Askpat 2.0: A Weekly Coaching Call On Online Business, Blogging, Marketing, And Lifestyle Design

Today's question comes from Aron, who wants to know why I give out t-shirts to AskPat callers. What’s the reason for the giveaway? The conference I mention is Podcast Movement (http://podcastmovement.com/). Do you have a question about why I’m doing something with the show? Record it at http://www.askpat.com/. Thanks to Zip Recruiter for sponsoring today's episode. Go to http://www.ziprecruiter.com/pat to get started posting jobs today.

Today's question comes from Ross, who wants to make enough money to have the freedom to live the life he wants. How does he get started? Get started with episodes of the Smart Passive Income Podcast, which features regular people who’ve built businesses that help them to live the lives they want (http://www.smartpassiveincome.com/category/podcast/). Do you have a question about building a business to support your lifestyle? Record it at http://www.askpat.com/. Today's sponsor is Freshbooks. Go to http://www.GetFreshBooks.com and enter "Ask Pat" for more information.

Today's question comes from Alex, who ask which habits I wish you had started 5–10 years ago. Alex’s site is http://www.66dayexperiment.com/. The first thing I wish I had started sooner is my morning routine, which I cover in this episode of the Smart Passive Income Podcast with Hal Elrod (http://www.smartpassiveincome.com/early-morning-routine/) and on Episode 150 (http://www.smartpassiveincome.com/my-new-morning-routine-schedule-habits/). Also, I love the Five Minute Journal (http://fiveminutejournal.com). Do you have a question about the habits of a good entrepreneur? Record it at http://www.askpat.com/. Thanks to our sponsor, MileIQ! MileIQ tracks your mileage automatically for your taxes. Text “Pat” to 89800 to try the app for free.

Today's question comes from David, who has a question about autoresponder sequences. David’s site is http://bartenderhq.com/. There are two episodes of the Smart Passive Income Podcast that cover autoresponder emails, Session 143 (http://www.smartpassiveincome.com/actionable-email-marketing-strategies/) and Session 159 (http://www.smartpassiveincome.com/autoresponder-email-best-practices/). Do you have a question about your email autoresponders? Record it at http://www.askpat.com/. Thanks to our sponsor, Lynda.com. Try out all of Lynda.com's courses for free for seven days. Go http://lynda.com/AskPat to get started. Thanks to our other sponsor, Sidekick. Receive live notifications when someone opens your email. Go to getsidekick.com/pat to check it out.

Today is special episode of AskPat! I’m taking a lightning round of questions live from the audience on Periscope. The book I recommend in today’s episode is The One Thing by Gary Keller and Jay Papasan (http://amzn.to/1MHXaJP). Do you have a question about using Periscope for your business? Record it at http://www.askpat.com/. Thanks to our sponsor, Lynda.com. Try out all of Lynda.com's courses for free for seven days. Go http://lynda.com/AskPat to get started. Thanks to our other sponsor, Sidekick. Receive live notifications when someone opens your email. Go to http://getsidekick.com/pat to check it out.

Today's question comes from Bill, who hosts a successful Facebook group. How can he get his members to join his email list? Bill’s site is http://themakersguide.com. I offer my advice for how to get your community members on to an email list. Do you have a question about interacting with your Facebook community? Record it at http://www.askpat.com/. Today's sponsor is Freshbooks. Go to http://www.GetFreshBooks.com and enter "Ask Pat" for more information.

Today's question comes from Gabriel, who is new to blogging and wants to know how long (on average) it takes to build up a platform. Is it a year? Two years? Here’s what I think Gabriel (and you) should keep in mind. Gabriel’s site is http://www.gabrielaviles.com/. In this episode I talk about John Lee Dumas (http://entrepreneuronfire.com). Share your experiences using #AskPat398. Do you have a question about building your platform? Record it at http://www.askpat.com/. Thanks to today's sponsor, AWeber. Your email list is your most valuable asset—get started today. Go to http://www.aweber.com/askpat.

Today's question comes from Tom, who is interested in growing his freelancing business to a small agency. How does he go about this? Tom’s site is http://www.convertdigital.co.uk/. In this episode, I mention my Smart Passive Income interview with Brian Casel, which covers “productizing” your business (http://www.smartpassiveincome.com/how-to-productize-your-service-based-business/). Also check out his resource on productizing (http://askpat.com/productize). I also recommend the AskPat sponsor Zip Recruiter (http://www.ziprecruiter.com/pat). Do you have a question about your small business? Record it at http://www.askpat.com/. Thanks to today's sponsor, AWeber. Your email list is your most valuable asset—get started today. Go to http://www.aweber.com/askpat.

Today's question comes from Junaid, who is questioning his desire to be a tech blogger. It’s a crowded industry—is it worth entering, or should he write in a different industry? I share my thoughts on how to get started. Do you have a question about blogging? Record it at http://www.askpat.com/. Today's sponsor is Freshbooks. Go to http://www.GetFreshBooks.com and enter "Ask Pat" for more information.

Today's question comes from Paula, who worries that she may have selected a niche that is too small. What should she do? In this episode, I recommend using the Google Keywords Tool (https://adwords.google.com) and LongTail Pro (http://askpat.com/longtailpro), as well as Amazon (http://amazon.com/). The Gary Vaynerchuck book I reference is Crush It (https://www.garyvaynerchuk.com/new-york-times-bestselling-aut-649919693.html). Do you have a question about your niche website? Record it at http://www.askpat.com/. Thanks to LegalZoom for sponsoring today's episode. Go to http://www.legalzoom.com/ and enter the discount code "Pat" at checkout.

Today's question comes from Mike, who asks about my experience with the Muse device for meditation. You can find the Muse device here (http://smartpassiveincome.com/muse). I use meditation as a part of my morning routine, which I discuss with Hal Elrod on Smart Passive Income Podcast #140 (http://www.smartpassiveincome.com/early-morning-routine/). Do you have a question about meditation? Record it at http://www.askpat.com/. Thanks to our sponsor, Zoom. Check out their fantastic video and web conferencing service at http://zoom.us/pat. Thanks to Zip Recruiter for sponsoring today's episode. Go to http://www.ziprecruiter.com/pat to get started posting jobs today.

Today's question comes from Tehout, who records interviews for her podcast. How can she ensure that her guests have a good sound quality? I recommend the Ecamm Call Recorder for Mac users (http://www.ecamm.com/mac/callrecorder/) and Pamela recorder for PCs (http://www.pamela.biz/). Do you have a question about podcasting? Record it at http://www.askpat.com/. Today's sponsor is Freshbooks. Go to http://www.GetFreshBooks.com and enter "Ask Pat" for more information.

Today's question comes from Matt, who is wrestling with the opinions he received after polling his audience. A small portion of his audience disagrees with a design change he is considering. Should he listen to them or continue with his rebranding plans? Matt’s site is http://skylanderscharacterlist.com/. This site is about the game Skylanders (http://www.skylanders.com/). Pat’s a fan of Disney Infinity (https://infinity.disney.com/). Do you have a question about managing feedback from your audience? Record it at http://www.askpat.com/. Thanks to today's sponsor, AWeber. Your email list is your most valuable asset—get started today. Go to http://www.aweber.com/askpat.

Today's question comes from Matt, whose wife has just released a cookbook. What is the best way to encourage her community to leave reviews on the Amazon and Barnes and Noble sites? Lynn’s site is http://freshaprilflours.com/. I discuss reviews with Jeff Goins on Smart Passive Income Podcast Episode 79 (http://www.smartpassiveincome.com/book-marketing-time-travel/). Do you have a question about selling your book? Record it at http://www.askpat.com/. Thanks to today's sponsor, AWeber. Your email list is your most valuable asset—get started today. Go to http://www.aweber.com/askpat.

Today's question comes from Elizabeth, who needs help convincing her husband that building a business structured around passive income is a smart idea. Elizabeth’s site is http://www.savvysandwicher.com/. Thank you so much for completing the survey I ran on Smart Passive Income. Your responses help me cover topics that are helpful to you as you build your business. To talk about his episode, use #AskPat390. Do you have a question about getting your business started? Record it at http://www.askpat.com/.

Today's question comes from Liz, who asks about how my feelings about Smart Passive Income have changed. How do I feel about what I have to offer my listeners? Liz’s site is http://cuddlesandrage.com/. I would appreciate if you could fill out my survey at http://spisurvey.com. Your responses will help me serve you better. Do you have a question about Smart Passive Income? Record it at http://www.askpat.com/.

Today's question comes from Jason, who is interested it reviving his blog. How does he come back from a long absence? The book I mention is Ask by Ryan Levesque (http://www.amazon.com/Ask-Counterintuitive-Discover-Customers-Business/dp/1939447720/&tag=smartpassiveincome-20). Here’s the survey I’m running based on what I learned from this book, and I would appreciate if you could fill it out: http://spisurvey.com. Your responses will help me serve you better. Do you have a question about getting your blog restarted? Record it at http://www.askpat.com/.

Today's question comes from Michael, who has a question about my Bluehost affiliate sales. How does this income source change the way I approach my business? What would I do differently if I didn’t have this income source? (http://askpat.com/bluehost) I would appreciate if you could fill out my survey at http://spisurvey.com. Your responses will help me serve you better. Do you have a question about affiliate sales? Record it at http://www.askpat.com/.

Today's question comes from Jimm, who has a site with a large backlog of content. How can he make sure he’s making the most of his backlog so that new people find it? Jimm’s site is http://vententersearch.com. In this episode, I talk about my Getting Started page at Smart Passive Income (http://www.smartpassiveincome.com/passive-income-101/), as well as AskPat Episode #383 (https://soundcloud.com/askpat/how-do-i-organize-my-content-plan) and the social media tool Edgar (http://meetedgar.com/). I would appreciate if you could fill out my survey at http://spisurvey.com. Your responses will help me serve you better. Do you have a question about your content strategy? Record it at http://www.askpat.com/.

Today's question comes from Mary, who is looking to build a professional support network. How can she find a personal development coach and a mastermind group? I’ve covered mastermind groups on SPI TV Episodes 9–12 (http://watchspi.tv). Share your experience with mastermind groups and/or working with a development coach using #AskPat385. I would appreciate if you could fill out my survey at http://spisurvey.com. Your responses will help me serve you better. Do you have a question about your personal development? Record it at http://www.askpat.com/.