Make Money Online

[116] Business Puberty

Kai Davis & Nick Disabato — Mon, 02 Apr 2018 13:00:00 +0000

[115] Market Research: How do you identify a company's expensive problem(s)?

Kai Davis & Nick Disabato — Mon, 26 Mar 2018 13:00:00 +0000

[114] General Counseling

Kai Davis & Nick Disabato — Mon, 19 Mar 2018 13:00:00 +0000

[113] I Will Solve Your Problem, and You Will Pay Me

Kai Davis & Nick Disabato — Mon, 12 Mar 2018 13:00:00 +0000

What separates a consultants proposal from a contractor's proposal.

[112] How to Optimize Products

Kai Davis & Nick Disabato — Mon, 05 Mar 2018 14:00:00 +0000

[111] Audio Recording Tips

Kai Davis & Nick Disabato — Mon, 26 Feb 2018 14:00:00 +0000

[110] Why You Shouldn't Be On Call 24/7

Kai Davis & Nick Disabato — Mon, 19 Feb 2018 14:00:00 +0000

Why Alan Weiss says you should put yourself on call 24/7 (and why we
disagree with that).
Being on call 24/7 disrupts your work/life balance and exceeds
boundaries.
Unless you're working in a situation like DevOps, Backups, or it's a
situation where Something Is On Fire And Costing The Business
Millions, it isn't necessary.

Links

[109] Productized Consulting for Drinking in Meatspace

Kai Davis & Nick Disabato — Mon, 12 Feb 2018 14:00:00 +0000

What constitutes a Minimum Viable Meetup?
Once it starts to go well, how do you expand it out? How do you add
things to it?
How do you delegate out responsibilities?
What happens if you want to stop doing the meetup (and pass it off to
someone else)?

Links

[108] The Importance of Sleep

Kai Davis & Nick Disabato — Mon, 29 Jan 2018 14:00:00 +0000

[107] Project Scheduling, a How To

Kai Davis & Nick Disabato — Mon, 22 Jan 2018 14:00:00 +0000

How should you effectively schedule projects? (ex: no deadlines on a Monday)
How do you best estimate a project length?
How do you schedule work around a break (sabbatical, etc.)
How do you ensure that client's respect deadlines?
How do you 'reset' expectations if there has been a bit of drift?

[106] "Writing Time is Sacred Time"

Kai Davis & Nick Disabato — Mon, 15 Jan 2018 14:00:00 +0000

What do our writing practices look like?
How did we get started writing?
How should listeners work on building their 'writing muscle'?
Is it necessarily to write daily?
Should you just write? Write and publish?
Andrew Chen on Writing and Blogging
Robin Sloan on "Stock and Flow" as it applies to the writing /
publishing process
Nick's Newsletter
Kai's Newsletter

[105] How to Take a Sabbatical

Kai Davis & Nick Disabato — Mon, 08 Jan 2018 14:00:00 +0000

[104] How to Say "No" to Clients

Kai Davis & Nick Disabato — Mon, 01 Jan 2018 14:00:00 +0000

When should you say no to clients?
What's the best way to give a no?
How should you politely turn down small projects?
How do you avoid making compromises in scope?
How do you fire bad clients?

[103] How to Have a Good Phone Call

Kai Davis & Nick Disabato — Mon, 25 Dec 2017 14:00:00 +0000

How do you have a good phone call with a prospect? How do you prepare enough?

How long should the call be?
Should you leave a buffer after the call?
Should you prepare an agenda?
How do you determine who is leading the call?
How do you end the call?

[102] Reading, Writing, Doing

Kai Davis & Nick Disabato — Mon, 18 Dec 2017 14:00:00 +0000

What's a good balance between educational content consumption and doing the work?

Time management
Reading may just happen. Optionally: intentionally schedule time
around it Implementation: when you finish a book, how do you decide
what to read next?
-- Tape flag ("This is a thing I want to remember")
-- Highlighting
-- "This is an interesting thing to know about" and then apply later
Rereading to extract notes / directives

[101] Speaking at Local Meetups

Kai Davis & Nick Disabato — Mon, 11 Dec 2017 14:00:00 +0000

Subject of meetup
People at the meetup
Go to one before speaking
If you don't have a good meetup, start one, but don't be the first to
speak
Good places to host a meetup
Good places to announce a meetup
Scaling/growing your meetup (as you grow, make sure there isn't an
in-group and an out-group)
Avoiding Groupthink in Meetups (Creative Mornings: Someone manages it
for a fixed term and then passes it off)

[100] Finally, a Legitimate Podcast

Kai Davis & Nick Disabato — Mon, 04 Dec 2017 14:00:00 +0000

[99] The Actual Doing of the Thing

Kai Davis & Nick Disabato — Mon, 27 Nov 2017 14:00:00 +0000

How do you transition from being an "overthinker" to a "doer"?

[98] Books We've Read Recently

Kai Davis & Nick Disabato — Mon, 20 Nov 2017 14:00:00 +0000

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/1517901804
https://smile.amazon.com/Food-Lab-Cooking-Through-Science/dp/0393081087
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/0300215126
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/1591865484
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Nature_of_Order
https://smile.amazon.com/Calm-Technology-Principles-Patterns-Non-Intrusive/dp/1491925884
Content Design by Sarah Richards
Million Dollar Consulting
Value Based Fees
Personal MBA
Interviewing Users
Calm Technology
Sourdough: A Novel
The 12 Week Year
The One Thing
Deep Work
Breakthrough Advertising ($125 + Shipping and Handling)
Square Foot Gardening
Tools of Titans

[97] Positioning: How Specialized Should You Be?

Kai Davis & Nick Disabato — Mon, 13 Nov 2017 14:00:00 +0000

"Obviously there's a diminishing return if you hit specialization of 'There's one business in my region I can market to' -- how do you know when you've specialized enough"

Know your target market, like Ecommerce
Know niches within your target market, like Women's Fashion and Beauty or Every Day Carry
Identify if there are 20-50 companies in your niche in your target market
Identify if of those 20-50 there are 15-20 companies that are paying for consultants, have paid for consultants, or are looking for
help solving a problem

Iterate. Too many companies come out? Become a
little more specialized, based on your research. Too few? Become a
little less specialized ("SEO optimization for women's fashion and
beauty stores selling $1,000,000/yr and based in New York" →
potentially too specialized)

[96] Positioning: How Specialized Should You Be?

Kai Davis & Nick Disabato — Mon, 06 Nov 2017 14:00:00 +0000

"Obviously there's a diminishing return if you hit specialization of 'There's one business in my region I can market to' -- how do you know when you've specialized enough"

Know your target market, like Ecommerce
Know niches within your target market, like Women's Fashion and Beauty or Every Day Carry
Identify if there are 20-50 companies in your niche in your target market Identify if of those 20-50 there are 15-20 companies that are paying for consultants, have paid for consultants, or are looking for help solving a problem

[95] 💰⚓ How To Use Price Anchoring As A Consultant

Kai Davis & Nick Disabato — Mon, 30 Oct 2017 13:00:00 +0000

[94] How to follow up with clients after a project

Kai Davis & Nick Disabato — Mon, 23 Oct 2017 13:12:00 +0000

Why follow-up
What outcomes are you looking for
What makes good follow-up
What resources do we recommend
How often should you follow up
What should you say in your follow-up
Who should you be following up with?
What's your next step

[93] Webinar Quickstart Guide

Kai Davis & Nick Disabato — Mon, 16 Oct 2017 13:00:00 +0000

Why run a webinar
What outcomes should you look for
What tool(s) should you use
How do you prepare?
How do you prepare your content/presentation
What's the format to follow (20/30/10 -- 20 on presentation, 30 on questions, 10 on pitch)
What do you do with the webinar video after the webinar
Crowdcast
Zapier
Zoom
Webinar Jam

[92] Referrals From Past Clients And Teams

Kai Davis & Nick Disabato — Mon, 09 Oct 2017 13:00:00 +0000

You work with a client. They have a great team. You part ways. Their team members eventually part ways, too. Then they reach back out.

[91] Welcome Packet Overview

Kai Davis & Nick Disabato — Mon, 02 Oct 2017 13:00:00 +0000

Why use a welcome packet
What's included in a welcome packet
When do you send a prospect a welcome packet
How do you update your welcome packet
When shouldn't you use a welcome packet
How do you get started?
What tools do you use to create a welcome packet?

[90] A Single Shot of Bourbon

Kai Davis & Nick Disabato — Mon, 25 Sep 2017 13:00:00 +0000

What do we do when we lose deals?

[89] Closed Doors

Kai Davis & Nick Disabato — Mon, 18 Sep 2017 13:00:00 +0000

Why is it important to close enrollment in courses, and what's the strategy and thinking around opening enrollment?

[88] Speaking from the Right Dictionary

Kai Davis & Nick Disabato — Mon, 11 Sep 2017 13:00:00 +0000

What do you need to do when you want to get more specific and double down on an industry?

[87] Please Don't Buy a Prada Shirt

Kai Davis & Nick Disabato — Tue, 05 Sep 2017 13:00:00 +0000

[86] When Should You Offer a Money-Back Guarantee?

Kai Davis & Nick Disabato — Mon, 28 Aug 2017 13:00:00 +0000

Money-back guarantees are helpful in some situations, and really harmful in others. When should you offer a money-back guarantee, and what should the conditions be around it?

[85] The Dreaded Price Hike

Kai Davis & Nick Disabato — Mon, 21 Aug 2017 13:00:00 +0000

How do you know when to raise your prices? Quantitatively and qualitatively, what signs should you look for?

[84] Educational Products: Creating Your First

Kai Davis & Nick Disabato — Mon, 14 Aug 2017 13:00:00 +0000

What defines success for the product? (Increasing rates, early rung of product ladder, general + focused w/in your positioning, etc.)
What type of info product makes sense
What's high impact / low risk
How do you figure out what to make?
How to promote it if you have a small (or no) list?
What should you aim for after you've created your first educational product? (Speaking, podcasts, conferences, etc.)

[83] Podcast Equipment: The Travel Rig

Kai Davis & Nick Disabato — Mon, 07 Aug 2017 13:00:00 +0000

In this episode, we dive into The Travel Rig that Nick bought for recording interviews and group panels at conferences or events. If you want to learn more about on-the-road podcasting hardware, listen to this one. (A 'nuts and bolts' episode)

[82] Why Aren't We Making More Money?

Kai Davis & Nick Disabato — Mon, 31 Jul 2017 13:00:00 +0000

Description: In this episode, we answer listener Max's question from Twitter: "Why aren't the two of you making more money?". We go inside our own businesses to examine what we're working on. We discuss when you can say "I have enough" as a business owner and stop focusing on growth.

[81] Should You Offer a Free Call?

Kai Davis & Nick Disabato — Mon, 24 Jul 2017 13:00:00 +0000

In this episode, Nick and Kai discuss if you should offer a free strategy call as a consultant and where an intake call should fall in your client intake process.

[80] Self-Care

Kai Davis & Nick Disabato — Mon, 17 Jul 2017 13:00:00 +0000

In this episode, Nick and Kai discuss how to care for yourself when you're running a business.

[79] Recurring Revenue

Kai Davis & Nick Disabato — Mon, 10 Jul 2017 13:00:00 +0000

In this episode, Nick and Kai discuss recurring revenue for freelancers and consultants: What are the different options for recurring revenue in your business? Taylor Swift is mentioned exactly once.

[78] Whale Clients

Kai Davis & Nick Disabato — Mon, 03 Jul 2017 13:00:00 +0000

In this episode, Nick and Kai discuss how to manage your business when you have a whale client. What should you do? How do you future proof your business?

[77] Information Products and Product Ladders

Kai Davis & Nick Disabato — Mon, 26 Jun 2017 13:00:00 +0000

https://www.amazon.com/Breakthrough-Advertising-Eugene-M-Schwartz/dp/0887232981

[76] The One About Coffee (& Tea)

Kai Davis & Nick Disabato — Mon, 19 Jun 2017 13:00:00 +0000

https://www.jteainternational.com
http://www.saveur.com/pu-erh-chinese-tea
http://us.teagschwendner.com/US/en/homepage.TG

[75] Writing, Publishing, and Daily Emails

Kai Davis & Nick Disabato — Mon, 12 Jun 2017 13:00:00 +0000

How frequently should you publish? It's probably more often than you're currently publishing.

[74] De-Risking the Cthulhu

Kai Davis & Nick Disabato — Mon, 05 Jun 2017 13:00:00 +0000

Have either of you ever attempted to make the leap from consulting to running a SAAS business or other type of online/tech company?

http://businessofsoftware.org/2013/02/gail-goodman-constant-contact-how-to-negotiate-the-long-slow-saas-ramp-of-death/

https://medium.com/@nickkokonas/why-we-are-self-publishing-the-aviary-cookbook-lessons-from-the-alinea-book-e89236ab6ca1

[73] Best Buyers

Kai Davis & Nick Disabato — Mon, 29 May 2017 13:00:00 +0000

How do you identify and work with your best customers?

Kai Davis Platinum Reserve: http://www.achewood.com/index.php?date=04282006

1,000 True Fans: http://overcomeeverything.com/4450/hint-3-1000-true-fans/

💸 Make Money Online: Episode 13: Your Incremental Steaming Abomination💣

Ultimate Sales Machine: http://www.chetholmes.com/ultimate-sales-machine

[72] Skip Steps 1 & 3

Kai Davis & Nick Disabato — Mon, 22 May 2017 13:00:00 +0000

What are our quarterly goals? Why are goals important? What shape should they take?

Tiny Habits: http://tinyhabits.com & http://tinyhabitsacademy.org

[71] How do you write more as a freelancer or consultant?

Kai Davis & Nick Disabato — Mon, 15 May 2017 13:00:00 +0000

Show Notes

[70] What do you do if a prospect stops responding after you send a proposal?

Kai Davis & Nick Disabato — Mon, 08 May 2017 13:00:00 +0000

What happens if a client ghosts you after you send a proposal?

Episode Links

[69] Dear Savvy Entrepreneur

Kai Davis & Nick Disabato — Mon, 01 May 2017 13:00:00 +0000

Episode 69: Nick and Kai do a deep dive on important business strategies that you need to know about.
Also, if this is your first episode of Make Money Online, we're so sorry.

[68] The First Thing Bought

Kai Davis & Nick Disabato — Mon, 24 Apr 2017 13:00:00 +0000

In this episode, Nick and Kai discuss the importance of the 'first thing' that a customer or clients buys from you (be it a product or a service) and how that transaction sets expectations for the duration of the relationship. Nick and Kai also briefly discuss how to get started with your first product.

[67] Making Retainers Work

Kai Davis & Nick Disabato — Mon, 17 Apr 2017 13:00:00 +0000

Cramming Your Work in a Retainer Hole
In this episode, Nick and Kai talk about how retainers function for freelancers and consultants and the benefits of costs of offering retainer based offerings. Nick and Kai also discuss alternative to retainer based engagements to increase your client lifetime value.

[66] Travel Time is Sacred Time

Kai Davis & Nick Disabato — Mon, 10 Apr 2017 13:00:00 +0000

This is another in our series on how to travel well as a freelancer or consultant. In this episode, we talk about treating your vacation as sacred time, what (and how) to pack, how to deal with airlines, and how to vet restaurants.

[65] How to Fill Your Client Pipeline (and What to Focus on This Month)

Kai Davis & Nick Disabato — Mon, 03 Apr 2017 13:00:00 +0000

In this episode, we answer a listener question: If you woke up and had 0 clients and wanted to start filling your pipeline, what do you do?

[64] How Do You Work with Large Internal Teams?

Kai Davis & Nick Disabato — Mon, 27 Mar 2017 13:00:00 +0000

[63] How Do You Move from 90% Client Work to 100% Products?

Kai Davis & Nick Disabato — Mon, 20 Mar 2017 13:00:00 +0000

http://myyearofeverything.tumblr.com/post/607422936/b-e

[62] Pruning a Very Old Bonsai Tree

Kai Davis & Nick Disabato — Mon, 13 Mar 2017 13:00:00 +0000

[61] Why It Is the Way It Is

Kai Davis & Nick Disabato — Mon, 06 Mar 2017 14:00:00 +0000

Other Resources

UIE.com, Jared M. Spool
IDEO: Reimagining the Shopping Cart

[60] Copy Everything Kai Does

Kai Davis & Nick Disabato — Mon, 27 Feb 2017 14:00:00 +0000

[59] Pig 5 Syndrome

Kai Davis & Nick Disabato — Mon, 20 Feb 2017 14:00:00 +0000

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unix_philosophy

http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/video/first-citywide-change-bank/n9701?snl=1

[58] Parting Ways With Clients

Kai Davis & Nick Disabato — Mon, 13 Feb 2017 14:00:00 +0000

https://www.amazon.com/Nonviolent-Communication-Language-Marshall-Rosenberg/dp/1892005034?tag=donorsclicks-20

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/jan/22/new-band-of-day-perfect-pussy

https://copyhackers.com/2016/11/note-to-self-on-time-management/

[57] Intro to Productized Consulting

Kai Davis & Nick Disabato — Mon, 06 Feb 2017 14:00:00 +0000

What is Productized Consulting? Is it selling information products?
The 3 key elements of Productized Consulting (fixed price, fixed
scope, fixed delivery)
How to transition to Productized Consulting
Eliminating Scope Creep Your Step To Getting Started

http://99u.com/articles/51208/following-the-hunch-how-to-make-freelancing-into-a-durable-business

[56] Make Money Online Mailbag: This Is Your Fault

Kai Davis & Nick Disabato — Mon, 30 Jan 2017 14:00:00 +0000

[55] Customer Service as a Consultant

Kai Davis & Nick Disabato — Mon, 23 Jan 2017 14:00:00 +0000

http://www.ftrain.com/wwic.html

[54] Nü-Positioning

Kai Davis & Nick Disabato — Mon, 16 Jan 2017 14:00:00 +0000

[53] Conversion Rate Optimizing the Conversion Rate Optimizer

Kai Davis & Nick Disabato — Mon, 09 Jan 2017 14:00:00 +0000

https://cl.ly/1N2O273M1S3Z/Image%202016-12-19%20at%202.28.45%20PM.png

[52] One Year of Making At Least, Like, Twelve Bucks Online

Kai Davis & Nick Disabato — Mon, 02 Jan 2017 14:00:00 +0000

nickd on camping

[51] How Do You Develop a Voice

Kai Davis & Nick Disabato — Mon, 26 Dec 2016 14:00:00 +0000

Strunk and White

Virginia Tufte, Artful Sentences

How I Won The Lottery

It's Not For You

https://youtu.be/l_F9jxsfGCw

The Most Unwanted Song

[50] Dirk's Friday Fresh Fish Flash

Kai Davis & Nick Disabato — Mon, 19 Dec 2016 14:00:00 +0000

Dirk's Fish and Gourmet Shop

[49] How You Track down Your Number 1 Skill to Start off Your Consultant Business

Kai Davis & Nick Disabato — Mon, 12 Dec 2016 14:00:00 +0000

A wonderful reader wrote in with this question:

How you track down your number 1 skill to start off your consulting business

Nick and Kai proceed to break down why (and why not) to start with your skills, how to identify valuable skills, and how to make sure that what you're offering is something that the market -- most likely -- needs. Probably.

Want to submit your questions for us to ponder over and eventually answer? Tweet at Kai.

Also, positioning.

[48] Getting Unstuck When You Feel Stuck

Kai Davis & Nick Disabato — Mon, 05 Dec 2016 14:00:00 +0000

You are staring at a computer screen for too long. Stop that. Get off the internet. Pause this podcast if you have to. Leave your phone and smartwatch at home. Go to a park. Sit on a bench. Stare at a pond. There are ducks in the pond. Ducks are kind of jerks, but the way they swim is cute. You don't know what time it is. You can hear traffic faintly in the distance. Others care about going someplace, it seems, but you don't.

[47] How To Deal With Constraints When Consulting

Kai Davis & Nick Disabato — Mon, 28 Nov 2016 14:00:00 +0000

[46] It's The Economy, Stupid

Kai Davis & Nick Disabato — Mon, 21 Nov 2016 14:00:00 +0000

[45] Kai Buys a Tent

Kai Davis & Nick Disabato — Mon, 14 Nov 2016 14:00:00 +0000

The Man Burned
How did Kai prepare for taking two weeks off of his business?
What did Kai learn by forcing himself to make this space?
What was the Burning Man like?
Burning Man as case study for 'identifying expensive problems'
The tl;dr Burning Man hit list (everything Kai wish he had known about Burning Man before he went -- in 5 minutes)

http://hammerandcyclery.com/

http://www.chiditarod.org/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIw7oeZKpZc

[44] Risky Business

Kai Davis & Nick Disabato — Mon, 07 Nov 2016 14:00:00 +0000

What is risk? What's the definition? (Make more money than you spend, economic analysis, etc.)
How does that factor into client objections?
How do you overcome these objections?

[43] nickd Buys a Dog

Kai Davis & Nick Disabato — Mon, 31 Oct 2016 13:00:00 +0000

One Tail at a Time, the no-kill dog rescue where Nick fostered & adopted Basil.

Donate to One Tail at a Time.

Basil.

[42] The Problem, She Is Forever Expensive

Kai Davis & Nick Disabato — Mon, 24 Oct 2016 13:00:00 +0000

Following the Hunch

[41] This Episode Will Be Delivered in March 2017

Kai Davis & Nick Disabato — Mon, 17 Oct 2016 13:00:00 +0000

We're working to provide the maximal amount of value from this episode, and we'll be delivering it then – at which point we'll be permanently raising the price to $1,000. We're terribly sorry for the inconvenience.

[40] Don't Be the Bottom

Kai Davis & Nick Disabato — Mon, 10 Oct 2016 13:00:00 +0000

What's your favorite positioning

Double Your Freelancing Academy (Mention 'Make Money Online' when you apply!)

[39] Thoughts on Products

Kai Davis & Nick Disabato — Mon, 03 Oct 2016 13:00:00 +0000

The Long, Slow SaaS Ramp of Death

Your Incremental Steaming Abomination

[38] Pricing Your Services

Kai Davis & Nick Disabato — Mon, 26 Sep 2016 13:00:00 +0000

How do you price yourself as a consultant? What's the difference between pricing as a consultant and a contractor? What's the difference between pricing on time versus on outcome?

[37] The A/B Testing Manual

Kai Davis & Nick Disabato — Mon, 19 Sep 2016 13:00:00 +0000

Note: Nick said there would be a money-back guarantee at one point in the episode. Then he thought better. Now there is no such thing. In fact, if you buy a copy of The A/B Testing Manual, there are no refunds of any kind. We apologize for the error.

[36] How You Signify To People What You Do

Kai Davis & Nick Disabato — Mon, 12 Sep 2016 13:00:00 +0000

The Triumvirate of Positioning, How to Create Referrable Moments

What's your favorite positioning (Make Money Online: Episode 18)

[35] Kai's non-planning v. Nickd's overplanning

Kai Davis & Nick Disabato — Mon, 05 Sep 2016 13:00:00 +0000

You have $38 and need to get to Hong Kong in 18 hours. How you respond determines what kind of business you get to run.

[34] Impostor Syndrome

Kai Davis & Nick Disabato — Mon, 29 Aug 2016 13:00:00 +0000

You're incompetent and don't deserve to be a consultant. Except you're great. How do you resolve that?

[33] Setting Healthy Boundaries

Kai Davis & Nick Disabato — Mon, 22 Aug 2016 13:00:00 +0000

https://www.amazon.com/Ethical-Slut-Practical-Relationships-Adventures/dp/1587613379

https://www.amazon.com/Nonviolent-Communication-Language-Life-Changing-Relationships/dp/189200528X

[32] Three Rotting Rutabagas

Kai Davis & Nick Disabato — Mon, 15 Aug 2016 13:00:00 +0000

http://www.mahalochicago.com

http://www.parachuterestaurant.com

[31] What Nick Does

Kai Davis & Nick Disabato — Mon, 08 Aug 2016 13:00:00 +0000

https://doubleyourfreelancing.com/business-freelancing-episode-52-eric-white-jobs-done/

[30] What Kai Does

Kai Davis & Nick Disabato — Mon, 01 Aug 2016 13:00:00 +0000

Nick interviews Kai about what he does, what outreach / digital public relations is, how he started his business, the type of projects he's worked on in the past, and the types of projects he wants to work on in the future.

[29] How To Prep Your Clients For Your Travel

Kai Davis & Nick Disabato — Mon, 25 Jul 2016 13:00:00 +0000

It's one thing to be totally awesome at traveling. It's another thing to travel a lot. But how do you preserve your client relationships while traveling?

[28] How To Travel Practically Anywhere As A Consultant

Kai Davis & Nick Disabato — Mon, 18 Jul 2016 13:00:00 +0000

SeatGuru

KnowRoaming

Kai's Recommended Suitcase

Nick's Suitcase

Sandqvist Lightweight (Nick’s backpack when traveling)

Timoni’s blog post on her uniform

The Minimalist Packing List

Minimalist Travel from Miss Minimalist

JR Liggett’s

Global Entry

The Wirecutter’s Travel Gear

Nick’s folding hangers

Muji, for toiletry cases

“All Caps”

[27] The Pepsi Gravitational Field: Make Money Offline

Kai Davis & Nick Disabato — Mon, 11 Jul 2016 13:00:00 +0000

The Pepsi Gravitational Field.

Kurt's pricing page.

Draft's application.

[26] Marketing and Sales Pages: Artisanal, Hand Crafted, Locally Sourced, Farm to Browser

Kai Davis & Nick Disabato — Mon, 04 Jul 2016 13:00:00 +0000

[25] Freebie Offerings: There Ain't No Such Thing As A Free Lunch

Kai Davis & Nick Disabato — Mon, 27 Jun 2016 11:00:00 +0000

Freebies are tough. Give away too much and you decrease your value to clients. Don't give enough away and you're stuck without enough prospective clients. Today Nick and I discuss the ups and downs of both sides.

Violet Hour at Home.

[24] Passive Income: Fallacies and Truths

Kai Davis & Nick Disabato — Mon, 20 Jun 2016 13:00:00 +0000

[23] Incorporation! Taxes! Insurance! These are the three demons you must slay if you wish to succeed in business.

Kai Davis & Nick Disabato — Mon, 13 Jun 2016 13:00:00 +0000

Kai and Nick discuss incorporation, taxes, and insurance and give you, dear listener, a bit of advice on the steps you should take to secure yourself in these three areas. Needless to say, neither Kai nor Nick are lawyers, accountants, or insurance brokers and are not qualified to give legal, tax, or financial advice like a qualified professional. All information in this episode is simply our personal opinions. For best results, you should consult a lawyer, accountant, insurance broker, or bookkeeper local to you with knowledge of your industry.

[22] Masterminds: A book club for the eldritch horrors of running a business

Kai Davis & Nick Disabato — Mon, 06 Jun 2016 13:00:00 +0000

Links: – How to build an online community using Slack: https://blog.freelancersunion.org/2015/09/30/how-build-online-community-using-slack/
– Nathan Barry on mastermind critiques & retreats: http://nathanbarry.com/unsolicited-advice/
– Jane Portman, recapping our mastermind’s retreat: http://uibreakfast.com/commandments/
– The book our mastermind co-wrote: http://independentconsultingmanual.com

[21] nickd Buys A House

Kai Davis & Nick Disabato — Mon, 30 May 2016 13:00:00 +0000

Yes, the system is fundamentally stacked against you and there is nothing you can do about it. Yes, you are abetting a series of societal problems that are probably larger than you – and which you are probably too busy in your own life to address. No, there’s no way to know whether you’re doing the right thing. Yes, there will be a dog – eventually. No, the dinner parties won’t get any better. Nor will your friendships.

But the house is something. Your stuff looks better in it. Block everyone who doesn’t understand.

Links:

Cara Smulevitz, who will be helping us get a dog.
This depot. No. Just no.
Amazon Prime, which nickd uses now.
nickd’s realty team: Frank Mitrick (realtor), Ed Collins (broker), Dorothy Culhane (lawyer). Reach out to all 3 and say nickd sent you.
Gusto. Get on payroll or don’t get property ever, full stop.

Thank you for listening. If you enjoyed the show we'd love if you would leave a review on iTunes

[20] Periodically Yelling for Profit

Kai Davis & Nick Disabato — Mon, 23 May 2016 13:00:00 +0000

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[19] Grist for the Mill

Kai Davis & Nick Disabato — Mon, 16 May 2016 13:00:00 +0000

Show Notes

Revise Weekly
A humble weekly newsletter about fish
Rev, our preferred transcription service
Sell Your By-Products
Making the clackity noise (Merlin Mann on writing)
Amy Hoy and 30x500 (The best course out there on building products)
Grateful Dead Discography
Dark Star, by the Grateful Dead

[18] What's Your Favorite Positioning?

Kai Davis & Nick Disabato — Mon, 09 May 2016 13:00:00 +0000

Positioning 101:

Why positioning is important?
The mental aspects of it?
Refining your positioning: deleting 2/3rds of your website

ThePositioningManual, a wonderful book on positioning by Philip Morgan

The Triumvirate of Positioning

positioningcrashcourse.com

Thank you for listening. If you enjoyed the show we'd love it if you leave a review in iTunes

[17] Swimming Up the Entropy Chute

Kai Davis & Nick Disabato — Mon, 02 May 2016 13:00:00 +0000

What would your job look like if you didn't have computers?

https://thebillfold.com/a-story-of-a-fuck-off-fund-648401263659#.55djaynk2

Thank you for listening. If you enjoyed the show we'd love it if you leave a review in iTunes

[16] Choose Your Own (Negotiation) Adventure

Kai Davis & Nick Disabato — Mon, 25 Apr 2016 12:00:00 +0000

Fuck You, Pay Me by Mike Monteiro and Gabe
Double Your Freelancing Rate, including Brennan's recommended contract
MSABundle, a collection of contracts designed for consultants that Kai uses for his business
Kai's Article On Negotiating As An Employee
Rands on Negotiation
Be Aggressive, a wonderful post on Tumblr that is pretty much Kai's life philosophy for 2014, 2015, and 2016.

Thank you for listening. If you enjoyed the show we'd love it if you leave a review in iTunes

[15] Working With Experts

Kai Davis & Nick Disabato — Mon, 18 Apr 2016 12:00:00 +0000

Draft: Evidence, nickd's amazing project on Kickstarter which you should go back right now.
nickd's Coaching Practice
Kai's Coaching Practice
Double Your Freelancing Clients
Jeremy Green of Remarq.io, a fabulous tool to turn your text into beautiful documents, content upgrades, books, and client reports
Kuma's Corner, please mail burgers to Kai Davis, PO Box 7631, Springfield, OR, 97475, USA. Thank you.
Sleep, Kuma's Corner's Burger of the Month for November
MemberUp, a wonderful consultancy focusing on growing your membership site's revenue
Amy Hoy of 30x500

Thank you for listening. If you enjoyed the show we'd love it if you leave a review in iTunes

[14] MMO Mailbag 3: Nick on Out-Pricing the Competition

Kai Davis & Nick Disabato — Fri, 15 Apr 2016 14:22:00 +0000

In this third and final mailbag installment, Nick answers the question "how does he counter the many low-cost, ‘stack em high sell em cheap’ so-called Designers online currently bidding in 99Designs?”

Thank you for listening. If you enjoyed the show we'd love it if you leave a review in iTunes.

[14] MMO Mailbag 2 Establishing Prerequisites

Kai Davis & Nick Disabato — Wed, 13 Apr 2016 13:00:00 +0000

In this second part of a 3 part mailbag episode, we talk about our prerequisites in working with somebody who we think we can get the best results for.
Thank you for listening. If you enjoyed the show we'd love it if you leave a review in iTunes.

[14] MMO Mailbag 1 Kai on Podcast Outreach

Kai Davis & Nick Disabato — Mon, 11 Apr 2016 15:34:00 +0000

In this first of a three part mailbag episode, Kai talks about podcast outreach.
Thank you for listening. If you enjoyed the show we'd love it if you leave a review in iTunes.

[13] Your Incremental Steaming Abomination

Kai Davis & Nick Disabato — Mon, 04 Apr 2016 18:28:00 +0000

Discussing product ladders today. What is a product ladder? Why is it important? How does it connect with your positioning? How do you upsell people effectively? When do you know to create a second ladder? What does a second ladder look like?

Notes:

Armitage-Halsted. Extremely expensive meals live here.

[12] Hiring and Working with an Assistant

Kai Davis & Nick Disabato — Mon, 28 Mar 2016 12:10:00 +0000

The Meta Episode That Both Our Assistants Will Listen To

How we decided to hire
The process we followed to hire
How we vetted candidates
When to hire vs when to not hire
The challenges of hiring (or growing as a business owner)
Mistakes people make when applying (application process, negotiating, focus on portfolio & past work vs future work / details of the job)
Why we — two people say we don't want to hire or have a team — hired assistants

[11] Go Back "Draft Evidence" On Kickstarter Right Now

Kai Davis & Nick Disabato — Mon, 21 Mar 2016 12:00:00 +0000

Nick's Kickstarter Project: Draft Evidence, a compilation of essay's nick has written in the last 4 years. Go back this project right now and get a copy. Or else.
Cadence and Slang, funded twice on Kickstarter.
Kickstarter, a small website for funding creative projects.
Nick's Twitter, which I guess he uses.
Nick's Zines (not available, sorry, sign up for his weekly letters in the meantime)
Following The Hunch on 99U
Why Wasn't I Consulted, the fundamental question of the web
The Brain Audit, on why customers buy and they don't. Relevant for writing a Kickstarter 'sales' page.
Freaker Kickstarter Video
The Shape of Design Kickstarter by Frank Chimero
Double Your Freelancing Rate by Brennan Dunn, a great example of a well-written sales page

If you're enjoying the show, head over to iTunes and leave us a Review. Thanks!

[10] The Importance of Research

Kai Davis & Nick Disabato — Mon, 14 Mar 2016 13:00:00 +0000

Good research is essential to anyone wanting to excel in any business, and in particular any online business. We break down how and why we do all of our research for our projects.

To get full show notes for this episode head over to makemoneyonline.exposed.

If you're enjoying the show leave us a rating and review in iTunes. Much appreciated!

[9] A Week in the Job

Kai Davis & Nick Disabato — Mon, 07 Mar 2016 13:00:00 +0000

We often reflect about what A Week In the Job of an online entrepreneur looks like. Today we dig into it, with all its glory.

[8] Getting the Heck Out of Dodge

Kai Davis & Nick Disabato — Mon, 29 Feb 2016 13:00:00 +0000

Nick went on vacation. What happens before you go on vacation? What happens after you return? How do you manage client expectations? What happens if a client oversteps their boundaries?

Are you a cheapskate? Thanks, jerk. You can get our about page for free by leaving us a favorable review on iTunes. Screenshot your review, email it to us, and we’ll reply with our stupid about page.

[7] Are You Pineapple-worthy?

Kai Davis & Nick Disabato — Mon, 22 Feb 2016 14:00:00 +0000

Today we're digging into onboarding clients, students, and customers. Why? How? What does this mean?

References in This Episode:

Nick's Welcome Packet

Kai's Welcome Packet (nick's welcome packet with white-out applied throughout)

Sunn o)))'s welcome packet: http://www.john-wiese.com/zine/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/sunn-australia-tour-2005-technical-rider-1024x791.jpg

Big Ideas

Set Expectations

Explain what you're doing and what they'll be doing

Explain what won't be happening

Give direction for questions

[6] On Writing a Book: Why Write a Book?

Kai Davis & Nick Disabato — Mon, 15 Feb 2016 14:00:00 +0000

Writing a book is high on most content creators list. But why? What is the allure of writing a book? Most of us who have the knowledge base and authority to write a book already have an established platform upon which to share their message. A book is the next logical step for most of us, but it is also a massive undertaking and one that requires a lot of work to be worth the effort.

If you're enjoying the show please head over to iTunes and leave us a review.

[5] Non-Horrible Business Right-Sizing

Kai Davis & Nick Disabato — Mon, 08 Feb 2016 14:00:00 +0000

How do you scale your business without compromising the product you've worked so hard to build the right way? Navigating this paradigm shift is a difficult one, and something that takes a lot of foresight and intentionality.

Some effective methods of growth we like include:

Hiring an assistant, effectively giving you more time
Delegating to contractors with specialized focus
Hiring full-time employees to focus on one aspect of your business
Raising rates to allow you to focus more on customer relationships

Most of these methods focus around adding people to your organization.

Other methods along the leverage path:

offering group coaching
adding products
Selling strategy sessions instead of implementing a service

Enjoying the show? Leave us a review in iTunes. Thanks!

[4] Kai Buys a Pen

Kai Davis & Nick Disabato — Mon, 01 Feb 2016 14:00:00 +0000

JetPens, where you will buy your office supplies from now on.
Tokyu Hands, which is basically IRL JetPens. Go to the Shibuya location next time you’re in Tokyo.
The Pen Type-A, “over-engineered to crazy town.”
Platinum; Nakaya. Lamy Safari; Lamy Studio. Kaweco Sport.
An Alan Weiss interview where he beseeches the reader to get a Cartier or a Mont Blanc pen.
The H. Moser & Cie. Swiss Alp Watch.
Ghareeb Nawaz. Girl and the Goat. Alinea.
The Henry Graves Jr. Patek Philippe Supercomplication, which is a watch.
The Wu-Tang Clan’s new album, pressed in a single copy.
The designer of Facebook’s “like” button.
The Pen Addict.

[3] How We Got Started

Kai Davis & Nick Disabato — Thu, 28 Jan 2016 15:30:00 +0000

How did we begin our businesses? Where did we come from? And because scale is the only thing that matters, how do we do so?

VSA’s gorgeous office.
Book Yourself Solid by Michael Port.
Double Your Freelancing Rate by Brennan Dunn.
Kai’s Twitter bio: “Your real internet boyfriend. Its and favs are sexts. I love you.”

Love this episode? Hate this episode? Good. Now it's time to leave a review.

[2] Make Money Online

Kai Davis & Nick Disabato — Mon, 25 Jan 2016 19:11:00 +0000

Now that we are talking to one another, how can we make money online? Methods are discussed; sacred cows are thrown into volcanoes.

Show Notes

The Simpsons episode which discusses family, religion, and friendship as the three demons you must slay to succeed at business.
Kai’s coaching service.
nickd’s coaching service.
The Personal MBA by Josh Kaufman.
The Goblin Cock from Kuma’s Corner, which is a hot dog on top of three strips of bacon on top of a burger, with all of the Chicago dog trimmings. Business owners eat the Goblin Cock… infrequently.
Patrick McKenzie’s standing invitation.
Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.
NetJets, which is not on Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.
The victory music from Final Fantasy VII.

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[1] Click Here to Download Your Free Chapter

Kai Davis & Nick Disabato — Mon, 25 Jan 2016 19:05:00 +0000

Who are we? What is this? What gives us the right to run a podcast? This is horrifying.

Show Notes

“Then a miracle occurs.”
“How I Won the Lottery” by Darius Kazemi.
Elon Musk on being less wrong.
Dennis DeSantis’s book that contains the quote about being miserable as a music producer.

Love this episode? Hate this episode? Good. Now it's time to leave a review.