Self Made Strategies

On this episode, we sat down (virtually) with Paul Attaway, a lawyer turned entrepreneur turned author.  Paul recently retired from a thirty-year career as an entrepreneur.  He has never liked that word: it sounds pretentious.  He thinks it may be Latin for "no one will hire me."  Nevertheless, he's here and excited for what comes next.  As to what comes next... he is committed to a second career as a writer.  He recently finished his first novel and loved creating it.  He loved the process, staring at a blank sheet, the research, the character development, the joy of writing himself out of a corner.  Loved it.

Paul is here to share his advice with you, to help you on your entrepreneurial path.

On this episode you will hear:

How Paul found entrepreneurship after realizing he did not enjoy lawyering

The methods that Paul used to find opportunity and become a successful entrepreneur

Why the advice that Paul's dad gave him helped to shape his perspective as an entrepreneur

Paul also discusses the challenges of running a startup

The best practices for working cooperatively with a business partner

We also discussed the value of listening

Last, but not least we discuss realistic strategic planning and how to know your limitations

Production Credits:

The Self Made Strategies Podcast is a SoftStix Productions LLC jawn. This episode was hosted, produced, and edited by Tony Lopes.  Paul Attaway joined us remotely, via Zoom.

Executive Producer - Tony Lopes (SoftStix Productions LLC - [email protected])

Host - Tony Lopes

Guest - Paul Attaway (www.paulattaway.com)

Editor - Tony Lopes

The Self Made Strategies Podcast is sponsored by Lopes Law LLC (www.LopesLawLLC.com).

Make sure you subscribe to the Self Made Strategies Podcast on your favorite podcasting platform, so you can catch the latest episodes.

Copyright 2018 - 2021 - SoftStix Productions LLC

www.selfmadestrategies.com

Follow us on:

• Facebook • Twitter • Instagram • LinkedIn

On this episode, we sat down (virtually) with Todd Cochrane, CEO and Founder of Blubrry Podcasting (a/k/a RawVoice).  He is the founder of the People’s Choice Podcast Awards and the Tech Podcast Network. Todd was inducted into the inaugural class of the Podcast Hall of Fame in 2015. Perhaps his biggest influence on podcasting is Blubrry Podcasting and its parent company RawVoice, which offers a directory of more than 1.35 Million shows, the No. 1 plugin for WordPress and much more. 

He is also the Founder of Geek News Central and host of the Geek News Central Podcast, as well as the co-host of the New Media Show podcast.  He is a Podcast Hall of Fame Inductee and was one of the very first podcasters in 2004. He wrote the first book on podcasting (called "Podcasting: Do-It-Yourself Guide," available on Amazon), and did many of the early Podcast Advertising deals in the podcasting space (he’s credited with introducing the first advertisers into podcasting - that was GoDaddy).  

On this episode you will hear:

How Todd went from Naval Officer to Podcasting

The methods that Todd used to launch his first show

Todd will also share the story of how he got one of the first advertisers in podcasting, GoDaddy.com

Then we talk about best practices for developing a podcast

Todd will share knowledge he's learned over the years

As well as discussing how you can get a (honorary) PhD in podcasting by listening to the New Media Show (newmediashow.com)

Production Credits:

The Self Made Strategies Podcast is a SoftStix Productions LLC jawn. This episode was hosted, produced, and edited by Tony Lopes.  Todd Cochrane joined us remotely, via Zoom.

Executive Producer - Tony Lopes (SoftStix Productions LLC - [email protected])

Host - Tony Lopes

Guest - Todd Cochrane (www.blubrry.com)

Editor - Tony Lopes

The Self Made Strategies Podcast is sponsored by Lopes Law LLC (www.LopesLawLLC.com).

Make sure you subscribe to the Self Made Strategies Podcast on your favorite podcasting platform, so you can catch the latest episodes.

Copyright 2018 - 2021 - SoftStix Productions LLC

www.selfmadestrategies.com

Follow us on:

• Facebook • Twitter • Instagram • LinkedIn

On this episode, we sat down (virtually) with Patience Dean.  Patience is currently managing a diverse passive income portfolio including ATM Machines, Rental Properties, Business Loan Notes and AirBNB’s.  However, that is not where this story begins.  Our story starts with Patience in a homeless shelter, with 30 days to get back on her feet.  Finally, she was down to just 11 days left, and that is when it all turned around for her.

On this episode you will hear:

How Patience went from homeless to CEO, and founder of a nonprofit to help the homeless

Patience will share some of her best practices for entrepreneurial success

She will talk about how divine intervention, and her positive mindset combined to manifest a positive result

Patience shares her most effective branding strategies

She will also talk about how she started a business with nothing

Production Credits:

The Self Made Strategies Podcast is a SoftStix Productions LLC jawn. This episode was hosted, produced, and edited by Tony Lopes.  Patience Dean joined us remotely, via Zoom.

Executive Producer - Tony Lopes (SoftStix Productions LLC - [email protected])

Host - Tony Lopes

Guest - Patience Dean (www.patiencedean.store)

Editor - Tony Lopes

The Self Made Strategies Podcast is sponsored by Lopes Law LLC (www.LopesLawLLC.com).

Make sure you subscribe to the Self Made Strategies Podcast on your favorite podcasting platform, so you can catch the latest episodes.

Copyright 2018 - 2021 - SoftStix Productions LLC

www.selfmadestrategies.com

Follow us on:

• Facebook • Twitter • Instagram • LinkedIn

Shindy Chen - Remote work culture success

Self Made Strategies is now also available on the Self Made Strategies YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOG-mybCfvYWhoXo4vPoB5g

On this episode, we sat down (virtually) with Shindy Chen.  Shindy is a published author and founder & CEO of Scribe, a financial content agency.  Her first book, "The Credit Cleanup Book," was published in October 2014.  The sequel, "Credit Score Hacks: How to Boost Your Credit Score Fast and Keep it Great," was released in September 2017, and hit #1 on two different Amazon Bestseller lists in its first week.  "The First Time" was released in February 2017 and was my first work of erotic fiction (because why not ).  Her female travel safety site, Girl Going Gone, ran from 2012-2015, and aimed to help women travel solo safely around the world.

Before Scribe, she was the content manager at Betterment, and a managing content editor for a financial services CRM company.  She also worked in broadcast journalism for Bloomberg TV in London and at CNBC in the U.S. for the primetime show “Mad Money w/Jim Cramer.”  She has also covered personal finance, career, travel, and lifestyle topics for the Huffington Post and Girlboss.com, among others.

Before all of this, she worked in financial services and lending, first at a Fortune 250 company, and later at what was then the nation's 4th largest bank.

Visit Scribe here: thescri.be/

On this episode you will hear:

How went from published author, to self published author, to founder of Scribe.

The lessons Shindy learned in the first year of growing Scribe on her own.

How you can scale and sell a profitable business.

What to do if you are planning to undergo a career change from corporate life to starting a company.

Shindy talks about how she worked for years on her side hustle [writing high quality financial content for companies] before launching Scribe.

How to efficiently implement a remote work company culture, from day one.

You will also hear Shindy's best practices and tools for automation.

Then Shindy talks about her favorite remote technology tools.

Production Credits:

The Self Made Strategies Podcast is a SoftStix Productions LLC jawn. This episode was hosted and produced by Tony Lopes, and edited by Eric Leidelmeyer.  Shindy Chen joined us remotely, via Zoom.

Executive Producer - Tony Lopes (SoftStix Productions LLC - [email protected])

Host - Tony Lopes

Guest - Shindy Chen

Editor - Eric Leidelmeyer

The Self Made Strategies Podcast is sponsored by Lopes Law LLC (www.LopesLawLLC.com).

Make sure you subscribe to the Self Made Strategies Podcast on your favorite podcasting platform, so you can catch the latest episodes.

Copyright 2018 - 2021 - SoftStix Productions LLC

www.selfmadestrategies.com

Follow us on:

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Brian Oliveira - Happy Hour Hospitality and @cozinha_philly

Self Made Strategies is now also available on the Self Made Strategies YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOG-mybCfvYWhoXo4vPoB5g

On this episode, we sat down (virtually) with Brian Oliveira.  Brian formerly owned Girard Brasserie & Bruncherie, Philly’s first fair wage restaurant (and the first restaurant in Philadelphia to pay its workers $15/hr).  He currently owns Happy Hour Hospitality, a full service catering and events business, and recently launched Cozinha as a side project for Portuguese pop-ups around the city of Philadelphia.

Visit Happy Hour Hospitality here: happyhourhospitality.com

On this episode you will hear:

How Brian started Girard, and why he eventually had to let that restaurant go.

The lessons Brian learned from running Brasserie.

How Brian's experiences eventually led to the beginning of Happy Hour Hospitality.

Why Brian chose to work another job, while working towards launching Happy Hour Hospitality.

We also discuss fair wage business models, and pay disparities in restaurant business (front of house-back of house, etc.).

Lastly, we talk about the impact of COVID-19 on the restaurant/hospitality industries.

Production Credits:

The Self Made Strategies Podcast is a SoftStix Productions LLC jawn. This episode was hosted and produced by Tony Lopes, and edited by Eric Leidelmeyer.  Brian Oliveira joined us remotely, via Zoom.

Executive Producer - Tony Lopes (SoftStix Productions LLC - [email protected])

Host - Tony Lopes

Guest - Chef Brian Oliveira

Editor - Eric Leidelmeyer

The Self Made Strategies Podcast is sponsored by Lopes Law LLC (www.LopesLawLLC.com).

Make sure you subscribe to the Self Made Strategies Podcast on your favorite podcasting platform, so you can catch the latest episodes.

Copyright 2018 - 2021 - SoftStix Productions LLC

www.selfmadestrategies.com

Follow us on:

• Facebook • Twitter • Instagram • LinkedIn

Jason Marziani - Your crash course in NFTs

Self Made Strategies is now also available on the Self Made Strategies YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOG-mybCfvYWhoXo4vPoB5g

On this episode, we sat down (virtually) with Jason Marziani.  Jason is a game creator, software developer, fan engager, writer, and investor.  As CTO of MVP Interactive, a fan experience technology company, Jason works with sports teams and brands to bring gameplay and augmented reality experiences onto concourses and mobile devices around the globe.  He leads a team of creatives, developers, IT, and project managers to deliver results to MVP Interactive's clients, including Colorado Rockies, Coca-cola, JBL, Sacramento Kings, and the Tennessee Titans.

Jason has built games that would win awards at IndieCade Festival and the Webbie Awards, and worked with companies like Zynga and Urban Outfitters.  He also became a co-working pioneer as an early member at Philadelphia’s first co-working space, Indy Hall (www.indyhall.org), and as a launch partner of Philadelphia’s first video game-focused co-working space, the Game Forge.

Here is Jason's talk with Indy Hall (indyhall.org) about NFTs (on YouTube):  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lKk11McmrxQ

On this episode you will hear:

What exactly is the blockchain.

Once you know what the blockchain is, we discuss what a Non Fungible Token (NFT) is exactly.

We discuss the "uniqueness" aspect of NFTs.

You will also hear about how NFTs originated, and how they apply to art and collectibles.

After that, you will hear about OpenSea (https://opensea.io/).

Our next convo leads into CryptoPunks and CryptoKitties (and how they lead to the scarcity, and eventually lots of value).

You will also hear about things like ascii art, Chainfaces, and other uses of NFTs and blockchain.

Then, we discuss potential uses of NFTs to solve some real world problems.

Lastly, we wrap up looking at the NFT landscape as a whole.

Production Credits:

The Self Made Strategies Podcast is a SoftStix Productions LLC jawn. This episode was hosted and produced by Tony Lopes, and edited by Eric Leidelmeyer.  Jason Marziani joined us remotely, via Zoom.

Executive Producer - Tony Lopes (SoftStix Productions LLC - [email protected])

Host - Tony Lopes

Guest - Jason Marziani, CTO of MVP Interactive (mvp-interactive.com)

Editor - Eric Leidelmeyer

The Self Made Strategies Podcast is sponsored by Lopes Law LLC (www.LopesLawLLC.com).

Make sure you subscribe to the Self Made Strategies Podcast on your favorite podcasting platform, so you can catch the latest episodes.

Copyright 2018 - 2021 - SoftStix Productions LLC

www.selfmadestrategies.com

Follow us on:

• Facebook • Twitter • Instagram • LinkedIn

Sarah Ohanesian - Improving your productivity starts here...

Self Made Strategies is now also available on the Self Made Strategies YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOG-mybCfvYWhoXo4vPoB5g

On this episode, we sat down (virtually) with Sarah Ohanesian. It’s “O-han-e-san”. But, as Sarah will tell you, she “will respond to anything that starts with ‘O.’ No stress!”

Sarah says that “Outwardly, (she) was on top of (her) career, running a multi-million dollar business, respected by (her) peers.”  However, inside, her stress had gotten out of control.  She lived to work, was exhausted, and felt weak.  She was missing family events, and had been diagnosed with chronic insomnia.  So she needed to figure out how to get back to being her normal, Sarah-self.  That’s why she created a simple system to get back control of her day and life.  Guess what?  It worked!  She started accomplishing more, leaving the office during daylight and running a sustainable race toward success.  Now, she is helping busy professionals do the same, and is here with us to help you do the same!  Sarah will help get you from survival mode to smart business leader ASAP.

If you need to get more done, Sarah is your gal.  She is A CMO turned Productivity Coach – she knows what feeling overwhelmed is like versus that feeling of accomplishment, fulfilment, and joy you might be able to find every day.  Sarah’s goal is to get you from burnout to loving what you do.  If this sounds like you: “leaving work late, without an ounce of energy or mental capacity left for your family;” then, Sarah should be your next call (or email if you’re not into the whole “calling people thing”).  The struggle you feel between work and home life is real, and Sarah knows how to fix it.

Make sure you listen to the end of this episode, where Sarah will make you a special offer!  (Spoiler alert: you can find the offer here: so-productive.com/priorities)  

On this episode you will hear:

WHY priorities are important, along with the pain points around not having your priorities in order.

How you can get more of your priorities done.

Methods you can use to achieve your goals.

“I want to write a book”/”I want to start a podcast!" What are you doing every day to get there?

Why the phrase "I just wanna" is poison to your organization.

Sarah's action vs. idea lists, and how to use them effectively.

Why asking good questions can help make you more productive.

How you can get comfortable saying no (I know I need help with this one). 

Working all of this into your daily calendar.

Time blocking and using the calendar to give yourself some boundaries.

Why these methods will work for everyone, from solopreneurs to corporate people.

You will hear about Sarah’s podcast.

A special offer for you, our listeners: If you have too many things to do; "The 10 Questions to Ask When Setting Priorities" (found here: so-productive.com/priorities)

Production Credits:

The Self Made Strategies Podcast is a SoftStix Productions LLC jawn. This episode was hosted and produced by Tony Lopes, and edited by Eric Leidelmeyer.  Sarah Ohanesian joined us remotely, via Zoom.

Executive Producer - Tony Lopes

Host - Tony Lopes

Guest - Sarah Ohanesian (https://www.so-productive.com/)

Editor - Eric Leidelmeyer

The Self Made Strategies Podcast is sponsored by Lopes Law LLC (www.LopesLawLLC.com).

Great leaders are made, not born. On this episode, Rip Tilden shares his sage leadership advice. Extraordinary results are within your reach.

Episode 117 - Nerses Aposhian

Self Made Strategies is now also available on the Self Made Strategies YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOG-mybCfvYWhoXo4vPoB5g

Nerses is the co-host and co-founder of The Founder Hour, a podcast show which features some of the country's top founders and the stories of their entrepreneurial journeys.  The Founder Hour podcast features founders of startups, later-stage companies, creators, and leaders.  To date, they have released 180+ episodes and have an average of 10,000+ monthly active listeners, with 24.25% average monthly growth.

Nerses is also working in commercial real estate at IDS Real Estate Group's Corporate Services' arm, which includes tenant representation, facilities management, development management, and construction management.  Their firm assists clients with any and all of their commercial real estate needs.  He is also a proud alumni of USC and Loyola Law School and is very passionate about education.  He serves as the Associate Treasurer and Finance Chair of Merdinian Armenian Evangelical School, which he attended from preschool to 8th grade.

Check out his podcast, The Founder Hour, here: https://www.thefounderhour.com/

On this episode you will hear:

* Nerses talk about how he, and his cohost, took a leap of faith to build their podcast (The Founder Hour).

* Then you will hear all about how the podcast started, and how that helped Nerses in building a community.

* After that, Nerses discusses how the podcast helped his professional life.

* We also discuss how talking to 100+ people (for example, on a podcast) can help you to gain a lot of knowledge about different industries and give you an informational advantage regarding innovations in different markets.

* Nerses and I discuss why a podcast helps you to build trust within your community and for your stakeholders.

* Then you will hear about how shared values effect your followers, and help you to build trust.

Production Credits:

This Self Made Strategies Podcast is a SoftStix Productions LLC jawn. This episode was hosted and produced by Tony Lopes, and edited by Eric Leidelmeyer, in Philly, PA USA.  Nerses Aposhian joined us remotely, via Zoom.

The Self Made Strategies Podcast is sponsored by Lopes Law LLC (www.LopesLawLLC.com).

Make sure you subscribe to the Self Made Strategies Podcast on your favorite podcasting platform, so you can catch the latest episodes.

www.selfmadestrategies.com

Follow us on:

• Facebook • Twitter • Instagram • LinkedIn

Episode 116 - Jared Graybeal

Self Made Strategies is now also available on the Self Made Strategies YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOG-mybCfvYWhoXo4vPoB5g

When times get tough, entrepreneurs often find themselves in challenging positions - shoring up revenue, supporting their teams, and pivoting to stay abreast of the changes. Never has this been more true than it is now. The unspoken rule among entrepreneurs and innovators is to forego self-care in the interest of supporting their teams and companies.

The result? Burnout. When entrepreneurs fail to keep pace, their teams languish from the lack of clear vision.

Successful entrepreneur, Jared Graybeal wrote The Self Help Book as an easy, self-care primer for folks new to the genre. (Check out his TedX talk for a sense of his personal “self-care” style!) The book walks through 6 practical steps for growth, including confidence, connections, competence, character, clarity and commitment.

Jared's mission is to encourage, educate, and empower others to live happier, healthier lives. Jared is a NASM-certified personal trainer, fitness nutrition specialist, behavioral change specialist, CrossFit Level 2 trainer, and corrective exercise specialist with an education in marketing and psychology from the University of North Florida.

He owns and operates two companies. One is Superfit Foods, a healthy, subscription-based, fully customizable meal prep company. The other is E3, a business consulting and marketing agency.

Jared has done a few cool things, like exhibiting Superfit Foods at Forbes Under 30 and giving a TEDx Talk on nutrition and mental health, and every day I get to work hard at doing what I love.

What better way to begin discussions of the value of self-care for entrepreneurs and their teams? Jared will teach you how to put yourself first while coaching your teams through the challenges presented by anything from COVID to rapid growth!

On this episode you will hear:

* How Jared made the realization that what you eat effects your mental health

* Jared's tips for putting yourself first, while coaching your teams through the challenges you encounter

* How the 6 C's (Confidence. Competence. Clarity. Character. Connections. Commitment.) can help reshape your self-care regiment

* Jared's methods for developing content

* Best practices for overcoming your initial apprehension with content creation (whether it is written, spoken or on video)