This interview was originally published on December 22, 2014, as HTE 038: Most Things In Life Fail. It’s Ok. | James Altucher

From teaching you specifically how to make a living in six months, a great living within two years, and how to be rich within three years, James Altucher joined me for my most unconventional interview to-date.

James Altucher has built more successful businesses than most of us will ever start — not to mention the giant list of failed companies. He has lost more money than most of us will ever earn. And he brings us it all, in genuine Altucher fashion, during this interview.

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Today’s guest is one of my all-time favourite writers and I rarely go more than a few months without rereading his book Choose Yourself. He is an American hedge fund manager, entrepreneur, bestselling author, blogger and podcaster.

He has founded or cofounded over 20 companies and 17 have failed. He sold one for $15 million and spent all of the money — all of it. Then he built and sold another within its first year for $10 million. 

He fails quickly. He fails frequently. He claims Entrepreneurship is a sentence of failures punctuated by brief success.

He is invested in about 28 private companies. He advises about another 50 private companies — companies ranging from $0 in revenues to a billion in revenues. 

This conversation is long than usual but you will not even notice because not a second is wasted. Now, let’s hack… James Altucher.

Now, let’s hack… James Altucher.

What you will learn in this episode:

• How James makes his sound better during a podcast (maybe I should have edited this part out)
• Exactly how to make a living in six months, a great living within two years and be rich within three to four years.
• Success can be measured today or it can be measured in decades.
• The important thing is to always be thinking of giving to others.
• Most ideas that people have are bad (and this is ok).

• James’s blog
• Choose Yourself by James Altucher
• The Power of No by James Altucher
• James on Twitter
• Jon on Twitter
• Exclusive Sponsor: FreshBooks (30-day Free Trial)

This interview was originally published on March 11, 2015, as HTE 070: How to Find and Follow Your Inner Voice | Jessica Rea

The popularity of this interview has been truly impressive. Not that Jessica isn’t a smart entrepreneur, she definitely is. But the fact that she is not a ‘big name’ in the space and how she struggles simply with the title of entrepreneur, makes this conversation more interesting

Jessica is in the same position you may be in, and I believe that is why this conversation has resonated so well with listeners like you. This is a deep dive into the inner voices (and struggles) of becoming an entrepreneur.

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Today’s guest is not only a smart entrepreneur, she is also part designer, part business strategist, and part coach. A few years ago she would’ve told you that she wasn’t an entrepreneur, but this has changed.

She now runs her own successful business and helps other ‘ladypreneurs’ gain the clarity and confidence they need to connect with their ideal clients, build their brand and business online.

Last year, we had the pleasure of meeting at Chris Ducker’s Tropical Think Tank and I was blown away by her marketing strategies (which she calls her super power) and her truly beautiful web design work, that has been the foundation of her business for years.

Now, let’s hack…

Jessica Rea.

In this 33-minute episode Jessica and I discuss:

• Understanding your clients and helping them achieve their goals
• Turning your insecurities into assets
• How to create opportunities for yourself
• Dealing with the loneliness of starting your own business
• Why Jessica starts her day the night before
• How to start your day to stay focussed and productive
• Learning to hit publish (both literally and metaphorically)

• JessicaRea.me
• The Ladypreneur Community on Facebook
• World Domination Summit
• Deepak Chopra Guided Meditation
• Jessica on Twitter
• Jonny on Twitter
• Exclusive Sponsor: FreshBooks 30-Day Free Trial

This interview was originally published on August 10, 2015, as HTE 112: Getting Comfortable with Being Uncomfortable

Between the conversation about the merging of art and commerce, and Benji’s mindset of learning to become comfortable being uncomfortable.

This conversation dives into the essential required for gaining the perseverance necessary to push through the hard times.

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My guest today is the President and Founder of PledgeMusic, a direct-to-fan company that offers musicians a unique way to engage with their fans during the music-making process.

He is an independent musician who received the A&R Worldwide Digital Executive of the Year award in 2014 and appeared in the 2013 Billboard 40 Under 40 Power Players list. My guest's recent engagements include keynote addresses and panels at events such as Canadian Music Week and GRAMMY Camp. He also gained a position on the Board of Directors for the Future Of Music Coalition this year. Now, Let's hack... Benji Rogers.

My guest's recent engagements include keynote addresses and panels at events such as Canadian Music Week and GRAMMY Camp. He also gained a position on the Board of Directors for the Future Of Music Coalition this year. Now, Let's hack... Benji Rogers.

Now, Let's hack... Benji Rogers.

Benji Rogers.

In this 36-minute episode Benji Rogers and I discuss:

• How Benji had stayed incredibly restless
• The true power of having advisors
• Learning to become comfortable with being uncomfortable
• Being an entrepreneur is about entering a space of uncertainty
• Let your team push you to better places, ideas, and outcomes

• Pledge Music
• Meditations by Marcus Aurelius
• Benji on Twitter
• Jon on Twitter
• Exclusive Sponsor:

This interview was originally published on October 23, 2014, as HTE 019: Is This Startup Worth My Life? | Dan Martell

During this conversation, I ask Dan Martell what the criteria is for knowing whether or not your idea needs VC funding — his response leaves me speechless, but clarifies the murky waters.

As a Canadian entrepreneur, Dan has taken two businesses from idea to exit and he shares with us what he has learned.

— Today’s guest has been an entrepreneur most of his life – having started at 18 – and failing twice – before finally figuring it out.

Now he is an award-winning Canadian entrepreneur and founder of Clarity, a venture-backed startup that makes it easy to connect with top business minds over the phone.

He previously co-founded Flowtown, a San Francisco-based social marketing product which raised funding, grew to over 50,000 small business customers and was eventually acquired in 2011.

A year later he was named Canada’s top angel investor having completed over 33 investments in companies like Udemy, Intercom, and Unbounce.

Now, let’s hack...

Dan Martell.

• How and why people overvalue funding for their startups
• Finding your magic zone to make the world a better place
• Specifically, when your company is ready for venture funding
• Making people and relationships your number one asset

• Dan's Blog
• Clarity
• Talk to Dan on Clarity
• John Maxwell - Magic Zone
• Eric Bahn Interview
• Dan on Twitter
• Jonny on Twitter
• Exclusive Sponsor: Get Freshbooks Today!

This interview was originally published on February 11, 2015, as HTE 059: Partnerships and the Creativity of Limitations | Brian Clark

This conversation revolved around three essential elements of entrepreneurship: creativity, partnerships, and becoming the CEO of your company (even if you are a one person company).

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When I originally sat down to outline the idea for Hack The Entrepreneur, I immediately wrote out a short list of  people that I wanted to interview. I used this list as one of my metrics for success and I am happy to say that today’s guest is number two on that list.

To me, the idea that one person could start a blog, not sell anything for 18 months, and turn that blog into an 8-figure media company is endlessly fascinating.

He is a former lawyer, serial entrepreneur, writer, and creator.

In January of 2006, my guest started a one-man blog called Copyblogger. Copyblogger is now an 8-figure per year media company called Copyblogger Media, of which he is the founder and CEO.

He has ranked among the top in the world for social media and content marketing. He's been featured in countless books about business and media, and he has graced many stages. N

ow, let’s hack…

Brian Clark.

• Brian’s unique vision of productivity and why it works
• How to be wrong and adapting in real time
• How focusing on your one important task each day can enable you to get more done
• Allowing your mindset to accept the fact that you can do anything
• How Copyblogger Media was created in a mere three hours

• Copyblogger
• Further.net
• Rainmaker.fm 
• The Rainmaker Platform 
• Brian on Twitter 
• Exclusive Sponsor: FreshBooks (30-day Free Trial)

This interview was originally published on February 09, 2015, as HTE 058: Refusing to Scale (and Being Kind to Others)

During this conversation, you will begin to understand entrepreneurship as a creative venture. Sunni Brown is smart, funny, and her energy is contagious.

This all makes for an insightful and exciting conversation that moves from the Pet Rock, to calculus, and onto Sunni’s refusal to scale her business — and what you can learn from her decision.

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Today’s guest is an amazing entrepreneur, artist, and awesome human. She is the founder of SB Ink, a creative consultancy and an agent of social change.

She is the author and leader of a global campaign for visual literacy called The Doodle Revolution.

My guest has worked with companies like Disney, Sharpie, Zappos and SXSW. Using common sense, experience, and neuroscience, she is proving that to doodle is to ignite your whole mind—and she aims to teach the world how to master “strategic doodling” in her latest book, The Doodle Revolution.

This was a brilliant and hilarious conversation and I am so glad to share it with you.

Now, let’s hack…

Sunni Brown.

• Why you should allow yourself to come up with goofy ideas
• Entrepreneurism does not have to be risky
• Sunni Brown could have never been the inventor of the Pet Rock
• Why Sunni is terrible at calculus and how this makes her awesome

• SunniBrown.com
• Sunni’s Ted talk 
• Lyn Christian 
• Pet Rock 
• The Pet Rock Sadie made for Sunni 
• The Doodle Revolution 
• Gamestorming 
• Sunni On Twitter
• Exclusive Sponsor: Freshbooks (30-day Free Trial)

This interview was originally published on July 27, 2015, as HTE 202: We All Start As Employees | Brian Tracy.

Sometimes I interview people don't know before researching, a few I've heard a lot about, and other times I have been following their work for many, many years -- this episode is part of the latter.

Brian Tracy is the author of more than 70 books, many of them bestsellers. There are six of his books, with notes and highlighter marks throughout, on my office shelf.

Brian Tracy is a very smart entrepreneur and the insights he shares in this interview will change the way you look at business and employment.

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My guest today is one of the top professional business speakers in the world. He is the author of more than 70 books — many of them bestsellers. There are six of his books, with notes and highlighter marks throughout, on my office shelf.

He is the chairman and CEO of Brian Tracy International, a company specializing in the training and development of individuals and organizations.

His goal is to help you achieve your personal and business goals faster and easier than you ever imagined.

He has consulted for more than 1,000 companies and addressed more than 5,000,000 people in 5,000 talks and seminars throughout the US, Canada, and 55 other countries worldwide.

As a Keynote speaker and seminar leader, he addresses more than 250,000 people each year.

Now, let’s hack…

Brian Tracy.

In this 43-minute episode Brian Tracy and I discuss:

• The Key is to Get It 80% Right and Run It Up the Flag Pole
• Seek opportunities to help other people
• How to know if you have what it takes to be successful
• Why 80% right is better than perfect

• Brian's excellent new book: Get Smart by Brian Tracy
• All of Brian Tracy's books
• BrianTracy.com
• Babson College 
• Mark Victor Hansen
• Jon on Twitter
• Exclusive Sponsor: Get your free 30-day trial now with Freshbooks 

This interview was originally published on July 27, 2015, as HTE 107: Understanding the Math of Success | Guy Kawasaki.

This episode almost didn't get published. Jon Nastor and Guy Kawasaki get a little bit antagonistic with each other at one point in the conversation, so it was a bit off-putting at first. But this takes the conversation into a new, unexpected, and deeper place.

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My guest today popularized secular evangelism in 1983 when he worked with the Macintosh Division of Apple. He is currently the chief evangelist of Canva, an online and easy to use graphic design platform.

He is also the author of thirteen books including. Art of the Start 2.0 and  Enchantment.

His books are used by some of the finest academic institutions and have been New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestsellers.

My guest gives over fifty keynote speeches a year on topics such as innovation, enchantment, social media, evangelism, and entrepreneurship. His clients include Apple, Nike, Audi, Google, and Microsoft.

Now, let's hack....

Guy Kawasaki.

In this 27-minute episode Guy Kawasaki and I discuss:

• The benefits of working harder than everybody else
• Never sticking with just one company
• Being young and underpaid, old and overpaid
• How and why to adopt a growth mindset

• Guy Kawasaki Website
• Mindset: The new psychology of success
• Guy on Twitter
• Jon on Twitter
• Exclusive Sponsor: Freshbooks - Grab your 30-day free trial

This interview was originally published on November 24, 2014, as HTE 027: Finding A Multiplier Effect For Your Income | Stephen Key.

The popularity of this episode is rooted in Stephen Key's unique perspective on passive income. Not that Stephen encourages laziness, but he does push us all to find our multiplier effects and to create income streams beyond our hours worked.

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Today’s guest on Hack The Entrepreneur is an entrepreneur and an inventor, that consistently earns millions of dollars licensing his ideas to companies like Disney, Nestle, and Coca-Cola.

He is not high-tech, but he knows how to take an idea and very quickly make it a global sensation. 

Before becoming a savvy inventor, he spent part of the 1980s as the head of design at Worlds Of Wonder. They had two number one hit toys that you may remember, Teddy Ruxpin and LazerTag. Since this time he has started his own businesses,

Since this time, he has started his own businesses, InventRight, and Spinformation, and has sold 100s of millions of products.

He is the author of the best-selling book, One Simple Idea.

He currently writes a weekly column on Entrepreneur.com and also writes regularly for Inc Magazine.

Now, let’s hack…

Stephen Key.

• Why the multiplier effect is required to produce great wealth
• How creative people get distracted so often (and how to work through this)
• How to choose an idea that you can implement very quickly
• The one simple thing Stephen did that doubled his business in 8 months
• Why you should borrow ideas when you see them

• InventRight
• One Simple Idea Book
• Stephen Key's Entrepreneur.com Column
• A Beginner's Guide: How to Rent Your Ideas to Fortune 500 Companies (Four Hour Work Week Blog)
• Stephen on Twitter
• Jon on Twitter
• Exclusive Sponsor: FreshBooks (30-day Free Trial)

This interview was originally published on April 6, 2015, as HTE 076: Seth Godin on the Difference Between Failure and Your Struggle With Failure

Seth Godin's concise definition of what makes someone an entrepreneur rather than a freelancer is an excellent starting point for coaches, freelancers, and new entrepreneurs.

Entrepreneurship, as described by Seth Godin, is about more than simply the creation of a job for yourself -- it is about mindset, scale, and growth.

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Today’s guest is one of the most well-respected and prolific marketing minds alive today.

After his first job out of college working at a software company, my guest started a book packaging business, which he later sold to his employees.

He then co-founded Yoyodyne, a unique marketing service, and company — he sold this company to Yahoo! in 1998 for $30 million. During that time, he launched another web company called Squidoo, which was acquired in 2014 by

During that time, he launched another web company called Squidoo, which was acquired in 2014 by HubPages. Most of you will know my guest for his writing. He writes daily

He writes daily on his blog, one of the most popular blogs in the world, and he has also written 18 books that have been bestsellers.

Now, let’s hack…

Seth Godin.

In this 37-minute episode Seth Godin and I discuss:

• Why and how Seth set up his business to be able to work on something new every day
• Understanding what a brand is (and isn't)
• The difference between a freelancer and an entrepreneur
• Seth's definition of an entrepreneur (and why it matters to you)
• Why Seth thinks that everyone should blog every day
• Figuring things out -- when he does not understand something

• Seth Godin's blog
• Seth's (free) ebook: Unleashing the IdeaVirus
• All of Seth's books
• Seth on Twitter
• Jon on Twitter
• Exclusive Sponsor: FreshBooks (30-day Free Trial)