There are some people you meet and just by looking at them know they have struggled with real demons and won. 

Mike Claudio is one of those people.  He’s Founder and CEO of WinRate Consulting, coaching countless entrepreneurs on their self-employment journeys, Host of Big Stud Podcast, and Co-Founder of A Champions Shoes that has donated over 2000 pair of shoes to children in need across the United States in just 10 months. 

In this episode, Jeff and Mike plunge into discussing doing things that aren’t in alignment to who you are as a person. Mike opens up wide and shares his journey through college, getting a job in Corporate working for Verizon Wireless, making 6 figures a year, his battle with alcoholism, obesity, and the pivotal moment that made him quit his cushy corporate job and take a $100K pay cut. Jeff and Mike dive into knowing what’s truly important at the end of the day.

 

What You'll Learn:

 

• The value of the golden handcuffs Verizon slapped on him
• Mike shares an image that stopped his middle management training dead in its tracks
• What happens when you go through 30 day quota sales cycles for 9 years in a row
• How corporate equips you enough to be informed to sell a product and pays you well enough to not ask questions
• The process required to take a company from $300k per year in sales to $2.5 in under 2 years
• The power of learning quickly and rebranding yourself in a brand new industry 
• 2 show stopping questions that leave Mike speechless for a moment 
• What Mike has learned about how to be a killer coach
• The best way to launch a foundation with maximum impact 
• How A Champion’s Shoe has changed over 2000 lives in less than 10 months 
• Perspectives on being married and making sacrifices

• And much more!  

 

FAVORITE QUOTE:

“When I’m looking at numbers of these businesses.  We were talking about per transaction stuff, cost of employees, cost of sales, so I was learning a lot about business by asking questions.  Sales 101. But people are like, I need these tablets and I was like, what kind of impact would these tablets even have for you? I don’t wanna sell you something you don’t need.  Let’s talk about it.  

I learned the value of an employee, the value of sales, and I got that Verizon invested a lot of money in me  and my commission was a really small part of that and I’m not knocking their commission plan. I was just saying if I can do this here, what can I do out there?  Here’s the crazy part. I did not have an answer.  I just knew I would figure that out. I do not know the answer to this question other than it must have been God because I didn’t know how I was going to pull that off.  I knew I was worth more and I’m gonna go figure it out.”

  -Mike Claudio 

Connect with Mike: 

Instagram

Podcast: Big Stud Podcast

YouTube

Foundation: A Champion’s Shoes

 

How to Get Involved:

Addicted to Winning connects listeners through stories that prove why mindset matters. Jeff Brekken was working a 60-hour week on his family’s farm by the time he was 10. When he wasn’t helping with the harvest, he was at the hockey rink. Jeff’s early life experiences taught him he needs to be either all-in or all-out. 

In 2000 he started a single-family home construction business and by 2008 he was looking for his next big thing. Jeff founded the Blue Sky Benefit Solutions insurance agency on top of a lifelong passion for helping people. Through this show, Jeff will take that passion one step further.

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