By The Achievers
The podcast currently has 13 episodes available.
It's hard to imagine LavaBox being created by anyone other than Josh Thurmond. This portable campfire is a nexus of all the passions and purposes that drive his life. As a whitewater rafting guide, Josh stored supplies in military ammunition canisters, or "ammo cans," as the cans are waterproof and indestructible. They were also a constant symbolic presence among the wounded veterans with whom he did philanthropic work. "There's nothing more iconic in the military than the ammo can," he explains. As a volunteer firefighter in Colorado, he witnessed the devastation brought about by fires, and understood the potential danger of combustible materials used to create traditional campfires.
A self-described "big tinkerer," Josh combined all of these influences to create LavaBox, a propane-based burner inside of an ammo can, which has been a swift and stunning success in the outdoor space. Crucially, as fire bans continue to be passed throughout the western United States, LavaBox has been enthusiastically recognized by the National Parks Service and the Bureau of Land Management. Further contributing to his philanthropic efforts, one dollar from every sale of LavaBox is donated to Team River Runner, which teaches whitewater kayaking to wounded veterans.
Tune in to this episode of The Achievers to hear Josh explain why he eschews social media marketing in lieu of authentic customer testimonials, the importance of a supportive partner, and why it's just as crucial to know when to execute an idea as it is to know when to move on to the next one.
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"Never, ever, ever take advice from someone who has not started their own business!" Relive the journey of Vanessa Shaw, CEO of Growth Academy, as she provides valuable advice built on timeless principles. By going against tradition and deep programming, Vanessa divulges how she fundamentally shifted her view to begin her own business in a foreign country, America. Today, she successfully encourages others to have more fun in their business and simultaneously achieve their dreams.
How does a “quintessential British woman living abroad”, with a 21-year career at the United Nations, begin building a business in Scottsdale, AZ? In this episode, Vanessa shows how anyone can seek the entrepreneurial adventure they are looking for whilst enduring an onslaught of challenges such as culture shock, Imposter Syndrome, and discouragement from family and friends. Vanessa’s ability to channel her inner struggle into a driver, or force, buoyed her up and provided the inner strength needed to raise her children, maintain a great marriage, and establish a business that changes lives.
Later, Vanessa walks you through how she took Steve Job’s advice to connect the dots looking backward. Examine the benefits of scrutinizing self-beliefs, assumptions, and values as Vanessa recalls her 15 years of deep personal development. Additionally, you will discover how Vanessa gave herself permission in her own mind to introduce herself as a person others would listen to. See how Vanessa embraces her zone of genius and takes fear and weakness straight on.
Vanessa supplements her natural coaching abilities with her own life experiences to help entrepreneurs dig underneath the surface to uncover stories that are holding them back from destiny. Guiding them down this path, Vanessa helps business owners and entrepreneurs focus on the right things. Her methodology can be described as a work art since she combines validation and improvement to create a professional lifestyle of relief and freedom for her clients.
Continue on Vanessa’s path as she discusses what The Business Growth Academy has grown into today. What kinds of business owners and entrepreneurs are drawn to Vanessa’s brilliant energy? People who want to grow are the ideal candidate for Vanessa and her team. She also expounds upon the three pillar goals business owners and entrepreneurs are looking to achieve which forms the core of what The Business Growth Academy offers. Vanessa also shares how she takes her clients to new heights by dialing in and speeding up their results in 100 days.
Don’t miss Vanessa’s key piece of advice. Learn how to turn the next couple of hours into something that can make a big difference for your business. Allow Vanessa to guide you through the revelation of many things you can start thinking through to begin changing your life today.
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“This is not your black employees’ problem to fix for you.” Dive in as Dave Karraker, President at Raptor Communications reveals guidelines businesses can use to decide if and when to insert their brand’s narrative into today’s crises. With deep roots in Communications, including 12 years under his belt at Campari, Dave discusses the death of traditional PR and the birth of brand storytelling designed to exist in different communication environments.
Booze, video games, and retail weave their way into Dave's background as he summarizes his work as the Head of PR or Communications with various brands such as Sega, Skyy Vodka, and Martha Stewart. Dave walks you through uncovering all the nuggets needed to build a story that no one else is telling and how to manage crises. Today, Dave is engrossed in helping companies navigate through the current climate and yet he still finds time to enjoy managing his Oops I’m Gay t-shirt store on Etsy.
In this episode, Dave identifies his core beliefs about the difference between traditional PR and brand storytelling. While identifying best practices businesses can implement to stand out from their competitors, Dave explains how to become your own Nancy Drew or Sherlock Holmes to determine if your business can be inserted into today’s biggest stories such as #BlackLivesMatter.
Do you know what your consumers are expecting of you? Listen in as Dave tackles ways to identify when is the right time to speak and if you have the right resources. Dave provides insight on how to evaluate if your consumers and employees expect you to insert your brand into the narrative and if your values are strong enough to direct your actions during a crisis. Dave shows why this is important as he speaks about the “Millennial Cohort” and how they rank companies by their purpose and values.
Dave’s foresight into the reassurances employees need from those though who are taking the lead strengthens the importance of strong company values. Looking at a brand through the lens of a human being, Dave identifies ways to imagine how your company should feel, react, and speak. Dave also outlines ways to assess risk and find proof points of your company’s values.
Later, Dave addresses brand authenticity, how he’s managed his company through the COVID-19 pandemic, and good and bad examples of brands who have spoken out during different crises. Tune in as Dave provides use cases of companies who clapped back at angry people on the internet while others were silent as the internet took a stand for them.
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Like many of us, Zahi is an accomplished entrepreneur and small business owner with a background in a completely different field. Zahi began working in healthcare, but his insight and vision led him to be the first guide on Airbnb Experiences in Morocco.
Born and raised in Fez, Zahi is excited to meet new people from other countries. His career as a tour guide provides a platform for him to engage in an interchange of cultures and traditions with people from all over the world. Zahi walks visitors through a path of time to discover the hidden secrets of Fez and its inspiring culture, food, locals, lifestyle, artisanal handicrafts, and beyond.
In this episode, Zahi prepares you for your future visit as you walk over 60km (37mi) in his shoes. Fall into the city of Fez, Morocco, a city more than 1200 years old with over 9000 small streets crafted into a historical maze. See the artisans and children weave in and out of their compassionate city while the aroma of argan oil fills the air.
Additionally, Zahi provides a history of how he was an integral part of Airbnb Experience beginning in Fez. Zahi also addresses the challenges of becoming an official tour guide and finding customers. Further, he expands and compares the compensation of tour guides to other occupations in Fez. Seeing the Moroccan economy through Zahi’s eyes paints a comprehensive picture of why the struggle to find customers is worth every effort.
Later, catch the inside story of how COVID-19 has affected the Moroccan economy, the tourism industry, and Zahi’s business. Zahi explains the Moroccon Government’s response and how the tourism industry has been affected. Learn how Zahi’s flexibility in using his education rooted in technology is opening up new opportunities for him to explore dropshipping and exporting Moroccon treasures. Yet, Zahi also tells the heart-rending story of how many of his colleagues are struggling to replace their income.
Each story that Zahi tells breathes to life into the resilience and kindness of the people of Fez. Listen in as Zahi describes Fez as the quintessential destination of exploration and historical secrets. As Zahi speaks, imagine the maze of the Medina and the generous spirit of the people.
Stay tuned as Zahi describes the Moroccan philosophy and how it molds their spirit to motivate them as they come to the aid of anyone without being asked.
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Zahi’s Airbnb Experience - Fès
See how Moroccon Oil has affected the beauty industry in Episode #0008
Zahi talks COVID-19 in Morocco - also hear Jeremy Jacobs in episode #0009 talk COVID-19 and business in the UK
Dax is a Partner @ FIRESIDE. Learn more about our marketing services for small business owners.
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Jeremy Jacobs is the owner of Raise Bakery, a family-run business in Sussex creating mouthwatering cakes that take classic British influences and give them an American twist. He has a love for all things food, especially cake. Being taught how to make the perfect sponge cake at a very young age gave him the start in life he needed to run a bakery.
In this episode, Jeremy explains the drive behind his entrepreneurial spirit. Jeremy knew he wanted to run his own business when he realized that he could do everything better than his bosses. He doesn’t like being told what to do or being controlled by others. Jeremy’s bosses would probably say that he was a pain in the ass to work with. At sixteen, Jeremy built his first website – he has always had the drive to work on his own.
Then, Jeremy speaks about landing a deal with Virgin Airlines. Jeremy says that Virgin Airlines found Raise Bakery from an advertisement on Google. Plus, the Raise Bakery website tells you everything that you need to know without having to speak to anyone – they always get loads of compliments about it.
Raise Bakery scored a daily 5,000 cupcake deal with the airline. When Jeremy landed the Virgin deal, they needed to spend $150,000 scaling the bakery. At the time, Jeremy didn’t have the confidence to reach out to people and ask for help. Now, Jeremy likes to help struggling business owners have enough courage to ask for help.
Plus, Jeremy reveals the details of his Cupcake Wars experience. Unfortunately, they did not win – but they did get second place! The judges said that it was their most prolonged deliberation ever.
Later, Jeremy speaks about the effects of COVID-19 on Raise Bakery. Virtually, COVID-19 completely destroyed the business in one day. All of Jeremy’s customers have closed their doors – everything dried up for Raise Bakery. They are expecting their customers to come back, but it’s a matter of when and to what level.
Jeremy keeps four months of income in the bank. Fortunately, that money bought Raise Bakery some time during COVID-19. Also, the government was able to prevent unemployment for businesses and pay eighty percent of furloughed workers’ salaries. Jeremy says it was straightforward to make a business claim and receive assistance.
Stay tuned as Jeremy speaks about his MBA program and how language can play a role in your business mindset.
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Find Jeremy on Facebook
Check out Raise Bakery
Infographic showing small business confusion for SBA PPP Loans
Cookie Jar Business Consulting
Dax is a Partner @ FIRESIDE. Learn more about our marketing services for small business owners.
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Eighty percent of stylists don’t like the bridal industry and don’t do it. The traditional route for beauty experts after beauty school is to work in a salon or own a salon. For as long as Nine could remember, she always knew that she was going to start a business. However, Nine knew that she didn’t want to own a salon. After thinking about other companies she could create, Nine realized that there were not many options for bridal hair in Colorado.
In 2015, Nine Morrison decided to start WedLocks. The idea behind it was to provide stellar professional, on-location beauty services to couples in Colorado. Nine really just wanted to give couples a sense of comfort knowing their needs will be taken care of, and that they will feel like the most gorgeous, and true version of themselves.
At first, Nine didn’t have a passion for bridal. She worked hard at learning how to do wedding upstyles and wedding makeup. Now, Nine is a Moroccanoil and bridal hair expert! Plus, Nine educates beauty professionals on how to build a super successful business. There are loads of free resources to check out on the WedLocks website.
Nine explains why beauty professionals aren’t doing weddings – they aren’t educated in the hairstyles, and they don’t want to work with bridezillas. Last year, Nine worked with 433 brides, and they only had one bride that they fired. Nine realized that they were not going to be a fit and she found the bride a different company to work with.
Nine dives deep into the WedLocks company structure. The company structure is always changing and improving for the better based on the client experience. Nine just switched everyone over from independent contractors to employees because they wanted to maintain control over the quality of service provided. Nine doesn’t know any other bridal hair companies that hire employees.
Stay tuned as Nine explains how she blew her original business goals out of the water – she seriously underestimated the need for what they were doing. Plus, Nine describes the importance of brand awareness and gives tips on how to work with your spouse.
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Check out WedLocks
Find WedLocks on Facebook
Learn more about Moroccanoil
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“Fear is the enemy; I try to face it head-on” says Brandon Ford, the founder of TripHero (gotriphero.com),who worked his way from humble beginning to an Ivy-League education and a law degree, with a spell in the Marines along the way. Moving to Vail, Colorado, after losing his job in 2008, Brandon began working as a ski valet and saw the problem people had when traveling with their luggage and gear.
Brandon explains the inspiration behind TripHero. Their mission is to make it as easy as humanly possible to travel the world with the equipment you need to pursue your passions and explore both on and off the beaten path.
Brandon started his first business at the age of five, going around campgrounds collecting recycling. Before the age of twelve, he was selling t-shirts and flowers.
Brandon dives deep into the steps it took for him to get TripHero off the ground. The first question Brandon would get from potential investors was how many have you sold, but that point the answer was always none. Brandon knew he would have to go out there and get sales somehow to overcome that hurdle. Doing this helped Brandon realize how eager people were eager to ship their stuff, and he learned how to sell the concept of TripHero.
As an entrepreneur, Brandon learned that felt how willing people were to help, and how easy it was to find a meaningful mentor. There are loads of people out there who want to be mentors and see other entrepreneurs succeed. A mentor and mentee will both get a significant amount of value out of the relationship. Brandon says you should find a mentor who has been down a similar path that you are looking to go down. As an entrepreneur, you should not be afraid to ask for help. When you ask for help, the worst thing a person can say is no.
Then, Brandon speaks about his first hires, partnerships, and the relationships he built along the way to get TripHero off the ground, including purchasing a FedEx shipping franchise to ultimately gain a more significant partnership with the FedEx parent company.
Brandon realized that luggage and packages are a huge pain point for the hotels, too, because they are often ill-equipped to receive loads of packages. Part of the solution is to have TripHero employees on the properties.
Later, Brandon speaks about the lack of marketing dollars they have spent. He says you need to know where and when to spend the money and shouldn’t be spending it unless you know how it is going to benefit you.
Stay tuned as Brandon explains why you won’t find a work-life balance as an entrepreneur.
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Find Brandon on LinkedIn
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If something happened to your loved ones, is there a plan in place? Pam says COVID-19 has been a time where people are thinking about their estate planning more than ever. In this episode, Pam Maass dives deep into her law background, the importance of self-care, and her passion for women's empowerment, with Dax Hamman (Partner @ FIRESIDE).
Pam has dedicated her career to advocating for and protecting children and families. As a former Felony Deputy District Attorney, Pam saw first-hand the challenges families face in the legal system. Pam founded Maass Law to empower families with a better approach. Pam also represents survivors of sexual assault and abuse with the challenges she saw first-hand for survivors when opposing powerful institutions and persons. Headquartered in Denver, Pam provides legal planning support to families and represents women throughout Colorado and is available to act as co-counsel for victims of sexual assault throughout the U.S. Regardless of where you live, Pam can help answer your questions or will listen if you need someone to talk to.
In this episode, Pam Maas speaks about the inspiration behind her law career. Actually, her family wasn't super pumped when she decided to study law. Pam started her career as a District Attorney. On the first day of the job, Pam was sent to a crime scene and saw a dead body. The DA office is passionate about observing everything as much as they can – that's why the DA is often sent to a crime scene. One of Pam's passions is helping survivors after violence and sexual assault. There is a massive weight to living in that narrative - self-care is essential when you live in that world. Self-care isn't about doing a gigantic thing; it's about building a bank up inside of you. For instance, listening to music and talking a walk. So, when something intense happens, those actions can take the edge off.
Mentally, it was challenging for Pam to take the entrepreneurial leap into private practice. It took a lot to get over her fear of personal and financial failure. However, Pam was able to muster up the courage and dive deep into her life's work. There is a lot of opportunity in law to find excitement in larger firms or on your own. In a lot of ways, the legal field is behind in the times on gender equity. Most women leave the legal profession within the first ten years. The women who don't leave will start their own law firms. A big motivator for Pam to start her firm was because she wanted a child. It didn't seem possible to stay at the big firm with a child. However, COVID-19 has allowed Pam to practice virtually – it has made being pregnant so much easier.
Then, Pam talks about communication in her practice - most of Pam's clients have been very comfortable using Zoom. There is more of an urgency for estate planning during COVID-19. If something happens to your loved ones, then what is your plan? People have been starting to consider this more often and need assistance with their estate planning. There is so much that we can't control, but estate planning is something that we can. Pam always does estate planning with a couple – they need to consent to work together. Her background is in women's empowerment, so she attracts a lot of women to her practice. Sometimes, there is a more dominant person in the conversation when it comes to estate planning. It's Pam's job to let both people feel comfortable enough to speak up. Stay tuned as Pam dives deep into her business, about hiring business coaches, and how Pam markets her practice.
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Maass Law
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What does it mean to be healthy? Most people don’t even know what health is. Dr. Miller explains health, chiropractic care, and the importance of prevention when it comes to our overall wellbeing. Plus, Dr. Miller dives deep into what it takes to grow and run your own chiropractic practice.
This episode is hosted by Dax, partner at FIRESIDE, a marketing services company for small businesses.
Dr. Jason Miller is the co-founder of PostureWorks and is a recognized expert in wellness and lifestyle science. In addition to clinical practice, Dr. Miller serves as an instructor for Chiropractic BioPhysics Seminars, teaching lectures at four chiropractic colleges and two medical schools. Dr. Miller has been honored with many awards, including the LCCW Presidents Circle, the 2007 Chiropractic BioPhysics Outstanding Achievement Award, and was named Chiropractor of the Year at the 2013 Chiropractic BioPhysics International Convention. His most significant accomplishment, however, lay within the many lives he has touched and the blessing he feels to be able to help so many people not only add years to their lives but life to their years.
In this episode, Dr. Miller opens the show discussing the meaning of chiropractic work. It’s a drugless health profession. They focus on the physical and structural aspects of a person’s health. We all start breaking down over time. Like any machine, the body gets wear and tear. A chiropractor will try to slow the wear down. Plus, they focus on being proactive and prevention-oriented. Most of Dr. Miller’s patients are already in a crisis situation. However, chiropractors can better serve people by doing maintenance before a considerable problem occurs. Our habits are worsening our degenerative processes. Even elementary kids are experiencing degenerative processes. Both the pain levels and degenerative processes are popping up more often among younger generations.
A person who is in a crisis situation has a lot more work to do. They need to stop the crisis and build more strength into their body. It takes more work for both the patient and the chiropractor to accomplish those goals. Someone who hasn’t been through a crisis is a lot less work. Our society has completely lost track of what it takes to maintain one’s health. In fact, most people don’t even know what health is. What does it mean to be healthy? Most people think being healthy means that you do not have an active complaint. However, we should be living a lifestyle that our body needs. In general, we should be building in preventative work into our health routines.
Dr. Miller knew he wanted to run his own practice. He spent a lot of time working on his business plan. However, it was printed the day the stock market crashed in 2008 – no bank would look at the plan. There were times when Dr. Miller and his partner were worried about finances. They were never worried about providing care, though. With no marketing budget, they did some gorilla marketing and found interesting tactics to spread their knowledge. The chiropractic profession has an attrition rate because there is no business training. It’s a huge problem that chiropractic doctors do not have a background in business. Part of Dr. Miller’s business model is training other people to be successful. Stay tuned, as Dr. Miller explains Chiropractic BioPhysics and how to manage business/personal relationships.
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PostureWorks
FIRESIDE for small business marketing
S'Mores, By FIRESIDE
Headspace
Chiropractic BioPhysics
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In law school, family law is not spoken about much; it could be said some in the establishment considers it to be akin to ambulance chasing. However, Kelley believes that when a relationship breaks down those individuals are entitled to a better future, and her office can help them achieve that. She found that family law allowed her to cross her passion for litigation with her passion for counseling her clients.
The first of our guests to be sat in front of an actual fire for our S’Mores conversation, Kelley is an attorney with her own family law firm (Rider Goodwin Law) and more recently launched a platform for divorce in Colorado for individuals who can’t afford full representation, Untie The Knot.
Untie The Knot came about during her time at Legal Aid when Kelley learned about the many individuals who can’t afford representation, leading to them making uninformed decisions based entirely on internet advice or from their friends and co-workers. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the problem was amplified by more people wanting to get divorced, but also a large number of people losing their jobs at the same time.
COVID had broad impacts on the industry of divorce. Kelley’s firm all worked from home, but they had to find ways to recreate the confidential office bubble in the home environment. Further, the Courts were effectively closed in Colorado, meaning litigation could not happen, and more divorces actually ended up in settlements. If that were to become a trend, that could lift a lot of pressure from the Court system in the long term.
Fascinatingly, the judicial officers hate family law cases as Kelley explains they say they feel like they are the least informed person in the room making really important decisions about strangers. We need to spare a thought for the well-being of those officers too - the burnout rate from listening to domestic abuse cases every day must be crushing.
Kelley has interesting opinions about prenuptial agreements for soon to be married couples. For those that choose not to have one, Kelley wishes at least that couples would have a plan for what would happen to the children in case the worst happens.
Talking about the business of law, Kelley’s office is structured with a heavy number of attorneys, and one paralegal for every two attorneys. Some offices structure the opposite way. The attorneys don’t necessarily specialize in specific case types, but instead, do focus more on specific counties and their nuances.
At FIRESIDE we care a lot about the mental health of founders and business leaders. Kelley, of course, operates within an environment where she and her team are exposed to very hard topics. One coping mechanism that Kelley and her husband not to talk about the facts of a case at home but describes mental wellbeing as an ongoing process. Listen to Kelley talk about vicarious (or secondary) trauma similar to that experienced by first responders.
Kelley and Dax discussed a number of practical tips for creating some sort of boundary between work and home life, including using delayed delivery in Outlook for email, setting the right expectations with clients about when they’re reachable. Kelley quotes from a book (“The One Thing”) that states it can be 15-30 minutes to establish focus again after a distraction.
Kelley had never run a business before she established RGL. This led her to a coaching program for lawyers first, and then to become a member of EO Accelerator program, and now a fully-fledged EO member.
Additionally, Kelley has worked with a professional coach for the last 4 years. Her coach takes a high-level view, helping her refine her behaviors and make good decisions. She can measure the impact in financial terms, but also feels it through mindset growth.
It was very interesting to hear how Kelley is so very in tune with herself and her own personality and what motivates her. Her old coaching program was about fear and that is a paralyzing emotion for her. It was very generous of her to share her learnings and personal development.
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The podcast currently has 13 episodes available.