I’m proud to have my good friend and unstoppable entrepreneur Rod Livingston as a guest on this amazing episode of Dan’s Millionaire Code Podcast. He founded, scaled, and transacted R & R BBQ. 

Knowing your concept is an important part of success in any industry. You need to know that what you are offering is something people want and will pay for. In just six years he’s built an empire that includes a catering center and eight restaurants with another two or three projected to open in the next year.

His success is rooted in what he calls the three pillars: food, experience, and giving back. 

This is only a taste of what Rod offers in today’s awesome episode. Listen to the wisdom he offers. Rod may be talking about his BBQ empire, but what he shares applies to all businesses. Execute it and watch as your endeavors blast off. You can be successful in the restaurant industry or any industry for that matter.  If you’re ever in Utah stop by an R & R BBQ, maybe I’ll see you there.

IG: @therodspot @randrbbq

The experience you create for your customers and employees is an essential part of the success equation and a big part of my discussion with today’s guest, Sandi Hendry. A friend and unstoppable entrepreneur, Sandi is the CEO and founder of Minky Couture, which makes amazing hand-sewn, luxurious designer blankets. The first Minky Couture blanket was made during a painful and scary period of Sandi’s life. Her daughter was hospital ridden for many months and asked for a comfortable, cute blanket. Unable to find anything cute or cozy enough, Sandi had one made. She made more and gave them to patients, doctors, and nurses when she saw how much everyone loved her daughter's blanket. The idea of Minky Couture blossomed from there.

Sandi knew a few things right off the bat: she wanted it to be local, unique, and personalized. A fun, exciting experience for the customer was essential to her, so she made the blankets completely customizable. She also wanted to provide the talented seamstresses in Utah an opportunity to work. They were restricted in their ability to work because they couldn’t afford daycare. By allowing them to sew the blankets in their own homes, Sandi has affected the lives of numerous women in Utah. She believes in what she is doing and how she is doing it. It's no wonder that she was recently named the EY Entrepreneur of the Year. 

Sandi is a phenomenal entrepreneur, and the sense of community she has created resonates with me. Know your audience and your employees, and listen to them. The people who use your product are the ones most invested in making it even better. Even haters have valuable things to say. Listen to today’s podcast and execute the wisdom Sandi shares with us. Then watch as change powerfully enters your life. Thank you for taking this journey with me, here is an awesome discount code for Minky Couture Products for 45% off! Dan45

https://www.softminkyblankets.com/

My guest today is my friend and the unstoppable entrepreneur, Jeff Flamm. Jeff is a tech and real estate Titan, yet he grew up on a ranch tending cattle and hauling hay. It’s not the origin story you would think someone as wildly successful as he is would have, but Jeff says it’s what gave him an edge on his path to success. He can’t emphasize enough how knowing how to work and making your customer’s satisfaction central to it, is the key to a successful business.

The massive tech and real estate developments, worth hundreds of millions of dollars, he has built from scratch is a testament to his ideology. He is the CEO and founder of Infinite Mind, an incredible software called eyeQ, that boosts brain and reading enhancement. Over one million people and thousands of schools and businesses have used the eyeQ program. Jeff has also built massive real estate deployments valued at over $600 million such as RiverPark Business Centre, Enchanted Canyon, and Innovation Point Business Park in Lehi the heart of the Silicon Slopes. He is also a partner in Koloa Landing, an amazing resort in Kauai.

Don’t give up on your dreams before you even start. Just because you aren’t currently in the position you want to be in doesn’t mean you can’t be.  Work for an expert in the field you want to get involved in and learn from them. Go to the library, watch Youtube videos, do everything you can, and work hard to leverage yourself into success. Take that first step and listen to today’s podcast, then take the next and execute the wisdom you learn here today.

Today’s guest is my friend and amazing entrepreneur, Ali Hynek. She is the CEO and founder of Nena & Co, the “bohemian couture” fashion brand that focuses on handbags and textiles with a strong focus on design and marketing.  Nena & Co. celebrates the unique heritage and talents of artisans around the world working in countries such as Guatemala, Mexico, Ghana, Morocco, and the USA. Responsible growth and strong community are an integral part of their principles. They live by the tagline, Wearing Values. Nena & Co.'s success has allowed Ali to better the lives of hundreds of artisans and their families by providing a fair living wage, access to medical services, and offering opportunities for education.

Part of celebrating artisan's heritage is by creating a connection between them and the consumer. The driving force behind Nena & Co.’s marketing, her visual storytelling brings artisan’s stories straight to the consumer. It is overwhelmingly successful. In five years, Nena & Co. communities have formed around the world all on their own. That is thanks to a commitment to the values she finds important. As she says, don’t be afraid to be different. To create a great company, it can be unique and a little weird but not so far that you are all alone.

It's not an easy task, but if you can get focused and clear about what you want to bring to the world, as Ali has, you will succeed. Today’s podcast with Ali is a shining example of that. You wouldn’t think the fashion and technology industries could teach one another anything, but good things come from unexpected places. Be sure to watch today’s podcast and execute the wisdom Ali shares. I know everyone on my marketing team will be. 

Today’s guest, my friend John Sloan, shows you how to make a fortune in Software and Application Development. He is the president and founder of GrowTix, a Utah based event management software company. A development and software Jedi, John and his team created a killer video gaming show called Geex, launched the Salt Lake Tribunes first iPad and iPhone apps in 2011, and built a content management platform for the largest Arab media company in Dubai. GrowTix has clients in the US, Europe, and Canada and covers 180 comic conventions.  

John is one of those people whose path to success was anything but straightforward. You can see it above in his wildly impressive resume. Maybe I should say his wildly impressive portfolio. John couldn’t emphasize enough how important it is to build a portfolio. Not just building one so you can say you have one, but to use it as a way to communicate to potential employers that you are passionate and driven. It’s a way to communicate that you are a creator.

We discuss how important (and fun!) it is to be a creator versus a consumer. Don’t get me wrong, John and I played video games when we were kids and still do now, but it wasn’t the only thing we did. Computers and video games sparked our respective passions in building computers and writing and developing software. John didn’t go to college, but he always, and still does, learned by finding the resources he needed and creating things hands-on.

It’s that kind of self-driven learning and passion that allows you as John says, “to identify and be prepared for key moments” in your life. Listen to and execute the wisdom John shares in today’s episode of my podcast. Your journey to success won’t become any more direct, but you will channel the drive and creativity within that will allow you to get there.

Success is not a lack of failure; it is the result of pushing through failure. I’ve faced roadblocks and fallen flat on my face plenty of times on my journey to success. Every one of my guests on my podcast has too. Failure means you are doing something, and every failure brings you a step closer to success as long as you keep going. 

Today’s guest, Brooke Mangum, believes that to an extraordinary degree. The host of Fresh Living on KUTV, Brooke is a TV and radio personality and model. She has co-hosted Wasatch 360 on FOX and was on the USA Network television series, Summer Camp. Also, she was a radio personality with iHeart Media and was on stations all across the country. Before her career as a broadcaster, Brooke was an international fashion model and the face of many huge brands. In 2018 she founded Opta Naturals, which is now an industry leader in the hemp-derived supplements space.

Brooke is a Jedi Master, but she is also incredibly modest. She doesn’t credit her success to being the best but to working hard and showing up every day. She didn’t wait for opportunities to come her way, she made them. Cold calling modeling agencies, open casting, anything, and everything. For every yes Brooke heard, she received 100 no’s. You may not be the most talented or smartest person in the room, but your sheer effort can overcome that. That’s how she got her start at iHeart Radio. A radio host wanted her as his co-host, so she went to the station every day at five a.m. for six months, for free, to show them she meant business. I mean talk about tenacity.

Listen to and enjoy today’s podcast. Brooke’s energy and enthusiasm are contagious, and she has so many good things to say. Whatever you want to do, execute Brooke’s advice. It will provide you with the momentum and resilience you need to keep you motivated on your journey to success.

Brooke's Twitter

Instagram

Facebook

www.brookemangum.com

Tanya is a leader and a pioneer. As Vice President for Bonneville SLC, she is the first woman not only in her organization but the entire state of Utah to hold that position. Tanya has over 25 years of experience in media (TV, radio, digital and podcasts). She was an award-winning journalist for CBS and has led operations and acquisitions. She currently serves on the board of United Way of Salt Lake, the Utah Debate Commission and is a member of the Governor’s suicide prevention task force. Recently, she has been named to the NBC Affiliate Board. Tanya is doing a lot and continues to do what she wants. She has turned down opportunities that would be an amazing addition to any resume because they didn’t align with what she wants to do. 

Tanya’s decisiveness is inspiring. It was one of the first things that struck me about her, and we discussed how instrumental it has been to her career and life. If it felt right or allowed her to learn something, she said yes. She believes in making decisions not sitting on the fence. If it isn’t the right decision, that’s okay. Adjust and correct course, but you will never grow and get clear about who you are if you don’t make a choice.

Today’s guest, my friend Brock Blake, is proof of that. He is the CEO and founder of Lendio, an Inc. 500 CEO, national keynote speaker, Forbes columnist, and Utah’s Emerging Executive of the Year. Lendio is the largest online marketplace of business loans in the U.S. Brock believes that access to capital should be simpler and quicker for small business owners. Lendio has facilitated over $1.5 billion in loans to small businesses. Brock and his team donate a percentage of funds to low-income entrepreneurs around the world through Kiva.org. 

Today’s podcast with Brock is full of wisdom, but one of my favorites is nail it, then scale it. Essentially it means identify product-market fit; what your customer and price point look like. Test the product in the market on a small scale to create and refine the model, the system (nail it). Once that model is crystal clear, you scale it. It allows you to get real feedback on your product and find out if it is truly viable or not. Only receiving feedback from family and friends is one of the common mistakes new entrepreneurs make. They won’t give you the blunt truth because they are invested in you and don’t want to hurt your feelings. It’s nice, but it doesn’t serve your purpose.

Today’s guest my friend Brody King. With more than a decade of experience advising top executives within Fortune 100 companies (Toyota, Proctor & Gamble, Nestle USA, General Electric, The Kroger Co, Nissan and Hyundai), Brody King is skilled at strategically utilizing data to drive meaningful organizational change and increase profitability. He has established his reputation as a determined leader with expertise in maximizing resources, developing high performing teams, and developing obstacle immunity with optimism and perseverance to achieve business results. an All-World Ironman© Triathlete. 

Brody owns Restore Hyper Wellness in Utah. In his spare time, Brody is a passionate advocate for WhoLives.org, which saves millions of lives by providing easy access to clean water, and Operation Underground Railroad.

Today’s guest is my good friend Tim Ballard, founder of Operation Underground Railroad. OUR assists governments around the world in the rescue of human trafficking and sex trafficking victims. OUR has been documented for their covert operations with jump teams consisting of former CIA agents, U.S. Special Operations Forces Members.