The Startup Sessions with Michael Knouse

You’re a driven business builder with big plans. Every day you’re out there hustling for work but your message feels a little ‘off’ and out of alignment with who you are.

Let’s face it. You’re real problem isn’t competition. It’s obscurity.

My guest this week is Maggie Patterson and she’s here to whip us into shape about the way that we’re communicating with our tribe. Maggie has 15 years of experience working in the trenches with companies of all sizes – from big brands to solopreneurs.

Everything Maggie does is about ditching the cookie cutter approach to copywriting, content and communications.

Maggie works hands-on with entrepreneurs at every stage in their business to use effective storytelling to get better business results.

It’s time to start creating stories that really connect with your customers and set you apart. So stop being boring and stand out and get noticed.

As an emerging entrepreneur, results matter big time and today we’re going to get real about what works, what doesn’t and why 90% of all owners get it wrong when it comes to attracting the right customers.

Learning to tell a better story about your business is one of the most important things you can learn how to do. And today, you’re going to learn how to do it well.

Here are some of Maggie’s favorite things:

The thing I’ve been working on for the last few months. The thing I have been creating and recreating and planning to release. IT IS FINALLY HERE.

When I first started coaching aspiring entrepreneur types I knew I wanted to help more people find focus and get a meaningful business idea off the ground without risking it all.

In Work Freedom Roadmap, I’m taking a small group on a 6-week adventure to taking the smartest, lowest risk approach to doing work that really matters. It’s accountability + support + community all in ONE AMAZING program.

Only 4 spots left!

Click here to learn all about it

Too many of us seem to be seeking freedom outside of ourselves. We doubt our instincts to be wild and free and instead, try to do it all and please everyone else without taking care of ourselves.

My guest this week is Kate Marolt of Soul Wild Free and she will be sharing her story of hiding insecurities and loneliness under achievements and accomplishments. Kate learned that there’s no point to having an accomplished life if at the end of the day you feel alone and uncomfortable in your own skin.

Maybe you’ve been in that place where you’ve got the great job, the sexy boyfriend or girlfriend, the nice house…and you’ve never felt more alone. Kate found herself in that spot a few years ago and then started down the path of dealing with years of disappointment and the lies of “I’m doing great!”

Now Kate travels all over the world and defines her life in a way that allows her to feel comfortable in her own skin. Kate says, “Coming home to myself and giving my soul a place to rest has opened me back up to the magic that has always been within me.”

Enjoy this playful and enlightening episode with Kate Marolt.

Here are some of Kate’s favorite things:

The thing I’ve been working on for the last few months. The thing I have been creating and recreating and planning to release. IT IS FINALLY HERE.

When I first started coaching aspiring entrepreneur types I knew I wanted to help more people find focus and get a meaningful business idea off the ground without risking it all.

In Work Freedom Roadmap, I’m taking a small group on a 6-week adventure to taking the smartest, lowest risk approach to doing work that really matters. It’s accountability + support + community all in ONE AMAZING program.

It’s going to be AWESOME and you should join us.

Click here to learn all about it

My guest this week is Jessica Oman, Founder of Renegade Planner, and she’s here to help you plan a strategy that will take you from idea to open in record time.

Jessica will also share how she quit the job she hated and started her business for $200. This episode is a pure bootstrapper story if I’ve ever heard one.

One of the things I love about Jessica, besides her love of IPA’s and brewery tours, is her no-BS approach to getting a business off the ground while also addressing the mental barriers that can come up around money mindset. Your relationship around money really does affect your ability to build and grow a business sustainably.

Your 6-figure business awaits. Isn’t it about time you go after it?

Here are some of Jessica’s favorite things:

If you were to ask 10 entrepreneurs to answer this question, you’re likely to get 10 different answers. So why not ask a relationship expert that happens to focus on working with entrepreneurs?

This week, that’s exactly what I’ve done. I’m interviewing Dana Corey, Founder of Modern Relationship Expert and the Business Relationship Transformation Program.

Dana’s passion is working with women entrepreneurs and business owners to step into their full power through accessing love and connection in their professional and personal relationships. She sees relationships with others as the heart of who we are as humans. When we can be completely ourselves, authentic and deeply connected to others, we have a safe and supported place, a springboard from which to do great things in the world.

Dana has mentored hundreds to entrepreneurial success, facilitated personal growth seminars and trained others to do the same since her 20’s.

Dana coaches women in her Business Relationship Transformation Program – a system that teaches how to embody your most confident self and play full out!  Her clients fall madly in love with themselves and with everyone around them and as a result they make more money, receive more love and experience 360° of happiness.

Here are some of Dana’s favorite things:

It’s time to gear up for the year ahead. With proper reflection, plan development, and implementation 2015 will be the biggest and brightest year for your business. Without them, 2015 could lead to empty promises and pockets. As a New Year’s gift I’m offering a special 1-on-1 “Ignite Your Business in 2015 Coaching Session”.  During this session we’ll work together to…

In 2011, Tom Ewer decided that he wasn’t living the life he wanted so he decided to do something about it. He made the rather bold decision to quit his secure job and start down the path of becoming a freelance blogger and online business builder.

Tom is the Founder at Leaving Work Behind, where he helps as many people as possible to realize their own dreams of quitting their jobs and building an online business.

Through persistence and hard work, Tom has reached the point where he is creating a full-time income while only working part-time. He now has the freedom and flexibility to work on all sorts of exciting projects and pursue his other interests.

One of my favorite things about Tom is his transparency about detailing his successes and failures. He openly shares his experiences of building an online business and firmly believes that if he can do it, so can you.

If you want the plain truth about what it takes to succeed with an online business, this is the episode for you.

Here are some of Tom’s favorite things:

At a time when there is significant discord within the US legal and criminal justice system, it seems like perfect timing to feature my guest this week.

Sonja Skvarla is the Founder and CEO of A Social Ignition, a social change organization that is dedicated to enhancing the system for people in transition from having criminal records.

The thing I really love about Sonja is that she’s working to create an environment that prepares people for personal and financial success while also working to improve the current system in important ways.

Sonja and I are going to discuss her inspiration for building an organization that makes a big difference and why she believes that business and entrepreneurship are the best leverage points for initiating change.

If you want to initiate change through the work you do, this episode is jam packed with lessons and advice about how to make that happen.

Here are some of Sonja’s favorite things:

* Also, here’s an update to the statistics that Sonja shared in the episode:

Val Geisler of Aspire & Grow is back this week and she’s taking on the subject of hiring support for your business along with a continuation of our discussion on implementing the best tools & systems for growth.

If you missed the episode from last week, be sure to go and listen as it builds up to this one.

Val is on a mission to make every creative business owner feel organized, productive, profitable and joyful about the work they do.

She’s an expert at helping others grow their businesses in a sustainable and intelligent way. And this week, Val will be breaking down some more of her favorite systems and tools as well as her best practices for finding and hiring the right people for your business.

Here are Val’s recommended tools for really getting your business off on the right track. These tools should also be considered for implementation early in your business because the sooner you implement them, the easier it will be to grow and scale your business.

Knowing when and who to hire is critical to the growth and expansion of any business. Here are Val’s recommendations for getting the support you’ll need.

Putting all the right systems and support in place is one of the trickiest things about building a business from scratch. Having the right knowledge of tools and systems is critical to your success early on.

I hope that you’ve enjoyed this mini-series with Val Geisler. Feel free to ask any questions about tools, systems or support in the comments section and Val or I will get back to you with an answer right away.

How do they run a successful business while still having plenty of time for creating and delivering new products and services? What do they know that you don’t?

The answer often starts and ends with having the right mix of systems, tools and support in place.

Val Geisler is my guest this week and she is the founder of Aspire & Grow, a company that’s focused on improving the entrepreneur experience through the art of sweet systems simplicity.

She is on a mission to make every creative business owner feel organized, light, accessible, open, clear and joyful. I don’t know about you but I want to feel more of that!

Val is going to share how she’s helped people build and grow successful businesses by setting up the right systems and tools. She’s also going to get very specific and share her experience about which tools and processes are the most important if you’re just getting started.

Here is Val’s list of non-negotiable tools and processes for every new or aspiring business builder. These are the must have tools and processes that will set your business up for success and allow it to scale and grow:

The demise of any business usually happens because of a lack of revenue. But the real reason behind a lack of revenue is often an overwhelmed and overworked owner. An owner that’s trying to do everything himself.

If you’re an owner that wants to spend more time doing what you love, and less time worrying about all the repetitive tasks in business, then this is the episode for you.

Here are some of Val’s favorite things:

Farnoosh Brock is my guest this week and she left a high paying corporate job at the height of her career.

Many people thought she was crazy but that’s right about the time she stopped seeking approval, validation and advice from others and started living her own life.

When Farnoosh said “no more” to corporate deadlines, boring projects and a stressful work environment, she opened the door to freedom and finally having control over her life.

Farnoosh is the founder of Prolific Living where she is a writer, blogger, author, and teaches people how to exit their corporate jobs, be fearless career warriors, and live a healthy life.

To say that Farnoosh is a multi-passionate entrepreneur would be an understatement. She is building an empire around the things that are the most important to her while serving others in a powerful way.

If you are considering leaving your job and starting a business on the side, this episode will lay the groundwork for creating an exit plan and making a big impact in the world.

Here are some of Farnoosh’s favorite things:

On Writing by Stephen King

Connecting with people

Doing things that scare the hell out of you!

GoToMeeting and GoToWebinar

Farnoosh is creating some really scary goals for her business in the coming year that include working closely with a group of superstar entrepreneurs while taking them on a journey of transformation.

Let’s face it. Most of us were taught to play it safe, not stand out and follow the crowd. Years of conditioning and social pressure have most of us feeling locked in a predictably boring existence.

My guest this week is someone that will challenge your view on what it means to take risks and seek adventure. He’s an expert at taking smart risks and challenging the status quo.

I’m speaking with Tyler Tervooren, founder of Riskology.co, an independent entrepreneur and an adventurer. He’s ran a marathon on every continent (including Antarctica), he’s organized two Guinness world records, and he’s the Adventure Czar behind World Domination Summit in Portland, OR.

Tyler is an expert at taking the things that might seem really risky and out of reach to most people, and breaking them down into strategies and tactics that anyone can understand and then apply to their own life.

If you’ve ever thought about doing things differently, whether it’s booking a trip to that place you’ve always wanted to go, re-engineer your life or job or just add a little more challenge to your life, then this is the episode for you.

Here are some of Tyler’s favorite things: