Success 2.0

I was humbled by this conversation from the start. This was not how I expected it to go, but am glad it did.

Tim Ferriss once said, "Focusing on what people accomplish without understanding the mindset that enables success leads to limited results."

This statement couldn't be more true about our guest this week on our show, Benjamin Hardy .

Benjamin @BenjaminPHardy is an expert at knocking down barriers. Growing up in a difficult family situation as a child, he knew he had to make some major changes to see improvement. Shortly after high school, he joined a mission trip where he developed a passion for serving others.

Fast-forward today. Ben has been featured in publications such as Fortune, Success, and Huffington Post. His blog presents both humble and honest advice on becoming positive, overcoming self-doubt, and finding happiness in your life.

Hope you enjoy!

What's the best business lesson you can teach a child? What should they learn? What's appropriate? 

Is it sales? Accounting? Maybe how to make a pivot table? The answer may surprise you.

This week we discuss the single most important lesson you can give to a child. Whether you're eating at a restaurant, riding in the car or talking to them about their interests in school there's always  an opportunity for you to teach.

Enjoy!

If you were to start a company and could choose any executiveleaders to direct your company who would you pick?

Jeff Bezos? Jamie Dimon?

How about Starbucks Founder and CEO Howard Schultz or Tesla'sElon Musk?

1. He/she must be living currently
2. He/she must be serving or have served as an executive in theircareer

In today’s episode of Been There Done That CJ andMichael discuss their dream exec teams by going down the list ofeach executive board member of their made up tech company. FromChief Technology Office to Chief Innovation Officer to the ChiefExecutive Officer, the guys break down their role players, why theychose them, and what it would be like for these personalities toclash.

Who’s on your dream executive team? Leave a comment below andtell us who you’d choose!

With so much information in the marketplace today, it's difficult to know what's valuable and what's clutter. 

Shameer Shah @bizbanter, was kind enough to appear on to the show to discuss his unique method for building his businesses. 

Shameer is a marketing expert and serial entrepreneur. His latest venture, Businessbanter.com focuses on providing straight-forward business advice designed empower entrepreneurs.

His unique background as a photo journalist with Reuters and owner of marketing consultancy, EyeWitness, has provided an interesting pathway to building multiple successful companies. 

In our episode we discuss his methods for generating referrals, his love of the great outdoors, and how deciding to quit creating an altered image of himself has led to exponential business growth.

Dan Western @WealthyGorilla is the founder and CEO of Wealthy Gorilla, an inspirational and motivational blog that focuses on helping others reach their true potential.

Started in April of 2014, Wealthy Gorilla has truly been a success. Within such a short period of time, Dan's articles have developed a strong following with nearly 250,000 visitors monthly. Not an easy feat by any means, so it was obvious that we needed to get to the source and learn what was behind this journey to creating something that so many people enjoyed.

Dan was kind enough to sit down with us to talk about his experiences after just returning from a 7-month trip to Southeast Asia. In our interview, we dive into what's influenced him over the years, what drove him to starting a website, and how he's managed to manage such a strong following from the remote areas of the world.

In our interview, you’ll discover:

• The effect of being in an entrepreneurial household from a young age
• Why Dan started Wealthy Gorilla and how he's grown his audience to nearly 1 million visits a month
• The connection between fitness and pursuing a difficult goal
• What caused him to take a 7 month trip to Southeast Asia and how he kept his business going remotely
• How he developed a routine of reading and the power of reading 1 book a month

Laurie Chandler (@LAChandler) challenges the notion that being creative must have a "yes" or "no" answer.

Laurie is historical fiction and mystery writer as well as a motivational speaker. She has authored two books, The Christmas Journalist and Brass: Creativity is For All of Us, Stop Sleepwalking Through Life .

Through her work, Laurie spreads a message that creativity and innovation can be cultivated within just about any environment given the right tools.

In 2001, Laurie and her husband uprooted to New York City where together they spent time working alongside creatives within an international art association.

In this episode, we discuss various types of creativity, the common fear behind it, and how to overcome them, using stories, habits, and tactics.

Enjoy!

“Risk more than others think is safe. Dream more than others think is practical.” - Howard Schultz, CEO of Starbucks.

Matt Hunckler (@Hunckler) isn't your standard twenty-something. Entrepreneurship and bringing people together is what runs through his blood. If you've ever attended a VERGE event or listened to Matt talk for 5 minutes you'll get the same impression.

From going door-to-door selling $2,000 vacuum cleaners to creating a community where entrepreneurs can pitch their ideas to possible investors, Matt has built the mentality it requires to be a successful entrepreneur.

That's why we were so excited to hear he was going to join us on another episode of Been There Done That to discuss his journey.

Dr. Michael Nichols (@MichaelENichols) is an expert when it comes to helping leaders pursue and achieve growth in their personal and professional lives.

After starting his blog in 2008, he set out to focus on helping others with vision development, strategic planning, and achieving work and life balance. Currently, Dr. Nichols serves as:

-President and CEO of The Guidestone Group

-Founder of Guidestone University –Training, Tools, and Resources for Leaders

-Founder of The Retreat at Guidestone Hills – Executive Retreat Center

-Chairman of the Board of Directors for The GreenTree Foundation – Nonprofit providing Training for Leaders

We were excited to have him on the show to share his insights into how to develop more effective leaders and create simplicity with the numerous decisions we’re asked to make each day.

• How he got started career started in leadership training
• What was the best business decision he's ever made
• Are leaders born or made?
• Improving in the margins of your life
• His advice to overworked leaders and The 5 Phases of Simple Leadership
• Living accidentally vs. living intentionally
• How his 7 year old developed the idea to start a non-profit organization called The Green Tree Project

This week on our show, we are very excited to welcome an individual who has vast experience as an entrepreneur, tech professional, start-up advisor, and angel investor. Marty Zwilling’s career has taken him from a development team at IBM’s personal computer division to working alongside Bill Gates and managing the company’s relationship with Microsoft throughout the early 1980s.

Marty (@StartupPro) is the founder and CEO of Startup Professionals, Inc. and currently operates a blog focused on offering experienced advice to entrepreneurs and startups from the perspective of an angel investor.

He has been a member of two angel investment groups: Arizona Angels and the Arizona Technology Investor Forum (ATIF). He is a board member at Callaman Ventures, an advisor to the Arizona State University Venture Catalyst Program, Executive in Residence at the Thunderbird School of Global Management, and member of the advisory boards for several start-up companies in the area.

He has published over 500 articles on Forbes, The Huffington Post, Young Entrepreneur, Harvard Business Review, his blog, and other online publications. He has also published 3 books: StartUp Pro,Do you have what it takes to be an entrepreneur? and Attracting an Angel: How to get money from business angels and why most entrepreneurs don’t.

PODCAST TIMELINE

Marty details his background at IBM, working with Bill Gates, and catching the entrepreneurial bug [1:00]

We discuss the certain characteristics he looks for in an entrepreneur [3:00]

Noticeable red flags that indicate someone may not be a fit for entrepreneurship [5:13]

The point where an entrepreneur is ready to have a conversation with an angel investor [8:30]

“Contrary to popular myth, Angels do not fund dreams” [10:10]

What items an entrepreneur needs to bring to the table for an angel investment [11:15]

Marty shares his thoughts on confidence in entrepreneurship [13:45]

The case where a physician had a $5M projection for his product that didn’t quite add up [14:00]

What kind of preparation is needed in order to pivot an idea when trouble comes along [15:18]

Marty’s projections on entrepreneurship over the next 5 years [17:40]

The book that got Marty involved in startups and what he’s currently reading [20:05]

Mentioned in the Show:

The Art of the Start by Guy Kawasaki

In this week's episode, my friend Jeb Banner joins in and dives into experiences as serial self-starter and entrepreneur. If you're in a position of management, this is a great episode to grab a pencil and notepad.

Throughout the years, Jeb has made a huge impact on HR, marketing, and most recently within developing excellent company culture. 

• What led to concentrating on the employee experience at SmallBox
• What is a "Factory Week" and why do businesses need to have at least one annually?
• The "Work & Play Concept"
• What happens when you treat your employees like well-fed chickens

How he fell in love with building websites and figuring out how to drive traffic to them [4:00]

Jeb shares how to build a strong organizational culture through marketing [5:30]

Caring deeply about clients more than caring about customers [9:00]

 “Factory Week” is and why every company should host one annually [10:45]

Times where employees ask “are you sure” about a new initiative [15:00]

The concept of turning work into play [16:00]

Seeing their business as healers and servants of client organizations [20:00]