What to Know About SEO if You Are Just Getting Started
This primer is designed to help you understand the basics of SEO and how it can benefit your business. Whether you're just getting started or looking to improve your existing strategy, these insights will guide [...]
Understanding Web Hosting: A Simple Guide for Beginners
What is Web Hosting? Think of a website like a house. Just like a house needs a piece of land to sit on, a website needs web hosting to exist on the internet. Web hosting [...]
Employee Mindset vs. Entrepreneurial Mindset: Understanding the Key Differences
What's the difference between Employee Mindset and Entrepreneurial Mindset? The terms "employee mindset" and "entrepreneurial mindset" are often used to describe the different attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors that distinguish full-time employees from business owners and [...]
Reaching $1M in annual revenue for the first time
My path to $1M in annual sales and revenue When I started my business, I knew I was taking a risk. I had invested my time, money, and energy into an idea that I believed [...]
Restructure JSON array of objects in Zapier to access object key data
Let's explore how to restructure a JSON array of objects in Zapier to access object key data. More specifically, how to reduce a JSON array to make the values for each object key available in subsequent zap [...]
Find records in TrackVia API without the Record ID
TrackVia should really improve their API As of the writing of this article, they don't provide a means of looking up: Records by Field within a View Records by exact match query string The search [...]
The Difference Between Success & Well-Being
Success & Well-Being Defined What's the difference between success & well-being? According to the dictionary: Success is the accomplishment of an aim or purpose; the attainment of popularity or profit. Well-being is the state of being comfortable, [...]
The Difference Between Being Efficient & Effective
Why Being Effective is Better Than Efficient These days it seems everyone is obsessed with efficiency. Everyone wants to squeeze more out of their limited 24-hour day. But what they really want is to be [...]
The Real Reason People Hate Marketing
Why People Hate Marketing Not everyone hates marketing, but many people do hate marketing quite a bit. Why? People don't hate marketing because it's impersonal. People don't hate marketing because it's an interruption. In fact, [...]
Why You Should Become a Generalist (Not a Specialist)
Economic Specialization: My Background Back in my undergrad days at UC San Diego, I majored in Management Science (basically a more math-heavy version of Economics). Eventually in my senior year, I became a teaching assistant in [...]
Mobile Detect: When @media queries aren’t enough
Lightweight PHP Class for Detecting Mobile Devices Today I came across a fantastic, lightweight PHP class for detecting mobile devices. It's called Mobile Detect, and you can download it here: http://mobiledetect.net/ The use case from today [...]
FIXED: Woocommerce 100% Full Width on Avada
Avada Woocommerce pages 100% full-width with 1 line of code (a single changed word, actually) Finally I discovered how to make Avada's woocommerce pages 100% full width. And it only took modifying a single word, [...]
JumbleThink Podcast Episode 27 – Steven Fies
My Chat With Michael Woodward on Jumble Think Many thanks to Michael Woodward, producer of the JumbleThink podcast, for interviewing me during Episode 27. Michael is a fellow entrepreneur, designer, thinker, and influencer. It was a lot of [...]
Use Javascript to Add New Class to WordPress Element
How to Add Classes to Existing WordPress Elements with JavaScript You may need to add a new "class" to an element in WordPress. However, many of the code snippets on the web simply don't work! [...]
The Best Advice My Dad Ever Gave Me
My Dad's Best Advice The best advice my dad ever gave me was: "When it comes to people: don't seek to be right. Seek to get it right." This was my first step towards understanding emotional intelligence (a.k.a "EQ"). What [...]
Join Me @ NASA’s ATLAS V Rocket Launch – 4/18/17
My Journey to NASA in 2017 NASA has selected me as 1 of 50 social media influencers to cover their upcoming ATLAS V rocket launch. How exciting! Third Update 4/16: I'm now at my Airbnb [...]
Salient Child Theme Not Working? Here’s Your Fix.
How to Fix Salient Child Theme Not Working Salient is a fantastic WordPress theme, but you may be having trouble getting your salient child theme to override the salient parent theme style.css file. This came to my [...]
Digital Marketing: What to Know Before You Invest
Digital marketing can be like walking through a jungle. It's a dense place populated with predators, prey, twists, and turns. It demands you pay constant attention, that you remain alert at all times. Like a real jungle, the digital jungle can be fearsome, dangerous, and ruthless. Take a wrong step, and it will chew up your marketing dollars and spit you out with nothing.
Existential Questions: What Are You Looking For in Life, and Why?
What is your existential driving force? We are all looking for something in life. You are looking for something in life. And at your core, there is a driving force causing you to pursue it. The question remains, what [...]
The Power of Love, Forgiveness, and Acceptance
George Lucas Strikes Back... with important life lessons. Last night my wife and I watched Star Wars: Return of the Jedi with some friends. I've long been a Star Wars nerd, but what struck me [...]
The Sharing Economy Lives On in Austin, Texas
Fasten, Fare, Get Me replace Uber & Lyft in Austin, TX When Prop 1 failed a few weeks ago, the thriving ride-share economy in Austin, Texas screeched to a halt. ...or so it seemed. In no more than [...]
Custom Post Types + Link-Only Access in WordPress
PHP to Create Custom Post Types & Link-Only Access in WordPress While working on a web design project recently, my client made a feature request for: Two new custom post types - to be displayed underneath the Posts [...]
Consequentialism vs. Deontology: On the Ethics of Voting
Consequentialism vs. Deontology Consequentialism and Deontology are clashing moral philosophies in the field of Ethics. They clash because each offers a different approach to determining "right" from "wrong." What is Consequentialism? Consequentialism holds that the consequences of one's actions [...]
Optimism vs. Pessimism: The Right Time for Each
Optimism vs. Pessimism Explained Optimism vs. pessimism is a common debate. Should you be optimistic or pessimistic at any given time? Which frame of mind leads to better results? Under what circumstances? The consequences of [...]
Three #1 Best-Sellers and $7,500 in Book Sales in One Month
Three #1 best-sellers and $7,500 in book sales in Feb 2016. #1 best-sellers are books that sell hundreds, if not thousands of copies per month. They are not easy to produce but it can be done. In this [...]
What Entrepreneurs Can Learn From Sea Anemones
So, what's the deal with sea anemones anyways? You may be wondering what entrepreneurs can learn from sea anemones. Let's dive right in: Many years ago I read an interesting story about sea anemones on coral [...]
Mautic – Free Open Source Marketing Automation
Mautic - Free Open Source Marketing Automation Mautic is a free, open-source marketing automation software system. It can be setup through the Mautic cloud or installed directly on your server (preferred). Mautic has already saved [...]
Ego-Shattering Realities of Entrepreneurship
Are you tough enough to handle entrepreneurship? Part of the rite of passage in becoming an entrepreneur - at least for most of us, I think - is having your ego shattered. This probably sounds [...]
Has SEO turned into a game of money and power?
What is SEO? SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is, according to Wikipedia, "the process of affecting the visibility of a website or a web page in a search engine's unpaid results - often referred to as "natural," [...]
The Problem with Education in America: The Wrong Curriculum
First, what do I like about education in America? There are many aspects of America's current educational system that I like: public school systems, sponsored extracurricular programs, and all of the well-meaning teachers and faculty [...]
24-Hour Business Plan Template: Validate & Plan Your Startup Ideas
My Amazon.com Bestseller: 24-Hour Business Plan Template This book is my second and most recent publication. In one sentence, it provides a clear and concise method for validating your startup ideas and planning your business [...]
Your true calling or purpose in life might not be “one thing”
Specializing in One Thing is Pretty Unfulfilling As I get closer to thirty years old, sometimes I wonder: "What is my true calling, or purpose in life?" No matter your age, you've probably wondered the [...]
My Review of The Art of Work by Jeff Goins
Jeff Goins' The Art of Work Jeff Goins is someone who I connected with right away when I discovered his blog, Goins Writer, late last year. Like me, he's a creator, a guitar player, an [...]
3 Reasons I Chose Avada as my Website Theme
Avada is one of my favorite WordPress themes... Avada is an incredibly popular theme, and it has worked very well with my WordPress installation. Funny enough, I'm currently not using Avada on StevenFies.com (rather, I'm using [...]
Man in the Arena – Inspiration for Entrepreneurs
What it's like jumping off the cliff (and building your parachute on the way down...) Deciding to venture out on your own and start a business is very exciting. It can also be a little daunting, [...]
Quit Your Job and Become an Entrepreneur in 7 Months
My Accelerated Path to Entrepreneurship On January 1, 2015 I knew it was time to get serious about becoming an entrepreneur. Running my own business full-time has always been a dream of mine, and it [...]
Cold Call Best Practices + The Sales Process Demystified
"Cold calling is dead." ...or is it? In this article, I'll do my best to share with you a few things I've learned after several years of working in sales. Let's start with the infographic I [...]
The Free Kindle Promotion that Drove my Amazon eBook to #1
The 9 steps I took to achieve #1 in four categories and #159 in the entire Amazon store in under 24 hours. In my last article about conquering your fears, I gave away the entire [...]
How to Deal With Anxiety as an Entrepreneur
Overcome Your Fear When Investing Money in a New Venture or Project We've all been there. Well, some of us have - maybe even most of us. I'm talking about taking a business risk, specifically a financial risk. [...]
How to Conduct an Industry and Competitor Analysis
Market Research: Industry & Competitor Analysis Two extremely critical matters to consider when embarking on a new business venture are Competitor and Industry factors. Let’s break these down individually so you can learn how to conduct [...]
Why an LLC is Right for You
Advantages of LLCs (Limited Liability Companies) When I formed my first Limited Liability Company (LLC), I had a lot of questions. Is an LLC the right business structure for me? Will it provide the best tax [...]
