The BIGG Success Show

Click the player to listen to podcast episode #932 Live Easier This Year on The BIGG Success Show The two of us have a goal for this year – it’s to live easier and help you do it too! What does live easier mean? It means: • Capitalizing on what you have so you can […]

Hear George & Mary-Lynn share5 rules for breaking the rules on The BIGG Success Show podcast. Click play to listen. We are honored to announce that Mary-Lynn is a Rule Breaker Awards 2016 Winner! From over 2,000 businesses nominated, Mary-Lynn and BIGG Success are among the 7 winners selected. The Rule Breaker Awards honor business […]

Hear our conversation with elite athlete Josh George on The BIGG Success Show podcast. Press the player to listen. When we think about maximizing your potential, Josh George comes to mind. So we were so excited to talk with him on The BIGG Success Show today. Josh is a Gold medal winner, world champion, entrepreneur, […]

Listen to the conversation about Finance Action Hero with Peita Diamantidis, George Krueger, and Mary-Lynn Foster on The BIGG Success Show Podcast. Click play to listen. On The BIGG Success Show today, we were pleased to be joined today – all the way from Australia – by Peita Diamantidis (@peitamd on Twitter). She is the […]

There’s this teeny tiny part of your brain – it sits at the base – that apparently reveals a lot about your friends. It’s called the amygdala. Researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston found that people with a bigger amygdala have more friends. This almond-shaped area is more than twice the size in people […]

George & Mary-Lynn discuss the one step success system that helps you succeed BIGG! Click play to listen to The BIGG Success Show. A one-step success system sounds too good to be true. But stick with us – you’ll soon see that it’s the only way to succeed. It’s the secret of every person who […]

Small business owners are optimistic according to an American Express OPEN report. Click PLAY to the discussion about the findings on The BIGG Success Show podcast. It’s Small Business Week here in the U.S. and we were thrilled to have one of the foremost authorities on small business with us on The BIGG Success Show. […]

“How to Do It All: The Revolutionary Plan to Create a Full, Meaningful Life While Only Occasionally Wanting to Poke Out Your Eyes with a Sharpie” – that’s the title of the new book by our guest, Linda Formichelli. Linda is a freelance writer and blogger. She has written for over 150 magazines and websites, […]

March Madness and the Key to Winning in Your Life, Career, and Business Podcast episode #924. Click the player to listen in on George & Mary-Lynn March Madness reaches its peak this weekend and it got us thinking: There’s a common challenge we all face today. And we can count on one thing – it’s […]

Happy Valentine’s Day! The two of us are spending the whole day together, just like we do everyday – because we’re one of a growing number of couples in business. If you’re one of us, you’ll probably relate to this – the first thing most people ask is: “How do you do that?” And then they add: “My spouse and I could never do that.” Listen to this post! Click a player to hear George & Mary-Lynn on The BIGG Success Show Podcast. iPhone/iPad/Android Mobile Podcast Player BIGG success is life on your own terms. We’ve always loved spending as much time together as possible. Being a couple in business lets us max it out. We get so excited when we meet other couples in business. And we’ve been so fortunate to meet some dynamic duos. Like Danno Wolkoff and Laura Orkin. Their company, Envision Radio Networks, is the syndicator for our radio show, BIGG Success in a Minute. We’d like to congratulate them for hitting a milestone this year – their business is ten years old. And we love how they’re celebrating it – they recently made a donation to Danno’s college radio station, WJPZ-FM in Syracuse. The facility is now called the Envision Radio Networks Broadcast Center. It just goes to show you what couples in business can accomplish. So today, we thought we’d share five tips on how couples in business can mix business with pleasure. These are mostly a reminder for ourselves. We hope they resonate with you too. Be whole(istic)  We spelled it wrong for a reason. We want to emphasize to keep your WHOLE life in mind with everything you do. Your personal and professional worlds are more interdependent than they are for most people. That’s a good thing…as long as you consciously factor it in as you make plans and decisions. You also need to keep your whole person in mind. It’s easy to lose yourself when you’re just half of a team. This doesn’t need to be the case. In fact, quite the opposite. You should build each other up for your mutual benefit. Couples in business can do this better than any other partners could. Live with purpose on purpose   It’s easy to just jump right in with both feet. It’s easy to just focus on what’s urgent. It’s easy to get stuck in the day-to-day. But couples in business need to live intentionally. Know your underlying purpose. What’s your WHY? It should drive every decision – business and personal. Because you will feel the effects more than most people, given your choice to live and work together. So live with purpose, on purpose. Bump heads regularly   We hasten to say that we’re not being literal here. And no head butting, just head bumping! By that we mean, check in with each other frequently. We tend to do this over the course of the day by taking quick breaks together. In just a few minutes, we can catch each other up. We can also help each other with any challenges that have arisen. It’s also so important to take time out to discuss the BIGG picture. We haven’t always been as good at this as we should. We talk a lot about the day-to-day. We know what we’re trying to accomplish. But we have to force ourselves to slow down and review our plans and progress. There’s one more piece to bumping heads. You both need to be able to speak freely AND disagree. Disagreement is so important. And boy, do we have our disagreements. They’re good for both our business and our relationship. If you both agree all the time, you’re probably missing opportunities at best or taking risks you shouldn’t at worst. So you have to lovingly disagree. Shut up and down  Know when to say when. Then shut up. Stop talking about the business. Schedule time to shut down. Then stop working. We struggle with this. We both love our work. But we need couple time. So we try to set times and/or days when business is in the background. We often go for a drive in the country and walk along a river. We also love mysteries. For example, we have The Thin Man series DVRed right now. Now you know what we’re doing for Valentine’s [...]

This is our 848th episode of The BIGG Success Show. And we did something we’ve never done before. Except for when the audio bits don’t translate well to text, our blog posts usually mirror our podcast episodes pretty closely. We know some people prefer to read and others don’t have a choice because they’re deaf. But today we’re separating the two – same topic, two formats. We’ll give you the list here. Then we picked out five of our favorites and talked about them. Listen to The BIGG Success Show! Click a player to hear George & Mary-Lynn (Duration 5:00) iPhone/iPad/Android/Mobile Podcast Player Just a quick note: We’re about to announce the biggest thing we’ve ever done at BIGG success. Today’s post is related to it. We’ll tell our newsletter subscribers first. So if you want to be in the loop, please subscribe to our free newsletter. We know working at home isn’t for everyone. And, of course, there are some downsides to it. However… We love to work at home. And recent news has added to the list of reasons why. So here are our 47 reasons to work at home: 1) Avoid the flu (and other sicknesses). You won’t be as likely to get it because you’re not in direct contact with as many people. 2) Escape the elements. You can plan your schedule so you don’t have to be out as often in extreme weather. 3) Your very own “executive washroom”. No more sharing the restroom. 4) Freshly ground coffee or loose-leaf tea, like what our friends Dan and Patrick offer at Tiesta Tea. 5) Great coffee maker, not the cheap discount variety. 6) Two words: real cream! Not the powdered stuff. 7) Walk to work, without breaking a sweat or having to bundle up. 8) The Hawkeye Pierce Dress Code. Some days, all you need is a robe (or PJs or sweats)! 9) Save money on clothes. See previous point for explanation. 10) No cubicle. Work outdoors, on your back deck. 11) No boundaries. Tired of being at home? Work at a coffee shop or the library. Who cares, as long as you meet your deadlines? 12) Take your work with you. Closely related to the last one, but it reinforces the point that you can be productive anywhere and everywhere with WiFi. 13) More bread (Part 1) – You can make homemade bread while you work. 14) More bread (Part 2) – You make more money because you’re more productive by wasting less time. 15) You can dance if you want to, because nobody IS watching. 16) The world is your oyster. You’re not limited to finding customers and clients in your own backyard. 17) Be in the moment for life’s precious moments. Experience your kids’ firsts first-hand. And why stop with them? How about your spouse? You’re able to attend events, easily pause for a moment to enjoy the best life has to give. 18) Be a night owl OR the early bird. As long as you get your work done, who cares when you do it? We just don’t recommend you try to do both! 19) Shop when they’ve dropped themselves off at work. Save time by running your errands while everyone else is at the office. We love this one because we hate waiting in long lines! 20) One word: Naps! Sure, you could nap at your desk, but that comfy couch is only steps away. 21) Quiet time, like when you were in kindergarten. Only now it gives you space to create. 22) Just-in-time life flow. Jump between your personal and professional worlds in a moment. Be there for your spouse and kids when you’re needed. Work when necessary. 23) More friction for meetings. You’re less available for impromptu meetings. You know the kind – the ones primarily held because of someone else’s agenda. 24) Help save the environment. When you don’t commute 30 minutes to 3 hours a day, you have a lower carbon footprint. 25) Less noise pollution – from the daily commute next to the beater without a muffler to the nutty co-worker screaming the lyrics to the song they’re “silently” listening to. 26) Fresh air. If you want the windows open, open the windows! 27) No alarm clock. Wake up when you want to, naturally – according to your own [...]

Here we sit at the end of the first month of the year. Most New Year resolutions are distant memories at this point. If you’re one of the people who gave up, you’re going to love today’s topic. It’s your second chance! And if you’re still pursuing a goal, these three goal-setting tips will help you achieve what you want. Listen to this post! Click a player to hear George & Mary-Lynn on The BIGG Success Show Podcast (Duration 3:25) iPhone/iPad/Android/Mobile Podcast Player Dr. Shane Lopez is the world’s leading researcher on hope. He says goal-setting and hope have a lot to do with each other. But it requires three types of thinking, all working together. We’ve put our BIGG spin on the labels by making them all start with “w”. So here we go – three keys to setting goals for success. What Think what. What do you want to change? What do you want to improve? What do you want to make better? Dr. Lopez calls this “goals thinking”. You define what you want by starting with where you are. Ways Think about your “what” long and hard o you discover many “ways” to get it. Dr. Lopez calls this “pathways thinking”. If there’s only one way to reach your goal, you may want to rethink it. You need contingency plans. Wherewithal Do you have the means to achieve what you want? If not, can you get it? It starts with your own time and energy: Will you commit the time, effort and energy to get what you want? If you can’t say “Yes” honestly and enthusiastically, pick another goal! But it goes beyond you. For example, what about money: Will it take an investment of money to get what you want? If so, do you have it? If not, do you know where you can get it? Or do you know someone who would know? You’ll also want to think about your own strengths and weaknesses: Are there skills required that you don’t have? If so, will you commit to developing them? Or do you know someone who has them? Are they available to help you? At this point, you may need to go back to the money questions – How much will their help cost? The full combination These three keys interdependently. You need the full combination to unlock hope so you move forward on your goals for BIGG success. Most people sort of whimsically think about the “what”. In most cases, even that’s not really thought through thoroughly enough. For the few that do, even fewer go to the next two… Yet that’s where you should make the greatest investment – in determining the ways and making sure you have the wherewithal, you have the resources required or can get them. Why But here’s another BIGG spin – “Why?” Before you proceed past the “What” to goal-setting for your BIGG success, think about your motivation for your goal. Your “Why” gives you the resiliency you’ll need to keep pushing when things get tough. It leads to BIGG success! We have an exciting announcement coming in a couple of weeks. So please stay tuned – it’s the biggest thing we’ve ever done at BIGG success! We’ll announce it to our newsletter subscribers first, so if you haven’t done so already please subscribe today! It’s FREE! Direct link to The Bigg Success Show audio file | podcast: http://traffic.libsyn.com/biggsuccess/00847-013113.mp3 Image in this post from stock.xchng

How much is your attitude about money costing you? How much more money could you have if you changed your attitude? Listen to this post! Click a player to hear George & Mary-Lynn on The BIGG Success Show Podcast (Duration: 4:43) iPhone/iPad/Android/Mobile Podcast Player There’s a dangerous undercurrent running through our society. It’s not new – this persistent attitude about money has been with us since at least 1526. But it seems the Great Recession has it roaring its ugly head. What is it? It’s the attitude that money is evil. Therefore, people who have money are evil. This attitude manifests itself in a number of ways. We’ll share three of them. A lack of money is superior to an abundance of it. Wrong! Somehow, not having money is a higher order. There’s no dignity in being poor. There is only dignity in being yourself. You’re not a bad person because you don’t have money. You’re not a bad person because you do have money. You are who you are. Your circumstances don’t define you unless you let them. The journey to BIGG success begins by accepting your present conditions so you create your dream future. It’s your decision and your decision alone. If you want more money, you can get it. You can get it with honor. But it won’t happen if you don’t feel like you deserve it. Increase your self-worth to build your net worth. When someone wins, someone else loses. Wrong! Hollywood propagates this myth. Washington seems to buy in to it as well. So do many of our fellow citizens. This myth holds good people back. It’s zero-sum thinking. Sure, there are a few zero-sum games. For example, futures exchanges have a person on each side of a contract. One gains the exact amount the other person loses. However, the intention of these exchanges was to provide insurance for producers. So any loss is like paying your insurance premium. We live in an abundant world if we can only see it. Your gains can lead to gains for others, not losses. You don’t hurt other people by getting more money. You help them. You help them get a job. You create opportunities for promotions. You help them make more money. They in turn, help others…and YOU! It’s the wonderful nature of our economic system. We all help each other – if we have the right attitude about money. Social entepreneurship is superior to traditional entrepreneurship. Wrong! Social entrepreneurs are not a higher order than entrepreneurs who create wealth. Yes, social entrepreneurship is valuable to society. But so is traditional entrepreneurship. One might even argue that entrepreneurs who create wealth are the higher order. They don’t just build a sustainable organization that solves problems for its constituents, but also one that creates wealth for its stakeholders. Wealth which creates more wealth, as other entrepreneurial firms spin off. Entrepreneurship begets entrepreneurship. Our point is that neither is superior. They both have their roles, their time and place. The harmful thing is when we think getting rich is a bad thing. Getting filthy rich is even worse. There’s no such thing as filthy rich. You can be rich and filthy, but you can also be poor and filthy. Money is a tool. It can be used for good or bad. It doesn’t have anything to do with the money. It has everything to do with the person who has the money. It’s a good thing to legitimately build a fortune. And contrary to popular opinion, most millionaires and even billionaires today weren’t born with a platinum spoon in their mouth. They worked hard for years. They faced adversity after adversity. They overcame them. They deserve what they have. See yourself as deserving and you’ll be a BIGG success! How has a change in your attitude helped you earn more money? Direct link to The Bigg Success Show audio file | podcast: http://traffic[...]

When’s the best time to ask for a pay raise? We were completely surprised by the answer. Listen to this post! Click a player to hear George & Mary-Lynn on The BIGG Success Show Podcast! (Duration 4:22) iPhone/iPad/Android/Mobile Podcast Player New research shows that, if the head of your company is a man, you’re likely to get a raise when his first daughter is born. And female workers benefit more than the males! Women’s pay rose over one percent, almost twice the rate as men’s. But if the baby’s a boy, you can actually expect to make less, no matter what sex you are. So here’s the BIGG spin on this research: If your boss has a girl, jump with Joy (or whatever the new girl’s name is). If it’s a boy, run and hide! Now is the time The good news is that you don’t have to wait for a birth. But you better hurry! Mark Di Vincenzo, author of Buy Shoes on Wednesday and Tweet at 4:00, says we’re in the best time of year to ask for a promotion, assuming your employer’s fiscal year is the calendar year. The fall is generally not a good time because companies are looking to save money. January brings the start of a new fiscal year and a fresh budget. He says 16% of all promotions occur in January. Now think about that – each month represents about 8% of the year (1 month divided by 12 months in the year). So January is double what you might expect. In other words, now’s the time to get your promotion. You have two weeks if you’re reading this on the day we released it. The BIGG spin Okay, so that’s what the research shows. Now it’s time for the BIGG spin: When is the best time to ask for a pay raise? After you’ve earned it! We say that somewhat tongue-in-cheek, but we are serious. BIGG success is about entrepreneuring your life. Your career is part of that life. Therefore, think like an entrepreneur to be a BIGG success in your career! But it begs the question: How do you think like an entrepreneur in your career? It comes down to one thing: results. When you make a pay raise request or ask for a promotion, talk about results. For example: How much have you impacted the bottom line? Have you spearheaded an initiative that increased sales? Can you point to cost-savings you’ve been able to achieve for your company? You’ll be in the strongest position if you can show quantifiable results. How much did your efforts impact the bottom line? You can expect a raise in proportion to that impact. But if you can’t do that, can you tell a good story? For instance: How did you make customers happier? Do you have letters or notes or any other evidence to show with your request? But so far we’ve only discussed the past. Make sure you show you’re also thinking about the future: What ideas do you have now to improve the bottom line going forward? Show your boss: you’re not a one-trick pony you’re still looking for ways to increase sales you’re still trying to wring unnecessary costs out of the system you are still thinking like an entrepreneurial employee It leads to BIGG success! What are your tips for asking for a pay raise or a promotion? Direct link to The Bigg Success Show audio file | podcast: http://traffic.libsyn.com/biggsuccess/00845-011713.mp3 Image in this post from stock.xchng

We saw an interesting article over at the Forbes site on why companies need a Chief Reason Officer. We disagree. But we may be wrong. Listen to this post! Click a player to hear George & Mary-Lynn on The BIGG Success Show! (Duration 4:02) iPhone/iPad/Android/Mobile Podcast Player We’re wrong if you run your business like an Undercover Boss. If you can’t see past the ivory tower If you don’t know what’s going on in your employee’s lives If they don’t even recognize you Then you need a Chief Reason Officer. We’re wrong if your primary focus is your next quarterly report. If you, knowingly or unknowingly, sacrifice the long-term for the short run If you place cost-cutting ahead of innovation If you put profit over people Then you need a Chief Reason Officer. We’re wrong if you can’t see people. If you only see markets, niches, customers, accounts or contacts If you can’t see people in pain, people who want a better life, people who need help Then you need a Chief Reason Officer. If you only see employees, staff, personnel, associates, team members, human resources, human capital or human assets If you can’t see people with families and friends, people with a life outside of work, people with cares, concerns and stress that may or may not be related to their work, people trying to make the most of their lives, people with emotions, people just like you Then you need a Chief Reason Officer. We’re wrong if you’ve buried your head in the sand. If you’re too old to pay attention If you’re too close to retirement to take any risk If you choose to ignore the rapid changes taking place today and refuse to adapt accordingly Then you need a Chief Reason Officer. Your first and foremost task as an entrepreneurial leader “Your Reason” is the first and foremost task of entrepreneurial leadership. “Your Reason” is the glue that holds everything together. Crafting the Reason for your firm’s existence, sharing it with your people, keeping it constantly in front of everybody inside and outside your organization, and making it the foundation for all of your business decisions is the primary focus of successful entrepreneurial leaders. Your company’s culture flows out of that Reason. It attracts people to your firm and keeps them there, all because your Reason clearly tells them the difference you will make together. Your best people – the people you want – sign on to a Reason and the culture that stems from it. That’s it! They must understand your Reason so they can do their best work, make the best judgments, and so you can accomplish what you set out to do. So whose job is it to keep the Reason front and center? YOURS! As an entrepreneurial leader who wants to be a BIGG success, you know this is far too important to delegate to someone else. And yet, if you do it right – every single one of your people will see themselves as Reason Officers. Customer Service shouldn’t only happen at the desk beneath the sign. Keeping your Reason at the forefront is too BIGG a job for just one person. Make it everybody’s job for your BIGG success! What do you think? Should companies have a Chief Reason Officer? Direct link to The Bigg Success Show audio file | podcast: http://traffic.libsyn.com/biggsuccess/00844-011013.mp3 Image in this post from stock.xchng