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 Sep 17, 2018
Monday Sep 17, 2018
Roosh Valizadeh is a contreversial men's dating advice writer. Recently, Amazon has banned and removed nine of his books from their bookstore. Immediately after Amazon banned his books, many other platforms (though much, much smaller than Amazon) like Kobo did the same. It's important to note that many of these books have been selling for years, with thousands of sales and dozens of reviews. Amazon did not give Roosh a reason for the removal of his books, including his new release (and Amazon bestseller before it was banned and removed) "Game," which you can purchase directly from his website (see links below).
For years, I've been telling my readers and listeners to start their own business or creative pursuit on their own platform, and not to 'rent' the space of a platform like Facebook, or Amazon, or Google - because they can decide on a whim how they operate, which could crush your business. Now, the threat is greater because it's not just a change in the algorithm of a platform that could tank your business. Instead, it's what this small group of private companies decide is acceptable or unacceptable to allow you to view or buy - and you as a consumer or content creator have effectively no recourse.
Roosh was banned from Amazon, and de-platformed across several channels. And that's why I wanted to speak with him - because I believe other creators can learn from his experience, including how to avoid having your business completely wiped out if or when you get banned.
This interview is in no way an endorsement of Roosh's dating advice, books, ideas, etc. It's a conversation about censorship - online censorship in particular - and how you can protect yourself as an independent creator. And even if you think you're the most lukewarm writer, with no ideas that could ever rock the boat - you still want to listen to this interview, because you, in fact, could be next.
In this broadcast, Roosh V and I talk about:
- How Roosh was banned from Amazon and had 8 of his books removed from the platform in one day.
- How Amazon has responded to the banning of Roosh's books (their reason for banning him)
- How Roosh has been able to survive the de-platforming by building a business on his own platform (where he continues to sell his books)
- Whether we should allow a private cartel of companies to control what we see and don't see online
- The future of digital book burning (and why some people are cheering it on)
And much more...
How to connect with Roosh V Online:
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Friday Sep 07, 2018
Friday Sep 07, 2018
Charlie Houpert is the co-founder of Charisma on Command, an educational platform where he teaches people how to grow their confidence and charisma. His YouTube channel of the same name has over 1 million subscribers, and his videos routinely generate hundreds of thousands of views.
Charlie got his start online by building an education business focused on parkour. However, Charlie didn't get the traction he was looking for, so he shifted gears to a new interest: confidence. Charlie is a self-proclaimed introvert who struggled in social situations. He decided he would scratch his own itch, and began blogging on the topic of confidence, dating, leadership, and more. But it wasn't until Charlie started his YouTube channel that things really took off. In less than a year, Charisma on Command generated tens of thousands of subscribers and hundreds of thousand of views on some of his most watched videos. He has since scaled that to 1.5 million subscribers in less than 3 years.
My big takeaway from today's conversation: FORMAT is just as important as the content you want to share. This is specifically in reference to YouTube, but I think it applies to any sort of content creation or teaching. It applies to blogs, to podcasts, to video creation, and more. In a nutshell, if you want to break into a competitive market, it's not just about the content you create, or the value you add to someone's life - it's HOW you go about delivering the content that will determine whether people sit up and listen, or ignore you. So if you're looking to tap into a platform like YouTube, or you're just trying to figure out ways your podcast or blog or whatever can stand out, you need to listen to Charlie's advise on format.
In this broadcast, Charlie Houpert and I talk about:
- How Charlie got his start online
- The 'systems' process Charlie uses to generate growth in any marketing channel he dives into
- Why Charlie decided to experiment with YouTube, and how he got early viewers and subscriber
- How Charlie was able to make money from building an audience before he ever had products to sell
- How to determine if a marketing channel will work (and when to pull the plug)
- Why Charlie rebranded to Charisma on Command (and how branding impacts your growth potential)
- 3 things you MUST get right if you want to start a successful YouTube channel
- A simple technique anyone can use to capitalize on mainstream trends (I love this idea and it's something I'm trying to figure out how to implement in my own business)
- Why Charlie fired all his clients (and how he transitioned to selling infoproducts full-time)
- How Charlie developed and launched his most profitable course ever (hint: if you don't do this, you're making a mistake)
- What Charlie is doing now to expand his brand and grow sales, revenue, and profit via his YouTube channel
And much more...
Charlie on the value of YouTube
"YouTube is a recommendation engine before it's a search engine. So when you're thinking about what sort of content to make, it must be something that is eminently clickable and should follow a trend...when you're just starting out, focus on trends."
Charlie Houpert
How to connect with Charlie Houpert Online:
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Friday Aug 31, 2018
Friday Aug 31, 2018
Regina Anaejionu is the creator of ByRegina.com. She has been writing, growing online communities, and selling products and services online since 2008. She's done everything from full time writing, to design work, to Wordpress website creation, to publishing her own courses and ebooks.
In today's conversation, we talk about 'sensative sales.' In a nutshell, it's a way to market and sell your products and services by being fully transparent. Instead of hiding your offer behind a webinar, you share the offer right away, and give the potential customer everything he or she needs to make a purchase. That way they have the time to think it over and won't be blindsided by the offer when you share it on a webinar (or however else you might share it).
We talk about this and much more on today's broadcast.
In this broadcast, Regina Anaejionu and I talk about:
- Transparent and ethical scarcity and urgency (if you find this subject ineresting, definitely check out my interview with Jack Born of Deadlinefunnel)
- How transparent selling can increase sales
- How to implement transparency into your sales funnel
- Why 'sensitive sales' are the future of online sales (at least for those who have built a brand based on trust)
- When and where 'sensitive sales' don't work as well as the traditional 'hard sell' technique
And much more.
How to connect with Regina Anaejionu:
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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 Aug 27, 2018
Monday Aug 27, 2018
Megan Reamer is the co-founder and CEO of Jackson's Honest, a healthy foods company. Megan and her husband Scott started Jackson's Honest as a way to share their son Jackson's story and the delicious snack foods they made for him. Jackson's Honest makes potato chips, tortilla chips and grain free puffs all cooked in organic coconut oil. Their son's autoimmune disease defined the types of foods he could eat and when they started addressing his disease through diet and nutrition in 2003, specifically a paleo and ketogenic diet, they couldn't find the foods they needed so they made them all from scratch. These delicious products were some of those foods.
My main takeaway from my conversation with Megan was this idea of "Product-Channel Fit."
It’s not something we talk about directly during the interview, but it’s something that is present in the way Megan has gone about marketing and selling her healthy snack food products.
What I mean by Product-Channel Fit is that specific consumers want to purchase or buy from specific venders in specific ways. The environment and the ritual someone goes through to make a purchase has an impact on how the customer feels about said product - and it may be just as important, if not more important, to choose the right CHANNEL for your product as it is to ensure your story and branding and pricing are on point.
For example, there are many food companies in the world. There are fewer, but still many, healthy food companies in the world. There are even fewer healthy SNACK food companies in the world. And those with their products on the shelves of Whole Foods can be counted in the dozens. So there’s less competition once you get onto the shelves of Whole Foods, and that's a big plus, but even more importantly: the type of people who shop at Whole Foods have channel-specific expectation of the products they purchase. The healthly, organic, anti-inflamatory message of Jackson’s Honest snack foods is a perfect match for this group of customers.
In a nutshell, it would be hard to imagine what Jackson’s Honest would look like if Megan hadn’t adroitly positioned her products on the shelves of Whole Foods when they first got started. Now, of course, they have the positioning to expand into a broader range of stores, without losing that consistent, congruent brand and story - and that's exactly what Megan is planning for the future of her company.
In this broadcast, Megan Reamer and I talk about:
- The painful yet inspirational true story of Megan's son, and how he inspired her to start Jackson's Honest.
- Why mission, purpose, and story are so important for a startup, and how Megan leveraged these to get a foothold in the food industry.
- How Megan bootstrapped Jackson's Honest from a small mountain town in Colorado.
- How Megan landed her products on the shelves of Whole Foods
- What it was like to be on Shark Tank and what that has meant for Jackson's Honest.
- How Megan is growing Jackson's Honest by focusing on customer demand and feedback.
And much more.
How to connect with Megan Reameronline:
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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.
Friday Aug 17, 2018
Friday Aug 17, 2018
Akira The Don is a British musician, DJ, and producer. Akira has produced and co-written 3 UK top 40 hits and makes music for movies, video games, ad soundtracks, and more. More recently, Akira has developed a new series of lofi music remixes featuring audio clips from lectures and podcasts of people like Jocko Willink, Dr. Jordan Peterson, and Alan Watts among many others. In fact, Akira produced one of these lofi remixes based on my interview with Dr. Jordan Peterson. You can listen to this special production below in the show notes.
My greatest take away from my interview with Akira the Don is his attitude on continued education and self improvement. I found this a consistent theme throughout the interview; how he embraces this idea of always learning; at mastering whatever it is that he’s working on. Whether it’s mastering the art of rap when he first started out as a rapper, or how he’s now working on these lofi remixes - he’s constantly trying to improve and level up his own skillset.
His focus on personal growth and becoming a better person than the guy he was the day before I found to be a remarkable attitude and something that any of us could embrace and live.
In this broadcast, Akira the Don and I talk about:
- How Akira got his start in music as a rapper, and how he's ended up one of LA's most popular DJs
- What spurred Akira's "Meaning Wave" lofi remixes and how he knew it was a winning idea
- How Akira developed an artistic vision that gives him the framework to decide which projects to work on and what to avoid
- Why Akira has never thought about quitting the music industry, and how he's managed to navigate and succeed in a hyper-competitive landscape
- What Akira is doing now to grow his audience and fanbase, and how he's growing his record label
And much more.
Recommended Resources:
- Dr. Jordan Peterson on In The Trenches
- The Call to Adventure (a lofi remix of my interview with Jordan Peterson)
How to connect with Akira the Don online:
Akira the Don on Art and Great Work
You can't save the world if you yourself are a mess.
Akira the Don
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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 Aug 13, 2018
Monday Aug 13, 2018
Eric Bakey is a direct response copywriter and conversion copywriter who uses visuals in cartoons to communicate direct response marketing strategies for small business owners. He helps bridge the gap between strategy and results. In today's conversation we talk a little bit about direct response copywriting, but where we really dig in is how Eric made the transition from being an Army veteran to the world of self employment business owner.
Among the many things I found interesting in today’s conversation was how Eric generated his first few high paying clients. The first thing he did was create a list of his top 100 potential best clients. Next, he sent each of them a handwritten letter explaining what he loved about the work they were doing, and how he could be of value to them. He ended up booking out his entire calendar with new clients.
So we dig into that and so much more into today’s conversation.
In this broadcast, Eric Bakey and I talk about:
- The secret to effective direct response copywriting
- How to use direct response copywriting to gain new clients in any industry
- The 5 step process Eric used to get his first paying gig as a freelancer
- Eric’s transition from the Army to full-time entrepreneur
- How Eric is scaling his business by moving into strategic advisory services
- What you can do to move from implementation work to high level consulting
- How to develop scalable systems and processes for your small business
And much more.
Recommended Resources:
How to connect with Eric Bakey online:
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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.
Friday Aug 10, 2018
Friday Aug 10, 2018
Bnonn Tennant is the founder of InformationHighwayman.com. He's a copywriting expert who uses archetypal narratives to create captivating content that sells.
In this broadcast, Bnonn Tennant and I talk about:
- Vicarious transcendence (a term Bnonn coined that will help you write better copy)
- How to use movies and tv shows to write better email newsletters
- How to implement archetypal themes and narratives to grow your audience and sell more products and services152
And much more.
Additional Resources and How to connect with Bnonn Tennant online:
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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 Aug 06, 2018
Monday Aug 06, 2018
Damion Lupo is the founder of Total Control Financial, a company with a mission to empower people to transform their financial future by taking control of their retirement funds. Many people treat their saving and investing as a side thought, storing their money in traditional 401k and IRA accounts. According to Damion, this is not the best way to save nor to grow your wealth. Instead, he recommends entrepreneurs in the United States who are serious about growing their wealth consider using a QRP. QRP stands for qualified retirement plan. A QRP is eligible to receive certain tax benefits that you can't get with a 401k or IRA, and allows you to invest your savings into everything from gold and silver, real estate, and more. In today's conversation, not only do we talk about this subject, but wealth in general. One item that really stood out to me is how Damion is able to evaluate what someone values by looking at the 3 "C's":
- Cash: what you're spending your money on - addictions, habits, etc.
- Credit card: how you're trading away your future for stimulus today.
- Calendar: how you're using (or squandering) your time.
We discuss this and much more.
In this broadcast, Damion Lupo and I talk about:
- The difference between wealth and money
- The blank slate principle
- A single question to ask yourself to help you determine where you should invest your time and money
- Why the 5 people you spend the most time with impact more than your wealth
- How to improve your life (hint: it has nothing to do with doing more things...)
- The 3 "C's" (cash, credit card, and calendar)
- Why you should schedule 'untouchable days' on your calendar
And much more.
Additional Resources and How to connect with Damion Lupo online:
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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 03, 2018
Friday Aug 03, 2018
Chris Badgett is the co-founder of LifterLMS, learning management software that allows you to create and sell online courses. Chris is a veteran of In The Trenches, making an appearance on episode 95. On that episode, we broke down what it takes to ensure student success. This topic is so important because most course creators think they can simply create and sell their course, and that's that. But the data tells a different story: course creators who emphasize student success (and all the things that lead to student success, like engagement, support, the structure and flow of your course, etc.) are responsible for the most lucrative ecourses across time (e.g. these courses are usually the top perennial sellers). So if you haven't listened to that episode, and you're a course creator, go listen to that now. In today's conversation, we go into the backstory behind LifterLMS - how Chris got his start, how he bootstrapped the software, how he got his first 42 customers, and what he's done to grow it to thousands of paying customers in a few short years.
In this broadcast, Chris Badgett and I talk about:
- How Chris bootstrapped LifterLMS (even living out a car just to get by at one point)
- How LifterLMS landed their first 42 paying customers
- Why Chris moved from agency to software
- Chris' best strategies for generating consistent, increasing recurring revenue (he uses an amazing pre-order strategy that I outline as one of my top hacks in my book "Launch Hacks")
- A simple strategy for creating things your audience and customers want
- Why you should do this one thing to get amazing feedback from customers (this is something I rarely see entrepreneurs do, which is wild...)
And much more.
How to connect with Chris Badgett online:
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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 Jul 30, 2018
Monday Jul 30, 2018
Vincent LoTempio is a registered patent attorney. He helps entrepreneurs, artists, writers, and creators understand, create, and file patents, trademarks, and copyright. In today’s conversation, we discuss the differences between patents, trademarks, and copyright, including what they are, how they’re distinct from one another, and what they actually do for you. We also discuss common misconceptions around copyright, what you need to consider if you’re starting a business around a brand or product, the truth behind satire, derivatives, and fair use, and more. Whether you’ve already filed patents, trademarks, or copyright, or you’re just getting started and trying to figure out what you need to do to protect your intellectual property online, today’s conversation is going to be a game-changer for you.
In this broadcast, Vincent LoTempio and I talk about:
- A simple way to understand the difference between a patent, trademark, and copyright
- When you need to file a patent, trademark, or copyright
- Common misconceptions around copyright (this is critical if you're an author)
- The difference between 'SM' and 'TM' and when and how to use each
- How to protect your intellectual property from theft
- What these forms of legal registration can and CANNOT do (lots of confusion on this one and Vincent clears it up for us)
- The Sword and Shield framework: a simple approach protecting yourself and your ideas online
- How much it costs to file a trademark, to register a copyright or to register a patent
Useful Resources from my Conversation with Vincent LoTempio
How to connect with Vincent LoTempio online:
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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.