Obscure Entrepreneur Podcast

Whitney Nicely went from selling dump trucks to becoming a real estate linchpin in Eastern Tennessee. Her strategies are “weird” (Whitney’s word, not mine!) and creative but most importantly, they work. Aside from being a successful property investor with a focus on lease options, Whitney uses her expertise and experience to teach other women and aspiring real estate pros how to do what she does.

LINKS & THINGS DISCUSSED:

Whitney Nicely

Whitney Buys Houses

 

Controlling your intellectual property is an extremely important element of doing business. Washington DC based attorney Bobby Klinck knows this better than most. He helps new and aspiring entrepreneurs and small business owners understand the ins and outs of intellectual property law so they can avoid exposure to lawsuits while maximizing the capability of their creations.

• Intellectual property is your brand and the content you are creating. It’s anything intangible and it makes up the bulk of most businesses, especially online businesses.

• Bobby had no plan of becoming an intellectual property attorney out of law school. He originally wanted to work for the ACLU. At one point he was a federal prosecutor and thereafter joined a firm that was working on a small patent case. This small patent case is what led Bobby to his calling of intellectual property law.

• Bobby enjoys being involved with people who are “creating something”.

• Law School did not prepare Bobby for intellectual property, he sees law school more so as place that teaches you how to think as a lawyer.

• People will use a name (company, book, etc) they can not legally use because it is already in use.

• A mistake business owners often make is not having a written agreement with someone who has done work for you (ex. a designer creating a logo for your business).

• Under trademark law you can protect a company name, logo, slogan, etc. These elements are protected under trademark automatically as soon as you start to use it.

• Trademark is about branding. Copyright is about content.

• Bobby is finalizing a course under his “Your Online Genius” brand that will give entrepreneurs the basics they need to protect themselves and their business. It’s launching in November.

• A Terms of Service and Privacy Policy are very important to have on your website. It’s important they are correct and not misleading.

• Bobby’s main focus since roughly August has been working on, perfecting and finalizing the online course. He is confident it will help entrepreneurs and small business owners obtain the knowledge they need to have in regards to intellectual property.

LINKS & THINGS DISCUSSED:

Bobby Klinck

Your Online Genius – Mistakes

USPTO Trademark Search

Namevine

 

Andrew Lipscomb is the creator of Lost Appeal, a collective of artists, producers, and rappers based in Raleigh, NC with a heavy footprint in the DMV area. It started in his freshman year of high school (2011) as an outlet to create Noise music and eventually segued into an all encompassing brand that’s now nested deep in the trenches of underground rap. Under the marquee of Lost Appeal, Andrew creates streetwear clothing, manages up and coming artists such as LUVELOVESYOU and ART HOUSE, produces club shows, distributes music on the internet, and more.

• Lost Appeal is Andrew’s overall creative outlet. It originally stated out as a name he created Noise music under in his freshman year of high school. At that time he was also very into the Grindcore music scene.

• Andrew was born in Raleigh, NC and moved to “the country” of Johnston County five years later.

• During high school Andrew was depressed and had a tough time with other kids making fun of him for being into “different stuff”.

• Influenced by his Uncle, Andrew started a blog in high school called Operation Grindcore that was focused on Grindcore music and the overall scene.

• Lost Appeal transitioned from Noise music and Operation Grindcore to the Underground Rap / Soundcloud scene.

• Andrew started creating streetwear clothing under Lost Appeal and gave prints of the first shirt he created to a few rappers who actually ended up wearing them out at shows. This gave him confidence in the brands potential.

• The first few Lost Appeal shirts were designed by tattoo artists.

• Andrew dropped out of college after a year.

• Lost Appeal caught my attention when I moved to Raleigh.

• One of the biggest setbacks for Lost Appeal at the moment is not having the financial backing needed to accomplish Andrew’s goals. If he had an unlimited budget he would book a US tour, drop a full clothing line collection, and open a store.

• Discussing crazy experiences when putting on live events.

• Discussing how Lost Appeal solidified itself as a rap music label and it’s associated artists.

• Different methods of helping take an artists career to the next level.

• Put out content, non-stop.

• The underground is becoming the new mainstream. “The internet gave everyone a level playing field.” – Andrew

• Andrew likes supporting artists who work hard for themselves and are very DYI (ex. knowing how to produce, mix, etc. their own songs.)

• Andrew went to college for a year but dropped out after a year. He would rather learn on his own but he may eventually go back.

• College can be a safety night sometimes, to some people.

• Face-tattoos

• The future of Lost Appeal

• If you are going to make clothes, know that you probably will not sell much at first…but keep going.

• Don’t use where you are from or where you live as an excuse to not launch a creative endeavor. The internet makes everything possible.

• Andrew has never done a podcast interview but has been featured in a few magazines.

LINKS & THINGS DISCUSSED:

LA Website

Noise Music

Merzbow

Grindcore

Johnston County, NC

Operation Grindcore Compilation – Volume 1

Live streaming is a very important component of marketing plans today. Genecia Luo, a serial entrepreneur from Singapore, joined us on OE to talk about how entrepreneurs should be using live streaming as a way to build and engage an audience. She also spoke about her most current focus, Soul Rich Woman, a mastermind community that leverages technology to help women fast track their business success.

• Genecia was born, raised, and currently lives in Singapore but has traveled the world.

• Her first experience as an entrepreneur was building a network of fitness trainers that she supplied to corporations and agencies.

• Genecia was a beauty queen who transitioned into entrepreneurship. Being a beauty queen offered opportunities but was also a double edged sword.

• Changing up personal images and going through a complete re-branding  on social media sites may be necessary and worthwhile depending on what niche of business you are getting involved in.

• Live streaming is a great way for your audience to engage with and get to know you and your brand. It builds synergy and establishes your authority in a particular field.

• Live streaming is important no matter what stage or field of business you are in. Even if you are just starting out with a new business, live streaming is a useful way to consistently “show up” so people know where they can find you.

• Cut up your live stream after it’s recorded into separate smaller videos that you can distribute as content across multiple platforms (youtube, instagram, facebook, etc.).

• The biggest struggle Genecia faced with Soul Rich Woman was the fact that no one knew the brand. People knew Genecia but not the brand she was establishing. She overcame the initial obstacles and today Soul Rich Woman has 8,000 members!

• To promote Soul Rich Woman, Genecia focuses on telling the stories of successful, everyday women as opposed to employing annoying sales tactics.

• Genecia recommends building a business with recurring income. This can be done through subscriptions, credit purchases, re-targeting individuals in the market place who have recently expressed interest in your business, and by a variety of other methods.

• “Success should be all about going beyond your own interests and having a broader impact on other peoples lives.” – Genecia

LINKS & THINGS DISCUSSED:

Genecia Alloura Luo

Soul Rich Woman

Nobody wants to get laid off. However, Tom Mulliez used the loss of his corporate job as an opportunity to start building his dream business, iTrekkers. It’s a website that helps people book guided outdoor adventures such as fishing, camping, and kayaking. In this episode Tom talks about the experience of launching a new business, growing pains in marketing, how your team can work at a higher level of efficiency, and much more.

• Tom was born in France and has since lived all over the place, including Atlanta, Costa Rica, Richmond, and Tampa.

• iTrekkers is an outdoor adventure company that allows customers to book guided outdoor adventures online.

• The company came together as a result of Tom getting laid off from Capital One as well as having poor experiences booking outdoor adventures himself.

• Tom has always loved the outdoors. His earliest outdoor adventure memory is being on a trail with his father in the North Georgia mountains.

• iTrekkers is Tom’s first entrepreneurial venture after having a number of great ideas that he never took action on.

• Tom has plans to grow the company into new markets and geographical territories.

• The biggest challenge Tom has faced is a lack of knowledge around technology including coding and digital marketing.

• iTrekkers has recently implemented the elements of Scrum process into their team.

• Paid advertising (PPC and Facebook) is currently what drives the majority of iTrekkers traffic.

• iTrekkers is currently placing a large emphasis on affiliate marketing in order to acquire new customers.

• Until implementing the elements of Scrum, Tom’s team was spending too much time on “big design”, over complicating the design process and worrying about aesthetics while other processes were lagging.

• Tom’s best advice to aspiring entrepreneurs is to learn on someone else’s dime, take the risk, and pick your partners wisely.

LINKS & THINGS DISCUSSED:

iTrekkers

Scrum

Traction Channels

Damion Lupo hates the word retirement. He believes as human beings we are either expanding (learning, contributing) or contracting and equates resigning oneself to retirement with throwing in the proverbial towel. As an entrepreneur Damion has ran over 30 companies ranging from video games to his latest creation, Total Control Financial, which resides in the world of financial technology. Damion also follows the 10x rule which you will hear him explain during our conversation. One of his major goals is to help people make a habit out of thinking bigger and playing to win as opposed to playing not to lose.

• Damion is from Alaska and currently lives in Texas.

• He has started over 30 different businesses ranging from real estate to video games.

• Damion follows and believes in the 10x rule (think BIGGER).

• Discussion on “blank slating”. Starting over with a blank canvas gives us the chance to create a life by design instead of by default.

• How Damion’s latest project, Total Control Financial, came together.

• Playing to win vs. playing not to lose.

• The purpose of Total Control Financial is to give people control over their financial future.

• Discussion on the eQRP investment.

• Damion strongly dislikes the word retirement. “Retirement was all about retiring things that were obsolete.” -Damion Lupo

• “You are either growing or dying. It’s a choice.” -Damion Lupo

• Story of Damion starting his first business, a book store out of his dorm room that competed with the school’s own book store.

• Snowball effect of taking action.

• Discussion on treating mistakes as learning opportunities.

• The benefit of youthful naivety.

• Total Control Financial is Damion’s favorite business because it’s based off an important mission and genuine values.

•  Best advice for entrepreneurs and aspiring entrepreneurs: learn from what has come before you and don’t be afraid to reach out to others for help.

LINKS & THINGS DISCUSSED:

Damion Lupo

10X Rule

Brian Tracy

Zero Based Thinking

Total Control Financial

eQRP

Jim Palmer firmly believes that newsletter marketing is one the strongest tools for building customer relations. He created No Hassle Newsletters to help business leaders craft simple yet effective newsletters that resonate with their audience. Jim is also the founder of the Dream Business Academy and Dream Business Coaching and Mastermind Program. His Web TV show, Dream Business Coach TV, is packed full of useful information for entrepreneurs and aspiring entrepreneurs. Last but not least, Jim hosts Stick Like Glue Radio, a weekly podcast based on marketing and business building.

Click HERE for your free copy of Jim’s book “Decide – The Ultimate Success Trigger”.

• Jim is from Southeastern PA, he has lived there since he was 19.

• Why Jim put together the Dream Business properties.

• “If you are going to teach something, you better have done what it is you’re teaching.” – Jim Palmer

• Discussion on the Stick Like Glue Radio podcast.

• Reasons why print newsletters are so effective and important.

• The cost of print newsletters is only a big number until you realize what the value of your customers is.

• The two modes of an entrepreneur: Cash flow mode followed by business growth mode

• How authors game the system to get a “best seller”

• Strategies for gathering physical addresses to be able to send potential clients a print newsletter

• Don’t “sell” in a newsletter. Discussion of the different types of content that should be used in a newsletter.

• Utilizing a free standing insert in a newsletter.

• “You will earn significantly more income for who you are than what you do. It’s not about the deliverable.” – Jim Palmer

• The strategy of creating celebrity expertise and anointing yourself. (You better have the goods.)

LINKS & THINGS DISCUSSED:

Jim Palmer Website

Dream Business Coach TV

Dream Business Coaching and Mastermind Program

Stick Like Glue Radio Podcast

No Hassle Newsletters

Decide – The Ultimate Success Trigger (free ebook)

Stacy Tuschl has meaningful perspective on what it takes to make a business successful because she’s done it. As a branding mastermind, Stacy has grown her company to seven figure territory with no sign of slowing down. Juggling the responsibilities of an entrepreneur, speaker, author, and business coach seems daunting but somehow Stacy manages it while giving priority to whats most important to her, family.

If you like what you hear from Stacy during our conversation, and I’m sure you will, head over to her 5-Day Brand to Expand Challenge which is running now!

• Stacy was born and raised in Milluwakee, where she still lives with her family.

• Starting a performing arts business in her parents backyard at the age of 18. “…I never saw it as as business.” – Stacy

• Growing up around a family business.

• Stacy’s mission to help other entrepreneurs build there companies and make money without sacrificing their time with family.

• Discussion on Stacy’s book, “Is Your Business Worth Saving?”. When is it time to cut sunk costs?

• What makes Stacy reliable and stand out as a business coach who helps others. “I’m digging through the last 15 years of experience” – Stacy

• Common roadblocks for new entrepreneurs and entrepreneurs in general. The importance of investing in your business before it’s profitable.

• Important tools for starting and running a new business.

• Use Facebook live to promote your business!

• Using your time wisely when you are still in a 9-5, outsourcing what is outside of your strengths.

• Working a 9-5 while starting a business is an advantage.

• The more you practice, the more your comfort level increases. (ex. practice Facebook live on a private group page)

• Podcasting on Facebook live.

• Stacy recommends setting 90 goals when launching and maintaining a project.

• Focus on time management. “I could never live without my Google Calendar.” – Stacy

• Write everything down. Don’t rely on memory.

• The best advice Stacy has ever received: “Don’t be the smartest person in the room.”

• Stacy’s 5-Day Brand to Expand Challenge. “It’s not just colors and fonts…we dive deep…” – Stacy

LINKS & THINGS DISCUSSED:

Stacy Tuschl

5-Day Brand to Expand Challenge

Is Your Business Worth Saving

She’s Building Her Empire Podcast

Fiverr

Upwork

Mailchimp

ConvertKit

BeLiveTv

Trello

Coaching and consulting is what Ellen Fields does and it’s what she was meant to do. After spending over 35 years in the advertising business, she leaped into the life of entrepreneur and defeated breast cancer along the way.

• Ellen’s background, living in NY.

• Career in the corporate advertising business, transitioning out into coaching.

• Feeling the fear when initially facing a transition out of the corporate world.

• Beating breast cancer.

• Changing eating habits.

• What it means to be a coach, Ellen’s role.

• Ellen’s personal approach as a leader and coach.

• Becoming a coach in every aspect of life.

• The challenge of “selling” yourself to others and the need for patience.

• When it comes to your career, think about yourself first

LINKS & THINGS DISCUSSED:

Website

iPEC

Facebook Page

SheWorx is the brainchild of Yin Lin and Lisa Wang. It functions as a global support community for females who are serious about entrepreneurship. At their ticketed breakfast roundtables, hosted in five cities around the world, female founders get together and learn from one another as well as a guest mentor. The mentor at each breakfast is someone who has achieved success as an entrepreneur or investor and has knowledge on what it takes to scale a business. SheWorx is about harboring an ongoing discussion on what female founders can actively do to grow their companies and potentially receive funding.

• Yin tells us about SheWorx Co-Founder Lisa Wang and how the initial idea for SheWorx came together.

• Yin’s background and introduction into the entrepreneur lifestyle.

• The mission of SheWorx is to create parity in the entrepreneur ecosystem.

• Inspiration for creating SheWorx. “It started as an informal group.” – Yin

• Biggest obstacles for female entrepreneurs who are looking to scale their business.

• The importance of controlling whats controllable as a business leader.

• Initial steps for a female founder to acquire outside capital. “…she had to sit through 300 investor meetings before she got to her first check.” – Yin

• SheWorx breakfasts are in 5 cities across the world.

• Connecting with other female entrepreneurs and founders via social media.

• Parallels between marathon running and being and being an entrepreneur. “The most valuable thing I can envision in my mind is putting one foot in front of the other.” – Yin

• Nurturing the growth of SheWorx and slowly introducing mentors which increased momentum.

• What someone can expect who attends a SheWorx breakfast or a SheWorx event.

• The future of SheWorx is to create a cycle where accomplished female entrepreneurs mentor and fund other female entrepreneurs. Yin is excited about recently receiving 501(c)(3) status for the SheWorx foundation which will focus on high school and college entrepreneur education for the younger generation of women.

LINKS & THINGS DISCUSSED:

Website

Twitter (SW)

Twitter (Yin)

Facebook

Instagram

Forbes feature

Melinda Gates shoutout

Lisa Wang

Fortune article (written by Lisa Wang)