Entrepreneur Showdown with Dan Franks and Joe Cassandra

You've surely heard it by now, the body thumping beats of the EDM movement. And if you live anywhere close to Dallas, TX, there's a good chance the group responsible is Highland Concerts! Lead by Scott Osburn, 1/2 of the founding duo who founded Highland Concerts in 2008 and are the masterminds behind the Lights All Night music festival. Lights All Night is known around the world as one of the premier electronic dance music events, drawing tens of thousands people from all over for it's multi-day events every December. Even more exciting for Scott, though, is the fact that this year they will be expanding internationally, as they introduce Mexico City to the Lights All Night phenomenon! We talk with Scott about all of these things, his journey as an entrepreneur, and more in this exciting episode of Entrepreneur Showdown: Presents! UPDATE Lights All Night recently announced the lineup for their Dallas events this December, and they will feature Deadmau5 and Kaskade, two of the biggest names in the EDM universe!

Are you an introvert or extrovert? Now that you've answered that, should you tailor your business to whether you are an introvert or extrovert? Joe and Dan discuss in an extended round 1 about their thoughts. Ben Krueger, the founder of Authority Engine, is the focus in Round 2 as it brings up the topic of whether you should Niche down your podcast or stay more general? Joe and Dan won't agree on this one! Forget the griping of the scrubs, lets bring on Ben to settle the score. Ben says he's actually being a "flip-flopper" on his thoughts? How did his views change? Ben Krueger also lets us know what we're doing right and what you can do to separate yourself from the pack!

We are super pumped to be debuting the new Entrepreneur Showdown: Presents series, and even more pumped that it's October because October is Entertainment Entrepreneur Month! Today we are super excited to be sharing with you our visit with Amanda Pekoe of the Pekoe Group. Amanda is a former Broadway and Off-Broadway performer and producer who discovered her true calling, which was the business side of show business. She made the leap into marketing and advertising the same shows she once was a part of, and has never looked back! The Pekoe Group has absolutely NAILED their online presence, as we discuss in the interview. We have never seen anyone dominate the Google ranks like Amanda and her group do! We find out how she's accomplished this, but more importantly what she does for her clients that sets her apart from other people in her space. This is a fascinating interview, and if you tune in to any other mainstream "entrepreneur style podcasts", take it from me you will be hearing a lot more from Amanda Pekoe in the not so distant future ;-) .

How to cut personal expenses like business expenses, how to determine unique selling propositions and leverage yours, and we discuss it with Greg Ciotti!

What is the key to being Interesting? With online content, it's easy to get a little bit too serious. In this Round 1, Joe and Dan let you know how you can become more exciting and enticing! Guess what, you can be wrong and be interesting, check it! Dan and Joe dive into our friend, Billy Murphy's, new venture over at Forever Jobless. He started EcomLab to help others learn how to start drop-shipping sites. We admit, we're not sure what this e-commerce business is all about, so we don't waste much time and get right to the Main Event! Billy M. drops into the Main Event to answer what an e-commerce store is, and explains that it's a lot easier than you think and YOU need to try it! Billy walks through what you need to do right away with finding the right niche, suppliers, and how quickly you can set up your store. One of our most tactical interviews to date!

It's fun to say that you're the CEO of something, but what about all the other small stuff? Let's start wearing some different hats, and that's what Joe and Dan dig into for Round 1. There's always work going on in the background, it's not all glamour, sometimes you could be the janitor! Round 2 has Dan and Joe revealing some of the ways they try and break out of their comfort zone based on Tim Conley's recent podcast episode on Foolish Adventure. Dan admits to being an introvert around strangers. If you've ever heard one of his long winded questions to our guests, you might sound the B.S. alarm. Let's see if he can talk his way out of this one! And you know it's coming, Tim Conley's on the Main Event to tackle your FEARS. What are Tim's Triple D's he likes (not those, sicko)! Also learn about what the "Black box" is in business. Who should have one? Do you have one? You're gonna need to find out! Finally, we all have our queasy moments outside our comfort zone, but Tim can help you out with those. You can only benefit from going out of your CZone. Also find out the best way to seek revenge on someone who takes advantage of your kindness. Don't miss what Tim says you should do!

Could the way you eat tell you about your productivity? In this Round 1, it seems Joe and Dan have cracked the code to it! Don't miss this tasty treat of the showdown! In Round 2, we discuss some of Neil Patel's, our guest, recent posts on visualization, copy-writing and more. Did you know visualization in images can increase sales? We discuss specific tips and tricks, and some might surprise you! For the Main Event we bring on the Main Man of the Main Event, Neil Patel, to get his insights on what you can do to immediately increase conversions. What should you be doing with images on your site? We also learn how Neil picks which images to use! (And no it's not always a pretty lady!)

What if everyone around you doesn't get the "Entrepreneur" craze? Should you shove this stuff down their throat? Joe and Dan discuss this as well as what it means for each person to be an entrepreneur. In Round 2, Dan and Joe talk about Jake Hower's recent interview with Justin Brooks. What should you be doing, organic traffic or paid traffic? What kind of quality can you expect from it and learn from Dan and Joe's personal experience with both! How good is Facebook advertising, what do you think? Joe and Dan have their own thoughts, but they're no experts so they decided to bring one on! We bring on Jake Hower to get his take on it as he's a social media Australian macho man. Learn the different tactics Jake uses with different social media mediums. You don't want to miss these marketing ninja tricks!

Everyone loves a good story (HINT: Especially customers and consumers), but what kind of story should your business tell? It's a tricky and dense subject that Joe and Dan dig into in this week's Round 1. How has storytelling developed, and how should you develop your story? In Round 2, Yaro Starak is the focus with his recent post on reaching goals. He preaches that belief is the key to unlocking your success, but Dan and Joe are actually confused by this post! They know that it is an important concept, though, and will need Yaro to untangle it in the Main Event. In the Main Event, Yaro takes on visualization and what could be a pitfall of it. Of course Yaro brings more than expected, and turns the tables on Dan and Joe on their own positive or negative mindset. Oh, and ladies, you don't want to miss the Aussie's dating status!

Are you too agreeable when you negotiate? Dan and Joe discuss why saying "No" will help you in the long run when you negotiate! What mindset should you have going into a negotiation? You might be surprised with some of their revelations! In Round 2, we discuss Chris Ducker's recent post, "Think Like a Business Owner First and a Blogger Second." We come up with a few examples of top entrepreneurs that defy this, so we will need to ask Chris about the exceptions! Finally, Chris Ducker is center stage for the Main Event to discuss his mindset when producing content. What mindset do you have? Chris is also a master when it comes to hosting and participating in masterminds, and we hear the benefits and sometimes pitfalls of them straight from the horse's mouth. Chris also threatens "to go Jason Statham" on Joe, so tune in to find out why!

Round 1 has Joe and Dan discussing how to connect with busy people from an article by Steve Blank on his site. Steve doesn't like "picking brains", have you used that line? Hear about Joe's most embarrassing pitch with a co-founder of a top social media company. David Wood's recent podcast episode, 12 Common Causes and Cures for Unhappiness, is the focal point for Round 2. Dan and Joe discuss which of the 12 they find most common and they struggle with. Which one affects you the most, check it out. We bring on the exciting David Wood for the Main Event to get his Mindset advice to reprogram yourself to happiness. David's a master in formulating the mindset to success that will change your own thought process. Hear how to get unstuck, conquer fear, importance of generosity, and hear how David ended up front and center at a wedding in a loin clothe. You don't want to miss this! This episode is hilarious! BONUS: Listen to David's 7 Steps to Happiness. Are you in a rut, feel lonely and negative, David can help!

Stress in high pressure situations can bring the most resilient entrepreneur to his knees. However we have 10 Tips to Help Stay Sane, and you'll be shocked to hear what Joe's #1 is! Joe is a lover, and he is not afraid to tell the world! Then we get into the topic of LinkedIn. It is the least popular of the big three social networking sites, but is that for good reason? Joe and Dan have thoughts of their own, and also get into some burning questions that have about the usefulness and functionality of LinkedIn. Then in the Main Event, we bring on just the person to answer those questions: Viveka Von Rosen. Viveka is known as the LinkedIn Expert, and she certainly is a wealth of knowledge! But if you're looking for one of those boring "optimizing your profile" interviews, look somewhere else! Viveka will tell you how your business can leverage LinkedIn TODAY to produce better results, optimize your site for SEO, and even drive more traffic to your main website! BONUS: Check out Viveka Von Rosen's FAVORITE LinkedIn group, and it isn't even hers!

You'll go Gaga for this Round 1 as we discuss how GREAT Lady Gaga herself is at marketing. Are there strategies she uses that you can use as well in your business? Dan and Joe dive into this "little monster" of a topic you'll need to hear, and go gaga for it yourself! For Round 2, we'll dig into Pat Flynn's recent income report (highest ever for the internet business superstar), and talk about how maybe he has some pivots in his income strategy coming. We also discuss some of the haters he's been getting, and Dan and Joe go off on them! For the Main Event, we brought Pat in to get his take on the haters, where to start making money online, and tons of topics too numerous to mention. Pat didn't even let us stop the interview, so we pushed further with him to get into even more topics. He answers the truthful question: Does Pat Flynn run an online business for the money and why?

Often times we find ourselves in a situation where we have the opportunity to extend deadlines that we are working towards. Are there any benefits in extending deadlines? More importantly, what are the drawbacks to doing it and how do we maximize our productivity? Dan and Joe can't agree on all of it, but learn their tips on meeting deadlines in your work! Then in Round 2, we look at Dan Miller's recent article on whether men should be the providers of the family, or if the new age has brought a time where men and women can play equal roles in the family. This is a topic that is sure to polarize all who listen, and we know that the independent women are sure to have something to say about it! Finally, in the much anticipated Main Event, we bring on the great Dan Miller to dig more into his polarizing view. Dan sides VERY strongly one direction on the male's role in the family, and he is not afraid to share it with Dan and Joe! Then, Dan Miller goes on to give incredible insight on finding work you love, and he will inspire you to start finding what you love. You don't want to miss it, hear real life examples of how many of Dan's students have found work they love. BONUS: Listen to Dan's recent interview on Entrepreneur on Fire, Dan's a treasure trove of inspiration!

In Round 1, Dan and Joe get their "TMZ" on when they delve into the celebrity world by looking at the recent speech by Ashton Kutcher at the "Teen Choice Awards". You read that right. In the speech, Ashton gives 3 key ways to be successful that you won't want to miss! Round 2 brings on the debate between the written word such as blogging, and audio such as podcasting. Of course, Joe and Dan are on the audio side, but there are still many clinging to the written word as the way of the present. What side of the fence are you on? The guest in the Main Event, Tom Ewer, is not only a fan of blogging, but is somewhat an opponent of blogging. We're ready for him! Tom comes on to defend his position in the Main Event, and tells us why the written word could actually make you take action faster. Dan and Joe fire back, and the showdown is definitely on! Tom Ewer also dives into the dangers of testing an idea, and why he looks for ways to NOT trade his time for money. From across the pond, Tom Ewer is a guest who is very opinionated, and is not afraid to share it! BONUS: Read a Guest Post by Tom on How to Land Freelancing Clients for your Blog, get paid for your writing!