The best business advice to start the year with

This tip came as a result of a huge mistake I made.  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ Issue #71 | January 2nd, 2024 Hi, it's Pat! Building a business is rarely a linear process. It’s more like an organically growing web of platforms and properties that we put into place over time. The stuff that’s supposed to be simple, from our web pages to our email sequences, often ends up taking the shape of a giant maze. And a maze is not good — not for you, and definitely not for your audience. If your business funnels aren’t working, I have an exercise for you. One that I love to do once a year that will simplify your mazes and unclog your funnels. It’s time to get unstuck… let’s do this. QUOTE OF THE WEEK “Making the simple complicated is commonplace; making the complicated simple, awesomely simple, that's creativity.” – Charles Mingus THE STORY In 2011, one year after starting my email list, someone replied and said, “I’m unsubscribing. You sent me the same email three weeks in a row!” I was embarrassed, and upon further investigation, they were right. I had accidentally duplicated an email twice in my autoresponder sequence, and each instance was scheduled one week after the other. Thankfully this person reached out because the data showed that dozens more people also unsubscribed after that email — all without me realizing what was going on. At this point in my entrepreneurial journey, I had hundreds of blog posts, had just started a podcast, and my YouTube channel was up and running. Additionally, I’d started a popular live case study called the Niche Site Duel. (If you know what that is, shoutout for being an OG follower! If not, don’t worry about it — that was a long time ago and not the point of this email.) The point is, I had so much going on that I had no idea something was wrong with my autoresponder sequence (an extremely important part of my business). I had just published over twenty emails that were dropped into my email service provider. They were supposed to all go out automatically with no problems, but it ended up biting me in the butt. Eventually, I learned to do the following: - Whenever I create a new email list or landing page, I am the first subscriber. - Whenever I sell a new product or create a new sales page, I am the first customer. - Whenever we (Team SPI) create a new community, we are the first to purchase a membership and be onboarded. I put myself in the shoes of my subscribers or students and make sure it’s a smooth ride to where I want them to go. If there are any hiccups at any moment during the process, then I can address them ahead of time. More often than catching mistakes, I find opportunities to improve the user journey. Sometimes I find the writing is too long, so I reduce the word count. Sometimes I find something confusing, so I add a video or animated GIF to help explain it. Sometimes I find an unnecessary step, so I take it out. I also look for “dead ends” — places on my website where the user would likely skip out because there’s no more direction or anything else to do. If I find one, I add a call-to-action for the next best step. If you haven’t audited your maze yet, do it. Subscribe to your own stuff. Become your own customer. Read that “thank you for purchasing” email (or better yet, would you even click on it?). Have a couple of other people on your team, or even a superfan, go through the process and outline every moment that was weird or provided friction. Take care of those now, and you’ll set yourself up for success in 2024! You got this! SPI NEWS AND EVENTS Considering hosting a virtual summit? This is the event for you! Join us on January 3rd at 10:00 AM PT / 1:00 PM ET for an exclusive All-Access Pass event, led by SPI Pro member Tamera Sutton. Learn the secrets to crafting an irresistible topic, selecting dynamic speakers, setting up your website, and creating a sponsorship package to supercharge your sales. Not a member yet? [Sign up now!](​ Can work be as enjoyable as watching TV or indulging in other fun activities? Discover the secrets in the latest episode of the Smart Passive Income Podcast with Pat Flynn, featuring special guest Ali Abdaal. This episode aims to shift your mindset around boring or repetitive tasks that drain your willpower. [Tune in](and learn how to find joy in your work while performing at the ultimate level. Redefine success and cultivate a life that goes beyond the office! Explore our 6-step process designed to help you craft goals that nurture your entire being, not just your professional persona. It's time to bid farewell to burnout and welcome a year filled with purpose and balance. [Read the full blog]( and let's cheers to a new year of growth, fulfillment, and success on your terms! DAD JOKE OF THE WEEK I want to open a maze in a cornfield. I’ll call it… The amazing maize maze. I apologize for the corny joke. Did a cool person forward you this email? [Sign up here for free](). Want to reach over 125,000 entrepreneurs? [Become a sponsor](). [Link to SPI's Website]( [Link to SPI's Twitter Account]() [Link to SPI's LinkedIn Account]() [Link to Pat Flynn's YouTube Account](=) You are receiving this because you signed up for Pat Flynn’s newsletter at [smartpassiveincome.com](. If you'd like to adjust which emails you receive or update your name and email address, click here: . If you'd like to stop receiving all emails from SPI, click here: . No hard feelings. 10531 4S Commons Drive, Suite 524, San Diego, CA 92127