entrepreneurship Archives

EP 405 3 Things That Make Your Website Convert

https://DarkHorseSchooling.com

Tracy Brinkman is the host of the Dark Horse Entrepreneur Podcast, a show dedicated to helping entrepreneurs, coaches, and course creators build successful businesses online. In this episode, Tracy introduces the concept of website conversion and explains how having a website can be a powerful tool for any business. Tracy encourages listeners to take action and make their website more effective by tuning in to the Dark Horse Entrepreneur Podcast for tips from successful business owners.

This conversation is about the three essential components to making a website successful. Tracy Brinkmann believes that every website should have a purpose and be designed to achieve this goal, whether it is to make sales, get subscribers, or drive traffic to other offers. They emphasize that without the three components discussed, the website will not be successful. These components include having an engaging and informative design, making sure that it is easy to navigate, and optimizing it for search engine visibility. With these three things in place, the speaker believes any website can be successful.

Driving traffic to a website that isn’t working is pointless. To make a website more effective, the first step is to change your thinking and relax. There is no perfect website and it is important to accept that there may always be flaws and typos. The best approach is to think of the website as a perpetual work in progress and to focus on testing and improving instead of aiming for perfection. An experienced website designer can be a great help in achieving this.

Tracy Brinkmann discusses the importance of having a well-designed website for customers. They suggest that it is important to start with a head start and to keep adjusting, testing, and learning as you go. The speaker also recommends keeping the design simple and easy to use. They advise against using jargon and big words, and instead suggest talking to customers like you would a friend. Finally, they emphasize the importance of using your stats to make improvements and changes to your website.

TIMESTAMPS

0:00:00 Welcome to the Dark Horse Entrepreneur Podcast: Learn Tips to Build a Successful Business Online”

0:01:56 “3 Essential Tips to Make Your Website Convert Better”

0:03:30 How to Drive Traffic to Your Website: 3 Tips for Improving Your Site’s Effectiveness

0:05:52 “3 Tips for Creating an Effective Website”

0:11:09 Analyzing Website Engagement with Google Analytics

0:13:27 Heading: Improving Your Website to Increase Traffic and Earnings

HIGHLIGHTS

Improving the average engagement time spend your money. Spend your time there before you start buying advertising. Now, what are people spending? Five minutes, ten minutes or more on your site, but you’re still not getting that many visitors? Well, now it’s time to flip the script and you start buying some advertising. Little Google Ads band, little Facebook ads, little ads to start finding a way to drive traffic to your site because you’ve already figured out how to get them to hang out while longer once they get there. Your goal with your website is to simply make consistent and steady improvements over time.

So while you’re even getting 50 people to pay attention to your website, how long are they paying attention? Remember, your website is a journey, not a destination. Yeah. It’s a work in progress. And to know how to improve it, you’re going to need to know how long those folks are staying on your page. Log into your analytics. Find the graph on the first page that shows you the average time they’re spending on your page.

Get a free Google account. The Google Analytics account. Right? Now you’re going to look at two things. No, no, no, not the traffic. No, wait for me. The two things you’re going to pay attention to is the average time users are spending on your page, which is also called the average engagement time. And of course, then the number of users, you probably want to look at them in that order because in the beginning, the number of users is going to be low.

Number three, use your stats to make your improvements. Yeah, right. So we I kind of grazed over a B testing earlier because it gives you a test and you’re going to test again. Your stats are going to be the things that tell you what it is you need to change. There are only two core sets of stats that you need to focus on in the beginning. Later, of course, as you get more experience, you’ll start paying attention to other stats. But first, here’s what you need to do.

And if you make it difficult for them, they’re going to exit and they’re going to go to the next person down on the search results. Websites are about one thing communication. The overly complicated designs cost more money, take more time, and make it way more difficult to communicate with those who land on your website. Now, in the beginning, the core set of web pages you’re typically going to need are your home page, an about page, a contact page, and maybe a page for your products and services.

Podcast

EP 404 Is A Physical Product Right For Your Business?

https://DarkHorseSchooling.com

Tracy Brinkman is the host of the Dark Horse Entrepreneur podcast, which provides helpful tips for entrepreneurs, coaches, and course creators who are feeling overwhelmed or unsure about the technology involved in building their business online. In this episode, Tracy discusses the viability of creating tangible products, like CDs and DVDs, to help entrepreneurs make money online. She explains that although it may seem outdated, creating physical products can still be a great way to supplement a business’s income. Tracy encourages entrepreneurs to listen to the podcast to gain more knowledge and take action in order to successfully build their business.

Tracy Brinkmann explains the importance of having tangible products to stand out from other businesses in the same niche and to be able to charge premium prices. They reference an example of when everyone used to be excited about creating tangible CDs or DVDs to distribute digital content. Tracy explains that tangible products can be the key to building a successful business and encourages the entrepreneur to consider including physical products in their strategy.

The conversation discussed the benefits and advantages of physical products compared to digital ones. People tend to perceive physical products as having a higher value and are thus willing to pay more. With digital products, the higher the price point, the higher the refund request rate. To combat this, one suggestion was to drip feed the information gradually and provide a guarantee of a full refund within 60 days. The example given was of a podcast course that sent a surprise coffee cup with the logo on it to commemorate the completion of the course. This physical product was an unexpected surprise that the speaker still remembers and uses to this day.

Tracy Brinkmann is offering advice on how to reduce refund requests as a product creator. They suggest creating a tangible product like a USB or CD and using a service like Kanaki to print and ship it out. Doing this will command a higher price and reduce refund requests because it is a pain to return a physical item. People are excited to receive a tangible item in the mail and they will provide more positive feedback and reviews because of the perceived value. Additionally, customers are more likely to consume digital products if they receive them as a tangible item, as they are more likely to dive right into a physical product than a digital one. Tracy also suggests using an insert with an online access code that can unlock exclusive content, as well as collecting consumer’s addresses when they put in the code. This technique is similar to the one used by the music industry, where they include download codes with their physical products.

TIMESTAMPS

0:00:00 “Exploring the Possibility of Creating Real Tangible CDs and DVDs with Konaki: A Discussion with Tracy Brinkman”

0:01:38 “The Benefits of Physical Products for Entrepreneurs”

0:03:17 The Benefits of Offering Tangible Products and Strategies to Combat Refund Requests

0:05:27 “Exploring the Benefits of Creating a Tangible Product for Your Digital Content”

0:11:59 Exploring the Benefits of Repurposing Digital Products into Physical Products

0:13:25 Heading: Leveraging Physical Products to Increase Brand Awareness and Customer Loyalty

HIGHLIGHTS

The whole idea is that you sell your tangible product, have the service provider, in this case, the one I’m talking about, is Kanaki ship it out for you and then collect the consumer’s address when they use the code. When they put that code in, they got to put in their email address. Now, you could even sell your products via other avenues. You could put it in a store. You can make it a part of someone else’s program.

But I want to talk to you specifically for a minute about Kinaki and here’s for one reason. With Kanaki, right? Last time I looked at it, you can get an insert put inside the CD or DVD that you’re sending out at no extra cost. And on this insert, you could include an online access code whereby they can unlock and watch the content online. Or you might even offer some exclusive content that they would gain access to via that code.

But here’s the thing in all of them that I looked for and I looked at, you. Simply upload your audio or your video files to the website by following their simple instructions. Click a couple of buttons, and bing, bang, boom, you’re ready to start sending out products to anyone, anywhere in the world. Now, keep in mind that duplication and distribution services, that’s what they give you. They don’t master your product for you.

Guilty. I’ve done it myself. Then a couple of weeks or a month goes by and they’ve forgotten all about it and why they bought your product. And all they know is they see some 97 to 97 charge in their credit card that they do not want to pay. Or maybe their spouse doesn’t want to pay, right? So what do they do? They ask for a refund. In my experience, tangible products get used far more than digital products, and the product creator winds up with far less refunds.

Well, they’re still waiting. They’re still waiting for week six in week eight and week ten, right? Your real customers, the ones that have zero intention of refunding, are frustrated because they’re forced to wait is ridiculously long time for the very content and information they paid for in good faith. And they want it right now. So here’s where I offer you a solution. Create a real tangible product that you can ship out.

Podcast

EP 401 Paralysis To Entrepreneurship With Nick & Karen Fitch

This conversation introduces the Dark Horse Entrepreneur Podcast, a show that helps entrepreneurs, coaches and course creators who want to build an online business but are struggling with technology, feeling overwhelmed, and battling imposter syndrome. The host, Tracy Brinkman, has been in the coaching, course creation and online space since the 90s, and is still learning new things. He believes that the listeners are driven entrepreneurs, ready to start or restart their business and kickstart their marketing, so they can build their business into the empire it deserves to be.

Nick and Karen Fitch are a couple in their twenties who have purchased a farm and a heard of cows. One morning, Karen wakes up and is unable to move from the neck down. It is a devastating event, but the Fitches refuse to be held down by it. They have found ways to adapt and take on their challenges with optimism. The conversation is about how they have navigated their situation, started a business, and how others can find inspiration in their story.

Nick and Karen are an amazing couple with an inspiring story of entrepreneurship. They started an online business selling pictures of their beloved cows via their website, CuddleCowCompany.com. They have overcome a lot of obstacles to reach the level of success they have today. The podcast is full of personal and business advice that can be taken away to help listeners become successful entrepreneurs. Nick and Karen shared a bit about their story and how they were able to start their own business.

Three years ago, the Karen woke up paralyzed from the neck down and had to spend six months across three states and seven hospitals. She was closer to death multiple times during this period. In April of 2020, the Karen was sent home from the hospital as the doctor believed it was the best way to keep her safe from infection. The Karen, Nick returned to a small town in Iowa and were determined to pay forward the help they received during their hospital stay. Reflecting on their blessings, they wanted to do something to help others.

TIMESTAMPS

0:00:00 “Welcome to the Dark Horse Entrepreneur Podcast: Learn Tips from Business Owners to Build Your Empire”

0:02:13 Interview with Nick and Karen Fitch: Overcoming Adversity and Creating a Life of Abundance

0:04:28 Interview with Nick and Karen: Founders of Cuddle Cows

0:06:02 Heading: Reflection on a Journey of Hospitalization and Recovery

0:07:52 Heading: Conversation with Nick and Karen about Cuddles Out and Their Cow Farm in Nowhere, Iowa

0:11:51 Conversation with Nick and Sarah about Starting a Business and Living with an AVM

0:16:59 Heading: Neurosurgery Journey of a Kid with Spinal Cord Issues

0:18:38 Heading: Spinal Cord Injury and Respiratory Failure: A Story of Recovery

0:20:11 Heading: Reflection on Overcoming Adversity and Finding Purpose

0:22:07 Conversation with Karen and Nick about Starting a Blanket Business

0:25:50 Conversation Summary: Navigating Sales Tax as a Small Business Owner

0:27:24 Conversation Summary: Starting a Business with Limited Knowledge

0:29:33 Conversation Summary: Adapting to Life with a C6 Spinal Cord Injury

0:31:14 “Entrepreneurial Journey: Nick and Karen’s Experience with CuddleCowCompany.com”

0:34:05 Interview with Entrepreneurs Karen and John on Spinal Cord Research and Bootstrapping a Business

0:38:28 Interview with Karen and Nick of Cuddle Cows: Giving Back Through Cuddly Cows and Cute Shirts

0:40:02 Conversation with Nick and Sarah of Cuddlecat Apparel: A Part of the Solution, Not the Problem

0:44:47 Discussion on the Evolution of Marketing Strategies

0:46:40 Interview with Nick Carryman: How to Start a Business for Free and Sell Your Products Without Ads

0:48:11 Interview with Nick and Karen Fitch of Cuddle Cow: A Story of Overcoming Adversity and Achieving Success

HIGHLIGHTS

Be a part of the solution, not the problem. All right, so I want to be mindful of your time where I could sit here and pick your brain all day long because I’m like you.

But spinal cord injury is just kind of an underfunded area where there’s not a lot of funds going towards that. But actually, in the last year or so, there’s actually been a few new drugs that have been invited and therapies that are going into like a testing phase with the FDA.

And that’s the bulk of our income through that. And then I also do a little bit of social media consulting and stuff with people on Facebook stuff because, I don’t know, that’s one of my passions.

And then here they are given with cuddle cows. You guys got to check this out. The link will be down in the show notes, everybody. I’m going to put all your links, the Facebook link, the TikTok link is going to be down there.

And if this business ends up becoming more part of our income, that would be great. But I would say we started this mainly for how we become part of the solution to find a cure for style for style burden.

https://DarkHorseSchooling.com/

Podcast

EP 399 Idea To Make Money Online With Old Magazines

https://DarkHorseSchooling.com/podcast

In this podcast, Tracy Brinkman discusses how to turn old magazines into valuable content that can be sold online in this unique side hustle idea. He explains that this can be a great way to make money while decluttering your home. He also offers tips on how to get started, including finding sources for cheap or free magazines, and choosing which ones to sell.

In this conversation, Tracy talks about how entrepreneurs can take old magazines and turn them into valuable content or even make money online with them with this unique side hustle. He explains that if you have a collection of magazines, it likely means you have a passion for something, and that these magazines can take up a lot of space.

Tracy discusses choosing the right magazines to turn into online content notes that it is important to carefully select magazines that will be most valuable to whatever audience is consuming the content. He advises to consider magazines that are still relevant today, and offer timeless tips in areas such as style, cooking, and DIY projects.

Tracy discusses that to be successful with this side hustle there is an importance in finding old magazines that are still relevant today. They suggest looking for magazines with unique and hard to find information, as well as those with well-written and informative content.

Timestamps

0:00:00 How to Turn Old Magazines Into Money Online

0:01:46 How to Turn Old Magazines Into Valuable Content and Money

0:03:30 How to Choose the Right Magazines to Turn Into Your Online Content

0:05:10 3 Tips for Finding Valuable Vintage Magazines

0:07:00 How to Choose the Right Magazines to Turn Into Online Content

0:08:43 How to Make Money With Magazines: A Step-By-Step Guide

0:14:19 How to Create Engaging Social Media Content from Articles

0:16:18 How to Make Money by Reading Old Magazines

0:17:53 The Dark Horse Entrepreneur: How to Make Money from Old Magazines

Highlights

Tracy Brinkmann goes to the garage sales and buys up all the old magazines that he can find. Now, he says the older the better. And I would concur on this because obviously, the recent magazines, everyone’s probably already read them, right? So if you can go back and find old magazines, like I said, I got some from the 70s here.

Maybe you create a tutorial or how to video an article that contains the instruction tips on how to do something. Hey, you’re going to do this, then you’re going to do this, then you’re going to do that.

Do you want to learn how to make money with magazines? You’re like what?. And now here you are listening to it. And then now you give the introduction, the hook.

Content that you find valuable, that you think your readers will find valuable and relevant. And when you’re doing that here, I want to give you a couple of tips here.

So I want you to consider those four things as you try to choose the right magazines to turn into online content and ensure that content that you create brings value to your audience.

Podcast

EP 396 5 Best Money Generating Niche Topics

https://DarkHorseSchooling.com

The Dark Horse Entrepreneur Podcast helps entrepreneurs, coaches, and course creators who want to build a business online but are struggling with technology, procrastination, and imposter syndrome. In this episode, Tracy Brinkman discusses five money-generating niches that entrepreneurs can focus on to build a successful business.

Tracy Brinkmann shares that the topic of health is one of the best money generating topics out there. She explains that the health and fitness industry is growing rapidly and is worth billions of dollars. If you are passionate about the topic of health, you can carve out your own niche and make a lot of money.

Tracy discusses how to become a successful fitness content creator by narrowing down your niche and providing value to your audience. They also talk about the importance of money in the fitness industry, and how to make and save money as a content creator within the fitness arena.

Tracy discusses different ideas of possible blogging topics that could be profitable. The topics discussed were health, money, food, fitness and.. one other area of passion. It was noted that while not everybody is interested in every topic, there are ways to cater to different interests within each topic. For example, within the topic of food, one could blog about recipes, cooking classes, or the best places to eat in a certain city. It was also noted that food bloggers tend to make a higher median income than bloggers in other industries.

TIMESTAMPS

0:00:00 The Five Best Money Generating Niches for Content

0:02:21 The Best Money Making Topics in the Blogosphere

0:03:59 How to Make Money in the Fitness Industry

0:05:24 3 Profitable Blogging Niches to Start in 2021

0:08:47 How to Make Money in the Food and Travel Niches

0:10:21 How to Create a Travel Blog That Makes Money

0:12:10 How to Choose a Niche for Your Blog, Video, or Podcast

0:17:29 The Benefits of Leveraging Your Experience to Create Products

0:19:03 The Dark Horse Entrepreneur Podcast: Episode #1 – Why These Five Passions Will Work For You

HIGHLIGHTS

You’ll find it far easier to sustain your blog, your video, your podcast, whatever medium you’re choosing to share your passion driven niche. You’ll find it far easier to get over the hurdles, to crack through the barriers, to dig under the walls that are going to be placed between you and your goal, which is probably earning some money with it, right?.

Heck, you could probably get the folks that come on to your videocast or your podcast or your blog to pay you via their marketing funds that they would use to pay for their advertising.

One of the ladies I’m trying to get on the podcast has five of them (unique air BnBs) and they’re all ones like a spaceship. One is like shaped like a dog crazy.

Try creating a travel blog about the most unique airbnb’s that are out there. Think about that for a moment, just for a moment, would you? There are a number of very unique B and B’s out there.

There are some of them out there that are in the travel industry. So you could get your travel paid for, most likely, and enjoy the process at the same time.

A special thanks to ConspiracyMusicGuru.com for our new true solfeggio background music

Podcast

EP 392 99 December Marketing Ideas To Boost Sales

DarkHorseSchooling.com

SUMMARY: The Dark Horse Entrepreneur podcast is all about helping entrepreneurs who want to build a business online but are feeling overwhelmed with technology, procrastination, and even imposter syndrome. In this episode, the focus is on helping those struggling to come up with sales ideas for their product or service. The conversation offers a few tips to get started.

In this episode, Tracy Brinkman discusses how to take advantage of the many holidays in December to market your business. She recommends sending out two emails each day with a different holiday-themed campaign. For example, on Catherine’s Day, you could offer a discount for people who send you a photo of their cat. This is a fun way to engage with your customers and promote your business at the same time.

In this episode, the speaker discusses some of the unique opportunities for sales that are available in December. Christmas Lights Day, World AIDS Day, and Rosa Parks Day are just a few of the days that present opportunities for marketing campaigns. The speaker encourages listeners to have fun with their emails and to be tongue-in-cheek in order to engage their audience.

Tracy lists different niche holidays that occur in December, and how businesses can take advantage of them to market their product or service. For example, International Volunteer Day or World Wildlife Conservation Day. The speaker also mentions how some of these days, like Christmas Card Day or Lost and Found Day, could be used to market products or services related to those topics.

TIMESTAMPS

0:00:00 Sales Ideas for the Holiday Season

0:01:21 How to Use December Festivals for Marketing Campaigns

0:04:12 December Sales Opportunities

0:05:43 Marketing Your Business with National Days

0:09:20 December Marketing Ideas

0:10:49 Marketing and Promotional Ideas for December

0:12:27 99 Marketing Ideas for December

HIGHLIGHTS

On the 14th, easy Money Marketing right there. On the 15th, there it is, Catherine’s Day. Rehifting Day, international Tea Day, and Cupcake Day the 16th. The 16th chocolate covered anything day.

You have International Cheetah Day, right? Maybe your product is fast in its solutions. You have cookie day, santa’s list day, and world wildlife confederation, the world wildlife conservation day.

So if you’re advocate of any of those, you can use them as part of your marketing campaigns. But now, let’s go day by day, shall we, and talk about some of the unique opportunities that you have.

And I think that’s one of the key things about good marketing is to have fun with it. Let’s say you send out two emails each day during the month of December.

No matter what kind of how to product that you’re selling this day, that particular day is tailor made for one of your sales campaigns. Then there’s the app day or cookie day or ready for this one Catherine’s day.

Podcast