Jon Ostenson, founder, CEO and consultant at FranBridge Consulting, wasn’t always involved in the world of franchising. After years in corporate America, he set out on an entrepreneurial path—even though, at the time, he wasn’t quite sure what he wanted that path to look like. Six years ago, it brought him to ShelfGenie, a private company and national franchise, where he saw that franchising was more than a fast food-based world—it was one in which people from all backgrounds could succeed. 

Now, he focuses on helping to educate people on the opportunities available to them in non-food franchising. Via his company, the process is completely free for clients, and consultants assist them in narrowing the vast array of franchise opportunities down to their top 10 options, and then to their final decision. In this week’s episode, Ostenson and Brilliant Thoughts host Tristan Ahumada discuss the difference between a franchise and a startup, the process of becoming a franchisee, the pros and cons—as well as what to look for—when starting a franchise and the benefits of “boring” businesses.

Jon Ostenson is a consultant, investor, author and international speaker specializing in the area of non-food franchising. He serves as founder and CEO of FranBridge Consulting, and is the author of Non-Food Franchising: The Better Path to Business Ownership. SUCCESS listeners who go to franbridgeconsulting.com and sign up for their monthly newsletter will get a free digitally downloadable copy of the book, as well as an audio version. For those who purchase the book via Amazon, 100% of profits go to the nonprofit organization Hope International.

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All my challenges growing up made me curious about people, says Lewis Howes. He’s an entrepreneur, business coach, and former professional football player. This week, Lewis talks about building a greatness mindset, fully accepting yourself, and how to focus on your mission. 

You learn the most about people when you fail and when you succeed, says Lewis. He talks about doing things differently and not following trends - standing out while knowing that it’s not always going to hit the mark. Lewis tries to make decisions based on a future vision not based on a past fear or pain and talks about learning how to trust yourself.

Learn more about Lewis Howes at lewishowes.com, listen to his podcast The School of Greatness, and follow him on Instagram at @lewishowes. His new book called The Greatness Mindset comes out March 7. 

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Dr. Anna Cabeca was only 16 years old when she realized that most health studies were limited because they only focused on a portion of the population. Her mother was undergoing heart surgery and Anna found that all of the research was based on surgeries done on men. From that point, she became an advocate for women’s health and research. 

Anna is now a certified OB/GYN and founder of The Girlfriend Doctor brand and products. Her heart's work is to provide women with accurate health information while also giving holistic solutions to handle the many phases of life, such as balancing menstruation and menopausal symptoms with a healthy diet. Today, she talks about reasons why women have been left out of medical research and common misconceptions about women's health. As well, she explains how our thoughts affect our neurology, nervous system, hormones, and immune system. 

Learn more about Dr. Anna Cabeca at drannacabeca.com and follow her on Instagram at @thegirlfrienddoctor. 

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Has tipping culture gotten out of control? The typical American spends about $700 a year tipping in restaurants. And that’s just at restaurants. Tipping is often expected in hair salons and spas and for hotel housekeeping and valet service. But the rise of mobile payment technology and fast-casual restaurants have changed who we tip and how much. And there has been a push to move away from tipping altogether.

This week, Kiersten and Julien dive into the messy conversation of tip culture. They outline AARP suggestions on what to tip for everything from buffet restaurants to electricians and plumbers. As well as how tipping has become gamified with some restaurants and delivery services requesting gratuities up front. They discuss questions like do you tip on the pre-tax amount or the total bill? And is a gift for a teacher a tip? 

Mentions:

Learn more at richandregular.com, purchase Cashing Out: Win the Wealth Game by Walking Away by Kiersten and Julien Saunders and follow on Instagram @richandregular. 

Leave us a tip! Support rich & REGULAR by rating and reviewing on Apple Podcasts. 

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AI won’t replace your job, says Alejandro Navia, co-founder and president of nft now, rather it’s a tool for enhancing human knowledge. But there will be an identity crisis as many of us focus our identities on our jobs. Alejandro says there will be a new search for meaning and we will start to see a renaissance in human creativity and ingenuity. 

Alejandro discusses how we’re still in the early days of AI, with even chat GPT showing to be inaccurate. But we are becoming more concerned about what’s going to happen to our identities, with more mental health issues. Alejandro talks about the power of journaling to ask yourself important questions. He also discusses being in harmony with oneself and the environment, self-trust as the beginning of creation, and commitment as the ultimate freedom.

Learn more about Alejandro Navia at alejandronavia.org and follow him on Instagram and Twitter.

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Everyone goes through moments of reflecting on experiences and thinking “that sucked”. Dr. Neeta Bhushan thinks these moments can be magical and life changing. She’s a former cosmetic dentist turned best-selling author, international speaker, and leadership coach. 

At 19 Neeta was an orphan, watching both parents die of cancer, and instantly became the caretaker of her younger brother. She had also previously lost a brother when he was 12 years old. This week, she discusses shifting course, forgiving ourselves, and dealing with grief and trauma. She also talks about giving reverence to what’s happened, opening yourself up to good stress, and taking a moment to hold and give yourself an embrace.

Find out more about Dr. Neeta Bhushan at neetabhushan.com and follow her on Instagram at @neetabhushan. Her book is called That Sucked. Now What?: How to Embrace the Joy in Chaos and Find Magic in the Mess. 

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Mindset is not everything, but it impacts everything. Lauren Johnson is a mental performance consultant and executive coach with more than a decade of experience working with professional athletes, high-performing individuals, and powerhouse organizations, including the New York Yankees.

Today, she discusses the relationship between mental performance and success. Many of the same principles used by elite athletes to mentally train can also be translated to the everyday person. Lauren talks about how our brains create patterns, strategies for improving mental performance, and developing habits. As well as her three favorite simple questions for journaling. 

Learn more about Lauren Johnson at laurenjohnsonandco.com and follow her on Instagram at @laurennicolejohnson. You can download her 57 Powerful Mental Performance Questions at go.laurenjohnsonandco.com/57questions. 

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Coupons no longer just come as junk in the mail, but have taken new forms online with promo codes, cashback offers, and more. Credit cards can be used to find discounts, especially with apps, like the AMEX app which provides savings at local restaurants, hotels, and more. Loyalty programs and email lists are also good sources of coupon offers.

Today, Kiersten and Julien discuss tips and hacks for taking advantage of these modern coupons. They talk about what to watch out for with offers, tactics to stop impulse spending, taking advantage of gift card promotions, and how to save on travel, activities, groceries, and more. 

Mentions:

Learn more at richandregular.com, purchase Cashing Out: Win the Wealth Game by Walking Away by Kiersten and Julien Saunders and follow on Instagram @richandregular. Support rich & REGULAR by sharing and rating us five stars on Apple Podcasts.

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Dan Martell, entrepreneur and highly-rated business coach, wants you to build your empire by getting unstuck, reclaiming your freedom, and buying back your time. Today, he talks about filling up your calendar with only things that add energy to your life and make you income. He explains the buyback loop, which includes auditing your calendar, transferring more low-value and energy-sucking tasks to other people, and then filling that time up. 

Dan also talks about transactional management versus transformational leadership – building the people that build the business. As well as changing the way we lead people, having a team to support you, and seeking feedback. 

Dan Martell is the author of Buy Back Your Time. Learn more about him at https://www.danmartell.com/, follow him on Instagram and Facebook at @danmartell, and YouTube and TikTok @danvmartell.

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Luxury is about experiences, not expenses, says Neen James. She was born and raised in the tiniest town in Australia, by her single mother in a caravan park. Though they didn’t have much, her mom was great at creating beauty and luxury in their home, decorating and picking flowers. 

Today, she talks with Erin about her new body of research looking at the concept of luxury. She discusses ways to bring luxury into all your life experiences, at home and work. These can be simple things like granting yourself the gift of time, meditating a little longer, or upgrading the beauty products in your shower. Neen explains the four luxury archetypes and emphasizes that luxury should also be shared with others, creating memories through experiences. 

Neen James is a motivational speaker, sales and leadership coach, and author of nine books. Learn more about her research at neenjames.com and follow her on Instagram at @neenjames.

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