SPI 313: Building a Strong and Healthy Brand with Michelle Tam from Nom Nom Paleo

Today’s guest is the author of two of my favorite books, and they’re not entrepreneurial books, they’re actually cookbooks! Her name is Michelle Tam, the author and creator of Nom Nom Paleo. She’s here to talk about her story and the strategies she’s used to launch her products, books, and merchandise. You might have seen her books at Whole Foods.

Today we’re talking about how Michelle grew her business, but also how she’s able to balance her business with family life, even incorporating her family into her business in really unique ways. I really look up to her for that—as you know I’m a family man and always looking for new ways to get my family involved in what I do.

This episode is full of great tactics if you’re thinking of launching a business or a product of your own. Michelle’s story really is a classic online business story, the story of someone who was able to take a passion and a side-project and turn it into a full-time job. Get ready to take some notes. Let’s get started!

I also want to give a big shout out and and congratulations to Nathan Barry of ConvertKit, who tweeted recently that ConvertKit has now hit $1 million in monthly recurring revenue. Huge congratulations to Nathan and the team! ConvertKit is the email service provider that I use, and if you want a 45-day free trial, go to SmartPassiveIncome.com/convertkit45. You can’t get this anywhere else. They’ll give you everything you need to get your email list up and growing, so check it out! [Full Disclosure: I’m a compensated advisor and an affiliate for ConvertKit.]

One more thing before you start the podcast, a lot of you have been asking me about how you can start your own podcast. You can have your own listeners and subscribers too, whether you already have a business and want to expand it or want to use a podcast to build that audience. A podcast is a powerful tool. If you want to start a podcast yourself, I’ve put together a free three-day course for you, step-by-step, taking all the technical stuff and distilling it into only what you need. Check out HowtoStartaPodcast.com to get started.

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Special thanks to Michelle Tam for joining me this week. Until next time!

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You'll Learn

How Michelle got started with Nom Nom Paleo in 2010, and how it grew from there.
The stealthy strategy behind Nom Nom Paleo's design and cookbook layouts.
How Michelle scaled her business and quit her job of twelve years.
What risks Michelle took for her business, and why.
What strategies Michelle used to launch her first Nom Nom Paleo book.
How Michelle drove pre-sale orders for her new cookbook and rewarded her pre-order fans.
How Nom Nom Paleo got on the New York Times bestseller list.
What strategies Nom Nom Paleo used for integrating with Whole Foods.
What social media channels Michelle uses for Nom Nom Paleo and why.
Advice Michelle has for getting started with online business, and more!