If you had to define it, could you clearly say what it means for a company to be a “lifestyle brand?” When Josh Stanton first started on his entrepreneurial journey he didn’t know either. In fact, it was the furthest thing from his mind. He just needed to make some money.

 

His story goes something like this: After a very short stint studying engineering at university, he was exhausted and not enjoying what he was doing, and his Dad recognized the problem. He told Josh, “You don’t have to do this. You can do whatever you want.”

 

Josh says that was the conversation that enabled him to understand that it was OK for him to take control of his own life and not follow the path everyone else does. So he did.

 

Today, most people know Josh as one half of the dynamic team behind Screw The Nine To Five, the company and community aimed at becoming the #1 lifestyle brand in the world. In this conversation you’ll hear the backstory of how Josh and his wife have gone from owning random online businesses that felt a lot like corporate jobs, to leaders of an energizing community that empowers those seeking lifestyle freedom.

 

If Josh can make money selling a goldfish book, you can be an entrepreneur too

 

The first thing Josh Stanton did to move into the realm of online business was to hire someone to research and ghostwrite a book about the care and feeding of goldfish. Sounds like a strange topic, but he had his reasons. The book was written, Josh got it formatted, put it on Amazon, and began selling it - to the tune of $15,000 in total sales.

 

It may not sound like much of a business… but most people never step out to create anything of their own. $15K earned from a simple book, in his first attempt, was all it took for Josh to see that he really could support himself independent of someone else writing him a paycheck.

 

Your first effort as an entrepreneur doesn’t have to be world-changing. In fact, it’s probably better if it’s not. The lessons you learn in those initial forays into the online business world  are what teach you the things you need to know in order to make a difference over the long haul. Josh describes his own meandering path to success in detail in this conversation.

 

Why Josh Stanton sold money-making businesses to pursue something greater

 

As Josh and Jill become more successful as entrepreneurs, they had their hands in many different types of online businesses. There were many affiliate relationships, skin care brands, health care products that filled their bank account each month. The Screw The Nine To Five Community was also starting to take off.

 

But it wasn’t as satisfying as Josh had assumed it would be. All those unrelated, random businesses started to feel like drudgery, something he didn’t really want to work on anymore. Sounds kind of like a corporate job, doesn’t it?

 

After discussing what they really wanted to contribute to the world, Josh and Jill decided to sell those businesses and put all their focus into Screw The Nine To Five. That decision proves to have been exactly the right choice for them. They have plans to make it the #1 Lifestyle Brand in the world. Their focus now is on helping others achieve success in three specific areas: business, health, and life.

 

How does one go about building a world-changing lifestyle brand? Josh reveals the ups and the downs of the Screw The Nine To Five journey, in this episode of Corporate Escapees.

Do you know how to make the decision about who your ideal customer is?

 

When Josh and Jill first began Screw The Nine To Five they were focused on helping people start businesses and develop ways of producing side income. All of that is fine, but they discovered that many people were following along without committing to make their own lifestyle dreams happen.

 

That’s when they decided to narrow their focus by identifying their ideal customers. Rather than targeting anyone who was interested in learning about generating online income they decided to find those who are truly ready to start their own business. That subtle shift has enabled them to scale their business faster than ever before.

 

In this conversation Josh describes how they’ve learned to identify that target audience, how strategic partnerships enable them to help their audience with less effort, and why Facebook Ads have turned out to be unreliable in terms of long-term business success. Those are powerful lessons-learned you can benefit from, so be sure you hear them on this episode.

 

Members of the Screw The Nine To Five Community are given the opportunity to give back

 

The Screw The Nine To Five community is a dynamic place where those who are building their own businesses come together for support, resources, and training. It’s the main way Josh and Jill empower others to create the same kind of lifestyle they have.

 

But they want more for their members than business success. They also want to help them give back through their success. That’s why they are working to establish relationships with 3 non-profits. Every monthly member will soon be able to select one of those charities as the recipient of a percentage of their membership fee each month.

 

As you can see, Josh and Jill are eager for their lifestyle brand to do more than equip people to make money, they want to nurture a mindset that truly gives back in significant ways.

 

This is a great conversation that reveals many of the strategies Josh and Jill have used to establish their business and empower others to create the lifestyle they want. You don’t want to miss this episode.

 

What you will learn in the podcast

• [0:36] Paul’s introduction of Josh Stanton’s journey with Screw The Nine To Five
• [2:45] Everyone thinks Josh has a weird obsession with pugs (but he doesn’t)
• [4:12] The backstory: not quite the typical corporate escapee story
• [7:05] Josh’s first internet business: a goldfish book business that made $15K
• [11:59] Why it took so long for Josh to be comfortable saying he was an entrepreneur
• [14:20] The full time work that is Screw The 9 to 5 and how Josh and Jill made the decision to ditch profitable businesses to focus on their community and business
• [18:55] Discovering and targeting their ideal customer and build strategic partnership
• [27:07] Lessons-learned using Facebook Ads and why he wants organic traffic instead
• [31:19] The biggest challenges right now revolve around capacity
• [35:31] Daily habits Josh employs
• [38:39] The charity and giving projects the Screw The 9 to 5 team is aiming to help
• [42:05] Josh’s top 3 productivity tips
• [47:58] Parting advice from Josh: Stick with it - there’s always better on the other side

 

Links mentioned in the podcast

• www.BuildLiveGive.com/webinar
• Frank Kern - well known marketer and copywriter
• Jason Gaignard’s Mastermind Talks
• Amy Porterfield’s Webinar Training Course
• Nathan Chan of Foundr
• Ari Meisel
• BOOK: Traction
• Grill’d Burger Company
• Kiva: Microfinance loans that change lives
• Asana
• Slack
• Evernote
• Voxer
• Text Expander
• BOOK: The E-Myth

 

Connect with Josh Stanton

• Screw The 9 to 5 Website
• www.ScrewCommunity.com - Facebook Group
• Screw The 9 to 5 Podcast

 

Connect With Paul and Live Build Give

• On Facebook
• On Twitter: @BuildLiveGive
• On LinkedIn
• On Instagram: @BuildLiveGive