Unconventional Life – Podcast, Blog, Live Events

Author: Jules Schroeder

Ep:188 How to Launch a Business in 30 Days with Institute of Code Co-founder, Tina May
Days before launching her first product, her boss at the time came up to her and said “Look, Tina, I’ve come to a decision. I just don’t think you have what it takes to get this off the ground.” Tina was devastated. She had put so much time and effort into the company, and now, she was left with nothing.
Within that fury was also motivation and determination to succeed. So she made a promise and that promise was to launch a company in only one month.
And in 30 days, from idea to product, the Institute of Code was born.
Tina May is the co-founder of the Institute of Code along with her partner Emilio. Together, they are pioneering and redefining what education can look like. Located in Bali, Indonesia, Institute of Code encompasses a new way of learning.
Tina and Emilio believe that when you remove people from the distractions of everyday life, keep them nourished with high-quality food, movement, and meditation, plus a beautiful natural environment to surround themselves in while they learn, something amazing happens.
Their programs combine mentor-supported online learning with a 10-day intensive’s to help students launch a new career in web development or social media marketing in only two months!
Currently, IOC has taught over 500 students and is pulling in 7 figures… I’d say this lady definitely has what it takes to get a business off the ground.
In this episode, Tina shares 5 easy steps that you can use to take your own business idea off the ground and running in 30 days.
Put aside any preconceived notions about how things are or should be.
Tina shares that “If you’re trying to innovate, and you’re trying to come up with something new, you have to step back from the perspective of why things are the way they are, and just reimagine what else could be possible.”
Even if your idea sounds ridiculous, entertain it for a while! Tina and her partner Emilio have a policy when they are brainstorming ideas to not shut each other down too quickly. The rational mind can be so quick to judge and figure out why something wouldn’t work that ideas have a tough time of even getting off the ground.
Your brainstorming session should be spontaneous and free-flowing, plentiful, and without hesitation. Once you have your ideas out on paper, start to see how you can organize them to turn an idea into action.
Validate your idea by getting feedback
Talk to a lot of people about your idea, and be prepared to receive their feedback. Tina shares that this is one of the hardest things to do. As an entrepreneur, you need to stay true to your vision, even when other people don’t understand it, but you also have to receive valuable feedback and criticism from other people.
Yes, these are conflicting goals. There will be some people won’t see or understand your vision, and that’s okay. You can’t let them wack you down. In the words of the iconic Steve Jobs: “The people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do.”
What starts to happen when you speak to people about your idea is that you are able to see problems and solutions from a different perspective to really understand what your future customer would want.
Find a way to test your idea with minimal risk as possible.
Start with fast and cheap experiments when your uncertainty is at its highest. Starting with expensive and time-consuming experiments can become very costly if your initial assumptions turn out to be wrong. For example, one of the reasons why Tina choose Bali was that it was a lot cheaper to rent out a luxury villa and run their programs there than getting a similar set up in Australia.
Jump in!
Tina gave herself a 30-day time frame to launch her business and within 12 months they had run 8 retreats and gained valuable information from taking action. Yes, they made mistakes but so much of starting your business is not just thining or daydreaming about it but actually jumping in and learning as you go.
So don’t spend the next 12 months deliberating on the perfect idea. Just pick something that feels right to you, and that you’re passionate about and start.
Prioritize your mental health.
“As an entrepreneur, having good self-care practices and surrounding yourself with other people who believe in you are probably the most important things you can do as an entrepreneur.
Some recommended self-care practices are;
Reflective practices like acupuncture, massage, meditation, yoga, and journaling
Eating a balanced diet, minimal substance use and plenty of sleep
Being a part of supportive communities
Being creative outside of work by making art, cooking or dancing
Taking a vacation or mini holiday.
Being okay with doing less.
Watching Netflix
Unless you’re taking care of yourself first and getting yourself into the headspace to succeed, it’s very hard to pull any business off.
Giveaway!
Institute of Code online course Website in a Weekend. The course takes you from absolutely zero coding skills to build your own responsive live custom website. “zero to hero” is the approach 😉
Find out more about the Institute of Code on Instagram or through the website.
September 16, 2019
Ep: 186 How to Make Google Love Your Website, With SEO Expert, Sam McRoberts

Search Engine Optimization, also commonly known as SEO, is such a buzz word in the entrepreneurial scene. Many say that you must have it, but what exactly is SEO, how does it work and how do you apply it to your business?

Today on the Unconventional Life Show is Sam McRoberts. Sam has extensive experience with Search Engine Optimization and loves solving the ongoing puzzle of algorithms that search engines like Google keep secret. Although the layers of SEO can be quiet complex, He shares some simple steps on the in’s and out’s of SEO’s and how to make Google LOVE your website.

Search Engine Optimization 101

Simply put, Search Engine Optimization is making changes to your website in hopes to increase the quality and quantity of organic, non paid, traffic that is driven to your website through search engines like Google.

The way Google works is that “they start by crawling through a website and extracting all the website data.” Google looks at the quality of your code, your content, if other sites are linking back to yours and your website structure to determine what your site is about and how it relates to others with similar content.

Google’s goal is to provide the most accurate information to its users so in order to rank in the top pages your website needs to be superior to other websites in the same niche.

So, let’s dive in and explore how you can optimize

Site structure

Users should be easily able to navigate around your site and should be able to instantly understand what your message is and what products or services you are selling. If users can’t find answers to their questions or products that solve their problems it’s unlikely that they will come back to your website or become a customer.

Using Keywords

Keywords are words and phrases that describe what your content is about. “Put keywords in the right places such as your URL, your title, the heading tag & in the content itself.” You will also want to be specific with your keywords. Take a look at the graphic below from Backlinko.

If you write ‘t-shirts’ as your keyword it is highly competitive and has low conversion rates. When you get more specific and descriptive you experience higher conversion and low competition.

You want to have the theme of your keywords all over your site. Think of your childhood birthday party and how the theme was on everything… napkins, spoons, balloons, good bags and do the same on your website.

Speak your customer’s language, not yours

Know your customers really, really well. I know you have heard this before, its the holy grail of any marketing tactic. “Understand your audience and make sure that you’re creating rich content that answers the questions they’re asking from as many angles as thoroughly as possible”

Sam shares that he is constantly surprised by how many people put up minimal content or product description on their site and this is a red flag for not understanding the audience well enough. If you really understand your audience, the problems they are going through, the way they want to feel and what they are looking to do then you can create much better content. “At the end of the day, Google’s in the business of answering questions and solving problems, the better you are able to solve specific problems, the happier the people who search on Google will be and the higher your site will rank.

Great content deserves a great ranking

If you are a business selling diving trips in Bali, think of some phrases that your customer would use to search for a dive trip in Bali. Some would be, top activities in Bali, best dive spots in Bali, places to stay, best places to stay in a specific month, diving tours in Bali, Bali adventures, etc.

“The customer will start off with informational, trying to understand what’s possible. Once they know what’s possible, they’re starting to look for specifics. Then once they feel like they have more details, then they’re going to start looking to take action. Understanding the full cycle of that customer journey, that before the middle and the after, can help you to do a lot better job of providing content for your site.”

Google would rather send someone to one site that has all the information and outlines the complete customer journey in one place rather than to three different sites for questions that are related.

Google is very transparent at letting you know what sites get good ranking so you can work backward and see what the top-rated content is within your niche, what it covers and taking notes along the way.

‘Back Linking’ to your site

Google gives you major kudos if multiple different sites link to your content. This validifies that the content is trusted by the public as many people are sharing and including the content on their sites.

Some ideas for linkbacks are reaching out to other people who are in a similar niche and offering giveaways or discounts on your site, setting up an affiliate program, do podcasts and host on their website, targeted facebook ads to similar audiences.

GIVEAWAY! An SEO training course, eight hours of video content, tons of additional links, documents & spreadsheets. This course will walk you through SEO fundamentals taking you all the way to the edge of having advanced SEO knowledge.

Sam McRoberts is the CEO of VUDU Marketing where he specializes in SEO audits, strategies, and consulting. He has solved problems or puzzles as he calls it for hundreds of companies such as Amazon, HTC, Microsoft, Nokia, HostGator, Scholastic, and Goodreads. Sam also wrote a little book called Screw the Zoo (#1 Amazon bestseller in self-help). The book about finding, bending, breaking rules and the nature of reality.

If you want to check out more from Sam you can visit him at Vudu Marketing or get in touch on Twitter

September 9, 2019
Ep: 185 How to Start an Affiliate Marketing Side Hustle and Scale it to Over 1 Million Dollar’s, With John Crestani

With the rise of online jobs and freedom-based lifestyles, more millennials are looking at different options to supplement their income while traveling. Others are just starting and scaling up a side hustle to the point that they are ready to leave their 9-5 for good. Whatever your situation, this article will show you how to get started with affiliate marketing.

Affiliate marketing is one of the popular ways to earn extra income. Once you set up the system and invest some time into your initial campaign, you will start to see return as customers purchase the product. You also have independence in setting your own goals, choosing products that interest you and determining your work hours.

This week on the Unconventional Life Show is John Crestani. John is an affiliate marketer that has massive success in this industry, making upwards of 3 million dollars in a single year with no employees on his team besides himself. John shares with us some of his knowledge and expertise to get your very own affiliate marketing side hustle up and running without any previous knowledge about SEO’s, sales funnels, copywriting or website development.

Firstly, John gives us the download on what exactly affiliate marketing is; “This specific type of advertising is when you promote other company’s products or services using your specific link. If people buy that product or service through your link, you will receive a commission.”

Join an affiliate marketing network

This network is where you will find products that you will link to and sell to make commissions from. Now that affiliate marketing is booming there are countless networks for you to join but the two networks that John recommends joining are Amazon and Clickbank.

Amazon vs. ClickBank. Let’s break it down.

In terms of the dollar amount per sale, Amazon affiliates will receive 1-10% depending on the category whereas a Clickbank user will receive 30-50% per sale.

As for conversions rates, Amazon crushes sales and will soon reach 50% of all online sales in North America. Not only because it’s a household name that has over 400 million products but their smooth check out process, fast delivery, and exceptional return policy makes them a trusted site. Clickbank is less known by the public and does have physical products but the majority of products are digital such as e-books, courses, videos, and software.

Simply go to the website and join the affiliate program. Once enrolled you will have a specific link to share for each individual product.

Find a specific product that you want to sell

The list of products that you can promote is endless but choose products that you personally believe in. This will make selling much easier as you will be able to share why you choose this product over so many others and the benefits others will receive if they purchase this product. You will also grow your personal brand by recommending useful and reliable products that are in demand for your customers.

Get people to click on your link

You want to sell without being sales-ey. Don’t tell people to straight out buy a product but recommend something that you have direct experience using. John reminds us to “inform and offer value” when you are trying to pitch your product.

Some examples of where to include your product link are; make a personal recommendation about your product on your social media sites along with a creative and eye-catching photo, add your link to your email lists, write a blog post or review about the product or post it as a relevant comment in a feed.

If you want to really dive into affiliate marketing you will have to do a bit more groundwork and spend some marketing $ for the right people to see your link. Taking these steps and familiarizing yourself with the process is a great start.

Sometimes it may feel that there is such a big gap between where you are and where you want to be that it can feel insurmountable at times. John advises us that he “started to develop confidence and close the gap was by education.” John has a great Youtube channel with daily uploads, he goes way more in-depth on this process so you can start to see definite wins on the board and cash in your million $ check 😉

This week on the giveaway John is giving away a six-week course where he will teach you how to do paid advertising online. In the course, you receive all of the resources necessary to get started in affiliate marketing including a list of affiliate networks you should be promoting, landing pages, advertisement copy and more to get you closer to six figures.

September 2, 2019
Ep: 184 Confessions of an Artist, With Singer/Songwriter, Pip the Pansy

In today’s world, some would argue your presence on social media is essential. The content you share should represent who you are and what you stand for and can be a gateway to great opportunities. For some, it can be really easy to become consumed by the idea of these opportunities and becoming a famous influencer. Who wouldn’t want complimentary trips around the world, access to luxury villas, and free product sponsorships, right?

But the question we fail to ask is, what is the energetic cost of this lifestyle? Many Instagram influencers are beginning to speak out about how what they post on Instagram isn’t always an accurate representation of what is actually happening in their lives. As a viewer, you are shown manicured highlight reels and you start to compare your life with the staged influencers’ life and this is so dangerous for our mental health.

A recent article by Psychology Today discusses the “Social Comparison Theory” This theory states that “individuals determine their own social and personal worth based on how they stack up against others they perceive as somehow faring better or worse. As a result, humans are constantly evaluating themselves and others across a variety of domains, such as attractiveness, wealth, intelligence, and success.”

It is basic human nature to compare yourself to others and in some cases, it could be a positive way to foster self- motivation but the birth of social media has taken the comparison to a whole new level. “Some research shows that people who regularly compare themselves to others often experience negative feelings of deep dissatisfaction, guilt, and remorse, and engage in destructive behaviors, like lying and disordered eating.”

This week on the Unconventional Life Show is Pip The Pansy. Recently Pip was on tour and had a rough show with less than hoped for attendance, instead of posting how great the show she posted a story called “confessions” highlighting more embarrassing behind the scenes things that happened to her, as an independent artist. I just decided to let people know that it’s not always glamorous. And I expected that some people would relate. But I did not anticipate the amount of response’s that I got.”

Comments and other people’s personal artist confessions started overflowing into her inbox. The “confessions” are now an Instagram Highlight on Pips Instagram page when people can anonymously share their personal behind the scenes story as a thriving artist.

Some anonymous confessions state “Recently went into debt to put up my own art. Toughest experience of my life, but I grew.” and “Sometimes I turn the volume down on Spotify and play my own music on repeat to get my numbers up” Post like these remind artists that they are not alone and that everyone goes through the similar struggles. Pip states “I have such a love-hate relationship with social media. And that was the first time that I truly loved it because it felt like all of us we’re connecting over the fact that we do really pitiful things to make it look like it’s working.”

Lucky for us, Pip shares some advice that she uses to keep it real and authentic with the rise of fame and social media.

Focus on “who you are, rather than what you are”

You might be an artist or an athlete but that identity is not the box you have to stay in. You can be anything you want to be and feel anything you want to feel. For example, you might think that a person with a career as a performer is outgoing and the life of the party but “who” they really are is shy and introverted. So “constantly feeding the who instead of what is a way that you can remain fulfilled in your life.

Don’t be afraid to be honest.

Be open with people about where you are at because it turns out, a lot of people could be also feeling that way. By simply communicating how you feel, you are building a community that can support one another.

Create just to create!

If anyone listening is looking to be an artist, you should work out that muscle and create as much unfiltered content as you can. Pip advises all artists to pay extra attention to the things you create that you don’t like or doesn’t feel truthful or genuine after some time goes by. “Art pieces that are really soulful, truthful, and genuine will be timeless for you and your audience. “

Don’t compare yourself to others

Comparison puts a damper on your inspiration and creativity, you are unlikely to create a when you feel a sense of dissatisfaction within yourself. If you do find yourself caught up in the comparison game then talk about it with the people around you. Having friends and community around us to keep reminding us how far we have come and how much we have improved is essential when we have our self-love blinders on.

“Artists excavate truth out of mystery” when you’re able to do this successfully, it will resonate with other people and that is really fulfilling. And it doesn’t matter how many people are in front of my stage, and it doesn’t matter what number is next to my Spotify streams, All that matters is that I’m trying my hardest to dig through mystery and figure out what truth is in there that needs to be said at the moment.”

Pip is an incredibly immersed artist, musician, and performer. She uses her dreamy flute melodies, explosive synth hooks, and colorful spirit to completely capture her audiences from around the world. Pip’s newest album Love Legends, Part 1 was released early this year and draws inspiration from Greek mythology and bringing the ancient back to life.

Want more of Pip the Pansy? check out her website or Instagram

August 26, 2019
Ep: 183 What do you do Once you “Have it All”, With founder of Think Different Theory, Josh Forti
Have you ever felt an emptiness that sets in when you realize that you are achieving what you set out to achieve and yet, you are unhappy? Sometimes when entrepreneurs reach an important milestone depression is common. This is because the thing they want did not give them the feeling they anticipated. When this happens people are forced to reassess their values and may need to redefine their definition of success and what truly makes them happy.

This week on the Unconventional Life Show is Josh Forti, the founder of the Think Different Theory. Through mindset, psychology, and modern-day philosophy Josh’s mission is to help you break free and define your own destiny and passion- all the things we love on the Unconventional Life show.

“I believe that we as a society don’t talk about what actually matters, we talk about what sells. And I am here to change that.” – Josh Forti

Josh had a near-death experience from what he calls “success depression.” From everyone’s else’s perspective, he was on top of the world. By the age of 25, he had already started and sold 2 different companies, grown and managed 5 million-plus followers and made a name in both social media and online marketing. He had all the money he needed but was still putting in 18 hours per day, working and striving to reach higher heights, and have “more”.

Josh remembered thinking to himself “something has got to break, I can’t keep up with this pace forever, I am killing myself slowly” Josh told himself he would “buy his way out of it & somehow push through”

After reaching false summit after false summit he emotionally hit rock bottom…

He canceled all of his clients and went from making 50k per month to 3k. He began to ponder what the key to success was. He started to study really successful people and read a ton of books. Not a single one of the people he spoke to or read about said, “Run better ads” or “Have a better product”. That wasn’t the key. The key to all of their success across the board? They ALL said mindset.

Over years of research, he has come up with 5 core principles to rewire your brain for success, create habits that actually last and become the master of your mindset.

The question of why

“You need to figure out why you are doing everything you are doing”. Josh discovered that 90% of everything you do, think or act on a daily basis happens in the subconscious mind so you don’t realize why you are acting the way you do.

When he started to ask himself these questions of why. Why do you want to be famous? why do you live here? why do you drive the car that you do? All of a sudden his life changed because he had a better understanding and perception of why he was living the way he was.

Objective thinking

This is the most powerful way of gaining clarity. When you are on this road of success and are going and going and going, you can get so caught up your own feelings and so involved in the process that you forget to step back and look at the bigger picture.

Have you ever looked at someone else’s life and can easily see and figure out everything that is wrong but can’t see what is causing problems in your own life? Being able to zoom out, as if you are an outsider looking in, without too much emotion is thinking objectively.

Identify what it is that you actually want in life

Quite simply, you get to choose what you want every day, from the food you eat to the people and activities you spend your time on. This is your reality. Make it exactly how you want it to be.

Shifting your identity

Everything that we do in life comes back to your identity, who you think you are and what beliefs you have about yourself. You can place our identity, subconsciously in so many different things.

Josh placed his identity in money. If he made money he had a good day. If he didn’t make money he had a terrible day. He had no freedom because he had placed his identity in something he couldn’t control and something outside of him.

Form new habits

If you want to change your identity form new habits because habits are at the core of everything you do. Josh refers to the Power Of Habit book by Charles Duhigg and a great quote by the author is; “The difference between who you are and who you want to be is what you do.”

Do you have any habits or addictions that you want to quit?

What are the rewards, pleasure points, this habit or addiction provides you with?

Which punishment or pain point do you run away from with this habit or addiction?

Change doesn’t have to be a chore, inserting joy back into the process of creating new conscious habits will make the fact of change something much more welcome, more doable and more effortless.

So, start rewarding yourself for stepping toward the person that you want to become

This week on the giveaway Josh is giving away his training program called “Social Media Profits” – learn how to build a profitable personal brand online. Originally a $997 course but one of you will win it for free! To be entered to win the giveaway, click here. A winner will be selected next week.

Recommended books by Josh;
Psychocybernetics, The Power of Habit, Can’t Hurt Me

Follow Josh on social media –> Website, Facebook and Instagram
August 12, 2019