The #SpeakEasy Podcast

Failing Greatly with S.D. Howard

Speak Easy Podcast listeners, I don’t know if you know this, but I like y’all a lot. And so, I bring some awesome guests that can come in, like break things down to the least common denominator for all of you that had problems with this.

When we have this discussion, and it’s all about, you know, us telling our story for many of you. You know, some of the things that I’ve been through homelessness, abuse, all of those things, and learning not to be someone who is trauma dumping, especially as a speaker and an Author and an Entrepreneur, I want to make sure that I am doing what’s best for the listeners.

S.D HAWARD 00:56

My name is SD or Steven. And I am a Christian fiction Author, and Editor, Author coach, doing all the things trying to adult and failing horribly at it on a daily basis. So, but you know, what, I do the best that I can, and, you know, been through a lot of things. And it’s been a tremendous amount of healing in the last, oh, gosh, five, six years or so, and just really honored to be able to have the opportunity to come on and share this with you guys.

"It was still ugly, but at least it was honest, and it was able to help people." S.D. Howard

What you will learn in this episode:

02:27 How trauma affects communication

05:32 The process of heling to help

11:09 Have people started glorifying sexual abuse?

14:18 How Christian Fiction tackles the deep dark topics

Relevant Links:

https://sdhauthor.co/connect

The Family That Was Meant to Be with Mikki

Have you ever thought of adoption as a way to grow your family? Family shouldn’t be defined by blood, and your decision to adopt might change your life and that of the other person forever.

In this episode of the #SpeakEasy Podcast, Altovise speaks with Mikki Shepard, a realtor, and the author of In a Heartbeat book. Mikki’s family for generations has redefined the meaning of family, and she was more than happy to continue when she had her son.

Listen in to learn why you should pay attention to other people who are being placed in your life.

What you will learn in this episode:

•[1:20] Get to know Mikki and how her concept of family was formed.

•[4:42] She explains the miraculous way her son came into her life.

•[8:06] The legal battle she fought adopting her son in a state with the worst adoption laws.

•[21:01] Learn to pay attention to people who show up in your life.

Relevant Links:

•Website: https://mikkishepardauthor.com/

Your Sales Doctor’s Appointment with Rob

How good of a salesperson are you? To be a good salesperson, you need to be more of a listener and someone keen on offering value to prospective clients.

In this episode of the SpeakEasy Podcast, Altovise speaks with Rob Cornilles, the international best-selling author of The Sales Gamechanger, and the founder& CEO of Game Face, Inc. He trains individuals and organizations globally how to love sales and become excellent salespeople in their respective fields.

Listen in to learn about the four components of sales; needs, preferences, time frame, and budget to help you offer great customer service.

“If you want to be a legitimate salesperson, introverts have an advantage because their inclination is more in talking and learning about the other person than putting the spotlight on themselves.”- Rob [4:44]

What you will learn in this episode:

•[1:38] Rob on his experience in sales training and how he helps people love sales.

•[4:14] He explains why introverts are more inclined to succeed as salespeople than extroverts.

•[6:30] How to focus on the result your product brings people rather than the product itself.

•[8:43] The four components of sales you must learn to have good customer service.

•[11:37] Why NO isn’t forever and how you can change it by strategically following up.

•[15:37] Rob on one sales moment that he believes he would’ve handled much better.

Relevant Links:

•Website: https://www.gamefaceinc.com/

•LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robcornilles/

Becoming Memorable Online with Crissy Conner

Is your business/brand really visible online? Does your audience really remember you when they need to solve their problem? Becoming visible allows you to build influence, impact, stronger and deeper relationships, growth, and be memorable.

In this episode of the SpeakEasy Podcast, Altovise speaks with Crissy the Visibility Queen, a visibility expert. She helps brands and businesses really get more visible online and increase their impact.

Listen in to learn the importance of video as a social media marketing tool and being consistent to see results.

“There is nothing that connects more as humans as seeing yourself in somebody else.”- Crissy [11:38]

“You need to be on more than Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram.”- Crissy [13:31]

What you will learn in this episode:

•[1:19] Crissy explains how she teaches businesses/brands to become unforgettable.

•[3:51] The power of getting on video and showing up consistently to help you become unforgettable.

•[8:09] Why you don’t have to be perfect to be consistent.

•[10:53] The power of video in connecting people compared to other forms of promoting your business.

•[12:53] Diversify your marketing on different platforms and keep showing up and delivering value.

•[15:04] The importance of engaging with your posts and editing before posting.

•[16:42] Start with getting consistent and comfortable with one platform to see results before moving to other platforms.

•[18:18] Why the change in platform algorithms isn’t necessarily a bad thing for your marketing.

Relevant Links:

•Website: www.letsgetvisible.com

https://www.instagram.com/crissy.conner.creates/

https://www.facebook.com/crissyconnercreates

https://www.linkedin.com/in/crissyconner/

How To Sell Like Jesus with Deb Brown Maher

Are you ready to create a collaboration with your customers and change the whole selling concept? Connecting with your customer the right way and developing a relationship is important for you to sell and provide value.

In this episode of the SpeakEasy Podcast, Altovise speaks with Deb Brown Maher, the author of the book Sell Like Jesus. She explains her selling experience and why the Sell Like Jesus concept works in driving results. Business owners and solo entrepreneurs can sell from a position of integrity and be successful.

Listen in to learn the importance of building beneficial relationships with your customers before pitching to them.

“Good salespeople continue to learn, sharpen, and hone their skills.”-Deb [14:36]

What you will learn in this episode:

•[0:43] Get to know Deb and her lifelong experience as a salesperson.

•[1:52] The importance of connecting with people as it relates to our products and services to create a collaboration.

•[4:08] How to focus on the benefit of your potential customer rather than making the sale.

•[6:59] She explains why she titled her book Sell Like Jesus and the concept behind it.

Relevant Links:

Website: https://debbrownsales.com/

Signed books: https://debbrownsales.com/slj-book/

Book also available on most major retailers.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/debbrownmaher/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SellLikeJesus

Living Sustainably Through Homegrown Foods

Are you ready to take on the opportunity to create a healthy atmosphere for you and your community? Growing your own food in your backyard is one of the best ways to eat healthily and live a healthy lifestyle.

In this episode of the SpeakEasy Podcast, Altovise speaks with Marjory Wildcraft, an expert on sustainable living and the founder and CEO of The Grow Network, a movement of people who are stopping the destruction of the Earth via homegrown food. She admits that teaching people how to grow food isn’t the easiest business to build, but it is a needed venture.

Listen in to learn about the many opportunities opening up for small businesses in holistic medicine and local food distribution and how you can benefit from it.

What you will learn in this episode:

•[1:11] Marjory on how she and her community teach people to grow healthy food in their backyards.

•[2:53] Get to know Marjory’s career background and the events that led her to start growing food sustainably.

•[10:12] The physical, financial, emotional, and spiritual benefits that you will experience by growing your own food.

•[16:38] Understanding that you’re what you eat and why growing your own food is doable.

Relevant Links:

•Website: https://thegrownetwork.com/

“Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth!” ~ Mike Tyson

This famous quote was s en in HD this weekend at the Oscars as Will Smith slapped Chris Rock for an inappropriate joke about Jada. Chris took it like a champ, so to speak, but trust that the internet took this moment and ran with it. From Memes to reinacted clips, no stone was left unturned. There were even songs made within 24 hours. Ah...but there were some great business lessons in all this too.

Now while we can’t plan for everything, we can plan on how to recover from a hit. A hit in business can be clients leaving, clients not making payments, or even your business not getting enough clients. This is not the part of business that most people want to plan for...but should plan for. Think about the three things I just shared and how they could have prepared businesses for the shift that happened during Covid.

In this episode I share not so much about to the Oscars slap of 2022 but more about how you can prepare for a hit you don’t see coming. It’s easy to get comfortable as an entrepreneur...it’s also dangerous at times.

Have you ever had an unexpected hit in your business? Talk about, think about but most importantly you should learn from it.

Let’s connect:

www.instagram.com/altoviseunmuted

www.twitter.com/altoviseunmuted

How to Transform Your Gift into a Thriving Business

Are you persistent and strategic about finding customers as an entrepreneur? Whatever talent or gift you possess, it is important that you identify a strategy that will take from just a gift to a thriving business.

In this episode of the SpeakEasy Podcast, Altovise speaks with Dave Combs, a musician with over 40 years of experience in the industry and author. He explains how he transformed his music gift into a thriving business through strategic marketing in an era when social media didn’t exist.

Listen in to learn a targeted marketing technique to use as an entrepreneur so you don’t waste your time in your marketing efforts.

“You have to get into a consistent habit of seeing yourself as an entrepreneur no matter what your hands may do.” [17:05]

What you will learn in this episode:

•[1:40] The 40-year incredible music career journey that Dave has walked.

•[2:47] How his fans influenced him to keep on innovating and creating evergreen music.

•[4:14] How to find success in business by strategically exposing your product/service to the world and marketing it.

•[13:47] Find a model that works and make it work for your business.

•[15:15] Dave talks about his new book Touched by the Music that explains how he went from 1 song to 15 albums.

Relevant Links:

•Website: https://combsmusic.com/

How to Be a Smart Investor and Businessowner

Do you first educate yourself to understand a business or investment before rushing into it? If you want to be a successful entrepreneur, you must understand your business’s subject matter, people’s motivation, and be disciplined in how you handle your stewardship.

In this episode of the SpeakEasy Podcast, Altovise speaks with Darius Ross, a real estate entrepreneur, investor, and broker with 35 years of experience. He explains the myths and rules of real estate that you need to break to be successful in the sector.

Listen in to learn the importance of being smart about understanding where you’re investing and treating your investment as a business.

“Do not surround yourself with people that you like.”- Darius [13:46]

What you will learn in this episode:

•[1:06] Get to know Darius and his experience in real estate investing.

•[1:54] Breaking the real estate investing myths plus the most important rules of real estate.

•[4:54] Things to think about and consider before rushing into land development or agriculture.

•[9:43] Why you will have no money, lose money, and then go bankrupt when you invest without understanding the subject matter.

•[13:46] Surround yourself with people that will tell you the honest truth so you can protect your legacy.

•[16:10] The importance of money education to help you protect the money you already have.

•[17:14] Be disciplined enough to understand your stewardship and ensure your team’s discipline as a businessowner.

•[23:43] Learn to understand people’s motivation to succeed in business.

Relevant Links:

•Website: https://www.dariusaross.com/

Run Kanye, Run!!!

Okay...a famous line in Forrest Gump is "Run Forrest, run". I'm not using it in the exact same context but as you listen in to this episode, you'll understand why that line was the perfect way to slide into this conversation. There are many coaches, gurus, and mentors that talk about keeping a steady pace when it comes to achieving your dreams. It sounds good, right? The flip side to that is that people are left to believe that everything is supposed to excel at a slow and steady pace.

...and it doesn't! There will come a time when you have to be the cheetah when it comes to your dreams. In this episode, Altovise shares one of the things that stood out for her after watching the Kanye West docuseries titled "Jeen-Yuhs". Listen in and get ready to run towards your goals for this year.

"On the way to the train, I was writing my Grammy speech." ~ Kanye

What you will learn in this episode:

~ A time when Altovise found herself running in North Philly

~ What does it mean to run after your goals?

~ The risks that hold people back from running.

~ The mindset you must have to run after your goals.

"The risk of potentially not reaching your goal must be less than the risk of you staying where you currently are." ~ Altovise

Stay connected:

Instagram: www.instagram.com/altoviseunmuted

Website: www.iamunmuted.com

Amazon storefront: www.amazon.com/shop/altoviseunmuted