Underdog Empowerment

Repeat guest, Mike Szczesniak, is back to share the growth he has experienced since his original appearance on the show 4 years ago. If you want to dive deeper into Mike's story, find his earlier appearance on Underdog Empowerment HERE. Mike jokes that his come-up took too long, but upon reflection realizes that the journey made him the person he is today, a person that could sustain the success. All things considered, he has seen great growth since he went into business for himself in 2016.

Leaving a good paying engineering job, Mike had to move back home in order to make his entrepreneurial dreams come true. His first full year in business was full of mistakes, but Mike learned something from every one of them. By his second year, he surpassed his old engineering pay, and has grown every year since. Covid did bring the business to its knees for a moment, but it also opened Mike's eyes to a niche market where he could grow even more. Before he knew it, Mike was hiring more coaches and salespeople. While there were growing pains with things like staffing and automation, Mike continued to win because he's committed to doing what most people won't.

Right now, Mike is focused on how to scale his impact. While most of their clients are individuals, Mike says they'd love to start working with entire companies. Beyond that, the inner circle monthly subscription, called The Garage, is now available. There people can gain access to live coaching calls, mastermind events, and more. With a love for coaching, teaching, and training, Mike says he's living the dream.

Mike's podcast, Results Engine, has also seen great success, ranking in the top 50 of entrepreneurship podcasts. Connecting with the world's top performers, listeners can gain knowledge on how to level up in life and in business. Recently, Zach was featured on Mike's podcast. If you'd like to check out that episode, you can find it HERE.

If you haven't signed up for Alpha Dog Pound Live yet, early bird tickets are available until the end of the year at a discounted price. Reserve your spot now at UnderdogEmpowerment.com/Events. In the meantime, get access to resources such as a guide to growing your audience fast, a podcast roadmap, and more, at UnderdogEmpowerment.com/Subscribe.

What You'll Learn:

• How Covid helped Mike to find his niche.
• Why it's important to keep the big picture in mind.
• What Mike's daily non-negotiables are.
• And much more!

Favorite Quote:

"Everyone you look up to is just as human as you are." -Mike Szczesniak

Connect with Mike:

The Results Engine

How to Get Involved:

Get podcasting help here.

For more on how to grow your business, check out this episode.

If you enjoyed this episode, head over and visit us on Apple Podcasts - leave a review and let us know what you thought! Your feedback keeps us going. Thanks for helping us spread the word!

Tony Whatley is a 20+ year serial entrepreneur, business coach, best-selling author, podcast host, and speaker. He is Co-Founder of LS1Tech, an online automotive performance community which grew into the largest of its kind. This website grew to over 300,000 registered members and 150 advertising accounts, and was later sold for millions, in only 5 years. Amazingly… it was just his part-time business!

Tony is going to be one of the guest speakers at the nest Alpha Dog Pound Live event. Tony says success is all about consistency. It's about showing up every day and putting effort into what your goals are. Sounds simple, but it's all about doing the work. Consistency is king. Inside the personal development space, there is a lot of information being tossed around. There is the next guru, the next event, the next book, but the reality is people are collecting a lot of information that they are not doing anything with. The ever busy but not improving.

Tony throws some badass events that focus more on a journey than information transfer. The key is creating a multiple day event when the speaker is at the beginning. Meals are shared together. A hiking experience, white water rafting, and or race cars or something. Tony recommends doing things that create and bonding experience and bring people together. It's all about meeting new people and building relationships. Building community is where it's at.

What You'll Learn:

• How consistency is key
• Building community is the way
• What disciple is
• And much more!

Favorite Quote:

"People always collecting information, but they don't ever do anything with it."

How to Get Connected:

WEBSITE

INSTAGRAM

FACEBOOK

LinkedIn

GROUP

Join the Alpha Dog Pound Waiting List – HERE

If you want more, join the newsletter – HERE

If you feel like you have something to bring to the table and would make a good guest for the show, click – HERE

Building your tribe or your online community has never been more important. Today we'll look at building it the right way with a solid, meaningful foundation that will attract the right people. Host of the Dark Horse Entrepreneur podcast, Tracy Brinkmann, is here to share his journey from student to teacher.

Recently going through a clearing exercise, Tracy tapped into a repressed memory from when he was 14. His dad had just retired from the Army and they left their structured, routined life for liberal Southern CA. It was a culture shock for Tracy and he never felt accepted there. He didn't realize it at the time, but this caused Tracy to harbor a lot of resentment, and that led to a lot of bad choices as a teenager. Moving forward, Tracy attempted to buy acceptance. He made money installing car stereos and painting cars. When money was low, Tracy was no stranger to doing shady stuff to make money. Of course this caused him to fall in with shady people, and the rest is a slippery slope.

Right out of high school, Tracy made the decision to join the military where he would spend the next 6 years. When he got out, he started a computer programming company, and 8 months in landed a big client. While out celebrating, Tracy confided in the bar owner that he was stressed about how he would handle this big project. The bar owner told him he had something that could help, and introduced Tracy to meth. Next thing Tracy knew, he wasn't just doing meth, but selling it to pay for his habit.

Eventually Tracy would get busted by the police. As he sat at the jail, Tracy could hear his fathers voice saying, 'family first'. With a 3 month old daughter at home, Tracy knew he needed to make a change. Moving in with his mom, Tracy started over. He ended up landing a corporate job at Coca Cola that would turn into a 12 year career. Towards the beginning of his career, baby number two came along. Unfortunately she was born with birth defects and passed away. Tracy knew he couldn't hide his pain in substances, so instead he threw himself into personal development to cope.

Not only did he go to all the events, Tracy actually implemented what he learned there. He noticed that as soon as he started consistently taking action, things started to happen for him. Getting 3 promotions in 5 years, people wondered what Tracy's secret was. He started to share what he had learned, adding his own unique take on things, and people ate it up. This started Tracy's coaching path. He says he just loves vibing with people on their expertise. He believes if you listen with any level of interest, you'll learn something from other people's passion and knowledge. Helping others to turn their entrepreneurial dreams into a reality is very fulfilling for Tracy, and something he plans to do for a long time through his Dark Horse Entrepreneur Schooling.

What You'll Learn:

• What skills you can develop by moving a lot as a child.
• What drew Tracey to entrepreneurship.
• How different environments affect our energy.
• Why it's so important to listen to your gut feelings.

Favorite Quote:

"Go back out there, wounds and all." -Tracy Brinkmann

Connect with Tracy:

Dark Horse Entrepreneur Schooling

How to Get Involved:

Get podcasting help here.

For more on how to grow your business, check out this episode.

If you enjoyed this episode, head over and visit us on Apple Podcasts - leave a review and let us know what you thought! Your feedback keeps us going. Thanks for helping us spread the word!

For early bird tickets to Alpha Dog Pound Live, click HERE

Seasoned entrepreneur and host of the top-rated "Championship Leadership Podcast", Nate Bailey believes in living the life you want. Like almost everyone else, he has endured some trauma throughout his life. Also, like most people, Nate has tried to repress a lot of those memories. From an absent father, to fearing for his life, Nate knows it's all part of who he is today. If there are parts of himself he doesn't like, he recognizes the solution lies within. It's about getting back to your true self before life and people shaped you into something else.

Years ago, Nate heard Joe Rogan introduce the idea of Ayahuasca retreats to dive deeper spiritually. In the years since, Nate has heard many success stories of life-changing experiences. So, as someone who talks the talk, he's also going to walk the walk. He wants potential clients to know that he's willing to continue working on himself, and at an even higher level than what he would expect from anyone else.

As a coach, Nate leads programs such as the 24-hour Championship Leadership Program. It's a mentally and physically demanding course that aims to empower men to gain clarity and take massive action in their lives. The next session is December 12 in Nashville, TN. If you're interested, please visit natebailey.org.

What You'll Learn:

• Why Nate is drawn to try Ayahuasca.
• What memories Nate has tried to repress.
• Where trauma is stored in your body.
• And much more!

Favorite Quote:

"You can only play that charade for so long before it crumbles." - Nate Bailey

Connect With Nate:

NateBailey.org

Instagram

How to Get Involved:

Get podcasting help here.

For more on how to grow your business, check out this episode.

If you enjoyed this episode, head over and visit us on Apple Podcasts - leave a review and let us know what you thought! Your feedback keeps us going. Thanks for helping us spread the word!

Last month, Zach met Vic Fralof at a networking event, and knew immediately he needed to have him on the show. Currently living in Utah, Vic grew up in LA as a first generation immigrant. At just 17 years old, Vic's mom had already been married twice and had two children. When extremists started to take over Iran, she fled to the US. Vic's dad left Soviet Russia in his 20's to pursue a better life in the US. The two would meet in LA, conceiving Vic before parting ways. Growing up in a broken home, as an immigrant, Vic experienced a lot of bullying and developed a lot of resentment and anger. With his dad dying when Vic was 11, and his mom dying later on, Vic experienced a loss of identity early in life.

All of this led Vic to drug use and reckless behavior as he attempted to feel alive. When Vic met the girl of his dreams, he felt like everything was going to turn around. Despite loving this girl with all his heart, Vic found himself pushing her away and self sabotaging anything good in his life. Finally, Vic would realize that he couldn't keep doing the same thing and expecting different results. He came to accept that he was the root of all of his problems. It dawned on him that while it may have suited him before to shove stuff down and not deal with it, now was the time to dig it all up and work through it so he could let it go.

He started to visualize the person he wanted to be. He asked himself why he was doing what he was doing, and what he needed to change. He came to terms with the work that needed to be done and immersed himself in various therapies such as NLP and hypnotherapy. He's found great success with NLP as he's been able to go back to who he was before he learned anger, and do the inner work to integrate that part of himself in a healthy manner. He had a lot of negative programming from childhood that he was able to undo.

Most people have only recently become aware of inner work and healing negative childhood programming. If we can learn to love every aspect of ourselves, realizing they're all important parts of who we are, then we can decide who we want to be. What traits do you need to develop to become that person? How can you begin to curate these traits? Vic notices a lot of people think that that person is too far out of reach, when in reality, we're usually closer than we think.

Vic's work as a mindset coach isn't all about making money, it's about using his experiences to help others to overcome setbacks and unlock who they're meant to be. It all began with speaking his truth. He encourages everyone to use their unique story to add value to other people's lives. If you can add value to someone's life, you're improving the world, and that will ultimately bring dividends.

What You'll Learn:

• What it means to disassociate.
• How Vic dealt with a loss of cultural identity when his parents died.
• What NLP therapy is and how it works.
• Why working with an experienced mindset coach is so important.

Favorite Quote:

"If we can fix our mind, with the beliefs and programs that we create and run, then we can fix the reality that we have around us." -Vic Fralof

Connect with Vic:

Instagram

How to Get Involved:

Get podcasting help here.

For more on how to grow your business, check out this episode.

If you enjoyed this episode, head over and visit us on Apple Podcasts - leave a review and let us know what you thought! Your feedback keeps us going. Thanks for helping us spread the word!

Not only is he on the show today, Brad Lea will be a guest speaker at the next Alpha Dog Pound Live. To learn more about the event and score discounted tickets for a limited time, visit underdogempowerment/events. Brad is the man to talk to when it comes to building a powerful personal brand. With millions of followers, Brad knows what it takes.

Brad has assembled the best media team out there, spending about $40k/month on media. The immediate return may not always be monetary, sometimes it's connections and opportunities, but at the end of the day he's getting a great ROI. A lot of people trying to build a personal brand don't have that kind of money, or any money, to spend on content creation. The answer to that problem is to learn to do it yourself. The quality may not be the best to begin with, but if you're being you and capturing it on film, you're going to find your audience.

Just like everyone, Brad has had his share of adverse experiences, but he's a firm believer in not dwelling on the past. Gratitude is a core value for Brad and one he practices every day. During his morning routine he spends 30 minutes focusing on what he's grateful for, along with 30 minutes focusing on relationships, 30 on gaining new information, and so on. Gaining new information is extremely important to Brad, as we do what we do because of what we believe. If we want to change our beliefs on something, we need to gather new information on it.

Brad considers himself blessed and is extremely grateful for all that he has, but he still wants more, and there's nothing wrong with that. He gets more by reading, listening, and asking questions. He learns a lot, but most importantly he implements what he learns. We all have access to seemingly unending information, but so many of us don't put what we learn into action.

We all have intuition that we should work on honing in on. When you listen to your intuition, things tend to work themselves out. When you feel like it's time to focus more on family, do it. You don't have to ignore your family to grow a business, you can include them! When that's not an option, focus on being fully focused during the time you do have with them. It really is quality of time over quantity.

Whether or not it's known by the masses, we all have a personal brand. If we want a personal brand that's going to serve us, we need to produce content to attract an audience. Brad recommends a minimum of 4 videos a day. Because of social media algorithms, not all of your followers will see all of your content. If you think a personal brand isn't worthwhile, Brad offers that he spent 21 years building his first 8-figure company without a personal brand, and built 3 more in the last 8 months with a personal brand.

What You'll Learn:

• Where to start with building a personal brand.
• Why it's important to let things go.
• How to practice an attitude of gratitude.
• And much more!

Favorite Quote:

"I don't really dwell in the past, I use the past to hopefully learn from and navigate the future and present better." -Brad Lea

Connect With Brad:

Instagram

Twitter

YouTube

Facebook

How to Get Involved:

Get podcasting help here.

For more on how to grow your business, check out this episode. If you enjoyed this episode, head over and visit us on Apple Podcasts - leave a review and let us know what you thought! Your feedback keeps us going. Thanks for helping us spread the word!

Some people will tell you that if you're happy with where you're at, that means you don't have big enough dreams. Zach is here to tell you that is not true. If we're always looking at what's next, always moving the goal post, we'll find ourselves anxious, on edge, and unfulfilled. That's not good for anyone's mental or physical health. Zach speaks from experience, as he has struggled with this for some time. It wasn't until the end of 2021 that he decided there had to be a better way. He's found there is a way to be happy with where you're at right now while still maintaining goals and a drive for the future.

It starts with finding out what makes you happy. Take some time and get crystal clear on your end game, what you want your legacy to be, what you want people to remember about you after you're gone. Now, what targets do you need to hit to get there? Develop clear and specific actions you need to take daily. What daily habits and disciplines do you need to be the person you want to be? Decide on a few non-negotiables that you will make sure to accomplish every day. If while chasing your big dreams, you're showing up in all areas of your life everyday, you'll experience happiness and fulfillment right now.

In the nearly 5 years this podcast has been running, Zach hasn't missed an episode yet. Every Monday he brings useful content to his audience, but for those who want more, make sure to sign up for the daily newsletter at UnderdogEmpowerment.com/Subscribe. If you feel like you have something to bring to the table and would make a good guest for the show, head over to UnderdogEmpowerment.com/Guest.

What You'll Learn:

• How not living in the moment affects our mental and physical health.
• How to experience happiness and fulfillment now.
• Why daily habits are so important.
• And much more!

Favorite Quote:

"There is a way to live your life and be happy and peaceful with exactly where you're at right now." -Zach Babcock

How to Get Involved:

Get podcasting help here.

For more on how to grow your business, check out this episode.

If you enjoyed this episode, head over and visit us on Apple Podcasts - leave a review and let us know what you thought! Your feedback keeps us going. Thanks for helping us spread the word!

Do you find yourself having a rough go with your business? Or maybe you haven't even started yet because you don't know what your business should be? Well today Zach is going to help you get in your lane by figuring out 4 simple areas. Figuring these things out will help us get crystal clear on our mission, we'll be able to map it out, and give it the time it deserves to flourish.

First and foremost, you need to find what you're passionate about. If you want to be able to do something for the long haul, it needs to be something you're passionate about. You don't want to do something you hate day in and day out, even if it is making you money. Next, it should be something that has purpose, that fulfills us. Ask yourself if it makes you feel accomplished, or like you've given something back. That will tell you if you're on the right path. Third, you simply have to be skilled at it. Whether you're naturally good at it, or it's something you have to build on, skill is necessary to compete. Which brings us to the last area, opportunity. You can be passionate, fulfilled, and skilled, but if you're not able to make money at it, it's not really a business. So, is there a market for it that you can see yourself fitting into?

Now, all of these things are simple, but they're not necessarily easy. You're going to have to put time and effort in. When you do find what your thing is, run with it. However, don't forget to occasionally stop and appreciate where you're at and how far you've come. Sometimes people fall into the trap of thinking they have to constantly be moving the goal post, otherwise they're complacent. There is a difference between complacency and being okay with where you're at right now. You can keep that drive and that fire, but you can also celebrate your wins.

What You'll Learn:

• How to identify what you're passionate about.
• Why fulfillment is so important in business.
• What mistake Zach has made in growing his business.
• Why you need to sign up for the Alpha Underdog newsletter.

Favorite Quote:

"Business is all about helping people, and you do that by having good character and having good skills." -Zach Babcock

How to Get Involved:

Get podcasting help here.

For more on how to grow your business, check out this episode.

If you enjoyed this episode, head over and visit us on Apple Podcasts - leave a review and let us know what you thought! Your feedback keeps us going. Thanks for helping us spread the word!

Zach is keeping it short, sweet, and concise with a win-win tactic that you can start utilizing today. Would you like to service your clients at a higher level, make a memorable experience for them, and make more money? The key to that could be one ten-minute phone call a week.

Zach calls it the 4-question phone call. Simply select someone from your audience that's engaged with your content, and ask them if you could get to know them better over a quick call. During that call you'll ask the following: where they found out about you, what they like about you, what they don't like about you, and what problem you can help them solve.

This is great information to collect because you'll have a pulse on your audience and what they need. You'll learn what content, product, or service to focus on to better service your clients.

What You'll Learn:

• What 4 questions you should be asking.
• How to ask those questions to get honest feedback.
• Why you need to sign up for the Underdog Empowerment newsletter.

Favorite Quote:

"It's like being a waiter, you make your customers feel comfortable, and you serve them." - Zach Babcock

How to Get Involved:

Get podcasting help here.

For more on how to grow your business, check out this episode.

If you enjoyed this episode, head over and visit us on Apple Podcasts - leave a review and let us know what you thought! Your feedback keeps us going. Thanks for helping us spread the word!

Zach is coming at you live from the airport with a quick message as he heads back home from a mastermind event. His biggest takeaway from the Lion's Den Fly-in Friday, Mastermind, was to not let success go to your head. When we feel like we've made it, we tend to get comfortable, complacent, and we take our foot off the gas. A quick remedy for this is to get yourself around people that are all in on their dreams. Find a mentor, and never stop learning and leveling up.

If you haven't signed up for the Underdog Empowerment newsletter yet, head over to... UnderdogEmpowerment.com/Subscribe. Zach is about to launch a new and improved newsletter where he plans to overdeliver on value. It will include things like a roadmap to launching and ranking your own podcast, how to grow your audience fast, and a blueprint for launching an event. It's definitely not something you'll want to miss.

What You'll Learn:

• What Zach learned at the Lion's Den Mastermind event.
• How to get back on track when you've become complacent.
• Why you'll want to sign up for the Underdog Empowerment newsletter.

Favorite Quote:

"Once you get some success coming in, don't let that go to your head." - Zach Babcock

How to Get Involved:

Get podcasting help here.

For more on how to grow your business, check out this episode.

If you enjoyed this episode, head over and visit us on Apple Podcasts - leave a review and let us know what you thought! Your feedback keeps us going. Thanks for helping us spread the word!