The Sam Ovens Podcast

I decided to become an entrepreneur when I was 20 years old, now I'm 30. I've made a lot of mistakes and learned important lessons. This video shares 9 things I wish I knew when I was getting started. If I knew these things back then, my journey would have been less painful and more productive. I would be much further ahead.

My hope is that by sharing this content, others can learn from my mistakes and avoid the potholes that lie on the road ahead.

Communication KILLS businesses. It's a BAD thing! So are open-plan offices, meetings, managers, and big teams. Last year my company grew significantly, we hired 40 people, total headcount climbed to 48. We had more humans, we were paying more money in salaries, but productivity and throughput declined. How? How does hiring more people, paying more money in salaries, result in less stuff getting done? It baffled me. I've spent the past 6-months thinking about it, digging into the data and figuring it out. In this podcast, I share exactly that.

The greatest skill I have is the skill of learning. Most people haven't learned how to learn. They learned a specific skill, language or subject, but they never learned how to learn. Learning how to learn is the most powerful thing you can know because you can learn anything and do anything once you have it. In today's podcast, I break down my process for learning new things and show you how you can take it and use it for yourself immediately.

Warren Buffett said: "I want to know where I'm going to die so that I never go there". The best way to improve your life and business is to avoid catastrophic errors. The major lesson is “ignorance removal” and the notion that decision-making is not about making a brilliant decision, but avoiding terrible ones. Most people try to improve through addition, when you've really mastered something, you'll learn that improvement comes from subtraction. MORE with LESS. As you plan your goals and new year resolutions for 2019, make sure you set goals to remove things. Not just add new things. Today's podcast shows you how it's done!

If you don't have a plan, you'll become a part of somebody else's plan. By failing to plan, you're planning to fail. Planning your life is extremely important. I mean, it's your life. It's limited. And you only get one of them. So you better make it count! With 2019 just around the corner, right now is the perfect time to plan. In this podcast, I share with you how to create the ultimate plan for your future. Both personally and in business. It also includes 4 tools you can use immediately and for free.

Rather want to watch it instead of listening.? 

Click here to watch and get the tools for free: https://www.consulting.com/channel/tools-to-plan-for-the-new-year

Ever wondered why I behave abnormally compared to others? Ever wondered why I use things I tell you not to use? To most people, my behavior looks contradictory. Example: I'll use a YouTube video to tell you to stop watching YouTube videos. When people see this, it makes no sense to them. They think I'm dishonest, hypocritical or just plain weird. Is there a single intent or pattern behind my seemingly contradictory behavior? 

YES, there is. And once you understand what it is, everything will make sense to you. Give this a listen.

Meditation has changed my life and made me a better businessman. It's also made me more money. How does that happen? Well, let's break it down...

To be successful in business, you need self-discipline, clean thinking, and focus. The more self-discipline, clean thinking, and focus you have -- the more successful you'll be, and the money you'll make in business. The byproduct of meditation is increased self-discipline, clean thinking, and focus. Therefore, meditation makes you money! In this video, I share why I meditate and how I do it. After listening to this podcast, you'll be able to meditate and gain the benefits from it too.

The thing about money is time. 

The thing about time is that nobody knows how it works.

The result? Frustrated people who don't have money or time.

Time is the most powerful variable in any equation, yet it's the variable nobody understands and forgets to consider in their mental models, and daily decisions. 

In today's podcast, I take you on a journey to better understand time, how it works, how you can use it to make money, win at anything and live a better life. 

We discuss short-term thinking VS long-term thinking, instant gratification VS delayed gratification, 2nd order consequences, causal chains, effect horizons, exponential functions... all sorts of shit that will blow your mind, grow your bank account and turn you into your competitors worst nightmare.

Ask people who the best performing CEO in history was and they'll tell you "Jack Welch". What's interesting, is that Jack Welch was far from the best performing  CEO. He's not even on the map! People tend to judge a CEO's performance based on their level of "fame"  and "popularity". Not their numbers.  Jack Welch was a charismatic, extraverted CEO who made a lot of public appearances and grew his fame. This is why people say his name because they remember him and he's the popular, socially acceptable answer to the question if you want to fit in and seems smart to somebody who isn't smart. But in reality, Jack Welches numbers suck. Probably because he was out taking photos and shaking hands instead of focusing on his business. The best performing CEO's of all time are quiet people you've never heard of. They're quiet, humble, analytical engineers who shy away from the spotlight, have zero interest in fame and focus incessantly on adding value, allocating capital and improving efficiency. They're outsiders. In today's podcast, I explain why outsiders always win, and how you can become one. I also share some book recommendations as well as 3 companies letters to shareholders you must read if you want to succeed in business.

In a time of universal deceit — telling the truth is a revolutionary act. Right now the online business market is in a state of delusion, fantasy and clinical-grade insanity. Everybody has gone mad! I've been quietly observing this and using it to my advantage for years, but today, I decided to share my observations with you.

Today's podcast shares 9 inconvenient truths the market is too afraid to face. While this may be uncomfortable to hear, facing it will make you a better entrepreneur and it may just save your business!