The Solopreneur Hour Podcast with Michael O'Neal

Hey all! I posted to the Proudly Unemployable Group to see if anyone had questions for today's show. I answered all kinds of cool questions. Here's what you'll learn: * What I'm doing with my two presentations at Podcast Movement, and who my star-studded guests are * A great way to "fill the funnel" if you're in a service business * How to scale a service business * What to do when you hit a plateau * How "perfect" you have to be when you begin something * How to know when you can begin coaching someone, and the correct path to do so * How my racquetball game has been lately * What it was like to take a private jet to Napa Valley this weekend * What it means to me to Live, Laugh, Love * Where to find my favorite resources and apps * How I find good guests, and how you can too * a whole bunch more! Because there are SO many questions, let's jump right in and get through these suckers! Dwayne asks: Launching and growing as you go, is this something that can be done or does it all have to be lined up, all your ducks in a row from the start? Dwayne you can definitely launch and grow as you go, your start-up needs and foundation will vary depending on the industry. If you've got a blog, definitely launch, grow and expand as you go along. If you're doing a podcast, there are two foundational elements you must have and they are 1. It must sound good and must be dialed in from the beginning. I give podcasts one chance and if it sounds terrible, I don't listen in again. 2. Your brand must be nailed and locked down. Ultimately we are selling ourselves, when people are buying our products and services they are buying us. Be where you are on the timeline and learn as you go. It doesn't matter that you're not the world's best at what you do, you just need to get started. Alan C asks: talk about your journey from the pile of equipment to where you are now. You all have been along for the ride! Part of the point of this show from the beginning was to take you with me on this journey. I did follow a pretty certain path and had a strategy in mind; I listened to people who gave me advice and it's been very successful. Between the podcast itself, my coaching and mastermind groups, The Solopreneur Hour has generated or will $250,000 in 10 months. I never thought I would get so much joy and energy from the coaching I do; I love to hear how people get motivated and what they accomplish from working together. The next piece is upleveling from here. I'm asking how can I raise the bar, make this show totally professional and get insane guests - that is where I am focused. I think as a show this is just getting started, as is the industry of podcasting itself. Michelle C: Live, Laugh and Love, talk about this phrase and why it is used so much in speech. What meaning is it given and to what extent? For me it means every day we focus on asking: How can I live this moment to the extent that I am capable. How can I maximize this moment? Why shouldn't I be the first one to the dance floor? Why shouldn't I be the first one to raise their hand and ask a question? Everyone's waiting for someone to go first, why do you have to wait? And why must you choose between this or that - why not BOTH? How can you live and maximize it? How can you laugh in ANY situation no matter how tense, and no matter how much adversity you're facing? And how do we choose to love the things we already have? Our girlfriend/boyfriend, our house/apartment/living situation, etc. How can we love things as they already are? Love is what you surround yourself with and what makes you feel good inside. David Michael G: He wants an update on my racquetball game. I've been on the DL, I tore something in my forearm. I can't squeeze enough to give a proper handshake - that's why if we met at WDS, my handshake felt like you were holding a fish.

The New York Times once reported that 81% of Americans feel they have a book in them. Whether you count yourself among those 81% or not, you’ll want to listen to this show. Our guest for episode 139 of The Solopreneur Hour, who is making his second appearance on the show, is the uber-talented TV writer and novelist Dean Lorey. Dean and I chat about how his latest self-publishing venture came to be, the lessons he’s learned as a writer and how they apply to the life of other solopreneurs. More About This Show If you missed Dean’s first visit to the show, find out about more about his history here. But to quickly recap, Dean is a Hollywood writer who has worked on such notable series as Arrested Development, The Crazy Ones, My Wife and Kids, among others. In this edition of the show, we talked a bit about what it was like when he found out The Crazy Ones was cancelled. He says as a TV writer you always know it’s a possibility your show won’t get continued and it’s something you learn to live with…and, like any good solopreneur, you go for it anyway. And when he’s not working on a TV set, he’s writing novels. His latest is the hilarious satire called Romance For Men. The premise is a story told from the perspective of a mountain man in wilds of Alaska named Jack IceFloe Jackson. Jack is pissed off that romance novels are written for women so he decides to pen his own version based on his experiences. Keep in mind, Jack is a short, fat, balding man with a 6-incher (according to Dean and Jack’s Twitter profile). Hilarity ensues when Jack retells his tales of saving the world through his lovemaking exploits; every woman in the world wants him and, through some twist of fate (aka fiction), the Earth continues to be put in perilous scenarios that can only be salvaged by Jack’s sexual conquests. As you might imagine, the book is uproariously funny and ridiculously filthy. In fact, Dean says it’s the filthiest thing he’s ever written and perhaps that has ever been written! You'll also discover things like: * Netflix: how they became a major player in the world of television * What shows would he have loved to have written for? * Who orgasms at the end of the audio version of his book? * How to find a good publicist for your next launch of anything. * The necessity of marketing your book and how it applies to your business. * And lots more! The origins of the book and its rise to self-publication are a tale in and of themselves. Dean originally began writing a book within a book: he cast himself as a fiction character who finds Jack’s book in a secondhand book store. This fictional Dean chases Jack all around trying to get the rights to the book so he can make a TV show about it. The original version of the book chronicled those exploits. When Dean showed people what he had written, they all wanted to read the book that fictional Dean finds in the secondhand bookstore. There was such demand for that book that Dean decided to sit down and write it. But it wasn’t written with any intention to publish it. It wasn’t until he again showed more people this second distillation of the book that he saw the potential for self-publishing. In fact, one of the people he gave it to was Adam Reed who created Archer for FX. Adam loved it and convinced Dean to make an animated series pilot for FX, which is now in the works. Dean says writing the book wasn’t the hardest part, as many people think. The hardest part is to make people aware of it. As a writer, you have to be thinking of how you’re going to write it but also how you’ll get the word out. The same goes for other solopreneur ventures: when you’re creating something, think about how you’ll create it but also how you’ll spread the word about it.

Did you know that before Social Media Examiner was launched, Michael Stelzner was known as THE white paper guy? What's a white paper you ask? In the 138th edition of The Solopreneur Hour, Michael joins us to explain what a white paper is and what it does, and he shares how that white paper industry expertise led to his interest in social media and the eventual launch and success of Social Media Examiner. In this episode, we talk about the necessity of building relationships, how to do it with people you admire and fledgling talent you come across, and how he runs a thriving enterprise with a dedicated staff, many of whom are volunteers. More About This Show Since his early days, Michael Stelzner has been an entrepreneur. Growing up as a young boy in the Midwest, he and his brother would dig up nightcrawlers and sell them to fishermen the next morning. For those of you non-fishing folk, nightcrawlers are big worms fishermen used as bait. Being just a kid, his nightcrawler interested wained so he picked up a paper route. When he grew tired of that, he got into video games and created a video game that was actually bought by a large gaming company. One week after they sent him the contract, they went bankrupt. Not one to be deterred by a setback, Michael persevered. Though he was the only solopreneur-spirit in his family, his father was always encouraging him to follow his passions. Michael wasn't clear on exactly what those passions were but he also knew he was artistic. He was one of the rare birds who was a good artist and a good writer, his "secret sauce" if you will. You'll also discover things like: * What's the biggest content tool in 2014? * What is unconferencing and should you do it? * Who was once his assistant and is now an online powerhouse in her own right? * How many millions of people visit Social Media Examiner now? * What's the number one thing 68% of marketers plan to do in 2014? * And lots more!   Eventually Michael did find a home for his writing and artistic talents: he became the director of artists at an agency in the 1990s. From there, he found his way into the world of white papers and positioned himself as an expert. If you're wondering what a white paper is, Michael explains it as a combination of an article and a brochure cross-designed to sell. To solidify his expertise in the white paper industry, he published a book on the subject called Writing White Papers, created a big portal where people came to learn how to write and create white papers. He segued that into teaching marketers about white papers and training tens of thousands of out-of-work journalists how to write white papers and generate a living for themselves. And from those experiences he understood the value in teaching and created deep relationships with the marketers and writers he came into contact with. From those close connections, Michael saw trends. He noticed they were all getting on Twitter, so he started interviewing people for his newsletter, which were very big back then in the late 2008/early 2009. With those interviews, he introduced marketers to social media combined with white papers.  He saw another trend emerging: people were going crazy over anything related to social media so he started hosting online events around the topic. Those events were the most popular and a light bulb went off in Michael's mind: social media was the next big thing and he was going to be a part of it. Michael had no idea how he was going to get into social media but he knew he was going down that path. The first thing he did? He built relationships. He got to know the people who were movers and shakers - ...

  If you combined a hedge fund lawyer, a fitness/wellness entrepreneur, a best-selling author and the creator of The Good Life Project, what would you get? You’d get our guest Jonathan Fields, he’s successfully been all of these in his lifetime! In episode 137 we talk about his past projects and careers, his 10 business commandments and what he’s learned that has made him who he is today. More About This Show Even as a kid, Jonathan was an entrepreneur. A self-professed “lemonade stand kid”, Jonathan was always interested in entrepreneurship and new creations. After law school, he got a job in a hedge fund firm and did very well for himself. He did so well he was offered a senior partnership, but he turned it down. He knew in his gut that he didn’t want that role and he didn’t want that life. He loved the people he worked with but he didn’t love the hedge fund world enough to make the necessary sacrifices to be a partner. So he began looking at his other options and saw he had a love of health/wellness, entrepreneurship and fitness. He had saved up a fair bit of change because he knew he was leaving, and that enabled him to take a job as a personal trainer after completing a certification process. But he did something not everyone else does: he had a building strategy going into the personal training world. He knew he wanted to build a brick and mortar business eventually and so he took the $12/hour job to learn as much as he could about the industry and how to properly serve those in it. Within twelve months of taking that job, he had his own private practice. After that, he launched his own facility and soon his company was generating revenue in one month that the big box fitness companies were doing in a year. You'll also discover things like: * The moment he knew he had to leave his hedge fund position. * How he created his first yoga video and why the story pertains to your business. * The two reasons most people tell you you can’t do something. * Creative recoil: what is it and how can you avoid it? * The single worst business idea anyone can buy into it. * And lots more! He grew his fitness business for about 2.5 years and then sold it. He found himself drawn into the world of yoga and leased a space near his home in Hell’s Kitchen, a part of New York City. He signed the lease the day before September 11. Faced with a city in chaos and rubble, he wondered if he had made the right choice or if he should leave it all and forget his dream. Jonathan decided the city needed what he and his team were going to offer so he opened his doors, gave a free pass to all the relief workers and marketed his programs to the average middle-aged person who had never done yoga. And they flourished. They opened a teacher training certification division, a media division and Jonathan’s knack for publicity and marketing helped them shine. He continued his work with the studio for seven years and then his interest shifted to online marketing and writing, which led to a book deal. His publicity background helped him land a contract with Random House Publishing. From there, he developed The Good Life Project which continues to hold his focus today. One other interesting piece of material he’s created is his 10 Business Commandments. They seem to sum up who he is, what he’s learned along the way and what he’s committed to in business. * Thou shalt have a strategy but be open to serendipity. * Thou shalt magnify results with delight marketing. * Thou shalt train thy mind in the alchemy of fear. * Thou shalt find or purchase a sense of humor. * Thou shalt embrace the power of mentoring.  * Thou shalt do epic shit that actually matters. * Thou shalt align thy actions with thy heart. * Thou shalt treat people with compassion. * Thou shalt exalt love as a business ideal.

Did you know YouTube is the second largest search engine on the Internet today? That is reason enough to pay attention to our guest for show 136, Amy Schmittauer, the lovely and vivacious woman behind the vlog Savvy, Sexy Social. On this show, Amy shares her thoughts and suggestions on how to create a great video without spending a lot of money, who should be creating content and for what industries and why. Join us to hear all of that and so very much more on the 136th episode The Solopreneur Hour. More About This Show Long before Amy became savvy sexy social, she was a youngster in Ohio. And believe it or not, she was NOT a ham! Amy says her mom doesn’t have any photos of her as a child because she threw them all away…Amy was not a fan of the camera growing up. To hear how that changed, we discuss Amy’s previous life prior to Savvy Sexy Social. While earning her degree in political science at Ohio State University, Amy went to work for a law firm to see if she really wanted to be a lawyer “when she grew up”. For the first 1.5 years at the firm, she was a receptionist (which she hated). But when the newly-elected governor of the state took office, she convinced the law firm to let her work on his fundraising campaign. And for the next 4 years, that’s what she did and she learned a tremendous amount about working with people and in her words, common sense. You'll also discover things like: * What is veda? * The proper mindset to create before writing an email or shooting a video. * What’s the sexy in savvy, sexy social? * What is B roll and when do you use it? * Who should be vlogging today? * And lots more!   About three years into that position, Amy found the wonderful world of marketing and something inside of her was lit. Like so many solopreneurs face on their journey, Amy was at a critical juncture. She could either continue her work, she had a great job with good money and she really enjoyed it; or, she could follow her heart and her gut and go on her own. She knew she had to make the leap into this industry and she had to do it with her own business. Amy had come to that all-important moment: she was about to become unemployable. Her next step was to take a portfolio-building gig at Bath and Body Works as a copywriter. She says it was great for about a month and then it was a catastrophe. So she created her vlog and began sharing herself with the world via video. She had become an ardent fan of YouTube and had watched enough videos to know what made one good and the other not as good. She also knew she wanted to position herself as a thought leader and she needed to let the world know who she was and what she was about. Amy knew the key was offering her audience an inside look that showed people why she was different, a powerful story-telling technique. She knew she’d find her tribe this way. And so began her vlogging journey, a journey that has given her tremendous knowledge about the video world, who should be creating videos and why, what works and what doesn’t - all of which she shares in this episode. However one of the greatest lessons she gives is to just get started. And as long as you’re committed to creating great videos, you’ll figure it out along the way. Just do it, put it out there and learn as you go. Whether creating videos or not, that’s a critical lesson we can all come back to at every juncture in our businesses. Amy was such a fun guest, I really loved having her on the show. After you listen, drop a note and say thanks for being on the show! You can leave a message in the comments below or send her a shout out on Twitter.

Ever feel like you need a compass to navigate all the marketing and business tools on the market today? Our guest for episode 135 is your answer. He is the best-selling author of numerous books, and a top-ranked speaker who takes complex subjects like marketing and sales promotion and distills them down into easy-to-use information. Before today's guest was a boat-loving, best-selling author and speaker, he landed acting gigs on shows and movies you've probably watched like "Law and Order", "Sex and The City", "Third Watch" and "The Pelican Brief" among others. Why he left acting, how he became unemployable and how he's used adverse situations like his own dyslexia to propel his success are all topics we touch on - and much more of course - on this edition of The Solopreneur Hour. More About This Show Despite his early guest roles on numerous famous TV shows and movies, Michael was unhappy with how long it was taking him to "make it" as an actor. So he moved into the corporate world with a job in business management in the fitness industry. After five years in that role and doing quite well, he ventured back into the entertainment industry with a film company. But the moment he stepped foot in the studio, he was planning his exit strategy. The environment was simply unpleasant and he wasn't willing to subject himself to that. It was while working at this company that he realized he was "unemployable". For his next gig, he knew he would need a position where he was in control, and the most obvious answer was to be his own boss. That was the point when he started his 1 on 1 coaching business. Even though he had no idea what it meant to have a coaching business, he jumped in. For the first few years he treated it like a "job" before he realized he could create any life he dreamt of. To break out of that mold, he took the knowledge he had gained in his various roles and how he "tweaked" things a bit along the way, and he chose to share those lessons with the public through speaking gigs. His professional training as an actor allowed him to make the transition with ease. You'll also discover things like: * The strategy to use for travel write-offs. * What is The Red Velvet Rope Strategy and how does it apply to your business? * Does marketing get you clients? Michael weighs in. * Why it's a mistake to look too far ahead. * How to avoid your customers having buyers' remorse. * And so very much more! But, as he had done so often in the past, he "tweaked" one aspect of his public speaking gig. He knew he didn't want to be on the road all the time so he used public speaking as a promotional tool, not as the sole foundation of his business. In fact, now when he does his annual projections he doesn't include revenue from speaking. Anything he generates from that area is simply a bonus; he doesn't have to rely on it and he created his business that way from the start. That's a great lesson all of us can use: you can take a strategy and tweak it to fit your needs and desires. In his role as business owner and solopreneur, he had to learn to switch his mindset to creating life on his own terms and avoiding a lot of travel while speaking was one of his first steps. Another topic we touch on is the concept of maximizers vs. satisfyers. Barry Schwartz's book The Paradox of Choice: Why Less Is More talks about this idea in depth. But as it relates to successful solopreneurship, a satisfyer is who you want to become. Here's an example that illustrates the differences between the two: a maximizer will spend 2 hours picking out a pair of sunglasses while a satisfyer will be fine with a pair of glasses that fit properly and look good. They'll spend as little time as possible on everyday choices and decisions. It's a concept worth exploring as solopreneurs. Another similar thread Michael and I discuss is your t...

Welcome back to our most frequent and beloved co-hosts, DawnMarrs.com! Dawn joins us live in the studio to answer listeners' questions in this episode of Find Your Swing. This is the tenth edition of Find Your Swing and we're excited to share insights, suggestions and guidance with those of you who asked questions about your personal solopreneur journey. More About This Show Since it's been a minute (more like 3 months!) since we chatted with Dawn, we had a quick catch up to start the show. She filled us in on what's been going on in her life, including how the California wildfires impacted her and her family. Almost everything they owned was ruined either by fire, smoke or soot. We're so grateful she and her loved ones are safe and sound. And to officially thank her and welcome her back, we brought her to Studio 86 today to answer your questions. So let's jump right in and hear what's going on with all of you! Our first question came from Dave Tooney, a member of SoloLab. Dave wanted to know how to connect with and network with folks using online methods. He lives in a not-so-entrepreneurial region and needed some ideas on how to find people, build relationships and grow his business in an online way. And we told him the Gary V approach works great in his situation: find Facebook groups and become the go-to person in them by providing value in that group. You can build a reputation and a true, trusting connection with your audience this way. The next question was from Taylor and he wants to know how to scratch his solopreneur itch. He's got a great job with a marketing firm that pays him well and he enjoys it but he's always wanted to build his own thing. He has many interests so we suggest two things: Choose the interest that you can imagine talking about, thinking about and being involved in for the next 5 years. Once you've picked that thing, remember you are good enough and you do know enough! Then listen to episode 133 for the 8 steps and follow them...you'll be on your way. Our third write-in is from Dreama. She is a registered nurse who has an interest in alternative health for chronic conditions. She wants to start a podcast but thinks she needs to narrow down a topic. Both Dawn and I agree, she needs to niche down into a specific focus. Once she's done that, she can play up her nursing background to show her expertise and work on building a community of followers. She - and every solopreneur - really only needs about 100 people to make a six-figure income and we explain how. You'll also discover things like: * Can podcasts and other subject material be considered "one of the five people you surround yourself with"? * How to create a connection by courting your mentors. * Why you only need 100 people in your tribe to make a six-figure income. * How to connect and engage an audience that isn't on social media. * Why creating a repeat customer is easier than acquiring a new one: Dawn explains. * And so very much more!   The fourth question comes from Michael. He has created a passive income from a previous endeavor and is now building  a business based on helping large companies with their AdWords campaigns. But he is often approached by smaller companies; he cannot work with them because his fee structure is based on a percentage of the ad spend. Smaller companies don't spend enough to make it feasible for him but he wants to offer a course or something to help those companies and to create an additional income source for himself. This is Dawn's area of expertise so she gives Michael some sound advice on how to move forward with a course and/or a membership site.

In this special episode, celebrating 1,000,000 downloads, it's just you and me. I talk about where I was when I launched the show, go over the 8 steps to becoming a successful solopreneur, and play a bunch of listener clips. Here's a link to the movie of me waiting for the millionth: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10100861990191786 MORE ABOUT THIS SHOW In this show when I talk about the different phases and the different turning points in the journey of The Solopreneur Hour, I want you to listen for where you might be. Are you in that just getting started phase? Or are you in a place where you’re focused on specific growth for your solo journey? Or do you even know what your solo venture is going to be? Wherever you are, it’s perfect. And you’ll hear how I went through all of these stages with this podcast to garner the success it has today. These stages are laid out in detail through the 8 steps it takes to becoming a successful solopreneur. The 8 Steps To Becoming A Successful Solopreneur: * Find your passion. What's that thing that you can talk me off my stool about it? What did you do as a kid? Find it and figure out how to connect it to something that will make you money. * Immerse yourself in the culture: Facebook groups, forums, message boards, conventions, read blogs, magazines, events. Get there! * Seek knowledge. Take online courses, join a mastermind like SoloLab. Also write very specific questions to your mentors. * Make a decision to take action. There will always be reasons not to - do it anyway! * Surround yourself with the leaders. You need to be at ALL the events - get there and get connected with the people doing what you want to do! * Take more action. * Show gratitude. * Give back. Pay it forward. Whether it’s sharing your knowledge with others or simply buying a coffee for the person behind you at Starbucks, pay it forward. Podcasting is a medium I’ve always been a fan of and I learned the ropes by producing a show called “The Kick-Ass Life” with David Wood. And one day, while connecting with one of our favorite podcasting leaders Mr. Pat Flynn and seeking knowledge from him, I had the idea for The Solopreneur Hour. And then I took action (number 4); I created this podcast and decided I would have 12 in the can (so to speak) before I launched. Shortly after I had recorded four episodes, I was on my bike and was side-swiped by a car. My injuries were pretty extensive: broken collarbone, concussion and severe road rash over much of my body. But my launch date was looming and even though I could barely sit up straight because I was in so much pain, I pulled the trigger and the show went live. And that was just the beginning. From there, it was a series of download milestones that I used as a barometer. From my experience with David Wood, I knew I wanted to monetize the show so getting a certain amount of downloads was critical to that. First it was the 100 download day. Then it was 1,000. Then it was 10,000. Those numbers progressed because I was following steps 5, 6 and 7 of successful solopreneurship. I went to more events like NMX. I took more action through leveraging my social media outlets. And I was - and still AM - incredibly grateful for every download, every listener and every person who shares this show. And I’m always looking for and finding ways to pay it forward. To that end, I’d like to share the shout outs from a few listeners and SoloLab members now. These guys all left messages about what this show has meant for them, both personally and professionally. Matt Matt called in to say thanks for helping him double his income, and start two new solo ventures. He’s now a card-carrying member of the Unemployables! Rey Brown from Smart Phones Made Easy

One of the biggest hurdles solopreneurs face is how much to pay themselves, how much to keep in profits and how much to spend to keep our businesses running. Far too many people are foregoing paying themselves in the hopes of a payout someday in the future. And Mike Michalowicz, author of Profit First and co-host part deux, tells us why this is a pipe dream for 99% of all businesses and how we should pay ourselves today so we can profit first. More About This Show A lot of people building small businesses and start-ups dream of the day when they’ll be bought out by the Googles and Apples of the world. And they often sacrifice everything til that magical day arrives. The reality is less than 1% of start-ups actualize this fantasy. So what do you do if you’re not in that 1%? How do make sure you’re paid properly and you run a healthy, thriving business? There is the old-fashioned route of sales minus expenses = profits? Or do go the new path and pay ourselves first before doing anything else with our money? Mike says to pay ourselves first, then take out expenses and set aside those profits to pay ourselves later! He believes solopreneurs should be only spending about 10-20% on operating expenses (staff, advertising, other overhead). And we should be taking up to 60% for income and for profits! The finer details of this show include: * Mnemonics: what is it and how does he use it? * The Porsche branding lesson and how to be memorable. * What does he do to compete against his internal Imposter? *  What will make his new book a success in his eyes? * The audiobook double dip lesson: what it will teach you about your business. * And so very much more! Mike’s reasoning for doing it this way is two-fold: 1. You are an employee of your business so you need to be paid as such. 2. You are an owner and a shareholder in your business, therefore you deserve to receive profits. Mike says we need to focus on making profit a DAILY habit! We should create small successes daily as well as making small sacrifices (instead of not paying ourselves for 10 years while we wait for Google to notice us). And when we do that, we’ll string together a very healthy lifestyle, financially and personally. And his newest book, Profit First, is all about how to do this. But why is he someone we should listen to? As we discussed on his first visit to the show, he has successfully built and sold previous businesses. And then he lost it all. As Mike will tell you, he has seen both sides of the coin: the highs of financial highs and the lowest of financial lows. We chat about the content of his book, of course, but also what it’s like for him to write and market it. This is his third book and he’s got the rhythm down! He says it takes him about 2 years to write a book and then he leans heavily on the influencers in his network to help him promote it, including speaking publicly which is another of his passions. Mike was a terrific second-time visitor to the show; he’s always so much fun and full of awesome knowledge. Enjoy and pick up a copy of his Profit First book any day after July 7th!   Visit our sponsors: 99Designs: Goto99designs.com/solohour to get a $99 Power Pack of services for FREE today Resources from this episode: Mike’s web site Mike on Twitter Profit First, his latest book

As solopreneurs we want the freedom to do what we want, when we want and with whomever we want. And money is the tool that gives us that freedom. So says Andrew Fiebert of the Money Matters podcast and he joins us for episode 131 to talk about how to be smart about our money and the basics of finance for solopreneurs. More About This Show As is so often the case, Andrew didn’t start out in his current industry. Back in 2008, he was working for an investment brokerage firm called Lehman Brothers. Some of you may know what happened to that firm, but for those of you, the firm made some bad investment decisions and eventually went out of business. Naturally, all of their employees lost their jobs and Andrew was one of them. Even though he was completely removed from the numbers/investment side of the company as a tech person, he was still impacted. He realized that unless he was personally in control of his income, his livelihood would always be at risk. He set out to educate himself and one day while ranting online about the lack of financial education in our society, he realized he could do something about the very thing he was ranting about and so his podcast was born. The finer details of this show include: * What's the monetary amount proven to provide peak happiness? * The difference between being rich and being wealthy. * The myth of "passive income”, according to Andrew. * To LLC or not LLC? He shares his personal strategy. * What’s the 4% rule and why should you use it? * And so very much more! Andrew’s financial interest seems to pre-date his time on Wall Street though. His father opted to go into the finance industry when Andrew was born and his parents lived quite frugally, even after they had a comfortable income. When his financial interest resurfaced after being released from Lehman Brothers, he began researching and finding useful tools like Mint.com and Betterment.com. In this show, he tells us why he uses each and what they do for his bottom line. We also discuss money-saving tips for you at home like dropping that expensive cable package and opting for things like Apple TV or Googlecast. You can also replace your light bulbs through your local energy company, many of whom will sell you energy-efficient bulbs at a steep discount. And what about car payments? Did you know the average American spends over $400 a month on their car payment alone? If you’re looking for a way to lower your overhead, that would be a good place to start. There are a few main points Andrew wants to get across to you in terms of your finances: you have to know where you are spending your money (Mint.com is perfect for this), how much you are investing (Betterment.com can help) and what your process & strategy are for getting that money out (this is where you apply the 4% rule). If you want to be well on your way to financial independence, Andrew and I have your back. This show gives you tips and techniques to take control of your money and better manage it, both of which are incredibly important to live the life of freedom you are aiming for! As an added bonus, Andrew gives us some really awesome schwag here! Visit our sponsors: Swiftly Fresh Books - Enter "Solopreneur" in the "How Did You Find Us" Section   Resources from this episode: Andrew’s web site Andrew on Twitter Mint.com Betterment The Sexy Six

As solopreneurs we tend to be the type of person who does it all on their own. Why would we take the time to hire and show someone else how to do it when we can get it done faster ourselves? Here to answer that question and a host of others on the topic of outsourcing and how to find virtual freedom is the one and only, Mr. Chris Ducker. More About This Show This is Chris’ third appearance on the show and I was pleased as punch to have him live in Studio 86. We gathered to talk about his latest book, Virtual Freedom, as well as the topic he’s known around the globe for: outsourcing. Chris has built an empire based on his knowledge and experience of working with virtual assistants. Not so long ago, he was a micro-managing boss working 15+ hours a day. As you can imagine, he was nearly burnt out. So he decided it was time to replace himself and become a virtual CEO. It was through that experience of replacing himself that he became an expert and built three thriving companies focused on outsourcing. Today he travels the globe helping others do the same through speaking engagements, live mastermind events and his latest book. You'll also discover things like: * The pros and cons of traditional publishing and self-publishing * Why did Chris choose not to read his book for the audio version? * How fast did his first in-person mastermind event sell out? * 3 lists to freedom: what are the three? * When do you know it's time to outsource? * And so very much more! Chris and I chat about his book, what it was like to write it, edit it and now market it. He has some terrific insights on how the publishing world has changed in recent years and what it takes to actually land a publishing deal today - it’s quite a bit different than it was just a decade ago! He also shares what prompted the book and why it was so important to him to get his message out now. And then we talk about the nitty-gritty on outsourcing, we get into the meat and potatoes of it! As a self-professed micromanager, Chris understands it can be difficult to let go and he has some suggestions on how you can choose which tasks to give to someone else, how to find the right person to work with and when to hire them. He also says it’s never too early to start thinking of what you can outsource; you will know when it’s the right time to offload some of your work, because your body will tell you! And since we never stay on just one topic on this show, Chris and I also talk about his love of all things Bruce Lee and martial arts as well as why podcasting is in its infancy and what that means for current and future podcasters. Whether you're an up and coming podcaster, a solopreneur suffocating under mounds of tasks and an ever-growing workload you can't do on your own anymore or you're simply intrigued by the idea of being your own virtual CEO, this show with Chris will have loads and loads of information for you. I always know Chris will bring the goods and this show was no different! As a special bonus, any of our listeners who buy his Virtual Freedom book can get a free companion workbook when they email a copy of their receipt to his VA, Jam (jam @ chrisducker.com). Isn't that an awesome gift?! Let Chris know you appreciate his generous gesture and you enjoyed the show by leaving a comment below or sending him a Tweet. Please Visit Our Sponsors For Today's Episode: Chris Ducker's book - Virtual Freedom and Virtual Freedom on Amazon Swiftly - Just $19 For Super Quick Design Work! Episode Resources

The old stereotype of the starving artist is getting kicked to the curb by our guest for episode 129! Sean Dietrich, master artist in residence at Industriacide.com, has taken the starving out of starving artist; and he’s doing it by scaling his artwork and by showcasing his artistic creations at live events. And for that reason I wanted to have him on the show: he's doing things in the art world that not many others are doing like making a healthy income! I'm really excited he could join us to share his secrets. More About This Show As long as he’s been able to hold a crayon to paper, Sean has wanted to be an artist. But there was no great push from his parents to attend 20 art classes by age 8 or anything like that. His mom was given some sage advice early on to just allow him to enjoy art and when he asked for classes, then sign him up but not before. As a result, Sean made art a part of who is he and not just what he does. In school, he was always looking for a way to angle art into whatever he was doing. Eventually through a friend he got into comic books and the art within that genre. Never one to be slowed down by his youth, Sean had published his first book by the 10th grade he had published his first book and was doing comic book signings at a local store on Wednesday nights. As we say on The Solopreneur Hour, he was quite “savanty”. But as he made the rounds to comic book conventions, one of the things that struck him was how miserable and underpaid so many comic book artists were. He refused to be one of them and was committed to bucking that trend. And buck it he did! You'll also discover things like: * What came first for Sean: business savvy or the tour concept? * Why you should make everything as easy as possible for your customers. * Why he draws a line when he monetizes his art. * The Van Halen brown M&Ms story and why it matters to your business. * Why his artistic collaborations are outselling his original pieces. * And so very much more!   One of the things that shifted his perspective on the business side of art, was making his art live and in person at various events. He saw too many artists struggling to get into art galleries - and then giving those galleries 50% of their commissions in return for very little from the galleries. He didn't want to go that route. Instead he decided to take his art on the road and create it live at different events, in every possible industry! And that's when Sean’s business really started to take off. One of the reasons this strategy works so well for him is because making art live for people is a performance piece and because of the "sneak peek" vibe it creates. Everyone wants a beyond-the-scenes look at how art comes into being. Not many of us can create beautiful art so we’re fascinated by how the artist produces their pieces. Sean has used this strategy for the last 15 years and he's worked extensively to build his audience and his name through live events. At one point in his career, he was creating live art 6 nights a week, at one event or another. Happily, he is now at a point where he chooses when and where he takes his art on the road. And when he’s at his event, he is ON. He knows that he’ll make more sales by being engaged and connected with his audience. And that’s a valuable lesson every solopreneur needs to know: authentic connection is the key to sales and future sales, whether you're an artist or in any other profession. Another valuable lesson Sean passes on in this episode is how he scaled his business.

Please Visit Our Sponsors For Today's Episode: Godaddy - $1.99 Domain Names Godaddy - 28% Off Your Entire Order! Swiftly - Just $19 For Super Quick Design Work! One of my favorite shows to bring to you is today’s format: you and me and your questions. You’re the reason this show exists so it’s always a pleasure to spend an hour hearing from you, what you’re up to, what you’re facing and giving you my advice on how to move forward on your solopreneur path. I start the show with a rant about "actionable content", talk about my newfound abs, and then get to the questions.  You asked about nearly every facet of an Unemployable’s life: fashion, avatars vs. target markets, the sexy six, whether or not sex still sells, how to book speaking gigs, becoming an expert, choosing your niche, mindset shifts and taxes! Let's get straight to the questions, here they are: Jason Hartman Who's the swankiest podcaster? Jim Hrbek I am about to start a podcast. Thinking three days a week. Niche = cosplay. 2 days a week I will interview cosplayers, the other day I want to interview experts in other fields that can help level up a "cospreneur". My problem lays that this brings in two different avatars. The fans of the famous cosplayers arent really my target audience. Im trying to reach cosplayers that only have a Facebook presence and no other platform. One who wants to earn an income or other benefit. Is this two different podcasts? If not what would you do Max Mac Phail Video blogging, how long is too long? What do you think of mixed content, sometimes blog, others a video or a video accompanying a small amount of text. Love the Q&A shows! Jeff Anderson How about one tip for building an audience after the 8 weeks? Oh, I know you're creating a program for that, so this would be a perfect setup! Brent Danis when marketing a physical product, does "sex" still sell or is it the easy way out? Im torn on what avenue to go down. Yoga, Nike, yachts and other big marketers still use beautiful women and men in there ads. what to do? Tysen Webb How's the 6 pack coming? Dreama Henry McFadden Which should come first: blog or podcast? Would I be better off to get a blog following before launching a podcast? I am way better at talking than writing... Jason Hartman Who are the best people to write and voice podcast intros? Kirsty Bartholomew How is the best way to get yourself booked for more speaking events when you haven't got much experience speaking. Craig Morrison How do you define yourself as an expert to your audience without any huge successes under your belt, only years of experience in your niche? Jonny Keeley How do you deal with relinquishing control of your business? When you get to a point when you can't fly solo anymore and have to delegate different parts of your business. How to step away from, I can do it better and faster - why don't I just do it? Taylor Howe How do you decide on a niche and stick to it/focus on it long enough to know if it's worth sticking it out? Joel Tetzner It seems that more and more people are offering courses as part of their online / internet marketing businesses. So many, in fact, that it's hard to decide who is reputable and what courses are worth the money. What is your top 3 "yes get that course" choices and what courses would you recommend staying away from (or just not worth the money). Simon Knapp Have you heard any more from Garyv? How do you deal with imposter syndrome? Do you ever have doubts in what you are doing? Shelby Kifer I cringe at the word... Taxes? All of those questions get answered in this episode - I can’t believe we did it an hour (ok an hour and 6 minutes but close enough)!

One of the most common hurdles we solopreneurs face, especially those of us in the service industry, is making the shift from being self-employed in our businesses to becoming business owners. Joining us for episode 127 is a dentalpreneur who has this locked down. Mark Costes is an entrepreneur turned dentist turned multi-millionaire and he’s sharing his secrets on this edition of The Solopreneur Hour. One of the real keys to his business (besides the fact that he's pretty much "The E-Myth Revisited" in living color, is that he pays SO MUCH ATTENTION to small, minute details that make a HUGE difference for his clients. More About This Show The fact that Mark Costes is an entrepreneur isn’t a big surprise. Just take a look at his family lineage and you’d guess he’d end up working for himself. His dad’s story is similar to many immigrants: he had a great career in his home country of the Phillippines as a professor, which he left to live in the United States. Coming over with not much more than a hundred dollars and a suitcase, Mark’s dad rebuilt his life with a lot of hustle and willpower. And if that wasn’t enough, Mark’s mother’s side also boasts several successful entrepreneurs. His grandma was a loan shark who sent his mom out to collect payments! She, Mark’s grandma, also had a prawn business (that’s shrimp if you’re from the States), a fleet of rental cars among other businesses. To say entrepreneurism is in his blood might be an understatement; it’s more like his blood IS entrepreneurism. So it’s no surprise that by the age of 23, Mark ran a lucrative food truck business and was also pursuing his MBA. But while he was doing all of that, he was still dreaming of becoming a dentist. So much so that he applied to dentist school 20 times before he was accepted! Clearly Mark was not going to be deterred from his dream, no matter what. You'll also discover things like: * How he builds rapport and a connection while seeing 40 patients a day. * The Yellow Sheet: what is it and how does it pertain to your business? * How his mindset is different from other dentists, and why it matters. * The day he became a millionaire - and why he sold 4 of his 6 practices the very next day. * How he lost almost 7 figures in the process - in one year. * And so very much more!   After he completed his dentist school, he did something hardly any other dentists do: for the next year he worked as an associate in a friend’s practice and spent his off-hours learning the ropes of the business. He learned the systems and learned how the office actually made money. Being the solopreneur he is, he took that knowledge and applied it to his own practice; he didn’t build just one, he built six! And one day his accountant told him to check his financial statements. When Mark did, he realized he had earned his first million dollars that year. The only problem? He was working 80 hours a week and had a wife, a child and another child on the way. It was time for a shift. And shift he did. He began investing in different businesses, none of which took off. But he eventually created a curriculum to train dentistry assistants, he also trains other dentists on how to create passive income in their practices and has a mastermind group. Mark is truly a shining example of turning a traditional service-based profession into a business with passive income streams. And in this episode, he talks us through the steps he has taken (and the missteps), to be where he is today. Leave a comment below for Mark and let him know you learned from him about your business. Please Visit Our Sponsors For Today's Episode: Godaddy - $1.99 Domain Names

Did you have that one kid in your class who always had a little business in the works - whether it was lemonade stands or selling candy? Our guest for episode 126 was that kid. Ryan Coisson is the consummate solopreneur. Whether it’s been selling candy at school, selling advertising in college or selling products online via e-commerce sites today, Ryan has always had a knack for finding opportunity and he's learned along the way, that small steps today lead to big goals achieved down the road. And he joins us today to talk about creating businesses, playing blackjack and rock climbing - and what all three have in common. More About This Show Ryan Coisson has been building businesses almost as long as he’s been able to walk! Ok maybe he didn't start quite that young, but one of his first gigs was selling candy at school. He convinced his parents to buy him candy at CostCo and then he turned around and sold it to his classmates for a mark up while pocketing the profits. Ever since those school days, Ryan has been looking for, creating and hustling his entrepreneurial endeavors; and it is plural because he’s usually working a few at any given time! Today his primary focus is selling quality products online from other vendors through drop-shipping. He chooses niches he knows something about (like yoga), finds the best quality products that are already selling in the marketplace and then sells them through his own web site. The vendor handles the product, the shipping and the customer service. He simply finds the best quality merchandise and promotes til he pockets the profits. You'll also discover things like: * What's a blackjack discount? * How he successfully chooses what to sell online. * If someone gave him $1,000 how much could he turn it into in 30 days? * What is “holy hour” for Ryan? * How many days does it take to instill a new habit? * And loads more!   In this episode, we discuss the experiences he’s had that have shaped him, what his hobbies like rock climbing and yoga have taught him about the basic tenants of business and how he shapes his future with a few simple habits every single day. He even talks us through every step of the e-commerce process that has made him so successful today. It’s taken a lot of learning lessons for Ryan to get to where he is today, it didn’t happen overnight. In fact, he went through several setbacks in a few of his businesses before finding his swing today. Ryan and I cover a lot of ground in this show, all of it valuable wherever you are in your solopreneur process! Send him a Tweet on the Twitter or drop him a note in the comments below and let us know the small steps you’re taking today that are leading you to big things tomorrow. Episode Resources GoDaddy 28% Off GoDaddy $1.99 Domain Name Ryan's personal site eFormula Evolution Ryan on Twitter MerchantWords Shopify Alibaba Block Fitness Would You Help Spread the Word About the Podcast? I’d be forever grateful if you helped share the podcast.  Click here for a pre-populated tweet to help spread the word to your friends on Twitter.  THANK YOU! Feedback on the Podcast If you have any suggestions for upcoming shows or a question for an upcom...