The Website Leader Podcast

In his episode, we talk with Ryan Hamilton about Plus-Plus. Ryan is the CEO of Plus-Plus USA. Plus-Plus is an award-winning, educational, STEM construction toy that stimulates fine motor skills, creativity, focus, and patience! Plus-plus has been featured in Good Morning America, The Wall Street Journal, and Today.Ryan's story and his journey with Plus-Plus are both powerful and inspiring. If you want to launch a new idea or grow an existing venture, Ryan's story is for you. You can find Plus-Plus in most stores or online at www.plusplususa.com.Also, Ryan helps other makers who are just starting out with developing a new product or people stuck somewhere in the process. He does this through his newest venture, Make Real Stuff. Be sure to check out www.makerealstuff.com.

In this episode, we talk with Alan Johnson. He is the Co-Founder of Cardinal and a software engineer. Cardinal helps teams save and track almost anything and organize everything you’d usually track with spreadsheets and documents in a real-time, searchable, filterable database.Organization is critical to growing your business. Business processes and management can become a house of cards when you don't get organized. How you organize your business should be something you optimize and visit frequently. This show will show you how Cardinal sees organization and how they can help you with this critical business process. You can find Cardinal at www.withcardinal.com.

Relationships are the driver of businesses. And those relationships start with a connection. Connection comes through networking, and that is why Phil is here to share Tech After Five with everyone.Phil Yanov is the founder of Tech After Five. A multi-location networking event that creates meaningful connections through live, face-to-face networking —  vibrant for over 15 years and going 663 events strong. Aside from being the founder of TA5, Phil is an award-winning community organizer, presenter, podcaster, speaker, and generator of applause.You can find out more about Phil Yanov and TA5 at www.techafterfive.com.

In this episode, Tim Lowry unpacks how AI transforms Search Engine Optimization (SEO) in real-time and how it now influences whether or not Google positions your businesses as a solution to your customer's problems.Tim Lowry is the founder & SEO of tiptop SEARCH + MARKETING. Tim helps people, products, and organizations get found online. For over 8 years, he has helped many businesses generate hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue from SEO on Google and search.You can find more about Tim at tiptopsm.com.

With the rise of our digitally driven economy by social media, Google Maps and reviews, e-commerce, SEO, LinkedIn, and more, many businesses are struggling and unprepared for the fast-paced “what’s next” business landscape. As a business leader, you feel that pressure and need someone to guide you and help you win online. In this episode, your guide is Richard Bliss, as we focus on one platform, LinkedIn.Richard Bliss transforms teams, leaders, and executives into sales powerhouses by helping them understand our digital-first world and take action. Richard Bliss is the CEO of BlissPoint, the author of DigitalFirst Leadership, a professional speaker, and an official LinkedIn senior-level leader in “LinkedIn Top Voices”. He has continually featured on networks like NBC, ABC, Fox News, Forbes, Wired, CNN, and Good Morning America. He is a frequent podcast guest and has been on shows like The Rad Cast, Greenville’s TA5, Kenneth Shark Kinney, and many more. 

Daniel Dye is the CEO of Supermoon - a streamlined communication management platform for your business! “He is also the Co-Owner of GruffyGoat - an in-budget web design and development agency. Daniel is also an investor in various startups.In this episode, Daniel talks about converting a personal business problem he had into a business called Supermoon. If you have a personal need or an internal tool, you think has that “business spark”, Daniel is here to help you by sharing his story.https://getsupermoon.com/

Mark Johnson is the Co-Founder and CTO of Pathwright for over 11 years. Pathwright empowers over 1.8 million learners with its unique approach to online education. Pathwright believes humans are wired to make paths.You can find more about the Mark and Pathwright at https://www.pathwright.com/.In this episode, Mark talks about the impact of Artificial Intelligence in education and on your business. 

Kevin talks with Jim Mann about producing audio podcasts and radio shows in this episode. Audio is a powerful tool for telling your business's story, expanding your network, and exposing your ability to solve your customer's problems better than anyone else.Jim Mann owns Mann Made Productions and specializes in voice-overs for TV, Radio, podcasts, books, and more.  Jim has been the Production Director for HIS Radio and WCIE and airshifts at WTWB in Florida and WLXP in Savannah.  Jim is a co-host of the Unofficial Chick-fil-A podcast with Alison Storm. Jim hosts the podcast "I Am Healing Strong" for the HealingStrong organization out of Atlanta - the show has a personal connection to Jim because he is also a stage 4 melanoma survivor.  Jim is also the editor for this podcast.https://mannmadeproductions.com/

Joe Poore is the CFO of GEM Mining. Prior to joining GEM Mining, Poore was a partner at Cherry Bekaert, LLP, a top 25 U.S. accounting firm. His role focused on helping clients create maximum value for their companies through digital optimization, efficient use of capital, and strategic tax structuring. Poore also worked extensively in sell-side M&A, where he was a lead advisor on multiple private companies exiting to public market buyers. Before his career in public accounting, Joe served in the U.S. Marine Corps and is a veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom.You can find more about Joe and Gem Mining at gemmining.com

The Website Leader Podcast equips business leaders with valuable information to make sound business decisions. In this episode, we discuss cryptocurrency and what your business needs to know about the crypto space from EFTs, Coins, CBDC, blockchain, and the coming "The U.S. Dollar".Austin is an expert in Cryptocurrency and NFTs. He is a cohost on the NerdFT Radio podcast; you can find that on Apple Podcasts. He currently makes a living buying and selling cryptocurrency and owns zero USA.https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/nerdft-radio/id1593393166https://www.federalreserve.gov/cbdc-faqs.htm 

People found new routines during the pandemic, and in-person meetups took to Zoom and the virtual space. Apple Vision Pro’s product is a monument of sorts to this change. It seems like we are moving ever closer to mostly virtual reality. However, in-person meetups and conferences are starting to spring back into action, like Carolina Code Conference.Barry Jones has been the owner of Brightball since 2008. He works with businesses as a fractional CTO. As a fractional CTO, Barry helps businesses build successful software developer teams, software, and processes. Barry also runs the Carolina Code Conference, a community-driven “polyglot” conference set to take place in beautiful downtown Greenville, SC.In this episode, Barry talks with Kevin about Carolina Code Conference and how he is working to bring Greenville's tech community back together on August 19, 2023.You can check out Carolina Code Conference at carolina.codes.

Jonathan has been leading and speaking professionally for more than 15 years. From delivering keynotes to conducting workshops and corporate training to presenting at a TEDx event, he has the privilege of teaching audiences all over the US and abroad. He is a certified leadership coach through GiANT Worldwide and is currently completing a master coaching program out of London, England studying Predictive Leadership Behaviors. He is also releasing a book soon!  You can see more of Jonathan’s work at thejonathanrparker.comhttps://raisedbysociety.com/collections/fisherman-beanies

Will Stewart is an Emmy Award winning Director and the founder and CEO of 9/8 Central, a video production and social media marketing company based in Greenville, SC. Will’s mission is to produce video marketing content that not only looks good but also gets results. While Will has worked with some of the biggest brands to create national TV campaigns and won awards for his work, his greatest passion is businesses in his hometown grow and succeed.  You can see more of Will’s work at 98c.org

Work is a lot of life. So it’s worth spending time discovering if the work you’re currently doing is the work that makes you most satisfied. In this episode, Robert Roskam shares his process for engaging with job satisfaction questions from team-building and personal perspectives.Robert Roskam is a highly experienced developer and leader. With over 10 years of experience, he has worked with high-profile companies like Pantheon.https://blog.robertroskam.com/p/are-you-satisfied-with-your-job

Remote BenefitsBetter focus opportunities and fewer interruptions or distractions.NO commute, dealing with rush hour traffic and crazy drivers. Start the day and end the day with less stress and anxiety around the commute.Tells the team you trust them to do what they know to do well. Office BenefitsEasier to connect with teammates face-to-face.Collaboration tends to be more accessible.Culture is easier to execute in person vs. remotely.

Why? What is your idea and what is your plan? Have an objective and know when you are reaching that objective.How does it align with your business objectives and goals?How are you going to record and produce the show? Build your own studio out or rent a built-out studio?Record your episodes in bulk.Research the proper equipment - software and hardware.What is your editing solution? Do you need a soundtrack and ads or promotions in any episodes?How will you distribute your episodes?

The Four Principles for your Home Page:Be more clear in your messaging (the words).Cause fewer questions in the minds of your visitors.Have a single call to action.Save your visitors' time.

Bootstrapping a company. It requires the right ingredients at the right time and in the right quantity. It takes focus, intention, and attention to detail. In other words, business is a lot like coffee.Marco Suarez is the co-founder and Head of Customer Experience at Methodical Coffee. Methodical Coffee is known locally in Greenville, SC, for its exceptional coffee, customer service, and experience. Marco’s background is in graphic design and product design. He has worked for various top tech companies you have probably heard of, like InVision, MailChimp, and Etsy. He has consulted for Facebook, Grab, Toast, BridgeWater, and many notable companies.In this episode, Marco talks about bootstrapping Methodical Coffee and how he turned his coffee shop business idea into a huge hit in Greenville SC.

Kevin Dees and Jeff Carver discuss making the best software choices for your business. Should you use managed out-of-the-box software like Shopify or Squarespace? Or, should you build and manage your own fully custom software?

Justin Hall is a wonderfully talented gentleman who I have known since the very early days of Robojuice where we operated out of the same CoWork space in Greenville, SC. Justin is a humble, kind, gentle soul who cares deeply about his craft, family, and his teammates. Justin never seems to be in a hurry or anxious but is calm and focused.Justin is the Chief Brand Officer at Pathwright where he spends most of his time drawing, talking, and playing with pixels. Justin leads campaigns, visual design, and team feelings. He loves typography, illustration, making pizza, tinkering with cars, skateboarding, and being a Dad to two kids and a bakery. He also supports his wife’s business Bossy Bakers.You see more of Justin’s work at pathwright.com and BossyBakers.com

Recently, we had a conversation with an individual who was told by his leadership he would not receive a raise for the perceived market value of his position due to that raise making them a higher-paid teammate than the president or owner of the business. 

Video can connect emotionally with an audience in a way that causes them to take action. Video tells a story even when you turn on mute. John Carrington shoots these videos and is on the show to help you better understand what goes into the production process. John is a Cinematographer based in Greenville, SC, and shoots across the US and over 30 countries for brands like Dominos, Wells Fargo, Google, and Toyota. Along with his commercial work, he has shot three feature films. Additionally, he co-owns a production company called Nocturne Pictures, which works on various creative narrative and commercial projects.

Lazaro Montoto (Laz) is the founder and owner of Tropical Grille and part owner of Tipsy Taco. Laz came to Greenville 14 years ago from Miami to build his concept of a fast, healthy, affordable restaurant. He and his wife Shadid now have 12 Tropical Grille locations and two new locations coming to Charleston and Charlotte, NC. Tipsy Taco has 8 locations in the Upstate and North Carolina.You can find more about Laz at eattg.com and tipsytaco.net 

Alan Ethridge is the Executive Director of the Metropolitan Arts Council (MAC) and has been a part of MAC since 2004. Alan serves on the Board of Directors of the Greenville Convention & Visitors Bureau and Artisphere and is on the Board of Governors for the Greenville Chamber of Commerce and Board of Advisors of the Department of Visual Arts at Greenville Tech. You can see why I call him Captain Greenville. On top of all that, Alan is a very close friend of mine personally and has been for over 18 years.You can find more about the Alan and Metropolitan Arts Council at greenvillearts.com 

Ryan McAllen is an old friend and someone I truly believe is a master storyteller, communicator, and presenter. Ryan has spoken at the Hall of Men, Anderson Classical Conversations Kickoff in 2020 and 2021, participated and spoke in a decade of RESTFest conferences, and he teaches Sunday School for 7 - 12-year-olds and teens. Any talk that I have witnessed with Ryan he commands the room. Ryan was an avid East Coast Swing dancer but now is an up-and-coming pickleball powerhouse. Ryan can give you a lesson or two on pickleball if you’re up for a game.

Stephen Stokes is the President of Stokes & Company Certified Public Accountants and PaySmart Payroll Services. Stephen has been doing this for over 18 years and specializes in Small Business Accounting, Business Management and Consulting, Mergers and Acquisitions, and more. Stephen is a board member of several local non-profit organizations, was recognized with Bob Jones University’s Distinguished Alumni Award, and is on the national board of directors of PASBA: Professional Association of Small Business Accountants.You can find more about Stephen and Stokes & Company at StokesCPAS.com

In order to hand off a high level of deliverables, a solid working relationship is key. Trust me, I have seen this so many different ways over the past 20+ years and it was a continuous debate between service agency and client that was super unproductive and frustrating on both ends. Not including all the wasted (yes, wasted) time logging hours, estimating hours, justifying hours, not billing hours, or even writing off hours - which then leads to conversations with management about "why didn't we bill those hours?" Again, this only wastes productive time for the client and agency on real problems to solve.Value-based vs hourly based work moves the relationship more towards either:Client: What is the least amount of hours I can pay for this work?Service Agency: How many hours can I bill for this work?Both of these mindsets from either the service provider or the client soil the relationship and move the conversation away from achieving the desired results of the work. We prefer to focus on getting expectations met and exceeded, not jostling over how many hours it should or should not take to do said work.

Brian Walsh is the President and Founder of Progressive Properties of Greenville, a full-service residential property management company in Greenville, SC. Brian has been in the construction business for over 20 years and leading PPOG for over 13 years managing over 400 units. His co-owner, wife, and my cousin Heather have built this management company from the ground up with Brian. Brian’s team is a group of carefully-selected industry professionals with a wealth of knowledge, field training, and hands-on experience. Brian and Heather manage properties, sell rent-ready houses, project manage, and partner with investors.You can find more about Brian and Progressive Properties of Greenville at propgreenville.com 

Analysis and planning first are like going to the doctor for your health needs or to the mechanic for your car issues. You tell the expert the problems or symptoms you are experiencing, and they use their proficient knowledge in their field to provide you with a recommended path of next steps. If we merely gave clients costs and web tactics right away before an analysis, that would be arrogant and irresponsible of us as a business. That would be like getting a prognosis, prescription, or healthcare plan from your doctor before doing a check-up and running tests on you first.

Jennifer Sutton is the founder and CEO of Bright+Co and OrangeWip. Jennifer guides businesses in strategic planning, media buying and planning, market research and analysis. Jennifer has been doing this for decades and I have personally known Jennifer for over 17 years. Jennifer has been recognized locally and nationally for her leadership and expertise. Here are just a few of Jennifer’s accolades:Excellence Award, Greenville Chamber of CommerceOne of the 50 Most Creative CEOs to Watch, Insights Success MagazineB2B Marketer of the Year, Business Marketing Association Carolinas2020 Women of Influence, Greenville Business JournalYou can find more about Jennifer and her business solutions at BrightCoMarketers.com and at OrangeWip.com

Set Your Foundation - If the foundation of your business website isn’t right, adding more bells and whistles will only make your web project more cumbersome, complicated, take forever and make it more difficult to launch.Refine Your Message - The right message on a simple, modern design is far more effective than vague messaging with a stunning design. Tell users what problem you solve for them and how to easily get your service.Prioritize Your Pages - Rather than trying to get 50 website pages perfect before your site goes live, focus on getting your two primary pages - the home page and the service page.Get Your Conversions - Start by making sure the visitors who come to your website convert. Once you have your conversion process set, you can focus on driving traffic to your business website knowing it will convert.

Robojuice / Business Website Leader Hiring ProcessWe pray over potential candidates and for them to be sent our direction.We post the position and check in with our network for referrals.We will have a "get to know you" conversation over coffee.We will review your resume and LinkedIn profile.You take a Working Genius® assessment to discover the gifts you will bring to work.Formal interviews with Kevin and Jeff.Formal interviews with trusted friends of Robojuice.Review of compensation, Benefits, Job Description, KPIs, and Robojuice policies.Have a group outing like a dinner with you and your partner or spouse.We pray over everything more. Make an offer or send a Thank You note.

Rhiannon joins me to discuss the current environment around finding talent for your business. Rhiannon shares statistics and tips for business leaders to use when they are ready to hire. This is a new era for finding talented human resources. Some of the key principles around hiring are still applicable, others are now more amplified, and there are new things to learn whether you are looking to hire or looking for that new career.You can find more about Forge Search + Consulting and Rhiannon at ForgeSC.com 

Laura joins the podcast to discuss why the strategy behind your content matters. We discuss:Why do you even need strategic contentWhat do we need to know about Google and original, strategic content.How should business leaders think about using their strategic content.How can a business maximize and get the most mileage out of its strategic content.How to address multiple audiences for strategic content.Lead generation Ways to know if a business' strategic content is working.

Kristyn Dees is the Business & Human Resources Manager at Think Up Consulting, is certified in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in the Workplace, and is a SHRM Certified Professional (SHRM-CP).Growing your business means growing your team. Unfortunately, finding the right people for your team is a massive problem right now with COVID, the great resignation, and worker shortages. In this show, Kristyn talks about what businesses need to know about the hiring, retention, and graduating process to grow without punishing their profits and culture in terms of values and logistics.

Emilio is the founder of Boundify, a HubSpot and Google Ads certified company. He is a demand generation expert and helps businesses with paid search, paid social, remarking, sales enablement, and inbound marketing.Businesses doing paid ads can feel helpless as they watch their ad spend go up if revenue does not follow. However, this issue has little to do with ads and everything to do with lack of or broken strategy and planning.Emilio is here today to discuss what is going on with paid ads and to help your business get a plan that allows you to start winning in the ad space.

Robbie Fitzwater is the Founder of MKTG Rhythm, Lecturer at Clemson University for the marketing department, Klaviyo certified expert, and has worked with bands like Gerber Childrenswear, Clemson, Methodical Coffee, and The Well just to name a few brands.A big problem is that businesses fail to see results when sending emails and email campaigns to their customers. The root cause of missing results is that they are sending emails but are not doing email marketing. In this show, Robbie unpacks what businesses need to know to start seeing the results from their email marketing. 

For Gordon, helping others better themselves physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually brings him a phenomenal feeling. Gordon's motivation comes from helping someone move from doubting themselves and being full of insecurities to achieving a goal they never thought possible. At the end of the day, we all need someone in our corner, cheering us on and encouraging us — Gordon wants to be that person for you.You can find out more about Gordon Lake at:https://www.crossfitsimpsonville.comhttps://fittestoftheupstate.com

Brian Knox is a commercial photographer located in the Upstate of South Carolina. He is obsessed with the classic work environment and physical labor in building tangible things. He is more the grit over the glamour type of photography. Brian specializes in photographing the everyday heroes and daily grinders who make our lives possible. From the docks to the rooftop to the farmland, his goal is to showcase your work with honest and compelling photography. Brian Knox loves serving business owners and works tirelessly to deliver images businesses are proud to share.You can find Brian at https://www.bknoxphotography.com/

William McBee is a crazy intelligent human being. He has a giant brain, and we are fortunate to tap into some of it. William is a literal encyclopedia on any topic. William has a gift of becoming most people’s favorite person a short time after meeting them. Yeah, he’s a charmer. William’s background includes DOD, Sega, BMW, Michelin, Bank of America, LabCorp, and now he’s leading a special tech team in the insurance world in Raleigh, NC.

Jay is an expert at crafting words and stories that will generate sales for your business as he has for others. That is why he is here today. Among his many accomplishments, he is the owner of ConvertCraft Digital Marketing, the Vice President of GraceWorks Ministries, has consulted for multi-million dollar brands, and is a StoryBrand Certified Guide. 

Tim's blog post on  "How to Do an SEO Audit and Improve Your Rankings".

Google Analytics and Hotjar. SEO and Paid Ads.

Here are a few best practices we recommend.• Send the emails over several weeks, on a regular basis (typically once a week, at a time when the email open rate is high).• Provide high-value content focused on solving the prospect’s problems.• Send offers for additional content as long as the recipient doesn’t unsubscribe.• Follow a reliable messaging framework like StoryBrand.• Create content that’s high-value, empathetic, valuable, and authoritative.• Ensure content is relevant to the prospect, based on the lead magnet they initially requested.• Offer free, high-value content at least three times before presenting a bottom-of-the-funnel offer like a sales conversation or a purchase.

The average local agency website we tested scored 27 out of 100 on Google’s speed ranking. Worse, the average site took five seconds to load on mobile.At Business Website Leader, we take website speed seriously. Our company’s website loads on mobile in 1.9 seconds and scores 96 or 100 on the Google ranking system.

In practice, this means your website’s content:• Doesn’t talk about you unless it establishes you as a qualified guide (not the hero)• Is centered around the customer’s problems and tasks they want to accomplish• Always starts by addressing the pain points the customer wants to be solved or the question they want to be answered

Many companies struggle to use contact forms effectively. They may see low numbers of form fills, or they may lose prospects after a form submission. Several factors can cause this problem:• The form takes too long to fill out (over seven fields to complete).• The instructions are missing or confusing.• The form lacks a complete feedback loop (form errors don’t trigger an alert, the form lacks a progress bar, or the form fails to display a thank you message or send an order confirmation email).

Make sure you have a call to action on your website. If you are not telling the prospect what to do they will not take a step towards purchase on your website. It should be very simple, it should be very clear and direct. Tell the user exactly what they need to do.

What problems are we solving for our customer? How are you making your customer’s life better by them buying your product or service? Good messaging is specific and concrete, addresses a well-defined problem and identifies the solution. 

The programming code that makes up your website has a massive impact on your website’s performance. We need this foundation to be solid so we can build upon it and scale up our business online.We prioritize the words over the aesthetic of the design. We want users to easily understand what your product or service is, why they need it and clearly how to get it.Get the most important pages of your new website done first. Your home page, a conversion-focused landing page, your services page and the “buy now” page. All pages do not need to be perfect to go live and start winning online. Stop waiting for many months or even years to get it live so you get your products and services out there faster.It is ineffective to drive a lot of organic and paid traffic to your website if the website is not ready to convert that traffic. If your messaging is not correct, your call to action is not simple and you have spent too much time on trendy design you are wasting your time and money on driving traffic.