Having a healthy lifestyle is something that is brought up time and again in pop culture. However, with all the temptations of fast food, taking it easy, and dealing with stress, many people just simply struggle to do what’s best for them.
However, once you do figure out how to live healthier and learn how to live a positive mindset, achieving your goals gets that much easier. Main reason why is that you won’t constantly feel lethargic and out of energy.
In this session, Andy and I talk with Cyndi Walter who figured out at an early age that looking at the positive side of things makes life not only easier, but more fulfilling as well. Pair that with her experience in the direct sales world since she was in school and it’s no wonder that she has the ability to make an impact in the lives of many others – over 40,000 others in fact.
In this conversation with Cyndi, Andy and I get the chance to hear some of the secrets she’s used to build an amazing business!
Enjoy!
SPECIFICALLY, YOU’LL FIND OUT MORE ABOUT:
Why should someone even consider getting started with a direct sales company? 9:00
How was Cyndi introduced to the industry? 10:10
How does someone become the healthiest version of themselves? 13:53
How does she advise clients to make the time to make a healthy lifestyle a priority for themselves? 15:48
What kind of connections does she make between mind, body, and total performance? 17:02
What’s the biggest misconception Cyndi finds herself helping clients overcome with health and mindset? 18:37
What’s the wisest way to think about our food choices? 20:49
How has Cyndi been able to position herself in a way online that she’s not conflicting with typical direct sales rules? 23:20
What kind of systems does Cyndi have in her working day which have helped her be as successful as she is? 26:06
Are there specific strategies she uses to balance family, community, and business in her life? 29:10
What are the first signs of someone’s life going out of balance? 31:22
What’s Cyndi looking forward to in 2020? 36:51
Who are three influences who have launched Cyndi to where she’s at today? 39:15
One gift she likes giving others? 41:27
What service is out there that’s a disservice to youth? 42:34
Is there a message that should be discussed more, but hardly is? 43:38
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 extremelyhelpful 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.
https://www.newinceptions.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/AoL-163-social.png6281200JChttp://www.newinceptions.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/NI-Web-Logo8.20165.pngJC2019-12-05 19:15:292019-12-05 19:15:37Cyndi Walter – Health, Wealth, and Happiness – Why a Positive Mindset and Healthy Lifestyle Should be a Part of Your Business Plan (AoL 163)
When it comes to achievement in the creative space, you have to put in the actual work to get there. However, we’re not just talking about performing a particular skill like you would in a job, though. In fact, it starts with building one’s mindset. And one way to work on one’s mindset is through the form of practicing mindfulness or perform meditation.
In this session, we’re talking to Manuj Aggarwal who knows all about this world. Interestingly enough, when he lived in India, he never had an interest in this knowledge. However, as he moved to the western world, he realized that it had some real benefits.
In this conversation with Manuj, Andy and I have the chance to find out what this journey looked like like for him – including when he realized he needed to start.
Enjoy!
SPECIFICALLY, YOU’LL FIND OUT MORE ABOUT:
What was Manuj’s perspective on formal education growing up? 10:54
How did he make the time to seek the knowledge to get ahead in his career? 12:20
What does mindfulness and meditation mean to Manuj? 17:44
Is there anything wrong with the general population’s perspective on money? 24:32
What challenges and new opportunities has he seen running an international business? 28:11
Does Manuj see himself as a new trend in startups and entrepreneurship in India? 30:56
What’s got Manuj excited for 2020 and beyond? 36:08
What’s his advice to those who are 50 years old or beyond and want to stay on top of technology and stay relevant? 40:00
If Manuj could add one song, one book, and one film to the national curriculum, what would they be? 43:42
Is there something he’s learning about that he’s really excited to implement? 44:41
What’s something that every high school student must know? 46:19
Interview of Dr. Glenn Livingston on Developing a Healthy Lifestyle
Interview of AJ Wilcox on B2B LinkedIn Advertising
Manuj interviews Chris Prefontaine on Real Estate Entrepreneurship
Prady Tewarie on Hypergrowth in a Competitive Industry
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 extremelyhelpful 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.
https://www.newinceptions.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/AoL-162-social.png6281200JChttp://www.newinceptions.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/NI-Web-Logo8.20165.pngJC2019-11-21 18:53:172019-11-21 20:00:57Manuj Aggarwal – Benefits of Practicing Mindfulness Daily: Why Searching Within Can Lead to Our Next Big Opportunity (AoL 162)
“Everything rises and falls on leadership” is a phrase often heard in the startup and corporate arenas. As we’ve talked about in the past, leadership can be described by our influence on others. And with that influence automatically comes our business culture.
As creatives, we need to be aware of this culture that we’re building from the very beginning of launching our business.
Why is that?
Well, culture can be defined as a pattern of beliefs, behaviors, and values, encouraged or discouraged by people or processes over time.
So that means, whether we’re actively promoting a certain culture or not, one is being formed around the work we’re already doing.
So let’s talk a little bit about how we can get ahead of that culture as we’re scaling and growing our business.
It Starts with a Mission
Last week I had the opportunity to be part of a workshop called the Mission Roundtable. In this workshop, we focused on helping people in business find out what their personal and corporate missions were and then use that info to determine their values and vision. Once those were clear, we then set out to learn how we can create a unique strategy and culture for our business.
Being part of this roundtable was not only clarifying for me, but also validated what I’ve been finding out.
For me, the reason I went into this research was fairly straight forward. As I’ve met more and more people in the entrepreneurial space, I’ve learned that many new entrepreneurs fail to learn how to connect who and what they’re about with the work that they’re doing.
The problem with this is that they’ll start doing one thing, realize they’re not being fulfilled, and then go on to try something else that might fulfill them.
Basically, they’re recreating a job for themselves.
Finding your own mission and being part of a company that reflects those qualities is an important foundation in doing meaningful work.
Vision and Values
Once we have our mission and have aligned it with our business (or the organization we’re a part of), then we can move onto the next step.
Determining what your vision and values are.
Now, I’m sure if you’re reading this post you know what both are. Your vision is simply where you want to be. And your values are the characteristics of yourself and your team as you get there.
It’s possible what you haven’t done yet is to think of those values and your vision from the perspective of your personal and company mission. Even more, many of us might not even be fully using the vision or values we currently have in place.
If you’re not utilizing your current vision and values, why is that? Where’s the disconnect? If you’re not sure, it might be time to draw up a new vision and values to get you there. It might be as simple as the fact you might have a mission now, but the vision and values don’t fit that mission.
All of this should be aligned.
Strategy and Culture
Ok, now that we have those fundamental building blocks in place, it’s time to come back to our business culture and strategy.
Without vision, we can’t really develop a strategy. And without values, we’re going to have a heck of time developing a culture.
Now that we have those in place, though, we can now develop both.
Strategy
So first thing is strategy. Of course, when we’re developing a strategy for anything, we need to know what the rules of engagement are. We want to make sure the moves we’re making aren’t leaving anything on the table. We also want to make sure we’re being as efficient as possible.
To do that, we need guidelines.
Now that we have thought of our vision, we have these guidelines.
We should also know 3 things:
What our company does.
Who the customer is.
What our customer values.
Once you know what those are, you can much more easily build your strategy.
Of course you want to begin with the end in mind, so what do you want to achieve in 3-5 years?
What options do you have to get there?
After choosing an option, what are your next steps? Reverse engineer from where you want to be from where you’re at.
Many make the mistake of not being clear with the answers to these questions, so while you might be taking action, you’re not actually getting anywhere because you haven’t clearly planned out what you want.
Culture
When it comes to building culture, for many creatives it’s seen as something that they can put on the back burner. What’s the point of building a culture when it’s perhaps just you and a few VA’s?
While this perspective might seem ok when you’re first starting up, it can cause big issues in the long run.
However, because we’ve already developed our list of values, then getting an idea for what our culture is isn’t really too difficult.
Organizational Clarity
First thing? Let’s look at the big picture and get organizational clarity. Here’s a few things to consider:
What’s our brand and story say about us? When people think of what we’re doing, what comes to mind? How are we described?
What’s the structure of the team? If it isn’t formed yet, what will it be? Will there be a hierarchy? Will it be centralized with you in the center? Or will you be part of a decentralized team?
What roles are there and what is each person in charge of? The more defined this is from the get go, the less problems there will be down the line.
What’s our communication process?
Leadership Clarity
When it comes to leadership in our organization we need to lead by example. Do that and I think you’re at least halfway to being a great leader.
That said it also helps to make sure that our team can work autonomously. While we might want certain things done a specific way, it’s important that we don’t feel the need to constantly micromanage.
However, many times we aren’t always at the top. And in those instances, we have to be aware of where we fit and interact with those around us.
John Maxwell addresses this in the 360 Degree Leader. In the book, he shows middle managers how to leverage their unique positions and become 360 degree leaders by exercising influence in all directions–up (to the boss), across (among their peers), and down (to those they lead).
While he goes into much more detail, the gist is that we need to do a few things as a middle manager:
Follow our leaders humbly. (Without being a yes man.)
Inspire those around us (by example).
Manage our subordinates individually. (Never criticize in public.)
Influence Lovingly (Don’t have an ulterior motive.)
Relational Clarity
Finally, when it comes to where the rubber really meets the road, it’s all about relationships. Another book of John Maxwell’s (and a favorite of mine) is called Everyone Communicates, Few Connect. And really, the better our relationships with those around us are, the better the system works.
To make sure that we’re connecting with those around us in our work, it’s important to focus on a handful of principles here as well:
Define and pursue the same goals (teams with goals win, those that don’t lose)
Believe in something bigger than ourselves (believe you’re in it for the greater good!)
Collaborate rather than compromise
Develop strong relationships (care about others, they’ll care about you)
When necessary, engage in constructive conflict resolution.
Action Steps
So as you can see, it’s imperative that we do the work to zero in on what our personal and business missions are. Only when we have them can we build on those to develop our culture. When we have the culture we want, it’s so much easier to build and scale our businesses simply because those folks who don’t fit, normally filter themselves out before they start working with you.
If they do fit the culture, then it’s so much easier to move forward and actually accomplish goals.
So, again, if you haven’t done so yet, start from the beginning and determine your own personal mission by checking out Uncover Your Personal Mission. From there, work out the other sections until you have an idea for how things are going to be handled differently by your current or future team.
https://www.newinceptions.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/NI-Social-Connecting-the-What-with-the-Why-How-to-Create-Business-Culture-and-Strategy-the-Right-Way.png6281200JChttp://www.newinceptions.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/NI-Web-Logo8.20165.pngJC2019-11-14 14:40:312019-11-18 14:54:28Connecting the What with the Why: How to Create Business Culture and Strategy the Right Way
In the last post, we talked about the main passive income streams that are being utilized today. As part of the post, I briefly talked about fractal patterns being the secret to the B quadrant and big business.
Since that post, I’ve been thinking about how quickly I went through that description. I’ve felt I didn’t do it much justice.
So, let’s get a little into what fractal patterns or fractals actually are. And, even more importantly, how the apply to internet based business so we can use them to grow your passive income.
The Basics
So a fractal is defined as…
a curve or geometric figure, each part of which has the same statistical character as the whole. Fractals are useful in modeling structures (such as eroded coastlines or snowflakes) in which similar patterns recur at progressively smaller scales, and in describing partly random or chaotic phenomena such as crystal growth, fluid turbulence, and galaxy formation.
Here’s a few examples:
I reiterated this in the last post by talking about how we see these patterns everywhere. One example is with giant sequoias. These trees interweave their roots with each other so that no one particular tree supports the weight of itself. They’re tied to the mesh of these roots. It’s because of this that the trees are able to grow huge in size.
Behold, the Giant Sequoia Network!
In this example, the tree itself is a node where the root system connects the tree to others by acting as branches of a larger organism – a larger system, the forest.
As you can see in the image below, branches connect nodes to each other. Tree A has roots which are intertwined with roots of trees B and C. They, in turn, have their roots interlaced with all the others of the forest.
Parts of a System
They are part of a larger system.
Forms of Systems
So if trees are nodes in a forest, and a forest is system, what else can a system take the form of?
Well, if we understand the word system as “a set of things working together as parts of a mechanism or an interconnecting network”, we can think of a city as a system. And just like we’re part of that system, we have systems that are part of us (circulatory, lymph, nervous, etc.).
That said, where we and forests consist of natural systems, a city is a form of a designed system.
Designed systems are systems which we as people have designed. And one such system is the internet. A fractal system built on servers (nodes) and communication wires (branches).
Interconnections of Facebook Users Across the Globe
How the Internet Changed the Game of Commerce
Before the internet, the only systems that existed which transported information were owned by large corporations. These included newspaper, TV, and radio companies. Since the big companies owned them, they were in control of the information which they transmitted. To this day, this is how these networks generally work.
However, due to the internet growing up and becoming the behemoth it has become, they’re having to compete with the open flow of data and commerce. And since they seem to not change how they do things, they’re losing quite a bit of money and influence. In the last 15 years, a lot of people have stopped reading newspapers, watching network TV, and listening to the radio.
As business owners ourselves, we can capitalize on this change of interest and focus. To do that, we can go where the eyeballs have gone – search engines and social media.
Leveraging Internet Commerce Today
At one point, about 10 years ago, there wasn’t nearly as much competition on the web for these eyeballs. Not only that, but the way that sites were indexed on Google and how posts were shared on Facebook was completely different. If you knew how to do SEO properly, you could rank fairly well on Google, and if you posted regularly on Facebook, you’d get plenty of exposure.
Unfortunately, that’s not how it works today. Organic growth through posting has dwindled to 5% (if not lower) and there’s way too many people to compete with on search engines.
So the question is, how do you use these particular systems/networks to get your business noticed these days?
Well, unfortunately (or fortunately?) through ads on social media and search engines.
Remember that Facebook (and the internet for that matter) is based on fractal patterns. So what works for you on a small scale with a handful of clients can be advertised to those who share the same demographics.
However, paying to play in ads isn’t something they think they have a budget for. But, what they’re not seeing is the opportunity they’re missing.
The reason you would WANT to post ads is that you can specifically market to the people in your niche. The more money that is spent, the more likely Facebook’s algorithm will figure out who exactly you’re looking for. For example, with America Multi-Sport we’ve been placing ads for years now every week. That’s plenty of time for Facebook’s system to know who you want to get in front of.
Of course, the algorithm can only do so much. You still have to create copy that creates a desire to take action.
Action Steps
I hope this gives you a little perspective on what fractals are and how they’re used to create passive income.
Remember, even though I shared the idea of using the Facebook network as a system to make use of with ads, you can use others as well.
In fact you can use your own!
One of the books I’m reading called The Power of Whotalks about how knowing just a few people will launch you to wherever you want to go. We each have a handful of people in our lives who are highly connected themselves. It’s your job to figure out who those people are and how you can leverage (notice I didn’t say use) them to get where you want to go.
Sure this method is a bit more manual and slower. But you actually have control of who your message is being delivered to.
https://www.newinceptions.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/NI-Social-Fractal-Patterns-The-Secret-to-Big-Business.png6281200JChttp://www.newinceptions.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/NI-Web-Logo8.20165.pngJC2019-10-31 14:00:352019-10-29 14:30:46Fractal Patterns: The Secret to Big Business
Passive Income is a topic that many still struggle with today in 2019. And, I have to admit, while I understand why people aren’t too familiar with the concept, it still kind of blows my mind. Personally, I think it’s been 18 years since I first read Robert Kiyosaki’s Rich Dad, Poor Dad and his second book, Rich Dad’s Cashflow Quadrant. Since then I’ve picked up the basics of developing passive income streams and understanding how it all works. In this post, we’re going to explore the top 8 methods of developing passive income.
Yes, it’s really that simple!
I Quadrant Opportunities
If you’re familiar with Robert Kiyosaki’s work, you’ll recognize his company, Rich Dad, Poor Dad. Robert himself is a fan of all passive income opportunities, however, when he originally wrote his first book, his experience was via Real Estate Investing (REI) and Traditional Investing through Stocks, Bonds, 401k’s, Mutual Funds, etc.
Real Estate Investing (REI)
REI is probably one of the most well represented options out there. However, when most people think of REI, they believe that they can’t get in the game. In fact, I remember starting to read Robert’s book Rich Dad’s Guide to Investingwhen I was in college and thinking “When I get a real income when I’m out of college, this will be how I make my fortune!”
While I still haven’t gone that route, it’s definitely something I see myself eventually getting into.
If this is a track you might be interested in, I’ve had several REI success stories on the show:
Outside of REI, when most people think of passive income, they think of making money through stocks, bonds, and mutual funds. 401k’s fit in this area as well.
While this isn’t necessarily a bad topic to think about, I will say that if you do the math, it takes about $1.25M to be invested in various assets to yield a comfortable $50k+ per year income.
Thing is, most people won’t ever smell that kind of lump sum amount in their career working a day job. However, there are tactics you can use to save a little bit here and there to eventually make that work out. Fortunately, you can read material by folks like Dave Ramsey to make this more of a reality than a dream.
Also, if this is an arena you’d want to play in, I’d also recommend checking out Tony Robbins’ book Money: Master the Game
B Quadrant Opportunities
If you’re already in the S Quadrant, you should definitely look at the B Quadrant!
In the I Quadrant, we’re mainly focused on making our money work for us to make more money. However, again, not everyone has access to that seed money to get up and running. So what’s one to do if they want to get in the passive income game?
They should totally look at the B Quadrant. The B standing for Big Business or Business Systems. These terms can be used interchangeably because you can’t have a big business without harnessing the power of business systems.
What’s great about the B Quadrant is that it’s the scaled up version of the S Quadrant. The main difference being that while in the S Quadrant you’re capped by the activity you can put in yourself, in the B Quadrant you can grow your business through fractal patterns or fractals. If you’re unfamiliar with fractals, a basic example is a tree in a forest. A tree has a trunk, limbs, branches, and twigs. They all are formed using a pattern of nodes and branches. Depending on the type of tree, however, the pattern might keep going.
Most trees have a tap root that counterbalances the tree and keeps it in the ground. When the tree is growing, a lot of energy is put into creating that tap root.
However, Giant Sequoia trees have a network of roots that support the entire forest like a mesh. Sure, a tree can grow by itself and support itself, but Sequoias, being the largest trees in existence have evolved to support each other in this network. The trees themselves act as the nodes, while the roots act as the branches.
So simply saying when it comes to fractals, the larger the network, the more potential for growth.
Traditional “Tried and True” Opportunities
The B Quadrant isn’t anything new. In fact, you probably already know of examples of people who are successful in this quadrant.
Insurance
As long as there’s been insurance, there’s been agencies. And insurance has been around a pretty long time.
When someone takes the leap from being an agent and starting their own insurance agency, then they’re taking a step into the world of the B Quadrant. Those agencies can continue to grow to a point where they train other agents and agencies. At this point they become a Field Marketing Organization (FMO). Their most basic role is to offer insurance products, services and possibly training to insurance agents or agencies.
Using the same idea as an insurance FMO, a business can eventually grow to the point where they franchise the model of their business.
Like insurance, the idea of franchising goes way back to the Middle Ages. However, the franchising that we’re aware of today didn’t really start until after World War II.
Of course, one of the most well known franchises is McDonald’s. And luckily for us, a movie was released about the man who built the franchise. The Founderis the story of Ray Kroc and his journey to create the business that we know today.
It’s easy to see that this method of creating passive income works. There’s more franchises today than ever! In fact, there’s so many suburbs of one city resemble those of another city.
Personal Franchising
When it comes to franchising, you can do it one of two ways. The first is the more familiar route we just talked about. However, one issue with this method is that it can take quite a bit of startup capital.
Most people don’t have a spare $10k+ just sitting around.
So they participate in the age old tradition of direct sales. Direct sales is defined as “The direct personal presentation, demonstration, and sale of products and services to consumers, usually in their homes or at their jobs.” With that kind of definition, you could say that just about any kind of sales outside of a traditional store or place of business is a form of direct sales.
Many direct sales companies today allow their sales associates or Independent Business Owners to sponsor other people to do what they do. One of the oldest companies that is set up to do specifically this is Amway. In fact, the reason Amway was created, was so that anyone could have the capability to start their own business. At the same time, they’d also have the support from those who sponsored them as well as the company itself.
If you’d want to know more about this form of direct sales, often referred to as multi-level marketing, you can check out our friend Robert Kiyosaki has to say on the subject. Interestingly, it’s how he met his wife Kim!
Like Robert, I highly recommend checking out this path if you’re stuck in the E Quadrant and want to quickly move to the B. Or even if you’re in the S Quadrant and don’t have enough to pursue the other options we’ve talked about so far.
Here’s a couple of folks I’ve had on the show who are experts in Direct Sales:
I’d be admiss if I didn’t cover the topic of licensing and what that means. Basically, it’s the sharing of Intellectual Property (IP) from one company (company A) to another (company B) in agreement that if the company B uses the company A’s IP, company A gets a commission. While it is similar to franchising, franchises differ in that they are in charge of how company B is actually ran. In licensing, while company A might have recommendations and regulations set, it’s pretty much left to company B to work out their own systems of operation.
As an owner of America Multi-Sport, I’ve had first hand experience to see how this can work out. While on the surface it might seem like a great idea since you’re skipping over some pretty hefty fees to actually make a franchise, there’s a good chance you’re going to fall behind. Since your licensees don’t have to operate to a certain standard, it leaves a lot of room for interpretation. Just with us, we’ve had a handful of licensees come and go in the last couple of years simply because they couldn’t do what we recommended to them.
However, just because it hasn’t been overly successful with us doesn’t mean it can’t be successful. The NFL got started the same way. Even though it’s had its ups and downs, it’s celebrating 100 seasons!
Internet Powered Opportunities
Now that we’ve covered forms of opportunities that have been around 100 years or more, let’s look at a few things that have popped up in the last 20 due to the advent of the internet.
Scaled S Quadrant Work
If you’re more familiar with the podcast, you know that a number of the guests are simply people who have taken their service to the next level. They’ve found their Ikigai and have used technology to build a lifestyle that they’re proud of. Of the numerous hats I wear as an entrepreneur, one is helping people take their solopreneur business and scaling it through technology if they haven’t done so themselves.
Of course, there’s different ways to capitalize on technology. You can become a digital nomad where the only work you do is through your laptop as you travel the world. Or you can start a brick and mortar agency that offers a service which can be executed online. Or perhaps you already have an agency and you’re up to your eyeballs in work and need help with all the work that’s coming your way.
There’s ways to do all of this. It really depends on what you want to do. Of course if you’d like help with this, shoot me an email. I’d love to help you get to the next level.
Affiliate Marketing
The internet has brought on another form of direct sales called e-Commerce or internet marketing. Today, most of us no longer go to places of business and buy something on the spot. We opt to do our shopping from the comfort of our own home.
Lots of online business owners get their start in internet marketing by pedaling other company’s products or services. Most of the reviews that you see on YouTube, have an affiliate link in their description that you can buy the product through them and they get a commission.
In fact, Pat Flynn did pretty much this for years. However, as his platform grew, so did his need to create his own online products.
Influencer Marketing
When I first learned of Pat, I also learned of Brendon Burchard and his course called Expert’s Academy. Today I think he’s called it the Influencer Academy because more people are familiar with that term on Instagram.
The idea of Influencer Marketing is pretty straight forward. If you have an engaged audience, you have a list of potential buyers. The bigger the audience, the more potential buyers.
You make a product specifically designed for that audience, and there’s a good chance they’re going to buy from you. Why? Because of your influence on them through that engagement!
Typically speaking, those products take the form of digital products like courses and eBooks. That said, it’s not uncommon to see books, audios, and videos released by people in this arena.
Anyway, here’s the catch. It’s important that we never confuse three things.
Don’t confuse your platform with your income.
Don’t confuse your income with your career.
When people are getting started in the online entrepreneur space, many times they believe that they need to become an influencer way before they’re successful in making income. Problem is, you can’t really be an influencer unless you have some form of success in your career. They’re putting their platform ahead of their income.
To correct this, we need to learn how to separate the idea of these two. Sure your income will be multiplied as you become an influencer, but if you don’t have any income, you’re essentially multiplying by 0.
So the next time you hear the phrase “become the next influencer” and think it’s a great idea, make sure that you already have a proven business based on the material that you want to help the masses with.
SaaS Platform
Finally, the last option I’ll mention because it’s the last category I’m personally familiar with is building a Software as a Service (SaaS) Platform. Now, doing this is just like building any other kind of business. You have to start small and in a well defined niche.
What I learned from Dane Maxwell (AoL 56) and his program called The Foundation is that if you’re creating something from scratch, you really need to do your homework up front. Find out what the people really want.
However, because it’s a product and not a service, you’re going to have to learn how to do a little bit of pre-selling the concept. Especially if you’re creating it without using your own funds. Why? Because hopefully, you’re going to hire someone to do the programming for you!
Once you have the online tool built with the help and funding of your “champions” and early users, then you can market it and build your influencer platform like any other online business.
Action Steps
So, lots of information here!
Hope that it provides some value and gives you a bit of clarity.
Again, if you haven’t, I really recommend getting started with reading Rich Dad, Poor Dad and the Cashflow Quadrant. Everyone should be financially literate and these are great starting manuals on passive income.
From there, feel free to connect with me. We can do a strategy session based on where you’re at and what your needs are.
https://www.newinceptions.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/NI-Social-Popular-Passive-Income-Streams-in-Modern-Business.png6281200JChttp://www.newinceptions.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/NI-Web-Logo8.20165.pngJC2019-10-17 14:38:332021-02-01 17:16:05Popular Passive Income Streams in Modern Business
Business ownership comes in many forms. The goal of this show has always been to expose the listener to as many ways to start earning 6 or 7 figures a year. In the last session, our guest, Chris Prefontaine, built his income generating machine through real estate investing. Then, in session 150, we had Corbett Barr on who told us about how he managed to make Fizzle from the knowledge he knew about monetizing traffic online.
In this session, I had the chance to speak with an influencer here in the Indianapolis area about his background in various businesses including multi-level marketing (MLM).
As you guys probably know, I’ve been a fan of properly ran MLM groups for years. For instance, way back in session 23 of the show, Laila and I had the opportunity to interview soon to be Amway Diamond Mark Nathan.
What he and today’s guest, Jeff Gamble, can tell you is that a large part of being successful in the network marketing arena is affiliating yourself with great people.
Pair this experience of his with traditional business and the result is someone that knows a lot about what it takes to be successful entrepreneur and leader.
But don’t think that this journey of his has been easy. He’s had more major setbacks than anyone I know.
Even if you’re not interested in getting involved with an MLM company, let his story be one of inspiration to you in whatever you’re pursuing.
Enjoy!
SPECIFICALLY, YOU’LL FIND OUT MORE ABOUT:
How was Jeff initially exposed to the multi-level marketing industry? 9:14
What life event made him change his perspective and look at other ways of making income? 16:02
When it comes to network marketing, what kind of benefits does Jeff believe associates get? 44:14
What are some things that people should consider when getting started with a MLM company? 53:21
What’s Jeff looking forward to in the not too distant future? 58:57
Who are three influential people who have help get him to where he’s at today? 1:01:39
What job or business would Jeff like to try out for a day? 1:01:49
What’s the smallest decision he’s made that’s had the most impact in his life? 1:02:05
Is there something that every high school student should know? 1:02:25
What’s the secret to achieving personal freedom? 1:02:45
John Maxwell’s Law of Leadership #20 – Explosive Growth
Going Executive Director Show Episode 78
Jeff Working Out and Getting Max Gainz!
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 extremelyhelpful 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.
https://www.newinceptions.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/AoL-156-social.png6281200JChttp://www.newinceptions.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/NI-Web-Logo8.20165.pngJC2019-08-29 15:09:022019-10-02 12:23:28Jeff Gamble – Gaining Perspective through Business Ownership: How One Entrepreneur Survived the Ride of His Life (AoL 156)
In the last post, I wrote about how deep focus might be the key to actually get stuff done in your craft or industry. Focus on the 20% of the effort that makes you the 80% of your income. You simply don’t have the capacity to do everything under the sun. Since that post, I’ve had a few readers of that post message me and ask why I was going against the traditional advice of building an online business.
And as I thought about it, I realized that while I might be going against the more traditional advice of building a digital business, there are examples in the real world that suggest that less can be more.
So in this post, we’re going to look at just a few such examples.
Is Less Always More?
Now you might be thinking, there are plenty of examples of businesses that have grown after they offered more products and services. One such example is Amazon. Without knowing their history, you might think that they’ve always sold all the products and online services that they offer today.
However, this wasn’t always the case. When the company first started, it was an online book store based out of Jeff Bezos’ garage. Did he know that it was going to become what it is today? Probably not. But as the company offered more products and brought more people on to help manage those products, it is definitely an example of “More is More”.
Sometimes Scaling Doesn’t Always Work as Expected
But for every Amazon who scales correctly from the beginning, there’s also going to be examples where adding more to the menu might not be the best course of action.
Example 1: McDonald’s
Take McDonald’s for example. I remember in the late 00’s when McDonald’s was losing out on customers because people started to get smarter about what they were eating. It was during this time that chains like Panera, Starbucks, and Subway grew like bandits. In fact, it was pretty common to hear about places in large cities that had a couple of Starbucks on the same street.
These companies were eating McDonald’s lunch. So what did the golden arches do in response? They grew their menus and model to include some competitive products to what these other places were offering. By 2013, it had 145 items on its menu.
This was nuts and completely unsustainable. It’s no wonder that they were losing money at this point.
In an attempt to right the ship, they hired their most recent CEO, Steve Easterbrook. What Steve ended up doing was removing the items that weren’t selling as well and went back to the basics of the business. This seems to have worked because in the last year or so, their stock has actually risen.
Example 2: Apple
While this might not be the best recent example, it wasn’t too long ago that Apple was the tech company to watch out for – as an investor and a competitor.
In the Beginning…
Personally, I’ve always been an Apple user. My first computer was one and currently I’m writing this on a Macbook Pro.
During that time, the company has seen its ups and downs. I remember when I was first learning about computers, I found out the hard way that Windows 95 would not work on my Mac. How could this be? I thought everyone was going to be able to use it!
Nope, I was in the minority. Windows based PCs were what everyone else had. I can’t tell you how many conversations I had in high school answering questions about why I had a Mac… even when Steve Jobs came back as the CEO!
As I got involved in the Purdue University Mac Users Group (PUMUG), I started to learn how awesome of a group Mac users actually were. I had found my people! But interestingly, we were still a small group. All the clones had been taken off the market by that point. Those of us who were still users were because we were creatives or simply loved the Mac.
The Epic Growth of Apple
However, it was also during this time that the iPod was released. And interestingly, this was about the same time that I started paying attention to the stock market. I remember in 2001 watching the AAPL stock rise almost 50% until 9-11.
Of course, stocks were down for just about everyone at that point. But as new and better versions of the iPod came out, their stock rose. And then, the point where everyone became familiar with Apple was in 2007 when the iPhone debuted. Wow… I really should have got some shares then. (Unfortunately, I thought I had already missed the boat. Ha!)
But there’s a point in me telling you this personal story of watching Apple rise. No one would have believed it would happen when I first got my computer – an Apple Performa 575. Had they stuck around trying to compete directly with Microsoft PCs, I think the company would have folded. Even to this day, but especially back then, they were known to jack up the price on products that were matched by less expensive PC options.
But it was because Steve was able to focus on building the next best thing (as he originally did with the original Mac) that they were able to be as great as they did during his time as CEO.
On a Smaller Scale
So, there’s a couple of examples of large companies that righted their ships after bloating to try and be everything to everyone. But it’s not something that just companies that size have to deal with. There are much smaller companies that struggle simply because they don’t focus on keeping the main thing the main thing.
And because they often don’t have the necessary resources or connections to keep going, they tend to not have the time to get their act together in time.
Example 3: Marsh
One such example is a local grocery store chain here in Indiana which was named Marsh. Like many local groceries, it folded in the last couple of years. It couldn’t find its niche in the market. I believe the main reason is that they tried to be everything to everyone. Instead of focusing on having its stores in certain profitable locations, it kept trying to keep open stores that were underperforming due to local competition – no matter what the cost.
Even after the company folded a couple of years ago, there are still locations that have not been bought by other chains. When I see them, I’m reminded of the struggles they had before going belly up.
Interestingly, though, the places that were bought by other chains seem to be doing pretty well if not better than they did while they were under the Marsh banner. Some were bought by Kroger while others were bought by a regional chain called Needler’s. In fact, the Needler store in downtown Indy is considered by many to be one of the best groceries around!
Had Marsh realized that they should just cut anchor and focus on these stores that were actually making them income, they might be around yet today!
Action Steps
So, hope that gives a little more perspective on why it’s important to focus. If you’re good at building sales funnels, do that until you can outsource it. But don’t try to do that AND build a Fulfilled By Amazon (FBA) business AND build a podcast AND build a YouTube channel.
Pick one, get a handful of clients. Once you’ve done that, scale that business using ads on social media. Then from there, you can think about doing something else when the first job is sustainable.
https://www.newinceptions.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/LI-Focus-at-Work-Keep-the-Main-Thing-the-Main-Thing-and-Get-Stuff-Done.png400700JChttp://www.newinceptions.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/NI-Web-Logo8.20165.pngJC2019-08-08 18:21:042019-08-08 18:21:11Focus at Work – Keep the Main Thing the Main Thing and Get Stuff Done!
