So, Zack was eating Chinese food recently and got a fortune that read, "If you're feeling down, then try throwing yourself into work."

For Zack, he saw only the pitfalls of his past - pushing too hard and too far and ending up with medical issues that nearly put him out of commission. However, Jason viewed it differently: as a way to compartmentalize and find a deeper meaning through your work. For some, work is everything - and that can be ok, but neither Jason nor Zack have the equation right.

It has to be balanced. To find meaning in work, you need to first be self aware of your limits and then you need to find a balance between your work self and your personal self. There needs to be a separation. There needs to be a clear line between work you and personal you. Otherwise, you can completely lose yourself in your work. 

For some, you might truly want to be defined by your work. For others, it's equally as important to be defined by anything else but work since work might just be a means to an end. It's all about striking a balance that you're comfortable with.

Finding meaning can be a lifelong pursuit. It can be something directly associated with your job OR it can be something completely separate that you are truly passionate about. But when you are able to meet your passion in life with your career, you are able to often feel more free and alive.

Join us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thehustlemachine 

Until next time, Hustle on!

So, how do you stay ahead of the competition? How can you beat out the competition? How can you win jobs, even without a huge level of experience? By staying a chapter ahead.

Now, it doesn't have to be literal. You don't have to be reading ahead in some book every day, but this concept is taken from the memoirs of Frank Abagnale Jr. (the inspiration for the main character in Catch Me If You Can), where he was asked how he taught Sociology for a YEAR at BYU without ever having taken sociology previously. His answer: he stayed a chapter ahead of his students.

How can we relate this to the real work and the world of entrepreneurship? Easy. 

When it comes to business success, always pour back into yourself by continuing to learn. Also, let's say, for example, that you had a business opportunity, but aren't an expert (yet). But, you have some experience and can get at least 50% of the way there right now. Then, if you can confidently learn the remaining 50%, say yes to the job and learn the rest. Then, stay a step ahead. Keep learning. Keep growing.

When working with clients, stay a chapter ahead. Contact them FIRST. Be the first to initiate contact, follow-ups, check-ins, etc. Be the one who is always a step ahead. It's good business and it will impress your client.

Join us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thehustlemachine 

Until next time, Hustle on!

https://youtu.be/wZd26nK9H6E

When it comes to your lunchbreak, it's one of the most important parts of your day. Just remember this phrase: work is for workin' & lunch is for lunchin'

In this episode, we discuss the crucial nature of the lunchbreak. In fact, this entire episode was born from an overheard conversation. Two men were discussing whether to bring their laptops with them to lunch, when one replied:

Work is for workin' - lunch is for lunchin'

Truer words have never been spoken. This speaks right to the heart of hustle culture: deciding whether or not to truly take a break or to keep working while you eat to recharge. Taking a break is healthy. Taking a break is good. Take a break is essential to your performance as an employee and as a human.

So, what are your takeaways from today's episode?

• Schedule and plan your breaks. Try to be punctual and have your food plans ready. Make the most of your time off and spend it truly recharging the best way you know how.
• Step away from your desk. Find a new scene for your break. Whether it is your car, the breakroom, a bench outside, or a restaurant down the street, find a new spot to call your own for your lunchbreak.
• Own your break. Your break, whether it's 30 minutes, an hour, or longer, should be yours. A glorious break to reset your mind and give you focus that is fully yours. So, own your break. Eat, exercise, or take a nap. We've done it all.

At the end of the day, the only wrong way to nap is not letting yourself recharge by disconnecting from the work for just a bit. It's healthy and you'll be the better for it. Trust us. Put down the hustle for a few minutes and become a better you.

Join us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thehustlemachine 

Until next time, Hustle on!

In this episode, we discuss a section from a book that Jason is reading. It's from "Man's Search for Meaning," by Viktor Frankl. In this part of his book, Frankl writes:

“Don't aim at success. The more you aim at it and make it a target, the more you are going to miss it. For success, like happiness, cannot be pursued; it must ensue, and it only does so as the unintended side effect of one's personal dedication to a cause greater than oneself or as the by-product of one's surrender to a person other than oneself. Happiness must happen, and the same holds for success: you have to let it happen by not caring about it. I want you to listen to what your conscience commands you to do and go on to carry it out to the best of your knowledge. Then you will live to see that in the long-run—in the long-run, I say!—success will follow you precisely because you had forgotten to think about it.”

It's a lot to unpack, but Jason & Zack discuss the pitfalls of targeting only success and the paradox of happiness. The guys also discuss the importance of relational wealth and the need for the trials that happen along the road to success.

Join us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thehustlemachine 

Until next time, Hustle on!

This week on Hustle Machine we discuss football. No, we're not a football show, but we take a look at the unhealthy dog eat dog competition often seen in the football world and see how it related to the toxic world of hustle culture. Zack connects this topic with some recent news he's seen with college football coach, Nick Saban, and we briefly discuss Deion Sanders toe.

Today we're talking about being a boss!

After a bit of rambling about The Lonely Island, The Office, John C. Reiley, and The Boss, we get started.

Being your own boss isn't easy, but it's a lifestyle and professional choice that many folks make. It's not about living on a beach making passive income each day. Rather, there's a lot of work, challenges with time, the ebb & flow of income, finding clients, etc.

Working for yourself and running your own business is a dream to strive for. For Jason, one of the biggest perks of running a business is owning your own schedule. No more asking for PTO, begging for time off, saving PTO for events, balancing time for exercise, etc. - you own your schedule. Manage it.

Being your own boss is also about taking total ownership of your ideas and business. There are far fewer barriers when you're self-employed - especially when

One of the best feelings of being your own boss is when you pitch an idea to a customer and they buy-in to the idea. They are buying in to you. It's YOUR win and much more gratifying.

Cash flow. Pfew. Running your own business certainly has ebbs and flows when it comes to business income. You take care of your employees and your bills, but there might not be much leftover sometimes. It happens. One of our biggest suggestion to self-employed folks is to keep selling. It's really easy to lose focus on selling when you are working on a project, then you're left with no prospects once you finish a project. Don't let yourself fall completely into a project and lose sight of your sales process.

As an entrepreneur running your own business, you have flexibility, but you also might find yourself working more hours than when you were 9-5. You can take off to run to the mechanic without having to ask off, but you also might find yourself working in the middle of the night to wrap a project.

Let's discuss culture. When it's just you and a small team, you get to completely shape and define the culture of your business. You develop a brand for how your business is presented. You have the flexibility and benefit to shape the direction of your company culture. Pretty awesome.

Also, let's discuss hats. Hats at work? Professional or not? Who even cares? Let us know!

Join us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thehustlemachine 

Let get started, shall we?

Alternatively, we thought about calling this episode, "Just Do It," but we have reservations about being sued by Nike.

So, getting started? Today's show is all about getting you ready to take the next step with your business and just get started. Pick the place and time and jump.

Do what you love to do now. Life is unbelievably short, so just do it - erm - just get started!

We see too often that people continue to wait for the right time. But, for many the signals for a good time to start never happen. So our recommendation here at Hustle Machine is to just get started with your entrepreneurship dreams.

Scenario 1: You worry about getting started. You feel like an impostor. You don't feel like a business person and you just don't know where to begin.

Our advice: The phrase, fake it 'til you make it popular for a reason. We didn't just wake up with business skills. When we talk to entrepreneurs about getting started, switching careers, etc., they often don't advance beyond hobby level interest in a new career. And if you're looking to be amazing right from the launch, you're never going to be ready to start. Unless you just get started and jump, then your side hustle or dream will always be just a hobby. 

There's always a sense of faking it. Just put something together and get feedback from friends or colleagues who are interested. Take their feedback. Make it better and then put it out in the world.

You have to breathe live into your dreams or they will die. If you enjoy your hobby or what you're passionate about, then get started and live your dreams.

Scenario 2: You don't have the confidence to start or grow your business.

Our advice: Normal people don't want to start a business. You have more confidence than you think simply by being interested in entrepreneurship. You can come up with a million reasons why you're not ready to get started or find faults in yourself, but you got this!

We were a side hustle for nearly 6 years before we jumped full-time into entrepreneurship from our side-gig. It was hard and it was scary, but you just have to find a place.

If you're having trouble getting started, try talking about it. Speak it into existence. Talk about your dream with people. Keep talking about it as if your business already exists. Get people interested and it will become a reality. 

Where do you find your joy?

Years ago, Jason took a chance on an art career because he found joy in art. It failed. He shot his shot and moved on. Years after, he tried again. This time he was successful. If you want to bring live to year dreams and turn a dream and hobby that brings you joy into a career, you have to take the chance and just get started.

Ask Yourself: What's the worst that could happen?

When we moved from having our business as a side-hustle to taking it fulltime, we asked ourselves: what's the worst that could happen? Do it yourself right now. 

When Zack freelanced way back when, he got started and lived the "fake it 'til you make it" idea. He felt like a failure and ended up taking a job elsewhere. But he shot his shot.

Toxic hustle culture would say to knuckle down and stick with a failing dream. But that's not always the right path. Sometimes, the right path is to take a shot, work hard, and see what happens. Sometimes it's successful. Sometimes it's a failure. But you tried. You took a chance and just got started. And getting started isn't a failure. Even if it was for just a minute, you were living your dream and turning a hobby into a reality. You did it.

Don't go out there alone. Even if you're solo in business, find a community like ours where you can talk about fears, pressures, etc. and get understanding and compassi

Can we start off by just appreciating how great Zack’s cold open to the episode was? Let’s take a moment. 1… 2… 3…

Okay. Moving on.

Let’s get back to the roots of our show today: talking about hustle culture and working to redefine the toxic mindset that it’s become. Today’s episode is about hustle culture groups and what they often turn into: a marketing ploy rather than a true community.

Instead, toxic hustle culture groups turn into a community focused on a singular mindset: what can I get from you? But what should they be? Networking, in order to be good for the whole group, needs to be a balance of give and take. Repeating that for everyone in the back: a balance of give AND take.

You can hustle. You can work hard – and we support that. However, hustle culture has become an unhealthy fetish on overworking. Take care of your body, mind, and relationships.

Until next time, Hustle on!

This week on Hustle Machine, Zack's got beef. And apparently Jason is ready for him to dish!

Zack saw an influencer recently post about being in a gym. They were up early. The gym was empty. Then, the influencer began to shame their followers (unsuccessfully we might add):

While we have to stretch ourselves and put ourselves in difficult situations, there's a toxic trait in hustle culture that tries to use shaming as a tactic to pus people to hustle harder. And that simply won't fly.

When the hustle turns toxic

When it comes to achieving success with a business, it's not necessary to fall into line with the rest of hustle culture in order to get to the goal line. In fact, hustle culture has turned toxic. It's even become this vile, messed-up badge of honor that you are working harder and longer than everyone else. 

BUT, the problem is, life isn't a contest. While there are fights and struggles on the road to success, there is no need to be the most tired, the most burned out, the most physically destroyed in the journey towards personal or professional success.

There are no trophies from hustle culture

Years ago at a conference, a successful entrepreneur told the guys that success was found through hard work and putting your personal life on hold. Wait. Full Stop. Yeah, you read that right. What a terrible piece of advice. 

The path to the goal line in business should be a balance between personal and professional joys, hard work, and a healthy outlook on life. Bring value and energy to your life and interactions instead of leaching your energy from others. In no way should you ever make someone feel less than. 

Until next time, Hustle on!

Today’s episode is all about criticism, so try to be gentle in the comments if you don’t like it, OK?

There’s a lot to criticize, whether for good or ill, in this episode. We work on breaking the fourth wall of the internet in the early going, while Zack lists his personal pain list as he dwells on the perils of aging.

It doesn’t get more comfortable as we jump into the topic at hand, either. Jason admits he doesn’t take criticism well, then confuses Oscar Martinez with Oscar the Grouch (a common mistake, surely). We debate the efficacy of our criticism metaphors involving sandwiches and bookends, try to figure out why clients always pick the worst of any given list of options and even make the first fart joke of the podcast in a historic milestone for Hustle Machine.

Certainly you can disagree with a client, but you’ll have to accept their choices on some matters, even if the mentor or peer group you find might agree with your assessment over them. Only one of them is paying you, after all.

No matter how precious your “brain baby,” as Jason coined the term, sometimes you’ll just have to accept the client finds it ugly and wants a different option. The important thing is not to wallow in that criticism but to move on and find a way to meet the client’s demands.

If nothing else, just know that a client’s criticism of your most precious brain baby is probably less brutal than Zack’s masseuse pointing out his back fat, so there’s that, at least.

Give today’s show a listen, give it a like and maybe even leave some feedback, as long as it’s not too critical. We’ve learned to take it, of course, even Jason. But, still, don’t be too rough with us, alright? There’s only so much dark and hopeless brooding we can do on each critical comment, so don’t go too overboard or you’ll leave us unable to move forward for all the wallowing.

Until next time, Hustle on!