How to Fail Successfully

Merrick Porcheddu

Founder, CEO, Magnet

In this episode of How To Fail Successfully, I have a conversation with Founder & CEO of Artist Uprising, Merrick Porcheddu.

Merrick shares her personal journey of walking away from the entertainment industry only to have her true passion revealed while traveling in the deserts of Dalanzagad, Mongolia.

Follow along as she shares intimate stories of her first failed company and how after pivoting and cutting her losses she was able to turn that company into Dallas’s #1 Hottest company, more recently being featured in Forbes magazine.

Who is Merrick? 

Merrick is the founder & CEO of Artist Uprising.

Merrick Porchéddu graduated Magna Cum Laude from the Mike Curb College of Music Business from Belmont University with a bachelor's in Entertainment Studies and Business.

Since, Porchéddu’s background has ranged across many creative mediums: from radio syndication & licensing, to A&R/artist management, to web design, public relations, social media management, and becoming the General Manager of the fastest-growing Dallas coworking space, where she oversaw activities of over 300 startup businesses.

In 2017, she set out to start her own startup, Artist Uprising – a concept she believed could efficiently bridge the gap between creatives and commerce.

Porchéddu lives in Dallas, TX with her husband and their two sons, Oliver and Silas.

Billy Decker

Mixer, Frito salt licker, and Cancer survivor

In this episode of How To Fail Successfully, I have a conversation with one of the most sought-after mixers in country music, Billy Decker. Billy has mixed 14 #1 country songs, working with artists like Kenny Chesney, Rodney Akins, Darius Rucker, Jason Aldean. and Sam Hunt. More recently, Billy was faced with his most challenging obstacle after being diagnosed with stage 3 non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.  

Listen as the ever joyful and brutally honest Billy Decker shares his story of success and the struggles he’s faced along his journey.

Who is Billy? 

Billy Decker was born on August 28th, 1967 and raised in Nebraska. He got a BS in criminal justice at the University of Nebraska and then went on to be Salutatorian at Full Sail Center for the Recording Arts in 1992. In 1994, Decker moved to Nashville where he’s been working ever since.

Billy’s mixed 14 #1s to date – most recently, Chris Young’s “Losing Sleep”. He has mixed for Kenny Chesney, Darius Rucker, Jason Aldean. Jaime Lynne Spears, and Sam Hunt. Decker also mixed George Jones’s last album before he died.

Joshua MacLeod

Social Entrepreneur, Philanthropist, Father of 8

In this episode of How To Fail Successfully, I have a conversation with entrepreneur, business consultant and philanthropist, Joshua MacLeod. 

Joshua shares his journey from sitting in a courtroom as a legal consultant to finding himself standing in Sudan with thousands of dollars worth of camera equipment after being dropped off by a Russian aircraft. 

Joshua is a great storyteller and provides incredible feedback on how you could be both creative and run a successful business.

Consulting Firm

Growability

Non Profits

Instruments of Joy

Picture the Nations

Media Change

Who is Joshua? 

Joshua MacLeod is the founder of the Growability training and consultation series. He is the executive director of Growability (S Corp) and Watermelon Ministries (501c3). Joshua is an expert in small business management, leadership training, social entrepreneurship, strategic planning, grassroots marketing and social and film media. Joshua is an award-winning photographer and has worked in more than 18 countries globally.

Sarah Dandashy

Concierge, Host, Writer, and Traveler

In this episode of How To Fail Successfully, I have a conversation with “Ask A Concierge” and Les Clefs d’Or Concierge, Sarah Dandashy. Sarah moved to LA to be an actress, producer, and screenwriter but it wasn’t until she decided to create her own brand that she became a nationally known Concierge by creating, producing, and starring in her own videos.

Follow along as Sarah takes us through her struggles of working a day job to make her dreams finally come true and listen as she shares the lessons she’s learned and how she found a way to have a sit-down with Hotel Impossible star Anthony Melchiorri.

Who is Sarah? 

Sarah Dandashy is recognized as one of the leading concierges in the world.

The gold keys she wears on her lapels reflect her status as a Les Clefs d’Or Concierge and guarantee her exclusive international access to little-known treasures in cities worldwide.

Sarah has worked at some of the most prestigious hotels, including The London Hotel, Four Seasons Washington DC, and The Peninsula and L’Ermitage in Beverly Hills.

Sarah single-handedly established the multiform brand “Ask A Concierge”:

• She hosts the online travel show, “Ask A Concierge”

• She has a very strong social media presence on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram

• She is a contributing columnist for LA Travel Magazine, NY Travel Magazine, and DiscoverLosAngeles.com for the Los Angeles Tourism and Convention Board.

Sarah’s education and travels make her an extraordinary concierge.

A graduate of Georgetown University with a degree in Foreign Service, she has lived in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; London, England; Atlanta, GA; Washington, DC; and New York City. She has also traveled extensively throughout Europe, The Middle East, and US. Conversation in both French and Arabic, she can comfortably navigate the streets of Paris and negotiate her way through a Bedouin bazaar.

Jeff Carpenter

Photographer, Videographer, Business Owner

What happens when you’ve spent thousands on your education only to realize you don’t love it anymore?

Should you ever work for free while gaining experience?

How to use Instagram to get free gear for your business?

In this episode of How To Fail Successfully, I have a conversation with Ready Light Media owner, Jeff Carpenter as we discuss his $100k mistake and the lessons he learned along the way to him turning his photography from a hobby a to a full-time job.

We answer questions about working for free, how to get more followers on Instagram and how Jeff was able to get free gear from high-end photography companies.

Jeff Pierre

Actor (Busser/Server/Host/Food Runner)

In this episode of How To Fail Successfully, I have a conversation with Shameless, Workaholics, War Dogs, Beyond and Once Upon a Time Actor, Jeff Pierre. Jeff shares stories from his early days as a struggling actor including his time as one of my employees at the Gordon Ramsay restaurant. Even after booking his first big movie as the lead in the movie Drumline: A New Beat, Jeff faced numerous rejections including getting to the final rounds of auditions before getting the dreaded call no actor wants to hear.

Who is Jeff? 

Jeff Pierre was born in Boston to a Haitian family and also grew up in Massachusetts. He graduated from Northeastern University in Boston with a degree in criminal justice.

One of Pierre’s earliest roles dates back to 2010, when he appeared in the short film Eyes to See. He also starred as Tyree in the VH1 original movie Drumline: A New Beat, and guest starred on Workaholics, Glee, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and Anger Management.

Pierre is best known for his two-season recurring role as Caleb, one of Ian’s love interests, on Showtime’s Shameless. He landed his first series regular role on Freeform’s Beyond as Jeff McArdle. The series is currently in its second season. Pierre had an appearance in Todd Phillips’ War Dogs, which stars Jonah Hill and Miles Teller. In 2016, he starred in the film Tomboy by Lee Friedlander.

ISAAC TOLPIN

Edtech disrupter & human behavior expert

In this episode of How To Fail Successfully, I have a conversation with ConveYour co-founder, Isaac Tolpin. We travel through his early entrepreneur days selling wood crafts, knives, and racehorses (a.k.a “Expensive Decision”) before sharing with us the lessons he learned through his first failed business.

You will learn

• The difference between arrogance and confidence.

• Why it’s important to surround yourself with people that have your best interest in mind.

• Why it’s important to have the right perspective of success.

Who is Isaac? 

Isaac is one of the Founders of ConveYour.com, the #1 Micro-learning platform for influencers and companies.

He’s a tech entrepreneur and futurist at heart, on a mission, to enable brands to authentically connect and inform at scale with over 105 million in combined revenues from the companies he’s helped build.

His success comes from understanding the relationships between human behavior, business, and technology. This expertise has helped celebrity influencers and companies to transform their knowledge into humanized digital training.

His recent background includes cultivating a vineyard, keynote speaker, digital marketer, and EdTech disrupter through the pioneering Micro-training technology, ConveYour.com, the platform that’s improving the way influencers and organizations connect and train their people.

He brings a visionary mindset to his family by creating a legacy of raising and educating their 7 children with his wife Angie Tolpin of Courageousmom.com.

He refuses to waste his life achieving the world’s definition of success that leaves so many empty, but instead do what matters through the projects he’s involved with, those he serves, and the family he leads.

Connect

Website: ConveYour.com

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/isaactolpin

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/conveyour

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/isaactolpin

Twitter: https://twitter.com/isaactolpin

Luke McElroy

Founder, Visionary, Author

In this episode of How To Fail Successfully, I have a conversation with Orange Thread Media founder, Luke McElroy. After 5 failed businesses, and now 3 successful ones, Luke decided it was time to take on the huge task of writing his first book Creative Potential.

Luke shares the never-before-told story of his own journey of finding his calling, and the lessons God taught him through the process.

We also discuss his first book Creative Potential, as he explains the four key principles “Layers”, that will help you find and step into your own creative potential within that God-given calling.

Who is Luke?

Luke McElroy is the founder and visionary behind Orange Thread Media, the parent company to Orange Thread Live Events, TripleWide Media, and SALT Conferences. Beyond his ability to cast a vision for creativity in live events and worship environments, he’s passionate about mentoring, leadership, and teamwork.

Luke got his start in creative arts as a content producer creating animations for live events and worship services around the world. Some of the work he and his team created have been used by American Idol, Blake Shelton, Atlanta Falcons, Catalyst Conference, and thousands of churches around the entire world.

Hailed as one of the “Top Innovators in the Church” in 2013 by Worship Leader Magazine as well as appeared on the Impact 100’s list of “Entrepreneurs to Watch under 30” in 2014, Luke’s been honored for his innovative and entrepreneurial spirit. He’s the author of several books including the most recent Creative Potential: Principles for Unleashing Your God-Given Calling and proud to call Nashville, TN home.

Annie F Downs

Author, Speaker, Podcaster

In this episode of How To Fail Successfully, I have a conversation with 100 Days to Brave author, Annie F Downs. We dive into the stories of how Annie “accidentally” became an author and her early struggles to find a publisher for her first book. Join us as Annie shares with us the lessons she’s learned from conversations with professional athletes and what success and failure look like to her.

HOW TO FOLD A FITTED SHEET (Ft. Annie Downs)

Who is Annie?

Annie F. Downs is a bestselling author, speaker, and podcaster based in Nashville, Tennessee. Flawed but funny, she uses her words to highlight the everyday goodness of a real and present God. An author of multiple bestselling books- 100 Days To Brave, Looking for Lovely, Let’s All Be Brave, Perfectly Unique, and Speak Love, Annie also loves traveling around the country speaking at conferences, churches, and events. While Annie hosts the weekly popular That Sounds Fun Podcast, she is also a co-host on the long-running Relevant Podcast. Annie is a huge fan of bands with banjos, glitter, her community of friends, boiled peanuts, and soccer.

The 46ers, Bob Marley T-shirt, and The Failed Sexpectations in Marriage

In this session of How To Fail Successfully, I have a conversation with three couples in three very different places in their lives. This is my Valentine’s day episode with a very special co-host.

Special music by the band Les Zazous 

Tim and Betsy (Married 46 Years)

Resources

12 Traits of a Healthy Marriage

Books

Bible

Becoming One: Emotionally, Spiritually, Sexually

Conference 

A Weekend to Remember

Carter and Erin Ivey (Married 3 Months)

Resources

Books

For Men Only, Revised and Updated Edition: A Straightforward Guide to the Inner Lives of Women

For Women Only, Revised and Updated Edition: What You Need to Know About the Inner Lives of Men

The 5 Love Languages: The Secret to Love that Lasts

Sean and Kirsten Kelly (7 years….2 kids)

Resources

Love Life for Every Married Couple