Let's make 2024 truly incredible (for you and for others) by doing these nine critical activities.
1. Decide On Your Goals
I’ve talked many times on this podcast about Warren Buffett’s 25/5 goal-setting strategy. It works. It also gets your priorities straight and helps you FOCUS.
2. Review Your Goals Every Morning
Part of my personal success formula is writing down and then reviewing what I want to accomplish every morning of every day. Seriously…just take five minutes out of every day and it will change your stars.
3. Donate Something Every Day
We all have too much stuff. Let’s change that in 2024. Let’s start de-cluttering now and then, every day, donating one thing to charity (some place like Goodwill or your church). We know a couple of senior citizens who are doing that right now. I am amazed how purging old things can free up the mind and the spirit. It’s like a weight being lifted.
4. Track Your Habits
If you complete your goals, you’ll start to identify habits. Do you have a health goal in 2024? Then you probably have an exercise, running or eating habit you are determined to learn. Use an app like HabitBull to keep track of your habits, and it will remind you when you need a kick in the pants.
5. Set a Book Goal
The most curious and interesting people I know read A LOT of books. I have a prejudice against people that do not read on a regular basis (sorry). Goodreads is a fantastic place to set your reading goal for 2024 (and be sure to mix up a little fiction with nonfiction). If you need a Goodreads friend just follow me here.
6. Recurring Expenses Cut
A few years ago, my wife and I went through our recurring expenses (like Netflix and news subscriptions) and we were shocked by the results. At the end of the process, we ended up cancelling quite a few services we really didn’t need. This ended up saving us well over $200 (so we could buy more beer).
7. Password Maintenance
I have believed for quite some time that the biggest threat to our personal financial existence is someone hacking into our accounts. Protect yourself by using a service such as Dashlane to create super strong passwords (and ones that you don’t have to remember).
8. Update Your Will or Trust
My wife and I just updated our will. We do so every year. This year, since the kids are 20 and 22, we shared our plans with them.
You’d be surprised how things change in just a short time.
If you have a will or trust, get it updated. If you don’t, get one pronto. You'll sleep better at night.
9. Time to Update Your Financials
2023 has been another crazy year for investing. The Dow is up 10 percent this year. The NASDAQ is up 40 percent and Bitcoin is up 150 percent.
All this means that your financial allocations are probably out of whack and you need to re-diversify. You may want to do this before the end of the year depending on your tax situation.
When you do this, pick allocations that help you sleep at night. Don’t do anything that will make you want to check your stocks every day.
Here’s Orangeletter #115 where I talk about the 10 things you need to do with your finances today. And, if you didn’t already receive it, here’s a PDF of my perfect investment strategy.
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This episode is sponsored by Lulu.com
Books are among the top 3 most profitable and most utilized tactics to monetize content.Turning your content into a printed book with Lulu has never been easier.
Create a free account today at Lulu.com to get started.
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Do you know why you are doing all the things you are doing? Most content entrepreneurs don't.
Take a few minutes and do this quick exercise. It will change your stars.
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This episode is sponsored by Lulu.com
Books are among the top 3 most profitable and most utilized tactics to monetize content.Turning your content into a printed book with Lulu has never been easier.
Create a free account today at Lulu.com to get started.
-------
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See all Content Inc episodes at the Content Inc. podcast home.
Get my personal newsletter today and receive my free goal-setting guide today.
Are you in a content slump? If so, perhaps taking a hard look at these four questions will make the difference.
What is your content's purpose?
Who is your specific audience?
Are you taking your headlines seriously?
Is there money to support your content business?
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This episode is sponsored by Lulu.com
Books are among the top 3 most profitable and most utilized tactics to monetize content.Turning your content into a printed book with Lulu has never been easier.
Create a free account today at Lulu.com to get started.
-------
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See all Content Inc episodes at the Content Inc. podcast home.
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Here's everything you need to know about what happened at OpenAI in less than five minutes.
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This episode is sponsored by Lulu.com
Books are among the top 3 most profitable and most utilized tactics to monetize content.Turning your content into a printed book with Lulu has never been easier.
Create a free account today at Lulu.com to get started.
-------
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See all Content Inc episodes at the Content Inc. podcast home.
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Sometimes we get into a rut as content entrepreneurs, using the same old ways to monetize content over and over again. Maybe there is a better way.
In this episode I give a few examples of unique ways to fund your content business.
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This episode is sponsored by Lulu.com
Books are among the top 3 most profitable and most utilized tactics to monetize content.Turning your content into a printed book with Lulu has never been easier.
Create a free account today at Lulu.com to get started.
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See all Content Inc episodes at the Content Inc. podcast home.
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The biggest problem right now with new content launches is differentiation (or lack of it). The majority of new (and ongoing) content projects simply aren't different enough to break through all the clutter.
Today we talk about two things you can do to change that.
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This episode is sponsored by Lulu.com
Books are among the top 3 most profitable and most utilized tactics to monetize content.Turning your content into a printed book with Lulu has never been easier.
Create a free account today at Lulu.com to get started.
-------
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See all Content Inc episodes at the Content Inc. podcast home.
Get my personal newsletter today and receive the first chapter of my new book for free.
Last week I listened to a best-selling author give a masterclass on writing and content productivity tips. In this episode I go through the ones that impacted me the most.
Show links:
This episode is sponsored by Lulu.com
Books are among the top 3 most profitable and most utilized tactics to monetize content.Turning your content into a printed book with Lulu has never been easier.
Create a free account today at Lulu.com to get started.
-------
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See all Content Inc episodes at the Content Inc. podcast home.
Get my personal newsletter today and receive the first chapter of my new book for free.
Sometimes, the name you chose for your content brand just doesn't work. Maybe it did at one point...but now you know the truth...it just doesn't fit. It's holding you back.
It's time to make a change.
Here's my story about making two big name changes. I think it will help.
Also, here's my friend Jay Clouse's story of his name change (with some amazing results).
Content Entrepreneur Expo - Registration is now open.
This episode is sponsored by Lulu.com
Books are among the top 3 most profitable and most utilized tactics to monetize content.Turning your content into a printed book with Lulu has never been easier.
Create a free account today at Lulu.com to get started.
-------
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I just refreshed my entire website and made five important changes. Here they are!
One, make it personal. Have the copy come from you, not the third person.
Two, lean in to what makes you, well, you. Your differences are a positive. Accentuate that.
Three, you should have only one major CTA. The most important is that they start to receive regular communication from you. You can sell them things once they come to know, like and trust you.
Four, you don’t have to put everything in your copy. Where you can, write secondary articles and just link to those.
And finally, the welcome sequence is a must, for no other reason that if the subscriber confirms and then replies to an email, your deliverability should skyrocket.
Show links:
This episode is sponsored by Lulu.com
Books are among the top 3 most profitable and most utilized tactics to monetize content.Turning your content into a printed book with Lulu has never been easier.
Create a free account today at Lulu.com to get started.
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John Mulaney and Louis CK (before all the trouble) have two very different models as content creators. In this episode, Joe breaks down the differences between them and how YOU (the content entrepreneur) need to choose which one you want in order to be truly successful.
Show links:
This episode is sponsored by Lulu.com
Books are among the top 3 most profitable and most utilized tactics to monetize content.Turning your content into a printed book with Lulu has never been easier.
Create a free account today at Lulu.com to get started.
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Website traffic from social media sites has fallen off a click for most media, brand and creator sites. Can we even use social media to help our business anymore?
The answer is a big-fat maybe...but only if we adhere to the "no-click" social media strategy.
This episode is sponsored by Lulu.com
Books are among the top 3 most profitable and most utilized tactics to monetize content.Turning your content into a printed book with Lulu has never been easier.
Create a free account today at Lulu.com to get started.
-------
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Joe's fall travel has begun. The good news is that Joe is listening to the trends. In this podcast, JP breaks down four key trends, including the move to in-person events, the AI-spending freeze in consulting, an overall spending indicator (student loans) and more.
This episode is sponsored by Lulu.com
Books are among the top 3 most profitable and most utilized tactics to monetize content.Turning your content into a printed book with Lulu has never been easier.
Create a free account today at Lulu.com to get started.
-------
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Here's everything you need to know to quit your current corporate position and start a content business.
My wife and I (and an amazing group of people) started Content Marketing World in 2011. This is the first year the event is not in Cleveland. I’m a bit sad about this move, but I totally get it. It’s so much easier to attract international travelers to a location like DC (direct flights in many cases). That said, I’m a Cleveland homer and want CLE to succeed (which is why our new event, Creator Economy Expo, will be in Cleveland in May).
Instead of doing the same old “here’s how to be great at content marketing” speech, I decided to do something completely different. Over the past 12 months, I’ve been approached by so many marketers looking to leave the corporate world and start their own content businesses. I figure there will be many of these people at CMW as well. So, that’s my speech: The Blueprint on How to Quit Your Marketing Job.
Here's a running list I put together on how to quit your marketing job and start a content business.
1. Don't quit your job until you've starting the process of quitting your job (see below).
2. Most fail. You need to know that. Half won't make it five years.
3. Those that do make it (as content creators) are incredibly happy (only two percent regret the decision).
4. First thing's first: Nail your story. Being a generalist doesn't work. What's your expertise? What will you be known for?
5. Think about: Who your specific audience will be? What will you send them? What do you want them to achieve?
6. Focus on something you can be amazing at and forget the rest.
7. Start before you quit: find the story, start your newsletter (maybe a website as well), build out your presence on LinkedIn. Be great at one platform.
8. If you have proprietary processes with your company (that don't belong to the company) save them on a personal drive.
9. Write down your goals and review them often. What do you see this becoming? How will you measure success?
10. Talk to your family. When you start a business, everyone is involved (like it or not).
11. Put aside at least six months of expenses.
12. Find a good accountant and lawyer.
13. Begin the process of lowering your expenses. Things like going to one car or ending one or two streaming services.
14. Actually start the legal side of the business (LLC?). You can do this before you quit.
15. Separate your accounting and finances now. Get a business credit card.
16. What will you do about insurance?
17. Check the agreement you have with your current company. What can you do with a business while you are still working a day job?
18. Make three lists: Mentors (people who've done it - successfully or not) to set up coffee meetings. Contacts (who can help refer business to you in the future) and Future Clients (who can help support your business financially in the future). Keep these lists fresh.
19. Generate revenue before you leave your job. The quicker to revenue the more likelihood for success.
20. When you are a month or so out (but make sure you are ready) have a conversation with your boss. "I love working here...but I'd like to start my own business in the future." Your goal, if possible, is for your current company to be your first customer.
21. Build your internal network at your company now. Odds are your first job will come via someone at your current company. The more internal champions the better.
22. The most successful content creators who leave a "real" job have many ways they generate revenue. The more the better. Top five are consulting, books, online courses and workshops, affiliate marketing and sponsorship.
This episode is sponsored by Lulu.com
If making money with your content seems like an uphill battle, I have good news. The 2023 Content Entrepreneur Research is out: Books are among the top 3 most profitable and most utilized tactics to monetize content.Turning your content into a printed book with Lulu has never been easier.
Create a free account today at Lulu.com to get started.
-------
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See all Content Inc episodes at the Content Inc. podcast home.
Get my personal newsletter today and receive the first chapter of my new book for free.
If you are trying to build a content empire, either as an individual creator or as part of a content marketing team, this episode is for you. Here's Joe guesting on Louis Grenier's amazing podcast "Everyone Hates Marketers."
In this episode, Joe and Louis break down what it takes to find your content topic, build a niche, how long it should take, how to drive revenue and stupid things marketers do.
If you like this episode, please subscribe to Everyone Hates Marketers.
This episode is sponsored by Lulu.com
If making money with your content seems like an uphill battle, I have good news. The 2023 Content Entrepreneur Research is out: Books are among the top 3 most profitable and most utilized tactics to monetize content.Turning your content into a printed book with Lulu has never been easier.
Create a free account today at Lulu.com to get started.
-------
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See all Content Inc episodes at the Content Inc. podcast home.
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The tide has turned over the past decade. Today, most creators do not control their own content distribution. We've lost direct access to the audience. So, no asset. No data.
Creators need to change this, but they cannot do it by themselves. We need the fans to unite and buy direct.
This episode is sponsored by Lulu.com
If making money with your content seems like an uphill battle, I have good news. The 2023 Content Entrepreneur Research is out: Books are among the top 3 most profitable and most utilized tactics to monetize content.Turning your content into a printed book with Lulu has never been easier.
Create a free account today at Lulu.com to get started.
-------
Like this episode? SUBSCRIBE on Apple, Spotify or Google.
See all Content Inc episodes at the Content Inc. podcast home.
Get my personal newsletter today and receive the first chapter of my new book for free.
I started my first business in 2007. I squandered about two years time because I didn't understand these concepts. Here are five distinct ways you can grow your content business (that I wish I knew then).
This episode is sponsored by Lulu.com
If making money with your content seems like an uphill battle, I have good news. The 2023 Content Entrepreneur Research is out: Books are among the top 3 most profitable and most utilized tactics to monetize content.Turning your content into a printed book with Lulu has never been easier.
Create a free account today at Lulu.com to get started.
-------
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See all Content Inc episodes at the Content Inc. podcast home.
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This week, Joe answers a listener question about how to survive with your content creator business when your audience is still very, very small. Hint: There isn't just one way. Here are a number of survival tips that will help.
This episode is sponsored by Lulu.com
37% of creators surveyed by The Tilt this year said that one of the top 3 most profitable ways to monetize their content is with a book. Turning your best performing content into a printed book with Lulu has never been easier. Lulu’s ecommerce plugins allow you to sell directly to your fans from your site, while they handle all of the printing and shipping. You keep all of your customer data and 100% of your profits.
Create a free account today at Lulu.com to get started.
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A special Content Inc. episode with content pioneer Brian Clark. Brian talks about the longevity economy and the special opportunity creators and marketers have by understanding the market changes around aging.
For more information on the longevity economy, check out Brian's site LongevityGains.com.
Listen to the previous episode with Brian about the creatory economy at Content Inc. episode 297.
This episode is sponsored by Lulu.com
37% of creators surveyed by The Tilt this year said that one of the top 3 most profitable ways to monetize their content is with a book. Turning your best performing content into a printed book with Lulu has never been easier. Lulu’s ecommerce plugins allow you to sell directly to your fans from your site, while they handle all of the printing and shipping. You keep all of your customer data and 100% of your profits.
Create a free account today at Lulu.com to get started.
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There have been a slew of AI-generated books being published on Amazon and Goodreads in the names of legitimate authors. In today's podcast, Joe breaks down a horrific example from author Jane Friedman. Simply put, Amazon might have outlived its usefulness as a bookseller for independent authors.
Today's link: I Would Rather See My Books Pirated by Jane Friedman
This episode is sponsored by Lulu.com
37% of creators surveyed by The Tilt this year said that one of the top 3 most profitable ways to monetize their content is with a book. Turning your best performing content into a printed book with Lulu has never been easier. Lulu’s ecommerce plugins allow you to sell directly to your fans from your site, while they handle all of the printing and shipping. You keep all of your customer data and 100% of your profits.
Create a free account today at Lulu.com to get started.
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I know...another podcast about exit strategies. Don't worry. This one goes through a very easy three-step process that every entrepreneur should be employing. Make this one worth your time!
This episode is sponsored by Lulu.com
37% of creators surveyed by The Tilt this year said that one of the top 3 most profitable ways to monetize their content is with a book. Turning your best performing content into a printed book with Lulu has never been easier. Lulu’s ecommerce plugins allow you to sell directly to your fans from your site, while they handle all of the printing and shipping. You keep all of your customer data and 100% of your profits.
Create a free account today at Lulu.com to get started.
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Big news this week as we have sold The Tilt and Creator Economy Expo to our partners at Lulu. My role is changing a bit, and I'm excited to announce a new book services business that's important for content creators. Listen in for the details!
This episode is sponsored by Lulu.com
37% of creators surveyed by The Tilt this year said that one of the top 3 most profitable ways to monetize their content is with a book. Turning your best performing content into a printed book with Lulu has never been easier. Lulu’s ecommerce plugins allow you to sell directly to your fans from your site, while they handle all of the printing and shipping. You keep all of your customer data and 100% of your profits.
Create a free account today at Lulu.com to get started.
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I spent the week listening to AI experts and marketing professionals living in the world of artificial intelligence. I have some thoughts on what we need to do. Be warned!
This episode is sponsored by Lulu.com
37% of creators surveyed by The Tilt this year said that one of the top 3 most profitable ways to monetize their content is with a book. Turning your best performing content into a printed book with Lulu has never been easier. Lulu’s ecommerce plugins allow you to sell directly to your fans from your site, while they handle all of the printing and shipping. You keep all of your customer data and 100% of your profits.
Create a free account today at Lulu.com to get started.
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See all Content Inc episodes at the Content Inc. podcast home.
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The majority of creators and agencies still struggle with how to display pricing information. Here are a couple of examples of good and bad pricing methods and what you need to do right now with your pricing.
This episode is sponsored by Lulu.com
37% of creators surveyed by The Tilt this year said that one of the top 3 most profitable ways to monetize their content is with a book. Turning your best performing content into a printed book with Lulu has never been easier. Lulu’s ecommerce plugins allow you to sell directly to your fans from your site, while they handle all of the printing and shipping. You keep all of your customer data and 100% of your profits.
Create a free account today at Lulu.com to get started.
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Joe runs through four interesting insights when it comes to Twitter's new competitor (Threads). See if you agree or not.
This episode is sponsored by Lulu.com
37% of creators surveyed by The Tilt this year said that one of the top 3 most profitable ways to monetize their content is with a book. Turning your best performing content into a printed book with Lulu has never been easier. Lulu’s ecommerce plugins allow you to sell directly to your fans from your site, while they handle all of the printing and shipping. You keep all of your customer data and 100% of your profits.
Create a free account today at Lulu.com to get started.
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It's the middle part of the year, which makes now a great time to look at how you are going to finish the year. I think I have the perfect word for you over the next six months. Here it is.
This episode is sponsored by Lulu.com
37% of creators surveyed by The Tilt this year said that one of the top 3 most profitable ways to monetize their content is with a book. Turning your best performing content into a printed book with Lulu has never been easier. Lulu’s ecommerce plugins allow you to sell directly to your fans from your site, while they handle all of the printing and shipping. You keep all of your customer data and 100% of your profits.
Create a free account today at Lulu.com to get started.
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See all Content Inc episodes at the Content Inc. podcast home.
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