Archive 3: 2018-2020

582: Niche Down and Play Bigger: Evangelize and Redesign the Problem, Market Differently, and Master Category Design with Christopher Lochhead

August 9, 2018

Christopher Lochhead, author of Play Bigger (and now, Niche Down) is THE person to listen to if you're looking for the courage to stand out (in your life and business) using what's called "category design."

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If you'd like to become LEGENDARY by carving out your own category -- in the same way Apple, 5 Hour Energy, CarMax, Goldiblocks, and The World's First Arcade Bar (Barcade) did -- then you'll need to market AND redesign the problem you're solving so you can't be compared to anyone else.

Teach the world to think in a different (NOT better) way!

Quotes:                                                                                                                                   

“Legendary entrepreneurs are intuitive category designers. They realize that the way they're going to be successful is actually not marketing a product and its features, but marketing a problem and a point of view about why that problem matters.” – Christopher Lochhead

“Legends don't want to be compared to anyone else. They want everyone that comes after them to be compared to them. They want to break and take new ground.” - Christopher Lochhead

“The number one problem in business today is failure to niche down or set a different way. Nobody buys a solution without a problem.” - Christopher Lochhead

Takeaways:

03:24 The most impactful innovators don't compete in existing markets - they create entirely new ones by reimagining problems.

05:46 Stop trying to be better than competitors. Create a unique market category that solves problems differently.

12:03 Successful entrepreneurs evangelize a problem, not just sell a solution. They teach people to see challenges from a new perspective.

29:28 Niching down isn't just for big companies. Small businesses and individuals can carve out specialized spaces by focusing on specific problems.

35:30 Your unique difference is your greatest strength. Have the courage to stand out and create your own path.

Resources

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581: Passion Plus Commitment Equals Success: Love What You Do, Practice Gratitude, Challenge Yourself and Win with Elysia Stobbe

August 8, 2018

Certified Military Relocation Pro, Wonder Woman Adventurer, Speaker and Author of the #1 Best Seller How To Get Approved for the Best Mortgage Without Sticking A Fork in Your Eye.

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Elysia Stobbe has closed more than $250 million in residential mortgage loans during her career. Through diligence and great service to her clients, Elysia not only survived, but actually thrived during the mortgage crisis that began in 2006. Through a relentless and never-ending commitment to customer service and integrity as a core value, Elysia has built a successful mortgage business in the midst of the industry's tightening regulations. Elysia has moved 10 times and has a unique perspective that she brings to her real estate business. In addition, Elysia has bought and sold over 30 properties as a real estate investor.

She tells us how to maximize your potential, prevent stagnation, and challenge yourself to break through limits and reach new heights. Elysia shares her daily routine, tips on staying organized, and five secrets to money and business success:

  1. pay yourself
  2. build cash reserves
  3. get access to lines of credit BEFORE you need the credit
  4. create a SEP IRA
  5. know your exit strategy

Quotes:                                                                                                                                   

“If you're not growing, you're dying. Sticking to the status quo leads to boredom, much like neglecting exercise causes muscles to atrophy.” – Elysia Stobbe

“Your thoughts become your words, your words become your actions, and your actions become your reality.” - Elysia Stobbe

“There really is no easy street to becoming financially free. It is hard work, but you need the tools, and you definitely need the motivation to make that happen.” - Elysia Stobbe

Takeaways:

01:10 Technology is changing fast, and businesses must anticipate future trends to stay competitive.

06:57 Passion and commitment are essential for building a successful business that you truly enjoy.

18:57 Practice daily gratitude and create a morning routine that energizes and focuses you.

21:33 Break down big goals into smaller, manageable steps to maintain motivation and progress.

30:25 Always have a clear exit strategy when building a business to ensure long-term financial security.

Resources

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580: Convey Your Message Using Membership Sites, Gamify Learning for Your Customers, and Live Your Best Moments of Truth with Issac Tolpin

August 6, 2018

Isaac Tolpin is one of the Founders of ConveYour.com, the #1 Micro-Learning platform for influencers and companies.

He's a tech entrepreneur and futurist at heart, on a mission, enabling brands to authentically connect and inform at scale with over 105 million in combined revenues from the companies he's helped build. His success comes from understanding the relationships between human behavior, business and technology. This expertise has helped celebrity influencers and companies to transform their knowledge into humanized digital training. He refuses to waste his life achieving the world's definition of success that leave so many empty, but instead does what matters through the projects he's involved with, those he serves, and the family he leads.

Quotes:                                                                                                                                   

“Technology has come so far that people building courses shouldn't create something that bores people to death. Whether it's in a company or you're selling your information, leveraging your content, the experience matters as much as the content matters.” – Issac Tolpin

“Money is a poor motivator because it'll motivate you for a while, but it doesn't necessarily motivate you to create the things that really matter.” - Issac Tolpin

“If you're not authentic in every aspect of your life, people will quickly sense it and be turned off, often without understanding why.” - Issac Tolpin

Takeaways:

04:40 Making online courses fun and interactive is more important than having perfect, polished video production.

07:20 Gamification works across all ages by tapping into people's natural desire for recognition and achievement.

16:50 Earning rewards through points creates a more meaningful learning experience and filters out less committed participants.

21:00 Being authentic in business and personal life is crucial for building genuine connections with people.

23:15 Chasing money alone will not sustain motivation; meaningful purpose is essential for long-term success.

Resources

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579: Build Your Championship Company, Overcome the Seven Deadliest Employee Communication Sins, and Manage High Performance Teams with Workplace Communication Expert Skip Weisman

August 5, 2018

Skip Weisman, The Leadership & Workplace Communication Expert, spent the first 20-years of his career leading professional baseball organizations, 16 as CEO. That experience in professional sports allows him to connect championship performance in sports to championship performance small business, Bringing the Right People Into the Right Environment to Deliver the Right Results!

Skip’s powerful leadership communication strategies, combined with his Championship Game Plan and Playbooks, bring championship performance to work environments in every industry. Despite his sports background, Skip connects with every type of audience because his experiences, stories and lessons come from your typical office environment anyone can relate to.

Quotes:                                                                                                                                   

“To achieve championship performance in sports, communication, trust, and respect among coworkers and colleagues are vital.” – Skip Weisman

“Every problem, frustration, upset, and success in business is ultimately rooted in some form of communication.” - Skip Weisman

“People want to do a good job; they care about you, as well as the present and future state of your company.” - Skip Weisman

Takeaways:

06:55 Preparation and early planning are critical for business success, even months before a major event or launch.

14:00 Employees want to contribute and care about the company when given trust and meaningful responsibilities.

16:49 Small businesses can benefit from neutral third-party assessments that help break down communication barriers.

22:47 Communication problems are the root cause of most workplace challenges and conflicts.

24:40 Creating a positive work environment requires listening to employees and giving them a genuine voice.

Resources

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578: Holistic Tax Planning: Save Money As an Entrepreneur Using Health Insurance, Life Insurance, and Income Strategy with Money Geek Michael Dinich

July 30, 2018

Michael Dinich is the founder of Your Money Geek and he helps people retire early by reducing taxes, fees and costs. He blogs about personal finance and he’s here to share the latest tactics, tips and strategies entrepreneurs need to know about regarding personal finance, tax planning, life insurance and health insurance.

Quotes:                                                                                                                                   

“Dollars are not merely money; they represent moments you exchanged for a better future.” – Michael Dinich

“The tax code is more complicated than many people realize, with various phase-outs, exemptions, and factors based on your income.” - Michael Dinich

“Life often unfolds in the middle, but balanced and fair headlines don’t usually attract clicks.” - Michael Dinich

Takeaways:

01:39 Tax planning should be a year-round strategy, not just a once-a-year event during tax season.

03:56 Entrepreneurs need flexible financial strategies that adapt to changing income levels and business conditions.

14:05 Health insurance costs can be significantly reduced by carefully managing your modified adjusted gross income.

20:25 Finding the right financial professional requires research and understanding your specific business needs.

22:10 Life insurance offers more than just a death benefit - it can be a strategic financial planning tool for retirement and business financing.

Resources

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577: Work Hero: Stratch Your Own Itch, Innovate When There Is No Other Option, Be Persistent and Create Freedom with Kevin Koskella

July 27, 2018

Kevin Koskella from Work Hero is an online entrepreneur and digital nomad. He decided he wanted to be free of the corporate world when he lost his job after the dot com bubble burst.
With a history of competitive swimming, he returned to the water and started doing part time work as a swim instructor and personal trainer. In 2005, he turned Tri Swim Coach, his business teaching swimmers to become triathletes, into a full time, location independent, online business.

Today he works with entrepreneurs around what he teaches triathletes: you need experts so you can be the most successful. That’s why in 2017, Kevin founded Work Hero, a service that helps online entrepreneurs by accomplishing their design and technical tasks so they have the freedom to focus on the work they do best. For a flat monthly rate, teams of experts focus on the annoying and technical tasks that business owners should not have to deal with.

Quotes:                                                                                                                                   

“I look at the options and decide that the only thing I truly want is to have a business that offers some level of freedom.” – Kevin Koskella

“If you have all day to complete a task, you end up being less productive because you think you have 8-10 hours, allowing you to spread the work out.” - Kevin Koskella

“Starting something on the side might be overwhelming when you're working eight or nine hours a day at a company, but it can push you to focus and avoid wasting time.” - Kevin Koskella

Takeaways:

05:14 Breaking down complex projects into smaller, manageable tasks helps overcome overwhelming challenges in business.

11:31 Creating a minimum viable product and gradually improving it is a smart strategy for entrepreneurs.

19:43 Persistence and patience are crucial when transitioning between different business models or product types.

22:06 Personal frustration with corporate work can be a powerful motivator for building your own business.

27:17 Starting a business on the side while working a full-time job can be an effective way to build momentum and learn without financial risk.

Resources

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576: Locate Your Ideal Client Through Relationships, Pillars, and Mentor Moments with Lee Richter

July 26, 2018

Lee Richter is an award winning, dynamic business innovator and a visionary recognized again by the San Francisco Business Times as one of their Top 100 Women Business Leaders in 2017. For more than 25 years, she has launched a dozen successful businesses in the financial, education and lifestyle sectors. Her unique vision and drive revolutionizes business as her companies produce hundreds of jobs, educate tens of thousands of people and make millions in revenue.

Quotes:                                                                                                                                   

“The more we build our relationships, the more we know like and trust each other and want to do business with each other.” – Lee Richter

“If we stay intensely focused on what we desire, the individuals in the room who align with that frequency will naturally and inevitably be drawn to us.” - Lee Richter

“Just take one step toward your goal—perhaps just the next step. It doesn’t have to be the entire goal at once.” - Lee Richter

Takeaways:

01:16 Focus on building relationships that create trust and open doors to new opportunities.

02:02 Pay attention to mentor moments that can provide critical insights for personal and professional growth.

06:08 Break down big goals into smaller, manageable steps to avoid feeling overwhelmed.

09:19 Create a network of expert "pillars" who can guide people toward their specific goals.

26:40 Spend 80% of your time on marketing and high-level connections that can drive business success.

Resources

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575: Turn Clicks into Customers: Voice Search, Position Zero Search Engine Optimization, and Artificial Intelligence with Duane Forrester

July 25, 2018

Duane Forrester is the Vice President of Industry Insights for Yext, leading industry outreach, evangelism and authorship for the company. He's here to talk to us about voice search, structured data, artificial intelligence, position zero, integrating your app (or website) into Alexa, and so much more.

Duane is is the author of two books: How To Make Money With Your Blog & Turn Clicks Into Customers. He's written for publications ranging from SearchEngineLand and DuctTape Marketing, to Entrepreneur Magazine, the New York Times and Inc. He actively advises startups and large corporations, and even spent time advising the staff who maintain the White House's websites.

Quotes:                                                                                                                                   

“Human beings are lazy, so anything we can do that allows us to get more for doing less, we will adopt that. There's no question about it.” – Duane Forrester

“The technology is remarkable, but the real focus lies in how it is transforming consumer behavior, which directly impacts businesses across the board.” - Duane Forrester

“You cannot control the UI of the future. You can't control the artificial intelligence layer that's on those services, but you can control the data layer, and that's the critical point.” - Duane Forrester

Takeaways:

04:32 Voice search technology is rapidly evolving beyond basic commands like checking weather or time.

08:14 Smart home features solve practical problems, even if they seem like first-world conveniences.

15:11 Future consumers will judge businesses by their digital accessibility and online reputation.

21:46 Websites must focus on user experience and answering customer questions rather than complex design.

26:49 Businesses need to adapt to new technologies now or risk becoming obsolete.

Resources

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574: Live Long and Stay Productive At Any Age: Self-Care, Visualization, and Moderation with Serial Entrepreneur and Health Advocate Renee Balcom

July 24, 2018

Renee Balcom is the CEO of Renee & Company and has proven to be a serial entrepreneur. During her time in Oregon Renee found that her true passion and mission is to change the cultural point of view about aging. Often you will hear her exclaim that ageism is the last acceptable form of discrimination in our society. After working with hundreds of Elders, Renee came to realize that most of the information being provided to us about aging is wrong - most of our beliefs about getting older is wrong.

She's here to explain how to find a new calling, take care of your health, and stay motivated/productive at any age.

Quotes:                                                                                                                                   

“As we age, there's this idea that we're all going to kind of go into wheelchairs and walkers and be sitting in corners, and that's absolutely not necessary. We can move through our life with vitality and energy.” – Renee Balcom

“When we get in front of the doctor, oftentimes we forget, or our mind goes into a different space. We have fear, and we deal with white coat syndrome, and we don't always articulate ourselves.” - Renee Balcom

“I'm not in the world of acquisition anymore, so I don't need to acquire any more stuff. I have what I need.” - Renee Balcom

Takeaways:

04:40 Health advocates can help patients navigate complex medical systems and reduce stress during challenging diagnoses.

12:15 Retirement isn't about stopping work, but finding new ways to contribute and stay purposeful.

20:30 Writing down key points before doctor appointments helps ensure clear and comprehensive communication.

26:50 Aging doesn't mean decline; with moderation and self-care, people can maintain vitality and clarity at any age.

33:40 Patients should feel empowered to pace their medical appointments and ask doctors to slow down and discuss concerns.

Resources

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573: How and When to Sell Your Business: Due Diligence, Deal Structure, and Diversification with Business Acquisition Consultant Ace Chapman

July 23, 2018

Ace Chapman is the ultimate authority when it comes to buying and selling businesses. He's back on the show to discuss creative deal-making and the latest developments in acquiring online businesses.

Quotes:                                                                                                                                   

“If you have two very savvy people, the easiest people for me to do the best deal with is when I'm dealing with somebody who owns a $5 million business.” – Ace Chapman

“The last thing you want to do is change a bunch of things at once.” - Ace Chapman

“It's one thing to start at zero. It's another thing to start out behind, lower than zero, because you're losing money in a deal.” - Ace Chapman

Takeaways:

04:40 Successful business acquisitions require patience and minimal initial changes.

05:50 Internet businesses are becoming more stable and less risky investments.

17:00 Treat a new business like a franchise system - follow existing successful processes.

20:16 Change only one business factor at a time to accurately measure impact.

22:51 Spend the first 6 months learning the business before attempting any modifications.

Resources

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