The Side Plan

There is nothing more frustrating than creating content that doesn’t resonate with your target audience.If this sounds familiar to you...Chances are that you are not identifying your niche market correctly. In this episode, I am going to help you find the right niche for your business. So your content will resonate with your audience, and ultimately you will engage with your potential customers and make more salesIn this podcast episode I talk about:What is a niche market and why is so important?In short, we can define a niche market as a small, specialized market for a particular product or service.How to identify your niche?Nich down, and be specific: identify specific problems that you can solve in a remarkable way.How to pivot into a profitable niche?Going from generalist to specialist by focusing your attention on solving ONE problem for ONE audience persona at a time.How to overcome the fear of limiting your market.The counterintuitive reason why niching down will allow you to get access to more (and better) clients.Resources mentioned:Listen to more content like this.Get instant free access to my Resource library

We all know that SEO is so important to get your valuable content in front of the right people. The problem is that out there are so many techniques, tactics, and strategies that promise you to rank your content to the top positions in Google.Link building, white hat SEO, stealing keywords from your competitors, setting the right architecture…Feels exhausting and overwhelming!You started your business because you wanted to serve your customers with your knowledge and now you need to become an SEO expert on the go?Isn't there a simple way to do SEO and get results?That's what I asked Matthew Woodward in this interview, he's an internationally renowned SEO expert.Well, what if you could ignore 80% of the noise and tactics and focus on the 20% that really matters?That 20% is exactly what Matthew will teach you in this episode: how to build the right SEO foundation to start getting results.The best of all? You won’t need to pay for expensive tools and learn complicated link building strategies to get it done.I invite you to listen to today’s episode to learn the basics of building a good SEO strategy once and for all.Check the show notes to get access to the resources mentioned in the episode:  Go here.

I couldn’t tell you how many times I’ve been paralyzed in front of a blank page because I didn’t know what to talk about.It feels overwhelming, and the more you try, the more blocked you are.I used to feel this way whenever I was creating new content or writing a script for my podcast, or just writing an email.It's like you can't come up with good content ideas anymore. What if I've already said everything I know? What am I going to talk about?Here is the thing, there is not such a lack of good ideas. Actually, there are unlimited great ideas.The problem is that we expect that those great ideas will come to us by divine inspiration. And this is not how it works. What if I tell you that generating good ideas is a process that you can build once and replicate as many times as you want to generate unlimited content ideas.Also, what if your audience loved your next content, and the next one, and the one after that…?That’s exactly what I am sharing with you in this podcast episode of The Side Plan, the approach and strategies that I use to generate content ideas effortlessly, every single time.Download my guide on how to Create Content That Grabs People's Attention And Make Them Buy Your Stuff: Download here. 

If you are like me, one of the most stressful and overwhelming experiences that you will face is public speaking.But what if I tell you that the ability to speak to others is a skill that you can learn? Even if you are an introvert!This week I am interviewing Brenden Kumarasamy.Brenden is a public speaking coach. He has an inspiring story overcoming adversity and building a life of purpose and meaning helping others to tell their story to the world.Whether you are interested in public speaking or improving your communication skills this is an episode full of value for you.Why introverts have certain “advantages” in public speaking?Brenden explains the difference between introverts and extroverts when it comes to speaking in public and how you can take advantage, especially if you are an introvert.Go to the full show notes and learn more about public speaking and building your own business: here. Buzzsprout - Let's get your podcast launched! Start for FREEDisclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

Creating new content that no one sees feels so frustrating.That’s exactly how I was feeling for a long time until I understood that creating great content is not enough.I learned that the hard way, spending long hours creating content, researching topics, and adding lots of value just to see how no one was seeing my content.Creating remarkable content without spending time and resources promoting that content is a bad strategy. Is like having a revolutionary product that solves a huge problem, but nobody knows about it. The ultimate point in creating content is helping your audience to overcome their problems and help them achieve their goals. Placing your content in front of them is your responsibility.Remember the 20/80 rule that says that you should spend 20% of your time creating content and 80% of your time promoting the content.In this week’s podcast episode I show 5 strategies that I’ve been using and you can apply immediately to promote your content and start building your audience faster.Related episodes that I mention:How To Create Remarkable ContentHow To Become A Podcast Guest (The Right Way)Buzzsprout - Let's get your podcast launched! Start for FREEDisclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

Until I figured out this, my content was having ZERO engagement.I was wondering why my content was having not traction, clearly, I was doing a huge mistake with my content creation.But I didn’t know what.My mistake was the same as many other content creators: I was creating content that was interesting for me but not for my audience.Sounds silly, but this is the number one reason why most of the content out there underperform or goes totally unnoticed.In this episode, I share with you how to create remarkable content that your audience will care about, and more importantly, how you’ll become an authority and a trusted source of information in your industry.Buzzsprout - Let's get your podcast launched! Start for FREEDisclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

You can be one podcast away from becoming a renowned expert in your industry. Of course, if you are able to become a master guest-podcaster.In this week’s episode of The Side Plan, I’m sharing with you how to pitch a podcast to be featured as a guest in any podcast that you want.As you know, I am podcasting for a while now and I can tell you something, I have received many types of proposals from potential guests.Some of them, automated email sequences that don’t even know what my podcast is about. (these go to the trash folder). Others, instead, are great podcast proposals that are almost impossible to say no.In this episode, I am sharing with you EVERYTHING so you can become an amazing guest and land interviews on the most popular shows in your industry.As Seth Godin once said, “podcasting is the blogging”, so guest podcasting is the new guest blogging.Episodes that I mentioned:Ep 23: Top 5 reasons to start a business podcastEp 22: How to tell your story to get lifetime customers

Developing the right skills will set you apart from 90% of entrepreneurs that are struggling to succeed in their businesses.The reason is simple, there are certain core skills that you, and only you, must master if you want to lead your business to success.I’ve been an entrepreneur for the last 10 years and I can tell you something, I’ve made every single mistake along the way. Carrying unnecessary stress and anxiety because I lacked the right mindset and skills.I want to share with you 5 fundamental skills that have made a difference in my professional growth and in the results of my business.Asking the right questions.Learn to manage your emotions.Focus on what’s really important.Cultivate win-win relationships.Master the art of communication.Access to more content like this at francanete.com/podcastBuzzsprout - Let's get your podcast launched! Start for FREEDisclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

Building a business based on your expertise and knowledge is hard, let’s face it. Actually it’s supposed to be hard.  We are living in a highly crowded online world where every day is more difficult to get the attention of your audience. Actually, we have just a few seconds to catch somebody’s attention before is gone forever.So, how can you get their attention, provide lots of value, and engage with them in a unique way?This is where podcasting becomes a powerful marketing tool for you and your business. Whether if you are building a business based on your knowledge and expertise of you are growing your small business, you can amplify your marketing impact and get access to a larger audience of potential customers.I am bringing today the 5 main reasons, or benefits, to start a business podcast today:Build credibility: Developing your own voice.Your dream 100 connections network.Capitalize on a growing channelPodcast Listeners Have Grown 37.5% in the last 3 Years & 37% of Americans Listen to Podcasts Monthly.75% of the US population is familiar with the term “podcasting”New monetization opportunities 45% of monthly podcast listeners have a household income of over $75KEngage your audience80% of podcast listeners listen to an entire podcast episodeBuzzsprout - Let's get your podcast launched! Start for FREEDisclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

In my personal experience, if you are working to build a massive online following, there is a counterintuitive strategy to follow: create one true connection at a time.Sharing your personal story online (especially on social media) is crucial for building a relationship with your audience that will last over the years.In a world of vanity metrics, this strategy doesn't sound very sexy, but the key is to target the right audience, understand what they really want, and deliver the perfect solution based on your personal story.This is not an "overnight success" strategy, but a proven way to learn about your market and tell your story better in a way that inspires others and creates positive change.Buzzsprout - Let's get your podcast launched! Start for FREEDisclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

Today I want to share with you a fascinating topic that I’ve seen in constant evolution for the last 8 years.This is how can you become a Digital CEO and run a successful business online???Back in 2008 when I started my first online business I was absolutely lost and to be honest I was completely mistaken about how a successful business should be.Get Access To My Secret Vault With Resources To Become A Successful Online Entrepreneur HERE.

The most effective way to build an online business today is by sharing your knowledge and expertise with your audience.Today I am sharing with you how to overcome the "fear" of teaching your audience and build an engaged tribe. 

LinkedIn is all about authority, credibility, and building relationships.This week I am bringing to you a podcast episode focused on how to boost your Social Selling Index on LinkedIn.Let’s be honest.Did you really know there was such a thing? Did you know that LinkedIn has a Social Selling Index that measures your activity, and therefore your chances of successful selling on LinkedIn?I’ll show you first how to check your SSI to discover which areas you should pay special attention to.Also, I have a full step-by-step guide to help you improve your score that you can download from here.You can find the links and download the guide from the episode's show notes.Buzzsprout - Let's get your podcast launched! Start for FREEDisclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

This week I am so excited to be featuring Chris Ducker, which you probably already know. He is a well-known entrepreneur, author, podcaster, public speaker, and a lot more.I am going to tell you a secret this week, something a bit personal. During these chaotic times, I’ve been struggling with my daily productivity and goal tracking at some points.Ok, what’s new about that? You are probably saying. EVERY ENTREPRENEUR is struggling with productivity at the moment.The thing is, I asked Chris for some advice on how to improve my daily productivity and he sent me a simple but hugely effective technique that boosted my daily productivity.The technique is called the 1-2-3 method and it was so good that ask Chris if I could share it here with all of you. And here is Chris explaining how to use the 1-2-3 method…

Unless you can stay centered and grow through uncertainty you’ll be always suffering as an entrepreneur. I’m sorry, but this is something that I learned in the crisis of 2008 when I started my first business.The truth and the matter are that (almost) anyone can start and grow a business when the economy is right, the markets are right, the right clients have money to pay you and your cashflow is looking spectacular.The question is: can you be a good entrepreneur when you don’t have any of that?Keeping your mind clear and focused running your business when you don’t know where your next client is going to come from sounds almost impossible. Bur trust me if you want to succeed and stay in business for the long term this is a skill that you need to learn.Yes, I said a skill, because it can be learned and improved.In this podcast episode, I am going to share with you four frameworks and strategies that I use to stay focus, especially in these chaotic days.Also, I am sharing with you a relaxing breathing exercise that Ron Foglia has sent me to share with you all of you.

How can you stay focused on your business goals when the world is falling apart?This is the question that I asked Kimberly Afonso (aka The CEO Whisperer) a few weeks ago.In Kimberly’s words: “Is not the time to be super productive all the time but find the way to work smarter, strategically”.Identify key daily goals that will give you instant progress toward your goals.Depending on where you are right now, it could be…Reaching out your best client to create an outstanding case study.Finding the right business partners to pivot your business into a new sector.Landing your first podcast interview to start growing your businessOR as simple as registering your domain name and setting up your own blogWhatever it is for your particular case, it has to be a specific action that you can do right now that will bring you closer to your big goals.The key is to stay focused on your daily goals and not feel overwhelmed by how far you feel from your big goals right now.About Kimberly AfonsoWebsiteLinkedInTwitter

Almost every single time when I used to say that I work from home, people get shocked about it!Today, we are living a totally different reality.Bur for some reason, people still think that working from home as something temporary. You know, if you are not working in an office, you are not actually working after all.At the same time, big corporations such as Apple, Amazon or Netflix have a full “remote work” program that their employees can take advantage of —even before COVID-19.But for some reason, many people are still missing the "old good times" at the office.In my brutally honest opinion, people don’t know what they want until you show it to them. Alright, that’s not mine, it’s from Steve Jobs, but you get the point.Here are 7 reasons why to not go back to the office ever again.Buzzsprout - Let's get your podcast launched! Start for FREEDisclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

Starting a business is difficult, but starting and growing a business in the middle of a crisis is 10x more difficult.I now that because I started my first business (still alive) in the middle of the 2008 economical crisis.If you are starting a side business or in the early stages of it, your first reaction probably is to leave it on standby for a while. And, quite honestly, I don’t blame you.It feels so scary right now.But wait a minute, before you give up your side business and with it your entrepreneurial dreams I want you to listen to the last episode of The Side Plan.You are not alone. We are a lot of entrepreneurs all over the world building amazing projects.This could be the best moment to start your side hustle.You can download your Step-by-step guide to find and validate your business idea from francanete.comBuzzsprout - Let's get your podcast launched! Start for FREEDisclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

Welcome to another special episode of The Side Plan on this Chaospreneur daily series.If you are new, I am sharing my learnings, miseries and small victories through the process of being an entrepreneur in times of chaosYour market still needs your helpThe feeling that we all entrepreneurs have right now from the market is that everything has frozen.Some industries are going to be idle for a while.You can pivot your business and adapt your offerings to new channels like online.Not everybody has been affected the same way.Maybe you need to pivot your business to a new type of business or client.Develop new ways to deliver your value to your client base.Do not lower your ratesSounds tempting but this is just a temporary solution to keep some of your clients around in the short term.You can be flexible in the way that you charge your clients.BONUS: Get Access To My Secret Vault With Resources To Start An Online Business On The Side Without Giving Up Everything.

The game has changed2 weeks ago we were playing according to certain rules, today the game has changed and we need to start playing according to new rules.The market is changing, many things that you used to do are going to disappear, at least for a while, and other new opportunities will appear.If you want to keep growing you need to accept uncertaintyThe skills, tactics and strategies that you used to grow your business or professionally for the last 10 years are not enough right now.You need to accept that the game has changed, understand the new rules and develop new skillsBe proactive, not reactiveMany people are worried these days and as a result, they are paralysedYou cannot stop, if you want to keep growing and don’t get stuck in these difficult times, you need to keep moving.Adapt, test and find new ways to deliver your value.Bonus: Download my step-by-step guide to find and validate a profitable idea.