for them? When you take this approach, you're not going to know all the answers. But you'll find them out as you go along. It takes out the guesswork, because your path toward a sustainable business is driven by your audience. Now, this is a very opposite approach to how many people think about creating a business. But it's how we need to be thinking about building businesses today. Show notes and more at SmartPassiveIncome.com/session518.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

#517 Many of the guests on this show are people I know personally. Today's guest, however, comes to me by way of crowdsourcing. Arvid Kahl is someone who was recommended by several of the members of Team SPI, and I couldn't be happier that they did. Arvid is one of the most fascinating people I've met in a long time. He's a software engineer and entrepreneur who's been building businesses the right way. What do I mean by that? Well, everything that I've talked about in terms of finding an audience you can serve and figuring out what they need? Arvid is doing it about as well as anybody out there, and he's going to tell us all about it today. This is going to be a really great episode because we're going to be going, almost from start to finish, from building an audience, to learning about that audience, and building something for that audience. You're going to learn a number of powerful principles and strategies that'll help you get started building a following, a community, and a business today. Show notes and more at SmartPassiveIncome.com/session517.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

#516 We're going to talk some numbers today—and we're also going to go beyond the numbers. Here's one number: This podcast has gotten 65 million downloads and counting, which is awesome. And it's important to share numbers like that, because they represent social proof that the podcast is worth paying attention to. But there's something much more important than a number like 65 million: the people at the other end of it. On Wednesday, I spoke with Dustin Bakkie about accessibility and universal design. We talked about how creators and entrepreneurs can make our content more accessible to those who may be hearing or sight impaired, or have another disability. Everyone should have an equal ability to access the things we're creating. So, go ahead and listen to episode 515, if you haven't already. It's a great one, on a topic that's so important. That episode also got me thinking about numbers—big numbers like 65 million, and small numbers like ten. And how getting fixated on the numbers can cause us to make bad decisions, like not making our content accessible to everybody just because "enough" people can still access it. Most people who visit our websites and social channels are not going to need additional help to see or hear our content. So, does that mean we should ignore everybody else? No. If that were the case, then you wouldn't see handicap ramps or parking spaces anywhere. That's really what this is all about to me, serving the people in your audience, no matter who they are, no matter where they're from, no matter what challenges they might have. And that's why I still, every single month, love having direct conversations with people in my audience. That's where that number ten comes in, and it's what I want to talk about in today's follow-up Friday episode. Show notes and more at SmartPassiveIncome.com/session516.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

#515 One of my favorite things that happens as a result of this podcast is when a listener or fan says, "You know what, Pat? I noticed that you haven't really talked about [topic] much, but it's so, so important. Is there anything you can do about it?" We get a lot of feedback like that, and we appreciate it. We're always trying to improve, and how would we know how to improve if it weren't for the people in our community who speak up? Today, I wanted to highlight one of those community members. His name is Dustin Bakkie. Dustin started his online journey focused on effective teaching and course design. He's helped a lot of teachers, especially through his YouTube channel (DustinBakkie1). He has a lot of really popular videos that have helped teachers, especially during COVID with how to effectively use Zoom, and how to create really good curriculums online, something that obviously bleeds over into entrepreneurship. But Dustin recently had an epiphany that he could serve his audience even better by helping creators like us create accessible online content. What does that mean? It refers to the ability of all people, regardless of ability or disability, to access what we create. Dustin is really focused on helping foster and normalize inclusive digital communities. I love that, and I'm so glad he's here today to talk about what that means and how you can start to implement it in your own business. I think a lot of us creators know how important accessibility should be, but we're worried that it's really complicated. Well, Dustin is here to break things down and show us that it's not as complicated as we might think. So sit back and listen in, because we're going to be learning something very important today that you may not have heard anywhere else. Show notes and more at SmartPassiveIncome.com/session515.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

#514 I started my speaking career in 2011 at FinCon, the financial blogger conference. I got called onto the main stage at the last minute because the keynote speaker was unable to make it. I was kind of thrown into the deep end, and although I was nervous and scared, it was a life-changing moment. Flash-forward to 2018, when I decided to host my own conference. I pitched the idea to Team SPI, and we decided that in the summer of 2019 we'd put on an event in San Diego for 500 people who wanted to come. The very first FlynnCon was an amazing experience, a family-friendly event where entrepreneurs could come together and learn and connect (and even play some Mario Kart). Then of course in 2020, everything changed. We'd hoped to run back FlynnCon for a second year, but the pandemic had something to say about that. So we delayed it by a year. But soon we realized that hosting an in-person event in 2021 wasn't going to happen either. Long story short, FlynnCon was an incredible experience that may or may not happen again. But in the meantime, we're still moving forward on creating highly valuable experiences for entrepreneurs to come together and learn—like this month's Audience Driven Summit. Today, I'll share all the details about how FlynnCon came to be, how we tried to plan its sequel through the pandemic, and what you can look forward to in our upcoming summit. It may not be FlynnCon, but it'll still be a blast (and it's free!). Show notes and more at SmartPassiveIncome.com/session514.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

#513 A lot has changed recently when it comes to online courses. For a while, it was all about having as much content as possible. Sixty hours of video and five hundred worksheets? Great! Ship it! We might have thought that way once, but we know now that's just the wrong way to build a course. We want our course experiences to be more efficient—for both the course creator and the students taking it. But online courses have continued to evolve beyond just more efficiency. It's about the experience people have around that content, and how we can enhance their learning through extra guidance and community. This evolution is showing up in the form of cohort-based courses—”cohort” meaning a group of people, in this case, course students. The concept isn't exactly new. Cohort-based learning has been around for a while. (You may be familiar with “schools” and “classrooms.”) But when it comes to online education, cohort-based courses have come to the fore thanks to people like Seth Godin and his altMBA program, which a lot of very successful people have gone through. Credit for coming up with the altMBA concept actually goes to someone named Wes Kao—and she's our special guest here today. Wes is a cofounder at Maven, a platform where you can create and teach your own online cohort-based courses. In fact, I and a couple of my teammates on Team SPI have had the privilege of taking a cohort-based course from Wes and her team on how to do our own cohort-based courses. We're now running several “boot camps,” as we call them, where we lead a group of people through our courses in a more structured format, with accountability, working hours, and group collaboration. We're going to talk today with Wes about exactly what a cohort-based course looks like, how it'll deliver better results, and how to go about creating your own cohort-based course. Show notes and more at SmartPassiveIncome.com/session513.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

#512 This past week I interviewed Joe Sanok from Practice of the Practice, who is the author of a new book called Thursday is the New Friday. My chat with Joe really got me thinking, "Who created the five-day week anyway, and why is it like that?" I think we've all been burnt out by working five days a week, and feeling like the weekend isn't quite long enough. What if we had an extra day? How cool would that be? Now, today's episode is actually going to take a bit of a different angle! But it's one that was sparked by the episode with Joe. That's because in thinking about a four-day workweek, I started to wonder: “Okay, four days a week. I could spend the other three days fishing on a boat with my kids, my family, building memories that will last forever. What would it take to make that happen?" So that's what I want to talk about today: how to start making your goals and dreams of the next phase (or next-next phase) of your life a little more possible. Maybe like me your dream is owning a boat, or having a coffee farm in Hawai'i—or probably it's something entirely different. I'm going to share some personal stories that illustrate how to start finding your path to making those dreams come true—or at least figure out if they make sense. Spoiler alert: it means putting yourself out there, and finding the people who can start to point you in the right direction. Now, if fate puts those people in front of you, awesome. But if not, you need to go find them. You need to put yourself out there, and yes, it's going to get uncomfortable. It's going to put you out of your comfort zone, but that's where all the most amazing things happen, right? Show notes and more at SmartPassiveIncome.com/session512.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

#511 Perhaps you've heard about the four-hour workweek. Well, a lot of us have come to realize that it's kind of hard to come by. Even Tim Ferriss, author of The 4-Hour Work Week, has said that maybe wasn't the best title for his book. Because even with passive income coming in, you still have to do work to maintain things. Four hours is probably out of the question for most of us—but what about a four-day workweek? That's three days for a weekend, four days of work, then rinse and repeat. In fact, this has become the norm in places like Iceland, where 85 percent of workers are working just four days a week. And guess what? They still get paid the same, and productivity is up. So the question is, when is this going to happen in the US? Well, the truth is it can happen right now if you are an entrepreneur and you control your own time. And even if you're not an entrepreneur, you can still make this happen if you're smart about it and willing to have the right conversations with your employer. Thankfully, my good friend Joe Sanok from Practice of the Practice might have a path forward for us. Joe has a new book coming out called Thursday is the New Friday, How to Work Fewer Hours, Make More Money, and Spend Time Doing What You Want. And he's joining the podcast today to tell us all about how he's made this approach work for himself and his business. He's not "at work" very much anymore, but he's still doing so much to help people, and making good money as a result. So, if you've ever felt overworked or that you're putting too much time into something and not getting a lot of results back, there's a lot of great stuff in this episode for you. Show notes and more at SmartPassiveIncome.com/session511.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

#510 Earlier this week, we spoke with Dorie Clark, author of the brand new book The Long Game, about being in it for the long haul and doing the things now that will ensure long-term success in your business and your life. And we talked about a lot of strategies to ensure that you're always staying on top of your business, your community, and your physical and mental health. Today I want to talk a little about a related question: how do we remain consistent? Because if you're in it for the long haul in this creator economy, it can take a lot to remain consistent. It can be tough to be continually uploading and creating content, continually showing up for your community, and continually providing value. It takes a lot of energy. And having now created 510 episodes of the Smart Passive Income Podcast, nearly 1,200 episodes of AskPat, more than 1,000 videos on YouTube, and more than 1,000 blog posts, we've been pretty consistent. Now, I haven't been consistent the entire time. There've been moments where I've been derailed. But I got back on track, and it's thanks to the five lessons I'm going to share with you today. These are tips and strategies to help you show up and keep showing up for your business and your audience, so let's get into them. Show notes and more at SmartPassiveIncome.com/session510.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

#509 Are you in this for the long game, or the quick buck? The problem with short-term thinking is that it's so vulnerable. When you go for the long game, you're building something that will last—and perhaps even outlast you. Thankfully, most of the entrepreneurs I speak to are thinking about how to succeed in the long term. Now, you may not make a lot of money upfront by playing the long game. And you may have to dedicate more time than you'd like initially. But the end result is that you'll have more time and money and freedom down the road. We're talking with one of my favorite people today: Dorie Clark, author of The Long Game: How to Be a Long-Term Thinker in a Short-Term World. Dorie and I chatted on here a long time ago, in session 161. She had just come out with a couple of books, Entrepreneurial You and Stand Out that have gotten really great reviews. We're going to discuss what it actually means to play the long game in today's world of short attention spans. What does it mean to sacrifice now so we can get more later? How do we play the long game, not just in business, but in life, so we're not sacrificing our health along the way? If you're not successful mentally and physically, then it doesn't matter how successful your business is. These are some of the most crucial topics we all need to think about as entrepreneurs, and we're discussing all of it and more, today with Dorie. Show notes and more at SmartPassiveIncome.com/session509.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

#508 Today we're following up on the episode we did in 507 with Jeff Walker, the creator of the PLF or Product Launch Formula. If you missed the episode, PLF is essentially a way to warm up an audience, to give them value, and to bring them on a journey that all leads to a product launch. And this could be the launch of any kind of product or service or course. In our conversation, we discussed how Jeff has updated and revised PLF over the years since he created it in 1996, and how to go about launching things today. Because the truth is, things are a little bit different than they were before. And that's the topic of today's conversation. Not when it comes PLF, specifically, but the fact that we as entrepreneurs, we do have to learn how to adapt and to change. We can't expect that things that we once used and succeeded with, are going to continue working just as well for us over time. Blogs used to be the cornerstone of online content and connection, but things have changed, and live streaming and online communities have quickly become the new standard. We have to learn how to adjust and adapt, and as Ross of Friends would say, to "Pivot!" to current reality. So let's talk about what that looks like for us entrepreneurs. Show notes and more at SmartPassiveIncome.com/session508See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

#507 Maybe you've heard the name Jeff Walker. Even if you haven't, you've probably heard of something called the Product Launch Formula (PLF). If you've been in business online for any number of years, PLF has become the staple way that people launch their products online. It's also referred to as the “three-video series formula” for pre-launching a product of any kind: a service, a physical product, digital product, online course, training—you get the picture. PLF has become ingrained in the world of internet marketing and online business, and today, we're talking with the man himself, the legend, Jeff Walker. Jeff "launched" his book Launch in 2014, and it went on to become a New York Times bestseller. He recently came out with a new, revised version of the book that updates the PLF formula to cover how to launch products in today's world, with shorter attention spans and shorter sales cycles. This is Jeff's first time on the show, and he's going to share with us his framework for launching a product online today, using the updated and enhanced version of the PLF formula that's been helping entrepreneurs make sales since 1996. This is a highly valuable episode that I'm sure many folks will want to listen to more than once. Let's hear it all from the guy who created the system that's made over a billion dollars for entrepreneurs. Show notes and more at SmartPassiveIncome.com/session507.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

#506 This week we spoke with Anthony Sarandrea, who gave us a lot of gold nuggets about generating leads online. But I know what some of you may be thinking: “I'm not even close to being able to do some of the things you talk about in that episode.” I still recommend listening to it, because we discuss an amazing approach to generating leads for your business. However, if you're just starting out, I want to point out one thing Anthony mentioned that's so important when you're starting to build your business because it makes everything else so much easier: before you start trying to generate leads, you need to know exactly what your target audience is going through. Hopefully, this won't be a foreign concept. But it bears repeating: everything else comes more easily when you know who your audience is. so how do you learn about them? Well, it's one thing to say, “I'm going to do some research, have conversations with people. I'll see what the forums are saying, put myself in people's shoes, and try to figure out what I can do to best serve them." That's a great start, and it'll definitely help. But it's just the first step. The next step is what I want to talk about today: becoming your target audience. Stick around and let's talk about what that looks like. Show notes and more at SmartPassiveIncome.com/session506.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

#505 They often say that this world is very small, especially the world of online business. When I go to conferences (or at least when I did before COVID), I'd often get introduced to somebody, and we'll find that we've already connected before, or we have a second- or third-degree connection. Today's guest is someone I'd never connected with, or even heard of long before we talked, but I'm so glad that we met because we had one of the best conversations I've had about lead generation in a very long time on the show. His name is Anthony Sarandrea, and I'm so grateful he's joining us today because he is a master at lead generation. Anthony has a number of different businesses. One in particular, Pocket Your Dollars, helps people become the financial experts of their own lives, and generates a ton of leads doing it. He also helps other businesses generate their own leads, and he's got some systems and approaches that I very much resonate with—especially when it comes to immersing yourself into that space you're trying to get into. Speaking of immersing yourself, you'll hear about a really interesting way Anthony did his market research: he literally became his own target customer on purpose. When it comes to lead generation, Anthony is one of the most creative and dedicated people I've met in the space. He knows the importance of remembering that your leads are real people, and that you need to serve them if you want to succeed. Show notes and more at SmartPassiveIncome.com/session505.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

#504 That's right—follow-up Friday episodes are back! I wanted to talk about something that crossed my mind after this week's conversation with Ali Abdaal. And this is a result of “competition.” When you start to build a business and do competitive research, you come across people who are already doing amazing things in the space. You come across people who are amazing writers. You come across people who write just the most beautiful emails in the world. You come across people, like Ali, who have incredible storytelling capabilities and who have the ability to create very professional videos. And you always wonder to yourself, “Man, why can't I do it like them?” And sometimes you'll try to do it like them—but that's almost never the right choice. You've got to check yourself before you wreck yourself, and that's what I want to talk about today. Show notes and more at SmartPassiveIncome.com/session504.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

#503 Has this ever happened to you? About a year and a half ago, I discovered a six-minute YouTube video about note-taking, by someone named Ali Abdaal. After I finished watching it, I thought, "Whoa, I really like this guy." So I watched the next video, which was about iPads. (I had just recently bought an iPad Pro and I wanted to learn how to make the most out of it.) Thanks to the way Ali taught, and his easy-to-listen-to accent, I started binge-watching everything on his channel. Ever since I started paying attention to Ali, things have been really taking off him for him. His brand and community have grown tremendously, and he's even released his own online course. And we've become good friends! I knew I had to ask him to come onto the podcast to share his journey from med school student to creating a YouTube channel, and how he's grown it to nearly two million subscribers, with passive income now coming in from multiple sources. We'll unpack the strategy behind Ali's impressive rise, and if you're interested in YouTube or creating video yourself, we also dive into some tips to help you with the algorithm and taking advantage of what YouTube can offer in terms of driving traffic and finding new customers. Show notes and more at SmartPassiveIncome.com/session503.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Welcome to the inaugural episode of The Community Experience, a brand-new podcast from SPI!In this feed drop (episode 001), hosts Tony Bacigalupo and Jillian Benbow are hanging out with a different Jillian, Jillian Richardson, a woman on a quest to cure the world of its loneliness epidemic. Through her popular newsletter, the Joy List, and her book, Unlonely Planet, Jillian is doing remarkable work.We invited her onto the show to try to understand why community is such a hot topic right now. How can you integrate community into what you’re building and keep it authentic? Whether you hope to find a new community or want to build a more impactful community yourself, there's something here for you.Let us know what you thought of episode 001! Reach out to us @TeamSPI on Twitter. Show notes and more at SmartPassiveIncome.com/cx001. Don't forget to subscribe and leave a review!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

#502 Have you tried live video yet? If you haven't, this episode is for you. And even if you've already been using live video in your business (no matter what platform), this episode is also for you! Wherever you land on that spectrum, I want you to consider using live video more because it's the best way to engage with an audience. I've experienced this firsthand in the past year and a half with my live video show, the Income Stream. It's been fascinating to see what going live on YouTube every day has done for the brand for the connections. Live streaming is such a wonderful tool, whether you're pre-launching something, pitching something, or simply trying to build a deeper relationship with your audience. Today we're speaking with none other than Luria Petrucci from LiveStreamingPros.com. Luria has personally helped me with setting up my live streaming stuff, from gear selection to strategies, to how to be engaging on camera. She's such a wonderful person, and I can't wait for you to hear from her, learn from her, and hopefully be inspired to do more live videos. We'll be digging into how to use live video to engage with your audience, how and where to go live, and much more. Show notes and more at SmartPassiveIncome.com/session502.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

#501 Do you ever wonder what your life or career would be like if you'd made a different decision at a fork in the road? I definitely don't use my architecture degree anymore. But at the same time, I think about the skills I've learned and the things that happened early in my career that helped get me to where I'm at today. If I'd taken a different path, I wouldn't be where I am today. And I'm grateful for the experiences. In fact, some of my favorite stories and conversations are about starting down a path that pivots into something else, whether it's niching down into something specific, or making a more radical change. Either way, it's always an amazing story—and you're going to hear one of those stories today from Megan Gilger from Fresh Exchange. Megan and her husband, Mike, started a design studio that evolved into something completely different. Today they have an amazing blog and online community at FreshExchange.com that's all about the pursuit of community and connection and reciprocity with the earth. It's not necessarily what they set out to do, but it's what it became. You'll hear about how this journey has unfolded for Megan and the Fresh Exchange brand: how it all started and gained traction, and how Megan knew this was the route she was meant to follow. Show notes and more at SmartPassiveIncome.com/session501.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

#500 Significant number alert! This is episode 500 of the Smart Passive Income Podcast, and to celebrate the milestone, we're doing something a little different. We're flipping the script. Today we have a guest host running the show, and although we won't say who it is (you'll have to listen to find out!), you may remember this person and his wife from two hugely popular episodes of the show (122 and 265). Anyway, our mystery host is taking over the mic today and interviewing his "guest," Pat Flynn, about his online journey. They talk about Pat's experience losing his architecture job, and how he started, built, and grew his first online business. You've probably heard some version of this story before, but this episode is different—Pat and our host go really deep to uncover some of the nitty-gritty details of the struggles and the excitement on Pat's path to creating multiple online businesses and becoming a trusted educator for entrepreneurs everywhere. Pat also reveals a little about what's coming next for the SPI community, and for this very podcast. As for our mystery host, well, what can we say? He's a delight. We think you'll agree that this episode is the perfect way to cap off the first 500 episodes of the SPI podcast, the first of many more to come. Show notes and more at SmartPassiveIncome.com/session500.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

#499 If you're a business owner, this might be one of the most important podcast episodes you listen to. That's because as an entrepreneur, whether you're just starting out or you have been doing this for a while, you're probably constantly coming up with ideas. Some of those ideas are probably great. Some of them, not so great! But when it comes to great ideas, you need to know how to actually get them out into the world. And I'm not talking about specific strategies, like email or advertising. What I'm talking about is this: How do we take our ideas and put them out there so they'll spread? That's the big idea behind today's episode. This stuff is on the level of Made to Stick by Chip and Dan Heath, or Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell. Today I'm talking to Jeff Goins, from GoinsWriter.com. Jeff is a great friend of mine, someone I've known for over a decade now, who's been on the show before and has helped me with my book writing. And he's here today to help us all out. So if you're looking to create ideas that spread on their own, this one's for you. Show notes and more at SmartPassiveIncome.com/session499See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

#498 If you're running a business, you need an email list. But you also need to send the right emails. And you also need to make sure those emails are actually getting into your subscribers' inboxes. I often talk about the fact that email is the way to go. And it is! I only wish I'd started my email list sooner. And email does offer advantages over platforms like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube, with their algorithms that can block our messages from the audiences that want to hear from us. But email has a similar issue, and it's one you need to address if you want to reach more people: the dreaded spam folder. Why do emails end up in spam, and what can you do about it? That's what we're talking about today with Adrian Savage, the founder of Deliverability Dashboard. Adrian is a wizard when it comes to all things email, and he goes over the four keys to massively improving your deliverability rates. If you have an email list or are thinking of starting one, this episode is a must-listen. You can also get access to a simple checklist that helps you avoid the spam folder and potentially double your open rate at DeliverabilityDashboard.com/checklist. Show notes and more at SmartPassiveIncome.com/session498.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

#497 Today, you're going to hear an incredible level of detail on how to build a brand, write a bestselling book (or two), and make business and family life work together in a powerful way—plus why health and sleep are so crucial, and much more. Our guest is an SPI fan favorite: Shawn Stevenson of the Model Health Show, and he's going to take us behind the scenes of how he runs his business and gets things done, from his podcast to his books and everything else that's gone into building his incredibly successful brand. In fact, some of what Shawn shares in this episode is stuff he's never shared, because nobody's ever asked him these questions before! I cannot wait to go behind the scenes with you. How does the man run the show? Let's find out! Show notes and more at SmartPassiveIncome.com/session497.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

#496 How do you position yourself as an expert? How do you talk about yourself online so that other people become interested, not just in following you, but potentially buying from you? How do you sell yourself in a way that's not sleazy? It starts by remembering that you are the only you that exists. Today we're talking with Mike Kim from youarethebrandbook.com about how to turn your youness into a personal brand that gets people's attention and makes you money. Mike is one of the most genuine people I know. He's been through the ranks and gone through a lot of ups and downs, to now be helping people build their brands online. I'm really excited for you to hear this episode because it could be the refresher you need to take hold of who you are and how you position and talk about yourself online. In fact, Mike and I go through an entire blueprint on how to do this yourself. So sit back, relax, and take notes if you need to, because this is a great one. Show notes and more at SmartPassiveIncome.com/session496.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

#495 The future of business is about community and connection. And, it's more than just creating Facebook or LinkedIn groups—now your entire business can be run like a membership site. That's exactly what we're going to be talking about today with Jillian Benbow, the manager of our membership community, SPI Pro. Jillian and I cover what it takes to create a thriving community where members feel welcomed and excited to engage and grow together. She's a pro at fostering connection and managing all the different facets of running a community of diverse people with all kinds of businesses and goals. We talk meetups, networking, AMAs, gamification, and much more—it's a wealth of information on how to manage a community, so don't miss it. Show notes and more at SmartPassiveIncome.com/session495.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.