The Chris Harder Show

Have you ever felt like you're building your dream business, but somehow you've built yourself a prison instead? In this episode, Lori and I are breaking down 4 surprising reasons entrepreneurship can feel so freaking lonely, even when you're surrounded by people all day. We're diving into why leading a team can actually make you feel more isolated and how to break out of that cycle by intentionally surrounding yourself with people who truly understand you. I'll also share why we shifted away from traditional masterminds to create more intimate, experience-driven connections through FOUND. If you've been craving deeper friendships, fresh ideas, and a circle of people who push you to grow, this episode will remind you that entrepreneurship doesn't have to be lonely.

HIGHLIGHTS

• The 4 surprising reasons entrepreneurship can feel so lonely, even when you're surrounded by people.

• Why being part of a small percentage of full-time entrepreneurs can make you feel misunderstood by friends and family.

• How wearing too many hats in your business leaves you exhausted and disconnected from your social life.

• Why viewing other entrepreneurs as competitors instead of collaborators is holding back your growth and relationships.

• What wildflowers, car dealerships, and shopping malls can teach you about the power of collaboration.

• Why leading a team can create emotional distance, even when you're interacting with people all day.

• How intentional experiences and a strong circle of entrepreneurs can help you build deeper connections and generate better business ideas.

RESOURCES

Join me for a FOUND Entrepreneurial Experience to spark bigger ideas, build meaningful connections, and grow alongside ambitious entrepreneurs at chrisharder.me/found!

Want help growing your Instagram without having to figure out what to post or find time to post it? LEARN MORE ABOUT THE BRAND LAB HERE!

Learn how to turn podcast guesting into massive sales, ⁠⁠save your spot for the free live training HERE⁠⁠!

Join the most supportive mastermind on the internet - The Collective!

Make More Sales in the next 90 days - GET THE BLUEPRINT HERE!

Check out upcoming events + Masterminds: chrisharder.me

FOLLOW

Chris: @chriswharder

Lori: @loriharder

Frello: @frello_app

No matter who controls the House, the Senate, or the presidency, YOU are still in control of your success. With the midterm elections behind us and everyone sharing their hot takes about what happens next, I'm breaking down why I believe politics has far less influence over your business than you might think. After more than 30 years as an entrepreneur, I've experienced massive wins and failures under both Democratic and Republican leadership, and I can tell you that the biggest determining factor has never been who's in Washington. I'm sharing my 99% rule for business success, why surrounding yourself with people who have different perspectives can actually help you recognize more opportunities, and the daily actions that will determine your results over the next 2 years. If you've been feeling uncertain about the economy, the election results, or what's coming next, this episode will remind you exactly where your power lies.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Why I believe election results have only a 1% impact on your business success.

• What 30+ years of entrepreneurship taught me about building successful businesses under both political parties.

• How surrounding yourself with people who have different political perspectives helps you recognize opportunities others miss.

• Why your mindset, discipline, habits, and willingness to take action matter more than what's happening in Washington.

• How fear and negative predictions can become self-fulfilling prophecies that hold your business back.

• Why the most valuable business lessons often happen in conversations outside the conference room.

• How to build a circle of entrepreneurs who challenge you, support you, and push you to achieve more.

RESOURCES

Join me for a FOUND Entrepreneurial Experience to spark bigger ideas, build meaningful connections, and grow alongside ambitious entrepreneurs at chrisharder.me/found!

Want help growing your Instagram without having to figure out what to post or find time to post it? LEARN MORE ABOUT THE BRAND LAB HERE!

Join the most supportive mastermind on the internet - the Mentor Collective Mastermind!

Make More Sales in the next 90 days - GET THE BLUEPRINT HERE!

Check out upcoming events + Masterminds: chrisharder.me

Text DAILY to 310-421-0416 to get daily Money Mantras to boost your day.

FOLLOW

Chris: @chriswharder

Frello: @frello_app

Have you ever felt guilty for wanting more when you already have a good life? Lori and I keep coming back to the same question: Should we step away from our personal brands and businesses and just retire? In this throwback episode, we share what that conversation has taught us about ambition, fulfillment, and why a simpler life doesn't always mean a happier life. We also walk through an exercise to help you stop chasing the wrong dreams, get honest about what you actually want long-term, and make decisions that reflect your own definition of success. You don't have to apologize for wanting MORE. Give yourself the permission to own your ambition and build a life that's enough for YOU.

HIGHLIGHTS

• How to recognize when you're chasing someone else's version of success instead of your own.

• How to know if you're playing small or if a simpler life would actually make you happier.

• How to stop feeling guilty for wanting MORE out of your life and career.

• How to pursue your biggest dreams without needing everyone around you to understand them.

• How to let go of resentment when your friends and family don't share your ambitions.

• What a month-long vacation taught me about what truly makes me happy and fulfilled.

• A powerful exercise to get crystal clear on what you REALLY want out of life.

• How to figure out whether building a bigger business or creating more freedom is the right path for YOU.

RESOURCES

Want help growing your Instagram without having to figure out what to post or find time to post it? LEARN MORE ABOUT THE BRAND LAB HERE!

Join the most supportive mastermind on the internet - the Mentor Collective Mastermind!

Make More Sales in the next 90 days - GET THE BLUEPRINT HERE!

Check out upcoming events + Masterminds: chrisharder.me

Text DAILY to 310-421-0416 to get daily Money Mantras to boost your day.

FOLLOW

Chris: @chriswharder

Lori: @loriharder

Frello: @frello_app

Are you struggling to attract new customers, spending too much on ads, or constantly trying to figure out how to get more attention on social media? In this episode, I break down why getting booked on other people's podcasts is one of the smartest ways to grow your business, build trust, and attract new customers without relying on a huge marketing budget. I also share how to borrow someone else's know, like, and trust factor, turn your personal experiences into compelling stories, and move listeners from discovering you to becoming potential customers. Tune in to learn how to turn your stories into more visibility, stronger connections, and new customers.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Why podcast guesting is an overlooked opportunity to attract new customers.

• How to borrow someone else's know, like, and trust factor to attract potential customers.

• Why your everyday life experiences could be the stories that make people connect with you.

• How to turn everyday experiences into stories that connect with your audience and support what you sell.

• How to create a path from podcast listener to potential customer without relying on expensive advertising.

RESOURCES

Want help growing your Instagram without having to figure out what to post or find time to post it? LEARN MORE ABOUT THE BRAND LAB HERE!

Learn how to get booked and get paid, ⁠⁠save your spot for Lori's Million Dollar Guest free live training HERE⁠⁠!

Join the most supportive mastermind on the internet - the Mentor Collective Mastermind!

Make More Sales in the next 90 days - GET THE BLUEPRINT HERE!

Check out upcoming events + Masterminds: chrisharder.me

Text DAILY to 310-421-0416 to get daily Money Mantras to boost your day.

FOLLOW

Chris: @chriswharder

Frello: @frello_app

Are you putting more time into social media but getting less reach, fewer opportunities, and diminishing returns? In this episode, Lori and I break down the numbers behind declining organic reach on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok, and explain why the problem isn't necessarily your content but the growing competition for attention. We look at why podcasting offers a powerful alternative, from building deeper trust through long-form storytelling to influencing buying decisions and attracting high-ticket clients. I also share what we learned from filling a $50,000 mastermind and why getting in front of someone else's audience can be one of the smartest ways to grow your business. Get ready to stop fighting for attention in an overcrowded feed and start turning borrowed audiences into real business opportunities.

HIGHLIGHTS

• The shocking statistics behind declining social media reach and why your content isn't getting seen.

• Why posting more content isn't necessarily the answer to growing your audience and making more sales.

• How podcast guesting can help you reach new audiences who are already primed to trust and buy.

• The surprising difference between podcast hosts and social media influencers when it comes to influencing buying decisions.

• Why storytelling and long-form conversations are so powerful for building trust and converting listeners into customers.

• How we used podcasting to attract clients willing to invest $50K in our mastermind.

• What the most successful sales strategies from QVC, radio, and infomercials can teach you about selling through storytelling.

• How to get your offers in front of qualified buyers without spending a fortune on advertising.

• The simple changes that can help you stand out to podcast hosts, get booked on more shows, and turn interviews into paying customers.

RESOURCES

Want help growing your Instagram without having to figure out what to post or find time to post it? LEARN MORE ABOUT THE BRAND LAB HERE!

Join the most supportive mastermind on the internet - The Collective!

Make More Sales in the next 90 days - GET THE BLUEPRINT HERE!

Check out upcoming events + Masterminds: chrisharder.me

FOLLOW

Chris: @chriswharder

Lori: @loriharder

Frello: @frello_app

What do you do when the thing that has paid you well for nine years is still working, and you already know it is time to end it? In this episode, I break down why I shut down the Elite Entrepreneur Mastermind - a program that brought in almost $13 million over nine years and that we could have just kept running. I share what I am seeing change in how entrepreneurs want to learn, why AI is pushing people back toward real rooms with real people, and what my dad's death and my own stroke taught me about how I want to spend the time I have. Tune in to hear the question I would ask about your own business before the market answers it for you.

HIGHLIGHTS

- Why I walked away from a nine-year program that was still profitable and still full.

- The one comment from Lewis Howes that made the whole thing exist in the first place.

- What nine years and about 200 members actually produced, in real numbers.

- How the mastermind industry got bastardized, and why that matters to you as a buyer.

- The Wayne Gretzky question I would ask about your product right now.

- What my dad's death and my own stroke changed about how I work.

- Why the unscalable version of your offer may be worth more than the scaled one.

01:14 Nine years as the mastermind guy

01:52 The comment from Lewis Howes that started it

02:37 Announcing the last ever event

03:18 What is changing in how entrepreneurs want to learn

03:39 Why AI is pushing people back to real rooms

04:13 What nine years of the mastermind actually produced

04:47 The last dinner and the questions they asked

05:45 Skate where the puck is going

06:47 How the mastermind industry got bastardized

07:43 What people really want from a room now

08:39 Why I shut down something this profitable

09:06 Ever since the stroke, what I actually want

14:22 My one regret about the mastermind

14:55 Why doing the unscalable is where the value is

RESOURCES

Want to join me on an upcoming trip? Comment "FOUND" on one of my Instagram posts or DM me on Instagram, and I'll send you the details.

Get a customized social media strategy and $1,000 off with code CHRIS. LEARN MORE ABOUT THE BRAND LAB HERE!

Join the most supportive mastermind on the internet - the Mentor Collective Mastermind!

Make More Sales in the next 90 days - GET THE BLUEPRINT HERE!

Check out upcoming events + Masterminds: chrisharder.me

Text DAILY to 310-421-0416 to get daily Money Mantras to boost your day.

FOLLOW

Chris: @chriswharder

Lori: @loriharder

Frello: @frello_app

What happens when the life you've worked hard to build starts feeling too busy? In this episode, Lori and I open up about realizing we had too many moving parts in our lives and wanted more peace, space, creativity, and more time for friends and family. We share the unexpected encounter with a neighbor who gave us a book that seemed to speak directly to what we had been asking for, prompting us to rethink our priorities. I also break down an exercise that helps you calculate what your ideal life costs and identify what might need to change in your spending, business, or priorities to support it. Get ready to discover what enough looks like for you and make room for more of what matters most.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Why Lori and I realized our busy lives were costing us the peace we wanted.

• The unexpected book our neighbor gave us when we were asking for more peace and simplicity.

• What helped us rethink our priorities and find more peace.

• How to use the Dream Life Budget to identify what you want more of and what you can let go of.

• Why earning more money doesn't always mean you're living your dream life.

• The "Goldilocks Budget" and finding the sweet spot between too much and too little.

RESOURCES

Learn how to turn podcast guesting into massive sales, ⁠⁠save your spot for the free live training HERE⁠⁠!

Learn about the Dream Life Budget by messaging Chris on Instagram: @chriswharder

Want help growing your Instagram without having to figure out what to post or find time to post it? LEARN MORE ABOUT THE BRAND LAB HERE!

Join the most supportive mastermind on the internet - the Mentor Collective Mastermind!

Make More Sales in the next 90 days - GET THE BLUEPRINT HERE!

Check out upcoming events + Masterminds: chrisharder.me

Text DAILY to 310-421-0416 to get daily Money Mantras to boost your day.

FOLLOW

Chris: @chriswharder

Lori: @loriharder

Frello: @frello_app

What if the opportunity you've been waiting for isn't something you can buy your way into? In this episode, I break down the single best investment I've ever made - and it isn't the startup round that's now worth 21 times what I put in. I share how a $2,000 dinner in Los Angeles in 2011, back when I didn't know anybody, turned into the network that still brings me every deal worth having. Tune in to hear why proximity is the asset you can't replace, and what to do about it if you're the smallest fish in the room right now.

In this Episode, You Will Learn

- The investor-call slide that made me stop and reread it.

- Why a 21X valuation still isn't the best investment I've ever made.

- How I went from knowing nobody in Los Angeles to filling rooms with the people I wanted to meet.

- The $2,000 dinner bill that quietly started all of it.

- Why startup investing is one of the worst bets you'll ever make - and why I keep making it.

- The friends-and-family round I'd have never been invited into without one dinner.

- What to build, or buy into, if you want the same kind of deal flow.

01:25 The investor call that reset the math

02:46 The slide I couldn't believe

03:11 Why 21X is not my best investment

03:32 2011: a fish out of water in Los Angeles

04:15 Why I started buying dinner for strangers

05:08 The $2,000 bill that started everything

07:28 The dinner where I met the founder

08:42 The text that opened the round

10:11 Why startup investing is usually a losing bet

10:45 Deal flow comes from proximity, not luck

12:49 The network I still call on today

14:09 Build the room, the table, or the stage

RESOURCES

Join us on our next Found Trip: Comment "FOUND" on any of my Instagram posts to receive the link for the announcement of his next four-day FOUND trip.

Want help growing your Instagram without having to figure out what to post or find time to post it? LEARN MORE ABOUT THE BRAND LAB HERE!

Join the most supportive mastermind on the internet - the Mentor Collective Mastermind!

Make More Sales in the next 90 days - GET THE BLUEPRINT HERE!

Check out upcoming events + Masterminds: chrisharder.me

Text DAILY to 310-421-0416 to get daily Money Mantras to boost your day.

FOLLOW

Chris: @chriswharder

Frello: @frello_app

When you're so caught up in the daily grind that you lose sight of what you're working toward, even success can start to feel like a chore. In this throwback episode, Lori and I are asking each other some of the questions that have helped us stay connected to our dreams, navigate challenging seasons in business, and find more happiness along the way. We're sharing how we keep our biggest goals front and center, the simple habits that help us turn tough days around, and why stepping away from work might actually be the fastest way to your next breakthrough. Plus, we get personal about what we're most proud of right now, what we wish we made more time for, and the mindset shift that helps us find wins even when everything seems to be going wrong. If you've been feeling overwhelmed, unmotivated, or disconnected from the bigger picture, this conversation will help you get back to what makes all your hard work worth it.

HIGHLIGHTS

• The one business responsibility Lori would keep if she had to delegate everything else.

• How to turn challenging setbacks into opportunities for personal growth.

• Why making more time for creativity and play can lead to bigger business breakthroughs.

• The simple way we keep our biggest dreams alive when the daily grind takes over.

• How to use what I call "positive propaganda" to stay motivated and believe in what's possible.

• Lori's go-to strategies for navigating stressful days without letting them derail her.

• The mindset shift that helps us find something to celebrate, even on our toughest days.

RESOURCES

Want help growing your Instagram without having to figure out what to post or find time to post it? LEARN MORE ABOUT THE BRAND LAB HERE!

Check out upcoming events + Masterminds: chrisharder.me

Text DAILY to 310-421-0416 to get daily Money Mantras to boost your day.

FOLLOW

Chris: @chriswharder

Lori: @loriharder

Frello: @frello_app

Are you sitting on the sidelines waiting for a "better time" to start, pivot, or rebuild from scratch? Starting over in business might be the best thing that ever happens to you, especially right now. Whether you're launching your first business, pivoting from something that isn't working, or ready to build your next big thing, I'm breaking down three reasons there's NEVER been a better time to start from scratch. Between AI making it possible to build with fewer resources, massive changes creating brand-new problems people will pay to solve, and the cost of launching a business dropping dramatically, the opportunities in front of you are bigger than you might realize. I'll share real examples of entrepreneurs doing more with smaller teams, how to use AI to test and launch your next idea, and how to position yourself as the expert people need in a rapidly changing market. If you've been waiting for the right time to take your next big swing, this episode is your sign to stop waiting.

In this Episode, You Will Learn

• The 3 major shifts making NOW the best time to start, restart, or pivot your business.

• How entrepreneurs are building bigger businesses with smaller teams and dramatically fewer resources.

• How to use AI to validate your next business idea and launch without spending a fortune.

• Where to find brand-new business opportunities hiding inside today's biggest disruptions.

• How to turn your existing skills and experience into expertise people will pay for.

• Why starting a product-based business no longer requires the massive upfront investment it once did.

• How to take advantage of this unique window of opportunity before you miss your chance.

Join us on our next Found Trip: Comment "FOUND" on any of my Instagram posts to receive the link for the announcement of his next four-day FOUND trip.

Want help growing your Instagram without having to figure out what to post or find time to post it? LEARN MORE ABOUT THE BRAND LAB HERE!

Join the most supportive mastermind on the internet - the Mentor Collective Mastermind!

Make More Sales in the next 90 days - GET THE BLUEPRINT HERE!

Check out upcoming events + Masterminds: chrisharder.me

Text DAILY to 310-421-0416 to get daily Money Mantras to boost your day.

FOLLOW

Chris: @chriswharder

Frello: @frello_app