That Entrepreneur Life

Join Andrew Lees and Clint McPherson (That Entrepreneur Life) as they sit down with Mario Nawfal and talk about the entrepreneurial spirit. Mario shares how he has been able to start from owning one business to multiple businesses and the mindset he has been in to get to that point. Mario explains the signs when you’re supposed to double down on your decisions. We also touch on work delegation, hiring the right people, and building good systems.

By the end of this episode, you will learn to understand how important it is to find a balance between your short-term and long-term goals. Adjustments will be needed along the way for sure, so test different ideas before going all in. Stay tuned, and enjoy the podcast!

About Mario Nawfal:

Founder of the Athena Group of Companies, a business conglomerate that operates in more than 40 countries.

Mario had embarked upon his entrepreneurial path, with $300 in the bank, selling blenders door to door which led to Froothie Australia.

Through unconventional marketing techniques, efficient logistical systems, and a team of global contractors, he propelled Froothie to $1m in year one and over $10m in year two, all bootstrapped.

You can find Mario Nawfal on... 

Website: https://www.marionawfal.com/home
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mario-nawfal/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marionawfal/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTWBp-39z6tvz4-LQB-Z_QA

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Join Andrew Lees and Clint McPherson (That Entrepreneur Life) as they sit down with Sebastian Hernandez and about Sebastian's six strategies for an expansive life. We’ll get to know how Sebastian left corporate life to create his own destiny and message to the world. Among many topics, they talk about setting goals, willpower, consistency, and ambition. If you’re someone who’s struggling to find your purpose in life, this is definitely for you!

By the end of this episode, you will learn to track your progress, produce the results you want, and wear your own jersey. You will understand that it’s not expecting things to happen, but intending it to happen.

Sebastian Hernandez’ message:

Your time to be what you've always known deep inside of you has come, the world needs you. You have something unique and extremely valuable to offer our world and inspire thousands if not hundreds of thousands of people.

There is a part of you that has been dormant but slowly has been waking up and showing signs of its existence. This part of you is magical and extremely powerful, granting you access to manifesting your deepest desires. This part of you also has a wonderful gift to offer to the world that can magnify your own experience of living.

I invite you on a journey of Self-Discovery attached to the art form of designing and creating. You are the artist to your canvas named "life", it is time to grab your tool of choice and begin to design your life on your terms in alignment with your best self and fulfillment.

You can find Sebastian Hernandez on... 

Website: https://www.ignitewithsebastian.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/empowerworldleaders/

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How are you investing in people as an entrepreneur? 

Being an overcomer of abuse, addiction, depression, anger, low self-worth, being a bully and being bullied, Shā Sparks has taken her own personal traumatic experiences and transformed her life into a treasure. Growing up with a father who was drafted in the Army to serve in Korea, she has inherited his "I don't have a choice" mindset. Now, she uses that determination to propel others to make fearless choices for their own success. As a speaker, coach, author, and podcast host, she empowers other trauma survivors to invest in themselves by peeling away the layers so they can heal. Then she guides them to breakthrough fear by transforming their own trauma into treasure in order to find their true purpose in life. 

Are you creating a company culture for yourself? Invest in your staff and their overall success. Survey your staff members to figure out what they are hoping to get out of their job. Is there a sense of community and loyalty with staff and within the company? Invest in yourself first, and ask yourself these leadership questions:

1. What does it look like to be a leader?
2. How do I want to lead?

Shā says that we all have to monetize somehow. Some people could use the help that we have to offer. However, their budget may be completely minimum. Shā still sets aside space to help them, depending on their budget. It's about not doing a one size fits all, it's about making exceptions. We can invest in people by giving them value. When your next product comes out, then that person will share it with others. Investing in people will build trust, relationships, and connections. 

Shā's motto is, "When we share our own lessons learned of overcoming obstacles, we ignite a tiny spark of hope, love, connection, and community. And when we ignite that spark, the whole world lights up. That's The Power of Investing in People!" Shā explains how she started coaching herself and how it overflowed with other people. Shā wants to empower others, and those people go on and empower more people. Eventually, it will create a ripple effect of empowerment. Stay tuned as Shā speaks about being a leader in our personal life, staying productive, and advises aspiring entrepreneurs. 

Enjoy the show!

You can find Shā Sparks on…

Website: https://shasparks.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/iamshasparks/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamshasparks/
The Power of Investing in People with Sha Sparks

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What problems are you solving as an entrepreneur? Many years ago, Dave set out to solve a problem with fishing: flies and lures getting hung up in trees with no right way to get them back. So he set out to solve this problem by developing a compact device that can easily be used to get flies and lures again, saving fishers time and money. A few years ago, he reached out to Andrew to take his rough prototypes and napkin sketch and turn them into production and market-ready product. He embodies the true nature of an entrepreneur with his persistence and willingness to take risks throughout the development, launch, and growth of his product line.

Dave speaks about balancing full-time work and CatchALure. When creating a product, ask yourself if it is inexpensive, and does it solve a problem? CatchALure is both of those things. For the last several years, they’ve developed two retrieval products, one for fly fishing and one for conventional fishing. Dave says that it was helpful to understand the sales process first before creating his product. He was not able to sell CatchALure to stores; they are in the business of selling lures, not getting them back. So, that left Dave to sell his product to customers directly.

There are fewer ups than there are downs in entrepreneurship. Dave says his favorite part of entrepreneurship is using his product. There’s an environmental impact left behind from the fishing process. So, CatchALure likes to be part of the solution, not the problem. Dave’s dad invented two products that are still sold in tool stores today. At one point, a store offered to buy his dad’s product. However, Dave’s dad thought he could do it better. The store went around his patent and made the product anyway. Dave says that you are not bigger than your product, and you are not more significant than any industry out there.

Then, Dave speaks about being productive in entrepreneurship. Don’t forget things – Dave
writes everything down and creates a list of ideas for his business. During this journey, Dave didn’t expect to find a great partner. When he gets tired of pushing the wheelbarrow, Andrew will call and ask how things are going. It motivates him to keep going and push through. Entrepreneurship is all about the relationships that are helping you push forward. Plus, Dave has been able to make relationships in the fly fishing world. The world starts to get a little smaller as we continue to build more connections in our industry. Stay tuned as Dave speaks about growing a business during coronavirus and gives advice for aspiring entrepreneurs.

Enjoy the show!

You can find Dave from CatchALure on…

Website: https://catchalure.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/catchalure
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/catchalure/
CatchALure on YouTube

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What calculated risks can you take as an entrepreneur?

Jason Feifer is editor in chief of Entrepreneur magazine, and host of three podcasts: Pessimists Archive, a history show about why people resist new things; Hush Money about all the ways money makes life awkward; and Problem Solvers, about how entrepreneurs solve unexpected problems in their business.

Jason gets his entrepreneurial mindset from trial and error. He started in community news,
looking to work his way up. Jason knew if he stuck around and did exactly what he was
expected to do, then it would be a very slow ride. So, Jason started taking risks and seeing them pay off. He quit jobs and would freelance a lot. The risks were the things that defined him and his career – it set him apart from everyone else. He decided to leverage his risk-taking and figure out what sorts of calculated risks he could take.

As entrepreneurs, you have to be patient and impatient at the same time. There are things that you don’t know that you will have to learn. Learning takes time! Balance your patience for learning with the impatience of not taking the regular route. Be willing to risk things, try new things, and discard things that are no longer serving you. Know that you are going somewhere, and you are going to do whatever it takes to get there. Everything is a learning process that needs to be figured out as you go.

Jason has setbacks all the time. Globally, we are all experiencing a setback. Everyone is going to define their story by what they are doing during this period of time. We need to take in what we have, what we don’t have, and what is required from us now. Then, we need to find a new version of ourselves with what is available. Back in the day, Jason was writing about things that he hated and didn’t care about. Eventually, it started to show, and Jason’s boss called him out. So, Jason quit – he knew that the job was not going to get him anywhere. Why would he get better at a job that wasn’t going to get him where he wanted to be? Stay tuned as Jason speaks about building long-term skills, Jason reveals the most valuable advice he has received, and also gives his own advice for entrepreneurs.

Enjoy the show!

You can find Jason Feifer on…

Website: https://www.jasonfeifer.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/heyfeifer
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heyfeifer/
Entrepreneur: https://www.entrepreneur.com/author/jason-feifer
Problem Solvers
Pessimists Archive
Hush Money

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Mike Moll is the Founder and Director of Social Media House and the Host of the Market Me Podcast. Social Media House is a consulting agency designed to improve marketing inefficiencies, increase ROI and provide insight on what works and what doesn’t in all elements of your online marketing. Optimize what you’re already doing or let us develop an innovative strategy customized for your brand, and we’ll teach your team to be experts at social media marketing.

Being an entrepreneur means being able to die on the sword and make all the decisions. Now that Mike’s an entrepreneur, he can do things the way that he thinks they should be done. With his focus on marketing, he likes finding different ways to run advertising.

Mike worked more jobs before he was twenty-five than most people do in a lifetime. By trying a lot of different things, he figured out what he didn’t like doing - which made marketing click that much quicker. The hardest part for Mike to get started on his entrepreneurial journey was getting customers. When you do the job for someone else, it’s easier to transfer that experience to your own business. Plus, it helps when you are selling something that you believe in. You do not need to overcomplicate or overexplain things to your customers.

Mike speaks about keeping his team small. You need to be organized and have
streamlined systems and processes. It's important to make videos of every single step – it eliminates 95% of errors. He outsources people to help him with the things that he sucks at. When you bring someone in, you might not know anything about them and the bad habits that they may have. That is why it’s essential to have standard operating procedures, brand guidelines, and communication guidelines.

Look for technology and tools that can supplement tasks for you at the early stage. Mike pays about $800 a month for technology that helps him get things done. If the $800 a month is replacing a $4,000 a month salary, then, of course, it's worth it. Don’t be afraid to purchase the premium accounts. Some resources that Mike recommends are Honeybook, Slack, and Asana. They have made his entrepreneurial journey so much easier. Stay tuned as Mike reveals his favorite thing about being an entrepreneur.

Resources:

HoneyBook
Slack
Asana

You can find Mike Moll on…

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikeajmoll/
Social Media House: https://socialmediahouse.to
Podcast: https://socialmediahouse.to/podcast

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What’s your purpose? 

CEO at Heroes Media Group, experienced entrepreneur, single father, veteran, philanthropist, and hero advocate, Adam Bird joins the show. Adam has hands-on experience in educating, training, mentoring, and leading teams to success. Adam opens the show diving deep into his background. He has always been able to teach others about sales and being better at their jobs. In 2013, Adam quit his corporate job and decided to become an entrepreneur – he still helps other people achieve the things they dream about.

If something is easy, it’s not worth it. Adam struggled to create Heroes Media Group. He grew it by living on hopes and dreams. There have been failures along the way. As an entrepreneur, Adam gets to take the brunt of everything. At the end of this month, they will have forty shows on the network. He has had to recruit people that believe in his vision and want to see it grow. Adam loves to come up with great ideas. However, he can’t always make it happen – that’s why it’s essential to find people who believe in your dreams and will want to help achieve them. Don’t be afraid to ask for help!

When Adam first started his podcast, he had a hard time with the technology side of it. Another challenge has been overcoming imposture syndrome. Adam says that it’s his job to share his gifts and talents with the world. If you’re good at something, you need to share it. The money doesn’t drive Adam. The reason why he started Heroes Media Group is that he has a purpose. Put the purpose first, and the profit will follow. If you put the profit first, then you will always be chasing that dollar. Moving forward, Adam will help as many people as he can - if he can make money along the way to pay bills, then great. It’s not about the money, it’s about the relationships and helping people get to where they want to go. Stay tuned as Adam talks about outsourcing and setting client expectations. 

Enjoy the show!

Connect with Adam Bird on...

Adam’s Website: https://www.heroesmediagroup.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/heroesmediagrp/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/HeroesMediagrp
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/heroesmediagrp/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heroesmediagrp/

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What do you do when your business feels like it’s about to come to a screeching halt? 

As an entrepreneur, when you’re faced with a problem, you need to take action as soon as possible. Recently, Andrew faced an entrepreneurial roadblock. He owns a business called Grassracks, the best racks for boards, bikes, and skis. During the holidays, they had more orders than ever. Unfortunately, their manufacturer wasn’t catching up - orders were coming, but delays in production started accumulating. Plus, the manufacturer wasn’t communicating with Andrew and his business partners.

If they didn’t figure it out, then they were going to go out of business. Andrew and his business partner decided to take action and organize a meeting with the manufacturer. In that meeting, the manufacturer explained their struggles to produce specific features of the products. Andrew and his business partner were flexible about the situation; production didn’t have to stop as long as communication was not interrupted. Communication with vendors is imperative. For months, Andrew tried to push through the problem. Instead of driving through obstacles, get to the root cause to work around them. Entrepreneurship means showing up and taking action. Eventually, Andrew and the vendor were able to compromise. 

Don’t be afraid to show up and take action:

1. You don’t know what your vendors are going through.
2. Things can get lost in translation in emails. 

You can’t wait around for other people to dictate your business. Don’t wait for other people to do the right thing. Take as much control as possible. Sometimes, all you need to do is to listen, especially to your customers. If you don’t listen, you’ll lose sight of everything. At the end of the day, our customers and vendors don’t know what they don’t know. 

It is also essential to take into consideration everyone’s style of communication. Some people thrive on tough love; they don’t want to dance around. While on the other hand, other people will get offended if you’re straightforward; they shut down and become defensive. Know your audience when you navigate any roadblocks. Once someone sees your value, then you can navigate roadblocks a lot easier. Overcoming challenges in entrepreneurship can be done by identifying the problem, taking action, and looking at it from every angle.

Enjoy the show!

Resources:

Check out Grassracks

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How do you add value to your customers? 

At the end of the day, you need to focus on adding value to your clients and yourself. Does your product add value, or should you be giving away free information? If you are adding value to your customers, then you will make money. Both Clint and Andrew have a service-based business. They focus on educating their clients on the process. Before they begin the project, they work on adding value through education. If a client sees your value early on, then they can turn into a long-term and loyal customer. 

There is no reason you should act like a pushy car salesman. Educate your customers on why they need your services. Listen and hear your client’s problems. Tell them how you can solve their problems by identifying an opportunity. Once you determine that opportunity, you can capture that value for your client. Educating your client on why you have a product is going to be huge. That usually means you need to find a problem that needs to be solved. When you have a product, you can’t just release it one day. No one is going to care! Create excitement around your product. Why should someone buy it? 

Launching products don’t need to be a massive event. You probably won’t hit any crazy milestones in twenty-four hours. Launching your business to crickets is okay. You can always build it from the ground up. However, the more buzz and interest you can generate, the easier it’s going to be from the beginning. When you add value during your launch, it’s going to sell a lot better over time. There are so many different angles you can take to make your business successful. Do not do the same thing over and over again, and expect different results. 

If you are having trouble figuring out how you are going to add value to your customer, look at the products you currently use. What excites you about them? How do they provide value to your life? Reverse engineer these questions and relate them back to your product. Entrepreneurship starts when you find a way to add value. If you are not adding value, then you are failing as an entrepreneur. Stay tuned as Clint and Andrew talk about setting realistic expectations, adapting along the way, and why entrepreneurship is easier than you think.

Resources:

Follow Jesse Itzler on Instagram

In this episode of That Entrepreneur Life, Clint McPherson and Andrew Lees talk about expectation management as an entrepreneur. You need to adjust your expectations as an entrepreneur and adjust the expectations of your clients. The clients need to know exactly what to expect from you. Is it a product, a service, how often will you be delivering to the client? Communication is vital from the beginning – be clear and concise. At the start, you need more clients; however, you don’t want it to bite you in the butt down the road. Clint always goes above and beyond with his clients. He says sometimes doing this can backfire. For instance, Clint helped create a website with his client. Then, he noticed a problem with something and fixed it. Later, the client expected Clint to continue to fix his site free of charge.

When you are in a service-based business, it is essential to have an agreement set up. The more the client can communicate with you, the more successful the project will be. Andrew charges fifty percent upfront and then fifty percent when the project is complete. During one project, the client was waiting for Andrew to post a video. The client never sent the video to Andrew; it took almost seven months for Andrew to get the rest of his payment. Now, Andrew makes sure to ask for his payment after a certain period of time. He didn’t set clear expectations, so the clients took advantage of it. Make sure to have a nonverbal agreement for your projects. Revisit and make changes to the contract whenever necessary. 

As an entrepreneur, we are always trying to add additional value to our client’s projects. However, when a client starts expecting other items or services for free, you will be creating the wrong pattern. Clint says to watch out for red flags when communicating with clients. When starting with your business, you will take on some clients that may not be ideal - you need to get started somewhere. Eventually, you will begin to identify red flags and not take specific projects. Some projects will be effortless, whereas other projects will be like pulling teeth. You want the ideal customer – it should feel effortless! How do you find more of these clients? Andrew has turned down customers because he was not comfortable with the expectations of the customer. Stay tuned as Clint and Andrew discuss setting expectations for a product-based business.