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Streamlined Solopreneur: Solo Ops to Stop Doing Everything Yourself — Software How-To
Streamlined Solopreneur: Solo Ops to Stop Doing Everything Yourself

Overwhelmed? Feel like your business can’t run for a day without you? You’re not alone.

When you’re a solo business owner, everything ends up depending on you. You’re the only one who can do the work, answer the email, keep the plates spinning. So you’re on the hook every day: nights, weekends, even the vacations you do manage to take. The overwhelm never really lifts.

But being a solopreneur doesn’t have to mean doing it all yourself. With the right systems, parts of your business can run without you. That’s what gets you your time back, and gives you the freedom to take a real break. And the freedom to do the work you actually want instead of the work you feel stuck doing.

Joe Casabona learned this the hard way. He went from so overwhelmed he had a panic attack to taking 4–6 weeks off a year, worry-free, and he’s helped hundreds of solopreneurs build systems that give them their time back.

Every week, one clear idea to help you get your time back without hiring a team…or selling your soul to AI. Start listening, then grab the free newsletter at https://streamlinedsolopreneur.com.

Copyright: © Joe Casabona

Latest Episodes:

My 2024 Yearly Theme Jan 08, 2024

Show notes

The word 'Control' evokes various thoughts and emotions, many of which are negative. Control is often associated with an excessive desire to dominate or dictate every aspect of a situation.The bad guys in movies and in real life desire control at almost any cost. Emperor Palpatine in Star Wars said the only way to improve life in the galaxy was for him to seize control. Thanos said the only way to save the universe was to control the population by controlling the infinity stones.

Countless dictators and wannabe dictators have justified taking control because they’re the only ones who can save us.

It sounds micro-managy, almost authoritarian when you say, “I want to be more controlling.”

But Control at the right scale is super important. If you don’t control your car, bike, or other vehicle, for example, you will end up hurting yourself or someone else.

In thinking about my next yearly theme, a recent conversation I had with my therapist was top of mind. I told her that I didn’t feel like I was in control of anything. Not my health. Not my money. Not my time or schedule.That's why my 2024 Yearly Theme is *The Year of Control.*

For members, we discuss the themes I didn’t choose, how the membership will work in 2024, and the direction of the podcast in general. You can join here.

Links

Sponsored by Liquid Web

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Streamlined Solopreneur is the podcast for solopreneurs who want to automate their business and take time off worry-free. Each week, Joe Casabona shares practical systems, tools, and strategies to help you reclaim your time and run your business without sacrificing your the rest of your life, or your health.

Start with the free Solopreneur Sweep — a step-by-step method for finding where your business is losing time: https://streamlined.fm/sweep

If this episode helped you, leaving a review on Apple Podcasts helps other solopreneurs find the show — it only takes a minute and means a lot.

Connect with Joe on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jcasabona/

How to be a Scrappy Researcher (to Actually Sell Products) with Becky Pierson Davidson Dec 18, 2023

Show notes

Over the last few weeks, you’ve heard from multiple guests about the importance of research – Dappz talking about calculated risks and doing research for the actual calculation. Nikki Rausch talking about speaking your potential customer’s language. Adriana tells us to do research when we’re guesting on a podcast.

But that begs the question: how? How do we make sure we’re doing the right kind of research to yield helpful information – especially if we’re not a huge company?

We need to do scrappy research – which is why I brought in my friend, Becky Pierson Davidson. She’s an educator, speaker, and community-driven product strategist who’s focused on helping people like us simplify our customer journey, improve retention, and increase customer LTV. And she’s got the receipts, working with diverse clients, including personal brands, fortune 500 companies, creative service agencies, and startups.

So I thought there was no better way to close out the year than to talk to her about scrappy research.

Top Takeaways

Research prevents you from building the wrong thing. Launches that flop are usually launches that have no research backing them up.
Don’t just build something for you. It’s not about you. Sure, some people will tell you to dog food your own product – but your business won’t survive if you’re the only customer.
You want quantitative and qualitative research. Look at all of your analytics, see what content performs well, but also survey your audience, and have real conversations with potential customers. You only need 5 to find a problem to solve.

Show Notes

Sponsored by: Sensei

Sponsored by:

Sensei: Save 20% FOR LIFE with code JOECASABONA

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Streamlined Solopreneur is the podcast for solopreneurs who want to automate their business and take time off worry-free. Each week, Joe Casabona shares practical systems, tools, and strategies to help you reclaim your time and run your business without sacrificing your the rest of your life, or your health.

Start with the free Solopreneur Sweep — a step-by-step method for finding where your business is losing time: https://streamlined.fm/sweep

If this episode helped you, leaving a review on Apple Podcasts helps other solopreneurs find the show — it only takes a minute and means a lot.

Connect with Joe on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jcasabona/

You're Using AI All Wrong with Bryan McAnulty Dec 11, 2023

Show notes

A few weeks ago, I ruffled some feathers on social media. I said, “Telling people you wrote your book with AI is like telling people you ran a marathon with your car.”

Wow. People took umbrage with that statement. And while I stand by what I said, I thought it would be a good idea to talk to an AI expert. So I reached out to Bryan McAnulty of Heights Platform to see me (or everyone else) straight. And you know what he told me?

We’re all doing it wrong. We shouldn’t use AI as a proxy for Google. We should use it as an actual assistant. And for that, we need to give it a ton of context.

Top Takeaways

Instead of thinking of AI as a tool, think of it as an instrument. You need to learn how to play it and personalize it to play your kind of music.
In the long run, you won’t be able to use AI to cheat, because what makes your content unique is your personal experiences.
Since AI works on how you train it, You can have as many AI assistants as you want. It doesn’t just have to be one.

Show Notes

Sponsored by: Sensei

Sponsored by:

Sensei: Save 20% FOR LIFE with code JOECASABONA

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Streamlined Solopreneur is the podcast for solopreneurs who want to automate their business and take time off worry-free. Each week, Joe Casabona shares practical systems, tools, and strategies to help you reclaim your time and run your business without sacrificing your the rest of your life, or your health.

Start with the free Solopreneur Sweep — a step-by-step method for finding where your business is losing time: https://streamlined.fm/sweep

If this episode helped you, leaving a review on Apple Podcasts helps other solopreneurs find the show — it only takes a minute and means a lot.

Connect with Joe on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jcasabona/

How to be Prepared (and Reach More People) as a Podcast Guest with Adriana Baer Dec 04, 2023

Show notes

Imagine that you’re going to give a talk on a topic you know really well. You spend time on the presentation, rehearse it 100 times, dial in the slides, and you’re feeling great. You get the conference, deliver the talk, and you think you nailed it. But when you ask for questions, one person raises her hand and says, “Nous ne parlons pas anglais.”

That’s right. You just delivered your talk in English, and the entire audience speaks French. You made an assumption that you knew that audience. And the conference host made that same assumption.

Now the effects, or embarrassment, may not be as strong if you guest on a podcast, but they can cut against your credibility, and potentially waste your time…and the audience’s time. That’s why you need to be prepared.

And that’s exactly what public speaking coach (and fantastic guest) Adriana Baer is going to talk to us about today. We chat about everything from research to storytelling, and she even has a few bonus tips. Be sure to stick around until the end for a special bundled deal we’re offering.

Top Takeaways

Podcast guesting is a gift. While the rest of the world lives in 5 second sound bites, podcasts give us the time and space to flex our expertise.
To be an effective podcast guest, you need to do your research. Understand who you’re talking to, and how you can help them.
You need to tell good stories – you do that but having some prepared, but also by actively listening to the host.

Show Notes

Sponsored by: Sensei

Sponsored by:

Sensei: Save 20% FOR LIFE with code JOECASABONA

————
Streamlined Solopreneur is the podcast for solopreneurs who want to automate their business and take time off worry-free. Each week, Joe Casabona shares practical systems, tools, and strategies to help you reclaim your time and run your business without sacrificing your the rest of your life, or your health.

Start with the free Solopreneur Sweep — a step-by-step method for finding where your business is losing time: https://streamlined.fm/sweep

If this episode helped you, leaving a review on Apple Podcasts helps other solopreneurs find the show — it only takes a minute and means a lot.

Connect with Joe on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jcasabona/

Stop doing "Sales" and Start Having Conversations with Nikki Rausch Nov 27, 2023

Show notes

Recently, I sat down to dinner with my family when the doorbell rang. It was a door-to-door HelloFresh salesman, who wanted to make dinner easier for us (while ironically preventing me from eating dinner). I immediately got frustrated for two reasons:

It was dinner time and the interruption was unwelcomed
I had already told this guy’s partner “no” several hours earlier.

It was a conversation that not only was unwelcome but was already flat-out rejected once before.

This sort of tactic is what gives sales a bad name, and why folks like us hate sales. But today’s guest, Nikki Rausch, is here to tell us that’s not at all how sales should work – and what we should do instead.

Top Takeaways

Sales isn’t a one-way street. It’s a collaborative conversation that you have permission to enter into. And you get permission by asking.
The person you’re speaking to has their own language – you need to tailor your offer to meet their needs and use their language.
Never make assumptions! You can’t further a relationship without asking questions. Assumptions are driven by limiting beliefs. Questions lead to concrete answers.

Show Notes

Sponsored by: Sensei

Sponsored by:

Sensei: Save 20% FOR LIFE with code JOECASABONA

————
Streamlined Solopreneur is the podcast for solopreneurs who want to automate their business and take time off worry-free. Each week, Joe Casabona shares practical systems, tools, and strategies to help you reclaim your time and run your business without sacrificing your the rest of your life, or your health.

Start with the free Solopreneur Sweep — a step-by-step method for finding where your business is losing time: https://streamlined.fm/sweep

If this episode helped you, leaving a review on Apple Podcasts helps other solopreneurs find the show — it only takes a minute and means a lot.

Connect with Joe on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jcasabona/

Turning the Table: How do I Find the Right Lead Magnet for my Podcast with Zach Swinehart Nov 20, 2023

Show notes

Social media advice these days reminds me a bit of the parable of the Emperor with no Clothes. See, it's easy for anyone to display how smart and successful they are. They say things like, "Here's your content strategy for 2024: Post three times on X daily, post one thread on X daily. Create three LinkedIn posts per day and one LinkedIn carousel per week."

People read that and think, "That's easy to understand," without realizing that just posting content is not a strategy at all.

I often think about how people perceive me and my show because I consider myself a successful podcaster. But I also feel conflicted – I don't feel I've done a good job of leveraging this show to grow my audience. So, I've decided to have my friend, Zach Swinehart, come on to talk about how I can improve my conversions for this show.

However, it almost feels a bit like the emperor has no clothes. Am I putting myself out there? Am I letting myself be too vulnerable? I guess you’re about to find out.

Top Takeaways

When it comes to determining your lead magnet, you should test a few to see which resonates.
When you're testing calls to action or lead magnets in a podcast, you should try a few different spots with a few different links.
Know who you're talking to and try to understand your audience by looking at their pain points and objections.

Show Notes

Sponsored by: Sensei

Sponsored by:

Sensei: Save 20% FOR LIFE with code JOECASABONA

————
Streamlined Solopreneur is the podcast for solopreneurs who want to automate their business and take time off worry-free. Each week, Joe Casabona shares practical systems, tools, and strategies to help you reclaim your time and run your business without sacrificing your the rest of your life, or your health.

Start with the free Solopreneur Sweep — a step-by-step method for finding where your business is losing time: https://streamlined.fm/sweep

If this episode helped you, leaving a review on Apple Podcasts helps other solopreneurs find the show — it only takes a minute and means a lot.

Connect with Joe on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jcasabona/

Should We Use AI to Write for Us? (Debate with Alastair McDermott) Nov 17, 2023

Show notes

How much help is too much help? When do you go from the actual worker to the visionary? And where does AI fit into all of this? Over on LinkedIn, I said using AI to write your book is like using a car to run a marathon.

People took issue with that. So my friend Alastair MeDermott and I decided to have a good old fashioned debate.

You’ll hear a nuanced discussion around:

How to think about AI assistance in writing and content creation
Where AI can help versus replace in the creative process
How iterative prompting can shape the AI output
Whether AI will ever replicate truly original human ideas
The importance of the human editorial eye in approving AI-generated content
What we potentially stand to lose in fully outsourcing creative work to machines

If you’re feeling uncertain about how to responsibly and effectively leverage AI tools like ChatGPT in your business and content creation, don’t miss this lively exchange of perspectives. Tune in now to help shape your own ethical framework.

Check out Alastair's podcast over at https://therecognizedauthority.com/

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Streamlined Solopreneur helps overwhelmed solo business owners go from overwhelmed to having their time back.

Each week, Joe Casabona shares one practical idea — a system, tool, or strategy to help you get your time back without selling your soul to AI...and run your business without sacrificing the rest of your life, or your health.

Looking for a place to start? Take the Solo Systems Starter Quiz. 60 seconds, 8 questions, and I will tell you what system you should build first, and exactly how to build it. https://streamlined.fm/quiz

Connect with Joe on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jcasabona/

Why You NEED to Take Calculated Risks to Grow Your Business with Matt "Dappz" McGuckin Nov 13, 2023

Show notes

Imagine making $70,000…from your bedroom…in one night.

That’s exactly what Matt “Dappz” McGuckin did with his online trading cards shop. He got his start “breaking” – that is, buying and opening boxes of cards live online, and selling the contents…all on TikTok.

Sounds risky? It is! But today, Dappz Sports is the Live Shopping Company on TikTok in the U.S., making over $20 Million in gross sales. So the risks have paid off.

Now maybe it seems like too far-fetched to say you’ll make $70K in one night, but it’s not too far-fetched to say that making calculated risks will elevate your business.

It’s a proven strategy and Dappz, and today, he’s going to tell you how you can do it too.

Top Takeaways

Don’t try to think about how you’ll go viral. Instead, be consistent and try different things. Experimenting can be low-stakes risk-taking.
One of the biggest risks that pay off is hiring someone. They will take SO much off your plate. It sounds scary, but it’s a must for any business owner.
Research is SO important with it comes to mitigating risk – remember, this is about calculated risks, not being a cowboy, and doing crazy stuff to see if it pays off.

Show Notes

Sponsored by: Sensei

Sponsored by:

Sensei: Save 20% FOR LIFE with code JOECASABONA

————
Streamlined Solopreneur is the podcast for solopreneurs who want to automate their business and take time off worry-free. Each week, Joe Casabona shares practical systems, tools, and strategies to help you reclaim your time and run your business without sacrificing your the rest of your life, or your health.

Start with the free Solopreneur Sweep — a step-by-step method for finding where your business is losing time: https://streamlined.fm/sweep

If this episode helped you, leaving a review on Apple Podcasts helps other solopreneurs find the show — it only takes a minute and means a lot.

Connect with Joe on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jcasabona/

The 2023 Solopreneur's Gift Guide Nov 06, 2023

Show notes

Over the years, I’ve published a great many gift guides on my blog. From freelancers, to podcasters, to working from home, and even my hobbies — like pens and cigars. And this year is no different.

But given my relatively new focus on helping solopreneurs (and the fact that the “Work from Home” guide is starting to feel a little stale), I’ve decided to change things up in 2023.

That's why this year, I'm introducing the Solopreneur's Gift Guide. Enjoy!

Links

Recording / Video Conference Gear

Home Office

At Home Tech

Productivity

Comforts of Home

Travel / Outside the House

Sponsored by:

Sensei: Save 20% FOR LIFE with code JOECASABONA

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Streamlined Solopreneur is the podcast for solopreneurs who want to automate their business and take time off worry-free. Each week, Joe Casabona shares practical systems, tools, and strategies to help you reclaim your time and run your business without sacrificing your the rest of your life, or your health.

Start with the free Solopreneur Sweep — a step-by-step method for finding where your business is losing time: https://streamlined.fm/sweep

If this episode helped you, leaving a review on Apple Podcasts helps other solopreneurs find the show — it only takes a minute and means a lot.

Connect with Joe on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jcasabona/

Why Awkwardness Is Your Competitive Advantage in Content Creation with Henna Pryor Oct 30, 2023

Show notes

Do you remember the most awkward moments of your life? One for me was definitely the day I was defending my master’s thesis. I was explaining a complex algorithm, when my advisor interrupted me and said, “Well…that’s not really how it works.” In front of my classmates, other faculty, and a number of friends who showed up out of support.

As you can imagine, I was mortified – until recovered, finished the presentation, and said, If you have any questions, I’d be happy to answer them. Unless it’s about that one algorithm. They you can ask Dr. Bishop.”

That got laughs, and I finished strong. I learned an important lesson that day: awkwardness will happen. It’s how you handle it that has a lasting effect. And that’s exactly what Dr. Henna Pryor is going to talk about with us today. She’s a keynote speaker, and her best-selling book, Good Awkward, came out in September with endorsements from people like NFL Quarterback Russell Wilson.

Top Takeaways

We are living in a society that increasingly doesn’t need to use its “social skills” muscle. We don’t have to interact with as many people, and it’s making us feel worse.
Awkward goes hand-in-hand with uncertainty. That means if you never want to feel awkward, you’ll never grow.
In order to embrace uncertainty, and therefore awkwardness, we need to create more situations to “practice” than the current world gives us.

Show Notes

Sponsored by: Sensei

Sponsored by:

Sensei: Save 20% FOR LIFE with code JOECASABONA

————
Streamlined Solopreneur is the podcast for solopreneurs who want to automate their business and take time off worry-free. Each week, Joe Casabona shares practical systems, tools, and strategies to help you reclaim your time and run your business without sacrificing your the rest of your life, or your health.

Start with the free Solopreneur Sweep — a step-by-step method for finding where your business is losing time: https://streamlined.fm/sweep

If this episode helped you, leaving a review on Apple Podcasts helps other solopreneurs find the show — it only takes a minute and means a lot.

Connect with Joe on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jcasabona/

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