Productivity
631: How to Get More Organized with LastPass, Google Drive, Google Chrome, MindMeister & Upwork
Robert Plank covers Business Productivity Tools in this Marketer of the Day episode. Better organization comes from using simple systems that reduce friction, capture ideas, and move repetitive work off your plate. LastPass is presented as a password manager that saves login time, supports unique passwords, and allows controlled sharing with collaborators. Google Drive provides cloud storage plus Docs, Sheets, and Forms for writing, tracking projects, collaborating, and recording important information. Google Chrome extends that workflow through add-ons and tools such as reusable clipboard templates and browser-based productivity features. MindMeister turns ideas into flexible mind maps that can be rearranged, shared, and accessed across devices. Upwork helps outsource editing, graphics, lead generation, support, and other tasks that consume time without requiring the business owner's direct involvement.
Robert Plank, host of this podcast and author of The Checklist Mindset, is back to share with you a few powerful tools that will make a huge difference in your happiness, productivity, and throughput.
Quotes:
“If it's important, you'll find a way. If it's not important, you'll find an excuse.” – Robert Plank
“If something makes you uncomfortable or fearful, you should pursue it. Make an effort to face those challenges over and over again.” - Robert Plank
“Don't feel bad if you throw away most of what you write down. Whether it's ideas for information, products, websites, blog posts, or podcast ideas, you need to write down all the bad stuff to get to the good stuff.” - Robert Plank
Takeaways:
00:15 Facing your fears directly is the most effective way to overcome them, whether it's public speaking, money anxiety, or personal challenges.
02:30 Consistently checking and engaging with your finances reduces money anxiety and helps maintain better financial awareness.
10:13 Using digital tools like LastPass and Google Drive can significantly improve productivity, security, and organization in both personal and professional settings.
20:25 Outsourcing repetitive or time-consuming tasks through platforms like Upwork allows entrepreneurs to focus on high-value activities that truly matter.
33:41 Mind mapping is a powerful technique to unlock creativity, generate ideas, and organize complex thoughts, even if most initial ideas are discarded.
Resources
- LastPass (password manager)
- Google Drive (cloud storage & document sharing)
- Google Chrome (internet browser with add-ons including Permanent Clipboard)
- MindMeister (online mindmapping tool)
- Upwork (delegate)
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619: Ace the Game of Viral Content, Attention Getting, and Traffic with Vin Clancy
Vin Clancy covers Viral Growth Marketing in this Marketer of the Day episode. Vin Clancy explains how viral content and growth hacking can generate massive attention, traffic, and revenue without depending on large advertising budgets. His early publishing businesses used Reddit to identify emerging stories quickly, helping two online magazines reach more than 20 million page views in two years. One viral story about a Chinese couple generated roughly 800,000 visitors after major publishers linked back to the original article. Clancy defines growth hacking as using limited resources, clever tactics, and internet platforms to create disproportionate growth. Before chasing new traffic, he recommends monetizing existing customers through a value ladder that progresses from free content to increasingly valuable paid offers. He also highlights automation tools and humorous outreach as ways to generate leads and responses more efficiently.
Infamous growth hacker Vin Clancy's went from being on social welfare in the UK to launching 2 online magazines that got over 20 million page views in their first two years with zero adspend.
He's since then won best speaker at SXSW V2V for his growth hacking talk, finished a 100-date world tour, made six figures on his debut growth hacking book, created one of the biggest marketing communities on Facebook, and moved to L.A., where he teaches companies how to rapidly grow their audiences and businesses.
Quotes:
“The secret is using the cheat codes of the internet to get a competitive advantage. I learned how to create viral content. I started to get people to write it for me and I learned how to make that go viral.” – Vin Clancy
“Growth hacking is doing whatever it takes to get a lot of traffic basically for free or cheap. And what's interesting about that is because we're all addicted to our phones and our screens, things can pass around very fast in a way that was never possible before.” - Vin Clancy
“Online magazines were my entrance into this world back when I was on welfare. Now, I guess, I'm a full stack business person.” - Vin Clancy
Takeaways:
03:00 Speed and timing are critical when creating viral content, with seconds mattering more than hours.
08:20 Growth hacking is about achieving significant results with minimal resources and creativity.
12:03 Always start marketing efforts by understanding and maximizing value from existing customer lists.
14:25 Using humor and unexpected approaches can help your messages stand out in professional communication.
17:47 Automated tools can dramatically streamline social media and networking efforts.
Resources
- Vin Clancy (Official site)
- Ace the Game (Book)
- Vin Clancy (LinkedIn)
- Vin Clancy (Twitter)
- Traffic and Copy (Facebook Group)
- LinkedHelper (Connect with LinkedIn users)
- ReBump (Email follow-up sales tool)
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594: Shiny Object Mastery: Discover Sustainable Motivation, Achieve High Productivity Excellence, and Conquer Your Inner Game with Productivity Expert Michael Montague
Michael Montague covers Productivity Mastery in this Marketer of the Day episode. Michael Montague explains how entrepreneurs can overcome shiny object syndrome, reduce information overload, and create sustainable motivation through purpose and better habits. He argues that gathering more information often creates overwhelm when the real value comes from implementing the right information. His productivity framework begins with enough sleep, keeping the phone outside the bedroom, and avoiding email first thing in the morning. Montague recommends starting each day with intention, gratitude for past challenges, and forgiveness for yourself and others. He also advises using morning willpower for highest value activities such as writing, creativity, and serving customers. Batching similar tasks reduces task switching and preserves mental energy throughout the day.
Michael Montague is the Amazon #1 best-selling author of the book Shiny Object Mastery: The Formula for Overcoming Distractions and Increasing Productivity. Michael’s mission is to help people transition from the confusion of the Information Age, into the clarity and aligned intention of the Age of Purpose.
Quotes:
“Evolution hasn't caught up to our modern day society yet, so our brains are not really designed to filter out the volume of information that we are bombarded with each day.” – Michael Montague
“Successful people understand that information must be implemented to have value, but most people are reduced to gathering more information rather than implementing the right information.” - Michael Montague
“When you wake up and you are living your purpose through your business, then that's going to give you the sustainable motivation and the enthusiasm to keep going.” - Michael Montague
Takeaways:
09:33 Keep your cell phone out of the bedroom to improve sleep and reduce morning distractions.
10:01 Develop a morning ritual that includes setting daily intentions, practicing gratitude, and forgiving yourself.
14:18 Focus on high-value activities during your most productive morning hours instead of checking emails.
17:22 Batch similar tasks together to minimize mental energy drain from constant task switching.
19:35 Align your business goals with your life purpose to create sustainable motivation and satisfaction.
Resources
- Shiny Object Mastery: The Formula for Overcoming Distractions and Increasing Productivity (Book)
- Michael Montague: The King of Productivity Excellence (Official Site)
- Michael Montague (Facebook)
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590: Family, Fitness, Finances and Friendships: The American Dream Realized Through Hard Work, Positive Beliefs, Sacrifices and Focus with Hayk Tadevosyan
Hayk Tadevosyan covers Personal Fulfillment in this Marketer of the Day episode. Hayk Tadevosyan explains how pursuing the American Dream taught him that money alone cannot create lasting fulfillment. After immigrating to the United States with his father and experiencing severe financial hardship, he worked intensely and reached six figures in his early twenties. Success still felt incomplete until he began balancing four pillars he calls the four F's: family, fitness, finances, and friendships. He argues that fulfillment comes when each area receives roughly 25% of your attention rather than allowing one insecurity to dominate your life. His approach also emphasizes hard work, strong mentors, positive influences, and continuous learning through books and podcasts. Morning fitness and constructive information helped him build greater energy, positivity, and leadership.
Hayk Tadevosyan has an upcoming book called Mind Control: 14 Principles of Achieving The American Dream - Manual to why most successful people feel unfulfilled and what to do about it.
He's here to talk about his mindset, belief system including hard work and modeling, and compounding. He also shared the 4 pillars: Family, Fitness, Finances, and Friendships. He's all about dedication, simplicity, and course correction... and is here to explain what it takes to live a life of success and fulfillment.
Quotes:
“We don't attract what we want in life, we attract what we are.” – Hayk Tadevosyan
“Positivity takes practice, and a lot of it has to do with the information you're exposing yourself to.” - Hayk Tadevosyan
“To live in the future is to be in fear, and to live in the past is to live in regret. To be happy is to be in the moment.” - Hayk Tadevosyan
Takeaways:
04:40 Success isn't just about money, but about balancing family, fitness, finances, and friendships equally.
07:22 Temporary happiness from material things often leads to regret and emptiness.
12:57 Nothing substitutes good old-fashioned hard work and consistent effort.
19:12 We attract what we are, not what we want, so focus on personal growth and positive environment.
23:35 Be careful who you ask for advice, as not all mentors or supporters have your best interests in mind.
Resources
- Hayk Tadevosyan (Official Site)
- Hayk Tadevosyan (LinkedIn)
- Hayk (Facebook)
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589: Reversing Burnout: How to Thrive, Find Courage to Pull the Trigger, Regain Focus, Be All-In and Have a Greater Impact with Peter Atherton
Peter Atherton covers Burnout Recovery in this Marketer of the Day episode. Peter Atherton explains how professionals can recognize burnout, regain control, and redirect their careers toward greater meaning and impact. His burnout framework combines prolonged work overload, a loss of efficacy, and frustration about missing important parts of life. When those three conditions overlap, professionals can enter what he calls the burnout disengagement cycle. Atherton recommends creating at least 30 minutes of daily margin for reflection, journaling, reading, or examining what is and is not working. He also encourages assessing whether your career is still growing, peaking, or declining in personal relevance. Making a change may require confronting three traps: comfort, money, and momentum, along with developing the courage to pull the trigger.
Peter Atherton is a consultant, speaker, and author of the book "Reversing Burnout. How to Immediately Engage Top Talent and Grow! A Blueprint for Professionals and Business Owners." Pete is the President of ActionsProve, LLC and works with high-achieving professionals and business owners to create greater growth and profits through more effective employee attraction, retention, impact, and branding. For more than 20 years prior, Pete was a very successful and accomplished professional civil engineer focusing on designing sophisticated water treatment facilities and major public infrastructure projects.
Pete sold his engineering firm ownership to focus on designing systems for professionals and organizations to grow and succeed in more relevant and effective ways. Pete has also served in multiple capacities in the non-profit sector to achieve both local and global impact, and is a co-founder of the 100 Men Who Care chapters for Southern Maine and Knoxville, Tennessee.
Quotes:
“Money will never fully satisfy. Having the best products and services in our organization will never fully satisfy. We're made for more than that.” – Peter Atherton
“We're not made just for provision and being productive in our life. We're going to want to have a sense of mission. We're going to want to be connected to our community.” - Peter Atherton
“When people achieve success, many of us get trapped—caught in the comfort, money, and momentum that make it difficult to push forward and grow.” - Peter Atherton
Takeaways:
04:36 Having the courage to make career changes requires careful planning and understanding your skills' transferability.
08:26 Burnout isn't just feeling tired; it's a complex mix of work overload, losing passion, and missing out on life.
17:07 Creating daily margin - even just 30 minutes - for self-reflection can help prevent and address professional burnout.
20:45 Successful professionals should expect and plan for career shifts, understanding that being "all in" doesn't mean staying in the same role forever.
31:40 Money and comfort can trap you in a career that no longer serves your personal growth and happiness.
Resources
- Reversing Burnout: How to Immediately Engage Top Talent and Grow (Book)
- Peter Atherton (LinkedIn)
- Actions Prove: Strategic Planning & Executive Coaching (Official Site)
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587: Make Time for What’s Important: How to Get Motivated, Stay Organized, Time Block, Prioritize, Amplify Your Productivity and Hit All Your Goals with Robert Plank
Robert Plank covers Personal Productivity in this Marketer of the Day episode. Robert Plank explains how entrepreneurs can reclaim time, reduce distractions, and build simple systems that make consistent productivity easier. He recommends limiting television, phone notifications, social media, and interruptions that drain attention and make focused work harder. Practical tools include a second monitor, LastPass, Google Drive, remote desktop software, keyboard shortcuts, and reusable clipboard templates. His Four Daily Tasks method narrows each day to four important actions instead of an overwhelming list. Accountability partners, countdown timers, screen recording, Google Calendar, and defined work hours can provide additional structure when motivation drops. He also recommends the 49-day "X Factor" chain and batching similar activities to avoid repeated context switching.
Robert Plank from The Checklist Mindset is back with a solo episode to revisit your productivty, mindset, and goal setting!
If you'd like to schedule a call with Robert to get a better handle on your time management, delegation, and technology, then reach out at: Robert@RobertPlank.com
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Must Have Tools
- Second monitor
- LogMeIn (set a conversion job, check on upload)
- LastPass (plus iPhone app)
- Google Drive (share files)
- Learn a few keyboard shortcut
Tool of the Day: Permanent Clipboard for Chrome
Making the Time
- Rewrite goals, write them over and over
- iPhone notepad, set to lock screen wallpaper
- Wake up one hour earlier or stay up one hour later, dedicate the time
- Time block (chunk), automate and schedule
- Google Calendar (take it seriously, keep the connection strong)
- The X Factor: 50 days of consistent (small) progress
- Four Daily Tasks: plan tomorrow, today.
Motivation
- Record a podcast episode or Facebook Live as a sort of talk therapy
- Four Daily Tasks: don't lose momentum & adjust
- Accountability partner: YouTube video, Skype call, text, follow-up at the end of the day
- Countdown timer
- Camtasia Babysitter
- Google Calendar
- Set work hours
- Time blocking: batching/chunking
Quotes:
“If you ever look up the difference between people who are frustrated and don't make money versus people who are happy and make a lot of money. One of the biggest correlations is that the people that make money read instead of watching TV.” – Robert Plank
“Not having a plan is as absurd as driving across the country—or through unfamiliar streets—without a GPS, a map, or even paying attention to street signs.” - Robert Plank
“We often complicate things for ourselves and hide behind that complexity. We say, "I've got so much going on." But is that really true? Did you actually accomplish a lot today, or did you just move things forward without real progress?” - Robert Plank
Takeaways:
00:24 Cutting out time-wasting activities like live TV can dramatically improve personal productivity and free up hours for meaningful work.
18:24 Using a password manager like LastPass helps create strong, unique passwords while simplifying online security.
24:05 The X Factor technique of tracking daily progress with a 49-day grid can help maintain motivation and build consistent habits.
33:55 Focusing on just four critical daily tasks prevents overwhelm and ensures meaningful progress in your work.
41:50 Batching similar tasks together is more efficient than switching between different types of work throughout the day.
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585: Write Your Book in a Flash to Create the Paint By Numbers Big Business Card of Your Dreams, Apply Structured Creativity, Grow Your Confidence, and Land Your Ideal Clients with Dan Janal
Dan Janal covers Business Book Writing in this Marketer of the Day episode. Dan Janal explains how a structured "paint by numbers" approach can help entrepreneurs write useful business books faster without waiting for perfect inspiration. His process begins with a detailed outline that lets writers tackle whichever section fits their energy and interest on a given day. He recommends overcoming limiting beliefs such as writer's block and imposter syndrome through research, feedback, coaching, and consistent action. Beta readers can identify missing explanations, weak examples, and opportunities to make the manuscript clearer before publication. Janal suggests many business books need only about 20,000 to 25,000 words, often divided into roughly 10 focused chapters. Existing blog posts, speeches, webinars, podcast transcripts, quotes, and other content can dramatically accelerate production.
Dan Janal helps leaders build their brands with books. He has written more than a dozen books. His latest book is called "Write Your Book in a Flash: The Paint-by-Numbers Systems for Writing the Book of Your Dreams - Fast!"
When Dan helps thought leaders and business executives write their books, he helps them take their businesses to the next level and exert greater influence.
Dan has spoken everywhere from Beijing to Budapest, from Brazil to Boston. He taught classes at Berkeley and Stanford.
He was president of his National Speakers Association chapter in Minnesota. He holds bachelor's and master's degrees in journalism from Northwestern University.
Dan was an award-winning daily newspaper reporter and business newspaper editor who interviewed President Gerald Ford and First Lady Barbara Bush.
Quotes:
“Good is good enough and perfection is the enemy of done.” – Dan Janal
“The purpose of a book, especially for an entrepreneur, is a big business card. It's a way for your prospects to get to know, like and trust you, so they want to do business with you.” - Dan Janal
“No one wants to read the encyclopedia about a specific topic. The purpose of the book is to solve a problem. That's the only reason why anyone will read a book or buy a book is to solve a problem.” - Dan Janal
Takeaways:
04:18 Writing a book doesn't require being super motivated every single day; you can fill in outline pieces when inspiration strikes.
05:38 Overcoming mental blocks is crucial - writers shouldn't accept "writer's block" as a legitimate excuse to stop working.
17:29 A business book should solve a specific client problem and serve as a powerful marketing tool, not an exhaustive encyclopedia.
21:15 Books today are most effective when they're short, targeted, and quickly consumable by busy professionals.
26:55 You can write a book using existing materials like blog posts, quotes, and transcripts instead of starting from scratch.
Resources
- For Information About His Book Coaching, Developmental Editing Or Ghostwriting, Go To: Write Your Book In A Flash (Website)
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555: Goal For It and Bring Your A-Game: Imagine More Success By Following Your Intuition and Getting Out Of Your Own Way with Syndee Hendricks
Syndee Hendricks covers Intuitive Business Success in this Marketer of the Day episode. Intuition, focus, and determination can help people get out of their own way and turn difficult business situations into measurable progress. Syndee Hendricks describes intuition as her ability to quickly identify what needs to be developed, corrected, or reorganized. She pairs that instinct with seeing the big picture, building practical processes, and refusing to accept inaction as an answer. Her two central productivity principles are to focus clearly on what must be done and develop the determination to finish it. In one management example, she helped turn around troubled operations by confronting leadership problems, resetting expectations, and actively demonstrating the required performance. She also recommends specialized coaching when someone remains stuck and cannot clearly see the path forward alone.
Syndee Hendricks and her co-host Thomas Hydes run the Imagine More Success Podcast where they provide golden business and life nuggets to enhance your skills, fix current issues and manage new faces of your business. In this episode, Syndee talks about how to set yourself up for massive success, change your way of thinking, always do the right thing, and act without fear.
Quotes:
“It's not so important what falls in your lap, but what's most important is how you deal with it.” – Syndee Hendricks
“Whether it's life or whether it's business, there is only the solution. Without the solution, nothing changes.” - Syndee Hendricks
“If you can't keep yourself clear and unstuck, then you're not going to get to where you want to be.” - Syndee Hendricks
Takeaways:
04:40 Successful podcasts break up content, add engaging elements, and provide quick, useful tips to keep audience attention.
12:30 High self-esteem and low fear can be natural traits that help drive professional success.
22:33 Focus on finding solutions instead of getting stuck on problems, and give people chances to improve.
27:31 If you've been stuck for months, it might be time to find a different or additional coach who specializes in your specific challenge.
34:46 Trust your intuition when choosing resources, podcasts, or learning materials that speak directly to your needs.
Resources
- Imagine More Success (Podcast)
- Syndee Hendricks (LinkedIn)
- Syndee Hendricks (Books on Amazon)
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551: Take Tactical Action, Become Personally Fulfilled, and Achieve Binary Stretch Goals with Legacy Coach Damon D’Amore
Damon D'Amore covers Executive Legacy Planning in this Marketer of the Day episode. Legacy coaching helps executives build a meaningful post-career future by turning long-term purpose into measurable action today. Damon D'Amore begins with a 60 to 90 minute interview inside a four-hour deep dive covering personal motivations, professional goals, and future aspirations. Clients map specific lifetime, five-year, one-year, and 90-day goals, then identify the "game changer" goal that enables the others. Each 90-day cycle is broken into actionable 12-week deliverables with binary outcomes that are clearly achieved or missed. D'Amore typically asks clients for about 5% of their time, often roughly 30 minutes per weekday or 10 hours per month. Biweekly sessions and 15-minute triage check-ins help clients adjust when business demands disrupt the plan while maintaining forward progress.
Damon D'Amore specializes in legacy coaching. By developing custom productivity systems for each individual client relating to their professional and personal development he enables C-Suite and senior executives to accomplish current tactical business goals that ultimately will facilitate their legacy.
He has more than fourteen years' experience working one-on-one with hundreds of the top CEOs, founders and executives in North America including high-profile entrepreneurs and Fortune 100 firms such as Walmart, PepsiCo, DirecTV, NASCAR, Subway and DreamWorks.
Mr. D'Amore is a serial entrepreneur, founder, board member and advisor to multiple international companies.
He also serves as a mentor and guest-lecturer to Top 25 MBA programs such as USC, NYU and Colombia, and acted as spokesperson and host for an American Express and Discovery Channel show promoting entrepreneurship.
Mr. D'Amore founded multiple startups after long careers deep in the media and entertainment sectors coaching C-Suite executives for programs such as Undercover Boss. He began his career in global finance building internal businesses for the market leading firm Cantor Fitzgerald.
Quotes:
“Everybody has the time. It's just a matter of what trade-offs you are willing to make.” – Damon D’Amore
“Before I die, hopefully a long time in the future, I want to have made a measurable impact on society that I can measure to a billion-dollar impact.” - Damon D’Amore
“Every goal that I set with clients has to be very, very specific, where we're constantly tracking it, and we know if we hit it or not.” - Damon D’Amore
Takeaways:
06:15 Most high-level executives want to create meaningful philanthropic impact after their corporate careers.
07:52 Plan your legacy early by dedicating small amounts of time consistently to your passion projects.
09:39 Personal fulfillment comes from making intentional trade-offs in your daily schedule to pursue meaningful goals.
13:34 Successful legacy planning requires strategic networking and becoming a thought leader in your chosen cause.
24:22 Set binary goals that are specific, measurable, and have clear outcomes you either achieve or don't.
Resources
- Legacy Mentor: Accomplish the Business Goals That Will Manifest Your Legacy (Website)
- Damon D'Amore (Official Site)
- Damon D'Amore (LinkedIn)
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550: Succeed Faster, Make Money Work For You, Manage Your Time Wisely and Stay Consistent on Your Goals with House Hacker Diego Corzo
Diego Corzo covers Real Estate Investing in this Marketer of the Day episode. Diego Corzo explains how house hacking can help young investors reduce housing costs, build passive income, and move toward financial freedom faster. His strategy involves buying a single-family home, duplex, triplex, or fourplex and using roommates or tenants to help cover the mortgage. He emphasizes managing time wisely, limiting distractions, and consistently investing time in education through books, podcasts, and personal development events. Corzo also recommends surrounding yourself with mentors and peer groups who challenge you to think at a higher level. His own mastermind encouraged him to invest in real estate, hire support, and expand his goals beyond income alone. He notes that buyers may need only 3% to 5% down rather than the 20% many assume.
Diego Corzo is a Millennial entrepreneur from Austin, Texas. Diego was born in Lima, Peru and moved to the United States with his family when he was 9 years old. Diego's parents told him that America was the land of opportunity and that with hard work and determination all of his dreams would be possible.
Diego graduated in the top 1% from Florida State University with 2 bachelor degrees in less than 4 years and no student debt. He started working in corporate America as a software developer for General Motors and soon discovered that he wanted a career shift. After realizing that corporate America wasn't for him, Diego pursued his passion in real estate.
Now, Diego is a Realtor® for Keller Williams alongside an incredible team, and currently owns 8 rentals properties, both in Texas and in Florida. Diego is on a path to financial freedom and aspires to help others, especially millennials, become financially free and reach their full potential.
Diego's system of House Hacking helps Millennials realize their dream of financial independence. House Hacking has allowed Diego to build a portfolio of 8 properties in just 4 years since he bought his first house.
Quotes:
“95% of the population trades their time for money, and 5% of the population makes their money work for them.” – Diego Corzo
“Life is not a sprint, it's a marathon.” - Diego Corzo
“As long as you do everything with integrity and as long as you have inner peace, that is a lot more valuable than money.” - Diego Corzo
Takeaways:
02:51 Changing your mindset from trading time for money to making money work for you is crucial for financial success.
11:52 Surround yourself with a peer group that challenges you and thinks at a higher level to accelerate personal growth.
17:27 Trust the process and avoid comparing your early stages to someone else's advanced chapter.
23:23 Build systems and strategies to create financial freedom early, rather than waiting for traditional retirement.
25:39 You don't need a massive down payment to start investing in real estate; 3-5% can be enough to begin.
Resources
- House Hacking Club (Website)
- Diego Corzo (Facebook)
- Diego Corzo (LinkedIn)
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543: Stackify: Hard Work, Daily Persistence, Continuous Improvement, Constant Focus, and Brand Innovation with Matt Watson
Matt Watson covers SaaS Content Marketing in this Marketer of the Day episode. Matt Watson explains how consistent content marketing and daily improvement can drive sustainable growth for a software business. His approach is to get roughly 1% better each day by continually refining product pages, email workflows, old posts, and other marketing assets. Stackify focused on content because software developers often resist phone sales, advertising, and traditional outbound tactics. The company publishes about four technical blog posts per week, with many articles running around 1,000 words. Its site ranks for roughly 200,000 keywords and was receiving about 30,000 organic Google visitors per day. Watson also emphasizes improving lead conversion, nurturing, and qualification because generating traffic is only the top of the funnel.
Matt Watson is the Founder & CEO of Stackify. He has been a developer/hacker for over 15 years and loves solving hard problems with code. He sold his first startup, VinSolutions, for $150 million and started Stackify to solve the biggest challenge he had as the CTO of VinSolutions. Matt is skilled at SEO, blogging and content marketing. Stackify receives hundreds of thousands of monthly visits as a result of Matt’s successful content marketing.
Quotes:
“One of the best things somebody ever told me is to try to aim to get 1% better every day. And over the course of a month, you get 30% better.” – Matt Watson
“Business is tough, and so you just have to keep grinding through it.” - Matt Watson
“It's hard to be an entrepreneur. There's no doubt about it. It's just the daily persistence of chipping away at it.” - Matt Watson
Takeaways:
01:28 Daily 1% improvements compound into significant growth over time.
16:24 Content marketing is crucial for reaching hard-to-access professional audiences like software developers.
22:29 Entrepreneurs must focus on growth and be willing to work on tasks outside their comfort zone.
24:09 Simplifying complex data into an easy-to-understand score can be a powerful product differentiator.
26:33 Persistence and hard work are the most critical factors in entrepreneurial success.
Visit Stackify: Application Performance Monitoring for Developers
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520: Groundhog Day is an Event, Not a Business Strategy: Embrace Minimalism, Become Goal-Obsessed, Understand Your Customers, and Stand Out from the Crowd with Adam Hommey
Adam Hommey covers Pattern Interrupt Marketing in this Marketer of the Day episode. Adam Hommey explains how entrepreneurs can escape repetitive business patterns by questioning assumptions, simplifying processes, and using unexpected approaches to capture attention. He recommends asking "Do you have to?" about recurring tasks, policies, and procedures to uncover work that no longer creates meaningful value. Hommey shares examples where mistakes, including an email sent with only the subject line "D," actually increased engagement and generated new clients. He also encourages business owners to embrace imperfection rather than allowing minor details to delay launches or important decisions. His "I Agree" principle starts with common ground before introducing a different perspective through a genuine question. Hommey also warns against assuming what prospects, audiences, or partners will reject before actually asking them.
Adam Hommey, Founder and Creator of The Business Creators' Institute™, helps you Emancipate the POWER of INFORMATION™ and WIN at the Game of Business and Marketing™ so you spend less time editing and maintaining - and more time educating your audience and monetizing your business. He is the host of the wildly popular Business Creators' Radio Show and have spoken around the country at events including the Dream Business Academy and Advanced Marketing Minds.
For years, Adam has been the "secret weapon" in the arsenal of dozens of internet marketers, executive marketing solution providers, and professional service providers such as attorneys, accountants, medical professionals, and the like.
In November 2016, Adam was a featured contributor in the international Amazon best-seller, Journeys to Success, The Millennial Edition. His much-anticipated new book, Groundhog Day is an Event, Not a Business Strategy, unearths the issues burrowed beneath the surface of your business in six areas - success mindset, converting prospects, team building, customer acquisition, persuasive language, and streamlining your operations, so you, as an entrepreneur and business creator, can grow your business and thrive at the intersection of your brilliance and passion!
Quotes:
“We are the product of our education, background, experiences, and what we've gone through in life. Nobody has had the same combination of those things as we have.” – Adam Hommey
“People don't buy a drill because they want to drill a hole. They buy a drill because they want to build something.” – Adam Hommey
“What's most important is not what people say they want or need; it's what gets them to respond in the way we want them to respond.” – Adam Hommey
Takeaways:
04:40 Small imperfections in business can actually grab customer attention and lead to unexpected success.
20:49 Breaking free from internal fears and conformity helps entrepreneurs stand out and create unique marketing strategies.
33:39 Understanding your customer's deeper motivations matters more than what they say they want.
41:22 Taking action and making direct contact with prospects is crucial for business growth.
46:36 Your unique personality and quirks can be powerful marketing tools when embraced authentically.
Claim Your Copy of: Groundhog Day is An Event, Not a Business Strategy
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517: Live the Ideal Work Week, Take Personal Inventory, Accomplish More, Set Yourself Up for Success, and Use the Best Tools with Cailen Ascher
Cailen Ascher covers Lifestyle Productivity in this Marketer of the Day episode. Cailen Ascher explains how entrepreneurs can accomplish more in less time by intentionally designing a work week around their energy, priorities, and desired lifestyle. Her six-figure business operates on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, generally from 9:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. She recommends beginning with a time inventory by setting an hourly timer and honestly recording how each previous hour was spent. That data reveals distractions, inefficient task switching, and opportunities to outsource, batch, or eliminate low-value work. Ascher schedules her most important projects during high-energy mornings and saves calls, interviews, and lighter tasks for afternoons.
Cailen Ascher helps women entrepreneurs design a life they love and begin living it now. Cailen has built her 6-figure business working just 3 days a week, and her signature program, 3-Day Workweek, teaches entrepreneurial women how to create their ideal schedule where they can successfully work less, make more and live better. During her 4-day weekends Cailen enjoys time with her two little daughters and husband.
Quotes:
“In order to be my most successful self, I really needed to start acting like a CEO in my business, instead of an entrepreneurial hobbyist, figuring it out as I went.” – Cailen Ascher
“This process of figuring out your best working hours and your ideal work week is really a journey into getting to know yourself better and not being so tied to what it looks like for everybody else.” – Cailen Ascher
“The journey that you're on has to align with the destination where you want to go.” – Cailen Ascher
Takeaways:
07:20 Track your time honestly to understand how you actually spend your working hours.
11:09 Prioritize completing meaningful tasks over checking off multiple small items.
14:50 Design a work schedule that matches your personal energy and family needs, not someone else's standard.
19:19 Create a dedicated workspace that signals professionalism and helps you stay focused on your goals.
22:33 Build your current work approach to match the successful future you want to achieve.
Claim Cailen's FREE 3-Day Workweek Schedule
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511: Good Enough vs. Perfectionism: Productivity, Delegation, Milestones, Book Publishing, Content Marketing and More with Joanna Penn
Joanna Penn covers Creative Productivity in this Marketer of the Day episode. Joanna Penn explains how writers and entrepreneurs can overcome perfectionism, finish creative projects, and build a sustainable body of work through consistent action. She identifies fear of failure, judgment, and self-doubt as common reasons people struggle to finish and publish. Her solution is to accept that work will never feel perfect, release it anyway, and improve through repetition. Penn schedules two to three hours each morning for first-draft writing and often produces 2,000 to 3,000 words during that time. She also separates creation from marketing, reserving additional time for podcasts, social media, videos, advertising, and other promotional work. As her business grew, she delegated tasks to professional editors, cover designers, marketing help, and a virtual assistant.
Joanna Penn is an award-nominated, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of thrillers under J.F. Penn. She also writes inspirational non-fiction for authors and is an award-winning creative entrepreneur and international professional speaker. Her site is regularly voted one of the top 10 sites for writers and self-publishers.
Joanna is here to get that "finishing" energy, be more authentic, and finish what we start. Joanna is a self-published author who's always cranking out content, and she's discovered quite a bit when it comes to research, self-motivation, running a team, and so much more.
Quotes:
“The only way to get better at writing or anything we do is by practicing. If you think you're going to be terrible on Instagram, take a picture, stick it on Instagram, and get started.” – Joanna Penn
“What I found is that if you spend forever on one thing, you actually need to get past that first thing in order to open the creative pipe.” – Joanna Penn
“The more authentic you are, and the more you actually share that things happen in your life, the more you resonate with people.” – Joanna Penn
Resources
- The Creative Penn: Write, Publish, and Market Your Book (Official Site)
- The Creative Penn (Podcast)
- Joanna Penn (Twitter)
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506: The One Thing and the Domino Effect: Think Big, Act Small, Get Clarity on Priorities, Time-Block, and Simplify with Geoff Woods
Geoff Woods covers Productivity Focus in this Marketer of the Day episode. Geoff Woods explains how identifying one lead domino can simplify your priorities, protect your time, and create outsized progress in business and life. The approach begins by recognizing that 80% of results often come from just 20% of activities. Instead of treating every task equally, Woods recommends identifying the one thing that makes everything else easier or unnecessary. He uses time blocking to protect space for that highest-priority work before email, meetings, and interruptions take over. His 411 framework creates clarity around yearly, monthly, and weekly priorities while connecting them to larger goals. He also recommends working backward from someday goals to five-year, annual, monthly, weekly, and immediate actions.
Geoff Woods is the Vice President of The ONE Thing and the hosts The ONE Thing podcast which is in the top 5% of all podcasts in the world. After hearing the Jim Rohn quote that "you are the average of the 5 people you spend the most time with" Geoff set out on a mission to surround himself with high level CEOs and successful entrepreneurs. Fast forward just 10 months, Geoff went from employee to entrepreneur, launching a company with the co-authors of the best selling book The ONE Thing. Geoff has been featured in Entrepreneur.com and is on a mission to teach people how to take back control of their time and get clarity on how they want to invest it.
The problem Geoff is solving for us today is how to achieve that "domino effect" in life through aggressive simplicity, getting clarity on priorities, time-blocking, a one page business plan, and, surprisingly, cancelling 50% of his upcoming appointments! Listen in to discover the secrets.
Quotes:
“If doing the most important thing is the most important thing, why would you do anything else?” – Geoff Woods
“Most people go through their days doing all the things that don't really matter and hope to free up time to do the things that matter most.” – Geoff Woods
“80% of your results come from just 20% of your activities. What we teach people to do is to get clarity on their priorities—the few things that, if you knock those dominoes down, would unleash the majority of the growth in any area of your life.” – Geoff Woods
Takeaways:
04:31 Most people waste time on easy, low-impact tasks that provide a quick dopamine hit but don't contribute to meaningful progress.
17:16 Protect your time by interrogating every calendar appointment and be willing to cancel up to 50% of meetings that don't directly support your key objectives.
18:23 80% of your results come from just 20% of your activities, so focus on the most critical tasks that truly move the needle.
21:27 Choose one specific, actionable task each day that, when completed, will make everything else easier or unnecessary.
29:30 When setting goals, think big picture first by imagining your future self and then work backwards to determine current priorities.
Visit The 1 Thing to Use the 4-1-1 Tool
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502: Get the Magic Back: Take Action, Make It Simple, Develop Success Habits, Set Clear Goals, and Find Your Motivation with Evan Money
Evan Money covers Success Habits in this Marketer of the Day episode. Evan Money explains how intentional habits, clear goals, and immediate action can help people regain motivation and keep moving toward their dreams. He recommends writing ideas down immediately, including using a waterproof notebook in the shower, because unrecorded ideas are easily lost. His daily framework is to ask, "What's the one thing I can do today to bring me closer to my dream?" and then act on it. He argues that favorable conditions rarely arrive, so progress depends on building routines that work even during difficult days. Money also recommends removing distractions by creating a tech-free bedroom and keeping phones physically out of reach when focus matters. His broader mindset is that he is either "up or getting up," which makes recovery part of the routine.
Evan Money has been happily Married for over 20 years, is a #1 Bestselling Author, Global Entrepreneur and Film Producer. Evan and his bride remarry in a different state or country ever year.
Our focus with Evan is how to bring your dreams to life. Don't let the "dimmer switch of life" get the best of you, and instead, live intentionally. Don't wait for favorite conditions. Instead, implement simple tweaks to make yourself more successful through less phone time, less TV, more reading, and becoming the person you need to be.
Quotes:
“You can either make an excuse, or you can find a way.” – Evan Money
“It's not what you get that makes you valuable; it's what you become.” – Evan Money
“Favorable conditions never come. There are no such thing as favorable conditions when it comes to living your dreams.” – Evan Money
Takeaways:
04:38 Create intentional habits that support your goals by setting up environments that naturally guide you toward success.
17:02 Writing down ideas immediately prevents them from getting lost, especially during moments of clarity like shower time.
20:00 Taking consistent small actions daily moves you closer to your dreams, even during challenging times.
25:44 Remove technology from bedrooms to improve personal relationships and mental focus.
33:31 Success is about what you become, not what you get - personal growth matters more than immediate rewards.
Resources
- Grow Thrive Revive (3 Day Retreat: February 27 through March 1st)
- Email robert@EvanMoney.com: Ask for $1000 off the live event and bring a free guest
- Evan Money (Official Site)
- Evan Loves Susan (Site)
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500: Productivity Tools to Get Your Head in the Game: 16X Multiplier, The One Thing Scorecard, and 80/20 Gamification with Copywriter Kevin Donlin
Kevin Donlin covers Productivity Marketing in this Marketer of the Day episode. Kevin Donlin explains how simple visual tools can help business owners focus on the few marketing actions that produce dramatically better results. His One Thing Scorecard uses a 3-by-5 card, seven boxes, and a daily checkmark to build momentum around proven activities. The method combines Dan Kennedy's daily marketing discipline with Jerry Seinfeld's "don't break the chain" approach. Donlin's 16x Pathfinder applies the 80/20 principle by contrasting high-value work with low-value activities such as excessive email, news, and social media.
Kevin Donlin returns to the Marketer of the Day for the 500th episode!
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He's been involved in marketing since 1994, when he sold one of the first ebooks online, payable by check and you had to mail it to a post office box. That was e-commerce in 1994! From 1995 to 1998, he was Webmaster for FedEx.com, where he worked with the pioneers of online marketing. Since 1998, he’s been a copywriter and marketing advisor for clients big and small, delivering sales gains of more than $1 million on multiple occasions with web pages, email promotions, sales letters, and print ads.
He's been interviewed by ABC-TV in Detroit, Fox and NBC News in Minneapolis, CBS Radio in Los Angeles and New York, The Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Fortune magazine, Entrepreneur magazine, and too many others to list here. He’s the author or co-author of 5 books, including his latest book, Marketing Multipliers.
For this return appearance, Kevin shares a few simple but powerful techniques that are working very well for him lately. One is "The One Thing 3x5 Scorecard" where he lists the 3 to 5 go-to activities he can perform in his business, from calling a prospect on the phone to mailing a letter or book. There's the Pocket Seinfeld calendar, and the 16X Pathfinder method to replace the bulk with the select few that makes a difference -- 80/20 -- and strategically abandon what isn't working.
Quotes:
“If you look at your calendar and how you use your time, 80% of it is largely wasted. It's only producing a small number of outputs.” – Kevin Donlin
“The most successful people are typically in the zone all day. It's like being at a seminar or your favorite destination city. You're not thinking about news or politics; you're just in the moment.” – Kevin Donlin
“90% of news is bad news. 90% of politics is outrage and anger. If you're looking at or thinking about that stuff, it's dragging you in the opposite direction of your goals.” – Kevin Donlin
Takeaways:
06:52 Creating a simple daily tracking system can boost your marketing productivity and keep you focused on key business-growing activities.
07:41 Visual tracking methods, like using sticky notes or scorecards, can help entrepreneurs stay accountable and motivated.
13:49 Most people waste significant time on low-value tasks that produce minimal results, and identifying these can dramatically improve business performance.
21:21 Replacing time-consuming, unproductive activities with high-impact tasks can potentially increase your effectiveness by 16 times.
26:26 Eliminating distractions like news, social media, and constant email checking can free up mental space for strategic business growth.
Resources
- Marketing Multipliers (Membership Site, reply to initial email with "Robert Plank 500th episode")
- Kevin's previous Marketer of the Day (Interview)
- Marketing Multipliers: 11 Simple Tools to Grow Your Business (Book)
- Client Cloning Systems: Get More Clients Like Your Best Clients (Site)
- Kevin Donlin (LinkedIn)
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490: Productivity and Lifestyle Secrets of Top Performers: Reduce Overwhelm, Outsource Weaknesses, and Achieve Ultimate Freedom with Carey Bentley
Carey Bentley covers Extreme Productivity in this Marketer of the Day episode. Carey Bentley explains how extreme productivity can create more freedom by helping people accomplish meaningful work without sacrificing health, relationships, or personal interests. Her approach begins with taking complete ownership of time instead of blaming bosses, jobs, technology, or other people for an overloaded schedule. She recommends identifying a single weekly "champagne moment," meaning the priority that would make the week feel genuinely worth celebrating. That priority should ideally be achievable by Tuesday, leaving extra time when unexpected work inevitably appears. Bentley also stresses eliminating distractions, noting that deep focus has become an increasingly valuable skill for knowledge workers. Her mornings begin around 5:30 with three different gratitudes, followed by focused work on top priorities before distractions accumulate.
Carey Bentley is the CEO of Lifehack Bootcamp, the top ranked online productivity company. She shows overachievers how to bring sanity back into their lives. Her team has shown hundreds of people the techniques they need to be maximally effective at work and in their personal lives.
Carey discusses the three gratitudes, how to avoid victim thinking, scheduled downtime, self care, and the "Do By Tuesday" concept which allows you to go on the offense with your business.
Quotes:
“Until my champagne moment is done, everything else is a distraction.” – Carey Bentley
“The power of gratitude is just phenomenal. If you want to get every day started off on the right foot—feeling empowered, feeling positive—then gratitude is the way to do it.” – Carey Bentley
“Pre-planning is literally the golden ticket for anyone wanting one thing they should start doing immediately.” – Carey Bentley
Takeaways:
09:51 Taking extreme ownership of your time means believing you control your schedule, not external forces.
14:44 Choose one critical "Champagne Moment" task each week that, if completed, makes everything else easier or unnecessary.
17:27 Defend your work time by turning off digital notifications and creating focused work windows.
20:56 Practice daily gratitude to start your day with a positive, empowered mindset.
23:40 Schedule fun activities in advance to create motivation and natural time constraints for work productivity.
Resources
- Lifehack Bootcamp (Website)
- Carey Bentley (LinkedIn)
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 31:20 — 28.7MB) | Embed
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475: The 5AM Miracle and the Free Time Formula: Focus on What Matters Most, Amplify Your Productivity, and Remain Flexible to Avoid Burnout with Jeff Sanders
Jeff Sanders covers Productivity and Time Management in this Marketer of the Day episode. Jeff Sanders explains how to focus on what matters most, create more free time, and stay productive without burning yourself out. His 5 AM Miracle approach begins by using early morning hours for the single most important goal in your current season. Rather than following one rigid routine, he recommends flexible morning templates that can include exercise, reading, personal development, or focused project work. Accountability can range from multiple alarms and written plans to workout partners or trainers who make skipping harder. Sanders also uses weekly reviews to examine wins, mistakes, and adjustments for the next seven days. His Free-Time Formula starts by cutting calendar activities that create busyness without meaningful results.
Jeff Sanders is a keynote speaker, author of The 5 AM Miracle, and host of The 5 AM Miracle Podcast.
Jeff's latest book, The Free-Time Formula, launches in February 2018 and you can learn more at JeffSanders.com.
Quotes:
“The goal is figuring out what is ideal for you—what that balance looks like and how to make it happen.” – Jeff Sanders
“If you have a routine that's the same for more than a couple of weeks, I intentionally change it because I need that sense of freshness and newness to keep me more interested in my routine.” – Jeff Sanders
“Busyness does not equate to results. Most of the time, busyness just leads to overwhelm and stress, making you feel better even though nothing actually got accomplished.” – Jeff Sanders
Takeaways:
08:44 Early morning hours are the most powerful for focusing on your most important projects without distractions.
14:05 Morning routines should be flexible and adaptable to your current life goals and seasons.
17:11 Accountability and multiple systems can help you stick to productive morning habits.
26:32 Self-awareness and weekly reviews help prevent burnout and improve personal productivity.
34:10 Cutting unnecessary tasks from your calendar creates space for meaningful work and personal time.
Resources
- The 5 A.M. Miracle: Dominate Your Day Before Breakfast (Amazon Book)
- The Free-Time Formula: Finding Happiness, Focus, and Productivity No Matter How Busy You Are (Amazon Book)
- The 5 AM Miracle Podcast (Podcast)
- Jeff Sanders (Official Website)
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473: Work Less and Make More: Track Your Time, Delegate, and Tidy-Up Your Super Fast Business with James Schramko
James Schramko covers Business Leverage Strategy in this Marketer of the Day episode. James Schramko explains how entrepreneurs can work less and make more by identifying the small number of activities responsible for most business results. He applies the 80/20 rule recursively, suggesting that roughly 4% of activities can generate 64% of outcomes. Tracking time and effective hourly rate helps reveal which projects, products, and tasks deserve continued attention. Schramko recommends scoring opportunities by profitability, market growth, customer access, enjoyment, and recurring income potential before investing heavily. He also advocates selling, deleting, or delegating low-value business units instead of carrying them indefinitely. His principle of focusing on "who" instead of "how" encourages entrepreneurs to hire specialists rather than personally mastering every task.
James Schramko is an internet marketer and business coach who has helped over 2,000 students create and maintain six, seven and eight-figure businesses.
He's grown his coaching communities into multi-million dollar businesses that fund a lifestyle he loves. Running his businesses with an input of just hours a week, he finds ample time to surf, spend time with family and friends, watch movies and travel. The keys to such idyllic living are what he shares inside his two paid communities, SilverCircle and SuperFastBusiness.
James talks with us about his best productivity (and simplicity) secrets, easy ways to make money and find the low hanging fruit in your business. 80/20 isn't enough, you must go for 64/4!
Quotes:
“Stop worrying about how and start focusing on who.” – James Schramko
“If you could drop 80% of the things you're doing, you could still end up with 80% of the results you're getting right now.” – James Schramko
“I made a promise to myself that I will always be able to innovate and navigate around change, because that is the constant I face when I'm in business for myself.” – James Schramko
Takeaways:
11:59 4% of your business efforts can generate 64% of your total results, making it crucial to focus on your most productive activities.
17:19 Tracking time and evaluating business assets helps entrepreneurs make rational decisions about which projects to keep, sell, or eliminate.
28:46 Simplifying your business and reducing unnecessary tasks can lead to increased profitability and personal satisfaction.
30:06 Stop worrying about "how" to do things and start focusing on finding the right "who" to help you accomplish your business goals.
34:26 Building a successful business is about finding an offer that converts and scaling it, rather than creating multiple mediocre offerings.
Resources
- Super Fast Business (Website)
- Silver Circle Business Mentoring (Website)
- Work Less, Make More (Book)
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469: Build a Complete Marketing System, Think Differently, Plan Your Business, Focus, and Implement with Diane Conklin
Diane Conklin covers Marketing Implementation Strategy in this Marketer of the Day episode. Diane Conklin explains how entrepreneurs can build stronger businesses by thinking strategically, valuing their time, and consistently implementing the work that matters. She introduces "return on energy" alongside ROI, encouraging owners to consider what an hour of their time is actually worth. Instead of chasing free tools or generic advice, she recommends choosing solutions that fit the specific business, customer base, and marketing strategy. Conklin also advocates backward planning from deadlines so daily actions connect directly to 30, 60, and 90 day objectives. She recommends sitting down to work without distractions and recording what was actually completed at the end of each day. Business owners should also reserve time to think strategically instead of operating continuously on autopilot.
Diane Conklin is an internationally known author, entrepreneur, coach, consultant, marketing and business strategist, implementation specialist and speaker.
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Diane is a direct response marketing expert who specializes in showing business owners how to integrate their online and offline marketing strategies, media and message, to get maximum results from their marketing dollars. Diane also shows entrepreneurs and small business owners how to outperform their competition by measuring their marketing, and strategically use multi-media campaigns to stand alone in their marketplace, as the go-to provider for their products and services.
She's the founder of Complete Marketing Systems, Diane and has been involved in numerous campaigns grossing over $1,000,000.00 several times in her career and routinely helps people grow businesses to 6 figures, and beyond, in short periods of time, several times in as little as 90 days.
Quotes:
“Free is the most expensive thing that you're doing in your business.” – Diane Conklin
“Stop comparing your behind the scenes real to everyone else's highlight reel.” – Diane Conklin
“It's not what's the best, it's what's the best for me.” – Diane Conklin
Takeaways:
02:51 Avoid comparing your behind-the-scenes struggles to other entrepreneurs' highlight reels on social media.
05:11 Your time has a monetary value, so calculate the return on energy before spending hours on free tasks.
18:26 Choose business mentors who have proven longevity and have successfully rebuilt after setbacks.
23:17 Implement a daily practice of writing down your completed tasks to track real business progress.
23:58 Always start with the end goal in mind and backward plan your business strategies.
Resources
- Complete Marketing Systems (Website)
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464: Procrastinators Are People Too: How to Be Productive, Calm, Congruent, Anxiety-Free and Happy with Dr. Mary Lamia
Mary Lamia covers Procrastination Psychology in this Marketer of the Day episode. Mary Lamia explains why procrastination can be a productive motivational style when deadlines activate the emotions needed to perform excellent work. She distinguishes deadline driven procrastinators from task driven people who feel compelled to complete unfinished work early. Successful procrastinators can hold ideas in working memory, let them marinate, and execute efficiently when a deadline becomes imminent. Rather than trying to eliminate procrastination, Lamia recommends understanding and optimizing the motivational style shaped by a lifetime of emotional memories. Her two criteria for success are never missing deadlines and producing work that reflects your best efforts. When no deadline exists, deadline driven people can create one through commitments, timers, promises, or accountability to another person.
Mary Lamia is a clinical psychologist and psychoanalyst who practices in Marin County, California. Additionally, she is a professor at the Wright Institute in Berkeley. Her career-long passion to convey an understanding of emotions to the public is exemplified by her writing and media work.
She is the author of five books, including a recent publication, "What Motivates Getting Things Done: Procrastination, Emotions, and Success" and blogs for Psychology Today, Therapy Today, and Thrive Global websites.
Quotes:
“Our emotions motivate everything we do. They influence the style we have that drives us to get things done.” – Dr. Mary Lamia
“Emotions are designed to help us pay attention, and they motivate us to act—to do something.” – Dr. Mary Lamia
“When we look only at behavior without exploring the emotions that motivate it, we overlook the significant influences that create differences among people.” – Dr. Mary Lamia
Takeaways:
01:09 Procrastination isn't a weakness, but a valid motivational style that can lead to success.
06:03 Emotions are the primary driver behind how people complete tasks and achieve goals.
09:52 Understanding your personal emotional motivation style can reduce self-criticism and improve productivity.
19:33 Success is defined by meeting deadlines and producing high-quality work, not by when tasks are started.
21:32 Creating artificial deadlines through personal commitments can help deadline-driven individuals stay motivated.
Resources
- What Motivates Getting Things Done (Book)
- Dr. Mary Lamia (Official Site)
- Mary Lamia (LinkedIn)
- Mary Lamia (Twitter)
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463: Plan with Purpose: Build An Amazing Lifestyle For You and Your Family Without Sacrificing Time, Money, or Fulfillment with Tom Sylvester
Tom Sylvester covers Purposeful Business Planning in this Marketer of the Day episode. Tom Sylvester explains how entrepreneurs can plan with purpose so their businesses support the life they want instead of consuming it. He starts with personal goals around impact, experiences, and possessions, then reverse engineers what each business must accomplish to support them. Using Lean Startup principles, he breaks larger objectives into one-week sprints with specific hypotheses, actions, and measurable outcomes. A weekly sync reviews what worked, what failed, and whether the original hypothesis was validated before planning the next sprint. Longer goals stay broad while 90-day, monthly, weekly, and daily plans become progressively more detailed as action gets closer. Sylvester also recommends identifying meaningful metrics, such as working backward from a $5,000 revenue goal to required product sales, conversion rates, and website traffic.
Tom Sylvester is a business strategist and firm believer in Lean Startup. He enjoys helping new entrepreneurs validate their ideas and follow proven principles when it comes to starting and scaling a successful business.
Additionally, Tom helps entrepreneurs navigate the personal journey that comes with being an entrepreneur, from overcoming mindset blocks, ramping up their productivity, growing as a person and becoming a great leader in their life and business.
Quotes:
“A lot of people build businesses backwards. They spend all their time creating the product, and then, when they go to sell it, they haven't actually done the market research to make sure it's something customers want.” – Tom Sylvester
“Let's spend the least amount of time and money early on, and really make sure that we understand who our customers are. Then, we give them the simplest solution that will work for them.” – Tom Sylvester
“We build successful businesses, but we make sure they actually support the life we're looking to build.” – Tom Sylvester
Takeaways:
02:06 Validate business ideas through minimal investment and customer feedback before full-scale development.
07:18 Design business goals that directly support your personal life objectives, not the other way around.
16:19 Break down big goals into smaller, measurable weekly and daily tasks to maintain consistent progress.
22:13 Focus on momentum and overall progress rather than getting discouraged by small goal shortfalls.
26:17 Use regular check-ins and accountability systems to track progress and make timely adjustments.
Plan With Purpose (free course on goal setting)
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448: Stop Being the Bottleneck, Change Your Habits, Escape Scarcity Thinking and Amplify Your Success with Melanie Benson
Melanie Benson covers Business Bottleneck Breakthroughs in this Marketer of the Day episode. Melanie Benson explains how entrepreneurs can stop becoming the primary bottleneck in their businesses by changing limiting beliefs, priorities, and operating habits. Thoughts such as "I can't afford it" can shut down problem-solving before owners seriously consider alternative ways to create the required resources. Making a bold decision before knowing every step can produce more progress than remaining indefinitely trapped in uncertainty. Benson also warns that trying to avoid every possible failure can keep entrepreneurs repeating familiar patterns rooted in scarcity. Identifying the highest-payoff activity helps concentrate time on the work that moves income forward fastest. Eventually a business owner must build a capable team because personal capacity becomes a ceiling on growth.
Melanie Benson from Rapid Cash Strategies is a Profit Amplifier, and has a gift for guiding fast-paced, mission-driven entrepreneurs to thrive in their small business. Melanie can quickly identify what derails you from productivity and progress – ultimately freeing you to scale your influence and income without overwhelm.
Melanie hosts the weekly podcast, Amplify Your Success, is author of Rewired for Wealth, coauthor of Entrepreneur.com's Start Up Guide to Starting an Information Marketing Business and has her success tips featured in magazines such as American Express OPEN Forum, Bloomberg BusinessWeek, Woman's Day, Parenting Magazine, and University of Phoenix Alumni Magazine.
She is on the Executive Team for the Women Speaker's Association as well as is Council Chair for the Association of Transformational Leaders.
Quotes:
“The thought ‘I can't afford it’ is probably the single biggest bottleneck that exists. What we're doing is telling our mind that we can't. When we lead with ‘I can't afford it,’ it literally shuts our problem-solving brain down.” – Melanie Benson
“Success and comfort don't always hold hands. We have to be willing to step out on that ledge and not know how to do something in order to achieve things we've never achieved before.” – Melanie Benson
“Just because you don't know how to do something doesn't mean you shouldn't go for it.” – Melanie Benson
Takeaways:
04:50 Your mindset is the primary driver of business success, acting like a water hose that can either trickle or flow with opportunities.
11:34 Making a bold decision without knowing the entire path is more powerful than staying stuck in fear and uncertainty.
16:24 Avoiding failure can actually cause you to repeat failures by keeping you trapped in scarcity thinking instead of success energy.
20:41 Identifying your high-payoff business activity is crucial for quickly moving the income needle forward.
24:24 Building a team is essential for business growth, as you'll eventually hit a point where you cannot expand if you're working alone.
Claim Your Checklist: 10 Rapid Cash Strategies to Create a Quick Cash Infusion for Your Small Business
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443: Take More (Fast) Action, Follow-Through and Be Consistent Daily: How I Wrote a Book in a Day and Got Married in a Day
Robert Plank covers Fast Action Mindset in this Marketer of the Day episode. Robert Plank explains how fast action and consistent completion can turn ideas into tangible results before hesitation and perfectionism take over. He shares examples of writing and publishing a book in a single day and deciding to get married without months of unnecessary delay. Large goals become less intimidating when broken into small steps that can be completed immediately. Instead of waiting until every detail is perfect, the first objective should be creating forward motion and adjusting later. Specific timelines and SMART goals provide enough structure to transform vague intentions into real commitments. Repeatedly completing projects creates a pattern where finishing becomes normal instead of exceptional.
I got married today, Friday, November 17th, 2017. We hadn't planned it, just woke up and decided to knock it out today. I've also done the same thing with my business in several cases, most notably having an idea for a book in the morning and getting it published that afternoon. Listen to the story and if you'd like to leave a comment or "like", check out this post on LinkedIn.
Quotes:
“20 years from now, you'll be more disappointed about the things you didn't do than the things you did do.” – Robert Plank
“You should be committed to your outcome, but flexible in your results.” – Robert Plank
“Develop a habit of consistent completion, and you get instant gratification. You set yourself up for future patterns of turning ideas into reality.” – Robert Plank
Takeaways:
04:40 Fast action and consistent daily effort can transform your biggest dreams into immediate reality.
07:15 Breaking complex goals into smaller, manageable steps reduces anxiety and increases the likelihood of success.
08:30 Don't let perfect details stop you from starting - the first step is more important than having every single thing planned out.
09:20 Setting SMART goals with specific timelines helps you move from idea to execution quickly.
10:10 Developing a habit of instant completion creates powerful patterns of turning thoughts into tangible results.
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