The Impact Entrepreneur

I don’t know if I’ve ever met someone who lives more in the moment than Brian Dickinson, and he shares his incredible story in today’s interview. He is an ex-Navy rescue swimmer, a world-class mountain climber and the author of Blind Descent, the inspiring story about how he summited Mount Everest – alone – and overcame descending the mountain blind.

Brian is still learning the ability to slow down and live in the moment, gathering the courage to be content. Brian’s climbs help him gain perspective on the world off of the mountain, because he experiences how slowly time can feel.

It can be dangerous to start climbing alone. “Not even climbing, but everything. If you can latch onto somebody who has a clue, has made the mistakes, you’re going to learn a ton.” There’s so much in your control, if you know how to control it.

Control, on the mountain and in your business, comes down to preparation. “The success is creating a lifestyle of change,” and then you will always be prepared for that next climb or business endeavor.

I’ve described preparation as the bridge between expectation and reality. Sometimes, that bridge can collapse, and things will go south in spite of your preparation – like when you start to develop snow blindness at the highest point on Earth. In these situations, success can come down to willpower. Sometimes willpower means moving forward, using your training, without overthinking the situation.

Motivation can pull us through the impossible, in our lives and in our businesses. Brian used his family to help him descend Mount Everest and overcome his instinct to panic. Use your motivation to focus on breaking a bad experience down to small successes, keeping a map in your mind of where you are going.

For now, Brian is taking what he learned and focusing on having the courage to be content. There’s no shortage of adventures in this world, and he’s going to go on the next few with his family.

We are put in situations for a reason. Usually it’s not at the top of Mount Everest, but it’s always so that we can share something of value with other people, and maybe save someone’s life, career or marriage through our stories.

SOME QUESTIONS I ASK:

• How did Brian learn the ability to slow down and live in the moment?
• How did Brian’s military training aid him in transitioning towards entrepreneurship and the tech industry?
• How important has mentorship been to Brian in his climbing endeavors?
• What are Brian’s thoughts on preparation and willpower?
• When Brian was descending Mount Everest and started going blind, how did he not give in to the harsh conditions?
• How did Brian overcome panic in an unpredictable situation?

IN THIS EPISODE, YOU WILL LEARN:

• An incredible story about human strength and willpower
• How preparation is a lifestyle as much as an activity
• Why it is courageous to be content
• How to use motivation to overcome the worst situations
• Plus much more…

DON’T STOP HERE…

• Learn more about Brian: Website | Twitter | YouTube | Facebook | Instagram

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:

• Blind Descent: Surviving Alone and Blind on Mount Everest by Brian Dickinson

Today I have an interview with a modern Renaissance Woman. Kelly Roach is an ex-NFL cheerleader, formerly the top sales person in a Fortune 500 company, author of Unstoppable, the loving mother of a two-year-old, and a successful entrepreneur. Kelly trains other entrepreneurs to launch, monetize and scale profitable businesses.

Kelly was promoted seven times in eight years. She was the youngest Senior VP of the company and managed 17 locations. Her health was sliding to the back burner until she thought, “Every time I get promoted, every time I have success in this environment, it compromises more of who I am.”

Taking some time to think is critical. After reflecting on her core values as a person, she came to the conclusion that she was not living the life she wanted. Kelly’s core values:

1. Freedom
2. Financial abundance
3. Fulfillment

By fulfillment, Kelly means making an impact, doing work that she feels matters, and helping people. Every time she has success in the wrong environment, she will have less freedom to pursue making a difference. She also doesn’t like making a company millions of dollars. She can make that money for herself.

It can be difficult to stop your life and shift course, particularly when things are going according to plan. Kelly accomplished one of her goals when she became Senior VP, but the experience wasn’t exactly what she thought it would be. “I’m getting exactly what I set out to achieve, which means I also have the power and the control to decide where this goes next.”

Take time to consider where your core skillsets intersect with what people are willing to pay for in the market. Kelly believes that, with an 80% failure rate, the people who really need her training are small business owners and entrepreneurs.

Mentorship is critical. Kelly’s passion for leadership, coaching others and making others successful is a direct result of her first mentor’s advice, and they are the ingredients of her success. The prevalence of podcasting and social media makes the process of finding a mentor easier than ever. Look for people who have success in the area you wish to pursue and start following them online. You will be able to find the voice and teaching style that resonates with you and begin a relationship.

Kelly’s book, Unstoppable, ties into her message on every platform. To Kelly, being unstoppable means you are so driven, focused and motivated that you have to be the best you can possibly be in any given situation, no matter what life throws at you. The human experience is full of chaos, but the book provides nine key principles that will help entrepreneurs achieve unlimited success in business and in life.

Kelly is generous enough to share a couple of the principles from her book:

1. “Stop resenting the 1% and join them.” Kelly started with this chapter because success follows a successful mindset. It comes down to how you perceive others, money, and your own self worth. You can’t attract something to your life that you perceive negatively.
2. “Focus on something bigger than yourself.” It’s all about imperfect action, and it’s all about focusing on achieving something bigger than you.

Entrepreneurship is heavily romanticized. Don’t expect success to come overnight. There is a grind that everyone goes through – most people fail, often more than once, before they succeed. Entrepreneurs need to be aware that there is nothing wrong with failure, because that’s how we find out what works.

Too many entrepreneurs spend their business life planning. They wait for the perfect opportunity, the perfect product, and it never comes. “The imperfect action is the most important entrepreneurial skill,” so get out there, make an offer, create a course, and start advertising.

Last year, Kelly helped her first client add over $1 million to their business. The key is to put a sales and marketing system in place. Online marketing has been romanticized in the same way as entrepreneurship – to the point that many entrepreneurs forego sales. Marketing is great, but at some point there has to be a conversion event between marketing and sales.

There needs to be a system to convert potential buyers to sales. Kelly’s three-step system:

1. Leads are generated through marketing
2. Nurture events take place
3. Conversion events translate prospective buyers into sales

Kelly’s business has been a great vehicle for freedom and flexibility in her life, and she encourages others to pursue entrepreneurship to gain more freedom in their own lives. I hope she inspires you to reflect on your core values, and to start improving your life.

SOME QUESTIONS I ASK:

• What was the turning point that set Kelly on the entrepreneurial path?
• How did you think about what you wanted for your life? What process did you use to crystalize your thinking?
• How important is grit?
• How important has mentorship been for Kelly?
• What are some steps entrepreneurs can take to find a mentor?
• What was the inspiration for Kelly’s book Unstoppable?
• What does Kelly hope to accomplish with her book?
• How can people push through the grind of starting a business?
• Does Kelly have to overcome coaching entrepreneurs who spend too much time planning and waiting for the perfection?
• What shift allowed Kelly’s client to add $1 million in sales to their business?

IN THIS EPISODE, YOU WILL LEARN:

• The importance of taking time to reflect
• What it means to be Unstoppable
• How mentorship can put you on a path to success
• The vital entrepreneurial skill that is imperfect action
• Why businesses need a system to convert sales
• Plus much more… 

DON’T STOP HERE…

• Learn more about Kelly: Website | Facebook | Twitter
• Unstoppable Success Radio: Website | iTunes | YouTube

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:

• Unstoppable: 9 Principles for Unlimited Success in Business & Life by Kelly Roach
• If you’re interested in additional training from Kelly, text the word “profitclass” to 44222

My long-time friend Aaron Hinde came in for a value packed interview today. He’s a fearless risk taker who jumped into one of the toughest industries out there, the beverage industry, and has successfully grown it and now leads a team of 28 people.

Aaron’s always had the unique ability of empathy which has served him well. It’s the ability to put yourself in someone else’s shoes and understand where they’re coming from. Many people make the mistake of trying to meet somebody where they think they should be, but Aaron says empathy is about quieting your mind and listening with a non-judgmental attitude.

This kind of positive attitude is also a big part of mentorship, something Aaron is a strong proponent of. All successful entrepreneurs have at least one mentor, and some are paid for and some are not. If you’re in the business of offering your own mentorship or coaching at a price, you’ve also got to have your own mentor you’re paying for, as you’ve got to do in order to be.

Relationships are key in business; mentors, business partners and spouses. An understanding spouse is a necessity as it’s all but impossible to succeed without someone supportive at your side. The same thing holds true for business partners. Make sure yours is one you can bounce ideas off of, one you can trust and share a unified vision and purpose for your business with.

Aaron’s a risk taker, and the ability to take risks is important for aspiring entrepreneurs. If you’re gun shy there are ways to train yourself to take the plunge, like going all-in in poker or scaling heights if you’re afraid. “Push yourself constantly in that uncomfortable zone or else you’ll never grow as an entrepreneur.”

Aaron’s entrepreneurial journey hasn’t been an easy one. But he and his family were willing to endure the years of being broke and living in a tiny apartment to gain the success they now have. He started LIFEAID Beverage with the idea of creating a healthy beverage alternative that actually benefitted you (not like the sodas and energy drinks prevalent today). What drives his company is their over-arching vision of having a tangible, healthy impact on the world, and his million+ cans sold every month is a testament to that.

His company not only has a great vision, but some strong BHAG’s as well (Big, Hairy, Audacious Goals):

1. To be the next BILLION dollar beverage company
2. To have the most awesome, engaged, kick-ass workplace in Santa Cruz County with the best team surrounding that

BHAG #2 is his actual focus, because a great team is essential and they’re a reflection of the brand. If you make sure the team is engaged and focused then that’ll lead to goal #1. It also helps to constantly invest in your team by making your workplace comfortable and fun, and being ultra-supportive of everyone.

One tenant that Aaron really holds onto is the tried and true “Hire slow, fire fast” mentality. One of the biggest mistakes you can make is hiring quickly out of desperation as you grow. Aaron makes sure they hire great people by following some important steps in the hiring process:

1. Look for a long history with one employer
2. Look for a favorable review of their previous boss
3. Have the applicant set-up a five minute interview with their previous boss

Taking these steps helps him find great people with a cooperative team attitude and a good cultural fit with the company.

Aaron’s empathy and his passion for entrepreneurship and his company really came through in this episode. I’m grateful that he gave us his time and shared with us much of what he knows of running a successful company.

SOME QUESTIONS I ASK:

• How has empathy been a game changer within his business?
• What are the steps a growing company can take to make sure their vision and values continue to lead them?
• How does Aaron get his employees to buy-in to his company and culture so well?
• How does an aspiring entrepreneur protect the business from the overwhelming inspiration behind the business?

IN THIS EPISODE, YOU WILL LEARN:

• The key to success for any enterprise
• Why it’s important to carry a note pad with you everywhere you go
• How having an abundance mindset can lead to raving fans
• Why discussing the current needs of the business with your team can get them committed to working hard for the customer
• Plus much more…

DON’T STOP HERE…

• Learn more about Aaron: Instagram | Twitter
• LIFEAID: Website | Twitter | FITAID

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:

• Joe Polish and the Genius Network: Website
• com: Website
• The Dream Manager by Matthew Kelly
• Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin
• Living Forward by Michael Hyatt & Danial Harkavy

Ian and I go way back to high school, and it was great having him on the show today. He’s a lifelong entrepreneur, a creative thinker, risk taker and relationship builder, and I’m thankful he joined us for this episode.

Ian’s always had a natural leader’s charisma; something unique and influential that led people to follow him. He really learned to harness his gifts through his work with ‘The Master’s Program’ with Bob Shank. Bob’s was the most authoritative voice outside of his influential father’s, and the 3-year program really grounded Ian.

He believes that the key to his success is that he’s so committed to mentorship. “If you don’t follow the advice of your mentor, they are not your mentor.” With mentorship, you find somebody that’s a peer or higher than you, and you position them in such a way so that they can start speaking into your life about something or some things. Then you make a deliberate decision to not knit pick their life or how they apply what they’re telling you. A mentor’s role is not to show you how to live, their role is to declare what they know to be true.

Confidence is something that Ian has always had. He admits, though, that he isn’t 100% confident, but he seems to be more confident than most. And there’s a big relationship between confidence and being risk-averse: the less risk-averse you are, the more you’re willing to take chances, so the more confidence you appear to have. One of Ian’s favorite mantras and confidence boosters is, “The wind is at my back, all I do is win.”

One thing that Ian learned early in life is that high capacity people like him need to be challenged in order to avoid some of the perils that life can throw at you. If you’re not challenged, you can tend to look for immediate pleasure or a numbing of feelings in the form of drugs. For these reasons, he has lovingly pushed his children to excel in what they love to do and to help them avoid the things that derailed him early in life.

As one of the co-creators who launched the software company Kukui, Ian learned some value lessons about business and relationships. He wrote about these seven lessons in a LinkedIn article called ‘7 Principles I Learned Launching Inc. 76th Fastest Growing Company.’ He broke down the seven principles for us:

1. Don’t let your job define you
   • Be defined by other more important values like your faith, your family or your character. Don’t let the 14 hour days and the total commitment to the company be all you’re about.
   
   
2. Find a trustworthy partner
   • You need someone you can trust that will look after your needs as well as have the skills to take care of the company.
   
   
3. Just sell
   • Sales solve everything. You don’t need a loan or startup money. Get out there and find the people who are willing to buy from you.
   
   
4. Be your customer’s partner, not a vendor
   • You have to be willing to sacrifice to put your client first. This goes both ways and they need to be willing to tolerate and be gracious with your mistakes.
   
   
5. Be generous to employees with equity and bonuses
   • Share with your team so they feel as they’re part owners, that they’re building their
   
   
6. Recruit the right people at the right time
   • This is the toughest thing, as many of those initial employees aren’t right for the company beyond that initial growth phase. If they’re no longer a fit, you have to part ways, but do so graciously.
   
   
7. Live your brand
   • Be faithful to your message and be a signboard for it.
   
   

Ian shared quite a lot of powerful and inspiring words today, and I’m very grateful for this awesome interview.

SOME QUESTIONS I ASK:

• What are some historical entrepreneurial influences of Ian’s?
• What are some things he learned on his wayward path early in life?
• What are Ian’s views on mentorship?
• What are some questions entrepreneurs should be asking themselves daily?

IN THIS EPISODE, YOU WILL LEARN:

• How ‘The Master’s Program’ with Bob Shank really impacted him
• How his parents and lineage influence him
• What ways Ian and Mike Tyson are very similar
• How having a “safety rope” for entrepreneurs can stifle success
• Plus much more…

DON’T STOP HERE…

• Learn more about Ian: Website | LinkedIn | Email
• Guerilla Branders: Website
• 7 Principles I Learned Launching Inc. 76th Fastest Growing Company: Article

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:

• ‘The Master’s Program’: Website

Dan Waldschmidt is a busy guy whose mission, vision and passions align with The Impact Entrepreneur show. I’m extremely grateful to have this self-challenging, ultra-hard working person (to the point of barfing) on today’s show.

Speaking of challenging himself, Dan is looking forward to running a 500-mile ultra-marathon in July. Just thinking of that is fear inducing, but he welcomes the challenge. At a young age he stumbled across the formula of hard work and sacrifice equals the ability to achieve anything.

With this idea in mind, he took a $150,000 business to $8 million within one year. He did this because he was extremely hungry for success, so much so that he never ate lunch. “When you’re hungry, you’re willing to do things that you wouldn’t otherwise be willing to do.” He started with the challenge of 25 calls before lunch. This led to success so he upped it to 35, then 50, 60, 70 and finally 75 calls. Eventually, he just didn’t have time for lunch at all because he was so caught up in this challenge.

All of this hard work led him to being the CEO of the company at a young age, as well as becoming D.C.’s leading legal litigation strategist without even having a legal degree (or even completing college). He had dropped out of school because he was too busy making things happen to spend the time to learn.

Dan created the EDGY Audit. It’s a simple 12 question multiple choice test that helps you understand your business strengths and weaknesses. Your results give you an EDGY score that’s based on:

• Extreme Behavior – Awesome isn’t ordinary, it’s extraordinary. If you’re not willing to be extreme (and get noticed), you won’t be successful.
• Disciplined Activity – You don’t know when success will strike, but you’ll be more likely to attain it if you live fit financially, spiritually, mentally and physically. “You can’t do the same things to soar as you do to crawl.”
• Giving Mindset – When you give more than they pay for, or over deliver, they will want to do business with you forever.
• Y(h)uman Strategy – People aren’t looking for the superficial. They want their needs, pains, love/loss from deep down in their souls addressed. Do this for them and for yourself and you’ll win them for life.

The average score is in the 140’s, but don’t compare yourself to others. “It’s not where you’re at, it’s where you’re headed.”   Take your score and the interpretations and decide how you can go about improving these to be a more edgy and successful business person.

Through the course of his work, Dan has interviewed thousands of people and not a single one of them ever said, “I quit, then all of a sudden life was good.” In fact, it was just the opposite; “I’m so glad I didn’t quit.” It was fighting through the tough times, when others criticized or outside forces conspired against them, that led to true success.

Dan and I had a fun talk, and he gave us tons of great information. I’m sure you’ll get just as much out of this candid discussion as I did.

SOME QUESTIONS I ASK:

• What is Dan most looking forward to accomplishing this year?
• Was there a moment of impact that set him on the entrepreneurial path?
• Does he have any mentors that help to influence his path and mindset?
• How did he get past the extremely difficult initial 20 miles of his first 100-mile run?

IN THIS EPISODE, YOU WILL LEARN:

• How Dan became the leading D.C. legal litigation strategist without a law degree
• How the EDGY Audit can give you insights into how you can push the edge more
• How you can spend that $125 Facebook ad budget for a bigger return
• Why it’s so important to practice like a champion
• Plus much more…

GO MAKE AN IMPACT:

• Take the EDGY Audit for yourself and assess the scores and interpretations. Then start making changes to turn yourself into a more edgy business person.

DON’T STOP HERE…

• Learn more about Dan: Website | Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn
• Edgy Conversations: Website | Book | Free Stuff
• The EDGY AUDIT: Website

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:

• Book: ‘You Can't Teach a Kid to Ride a Bike at a Seminar’ | Amazon

Kelsey Humphreys is a perfect fit for our audience: enthusiastic, encouraging and freely shares her expertise in moving in the right direction as a driven entrepreneur. We were very fortunate to have her on the podcast.

If Kelsey could choose a super power, it would be super speed. But, even though that’s not possible, there are ways that we as entrepreneurs can apply the essence of super speed to our lives. What she recommends is getting organized right from the start of your journey. Organization early on allows for outsourcing your work sooner, which is the real-life way of multiplying yourself and getting more done.

When Kelsey started her entrepreneurial journey, her passion allowed her to accomplish a lot, but the lack of direction meant she didn’t attain any great success. She knows first-hand that many entrepreneurs go through multiple course corrections before finally understanding their true passion and using that to guide them.

Kelsey’s book, ‘Go Solo’ is all about how to start your own small business while you keep your day job. Anybody can do it, all you need is an Instagram or a blog where you curate the content you’re interested in. As you do so, she recommends curating your content to where you want to go. That’s how she built up her fan base on her business success blog KelseyHumphreys.com.

If you’re going to be a successful entrepreneur, one of the skills she recommends you build is your “figure it out” skillset. She was first introduced to this by her entrepreneurial father, an actual Church Growth Consultant back when you had to travel around to do that (pre-internet). He always had the attitude of “figure it out” and “make it happen.” If you don’t have this for yourself, it’s actually a muscle you can build. Every time you’re confronted with a situation where you want to shut down, stop yourself and say, “Alright, this is part of delivering my message, so I’ve got to figure it out.” The more you do this, the easier it becomes and the sooner it turns into a healthy habit.

Kelsey’s “Success for the Rest of Us” mantra is all about avoiding overwhelm in business and making success possible through 2 doable, short and digestible steps:  

1. Figure out what needs to change first. What’s holding you back from success?
2. What’s the first baby step you can take to fix this? Don’t overthink or overcomplicate this step. What’s a small thing you can do to set you on the right path?

This is the message she sends through her podcast The Pursuit and through her YouTube video channel. She gives one tip through each episode, something that the average Joe or Jane can take and run with to move them forward.

This was a fun, impactful and interesting interview with Kelsey, and I’m sure after listening to this you’ll be a fan of hers if you aren’t already.

SOME QUESTIONS I ASK:

• How can entrepreneurs take the essence of the power of super speed and apply it to their daily professional and personal lives?
• What did your life look like before you overcame your driven but directionless nature?
• How can somebody start their entrepreneurial journey while still employed?
• What can the audience take away from your mantra “Success for the rest of us”?
• How do you tackle the fear of feedback?

IN THIS EPISODE, YOU WILL LEARN:

• How you can avoid frustration at not having a clear goal for your business
• Why execution is the name of the game.
• How you can practice entrepreneurship at your own job, whatever it is right now.
• How to deal with a fear of feedback when putting yourself out there for the world to see.
• Plus much more…

GO MAKE AN IMPACT:

• Put yourself on the path to success. Wake up every Monday and ask yourself:
  • How can I be my best self?
  • How can I put out my best work?
  
  

DON’T STOP HERE…

• Learn more about Kelsey: Website | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube
• The Pursuit.tv: Website
• The Pursuit Podcast: iTunes
• Success for the Rest of Us Podcast: iTunes
• Kelsey’s book ‘Go Solo: How to Quit the Job You Hate and Start a Small Business You Love’: Amazon

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:

• Brendon Burchard Interview on The Pursuit.tv: View

Jon Vroman is a super passionate speaker and coach and he was a blast on the podcast. He believes in giving big of himself and his expertise, and has incredible passion for helping others live a present and meaningful life.

Jon started out as your average corporate employee until he encountered what he calls “the trifecta” that led him to entrepreneurship:

1. Attended a life changing Tony Robbins conference
2. At a Jason Mraz concert he sat in the back row and saw the people in the front row were having the time of their lives while he wasn’t
3. Decided to run a 52-mile ultramarathon

These three events opened his eyes to who he really was and his passions in life. He discovered his “why” through these three events, and after this he couldn’t not pursue this journey. So, he left the corporate gig to pursue speaking, coaching and running the charity he created called The Front Row Foundation.

Jon credits his habit of getting “silent” to helping him find direction and to accomplish so much with his foundation. When you find ways to change your environment and get away from the distractions, it frees your mind to envision your future and to get focused on what you can do now to lead you to your goals.

Jon’s true passion in life is the foundation. He started it back in ’05 with the intent of giving people facing critical health challenges a front row experience at the event of their dreams. This foundation combined his greatest fear with this passion: dying early and living your best experiences.

Starting a foundation is surprisingly simple, but it’s keeping it strong that’s the real challenge. You start with passion and dedicated supporters and that can build momentum and some early wins. But it’s tough to keep up this momentum over time. Donations start to dry up as do volunteers and community support. There are two things that Jon recommends to get you past this:

1. Have a clear mission and purpose for the foundation. Share the vision with supporters and the community.
2. Surround yourself with the right team. Be selective in your own front row as this is critical in long-term success for any endeavor. You need to have people in your corner who you can discuss, share and co-create with you.

Jon developed a powerful acronym out of the FRONT ROW:

• Follow your heart – live and work from a sense of passion
• Rise to the occasion – stand up for what you believe
• Open your mind – look around and experience it all. Don’t miss the forest for the trees.
• Never back down – don’t let anything stand in your way
• Throw your hands up – use your body for full expression, act your way into the feelings you desire
• Redefine reality – use the ability to attach new meanings to something
• Own the moment – be present and experience the now
• Win the Day – focus on winning the day, the months and years take care of themselves

This was a fun, insightful and impactful podcast with Jon that I’m sure you’ll enjoy.

SOME QUESTIONS I ASK:

• What was the impactful moment that set Jon on his entrepreneurial path?
• How important is mentorship to him?
• What were some of the early challenges he faced in raising money for the foundation?
• How do people overcome a lack of skills when creating their own business?
• What are the 2 or 3 things that are holding people back in entrepreneurship and what steps can they take to move through these?

IN THIS EPISODE, YOU WILL LEARN:

• Which mentors Jon credits with changing his life.
• How taking massive action can lead to success.
• The crucial wins he first booked when raising money for his foundation.
• The power of choosing your peer group.
• Plus much more…

GO MAKE AN IMPACT:

• Make a list of your 10 closest friends with their biggest goals and ask yourself every day, “What am I doing to help my best friends to hit their #1 goals?”

DON’T STOP HERE…

• Learn more about John and the Front Row Factor: Website | Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn
• The Front Row Foundation: Website
• The Front Row Factor Podcast: iTunes

It was lovely having Susie Miller on the podcast. She’s a successful entrepreneur, podcaster, author and a Huffington Post contributing writer.

Susie’s super power is her willingness to discuss openly and honestly any topic. She feels that when people share and talk openly about what they’re feeling it builds collaboration and community, benefitting everyone.

She knows first-hand how hard it is to have a spouse and run your own business at the same time. “Entrespouse” is a term gaining in popularity and is something that Susie speaks to quite a bit. Often a spouse can feel like they’re competing with the business for the attention of the entrepreneur in the couple. This can really hurt the relationship.

In her work over the years with entrepreneurs, she found that “A lot of people were bankrupting their relationships in pursuit of success.”

Because of this issue, she found a way to tag the entrepreneur’s natural concern for profits to their personal life. This lead Susie to the P.R.O.F.I.T. Method.

Priorities – We have plans for business or work, but not for our relationships. The things that are important to our spouses should be important to us. Every entrepreneur needs to understand how their actions communicate to their spouse.

Rekindle – Over the years relationships can go from romance to roommates. We often get consumed with all we do for our businesses and we neglect our spouse. Rekindling the romance in the relationship has long-term benefits for the marriage.

Open-up – Communication skills are of utmost importance in business and in maintaining important relationships. Having conversations, whether serious or fun and silly, are important as long as what’s being discussed is meaningful to both of you. Be aware of sharing too much or too little.

Focus – Being present is an important part of business success, and it’s also a major part of relational success. When you’re at work, be there 100%. When you’re in your relationship, be there 100%. You also need to learn how to get back to the present moment when something pulls you away temporarily.

Intentional Interactions – Be intentional in your interactions, and you can even utilize the technology you use daily in your business to bring you closer to your spouse.

Tenacity – It takes hard work for a relationship to stay strong over time. You have to be tenacious and be willing to work hard on it. Be honest with your spouse in what will make your relationship be a lasting one.

Susie said something that will strike home with many entrepreneurs:

“Entrepreneurship is like a high-wire solo act, and marriage is about sharing and stability and two becoming one. They are so diametrically opposite that you really have to pause and think about it.”

Susie was a delight to speak with and she’s so insightful and experienced when it comes to helping entrepreneurs develop and maintain their relationships outside of the businesses they run. I learned so much from her and I’m sure you will as well.

SOME QUESTIONS I ASK:

• Why is Susie an entrepreneur?
• Was there a personal moment that led to her discovering the entrepreneur lifestyle?
• Was there a mentor or somebody who has really impacted her life and guided her?
• Does she have any stories about rock star couples who have turned their relationships around due to her help?
• What are some questions that entrepreneurs can ask themselves to engage their thinking and build up their relationships?

IN THIS EPISODE, YOU WILL LEARN:

• About the mentors that Susie has drawn much wisdom from
• Some stories from successful couples that she has coached
• Some questions that entrepreneurs can ask themselves to keep them on the right relational paths
• The type of legacy that Susie wants to leave the world with
• Plus much more…

GO MAKE AN IMPACT:

• Regarding your own relationships, ask yourself:
  • Am I really listening to what my spouse is saying and communicating?
  • What can I learn and embrace about my spouse today?
  • How does my spouse show love, and how do they want love expressed to them?
  
  

DON’T STOP HERE…

• Learn more about Susie: Website
• The Better Relationship Podcast: iTunes
• Susie’s book ‘Listen, Learn, Love: How to Dramatically Improve Your Relationships in 30 Days or Less!’: Amazon

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:

• Michael Hyatt’s Best Year Ever: Website
• Dan Miller of 48 Days: Website

I was fortunate to have Anthony Iannarino on the podcast this week. He’s a successful blogger, podcaster, public speaker and writer. He shares with us his wisdom regarding success, nurturing relationships, mindset, using your time wisely, and having an “other-oriented” sales outlook.

Anthony’s entrepreneurial journey is all about helping people by doing meaningful and purposeful work. He first found success in blogging with his ‘The Sales Blog’ website through consistently putting out great content related to sales and nurturing relationships with your clientele. Now Hhe’s also putting his message out through his podcast ‘In the Arena’ where he interviews successful people in the sales and entrepreneurial world.

While success is different for everybody, Anthony thinks there are a few key questions to guide you on your path:

• What do you love to do?
• What will make your life meaningful?
• If you’re not doing this now, what would be meaningful work to you?

Entrepreneurship is about finding an area where you can make a difference and a contribution, one in which you can use your passions to fuel your work

When it comes to helping sales people, Anthony knows firsthand the pain associated with not achieving the outcomes you desire. He suggests that you avoid emotional attachment to outcomes by being flexible and detached from sales process. Maybe you envisioned things going one way, but the client said “no.” It’s time to pivot and find another angle to approach the problem from. You can accept temporary defeat but choose to stick with it; play the long game and win later.

Anthony wrote a great article about this called “Why Fast Is Slow.” It’s about slowing down the sales process and working at a relational level with the client. Human relationships are built on trust, and moving fast doesn’t build trust; it takes time.

There are two levels of selling:

• Commodity – this is a transactional approach (think Amazon or Walmart)
• Relational – this is a people approach, taking the time to build relationships. People are willing to pay premiums for this relationship (think mom and pop or “Cheers” where everybody knows your name)

One huge downfall of the sales process that Anthony discusses is the self-oriented way salespeople often approach their clients.

“The more self-oriented you are, the less other-oriented you are. The more other-oriented you are, the greater the benefits accrue to you and the faster you get the things you want.”

This idea has been around for a long time, and it rings true even more today than ever before. The more you help and support others, the more you’ll receive.

Another thing that Anthony is passionate about is controlling what he spends his time doing. We all have the same amount of time and your choices are your own. You have the time to get stuff done provided you can ignore the distractions. Instead of one hour on Facebook, spending that time more productively can produce tremendous results:

• Prospecting for clients
• Making cold calls to clients and nurturing those relationships
• Taking your team out to lunch to deepen that relationship

“I don’t have the time” means you’re saying yes to small things but no to the big things. Being consistent and doing a little bit everyday will get you there. “500 words per day will get you a book in 90 days.”

Anthony put this idea to work in creating his upcoming book, ‘The Only Sales Guide You’ll Ever Need’ coming out October 11th, 2016. It’s about what you need to do now to sell well. The first half of the book is personal development and “Me Management.” The second half is full of workable sales strategies organized by “pick your weakness” chapters.

I truly enjoyed my talk with Anthony and learned a lot from it, as I’m sure you will as well.

SOME QUESTIONS I ASK:

1. What moment launched Anthony on this trajectory?
2. How have his mentors helped him?
3. How does he avoid emotional attachments to outcomes?
4. How does he know his sales presentation isn’t self-oriented?
5. How did he overcome the adversities he hit early in life?

IN THIS EPISODE, YOU WILL LEARN:

• How you know you’re on the right path
• How Anthony defines and pursues success
• How being other-orientated in the sales process will lead to more sales
• About the fallacy in believing you’re too busy
• Plus much more…

GO MAKE AN IMPACT:

• Spend one hour taking your team out to lunch to deepen that relationship

DON’T STOP HERE…

• Learn more about Anthony: Website | LinkedIn | Twitter

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:

• “Why Fast Is Slow” Article: Read
• “7 Ways You Prove That You Are Self-Oriented” Article: Read
• ‘In The Arena Podcast’: iTunes | Website
• ‘The Only Sales Guide You’ll Ever Need’ available October 11th, 2016: Amazon Pre-order

Cameron Herold has taken 20 years of experience operating some

If you could pick any superpower, what would it be and

I’d pick the one my oldest son has and it’s his smile. Every

Was there an impact moment that led you on this journey

I was groomed by my father to be an entrepreneur, but the real

How has mentorship impacted you and influenced your

The mentoring for me comes in various forms. The first is

Entrepreneurs are wired differently than the rest of

Most have the following traits:

Those aren’t necessarily traits that describe entrepreneurs.

According to the medical community, we’re disasters. We should

What we need is for the entrepreneurs to rise

How can entrepreneurs get supercharged

We need to give ourselves a little bit of a break and allow

How can entrepreneurs and leaders approach leading teams

We need to understand how each generation works & leverage

How did you enroll “the dream manager” into

On day one, get your employees to write down their bucket list.

Imagine you could start getting people on your team to achieve

In your book, you talk about the 5 stages of the

You need to relax your brain and take disconnect times from work

Why is important to take time and reflect on the

Instead of being busy and learning from everybody else, it’s

I am probably the best mentor I can have for myself if I

How will you measure your life?

Right now it’s on my ability to raise good kids. Our role is to

Last words of wisdom

At the end of the day, let’s not take ourselves so seriously.

Show Links

Cameron’s Website - CameronHerold.com

Meetings

“Let’s

Commit To 3 App - CommitTo3.com

FocusTime (Pomodoro app) - FocusTimeapp.com