Cody Builds a Business
By Cody Burch
Will he succeed or will he fail? Stay tuned to find out for yourself.
...Hey my name is Cody Burch and in February 2017 I left my corporate job of 11 years and set sail to start my own marketing agency. In the Summer of 2017 I had the idea to create an online product to serve more people. Trouble is, I only have a handful of customers and no list...Thanks for joining me on my journey...
Cody Builds a BusinessJan 09, 2019
FINAL EPISODE: The Epic Conclusion
This is the 409th and final episode of the Cody Builds a Business Podcast.
What started as an idea in April 2018 now reaches its epic conclusion.
When I started recording in 2018 I had no idea where the journey would take me.
- I wrote a book
- I hosted 2 live events
- Started the show
- Launched a membership and coaching program
- Created 9 mini-workshops
- And traveled the world...
And on this episode - I reveal what's next for me and the agency business.
Thanks for joining me on the journey. I'm grateful for you.
~ Cody
Ep 21 - BREAKING NEWS: I'm At A Crossroads
For the first time in 5 years I officially have 0 (zero) agency clients.
How did I end up here?
Am I OK with that?
What's next?
Links:
2.20 - Be a Food Truck (Not a Cheesecake Factory)
Cheesecake Factory is delicious - no doubt. But they have the most comically enormous menu in the galaxy.
Want Asian, Mexican, American, Italian food??? They got you covered.
Instead, be a food truck. Here are 3 reasons why.
Links:
2.19 - How to 30x Engagement at 1/2 the Cost
Did you catch the Joe Rogan interview with Mr. Beast?
Super interesting - 2 industry titans (top podcaster and top YouTuber) jamming on business growth strategies.
Today I share the top 3 takeaways from the interview, and how a 23 year old guy gained over 100m subscribers on YouTube.
Links mentioned:
2.18 - What to Do When You Get Punched in The Face(book)
Everyone has a plan till they get punched in the face. - Mike Tyson.
Ever spend weeks or months planning out every detail of a promotion only to have it fail?
I'm running 3 launches this month and 2 are going well (like most do) but one is suffering.
Today we explore what I found, what I tweaked, and how it's helping bring costs back in line with our expectations.
.....
Links: www.codyslaunchmaps.com and www.laidbacklaunch.com
2.17 - What People Actually Pay For (It's Not What You Think)
Think people pay for all your bells and whistles in your program?
Think again.
Today we talk about what they ACTUALLY will pay (handsomely) for.
2.16 - What Gets Measured Gets Managed
A few years ago I entered into amateur fitness competitions. Weird, I know.
But we measured everything - food, steps, calories, macros, sleep, reps, weights...
The whole thing.
And the transformation was dramatic.
Now, in business I've cracked down on what exactly I'm measuring and it's already paying off.
Links:
2.15 - You Don't Need Millions of Followers - Just 1,000 True Fans
In Kevin Kelly's excellent 2008 blog post he clarifies that you don't need millions of followers to succeed. Just 1000 people.
https://kk.org/thetechnium/1000-true-fans/
Here's an excerpt from the introduction:
To be a successful creator you don’t need millions. You don’t need millions of dollars or millions of customers, millions of clients or millions of fans. To make a living as a craftsperson, photographer, musician, designer, author, animator, app maker, entrepreneur, or inventor you need only thousands of true fans.
A true fan is defined as a fan that will buy anything you produce. These diehard fans will drive 200 miles to see you sing; they will buy the hardback and paperback and audible versions of your book; they will purchase your next figurine sight unseen; they will pay for the “best-of” DVD version of your free youtube channel; they will come to your chef’s table once a month. If you have roughly a thousand of true fans like this (also known as super fans), you can make a living — if you are content to make a living but not a fortune.
So get busy creating 1000 true fans.... one fan at at time.
2.14 - I'm Streaking
I've got a streak going.
Today, February 21st, marks the 52nd day in a row I've done 100 push ups.
Day 1 (Jan 1st) it took 10 rounds to get to 100. A grueling 30 minutes spent groaning and grumbling to myself.
I was so sore the next day I could barely lift my arms.
My form was horrible, too, as my 15 yr old son pointed out.
Day 2 took just as long as Day 1. I worked through the soreness but my form was terrible.
Same for days 3 through 10.
But as the days and weeks went by the soreness stopped, the form improved, and I now knock out 100 pushups in 3-4 rounds over 6 minutes.
But what I'm most proud of is not the pushups...
It's the daily discipline of doing something I don't want to do.
Something I know I'm not very good at. Something that can be embarrassing or make my body hurt.
And while my physique looks pretty much the same as it did 50 days ago, my mind has sharpened with a daily discipline.
So here's food for thought for the weekend:
What can you do daily that will strengthen your mind or body?
Could be a couple pages of a book. Going for a walk after dinner. Not checking your phone till 10am each day. An act of kindness for a stranger.
Here's the really cool part: When you can conquer your fear, concern or discomfort over this daily ritual, the rest of the day kinda falls into place.
Since beginning my daily pushup routine I also picked up a few other great habits (cold showers, flossing, drinking 1 gal of water, sending a daily email).
And I've never been more productive in business or well-rested than these last 52 days.
All because of a decision to lower my body down to the living room carpet by my dog's bed and slowly rise back to plank position. 100 times. Every night around 8pm.
You got this,
~ Cody "5,000 Pushups" Burch
P.S. I just put together my Digital Business Toolkit (PDF). These are all the tools I use to run a lean, profitable, digital business. Click here to download a copy.
2.13 - How to Fix a Leaky Sales Funnel
Don't throw that leaky funnel out! Fix it, instead.
My Free Plus Shipping funnel (www.CodysLaunchMaps.com) had a rocky start.
The orders were fine, the order bump was great, but the one-time-offer stunk...
So instead of throwing it out and making a new offer - here's what I did instead.
2.12 - A Robot Put Me in Facebook Jail
Ever gotten in trouble by a robot?
Last week I was put in FB Jail by a mistake with the algorithm.
Don't be like me... make sure your business is safeguarded from the whims of our tech overlords (and faulty algorithms).
Links:
2.11 - The Story Behind The Pizza Parlor
There's a new pizza shop in town and, based on the name, we had it ALL wrong.
Today we discuss stories and their power to connect with your audience (even if you're just selling pizza).
Links:
2.10 - Why I'm Doing a Physical Free + Shipping Offer
Alright folks, it's here. I've gotten so many questions about why the heck I'm doing a free + shipping offer.
Today I dish on ALL the details.
Click here to check out the offer https://codyslaunchmaps.com/
~ Cody
2.9 - Gold, Maps, Shovels and Guides
Here's a foolproof way to sell more stuff to the same traffic. Don't stop at the "gold"... give them maps, shovels and even offer to be their guide.
- Sell the idea
- Sell confidence to get their
- Sell speed and automation
- Sell "mistake avoidance"
2.8 - Don't Trust Booksmart Experts
I was pumped when a human being from Facebook reached out to talk to me about my ads strategy.
Gotta admit I felt a little pride and excitement.
But that turned sour when they proceeded to give me the worst ever ads advice of my life.
Today we explore why you can't trust so-called Experts and are better off getting experience instead.
Enjoy.
2.7 - Billion Dollar Magical Green Unicorn
Hey here's some good news:
You don't need a 1000 products to have a cool business.
(insert happy marketer noises).
You're not Wal-Mart.
Today I tell you the story of how ONE product just went to a billion (with a b) dollar valuation.
Enjoy.
2.6 - How to Hire A Mentor
When my wife and I moved to Colorado in 2004 we were lost. Newly married, new town, new state, new job, new friends, new ... everything.
So I approached a mutual friend of mine who was a few years older and took him to lunch.
That mentorship lasted years and help save me a lot of pain in my 20s.
When I started my entrepreneur journey in 2017 I took the same path. I could go faster if I had a mentor.
But how do I find one?
How do I hire them?
We explore that and more on today's episodes.
Links:
- Tim Grover's book Relentless
- Apply to work with me
2.5 - The Rise of the Mini Workshop
In September 2020 I experienced a colossal failure. I hosted a virtual event with 75 ticket holders (most of them free).
On the day of the live 1-day event I was devastated to find out only 8 or 9 showed up live.
I half-heartedly made an offer that no one bought.
I took a few weeks off to lick my wounds and prepare my next move.
One day I saw a post in my news feed from this guy named Justin who talked about "getting paid twice".
The idea was to get paid on the front end to teach a workshop, then get paid again on the back end with your higher ticket products and services.
Since I had just gotten paid ZERO to get paid ZERO again... this sounded appealing.
Today we talk about my mini-workshop journey and how it's revolutionized my business.
To learn more about mini workshops click here: codyburch.com/mwm
To check out my workshops:
Thanks for listening!
2.4 - Trust the Principles, Test the Variables
As you charge forward on your goals for 2022... be they health, wealth, or relationships...
It's important to understand the unwavering principles at play.
Want to lose weight? Eat less (mostly plants) and move more.
Want a happy marriage? Be kind, gentle, loving, considerate and affectionate.
Want a more predictable business? Grow your email list and communicate regularly.
Those are the PRINCIPLES and they are TRUE forever in all circumstances.
However... the way we go about them can change. Test new stuff. Try new routines, methods or approaches.
Eventually you'll find what works for you but you won't know until you try.
2.3 - The Robo Revolution? Why AI Won't Replace Us Anytime Soon
Worried that a robot's gonna steal your job?
Hopeful that a robot's gonna write you high performing marketing copy at the push of a button?
Sorry... neither are gonna happen (not anytime soon at least).
I've been playing around with Jarvis AI (https://codyburch.com/jarvis) and I have this love-hate thing with it.
What it does well:
- Titles
- Outlines
- Summaries
What it lacks:
- Long form copy
- Blog posts
- Emails
While it's cool to know which apps are out there that can help us save time or make money (or both), the robots aren't going to overturn us anytime soon.
Ask the decommissioned robo-vacuum in my basement.
2.2 - Why I Started Sending Daily Emails
I did an experiment in Oct 2021 - email my list daily.
Night or day, morning or evening, rain or shine...
I sent an email.
And you know what?
People loved it.
I got more replies, more opens, and made more sales.
Better yet? I started telling better stories and getting more confident.
If you want to learn the complete Daily Email Strategy - check out what my friends Rob & Kennedy (the guys I learned this from) are cooking up here: https://codyburch.com/email
2.1 - Cody (re)Builds a Business
Welcome back to the show!
After a brief hiatus (of just 11 months) the podcast is back and better than ever.
Today:
- Why I started podcasting in the first place
- Why I stopped
- The plan for the show going forward
Upcoming:
- What offers are working now
- What lead magnets are working now
- What traffic is working now
- And more...
Like what you hear? Make sure you subscribe.
Ep. 341 - Growing Your Business w/ OTHER People's Offers (feat. Stephanie Nivinskus)
What if you could grow your business with OTHER people's offers?
It's possible... and Stephanie shares her strategy on today's episode.
Links:
sizzleforce.com
laidbacklaunch.com
Ep. 340 - The Dirty Beta Launch (feat. Toni Bache)
Today we talk with Toni Bache from the 5 Minute Business on her process called "The Dirty Beta" Launch.
Links:
IG: @the5minutebusiness
laidbacklaunch.com
Ep. 339 - "We're not Experts... We're Messengers" Feat. Mel Abraham
Today we talk with Mel Abraham from melabraham.com. I met Mel in 2015 and we covered a wide swath of topics.
We talked about "The Thinking Hierarchy" and powerful reframes of discussing our expertise.
Links:
melabraham.com
melabraham.com/nodebt
laidbacklaunch.com
Ep. 338 - How to Grow A Mastermind Community (Feat. Alexis Dean of Dovetail)
Want to learn how to start a 'luxury mastermind' business? My friend Alexis Dean has done just that with her exclusive Dovetail Community.
She started this awesome organization via word of mouth and referrals.
Today she shares her story of getting started and growing a thriving community.
Links:
dovetail.community
Learn how to launch the easy way
www.laidbacklaunch.com
Ep. 337 - Using Affiliates to Grow Your Business (feat. Matt McWilliams)
Today with talk with affiliate manager (and marketer) extraordinaire on how to use other peoples audiences to grow your business.
JV's and affiliates (same diff) are SUPER powerful for growing your business.
Think about it - they've already amassed your audience so you can work out a deal with them to send customers your way. And you only pay them if / when they make a sale!
Links:
https://www.mattmcwilliams.com/
www.laidbacklaunch.com
Ep. 336 - Using Speaking to Grow Your Business (feat. Grant Baldwin)
Today we chat with Grant Baldwin (recurring guest!) on how to use speaking to grow your business.
The world has changed and there are now actually more opportunities for speakers to share their message.
Less travel time means more opportunities for gatherings of people to hear what you have to say.
Links:
http://grantbaldwin.com/
https://www.laidbacklaunch.com
Ep. 335 - How to Use Events to Grow Your Business (feat. Jeff Veley)
Today we talk with Jeff Veley on how he used an event he was attending (not hosting) to grow his email list by hundreds of people.
Super smart strategy that we can all use.
Jeff is a great speaker, thinker and friend.
Enjoy the chat!
Links:
https://www.veleyproductions.com/generator/
https://www.laidbacklaunch.com
Ep. 334 - How to Use Pinterest to Organically Grow Your Business (feat. Jen Stanbrook)
Today we talk with Jen Stanbrook on how she uses Pinterest to organically grow her business. Again, I don't know a ton about Pinterest so this is kinda like a coaching call on how to use the platform.
The coolest part? I was so encouraged after our chat. I thought "I can do that!".
I know you'll love the show.
Links:
https://jenstanbrook.com/
@jenstanbrook on social
https://www.laidback.launch.com
Ep. 333 - Using Pinterest Advertising To Grow Your Business (feat. Lindsay Shearer)
Today we talk with Lindsay Shearer from Pins 4 Profit (https://pins4profit.com/) on how to use Pinterest Ads to grow your business.
Now, I don't know a lot about Pinterest (as exhibited by the elementary questions I ask).
But this was SUPER eye opening.
I know you'll love it.
Links:
https://pins4profit.com/
https://www.laidbacklaunch.com
Ep. 332 - How To Use Skillshare to Grow A Membership (feat. Trupti Karjinni)
Today we talk with Trupti Karjinni on how she uses Skillshare to grow her membership.
I LOVE this chat because it's a non-traditional traffic source.
If you have something to teach and want to earn additional revenue doing it... Skillshare just might be for you.
Links:
https://www.thrivewithtrupti.com/
https://www.instagram.com/truptikarjinni/
https://www.laidbacklaunch.com
Ep. 331 - Strong Women Lift Each Other Up w/ Molly Galbraith
Today we talk with Molly Galbraith - Co-Founder of Girls Gone Strong about her new book, "Strong Women Lift Each Other Up".
I've known Molly and the team at GGS since 2017 and am super excited for her book. There are so many great ideas in the book that we unpack including:
- How curiosity is the antidote to the tiny voices holding you back from taking action
- A simple (and surprising) exercise to Google that will really open your eyes
- The Ripple Effect
- The Comparison Trap
- 8 Small (but mighty) ways you can lift women up
- And more
Links in the episode:
https://www.mollygalbraith.com/book
https://www.girlsgonestrong.com
https://www.laidbacklaunch.com
Ep. 330 - How to Fill a 5,000 Person Online Event With No Ads (feat. Donna Clark)
Donna and one of her clients had a crazy idea - a 24-hour online paint party.
Pretty remarkable, right?
Well, the market decided it was VERY remarkable and over 5,000 people showed up. A few months later she did a similar strategy and got another 3,500 people to register.
About Donna: Donna Clark is a former award winning television producer turned entrepreneur, visionary, non profit founder, author, and ONLINE producer extraordinaire.
She helps creative online entrepreneurs gain momentum in their online businesses by taking away the stress of the online set up, tech, and marketing strategy...so they can stay in their own zone of genius and make a bigger impact in the world.
Links:
http://backstagebusinessboss.com/
https://laidbacklaunch.com
Ep. 329 - Using Ambassadors to Get Traffic (feat. Jill Angie)
Today we talk with Jill Angie from Not Your Average Runner on how she used ambassadors to get more sales in her program.
About Jill: Jill Angie is a certified running and mindset coach who helps women who have never felt athletic start running so they can feel confident in their body. She started the Not Your Average Runner movement in 2013 to show that runners come in all shapes, sizes, and speeds.
Links:
@notyouraveragerunner
https://www.laidbacklaunch.com
Ep. 328 - Using YouTube Organic (feat. Ben from WODPrep)
Today we talk with Ben Dziwulski from the YouTube channel WODPrep.
He shares how he uses his YouTube channel to send traffic to his offers.
We even brainstorm a new "evil scheme" on a unique direction I could go to grow my baby YouTube channel.
Links:
His YT Channel WODPrep Here
https://WODPrep.com
https://www.laidbacklaunch.com
Ep. 327 - A Crazy Blue Ocean (feat. Hope Zvara from Mother Trucker Yoga)
Today we talk with Hope Zvara about her company Mother Trucker Yoga. She shares the incredible (true) story of how she married her passion for yoga and movement with a very needy industry... trucking.
That's right - she helps long haul truckers learn how to move more and live healthier lives. It's an amazing story of her ingenuity, grit, and determination to absolutely dominate a "blue ocean".
Links:
mothertruckeryoga.com
@mothertruckeryoga on FB and IG
https://laidbacklaunch.com
Ep. 326 - How to Use Clubhouse to Grow Your Business (feat. Akilah Thompkins Robinson)
Today we sit down with Akilah to learn how to (actually) use Clubhouse to grow our business.
You're gonna love this one.
Lots of chatter out there on how to use Clubhouse ... and I think most people are looking at it wrong (including me).
Links:
https://girlgetvisible.com/
https://codyburch.com/laidback
Ep. 325 - The Scrappy Launch (feat. Mariangelica Forero)
Learn the "scrappy" way Mariangelica launched her membership (without paying for ads).
She is super good at IG - and used her talents there to enroll people in a presale experience through IG stories.
Links:
https://www.honesthustle.ca/
https://codyburch.com/laidback
Ep. 324 - Cole Humphus On Growing Past 10,000 Members & Organic Sales
Cole rapidly scaled the online photography education company Cole's Classroom to 10,000 members & multiple 7 figures before the company was acquired by ShootProof in 2019.
Now Cole is focused on helping other online course creators, coaches & experts build businesses that can rapidly grow past 7 figures with sustainable & predictable profits on auto-pilot so they can have both a great business without sacrificing a great lifestyle.
Learn more about working with Cole to grow your business at www.rapidscalesystem.com
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https://codyburch.com/laidback
Ep. 323 - Using FB Groups to Grow Your Business (feat. Marta Spirk)
Wanna grow your business without using FB Ads? Today we talk with Marta Spirk of the Empowered Woman podcast on how she uses FB Groups to grow her business.
Super smart strategy.
You're gonna love it.
Links:
https://www.martaspirk.com/
https://codyburch.com/laidback
Ep. 322 - How to Connect with Influencers on Linked In (feat. Karen Yankovich)
Stepping outside of FB ads to get eyeballs on your business?
Linked In is an incredibly powerful tool to connect with your customers, affiliates, and influencers.
And today, Karen Yankovich takes us on a journey to better understand the platform!
Links:
https://karenyankovich.com/
https://codyburch.com/laidback
Ep. 321 - Happy Anniversary (Year 4)
Another year in the books!
On 2/1/17 I left the safety and security of a 9-5 job in pursuit of entrepreneurial legacy.
Today we celebrate freedom.
Freedom of time, money and location.
And wherever you are on your journey - I'm rooting for you, too!
Ep. 320 - Safety Third
If we optimized for safety we'd be driving rubber cars at 5 miles per hour.
If we optimized for safety in our business we'd never post anything, do a live training, or write a blog...
So we're not going to optimize safety FIRST.
We're going to believe in ourselves first.
We're going to help people with our ideas.
....
And if you want to learn the laid back way to launch your next course, program or idea join me here: https://codyburch.com/laidback.
Announcing: The Alternative Traffic Series
Worried about if Zuckerburg and Tim Cook will ever get along?
Lots of "sabre-rattling" about privacy and folks opting out of Facebook Tracking.
Not to worry...
Introducing a new podcast series that will teach you how to drive qualified traffic to your funnels WITHOUT the use of Facebook Ads.
I'm talking Linked In, JV, Affiliates, Pinterest, CLUBHOUSE, YouTube....
Make sure you subscribe now so you never miss an episode!
Ep. 319 - Evergreen Sales System Pt. 3 - The Urgency Building Deadline
Part 3/3 of The Evergreen Sales System!
Today we talk about how to utilize an Urgency Building Deadline to create custom 1-person launch experiences in your business.
Go back and listen to Ep 317 and Ep 318 for the 1st 2 parts of this strategy.
Today brings it all home.
And if you wanna try out my not-so-secret launch strategy check it out here: codyburch.com/deadline
Ep. 318 - Evergreen Sales System Pt. 2 - The Evergreen Lead Magnet
Now that we have our Can't Miss Offer, it' time to create an Evergreen Lead Magnet.
They go hand in hand.
The Lead Magnet solves a problem which builds momentum and trust...
Which sets up our Can't Miss Offer.
In the next episode we'll bring it home with the Urgency Building Deadline.
Mini Course Example: www.onehourfunnel.com/adscourse
Mini Workshop Example: www.codyburch.com/adclass
Ep. 317 - Evergreen Sales System Pt. 1 - The Can't Miss Offer
Wanna grow your business between launches?
Launches are cool and all - but they can be really exhausting.
Welcome to the "Evergreen Sales System" - a 3 part mini-series on how to grow your business between launches.
Part 1: The Can't Miss Offer.
How do we craft an irresistible offer and present it to our target audience?
Make sure you're subscribed so you catch Part 2 - The Evergreen Lead Magnet and Part 3 - The Urgency Building Deadline.
Ep. 316 - The 2 Narratives (2020 Revisited)
Was 2020 awesome for you? Horrible?
The truth is - there are always 2 narratives warring for attention in our minds. And it's up to us to decide which narrative we'll follow and what we'll do about it.
If this podcast means anything to you:
- share it with a friend
- email me at cody@onehourfunnel.com to discuss.
To a better 2021.
Bonus: How I Do Annual Planning
How to do effective annual planning in about 10 minutes...