Dan Shure is a 10+ year SEO/Marketer. His business Evolving SEO has grown YoY for 5+ years. He has helped clients grow their organic traffic 10x-20x with his SEO and content marketing strategies. He also interviews guests like Rand Fishkin on his Podcast, Experts On The Wire.
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Resources Mentioned:
- Your Big Idea: Successful Entrepreneurs have One Big Idea. Follow JLD’s FREE training & you’ll discover Your Big Idea in less than an hour!
- Audible – Get a FREE Audiobook & 30 day trial if you’re not currently a member!
- BloomBerry – Dan’s small business resource
- Evolving SEO– Dan’s website
- Connect with Dan on his website, on his podcast, and on twitter
- How To Finally Win – Learn how to create your dream life one step at a time!
3 Key Points:
- Lay a foundation now so you’re prepared for the opportunities ahead.
- Open your mind to new possibilities.
- Provide value first to your clients and it will come back around to you.
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Time Stamped Show Notes
(click the time stamp to jump directly to that point in the episode.)
- [01:07] – Experts on the Wire was taken from Entrepreneurs On Fire
- [01:40] – Dan’s father is a professional sculptor and a business owner
- [01:48] – He has a degree in classical piano performance
- [02:02] – He’s been married for over 10 years
- [02:07] – In 2008-2009, SEO saved Dan twice
- [02:27] – Dan self-taught SEO and turned it into a career
- [03:00] – One BIG and Unique Value Bomb: SEMRush is a way to find content marketing ideas; Dan used this to grow his clients’ businesses. Find your content competitors – people who publish content in your industry/niche with the highest authority. Plug their domain name into SEMRush and go to the pages report to see the content that drives the most traffic to their websites
- [04:45] – Create something on that topic that’s 10x better than your competitor’s
- [05:52] – Laying a foundation can lead to a lot of opportunities
- [06:20] – Worst Entrepreneurial Moment: In September 2015, business was going well so Dan and his wife decided to hire their first full-time employee. At the end of 2015 and 2016, his wife told him they weren’t making any more money. May 2016, income still hadn’t gone up. In September, his wife told Dan they were in trouble – the issue was not having clarity around why exactly they hired someone and being unclear about their goals
- [07:46] – This week is one of Dan’s worst entrepreneurial moments because they will let their employee go
- [09:42] – Hire in a way that what your employee does is repeatable and scalable
- [10:34] – Dan’s advice is to be super clear on the specific tasks and areas of responsibility your employee will be in-charge of
- [11:46] – Entrepreneurial AH-HA Moment: In 2010, he switched from teaching music to going to New York where his sister lived. After that weekend, he opened the App Store on his phone and searched SEO. He found the SEO 101 Podcast. As he was listening, he realized SEO could be a full-time career
- [14:03] – Be open-minded to possibilities
- [15:02] – You are uniquely positioned to offer something that nobody else can
- [16:01] – If you’re an introvert, think about careers that will limit your interaction with people
- [16:44] – Get an understanding of your skill set and your greatest strengths
- [17:56] – What is the one thing you are most FIRED up about today? “I’m going to completely turn this process upside down”
- [18:36] – When inquiries come in, instead of giving a proposal, Dan starts working for them for free
- [19:24] – “I want to truly give them as much free value as I can”
- [20:22] – Giving value first has completely turned the proposal process around
- [21:47] – “Provide value first”
- [22:21] – The Lightning Round
- What was holding you back from becoming an entrepreneur? – “Nothing”
- What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received? – “The 80-20 principle – life changing”
- What’s a personal habit that contributes to your success? – “Go with your gut feeling and act right away.”
- Share an internet resource, like Evernote, with Fire Nation – BloomBerry
- If you could recommend one book to our listeners, what would it be and why? – “A blank notebook – I’m a huge fan of getting your thoughts out on paper. It is such a clarifying exercise to do”
- [25:14] – Cross-discipline learning
- [25:58] – Go learn a new skill
- [26:04] – Connect with Dan on his website, on his podcast, and on twitter
Killer Resources!
1) The Common Path to Uncommon Success: JLD’s 1st traditionally published book! Over 3000 interviews with the world’s most successful Entrepreneurs compiled into a 17-step roadmap to financial freedom and fulfillment!
2) Free Podcast Course: Learn from JLD how to create and launch your podcast!
3) Podcasters’ Paradise: The #1 podcasting community in the world!