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The Art of Online Business

[Formerly The Art of Paid Traffic] Are you an online expert working toward the 6 or 7-figure mark in your business? Welcome to your one-stop-shop for practical tips, mindsets, actionable strategies, detailed case studies and everything else you need to build an online business and a life that lights you up. Whether you’re ready to increase your profit through Facebook and Instagram ads or you’re looking to find and focus on the CEO activities that’ll make the most meaningful difference in your business — you’re in the right place. Host Rick Mulready is an online business coach, ads expert and lifestyle entrepreneur sharing his path to building a million dollar business as an online expert and course creator. His specialty? Breaking complex overwhelm-inducing ideas and strategies into bite sized easy to understand pieces. His not-so-secret superpower? Teaching simplified Facebook and Instagram ad strategies you can use to create a foundation for more freedom, leads, and sales in your business. Ready for more income AND impact? Discover why The Art of Online Business has over 4.5 million downloads from ambitious online experts committed to creating profitable and purposeful businesses!
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Now displaying: July, 2019
Jul 31, 2019

Today’s guest is someone that I’ve looked to for mentorship, because he is literally one of my favorite people in the online business space. Casey Graham has started and sold three businesses, and he is now the founder and CEO of a company called Gravy. We started working with Gravy a few years back, and they are the leading experts in helping their clients recover failed payments for subscription-based businesses.

Since starting Gravy, Casey and his team have learned a lot of lessons about business and customer psychology that he really opens up about here on this episode. Gravy is now viewed as the “Ritz Carlton of payment recovery”, and Casey does a great job explaining how they differ from collection agencies when I put him on the spot near the start of the interview by asking him that question.

We cover a lot of different topics here, including one I’m really interested in right now, which is how we can learn to “turn the switch” off at the end of the day as busy entrepreneurs (and make the most of the time we all have with our families).

In this episode Casey reveals his simple strategy for getting someone to give you money (and let me just say that it’s not by using fear tactics), and he also gives his 60-day sequence when working with subscription-based customers.

You’ll also learn the ways you can be proactive in retaining paying customers, the four main reasons people will stop paying (and they may not be what you think!) and so much more.

Like my other interviews here on the podcast, this one went in a lot of different directions and we covered a lot of things that can benefit entrepreneurs at all stages of their businesses. Whether you are just starting out on your journey or looking to scale to 7-figures, Casey is a great person to learn from because he has integrity and he’s building a business the right way.

Before we start the show, I’ve got something to ask. At this time we have over 500 5-Star ratings and reviews on Apple Podcasts, which is great, but I’ve set a goal to get 750 of them by the end of Q3, Sept 30th, 2019. If you’ve gotten value from this podcast, I’d really appreciate you subscribing and leaving an honest rating and review. Take a screenshot, share it on your Instagram Stories and tag me, @rickmulready. When we hit the 750 ratings and reviews, I’ll be raffling off a book bundle of my top 10 business and mindset books for one lucky winner. If you’ve already left a rating and review, just take a screenshot and tag me on Instagram, and you’ll be eligible to win as well!

Want to win a 30-minute strategy session with me? I’ll be drawing one winner at random each month, and all you have to do is give me your feedback on this podcast over at http://rickmulready.com/messenger, telling me what you’d like to hear more of - including topics you’d like to see covered, guests, style and frequency of the show!

On the Show Today You’ll Learn:

  • The story of how I initially connected with Casey, and what he taught me about interacting with your audience through this experience
  • Why the way you acquired a customer matters so much when it comes to retaining that person
  • How the fine print in your policies will allow you retain customers while protecting yourself at the same time
  • The one question you need to ask of your CRM or payment processor
  • His “Mad Mom Princple” and what Casey means when he says that you need to “make it obvious to the oblivious”
  • The “Trouble Triangle” and “Magic Moment” principles that you can implement now to keep your customers happy and avoid potential issues ahead of time
  • Real-life examples of the “55 Cent Principle” in action, and how you can start using it in your business today for amazing results
  • What to consider when you’re transitioning to the CEO role, and the major hurdles you’ll face on the way to scaling your business to 7-figures (and beyond)
Jul 26, 2019

Welcome to another Quick Tip episode!

This is where I share a quick tip with you each week that’s related to Facebook ads or online marketing or just general growing your business tips. 

Today’s quick tip is about Facebook’s Campaign Budget Optimization rollout being delayed. 

Let’s jump into it...

LINKS & RESOURCES MENTIONED:

http://rickmulready.com/training 

https://rickmulready.com/business-and-mindset-books/

Jul 24, 2019

I’m honored to bring a regular listener of this podcast, Jose Quiroz, on to the show to share a cool case study of how he helped a client of his, and I know a lot of people will benefit from the lessons Jose learned from it and what he discusses in this episode.

Jose helps established businesses take their products and service online, and profit from it, and in this episode you’ll hear how he did this with his client Rich, a local fitness trainer who wanted to take his business online after previously doing in-person training and workshops.

Jose reveals how Rich went from having very little presence online to selling 25 spots in his 3-month online fitness program, all in matter of just a few weeks. Jose reveals the process, or “personalized road map” he gave Rich that made this possible, including how his client ultimately decided to deliver his course content to the participants.

Like me, Jose knew he had a bigger calling to do more than he was doing in the corporate world. He also had a lot of doubts and fears in making the transition, which he is very open about and talks about here.

I think it’s so important for people like Jose to step up and help others who want to move from the cubicle to laptop by starting their own online businesses, by giving them the coaching and guidance that they need to be successful so that they then impact more people with their own work.

Before we start the show, I’ve got something to ask. At this time we have over 500 5-Star ratings and reviews on Apple Podcasts, which is great, but I’ve set a goal to get 750 of them by the end of Q3, Sept 30th, 2019. If you’ve gotten value from this podcast, I’d really appreciate you subscribing and leaving an honest rating and review. Take a screenshot, share it on your Instagram Stories and tag me, @rickmulready. When we hit the 750 ratings and reviews, I’ll be raffling off a book bundle of my top 10 business and mindset books for one lucky winner. If you’ve already left a rating and review, just take a screenshot and tag me on Instagram, and you’ll be eligible to win as well!

Want to win a 30-minute strategy session with me? I’ll be drawing one winner at random each month, and all you have to do is give me your feedback on this podcast over at http://rickmulready.com/messenger, telling me what you’d like to hear more of - including topics you’d like to see covered, guests, style and frequency of the show!

On the Show Today You’ll Learn:

  • Jose’s thought process in leaving his corporate job, and why he says a job security can be an “illusion”
  • What the transition to full-time entrepreneur looked like and how his family and childhood experiences shaped this move
  • How he learned that the only thing capping the opportunities available to him was himself
  • The “Secret Sauce” Joe now uses to guide his clients and the way he gained clarity on who he should be serving
  • How he began working with his client Rich, and why it was so important to get him over his fear of doing live video
  • A breakdown of the process he gave to Rich that resulted in 25 course sales in just a few weeks, and how they combined traditional and digital marketing to do this
  • The way they approached creating the course and delivering the content, including alternatives to doing a membership site
  • How the process will differ for someone in the corporate world looking to start an online business, and the platform Jose recommends these people leverage

 

Jul 19, 2019

Welcome to another Quick Tip episode!

This is where I share a quick tip with you each week that’s related to Facebook ads or online marketing or just general growing your business tips.

Today’s quick tip is about how to tell if you’re getting distractions or money making opportunities.

Let’s jump into it...

LINKS & RESOURCES MENTIONED:

http://rickmulready.com/training 

https://rickmulready.com/business-and-mindset-books/

https://rickmulready.com/quick-tip-stop-making-this-mistake-with-your-fb-ig-ads/

Jul 17, 2019

Today on the show I’m bringing back my friend Craig Ballantyne to share more about how he’s crushing it using Instagram for his business. Craig appeared on the podcast back in May last year, where he talked about how he used Instagram Stories to sell over $500,000 at that time in “high ticket” workshops, but you won’t believe the further growth and success he’s seen using the platform since then!

As you’ll hear, Craig just started using Instagram in February 2017, and he says he really didn’t know what he was doing for the first month. In April 2017 he made his first $5,000 sale using Instragram, and he hasn’t stopped learning and refining his approach since that time, revealing many of his strategies he now uses in this episode.

Craig reveals the single most important thing about Instagram “swipe ups”, as well as giving a call to action that will get your prospects to take action, while allowing you to stay in integrity and fully aligned with your message.

He discusses how he qualifies the people who DM him on Instagram, what his message sequence to prospects is and how he uses video in DM to stand out from the crowd.

Craig gives us his “VPS” formula to use for successful posts, and he even breaks down some of the posts on both of our actual Instagram feeds (you can find the video of that below)!

As Craig says, the biggest thing with Instagram is being intentional about how you’re using it, and he definitely knows what he’s doing as his clients are seeing massive results using his methods – with many of them being in very unique niches.  In fact, one of his clients sold a $28,000 personal training package through Instagram, and another sold a $40,000 massage school using the platform, just to name a few examples! You could start seeing amazing results from your Instagram too, by even implementing just a few tips that Craig shares with us today.

Before we start the show, I’ve got something to ask. How do you listen to this podcast? Is it in the iTunes app, Stitcher, Spotify or maybe iHeart Radio? Do you listen to it at regular speed, or maybe like me you listen to your podcasts at 1.5X speed? I want to know! Take a screenshot of you tuning in to The Art of Paid Traffic, and include it on your Instagram Story, while tagging me, @RickMulready! 

Want to win a 30-minute strategy session with me? I’ll be drawing one winner at random each month, and all you have to do is give me your feedback on this podcast over at http://rickmulready.com/messenger, telling me what you’d like to hear more of - including topics you’d like to see covered, guests, style and frequency of the show!

On the Show Today You’ll Learn:

  • How you can increase the number of responses you’re getting on your videos, and an Instagram Story strategy that doesn’t use videos

  • The role of the conversation on Instagram, in addition to just what you share with your stories
  • 7 key words to keep in mind each time you’re speaking with a potential customer on Instagram

  • Which day of the week Craig is getting a ton of views on (this may surprise you)!

  • Ways that you can keep your Instagram feed and stories fresh and unpredictable, leading to more shares by followers

  • What he has done to grow his Instagram following to almost 50,000 people, and why he won’t be trying paid shout outs again in the near future

  • Craig’s “VPS” formula, what it means to really be purposeful and why using quotes on your posts is so important to do

  • How to use IGTV to overcome changes on the platform and to get even more engagement, and his best tricks for getting the most out of this tool
Jul 12, 2019

Welcome to another Quick Tip episode!

This is where I share a quick tip with you each week that’s related to Facebook ads or online marketing or just general growing your business tips.

Today’s quick tip is about how to stop making this mistake with your FB & IG ads.

Let’s jump into it...

Jul 10, 2019

With the exception of one episode about GDPR, we haven’t really covered any legal topics here on the podcast. Well, that’s about to change today, because I’m joined by Bobby Klinck, a student of mine who says he’s “not your typical lawyer!”

Bobby has a law degree from Harvard and he now considers himself an entrepreneur first. He’s been in the online space for about 5 years now, beginning by using online marketing to build his own law firm and now focusing on helping online entrepreneurs spot potential issues in their own businesses.

In this episode Bobby shares what the transition from practicing to what he’s doing now looked like, as well as some of the early struggles he had in his online business, including a failed launch where he spent $10,000 and made only one sale.

Bobby says he really started getting traction last year when he began to really listen to and understand his clients, as well putting into practice what he has learned from this podcast.

After starting by offering online courses related to legal issues, Bobby now gives training and charges for his templates. He also helps online entrepreneurs build the foundation for their business and their fan bases, so they can launch their producst successfully.

We talk about a lot here and it can be overwhelming to hear about the legal stuff that comes up in business, but the key thing Bobby says is to not it stop you, and there are steps you can take now to make protecting yourself easy.

In addition to all the great advice Bobby gives in this episode on how we can protect ourselves as online entrepreneurs, I think what makes Bobby so relatable is that he is open to sharing his own journey, and the struggles he’s faced while building his personal brand.

Before we start the show, I’ve got something to ask. How do you listen to this podcast? Is it in the iTunes app, Stitcher, Spotify or maybe iHeart Radio? Do you listen to it at regular speed, or maybe like me you listen to your podcasts at 1.5X speed? I want to know! Take a screenshot of you tuning in to The Art of Paid Traffic, and include it on your Instagram Story, while tagging me, @RickMulready!

Want to win a 30-minute strategy session with me? I’ll be drawing one winner at random each month, and all you have to do is give me your feedback on this podcast over at http://rickmulready.com/messenger, telling me what you’d like to hear more of - including topics you’d like to see covered, guests, style and frequency of the show!

On the Show Today You’ll Learn:

  • The first steps an online entrepreneur should take in setting up his or her business, including the essential policies that should be in place
  • Something that is happening often on Instagram (and you may be doing yourself) that could lead to potential legal issues
  • What copyright is, and isn’t, and why attribution doesn’t cover you in all cases
  • What to consider when using case studies of your students and when making certain claims
  • All about a course agreement and the ways one can protect you
  • What Bobby recommends is well worth the investment if you’re considering a partnership with someone else (plus a personal experience and lessons from his own career)
  • An update on GDPR one year later, plus Bobby’s thoughts and solutions for it
  • The “Right To Publicity” concept, when to get written permission and why common sense should prevail in most cases
Jul 5, 2019

Welcome to another Quick Tip episode!

This is where I share a quick tip with you each week that’s related to Facebook ads or online marketing or just general growing your business tips.  

Today’s quick tip is about how to stop doing ALL the things in your business. 

Let’s jump into it...

Links & Resources Mentioned:

https://rickmulready.com/theresa-loe-growing-a-team/

https://www.notion.so/

https://evernote.com/ 

https://www.rescuetime.com/

Book: 80/20 Sales and Marketing by Perry Marshall

Jul 3, 2019

My guest today is Brandi Mowles, and she helps service-based entrepreneurs and businesses explode their growth by using Facebook ads and sales funnels. I originally recorded a strategy session with Brandi earlier this year that hadn’t yet aired, but after talking with Brandi at ConvertKit’s Craft + Commerce conference this month, I just knew I had to bring her back on to share what’s been happening in her business.

In addition to being one of my students and a coach for my Impact group coaching program, Brandi has just launched her 12-month membership program for service-based entrepreneurs who want to scale to consistent 5-figure months, without hiring a team. You’re going to love her story of how she launched this program and the results she got from the beta launch to a relatively small list of a few hundred people. Brandi is a perfect example that you don’t need everything to be perfect, because she generated $4,000 on this launch before even going public with it!

In this episode you’ll hear how Brandi first found this podcast and dove into managing Facebook ads for others, originally getting clients from Facebook groups but maxing out her revenue at about $6,000 a month. She talks about her experiences with local clients from LinkedIn, and why she made the switch back to working exclusively with online service-based entrepreneurs, with great success.

Brandi shares the amazing results her clients have seen, starting with an early client from James Wedmore’s Business By Design group whose launch generated about $21,000 in revenue on an ad spend of just $823. Brandi’s now helping that client launch a second time, and through word of mouth referrals, Brandi’s business has absolutely exploded.

There is so much in this episode that you can learn from Brandi’s work with her clients, some of them in very niche industries, as well as how she’s successfully building her own business. In fact, Brandi is also a new member of my Accelerator mastermind starting this month, so I’ll be excited to see even more progress she makes over the second half of 2019, and I’d love to bring her back on again to share it all with you.

Before we start the show, I’ve got something to ask. How do you listen to this podcast? Is it in the iTunes app, Stitcher, Spotify or maybe iHeart Radio? Do you listen to it at regular speed, or maybe like me you listen to your podcasts at 1.5X speed? I want to know! Take a screenshot of you tuning in to The Art of Paid Traffic, and include it on your Instagram Story, while tagging me, @RickMulready!

Want to win a 30-minute strategy session with me? I’ll be drawing one winner at random each month, and all you have to do is give me your feedback on this podcast over at http://rickmulready.com/messenger, telling me what you’d like to hear more of - including topics you’d like to see covered, guests, style and frequency of the show!

On the Show Today You’ll Learn:

  • The simple ad campaigns Brandi is using with one client to get leads from cold traffic at just 71 cents, and how she’s getting amazing results for clients with smaller lists with a total ad spend of less than $1,000

  • The way Brandi uses a questionnaire to get in to the heads of her ad management clients, and how this ultimately leads to better results for their launches

  • Her 7-day pre-launch video testing strategy that is setting up her clients for success, with a spend of only $10 to $20 a day

  • Why Brandi doesn’t want to scale her business and how she resists the temptation to work with everyone that approaches her now

  • The beta launch of her membership program that resulted in 23 people signing up, with a waiting list of more people eager to join

  • The way she’s delivering the content in the membership and her strategy for delivering maximum value to her members

  • What approach Brandi had going into the recent ConvertKit Craft + Commerce event, and what she did once she was there to directly get three new clients from it

  • Why Brandi recently hired a Visibility Strategist, or “Hype Girl” (and what this person is doing for her)

  • Her ideal clients that she wants to work with and the two packages that Brandi now offers to service-based entrepreneurs
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