012 : Making Sex Tech Mainstream with Cindy Gallop

Cindy Gallop There’s a technology sector that has the potential for insanely high returns, yet no investor wants anywhere near it. On this week’s podcast, I talk to Cindy Gallop, founder of MakeLoveNotPorn.tv (adult content), about the challenges of creating a sex-tech startup and the benefits of removing shame and stigma from the national conversation about sex.

Just a warning, today’s episode contains both adult language and content. This is also one of the most important episodes of the podcast I’ve ever released. The things Cindy Gallop is doing are absolutely amazing, and I’m so honored to have her on the show to share her story. I’ve been a subscriber to MakeLoveNotPorn.tv since seeing her TED talk, and she continues to pave the way towards making the world a better place.

This is one episode you won’t want to miss.

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011 : Using Adwords for Rapid Business Growth with Brian Kaldenberg

Brian KaldenbergSuccessful entrepreneurs aren’t the people who come up with brilliant, unique ideas. Instead, they’re the ones who solve people’s problems. If you’re banging your head against your desk trying to think of a good idea, you’re doing it all wrong. Talk to people, find out where they’re struggling, and ask them about their ideal solution. BAM! They’re giving you real and proven ideas.

My guest today is neither a writer nor an editor, yet he’s the founder of ProofreadingPal. Brian Kaldenberg is a wildly successful problem solver. He found a specific need (proofreading services), did keyword research to investigate the market, and built a minimum viable product. Now his company is almost four years old and rapidly growing.

We discuss the early days of ProofreadingPal and how Brian grew his business to where it is today. He also shares his Adwords tactics — invaluable information for people trying to drive online traffic.

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5 reasons why creating a popular app is harder than it looks

Flappy Bird start screen

When a game like Flappy Bird is able to hold steady at the top of Apple’s charts, it’s easy to think that creating a hit app is easy. After all, how hard could it be to create a game like that? A few pixel animations, some tap controls, and you’re done.

But, just like getting your scribbles featured in the Museum of Modern Art, creating a runaway hit application is a lot harder than it looks. Sure, learning to write the actual code can be a challenge, but these days there’s a lot more working against you than that. Continue reading

003 : Building the ultimate roommate finder with Ajay Yadav

NNL PodcastWhat would you do if you came back to your apartment after a trip abroad to find out that your roommate had disappeared with the deposit, the locks had been changed, and your stuff was missing? I know my response would involve a large number of guttural screams and a healthy amount of crying.

Ajay, on the other hand, used it as inspiration to build Roomi, an app that helps people find ideal roommates. List or browse apartments, describe your lifestyle, and never get stuck with a nightmare roommate again.

After a ton of research, Ajay built Roomi from scratch — learning Objective-C in a few months using free online resources, hiring a designer, and creating a minimum viable product (MVP). He’s learned from past mistakes and really did it right this time.

If you’re still struggling to figure out your best next move, listen to this episode and follow in Ajay’s steps. You’ll come out with an awesome product.

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Welcome to the Novice No Longer Podcast

nnl-150x150Welcome to the Novice No Longer podcast!

Every week, I’ll be talking to entrepreneurs, builders, designers, and journalists to give you information to help you build better products and get the press you deserve.

In this short introduction episode, I tell you a little bit about my own background and how this website and podcast came to be.

I hope you’ll tune in and check it out every week. Stay in touch by subscribing via iTunes or RSS.

If you enjoy the show, please rate it on iTunes! It helps me a ton and help other people find the show.