Business Casual

Focus 10 (Turning Pro)

Matt Giovanisci — Mon, 30 Mar 2026 08:00:00 -0600

This is the final episode. I'm shutting down the podcast and I want to tell you the real reasons why. It all comes back to one word I keep coming back to: focus.

Building a Business From Scratch

Matt Giovanisci — Fri, 27 Mar 2026 08:00:00 -0600

Sign up for my FREE newsletter 👉 https://giovanisci.com. I often share videos with screen recordings of the things I mention here. In this episode I take on a listener challenge and map out how I'd build a home brewing business from scratch. From picking what to sell on day one to using content marketing to grow without ads.

My B2B Plan

Matt Giovanisci — Wed, 25 Mar 2026 08:00:00 -0600

Get my newsletter 👉 https://giovanisci.com. Sometimes I include exclusive videos where I can show you what I'm talking about. I'm exploring B2B sales for Swim University's books and app. Pool builders and realtors already buy our books in bulk so the demand exists. Now I need to build the system.

Developing an Article Updating Process

Matt Giovanisci — Mon, 23 Mar 2026 08:00:00 -0600

Sign up for my FREE newsletter 👉 https://giovanisci.com. I often share videos with screen recordings of the things I mention here. This episode covers how I decide which blog posts are worth updating for SEO and why the real work isn't technical tricks but putting in genuine effort to create something great for the reader.

My Entire Asana Workflow

Matt Giovanisci — Fri, 20 Mar 2026 08:00:00 -0600

Sign up for my FREE newsletter 👉 https://giovanisci.com. I often share videos with screen recordings of the things I mention here. I break down exactly how I use Asana to run my entire content operation. From board views to recurring tasks to editorial calendars for articles, videos, and emails.

My 2026 Keyword Research Process

Matt Giovanisci — Wed, 18 Mar 2026 08:00:00 -0600

Get my newsletter 👉 https://giovanisci.com. I often share videos with screen recordings of the things I mention here. I'm doing a massive keyword research deep dive using Semrush to find every keyword worth ranking for in my niche. I'll walk you through how I cluster keywords and decide what content to create or update.

Video Is King

Matt Giovanisci — Mon, 16 Mar 2026 08:00:00 -0600

Get my newsletter 👉 https://giovanisci.com. I share videos showing things I can't in audio. Video is king right now and I think it's AI-proof because no matter how good the tech gets, people still want to learn from a real human voice.

Should I Break My Business Into Pieces?

Matt Giovanisci — Fri, 13 Mar 2026 08:00:00 -0600

Get my newsletter 👉 https://giovanisci.com. I often share videos with screen recordings of the things I mention here. When you inherit a business, your first instinct is to rebrand it and make it yours. But is that actually the right move, or is the real opportunity already hiding in the data?

SEO for Dummies

Matt Giovanisci — Thu, 12 Mar 2026 08:00:00 -0600

Sign up for my FREE newsletter 👉 https://giovanisci.com. I often share videos with screen recordings of the things I mention here. SEO isn't complicated, it's just hard to do at scale. I walk through how to find keywords, structure posts, and why writing for humans is the only strategy that actually works.

Chatbots, Sales, and Mini Courses

Matt Giovanisci — Wed, 11 Mar 2026 08:00:00 -0600

Get my newsletter 👉 https://giovanisci.com. I often share videos with screen recordings of the things I mention here. I answer listener questions about ManyChat for email growth, off-season discount sales, and whether mini courses or a subscription model is the better long-term product strategy.

Uncomfortable Tasks to Grow My Business

Matt Giovanisci — Tue, 10 Mar 2026 08:00:00 -0600

Sign up for my FREE newsletter 👉 https://giovanisci.com. I often share videos with screen recordings of the things I mention here. I revisited a journal entry from 2023 and the uncomfortable truth is still the same: the boring stuff is the needle mover and it's just more content.

My Favorite Actionable Business Books of All Time

Matt Giovanisci — Mon, 09 Mar 2026 08:00:00 -0600

Get my newsletter 👉 https://giovanisci.com. I share things visually that I can't in the podcast. I revisit my all-time favorite business books and why each one actually changed how I work, from managing money to cutting distractions to just doing the one thing that matters.

My Entire Marketing Strategy for 2026

Matt Giovanisci — Fri, 06 Mar 2026 08:00:00 -0700

Sign up for my FREE newsletter 👉 https://giovanisci.com. I often share videos with screen recordings of the things I mention here. I'm breaking down my entire 2026 marketing strategy including why I went back to old school SEO and how articles still convert better than YouTube videos.

I’m Struggling

Matt Giovanisci — Thu, 05 Mar 2026 08:00:00 -0700

Get my newsletter 👉 https://giovanisci.com. I share things visually that I can't in the podcast. I've been off social media and out of ideas so I'm asking for your help and sharing what's been keeping me busy including some new YouTube format ideas I'm testing this season.

What's Really Slowing The Business Down?

Matt Giovanisci — Wed, 04 Mar 2026 08:00:00 -0700

Sign up for my FREE newsletter 👉 https://giovanisci.com. I share things visually that I can't in the podcast. I talk about the things I stopped doing that looked impressive from the outside but were actually slowing down my business and killing my margins.

My Approach to Affiliate Marketing in 2026

Matt Giovanisci — Tue, 03 Mar 2026 08:00:00 -0700

Get my newsletter 👉 https://giovanisci.com. I share things visually that I can't in the podcast. Affiliate marketing isn't dead but listicle sites are. I break down how to build a real review brand that earns trust and affiliate income by actually using the products you recommend.

How Much Is AI Killing Traditional SEO?

Matt Giovanisci — Mon, 02 Mar 2026 08:00:00 -0700

Get my newsletter 👉 https://giovanisci.com. I sometimes include exclusive videos where I can show you what I'm talking about. AI isn't killing SEO and I'll tell you exactly why the noisiest brands are the ones who win.

A Big Pivot

Matt Giovanisci — Fri, 27 Feb 2026 08:00:00 -0700

Sign up for my FREE newsletter 👉 https://giovanisci.com. I often share videos with screen recordings of the things I mention here. We hit pause on rebuilding our pool care course and I want to tell you exactly why we made that call.

Building a Content Marketing Plan From Scratch

Matt Giovanisci — Thu, 26 Feb 2026 08:00:00 -0700

Get my newsletter 👉 https://giovanisci.com. I sometimes include exclusive videos where I can show you what I'm talking about. I break down how to build a content strategy from scratch and why audio only might be the wrong move for your niche.

Let’s Go!

Matt Giovanisci — Wed, 25 Feb 2026 08:00:00 -0700

Sign up for my FREE newsletter 👉 https://giovanisci.com. I share things visually that I can't in the podcast. This year has thrown curveballs but I keep coming back to one word that changed everything for me: builder.

Developing a Video Asset Workflow

Matt Giovanisci — Tue, 24 Feb 2026 08:00:00 -0700

Sign up for my FREE newsletter 👉 https://giovanisci.com. I often share videos with screen recordings of the things I mention here. I'm rewriting and re-recording our entire video course before April and it forced me to rethink how we create and organize reusable visual assets across our brand.

My Anti-Black Friday Strategy

Matt Giovanisci — Mon, 23 Feb 2026 08:00:00 -0700

Get my newsletter 👉 https://giovanisci.com. Sometimes I include exclusive videos where I can show you what I'm talking about. I tested an anti-Black Friday strategy with no discounts and revenue dropped 34%. Here's what I learned about why seasonal businesses might actually need off-season sales.

How I Manage Shipping and Inventory

Matt Giovanisci — Fri, 20 Feb 2026 08:00:00 -0700

Subscribe to my newsletter 👉 https://giovanisci.com. I share things visually that I can't in the podcast. In this episode, I break down exactly how I manage shipping and inventory for my physical books and the messy reality of connecting Shopify to course platforms.

How to Say No

Matt Giovanisci — Thu, 19 Feb 2026 08:00:00 -0700

Subscribe to my newsletter 👉 https://giovanisci.com. I share things visually that I can't in the podcast. In this episode I talk about why saying no is almost impossible without a clear plan and how having one makes every decision easier.

Stop Over-Thinking Product Development

Matt Giovanisci — Wed, 18 Feb 2026 08:00:00 -0700

Subscribe to my newsletter 👉 https://giovanisci.com. I share things visually that I can't in the podcast. I talk about why you should stop overthinking your first product and just build it.

Creating Custom Animation Assets for Future Video Production

Matt Giovanisci — Tue, 17 Feb 2026 08:00:00 -0700

Get my newsletter 👉 https://giovanisci.com. I built reusable custom animations for our videos so editing is faster and everything looks like one brand.

Building a Public Changelog for App Marketing

Matt Giovanisci — Mon, 16 Feb 2026 08:00:00 -0700

Sign up for my newsletter 👉 https://giovanisci.com. I built a public change log for our pool care app with short demo videos to promote new features and re-engage users.

Improving The Sound in My Video Studio

Matt Giovanisci — Fri, 13 Feb 2026 08:00:00 -0700

Get my newsletter 👉 https://giovanisci.com. Sometimes I include exclusive videos where I can show you what I'm talking about. I spent $1300 on a new microphone to fix room noise only to discover it was all about placement.

I Changed The Way I Collect Reviews and It Was Worth It

Matt Giovanisci — Thu, 12 Feb 2026 08:00:00 -0700

Subscribe to my newsletter 👉 https://giovanisci.com. I share things visually that I can't in the podcast. I switched from collecting testimonials to collecting reviews and it doubled our response rate while connecting everything to Google and YouTube.

Is My Revenue On Track This Year?

Matt Giovanisci — Wed, 11 Feb 2026 08:00:00 -0700

Get my newsletter 👉 https://giovanisci.com. I share exclusive videos and screen recordings you won't find anywhere else. I track revenue year-over-year instead of month-to-month and use two simple spreadsheets to stay profitable.

The Most Productive Day 2

Matt Giovanisci — Tue, 10 Feb 2026 08:00:00 -0700

Subscribe to my newsletter 👉 https://giovanisci.com. Sometimes I include exclusive videos where I can show you what I'm talking about. I had my most productive day in a year by focusing on my two highest leverage tasks: creating emails and recording videos.

How I Manage Money In My Business

Matt Giovanisci — Mon, 09 Feb 2026 08:00:00 -0700

Get my FREE newsletter 👉 https://giovanisci.com. I often share videos with screen recordings of the things I mention here. I spend one hour monthly categorizing expenses in QuickBooks myself because accounting is a core business fundamental alongside product, customer service, and marketing.

If I Lost My Business, What Would I Do Instead?

Matt Giovanisci — Fri, 06 Feb 2026 08:00:00 -0700

Subscribe to my newsletter 👉 https://giovanisci.com. I share things visually that I can't in the podcast. If I lost my business tomorrow I wouldn't become a consultant because I'm a builder, and I'd focus on Brew Cabin instead of chasing money in the overcrowded business guru space.

My Course Sucks

Matt Giovanisci — Thu, 05 Feb 2026 08:00:00 -0700

Get my newsletter 👉 https://giovanisci.com. I include videos showing what I'm talking about. I'm rebuilding my pool care course from scratch because it hasn't been updated in 10 years, and I think courses still work for my audience unlike the fatigued business world.

Just Hit Record

Matt Giovanisci — Wed, 04 Feb 2026 08:00:00 -0700

Subscribe to my newsletter 👉 https://giovanisci.com. I share things visually that I can't in the podcast. I'm trying to get to one phrase: just hit record. I'm removing scripting and heavy editing from my video process so I can focus on my highest leverage activity—being on camera.

Tied Up Loose Ends

Matt Giovanisci — Tue, 03 Feb 2026 08:00:00 -0700

Sign up for my FREE newsletter 👉 https://giovanisci.com. I often share videos with screen recordings of the things I mention here. I update my progress on six tasks and explain why I killed the social story posting experiment after learning our audience doesn't behave like typical social media followers.

Tying Up Loose Ends

Matt Giovanisci — Mon, 02 Feb 2026 08:00:00 -0700

Sign up for my FREE newsletter 👉 https://giovanisci.com. I often share videos with screen recordings of the things I mention here. I process six overwhelming tasks out loud and figure out which ones actually matter and which can wait.

How to Make Everything Better

Matt Giovanisci — Sat, 31 Jan 2026 08:00:00 -0700

Subscribe to my newsletter 👉 https://giovanisci.com. I share things visually that I can't in the podcast. I explain why constant small improvements beat dramatic overhauls and how making boring tasks better benefits both you and your audience.

The Bar For Success Is On The Floor

Matt Giovanisci — Fri, 30 Jan 2026 08:00:00 -0700

Get my newsletter 👉 https://giovanisci.com. I often share videos with screen recordings of the things I mention here. I explore why customer service is the easiest competitive advantage nobody takes and how basic human acknowledgment compounds into business success.

Brainstorming New Offers

Matt Giovanisci — Thu, 29 Jan 2026 08:00:00 -0700

Subscribe to my newsletter 👉 https://giovanisci.com. Sometimes I include exclusive videos where I can show you what I'm talking about. I brainstorm creative sales offers that don't rely on discounting and explore what actually works when you refuse to train customers to wait for deals.

How My Business Works

Matt Giovanisci — Wed, 28 Jan 2026 08:00:00 -0700

Subscribe to my newsletter 👉 https://giovanisci.com. I share things visually that I can't in the podcast. I break down my entire business model and explain how I plan to hit $1M revenue without adding team members or working more hours.

I Can Do Anything (But I Can’t Do Everything)

Matt Giovanisci — Tue, 27 Jan 2026 08:00:00 -0700

Get my newsletter 👉 https://giovanisci.com. I often share videos with screen recordings of the things I mention here. I explore why focusing on one skill creates more impact than spreading yourself across everything you can do.

I’m Trying To Make This Better

Matt Giovanisci — Mon, 26 Jan 2026 08:00:00 -0700

Get my newsletter 👉 https://giovanisci.com. I share videos there that I can't do in audio. I'm testing a real microphone instead of my phone to improve sound quality and make the show feel more on-brand.

Simplify 3

Matt Giovanisci — Sun, 25 Jan 2026 08:00:00 -0700

Get my newsletter 👉 https://giovanisci.com. I share exclusive videos and insights you won't hear on the podcast. I explore why we pile on too many goals and how cutting down to just one or two can eliminate stress.

Great Advice That Doesn’t Work

Matt Giovanisci — Sat, 24 Jan 2026 08:00:00 -0700

Get my newsletter 👉 https://giovanisci.com. I explore why great advice doesn't always fit your business and how to know when to ignore it.

Email Marketing SOP Updates for 2026

Matt Giovanisci — Fri, 23 Jan 2026 08:00:00 -0700

Subscribe to my newsletter 👉 https://giovanisci.com. I break down how I'm simplifying our email system by eliminating design decisions and reducing complexity.

Thinking in Frameworks

Matt Giovanisci — Thu, 22 Jan 2026 08:00:00 -0700

Get my newsletter 👉 https://giovanisci.com. I explore how branded frameworks like the 3 Cs of pool care become teaching tools that stick in people's minds.

The Unglamorous Decisions Founders Make When Cash Flow is Tight

Matt Giovanisci — Wed, 21 Jan 2026 08:00:00 -0700

Subscribe to my newsletter 👉 https://giovanisci.com. I share how I manage seasonal cash flow through spreadsheets and the unglamorous decisions that keep my business profitable.

My Simple Approach To Building A Personal Brand

Matt Giovanisci — Tue, 20 Jan 2026 08:00:00 -0700

Subscribe to my newsletter 👉 https://giovanisci.com. I ditch WordPress and build my entire personal brand using just two platforms in one afternoon.

How to Improve My Personal Brand Website

Matt Giovanisci — Mon, 19 Jan 2026 08:00:00 -0700

Get my newsletter 👉 https://giovanisci.com. I rethink what websites are actually for and whether we even need navigation anymore when everyone lives in apps.

My Big Hairy Goals for 2026

Matt Giovanisci — Sun, 18 Jan 2026 08:00:00 -0700

Get my newsletter 👉 https://giovanisci.com. Sometimes I include exclusive videos where I can show you what I'm talking about. I share my 2026 goals: hitting $1M revenue at Swim University, building my personal brand, creating Brew Cabin videos, and losing 40 pounds.

I’m Afraid I’m Doing Too Much

Matt Giovanisci — Sat, 17 Jan 2026 08:00:00 -0700

Subscribe to my newsletter 👉 https://giovanisci.com. I wrestle with whether I'm doing too many things or if I finally have the capacity to pursue multiple creative projects without turning them all into businesses.

Creator Types: Desk Vs Epic

Matt Giovanisci — Fri, 16 Jan 2026 08:00:00 -0700

Subscribe to my newsletter 👉 https://giovanisci.com. I share things visually that I can't in the podcast. I explore two creator types: desk creators who produce content quickly in controlled environments, and epic creators who spend months on high-production projects.

Make Your Products Easier to Use

Matt Giovanisci — Thu, 15 Jan 2026 08:00:00 -0700

Get my FREE newsletter 👉 https://giovanisci.com. I explore how making products easier to use improves them without changing the product itself through better onboarding and removing friction.

Creating a Monthly “State of The Union” Video

Matt Giovanisci — Wed, 14 Jan 2026 08:00:00 -0700

Get my FREE newsletter 👉 https://giovanisci.com. I often share videos with screen recordings of the things I mention here. I'm creating monthly state-of-the-union videos for my team to improve communication and transparency across the business.

Everyone Sucks At Marketing

Matt Giovanisci — Tue, 13 Jan 2026 08:00:00 -0700

Get my FREE newsletter 👉 https://giovanisci.com. I often share videos with screen recordings of the things I mention here. I explore why most businesses fail at marketing and how to build a trust cycle through consistent communication.

Can You Delegate TOO MUCH?

Matt Giovanisci — Mon, 12 Jan 2026 08:00:00 -0700

Get my FREE newsletter 👉 https://giovanisci.com. I often share videos with screen recordings of the things I mention here. I explore whether you can delegate too much in business and why ego destroys companies from the top down.

Do You Plan To Sell Your Business?

Matt Giovanisci — Sun, 11 Jan 2026 08:00:00 -0700

Subscribe to my newsletter 👉 https://giovanisci.com. I share things visually that I can't in the podcast. I answer questions about focus, my biggest mistakes, what I delegate, and whether I plan to sell my business.

My Secret Passion

Matt Giovanisci — Sat, 10 Jan 2026 08:00:00 -0700

Get my newsletter 👉 https://giovanisci.com. I share things visually that I can't in the podcast. I realized I'm driven by self-improvement in everything I do. It's not about being the best; it's about getting better at business, health, and hobbies.

Post Everything 3 Times

Matt Giovanisci — Fri, 09 Jan 2026 08:00:00 -0700

Get my newsletter 👉 https://giovanisci.com. I share exclusive insights you won't hear on the podcast. I explore why reposting the same content three times feels wrong and what to do instead.

Doubling Down On Courses (While Everyone Abandons Them)

Matt Giovanisci — Thu, 08 Jan 2026 08:00:00 -0700

Get my newsletter 👉 https://giovanisci.com. I share exclusive videos and insights you won't find in the podcast. I'm doubling down on courses while others abandon them because my pool audience isn't burned out on courses like business people are.

The Noisiest Brands Are Gonna Be The Winners

Matt Giovanisci — Wed, 07 Jan 2026 08:00:00 -0700

Subscribe to my newsletter 👉 https://giovanisci.com. I share things visually that I can't in the podcast. AI search is changing SEO by doing multiple searches per query instead of just one. The brands publishing the most content will win. Credit for this episode goes to TJ Robertson on TikTok.

Your Team Sucks

Matt Giovanisci — Tue, 06 Jan 2026 08:00:00 -0700

Subscribe to my newsletter 👉 https://giovanisci.com. I share things visually that I can't in the podcast. I believe training your team in basic customer service is the easiest way to increase sales and most businesses are failing at it.

Anti-Scale, Cozy Creator, and Slow Content

Matt Giovanisci — Mon, 05 Jan 2026 08:00:00 -0700

Subscribe to my newsletter 👉 https://giovanisci.com. I share things visually that I can't in the podcast. I clarify what "more" means for my word of the year and why I'm not choosing sides in the scale debate.

Frictionless SEO System

Matt Giovanisci — Sun, 04 Jan 2026 08:00:00 -0700

Subscribe to my newsletter 👉 https://giovanisci.com. I share things visually that I can't in the podcast. I walk through my system for publishing SEO articles fast using AI as an assistant and real expertise as the foundation.

I Feel Like I Didn’t Get Anything Done

Matt Giovanisci — Sat, 03 Jan 2026 08:00:00 -0700

Get my newsletter 👉 https://giovanisci.com. I share exclusive videos and content you won't find in the podcast. I explore why meetings feel unproductive even when they're valuable work and what it means to transition from maker to manager.

Random Business Thoughts

Matt Giovanisci — Fri, 02 Jan 2026 08:00:00 -0700

Sign up for my FREE newsletter 👉 https://giovanisci.com. I explore random business thoughts like killing our affiliate program, launching B2B book sales, and why publishing 287 podcast episodes brought zero growth.

The Future of My Business

Matt Giovanisci — Thu, 01 Jan 2026 08:00:00 -0700

Subscribe to my newsletter 👉 https://giovanisci.com. I share things visually that I can't in the podcast. I'm scaling Swim University in 2026 by doing more of what works: daily content across platforms and perfecting our five core products to hit a million in revenue.

Season Finale (My Year In Review)

Matt Giovanisci — Wed, 31 Dec 2025 08:00:00 -0700

What went well and what didn't.

Performing a Self Inventory

Matt Giovanisci — Tue, 30 Dec 2025 08:00:00 -0700

What I do every week. What I can outsource and what I can keep doing.

The Anatomy of a Good Idea

Matt Giovanisci — Mon, 29 Dec 2025 08:00:00 -0700

A breakdown on what makes a good idea in 4 steps.

Ideas Are More Important Than I Thought

Matt Giovanisci — Sun, 28 Dec 2025 08:00:00 -0700

I created an ideation practice.

Should I Monetize My Art?

Matt Giovanisci — Sat, 27 Dec 2025 08:00:00 -0700

This is going be an ongoing debate.

2026 Website Updates

Matt Giovanisci — Fri, 26 Dec 2025 08:00:00 -0700

Here are all the updates I made going into 2026.

High Effort Video Production

Matt Giovanisci — Thu, 25 Dec 2025 08:00:00 -0700

I'm aware I'm publishing this on Christmas Day, so this is a special bonus episode.

Just Do More of What’s Easy

Matt Giovanisci — Wed, 24 Dec 2025 08:00:00 -0700

And go hard.

Every Phase of My Business in 2025 (And Beyond)

Matt Giovanisci — Tue, 23 Dec 2025 08:00:00 -0700

An overview of my entire year.

BONUS: The Rebranding

Matt Giovanisci — Mon, 22 Dec 2025 20:35:18 -0700

Notice the name of the show has changed.

Start Small and Ramp Up

Matt Giovanisci — Mon, 22 Dec 2025 08:00:00 -0700

How do you eat an elephant? Start by eating a mouse.

Developing a Social Media System Redux

Matt Giovanisci — Sun, 21 Dec 2025 08:00:00 -0700

I started adding daily stories to get sales and leads.

What’s My Business Mantra For 2026?

Matt Giovanisci — Sat, 20 Dec 2025 08:00:00 -0700

Spoiler alert, it's more.

My Podcast Growth Experiment Part 2

Matt Giovanisci — Fri, 19 Dec 2025 08:00:00 -0700

Here are some updates on my experiment.

Don’t Fix What Ain’t Broke

Matt Giovanisci — Thu, 18 Dec 2025 08:00:00 -0700

I like to fix perfectly working things all the time.

I’ve Stopped Learning about Business

Matt Giovanisci — Wed, 17 Dec 2025 08:00:00 -0700

What the heck does that mean?

Make a Fool of Yourself

Matt Giovanisci — Tue, 16 Dec 2025 08:00:00 -0700

Hat tip to the actor Austin Butler.

Making Decisions Toward Freedom (Lifestyle Business Blueprint)

Matt Giovanisci — Mon, 15 Dec 2025 08:00:00 -0700

This is how I built a true lifestyle business.

Avoiding AI Slop To Make The Internet a Better Place

Matt Giovanisci — Sun, 14 Dec 2025 08:00:00 -0700

It's harder than it sounds. Maybe?

Create a System With a Single KPI

Matt Giovanisci — Sat, 13 Dec 2025 08:00:00 -0700

Thinking through a new way to track business metrics.

My Podcast Growth Experiment

Matt Giovanisci — Fri, 12 Dec 2025 08:00:00 -0700

Follow me on Twitter, Threads, and LinkedIn.

Nobody Knows You Exists

Matt Giovanisci — Thu, 11 Dec 2025 08:00:00 -0700

This is the phrase that I repeat to myself over and over again when it comes to marketing.

Act Like You Belong

Matt Giovanisci — Wed, 10 Dec 2025 08:00:00 -0700

This is a story about my trip to a fancy hotel and what I learned from it.

Publishing More Content Than You Think You Need

Matt Giovanisci — Tue, 09 Dec 2025 08:00:00 -0700

Turns out volume is still the name of the game.

My Principles

Matt Giovanisci — Mon, 08 Dec 2025 08:00:00 -0700

These are my rules I live by.

My Goal Setting System

Matt Giovanisci — Sun, 07 Dec 2025 08:00:00 -0700

If I had to choose, it would probably be SMART goals, which is an acronym.

2026 WordPress Article Improvements

Matt Giovanisci — Sat, 06 Dec 2025 08:00:00 -0700

Here's a list of four things that I'm doing to improve the visual design and structure of our SEO articles in 2026.

I Analyzed 3 Years of Reels and Here’s What I Learned

Matt Giovanisci — Fri, 05 Dec 2025 08:00:00 -0700

I think the title of this one speaks for itself.

The Art of Having Fun (While Making Art)

Matt Giovanisci — Thu, 04 Dec 2025 08:00:00 -0700

I read a book, and it gave me permission to do something I've always wanted to do.

My New Old Side Project

Matt Giovanisci — Wed, 03 Dec 2025 08:00:00 -0700

Can you guess what it is?

One Focused Task Per Day

Matt Giovanisci — Tue, 02 Dec 2025 08:00:00 -0700

The best advice I learned from my former boss.

Revisiting Slow Productivity

Matt Giovanisci — Mon, 01 Dec 2025 08:00:00 -0700

It's a book by Cal Newport.

Systems! 4

Matt Giovanisci — Sun, 30 Nov 2025 08:00:00 -0700

I'm learning very slowly that the entire business world runs on systems. And here's how I'm building them.

SEO Article Design

Matt Giovanisci — Sat, 29 Nov 2025 08:00:00 -0700

I tried to Google this, and nothing came up. Did I just invent something new?

How to Be Consistent

Matt Giovanisci — Fri, 28 Nov 2025 08:00:00 -0700

Listen to discover my three steps for achieving consistency.

Testimonials That Changed My Sales Process

Matt Giovanisci — Thu, 27 Nov 2025 08:00:00 -0700

Absolute game changer.

My Monthly Focus Tasks

Matt Giovanisci — Wed, 26 Nov 2025 08:00:00 -0700

I recorded this back in September. This is my focus for October.

Falling Downhill

Matt Giovanisci — Tue, 25 Nov 2025 08:00:00 -0700

This is not an episode about failure.

How to Avoid Discouragement

Matt Giovanisci — Mon, 24 Nov 2025 08:00:00 -0700

Remember who you are, where you come from, and what niche you operate in.

Becoming A Middleman of Quality

Matt Giovanisci — Sun, 23 Nov 2025 08:00:00 -0700

This is kind of my new job.

The Outsourcing Experiment

Matt Giovanisci — Sat, 22 Nov 2025 08:00:00 -0700

Should be called the team building experiment.

How I Plan to Fix My Business in 2026

Matt Giovanisci — Fri, 21 Nov 2025 08:00:00 -0700

Here are my four ideas...

Examples of Trying Hard

Matt Giovanisci — Thu, 20 Nov 2025 08:00:00 -0700

If you listened to the last episode about becoming a tryhard, this is the follow-up to that episode with examples.

How to Improve My Long and Short Videos

Matt Giovanisci — Wed, 19 Nov 2025 08:00:00 -0700

This is my main focus.

Becoming More of a "Try-Hard"

Matt Giovanisci — Tue, 18 Nov 2025 08:00:00 -0700

I might already be this, but how can I become even more of this?

Building a Source of Truth Using Wordpress

Matt Giovanisci — Mon, 17 Nov 2025 08:00:00 -0700

I finally landed on a tech platform that I'm familiar with.

Free Long-Form Video Content Vs. Course Content

Matt Giovanisci — Sun, 16 Nov 2025 08:00:00 -0700

A new perspective.

Improving Our Email Marketing Sales Funnels

Matt Giovanisci — Sat, 15 Nov 2025 08:00:00 -0700

A focus on sales pitches made us more in revenue in the first 14 days of a new subscriber.

What Makes a Better Video?

Matt Giovanisci — Fri, 14 Nov 2025 08:00:00 -0700

I could talk about this all day.

Sell With Class

Matt Giovanisci — Thu, 13 Nov 2025 08:00:00 -0700

Selling bums me out, so this is my way to combat that.

Everything’s Too Complicated

Matt Giovanisci — Wed, 12 Nov 2025 08:00:00 -0700

Do you agree? Take this description for instance. I could have made it short, but instead I decided to make it incredibly long. Why? Well, just to make it more complicated. Didn't have to be complicated, could have just been one sentence like I usually do, or no description whatsoever, but instead I'm going to write an absolute ton of show notes and a super long description for no other reason than to just prove the point that everything's too complicated, like the title of this podcast suggests.

My Master Plan For Early Retirement

Matt Giovanisci — Tue, 11 Nov 2025 08:00:00 -0700

Maybe retirement is the wrong word.

My Most Successful Accomplishments in 2025

Matt Giovanisci — Mon, 10 Nov 2025 08:00:00 -0700

Sure, why don't you brag about it?

My 2026 Keyword Research Process

Matt Giovanisci — Sun, 09 Nov 2025 08:00:00 -0700

A follow-up to yesterday's episode.

My 2026 SEO Strategy

Matt Giovanisci — Sat, 08 Nov 2025 08:00:00 -0700

A 50,000-foot overview.

I Failed At Attending a Conference

Matt Giovanisci — Fri, 07 Nov 2025 08:00:00 -0700

What I liked, what I didn't like, what I would do again in the future.

AI Vs Directories

Matt Giovanisci — Thu, 06 Nov 2025 08:00:00 -0700

Have you ever considered having a directory of pool maintenance companies on your website?

My 2026 Money Model

Matt Giovanisci — Wed, 05 Nov 2025 08:00:00 -0700

I skimmed Alex Hormozi’s new book. I was already implementing a lot of these tactics.

I Need An Outlet

Matt Giovanisci — Tue, 04 Nov 2025 08:00:00 -0700

Meaning, something else to do besides business stuff.

What Would Happen If I Focused Long-Form YouTube Videos Only?

Matt Giovanisci — Mon, 03 Nov 2025 08:00:00 -0700

H/T Matt D'avella

Social Media Marketing Long Game

Matt Giovanisci — Sun, 02 Nov 2025 08:00:00 -0700

Is making people aware of your brand, even if it is a funny meme, useful. One day their circumstances might change and then they need you and you are the one who pops to mind.

One thought regarding this is, I currently do not own a pool or hot tub and so I do not need of your content currently. However, in the future if this changes where is the first place I would be going, you! You have attracted a customer by providing me with content that is not aligned to anything I need right now, but now I know about you. Totally get your thoughts on making content that is only focus on your customer but sometimes going very top of funnel might play the long game?

BONUS: I Brewed a Beer on a Mountain For a Video

Matt Giovanisci — Sat, 01 Nov 2025 08:00:00 -0600

And it was freaking AWESOME!

How to Start A Side Project Without Turning It Into A Business

Matt Giovanisci — Fri, 31 Oct 2025 08:00:00 -0600

Hoppy Halloween! 🎃🍺

Does Social Media Marketing Work? (With Real Numbers)

Matt Giovanisci — Thu, 30 Oct 2025 08:00:00 -0600

Yes and no. But mostly no. At least for me.

The Off-Season Game Plan

Matt Giovanisci — Wed, 29 Oct 2025 08:00:00 -0600

I realized I already did this episode. Enjoy the repeat!

The Noob Effect

Matt Giovanisci — Tue, 28 Oct 2025 08:00:00 -0600

The quiet art of shutting the f**k up.

We Made Less Revenue (But More Profit) in 2025

Matt Giovanisci — Mon, 27 Oct 2025 08:00:00 -0600

So what happened? Find out by listening.

BONUS: I Made a Huge Mistake…

Matt Giovanisci — Sat, 25 Oct 2025 08:00:00 -0600

Email me: matt@moneylab.co

5 Ideas a Day

Matt Giovanisci — Fri, 24 Oct 2025 08:00:00 -0600

This is one of those ideas.

Business Improvements I Want To Make ASAP

Matt Giovanisci — Thu, 23 Oct 2025 08:00:00 -0600

(As soon as possible).

Quiet vs Hectic

Matt Giovanisci — Wed, 22 Oct 2025 08:00:00 -0600

Which do YOU prefer?

Tools I’ve Stopped Using This Year (And Why)

Matt Giovanisci — Tue, 21 Oct 2025 08:00:00 -0600

I think this topic is more interesting than it sounds.

Social Media Detox

Matt Giovanisci — Mon, 20 Oct 2025 08:00:00 -0600

The sound the body makes when it's still.

I’m Afraid to Enter The Next Era of My Business

Matt Giovanisci — Fri, 17 Oct 2025 08:00:00 -0600

Vulnerable title unlocked.

Brainstorming a Change Log

Matt Giovanisci — Thu, 16 Oct 2025 08:00:00 -0600

For the App.

My Plan For The Off-Season

Matt Giovanisci — Wed, 15 Oct 2025 08:00:00 -0600

Or what we call "Hot Tub Season."

Moving Book Fulfillment Out of My House

Matt Giovanisci — Tue, 14 Oct 2025 08:00:00 -0600

One of the biggest business moves I've ever made.

Crafting A Sales Funnel From Scratch Using Paid Ads

Matt Giovanisci — Mon, 13 Oct 2025 08:00:00 -0600

Not saying I'm going to do this, but it's a good idea.

The Right To Be Wrong

Matt Giovanisci — Fri, 10 Oct 2025 08:00:00 -0600

See what I did there?

Knowing When To Scale

Matt Giovanisci — Thu, 09 Oct 2025 08:00:00 -0600

And knowing when to fold'em.

My Favorite Strategies for Growing An Audience

Matt Giovanisci — Wed, 08 Oct 2025 08:00:00 -0600

You won't believe number 1!

How to Focus And AI-Proof a Side Hustle

Matt Giovanisci — Tue, 07 Oct 2025 08:00:00 -0600

Here's a question from a listener with very specific details. I help him focus his business.

Common Traps of Content Creation

Matt Giovanisci — Mon, 06 Oct 2025 08:00:00 -0600

Here are the things that I have experienced personally.

My Problem With Shipping Products

Matt Giovanisci — Fri, 03 Oct 2025 08:00:00 -0600

Makes it hard to focus on growth.

The Podcasting Flywheel

Matt Giovanisci — Thu, 02 Oct 2025 08:00:00 -0600

Here's how I would start a self-growing podcast.

My 2026 Email Marketing Strategy

Matt Giovanisci — Wed, 01 Oct 2025 08:00:00 -0600

I learned this in 2025.

My Favorite Ways To Use AI

Matt Giovanisci — Tue, 30 Sep 2025 08:00:00 -0600

I think there are about six different ways.

Redirecting Ambition

Matt Giovanisci — Mon, 29 Sep 2025 08:00:00 -0600

A podcast by Matt Giovanisci.

What’s Your Market Cap? (3 Questions)

Matt Giovanisci — Fri, 26 Sep 2025 08:00:00 -0600

Let's find out.

TEO: How I Optimize For Trust Building

Matt Giovanisci — Thu, 25 Sep 2025 08:00:00 -0600

I hope this catches on.

Learn By Immersion

Matt Giovanisci — Wed, 24 Sep 2025 08:00:00 -0600

Everything I've ever learned and got good at was because of how much I immersed myself in the culture, the topic, and the skill set.

My Vacation Was Canceled

Matt Giovanisci — Tue, 23 Sep 2025 08:00:00 -0600

Boo!

How I Sold 2,500 Books in 90 Days

Matt Giovanisci — Mon, 22 Sep 2025 08:00:00 -0600

True story.

Thinking Slowly

Matt Giovanisci — Fri, 19 Sep 2025 08:00:00 -0600

Typing quickly.

Why I Stopped Spending Money

Matt Giovanisci — Thu, 18 Sep 2025 08:00:00 -0600

Kinda...

The Plan To Clone My Brain

Matt Giovanisci — Wed, 17 Sep 2025 08:00:00 -0600

After I started coding again, this got clearer to me.

My Process For Designing Thumbnails

Matt Giovanisci — Tue, 16 Sep 2025 08:00:00 -0600

This is a fun topic. I'm not being sarcastic.

Why I Started Coding Again

Matt Giovanisci — Mon, 15 Sep 2025 08:00:00 -0600

Wouldn't you like to know?

Guided Consistency Is All That Matters

Matt Giovanisci — Fri, 12 Sep 2025 08:00:00 -0600

Took me 20 years to figure this out

The Content Blitz Failure

Matt Giovanisci — Thu, 11 Sep 2025 08:00:00 -0600

This experiment did ok. It wasn't the best, but it wasn't the worst either.

My Influencer Relationships

Matt Giovanisci — Wed, 10 Sep 2025 08:00:00 -0600

Here's how I reach out to influencers, develop a relationship, and get content for my business.

How NOT To Scale Your Business (And Still Be Somewhat Successful)

Matt Giovanisci — Tue, 09 Sep 2025 08:00:00 -0600

I feel like I'm pretty good at this one.

Simplify 2

Matt Giovanisci — Mon, 08 Sep 2025 08:00:00 -0600

Electric Boogaloo

SPECIAL: I’m Attending My First Blogging Conference Since 2017

Matt Giovanisci — Sat, 06 Sep 2025 08:00:00 -0600

Let me know if you're attending too.

Being Organized Is Underrated

Matt Giovanisci — Fri, 05 Sep 2025 08:00:00 -0600

I believe this is my superpower for running an online business.

I Deleted Bad Content and Here’s Why…

Matt Giovanisci — Thu, 04 Sep 2025 08:00:00 -0600

I've made a huge mistake.

We Crossed 300,000 YouTube Subscribers (What I've Learned)

Matt Giovanisci — Wed, 03 Sep 2025 08:00:00 -0600

My findings might surprise you, or it might not. I don't really know.

My Reoccurring Business Nightmare

Matt Giovanisci — Tue, 02 Sep 2025 08:00:00 -0600

Does this happen to anyone else?

Channeling Energy Into The ONE Thing

Matt Giovanisci — Mon, 01 Sep 2025 08:00:00 -0600

Easier said than done.

Choosing Long Term Freedom Over Everything Else

Matt Giovanisci — Fri, 29 Aug 2025 08:00:00 -0600

Makes it easier to make difficult decisions.

What My Work Week Looks Like

Matt Giovanisci — Thu, 28 Aug 2025 08:00:00 -0600

A day in the life...

The Discipline of Daily Focus

Matt Giovanisci — Wed, 27 Aug 2025 08:00:00 -0600

It's hard. But you gotta do it.

Getting Scroll-Stopping Shots

Matt Giovanisci — Tue, 26 Aug 2025 08:00:00 -0600

This worked surprisingly well in Claude, FYI.

Ideas Are Underrated

Matt Giovanisci — Mon, 25 Aug 2025 08:00:00 -0600

Did I just contradict myself?

Developing Soft Skills With AI

Matt Giovanisci — Fri, 22 Aug 2025 08:00:00 -0600

With hard results!

What Is A Lifestyle Business Anyway?

Matt Giovanisci — Thu, 21 Aug 2025 08:00:00 -0600

Thanks, Susan.

A Profit First Reminder

Matt Giovanisci — Wed, 20 Aug 2025 08:00:00 -0600

I needed this.

SEO Is Dead (Says Pat Flynn)

Matt Giovanisci — Tue, 19 Aug 2025 08:00:00 -0600

Does that make it official?

Brainstorming Social Media For Content Blitz

Matt Giovanisci — Mon, 18 Aug 2025 08:00:00 -0600

You'll be fine.

Systems! 3

Matt Giovanisci — Fri, 15 Aug 2025 14:00:00 -0600

Check!

A Terrible Automation Mistake

Matt Giovanisci — Thu, 14 Aug 2025 08:00:00 -0600

H/T Justin Welsh

What’s Wrong With Using AI for Art?

Matt Giovanisci — Wed, 13 Aug 2025 08:00:00 -0600

Van Gogh, can you hear me?

Greasing The Wheels of My Video Editing Process

Matt Giovanisci — Tue, 12 Aug 2025 08:00:00 -0600

Who writes these?!

Short Videos Are The NEW Long-Tail SEO Play

Matt Giovanisci — Mon, 11 Aug 2025 08:00:00 -0600

Fight me!

Mastering My ONE Thing

Matt Giovanisci — Fri, 08 Aug 2025 08:00:00 -0600

You have a dirty mind.

3 Simple Rules to Make Social NOT Suck

Matt Giovanisci — Thu, 07 Aug 2025 08:00:00 -0600

The 4th rule is not to talk about these rules.

Doing Less But More Effective

Matt Giovanisci — Wed, 06 Aug 2025 08:00:00 -0600

Like this description.

The July Content Blitz

Matt Giovanisci — Tue, 05 Aug 2025 08:00:00 -0600

My latest experiment.

The Problem With Posting Low Effort Content

Matt Giovanisci — Mon, 04 Aug 2025 08:00:00 -0600

Let's find out together.

Why I Stopped Running Facebook Ads

Matt Giovanisci — Fri, 01 Aug 2025 08:00:00 -0600

Because it costs too much for my current business model.

10 Questions About Running An Education Business

Matt Giovanisci — Thu, 31 Jul 2025 08:00:00 -0600

AI wrote this episode.

4-Hour Time Blocking For Content

Matt Giovanisci — Wed, 30 Jul 2025 08:00:00 -0600

I learned this from The One Thing.

Less Ideas, More Execution

Matt Giovanisci — Tue, 29 Jul 2025 08:00:00 -0600

Jay Clouse reminded me of this.

Human Product Improvements

Matt Giovanisci — Mon, 28 Jul 2025 08:00:00 -0600

For Susan

Posting Q&A Content On TikTok Looks Promising

Matt Giovanisci — Fri, 25 Jul 2025 08:00:00 -0600

It's working.

Chat Support to Improve The Sales Pages

Matt Giovanisci — Thu, 24 Jul 2025 08:00:00 -0600

Let's see where people are having hold-ups.

The New Game of SEO

Matt Giovanisci — Wed, 23 Jul 2025 08:00:00 -0600

A huge shift.

I’m Trying To Develop a Thicker Skin

Matt Giovanisci — Tue, 22 Jul 2025 08:00:00 -0600

It's not working.

Side Hustles Within The Business

Matt Giovanisci — Mon, 21 Jul 2025 08:00:00 -0600

I love this idea.

My Sales Optimization Series Part 4

Matt Giovanisci — Fri, 18 Jul 2025 08:00:00 -0600

The Finale

Focus 9

Matt Giovanisci — Thu, 17 Jul 2025 08:00:00 -0600

This is important to hear.

Free Hat Video Testimonial Brainstorm

Matt Giovanisci — Wed, 16 Jul 2025 08:00:00 -0600

Will this work?

My Sales Optimization Series Part 3

Matt Giovanisci — Tue, 15 Jul 2025 08:00:00 -0600

The story continues

Ways To Talk About Your Product to Get More Sales

Matt Giovanisci — Mon, 14 Jul 2025 08:00:00 -0600

Let's make more money!

My Script Writing Process For Reels

Matt Giovanisci — Fri, 11 Jul 2025 08:00:00 -0600

Title says it all.

How I Plan a Month of Emails in 30 Minutes

Matt Giovanisci — Thu, 10 Jul 2025 08:00:00 -0600

Here's my process...

What Drove Our 13% Revenue Increase? (Surprising Findings)

Matt Giovanisci — Wed, 09 Jul 2025 08:00:00 -0600

This is a good one.

Human First, AI Powered

Matt Giovanisci — Tue, 08 Jul 2025 08:00:00 -0600

Something to think about.

Doubling Down on Human-First Customer Service

Matt Giovanisci — Mon, 07 Jul 2025 08:00:00 -0600

Easier said than done. But worth it.

Building A Source of Truth

Matt Giovanisci — Fri, 04 Jul 2025 08:00:00 -0600

On WordPress.

I Need Some Space

Matt Giovanisci — Thu, 03 Jul 2025 08:00:00 -0600

Similar to burnout.

My Sales Optimization Series Part 2

Matt Giovanisci — Wed, 02 Jul 2025 08:00:00 -0600

Getting even more serious about this.

Are Books The Future Now?

Matt Giovanisci — Tue, 01 Jul 2025 08:00:00 -0600

Kinda...

Things I’m Thinking About: Email, Scale, And SEO

Matt Giovanisci — Mon, 30 Jun 2025 08:00:00 -0600

Email Me: matt@moneylab.co

My Sales Optimization Series

Matt Giovanisci — Fri, 27 Jun 2025 08:00:00 -0600

Time to get serious.

Purging My Should-Do List

Matt Giovanisci — Thu, 26 Jun 2025 08:00:00 -0600

Did I just make that up?

How I Cloned My Brain

Matt Giovanisci — Wed, 25 Jun 2025 08:00:00 -0600

Building a knowledge base.

Is My Product Overpriced?

Matt Giovanisci — Tue, 24 Jun 2025 08:00:00 -0600

Yes. Here's why...

Is This The End of Online Courses?

Matt Giovanisci — Mon, 23 Jun 2025 08:00:00 -0600

No, but it's changing and it's harder.

How I Balance Strategy vs. Tactics Across Platforms

Matt Giovanisci — Fri, 20 Jun 2025 08:00:00 -0600

Just listen.

How We Achieved Complete Flow State in Our Business

Matt Giovanisci — Thu, 19 Jun 2025 08:00:00 -0600

Building processes and making life easier.

All Social Media Content Sucks

Matt Giovanisci — Wed, 18 Jun 2025 08:00:00 -0600

A rant.

My Traffic Tanked! Can I Recover?

Matt Giovanisci — Tue, 17 Jun 2025 08:00:00 -0600

Maybe? But not all the way.

What's The Difference Between Iteration and Repetition?

Matt Giovanisci — Mon, 16 Jun 2025 08:00:00 -0600

Consistent vs consistently better.

Why I Believe Email Marketing Might Die a Slow Death

Matt Giovanisci — Fri, 13 Jun 2025 08:00:00 -0600

A doom and gloom episode published on the perfect date.

Focus 8

Matt Giovanisci — Thu, 12 Jun 2025 08:00:00 -0600

Gotta keep reminding myself.

How I'm Rethinking Email Marketing in 2025

Matt Giovanisci — Wed, 11 Jun 2025 08:00:00 -0600

Trying to increase CTR and open rate only.

What I Wish I Knew Before Creating My Products

Matt Giovanisci — Tue, 10 Jun 2025 08:00:00 -0600

No spoilers in the description.

How I Plan to Scale With Compounding Products

Matt Giovanisci — Mon, 09 Jun 2025 08:00:00 -0600

Think recurring income.

I Almost Burned Out

Matt Giovanisci — Fri, 06 Jun 2025 08:00:00 -0600

Whatever that means.

What I Learned After Launching My App (Marketing Edition)

Matt Giovanisci — Thu, 05 Jun 2025 08:00:00 -0600

This is the future of my business for sure.

The Future of Online Education Businesses

Matt Giovanisci — Wed, 04 Jun 2025 08:00:00 -0600

How I'm thinking about my business in 2025 and beyond.

Stop Asking $3 Questions

Matt Giovanisci — Tue, 03 Jun 2025 08:00:00 -0600

I got this idea from Ramit Sethi.

Is My Website Over-Monetized?

Matt Giovanisci — Mon, 02 Jun 2025 08:00:00 -0600

Yes.

Focus 7

Matt Giovanisci — Fri, 30 May 2025 08:00:00 -0600

Note to self.

Using AI to Scale Content (2 Methods)

Matt Giovanisci — Thu, 29 May 2025 12:00:00 -0600

Writing scripts and answering questions.

My Most Productive Day Ever

Matt Giovanisci — Wed, 28 May 2025 08:00:00 -0600

Let me tell you about it.

Setting Up A 3-Tier Pricing Structure

Matt Giovanisci — Tue, 27 May 2025 08:00:00 -0600

It's working!

Using Customer Service To Increase Revenue

Matt Giovanisci — Mon, 26 May 2025 08:00:00 -0600

This is a no-brainer.

The Helpful AF Business Strategy

Matt Giovanisci — Fri, 23 May 2025 08:00:00 -0600

It's simple, but effective.

The ONE Thing to Make Sales Easier

Matt Giovanisci — Thu, 22 May 2025 08:00:00 -0600

It's marketing.

Good Decisions With Bad Outcomes

Matt Giovanisci — Wed, 21 May 2025 08:00:00 -0600

I got this idea from Seth Godin.

Let’s Drink and Talk About Vacation

Matt Giovanisci — Tue, 20 May 2025 08:00:00 -0600

Okay?

The Hook is All That Matters

Matt Giovanisci — Mon, 19 May 2025 08:00:00 -0600

And Smee too.

How I Treat AI Like An Employee

Matt Giovanisci — Fri, 16 May 2025 08:00:00 -0600

And he keeps making popcorn during his lunch break and stinks up the whole building!

Q&A: Paid Newsletters, E-Commerce SEO, and Social Media Comments

Matt Giovanisci — Thu, 15 May 2025 08:00:00 -0600

Answering 3 questions in 1 episode. This has never been done before.

Does The Work Ever End?

Matt Giovanisci — Wed, 14 May 2025 08:00:00 -0600

No. And that's the point.

I'm Tired

Matt Giovanisci — Tue, 13 May 2025 08:00:00 -0600

...

A Pep Talk For Creators

Matt Giovanisci — Mon, 12 May 2025 08:00:00 -0600

Ra ra sis boom bah!

How Many CTAs Does it Take To Make The Sale?

Matt Giovanisci — Fri, 09 May 2025 08:00:00 -0600

Is it a problem to promote multiple CTAs? Or should there just be one CTA?

Make The Internet A Better Place

Matt Giovanisci — Thu, 08 May 2025 08:00:00 -0600

There are two routes we can go down. I can't tell you which to pick. That's your decision.

Focus 6

Matt Giovanisci — Wed, 07 May 2025 08:00:00 -0600

A reminder.

The Problem and Opportunity of Running a Seasonal Business

Matt Giovanisci — Tue, 06 May 2025 08:00:00 -0600

You can go all in on your business, but the business only succeeds for 6 months. What do you do with the rest?

The Principles of Slow Productivity By Cal Newport

Matt Giovanisci — Mon, 05 May 2025 08:00:00 -0600

Do fewer things, work at a natural pace, and have an obsession with quality.

Building a YouTube Studio in a Small Space

Matt Giovanisci — Fri, 02 May 2025 08:00:00 -0600

Advice on how to create a video studio in the smallest of spaces.

How I Use Shopify to Sell Online Video Courses

Matt Giovanisci — Thu, 01 May 2025 08:00:00 -0600

The title says it all.

Is Split Testing Worth It?

Matt Giovanisci — Wed, 30 Apr 2025 08:00:00 -0600

Listen and find out.

Wordpress vs. Shopify

Matt Giovanisci — Tue, 29 Apr 2025 08:00:00 -0600

And why I use both to run my business.

Would Making Slop Content Hurt My Reach?

Matt Giovanisci — Mon, 28 Apr 2025 08:00:00 -0600

No. Here's how...

Switching Focus From Courses to Books

Matt Giovanisci — Fri, 25 Apr 2025 08:00:00 -0600

Why I'm pivoting a bit.

The Fundamentals of Finance

Matt Giovanisci — Thu, 24 Apr 2025 08:00:00 -0600

Let's talk about managing money as a small business.

Raw Dogging

Matt Giovanisci — Wed, 23 Apr 2025 08:19:00 -0600

What?

Creative Ways to Increase Recurring Revenue Without Subscriptions

Matt Giovanisci — Tue, 22 Apr 2025 08:00:00 -0600

We're toying with the idea of getting back into sponsorships to monetize our free content on the backend. Been thinking more about creative ways to increase recurring revenue without subscriptions.

Random Business Thoughts During Q1 2025

Matt Giovanisci — Mon, 21 Apr 2025 08:00:00 -0600

6 ideas, questions, and thoughts to ponder this month.

Where Is My Audience?

Matt Giovanisci — Fri, 18 Apr 2025 08:00:00 -0600

Here's a question: How do I create meaningful content that serves my purpose when all I have is three minutes of video, tops?

Take Your Time And Do It Right

Matt Giovanisci — Thu, 17 Apr 2025 08:00:00 -0600

My new mantra.

First Quarter Business Update 2025

Matt Giovanisci — Wed, 16 Apr 2025 08:00:00 -0600

Here's what's been going on in my business.

The Simplest Business Plan Is The Hardest to Accomplish

Matt Giovanisci — Tue, 15 Apr 2025 08:00:00 -0600

Let's get down to brass tacks.

Macro Vs Micro Work

Matt Giovanisci — Mon, 14 Apr 2025 08:00:00 -0600

This is a new business framework I'm developing.

Creating a Mental Time Budget

Matt Giovanisci — Fri, 11 Apr 2025 08:00:00 -0600

This is an episode about slowing down and being more kind to the time you have to focus on the things that matter in your business.

Designing A Book in Adobe InDesign

Matt Giovanisci — Thu, 10 Apr 2025 08:00:00 -0600

I'm designing The Hot Tub Handbook (a physical full-color paperback book) in March 2025. This is my process.

How to Maintain 70%+ Email Open Rates

Matt Giovanisci — Wed, 09 Apr 2025 08:00:00 -0600

A breakdown on how I am able to accomplish this.

Focus 5

Matt Giovanisci — Tue, 08 Apr 2025 08:00:00 -0600

By now, you should know what this episode is about. Check out the rest of the series.

Short vs Long-Term Thinking: What Kills Growth and Causes Stagnation

Matt Giovanisci — Mon, 07 Apr 2025 08:00:00 -0600

Everything thinks one way. We need to think the other way.

Making Money Made Easy

Matt Giovanisci — Fri, 04 Apr 2025 08:00:00 -0600

Just be open. You can’t make money if you’re not open. You can’t make money if you make it hard for people to give it to you. Don’t just be open; look open. Showcase your offers. Tell people you exist.

Why Metrics Don’t Matter Anymore

Matt Giovanisci — Thu, 03 Apr 2025 08:00:00 -0600

It's all about THIS instead...

Why Start A Second Business?

Matt Giovanisci — Wed, 02 Apr 2025 08:00:00 -0600

Yea, why?!

Building The Ideal Video Studio

Matt Giovanisci — Tue, 01 Apr 2025 08:00:00 -0600

This is the second update to my video studio. Here's everything I did to improve it.

Everything Is Falling Apart

Matt Giovanisci — Mon, 31 Mar 2025 08:00:00 -0600

Authority Hackers shut down their course. Brew Tubers stopped publishing. Nobody is sure of anything. TikTok? Picking the right thing to focus on. The rise of AI and the fall of Google. What’s next?

It’s Never Been Easier to Succeed Because Everyone Sucks

Matt Giovanisci — Fri, 28 Mar 2025 08:00:00 -0600

When I scroll through social media, all I see is bad content. This tells me it's easy to succeed if you analyze what NOT to do.

Brainstorming Helpful Content Ideas

Matt Giovanisci — Thu, 27 Mar 2025 08:00:00 -0600

I think the title speaks for itself here.

Traffic Down, Revenue...Up?

Matt Giovanisci — Wed, 26 Mar 2025 08:00:00 -0600

This is the case of traffic vs influence. You don't need direct traffic to grow your business. You need to influence. We live in a zero-click internet world. Why worry about traffic when you could keep it for yourself, which is what all these platforms are doing? So what does this mean?

This Podcast Is Failing to Grow (And That's Fine)

Matt Giovanisci — Tue, 25 Mar 2025 08:00:00 -0600

Is it, though? We started 2025 with an average of 150 subscribers, and we're down to 125 now. What does this mean for the future of this show?

My Social Media Experiment Update

Matt Giovanisci — Mon, 24 Mar 2025 08:00:00 -0600

I've been posting daily content across all social media platforms and here's how it performed.

Should I Create "Slop" Content?

Matt Giovanisci — Fri, 21 Mar 2025 08:00:00 -0600

These are popular in the commentary and YouTube drama spaces. It's basically a secondary channel for live, casual, and unscripted content that is mainly used for keeping an existing audience engaged as opposed to getting new eyeballs into your ecosystem.

I Officially Stopped Selling White Labeled Products

Matt Giovanisci — Thu, 20 Mar 2025 08:00:00 -0600

Yup. Here's what happened and what I would have done differently.

How to Write Copy When You Suck At It (A Complete Guide)

Matt Giovanisci — Wed, 19 Mar 2025 08:00:00 -0600

This is for someone competent in their domain but has no experience in marketing or selling. Here's the advice I would give them on copywriting.

I Created 301 Reels and Here’s What I Learned

Matt Giovanisci — Tue, 18 Mar 2025 08:00:00 -0600

Let's discuss the time investment vs. return analysis, starting small, templates, and what I would do differently going forward.

Promote In Public, Sell In Secret

Matt Giovanisci — Mon, 17 Mar 2025 08:00:00 -0600

I hope the title speaks for itself. But if not, it's about selling via email.

My SOP for Selling Self-Published Books

Matt Giovanisci — Fri, 14 Mar 2025 08:00:00 -0600

Here's my standard operating procedure for handling lost shipments, damaged books, customer refunds, and compensation options (full refunds, replacements, digital copies, etc.).

How Staying Top Of Mind is Growing My Business (And Life)

Matt Giovanisci — Thu, 13 Mar 2025 08:00:00 -0600

This is my new marketing strategy. It's dead simple. But it's hard to pull off. Here's my process...

The Importance of Originality and Developing Taste

Matt Giovanisci — Wed, 12 Mar 2025 08:00:00 -0600

Is true originality possible? How can content stand out in crowded markets? How do we develop unique approaches rather than copying others? When is pursuing originality worth the investment?

How I Publish More Content

Matt Giovanisci — Tue, 11 Mar 2025 08:00:00 -0600

"Publishing should be about the benefit it provides for the consumer (not the benefit it provides for you). If you have that mindset, you're much more likely to create something that succeeds because you're creating from a place of service." - Jay Clouse

Should I Create AI-Generated Software?

Matt Giovanisci — Mon, 10 Mar 2025 08:00:00 -0600

My thoughts on courses teaching you how to Build Your Own Software with AI. Is this a scam specifically? And, are these types of products a scam in general?

My Daily Promotional Tasks

Matt Giovanisci — Fri, 07 Mar 2025 08:00:00 -0700

I talk about 4 things I do every weekday to promote my products to make sales.

NO MORE DISCOUNTING!

Matt Giovanisci — Thu, 06 Mar 2025 08:00:00 -0700

I decided to stop discounting all my products as a marketing tactic. Here's what I'm doing instead...

How I Monetize My Newsletter

Matt Giovanisci — Wed, 05 Mar 2025 08:00:00 -0700

I dive into my strategies for turning my newsletter into a revenue stream, sharing hard-earned insights on creating value without compromising the trust of my audience.

Sharing Business Thoughts From My Private Journal

Matt Giovanisci — Tue, 04 Mar 2025 08:00:00 -0700

Here is a list of ideas from my notes app to improve parts of my business.

Crafting A Designed Email In 11 Minutes

Matt Giovanisci — Mon, 03 Mar 2025 08:00:00 -0700

I built a system that lets me create a designed email fast. Let me walk you through it...

Systems! 2

Matt Giovanisci — Fri, 28 Feb 2025 08:00:00 -0700

The importance of building systems for scaling your business.

How to Get Out of Your Own Way

Matt Giovanisci — Thu, 27 Feb 2025 08:00:00 -0700

Stop overthinking. Start making MORE content. Here's my strategy...

Brainstorming Better Social Media Posts

Matt Giovanisci — Wed, 26 Feb 2025 08:00:00 -0700

I know I can come up with some good ideas on how to reach my audience without looking like a bunch of ads.

Developing a Facebook Posting Schedule

Matt Giovanisci — Tue, 25 Feb 2025 08:00:00 -0700

Let's brainstorm a schedule for creating more unique posts on Facebook to increase brand awareness.

How to NOT Tank Your Business

Matt Giovanisci — Mon, 24 Feb 2025 08:00:00 -0700

One of my favorite local businesses closed down abruptly and I want to discuss why and how to avoid this in my own business.

The Long Game of Brand Building (with MVS)

Matt Giovanisci — Fri, 21 Feb 2025 08:00:00 -0700

Discussing the strategic approach to building a lasting brand in a niche market, using Swim University's 18-year journey as a case study.

My 6 Principles of Website Design

Matt Giovanisci — Thu, 20 Feb 2025 08:00:00 -0700

Here are my key rules/principles in web design...

Color Choices
Color Hierarchy
Font Choices (Family and Size)
Mobile-First
Navigation Simplicity
Make It About THEM— Not you.

Designing My Home to Sell and Ship Books

Matt Giovanisci — Wed, 19 Feb 2025 08:00:00 -0700

I turned an empty room in my home into a shipping bay for my book business.

Try This Before Making Your Next Piece of Content

Matt Giovanisci — Tue, 18 Feb 2025 08:00:00 -0700

Pre-production is more important than post production.

Write a script (even if you don’t say it verbatim).
Make it shorter.
Make it so a 4th grader can understand.
Test for resonance.
Listen to the repeatable asks from your audience (or your competitors).

Editing and post-production can give you a slight edge. But you can make a crappy visual go viral if the content is gold.

Starting a YouTube Channel From Scratch as a Beginner

Matt Giovanisci — Mon, 17 Feb 2025 08:00:00 -0700

What would I do if I were starting from zero as a YouTuber in 2025? No equipment experience, making thumbnails, camera experience, knowledge of editing videos, and so on. What software and pieces of equipment would I stick to so the production quality isn’t poor, and how would I eventually monetize things?

The Only 5 Emails You Need for a Successful Sale

Matt Giovanisci — Fri, 14 Feb 2025 08:00:00 -0700

A deep dive into my proven email sequence for sales campaigns and why each message serves a specific purpose.

Teaser email (optional): Sent in advance of the sale, a teaser email can generate excitement and anticipation with a sneak peek into upcoming discounts, products, or exclusive offers.
Announcement email: Sent on the day the sale begins. The goal is to get people to start buying ASAP.
Testimonial/FAQ email: This email is meant to answer any customer objections and provide social proof.
Reminder email: A reminder email letting people know that the sale is almost over. Remember to include details such as the sale duration, highlighted products, and unique value. Include a prominent call to action with a direct link to the sale landing page.
Closing email: Toward the end of the sale, a closing email serves as a final opportunity to drive urgency. Messaging should emphasize that it’s the last chance to take advantage of the sale. Include a strong call-to-action and a link to the sale page.

How I Could Have Scaled Revenue Faster

Matt Giovanisci — Thu, 13 Feb 2025 08:00:00 -0700

Given what you know now that you didn't when you started, do you think you could have grown Swim University's revenue faster? If not, why? If so, how?

The $10,000 Marketing Mistake I Never Talk About

Matt Giovanisci — Wed, 12 Feb 2025 08:00:00 -0700

A candid look at a major marketing initiative that failed and the expensive lessons learned.

Facebook advertising with zero tracking
Paying for backlink service
Hiring too many writers and it not paying off

Thoughts on Selling Products to Businesses (B2B)

Matt Giovanisci — Tue, 11 Feb 2025 08:00:00 -0700

Have you thought about that for your own company? Do you just consider a percentage for every person who’s trained? or one price to train 100 people for instance?

How I Slowed Down After Taking a Break

Matt Giovanisci — Mon, 10 Feb 2025 08:00:00 -0700

I took a massive break at the end of 2024. And here's what I learned from that mental recharge.

Everything You Wanted to Know About Selling a Course

Matt Giovanisci — Fri, 07 Feb 2025 08:00:00 -0700

I don't think you ever talk about actually what's in your course, and how do you decide what's good about it and what's not, or what needs to be updated. Why a course and not a membership or community (or why not that in addition)? What software do you use? Do you feel it's important for people to finish the course - meaning are there incentives and gamification to finish? Can participants get something like an amazon/starbucks gift certificate or something for referring friends to purchase the course? Have you also tried youtube ads to promote the course? What metrics do you use to decide whether course sales are good or not, or the course meets your standards or not?

Share This Episode With 1 Friend

Matt Giovanisci — Thu, 06 Feb 2025 08:00:00 -0700

An episode introducing new people to the podcast.

How to Improve My Online Business

Matt Giovanisci — Wed, 05 Feb 2025 08:00:00 -0700

Raise prices
Do less, but more on the things that work
Focus on improving existing structures- do not invent new ones
Niche down

The Art of Selective Scaling

Matt Giovanisci — Tue, 04 Feb 2025 08:00:00 -0700

Exploring when to deliberately keep your business small versus when to expand, based on Matt's experience growing Swim University with just a 3-person team.

8 Cheap Hacks That Might Help Social Media Growth

Matt Giovanisci — Mon, 03 Feb 2025 08:00:00 -0700

New B-roll: a steady stream of new b-roll will keep our content looking fresh and provide us more opportunities for visual hooks.
Running Ads: running low budget ads to our lead magnets and products will help our reach to new people.
Train The Algorithm: like and save pool content every day to train the accounts and find new visual inspiration.
Trending audio.
Add longer captions.
Use 3 hashtags.
Improve Bio
Play around with adding the title in the first 5 seconds on screen. But make sure it's clear to read.

Preparation is Underrated

Matt Giovanisci — Fri, 31 Jan 2025 08:00:00 -0700

Being prepared is underrated. I want to practice preparation in all my work.

Research
Plan
Execute

10 Ways to Make SEO Articles Better

Matt Giovanisci — Thu, 30 Jan 2025 08:00:00 -0700

How to Make SEO Articles Better

Answer the question in the first paragraph, even if it’s just a quick summary.
Be direct with the headlines
The Smart Way to Kill Algae In Your Pool Quickly -> The Fastest Way to Kill Pool Algae
Video should be near the top after the intro. I believe most people rather watch than read. Under the video we can include a Lasso box to one of our products.
Edit so it reads at a 3rd grade reading level
Create custom graphics for each post and make it feel like it’s part of the flow. Text should be limited so it can be read on a mobile device.
Create new featured image
FAQs are good if they do not make sense to include within the content.
Do not include complex charts. They cannot be read on a mobile device. Instead, replace these with a custom lead generation box to download the cheat sheet which will include charts.
Add built-in calculators where it’s appropriate
Before making any improvements, collect questions using crazy egg for about a month or so. This will probably only work on popular articles or if we pay for traffic just to learn.

Analyzing An SEO Article For Improvements

Matt Giovanisci — Wed, 29 Jan 2025 08:00:00 -0700

I took a prioritized article to improve and came up with a bunch of ways it could be done to gain SEO traction.

What SEO Articles Should I Work On Next?

Matt Giovanisci — Tue, 28 Jan 2025 08:00:00 -0700

I came up with a way to prioritize what articles need SEO the most.

Sustainable Growth Through Systems

Matt Giovanisci — Mon, 27 Jan 2025 08:00:00 -0700

How to build business systems that allow for steady growth without requiring constant personal involvement or oversight.

The One-Hour Content System

Matt Giovanisci — Fri, 24 Jan 2025 08:00:00 -0700

The One-Hour Content System - Breaking down my streamlined process for creating high-quality content in just 60 minutes.

Train an AI to generate content ideas
Tell the AI to flesh out my favorite ideas
Add those ideas to Asana and schedule them to be recorded
Hire someone to edit and publish your filmed content

How I Organize Photos and Videos For Social Media

Matt Giovanisci — Thu, 23 Jan 2025 08:00:00 -0700

I think this one is obvious, don't you?

The Fastest Way to Kill Your Business

Matt Giovanisci — Wed, 22 Jan 2025 08:00:00 -0700

I read this blog post and give my take: https://www.justinwelsh.me/newsletter/you-are-what-you-tolerate

How I Paid Off Credit Card Debt

Matt Giovanisci — Tue, 21 Jan 2025 08:00:00 -0700

I thought this episode might be a fun, off-topic idea to tackle. Let's see...

How I Launched My First Course

Matt Giovanisci — Mon, 20 Jan 2025 08:00:00 -0700

Could you tell us the story of how you launched your swimming pool course for the first time? How long did it take? Was it difficult or easy? How did you decide to promote the course at the very beginning? And what were the results? Any insights to share for someone launching a course for the first time?

How I Track Website Performance Metrics

Matt Giovanisci — Fri, 17 Jan 2025 08:00:00 -0700

What metrics do you track on your website? How do you set up your tracking? How has your tracking software changed over the years?

My Current Process for Creating High-Converting Product Pages

Matt Giovanisci — Thu, 16 Jan 2025 08:00:00 -0700

Breaking down my latest approach to designing and optimizing pages that sell digital products and books.

How to Design a Brand (Or a Home)

Matt Giovanisci — Wed, 15 Jan 2025 08:00:00 -0700

Bridging the gap between designing a brand and a home. Like, literally a home.

The Lifestyle Business Health Check

Matt Giovanisci — Tue, 14 Jan 2025 08:00:00 -0700

How I evaluate whether my business decisions are actually supporting the lifestyle I want to maintain.

My Zero-Based Email Marketing Reset

Matt Giovanisci — Mon, 13 Jan 2025 08:00:00 -0700

I gutted every email automation I had set up for something totally new...and simpler.

SEO-Based YouTube Growth Vs. Viral-Based Growth

Matt Giovanisci — Fri, 10 Jan 2025 08:00:00 -0700

A question about creating content around keywords or titles that want to be clicked.

Email CTA With Multiple Products

Matt Giovanisci — Thu, 09 Jan 2025 08:00:00 -0700

This question is all about the difference between creating a list of CTAs and creating ONE CTA per email. Let's discuss...

How To Define a Social Media Strategy

Matt Giovanisci — Wed, 08 Jan 2025 08:00:00 -0700

I wrote down a list of things based on my own experience using social media that I think would be good for my brand to start posting.

The Most Valuable Business Skills I've Developed Since 2006

Matt Giovanisci — Tue, 07 Jan 2025 08:00:00 -0700

Here's a breakdown of all my skills and how they've helped me build a sustainable lifestyle business since 2012.

I Published 217 Episodes Last Year and This is What I Learned...

Matt Giovanisci — Mon, 06 Jan 2025 08:00:00 -0700

The title speaks for itself, right?

Season Finale

Matt Giovanisci — Fri, 20 Dec 2024 08:00:00 -0700

The end...for now.

I Published 217 Episodes This Year, and This is What I Learned

Matt Giovanisci — Thu, 19 Dec 2024 08:00:00 -0700

The title says it all.

The Only 3 Email Sequences I Actually Need

Matt Giovanisci — Wed, 18 Dec 2024 08:00:00 -0700

Breaking down the essential email automations that drive 80% of my revenue and how I've optimized them over time.

Welcome Series
Post Purchase
Abandoned Cart

My New Technical SEO Priorities

Matt Giovanisci — Tue, 17 Dec 2024 08:00:00 -0700

Breaking down which technical SEO factors actually matter now and which traditional optimizations I'm no longer focusing on.

Headlines
H2s and H3s
Intro paragraph
Speed and core vitals
Meta descriptions
Less distracting popups

I Sold 400 Books Over The Weekend

Matt Giovanisci — Mon, 16 Dec 2024 08:00:00 -0700

A sequel.

Building and Launching a Mobile App (As a Content Creator)

Matt Giovanisci — Fri, 13 Dec 2024 08:00:00 -0700

Lessons learned from developing Swim University's pool water testing app.

How I Know Exactly What To Do To Grow My Business

Matt Giovanisci — Thu, 12 Dec 2024 08:00:00 -0700

My business framework

Free content (advertising)
Sales (my website)
Product development and improvement (makes the rest easier)

The most scalable and time-consuming is #1

I Sold 100 Books in a Single Day

Matt Giovanisci — Wed, 11 Dec 2024 08:00:00 -0700

An unexpected day of sales and how it happened.

Sometimes You Have To Do The Work

Matt Giovanisci — Tue, 10 Dec 2024 08:00:00 -0700

A pep talk to just sit down and bang out boring work.

7 Hard Truths About Business

Matt Giovanisci — Mon, 09 Dec 2024 08:00:00 -0700

Hard Truths About Business from Alex Hormozi and how I can put them into action…

Nobody knows you exist. Advertise more.
Be willing to repeat yourself. People need to be reminded more than they need to be taught.
The proof you get from happy customers is way more convincing than any marketing. So get testimonials and use them often.
Raising prices almost always makes you more money but you’ll hear a “no” more often and that’s okay.
Your business is never too big to spend time talking to your customers.
Before you try anything new, do ten times more of what already works.
Stagnation is stressful, growth is stressful, decline is stressful, business is stressful. You just have to learn to endure.

24 Hours After Gutting My Sales Funnel

Matt Giovanisci — Fri, 06 Dec 2024 08:00:00 -0700

A raw look at what depression feels like after a day of zero sales.

I Completely Redesigned My Website

Matt Giovanisci — Thu, 05 Dec 2024 08:00:00 -0700

Yea, it was a lot of work but I'm moving into my "Legacy Brand" stage.

Simplifying Multiple Revenue Streams

Matt Giovanisci — Wed, 04 Dec 2024 08:00:00 -0700

How I streamlined Swim University's income sources from advertising, affiliates, courses, books, and apps into a focused business model.

Overcoming Camera Shyness

Matt Giovanisci — Tue, 03 Dec 2024 08:00:00 -0700

Here's how I look natural on camera when I record videos for Swim University. One word: booze.

Overcoming Perfectionism

Matt Giovanisci — Mon, 02 Dec 2024 08:00:00 -0700

My cold, hard rant on publishing vs perfection.

Building My Brand On Instagram

Matt Giovanisci — Fri, 29 Nov 2024 08:00:00 -0700

Here's my Instagram strategy. Both current and future.

Solopreneur to Small Team

Matt Giovanisci — Thu, 28 Nov 2024 08:00:00 -0700

Here's the story of how I went from a one-man show to building a very small, but powerful team.

My Strategy For Trade Shows and Conferences

Matt Giovanisci — Wed, 27 Nov 2024 08:00:00 -0700

I don't go to many, but when I do, it has changed my life.

My Tech Stack Review Process 2024

Matt Giovanisci — Tue, 26 Nov 2024 08:00:00 -0700

My quarterly system for evaluating tools and subscriptions to prevent unnecessary software bloat and feature overlap.

Google Doesn’t Care About You

Matt Giovanisci — Mon, 25 Nov 2024 08:00:00 -0700

Google invited a bunch of niche site owners to a hotel and told them to move on. This is my take.

My YouTube Evolution: 0 to 275k Subscribers

Matt Giovanisci — Fri, 22 Nov 2024 08:00:00 -0700

Here's the entire story of how my team and I built our YouTube channel (BTW, this episode idea was generated by AI).

How I Stay Consistent with Systems

Matt Giovanisci — Thu, 21 Nov 2024 08:00:00 -0700

Creating systems in my business is really blowing my mind grapes. This is how I keep them running...

What I’m Working On For The Future

Matt Giovanisci — Wed, 20 Nov 2024 08:00:00 -0700

Here's how I plan to ride the renaissance of my online business.

Simplify

Matt Giovanisci — Tue, 19 Nov 2024 08:00:00 -0700

This is my new mantra for 2025. You'll be hearing this word a lot. This is what I mean by it...

10 Hard Truths About SEO

Matt Giovanisci — Mon, 18 Nov 2024 08:00:00 -0700

I found a Tweet from Cyrus SEO, and I wanted to comment on it.

Building Sales Funnels for Testing

Matt Giovanisci — Fri, 15 Nov 2024 08:00:00 -0700

I read an email from Olly Richards that really changed my sales funnel strategy.

Business Growth Vs Weight Loss

Matt Giovanisci — Thu, 14 Nov 2024 08:00:00 -0700

I've been on a weight loss journey this year and have lost over 25 pounds in 6 months. Here's how it relates to business...

Uncomplicated Email Marketing Automations

Matt Giovanisci — Wed, 13 Nov 2024 08:00:00 -0700

The Death of Display Advertising (Part 3)

Matt Giovanisci — Tue, 12 Nov 2024 08:00:00 -0700

This is an episode idea generated by the AI tool. And the last part of the mini series.

The Idea Generation Results (Part 2)

Matt Giovanisci — Mon, 11 Nov 2024 08:00:00 -0700

I created an AI tool to help me generate episode ideas for this show.

The History of My Online Business (Part 1)

Matt Giovanisci — Fri, 08 Nov 2024 08:00:00 -0700

This is the first part of a secret series I'm doing. The reveal is at the end.

Here's How I Improved My Social Media Output (with AI)

Matt Giovanisci — Thu, 07 Nov 2024 08:00:00 -0700

I caved and tried using another AI tool to help me write scripts. I was blown away...

How I Sell Books Independently (No Amazon)

Matt Giovanisci — Wed, 06 Nov 2024 08:00:00 -0700

The entire story of how I started selling my own self-published books for profit.

5 Sales Funnel Ideas You Can Try

Matt Giovanisci — Tue, 05 Nov 2024 08:00:00 -0700

I brainstormed (and researched) a few different digital product sales funnels worth testing out.

My Job Is Simply Doing This One Thing Over and Over

Matt Giovanisci — Mon, 04 Nov 2024 08:00:00 -0700

I'm the CEO (for now). And this is my one job. It turns out that it's more boring than I had hoped.

Redesigning My Sales Stack (Part 2)

Matt Giovanisci — Fri, 01 Nov 2024 08:00:00 -0600

I'm spending the next few months updating my entire sales process. This is the second part, which includes changes to my email marketing strategy.

Redesigning My Sales Stack (Part 1)

Matt Giovanisci — Thu, 31 Oct 2024 08:00:00 -0600

I'm spending the next few months updating my entire sales process. This is just the first part, which includes changes to my website.

The Center of My Business Needs to Move Here

Matt Giovanisci — Wed, 30 Oct 2024 08:00:00 -0600

Currently, the center of my business is my website. But that needs to change. No spoilers. Just listen.

Do I Need More Lead Magnets?

Matt Giovanisci — Tue, 29 Oct 2024 08:00:00 -0600

You asked. I researched. And came to this conclusion. Spoiler alert: the answer is yes.

How I Build a Library of Remixable Content

Matt Giovanisci — Mon, 28 Oct 2024 08:00:00 -0600

This is my secret weapon to creating an endless stream of video content super fast.

My Updated Business Plan for 2025

Matt Giovanisci — Fri, 25 Oct 2024 08:00:00 -0600

I've got big plans for changing my entire business to focus on the customer and not marketing. I'll explain...

What Happens to Podcasting Now?

Matt Giovanisci — Thu, 24 Oct 2024 08:00:00 -0600

What is Notebook LM? Should I be worried about it? What will happen to podcasts? Is AI going to take over my grandma? These questions are answered and more (or less).

Should I Make My Website Smaller?

Matt Giovanisci — Wed, 23 Oct 2024 08:00:00 -0600

If you're updating your website, should you remove a lot of your content? I know it feels like SEO is dead, but I have another take...

How I Would Improve SEO Content and High-Ticket Offers

Matt Giovanisci — Tue, 22 Oct 2024 08:00:00 -0600

This is my step-by-step framework for updating an SEO post in 2025. Plus, my future online education product plan.

My Take on Copywriting For Sales Pages

Matt Giovanisci — Mon, 21 Oct 2024 08:00:00 -0600

"Sold!" You'll get the reference if you listen.

A Course Selling Funnel Worth Trying

Matt Giovanisci — Fri, 18 Oct 2024 08:00:00 -0600

Hey, Susan! This one's for you. And also for me. Because it got me thinking a lot about how I can improve my own course sales process.

Short Term Thinking Almost Killed My Business

Matt Giovanisci — Thu, 17 Oct 2024 08:00:00 -0600

On the Money Lab podcast, Matt Giovanisci takes you behind the scenes of running a million-dollar online education business. Topics include SEO, email marketing, sales, digital product development, and the truth about being a lonely entrepreneur.

How AI Is Destroying My Creative Process

Matt Giovanisci — Wed, 16 Oct 2024 08:00:00 -0600

Can I curse in podcast episode descriptions? Because this episode could also be titled "F**k AI."

What I Learned Analyzing 167 Emails

Matt Giovanisci — Tue, 15 Oct 2024 08:00:00 -0600

If you're interested in email marketing (which I believe is the best way to make more profit in your business), then you should listen to this episode. I learned a lot!

A Year of Business Ideas in 40 Minutes

Matt Giovanisci — Mon, 14 Oct 2024 08:00:00 -0600

I opened up my brain dump document and read the whole thing in this episode (with explanations).

3 Ways to Film Better Content

Matt Giovanisci — Fri, 11 Oct 2024 08:00:00 -0600

I like building a massive library of b-roll footage I can use in my video content to make it scalable. But I need a better way. Here's what I came up with.

I Analyzed My Best Videos And Discovered This…

Matt Giovanisci — Thu, 10 Oct 2024 08:00:00 -0600

What a tease! You just have to listen. But only if you make video content.

Systems!

Matt Giovanisci — Wed, 09 Oct 2024 08:00:00 -0600

The Reason I Answer Every Comment and Email

Matt Giovanisci — Tue, 08 Oct 2024 08:00:00 -0600

This is true. I answer every email and comment. But why? I thought you were supposed to outsource that stuff?! Maybe, but here's the real reason I do this.

My BRUTE FORCE Content Creation Strategy

Matt Giovanisci — Mon, 07 Oct 2024 08:00:00 -0600

Before you have a system or framework, you just gotta battle your way through a process in order to make it effective later. This is how I create new types of content to eventually build a system from.

Let’s Talk About Pricing Products

Matt Giovanisci — Fri, 04 Oct 2024 08:00:00 -0600

You're probably underpricing your products. I assume this because I'm guilty of this, too. So, let's discuss how we can fix this problem.

Only Play Games You Know You Can Win

Matt Giovanisci — Thu, 03 Oct 2024 08:00:00 -0600

Focus 4

Matt Giovanisci — Wed, 02 Oct 2024 08:00:00 -0600

In this ongoing series, I share my thoughts on why FOCUS is the single most important business skill every entrepreneur needs to have.

Improving Social Media Marketing In The Off Season

Matt Giovanisci — Tue, 01 Oct 2024 08:00:00 -0600

My TikTok shop account was suspended. How did this happen? And what is my plan to fix my social media strategy going forward.

Ideas on Scaling Video Content

Matt Giovanisci — Mon, 30 Sep 2024 08:00:00 -0600

If I couldn't do YouTube anymore, what would I replace it? Here's exactly what I would do. And hint: it's not replacing it; it's scaling it.

Blogging Vs Video

Matt Giovanisci — Fri, 27 Sep 2024 08:00:00 -0600

My 2025 SEO Strategy [UPDATE]

Matt Giovanisci — Thu, 26 Sep 2024 08:00:00 -0600

Patience Vs Focus

Matt Giovanisci — Wed, 25 Sep 2024 08:00:00 -0600

Email List Cleanse and Wide Sales Funnels

Matt Giovanisci — Tue, 24 Sep 2024 08:00:00 -0600

Never Quit Never Quitting

Matt Giovanisci — Mon, 23 Sep 2024 08:00:00 -0600

How I Would Run a Content-Only Business

Matt Giovanisci — Fri, 20 Sep 2024 08:00:00 -0600

How To Make More Money With Email Marketing

Matt Giovanisci — Thu, 19 Sep 2024 08:00:00 -0600

The Future of SEO and Site Structure

Matt Giovanisci — Wed, 18 Sep 2024 08:00:00 -0600

Q&A: Health, Wealth, and SEO

Matt Giovanisci — Tue, 17 Sep 2024 08:00:00 -0600

How I Stay Confident In My Business

Matt Giovanisci — Mon, 16 Sep 2024 08:00:00 -0600

How to Stay Nimble When Platforms Screw Us Over

Matt Giovanisci — Fri, 13 Sep 2024 08:00:00 -0600

Blame Yourself First

Matt Giovanisci — Thu, 12 Sep 2024 08:00:00 -0600

Coming Up With High-Ticket Product Ideas

Matt Giovanisci — Wed, 11 Sep 2024 08:00:00 -0600

Brainstorming a Sales Email For a Physical Product

Matt Giovanisci — Tue, 10 Sep 2024 08:00:00 -0600

This Is My Biggest Fear...

Matt Giovanisci — Mon, 09 Sep 2024 08:00:00 -0600

My Affiliate Marketing Strategy for 2025

Matt Giovanisci — Fri, 06 Sep 2024 08:00:00 -0600

Give Everything Away For Free

Matt Giovanisci — Thu, 05 Sep 2024 08:00:00 -0600

Quality Vs Quantity

Matt Giovanisci — Wed, 04 Sep 2024 08:00:00 -0600

PSA: You’re Probably Working On The Wrong Thing

Matt Giovanisci — Tue, 03 Sep 2024 08:00:00 -0600

My SEO Strategy for 2025

Matt Giovanisci — Mon, 02 Sep 2024 08:00:00 -0600

An Effortless Podcasting Format

Matt Giovanisci — Fri, 30 Aug 2024 08:00:00 -0600

This Email Strategy Bombed

Matt Giovanisci — Thu, 29 Aug 2024 08:00:00 -0600

How To Lose Money On Purpose

Matt Giovanisci — Wed, 28 Aug 2024 08:00:00 -0600

How I Plan To Increase Revenue in 1 Month

Matt Giovanisci — Tue, 27 Aug 2024 08:00:00 -0600

Picking The Right Email Strategy

Matt Giovanisci — Mon, 26 Aug 2024 08:00:00 -0600

Product Vs Packaging

Matt Giovanisci — Fri, 23 Aug 2024 08:00:00 -0600

How We Doubled Book Sales in 1 Month

Matt Giovanisci — Thu, 22 Aug 2024 08:00:00 -0600

Answering Feedback About Email Formats

Matt Giovanisci — Wed, 21 Aug 2024 08:00:00 -0600

Creating An Automated Customer Improvement Flywheel

Matt Giovanisci — Tue, 20 Aug 2024 08:00:00 -0600

Thinking About Facebook Ads In a New Way

Matt Giovanisci — Mon, 19 Aug 2024 08:00:00 -0600

I’ve Been Email Marketing Wrong This Year (Here’s How I Fixed It)

Matt Giovanisci — Fri, 16 Aug 2024 08:00:00 -0600

Improving My Copywriting Skills With These Practices

Matt Giovanisci — Thu, 15 Aug 2024 08:00:00 -0600

Focus 3

Matt Giovanisci — Wed, 14 Aug 2024 08:00:00 -0600

My Business is Failing (And What I’m Doing To Fix It)

Matt Giovanisci — Tue, 13 Aug 2024 08:00:00 -0600

How I Work With a Team in Asana

Matt Giovanisci — Mon, 12 Aug 2024 08:00:00 -0600

A New SEO Theory for 2024 and Beyond

Matt Giovanisci — Fri, 09 Aug 2024 08:00:00 -0600

The Re-Learning Phase

Matt Giovanisci — Thu, 08 Aug 2024 08:00:00 -0600

My Positive Take On The Future of SEO

Matt Giovanisci — Wed, 07 Aug 2024 08:00:00 -0600

Brainstorming Inputs for Emails and Ads

Matt Giovanisci — Tue, 06 Aug 2024 08:00:00 -0600

What’s The Input?

Matt Giovanisci — Mon, 05 Aug 2024 08:00:00 -0600

Email Marketing Conversion Rate Experiment Update

Matt Giovanisci — Fri, 02 Aug 2024 08:00:00 -0600

I Want To Make This Podcast Better

Matt Giovanisci — Thu, 01 Aug 2024 08:00:00 -0600

Increasing Overall Sales Conversion Rates

Matt Giovanisci — Wed, 31 Jul 2024 08:00:00 -0600

Designing A Weekly Email Newsletter

Matt Giovanisci — Tue, 30 Jul 2024 08:00:00 -0600

The More Better Series: Emails (Part 2)

Matt Giovanisci — Mon, 29 Jul 2024 08:00:00 -0600

The More Better Series: Metrics

Matt Giovanisci — Fri, 26 Jul 2024 08:00:00 -0600

The More Better Series: Website

Matt Giovanisci — Thu, 25 Jul 2024 08:00:00 -0600

The More Better Series: Emails

Matt Giovanisci — Wed, 24 Jul 2024 08:00:00 -0600

The More Better Series: Articles

Matt Giovanisci — Tue, 23 Jul 2024 08:00:00 -0600

Does Focusing On 1 Thing Make You More Money?

Matt Giovanisci — Mon, 22 Jul 2024 08:00:00 -0600

I tackle a question from Will about the impact of focusing solely on Swim University. I explore why stepping back from Money Lab and Brew Cabin hasn't yet increased Swim U's revenue and share my ongoing strategies to improve our business. From refining emails to listening to customer feedback, I break down the steps we're taking to enhance our products and user experience. Have questions or thoughts? Email me at matt@moneylab.co.

Testing Email Formats to See What Works

Matt Giovanisci — Fri, 19 Jul 2024 08:00:00 -0600

I'm diving into the process of making marketing emails more effective. I explore different email formats, testing strategies, and the key metrics to track. Plus, I'm setting up a survey to gather your feedback on our emails, so we can make them even better. If you have any suggestions or questions, shoot me an email at matt@moneylab.co. Your insights help shape future episodes, so don't hesitate to reach out.

The Importance of Taking Breaks

Matt Giovanisci — Thu, 18 Jul 2024 08:00:00 -0600

Why I Sold My Affiliate Site

Matt Giovanisci — Wed, 17 Jul 2024 08:00:00 -0600

New Video Production Workflow for 2024

Matt Giovanisci — Tue, 16 Jul 2024 08:00:00 -0600

More Better

Matt Giovanisci — Mon, 15 Jul 2024 08:00:00 -0600

Website Improvements to Increase Conversions

Matt Giovanisci — Fri, 12 Jul 2024 08:00:00 -0600

The Future of Selling Online Courses Part 2

Matt Giovanisci — Thu, 11 Jul 2024 08:00:00 -0600

Denying My Passion Projects for Something Better

Matt Giovanisci — Wed, 10 Jul 2024 08:00:00 -0600

The Future of Selling Online Courses

Matt Giovanisci — Tue, 09 Jul 2024 08:00:00 -0600

The 5 Best Decisions I’ve Ever Made in My Life

Matt Giovanisci — Mon, 08 Jul 2024 08:00:00 -0600

Responding to Business Comments

Matt Giovanisci — Fri, 05 Jul 2024 08:00:00 -0600

Split Testing My New Sales Page

Matt Giovanisci — Thu, 04 Jul 2024 08:00:00 -0600

My 4-Hour Work Day

Matt Giovanisci — Wed, 03 Jul 2024 08:00:00 -0600

Brainstorming a Killer Paid Ad Campaign

Matt Giovanisci — Tue, 02 Jul 2024 08:00:00 -0600

Split Tests Vs Research

Matt Giovanisci — Mon, 01 Jul 2024 08:00:00 -0600

This Is Why You Should Talk To Your Customers

Matt Giovanisci — Fri, 28 Jun 2024 08:00:00 -0600

Video Content Strategy and Book Sales

Matt Giovanisci — Thu, 27 Jun 2024 08:00:00 -0600

Prolific Podcast Production Processes

Matt Giovanisci — Wed, 26 Jun 2024 08:00:00 -0600

My podcasting journey, starting from a friend's basement to my professional setup today. I share my experiences with different podcast formats, equipment recommendations, and processes to help you get started or improve your podcasting game. Whether you're a beginner or looking to refine your setup, there's something here for you. Plus, I explain how I manage multiple podcasts efficiently. If you have any questions about podcasting, shoot me an email at matt@moneylab.co.

Did I Just Increase Sales With One Single Change?

Matt Giovanisci — Tue, 25 Jun 2024 08:00:00 -0600

I just ran some striking numbers on lead magnets and wanted to share the results. Comparing our longstanding pool care cheat sheet with our new custom pool care plan, I've found that the plan quadruples our conversion rate. By allowing dynamic, article-specific headlines, we can tailor our offers to increase relevancy and engagement. I'm nervous but excited to roll this out across our entire site before pool season kicks in. If this works, it could dramatically enhance our subscriber growth and sales.

Creating Custom Email Opt-in Headlines For Every Page On My Website

Matt Giovanisci — Mon, 24 Jun 2024 08:00:00 -0600

I'm optimizing conversion rates by customizing headlines for different articles on Swim University. I explore how specific headlines can significantly increase subscriber rates and how this concept can be applied to Google Ads for better performance. I discuss my plans to implement these changes using advanced custom fields in WordPress, aiming to create dynamic, relevant offers for each post. This strategy could lead to massive growth in both subscribers and sales, and I'm excited to test it out. Stay tuned for the results!

Consistency Vs Bangers In Content Creation

Matt Giovanisci — Fri, 21 Jun 2024 08:00:00 -0600

I debated between consistency and quality in content creation, which was sparked by a discussion between Justin Jackson and Thomas Frank. Reflecting on my experiences with Swim University, Money Lab, and Brew Cabin, I explore how different niches and goals impact the balance between frequent publishing and producing standout content. I also discuss the importance of staying top of mind for your audience and share insights on maintaining relevance in a crowded content landscape. This episode offers a nuanced look at finding the right content strategy for your business.

My Passion

Matt Giovanisci — Thu, 20 Jun 2024 08:00:00 -0600

I dive into my passion for homebrewing, sharing insights into my brewing setup, recent upgrades, and upcoming beer projects. From my custom-built home brewery to my favorite brewing techniques and tools, I discuss the joy of creating unique beers and the constant quest for improvement. I also touch on my brewing experiments, including a white IPA and a Mexican lager, and the intricate process of maintaining and upgrading my brewing equipment. This episode offers a behind-the-scenes look at my brewing journey and the creative challenges I encounter.

Revolutionizing Lead Generation: From Cheat Sheets to Custom Plans

Matt Giovanisci — Wed, 19 Jun 2024 08:00:00 -0600

I delve into the creation and testing of a new lead magnet for Swim University—a custom pool care plan. I discuss the development process, from using Typeform and Klaviyo to coding the plan in WordPress. I share early results from split testing this new lead magnet against our traditional cheat sheet, revealing higher conversion rates and the potential for better user engagement. Additionally, I explore the strategic benefits of this customized approach, including improved affiliate sales and more targeted marketing efforts. This episode highlights the value of innovative thinking in enhancing business growth.

Balancing Costs and Creativity in Shipping and Office Space

Matt Giovanisci — Tue, 18 Jun 2024 08:00:00 -0600

I dive into an insightful email from Scott, discussing USPS package pickups, the pros and cons of renting office space versus working from home, and strategies for enhancing our pool care handbook packaging. I share my thoughts on maintaining efficiency in our shipping process, the financial implications of branded packaging, and the practicality of setting up a dedicated business space. This episode is a deep dive into optimizing business operations while balancing costs and creativity.

How a Simple Fix Boosted Conversions

Matt Giovanisci — Mon, 17 Jun 2024 08:00:00 -0600

I realized that my custom pool care plan had a conversion rate of 2.92%, matching the performance of our original cheat sheet. After mistakenly thinking no one signed up, I discovered 10 people had subscribed by fixing an internal notification error. This promising result suggests that with better homepage copy and targeted split testing, the new plan could outperform the cheat sheet. The episode explores leveraging programmatic tactics to boost conversions site-wide and iterating on the pool care plan to enhance user experience and drive growth, emphasizing the importance of testing and refining strategies based on real data.

MVP Lead Magnet

Matt Giovanisci — Fri, 14 Jun 2024 08:00:00 -0600

I talk about the decision-making process behind launching a new custom pool care plan on Swim University. After struggling with the homepage's effectiveness, I created a more targeted lead magnet aimed at pool owners. Initially planning a complex setup, I decided to launch an MVP version to gather early feedback. By breaking the project into manageable tasks and focusing on the essential elements, I quickly deployed the new feature, which collects valuable user data and offers a personalized pool care plan. This approach emphasizes the importance of iterating based on real user interaction rather than over-engineering upfront.

How to Eat an Elephant

Matt Giovanisci — Thu, 13 Jun 2024 08:00:00 -0600

I discuss the concept of "How to Eat an Elephant" and explore the importance of breaking down big projects into manageable tasks. Reflecting on past experiences with Swim University, brewing, health, and home improvement, I share how embracing a calm, deliberate approach has led to greater productivity and reduced stress. By limiting work hours and focusing on core priorities, I’ve found a more balanced and fulfilling way to tackle both personal and professional projects. This episode is a candid look at how shifting my mindset has made all the difference in achieving long-term goals without the burnout.

What Is a Calm Company?

Matt Giovanisci — Wed, 12 Jun 2024 08:00:00 -0600

I’m excited to talk about an idea I’m exploring for Swim University: transforming it into a calm company. Inspired by Justin Jackson’s essay, "We Need More Calm Companies," I’m reflecting on how Swim University can embody principles like profitability, purpose, flexibility, and sustainable growth. I discuss how these attributes align with my vision for a business that not only thrives but also enhances the lives of those who work here. My goal is to create a work environment that's stress-free and fulfilling, prioritizing quality over quantity and ensuring that we remain a small, efficient, and happy team.

How I Work From Home With Family

Matt Giovanisci — Tue, 11 Jun 2024 08:00:00 -0600

Balancing work and home life while working with family has been a unique journey. I've worked from home since 2011, and it's had its challenges, especially being an extrovert who thrives on social interaction. My wife and I set clear boundaries, always prefacing work discussions with a question. She runs our YouTube content, and I act as the employee, following her lead. My brother, who works remotely, handles social media and emails, sticking to a well-defined process. We've found success by each owning our roles and maintaining a structured approach to our tasks. It’s been a learning experience, but it works for us.

Brainstorming a New Course Offer

Matt Giovanisci — Mon, 10 Jun 2024 08:00:00 -0600

I'm brainstorming a new mini-offer for my email list. This simple, compelling offer doesn't need a dedicated sales page; the emails will act as the sales letters. I'll send out two emails over a three-day flash sale to test the response. The emails will hook readers with the idea of firing their pool company, then detail the course and book offer, emphasizing the limited time to act. By excluding previous buyers and pool companies, I aim to target the right audience effectively.

Writing A Product Description

Matt Giovanisci — Fri, 07 Jun 2024 08:00:00 -0600

Launching our new app, the Pool Care App, has been an exciting journey. Teaming up with an experienced developer, we’ve transformed an existing app into a Swim University-branded tool designed to simplify pool maintenance. From testing the water to getting precise chemical instructions, our app is all about eliminating guesswork and frustration. Unlike other apps pushing unnecessary products, our focus is purely on helping you maintain a clean and safe pool. This freemium app will offer essential features with more to come, making pool care straightforward and accessible. The Pool Care App is set to launch soon, and I can't wait for everyone to try it out.

The Future

Matt Giovanisci — Thu, 06 Jun 2024 08:00:00 -0600

I've been contemplating the impact of AI on the business landscape and how it's affecting independent creators like me. With companies like Google and Apple shifting their practices, the challenges of relying on SEO and organic traffic are becoming more apparent. Drawing from Swim University's journey and past market disruptions, I discuss the importance of adapting to new realities. Emphasizing a shift towards video content and maintaining a human touch, I explore strategies for navigating these uncertain times while staying optimistic and focused on delivering genuine value to customers.

Brainstorming User Dashboard Designs

Matt Giovanisci — Wed, 05 Jun 2024 08:00:00 -0600

I explore the process of designing a personalized pool care plan for Swim University, aiming to make our lead generation tool more engaging and effective. By focusing on user-specific routines and creating a dashboard-like experience, I want to provide a resource that feels truly customized. I discuss the steps involved, from asking the right questions to integrating interactive elements, and consider the potential of launching an app to enhance the user experience further. This episode captures my thought process and the excitement of building something unique for our audience.

How to Focus Relentlessly on The End User for Success

Matt Giovanisci — Tue, 04 Jun 2024 08:00:00 -0600

I dive into the power of tuning out external business advice and tuning into my own intuition and experiences. By stepping back from constant tactical advice and an overwhelming amount of information, I've reconnected with my own ideas and insights. I stopped consuming business content, unsubscribed from channels, and put my business books away. This allowed me to focus on truly understanding the emotions and frustrations of my customers. I realized that applying my own experiences, such as my struggles with pond care, helps me relate better to pool owners and create more meaningful solutions. This shift in approach feels more authentic and impactful.

No-Code Lead Generation Workflow

Matt Giovanisci — Mon, 03 Jun 2024 08:00:00 -0600

I share my latest realization about the Swim University home page. After discussing my own experiences with pond care, I decided to focus on offering a custom pool care plan instead of just a newsletter signup. I explain how I plan to implement this idea using Typeform, Zapier, and Klaviyo to deliver personalized plans through email. I discuss the technical aspects and benefits of this approach, emphasizing its potential to improve user engagement and provide more value. My goal is to create a dynamic, user-specific experience that enhances Swim University’s offerings and overall user satisfaction.

Figuring Out A Homepage Opt-In Offer

Matt Giovanisci — Fri, 31 May 2024 08:00:00 -0600

Focusing on the Swim University home page, I decided to transform it from a general landing page to a lead capture system tailored for pool owners. Historically, the page had a generic headline and separate buttons for pool and hot tub care, which wasn't as effective. I considered various approaches, including Klaviyo forms and offering a newsletter, but concluded that a quiz might be the best solution. This quiz would help users create a custom pool care plan by answering a few questions, making the offer more attractive and useful. The idea stemmed from my own experiences with pond care and the frustrations I faced. By implementing this, I aim to provide a more personalized experience for our visitors, ultimately increasing engagement and conversions. If you have any questions or suggestions, email me at matt@moneylab.co.

My Plan To Scale Revenue

Matt Giovanisci — Thu, 30 May 2024 08:00:00 -0600

I'm discussing the ups and downs of March and laying out my plans for April. Despite a 30% traffic drop due to Google's algorithm changes, revenue increased thanks to effective Facebook ads. However, the high costs associated with e-commerce have made me rethink my strategy. My primary focus for April is optimizing my offers and sales pages. I’m testing new offers and improving our sales funnel to increase conversion rates and revenue. Additionally, I'm phasing out physical products to concentrate on digital products, aiming for higher profit margins. The goal is to simplify and enhance our core business, ensuring sustained growth and profitability. If you have any questions, email me at matt@moneylab.co.

April Fools Marketing Campaign Update

Matt Giovanisci — Wed, 29 May 2024 08:00:00 -0600

I’m giving an update on the April Fools campaign I launched for Swim University. I created a faux product and promoted it across various platforms. The response was lukewarm; we've sold about half of the 96 bottles so far. Launching on April Fools’ Day may have impacted the reception, as people are skeptical of anything released on this date. While it's a fun, creative project, it highlights that in the pool industry, people appreciate straightforward, helpful content more than stunts. Moving forward, I’ll focus on delivering valuable, consistent content that truly addresses my audience's needs. If you have any questions or thoughts, email me at matt@moneylab.co.

Highly Leveraged Time Management Plan

Matt Giovanisci — Tue, 28 May 2024 08:00:00 -0600

Today, I’m sharing how I’m optimizing my work schedule to better manage my time and reduce stress. By focusing on concentrated, high-leverage tasks for a set number of hours each day, I aim to maximize productivity while freeing up personal time. Tasks like crafting marketing emails, recording and scheduling podcasts, publishing articles, and developing ads are prioritized. The goal is to create a well-oiled machine at Swim University, ensuring impactful work without overextending. Simplifying and systematizing my approach, I’m committed to balancing work with hobbies and home projects. For feedback, email me at matt@moneylab.co.

How to Aquire Good Reviews and Testimonials

Matt Giovanisci — Mon, 27 May 2024 08:00:00 -0600

I'm discussing the best ways to collect testimonials. Tactics for effective testimonials include avoiding incentives that offer monetary rewards, guiding customers with specific questions, and focusing on quality over quantity. Video testimonials, while valuable, should ideally be filmed in relevant settings and show real results. For e-commerce, external review platforms like Trustpilot are beneficial, but I prefer controlling testimonial presentations. Finally, using social media contests to gather authentic customer reviews can be a powerful strategy.

Designing A 404 Page for Backlinks in Real Time

Matt Giovanisci — Fri, 24 May 2024 08:00:00 -0600

Brainstorming a pool urine detector 404 page and April Fool's event, I share how to design an engaging sales page for a fake product. Inspired by the myth of a pool urine detector dye, I discuss creating a convincing product to deter pool pee-ers. The sales page includes a hero image, how it works, history of the myth, pop culture references, and statistics on the dangers of pool urine. I also explore the importance of design and storytelling in making the page both believable and entertaining.

Brainstorming Viral Instagram Content

Matt Giovanisci — Thu, 23 May 2024 08:00:00 -0600

I discuss the challenges of creating effective marketing for local businesses, emphasizing the need to understand the target audience. Using Swim University as an example, I highlight the importance of aligning content with business goals and audience needs. I explore the potential of Brew Cabin to attract new homebrewers with community-driven content and advanced brewing techniques. Finally, I brainstorm creative ideas for engaging short-form content, including experimenting with unique and outrageous brewing ingredients.

An SEO Experiment Worth Talking About

Matt Giovanisci — Wed, 22 May 2024 08:00:00 -0600

I've been experimenting with a content strategy shift that might surprise traditional SEO practitioners. We're a video-first education company, creating videos first and repurposing them into blog posts, podcasts, shorts, and emails. Recently, I replaced a 5,000-word article on how to drain a pool with a concise 700-word script. The original article ranked #10 on Google, and I wanted to see if a more streamlined version would perform better. Additionally, I created separate posts for draining above-ground and in-ground pools, recognizing the trend towards short, targeted content. This approach mirrors the rise of short-form videos and AI-generated answers. We'll see how this impacts our rankings and user experience. If you have any questions, email me at matt@moneylab.co.

Building An Email Editorial Calendar Part 2

Matt Giovanisci — Tue, 21 May 2024 08:00:00 -0600

I've been working on Swim University's email strategy. I aim to treat email more like social media notifications, directing attention to long-form content on YouTube and our website. For March, I planned video promotions, a filter cleanse BOGO sale, and an article on hot tub water testing. I've also switched from Yoast SEO to Rank Math and migrated to the Gutenberg editor in WordPress for better features and efficiency. If you have any feedback or questions, email me at matt@moneylab.co.

Templatizing Featured Images for Blog Posts

Matt Giovanisci — Mon, 20 May 2024 08:00:00 -0600

I've been on a kick recently with templatizing everything. After dealing with bottlenecks in creating featured images for blog posts, I decided to templatize this process too. Inspired by our YouTube thumbnails, I'll create a Figma board with 6-8 background colors, textures, and reusable assets. Each featured image will include up to three words of text, one action icon (like an arrow or check mark), and a topical item (like a hot tub or pool). This approach will streamline the process and ensure consistency across our content. If you have any questions, email me at matt@moneylab.co.

AI Sucks

Matt Giovanisci — Fri, 17 May 2024 08:00:00 -0600

Systems! 2

Matt Giovanisci — Thu, 16 May 2024 08:00:00 -0600

Systems!

Matt Giovanisci — Wed, 15 May 2024 08:00:00 -0600

Q&A Part 2: My Thoughts On The Current State of SEO in 2024

Matt Giovanisci — Tue, 14 May 2024 08:00:00 -0600

Q&A Part 1: My Email Response SOP

Matt Giovanisci — Mon, 13 May 2024 08:00:00 -0600

Searching For My "Why"

Matt Giovanisci — Fri, 10 May 2024 08:00:00 -0600

Building an Email Editorial Calendar

Matt Giovanisci — Wed, 08 May 2024 08:00:00 -0600

Prioritizing Weekly Tasks Out Loud

Matt Giovanisci — Mon, 06 May 2024 08:00:00 -0600

Brainstorming a Cross-Sell Postcard Design

Matt Giovanisci — Fri, 03 May 2024 08:00:00 -0600

How Did My New Email Design Perform?

Matt Giovanisci — Wed, 01 May 2024 08:00:00 -0600

The Future of Running an Online Business

Matt Giovanisci — Mon, 29 Apr 2024 08:00:00 -0600

Making My Emails Better

Matt Giovanisci — Fri, 26 Apr 2024 08:00:00 -0600

Focus 2

Matt Giovanisci — Wed, 24 Apr 2024 08:00:00 -0600

My AI Team Meeting Debrief

Matt Giovanisci — Mon, 22 Apr 2024 08:00:00 -0600

The Video-First Content Workflow

Matt Giovanisci — Fri, 19 Apr 2024 08:00:00 -0600

Product Design, Shipping, and AI Updates

Matt Giovanisci — Wed, 17 Apr 2024 08:00:00 -0600

Improving My Shipping Process

Matt Giovanisci — Mon, 15 Apr 2024 08:00:00 -0600

The 404 Campaign Blueprint

Matt Giovanisci — Fri, 12 Apr 2024 08:00:00 -0600

Brainstorming Superpixels (Part 1)

Matt Giovanisci — Wed, 10 Apr 2024 08:00:00 -0600

How to Run a “Real” Business Online

Matt Giovanisci — Mon, 08 Apr 2024 08:00:00 -0600

Stop Stealing My Content. Buy This Instead…

Matt Giovanisci — Fri, 05 Apr 2024 08:00:00 -0600

Our SaaS Tools Are Failing Us

Matt Giovanisci — Wed, 03 Apr 2024 08:00:00 -0600

Focus

Matt Giovanisci — Mon, 01 Apr 2024 08:00:00 -0600

Business Update (March 2024)

Matt Giovanisci — Fri, 29 Mar 2024 08:00:00 -0600

Brainstorming Shipping Physical Products

Matt Giovanisci — Wed, 27 Mar 2024 08:00:00 -0600

Reacting to 2023 Business Tweets

Matt Giovanisci — Mon, 25 Mar 2024 08:00:00 -0600

How I Publish an Insane Number of Podcasts Every Week

Matt Giovanisci — Fri, 22 Mar 2024 08:00:00 -0600

Creating a Sales Letter with Voice Memos and ChatGPT

Matt Giovanisci — Wed, 20 Mar 2024 08:00:00 -0600

Making Room In My Busy Schedule for Better Activities

Matt Giovanisci — Mon, 18 Mar 2024 08:00:00 -0600

Stop Overcomplicating Simple Money-Making Tasks

Matt Giovanisci — Fri, 15 Mar 2024 08:00:00 -0600

6 Years of Business Taught Me This One Thing

Matt Giovanisci — Wed, 13 Mar 2024 08:00:00 -0600

Today, I reflect on a journal entry from January 30, 2018, where I expressed a desire to own four profitable online brands, but recognized that Swim University was my main success. I discuss how I constantly revisit the same goal: improving Swim University by focusing on traffic, conversion rates, and product development. The realization that I’ve been circling around the same insights for years underscores the importance of consistent practice. The core message? The key to success is to simplify and commit to daily content creation, just like consistently moving more and eating less for health.

Q&A

Matt Giovanisci — Mon, 11 Mar 2024 08:00:00 -0600

Answering three questions today, I explore the overlap between Swim University’s info products and e-commerce business, the future of Brew Cabin, and a topic I wish people would ask me about. Discussing Swim University, I explain how SEO drives leads, while email marketing and cross-selling between courses and chemicals generate most sales. Reflecting on Brew Cabin, I share my passion for homebrewing and the potential for future content focused on personal projects. Lastly, I express a desire for more questions about my work process, sharing my enthusiasm for discussing the behind-the-scenes aspects of my projects.

Critiquing My About Page

Matt Giovanisci — Fri, 08 Mar 2024 08:00:00 -0700

I've been working on the Swim University about page and sought feedback on Twitter. Suggestions led to changes like adjusting text alignment for readability and adding photos of me working on pools. I also switched from Yoast SEO to Rank Math for better features and cost efficiency. Additionally, I migrated to the Gutenberg editor in WordPress, finding its new features beneficial for my workflow. Lastly, I separated our brand assets and press information into distinct pages for better clarity. If you have any questions or feedback, email me at matt@moneylab.co.

Niching Down on Products and Lead Magnets

Matt Giovanisci — Wed, 06 Mar 2024 08:00:00 -0700

Eric asked about expanding my course offerings and improving lead magnets. I have specific cheat sheets for pools and hot tubs. I'm considering smaller, targeted courses and other lead magnets like quizzes or webinars to boost engagement. I'll test these on Facebook first. Offers must be specific to convert better. For example, a saltwater pool cheat sheet for saltwater pool owners works better than a generic pool cheat sheet. Offering multiple products and specific lead magnets can capture more of my audience and turn more leads into customers. If you have more questions, email me at matt@moneylab.co.

6 Business Growth Ideas I’m Thinking About

Matt Giovanisci — Mon, 04 Mar 2024 08:00:00 -0700

Today, I'm sharing some thoughts about my business. I'm covering six main points: post-purchase email flows, content syndication, Facebook traffic, micro-products, using fewer but better tools, and sending more emails. I dive into my dilemma between using Podia and Thinkific, why I need post-purchase emails, and how content syndication can increase reach. I explore leveraging Facebook traffic through engagement ads and creating micro-products for specific audiences. I discuss optimizing tools like Rank Math to streamline processes and my strategy for sending more emails without overwhelming my audience. Email me at matt@moneylab.co with your thoughts!

Technical SEO Changes I’ve Made to My Website

Matt Giovanisci — Fri, 01 Mar 2024 08:00:00 -0700

I took a break from work to record this episode and share what I've been working on lately. I've been coding and designing for three days straight, focusing on updating my website. I talked about changes I've made, like improving SEO, updating design elements, and streamlining user experience. I also shared my thoughts on using different tools and platforms for my courses and email marketing. If you're curious about my SEO strategies or have any questions, feel free to email me at matt@moneylab.co.

How Did My Real-Time Sales Email Do? (Part 2)

Matt Giovanisci — Wed, 28 Feb 2024 08:00:00 -0700

I share my experience using AI tools to dictate and create sales emails for a hot tub chemical. I discuss using Descript to transcribe voice memos and ChatGPT to edit and format the emails, emphasizing the efficiency and effectiveness of this process. The outcome was positive, with successful sales results, and I plan to continue using this method. If you have any questions, email me at matt@moneylab.co.

Let’s Write a Sales Email in Real Time (Part 1)

Matt Giovanisci — Mon, 26 Feb 2024 08:00:00 -0700

I explore creating an SEO maintenance process with Semrush, focusing on fixing broken links, disavowing toxic links, and improving internal linking. I also discuss social media strategies to boost page visibility. I'm dictating a three-part email sales series for our hot tub chemical, Weekly Cleanse. The emails will explain the product, share customer testimonials, and include a last-chance reminder for a BOGO sale. This process aims to create engaging, effective sales emails. Email me at matt@moneylab.co with any questions.

Brainstorming Weekly SEO Maintenance Tasks

Matt Giovanisci — Fri, 23 Feb 2024 08:00:00 -0700

I'm working on creating a weekly (or possibly monthly) process for SEO maintenance. This will cover tasks like improving SEO, backlink building, and technical stuff. I use Semrush as my main SEO tool, having switched from Ahrefs because I prefer Semrush's interface and all-in-one functionality.

My focus includes fixing broken links, such as affiliate links, internal links, and external links. I use Lasso for affiliate links to check if anything is out of stock. I also plan to disavow any new toxic links that come up via Semrush and whitelist good ones. Addressing audit errors flagged in the weekly Semrush audit, like HTML-to-text ratios or duplicate title tags, is another key task. I'm also exploring backlink outreach by reaching out to companies to get on their resources page, which involves creating a good template and emailing a set number of companies each week. Recovering old links by reaching out to site owners to update outdated links or recreating content for old URLs is also part of the plan. Additionally, I'll be using tools like Link Whisperer to create internal links to orphaned posts.

Improving our social media strategy to drive traffic and potentially "goose" pages that need a boost is another area I'm considering. This might involve promoting specific posts via email, ads, or social media. This is the initial process, and I'll refine it over time. If you have any SEO maintenance tasks that work well for you, I'd love to hear about them. Email me at matt@moneylab.co. If you share something useful, I might include it in my process and discuss it in a future episode.

My 2024 SEO Strategy (Including Backlinks)

Matt Giovanisci — Wed, 21 Feb 2024 08:00:00 -0700

I'm diving into the world of SEO, reflecting on the recent drop in traffic at Swim University following the helpful content update. I'll share my thoughts on why this might be happening and my strategies to combat it, including producing more content, updating existing content, and exploring new methods like digital PR and podcast guesting. I'll also discuss the importance of diversification and staying proactive rather than reactive in the face of challenges. Join me as I brainstorm ways to navigate this overcorrection period and come out stronger.

The Most Important Page On Any Website for SEO

Matt Giovanisci — Mon, 19 Feb 2024 08:00:00 -0700

I discuss the importance of an "About" page for your business, inspired by insights from using Crazy Egg's heat maps on Swim University's homepage. I share my discovery of the high interest in the "About Us" section and brainstorm ways to enhance it for better SEO and user engagement. I outline key elements for an effective "About" page, including a compelling mission statement, company history, team information, and the significance of establishing expertise, authority, and trust.

How to Kill a Solopreneur

Matt Giovanisci — Fri, 16 Feb 2024 08:00:00 -0700

Matt tries something new by diving into a thought-provoking tweet from Justin Welsh. Join Matt as he explores Justin's "Nine Things That Will Kill a One-Person Business," offering his unique take on each point. While Matt doesn't consider himself a solopreneur, his experience running a business with a small team provides valuable insights. From the pitfalls of having a big ego to the importance of networking, Matt shares candid reflections and practical advice for entrepreneurs. Tune in for an engaging discussion on maintaining and growing a successful solo venture.

My Failed DTC Experiment

Matt Giovanisci — Wed, 14 Feb 2024 08:00:00 -0700

Here's a list of everything I did wrong when starting the DTC side of my business (physical products). Let's talk about it.

My 10X Business Strategy Redux

Matt Giovanisci — Mon, 12 Feb 2024 08:00:00 -0700

I found 3 old journal entries in 2023 with similar plans. Some ideas are good. But some ideas need to change. Let's talk about it.

The Passion Mashing Theory

Matt Giovanisci — Fri, 09 Feb 2024 08:00:00 -0700

Let's talk about how you (and I) are special. And how we can apply that to our businesses.

Important Tasks I Know I Should Do to Improve My Business

Matt Giovanisci — Wed, 07 Feb 2024 08:00:00 -0700

I went back through the last year of my journal (2023) and found an entry that I needed to hear again. Let's talk about it.

Ideas to Improve Subscriber Satisfaction

Matt Giovanisci — Mon, 05 Feb 2024 08:00:00 -0700

When a visitor or viewer subscribes to my ecosystem, how can I surprise and delight them to build trust and ultimately earn more revenue?

Ideas to Streamline Content Creation

Matt Giovanisci — Fri, 02 Feb 2024 08:00:00 -0700

Let's come up with some ideas on how I can make writing and publishing articles easier and faster.

How I Designed My Stress-Free Business

Matt Giovanisci — Wed, 31 Jan 2024 08:00:00 -0700

In 2024, a lot of creators are calling it quits. Is it burnout? Are they not making money? Let's talk about it and I'll share how I run my business to avoid these problems.

4 Ways to Implement Website Content Improvements

Matt Giovanisci — Mon, 29 Jan 2024 08:00:00 -0700

After my episode about content improvement tactics, I decided to dive in further on how to implement those tactics.

My Facebook Ad Strategy for 2024 (Revisited)

Matt Giovanisci — Fri, 26 Jan 2024 08:00:00 -0700

I got an email packed with tips from a Facebook ads expert (after listening to my episode). I go over all the tips in the email and reveal my responses. Let's dive into it.

Ideas to Maximize Productivity and Health (at The Same Time)

Matt Giovanisci — Wed, 24 Jan 2024 08:00:00 -0700

I brainstormed a few ideas on how I can walk and talk my way to creating content for my business, killing three birds with one stone. Let's talk about it.

How I Made $53,209.25 Selling a Self-Published Book (Not on Amazon)

Matt Giovanisci — Mon, 22 Jan 2024 08:00:00 -0700

My wife and I wrote, designed, and self-published a paperback book and sold it off our Shopify website. Here's how we did it.

My Favorite Business Tools for 2024

Matt Giovanisci — Fri, 19 Jan 2024 08:00:00 -0700

I list out all my current favorite tools in 5 categories: productivity, finance, SEO, e-commerce, and marketing. Let's talk about it.

YouTube Video Studio Tour (with Gear Recommendations)

Matt Giovanisci — Wed, 17 Jan 2024 08:00:00 -0700

I give an audio tour of my basement video studio including all the exact gear I use. That's it. Let's talk about it.

My Business Goals for 2024 to Reach $1,000,000

Matt Giovanisci — Mon, 15 Jan 2024 08:00:00 -0700

I outline my entire business model and process in my year of "stillness." Let's talk about it.

My Article Publishing Checklist for SEO

Matt Giovanisci — Fri, 12 Jan 2024 08:00:00 -0700

Every time I publish an article on my website, this is the checklist I use to make sure I cover everything needed for good SEO. Let's talk about it.

My Practical Tips For Long-Term Social Media Growth

Matt Giovanisci — Wed, 10 Jan 2024 08:00:00 -0700

I brainstorm a few ways we can improve our social media content to help with engagement and attention. Let's crank on this pod.

My Facebook Ad Strategy for 2024

Matt Giovanisci — Mon, 08 Jan 2024 08:00:00 -0700

I've struggled with running ads. But I have a plan to make it easier and more affordable. Let's break it down.

SEO Predictions for 2024 (Plus My Backlink Building Strategy)

Matt Giovanisci — Fri, 05 Jan 2024 08:00:00 -0700

I got 5 SEO predictions and 5 ways I'm building backlinks (organically) in 2024. Let's talk about it.

Improving My KPI Tracking for Marketing Success

Matt Giovanisci — Wed, 03 Jan 2024 08:00:00 -0700

I talk through the KPIs in my business that I want to track each month for 2024 and beyond. Let's discuss.

8 Ways to Improve Website Content (And Beat AI)

Matt Giovanisci — Mon, 01 Jan 2024 08:00:00 -0700

I brainstormed 8 ways to improve the written content on my website in 2024. Let's talk about it.

Let's Talk About The Future of This Podcast

Matt Giovanisci — Sun, 31 Dec 2023 08:00:00 -0700

Money Lab is back! But there's a new format. It's my sawdust. Let me explain...

Why I Deleted My Best-Performing Blog Posts

Matt Giovanisci — Mon, 13 Mar 2023 07:00:00 -0600

I deleted my posts because they don't get traffic. And it consolidates my link juice to the best posts. Let's talk about that.

My Online Business Time Machine

Matt Giovanisci — Mon, 27 Feb 2023 07:00:00 -0700

If I could tell myself in 2004 what I know now in 2023, I would’ve avoided burnout and built a successful, six-figure online business in half time it actually took.

2004 The Idea: Look, here’s the plan. You’re gonna buy this domain, but you won’t do jack shit with it. Then you’ll have to re-buy it for a higher price in a few years. So buy the domain and use it ASAP. Build the site using WordPress. Keep the design clean and make sure it loads really fast.
2009: The Blackhat SEO Phase: Don’t waste time building shitty backlinks to your shitty articles and don’t use anything called Unique Article Wizard. All you have to do is write the best articles on pool care and publish them consistently.
2011: The First YouTube Video: You need to make at least one video a week. Publish consistently. Try different video styles. You don’t need to be near a pool. Don’t give up on YouTube. Every week.
2013: The Podcast: Just keep writing articles and making videos. And stop making those infographics. They don’t work in the future. Your podcast won’t be huge, but it’ll be rewarding. Just stay focused on what your business does well.
2016: The Software Phase: Software will NEVER be your thing. You’ll attempt to create and sell software over the next few years and fail every time. All of that time would be better spent working on Swim University. And now Roasty and Brew Cabin.
2017: The Airport: There was 2017 Matt staring down at his phone on the verge of tears. He must’ve just read the Amazon email saying commissions were getting cut to the bone.
2004: The Future: You’re gonna make money selling banner ads and putting affiliate links on your site. But the most lucrative thing you’ll do is create and sell your own products. Stay in your wheelhouse. Write articles, produce videos and design graphics. In 2013, you will create an e-book on how to take care of a hot tub. You won’t know it, but that’ll be the most important moment in your business. Just build your website on WordPress, make it load fast, do some keyword research, and publish articles and videos around them. Then, make a few digital products, like ebooks and video courses. Promote them on every page. Make this your focus and treat affiliate commissions as a bonus. If you do this consistently, you’ll be successful in about 4 years or less.

My 6 Favorite SEO Tools in 2023

Matt Giovanisci — Mon, 20 Feb 2023 08:00:00 -0700

Ahrefs (keyword research and tracking)
WP Engine & Cloudflare for fast, reliable hosting
Yoast or RankMath
WP Rocket with Imagify for Speed (with Carbonate theme)
Headline Analyzer to improve CTR
Jasper (writing better descriptions and intro hooks)
BONUS: ClearScope/Frase to give you a leg up

My 3 Profitable Business Templates

Matt Giovanisci — Mon, 13 Feb 2023 08:00:00 -0700

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 65% of businesses fail in the first 10 years.

And one of the main reasons is money management. I'm going to show the 3 tasks I do every day to control money and boost profits.

My 3 Boring Business Tasks

Monthly Metrics
Business Budgeting
Job Journaling

These spreadsheet templates are available at MoneyLab.co/Resources

ChatGPT May Destroy SEO

Matt Giovanisci — Mon, 06 Feb 2023 14:47:52 -0700

The Rise of Chatbots and the Threat to SEO: How Chat GPT could change the game for search engines forever. In this episode, we dive into the world of Chatbots and how the development of advanced AI language models like Chat GPT could have a significant impact on the world of SEO. We discuss the potential benefits and drawbacks of this technology, and how it may change the way we think about optimizing content for search engines. - This description was written by ChatGPT 3

How I Come Up With Brand Names

Matt Giovanisci — Mon, 30 Jan 2023 07:00:00 -0700

This decision could impact your online business forever. You need to consider many factors for it to be successful long-term. But if you get it right, it'll pay off forever in ways you cannot measure. Are you feeling overwhelmed? I get it. But I'm here to tell you that you're overthinking it. Picking a brand name is easy with the methods I created. After listening, you'll come out on the other side with a kickass brand name and domain that'll make it effortless to scale your business in the future.

Facebook Ad Strategy with Miles Beckler

Matt Giovanisci — Fri, 27 Jan 2023 17:25:02 -0700

I ask Miles Beckler to share his Facebook Ad strategy for getting more sales on his digital products.

How I Pick a Profitable Niche In 5 Minutes

Matt Giovanisci — Wed, 04 Jan 2023 16:36:44 -0700

What’s the best way to discover a profitable niche? Find something you already enjoy or have a good amount of knowledge about.

Most people hate this advice.

I suspect they want a different answer. They’re looking for the undiscovered niche to help them get rich quickly.

There are no tricks or secrets to uncovering a profitable niche or topic for your business.

Everyone has an interest. That’s your niche.

Everyone knows a lot about one topic. That’s your niche.

Every niche can be profitable. The variable is not the topic; it’s the person creating the business.

The Fastest Way to Discover a Profitable Niche

I’ve been practicing this technique since 2008. And it’s the simplest exercise in the world.

NOTE: Don’t use a computer. Get a notebook or piece of paper and a pen. You must do this exercise by hand. No typing. I’ll explain why later.

Sit down for 5 minutes in every room in your home.
Write down every significant product you see.
Group products into obvious categories
Cross out the dumb categories you know you’ll never build a business around.
Highlight categories that you could easily write about with no research.

After performing this exercise, there will probably be only 1-3 ideas. If there are more, you’re lying to yourself. Repeat steps four and five.

You should now have your niche. No research is required.

And there’s an important reason not to open your computer during this exercise…

Analysis Paralysis: The Reason You Struggle to Pick a Niche

If you follow my analog method of finding a niche, you’ll want to research to see if there are good keywords. But I strongly urge you not to do that.

This is exactly why you’re struggling to pick a niche.

You can research to uncover a “secret” niche or choose a familiar niche (using my analog method). But both paths can lead to two outcomes: insufficient keywords or too many (and therefore “saturated”).

Researching a niche will kill your confidence. It might not, but I wouldn’t take that chance.

When I started my coffee website, I purposely didn’t research shit. I knew that if I did, I would be discouraged.

And as a result, do absolutely nothing.

Broad Brand, Narrow Niche

Another way to avoid struggle is to go wide with your brand. I see too many first-time entrepreneurs box themselves into a corner.

Your brand doesn’t have to be the niche. It doesn’t have to be anything. It can be nonsense.

The niche doesn’t need to be part of the domain name. Domains don’t matter for SEO anymore. They haven’t for a long time.

Think about Amazon. That word has NOTHING to do with selling everything in the world. It’s just a word. But now you know exactly what they do.

Amazon is a broad brand that started with a narrow niche: books.

Once they mastered selling books, they expanded into other niches or categories. You can do the same thing.

I have a niche site around the topic of homebrewing beer. I named the brand BREW Cabin. Not BEER Cabin. Why?

I gave myself room to expand the brand. I can discuss brewing coffee, tea, kombucha, whiskey, and witch potions.

There Are NO Saturated Niches

Think your niche is saturated? You’re wrong. Nothing’s saturated.

If your market is “saturated,” doesn’t that imply there’s more juice to squeeze?

You must carve out a space to stand out. And the best way to do that is to be your fucking self. Get started now and develop your voice.

Write your own content. You can always hire later when you earn enough money to afford a writer.

The first niche site I ever started was Swim University in 2006. I still run it today.

It was something I knew because it was my first summer job. It wasn’t sexy or “profitable.” It wasn’t a secret undiscovered niche through keyword research.

I wasn’t the first to start a pool website, and I won’t be the last. It was saturated then, and it’s saturated now.

And yet I’m still doing it.

You’re procrastinating because you want to be 100% sure your idea will work. You don’t want to be wrong or waste years of your life.

But remember…

It’s not the topic; it’s the person creating the business. You’ll be the only reason it doesn’t work. You must be willing to invest time and money to make it work.

“There are no bad ideas; only great ideas that go horribly wrong.”

– Jack Donaghy (30 Rock)

The 4-Year Profitable Business Plan

Despite what lying marketing gurus tell you, building a business takes a long time. You won’t be an overnight success. You won’t make money fast.

The stories you’ve read are probably bullshit or extreme outliers. Take them with a big ass grain of salt.

I’ve witnessed thousands of people building businesses around me. And there’s one thing I’ve noticed…

It takes most people about four years to make good money with their online business. They must learn, try, and fail until they finally get it right. It’s the nature of the beast.

Think of it like getting a college degree. But instead, you make money instead of going into debt.

I’d take that trade any day.

In other words, you have to stay focused on one thing to gain traction.

The Power of One: Protect Yourself Against Shiny Object Syndrome

Things were moving too slowly when I first started my website in 2006. I wasn’t making money fast enough. So I started 10 more niche sites.

Instead of putting all my eggs in one basket, I’d hedge my bets. Increase my chances of one of them paying off.

It’s diversifying! Sounds smart, right?

This is considered good advice in some circles. Let me be straight with you: it’s the worst fucking advice you’ll ever hear.

The better way forward is committing to a single brand, one niche, and diversifying your revenue streams.

Stick with any niche long enough and give it your best shot. I promise it’ll pay off.

Once it pays off, you can scale by adding more niches and revenue streams to your broad brand.

The Perfect Niche Was Inside You All Along

Your profitable niche is right in front of you. You already know it. The reason you’re struggling is that you don’t believe in it.

But let me tell you. I’ve been doing this shit forever. It doesn’t matter which topic you choose.

I could take any item in my home and turn it into a website or brand. Because I spent 20 years working on ONE niche.

I picked it and fucking did it.

And I can teach you to do it in way less time. But I can’t help you pick a niche. You have to do that yourself. Only you know yourself.

I can help you brand it. I can help you do keyword research. I can help you monetize. And if you want to move on to something else, I can help y...

How to Optimize Old Content to Rank on Google

Matt Giovanisci — Fri, 06 May 2022 12:40:36 -0600

How to Repurpose Content Forever

Matt Giovanisci — Tue, 03 May 2022 20:14:54 -0600

The Lifeblood of My Business

Matt Giovanisci — Tue, 19 Apr 2022 12:51:12 -0600

Death to Affiliate Marketing

Matt Giovanisci — Tue, 08 Mar 2022 11:22:42 -0700

The writing’s on the wall. It’s been there for years. Affiliate marketing is dying a slow and painful death. And I won’t be dragged down with it! Before you freak out and start @ing me on Twitter, Affiliate marketing is dead to me. I’m no longer making it a priority in my business. And I want to share the reasons why. Am I gonna remove all the affiliate links on my site? No. Am I going to prioritize other revenue streams that actually grow my business and don’t try to fuck me over? Yes. So here is my latest business manifesto: why I think affiliate marketing is dying and what my strategy will be moving forward.

How to Restore a Failing Niche Site in Less Than 3 Months

Matt Giovanisci — Tue, 08 Feb 2022 16:22:24 -0700

Talk to me:

Twitter: @MattGiovanisci
Email: matt@moneylab.co

Rethinking Email Marketing in 2022

Matt Giovanisci — Mon, 31 Jan 2022 13:02:44 -0700

Talk to me:

Twitter: @MattGiovanisci
Email: matt@moneylab.co

Why I Don't Outsource Content Anymore

Matt Giovanisci — Mon, 10 Jan 2022 13:18:45 -0700

Talk to me:

Twitter: @MattGiovanisci
Email: matt@moneylab.co

My Favorite Tools for Online Business in 2022

Matt Giovanisci — Mon, 03 Jan 2022 11:50:26 -0700

Talk to me:

Twitter: @MattGiovanisci
Email: matt@moneylab.co

My 2021 Annual Business Review

Matt Giovanisci — Mon, 20 Dec 2021 08:53:09 -0700

Talk to me:

Twitter: @MattGiovanisci
Email: matt@moneylab.co

The Gazillion Dollar Sales Funnel Experiment

Matt Giovanisci — Mon, 06 Dec 2021 08:00:00 -0700

Talk to me:

Twitter: @MattGiovanisci
Email: matt@moneylab.co

The Great Website Optimization Experiment 2: Electric Boogaloo

Matt Giovanisci — Mon, 29 Nov 2021 08:00:00 -0700

Talk to me:

Twitter: @MattGiovanisci
Email: matt@moneylab.co

The Great Website Optimization Experiment

Matt Giovanisci — Mon, 22 Nov 2021 08:00:00 -0700

Talk to me:

Twitter: @MattGiovanisci
Email: matt@moneylab.co

The Untouchable Online Business Model: Future-Proofing Your Brand

Matt Giovanisci — Mon, 15 Nov 2021 08:00:00 -0700

Talk to me:

Twitter: @MattGiovanisci
Email: matt@moneylab.co

The YouTube Publishing Challenge

Matt Giovanisci — Mon, 08 Nov 2021 19:37:10 -0700

Talk to me:

Twitter: @MattGiovanisci
Email: matt@moneylab.co

Money Lab Season Three Announcement!

Matt Giovanisci — Mon, 08 Nov 2021 18:00:05 -0700

Talk to me:

Twitter: @MattGiovanisci
Email: matt@moneylab.co

Create and Sell Your Own Physical Products Online with Andy Humphrey

Matt Giovanisci — Thu, 10 Jun 2021 14:50:18 -0600

Want to create and sell your own physical products? Same! That's why I talked to a master of Amazon FBA and e-commerce (Andy Humphrey) who schooled me what it takes to do it successfully.

The BEST Business Move I Made in 2021

Matt Giovanisci — Wed, 19 May 2021 13:24:51 -0600

I'm breaking down a two-month marketing plan that increased my business revenue (digital product sales) by 66%.

Should You Start a SaaS BUSINESS? A Chat with Omar Zenhom of The $100 MBA Show and Webinar Ninja

Matt Giovanisci — Wed, 05 May 2021 13:37:53 -0600

I talk to Omar Zenhom about what it's like to run a SaaS company and all the stress and frustrations that go along with it. This forces me to ask, is it worth starting a software business?

How to Increase PAGESPEED for CORE WEB VITALS

Matt Giovanisci — Wed, 28 Apr 2021 13:45:00 -0600

I'll walk you through every step on how to speed up your WordPress site so your site passes Google's Core Web Vitals update.

The BEST Writing Tips and Tools for SEO and More

Matt Giovanisci — Wed, 21 Apr 2021 13:40:00 -0600

These are my favorite writing tips I've learned over the years to improve my writing for blog posts, emails, and more. Plus, all the tools I use to write better content online.

How to Build a PROFITABLE Product in Less Than 7 Days

Matt Giovanisci — Fri, 09 Apr 2021 11:43:40 -0600

I've built several digital products including online video courses, ebooks, and software. All in less than a week without spending a dime. Here's how I do it.

Homepage Improvement #2 with WP Eagle

Matt Giovanisci — Thu, 01 Apr 2021 13:34:58 -0600

Alex (WP Eagle) and Matt take your website submissions and offer ways to improve your SEO, page speed, design, and copywriting LIVE!

How to Create a Marketing Bridge with Jason Zook

Matt Giovanisci — Mon, 22 Mar 2021 09:39:18 -0600

Jason Zook and Matt Giovanisci discuss how to market yourself as a creator without feeling slimy, FOSO, and when weird doesn't work.

How to Simplify Your Online Business with Sean Ogle

Matt Giovanisci — Wed, 10 Mar 2021 13:44:24 -0700

Sean Ogle and Matt Giovanisci talk about how they're simplifying their online businesses in 2021 and beyond. Topics include: how to stay more organized, managing fewer brands, doubling-down on the right platforms, limiting distractions, and knowing your numbers so you know what to focus on. Online business courses, tools, & community: https://www.moneylab.co/pro

The Gazillion Dollar Sales Funnel Experiment

Matt Giovanisci — Wed, 24 Feb 2021 13:00:35 -0700

I'm walking you through the sales funnel plan given to me by Miles Beckler and executed on my website.

Homepage Improvement #1 with Miles Beckler (6 Website Teardowns)

Matt Giovanisci — Thu, 18 Feb 2021 10:48:53 -0700

Miles and Matt take your website submissions and offer ways to improve your SEO, page speed, design, and copywriting.

Should you BUILD YOUR BUSINESS in Public?

Matt Giovanisci — Thu, 11 Feb 2021 14:37:36 -0700

Is "building in public" a useful marketing tool or a distraction from growth? Brendan Hufford and I hash it out!

The Most Important SEO Trends in 2021

Matt Giovanisci — Thu, 04 Feb 2021 13:02:39 -0700

Is SEO changing in 2021? We rank the importance of SEO trends. What you need to change on your website, what new tools are available, and the importance of EAT and editorial SEO.

Behind The Scenes: Running a Digital Media Company

Matt Giovanisci — Wed, 27 Jan 2021 14:14:11 -0700

Take a behind-the-scenes look at what goes into running a digital media company with three different brands all producing weekly content for traffic.

The Keyword Golden Ratio Challenge with Doug Cunnington

Matt Giovanisci — Wed, 20 Jan 2021 16:25:48 -0700

Find the right keywords to rank fast on Google using the Keyword Golden Ratio method of research with Ahrefs. Matt and Doug create a brand new authority niche site and build a massive keyword list using Doug's KGR method.

Digital Housecleaning and New Community Management with Corbett Barr

Matt Giovanisci — Wed, 13 Jan 2021 14:48:32 -0700

Would you delete all your online content just to start over and digitally reset? That's what Corbett and others are doing in 2021 and we're gonna talk about it. Plus, what it's like to run an online community/membership.

Easy EMAIL MARKETING Strategies for 2021 with Miles Beckler

Matt Giovanisci — Mon, 11 Jan 2021 16:36:01 -0700

We discuss some simple email marketing blueprints to implement in our own businesses in 2021 using ActiveCampaign. 😀 Today's Guest is Miles Beckler: https://www.youtube.com/milesb

Discussing The GOOGLE CORE UPDATE 2020 with Brendan Hufford

Matt Giovanisci — Mon, 11 Jan 2021 16:34:27 -0700

We talk about what happened to everyone's website in the December Google Core Update 2020 and how to make your website better going forward. 😀 Today's Guest is Brendan Hufford of SEO For The Rest of Us: https://seofortherestofus.org/

My 2020 Annual Business Review with Sean Ogle

Matt Giovanisci — Mon, 11 Jan 2021 16:29:19 -0700

I compile all the data every month into one big journal entry with all the tasks I completed, what went well, what didn't, and what I plan to work on next.

The Money Lab Show is Back! Let me explain...

Matt Giovanisci — Mon, 11 Jan 2021 16:25:24 -0700

Every Wednesday at 2 pm EST, I host a show on YouTube called Money Lab LIVE. And now that show will be available as a podcast. So if you want to follow along and get new episodes of Money Lab LIVE, visit YouTube.com/MoneyLab. But now you can listen to them too!

Long-Term Success with Miles Beckler

MoneyLab.co — Mon, 25 May 2020 00:00:00 -0600

Has Matt found his online doppelgänger? Miles Beckler, of digital marketer YouTube fame and Milesbeckler.com, joins the show to talk all things online entrepreneur. Matt and Miles both run niche sites that they've had for years and years. They both run tons of experiments and share what they've learned online. And they both have a super strong hat game (have you seen their YouTube thumbnails?), So how do you stay committed to a businesses over the years without any viral, hockey stick moments? What are the small, boring things that add up to long-term success? And how do you have fun in the long-run? Enjoy!

P.S. You can check out Miles at YouTube.com/milesb

Online Business Experiment Formulas

MoneyLab.co — Mon, 18 May 2020 00:00:00 -0600

Matt just ran two business experiments that failed miserably. But they ended up being really valuable learning processes. Matt and Andrew discuss how to run useful, measurable tests in an online business. How do you come up with a legit hypothesis? How do you get meaningful data and results? And how do you move on if you find out it doesn't work? If you've ever wondered if something like Pinterest or starting a podcast would (or wouldn't) work for your business, this episode is for you. Enjoy!

P.S. You can binge-read all of Matt's business experiments from the last few years here: Moneylab.co/content

5 Questions: Dying Industries, Side Hustles and Business with Friends

MoneyLab.co — Mon, 11 May 2020 00:00:00 -0600

It's listener question time! From changing course in a dying industry to starting a business with a friend, Matt and Andrew debate the answers to your burning questions:

What would you if your niche site was in a stagnant or dying industry?
What are your favorite strategies for helping drive traffic to the newer websites you have built?
What's the best side hustle to start right now?
How do you set up and structure a business with friends?
And how do you find your own Andrew or Matt?

Keep your questions coming! We'll be doing more of these in the future, so head over to MoneyLab.co and email us your Qs to get yourself some As.

The Profit First Framework

MoneyLab.co — Mon, 04 May 2020 00:00:00 -0600

What does it actually mean to run a profitable business? Matt breaks down how he uses the Profit First accounting model to manage and allocate money made in his online business. Matt explains how he divides up his business revenue into certain Target Allocation Percentages and how this framework has helped him: 1) Pay himself more money as the business owner, 2) build up an account with reserves in it, and 3) have more than enough saved up for taxes every year.

Matt and Andrew talk about how they pay themselves from their businesses and make sure they have enough of a buffer for lean times. If you've ever looked for a better way to divide up the money your business brings in, this episode is for you. Enjoy!

P.S. You can see and download Matt's Profit First spreadsheet on YouTube.

P.P.S. Check out the Profit First book here: ProfitFirstBook.com

I'm Losing $176,929 in Revenue. Now What?

MoneyLab.co — Mon, 27 Apr 2020 00:00:00 -0600

Amazon just ripped the rug out from underneath every affiliate marketer, announcing their plan to slash affiliate marketing rates. And with just 7 days notice. Matt's business is set out to lose a whopping $176,929 with this change -- that's 40% of his entire business. So what does he plan to do about it? How does it affect Andrew? And what can every Amazon Associates member do going forward? Matt and Andrew spend the episode coming up with solutions in real time and trying to figure out the path forward. Enjoy!

P.S. You can read about Matt's entire plan of action at Moneylab.co

P.P.S. Matt and Andrew posted a video recording of this episode over on the Money Lab YouTube Channel.

Low Competition Gold Mines

MoneyLab.co — Mon, 20 Apr 2020 00:00:00 -0600

Does low competition equal instant success? Matt just wrapped up his experiment to launch a podcast in a low-competition category. The goal: trying to naturally rank and gain listeners where there's no competition. Spoiler: it didn't work. So when does focusing on low competition categories work in business? Why are Andrew's low-competition niche sites taking off but something like Matt's podcast doesn't? Matt and Andrew debate when low competition pays off and when it's not worth the pursuit. Enjoy!

P.S. You can read all about Matt's podcast experiment here: Moneylab.co/money-making-podcast

P.P.S. You can check out the Rental Properties course Matt and Andrew made at Listenmoneymatters.com/rei

When Your Business Model Isn't Working with Jason Zook

MoneyLab.co — Mon, 13 Apr 2020 00:00:00 -0600

Time to change things up! Jason Zook, founder of WanderingAimfully.com and Teachery.co, joins the show to talk about changing business models. Jason outlines how he and his wife decided to combine their businesses, launched a monthly membership site and changed their business model when they realized things weren't working. So how do you know when something's not working in your business? How do you find the right model and offerings that work for you and your customers? If you've been sensing a change on the horizon, this episode is for you. Enjoy!

P.S. If you've never heard Matt's Entreprenuer album, check it out here: Moneylab.co/rap

3 Things We'd Do If Our Websites Tanked

MoneyLab.co — Mon, 06 Apr 2020 00:00:00 -0600

What would you do if your traffic went south? Matt and Andrew answer an interesting question from a listener that applies to websites in slow decline and anyone seeing a dramatic drop-off this year. Here's the question:

Let's say your SwimU traffic has been in a slow, gradual decline since 2016. You didn't notice it at first, but as you compare year-over-year in Google Analytics, it's obvious. And your monthly pageviews are lower now than they were this time last year, and the year before (taking into account any seasonal dips, of course). Where would you start to diagnose the issue? What are the first 3 things you'd do?

Hopefully this episode helps anyone who's gone through this (or who's worried about going through this). And let us know if you have any more questions we can answer on the air!

P.S. You can see how Matt uses Ahrefs for competitor research and website audits in his course, SEO for Bloggers.

5 Questions: Focusing On One Site, Making Friends and Starting Over

MoneyLab.co — Mon, 30 Mar 2020 00:00:00 -0600

We're answering your questions on the show today! Matt and Andrew debate what they're doing about the dips in the market (and dips in SEO) before diving into your questions:

How do you focus on growing just one website?
How do you manage an affiliate site when most affiliate programs are localized by country?
If your current businesses just disappeared overnight and you know they were not recoverable, what would you do to start from scratch in 2020?
Has either of you had anyone quit in your business?
How have you guys formed most of your relationships with other online creators?

We love these episodes, and we hope you do, too. So keep 'em coming! Enjoy!

P.S. Would you take Matt or Andrew out to no-agenda coffee or happy hour?

P.P.S. As always, you can check out Matt's latest experiment here: Moneylab.co/content

Affiliate Marketing Philosophies with Doug Cunnington

MoneyLab.co — Mon, 23 Mar 2020 00:00:00 -0600

The script is flipped! Matt was recently interviewed by fellow online entrepreneur Doug Cunnington who runs NicheSiteProject.com. They spent an hour in Matt's studio talking about their different affiliate marketing philosophies, from keyword research to being public with your affiliate sites (which not everyone does). And since Doug was doing the interviewing, Matt got to give an entire overview of how he got started and how he runs each of his online brands. We thought it’d be nice to share that perspective on this show, for both new and long-time listeners who want a 10,000 foot view of how Matt approaches affiliate marketing. Enjoy!

P.S. You can find Doug at NicheSiteProject.com and at YouTube.com/DougCunnington

The Need for Page Speed

MoneyLab.co — Mon, 16 Mar 2020 00:00:00 -0600

Guess what: Google wants your website to load in under 1 second. Matt and Andrew talk about why they're obsessed with page speed as a competitive advantage in their online niches. They talk about the "easy, big wins" you can do today to speed up a site. They also debate how they decide what features to keep and what to cut to help speed things up. If you're looking for a way to one-up your competition on Google, this page speed optimization episode is for you. Enjoy!

P.S. Check out Matt's Page Speed Course here: Moneylab.co/pagespeed

P.P.S. Here's the YouTube video where Matt explains how to stop Google Analytics from slowing your site down.

Just Get It Done and Launch It, Already!

MoneyLab.co — Mon, 09 Mar 2020 00:00:00 -0600

Procrastinate much? Matt and Andrew talk about the roadblocks they've hit in creating online products and what happened during the 30-Day Build and Launch a Course Challenge. They dissect why Matt hated the 30-day timeframe and Andrew's mental roadblocks to finishing his course. They also talk about the other distractions that got in the way, i.e. other projects that feel more in their wheel house. So what do you do when you start procrastinating on a project that needs to ship? Should you just suck it up and finish it? Or is procrastination a signal that you should be working on something else? Take a listen to find out how Andrew plans to hack through his mental block. Enjoy!

P.S. Matt's course DID launch. You can check it out here: Moneylab.co/Pagespeed

Running a Content Machine

MoneyLab.co — Mon, 02 Mar 2020 00:00:00 -0700

How do you create consistent content without overspending or burning yourself out? Matt and Andrew examine each of their online businesses and how their content machines are currently running. Andrew's going full speed with lots of folks on staff, Matt's running some aspects of content creation on his brands, and a few of their sites are chugging along without either Andrew or Matt having to lift a finger. So how do you strike the right balance between producing a ton of new content and letting it ride? And when is it worth bringing on help or doing it yourself? Enjoy!

P.S. If you're curious about running a well-oiled content machine, check out Matt's course Asana for Bloggers: Moneylab.co/Asana

The Customer is Always Right

MoneyLab.co — Mon, 24 Feb 2020 00:00:00 -0700

How do you build products that meet your customers' needs, not just your own? Matt and Andrew talk about their "come-toJesus" moment with their SaaS product Lasso and how they've had to re-design their whole product. They discuss how they first built the product to selfishly meet their own needs and how conversations with customers forced them to pivot. From how to survey your existing audience to understanding UX/UI principles, designing directly for your audience can totally help you clarify your product design. Because in the end, the customer is always right... because they got the money. Enjoy!

P.S. If you haven't checked out Lasso, get on it! Visit GetLasso.co

P.P.S. Check out Google's design philosophy here: Material.io/design

Buying and Selling a Website with Carrie Smith Nicholson

MoneyLab.co — Mon, 17 Feb 2020 00:00:00 -0700

What's your website worth? Carrie Smith Nicholson, the author of The Ultimate Guide to Selling Your Blog and a blog consultant at CarrieConsiders.com, joins the show to talk about her experience buying and selling websites. Carrie sold her old website for nearly six figures, and she and Matt talk about the entire sales process, from deciding to sell your brand to finding the right buyer. They also chat about Carrie's latest web property purchase and her plans of turning her newest website into a lucrative brand. If you'e ever been curious about what it takes to sell a website you own or buy and revamp a new web property, this episode is for you. Enjoy!

P.S. You can find Carrie online at CarrieConsiders.com

Products, Relationships or Traffic

MoneyLab.co — Mon, 10 Feb 2020 00:00:00 -0700

Here's a business hypothesis for ya... There are 3 major factors in a successful online business: Products (what you sell), Relationships (trust with your audience) and Traffic (size of your audience). Nail 2 out of 3 of these and you’ll make six figures. Simple, right? Matt and Andrew discuss this business philosophy (learned from the folks at Create and Go) and how it applies to each of their current brands. They also dissect case studies from around the online business world and what they should be doing with Lasso. So which combo are you? Or which combo do you aspire to be? Figuring this out might help you focus on your own growth trajectory. Enjoy!

P.S. Check out more of Create and Go's business philosophies here: Createandgo.com

Big Revenue Jumps: From Scraping By to Six Figures

MoneyLab.co — Mon, 03 Feb 2020 00:00:00 -0700

Started from the bottom now we here. Matt and Andrew talk about their big business revenue jumps over the years. They dissect the moment when they hit $40,000 in annual revenue and how they finally hit six figures. From their original affiliate marketing efforts (and Matt's first $115 with Amazon Affiliates) and to their first legit SEO strategies, they break down what got them up and over the $100K mark. They reveal the secret ingredient of it all (spoiler: it's time) and whether or not they could make that kind of revenue jump again. Only TIME will tell (it's time... the secret ingredient is time). Enjoy!

P.S. You can check out Matt's timeline here: Moneylab.co/Timeline

Mo Money, Mo Products?

MoneyLab.co — Mon, 27 Jan 2020 00:00:00 -0700

Make more money in 2020! Specifically with digital products! Matt and Andrew don't want to rely 100% on the Affiliate Marketing Gods, which means beefing up their digital product game in the new year. They talk about their "come to Jesus moments" around digital products, how Matt made over $100K in digital product sales last year and what kind of products do and don't work with their audience (like membership platforms). Andrew unveils his new product for Listen Money Matters and they chat about what they need to do to consistently market their courses. Enjoy!

P.S. You can check out Matt's favorite digital product platform Podia (it's an affiliate link!): Moneylab.co/podia

Business Autopilot

MoneyLab.co — Mon, 20 Jan 2020 00:00:00 -0700

Would your business fall apart without you? Matt and Andrew both had to take long breaks from their businesses a few months ago. They talk about how their businesses survived without them and how the wheels kept turning in their absence. From hiring the right people (and what that actually means) to setting up solid standard operating procedures, how do you make sure it all doesn't crumble to pieces when there's a real emergency? And how do you go about finding people you trust to take over? Enjoy!

P.S. You can check out Matt's last year in business (including how it did while he was gone) over on the website: Moneylab.co/Nineteen

Online Business Tools We Can't Live Without

MoneyLab.co — Mon, 13 Jan 2020 00:00:00 -0700

Cue Julie Andrews, because these are a few of our favorite things. Matt and Andrew walk through every single tool they use to run their online businesses. They cover all their must-haves: SEO research, hosting, caching, product sales, accounting, business organization, file management, email marketing, podcasting and YouTube video production. Phew! They also share brutally honest reviews of tools they're not-so-thrilled with (cough, ConvertKit, cough). Consider this episode the MTV Cribs walkthrough of online businesses. Except less luxury cars and more plugins. Enjoy!

P.S. You can get the full list of Matt's favorite tools here: Moneylab.co/About

5 Questions: Traffic Dips, Outranking Competitors and Recession Worries

MoneyLab.co — Mon, 06 Jan 2020 00:00:00 -0700

New Year, who dis? We're kicking off 2020 with our favorite kind of show: listener Q&A! Matt and Andrew answer a stack of listener questions, from dealing with a sudden drop in traffic (thanks, BERT update) to beating out a slimy competitor that's shot up the ranks in Google. And if you're worried about the next recession, Matt and Andrew discuss what they'd do to recession-proof their work. They cover it all, including how they'd turn an $1,300/month YouTube channel into a full-time business. Enjoy!

P.S. If you're looking for a website refresh in the new year, might we suggest checking out Matt's super fast, super sleek theme, Carbonate? You can grab it at the Money Lab store: products.moneylab.co/

P.P.S. Here's the YouTube experiment Matt talks about in this episode: Moneylab.co/youtube-optimization/

In It For the Long Haul (Greatest Hits)

MoneyLab.co — Mon, 30 Dec 2019 00:00:00 -0700

It's our final episode of the year, the last one in our Greatest Hits series, and the perfect motivation for your business New Years Resolutions: how to stick with it for the long haul. (This episode originally aired in March 2019).

It only took 15+ combined years for Matt and Andrew to "make it" as "entrepreneurs." And you can, too! Listen in on Matt and Andrew's beer-fueled trip down memory lane recapping the slumps, the wins and the eff-it-all moments on the loooooooong road to "success." Enjoy!

P.S. This episode may or may not be brought to you by Little Caesars Pizza.

Money-Making Hobby Sites with Sean Ogle (Greatest Hits)

MoneyLab.co — Mon, 23 Dec 2019 00:00:00 -0700

More goodness coming at ya from the Money Lab vault (this episode originally aired August 2019).

Should you try turning a hobby you love into a money-making website? Sean Ogle, founder of BreakingEighty.com and LocationRebel.com, joins the show to talk about turning a hobby into an online business. Both Sean and Matt run websites based on hobbies they love: Sean runs a golf site and Matt runs a homebrewing website, BrewCabin.com. So how do they approach monetizing their hobbies? What does it take to create a paid community around something you love? And how do you make sure you keep the passion alive with your hobby when it's a business? If you've ever considered turning a hobby into an online business, this episode is for you. Enjoy!

P.S. You can find more about Sean at LocationRebel.com and BreakingEighty.com.

P.P.S. If you want to see a behind-the-scenes look at how Matt monetizes own hobby-based site, check out his course SEO for Bloggers: Moneylab.co/SEO

Practical SEO Writing Strategies with Michelle Lowery (Greatest Hits)

MoneyLab.co — Mon, 16 Dec 2019 00:00:00 -0700

The greatest hits keep rolling with some ultra-practical SEO tips (this episode originally aired August 2019).

Good news: SEO isn't as complicated as you think. Digital content editor and writer Michelle Lowery joins the show to share her best practices for SEO writing and editing. Matt and Michelle chat about how they approach creating content that ranks on Swim University, including clever ways to incorporate keywords and how to optimize text for both robots and humans. Michelle also shares some of her favorite strategies for researching keywords and how she weaves a human-centered approach into her work. This is a behind-the-scenes look at Swim University's entire SEO process and how Michelle creates articles that are more likely to rank. Enjoy!

P.S. If you want to learn more about writing SEO friendly content, check out Matt's course SEO for Bloggers: Moneylab.co/SEO

P.P.S. You can find Michelle on Twitter @MichelleDLowery

Affiliate Site Showdown (Greatest Hits)

MoneyLab.co — Mon, 09 Dec 2019 00:00:00 -0700

The Money Lab Greatest Hits countdown continues with an affiliate marketing heavy-hitter (this episode originally aired April 2019).

It's a battle royale between affiliate sites as Matt and Andrew debate the pros and cons of their different affiliate business models. From only using the Amazon affiliate program to managing tons of affiliate partners, how do they structure their affiliate revenue streams? And what are the challenges of running a site that makes 100% of its money from affiliate marketing? Matt and Andrew dive into the revenue and risk of each of their money-making affiliate sites. Enjoy!

P.S. Speaking of affiliate marketing... the newest Money Lab course is here! Check out Matt's in-depth affiliate course at www,MoneyLab.co/Affiliate.

When Email Marketing Advice Doesn't Work (Greatest Hits)

MoneyLab.co — Mon, 02 Dec 2019 00:00:00 -0700

We're sharing more Money Lab's greatest hits, all December long! (This episode originally aired May 2019).

Spoiler: classic email marketing tactics don't work for every online business. Can complex marketing funnels, slow drip campaigns and content upgrades actually hurt sales? Matt and Andrew dive into the details of Matt's multi-month experiment trying to optimize his sales funnel at Swim University. They pick through Matt's sales stats, walk through his elaborate email set up for converting readers to customers and debate why a complicated funnel wasn't the right move for his website. Get ready to talk UTM codes, conversion rates and customer avatars. Enjoy!

P.S. Check out Matt's full write up about his email marketing experiment here: Moneylab.co/email-funnels

Finding New Income Streams (Greatest Hits)

MoneyLab.co — Mon, 25 Nov 2019 00:00:00 -0700

We're celebrating the holiday season by sharing the best Money Lab episodes@ And we're kicking things off with this super popular episode, which originally aired June 2019.

Matt needs money! He's already trimmed his costs down to the bone in his business and now he wants to focus on efficient ways to ratchet up his revenue. So how can he increase the flow of his existing income streams on his websites? Should he focus on micro changes, like optimizing click through rates? Or is it something bigger, like monetizing his video content on his YouTube channel? In this conversation, Matt and Andrew debate ways to increase their revenue without adding additional costs and by leveraging their super powers. Enjoy!

P.S. Want to create some affiliate marketing income streams in your business? Check out Matt's affiliate marketing course at Moneylab.co/Affiliate

Frictionless Course Creation

MoneyLab.co — Mon, 18 Nov 2019 00:00:00 -0700

Have you ever procrastinated creating an online course? Yeah, neither have we... Never. Nope.

Matt and Andrew talk about the magic that happens when you find the perfect software for hosting and selling an online course. Matt walks through his decision-making process for choosing a new course platform (spoiler: it's Podia!) and how making the switch is already paying off (spoiler: it's upselling!). Matt also outlines how he'll leverage this new online infrastructure to make even more course content in the future.

Will Matt become a course creating machine? Will Andrew finally drink the online course Koolaid and create a course for Listen Money Matters? If you've ever wanted an easier way of putting an online course out into the world, this episode is for you. Enjoy!

P.S. Wanna check out Matt's hot-looking product page? Check it out at products.moneylab.co

P.P.S. You can get on the Podia train here (it's an affiliate link, yo!)

Building A YouTube Engine with Thomas Frank

MoneyLab.co — Mon, 11 Nov 2019 00:00:00 -0700

If you're a creative, the pressure to make perfect, consistent content is real. Thomas Frank, aka Thomas the Frank Engine, aka the College Info Geek, joins the show to talk about growing his YouTube channel to 1.5 million subscribers, his moment of burnout and how he's running his business differently since bouncing back.

Matt and Thomas discuss how to remove yourself as a bottleneck from your business (even when you want 100% creative control) and the mental toll that happens when you're running in a self-made business hamster wheel (Thomas' crash-and-burn moment happens at the 28:40 mark).

So how do you outsource pieces of your work without feeling the need to be part of the entire creative process? How do you create a system to avoid burnout in the first place? And how do you deal with comments and trolls when you're trying to stay sane as a creator? Oh, and they also spend a good chunk of time nerding out on their favorite YouTube tools, like teleprompters, SEO plugins and captioning services. Enjoy!

P.S. You can check out Thomas’ YouTube channel at Youtube.com/thomasfrank

P.P.S. You can read more about Matt’s own YouTube experiment at Moneylab.co/Youtube-Optimization

A Long Road to $15K MRR: The Lasso Experiment

MoneyLab.co — Mon, 04 Nov 2019 00:00:00 -0700

"Let's just launch a SaaS company and become super successful in 6 months!" they said. "This will be soooo easy!" they said. Well, not so much.

Matt and Andrew talk about the launch of their SaaS product Lasso earlier this year, their audacious goal of reaching $15,000 MRR in just half a year and why they're only 10% of the way there. But they're still pretty optimistic. They discuss why they've faced such big hurdles along the way, like not truly understanding their ideal customer, and how they've finally started to embrace the fact that they ARE a "Make Money Online" plugin.

So what now? How do they plan to find new customers and affiliate marketers that already want what they're selling? If you've been following along with the Lasso journey and wondering how the heck it's going, this episode is for you. Enjoy!

P.S. Matt's tightened up the language and design on the Lasso sales page. What do ya think? www.GetLasso.co

5 Questions: Picking a Niche, Negative SEO, and Trusting Yourself

MoneyLab.co — Mon, 28 Oct 2019 00:00:00 -0600

Welcome to another listener question epsiode! Matt and Andrew respond to all the Qs from Twitter and email (keep them coming!). From negative SEO and Google penalties to what metrics to look for when you're picking a website niche. And how do you let go of total control in your business and hire out the tasks you shouldn't be doing? They cover it all, including Matt and Andrew's sordid past with blackhat SEO and how they've learned to trust themselves with their business choices.

P.S. As always, check out the sweet suite of Money Lab menu of products at MoneyLab.co/Products

P.P.S. Is it neesh or nitch? Pee-nalize or pen-alize? The world may never know...

Fueling Your Business Fire with Brandon The Mad Fientist

MoneyLab.co — Mon, 21 Oct 2019 00:00:00 -0600

Come on baby, light my business fire! (The Doors. Nailed it).

Matt and Andrew are joined by Brandon from MadFientist.com to talk about staying motivated in their online businesses. Brandon shares his journey of growing his own successful site (including the mental breakdown that motivated him to launch it) and chats about his newest online business, including the challenge of mixing business with a hobby.

The three of them debate what truly motivates them in their work (hint: it's not money, but it kind of is?) and how to keep that hunger alive when you start to feel like you're coasting in your business. How do you tap into that intrinsic motivation to keep the business fires burning bright? This is an honest, behind-the-scenes chat about what drives these guys to do what they do. Enjoy!

P.S. You can read about Brandon's synthesizer business experiment here: Madfientist.com/Online-Business-Experiment

P.P.S. Liked this episode? You'll probably enjoy the episode called Money-Making Hobby Sites with Sean Ogle that dropped at the end of August 2019. Check it out!

The Science Facebook Ads and Knowing Your Audience with Mojca Zove

MoneyLab.co — Mon, 14 Oct 2019 00:00:00 -0600

It's all about who you know. And you should really know your audience.

Mojca Zove, the founder of SuperSpicyMedia.com and TheScienceOfFacebookAds.com, joins the show to talk all about strategies for understanding your audience, especially when it comes to social media campaigns. She also dives into her transition from running a successful Facebook ads consultancy to running a product-based business.

So how do you convert eyeballs into sales? How do you validate a new product with your audience and bounce back if you have a disappointing launch? Mojca shares the ups and downs of her own journey, including the strategies she's used with her clients to turn Facebook views into actual customers.

If you're launching a new product to your audience or you're curious about the secret sauce behind a good Facebook ad campaign, this episode's for you. Enjoy!

P.S. You can find Mojca at SuperSpicyMedia.com and TheScienceOfFacebookAds.com And you can follow along with Mojca's journey on the Changing Gears YouTube video series here.

Converting Visitors Into Customers with Brennan Dunn

MoneyLab.co — Mon, 07 Oct 2019 00:00:00 -0600

You can't say the wrong thing to the right person -- but saying the right thing sure helps with sales! Brennan Dunn, the founder of RightMessage.com, joins the show to chat about personalized messaging and how to create a highly tailored sales funnel for your audience. Matt and Brennan discuss the nitty gritty of how to segment website visitors and email subscribers. How do you figure out who's coming to your site and optimize your message for those people? And what kind of data should you be measuring to see if personalized messaging actually works? If you wanna get extra nerdy about your business's sales funnel, this episode is for you. Enjoy!

P.S. You can find Brennan at RightMessage.com and DoubleYourFreelancing.com.

Taking Affiliate Marketing Seriously and Testing Our Links

MoneyLab.co — Mon, 30 Sep 2019 00:00:00 -0600

Hot links, coming through! Matt and Andrew make most of their income through affiliate marketing, so it makes sense to give their links a little love once and awhile. They discuss how they're optimizing, testing and tracking their affiliate links. What do you do when you start to look at your click data? How do you manage your affiliate link inventory and clean up what's not working and double down on what does? Every link counts, and this episode explores how to make each one count more. Enjoy!

P.S. If you want to step up your affiliate link management game, check out GetLasso.co!

Software as a Lifestyle Business with Corbett Barr

MoneyLab.co — Mon, 23 Sep 2019 00:00:00 -0600

How do you launch, market and sell a new product without going totally crazy? Corbett Barr, the founder of Fizzle.co and Palapa.co, joins the show to chat about his new SaaS business and how he approaches sustainable and sane business growth. Matt and Corbett discuss how to find new customers, how to close sales in the software world and how to gather initial feedback while you’re still iterating on a product. Whether you’re a software developer or an entrepreneur thinking of launching something new, this is a great episode for diving into the nitty gritty of marketing and growing a business. Enjoy!

P.S. You can find Corbett's work at Fizzle.co and Palapa.co. Fun fact: Matt and Andrew met through Fizzle!

The YouTube Experiment Worked And Made $12K+

MoneyLab.co — Mon, 16 Sep 2019 00:00:00 -0600

Matt's been running an experiment to increase his YouTube ad revenue and sell more of his digital products through his videos. And guess what? It totally worked! In this episode, Matt and Andrew dive into all the techniques Matt's using to increase YouTube views, watch time and subscribers and explore why this new YouTube content strategy is paying off (literally -- Matt's made over $12K because of this optimization experiment). If you want a deep-n-nerdy dive into YouTube SEO, thumbnail designs, playlists and end cards, this episode is for you. Enjoy!

P.S. Want to see the behind-the-scenes of all this work (and the extra loud Hawaiian shirt Matt sports in all his videos)? Check out the entire experiment write up at Moneylab.co/Youtube-Optimization

Own Your Weird Way in Business with Jason Zook

MoneyLab.co — Mon, 09 Sep 2019 00:00:00 -0600

Being weird pays off. Jason Zook, the King of Weird Business Models, joins the show today to talk about all of the crazy businesses he’s started over the years and to celebrate his new book, Own Your Weird. Jason has sold his last name (twice) for a total of $100,000, created a business where he wore other people’s t-shirts for money, and sold his entire “future” to his audience. Jason and Matt explore how being weird in their businesses pays off and debate how to keep the weird stunts going without burning out. If you don’t already know Jason’s story of weirdness, this one’s worth the listen. Enjoy!

P.S. You can check out Jason and order his book at WanderingAimfully.com

P.P.S. Yes, Matt has a rap album. Enjoy: Moneylab.co/Rap

Is It Worth It? Analyzing Our Business Expenses

MoneyLab.co — Mon, 02 Sep 2019 00:00:00 -0600

The ultimate dream: spend a dollar in your business, earn ten dollars on the other side. But calculating business ROI isn't such simple math. Matt and Andrew discuss how they justify making big business purchases and figure out whether or not their large recurring expenses are worth it. How do they know if hired contract work will pay off? How do you put a price tag on things like mental health? And how do you make sure your business can handle a new monthly expense? It's simple, really: Phase 1: Spend Money. Phase 2: ? Phase 3: Profit. Enjoy!

P.S. Like the show? Let us know what topics you'd like us to discuss on the show! Send us a note at matt@moneylab.co

Money-Making Hobby Sites with Sean Ogle

MoneyLab.co — Mon, 26 Aug 2019 00:00:00 -0600

P.S. You can find more about Sean at LocationRebel.com and BreakingEighty.com.

P.P.S. If you want to see a behind-the-scenes look at how Matt monetizes own hobby-based site, check out his course SEO for Bloggers: Moneylab.co/SEO

5 Questions: Google Algorithm Changes and What Happens When You Die

MoneyLab.co — Mon, 19 Aug 2019 00:00:00 -0600

It's listener question time! Matt and Andrew answer everything from how to keep on top of the changes to the Google algorithm, how to treat nofollow vs. dofollow links and how site performance affects for SEO. Oh, and what happens to your website when you die? Matt and Andrew answer all your questions about optimizing your site for speed and prepping your website for the day you kick the bucket. Enjoy!

P.S. Want to organize your business as if you were a ghost? Check out Matt's Asana for Bloggers course: Moneylab.co/Asana

Practical SEO Writing Strategies with Michelle Lowery

MoneyLab.co — Mon, 12 Aug 2019 00:00:00 -0600

P.S. If you want to learn more about writing SEO friendly content, check out Matt's course SEO for Bloggers: Moneylab.co/SEO

P.P.S. You can find Michelle on Twitter @MichelleDLowery

The Untapped Value of The Network

MoneyLab.co — Mon, 05 Aug 2019 00:00:00 -0600

Why is it so dang hard to ask for help? Matt and Andrew debate why they have so much trouble reaching out to their network and asking for favors -- even though they both have entrepreneur friends who would gladly help. How can they start leveraging their networks without coming across as fake or needy? They discuss everything from how to craft emails and how to stop procrastinating with pitching their work. Enjoy!

P.S. Have you seen the new Lasso sales page? Matt and Andrew are pretty proud of how it turned out. Check out the experiment here: Moneylab.co/MRR

Small Changes, Big Payoffs

MoneyLab.co — Mon, 29 Jul 2019 00:00:00 -0600

Earning thousands more a month with just a flip of the switch? It's possible. Small changes can pay off in big ways in the online business world. Matt and Andrew talk about the tiny tweaks they've made that have lead to more money. And we're talking really tiny tweaks, like moving around existing links, adding new featured images and making minor updates to existing products. It can take lots of tracking to figure out what changes work, but it makes for a better business in the long run. Maybe it really is the little things in life. Especially if they make you more money. Enjoy!

P.S. One of Matt's biggest payoffs? A small change to how he tracks his revenue. Check out his write up about his Lean Business Model at Moneylab.co/Lean-Business

A Blueprint for Growing Your YouTube Channel with Tom Martin

MoneyLab.co — Mon, 22 Jul 2019 00:00:00 -0600

How do you hack the YouTube algorithm? Tom Martin joins the show to teach us everything he knows about YouTube SEO and do a live teardown of Matt's Swim University YouTube channel. Tom is the YouTube mastermind behind several multi-million subscriber YouTube channels, including BBC's Mr. Bean. He shares strategies for getting viewers to binge watch your videos, designing thumbnails with great click through rates and increasing the total watch time on your channel. If you're looking for a step-by-step guide to YouTube SEO and growing a channel to Mr. Bean-level proportions, consider this episode your hands-on tutorial. Enjoy!

P.S. Tom was generous enough to offer a few YouTube intro course to MoneyLab listeners at VidPro.com/MoneyLab. Thanks, Tom!

P.P.S. Follow along with Matt's YouTube Optimization experiment here: Moneylab.co/Youtube-Optimization

Failed Experiments Selling Sponsorships and Ads

MoneyLab.co — Mon, 15 Jul 2019 00:00:00 -0600

There's money to be made in the advertising world. But is it the right business model for everyone? Both Matt and Andrew have made a living selling sponsorships and advertising through their online businesses. But over the years, they've both realized that it's not the right fit for their businesses or the way they like to work. Why did they abandon that business model? And what is the right business set up for making money through ads? Spoiler: it may just be peddling your own wares. Enjoy!

P.S. This episode is brought to you by... Money Lab! (Spoiler). If you want to support the show, check out the extensive menu of Money Lab courses here: Moneylab.co/Products

Unidentified Shiny Objects

MoneyLab.co — Mon, 08 Jul 2019 00:00:00 -0600

Ooh, piece of candy! As entrepreneurs, we're constantly being sold on new ideas. And some of us end up "impulse buying" those new ideas. It's classic Shiny Object Syndrome. Like an excited little puppy running after a bouncing tennis ball, it's super tempting to chase after new and exciting business ideas, tools and projects. Matt and Andrew talk about how they've fallen victim to Shiny Object Syndrome and how they avoid running after every idea that comes their way. Enjoy!

P.S. If you're looking for a new business idea to run after... check out Matt's course, SEO for Bloggers! But seriously: if you're in the market specifically for SEO training, this is the perfect course for that.

A YouTube Content Hypothesis

MoneyLab.co — Mon, 01 Jul 2019 00:00:00 -0600

YouTube is soooo hot right now. Matt's noticing an uptick in sales, traffic and ad revenue from the new YouTube videos he's produced and published for SwimU. So he's running an experiment to see if he can make more money through the 'Tube on both of his affiliate websites. Will producing YouTube videos again pay off in the long run? How the heck does YouTube SEO work? And how can you measure if it's working? If you're YouTube curious, this episode is for you. Enjoy!

P.S. Check out Matt's sweet new pool videos here on YouTube.

P.P.S. Here's a link to the Veritasium YouTube video analyzing why YouTube videos go viral.

Business Boundaries and Staying Focused

MoneyLab.co — Mon, 24 Jun 2019 00:00:00 -0600

FOCUS, PEOPLE! Both Matt and Andrew have historically sucked at setting boundaries with their businesses and focusing on what they actually need to do. But all that's about to change! And Andrew's about to start a family, so he's got extra incentive to figure how to manage his time.

They both love working on their businesses, but it means it's easy to get lost in their work or go down a rabbit hole with tasks that aren’t actually that important. So what are the critical areas they need to focus on with their business? And how do they start working smarter (not harder) with the hours they have? The clock starts... now. Enjoy!

P.S. Parkinson's Law is the old adage that "work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion." Definitely not "Oslo's Law," guys.

P.P.S. If you need some organizational help with your online business, check out Matt's course Asana for Bloggers: Moneylab.co/Asana

5 Questions: Seasonal Niches, Improving Affiliate Conversions and Stolen Ideas

MoneyLab.co — Mon, 17 Jun 2019 00:00:00 -0600

You've got business questions, we've got business answers! Matt and Andrew bring all the A's to your Q's, including a deep dive into measuring click-through rates and why goals might be more distracting than helpful. How do you improve affiliate marketing conversions on your website? How do you protect yourself from getting your ideas stolen on the internet? And how do you deal with running a niche website with traffic that dries up in the winter? Keep the questions coming and we'll keep the answers flowing. Enjoy!

P.S. Matt mentions his post on website optimization. Check it out on Money Lab here: Moneylab.co/Website-optimization

P.P.S. If you haven't already checked out Matt and Andrew's latest software Lasso, check it out at GetLasso.co

Finding New Income Streams

MoneyLab.co — Mon, 10 Jun 2019 00:00:00 -0600

P.S. Want to create some affiliate marketing income streams in your business? Check out Matt's affiliate marketing course at Moneylab.co/Affiliate

The Road to $15,000 MRR

MoneyLab.co — Mon, 03 Jun 2019 00:00:00 -0600

Getting to $15,000 monthly recurring revenue in 6 months... piece of cake, right? Matt and Andrew have challenged themselves to get their product Lasso into the hands of 300 customers by the end of November. It's a time crunch, which means not relying on long-term SEO and focusing on strategies that'll get more customers in the first few months. What tactics will get them the quickest and most impactful results? And how can they leverage their personal superpowers to get to that 6 month finish line? Enjoy!

P.S. You can read about the entire $15,000 MRR challenge at Moneylab.co/MRR

P.P.S. Jump on the Lasso waiting list at GetLasso.co. Giddy up, cowboy.

Rebooting Our Business Operating Systems

MoneyLab.co — Mon, 27 May 2019 00:00:00 -0600

You know you should have processes in place for your business. So why does every entrepreneur avoid this? At what point is it time to create better processes versus always fixing things as you go? Matt and Andrew break down the process of creating processes, including how to trick yourself into doing the really un-sexy work of building a business operating system. Matt has a literal gasping ah-ha moment in this one and maybe even solves the reason why Andrew has avoided this work. Enjoy!

P.S. Need better business operating systems? Have you seen Matt's Asana for Bloggers course? Check it out here: Moneylab.co/Asana

When Email Marketing Advice Doesn't Work

MoneyLab.co — Mon, 20 May 2019 00:00:00 -0600

P.S. Check out Matt's full write up about his email marketing experiment here: Moneylab.co/email-funnels

Total Business Makeover with Travis Sherry

MoneyLab.co — Mon, 13 May 2019 00:00:00 -0600

WWMD (What Would Matt Do)? Travis Sherry of Extra Pack of Peanuts joins the show as Matt plays business consultant and dives into what's working and what's not on Travis' website. Travis shares all the juicy details (revenue, traffic, subscribers) and Matt unloads his advice on how he thinks Travis can start to rank for some meaty keywords and pull in more revenue. Buckle up: this episode is like a live mini course/case study in auditing an online business. Enjoy!

P.S. You can find Travis at ExtraPackofPeanuts.com

P.P.S. Want Matt to play consultant with your business? You can get the next best thing by checking out his SEO and Affiliate Marketing Courses: Moneylab.co/products/

5 Questions: Trashing Articles, Customer Feedback and Working Solo

MoneyLab.co — Mon, 06 May 2019 00:00:00 -0600

It's listener question time again! Matt and Andrew unpack all of your burning questions. How do you save an article that flopped in the SEO rankings? What should you focus on if you're only one person trying to build an affiliate site? And how much does Matt LOVE banner ads? (Hint: 0%). Thank you everyone for sending in your questions. Enjoy!

P.S. The Affiliate Marketing Video Course is on sale for $149! Check it out here: Moneylab.co/affiliate AND since you're a beautiful listener of the show, you can use the promo code PODCAST for 10% off.

P.P.S. Do you know what a meatball shorty is?

Getting Out Of Our Own Way

MoneyLab.co — Mon, 29 Apr 2019 00:00:00 -0600

Move, please! Get out the way! Like any good entrepreneur that cares too much, Matt and Andrew are prone to self-sabotaging the very same business that they love so dearly. So how do you stop yourself from derailing the growth and success of your online business? In this episode, Matt and Andrew discuss how to stop micromanaging and create business processes that last. Their little business babies grow up so fast - time to finally set them free! Enjoy!

P.S. Have you checked out Matt's Affiliate Marketing Video Course yet? It's a ton of affiliate marketing how-to video content (duh) and it's 10% off if you use the promo code PODCAST. Check it out here: Moneylab.co/Affiliate

Behind The Money Lab Curtain

MoneyLab.co — Mon, 22 Apr 2019 00:00:00 -0600

It's the one year anniversary of the Money Lab Podcast! Steph Halligan joins the show today to celebrate with Matt and take a behind-the-scenes look at everything that goes into an episode of Money Lab. From the work flow that makes podcasting easier to Matt's crazy tech setup in his new office-turned-podcast-studio, we explore each piece that make for an entertaining podcast. Enjoy!

P.S. You can find Steph hanging out on Twitter @StephHalligan

P.P.S. Matt documented his super profesh podcast set up here: www.Moneylab.co/professional-podcast

P.P.P.S. Have you seen Matt's Affiliate Marketing Video Course yet? Check out www.MoneyLab.co/Affiliate and get 10% off when you use the promo code PODCAST.

When Does It End?

MoneyLab.co — Mon, 15 Apr 2019 00:00:00 -0600

Time to wrap it up? Matt and Andrew debate how to know when it's stop growing a revenue-generating website. Is there a moment when an online business is “done” and it’s time to move on to other projects? Or should they always double down on the work if a website is making money? I don't think there was ever an episode where Matt and Andrew disagreed more ;-) Enjoy!

P.S. The Affiliate Marketing Video Course is here! And it's 10% off for listeners with the promo code PODCAST. Check it out at www.MoneyLab.co/Affiliate

Running a Paid Community with Jason Moore

MoneyLab.co — Mon, 08 Apr 2019 00:00:00 -0600

A subscription-based online community sounds good in theory, but what does it actually take to run a monthly membership site?

Jason Moore stops by to explore the payoffs and challenges of managing a paid community. How do you keep adding value so customers stick around? And can a skeptic like Matt be convinced to start his own Money Lab community? Jason helps Matt debate whether or not it's a fit for his business and his lifestyle. Enjoy!

P.S. You can find Jason at LocationIndie.com and ZeroToTravel.com

P.P.S. Check out the latest Money Lab offering, The Affiliate Marketing Video Course: www,MoneyLab.co/Affiliate.

Affiliate Site Showdown

MoneyLab.co — Mon, 01 Apr 2019 00:00:00 -0600

P.S. Speaking of affiliate marketing... the newest Money Lab course is here! Check out Matt's in-depth affiliate course at www,MoneyLab.co/Affiliate.

Getting SaaSy with Justin Jackson

MoneyLab.co — Mon, 25 Mar 2019 00:00:00 -0600

"Internet stuntman" and long-time friend of the show Justin Jackson stops by to dive into what it takes to build a successful SaaS company. Justin's own company Transistor.fm (a podcast hosting platform) has reached over $8,000 in MRR in 8 months. How do you figure out how to price your product? How do you do stand out at a crowded market? And how the heck do you actually get your product to spread through word of mouth? This is a juicy one. Enjoy!

P.S. You can find Justin at JustinJackson.ca and Transistor.fm

P.P.S. Check out Jason Cohen's in-depth SaaS post that Justin talks about in this episode.

P.P.P.S. Have ya heard? Matt and Andrew have their own SaaS product called Lasso. "People like us use products like this!"

5 Questions: New Niches, Ethics and Selling Our Sites

MoneyLab.co — Mon, 18 Mar 2019 00:00:00 -0600

It's listener question time! Matt and Andrew bring the A's to your Q's about everything from starting a site from scratch to the ethics of affiliate marketing. And what would it take to get Matt and Andrew to sell Swim University or Listen Money Matters? Thanks for submitting your questions and keep 'em coming. Enjoy!

P.S. Naturally, Matt talks a lot about his SEO course in this episode. Check it out at MoneyLab.co/SEO

P.P.S. Have you guessed what Andrew's secret niche site is? (He gives some big clues in this episode. But will he ever tell us outright?!)

In It For the Long Haul

MoneyLab.co — Mon, 11 Mar 2019 00:00:00 -0600

P.S. Andrew casually recommends checking out WP Engine: www.Moneylab.co/wpengine

P.P.S. This episode may or may not be brought to you by Little Caesars Pizza.

$180K In Business Expenses

MoneyLab.co — Mon, 04 Mar 2019 00:00:00 -0700

Gotta spend money to make money, right? RIGHT? Matt and Andrew go over their business expenses from the past year and debate whether or not this old entrepreneur adage lives up to the hype. They talk real dollars and debate whether spending all that money in their business actually makes cents. Enjoy!

P.S. One thing that Matt's happy to spend money on? Email. Check out his Converkit experiment here: https://www.moneylab.co/email-funnels/

WE DID IT

MoneyLab.co — Mon, 25 Feb 2019 00:00:00 -0700

Oh snap, it's here! Matt and Andrew have finally launched their SaaS product, Lasso (an affiliate link manager and monetizer for Wordpress sites). In this episode, they talk about the crazy-making process of bringing a SaaS product to market and how excited they are to start using this beautiful piece of software. Enjoy!

P.S. Read all about Lasso and the entire challenge at MoneyLab.co

Is My Business Safe?

MoneyLab.co — Mon, 18 Feb 2019 00:00:00 -0700

It's 10 PM. Do you know where your income streams are? Running an online business means you're exposed to a lot of external forces, like algorithm updates, affiliate commission changes and even economic recessions. Matt and Andrew debate how to future-proof their businesses to protect against the unpredictable. Enjoy!

P.S. Sorry about the audio crackles in this one. Maybe Matt shouldn't eat pop rocks while recording.

Marketing Done Differently

MoneyLab.co — Mon, 11 Feb 2019 00:00:00 -0700

It's no secret: Matt and Andrew love using Ahrefs. But they're more than just a kickass SaaS product: they're approaching marketing in a totally different way. Tim Soulo, the CMO of Ahrefs, stops by to talk about how they're blowing up the traditional SaaS marketing model and debate what does and doesn't work in the online marketing world. Enjoy!

Read Tim's post about marketing here.

Funnels of Love

MoneyLab.co — Mon, 04 Feb 2019 00:00:00 -0700

Matt and Andrew are both severely under-monetizing their email lists. Like THOUSANDS of dollars left on the table each year. Why aren’t they monetizing the hell out of their lists? And is there a happy medium between selling consistently to your audience and selling out? Dive deep into their funnels and see what happens on the other side. Enjoy!

Lifesaving Systems

MoneyLab.co — Mon, 28 Jan 2019 00:00:00 -0700

Asana, Google Drive, Intercom... Matt and Andrew get into the nitty gritty details about each system they use to run their business. It's the un-sexy truth behind their businesses that keeps things sane and saves a ton of time and money. Gotta trust The System, man. Enjoy!

Online Business...In Bed

MoneyLab.co — Mon, 21 Jan 2019 00:00:00 -0700

Oooo we've got some scandalous business relationship gossip over here! Andrew and Matt have worked with their significant others a lot over the past few years. Sometimes it's been amazing. Other times it's been harder than a Brangelina breakup. In this episode, they spill the tea on what works (and what doesn't) when it comes to working with the one you love. Enjoy!

There’s Gold In Them Thar Podcasts

MoneyLab.co — Mon, 14 Jan 2019 00:00:00 -0700

It’s a bumpy road to building a profitable podcast, but both Andrew and Matt now make consistent moolah talking into your ear holes every week. What were some of the biggest challenges they've faced along the way? What's worked well and what’s still a struggle? Grab your pickaxe, Prospector as we regale you with tales of podcasting gold. Enjoy!

Google The Emotional Robot (The Future of SEO)

MoneyLab.co — Mon, 07 Jan 2019 00:00:00 -0700

Some old-hat SEO strategies are dying away, or at least they aren’t as effective anymore. So what does the future of SEO look like? In this episode, we debate what's becoming more important when creating searchable content and how Google's AI is becoming more discerning and human-like everyday. I, for one, welcome our new SEO overlords. Enjoy!

The Good, The Sad, and The Fugly of 2018

MoneyLab.co — Mon, 17 Dec 2018 06:00:00 -0700

We had a lot of business highs and lows this past year. Looking back, what would we have done differently? What are we proud of? And what shenanigans do we have planned for the new year? Do we both blow up our online businesses to start a crypto mining company? Find out what happened in 2018 and what's in store for 2019. Enjoy!

I'VE MADE A HUGE MISTAKE

MoneyLab.co — Mon, 10 Dec 2018 06:00:00 -0700

Andrew and Matt had businesses that crashed and burned. Why didn't they work and what have they learned? There was drama and fallouts and money unearned. They unpack it all in this episode. Enjoy!

Mark-eting Suckerberg

MoneyLab.co — Mon, 03 Dec 2018 06:00:00 -0700

Facebook. It's changing. It's always changing. So does that mean we need to change how we use it in our businesses? Do we even need to use it at all? Let's discuss. Enjoy!

The Structure Crux

MoneyLab.co — Mon, 26 Nov 2018 06:00:00 -0700

Structuring an online business. That's what we're talking about. Ya know? LLCs, S-corps, C-corps; stuff like that. Pretty straightforward. Enjoy!

Remote Control

MoneyLab.co — Mon, 19 Nov 2018 00:00:00 -0700

Sometimes when you run an online business, you need to work remotely. What's the best gear? How do Matt and Andrew work remotely and still get things done? Enjoy!

A Physical Product with Caleb Wojcik

MoneyLab.co — Mon, 12 Nov 2018 00:00:00 -0700

Caleb Wojcik talks about how he and Pat Flynn from Smart Passive Income are creating and launching a physical product this year. They built a tripod for vloggers called SwitchPod. Enjoy!

Go to https://www.calebwojcik.com/switchpod

Howdy Partnership

MoneyLab.co — Mon, 05 Nov 2018 06:00:00 -0700

Andrew and Matt might be entering a legit business partnership...again. Ut oh! What does that mean? Is that stupid? Is that smart? They have an honest conversation about what a new partnership would look like and if it makes sense. Enjoy!

The Podcast Marketing Burst Recap

MoneyLab.co — Wed, 31 Oct 2018 06:00:00 -0600

31 episodes are in the bag! Thanks for following along. Did the podcast grow? Listen and find out. Enjoy!

An Obvious Income Source

MoneyLab.co — Tue, 30 Oct 2018 06:00:00 -0600

What is it? You have to listen. Matt also wrote an article about it, but listening about making money is more fun. Don't ya think? Enjoy!

5 Questions: SEO, Conferences, and Teamwork

MoneyLab.co — Mon, 29 Oct 2018 06:00:00 -0600

You love it! It's 5 listener questions. Actually, there are 8 of them this time. But 3 of them are similar. Just listen. Enjoy!

Teamwork Makes The Dream Work

MoneyLab.co — Sun, 28 Oct 2018 06:00:00 -0600

Having good, talented people around you will help you build a business faster. That's true. But it's also not true sometimes. When times? Let's talk about it. Enjoy!

Video Head Gear

MoneyLab.co — Sat, 27 Oct 2018 06:00:00 -0600

Want to make great videos? What does it take? What equipment do you need? What equipment do you don't need do da do da day? Who knows? Let's talk about it. Enjoy!

Increase Your Page Speed

MoneyLab.co — Fri, 26 Oct 2018 06:00:00 -0600

Your website needs to be super freaking fast. That's what Andrew and Matt dive into on this episode. Everyone's a wiener! Enjoy!

SAAS Truth Bomb

MoneyLab.co — Thu, 25 Oct 2018 06:00:00 -0600

You can't handle the truth about building a software-based business! Can you? Oh, you can? Good because Demi and Tom won't' save you from this episode about software. Maybe they will. Enjoy!

Pricing On The Cake

MoneyLab.co — Wed, 24 Oct 2018 06:00:00 -0600

Pricing your online products is arbitrary and hard to do. What do you charge? Is it too much, too little, just right? How hot is that porage, Goldilocks? Andrew and Matt talk about all that. Except for the Goldilocks analogy. They don't mention that at all. You're welcome. Enjoy!

eBooks That Earn $54,603 a Year

MoneyLab.co — Tue, 23 Oct 2018 06:00:00 -0600

Andrew and Matt talk about Matt's eBook revenue stream. They wanted to know more about how Matt made the products and how it sold. Enjoy!

5 Questions: Imposters, Outcomes, and Time

MoneyLab.co — Mon, 22 Oct 2018 06:00:00 -0600

Andrew and Matt answer five listener questions and really dive deep with their answers on this one. Dealing with imposter syndrome, how to test a business idea before you invest time into it, and how they time block our days. Enjoy!

The Social Media Marketing Paradox

MoneyLab.co — Sun, 21 Oct 2018 06:00:00 -0600

The basic question Andrew and Matt are trying to get to the bottom of here is, "should you invest in social media marketing to grow your business?" It's not that black and white. Every brand has different needs. They discuss this paradox we face as online business owners. Enjoy!

Prioritizing Projects

MoneyLab.co — Sat, 20 Oct 2018 06:00:00 -0600

We all struggle in our business when we don't know how to prioritize or don't know what to do next, right? Right. Well, Andrew and Matt talk about the many ways they filter ideas and pick the project to work on next. And they also talk about the dumb mistakes they made in the process. Enjoy!

Videos for Profit

MoneyLab.co — Fri, 19 Oct 2018 06:00:00 -0600

Thomas Frank is back on the show talking about YouTube videos. But this time, they're talking about money. How do you make money with YouTube videos? How are others making that sweet, sweet YouTube coin? Find out and enjoy!

Travel Gear for Business

MoneyLab.co — Thu, 18 Oct 2018 06:00:00 -0600

Matt doesn't always travel, but when he does, these are the things he carries. Also, the things that Andrew carries, too. This ep is filled with our must-have travel supplies. Enjoy!

A HYPER Focused YouTube Channel

MoneyLab.co — Wed, 17 Oct 2018 06:00:00 -0600

Andrew and Matt talk to Chase Reeves about his newish YouTube channel that is blowing up! It's very unique A cross between deep life chats and...bag reviews. Yup. Who knew?! He talks about that, how he makes money on it, and his departure from Fizzle. Enjoy!

Fool-Proof Systems

MoneyLab.co — Tue, 16 Oct 2018 06:00:00 -0600

Matt and Andrew believe in systems, not goals. Systems are what they use to grow our business. What they use to scale. And in this episode, Andrew and Matt dive into their process for building systems that you can use for your biz, dawg. Enjoy!

5 Questions: Money, Goals, and Marketing

MoneyLab.co — Mon, 15 Oct 2018 06:00:00 -0600

Oh yea, another 5 listener questions, coming at you! Andrew and Matt talk mostly about setting goals. Do they set goals? Is it worth it? Does it work? You'll have to listen to get answers to these questions and more. Enjoy!

Content That Stands The Test of Time

MoneyLab.co — Sun, 14 Oct 2018 06:00:00 -0600

Ok, you're a fly on the wall in this episode. Don't worry, you don't have to eat...you know, what flies eat. Or for that matter, what Jeff Goldblum eats. Probably pears. That's our guess. Anyway, we digress. This episode, Andrew and Matt have an off-the-record conversation about getting back to basics. Getting back to the things that made them successful: content creation. They discuss a future in which all they did was create content and software and nothing else. No more Mr. Manager. No more teachers. No more books. What the heck are we talking about? Who cares, just listen. Enjoy!

Business Books

MoneyLab.co — Sat, 13 Oct 2018 06:00:00 -0600

Who doesn't like books? Business books? Yea, we read them. They make us think. They inspire. They keep us up at night. They derail us. But more importantly, they're awesome. And boy, do we have some good recommendations for you this time. Andrew and Matt dive into their 11 favorite business books of ALL TIME! Enjoy.

Haters Gonna Hate

MoneyLab.co — Fri, 12 Oct 2018 06:00:00 -0600

Haters gonna hate. They're out there. They're being mean. You can have a thick skin, but that's BS. Andrew and Matt talk about handling the hate and dealing with the criticism that comes at people who do things in public on the internet. Enjoy!

Selling Sponsorships

MoneyLab.co — Thu, 11 Oct 2018 06:00:00 -0600

Talking about advertising. Making money. Making deals. Cashing checks. Breaking necks. Next? It's this episode filled with information about how Andrew and Matt sell sponsorships on their podcasts (so meta, bro). And how Matt sold sponsorship deals on his pool website. Enjoy!

The Art of Buying and Selling Websites

MoneyLab.co — Wed, 10 Oct 2018 06:00:00 -0600

Thinking about what it takes to sell a website? Perhaps you're looking to buy and flip a site. Or just buy a site. Or cry in a fight. Or lie a flight. Ok, The point is, this episode is all about buying and selling websites for profit. Let's do this! Enjoy!

Selling a Wordpress Plugin

MoneyLab.co — Tue, 09 Oct 2018 06:00:00 -0600

Any interest in creating and selling a Wordpress plugin? Andrew and Matt both created plugins and want to know what the real scoop is in selling them. Is it hard? Is it profitable? Can you screw it up? All of these questions and more with someone who took the leap and created his own plugin with a group of friends that's extremely successful. Enjoy!

5 Questions: Setbacks, Focusing, and Routines

MoneyLab.co — Mon, 08 Oct 2018 06:00:00 -0600

A new themed episode where Matt and Andrew answer 5 listener questions totally off-the-cuff. These questions are sent in from listeners and they read them verbatim and answer them with honesty. Look out for more of these episodes in the future. This is an idea pilfered from the Listen Money Matters podcast. Enjoy!

Working in Isolation

MoneyLab.co — Sun, 07 Oct 2018 06:00:00 -0600

It can get pretty lonely being a solopreneur who works from home. There are struggles to deal with. Consequences to face. And Andrew and Matt talk about these personal issues and triumphs when it comes to working alone. Enjoy!

Wordpress Plugins

MoneyLab.co — Sat, 06 Oct 2018 06:00:00 -0600

Andrew and Matt run businesses from Wordpress powered websites. And in order to operate those sites, they need great plugins to grow. In this episode, must-have Wordpress plugins. Enjoy!

Conferences: Attend, Skip, or Sneak In?

MoneyLab.co — Fri, 05 Oct 2018 06:00:00 -0600

It's hard to say whether or not attending conferences can help your business. At least that's what Andrew and Matt think. There are other ways to get value out of a conference and that's what they uncover in this episode. Enjoy!

Be a Boss That Doesn't Suck

MoneyLab.co — Thu, 04 Oct 2018 06:00:00 -0600

Are you a boss? Do you know what your team members think of you? Are you trying not to suck and have everyone in your company think you're a d-bag? Well, I hope so. Andrew and Matt talk about being a boss that doesn't suck. Enjoy!

Tools for Productivity

MoneyLab.co — Wed, 03 Oct 2018 06:00:00 -0600

There's no shortage of tools to help you be more productive in online business. That said, there are better tools than others. So that's what this episode is about. Enjoy!

Passion Mashin’

MoneyLab.co — Tue, 02 Oct 2018 06:00:00 -0600

What the heck is "passion mashin'?" It's about combining two skills or passions in your life to create unique businesses or opportunities to grow your business. Both Andrew and Matt have practiced passion mashin' without even knowing it. So if you now know what it is, how can you practice to your advantage? Enjoy!

Building a Product in 7 Days

MoneyLab.co — Mon, 01 Oct 2018 06:00:00 -0600

It took Matt just 7 days to make an online product and not a "Minimum Viable Product" either. A full-blown, balls-to-the-wall, product. And he's done this twice. Andrew and Matt break down the entire process for building a product in a very short period of time. Enjoy!

Scaling Up Affiliate Marketing

MoneyLab.co — Mon, 24 Sep 2018 06:00:00 -0600

Affiliate marketing can be lucrative or a royal pain in the tuckus. But if you practice the art of honesty, transparency, and employ some excellent secrets we reveal in the show, you can nail it before you scale it. Then, you'll be sitting in the catbird seat, higgledy-piggledy. Enjoy!

Content Audits

MoneyLab.co — Mon, 17 Sep 2018 06:00:00 -0600

What if you could triple your website traffic by deleting a third of your content? Andrew and Matt discuss the merits of doing a content audit on your site and what that can do to improve your website traffic. Enjoy!

DON’T LISTEN TO THIS EPISODE

MoneyLab.co — Mon, 10 Sep 2018 06:00:00 -0600

Are you a rule breaker? Do you blindly follow the pack? Would you jump off a bridge if someone told you to? This is an episode about not listening to the gurus. Instead of practicing hero worship, look towards yourself. Stop taking advice from others and trust your gut when it comes to your own business. Everything is an experiment. And nobody has a secret sauce to help you with your business. Just because someone is giving you advice, doesn’t mean they’re right. Listen to yourself. Trust the numbers. Do what works for you and your business. What works for you might not work for someone else. Enjoy!

Managing Money

MoneyLab.co — Mon, 03 Sep 2018 06:00:00 -0600

What's in your wallet? Money? Good. That's where money should go. But when it comes to running an online business, the rules for managing your money are a little different. Andrew and Matt talk about how they manage their business finances with the right tools and the right team members. 3njoy!

Burnout

MoneyLab.co — Mon, 27 Aug 2018 06:00:00 -0600

Burnout! It's real. It's dangerous. It's Chronic. So Andrew and Matt discuss what it is and how to avoid it when working for yourself. They also share their personal stories of dealing with burnout. Enjoy!

Serious Podcasting Gear

MoneyLab.co — Mon, 20 Aug 2018 06:00:00 -0600

WARNING: This episode is a deep-dive on podcasting gear and equipment that Andrew and Matt use. It gets very technical and nerdy. If you're interested in podcasting for serious, then you'll love it. Otherwise, it might be crazy boring. Enjoy!

Quit Your Day Job

MoneyLab.co — Mon, 13 Aug 2018 06:00:00 -0600

Andrew and Matt talk about the entire three-year journey of Andrew quitting his day job and working on his online business full time. They discuss everything that went through his head and what it took financially when he decided to quit his well-paying job in New York City. Enjoy!

The Definitive Guide to Podcast Marketing

MoneyLab.co — Mon, 06 Aug 2018 06:00:00 -0600

Andrew and Matt talk about how they cracked the top 100 podcasts on iTunes in less than a year on their first podcast together. They review Matt's massive article on the subject and distill it down to the 5 best tips, tactics, and ball-busting work it takes to run a successful podcast promotion campaign. Enjoy!

Loose Grips Sink Business Partnerships

MoneyLab.co — Mon, 30 Jul 2018 06:00:00 -0600

Andrew and Matt talk about their failed partnership and business break up. Then, they discuss other partnerships that worked and debate the best way to structure a successful one that'll stand the test of time. Enjoy!

Website For Sale

MoneyLab.co — Mon, 23 Jul 2018 06:00:00 -0600

Andrew and Matt chat about Matt's experience and the decision to sell his two-year-old coffee website. Why did he do it? How did he do it? Should he have even done it? Should you sell your website, too? All of that and more in this episode. Enjoy!

PREMIUM SEO CONTENT

MoneyLab.co — Mon, 16 Jul 2018 06:00:00 -0600

Andrew and Matt talk about the 5 most important things to focus on when it comes to SEO. They rank them in order of great importance. Then, they edited and uploaded this episode – that's what makes it PREMIUM CONTENT. All killer, no filler. Enjoy!

Business Advice Of Men

MoneyLab.co — Mon, 25 Jun 2018 06:00:00 -0600

Barron Cuadro and Matt talk about the advice they'd been given over the last 10 years on how to grow their niche websites from outside experts and other's success stories. They commiserate over the trial and tribulations of trying every tactic under the sun for extreme business growth. Enjoy!

Long-Form Content For Long-Term Growth

MoneyLab.co — Mon, 18 Jun 2018 06:00:00 -0600

Michelle Lowery and Matt talk about the importance of writing and editing long-form content for growing your online business. And why trying to constantly "go viral" is a fool's errand for long-term success. Enjoy!

There's Always Money In The Banana Stand

MoneyLab.co — Mon, 11 Jun 2018 06:00:00 -0600

Stephanie Halligan and Matt talk about dealing with and spending money as entrepreneurs. They share stories on how they started working for themselves and what changed in their personal finance habits along the way. Enjoy!

How to Win Friends and Internet People

MoneyLab.co — Mon, 04 Jun 2018 06:00:00 -0600

Nathaniel Boyle and Matt talk about how they became #IRL friends through the Internet. And how they continue to develop REAL close relationships using the true power of social media (and what it was intended for). Enjoy!

Mental Health While Working For Yourself

MoneyLab.co — Mon, 28 May 2018 06:00:00 -0600

Justin Jackson and Matt discuss the pros and cons of being a full-time indie entrepreneur. And managing mental health while working for yourself. Enjoy!

Lifestyles of the Niche and Shameless

MoneyLab.co — Mon, 21 May 2018 06:00:00 -0600

Corbett Barr and Matt talk the differences between lifestyle businesses and other types. They gab about running their own lifestyle businesses and what makes it special...or not. Enjoy!

An Untapped Treasure Trove of Content Ideas

MoneyLab.co — Mon, 14 May 2018 06:00:00 -0600

Sean Ogle and Matt talk about the strategies they use to keep an endlessly moist supply of blog and video topics flowing on their hobby sites. Enjoy!

Writing Words On The Internet

MoneyLab.co — Mon, 07 May 2018 06:00:00 -0600

Zack Sexton and Matt write words on the Internet. Meaning, they publish articles on websites. And they talk about how they write, what they use to write, and publishing often. Words are the most important online asset. Don't you agree? Enjoy!

Baby You're The Boss At Home

MoneyLab.co — Mon, 30 Apr 2018 06:00:00 -0600

Stephanie Halligan and Matt talk about working from home, productivity when no one's pushing, and taking care of yourself, physically and emotionally. And you can learn more by watching the smash music video, "Work from Home ft. Ty Dolla $ign" by Fifth Harmony. Enjoy!

Do You YouTube, Dude?

MoneyLab.co — Mon, 23 Apr 2018 06:00:00 -0600

Thomas Frank and Matt discuss scripting, filming, and editing their high-quality videos. They talk about the business of "YouTubbing." Enjoy!