Tiny Course Empire Podcast Cindy Bidar
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- Business
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At the Tiny Course Empire Podcast, host Cindy Bidar is banishing the online marketing overwhelm and busting the myths about digital course creation that keep you stuck in startup mode.
Each week you’ll hear actionable tips, real-world strategies, and plenty of practical advice about turning your expertise and experience into digital courses, and your courses into a profitable, sustainable business.
With more than 10 years of hands-on experience managing operations and marketing for six- and seven-figure businesses, Cindy knows a thing or two about how to launch and grow an online empire. She’ll help you make sense of the technology, turn seemingly monumental projects into bite-sized tasks, and design repeatable systems that create predictable results.
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Stretching is good for business
This week, I’m joined by my friend, mentor, and one-time coach Kelly McCausey. You may recognize her as the creator of the Stretch Yourself Challenge, an annual event I credit with helping to launch a new era in my business.
Kelly recently announced that she’s closing the doors on the content marketing side of her business so she can focus on full-time mindset coaching. To celebrate, she’s hosting one final Stretch Yourself Challenge event, so I invited her to come chat with me about content marketing.
We talked about how she got started with creating content, the mistakes she sees some marketers making, and what’s next for her own content as she transitions from a B2B business into a B2C market.
What you’ll learn in this episode:
Kelly’s history with content marketing and why she still thinks it’s the best thing you can do for your business growth
Kelly’s experience with SEO and what types of businesses benefit from it most
The types of content you should not be creating (even though it feels fun and easy)
How the Stretch Yourself Challenge evolved and how you can get involved
Whether I prefer brownies or coffee mugs as a finisher’s prize
Resources mentioned:
Stretch Yourself Challenge #15 (the last hurrah)
Me Skills (Kelly’s new home on the net)
Six-Figure Systems (snap up a $7 trial here) -
Member Q & A replay
Six-Figure Systems has been closed to new members for a while. We’ve made some changes behind the scenes and introduced some new pricing tiers, and to celebrate our re-opening this week, I want to share a recent Q & A call with you.
This call recording gives you a sneak peek into what we do inside Six-Figure Systems, and the support we offer to both new and more established business owners. Give it a listen and learn about things like prioritizing your projects, growing your email list, and selling digital products on third-party marketplaces.
Then come join us on a podcast-listener exclusive 7-day trial for only $7.
What you’ll learn in this episode:
How to focus on the most important work and let the distractions go
Six ways to grow your mailing list
Selling digital products on Gumroad
Changes to Gmail and Yahoo! email sender requirements
Leveraging an existing audience when you don’t (yet) have one of your own
How to choose just one idea when you have so many
Resources mentioned:
Six-Figure Systems podcast listener trial. Start today for only $7.
Atomic Habits by James Clear
Gumroad
Udemy
Google’s email sender guidelines
What email marketers need to know about Google and Yahoo! email changes -
How your comfort zone holds you back (and what to do about it)
There’s something attractive about an online business, and it’s not just because you can work from home in your pajamas and fuzzy slippers.
For many online entrepreneurs, anonymity is appealing. The thought—whether conscious or not—of hiding behind a laptop screen, never appearing in public, and even using a pseudonym in place of their real name makes introverted entrepreneurs feel safe.
But is keeping a low profile, firmly sheltered within that comfort zone cocoon, really doing your business any good? And if not, what steps can you take to expand your cozy bubble, show off your brilliance, and earn what you deserve?
That’s what we’re exploring in this episode of the Tiny Course Empire podcast.
Prefer a transcript? Here you go!
What you’ll learn in this episode:
Why I believe every online business owner must be willing to step out of his or her comfort zone, especially right now
How comfort zones hold you back (including a little-known benefit of pushing yourself just a little further than you like)
What the research says about the stress and anxiety you’re feeling as you try to put yourself out into the world
How your own brain is working against you, and what you can do to rewire it
Resources mentioned:
Six-Figure Systems trial offer: Start today for just $7.
Overcoming Imposter Syndrome (free webinar February 15, 2024) -
An SOP deep dive
Imagine having the confidence to know your next blog post will hit the top of the search results. Or that your next sales page will convert well. Or that your ads campaign will bring in new subscribers.
That’s what having well-maintained SOPs (standard operating procedures) can do for your business… so why do we not make them a priority?
If you’ve ever said:
I know I need better procedures, but I don’t know where to start
I have procedures and checklists… somewhere
I don’t need procedures because I’m the only one who works here
I don’t want procedures—they’ll just stifle my creativity
Then this episode is for you.
We’re going to take a deep dive into creating better procedures and checklists, including how to write them, where to keep them, how to keep them updated, and more.
Prefer a transcript? Here you go!
What you’ll learn in this episode:
The critical difference between processes, procedures, and work instructions, and why they’re all called simply “checklists”
How to make a truly useful checklist by just asking a few questions
How to maintain your SOPs without it sucking up all your time
Where to keep your procedures
The number one way to get your team to use your procedures and checklists—maybe the only way
Resources mentioned:
Atul Gawande’s Checklist Manifesto
Sam Carpenter’s Work the System
Our own Six-Figure Systems Program -
17 tips for easier content creation
“It takes me forever to write a single email.”
That’s what my friend Tish said when I casually mentioned I had written 10 emails that morning.
It’s a complaint I hear from other online business owners, too. Content is such a critical part of doing business online, but yet we struggle to create it consistently.
Sound familiar?
In this episode of the Tiny Course Empire podcast, I have 17 tips I’ve learned since I fired up my keyboard for the first time. Some will help you write faster, some will help you write better, and some will maybe just give you food for thought.
But if you’re a writer (and you are) they’ll all help you improve your craft in some way.
Prefer a transcript? Here you go!
What you’ll learn in this episode:
How to make course creation (or slide decks, or planners) take way longer than it should
Why your high-school writing teacher was all wrong
Two lessons I learned from fiction writers that will make your content more compelling
The real reason you need to proofread your writing (and it’s not because people will judge you for your typos)
The number one way to never run out of ideas
What the productivity gurus can teach us about good writing habits
Resources mentioned:
Tish Lee podcasts about body positivity at Shining Self
Stephen King’s “On Writing” is one of the best books about the craft whether you’re publishing blog posts or trashy romance novels
Julia Cameron’s “The Artist’s Way” is a masterclass on how to be more creative
Cal Newport recommends productive meditation for solving problems. I find it useful for being more creative.
Shower Thoughts on Reddit is a fun diversion (but don’t spend too much time there) -
What email marketers need to know about Google and Yahoo! email changes
Feeling a little confused about the upcoming Google and Yahoo! email changes? Hearing lots of scary-sounding acronyms and wondering what the heck they even mean?
You’re not alone.
A few months ago both Google (Gmail) and Yahoo! announced that beginning in 2024, they will impose new requirements on senders of bulk email—in other words, email marketers like us—and if we want to keep our email messages out of the spam folder, we’d need to shape up.
What exactly are these new requirements, and how can you make sure your emails are compliant? That’s what we’re going to find out in this episode of the Tiny Course Empire podcast.
Prefer a transcript? Here you go!
What you’ll learn in this episode:
What are SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records, and how they work to authenticate your email
Which of your email subscribers are impacted
How sender rules are changing, and when
Important dates you need to know
How spam complaints are counted, and what’s considered an acceptable number
Where to get help if you need it
Resources mentioned:
Google Postmaster Tools
Google Email Sender Guidelines
Yahoo! Sender Requirements & Recommendations
MailerLite blog post/video on domain authentication
Verify your domain with ConvertKit
SPF, DKIM, and DMARC Authentication on ActiveCampaign
How to make sure your emails get through from Email Tool Tester
Customer Reviews
Jam-packed with value
Each episode is simple, clear, and actionable. Like having Cindy as a mentor in you earbuds.
A gem!
Cindy is so easy to learn from. Her knowledge has helped me in so many ways. I wasn’t sure what direction I wanted to take my courses, then after listening in, I have a better understanding. She makes everything click. I will continue to tune in, hope you do too.
Thank you Cindy!
Tiny Course Empire for the Win!
Cindy's presentations are always straight to the point and packed with valuable information. I love her no-fluff style and always look forward to her Thursday podcast because I know I'll learn something new that I can implement in my business.