What is the Wild Business Growth Podcast?

Wild ideas. Wild growth. Every Wednesday morning a new entrepreneur or innovator joins the Wild Business Growth Podcast to share the crazy creative and unusual ways they grew their business, and provides tips for you to do it, too. Hear the woman who became the voice of Siri, the man who’s reinventing the sandcastle, how GaryVee’s partners are turning the wine world upside down, and more wild stories. Hosted by Max Branstetter (that’s me), Founder and Podcast Producer at MaxPodcasting.

Episode #117: Julia McCoy – Escaping a Cult, Founder of Express Writers

Julia McCoy, the Founder of Express Writers and The Content Hacker, joins the show to share her journey from being born into a cult to escaping and building flourishing businesses. Hear how to go from freelancer to entrepreneur, evaluate talent, focus on what’s important for your business, go about creative writing, and how Julia made her escape and turned her life around. This episode covers everything from the incredibly tough times Julia went through to her favorite fiction books. Here’s a small sample of what you will hear in this episode:

• What was Julia’s experience growing up in a cult
• How did she plot her escape
• What’s the difference between a freelancer and an entrepreneur
• How do you hire people that have the skillset your company needs
• Why is focus such an significant entrepreneurial quality
• How do you write creatively
• How does Poo~Pourri use clever puns in their marketing
• What can Julia share about playing the harp

Connect with Julia on Twitter at @JuliaEMcCoy, YouTube, and Instagram at @Fementrepreneur, plus ContentHacker.com, ExpressWriters.com, and Amazon.

Enjoy the show! Check out the show notes below for much more detail.

Show Notes

• Intro & Escaping a Cult
  • [0:27] Email me at max@maxpodcasting.com for help using your podcast as a business-building tool
  • [0:43] Connect with Julia on Twitter at @JuliaEMcCoy, YouTube, and Instagram at @Fementrepreneur, plus ContentHacker.com, ExpressWriters.com, and Amazon
  • [0:55] Cult
  • [1:09] Express Writers, The Content Hacker
  • [1:42] Serial Entrepreneur
  • [2:38] Woman Rising by Julia McCoy
  • [2:43] What was Julia’s experience growing up in a cult
  • [4:21] Tony Robbins
  • [4:41] Writing
  • [5:19] When did Julia start to realize she wasn’t growing up in a healthy environment
  • [7:02] Spinster
  • [7:46] How did Julia plot her escape
  • [7:56] The Shawshank Redemption
  • [9:17] Goodwill
• The Express Writers Story
  • [11:34] When did Julia realize Express Writers could be a real business
  • [11:48] RN (Registered Nurse)
  • [12:05] Florence Nightingale
  • [12:20] Content Marketing
  • [12:30] Homeschooling
  • [12:36] William Shakespeare
  • [13:13] Medieval Fiction
  • [13:18] Nursing School
  • [13:50] How to make money writing
  • [13:55] Freelance Writing, SEO (Search Engine Optimization), Keyword Stuffing
  • [14:42] Google
  • [14:52] Upwork, Elance-oDesk
  • [15:04] Offshore Writers
  • [15:49] Income
  • [17:50] How do you go from Freelancer to Entrepreneur
  • [20:02] CTO (Chief Technology Officer)
  • [21:11] Clients
  • [21:52] Hiring, Core Competencies
  • [22:00] How do you evaluate talent
  • [22:25] Resume, LinkedIn
  • [22:37] Client Brief
  • [23:01] Research
  • [23:51] Phone Interviews
  • [24:51] Headline
  • [25:07] Content Marketing Automation, Thought Leaders
  • [26:52] Job Interview
  • [27:54] Basecamp, Rework by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson
  • [28:29] Slack
  • [29:42] How has Julia been able to grow Express Writers in addition to growing the team
  • [30:00] Content Marketing World 2020, #CMworld
  • [30:08] Joe Pulizzi on the Wild Business Growth Podcast and in the “Episode 100 Special“
  • [31:20] Customer Experience (CX)
  • [31:38] Customer Feedback
  • [32:24] Phone Apps, VoIP Apps (Voice over Internet Protocol)
  • [33:34] Metrics
  • [33:46] CTA (Call to Action)
  • [34:47] Bounce Rate
  • [35:37] The Tim Ferriss Show
  • [35:54] Why is focus so important for entrepreneurs
  • [36:36] EMT (Emergency Medical Technician)
  • [36:42] I do not charge per analogy
  • [36:45] Save time with your high-quality podcast. Email me at max@maxpodcasting.com to bring your podcast to life and use it as a business-building tool

• Inspiration & Creativity: People, Hobbies, and Resources
  • [37:25] Working On the business vs. In the business
  • [37:36] How do you go about creative writing
  • [37:54] Content Writing
  • [38:16] Joe Pulizzi’s Random Newsletter, CMI (Content Marketing Institute)
  • [38:34] Ann Handley on the Wild Business Growth Podcast and in the “Episode 100 Special“
  • [38:49] Ann Handley’s Total Annarchy newsletter
  • [39:10] Blogs
  • [39:32] Amazon Fiction Best Sellers
  • [39:42] Wicked by Gregory Maguire
  • [39:47] Wicked the Broadway play (aka “The Witch”)
  • [40:50] Iceberg Skills
  • [41:31] All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy
  • [42:01] Brainbox
  • [42:40] Tweet, Social Media
  • [42:55] How to be a better podcast host
  • [43:38] What are Julia’s favorite hobbies
  • [44:30] Round Rock, TX, Georgetown, TX
  • [44:45] Lake Georgetown
• Wild Business Shoutout of the Week
  • [45:59] Poo~Pourri
  • [46:05] Copywriting (Copy)
  • [46:15] How does Poo~Pourri go about creative marketing
  • [46:24] Twitter Chat
  • [47:19] CEO (Chief Executive Officer)
  • [47:56] Chatbot
  • [48:03] Target Audience
  • [48:26] Gotta love puns
  • [49:03] Suzy Batiz Instagram
• The Unusual: Pet Peeves, Quirks, and Weird Talents
  • [49:56] What are Julia’s pet peeves
  • [50:11] Billboards
  • [51:02] CTA Button, Services
  • [51:24] What are Julia’s weird talents
  • [51:43] Harp
  • [51:52] Guinness, Harp
  • [52:44] Reverse Alarm Clocks
  • [53:00] What are Julia’s quirks
  • [53:36] Famous Bald Guys: Bruce Willis, Jason Statham, The Rock (Dwayne Johnson), Stone Cold Steve Austin
  • [54:12] Context Clues
• Rapid-Fire Q&A
  • [54:35] Texas-Sized Donut from Round Rock Donuts
  • [54:59] Travel Channel, Food Network
  • [55:18] Dallas Cowboys
  • [55:51] How do you play the harp
  • [56:35] What did Julia learn from working at McDonald’s
  • [57:14] Connect with Julia on Twitter at @JuliaEMcCoy, YouTube, and Instagram at @Fementrepreneur, plus ContentHacker.com, ExpressWriters.com, and Amazon
  • [58:04] What are Julia’s final thoughts
  • [59:01] Subscribe to the Wild Business Growth Podcast and tell a friend about the podcast
  • [59:08] Check out the Wild Business Growth Podcast on GoodPods, where you can see what your favorite people are listening to
  • [59:12] Connect with me on Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn at @MaxBranstetter
  • [59:15] Save time with your high-quality podcast. Email me at max@maxpodcasting.com to bring your podcast to life and use it as a business-building tool
  • Theme music: Freestyle Percussion Magik – Jungle Tribe – provided by Jamendo

How do you start a podcast?

Interested in starting a professional-sounding podcast for your brand, but dreading the time commitment? I’ve got you covered. Email me at max@maxpodcasting.com to save time with your high-quality podcast and use it as a business-building tool.

Thanks for listening to Julia McCoy on the Wild Business Growth Podcast. To hear more Wild stories like this one every Wednesday morning, subscribe to the Wild Business Growth Podcast and tell a friend. Until next time, Let your business Run Wild…and Bring on the Bongos!!