The Startup Sessions with Michael Knouse

We’re shaking it up, listeners! For the first time in 170 episodes, I’ve got a co-host!  Danielle Ewalt, Business Strategist & Council of Visionary Business Builders member, sits down with me to discuss the various business models available to self-funded, independent entrepreneurs.  Which model is right for you?  Danielle and I dissect each of these models and provide insightful perspectives to help you choose a business model that fits the lifestyle you’re looking to create.

1) The Thought Leader (9:15)

2) The Teacher (17:57)

3) The Freelancer (23:47)

4) The Agency (28:15)

5) The Content Marketer (35:17)

6) The Coach (48:10)

7) The Maker (57:12)

8) The Curator (1:03:13)

9) The Systematic (1:09:22)

10) The Brick and Mortar (1:16:21)

Which model aligns best with the lifestyle you’re looking to achieve?  How can you evolve your business to the next stage? Click the orange “Download The Guide’ button below to receive your comprehensive business model guide and get more proactive about going deeper into the business model you already have or make the decision to move towards a business model that gives you everything you desire.

Not just anyone is willing to quit their job in the pursuit of their dream, especially without having a contingency plan to fall back on. But this week’s guest did just that! Sarah Jones is the founder of Introverted Alpha and she describes how relying on naive confidence ultimately led her to a six-figure business. She also opens up about what it means to find success through gaining your market’s trust, and how to do so by genuinely caring for those around you. We get a little bit raw and honest in this discussion as Sarah unexpectedly dives deeper into a recent event in her life. What she discovers is so powerful!

Sarah Jones is the founder of Introverted Alpha, the premier dating coaching company for introverted men.

With over 260K unique site visitors and $595K in revenue within its first three years, Introverted Alpha has become the strong alternative to “pickup artist” advice, an oasis for men who want genuine connections with women. Sarah has loved introverted men all her life, and she naturally brings out their best. She has been featured in Business Insider, Forbes, Entrepreneur, Ramit Sethi’s GrowthLab, Entrepreneur on Fire, So Money, and many more.

Ian Pratt, community builder and founder of The Weller Society, joins me this week. He shares what it means to find your ‘unfair advantage’ and how to use it as a force for good. Together we explore ways to expect unexpected obstacles and the importance of keeping on no matter the conditions, as well as the benefits of staying true to yourself and who you are. From co-founding Dwightly to pursuing his dream of founding The Weller Society, Ian takes us on his journey of entrepreneurship as he shares strategies about how to make money doing what you love while also having a positive impact on the world around you.

Ian Pratt is the founder of a new business based in Portland, Oregon called The Weller Society. The Weller Society is a membership club for entrepreneurs, creative entrepreneurs, and anyone who values social connection in a unique environment. The Weller Society is the premier location for learning, working, playing and growing together in Portland.

Conscious entrepreneur and law geek extraordinaire, Melissa Jaffe, joins me this week to discuss the importance of using business as a means to create the life you love through blissfulness. With her experience as a yoga instructor and passion for the law, Melissa has founded Blissness School – a unique offering designed to guide business owners to a deeper level of consciousness. Committed to helping impact driven entrepreneurs thrive, Melissa shares the process of finding joy in business, regardless of the conditions.

Melissa Jaffe is the owner and principal attorney of a boutique transactional and IP law firm for creative businesses where she guides international creative companies, start-up businesses, entrepreneurs, and artists through tricky legal terrain with confidence and efficiency.

Melissa is also the founder of Blissness School, an innovative approach to offering legal assistance and other services to creative entrepreneurs.

Melissa also developed and practices HOLISTIC BUSINESS LAW, which is an approach to viewing the whole person or business, rather than taking the more traditional myopic legal view of isolated issues. Melissa has done away with hourly billing and only offers flat-fee rates for services.

In short, Melissa believes business and law are fun, and you’re meant to live in a state of Joy, especially when engaging and operating a business.

The Superwoman Episode! I talk with speaker, change agent, author, and entrepreneur Jessica Williams who is in the midst of creating a movement!  Jessica joins me to share her powerful perspective of building a project and sharing the lessons that entrepreneurs need to hear when facing adversity.  From the rural south to her sight-unseen move to L.A. with $800 in her pocket, Jessica takes us on her journey and shares the exciting details of her passion project that’s making waves. 

Jessica combines the modalities of life-coaching, yoga, meditation, and mindfulness with a deep knowledge of communications and business to help you more fully integrate your inner wisdom into your professional life so that you can excel as a leader in the new world of work.

She is on a mission to help more women in positions of power by advancing the professional development of strong, wise female leaders.

Jessica works with leading executives, directors and managers; women who are just getting started in their career; and all of those who find themselves in the middle somewhere. She provides coaching and leadership for beginning female entrepreneurs. And she wholeheartedly supports any individual who identifies as female.

Jessica also consults and speaks around the country to organizations, non-profits, and corporations who want to support the professional advancement of strong, female leadership.

Business genius and fifth-generation entrepreneur Kedma Ough returns to The Startup Sessions!  Kedma joins me for an honest, straightforward conversation on how to get laser-focused in your business despite the ‘curse’ of having so many options of what to work on daily! Kedma shares the two powerful perspectives that she starts every morning with, how this propels her forward, as well as how to become your own business superhero.

Kedma is an inventor, author, speaker and a fifth-generation entrepreneur. She provides honest, straightforward education to innovators on feasibility, funding and free resources. Kedma is a proven champion for small businesses and currently serves as the Director of Innovation for the Oregon SBDC where she assists small business owners with starting, developing, growing and sustaining their businesses. Kedma is also a writer and contributor to Entrepreneur Magazine.

Cameron Madill joins me to share something he’s very passionate about – understanding the B Corp movement and how it’s redefining success in business. Cameron dissects this new and important twist on capitalism and helps us understand the importance of B Corps in today’s economy. This week’s podcast is FULL of specific steps on how you can measure impact and begin using your business as a force for good!

Cameron Madill is the owner and founder of PixelSpoke, a digital marketing agency that specializes in serving credit unions and progressive businesses.

PixelSpoke is a B Corp, which means it is committed to creating positive and sustainable work environments, giving back to the community, and caring for the environment. It’s a rigorous certification process, and he’s proud to be part of the B Corp community. Cameron organized the local B Corp Board for the city of Portland, OR and currently serves as the board’s chair.

Social justice plays a large part in his life. He frequently travels to Dilley, TX to volunteer with the CARA Family Detention Pro Bono Project, which works with Central American mothers and their children who are fleeing horrific gang violence and other persecution. If you are interested in volunteering or learning more, please visit caraprobono.org.

This week’s discussion is like none other! Jessica Eley shares her personal journey of entrepreneurship while demonstrating that the road to business success doesn’t have to be so bumpy. She also helps answer the question; “What does it mean to detach your self-worth from your financial success?” Jessica describes the importance of finding a balance between focusing on your goal and appreciating the journey of getting there.

“High achievers are like runners and there are two ways to run: you can either imagine yourself being chased by a bear or running a marathon. You might run the same speed, but the energy behind the running is TOTALLY different. ” – Jessica Eley

Jessica is a mindset and personal development coach for entrepreneurs who are ready to create the money and success of their own definition. She has helped entrepreneurs earn 4-5x their previous revenue, break through multi-six-figure income plateaus, become confident salespeople, achieve work-life balance, redefine their entire business model to one they actually enjoy, and much more by creating new values and belief systems that line up with her clients’ unique goals and priorities.

“As soon as you are able to unhinge your worth from your money, then you are free to make money in a way that you enjoy.” – Jessica Eley

What do you do when your bank account is minus $40 and what you’ve tried up until now hasn’t worked? Throw in the towel? Not so, says Allen Brouwer of BestSelfCo! Allen and I discuss how to dig into your business with focus and clarity and leverage outside resources to ensure that you are operating in your zone of genius.

-Allen Brouwer

Allen currently operates 2 businesses (and admits, depending on when you read this, he may be dabbling in a few more). He’s the owner and operator of AKB Enterprise, and also wears the hat of “creative director.” At AKB, he focuses on getting results for clients through online marketing strategies while leveraging a small team of contractors.

Allen is also the co-founder of BestSelf.co.  He helps people get the most out of their lives, gain control of their future, & bring more freedom to their jam-packed world.

Having recorded the heartbreaking and difficult ‘valleys’ of entrepreneurship in 2015, Allen now shares these videos with the world to encourage other small business owners to press on, and encourage them to find focus and clarity on their path to success.  His “Rock Bottom” video specifically details the day he made a fundamental shift.  After that day, Allen says the small wins started coming. He was able to leave his job and focus on his start-ups which led to multiple successes in business.

“It’s time to elevate from business operator to business owner.”

– Allen Brouwer

On the podcast this week I have Yasmin Nguyen of Vibrance Global. He dishes on practicing “weekly retirement” to replenish himself and asks “what if you operated your impact-driven business from a place of gratitude and appreciation?” I sit down with Yasmin to discuss how to rid ourselves of fear and neediness and instead drive towards happiness, community and truly leading!

Yasmin Nguyen is the Founder of Vibrance Global and GratitudeInspiredLiving.com where he is the Gratitude MOFO and Chief Appreciation Officer. Over the last 15 years, Yasmin Nguyen has been helping high-performing entrepreneurs, Fortune 500 companies, elite coaches, nonprofits, industry experts, and professionals share their powerful customer stories to attract top clients and partnerships.

He has interviewed over 400 people, helped more than 30 nonprofits, and produced over 3,000 client videos. As a result of working with him, his clients no longer have to be salesy, promote or prove themselves to their buyers. They build trust instantly with the type of clients they love working with and stop wasting time convincing pain-in-the-ass clients who don’t understand or appreciate them.

Yasmin helps his clients leverage their time by using customer gratitude videos to speak and sell for them. He believes that the true currency of business and relationships is trust. Gratitude is the engine that drives trust. And when we share passion, gratitude, and impact, we inspire others to take action. He’s committed to inspiring personal, business, and community growth through the practice of gratitude.

To recharge, Yasmin has taken 52 trips to the Oregon Coast over the last year and a half as part of his weekly retirement practice.

“As entrepreneurs, we have to show up and measure our success based on our own measuring stick, rather than comparing ourselves to others.”