Recent Updates
598: Create a Better Product, Narrow Down Your Audience, Find the Ideal Price Point and Grow with Crossword and Word Search Hobbyist Jonah Phillips
Jonah Phillips is the founder and CEO of Crossword Hobbyist and My Word Search. He’s here to talk about starting your own business, and explain why you should ignore most business advice you get. He also explains how he was able to grow the audience for his crossword and wordsearch tools, as well as the audiences he's broken into in order to expand his user base.
Quotes:
“If you're making something for an anniversary gift, you want the absolute most premium.” – Jonah Phillips
“The price is always worth it if it’s the best option and exactly what they’re looking for.” - Jonah Phillips
“You have to be a certain kind of crazy to want to create a crossword puzzle. Even with intense focus, your first newspaper-style crossword could take around eight hours to complete.” - Jonah Phillips
Takeaways:
01:32 Sometimes the most valuable customers are those who weren't your original target audience.
02:19 Finding a unique market niche can turn a seemingly simple tool into a successful business.
05:19 Successful businesses adapt by closely observing how people actually use their product.
15:43 Future-proofing your business means anticipating technological integrations before they become mainstream.
20:40 Pricing isn't always about being the cheapest, but about providing the best value for specific user needs.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 29:08 — 66.8MB) | Embed
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597: How to Go Viral: Conflict, Narrative Tension, Emotional Messaging, Anger, Anxiety, and Awe with Joe Romm
Joe Romm, named one of Rolling Stone’s "100 people who are changing America," has a game-changing new book, "How to Go Viral and Reach Millions." Romm is "the communicator's communicator," blurbs Van Jones, host of CNN’s The Van Jones Show.
"How to Go Viral" is the first book to reveal all the latest secrets for consistently generating viral online content—words, images, or videos that are seen and shared by hundreds of thousands and eventually even millions of people, something Romm and his colleagues in three different organizations achieve routinely.
Joe is here to talk about how to create viral content that grabs attentions, connects emotionally, and has all the correct "mechanics" in place, i.e. winning headlines.
Quotes:
“There’s a massive amount of noise—endless content, countless tweets, and nonstop videos. To stand out and be heard, you need to use the proven strategies and techniques that top social media superstars and viral experts have mastered.” – Joe Romm
“For tens of thousands of years, storytelling has been at the core of human evolution—that’s how our brains are naturally wired.” - Joe Romm
“We’re in an era where two things matter most: capturing people’s attention and holding onto it.” - Joe Romm
Takeaways:
04:45 Storytelling with conflict and resolution is more engaging than flat, fact-based presentations.
12:53 Viral content must work visually, even with sound off, to capture audience attention.
18:19 Headlines and opening lines are critical - they determine whether people will continue consuming your content.
23:16 Emotional triggers like anger, anxiety, and awe make content more shareable.
27:17 Personal stories behind information create deeper audience connection than raw data.
Resources
- How To Go Viral and Reach Millions: Top Persuasion Secrets from Social Media Superstars, Jesus, Shakespeare, Oprah, and Even Donald Trump (Book)
- Rhetoric (Official Site)
- Joseph Romm (Wikipedia)
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596: Rock Your Lifestyle, Live Life to the Fullest, and Transform Your Life with Jenny Holla
Jenny Holla is a life adventurist, world traveler, author of Rock Your Lifestyle and the co-founder of 2jHolla. Jenny is on a mission to awaken deep transformational life change in leaders and executives who are looking for more free time, energy, connection and who crave more out of life. As far back as she can remember, she has been motivated to love what she is doing, no matter what. She's always been drawn to adventure, new experiences, meeting new people and seeing the world.
You can get a dose of inspiration from Jenny and her husband, Jai Holla (co-founder of 2jHolla), on their show The Hollastic Life with J&J, LIVE via Facebook every Sunday at 8pm EST. They cover many topics about holistic living including wellness, finances, relationships and travel.
Jenny is here to tell us about about her three secrets: confidence, active listening, and followup. She also explains how she was able to transition from a stressful existence into an ideal stress-free, money-making lifestyle on her own terms.
Quotes:
“If you don’t enjoy what you’re doing, find something else. I’ve always said that’s how I want to design my life—that’s how I want to live.” – Jenny Holla
“Sales, at its core, is about leading with heart and solving problems. It doesn’t have to be a daunting or complex process—it can be as simple as listening and determining whether what you offer genuinely meets someone’s needs.” - Jenny Holla
“Sometimes, having a coach or mentor—someone to provide guidance and encouragement—can give us the necessary nudge to regain focus or take meaningful steps forward.” - Jenny Holla
Takeaways:
02:37 Selling is about solving problems and listening deeply to understand people's needs, not pushing a scripted pitch.
05:00 Confidence, active listening, and consistent follow-up are critical skills in both personal and professional interactions.
10:38 Personal transformation requires continuous adjustment and willingness to challenge your current life circumstances.
13:48 Breaking down big life dreams into actionable steps helps transform vague goals into realistic plans.
21:42 Exploring local experiences with a tourist's mindset can reveal unexpected adventures right in your backyard.
Resources
- Rock Your Lifestyle (Book, use coupon code "robertplank" at checkout)
- 2JHolla (Website)
- Unf*ckwithable Wedding Pros with Jenny & Jai Holla (Facebook Group)
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 28:04 — 64.4MB) | Embed
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595: Tax Liens and Tax Deeds: Make More Money Easily By Thinking Outside the Box and Ramping Up with Ted Thomas
Ted Thomas is an active investor with over 20 years' experience. He specializes in advising, guiding and teaching people the steps to make money with Tax Lien Certificates and Tax Defaulted property. It's something he's taught thousands of men and women all around the world to do – from single moms to professional investors and entrepreneurs. He's here to tell us how to make easy, passive, scalable income using tax liens and tax deeds.
Quotes:
“If you want to learn something, you want to learn it from someone that's doing it. Don't use the television to be your apprentice, because those guys are trying to make a big show for television.” – Ted Thomas
“You need to build a reputation. There are many factors that contribute to a successful website. Yes, there are millions of them, but the real key is how many actually generate revenue.” - Ted Thomas
“Listen, cash is king—that’s what I emphasize. I don’t want people buying those fixer-upper houses; they’re a huge headache, a big one.” - Ted Thomas
Takeaways:
05:25 Tax lien certificates offer a safe, predictable investment with potential returns between 16-25% when property owners pay their overdue taxes.
08:42 Always research properties thoroughly before bidding, focusing on exit strategies and avoiding high-risk investments like fixer-uppers.
26:59 Start small with investments, learning from experienced professionals and gradually building your skills without falling for get-rich-quick schemes.
31:11 Online resources and technology now make real estate investing more accessible, allowing investors to research properties from their kitchen table.
32:33 Successful investing requires patience, process, and a willingness to learn from those actively doing the work in the field.
Resources
- Ted Thomas: America's Tax Lien Certificate & Tax Deed Authority (Official Site)
- Ted Thomas (Twitter)
- Ted Thomas (LinkedIn)
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 34:39 — 79.4MB) | Embed
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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 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)
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 27:13 — 62.3MB) | Embed
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593: Rockstar Marketing: Make More Money, Think Outside the Box, Get Noticed and Succeed with Keynote Speaker Craig Duswalt
Craig Duswalt is a Keynote Speaker, Author, Podcaster, and the creator of RockStar Marketing.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 33:22 — 76.4MB) | Embed
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His background includes touring with Guns N' Roses, as Axl Rose's personal assistant, and Air Supply, as the band's personal assistant.
After touring, Craig opened his marketing firm, Green Room Design and Advertising, which was named the 2002 SCV Chamber of Commerce Small Business of the Year.
Craig then combined his backgrounds in both music and marketing, and is now a professional speaker, author and podcaster, promoting his RockStar Marketing Program all over the world. He is known in the industry for putting on high energy, 3-Day RockStar Marketing BootCamps every Spring and Fall in Los Angeles.
Craig is here today to share with us how to use outside the box marketing techniques to generate leads, attract clients and how to stand out from the competition — Like a RockStar.
Quotes:
“If you want to make more money, be a rock star in your business, stand out from the competition, establish yourself as an expert, and have people buy from you because of your excellence, then you must rise above the rest.” – Craig Duswalt
“We need to start thinking like five- and ten-year-olds again—letting go of the fear of judgment, putting our ideas out there, and trusting that what we create has value.” - Craig Duswalt
“The key is to create raving fans, just like rock stars do—by doing things differently and standing out.” - Craig Duswalt
Takeaways:
14:30 Creating unique marketing approaches, like selling a single album copy, can generate massive attention and buzz for your brand.
20:53 No one will market your personal brand for you, so you must put your own picture and face everywhere.
28:36 Negative feedback is inevitable, so develop thick skin and focus on the positive responses from your audience.
30:13 Having fun with your marketing and letting go of critics helps you connect with passionate, supportive fans.
31:54 Standing out from competition requires delivering unique value and making personal, extra touches.
Resources
- Craig Duswalt's RockStar Marketing Program (Official Site)
- Craig Duswalt (Twitter)
- RockStar Marketing Bootcamp (Live event in Los Angeles)
- RockStar Marketing Backstage (Membership site)
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 33:22 — 76.4MB) | Embed
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592: Stay Focused on Gratitude, Shift Out of Negativity, Get Empowered and Transition to the Next Stage of Your Life with Love and Lifestyle Coach Terri Rose
Terri Rose is a Love & Lifestyle Coach and Motivational Speaker committed to serving those in major life transitions such as separation, divorce, single parenting, empty nesting and/or losing a job. Terri encompasses the qualities of Love and Service to others.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 38:08 — 87.3MB) | Embed
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After leaving her 13 year marriage, she has walked the emotionally challenging path of divorce. With a strong and passionate desire to serve and empower others, she brings unique insight and inspiration from her own life experiences.
Terri knows how transformative the aftermath of Divorce, loss, break ups and starting over can be. Emerging free and independent as a single mother of two, she recognized the potential to help hundreds of people transform their heartbreak and grief into clarity, vision, and self-love. Her wisdom, intuition and genuine love for others inspire one to shift out of limiting unconscious beliefs and step into personal strength and empowerment. With her coaching methods, you will move through the sea of emotions and awaken to deep abiding self-love and experience the inner joy that comes from truly loving yourself.
Through her own unique experience, Terri approaches everyone she meets with extraordinary compassion and brings deep listening and an open, welcoming heart to each client. Clients experience a deeper understanding of their emotions, compassion and self-love in even just one session, and over a series of sessions, they are able to stand in their own power, asking the universe fearlessly for the love and lives they truly desire, arms and heart open, ready to receive.
Quotes:
“When you stay focused on gratitude, it's more difficult to stay in anger, resentment, bitterness, hurt, pain, loss, and grief.” – Terri Rose
“Life constantly throws curveballs, and how you respond makes all the difference. Do you let the ball knock you down and stay down, or do you get up and run?” - Terri Rose
“Sometimes, the changes that come our way are meant to push us toward something positive. However, how we perceive them depends on our life experiences and mindset.” - Terri Rose
Takeaways:
08:14 Self-care is critical during life transitions, even if it's just 15 minutes a day of personal time.
11:58 Nature and sunlight can significantly improve emotional well-being during difficult personal changes.
14:43 Positive affirmations and sticky notes with encouraging messages can help rebuild self-worth after major life challenges.
23:20 People's negative actions often stem from their own pain, not from a desire to hurt you.
29:31 You have the power to choose how you respond to life's challenges and can decide whether to let them defeat or empower you.
Resources
- Roseville, California Meetup: Finding Your Empowered Self through the Divorce Process (Events)
- Blissify Your Life: Terri Rose, Love & Lifestyle Coach (Official Site)
- Email: love@blissifyyourlife.com
- Phone: 916-425-8383
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 38:08 — 87.3MB) | Embed
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591: Run Your Business Like a Predictable, Repeatable, Dependable Money-Making Machine By Delegating with The Techie Mentor Susan Mershon
Susan Mershon, The Techie Mentor, teaches the strategies, skills & systems you need to design, build & grow a thriving Virtual Assistant business. She explains what you need to know to get over the hesitation of hiring a freelancer, and the many options available to you, for example, a website audit.
Quotes:
“For many of us, myself included, we pour so much time and energy into developing our business—through blood, sweat, and tears—that it almost feels like a family member. It's like a baby to us, which creates a trust issue when it comes to handing over control.” – Susan Mershon
“You have to understand that your time is more valuable sometimes than doing a lot of the admin or technology work yourself.” - Susan Mershon
“If you can find somebody that you can partner and trust with, you can fly because you have a peace of mind that you didn't have before.” - Susan Mershon
Takeaways:
01:57 Investing in expert help upfront can save months of trial and error and accelerate your business's financial success.
09:04 Your time is more valuable than struggling with technical tasks you don't enjoy or understand well.
14:13 Business systems are repeatable assets that, when set up correctly, can generate consistent income with minimal ongoing effort.
18:01 Start small with virtual assistants - a two-hour trial can help you build trust and understand their work style without massive commitment.
22:31 Outsourcing isn't about kicking back, but about freeing yourself to focus on business growth and what you're passionate about.
Resources
- The Techie Mentor (Official Site)
- The Techie Mentor (Freebies)
- Susan Mershon (Twitter)
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 31:24 — 71.9MB) | Embed
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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 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)
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 30:47 — 70.5MB) | Embed
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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 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)
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 32:01 — 73.4MB) | Embed
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