Audience Ops Podcast Brian Casel

Have you ever spent a lot of time figuring out a critical part of your business? You probably have. Working through time-consuming challenges is common for founders. 



Keeping track of how you spend your time is important for founders, freelancers, and business owners. Daniel Alm wanted to get away from the start-and-stop time trackers and created Timing, an automatic time tracking app that records everything you do on your Mac. That way, you know exactly where you spend your time and you can increase your personal productivity. 



Solving Challenges as a Founder



Time is important to everyone, but when your product is all about productivity, you had better be paying attention to where your time is going! When it came to creating content, Daniel knew that he couldn’t update the blog as often as he’s like. He also knew that his time was better spent on other areas of the business so outsourcing content was a great way to protect his time for other tasks.



The Six-month Challenge



Sometimes things just take a lot of time, like when Daniel spent six months figuring out a critical part of his app that once solved, allowed his business to grow and evolve. Though this was an investment of time and energy, one he figured it out, Daniel had a new-found confidence in himself. Daniel shares how he stretched himself (with the feedback and support from a developer) and shares his tips for founders looking to grow. 



Resources mentioned



Learn more about Timing for MacFollow Daniel on Twitter



Transcription of This Episode



Have you ever spent a lot of time figuring out a critical part of your business? You probably have. Working through time-consuming challenges is common for founders. I’m Sara Robinson, a manager here at Audience Ops and on this episode of the Audience Ops podcast we’re joined by Daniel Alm, founder of Timing.



Timing is an automatic time tracking app, so instead of starting and stopping like many time tracking apps do, it records everything you do on your Mac. That way you know exactly where you spend your time and it increases personal productivity. Daniel created the first version of Timing in 2011 when he was a student. He started working on it full time in 2016 and launched an all new version in mid 2017. Timing is a downloadable product, not a subscription, since it’s an app you purchase once there’s less recurring revenue but Timing is at a point where sales are constant month over month.



Daniel is the founder and developer and aside from working with Audience Ops for content, he handles everything else that pertains to his business. On this episode, he shares what it’s like to be the solo founder and developer in a niche software product, how his main marketing focus has been and continues to be content marketing and a few key tips for founders when it comes to growing your company. Stick around.



Daniel, thank you so much for joining us on the podcast.



Thanks Sara for having me.



Well, let’s jump right in. What is the latest milestone that Timing has hit that you’re excited about? It could be anything. What’s been going on?



So this August we finally launched a web app for Timing. Timing used to be only a Mac software that would run around only on your desktop, but of course there’s times when you want to record a time entry while you’re on the go. For example, while you’re in a meeting with a client or thinking about whatever your client, about your client’s project, anything like that. So far we had to tell our customers, just create a calendar entry for that and we will import the calendar entry for you, but now people can just download the web app onto their phones and then they just can hit start and stop on their phone to quickly record like offline time that hasn’t happened on their Mac.



They can of course, also record tasks retroactively

Have you ever felt concerned that you’re only focusing on one way of marketing, such as content creation? But what if that one way has grown your email list and pageviews exponentially in the last 4 years?



On this episode of the podcast we’re joined by long-term client Natasa Lekic of NY Book Editors. A couple years ago on our blog we highlighted the growth NY Book Editors had seen in their mailing list by using lead magnets. We caught up with Natasa about why content continues to be their primary marketing strategy and how their pagevies and list have grown exponentially since we started with them in 2015.



If It’s Not Broke, Why Fix It?



Natasa was a bit embarrassed to admit that content is the company’s only focus when it comes to marketing, but as we discuss: it works for them. NY Book Editors helps independent authors tell their stories by facilitating extraordinary edits. Their clients (and potential clients) are writers who enjoy reading; it makes sense that the company focuses on content and it’s not surprising that the content has brought their mailing list to over 40,000 (and that’s with good list hygiene!) and their monthly pageviews to 65,000/month! They’re also launching a YouTube channel, so they’re now expanding their content and marketing.



Know your Clients and Speak to Them



Natasa has great insight into the importance of knowing your clients, no matter what your industry. She also reminds us that even if you know concepts and ideas well, that doesn’t necessarily mean that you’ll be able to communicate those ideas effectively and in user-friendly ways for your readers. Natasa also reflects on working productively when you outsource content creation (and four years in, we’ve got a good flow going!).



Resources mentioned



Follow New York Book Editors on Twitter, Instagram, and FacebookCheck out New York Book Editors blog and servicesSubscribe to the Audience Ops podcast on iTunes



Transcription of the Episode



Have you ever felt concerned that you’re only focusing on one way of marketing such as content creation? But what if that one way has grown your email list and page views exponentially in the last four years? On this episode of the podcast, we’re joined by Natasa Lekic, founder of New York Book Editors, who shares all about how focusing on content creation has really paid off. I’m Sara Robinson, a manager here at Audience Ops who has worked with Natasa since 2017, which was two years after we first started working with her. When Natasha founded the company in early 2013 the goal was to help independent authors tell their stories by facilitating extraordinary edits. Natasha had left her role as the managing editor at another company and started with just one editor, but now she has 37 editors working with her, and they have helped over a thousand authors create work they are proud of.



Not to mention the fact that they have helped three first time authors become New York times bestsellers, a self-published authors book is becoming a Netflix series, and they have another author who has a movie in development with Paramount. To say they’re doing their job well is an understatement. On the episode Natasa shares about why they focus primarily on content creation and how this form of marketing really resonates with their clients. She shares about how we had such a successful working relationship for so long and why she’s willing to let go of writing content even when writing is their thing. We wrap up with tips for founders in any industry, about how to connect with your clients. Check it out. Natasa, I’m so excited to have you on the podcast. How are you doing today?



I’m doing really well. I’m so excited to be here and to see you as we discussed, after so many years together.



Yes, I know. For our listeners, Natasa has been a client of Audience

Have you wondered what might happen with your marketing if your smaller company merges with a larger one?



WP Simple Pay’s Merger with Sandhills Development



In this episode of the podcast, we’re joined by Phil Derksen, founder of WP Simple Pay, a WordPress plugin for accepting stripe payments. In late 2018, his company merged with Sandhills Development, making his product one in a suite of five. In the episode, Phil shares with us about his experience with the merger and how that affected his role and specifically the marketing that they do. 



Phil discusses the experience of going from a solo founder who worked with a couple of contractors to then being part of a much larger team. Prior to the merger with Sandhills Development, Phil began working with Audience Ops for his content. At that time, he knew he didn’t have the time to put into creating content. When the merger happened, Sandhill Dev already knew the importance of content creation so nothing changed on the content front when the merger occurred; we were able to continue smoothly creating content for WP Simple Pay.



Phil also shares what his company is focusing on next in marketing and has some great tips for founders looking for growth.



Learn about WP Simple PayLearn about Sandhills DevelopmentFollow Phil on TwitterSubscribe to the Audience Ops podcast on iTunes



Transcription of This Episode



Have you wondered what might happen with your marketing if your smaller company merges with a larger one? We are joined by Phil Derksen, founder of WP Simple Pay, who merged with Sandhills Development in late 2018. He shares with us about his experience and how that impacted things like his role and marketing.



I’m Sara Robinson, a manager at Audience Ops, and on this episode of the podcast, we talk with Phil about what it’s been like to go from a solo founder working with just a couple of contractors to being part of a larger organization with five different products. Phil shares with us about why he started working with Audience Ops as the founder of WP Simple Pay and what happened with content creation when he merged with Sandhills Development. Thankfully, Sandhills Development was also using content creation for their marketing efforts so there was a very smooth transition and we didn’t miss a beat with content when the merger happened.



Phil talks to us about how his role changed and now that he’s not just focused on WP Simple Pay, what’s to come for all the products in their suite? He’s got some great tips for founders, even if a merger is nowhere in sight. Check it out.



Phil, thank you so much for joining us today. How are you?



Great, Sara. Thanks for having me on here. Appreciate it.



Absolutely. Let’s get right into it. What’s the latest milestone that you hit that you’re really excited about?



Sure. Recently, WP Simple Pay, which is our only product from Sandhills Development that works only exclusively with Stripe. Recently, there was a big European regulation called SCA, Strong Customer Authentication, and it’s something that we needed to get out quickly for all of our European customers. We had a release go out recently that had that and also implemented the new hosted Stripe checkout that Stripe has out now. It took a lot of work and it had to be done by a certain date but it’s out now, and I’m really proud of the team for doing that in time.



Good. Congratulations. Those deadlines can feel motivating and stressful so probably a big sigh of relief that that’s now behind you.



Yes, definitely.



You mentioned Sandhills Development, which is a bigger company that you recently merged with. What was that transition like for you and WP Simple Pay?



Sure. It was late 2018 that I merged WP Simple Pay with Sandhills Development. At the time, it was just me as a solo founder with a couple o

On this episode of the podcast, we’re joined by Beacon co-founder Kevin McGrath who gives us insight into what it’s like to run the company with his brother and how they work together with Kevin as designer and Eoin as Developer. Beacon is a product for marketers and business owners to efficiently create the lead magnets they need. Their product is simple, with features their audience needs to get the job done quickly. 



The Importance of Managing Your Resources



As a team of two, managing resources is extremely important. While Kevin focuses on the design side (his area of expertise), they still will outsource to other designers at times. We discuss how this allows them to bring in fresh perspectives and enables him to avoid the dreaded loss of productivity when you’re shifting contexts.



Outsourcing Content has lead to Expanded Areas of Content



With Beacon being such a focused product, prior to working with Audience Ops, it seemed logical that all content should be related to lead magnets. But, by bringing us in to not only create content, but help them develop topic ideas, they’ve realized that there is a much wider topic-base to write from.



Working with Audience Ops for content has helped Kevin release guilt for not spending time on that part of the business, and allows him to focus on growth and development of the company.



To wrap up the episode, Kevin shares what Beacon is focusing on next to grow the company as well as his tips for listeners who are looking to grow their company- you won’t want to miss it!



Learn about BeaconFollow Kevin on TwitterSubscribe to the Audience Ops podcast on iTunes



Transcription of This Episode



Do you consider how you manage your resources? Of course you do, but what if you’re a team of two? How do you handle resources then? Beacon, co-founder, Kevin McGrath shares that and more with us on the podcast. I’m Sara Robinson, a manager here at Audience Ops and on this episode Kevin gives us insight into what goes on behind the scenes at Beacon, a product for marketers and business owners to efficiently create the lead magnets they need.



Beacon was started by Kevin doing design and the businessy things as he says, and his brother Owen, who’s the developer. Their product is simple, lead magnets features their audience needs to get the job done quickly. Kevin and I discussed what it’s been like to be a small company with a very focused product. He shares how they manage resources and how they decide to outsource. He’ll even bring in other designers even though that’s his specialty. We also discuss how they utilize content as a part of their marketing, and how Audience Ops helps them realize the variety of content that could be created for the company. Kevin also shares what Beacon’s focusing on next to grow the company, as well as his tips for listeners who are looking to grow their businesses. You won’t want to miss it.



Kevin, thank you so much for joining us on the show today. How are you?



I’m very well thank you. Yeah, cheers for having me.



So glad to have you here. So let’s jump right in and talk about Beacon. Is there a latest milestone that you’ve hit that you’re really excited about?



Yes, we were actually, we were talking about this earlier today. So we tend not to focus too much on our stuff, like the thing that gets us really excited is milestones that our customers hit, and sort of customer success. So we’re working on a few new features at the minute and we’re just, we’re this close, to crossing and 10,000 leads generated and for some of our customers. So I think about maybe 1% of our customer base is trialing these new features and that 1% are about to generate 10,000 leads. So they’re getting pretty successful with these new features so we’re pretty excited about that.



Yeah, that’s amazing. And I l

When your company is just starting out, should you focus and spend money on content? How do you take the step to trust a company to outsource to when content is so important?



On this episode of the podcast, we’re joined by Dhiren Bhatia, founder of Cloudscape. As the company heads into its third year in business, Dhiren shares about how he’s focused on content as a way to help grow his company. 



From Retail to a Productized Service-Based Business



Dhiren’s family has a long history in retail and from this, he founded Cloudscape, a company that enables retail shops and restaurants to leverage technology in order to streamline business and work more efficiently and effectively. 



As many founders do, Dhiren wears many hats, but he has grown Cloudscape to five employees so he’s now able to focus on his role as managing director and develop the overarching strategy of the company. Part of that strategy included creating content, but he found that he was the bottleneck to getting content published consistently.



About a year ago, after regularly listening to Audience Ops founder, Brian Casel’s Productize Podcast, Dhiren really understood the benefit of productizing a service-based business. Through listening to the podcast and reading the content that Brian produced, Dhiren had trust in hiring Audience Ops for his content needs.



Even though Cloudscape is small, Dhiren knows that his marketing efforts require having consistent, high-quality content, and he knew that letting go of writing the content himself was an important step for his company. On the episode, Dhiren shares how we’ve worked productively together on content development, his thoughts on how founders can take that step to outsourcing content, and why that’s so important even when your company is new and/or small. 



Dhiren Bhatia on LinkedInCloudscapeSubscribe to the Audience Ops podcast on iTunes



Transcription of This Episode



When your company is just starting out, should you focus on and spend money on content? How do you take the step to trust a company to outsource to when content is so important? That’s what we’re talking about with Dhiren Bhatia, founder of Cloudscape.



I’m Sara Robinson, a manager here at Audience Ops. On this episode of the podcast, Dhiren shares about how he’s focused on content as a way to help grow his company as he prepares to enter his third year of business. Dhiren’s family has a long history in retail, and from this, he founded Cloudscape, a company that enables retail shops and restaurants to leverage technology in order to streamline business and work more efficiently and effectively.



Though he wears many hats, Dhiren now is able to focus on his role as managing director, and on the overarching strategy of the company. But about a year ago, after listening to Audience Ops founder Brian Casel’s productize podcast really understood the benefit of productizing a service based business. Because of his trust in Brian, based on the knowledge and ideas that he was sharing, Dhiren decided to work with Audience Ops for content. Even though his company was small, he decided to work with us and he knew that people will come back for consistent high quality content. Dhiren shares how we’ve worked productively together and shares his thoughts on how founders can take that step to outsourcing content and why that’s so important even when your company is new and/or small. Check it out.



Dhiren, thank you so much for joining us today. We are excited to have you on the podcast. Welcome.



Thank you. It’s great to be here.



Let’s jump right in. What is the latest milestone or recent milestone that your company has hit?



Yeah, great question. I’m super excited. We’ve crossed a million in revenue, a million dirhams in revenue, and it’s a super exciting milestone for us. As a

Have you ever thought about the boring parts of your job and wished there was a better way? Do you ever want to ditch those monotonous tasks and have more time for the fun parts of your job?



Those are questions that Daniel Zacarias aimed to address when he created Underway in February, 2018. Daniel is a former Product Manager who continually heard from the readers of his blog that the busy work of being a product manager was weighing them down.



So- Daniel created a solution: Underway, a product that allows for automation of some of the everyday tasks that product managers face. 



Since founding Underway, Daniel has stayed committed to remaining bootstrapped. We discuss how he loves that this commitment forces him to be focused and show constraint with his choices for the product and the company’s resources. 



Focusing on Content even when You’re Bootstrapped



Even though they are a bootstrapped startup, Daniel knows the importance of great content. Though Daniel had a blog (foldingburritos.com) prior to starting Underway, he says it was a relief when he handed off content creation to Audience Ops. Before hiring us, he wasn’t able to be consistent with publishing information and he knows the importance of producing content on a regular basis; it’s critical to building trust and authority for your brand.



On the episode we discuss how Audience Ops has helped Underway see an increase in pageviews, more activity on social media, and growth to the top of the sales funnel. As the founder of Underway, and still a one-man-band who is doing just about everything, Daniel shares about how he’s worked productively with Audience Ops and the importance of giving us autonomy in the work we do. 



Daniel Zacarias on TwitterUnderwaySubscribe to the Audience Ops podcast on iTunes



Transcription of This Episode



Have you ever thought about the boring parts of your job and wished there was a better way? Do you ever want to ditch those monotonous tasks and have more time for the fun parts of your job?



I’m Sara Robinson, a manager here at Audience Ops, and on this episode of the podcast we’re joined by Daniel Zacarias from Underway.



Daniel is a former product manager who continually heard from the readers of his blog that the busy work of being a product manager was weighing them down.



So, he created Underway, a product that allows for automation of some of the everyday tasks that product managers face.



As a start up that began in February, 2018 Daniel has stayed committed to remaining bootstrapped. He loves that it forces him to be focused and show constraint with his choices for the product and the company’s resources.



Even though they’re bootstrapped, Daniel knows the importance of great content. When you create high quality content on a regular basis, you’re able to build trust and authority for your brand.



Even though Daniel had a blog, foldingburritos.com, prior to starting Underway, he says it was a relief when he handed off content creation to Audience Ops.



On this episode we discuss how we’ve been able to produce strong content on a consistent basis, which has led to an increase in page views, more activity on social media and growth at the top of his sales funnel.



As a founder of Underway, and still a one man band who is doing just about everything, Daniel shares about how he’s worked productively with Audience Ops. Check it out.



Daniel, thank you so much for joining us on the podcast. How are you today?



I’m great. Thanks for having me.



Yeah, we’re excited to have you here. So let’s jump right in.



As a startup, how did you identify the need for Underway for product managers?



Right, so I run a product management blog for a while now. And one of the things that I ask any new subscriber is what’s their biggest struggle as a PM. Over and over agai