For many consultants and solo business professionals, sales can feel uncomfortable. But even one-person businesses need sales to survive, let alone grow. Reuben Swartz is solving this problem with his monthly podcast, “Sales for Nerds” and his product, Mimiran—the fun, simple anti-CRM for solo consultants. In this episode, Reuben shares his experie…

Kristin and I are kindred spirits! I’ve been taking on more fractional COO engagements, and I’m not alone. The rise of the Fractional C-suite freelancer has been prominent over the last few years. That’s one of the many reasons why I wanted to talk to Kristin and compare Fractional COO experiences. In 2021, Kristin took a leap of faith by leaving h…

Sometimes the allure of working for yourself turns into just having a lot of bosses and you can end up getting burn out all over again. Lydia Lee walked down that path and learned how to put her life first, despite some interesting obstacles (there's a literal exploding toilet), and build her business around her life, instead of trying to squeeze h…

How intentional are you with your podcast? Roger Knecht, President of Universal Accounting, has helped thousands of accountants, bookkeepers, and tax preparers start and build a successful accounting firm. Roger also hosts Building the Premier Accounting Firm, a weekly show that is nearing 300 episodes. Every decision Roger made with his podcast ha…

Yurii is on a mission to build connections among freelancers and bring greater visibility to the joys and sorrows that we all deal with. We had a great conversation about the power of community, defining work for ourselves, and holding space for each other. Learn more about Yurri on LinkedIn and Substack. To learn more about Sarah, go to www.fruiti…

For Aaron Moncur, a podcast is more than just a marketing tool. It's a way to build relationships, showcase expertise, and ultimately drive revenue for his custom engineering services business. With over 250 published episodes, Moncur's "Being an Engineer" podcast has become a cornerstone of his company's growth strategy. 0:00 Intro 3:14 How Aaron …

Reuben created the “anti-CRM” for freelancers and consultants based on his own experience building a solopreneur business. His platform is based on key values that successful freelancers share, including valuing relationships above all else. In this episode talk about the power of positioning, the “relationship business,” and the non-linear journey…

Writing a book for your consulting business? Use a podcast for research. When John Garrett decided to write a book, he launched a podcast to help with his research. Eventually, the What's Your And? podcast has served as a remarkable launchpad for speaking engagements and business opportunities, contributing to an estimated $200,000 in new business—…

Selling the way your customers want to buy makes sales (and marketing) so much easier, but most businesses refuse to do it. In this episode, veteran market Kristin Zhivago (and author of Roadmap to Revenue: How to Sell the Way Your Customers Want to Buy) discusses how you can uncover your best customers' buying behaviors so you can align your marke…

Podcasting seems like a crowded space, but it's really not. It’s a blue ocean opportunity. Especially for expertise-driven businesses who need to build trust with buyers, accelerate network growth, and create endless content. If you’re asking yourself, “should I start a podcast?” then you’re in the right place. This episode explores five critical q…

Úna and Peter are some of my most favorite people and this conversation was one of the best so far. They started their freelance ecosystem in Ireland in response to the need for support during the pandemic and it has grown exponentially since then. In this episode we talk about having each others’ backs, learning how to build a business based on va…

Build a thriving Slack community with your podcast. Brett Trainor is using his podcast, The Corporate Escapee, to build a community of Gen X professionals who want to ditch their 9-5. In this episode of Podcasting in Professional Services, Brett sits down with John Tyreman to share his experience running his show. We cover: How Brett reaches Gen X-…

Can I have your attention, please? Will the real Scotty Scarano please stand up? There’s not too many people who blend hip hop with accounting, but that’s exactly what Scotty “OKR” Scarano is doing through his personal brand on LinkedIn, his YouTube page, and through his podcast, Accounting High. Scotty believes that learning how to run a practice …

AI is all the rage these days (I get lots of pitches, some of them seemingly AI-generated, to come on Sales for Nerds and talk about AI). I decided to go to the source and have a conversation with ChatGPT from OpenAI. It was mindblowing, scary, and uncanny, all at the same time. Take a listen and decide for yourself, plus get tips on using AI for y…

I had a great time talking with Ryan about all things soloprenuer finances. Ryan is a solopreneur finance expert who is committed to helping business owners understand their numbers and feel in control of their money. He grew up in Southern California and went to college at Arizona State University where he graduated with a Master's Degree in Accou…

It rarely takes 5 or 6 years to launch a podcast, but that was the case for Alastair McDermott. Since then he's launched a handful of shows and written a book titled 33 Ways Not to Screw Up Your Business Podcast. Going through the process of planning his podcast exposed a lack of specialization in Alastair's business. From there, he narrowed down h…

I took a sample of 150 podcasts across accounting, AEC, and legal industries. A whopping 70% had only one host! Personally, I've hosted four podcasts; two were solo shows, and two were co-hosted with a colleague. There are pros and cons to each format, but I found co-hosting a podcast to be much more enjoyable. Let's explore the untapped benefits o…

David Kaplan might be a new-ish freelancer, but he already knows the key to success - you just have to try! I had such a great conversation with David talking about learning by doing, mindset shifts, and the rewards of perseverance. David is 29, from the Czech Republic, and now lives in Squamish, BC, Canada. He has a master's degree in engineering …

Use a podcast to let your charisma and personality shine through. That's how BJ Kraemer approached it when he launched the Inspiring People & Places podcast in 2021. On the show, he interviews national leaders in the AEC industry to educate and inspire industry professionals to disrupt the status quo, improve their project teams and steward public …

Tim Hyde from Win More Clients shares his entrepreneurial journey and the importance of using a CRM to get and stay organized. Tim also delves into how to find your ideal customers, and why you have to go where they are, because the number one problem solopreneurs face is that their best clients don't even know they exist... Brought to you by Mimir…

When you bootstrap a micro-consulting platform as a side-hustle, you are for sure a hustler. Chrissy and Jim not only have created an awesome platform for people to share and monetize their unique talents, they’ve done it in a way that honors the unique contributions of their micro-consultants (aka Aces). Chrissy is a co-founder and Chief Ace at Ac…

Investing in a podcast can be a gradual, long-term investment. Brannon Poe started podcasting in 2013, where he would record conversations on his phone. Today, Accountant's Flight Plan publishes two episodes each month and has a backlog of guests waiting to have a conversation with Brannon. In this conversation, we explore: An overview of Poe Group…

Improve the structure and variety of your episodes. This episode is meant to be a guide for podcasters who want to learn more about how to structure episodes, use different episode types, formats, and improve their outlines. I share my own experience as well as perspective from other business podcasters. In this episode, we cover: Solo host episode…

Very few professional services podcasts make it to 400 episodes. The Consulting Success® podcast will hit that milestone in 2024. I had the pleasure of sitting down with Michael Zipursky, host of the show, to hear his experience launching and running the podcast. In this conversation, Michael shares: - Originally released 60-70 episodes but found i…

Sales may feel "icky", but serving others feels good, and leads to great results. In this episode, Steve Ramona, host of the Doing Business with a Servant's Heart podcast and the Together We Serve TV show discusses how he learned that his network was his net worth, and how you can do the same, even (especially?) if you're an introvert who doesn't l…

Are you committed to running a podcast? Do you have a co-host to share in the journey? On today’s show, Jeremy Clopton and Heath Alloway of the Upstream Leader podcast share stories and experience from running their show. In this conversation with host John Tyreman, you'll hear: The importance of committing to the podcast in the early days Benefits…

In this episode of The Hustlers Manifesto podcast, I interview Joe Sanok, a father, entrepreneur, and author of the book "Thursday is the New Friday". Joe shares his journey of starting his counseling private practice in 2006 and realizing he had no business skills whatsoever. He then started a podcast to interview people and learn tips, which even…

Improve your podcast editing workflows. My own podcast editing workflow has evolved over the past six months, influenced by many of my guests on this show. On this episode, I've curated clips from successful business podcasters who give you a glimpse behind the scenes of their shows: Rion Willard, co-host of The Business of Architecture Florian Hei…

This podcast features a mentor-mentee relationship — a premise that could be applied to other industries. For Josh Ho, the "Searching for SaaS" podcast was a way to build in public and showcase his mentorship of a young entrepreneur, Nate Bosscher. The show features perspectives on the stages of building a software as a service (SaaS) business. Jos…

This show is an example of a minimum-viable podcast. On this episode, Florian Heinrichs joins the show to share his experience co-hosting the unbillable hours podcast, a twice-monthly show that started as a venting session between Florian and Ash Mohd. At the time, both were colleagues at Accenture. In this conversation, we discuss: Florian has sin…

In this episode of The Hustlers Manifesto podcast, I interview Adam Faulkner, a proud freelance business owner and creator of the "Be FreelanceAF" course. Adam shares his journey of founding his freelance video production business "CreativeAF" at the beginning of the pandemic in 2020 and how he hasn't looked back since. We discuss the importance of…

This podcast acts as a filter for Ross to see what topics to double-down on and invest more into. On this episode, Ross Simmonds, Founder & CEO of Foundation Marketing, and Host of ‘Create Like the Greats’ podcast joins the show. In this conversation, Ross and I discuss: The philosophy behind Ross' mantra "Create once. Distributing forever." Turnin…

A lot of people hate public speaking. But whether you're officially a "speaker", or just someone who needs to talk to a "Zoom room" now and again, speaking effectively is critical to your business. Speaking coach Meridith Grundei shares how she went from shy kid who didn't want to answer questions in class to helping others overcome their fears of …

Kyle Adams, account manager at ConvertKit, shares insights from publishing his weekly Creator Glue newsletter and Dad Made podcast. Kyle explains that newsletters and podcasts complement each other perfectly. Email newsletters provide a direct way to reach your audience and notify them about new podcast episodes. He emphasizes the importance of tre…

Karina Rehavia isn't building "just" another freelance marketplace; she's building an ecosystem for freelancers and their clients that focuses on an amazing experience on both sides of the equation. Plus, she's one of the most dedicated and passionate people I know. We talk about freelancing in Latin America, her no a**holes policy, and hope for 20…

I recently interviewed Reza Saeedi—a marketing strategist and former Director of Marketing at On Deck—about his transition from employee to marketing advisor to employee again with advising as a side venture. In this episode, we chatted about things like: How Reza got into marketing and eventually, as a mentor/advisor to entrepreneurs How he was ab…

Angela Mazzi is dedicated to enhancing quality of life through the built environment with emphasis on socio-cultural impacts. Angela is a Principal and Senior Medical Planner at GBBN Architects, and also the host of Architecting, a weekly podcast about the architect as a person—in each episode, Angela helps her listeners bypass the status quo traps…

For architects, the passion for design and creating often attracts people to the profession. But many don’t realize just how much business acumen is needed to run a successful practice. All the creative talent in the world doesn’t guarantee profits, clients, and smooth firm operations. After all, the first job of an architect is to win the client. …

Anyone who names her business Uncompany is clearly a hustler at heart. Maari Casey cares so deeply about freelancers and the clients they serve. She's built an amazing company that helps freelancers build their businesses and find the right clients. We talk about the crazy year freelancers have had in 2023, what it's like to run a business where al…

After suffering from a stroke, Randy Crabtree made the difficult decision that he couldn't be managing partner of Tri-Merit anymore. He then stepped into a more external-facing role for the firm. At the suggestion of his marketing team, Randy started The Unique CPA podcast in 2019. Hesitant at first, Randy quickly realized he loved meeting new peop…

Katie has been involved with the Association for Accounting Marketing (AAM) for many years, originally joining as a new member in an accounting firm. She has since risen to be a past president and remains actively involved in providing content for the organization. The Amplify podcast first launched in 2017. In the early days, the podcast was produ…

In this episode, John Tyreman interviews Greg Mayer, founder of Wysper, a software company that helps you get more content out of your podcast. They discuss: How Greg's experience as a product marketer inspired him to start Wysper, and leverage AI transcription to repurpose podcast content. How podcasts can be a pillar or hub of content that can th…

This episode originated because I was intrigued by how Steve Cummins has a podcast and newsletter by the same name: The Marketing Mix. I was curious about his experience and the synergies between a newsletter and a podcast. But the conversation is so much more than that. Steve Cummins, Founder of Solent Strategies, launched The Marketing Mix in Apr…

Jon is one of the most knowledgeable people about the freelance global context, and we get to pick his brain about what we can expect on the horizon for the freelance revolution. We talk about how both freelancers and platforms need to define what makes them special, the stages all freelancers go through in their work, and of course, what 2024 has …

Let's say you receive a cease a desist letter. Upon realizing you infringed on a trademarked brand, you'd probably want to settle the matter amicably. It happens. But that wasn’t the case when Rhondalynn Korolak sent multiple cease and desist letters to an Instagram Influencer who was giving financial advice under the trademarked Financial Foreplay…

Alistair McDermott sits down with some whiskey to talk about becoming the Recognized Authority in your consulting niche. This leads to easier marketing and sales and less wasted time and effort. Alistair shares his 5 step process for niching down and becoming that Recognized Authority. (An approach that dovetails nicely with the Mission & Positioni…

So, you want to publish content to attract clients. Do you start a blog? Hammer out posts on LinkedIn every day? Start a YouTube channel? A podcast? Good question. I get asked it a lot. In fact, someone in Mindshare asked me about it again today, so I thought I'd break out my mental model for how I think about publishing and distributing content. H…

It's easy to make sales overly complicated. (I've been guilty of that many times.) So here's the simple, 2-step sales process for consultants that doesn't require fancy sales skills or any of the hard selling at all. You can implement it when you're busy with clients or don't have any client work. And it's fun, sustainable, and effective (Naturally…

We're bringing back Anna Burgess Yang to help us think about how to plan for the new year as a freelancer. If you're ready to stop making the same New Year’s resolutions for your business but never achieving them and start investing in the support + structure you need to run your business instead of letting it run you, you can also sign up for my n…

When I came across John's company, Opolis, I knew we had to talk. Opolis is one of the companies pioneering the infrastructure that freelancers everywhere need for the future of work. John Paller is a Denver-based blockchain entrepreneur, inventor and futurist, and the Founder and Executive Steward of Opolis, a Digital Employment Cooperative for in…