You know what often gets lost between the “lifestyle freedom” dreams and the “I’m my own boss!” reality?

A tiny little thing called doing the work.

I discovered that early in my self-employment journey, when I wanted to be a writer. The only trouble was, I was a writer who did everything but write.

I watched a lot of bad television. I read a lot of advice about writing. I took some courses about writing.

But I did not write.

Call it willpower, or discipline, or even drive—whatever it was, I didn’t have it.

I’ve been fully self-employed and self-supporting since 2011. In that time, I’ve discovered that self-discipline isn’t something you’re born with (I wasn’t). It is something you can create for yourself, though.

Prefer a transcript? Here you go!

And if you’d prefer the video version, you’ll find it on my YouTube channel.

What you’ll learn in this episode:

• Why a results-based goal is not enough to keep you going, and what to do instead
• The unfortunate downside to self-employment, and how to shift your thinking so you can actually get stuff done
• A clever trick to try if you struggle to meet milestones
• Subtle ways procrastination shows up, and how to recognize and defeat it

Resources mentioned:

• Six-Figure Systems is a private community and learning resource for action-oriented entrepreneurs. Get your all-access, 7-day trial for just $7.

I used to work with a single mom. She had three kids all under 10, and their dad wasn’t around at all. She was on her own for juggling doctor appointments, school drop-offs and pick-ups, holiday pageants, birthday parties, and all the rest—all while working a full-time job.

I told her often that I didn’t know how she managed it all. I don’t know how any parent does, to be honest.

When I left that job to launch my own business, I discovered it wasn’t just parents who have a lot to manage. Entrepreneurs—especially of the solo variety—learn pretty quickly how to juggle their many responsibilities.

They also learn a few tricks to set themselves up for success. These are mine. They’re simple things, really. And they might just change your life.

Prefer a transcript? Here you go!

And if you’d prefer the video version, you’ll find it on my YouTube channel.

What you’ll learn in this episode:

• The two-minute trick I use to ensure every day starts out stress and anxiety free
• How clutter occupies more than just your desk space
• The huge difference a comfortable chair and a nice set of curtains can make
• How making a commitment frees up mental bandwidth
• Why multiple streams of income aren’t always a good idea

Resources mentioned:

• Six-Figure Systems is my monthly program that simplifies business and eliminates the overwhelm. Start today with an all-access 7-trial for just $7.
• David Sparks at MacSparky.com inspired me with his commitment to only change apps once per year.

Have you ever looked at someone—Cal Newport, say, or Richard Branson—and wondered how they manage to get so much done? They have the same amount of time you do, with the same family and life obligations. One has a busy teaching schedule, publishes prolifically, and produces a weekly podcast. The other seems to always be diving into a new business adventure.

And you? Maybe you struggle to publish a single, weekly blog post, or you’ve been working on that course for months, and it feels like it will never be finished.

How do these prolific creators get it all done? I’d like to know, too.

I may not be as productive as Cal Newport or oversee as many companies as Richard Branson, but as a solopreneur, I have plenty on my plate. You do, too.

Right now, I have:

• A weekly podcast now in it’s fourth year of production
• A new YouTube channel
• A thriving membership to manage
• New courses and workshops to create
• Coaching clients to advise
• Emails to write
• Affiliates to partner with
• Marketing campaigns to plan

How do I manage all of that without dropping all the balls from time to time? I’ll tell you in this week’s episode of the Tiny Course Empire podcast.

Prefer a transcript? Here you go!

And if you’d prefer the video version, you’ll find it on my YouTube channel.

What you’ll learn in this episode:

• The true cost of even a momentary distraction
• The one thing that takes priority over everything else in my business (and probably yours, too)
• What I advise all my coaching clients to do if they feel like they’re not achieving their goals
• The Sunday afternoon habit that changed how I approach my week
• The strategy I use to shave hours off my week
• How a tomato transformed my workday

Resources mentioned:

• University of California researcher Gloria Mark on the time cost of distracted work
• Francesco Cirillo developed the Pomodoro Technique to improve time management and reduce work-related stress
• David Cain put a new twist on the Pomodoro Technique in his book, How to Do Things
• Six-Figure Systems is my monthly program that simplifies business and eliminates the overwhelm. Start today with an all access, 7-day trial for just $7.

My only excuse is that I didn’t know what I didn’t know.

I didn’t know that running a successful business required more than just a strong desire to escape my corporate cubicle. I didn’t know that turning my “hobby business” into a full-time income meant it would no longer have the laid-back feel of a hobby at all.

And I definitely didn’t know how much work I’d have to do inside my own brain before I could make the move from employee to freelancer to entrepreneur.

I learned a lot of lessons and made a lot of mistakes, so let’s talk about the four biggest ones on today’s episode. My hope is by sharing them with you, I can help you avoid taking the same pointless detours.

Prefer a transcript? Here you go!

And if you’d prefer the video version, you’ll find it on my YouTube channel.

What you’ll learn in this episode:

• The “SMART” goal the kept me playing small. (Spoiler alert: It didn’t turn out to be smart at all.)
• How I let other people stand in my way (and three things I remind myself of now, to prevent that from happening again).
• Why not having a boss can be a bad thing for entrepreneurs. Seriously.
• The secret to not having any customers (a.k.a. Kevin Costner was misled).

Resources mentioned:

• Six-Figure Systems is my monthly program that helps you avoid pitfalls and make smarter business decisions right from the start. Start today with an all-access 7-trial for just $7.

When I was growing up, my dad had a favorite expression: When all else fails, read the directions.

For him, it was a tongue-in-cheek warning not to struggle needlessly when someone else had already laid out a plan I could follow.

I took it literally, and honestly, it’s served me well.

When I was brand new to business, I didn’t have the cash to buy courses or hire a coach. I barely had enough to pay for my website hosting and email platform. I also didn’t know how to do things like set up an email funnel or create and sell a digital product.

I took dad’s “advice” and got scrappy.

This is how I did it.

Prefer a transcript? Here you go!

And if you’d prefer the video version, you’ll find it on my YouTube channel.

What you’ll learn in this episode:

• How to get “on the job” training even when you don’t have a job.
• Why putting on a detective hat is a good move when you’re growing your business.
• How “muddling through” and figuring it out on my own made me a better business owner.
• The one step that most new business owners miss (and it’s a huge mistake).
• Which courses and coaching programs you should purchase, and why.

Resources mentioned:

• Six-Figure Systems is a private community and learning resource for action-oriented entrepreneurs. Get your all-access, 7-day trial for just $7.
• Cal Newport is the author of Deep Work and host of the Deep Questions podcast.
• BuiltWith.com gives you a peak behind the curtain of any URL.
• Kit.com (formerly ConvertKit) is my email platform of choice.
• Amy Porterfield teaches online business with a focus on course creation and email marketing.

It seems like a smart, even inevitable solution. If you want to grow your revenue, you have to create more products.

And it’s true. Sometimes.

Clothing manufacturers won’t get far selling the same styles year after year. Authors (with rare exception) can’t live on the earnings of a single book. Even theme parks rely on new attractions to keep customers coming back for more.

Maybe that’s why as course creators, we think our only option to grow is to create more. More courses, bigger membership, more coaching options.

What if doing more is actually bad for business though?

What if we’d be better served by scaling back and streamlining our offers, instead of creating more of them? What if we’d be more visible if we pared down our marketing only to those channels that attract our ideal customer?

Come to think of it, what if we narrowed our definition of what “ideal” even means?

What might that do for our business growth? Let’s find out in this episode of the Tiny Course Empire podcast.

Prefer a transcript? Here you go!

And if you’d prefer the video version, you’ll find it on my YouTube channel.

What you’ll learn in this episode:

• What the Pareto principle really means (and the impact it has on your life)
• Three questions to ask when deciding what to eliminate from your never-ending project list
• The big mistake I see clients making (and that I make frequently, too)

Resources mentioned:

• Six-Figure Systems is my monthly program that simplifies business and eliminates the overwhelm. Start today with an all-access 7-trial for just $7.
• 10X is Easier Than 2X is filled with examples of business owners who scaled back and streamlined to earn more.
• Explore my “big box of marketing ideas” in episode 138.

Business—and life in general—is filled with conflicting advice.

We hear about the latest and best email platform, only to be told a week later that this other one is better. A new social platform is suddenly everyone’s favorite hangout, when just last month they were raving about a different app.

Even business models are not immune. Are courses dead? Or are they making a comeback? Who even knows?

All this conflicting advice is bad for business, and in more ways than one. It keeps you stuck, never able to fully embrace any one strategy, to become proficient at it, to leverage it to its full capability. It’s a primary cause of shiny object syndrome, that well-known affliction that causes us to move quickly from one thing to the next, never gaining traction anywhere.

Short of unsubscribing from every business focused podcast and YouTube channel or moving to an off-grid cabin on a mountaintop, what else can you do to navigate through all of this conflicting advice?

I have some (hopefully non-conflicting) advice you can try.

Prefer a transcript? Here you go!

And if you’d prefer the video version, you’ll find it on my YouTube channel.

What you’ll learn in this episode:

• How our pursuit of quick wins leaves us vulnerable to conflicting advice
• Why comparisonitis makes you think you’re failing, even when you’re right on track
• Understanding the difference between learning and doing (one matters way more than the other)
• The power of starting before you’re ready
• Three questions to ask when deciding which advice to follow

Resources mentioned:

• Amy Porterfield’s podcast is one of the best
• Pat Flynn is a fantastic role model for online entrepreneurs
• Gary Vaynerchuck has super-human content creation powers. His advice to create 64 pieces of content in a day proves it.
• The Side Hustle Show is filled with ideas and inspiration
• $100 MBA offers plenty of practical advice no matter what business you’re in
• Six-Figure Systems is my monthly training program to help your business grow. Get started for just $7 today.

For all the systems and processes and funnels I’ve created to run my business, the one that rules them all might surprise you.

It’s not complicated. It’s not automated. It’s not even digital.

It’s a simple index card, and it runs my entire life. I’ll tell you all about it in this episode of the Tiny Course Empire podcast.

Prefer a transcript? Here you go!

And if you’d prefer the video version, you’ll find it on my YouTube channel.

What you’ll learn in this episode:

• Why I use index cards instead of my fancy notebook or some complicated digital solution.
• What goes on my index cards (everything, obviously).
• How I keep them organized.
• How I turn quick capture ideas into a course or other content.

Resources mentioned:

• Six-Figure Systems is my monthly training program to help your business grow. Get started for just $7 today.
• My favorite brand of index cards on Amazon
• This box keeps all my course notes organized