The Solopreneur Hour Podcast with Michael O'Neal (Michael O'Neal)

Unforgettable: Crafting Memorable Event Experiences with Phil Mershon Join host Michael O'Neal as he engages with Phil Mershon, an expert in creating unforgettable event experiences, in a deep dive into the essence and impact of memorable events. This episode unfolds the art and science behind event planning, focusing on strategies for engaging audiences, the significance of sensory experiences, and practical tips for maximizing conference attendance. From personal anecdotes to professional insights, this conversation sheds light on how to transform any event into a memorable encounter, highlighting Phil's new book, 'Unforgettable: The Art and Science of Creating Memorable Experiences.' Whether you're an event organizer or a conference attendee, this episode is packed with valuable lessons on making every moment count.  Introduction to Unforgettable Event Experiences  The Art of Engaging Audiences  Sensory Experiences in Event Planning  Maximizing Conference Attendance Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of the Solopreneur Hour, host Michael O'Neal interviews former NFL defensive end and Magic: The Gathering enthusiast, (and business owner) Cassius Marsh. Marsh talks about his NFL career, the physical toll it took, and the transition to his post-football life. He discusses his passion for Magic: The Gathering, his trading card business, Cash Cards Unlimited, and his investment in the celebrity video app, Cameo. The episode delves into the parallels between professional sports and entrepreneurship, the importance of coachability, and Marsh's experiences with top NFL coaches and players. Marsh also shares insights into his new business ventures and the personal fulfillment he finds in fostering a community around trading cards. 00:00 Welcome to the Solopreneur Hour 00:21 Introducing Cassius Marsh 01:30 Life After the NFL 04:24 The Politics of the NFL 08:41 Breaking Down NFL Strategies 14:48 Facing Legendary Quarterbacks 18:48 The Financial Reality of NFL Players 24:02 Transitioning to Entrepreneurship 32:20 The Importance of Being Coachable 35:15 Starstruck Moments and Tom Brady 41:27 Transitioning from NFL to Civilian Life 46:14 Passion for Magic: The Gathering 50:47 The Birth and Success of Cash Cards Unlimited 56:34 Investing in Cameo 01:01:48 Conclusion and Future Plans Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of The Solopreneur Hour, we chat with Dr. John Gray, renowned author of 'Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus,' to explore the intricacies of relationship dynamics. We discuss how communication between men and women has evolved over time, particularly with the advent of social media. Dr. Gray explains the biological and hormonal aspects of stress management and its influence on relationships. He provides practical advice for achieving work-life balance, emphasizing the 'cave time' for men and unique strategies for women. The episode delves into maintaining passion and connection through verbal affirmations, non-sexual physical touch, and mutual happiness. It also touches on the role of polarity and hormones in sustaining emotional and sexual intimacy. Additionally, listeners are invited to Dr. Gray's upcoming live event, Mars Venus Relationship Weekend, designed to help individuals and couples build stronger, more fulfilling relationships. 00:00 Welcome and Introduction of Dr. John Gray 01:16 Dr. John Gray's Favorite Cuisine 02:39 The Evolution of Communication Between Men and Women 03:28 Biological Differences in Stress Responses 05:56 Work-Life Balance and Stress Management 07:31 The Role of Estrogen and Testosterone in Relationships 10:18 Effective Communication and Relationship Dynamics 15:52 Activities to Boost Estrogen and Reduce Stress 25:49 The Impact of Social Bonding on Hormones 27:17 Cultural and Biological Influences on Gender Roles 38:32 The Role of Relaxation in Women's Well-being 39:29 Romantic Biohacks for Couples 40:24 Effective Communication Strategies 41:29 Understanding Male and Female Dynamics 44:23 The Importance of Space in Relationships 45:32 Managing Anger and Frustration 56:27 Balancing Work and Personal Life 58:44 Upcoming Relationship Weekend Event 01:09:06 Final Thoughts and Farewell Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today the multiple New York Times Bestselling Author Gregg Hurwitz joins us on the show for a candid conversation on how he created the incredibly successful Orphan X series, and I share a story on how that very book saved my life! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today’s FCF is brought to you by the PLG – Podcast Launch Group.  Get 50% off until June 10! https://podcastlaunchgroup.com   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today’s Solopreneur Q&A we talk about sound quality, niching (pronounced “neeshing”) down, and a follow up to the Sophie Howard Amazon show. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today’s show is with Rod Khleif, multimillionaire and real estate investor. He breaks down exactly what we need to do to learn how to invest in Real Estate. Website Address: www.RodKhleif.com Find him on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rodkhleiffan/ https://multifamilycommunity.com The Lifetime CashFlow through Real Estate Podcast https://rodkhleif.com/lifetime-cashflow-podcast/ Chicago Multifamily Bootcamp https://rodkhleif.com/bootcamp August 24-26 Free Book: Text “rod” to 41411 Rod Khleif As one of America’s top real estate professionals, Rod Khleif has personally owned more than 2,000 single family homes, and multiple apartment communities. Rod has also built several multi-million dollar businesses, and has dedicated himself as a community philanthropist, forming and leading the Tiny Hands Foundation, which has benefited more than 50,000 underprivileged children. Rod is host of the number one ranked real estate, Business and Education Podcast on Itunes; “Lifetime Cash Flow through Real Estate Investing” and author of “How to Create Lifetime Cash Flow though Multifamily Properties”. A compelling rags-to-riches-to-rags-to-riches story, Khleif soared from humble beginnings as a young, impoverished Dutch immigrant to incredible success. Khleif’s experience involves both remarkable triumphs, and spectacular failures, which he affectionately calls “seminars”. Khleif brings incredible authenticity and insight to his approach to real estate, business, and life. Khleif has used his personal philosophy of goal setting, visualization, and manifesting success to become a successful entrepreneur, philanthropist, and family man. Rod has also spent over 16 years agressively studying the psychology of success with Tony Robbins, Jack Canfield, and Brendon Bruchard, and is a Certified High Performance Coach. Rod can discuss any real estate, business development, entrepreneurship or motivational topic in great detail, contributing incredible first-hand, technical, and motivational knowledge and skills to any real estate or business discussion. Rod Khleif Coaches and trains aspiring real estate investors and entrepreneurs. Rod teaches cash flow, flipping, wholesaling, lease options, multifamily and single family real estate investing and entrepreneurship. Rod also does High Performance Coaching and masterminds. Rod subscribes to Rich Dad Poor Dad Robert Kiyosaki principles of investing. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Free Coaching Monday from The Solopreneur Hour! If you’re new and don’t know how this works here goes: once a week I ask you to send me your questions and I answer them on Friday. If you want to be part of the fun for next week’s Q&A show join us in the Facebook group here or grab my free course called CONFERENCETOPIA.  Look for my post on Thursdays, write your question in the comments or respond to my weekly email, then listen in to the show on Friday! Thanks to every one of you for tuning in on a regular basis. Support Our Sponsor https://hostgator.com.  Get 50% off your hosting package by using “solo50” at checkout. Episode Resources The Art of The Interview Course Social Media Ninja Tactics The Solopreneur Hour on Facebook Want coaching with me? I Want SoloLab! The Solopreneur Hour on Twitter Proudly Unemployable, the Facebook group Leave a review of the show! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Solopreneurs! Don’t let the title fool you. This isn’t about “hey, check me out, look what I did!”. It’s essentially a primer on how to launch a business and brand from scratch. I take you through the steps I took (sort of, in no particular order) to launch the podcast and brand. This is one of those things where we hear the same things over and over, but we really have to just DO it and watch the amazing results that happen. That’s what we’ve got cookin’ on episode 727 of The Solopreneur Hour, check it out! More About This Show Below are the 10 steps, in a nutshell.  On the episode, I expand on each one so you can get the full scope of what went into every step. Listen closely to hear how each step applies to your business, and see if you don’t just come away with some new insights and ideas! Here they are… 10 Things I Did Right: 1. I was patient, and let the brand come to me. You can’t rush this step, it needs to be organic. Do your research, make sure it’s a great niche AND that it’s also something that’s unique to you and something you know about. Don’t pick a niche because it’s hot and other people are making money in that area, choose the thing that is YOU. This takes time so be patient and let it evolve. 2. I made real connections with people that were critical to the launch of the show. Pat Flynn and Mike Johnson were critical to this show, I had built relationships with these guys prior to the launch of this show. As you heard in step one they were both critical to The Solopreneur Hour’s existence. So build relationships, real relationships, and it will pay off. 3. I studied the craft of broadcasting, including interview techniques, live ad reads, etc. This is important for anything you do: study, study, study. A great example of this is Howard Stern and his interviewing techniques. Regardless of how you feel about him as a person Howard is one of the greatest interviewers of our generation. Even if you aren’t a podcaster you can learn from him. Check out Howard’s interview of Dan Bilzerian, it’s linked below. Study how he does what he does, especially when he gets Dan to open up. And be sure to research your topic, unless you’re presenting it as your opinion. It’s your responsibility as a podcaster, a blogger, a video content creator, etc. Any time you are sharing knowledge with the general public in some capacity you need to know why what you’re sharing is both relevant and accurate. So study and research. 4. I didn’t let adversity get in the way.  No excuses. As you may or may not know about 3 weeks before this show was set to launch I was hit by a car while I was biking. It was a brutal month of recovery with a broken collarbone and road rash in 19 places on my body. I could’ve easily said I was going to postpone it, but I didn’t. I dug in and put it out there because I had made a public commitment to do so. So go for it, no matter what. 5. I nailed the identity, using psychological triggers, important ownable keywords, and good design sensibility. I had a headstart in this area as a designer, but don’t let that stop you! You can get help here, and you should if you don’t have a design background or marketing knowledge or SEO knowledge. While you’re in this process make sure you zag where everyone else zigs. There are tons of resources available so get after it. 6. I went to conferences and got to know the players. This is mission critical! I know you have lots of things to overcome to get there (kids, time, money, etc), but this is beyond vital for your business and your success. All the connections you need are made here: in the hallway, after hours at the bar, this is where business gets done. It’s the new golf course! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kenyon Salo (https://kenyonsalo.com) joins us today to talk about how we began our public speaking career, and what it’s like to pay attention to the technical side of speaking.  Public speaking is a learned behavior as much as an art form, and we dig deep into some of the tips and tricks of building a great performance and engaging the audience.  A must listen if you’re ever planning on doing a workshop, a keynote, etc… Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Check out Jase Bennett at The Ohana Adventure on YouTube Free Coaching Friday from The Solopreneur Hour! If you’re new and don’t know how this works here goes: once a week I ask you to send me your questions and I answer them on Friday. If you want to be part of the fun for next week’s Q&A show join us in the Facebook group here or grab my free course called CONFERENCETOPIA.  Look for my post on Thursdays, write your question in the comments or respond to my weekly email, then listen in to the show on Friday! Thanks to every one of you for tuning in on a regular basis Advertisers: Steve Olsher at New Media Summit – Get $1000 of your Ticket to New Media Summit Austin (use promo code “Solohour”) Chris Thomas at PlayinginTraffic.co/Solohour Episode Resources The Art of The Interview Course Social Media Ninja Tactics The Solopreneur Hour on Facebook Want coaching with me? I Want SoloLab! The Solopreneur Hour on Twitter Proudly Unemployable, the Facebook group Leave a review of the show! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today’s show is a doozy.  Jase Bennett of The Ohana Adventure (1.7 Million Subs on YouTube), Prouduct (Did the Freedom, Mastery, and Podcast Journals with John Lee Dumas, and many more…) Jase Boards, chats with us about being a serial entrepreneur, what it’s like to have a super-successful YouTube channel, and how he used to flip pencils for money when he was a kid. Advertisers Get your SEO game on POINT with Playing In Traffic.  Get your FREE SEO guide here: https://playingintraffic.co/solohour It’s time to write that book that’s been rattling around inside your brain. Do that with Chandler Bolt and his team.  Get your FREE training, and his book “Published”, by clicking this link: https://self-publishingschool.com/solohour Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Free Coaching Monday from The Solopreneur Hour! If you’re new and don’t know how this works here goes: once a week I ask you to send me your questions and I answer them. If you want to be part of the fun for next week’s Q&A show join us in the Facebook group here or grab my free course called CONFERENCETOPIA.  Look for my post on Thursdays, write your question in the comments or respond to my weekly email, then listen in to the show on Friday! Thanks to every one of you for tuning in on a regular basis. Support Our Sponsors Check out The Divi Theme (My favorite WordPress theme, and the theme that The Solopreneur Hour is designed from) Beyond 8 Figures Starting a business is hard. Scaling a business is even harder. And, exiting a business is harder still. So, why do some companies struggle to reach six figures in revenue while others scale to 8 figures and beyond while achieving lucrative exits for its founders? This is the core question one of my favorite new podcasts, Beyond 8 Figures, sets out to answer. Week after week, serial entrepreneur Steve Olsher sits down with accomplished entrepreneurs who have ALL either exited for more than $10,000,000, or currently run businesses that generate more than $10,000,000 annually, to uncover the proven methodologies, tactics, strategies and key differentiators that fuel their success. From CEOs and Founders, to billionaires, newly minted millionaires and corporate Icons from myriad industries, Beyond 8 Figures asks the questions other shows won’t dare to ask and digs deep to find the answers you need to Start, Scale or Exit YOUR business. I’m a big fan of the show. Take a listen to Beyond 8 Figures on iTunes, Stitcher or simply go to Beyond8Figures.com to access all of the available episodes and I think you’ll understand why. BLINKIST The Blinkist app transforms the key insights of 2500+ bestselling nonfiction books into powerful packs you can read or listen to in just 15 minutes. Over 5 million people are using Blinkist everyday to glean the insights they need to become their best selves. Episode Resources The Art of The Interview Course Social Media Ninja Tactics The Solopreneur Hour on Facebook Want coaching with me? I Want SoloLab! The Solopreneur Hour on Twitter Proudly Unemployable, the Facebook group Leave a review of the show! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, I take you through the 8 week launch process of a world class podcast. For gear:  https://kit.com/solohour For supplemental YouTube videos: https://youtube.com/solohour   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Amazing, remarkable, life-changing.  That’s what this episode is. Since I originally introduced him at the Thrive 2016 conference in San Diego, I’ve been following Philip McKernan and his incredible message.  I finally got him to sit down and record a deep-dive interview about why sharing your truth is arguably the best thing you can do as a human being.  Not only for you, but for the world.  Listen to this episode.  Buy the book.  Live a better life. Pre-Order ONE LAST TALK on Amazon right now. Visit PhilipMckernan.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode I document the craziness of going from concept to finished product with an absurd timeline.  Proof positive that you don’t have to know what you’re doing to make something happen.  You just have to do it! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today’s FCF, I answer all these awesome questions: * Not a question but some feedback. Your latest episode about Rennch EXPLODED over the airwaves. That was the sound of passion, goals, doer, fun, creativity – the very essence of sloopreneur life – I raise a cup of tea in your name.  OK – Here’s 1 quick question then…….Does a sense of urgency bring the best out of YOU? * How do you deal with overwhelm? That time when you think you have everything under control and then clients change things last minute and it’s out of your control and you have to just get on with the work but there’s not enough time to get it all done in the time that’s available. How do you deal with or avoid that? * Do you use a local (to you) vendor for the gear in your website store? How does the backend infrastructure work with a site like Storenvy? I don’t want to be handling the orders – at all. Let the technology do the work! Have an awesome weekend, and the “Jack Bag” is brilliant! * What are your thoughts on the THINKIFIC platform for building and hosting your online educational content, programs, etc?  If you haven’t played with it, what else on this subject would you suggest for building that level of content for loyal followers to invest in themselves with? * How do I go from dreamer with tons of ideas, currently crushing it for someone else, to an entrepreneur with ONE idea crushing it for myself?  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Travis Chappell (https://www.buildyournetwork.co) and @travischappell stops by the show today to talk about some core fundamentals of successful “network explosion”, and building your online business. We talk about * The secret to great sales * the power of masterminds and learning groups * the ultimate power of networking * how to “show up” for friends in need * relationship fundamentals, and more! Travis has an email course that you can access here: freemmcourse.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As a solopreneur we all start somewhere. Sometimes we start with a topic we know a lot about, sometimes we see an opening and we go for it, learning along the way. Our guest for today saw an opening to serve his audience in a simpler, more effective way than email: a membership site. Chris Farrell of Help My Business joins us for episode 383 of The Solopreneur Hour, live from Traffic and Conversion in San Diego. On this show we chat about why he chose to build a membership site, how he got into online marketing in the first place and whether or not he’s always been unemployable. More About Chris Farrell As you’ll hear on this episode Chris is a Londoner. He was born and raised in East London – hence the cockney accent! Until his early 30s he worked in radio and wasn’t the least bit entrepreneurial. He had always had a good job and was working for “the man”. By 32 he was the mid-morning DJ on the #1 radio station in London. But there was always something he couldn’t wrap his mind around: how did people make money online, travel the world and run successful businesses? Was it actually legitimate or was it smoke and mirrors? So in 2008 he got started in the online marketing world to see for himself. He knew nothing about that world, and knew no one! So initially he tried to do it all himself, and learned everything he could. You’ll Also Hear: * Was Chris always unemployable? * Why it’s important to say yes. * The power of gratitude in shifting your mindset. * How do you know if you truly understand something? * What is his take on the level of professionalism in podcasting today? * And so much more! Since then of course he’s realized people can and do make good money online through legitimate businesses, his being one of them. Even though it is fairly simple to do so, it isn’t easy. His advice to get started making money online boils down to three simple steps: 1. Find a profitable niche. Figure out where people are already spending money and then choose one area to focus on. 2. Build a list of people interested in that area. Simple: find people who are interested in what you are selling, and get them on your email list. 3. Market to them with products related to their interests. Contact them with offers and opportunities about products they are interested in, or related to their interests. Those are the steps Chris took to get started. He created his own products because he couldn’t find many products he was passionate about. While doing so he built his list, and then marketed to them with offers on those products. But he also realized it would be more valuable to people if he built a membership site where he could continue to create products and add content, rather than emailing them constantly. So that’s what he did. He built a membership site all about internet marketing. He shared with his members what he was learning firsthand, what he loved and what he was passionate about. His success has continued to grow from there. On today’s episode we cover many other topics from men’s fashion to music to podcasting. In particular Chris shares his view on the state of professionalism in podcasting today. He explains more on the show, including why just having the equipment doesn’t make you a professional podcaster any more than having a bicycle makes you an Olympic cyclist. He is a definitive source on what it takes to succeed behind the mic and in the online world. Listen in to hear his wit and wisdom on the 383rd edition of The Solopreneur Hour! QUESTION OF THE DAY: What could you build a membership site about? Let us know in the comments below! Do you enjoy this podcast? If so, could you please  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to our weekly Q&A edition of The Solopreneur Hour. If you haven’t been here before on Fridays we publish an episode devoted to answering YOUR questions dear listeners! To submit a question join the mailing list, contact me via the Contact page on the site or join our Proudly Unemployable Facebook group. You can ask your own question by popping on the mailing list or grabbing my free Conferencetopia course.    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today’s in Studio Guest is (former) Dietitian Cassie Bjork.  (Cassie.net) We thought “Hey, it’s noon during holiday season, we might as well have a margarita or two and record a podcast”.  So, here’s that.  🙂 Get Cassie’s Rulebreakers Weight Loss Coaching Program – Cassie.net/rulebreakers Get the book: Why Am I Still Fat?  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today’s show, I run down some questions featured on the Proudly Unemployable Facebook Group and answer them on the show.  Note:  This episode is straight FIRE…so don’t burn your ears!   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mr. Pat Flynn of Smart Passive Income (https://smartpassiveincome.com) stopped by to talk about his new invention, The Switchpod. (Available on Kickstarter right now at https://switchpod.co)  We talked about the entire process of how to get something manufactured, how to go from an idea to a prototype, and how much all of that costs.  We also chatted about his new conference coming up from July 26-28th, FlynnCon. Tickets available here.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As solopeneurs one of the keys to our success is our health. We’ve talked about this subject a few times because without health and vitality solopreneurship is an even more difficult path. Joining us to share her expertise is Melissa Ramos of Sexy Food Therapy. She’s a certified nutritionist with a background in Chinese medicine and is a regular on The Social, Canadian television’s version of The View. On today’s show she shares the story of how she made the leap from an ad exec to a nutritionist, her 10 tips for staying healthy during a launch and plenty more on episode 763 of The Solopreneur Hour. More About Sexy Food Therapy Melissa’s career began in advertising, but a part of her always knew she should be doing her own thing. Her father is an entrepreneur and she inherited his spirit. It became crystal clear to her one day while sitting in a meeting talking about a mascot’s foot for two hours. She wondered why she was doing what she was doing, it felt meaningless and unfulfilling. She wanted to help people, and do something to make a difference. So she started taking nutrition classes part-time and eventually went full-time til she completed her certification as a nutritionist. Next she wanted to study Chinese medicine. Melissa took the proceeds from the recent sale of her home and paid for the schooling; it was incredibly expensive, but worth every penny for her. She loved both paths of healing and wanted to make them accessible, engaging and still fun for people. From that love and that intention she formed Sexy Food Therapy. At the beginning she was doing it all herself as most solopreneurs do! But it was a kick in the proverbial pants from Chris Ducker that helped her outsource her video editing, and eventually she hired a general VA and then a second VA. Today she’s able to focus on helping more people through programs and memberships, and having her team support her in those efforts. On This Show You’ll Also Hear: * What did she know about online marketing from her time in advertising? * Why did she opt to use a private Facebook group as part of her membership program? * How she set her price point for her latest program. * Who gave her the kick in the pants she needed to start outsourcing? * What is ashwaganda and why should you care? * And so much more! On this show we talk about her latest launch, Sexy Lady Balls, and what she did when things went wrong during that launch as well as who she has been influenced by and how she started from ground zero in online marketing. One of the greatest lessons she’s learned during all of her solopreneur trials has been how to take care of herself, and this is especially true during a launch. Her 10 tips are listed below: 1. Outsource. You are not superwoman or superman! Get Chris Ducker’s book if you need elp on figuring out what to outsource but be sure to get help. You can start small. She started with a video editor, gave him a template to follow for editing and it made a big difference. 2. Drink energizing chocolate milk. Things like coffee and Red Bull and other energy drinks will drain your adrenal glands. And without adrenal glands your health drastically suffers. So instead of those drinks try Melissa’s chocolate milk recipe: Take an unsweetened nut milk like almond milk or coconut milk (no soy milk). Then add cacao powder and maca powder. Throw in a dash of cayenne pepper and some cinnamon. Next add 2 teaspoons of coconut oil Add sweetener and pinch of sea salt. Mix it all together in a blender and you have healthy chocolate milk that is delicious and energizing. 3. Go easy on the alcohol. Melissa is not against alcohol by any stretch but she does recommend not using it as a stress-relieving crutc... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today’s show I grab a few questions from the archives which are still quite relevant today.  We talk about staying on brand, keeping your mindset straight, how to save more time, when to automate and outsource, and a lot more! Have a listen on your fave podcast player!   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Australian relationship expert Andi Lew and I sit down at the Grafton hotel in Los Angeles to talk about how to cultivate romantic relationships in the 21st-century. Social media has done good in the world, but it has also made relationships more complicated. Andi’s new book, Instalovers, breaks down how to connect with a romantic partner in this age of Instagram, Facebook, and social media tools. We also talk about her being a single mom who’s built a multiple six figure business in the health space, and travels around the world speaking.  She’s also written *7* books…which is bonkers! Relevant Links: Buy the book: https://andilew.com Featured ads on this episode: We’ve got one more slot available for private, one on one coaching. It’s available right here if you’re interested. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today I cover some of the jokes I told at the John Lee Dumas roast at Podfest in Orlando, and answer a bunch of your questions, including which app to use to run your business, whether or not you should rent your motorcycle out, and some of my favorite applications to use as an entrepreneur. Relevant Links: https://solohour.com/kartra Featured ads on this episode: 14 day free trial at Kartra.com and see how amazing the software is! https://solohour.com/kartra Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sue B Zimmerman and I sat down at social media marketing world San Diego for a killer chat on what’s working on Instagram in 2019. Not only is it about your brand, but your strategy and execution play a paramount role in how your account grows. Relevant Links: https://SueBZimmerman.com/3keys https://SueBZimmerman.com/guide https://SueBZimmerman.com/YouTube Featured ads on this episode: Check out the Shure MV88+ at https://kit.com/solohour Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today we’re breaking new ground on The Solopreneur Hour…Linkedin.  I don’t know a thing about Linkedin, so I brought on one of the world’s foremost experts in Linkedin sales and marketing, Viveka von Rosen.  She has a brand new course on how to create more sales conversations on Linkedin called sellingwithlinkedin.com, available right this second. (go grab it so you can rock Linkedin like a pro!) We spanned the globe with this convo, and I learned a ton about Linkedin…way more than I knew previously! Sponsors: This episode is brought to you by Kartra! It is the premier all in one business management tool.  Get a free trial at https://solohour.com/kartra and try it for yourself! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ken Kragen may not be a household name to you, but if you mention his name in Hollywood, people will respond with “legend”. Ken is responsible for “We Are The World”, “Hands Across America”, and innumerable other huge projects in Hollywood and worldwide. Featured ads on this episode: This episode is brought to you by private coaching from me, Michael O’Neal. Are you trying to launch your business, but are spinning your wheels? I can help. Are you trying to scale a consulting business and have more time for your actual life and your family? I can help. Click here for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today’s Best Of episode is a culmination of questions and case studies from various coaching calls I’ve done over the last few weeks.  Some of the most common questions or problems have to do with identifying your perfect business, defining your audience, and truly nailing your brand, which will completely illuminate the correct path for you to take from that point. There were a few links I discussed on the show…here they are: Get Your Free Audiobook!  Private Coaching with Michael O’Neal   That’s it for now…thanks for “tuning in”. 🙂 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today I got to chat with my good friend Dr. Mark Wade, who has just launched a brand new podcast, the Virtual Summit Podcast. We talked about, amongst other things, how to grow a huge mailing list and influence using virtual summits. This strategy is tried and true, and is something you can employ right away. The Virtual Summit Podcast – Is to help enlighten those interested in hosting a summit on how to successfully create a virtual summit from those who have already done. Relevant Links: https://kartra.com/solohour Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today’s episode I catch you up with an epic car show, meeting a couple of legends, and being at the right placOn today’s episode I catch you up with an epic car show, meeting a couple of legends, and being at the right place at the right time, as well as the implications of hormonal balance on your life! e at the right time, as well as the implications of hormonal balance on your life! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today we chat with Arron Shepherd, co-founder of The Goat Agency, the biggest influencer marketing agency in the world.  We chat about how he came up, and dig into some strategies Goat uses for their clients that can translate into the solopreneur world. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is a random list of how I go through life. Some are lessons from my mom, some are just common sense and common courtesy, both of which seem to be lost in 2019. I think if we irritated each other a bit less, and were a bit more thoughtful, we could create a society we’d all be proud of, once again. Feel free to add, or share, or disagree! Would love your feedback on https://instagram.com/solohour. • If you stay at someone’s house, make the bed • If you stay multiple nights, strip the sheets • If someone makes you dinner, eat it and be grateful • If someone opens the door for you, thank them • Hold the elevator if you see people walking towards it • Stay to the right side of the escalator so people can get by you • Better yet, WALK on the escalator. Try a little harder at life. • Keep your head up, not in your phone, while you’re crossing the street • When 3 lanes become 2, merge with every other car…don’t speed up so you go “first” • When you’re making a left turn, get out into the intersection, don’t hold up traffic • If you get in a minor fender bender, move your car off the road onto the shoulder. Don’t park in the middle of the street if your car moves. • If you invite someone to lunch or dinner, pick up the tab • If you invite a friend or a date to a party, introduce them to everyone • If you host a party, welcome all of your guests, and make sure they have a drink in their hand right away • If you’re hiking or walking in nature, don’t blast music with your phone. That’s why they invented headphones. • Buy a random stranger a cup of coffee at Starbucks • Give your leftovers to homeless people • If you’re walking on the sidewalk with your date (and you’re a man) put yourself between your date and potential harms way: You walk closer to the street, and put yourself between her and any shady looking characters. • If you’ve gone on a couple dates with someone, but aren’t interested, tell them like a real man/woman. Don’t just disappear. • If you dirty dishes at a friends house, clean them • If you empty the ice tray, fill it • If you finish the milk, or something in the fridge, replace it • If a friend “lets you crash” at their house for an extended period of time, keep the house spic & span for them • Listen to The Solopreneur Hour Podcast • If you borrow a friends car, fill it with gas • If you snore, and are sharing a hotel room, bring earplugs for your roommates • Get off your phone when you’re checking out at the grocery store, or anywhere else. And take the headphones out of your ears. It’s incredibly rude. • Stop bringing your dog into restaurants and coffee shops. Somehow, we managed to go hundreds of years without this trend. Wrap fido’s leash around a tree or a post out front. They’ll be fine. • Gentleman, open the door for your date, or your girlfriend, or your wife. Car AND Building. • Buy random flowers for your love • Don’t check your phone while on a date • Don’t bury your head in your phone while you’re out with people • When parallel parking on a busy street, check your side view mirror for bicyclists and pedestrians before you open the door. • Use the “yield” and on-ramps as acceleration zones…don’t merge onto a highway at 40 mph • Get out of the left lane unless you’re passing • If you’re driving in the mountains and there are a line of cars behind you, pull over and let them pass. • if you’re at a party and don’t know the host, make a point to seek them out, introduce yourself, and thank them. ADVERTISER Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tommy Griffith has been doing search engine optimization for more than 10 years. He previously managed SEO at PayPal and Airbnb, and now runs ClickMinded, a digital marketing training platform for marketers and entrepreneurs. Tommy started ClickMinded as a side project while working full-time at Airbnb. He grew it until it started generating more revenue than his annual salary. Two years ago, he quit Airbnb to go full-time on it and ran into a number of problems in trying to grow the business from there. Relevant Links: Free strategy guides: https://www.clickminded.com/seo-strategy/ https://www.clickminded.com/digital-marketing-strategy/ Blog Post on how he left AirBNB and Paypal to start Clickminded: https://www.clickminded.com/six-figure-side-project/ Featured ads on this episode: Kartra is a page builder, sales funnel builder and marketing automation platform.  Basically, it’s an all-in-one business platform that consolidates your landing pages, sales pages, online courses, membership sites, email system and payments in one place. It’s the system I use for Solopreneur Hour.  For just $1, you can try it yourself right now!  Get a $1 Trial of Kartra right here: https://solohour.com/kartra     Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sean Cannell from Think Media and I sat down in the lobby of the Mirage Hotel during CES 2020, and dug into how Sean is on the brink of 1 million subscribers on YouTube.  Sean gives SUCH tremendous value on all of his YouTube videos…you often can’t believe that they are free! Think Media on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/THiNKmediaTV Sean’s Book: YouTube Secrets: The Ultimate Guide to Growing Your Following and Making Money as a Video Influencer Check out Kartra…the world’s best “infrastructure” for your Solopreneur business: https://solohour.com/kartra Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Free Coaching Friday from The Solopreneur Hour! If you’re new and don’t know how this works here goes: once a week I ask you to send me your questions and I answer them on Friday. If you want to be part of the fun for next week’s Q&A show join us in the Facebook group here or grab my free course called CONFERENCETOPIA.  Look for my post on Thursdays, write your question in the comments or respond to my weekly email, then listen in to the show on Friday! Thanks to every one of you for tuning in on a regular basis.  Now…on to the questions and episode 578 of The Solopreneur Hour! Episode Resources The Art of The Interview Course Social Media Ninja Tactics The Solopreneur Hour on Facebook Want coaching with me? I Want SoloLab! The Solopreneur Hour on Twitter Proudly Unemployable, the Facebook group Leave a review of the show! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Returning Champion Joel Comm discusses Social Media Day Denver (Get your discounted ticket by using promo code “solohour” here) and how it can impact your business.  Plus, I’m speaking there, so you should join us.  We also talk about the “hot hand” in Social Media right now, and dig into some livestreaming tips!   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sometimes we know from a very early age what our true solopreneurial passions are. That was the case for today’s guest, Matt Farah of The Smoking Tire. On episode 585 (Best of) of The Solopreneur Hour Matt talks with us about his very early love of cars, and how he parlayed that into a successful career as an automotive journalist and the origins of The Smoking Tire. More About Matt Farah and The Smoking Tire Matt’s grandma jokes that he could identify different cars by their wheels at the age of 2! By the age of 5 Matt’s dad had given him an edition of Car & Driver, and Matt was enthralled. Although the cover was that of the latest Corvette it was the spread on the Delorean that really peaked Matt’s interest. When his family moved from New Jersey to Atlanta they settled about a block away from an exotic car dealership called Formula 1 Imports. Matt’s mom took him there on a weekly basis and he struck up a friendship with the dealer. Matt made such an impression on the dealer that he, the dealer, called Matt when they got new cars in the show room. Although Matt didn’t love one brand of car over any other that passion continued in high school. He and his friends all owned Mustangs and would spend their time customizing their cars. His friends went drag racing, so Matt followed suit. But the automotive industry as a career path didn’t open up for him til about 6 months after college. Matt had majored in photography, a degree that was obsolete nearly the minute he graduated because the first real professional digital camera hit the market then. All those countless hours in the dark room were rendered useless. On This Show You’ll Also Hear: * How much did they make on All Cars Go to Heaven in the first 60 days? * What is on his car bucket list? * What impact did Top Gear have on the automotive journalism world? * What is his Million Mile Lexus project? * Who should go into automotive journalism? * And so much more! Because he couldn’t get work as a photographer Matt took a job with a creative branding agency in New York City. His day to day life consisted of rebrands for big companies and redesigning their labels. Within six months he was fed up with monotony. He asked himself what he really wanted to do – what could he spend his days doing that wouldn’t make him want to kill himself?! His answer: cars. He could talk about cars all day long, and that’s when Matt decided to work in the car world. He started off working at a car dealership just being an errand boy, washing cars and being an assistant for the sales people. Then he went to an exotic car dealer and discovered the myth, the legends and the reality of exotic cars. While working there he met Larry, a man who is now Bugatti’s detailer. Together they decided to open their own detailing shop for exotic cars. Soon they were washing and detailing cars for all the local exotic car owners, and they realized these guys only drove their cars to the shop for detailing but nowhere else. Matt and Larry put their heads togehter and came up with an idea: they would start a car club where all the members would meet once a week and drive together for the day. The New York Car Club was born. As the club evolved, Matt had the idea to shoot videos of their drives. One day someone suggested to Matt that he mic up and host the videos. So he did. He told some jokes, and interviewed some of the guys driving. Literally one week later Matt had a call with a job offer to join a guy’s YouTube network of car shows as the host.  Matt sold his half of the car detailing business and took the job. For the next two years Matt was the host. But when the market tanked in late 2008/early 2009 so did the company that was paying him and Matt had to look elsewhere. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Free Coaching Friday from The Solopreneur Hour! If you’re new and don’t know how this works here goes: once a week I ask you to send me your questions and I answer them on Friday. If you want to be part of the fun for next week’s Q&A show join us in the Facebook group here or grab my free course called CONFERENCETOPIA.  Look for my post on Thursdays, write your question in the comments or respond to my weekly email, then listen in to the show on Friday! Thanks to every one of you for tuning in on a regular basis. Episode Resources The Art of The Interview Course Social Media Ninja Tactics The Solopreneur Hour on Facebook Want coaching with me? I Want SoloLab! The Solopreneur Hour on Twitter Proudly Unemployable, the Facebook group Leave a review of the show! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

No matter what level of your solopreneur success, managing your finances needs to be high on your priority list.  Now, I was never properly trained in the world of finance, so everything has been “learn as I go”.  This episode was ABSOLUTELY eye-opening.  So eye-opening, in fact, that I’m going to have Jordan on for a Part 2 asap.  Get your Evernote ready, and let’s fix our finances! Some resources mentioned in the show: Corporatelendingsolutions.com Guidetocreditcard.com Arkansas credit cards Non profit credit counseling  Cambridgecredit.org www.moneyanswers.com/ Truthinequity.com Get Errors of Your Report TourDeCredit.com Tourdebusiness.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today we’re joined by author, and baller real estate investor Brian Scrone, to talk about his new book “What Matters Most – Finding Your Focus with the 5F’s” This was an interesting episode…I had a thought that it would go one way, and it went completely another way. After making a boatload of money in real estate in the early “aughts”, he invested in Florida. Then everything crashed. Now, he’s back with a vengeance, and our conversation took us into this exceptional world of “systematized real estate investing”, which was really fascinating. Even if you’re not interested in RE Investing, I think the episode is really valuable from the standpoint of how to organize your business. Enjoy! (and go buy his book.  Link is above. ) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In person at the Renaissance Hotel in downtown Denver, I sat down 1 on 1 with travel blogger Mia Voss to learn how she got started, how we can start travel blogging, how to establish relationships with larger entities (hint: share a lot of their content on your social media), and how important the connection to your community is.  This is a slightly abridged episode…but I thought quite worthy of a publish!  Enjoy! Find Mia: https://miaonthego.com IG/Twitter @miavossonthego   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Free Coaching Friday from The Solopreneur Hour! If you’re new and don’t know how this works here goes: once a week I ask you to send me your questions and I answer them on Friday. If you want to be part of the fun for next week’s Q&A show join us in the Facebook group here or grab my free course called CONFERENCETOPIA.  Look for my post on Thursdays, write your question in the comments or respond to my weekly email, then listen in to the show on Friday! Thanks to every one of you for tuning in on a regular basis. Episode Resources The Art of The Interview Course Social Media Ninja Tactics The Solopreneur Hour on Facebook Want coaching with me? I Want SoloLab! The Solopreneur Hour on Twitter Proudly Unemployable, the Facebook group Leave a review of the show! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Chris Farrell is a former radio/TV presenter turned Lifestyle Entrepreneur. Chris is also one of the most respected and successful internet marketers in the industry today. Chris’s training products and websites have already helped tens of thousands of people create and grow their online business. Chris is a popular in demand public speaker – having worked with and spoken on stage with Brian Tracy, the late Dr Stephen Covey, Gary Vaynerchuck, Robert Cialdini, Daymond John, and T Harv Eker amongst others. In 2016, Chris began his podcast Setbacks & Success, showcasing the highs and lows of business owners, entrepreneurs, and people doing great things. Originally from London, England (that explains the accent) – Chris, 46, relocated to Los Angeles in search of a sun tan. For episode 595, Chris and I recorded an episode whilst noodling along in LA traffic.  Hilarity ensued. Visit Chris at https://chrisfarrell.com, or on the Instagrams at https://instagram.com/chrisfarrellcom Get 50% off your entire web hosting order by using the promo code “SOLO50” at checkout at the one and only Hostgator.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Free Coaching Friday from The Solopreneur Hour! If you’re new and don’t know how this works here goes: once a week I ask you to send me your questions and I answer them on Friday. If you want to be part of the fun for next week’s Q&A show join us in the Facebook group here or grab my free course called CONFERENCETOPIA.  Look for my post on Thursdays, write your question in the comments or respond to my weekly email, then listen in to the show on Friday! Thanks to every one of you for tuning in on a regular basis. Episode Resources The Art of The Interview Course Social Media Ninja Tactics The Solopreneur Hour on Facebook Want coaching with me? I Want SoloLab! The Solopreneur Hour on Twitter Proudly Unemployable, the Facebook group Leave a review of the show! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today on Patio 86 I got a chance to chat with a good buddy of mine who’s focused his life’s work on making a huge impact in the world. The Greatness Foundation (https://greatness.ngo) is a platform for altruistic game-changers worldwide.  Whether it’s building homes in Mexico, assisting refugees in Greece, opening schools in Nicauragua, or any of the other numerous philanthropic or charitable projects they’ve been involved in, Mike continues to expand his vision to make a larger impact in the world. In this show we chatted about how he transitioned from the Military to the Greatness Foundation, how you can be more involved in helping the world be a better place, and how you can follow the mantra “Be More, Do More, Give More”.  We also chatted about keeping a successful mindset, how not to prioritize your schedule, and our epic July 4th from last year. If you’d like to contribute more to the world (and your soul), visit https://thegreatnessfoundation.com/givemore. Visit Mike on Instagram at https://instagram.com/mikesherbakov Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There are a lot of shows and blogs dedicated to teaching you how to get over the mindset when everything goes wrong and your launch fails. But, what do you do when everything goes right? From idea to implementation, Joel Comm’s new podcast has taken only two weeks. But, all indications point towards it being a smash hit podcast. His new show, “The Bad Crypto Podcast”, has done great numbers in its first couple of weeks, and there is a great deal of buzz about it. In this episode we talk about what to do when things go well, what to double down on, when to pull the ripcord on something, and we take a small dive into bit coin and crypto currency. Tune into the “Bad Crypto” podcast twice a week, on iTunes, Stitcher radio, Google play, soundcloud, and anywhere else you listen to podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our good pal JJ Collier joins us again to talk men’s style, the state of the relationship between brands and buyers, how he concepts his new lines (and how it looks a lot like what we do on a vision board) and how he mindmaps his goals.  Personally, I don’t know a more meticulous planner, or a more brilliant designer.  As men, if we follow the path that JJ lays, we’re in pretty good shape overall. Follow JJ on Instagram at https://instagram.com/collierbrands Check out his work at Triple Aught Design:  https://tripleaughtdesign.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today’s returning champion is John Spencer Ellis. (https://johnspencerellis.com) John’s an icon in the fitness industry, and after his fitness success has made millions in various ventures, including real estate, SEO, mindset/cognitive development, entrepreneur coaching, and more.  On today’s show we talk about how to “port” your skillset to different industries, and lay the groundwork for success no matter what you’re attempting. Then…we have a special announcement.  John and I are hosting a 1 day mastermind the day before the Thrive conference in Las Vegas.  It’s September 28th,  it’s in John’s fabulous Vegas penthouse, and it’s going to be awesome! We only have room for 20, so reserve your spot here:  https://johnspencerellis.com/platform   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hola. Back from Vegas, sore ankle and all.  Today’s episode is a short, but fun Free Coaching Monday.  I begin by telling you a great email hack you can use for multiple mailing lists, or to test out your landing pages.  Then, I dig a bit into BitCoin and CryptoCurrency by introducing you to CoinBase.  If you decide you want to try to buy a a small amount of BitCoin, I found a cool way for each of us to get $10 worth of BitCoin: Go to https://downloadcoinbase.com, get an account, and invest $100 in BitCoin, then Coinbase will give you (and me) $10 worth! If you’re new and don’t know how this works here goes: once a week I ask you to send me your questions and I answer them on Friday.  Unless I answer them on Monday. If you want to be part of the fun for next week’s Q&A show join us in the Facebook group here or grab my free course called CONFERENCETOPIA.  Look for my post on Thursdays, write your question in the comments or respond to my weekly email, then listen in to the show on Friday! Thanks to every one of you for tuning in on a regular basis. Episode Resources Get $10 of Free BitCoin The Art of The Interview Course The Solopreneur Hour on Facebook Want coaching with me? I Want SoloLab! The Solopreneur Hour on Twitter Proudly Unemployable, the Facebook group Leave a review of the show!   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Free Coaching Saturday from The Solopreneur Hour! If you’re new and don’t know how this works here goes: once a week I ask you to send me your questions and I answer them on Friday. If you want to be part of the fun for next week’s Q&A show join us in the Facebook group here or grab my free course called CONFERENCETOPIA.  Look for my post on Thursdays, write your question in the comments or respond to my weekly email, then listen in to the show on Friday! Thanks to every one of you for tuning in on a regular basis. Episode Resources The Art of The Interview Course Social Media Ninja Tactics The Solopreneur Hour on Facebook Want coaching with me? I Want SoloLab! The Solopreneur Hour on Twitter Proudly Unemployable, the Facebook group Leave a review of the show! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As solopreneurs making the transition from doing what we know to teaching and sharing our knowledge is typically the difference between burnout and bliss. To start that transition we often create a side gig. The man who has made multiple six figures doing just that: taking side gigs and turning them into multiple streams of income is none other than our friend Dr. Mark Costes. Dr. Mark joins us to talk about his latest venture, the Six-Figure Side Gig Podcast and how he helps others by leveraging his knowledge into products and additional income streams. We dive into all of that and more on episode 311 of The Solopreneur Hour. More About Six-Figure Side Gig Dr. Mark has made several appearances on The Solopreneur Hour (you can find them here) so if you haven’t heard his back story have a listen! In a nutshell, Dr. Mark has gone from being a successful dentist with multiple practices to a dentalpreneur with multiple sources of income from helping countless others follow in his footsteps. Today he has multiple streams of income helping other dentists and other practitioners grow thriving practices, and by providing a franchise-type system for dental assistant schools that other dentists can buy and set up for their own additional side gig income stream. It all began because he was running six successful practices, but was burnt out. He had very little time or energy to give his family, and he was losing his love of dentistry. You’ll Also Hear: * When did he first commit to leveraging his knowledge? * How becoming an entrepreneur has helped him enjoy dentistry again. * How many income streams does he have? * What’s the #1 thing he’s learned from his podcast? * What was my most terrifying moment on stage? * And much more. So he spent a year developing a curriculum for a dental assistant school. He worked tirelessly over that year, and then opened his first school. Once the school was underway he handed over the curriculum to his staff and had them run it. He is there for the orientation night and for graduation night, but otherwise his team handles everything. That one school grew to over a dozen, and when other dentists started asking him how he was doing it Dr. Mark got serious about marketing the school as a way for other dentists to make additional income. The idea took off and today he has 140 schools throughout the United States. But being the entrepreneur in dentist’s clothing that he is Dr. Mark didn’t stop there. He took his passion for coaching, which initially was him consuming all the coaching he could get his hands on, and now offers his wisdom to others wanting to create a six-figure side gig. He does this with his twice-weekly podcast Six-Figure Side Gig and also with personal coaching. He helps clients in multiple industries; he has a real estate agent who is building an empire with his real estate agent training school. And he’s also working a doctor to create a CNA/medical assistant school system like Dr. Mark did for dental assistants. On today’s show we talk more about his most recent podcast Six-Figure Side Gig and what he’s learned from the notable people he’s interviewed, and why and how he started holding events for the dental crowd. Plus he gives us the formula he uses to translate his knowledge and experiences into products and programs. It’s all here on episode 311 of The Solopreneur Hour – enoy! QUESTION OF THE DAY: What program or product can you create using what Dr. Mark Costes shared today? Let us know in the comments below! Do you enjoy this podcast? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Free Coaching Friday from The Solopreneur Hour! If you’re new and don’t know how this works here goes: once a week I ask you to send me your questions and I answer them on Friday. If you want to be part of the fun for next week’s Q&A show join us in the Facebook group here or grab my free course called CONFERENCETOPIA.  Look for my post on Thursdays, write your question in the comments or respond to my weekly email, then listen in to the show on Friday! Thanks to every one of you for tuning in on a regular basis. Support These Fellow Solopreneurs! Learn how to grow your business by using Meetup: https://meetuptribe.com Take killer photos of your kiddos playing sports: https://sportsphotoschool.com Episode Resources The Art of The Interview Course Social Media Ninja Tactics The Solopreneur Hour on Facebook Want coaching with me? I Want SoloLab! The Solopreneur Hour on Twitter Proudly Unemployable, the Facebook group Leave a review of the show! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this epic episode (Almost 2 hours!) of The Solopreneur Hour, online influencer, fellow Steelers fan, and all around good egg Brian Fanzo and I catch up and talk all things social media, then get into the meat and potatoes of the show: It’s Fantasy Football season for those afflicted, nerdy souls, where we yell at the TV to cheer on players that aren’t even on the team we root for. But…we wouldn’t have it any other way! There is, however, a twist to this ultimate fantasy draft. In this case, we are drafting the top internet marketers in the world. We’ll share who we’d pick for which position, and also provide a few alternates. This is a long show that’s well worth the content. (note:  I’ve split out the fantasy draft into it’s own episode here ) 2017 INTERNET MARKETING FANTASY DRAFT Michael O’Neal and Brian Fanzo pick the best: Copywriter Video Marketer Social Media Marketer Community Marketer Influencer Emailing List Curator Web Presence / SEO Live Speaker Author Lead Generator/Funnels Strategist Support your fellow Solopreneurs in their businesses: Steve Olsher: The Ultimate Directory of Powerful Podcasters, Big Time Bloggers & Social Media stars which includes detailed contact information for 240 new media influencers who can make you famous with the push of a button. Get the visibility you and your business deserve by grabbing a FREE copy of the Ultimate Directory at MyUltimateDirectory.com. That’s www.MyUltimateDirectory.com. Darren Rowse: The Problogger himself, Darren Rowse has been bitten by the podcasting bug and started his own ProBlogger podcast. In the weekly ProBlogger show Darren shares in depth training for bloggers, reviews tools and interviews bloggers about how they grow and monetize their blogs. Find the ProBlogger podcast by searching for the word ‘ProBlogger’ on iTunes or your favorite podcast network or head to problogger.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Free Coaching Friday from The Solopreneur Hour! If you’re new and don’t know how this works here goes: once a week I ask you to send me your questions and I answer them on Friday. If you want to be part of the fun for next week’s Q&A show join us in the Facebook group here or grab my free course called CONFERENCETOPIA.  Look for my post on Thursdays, write your question in the comments or respond to my weekly email, then listen in to the show on Friday! Thanks to every one of you for tuning in on a regular basis. Support These Fellow Solopreneurs! Have your film seen the way it was meant to be seen, in the cinema! https://demand.film Build a solid, financially strong business:  https://gerri.link/solo   Episode Resources The Art of The Interview Course Social Media Ninja Tactics The Solopreneur Hour on Facebook Want coaching with me? I Want SoloLab! The Solopreneur Hour on Twitter Proudly Unemployable, the Facebook group Leave a review of the show! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dana Malstaff is the CEO and Founder of Boss Mom. (https://boss-mom.com) She is a mother, author, business strategist, podcaster, blind spot reducer, and movement maker. She is the author of Boss Mom: The Ultimate Guide to Raising a Business & Nurturing Your Family Like a Pro. Dana sits down for a one-on-one interview during the New Media Summit conference in San Diego.  This show barely touches on how much depth Dana has as a businesswoman.  Dana runs a multiple six-figure business, and we touch on a lot of how to create community, nurture your audience, and continue to give them products they love. Some topic highlights: * The correct framework and how to build a great online course * How to create your sales funnel with the end result in mind * How to vet your coaching clients * How to focus on benefits of your offerings, and not the features * How she stays true to her brand, even with her imagery * Digs in deep about our “free to paid journey” * Is there a silver bullet of online course work? * How she refines her systems every week This just scratches the surface…this conversation is a true “writer-downer”, as I like to say.  Enjoy! Connect with Dana and check out her free webinar: How to Create a Great Online Course   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Returning for his second visit with The Solopreneur Hour, is Vinnie Tortorich. Dubbed The World’s Angriest Trainer, Vinnie has come back to share his battle and triumph over leukemia, as well as why the world is getting fatter despite our overabundance of healthy supermarkets, gyms and organic foods. Join us as we have banter about all of those topics, and a whole lot more on this redux of episode 101. More About This Show If you missed Vinnie’s first appearance on the show, you can have a listen here. We had a great time chatting, so much so we never got to talking about Vinnie’s battle with (and subsequent defeat of) leukemia. It’s a tale worth telling for both the personal lessons he shares as well as the solopreneurial inspiration he provides. But the show isn’t just about leukemia, we cover a wide variety of topics like an in-depth discussion of cars including the origins of Lamborghini and the world’s top Porsche collectors, Vinnie’s take on nutrition and fitness today and the importance of hustle and outworking anyone else to truly succeed. You’ll also discover things like: * Vinnie’s battle with leukemia: what he was doing at the time he found out and how he battled it. * Why calorie in and calorie out does not work. * How to eat and when you’re on the go: what to have in your fridge? * Why low-fat versions and man-made foods don’t work. * What’s renegotiating and how do you use it as a solopreneur? * How he sold tens of thounsands of his audiobook, Fitness Confidential and what made it such a success. In episode 101, Vinnie and I have a conversation that flows from one topic to another to another to another –  but at the heart of them all there are a few main themes. Those themes are as important to a solopreneur as anything else you can hear: how adversity builds character, the proper way to fuel your body and your life, and the necessity of learning as you build your solopreneur dreams. Vinnie’s no-nonsense, no-BS style is always a welcome addition to the show and it was a pleasure to have him back on. Clearly we could’ve talked for hours so I’m sure he’ll be returning! In the mean time, let us know what you think of the show in the comments below. How are you going to feed your body differently? Are you up for a 30 day no-grain, no-sugar challenge? Vinnie and I want to hear from you and hear your results!   Episode Resources Vinnie’s web site Vinnie’s podcast: The World Angriest Trainer Episode 83 with Vinnie Fitness Confidential: Vinnie’s Book A  Will Smith video: inspiration for solopreneurs Solopreneur (Just like you!) Sponsors of This Episode: Tim Paige and his team do killer all inclusive voiceover work and intros/outros for podcasts and other platforms.  Check them out at https://makemyintro.com Are you using the Drip email platform? Mat O’Flynn and his team create excellent, beautifully designed Drip templates to make your emails really stand out! Check them out at https://dripemailtemplates.com Would You Help Spread the Word About the Podcast? I’d be forever grateful if you helped share the podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When you were a kid, did you ever sing-along to the radio and dream of being a pop star? I’m betting more than a few of us did! My guest, Jennifer Paige, was blessed enough to live out that fantasy. She talks about her pop star experiences and shares the wisdom she’s gained during her professional musical career. More About This Show Our co-host for episode 87 is the beautiful and talented Jennifer Paige, famous singer, songwriter and performer. Many of you in the US will recognize her as the woman behind the #1 single “Crush”, although she’s had numerous hits around the globe. For those of you who have listened before, you know I love having singers, actors and comedians join the Solopreneur Hour because they get it: they get the necessity of the hustle. And Jennifer is unequivocally a hustler; she has been since she began dreaming of singing as a child. The finer details of this show include: * The art of the humble brag: when, where, and how to use it * Did she ever consider quitting? * Outsmarting your next step: getting to the next level, wherever you are at * Jennifer’s solopreneurial journey from pursuing her childhood dream to “making it” * What musical dreams hasn’t she fulfilled yet? Jennifer was a blast to have on the show; she was graceful, charming and open. She shared her most embarrassing moment – something she’s never talked about publicly before! And she was also very forthcoming about the lows and highs of working in the music industry as a solopreneur. It’s worth a listen to hear the parallels between her trials and victories as a professional musician and your odyssey as a solopreneur. Stay tuned til the end and you’ll hear a never-before-released song of Jennifer’s. If you like, you can download it at her web site. [hr] Episode Resources Jennifer’s site Undercover Karaokee with Jewel GoDaddy Would You Help Spread the Word About the Podcast? I’d be forever grateful if you helped share the podcast.  Click here for a pre-populated tweet to help spread the word to your friends on Twitter.  THANK YOU! Subscribe to the Solopreneur Hour Podcast Feedback on the Podcast If you have any suggestions for upcoming shows or a question for an upcoming episode, leave a comment below. If you enjoyed this podcast, I’d be extremely grateful if you would take a second and leave me a review and rating over on iTunes.  Your taking a minute to do this allows me to help more people with this podcast, so I really appreciate it (once on that page, simply click on the “View in iTunes” button to leave your review — thanks very much!) MP3 Download Right-click here to download the MP3 of this episode Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today on Free coaching Saturday, I wanted to not only help you with your questions, but because of the awfulness of what happened in Vegas, I wanted to celebrate some wins as well.  It can’t be only questions…let’s celebrate you! If you’re new and don’t know how this works here goes: once a week I ask you to send me your questions and I answer them on Friday (or Saturday in this case). If you want to be part of the fun for next week’s Q&A show join us in the Facebook group here or grab my free course called CONFERENCETOPIA.  Look for my post on Thursdays, write your question in the comments or respond to my weekly email, then listen in to the show on Friday! Thanks to every one of you for tuning in on a regular basis. Support Our Sponsor! https://hostgator.com  Use promo code “Solo50” Episode Resources The Art of The Interview Course Social Media Ninja Tactics The Solopreneur Hour on Facebook Want coaching with me? I Want SoloLab! The Solopreneur Hour on Twitter Proudly Unemployable, the Facebook group Leave a review of the show! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Brittany Michalchuk grew up in an entrepreneurial family in Calgary Alberta.  She’s the founder of Bracelets For Humanity (https://bracelets4humanity.com), a serial entrepreneur, and is heavily focused on keeping a positive mindset.  She’s also about to star in Canada’s version of The Bachelor. On today’s show we chat about: * Growing up in a really entrepreneurial house * What it was like to be the “ugly kid”, and how she went from that to a beauty queen * How she keeps a positive mindset * What it was like to be on The Bachelor * How she surrounds herself with positive people…or she bounces. This is a mantra/methodology she uses for herself on a day to day basis: First, get clear on your purpose and vision and your future life.  Then, Ask yourself these questions: * What am I thinking? * What am I doing? (being productive, drinking too much, regrettable actions…) * Who are you with? (what environment are you in?  Who you surround yourself by? What convos are you having?) If they don’t align with your vision, purpose, or future, you count 3-2-1 and change it. Find Brittany on Instagram:  https://instagram.com/brittanymichalchuk Support Our Sponsors: Hostgator.com  Get 50% Off your entire order by using the promo code “Solo50” at checkout. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Free Coaching Friday from The Solopreneur Hour!  Or at least…that’s what it was supposed to be.  Due to a little snafu, I posted it on Sunday.  It’s ok…now you can binge! If you’re new and don’t know how this works here goes: once a week I ask you to send me your questions and I answer them on Friday. If you want to be part of the fun for next week’s Q&A show join us in the Facebook group here or grab my free course called CONFERENCETOPIA.  Look for my post on Thursdays, write your question in the comments or respond to my weekly email, then listen in to the show on Friday! Thanks to every one of you for tuning in on a regular basis.   Episode Resources The Art of The Interview Course Social Media Ninja Tactics The Solopreneur Hour on Facebook Want coaching with me? I Want SoloLab! The Solopreneur Hour on Twitter Proudly Unemployable, the Facebook group Leave a review of the show! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Josh Trent of Wellness Force Radio (https://wellnessforce.com) stops by Studio 86 for an existential chat about quantum physics, multiple lives, the most important piece of your health, and a bunch more.  When I started The Solopreneur Hour, I sort of thought of it as the “Joe Rogan” show for entrepreneurs.  This show lives up to that original premise I think. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Free Coaching Friday from The Solopreneur Hour! If you’re new and don’t know how this works here goes: once a week I ask you to send me your questions and I answer them on Friday. If you want to be part of the fun for next week’s Q&A show join us in the Facebook group here or grab my free course called CONFERENCETOPIA.  Look for my post on Thursdays, write your question in the comments or respond to my weekly email, then listen in to the show on Friday! Thanks to every one of you for tuning in on a regular basis. Episode Resources The Art of The Interview Course Social Media Ninja Tactics The Solopreneur Hour on Facebook Want coaching with me? I Want SoloLab! The Solopreneur Hour on Twitter Proudly Unemployable, the Facebook group Leave a review of the show! Check out Kirbymeetsaudio.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Brooklyn native Pia Silva (https://worstofalldesign.com/) stops by the show today to talk about your brand…and how she loves it.  Her new book, Badass Your Brand: The Impatient Entrepreneur’s Guide to Turning Expertise into Profit helps us create a unique brand out of your unique skillsets (kinda like we do around these parts). We dig into all kinds of cool stuff on this show, including a recurring theme you’ve heard many times before. Get Yourself Some HostGator 50% off your entire web hosting package by using the promo code “Solo50” at checkout. https://hostgator.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today I had a chance to sit down in Temecula CA with “The King of The Skateparks” himself, Eddie Fiola.  BMX champion turned Hollywood Stuntman, Eddie took his talent for riding (and falling) to the big screen on such movies as The Hangover, Independence Day, The Italian Job, Indiana Jones, and more. In this episode, not only does Eddie talk about the beginning days of BMX, but what his transition was like to Hollywood, the origin of the EF Proformer Project (and maybe a special announcement….) and one of my favorite points:  Working on new tricks, or doing tricks you can do 100% of the time. I speak to that point at the beginning of the episode. Support Your Fellow Solopreneurs Get a KILLER website for your Solopreneur or Small Biz from Derek Steinmetz at Small Biz Website Pro.  Visit https://smallbizwebsitepro.com/solohour for “The Web Design Guide for Solopreneurs” and to connect with Derek. IT Consulting and growth strategies for your solopreneur or small biz.  If you’re not a “techie”, and you want your computers, networks, and security to run safely and smoothly, check out Terry Rossi’s podcast and info at https://itprovidernetwork.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Free Coaching Friday from The Solopreneur Hour! If you’re new and don’t know how this works here goes: once a week I ask you to send me your questions and I answer them on Friday. If you want to be part of the fun for next week’s Q&A show join us in the Facebook group here or grab my free course called CONFERENCETOPIA.  Look for my post on Thursdays, write your question in the comments or respond to my weekly email, then listen in to the show on Friday! Thanks to every one of you for tuning in on a regular basis. Get your OWN ad on The Solopreneur Hour! See how to get your OWN Solopreneur Hour ad right here: https://solohouradvertising.com   Episode Resources The Art of The Interview Course Social Media Ninja Tactics The Solopreneur Hour on Facebook Want coaching with me? I Want SoloLab! The Solopreneur Hour on Twitter Proudly Unemployable, the Facebook group Leave a review of the show! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I met James Schramko when we both spoke at Tropical Think Tank (Chris Ducker’s Event) in May of 2015.  James is a quiet dude, but has an almost childlike optimism about him.  He loves to surf, he loves his family, and he loves his time freedom.  Today we get to explore not only his journey to superfastbusiness.com, but we really lay down some groundwork for all of us to follow in his footsteps. Mike and James Discuss: * 10:05 Making time * 15:34 Patience and discipline * 25:05 Removing the jokers * 32:20 Post-it note system – Task transfer * 40:59 The Lunatic Millionaire * 47:50 My contrarian friend * 55:06 Full Tonk – Tulip Mania * 59:35 Speaking and Binary decision-making  “Doing the right things is more important than doing things right” – Peter Drucker James Schramko is the founder of the SuperFastBusiness.com a community for online business owners that offer support from other experienced business owners that have been through the same struggles as you. James discovered a lot of business strategies from his twenty-year career mastering small, medium and large ‘real’ business working for companies including Mercedes-Benz, Vodafone, and General Motors. Also in debt collection, Managing the sales, handling customer service. He got involved with different things where he realized that all of these have one thing in common. That is, building repeat referral customers are easier than looking for new clients. During the recession in the early 90’s, James landed a job in debt collection. Debt collection involves talking to people over the phone and requesting them to settle their bills. Compared to reverse sales, where they already have the products and services, and now, they are obliged to pay. That said, it’s harder to get the money because of this, and he has to work double time and discover ways on how to deal with these people even under pressure. This gave him the idea that he should be trying to help these people as well. In this kind of job, James learned that he has to partner with these people and make preparations in a way where he’d build trust to avoid the issue from getting worse, because if they fail to make payments, bad things will happen. So, it’s critical to ensure that you’re on the identical side with your customers and work with each other to be able to fix the problem. You would be a problem-solving machine in this industry. Eventually, James realized that there’re some issues with having that kind of job, especially for those who has to support a family; just like him. He didn’t like the idea of earning from one person, the idea of selling only a single product. He was running out of enthusiasm, and his earnings felt capped because, despite the fact that he was proficient at this and the largest paid person in his team. Benchmarking became one of his favorite techniques, and this inspired him to step out of his comfort zone. He started trying a little business before he moved to SFB. He tried everything from trading vanity license plates and marketing. When he started with his online gig, he was also the general manager of Mercedes-Benz during the day and an online marketer by night. His work involves commanding a large team of employees and it was a little difficult for him to focus on his “Internet” job. So, he had to spend several hours doing research and compiling every information that could help him. After discovering what worked, he began to succeed rapidly. At the start of his online career, he was making around $300,000 annually in his day job, and with his online business, he noticed that his income kept on adding within a couple of years. It went up to $400,000 and $450,000. After fully quitting his day job, he generated more than $100, Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sitting on a rooftop deck in Brisbane Australia, Foundr Founder (I couldn’t resist) Nathan Chan and I sit down for a chat about listening to your customers, providing “value”, transitioning Foundr from digital to hard copy, and of course, what’s working RIGHT NOW to grow your Instagram account.  (btw…he has over a million followers on IG) https://foundr.com/freemagazine Foundr on Instagram Hostgator.com “solo50” at checkout. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Free Coaching Friday from The Solopreneur Hour! If you’re new and don’t know how this works here goes: once a week I ask you to send me your questions and I answer them on Friday. If you want to be part of the fun for next week’s Q&A show join us in the Facebook group here or grab my free course called CONFERENCETOPIA.  Look for my post on Thursdays, write your question in the comments or respond to my weekly email, then listen in to the show on Friday! Thanks to every one of you for tuning in on a regular basis. Get your OWN ad on The Solopreneur Hour! See how to get your OWN Solopreneur Hour ad right here: https://solohouradvertising.com   Episode Resources The Art of The Interview Course Social Media Ninja Tactics The Solopreneur Hour on Facebook Want coaching with me? I Want SoloLab! The Solopreneur Hour on Twitter Proudly Unemployable, the Facebook group Leave a review of the show! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Free Coaching (Saturday, kinda)  from The Solopreneur Hour! If you’re new and don’t know how this works here goes: once a week I ask you to send me your questions and I answer them on Friday. If you want to be part of the fun for next week’s Q&A show join us in the Facebook group here or grab my free course called CONFERENCETOPIA.  Look for my post on Thursdays, write your question in the comments or respond to my weekly email, then listen in to the show on Friday! Thanks to every one of you for tuning in on a regular basis. Get your OWN ad on The Solopreneur Hour! See how to get your OWN Solopreneur Hour ad right here: https://solohouradvertising.com   Episode Resources The Art of The Interview Course Social Media Ninja Tactics The Solopreneur Hour on Facebook Want coaching with me? I Want SoloLab! The Solopreneur Hour on Twitter Proudly Unemployable, the Facebook group Leave a review of the show! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ever notice how the most successful people also DO the most with their days? Hugh Culver is no exception. (2017 Note: Be sure to check out Hugh’s new brand which is “Business of Speaking” on https://hughculver.com) He spent 18 years growing a successful coaching, speaking and consulting business, Hugh is also a seminar leader and author. While he was racking up those achievements, he has also competed in 4 Ironmans, 10 marathons and won the world’s longest river race. Clearly he has a competitor’s blood in his veins. Now he has created yet another successful endeavor out of helping people become successful coaches, speakers, consultants, leaders and authors – only he helps them do it better and faster than he did. As one of nine children, Hugh became an entrepreneur from the age of 15. He has made millions and has made every mistake anyone could make along the way. In episode 647 he shares golden nuggets from his journey: * Micro-outsourcing: what is it, how do you do it and how will it help you be more successful? * His lessons from Ironman competitions * The trick to relaxing your busy solopreneur mind * The one question to ask yourself every day as a solopreneur that will move you forward. * Hugh offers his thoughts on how to make the best decisions with your money. * The key to starting a viable business, whatever your skill set and whatever your industry. There were so many great nuggets of gold on being productive, creative and how to get the most out of each day as a solopreneur. When you listen to this show, it’s easy to hear how and why Hugh has achieved so much in his lifetime. Listen in to hear his passion, conviction and lifelong wisdom. There’s plenty of great takeaways in the Evernote Moment and throughout the show, so enjoy! And after you’ve listened and loved what you heard, let Hugh know on Twitter and Facebook! Twitter – Click to Tweet Hugh! Facebook Evernote moment: Hugh’s suggestions for the top 4 ways to really getting things done: * Take advantage of the mornings. * Time boundaries. Make yourself strategically unavailable for a portion of your day. * Blocking. Block off sections of your day for various tasks and use multiple Google calendars to do so. * Friday 15: Take 15 minutes on Friday and look at your list of what you’re doing and check your progress. Find out what worked, what didn’t work and what is holding you back. Look for opportunities to micro-outsource and then do it. Finally, review and revise for next week.  Resources from this episode: Experts Enterprise Eric Fisher from Beyond the To Do List Bufferapp.com Buffer blog focusatwill.com asana.com teespring.com/solohourshirt SoloLab: A Unique Kind of Mastermind Advanced Speaker Academy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ever wonder how those people speaking on movie trailers, audio books and commercials get their work? Here to tell us the secrets of the voiceover world is the lovely and talented, Anna Vocino. Anna’s making her second appearance on the show, you can listen to her maiden voyage here. In episode 121, our chit-chat covers how to’s on everything from the best recording equipment to setting up an at-home studio. If you’re a podcaster, an interviewee or have an interest in the finer points of audio creation, this is YOUR show! More About This Show Anna has a long history in the performance world and today is a highly sought after voiceover artist who also co-hosts The Angriest Trainer podcast with Vinnie Tortorich. And if all that wasn’t enough to keep her super busy, she’s also writing a book about a nutritional lifestyle with no sugars and no grains. Whether she has her voiceover or podcast cap on, Anna is the queen of audio. She knows the ins and outs of podcasting and voiceovers on everything from proper set up and gear to creating the ideal recording booth at home. You’ll also discover things like: * What are the four sections of my Life After Eight Weeks (Now the Art of The Interview) podcasting/livestreaming course? * Her tips on how to get into professional voiceovers. * To co-host or not to co-host? How to choose for yourself and your podcast. * When and how to get an agent? * How to double or triple your reading speed. Whether working for the United States Postal Service or The Young & The Restless, Anna has learned valuable lessons along the way. She has found how to recognize your best supporters and your strongest advocates and how to work with people who get you & what you’re out to accomplish, no matter what business you are in. These are all lessons you can benefit from, whatever your field. Because we’re both in the podcasting world and have such a strong commitment to the technical side of good audio, we go into great detail on the best audio equipment to use and how to use it so you sound as professional in your home studio as any other professional broadcaster out there today. Anna was generous enough to share her wisdom in this show; I hope you walk away knowing the nitty-gritty on the voiceover world and the finer points of audio equipment. After you listen, thank Anna for being on the show! Share in the comments below and send a shout out on Twitter. Episode Resources Anna’s personal site Anna’s voiceover site Solopreneur Hour Complete Podcast package Solopreneur Hour Deluxe Podcast package Vocal Booth To Go The Cerrone Show In A World Spritz Inc SoloLab: A Unique Mastermind Darren Roebuck Voicebank Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Do you think inventors are born or can any solopreneur come up with a new idea? Our guest on today’s show says anyone can do it. And he would know, his name is Stephen Key and he’s been the force behind such smash hits as Teddy Ruxpin and Laser-tag, among many other inventions and creations you probably use every day. Stephen is also a best-selling author and a regular columnist with Inc. Magazine and Entrepreneur. Today we talk about his background, how to patent your idea and whether or not companies really will steal your concept. All of that and much more on episode 652 of The Solopreneur Hour. More About This Show Stephen Key first got into his line of work when he left college early. He believed he wasn’t hirable and no company would want him so he started making things and selling them on street corners and fairs. It took a little while before he had any success at it, but that didn’t matter nearly as much to him as the fun he had in the process. He pursued that path until the age of 27. At that time he was living out of his car, until he met a woman who took him in in exchange for childcare for her daughter. She saw Stephen’s talent for making things and asked him to make her daughter a teddy bear. With some cajoling, he did. She was so impressed by his creation she encouraged him to go to San Francisco and work with a company called Dakin Toys. He found them, discovered their stuffed animal maker had left so he asked to take her spot. They gave him material and said come back with a golden retriever stuffed animal prototype. Two weeks later he did and they paid him for it, then said they wanted 25 more. Stephen countered, agreeing to take on the project but only at double their original agreement. They agreed and he was in business! More About This Show: How many Teddy Ruxpins were sold? Did he lie to get his first job? What is the Mix and Match game, and how does it apply to your business? What is a PPA and why should you care? His most profitable idea wasn’t even his idea: true or false? And SO much more! Not long after he saw a prototype for Teddy Ruxpin in the newspaper and saw what a disaster it was. He found the company, and told them they needed to hire him to fix it. They agreed and offered him a full-time job. Though he debated about working for someone else on a full-time basis, he eventually agreed and became a part of Worlds of Wonder. He went on to be a part of the team that brought the world Teddy Ruxpin and Laser-tag. He also met his wife while working there. Eventually they left the company and moved to a small town in California. She took a job as the Vice-President of Marketing for Gallo Wines, and he wasn’t working. She encouraged him to start his company. Soon one of his ideas was a hit, and he was off to the races! Today Stephen holds over 30 patents and has learned a tremendous amount in his time both working with Worlds of Wonder and on his own. With Worlds of Wonder he discovered you don’t have to play by anyone’s rules, you can make your own as long as you want something bad enough. And he has certainly wanted many things badly enough along the way. For all of those patents and successes he’s had, he’s also had ample rejections. He says he can wallpaper his home office with rejection letters! But that doesn’t deter him. In fact, it spurs him on. He admits to taking them all personally, but each rejection drives him to find out why his idea wasn’t accepted, and to start again. He knows he’s only as good as the products he’s got out there and he wants to continue to prove himself. All of those are valuable lessons for us as solopreneurs: make your own rules, Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Free Coaching Friday from The Solopreneur Hour! If you’re new and don’t know how this works here goes: once a week I ask you to send me your questions and I answer them on Friday. If you want to be part of the fun for next week’s Q&A show join us in the Facebook group here or grab my free course called CONFERENCETOPIA.  Look for my post on Thursdays, write your question in the comments or respond to my weekly email, then listen in to the show on Friday! Thanks to every one of you for tuning in on a regular basis. Episode Resources The Art of The Interview Course Social Media Ninja Tactics The Solopreneur Hour on Facebook Want coaching with me? I Want SoloLab! The Solopreneur Hour on Twitter Proudly Unemployable, the Facebook group Leave a review of the show! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this replay of this inaugural episode of “FIND YOUR SWING™”, Dawnmarrs.com and I review 6 listener submissions, and try to help them figure out how they can build a business, scale themselves, or break out of the 9-5.  In this show, we touch on the arts and crafts world, the music industry, the programming/computer industry, and a couple more unique businesses.  There are tons of really practical nuggets in this show, including applying membership sites, “scaling yourself”, email/funnel creation, and much more! Just a couple links in this one: https://leadpages.net https://solopreneurhour.com/ninja Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today our good friend Dana Malstaff (https://boss-mom.com) stops by to talk about the basics of systematizing your solopreneur biz.  She runs a veritable empire over there at Boss Mom, and had to get started somewhere. A few things we covered: * a GREAT tip about setting up your schedule * How and when to create content * What three things Dana focuses on the night before so she can be productive * What she does every week to refine her systems * How she hired her first employee * Starbitrage and Barbitrage, and how they can help your biz. * Lots more As usual, this is an action-packed episode full of juicy ideas. Questions, comments, suggestions?  Tweet me or email me. @solohour on the twitter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

My good buddy John Dennis stopped by episode 658 of the Solopreneur Hour.  John is the guy behind the scenes at the Thrive (one of my favorite) conference, and is a co-owner of Podfest Multimedia Expo. Today we talk about the conferences, how to get into Facebook ads (and why they matter), and a bunch of other cool things.  🙂 Connect with John: John Dennis – Facebook.com/thejohndennis Podfest Multimedia Expo: PodfestExpo.com John on IG:  Instagram.com/thejohndennis @John_Dennis Rad Book to Check Out:  Ray Dalio – Principles  Facebook Ads Resources: https://www.facebook.com/blueprint digitalmarketer.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I’m just back from CES Las Vegas after a busy conference week.  Some remarkable things happened regarding my Beginner Audiophile (https://beginneraudiophile.com) brand, and I’d like to share them with you. In this episode, we talk about how to recognize when your business has momentum, and what to do about it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Solopreneurs! Thanks for joining us on another installment of Find Your Swing (Solopreneur Coaching). It’s been a minute! I’ve missed doing these with you all so I’m extra excited to bring these type of shows back. Today’s episode brings us an extra special co-host, Matthew Kimberley from episode 274. I say extra special because it’s his first (and hopefully first in a long line of many) FYS co-hosting spots, and it was also his birthday on the day we recorded this show. Plus he’s got the best podcasting voice of any non-podcaster out there so tune in to hear him and our solopreneur coaching! Episode 286 is all about helping you find your swing on The Solopreneur Hour. More About How To Find Your Swing (Solopreneur Coaching) For those of you who have been with us for awhile you know how these Find Your Swing (Solopreneur Coaching) episodes go: you send in your skill set, your background and your passions and we give you our thoughts on how you could create a viable solopreneurial business based on the info you provide. We also provide solopreneur coaching if you’re stuck in your business and not sure how to get over a particular obstacle, or how to best grow your business from where you are. In short, we hear from you about where you are on your timeline, what’s holding you back and we give you advice to move forward. Your mileage may vary but we do our best to give you our soundest suggestions and encouragement to get things rocking or keep things rolling. In This Episode, You’ll Also Hear: * What’s the law of reciprocity? * The simple way to get everything you want. * What is jorkyball? * Are you meant to serve everyone? * Is it ever a good idea to marry two different business ideas? * And so much more! On today’s show Matthew and I help one listener turn his love of the outdoors and natural living into a wilderness camp for kids and/or a camp on how to be a man. Our listener has always dreamt of having his own out-in-the-wild type camp, especially for kids. And Matthew breaks down how he can do this, WITHOUT relying heavily on the Internet. We hear from another follower who has a background in insurance, and in sales. Matthew and I offer suggestions on how to bridge the gap between where’s he at now (being an employee) to the land of solopreneurship. Sometimes it’s simply about taking what you know and creating a business of service with it. There are a few others we hear from on this episode but the final two we’ll touch on here are employees in the medical arena. The first is someone who works in sports medicine offices helping people rehab injuries and using yoga therapy techniques to do so. She also loves to write and edit, and is considering how to make a career combing these passions. We recommend she create her own methodology, trademark it and train other practitioners how to use her methodology. A great strategy is to follow what Bikram Choudhury did to create the Bikram Yoga system and culture. And finally is our CT specialist (that is short for CAT scan) who has started his solopreneur journey much like Matt began his. Our recommendation for him is to STOP building what he’s been building. Then ask and answer the following questions: who do you want to serve, what do you want to do for them and how are you going to serve them? Once he’s done that he can start building again. Those are just a few of the people we hear from on today’s Find Your Swing! Tune in to get all the goodies on this edition of The Solopreneur Hour. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to our weekly Q&A edition of The Solopreneur Hour. If you haven’t been here before on Fridays we publish an episode devoted to answering YOUR questions dear listeners! To submit a question join the mailing list, contact me via the Contact page on the site or join our Proudly Unemployable Facebook group. You can ask your own question by popping on the mailing list or grabbing my free Conferencetopia course.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Well, this is a treat.  We get to hear from a rock legend on today’s show. In this one-on-one conversation with sax player Scott Page (Pink Floyd, Supertramp, Toto) who has not only played music for millions…but is arguably more successful as a solopreneur after his main music career. This was so much fun to record. I could have gone another couple hours just talking music.  I couldn’t wait to put it out to the world, and into your earballs.  Please enjoy one of my favorite episodes of all time. In the meantime, here’s Scott’s Wikipedia. You can reach him on the Twitter at https://twitter.com/iamscottpage Scott Page is an American musician, technologist, and entrepreneur. He currently serves as CEO of Ignited Network, “a start up music accelerator based in Los Angeles.”[1][2] As a performer he is widely recognized as the saxophonist and rhythm guitarist for Pink Floyd, Supertramp, and Toto.[3] As an entrepreneur, Page formed Walt Tucker Productions, an audio video post production company (1987) that produced projects for The Rolling Stones, Bon Jovi, Janet Jackson, Garth Brooks, Scorpions and others.[4][5][6] He also co-founded 7th Level, Inc., an award-winning[specify] CD-ROM game and educational software company.[7][8] At 7th Level he co-produced Tuneland, the world’s first interactive musical cartoon starring Howie Mandel, the globally lauded Monty Python interactive series, and was part of the development of QD7, an interactive multimedia joint venture with Quincy Jones and David Salzman (1992) that resulted from Jones’ partnering with 7th Level.[9][10] Page co-founded New Media Broadcasting Company, a social media and collaborative communications enterprise (2001) whose clients i... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Free Coaching Friday from The Solopreneur Hour! If you’re new and don’t know how this works here goes: once a week I ask you to send me your questions and I answer them on Friday. If you want to be part of the fun for next week’s Q&A show join us in the Facebook group here or grab my free course called CONFERENCETOPIA.  Look for my post on Thursdays, write your question in the comments or respond to my weekly email, then listen in to the show on Friday! Thanks to every one of you for tuning in on a regular basis. Check out Tom’s TV Show trailer: https://wgbh.cimediacloud.com/r/mOKDww Support Your Fellow Solopreneur! GetTheAcceptanceLetter.online Are you a busy parent worried about how you will pay for your child’s college? At Get The Acceptance Letter Academy, powered by the #DebtFreeDegree System, Professor Treasure Shields Redmond helps busy parents of elite students secure top tier education without massive debt! With her six week #DebtFreeDegree program designed to create a clear step by step plan to apply to schools that fit your child perfectly, all while identifying funding sources designed to eliminate most (if not all) of the cost, you will walk away secure in the knowledge that your child has been matched with a school that will honor their gifts and realize their potential with little to no debt. By the time you finish the #DebtFreeDegree System you will have confidently put college admissions in your rearview mirror. Contact Professor Redmond at www.GetTheAcceptanceLetter.online today! See how to get your OWN Solopreneur Hour ad right here: https://solohouradvertising.com   Episode Resources The Art of The Interview Course Social Media Ninja Tactics The Solopreneur Hour on Facebook Want coaching with me? I Want SoloLab! The Solopreneur Hour on Twitter Proudly Unemployable, the Facebook group Leave a review of the show! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Free Coaching Friday from The Solopreneur Hour! If you’re new and don’t know how this works here goes: once a week I ask you to send me your questions and I answer them on Friday. If you want to be part of the fun for next week’s Q&A show join us in the Facebook group here or grab my free course called CONFERENCETOPIA.  Look for my post on Thursdays, write your question in the comments or respond to my weekly email, then listen in to the show on Friday! Thanks to every one of you for tuning in on a regular basis. Support Our Sponsor https://hostgator.com.  Get 50% off your hosting package by using “solo50” at checkout. Episode Resources The Art of The Interview Course Social Media Ninja Tactics The Solopreneur Hour on Facebook Want coaching with me? I Want SoloLab! The Solopreneur Hour on Twitter Proudly Unemployable, the Facebook group Leave a review of the show! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I sat down in Orlando with Harry Duran, the host of Podcast Junkies, (every Wednesday on iTunes) and had a great chat about what makes podcasting great, what his journey to the microphone was, and all kinds of other juicy business tidbits. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

JLD is in the house for a fun episode, that, is completely value-packed.  Enjoy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

My buddy Joe Pardo, creator of MAPCON, (Mid atlantic podcast conference) stopped by to chat about his new book, Sales Won’t Save Your Business (available on Amazon for pre-order NOW).  We dug into what it’s like to create a conference from scratch, what kind of problems you can expect, and how much it costs. In Sales Won’tSave Your Business, Super Joe Pardo shares the secrets to his TOP formula.He used this formula to catapult his family’s $100 million business to the nextlevel and then launch his own successful consulting career. SalesWon’t Save Your Business is a GPS for your organization,taking you from where you are to where you want to be. Rather than chapters,Joe uses “pins”–points along the journey where you need to stop and learnsomething. In these pages, you will discover how to: ·Empower yourself to do what is necessary ·Implement change without ruffling feathers ·Create strong relationships with customersand team members ·Integrate technology into your business ·Grow your profit through training ·Control your customers’ perception foryour benefit ·Create predictable and profitable processes Whether you’re a business owner, manager, salesperson,or aspiring leader, this hard-hitting, empowering book will inspire you toapply the TOP formula to your business, thereby increasing your confidence,your team’s effectiveness, your customers’ experience, and ultimately, your profit. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Every time I sit with Dana Malstaff I learn something…and so will you. Dana Malstaff is the CEO and Founder of Boss Mom. She is a mother, author, speaker, business strategist, podcaster, blind spot reducer, and movement maker. She launched the Boss Mom brand with her first book Boss Mom: The Ultimate Guide to Raising a Business & Nurturing Your Family Like a Pro and quickly grew to a six-figure business within a year. Now she has over 10,000 students in various courses helps women all over the world raise their businesses and babies at the same time. She believes that pursuing our passions and building our dreams while including our children in the process, is the best way to build thriving businesses and families, and ultimately we need to show our children that doing what we love can be financially viable. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today’s FCF is brought to you by…me! After 15 years making a living as a designer and branding guy, I started a social media consulting agency in 2009, and a podcast consulting agency in 2012. It dawned on me the other day that many of you don’t know what I actually do for a living.  In addition to being a paid speaker, emcee, and doing live workshops, I do a lot of coaching with solopreneurs, network marketers, and podcasters.  That coaching can either be in my mastermind group, Sololab, private monthly coaching, or, if you want to launch a really successful podcast, as I’ve done now more than half a dozen times, to the tune of over 15 million downloads, and millions of dollars,  my hi-end podcast launch packages.  You can even buy a 40 minute one-on-one session if you just need an answer to a specific problem.  Ultimately, I view being a solopreneur as a holistic approach of brand, messaging, platform, and execution.  So, if you feel like you need some help in any of those areas, then CLICK RIGHT HERE. All kinds of cool questions this week, from how I plan podcasts, what kind of live workshops might happen this year, how to validate podcast advertising, fitness tips, portable recording, and more!   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today’s show is with podcast legend Gary Leland.  Not only is he in the podcasting hall of fame, but he has started multiple businesses in just about every industry you can imagine.  If there’s one thing about this episode, it should help you get over the fear of starting, and get out of your own way.  JUST DO IT. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Your questions for Free coaching (Sunday!) Welcome to our weekly Q&A edition of The Solopreneur Hour. If you haven’t been here before on Fridays we publish an episode devoted to answering YOUR questions dear listeners! To submit a question join the mailing list, contact me via the Contact page on the site or join our Proudly Unemployable Facebook group. You can ask your own question by popping on the mailing list or grabbing my free Conferencetopia course.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

AJ Roberts reads a book every 2 or 3 days.  He was asked about his top 10 books on his Facebook page, and had this answer: Top 10 Books Of The Year Got the following message in my inbox “AJ, what are the Top 10 books you’d recommend?” Sounds like a simple question right… …but considering I go through a book every other day I find this to be extremely difficult. After all, it really depends on what you are looking for – genre, theme, category, topic, etc. So to keep things simple I figured I’d share my Top 10 of the year so far… 1. The Fish That Ate the Whale: The Life and Times of America’s Banana King by Rich Cohen 2. Average Is Over: Powering America Beyond the Age of the Great Stagnation by Tyler Cowen 3. Recovery Freedom From Our Addictions by Russell Brand 4. Finding My Virginity by Richard Branson 5. So Good They Can’t Ignore You by Cal Newport 6. How Emotions Are Made: The Secret Life of the Brain by Prof. Lisa Feldman Barrett 7. The Abundance of Less: Lessons in Simple Living from Rural Japan by Andy Couturier 8. The Score Takes Care of Itself by Bill Walsh 9. Helping: How to Offer, Give, and Receive Help by Edgar Schein 10. The End of Your World: Uncensored Straight Talk on the Nature of Enlightenment By Adyashanti I’ve listed these because unlike so many books that either bore you to sleep or simply rehash the same old information each one gave me a BIG AHA and I believe you may find value in them too. And don’t worry if you’re not much of a reader as I’m pretty sure all but one of these is available on Audible. It’s actually become my preferred way to go through a book as I can zoom through on 2x-3x speed and then slow down on the good bits. I also really enjoy Whispersync so I can go back and forth between reading and listening. Anyways if you’ve read a particularly good book this year feel free to post it below so I can check it out. AJ What a fun, deep dive show.  Find AJ Roberts on Instagram or Facebook.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jeffrey Shaw, author of Lingo, stopped by the show today.  A photographer by trade, Jeffrey is great at identifying and speaking to an audience in the most optimal way.  His new book Lingo, breaks down exactly how to do that. Find Jeffrey https://jeffreyshaw.com https://creativewarriorsunite.com/ Twitter @jeffreyshaw1 Creative Warriors Podcast, Monday and Wednesday on itunes The book: LINGO: Discover Your Ideal Customer’s Secret Language and Make Your Business Irresistible (Click here to get the book.) [affiliate link] The fastest, easiest, and most profitable way to have a successful business is to work with your ideal customers. They value your offering and pay you what it’s worth and they are a joy to serve. But how can you rise above the noise in a crowded marketplace to attract these customers? You learn to speak their secret language. In LINGO, serial entrepreneur, business coach, and host of Creative Warriors podcast, Jeffrey Shaw reveals how to make your business irresistible to your ideal customers by showing them that you get them. In this book you’ll learn: * The 5-Step Secret Language Strategy he used to go from being overlooked to being overbooked in less than one year * How LINGO as a marketing strategy makes competition almost irrelevant * How pricing can attract, not deter, your ideal customer * How to develop a brand image that magnetizes your ideal customer and filters out the rest With game-changing insights, practical action steps, and relatable examples, Jeffrey Shaw opens a groundbreaking conversation to make business easier, more profitable, and more positively impactful for any entrepreneur. Free giveaway for Solohour listeners:  https://jeffreyshaw.com/solohour Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Affiliate Marketing.  What is it?  Should you do it? How do you make any money?  Do you need to have money to make money in affiliate marketing?  How long does it take?  How large should my list be?  We answer all these questions and more on today’s episode of the Solopreneur Hour! Find Matt McWilliams at https://mattmcwilliams.com   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today’s show we bang out your free coaching Friday questions, and I announce a new Pilot program:  A group podcast launch. 8 weeks until your first world class episode.  To become one of the limited (and discounted first time members, click here!) Program starts May 3.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You’re a Solopreneur. Talented, creative, inspired. You work your butt off, and work well one-on-one. But how do you scale that into a larger business? How do you remove yourself from the equation? It’s especially hard if you’re in a creative field, like being an artist, musician, or performer.  On today’s show, artist Sean Dietrich shares how he’s gone from paint on canvas to rock concert artist to entrepreneur. Follow sean on IG and see his art at https://instagram.com/seandietrich The Website:  https://seandietrichart.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ajit Nawalkha is the Co-Founder of Mindvalley.com and the Host of Evercoach. His life was transformed by smart, gifted coaches and mentors, and this motivated him to become a coach himself. His mission is to empower dedicated educators, coaches and teachers to facilitate positive change in the world. On today’s episode we talk all about the pitfalls of coaching, how to get better results for your clients, how to raise your prices (and when) and tons more! Check out his great book: The Book of Coaching Follow Him: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ajitnawalkha/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ajitnawalkhaofficial/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Free Coaching Friday from The Solopreneur Hour! If you’re new and don’t know how this works here goes: once a week I ask you to send me your questions and I answer them on Friday. If you want to be part of the fun for next week’s Q&A show join us in the Facebook group here or grab my free course called CONFERENCETOPIA.  Look for my post on Thursdays, write your question in the comments or respond to my weekly email, then listen in to the show on Friday! Thanks to every one of you for tuning in on a regular basis. Support Our Sponsor https://podcastlaunchgroup.com Episode Resources The Art of The Interview Course Social Media Ninja Tactics The Solopreneur Hour on Facebook Want coaching with me? I Want SoloLab! The Solopreneur Hour on Twitter Proudly Unemployable, the Facebook group Leave a review of the show! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Stephen Warley is the former co-founder of Unstuckable.  His new business is https://lifeskillsthatmatter.com/  where he’s helping 9-5’ers become Solopreneurs.  On this chat, we talk about the pivot from Unstuckable, and how he had to come to grips with his true calling, which is teaching people how they can pivot from their 9-5, start working from home, and start building their new life. One of my favorite takeaways were these questions he asks himself daily: * What did I learn about myself today? * What do I need to improve? * Did I meet someone new today? * Did I create something today? If you are wondering what it takes to become a solopreneur, this is the episode for you!   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices