Productive Insights Podcast — Actionable Business Growth Ideas — with Ash Roy

Links Mentioned: productiveinsights.com/membership Productive Insights Membershipproductiveinsights.com/175 conversation with James Clearproductiveinsights.com/207 conversation with Brian TracySMART goal setting is more than just a buzzword. It's a transformative strategy that can turn your aspirations into achievements. In this video, I'm going to talk about exactly how you can use the SMART goal setting system to turn your dreams into a reality. SMART is an acronym for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time bound.And by applying this smart system to your goal setting and achievement, you can not only dream big, but actually achieve big. So let's get started somewhere along my journey. When I was completing my undergraduate degree in business and then my CPA, and then my MBA, while working in banking and finance, I realized how crucial the smart goal setting system was for success.But I also realized that alone wasn't enough more on that later first let's break down the smart goal setting system into its five components and why it's so essential to us. Okay, let's talk about the first part of the smart goal setting system. During my undergrad in business, my goals were vague and unfocused. They were anything but specific. And guess what? My results bore that out. If I had been clear about what grades I wanted, What coursework I had to complete by when, chances are I would have done a lot better. If I thought about why it was important for me to achieve my goals, my results would have been much better than just average.Imagine if I had set clear goals like achieve at least an A in accounting. By studying three times a week and completing all my assignments at least two days in advance so that I could maintain a high grade point average, that could have completely transformed my academic career. Well, as it turns out, I was a lot more specific with my goal setting when I did my MBA a little bit later on.And I ended up getting a distinction average from the leading business school in Australia. So the specificity did work. For you, as a business owner, this translates to being crystal clear on what you want to achieve, when you want to achieve it, and most importantly, why it's important to you that you achieve it.Maybe it's your family. Maybe it's a professional aspiration you want to fulfill. Whatever it is, being specific and clear about your goals can dramatically transform your results. Okay, let's talk about the second element, Measurability. And we are going to use a direct example from our very own toolkit.At Productive Insights, we've harnessed the power of A B testing to dramatically improve the performance of our landing pages and the user experience. We focused on changing one variable at a time, be it a headline, a call to action, or even a color scheme. This methodical approach allowed us to understand exactly what elements on that landing page were making a difference.and helped us to double down on what was working and cut out what wasn't. So this wasn't actually about guessing. It was using a measurable approach with data to guide our decisions around how to best improve the user experience and therefore conversions. As a business owner, I found that measurement creates a very important feedback loop, which helps to improve performance incrementally.I would highly recommend that you incorporate measurement into your goal setting process. Okay, let's talk about the next element, Achievability. It's essential to set goals that are ambitious, yet within your capacity, if you're going to stay motivated. For example, when looking to enhance our search engine optimization.We set progressive goals on a monthly basis that would cumulatively lead us to the end result we wanted to achieve in terms of traffic, bounce rates, and time on site. We analyzed our baseline performance and identified key areas for improvement. I then subscribed to applications like RankIQ, Ahrefs, and SparkToro to help break these goals down into smaller achievable targets and also to continue the measurement process.Setting achievable goals allows you to identify small wins, build momentum, and keep your team engaged. And the next step is setting Relevant goals. This means aligning your goals with your overall business objectives. In our case, we redirected our focus on enhancing client engagement through better content, rather than just increasing the number of visits to the site.This strategic shift, not only improved engagement rates on the website, but also helped us to connect more meaningfully with our prospects. And a wonderful by product was. We started ranking for keywords that we weren't previously ranking for because our website was seen as being more authoritative and more reliable by the search engines.So our recommendation is to set goals that are relevant and aligned with your business objectives. Measure them. frequently and ensure that the alignment continues because businesses change over time and so does the business environment.Finally, let's talk about the last element, Time bound. This is a crucial element and it brings structure and urgency to goal achievement.One powerful method we use in our Productive Insights community is our unique productive sprints based on the Pomodoro technique. Setting clear deadlines is crucial for maintaining momentum. At the end of each sprint, each of us rates ourselves on a scale of one to ten in terms of our focus level, but nobody rates anybody else.And that self rating system creates a sense of awareness in terms of focus. We also tell the group what we're going to be working on in the next sprint. And this creates accountability with that 30 minute timeframe. We found creating this time constraint dramatically improves our effectiveness and our productivity.And we get more done in those 90 minutes. Twice every week, then some of us get done in the whole day. During a typical sprint, you might decide to solely focus on drafting an email. Once the buzzer goes off, you evaluate yourself and dive into the next task. And maybe your next task is to revise a blog post or make a client call that you've been avoiding.This structured approach not only keeps our tasks sharply in focus, but it also instills a rhythm of continuous improvement and accountability in our group. It's a perfect example of how setting strict time bound constraints can dramatically increase productivity and focus and goal achievement. If you'd like to learn more about our Productive Sprints and the Productive Insights membership program, head over to ProductiveInsights.com/membership.Now here's a pivotal twist to keep in mind. Smart goals are instrumental, but they're not the whole story. As James Clear wisely pointed out, you don't rise to the level of goals. You fall to the level of your systems. It's crucial to develop robust systems that underpin your goals.If you'd like to learn more about how to build these systems, you should check my conversation out with James Clear in episode 175. We'll link to that in the show notes and in the description below. You might also like my conversation with Brian Tracy, where he talked about how he's used similar approaches.To completely transform his life. I'll link to that in the description as well. Thanks for listening

Summary: In this episode, host Ash Roy engages with entrepreneur and content creator Justin Welsh, delving into unique content creation strategies and the art of building genuine connections on social media platforms like LinkedIn and Twitter. Justin shares insights into his Creator Funnel concept, the LinkedIn funnel, and practical tips for crafting compelling content. He emphasizes the importance of authenticity, empathy, and consistency in building a personal brand and fostering meaningful relationships online. Throughout the conversation, Justin shares personal anecdotes, valuable advice, and actionable strategies for aspiring content creators and entrepreneurs.

SHOWNOTES: In this video you'll learn:- What it takes to be a successful entrepreneur- The mindset needed for long-term success- How to communicate your vision to teams- The biggest mistake startups make- Execution risk and how to avoid it- How to build systems that scale- And lots more0:00 Introducing Martin Karafilis5:00 Biggest Mistakes startups make7:13 How Martin Karafilis implemented the execution risk11:17 The importance of visioning18:43 Communicating vision to your team23:52 Martin talk about the book "Maverick"25:44 Accountability and Trust in the work force26:44 Martin's Best Approach to Building Community33:31 Martin's Approach to Business Development Customer Acquisition36:38 How to communicate with prospective and past customer40:39 Customer Journey Map44:46 Martin's view on Artificial Intelligence46:51 Creating Culture that enables successLinks Mentioned: productiveinsights.com/122productiveinsights.com/210productiveinsights.com/175productiveinsights.com/54productiveinsights.com/84productiveinsights.com/49Transcript: (This transcript has been auto-generated. As artificial intelligence is still in the process of perfecting itself, there may be some errors in the transcription)Ash Roy:  Today we're going to talk about entrepreneurship, business growth, and technology, which will help you, our viewer, to build and create a product that solves a problem that your customers are willing to pay for. Martin Karafilis is an accomplished entrepreneur, a speaker, a founder of multiple companies with successful exits under his belt.He also happens to be the CEO of Fishburners, which is where I met him recently. And he also is the entrepreneur in residence at the Australian Graduate School of Management at the University of New South Wales, where I happen to do my MBA. So I'm delighted to welcome Martin to the Productive Insights Podcast.Martin, thanks for being here.Martin Karafilis:  Thank you for having me.Ash Roy:  It's great to have you, Martin. Do you want to tell us a little bit about your background? And my audience would specifically like to understand a little bit about What entrepreneurial ventures you've been engaged in and what exits you've achieved, what problems those businesses solved and anything else you'd like to share?Martin Karafilis: Yeah, absolutely. So I think I've always been a serial entrepreneur. So multiple different businesses, some have worked, some haven't worked. Uh, I always say the first ever startup that I ever had was playing in a band. I think, you know, you're sort of playing, trying to travel to our no money at all. No sleep, trying to sell merch to be able to sort of, you know, feed your way through and, and, you know, really came down to marketing and getting your music out there and, you know, getting a bit of a brand out there as well.So, you know, through school playing, playing music, I had a small sort of audio hire platform that came from that because I was touring and I was playing a lot of music and I had some gear around. I was like, Hey, you know what? Um, I'm sure that there's other people that would like to use this equipment that's just sitting there doing nothing.I sort of learned a lot of things very fast, and one of the biggest things that I learned was I didn't have the ability to scale that, and I think probably the understanding of how to obtain customers or how to really obtain capital is probably the next step, and I realized that I wasn't able to scale that, so.moved on from that business. I then started a company where I actually created a biodegradable style plastic. Again, not really realizing what I probably stumbled upon because I was sort of doing something that I really loved and something that I wanted to do. And later on was able to sell the IP for that company where I didn't actually realize what the value of that was.And then my last venture was a computer vision AI company, really deep tech company with amazing co founders, amazing team, uh, and amazing customers. And. able to successfully move on from that business and now be CEO of Fishburners, where, you know, I still do investment into startup. I still work and advise multiple startups.I've also gone along the journey of writing a book on, on everything that's happened. So, you know, I, I get to see quite a lot and there was really like no better way to be able to give back to the startup ecosystem than to join the Fishburners team. So. Yeah. For those that don't know about Fishburners, it is Australia's largest and longest standing startup community.Ash Roy:So tell our audience about the book. I'm really interested to know what it's called. Martin Karafilis: So release will, uh, release will come out, uh, very, very soon. Um, so. You know, it's a little bit under wraps until that's all out. But the concept really is about the idea of starting off as an entrepreneur and having everything. Everybody tell you how crazy you are and how hard everything's going to be.Ash Roy:Oh man, I can relate to that. Martin Karafilis: And really sort of starting to operationalize what you do, start to use some frameworks and say, Hey, this is actually very achievable. Start to knock those off and actually say, okay, well, those that are saying that you're crazy, you're actually a genius at the end of it all.Say I think the, uh, the only real thing that separates crazy or genius is execution in the end, and I think there's a lot to do with the frameworks and the help that you have along the way. Ash Roy:I love what you said there, that what separates genius from crazy is execution, and we'll be talking about that more in this conversation.What instrument did you play?  Martin Karafilis: guitar. I can play most instruments, but I was a guitarist. Ash Roy:I play the guitar too. And depending on who you ask, I play it well. If you ask my wife, she'll say I can't, but you know, if you watch me in my normal habitat, which is where I'm not today. Right now we're recording at Fishburners, but, and this is the first episode we've recorded outside of the Productive Insights studio, but there's a guitar.There are two guitars in the background when I record from home or from my studio. So, okay, Martin, you've been a CEO of the CEO of Fishburners for, Over a year now, and you've been an entrepreneur in residence at the University of New South Wales, you've seen a lot of startups, and I'm sure you've seen a lot of them fall on their face as it were, and let's face it, it's not easy, right? What is the biggest mistake you find they make, and what's the best way to solve that problem? Martin Karafilis:I think it's easy to sort of talk about biggest mistakes when we start to go down vertical industries where the stage of the startup is at, if we're going to talk about the one biggest mistake that encompasses all stages, all industry verticals is the inability to effectively understand and really react to execution risk.So we did mention execution being the key. Uh, what I would say is that no matter what stage you are in your business, execution risk is always going to be your biggest risk. So when a founder goes into creating a product, goes and looks at a market, tries to understand what the customers want, what they need, what the problem is, when they're going through all of these kinds of scenarios, They have to be pretty open, honest, blunt about how they actually execute on this and what the risks are. Now, this might be something like something as simple as a capital constraint. Okay, well, how do I create a strategy that allows me to reduce the amount of risk that's there? Is it to obtain more customers and create some form of revenue earlier and not invest as much into a future product? Is it, do I have to raise capital and go externally?Maybe it's something as simple as building a team and how do I build that team out? So a good example is founder dependency. So really early on, you're quite dependent on founders, but as you sort of grow and as you want to build equity within your business, you can't have the CEO doing absolutely everything anymore.So how do you actually build that and actually start to reduce execution risk is really important. And I would say that's the number one thing where startups fall down. Ash Roy:So let me ask you this. When you started off back in the day, you were in a band and you were trying to figure all this out. You didn't presumably know what execution risk meant. But you, I'm guessing, implemented it, or for want of a better term, executed on minimizing execution risk. Can you look back on that time and tell us how you did that? And for people who are watching, people who are not very familiar with the term execution risk or, you know, a lot of our audience is not very familiar with the startup world.How would you explain it to them? Martin Karafilis:I would say I wish that I was smart enough to realize it at the time. If I'm completely honest, I think. Uh, and, and I realized this as I was actually writing my book that a lot of the things that I was doing and a lot of the frameworks that I was using probably didn't exist.A lot of that stuff I was doing anyway, I was sort of mapping out, you know, the journey and the strategy and how we sort of really mitigated a lot of those risks. And I realized much later, years down the track, actually, what I was actually doing along the way. So I think there's a lot to sort of. Starting at your end point and starting to work back is probably one of the, one of the biggest and easiest things to sort of say, Hey, how do I take those steps to actually achieve that goal? I think under any circumstance as well is always aiming higher than what, you know, the realistic goal actually is.Right. Uh, so. I think I found that the lower I aimed, the more I was okay with getting pretty mediocre results. So I've always come from a pretty high performance background and it was always about, Hey, looking for the best, being the top, making sure

IntroductionSmall business hiring in 2024 might feel like walking through a maze blindfolded. But not only is this not impossible, it's life-changing.Over the last 10 years, I've made all the mistakes in the book when hiring new team members. I wrote this blog post so you don't have to make those same mistakes. I won't beat around the bush. These are simple actionable insights you could use to transform your team into a lean mean profit generating machine.In this article, I'll share the key things you need to do to hire great team members, the dos and don'ts around hiring, the mistakes I've made along the way, and how to avoid them.Ready?Let's dive in. My painful journey around hiringWhen I started Productive Insights back in 2013 I knew nothing about hiring as a small business owner. I'd managed teams in my previous roles back in the corporate world but I'd never actually recruited as a business owner. Turns out, when you're hiring for your own business there's a lot more at stake. One bad team member can make or break your business. Especially in the early stages. I started off by hiring people based on their written applications in response to job ads. Big mistake! Some of them didn't have the skills they said they had. Some did have the skills but had a very poor attitude and consistently missed deadlines.Some even didn't show up for work on day one!Over the years, I learned a few tricks that have helped me find the best possible candidates for my business. I wrote this blog post so you don't make the same mistakes I did.It might saves you years of heartache.My hard earned lessons from hiring Always be in hiring modeDon't hire the first applicantGet clear on the skills neededTest them with a trial project firstUnderstand hiring needs effortAnd retention is even more effortConfirm they're a good fit culturallyCreate a clear job ad (use easter egg*)Screen for detail-orientation (via easter egg*) 1. Always be in hiring modeFinding the right team members isn't a one and done affair. It took me years to learn this simple lesson. Being on the lookout for great quality team members who are a good fit for your business is essential if you want to build a great team over the long term. This doesn't mean you go out on a hiring frenzy and you hire new person every day.What it does mean is, you keep an eye out for people who are likely to be a great fit and build relationships with them for future hires.The key is to keep building relationships and connections with great candidates. Follow their careers watch what they achieve and how often they get promoted within the same company. Neil Patel shared some good ideas with this in my last conversation with him.2. Don't hire the first applicantI've made this mistake more than once. You'd think I'd have learned this the first time but it took me ages to learn this lesson. If you follow my advice in point 1 — always be on the lookout for great candidates — you're less likely to be in a huge rush to hire someone when you need the help and you're less likely to hire the first person that walks through the door or applies for your job online. You need to interview effectively and check for the right personal attributes — not just hire for skills. More on this later. 3. Get clear on the skills needed (but go beyond this)Getting a person onboard with the right skills is essential but not enough. You need to hire people who have the right attitude. Hire people who are entrepreneurial and resourceful. I've lost count of the number of candidates I've hired that were a great fit for the role in terms of skills but were unwilling or unable to do anything outside their job description.For a small business owner, this is a nightmare. Don't make the same mistake I did. Hire people who have a great can-do attitude. People who have are genuinely curious and are willing to solve problems at a root cause level rather than just put band aids on problems.Pro tip: Write a great job description that automatically filters out the tyre kickers (I'll be sharing more about this later)4. Test for skills and attitude on a project basis Once I make a commitment to someone by bringing them into my team, I do my best to offer them a great working environment. But a great working environment is a product of a strong culture which is built by every single team member (more on culture later). By hiring someone on a project basis, you get the opportunity to watch them work with you and your team in real time.Almost anyone can perform well over an hour long interview, but actually performing well over a period of weeks or months on a project gives you a real picture of what they're like to work with. Hiring people on a project basis (or for a few weeks on a probationary basis) is one of the best moves I've made over the last 10 years as an employer. 5. Understand hiring needs effortEver heard the phrase "Sweat more in practice, bleed less in battle"That's very true when it comes to hiring. One of the biggest mistakes you can make is to not put in effort to get the right team member in place for each and every role. This includes hiring people who are keen to learn, and aren't afraid of stepping outside their comfort zone (and their area of expertise)For years, I glossed over the idea that hiring required effort. What this meant was I ended up putting in running my business. I made several poor hiring decisions.The result? My business was a dumpster fire. People with the right skills who didn't want to do the work needed to get the job done. They only wanted to 'stay in their lane' and do the work they were hired to do.Newsflash: if you work in a small business, it's all hands on deck. Working only on your specialty is reserved for large organisations.For example, if you hire someone as a full-time video editor, they might need to occasionally do some graphic design. Or manage a project in Clickup. Sure, you wouldn't ask them to write code, but a good team member wouldn't balk at the idea of learning it. And that's the point. Hire people who are open minded and willing to learn. If you hire people who aren't open minded it'll come back to bite you (even if they're very skilled at their job).Note: The above only applies to people who are full-time employees in the business. Freelancers and contractors (by definition) aren't going to do anything outside their job description which is acceptable. 6. Understand that retention takes even more effort than hiring wellOnce you've got the hiring process right and you've done the work to bring the best people into the team, the next step is to retain them.Talent prefers to work with talent. This means you need to provide a good working environment for these team members you've recruited.They need to feel challenged but not overwhelmed. It's a fine balance. You also need to ensure that they're supported in making decisions and they need to be given professional latitude. You need to give them the resources they need to do their job (or to learn how to do it well) but you can't be micromanaging them either. The minute you have to start micromanaging someone, is the minute you need to take a good long hard look at your management approach.If your management approach is sound, and you've created a great culture at work, and you still need to micromanage, then perhaps it's time to look for a replacement. 7. Confirm they're a good fit culturally during interviewsOrganizational culture refers to the collective values, beliefs, attitudes and behaviours that make up an business.It's a shared understanding of how the business does things and influences how work gets done. You could think of it as the personality of your business. Culture is normally discussed in larger organizations but it's as important (if not more important) in small business. When interviewing candidates you should check for values like integrity, honesty, and accountability.Ask questions like: Can you give me an example of when you went above and beyond for a customer?Can you share an instance where you made a mistake? How did you address it? What did you learn? 8. Create a clear job description (use an easter egg)Here's an example:Video Editor Job DescriptionPosition: Video EditorLocation: [City, Country/Remote]Type: [Full-Time/Part-Time/Contract]Overview: We're a fast growing startup based in Australia and are seeking a highly skilled and creative Video Editor to join our dynamic team. Here's a link to our website /https://www.ProductiveInsights.comYou have a strong passion for storytelling through video and a keen eye for detail. Final Cut Pro is essential for this role, as you will be editing a wide range of video content.Responsibilities:Edit video content using Final Cut Pro, incorporating various elements such as sound, graphics, and special effects to create compelling narratives.Collaborate with the production team to understand project requirements and deliver high-quality work within tight deadlines.Organize and manage video assets for easy access and efficient workflow.Provide creative input on video projects, including storyboarding and conceptualizing ideas.Ensure all edited content meets the company's quality standards and branding guidelines.Stay up-to-date with the latest video editing techniques and trends in digital media.Requirements:Proficiency in Final Cut Pro is a must.At least 2 years of experience in video editing, preferably in a fast-paced environment.Strong portfolio showcasing a variety of editing projects.Excellent storytelling skills, with a keen eye for detail and visual aesthetics.Ability to work collaboratively with a team and independently with minimal supervision.Strong organizational skills and the ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously.Bachelor's degree in Film, Media, or a related field is preferred.To Apply: Please submit your resume, cover letter, and a link to your portfolio showcasing your work with Final Cut Pro to [Email/Link] and use the words "sup

Dive into the riveting journey of digital marketing maven Neil Patel on the Productive Insights podcast, expertly guided by the dynamic host Ash Roy. From toilet scrubber at an amusement park to the architect of NP Digital's $100 million annual revenue, Neil shares gripping stories, challenges, and golden insights in the ever-evolving world of digital marketing. This lively conversation spans the realms of business growth, scaling strategies, and leadership, peppered with Neil's practical tips for content creators. Buckle up for a rollercoaster of inspiration as Neil's narrative unfolds, offering entrepreneurs a thrilling ride.Key points:00:00:42 Neil's Humble Beginnings Neil recounts starting his first job at 15 and a half, cleaning restrooms and picking up trash at an amusement park.Share the challenges and motivation behind the job.Set the stage for Neil's journey towards success. 00:01:27:05 Building NP DigitalNeil discusses his entrepreneurial journey, from starting KISSmetrics and selling it to transforming his consulting business into NP Digital.Talk about a failed attempt at a cloud computing company, burning $1 million of borrowed money, and the valuable lessons learned. 00:02:03:08 Neil's Expertise in Digital MarketingHighlights Neil's expertise in search engine optimization, content creation, pay-per-click advertising, and more.Emphasizes the importance of long-term strategies over short-term gains. 00:02:29:08 Dealing with Growth Slowdown Neil provides advice on what to do when growth starts to slow down.Encourages businesses to explore new avenues during slowdowns. 00:02:41:19 Leveraging Technology and Staying on the Cutting Edge Discusses the relevance of staying updated in the age of AI.Talks about building amazing products, creating great user experiences, and staying ahead in the industry. 00:03:23:22Scaling Internationally Neil shares insights into scaling a business internationally.Emphasizes the importance of tapping into new markets for sustained growth. 00:15:52Starting Out and ScalingNeil shares his experience of combining consulting with overcoming financial challenges.Discussion on scalability and the importance of making money initially. 00:18:43 The Challenge of Saying "No" and Focus Insights into overcoming perfectionism, avoiding overanalysis, and the need for faster revenue generation. 00:19:33 Saying "No" and Focus on ProfitabilityDiscussion on Neil's biggest mistake, the importance of focus, and hiring strategies. 00:21:34 International Expansion and Growth Insights into NP Digital's international growth strategy and overcoming economic challenges. 00:23:31 Balancing Revenue and Profit Neil emphasizes the shift from revenue to profit, maintaining profitability, and challenges in reinvesting. 00:26:26 Hiring Strategies for Success Neil's approach to hiring is based on experience, loyalty, and success with previous competitors.00:30:57 Generosity, Empathy, and Content CreationNeil's perspective on generosity in content creation, the dual-sided nature of content, and the importance of empathy.00:35:15 Choosing to Stay PrivateNeil's decision to keep NP Digital private despite offers to go public.Brand-building Links mentioned:www.productiveinsights.com/1www.productiveinsights.com/147www.productiveinsights.com/200www.productiveinsights.com/222Quotes:Ash Roy: "I don't really see being able to have six months to a year ahead where they're integrating stories that are so amazing that people want to read."Neil Patel: "You create content, you educate, you build relationships, you learn more, you become wiser."Neil Patel: "Figure out what people are paying for in your industry that you can make for free and give it away for free, and you'll naturally just get traffic without doing any marketing over time."Neil Patel: "If your company is growing at a nice pace, just tell these folks and keep doing what you're doing. The moment here, growth slows down. Start looking at other things to do to speed it up."Neil Patel: "I'm doing it because I love helping people. But I'm also learning a lot, too."Introduction00:00:00:02 - 00:00:25:10Ash RoyIf you're looking to build your brand using digital marketing strategies, then you're in for a treat. Today's episode on the Productive Insights podcast features the legendary Neil Patel. Neil is someone I'm proud to call a friend. He's received multiple awards over the last 20 years and has also been recognized by President Barack Obama for his incredible contributions in the field of digital marketing and entrepreneurship.Neil happened to be the first guest on the Productive Insights podcast. You can go back and check it out on episode one and you can listen to how green I was back then. And in this episode, Neil shares his story, which starts from a very humble beginning, where he was picking up trash at an amusement park.00:00:42:04 - 00:01:10:14Neil PatelI'm 38. That was when I was 15 and a half. I was able to get my first job and it was from minimum wage at that time was $5.75 an hour. Technically, they're able to pay me a little bit under minimum wage. I don't know why. Maybe because I was at 16 and it was clean restrooms and picking up trash at a theme park.And I loved cleaning the restrooms because when I clean the Russians leave, they're paying extra $0.25 or $0.50 an hour to clean the toilets was a really messy job because of the theme park.00:01:10:16 - 00:01:27:04Ash RoyHe worked his way through some very challenging situations. He started KISSmetrics, he sold it, and then he built his own consulting business, which later on turned into an agency now known as NP Digital, and it currently makes around about $100 million a year in revenue.00:01:27:05 - 00:01:44:20Neil PatelIt tried to create a cloud computing company before that was really popular. Before there's Amazon Web Services. From my understanding, maybe I'm getting my timing off, but I'm pretty sure before this was big, we're trying to do cloud computing and it didn't work out and burn $1,000,000 of borrowed money and eventually had to pay it back. So it's like NAYLOR.00:01:44:20 - 00:02:03:07Ash RoyShared his entire story from his very humble beginnings all the way through to where he is today. He shares what he's done to become a dominant force in his chosen industry, which is digital marketing. Neil is an expert in search engine optimization, content creation, pay per click advertising and lots more.00:02:03:08 - 00:02:15:14Neil PatelI don't really see being able to have six months to year ahead where they're integrating stories that are so amazing that people want to read. I think people under or overestimate what I can do in the short run and they underestimate what it can do in the long run.00:02:15:18 - 00:02:29:07Ash RoyIn this episode, we also talk about what you can do when growth starts to slow down and how you can stay on the cutting edge of your field while still producing results and leveraging technology efficiently.00:02:29:08 - 00:02:41:18Neil PatelI learned this great piece of advice. I'm going to use it. If your company is growing at a nice pace, just tell these folks and keep doing what you're doing. The moment here, growth slows down. Start looking at other things to do to speed it up.00:02:41:19 - 00:03:02:07Ash RoyIn today's world of AI. This is particularly important and relevant. And finally, we talk about how to build amazing products, create great user experiences, and build services that your customers continue to come back for and enable you to build a brand that prevails and succeeds against all the odds.00:03:02:08 - 00:03:23:16Neil PatelLet's give you a hypothetical right here. If someone's established business, you make over $100 million a year in a market like the United States. When you have a bad market, it most likely your numbers are going to start getting hurt your growth. Then suddenly number three and start going backwards. But on the flip side, if you're in a new market, let's say you could just expand to the United Kingdom, which has a good GDP and you're at $0 in revenue.00:03:23:22 - 00:03:42:01Neil PatelGood market, bad market doesn't matter. You're going to close something you shouldn't be. So you're going to be better off than where you were before. And in a good market, close more in a bad market cause that'll be slower. And that's why we're growing still at a decent clip is because we're adding a ton internationally.00:03:42:01 - 00:04:20:02Ash RoySo tune in and enjoy. Before we go, there's one more thing I wanted to share with you. Only about 10% of you that are watching this video have actually subscribed to our YouTube channel. So please go ahead and subscribe. Because the more you see these videos, the more you like them and the more you leave comments under the videos on YouTube, the more likely they are to be seen by more people.The bigger our audience gets and the better quality guess we can get you. You've got some great guests lined up for 2024. Please do like and subscribe and share this with other people who might benefit so we can get you more content just like this. Thanks again. Thanks again. I appreciate your support and I look forward to seeing you in the comments.00:04:20:04 - 00:05:20:23Ash RoyWelcome back. Today, I am delighted to welcome the oldest friend of the Productive Insights podcast, our very first guest from episode number one, and that's Neil Patel, the founder of NPR Digital. The Wall Street Journal calls him the top influencer of the Web. He's a New York Times best selling author and was recognized as a top 100 entrepreneur under the age of 30 by President Obama and a top 100 entrepreneur under the age of 35 by the United Nations.He's received congressional recognition from the United States House of Representatives, most recently AMP Digital. That's Neil's company was awarded Best Workplace in 2023. For the second year in a row, they were chosen out of 591 applicants as an MP digital partner. We add productiv

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