Uncommon Wealth Podcast

Socrates is reported to have said that “An unexamined life is not worth living”. Although he was nonetheless sentenced to death after the trial in which this was part of his defense, we do still believe there is something to this thought. It’s hard to see the big picture when you’re knee-deep and consumed by just trying to live out 10 pixels in the corner. And sometimes your pixels get turned upside down (kind of like the Fresh Prince) and disoriented and you’re not even sure what the big picture is and if it’s the one you want. Often, it’s rest and perspective that solve the challenges that fortitude and giftedness cannot seem to conquer.

This week we’re talking about the benefits of taking a sabbatical. As a society, we value time and money, and intentional rest feels like a waste of both. But this perspective risks prioritizing the presence of action over genuine progress and the accrual of wealth over its use for good. To examine our life and career, to see it for what it is and what it could be, you need the space to sit outside of it, to intentionally rest and assess. In this episode, we’ll cover what it means to take a sabbatical, when you should take one, and the kinds of things you would do during one. Plus, how successful people we know have used a sabbatical to their advantage in taking the next steps to an uncommon life.

The sandbags that weigh a hot air balloon down are a more powerful force than the fire that allows it to rise. And even in your car when you have the pedal to the floor, giving it all the gas you can, the brakes will slow you down and bring you to a stop. The reality is that forward momentum is most often hindered not by lack of effort, energy or determination, but by the presence of distractions. Progress, then, as this week’s guest Graham Brown reminds us, is often less about turning up the heat and stomping the gas and more about dropping sandbags and cutting brake lines.

Graham, an author, speaker, and founder of an award winning podcast agency, joins us to talk about his uncommon journey from selling insurance using phonebook leads to becoming an insatiable entrepreneur, world traveler, and ironman triathlete.

You can follow Graham on Twitter @grahamdbrown

If you search Graham Brown you’re likely to find a very exquisite wallpaper company, which is cool if that’s your thing, but it’s not the same guy (in fact, the wallpaper is done by two guys, which seems right). 

Finally, check out this episode of the Revisionist History podcast for a fascinating look into the 2009 Toyota recalls over stuck gas pedals and how braking, or the simple lack thereof, reveals the disquieting reality of humans having a very hard time accepting the blame for their own mistakes.

In this week’s Simple Step podcast, we talk about the importance of meeting with your accountant and giving them some room to work. Plus we cover some key questions to ask and ways to be proactive in creating tax strategies that serve your situation best.

What is your business worth? It’s not only a relevant question if you were trying to sell your business, but it’s knowledge that can also help you effectively manage a business you want to stay in. Yet, 60% of businesses have never had their business valued. Patti Bell, a 30 year veteran of business evaluation with Principal Financial, is here to change that.

In this episode we talk to Patti about when business owners should have an evaluation done and how often to refresh it. Also, how those results can influence key things like the structure of the business agreement as well as the types and levels of insurance needed to cover the true business value and attract talent in an increasingly competitive job market. Finally, we’ll cover the fundamentals like what business owners need to provide for the valuation (it’s simple stuff you already know or have on hand) and how this compares to a certified business evaluation.

If you’re interested in having Patti and her team do a free evaluation of your business, you can work through your current advisor or contact [email protected] to see if Uncommon Wealth Partners are the right fit for you and your business.

There is no shortage of pseudo-inspirational quotes out there about growth, resistance and overcoming challenges. They are the go-to decor option in the relics we used to call conference rooms and flow just as freely but slightly less faded on the lazy river of LinkedIn encouragement. And yet, they persist, our inspirational guilty pleasure, because the need to be lifted, to be reminded that our trials can lead to triumphs, to believe that there might be purpose in our defeats, and to see that we aren’t alone in facing them, keeps us from being overwhelmed by the things that seem like more than we can handle.

This week on the show, Phillip, Bryan and Arron talk about the challenges they’ve had, what they’ve learned from them, and how they, in hindsight, can see how those challenges have benefitted them and helped shape them into who they are today.

We’d love to hear your stories of how certain challenges have shaped you for the better. Shoot us an email at [email protected] with your story. Also, feel free to drop your favorite inspirational quotes on Phillip’s LInkedIn wall using the hashtag #ireadthepodcastnotes, might as well put those quotes to good use.

Service to our country creates a debt that can never truly be repaid. And the toll on those who serve can often be debilitating, making it difficult for veterans to re-acclimate to a life beyond service and the traumas that come as byproducts to protecting freedom. In recognition of PTSD Month, Phillip and Arron talk to Matt Oberembt with True Impact Outdoors, an Iowa organization focusing on helping disabled military veterans and first responders become active outdoors again.

In this episode, Matt shares how True Impact Outdoors got its start as well as what it takes to get a non-profit up and running, including getting beyond the initial hurdle of fundraising. Also, they discuss the challenges that come with making the outdoors feel inclusive to those who have lost limbs or eyesight and the innovative ways they have been able to overcome those challenges. Finally, the fellas consider the real and tangible blessings that come from serving others and the added gift of perspective that comes along with it.

For additional information or to donate, visit: trueimpactoutdoors.com

You don’t always have 30 minutes to invest in a podcast and, although we like a deeper conversation as much as the next guy, we want to be in on the short and sweet option as well. This week we’re introducing simple steps, a new recurring format where we focus on one simple step you can take to be uncommon. We’ll try to keep it around five minutes so you can get in, get out, and get on with taking the road less traveled.

Of course, if you hear something that piques your interest and want to dig in further, make sure to check our past episodes for a deeper dive. Or, let us know that you want to hear more about it by sending us an email at [email protected].

The irony of this write up being longer than the episode is not lost on us, so we’ll leave you to it.

When times are tough, the tough find opportunity. Buying a business in the middle of a pandemic can be a dicey proposition, especially a food-based business that had already seen a 75% drop in revenue. But our guest Aaron Anderson saw potential not only for resuscitation of the business but growth and expansion, and now Fresh Fit Meals, provider of fast casual health food, is opening new stores and looking to expand the model beyond their current market.

In this episode, we talk about the process of purchasing the business, securing the funds, and early sacrifices that allowed the business the space to find its footing. Plus the value in knowing what you want to get out of your business (and it can’t just be money), the challenges of people leadership, as well as having a vision of where and how you want to grow.

For more information on Fresh Fit Meals, visit freshfitmeals.com

Sometimes the complexities of the economy seem too much to understand let alone react to. But as entrepreneurs, business owners, and even just citizens, understanding what drives inflation and other economic activity (and sometimes more importantly, what doesn’t) is key to creating and sustaining a path of opportunity and stability.

This week Bryan and Phillip talk through the nature of inflation and how an economy built upon debt will inevitably drive towards it. Understanding these concepts well will give you the ability to not only take wise personal action as these inflationary cycles wax and wane but will also provide the right context for you to use your votes, voice or investment to influence local, state, national and global policies that impact the economy.

When you’re trying to get your business off the ground, the thought of protecting your data and systems against all the tech savvy bad actors out there may seem daunting. Making matters worse, a recent Forbes article reported that small businesses are targeted by cybercriminals over three times more often than larger companies. In protecting your company from cyber risks, when you don’t know what to do but you know you have to do something, that’s when you call Sheldon Speers.

Sheldon is the Founder and CEO of Tenax Solutions, a security consulting firm based in Des Moines, Iowa created with the simple mission of protecting companies from cyber security threats in the modern world. In this episode, you’ll learn how his persistence and confidence in his solutions turned 250 unresponsive cold calls in his first 13 months into a growing, trusted security firm serving clients of all sizes.

We’ll also talk about learning how to handle rejection, what it’s like to work with investors, the future of cybersecurity, and transitioning your role in the company to position for growth.

You can find more information on Tenax by visiting their website, https://www.tenaxsolutions.com/