The Achievers Show

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“The people who are on your show, they're part of your network. I have 128 women who I would never have ever thought that I would have even talked to. It has really helped with my network, and it's created an amazing foundation for my business,” shares Lindsay Pinchuk, entrepreneur, small business advocate, and host of the Dear FoundHer podcast. Lindsay created her podcast as a way to showcase women business owners and their amazing accomplishments. The show grew into an active community and an invaluable support network for Lindsay’s business.

A podcast is a useful tool for small business owners to build their networks and boost brand awareness. Having guests on your podcast increases not only your reach, but also your credibility. People are more likely to do business with a person they trust, and a podcast is a fantastic way to cultivate trust and build relationships.

Showing up consistently on social media platforms is important for building brand awareness. If you have a podcast, you can repurpose the episodes for social media posts instead of always having to create new content. Some ways of repurposing the podcast include posting the video to Youtube, making clips into reels for Instagram, or even just sharing quotes. Tagging episode guests on social media can also help boost brand awareness for you and your guests.

Lindsay and Dax discuss why Lindsay created Dear FoundHer and how the podcast boosts brand awareness for herself and other female founders. Lindsay shares tips for creating a successful podcast that can be monetized without relying on ads. Her tips include building community, producing helpful content, and being active on social media.

Quotes

“The people who are on your show, they're part of your network. I have 128 women who I never would have ever thought that I would have even talked to and now I do feel like I can email them and say, ‘Hey, could you share this or could you help me?’. It really has helped with my network and it's created an amazing foundation for my business.” (8:25-8:48 | Lindsay)
“I do use the video a lot for social media and that's been a huge, huge, huge driver for listenership.” (24:02-24:09 | Lindsay)
“If you have an offer, or you have a class, or you have a service that you want to share with your community, I think that the best form of advertisement is in your podcast.” (25:29-25:39 | Lindsay)
“You don't make money from ads in a podcast unless you are someone who has a podcast with millions and millions and millions of downloads.” (26:24-26:34 | Lindsay)
“You need your community first and foremost. If you don't have a community, then there's really no one to buy from you.” (30:34-30:39 | Lindsay)
“One of the number one principles of a community-centric marketing approach is to never compromise your trust.” (30:52-30:57 | Lindsay)

Links

Connect with Lindsay Pinchuk:

Website: https://www.lindsaypinchuk.com

Dear FoundHer: https://www.lindsaypinchuk.com/dearfoundher

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Your Host, Dax Hamman

The Achievers is proudly partnered with:

FIRESIDE for small business marketing

Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

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“We're asking that every member who joins pledges to help 100 other women build a more financially free and fulfilling life,” shares Kiley Peters, founder of RAYNE IX and The 100 Collective. Kiley is a serial entrepreneur whose passion lies in helping other women business owners succeed. She started The 100 Collective as a way to amplify female small business owners, provide small business coaching, and create a supportive and drama-free community.

There is still a misconception among many women that there are not enough seats at the table for everyone, and this can cause some women small business owners to see one another as a threat or as competition. This is simply no longer true, particularly for entrepreneurs. Kiley is working to break down this outdated belief and bring together women business owners who are dedicated to helping one another succeed.

Every member of the 100 Collective pledges to help 100 additional women because when women come together, they improve not only themselves, but also their communities. Any woman small business owner earning up to 5 million in annual revenue and providing a professional service can join The 100 Collective as long as they commit to the pledge and agree to the code of conduct, which prohibits mean girls, drama, and catty behavior.

There are several tiers of membership available, including the opportunity to be listed for free in the directory. This ensures that The 100 Collective is accessible to as many women business owners as possible.

Kiley and Dax discuss Kiley’s professional journey, the mindset shift required for women small business owners to come together, and the research Kiley completed through the help of Susan Byer and her team at Audience Audit. At its base level, the directory helps women business owners hire and be hired, while the workshops, peer mentorships, and supportive environment help members empower one another.

Kiley’s research will be released on March 8th, International Women’s Day, available on the Rayne IX website.

Quotes

“We are giving away free directory listings, because we felt it important to make sure that it was accessible to everyone, no matter how small they are.” (8:01-8:11 | Kiley)
“We are looking for anyone who identifies as a woman who also identifies as a small business. And we identify that as someone who makes up to 5 million in annual revenue, provides a professional service, and commits to our pledge and our code of conduct.” (8:12-8:29 | Kiley)
“We're asking that every member who joins pledges to help 100 other women build a more financially free and fulfilling life.” (8:55-9:02 | Kiley)
“When women have more money in their pockets, they make better decisions for themselves and their families and the world at large.” (9:16-9:22 | Kiley)

Links

Connect with Kiley Peters:

RayneIX: https://rayneix.com/

Workshops: https://rayneix.com/workshops/

The 100 Collective: https://rayneix.com/100collective/

Kiley Peters: https://kileypeters.com

Welcome to Eloma Podcast: https://kileypeters.com/elomapodcast/

Apply to be on The Achievers show

Your Host, Dax Hamman

The Achievers is proudly partnered with:

FIRESIDE for small business marketing

Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

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“The product is just an excuse,” said Brickroad founder Mike Faley, of the specialized Obie coffee mug. Mike’s real mission is to spread the word about the transformative power of therapy, which he believes every one of us should be regularly engaging in. Still, the story of the mug’s creation, and everything that led up to it is nonetheless fascinating.

Growing up in the rough interior of Baltimore, Mike was surrounded by violence and trauma every day of his early life. Like so many men, he quickly learned to develop a thick skin as a means of survival and never confront his feelings.

After helping a girlfriend move on campus at the University of Maryland College Park, he walked into the college admissions office and demanded to be allowed to enroll. It worked. After graduating, he began a 15-year career in advertising, 10 of which were good, but soon he started to wonder what he was contributing to.

Wanting to build something concrete and eternal, he set out to make the perfect coffee mug. After discovering Japan’s legendary Maruassa Porcelain company, he decided they were the company he needed to work with. Putting to use the same tactics that got him into college, he cold-called and queried the company, through every avenue, on a daily basis despite neither party speaking the other’s language. Finally, he asked for a meeting with the CEO of the company and, hours later, was on a flight to Japan.

Of all the bold moves Mike has made ahead of becoming an entrepreneur, his single greatest decision was to start therapy at an early age. Inspired by MTV’s “Loveline,” a live call-in show about sexual health, he credits therapy with saving his life.

Mike and Dax discuss some of the common misunderstandings that persist about therapy, and compare the benefits of using it preventatively and continuously versus in response to a crisis. He uses the Obie mug to get the word out about the benefits of therapy, and five percent of the profits go toward providing those in need with access to therapy.

Quotes

“I thought to myself that I needed to reconsider my relationship to work. That's how I put it. I didn't know what the answer was, but I knew what it wasn't, which was staying where I was.” (1:46-2:00 | Mike)
“I think those people that don't do therapy or those people that grow up with a jaded view of therapy, which I would argue is still 90% of England, don't understand that it is not about what you see in a sitcom laying down on a sofa, whiskey and handle… it's more like going to a coach…What am I missing? What do you need to teach me? So the next time…I can handle it better.” (30:12-30:54 | Dax)
“The brain is really good at dissociating when it needs to by focusing and optimizing for survival when things are tough. Whether that's an acute, one-off situation, or long-term trouble. And I'm very aware now that I didn't know how much I was hurting, and how vulnerable I was, and how sad I was, until I was in a place that was safe enough for me to feel that way.” (37:40-38:09 | Mike)

Links

Connect with Mike Faley:

Website: https://getbrickroad.com

Apply to be on The Achievers show

Your Host, Dax Hamman

The Achievers is proudly made by:

HiveCast.fm for podcast editing, production, and shows notes.

PodAmp.fm for podcast PR, marketing and growth

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“I kind of started this whole thing as a parent who loved to travel but didn't want to travel with their child,” says Erika Bud, about the origins of her family travel podcast Planes,Trains & Kids Abroad. It wasn’t until she had a daylong layover in China en route to Australia, and watched her then-five-year-old son interact in wonder with his new surroundings, that she changed her stance. In the four years since, Erika, a single mother, and her son have traveled together all over the world.

Contrary to popular belief, this doesn’t require a lot of money, and she and Dax discuss the benefits of using travel platforms that stack destinations by price. Dax also notes that in a country as big and varied as the United States, simply traveling within its borders can be quite an enriching experience.

Perhaps the best outcome of exposing her son to so much of the world is how much his curiosity has been piqued. It has also made him more tolerant and accepting of others’ differences. As Dax points out, there are genetic components to our fear of differences, but more of it comes from conditioning and the significant influence of media we are all exposed to.

Many kids share her son’s enthusiasm for other cultures, and she sees this when she visits schools presenting her book, which has been filled with diverse characters. They love to talk about where they would want to travel, and it is often to the country where people in their families live or have immigrated from. Erika talks to them about Australia, and all of its crazy species that can’t be found anywhere else in the world.

The best advice she has gotten from the guests on her podcast–all of whom are parents–is to accept all the travel curveballs and detours as they come because children will see parents’ reaction and adopt the same attitude. Kids travel the way their parents do. Take advantage of all the fun things available at the airport, including the video games on the plane. It helps to do a little of what everyone wants to do.

Something a lot of people don’t take advantage of, surprisingly, is international insurance. Dax and Erika share horror stories of people they know who’ve traveled abroad and were charged in the tens of thousands of dollars after unexpected illness or injury, or after having lost luggage. They compare the benefits of hotels versus extended stay options like AirBnB.

Quotes

“I was one of those parents that was adamant that I'm going to enjoy my travels abroad. I'm not going to take my son with me. He's not going to remember it. It's a lot of money. What's the point?” (1:11-1:20 | Erika)
“It was only when I moved did I comprehend the size of the United States. And I wish people would go to random states more, even if they're not going to leave the US, just to go. And if you're not picky, and you just want to go for an adventure, you can find flights almost anywhere in this country for under 100 bucks if you've got a random day and a random sort of bit of good luck.” (5:19-5:48 | Dax)
“People tend to forget that just because we travel doesn't mean we have all this money, it just means we make it a priority. And we look for the deals.” (6:07-6:13 | Erika)
“I do speak at schools, and part of my half of my presentation is just making sure kids understand why we are learning about different cultures.” (10:20-10:29 | Erika)
“I've had people who have said, it's just easier if you do things that the kids are going to like. I'd say the majority of my families, though, tend to do both. ‘Something for me and something for you,’ so that the kids aren't dreading it and you're not dreading it and they’re doing all the kid things as well. To make the most out of it by doing a little bit for everyone.” (19:26-19:49 | Erika)

Links

Connect with Erika Bud:

Podcast: https://bigworldpub.com/travel_podcast/

Website: https://bigworldpub.com/

Book an author school visit: https://bigworldpub.com/author-visit/

Apply to be on The Achievers show

Your Host, Dax Hamman

The Achievers is proudly partnered with:

FIRESIDE for small business marketing

Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

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“Google values original content (such as podcasts), and Google values content that comes from humans,” says Sarah Lockwood, “And I think that our team of really talented podcast show note writers and experts do a wonderful job of really enticing listeners to care about your show and to be intrigued and want to play it. Also, balancing out the considerations of search engine optimization, AI is never going to be able to do that as well.”

Sarah is the CEO of HiveCast, an affordable podcast production company that helps hosts develop a show from scratch and launch it within just a few weeks. Podcasting is a very natural way of sharing valuable content, and many entrepreneurs are turning to podcast to grow their businesses.

Sarah recommends that podcasters venture into the video realm instead of staying strictly in the audio space because adding video greatly increases their podcast amplification potential. Those videos can be made into content for any number of different mediums, such as Youtube Shorts, Instagram Reels, and TikTok videos, and generate tons of added value for a business. Even if a podcaster chooses only to release audio episodes, it can still be very useful for them to have the video footage to use for asset creation elsewhere.

At HiveCast, as part of their affordable podcast editing and production work, Sarah’s team is listening to every podcast episode they produce, writing high-quality show notes that intentionally target that podcast’s audience and utilize SEO keywords to maximize reach potential, and additionally producing marketing assets to be used on social media platforms and a client’s website.

Although AI is starting to gain a lot of traction and buzz, it is not at a place where it can fully replace the work being done by a fully equipped podcast production team. The writers and editors at HiveCast do a really great job of making each podcast episode enticing to potential listeners while incorporating search engine optimization, a feat that AI is unable to replicate.

Success looks different for every podcaster, because every podcast is created for a different purpose. Some podcasters may be doing it for their own enjoyment, whereas others may be looking to generate more leads for their business, and others still may just want to amplify their voice and the voices of other experts in their respective fields. Whatever the reason, podcasting is a fantastic way to generate a ton of value for a relatively small investment.

In addition to podcast production, HiveCast also offers podcast amplification. PodAmp is a service available to any podcaster regardless of whether they utilize HiveCast as a production company. This incredibly valuable service enables every single one of their clients’ episodes to be submitted to national publications like Yahoo and Business Insider. Dax and Sarah agree that this is a great opportunity for podcasters who want to be seen as the authority on their topic of choice.

Quotes

“It's affordable, and it's really done for you. Our hosts are able to really focus on what they're best at, which is having great conversations, creating a lot of value for their listeners, and they leave all of the production work to my team.” (1:29-1:43 | Sarah)
“The nice thing about podcasting, especially if you choose to make a video podcast like we're doing today, gives you a tremendous amount of content that you can utilize in a number of different mediums, everything from TikTok to YouTube shorts to Instagram reels, which is really what the algorithms are looking for.” (3:11-3:29 | Sarah)
“I really believe that when you're going to invest the time and effort in putting a podcast together, video is the place that you should choose for it to live in addition to a traditional audio podcast environment.” (5:04-5:17 | Sarah)
“Our team is listening to every single episode, and I think that's important to note, because not every podcast production team is doing that.” (7:11-7:20 | Sarah)
“Google values original content and Google values content that comes from humans. And I think that our team of really talented show note writers and experts do a wonderful job of really enticing listeners to care about your show and to be intrigued and want to play it. And also balancing out the considerations of search engine optimization. AI is never going to be able to do that as well.” (10:28-11:00 | Sarah)
“You don't have to be a customer of HiveCast to take advantage of PodAmp. That's something that we can do whether you produce your show, someone else produces your show, that service is available to any podcaster.” (15:54-16:06 | Sarah)

Links

Podcast editing and production (https://HiveCast.fm)

Podcast amplification, growth & marketing (https://podamp.fm)

Apply to be on The Achievers show

Your Host, Dax Hamman

The Achievers is proudly partnered with:

FIRESIDE for small business marketing

Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

Podcast marketing and growth services provided by PodAmp.fm

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“I felt all of it,” says Cheri Ruskus, “the highest highs and the lowest lows.” Starting her first business in her 20s, she experienced all of the emotions that most entrepreneurs have felt or are likely to feel. Some of this is due to her recently diagnosed ADHD, which, she says, many entrepreneurs have. It’s not an affliction, but just a different way of learning, she says. It also explains why entrepreneurs are attracted to ‘Bright, Shiny Objects,’ the new name of her podcast (formerly Business Victories Podcast).

Chief among these feelings is the fear of failure–or, just as often–the fear of success. Many entrepreneurs are afraid of the responsibility that comes with success and so move on to the next thing before finishing the last one.

Beyond the feelings are the experiences she shares with so many other entrepreneurs. After 16 years as the owner of a successful call center, her business became another casualty of the dot com bubble burst. From this low moment, she started writing ‘The Victory Letters,’ stories meant to encourage and relate to entrepreneurs who are experiencing many of the same scenarios. The letters eventually became her first book of the same name, and she still sends a new one out via email every Monday morning.

Her support for entrepreneurs continues with ‘The Victory Circles,’ her business coaching business that she has run for over 20 years. Once a month for six months, groups of ten business leaders gather to benefit from Cheri’s knowledge and feedback. Cohort members also benefit from each other’s strengths and weaknesses in the same way that every business runs best when all employees bring their expertise to the table.

Though the business coaching meetings once took place in person, post-Covid, the meetings now take place over Zoom. This provides the opportunity to work with and learn from business leaders farther afield and see from their perspective. It’s not unlike a therapy session.

Despite the popular image of entrepreneurs as wealthy, glamorous, and in living a perfect work/life balance, Dax and Cheri both agree that business coaching is something everyone in charge of a business could benefit from.

Quotes

“Many entrepreneurs have ADHD. It's what gets our sparks going. Contrary to the idea that there's something wrong with you, it's just that you think differently, your brain thinks in a different way. And so it gets hard to focus because you've got so many ideas.” (1:39-1:59 | Cheri)
“That's when I really decided to become a business coach because I felt all of it. I felt the highs, I felt the lowest of the lows.” (9:55-10:05 | Cheri)
“I've had business coaches, and it really can be transformative, because you just sometimes need somebody else who has enough familiar types of experiences that helps you tease it out. It's almost business therapy. I think that’s another way for us to think about a business coach.” (15:45-16:06 | Dax)
“It's so much about mindset, running a business. That's where a business coach comes in, to help you with the mindset piece, but also, to make sure your I's dotted T's are crossed when it comes to your accounting. Your business as a whole has to work healthy, not just one aspect.” (16:07-16:49 | Cheri)
“I think so many entrepreneurs make the mistake of starting a business that doesn't have early cash flow, which creates a lot of stress. And I also like to think of happiness flow, the idea of starting a business and then thinking, ‘Well, 12 months from now, I'll be making money and 12 months from now, I won't want to pull my hair out. 12 months from now this business will make me happy. It's entirely the wrong place to start a business from.” (22:55-23:21 | Dax)

Links

Connect with Cheri Ruskus:

Follow The Shiny Bright Objects Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-bright-shiny-object-project/id1161586184

https://businessvictories.com

Apply to be on The Achievers show

Your Host, Dax Hamman

The Achievers is proudly partnered with:

FIRESIDE for small business marketing

Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

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“They’ll come to us and not ruin our wheels? Awesome,” is the essence of the customer reaction to Blu Mobile Tire. Despite launching their business in March of 2020 as COVID hit, Frank and Jen’s mobile tire repair service quickly took off thanks to this balance of convenience and trustworthy, ethical customer service. The service they’ve created saves busy people hours spent waiting in the mechanic’s shop to get their tires changed. More importantly, the pair, who met while working at Tesla, know how to do the job with precision, sparing any damage to high end vehicles.

In serving the community, the community returned the favor. Word quickly spread like wildfire amongst owners of high end cars in the Denver area, particularly those who owned Porsches, BMWs, off-road vehicles, and, of course, Teslas. Without any advertisement, customers started seeking out Jen and Frank’s services after hearing about the quality of their work.

Paramount, even to doing things the right way, is doing the right thing. The automotive industry has cultivated a reputation for padding their hours and declaring the need for unnecessary parts in order to increase their fees and therefore their paychecks. Frank, who once worked as a technician at a BMW dealership, explains that mechanics only make commission on what they sell and the hours they work, hence the pressure to overcharge. It’s no wonder that trust in the automotive industry is at a meager 32%.

The customer is further at the mercy of the mechanic because the average person doesn’t know the first thing about their cars. Dax suggests that this is another adult skill that successive generations aren’t being taught. It’s further complicated by the fact that cars are becoming increasingly electronic vs mechanical. This means technicians with specialized skills are required to repair them. This training costs money, which is another factor to the politics behind price-gouging, particularly at big box automotive service centers.

A friend of Dax’s, he recalls, visited a big box repair center after popping a single tire, and was told that he’d have to replace all four. The friend called Frank and Jen, who informed him that actually, none of that was necessary, and thus saved him a small fortune. This neighborly approach to business continues to the end of the podcast, where Frank describes nitrogen inflation (a service Blu Mobile provides) and why it’s important, while Jen gives advice on whether people need seasonal tires.

Quotes

“It was the power of word of mouth. It only took a few people to find out we did a really good job and didn’t scratch their wheels. Once that gets out, it’s like wildfire to the car enthusiast community.” (4:58-5:07 | Frank)
“Convenience wasn’t necessarily the main name of the game for us. It was about convenience, but doing things the right way.” (5:27-5:33 | Jen)
“We want to be perceived as the friendly neighborhood people you can trust with your tires. I never want to look at an appointment and think, ‘What can we get out of them?’ That just seems gross to us. It’s all about doing the right thing, and then they’ll call us back. That’s all we want. We just want them to be happy with the service that they get.” (6:18-6:43 | Jen)
“Unfortunately, the average person doesn’t know everything about their vehicle, whether it’s tires, or engine, or suspension. So, they’re at the mercy of trusting what professionals have to say.” (8:17-8:27 | Jen)
“It’s kind of a mess of an industry, in a way.” (10:16-10:18 | Frank)

Links

Blu Mobile Tire Denver

Apply to be on The Achievers show

Your Host, Dax Hamman

The Achievers is proudly partnered with:

FIRESIDE for small business marketing

Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

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"Nobody wants to mess up their payroll," says Pincus Schiff, Co-Founder of Friday, "If you do, you'll hardly get out of it." Friday is a team management software that allows small businesses to conduct their payroll, with the added benefit of helping their teams communicate and connect. Known as "The Payroll Guy," Pincus recognized that many people seek the service of payroll agents because the process is completely foreign to them, and the software that allows a company to do their processing internally is incredibly complex and time-consuming.

Dax recalls a time he met a product manager at QuickBooks and happened to mention that it wasn’t his favorite software to use.. The answer Dax received was that he wasn't QuickBooks' customer, that if the product were too easy to use, then countless HR managers, CPAs, and payroll managers would be out of a job! The disappointing realization was that these software platforms are intentionally made complicated so that the business owners will be forced to reach out for payroll help externally.

Friday offers a fine balance between being user-friendly while still providing plenty of desirable features. Pincus understands what users want because he welcomes outside feedback, both from his earliest customers to whom he first presented a beta model and from Friday's third co-founder, Martin, who brings in a tech-focused perspective to balance the HR and marketing focus within the company. Martin was the one to recognize that most users wouldn't know what "run payroll" meant and to label that particular function something more user-friendly such as "pay team."

This approach is part of Pincus's leading philosophy of providing value first. He focuses on branding himself first and foremost as an asset who provides quality, rather than any of his products. This is a sound long term approach as there is never a guarantee of where any of your ventures will be in ten years. Currently, Friday offers a feature that connects users directly to Pincus or a member of the team. One day, as the company continues to grow, he recognizes this won't be an option, and he will make himself available in a way that is commensurate to that scale.

Every company has their own specific needs, as does each individual within that company. The conversation of returning to the office post-pandemic fails to recognize that everyone will view it differently. In a previous episode of The Achievers, Andrea Hoffer explained that many people confuse working from home with work-life balance, but as Dax points out, that balance very much depends on the person's homelife. By continuing to recognize that at the heart of all business is the individual person, and by continuing to focus on meeting their needs and goals, Pincus is guaranteed continued success.

Quotes

"That was the 'aha' moment for me. Let me create a product that's really simple while solving other problems like connecting a team." (3:53-4:01 | Pincus)
"I once met, six or seven years ago, the product manager for QuickBooks at an informal work lunch. I was ribbing him that QuickBooks is not my favorite software to use. He looked me dead in the eye and said, 'You're not my customer. My customers are the CPAs, the bookkeepers, the payroll managers, the HR people. If we made that tool too easy for you to use, you wouldn't employ our customers.' That was such a shocking thing to hear that they are (allegedly) purposefully making the software more difficult because they want to keep these other people in business." This of course, was the view of just one employee at QuickBooks. (4:41-5:24 | Dax)
"The problem with easy-to-use software is you want function, too. You want features. And the more features you add, typically, the more complicated it gets. When you build for small businesses for end users that are not CPAs or bookkeepers, you have to have a fine balance between having enough features and having a user-friendly, easy-to-use platform." (5:31-5:55 | Pincus)
"I decided Friday is going to be a game for me. I can't operate out of fear and being desperate. So, I take the journey one day at a time. When you look at it from that perspective, it's pretty easy." (7:06-7:19 | Pincus)
"There's a lot when it comes to payroll, and people want clarity. It's also a topic that everyone wants to stay safe with. No one wants to mess up their payroll. If you do, you will hardly get out of it." (10:55-11:08 | Pincus)
"At a certain point your business has to grow. As of now, at the stage where I am, I will do whatever I can. And then at the next stage I'll do whatever I can then. We try to be the best, always." (11:51-12:01 | Pincus)
"Elon Musk is one of the great examples. I think he is more of a marketer than an inventor. And Steve Jobs was a much better inventor than a marketer. Elon Musk is much stronger in branding and marketing. He built himself up. He's king on Twitter. He's one of the most respected people." (17:33-17:51 | Pincus)
"Personal branding is important, especially if you're in sales. You don't know whether the company you work for is going to close, if the product is still going to be around in ten years. When you build your personal brand, people realize that you provide value to people, and you're an expert at whatever you do. It stays with you." (18:02-18:20 | Pincus)
"I never talk about my products or my services. All I say is, 'This is what I did. This is what works and doesn't work for me,' or sales tips in general. I think people appreciate it, rather than just getting bored seeing people promote themselves every single day saying, 'I do this, I do this, I do this.' At some point you think, 'I know. Unfollow.' (18:28-18:55 | Pincus)
"You not seeing yourself as a salesperson originally is probably why this has worked for you so well. It means you weren't out there shouting about the product all the time, and you were just providing value. If you provide value as an individual, people are more likely to sign up for what you have because you've built up a lot of that trust that is part of the natural sales process anyway." (18:58-19:23 | Dax)
"When it comes to sales in general, you realize there's one thing before business, and that's people. Everything you do in business, boils down to people. The more value you provide to people, the more of an asset you are to people, the more you are going to get business." (19:40-19:53 | Pincus)
"The more you give the more you get. It just works." (22:02-22:05 | Pincus)

Links

Friday Website | https://www.fridayapp.com

LinkedIn for Pincus Schiff | https://www.linkedin.com/in/pincus-schiff/

Apply to be on The Achievers show

https://jointheachievers.com/apply/

Your Host, Dax Hamman

https://dax.fyi

The Achievers is proudly partnered with:

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https://meetfireside.com

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Whether it be TikTok, Instagram, or the often underutilized Youtube, you want to find out where your potential candidates hang out on social media just as you would do with customers. Andrea explains that you should locate where candidates gather and then make your presence known there. Candidates are certainly evaluating companies via social platforms, particularly dedicated employment review sites like Glassdoor or Indeed.

Having past disgruntled employees leave a harsh review is part of what makes some businesses hesitant to promote themselves, but Andrea advises her clients to take charge of their online reputation. Those former employees will make their grievances known regardless, so seize the opportunity to address criticism head on and emphasize what kind of candidates would make a better fit for the company.

Even in a post-Covid world, there are plenty of real-life opportunities for recruitment. The old-fashioned yet surprisingly ubiquitous help wanted signs can and should be retrofitted with a QR code for instant access to an application. Incentivize people to come to your campus with offers like complimentary lunch from visiting food trucks. Current employees are a great asset to find new hires, and they can—and should—be rewarded with referral incentives.

The option for at least partial remote work is now a major consideration for many people looking for jobs. Though she’s hesitant to equate work/life balance synonymously with remote work, Andrea sees the flexibility provided by the work-from-home option is promising. She warns that companies need to be upfront about what working from home looks like according to their specific culture. Ideally, employers will start focusing more on the results and quality work that an employee produces rather than how many hours they are physically in the office.

Now, more than ever, candidates are concerned with more than just earning a paycheck. They want to know that they will bring value to the company they work for.

Quotes

“You’re not looking for high volume in applications, you’re looking for quality.” (4:59-5:04 | Andrea)
“People are motivated by challenges. They want to know that they add value to an organization. They’re not just looking for a paycheck.” (5:28-5:37 | Andrea)
“We are in a review world, and candidates are consumers. The first thing they will do is look for everything about your company online.” (8:26-8:36 | Andrea)
“Just like you would if you were marketing your company, and you’d ask where do your clients or potential clients hang out online, you do the same thing for employees. Where do they spend their time? What kind of content do they look for?” (10:32-10:44 | Andrea)
“A focus on results that the team member is bringing in, and not so much that they’re chained to their desk 40 hours a week, is really what team members are looking for. And the good ones often end up working more, or knock their results so out of the park that you really don’t care.” (21:15-21:36 | Andrea)

Links

Download a FREE chapter from the new book, Hire Higher.

https://hirehigher.aharecruitingexperts.com/freebookchapter

LinkedIn | http://www.linkedin.com/in/andreahoffer

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Aloha is the spirit of love and fellowship that Amy Connelly weaves into each piece of her eco-friendly beachwear and Turkish towel lines at Shaka Love. What makes this Turkish towel so impactful is not just its weave, known for being quick drying and superabsorbent, but more importantly, buying one of these towels contributes to water conservation and equity across the globe.

As it turns out, towels soak up way more water than we thought. Manufacturing a single regular cotton beach towel requires 3,000 gallons of it! That amount is enough to sustain a person for ten years (!), yet, in many parts of the world, clean water is so scarce that each hour hundreds of people die for lack of access to it.

Amy isn’t content merely to spare water in production, she wants to see that it sustains life the way it’s meant to. For each purchase of one of her Turkish towels, customers contribute to One Atta Time, a non-profit that supplies small villages with water filtration systems, teaches the residents how to use them, and continues to follow up with the villages' progress periodically.

Her sense of community extends to her network of fellow female entrepreneurs, who come together to support and promote each other. She is inspired by, and hopes one day to work with, Autumn Pelletier, a 13-year-old activist from Alaska who is showing people the water shortages the United States experiences in its own backyard.

Having grown up on the golden beaches of Hawaii and San Diego (including where the new Top Gun movie beach scene was filmed), Amy knows how precious water is and that lack of access to it is a real crisis. Her response, again, is to foster a sense of love and fellowship. She encourages people to educate themselves on issues of water conservation and to donate to organizations dedicated to water. It is, after all, the essence of life.

Off-camera, Amy and Dax also discussed the rise of water investors, with people like Michael Burry (made famous by the movie The Big Short, with Steve Carell) making big investments in water.

Quotes

“A jumbo jet’s worth of people die every hour from lack of clean water.” (0:18-0:24 | Dax)
“The water crisis is real. It’s not only based on lack of general water, where a lot of areas are generally dry, but the lack of clean drinking water is really serious. It’s the number one killer of children under the age of ten.” (0:49-1:07 | Amy)
“I’ve been in a lot of meditative prayer over this and contemplation on how I can have this towel really make an impact, not only on saving water, but in terms of what I could do. And what came to me is that I wanted to give back, I wanted to give back that 3,000 gallons of water in some way.” (8:06-8:45 | Amy)
“Every morning when I wake up, I really take a few minutes in that mindful prayer time and just ask for guidance, for grace, for wisdom. It’s really important to me.” (11:28-11:43 | Amy)
“Water is the essence of life. Without it, we can’t survive.” (14:01-14:04 | Amy)

Links

Learn more about female entrepreneur Amy Connelly:

Website: https://www.shakalove.eco

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amy-connelly-1b87543/

Find the Top Gun 2022 Beach in Coronado, San Diego, California

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“At the end of the day, 99% of your problems can be solved if you just sell what you’re trying to sell. But a lot of people don’t want to do that because it’s hard work,” says Chase Clymer, host of Honest Ecommerce.

When Chase first got into the ecommerce industry nearly a decade ago, there was what he describes as an “ugly underbelly” of get-rich-quick schemes ready to part eager people from their money. Most prominent among these was drop shipping, which, for most people, isn’t going to be lucrative. The lower the barrier to entry, the more someone’s intelligence, product, or novel take has to stand out.

His advice on an alternative course of action is age-old: work hard. Add value, provide a solution, and your brand will grow steadily. Flashy things will always be tempting, and Chase admits they catch his eye, too. However, for those eager to get started, the best strategy is to learn just one valuable skill, work for a brand you love, and the rewards will be far greater than instantly being able to buy a Ferrari (that the guy posing in front of doesn’t own, by the way).

Success stories born of good old-fashioned hard work populate his aptly titled podcast “Honest Ecommerce,” so much so that extra episodes have had to be made. He interviews brand founders and subject matter experts on how they got their start, what they’ve achieved, and what their future looks like.

Chase is quick to say his own business Electric Eye, does two things: builds highly performant and beautiful Shopify themes and optimizes existing stores, making the customer experience better. It’s as important to make clear what your company doesn’t do as it is to showcase what it does. Promoting a product’s or service’s benefits is far more effective than promoting the features of something.

Lastly, Chase suggests that listeners focus on gaining customers, who, in return, become a hugely valuable resource. Don’t be afraid to ask every person you sold a product to what their impression of it was. Ultimately, you’ll want to incorporate that feedback into the second incarnation of the product and address the questions on the company website. Dax talks about the lessons the author Amy Radin teaches in her book “The Change Maker’s Playbook” and how she substituted big research budgets for simple conversations with customers in her corporate America days.

So, in the end, ecommerce may not be easy, but it is simple. Data and numbers drive your sales, and you need to stop overthinking it.

The Honest Ecommerce podcast is the essential companion for anyone in the ecommerce industry and critical for EVERYONE using Shopify.

Quotes

“When I got into the industry seven or eight years ago, there was this ugly underbelly of Youtube. Lots of fly-by-night, get rich quick, buy my course and you’ll get a Ferrari stuff out there. I just thought, ‘That’s not real. That’s not true.’ What it takes is hard work.”(0:37-0:54 | Chase)
“The original idea was just to interview people smarter than me.” (0:57-0:59 | Chase)
“Drop shipping is just a race to the bottom and it’s not an industry you want to get into.” (3:51-3:55 | Chase)
“The barrier of entry has never been lower to start a business or to learn ecommerce, but that also means the delta between being good is that much wider (6:41-6:52 | Chase)
“At the end of the day, 99% of your problems can be solved if you just sell what you’re trying to sell. And that’s what a lot of people don’t want to focus on because it’s hard work.” (9:22-9:31 | Chase)
“You can get a lot of CRO information by just asking your customers what questions they have about your product and answering those questions on your website.”(10:07-10:15 | Chase)
“Ecommerce is math. Don’t overcomplicate it.” (11:10-11:12 | Chase)

Recent Honest Ecommerce Episodes include:

The Importance of Trust in Growing a Business with Wylie Robinson
Build Relationships Early In Your Business with Megan Grassell
Riding the Headwinds and Tailwinds of the Pandemic with John Sheldon
How A Travel Brand Survived the Pandemic with Brendan Kennedy
Why You Shouldn’t Corrupt Your Email List with Kerrigan Behrens
Ask Your Competitors for Advice with Will Nitze
Great Idea + Marketing + Commitment = Success with Mike Abadi
You’ll Never Learn Until You Launch with Joe Spector

Links:

Connect with Chase Clymer:

Electric Eye Agency (https://electriceye.io/)

Honest Ecommerce Podcast (https://honestecommerce.co/)

Chase on Twitter (https://twitter.com/chaseclymer)

Honest Ecommerce YouTube Channel (https://www.youtube.com/c/HonestEcommerce)

Chase on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/chaseclymer/)

Amy Radin on LinkedIn

Amy Radin’s book, The Change Maker’s Playbook

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The Change Maker's Playbook: How to Seek, Seed and Scale Innovation in Any Company

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“Oh, I’m just a 23-year-old; I don’t know anything, will you come on [my podcast] and talk about your story?”

This was the simple approach Ryan Atkinson (a senior in college when he began) took to asking some of the world’s most successful entrepreneurs, like Josh Clemente and Alexandra Zatarain. To his surprise, most agreed, and with 56 episodes and counting, The Business Cloud does a great job of discovering valuable and interesting pieces of advice.

Perhaps Ryan’s podcast origin story itself is a key lesson. Rather than complaining about what he didn’t have, Ryan just asked for what he wanted. As a note, he was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes early in life and has had to manage that since. In our conversation, he described it as being like living with another person that you’re responsible for, (an eye-opening image that offered me insight into a situation many live with that I knew little about). Ryan believes that the first step to any successful endeavor is to take a chance on yourself, and perhaps that need to develop early independence is where that comes from. It is certainly reflected in his interview style.

His youth makes this a different show to listen to, somehow feeling fresher than other business shows. When he discusses topics with his guests, it offers insight into what people of this generation actually think. We discussed the future of the workplace as an example, and how we hope that companies will start to honor productivity over mere attendance and allow for schedules that accommodate each individual’s peak window of productivity.

Among his favorite guests is David Concannon, who was one of the first people to discover the Titanic, and who was hired by Jeff Bezos to bring back the engines of the Apollo spacecraft from the ocean floor.

The Business Cloud is set for a long future, and should be absorbed by all of us that will benefit from a direct insight into the up and coming leaders and employees.

Quotes

“My podcast has a wide range of guests that come on to talk a little bit more about how they got started, what their business ideas were, challenges they've overcome, and sacrifices they've made. And this is generated more for the younger twenty-something audience, just to learn a little bit more about their stories and experiences from them.” (01:35-01:54 | Ryan)
“I really leverage my age; that’s a huge thing I do.” (2:30-2:33 | Ryan)
“Once you have a podcast, it really just opens the door to conversations– that’s why I started it. If I didn’t have a podcast, my guests probably wouldn’t have talked with me.” (2:43-2:52 | Ryan)
“One of my favorite concepts is ‘closed mouths don’t get fed.’ Really hone in and think about that. If you don’t ask, you’re not going to get it. Some people today say, ‘Oh, I don’t get anything.’ Well, did you ask? Did you put yourself out there and really expose yourself and ask?” (4:34-4:52 | Ryan)
“If you’re going to work remotely, you’re going to have to take that extra step to really embrace your values and make connections. Grab someone from another department and ask them to meet up to talk about what they’re working on.” (12:48-12:58 | Ryan)
“If I want it, I’m sure there are millions of other people who also want it as well. So, I think I have a unique advantage in wanting to start a business and also be in this specific diabetic industry.” (14:21-14:33 | Ryan)
“Personally, I think diabetes has made me super independent just because I always have to take care of myself. I’m basically living with another person. There’s an imaginary character next to me; I’m controlling their health.” (15:20-15:43 | Ryan)

Links

Connect with Ryan Atkinson, Host of The Business Cloud Podcast

Email: ryan@thebusinesscloudpodcast.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-atkinson17/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ryansatkinson

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ryanatkinson17/

Support the podcast: https://anchor.fm/thebusinesscloud/support

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Want to hear about one of the most productive commutes ever?! Red Dragon (Casey Binkley) was driving home to Toronto when he saw a truck go by with great branding on it. However, the two trucks following were blank, triggering his A HA moment that blank trucks were valuable and underutilized space for advertising!

An Achiever of action, Red Dragon founded Movia, an out-of-home advertising business that wraps blank delivery trucks in advertising space for other companies, and he can count hundreds of brands like Casper mattress as clients.

As Red Dragon explains, moving billboards not only get two times the impression that static billboards on the sides of highways get, but they also have twice the retention rate. Dax suggests that when we see a moving thing, we register a change, forcing us to pay attention which ultimately results in better retainment.

The trucks are installed with Movia’s patented beacon technology that connects to the WiFi and Bluetooth of people in the vicinity to track where and when they see the ad. What’s more, the beacon tracks whether people, after seeing the ad, engage with the product’s webpage and if any of the products end up in their shopping cart.

There are two distinct data sets at play in this situation. First, Movia constantly listens for devices that are looking for a Bluetooth or WiFi connection and notes a unique identifier from that device (the MAC address) so it can gauge how many people potentially saw each truck.

Next, as Red Dragon explains, whenever we download an app onto our phones, we may permit it to know our location. And like most advertisers, Movia simply uses that location and matches it against its own signals to follow up with targeted advertising.

Movia has had great success in the travel, lottery, CPG, and even the entertainment space. They were hired to advertise the show The Equalizer starring Queen Latifah, around the city of Toronto. The ads, with their dark background, really popped against the white snow that blanketed the city. In a city of 6 million people, 78 percent of those who saw the trucks tuned into one episode, and more crucially for syndication purposes, 53 percent of the same group tuned in for two or more episodes.

Still, there is no replacement for human interaction. Another aspect that sets Movia apart is that people who are intrigued by the ads will engage with the truck drivers, who are equipped with handouts to give potential customers further information. This mix of pioneering technology, human nature, and human touch means that Movia has carved out a unique niche within the advertising space.

Quotes

“It starts to create this community engagement brand extension play. When you’re driving down the highway and you see a billboard on the side of the road, you know that that’s a paid ad, but when you see a working delivery truck you don’t necessarily think that’s a paid ad in market, you think ‘Oh, that’s a delivery truck out in market actually serving a purpose.” (7:02-7:25 | Red Dragon)
“The human element really sets us apart from a lot of other Out Of Home.” (8:04-8:08 | Red Dragon)
“What’s unique for us and what our patent covers is the moving aspect. So we’re the leader in moving beacon technology.” (13:09-13:23 | Red Dragon)
“You couldn’t not notice that if it was driving near you on the high street.” (19:54-19:58 | Dax)
“Anything that’s moving tells your brain, ‘This is an exception, something’s changed, you have to pay attention to it. I think that’s where a lot of that recognition and recall comes from.” (21:42-21:52 | Dax)
“It just has to do with the way your brain processes something that’s sitting on the side of the road compared to moving beside you…so from an effectiveness point of view, I think it’s more like 4X.” (20:42-21:14 | Red Dragon)

Links

Connect with Movia:

Movia.media

Red Dragon (Casey Binkley)

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“Your kids don’t need a fairy godmother, they don’t need a prince to save the day, they need you to put together an estate plan to protect them” says Pamela Maass Garrett, author of Legally Ever After.

If a child does go through their own real-life Cinderella scenario, with a parent passing away unexpectedly without a legal plan in place, assets meant for them may become tied up in legal confusion, and they may end up living with people that would not have been who their parents would have chosen for them.

Despite the importance of getting it right, parents tend to put off estate planning for a number of reasons. Some find it very difficult to talk about, particularly if they are a member of a culture or generation where things like money can be seen as taboo subjects. Others have the idea that the planning process is all about death, a subject they can not bring themselves to focus on.

Every family handles it differently, but there are some interesting similarities in each generation. The Millennial generation, now 42 on the top end of their age bracket, seem to be ready to get this done more readily. Perhaps it is because many are now a member of the ‘sandwich generation’, meaning they have their own kids in the house, but also their parents have moved back in too. Or perhaps as the group set to inherit more wealth than any generation previously, and who can see that their own parents haven’t done a good job of preparing themselves, they understand the importance of a solid plan.

Pamela’s book, Legally Ever After, helps families understand how to protect their assets and their childrens’ futures in a clear and simple way. This easy to understand guide consists of six steps, each of which is named for one letter in the acronym L.E.G.A.C.Y.

Starting with “L,” Pamela starts with the very important step of defining “Longterm Guardians,” and urges readers to name the people they’d want to care for their children, should something happen to them.

There is so much to take from our Achievers discussion with Pamela, including learning the easiest first step to setting up a plan, the best way for blended families to navigate estate planning, and how often you should check in with your estate lawyer.

Legally Ever After will literally change lives for the better, and be an essential guide for anyone that hasn’t yet put a plan in place. A must read for every family.

Quotes

“Really, estate planning is for everyone. If you’re alive, you need some kind of plan of what would happen.” (2:14-2:20 | Pamela)
“Estate planning is one of those things that people tend to put off until it’s too late. And when I hear from clients, it’s usually because someone they know passed away unexpectedly.” (3:19-3:29 | Pamela)
“If something were to happen to you, do your loved ones know what you have and where it is?” (3:42-3:45 | Pamela)
“When it comes to legacy, putting plans in place, and planning for death, the Millennial generation are putting plans in place at an unprecedented rate because they really do care about it.” (5:15-5:26 | Pamela)

Links

Buy Legally Ever After, on Amazon

Connect with Pamela on the Law Mother Website

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Your Host, Dax Hamman

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In the state of Colorado, 80% of divorces have at least one party of the two that elects to handle the process without an attorney, yet arriving at a long term, successful outcome is a specialist skill, where experience really makes a difference.

Many will find the paperwork to be complicated and unfamiliar, and if they need to attend court, that environment has its own language / required ways of behaving that might feel intimidating in the moment.

Additionally there are often important topics that those of us who are not experts may simply not think to include in the agreements, causing disagreements in the future (i.e.what role do any future step parents have, what happens if the child want to change their religion, are you aligned on the preferred type of education, what is your approach to sleepovers at different ages, etc.).

There are multiple reasons though why someone goes it alone, including being unable to meet the upfront expenses of hiring legal counsel, or thinking that their particular divorce situation is simple and amicable, and don’t think they need a 3rd party to be involved.

Without a guide by their side, these individuals often only realize the downsides of what they have agreed to in a legally binding document after it is too late. In our discussion Kelley highlights some of the worst consequences of self-representation.

Self-Represented AND Fully Supported!

This is why Kelley created “Untie The Knot”, so that everyone dealing with divorce in Colorado can have a guide through the divorce process.

Untie The Knot is a video series presented by Kelley herself that teaches you the parts of the law that you really MUST understand to successfully complete the paperwork to file a case. For each phase of the process there is a video that breaks it down for you and helps you avoid all the common mistakes.

Every member has a private coaching session to discuss the specifics of their own case and a chance to ask any questions that they have, and access to private Facebook groups where a community of members can help each other through the process.

If you are facing divorce and are choosing to go it alone, or if you are working with an attorney but want to understand the process in more depth and at your own pace, get the education and support you need to represent yourself with confidence.

Episode Quotes

“Court is truly a different environment. You talk about speed– and there’s language, there’s procedure. You talk differently, you dress differently, there’s a cadence and a procedure that’s different and unlike any other place ever.” (6:11-6:34 | Kelley)
“What are some of the consequences when people self-represent?”(8:13-8:18 | Dax)
“That’s also what Untie the Knot talks about is expectations–not just of yourself as a party but of the other party, of the court, so that we’re really level-setting and we’re really talking the truth.” (11:47-12:01 | Kelley)
“So going through those exercises, you can start with what your initial thoughts and priorities are, Untie the Knot then teaches you which of those are even real or feasible or ever going to happen, you can reassess your own priorities and then go back to the process.”(18:48 | Dax)
“Attorneys should not have a dog in the fight. They should want their client to make the most informed decision possible, irrespective of what the outcome is. At the end of the day, I as a lawyer just want to make sure you understand your agreement.” (23:18-28:43 Kelley)

Episode Links

Untie The Knot, your essential divorce companion

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Purchasing a home is the most significant investment most people will ever make. Yet a lot of people don’t know what goes on behind the scenes of the appraisal process, or that they can choose the best person for the job. Rob Johnson, with his natural salesmanship and extensive background in software, felt that he and Adam Millson, an appraiser, were the best people for this niche industry. The two veterans drive Think Tank, a boutique residential appraisal firm. With 23 locations across the United States and growing, it turns out they were right.

Even as desktop, or remote appraising, gains a foothold, Rob is confident of the many benefits of using a traditional appraiser, especially a boutique firm like his. Not only for the training that goes into appraising, but for the human interaction and attentiveness clients receive each and every time they call Think Tank.

On this episode of The Achievers, learn what really goes into appraising a home beyond what Zillow will tell you, what makes an appraisal hard to place, and the power of direct communication.

Quotes

“Do you find that a big part of your effort is to make lenders know that you exist and they have a choice?” (1:28-1:33 | Dax)
“I can assure you if my phone rang during this interview, and it were an appraiser, or a homeowner, or a client, this owner of the company would be picking it up.” (6:08-6:17 | Rob)
“We specialize in hard-to-place appraisals .”(8:17-8:21 | Rob)
“We have a lot of fun. We try to make appraisals fun and sexy. Why not? It’s a very interesting niche of the world that we operate in.”(18:58-19:10 | Rob)

Links

Think Tank AMC

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A lot goes into building a legacy, and estate planning attorney Bonnie Faucett knows this better than most. Her three successful practices, all of which fall under the umbrella brand, “Your Legacy”, help clients and their lawyers plan their estates in the most inviting, efficient and secure manner possible. At Your Legacy Lawyer, she helps families with children protect their assets. At Your Legacy Drafting, she and colleague Pamela Moss, help other estate planning attorneys get the drafting of estates done for their own clients. Her most recent venture, Your Legacy Architects, provides the software that helps clients compile data easily and securely, so that attorneys can then access the reviewed and approved data to form a draft more easily. Above all, Bonnie is dedicated to educating people about what can be a daunting and sensitive task, and acting as a supportive guide through all steps of the process.

Bonnie realizes that preserving a legacy is about much more than securing money and property. One notable feature of her estate planning practice are the Legacy interviews. In an in-office recording studio, clients are invited to record their stories, not only to maintain the integrity of their plan throughout the changes in life, but so that their memory can be passed down to future generations of their families.

On this episode of The Achievers, learn how Bonnie eases technology fears in her older clients, where she gets her boundless energy from, and why it’s important to never stop learning.

Quotes

“Estate planning is never urgent but it’s highly important.” (2:36-2:38 | Bonnie)
“I always found the estate planning element of adulting was a great feeder of procrastination.” (3:18-3:25 | Dax)
“My dad did a really good job of passing his legacy down to me and now I’m passing it down to my children.” (6:32-6:37 | Bonnie)
“The actual sitting down and drafting of a plan is quite time consuming. And it’s something where if we just have the right information from the attorney, we could sit down and take three to five hours off of their plate to create a deliverable.” (7:16-7:37 | Bonnie)
“There’s a need out there for lawyers to have reliable, high-quality help, and that’s a little bit hard to find in the drafting world.” (8:55-9:03 | Bonnie)
“A lawyer implements legacy architects in their own firm, and it becomes a way that they are a standout and they are different from the typical lawyer down the street. We take your data very seriously and we take your experience very seriously.”(13:23-13:34 | Bonnie)
“I just don’t want to ever stop learning. (17:44-17:47 | Bonnie)
“What I always look for is the one little thing you can take and turn into something big if you start accumulating the impact over time.”(19:46-19:56 Bonnie)

Links

Bonnie's Your Legacy Lawyer

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It's hard to imagine LavaBox being created by anyone other than Josh Thurmond. This portable campfire is a nexus of all the passions and purposes that drive his life. As a whitewater rafting guide, Josh stored supplies in military ammunition canisters, or "ammo cans," as the cans are waterproof and indestructible. They were also a constant symbolic presence among the wounded veterans with whom he did philanthropic work. "There's nothing more iconic in the military than the ammo can," he explains. As a volunteer firefighter in Colorado, he witnessed the devastation brought about by fires, and understood the potential danger of combustible materials used to create traditional campfires.

A self-described "big tinkerer," Josh combined all of these influences to create LavaBox, a propane-based burner inside of an ammo can, which has been a swift and stunning success in the outdoor space. Crucially, as fire bans continue to be passed throughout the western United States, LavaBox has been enthusiastically recognized by the National Parks Service and the Bureau of Land Management. Further contributing to his philanthropic efforts, one dollar from every sale of LavaBox is donated to Team River Runner, which teaches whitewater kayaking to wounded veterans.

Tune in to this episode of The Achievers to hear Josh explain why he eschews social media marketing in lieu of authentic customer testimonials, the importance of a supportive partner, and why it's just as crucial to know when to execute an idea as it is to know when to move on to the next one.

Quotes

"I wanted something that was easily adopted and felt cool. I think we often overlook how important cool is." (5:30-5:38 | Josh)
"I built seven prototypes in about 48 hours–that's how crazy I am. And I got to number seven, and was like, 'I like this one.' And the next day I said, 'All right, I'm gonna make 40 of these.' I sold them in a week, and I said, 'There's something here.'" (7:022-7:39 | Josh)
"Smart luck is when someone like you, recognizes that a bit of luck has just come along, and then you really dig in and double down to turn that into something." (8:46-8:55 | Dax)
"We have this advantage now where marketing shifted from the glossy and polished expensive video shoot/photo shoot. People now want authenticity. And what's great for a founder like you is that means you don't necessarily have to go spend a whole bunch of money doing photo shoots and video shoots. People with your product, looking at it, using it, taking pictures, taking videos. That does more good than something polished. (22:19- 22:47 | Dax)
"In whitewater kayaking, especially at the level I paddle at, you have to believe you're gonna make it. There is no option. A lot of the stuff I paddle, classified plus, especially when I was younger–-there is no option to say, 'I hope I make it.' You can only believe you're going to make it. And about four months ago, I was like, 'You know what? Doubt's a waste of time. We're just going do it.'" (30:02-30:26 | Josh)
"I'm not attached to saying, 'I'm only going to make one winner.' I think that happens to a lot of entrepreneurs, especially the people I talk to in my circles right now, they're like, 'This is the one I'm hanging my hat on.' I think that's a huge mistake. I think you gotta stay fresh, keep looking, and stay hungry." (34:12-34:30 | Josh)

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