Two Business Owners. Two Countries. Two Cultures . . . using technology to create hope, learning and job opportunities.

Two LIFT Office members, Keith Thode, AdvanceNet Labs, based in Grapevine, Texas and Jamshid Sultanzda, PomTech IT, based in Herat, Afghanistan, have formed a partnership which solves problems on both sides of the ocean.

In the US, Keith gets a quick turnaround on a big educational project. In Afghanistan, Jamshid is creating jobs for men and women in a war-torn country. Both men are using technology to solve problems, improve lives, and in the process, create a good exchange.

In today's episode on LIFT Speaks, you'll learn how a good business transaction is also helping a lot of people along the way.

Brett lives outside the box both personally and professionally. As owner/operator of Printed Threads, Brett is willing to question the status quo and be intentional about finding the right balance between business and living a full life.

In an open and authentic conversation, Brett shares some of the joys of taking risk and hardships of choices in his journey.

A Few Questions with Brett

I started my business because . . . well, I hated my job. I'm not sure that is a good reason in retrospect, but it worked out!

The biggest surprise for me as a business owner is . . . how many strange challenges come up every day.

My advice to people considering starting a business is . . . get a business coach. You need people around you who understand what you are going through.

My older self would coach my younger self to . . . wait, am I an older self?

Lisa Harrington is a coach with Vistage, an executive coaching company. She spent many years as a COO, CMO, and CEO before deciding to take the leap and start her own business. After years serving at the C-level, she decided to get back to her true calling which is strategic consulting and helping businesses to grow.

Lisa helps her clients understand the human equation. Whether at home or at work, people bring their whole personality, and the acknowledgment of our humanity in our day-to-day work makes a difference for people.

Sometimes there is too much focus on the business and not enough on the person - their personality and their natural talents. Lisa believes if you are using your natural talent every day and you're doing something that brings you joy, you never work a day in your life.

Are you curious how to select the best location for your growing business? As a startup, have you considered why it's important to start and grow your new company in the same city? Besides location, what are other factors in choosing the best location for your business?

If you are looking to start, move or grow your business, and are considering what is the best location for you and your employees, you'll enjoy learning from Bob Farley, Economic Development Director for Grapevine, Texas.

Bob Farley has had a long, and successful career in Real Estate Development.

Early in his career, Bob served in the public sector for the State of Texas as Senior Staff in charge of economic development for Texas Governor Bill Clements. He has also served as Chief Development Officer for the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce.

Bob then moved into the private sector and spent the next 25+ years working with large corporations conducting site selections and leading strategic plans for evaluating and entering new markets. He has served as partner and in leadership positions in the respected firms of Greyhill Advisors and Hillwood Development Group.

Bob has spent the last 5 years as Director of Economic Development for the City of Grapevine, Texas. He is the first Economic Director for the city. Under his leadership, Bob and the team at the City of Grapevine have brought in over 1 Billion dollars of new development – and this does not include the indigenous growth in Grapevine.

Mark Delgado has been an entrepreneur since his college days at TCU. Looking for a way to make extra money to cover college expenses, Mark and his buddy saw a niche in the market and started Frog Savers – a coupon book for local businesses in the TCU area.

After graduating, he cut his business teeth in the corporate world before starting his own business. He owned and operated an insulation company. When the crash of 2008 happened, like many people in the construction-related business world, he slowly watched his business dissolve and went through the "gut-wrenching" experience of having to let great employees go.

The crash was a watershed moment for Mark. Since 2008, Mark decided he would always have more than one type of income stream. He currently runs his main business, a roofing company, and has several side hustles.

If you think that Mark's side hustles interfere with his main working gig, you are wrong. Referrals are his main source of generating new business. He puts customer care at the top of his list of priorities. His work is excellent, and his customer care goes above and beyond expectations.

Today, Mark's going to share some of the reasons for starting side hustles, how he chooses what works for him, and how you can find a side hustle that works for you too.

In 2009, Anthony John Amyx, Business Coach, put down his guitar to stop touring as a professional musician and decided to build a personal brand known as the #TwitterRockstar, where he trained over 10,000 people on how to use Twitter to generate leads and sales.

Along the way, he has been featured on CNN, BusinessInsider, CreativeLive and is a mentor to several of Forbes Top Social Media Influencers.

Today, AJ teaches entrepreneurs in the creative industries there is a way of living that defies the status quo and mediocrity. He wants them to know it is possible to thrive in the modern-day marketplace.

I started my business because . . . I wanted freedom. I wanted to be able to work from anywhere in the world using a laptop and internet connection.

The thing I enjoy most about my business is . . . seeing the positive impact it has on humanity. I see the impact it has on my clients and their families.

The biggest surprise for me as a business owner is . . . my results are not solely driven by the things I do. I am learning the more I do the deep inner work of who I am being in the midst of my doing of marketing and sales tasks, I make more money while working less hours. This is very counterintuitive to my East Texan upbringing.

My advice to people considering starting a business is . . . do the deep work. Take radical responsibility for ALL of you. Every thought. Every emotion. Every result. It's all feedback trying to guide you to living in your greatest potential.

My older self would coach my younger self to . . . have unwavering confidence in myself and never look externally for validation or approval. But rather to source it internally, within myself.

Joel Widmer, Founder & CEO of Fluxe Digital Marketing, is a highly sought-after content marketing guru. He recognizes that every business owner brings unique experiences and a perspective that will resonate with their audience. He gets results by taking his client's expertise and voice and getting it in front of the right people – time and time again. The impact is lead development and revenue generation.

Do people read your content, but never take action?

Joel is teaming up with the LIFT Office to host a hands-on, half-day workshop designed to help small business owners and marketers master their content marketing strategy. You'll gain the insights and understanding you need to plan and execute a marketing strategy that generates more quality leads for your business.

This workshop will teach you how to get out of the content friend zone and build real connections with your readers (Just like you do offline).

In today's podcast, Joel shares two of his recent success stories and who would benefit by being a part of the workshop - How to Build a Conversion-Focused Content Marketing Strategy.

Fanny Dunagan, Co-Founder PathLynks, learned to lean into the discomfort of change and discover work she loves. What started as a volunteer opportunity to coordinate job training, turned into a business connecting job seekers with job opportunities, and helping them forge the change they want to create.

Today, Fanny's work continues to evolve. She is now focusing purely on video marketing and content creation for small and medium size businesses and experienced professionals. Hear Fanny share her journey from corporate career to stay-at-home mom to entrepreneur and her three tips to get unstuck and find the work you desire.

George Lynch, CEO Traffic 911, has experienced the ups and downs of life, and has created a bigger, more impactful life in the process. In an open and honest conversation, George shares his experience of leaving the corporate world after receiving his pink slip and pushing forward to find a new sweet spot of purpose-filled work.

In the words of George, "I'm glad to have those little dips in life. You can't surf in a flat tub of water. You got to have a wave."

• In my current position I am responsible for . . . serving and empowering front line employees and volunteers to serve the most vulnerable in our communities — child sex trafficking victims. In 2019, Traffick911 is being asked to expand by the Governor's office. I will be entirely focused on Traffic 911 duties and supporting additional counties in Texas.

• The thing I enjoy most about my work is . . . seeing the 30,000-foot view of big change.

• The biggest surprise for me in the non-profit world is . . . collaboration is EVEN more important than in other businesses.

• The biggest surprise for me in the startup world is. . . great ideas don't always just take off — it takes time and energy.

• One question people should ask me is . . . what new thing did you learn today?

• My older self would coach my younger self to . . . never stop learning: new insights will take you places you never dreamed.

• One thing I wish I knew when I was younger is . . . you will learn more and develop more character when things go bad. Savor the hard times as much as the good.

Betty Mutai is a woman on a mission. She is a forward thinker, looking for ways to impact people groups in positive ways. She works for TEAM and she's getting her master's in political science. She not only thinks about big ideas, but she's active in making her dreams come true.

In my current position I am responsible for…. making sure our constituents' donors' issues and questions are resolved.

The thing I enjoy most about my work is…. when I finally get to the bottom of a complicated issue and deliver a satisfactory solution.

The Biggest surprise foe me as businesswoman is … the level of patience required when your intuition tells you one thing, but there isn't enough data to justify.

One Question people should ask me is… how to overcome the fear of public speaking.

My older self would coach my younger self….to not take life too seriously.

One thing I wish I knew when I was younger is… that sometimes life doesn't always go in the direction you plan but nevertheless, persistence is key!