Smart Solo Business

I help solo professionals acquire their ideal clients

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Brian Clark of Copyblogger Shares His Content Marketing Tips For Solo Professionals

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Brian Clark is the CEO of Copyblogger Media. He’s also a serial entrepreneur who built three successful professional services businesses using proven content marketing techniques before moving to a completely online business model. I’m excited to have him join me on the podcast today and share his business wisdom and content marketing tips!

Founded by Brian in 2006, Copyblogger Media is an innovative online company that provides high-quality resources to help people successfully grow their business through social media and online marketing. Brian and his company have earned a reputation for excellence and received widespread praise from leading publications. For example:

  • Advertising Age ranks Copyblogger as a Power150 top marketing blog
  • The Guardian named Copyblogger one of the world’s most powerful blogs
  • Brian was ranked #3 of the 100 Most Influential Online Marketers of 2009
  • Dunn and Bradstreet says Brian is the most influential person to follow on Twitter for small business owners
  • Technorati says Copyblogger is one of the most popular blogs in the world

Brian is the host of Unemployable, an exciting new podcast for freelancers and solopreneurs — and he offers an amazing array of marketing resources through My Copyblogger (membership is free). As an online marketing thought leader, Brian’s work has also been featured in a variety of bestselling business and marketing books, including: Linchpin by Seth Godin; Epic Content Marketing by Joe Pulizzi; The New Rules of Marketing and PR by David Meerman Scott; Free Agent Nation by Daniel Pink; The Referral Engine by John Jantsch; and, Platform: Get Noticed in a Noisy World by Michael Hyatt, to name just a few.

For almost a decade Brian has been teaching self-employed professionals how to create valuable information that attracts targeted attention, drives traffic, generates leads and builds their businesses. If you want to learn more about content marketing for solo professionals, then this conversation with Brian Clark is a great place to start. Scroll down to the Podcast Player and listen-in now!

(Prefer to read instead? Click on the “Transcript” link at the bottom of the player.)

Podcast Player:

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Duration: 37:00 — 18.2MB


How to Narrow Your Marketing Focus, Stand Out and Profit: Dianna Huff Shares Her Story

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My guest on the podcast, Dianna Huff, is an award-winning digital marketing consultant. She’s also a thought leader who has made content contributions in well-known digital publications such as Forbes, BtoB, Response Magazine, Content Marketing Institute, MarketingSherpa, Marketing Profs, Clickz, Search Engine Watch and Search Engine News.

Dianna launched her marketing communications consulting practice in 1998. Since then, she has developed and implemented web lead generation strategies and communications that improve search rankings, drive website traffic, generate sales and increase profits for clients ranging from small and mid-market companies to Fortune 500 corporations. She has served clients in a diverse range of industries including industrial, manufacturing, environmental, nonprofit, construction, healthcare, enterprise software, IT, financial services and consulting.

Dianna has accomplished a lot as a business owner, and in the last few years she has also made a number of important changes. Perhaps the most significant change she implemented was to narrow her range of service offerings and her marketing focus.

As part of that strategic shift, Dianna changed the name of her consulting firm from DH Communications to Huff Industrial Marketing. Today she is squarely focused on her passion — helping owners of small industrial manufacturing companies in the U.S. to grow their businesses through better marketing. Her unique consulting practice is thriving, and as you’ll hear in this interview she has never been more excited about her work.

Dianna is a wonderful example of someone experiencing the rewards of a more specialized consulting practice. Could becoming more focused and specialized help your business stand out and profit? If that’s a question you’d like answered, then you don’t want to miss the lessons that Dianna shares in this candid conversation. Scroll down to the Podcast Player and listen now!

(Prefer to read instead? Click on the “Transcript” link at the bottom of the player.)

Podcast Player:

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Duration: 24:30 — 13.3MB


New Website with Free Business Resources For Solo Entrepreneurs

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Welcome to my new website! I know that you may have been following my posts through my previous site (SmallBusinessTalent.com) for a while now. If so, I owe you special thanks. Your support means a lot to me.

Helping you to identify, attract and acquire your ideal clients remains at the heart of everything I do.

StephenLahey.com will provide you with even more targeted, useful content, and more ways for you to access it. Here are some of the features that you’ll find on this site:

  • The legacy Small Business Talent podcast. There are over 100 episodes for you to explore, including interviews with well-know experts and bestselling business authors such as Daniel Pink, C.J. Hayden, Pam Slim, Sally Hogshead, Charlie Gilkey, Tim Berry, and Ian Altman, to name just a few.
  • The new Smart Solo Business podcast. I’ve begun recording episodes, and every other Wednesday a fresh expert interview or brief audio lesson will be added. As with the legacy podcast, each new episode includes a link to a transcript (found just below the podcast player) and options to subscribe to the feed via iTunes, etc.
  • The new blog is here. Alternating with the podcast publishing schedule, blog articles will also be posted here every other Wednesday delivering thought provoking content created for solo professionals who sell their services in the business-to-business space. I’ve been in that role as a business owner since 2000, and I’ll share what I’ve learned through hands-on experience.
  • The “Expand and Improve Your Client Base” interactive workbook. I’m offering this exciting new resource FREE, at least for now. If you’re striving to find clients who deeply value what you do, are personally fulfilling to work with, and highly profitable for your business, then this workbook is for you. Click the green button below and get your complimentary copy!>> Claim Your FREE Workbook <<

As a fellow solo, I admire your determination to take control of your professional life and capture your goals. Thank you for joining me on this exciting journey!