The Movers & Shakers Podcast with Rob Wilson

From the feedback I've been receiving from all of you, there are a lot of you that want to earn a living by having impact and influence on the lives of other people.

There's only one problem: Many of you just don't know where to start. No sweat. Here comes #MoversAndShakers to the rescue.

Enter Melinda Emerson, a.k.a. SmallBizLady, a former journalist who has, over her 15 years in business, become one of the country's leading experts in building successful small businesses.

Melinda is the author of the best-selling book, Become your Own Boss in 12 Months, she has been named one of the top experts to follow by Forbes Magazine and Huffington Post, and she has an army of 250,000 loyal followers on Twitter.

She's built a tremendous platform of impact and influence, and there's a ton that we can learn from her success.

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In this episode of Movers & Shakers here's what we'll cover:

What led her to shift from her career as a journalist  to become her own boss

How she unexpectedly got her first book deal

Why she launched a blog before launching her book 

How she went from knowing NOTHING about Twitter to having $250,000 followers

The gutsy move that landed her a weekly column in the New York Times

The top lessons learned from her 15 years in business

And much more!

Advice From Melinda Emerson a.k.a SmallBizLady

It's either WIN or LEARN.  There are no losses in business. Adopting this attitude will help you get past the fear of failing.

Leverage others with larger audiences. She used Entrepreneur.com and the NY Times to build her personal sphere of influence

Use Your Network. Don't be afraid to take on a project even though you might not know everything you need to complete it. Pick up the phone and ask for help.

Items mentioned in this episode include: 

Melinda's website 

SmallBizLady on Twitter

SmallBizLady on Facebook 

Melinda's Book Become Your Own Boss in 12 Months on Amazon *affiliate link

Platform, MichaelHyatt on Amazon *affiliate link

The E-Myth Revisited, Michael Gerber on Amazon*affiliate link 

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#MoversAndShakers

Action Item: Create something of extreme value to your audience and seek out a partner with a larger audience to help you promote it.

Don't worry, I already know what you're thinking. The polar vortex has you questioning why your risk your life the in the treacherous city streets, just to go to a job you hate. If this is you, I'm sure it wouldn't take too much convincing to get you to leave your job.

But what if you have a good job? What if you work for a billionaire and travel across the world? What if you have a fancy degree that everyone thinks you should be using? How easy would it be to leave then?

In this episode, we'll meet someone who was in that exact same position, Paul Brunson. Paul, a.k.a. the Modern Day Hitch, left a lucrative finance job to create a business as a matchmaker and he hasn't looked back since.

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In this episode of Movers & Shakers here's what we'll cover:

The life experiences that led him to  become a matchmaker

The bold steps he and his wife took to finance his new career

Specific steps to building a business around your passion

What he's learned from working for two billionaires

His current favorite social media tool, and what he thinks will be the next big thing

His secrets to being happy

And much more!

Advice From Paul Brunson

Find a mentor. See out successful people in your industry and ask them as many questions as you can.

Don't dabble. Go all in.  You can't expect 100% results from 50% effort.

Read. There is a treasure trove of information from successful people at your fingertips.  You can learn their secrets for less than it would cost to take them to lunch.

BONUS: For those of you who are more visually inclined, here's the video!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tvpqhs4LIEc

Items mentioned in this episode include: 

Paul's Website 

Paul on Twitter

Paul on Facebook 

Paul's show "Lovetown USA" on the OWN Network

Paul's book, "It's Complicated" on Amazon *affiliate link

Here's Paul with Oprah Winfrey during the filming of Lovetown USA

If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe to the show in iTunes so that you never miss another inspiring interview!

Enjoyed this episode? Click here to get more interviews like this directly to your inbox

#MoversAndShakers

Action Item: Who are the 5 mentors you will contact and what 5 books will you read to become an expert in your niche?

With Valentine's Day right around the corner, there seems like no better time to have a relationship expert on the show. To that end, we decided to have one of the best relationship experts on the show, Tony Gaskins.

Tony is a highly respected life and relationship coach who has been featured on The Oprah Winfrey Show and the Tyra Banks show, written countless books, performed speaking engagements around the globe and turned his "mess" into a "message" and built a six figure business around his expertise and experiences.

In this episode, Tony gives tons of valuable advice on how to grow your following and monetize your message.  Plus, he even throws in a little relationship advice as a bonus.

In this episode of Movers & Shakers here's what we'll cover:

How Tony wrote his first book

How he leveraged his book to land appearances on Oprah and the Tyra Banks Show

The secrets to building an effective social media following

How to monetize your expertise and experiences

And much more!

Advice From Tony

Be patient. Be Ready. His book was out for 2 years before he booked Oprah! He took advantage of a major news event (Rihanna/Chris Brown) and used that existing book to gain media exposure.

Don't be intimidated by someone who is already established in your niche market. No one person/business can handle all of the potential customers that need your service.

Why the relationship advice niche is so lucrative

Items mentioned in this episode include: 

Tony's Website 

Tony on Twitter

Tony on Facebook 

Tony's Books on Amazon

Wix.com - build your free business website

Here's a picture from Tony Gaskins' appearance on the Oprah Winfrey show

If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe to the show in iTunes so that you never miss another inspiring interview!

#MoversAndShakers

Question: What's first step will YOU take this week to build your expert empire?

No matter how successful you are, the tough times are going to come eventually. For the most successful people among us, it's how you handle those tough time is what really matters.

In this episode, you'll get to hear from one of the most highly decorated and accomplished female basketball players in history, Swin Cash. From the University of Connecticut, to the WNBA, to the Olympics, she has seen success at the highest levels of competition.

But she's been met with adversity as well.  Like the time she didn't make the USA Olympic Basketball Team in 2008.

In this episode here's what we'll cover:

Character traits she attributes to her success

Where her desire and motivation comes from

How she dealt with not making Team USA in 2008

The importance of having a strong team

What her plans are for leaving a legacy

And much more!

Advice From Swin

Face your adversity head on, don't run from it

Focus on your strengths, get help with your weaknesses

Take inspiration from others, but be the best you

Items mentioned in this episode include: 

Swin on Twitter

Swin on Instagram 

Swin's Book: Humble Journey

Bonus: Here's a behind the scenes pic of Swin and I right after we finished the interview.

If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe to the show in iTunes so that you never miss another inspiring interview!

 

Question: What's YOUR strategy for handling adversity?

Have you ever dreamed of seeing yourself on the big screen, and the fame and fortune that might come along with it? It may seem like an impossible task to get noticed or "discovered" in tinsel town, but as it turns out, the fundamentals of success in entertainment aren't that different from those in business.

In this episode, you'll get to hear from star actor Lamman Rucker, a Pittsburgh native, who is perhaps best known for his role as Jill Scott's love interest in the hit movies Why Did I Get Married and Why Did I get Married Too.

He was gracious enough to share with us the experiences that took him from the inner city to the big stage as a star in major film and television projects.

In this episode here's what we'll cover:

What it takes to make it to Hollywood

How to have longevity in in the entertainment business

How to navigate the business aspects of the industry

How education helped him become a star

Why  giving back is so important

And much more!

Advice From Lamman

His C.O.R.E. principles for success

Be patient, it takes time to become an overnight success

Start small, think big

Items mentioned in this episode include: 

Lamman on Twitter

Lamman on Instagram 

Movie: Black Coffee

Why Did I Get Married

Why Did I Get Married Too

Bonus: Here's a pic of an opportunity I had to catch up with Lamman when we both appeared on a news show in Pittsburgh

If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe to the show in iTunes so that you never miss another inspiring interview!

 

Question: What role would YOU like to play in Hollywood?