The Lion's Den For Business Men: Recent Episodes
The Lions Pride, Robert Mallon & Bill Watkins
The Lion's Den for Businessmen gives high-achieving men in their prime, or "Lions," tips, strategies and stories to inspire and encourage them toward a more extraordinary life.
It also acts as a gathering point for The Lions Pride. The Lions Pride is a company and movement uniting high achievers seeking a life where success means more than making tons of money. To a world where family, business, health, hobbies and time freedom can coexist.
You can have it all!
Join the Pride!
Our farewell episode.
And how you can continue to engage with us and the high achievers we’re assembling moving forward.
The Huddle – a $1 commitment to your awesomeness.
If you create a positive relationship with fear, you can accomplish anything.
In a capsule, that’s the message Akshay Nanavati, the speaker, author and explorer behind the book Fearvana came to share with me today. He has been featured in Inc. Magazine, Fast Company, Entrepreneur, Forbes and many more high-profile outlets.
And get this: the Dalai Lama wrote the foreword to his book after a cold pitch that took four months of confronting fear.
Akshay is a veteran of the Iraq war who suffered from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, survivor’s guilt and alcoholism before he learned to confront his greatest fears.
By digging deep, he figured out the fears that caused his procrastination and made them an ally.
Now he uses fear and guilt to drive his “worthy struggle” of helping others overcome their own fears by embracing them.
“If you don’t seek out a worthy struggle, struggle will find you anyway,” Akshay tells me in this episode.
And that’s a lot more scary than choosing the fear you face.
Have you ever felt like you procrastinate because you have a deep-seeded fear you can’t overcome? This episode’s for you.
Have you ever avoided doing something that could lead to a great reward because you were afraid? Akshay can tell you how to move forward with actionable advice.
Do you ever wonder what you could become if you could quit being scared of what might or might not happen? Akshay can tell you how to change your mindset and find bliss in your brutal reality.
Click play in the player above to get started.
Podcast episode highlights with Fearvana author Akshay Nanavati * How fear and suffereing lead to personal growth. * Choosing to live in the danger zone of a war zone. * Dragging a 190-pound sled for 350 miles across one of the world’s largest icecaps. * How Black Hawk Down changed his life. * Why the common advice of “following your passion” is a big mistake. * A structure to help you get important things done faster, forever. * How to use music to psychologically signal “go time” at work. * Why you spend too long at your desk, and how you should structure your day. * How to make fear a positive ally instead of an obstacle. * What to do when fear takes control of your life.
Books and resources mentioned in this episode: * “Fearvana,” by Akshay Nanavati * "The Talent Code: Greatness Isn't Born. It's Grown. Here's How.” by Daniel Coyle * “Ultramarathon Man: Confessions of an All-Night Runner,” by Dean Karnazes * “Man’s Search for Meaning,” by Victor Frankl * Video about Corp. Jacob Neal
How to contact Akshay Nanavati, author of Fearvana: * Website
Do you own your mornings, or do your mornings own you?
If you race to the door minutes after you get up, you carry chaos into your workday. But if you set up a “preflight morning routine” for your workday filled with clarity and calm, that’s what you’ll carry into the office.
Studies show that about 8 percent of aviation disasters could have been averted by following the standard preflight routines prescribed by the Federal Aviation Administration.
In this episode, we talk about how you can design a morning routine that will help you cut at least 10 percent of your disaster workdays out of your life.
We cover six practices we’ve discovered that get us psyched for the workday and give us the energy to go hard all day.
If you find yourself rushing out the door at the last minute to get to work without giving yourself any time to go through a morning routine, this episode is for you.
If you find that you make bad decisions at work because you’re fatigued or lack energy, this podcast about owning your mornings will speak to you.
And if you want to better control your morning routine to better control your whole day, click play in the player above to get started.
Listen in to hear how to craft your preflight morning routine and more: * Getting rid of 10 percent or more of your work disasters. * What the former pilot of Air Force One taught me about routines. * Working smarter, not harder to stay competitive in business. * Why athletes have routines and why you should, too. * The “freaky new-age” practice that will pump up your morning routine. * How to win a Heisman (or win in your business). * How to get 5 seconds ahead instead of staying 5 seconds behind. * How eating early in the morning or late at night messes with your performance. * The practices that will make you look and feel a decade younger. * Three things you should never do before 10 a.m. * How to become a morning person if you hate mornings * Getting “me time” when your mornings are devoted to kids already.
Resources mentioned in this episode: * Penzu on Android or iOS
Do you stick to the status quo too much in your business? Or are you willing to try something new that has the potential to win big or fail big?
My guest today is Dr. Peter Kan, a board-certified chiropractic neurologist with training in both integrative medicine and functional medicine. He’s also the co-founder of the Hope Integrative Wellness Center in Gilbert, Arizona.
Peter’s career has been on a growth curve ever since he decided to cut insurance out of his practice and work only on a direct-pay model.
And in an industry dominated by insurance claims, that was a big risk he had to be willing to try.
The risk paid off. His business has grown each of the last eight years since he made the leap. In 2016, it grew by 33 percent.
But that’s not the only area he’s done things differently. By propping a camcorder up on a stack of textbooks, Peter also decided he was willing to try becoming a YouTuber.
Even though he’s not a trained speaker.
Even though he had no tripod.
His Facebook Live videos every Monday attract about 22,000 views.
“It’s better to have your message out there than not,” he tells me in this episode. “I have a saying in my business: I’m not doing the same thing now that I was doing 6 months ago and I probably won’t be doing the same thing six months from now.”
If you feel like your business isn’t evolving fast enough, this episode has some great pointers for you.
If your business is stuck in a rut or operating on the status quo, you ought to hear what Peter has to say.
And if you would rather win big than fail big, click play in the player above to get started.
Listen in to hear Dr. Peter Kan talk about being willing to try and unafraid to fail and more: * The best way to improve your health. (Hint: It’s not exercise.) * Why chronic conditions need less medicine and surgery and more lifestyle changes. * One positive leadership characteristic you can’t afford to bring home. * Peter’s crazy true story of his “Darth Vader moment.” * Learning how to live without regrets. * Why you don’t have to eat “essence of tofu fart” to stay healthy. * The insane life experience that taught Peter to not keep secrets from his loved ones. * How to make a Big Mac more healthy (sort of). * A “crisis” management tool for toddlers and young children who want more of a bad thing. * One great reason to get more sex from your wife (as if you need another).
How to connect with Dr. Peter Kan: * Website * Facebook * YouTube
If you don’t know where to begin, your to-do list will never end.
But this is a place so many high-achievers find themselves in because they have so many high priorities. When priorities wrestle and never come out on top, that leaves you on the bottom of a fire-breathing dragon of a to-do list that keeps getting bigger.
In this episode we want to share where to begin fighting your “to-do list dragon.”
This is the proven process that recently guided one client out of one of the worst funks in his life due to to-do list overload.
It’s also what helped Bill reset when he was overloaded while I stepped out on vacation.
Too many men get behind on their to-do list even though they’re constantly checking things off it. These men have programmed themselves to think they just need to work harder or smarter and never do the right things to fight against a growing to-do list.
You don’t have to bottle up your anger or frustration at having a never-ending to-do list. You might just need to tackle it differently.
If you want to overcome overwhelmed, this episode is for you.
If you feel stressed and tired just thinking about all you have to get done, we’ve got some great pointers for you in this episode.
And if you want to know a system that will turn you in a “to-do list dragon slayer,” click play in the player above to get started.
Listen in to learn how to shorten your never-ending to-do list, get more productive and more: * What to do when everything seems like a high priority. * The practice that gives you clarity and control when you feel overwhelmed by your to-do list. * The quote that helped one client (and Bill) hit “reset” when he had too much to do. * Why you should never schedule all of your day. * Building a support tree that works when you’re buried in work. * Copy-pasting your way out of a to-do list nightmare. * Why you should keep a “to-done list.” * How to make your “daily problem” a nonissue.
Books and resources mentioned in this episode: * “The Untethered Soul: The Journey Beyond Yourself,” by Michael A. Singer
When are you going to tackle your bucket list?
My guest today is Alan Worden, a serial entrepreneur focused on leisure-seeking Baby Boomers who founded Scout Real Estate Capital.
For Alan, there came a time when he realized it may be now or never if he wanted to chase his dreams.
In 1999, Alan asked 10 trusted friends and advisors for advice. He asked each if it was a good idea to drop prosperous careers and go sailing from the U.S. to New Zealand with his wife.
Independently, each of them said “If you can do it, do it now. It’s never going to get any easier.”
That was in 1999. Soon after that, Worden spent exactly 365 days sailing to New Zealand in an Everest-sized adventure you’ll love to hear about. (Including a brush with death I won’t spoil for you.)
He spent all that time and most of his money to make it happen.
For him, it was as much about conquering fear as it was about a bucket list item to cross off. See, Alan’s biggest fear is the ocean.
And he crossed 18,000 miles of it in his “do it now” year.
The lessons he learned on that sailboat have carried him to new heights in life and in this episode you’ll learn just what they are.
If you think you could make your dreams happen and something is holding you back, this episode is for you.
If you have trouble facing your fears but want to get better at it, listen to this conversation with Alan.
And if you just want to hear about a real-life adventure that changed one life for the better, click play in the player above to get started.
In this episode, hear from Alan Worden how to ‘do it now’ and more: * Why the most influential family members aren’t who you think. * The critical difference between research and “need-search” * A stunning piece of advice that came from an unlikely source. * What will make the world care about your business. * The paradigm shift that put Alan’s life in high gear. * Why you should be OK with sucking at some things. * Meditation for cynics. * The thing you might think that constitutes “the height of arrogance.” * How to make your “worry quotient” go down—and fast. * Why 95 percent of what you fear shouldn’t scare you. * Giving yourself a superpower.
Books and resources mentioned in this episode: * “The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business,” by Charles Duhigg * “Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less,” by Greg McKeown * “10% Happier: How I Tamed the Voice in My Head, Reduced Stress Without Losing My Edge, and Found Self-Help That Actually Works--A True Story,” by Dan Harris (And the app.) * “The Big Leap: Conquer Your Hidden Fear and Take Life to the Next Level,” by Gay Hendricks * “The Slight Edge: Turning Simple Disciplines into Massive Success and Happiness,” by Jeff Olson and John David Mann
How to contact Alan Worden: * Email
Is not closing that one deal your biggest regret as a businessman? Or do your regrets tend to be a little more…personal?
Well, if you’re a driven businessman and a father, it’s a pretty sure thing I know what your top regret is likely to be.
And it’s not going to be about what you did or didn’t do at work.
It’s going to be about what you didn’t do at home.
One study found that 63 percent of parents regretted not doing more activities with their children, and 7 of 10 felt they took their children’s childhood for granted.
That is what will haunt you from your work life right now. You worked too much and didn’t make enough time for the most important relationships in your life.
In this episode, we confront the regret of not spending enough time with your kids when they’re young because you’re so busy at work. This is one of the biggest regrets that businessmen face in life, and we don’t want you to be one of those men.
If you find yourself telling your kids you’re too busy to spend time with them, even after work, listen to this episode.
If you already regret not spending more time with your kids, it’s not too late to change that regret into something you’re proud of.
And if you want to hear seven effective strategies for spending more time with your kids, hit play in the bar above to get started.
Listen in to start freeing yourself from a top life regret and more: * Why it’s so easy to say “no” to your kids to spend time with them. * How to make “maybe later” into “yes.” * Seven tools for more one-on-one time with your kids. * Why your agenda isn’t good enough to play with kids. * Why Robert was playing like a 4-year-old last weekend. * How “stacking” can improve your relationships with kids. * A habit you should form at bedtime to create cherished memories with kids. * Why Bill’s servers knew he always wanted clown pancakes at IHOP.
Resources mentioned in this episode: The Huddle
Bill’s family meeting agenda: Call to order, everyone present?
Family prayer.
How did your week go?
Gripes, complaints, suggestions for improvement or change and any other less-than-positive things to say? (1 per person permitted, $5 penalty for multiple mentions to same person!!)
Apologies, thank yous, praise, acknowledgements, “bear-hugs” and any other very-positive things to say? (No limit/unlimited mentions allowed to same person!!)
What does your next week’s schedule look like including work, school, trips, activities etc.?
Assign and confirm next week’s chores. Determine if any chores warrant special payment or privileges.
Receive family game sheets (weekly) and pay chore allowance (first of month only).
Open discussion.
Prayer requests.
OPTIONAL: Review Family Vision, Code of Conduct and Annual Goals (first of month only).
Closing prayer.
Are you giving it your all in business or are you holding back to stay on the safe road? It may be time to quit playing it safe.
My guest today is Bubba Albrecht, the founder of Give’r. His company is an outdoor-lifestyle clothing and gear company from outdoor paradise Jackson Hole, Wyoming.
Bubba’s gear has appeared in the pages of Sports Illustrated, Outside Magazine and more. But not before Bubba made a decision to quit playing it safe.
At one point, Bubba was working two jobs besides running Give’r to pay the bills.
In Bubba’s own lingo, he wasn’t “given’r” at Give’r. In case you’re not familiar with Canadian slang, “give’r” means “to give it your all or go for it.”
But it wasn’t until he quit his bill-paying job that Give’r really picked up momentum. He launched a Kickstarter project that earned almost 10 times more than his goal and found more success than he imagined possible.
If you dilute your success by not taking chances, this episode is for you.
If you can’t quit playing it safe to do what you really want to do, Bubba has a message for you.
And if you feel like you need to listen more to your gut, click play in the player above to get started.
Listen in to learn how to quit playing it safe and more: * Removing barriers you place on yourself. * How to 10X a Kickstarter goal. * Why you need to commit to your special sauce. * How you’re diluting your success. * What you should know if you’re starting a business with friends. * How to get two hours of work done in 45 minutes. * A meeting strategy that will get your employees fired up.
Books mentioned in this episode: * “The Big Leap,” by Gaye Hendricks
How to contact Bubba Albrecht, founder of Give’r * Website * Facebook * Instagram
When the possibilities are endless, it’s hard for a hungry man to say “no.”
That’s why men who go to an all-you-can-eat buffet often walk out in major physical discomfort. It’s also the reason high-achieving men end up working ridiculous hours and have no idea how to say no at work.
Hungry men in particular—achievers—don’t know how to say no at work when it matters.
So many kinds of work seem interesting and fulfilling to a high achiever, so you say “yes” to project after project.
Soon, you’ve piled your tiny buffet plate high with all sorts of crap you should never eat.
And you still go back for seconds. And maybe thirds and fourths.
You want all the work you can get your hands on because you want everything you see that comes with it. Respect, knowledge, money, clients, revenue and cool stuff in your garage.
In this episode we guide you through bad reasons you say “yes,” tell you when you should say no and give you an awesome framework for how to say no at work that will help people respect you more for it.
If you’ve piled your work plate too high and don’t know how to restore your life to a manageable level, this episode’s for you.
If you’ve ever said “yes” to a project that made you cringe, you need to hear what we have to say.
And if you simply have a hard time saying no to a work project, click play in the bar above to start improving your mindset.
Click play to find out how to say no at work nicely and more: * Why you’re always overloaded at work. * How hunger drives you to say yes when you should be learning how to say no at work. * Why Bill said “no” to running a growing international non-profit he found interesting. * A simple practice to cut down your to-do list. * The one guy you’re a jerk to when you don’t know how to say no at work. (Hint: Look in the mirror.) * How to get past nice-guy syndrome to say “no” when it matters. * How to overcome FOMO or “fear of missing out” by redirecting the fear. * Six reasons you should always say “no.” * A nice, gentle way to say “no” that others will respect you more for using.
Books mentioned in this episode: * “The 4-Hour Workweek,” by Tim Ferriss * “Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less,” by Greg McKeown * “The ONE Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth Behind Extraordinary Results,” by Gary Keller
If business success is your personal Mt. Everest, how do you make that climb? After all, Everest is 29,029 feet tall, and climbing isn’t easy at that altitude.
My guest today has an answer, and it just so happens he’s summited Mt. Everest multiple times.
Jim Williams is the owner of exploration travel company Exploradus. Jim was the first person to successfully guide expeditions to the “Seven Summits,” the tallest mountains on each continent, in less than a year. That included, of course, Mt. Everest.
He was also one of the leaders who made the first overland crossing to the South Pole from the South American side. (He tells in this episode about how his group disappeared on him, leaving him lost in Antarctica!)
Despite conquering the world’s biggest mountains, Jim doesn’t recommend starting with a Mt. Everest-sized goal.
“Set smaller goals and enlarge them as you move forward,” he tells me in this episode.
In other words, you might need to manage your expectations at a realistic level.
If you want to hear some crazy survival stories, including how Jim walked in on his own funeral after people thought he had died, you need to listen to this episode.
If you want to know how to harness fear to drive results, this episode’s for you.
And if you want to know how to remove obstacles on your personal Mt. Everest climb, click play in the bar above to get started.
Episode highlights; climb your personal Mt. Everest and more: * Why a businessman counseled Jim NOT to buy his climbing business. * How to separate fear from results. * Leading an expedition to an unclimbed peak in China. * The creative key to opening any door and building relationships of trust in business. * How Jim walked in on his own funeral. * Getting lost in Antarctica. * Why the journey matters more than the destination. * The surprising reason you might not want to climb your personal Mt. Everest.
Books and resources mentioned in this episode: * “Everest, the West Ridge,”by Thomas Hornbein * “Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage,” by Alfred Lansing
How to contact Jim Williams: * Website * Email
Do you ever feel like you have more big ideas than you can ever make into reality?
This is the entrepreneur’s blessing and curse, my friend.
If you’re in business for yourself, you probably swim in a flood of big ideas.
- Ways to improve your bottom line.
- What you can do to open up new market segments.
- Product ideas that could be on the distant time horizon.
- Methods of improving your team.
- Systems to improve productivity.
And many men just let these big ideas sit in their head, battling for attention with the tasks they have to be doing.
The mind isn’t a perfect filing system, so many smart men jot some of their big ideas down on 3 x 5 cards, sticky notes or in a binder somewhere.
But because of the nature of those systems, you don’t always have access to them and they’re easy to lose.
In this episode, we explore a bulletproof system to make your ideas into reality in business or wherever else you want to chase big ideas.
After all, everyone – especially businessmen – have ideas. The problem is executing on them to make them a reality.
If you feel like you’re wasting your potential because of all the big ideas you’ve let slip away, you need to listen to this episode.
If you aren’t organized in the way you capture your ideas or execute on them, this episode’s for you.
And if you have so many ideas you don’t know which idea will be best to chase down first, click play on the player above to get your big ideas moving forward.
Listen to this episode to hear a discussion about big ideas, how to inspire them, how to execute them and more: * How to fulfill your potential in four steps. * Three digital tools you should use to help in organizing your big ideas and executing on them. * Why the system you’re using for idea management may be outmoded. * Breaking an idea into action items using the right tools for the job. * The four steps of idea prioritization. (Where the rubber meets the road.) * When to give up on an idea. * Why working more won’t make more big ideas into realities.
Books and resources mentioned in this episode: * “Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World,” by Cal Newport * “The ONE Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth Behind Extraordinary Results,” by Gary Keller * “Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less,” by Greg McKeown * Fatigue Science website
In business, it may not be the people you like most who will help your business most.
That’s a lesson that my guest today learned the hard way.
Richard Christiansen has founded or cofounded 49 businesses, of which 16 became multimillion-dollar successes. He’s also the national bestselling author of “The Zigzag Principle: The Goal Setting Strategy that will Revolutionize Your Business and Your Life.”
But in his first truly successful business, he made the mistake of partnering with someone who didn’t share one of his core values of business leadership.
In 2006 and 2007, Richard cofounded one of the largest business blog networks with a partner who he got along with great on a personal level.
But when the New York Times started to flex its muscle to acquire the growing business, his partnership broke down in horrific fashion and he found himself the victim of a hostile takeover. All of this because of a single key difference of opinion.
That experience sent him into a “cocoon” for a while. But when he finally emerged, he applied the lessons he learned to pioneer values-based leadership that helps him avoid a similar fate in any other business.
The lessons have also extended to the way he treats his family. He applies the same lesson of value-based leadership to his family and has seen amazing results.
So amazing, in fact, that his three sons have all started million-dollar businesses. And the youngest one is still in high school.
If you have ever partnered with or hired someone because you liked them, only to find out later that your key values are disastrously misaligned, this episode is for you.
If you have ever started working with a client who wants you to do things you don’t feel comfortable with, listen to what Richard has to say.
And if you want to know the secrets of making your kids into successful entrepreneurs at an early age, click play in the bar above to get started.
Listen to this episode to hear Rich Christiansen tell me about values-based leadership and more: * The secret of making your children self-made millionaires at a young age. * Why Rich quit a cushy job at Mitsubishi Electric. * How 45 hours of travel for a five-minute tongue-lashing changed the course of Rich’s life. * Raising children who don’t have an entitlement attitude. * How confidence and competence show themselves, even in a grieving man. * The “hat trick” you can pull off: taking $5,000 and building a $1 million business. * How value-based leadership has prevented “brain damage” for Rich. * Trick questions you can use to hire the best fit for your teams. * Why being Mr. Incredible hurts your credibility. * The three things you can never replace that need your attention now. * Why Rich’s family has its own coat of arms.
Books and resources mentioned in this episode: * “The Zigzag Principle: The Goal Setting Strategy that will Revolutionize Your Business and Your Life,” by Rich Christiansen * “Bootstrap Business,” by Rich Christiansen and Ron Porter * “Even If Your Toes Turn Purple: Raising Teenagers That Are Confident, Happy, and Stand Out,” by Rich Christiansen and Tim Christiansen * “Man of Steel and Velvet,” by Aubrey Andelin * Rich and his son’s website for their joint book.
Know your values:
Values should direct everything that you do in business, but too many men cast them aside or forget about them in the heat of business.
If you want to better align with your own values so you can accelerate your life in the right direction, we’ve created a challenge that will up your productivity, creativity and bolster your relationships. All while you build a thriving values-based business.
Learn more
Charles Darwin is well-known as one of the most creative and highly productive scientists in the last 200 years. He penned 19 complex books in his lifetime and came up with the Theory of Evolution.
But his work life wasn’t what you might expect for a man of such accomplishment.
In this episode, I’ll tell you about Darwin’s secret work life and what it was that made him so creative and productive.
I’ll also give you a series of tips for you to replicate Darwin’s productivity and creativity in your own work life today.
This isn’t an episode you’ll want to miss, Lions.
If you find yourself banging your head against the wall at the end of your workdays just trying to keep momentum alive through sheer willpower, this episode is for you.
If you have been struggling to find creative solutions to the problems your business faces, you’ll want to hear this episode.
And if you want to know what makes the difference between a CEO who scrapes by and one who thrives, click play in the player above to get started.
Listen to this episode to hear me talk about Charles Darwin’s secret of productivity and creativity and more: * The crazy amount of time Darwin worked (I bet you can’t guess this.) * The countercurrent secret to getting the most out of your workdays. * Why you should value creativity more (and how to get it.) * How to make your time off a “10” so you can work at an “11” when you’re in the office. * The surprising reason you should give your wife and/or assistant the keys to your email/social media. * 9 tips for blocking time for creativity in the most productive way. * A mindset shift that will put your mind at ease about work.
Books and resources mentioned in this episode: * “Falling Awake: Creating the Life of Your Dreams,” by Dave Ellis and illustrated by Bill Fleming
Do you ever feel like you’re growing apart from your wife instead of growing together?
Couples that know the secrets of happy marriages come together through life’s troubles instead of drifting apart.
My guest today is Jackie Bledsoe, the bestselling author of “The Seven Rings of Marriage: Your Model for a Lasting and Fulfilling Marriage.”
As a man who once ended up homeless with his wife and three kids, Jackie knows that it’s not perfect circumstances that dictate a happy marriage.
Jackie tells me that even in his darkest moments that seemed like part of a drama movie, he never doubted that his wife would stay with him.
In this episode Jackie shares some of the secrets that got his marriage strong enough to withstand losing a job, homelessness, massive business failure twice over and a career pivot to writing he couldn’t have seen coming.
You’ll hear the story of a man who felt like he had failed his wife and kids, but found out that was exactly where he needed to be to start moving up.
If you want to know the secrets of a successful marriage from a man who has one despite the odds, you’ll want to listen to this episode.
If you feel a need to change careers but find it hard to pivot, Jackie’s got some killer words of wisdom for you.
And if you want to hear the real, raw story of a successful man who once struggled to make ends meet, click play in the bar above to get started.
Listen to this episode to hear author Jackie Bledsoe talk about secrets of a happy marriage and more: * How knowing the seven stages of marriage can help you in each stage * The surprising practice Jackie has used to keep trouble out of his marriage as he learns from people doing it better. * What it felt like to become homeless while the rain literally poured down on Jackie, his wife and three kids. * What it took for Jackie to get noticed as a writer. * The message that Jackie has that 100 million men need to hear. * How Jackie’s best business accomplishment relates to his three kids. * Being grateful for what you have—before you’re homeless. * Why your deepest failures may just be setting you up for your greatest successes. * The thing more men should do that comes easy to women.
Books and resources mentioned in this episode: * The Ziglar Show * No More Socks: The Christmas List Genius * “The Seven Rings of Marriage: Your Model for a Lasting and Fulfilling Marriage,” by Jackie Bledsoe
How to contact Jackie Bledsoe and download a free chapter of his book: * Go to his website
Is your patience on a hair trigger with your kids?
You’re not alone, Lion, so happy Parents’ Day (July 23.)
In this episode, Bill and I confess to situations when we lost our cool with our kids.
But we also look at all the factors that went in to our impatience. And we’ll guide you to correct for the kinds of factors that are likely to affect you as a driven businessman.
See, men who are in control of their patience at work often lose their patience at home.
Especially when something at work is bothering them.
In this episode, we talk about the link between patience at work and impatience at home.
And we give you tons of strategies to improve your patience where it matters most.
If you are like an impatience sponge (you’re around it and you soak it up to become impatient yourself,) you owe it to yourself to listen to this episode.
If you feel like your kids have ever felt unloved because of your impatience with them, this episode offers some solid steps you can take to improve that.
And if you want to learn about seven habits you can develop to be more patient at home and work, click play in the bar above to get started.
Listen to this episode to learn how to become more patient and more: * Why what works in business won’t work well at home from a patience standpoint. * How your children interpret your impatience. * 7 habits of highly patient fathers * The surprising way you use your brain different than your kids use theirs. * How to stop being an “impatience sponge.” * The mindset your kids need you to have (and how that differs from work mindsets). * Why your Daddy-daughter dates might be counterproductive. * The boundary-setting method that will up your patience. * The one attribute that makes the world go ‘round (Hint: it’s not love, but it’s tied to it.)
Books and resources mentioned in this episode: * My awesome restaurant list! * “If I Have to Tell You One More Time...: The Revolutionary Program That Gets Your Kids To Listen Without Nagging, Reminding, or Yelling,” by Amy McReady * What Makes Teens Tick? Article from Time.
Kids interpret impatience as a lack of love. Are you bringing home impatience from work?
Impatient?
Impatience is often a sign that you’re not getting enough done. That’s partly why we launched the Accelerate Your Productivity Challenge.
This 4-week challenge will push you to get more done in less time, which will help improve your patience at work and at home.
Learn more
Do you face challenges head on or search for the easy way around?
My guest today, Thom King, is the founder and CEO of Steviva Brand Sweeteners. He's also a ketogenic lifestyle expert and author of the book "Guy Gone Keto," which will be out in September 2017.
Thom believes that Lions thrive in adversity. His story reflects that.
In 1999, he ran into an old friend who had just brought back some stevia leaves from Paraguay.
While tasting the sweet leaves, Thom could almost taste entrepreneurial success. The kind of success that can also help change people's lives for the better.
But on his way to success, he tripped over his own ambition and ran out of money.
In this episode, he tells me the seriously humbling act he had to go through with to get his act together and take his business to the next level.
He also tells me of the personal paradigm shift in his own lifestyle he made before he finally started to make money.
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This is a conversation you don’t want to miss.
If you need the motivation to make a hard decision or the confidence to jump into the breach, my conversation with Thom will inspire you.
If you feel sluggish, tired all the time, or just aren’t happy with your diet, my conversation today has valuable advice from a clean-eating industry expert.
And if you just need to hear an inspiring success story to help pick you up, hit play in the bar above.
Listen to this episode to learn from entrepreneur Thom King on how to face adversity and much more: * The link between diet practices and mental energy * How to turn your morning coffee into a natural energy boost * Why intermittent fasting is actually healthy for you * Why you need to eat more ribeye steaks * How to productively view pain and suffering * The daily practice that took Thom's business to the next level * How to take pride in the success of others
Books and Resources mentioned in this episode: "Mindset," by Carol Dwick
"Between the World and Me," by Ta-Nehshi Coates
"The Boys in the Boat" by Daniel James Brown
“Guy Gone Keto,” by Thom King - available late September 2017
How to contact Thom King: thom.king@steviva.com
As an entrepreneur or businessman, are you addicted to chaos?
For men, this is the most socially acceptable addiction. That’s why when you see someone you haven’t in a while and they ask you how you’ve been, you might be tempted to say, “Aw, man, I’m just so busy!”
Somehow, men equate a busy, frantic, confusing and even chaotic life with success.
But what you’re really saying when you say, “Just been busy” is that you’re addicted to chaos.
In this episode, we go over the signs that you might be addicted to chaos and give you four real, proven methods to move beyond a chaos addiction.
If you ever procrastinate because you have so much to do you don’t know where to start, this episode is for you.
If you can never seem to get beyond the most immediate, pressing deadline, we’ve got some systems for you to implement.
And if you ever feel like you’re life is chaotic or frantic and that’s not part of your definition of successful, click play in the player above to start becoming a little less addicted to chaos.
Listen to this episode to find out if you’re addicted to chaos and more: * Why Angelina Jolie is addicted to chaos * Two types of procrastination that both feed an addiction to chaos * A bulletproof cure if you’re addicted to chaos * The system that will lead you away from chaos, confusion and frenzy * Why you might cycle through motivated times and ineffective periods * The reason entrepreneurs almost always have this addiction * How to treat your smartphone if you’re living a frantic life * The one thing you shouldn’t be “strangely proud of,” even though you probably are * A killer digital replacement for Franklin planners (Hint: This tool isn’t made by Franklin) * What frog legs have to do with a chaotic life * The scheduling trick that will make your life much more productive and effective
Addicted to chaos?
You’ve landed in the right place.
Imagine that a ninja carrying a planner ran smack-dab into a man with tasks spilling off his overloaded plate.
When the ninja’s through with that guy, his task plate is a nicely presented filet mignon:
Fun to devour.
Don’t fear the ninja. Take a challenge that will make your to-do list more savory.
Learn more
Do you ever feel like greater success is locked behind a slightly immoral decision?
My guest today is Robert Klinck, an intellectual property attorney from Washington DC, and CEO of the game-changing legal advice company Klinck LLC.
He knows how to find success and hold onto his morals.
Growing up in McAllen, Texas, Robert always knew he was the brightest of the bright and things always came easily to him.
However, when he arrived at Harvard Law School, he had to face his reality:
He was just a small fish in a big sea of sharks.
Once he graduated from Harvard, Robert worked for a large law firm and then as a prosecutor in Fort Worth, Texas.
While working his first job, Robert was mentored by now Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch, who taught him that a lawyer can be both good at their job and a good person.
Robert watched his colleagues and friends chase prestige and glamour, and wasn't interested.
He wanted to be a good lawyer, but he wanted to be an even better man.
Throughout his career, Robert has faced situations where he had to choose between perfect and good.
Slight moral compromise and easy trial wins or do the right thing and have to fight harder?
Robert speaks in this episode about how his decisions to do the right thing improved his life. Specifically, he has more peaces of mind and a comfortable lifestyle, all without compromising his morals.
If you’ve faced a choice between what’s right and hard and what's slightly immoral but easier, this conversation is for you.
If you want to be simultaneously a good man and successful, take the time to learn from Robert's mistakes.
And if you're a hard worker, but feel that you lack the decisiveness to make real progress, hit play in the bar above.
Listen to this episode to hear from law expert Robert Klinck on how to find success and stay honest, and much more: * Why you can't even trust your best friends when setting up agreements * The emotion you should learn to control to be more successful (and a nicer guy) * Why courage is as important as hard work * The one attribute that Robert craves for more productivity * A superior method for stress relief * Why anger is a ‘peacock’ emotion * How to correctly view and manage profit for your business * The perfect ratio of family happiness and career success
Books and Resources mentioned in this episode: "Profit First: Transform Your Business from a Cash-Eating Monster to a Money-Making Machine," by Mike Michalowicz
"The Entrepreneur's IP Planning Playbook: A Strategy Guide To Help Solopreneurs, Startup Founders, and Entrepreneurs Harness Their Intellectual Capital," by Robert Klinck
"Patent Litigation Primer: A Guide For Inventors And Business Owners," by Robert Klinck
How to contact Robert Klinck: Visit his website.
If you stepped on a scale when you were 21 and saw your weight today, how would you feel?
When life kicks up the pace for most businessmen, your metabolism simultaneously slows down.
That makes for some—ahem—hefty weight gains for a lot of men as they cope with big demands on their time.
Most businessmen slip into unhealthy eating habits and start to watch their weight ride a roller coaster that always ends a little higher than it started.
My business partner Bill learned this the hard way when he jumped from Olympic shape to 60 pounds heavier in a few short years as he started his first business.
In this episode, we talk about easy ways businessmen like you can boost a natural chemical in your body that fends off stress, makes you crave junk food less and will make you happier at the same time.
And as a little preview to the episode, one of the things that release this chemical in your brain is massages. So yeah, you’re going to want to listen to this episode.
If you don’t look like you want to in the mirror anymore, this episode will help you cut yourself back down to size.
If your eating habits are inspired more by your need to eat quickly than your desire to eat healthy, this episode will give you some great ideas.
And if you want to know about the naturally released chemical in your brain that will increase your productivity, make you happier, suppress your appetite and make you lose weight, click play in the player above to get started.
Listen to this episode to learn how to get healthy when business has made it more difficult and more: * The top thing you can do for your health (It’s not diet or exercise.) * Why your brain doesn’t adjust to your changing metabolism fast enough. * The reason football might make you fatter. (HINT: It’s not beer, though that will contribute too.) * How productivity can make you healthier. (What???) * The thing my wife constantly ODs on (that’s super healthy to OD on.) * Why stress is bad for your eating and health habits (and how to avoid it.) * The surprising reason that energy food will make you less energetic. * The inexpensive power food that will make you happier and healthier with a forkful a day. * 5 natural ways to easily boost a chemical in your body that will suppress your appetite and increase your energy.
Ever feel like you’re just not doing what you’re supposed to be doing with your life?
My guest today felt that in a big way. As a young man, Rusty Pang had more jobs than most people will have in a lifetime.
Within a relatively short 13 years, Rusty jumped through 26 jobs and owned seven businesses – four of which he resurrected from failure by their former owners.
But in every position and every business, he got bored or hit an upper limit. Then he moved on.
And through it all he felt a deep, residual pain.
The pain pushed him to alcoholism, unhealthy weight gain and the nagging feeling that he was missing his purpose in life.
But finally he reached a point where he embraced the pain. He sat in it. Lived with it.
He wouldn’t let his natural fight or flight tendencies take over.
And working through his emotions instead of working against them opened up his clarity.
In one stunning moment (while eating a sandwich) his purpose came to him.
Not fleeing from his pain allowed him to see the shadows his purpose had cast through all 26 jobs and seven businesses.
“I believe in the power of pain,” Rusty tells me in this episode.
In this podcast, you’ll hear Rusty Pang tell a powerful story of learning to live with pain to recognize the shadows of your purpose.
And once you recognize the shadows, you can figure out the real thing.
If you feel unfulfilled because of your work, Rusty’s story will speak to you.
If you have a hard time making decisions, or if you make them too fast, this episode is for you.
And if you want to know what Rusty’s mission is and how to find your own by changing your mindsets, click play in the player above to get started.
Benefits and high points of this conversation with Rusty Pang, author of Entrepurpose: * Learn how to escape from “Alcatraz” * Discover the “not sexy” high-margin industry that Rusty respects * Hear the purpose it took Rusty 13 years and a sandwich to discover * Getting out of depressions by embracing pain * Following the thread of your purpose * Seeing shadows of things to come * Why it should be easier for you to win seven lottery jackpots in a row than listen to this podcast * Recognizing pain as the ultimate teacher * Using a coin to help make tough choices, but not by flipping it * Why you need to know yourself better
Books and resources mentioned in this episode:
Some of the following links are affiliate links. If you click through and purchase The Lions Pride may get a small commission.
- “Entrepurpose: Find the Single Thread Woven Through Your Past, Present, and Future,” by Rusty Pang and Brian Laprath
- Strengths Finder 2.0
- Personality Hacker
- “Procrastinate on Purpose: 5 Permissions to Multiply Your Time,” by Rory Varden
How to contact Rusty Pang, author of Entrepurpose: * Website * Facebook * Email
If you don’t have time for a hobby, your work won’t flow like it could.
One of the most pervasive lies that men tell themselves is that they are so busy with work and commitments that they can’t find time for a hobby.
In our mind, you can’t afford to be without one.
By regularly engaging in a hobby, you’ll become much more present and effective at work.
So with an investment of 40 minutes or so per day, all eight or 10 hours you’re at work will be better.
In this episode, we talk about six major benefits you’ll see in your productivity at work from having a hobby.
We’ll also tell you seven things you should consider when choosing a hobby to make sure it’s effective for you.
If you feel like all the adventure has gone out of your life, this episode will help you feel young again.
If you stopped doing things you love because your work life got so busy, check out this episode.
And if you realize the need for a hobby and just don’t know where to start, then you’ve found the right place to start. Click play in the player above to listen to this episode about how hobbies will accelerate your productivity and how to find one.
Listen to this episode to learn how hobbies accelerate productivity and more: * What a lovely psychotherapist told me about needing a hobby. * How corporate America ate Bill’s hobbies. * How recommitting to a hobby helped Bill sell his business for eight figures. * The biggest results-driver in your business. * Clearing away mental clouds. * A time investment that comes back to you many times. * The big business of keeping you distracted from hobbies. * The difference of a brain on electronics and one that’s truly engaged. * Why you need a hobby to solve problems.
Contact me with any questions about this episode: * Email * That episode of 60 Minutes about technological distraction
Do you feel like your innovative business isn’t getting the attention it should?
My guest today had to work hard for many years to find the perfect balance of work, innovation and humility to achieve what he always knew he wanted.
Bedros Keuilian is the founder and CEO of Fit Body Boot Camp, which struggled to gain traction before it took off. But things weren’t always so great for him.
Growing up in California as the youngest member of a poor Armenian immigrant family, Bedros helped his family survive by dumpster diving at age 6.
At 17, Bedros realized he was unhappy with his body and self-image. So he decided to work hard and eat right to change that.
When he succeeded, he decided he would spend his life helping others realize the same kind of transformation.
He went from working in a big box gym to starting his own chain of gyms that a larger fitness chain eventually purchased from him. That’s when he moved into the internet age.
But it wasn’t easy, and he soon owed $120,000 to a mentor who had helped him get off the ground.
Seeing that Bedros was struggling, the mentor offered to buy the struggling company by forgiving his debt and hiring him as an employee for $10,000 per month.
Security in one direction. Limitless possibility the other.
Bedros ran away from the “opportunity” that would have shackled his potential.
He now makes about four times what his mentor once offered him.
If you’re facing a crossroads in your life, this story could improve the direction you take.
If you want to learn how to manage work stress, family life and self-confidence, Bedros has meaningful advice for you.
And if you feel like you innovate ahead of the curve, Bedros and his story will speak to you.
“How a dumpster diving immigrant became a high-powered CEO.”
Listen to this episode to hear from fitness guru Bedros Keuilian about his journey from “dumpster diving to riches” and much more: * The secret to an extraordinary life. * How much it costs to illegally cross into Italy from Armenia. * How 10 minutes of sincere self-conversation quadrupled Bedros’s take-home. * Why Bedros regrets not joining the military as an immigrant. * Switching to ‘belly-up’ mode when at home with the family. * How to sell what you love to others. * How routines ensure quality time with family. * How to innovate without going overboard. * The best kept secret to true happiness. (Hint: It's the simple things.)
Books and resources mentioned in this episode: "Man Up," by Bedros Keuilian coming August 2018
Elon Musk’s documentary
220: Skills for fathers who raise their kids right As a father, you’re shaping the world.
Sounds big, right?
That’s why you often ask yourself if you’re doing enough as a father.
But if you’re reading this, you’re probably doing better than you think as a father.
Even if you think of yourself as a deadbeat dad. Maybe because you see other fathers who do more than you.
And that makes you feel like a man who doesn’t give his children the time and attention they deserve.
You’re more than a deadbeat dad, Lion.
In this episode, we explore 7 habits of highly effective fathers that will take you farther in parenting than you knew you could go. (Hint: These are also effective for bosses or leaders.)
You’ll see firsthand the dangers of being too busy for your children because of business.
And you’ll experience with us the rare, but completely attainable experience of having your kids tell you that you raised them right.
If you find yourself comparing your parenting abilities to other men, take some time out to listen to this episode.
If you have children that talk back often, or worse, are headed off the deep end, listen to this episode to learn how to get it to stop.
And if you just want a better, happier family, click play in the player above to get started.
Listen to this episode to hear Bill and me talk about skills for raising your children right (or being a great boss) and more: * The lightning-strike moment that changed Bill’s life as a father. * Who to compete against in parenting. * How to not feel like a deadbeat dad. * Avoiding the awkwardness of feeling like your father. * How fatherhood skills transfer to the workplace, but not always vice versa. * Why you shouldn’t be your kids’ (or employees’) best friend. * The best measuring stick for your parenting skills. * My proudest parenting moment and the drastic measures it took to earn it. * Why you shouldn’t try to make your kids into you (and what you should do instead.) * Quitting a 25-year career because I had to miss one proud parenting moment.
Books and resources mentioned in this episode:
Some of the following links are affiliate links. If you click through and purchase The Lions Pride may get a small commission.
- “Raising a Modern-Day Knight: A Father's Role in Guiding His Son to Authentic Manhood,” by Robert Lewis
You, but better:
Being a better father is just one of many topics we improve with the Lions in the Pride.
Our men take whatever they’re doing and ratchet it up a notch.
Whatever your struggle, we can help you to see and achieve a greater version of you. For business, fatherhood or anything else.
Let’s talk, it’s free!
Is your business surviving or thriving?
My guest today is brand survival expert Jonathan David Lewis, the author of “Brand Vs. Wild: Building Resilient Brands for Harsh Business Environments.”
The marketing agency where Jonathan’s a partner, McKee Wallwork + Co., has been recognized by Advertising Age as a national leader in branding and marketing.
Jonathan specializes in working with stalled, stuck or stale brands that have been living in survival mode. He works to break companies out of ambiguity to hit marketing with a clarity that helps them thrive.
“So much of the way out [of survival mode] has to do with psychology and human nature and emotion far more than any of us would like to admit,” Jonathan tells me in this episode.
Jonathan’s watched as the marketing realm has undergone a complete overhaul, with continuous and dramatic changes still filtering down.
That uncertainty has left many stalled, stuck or stale brands that need to revamp their image and their strategies.
And to develop a new breed of resilience.
Using his background in psychology, Jonathan recognizes the predictable ways people react in survival mode and channels that for better marketing.
And he’s done it all without sacrificing his integrity.
If you’ve noticed that biographies of great people tend to be filled with a mess of a personal life, this episode’s for you.
If you feel your business is stalled, stuck or stale, Jonathan’s story may help you get chugging again.
And if you want to weatherproof your business for the ongoing marketing storms in today’s fast-changing world, click play in the player above to get started.
Listen to this episode to hear Jonathan David Lewis discuss with me how to make your business thrive in the new marketing age and more: * How to deal with lightning-fast changes in the marketing world. * Knowing who to disappoint. * The one attribute that will get you ahead farther than any other. * Developing resilience in your business. * Being comfortable in ambiguity. * Why business leaders act the way they do in the face of disruptions or industry challenges. * The one thing every successful strategy has behind it. * Work-life balance while writing a book. * Buckling down when things seem hardest to WIN! * Why Jonathan’s company won’t service many big-money companies.
Books and resources mentioned in this episode:
Some of the following links are affiliate links. If you click through and purchase The Lions Pride may get a small commission.
- “The Big Leap: Conquer Your Hidden Fear and Take Life to the Next Level,” by Gay Hendricks
- “Getting Naked: A Business Fable About Shedding the Three Fears That Sabotage Client,” by Patrick Lencioni
- “The Connected Company,” by Dave Gray and Thomas Vader Wal
- “Brand vs. Wild: Building Resilient Brands for Harsh Business Environments,” by Jonathan David Lewis
How to contact Jonathan David Lewis: * Website
Feeling stuck? You don’t have to feel stalled, stuck or stale in your business.
As coaches leading a movement of businessmen, we walk beside you to bring your business and life to a higher plane.
If you feel stuck at all, let’s talk about it. In your free video call, we’ll get you started back toward the freedom to grow and go BIG.
Learn more
How to recover after children pillage your dating life Do you remember when you had all the time in the world for your wife?
Chances are, that time was before you had children.
And you probably don’t feel quite as close to your wife because of it, whether you ralize it or not.
You may even feel like you miss your wife even though you see her every day.
Studies show that marital relationships deteriorate once children come along.
It’s a fact of life, but a fact that you can choose to ignore.
In this episode, I want to guide you through five things you can do to keep up an awesome relationship with your wife.
After all, the top predictor of overall life satisfaction is if you’re happy with your wife.
If kids literally or figuratively come between you and your wife, listen to this episode to improve your relationship with your wife, and by extension, your kids.
If you feel like you and your wife are living separate lives, we’ll give you some awesome ways to keep your family together.
And if you want to know what it takes to feel like newlyweds again even though you have kids, click play in the player above to get started.
Listen to this episode for five ways to keep children from coming between you and your wife and more: * How young children can sense marital strife. * Why a happy wife makes a happy life. * The one thing a contributor of ours did to recover his wife when she was unhappy. * How fast children deteriorate your relationship (even when you love the kids). * Ways to make dates out of anything to improve your relationship. * “Wow dates” and how to use them. * How to best back each other up to block kids from threatening your relationship.
GET FREE:
Children and business both have a way of taking away your freedom to spend all the time you want with your wife. But you don’t have to sacrifice all your freedom.
If you sense that your life is out of balance and that’s hurting your marriage, business or both, let’s have a conversation and see what we can figure out together.
We reserve 10 spots per week on our calendar to talk with men like you during free video strategy calls.
Learn more
Whether you think so or not, you live in a bubble.
Gret Glyer, the founder of DonorSee, didn’t realize that until he got far outside his bubble.
And he got so far outside it that he wanted to change other people’s bubbles.
Gret grew up in Fairfax, Virginia in the second-wealthiest county in the United States (just behind Teton County in Wyoming where my business partner Bill lives, according to some lists.)
So when he moved to Malawi—the poorest country in the world as of 2014—his bubble popped. He went there to teach math, but ended up doing his own social-work projects more than anything.
In the three years he lived there, Gret built more than 100 houses for homeless people and also crowdfunded a $100,000 girls’ school designed to give the country an educational boost to exit poverty.
After that experience, he decided he could help more projects like that all over the world with his own company. So he founded DonorSee, a visual platform for donations that lets people see who they’re helping as well as the results of the aid quickly.
You wouldn’t know it now, but Gret’s first attempt to raise $800 to build a house stopped short at $100 until he changed one mentality that was holding him back.
He had to pop his bubble.
If you want to know how to take a leap of faith like Indiana Jones, this episode is for you.
If you’d like to learn what it takes to live outside your bubble, Gret’s story will mean a lot to you.
And if you want to make a meaningful difference in the lives of real people, click play in the player above to get started now.
Listen to this episode to hear me talk with Gret Glyer, founder of DonorSee about living outside your bubble and more: * Why Gret Glyer left a life on the fast track for a different bubble. * Eradicating malaria in an African village. * How Gret compares his story to Indiana Jones. * The one change that made Gret’s idea work when he was hitting a wall. * The “brain drain” in Malawi and how Gret’s work sought to change that. * American poverty vs. African wealth and vice versa. * Why failures come from hubris and this one faulty way of thinking. * Three historical figures that push Gret to be a better man.
Books and resources mentioned in this episode:
Some of the following links are affiliate links. If you click through and purchase The Lions Pride may get a small commission.
- “Coming Apart: The State of White America, 1960-2010,” by Charles Murray
How to contact Gret Glyer * Website
Pop your bubble: What holds you back from taking a leap of faith into something in which you could make a bigger difference?
That’s your gravity. We teach driven and accomplished men how to overcome their personal gravity and fulfill their higher potential.
We offer 10 free 30-minute video phone calls each week to discuss with high achievers how they could achieve even more.
Let’s do this!
Drowning in to-dos? Missing freedom because of it?
If so, you need more structure.
Most men associate a lack of structure with freedom, but that kind of thinking is a trap.
A lack of structure isn’t freedom.
In fact, a lack of structure can make you a slave faster than just about anything.
See, without structure, even if you know you have a ton to get done, you have no real order for doing it.
No timing.
Other people can sense that, and interruptions for doing….whatever you planned to do…become normal.
And since interruptions push you farther away from getting the things done you really need to do, you end up with an even more stagnant to-do list.
In this episode, we explore how structure gives men more freedom at work and at home.
And we give you eight actionable ways to incorporate more structure into your days so your to-do list will no longer drown you.
If you feel like both your to-do list and your bucket list are too long and getting longer, this episode is for you.
If you procrastinate because of your lack of structure and that takes away some freedom, you’ll be able to improve your life after listening to this episode.
And if you want the freedom to do what you want when you want, you need the structure this episode can provide. Click play in the player above to get started.
Listen to this episode to hear Bill and I talk about how to get more structure and freedom in your life and more: * How to whittle your to-do list down by about 70 percent in 45 minutes. * The book that tied freedom and structure together in my mind. * Why “work” should be called “waste.” * The one thing every man does daily that 98 percent of men suck at. * Digitizing your to-dos. * How to use an assistant to organize and reduce your to-dos. * The surprising amount of your work time you should schedule. * Eating frogs. * Overcoming procrastination addiction.
Books and resources mentioned in this episode:
Some of the following links are affiliate links. If you click through and purchase The Lions Pride may get a small commission.
- “How to Get Control of Your Time and Your Life,” by Alan Lakein
- “Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less,” by Greg McKeown
- “The ONE Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth Behind Extraordinary Results,” by Gary Keller and Jay Papasan
Structure your freedom: Structure is the foundation of freedom. Need a better foundation?
We’ve helped hundreds of men master their work structure and get more freedom into their lives as a result. We’ll get you started during a free 1-on-1 video call.
Let’s talk, free
20170601 – EP 215 – David Barnett sell your business
Build a business people want to buy with David Barnett What if you’re killing yourself to build a business that isn’t worth anything to anybody else?
David Barnett is the author of three best-selling business books and also a consultant who helps people to better build, manage and sell small- and medium-sized businesses.
His experience as a business broker and as a businessman himself has helped him sculpt a program that can aid entrepreneurs who are either buying or selling a business.
As a successful business broker, David helped sell 36 businesses in 36 months on the job, but realized the feast-or-famine model of business brokerage was too hard on him. In fact, during those three years, he says he got all his gray hair.
The final straw came when, after nine months without a sale, he had six contracts lined up to go through at the end of the year worth a combined $250,000 to him.
Of those, three fell through due to circumstances outside of his control. He ended up with only $110,000 in the bank and nothing to show for tons of work he’d put in on the other businesses.
At that time, he got a job.
But people still kept calling him on referral for his old business, and he soon decided to start back in on a different model—one that would provide stability for him and give better results to his clients.
If you’re trying to build a business that will be good enough to sell when you want to move on or retire, you need to hear David’s story.
If you’ve built a business that relies too much on information in your head, give this episode a listen.
And if you want more success today and in the future with the business you already own, click play in the player above to learn the secrets of success David shares with his small-business and medium-sized business clients.
Listen to this episode to hear me talk with David Barnett about buying and selling businesses and more: * Building a business with time- and location-freedom in mind. * The series of businesses David built before he started selling other people’s businesses. * What you can do to make your business more valuable now and more saleable later. * How David made less selling one business than some people do selling fries. (And what he did about it.) * The worst thing that can happen to an entrepreneur that happened to David. * Why taking a regular paycheck makes David feel guilty. * Why to give people the silent treatment after you’ve made an offer. * The single shift in David’s business that made all the difference. * How good businesses subsidize bad ones in business brokerage. * The man who lost $20,000 in a bad business transaction and ignited David’s passion for buying and selling businesses. * Secret tactics of business negotiations. * The best time to begin exiting your business.
Books and resources mentioned in this episode:
Some of the following links are affiliate links. If you click through and purchase Lions Pride Academy may get a small commission.
- “The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don't Work and What to Do About It,” by Michael Gerber
- “Never Split the Difference: Negotiating as if Your Life Depended on It,” by Chris Voss
How to contact David Barnett: * Website
Build a better business: Your life, your business deserve a better foundation. Better guidance.
What’s troubling you in your business life right now? Let’s have a conversation.
We offer 10 free 30-minute video phone calls each week to discuss with high achievers how they could achieve even more.
Let’s do this!
Have you ever shut yourself down, thinking you weren’t good enough to achieve something?
Well, no matter how confident men may appear to you on the outside, every high achiever has at some point felt like a fake.
A loser.
A poser.
Unable to accomplish.
All that despite a record of high achievement.
As the founders of The Lions Pride, both by business partner Bill and I both have felt the impostor syndrome.
The impostor syndrome hits men when they feel like the world sees them as great and powerful, but they feel like the Wizard of Oz—a lowly man behind a curtain.
You don’t have to feel like that.
In this episode, we give you three action items you can use to get past the impostor syndrome—and all the bad business decisions that come along with it.
If you want to make better business decisions filled with confidence, listen to this episode.
If you’ve ever felt like a poser who doesn’t deserve the success you have, you ought to hear what we have to say.
And if you’ve ever criticized yourself after someone complimented you, click play in the player above to rise to a new level.
Listen to hear about the impostor syndrome and more * Our company name change and how we shed the impostor syndrome to embrace it. * Why men who feel like an impostor miss a critical component of goal-setting. * What you see in the mirror versus what others see. * The two types of impostor syndrome, and how to beat each. * Why you should do things you don’t feel like are hard for people who think they are. * Two world-famous people who still feel impostor syndrome. * The percentage of successful men we think feel like a failure or fake. * 3 things to never do if you doubt your business decisions. * Why base hits are better than home runs sometimes. * How we got compared to dentists (when we feel like surgeons.)
Stop faking:
If impostor syndrome is something you struggle with, let’s talk. We offer a limited amount of free 30-minute video calls for men who want something even better than what they’ve made for themselves.
Let’s do this!
Money isn’t the primary reason or an excuse for doing or not doing something in your life.
My guest today knows that from experience after a rough road that made him suicidal before landing him on top of the world.
Michael Isom is the founder of Vault AIS, and lives a raw, real, relevant and ruthlessly committed life.
But it wasn’t always that way for him.
At age 22, Michael stumbled into a job selling some of the first cell phones on the market, and made more in his first month doing that than he ever had in a year up until that point.
And the money just kept coming.
Six years later, he started a business with one of my favorite podcast guests of all-time: New York Times bestselling author Garrett Gunderson.
After a rough patch caused by the death of two business partners in a plane crash, Garrett and Michael parted ways.
That’s when Michael fell prey to a major myth in the financial industry: that high risk creates high returns.
When he did that, he lost $4 million in a bad investment.
Worse than that, though, he lost his best asset. His best investment.
He started to lose himself.
He shut down his three offices, fired his 16 employees and lived off savings for the next two and a half years.
Those years, he said, were a blur of alcohol and cycling to numb the pain and keep him from coming to grips with what he had done.
His family left him, telling him to get clean, and he ended up with a gun his mouth, crying and screaming at God for answers.
Since then, he’s learned that the best investment, your #1 asset, is you.
And if you don’t take care of yourself, you can’t take care of the people you love.
If you feel any of the pain of letting yourself go—whether because of a bad investment or for other reasons, you need to listen to Michael’s story of redemption. You’re not alone, Lions.
If you feel like no one understands your situation, you need to hear what Michael has to say about mindset.
And if you want to hear the moving story of how Michael bounced back from suicidal to on top of the world, click play in the player above to get started.
Listen to this episode to hear me talk with Michael Isom about getting on top of the world after wanting to end it all and more: * Offroad racing from a world champion’s point of view. * The plane crash that pushed Michael toward losing $4 million and nearly losing himself. * A piece of bad financial advice that nearly everyone believes. * How not to act when you lose $4 million. * Giving yourself permission to be real and raw. * The amazing God-given moment that kept Michael from taking his own life. * Maintaining control over your best assets and investments. * How to create value for others through your experiences. * Michael’s personal journey from rock bottom to on top of the world. * Why reminding others with similar belief systems is important. * The rules financial institutions use to get rich that you should use, too.
Books and resources mentioned in this episode:
Some of the following links are affiliate links. If you click through and purchase Lions Pride Academy may get a small commission.
- “Loving What Is: Four Questions That Can Change Your Life,” by Byron Katie
- The Work website.
- “Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes are High,” by Kerry Patterson
- “Crucial Confrontations: Tools for Resolving Broken Promises, Violated Expectations, and Bad Behavior,” by Kerry Patterson
- “The ONE Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth Behind Extraordinary Results,” by Gary Keller
Get Michael Isom’s book, co-authored by New York Times bestselling author Garrett Gunderson, for free: * To get a free digital copy of “What Would the Rockefellers Do?: How the Wealthy Get and Stay That Way … and How You Can Too”, text 801-396-7211 with “Free WWRD” as the subject. Listeners of this episode can also get a free hard copy shipped to them for only the price of shipping.
How to contact Michael Isom: * Website
Has your life and business beat the fun out of you?
This week, Bill and I discuss something deeply embedded within us after learning from hard life experience that having fun outside of business drives results inside business.
No matter what life or business throws at you, you’ve got to do it.
After my wife died from cancer in the mid-2000s, I was in no mood for fun.
I worked. I worked out. That was about it.
But I needed to have more fun.
That fact came into focus when a friend of mine asked me what I do for fun.
I told her about working out. She said that wasn’t fun.
True. Rewarding, yes. But not fun.
So I dug deeper, and came up empty.
Then she gave me advice I’ve never forgotten: “Until you get some fun in your life, nothing else is going to work.”
In this episode, we share the secrets of having more fun when business and life has made you forget how to have fun and made you feel old, boring and bored with life.
Specifically, we share a kind of list you can make that will drive you to be a fun, youthful, energetic person despite what life might throw at you.
Listen to Bill and me talk about relearning how to have fun and more: * Keeping your sense of childhood. * How to harness fun to make you more energetic in business. * The thing that fills your #1 ingrained desire. * A list that will keep you enjoying life. * Why you should laugh at yourself in the mirror. * The amount of times children laugh in a day compared to adults. * Why you feel old and how to find a fountain of youth. * The power of learning outside your bubble. * How to get energy back in your day when your mind slips. * How bad habits dull your ability to have fun. * The one thing that made my wife laugh while she was on chemo.
Freedom is calling:
Or are you calling freedom? Fun is freedom, and freedom is fun. Unleash your potential starting with a free 30-minute Freedom Breakthrough video call session.
Apply now.
Men want to be valued so much that they work hard to achieve.
But that’s not what you should be doing, according to Brandon Allen.
Brandon is the founder of New Work Revolution Coaching and Consulting, where he coaches business owners to find freedom and growth in their businesses.
Brandon has always been a high achiever, starting back when he played sports like every minute was the last minute of a game seven finals game.
But he came from a broken family. He never met his biological father, and his mother had alcohol abuse problems as well. He wouldn’t see her for days, sometimes.
So he developed a commitment to looking good so no one would know how messed up he was inside.
“I tried to make sure nobody knew I was screwed up by achieving at a high level,” Brandon tells me in this episode.
His “bubble of achievement” helped him in a way, but in reality held him back—as a parent, as a spouse and as a team leader.
And nobody valued him for his achievements anyway.
If you’ve ever worked hard to achieve so you could feel valuable or valued, you need to hear Brandon’s story.
If you put up false fronts that you sense hold you back, Brandon will move you beyond that by telling you his story.
And if you want to know the biggest lie men tell themselves so you can stop telling it, click play in the player above to get started.
Listen to this episode to hear me talk with Brandon Allen about why achievements don’t make you valuable and more: * Brandon’s story of growing up in a dysfunctional home and how he overcame it. * Why Brandon quit his job to start a business at the height of the Great Recession. * Building a business plane as you’re flying it. * Why the message you share as a business owner may not be the one people want to hear. * The Wrong reason to start a partnership. * How to end a partnership the right way. * Why mindset dictates results. * The people who grow most as coaching clients. * Bursting the “achievement bubble” and filling it up with something more valuable. * A question to ask every day—especially when business isn’t going well. * Why lying to yourself is the worst kind of lie.
Books and resources mentioned in this episode: Some of the following links are affiliate links. If you click through and purchase Rusty Lion Academy may get a small commission.
- “Simplify: Ten Practices to Unclutter Your Soul,” by Bill Hybels
How to contact Brandon Allen: * Website * Podcast on iTunes and Stitcher
The bond a mother has for her children can sometimes make high-achieving men feel like deadbeat dads just because they can’t cultivate the same kind of connections.
Men sometimes feel like losers when their kids don’t come to them with requests or to get advice and instead constantly run to Mom.
That couldn’t be further from the truth.
The Lions we work with are far from deadbeat dads, but can still learn some assertive parenting skills.
And Mom? She’d prefer if the kids ran to you as often as they do to her. She doesn’t like bearing that burden alone.
In this episode, Bill and I talk about what you, Lion, can do for the mother of your children to support her in her calling. It’s all about assertive parenting, especially if she’s the one the kids always run to for everything.
This cooperative assertive parenting skill will serve you at home well, especially if your wife has a hard time taking feedback from you. It will also improve your ability to lead in your business if you understand it well.
In supporting your wife more effectively through the assertive parenting advice we share this week, you’ll find that your kids love and respect you more because of the way your home life works.
If you have a wife with a generous soul who does a ton for your kids, listen to this episode.
If you feel like you can never give your wife feedback and that’s hurting your relationships at home, this episode is for you.
And if you’d like a happier mother and a happier family, click play in the player above to get started.
Mothers never give up on their children; so never give up on your children’s mother.
Listen to this episode to hear Bill and I talk about assertive parenting skills and more: * The one thing that makes most high-achieving fathers feel like a deadbeat dad. * The reasons you shouldn’t feel like a deadbeat dad. * The story about why it still feels like my Momma is holding my hand through life. * Why Bill’s mom still treats him like he’s 10 years old. * How to get back in favor with kids who like mom more. * How getting back in favor will make their mother happier. * The accidental events that create “Mommy favortism.” * The assertive parenting and leadership skill that will improve all your relationships.
Books and resources mentioned in this episode: Some of the following links are affiliate links. If you click through and purchase Rusty Lion Academy may get a small commission.
- “Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High,” by Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, Ron McMillan and Al Switzler
- “Crucial Confrontations: Tools for Resolving Broken Promises, Violated Expectations, and Bad Behavior,” by Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, Ron McMillan and Al Switzler
Assert to lead: Assertive men lead best, but only 5 percent of men know how to be assertive. If you want freedom to lead better and still be more available at home, click here to apply for a free 30-minute video Freedom Breakthrough Session.
You don’t have to hate your career…if you play your networking cards right.
Today’s guest, Mac Prichard, is president of Prichard Communications, and created Mac’s List, an online community for people looking to find more fulfilling work.
Mac is also the author of “Land Your Dream Job Anywhere,” which walks people through a networking process that can get you further ahead faster.
Many men, including a lot of Rusty Lion Academy clients, get to the point where they hate their career so much that they have a hard time working within it.
This makes them work even longer hours and deepens the cycle.
And without corrective action, the pain only deepens.
After graduating from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Business with a master’s degree, Mac reached out to about 100 businesspeople in Portland, Oregon where he wanted to live and work. Each “infromation interviews” had a direct outcome goal and started to build a network for Mac.
There’s a big difference between building a network and networking.
Networking is casually passing out business cards to everyone you see at a business function, and is rarely effective.
Creating a network constructs a two-way street of service, Mac tells me in this episode.
Give without any expectation of receiving. When you do, it’s amazing what you get back.
If you want a career you love and don’t know how to tackle the change, Mac’s got some great advice for you.
If you think your past titles or accomplishments should guarantee your future success but aren’t, this episode is for you.
And if you want to aim higher in your career than you’ve ever been, click play in the player above to get started.
Listen to this episode to hear me talk with Mac Prichard about effective networking to build a better career and more: * Becoming “an accidental entrepreneur.” * What electoral politics, writing, and human rights advocacy have in common. * The two things that got Mac into Harvard’s Master’s program despite a 3.0 average in college. * Taking risks to grow. * Making networking work better. * An alternative to filling out job applications. * Why service has resulted in the most career growth for Mac. * What two long periods of unemployment taught Mac about finding the right career. * Career wisdom from Intel’s public affairs director. * What you should learn from comedian Jerry Seinfeld. * Why you can’t afford to rest on your accolades. * Overcoming procrastination.
Get Mac Prichard’s book; the first chapter’s free for Lion’s Den listeners: * “Land Your Dream Job Anywhere,” by Mac Prichard and other nationally known career experts
Contact Mac Prichard, president of Prichard Communications: * Website * LinkedIn * Twitter
If you’re like me, every week feels like a mission-critical week to your business.
Can we agree that any week—no matter how hectic it feels—is just another week?
In this episode, we explore the technological and societal lies that make it mentally hard for you to take time off—even when it’s possible and necessary for your wellbeing.
For some men, it’s even hard to take time off as you’re taking time off.
After all, the lure of the laptop and the smartphone can be strong for a high achiever.
These are the kinds of forces that made me feel guilty for taking a week off in April even though I knew it would improve my business and my relationships in the end.
We’ve got news for you—your inability to take time off isn’t your fault. It’s programmed into you by a lot of driving forces.
But you can change your programming.
You cannot unplug unless you proactively unplug.
If you want to learn how and why to unplug and take a real vacation, this episode is for you.
If you‘re still the one in charge even when you’re not the one in the office, you’ll get a lot out of this conversation.
And if your long hours are hurting yourself, your relationships and your business, click play on the player below to take more time off and still get more done at work.
Listen to this episode to hear me talk with Bill about taking more time off, getting more done at work and more: * Two things that finally forced me to take a vacation. * The lies that make you feel guilty when you take a break. * Societal and technological dynamics that make it harder to unplug. * How your life as a high achiever is like the movie The Matrix. * The bold-faced lie that sacrifice creates success. * The cult of hard work and what it costs. * A bulletproof process for taking more time off. * The backwardness of American culture when it comes to free time.
[CALLOUT]
More time off; less worry:
Our clients spend less time at work and more time at home and on vacation. They do it by getting the systems we reveal in place. These systems get you producing more and worrying less, allowing you to give your best self to your family.
Want this freedom for yourself? Schedule a free 30-minute Freedom Breakthrough Session now.
The worst thing for some men is to get a taste of success.
My guest today is Nicholas Bayerle, the founder of The Billion Dollar Body, a company that coaches men to get their fitness right so the rest of their lives can fall in place.
Nicholas tells me in this episode that he was once the most self-conscious, least self-confident person he’s ever known. As a child, he became the youngest kid in the world to race bikes, which soon led him into motocross, where he wanted to become the best in the world.
After a crushing blow to self-esteem delivered by someone he loved, he dropped his dreams of being a professional motocross racer. In fact, he dropped all his dreams and left his confidence in the dust.
He stopped being hungry for more success.
Less than three months later, he was 25 pounds heavier and enduring tons of ridicule.
At some point, he decided to stop hiding behind a sweatshirt—and that changed his life.
With nothing to hide his extra weight, he was hungry for a better life. That got him back in shape and chasing his life and business dreams.
But at a point when his business was hauling in about $40,000 per month, he became satisfied with what he had achieved.
He lost his drive.
Everything fell apart.
Since then, he’s learned how to stay hungry for more success, even when it feels like he’s accomplished enough.
And he says fitness is the key to it all.
If you have ever felt like you’ve lost your drive, you’ll learn a lot from Nicholas. If you have ever tasted success and let yourself stop growing, this episode is for you. And if you just want to hear an amazing story about a man who was once bullied and now helps rich men find richness in their lives through fitness, click play in the player above.
Listen to this episode to hear Nicholas Bayerle of the Billion Dollar Body discuss with me staying hungry for more success and more: * The five things your fitness needs you to do right (Hint: you do four every day already.) * Becoming the best version of yourself. * Being the youngest bike racer in the world. * Why hunger and drive shouldn’t allow you to run for comfort. * What your top priority should be for growth. * How working out influences all areas of your life. * Why people around you will be more happy than you when you start getting more sleep. * How a weakness comes to be. * Niching down to scale up. * What pushes you toward bad behaviors. * Changing your expectations to change your results.
Books and resources mentioned in this episode: Some of the following links are affiliate links. If you click through and purchase Rusty Lion Academy may get a small commission.
- “No More Mr. Nice Guy,” by Robert Glover
- Billion Dollar Body Live mens’ event
How to contact Nicholas Bayerle, owner of The Billion Dollar Body:
- Website
Get hungry:
Success doesn’t find you. You find success. We can show you the way to stay hungry for more success, even if you’ve already tasted success. Start by applying today for your free 30-minute Freedom Breakthrough Session.
Passion for your family doesn’t have to be just lip service.
This episode will teach you how to not give everything to work so you can give more to your family. The ones you tell me are the most important people and the most important thing in your life
You don’t have to be the shell of a man when you come home from work every day.
If you live in a way where you’re not beating yourself up at work, you’ll live better at home.
In this episode, we provide you with tips and techniques so that you’re filled with the passion you tell me you have for your family.
And part of it is loving what you do at work—without going overboard.
If you’re not doing something you love or doing something you can fall in love with, you bring home less of a man than you could be.
Every day.
If you feel like you give all your energy to work and just want to vegetate once you get home, listen to this episode. If you ever drink yourself to sleep because the stress of the day took too much from you, you’ll love what you hear. And if you want to learn why Steve Jobs hated his life when he was running two of the world’s most successful companies, click play in the player above to get started.
Listen to this episode to hear Bill and I talk about passion that doesn’t quit at home and more: * Why you’re a shell of a man when you come home sometimes. * Unhealthy habits that come with running on empty. * How Steve Jobs felt when running two companies. (Hint: not successful.) * Why to create a stop-doing list. * A sequence we put men through to allow them to bring more passion home. * Why to blame your kindergarten teacher for taking too much on. * How to fill yourself with energy at work instead of depleting it. * Why many men are out of tune like a bad instrument when I first meet them. * How vulnerability improved my life and got me passionate about coming home. * How one client has come to love both going to work and coming home.
Books and resources mentioned in this episode: Some of the following links are affiliate links. If you click through and purchase Rusty Lion Academy may get a small commission.
- The Phone Bed Charging Station.
- “Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World,” by Cal Newport
Get more energy: The men we coach find that their well of energy is deeper than they thought and realize they can be passionate at work and at home. That’s freedom. Sign up for your free 30-minute Freedom Breakthrough Session to get the most of the passion you posess.
When you recognize your top performers, everyone gets better and you make more money as a business owner.
That’s the quick way of saying a recognition culture is powerful and transformative.
My guest today is David Long, the brother of another favorite guest, Randy Long. Like his brother, he’s an author, speaker, entrepreneur and business owner. Unlike his brother, he’s the founder of MyEmployees—a worldwide leader in the employee recognition industry.
You’ve probably seen his employee recognition plaques in Wal-Mart, Target, Lowe’s or in a number of other companies that know the benefits that come from an employee recognition culture.
David tells me the incredible story of the desperate start his business got after he lost seven jobs in three and a half years.
He then tells how a $700 base for his business turned into the $10.5 million business it is now.
He pins most of that growth on the employee recognition culture he inspires in his own business and in others.
To improve your employees, the #1 thing to do is recognize them. David Long of @MyEmployees
If your employees don’t come to work with their A game, listen to this episode. If you want to grow your business, you’ll learn a ton from David Long. And if you just like hearing a great rags to riches story, click play in the player above to get started.
Listen to this episode to hear David Long, CEO of MyEmployees tell me about recognizing employees and more: * Going from a 5 foot by 5 foot office in a garage to outgrowing a 20,000-square-foot building. * Unintentionally shooting for a world record for lost jobs. * The event that got David to say, “Thank you God and what a country!” when he was destitute and living with his wife and three children at his parents house. * Becoming one of the top 1% of businesses throughout history. * How David does employee recognition for his 60 employees. * Taking 30 weeks of vacation without business missing a beat. * Why David’s library is valued at $500,000. * A practice with employees that David says his given him hundred-fold returns. * Getting out of a deep rut—which is just a grave with the ends kicked out.
Books and resources mentioned in this episode: Some of the following links are affiliate links. If you click through and purchase Rusty Lion Academy may get a small commission.
- “Five Major Pieces to the Life Puzzle,” by Jim Rohn
- “Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ,” by Daniel Coleman
- “The ONE Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth Behind Extraordinary Results,” by Gary Keller
- “Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less,” by Greg McKeown
- “The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don't Work and What to Do About It,” by Michael Gerber
- “How to Win Friends & Influence People,” by Dale Carnegie
- Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University
- “Built to Lead: 7 Management R.E.W.A.R.D.S Principles for Becoming a Top 10% Manager,” by David Long (Buy this on Amazon and email davidlong@top10manager.com for a free eBook version and workbook.)
How to contact David Long: Buy David’s book (see above line) and email the address above for a free eBook version. Or, go to myemployees.com or top10manager.com.
Get your ‘A’ team: Employee recognition goes a long way to getting the best team possible in place. If you want to really take your team to another level that will let you work less with fewer worries about work, apply for your free 30-minute Freedom Breakthrough Session today.
Who’s your workplace hero?
Is he on a magazine cover? Does he appear on late-night talk shows? Does this person you admire ever brag about not taking a vacation for the past three years?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, you have probably succumbed to one of the biggest myths ever handed to the American people.
The workplace hero myth is that hard work is always admirable. No matter what.
And it’s a bunch of bull.
In this episode, I walk you this myth as I see it and help you see a better way.
If you’ve ever felt like the people you admire in the workplace work too much, this episode’s for you. If you have felt pulled along by the myth that putting in tons of hours means tons of success, you should listen to this espisode. And if you feel like the most successful men are the ones who actually have time for the things that matter most to them, click play in the player above to get started.
Listen to this episode to hear me discuss what a real workplace hero looks like and more: * Lies men in the workplace believe. * The one attribute that should really define success. * What kinds of hard work you should be doing. * Unmasking the Wizard of Work. * Shortening the curve to personal mastery. * Why Steve Jobs was no success. * How I named my company to keep in mind what was most important. * Three things to do to become a real workplace hero while still being your kids’ hero.
Be a hero: You can spend less time at the office and still get it all done. Then you can be a hero to more than just your employees.
Let us show you a better way with a free 30-minute Freedom Breakthrough Session. We only schedule 10 of these per week, so apply now!
Walt Disney always used to say, “Dream, dare, believe and do.”
But so many men get stuck at the “dream” phase.
My guest today is John Formica, who used to work for Walt Disney World Resorts, and now many people know him as “the ex-Disney guy.” He’s an international speaker, business consultant, and author of “Making the Customer Experience Magical Now!” Down under, they named him Australia’s best experience coach.
For John to take Walt Disney’s advice and “Dream, dare, believe and do,” it took a brush with death. It came on the side of Mt. Rainier when a companion slipped on ice and nearly pulled his entire climbing group over a cliff.
Dream big, go big:
Our clients are sick of dreaming. They want to take their lives to the next level of freedom and fulfillment. Click here to apply for your free 30-minute Freedom Breakthrough Session.
After surviving that experience, he decided it was time to do something more with his life. On the red-eye flight home, he filled a beverage napkin with plans for his new career, and on seven sheets of paper he figured out how to tell his wife.
Guess which was harder.
His point now is that it shouldn’t take almost dying on the side of a mountain for men to wake up from their dreams to dare, believe and do what they know they should do.
If you have dreams, but are afraid of daring to follow through with them, listen to this episode. If you want to hear the story of John’s harrowing experience on Mt. Rainier, this episode’s for you. And if you just have trouble taking action when everything else is aligned, click play on the player above to get started.
Listen to this episode to hear John Formica discuss with me going beyond dreams into an amazing new reality and more: * The professional influence of Walt Disney on one dreamer. * How to make things happen when you’re hitting a wall. * Why you should surround yourself with positivity. * What it feels like to literally hold someone’s life in your hands for 22 minutes. * Why someone told John 860,000 people would have to die for him to get a job. * How a guide was ready to let John die to save two more lives. * The moment when everything started working for John (Hint: It involved hiring a coach!) * How one statement undid two years of John’s hard work. * Why committing to your dreams doesn’t necessarily mean quitting your job. * Getting out of the babysitting business as a leader. * Making more time for magic in your life.
Books and resources mentioned in this episode: Some of the following links are affiliate links. If you click through and purchase Rusty Lion Academy may get a small commission.
- “How to Be Like Walt: Capturing the Disney Magic Every Day of Your Life,” by Pat Williams
- “How to Win Friends & Influence People,” by Dale Carnegie
- “Making the Customer Experience Magical Now!” by John Formica
How to contact John Formica:
Go to johnformica.com.
Find the magic in life:
The men we coach are successful, but feel like they’re missing the magic of a freedom-filled life. Unchain yourself from the things holding you back by applying today for your free 30-minute Freedom Breakthrough Session.
Did you know your body has programming in it that will burn fat, give you more mental clarity and even reverse cancer when activated?
Today, I invited Dr. Michael Vanderschelden on the show to talk about ketogenic eating, a lifestyle that I’ve used on and off in the past few years to lose weight and feel great.
He tells me that 25 peer-reviewed studies have shown ketogenic eating to improve health, dramatically reduce weight and reduce risk for chronic diseases.
This episode will teach you what you need to know to get these benefits.
But for now, the quick take is that it’s a low carbohydrate, high-fat and moderate protein diet that activates a response in your body to switch to fat as its primary fuel source.
Sounds great, right?
If you feel like your mind drifts too often at work, this episode will help you regain focus. If you need to get rid of a spare tire around your waist, take a listen. And if you want to enjoy better health while eating some fantastic foods, click play in the player above to get started.
Listen to this episode to hear me discuss ketogenic eating with Dr. Michael Vanderschelden and more: * The science that makes your body burn fat first instead of using it as a reserve. * Injecting “biodiesel” into your body to run cleaner and more efficiently. * The anti-inflammatory properties of a ketogenic diet. * Getting your mind running in high gear with better fuel. * Awesome foods you can eat within a ketosis lifestyle. * Foods you’ll need to mostly avoid to live a ketogenic lifestyle. * How and when you can cheat on a ketogenic diet. * Why a McDonald’s at a cancer clinic should be considered malpractice. * How often a ketogenic king stays on his ketogenic diet.
How do you improve yourself?
It doesn’t matter who you are, you can become more than what you’ve become. My guest today is evidence of that.
Clayton McLain is the owner of a utility construction company in Bend, Oregon.
But he wasn’t always so respectable. In fact, he tells me in this episode, at one time in his life he reveled in flaunting his disrespectfulness.
That choice led him into drug and alcohol addictions that put him at a lower point than he thought possible.
At that point, Clayton says he knew he could stay the same or make a completely new life for himself.
He chose the new life.
No matter how good you are, you can become more. Via @RustyLionAcad
To do so, he had to distance himself from everyone and everything that had contributed to his way of life. He knew he couldn’t be a “recreational scumbag” on the weekends.
It didn’t happen all at once, but Clayton says always doing the next good thing on his list has helped him become more than he had become.
You may not struggle with drugs and alcohol, but all men struggle with something, so Clayton’s story of self-improvement despite the odds will resonate even with the highest achievers.
If you need a boost of confidence that you can improve your lot in life, this episode’s for you. If you want to know the kinds of goals you should set to improve your life, dive right in. And if you just want to hear the moving story of a man who once had nothing and now leads a great life, click play in the player above to get started.
Listen to this episode to hear Bill and me talk with Clayton about becoming more than you’ve become and more: * Positive traits that come from negative circumstances. * How quickly thought patterns can change negative conditions. * The link between flossing and setting goals. * How to deal with difficult, disobedient children. * The simple habit that can carry you higher than you thought possible. * How small things make a great man. * Why you should keep a to-do list (and put more on it than you thin necessary.) * The case for tackling the worst part of your day first.
Become more:
If you could become more than you are, would you do it? We help guide men every day to becoming better versions of themselves. Apply now for your free 30-minute breakthrough to start becoming more.
To celebrate our 200th episode, we decided to see what has resonated most with our audience.
So we looked back to find out what our top 10 most downloaded podcast episodes of all-time have been.
As you may know, we run a guest episode every Thursday and an episode where Bill and I discuss a relevant topic for businessmen every Monday.
So we broke our top 10 list apart into the top 5 guest episodes and the top 5 Bill and Robert episodes.
The results are worth listening to if you haven’t already.
Or even if you have.
On the guest side, these top 5 episodes will:
- Land you in a Bentley with an extraordinary businessman who found out abruptly about his need to step up his game as a father.
- Take you on a Wisdom Trek with a true southern gentleman who guides small businessmen to success with integrity.
- Drop you deep into the wilderness of cannibals and death rituals with an entrepreneur who started with $4 to his name.
- Let you hear from a four-time Inc. 5000 honoree who guides you toward unstoppable momentum in your life and career.
- Hand you the keys to a billionaire’s mindset—through the eyes of a billionaire who took on Goliaths to get to where he is and now helps others do the same.
On the Robert and Bill side, these top 5 episodes will:
- Pour jet fuel on your life and business.
- Help you face off against your biggest competitor—yourself.
- Give you wisdom that took us years to find in our favorite business books.
- Clue you in to the signs of a weak leader—while guiding you to become the best kind of leader.
- Get you to quit “Yes cocaine” so you can focus on what matters most.
Click play in the player above to get started. Or, skip straight to any of the crowd favorite episodes listed above by clicking through on the links above.
CALLOUT: Why these episodes resonate: Every one of these top 10 episodes has something in common. They guide men toward freedom. Time freedom, location freedom, financial freedom, or a combination of the three. If you want more of any of these, apply for a free 30-minute Freedom Breakthrough session now!
Some think that principles can hurt profits, but when today’s guest learned to practice his principles and values at work, his profits blossomed.
Bobby Albert is the president of Values Driven Leadership, a consulting business focused on teaching the potential of building foundational values into company culture. Bobby says correctly taught and applied values create a profitable atmosphere since employees feel empowered and valuable.
Principles produce profits.
He says he went through a two-year discovery process to unearth his company’s core values of valuing people, seeking wisdom, embracing humility, and always continuing to learn.
After passing these on to his employees through a game of Wheel of Fortune (a creative interaction with employees that’s worth listening to the episode to hear about), Bobby says he watched a miracle unfold.
In only six years, the company grew profits by 500 percent.
CALLOUT: Find what’s important to you: Apply for your free 30-minute Freedom Breakthrough Session to find out the values that can drive your profits without driving you to long hours at the office.
Bobby says that allowing people to believe in that foundation spurred them toward going the extra mile in all their work. That took his company to another level.
In fact, his company became a Top 100 Best Company to Work for in Texas twice.
What a “Best Company to Work For” does to make employees happy while still profiting.
If you feel like your employees don’t put forth their best efforts for your business, listen to this episode. If you want to know how principles can drive profits, take a listen. And if you would rather lead than manage, click play on the player above.
Listen to this episode to hear Bobby and me discuss profits, principles, and more: * Being a values-driven company that gets results instead of a results-driven company that has values. * What Bobby did to get 100% of his employees to take a pay cut during hard times. * Dealing with “me issues” for employees in tough work situations. * Inspiring authenticity in company values. * What employees learned from a game of Wheel of Fortune. * The missing ingredient for your business. * A $4 million mistake and how Bobby bounced back from it. * Why you sometimes need to do pilot testing before going big. * Becoming instead of doing. * Why employees should report to each other, not the boss. * 3 questions to ask before every major decision.
Books and resources mentioned in this episode: Some of the following links are affiliate links. If you click through and purchase Rusty Lion Academy may get a small commission.
- “The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership: Follow Them and People Will Follow You,” by John Maxwell
- “Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap and Others Don't,” by Jim Collins
How to contact Bobby Albert, get his book, or download his free goal-setting resource:
Go to bobbyalbert.com/lionsden.
CALLOUT: Value your values: The men we coach value freedom, but don’t always live true to that value. Unchain yourself from the things holding you down by applying today for your free 30-minute Freedom Breakthrough Session to find out the values that can drive your profits without driving you to long hours at the office.
You don’t have to spend so much time at the office.
Every successful, driven man overstays his welcome at the office because he sees that as a way forward to more freedom. In reality, his drive to get more done at the office is keeping him from getting as much done.
It’s not manly to spend 14 hours per day in front of your computer at the office. Listen to this episode to get more packed into your day so you don’t have to spend so much time at the office.
In this episode, you’ll hear 10 proven, effective ways to get out of the office on time and during the day so you can live a more fulfilling life. This episode is about productivity in that we teach you how to reclaim time you’re losing at the office to needless tasks.
CALLOUT: Too much time at the office? Harness your time freedom by scheduling a free 30-minute Freedom Breakthrough Session today.
If you want freedom to live your workday you want to live it, listen to this episode. If you feel like you should be getting more done at the office, listen up. And if you want to know how to get home on time for dinner, click play in the player above to learn how to spend less time at the office.
Listen to this episode to hear Bill and me discuss 10 ways to spend less time at the office and more: * The power of correctly prioritized to-do lists. * The kinds and frequencies of the breaks you should be taking. * How to take a month-long vacation every year. * Streamlining your week by using your best energy on Monday and Tuesday. * Whipping yourself to work better. * The right way to set deadlines for yourself. * A mental trick to get you working when you don’t want to work. * Using your competitive nature to get home on time.
Books and resources mentioned in this episode: Some of the following links are affiliate links. If you click through and purchase Rusty Lion Academy may get a small commission.
- “Meetings Suck: Turning One of the Most Loathed Elements of Business into One of the Most Valuable,” by Cameron Herold
Spend less time at the office, and more time living a fulfilling life Business is about all kinds of freedom – financial freedom, time freedom, and location freedom.
Even so, too many men achieve the financial freedom while losing all their time and location freedoms.
Let us help you spend less time at the office with a free 30-minute Freedom Breakthrough Session. We only schedule 10 of these per week, so apply now!
One great decision can take your business to new heights, so why not make a whole bunch of them?
My guest today is Patrick McDaniel, the founder of wiseinsights.net, a former accountant and pastor, and a current paid social media strategist.
His website is designed to help motivated people avoid unnecessary pains by finding the surest path to a better life. And that path, he tells me in this episode, is paved with good decisions.
To help people shortcut the path to making better decisions, Patrick created the definitive guide to decision-making. He drew on thought leaders, science, research, and yes, even religion to help people make the best decisions possible.
CALLOUT Decide now to improve your life Open up your time, unlock your potential, and take your business to new heights of freedom. The choice is yours. Apply for your free 30-minute Freedom Breakthrough Session today.
Patrick tells me in this episode that most decisions aren’t black and white, so the fact that so many people see them that way is a major part of the problem.
If decisions are black and white to you, business is going to turn you black and blue.
If you see decisions this way, listen to this episode to open up your mind to a better way. If you find you make too many bad decisions, learn about Patrick’s five-step process to make better decisions. And if you just want to know how the heck an accountant turned pastor turned paid social media strategist looks at marketing psychology, then this is the episode for you.
Click play in the player above to get started.
Listen to this episode to hear Patrick McDaniel tell me about making better decisions and more: * How pastoring influences a paid social strategist * Finding the motivation behind buying behavior through psychology. * An Eleanor Roosevelt quote that will help you banish fear. * Learning to rewire your brain. * How failure makes you more useful. * How to increase your mental muscle. * Why you’re not afraid to try with the growth mindset. * One word that will open the growth mindset to you. * One word that will hold you back from growth. * How everyone can make better decisions. * The surprising problem with yes-no decisions. * Warning flags for making bad decisions.
Books and resources mentioned in this episode: Some of the following links are affiliate links. If you click through and purchase Rusty Lion Academy may get a small commission.
- “Decisive: How to Make Better Choices in Life and Work,” by Chip and Dan Heath
- “Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions,” by Dan Ariely
- “The Magic of Thinking Big,” by David Schwartz
- “Mindset: The New Psychology of Success,” by Carol Dweck
- “The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business,” by Charles Duhigg
- “Thinking, Fast and Slow,” by Daniel Kahneman
- “The 4:8 Principle: The Secret to a Joy-Filled Life,” by Tommy Newberry
How to connect with Patrick McDaniel: You can get in touch with Patrick McDaniel through his website or download his guide to making better decisions there for free.
CALLOUT Make better decisions Indecision is a decision, so deciding not to try something new and return to the things that have always gotten you nowhere is your decision to make. Or you could open up your time, unlock your potential, and take your business to new heights of freedom. The choice is yours. Apply for your free 30-minute Freedom Breakthrough Session today.
If you’re not sleeping well enough, you’re not as successful as you could be.
We’ve been where you are now: Tired all the time because we let our business drive crowd good sleep right out of our lives. Taking a little more time at the end of the day for yourself because the day was so long and hectic. Getting out of a sleep rhythm because of work demands.
But we can help you solve the problem, and solving the problem will make you more successful.
Your time asleep is almost as valuable to your success as your time awake.
Listen to this episode if any of the following are true for you. I can say for me that every one of these has been a problem at some point. Collectively, they’ll kill you slowly.
- You have too much on your mind to sleep well.
- Your bedroom isn’t a sleep sanctuary free of electronics and distractions.
- Too much light filters into your room.
- Noises wake you up at night.
- You don’t give yourself a bedtime and go to sleep at wildly fluctuating times.
- You sleep in a warm bedroom.
- You’ve got no bedtime ritual.
For us, it took career changes and other habitual life changes, but we, and many of our clients, now recognize good sleep as the lynchpin of success.
After implementing the advice we’re about to give you, I wake up before dawn every morning ready for success. My clients have seen similar results.
If you wake up at night consistently and feel driven to work, this episode’s for you. If you sleep less than 7.5 hours every night, listen up. And if you want more success and don’t feel like you know how to get it, click play on the player above.
Good sleep is the secret to success.
Roar like a lion, men, and sleep like one too.
Listen to this episode to hear Bill and me discuss sleeping better for success and more: * The success one of our clients found that all started with better sleep. * Why and how sleep deprivation impairs you. * The 7 causes of poor sleep we see most often. * Why lack of sleep might be triggering your lack of confidence or pessimism. * How to create a “sleep and sex sanctuary” in your bedroom. * One reason why you shouldn’t emulate Arnold Schwarzenegger. * How drinking yourself to sleep will keep you up all night. * The thing you should do every day to sleep better at night.
Books and resources mentioned in this episode: Some of the following links are affiliate links. If you click through and purchase Rusty Lion Academy may get a small commission.
- A product I use during the day to help me sleep better at night.
- Something that gives me sunshine during the day in my office, and helps me get tired at night.
- “Sleep Smarter: 21 Essential Strategies to Sleep Your Way to A Better Body, Better Health, and Bigger Success,” by Shawn Stevenson
Do this next to love your work – and the rest of your life too: Want the freedom to sleep better at night?
We can give it to you in 30 minutes, and break open your freedom to perform in all areas of your life.
Apply for your free 30-minute Freedom Breakthrough Session to love your work more, and love the rest of your life, too.
Click here to get started. It’s free.
How close are you to your ideal lifestyle?
John Bowen is living his, and knows how you can build the lifestyle you want. And he does it by teaching his clients tactics and insights from the super wealthy elite who have been his clientele in the past.
John is a top business coach for financial advisors as the founder and CEO of CEG Worldwide, which is about to become an eight-figure business. In that role, he runs a mastermind group for 200 top financial advisors to help them become “seriously wealthy.”
Insights of the super wealthy can help you build the lifestyle you want. Via @RustyLionAcad
John says that only about half of financial advisors know about the new, advanced financial planning techniques he uses, and less than 10 percent of those use them for individual clients.
Even with such amazing reach, John works from his 1,600-square-foot pool house/office in Silicon Valley with zero actual employees.
In this episode, learn how to build the lifestyle you want—one filled with freedom and prosperity—by using principles and insights that extraordinarily wealthy people use. If you want to live a long life and enjoy every minute, this episode is for you. And if you want to build a lifestyle filled with more freedom while loving the work you do, click play in the player above to get started.
It’s never too late to build the lifestyle you want.
It’s not too late to have a 25-year plan at age 70. Via @RustyLionAcad
Listen to this episode to hear John Bowen, CEO and Founder of CEG Worldwide, tell how to build the lifestyle you want and more: * Becoming the largest advisory group at Charles Schwab. * Why people playing golf five days per week don’t have a great quality of life. * How building other business owners’ lifestyle is the ideal lifestyle for John. * Why John isn’t a politician now. * Living to 120 and loving every minute. * How to let the market dictate to you what it needs. * Why to never personally guarantee your business ventures. (Awesome story alert!) * Using empirical evidence to trump your gut instincts. * The one discipline that can help you become more successful. * How to continually improve your lifestyle.
Books and resources mentioned in this episode: Some of the following links are affiliate links. If you click through and purchase Rusty Lion Academy may get a small commission.
- “The Perfect Day Formula: How to Own the Day and Control Your Life,” by Craig Ballantyne
- “The Wealth Management Edge: Unlocking the Wealth-building Secrets of America's Most Successful Affluent Families,” by John Bowen
- John’s Free book! Co-written with Dan Sullivan and Joe Polish! “The State of the Entrepreneur”
How to connect with John Bowen, CEO and Founder of CEG Worldwide: * AES Nation Podcast * CEG Worldwide
Do this next to build the lifestyle you want: You can have it all.
Freedom to go big at work, but get home with time and energy to enjoy your family each evening.
Those freedoms start by joining our movement, a movement and brotherhood of men who want that lifestyle for themselves. All without waiting until life has told them they’re successful.
Apply for your free 30-minute Freedom Breakthrough Session to build a lifestyle that stokes a fire under your business and your family life—at the same time.
Then prepare to see behind the curtain of your own mind.
Eighty percent of Americans are unhappy at work, and my guest today wants to cure that epidemic.
Many people aren’t ready to make The Leap into a new phase in their careers and just want to enjoy the work they have more. For that reason, Robert Dickie III wrote “Love Your Work: 4 Practical Ways You Can Pivot to Your Best Career.”
Robert is the president of Crown Financial Ministries, a nonprofit personal-finance policy and education organization that focuses on whole-life stewardship. In that role, he’s had a lot of opportunities to talk with people who feel trapped in their work.
Some are still holding onto a job they were happy just to have during the Great Recession. Others can’t move on from a business they started or don’t know what to move toward. Regardless, many people stop being happy at work.
Much of society spends most of their life in pain and misery at work. You can love your work. Via @RustyLionAcad LINK
“People chase what they think will give them happiness or success without doing a lot of due diligence on the front end,” Robert tells me in this episode.
If you find yourself going through the motions at work every day and watching the clock, this episode could change your life. If you feel like you don’t know what could make you happy at work, listen up. And if you want some rock-solid advice on conquering fear and inaction, Robert’s got you covered.
Click play in the player above to get started.
Listen to this episode to hear Robert Dickie III discuss how to love your work and more: * Getting past a life of “quiet desperation.” * Laying the groundwork for true happiness in your career. * Why you should have mentors in their 20s if you’re over age 40. * The two words that will help your career take off. * Building a compelling vision, even if you run a tire shop. * Why action leads to clarity and opportunity. * The surprising reason you might want to get away from your business for a while. * A new educational tool that could help you find your best career opportunities – even if you don’t change jobs or careers. * The dying economy and what’s replacing it.
Books and resources mentioned in this episode: Some of the following links are affiliate links. If you click through and purchase Rusty Lion Academy may get a small commission.
- Robert Dickie III’s first interview on this podcast – Episode 21 * “Love Your Work: 4 Practical Ways You Can Pivot to Your Best Career,” by Robert Dickie III
- “The Leap: Launching Your Full-Time Career in Our Part-Time Economy,” by Robert Dickie III
- Coursera
- Edx
- Udacity
How to connect with Robert Dickie III, President of Crown Financial Ministries: * Crown Financial Ministries * Robert Dickie’s blog
Do this next to love your work – and the rest of your life too: Do you ever feel like you have potential inside you can’t quite access? Most high-performing men feel it.
Hiding behind some interior obstacle is a better man trying to crank up your life.
Our calling in life as freedom coaches is to find those obstacles and remove them form your life so you’re free to excel as a businessman, a father, and a husband—all at once. You don’t have to give up in one area of your life to unlock your potential in another. Unlocking your potential with our proprietary system will unlock it for your whole life.
And you’ll have freedom you didn’t know was possible.
Apply for your free 30-minute Freedom Breakthrough Session to love your work more, and love the rest of your life, too.
Click here to get started. It’s free.
You’ve probably heard of CrossFit, but my world champion guest today takes it to another level.
Michael Cazayoux is CEO of brUTE Strength Training, which teaches people how to train to become a world champion CrossFitter. By the way, Michael is a two-time world champion for CrossFit. With his team, he won the CrossFit Affiliate World Cup Championship in 2012 and 2013.
But when he started CrossFit, he was getting last place in his classes every day.
“I’m not a freak athlete that walked into the gym and was crushing everybody,” he tells me in this episode.
Michael says he believes any average person can become more if they put in the time and effort, a mentality that applies in fitness, business, and life.
I talk to Michael about what you can do to get in shape quickly and stay in shape. We go over some of the techniques he’s used to increase his physical, mental, and emotional fitness. His fitness, you could say, crosses multiple areas of his life.
The key sticking point to get in shape, he says, is to get into a solid routine.
A routine helps you trust yourself more and builds confidence.
If you feel like business has taken out of you the desire to remain physically fit, listen up. If you would like to work out more but feel like you don’t have time, this episode’s for you. And if you find yourself slipping on fitness goals you set for yourself, Michael has something you need to hear.
Click play on the player above to begin.
Listen to this episode to hear Michael Cazayoux, CrossFit world champion and CEO of Brute Strength Training, tell how to get in shape quickly and effectively and more: * Overcoming drug addiction to become a world champion. * Sports performance psychology and the link to failed fitness resolutions. * How many minutes per day you should work into your routine for fitness. (It’s not as many as you may think necessary.) * Why you should pay attention to your personality type when setting up your diet and exercise routines. * Goal-setting that won’t make you feel like giving up too soon. * The link between play and whole-life performance. * Exercises that work to help you get in shape, and fast! * The biggest “bang for the buck” in exercise to get in shape. * When you should work out and why. * The life-changing relationship reason Michael uses on old-school alarm clock to wake up.
Books and resources mentioned in this episode: * Simon Sinek on Millennials in the Workplace video * The longer version of Simon’s point of view. * “On Fire: The 7 Choices to Ignite a Radically Inspired Life,” by John O’Leary * “The Perfect Day Formula: How to Own the Day and Control Your Life,” by Craig Ballantyne * “Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead,” by Dr. Brené Brown
How to connect with Michael Cazayoux, CEO of Brute Strength Training: * Business Instagram and personal Instagram * Business mail and personal email
Do this next to get in shape in all areas of your life. You want to turn your wife’s head. But you also need a business that’s fit, more productivity, a social life that suits you, and a family life that rocks.
Guess what? You can have it all.
Let us tell you how to become more well-rounded in all areas of your life so you can open yourself to greater freedom!
Apply for your free 30-minute Freedom Breakthrough Session to get in shape in all areas of your life.
Click here to change your life.
Does everything you do fit with your highest calling? Or are you staying in the weeds more often than you probably should?
Delegation gives you more freedom, so you’ll want to figure this stuff out. Like a ninja.
In this episode, we guide you through the tactics that expert, ninja-level delegators use to put tasks in the right hands. And by the way, that’s not their own hands.
It’s taken us a while to learn this, but we’re reaching new heights and want to teach you how to do the same for your delegation skills.
Listen up as we explore the excuses too many business owners use to avoid delegation. Then we’ll teach how to get past such flawed reasoning to become an expert delegator living your highest calling at work all day every day.
We’ll give you secrets of delegation that we only recently learned ourselves, and help you perfect your workflows so you don’t have to be in the middle of every project.
If you think you’re a Superman that has to do it all, this episode’s for you. If you founded your business and still hang on to too much of the work you were doing as a solopreneur, listen up. And if you want to get more out of each and every day at the office, Bill and I are going to help you get more ninja skills.
Click play on the player above to get started.
Listen to this episode to hear me talk with Bill about tactics for dang good delegation and more: * Why Bill worked from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. in corporate America and why you don’t have to. * The nearly catastrophic failures that led us to learn delegation. * A personality trait that drives poor delegators more than anything. * The hidden connection between freedom and delegation. * 6 excuses we hear all the time for poor delegation and how to overcome them. * The four steps a master delegator follows to get results. * Two things we recently learned to delegate we didn’t think were possible before. * The dos and don’ts of delegation. * Benefits you’ll see personally and in your business from good delegation.
Books and resources mentioned to learn tactics of master delegation: Some of the following links are affiliate links. If you click through and purchase them, we may receive a small commission on your purchase.
- “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change,” by Stephen R. Covey
- com
Do this next to improve your ninja skills for delegation: A lot of men struggle with delegation skills. If you’re one of them, you’re not alone.
Many of the men who come to us are frazzled and worn out from doing everything themselves to keep their business running smoothly.
We get that. But we also know a better way.
Get on a call with us. Go to helpmegetmoretime.com to sign up for a free 30-minute Freedom Breakthrough Session that will help you lead your business through better delegation and root out some other issues you’re probably facing as well.
Click here to change your life.
Marketing and markets are changing, and if you get left behind, so will your profits.
That's what horse farmers found out too late after Henry Ford changed everything. And a digital shift of similar proportions is ongoing today.
My guest today is on the leading edge of the shifts happening in digital marketing. As the host of the Onward Nation podcast and CEO of Predictive ROI, Stephen embraces the future of marketing and helps other businesses do the same. Particularly through business-to-business marketing in the podcasting sphere.
And even though things are completely different now than they were 10 or 15 years ago in marketing, Stephen says business owners need to understand how it all works—even if they don’t do it all themselves.
You have to be engaged in the practical side of your business.
He learned this lesson in a big way when talking to Google’s digital marketing evangelist, Avinash Kaushik. Stephen asked Avinash what he would tell a business owner who doesn’t want to pay attention to the shift and all the new moving parts of digital marketing. The answer made a lot of sense.
“Do you want to be rich, or do you want to be poor?”
In this episode, we talk about some ways a business owner can stay current, talk about how podcasting has changed the game for many business owners, and how long-term trends will buck you if you’re not paying attention.
Regardless of your industry.
Don’t get left behind. Click play in the player above to hear this excellent interview with Stephen Woessner.
Listen to this episode to hear Stephen Woessner tell me about growing and going with digital marketing and more: * Managing inventory and cost at age 10. * How checking a box can land you working on intercontinental ballistic missiles. * Why delegating things you don’t understand first is a bad idea. * Using podcast guests as a prospect pipeline. * Shooing your voice of doubt. * How Stephen lost $250,000 in an early stage business despite having Darren Hardy and Ritz Carlton on his side. * Why your value needs to come across clearly. * What you can learn from a Greek immigrant with a third-grade education. * Why Stephen’s grandfather gave away tons of soup during the impression (Warning: Tear jerker moment, here.) * A “silly” answer that’s just about perfect.
Books and resources mentioned in this episode: * "Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy Seals Lead and Win,” by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin * “The Small Business Owner's Handbook to Search Engine Optimization: Increase Your Google Rankings, Double Your Site Traffic...In Just 15 Steps – Guaranteed,” by Stephen Woessner * “Increase Online Sales Through Viral Social Networking,” by Stephen Woessner * “Profitable Podcasting: Grow Your Business, Expand Your Platform, and Build a Nation of True Fans,” by Stephen Woessner
How to connect with Stephen Woessner: * Onward Nation Podcast * Predictive ROI * Email * Website
Do this next to grow your company—without screwing up your life: Marketing is exhausting. Growing a company is hard work.
But if winning at work keeps you from winning at home, you’re losing at life.
Can we clue you in on a little secret? You can have it all. Freedom to go big at the office and still go big for the ones you love.
Apply for your free 30-minute Freedom Breakthrough Session to start making your ordinary home life extraordinary while making your work life even more awesome.
Click here to change your life.
Remember those anti-drug commercials that cracked an egg into a sizzling frying pan and compared it to your brain on drugs?
Well, you’re doing basically the same thing to your mind if you’re multitasking throughout your life. Especially if you’re constantly switching between digital data streams like email, Slack, Twitter, texts, and more.
Don’t Alt+tab your brain into a frying pan.
Digital multitasking tricks your brain into tons of small, quick releases of the feel-good compound dopamine. Every time you check your email, dismiss a notification, or hop into another program to take care of something you thought of just now, you get that small hit. Even if something is a dead end—like checking an empty inbox for the 50th time today—you still get that release.
Multitasking creates a positive feedback loop for negative behaviors.
The human mind isn’t well-equipped to switch tasks super efficiently. Because of this, the digital revolution of browser tabs, notifications, and smartphones that are supposed to enhance productivity is actually harming it.
In a big way.
PIC OF TOO MANY TABS OPEN
In this episode, we dive into a study that was trying to find out what made multitaskers better, only to find out all the things that make them worse.
What we reveal will tell you why to change the way you work and how to do it. You’ll get real, actionable advice that will take your work to the next level by cutting the distractions caused by digital multitasking.
Business men are serial multitaskers, but that’s hurting productivity.
We also reveal why multitaskers have problems in their home life and how to phase them out.
Multitaskers have a hard time paying attention to family.
Click play in the player above to get started.
Listen to this episode to hear me talk with Bill about why you need to quit multitasking: * Why I was wrong about multitasking back in the day. * Two websites to avoid if you want more productivity. * The invisible cognitive cost of Alt+tabbing. * How you’re losing 3 hours of productivity from multitasking. * Why multitaskers have trouble paying attention to family. * Prioritization that works. * Three words that can help you have more time.
Books and resources mentioned: Some of the following links are affiliate links. If you click through and purchase them, we may receive a small commission on your purchase.
- “Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World,” by Cal Newport
- The episode where we review “Deep Work” as one of our favorite business books of 2016.
- Alinof timer for iPhone. (Free)
- “Overworked and Overwhelmed: The Mindfulness Alternative,” by Scott Eblin
- “The 80/20 Principle: The Secret to Achieving More with Less,” by Richard Koch
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Do this next to quit your multitasking addiction: Multitasking is a huge addiction for driven and accomplished men. But we can give you the keys to a life that’s more free to go big at the office and still go big at home.
Get on a call with us. Go to helpmegetmoretime.com to sign up for a free 30-minute Freedom Breakthrough Session that will help you lead your business without the scourge of multitasking.
Click here to change your life.
At what point does your hard work go from being an asset to a liability?
My guest today has the answer to that question. Jarrod Warren runs a top-ranked financial service in Dallas and Houston, Texas and also runs a highly ranked podcast called Success 101 Podcast.
As a small-town boy who wanted to go big, Jarrod put the work ethic he inherited from his father to move out of his comfort zone as quickly as possible. He soon became the National New Client Leader for the 8,000-member financial services firm he worked for by bringing in 177 new clients in a year.
By the time he got married, his hard work was paying dividends and taking its toll.
Work will work on you if you’re not careful with it.
Desperation drove his hard work, he tells me in this episode, but the desperation never left no matter his results.
“When things were good, I couldn’t let my foot off the gas,” he says. “I was in a big state of self sabotage just trying to crank it out and muscle it all the time.”
Is your hard work paying off? Or are you paying for your hard work?
For Jarrod, his hard work made him a success on paper, but led him to rock bottom at the same time as he sacrificed some things he couldn’t get back.
If your hard work stems from the wrong mindset, it can absolutely destroy you.
In this episode, Jarrod teaches how to determine if your hard work is noble or self-sabotaging. He tells his incredible story of hitting rock bottom before learning to make hard work labor for him, not against him.
If you find your hard work taking a toll on your body and your family, listen to this episode. If you feel burnt out and cynical because of all the work you’ve put in to build your business, give Jarrod a listen. And if you want to free yourself from the perils of hard work for the wrong reason, click play on the player above.
Listen to this episode to hear Jarrod Warren tell me about how hard work can sabotage you and more: * Why hard work is the answer, but also the problem. * The power of mindset in telling your own success story. * Cheesy affirmations that can change your life. * One tool that can strengthen you or tear you down. * What rock bottom looks like for a hard worker. * The two lessons that led Jarrod to success. * Why you need to fail. * Problems of sleep deprivation for a type A personality.
Books and resources to keep you from the self-sabotage of too much hard work: * “Hacking Leadership: The 11 Gaps Every Business Needs to Close and the Secrets to Closing Them Quickly,” by Mike Myatt * “From Success to Significance: A Step-By-Step Guide to Your Best Future,” by Jarrod Warren and Curtis Estes * Efanr Sports Invisible in Ear Smallest Mini Bluetooth 4.0 Headset with Hands-free Calling Stereo
How to connect with Jarrod Warren: * Website * Email * Success 101 Podcast * Facebook * Instagram
Do this next to work harder, hold the self-sabotage: We coach men like Jarrod (and you) who work hard and still feel like they can do more. But sometimes, like Jarrod, men lose sight of the most important things because they’re overly focused on their work.
If that has a ring of truth to you, give us 30 minutes and we’ll help you move in the right direction toward a more balanced life. Your hard work can work for you, not against you if you know the secrets we teach.
Book your free 30-minute Freedom Breakthrough Session to get the most of life—not just work.
Click here to change your life.
Do you run your family? Or do you let your wife do the heavy lifting?
In this episode, we pull back the curtains in the lives of the business men we coach to show you that, in reality, most high-powered men at work willingly give up their power at home.
That makes your wife the CEO, CFO, CTO, COO, CMO, and Chief Fun Officer of your family. With her taking up all those roles, that barely leaves men the role of “Daddy.”
The goal of this episode isn’t to beat you up; it’s to wake you up to the different roles you can and should be fulfilling at home. We’ll tell you about times we got it right and times we totally failed. We’ll also share encouraging examples of men acting as CEO of their family that you can follow.
You can do this, guys!
Believe it or not, your wife wants you to make a decision, even though she may act like she doesn’t sometimes.
Your wife wants you to be the CEO of your home, even if she currently holds the reins.
As the CEO, you have similar duties to perform strategically at home that you’re already performing at work if you’re a CEO or C-level executive. You need to be the visionary, the provider, the role model, and more for your family.
If you hand off the role as leader of your family to your wife, this episode’s for you. If you provide for your family with money, but not with your presence at home, listen up. And if you’re not as strategic about home life as you are with your business, you’re in the right place.
Click play on the player above to get started.
“Be as strategic as a father and husband as you are as the CEO of your company." Richard Rossi via @RustyLionAcad
Listen to this episode to hear me talk with Bill about fathers and husbands acting as Family CEO and more: * Why you need to involve your board in all major family decisions and who your board is. * The time Bill’s wife drew a line in the sand telling him he needed to be CEO of the family. * Why you don’t have to wait until you’re a single father to act as your family’s chief executive officer. * The reason your wife leads the family right now. * How to get the freedom to lead at work and at home. * Four roles you need to fulfill at home that your wife is probably filling right now. * How NYT bestselling author Garrett Gunderson learned to step up as CEO of his family. * The one thing your wife dreams, prays, and wishes for every day. * How Robert resigned from his job to be the head of his home.
Do this next to become your family’s CEO: Feel like you can’t take on the responsibility of Family CEO? We know why. We’ve been where you stand now and recognize that you’ve given up some freedom to lead your family because of your work life.
Want the freedom to go big at the office and still go big at home?
Get on a call with us. Go to helpmegetmorefreedom.com to sign up for a free 30-minute Freedom Breakthrough Session that will help you figure out how to lead in business and in your home.
Click here to change your life.
Ever dream of making money while you sleep?
That’s exactly what John Lagoudakis did for a good portion of his career. In this episode, he guides me through the process that made him one of the top affiliate marketers in the world within two years of starting up.
He’s been featured in the New York Times bestseller “Get Rich Click! The Ultimate Guide to Making Money on the Internet,” and also published several of his own books about marketing and online business.
John worked at McDonald’s and a painter’s assistant at his father’s business as a teenager, and came to realize that there are easier ways to make money.
He stumbled onto affiliate marketing, started testing the water, and was psyched when he made $2 in revenue for $1 in online advertising.
After that, he started funneling his time and money into the model, dodging sketchy business models along the way.
Though he’s mostly moved away from affiliate marketing, John now helps businessmen build marketing funnels that make sense. All without paying SEO companies hundreds or thousands of dollars monthly to see limited results.
In this episode, you’ll hear some of the tactics used by the world’s most visited sites to get you to pay attention to what matters. And you’ll hear it coming from an awesome Australian accent.
If you want more traffic to your website and to start making money while you sleep, this is the episode for you.
Click play in the player above to get started.
Listen to this episode to hear John Lagoudakis tell me about how to make money in your sleep and more: * Why your homepage is probably trying too hard. * The only two things every homepage needs to have. * How to “print money” on demand. (Legally, of course.) * Why you should concentrate on paid traffic before chasing free traffic. * Big mistakes most business owners make when it comes to online marketing. * Lessons learned from putting too many eggs in one basket. (And losing 90% of revenue overnight.) * Why it may be a mistake to put time limits on your highest priorities.
Books and resources you can read to help you make money in your sleep: * “The Lean Startup: How Today's Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation to Create Radically Successful Businesses,” by Eric Ries * “The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don't Work and What to Do About It,” by Michael Gerber * “The Road Less Traveled: A New Psychology of Love, Traditional Values and Spiritual Growth,” by M. Scott Peck
How to connect with John Lagoudakis: You can get in touch with John Lagoudakis through his website or by listening to his podcast on iTunes or Stitcher.
Do this next: Part of the reason John leaped into business for himself and started almost literally printing money is that he wanted more freedom. If that’s why you went into business but can’t seem to have lost more freedom than you gained, we want to help.
We offer free 30-minute Freedom Breakthrough Sessions that will help you figure out how to steal back your life from business.
Click here to get the freedom you deserve.
Work-life balance for businessmen is a myth like unicorns and the yeti—but scheduling your whole life is the secret of getting as close as possible.
Most men measure their success by how much they get done at work. But your family measures your success as a husband and father by how much time you give to them.
And unless you schedule that time, it will never get done because your measure of success will take over.
My partner Bill and I have been on both sides of this issue, and have seen our family lives become far greater because of it.
Because you’re overscheduled at work, you’re underscheduled at home. Via @RustyLionAcad
In this episode, we reveal eight pro tips for scheduling your family life as well as you probably schedule your work life.
When you’re well-scheduled at work, you can concentrate on your wife and your kids when you’re not. Via @RustyLionAcad
If you feel even slight discomfort about the way you manage your time at home or the office, this episode is for you. If you feel like you work too much and have little left to give your family when you’re done, click play on the player above. And if you need a little magic to improve your family relationships, we’ll hand you the magic wand in this episode.
Listen to this episode to hear Bill Watkins and I talk about scheduling for work-life balance and more: * Why if you win at work and lose at home, you’re still losing at life. * The need for sophisticated time management systems at work and home. * How to blow your wife away on Friday afternoons. * A rule of thumb for scheduling every day so you’re never overwhelmed but always effective. * Appointing your wife as the CEO of fun. * Why you should never multi-task. * The second-best thing I’ve started doing in 2017. * How cutting back on your message checking will improve your response rate. * Seven things you should put on your schedule at home.
Books and resources mentioned in this episode that will help your work-life balance: * Our free guide to help you Own Your Time. * “4,000 Questions for Getting to Know Anyone and Everyone,” by Barbara Ann Kipfer
Do this next to improve your work-life balance: The key to the best work-life balance is absolute control over your time. This is the heart of what we teach our clients.
If you know you could do better with your time management, you owe it to yourself to get on a free 30-minute call with us.
After your free 30-minute Freedom Breakthrough Session, we’re confident we can give you back a minimum of three hours of each week. Not a bad return on a 30-minute investment, right?
Click here to schedule your Freedom Breakthrough Session now.
The shift from scarcity to abundance can happen with a single investment.
Today’s guest is New York Times bestselling author Garrett Gunderson, the author of “Killing Sacred Cows: Overcoming the Financial Myths That Are Destroying Your Prosperity,” and “What Would the Rockefellers Do?: How the Wealthy Get and Stay That Way ... and How You Can Too.” He’s also the founder of Wealth Factory.
Garret Gunderson came from a blue-collar background in the coalmining country of central Utah.
His family came from an attitude of scarcity, but he made the mind shift to abundance instead. With $5,000 he won from a young entrepreneur challenge, he decided to break from his family’s hoarding nature and invest it instead while he was at college.
People live in scarcity without realizing it. Make the shift to abundance. @GBGunderson via @RustyLionAcad
Within six months of graduating from college, he made more than his mentor grandfather had made in the last six working years of his life.
To hear about Garrett Gunderson’s journey from coal country to driving a Bentley, listen to this episode by clicking play on the player above. To hear stories about how breaking his leg and losing his business partners in a plane wreck opened up the abundance mentality in him, listen up. And if you just want to know how a successful man can be a great husband and father, Garrett’s got some advice for you there, too.
You’re really missing out if you skip this episode. Garrett offers a lot of value to listeners.
Shift to the producer paradigm so you can give the world more than you take. @GBGunderson via @RustyLionAcad
Listen to this episode to hear Garrett Gunderson tell me about shifting from the scarcity mindset to the abundance mindset and more: * Investing in alignment with what you know best. * Why seasoned investors value cash more than investments. * Returning more than 40% on investments after 9/11. * 20 rules to get rich. * Why entrepreneurs need the abundance mindset. * The plane crash that killed Garrett’s business partners and opened up his creativity. * Why Garrett forked over $270,000 to someone to whom he gave bad advice. * Real steps you can take to be an extraordinary husband and father even as your career stays strong. * Chasing depth over perfection.
Get New York Times bestselling author Garrett Gunderson’s books for free: * To get “Killing Sacred Cows: Overcoming the Financial Myths That Are Destroying Your Prosperity,” and “What Would the Rockefellers Do?: How the Wealthy Get and Stay That Way ... and How You Can Too,” text 801-396-7211 with “KSC” as the subject for “Killing Sacred Cows,” or “WWRD” for “What Would the Rockefellers Do?”
Another book that can help you switch from the scarcity mindset to abundance: * “Give and Take: Why Helping Others Drives Our Success,” by Adam Grant
How to connect with Garrett Gunderson: You can get in touch with Garrett Gunderson through his website.
Do this next to switch to an abundance mindset: Mindset, mindset, mindset, Lions!
If you struggle to see the abundance mindset in your life, let us help you.
We offer free 30-minute Freedom Breakthrough Sessions that will help you figure out where to best focus your efforts to achieve an extraordinary life.
Click here to change your life.
When was the last time you felt like it was impossible for you to win in business?
Well, the New England Patriots probably felt that at about 21-0 last weekend while my Atlanta Falcons were stomping them. They probably still felt it at 28-9 going into the fourth quarter.
But with only one quarter left and a whole lot of intensity and self-belief, they pulled off the biggest Super Bowl comeback of all time and broke some records along the way.
Hate to say it, but I’ve got a whole lot of respect for a team that can pull that off, even if they did take the Super Bowl from my team in the process.
In this episode, we examine what the Patriots did to win in that last quarter when all seemed lost.
We also guide you through some of our own fourth-quarter deficits—the moments in our lives and businesses when it seemed like a comeback was completely impossible. And yet we still managed to win.
Last, we teach you how to harness your own potential so you can do it yourself—all in 90 days—one quarter.
Make adjustments to your game to turn things around in one quarter
If the Patriots can snatch the Super Bowl from my Falcons in one quarter, what can you do for your business in a single quarter?
Click play on the player above to find out or download this episode on Stitcher or iTunes.
Listen to this episode to hear Bill Watkins and me talk about one-quarter business turnarounds and more: * Putting your head down and going to work when your Super Bowl seems lost. * The adjustments the Patriots made to win the Super Bowl (and what you can learn from them.) * A year of defective product that nearly ruined Bill’s career. * The Rolex Bill didn’t even know I had and the one-quarter turnaround that got it for me. * Why my fourth-quarter deficit involved death threats and me carrying a gun to work. * A four-step plan for a 90-day business turnaround. * Why it took us $150,000 to figure out our marketing. * Three words to hold onto when things get tough. * Why Tom Brady and the Patriots could have talked themselves out of winning the Super Bowl. * The fourth-quarter deficit that landed Bill in the hospital just before he became a national champion cyclist. * A mindset for your calendar that will help you achieve more.
Resources mentioned to help your turnaround: Download 5 Steps to Accomplish Anything How Just a Few Simple Changes Can Help You Get Things Done for free!
Do this next to turn your business around in 90 days: You can do it, guys! You can win your Super Bowl, even if it feels like you’re down and out.
We help men like you who have felt like you feel. Now they use words like “exuberant” to describe how they feel every day. Let us help coach you to your win!
To make it easier, we want to give you a free 30-minute Freedom Breakthrough Session.
In your free video call, you’ll find yourself face-to-face with Bill or me, Robert. We’ll guide you toward unlocking your potential and winning your business Super Bowl—all without hurting your relationships and the things you value most.
Click here to get started.
Most entrepreneurs want to help people with their business, but today’s guest takes that to an extreme.
Jared Angaza is a strategist, philanthropist, and founder who has built his success on helping others succeed. Especially people most entrepreneurs don’t think they can help.
That’s why Jared has spent about a decade of his career building businesses in African nations like Kenya and Rwanda. His social entrepreneurship efforts have helped free 49 Rwandan women from the clutches of sex slavery by teaching them an entrepreneurial path forward.
You can’t donate dignity, but you can give a path so downtrodden people can experience it for themselves.
As cool as Jared’s stories are, one really stands out to me. In this episode, he tells me about how he walked with wild lions on the African savanna. And they didn’t even eat him!
In this episode, you’ll also hear story after story about how Jared, through social entrepreneurship, affected the people of Africa and how they in turn affected him.
Invest in your perspective because you know it’s going to change the way you view the world.
Too much social entrepreneurship, Jared says, is about putting out fires instead of changing perspectives.
If you want to do more for people through your business, this episode is for you. Or if you like to hear about best practices for social entrepreneurship, get listening. And if you just want to hear some crazy stories about living in Africa for a decade, click play in the player above to get started.
Listen to this episode to hear Jared Angaza tell me about social entrepreneurship and more: * Drinking the blood of a bull Jared wrestled to the ground with Maasai tribesmen. * Losing 36 pounds by integrating into African life. * The story of Jared’s ethical fashion label that got him his “MBA in philanthropy.” * What the overview effect astronauts experience when they see the world from space can teach you about social entrepreneurship. * Why failure is a refining process. * The greatest challenge facing the human race. (It isn’t what you think.) * Why the only rule for Jared’s four kids is “just be love.”
Resources mentioned : * “Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less,” by Greg McKeown * “The Advertising Solution: Influence Prospects, Multiply Sales, and Promote Your Brand,” by Craig Simpson and . Buy at http://www.thelegendsbook.com/ for exclusive extras. * “When I Stop Talking, You'll Know I'm Dead: Useful Stories from a Persuasive Man,” by Jerry Weintraub and Rich Cohen * “The Robert Collier Letter Book,” by Robert Collier * “Scientific Advertising,” by Claude Hopkins * “Breakthrough Advertising,” by Eugene Schwartz and Martin Edelston * “The Ultimate Sales Letter: Attract New Customers. Boost your Sales.” By Dan Kennedy
How to connect with Jared Angaza: You can get in touch with Jared through his website. Or you can catch his podcast, Inipi Radio.
Do this next to improve your marketing: We may not push sex slaves into legitimate entrepreneurship, but we have our own brand of social entrepreneurship at Rusty Lion Academy. See, the men we serve have said “Yes” so many times that they’re a slave to their work.
We free them from that slavery through our proprietary processes.
Curious? We offer free 30-minute Freedom Breakthrough Sessions that will help you figure out where you’re going wrong and how to steal your life back from the things that have stolen it from you.
Click here to change your life.
Do you say “yes” more often to work than to your family? That’s what we refer to as “yes cocaine.”
Just say “No!” to the workaholic’s “Yes cocaine.”
This drug is the product of a high-impact life with a to-do list that never seems to shrink.
You may be working 10- or 12-hour days and going home exhausted.
Once you hit home, the drug wears off. You’re tired of saying “Yes” and begin saying “No” almost the second you walk in the door.
What if you could reverse the trend of saying “Yes” to unimportant things and “No” to the ones that really matter?
In this episode, we want to introduce you to some parts of yourself you probably haven’t met. And if you live a high-impact work life, you’ll hear some things in this episode that might hurt a bit.
You know what?
They hurt us just as much. Frankly, Talking through this episode messed us up a little bt.
We’ve mostly cured ourselves of our addiction to “yes cocaine,” but we still have an occasional relapse.
We talk through how your high-impact life is hurting your home life, and share some of the career triggers that hurt our families through the years.
This episode is chock-full of shortcuts we want you to understand, because we want you to skip the pain we went through.
If you’ve ever realized as you brushed off your kids that there will come a time they don’t even try to get your attention anymore, this episode is for you.
If you’ve ever found yourself staring at the laptop you brought home from work while your wife tries to have an emotionally involved conversation, this episode’s for you.
And if you want to reprioritize your life so you have higher impact with the people who matter most, click play on the player above.
Daddies should be heroes, not workaholics.
We’ll help you determine how to cut out unimportant things so the important things will get more of your attention.
Listen to this episode to hear Bill Watkins and me talk about how to make your high-impact life impact what matters and more: * The percentage of things you can safely say “No” to at work to improve your impact at home. * A trick with your smartphone that will help you become closer to your family. * Reprioritizing your life knowing what really matters. * Why it took Bill 7 years to rebuild relationships after one too many gulps of workahol. * The decision Bill made that allowed him to recover from otherwise fatal mistakes. * A silent killer in your family life. * The good, the bad, and the ugly in your personality as a high-impact businessman. * Why your disconnection with your wife could be pushing her out on “emotional affairs.”
Do this next to break through to freedom from “yes cocaine” Look, in this episode we introduce you to yourself a little. If it hurts, know that the pain can disappear.
With one free 30-minute video call, our Freedom Breakthrough Session, we’ll start to walk you down the path to freedom from the pain points in your business life so you can be the husband, father, and friend you’d rather be.
Every man has a lot more potential than they realize, and we help men extract that every day. One client recently described his reprioritized life as “exuberant.”
We want you to have that too.
Click here to start reprioritizing your life.
Without marketing, you’ll reach dozens of people as opposed to millions. Why would you want to do that?
My guest today, Brian Kurtz, is the CEO of Titans Marketing. Brian has literally reached millions, having sent out more than 1.3 billion pieces of direct mail. He learned how to market directly, which helped him grow one company from about $3 million in revenue to about $157 million at its peak.
Brian now stands on the shoulders of giants in the marketing world to tell next-generation marketers how to market in the digital age using timeless techniques.
It’s the best time in the history of the world to be a marketer. Brian Kurtz via @RustyLionAcad
In this episode, Brian talks me through how to market without being evil. And you know what? The key is something we preach at Rusty Lion Academy:
Not everything is a selling event; but everything is a relationship event. Brian Kurtz via @RustyLionAcad
Brian tells me the mistakes otherwise great marketers sometimes make, how to bring in revenue through marketing, and how to grow your own lists. He tells how to do all that while building your client relationships instead of viewing clients as “victims of marketing.”
If you want to improve your marketing and increase your revenues, this episode is for you. If you feel like marketing is outside your comfort zone, this episode is for you. And if you want to become a marketing samurai (because being a ninja isn’t enough) then click play in the player above to get started.
Listen to this episode to hear marketing legend Brian Kurtz tell me how to market while building relationships and more: * Why you should be a marketing samurai, not a marketing ninja. * The pull mentality great marketers use. * How one man destroyed his list with one marketing misstep. * Being congruent with your own marketing messages. * The percentage of your time you should direct at marketing. (HINT: It’s not low double digits.) * Why you need to understand almost every avenue for marketing even if you don’t use them all. * What you should do if you find yourself envious of another company. * The reason you should give sincere compliments, as evidenced by Tony Bennett.
Books and resources mentioned in this episode that can help you learn how to market: * “Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less,” by Greg McKeown * “The Advertising Solution: Influence Prospects, Multiply Sales, and Promote Your Brand,” by Craig Simpson and . Buy at http://www.thelegendsbook.com/ for exclusive extras. * “When I Stop Talking, You'll Know I'm Dead: Useful Stories from a Persuasive Man,” by Jerry Weintraub and Rich Cohen * “The Robert Collier Letter Book,” by Robert Collier * “Scientific Advertising,” by Claude Hopkins * “Breakthrough Advertising,” by Eugene Schwartz and Martin Edelston * “The Ultimate Sales Letter: Attract New Customers. Boost your Sales.” By Dan Kennedy
How to contact Brian Kurtz, CEO of Titans Marketing: You can get in touch with Brian through his website.
Do this next to improve your marketing: Admit it, you have a hard time with marketing.
It’s easy to lose your way in the weeds. We’ve been there.
And you know what? Sometimes feeling overly tied to your marketing efforts cuts some freedom and time out of your life.
We can reverse that. We offer free 30-minute Freedom Breakthrough Sessions that will help you figure out where you’re going wrong and how to steal your life back from the things that have stolen it from you.
Click here to change your life.
Ever notice a sports announcer pull out a crazy and obscure statistic during the Super Bowl? (My Falcons are going to crush the Patriots this year, by the way!) These sports teams have access to untold libraries of statistics along with entire teams that evaluate numbers in real time to figure out important trends. In the NFL, they track every statistic for every player and every team. It all goes into a huge database they can learn from. Do you think an NFL player knows a few statistics about themselves? Of course! Knowing numbers helps them create serious growth and some high-level play. Are you doing the same for your team? We’ve noticed in our clients that some aren’t tracking their statistics enough. We only recently honed our own stat tracking to what it needs to be, as well. In this episode, we’ll walk you through figuring out which statistics to track, when in the life of your company you should start tracking them, and who in your company should be paying attention. The answers to each of these questions probably isn’t as intuitive as you might think. Click play in the player above to get started. Use your statistics in a collaborative way to improve. Listen to this episode to hear Bill Watkins and me talk about how to track metrics like a pro sports team and more: * The link between fantasy football and your metrics. * A law that tells you why you should pay more attention to your numbers. * Why not understanding your numbers means not understanding your business. * Developing discipline to track the right numbers. * A stat tracking recipe for disaster. * Finding metrics that matter.
Books that can help you learn how to track metrics more effectively: * "How to Win Friends and Influence People," by Dale Carnegie * "Traction: Get a Grip on Your Business," by Gino Wickman
Do this next: You know your business better than anyone, but there’s some things you may never see clearly from the inside. We want you to see yourself as others do. With that in mind, we want to give you a free 30-minute Freedom Breakthrough Session. In your free video call, you’ll find yourself face-to-face with Bill or me, Robert. We’ll guide you toward unlocking your potential while freeing yourself up for the most import ant things in your life. Click here to get started. Question of the week: What’s the key statistic you’ve used to build your business and how did you leverage it? Answer in the comments on our show notes page at www.rustylionacademy.com
Can you envision a world where you look forward to every meeting?
If you listen to this episode, you might just feel that way.
My guest today is Cameron Herold, the author of “Meetings Suck: Turning One of the Most Loathed Elements of Business into One of the Most Valuable,” “Double Double: How to Double Your Revenue and Profit in 3 Years or Less,” and co-author of “The Miracle Morning for Entrepreneurs: Elevate Your SELF to Elevate Your BUSINESS.”
Cameron has had tons of success in his life, and currently consults for one of the “Big 4” wireless carriers and a monarchy. He also founded the COO Alliance, a networking and learning group for the often-overlooked seconds in command. In his own work as a COO, Cameron grew 1-800-GOT-JUNK from $2 million to $106 million in revenue.
Somewhere along the way, Cameron learned to create purpose behind meetings. With that knowledge, he’s taught people who often say “Meetings suck” to look forward to their meetings and get more out of them.
He says that people who host bad meetings often feel that everyone needs to be there. That’s a costly mistake both literally and figuratively.
“Getting better at feeling like you’re missing out on a meeting saves you a ton of money,” he tells me in this episode. “It’s not like you weren’t invited to a cocktail party.”
He goes on to tell me that when you congregate high-level employees who don’t need to be in the room weekly for 30 minutes, you’re losing thousands of dollars unnecessarily and convincing your team that meetings suck.
If you want meetings that don’t suck your time, money, and resources, this episode is for you. If you want to get quiet employees to contribute more to your meetings, this episode is for you. And if you feel like meetings are a waste of time, click play on the player above for a valuable education.
Meetings don’t suck. They’re amazing. The problem is you suck at running meetings.
Listen to this episode to hear Cameron Herold tell me why bad meetings suck, how to improve yours, and more: * Why Cameron changed what the “S” stands for in SMART goals. * A mind trick that improves your chances of accomplishing a goal. * How under-the-radar stress can crash you even if you feel OK. * The way to recover from the kind of stress that forces you to cry on the floor. * Why to stay away from work when you’re not supposed to be there. * The reason you should allow employees to “opt in” to meetings by distributing a solid agenda. * The secrets to more focused meetings. * Getting introverts and the inexperienced to voice more ideas.
Books and resources mentioned in this episode: * “Meetings Suck: Turning One of the Most Loathed Elements of Business into One of the Most Valuable,” by Cameron Herold * “Double Double: How to Double Your Revenue and Profit in 3 Years or Less,” by Cameron Herold * “The Miracle Morning for Entrepreneurs: Elevate Your SELF to Elevate Your BUSINESS,” by Cameron Herold and Hal Elrod
How to contact Cameron Herold: You can get in touch with Cameron through his website and blog.
Do this next: At Rusty Lion Academy, my business partner Bill and I offer free 30-minute Freedom Breakthrough Sessions that will help you figure out where you’re going wrong if your meetings suck or if you have any other problem in your business life.
In your free video conference session, you’ll come face-to-face on a video call with Bill or me. We’ll help you see past your blind spots and start finding more meaning in every day while stripping away the chaos of a businessman’s life.
Click here to change your life.
As freedom coaches, business owners often ask us, “What are the best business books that will help me and my business?”
Answering that question is always super easy, too. My business partner Bill and I read a lot, and have some serious favorites that we recommend often through the Lion’s Den for Business Men podcast and to our clients.
In 2016 we discovered some seriously good books we want you to read too. These are some of the best business books for today, and you need to read them.
Trust us.
In this episode, we recommend three of the best business books that came out in 2016 along with three other classic business books that will up your game. We go through the reasons you need to read each one, and in some cases tell you (and the authors) how they might be improved.
We’re so confident that you’ll like each of these books that we offer a guarantee in this episode:
If you click on the link below for any of these books, buy it, read it, and don’t like it, then we’ll buy the book off you to give it to someone who will appreciate it!
Below are the best business books we recommend in this episode.
Click play in the player above to get started or on any of the buttons below to get reading.
We want to have better lives and we can find them in books. Via @RustyLionAcad
The best business books of 2016: Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World By Cal Newport Released January 5, 2016 The world’s pushing you away from doing what author Cal Newport calls “Deep Work.” The author guides you through a rigorous training process to do what the distracting world’s trying to get you to avoid.
I’ve changed my habits since reading this book and it’s pushing my business forward fast toward the things I never want to get done.
The BraveHeart Exit: 7 Steps to Your Family Business Legacy By Randy M. Long Released May 17, 2016 Half of successful business owners plan to exit their business by 2020, but only 7 percent have an exit plan in place. Even if you never plan on exiting your business, thinking about your business like an investor would will change your game.
I talked to Randy on the podcast recently, and had a great conversation about why you need to leave a legacy like Braveheart through your business.
The Perfect Day Formula: How to Own the Day and Control Your Life By Craig Ballantyne Released February 2, 2016 You waste a ton of time on things that don’t matter. Craig Ballantyne gives you a formula to cut those things out, focus on things you can control, and have perfect days a lot more often. He offers you a sophisticated system for a high-impact life, increasing your energy, and having more fun.
This is the only book I read twice last year. It’s a goldmine of tools you can use in your life immediately.
I had Craig on the podcast back in May and we talked about the recipe for a perfect day and about how any man can catch whatever he is chasing with the perfect day formula.
Our top picks for “classic” business books Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown By Greg McKeown Released April 15, 2014 This book’s a young classic we recommend often!
As much as you want to be disciplined, you’re probably not. So instead of saying “No” more often your life becomes overcrowded and unfocused from all the times you say “Yes.”
This book will cure you of your addiction to saying “Yes” by giving you some excellent tools and walkthroughs.
I interviewed Greg McKeown on the Lion’s Den for Business Men podcast in December 2015 and talked with him about the power of essentialism.
Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking when the Stakes are High By Kerry Patterson and Joseph Grenny Released September 9, 2011 Nobody likes a tough workplace conversation. If you don’t like it enough, you’ll probably avoid it and live with the consequences.
Avoiding tough conversations might be killing your business. This book gives tons of tools to use when confronting a team member, spouse, child, friend, or anyone else in need of a difficult conversation.
Emotions run high in these types of talks, so you need to know how to defuse the bomb before it goes off.
Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies By Jim Collins and Jerry Porras Released June 24, 2004 This book, much like the companies it examines, was built to last. Jim Collins and his team of researchers uncover statistically relevant patterns and traits to teach entrepreneurs to mimic the success of visionary companies.
You want to know what it takes to make a great workplace culture? Start here.
Do you want a Warren Buffet-sized bank account?
Well, Buffett once told today’s guest a key to make it happen.
If your definition of success has anything to do with money, you’ve already failed. Warren Buffett
Although success has nothing to do with money, money is the byproduct of being successful, Buffett went on to tell my guest, Troy McClain.
Troy is the CEO of AXS Consulting and the McClain Companies. He got his business start by becoming a finalist on President Donald Trump’s The Apprentice in 2004. The reality TV show pitted businesspeople against each other for the privilege of running one of Trump’s companies with a $250,000 annual salary.
Even being the only contestant who lacked education beyond a high school diploma, Troy managed to become a finalist before hearing “You’re fired” because of his educational shortcomings.
That time with Trump was the first of many audiences that Troy found with successful men he wanted to follow. In this episode, you’ll also listen to Troy McClain tell his story of meeting Warren Buffett via private jet and another successful businessman via tow truck (the story’s even better than it sounds!)
You’ll also hear some memorable one-liners his “Ma” gifted him when she wasn’t working as a bouncer or a trucker – or otherwise “between success cycles.”
In short, you’ll hear the incredible lengths Troy McClain went to get in front of successful men he wanted to learn from.
If you want to learn how to get mentorship from successful businessmen, this episode’s for you.
If you want to see how to follow the success of others, this episode’s for you.
And, if you just like awesome stories of hard work and sacrifice to get the job done, this episode’s for you, too.
Click play in the player above to get started.
“Success leaves tracks. All you have to do is follow the tracks from the big Lions.” Troy McClain
Listen to this episode to hear Dr. John Johnson talk about setting priorities and more: * How Troy managed to get a Ph.D. with only a high school diploma. * Leveraging a loss on Donald Trump’s The Apprentice to jumpstart a career anyway. * What you can learn from having a “Ma” who’s a bouncer. * Putting the “fun” in “dysfunctional.” * Moving from fisticuffs to business fights. * Becoming the bar instead of raising it. * The true meaning of “grit.” * Seeing opportunities instead of obstacles. * Why you should look at failures as the time between success cycles.
Books and resources mentioned in this episode: * “Think and Grow Rich,” by Napoleon Hill * “As a Man Thinketh,” by James Allen * “Man’s Search for Meaning,” by Viktor Frankl
How to contact Troy McClain: You can get in touch with Troy through his website or by email.
Do this next to learn how to follow success tracks: Success is a mindset you can learn, and it’s not just about money. Warren Buffett is right about that.
At Rusty Lion Academy, my business partner Bill and I offer free 30-minute Freedom Breakthrough Sessions that will help you think more like a billionaire.
In this free video conference session, you’ll find yourself face-to-face on video with Bill or me. We’ll help you follow the successful paths others have built, all without hitting some of the pitfalls we went through.
Click here to get started.
Did you make a New Year’s resolution?
If so, this episode may cause you to rethink your strategy.
In this episode, we discuss “future-pacing” as an alternative to New Year’s resolutions.
Why?
Well, only about 8 percent of people hold to their resolutions.
I hope you’re in the 8 percent, but if you’re more like Bill (you’ll hear in this episode about how spectacularly he flunked his New Year’s resolution test) then this episode is for you.
In this episode, we walk you through why so many men fail to meet their New Year’s resolutions. Then, we tell how you can use the process of future-pacing to “trick” your subconscious into making the changes that will help you become you a better man.
For me, future-pacing helped me find the perfect wife and build a freedom-filled business that I love. (You’ll hear more in this episode about each of those.)
How can future-pacing change your life? You won’t know until you try–and first you have to listen.
Click play in the player above to start future-pacing yourself to a better 2017.
Future-pacing allows you to look into the future and become your best self. Via @RustyLionAcad (Tweet this!)
Listen to this episode to hear Bill Watkins and me talk about future-pacing your New Year’s resolutions and more: * How future-pacing helped us triple our revenue and quadruple our influence. * Making a future-pacing CD that changed the course of my life. * How Bill should have used future-pacing when his failed New Year’s resolution nearly killed him. * Why you stink at keeping your New Year’s resolutions–and why you’re not alone. * The advice one of our team members got from a copywriting legend that helped him future-pace. * A future-pacing card I still keep in my desk today (for sentimental reasons.) * Attitudes you should have when future-pacing. * The four areas of your life where you need to future-pace.
A book that can help you in your future pacing: * “Care of the Soul: A Guide for Cultivating Depth and Sacredness in Everyday Life,” by Thomas Moore
Do this next to future-pace your 2017: Are you feeling like you can’t move forward like you want to in 2017?
We can help you break through. That’s what we do as freedom coaches.
To make it easier, we want to give you a free 30-minute Freedom Breakthrough Session to help you get results even before you become a client.
In your free video call, you’ll find yourself face-to-face with Bill or me, Robert. We’ll guide you toward unlocking your potential while freeing yourself up for the most important things in your life. How’s that for future-pacing?
Click here to get started.
Quick: what’s important to your business?
Do you even know?
My guest today is Dr. John Johnson, the CEO of Edgeworth Economics, an expert witness, and author of “Everydata: The Misinformation Hidden in the Little Data You Consume Every Day.”
When John established his company, he began by setting priorities that would always be important to his business:
- Upward mobility for talented team members
- A culture that values all employees
- A reputation for objectivity and high-quality analysis
- Being responsive and client-facing
Of course, things change. Since 2009, John’s business has grown from six people to about 100 employees.
But then again, some things don’t change. Through all that growth, the foundational principles John established remain the same.
“The kind of people I want in our culture has changed over time,” John tells me in this episode. “But those people always have to fit our culture.”
Because of the consistency that came from setting priorities early on, John says he could always find the right employees – or free up their future quickly whenever he missed the mark.
It doesn’t do anybody any good when you hire a mismatch. @Everydata via @RustyLionAcad
If you need to start setting priorities for your business, or even if you know what’s important but haven’t been able to implement a perfect plan, this episode is for you.
You’ll hear John give some fantastic advice about how to set priorities that will always carry your business forward. And that’s only the beginning of what John has to offer you.
Click play in the player above to get started.
Listen to this episode to hear Dr. John Johnson talk about setting priorities and more: * Why you should be skeptical of headlines like “1 in 5 CEOS is a psychopath.” * The reason you might want to be more impatient. (But not with employees.) * Being an economist in the middle with a media of lefts and rights. * Three things you should do as a leader (HINT: None of them is “sit in your office with the door shut.”) * What you can learn about success from John’s nearly deciding to quit grad school while at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. * Why emotion drives entrepreneurs and why you may need to put it aside. * How an 18th century economist gave John his company name. * How you can serve your clients even if your decisions don’t help them.
Books and resources mentioned in this episode: * “Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap and Others Don’t,” by Jim Collins * “Everydata: The Misinformation Hidden in the Little Data You Consume Every Day,” by Dr. John Johnson * “Life of Pi,” by Yann Martel
How to contact Dr. John Johnson, CEO of Edgeworth Economics: You can get in touch with John via his business website or his author website.
Do this next to learn how to set priorities: Setting priorities should be something you do regularly. If you struggle with this, you should consider building a morning routine that makes priority-setting a can’t-miss part of your day.
At Rusty Lion Academy, we developed the Wake Up and Win morning routine – and expect that it can do for your business what it’s done for ours.
Click here to Wake Up and Win. It’s free!
Hey Lion… How’s your health?
My partner Bill and I have been in business for a long time. And over the years we’ve both gone through periods when we didn’t treat our bodies well. We let our healthy eating habits slip – and watched our bodies and minds slip in turn.
When the demands of business take your time and attention and suck up all your will power, it’s easy to cave in to cravings and settle for quick diet fixes. But that approach can quickly lead to problems.
Ask Bill. Once an Olympic-caliber cyclist, Bill ended up about six months away from a health catastrophe that could have left his children fatherless. The scariest part? That slide took less than a decade.
If you often find yourself eating out or gobbling down fast food because you’re busy or you’re trying to minimize time away from your business, this episode is for you.
You’ll learn how to identify and break the “bad habits of business eating,” how to replace them with healthy eating habits (even if you travel often), and how to increase your willpower so you can lead a more healthy lifestyle – and a longer life.
Click play in the player above to get started.
Better health is the road to more freedom! Via @RustyLionAcad (Tweet this!)
Listen to this episode to hear Bill and me talk about healthy eating for businessmen and more: * The dire warning from a family physician that pushed Bill to change his unhealthy eating habits. * How having a “cheat day” can actually strengthen your willpower. * How much weight the average man gains every year during the holidays. * The 80-20 rule of healthy eating. * How your weight can slowly creep up on you – like it did for Bill when he found himself 38 pounds overweight – and how it can affect your work performance. * Why you should see unhealthy food as a drug – and ask yourself if you’re self-prescribing. * A SAD diet (and why you should consider avoiding the word “diet” altogether). * A scientific method for beating your unhealthy food cravings.
Books and resources that can help you develop healthy eating habits in business: * “The MIND Diet: A Scientific Approach to Enhancing Brain Function and Helping Prevent Alzheimer's and Dementia,” by Maggie Moon MS RDN * “Clean Gut: The Breakthrough Plan for Eliminating the Root Cause of Disease and Revolutionizing Your Health,” by Alejandro Junger * “Clean -- Expanded Edition: The Revolutionary Program to Restore the Body's Natural Ability to Heal Itself,” by Alejandro Junger and Amely Greven * “Clean Eats: Over 200 Delicious Recipes to Reset Your Body's Natural Balance and Discover What It Means to Be Truly Healthy,” by Alejandro Junger * “Keto Clarity: Your Definitive Guide to the Benefits of a Low-Carb, High-Fat Diet,” by Jimmy Moore and Eric Westman MD * “Grain Brain: The Surprising Truth about Wheat, Carbs, and Sugar--Your Brain's Silent Killers,” by David Perlmutter and Kristin Loberg * An index that will help you understand your energy levels.
Do this next to live healthy in all areas of your life: Perfect life balance is a myth. But you can live healthier.
Interested? We have the tools and solutions at our fingertips, and have helped men just like you get healthier – even while building their business and living more fulfilling lives.
We care (for real!) about your health and your business, and for that reason we want to give you a free 30-minute Freedom Breakthrough Session.
In your free video call, you’ll find yourself face-to-face with Bill or me, Robert. We’ll guide you toward unlocking your potential while freeing yourself up for the most important things in your life. Click here to get started.
Have you ever seen Braveheart?
Mel Gibson plays Sir William Wallace, a 13th-century warrior.
Scotland might have remained under English control if it weren’t for Wallace and the war of independence he led.
So… What’s your legacy?
My guest today is Randy Long, author of “The Braveheart Exit: 7 Steps to Your Family Business Legacy.”
Randy started leaving a legacy when he decided he wanted to help entrepreneurs transition out of their companies.
But to have the kind of company he wanted, he had to start two.
“I wanted to plan at the nexus of family business and finance,” he says in this episode.
So, he started both a law firm and a financial planning agency. It took him years, but eventually he integrated the two at Long Business Advisors.
He says that even if you don’t ever plan to leave your business, you should have an exit strategy. That way you can be ready for an unexpected sale, a tragedy, or even just a change of heart about passing the company to your children.
If you plan on using your business to leave a legacy, this episode is for you.
And if you don’t… why not? This episode is for you, too.
“Live your legacy in such a way that you leave one that really matters,” @AuthorRMLong via @RustyLionAcad.
Click play in the player above to get started.
Listen to this episode to hear exit planner Randy Long talk about leaving a legacy and more: * How Randy helped an entrepreneur grow his business from startup to a successful exit in 7 years. * Where joy should come from in your life. (It has nothing to do with finish lines.) * Why you shouldn’t always do what a client asks of you, even if it hurts your relationship with that client. * How Randy got his kids to graduate from college before their peers had even begun. * Why the door through which you exit has another marked “enter” just beyond it. * The reason you can’t look too far out – either in your life or in your business. * What you can learn from a “pug-faced man’s” leadership. * How entrepreneurship made America great.
Books and resources to help you leave a legacy: * “The BraveHeart Exit: 7 Steps to Your Family Business Legacy,” by Randy Long * “The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari: A Fable About Fulfilling Your Dreams & Reaching Your Destiny,” by Robin Sharma * A historic speech that will help you as an entrepreneur. * Know the Truth podcast.
How to contact Randy Long: You can get in touch with Randy Long via his website or email.
Do this next to learn how to leave a legacy: At the Rusty Lion Academy, we live to connect men with their legacy. Problem is, too many men are scared of doing so – and end up living a life short of their potential.
If that sounds like you in any way, why not schedule a free 30-minute Freedom Breakthrough Session?
In this free video conference session, you’ll find yourself face-to-face on video with Bill or me. And we’ll guide you toward fulfilling your potential and leaving a legacy.
What a way to start out your 2017!
Click here to get started.
Do you think signing bigger paychecks will give you more happy employees? It might, but only for about seven percent of them.
In this episode, we talk about what makes employees happy – what motivates them to go the extra mile. And it’s got little to do with money and some of the other things you probably expect.
From a study written in 2014, here are nine top motivators and the percentage of employees who listed each as their first choice:
- Camaraderie, peer motivation: 20%
- Intrinsic desire to do a good job: 17%
- Feeling encouraged/recognized: 13%
- Having a real impact: 10%
- Growing professionally: 8%
- Meeting client/customer needs: 8%
- Money and benefits: 7%
- Positive supervisor and senior management: 4%
- Belief in the company or product: 4%
Looking at this list, we figured out one theme that ties almost half of the bullets together.
If you want happy employees, you need to understand the insight we discuss on the podcast. It will increase your employee satisfaction and your bottom line.
Beyond that awesome insight, we dive into each of these nine categories to help you figure out how to make your business stronger.
Let’s face it: everyone who has employees is performing a balancing act.
In this episode, you’ll learn how to balance better so those employees stay happier.
Happy employees increase your bottom line. Want to make them happier? Via @RustyLionAcad (Tweet this!)
Click play on the player above to get started.
Listen to this episode to hear Bill and I talk about making happy employees and more: * The top factor that drives employees to go the extra mile (It ain’t money.) * The best advice I ever got to improve the way I do things. * Why Bill left the Army when the Army left Vietnam (HINT: He wasn’t a happy employee) * The reason your payroll dollars aren’t giving you a return. * “Venom” created by employees who aren’t motivated. * The reasons you should learn to talk to unmotivated employees. * Simple tactics to build camaraderie on your team (and motivation). * Ways to build up employees’ intrinsic desire to do a good job. * A major reason people quit their jobs. (Pay attention, boss!)
Books and resources that can help you make your employees happier: * “It's Your Ship,” by D. Michael Abrashoff * “First, Break All the Rules: What the World's Greatest Managers Do Differently,” by Gallup Press and James K. Harter * “Crucial Conversations Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High,” by Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, Ron McMillan, and Al Switzler * “The New One Minute Manager,” by Ken Blanchard and M.D. Johnson Spencer
Do this next to make your employees happier: Your employees need you to operate at your highest level. Problem is, you may feel it’s impossible to unlock all your potential, especially if you still want to have time for a personal life. We care about your potential and your freedom, and for that reason we want to give you a free 30-minute Freedom Breakthrough Session.
In your free video call, you’ll find yourself face-to-face with Bill or me, Robert. We’ll guide you toward unlocking your potential while freeing yourself up for the most important relationships in your life. Click here to get started.
Are you living your life, or the life somebody else has planned for you?
Josh Brown asked himself that question before he launched his own business. He’s now a successful franchise attorney as founder of Law Office of Josh F. Brown.
But, Josh once saw himself as floundering, and even got fired from a job because of lack of passion.
Still, when it came time to open his bird cage and fly free, he got cold feet and took another job for someone else. He even had to cancel office space he’d lined up to do so.
It wasn’t until his wife told him to stop complaining about working for someone else and start his own business that he finally leapt in with both feet.
In the four years since starting his own business, Josh has found incredible success while marketing himself in ways he never could when working for somebody else.
“The greatest regret I have now is that I didn’t start my own business sooner,” Josh tells me in this episode.
For Josh, the problem wasn’t ever his employer. It’s that he needed to do it his own way. want to do it your way.
If you want to live your own life, own your own business, and do things your way, Josh’s story will resonate with you. It might even help you to start having the blind spots entrepreneurs need to have to succeed.
Entrepreneurs are successful because they have blind optimism and move forward. @indyfrchslaw via @RustyLionAcad
Men, Josh says, should become entrepreneurs if they keep feeling a pull toward that same thing.
Click play in the player above to get started. It may help you start to live your own life – a more fulfilling one.
Listen to this episode to hear franchise lawyer Josh Brown tell how to live your own life by starting your own business and more: * How to get tons of referrals by narrowing your focus. * Why working in golf wasn’t good enough for Josh. * The reason giving referrals will get you referrals. * Being the master of your domain to find opportunities. * The “crappy” piece of advice Josh’s dad gave him before he started a business. * Why law school sucks the life out of entrepreneur genes. * The mistakes that lead to success. * Why you should live your own life before someone forces you to do so. * Why Ayn Rand changed the trajectory of Josh’s life.
Read these books to help you learn how to live your own life: * “Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less,” by Greg McKeown * “Atlas Shrugged,” by Ayn Rand * “The Fountainhead,” by Ayn Rand
How to contact Josh Brown: You can get in touch with Josh Brown via his website, via email, or over the phone at 317-688-9111
Do this next to learn how to live your own life more successfully: At the Rusty Lion Academy, we work to help men find out what living their own life should look like – in all areas of their life.
If that sounds interesting to you, why not schedule a free 30-minute Freedom Breakthrough Session?
In this free session, you’ll find yourself face-to-face on video with Bill or me – where we’ll guide you toward making 2017 your best year ever as you live your own life like you never have before.
Click here to get started.
Recently, Bill and I tossed a 50-cent piece to make a decision that could cost us hundreds of thousands of dollars.
He and I had been talking about a crazy idea I had to give away Teslas, Four Seasons getaways, Harley Davidsons, and cold hard cash to ambassadors of our brand who bring us clients.
But after we had discussed all the pros and cons, we reached an impasse in our conversation.
We didn’t have all the information we needed to make a decision.
Yet we still decided to take action on what we knew – which was not much more than the fact that implementing our decision could help us or harm us.
So we decided to flip a 50-cent piece.
Heads, we’d go for it.
Tails, our Ambassador Program would go in the “unused idea box.”
The coin came up heads.
Fifty cents is all it cost us to make a decision that could cost us as much as a million dollars.
We were laughing about it the whole time – and we’ve been laughing ever since as we’ve been putting the program in place.
Sometimes, if you don’t take action on an idea it will fester and eat you from inside. Indecisive leadership isn’t leadership at all – if you’re truly stuck on whether or not to move forward with an idea, you could do worse than flip a coin and decide to let the results guide your actions.
We talk more about our decision – and what that decision has led to – in this episode. If you ever feel caught in the grip of “analysis paralysis,” or even if you consider yourself pretty good at making decisions, this episode is for you.
Decision-making is often a matter of trampling fear with confidence. Via @RustyLionAcad (Tweet this!)
Click play in the player above to get started.
Listen to this episode to hear Bill and I talk about how to take action, make quick decisions, and more: * The time I pulled a gun on a client to force him to make a decision. * Why taking action to quickly make a decision will get you where you’re going faster, even if it turns out to be the wrong decision. * How to quit wondering and wandering without making hard decisions. * A motto to live by for decision-making. * The surprising link between intuition and experience. * Why a quick decision meant I didn’t have a wedding ring when I proposed to my wife. * The best quick decisions Bill and I have ever made – and why we should have made them years sooner. * The story of that coin-toss decision and what you should learn from it. * Why too many men tell us they’ve faced the same decision for years straight.
Do this next to take action and make better decisions: If you have trouble making tough decisions with your life and business, we want to help. And no, this isn’t some slick sales pitch – we really do care enough to help you.
That’s why we recently started offering free 30-minute Freedom Breakthrough Sessions.
Interested? Schedule a free video call with Bill or me. We’ll guide you toward taking actions that will make 2017 your best year ever. Click here to get started.
Even successful men feel lost sometimes.
They lose the clarity of who they are and where they should be heading.
Philip McKernan was one of those men who’s figured out the antidote.
“In the absence of clarity, take action.” @PhilipMcKernan via @RustyLionAcad (Tweet this!)
Phillip is an executive coach who’s worked with clients ranging from the Canadian Olympic team to the Pentagon. He’s also a speaker who’s shared stages with men like the Dalai Lama and Richard Branson.
Beyond that, he’s a dyslexic Irishman who flunked his way through school and has managed to become an author and filmmaker despite the challenges of dyslexia.
His journey of action started in an orphanage about a dozen years ago when he realized he’d been wearing a mask in the business world.
In an unplanned stop at a Sri Lankan orphanage, he realized he had nothing to hide behind. No gifts to give the children, no phrase books to try to communicate with them.
Only himself.
And that’s what he decided to give. Without the masks he’d been wearing in the business world.
“We have the ability to impact people, not by the checks that we write, but by the sheer gift we have in our essence.” – Philip McKernan
By giving himself in that orphanage, he found himself.
“I allowed them to feel that they mattered even for a day, even for a moment, even for an hour,” Philip tells me in this episode. “Unbeknownst to myself I started to realize I matter too.”
And with that knowledge, he decided to take action.
He moved out of his native Ireland to Canada and has been helping other people find themselves, find their gifts, ever since.
He most recently did that by completing a documentary called “Give and Grow,” which you can watch by clicking here.
The film shows how successful men and women find themselves by giving their core away in service. Taking action like that, he said, is what helps many people find their talents – what he describes as passions deepened tenfold.
Click play in the player above to hear Philip’s remarkable story of turning from a lost dyslexic to a man who helps others find their gifts and take action.
Listen to this episode to hear Philip McKernan tell how to take action, uncover your gifts, and more: * Why giving yourself is so hard to do. * How to measure your personal value. * How Philip works with people to discover their gifts. * The reason dyslexia made Philip a better listener. * One time when a complete stranger asked Philip to be his best man. (And how Philip responded.) * Using your gifts to benefit other people. * Why you might not like Philip if he helps you find your gift. * Making a documentary without bias when you’ve never made a film before. * Why you might be the intimidating person if Philip intimidates you. * The reason you should avoid putting people on pedestals.
Read this to take action and uncover your gifts: * “Rich On Paper Poor On Life: 3 Paths To More Meaning (And Money),” by Philip McKernan
How to contact Philip McKernan: You can get in touch with Philip via his website.
Do this next to learn to take action more often and more successfully: Like Philip, I work with people to uncover their values and craft a personal vision that will free up their potential.
To help men like you, my partner Bill and I just began offering free 30-minute Freedom Breakthrough Sessions via video calls.
In these free sessions, you’ll find yourself face-to-face with Bill or I, and we’ll guide you toward taking actions that will make 2017 your best year ever. Click here to get started.
Most people know the story of Ebenezer Scrooge told in Charles Dickens’ classic, A Christmas Carol.
But his story deserves a retelling for our audience of hard-working and driven men.
See, we all get slammed this time of year with way too much to do, way too much to spend, way too many company parties to throw, and way too many places to be.
It can make the Scrooge come out even in the men who really love Christmas.
I admit that I’ve sometimes had a love-hate affair with Christmas, and as a modern businessman, you probably have too.
In this episode, I talk with our Content Director Mark Wilcox about how to keep Scrooge out of your Christmas season.
We talk about the Dickens’ story of Ebenezer Scrooge, compare it to our busy working lives today, and tell how to make Christmas meaningful again.
This episode will tell you how to avoid neglecting the things that matter most through this Christmas season while ignoring the things that don’t matter.
So click play in the player above to get started.
Don’t get Scrooged over by paying attention to the wrong things at Christmas. Via @RustyLionAcad (Tweet this!)
Listen to this episode to make Christmas more meaningful and more: * The one key to make Christmas more meaningful (HINT: It’s not better gifts.) * How shoeboxes help me and my wife enjoy Christmas more meaningfully. * Christmas traditions that bring family togetherness. * How to be more present and make Christmas more meaningful with segment intending. * What you should learn from Ebenezer Scrooge’s mentor that he didn’t. * Why you should put aside love of money in favor of love of people at Christmas. * Three things you can do to make Christmas more meaningful and less of a drain. * How to use your assistant to make Christmas easier on you. * The legacy you want to leave (HINT: Think what Scrooge turned into after his experiences.)
Do this next to make Christmas, and every other day, more meaningful: To feel meaningful and fulfilled, you need to be getting things done as a hard-working man. Through the proprietary process we outline in our free eBook, Five Steps to Accomplish Anything, you can get more organized and stay on the road to fulfillment without the chaos, frenzy, and confusion too many men live with. Click here to download this free eBook and work to change your life.
My guest today is one of the few people living who can say he survived a sniper round to the face. While serving in Iraq, Justin Constantine warned a reporter working on a story to move around more because of a known sniper in the area. The reporter took a step forward at that moment to comply with the advice just as a sniper shot pounded into the wall where his head had been an instant before.
Despite saving a life, Justin almost lost his moments later when he sadly became a wounded warrior.
“The next round hit me behind my left ear, came exploding out of my mouth, and caused incredible damage,” Justin tells me in this episode.
The sniper’s shot took sight from Justin’s left eye, knocked out most of his teeth, destroyed his jaw, and severed the tip of his tongue.
Doctors had to reconstruct his jaw with bones relocated from his legs.
His head swelled up to a huge size and he had to relearn how to walk and do just about everything else.
I interviewed this wounded warrior 10 years to the day after his brush with death, and his recovery has been amazing.
Now, he refers to himself as an army of one – but in the business sense.
He currently runs The Constantine Group, where he works primarily as an inspirational speaker and author. He’s also a board director for the Wounded Warrior Project, a senior advisor for the US Chamber of Commerce Foundation, a radio talk show host, and more.
That’s some army of one! Especially for a wounded warrior.
Still, Justin will never hesitate to ask for outside help for his army, and says he wishes he could have learned that lesson before he got shot in the face.
Even an army of one doesn’t have to be lonely. @Constantine_Jus via @RustyLionAcad #business #entrepreneurship (Tweet this!)
Listen to this episode to hear Justin tell his riveting story – from how he got shot in the head to how he recovered with a ton of impressive career achievements. Click play in the player above to get started.
Listen to this episode to hear one wounded warrior tell how to bounce back from disaster to become a business army of one and more: * What it’s like to survive a sniper shot as a wounded warrior. * When people celebrate that you said your own name. * The attitude that carried Justin through his darkest days. * How to tap into the people who want to help and why you should do it. * Why a side hustle can turn into your lifelong passion and career. * Another wounded warrior Justin looks to when he’s having a bad day. * The mantra Justin lives by today after nearly dying. * The surprising thing Justin learned about people through his horrific experience.
Read these books to become a better army of one for your business: * “Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World,” by Cal Newport * “Man’s search for Meaning,” by Victor Frankl * “As a Man Thinketh,” by James Allen * “My Battlefield, Your Office: Leadership Lessons from the Front Lines,” by Justin Constantine
How to contact Justin Constantine: You can get in touch with Justin via email, through his website, or via LinkedIn.
Do this next to be a better army of one in your business: We know that sometimes you feel like you need an army as a business owner. When you feel like your to-do list is drowning you, let us help. Download our free eBook, 5 Steps to Accomplish Anything, and you’ll find you’re a bigger army than you realize, even if you’re an army of one.
Do you celebrate the goals you achieve like a SMARTY PANTS?
You’ve probably heard of SMART goals – that your goal-setting should be specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and timely.
In this episode, we draw on some of those same principles to help you set celebration strategies that will motivate you for both the goal you’re working on and future goals.
A problem many goal setters face is to mistake the achievement of a goal as its own reward.
Sure, meeting a goal will be fulfilling to some degree. But adding a celebration strategy into your goal-setting process boosts your vision, drive, and motivation to hit your goals.
Make your celebration strategy related to your goal and to your soul. Via @RustyLionAcad #goalsetting
In this episode, we’ll teach you how to take control of your subconscious by adding a reward at the end of your goal like a SMARTY PANTS.
That’s an acronym you’ll find you can take to the bank as you set in motion these kinds of celebration strategies for your business and your life.
Click play in the player to get started.
Listen to this episode to learn about SMARTY PANTS celebration strategies and more: * Why your celebration strategies need to draw on basic goal-setting principles to motivate you. * The PANTS that will set your goal-setting on fire. * How a celebration strategy pushed one of our team members to earn $10,000 more in 6 weeks. * Why the most powerful celebration strategies are related to the goal itself. * How thinking big on celebration strategies will push your goals forward. * The reason you need to wear your SMARTY PANTS when setting goals. * A goal we didn’t meet that had an awesome celebration strategy anyway. * How a client published his book with the help of his SMARTY PANTS.
Do this next to improve your goal-setting and celebration strategies: We teach our proprietary goal-setting process in our free eBook, Five Steps to Accomplish Anything. It will increase your revenue, make your personal life better, and help you strip the chaos out of your life all at the same time if you follow its principles. Click here to download this eBook and change your life.
As an entrepreneur, you might feel you’re known known for your resilience.
But sometimes you just need to face the facts and move on.
Today’s guest, Thomas Lindsay, is CEO of Humanly HR and the host of the podcast Smallbiz Brainiac.
He also has nearly a quarter century of experience in the insurance and professional employer organization (PEO) industries.
From 1992 to 2002, Thomas worked for his uncle’s PEO as chief operating officer. He helped the company grow to manage more than $400 million in client payroll.
Sadly, the company couldn’t get a worker’s compensation policy to secure all that payroll in 2002 when the insurance industry fell to its knees after 9/11.
“The market was hardening,” Thomas tells me in this episode. “Nobody could take the risk. Our premium was too big!”
Thomas, his uncle and the rest of the company worked in a mad scramble to secure their position. Potential deals, arose only to fall through – some spectacularly. (You need to hear this story!)
Get the facts. Filter the facts. Face the facts. They can’t eat you. @smallbizbrain via @RustyLionAcad LINK (Tweet this!)
Facts can’t eat you, as Thomas says, but you may occasionally have to come face to face with some hard ones. Thomas and his uncle eventually had to face the facts – and shut down their formerly prosperous business.
Hear details in this episode about what that looked like, how it affected them, and – more importantly – how they rose from the ashes. Click play to start.
Listen to this episode to hear me speak with Thomas Lindsay, founder and CEO of Humanly HR, about facing the facts and more: * Moving from thinking small to thinking big. * Learning (the right way) from an embezzling father who steals your identity. * Using the golden rule (for great profit) in business. * Why separating your personal life and business life could work well for you. * What you need to do to start making progress in your life. (HINT: We won’t lie about this.) * Why you shouldn’t care what other people think of you.
Read these books to help you face the facts and learn more about your life and business: * “DotCom Secrets: The Underground Playbook for Growing Your Company Online,” by Russell Brunson * “Mobs, Messiahs, and Markets: Surviving the Public Spectacle in Finance and Politics,” by Will Bonner and Lila Rajiva
How to contact Thomas Lindsay: You can get in touch with Thomas through his website or via email.
Do this next to get in the face the facts: As coaches, it’s our job to help you face the facts about your life and business. Sometimes, one of those facts is that you’re wasting your potential.
To help with that, we recently wrote an eBook that can help you accomplish anything in five steps. Click here to get that book – free!
Is your vision statement actually visionary?
In 1961, President John F. Kennedy turned the space race on its head by putting forth an inspiring vision – the United States would land on the moon before the end of the decade.
Of course, JFK was no rocket scientist, so it would have been easy to dismiss the idea as a crazy notion.
But thanks to the clarity with which Kennedy communicated, people could practically see American astronauts walking on the moon. Before any other nation could pull it off.
So, the actual rocket scientists – the ones who could make that vision a reality – banded together.
As you know, they nailed it. In July 1969, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walked on the moon.
But without Kennedy’s inspiring vision, that might never have happened.
So.
What’s your big vision? Could it take your business to the “moon”?
In this episode, we discuss everything a well-crafted vision statement does for your company – and tell you exactly how to craft one as inspiring as JFK’s.
We also take you through our own vision statement, tell you how it has helped us find the best team, and talk about how it affects us everyday.
You can’t afford to be without an inspiring vision statement – or, worse, to have a lackluster vision that inspires nobody.
A well-crafted vision statement can stimulate a self-fulfilling prophecy within your team. Via @RustyLionAcad (Tweet this!)
Listen to this episode to hear me speak with Bill about inspiring vision statements and more: * The two movie clips that drive our vision (and maybe make us cry a little). * How vision and legacy should link up. * How our vision came together on a restaurant napkin. * Using vision to hire the best. * The anarchy that erupted when we told our team not to work toward our vision. * The top two attributes your vision statement needs to have. * Why you need outside help and constructive arguing for your vision statement. * The vision that drove Steve Jobs to skip focus groups for iPods.
Read this book to help develop an inspiring (and concise) vision statement: * “Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less,” by Greg McKeown
Already have an inspiring vision statement for your business? Do this next We host a weekly live web training that can help you build toward anything. What we teach is the same process we use to build toward our vision, so we know it can help you in that regard as well. Click here to register for this week’s training – it’s free!
Without a roadmap, you’ll never know where you’re going.
But even with one, some routes will get you to your destination faster than others.
My guest today is author, speaker, coach, and radio personality Lane Ethridge, the founder of Changing Lanes International.
His business helps other businesses find more success – while helping the leaders of those businesses live life “in the fast lane” so they can get to their destination sooner.
Lane tells me in this episode that many leaders follow what they think will bring them money, rather than what they really want to do.
The trick is, Lane says, that when leaders follow their gut they more often find success.
If your plan to become successful is a roadmap, Lane says your gut feelings act a GPS – providing directions and helping you get where you want to go in the shortest time possible.
But too many people quickly driving forward still spend too much time looking back, wondering if they’re on the best route to success. Business owners, Lane says, will have more success if they stop looking in the rearview.
Our hindsight can become somebody else’s foresight. @misceLANEeous via @RustyLionAcad #mentorship #coaching
No matter how well you drive, though, life in the fast lane is going to come with a few bug splats on the windshield.
Remember – those ugly smears only take up a small portion of the glass. You can make the smears worse by staring at them too intently, or even by turning on the windshield wipers to “fix” the problem.
“Whether a ‘bug’ is cancer, death, or bankruptcy, we focus so long on that we forget we should be doing something else,” Lane tells me. “Our distraction makes us forget where we’re going even though 99 percent of the windshield is still clear.”
Want to hear Lane talk about these concepts – and many more – that could help put your life in the fast lane? Use the player above.
Listen to this episode to hear me speak with Lane Ethridge, founder of Changing Lanes International about life in the fast lane and more: * The difference between tests in school and life. * What you have to do to earn money in life. * Being conned out of $20,000. * Distractions that hold many leaders back. * Why success sometimes come after your biggest failures. * The thing you own that is your best vehicle to success. * Getting fired six times by the same man and still going to work for him. * The reason Lane carried a yardstick everywhere with him for 400 days.
Read these books to help you live life in the fast lane: * “Rich Dad Poor Dad: What The Rich Teach Their Kids About Money That the Poor and Middle Class Do Not!” by Robert Kiyosaki * “Think and Grow Rich,” by Napoleon Hill and Arthur Pell * “Three Feet from Gold: Turn Your Obstacles in Opportunities,” by Sharon L. Lechter CPA and Greg S. Reid * “Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us,” by Seth Godin * “Changing Lanes: Take Your Life into Overdrive,” by Lane Ethridge * “Life in the Fast Lane: Your Dreams are Closer Than They Appear,” by Lane Ethridge and Haris Reis * “Kairos: Turning Opportune Moments into Momentous Opportunities,” by Lane Ethridge
How to contact Lane Ethridge: You can get in touch with Lane through LinkedIn or Twitter.
Do this next to get in the fast lane: As coaches, it’s our job to get you in the fast lane. To help with that, we recently wrote an eBook that can help you accomplish anytdhing in five steps. Click here to get that book – free!
The Bible says “Pride goes before destruction…”
And my guest today learned this lesson the hard way—after having sunk into a deep depression that was ironically spurred by his own achievements.
Jack Lannom is a prolific author and the CEO of People First International. His company devotes itself to creating caring company cultures.
But Jack himself had forgotten to care.
At a time he was rewarded for tremendous hard work with spectacular success, he got too wrapped up in himself. He lost his humility.
Jack tells me that all the signs of hubris and ego showed up in his life.
In his words, he became a prisoner of his own self-importance.
Soon after, he fell into a deep depression that hospitalized him and changed his world.
“Don’t get caught up in pride and press clippings.” @PeopleFirstIntl via @RustyLionAcad
Getting ego out of the way and beating depression Nowadays, Jack has learned to care enough about others that he’ll talk to anyone and everyone about their dreams.
With more caring behind his conversations, he has come to counsel billionaires going through the same kind of success depression he himself faced.
That’s a far cry from his egotistical heyday, when his conversations with others invariably revolved around himself.
To find out how Jack shifted his life so monumentally and beat the depression that followed his success, listen to this episode. You’ll come to know an extraordinary man now intent on making other men extraordinary too.
Listen to this episode to hear me speak with Jack Lannom about beating depression caused by success and more: * A pyramid of the five most important things you can say to other people. * The seven keys to trust. * Why being promoted in the same circles as big names like Zig Ziglar and John Maxwell made Jack a prisoner. * How a year of deep depression improved Jack’s life. * The time Jack realized he didn’t know the author of his own books. * The unspoken caste system in the U.S. * Why sanity is a gift from God. * Advice for beating a bad day.
Read these books to help beat success depression, self-centeredness, and more: * “How to Win Friends & Influence People,” by Dale Carnegie * “The Big Leap: Conquer Your Hidden Fear and Take Life to the Next Level,” by Gay Hendricks, PhD * “Psycho-Cybernetics,” by Maxwell Maltz * “On Fire: The 7 Choices to Ignite a Radically Inspired Life,” by John O’Leary * “Untapped Potential: Turning Ordinary People into Extraordinary Performers,” by Jack Lannom * “People First: Achieving Balance in an Unbalanced World,” by Jack Lannom
Do this next to accomplish anything – including beating depression: I know it sounds cliché, but you can do anything you put your mind to. But you can’t go in with half a mind to do it. Click here to get a free eBook that will teach you how to accomplish anything in five steps.
Does your marketing get you leads, or are you wasting thousands of dollars?
Chances are, my guest this week tells me, you’re throwing money into a black hole.
John “JD” Dwyer is an Australian “marketing enigma” who has experience thinking outside the box for big names ranging from McDonald’s to Blockbuster Video and Woolworths.
His unconventional thinking even managed to score comedian and television star Jerry Seinfeld as the spokesman for the Greater Building Society – a small Australian financial institution.
That marketing coup required a cheeky 2 a.m. phone call, a Crocodile Dundee impersonation, and a killer follow-up email.
You can get the whole story in this episode, as well as the tale of how JD managed to get noticed amid 2 million daily requests for a personal appearance by Michael Jordan.
Listen to this episode to learn about the crazy, unconventional ways JD does business. If nothing else, you’ll get to listen to a man with an awesome Aussie accent give sound marketing advice.
Listen to this episode to hear me speak with JD Dwyer, founder of The Institute of Wow, about thinking outside the box for your business marketing and more: * Five things every business should do to market better—and how businesses that have implemented those tactics have grown. * How one restaurant has full capacity seven nights a week because of JD’s outside-the-box marketing tips. * Why you probably need to redirect your marketing dollars. * The most important contact info you should have for every customer (HINT: It’s not email.) * The reason you have a high bounce rate on your website. * How to bounce back from losing $2.2 million in a single day. * Why you need to hang out with crazy people.
How to contact JD Dwyer: You can contact JD Dwyer through his website.
Do this next to think outside the box for your business: You live your business every day, but are you able to see things as someone else sees them? Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes or Stitcher or join The Lion’s Den., where we impart coaching advice that can help you see your business more like your clients do—and help you move to the next level.
Sure, your employees get paychecks from you. But do they have to work for you?
If you have the right kind of employees, they could work anywhere they want.
That means you can’t lean on that paycheck as a big motivator.
After all, money is only the seventh-most fulfilling part of any job—behind camaraderie, being personally motivated to do the work, feeling encouraged and recognized, having a real impact, growing professionally, and interacting with clients.
Today’s episode is, in a sense, about the third motivator in that list above—feeling encouraged and recognized. In my eyes, that’s basically an attitude of gratitude.
(Just in time for Thanksgiving. How about that?)
You see, being driven has a downside – it’s easy to become entitled. Many men feel that because they’ve worked so hard, the world should revolve around them.
This kind of man stops feeling grateful and starts seeing problems instead. Without an attitude of gratitude, it’s hard to have a smile on your face—no matter how successful you become.
Last week, I went to Kenya and met men who were grateful for everything, even when they seemingly had nothing.
These men were the opposite of the typically American “type A” personality – but they were so happy and grateful!
My experience with them has helped me to be more in-tune with a fine art that’s always been part of my makeup.
I’m sensitive to art, not the science of always being grateful. Via @RustyLionAcad
Click play in the player below to hear Bill and I talk with recurring guest host Phil Bonelli about an attitude of gratitude – and what one could mean for your business, your family, and your happiness in general.
Listen to this episode to hear me speak with Bill and Phil about an attitude of gratitude and more: * When to plow forward, and when to gratefully accept your outcomes. * How to impart an attitude of gratitude among your employees. * The mindset disease that can only be cured with gratitude. * The time five empty whiskey bottles ‘talked’ to Bill about gratitude. * A challenge that will help you be more grateful. * How being grateful for your employees will improve four metrics in your business. * How to show gratitude for loved ones. * Two ways to stimulate gratitude in your children. * How to make your own day by making other people’s days.
Read these books to help develop an attitude of gratitude for your business and loved ones: * “The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari: A Fable About Fulfilling Your Dreams & Reaching Your Destiny,” by Robin Sharma * “The 5 Love Languages: The Secret to Love that Lasts,” by Gary Chapman
Do this next to develop an attitude of gratitude in your business: You’ll be surprised at how much gratitude can motivate your employees. In our experience, showing gratitude for your employees does so much more than a paycheck could ever do. Click here to get our free “Motivating Employees” toolkit and learn what the best leaders and managers do differently to make their employees tick.
How do you turn a breaking point into a breakthrough?
It’s easy – if you take time to decompress.
Decompressing is exactly what Lucas Barra did at a turning point in his career and life.
Lucas is a sales professional, entrepreneur and coach who helps others close more sales with his business, Radical Sales Coaching.
Several years ago, after creating a podcast that started to attract clients, Lucas found himself in a difficult career predicament.
“I was freaked out,” Lucas tells me in this episode. “I got impostor syndrome because I wasn’t sure I could fulfill clients’ expectations – even though I had been doing exactly that.”
Lucas realized he had become addicted to the hard work and hustle of building his business, and needed the time to relax and think over his mistakes and self-sabotage.
So he decided to close his business. Decompressing became his lifeline.
But decompressing didn’t come easy for Lucas. He says it was as hard for him as it might be for an addict to kick drugs.
If you’re at your breaking point, take a week off with time to reset. @TheLucasBarra via @RustyLionAcad. (Tweet this!)
In the end, his decompression time helped Lucas see how to build a sustainable business.
He’s since redirected his efforts toward coaching, and is grateful he did.
Click play in the player below to hear what that hard reset did for Lucas and more.
Listen to this episode to hear me speak with Lucas Barra, founder of Radical Sales Coaching about decompressing and more: * How a microphone changed Lucas’s life. * Becoming a professional at assumptive sales closing. * What sales pros should focus on instead of techniques. * Yoga for homeless people. * What Lucas saw in his Dad he wants to pass on to his kids someday. * The routine Lucas follows every day that puts him in a more valuable state. * How legendary basketball coach John Wooden’s death changed Lucas’s life.
Read these books to help you become a better marketer and salesman: * “DotCom Secrets: The Underground Playbook for Growing Your Company Online,” by Russell Brunson
How to contact Lucas Barra: You can get in touch with Lucas through his website or email.
Do this next to decompress from your high-powered business life: We take decompressing seriously. Without making space in your life, you can never fully connect to the people you love. For helpful information every week that will remind you to make time for what matters, subscribe to our podcast on iTunes or Stitcher or join The Lion’s Den.
As a business owner, you need to be “on a mission.”
Why? Increasingly, people work to support a cause as much as they volunteer to do so.
For instance, 60 percent of millennials say a sense of purpose drove them to work where they do.
More people want to do business with cause-motivated companies, as well.
What’s your business cause?
Does your mission statement convey that purpose to your employees in a way that motivates them? To your clients?
To be effective, your mission statement needs to be crafted perfectly—so it both moves your employees to take up your cause, and compels your clients to do business with you.
It’s not just that you need clarity – it’s that you can’t afford to be without it.
Conveying your mission succinctly and powerfully will attract the kind of people you need to your business, help retain them, and push you to develop systems that support your values.
In short, you’ll have a hard time getting anyone motivated – team or clients – without a good mission.
Your mission is your motivation. Use it effectively. Via @RustyLionAcad
In this episode, we’ll help you craft your mission statement to more easily get your team and your clients on board.
Listen to this episode to learn how to craft your mission statement and more: * How being on a mission affects hiring. * Why you, as the leader, need to be the first convert to your mission statement. * Stepping away from your business far enough to clearly see the mission. * The motivation our team gets (and our clients get) from our own company mission. * Four questions you must answer in your mission statement. * Why you can’t write the “War and Peace” of mission statements. * How to lead with your mission.
Do this next for your company mission: At Rusty Lion Academy, it’s part of our mission to help you achieve yours. Sign up here to join the Lion’s Den, where we give you free business- and self-improvement videos and access to other content we use with our paid clients.
It takes dirt to make grit. George Thomas knows that from experience.
George is a speaker, teacher, marketer, and inbound marketing and brand strategist specializing in the marketing software Hubspot.
In high school, one of his teachers called him out during class just to tell him he would never amount to anything.
Dirt.
Some people take an experience like that and pulverize the dirt into grit. But George didn’t know how.
Within a year, he had dropped out of high school — and he entered a dark period of his life.
“You’re literally listening to a high-school dropout because I listened to one man who said I’d never amount to anything,” George tells me in this episode.
Fortunately for his future, George joined the Navy and started to figure out the secrets of turning dirt into grit.
He nearly died in the Navy, which is a crazy story that’s well worth listening to in this episode. But he took full advantage of his second chance and changed his life through grit, grind, and patience.
“Not all the bad things that happen to you are bad things,” @GeorgeBThomas via @RustyLionAcad (Tweet this!)
These days, George will tell you he has “worked his face off” to become an expert in inbound marketing. He’s become an accredited Hubspot trainer – a title only a handful of people hold.
Shortly after I interviewed George, he realized a four-year goal of speaking at Hubspot’s Inbound conference. There, he shared the stage with well-known people like actor Alec Baldwin, author Gary Vaynerchuk, tennis champion Serena Williams and more.
In this episode, George shares his amazing story of finding grit and patience through a long-term grind that turned him from a high-school dropout into a force to be reckoned with.
“Grit is holding fast to the truth that you’re going to make happen in your life,” @GeorgeBThomas via @RustyLionAcad (Tweet this!)
Listen to this episode to hear me speak with George Thomas about grit, grind, patience, and more: * The practice any man should use to replace fear. * A near-death experience in the Navy that opened George up to grinding away at the dirt of life. * How to reach the “fulfillment line” every day instead of the finish line. * Becoming effective through grit in your chosen field. * Why inbound marketing is replacing traditional marketing. * The difference between hustle and grit, and the rules of a good hustle. * Lessons learned from a poorly timed $12,000 loss. * How the grind (and one too many bowls of Cheetos) nearly killed George, and how he’s lost 21 pounds since.
Read these books to help become more fulfilled in your life: * “Crush It: Why NOW Is the Time to Cash In on Your Passion,” by Gary Vaynerchuk * “How to Win Friends and Influence People,” by Dale Carnegie
How to contact George Thomas: You can get in touch with George through Twitter or on Facebook.
Do this next to improve your grit: We’re full of stories of grit and perseverance that will rub off on you. Subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or Stitcher or simply join The Lion’s Den, where you’ll get weekly emails that will lift up your business and your life. When you do, you’ll gain access to 15 hours of proven leadership and business training.
If you want to learn how to take control of your life, you’ve got to sit in the driver’s seat first.
My guest today has learned that through hard experience.
Kyle Bochat is a financial advisor at Strong Gaddy Lee Wealth Management Group of Wells Fargo Advisors. He’s also been an independent financial advisor for Edward Jones, a regional director of operations for PruittHealth – and the DJ for a skating rink.
I’ll let that last one sink in for a bit.
Kyle’s family owned the skating rink and he, by default, became the DJ for his family’s business.
But that was when he was just “along for the ride.” He took control of the wheel after an unexpected life event, and he hasn’t stopped driving since.
Except maybe once – and that’s one of his biggest life regrets.
When his company started to consolidate regions, he could have gotten a pay bump and more responsibility.
But he was unsure of himself, since his fellow regional directors had more experience.
He became a passenger in his own life, no longer taking the kinds of risks his company had come to appreciate. As a result, he was one of the ones who lost his job.
Remember that, Lions: when it comes to taking control of your life, you can’t be a passenger.
“Always be a driver; take control.” Kyle Bochat via @RustyLionAcad (Tweet this!)
Except for that one little hiccup, Kyle has always risen in the ranks – largely because of the way he has driven his life. In this episode, he shares what he’s learned about how to take control of your life and career. It’s well worth a listen.
Listen to this episode to hear me speak with Kyle Bochat about how to take control of your life and more: * The two practices that will keep you in the driver’s seat. * The shotgun decision that forced Kyle to take control of his life. * Two traits that every leader needs (HINT: You should never be too proud to have these.) * Why a leader isn’t the one who “does.” * How Kyle earned a major award by knocking on doors. * A practice to shut down self-doubt. * Tips on leaving a generational impact. * The two “habits of highly successful people” that Kyle lives by.
Read this to learn how to take control of your life: * “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change,” by Stephen R. Covey
How to contact Kyle Bochat: Call Kyle on his direct line at 770-533-5126 or send him an email.
Do this next to perfect how to take control of your life: Starting to take control of your life is as simple as mapping out your personal success journey.
Our free live web training will, in about 60 minutes, give you the tools you need to chart that map. Click here to register.
The old axiom states that money doesn’t buy happiness, and it’s true. You can hit a low point in life even if you earn high paychecks.
Today’s guest is a powerful illustration of that principle.
Dan Lok is a Canadian serial entrepreneur who owns or is involved with 21 companies.
He emigrated to Vancouver, British Columbia, from Hong Kong at age 14, and stumbled into entrepreneurship when he saw a neighbor struggling with a heavy mower and offered to mow the man’s lawn.
The man paid him $20 and, after a brief negotiation, agreed to have Dan back weekly to mow. Dan also secured use of the mower for other people’s lawns – and his first business came to life.
And so did Dan’s life of riches and fulfillment.
Sort of.
That business failed. So did 12 more he started. He accumulated a mountain of debt and joined what author Robert Allen likes to call the NFL club. (No Friends Left.)
It was do-or-die time—so he “did” instead of die.
And he did. Big-time.
But, even though he was making tons of money, he sank into a deep depression anyway.
Money didn’t buy him happiness. In fact, he says he was happier when carrying a heavy debt load with no friends who would return a call.
Find out in this episode what helped him figure out what makes a fulfilling life.
“Focus not on success, but significance.” Dan Lok (@danthemanlok) via @RustyLionAcad
Listen to this episode to hear me speak with Dan Lok about building a fulfilling life and more: * How you can be unfulfilled in life even though you have buckets full of money. * Which trait is the enemy to progress. * What you can learn from a man who lives in a 15th-century castle. * Why your financial goal probably doesn’t have enough zeroes. * The four stages of success – and why you should aim for the highest stage. * The one person you shouldn’t focus on in your business. * The brutally truthful conversation that set Dan Lok free. * What all knowledge leads toward.
Read these books to help become more fulfilled in your life: * “The Surrender Experiment: My Journey into Life's Perfection,” by Michael Singer * “The Principle of the Path: How to Get from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be,” by Andy Stanley
How to contact Dan Lok: You can get in touch with Dan through his website or via his YouTube channel.
Do this next to find a fulfilling life: It’s easier to find a fulfilling life when you map out your path to significance.
Our free live web training will, in about 60 minutes, give you the tools you need to chart that map. Click here to register.
Luck is deceptive. Most people view luck as something you either have or you don’t – a gift the universe lays at your feet.
But luck is something you can influence a lot more than you might think.
You want to know the easiest way to get lucky?
Work like you are lucky. Most people who don’t consider themselves lucky haven’t embraced the mentality that will bring them luck.
The Roman philosopher Seneca understood this when he said “Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.” Me, I like to put it this way:
Luck lies on the road less traveled. Via @RustyLionAcad (Tweet this!)
Some people understand that – and seize every opportunity to get lucky that they can. Others back off and choose unlucky paths instead.
In this episode, I expound on 11 steps you can use to get luckier. I’ll also tell how I’ve seen these steps create luck in my business – and my life – and those of many of my clients and colleagues.
Listen to this episode to learn how to get lucky: * How goals and luck intertwine. * Preparing yourself to take advantage of the situation when opportunity strikes. * The A, B, Cs that will lead you to your lucky place. * Luck’s ties to resilience. * Why luck won’t come to you if you don’t strike out in new directions. * The emotion most people feel before they get lucky (Hint: Happy Halloween!) * Why listening to your gut is a study in learning how to get lucky.
Do this next to learn how to get lucky: Remember, luck isn’t something that the universe dumps at your feet. You have to position yourself to find and embrace those lucky moments when they happen. That requires effort.
Fortunately, our free live web training can help you map out where you want to go in business and in life, so you’re ready to move when your luck improves.
Click here now to register.
An author once compared a man’s mind to a garden – you can let the weeds creep in or plant beautiful thoughts while weeding all the while.
In other words, you can change your mind or change your mindset with the right work ethic and wisdom guiding you.
That’s especially true if you want your mind to prosper over time.
“You can change what you are and where you are by changing what goes into your mind.” @TheZigZiglar via @RustyLionAcad
That’s why H. Guthrie Chamberlain hosts the Wisdom Trek podcast, where he can help change your mind by planting seeds of wisdom over time.
He leaves it up to you to do the weeding.
As a small-business owner for more than 30 years, Guthrie once had to change his mind about business in a heartbreaking way.
The change of mind moved him from a retail technology business with 50 employees, through the dark days of the dotcom bubble burst, and into a lifestyle consulting business called Venture Consulting Group.
The change of business represents a complete change of mind for Guthrie, who once saw success as something different than he understands it now.
Click play in the player below to hear his incredible story and learn a little wisdom along the way.
Listen to this episode to hear me speak with H. Guthrie Chamberlain about changing your mind with wisdom and more: * How to bounce back from any personal or business disaster. * Transitioning from a growth business to a lifestyle business. * Why you shouldn’t separate your life and business. * Controlling distractive influences in your life. * Guthrie’s numb fingers and numb heart when he had to close his technology business. * Growing up with 9 siblings in a farmhouse with one bathroom – and what it taught Guthrie about unconditional love and hard work. * A factory you can take with you anywhere. * Hitting midlife at age 60.
Read these books to help change your mind for the better: * “As a Man Thinketh” by James Allen * “Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less” by Greg McKeown
How to contact H. Guthrie Chamberlain: You can get in touch with Guthrie through either of his websites, venturecg.com or wisdom-trek.com
Do this next to change your mind: You change your mind when you change the way you map out your success journey. Our free live web training will give you tools to see your life and business differently – in about 60 minutes.
Click here to register.
A lot of men claim they don’t know how to become a morning person.
Some say they feel being a night owl is in their blood. Some simply enjoy staying up late and hate the morning grind.
But listen night owls: you can be early birds! And switching gears will help you grow your business like crazy.
And that’s coming from someone who made the change himself – and saw the same results.
I used to work in the restaurant industry, where my night owl nature helped me make it through many a 2 a.m. close.
But ever since I left that industry, my tendency to stay up late has been nothing but a drag on my business.
So I learned how to become a morning person – and I’m going to tell you how I did it in this episode.
And trust me, this stuff works. As a coach, I’ve helped many Rusty Lion Academy clients make the same switch, and watched it help them grow their businesses, too.
“If you become a morning person, your business will grow.” Via @RustyLionAcad (Tweet this!)
Click play in the player below to find out why mornings are powerful tools for life and business growth. Plus, find out how to become a morning person in 30 days. The results will change your life if you take the challenge!
Listen to this episode to learn how to become a morning person and more: * Why business growth is tied to your morning habits. * The first thing you should do each morning. (HINT: It’s definitely not “check email.”) * Why you should tackle the hardest parts of your day in the morning. * Planning your way out of procrastination each morning. * How to become a morning person when being a night owl is in your DNA. * A 30-day challenge that will turn you into an early bird. * Four life categories that should each get some of your attention in the wee hours. * Why it’s better to sleep 7.5 hours than 8.
Do this next to learn how to become a morning person: If you don’t think you can become a morning person after listening to this episode, you might think about changing your mindset and making success a priority. Our free live web training will help you map out how to improve anything you’d like in your life or business.
Click here now to register.
The theory of constraints with Ed Hill If you pull a chain until it breaks, it only breaks in one place.
That’s the principle behind the theory of constraints, first introduced by Eliyahu Goldratt and made popular in his and Jeff Cox’s book, The Goal.
Every business has limiting factors – places where its “chain” is most likely to break. And whether you call them your weakest links, your constraining factors, or something else, Ed Hill has tips on how to strengthen them.
Ed is a systems expert who helps businesses understand and overcome the theory of constraints. One such business was my partner Bill’s – the Marena Group.
Here’s what Bill has to say about the experience.
“Ed guided us to a world-class operational system that delivered literally millions of dollars of wealth into my pocket the day I sold the Marena Group.
“How? His system improved our financials, boosted employee morale, helped us measure the right things, and increased customer satisfaction.
“And he saved us millions, too. Because of Ed we were able to reorganize and work in the space we had, instead of being forced to move into a bigger building.”
Ed’s process, which he calls “synchronous flow” strengthened Bill’s “chain.” Many of Ed’s clients report similar experiences after being educated on the theory of constraints and working through his system.
The secret is counterintuitive: respect the weakest link.
“Find out where the weakest link is and treat it with dignity,” Ed Hill via @RustyLionAcad (Tweet this!)
In this episode, Ed explains more about that seemingly backwards piece of advice, and guides me through the theory of constraints. Listen and you’ll hear how you can remove your constraints with “synchronous flow.”
And when you realize how much your business and life could benefit, you’ll be happy you heard this episode.
Listen to this episode to hear me speak with Ed Hill about the theory of constraints and more: * Moving material or information smoothly through a business. * What working for the National Security Agency has done for Ed’s career. * Why you should “honor” your weakest link! * The five steps to making your business “chain” stronger according to the theory of constraints. * Why “finish lines” don’t exist in the business world. * Using the theory of constraints to build a house onto a vacant lot in three hours.
Read these books to help you remove your business constraints: * “Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap and Others Don’t,” by Jim Collins * “Theory of Constraints,” by Eliyahu Goldratt * ”The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement,” by Eliyahu Goldratt and Jeff Cox
How to contact Ed Hill: You can talk to Ed by calling his cell phone at 704-560-1536 or by emailing him here.
Do this next: If you like learning about how to make your business stronger, our free live web training teaches a process you can use to improve both your work and your personal life. Spend 60 minutes with us and you could save yourself countless hours of frustration.
Click here to register.
Feeling “too busy”? Maybe you’re missing the point
Here’s an experiment.
Walk up to a man you haven’t seen in a while. Ask him how he’s been.
Chances are he’ll answer, “Busy. Way too busy.”
It’s time to let that answer go, Lions. Because you don’t have to be a “too busy” businessman to be successful.
A lot of men, especially those in their 20s, 30s and 40s, go around talking about how busy.
Why do they do it?
Maybe they really are too busy.
But maybe they say so to feel like they’re important. To feel needed. To feel successful.
Listen—I’m not judging, Lions. Even if you yourself often say you’re busy.
But John Maxwell has this nugget of truth for all those busy businessman out there:
“You cannot overestimate the unimportance of practically everything.” @JohnCMaxwell via @RustyLionAcad
“Too busy?” You’re missing the point Warren Buffett is buffeted with opportunities. (See what I did there?) But he often repeats an interesting truth: he says “No” to almost everything. Buffet is very, very choosy about what he commits to.
And you should be too. A busy businessman like yourself shouldn’t say “Yes” to anything that doesn’t fit with your long-term goals or feed your super-power.
But most men, when presented with an opportunity, feel obligated to say yes – whether because they fear missing out, fear disappointing someone, or just plain want to be a nice guy.
In this episode, we talk about why you don’t have to be a “too busy” to be successful.
We’ll also tell you which three habits to change in your life if you want to succeed without drowning in busywork. Click play in the player below to find out how to be less busy and more successful.
Listen to this episode to learn about why you shouldn’t be a busy businessman to be successful and more: * One way to answer someone tells you they’ve been too busy. * Why busy businessmen act like war heroes, and why they shouldn’t. * A bridge that broke under the strain of too many yeses, and how you can keep the same thing from happening to you. * The true meaning of discipline. * The difference between a load and a burden, and how to keep from falling victim to one instead of carrying the other. * A to-do list item that will forever keep your to-do-lists shorter. * The bad work-related habit that nearly killed Bill. (It’s a sleeper problem for most men.)
Do this next to learn how to stop being “too busy”: We’ve been busy, too. But it’s a condition to avoid, rather than to strive for. If your relationships are struggling under the burden of your business life, we’ve got the antidote.
Our free web training will help you map out your success and leave the busywork behind. Whatever future you have planned, we’re sure we can make it shine brighter. Click here to register.
Customer experience design for 400% growth with Jason Friedman As you know, Lions, word of mouth can either help a business succeed wildly, or plow it under the ground, depending on whether it’s good or bad. But few businesses put much thought into their customer experience design – an absolutely critical factor if you’re trying to generate a positive buzz.
That’s where Jason Friedman comes in.
As Founder and Chief Experience Officer of CX Formula, Jason does everything in his power to help small- and medium-sized businesses design a customer experience. That’s the sum total of what a typical customer goes through in his or her interactions with a company – and it’s also what generates positive word of mouth.
His clients have included big names like Foot Locker, Nike, Universal Studios, Disney, Bank of America, Stanford University, and more. For companies like these, he designs a customer experience journey that culminates in positive word of mouth – and 400 percent same-store sales growth in some cases.
Jason combines the art and science of designing the customer experience journey to influence how customers feel when they walk into a store. He finds ways to engage the senses and get people emotionally involved with companies.
In essence, he finds a way to make retail a more engaging, theatrical experience.
“People interacting with your business already have an experience – design it to be the one that you want.” @CXFormula via @RustyLionAcad (Tweet this!)
Click play in the player below to hear Jason’s remarkable story of moving from being a roadie for a few bands you may have heard of to being the customer experience designer for brands you definitely know. You’ll get plenty of other valuable advice along the way.
Listen to this episode to hear me speak with Jason Friedman about how to design your customer experience and more: * How experience as a roadie for Peter Gabriel and Rush helps Jason form great customer experiences in retail. * The superpower that makes Jason excel at creating customer experiences. * Why retail should pay attention to theater. * The changes Jason helped Foot Locker make to achieve 400 percent same-store growth. * Why you might want to throw out job descriptions (and what to replace them with). * Reverse engineering your customer experience. * Three killer tips to getting close to a client – even if things go terribly.
Use these resources to help you in your business ad design your customer experience: * “Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die,” by Chip and Dan Heath * WinStreak: An app on Android or iPhone that helps you stay positive in business
How to contact Jason Friedman and download his customer experience design kit: Go to Jason’s website to get a free PDF exclusive to Rusty Lion Academy listeners that will help you shape your customer experience design for the better. You can also contact Jason via email.
Do this next: If a better customer experience is something you want, we can help you shape the way you get there.
During our free live web training, we’ll teach you in about 60 minutes how to do whatever it is you most want. The thing you’ll discover is that you already know the answers; we just help you see that!
Click here to register.
Management theory for today with Dr. David Burkus Management theory – as most know it – originated in the industrial era. Back then, a distinct dividing line separated the thinkers (managers) from the doers (labor).
Dr. David Burkus tells me in this episode that even as the industrial system has largely been supplanted by more and more creative jobs, management theory has stayed too constant.
That means you’ve probably been inappropriately handling management theory in your own business.
David is a bestselling author, award-winning podcaster, and associate professor of management at Oral Roberts University. In 2015, the world’s premier ranking of management thinkers – Thinkers50 – named him one of the emerging thought leaders most likely to shape the future of business.
He says the “org chart” of traditional management theory worked well in the early days of industry because it pushed information from the thinkers to the doers. It also created silos around each management group.
But everything’s changed since then, and David says it’s time to plant some explosives on the silos.
The most mundane, thoughtless work has largely been outsourced or automated, leaving a knowledge economy with only creative work left.
That requires creative management theory.
“The best teams are actually temporary; they disband after each project.” @davidburkus via @RustyLionAcad
Click play in the player below to hear David talk with me about why, along with quite a few other meaningful things to today’s businessman.
Listen to this episode to hear me speak with Dr. David Burkus about management theory for today and more: * Why team members, not managers, shouldn’t make hires. * The need for policies that inspire employee autonomy. * Why an employee can look stellar on paper, but underperform in real life. * How a growth mindset can be born in failure. * The reason shortcuts to success don’t work. * Why you might want to avoid the J-O-B word and just work toward your goals instead. * The realization that switched David’s career track from one like famed author Ernest Hemingway’s to one like marketing writer Daniel Pink’s.
Read these to help you discover management theory for today: * “The Opposable Mind: How Successful Leaders Win Through Integrative Thinking,” by Roger Martin * “Under New Management: How Leading Organizations Are Upending Business as Usual,” by David Burkus * “The Myths of Creativity: The Truth About How Innovative Companies and People Generate Great Ideas,” By David Burkus
How to contact Dr. David Burkus: You can reach out to David through his website.
Do this next to improve your management theory: Management theory doesn’t stay put, and neither should you. We help men like you discover their greatest potential – as managers, as husbands and fathers, and as businessmen in today’s busy world.
Our free live web training, in about 60 minutes can teach you how to do whatever it is you most want – even if you don’t know what that is yet.
Click here to register.
How to be a billionaire warrior with Ziad Abdelnour Most people want to know how to be a billionaire – and Ziad Abdelnour is confident that anyone can become one.
Ziad himself has been involved in hundreds of transactions, worth more than $10 billion in total, in the investment banking, high yield bond, and distressed debt markets.
He’s also the CEO of Blackhawk Partners Inc., a Wall Street financier, a lobbyist who helped pass a bill that forced a Syrian army out of his native Lebanon, an author, and a philanthropist. And in all of these roles, he tells me in this episode, he strives to help as many “Davids” fight “Goliaths” as he can.
But that means he has to find Davids. Personality types that don’t mind going up against the giant – and who feel strongly they will prevail anyway. That’s how to be a billionaire warrior.
And Ziad says he wants to create as many millionaires and billionaires as he can. But that task also requires a David attitude:
“Have a real killer attitude and surround yourself with people smarter than you. And swallow your ego.” @blackhawkinc via @RustyLionAcad
In the end, Ziad says, he doesn’t invest in ideas, trends, technologies, or themes. He invests in people. In Davids.
Because if you want to know how to be a billionaire, he says, you have to realize that business is war.
And it takes a rebel with a cause to succeed. Someone who, like Ziad, throws conventions out the window.
“Rebels with a cause are lethal in business.” @blackhawkinc via @RustyLionAcad
He takes this mentality to extremes. For example, when he hires someone, the first interview question he asks is designed to be a stupid question that a potential billionaire isn’t afraid to challenge.
That’s what it takes to be a giant killer – to be unafraid of challenging authority, or norms, or even the person who could hire you and change your life.
In other words, to be someone unafraid of learning how to be a billionaire warrior.
Click play in the player below to learn how to be a billionaire warrior for yourself. Ziad has tons of great advice and is consistently quotable. Listen for yourself to hear why.
Listen to this episode to hear how to be a billionaire and more: * Why being a spoiled brat eventually turned Ziad into a billionaire. * Why this country needs more people with the billionaire mindset. * Why you should read tons of biographies. * Why you should embrace dangerous ideas. * Why success hinges on how many people you empower. * How to beat audacity-caused mistakes with more audacity. * The stupid question Ziad asks at the start of job interviews. * What you need to know – even if it hurts. * Why you should be inspired by – instead of jealous of – other people’s success. * How to be aware that money can’t buy everything.
Read Ziad’s book to help you learn to be a billionaire warrior: “Economic Warfare: Secrets of Wealth Creation in the Age of Welfare Politics” by Ziad Abdelnour and Herman Cain
How to contact Ziad Abdelnour: You can reach out to Ziad via his business website, his nonprofit’s website, or on Twitter.
Do this next to learn how to be a billionaire: We teach a mindset that can lead you to more money – or whatever else you’re reaching for – and it’s proven to work.
Our free live web training teaches you – in about 60 minutes – how to do whatever it is you most want… even if you don’t know what that is yet.
Click here to register.
Rigorous leadership vs. ruthless leadership Rigorousness: the quality of adhering to strict, exacting or thorough standards and methods.
Ruthlessness: the quality of having no mercy or pity.
Which of these sounds more like you?
A rigorous culture should be something you chase in your business, but if you take it too far and become ruthless, you could put your business, your team, and yourself in danger.
That’s the difference we explore in this episode.
For a good example of the difference between rigorous leadership and ruthless leadership, let me tell you a story about my partner Bill.
Bill graduated from West Point, and as a young rock star lieutenant he took rigorous orders too far – and put himself in a ruthless situation that threatened his life.
He was supposed to find a way to another location, so he decided to take the quickest route possible by Jeep. His chosen path took them over a mountain range. The Jeep got into several precarious positions, and Bill’s specialist driver voiced his concern.
That didn’t stop Bill. He called his driver a wimp and stepped into the driver seat.
Ruthless, right?
Sure enough, Bill soon rolled the Jeep down the mountain, destroying both the vehicle and the equipment it carried.
He couldn’t recognize the difference between rigorous leadership – expecting world-class performance from your team – and ruthless leadership. Consequently he put his team in unnecessary danger and drove them (no pun intended) with intimidation and fear.
Luckily, Bill didn’t kill himself or his driver, but to this day he considers it the mistake of a lifetime.
What about you?
Do you step into the driver seat too often as a leader and put your team in danger? Or do you know how to drive results without messing up your team’s groove? Listen to this episode for more.
“Rigorous leaders who just hire warm bodies fall into the ruthless leader trap. Hire ‘A’ players.” Via @RustyLionAcad (Tweet this!)
Click play in the player below to hear how to be a rigorous leader instead of a ruthless leader. (You’ll also hear what happened to Bill when his commanding officers heard what he did.)
This episode has plenty of actionable advice that could keep you from stepping over the same line with your business or family.
Listen to this episode to learn about rigorous leadership, ruthless leadership and more: * The #1 difference between a rigorous leader and a ruthless one. * How to hire “A” players, and why they’re important to a rigorous culture. * Why your best employees should tell you what to do, not the other way around. * Times when both Bill and I (Robert) were ruthless, and how we regret it even today. * When – and how – you should fire somebody. * Why ruthless leaders lose respect. * A three-strike method for firing in a rigorous culture that won’t intimidate your best employees. * The J-word we use to describe ruthless leaders (Hint: It’s not jerky, but it’s awful close.) * What you should do to “A” players who make big mistakes.
Read these books to help you learn to be a rigorous leader: “Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap and Others Don’t,” by Jim Collins
“Crucial Conversations Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High, Second Edition,” by Kerry Patterson
Do this next to learn how to be a rigorous leader: Knowing how to motivate employees is something a rigorous leader understands. A ruthless leader will try to hack and cut his way to success. After all, an unmotivated employee is one of the biggest financial costs to a business.
Click here to get our free toolkit on motivating employees. It will help you stay rigorous – without becoming ruthless.
Never give up with Draye Redfern Never give up, Lions.
Draye Redfern tells me that in this episode. And if you listen, you’ll learn that’s a big deal. After all, the guy had plenty of reasons to give up himself, even though he became a millionaire by age 25.
Draye is the 27-year-old chief operating officer of Daniels-Head Insurance Agency, and president of Educate Wealth.
He is also the “soul brother” of my business partner Bill since he also became a professional cyclist.
And it was his passion for cycling that taught him to never give up – and, boy, did he need to rely on it.
He had gone through business failure after business failure. And he had his professional cycling card pulled after heart surgery set him back.
To make matters worse, soon after he regained his pro status for cycling, he got T-boned by a car driven by a texting teenager.
But he refused to give up, and embraced the pain and agony of physical therapy, chiropractor visits and more.
He eventually recovered to 99 percent.
“The upside on the other side of disaster is unlimited.” @DrayeRedfern via @RustyLionAcad
His embrace-the-pain mentality now extends into business, where his failures galvanized him.
If you want to learn more about how to adopt a “never give up” mentality, click play on the player below.
Listen to this episode to hear me speak with Draye Redfern about how he never gives up and more: * How to focus when you travel 100 days per year. * The conference that has helped Draye to more than $100,000 in leads. * Why being a “constant student” pays dividends. * Using outdated but proven tools to market effectively. * Why self-help at an early age helped Draye (against his will). * One thing you should do to improve your networking at conferences. * How to run a non-disastrous family business.
Read these to help you to never give up: * “The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles,” by Steven Pressfield * “The ONE Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth Behind Extraordinary Results,” by Gary Keller and Jay Papasan
How to contact Draye Redfern: You can reach out to Draye via Twitter, LinkedIn, or via his website.
Do this next to never give up: Your subconscious mind is in the driver’s seat, whether you like it or not. We can hand you the keys so you can catch whatever you’re chasing.
Our free live web training, in about 60 minutes can teach you how to do whatever it is you most want – even if you don’t know what that is yet.
Click here to register.
How to find inspiration instead of desperation When inspiration strikes, don’t strike inspiration down.
That statement sums up this episode. When you’re inspired and don’t act on it, life will force you to change in ways far less – well – inspiring.
This episode is all about how to find inspiration before it feels absolutely necessary to change. That, of course, is when desperation creeps in.
Every man hits plateau points in his life. Times where, like a lion, you’ve caught your prey and can focus on feasting and rest.
But real hunters know they should keep hunting, that eventually they’ll need to start climbing again.
The question is whether you’ll do it because you’re inspired… or desperate.
“Inspiration is harder to find than desperation, but you should desperately seek inspiration.” Via @RustyLionAcad (Tweet this!)
It’s OK to plateau, Lions, but it’s not OK to plateau indefinitely. The problems in your life will always far outnumber the perceived comfort you think you’ll feel by limiting your growth.
Click play in the player below to learn how to find inspiration – before desperation sets in.
Listen to this episode to learn how to find inspiration without turning to desperate measures and more: * Why good enough isn’t good enough. * The stages of skill acquisition. * Why you plateau, and how to rise above. * Why losses are psychologically more powerful than wins. * My crazy decision to leave a profitable career. * The one action I took to move beyond a plateau. * The secret to finding real joy in life. * How to overcome fear and accept inspiration. * Four questions to ask at a fork in the road of your life.
Do this next to learn how to find inspiration: If you’ve ever looked at a successful person and thought “That guy is lucky to be where he’s at,” then know this: successful people consistently chalk their success up to luck and hard work.
We know from experience that “luck” follows hard work. When you are working hard outside your comfort zone, your comfort zone expands and luck comes with it.
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If you’re going through a rough patch right now, you may wonder how you can go about finding faith and energy when you’re just a shell of who you once were.
My guest today knows about finding faith – in business, in God, and in yourself – when it seems like there shouldn’t be any faith or energy left.
People often refer to Christopher McCluskey as “the father of Christian coaching.” With that unofficial title, you might wonder how it could be hard for him to find faith and energy.
But make no mistake – he’s struggled. Chris has a background in psychotherapy, but decided to leave the profession. Partly because, like a lot of psychotherapists, he started to feel shell-shocked by spending so much time on other people’s battlefields. Just like pro sports takes a toll on athletes’ bodies, psychotherapy takes a toll on therapists’ minds.
So even though he loved what he did, he moved to the country with his family, started working from home, and started finding faith in his new direction.
That’s when everything changed.
Christopher had a medical condition so severe he couldn’t even hold his wife’s hand. He had to live in the dark. He used a walker to get around. All this while homeschooling his seven children, getting his new business running, and otherwise adjusting to a new lifestyle.
It took five years to even diagnose his disease. His family called those “the dark years,” while Chris “lived as a ghost.”
At some point, this Christian coach even felt like God had abandoned him while he waited at death’s doorstep for 18 months.
He clung to the promise that God is good, even when he could no longer feel God’s presence.
And somehow, he kept his faith during that awful experience.
“God forced me on every plane to come to the end of myself and recognize I bring little to any situation, even when I think I’m banging on all cylinders,” he says.
So finding faith and energy when it seems a lost cause is something he had to learn.
“See what you have to work with, adapt, and just step back in and persevere.” Chris McCluskey via @RustyLionAcad (Tweet this!)
Click play in the player below to hear his amazing story. It could help you with finding faith and energy when you feel completely depleted.
Tune into this episode to hear Christopher McCluskey talk with me about finding faith, energy and more: * Life working from home with seven kids! * How a psychotherapist decided to become a coach for Christian coaches. * The terrible toll of psychotherapy on therapists. * Making a career shift when your soul’s energy is depleted in your current career. * Why you’ll never achieve perfect balance, but how to get close. * The three primary roles every man plays – and how to feed them. * What this Christian coach remembered from The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe that helped him persevere. * Why, once you find your “Plan A,” you should never move past it.
Use these resources to help you in finding faith and energy, especially in your marriage: “When Two Become One: Enhancing Sexual Intimacy in Marriage” by Christopher and Rachel McCluskey
How to contact Chris McCluskey: You can reach out to Chris via his website and podcast.
Do this next for finding faith and energy: If you can’t stand where you are in life, you may need to change. If you can’t find faith or energy to go about your day-to-day, let us help you.
We host a free live web training that can help you set the direction you need to go with your life. We’ve seen it spark faith and energy in a lot of men, and know it can help you too.
Click here to register.
