Dan Sullivan and guest Darcy Luoma dive into an extraordinary and unbelievable journey of resilience, reinvention, and triumph in the face of an unprecedented personal challenge. Darcy’s unwavering spirit and strategic approach are a true inspiration for all entrepreneurs navigating their own obstacles.

Here's some of what you'll learn in this episode:

• The initial obstacles Darcy faced when becoming an entrepreneur, and how she overcame them.
• The traumatic experience Darcy had to work through while figuring out how to continue to run her business.
• Why Darcy was in a position to test drive her own concepts in the most extreme way.
• How Darcy prepared for business success before launching her business.
• The big risk Darcy took at a critical time, and how it paid off.
• What Darcy gets out of Strategic Coach.

Show Notes:

Running for elected office is a purely entrepreneurial activity.

We’re not in control of what happens in the world, but we’re in control of our responses to what happens.

Entrepreneurs transform situations from huge negatives to breakthrough positives.

Strategic Coach is a thinking tool culture.

If you have an anchor client, then you don’t have to fear that you need to say yes to everything.

The entire business of an entrepreneur can be based on the entrepreneur’s reputation.

Good people do bad things, and it doesn’t mean they’re bad people.

If you want to handle your challenges thoughtfully, and you want to have strong relationships, you need to train and practice to be thoughtfully fit.

Having an entrepreneurial business means you get to test things.

Resources:

The Strategy Circle® 

The R-Factor Question®

10x Is Easier Than 2x by Dan Sullivan and Dr. Benjamin Hardy

The Impact Filter™

Unique Ability®

Ben Laws is the CEO of multiple companies. What’s more, after eight years as a Strategic Coach® member, Ben has just become an associate coach and will lead his own workshop groups. In this episode, Ben shares key points from his entrepreneurial journey and the value of Strategic Coach thinking tools.

Here's some of what you'll learn in this episode:

• How to increase your four entrepreneurial freedoms.
• What made Ben think at an early age that he didn’t belong in an employee role.
• How Ben realized he was destined to be in the entrepreneurial world.
• Why he almost got fired from his first job after college.
• What led Ben to Strategic Coach.

Show Notes:

The more thinking tools you learn, the more your freedoms multiply.

Entrepreneurs see risk differently than non-entrepreneurs.

You can develop a lack of fear through failing.

Failures point out opportunities to hone your craft.

Paying for coaching is an investment, not an expense.

Show up every day looking for how you can be wildly helpful.

It’s far more effective to pull people along than to push them along.

Resources:

Video: Why It’s Crucial For Entrepreneurs To Expand Their Four Freedoms

The Strategic Coach Program

Article: How To Foster A Longevity Mindset & Reap The Benefits

Years ago, Susan Latremoille thought to combine the benefits of working for a large organization with the freedom of doing her own thing. Now, she runs a wealth management advising company with her partner. In this episode, Susan shares how she became an entrepreneur, how she realized she was an entrepreneur, and what’s helped her find both business success and balance in her life.

Here's some of what you'll learn in this episode:

• How Susan’s company is on the ground floor of a new industry, retirement lifestyle planning.
• What gave Susan her first insight into entrepreneurism.
• Why Susan likes to push people beyond their comfort level.
• How The Strategic Coach® Program has been fundamental to Susan’s success in business and life.
• How Next Chapter Lifestyle Advisors are helping financial advisors provide value to clients.
• Why hiring team members is an investment.

Show Notes:

Retirement works better if you have a plan.

A lot of things that are happening in the world of technology are automating the role of a financial advisor.

Being a financial advisor is extremely entrepreneurial because you don’t get handed clients.

Very few clients want to know the ins and outs of how markets work.

Instead of competing, you can turn your competitors into your clients.

The role of a good financial advisor is to understand the clients’ needs and bring them information in a way that’s meaningful and helpful to them.

Financial advisors aren’t typically trained in the softer, more human elements of their roles.

You have to understand the life of the client before you can do a meaningful financial plan for them.

Financial products more or less sell themselves because they are driven by the financial plan. 

Resources:

The RichLife: Managing Wealth and Purpose by Susan Latremoille

9 Steps to a RichLife Retirement by Susan Latremoille

Deep D.O.S. Innovation by Dan Sullivan

Unique Ability®

Who Not How by Dan Sullivan and Dr. Benjamin Hardy

Real estate attorney Matt Goodwin was fired after working at a law firm for six months. Within three hours of getting fired, he decided to start his own law firm. Now he runs a business focused on real estate transactions throughout the state of Florida, with multiple locations in the state. In this episode, he shares how his mindset and his entrepreneur motivation has led him to business success.

Here's some of what you'll learn in this episode:

• Why Matt had to seek out his own mentors.
• How Matt has gone 10x multiple times.
• Matt’s mentality of acting like he owned the place even when he was an employee.
• How Matt balances his work life and his family life.
• Why Matt wasn’t open to all business when he started out as an entrepreneur.

Show Notes:

There’s a certain amount you can learn by just reading, and cold calling people.

If you don’t like to be told what to do or how to do it, don’t be an employee—you’ll probably get fired over and over again!

When entrepreneurs start off, they need one client to give them the margin of time and cash flow they need to pay their bills.

You can get more referrals by narrowing your focus.

Hard times growing up can make a person who they are as an adult.

Entrepreneurs often learn early that they don’t have an employee mindset.

Successful entrepreneurs kill off all alternatives except doing what they have their mindset on.

If you do everything yourself, you’ll learn a lot along the way.

Success with even just one client can give you the confidence and experience you need to market yourself everywhere.

Developing thick skin can help you have greater confidence.

Leaving El Salvador for the U.S. as a political refugee when he was three years old, José Barrios always felt like he was different from others. He didn’t realize for many years that this was because he’s an entrepreneur. Now, Jose owns a janitorial and maintenance company that operates in two states. In this episode, José tells all about his journey to business success.

Here's some of what you'll learn in this episode:

• Why being an immigrant entrepreneur can be an advantage.
• How José discovered what he loves doing.
• How The Strategic Coach® Program is “the gift that keeps on giving.”
• How José finds value in people who are often overlooked.

Show Notes:

Being an entrepreneur is something you’re either born with or not.

Entrepreneurs don’t fit in everywhere they go.

It’s a double-edged sword having an entrepreneurial mindset without the tools and the framework for it.

One thing all Strategic Coach thinking tools have in common is that you can start applying them immediately.

Strategic Coach clients can always be collaborating with more and more people.

When you feel like you belong, you have more purpose.

People are attracted to individuals who have purpose and freedom.

Resources:

Leverage: Operational Efficiency Training & Consulting

The Entrepreneur’s Guide To Time Management

Shannon Waller’s Team Success Podcast

As a child, Stuart Green was obsessed with what went on under the water. The UK entrepreneur became educated in fisheries, including by immersing himself in various coastal communities. He came to realize that the whole system wasn’t working very well, so he’s spent the past 25 years seeking solutions to the problem. In this episode, Stuart explains the fishing problems the world has and the entrepreneur ideas and mindset he’s using to find solutions.

Here's some of what you'll learn in this episode:

• The business complexities that Stuart’s company simplifies for clients.
• How the fishing business is about balancing social progress with economics.
• The importance of understanding what drives your audience and your stakeholders.
• How Stuart came to understand what the business is really about.

Show Notes:

Earth isn’t really a planet; it’s a planet ocean.

Most people underestimate the GDP of the world’s oceans.

The GDP of oceans is about $3.1 trillion per annum, which is about 3% of the world’s GDP.

Almost half the people on the planet depend on the oceans for their livelihood.

15% of global protein comes from fish.

Humans need to be incentivized to stop taking the oceans for granted.

Several types of small-scale fishers are always overlooked and rarely given voice.

If you have a grand vision but no metrics, you won’t know where you’re going.

Initiatives created without consulting the community won’t fit.

The real art in a solution is making it appropriate to local needs.

You can take problems and turn them into solutions.

Resources:

Your Life As A Strategy Circle by Dan Sullivan

Deep D.O.S. Innovation by Dan Sullivan

Andreas Wilhelmsson started his first company when he was 17. As a young entrepreneur, he approached the largest supermarket chain in Sweden, where he lives, and asked what it would take to become their main supplier of produce. Now, at the age of 33, he grows healthy greens in a way that lets him provide sustainable food year-round. In this episode, Andreas shares what it’s taken to find his business success—including his growth mindset and his evolving entrepreneur motivation—and lessons he’s learned along the way.

Here's some of what you'll learn in this episode:

• The two passions that led to Andreas’s current company.
• His advice for anyone looking to embark on an entrepreneurial career path.
• How a success streak can put an entrepreneur in danger.
• Why Andreas joined The Strategic Coach® Program.
• Why he’s taken himself out of the day-to-day management of his company.

Show Notes:

Teenagers can’t even imagine a 25-year goal, but they can still dare to dream big.

Do something small every day that will get you closer to your big goal.

Don’t start with marketing. Start by going out and selling to the customer.

If you’re too stuck in your own mindset, you won’t dare to ask for help.

If you can’t figure out a solution, ask someone who’s done it before, and do what they did.

To fill challenging roles, you need to find people who enjoy those challenges.

If you challenge people, that can provide inspiration and energy.

Sharing your challenges is the way you grow.

The more time you take completely off work, the more you’re rejuvenated.

In general, people underestimate how much you get done when you’re doing the work you’re meant to do.

Resources:

The Self-Managing Company by Dan Sullivan

Unique Ability®

The Entrepreneur’s Guide To Time Management

Thinking About Your Thinking by Dan Sullivan

Joe Stolte is an entrepreneur working at the crosshairs of marketing and artificial intelligence. His company, http://Daily.ai , uses machine learning to help thought leaders and small brands build AI-automated email newsletters. In this episode, he explains how his company supports clients in achieving business success and talks about the business lessons learned from his company’s early days.

Here's some of what you'll learn in this episode:

• The entrepreneur ideas and entrepreneur motivation Joe showed at a very young age.
• How Joe’s company finds the best content in the world on any topic clients choose.
• What it means to have short-term pessimism and long-term optimism.
• How the AI becomes smarter, making the newsletters better.
• The change in mentality that’s given http://Daily.ai an edge.

Show Notes:

When it seems everything out there is negative, what grabs your attention is the stuff that’s positive.

It’s a win-win to partner with people who already have a marketplace of your potential clients.

An entrepreneur doesn’t have to be the one with the idea.

If you focus only on customers that are a good fit for your company, they’ll refer you to other people.

ChatGPT has given people a taste of the exponential power behind machine learning and AI.

If you get your clients their desired outcomes, the outputs don’t really matter.

During tough times, you have to manage your expectations.

You know you always need to get better, even during good times.

Ads almost always get less than 50% conversion.

Anything in excess becomes its opposite.

Resources:

The Spark newsletter

Who Not How by Dan Sullivan and Ben Hardy

The Impact Filter™ tool

After 19 years as a competitive figure skater, Krista Clive-Smith suffered a career-ending injury. But this didn’t stop her career success. Krista’s had an innate passion for entrepreneurship since childhood, and her entrepreneur motivation has always been, “If there’s something I can see where there’s a gap, it’s my job to build it.” In this episode, Krista shares how she’s created a model for people to become their own personal brands in the most effective way for their business success and business growth.

Here's some of what you'll learn in this episode:

• The difference between being what you do and finding value in who you are.
• How Krista became the roles she couldn’t find.
• How to build equity in your personal brand and what to do with it.
• Why Krista releases her attachment to things.

Show Notes:

Every decision you make about what business you want to be in has a lifestyle implication.

Every lifestyle decision you make has a business implication.

A person’s ideal customer is a former version of themselves.

Most entrepreneurs have experienced crucial jumps where they turned something bad into something positive through internal capability.

Entrepreneurs strongly identify with their roles as business owners.

Your personal brand doesn’t need to be public facing.

Some people purely use their personal brand for influence within the company.

Entrepreneurs who build a business the wrong way are creating their own prison.

A highly developed skill of pattern recognition helps to chart a path.

Resources:

CliftonStrengths®

The 4 C’s Formula by Dan Sullivan

Amanda Cassar never intended to be an entrepreneur. Growing up, she was told to “just do a 9 to 5.” Now, she’s a financial advisor with two businesses of her own. In this episode, Amanda shares how she discovered her entrepreneur motivation and found business success.

Here's some of what you'll learn in this episode:

• How not being able to afford a drink was a turning point for Amanda.
• Why putting herself last led to her burning out.
• What led to Amanda buying out her former employer.
• Amanda’s first lessons in business leadership.
• One of the main reasons Amanda invests in The Strategic Coach® Program.

Show Notes:

Taking time off means you can be really on when you want to be.

It’s a big deal to say yes to opportunities instead of making up excuses.

Goal setting is important, but so is taking advantage of what’s currently available.

Realizing that there’s nothing legitimately holding you back can result in a mindset shift.

Entrepreneurs have to stop and take stock sometimes.

Be present with whoever you’re with at the time.

People are an entrepreneur’s secret sauce.

Sometimes, the people who got you to where you are now aren’t the people who will take you where you want to be next.

Asking your team what’s important to them is the first way you can give value back to them.

If you’re the smartest person in the room, you’re in the wrong room.

Resources:

The Time Breakthrough by Dan Sullivan