Welcome to the WP Elevation Podcast! In honor of our 100th episode we’re doing something unique: I am the interviewee. The tables have been turned and I am being interviewed by our friend and former guest of the show, Jason Resnick of Rezzz.com.
When Jason joined us for his episode, episode #83, he gave my name as his suggested guest. I told him if I were to be interviewed for the WP Elevation Podcast, I’d need him to come back and do the hosting job, and he agreed.
So kick back and tune in to hear Jason and I talk about how WP Elevation came to be, what I do in my free time and much more!
We're celebrating our 100th Episode with some AWESOME PRIZES...
1) To win a lifetime subscription to Video User Manuals PLUS a copy of Simon Sinek's 'Start With Why', enter a comment below telling Troy what motivates you to get out of bed every morning - why you do what you do (apart from making money)!
2) We want your selfies! Take a photo of yourself listening to the WP Elevation Podcast, post it to our Facebook page and tell us what you'd like to see, or want more of in future versions of the podcast. (facebook.com/wpelevation)
Our favourite pic and comment will win a StudioPress child theme of your choice and Genesis Framework valued at $100 USD. Get snapping!
Congratulations Rhoda Toynbee for the very nice comment on this podcast and Rhys Wynne for the most amazing podcast selfie! Troy has chosen you as the lucky winner of the competition! Thanks for your contribution and keep elevating!" (October 2015).
Long before computers or the Internet became a part of my daily life I had a passion for connecting with audiences. At the age of 6 I wanted to be a singer and a rock star. As a teenager I wanted to be an actor. The through line in all of these dreams was engaging with large audiences; I wanted to connect with as many people as possible.
In the late 1990s I got my taste of the Internet; I had a 7.7k dial-up modem that took ages to load a page. And the first thing I looked up was a Melrose Place episode guide! I knew we were a season or two behind in Australia and I wanted to know what was happening in the latest episodes so I could tease my friends when we watched the shows.
But the next thing I did with the Internet was to promote my voiceover work. Before getting online and sending emails, I’d have to run all over town trying to connect with people and give them my demo work so they could hire me. Once I discovered email however, I could do the same thing from home, and I saved myself tons of time in the process.
In 2008 I built my first web site for a local record company. As I continued to get web design work from other clients I decided to build my own content management system; I wanted to make it as easy as possible to update the site so my clients could do it or could hire someone to do it. I spent 6 weeks teaching myself how to build a CMS tool and put together something that worked fairly well.
But when I asked a friend how I could upload more than one photo at a time he repeatedly told me to use WordPress. I resisted for awhile because I wanted to conquer the Internet and build my own thing, but eventually I started using it…and the rest is history!
WP Elevation came about later on as a result of building an agency and parting ways my then-business partner. The split was amicable, we just weren’t a good business match so we parted ways and I set about building up Video User Manuals. By listening to my audience and providing solutions to their problems WP Elevation was launched. Today we are a business accelerator program that helps WordPress consultants build the business they need to support the lifestyle they want.
My day to day work at WP Elevation has changed in the last six months and today I spend time producing audio and visual content like podcast episodes, training videos, and webinars. I also devote much of my time to customer support; I’m on Skype talking with customers and helping them, I also hang out in the forums and answer questions there as well as on email.
On today’s show Jason also digs into what I do in my free time, what keeps me awake at night and the one thing I’d fix in the business today if I could wave a magic wand and fix anything. It’s all here on this week’s edition of the WP Elevation Podcast. Thank you for listening!
Elevation Round
Q: What’s the #1 thing any freelancer needs to know?
A: You don’t get paid for what you do, you get paid based on the value you provide and who you do it for. What you do doesn’t determine what you get paid, who you do it for determines how much you get paid.
Q: What’s the best thing you’ve done to find new customers?
A: Podcast.
Q: How do you stop competing on price?
A: Have a different conversation, don’t start competing on price.
Q: Any tips for writing better proposals?
A: Use the language in your proposal that your customer uses in your first meeting with them.
Q: What’s your favorite CRM tool?
A: We use Infusionsoft and it’s really powerful. Active Campaign is really good too, as is Contactually.
Q: What’s the best way to keep a client and project on track?
A: Manage their expectations from the start. Tactically: email or call your client more often then you think you’re supposed to.
Q: Any ideas for getting referrals from existing clients?
A: Be awesome! Do really good work and introduce people in your network to other people.
Q: What’s the #1 thing you can do to differentiate yourself?
A: Be yourself, work out what your sweet spot is, what you’re really good at and what you’re passionate about. Also have an opinion and don’t be afraid to express that opinion.
Q: What’s the best way to get over the fear of having difficult conversations with clients?
A: The more comfortable you are with awkward silences, the better quality relationships you will have with other people. The best way to get over that is just through practice. Practice those conversations before you have them.
You can reach out and thank me on Twitter or on the WP Elevation website.
HINT #1: to enter the competition to win the VUM subscription and Sinek book, leave a comment below and tell us why you get out of bed every day and do what you do (apart from making money)!
HINT #2:Â to enter the competition to win the Genesis framework and StudioPress child theme of your choice, take a photo of yourself listening to the WP Elevation Podcast, post it to our Facebook page and tell us what you’d like to see, or want more of in future versions of the podcast.
30 Responses
What motivates me – of course first and foremost to make an impact for the good, but then and as you said in one of your earlier podcasts, ” a mortgage makes a man more productive”
What motivates me – of course first and foremost to make an impact for the good, but then and as you said in one of your earlier podcasts, ” a mortgage makes a man more productive”
Okay. I was in the pub the other day with a friend of mine, and we were having a really nice time, chatting about the important things in our lives!
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw these pieces of wood on a shelf. I wandered over and saw that they were pieces from two puzzles. There were no instructions, but it was pretty clear that you had to put them together in the correct order to make the thing whole. From chaos, you had to create order.
I picked them all up and spent the next couple of hours trying to get them together, this way and that. Sometimes I would see a little light at the end of the tunnel, I would be able to see a ‘rule’ that appeared to point to the solution. Mostly, this turned out to be nonsense, and I had to start over, but sometimes these ‘rules’ were true and I was able to make progress.
Meanwhile, my friend just laughed at me as I failed and failed again. He said that he didn’t have the patience for this kind of thing, and thought that it was pointless.
After a long struggle, I managed to succeed, and puzzles lay before me complete. I was so amazingly happy. I know that this sounds trite, and you’ll think that happiness cannot derive from such trivialities, but they do for me. I had worked on a hard problem, and I had, after many setbacks come up with the solution. It was complete, and I had done my job.
It struck me that this little tale is a nice distillation of why I design and develop websites. I’m constantly presented with new puzzles. Things that need to be done, that I don’t yet know how to do. I like the fact that I have to struggle towards the answer. Sometimes, I go wrong, but in the end I get there. I like the puzzle. I like to work out the solution.
Okay. I was in the pub the other day with a friend of mine, and we were having a really nice time, chatting about the important things in our lives!
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw these pieces of wood on a shelf. I wandered over and saw that they were pieces from two puzzles. There were no instructions, but it was pretty clear that you had to put them together in the correct order to make the thing whole. From chaos, you had to create order.
I picked them all up and spent the next couple of hours trying to get them together, this way and that. Sometimes I would see a little light at the end of the tunnel, I would be able to see a ‘rule’ that appeared to point to the solution. Mostly, this turned out to be nonsense, and I had to start over, but sometimes these ‘rules’ were true and I was able to make progress.
Meanwhile, my friend just laughed at me as I failed and failed again. He said that he didn’t have the patience for this kind of thing, and thought that it was pointless.
After a long struggle, I managed to succeed, and puzzles lay before me complete. I was so amazingly happy. I know that this sounds trite, and you’ll think that happiness cannot derive from such trivialities, but they do for me. I had worked on a hard problem, and I had, after many setbacks come up with the solution. It was complete, and I had done my job.
It struck me that this little tale is a nice distillation of why I design and develop websites. I’m constantly presented with new puzzles. Things that need to be done, that I don’t yet know how to do. I like the fact that I have to struggle towards the answer. Sometimes, I go wrong, but in the end I get there. I like the puzzle. I like to work out the solution.
What motivates me to get out of bed and work on my business is two fold… there is the excitement of building a business that is successful, but an important element is the pressure to provide for my family. Without going into details that might just look like pandering for sympathy, I am the sole provider for our small family and if our lifestyle is going to elevate I have to be the one to make it happen. It’s a good pressure that provides huge motivation!
What motivates me to get out of bed and work on my business is two fold… there is the excitement of building a business that is successful, but an important element is the pressure to provide for my family. Without going into details that might just look like pandering for sympathy, I am the sole provider for our small family and if our lifestyle is going to elevate I have to be the one to make it happen. It’s a good pressure that provides huge motivation!
I would agree with you. I love when there is that “light at the end of the tunnel” and that “maybe this time” comment in your head as you try another solution. I’m the same way! 🙂
I would agree with you. I love when there is that “light at the end of the tunnel” and that “maybe this time” comment in your head as you try another solution. I’m the same way! 🙂
Taking care of others gets me out of bed in the morning. I want everyone to be successful. I want everyone to feel cared for. I want to provide for my family, take care of my in-laws, find an income for my sister, sneak money into my dad’s pockets. I want to help others boost their business so they can take care of their families. I want to be their go to resource to help them solve problems and succeed. Hmmm. Maybe I should look at this again and go rewrite my elevator pitch 🙂
Taking care of others gets me out of bed in the morning. I want everyone to be successful. I want everyone to feel cared for. I want to provide for my family, take care of my in-laws, find an income for my sister, sneak money into my dad’s pockets. I want to help others boost their business so they can take care of their families. I want to be their go to resource to help them solve problems and succeed. Hmmm. Maybe I should look at this again and go rewrite my elevator pitch 🙂
I just like helping people to use technology while building / growing their business. I feel myself lucky that I do know how the mechanics behind the websites, apps, etc, etc, so the best motivation is to be able to solve someone’s problem with the technology. Small business owners don’t have the IT departments and business analytics, often they are not tech savvy and definitely don’t have enough time to do it on their own. Plus, it just annoys me when I can’t get info about business online and have to call them 😀 So doing my best to bring the knowledge to people!
I just like helping people to use technology while building / growing their business. I feel myself lucky that I do know how the mechanics behind the websites, apps, etc, etc, so the best motivation is to be able to solve someone’s problem with the technology. Small business owners don’t have the IT departments and business analytics, often they are not tech savvy and definitely don’t have enough time to do it on their own. Plus, it just annoys me when I can’t get info about business online and have to call them 😀 So doing my best to bring the knowledge to people!
Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment Andrei. Appreciate your time.
I love that you want to sneak money into your Dad’s pocket – that’s beautiful Rhoda.
Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment Andrei. Appreciate your time.
I love that you want to sneak money into your Dad’s pocket – that’s beautiful Rhoda.
Hey Michael, providing for family is a good motivator indeed.
Very true J̦rn Рthanks for stopping by.
Hey Michael, providing for family is a good motivator indeed.
Very true J̦rn Рthanks for stopping by.
This is awesome Nathan – thanks for posting the photos too – I love your patience.
This is awesome Nathan – thanks for posting the photos too – I love your patience.
I too enjoy being able to listen to business folks and their ideas and trying to make them a realization and success for them through the use of tech.
I too enjoy being able to listen to business folks and their ideas and trying to make them a realization and success for them through the use of tech.
Hi Michael – good to see you again. Family is a huge motivator for all entrepreneurs. I don’t use words like “never” and “all” very often, but I think that you’ll find that at some stage of every entrepreneurs life, family plays a big factor.
Hi Michael – good to see you again. Family is a huge motivator for all entrepreneurs. I don’t use words like “never” and “all” very often, but I think that you’ll find that at some stage of every entrepreneurs life, family plays a big factor.
Really cool – I enjoy doing puzzles like that.
I think it’s pivotal that we all learn from everything that we do, whether it is success or failure. I don’t see anything as an outright failure though, it’s more of just the learning curve of our lives. In fact, I made a post about a “failure” that I’ve turned into a success over the past week. It’s great to hear your story of this and now I’ve got to head on for my search for a puzzle like this :). Thanks for sharing.
Really cool – I enjoy doing puzzles like that.
I think it’s pivotal that we all learn from everything that we do, whether it is success or failure. I don’t see anything as an outright failure though, it’s more of just the learning curve of our lives. In fact, I made a post about a “failure” that I’ve turned into a success over the past week. It’s great to hear your story of this and now I’ve got to head on for my search for a puzzle like this :). Thanks for sharing.
Isn’t that the truth!
Isn’t that the truth!