About Us
Distance Learning Media, LLC is an education technology firm based in Austin, Texas. We provide skills curriculum strategy and design for adult learning, continuing education, workforce development and some K12 programs.
We provide all small business training classes offered by the City of Austin and work with a number of other municipalities, educational institutions and nonprofit organizations. We also partner with the Texas Workforce Commission, The Small Business Administration, and the Texas Veterans Administration.
DLM has a special division called Skills After Service that provides educational programming specifically for veterans and their families.
Company - DistanceLearningMedia.com
Veteran Division - SkillsAfterService.com
Veteran-focused Nonprofit - TransitionSkillsTraining.org
How We Got Started
We have been in marketing, technology and training for over 25 years. Started building websites before we all understood how the internet would impact the world. We were training co-workers early on and later entered the meetings & hospitality industry, building CRM and web content management systems for many CVBs and DMOs. Co-Founder Julie Niehoff was Director of Education for Constant Contact for ten years. We understand small business and everything we build or teach is designed to level the playing field for lean teams.
The products and services we offer
Recommendations Received (159)
"I am in Louisiana. Is there anything you can assist me with? I am a Licensed Professional..."
Read more
"I am in Louisiana. Is there anything you can assist me with? I am a Licensed Professional Counselor and I have my own private practice. "
"Distance Learning Media has the technology education sector covered with what they offer to their..."
Read more
"Distance Learning Media has the technology education sector covered with what they offer to their clients. "
Products & Services
Julie Niehoff, DLM Co-Founder & CMO, is a celebrated keynote speaker delivering presentations and executive coaching on topics like local business ...
DLM provides Small Business Training programs and instructors for the City of Austin Small Business Division. We offer live, in-person and virtual ...
We conduct training workshops on a lot of topics, what kind are you interested in?
Recommendations Given (173)
"Being an entrepreneur is not easy and most of us try to wear all the hats and spin all of the..."
Read more
"Being an entrepreneur is not easy and most of us try to wear all the hats and spin all of the plates. We ALL need services like Kaylee provides - extra hands and minds to get things done without losing yourself in the process. Extremely important!!!"
"I'm not sure how people running a business are able to manage without a service like Kat's. KST..."
Read more
"I'm not sure how people running a business are able to manage without a service like Kat's. KST is a great resource for getting more done in less time, with less hassle and still keeping work life balance in check. Highly recommend!"
Recent Activity
I am in love with HubSpot right now. It works very well with Outlook and I'm actually still using the free version (the sales module) - will likely upgrade soon as it is helping us grow the business but so far, so good. I used to build CRM systems and understand how they work. This one is...
(more)
I am in love with HubSpot right now. It works very well with Outlook and I'm actually still using the free version (the sales module) - will likely upgrade soon as it is helping us grow the business but so far, so good. I used to build CRM systems and understand how they work. This one is extremely intuitive
1 Reply
One other note - I also signed up a while back and didn't get started. The kicker to get me into it without having to sit down with my team and map out a whole plan (which I didn't have time for - or make time for) was to start small. This time, I started by just planning to use the built in...
(more)
One other note - I also signed up a while back and didn't get started. The kicker to get me into it without having to sit down with my team and map out a whole plan (which I didn't have time for - or make time for) was to start small. This time, I started by just planning to use the built in sidekick application that tells you when people open your email (sorry friends that are seeing this but yes, I do deploy big brother tools with discretion). It pulled me in, meaning the tool starting asking me if I wanted to add this person or that person to the CRM. And I did it. And it is working beautifully and it is only pulling my current items so without a big planning session I still have all the old stuff in my outlook but have successfully/cleaning moved current projects into the CRM. It is a Zen thing, almost. Side note....nothing is really free. The reality is that when online tools are free, the user (you and me) are the product. Our data is private and protected, but it is very likely used "in the aggregate" meaning that services like Facebook and Twitter and HubSpot are able to use our data to help measure other things like "how big are the companies that use HubSpot" so that they can market their tools/ads to others interested in reaching us. HubSpot and others are NOT selling or compromising our data. But the knowable information they get from storing tons of data from many many people helps them grow their businesses. Really hope I didn't scare you. I wouldn't use it myself if I thought it would be harmful to anyone. But it's also important that I tell you all of that if I'm going to recommend in public. :)
1 Reply
I recently talked with a Yelp insider on my podcast all about strategies for local business, the episode is called The Fear and Loathing of Yelp. (Note there is some cursing on the show... partly about Yelp) :) It is episode #103 and there are some great tips on the show to make Yelp work for...
(more)
I recently talked with a Yelp insider on my podcast all about strategies for local business, the episode is called The Fear and Loathing of Yelp. (Note there is some cursing on the show... partly about Yelp) :) It is episode #103 and there are some great tips on the show to make Yelp work for your business. Here is an iTunes link or you can find it at TheEasyMarketingGuide.com https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/easy-market...
My answer is yes. I have been referred from Alignable at least 4 times so far and I have sent referrals for many people on the site. I know of those that have referred me because I got work out of them. I was able to get several decent consulting gigs and now two really good (paying) speaking...
(more)
My answer is yes. I have been referred from Alignable at least 4 times so far and I have sent referrals for many people on the site. I know of those that have referred me because I got work out of them. I was able to get several decent consulting gigs and now two really good (paying) speaking opportunities. My previous estimate of the additional revenue was around $9k but it has gone up closer to about $12K since that initial calculation. When I say referrals, I'm not talking about just writing a recommendation on the site - tho that is very nice too - but specifically referring me for a job or project. I do also send referrals - I send them for people not on Alignable too, but if someone is on Alignable it is very easy to just link to their profile or to click the share button and share them out on social media (usually in answer to a question someone has posted in a group looking for help with a particular topic). I also use the referral flyers, I link to it from my email blasts to my customers/followers/supporters with a link that says Businesses I Recommend and I think a few people on that list (my recommendations) have also gotten work but I only just started doing it so am not positive that it resulted in anything big. But my answer is yes. I do and have been referred on this site. Hope this is helpful!
1 Reply
I have found great benefit from this site. Three consulting jobs and a great speaking opportunity. I can understand that it takes some getting used to but I found that adding a few of my own good contacts helped get the ball rolling in a more meaningful way because I could recommend them with...
(more)
I have found great benefit from this site. Three consulting jobs and a great speaking opportunity. I can understand that it takes some getting used to but I found that adding a few of my own good contacts helped get the ball rolling in a more meaningful way because I could recommend them with confidence. It also helped me to think of the site more as a method than a solution. At first I thought the new business would come to me passively. A friend told me to look at it differently, more ike tindr for biz. She said "You don't just swipe right and get married" ...You text some, meet for coffee, troll their social media and then maybe date...then see how it goes. Once I stopped thinking this site would do it for me I started getting a lot more out of it. Hope this is helpful.
One that came up on my podcast is called Head Space - which is not a business app but it is good for work/life balance. It's a meditation app. One of my guests says he uses it more than once a day when things are really cooking and he needs to keep his concentration and focus. Good tip -...
(more)
One that came up on my podcast is called Head Space - which is not a business app but it is good for work/life balance. It's a meditation app. One of my guests says he uses it more than once a day when things are really cooking and he needs to keep his concentration and focus. Good tip - unexpected answer
I have to add that now that I've asked this question, every time there is a response to it, I feel particularly responsible for acknowleding/responding to your comments quickly. :)
(more)
I have to add that now that I've asked this question, every time there is a response to it, I feel particularly responsible for acknowleding/responding to your comments quickly. :)
