Bob Karcher is the co-author of "Who are the Joneses, Anyway?"

Personal life stories are powerful, and ours brought us to a realization that there had to be more to life. We are just like many of you--ordinary, hardworking people who discovered ourselves trapped in a race we didn't even realize we were in.

The more we shared our stories and what we learned, the more we realized we were not alone as others, in turn, shared their own personal journeys with us. Many life stories later, we have heard how overspending, gambling, materialism, approval addiction, and many other things have been railroading individuals and families away from the lives they were meant to lead. 

We've witnessed how low self-esteem and poor self-identity have trapped people into thinking they are not a good enough mom or dad, husband or wife, son or daughter--unless they could provide those special shoes, live in the right zip code, drive a certain car, or maintain a prestigious enough title. We've listened to story after story of fractured lives, struggling marriages, and hijacked dreams. 

Many people have told us they are stressed and working too much, and their families hardly know them. They are never home, their marriages are difficult, and they are barely hanging on. Their lives are like running a marathon on a treadmill--they put in all the work but don't get anywhere.

Others tell us they have it "all"--everything life has to offer. Yet, deep down, they know they were created for more and want their lives to count for something more meaningful and have greater impact than just a collection of titles and possessions.

Stephan discusses the art of designing disruptive innovation, value and pricing strategies and explains why intentional and formal pricing management is important for business owners.

Contact info:

Email: [email protected]   

Website: www.stephanliozu.com

Steve Cade focuses on Business Crisis intervention by taking over the key operations of a company so as to prevent a “Fire Sale” or a disruption in the flow of business. His company helps increase of the sale proceeds of a company by 20-30% in 6-18 months to give the spouse or remaining owner the full asset value, and also increase the cash payment portion of the sale of a company.

US Business Counsel is a business law firm with over 20 years of business and business experience serving the needs of small to midsize growing businesses. But they are more than just that: Their attorneys, led by founder Saji Gunawardane, have actual business experience working "within the ranks" to help lead family-owned ventures and Fortune 500 companies to new heights. As Saji says, "the stuff they don't teach you in law school, but which allows you to relate to the business owner's experience." And we discuss their "Corporate Counsel Program," which is a unique flat-fee model for business owners.

Marla is the principal/owner of Malkin Marketing Group. She is a Fractional Chief Marketing Officer and a Strategic Communications Professional for Service Firms and Medium Size Businesses.

Amanda Singer is the Owner of the California Family Mediation Center and San Diego Family Mediation Center. Her business is family mediation, which mainly focuses on divorce mediation and working with couples who want to stay out of court. 

Jeff Brown of Jeffrey Brown and Associates shares how he works with established companies (primarily distributors and manufactures) who are facing the challenges of minimum wage increases, benefit increases and companies who are seeing the margins shrink. He assists them in an area known as "Business Process Reengineering", helping them work more efficiently and yielding higher worker productivity and improvement in profits.

For a copy of a free article titled "Going big - Growing your business" email Jeff at [email protected]

Ohana Bookkeeping is an Orange County-based outsourced bookkeeping service for small to mid-sized businesses who want the peace of mind that comes from having organized and accurate financial reporting in order to make the best decisions for their companies.

Jessica Wilson, Owner of Ohana Bookkeeping, shares how she strives to make Bookkeeping minimally disruptive and ultra effective for business owners. 

Anthony is a commercial real estate broker at Major Properties in Los Angeles He represents property owners, buyers, tenants, investors and developers of commercial and industrial property throughout the greater Los Angeles area. Helping clients with acquisition, disposition and leasing. 

Angela Huntsman is the Founder of, and Lead Consultant for, Humanyen, a training and development group that helps businesses better manage people problems that arise from poor performance and poor communication. We help individuals and teams build better relationships through simple and easy methods that repair the costly communication breakdowns at work.