Airtable is a magical land where you can go to sleep one night, while tiny organizational elves of awesome-sauce put all your p's and q's in the perfect files.
All...for FREEEEEEE. 0_0
OK...well, that MIGHT be an exaggeration. BUT, the Airtable platform is SO easy to use and keep maintained, that SURELY the magical elves use it to maintain their OWN databases.
In short, Airtable is a free online platform that let's you organize ANYTHING in your business, personal, or even hobby life. With it's ability store EVERY kind of file and media known to man, planning out your videos, blog posts, instagrams, and stamp collection has never been easier. (Keep reading for pics and real world/business examples!)
A better question? What CAN'T you organize with Airtable??
When I first discovered Airtable, I hadn't quite set out to launch Uncork Your Dork. But one thing you PROBABLY know about me, if you've been around for a while, is that organization is like Chocolate to me.
Had a bad day? Gorge on cleaning out the closet.
Had a stressful inbox? Over-indulge on some toilet and bathtub scrubbing.
Having some financial hiccups? Go on a shopping spree to the Container Store (and buy a chocolate bar in the check-out line).
I. Love. Organizing things!!!
So, when I first got my hands on the Airtable platform four years ago, I started by organizing every book I own (over 500 easy) with pictures and yes, ISBN's to boot. (I'm using that same list to replace all of my physical books with digital copies this year!)
Since launching UCYD, Airtable has been a bestie to my biz. My most COMMONLY USED bases are:
Between blog posts, YouTube videos, membership videos and more...I use affiliate links for my favorite products, courses, and tech gear ALL the time. So, this base usually lives open on my desktop. (Yes!! Airtable has a desktop app!!)
I keep track of the affiliate link, the type of pay out, and my login information as well!
I get a LOOOOOT of YouTube ideas (both at my desk and when I'm out and about...which is why the phone app comes in handy)...so using the Trello style organization option inside of Airtable has become SUPER important for keeping all of it organized!!
With this system, I keep track of ideas, recorded videos, icons, links, captions, and even success stats!
Kind of like the Trello style organization above, you can ALSO organize your data by date inside of a calendar format! This means, you'll be able to set dates for blog posts, FB lives, or even basic maintenance!
Even cooler? These tables, calendars and trello bases can call be embedded on your posts and pages. We've embedded calendars on our membership sales pages to show potential members the content we have coming up! (I know...GENIUS.)
There are so many features to gush over...but some of MY favorites are:
If you missed it above, I actually have a FREE 30 minute training that will walk you through the basics of Airtable...and also show you EXACTLY how I set up my funnel base!!
My funnel base is how I organize my blog posts, my opt-ins, and My funnels.
In this 30 minute training, I'll show you how to:
As a bonus to the bonus, you'll even be able to grab my EXACT base with a one click copy into your OWN Airtable account.
You can enter your deets here to grab instant access! (Watch for the email to hit your inbox in just a few minutes!
For a REALLY long time, my funnels floundered.
And I admit it, it was out of sheer laziness and just...lack of knowledge.
I thought, if I created TWO funnels and just connected a bunch of opt-ins to each, I'd be golden.
I thought, if I just mentioned a product in every email I sent out...I wouldn't NEED to create funnels.
I thought, no one will ever make it to the end of my funnels, so I'll just keep them all to three emails and call it a day.
I was LITERALLY throwing profits into my digital trash can. Head/desk.
It wasn't until I got REAL clear on which opt-ins led to which funnels...and WHERE those opt-ins were being housed, that I finally started to see the progress. Not ONLY the progress with my profits...but actually being able to see WHO on my list was interested in WHAT.
Airtable played a HUGE role in this. In addition, having a clear idea of where your opt-ins are hanging out (home pages, blog posts, videos, etc) cleaning them up every now and them becomes a ten minute project.
ALL of that is what this training is about...
First off...I HIGHLY recommend taking the free video training listed above. Not only I will SHOW you exactly what I'm about to talk about...but I'll also walk you through getting it all set up!! There are just TOO many steps to include in a quick post!
Assuming you've set up your free Airtable Account have created your first Hub...you'll want to go on ahead and create that very first base for your funnel organization!! Click this button to create your base from scratch, give it a name and publish it:
At the top of your new spreadsheet, you'll see a "Table 1" tab. Rename this to "Opt-Ins".
While you're at it, click that tiny little plus sign to the right of it to create a second, third, and fourth tab. You'll want to name these "Blog posts", "Funnels", and "Products".
Woo-hoo!!! Look at you go!!
Once you've done that, it's time to create a few different columns!! If you are choosing NOT to watch the training, you're going to be figuring out a lot of this part on your own. But here are the basics!
There will be THREE default columns already created for you...Name, Notes, and Attachments. But don't fret, friend...you can create as many as you'd like by hitting that plus sign all the way to the right.
Once you're ready to customize, make sure you are in the "Opt-ins" tab and you'll want to click the down arrow on your first column.
Rename it to "Opt-In Name".
Once you've renamed this field, you'll want to click "Customize Field Type". THIS will pull up a list of the various field types you can create. Some will hold text, some will hold dates, and some will hold actual files (and there are a TON more and hold even MORE things!! Spend some time playing!).
This should REMAIN "single line text".
You'll want rename/ create additional columns that read and ARE:
Under your "Blog Posts" tab, you'll want to have:
Under your "Funnels" tab, you'll want to have:
Under your "Products" tab, you'll want to have:
Don't worry...information is updated across every tab with the use of the "Link to Another Record" system in the first tab!! (See?? Video is SO much more helpful!!
Using the system I just walked you through, you'll be able to keep track of your posts, opt-ins, funnels and products EASY PEASY!
I'll make this one easy...SIGN UP FOR THE VIDEO!!! *sigh*
Look...I know that what I just walked you through is a lil' bit like...
SO, when you sign up for the free training, you'll ALSO get a link directly to my base!! One thing I LOVE about Airtable is the "click to copy" feature. If you're signed in to YOUR Airtable account, you'll be able to copy my base directly into your OWN hub. So...no tedious copy and paste!
I've got yer back, Jack (and Jane)!!
If you are a small business blogger juggling:
videos, blog posts, podcasts, membership sites, summits, webinars, opt-ins, finances, analytics, event trainings, speaking gigs, 1 on 1 sessions, product launches, funnels, marketing calendars, hundreds of affiliate links, and more...
You MIGHT want to take a peak at the Airtable Hub Club!
This $12 a month club (you can cancel at any time), will give access to a brand new base + training + download EVERY month. Just like the video above, I'll walk you through creating a new base to get your downloads and systems spit shined!
Click the button see what EXACTLY you'll be learning and what to expect! We would love to have ya!
LORD KNOWS I know what it's like to have a $6,000 launch one month...and $150 in income the next. Running a business can feel like a tilt-a-whirl.
Something else I know? The roller coaster ride doesn't HAVE to be the only way. In June of 2017, I got sick on the rollercoaster (pun intended) and crammed EVERY course ebook and challenge I'd spent months creating, launching and screaming about...into a recurring revenue system.
The Wham! Bam! Business Plan!
After my initial launch in July, my income shot from an average of $47.00 a month (yeah...you're reading that right) to a recurring $1,300. (This meant...I could expect around that number EACH MONTH.)
As of January...my income has septupled (is that a word?) to $6,942.00 a month. I do this WITHOUT launching, WITHOUT pressuring my readers, and WITHOUT praying and sweating for sales. (Don't get me wrong...I still work hard EVERY DAY.)
Although this SOUNDS like an overnight success...you have to take into account that I've been in business for nearly THREE years!! That was TWO years of figuring out my message, my audience and how the HELL to create a recurring revenue.
In the last year, I've become a pro at not only memberships, but digital subscriptions, paid masterminds and other predictable revenue systems...and I KNOW I can teach YOU to do the same.
I want to make you TWO promises here and now:
Promise #1: You can create a recurring revenue in ANY industry. Whether you help families organize their homes...train Fido to sit, roll over and shake...or make cakes the size of my living room...there is a subscription based method to get your business growing SPECIFICALLY for the way you want to do business!
Promise #2: Running your business doesn't have to be a month to month "how will I pay rent" horror novel of an experience. Think about how AMAZING it would feel to focus on content creation and growing your customer base INSTEAD of focusing on a launch that MIGHT or MIGHT NOT net you enough pay your bills.
I have all the faith in you...and together I know we can get your business up, growing and having one of the best years you've ever thought possible.