ReallyGoodReaders, Lane Anderson's story about Tim Ballard and Operation Underground Railroad (OUR) is amazing, educational and inspiring. If you have listened to more than one episode, you know I do a "non-profit highlight" at the beginning of the show. Basically, I sponsor an organization instead of having a sponsor in that spot. (OUR) has been the sponsored non-profit and will continue to be for the foreseeable future. So, I wanted you to understand what I am sponsoring and supporting with this show. Here is an amazing article from the Deseret News National Edition. You can read it at that link, and you can also find Lane Anderson @laneanderson and her page at Deseret News here. Children are near and dear to my heart, and if you don't know about a problem, you can't do anything about it. Open your eyes and help. Thank you, Lane and Tim. Ya'll are awesome.

--SamT

Peter Voogd has been running businesses since he was 15, and is labeled the Leading Authority for Young Entrepreneurs. He built an 8 million dollar empire by age 27 and has trained close to 5000 entrepreneurs. He’s the founder of the prestigious Game Changers Academy, author of the International Best seller 6 Months to 6 Figures, and runs one of the top podcast on i-tunes, The Young Entrepreneur Lifestyle.

Thanks to Peter for writing a Really Good Read and being willing to be featured on the show. His book is a new look at entrepreneurship and inspiring. But, he doesn't want to just inspire you, His aim is to get you to change-to embrace new habits and a sense of urgency to help yourself be the best entrepreneur you can be. Its possible, just listen to the Introduction. It will get you ready for real change and give you the tools to act! Go Buy 6 Months to 6 Figures!

--SamT

Twitter: @SamTLeslie

Well, What can I say about Gary Vaynerchuk? He is father, entrepreneur, businessman, investor, founder of tv.winelibrary.com, the author of 101 Wines, Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook, The Thank You Economy, Crush It: Cash in on Your Passion, and a dynamic speaker. Gary was an inspiration early in my foray into learning about internet business. He is simply an internet marketing mogul and internet personality.

I am so glad to be able to feature several of his Medium.com posts. I hope you enjoy the reads and Gary's personality that comes out in his words. I know they will bring value to your life and business.

--SamT

Jon is the reason I Podcast. He got me on the right track.

Jon is my friend. I trust him with my ideas. I trust him to give me the feedback I need and not hold out. He is also one of my favorite writers on the web. His emails are really short, but enlightening and downright hard-hitting. You can hear him speak when he writes. He is the Host of Hack the Entrepreneur Podcast and is also one of the owners of software company called Velocity Page for WordPress Sites. He has a weekly email that he sends out on Sundays. I can't say I look forward to a lot of the email newsletters in my mailbox, but Jon's email has become my favorite. I get pumped when I see it in the mailbox. It always seems he is speaking directly to my problems and situations.

Now, you get to enjoy 3 of his emails, and I'm sure they will speak to you as well.

--SamT

Have you ever dreamed about a job, a business or maybe a hobby, but never known how to get into it? What was your reaction when you found someone to help you? When I found Ace Chapman, my reaction was excitement, relief, and anxiety (maybe, I'll mess it up?).

Ace Chapman is my mentor. When I heard him being interviewed on the Entrepreneur on Fire podcast, I knew that I needed to learn from him. I had to learn from him... 

You see, he was doing what I had always wanted to do. He buys, grows, and sells small businesses regularly and helps teach others to do the exact same thing. He teaches the "dealmaker" skill set. He has bought over 30 Online businesses and over 17 Offline businesses. He regularly works with large and small investors to help them learn the business of buying businesses.

Since I was twelve, I have wanted to buy and own multiple small businesses, but never new how to do it or who to talk to. Then, I heard Ace talk about his process and his Mentor program. It was life changing, and I don't mean that in a flippant way. In the last 4 months, I have already made offers on 3 companies--now, I am waiting on word from my third offer. I am finally doing it! I am making my dream happen, and Ace is the reason.  

Whether you want to be a "dealmaker" and do several business deals a year, or just want to buy one business and grow it, Ace has an accurate and compelling perspective on investment and the definition of true freedom. Please listen. You won't be sorry.

Thank you, Ace. 

--SamT

AJ Harbinger is the CEO and co-founder of The Art of Charm. Prior to founding AOC, Harbinger pursued a Ph.D. in Cancer Biology. With no prior knowledge about social dynamics, Harbinger pored over the material, quickly mastering the fundamental concepts. His background in biology helped him to apply the scientific method, taking his book knowledge to the next level through in-field experience. While still at the University of Michigan, he founded The Art of Charm Podcast, which was later featured on SiriusXM Radio. He lives in Hollywood, California, which provides no shortage of places for him to continue to test and develop the techniques taught by The Art of Charm.

This episode ReallyGoodReads Podcast is featuring "3 Proven Behavioral Strategies To Stop Being Needy Immediately." I hope you were able to listen to the previous ReallyGoodReads Podcast "5 Signs You're Needy" because it dovetailed perfectly into this episode. These 3 Strategies really help, are proven, and are easy to start implementing. Listen and learn from the best in the Social Dynamics business. Make sure to visit them at TheArtofCharm.com and listen to their great podcast The Art of Charm Podcast.

Thanks, AJ. The read was great, and I know my listeners will benefit from it. Keep writing ReallyGoodReads!

--SamT

@SamTLeslie

AJ Harbinger is the CEO and co-founder of The Art of Charm. Prior to founding AOC, Harbinger pursued a Ph.D. in Cancer Biology. With no prior knowledge about social dynamics, Harbinger pored over the material, quickly mastering the fundamental concepts. His background in biology helped him to apply the scientific method, taking his book knowledge to the next level through in-field experience. While still at the University of Michigan, he founded The Art of Charm Podcast, which was later featured on SiriusXM Radio. He lives in Hollywood, California, which provides no shortage of places for him to continue to test and develop the techniques taught by The Art of Charm.

AJ's written material hits the spot. Personal Relationships and Social Dynamics are his specialty. Whether you are in a business relationship, personal relationship or simply trying to learn more about Social Dynamics, AJ and The Art of Charm are your guys. This particular post caught my eye because the line between "in need" and "neediness" can blur when starting up a new business. I didn't want to be needy, I was definitely in need of help, but wanted to provide value to all involved. This blog post really made an impression on me.

The great thing is AJ doesn't leave his reader with just a diagnosis, but wrote a followup blog post called "3 Proven Behavioral Strategies To Stop Being Needy Immediately" that I am also featuring. That post will follow next, so tune in next time for the strategies from AJ! Check out AOC and their podcast The Art of Charm Podcast.  Thanks, AJ for letting me read both of your blog posts. They make Amazing Audio!

--SamT

@SamTLeslie

I'd like to welcome Kate Erickson of Kate's Take and EntrepreneurOnFire. Her Bio: Kate Erickson is the Content Creator and Community Leader over at EntrepreneurOnFire, a 7-day a week podcast that interviews today's most inspiring and successful entrepreneurs. She is the host of Kate's Take: The EntrepreneurOnFire Audio Blog and author of The Fire Path: Where your passion and our guidance unite! Kate is passionate about helping entrepreneurs create systems and processes to promote efficiency and help take their business to the next level.

So, I found Kate's Take was an Audio Blog and freaked out! She was really the pioneer in the Written to Audio scene. Frankly, I don't know of anyone else reading their own or anyone else's blogs as Audio/Podcast. So, naturally, I had to have her come on to do a "Guest Post/Read." She was gracious enough to let me produce her "Just Start" blog post as a ReallyGoodReads Podcast. The "Just Start" phrase is prevalent in so many writings. But, the reason successful entrepreneur's scream it at the top of their lungs at their followers is

It is the Truth... It is the Unadulterated Truth.

As Jon Nastor says, "No one knows what they are doing." You will only know the direction if you take a step. No one can guide you without momentum. You have to be in motion. Just Start, folks. Just Start.

Thanks, Kate

--SamT

@SamTLeslie

Do you remember when you started listening to Podcasts? Is this your first Podcast listen?

Pat Flynn's Smart Passive Income Podcast is the first Podcast I listened to. I turned on my iPhone and searched "Passive Income." Bam, he was there, so I downloaded an episode, I didn't even know about subscribing and what that meant...I was a complete newbie. I had no idea what I was hearing when I started listening to Podcasts... Smart Passive Income? Sounds totally foreign to the uninitiated in Podcasting and Web-business. But Pat Flynn is an internet business master and an all-around great guy.

Ultimately, Pat Flynn is the reason I have this podcast. I started listening in early 2014. Since then, I have undergone a educational epiphany, started this Podcast, and entered the business of buying businesses. So, here I am adding some moments of activation to my blog post about Pat. Please head on over to Smartpassiveincome.com and check out his niche sites, his Podcast, and his Video Podcast!  Pat, thank you so much for letting me feature your blog post--Why you need Moments of Activation injected into your brand

--SamT

When I read Michael's blog post about monetizing your platform. It gave me an encouraging perspective on the world of monetization. Listen to what Michael has to say on this episode--I know there is something you can apply to your life. You may have an online or offline business or maybe you are an employee--maybe not. You have a platform no matter how small. You have a circle of friends and family. What value do you provide to your platform/circle? Let's look at it through Michael Hyatt's eyes. 

Thanks, Michael for writing "ReallyGoodReads"!  

Michael's Bio: Michael is the author of Platform: Get Noticed in a Noisy World (Thomas Nelson)- a New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestseller. Recently, Forbes magazine named him one of the “Top 10 Online Marketing Experts To Follow In 2014.”

He is focused on “intentional leadership.” His mission is to help leaders leverage their influence. As a result, He writes on personal development, leadership, productivity, platform, and publishing. On occasion, He writes about stuff that doesn’t fit neatly into one of these categories.

His podcast called, “This Is Your Life,” covers similar topics. His show is consistently ranked in the top ten of iTunes’ Business category.

His goal is to create insightful, relevant content that you can put to work in your personal and professional life. He typically posts three times a week. To make sure you don’t miss his newest posts, you can subscribe via RSS or e-mail. Go to Michaelhyattt.com

--SamT