Optimal Work Daily - Career, Productivity and Entrepreneurship

Neil Patel shares the best ways to make money from Instagram. This is Part 1 of 2. Episode 94: The Step-by-Step Guide to Making Money from Instagram Pt1 by Neil Patel (Social Media Marketing). Neil Patel is the co-founder of Crazy Egg, Hello Bar and KISSmetrics. He helps companies like Amazon, NBC, GM, HP and Viacom grow their revenue. The Wall Street Journal calls him a top influencer on the web, Forbes says he is one of the top 10 online marketers, and Entrepreneur Magazine says he created one of the 100 most brilliant companies in the world. He was recognized as a top 100 entrepreneur under the age of 30 by President Obama and one of the top 100 entrepreneurs under the age of 35 by the United Nations. Neil has also been awarded Congressional Recognition from the United States House of Representatives. The original post is located here:  and

Steve Chou of My Wife Quit Her Job has a motivational post about focusing on the right things and shipping your product. Episode 93: Why Every Business Needs a Duct Tape Entrepreneur by Steve Chou of My Wife Quit Her Job (Ship Your Product ASAP). Steve Chou of My Wife Quit Her Job carries both a bachelors and a masters degree in electrical engineering from Stanford University, but spent a good portion of his graduate education studying entrepreneurship and small business. When he and his wife had a child, they launched an online store to supplement their income, and quickly replaced Steve's wife's income stream through the new business. Steve blogs about it all at MyWifeQuitHerJob.com The original post is located here:  and

Kate Erickson talks about the importance of an accountability partner, along with tips on how to set one up and how to structure the call. Episode 92: How Accountability Can Change Everything by Kate Erickson of EOFire (Setting Up an Accountability Partner or Mastermind). Kate Erickson joined John Lee Dumas and the EOFire team in April 2013 as the Content Creator. Since then, she's grown to consider herself the overall Implementer of all things at EOFire. Over the past several years at EOFire, she has uncovered new passions. Her most recent: helping entrepreneurs create freedom in their business and life through developing systems and processes that can help their business scale and grow. The original post is located here:  and

Nir Eyal reflects on a time when his story was published by the New York Times before he finished. Episode 91: What Do You Do When Someone 'Steals' Your Amazing Idea by Nir Eyal (Social Media Marketing). Nir Eyal writes, consults, and teaches about the intersection of psychology, technology, and business. The M.I.T. Technology Review dubbed Nir, “The Prophet of Habit-Forming Technology.” Nir founded two tech companies since 2003 and has taught at the Stanford Graduate School of Business and the Hasso Plattner Institute of Design at Stanford. He is the author of the bestselling book, Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products. In addition to blogging at NirAndFar.com, Nir’s writing has been featured in The Harvard Business Review, TechCrunch, and Psychology Today. Nir is also an active investor in habit-forming technologies. Some of his past investments include: Eventbrite, Product Hunt, Pantry, Marco Polo, Presence Learning, 7 Cups, Pana, Symphony Commerce, Worklife (acquired by Cisco) and Refresh.io (acquired by LinkedIn). Nir attended The Stanford Graduate School of Business and Emory University. The original post is located here:  and

Sometimes we all need a little kick to get moving. Steve Pavlina brings the motivation again in this post. Episode 90: Show Me Your Battle Scars by Steve Pavlina (Personal Development & Self-Help - Entrepreneurs & Small Business Owners). Steve Pavlina is widely recognized as one of the most successful personal development bloggers on the Internet, with his work attracting more than 100 million visits to his website, StevePavlina.com. He has written more than 1300 articles and recorded many audio programs on a broad range of self-help topics, including productivity, relationships, and spirituality. Steve has been quoted as an expert by the New York Times, USA Today, U.S. News & World Report, the Los Angeles Daily News, Self Magazine, The Guardian, and countless other publications. He's also a frequent guest on popular podcasts and radio shows. The original post is located here:  and

Ever thought about launching a Kickstarter campaign? First, hear how Jackson Robinson did it! Episode 89: The Secret to Running a Successful Kickstarter Campaign from PT Money (How to Start Up with Crowdfunding - Crowd Fund). PTMoney.com is about helping you make extra money, save more money, and spend your money wisely--all in an effort to help you fix your finances so you can build the life you want. It was started by Philip Taylor, a CPA, entrepreneur, and blogger who started the site in 2007. He also created FinCon, the popular conference for financial nerds. The original post is located here:  and

Derek Sivers credits the success of his business to great customer service. Hear how he did it. This is Part 2 of 2. Episode 88: The Philosophy of Great Customer Service - Part 2 by Derek Sivers (Product Design & Marketing). Originally a professional musician and circus clown, Derek Sivers created CD Baby in 1998. It became the largest seller of independent music online, with $100M in sales for 150,000 musicians. In 2008, Derek sold CD Baby for $22M, giving the proceeds to a charitable trust for music education. He is a frequent speaker at the TED Conference, with over 5 million views of his talks. Since 2011 he has published 34 books, including “Anything You Want” which shot to #1 on all of its Amazon categories. The original post is located here:  and

Derek Sivers credits the success of his business to great customer service. Hear how he did it. This is Part 1 of 2. Episode 87: The Philosophy of Great Customer Service - Part 1 by Derek Sivers (Online Business). Originally a professional musician and circus clown, Derek Sivers created CD Baby in 1998. It became the largest seller of independent music online, with $100M in sales for 150,000 musicians. In 2008, Derek sold CD Baby for $22M, giving the proceeds to a charitable trust for music education. He is a frequent speaker at the TED Conference, with over 5 million views of his talks. Since 2011 he has published 34 books, including “Anything You Want” which shot to #1 on all of its Amazon categories. The original post is located here:  and

Ryan Hoover shares how nostalgia is a product designer's secret weapon (with examples). Episode 86: Nostalgia: A Product Designer's Secret Weapon by Ryan Hoover (Product Design & Marketing). Ryan Hoover, the founder of Product Hunt, is a product guy with a passion for startups, product design, and personal growth. He also created Startup Edition, worked as an EIR at Tradecraft, and was the Director of Product at PlayHaven. He's a contributing writer to Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products by Nir Eyal. Additionally, he has written over 150 essays, many of which are featured in TechCrunch, Forbes, Pando, Fast Company, and The Next Web. The original post is located here:  and

James Altucher shares arguments for self-publishing and how to do it. This is Part 2 of 2. Episode 85: Self-Publish the Bestseller Inside of You: A How-To - Part 2 by James Altucher (Use Amazon CreateSpace to Publish eBooks). James Altucher is an American hedge fund manager, entrepreneur, bestselling author, and podcaster. He has founded or cofounded more than 20 companies and says he failed at 17 of them. He has published 11 books, and is a regular contributor to The Financial Times, TechCrunch, and The Huffington Post. USA Today named his book Choose Yourself one of the 12 Best Business Books of All Time. The original post is located here:  and