In The Trenches with Tom Morkes provides behind-the-scenes look into the life and work of entrepreneurs, writers, artists, warriors, and leaders.
Episodes
Monday Oct 07, 2019
Monday Oct 07, 2019
Rob Braiman is personally responsible for the development and growth of three directly owned and successful start-ups, he brings a passion for the small to mid-market segment of business. He has spent 15 years working directly with business owners to improve strategic planning, operations, growth, and business development.
During today’s conversation, I sit down with Rob Braiman, who’s the Principal and Managing Member at Cogent Analytics. I brought Rob on the call today to talk about the typical problems that small business owners and entrepreneurs face today and how to get through them. This conversation does get somewhat analytical and academia focused, but it will still be incredibly useful for small business owners.
You’ll leave this conversation thinking about how you can improve some of your bottom line metrics and numbers that you don’t necessarily think about when bootstrapping. My big takeaway from this episode is that the world of KPI metrics can be quite interesting when you know what you’re tracking and how to pay yourself first.
In this broadcast, Rob and I talk about:
- Where did Rob’s entrepreneurial journey begin
- What was Rob’s time like with the fifth group
- How did Rob go from the military to working with analytics
- What background do small business owners typically come from
- What are the four pillars that analyzes your current state of business
- What are the types and sizes of small businesses Rob typically works with
- How does Rob take a holistic view to his clients
- Does Rob typically see the same mistakes made by small business owners
- Why you need to look at your financials
- Where should you start when looking at KPIs
- How can you monitor your business development
- What is a good break even strategy
- Why most business owners do not come from an academic background
- In what way does under-performing give away your money
- Why you need to feel comfortable talking about your profits without concerning yourself with “greed”
- How is Cogent Analytics an information first business
How to Connect with Rob:
- cogentanalytics.com
- Take Cogent Analytics Entrepreneur Quiz to learn what opportunities you have for better profits
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Did you enjoy today's broadcast of In The Trenches? Please click here to leave an honest rating and review on iTunes. Your review helps me spread the word of this podcast, which allows me to line up amazing guests and continue to produce this podcast ad-free. Thanks so much in advance for your support.
Monday Sep 30, 2019
Monday Sep 30, 2019
Alinka Rutkowska is a USA Today best-selling author, a Wall Street Journal best-selling author and a top 100 Amazon best-selling author in business and money. She’s sold more than 100,000 copies of her books and her book creation process has been showcased in Entrepreneur magazine. She’s also the CEO of Leaders Press, where she turns entrepreneurs' book ideas into best-selling books. She has launched all its titles to best-seller status.
On today’s episode, I sit down with Alinka Rutkowska to talk about two things. The first is how to outsource your book and what that process looks like. The second is Alinka’s best tips on how to hit the Wall Street Journal bestseller list.
During this conversation, we kind of break down her strategy for those two things with what worked and what didn’t. She will be sharing some practical and hopefully pragmatic tips on what you could do to implement for your own launch, regardless if you are shooting for a best seller list.
In this broadcast, Alinka and I talk about:
- When and how did Alinka enter the self-publishing space
- What inspired Alinka to publish her first book
- What are the potential benefits of self-publishing a book
- What are the opportunities available for those aiming to self-publish
- How have the self-publishing obstacles changed since 2010
- What are the pros and cons of using books as a business tool versus earning royalties
- What do people need to be weary of when outsourcing a book to another writer
- How can you avoid issues with the writing not sounding authentic (if ghostwritten)
- How to maintain quality writing if outsourced to a ghostwriter
- What is the secret to earning a place on the New York Times Bestseller list (if self-publishing)
- What is the importance of pre-orders and partnerships to boost overall sales
- Where does Alinka view the future of self-publishing heading
How to Connect with Alinka:
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How You Can Support In The Trenches
Did you enjoy today's broadcast of In The Trenches? Please click here to leave an honest rating and review on iTunes. Your review helps me spread the word of this podcast, which allows me to line up amazing guests and continue to produce this podcast ad-free. Thanks so much in advance for your support.
Tuesday Sep 24, 2019
Tuesday Sep 24, 2019
Hussain Bandukwala is the Chief PMO Coach and Adviser at Parwaaz Consulting, which provides consulting, coaching, support and resources to facilitate the success of Project Management Office (PMO) leaders. He is a seasoned program/project manager who has worked with C-level executives and garnered recognition for being a versatile leader with a focus on getting things done. Hussain speaks at PMI events and has authored several PMO relevant publications.
Today, I sit down with Hussain to talk about project management. Specifically, how do we get things done quickly and efficiently and do it in as organized a fashion as possible so that we can chip on time and profitably. This episode is going to discuss how you can get things done better, faster and ultimately reclaim more of your time. My biggest takeaway from this episode is that what we are doing is worth our time and energy only when we’re getting things done efficiently and effectively.
In this broadcast, Hussain and I talk about:
- What led Hussain to what he’s doing today
- What exactly is project management
- How should we think of project management as an overview
- Why is project management not an administrative task
- Is it true that some people do not need a framework to get something done
- How do you know if you need project management as a solopreneur or small business
- What are the phases included in project management
- What is the key to project management success
- What are some examples of project management software
- How to use a Gantt Chart for project management at a glance
- What you definitely need if you’re trying to run a business or grow an operation
- Why is consistency key when it comes to project management
- How you can work backwards to see results faster
How to Connect with Hussain:
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How You Can Support In The Trenches
Did you enjoy today's broadcast of In The Trenches? Please click here to leave an honest rating and review on iTunes. Your review helps me spread the word of this podcast, which allows me to line up amazing guests and continue to produce this podcast ad-free. Thanks so much in advance for your support.
Tuesday Sep 10, 2019
Tuesday Sep 10, 2019
Andrew Tarvin is the creator of Humor That Works. Humor That Works has helped over 25,000 people, from all around the world and within more than 250 different organizations, use humor to achieve success and happiness in the workplace.
As an entrepreneur, and as a marketer, I like to use humor to capture attention, get people entertained, and to have more fun with the content I am producing. In today’s conversation, Andrew and I dive into the engineering of humor. We spent some time discussing whether or not there is a scientific or mathematical model that we can follow and what constitutes as good humor or bad humor in the workplace.
My big takeaway from this episode is that humor is something that can actually be engineered. There are some good techniques and tactics, and some pragmatic approaches to thinking about how to be humorous in a productive capacity, both in the workplace and on your own.
In this broadcast, Andrew and I talk about:
- How did Andrew venture into his current career
- Why did Andrew start performing stand-up comedy
- How did Andrew mitigate the risk of leaving his corporate position to start his own business
- What is the importance of communicating in a language that potential consumers will understand
- What does it mean to be a Humor Engineer
- How is humor the 6th missing skill of work
- In what ways can humor be used strategically to re-energize those that are suffering burnout
- How can we adjust humor to fit in with today’s standards
- How to engineer humor in a positive, inclusive way
- What is the impact of improvisation on starting a conversation with your audience
- What is the importance of integrating humor into the workplace
- How you can incorporate the use of memes and gifs in the workplace
- Why you should aim to make people laugh on occasion
- What is the value behind creating a framework for humor
- How to deal with people that bring political humor or offensive humor into the workplace
How to Connect with Andrew:
Get the Latest Broadcasts of In The Trenches on Your Favorite Podcast Platform:
Subscribe to In The Trenches on iTunes
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How You Can Support In The Trenches
Did you enjoy today's broadcast of In The Trenches? Please click here to leave an honest rating and review on iTunes. Your review helps me spread the word of this podcast, which allows me to line up amazing guests and continue to produce this podcast ad-free. Thanks so much in advance for your support.
Monday Sep 02, 2019
Monday Sep 02, 2019
Jill Stanton is the co-creator of Screw the Nine to Five with her husband, Josh Stanton. Jill and her husband are obsessive world travellers (with their little guy, Kai), say-it-like-it-is podcast hosts, lovers of quality of red wine and hell-bent on helping transform unsatisfied employees into dangerously-successful entrepreneurs!
In today’s conversation, we discuss how Jill has grown her blog to multiple six figures by selling affiliate products. We also dive into what makes a successful affiliate marketing program, how to niche down effectively and what is working and what’s not working in the digital marketing space right now.
My big takeaway from this episode is that affiliate income can be simple, easy and fun to earn, and it’s particularly suited for those people who want to focus on content creation and teaching first. If you’re already creating content and teaching and sharing great information, then you should also be leveraging affiliate or affiliate products. Because if you’re not, then you’re leaving money on the table.
Take some notes and consider how you might be able to implement or integrate affiliate marketing into what you’re already doing.
In this broadcast, Jill and I talk about:
- How did Jill and her husband begin their blog
- Why should you stick to what you know first when blogging
- What were some of the obstacles Jill and her husband faced while establishing their platform
- How important are free Facebook Groups to grow your audience
- What is the importance of receiving feedback from your audience
- What are the benefits of niching down versus creating a broad platform
- How and why did Jill and her husband shut down their membership site
- What are the best strategies for those entering the affiliate marketing space
- Why you are leaving money on the table if you are not incorporating affiliate marketing in your business
- Why attention and trust are critical for those pursuing affiliate marketing
- How to niche down and offer services to the right audience
- Where does Jill view the future of Screw the Nine to Five going
How to Connect with Jill:
Get the Latest Broadcasts of In The Trenches on Your Favorite Podcast Platform:
Subscribe to In The Trenches on iTunes
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How You Can Support In The Trenches
Did you enjoy today's broadcast of In The Trenches? Please click here to leave an honest rating and review on iTunes. Your review helps me spread the word of this podcast, which allows me to line up amazing guests and continue to produce this podcast ad-free. Thanks so much in advance for your support.
Friday Aug 30, 2019
Friday Aug 30, 2019
Steve Chou is the founder of My Wife Quit Her Job. When Steve’s wife became pregnant with their first child, she decided to quit her job to stay at home with the kids. But instead of cutting back on their lifestyle, they started an online store and made over $100K in only 12 months to replace her salary.
On today’s episode, Steve and I talk about that website, how he founded it, and how they were able to replace her income with a side hustle project within about one to two years of starting their business. Steve created a foundation in niche businesses, through traffic, lead generation, marketing and sales for his physical and digital products.
My big takeaway from today’s episode was that great results can occur by working with a chatbot through Facebook messenger. I can’t wait for you to hear Steve’s statistics to share about his experience with that feature!
In this broadcast, Steve and I talk about:
- How did Steve enter the blogging space
- What factors attributed to the significant increases in growth for My Wife Quit Her Job
- How effective are affiliate offers for growth
- Why you should use a product or be familiar with a product before adding an affiliate to a post
- How did Steve’s e-commerce conference turn into a Shark Tank-style event
- What is working and what is not working for generating sales and traffic online
- The importance of using push notifications and chatbots
- How to lead potential customers to opt in for your chatbot
- What is on the horizon for Steve’s e-commerce and blogging spaces
- The importance of balancing business life and family life
How to Connect with Steve:
Get the Latest Broadcasts of In The Trenches on Your Favorite Podcast Platform:
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How You Can Support In The Trenches
Did you enjoy today's broadcast of In The Trenches? Please click here to leave an honest rating and review on iTunes. Your review helps me spread the word of this podcast, which allows me to line up amazing guests and continue to produce this podcast ad-free. Thanks so much in advance for your support.
Monday Aug 19, 2019
Monday Aug 19, 2019
Brian Berni is a former Vatican secret archives employee and a best selling author under multiple pen names. He blogs for writers and self publishers at Authorstech and is the co-founder of BookAds, an agency that helps authors advertise their books through Amazon Marketing Services (AMS) and book club ads in 2018. Brian also hosted the first ever virtual summit for fiction writers.
I brought Brian onto the podcast today to talk about book marketing, book advertising, what’s working, what’s not, and how to make a mess work for you. In today’s conversation, I wanted Brian to share his experience from hosting his first ever virtual summit, Indie Novelist Summit for fiction writers in 2018, which helped him go from practically zero to thousands of engaged readers. Due to the success of the summit, several thousand more subscribers joined his email list and generated multiple five figures just from ticket sales of his virtual summit alone. During the campaign, I worked with Brian, which was a lot of fun because he had such a commitment to quality. And so I have kind of two big takeaways.
From today’s conversation, I had two big takeaways. The first is on the marketing front which is that Amazon is moving to a pay-to-play model, which seems to be the future of Amazon book sales. The second big takeaway is on the virtual summit front, which is that they work. If you want to know more about virtual summits, you can go to my blog.
In this broadcast, Brian and I talk about:
- How did Brian venture into an online space
- Why did Brian choose to engage other authors to network
- In what ways did Brian hone his niche around self-publishing
- The importance of being acquainted with Facebook, Google and Amazon ads
- How Brian became specialized in book ads marketing
- Why you should always continue experimenting and testing with ads
- The importance of realizing that each book marketing ad will not work for all books
- What are the critical components of running a paid ad campaign
- What were Brian’s expectations for his first virtual summit
- How successful was the Indie Novelist Summit in terms of growth
- The importance of using a survey to engage the interests of your community
- Where does Brian view his business ventures going in the future
How to Connect with Brian:
Get the Latest Broadcasts of In The Trenches on Your Favorite Podcast Platform:
Subscribe to In The Trenches on iTunes
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How You Can Support In The Trenches
Did you enjoy today's broadcast of In The Trenches? Please click here to leave an honest rating and review on iTunes. Your review helps me spread the word of this podcast, which allows me to line up amazing guests and continue to produce this podcast ad-free. Thanks so much in advance for your support.
Monday Aug 12, 2019
Monday Aug 12, 2019
Chad Pytel is a developer, founder and CEO of thoughtbot, a product design development consultancy with six studios across the U.S. and U.K. For over 15 years, thoughtbot has produced top quality web and mobile apps with hundreds of clients from one person startups to Fortune 500 enterprises, universities and nonprofits. Chad co-authored two books, Rails AntiPatterns and Pro Active Record, has spoken at conferences around the world and is the host of the podcast Giant Robots Smashing Into Other Giant Robots.
On today’s episode, I sit down with Chad to talk about how thoughtbot went from an idea to a small five person Web agency. From there it grew to over a 100 person consultancy. During this conversation, we also discuss how Chad has been able to grow this company over the last decade and what that’s been like to expand and grow across multiple geographic locations.
My big takeaway from today’s conversation is that there are a lot of ways to build the type of business you want to build. But the one thing that’s critical is the vision, what you care about, how you do work, who you want to work with, and the things that will separate you from others because there’s always going to be competition. The thing that’s going to separate you from the competition are your values, your goals and how you organize the work you do and why you do it.
In this broadcast, Chad and I talk about:
- How Chad founded thoughtbot
- In what ways Chad measured success versus unsuccess during the first few years of his business
- How to build the type of business you want to build
- The importance of minimizing what your company offers to find a niche
- Why establishing clear specializations for your business attracts ideal customers
- How value driven decisions create positive customer relations
- What are the benefits of a team working in the same physical space
- What are the pros and cons of a team working on a project remotely
- How to measure the trade-offs of having a full staff of W-2 workers
- Where does Chad see his business going in the future
How to Connect with Chad:
Get the Latest Broadcasts of In The Trenches on Your Favorite Podcast Platform:
Subscribe to In The Trenches on iTunes
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How You Can Support In The Trenches
Did you enjoy today's broadcast of In The Trenches? Please click here to leave an honest rating and review on iTunes. Your review helps me spread the word of this podcast, which allows me to line up amazing guests and continue to produce this podcast ad-free. Thanks so much in advance for your support.
Monday Aug 05, 2019
Monday Aug 05, 2019
On today’s episode, I am having a conversation with Jason Resnick who is a web developer, host of the podcast, Live in the Feast and creator of the online community for freelancers, Feast. Inside Feast and through his blog and podcast, Jason helps freelancers discover their niche, plan out and market themselves, build recurring revenue and stay in the feast. Jason helps his clients reach their goals, connect with their why and live the life that they’ve always wanted to live.
My big takeaway from this episode is something that’s a recurring theme with the entrepreneurs,authors and creators - you need to niche down at the very least to get any sort of traction from your marketing. The reason is simple. There’s just so much competition out there now that to be generic is kind of a death knell but a great resume and track record can help. If you’re showcasing your work and knowledge online via blogs or podcasts, that can all help, but unless you can target a specific subset of the market, your marketing dollars and bandwidth will vanish before you get any real traction. To stand out, you need to speak directly to your target market. Without further ado, let’s get to today’s interview.
In this broadcast, Jason and I talk about:
- How did Jason enter the world of freelancing
- What sparked Jason’s passion for helping other freelancers
- In what ways has the nature of freelancing changed over the years
- The importance of learning basic marketing and sales skills at a young age
- How to build a platform and establish yourself as a freelancer
- Why a freelancer should measure value VS price
- Why a freelancer should focus on smaller, less time consuming projects
- The importance of specializing in a service and finding a niche
- How can a new freelancer discover a niche and build a track record
- In what ways can an established freelancer focus on a specific type of client
- How can a third party can help a freelancer discover their ideal client and niche
How to Connect with Jason:
Get the Latest Broadcasts of In The Trenches on Your Favorite Podcast Platform:
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How You Can Support In The Trenches
Did you enjoy today's broadcast of In The Trenches? Please click here to leave an honest rating and review on iTunes. Your review helps me spread the word of this podcast, which allows me to line up amazing guests and continue to produce this podcast ad-free. Thanks so much in advance for your support.
Monday Jul 29, 2019
Monday Jul 29, 2019
Today’s panelists are Megan Reamer is the co-founder and CEO of Jackson’s Honest, a healthy foods company. Jackson’s Honest makes potato chips, tortilla chips and grain free puffs all cooked in organic coconut oil. Patrick Vlaskovits is an entrepreneur and 2 time New York Times bestselling author. His writing has been featured in the Harvard Business Review and the Wall Street Journal, and he speaks at technology conferences worldwide. And our third panelist is Bret Boyd is the CEO of Knoema, a software platform for data access and discovery. At Knoema, Bret and his team build tools to help public and private-sector organizations make better decisions with data.
During today’s episode, I’m interviewing not one, but three exceptional CEOs. This episode is a bit different than my other podcasts, as it’s a live podcast where I’m extracting the panelist’s best insights on business, marketing, creativity, and leadership.
In this broadcast, Patrick, Megan, Bret and I talk about:
- How did Megan differentiate her product in a saturated marketplace
- Why a successful product usually stems from need
- How did Patrick perceive and evaluate pockets of opportunity for his business
- Where in the value chain should you focus your efforts
- In what ways did Brett implement business cycles as a founder and founder
- How do the panelists incorporate partnerships into their business
- How to conduct market research?
- What would keep someone from rolling out a new product?
- In what ways should you organize your business to profit from extreme growth
- How to think and act like an entrepreneur as a member of an organization
- When hiring, how can you find and hire employees who can drive a business and organization forward
- How do you properly measure employee performance so you know if someone is genuinely not pulling their weight
The audience Q&A is from 42:40 - 57:00.
- How does Megan think about new extremes in her business
- What has Megan done to get her business story out to consumers
- When is the right time to say yes this is a successful investment
- How can you handle personal risk and stick with your decisions
- Has Megan ever felt like she had to compromise her values as a mother or woman
How to Connect with Patrick, Megan, Bret:
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How You Can Support In The Trenches
Did you enjoy today's broadcast of In The Trenches? Please click here to leave an honest rating and review on iTunes. Your review helps me spread the word of this podcast, which allows me to line up amazing guests and continue to produce this podcast ad-free. Thanks so much in advance for your support.