dustin stout

AoL 043: How to Place Your Knowledge on Auto-Pilot and Get Paid Repeatedly For It with Dustin W. Stout

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People start businesses for all sorts of reasons. Sometimes that reason is that they see a need in the world that they can respond to. Others, like me, start a business because we see it in the future as a means to create a lifestyle that we want.

The same can be said about this session’s guest, Dustin W. Stout.

Dustin, like many other entrepreneurs, stumbled into business. And over time, he became really good at being a consultant and helping other people with his skills. However, this was active time that he was putting in and it was taking away from time that he could be spending with his young family.

In this session, we find out more about where he came from, how he became well known in social media, and also why he basically changed his business to focus on building SaaS products.

If you’re currently a freelancer or doing work that requires you to put in a ton of active work from project to project, perhaps Dustin’s story will give you some insight in how you can build a business that gives you more freedom.

SPECIFICALLY, YOU’LL FIND OUT MORE ABOUT:

  • Why Dustin believes that performers do so well in the digital marketing space. 4:59
  • How he got started as a youth pastor after being a performing arts major. 6:11
  • How he stumbled into his first business. 9:45
  • How Dustin first met Michael Hyatt and was compelled to build his platform. 13:27
  • What his first blog was about. 18:15
  • What made his blog take off. 22:05
  • How Dustin created his first community online. 23:51
  • How he got his first paying client. 26:09
  • What the process is like to get recognized by Social Media Examiner as someone that knows that they’re talking about. 30:37
  • Where Dustin got the idea to start in the plugin / SaaS world. 32:37
  • What Social Warfare is all about. 35:37
  • Freedoms that Dustin has through his business versus the life he’d have if he went the actor route. 35:41
  • Would he ever consider going back to the acting world? 40:47
  • Three teachers that has catapulted him to where he is today. 44:01
  • Three truths that he’d share with others. 46:29
  • If he was to put in ad into the world, what would it be? 48:22
  • What he would say to his 20 year old self. 52:09
  • When he thinks of success, who is the person he thinks of and why? 53:23
  • What are some steps to “be like Dustin”? 55:06
  • …and MUCH more!

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer.

ITEMS and PEOPLE MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

SHOW NOTE EXTRAS:

More about Social Warfare:

>

 

Dustin discussing Google Plus with Lauren Francesca on why you might want to check it out:

Dustin with Thomas E. Hanna on how to use images with your content:

An example of why Dustin chose to build a SaaS business like Social Warfare:

Thanks for Listening!

Thanks so much for joining us again this week. Have some feedback you’d like to share? Leave a note in the comment section below!

If you enjoyed this episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the top of the post.

Also, please leave an honest review for The AoL Podcast on iTunes! Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated! They do matter in the rankings of the show, and we read each and every one of them.

If you have any questions feel free to email them over via the email mentioned in the show or by our contact form.

And finally, don’t forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes, Stitcher, Soundcloud, and/or Google Play Music. It’s absolutely free to do so.

A huge thank-you to you guys for joining us!

Cheers!

The Importance of Why: Learning How to Get Going when the Going Gets Tough

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People wonder where I get inspired for my writing. Sometimes I get inspiration from the people I’m working with. Other times, it’s just to fill a knowledge gap in my content.

Yet, other times, it’s when I’m constantly berated by a subject and I need to make an account of all that is coming my way.

I mean, when the universe tells you to do something, you better be listening and be prepared to act, right?

Passion is Half the Battle:

In the last two blog posts, I wrote about building a website. While this might not necessarily be the most interesting to me, it is a question that I can answer and have a knack to help people get started on. It’s kinda like me and math. Can I teach it? Sure. Do I have a passion for it? Well, I have a passion that people are educated. So… in a way I guess? But not directly.

Same thing for building websites. Is it something that I can help people with? Sure. I had to figure it out on my own and if I can help someone else figure it out, then I’m happy.

Also, it’s a question that I’ve been meaning to respond to in a blog post form for awhile.

Today’s post has a little bit of both: “Something I want to make sure people get because it’s important” and something that I’m asked about quite a bit.

How did I find my Why?

The Secret is in the Why:

Pursuing your Passion with a definite Why, I believe, is one of the critical parts of being happy, building a successful life, and building a thriving business.

I share this belief with a well known author, Simon Sinek.

If you’re unfamiliar with Simon, there’s been a big TEDx speech of his out there on the web for several years now. Time and time again I recommend it to people if they’re having trouble finding their Why.

Good stuff, huh?

Bonus: He also just recently did an interview with Marie Forleo that came out last week about his newest book.

Don’t Forget about Being Happy:

As Simon was saying in that last video, many times we get so focused on the small details of a job that might actually be part of our Why, that we forget about why we started it in the first place. When this happens, we might actually become unhappy.

I was listening to a really interesting conversation between Jordan Harbinger and Raj Raghunathan that was paralleling this thought as well.

Among many of the great points that Raj talks about in the discussion, he points out that we all need three main things to be happy: Mastery, Belonging, and Autonomy.

  • Mastery: We need to feel that we’re good at something.
  • Belonging: We need to feel a sense of intimacy or connection with at least one other person.
  • Autonomy: We need to feel a sense of freedom in what we’re doing. (Not to be micromanaged.)

Just a note here: Mastery is another way of describing passion. Those that don’t have a passion in a particular subject rarely care to develop a mastery in or of it.

A Recent Example:

Say you’re interested in starting a podcast. You want to have really interesting conversations with people and get those out into the world and inspire others to take certain actions.

That focus – having really interesting conversations with others – might meet the three criteria of being happy.

However, when you start figuring out the details of where the host for the recordings might be and what the your site looks like that you’re posting the talks to, those might be things you don’t really want to deal with.

As you get lost in the details of getting technical things prepped to do the show, you might actually start asking yourself why you started thinking that you wanted to do podcasts in the first place.

Right?

Well, for starters – the two are not mutually related. Technical parts of doing a podcast aren’t the same as actually being the host. In fact, the only “technical” thing a host should do is hit the record button. In the ideal world, you’d have people to help you with all the other stuff.

You don’t necessarily have to pay those folks, either. There’s plenty of trading that goes on in the business world behind the scenes – both online and offline. Maybe you have a talent that they need as well? They help you, you help them.

And the other thing is that this is where the Why gets you through. Without a strong Why, you might just tap out early on in your endeavor of being a podcaster. There’s a saying that goes, “If you want something bad enough, the facts don’t matter!”.

More Resources to Help You Find Your Why, Your Passion, and Find What Makes You Happy:

If you’re wanting to make sure that you’re on the right path, that you’re on it for a good reason, and that you want to make sure you can make it all the way through to completion, then there’s a few resources that I think you should check.

  1. Pat Flynn’s Book: Will It Fly
  2. Cal Newport’s: So Good They Can’t Ignore You: Why Skills Trump Passion in the Quest for Work You Love
  3. Mark Nathan and David Anderson’s Book: The Delusion of Passion
  4. Raj Raghunathan’s HappySmarts Project

Action Steps:

As I was writing this post, I took a short break and ran across an interesting piece that I wanted to share with you guys:

When you think about this family – is it clear to you that Garrett knew his why when he was building his business? Do you think it was what he started with or did it grow over time? Or perhaps he realized it when he sold his business?

Regardless, the Why was deciding factor of the life that they have now.

The best thing you can do with yourself before you ever start your business is to figure out what really motivates you to start working and to keep going when it’s hard for you to do anything. Us solopreneurs, we have very wild emotional roller coasters. One day we feel like we’re on the top of the world, the next day we could feel like “meh”.

If you don’t get the books that I’ve mentioned in this post (which I think might be a mistake), I’d definitely check out interviews that they’ve done, and talks they’ve given across the web.

Also, another something that I think would help you is making a bucket list for yourself as well as a list of things that would be fun to do with your family (if you have one). Make each one at least 10 to 20 items. Let it be as wild as you want.

Now from there, start categorizing these into things that don’t cost anything or very little, all the way up to those that cost a fortune (like a prolonged trip, a boat, or a better house!)

Those that don’t cost anything or cost very little, you should plan to do them as rewards soon.

The more the something costs, the higher up on your success ladder you should place it. Think of it as a reward for getting to that level of success.

Now find some pictures of these rewards and place them on a bulletin board, tape them on the back of a door, or, put them up on a refrigerator. These are forms of what many people call Vision Boards. If you need help of what I’m talking about – here’s an example:

Vision Board

I’d love to see what you all come up with!

DIY Business Site

Getting Started on the Web (Part 2): Basics of Setting Up WordPress for your DIY Business Site

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In the last post, we looked at some of the options that are out there in building your own business site.

Just as a recap, there are those that are fairly simple to use but still require you to know how to actually use the editors in them when you’re in.

Wix, Squarespace, and Kajabi are some of the most common “easy to use” site makers out there. However, all of them come at a price that is above what you’d pay for simple hosting and a WordPress install.

Kajabi, being the most expensive, comes with all the bells and whistles that you’d have to add on elsewhere.

Wix is free to start from, but you have to add parts that cost a premium to do certain things. (Collecting emails for an example.)

Squarespace, I haven’t personally used, but it’s almost three times as much as I pay at Hostgator for my plan. And knowing that I could easily throw up a theme (additional software that makes a WordPress install look nice) that I only have to buy once, then it just didn’t make sense to me to use.

The Basics of Hosting:

When it comes to installing a WordPress based site, there’s a few things you need to do before actually installing it.

Find and subscribe to a Host:
First and foremost, our first step is to figure out who you want to be your host. I use Hostgator, Pat Flynn is well known for using BlueHost, and others use other providers.

The plan I get with Hostgator is the Baby Plan. It has most of the stuff we need. (Be sure to go through my affiliate link so you can save on your subscription if you go with Hostgator.)

Essentially a host does a couple of things that we’re interested in:

Holds your site’s contents (including WordPress and your creative content).
The actual local address of your site. (You point your domain name here.)
Where to find any email addresses associated with your domain name.

Once you get access to your new host, you should have some sort of dashboard in the back to utilize your new subscription with. For now, most things in there won’t be of too much interest to us. However, I wanted to get you a video that shows a little bit more about what Hostgator uses as their dashboard. It’s called cPanel.

Setup Your Domain:

Your domain is the name of your site. For example, my site’s domain is newinceptions.com. I registered it originally at GoDaddy. They’re known for cheap domain registration – but not necessarily hosting (even though they provide it).
GoDaddy isn’t the only domain register I’d suggest. While GoDaddy has good first year registration prices, NameCheap is another place you can get cheap domains and they’ll continue to be relatively inexpensive after your first year.

Also, another thing they give for free is the ability to block the name and location of the person who registers the site. This is something that you have to pay additional for on GoDaddy and other domain registries. This is a big selling point if you want to keep your privacy.

Once you register with whomever you choose (there’s others out there too!), you’ll have to give your register the nameserver’s addresses. Usually there are two in your cpanel (if you go with Hostgator, it will be on your bottom left near the bottom – they’ll look something like nsXXXX.hostgator.com and nsYYYY.hostgator.com.)

Here’s a video that will get you started in this section.

Setting Up Your Professional Email:

It’s simple to say why this is important. What’s the point of having a website if you’re email is [email protected] or something similar? Wouldn’t it be better to be [email protected]? 

Most hosts will allow you to host your own domain based email on your share of the server. What they fail to tell you is that whenever you are checking emails, you’re usually using up what’s called a “Process”. With my service from Hostgator, there are 25 processes that I can use. Each open email account will use up to 4 of these processes. Why? It’s a little detailed.

However, there are other providers out there that you can get your email hosted with. All you have to do is prove you own your site and then tell the host that you want to get your email from that secondary email host. There’s different ways of doing that, so I won’t drop into that too much here.

However, there’s two big players in this department: Google and Zoho.

Google everyone knows and trusts (to an extent anyway!). When you get your professional email with them, then you can use it to login into other Google applications such as Google Docs, and Google Calendar.

However, there’s a price to pay for Google. I believe it’s like 5 or 10 bucks each month. Plus additional fee for other emails you get.

At one point Google was free. When they started charging, Zoho got in the act to host business emails. They host up to 10 for your domain for free. Each email address can save 5 gigs of data on their account. (As a hack, I tend to backup all my emails on a secondary Gmail account.)

Both work similarly. So, unless you only want to have one address for everything, then I’d go with Zoho for your business email and use Google for your personal email, apps, calendar and possibly a backup account.

Here’s one video that should help you figure this process out.

WordPress Ins and Outs:

Initial Setup:

Each host will be different when it comes to setting up WordPress. Some you can install with a few clicks. Others will be a little more manual.

Hostgator again comes through here in that it makes it relatively easy to setup. There’s a Quick install feature that takes about 5 clicks and 6 fill in the blanks to finish. (The linked video is a bit old – but should do the trick.) It will send you an email when it’s done installing and you’ll be ready for the next step.

Inside WordPress (the Backend):

Once you have WordPress installed, you’ll want to familiarize yourself with the Dashboard. You can typically reach the dashboard by going to yoursite.com/wp-admin. You’ll have to supply a login and a password. This should be in the email you get once the install is done.

You’ll notice several tabs. Two that I want to bring to mind right now are Appearance and Plugins.

The Appearance tab is where you’ll find your themes. There are free ones available through this tab, and others that you’ll have to buy at sites like Themeforest. Mine is called Enfold. There are plenty of other choices. You just need to search around and see what fits your site’s needs. For example, another one I use is Gameplan for the America Multi-Sport site.

My biggest recommendation with themes is to make sure it’s responsive (most new ones are) and that it is built around an editor. Enfold has it’s own native one, while Gameplan uses a 3rd party solution. Having a theme built around an editor will make it easier for you to work on your future site.

Also, when you have a premium theme installed, more than likely it will also add another tab. Make sure you click on that tab and explore everything that’s in there. There will be plenty of options and things for you to go through and modify.

(Note: If you go with Enfold, you can actually import a demonstration site and modify it to how you like it. Otherwise, you’ll have to start with scratch. But this is no different at this point from if you had used Squarespace, Wix, or Kajabi.)

Here’s a video that shows more of the backend of WordPress with Enfold being enabled as the theme.

The Plugins tab is next on the list. When you are done installing your basic theme, you’ll want to start turning some things on that will protect and optimize your site. This is where you’ll do that. A few plugins that I always use on all of my sites is Akizmet, a firewall plugin (like Wordfence), and a cache “optimizer” (like WP Super Cache). Also, be sure to install a backup plugin like UpdraftPlus so if you’re ever hacked or lose access to your site, you can install it elsewhere.

You can continue to add free and premium plugins to your heart’s content to do different jobs in your site and outside of your site. Some will only be on the backend (like I’ve mentioned already), others will be on the front end. Those plugins might show contact forms, social media buttons, or image rotators. (The end user will see these plugins working – but hopefully won’t realize it.)

The next two tabs that I want to call attention to are Pages and Posts.

The pages tab will take you to all the pages that your site has. One of those pages is the Homepage – the page you see when you first access your site. Other pages then can be linked off of this page to discuss everything you want to. Typical ones you might find in the online business world include “About”, “Contact”, “Resources”, and “Blog”.

Speaking of blogs, the post tab comes into play here. Each post is sort of like a page, but they’re not part of the main skeleton of your site. If you think of posts as limbs and branches of a tree, then your leaves are the posts. Posts can consist of all kinds of media. They can be text based, photo based, or even be where you find someone’s podcast. Right now you’re looking at a post as you read this. (Is that an example of being meta?)

 

Outside WordPress (the Frontend):

Ok. So now that we have ourselves somewhat familiar with the inside, let’s look at what everyone else is going to be looking at.

This is where it’s important to get an idea of what it is that you want to create. So from here, I’d suggest finding three sites that look like something that you’d want to have. That way you know what to design.

If you’re using Enfold (or another theme) and already created a demo site – then really all you should be doing is tailoring smaller details with your native editor. (This is what I’d recommend doing, by the way. :))

However, if you didn’t use a demo site to start with, then you’ll be starting from scratch. Again, look at other sites that you like. Start with with your homepage and start playing with your editor and start creating some pages!. In Enfold, it’s called Avaya Layout Builder.

Here’s a video in how you can use it.

Note: Before I forget, you might notice that there’s a section on the right that is static. On my site, for example, I have a Facebook section, some social media buttons, and a place to subscribe to the Newsletter. These are called Widgets. You can find these as a sub selection of the Appearance Tab. For more information on Widgets – feel free to check out this video.

A trick that I do is have two tabs open. One side views the frontend of the page you’re working on, and the other is looking at the backend. Work on the backend, hit preview. Opens up another tab. Do you like what you did? Hit Update. Then check your work again on the original frontend page to make sure that the change actually took hold.

Here’s a video to show you what widgets and sidebars are all about.

Once done with that, check out this video on how widgets work in Enfold. 

Wrap Up and Action Steps:

I know that this is a ton of info to throw at you. But really, it’s barely touching the surface. I just wanted to put something up that might get some of you going on your websites.

I do hope to get a course up that will go more in depth into this in the future. But for a quick start, I thought I’d go ahead and get you all started at least in the right direction if a lack of a site has been keeping you back.

If you get stuck, remember what I said in the first one. Make YouTube your friend! If you have a question, search for it on Google or, better yet, find it on YouTube. Tons of tutorials there.

If you can’t find or don’t understand the answer you find, you know how to get ahold of me!

stephan seyfert

AoL 036: Going from Good to Great in Business Coaching with Stephan Seyfert

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When people think of the labels consultant, coach, or teacher, they often think of the same type of person. Someone that instructs and helps others. However, each one of these labels are actually different than one another. The consultant uses their skill set to help their client. The coach helps bring the client to a solution by asking the right questions. While the teacher uses both skills to help their students learn and apply what’s being taught in the classroom.

As far back as I can remember, I’ve always found myself being all three in one way or another. I’ve been the tech person when it comes to helping friends and family with their computers. I’ve always been the listening ear when people are trying to fix a problem in their life – helping them with problems they might not see right in front of them. And I have that uncanny ability to be able to mix the two and teach complex topics. Hence why I taught algebra for a couple of years.

I was quite amazed when I found out that each is it’s own separate skill.

For today’s guest, coaching has been something that he’s been utilizing for sometime as well. In fact, you’ll find out that when he started coaching people professionally, he was simply relaying information that he essentially had just learned in his classes in college. However, he found that he had a passion for it and he’s made it his full time career.

In this session, we’ll learn how he got into coaching in the first place. How it’s helped him along in his career. What he learned from the John Maxwell Team that sets him apart from other coaches, and how he specifically helps business go from Good to Great.

If you’ve wanted to find out how you might be able to become a professional business coach, then this might give you a couple of ideas in how you can get started down that career path. If you’re in need of a coach, then Stephan might be a great solution for you!

SPECIFICALLY, YOU’LL FIND OUT MORE ABOUT:

  • Why Stephan’s formal education track wasn’t so different than most. (9:03)
  • How he got introduced to entrepreneurship (12:53)
  • When he felt that it was time to go separate ways with his first business partner from college (17:29)
  • How he was able to get his first clients while he was still a student (22:41)
  • How the John Maxwell Team has helped his business (28:27)
  • How John Warrillow has inspired the new version of his business (31:06)
  • Stephan’s 2 additional Value Drivers (beyond John Warrillow’s first 8) (33:50)
  • Why it’s important to intentionally develop a company’s culture (35:04)
  • Upcoming movies we’re excited about (40:23)
  • Why he likes working with groups as well as individuals (42:29)
  • How he currently meets his potential clients (46:25)
  • How his current career aligns with his “Why” (52:05)
  • Why Apple shows how its important to have a definitive “Why”. (58:24)
  • What’s the difference between the popularity of the Beatles and Boston? (1:02:05)
  • Stephan’s 3 influences in business (1:04:45)
  • …and MUCH more.

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer.

ITEMS and PEOPLE MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

SHOW NOTE EXTRAS:

The Importance of Mentoring Youth (via Illinois Homepage.net):

 

A Brief Intro to Jim Collins’ book, Good to Great:

Marie Forleo on going from Good to Great in Life and Business:

Five Levels of Leadership:

New Inceptions’ Post

A Short version via the John Maxwell Company

Long version via the Youth Banking Conference (Part 1):

Long version via the Youth Banking Conference (Part 2):

Thanks for Listening!

Thanks so much for joining us again this week. Have some feedback you’d like to share? Leave a note in the comment section below!

If you enjoyed this episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the top of the post.

Also, please leave an honest review for The AoL Podcast on iTunes! Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated! They do matter in the rankings of the show, and we read each and every one of them.

If you have any questions feel free to email them over via the email mentioned in the show or by our contact form.

And finally, don’t forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes, Stitcher, Soundcloud, and/or Google Play Music. It’s absolutely free to do so.

A huge thank-you to you guys for joining us!

Cheers!

Daniel Postma

AoL 035: A Mission of Exploration – How Daniel Postma Became a Serial Entrepreneur by Age 20

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The current education system is broken. It’s hard to deny it. With college professors suggesting that students aren’t ready for college, and employers saying that graduates aren’t ready for the real world, there’s really too much evidence that something has to be done.

For me personally, I did what I was supposed to do. Go to school. Get good grades. Graduate.

What didn’t happen for me was the “Get a Good Job” part.

I would say that it’s partly my fault. By the time I was finally looking for a job, I wasn’t really interested in being another cog in the machine. In fact, I knew that I wanted to work at a startup.

However, most startups that I spoke with seemed like they were fish out of water. They approached entrepreneurship like a job. They didn’t have much of a reason why that they were doing it. They just knew that they were good at what they did. Maybe it was because it’s what they did before the recession of 2008. Maybe it’s because they thought they could make more money on their own.

Whatever the reason was, it didn’t seem to be working.

I think a big part of that was that the school system that most of us have grown up with program us to be followers. However, we need new leaders more so than ever. Be it in government or in the private sector. One way to get there currently is to homeschool students. Another way is to be mentored by people that are already leading.

Today’s guest, Daniel Postma has done both. Which means he’s well on his way to be one of tomorrow’s leaders.

 

In this session, we’ll learn all about homeschooling and find out how he was able to acquire the mentorship he’s had in his life. We’ll see what his time as an of apprentice of Dane Maxwell did for him. And we’ll also discuss how he got into the business of medical massage therapy.

 

If you’re interested to know more about homeschooling, experiential learning, or simply need some guidance in what you should do after you graduate, I think you’ll get a lot out of this conversation.

SPECIFICALLY, YOU’LL FIND OUT MORE ABOUT:

  • How being homeschooled has been a big help in who he is today. (9:07)
  • What homeschooling looks like from the inside. (10:51)
  • Why his parents opted for homeschooling him. (14:47)
  • How he believes homeschooling prepares students. (16:37)
  • Why Daniel chose not to go to college. (22:57)
  • What’s his thoughts on different kinds of education (25:17)
  • What kind of mentorship he’s had in his life (30:01)
  • His experience as Dane Maxwell’s apprentice for a month (34:11)
  • When Daniel knew he wanted to start his first business (39:59)
  • Why Daniel enrolled in The Foundation even though at that point it was icing on the cake (41:54)
  • How he’d reach out to others to get out of their comfort zone (43:56)
  • How he got into Medical Massage Therapy (46:48)
  • How his family has been able to help him with business (44:55)
  • Why Daniel’s superpower is being able to utilize everyone’s strengths in his life (52:35)
  • What he’d tell the younger versions of himself. (58:08)
  • …and MUCH more.

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer.

ITEMS and PEOPLE MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

SHOW NOTE EXTRAS:

What to do After College (NSFW) – Gary V.:

What Daniel Got out of Being Around Dane Maxwell in 3 Minutes:

Daniel and Terril Interview Clay Green:

Daniel Singing in Snow… Winter in April:

Thanks for Listening!

Thanks so much for joining us again this week. Have some feedback you’d like to share? Leave a note in the comment section below!

If you enjoyed this episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the top of the post.

Also, please leave an honest review for The AoL Podcast on iTunes! Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated! They do matter in the rankings of the show, and we read each and every one of them.

If you have any questions feel free to email them over via the email mentioned in the show or by our contact form.

And finally, don’t forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes, Stitcher, Soundcloud, and/or Google Play Music. It’s absolutely free to do so.

A huge thank-you to you guys for joining us!

Cheers!

steph crowder fizzle

Fizzle’s Steph Crowder on Deadlines, Life Changes, & Learning on the Job at Fizzle.co (AoL 034)

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Learning how to do online business can be tough. Especially with all the sources that are out there. So that’s why it’s important to trust the sources you learn from and stick with them. You guys know that I have certain people that I learn from. Two of which are SPI and Fizzle.

With SPI, Pat has always had more of a global way of approaching the content that he’ll talk about in a given week and month. In fact, until his book Will It Fly?, he was kind of all over the board. That’s kind of the way I learned – heck, that’s probably how he learned from the sources that he got his knowledge from.

Several years back, Corbett Barr and Chase Reeves wanted to help that issue, so they created an online school of sorts called Fizzle.

Fizzle is very logical. First off, everything is one place. And they’re structuring it based on a Roadmap.

If I were to guess, I would say that in the early days that Corbett came up with the content, and Chase, being the lead creative, thought of how to make that information learnable.

Later, Barrett Brooks joined the team with his knowledge of business development. And just last year, today’s guest, Steph Crowder came on to take care of what Barrett was in charge of when he first came on – community and member success.

Over the past year, Steph has earned her spot not only in the all male group, but on the Fizzle podcast as well.

In this session, we’ll be learning about Fizzle, we discuss how Steph got the chance to work at Groupon when it was still a small company and why she feels that working at Fizzle is a good fit for her. We also discuss how she feels about being the Den Momma of the community and we also get a little into why she likes working remotely.

If you’re interested to know more about Fizzle, how it can help you, and how it’s helped Steph, then this is an episode you can’t miss out on!

SPECIFICALLY, YOU’LL FIND OUT MORE ABOUT:

  • How she got herself started in sales.
  • How she found herself at Groupon.
  • What she loved about her experience at Groupon.
  • How Pat Flynn played a role in her professional development.
  • Why she believes her job with Fizzle is a great fit for her.
  • Why she has to explain to people on a regular basis about what she does.
  • Why she felt she wanted to apply for the Member Success Specialist position.
  • What Fizzle is in her own words.
  • Why not everyone is meant to be an entrepreneur/intrapreneur.
  • How she feels about being the Den Momma at Fizzle.
  • What people have to say about Fizzle as members.
  • Why Steph likes remote work vs the experience that she had at Groupon.
  • How she sees her life changing as a new mom.
  • …and MUCH more.

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer.

ITEMS and PEOPLE MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

SHOW NOTE EXTRAS:

Chase Improves the “Best Advice Ever”:

Preview of Steph’s Course “Winning Insights with Customer Conversations”

Mini Documentary of the Fizzle Crew get together at World Domination Summit 2015

Barrett introduces us to Jess Lively’s Three Tier Framework for Living Your Values

Thanks for Listening!

Thanks so much for joining us again this week. Have some feedback you’d like to share? Leave a note in the comment section below!

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A huge thank-you to you guys for joining us!

Cheers!

Ways to Become More Disciplined

4 Ways to Become More Disciplined

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Have you ever struggled to get things done? To finish what you have started before moving on to something else?

Maybe, if you’re like me, you’ve found yourself motivated to do something at one point, do it a few times, and possibly even come to a point where it’s a habit. However, you eventually you lose your ability to muster up the strength to do it again.

You’re definitely not alone. Time and again, I’ve seen this issue in several groups I’ve belonged to in the past. The number one problem that I see people struggle with is consistency. Or really, just the lack of focus. Things get jumbled up in their priorities and they’re really never able to finish what they’ve begun.

Becoming More Disciplined:

The term disciplined has such a negative connotation to it. When I think of the word, I think of someone getting scolded by a coach or parent. Or perhaps a dog getting yelled at for doing their business in the house.

However, the term has two meanings. What I just gave examples for is one definition. The other definition is a branch of knowledge, typically one studied in higher education.

In effect, when someone becomes more disciplined, they’re essentially becoming more masterful at something.

Also, I should mention that a 2014 study showed that “engaging in personally interesting activities not only improves performance, but also creates an energized experience that allows people to persist when persisting would otherwise cause them to burn out.”

So instead of thinking of being more disciplined as a bad thing, let’s look at it from a skill building perspective. The more disciplined you are, the better you are at a particular task or type of work that you enjoy doing.

Now that we have that definition, let’s look at the 4 ways of gaining mastery at something.

 

Method #1 – Build Accountability:

There’s a few ways that we can build accountability. I’m sure you’ve probably heard of accountability buddies. These are people who are on the same or similar path to you. You’re both working for the same goal.

In my personal development circles, a group of this kind of person that meets regularly is a Mastermind.

This past year, I’ve been hosting a mastermind that is based on business building. Not only does this group provide a place for people to talk about what they’ve done in the past week, but it also gives them a place to discuss any problems they’re having and help with any decisions they’re having problems with.

Another way of building accountability outside of people that have similar goals in a mastermind is just learn how to celebrate small wins. This was always something I struggled with – especially in college. What I’ve come to realize since then, though, is that the more you celebrate your small wins, the more incentive you’ll have to stay on track in achieving bigger and better things!

If you’re looking for a way of building accountability that isn’t done with other people is to use a journal. In the past, I’ve talked about using The Five Minute Journal. There are similar ones out there. But this is the one that I’d recommend. After going through my first physical one, I’m now waiting on an Android version! 🙂 However if you have an iOS device, you can get that version already.

 

Method #2 – Remove Distractions:

This one is probably one of the hardest ones to deal with in today’s world. We are programmed by the world to want to interact with everything that is shiney, vibrates, makes a notification sound, or is annoying.

How much work could you get done if you could eliminate everything from your life that did those things?

So if you’re really wanting to focus on something, turn off or lower the volume on the TV, listen to music that’s lyrics don’t get you too hyped, and keep away from social media when you’re actually doing work. (If you have trouble with that last one, there’s actually some plugins for your browser that will help you with that.)

If you’re in a position where you’re constantly getting bombarded with emails, here’s a thought: don’t pay attention to them until you’re ready. And when you are ready, check it once and then turn it off for the evening. Personally, I do a couple of things in the morning that I have to do before I ever check my email.

As someone that’s trying to do your own thing, you need to spend unbroken time on your projects. Don’t let email become your new boss.

 

Method #3 – Focus On One Thing

A book that I haven’t had the pleasure of reading yet is called The One Thing, Many of the podcasters and bloggers that I follow love this book. So I have a good understanding of what it’s about.
One of the quotes that I’ve heard a couple of times from it is this:

The path of mastering something is the combination of not only doing the best you can do at it, but also doing it the best it can be done. – Gary Keller

 

The gist here is simple. Don’t try to multitask. No one is really good at it. Get into a zone and focus on using a superpower of yours.

Pat Flynn, who I think talks about the book the most, says that the way he does this is by block scheduling his day. In fact, he did a recent write up that goes step by step in what his schedule looks like right now.

However, just having certain things due each day is only part of the equation. You might be running a little late in a given day. Does that give you permission to stop early?

Nope! It means that you’re staying and getting stuff done until you get it done OR if you have kids that you make time for, you play with them until they go to bed and then you start cranking the midnight oil. Finish Strong!!

 

Method #4 – Be Aware of the Negative, but Don’t Act of It:

I was just listening to a podcast (it might have been this one?) where the guest that was being interviewed said that we shouldn’t spend energy trying to avoid negative in our lives. We are designed to be problem solvers, so, therefore, our brains our naturally looking for things that they can fix. That’s just what we’re made of.

However, there are times when you need to ignore the negative that comes into your life – especially if it doesn’t come in the form of constructive criticism. There are some people out there that their way of building themselves up is by being critical of other people.

These are trolls. Don’t feed them. Don’t let them get to you. They call you “dumb” or “weird”, then they’re probably “weird” themselves. Don’t let the one bad review shadow over all your compliments!

Many people are not going to get ahead today simply because they don’t know how to ignore other’s thoughts. John Cleese explains in this video:

Also, don’t let yourself be your own worst enemy. If you find yourself coming up with more and more excuses on why you can’t do something (it’s not the right time, someone else has more luck than you, or you don’t have the right skill set), FIGURE IT OUT. Actually let that brain do its job of putting the pieces together! Heck, you might even find a way to collaborate with someone who needs your skillset.

 

Action Steps:

Now that you have a few tools that you can use to get more skillful at your work, pick a few to start implementing as soon as possible. Which is one that you can start today? How about in 15 days? Perhaps a month?

For those of you who do use some of the discipline techniques above, what are some of your results of using them? Do you have any suggestions that I missed?