WEBVTT 00:00:00.400 --> 00:00:05.559 Hey everybody, this is an episode from my other 00:00:05.559 --> 00:00:08.640 podcast, Streamlined Solopreneur. It's quickly 00:00:08.640 --> 00:00:12.599 approaching 500 episodes. It is more broad than 00:00:12.599 --> 00:00:16.399 this show, but a similar mission. Help solopreneurs 00:00:16.399 --> 00:00:20.719 simplify tech so that they can show up as better 00:00:20.719 --> 00:00:24.160 human beings in their business and for their 00:00:24.160 --> 00:00:27.940 family and in their lives. And so I wanted to 00:00:27.940 --> 00:00:32.149 publish this episode. on the feed because I talk 00:00:32.149 --> 00:00:35.670 about, among other things, Taylor Swift and what 00:00:35.670 --> 00:00:38.750 her appearance on New Heights means for podcasters. 00:00:38.929 --> 00:00:41.670 Spoiler alert, nothing. But there's a lot of 00:00:41.670 --> 00:00:44.590 good stuff in here for podcasters as well. So 00:00:44.590 --> 00:00:47.570 I hope you enjoy this episode. And if you do 00:00:47.570 --> 00:00:50.250 like it, subscribe to Streamlined Solopreneur 00:00:50.250 --> 00:00:55.549 wherever you are listening to this. I have a 00:00:55.549 --> 00:00:59.030 confession to make. I'm getting a little tired 00:00:59.030 --> 00:01:03.210 of the conversations around Taylor Swift. Particularly 00:01:03.210 --> 00:01:06.090 around Taylor Swift going on the New Heights 00:01:06.090 --> 00:01:11.269 podcast. And not because it's bad content. It's 00:01:11.269 --> 00:01:17.310 very good content. And it's brilliant for both 00:01:17.310 --> 00:01:21.689 Taylor Swift and the New Heights podcast. But 00:01:21.689 --> 00:01:24.730 there has been over the last couple of weeks 00:01:24.730 --> 00:01:28.379 as I record this. Far too big a focus on what 00:01:28.379 --> 00:01:32.780 it means for podcasters, content creators, business 00:01:32.780 --> 00:01:37.780 owners, marketers, and what we can learn. What 00:01:37.780 --> 00:01:41.540 did they do that we can take and then do for 00:01:41.540 --> 00:01:45.519 us? It's kind of like saying Gordon Ramsay just 00:01:45.519 --> 00:01:48.180 made the best beef wellington he's ever made. 00:01:48.560 --> 00:01:52.620 What does that mean for cooking at home? It means 00:01:52.620 --> 00:01:57.040 literally nothing. Ramsay is a skilled chef and 00:01:57.040 --> 00:02:00.439 perhaps the most recognizable one in the world. 00:02:01.159 --> 00:02:04.340 The same thing goes for Taylor Swift and the 00:02:04.340 --> 00:02:07.640 New Heights podcast. They are all huge names 00:02:07.640 --> 00:02:11.500 in their own right. Jason Kelsey and Travis Kelsey 00:02:11.500 --> 00:02:15.319 have both won Super Bowls. And Taylor Swift is 00:02:15.319 --> 00:02:19.419 the biggest pop star in the world. The views, 00:02:19.439 --> 00:02:23.599 streams, downloads. buzz that they generate can't 00:02:23.599 --> 00:02:27.800 be a lesson for us to extract and apply to our 00:02:27.800 --> 00:02:31.680 lives and our situation because it's so vastly 00:02:31.680 --> 00:02:37.300 different from our lives and our situation Taylor 00:02:37.300 --> 00:02:42.520 Swift did a single podcast interview and that 00:02:42.520 --> 00:02:48.900 podcast is co -hosted by her boyfriend so like 00:02:48.900 --> 00:02:53.520 is the lesson here be Taylor Swift's boyfriend? 00:02:55.060 --> 00:02:58.539 The wider world is talking about this particular 00:02:58.539 --> 00:03:02.939 episode of New Heights because Taylor Swift announced 00:03:02.939 --> 00:03:07.520 a new album. She could have announced a new album 00:03:07.520 --> 00:03:10.460 using a CB radio, for those of us who remember 00:03:10.460 --> 00:03:13.319 CB radios, and people would still be talking 00:03:13.319 --> 00:03:17.460 about it, and it would mean nothing for the trucking 00:03:17.460 --> 00:03:22.840 industry. No, the things that help podcasters, 00:03:22.860 --> 00:03:26.599 content creators, small business owners, the 00:03:26.599 --> 00:03:29.719 things that helped us before Taylor Swift's appearance 00:03:29.719 --> 00:03:33.379 on New Heights are the same things that will 00:03:33.379 --> 00:03:36.620 help us after Taylor Swift's appearance on New 00:03:36.620 --> 00:03:40.419 Heights. We need to know our audience, which 00:03:40.419 --> 00:03:43.400 Taylor Swift and the Kelseys know very well. 00:03:44.180 --> 00:03:47.680 We need to create great content for them. Again, 00:03:48.159 --> 00:03:51.719 Check and check on that episode. We need to tell 00:03:51.719 --> 00:03:56.939 people about it. And we need to experiment. I 00:03:56.939 --> 00:03:59.599 suspect many of us already know that this is 00:03:59.599 --> 00:04:03.460 the answer, but in our constant pursuit to find 00:04:03.460 --> 00:04:07.300 shortcuts and apply something that makes sense 00:04:07.300 --> 00:04:10.840 to us, to our business, without having to take 00:04:10.840 --> 00:04:16.019 too much risk, I think we were hoping for a... 00:04:16.990 --> 00:04:19.610 Just an amazing strategy that definitely works. 00:04:20.449 --> 00:04:23.470 This is why Alex Hormozy makes so much money, 00:04:23.529 --> 00:04:26.610 right? He is promising that you are going to 00:04:26.610 --> 00:04:31.629 make nine figures. Except what no one, very few 00:04:31.629 --> 00:04:37.689 people talk about is how aggressive and disrespectful 00:04:37.689 --> 00:04:45.009 he is in trying to make those sales. They want... 00:04:45.339 --> 00:04:54.060 The real problem isn't that we don't know what 00:04:54.060 --> 00:04:57.959 makes good content. It's that we don't have the 00:04:57.959 --> 00:05:01.540 time to spend on what it takes to create it. 00:05:02.480 --> 00:05:07.079 So what do we do? We fill in the gaps. Gaps is 00:05:07.079 --> 00:05:09.740 my framework for building more space in your 00:05:09.740 --> 00:05:14.269 business. It stands for gear. automations, playbooks 00:05:14.269 --> 00:05:17.829 and support. You need to make your life as easy 00:05:17.829 --> 00:05:20.709 as possible when it comes to creating content 00:05:20.709 --> 00:05:24.670 or just running your business in general. That 00:05:24.670 --> 00:05:27.170 means you don't want to spend your time fighting 00:05:27.170 --> 00:05:31.610 gear or setups, doing everything manually, reinventing 00:05:31.610 --> 00:05:35.870 the wheel or doing everything yourself. By filling 00:05:35.870 --> 00:05:39.370 in the gaps, you can focus on what really matters. 00:05:40.110 --> 00:05:43.230 defining your audience as clearly as possible 00:05:43.230 --> 00:05:47.509 making sure your content serves them as best 00:05:47.509 --> 00:05:50.810 as possible building space into your schedule 00:05:50.810 --> 00:05:54.110 to not just create the content but promote it 00:05:54.110 --> 00:05:57.490 or not just create the product but market it 00:05:57.490 --> 00:06:02.199 and then Once you're doing those things, you 00:06:02.199 --> 00:06:04.519 can experiment because you're actually putting 00:06:04.519 --> 00:06:08.220 content or products or things or services in 00:06:08.220 --> 00:06:10.740 front of people and you're getting feedback. 00:06:10.819 --> 00:06:16.279 And so that allows you to try things. So what 00:06:16.279 --> 00:06:21.589 is filling in the gaps look like? Well, you get 00:06:21.589 --> 00:06:24.370 a good mic and an easy to use camera so you don't 00:06:24.370 --> 00:06:27.370 have to worry about quality. One of the reasons 00:06:27.370 --> 00:06:32.769 that I have the setup that I have is because 00:06:32.769 --> 00:06:38.250 I don't want to have to stop recording when my 00:06:38.250 --> 00:06:40.509 kids are playing upstairs or when my dog is barking. 00:06:41.250 --> 00:06:45.810 So I got the gear that means I won't have to 00:06:45.810 --> 00:06:50.379 stop and start and extra edits and. reshoot things. 00:06:52.019 --> 00:06:54.860 It means that you use tools like Ecamm Live and 00:06:54.860 --> 00:06:57.660 Tella to make creating and editing videos easier. 00:06:58.439 --> 00:07:01.060 I'm recording this with the Ecamm Live virtual 00:07:01.060 --> 00:07:03.139 camera so I can easily switch scenes and add 00:07:03.139 --> 00:07:06.120 overlays and then I'm recording it in Riverside 00:07:06.120 --> 00:07:11.819 and they do editing by transcript. You set up 00:07:11.819 --> 00:07:15.220 simple automations in Zapier and Notion to manage 00:07:15.220 --> 00:07:17.660 communications and move files for you so you 00:07:17.660 --> 00:07:21.180 don't need to remember to do that. You create 00:07:21.180 --> 00:07:25.600 standard operating procedures so they act as 00:07:25.600 --> 00:07:27.759 step -by -step instructions that can be clearly 00:07:27.759 --> 00:07:32.800 followed either by you or by someone else. And 00:07:32.800 --> 00:07:36.339 you hire a virtual assistant, an editor, or anyone 00:07:36.339 --> 00:07:40.199 else who can do a job better than you. so that 00:07:40.199 --> 00:07:44.139 you can focus on what matters most. And this 00:07:44.139 --> 00:07:46.459 will definitely take some investment, both time 00:07:46.459 --> 00:07:52.480 and money. But the ROI is invaluable. I've been 00:07:52.480 --> 00:07:57.899 able to save 10 to 12 hours per week by implementing 00:07:57.899 --> 00:08:05.379 my GAPS framework. And this summer, this summer 00:08:05.379 --> 00:08:09.310 has been hectic. We are at the tail end of my 00:08:09.310 --> 00:08:13.069 parents visiting for two weeks. My wife is going 00:08:13.069 --> 00:08:16.290 back to school. The kids didn't have summer camp 00:08:16.290 --> 00:08:19.790 and we vacationed a lot. And my business, while 00:08:19.790 --> 00:08:24.250 I had long days, I've been able to take that 00:08:24.250 --> 00:08:28.529 time off more or less worry -free. That's what 00:08:28.529 --> 00:08:33.190 filling in the gaps does for your business. Or 00:08:33.190 --> 00:08:34.730 maybe to think about it a different way, you're 00:08:34.730 --> 00:08:38.580 creating gaps. in your life so that you have 00:08:38.580 --> 00:08:42.559 more space in your life. And I do want to share 00:08:42.559 --> 00:08:46.559 one more example here with a woman named Margaret. 00:08:46.679 --> 00:08:51.940 She wants to start a podcast for her school district. 00:08:52.759 --> 00:08:57.000 Her official title is Work -Based Learning Coordinator. 00:08:57.500 --> 00:09:00.340 And she's teaching high school kids really valuable 00:09:00.340 --> 00:09:04.340 stuff. But she booked a coaching call with me. 00:09:04.970 --> 00:09:09.929 for how to launch her podcast. And this is, you 00:09:09.929 --> 00:09:12.470 know, she doesn't have a huge budget. She is 00:09:12.470 --> 00:09:14.690 time starved because she is doing a bunch of 00:09:14.690 --> 00:09:17.470 other things. And she thinks the podcast can 00:09:17.470 --> 00:09:19.470 save her time while still creating great content 00:09:19.470 --> 00:09:23.210 for her students and their parents. So here's 00:09:23.210 --> 00:09:27.009 how we applied the GAPS framework to make this 00:09:27.009 --> 00:09:30.889 happen for her. First of all, gear. We start 00:09:30.889 --> 00:09:35.419 with a sub $100 microphone. Like the Samsung 00:09:35.419 --> 00:09:39.960 Q2U. It's beginner friendly. It's portable. It 00:09:39.960 --> 00:09:43.080 plugs right into a laptop. So she doesn't have 00:09:43.080 --> 00:09:47.399 to break the bank on gear. Automations. We talked 00:09:47.399 --> 00:09:49.500 about the tools that she can use so that she's 00:09:49.500 --> 00:09:51.580 not trying to do too much or move things too 00:09:51.580 --> 00:09:54.700 many places. And we settled on Riverside for 00:09:54.700 --> 00:09:57.779 remote interviews. But also Riverside has editing 00:09:57.779 --> 00:09:59.879 right in the platform. So she can also, like 00:09:59.879 --> 00:10:03.720 I'm doing right now, record solo episodes. in 00:10:03.720 --> 00:10:07.220 riverside and then edit them and publish them 00:10:07.220 --> 00:10:11.799 and for publishing i recommended rss .com and 00:10:11.799 --> 00:10:14.620 full disclosure here i am an rss .com evangelist 00:10:14.620 --> 00:10:17.580 and uh i you know i create content for them and 00:10:17.580 --> 00:10:20.799 i'm on their payroll but they also have an educator's 00:10:20.799 --> 00:10:23.539 discount and they have everything that she needs 00:10:23.539 --> 00:10:28.179 to make sure her podcast gets everywhere it needs 00:10:28.179 --> 00:10:30.460 to be. Wherever students prefer to listen, wherever 00:10:30.460 --> 00:10:32.679 parents prefer to listen, and there are a whole 00:10:32.679 --> 00:10:34.419 bunch of other tools built into the platform 00:10:34.419 --> 00:10:38.460 like automatic transcription associated or our 00:10:38.460 --> 00:10:41.360 PodViz technology that will send a more engaging 00:10:41.360 --> 00:10:43.080 video to YouTube because she doesn't want to 00:10:43.080 --> 00:10:45.759 do video at first. So that's Gear and Automation's 00:10:45.759 --> 00:10:48.559 playbooks. We walked through her basic workflow 00:10:48.559 --> 00:10:52.720 right on the call. A clear path from record to 00:10:52.720 --> 00:10:55.039 publish so that she doesn't have to figure it 00:10:55.039 --> 00:10:57.759 all out on her own. And then I gave her the documentation 00:10:57.759 --> 00:11:01.100 and the recording so that she has it for her. 00:11:01.960 --> 00:11:05.860 And support. In this case, Margaret might not 00:11:05.860 --> 00:11:08.559 be able to just hire on her own, but she has 00:11:08.559 --> 00:11:14.019 access to students to whom she can give these 00:11:14.019 --> 00:11:18.100 work -based learning experiences. And so we talked 00:11:18.100 --> 00:11:20.299 about how she might be able to delegate editing, 00:11:20.460 --> 00:11:22.840 graphics creation, even bring students on as 00:11:22.840 --> 00:11:25.889 co -hosts. So that she has the support that she 00:11:25.889 --> 00:11:32.350 needs to make this happen. And now she's launching. 00:11:32.830 --> 00:11:36.070 She's getting things ready. And she's confident 00:11:36.070 --> 00:11:38.809 that she's going to be able to do this without 00:11:38.809 --> 00:11:42.690 dramatically adding more work to her plate. Ideally, 00:11:42.690 --> 00:11:44.470 this is actually going to take stuff off of her 00:11:44.470 --> 00:11:48.250 plate. So that's it. That's the GAPS framework. 00:11:48.570 --> 00:11:53.129 It's gear, automation, playbooks, and support. 00:11:54.220 --> 00:11:58.600 If you want to learn how you can fill in the 00:11:58.600 --> 00:12:02.659 gaps of your business, let me know. You can go 00:12:02.659 --> 00:12:06.659 to streamlined .fm slash overwhelm. There you'll 00:12:06.659 --> 00:12:10.659 take a simple six question quiz and then you'll 00:12:10.659 --> 00:12:13.700 get a personalized plan based on your answers. 00:12:14.259 --> 00:12:16.299 Thanks so much for listening to this episode 00:12:16.299 --> 00:12:19.220 of the Streamlined Solopreneur. I hope you enjoyed 00:12:19.220 --> 00:12:22.759 it. And until next time, I hope you find some 00:12:22.759 --> 00:12:24.259 space. in your week.