Onward Nation

Steve Jermanok left his job as a broker in Manhattan and booked a year-long ticket to the South Pacific in the summer of 1990. Upon his return, he would write his first article, "Dining with Descendants of Cannibals in Fiji", for The Miami Herald. He is now considered one of the most prolific travel writers in North America, having explored more than 90 countries, and written over 1,500 articles on a range of subjects, from food to art to adventure. He has worked as a columnist for National Geographic Adventure, contributing editor for Arthur Frommer's Budget Travel, guest editor for The Boston Globe Sunday Magazine, and writes regularly for The Boston Globe, Men's Journal, and Yankee Magazine. In May 2012, Steve and his wife Lisa launched ActiveTravels, a new type of travel agency where your travel advisors have more than likely been to that one country that entices you. ActiveTravels has booked over 1,000 trips to all corners of the globe.

Steve is a master list-maker -- write down your most important tasks and then accomplish those tasks. ONWARD!

Constantly work on content creation -- Steve blogs about a travel topic every morning and promotes it on his social media.

Steve lost at least 15 editors when travel journalism hit a sorry decline -- and Steve tells the whole story here.

"Embrace all forms of marketing."

"Enjoy the ride."

I would have had an excellent support staff.

It's all about the numbers -- have a year-end sales goal.

An individual would have excellent communication skills.

1. Have the patience to plan out your business
2. Persevere through all the naysayers
3. Once the business is up and running; promote, promote, promote

• Phone: (617)614-9877
• Email: [email protected]

Stephen is the CEO of Predictive ROI and the host of the Onward Nation podcast. He is the author of two bestselling books, speaker, trainer, and his digital marketing insights have been featured in SUCCESS, Entrepreneur, The Washington Post, Forbes, Inc. Magazine, and other media.

Good Morning Onward Nation…I'm Stephen Woessner. And thank you for joining me for this week's solocast.

I enjoy every solocast — and I especially enjoyed the solocasts the last several weeks. They have been so special because of the opportunity to open up and share a deeply personal story about one of my most influential mentors, my grandfather…and the impact he had on my life…and how one of those lessons was to never ever quit.

No matter what the odds — no matter the circumstances — no matter who believes in you, or doesn't — no matter what — you keep pushing forward to pursue your version of total happiness.

My grandfather Peter Maronitis did that…when he came to this country, he couldn't speak the language, he had no money, no social circle, no rich friends, he couldn't go on to Kickstarter and raise funds for the restaurant he dreamed that he would open.

Nope.

But what did he do? He got to work…and saved his money…learned English, perfected his talents and skills in the kitchen, and six years after coming to the United States he had saved enough money to launch his dream. Six years, Onward Nation. Six.

A remarkable man — a humble man — who quietly did remarkable things.

How? Because he never ever quit.

And then last week, to be able to continue the momentum by sharing the story of Sylvester Stallone — how he was broker than broke — so broke that he didn't have anything to eat — he couldn't heat his New York City apartment so he had to go to the public library to find a warm seat — and so broke that he was forced to sell his dog, his best friend in the whole world, for $25 so he could buy some food.

That's broke, Onward Nation.

And yet, despite it all — despite being rejected over 1,500 times — and despite being told that he looked funny, talked funny, and that he would never amount to anything — despite all of it…he didn't quit.

He kept pushing forward — he met the conflict head on — transformed as a result of the conflict — and then became one of Hollywood's most successful actors.

Because he refused to quit. Love that story.

So for today's solocast lesson — I am going to continue that momentum — in what — on the surface, may seem like a strange way to do so.

Because today…I am going to share with you what is, in my opinion, one of the biggest, most expensive money draining mistakes that business owners make. And the mistake is made because they quit too soon. They don't push for answers…they don't do the depth of research they should…they assume someone on their team took care of it already…or they use the excuse of, "Ugh, Stephen, I don't need to know how to do that…I have people on my team who can do that."

In other words…they quit.

So what is the money draining mistake we are going to confront this morning? It's search engine optimization, Onward Nation.

Jason Hartman is the host of 20 podcasts with over 3,000 episodes where he shares powerful strategies for business, investing, and living the good life. He is a genuine self-made multimillionaire and serial entrepreneur who has started 21 businesses in the investing, financing, real estate development, and tech spaces. He has owned properties in 11 states, had hundreds of tenants, and been involved in thousands of real estate transactions. Jason has visited 79 countries, enjoys adventure, fitness, and lifelong learning.

Jason sorts his priorities into three groups -- understand your A, B, & C priorities. ONWARD!

"Keep the main thing the main thing" -- Jason applies this key Stephen Covey principle.

"You need management skills and business scaling skills."

I would have had web-based systems to help run the business.

1. Have faith in yourself and your idea
2. Be willing to accept feedback from the marketplace

• Website: www.jasonhartman.com
• Website: hartmanmedia.com
• Twitter: @JasonHartmanROI

Eliot Wagonheim is a lawyer, writer, educator, speaker, and strategist. As a highly acclaimed business lawyer, Eliot not only represented entrepreneurs, innovators, and creatives but also came to the realization that his outlook and approach propelled him beyond the traditional lawyer's role. Through his "OutLawyer Philosophy" and his "Fire, Aim…Ready" platform, Eliot teaches clients and business owners how to achieve their goals, manage risks, and overcome real-life obstacles.

Eliot does whatever it takes to create an easy customer experience -- always make it easy for people to do what you want them to do. ONWARD!

Rub shoulders with people you admire -- Eliot reaches out to people that he thinks are cool, intelligent people.

Eliot thought he was going to be disbarred -- and Eliot tells the whole story here.

"You have to be coachable."

"Make sure you plan for what is ahead -- but also take the time to focus on what is important."

I would have a much better hiring and onboarding system.

Bloodless autopsies -- bring your team together to examine what is and isn't working in your business.

An individual would be an expert communicator.

1. Figure out who your best customers are and what they look like
2. Figure out what kind of work gives you the highest quality of life
3. Focus in on where the above two intersect

• Website: outlawyerinsights.com
• Twitter: @wagonheim

Caitlin Pyle is a business coach and a transformation consultant. Through her blog and online courses, she works with freelancers to build location-independent businesses from anywhere in the world. Caitlin also collaborates with other business owners in related niches to help them grow their online courses using her proven marketing strategies. At 29, Caitlin may be on the younger side, but she's a lean, mean, growth-and-marketing machine.

Caitlin uses the project management software Teamwork -- organize and plan out your day. ONWARD!

Don't focus on the finish -- focus on the steps -- Caitlin celebrates the small victories every day.

Caitlin had people publicly spreading lies about her -- and Caitlin tells the whole story here.

"Answer your email -- and do it in a timely manner."

"I learned from past bosses how I didn't want to treat my employees."

I would have mapped out my projects into bite-size chunks.

1. Get organized
2. Just get started

• Website: proofreadanywhere.com
• Website: theworkanywherelife.com

Jim Harshaw has learned many life lessons on the wrestling mat. Failure, struggle, and setbacks are not only an inevitable part of life but a necessary step on the path to success. Having been a Division I All-American and won three ACC Championships for the University of Virginia, trained at the Olympic Training Center, and competed overseas for Team USA, he has experienced significant triumph and devastating defeat. He relates those powerful lessons of failure, struggle, and setback to empower his audiences to overcome their own challenges and achieve success despite their inevitable failures. Jim is now a professional speaker, executive coach, and host of the "Wrestling with Success" podcast.

Jim uses the productive pause -- take a short period of focused reflection around specific questions that leads to clarity of action and peace of mind. ONWARD!

Stay active -- Jim keeps fitness as a regular part of his life.

Jim had to completely reevaluate his life -- and Jim tells the whole story here.

"You can be successful at anything you want if you are willing to go through pain and suffering."

"You've got to work harder than anyone else -- you can't simply be among the hardest workers in the room."

1. You've got to normalize failure
2. Start/join a mastermind group

• Free downloads from Jim for Onward Nation listeners: jimharshawjr.com/onward
• Website: jimharshawjr.com

Stephen is the CEO of Predictive ROI and the host of the Onward Nation podcast. He is the author of two bestselling books, speaker, trainer, and his digital marketing insights have been featured in SUCCESS, Entrepreneur, The Washington Post, Forbes, Inc. Magazine, and other media.

Good Morning Onward Nation…I'm Stephen Woessner. And thank you for making last week our highest download week ever here at Onward Nation. I want you to know how grateful I am that you take the time to download our episodes, to listen, and to share your wonderful feedback. Thank you so very much.

And if you listened to last week's solocast, you know that it was a deeply personal topic for me because I took you really far behind the green curtain and into my relationship with one of my first — and one of my most influential mentors — my grandfather, Peter Maronitis — and how he taught me to never ever quit.

And there were times when I struggled getting through last week's message — but — that is just because the life he led and the lessons he taught to me were so uncommon and immensely valuable. But…we made it through, right, Onward Nation?

So for today's solocast, I am going to — in some ways — pick up where we left off last week — regarding quitting. And how we should never ever quit. I will illustrate that by sharing a lesson I learned from Tony Robbins. It is a story you may know — and some of you may know it very well. Just like last week in the story about Peter Maronitis, this will be a story about grit, about perseverance, about tenacity — and being so committed to what you want to do — what you believe in — your why — that you work desperately to create it.

You must relentlessly pursue your dream — your passion — what will make you totally happy in this world.

So this week…I will share the story of the humble beginning's of Sylvester Stallone — one of Hollywood's most successful actors of all time. But Stallone didn't have success handed to him…he had to earn it…he had to knock down obstacles and barriers to prove he was worthy…he had to starve, he had to endure hardship, he had to freeze in his New York City apartment, he had to go without everything, he had to find solace and heat in the public library.

He had to face brutal and cruel rejection over 1,500 times, Onward Nation. And yet…despite all of that…he did not quit…ever. There's a lesson in greatness in this story — so let's jump into the story as it was shared by Tony Robbins.

John Dwyer is a marketing enigma, unique in the field. When it comes to creating sales for businesses, his thinking is refreshingly unconventional. John preaches "in a sea of sameness in your industry, you need to stand out like a beacon - and the best way to do this is by using wow factor marketing techniques". He thinks "way outside the square" and brings proven marketing ideas to the table for business owners - not the motherhood marketing waffle we all hear from many self-professed advertising experts. And let's not forget, he's the guy who got Jerry Seinfeld out of retirement to front an Aussie bank's advertising campaign!

John uses Management By Objectives techniques -- set and evaluate deadlines every day. ONWARD!

Surround yourself with positivity -- John surrounds himself with people who say "why not?" -- not "why?"

John lost $2.5 million in a week in 1995 -- and John tells the whole story here.

"Just keep on getting up."

I would identify your most profitable customer, create a WOW factor to take customers eyes off the price, have a problem-solution scenario, fix your website, and simulate repetitive trade.

1. Go to my website (linked below)
2. Put in place the five-step process outlined in the previous question

• Website: www.theinstituteofwow.com
• Free tickets to John's event: www.wowmybusiness.com

Dennis Brown is a LinkedIn marketing and social selling expert, consultant, and speaker who has built three multi-million dollar businesses during his 20+ year career as an entrepreneur. His companies have been ranked by Inc. Magazine six times as one of the fastest growing companies in America. He is also the author of the "The 7 Habits of Highly Successful LinkedIn Users" and lives in Clarence, New York with his wife and two children.

Dennis creates an Outlook event that reminds him of his goals every morning -- set big, hairy goals and make sure that you see look at and think about them every single day. ONWARD!

Spend time on personal development -- Dennis is a student at heart and loves to learn new things.

Dennis' business was put on its knees after 9/11 -- and Dennis tells the whole story here.

"Social selling -- using LinkedIn to sell was such a game changer."

"Never be the smartest guy in the room."

Position your business as a thought leader, resource, or expert by providing valuable content to your market for free.

1. Find a mentor or coach
2. Get outside your comfort zone
3. Focus on delegation

• Free Book: "The 7 Habits of Highly Successful Linkedin Users!"
• LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/askdennisbrown

Mikki Williams is a CSP, certified speaking professional, a member of the prestigious Hall of Fame and a TEDx speaker. She was chosen as one of the best speakers in the country by Meetings and Convention Magazine along with Tony Robbins, Bill Gates, Lou Holtz, Zig Ziglar and Jay Leno. Mikki is an award winning Vistage speaker, the world's leading executive organization and also Chairs two of their peer advisory boards. If that's not enough, this busy entrepreneur runs Speakers Schools, The Mikki Mouth Club, Keynote Kamp, Outrageous Orators and is an in-demand speech coach. She has spoken in every US state, every Canadian province and every continent except Antarctica,where she can't wear her stilettos.

Mikki still uses a paper calendar -- do what you need to do to keep yourself organized. ONWARD!

Don't do things you don't want to do -- Mikki works hard to structure her life so that she a great work-life balance.

Mikki doesn't look at experiences negatively -- and Mikki tells the whole story here.

"Understand that no matter what you're doing -- there's a business that underlies it."

"You don't have time for a pity party."

I would invest in yourself -- even when you can't afford it.

Align yourself with people that can offset your strengths and weaknesses.

An individual would have the right behavior -- and I would use a system to figure this out before hiring.

1. Set very clear goals
2. Be flexible

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: mikkiwilliams.com
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/MikkiWilliamsUnltd
• LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/mikkiwilliams
• Twitter: @mikkiwilliams