Most of the marketing you see still relies on the Mad Men style of advertising: look at what’s great about our product.

But as a solopreneur you know that doesn’t work. Gone are the days of touting your product’s features to the masses, and expecting big sales as a result. Today’s marketing is about connection and communication with your tribe.

Here to talk more about that is the founder of JVZoo, E. Brian Rose. EBR, as his friends call him, shares why he started his company, his origins in affiliate marketing and online marketing, and much more on episode 381 of The Solopreneur Hour.

More About JVZoo

Today JVZoo is THE site for affiliate sales, but EBR’s history in online marketing predates the site. In fact his roots are in TV production and radio. As a kid he dreamed of being on the radio so when he got the chance during his time in the military he took it. But when he heard a recording of his voice he was mortified: his Boston accent was so thick! So he practiced, practiced and practiced til it was gone.

Also while serving he was a TV producer for military television. He enjoyed the production side so much that when he left the armed forces he tried his hand at a video production company. It failed miserably, but being the consummate solopreneur he moved on to the next thing.

In the mid 90s he landed what he thought was his dream job: he was a contractor for NASA. In his role he had three projects to complete within the year, he and his team finished those in the first few weeks. To kill time in his cubicle he began surfing the internet. At that time in the evolution of technology he was one of the few to have high speed internet, and he took full advantage of it.

What he saw online blew him away: the Internet was evolving right before his eyes, and he wanted a piece of the action. He wanted to move to California to get into the mix, but in the mean time he taught himself to build a web site and his next ventures grew from there.

You’ll Also Hear:

* What does the E in E. Brian Rose stand for?

* How did Rich Dad Poor Dad become so popular?

* What defines good marketing online today?

* How much did Super Bowl ads cost this year?

* Why porn shows us the latest in online marketing.

* And so much more!

Soon he was finding ways to send traffic to sites, and this was in a time when you got paid to do so. It didn’t take long for the checks to start coming in and EBR knew there was much more he could create in the online marketing space.

Until then he had been heavily involved in affiliate sales, physical product sales and generating traffic, but he found out about something called online marketing and information products. He found forums like the Warrior Forums, and read about people selling ebooks and other info products.

He soon took his turn and created an ebook called Google Red Carpet. It took off like a rocket! It was so successful that the godfather of webinars, James Jones, approached him about turning it into a video course and doing webinars to promote it. The topic he covered in Google Red Carpet is something EBR is passionate about it and something he loved sharing with others so he agreed. And that is the criteria for anything he has ever done before or since: he must love doing it and be passionate about it.

We also get into how JVZoo was started from an airport conversation with a competitor, what his Marketing Mayhem conference is all about and the latest trends he’s seeing in the online space today. This one is full of entertainment and education – enjoy episode 381 of The Solopreneur Hour!

QUESTION OF THE DAY: Are you working on the thing you love every day? What is it? Let us know in the comments below!

Do you enjoy this podcast? If so,

Food is obviously a vital part of our day. But have you considered that your eating choices could be slowing you down in your business? They might be and our guest today can help you.

Abel James of the Fat Burning Man brand joins me to talk about all that and more in episode 380 (encore of episode 48) of The Solopreneur Hour.

More About This Show

Abel has one of the leading health podcasts where he’s interviewed Tim Ferriss, Lewis Howes, and many more notables. He’s also a successful solopreneur who has had the #1 app, and he is a best-selling author.

Abel’s online home is Fatburningman.com and today we chat about our backgrounds in music and how musicianship has influenced our solopreneur careers, the impact nutrition has had for both of us, and the lost art of being Renaissance man.

From an early age, Abel has been a hustler and an innovator. As he says in this podcast, he didn’t grow up with much money so he had to create it from nothing. If he wanted something he had to create the money to get it, so that’s what he did!

Listen in as Abel and I share:

* Why it’s vital as a solopreneur to model yourself after people who are socially, morally and ethically responsible.

* His sure-fire tips for getting healthy without denying yourself.

* The value in living as a Renaissance man or woman and why it’s become a lost art.

* Why saying you don’t have time for something is a cop out.

* The number one way to set yourself apart from everyone else.

* And much more!

His foray into internet marketing came in the late 90s, and he hasn’t looked back since. His early start came via buying & selling on eBay, selling music online, among other things. Today he creates podcasts, books and apps, including launching an app ranked #6 (ahead of the ever-popular “Angry Birds”!).

Once we cover his background and our shared interest in music – including the podcasters’ band we want to create! – we get into even more goodies like why you need to protect your intellectual property on the internet today.

In terms of intellectual property everyone (or so it seems) is a solopreneur today, and they have their solopreneur business. But what happens after you’ve launched something you’ve poured your heart, sweat and time into and you see copycats of your exact product a week later? How do you protect yourself from that? It happens far more often than you think and you’d do well to prepare yourself.

We also talk about the importance of physical labor versus creation, when he became unemployable, what he does with the Fat Burning Man brand and why being a Renaissance man is a lost art.

One of the key points to listen to is his brand and the change he is bringing to the world with it. You’ll hear the passion he has for quality food and how he shares that on his podcast, his apps and his other products – it’s not about getting a six-pack yesterday, it’s about the mental, emotional and psychological component because that’s where real change is made.

I had a blast with him on this show, and I hope you are both entertained and educated when you listen. Abel and I have jam-packed this episode with tons of value – and lots of laughs. It’s clear he is a man who walks his talk from the way he eats to the way he runs his solopreneur endeavors. Listen in and enjoy episode 380 of The Solopreneur Hour!

QUESTION OF THE DAY: Are you working on the thing you love every day? What is it? Let us know in the comments below!

Do you enjoy this podcast? If so, could you please leave a review here. I read them, sometimes on the show,

Reporting from the media center at Superbowl 50!  I break down what it was like to hang with celebs and athletes, then get into your questions!

On episode 388 of The Solopreneur Hour Chase Reeves joins the show to talk God, drums, Rick & Morty, and a bunch of other intelligent, thoughtful stuff.

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If you’ve ever invested time, energy and money into a business only to have it fail because there wasn’t a market for it you are in good company! And you will love Pat Flynn’s latest book; it’s called Will It Fly?.

On episode 377 of The Solopreneur Hour, Pat and I dig into the impetus for this book, what publishing route he chose and why, as well as his alternative to the traditional customer avatar advice.

More About Pat Flynn

If for some reason you haven’t heard of Pat or have missed his previous visits to the show (which are all here by the way), Pat got into the online world 8 years ago as a blogger and a self-professed “crash test dummy”.

He’s the founder of Smart Passive Income, a site he created after getting laid off as an aspiring architect/job captain at an architecture firm. The site was built to show people how he had successfully sold an online course helping architects pass their LEED exam, and how he grew an audience in the process.

Over the years he’s continued to be that “crash test dummy” for his audience and try new things, validate or invalidate them and then passes along his results. People love him for it, as well as how genuinely kind and authentic he is. Over and over again when his fans meet him they tell him he’s the same person online as he is in real life, something that had been sorely missing in the online community before Pat came onto the scene.

You’ll Also Hear:

* What was Pat’s scariest moment on stage?

* Why did he avoid labeling himself a CEO for so long?

* Why a pre-launch group is so powerful.

* Why real world feedback is critical to the success of any endeavor.

* How Pat is using a hybrid of self-publishing and working with a publishing house.

* And so much more!

One of the things his audience also says to him, whether in person or online, is how much they want something that is just Pat, and is more than blog posts and podcast episodes. Hearing those requests along with his new CEO mindset Pat decided it was time for a book and so Will It Fly? was conceived.

In true Pat Flynn fashion he gathered a pre-launch group of around 500 people and tested his early drafts on them. In exchange for early access to the book this group was asked to give feedback, provide their favorite quotes and leave reviews on Amazon. It worked like a charm, and helped both the group members personally and professionally and helped Pat flesh out what worked and lose what didn’t work til he had a final product both he and his audience loved.

On today’s show Pat shares more details on why he went with a pre-launch group, the three phases of the book’s release, and his chapter on discovering your customer’s P.L.A.N (versus creating a customer avatar).

His chapter on discovering your customer’s P.L.A.N. is a great lesson for anyone in any industry. If you’re stuck where you’re at or you’re creating a new business you’ll want to take note of this.

The traditional advice is to create a customer avatar and while Pat feels that’s important he also knows firsthand the value in empathizing with your audience. He has always felt his people’s struggles and challenges, and that’s one of the things that has made him so successful.

So rather than creating an avatar he encourages people to create a customer P.LA.N. He breaks it down like this:

P is for problem:

You are discovering your customers’ problems. You need to know what problems they have so you can solve them.

L is for language:

Hi y’all.  Today’s questions were simply sublime.  Thanks for answering.  If you’d like your chance to ask questions, simply text the word “solohour” to 33444, and jump on the mailing list.  Or, you can click to your right and download the 8 3/4 Steps of Becoming A Successful Solopreneur.  See you next week!

Sales: love it or hate it it is THE skill that makes or breaks your business. And no one knows that better than John Ruhlin, the number one sales guy for Cutco. Cutco is largest cutlery manufacturer in North America and is one of the largest direct sales companies in the world.

While still holding that record and his standing with Cutco, John went on to found The Ruhlin Group. His firm specializes in year-round strategic gifting and appreciation programs to connect with C-level executives.

On episode 375 of The Solopreneur Hour John joins us to talk about all of that and more. Kick back, listen in and enjoy!

More About John Ruhlin

John’s initiation into the world of sales, gift-giving and business is a bit of a circuitous one, like it often is for solopreneurs! He grew up in rural Ohio, about 1.5 hours south of Cleveland. When he went to college he started off pre-med, he wanted to be a doctor.

To pay for that degree he began working for a cable company. After falling off a ladder several times (from 30 feet) and not getting hurt, he realized it was a wake up call. He needed to do something else to pay for school, or he might not be so fortunate the next time he fell! So he joined his friend who sold Cutco knives.

While with Cutco he had terrific sales training: he learned the art of overcoming objections and how to build relationships. One of those relationships was with his girlfriend’s dad. That man taught John the true key to giving gifts, creating referrals and solidifying relationships: give gifts that take care of the receiver’s inner circle (like the receiver’s spouse, significant other, assistant, and/or children) and you’ll create a bond for life.

You’ll Also Hear:

* How often should you give gifts?

* When did he know to switch his pre-med studies to PR and marketing?

* One key question to ask yourself before giving a gift.

* Why it’s not just the thought of giving that counts.

* How can gifts keep you top of mind with someone?

* And so much more!

On today’s episode John shares his craziest gift that he ever gave, and how it brought him referrals and exposure that millions of dollars in advertising would never have gotten him, as well as the keys to getting started with giving gifts, whatever your budget.

The keys to getting started are simple: personalize the gift, make it a surprise and make it something they can use repeatedly. All too often we receive personalized gifts, but they are personal to the SENDER, not the recipient.

Think about the last conference you went to or meeting you attended – what swag did you get? Did it have the company’s name on it or yours? Odds are it had the company’s name on it, and odds are you either tossed it in a drawer somewhere or gave it to Goodwill. No one wants to wear a polo shirt with your company’s name on it, nor do they want a mug with your logo on it – not unless you’re Nike, Lululemon or the like.

Instead make the gift you give personalized with their name, or engrave it to their entire family. One of John’s favorite gifts to give as a follow up when meeting someone or after they’ve set aside time to talk with him is a personalized Cutco knife with a handwritten note.

Whatever gift you’re giving ask yourself if you would give that gift to them at their wedding. If the answer is yes it’s a gift you can give. If the answer is no you need to rethink the gift and your personalization of it.

The second key is to make it a surprise. Don’t tell someone you’re sending them a gift – it ruins the surprise! Once you tell them they’ll start worrying you’re going to send them something they won’t like or won’t be able to use.

Today’s show finds me reading “Chapter 2: Getting Over The Fear” of my new book, Unemployable™.

I’d love if you’d have a listen and give me some feedback on what you thought of it.  You can tweet me at @solohour, or reach out via the website contact form.

I talk about the pros and cons of being a solopreneur, and how to turn your fear into opportunity. All of that and more on episode 374 of The Solopreneur Hour – hope you dig it!

More About

One of the greatest feats we will ever face as solopreneurs is simply the fear of doing it, and that’s one of the reasons I devoted an entire chapter to the subject. The purpose of this chapter and of this episode is to help you get past those fears, to face them and do the thing you’re going to do anyway.

Before we dive into some of the material I cover it’s important to understand the format I chose for each chapter of the book.

First it starts with a quote about the theme of the chapter. Since chapter 2 is about fear I chose a quote about fear. Second I share a story of a successful solopreneur. Third is the meat and potatoes: the chapter’s topic, and then I wrap with the resources from that chapter.

Now in this particular section of the book, chapter two, I cover things like turning your fear into opportunity, the pros and cons of being a solopreneur, how to tackle some common beginning solopreneur problems so you can better face your fears and mindset techniques to also help you face your fears.

On This Episode You’ll Also Hear:

* What is the key to your future solopreneur success?

* How I transitioned from working behind the scenes to being in the spotlight.

* Why time freedom is worth so much more than money.

* What is wealth according to Rich Dad/Poor Dad?

* How you can use your mortgage to your advantage.

* And much, much more!

When it comes to facing your fears of solopreneurship it’s important to be transparent about the pitfalls and the opportunities. Let’s start with the downsides: you are completely responsible for your success or failure, financial instability, and the stress that goes along with that.

Being 100% responsible for your success or failure is often one of the reasons people become solopreneurs. For me I was tired of working for middle managers who wouldn’t know a good idea if it hit them upside the head.

Being a solopreneur means there is no more middle manager and you can implement any idea you come up with. That also means you are responsible if it fails, and if it succeeds. You need patience to see things through to their ultimate success or failure, and you also get the joy of exploring your own ideas and the fulfillment that comes with it.

Another downside is the financial instability. Most of us will need to take steps to prepare for this because we live paycheck to paycheck. On this episode and in the book I give you ideas on how to do so. But it’s important you are aware of the instability from the beginning. Much of your life, including your finances, will fluctuate as a solopreneur. This can add real stress to your life, with your spouse/partner, your friends and in your other relationships.

But there are significant upsides to going it on your own. The big three are time freedom, financial freedom and location freedom.

Time freedom cannot be overestimated. As I get older I am much more focused on having experiences, and the more time freedom I have the more experiences I can be open to creating. I recently spent 10 days with my brother helping him move, and it was a true bonding experience for us. That was something I could not have done if I had had a regular job.

Ok…Stevie Wonder is not on the show.  But I *did* take a selfie with him, so that was pretty cool. I ramble on with a rundown of NAMM (The music conference),  jamming with a famous rapper, putting your lifestyle first, a couple of side gigs, and a bunch of other awesomeness on episode 373 of The Solopreneur Hour.

As a solopreneur you already know your vision of a successful business is different than someone else’s vision. And often that vision means creating your lifestyle first, and fitting your business within that (rather than the other way around).

One man who has experienced that change and evolution is Corbett Barr, CEO and Founder of Fizzle.co.

He joins us today to talk about his first startup experiences, and how his failures lead him to the success he has today. We’ll dive into the origins of Fizzle, Sparkline and more on episode 372 of The Solopreneur Hour.

More About Corbett Barr

Corbett was born and raised in Portland, an area he left for awhile but has recently come back to. Growing up he was both a nerd and an athlete: he played four years of varsity soccer in high school and was also one of the top academic achievers in his class. High school was also where he met his future wife, they’ve been together ever since!

Unlike many of our other guests Corbett was very employable he says. He worked full-time while in college and then became a consultant after graduation. He worked for a firm consulting with Fortune 500 companies; he traveled to large corporations and showed where they were inefficiently using technology and provided solutions for them to be more effective in terms of money and data.

Even though he enjoyed his work most days he always felt that solopreneur itch and knew he’d eventually scratch it!

On This Episode You’ll Also Hear:

* What was the PayPal Mafia?

* Can you make money with any business idea and good execution?

* Can you niche down too far?

* Why there’s no such thing as bad data.

* And much, much more!

That day came when he and his wife moved to San Francisco so she could attend graduate school there as a fine artist. They were both starting over fresh so when he met with a former colleague about an idea for a startup Corbett decided to get on board. It was time to try his hand at entrepreneurship and he became co-founder with his former colleague.

And it was a roller coaster ride from the beginning: they landed a few million in venture capital backing, built an office and hired 10 employees. They continued on that path for three years. But in 2008 they were running out of funds, the financial crisis hit and their investors were scrambling for money. So when Corbett and his co-founder asked for more backing it came with stiff terms, and eventually they decided to close up shop.

Corbett and his wife took an eight-month long road trip to clear their heads, sort through their experiences and find what was next. He originally thought he would take that time to find his next startup and rebuild his vision of what a successful business looked like, but the more people he met and talked with the more that vision changed.

He began blogging about the people and conversations he had on their road trip, and soon his audience grew. Within the first year of his blog 500,000 people had visited his site.

And he also understood from blogging about his experience, his travels and his audience that he wanted to build his life around his next business, not vice versa. This was at the same time Tim Ferriss’ The Four Hour Work Week and lifestyle design were becoming wildly popular.

Out of his soul-searching, blogging and audience building, Corbett created four new courses. Though they were all successful he wanted to combine them under one roof, and offer them through one platform. The groundwork for Fizzle had been born, and today they offer 500 different courses in one online location covering everything business-related from marketing to audience creation to building your first product.

Corbett shares more details on what Fizzle has evolved into today, as well as why the “fake it til you make it” slogan only applies in certain situatio...