Josh Robbs
Website consultant
I believe that every organization should have a vibrant, flexible, living website that they can operate and update themselves.
I help small organizations plan and strategize their website and owned media.
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(Is this the right channel?)
Iβm trying something. Iβm running a website where I track the progress of creating a new brand and reaching a sales goal. Completely βopening the kimonoβ.
Iβm trying something. Iβm running a website where I track the progress of creating a new brand and reaching a sales goal. Completely βopening the kimonoβ.
If youβre curious, itβs launching tomorrow at 9 am (the experiment website, not the brand site): http://experiment.theessentialistdesigner.com/
Iβll be using tactics/strategies like:
- Just Fucking Ship (Stacking the Bricks) - https://stackingthebricks.com/just-fucking-ship/
- Podcast Outreach (Kai Davis) - https://kaidavis.com/products/podcast-outreach/
- Selling for Freelancers (Jay Clouse) - https://courses.freelancing.school/selling-for-freelancers
Comments are turned on. Youβre invited to give advice and ask questions on the site.
Yessss love this, Josh! I opened the page expecting that I would subscribe to updates...could be an opportunity to grab some subscribers?
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I haven't fully tested this, but this looks awesome. It helps you structure your position and niche.
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Last week, βwhat are you doing differentlyβ was a discussion topic. Now that Iβve ruminated on it, I realize that Iβm trying a lot of little things.
What are you trying this quarter?
Iβmβ¦
- Slightly rearranging my workflow
- Trello is still my PM tool. Itβs ideal for items that are long term or canβt be lost/forgotten.
- Daily planning on paper. Paper kicks my brain into action so Iβm going to use it more.
- Daily overview and work log in Evernote.
- Make before you manage
- I want something better, but Iβm starting the day with 30 minutes of Rocksmith
- Iβm splitting my βbusinessβ brand from my personal brand
- Building a new site and brand ala The 22 immutable laws of marketing. Iβm trying to be a category of 1.
- Iβm back to using the Productivity Challenge Timer. It feels weird to describe an app as an asshole, but it is. And when it comes to keeping me focused, I need it.
- Iβm doing my best to embrace ideas like βperfect is the enemy of doneβ, βlearn in publicβ, and βdocument, donβt createβ with the goal of creating lots of content. The content plan is in an early draft stage.
- For quick, "micro"creations, I want to put them on Twitter more. Spending more time investing in that audience as opposed to a ton of quick hit email newsletters.
- For my email newsletters, I want to invest more time into more thoughtful, long-form pieces.Β
It won't beΒ solelyΒ long-form and it won't be 10,000 words every time, but I just want to stretch myself to create more timeless pieces that have research, share-ability, and long-term value.Β
It feels scary to potentially "slow down" my publishing (what if I lose momentum?) but I feel like it's the next step I need to take as a creator. We'll see how it goes.
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My Q1 goals:
- Β develop funnels to drive people to my website to build my email list (want 100 new addresses by the end of Q1 -Β stretch goal...I think)
- Finish and publish two books (Titles - 'Counting Llamas' - for young readers, storyboard done; 'The Case of the Prague Dog' for middle schoolers)
- Complete six new Youtube Videos - focus on my audience (Moms searching for art activities for kids)
- Post 6 to 8 new blogs on my website and promote through my social media networks.Β
Phew.
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I am refocusing my business efforts.Β 2020 wasn't that successful for me so I figured time to try something different.Β I do believe COVID had a lot to do with it but I can tighten up my own marketing message regardless.Β I am going to use some different frameworks to flesh out my audiences and offers.Β Then, I will convert this to hopefully a simplified marketing messages.
I am also going to develop a foundation for a couple of business efforts that have a long-term horizon but want to get them started now.Β They are SEO based so a little effort will go a long way if I can't keep working on them.
I am also going to develop a foundation for a couple of business efforts that have a long-term horizon but want to get them started now.Β They are SEO based so a little effort will go a long way if I can't keep working on them.
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Setting expectations so that project, process, and deliverables are aligned with the client's expectations.
I mentioned that recently w/ my friend's bike-a-thon. I'm thinking about it right now because I read a story about the worst root beer ever. It was Pepsi. But the drinker was expecting root beer so they judged it as root beer.
A good Pepsi is a bad root beer. The best grapefruit juice is terrible orange juice. Nutella is horrible peanut butter.
There isn't a simpler example of the power of expectation.
Edit: fixed weird spacing, weird spelling, and other artifacts from my phone.
I mentioned that recently w/ my friend's bike-a-thon. I'm thinking about it right now because I read a story about the worst root beer ever. It was Pepsi. But the drinker was expecting root beer so they judged it as root beer.
A good Pepsi is a bad root beer. The best grapefruit juice is terrible orange juice. Nutella is horrible peanut butter.
There isn't a simpler example of the power of expectation.
Edit: fixed weird spacing, weird spelling, and other artifacts from my phone.
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The short version
A friend of mine is hosting a virtual telethon tonight to raise money for Christopher's Promise. His goal is to raise enough money to cover the cost of 1 special needs bike ($3000).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p1u7pM3GZgg
Longer version
Who: Pat Buzzard, former Top 40 guitarist
What: Pat is hosting a 3-hour musical telethon for Christopher's Promise, a Columbus-based non-profit that retrofits and rebuilds bicycles for special needs kids. Here's their insta: https://www.instagram.com/christopherspromise/ (Looks like their actual site was hacked.)
His goal is to raise enough money for 1 bike ($3k).
Where: online at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p1u7pM3GZgg
When: 12/15/2020 6pm - 9pm EST
Why:
A friend of mine is hosting a virtual telethon tonight to raise money for Christopher's Promise. His goal is to raise enough money to cover the cost of 1 special needs bike ($3000).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p1u7pM3GZgg
Longer version
Who: Pat Buzzard, former Top 40 guitarist
What: Pat is hosting a 3-hour musical telethon for Christopher's Promise, a Columbus-based non-profit that retrofits and rebuilds bicycles for special needs kids. Here's their insta: https://www.instagram.com/christopherspromise/ (Looks like their actual site was hacked.)
His goal is to raise enough money for 1 bike ($3k).
Where: online at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p1u7pM3GZgg
When: 12/15/2020 6pm - 9pm EST
Why:
- Let's start with face value: IT'S AN AWESOME CAUSE.
- Take a look at what you can do with the technology you have.
Pat is doing this with 1 technical assistant. The hardware is mostly Zoom-level equipment other than the special connections to get music into the computers. He's using a $20/m app to connect everyone and stream. - See what you can do with a small tribe and some friends.
Pat's tribe is tiny. It built up around his small and mostly pointless podcast.Β
If he pulls this off, you and I are out of excuses.
Holy crap. Version 1 of my notes made it look like I was working on a keynote speech. Way too long. So I'm going to err on the side of brevity. (Seriously, this is the short version.) Feel free to ask for more info or a deeper dive if a topic tickles your curiosity.
How did they succeed with such crappy audio?
At many points, the telethon's audio was unusable. There were a few times it was unbearable. It was rarely great.
But the telethon is a spin-off from a daily video show with guerilla-level production. The telethon was conceived and executed in 10 days.
The execution was in alignment with the audience's expectations. If the main show had been a highly polished affair and if there were months of ramp-up, expectations would have been different.
And to be perfectly fair, the low points of the telethon were technical issues, not talent issues.
Lesson: set expectations that are realistic, reasonable, and relevant. It's great when you over-deliver. But there are better ways to do that than through spit and polish.
But the telethon is a spin-off from a daily video show with guerilla-level production. The telethon was conceived and executed in 10 days.
The execution was in alignment with the audience's expectations. If the main show had been a highly polished affair and if there were months of ramp-up, expectations would have been different.
And to be perfectly fair, the low points of the telethon were technical issues, not talent issues.
Lesson: set expectations that are realistic, reasonable, and relevant. It's great when you over-deliver. But there are better ways to do that than through spit and polish.
A mighty dragon is a noble cause
I found this idea in a productivity book. But it's psychology so it applies in all kinds of situations.
The idea is basically that work sucks. But if you connect it to an exciting goal, you make the work more enjoyable/bearable.
If you want to excite yourself to action, give yourself an exciting goal. If you want to excite a group, give them an exciting goal.
An adaptive bike is an exciting goal. They even knew who the bike was for and had him on the show.
A proper dragon requires proper knights. Many heroes were made last night.
Lesson: Go big or go home.Β
Quick link between goals and alignment... this wasn't going to be their 1st bike. They've raised enough money for a bike previously. So the telethon's goal was vetted thus in alignment with the group's goals.Β
The idea is basically that work sucks. But if you connect it to an exciting goal, you make the work more enjoyable/bearable.
If you want to excite yourself to action, give yourself an exciting goal. If you want to excite a group, give them an exciting goal.
An adaptive bike is an exciting goal. They even knew who the bike was for and had him on the show.
A proper dragon requires proper knights. Many heroes were made last night.
Lesson: Go big or go home.Β
Quick link between goals and alignment... this wasn't going to be their 1st bike. They've raised enough money for a bike previously. So the telethon's goal was vetted thus in alignment with the group's goals.Β
Network, network, network
Here's where it started looking like I was about to write a doctoral thesis. I have a lot of opinions around this like networking is the #1 thing new soloists should be working on.
The Formula (by Albert-LΓ‘szlΓ³ BarabΓ‘si) gives us 5 laws of success. The 1st Law is the 1 you need to hear.
The Formula (by Albert-LΓ‘szlΓ³ BarabΓ‘si) gives us 5 laws of success. The 1st Law is the 1 you need to hear.
Performance drives success, but when performance canβt be measured, networks drive success.
The telethon didn't have to be great or even good. It only needed to be adequate because of the power of Pat's network. Pat is a natural connector and bridgebuilder. He was able to A) build a team to run the telethon, B) enlist a crew of musicians to be on the telethon, and C) get viewers to watch the telethon. He even got a sponsor.
Lesson: Odds are you aren't the best. You're not the LeBron James of your industry. But you could be the best in your network, or better yet, in your network's network. The network's size can grow quickly.
There are some similarities between this telethon and Dan Norris's 7 Day Startup. In both cases, a lot of work was done in a short amount of time and both had amazing results. But, like the 7 Day Startup, the real work started long before day 1.
Peter Drucker: "...the purpose of business is to create a customer..."
When did Dan create a customer? When did Pat create a donor? It wasn't on day 1 or 2 or 7 or 10. Customers and donors were created long before day 1. They were customers (donors) when trust was created. They were just waiting for the right mechanism... the right opportunity to spend money.
The 7 Day Startup should have been called The Amazing Things You Can Do in a Week When You Have an Army of Potential Customers who Already Know, Like, and Trust You. But that would be hard to get on the book's spine.
Related Reading
- Influence by Cialdini
- The Formula by Albert-LΓ‘szlΓ³ BarabΓ‘si
- 12 Week Year by Brian Moran
Man, Josh I saw you tagged me on this but yesterday was BRUTAL. How did this go? Is it too late to contribute?
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Chris Brogan has been doing 3 words for years - over a decade. I haven't been very consistent in execution, but it has provided some good direction.
Do any of you do it?
Do any of you do it?
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Josh Robbs
ο»Ώ I've never done the three words before, but thanks for bringing it up here. Ever hear a song and get it in your head, and you keep hearing it your head for the rest of the day?
That's what this post did for me. I read this post as I was getting ready for work, and on my drive to work I kept thinking about it. Thanks ο»Ώ
Josh Robbs
ο»ΏΒ for the inspiration.
My three words:Β Build - Collaborate - Grow
Build - I own 20+ domains with ideas for websites. I need to turn those ideas into reality. Time to quit thinking and start doing.
Collaborate -Β I've had several conversations lately about social media. Starting with CompuServe SIGs (Special Interest Groups) I've been using the power of the internet to collaborate since the early 1990s.Β The true power of the internet, to collaborate, sharing ideas.Β I have many ideas for blog posts and articles on the power of collaboration.
Grow - If I get my websites built, and my podcast running, the results should be to grow my network. That also means personal growth as well, as in meeting new people and sharing new ideas.
That's what this post did for me. I read this post as I was getting ready for work, and on my drive to work I kept thinking about it. Thanks ο»Ώ
My three words:Β Build - Collaborate - Grow
Build - I own 20+ domains with ideas for websites. I need to turn those ideas into reality. Time to quit thinking and start doing.
Collaborate -Β I've had several conversations lately about social media. Starting with CompuServe SIGs (Special Interest Groups) I've been using the power of the internet to collaborate since the early 1990s.Β The true power of the internet, to collaborate, sharing ideas.Β I have many ideas for blog posts and articles on the power of collaboration.
Grow - If I get my websites built, and my podcast running, the results should be to grow my network. That also means personal growth as well, as in meeting new people and sharing new ideas.
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Cynthia Jones
ο»ΏΒ --> REAL for 2018 was an anagram (responsive, energetic, anchored, love); --> I like that! ... If you're uncommitted 2021 how about one word... Adventure.. as I think about it as a line from a song..Β Looking for adventure In whatever comes our way
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Thinking out loud about email newsletters. I'm doing it here for feedback. So don't hesitate to add comments or call out any errors you see.
Situation:
1. Newsletters are easily the #1 way to keep top of mind with and engage with your owned community. ("Owned" as in no one can take it from you vs social media that is owned but the whichever social media company.)
2. I hate writing email newsletters.Β
3. I don't like reading email newsletters. I only subscribe for a few, questionable reasons:
Β Β 3.1 To get their bait
Β Β 3.2 To see how they run their newsletter
Β Β 3.3 They don't have an active blog
Β Β 3.4 And 1 decent reason: to participate in an email course
In other words, they're important but they don't resonate with me.
Thoughts
1. Running a newsletter is hypocritical for me if I do the things I can't stand. I hate even seeming like I'm being a hypocrite.
2. What would a (potentially) successful newsletter that aligns with my preferences, tastes, and beliefs look like?
Β Β 2.1 A basic, RSS-type weekly newsletter or a manually created newsletter that does about the same thing
Β Β 2.2 Multiple email courses - they'd serve as email magnets and an opportunity to connect with the subscriber. That's something that an RSS newsletter doesn't do well.
Does that sound functional to you?
Would you stay subscribed to a "website update" newsletter after signing up for an email course? Let's assume there's at least 1 relevant new post per week.Β
Situation:
1. Newsletters are easily the #1 way to keep top of mind with and engage with your owned community. ("Owned" as in no one can take it from you vs social media that is owned but the whichever social media company.)
2. I hate writing email newsletters.Β
3. I don't like reading email newsletters. I only subscribe for a few, questionable reasons:
Β Β 3.1 To get their bait
Β Β 3.2 To see how they run their newsletter
Β Β 3.3 They don't have an active blog
Β Β 3.4 And 1 decent reason: to participate in an email course
In other words, they're important but they don't resonate with me.
Thoughts
1. Running a newsletter is hypocritical for me if I do the things I can't stand. I hate even seeming like I'm being a hypocrite.
2. What would a (potentially) successful newsletter that aligns with my preferences, tastes, and beliefs look like?
Β Β 2.1 A basic, RSS-type weekly newsletter or a manually created newsletter that does about the same thing
Β Β 2.2 Multiple email courses - they'd serve as email magnets and an opportunity to connect with the subscriber. That's something that an RSS newsletter doesn't do well.
Does that sound functional to you?
Would you stay subscribed to a "website update" newsletter after signing up for an email course? Let's assume there's at least 1 relevant new post per week.Β
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You hate email newsletters. That's cool. Don't subscribe to them. But if your people appreciate email newsletters, give your people what they want! That's not at all hypocritical.
Yes, the newsletter needs to align with your preferences, tastes, and beliefs. But more importantly, it has to provide your audience with what they want or need. It has to give them information that is either useful or entertaining or both.Β
I am also not your audience, so I can't tell you if I'd unsubscribe. I can tell you that I subscribe to a lot of newsletters and then unsubscribe from most. I am ruthless. But not everyone is. I've unsubscribed from newsletters with over 10,000 subscribers because the content wasn't useful to ME. I wouldn't worry about the folks you lose. They just aren't your people. It's the folks who stick around who really matter.Β
Oh, and I only send out my email newsletter once a month, in part because I hate getting email newsletters too frequently (once a week is the max for me, even if your stuff is amazing).
I totally understand your view. I have always been told, you need to let your audience marinate in your content. At the time that they need you, they will remember you from seeing your newsletters in their mailbox and reach out. Or they will get the mail with the headline that speaks to their needs the right time and reach out. Takes time and consistency.
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I've been chasing my present course of action for nearly 6 years. I'm looking at other options that might be more unique and in line with my unique strengths. (More on that later... maybe.)
I tend to jump straight to looking at domains. It helps spark brand ideas and it shows me what other people are already doing.
And I'm pondering the value of a succinct domain on a new TLD.
For this specific situation, a key term is a 3-letter acronym. Let's pretend it's KFC.
There's an infinite list of available-but-clunky .com domains. But there are also some short domains available with new TLDs:
I tend to jump straight to looking at domains. It helps spark brand ideas and it shows me what other people are already doing.
And I'm pondering the value of a succinct domain on a new TLD.
For this specific situation, a key term is a 3-letter acronym. Let's pretend it's KFC.
There's an infinite list of available-but-clunky .com domains. But there are also some short domains available with new TLDs:
- theKFC.pro (bad example - not sure I want to jump through the hoops to get a .pro)
- theKFC.guru
- theKFC.coach
- KFC.coach
- KFC.services
The closest .com URLs are:
- businessKFCpro.com (don't worry, my acronym actually makes sense in these)
- thebusinessKFC.comΒ
An 8-letter URL including the TLD (KFC.coach)... it's a thing of beauty if the new TLDs don't have negative baggage.
What are your thoughts?
(edited for better examples)
Personally, I have a bias for the .com. BUT, I have colleagues who use .digital and some of the other TLDs and I don't bat an eye. I think we're all getting used to these quirky extensions. The only one that really makes me cringe is .guru. I just don't like that word! There are benefits for a short URL, but I don't think those benefits are as big as they once were. I rarely have to type in anyone's full email address more than once.
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Oh I get so stuck on this! I couldn't get a .com for my newsletter and went with a .co - I don't even love the beginning bit (which is the name) so overall I'm not really happy with the name or domain! Hah! But I was OBSESSING over this that it was just stopping me from moving on. So my advice would be just pick something. It's too early days to be able to say if my less-than-desirable domain will have a negative impact on my newsletter growth, but everything I read said that really unless it's a super awful spammy name/domain then don't worry too much about it. Good luck!!
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I've been working with my Trello set up and have decided to put the cooler tips and tricks here. The biggest challenge isn't seeing the power of automation or setting it up. The biggest challenge for me is figuring out what automations are actually useful. A lot of this is me thinking out loud, but you might get some inspiration from it.
- My organization system flows from client cards. Each client has a card in the list called Clients. (Inspired by the PARA method: fortelabs.co/blog/para/)
- I started doing this so I can use the client card comments as a work/contact log for the client.
- I can attach Task cards.Β
- Task cards live in the To Do list.
- Cards use custom fields. Custom fields are visible on "the front" of the card so I can get an overview w/o opening each card.Β
- Status - dropdown of project statuses: Ready, Scheduled, Blocked/waiting, No next action.Β
- Issue - an explanation of Status if needed
- Last Updated On - a date field showing the last time I commented on the card.
- The front of the attached cards are visible in card view. In other words, if I'm in the card for Client A, I can see the fronts of any attached cards including the custom fields I just mentioned.
- Automations*
- 1-way attachments are turned into 2-way attachments so I can see how things are related no matter what card I'm looking at.
- A card button that moves a card to the Done list.
- When cards are moved to the Done list, they're scrubbed. Due dates are removed. Assignments are removed. Open checklist items are checked. Attachments are removed.
- Anything due today is moved to the Today list and given a red flag. This works for card level due dates. I haven't gotten it to work for checklist due dates** - not that I've tried.
- When I comment (which is a key part of my system)
- It updates the Last Updated On field to today.
- It deletes a checklist named "Followup".
- It adds a checklist named "Followup", adds a checklist item named "Next Follow Up", and sets the item's due date 1 week in the future. This gives me a soft due date if the client gets overlooked.
- If I was using this for outreach, I'd either have to make this rule list specific or simply use a different board for outreach.
- Other automation thoughts
- There's a cap on the number of processes that can run. I don't understand how it works. Some of my processes, especially the follow-up process, are probably needlessly intensive.
- Butler does have the ability to use wildcards, regex matching, and variables.Β
Can/should I:- Set a follow-up date based on the type of client/prospect?
- Move client cards to an active list for processing?
Any thoughts or questions? What have you done with Trello?
I've put this in #general since we don't have a productivity channel.
*Automations are done thru Butler. I believe there's a level of Butler in the free tier but it does cont as a powerup.
**Premium feature.
I want to knock the dust off my screencasting skills so I'm going to do a short series on my Trello method. Please reply with any questions, comments, and/or suggestions. They can be about my Trello set up or my screencasting.
Here's the 1st video:
Here's the board URL: https://trello.com/b/ZcPBUqk1/cockpit-tester
Here's the 1st video:
Here's the board URL: https://trello.com/b/ZcPBUqk1/cockpit-tester
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First of all, a productivity channel is a great idea in the near future.
Second, honestly this sounds great. It's aΒ littleΒ hard for me to visualize through text but I think I'm following!
You've seen my setup, it'sΒ wayΒ simpler haha but I don't need to track quite as much because my client engagements are simpler in scope.
Does this system work for you? Does it remove your redundancy of lists you've mentioned before?
Second, honestly this sounds great. It's aΒ littleΒ hard for me to visualize through text but I think I'm following!
You've seen my setup, it'sΒ wayΒ simpler haha but I don't need to track quite as much because my client engagements are simpler in scope.
Does this system work for you? Does it remove your redundancy of lists you've mentioned before?
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