Growth Think Tank

Leadership in business is essential yet often misunderstood. Leadership begins inside the leader; however most of the focus starts on the actions (external). Matt Miller is President and founder of School Spirit Vending. Matt talks about the culture of his company and how focusing on culture has shifted his impact. He shares the insights he has gained in building a very successful business that helps schools raise money for educational programs. Matt discusses with me about the speed of the leader and the importance of that in achieving goals.

Get the show notes for 136 | Speed Of The Team Is Determined By The Speed Of The Leader With Matt Miller

Click to Tweet: Listening to an amazing episode on Leaders in the Trenches with @GeneHammett #EduationalPrograms #SuccessfulBusiness #Episode136 #Podcasts

Give Leaders in the Trenches a review on iTunes!

Leadership in business is essential yet often misunderstood. Leadership begins inside the leader; however most of the focus starts on the actions (external). Matt Miller is President and founder of School Spirit Vending. Matt talks about the culture of his company and how focusing on culture has shifted his impact. He shares the insights he has gained in building a very successful business that helps schools raise money for educational programs. Matt discusses with me about the speed of the leader and the importance of that in achieving goals.

Share the LOVE and TWEET about this episode.

Target Audience: Matt works with aspiring business owners who have a desire to duplicate what he and his company do in the vending and school funding industry. His vending company serves a team of 40 different families and several thousand schools providing passive free fundraising for them.

[spp-tweet ""I’m in the trenches every day" ~Matt Miller"]

Matt admits he is in the trenches most days. He spends a lot of time in the schools he serves working out a variety of different issues. With the help of a coach however, he has dedicated his focus to the last 6 months in identifying what his different strengths are. This has enabled him to work better with his team and to resolve challenges. This has been quite beneficial because he still prefers to be very hands on. In his work with the coach, he was asked to pinpoint where he is best paid and where he is most valued.

[spp-tweet ""The speed of the group is determined by the speed of the leader- PERIOD” ~Matt Miller"]

Matt believes in working with a coach so much now, that he has set a goal for himself to attend at least one or two networking events per year in order to get himself around other people who will push him. He feels having mentors and coaches around him who can call him on his bluffs and keep him accountable is necessary to his growth. A relationship with a coach gives the opportunity to be transparent in order to shift and transform. A coach also challenges his clients and it also takes the client being open to that challenge for true shifting to occur. Additionally, a coach helps him to see what his business CAN BE - not the way it currently is so a new vision is constantly on the escrow. A coach can look at his business as an outsider- which is something he himself can’t do because he is so wrapped up in it.

[spp-tweet ""I’ve got to be willing to grow faster than the business" ~Matt Miller"]

Matt finds there are so many people who want to be entrepreneurs but are afraid. His business aims to provide a step by step guideline for the entrepreneurial process with the goal of creating more income. This enables people with a system to take more control in their business and personal lives.

[spp-tweet ""I’ve always been a learner" ~Matt Miller"]

• Why Matt is in the trenches most days
• Why Matt attends 2 networking events per year
• How a coach helps Matt see his blind spots
• Why the speed of a leader affects the speed of the group
• How Matt was able to positively shift his company’s culture
• How Matt’s business helps entrepreneurs to gain control

[spp-tweet ""I’m a fool if I think I know it all" ~Matt Miller"]

Put systems in areas where you may not be so strong in. Get to a point where you don't have to focus on those areas and just do what you are good at. Lead the way you want to lead. The world’s got a certain idea of how things are ‘supposed to be’- constantly question those norms. Don’t be afraid to to put your personality into what you do. Don’t be afraid to march to the beat of your own drummer. People respect and are drawn to to purpose and passion.

• Matt's site
• Contact: [email protected]
• Article by Gene: The 3 Best Gifts a Dad Can Give His Son
• Schedule a Session with Gene
• Sign up for Momentum Mondays Every Monday @12pm EST

[spp-tweet ""Don’t be afraid to to put your personality into what you do" ~Matt Miller"]

Did you know that you can apply to chat with me by phone? This is a limited time offer to help anyone that is serious about refining their business as well as developing a clear & compelling strategy that will drive them forward. Complete the questions and our team will follow up with you to schedule time for your “Business Breakthrough Session”. These are limited to 30 minutes, completely free and oh, so valuable.  Apply Now!

And lastly, please leave a rating and review for the Leaders in the Trenches on iTunes (or Stitcher) – it will help us in many ways, but it also inspires us to keep doing what we are doing here. Thank you in advance!

It seems like we are surrounded with work and cannot find a way to create barriers between work and life. There is always so much to do and the stress that comes with life is just accepted as "the way it is". In the interview with Chris Atley, we discuss balance and burnout. Chris has worked with entrepreneurs to make the shift from overwhelmed and overworked to peace and freedom. Discover what Chris had to work through so she could serve her audience.

Get the show notes for 135 | Making the Shift from Overwhelmed and Overworked with Chris Atley

Click to Tweet: Listening to an amazing episode on Leaders in the Trenches with @GeneHammett @chrisatley #Entrepreneurs #PeaceandFreedom #Episode135 #Podcasts

Give Leaders in the Trenches a review on iTunes!

It seems like we are surrounded with work and cannot find a way to create barriers between work and life. There is always so much to do and the stress that comes with life is just accepted as “the way it is”. In the interview with Chris Atley, we discuss balance and burnout. Chris has worked with entrepreneurs to make the shift from overwhelmed and overworked to peace and freedom. Discover what Chris had to work through so she could serve her audience.

Share the LOVE and TWEET about this episode.

Chris’s Target Audience: Chris works with small business owners and entrepreneurs who feel overwhelmed by their workload. This includes coaches, consultants, health practitioners, service based professionals. Her goal is to helps them to find a work- life balance.

[spp-tweet "“You’ve got to work through your own stuff to make those dreams come true” ~Chris Atley"]

Chris knows exactly what overwhelm feels like as she has spent some of her time in the trenches too. Though there were many obstacles in addition to feeling as though it was taking a lot of time, Chris followed her dream of relocating from Canada to California. She shares that she utilized Law of Attraction principles and had to work on her limiting beliefs.  She admits there were many times she wanted to quit, but she didn’t. Overcoming those hurdles makes her fully equipped to now help others battling similar obstacles.

Being “Overworked” means one does not have the lifestyle they want. There exists a feeling of ‘not enough time’- whether that’s with family or getting things done in your business. There’s an element of not being present and feeling burnt out. Chris recalls the time period where she finally hit the 6 figure mark- but how it didn’t feel like she thought it would. She was really overwhelmed and was still basically trying to do everything herself. Her mentor advised her to hire a house manager. Despite the limiting beliefs she had initially, breaking through them and finally accepting this extra support with house chores was a game changer.

[spp-tweet "“It’s not always easy following your dreams” ~Chris Atley"]

Limiting beliefs are a big problem because they hold us back from executing behaviors that would move us forward. This lack mentality keeps yo

u playing small. As an entrepreneurs, we need to get out there so we need those empowered beliefs to create the results we really want to have. Even though Chris thought she didn’t even have the money for it, she made the DECISION to hire someone anyway. Clients showed up which gave Chris the means to afford help. According to Chris, the key is to make  the decision before she was ready because the universe has it’s way of working it out for you. However, it’s up to you to DECIDE what you are worthy of.

Following this decision, she also hired a nanny for the children. Once again, Chris had to work through other limiting beliefs. She now finds that but now literally has the time, space and presence when she is spending time with her kids.

[spp-tweet "“We need empowered beliefs to create the results we want to have” ~Chris Atley"]

Chris is in a place where she can truly  appreciate her clients’ struggle and knows what they can do to change their situation (because she did). She recognizes that people get really tripped up about money. Despite this trepidation, she believes that the decision comes first! Allow yourself to go for it. The subject on money inevitably replays itself at bigger levels. But the more you practice making your decisions first,  the more you can draw from your experiences when you get to those higher levels.

The moral of the story is that when you are in a more relaxed state, you are more empowered and resourceful. You are more aware of your options.

[spp-tweet "“Everything will get done when it needs to get done” ~Chris Atley"]

• Why you don’t have to accept stress
• The importance of being aware of your limiting beliefs
• How our limiting beliefs keep us playing small
• Why you’ve got to STOP doing everything yourself
• Why you should DECIDE before waiting until you’re “ready”
• Why decreasing overwhelm helps you to see clearer

Identify the top one or two things in your life where you need assistance. Start in your personal life- ie- kids or house work. or support in your biz. Ask yourself where the overwhelm is coming from. make the decision to make that change and allow the universe to support you and make it happen.

• Chris's Website
• Free Gift from Chris : a course on how to turn annual income into your monthly income in 30 minutes a day
• Chris on Twitter
• Schedule a Session with Gene
• Sign up for Momentum Mondays Every Monday @12pm EST

   

To give Chris a shout out, follow her and send her a message. Connect with me too on LinkedIn or Twitter @genehammett.

Did you know that you can apply to chat with me by phone? This is a limited time offer to help anyone that is serious about refining their business as well as developing a clear & compelling strategy that will drive them forward. Complete the questions and our team will follow up with you to schedule time for your “Business Breakthrough Session”. These are limited to 30 minutes, completely free and oh, so valuable.  Apply Now!

And lastly, please leave a rating and review for the Leaders in the Trenches on iTunes (or Stitcher) – it will help us in many ways, but it also inspires us to keep doing what we are doing here. Thank you in advance!

ONE YEAR!!! I can't believe it. Today, we talk about fear. Specifically, the fear that you encounter when you have to let go of something that is comfortable. It might even be working right now. Our guest is Pat Flynn. Pat is the founder of so many things – podcasts, books, apps, niched websites – but he is most known for "Smart Passive Income". Pat shares the fears he faced in growing his business and hiring top players for his business (called Team Flynn). Pat also tells us who he would hire to be his coach – well if he could! Find out in this episode all about Pat, his fears and his dream coach.

Get the show notes for 134 | On the Other Side of Fear is Amazing with Pat Flynn

Click to Tweet: Listening to an amazing episode on Leaders in the Trenches with @GeneHammett @PatFlynn #SmartPassiveIncome #Founder #Episode134 #Podcasts

Give Leaders in the Trenches a review on iTunes!

ONE YEAR!!! I can't believe it. Today, we talk about fear. Specifically, the fear that you encounter when you have to let go of something that is comfortable. It might even be working right now. Our guest is Pat Flynn. Pat is the founder of so many things – podcasts, books, apps, niched websites – but he is most known for “Smart Passive Income”. Pat shares the fears he faced in growing his business and hiring top players for his business (called Team Flynn). Pat also tells us who he would hire to be his coach – well if he could! Find out in this episode all about Pat, his fears and his dream coach.

In the social set up for this one, don't reveal who he would hire. Let it be a secret or to spark curiosity. Pat has a huge following on twitter so we need to leverage that to get them to listen in.

Share the LOVE and TWEET about this episode.

Target Audience: Pat aims to be as transparent as possible with everything he does online for those seeking to create passive income online.

[spp-tweet ""Let go of this path that everyone else tries to tell you to be on" ~Pat Flynn"]

On this podcast, you’ll hear about “Team Flynn.” A team that Pat has built to create and grow his business. He doesn’t consider the people on his podcast employees. Rather, they are contracted. But more importantly, he thinks of them as people he can share and swap skills with when needed. In order to let “Team Flynn” really happen, Pat had to let go of a lot of things because they were holding him back from doing bigger things- those that only Pat can do. He advises to let go of the fear that someone might ruin things or do something unexpected you may have not had in mind. Now that he has outsourced the tasks that held him back, he can now dedicate more time to his personal life.

[spp-tweet "The fear is a good indicator for what I should do and conquer" ~Pat Flynn"]

By releasing the fear of building a team, he stumbled upon Matt Gartland- a content producer. In collaborating with Matt, Pat is free to work on other upcoming ideas. Pat is conscious of the people he hires people and looks for those with specialties and super powers. Pat strives to be the type of leader who gives his team the freedom to make their own decisions and be in a leadership role as well. No one is above each other.

[spp-tweet ""Your earnings are a byproduct of how well you serve your audience" ~Pat Flynn"]

His book: Let Go shares the origin of his business. Initially, he had to “let go” of his former job. But it goes deeper than that. It is about letting go of the traditional path and doing your own thing. When he started his own Youtube channel he had to let go fears around how he looked or sounded and BAM: success. Same story with his website. In 2011, a speaking opportunity arose and he was deathly afraid. In facing fear after fear, he now asks himself- “what else would scare the heck out of me?” In understanding fear, he finds it helpful to ask people who are doing what he fears. He says, you need other people to help you. Every entrepreneur has.

As a great many guests on this podcast have said, being an entrepreneur requires that you have a coach or mentor in your life. Pat reveals that if he were to hire the coach of his dreams it would be… drum roll please… Tim Ferris. Pat knows someone like Tim Ferris would get him to take bigger risks which would enable him to help more people. Elon Musk is another person who could push him beyond his limits. https://www.ted.com/speakers/elon_musk

• Why Pat created “Team Flynn”
• What he had to let go of to grow
• Why Pat only hires superstars
• Why fear leads to amazing
• How to ask other entrepreneurs about their own fears
• Who Pat would hire as a coach

[spp-tweet ""If you don’t take action based on what you hear, you might as well not be able to hear" ~Pat Flynn"]

Check out Chris Ducker’s Book: Virtual Freedom. It is a mandatory read to build your virtual team. Most of it is mental and gets you to write out “3 Lists of Freedom” to help you understand what you can outsource. The biggest thing is writing a list of all the things you love to do but maybe shouldn’t be doing. Also what you hate doing, can’t do, and don’t want to do. This allows you to determine what only you can do. Get more information about Chris Ducker here. http://leadersinthetrenches.com/036-chris-ducker/

• Pat on Twitter 
• Pat’s site 
• Launch of Pat's Youtube channel: SPITV (also available on itunes) (video podcast spitv or “pat flynn”)
• Find out more about Matt Garland 
• Follow Matt on Twitter
• Find out more about Elon Musk
• Chris Ducker’s Book: Virtual Freedom 
• Chris Ducker’s interview on LITT

To give Pat a shout out, follow him and send him a message. Connect with me too on LinkedIn or Twitter @genehammett.

Did you know that you can apply to chat with me by phone? This is a limited time offer to help anyone that is serious about refining their business as well as developing a clear & compelling strategy that will drive them forward. Complete the questions and our team will follow up with you to schedule time for your “Business Breakthrough Session”. These are limited to 30 minutes, completely free and oh, so valuable.  Apply Now!

And lastly, please leave a rating and review for the Leaders in the Trenches on iTunes (or Stitcher) – it will help us in many ways, but it also inspires us to keep doing what we are doing here. Thank you in advance!

The difference between Charismatic Leadership and Inspirational Leadership may seem subtle. A leader can be charismatic and inspire others. It also works the other way too. But Inspirational Leadership is focused more on the greater good, whereas as the Charismatic Leader is more inwardly focused on himself. Our guest today is Peter Docker who is colleagues with Best Selling Author, Simon Sinek. Both Peter and Simon are spreading a message around the world to inspire people to be extraordinary and to do work that is significant. This interview is filled with wisdom and insights on being authentic and real. Join me by listening to this episode.

Get the show notes for 133 | Charismatic Leadership and Inspirational Leadership – Which Do You Want? with Peter Docker

Click to Tweet: Listening to an amazing episode on Leaders in the Trenches with @GeneHammett @peterdocker #InspirationalLeadership #Focus #Episode133 #Podcasts

Give Leaders in the Trenches a review on iTunes!

The difference between Charismatic Leadership and Inspirational Leadership may seem subtle. A leader can be charismatic and inspire others. It also works the other way too. But Inspirational Leadership is focused more on the greater good, whereas as the Charismatic Leader is more inwardly focused on himself. Our guest today is Peter Docker who is colleagues with Best Selling Author, Simon Sinek. Both Peter and Simon are spreading a message around the world to inspire people to be extraordinary and to do work that is significant. This interview is filled with wisdom and insights on being authentic and real. Join me by listening to this episode.

Share the LOVE and TWEET about this episode.

Target Audience: Peter says he helps people achieve what they want to achieve. This includes many different types of people - whether individuals and companies both large and small. Peter believes we all operate on a biological level in the same ways. With that as Peter’s foundational WHY, he authentically connects to his audience because the desire to keep achieving and improving is universal in all of us.

[spp-tweet ""Everyone has the capability to achieve incredible things" ~Peter Docker"]

Peter is also a colleague of Simon Sinek. Several years back, Peter joined the Consultancy around Safety Leadership. During that time, he became aware of Simon through the TED Talk: Golden Circle. Simon’s influence inspired him to leave the company and begin his own and he reached out to Simon to let him know that his ideas were very much in tune with his own ideas of how to create extraordinary performances.

What does it mean to Peter to be EXTRAORDINARY? Peter says it means everyone has the capability to achieve incredible things. This is achieved when you are passionate about something and clear about what you believe. In turn, that is what you can inspire in others. Others will join you when you are clear. This fulfilled feeling goes beyond happiness. It provides one with significance because they are truly serving others.

[spp-tweet ""To inspire is to open up possibilities" ~Peter Docker"]

It takes an effort for some of us to be who we are. but that can be the source of inspiration for others. People connect with Authenticity. While this is not always necessarily easy, it also doesn’t require so much effort.

So how does this play out in the business world? Well, Peter says that if you just focus on numbers you can create an unpleasant environment: backstabbing, competition, lack of safety. Rather than taking care of external problems, everyone within the company fears each other. Numbers have no significance. Starting with WHY provides significance, trust and safety. Moreover, being significant is really just about the simple stuff.

[spp-tweet ""We are biologically meant to work together and serve"~Peter Docker"]

Ultimately, this will help to move us beyond and past just sustaining ourselves (i.e- working to pay bills) and bring us to the high level of GENEROSITY. Generosity is about feeling secure about our time and our future. You can always replace money but not time. When you are clear about your WHY, it connects us to the human factor and as a pleasant consequence - clarifies the “numbers” aspect of business too.

Peter emphasises that Leadership is about Simplicity that starts with WHY. “Simplicity is the greatest sophistication” ~ Leonardo Da Vinci.

[spp-tweet ""Being significant is about the small stuff" ~Peter Docker"]

• The difference between charismatic and inspirational leadership
• What it means to be Extraordinary
• Being clear on your WHY
• The significance of the “human factor”
• Our universal connection to each other
• The significance of your Authenticity

BE YOURSELF. It’s simple- it’s not always easy but in it, contains the highest level of sophistication. If you are authentic, people will warm to you. It’s that powerful limbic brain that will connect to yours.

• Why Not Unlimited website
• Start With Why website
• Peter on Twitter

To give Peter a shout out, follow him and send him a message. Connect with Gene too on LinkedIn or Twitter at @genehammett.

Did you know that you can apply to chat with me by phone? This is a limited time offer to help anyone that is serious about refining their business as well as developing a clear & compelling strategy that will drive them forward. Complete the questions and our team will follow up with you to schedule time for your “Vision Breakthrough Session”. These are limited to 30 minutes, completely free and oh, so valuable. Apply Now!

And lastly, please leave a rating and review for the Leaders in the Trenches on iTunes (or Stitcher) – it will help us in many ways, but it also inspires us to keep doing what we are doing here. Thank you in advance!

You hear it all the time: "share your real life." Then you hear: "don't share too much." Then you hear expert after expert with opinions that conflict with one another. Today's guest is Joel Comm. Joel has a deep experience in all things internet marketing. Today we focus most of the conversation about how to be authentic and real so that you can sell more.

Get the show notes for 132 | Be Authentic to Improve Know, Like and Trust with Joel Comm

Click to Tweet: Listening to an amazing episode on Leaders in the Trenches with @GeneHammett @joelcomm #ExpertafterExpert #DeepExperience #Episode132 #Podcasts

Give Leaders in the Trenches a review on iTunes!

You hear it all the time: “share your real life.” Then you hear: “don't share too much.” Then you hear expert after expert with opinions that conflict with one another. Today's guest is Joel Comm.  Joel has a deep experience in all things internet marketing.  Today we focus most of the conversation about how to be authentic and real so that you can sell more.

Share the LOVE and TWEET about this episode.

Target Audience: Joel’s target audience is various but he focuses on those who are seeking to leverage the power of social media.

[spp-tweet ""Authenticity is the best route" ~Joel Comm"]

Joel has been an internet entrepreneur for the past 20 years who serves entrepreneurs to find their voice and highlight their expertise through social media platforms. For starters, he highly believes in the power of publishing books because the physicality of it represents a sense of  authority. The physical book possesses an authority that things like blogs or ebooks simply don’t have. Books trigger something significant because each of us are very much are ingrained by the collective belief of its power that has been with us from a very early age. Think of it like a $5 biz card that opens so many doors for things such as speaking engagements, book signings, and various meet ups and rendezvous. 

His recent book: Twitter Power 3.0 is the world’s best selling book on the subject of twitter. The book shows twitter users how to leverage the power of twitter to increase engagement. A major effective tools for twitter has been images with quotes (whether yours or someones else’s). The engagement received is potentially tremendous compared to other methods. This is because it  reflects what you really believe and shows your authenticity. Today, the apps that are available to create these photo quotes (such as Word Swag and Pic Lab, for example) make this a very simple process.

[spp-tweet ""People buy from people they know, like or trust" ~Joel Comm"]

To increase engagement, you must focus on being yourself in the conversations you have. DON’T be someone else. Put a human on your company product or service that makes you as real as you are otherwise people can smell the fact that you are just trying to sell something. Let people get to know YOU. Share the different parts of your life which includes even the mundane, the embarrassing, your mistakes and your vulnerabilities.

[spp-tweet ""Let people see the human being behind these accounts and they will connect" ~Joel Comm"]

Joel recalls his time in the trenches after he left a secure job started a business with a partner. When his partner decided to leave due to another job opportunity, Joel was left with the start-up business and spiraled into losing money. He admits that he is a man of faith and simple prayed to God saying, “if you don't drop money out of the sky I don't know what i am going to do.” He was soon contacted by someone who offered him $5,000/month for his content. He found that a simple prayer brought the response he needed.

[spp-tweet ""Twitter is part of our social fabric" ~Joel Comm"]

• Why publishing a book gives you Authority
• How to increase engagement through social media platforms
• The POWER of twitter
• Why trying to be someones else just doesn’t work
• Why bringing your Authenticity is a way to connect
• How to let go of the fear of representing your true self

Don’t be afraid to be yourself. There is no formula because we are all unique. Don’t be afraid to bring what makes you unique and special. JUST BE YOU and be good to other people.

• Social Poetry (book) 
• Twitter power 3.0: the world’s best selling book on the subject of Twitter! 
• Joel Comm's site
• Joel on Twitter
• Contact Gene for a Strategy Session

To give Joel a shout out, follow him and send him a message.  Connect with Gene too on LinkedIn  or Twitter at @genehammett.

Did you know that you can apply to chat with me by phone? This is a limited time offer to help anyone that is serious about refining their business as well as developing a clear & compelling strategy that will drive them forward. Complete the questions and our team will follow up with you to schedule time for your “Vision Breakthrough Session”. These are limited to 30 minutes, completely free and oh, so valuable. Apply Now!

And lastly, please leave a rating and review for the Leaders in the Trenches on iTunes (or Stitcher) – it will help us in many ways, but it also inspires us to keep doing what we are doing here. Thank you in advance!