What good is having massive success in business when you’re sick or your family is in shambles? The true measure of a great entrepreneur is when you’ve got all your bases covered – physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and financially – not just for you, but also for your family, and your people.

Today, learn how you can win at life, family, and business as Erik Cabral speaks with John Edwin, a family man, investor, and entrepreneur. Growing up in a rough area in Philly, John learned pretty early the value of hard work, discipline, and choosing your network.

John is a certified personal trainer and the owner of Strength Personal Training. He is also a successful real estate investor, who started BRRR-ing at a time when it wasn’t even a term yet. John and his wife currently have over 60 investment properties.

Here are some power takeaways from today’s conversation:

Episode Highlights:

Stop Trading Time for Money

Learn how to make money even in your sleep. In other words, try to figure out ways you can earn through passive income. But even before you even think about how you can get the finances to start investing, there has to be a mindset shift first. Come from an abundance mindset instead of coming from a place of scarcity. Lean into your faith and come together as a family.

The Morning Routine & The Night Routine

The evening routine is just as important as your morning routine. If you can figure out a night routine, then you’re helping bring that championship to your morning. One of the things to add to your night routine is to turn off your phone an hour before you go to bed. Then develop a morning routine such as meditating, reading, praying, breathwork, journaling, exercise – anything you can do for 30 minutes to an hour before you even try to pick up your phone and move on with your day. You have to remain disciplined within your discipline.

Keeping a Healthy Dynamic in Your Household

One of the things that cause dysfunction in the family is when your kids feel like they’re number one. You have to have your spouse as your number one in your family, then your kids come second. That way, you’re setting a great example to your kids with the way you treat your life partner.

Opening a Business You Know Nothing About

Don't be afraid to take those shots. Just do more research before you take those shots. Go to somebody in that space and talk to them about what's great about it, and also the pitfalls. Then evaluate. Just because someone says it's a great idea doesn’t mean you have to take their word for it. Go to a neutral party that is already successful in whatever space you're looking at and dig deep before you start opening a business you know nothing about.

Resources Mentioned:

www.strengthpersonaltraining.com

IG: @strengthpersonaltraining

Facebook: www.facebook.com/strengthpt

GoBundance

FamBundance

There’s a lot more to personal branding than just putting yourself out there. It’s all about everything you do! Quite frankly, there are three important things that are extremely helpful to make this job easier – connections, technology, and neuromarketing.

In today’s conversation, Erik Cabral speaks with Dan Russell, an award-winning performance marketer and the author of Snake Oil. In his book, Dan lays out the framework of the process called “The Marketing Operating System” and how neuromarketing merges brain science and direct response marketing.

Over the past nine years, Dan has unlocked over $50 million in revenue for his clients by leveraging the science of marketing and why we buy. Dan has built amazing brands, not just for himself, but for others. His life mission is to improve humanity with technology, seeing it as the most massive tool that we have, to solve all sorts of problems.

Here are some power takeaways from today’s conversation:

Episode Highlights:

The Compounding Effects of Networking

Developing solid relationships is paramount in any business because it’s one of the pillars of marketing. You just have to put yourself out there. Get in front of the people and have those conversations. Invest your time, money, and effort into getting in the room with the right people. And over time, those connections will produce compounding effects. You start to build your reputation and ultimately, this builds your confidence.

How to Manage Your Ego

If you can speak to 100 people who are total strangers, they're going to be raving fans when you get off-stage. That experience can be overwhelming and it’s common for the ego to start to kick in once people start lining up, eager to talk to you.

One of the guiding principles to keep your ego in check is realizing that at some point in the past, you were in the exact same position as everybody else in the audience. Just because you're on stage doesn't mean you’re any better than them. It just means that you have the information they’re looking for.

Finding Those Opportunities at Events

Whenever you’re at events, dive into those opportunities where you get to have deep conversations with other people. The conversations that happen after 11 pm at these events are sometimes even more important and valuable than the content shared at the 9 am session.  It’s when it’s late at night that you get into deeper conversations, whether it’s about health, philosophy, or business – where the guards are down, the walls are down. You will have a camaraderie with them that wouldn't have existed through a conversation over lunch.

The Marketing OS

Marketing has become so overwhelming and confusing for so many entrepreneurs and business owners. In Dan's book, he outlined “The Marketing Operating System’, as an answer to problems in the industry at large (e.g. lack of regulation in B2B marketing). The book is for entrepreneurs and marketing executives who don't know what is the next step to take down the road.

Resources Mentioned:

Books:

Snake Oil: Genuine Marketing in an Age of Cure-Alls by Dan Russell

Traction by Gino Wickman

Twitter: @heydanrussell

What happens if you call your asset a community instead of an apartment building, and you refer to the renters as members instead? Redefining the real estate language alone is so powerful. There’s a whole lot more to the real estate or housing industry that we actually need to reinvent. And it doesn’t hurt to get a pint of inspiration from today’s guest!

In this conversation, Erik Cabral chats with Howard Primer, the founder of The Primer Group and The Primer Ethic™. Howard is a nationally recognized attorney, successful entrepreneur, and keynote speaker. As a change agent, Howard has challenged and inspired people, companies, and governments to make a purposeful change on behalf of the world.

Howard believes that inspiration, coupled with implementation, is where true power comes from. Truly committed to transforming the housing industry in a meaningful way, Howard has worked with thousands of people – doing it one community at a time, one relationship at a time.

Here are some power takeaways from today’s conversation:

Episode Highlights:

The Match and Bonfire Analogy

Howard gives this match and bonfire analogy where the match is the inspiration. Once it's lit, it's gone. Nobody pays attention to it anymore. The bonfire, on the other hand, becomes the dominant influence and things of that nature. Everybody focuses on the bonfire and they benefit from it.

Inspiration is a wonderful thing, but it's just a match. Whereas, implementation is the way that the match manifests itself to create greater outcomes.

Reinventing Housing & The Multifamily Industry

The housing industry – both single-family and rental housing – has become the world's worst commodity, because the people who are ultimately the consumers of this product are ignored in the process.

Now, we're at a point where housing is in extraordinary distress. And as we've gotten more and more digital, people are being isolated from one another, not to mention how the pandemic has exacerbated that. Therefore, we need to reinvent the housing industry. It needs to be focused not on the asset of the physical thing, but on the consumer using that housing, to enhance their quality of life.

Buying C/D Assets in A Markets

Consider a business model where you’re buying B minus, C, or D assets in A markets. The older assets in that area are usually referred to as C assets in the A area. It's located in a great location. But because of when it was built, the way it was managed by the people who built it, and they didn't really care about keeping it up, it tended to evolve into degrading quality.

Focusing on Relationships, Not Transactions

What happens if you change how you approach real estate investing? Instead of calling your asset an apartment complex, use the word “community.” Instead of calling people renters, treat them as members. It’s all about the idea of penetrating a commonplace experience and redefining it into something that’s not commonplace.

Resources Mentioned:

https://howardprimer.com/

Jump into this episode which offers a private peek into my life’s journey as an entrepreneur. Every morning I record an “audio journal” to document my progress, lessons learned through failure, and the solutions that made a difference.

Having gratitude, love, and appreciation in our lives for those who support us and stand in our corner yelling “CATCH THE CHICKEN ROCK!!!” is paramount. I hope to be your “Micky” during your journey as we fight our way in the boxing ring of business!

I hope I added value to your life today.  Foundation topics:

Mindset

Value

Entrepreneurship

Abundance

Networking

Family

Results-driven

Integrity

Gratitude

Financial freedom

Podcasting

We’re always told that the secret to a happy relationship is when two become one. But what happens if two people come together and they become four? That means 4x the impact, 4x the production, and 4x the efficiency. Just do the math and you know that’s where real breakthrough happens!

In today’s conversation, Erik Cabral is joined by Dr. Shawn Dill & Dr. Lacey Book, to talk about a winning approach to growing and scaling your business. Shawn and Lacey are not just life partners. Together, they have founded the Black Diamond Club, and have grown The Specific Chiropractic Centers franchise in 16 locations across the country. They have authored the book, None of Your Business and host a podcast of the same name. Learn the secrets to a great relationship!

Here are some power takeaways from today’s conversation:

Episode Highlights:

[04:28] Creating an Abundance Mindset

Transformation begins with self-awareness. If you have a negative belief system around money, that  is going to hold you back from stepping into true abundance. Therefore, you have to shift your mindset around money and work really hard to stay in that abundance mindset. Believe that you can create and attract wealth into your life, and you have to commit to that belief.

[06:36] Opening Yourself to New Relationships

Opening yourself to new relationships opens the possibility for deeper connection and collaboration among people so you can amplify your message and reach more people. Constantly look for people who have a similar vision for helping other people and whatever message you want to put out to the world. While you will meet the right people, there are also people who will not be the right fit. When that happens, just move on and open yourself again to new relationships.

[14:50] Growing and Scaling Your Business as Partners

A lot of people working together get frustrated when they attempt to come together to become one. They think they have to sit down and both be in charge of the finances and the decisions. But once you figure out the delegation of responsibilities and learn how to utilize each other's strengths, that's how you can amplify your business.

This happens not just with significant others, but also in many partnerships in business. The delegation has to be clear, otherwise, you will end up becoming ineffective, hitting the limitations of growth and scale.

Resources Mentioned:

https://shawnandlacey.com/

None of Your Business by Dr. Shawn Dill & Dr. Lacey Book

Traction by Gino Wickman

Predictable Success by Les McKeown

How often do you blame other people for the negative things that happen in your life? Whether it’s a failed relationship, a poorly running business, or even the fact that you’re still stuck in your W-2 job, a lot of people end up having excuses. But what happens if you just stop the blame game and start owning up to your actions?

In this conversation, Erik Cabral talks with Ken Landin, CEO of Crossroads Brewing Company. Brewing since 2010, Crossroads is home to a selection of amazing beers (Black Rock Stout – highly recommended!) Today, Ken takes us back from his rough childhood and being hellbent on making money since he was 16, all the way to selling everything at 45 years old so he could create a passion-fueled business!

Here are some power takeaways from today’s conversation:

Episode Highlights:

Breaking the Mold People Have Put You In

When you have someone that you really look up to, tell you that you’re no good on a consistent basis, you start believing that. Ken grew up in a dysfunctional family and he was always told by his father that he was going to be a loser. But he used that as motivation to break the mold.

Taking Care of Your People & Yourself 

Business is business, and we can look at them as strategies and tactics. But it's always about the people no matter what your industry is. The people are the ones that drive the boat, and if the people aren't in it, then nothing is going to get done.

People can do it cheaper, but they're never going to do it better. But if you can do it better, you're going to be successful, and the business is going to be successful. And everyone is going to be successful with you by your side.

However, you’ve got to put yourself first, not in a selfish way. Understand that if you're not good for yourself, and you're not good to yourself, you're no good to anyone else.

Taking Accountability for Your Own Actions

The only person to blame for your circumstances is yourself, not anyone else because you make your own choices. Give credit where credit is due and leave blame alone. Take some accountability for your own actions.

Resources Mentioned:

www.crossroadsbrewingco.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ken-landin-5114b21a1/

How much are you willing to invest to ensure the security of your community?

Every year, crime has a $2 trillion negative economic impact on the U.S. economy. And if you added up all the cops, jails, the handcuffs, all the hospitals, and all the blood, sweat and tears – there seems to be this enormous hidden tax that society tries to ignore.

Today’s guest, William Santana Li, has an ambitious goal to cut that in half. William is the Chairman and CEO of Knightscope, an American security camera and robotics company with operations across the country.

In this episode, Erik Cabral talks with William about how technology has the power to improve the security in the country. Through Knightscope’s autonomous security robots (ASRs), different institutions and establishments can cover a lot more ground, working hand in hand with law enforcement officers to make this nation a safer and better place.

Here are some power takeaways from today’s conversation:

Episode Highlights:

The Role of Technology

Our country is over 200 years old and the first role of the government is to protect its citizens. Yet somehow, we allow this kind of nightmare to happen every single day in almost every single community. The founders of our country would never have expected us to build a society where we’re going to school, to work, or to a movie theater that literally came with the risk of being shot or killed.

Knightscope is building a unique set of technologies – a combination of four impactful things over the next decade around self-driving autonomous technology – self-driving, robotics, artificial intelligence, and electric vehicles. If you can combine all four of those into something quite compelling, you can give law enforcement officers and security guards smart eyes and ears for them to do their jobs much more effectively.

Focus on the Mission

95% of startups fail. Part of the reason is the CEO is not willing to stay focused because they’re always looking for the next shiny object. This is the reason William only focuses on building products within the security industry.

Because he knew that if he had to automate everything to target the total addressable market, then he would lose the ability to focus on execution. If 95% of startups fail, you need to take the market risk, the technical risk, and the execution risk away. So why would you be adding more?

Knightscope is the only company in the world that gives you the level of difficulty to understand what it means to put a robot out in the field in the rain, at night, with people, cats, and dogs and everything. Plus, they need to get this thing to work, and so, not having that focus will only make things more difficult.

Resources Mentioned:

www.knightscope.com/

www.knightscope.com/roadshow

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/williamsantanali

Confidence is probably the most valuable currency you can ever teach your kids. This is something that our guest today is teaching young adults around the world – to walk like a “10”, talk like a “10”, and act like a “10.”

In this episode, Erik Cabral speaks with Dr. Bill Dorfman, a highly sought-after motivational speaker and leader for young adults. He is also the co-founder of the LEAP Foundation, a motivational leadership program for high school and college kids. A recipient of 16 Lifetime Achievement awards, Dr. Bill continues to do exceptional work in dentistry, helping thousands of patients smile for over 20 years now.

When he became part of the hit ABC series, Extreme Makeover, Dr. Bill performed amazing dental transformations. Providing free dentistry in exchange for promoting his products resulted in  almost $200 million in sales that year.

There’s no doubt Dr. Bill is brilliant when it comes to marketing and branding: building his company Discus Dental from zero to $1.3 billion in sales and then, with the stroke of a pen, selling the company.

Here are some power takeaways from today’s conversation:

Episode Highlights:

The LEAP Foundation

LEAP is a motivational leadership program that teaches high school and college kids how to be successful in life. In their 15th program now at UCLA, LEAP brings together young adults from across the U.S. and around the world. Over the years, LEAP has invited amazing speakers including personalities such as Michael Jackson, Usher, Kathy Bates, Anthony Hopkins, Richard Branson, and more. The virtual program is free of charge and the in-person program at UCLA costs $2,500.

The Value of Confidence

The greatest gift you can give your kids is not a Porsche, it's confidence. Teach your kids to be confident, and that is probably the most valuable currency you can ever, ever, ever instill in the young adult.

The “10”Culture

Walk like a “10”, talk like a “10”, and act like a “10”. But most importantly, surround yourself with other students that are “10”s. Because if you're trying to be a “10”, and all your friends are “2”s, you're not going to be a “10.”

Resources Mentioned:

LEAP Foundation

BuZZBalls Caffeinated Gums

Website: www.billdorfmandds.com

NFTs and the metaverse are buzzwords often thrown around these days, but do you really know what those mean? And if you do, are you ready to embrace those? In this episode, Erik Cabral shares an insightful conversation with Mario Nawfal as they talk about what NFTs are, how they work, and the concept of the metaverse.

In 2012, Mario entered the sales world, selling blenders door-to-door and with only $300 in his pocket. Employing unconventional marketing strategies and efficient systems, and helping build a team of global contractors, Mario helped grow the company from $1 million to $10 million in two years.

Fast-forward to today, Mario is now in the NFT space as the co-founder and CEO of NFT Technologies. He offers investors access to NFTs by curating the portfolios and partnerships as well as building relationships in the space.

Here are some power takeaways from today’s conversation:

Episode Highlights:

The World of NFTs

Prior to 2017, you couldn't actually technologically own something without a central entity saying you own it. Then in 2017, a technology known as non-fungible tokens or NFTs emerged. This opens up massive possibilities and disintermediation, which means you can own something without needing a central party that says you own it. You can also move it from one place to another and send it to wherever you want, just like in the physical world.

Are NFTs Safe?

The human brain is designed to seek safety as part of the survival instinct – and one of those things is resisting change. It's one of the worst things to have as an entrepreneur because change leads to opportunities.

The human brain overestimates the short-term impact of innovation and underestimates its long-term potential. But it's normal for innovation to take time, and in the long-term, NFTs are inevitable because, as Mario puts it, they make life better.

Examples of NFTs

Types of NFTs include artworks and collectibles, such as CryptoPunks, one of the early mainstream NFTs which are a bunch of ugly photos. There are 10,000 of them that were created by a company called Larva Labs. The cheapest one is $300,000. Today, owning a CryptoPunk represents a signal or a status symbol. It’s like wearing a Rolex in the physical world or driving a Rolls Royce.

Understanding the Metaverse

People expect the metaverse to bring equality to the world, be more open, and do things that are very utopian. Unfortunately, the human species is very imperfect and this will continue in the digital world. Greed and emotions will still be there. A lot of the issues we face in the physical world will still exist in the virtual world. But every technology over the last few 100 years has generally brought a better quality of life to us as a species. Otherwise, we wouldn't be using it.

Resources Mentioned:

https://www.nfttech.com/

While many aspire to become entrepreneurs, not everyone gets to that pinnacle of success. You may have all the technical skills and hard skills in the world, but there are factors deemed more important than those.

In this episode, Erik Cabral speaks with Joe DeMaria, chief learning officer, e-learning thought leader, fractional marketing, business strategist, and equity advisor.

Joe breaks down three major things entrepreneurs need to focus on and leverage to set themselves up for success – self-awareness, relationships, and an abundance mindset. As for Joe, these were the pillars of his own hero’s journey to success. What’s yours?

Here are some power takeaways from today’s conversation:

Episode Highlights:

[05:01] Self-Awareness: The Difference Between Entrepreneurs and Criminals

The difference between entrepreneurs and criminals is the element of self-awareness. Everybody makes mistakes, but it takes self-awareness to take the learning from them, improve, and move forward.

A lot of entrepreneurs who walk a very thin line do not have a strong sense of self-awareness and they always end up dealing with ethical or moral issues.

[17:27] Investing in Relationships

You can invest in tools and equipment, or in education and all these other different things. But relationships are the real leverage mechanism. Regardless of the industry, you are in the leverage business. As entrepreneurs, your responsibility is to create leverage because every choice you make gives us more leverage – or less leverage.

Many entrepreneurs have these big lofty goals about changing the world. But we're afraid of developing the leverage we would need to get there. And so, we try to use things like equity and dollars, and we burn ourselves out. But if you’re able to find that strong leverage (solid relationships), then you will have a much much easier job but the same outcome. It’s all about strategy and being intentional with what we do.

[05:31] The Problem with “Hustle and Grind” Culture

The “hustle and grind” culture puts everyone into this predatory mindset. Oftentimes, we come from these places of scarcity so that we end up becoming and building environments that are even more scarce.

If you're in a place where you're just seeking to eat what you kill every day, then every time you fail to kill, it builds on you. And this puts you into a really negative space and it creates a feeling of even greater scarcity. But you can't cultivate anything stable from a position of always lacking.

Resources Mentioned:

www.teachtoscale.com

www.teachtoscale.com/velvet-rope