The Derek Loudermilk Show

Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash
Before I coached entrepreneurs, I coached professional athletes and there is a lot of overlap. Here are 10 entrepreneurship lessons that translate from from the world of Pro sports:


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Manage your energy. Pro athletes know that the most important thing is recovery. In sports, you can't improve unless you give your body time to rest and adapt. Learn to understand your physical body and how it best operates. Understand the aspects that provide you with that fire so that when you need to be on point, you are going to be performing at your highest level.
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Self experimentation. Study yourself so you know how you perform best. Try different times of day, different foods, technologies, etc.
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Seek progression. Find the best coaches, design your training around ways to keep getting better. Understand what the next level looks like by looking at the worlds bests. Hiring expert coaches and competitors to highlight the smaller and smaller areas for improvement
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Make the basics unconscious. Get so good at the basic skills that you don’t have to think about them any more
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Rehearsal. Pros understand what a perfect practice looks like. If you mentally rehearse the perfect stroke, you are going to improve much faster. They place themselves in a situation before it really happens making then comfortable when the situation does happen.
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Mental toughness. Pros do workouts that are harder than their competition days so they know they will be able to handle the hardest situation
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Understand your psychology. Notice when you lose focus, notice your self talk, understand your motivation
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Optimize for the most important output. Define the rules of the game you are playing in life and how to win. You don’t have to be the best at everything to win - just key skills in your one sport or your one career output - getting too much muscle can make you run up mountains slower for example
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Optimize your routine. Patterns, rituals, habits can help get you in the zone, and take care of the things you do over and over.
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Embrace pressure, challenge, get comfortable with the difficulty
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Keep the joy. Get to the place where you really love what you are doing. Enjoy mastering something, get back in as to why you were trying to enjoy that thing in the first place. If you don't think you can find that joy, then something is out of alignment

 
Today’s guest on the Art of Adventure podcast is the amazing copywriter and persuasive writer, Chen Lehner. Chen has quickly grown a six-figure business running ad campaigns for other businesses. He teaches people how to write persuasively and write sales copy. He also helps entrepreneurs make money online.
Chen considers himself a healer. He helps other people find their passion. He wants to help humanity. He want to understand further human behavior and how and why people change so that he can contribute and help in making this a better humanity and eventually have a better world.
Let’s take a peek at how Chen’s mind works as he shares with us to not overthink things. People get caught in formula and specific steps and structures and in he reminds us to write as you are. Chen writes from the heart and says that one should write words that create emotion for people. This can never be achieved when certain formulas are followed. As an advice, he also says stay in tune with your emotional self and connect with the emotions of others to generate that much needed action and to ignite that passion in others as well.
What you’ll learn in this episode:


* How Chen learned to be good at his copywriting skills so fast
* How Chen was able to get to the top of his game
* What Chen’s motivation is in his work
* How to connect with others and spark their emotions and generate actions

Quotes:
"Good marketers never stop trying to improve what they have created"
"Sales is about understanding humanity"

"Most people sit down and try to think their way into writing copy, but you have to feel it"

"The first things I change in people's copy writing is to add more white space"

"When writing copy, stay connected to your emotional self"

"Get into the mind and emotion of who you are talking to"

"If you understand what motivates someone, you can go into their world"

"The cutting edge of marketing is storytelling plus salesmanship"
Thanks to this week’s sponsors
Publishizer: The crowdfunding literary agency I used to launch Superconductors and Experience the Revolution.  If you are a Social media marketer, podcaster, coach, speaker, and woman in leadership, activist, founder, trendsetter, educator, entertainers or the like, submit your book idea to the Business Impact Book proposal contest - an agent will review your proposal and help you get started.
Continue the Adventure:
Chen Lehner

Linkedin

Twitter

Instagram

Medium

Facebook

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FREE 5-Day Master Your Message Challenge Starting May 27th, 2019

  

Preparing to ski out the next morning
This is the story of the nearly deadly snowstorm
It's dusk and I'm clawing my way out of the snow. I have just fallen off of the trail to neck-deep snow and I am using my ski to make stairs so that I could climb out of this pit of snow back onto this narrow trail and I could hardly see where I'm going because it's winter, and Valentine's Day, to add to that. The sun is setting, and this is the first Valentine's day with my then girlfriend. We were in Montana, and so, as every good survival tale, the story starts with the comedy of small errors.
We had decided to join our friends on a weekend trail to the fire tower. We only had touring skis, so we had to go through the long way, that is, to ski around the mountain. We were going to meet our friends as they would be getting there ahead of us. We drove to the starting point of the trail, and when we got there, we realized that the boots we had rented for my ex were two left boots! We did not turn around at this point as it would cost us a lot of time, so we headed on and continued to the trail.
Just before we had gotten out of cell service, that was when we realized we had no map with us. We quickly downloaded the map on one of the phones with us and it was amazing that we got the app just before we lost cell service. We were, however, limited by the battery life of the phone where we got the map on.
It started as a beautiful sunny day, but pretty soon a snowstorm rolls in. It starts snowing, more like a warm snow which started sticking at the bottom of the ski. Instead of covering five to eight miles an hour, we went to half a mile an hour! We had been at it for six hours, and the sun started to set, and the phone battery started to die, with no spare batteries at hand. We didn't even have head lamps. All these little dumb errors make this sound like a not-so-great adventure at this point.
The amazing thing about the trip was that we weren't fighting. We just kept moving up and figured our way to get there. Finally, we get to see the light of the light tower and saw our friends. It was such a relief when we got there.
Looking back, it is such a ridiculous story, we could have been so much better prepared, yet we survived and made it through! It was a wild and crazy adventure experience.
Let me know if you'd ever had a crazy survival story or what we call "type two fun!"

Today’s guest on the Art of Adventure podcast is a great writer, influencer, mentor, and founder of Digital Press, Nicolas Cole. Cole started as one of the top-ranked teenage gamers in the World of Warcraft and had since then found his way through the workings of the internet. He started a blog about gaming and became one of the most read blogs for gamers. Since then, there was no stopping him in sharing his ideas, experience, and expertise through his brilliant writing.
Cole is one of those rare individuals who are good at several things. He once focused on body building and became a fitness influencer. He wrote for Quora and became a top and viral writer. He is a columnist and eventually founded his own thought leadership and branding agency.
Take a look inside the thoughts of Cole as he teaches us building thought leadership through writing and writing in such a way that it is easy for the reader to engage. He shares how it is to build a unique voice in writing and being heard by your audience. Enjoy this episode as we get to listen and learn more about this world class writer, Nicolas Cole.
What you’ll learn in this episode:


* Building thought leadership through writing
* Writing in such a way that it is easy for readers to engage
* Building unique voice through writing
* How though leadership influences business
* How Cole got high quality mentors
* How mentorship is an investment and how you can get the best return
* How to sell in so many different fields

Quotes:
"Immerse yourself in a community in the thing you want to be the best at" - Nicolas Cole
"I'm led by curiosity - I will immerse myself if I am interested"- Nicolas Cole
"You can become financially successful at anything you want"- Nicolas Cole
"Mentorship is a gift - reciprocate by integrating it"- Nicolas Cole
"The most compelling writing is the intersection between answering a questions and telling a personal story"- Nicolas Cole
Continue the Adventure:
Nicolas Cole
Digital Press
Instagram
Quora
Minutes Magazine
Medium
 

This is the story of how I came face to face with a mountain lion.
It was sunset and I was running on the trails of the Santa Rosa plateau in California. We were staying there for a couple of months with my wife's family and everyday I would go up to this nature preserve with is this amazing trail, much like an African savanna. It had rocky outcrops and grassland. It was a wonderful place to spend some time running every evening.
I was running with a podcast playing. It said, "you need to be more present", and I realized that I was focusing on the what I was listening to and not the actual running. I then turned the podcast off and put everything away. It was then me running  and the sound of the crunchy gravel of the trails underneath my feet. It was very meditative. I got really deep into the zone, having ran for about an hour and a half.
There was deer running my path, and falcons were nearby. It was sunset and the slight breeze was cooling the day off. It was perfect. Just then, the coyotes started howling, calling back forth. It was eerie. As I was running back towards my car on the final stretch of the trail, I saw an animal ahead of me. I though it was interesting - could be a coyote that walked of the trail. I ran over the hills and got to the spot where the animal had been standing. I looked, and the animal was still there, just a few feet off the trail. The animal was laying  down, crouching at the outcrops. I thought it was interesting that the animal would let me close to it. I have never seen a coyote not run away before. I then realized, it wasn't a coyote after all! I was looking eye to eye with a mountain lion.
Because of the meditative run I had, I did not panic, and felt connected with the mountain lion instead. I just kept eye contact and slowly backed away. When I reached a bend, I immediately took off running and screaming! I ran as fast as I could back to the car.
It was so unreal, so the next day, I went and talked to the ranger who worked at the Santa Rosa Plateau. He then told me an interesting story which explained why the mountain lion had acted that way.
For me, it was a big reminder that even though we have been able to control the natural world, we have also forgotten the real wildness of nature. At times that I feel agitated, I come back to that moment with the mountain lion and remember what it felt like to arrive at that calm place. I use that as a trigger to pull myself back into a state of alignment. I remember that moment when I was at one with nature, which was also when I was at one with myself.

The guest on today’s podcast is the founder of Citrus and Gold, a marketing, coaching, and consulting business for thought leaders, Akansha Agrawal. As she puts it, Akansha helps purpose-driven brands find their voice & master their messaging to attract their dream customers and to create marketing content that not only sells but also feels good to promote.
In this episode, Akansha answers questions not only with regards to business and entrepreneurship, but also as to personal matters as well. She gives great straightforward advice and ideas based on her actual acquired knowledge and experience and shares how she applies this in certain situations.
You’ll love and enjoy listening to this interview with Akansha as she inspires you how to create great stories and the right content for the audience you want to attract and how to properly engage with them through social media.
What you’ll learn in this episode:


* How to create the right content, the engaging social media posts to lead someone to become your customer
* How to be good at honing in and relating to your customers
* How to understand your own business objective as a starting point in determining what to put out in terms of content
* How to do research and understand your customer and to make them the focal point of your posts
* How to make content that  ultimately generates income
* How Akansha’s team is helping her in her business

Quotes:
"You get to choose what you speak up for" - Akansha Agrawal

"What do you want to share but are afraid to say it?" - Akansha Agrawal

"There is no perfect way of marketing - you don't have to copy other people" - Akansha Agrawal

"The biggest mistake is not knowing why you are creating content"- Akansha Agrawal
Continue the Adventure:
Citrus and Gold
Instagram

For my 36th birthday last week, I decided to ride the longest ride I had ever done - 200km.  I had ridden long rides before, including races that were more than 170 km, but this would be just me and the open road. We are living in Portugal for a few months, and there are no mountains here, but there are also no flat places. I could expect just as much uphill as in the mountains.

In this episode, I talk about what I was thinking and feeling as I rode more than 9 hours, how i prepared for the process and some of the more philosophical reasons behind doing a big adventure challenge like this

Here are some themes and concepts that I cover in this episode:

* The film that inspired me: "35"
* Last years birthday challenge: 24 hours of adventure in Bali
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The amount of planning that goes into a big ride
* Why its important to test yourself
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Feeling the experience - there is no other way to know
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Comparison of this ride with other hard things and making future things feel easier
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Physiology change - did I "get in shape" in a single day?
* Managing nutrition during the ride
* Managing mental chatter during the ride
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The story of the world record setting "3 peaks challenge"
* My previous biggest day of cycling in Spain
* Racing against Lance Armstrong
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A near death experience being caught in a snow storm
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Why the ride was never too hard at any moment, but overall extremely challenging
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The superpower of being ok with discomfort
* Physical vs. Emotional discomfort

"People with privilege have a duty to do good things for the world" - Tommy Joiner
Today’s guest on the podcast is one of the co-founders of a seven-figure business, the ContentPros, Tommy Joiner. As a teacher and entrepreneur, Tommy started his freelancing business from nothing. With his skills, creativity, and interest for numbers, his business had grown big after many years and have catered to numerous clients.
In this episode, Tommy shares how he started his business. From teaching in South Korea, to finally landing and staying in Colombia, Tommy reveals the development of his business and how each country that he lived in has affected him personally, and his business as well.
You are going to enjoy this inside look into the mind of Tommy Joiner – an ever-evolving entrepreneur and business nerd. Listen as he shares his unique business model and how this has helped him live the nomadic life.
What you’ll learn in this episode:


* The development of Tommy’s business
* How each country he lived and stayed affected him personally
* How the different countries influenced his business
* How Tommy has grown and changed along with his business
* The psychology and reflections of someone who has become a successful entrpreneur

Quotes:
"You know you have leveled up when complaints don't make you loose sleep" - Tommy Joiner

"When you look back at your early work, you will probably feel embarrassed" - Tommy Joiner

"We have interacted with over 1500 writers over the life of the company" - Tommy Joiner

"If you experience enough hardship, you can look back with confidence" - Tommy Joiner

"People with privilege have a duty to do good things for the world" - Tommy Joiner
Continue the Adventure:
Instagram
ContentPros
 

From a free Glamping trip in 2018

Want to know how to get free trips and luxury hotel stays for being an influencer?

People get really excited about getting free trips, gear, or luxury hotel stays just by posting on Instagram. And guess what? It's totally possible and probably easier than you think.

The biggest thing is learning how to ask for what you want.

Sometimes hotels and businesses will find you and make you an offer, but most of the time staying in a castle or getting free hot air ballon rides doesn’t just fall into your lap - its up to you to go after the opportunities you want.

The next biggest focus should be to create a win-win situation (make sure both sides get value from a collaboration).

Wondering if your social media is really valuable enough to get free stuff? This is a great opportunity for a hotel to get in front of your audience - what would they pay for traditional advertising on TV or in a magazine?

It will probably easier for companies to say yes after you get to 1000+ Instagram followers or 100+ podcast/YouTube subscribers, but I have heard of people starting to get free stuff with as little as 7 followers.

Let's looks at an example - say you want to stay in a boutique hotel for two free nights in exchange for media exposure on your instagram account.

Here is what I have done that works really well:

Find out when the hotel has rooms available and go during low season. Its fairly low cost for a hotel to give you a couple free nights when they have extra capacity.

Find hotels or trips that align with your existing audience - the hotel wants to know that they could actually get some customers from your posts. In my case, I prefer to work with eco lodges or boutique hotels that are a little more adventurous.

I try to play the odds - if 10% of the hotels say yes to partnering with you, then how may would you want to pitch to guarantee you get a match? Generally I will send start by emailing 10-15 potential partner hotels. I find the email for the hotel manager or the marketing manager on the hotel website.

When you get to the hotel, make sure you know what photos/video/stories you want to capture and how long it will take you to collect those, so you can enjoy you experience when you are finished. I try to shoot photos of the room in the first 10 minutes before it gets messed up with luggage unpacking

I try to ask what has worked well for a hotel in the past and if there is any specific angle they would like to promote. When we were staying at castle Otocec in Slovenia, the hotel manager really wanted me to focus on their highly rated restaurant and the fresh local food (the breakfast buffet made me feel like a Lord)

Then I try to over deliver - if I promised five instagram posts, then I’ll do six, plus a facebook live, plus a mention on the podcast. I also make sure I give them all the photos I take so they can use them for later for their own social media.

When negotiating with hotels, it's great if you can provide some testimonials or case studies of hotels you have worked with in the past. So when people have reached out and said, “I went to this hotel after you mentioned it and had the best sleep I've had in years," I keep track of that in a file.

Sometimes a hotel can only give you part of what you ask for. For example, you might have to settle for one free night instead of two, and a discounted dinner instead of free.

I invite you to experiment and have some fun with this! You never know what you will get until you ask.
Examples of free hotel stays and trips we have gotten:

* Hot Air Ballooning in Southern California
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"Is the best possible result worth risking the worst result?" – Kristy Arnett
Today’s guest on the Art of Adventure is professional poker player and risk and relationship coach, Kristy Arnett. Kristy also hosts #RiskEveryday, a self improvement podcast. Kristy hosts a popular vlog about poker on YouTube.
In this episode, Kristy shows us how risk plays as a key component in adventure. She shares how she takes the risks she learned through poker and applies it in broadly in the aspects of her life, relationships, and business.
You’ll love how Kristy framed how the worst result as a reasonable risk for a chance at the best result. She mentions in this conversation the importance of joy in risk-taking. Listen as you will also get to discover Kristy’s secret as a show host, as to why she is so good in coming up with great questions and in getting the right responses from the people she interviews.

What you’ll learn in this episode:

* How you can think about risk in different ways
* How to assess outcomes in the way you approach risk
* How risk helps you become the person you want to be
* The skill of listening and question asking

Quotes:
"Is the best possible result worth risking the worst result?" – Kristy Arnett
"Life mirrors poker, we are trying to put the odds in our favor" – Kristy Arnett
“When we are facing our biggest pain we have the opportunity to learn the most.” – Kristy Arnett
"My objective is not to spend any energy hoping for a certain outcome" – Kristy Arnett
"When I am not in joy when I am taking risks, the bigger picture is missing" – Kristy Arnett
"Taking a risk lets you be somebody you have never been"– Kristy Arnett
“It’s really easy to be the best person when things are going great. But true character, leadership is in how you show up when you are facing challenges.” – Kristy Arnett

Continue the Adventure:
Kristy Arnett
Instagram