Money Lab

Big news, folks: we are now hosting the Money Lab show over on YouTube. We’ll be recording all our business conversations on camera. AND, because it’s video, we can actually show you how our businesses run. It’s a behind-the-scenes and on the screens look at what it takes to run an online business. Plus, let's be real: YouTube has way better search-ability and discoverability than podcast players. And you know how much we care about doing things that actually work for our online businesses! So if you want to follow along and get new episodes, visit YouTube.com/MoneyLab. See ya on the Tube!

Has Matt found his online doppelgänger? Miles Beckler, of digital marketer YouTube fame and Milesbeckler.com, joins the show to talk all things online entrepreneur. Matt and Miles both run niche sites that they've had for years and years. They both run tons of experiments and share what they've learned online. And they both have a super strong hat game (have you seen their YouTube thumbnails?), So how do you stay committed to a businesses over the years without any viral, hockey stick moments? What are the small, boring things that add up to long-term success? And how do you have fun in the long-run? Enjoy! P.S. You can check out Miles at YouTube.com/milesb

Matt just ran two business experiments that failed miserably. But they ended up being really valuable learning processes. Matt and Andrew discuss how to run useful, measurable tests in an online business. How do you come up with a legit hypothesis? How do you get meaningful data and results? And how do you move on if you find out it doesn't work? If you've ever wondered if something like Pinterest or starting a podcast would (or wouldn't) work for your business, this episode is for you. Enjoy! P.S. You can binge-read all of Matt's business experiments from the last few years here: Moneylab.co/content

It's listener question time! From changing course in a dying industry to starting a business with a friend, Matt and Andrew debate the answers to your burning questions: What would you if your niche site was in a stagnant or dying industry? What are your favorite strategies for helping drive traffic to the newer websites you have built? What's the best side hustle to start right now? How do you set up and structure a business with friends? And how do you find your own Andrew or Matt? Keep your questions coming! We'll be doing more of these in the future, so head over to MoneyLab.co and email us your Qs to get yourself some As.

What does it actually mean to run a profitable business? Matt breaks down how he uses the Profit First accounting model to manage and allocate money made in his online business. Matt explains how he divides up his business revenue into certain Target Allocation Percentages and how this framework has helped him: 1) Pay himself more money as the business owner, 2) build up an account with reserves in it, and 3) have more than enough saved up for taxes every year. Matt and Andrew talk about how they pay themselves from their businesses and make sure they have enough of a buffer for lean times. If you've ever looked for a better way to divide up the money your business brings in, this episode is for you. Enjoy! P.S. You can see and download Matt's Profit First spreadsheet on YouTube. P.P.S. Check out the Profit First book here: ProfitFirstBook.com

Amazon just ripped the rug out from underneath every affiliate marketer, announcing their plan to slash affiliate marketing rates. And with just 7 days notice. Matt's business is set out to lose a whopping $176,929 with this change -- that's 40% of his entire business. So what does he plan to do about it? How does it affect Andrew? And what can every Amazon Associates member do going forward? Matt and Andrew spend the episode coming up with solutions in real time and trying to figure out the path forward. Enjoy! P.S. You can read about Matt's entire plan of action at Moneylab.co P.P.S. Matt and Andrew posted a video recording of this episode over on the Money Lab YouTube Channel.

Does low competition equal instant success? Matt just wrapped up his experiment to launch a podcast in a low-competition category. The goal: trying to naturally rank and gain listeners where there's no competition. Spoiler: it didn't work. So when does focusing on low competition categories work in business? Why are Andrew's low-competition niche sites taking off but something like Matt's podcast doesn't? Matt and Andrew debate when low competition pays off and when it's not worth the pursuit. Enjoy! P.S. You can read all about Matt's podcast experiment here: Moneylab.co/money-making-podcast P.P.S. You can check out the Rental Properties course Matt and Andrew made at Listenmoneymatters.com/rei

Time to change things up! Jason Zook, founder of WanderingAimfully.com and Teachery.co, joins the show to talk about changing business models. Jason outlines how he and his wife decided to combine their businesses, launched a monthly membership site and changed their business model when they realized things weren't working. So how do you know when something's not working in your business? How do you find the right model and offerings that work for you and your customers? If you've been sensing a change on the horizon, this episode is for you. Enjoy! P.S. If you've never heard Matt's Entreprenuer album, check it out here: Moneylab.co/rap

What would you do if your traffic went south? Matt and Andrew answer an interesting question from a listener that applies to websites in slow decline and anyone seeing a dramatic drop-off this year. Here's the question: Let's say your SwimU traffic has been in a slow, gradual decline since 2016. You didn't notice it at first, but as you compare year-over-year in Google Analytics, it's obvious. And your monthly pageviews are lower now than they were this time last year, and the year before (taking into account any seasonal dips, of course). Where would you start to diagnose the issue? What are the first 3 things you'd do? Hopefully this episode helps anyone who's gone through this (or who's worried about going through this). And let us know if you have any more questions we can answer on the air! P.S. You can see how Matt uses Ahrefs for competitor research and website audits in his course, SEO for Bloggers.

We're answering your questions on the show today! Matt and Andrew debate what they're doing about the dips in the market (and dips in SEO) before diving into your questions: How do you focus on growing just one website? How do you manage an affiliate site when most affiliate programs are localized by country? If your current businesses just disappeared overnight and you know they were not recoverable, what would you do to start from scratch in 2020? Has either of you had anyone quit in your business? How have you guys formed most of your relationships with other online creators? We love these episodes, and we hope you do, too. So keep 'em coming! Enjoy! P.S. Would you take Matt or Andrew out to no-agenda coffee or happy hour? P.P.S. As always, you can check out Matt's latest experiment here: Moneylab.co/content

The script is flipped! Matt was recently interviewed by fellow online entrepreneur Doug Cunnington who runs NicheSiteProject.com. They spent an hour in Matt's studio talking about their different affiliate marketing philosophies, from keyword research to being public with your affiliate sites (which not everyone does). And since Doug was doing the interviewing, Matt got to give an entire overview of how he got started and how he runs each of his online brands. We thought it’d be nice to share that perspective on this show, for both new and long-time listeners who want a 10,000 foot view of how Matt approaches affiliate marketing. Enjoy! P.S. You can find Doug at NicheSiteProject.com and at YouTube.com/DougCunnington

Guess what: Google wants your website to load in under 1 second. Matt and Andrew talk about why they're obsessed with page speed as a competitive advantage in their online niches. They talk about the "easy, big wins" you can do today to speed up a site. They also debate how they decide what features to keep and what to cut to help speed things up. If you're looking for a way to one-up your competition on Google, this page speed optimization episode is for you. Enjoy! P.S. Check out Matt's Page Speed Course here: Moneylab.co/pagespeed P.P.S. Here's the YouTube video where Matt explains how to stop Google Analytics from slowing your site down.

Procrastinate much? Matt and Andrew talk about the roadblocks they've hit in creating online products and what happened during the 30-Day Build and Launch a Course Challenge. They dissect why Matt hated the 30-day timeframe and Andrew's mental roadblocks to finishing his course. They also talk about the other distractions that got in the way, i.e. other projects that feel more in their wheel house. So what do you do when you start procrastinating on a project that needs to ship? Should you just suck it up and finish it? Or is procrastination a signal that you should be working on something else? Take a listen to find out how Andrew plans to hack through his mental block. Enjoy! P.S. Matt's course DID launch. You can check it out here: Moneylab.co/Pagespeed

How do you create consistent content without overspending or burning yourself out? Matt and Andrew examine each of their online businesses and how their content machines are currently running. Andrew's going full speed with lots of folks on staff, Matt's running some aspects of content creation on his brands, and a few of their sites are chugging along without either Andrew or Matt having to lift a finger. So how do you strike the right balance between producing a ton of new content and letting it ride? And when is it worth bringing on help or doing it yourself? Enjoy! P.S. If you're curious about running a well-oiled content machine, check out Matt's course Asana for Bloggers: Moneylab.co/Asana

How do you build products that meet your customers' needs, not just your own? Matt and Andrew talk about their "come-toJesus" moment with their SaaS product Lasso and how they've had to re-design their whole product. They discuss how they first built the product to selfishly meet their own needs and how conversations with customers forced them to pivot. From how to survey your existing audience to understanding UX/UI principles, designing directly for your audience can totally help you clarify your product design. Because in the end, the customer is always right... because they got the money. Enjoy! P.S. If you haven't checked out Lasso, get on it! Visit GetLasso.co P.P.S. Check out Google's design philosophy here: Material.io/design

What's your website worth? Carrie Smith Nicholson, the author of The Ultimate Guide to Selling Your Blog and a blog consultant at CarrieConsiders.com, joins the show to talk about her experience buying and selling websites. Carrie sold her old website for nearly six figures, and she and Matt talk about the entire sales process, from deciding to sell your brand to finding the right buyer. They also chat about Carrie's latest web property purchase and her plans of turning her newest website into a lucrative brand. If you'e ever been curious about what it takes to sell a website you own or buy and revamp a new web property, this episode is for you. Enjoy! P.S. You can find Carrie online at CarrieConsiders.com

Here's a business hypothesis for ya... There are 3 major factors in a successful online business: Products (what you sell), Relationships (trust with your audience) and Traffic (size of your audience). Nail 2 out of 3 of these and you’ll make six figures. Simple, right? Matt and Andrew discuss this business philosophy (learned from the folks at Create and Go) and how it applies to each of their current brands. They also dissect case studies from around the online business world and what they should be doing with Lasso. So which combo are you? Or which combo do you aspire to be? Figuring this out might help you focus on your own growth trajectory. Enjoy! P.S. Check out more of Create and Go's business philosophies here: Createandgo.com

Started from the bottom now we here. Matt and Andrew talk about their big business revenue jumps over the years. They dissect the moment when they hit $40,000 in annual revenue and how they finally hit six figures. From their original affiliate marketing efforts (and Matt's first $115 with Amazon Affiliates) and to their first legit SEO strategies, they break down what got them up and over the $100K mark. They reveal the secret ingredient of it all (spoiler: it's time) and whether or not they could make that kind of revenue jump again. Only TIME will tell (it's time... the secret ingredient is time). Enjoy! P.S. You can check out Matt's timeline here: Moneylab.co/Timeline

Make more money in 2020! Specifically with digital products! Matt and Andrew don't want to rely 100% on the Affiliate Marketing Gods, which means beefing up their digital product game in the new year. They talk about their "come to Jesus moments" around digital products, how Matt made over $100K in digital product sales last year and what kind of products do and don't work with their audience (like membership platforms). Andrew unveils his new product for Listen Money Matters and they chat about what they need to do to consistently market their courses. Enjoy! P.S. You can check out Matt's favorite digital product platform Podia (it's an affiliate link!): Moneylab.co/podia

Would your business fall apart without you? Matt and Andrew both had to take long breaks from their businesses a few months ago. They talk about how their businesses survived without them and how the wheels kept turning in their absence. From hiring the right people (and what that actually means) to setting up solid standard operating procedures, how do you make sure it all doesn't crumble to pieces when there's a real emergency? And how do you go about finding people you trust to take over? Enjoy! P.S. You can check out Matt's last year in business (including how it did while he was gone) over on the website: Moneylab.co/Nineteen