be intrepid.

Reading this via email? CLICK HERE to listen! A pleasure to welcome Michael Parrish DuDell to the show. Michael is the author of Shark Tank Jump Start Your Business, the official book of ABC's hit show, Shark Tank. Here are some notes from the conversation: 1. The book walks you through a similar process to asking the hard questions about the viability of your business, much like what we see on the television show. 2. The role and the importance of theatrics in running an entrepreneurial business. Is it the fastest way to get a competitive advantage? 3. Is entrepreneurialism a true art form? 4. Yeah, storytelling matters. A lot. 5. How important is having an untraditional past/background in building an entrepreneurial future? 6. Creativity and thinking differently are keys to success. 7. You have a lot of ability in you. You just need to surround yourself with people who bring out the best in you. Most of us don't do that. 8. Michael talks about how the book is full of "where are they now" stories from past guests on Shark Tank, and the lessons from their successes and failures are yours to learn from! Not to mention case studies from the Sharks themselves! 9. Michael was struck by how open and communicative the Sharks were in being interviewed for the book itself, and we agreed that is a big part of their success formula, and why they are Sharks to begin with... 10. In my view, the sharks want to see a sustainable growth plan for any venture, so Michael and I get into that a bit, discussing how a business begins to build for long-term growth. 11. We get caught up in putting out the small fires, rather than thinking strategically long-term, which is how most small business people operate, and why they don't get on a growth track to begin with. 12. You can learn more about Michael Parrish DuDell here. You can find Michael's book here (affiliate link): ### To hear from other intrepid souls like Michael Parrish DuDell, please subscribe to my podcast on iTunes. And, leaving a review and customer rating would be appreciated as well! This is episode 98.

You all didn't need yet another essay on how to build an audience, but I still get asked all the time about how to build an audience for your blog, your mailing list, or your podcast. Thus, here are some quick notes on the matter. First, allow me to share my simple six-step plan to building an instant audience: 1. Have a sordid affair with a well-known political leader. Be sure to get caught! 2. Join the military and win the Medal of Honor, and have the story made into a major motion picture. 3. Be the victim of a well-publicized crime. 4. Serve on a jury for a well-publicized murder trial, and write a best-selling insider's account. 5. Become an A-list actor and win a few Academy Awards. 6. Film a dirty home movie as a youth. Be sure to have it leaked later in life. That's right! Do one (or all six, to secure a larger audience) of these six steps, and you will build an instant-audience overnight! Just like that! Launch some new social media profiles, and get followed and liked by tens of thousands within hours. Boom. Simple. So yeah. Right. Doesn't happen that way. You have to earn it. You have to work it. And you've got to chip away at it each and every day. Every damn day. So here is a legitimate six-step plan you can follow to begin building your audience: 1. Write guest posts. Probably one of the best ways to build your own audience is to serve someone else's audience by submitting guest articles. Do this as often as you can, to a relevant audience. Getting your helpful content exposed to someone else's audience often leads them to click-thru and check out your own platform. If they see value, they may stick around and join your journey. 2. Deliver presentations. As often as I can, I volunteer to deliver presentations to local conferences, or speak to local business associations. Why? Well, for one, I want to provide learning to the audience. But two, I always get new people to sign-up to my mailing lists, or follow me on the social networks...thus growing my audience. 3. Conduct webinars. Create an online workshop that teaches people things. Offer it for free. Share it freely online. And as people sign-up, you begin to establish a relationship with people who might become part of your audience for the long-term. 4. Appear on other's podcasts. Obviously, similar to authoring guest posts, but when people invite you to appear on their podcast, do it! Again, get exposed to their audience. Don't promote yourself, but instead, offer up some knowledge that helps your host's audience. 5. Build relationships one person at a time on social media. How did Gary Vaynerchuk do it? He spent countless hours talking with people online. Still does. While you are watching football and Netflix, people like Gary are engaging with people one at a time. And over that time, your audience grows. Most people won't do this. Instead, they will just bitch about how much time it takes. 6. Create good stuff, material that is of interest to your market, and actually helps, serves, and benefits. I hesitate to add this, because I hate it when people say this, but frankly, it needs to be said. You actually have to sit down and create actual content (articles, podcasts, videos, photography, paintings, sculpture, drawings, music, training, etc...). [What other strategies would you add? Please mention in the comments below.] But all of this is hard. And it is why most people don't build an audience for their blog, newsletter, or podcast. They aren't willing to put in the time, aren't willing to do the grunt work. But this is what it takes. I was talking with a gentleman who was launching a new food + wine show, and he said, "I want to be the guy who is recognized by all the chefs and restaurant patrons in town when I walk into a restaurant!" Nice goal. To date, I don't think he's invited even one person to join the show's mailing list. Sorry pal,

Reading via email? CLICK HERE to listen NOW! I've long been a fan of 37signals, including being a customer. So, I was thrilled to hear that Jason Fried and Davis Heinemeier Hansson were coming out with a follow-up to their enormously successful book, Rework. So, on today's show, thrilled to welcome co-author David Heinemeier Hansson to join me in discussing their latest work, Remote: Office Not Required... Key discussion topics from our conversation: 1. We discuss why they had to write the book: If you want to hire the best people, you have to shift your operations to this new paradigm. 2. You would think that in this modern world, everyone would understand how to work remotely. Well, tis not the case. "We thought all this knowledge about how to do this was self-evident..." 3. The book talks about two basic ideas: Why you should work remotely, and HOW you should do it. 4. This book just isn't for the office manager on how to hire remote employees...It is for the remote employee beginning to understand that no matter where they live, they can be a part of virtually any organization! 5. ...and more importantly, for the employee to make the case within their OWN organization! 6. The whole point? You don't have to live in the hub of your market space to make an impact in your industry... 7. "I am in Spain as we record this, and you are in the US, and well, it is just not a big deal..." 8. "We are a technology and software company, and we don't have a single employee in Silican Valley, San Francisco, or New York..." 9. The problem isn't technology. The challenge is in changing mindset... 10. Evidence proves that remote work results in better work anyways... The changes you are forced to make working remotely lead to better results in the long run... "Working remotely shines a light on organizational inefficiencies...which you can now fix!" It provides enlightenment for new best practices... 11. Working remotely does make collaboration trickier. DHH shares some ideas on how to deal with that issue of the importance of social cohesion... "We don't have a problem generating ideas. We have a problem identifying which ideas to move forward with..." Learn more about the book here: You can purchase Remote here (affiliate link): And you really should read Rework, which remains my all-time favorite business book: ### To hear from other intrepid souls like David Heinemeier Hansson, please subscribe to my podcast on iTunes. And, leaving a review and customer rating would be appreciated as well! This is episode 97.

[Reading via email? CLICK HERE to listen!] A real pleasure to welcome Todd Henry back to the show! Todd is a best-selling author and the founder of Accidental Creative. Todd's second book is launching this week, Die Empty, and I could not wait to dive into a conversation around the latest sure-to-be-best-seller! Key takeaways from the conversation: 1. "Are you just being carried along by your work?" 2. What is meant by "Die Empty." It is NOT what you think... Or, why the graveyard is so valuable... 3. Your four finite resources --> focus, assets, time, and energy. A life well lived is about NOT regretting where you choose to spend these finite resources.... 4. "Your are building a body of work. Will you be proud of it?" 5. Why you MIGHT die empty --> Aimlessness, boredom, comfort, delusion, ego, fear, and guardedness (the 7 deadly sins that lead to mediocrity). 6. "What work am I willing to suffer on behalf of every day?" 7. What is obvious to you, is brilliant to others... 8. Why you need to be fiercely curious... 9. How in the heck do you sustain your enthusiasm? 10. "Your legacy is built one decision at a time." Get a lot more info on Die Empty HERE, or you can find Todd's book here (affiliate link): ### To hear from other intrepid souls like Todd Henry, please subscribe to my podcast on iTunes. And, leaving a review and customer rating would be appreciated as well! This is episode 96.

[Note to audience: This podcast was recorded for my writing podcast, The Intrepid Author, but the discussion contains a very important conversation about marketing and communications, and thus why I've decided to also share it here.] A special honor to spend some quality time with my friend Sarah Kathleen Peck, a writer, designer, and storyteller. Sarah joined me to talk principally about her upcoming writing course, but we ended talking about the importance of writing, creativity, and the amazing personal and business benefits to writing and creativity. Sarah writes out of It Starts With... Some highlights from our conversation: 1. We are ALL creatives. 2. "Writing is about discovering what's inside of you." 3. You are a writer. Whether you realize it or not... 4. "Follow your bliss." 5. The four modules of Sarah's program. 6. "The art of writing..." In all it's forms... 7. The hero's journey...and how it applies to YOUR story. 8. What to write about??? How to generate ideas... 9. Writing has to become a habit. It is a skill that must be developed and honed. Again, here are deets on Sarah's writing course... ### If you enjoyed this conversation, and want to hear from both best-selling authors AND movers and shakers in the publishing industry, you should subscribe to The Intrepid Author right now: Via iTunes or DIRECT to your email inbox!

[reading this via email? click here to listen] Thrilled to be a monthly guest on Dan Waldschmidt's show, Edgy Perspectives. Here are some notes from the show page on our recent conversation around email marketing: That’s what we are going to talk about — 6 highly effective strategies for getting better replies, more engagement, and generating more deals from the people who really need what you are selling. You’ll learn the words to use, tools to use, and process to use to get much better results. Imagine if you could have 50% of the people you email respond back to you. How much better would your business be? [see original notes here] Here is the audio: So, just for fun, here are some completely random notes I sketched out during my show prep: 1. Do not be all selly sell - provide helpful info that serves and benefits your customer/prospect. 2. Use autoresponders to move someone thru a educational process. 3. Use video texting when people aren't responding to your email. 4. First of all, think about the email you get. Over time, you've subscribed to a ton of different mailing lists. You know damn well there are emails you automatically delete when you get it. You don't even look at it. Think about why. And then there are emails you get that you drop everything and read. Think about why? Is it the content easy to consume? is it the social proof? is it the design? is it the immediate value you get, the immediate actions you can take? Understand why certain emails move you, and learn from that. 5. List size doesn't matter. Cull from the lists the people that don't belong. You are better off mailing to a very small list of people who want to be there, verses boasting of a giant mailing list that does nothing for you. 6. Mail frequently. Mailing once a month doesn't work. This is risky, people are culturally trained to believe mailing often, even daily, is bad. But remember, if you love getting the email, you'll happily take it daily. 7. I believe short and concise is better. Personally, I don't like the long digest emails that take a lot of minutes of peruse. 8. Mobile friendly. Be sure your emails are mobile optimized. With fonts you can read. 9. Use autoresponders. Permission-based, properly time-sequenced autoresponder campaigns are, I believe, one of the most powerful marketing tools out there. And very effective. And once set-up, do all the work for you. 10. You have to offer something. Some sort of call to action. Don't be in their face selly sell, but teach, educate, serve, help, provide knowledge that makes someone better. But then do include a way for people to go deeper. The number one reason people fail at fundraising, is that they never actually make the ask for money... 11. You want engagement? Then don't repeat the content that everyone else is saying. Get personal. Get real. Get deep. And get in their face. Be edgy. Be controversial. Spark debate. Get people thinking. Unlock the passion that cultures demands remain locked up in most people.... Push buttons... ### Learn other marketing hacks here!

[listening via email? click here to listen now!] I was very pleased to welcome Tony Stubblebine to the show! Tony is the co-founder and CEO of Lift, a personal improvement company. I wanted to bring my most favorite smart phone app to your attention: Lift. And as they promise: by building better habits, you can change your life. Here a few of today's discussion topics: 1. Tony explains what he means by describing Lift as a personal improvement company. 2. We talk about their exciting partnerships with Tim Ferris, Leo Babauta, and David Allen (Getting Things Done), to name a few. 3. We discuss the importance of Lift's community, and why that might just be the most important element. 4. The impact the Power Lifters have on growing and evangelizing the brand. 5. We discuss some of the best practices with using, and getting the most out of Lift. 6. The behind-the-scenes story about why Lift was created. 7. The critical execution of small habits on a daily basis...this moves mountains. 8. The true power of momentum! And why that's the secret to most everything... Check out, and download, the Lift app here! And more importantly, check out Lift's How to Meditate page with free guided meditations! ### To hear from other intrepid souls like Tony Stubblebine, please subscribe to my podcast on iTunes. And, leaving a review and customer rating would be appreciated as well! This is episode 95.

A real pleasure to welcome back David Meerman Scott, who is a speaker, strategist, and best-selling author of multiple books, including The New Rules of Marketing + PR. On today's show, we discussed the recent launch of the 4th edition of New Rules, the book that has sold over 300,000 copies and is now translated into over 25 languages... Key takeaways from today's show: 1. The challenges and the opportunities that result from the rapid pace of technological change with the tools and networks of digital media. 2. We discuss the critical changes from when the book was first published in 2007. But we also riff on what has stayed the same, as in, why it is critical to define your buyer personas. [Hint: NOT developing buyer personas, and thus knowing what to say and how to say it to your target market is the biggest reason why most organizations still struggle with online media...] 3. Too many organizations still aren't willing to do the work to really understand their target market, dialing that important step in with silly surveys. "There's no strategy here, people are making s__t up in their offices..." 4. In a past show, we talked with David about Newsjacking. The practice now has it's own chapter in the 4th edition, and we discuss why: "Google indexing in real-time changed everything..." 5. We've come a long way since the first edition, but we discuss what organizations are still doing wrong, even after all these years... 6. The power of marketing with images: why Instagram, Pinterest, and infographics matter. 7. "Good marketing is just helping someone tell their own cool story..." 8. "Too many marketers and PR people still think you have to coerce people to do things..." 9. The future is mobile. And perhaps revisiting the fundamentals... You can learn more about David Meerman Scott here, and purchase the book below (affiliate link): ### To hear from other intrepid souls like David Meerman Scott, please subscribe to my podcast on iTunes. And, leaving a review and customer rating would be appreciated as well! This is episode 94.

[Reading this on email? Click here to listen now!] Thrilled to welcome my good friend Carol Morgan to the show. She joined me to talk about her latest book: Social Media 3.0: It's Easier Than You Think. Key takeaways from our conversation: 1. The book contains how-tos for beginners, but also new ideas for the more advanced practitioners. 2. A discussion around mobile and the panda/penguin Google updates, and what they mean to you. "Google is everyone's home page..." 3. "You need fresh, unique content for the search engines...that YOU write. And blogging is the number one way to achieve this." 4. Continued focus on better engagement with seasoned networks like Facebook and Twitter. 5. The right and wrong of Facebook advertising, and how to leverage those buys to increase engagement. Plus, the power of Facebook's precision targeting capabilities. 6. Are photographs content? And why Pinterest, Tumblr, Houzz, and Instagram matter. 7. Social media as customer outreach vehicle. 8. Klout: the good, the bad, and the ugly. Learn more about Carol Morgan's book, and you can find Carol's book here (affiliate link): ### To hear from other intrepid souls like Carol Morgan, please subscribe to my podcast on iTunes. And, leaving a review and customer rating would be appreciated as well! This is episode 93.

A pleasure to welcome Colin Wright back to the show. Colin is a publisher, entrepreneur, and author of the new book, Act Accordingly. [Reading via email? Click here to listen now!] [From Amazon] You have exactly one life in which to do everything you’ll ever do. Act accordingly. Act Accordingly is a philosophical framework written to help people become the best possible version of themselves. Rather than proposing a one-size-fits-all code of beliefs or behaviors, the ideas presented in this intentionally concise book encourage readers to question their long-held biases, their definition of confidence, their level of self-sustainability, and the degree to which they allow themselves to evolve their beliefs over time. There’s no time like the present to…act accordingly. Key takeaways from our conversation: 1. "You have exactly one life in which to do everything you'll ever do. Act accordingly." 2. "A framework to become a better version of yourself." 3. Why are we afraid to live a life that makes us happy? 4. Questioning some long-held biases. 5. Fear. And why it still holds most people back. 6. "Arrogance isn't confidence, and introversion isn't lack of confidence." 7. Why too many people struggle to articulate their personal philosophy towards life, let alone living in accordance with one... 8. The importance of personal introspection to fully understand where you want to go. 9. "People don't necessarily have to change anything, but they need to work to continue refining who they are." Learn more about Colin Wright, and you can find his latest book here (affiliate link): ### To hear from other intrepid souls like Colin Wright, please subscribe to my podcast on iTunes. And, leaving a review and customer rating would be appreciated as well! This is episode 92.

[Seeing this via email? Listen here] A real pleasure to welcome Jason Stirman of Medium to the show today. Medium is "a better place to read and write things that matter." You can learn more about it here. Why should you listen to this broadcast? 1. The increased need for quality ideas and stories online, on a platform that isn't necessarily faster and cheaper. 2. The steps being taken to keep the community pure and free from spammers, enabling the community to focus on putting out good content without distractions and noise. 3. The importance of the beautiful and simple design of Medium, and how it was built for the content creator. 4. Is Medium the future of journalism and magazine publishing? 5. Are we all creatives? Should we all be writing? "It does feel good to deliver something to the world...and the world is better when people do that." 6. Medium's goal? To get the ideas and stories that matter out to the world, to make it a better place. 7. Learn more about Jason Stirman here. ### To hear from other intrepid souls like Jason Stirman, please subscribe to my podcast on iTunes. And, leaving a review and customer rating would be appreciated as well! This is episode 91.

A pleasure to welcome best-selling author, speaker, and Twist Image president Mitch Joel to the show! Mitch joined me on the show to discuss his latest book Ctrl Alt Delete: Reboot Your Business. Reboot Your Life. Your Future Depends On It. Why you should listen to this broadcast: 1. Mitch explains how the digitization of business has fundamentally changed how we do things, whether we realize it or not. 2. That if you aren't careful, you might become unemployable in a few years. 3. "Every industry is going through this, and you have an opportunity to stand out." 4. Understand why your business might be in "business purgatory." 5. You have an amazing opportunity to lead the relationship with the customer, and most people are missing it. In fact, if you don't earn that direct relationship with a customer, all might be lost... 6. It isn't WHAT should I do on Facebook, the question should be WHY should I be on Facebook... 7. This book isn't about what's next, it is about what's NOW... 8. Why we should all embrace the squiggly career.... 9. Learn more about Ctrl Alt Delete here. You can find Ctrl Alt Delete here (afilliate link): ### To hear from other intrepid souls like Mitch Joel, please subscribe to my podcast on iTunes. And, leaving a review and customer rating would be appreciated as well! This is episode 90.

The stories about people traveling the world are more common than they use to be. But my conversation with author, speaker, and traveler Adam Shepard is less about travel, and more about getting into the mindset to achieve something that matters to you. And as you should know, mindset is all that matters. Here are some highlights from my conversation with Adam: 1. Before Adam embarked on this big life goal, he had to sacrifice and work hard to save money to make the trip. This time spent, saving money, preparing...is a step most people ARE NOT willing to make in the pursuit of a big dream. 2. How to spend $5 and be inspired. 3. Why most people won't buy into delayed gratification. 4. The need to break out of complacency, break routines, combat fear, and move into new life grooves. 5. The power that comes from getting out of your comfort zone. And that even little things have an impact. 6. How to move forward after completing a major life goal that has almost defined you. [hint: being "present" helps...] 7. You don't have to spend a life one-upping your latest adventure. It is ok to continue to challenge yourself in littler ways, and take pride in doing simple things well. 8. How this mindset, and being present, helps in everyday business situations like sales and marketing. Learn more about Adam Shepard. You can get Adam's book here (affiliate link): ### To hear from other intrepid souls like Adam Shepard, please subscribe to my podcast on iTunes. And, leaving a review and customer rating would be appreciated as well! This is episode 89.

Adam Grant is the youngest tenured professor at The Wharton School, and the author of the New York Times best-seller, Give and Take: A revolutionary approach to success. Here are some highlights from our conversation: 1. Have we been looking at success the wrong way all these years? 2. When Adam was on The Today Show not long ago, they lead off the story with a film clip of Gordon Gekko, the quintessential bad guy of business. Lots of people looked up to him and wanted to be him, but that's wrong, according to Adam. Nice guys can - and do - finish first. 3. Adam's research lead to the categorization that people fall into three groupings: takers, matchers, and givers. Wetalk about the differences. 4. We talk about how you actually do this..."this" being whether success is simply a matter of focusing on how to "lift other people up." 5. The secret power of "the five-minute favor." 5. We discuss how and where else this idea manifests itself...what activities should a leader, or future leader, do to be a giver. And whether it can happen in meetings, team collaboration, networking, negotiation... 6. We discuss whether people really can change. Honestly, is it possible? I ask whether or not takers will always be takers? 7. A discussion around how one does go about the mindset and behavioral changes. 8. Adam answers the question: aren't givers ultimately burned, and taken advantage of? 9. Are givers better judges of character? 10. The idea that you can be a giver, and still successful in sales. 11. The philosophy espoused in the book isn't just for individuals. This idea can have an impact on both organizations and communities. 12. Finally, Adam answers the all-important question: Is this idea the secret to happiness? Go here to learn more about Adam Grant and the book, plus find an interesting collection of resource materials to learn whether you are a taker, matcher, or giver. You can find Adam's book here (affiliate link): ### To hear from other intrepid souls like Adam Grant, please subscribe to my podcast on iTunes. And, leaving a review and customer rating would be appreciated as well! This is episode 88.

Guess I am done with podcasting, since I've now had the pleasure to speak with my boyhood hero, Mike Eruzione: motivational speaker, businessman, and captain of the 1980 gold-medal winning US olympic hockey team. Here are some highlights from my conversation with Mike: 1. Mike achieved something amazing 33 years ago now, and was a young man when he won the gold medal. Lots of people, myself included, achieve big things early in their life and careers. We discuss how one moves on with life, after big early successes, and continues to strive to make big things happen as they live, day to day. 2. Mike, with all of his motivational speaking, shares what's on the minds of his audiences, what they need, and what messages seem to resonate most. 3. One of the key back stories from the Gold-medal run was the importance of team and family. Too many organizations still struggle at building solid collaborative teams. Mike and I talk about the lessons he learned from 1980 and from current experience, that can help people and organizations become better with this. 4. In relationships, in pursuing personal goals, in business, fear still holds so many people back from achieving what they are capable of achieving. Mike shares advice and lessons that helps people begin to figure out how to overcome fear. 5. In the life of every individual, every team, and every business, there comes a time when you stare straight into doing something that appears impossible. But the ones who ultimately achieve success, at some point, begin to believe and trust in themselves. Mike shares some thoughts on the importance of belief, and how it begins. 6. There was a reason Mike was selected to be the captain of the hockey team. He talks about leadership in 2013, and shares his best advice for successful leaders today. 7. Mike shares some ideas on how to push through and get big things done, even when you are making progress, and success seems assured, people still have to "beat Finland." 8. Answering a question from the audience, Mike talks about how to push through the adrenaline rush of nearing the conquest of a big task, and keeping your focus to get it done. 9. Finally, a fun question from the audience: I ask Mike what HIS favorite sports memory was as a child. Note: Mine was Eruzione's game-winning goal to beat the Soviets, as it was for many others of my generation... ### To hear from other intrepid souls like Mike Eruzione, please subscribe to my podcast on iTunes. And, leaving a review and customer rating would be appreciated as well! This is episode 87.