In The Trenches

Today’s guest is a massively successful podcaster, a U.S. Army veteran, and one of my major inspirations for creating my OWN podcast – John Lee Dumas. John is the Founder and Host of Entrepreneur On Fire, a daily podcast that interviews todays most inspiring and successful Entrepreneurs.  He’s also the author of the hugely successful ebook: Podcast Launch: A Step by Step Podcasting Guide. John is an ex Army Officer who served 8 years in the Army including a tour in Iraq.  When John transitioned out of the military, he worked at some great jobs, but, as he put it, he wasn’t able to find his passion.  And that’s when Entrepreneur On Fire was born. In the past year, John has grown his podcast from 0 to 175,000 unique downloads every month.  For those unfamiliar with podcast metrics, this is an extremely impressive figure, and is a testament to John’s work ethic and creative ingenuity. In today's broadcast, John walks us through the precise steps he took to create a 6-figure business from scratch in a matter of 6 months. For those interested in entrepreneurship, John's lessons here extend beyond podcasting to the greater world of business (i.e. how to identify a niche, how to effectively target and sell to that market, etc).  You can learn a lot from John, so I highly encourage you to check out his podcast and subscribe!

• How John went from no network, no connections and no prior experience in podcasting to one of the most powerful and well known entrepreneurs’ podcast on the planet

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http://www.chrisducker.com/

In today's interview, I talk with Dan about The Higher Purpose Project. It's an intensive training course designed to help you live a life of courage aligned with your highest values. It pretty much goes without saying that I support the project and encourage anyone interested to reach out to Dan and apply to be a part of it.

In 2012, Dan Adams did something impossible. With no experience, no resources and no connections, Dan created an award winning (2012 ESPY Award winning, actually) social project called Mission Kilimanjaro where he and a small team of veterans and civilians summited Kilimanjaro. Of course, summiting Kilimanjaro, while impressive, isn’t the remarkable part...climbing it alongside a quadruple amputee while raising awareness for disabled kids and veterans (and donating $25,000 to the Mwereni Integrated School for the Blind) certainly is.

Dan’s story, though, like so many others, didn’t start at this culminating point – it started years before with many trials and tribulations. Back in high school, Dan knew he wanted to play college football.  While a talented and disciplined player, he was considered undersized for his position as a middle linebacker (at 5’9” 190lbs give or take) and nobody expected him to play college football. Not only did Dan make the team of a Division I school, he set a record for most unassisted tackles his junior year.   Possibly even more impressive: he still owns the record for most unassisted tackles in one game many years later (he set the mark pretty high). After college, Dan entered corporate America.  While he was doing okay for himself financially, he found himself emotionally drained from the unfulfilling work.  At one point in his career, Dan even brought in $34,000 in a single day.  A great day by anyone's standards, to be sure. For Dan, it was the worst day of his life. Dan realized he wasn’t living the life he was advising others to live and this self-reflection led to an epiphany: you can’t change others by telling them what to do, you can only change others by setting the example and living the part. So Dan set a date to climb Mount Kilimanjaro with Kyle Maynard to show veterans and kids with disabilities around the world that regardless of the challenges they face, no obstacle is too great to conquer. In 2012, Dan and his team conquered Mount Kilimanjaro. And now he's off conquering new and greater obstacles.

This is just a short intro to Dan Adams – an incredibly intelligent, compassionate and driven person.  In today’s broadcast, I sit down with Dan to dig into his story and find out how he did what he did (and what he's planning for the future). Just one of the remarkable things we talk about: how Dan uses disciplined visualization to achieve success (from visualizing the plays and tackles he’s going to make the night before a game, to the visualization process for creating an award winning initiative from scratch). Simply put – if you’re interested in improving yourself or your performance in any aspect of your life, you HAVE to listen to this interview.  Dan’s the real deal and we dig into exactly what he did to create success in so many aspects of his life.  I know I personally took a ton of notes and plan on listening to this podcast more than once as I develop the projects I'm working on. So enjoy today's broadcast and please leave a review on iTunes! when you finish.

• How Dan transitioned from corporate America to founding an award winning movement in less than two years

On the need for adversity:

On fear (and courage):

On starting your hero's journey:

www.thehigherpurposeproject.com www.athleticcapital.com/ missionkilimanjaro.com @AthleticCapital Facebook

Joseph Campbell (Hero’s Journey) Collected Works http://kyle-maynard.com/

p.s. if you enjoy the show, please leave a review on iTunes and help spread the word.

The White House, the California Governor’s Office, Hollywood, and Silicon Valley – these are some of the most well-known and most powerful places in the world – and John Corcoran’s worked in all of them. John is an attorney and small business advisor with the Corcoran Law Firm outside of San Francisco, where he helps entrepreneurs, business owners and real estate investors.  He’s also the founder of SmartBusinessRevolution.com where he helps entrepreneurs succeed, online and off. Earlier in his career, John served in the White House, as a Speechwriter and Press Aide in for the governor of California, for a law firm in heart of Silicon Valley, and, at one point, John even worked in Hollywood. One thing I know about John – he is a networking master and a genuinely selfless person.  He’s personally helped me connect with some really big players in the business world, so I know firsthand his abilities.  I highly encourage subscribing to his newsletter and checking out his excellent podcast. That’s just a brief overview of Johns working background.  As you’ll find out once you listen to the interview, John’s done an incredible amount of interesting work. Bottom line, John is a wealth of knowledge and experience in writing, entrepreneurship, and building relationships, and he really is an instigator if I’ve ever met one – someone who starts, finishes, and ships projects all the time. A great listen for entrepreneurs and writers (we dig into his upcoming book and actually expose some really cool details about successful self-publishing with numbers and stats to back them up!). Definitely check it out, and leave a comment (and review on iTunes!) when you finish.

• How John Corcoran networked his way into the White House, Hollywood, and Silicon Valley

On business:

On Life:

SmartBusinessRevolution.com The Smart Business Revolution Podcast Facebook Twitter YouTube

The Tipping Point **p.s. if you enjoy the show, leave a review on iTunes and help spread the word.

Today’s broadcast is part 2 in a 2 part series. Part 1 can be found by clicking here.  In part 1 (broadcast 9), Tommy and I talk about crowd funding.  What it is, how it works, and how to successfully create a crowd funding campaign for your product.

 In today's broadcast, Tommy Walker explains everything there is to know about content marketing. What is content marketing? Simply put: it's content with a purpose (and that purpose is to elicit one of 4 responses - see below). As Tommy explains, every time you interact with a piece of content, it’s a transaction.  If you're reading this blog post right now, you're exchanging your time and attention for information from me.  All content works this way (from youtube to books to live music), but unless it has a purpose, it's not content marketing.

1. Viral Content: To be shared

Each of these types of content has a purpose - to get a reader to take action. If you're interested in finding out how to use each of these types of content, or why they work, listen to the podcast (it's definitely worth your time).

Tommy Walker is an online marketing strategist, creator of the marketing video series “Inside The Mind” and the producer of the online video roundtable interview series “The Mindfire Chats.” Tommy started his journey in the online marketing world in 2005.  Since 2009, Tommy’s been consulting full time for small businesses. Tommy has done a number of remarkable things in the online world, from reinventing the way people learn about marketing (via his “Inside The Mind” educational video series), to producing the free, popular and fast growing “The Mindfire Chats” where experts and industry professionals come together to discuss everything and anything marketing related. For more information about Tommy Walker, check out his website: http://tommy.ismy.name/

• Why your network is an investment (and you need to treat it as such)

Chris Brogan (grow bigger ears)

Today’s broadcast is part 1 in a 2 part series. The original interview ran over an hour because the conversation was so great and I couldn’t stop asking questions…so I broke it up to make each broadcast about 30 minutes. I think that makes the content more digestible and actionable (and there is some very actionable content here if you’re an artist, writer or entrepreneur trying to increase your reach, impact and sales). So enjoy today’s broadcast and stay tuned for part 2 next week.[/infopane]

 In 2009, Tommy Walker’s life changed forever. For several years Tommy struggled to find his way as an entrepreneur.  From 2005 to 2009, Tommy built his online business on the side while he worked a full-time, unsatisfying job.  After a ridiculous series of events in late 2008, Tommy’s employer fired him over a pair of pants. True story. Turns out, getting fired was the kick in the pants (pun intended) Tommy needed to take his business to the next level.  Since 2009, Tommy’s built a fast growing and powerful marketing platform, and continues to grow his audience, reach and impact. What’s truly remarkable about Tommy’s story, though, is his tenacity and refusal to quit on his dream – to do meaningful work on his own terms without acquiescing to the conventional powers that be. Tommy struggled and fought and worked harder than most people I’ve ever met.  He’s met his fair share of setbacks and failure.  It was never easy; success was never handed to him.  But he kept going. And the success he’s finding now is a direct result of that grit  and persistence. Read more about Tommy Walker’s story here – and definitely listen to the interview to hear some more great stories from Tommy's entrepreneurial journey.

Tommy Walker is an online marketing strategist, creator of the marketing video series “Inside The Mind” and the producer of the online video roundtable interview series “The Mindfire Chats.” Tommy started his journey in the online marketing world in 2005.  Since 2009, Tommy’s been consulting full time for small businesses. Tommy has done a number of remarkable things in the online world, from reinventing the way people learn about marketing (via his “Inside The Mind” educational video series), to producing the free, popular and fast growing “The Mindfire Chats” where experts and industry professionals come together to discuss everything and anything marketing related. Fun fact: Inside The Mind takes 95 ( ! ) man hours to produce every episode. Oh, and it’s completely, 100% free.  Talk about a steal. Tommy is really nailing the video side of online marketing right now.  Even if you're not building or growing a business, you'll find Tommy's online video series engaging and enlightening.

|click to tweet|

• How Tommy came from a background in acting – and how finally embracing his background in film and acting dramatically improved his marketing business results

The Flinch Kickstarter Indiegogo      

The majority of people go to work begrudgingly - grinding away to make ends meet. What if it didn't have to be that way? What if, instead of sucking it up, putting your head down and getting to work, you could wake up brilliantly excited every day to do work you love? This isn't a fairy tale - it's possible - and Jonathan Mead proves it. And now he helps others do the same.

Jonathan is a lifelong learner, troublemaker and entrepreneur. Doesn’t seem like your conventional mix of attributes and it isn't - but it makes Jonathan (and the businesses he’s created) stand out from the pack. Jonathan got his start online with a simple blog. After several years, Jonathan grew that simple blog into a 6 figure business through coaching and digital products designed to help people live and work on their own terms.  It’s called Paid to Exist and the name fits. One of Paid to Exist's premiere products, Trailblazer, actually helped me get my blog off the ground. Without Trailblazer, I may never have put this website together, written The Art of Instigating or 2 Days With Seth Godin, created my podcast 'In the Trenches' or developed the other products and content I've created here on Tommorkes.com.

 The point is this: Jonathan is good at what he does. You can learn a lot from all the products and content Jonathan creates at Paid to Exist, and if you're curious how he does it, today's broadcast is a must listen.

• How he started his online empire and how you can do the same

Trailblazer Paid to Exist Job Escape Kit

@jonathanmead Facebook

Thanks for listening. Would love to know what you thought of the interview - leave me a comment below and tell me what you liked best, or what you wished I'd asked Jonathan. Any questions asked here I'll pass along his way and hopefully get you a response. I would also love it if you'd take a few minutes to leave a review on iTunes.  Reviews and 5 star ratings boost visibility - so if you like what I'm creating, help spread the word! Thanks - and, as always, keep creating.

Have you ever wanted to pick up your backpack, head out the door and leave your world behind? In a very real way, that’s exactly what Benjamin Jenks did. Most people only dream of backpacking across the country – Benjamin took action. But Benjamin didn’t set out onto the open road to run away from anything – he set out to overcome his shyness. What followed was over 23,000 miles of hitchhiking across the United States while couch surfing for over 400 days.  In the process, Benjamin met and interacted with dozens of people, had some crazy adventures and overcame his shyness once and for all. Talk about a crash course in fear conquering. In today’s broadcast, Benjamin and I talk about what it’s like to face fear head on, hitchhike across the United States, create viral videos and how he managed to afford his lifestyle through online business. Don’t think it’s possible to live whatever type of lifestyle you’d like to live?  Maybe you need to listen to this interview to see just how possible any lifestyle is if you put your heart and energy into it. If you’re interested in traveling for cheap, building a business while travelling, or fear conquering, definitely check out this interview.

When in doubt: “Trust your gut. |tweet this|

• SXSW – why you should go (and why you don’t necessarily need a ticket)

On the Road Adventuresauce.com Elance

Or at least that's what Clay Hebert did. In 2008, Clay was at a crossroads.  Should he continue to work for Accenture, where he had a guaranteed salary and could easily move up the ladder?  Or should he branch off on his own path, a path completely uncertain and paved with obstacles and possible failure points. It turns out serendipity was on his side: it just so happened that as Clay began soul-searching, he noticed a blog post by Seth Godin titled 'If You Could Change Your Life'... Would you? And for Clay, the answer was yes.

After the 6 month intensive MBA program, Clay went straight into bootstrapping his first business: Tribes Win. At Tribes Win, Clay worked with a plethora of clientele, from entrepreneurs to authors, and helped them build their Tribes. After the success with Tribes Win, Clay moved onto bootstrapping two more companies: Workhacks.com and Spindows.com Both businesses have the chance to redefine their genres (and yes, you should check them out).

• The fear of walking away from a guarantee into the unknown

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Crush It Hugh Mcleod Spindows Purple Cow Tribes Win Work Hacks The Lean Startup Launch Rock Skillshare

What do you do about it? When you see a problem, what's the first thing you do? Most of us probably Google a solution and if we don’t find something in a few minutes we learn to deal with the problem and move on. But not Nate Kutsko. When Nate sees a problem that no one has solved, he solves it himself.

Nate spent most of his life inventing solutions to common (and sometimes not so common) problems. A couple years ago, Nate noticed that a power tool he owned had no proper belt holding solution on the market.  Most of us would be forced to deal with this problem or try to rig a regular belt to make it fit. Not Nate: he invented a holding clip solution for the product. Nate is also a golf enthusiast.  One day, he was wondering why there wasn't a way to properly teach yourself to golf rather than pay for expensive coaches.  Most of us would simply spend more time on the driving range or play more rounds of golf. That wasn't good enough for Nate.  Instead, he invented a real time camera recording system that allows the golfer to view himself while he golfs using advanced eye-wear and recording technology. More recently, Nate recognized a major shortcoming in the design of all cutting boards on the market.  Instead of dealing with these shortcomings, he designed an elegant solution and created a business out of it. For Nate Kutsko, solving problems isn't a thing to be avoided; it's what creating your life's work is all about.

Nate is an inventor, designer, artisan craftsman and serial entrepreneur. Nate is the founder and CEO of Kutsko Kitchen, a company that not only invents incredible products for your home and kitchen, but also teaches aspiring chefs and kitchen artists how master their craft. Nate has a civil engineering degree from the United States Military Academy at West Point and is an Operation Iraqi Freedom veteran. He started making cutting boards in 2011 to fix some of the problems he experienced while making meals at home. His practical solution developed into a series of beautiful, boutique boards and other kitchen tools.

• Why developing creativity from a young age is a big advantage as an entrepreneur

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Kutsko Kitchen Kickstarter.com Steal Like an Artist

It’s not a rhetorical question. What do you want to do with your life? That's the difficult question a good friend of Jeff Goins asked him a few years ago; before Jeff had created Goinswriter.com, before Jeff landed a deal with a publisher, and before he truly started living his passion. The questions we ask ourselves (and get asked) matter.  The hard ones usually matter the most.

Jeff thought earnestly about the question and answered: "I want to be a writer." His friends response: “You don’t have to want to be a writer, you are a writer.  You just need to write.” The realization hit Jeff like a ton of bricks.  His friend was right.  All he had to do was start writing. So, with a clear purpose and direction, Jeff created his blog: Goinswriter.com. In his first year, he wrote over 300 blog posts (300!) for his website and another 100 (100!) guest blog posts for various other websites.  In less than two years, Jeff built his blog to a monthly readership of 100,000 people. So what happened that sparked his incredible success? In Jeff's own words: "I stopped hiding."

Jeff is a blogger, speaker, published author, and, at his core, Jeff is a writer. His blog, Goinswriter.com is all about writing, putting your work out there, and telling better stories. Jeff's blog focuses on some essential questions Like:

• How do successful writers make a living?

Jeff's blog is an incredible resource for aspiring artists and writers alike. Jeff has been featured in Copyblogger, Problogger, and Zen Habits, among many other publications. You can find his most recent book Wrecked: When a Broken World Slams into your Comfortable Life online and in bookstores everywhere.

• Why calling yourself a writer is essential to your success as an author/writer/artist

Reach out to Jeff and say hi! Twitter Facebook LinkedIn

Some of the stuff not linked or mentioned above: Changethis.com Adventures in Missions Taylor Swift A Manifesto for Misfits (the thing that instigated the full length Wrecked novel)