Did you know the American Cancer Society estimates there will be over 1.6 million new cases of cancer diagnosed in 2014? How would you cope if you were one of those cases - or someone you loved was? Could you find opportunity in the diagnosis? Our guest for episode 85 did.

Allison Gryphon was born in New York but was raised primarily in the Bay area before going to college in Los Angeles. After graduating, she worked her way through the production ranks in the film industry. In fact, she recorded this show with me, while she was on a project at Skywalker Ranch.

From working on films like The Lone Ranger and Pirates of the Caribbean, Allison has devoted her life to making films. And from that devotion, she learned how not to take no for an answer and how to organize her way through any situation. And she believes all of that helped her not only cope with cancer, but to find the opportunity in it.

We talk about the opportunity she saw in her cancer diagnosis, as well as and her thoughts on other topics, such as:

* Seeing an opportunity and taking action on it

* How to just show up and offer support for a friend and loved one in any scenario

* The lesson in learning how to receive

* The personal journey that is everyone’s life: why you should choose the organization and coach that resonates with your journey

* The many faces of adversity as a solopreneur

There are so many lessons for any solopreneur to learn from Allison and her battle with cancer. She transparently shares that battle in this episode, and how it helped her create a foundation and a personal documentary.

Whether we’ve faced cancer directly or experienced it indirectly, Allison offers insights and hope in the struggle to defeat it.

Show her your support via social media on Facebook and Twitter.

Facebook

Twitter

Resources from this episode:

The Why Foundation

Allison's documentary

Allison's IMDB page

Vinnie Tortorich

Natalie Sisson

Skywalker Ranch

Solopreneurhour.com/godaddy

Kevin Pearce, snowboarding accident documentary

Native Americans, hair length and their armed forces service

Have you ever watched the show “The Millionaire Matchmaker”? Ever wondered what it’s really like to be a matchmaker today? In a world full of Tinder, The Bachelor and eHarmony, Jolene Manuel joined the show to give us the inside scoop on connecting people in the romance department and how she’s earned her stripes as a solopreneur.

Jolene got her start in the matchmaking world through a company called “It’s Just Lunch”, a female-owned and operated business based out of Chicago that has now gone nationwide. After the company was bought out, she and the rest of the staff were all laid off.

Like any great solopreneur, Jolene saw this as an opportunity to strike out on her own; she became an independent matchmaker with her own web site and podcast.

Today she works individually with her clients, all of whom want to “outsource” their dating life. They turn to Jolene to find them potential matches; she takes the legwork out of dating for them.

Although she’s new to being a business owner, Jolene has always been a hustler. Along the way she’s learned valuable lessons such as:

* Why being the best version of yourself is so important for your life and your business

* The similarities between dating and business: why failure is so critical to both

* The ideal client and the ideal partner: you’ve got to know what you want in both before you’ll land either

* How important coaching was to her initial success as a solopreneur

* How she has mastered time management and how you can too

* The necessity of the learning curve and how your experience helps others to shorten theirs

I met Jolene through one of Nick Unsworth’s Life on Fire events and it’s been a joy to watch her grow her business and create a life she loves. Today she lives the ultimate solopreneurial lifestyle: she dictates what she does with her days and she loves every minute of it.

There’s plenty of information in this episode that’s relevant to your business and future growth strategies, whether you’re single or happily hitched so be sure to have a listen.

Be sure to connect with Jolene and show her some Soloist love on Facebook and Twitter!

Facebook

Twitter

Resources from this episode:

Jolene's web site

It's Just Lunch

JJ Collier

Vinnie Tortorich

Tinder

Sexy Six

8 Steps to Becoming a Successful Solopreneur

From the swamps of Louisiana to the red carpets of Hollywood, our guest for episode 83 has seen it all. Vinnie Tortorich is best known for his success as a celebrity trainer, but he’s also a podcaster and author.

In this episode, we talk about what it’s like when your significant other is a Bond girl (he is attached to the lovely Serena Scott Thomas), the hustle it takes to succeed in Hollywood or anywhere else today and Vinnie’s early days as a college athlete and model.

We dug into some other great content too, topics like:

* The origins of The Angriest Trainer podcast

* The four ways to grow your audience online

* The scientific definition of a calorie and do calories actually matter?

* Has Vinnie ever been employable?

* How he lands celebrity clients: it's not what you might think

Vinnie’s blatant honesty and solopreneurial spirit shine in this episode. He’s not shy about expressing his opinions on the state of Americans’ health and why fad diets don’t work. It isn’t all health and fitness though; he also talks openly about why he believes some people don’t succeed as business owners and why others do.

When I met Vinnie at NMX earlier this year, I knew he was someone I wanted on the show so I was thrilled we made it happen.

If you loved having Vinnie on the show as much as I did, let him know!

Click This Link To Tweet Vinnie

Facebook

Twitter

This episode is brought to you by Godaddy. Get a domain name for only $3.50 by clicking the link below:

Resources from this episode:

Vinnie’s web site

Vinnie’s Fitness Confidential book

The Angriest Trainer podcast

Serena Scott Thomas

Tina Louise (aka Ginger from Gilligan's Island)

Monty: Vinnie’s first book

solopreneurhour.com/slimdown

Anna Vocino’s web site

Drew Avery

Anna Vocino

Adam Carolla’s Fund Anything campaign to save podcasts

What can you learn from an artist who’s spoken at South by Southwest, written for Mashable and was featured in Gary Vaynerchuk’s “Crush It”? You’re about to find out.

In episode 82, Natasha Wescoat joins the Solopreneur Hour to talk about her financial success as an artist using social media. This episode is a MUST-LISTEN for ANY artist or craftsman.

Natasha’s early days with social media led her to discovering how to give value while leveraging her audience to make a profitable and healthy income as an artist. We also dive into what it was like to grow up in economically-challenged Detroit, as well as her time in a “religious extremist group”.

Natasha was more than happy to share her how-to’s, like:

* When to create a business for your art and the steps you should take

* How to license as an artist

* What she'd do right now if she was starting from scratch in social media

* The importance of the story and the process of anything you create

* The Crush It effect: what happened after her story was published in Gary V's book

Natasha professes to have suffered from the belief that “I can do anything” and it shows in her artistic success. She has done what so many others have not: she’s made a thriving career as an artist.

Natasha is a person who is truly committed to creating great art as well as helping other artists bring their creations to life. This show was a testament to that: there are real, actionable steps you can take right now for your business.

Show Natasha Some Love on Twitter By Clicking This Link

Facebook

Twitter

Resources from this episode:

Natasha's Art

Flickr

Dropbox

Crush It by Gary Vaynerchuk

Natasha's Artist Academy

SoloLab

Do you think rippling muscles and vibrant health are only for the young? Our guest for show 81 proves otherwise.

In this episode, fitness investigator and all-around health aficionado, Drew Avery joins us to talk nutrition, fitness and healthy aging.

Over the last 15 years, Drew has  altered his body as well as his entire life through shifting his health, his habits and his mindset. Drew’s a friend of mine and I wanted him to talk about his personal experiences, his hands-on research and the importance of health in the life of a solopreneur.

We get into details like:

* The importance of cheating on a diet

* How Drew adapts his eating habits when he's away from home

* Drew's recommendations on what to look for in a protein shake

* How often should you eat?

* Does consuming sugar have the same effect on the brain as ingesting cocaine?

We also talk about Drew’s experience on the Howard Stern show and what Howard’s really like, along with Drew’s tips on how to eat healthy without spending hours in the kitchen.

Drew has devoted the last 15 years of his life to exploring how to eat for the maximum health impacts and I was thrilled he joined the show to talk about what’s he found. Like all great solopreneurs, he’s a very hands-on explorer so anything he recommends is something he’s tried himself.

To dig into more scientific discoveries with Drew and to thank him for sharing his health expertise on the show, connect with him via Facebook and Twitter:

Facebook

Twitter

Join The Solopreneur Hour Slimdown! 

Resources in this episode:

Drew Avery's web site

The Four-Hour Body

Join other Unemployables on the Facebook group

Want to know more about Isagenix and having a healthy shake? Send me your info here

Get Your $3.49 Domain Name from Godaddy

Joining us for episode 80 is my friend and fellow podcaster, Caleb Wojcik. Caleb’s part of the superstar team at Fizzle and is a solopreneur in his own right: he just released his first solo information product, a DIY video guide.

Although Caleb didn’t start out on the entrepreneurial path (after college he worked for Boeing in a traditional job), his discovery of blogging, and later video blogging, opened up his door to solopreneurship.

Today he’s at the forefront of the video revolution. He’s THE guy to help you learn how to use video like a pro, even when you aren’t.

We get into the nitty-gritty, how-to of video creation. Caleb is the master and he shares his treasure of knowledge. You’ll hear Caleb and I talk about:

* Caleb's trick for saving time in edit

* Where to go to outsource your video needs, Caleb recommendations

* When to use YT and when to use alternatives like Wistia

* Our celebrity encounters: who did Caleb see in Venice?

* How to tell your story with video

* Video camera recommendations for ALL budgets

Caleb lets us in on technical tips to creating great video at home, regardless of your budget and your experience level. He also shares where he gets his knowledge; like a true solopreneur, he gathers it from many sources. He even talks about what he picked up from the director of photography for Saturday Night Live.

Video is certainly an integral part of any solopreneur’s path so I was stoked to have Caleb on the show. As with so many of our guests, he was generous with his time and his knowledge contributions.

Caleb is an absolute rock star! Click the link below to send him some Twitter love!

Click This Link To Send A Thank You Tweet to Caleb! 

Facebook

Twitter

Resources from this episode:

Caleb’s DIY video guide

Caleb's site

Stuart Davis

Fizzle

The Fizzle team's podcast

Last Frontier Knives

Rode smartLav

ikan

Apple's 30 year video, shot entirely with the iPhone

Wistia resources:

Your First Lighting Kit

Down and Dirty Lighting Details

In this solo Solopreneur Hour (See what I did there?) I wanted to help de-mystify the launching process...whether it was a product, a service, or an affiliate business.  I used a guide created by the Suitcase Entrepreneur herself, Natalie Sisson. You can find the guide in the Resources section at the bottom of the notes.

Thanks to Natalie, and thanks to GoDaddy for sponsoring this episode!

Without further ado, let's dive into the outline of today's show.

Phase 1. Commit to ship and plan.

* Set big launch goals within 1-3 months

* Hire a coach or launch strategist or join mastermind to hold you accountable.

* Find a niche market with a real need. Make your hobbies work for you.

* Conduct research to narrow down your niche and find your ideal customer.

* Choose the best product or service to launch based on your audience and your own personal sweet spot. Find something in your own Universe, find the thing you really love to do.

Phase 2: Taking Action

I advise taking the Chris Ducker approach: hire a small team, start building people around you. It's a MAJOR mistake to try to do it all yourself. You'll get so much further so much quicker when you hire a team!

* Get to work creating your product or service. Have people help you with copy, etc. Do an outline: first write out your major topics/buckets of the information you are disseminating. Then do the sub-categories: build on a gradient which means build on the previous section(s).

* Are you using video? Then you’ll just need bullet points of the points you're making.

Doing a screen cast? Write out more of a script so you keep it tight.

* Create an effective web site: Wordpress is your best. See Resources section for more resources on this, it's here.

* Get your social media profiles ready if they aren’t: wherever your customers hang out online, that’s where you need to be.

* Facebook, Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Instagram, etc. See Crush It of the Sexy Six for more on this.

* And for these social media outlets, use your personal profile. People will most commonly relate to you as YOU, not your business page.

* Set up an email list for Aweber, Mailchimp plug-ins, and place opt-in box at the top of your site. Give something cool away: I like resource guides. Check out Pat Flynn’s episode with Clay Collins of LeadPages. LeadPages makes beautiful opt-in boxes.

* Create a content marketing plan that includes regular blogging on your product or service topic, both on your personal blog and on influential blogs as a guest contributor.

* Set up a landing page to promote your product on your web site. Leadpages or Optimize Press for the squeeze page or sales page.

Phase 3: Selling Your Product

* Choose an e-commerce solution like e-junkie, Shopify, Paypal, Authorize.net to accept payments for your products.

* Build out an affiliate team to act as your virtual sales force. It’s common to give away 50% to your affiliates. What would you rather have: 100 sales at $50 or 3 sales at 100?

* Use online software like Clickbank or 1shoppingcart to set up an affiilate management system and empower your affiliates to sell.

* Set up a marketing campaign using FB ads, Google adwords, other relevant platforms. Pay to play to do a really good launch. Think of it as trading a nickel for a dollar! The current move I see happening is this: you drive people to either a live training or a recorded webinar on a specific date that gets them to buy an actual product.

* Or you can do what Nick Unsworth does and do a live 20 day launch. He brings people along with him. That way there's no pre-build, you almost force people to participate because they are logging in and using your product through the launch.

* Write guest posts and contact media outlets that may be interested in reviewing your product.

* Plan an email marketing campaign for pre and post ...

You’ve heard the expression: behind every great man is a great woman. And that’s equally true, if not more so, in the world of podcasting. A prime example is Kate Erickson. Don’t recognize her name? She’s the content genius behind the  Entrepeneur on Fire podcast. This special episode shares a real behind the scenes look at how Entrepreneur on Fire came to be, and how important content is to grow your brand.

From her early days as an athlete to her career path in advertising and marketing agencies, Kate shares her personal journey and the story of how her relationship with John began and how she became an integral part of the Entrepeneur on Fire community.

You’ll hear Kate talk about:

* Her first six months with EOFire.com and how she came onboard full-time

* Her thoughts on beginning strategies for podcasters

* The Pat Flynn Effect

* How she and John work side by side every day while still keeping a great personal relationship

* Would she ever host her own podcast?

It was a pleasure to have Kate join us for episode 78 and she BROUGHT IT. She’s a wise and talented woman who knows how to create great content for any solopreneurial business - not just podcasts. And in this show, she shares important nuggets she’s gleaned over the years.

Take a listen and then let Kate know how much you loved having her on the show!

Click This Link To Send Kate a Tweet & Tell Her How Awesome She Was! 

Facebook

Twitter 

Resources from this episode:

Entrepreneur on Fire

Entrepreneur on Fire blog

PRweb.com

Help a Reporter Out (HARO)

David Roth: Episode 8 and Episode 25  

The Pat Flynn Effect blog post

Rick Steves' podcast

Cinque Terre

Have you heard the joke from Seinfeld about public speaking? It goes something like this: people’s top fear is public speaking followed by death. That means we’d rather be IN the casket than giving the eulogy!

Our guest today is working to change that. Joining us for episode 77 is Bryan Kelly from the video podcast What the Speak. What the Speak is dedicated to helping people learn the true art and science of public speaking.

Bryan and I had a rousing chat about professional singing, the world of podcasting and what makes a good speaker great.

You’ll hear lessons like:

* Are the best public speakers extroverts or introverts?

* Bryan's lesson from his first experience with podcasting to his present day system: how he now systemizes and leads a team to produce each of his shows

* All of us have the ability to master effective communication skills

* Why the first thing people buy is YOU and not your message, your service or your products

* What Derek Halpern had to say about both of our podcasts

Bryan also shares his six psychological secrets for successfully connecting with any audience you speak to, regardless of the topic. It’s the same six secrets he gave in a guest blogpost he wrote for Michael Hyatt.

Here's a quick recap of the six; you can read the full description in the link in the resources section:

* We follow leaders; as the speaker, you have the authority.

* We instantly read people.

* We assign meaning to body movement.

* We pay attention to vocal tone.

* We imitate emotions. The wo strongest emotions you can convey as a speaker are nervousness and passion.

* Our brain patterns sync up when we listen to someone; our audience is more strongly affected by our listening than by reading slides.

Bryan knows his stuff when it comes to public speaking so be sure to have a listen to his podcast and connect with him online. Send him a tweet on Twitter and like him on Facebook!

Facebook

Twitter

Resources from this episode:

What the Speak video podcast

Six Psychological Secrets of Public Speaking

Prairiemod.com

Dr. Paul, a bona fide audiophile (aka a sound junkie), was the first ever co-host to record with me in the studio. And it was a pleasure having him here. We talked sound equipment, his early days of being a math & science nerd as well as his progression in the field of medicine, including the many successes and many failures he’s had.

You’ll hear how:

* Dr. Paul was willing to be wrong, til he got it right.

* Simple tips to maximize your health in everyday life, including one that will turn off 2,000 of your inflammatory genes

* Dr. Paul’s mindset to overcoming setbacks and learning the necessary hard lessons

* His structure for bringing products to market: how he creates good products THEN creates good businesses using those products

* Why you don’t always hit a home run and how to channel what you learn when you don't

As Dr. Paul shares his thoughts on medicine, you’ll hear the relevant messages to your solopreneur journey: everyone has to learn the hard lessons in any business and there’s an art to applying what you learn from those lessons. Dr. Paul even shares a present day example of something he's creating and the many, many setbacks he's faced during the process.

After you’ve listened, share some Soloist love with Dr. Paul on Facebook!

 

Resources from this episode:

Joseph Audio

Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee

Contact Michael to use Dr. Paul’s products

Neurovigil