The Impact Entrepreneur

Zach Obront is the Co-Founder of Book in a Box, which helps innovators and entrepreneurs turn their ideas into a book in just 6 months. At this point, Book in a Box has helped write, publish, and market about 900 books, and they have reached tens of thousands of people.

Zach’s co-founder was Tucker Max, a four-time New York Times bestseller, serial entrepreneur, and “reformed bad boy.” As you might expect, Zach first reached out to Tucker Max for a completely normal reason: to learn more about Edward Bernays, Sigmund Freud’s nephew who is sometimes referred to as “the father of public relations.”

Just what you expected, right? Well, the info about Bernays was questionable online, save for a great article by Tucker. Zach was nervous about potentially taking a leap to reach out, but he did anyway – it’s just an email, what’s the worst that can happen?

Within an hour, Tucker sent back a really thoughtful answer, and they stayed in touch. Eventually, they connected over a shared passion for publishing, created a new model for writing and publishing books, and started Book in a Box.

Zach teaches us that being an impactful entrepreneur doesn’t necessarily mean you have to be able to think outside of the box – it’s often better to be able to identify a potential problem and have the willingness to try creating a solution.

And while identifying the problem is certainly important, it’s that willingness to take a risk that really separates the extraordinary from the rest of the pack. The best ideas don’t do anything without action.

“My deep discomfort and fear comes from the feeling that I might be boring and not take a risk – the thought of taking a risk doesn’t feel risky to me.”

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Resources:

• Check out bookinabox.com
• Connect with Zach: Twitter | LinkedIn
• Take the Kolbe Index: www.kolbe.com

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We are brought to you by the Lawton Marketing Group, a full-service advertising and design agency serving companies and entrepreneurs at all levels. They are your one-stop shop for all your website, logo, social media, print, app design and reputable management needs.

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The Impact Entrepreneur Show is produced by Podcast Masters

Cameron Herold is back, and he’s been busy since we last talked on episode 52! Cameron started a new podcast, Second in Command, in which he interviews the chief behind the chief to learn the tips, systems, and insights of the chief who actually runs the business; the COO.

Cameron also has an excellent new book called Vivid Vision: A Remarkable Tool For Aligning Your Business Around a Shared Vision of the Future.

What’s a Vivid Vision?

Most entrepreneurs have an idea of what they want their company to look like. However, their employees can’t necessarily see that same vision; the movie in their head.

But if you can pull those ideas out of your mind and write it down on a 3 to 5-page document that describes your business three years in the future, with clarity, then they can get everybody to see what they can see.

Here are some other things to consider when drafting your Vivid Vision:

• The CEO writes it, and the COO’s job is to reverse engineer it and make it come true
• You talk about it in the finished state, as if it’s already done.
• Talk about the vision, and share it with everybody! “The more people that know where you’re going, the more they’ll help you get there.”
• Cameron suggests getting a copywriter to take your words and make them pop.
• Similarly, quality graphic design is a must because this is a forward-facing document that you share with customers, suppliers, bankers, employees, and prospects.
• Try creating an audio recording of your vivid vision so that you can re-listen to it, while doing other things, to reinforce it.
• You write the Vivid Vision in a way that it magnetizes people towards it – but if it attracts, it also has to push some people away. If you try to create something that everyone loves, no one actually cares.
• Every single sentence of that Vivid Vision becomes a future statement, and you can figure out one or two projects to make each sentence come true.”

If you want to see an excellent example of a vivid vision, check out what Cameron wrote for the COO Alliance’s City Forums: https://cooalliance.com/city-forums-vivid-vision.

“I want to replace vision statements with Vivid Visions, worldwide, because vision statements or mission statements don’t work and businesses have been starving for this piece.”

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Resources:

• Check out Second in Command: cooalliance.com/podcasts
• Connect with Cameron: cameronherold.com | Facebook | Twitter

• Vivid Vision: A Remarkable Tool For Aligning Your Business Around a Shared Vision of the Future

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We are brought to you by the Lawton Marketing Group, a full-service advertising and design agency serving companies and entrepreneurs at all levels. They are your one-stop shop for all your website, logo, social media, print, app design and reputable management needs.

Visit LawtonMG.com for more info.

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The Impact Entrepreneur Show is produced by Podcast Masters

Malorie Tadimi grew up in a “normal” family, expected to get a 9-5 job and join Corporate America. Like many people who grow up in a stable environment, she felt average – which can create an uncomfortable cognitive dissonance when you grow to loathe the very concept of being “normal” or “average.”

Malorie was miserable, exhausted, and passionless in her 9-5 job. She was checking off all the boxes for normal, but it didn’t feel right – she wanted to be extraordinary, and she wanted to be an entrepreneur.

It’s safe to say she’s accomplished that. Today, Malorie is the owner of her own consulting company, Tadimi, which has crafted strategic plans to help its clients earn over $800 billion annually.

“I really came into my own and accepted the fact that I’m not normal, and when that happened, that opened the doors for me to stop filtering myself and to stop holding my shine in – it just allowed me to open that box and see what came out!”

Corporate Exit Blueprint

When Malorie decided to let her inner entrepreneur out, she didn’t jump into the water without a life vest – she created a Corporate Exit Blueprint for herself.

If you feel stuck in your current job, if it feels like you’re in a striped jumpsuit locked behind bars, then a Corporate Exit Blueprint is like your “get out of jail free” card. Really, it all comes down to assuring that you can meet your most basic needs.

You have two options: live off of your savings or create an income stream before you leave your job. If you can get all of your work done quickly and efficiently then use the surplus time (or time at home) for learning and building a side hustle, you will be better prepared to make the leap.

Plus, you’ll already have one income stream and be able to build on that momentum!

How do you stand out as an entrepreneur?

After you leave your corporate nest and set out as an entrepreneur, you’ll soon run into another problem: it’s really hard to stand out online.

If you want to find an audience, you have to offer something that no one else is offering – this may be a new service or product, a novel business model, or a new way to deliver the service or product to your customer.

One recent example that Malorie points to is the “don’t pay until you get results” trend, a strategy that many marketers use to stand out in Facebook ads. At the same time, other marketers are having success using direct mail.

So standing out as an entrepreneur is not necessarily about doing something brand new – you just have to do something that no one else is doing in your space.

“Stop being so hard on yourself. Look at what you’ve already achieved; you’ve done all of this on your own and no one has handed you a single thing! Wouldn’t it be cool to know what else you could create if you just got out of jail?”

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Resources:

• Learn more at Tadimi.com
• Connect with Malorie: Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn

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We are brought to you by the Lawton Marketing Group, a full-service advertising and design agency serving companies and entrepreneurs at all levels. They are your one-stop shop for all your website, logo, social media, print, app design, and reputable management needs.

Visit LawtonMG.com for more info.

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The Impact Entrepreneur Show is produced by Podcast Masters

Derek Clark, best known as The Rapping Dad from his viral YouTube videos, is an inspiring motivational speaker and the author of Never Limit Your Life.

Although you might see Derek having fun with his wonderful family online and think “this guy has it made,” things weren’t always going so well for him.

Derek spent 13 years of his life in the Alameda County foster care system, where he struggled with rejection, humiliation, abuse, emotional distress, and overwhelming anxiety.

The abuse and abandonment, naturally, felt like a curse – but it turned out to be one of Derek’s greatest blessings. Derek believes he thrives as a leader because of his painful past, compassion for others, and "No Excuse" attitude.

Now, Derek's life mission is to help others find the mental strength to recognize and take advantage of their opportunities. His keynotes are based on true-life trials and triumphs, inspiring thousands to overcome adversity and fear.

Although it probably didn’t seem so important at the time, one of the most influential moments of Derek’s childhood was when he was first introduced to rap, and rap battles in particular. “I was always getting in trouble for fighting with my fists, but what if I could use my mouth and tongue as a weapon, instead of my fists?”

Rap helped Derek, for the first time, deal with his tumultuous inner world – and this was life-changing. When your inner world is a mess, your outer world is going to reflect that. But “rap was a taxi to my spirit, and it let me get the inside stuff, the crap, out.”

We all get to choose how we live, and we get to choose our attitude. You’re only ever one thought away from another positive thought, and that can make all the difference.

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Resources:

• Learn more at iwillnevergiveup.com
• Connect with Derek: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube
• Never Limit Your Life by Derek Clark
• Listen: Hope Dealers Podcast
• Watch: “It's not about your IQ, it's about your I WILL: Derek Clark at TEDxGreenbrookSchool”

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We are brought to you by the Lawton Marketing Group, a full service advertising and design agency serving companies and entrepreneurs at all levels. The are your one stop shop for all your website, logo, social media, print, app design and reputable management needs.

Visit LawtonMG.com for more info.

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The Impact Entrepreneur Show is produced by Podcast Masters

John Caglione Jr. has had an illustrious career as a makeup artist – over the past 40 years, his hands and creative genius have helped create new worlds and tell powerful stories on screen.

John is credited on over 80 shows and movies, helping to create iconic characters like Warren Beatty’s Dick Tracy (which earned him an Academy Award) and Heath Ledger’s The Joker (for which earned him another Oscar nomination). John’s work has also influenced many more incredible movies and shows, including Saturday Night Live, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Angels in America, The Sopranos, and Donnie Brasco.

Without John (and all of the other makeup, tech, and effects people out there), these modern stories couldn’t happen; the silver screen wouldn’t impact and move audiences in the same magical way.

John knew he wanted to be a makeup artist when he was just 14-years-old, after watching The Exorcist. He became a fan of Dick Smith, who John still believes is the great makeup artist of all time.

John eventually started a correspondence with Dick Smith, which grew into a mentor-mentee relationship. This “miraculous” series of events came at just the right time in John’s life, as his family was kind of falling apart.

In one phone call, Dick Smith’s generosity changed the entire dynamic of John’s life. “People really think about this master’s work, but one thing that I always think about him… was his love for his fellow man. He was so in touch with people and their lives – it was beyond the work, really.”

John has carried that mindset through his own career, and it’s paid off. Caring about people and focusing on the personal relationships (with Al Pacino, specifically) got him his shot at Dick Tracy, then his skill got him the job. And since then (1990), John is the only makeup artist that Al Pacino will work with.

“What I’ve learned, in my old age, is that we really have to care for each other, as much as possible… There’s work and art and business, and that’s good, but it’s all wrapped around me and you, here, right at this moment.”

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Resources:

• Learn more at johncaglionejr.net
• Connect with John: Instagram | Facebook | Twitter

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We are brought to you by the Lawton Marketing Group, a full service advertising and design agency serving companies and entrepreneurs at all levels. The are your one stop shop for all your website, logo, social media, print, app design and reputable management needs.

Visit LawtonMG.com for more info.

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The Impact Entrepreneur Show is produced by Podcast Masters

There are too many people out there who just want the harvest, but don’t necessarily want to do the hard work of farming; they want a 7-figure business or a huge social media following, but they’re not willing to put in the work, every single day.

The desire for (and expectation of) instant gratification is pervasive in our culture today, and there’s no substance behind any of it. But today’s guest, Craig Ballantyne, provides a remarkable amount of substance – at least, for high performers who want to take action and do the work.

Craig Ballantyne is a Productivity & Success Transformation Coach, co-owner of EarlyToRise.com, and the author of The Perfect Day Formula: How to Own the Day and Control Your Life, a book that I think goes beyond the morning routine to offer an ideal way for high performers to stay focused on what they’re called to do.

Structure = Freedom

One of the key principles in The Perfect Day Formula is that “structure equals freedom.” Specifically, Craig highlights three ways to control your day: controlling your mornings, conquering your afternoon chaos, and concentrating on what matters in the evening.

So how does this work – how does structure give us more freedom?

Well, Craig used to experience crippling anxiety attacks due to the paradox of freedom; he could do anything he wanted, even if that was working 12 hours a day and then partying in the city, and that started to catch up with him.

But when you put structure in your day, when you put boundaries around your work time and become more productive, you can get work done on time and get home to your family, be present with them, and concentrate on what counts.

“We are disciplined during the day so that we are enjoying true freedom at night.”

Scripting Your Day

Is there a script in Hamilton? Was there a script for Martin Luther King, Jr’s “I Have a Dream” speech? Do successful salespeople wing it, or do they use a script?

Scripting your day is as essential as scripting every play in the Super Bowl – “You don’t just go and wing it. That’s not how a high performer acts.”

Craig’s tips for scripting your day:

• The first mistake that people make is they try to create a to-do list with 19 things on it, but that’s too much for one day and you end up frustrated.
• You need to buffer for the chaos of the world and only script what you CAN do.
• You also need to script your communications; a lot of people forget about how long phone calls and emails can take when they plan out their day.
• Create end times! Everyone creates a start time for a meeting, but few people establish an end time.

“You have to choose something that you’re willing to do when it sucks. You have to be willing to suffer, in order to succeed.”

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Resources:

• Learn more at CraigBallantyne.com
• Connect with Craig: Instagram | Facebook | LinkedIn | Twitter
• Read Craig’s writing at EarlyToRise.com
• Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl
• Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage by Alfred Lansing
• Aspire: Discovering Your Purpose Through the Power of Words by Kevin Hall

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We are brought to you by the Lawton Marketing Group, a full service advertising and design agency serving companies and entrepreneurs at all levels. The are your one stop shop for all your website, logo, social media, print, app design and reputable management needs.

Visit LawtonMG.com for more info.

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The Impact Entrepreneur Show is produced by Podcast Masters

Bo Burlingham is an editor-at-large of Inc. magazine and the author of five books, including Finish Big: How Great Entrepreneurs Exit Their Companies on Top, which has been praised by thought leaders like Seth Godin, Simon Sinek, and Jim Collins.

Today we discuss Bo’s fascinating journey, and how the very image of entrepreneurship has fundamentally changed over the past few decades – a shift that is highlighted in Bo’s previous book, Small Giants, which features the stories of small companies that value greatness over growth; companies that have the opportunity to get bigger a lot faster, but chose not to because they have other goals that they consider more important.

Forbes also continues to update a list of Small Giants, annually. And at this point in time, the hardest part of creating the list is narrowing it down to just 25 small giants every year – entrepreneurs are, increasingly, using their resources and drive to create a huge impact.

In the book (you can read an excerpt here), Bo identifies six characteristics of Small Giants:

1. They have a relationship with the community that they’re located in; they not only give back to their communities, but their personalities are shaped by the communities in which they live.
2. They have a close, personal relationship with their customers (which they sought to develop).
3. The only relationships these companies value more than their customers is their relationship with their employees. They try to create what Bo calls a “culture of intimacy.”
4. The leaders know who they are, what they want out of business, and why.
5. These leaders also have a passion for what the company does.
6. And of course, finances are also important: these companies have a large variety of business models that protect gross margins.

The face of entrepreneurship is still changing – with the change being led by these Small Giants and the next generation of entrepreneurs both brave and passionate enough to make an impact.

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Resources:

• Learn more at BoBurlingham.com
• Connect with Bo on Twitter: @BoBurlingham
• Read Bo’s articles on Inc.com: inc.com/author/bo-burlingham
• Join the Small Giants community at SmallGiants.org

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We are brought to you by the Lawton Marketing Group, a full service advertising and design agency serving companies and entrepreneurs at all levels. The are your one stop shop for all your website, logo, social media, print, app design and reputable management needs.

Visit LawtonMG.com for more info.

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The Impact Entrepreneur Show is produced by Podcast Masters

Nathan Ogden is an inspirational speaker, coach, quadriplegic athlete, and the author of UnFrozen: Superior Systems to Move from Paralysis to Progress. He has spent years motivating and inspiring audiences and readers on how to conquer their fears and move from paralysis to progress.

Nathan’s life changed in 2001. He was skiing and hit a jump, launching himself over 20 feet in the air. He landed on his neck, shattering his C7 vertebrae. Nathan was instantly paralyzed and told he would be in a wheelchair for the rest of his life.

Nathan and his wife didn’t listen to that prognosis; “We have too many things that we want to do, so I will walk again and we will do whatever we have to do to get there.”

But, unfortunately, Nathan’s adversity didn’t end there.

During recovery, Nathan contracted pneumonia. He went unconscious in the middle of the night, so he was rushed to the hospital. While they were getting ready to take x-rays, he fell off the x-ray table – breaking his neck a second time.

When he woke up a few hours later and his wife told him what happened, the first three words out of Nathan’s mouth were, “Bring it on.”

However, after about a month, negative thoughts started creeping in. He lost the use of everything from the chest down, a considerable amount of what he had already worked to recover. “That’s when it hit me and I became what I call mentally paralyzed.”

If you’re depressed or feel stuck, Nathan believes there are a few small (but significant) steps you need to take:

• You have to put a name to what you’re feeling – then you can start dealing with it.
• Identify things that will make you feel good about yourself during the day. For example, Nathan wouldn’t check his social media until he had helped at least one person that day.
• Don’t compare yourself to other people. “I need to quit comparing myself to others and be the best that I know I can be. That’s good enough.”

Even two neck breaks couldn’t stop Nathan for long because he lives by the words his father passed down to him: “Live adventure – don’t watch it.”

This is never more obvious than in his philanthropic work: Nathan and his family created Chair the Hope to raise awareness and money for wheelchairs to be delivered in developing countries.

Nathan, his wife, and their four children kicked this off with a 1,200 mile bike ride, which they rode together, relay style, over the course of 12 days.

You can help help Ogden family in their mission to inspire others to get outside and keep moving despite disabilities, fears, or excuses, while raising money to donate to the Wheelchair Foundation, by supporting Chair of Hope at https://www.wheelchairfoundation.org/donations.

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Resources:

• Learn more at NathanOgden.com
• Connect with Nathan: Facebook | Twitter
• Support Chair of Hope

• UnFrozen: Superior Systems to Move from Paralysis to Progress

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We are brought to you by the Lawton Marketing Group, a full service advertising and design agency serving companies and entrepreneurs at all levels. The are your one stop shop for all your website, logo, social media, print, app design and reputable management needs.

Visit LawtonMG.com for more info.

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The Impact Entrepreneur Show is produced by Podcast Masters

Patrick Lencioni is the founder of The Table Group and the bestselling author of 11 books. He is the architect of organizational health, a concept that he calls the last competitive advantage in business today.

Pat’s passion for leadership and organizational health can be traced all the way to his first exposure to business as a child, when his dad lamented about working for a company with “bad management.”

Pat didn’t really know what management was at the time, but he knew that it was a bummer for his dad – and he eventually learned, after starting his first job, that that was dysfunction.

“I’m passionate about helping organizations not be dysfunctional so that people like my dad don’t have to suffer through it, because we spend too many hours at work for it to be dysfunctional.”

Pat’s dad always wanted him to get a great job, and he did! He got the best job of anyone in his graduating class… and he was bored. “I was so un-attracted to data and analysis, and I was fascinated by the human beings I saw. I was watching really intelligent people make fundamental mistakes because of human behavior, ego, and things like that,” and he realized that he could help.

In Patrick’s most recent book, The Ideal Team Player: How to Recognize and Cultivate The Three Essential Virtues, he aims to help individuals make a difference in their own teams.

Pat identifies the three virtues that make some people better team players than others:

1. Humility - If pride is the root of all sin, then humility is the antidote. “And human beings are attracted to others that are not tied up in themselves.”
2. Hunger - If you want to be a great team player, you have to be the kind of person who works really hard. That doesn’t mean be a workaholic, but if you’re going to do something, do it well.
3. Emotional Intelligence - You need common sense around other people; you have to understand how what you say impacts others, be sensitive to their needs, and consider what they’re thinking.

“If you are emotionally intelligent, hard working, and humble, your career will have no problems. I promise!”

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Resources:

• Learn more at TheTableGroup.com
• Connect with Pat: LinkedIn | Twitter
• Join Patrick for the Inaugural Organizational Health Summit (May 10, 2018)

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We are brought to you by the Lawton Marketing Group, a full service advertising and design agency serving companies and entrepreneurs at all levels. The are your one stop shop for all your website, logo, social media, print, app design and reputable management needs.

Visit LawtonMG.com for more info.

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The Impact Entrepreneur Show is produced by Podcast Masters

Andy Janning is a photographer, storyteller, and the author of Heroes, Villains, and Drunk Old Men: A Love Story for Real Life. Using the hero’s journey as a model, the book guides readers on their own heroic journey at work and home, helping them avoid becoming the villain in their own story.

Kindled by movies like Star Wars, Andy grew up with a love for stories – a love for not only the visuals, but for the people and the journey they go through to transform into something better.

This fascination with the hero’s journey sparked an intense desire to help other people, which ultimately led Andy to an (unexpected) career in financial services. He saw an opportunity “to really make it about hearts and dreams and hopes, and what folks want for the future.”

But over the years, Andy’s love of visual storytelling reawakened and he saw a new opportunity to combine his passions – he doesn’t have to choose between photography, filmmaking, storytelling, serving others, and helping people grow.

Reshape Your Story

There are periods of time in all of our lives where we feel like everything is crumbling, but we can begin to circumvent that pain when we invite other people into our life, our stories, and we can help others in the same way.

Those are the moments that really impact our stories, or when we can impact someone else’s.

If you know the right questions to ask, you can start to reshape your own story, too. Andy released a supplementary book, 8 Questions for Every Hero: The Story of Your Journey, that identifies the eight questions every hero should answer in the process of transforming:

1. What do you really want?
2. Who is going to be your mentor (and hold you accountable)?
3. How are you going to fail?
4. How are you going to succeed?
5. What are you going to fight for and against?
6. What will victory (or success) look like?
7. What are you going to give away?
8. Where are you going to go next?

“Those questions have helped me in my journey, have helped me define where I’ve gone, and have helped other people do that as well. The times when I’ve really screwed up in my life, I’ve forgotten one or all of those eight questions. So I need these things in front of me, reminding me of where I’m going to go, and that’s really what helps me on my journey, every single day.”

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Don’t be a podcast junkie…

Resources:

• Learn more at AndyJanning.com
• Connect with Andy: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
• Heroes, Villains, and Drunk Old Men: A Love Story for Real Life
• 8 Questions for Every Hero: The Story of Your Journey

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We are brought to you by the Lawton Marketing Group, a full service advertising and design agency serving companies and entrepreneurs at all levels. The are your one stop shop for all your website, logo, social media, print, app design and reputable management needs.

Visit LawtonMG.com for more info.

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The Impact Entrepreneur Show is produced by Podcast Masters