In this episode of Business Brain, Shannon Jean and Dave Hamilton explore the difference between 2x and 10x growth mindsets. Shannon shares a quote from a recent event — “focus on 10x, not 2x” — and breaks down how the 2x approach is about working harder and incrementally improving, while 10x thinking requires transformative change, ruthless prioritization, and bold decision-making. They discuss how 10x growth forces entrepreneurs to abandon outdated systems and focus only on what delivers real results, even if that means disrupting what’s already working. Shannon relates this to his recent Instagram growth experiment and how it’s forcing him out of his comfort zone.

The conversation then shifts to the concept of “body doubling,” a technique Dave discovered during a recent trip where he and his wife worked productively side by side in a hotel room. This unintentional co-working setup led to high focus and output, prompting Dave to dig deeper into the psychological science behind it. They explore how having someone else nearby — even if not directly interacting — creates a low-level accountability and modeled behavior that can improve productivity. They wrap up with a reminder to stay self-aware, keep pursuing growth, and stay focused on high-leverage actions — like selling unused assets or building scalable systems — that generate real revenue.

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Dave and Shannon open Casual Friday with a Shopify nod, then spotlight listener David’s “vibe-coded” Replit app for high-school sports. His web iPad tool tracks scoring, fouls, streaks, and biggest leads, exports structured summaries to an AI project, and let him publish recaps before leaving the gym. The hosts urge productizing it as a simple SaaS for local media and parents, noting how low-code iteration unlocks niche, high-value workflows.

Listener Ian contributes a prompt to reduce ambiguity in text communications—analyze likely interpretations, confirm intent, then offer two clearer rewrites—which sparks a broader discussion about using AI to keep customer-service tone friendly over SMS. Shannon then explains how he used ChatGPT for tax prep: export a Gmail “receipts” label via Google Takeout, auto-extract 2024 transactions, categorize them, cross-check with credit-card summaries (dedupe, find misses), and organize 1099s/K-1s for his accountant—plus a “what am I wasting money on?” audit to cut subscriptions. They close by inviting listeners to send their own AI workflows to [email protected].

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Dave and Shannon kick off episode 692 with a Shopify sponsor read and dive into listener-submitted interview questions. Jeff’s favorite prompt—“How many gas stations are in the U.S.?”—is used to evaluate problem-solving under pressure, not factual recall. Shannon riffs on the persuasive power of specific numbers and “making the truth fantastic,” while Dave notes real estimates vary widely. Todd’s “What would you put on a bumper sticker?” uncovers candidates’ core beliefs; the hosts swap their own slogans and talk about how pithy lines often emerge over the years, not on demand.

Listener Andrew asks whether his fabrication LLC should bill his rental-property LLC. The hosts recommend billing (or at least tracking) to expose true margins, enable clean property-level P&Ls, support valuations, and strengthen leverage with banks or vendors—while reminding Andrew to confirm structure and tax treatment with a CPA and attorney. They wrap by inviting more questions at [email protected] and signing off with their “charmed life” mantra.

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Dave and Shannon kick off episode 691 on National Handbag Day, segueing from Shannon’s experiment that grew into selling 7,000 handbags and nearly $4M in revenue. He explains how handbags taught him the power of emotional selling and confidence-driven purchases. The conversation pivots to ChatGPT “tasks” (automations) that perform timely research and send results—born from Dave’s football-pick workflow—and expands to examples like weekly industry briefings, sponsor invoicing reminders, and Apple Shortcuts/Zapier/IFTTT integrations to reduce friction and beat procrastination by starting work for you.

They broaden the lens to AI’s impact on creative industries: gatekeepers vs. discovery, parallels to self-publishing in books and indie music, and the rise of AI actors. Their stance: embrace the new tools, accept pros and cons, and focus on execution and curation. A Masterclass sponsor read reinforces continuous learning. They close by inviting listener feedback and reviews (with a MacBook giveaway) and sign off for the weekend.

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Dave and Shannon open episode 690 on National Fluffernutter Day with playful banter before diving into the core theme: “execution is the moat, not information.” They argue that oversharing isn’t risky because ideas are plentiful; what matters is doing the work. Dave recalls advice from a VC contact that asking for NDAs is a rookie move—investors back people who will execute, not just ideas. Sharing publicly sharpens thinking, invites useful critique, and reinforces learning, while daily incremental action is what separates success from stagnation. They weave in a Masterclass sponsor segment as an example of learning that fuels better execution.

They then highlight customer service as a universal responsibility. Dave shares two contrasting experiences in the same week: the USPS quickly resolved a stuck tracking issue for an eBay iPhone shipment by updating the delivery scan, leading to released funds; a UPS driver showed uncommon courtesy in traffic, modeling brand-aware behavior. The takeaway: every business—and every employee—is in customer service because any touchpoint shapes the brand. They invite listeners to share how they train teams to represent the company well and sign off, encouraging everyone to keep living that “charmed life.”

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Dave and Shannon kick off Casual FridAI by sharing practical body language tactics for Zoom and sales calls: stand to boost energy, avoid crossed arms, gesture intentionally (without smacking the mic), and hide self-view to reduce fatigue. They invite listener tips and note small cues—posture, face-touching, taking up space—shape how others read you.

They then demo Limitless AI (formerly Rewind): a pendant + Mac/phone apps that capture conversations, generate searchable “Life Logs,” set voice reminders, and answer questions like “what commitments did I make today?” Use cases span entrepreneurs, ADHD support, journalism, medical visits, and elder care. They outline pricing (bundle ~$399 for pendant + 1 year unlimited; pendant alone ~$199 with plans; free 20 hrs/month; Pro ~100 hrs; Unlimited billed yearly/monthly), discuss etiquette and privacy (always ask before recording), and Dave signs up to test the free Mac app. They wrap with calls for feedback and reviews.

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Dave and Shannon kick off Business Brain ep. 688 on World Sake Day by riffing on a San Diego beach rental and the power of being a customer of your competitors—and your own business. They share lessons from buying and selling: Dave used paid podcast ads to learn the market and build relationships, and both discuss selling cars and iPhones with smart baselines (Carvana, Gazelle) to stay in control. They swap tactics for negotiating with dealers, anchoring offers, stacking incentives, and using time constraints to avoid the showroom grind.

The conversation pivots to deal-making on both the buy and sell side: start by selling unused items at home, set floors for pricing, and use content to win attention. Examples include a listener who turned $1 in book pallets into $5,000 and another who flips free couches with time-lapse cleaning videos that “stop the scroll.” They wrap with a time-management tip—book 15–20 minute discovery calls you can extend—and a call for reviews.

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Episode 687 opens with sponsors Paka Apparel and Shopify, then dives into a practical compare-and-contrast of LLMs. Dave sticks with ChatGPT for history and workflow but says Claude is hands-down best for assisted coding due to reliability, longer context, and faster iteration. Perplexity earns points for research (and a 12-month Pro via PayPal promo); its Comet browser is mentioned. Shannon uses Grok on X to verify posts and add context. They read listener reviews, remind folks about the MacBook giveaway, and plug businessbrain.show/review.

The pair share real-world AI wins: Shannon fixes a Polaris Ranger parking brake and re-cables a Comcast router by uploading photos and asking specific questions; Dave troubleshoots a Docker container update mid-session by feeding screenshots and URLs to ChatGPT. They caution listeners to specify versions and verify steps because UI and docs change. The show closes by inviting AI questions to [email protected] and nudging listeners to join the mailing list for links, including the Perplexity Pro offer, while reinforcing the “live your charmed life” theme.

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Episode 686 opens with sponsors Shopify and Paka Apparel, plus a quick birthday nod to Dave. Dave recaps a concert trip to Hampton, VA: a cool, round, indoor Hampton Coliseum with great sound, but a struggling town he wouldn’t visit except for shows.

Shannon then details how consistent posting on X led to coaching requests, a $5/month subscriber DM that grew unwieldy, and ultimately the Kajabi-based “$5 Reseller Mastermind.” He built lead magnets and a weekly newsletter (5,500 subs), added paid upgrade programs (Costco, eBay, Poshmark, Facebook Marketplace), and replaced 1:1s—canceling 118 appointments—in favor of bi-weekly group calls with 60–70 attendees. Nearing 1,500 members ($7,500/mo baseline before upsells), he runs $100, 90-minute workshops and emphasizes his core mantra: simple but hard work—“buy with math, sell with emotion.” He shares how community wins and teaching have been deeply fulfilling and says this is just the beginning.

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Dave and Shannon open a playful Casual FridAI episode for Talk/Meow Like a Pirate Day, then pivot to an NFL pick’em story: Dave joins a family pool and has ChatGPT and Perplexity generate weekly picks, even pitting them against each other and noticing different “motivations” when prompts imply stakes (e.g., deleting a chat). That leads to a discussion about what AIs “value” (usefulness, accuracy, clarity) and how prompt design can shape urgency and quality of output.

They pose a provocative question: if AI replaced you tomorrow, what would it do first? Both admit the answer exposes weaknesses—delegation and un-automated workflows. Tips follow: adopt “content-first” social strategy (test freely, repost winners, then spend behind proven posts), and consider recording/screenshotting publishing workflows so an AI agent can learn and automate them. The takeaway: identify the first thing AI would do in your role—and do it today to reclaim time and focus.

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