The Solopreneur Hour Podcast with Michael O'Neal

Returning back onto the show is Natalie Sisson, with her new book, The Freedom Plan. (https://thefreedomplan.co) - how to reclaim your time, streamline your business, and be more profitable while living your ideal lifestyle and feeling on purpose!  Natalie spent many years as "The Suitcase Entrepreneur", traveling all over the world for 6.5 years.  Now settled on her ranch in New Zealand, she has a new perspective to offer aspiring entrepreneurs.  

If you're new and don't know how this works here goes: once a week I ask you to send me your questions and I answer them. If you want to be part of the fun for next week's Q&A show join us in the Facebook group here or grab my free course called CONFERENCETOPIA.  Look for my post on Thursdays, write your question in the comments or respond to my weekly email, then listen in to the show on Friday! Thanks to every one of you for tuning in on a regular basis. Support Our Sponsors Check out The Divi Theme (My favorite WordPress theme, and the theme that The Solopreneur Hour is designed from) Beyond 8 Figures Starting a business is hard. Scaling a business is even harder. And, exiting a business is harder still. So, why do some companies struggle to reach six figures in revenue while others scale to 8 figures and beyond while achieving lucrative exits for its founders? This is the core question one of my favorite new podcasts, Beyond 8 Figures, sets out to answer. Week after week, serial entrepreneur Steve Olsher sits down with accomplished entrepreneurs who have ALL either exited for more than $10,000,000, or currently run businesses that generate more than $10,000,000 annually, to uncover the proven methodologies, tactics, strategies and key differentiators that fuel their success. From CEOs and Founders, to billionaires, newly minted millionaires and corporate Icons from myriad industries, Beyond 8 Figures asks the questions other shows won't dare to ask and digs deep to find the answers you need to Start, Scale or Exit YOUR business. I'm a big fan of the show. Take a listen to Beyond 8 Figures on iTunes, Stitcher or simply go to Beyond8Figures.com to access all of the available episodes and I think you'll understand why. BLINKIST The Blinkist app transforms the key insights of 2500+ bestselling nonfiction books into powerful packs you can read or listen to in just 15 minutes. Over 5 million people are using Blinkist everyday to glean the insights they need to become their best selves. Episode Resources The Art of The Interview Course Social Media Ninja Tactics The Solopreneur Hour on Facebook Want coaching with me? I Want SoloLab! The Solopreneur Hour on Twitter Proudly Unemployable, the Facebook group Leave a review of the show!

Serial entrepreneur (and trapeze-ist?) Allison Maslan joins us for a great episode speaking about her new book, Scale or Fail, How to Build Your Dream Team, Explode Your Growth, and Let Your Business Soar.  Allison has an amazing history of entrepreneurship, and really has the midas touch.  She got some great advice from her father, who owned clothing stores for over 30 years as she was growing up:  "If you want something, create it yourself". She has a real eye for opportunity, and has demonstrated that by creating over 10 very successful businesses. Allison's Bio from Wikipedia:  Maslan grew up in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and attended Arizona State University, where she studied journalism. When she was 19, she began a small business in writing personalized poetry during college.  In 1981, Maslan went on to build her own full service advertising and public relations firm. In 1996, she completed a Phd program in Homeopathy from the British Institute of Homeopathy.  In 1997, she completed a Holistic Health Practitioner Program in Counseling at the Body Mind College and received her Certification as a Classical Homeopath. In 1996, Maslan became an expert practitioner and CEO of the Homeopathy Wellness Center. In 1999, she built the Homeopathic Academy of Southern California, which is a premiere college for homeopathy. Maslan has built a number of companies ranging from a full service advertising and public relations firm, a scuba diving certification program, a real estate investment company, a beauty salon, and a jewelry and accessory company. Maslan is the CEO of Blast Off! A Business Mentoring Company. She is the Executive Producer and host of her own weekly online television show, Allie & You BUY THE BOOK:  Scale or Fail, How to Build Your Dream Team, Explode Your Growth, and Let Your Business Soar. FREE STUFF!  17 Scale Strategies video training at www.ScaleorFail.com/sologift

Travis Chappell (http://www.buildyournetwork.co) and @travischappell stops by the show today to talk about some core fundamentals of successful "network explosion", and building your online business. We talk about * The secret to great sales * the power of masterminds and learning groups * the ultimate power of networking * how to "show up" for friends in need * relationship fundamentals, and more! Travis has an email course that you can access here: freemmcourse.com

On today's FCF, I answer all these awesome questions: * Not a question but some feedback. Your latest episode about Rennch EXPLODED over the airwaves. That was the sound of passion, goals, doer, fun, creativity - the very essence of sloopreneur life - I raise a cup of tea in your name.  OK - Here's 1 quick question then.......Does a sense of urgency bring the best out of YOU? * How do you deal with overwhelm? That time when you think you have everything under control and then clients change things last minute and it's out of your control and you have to just get on with the work but there's not enough time to get it all done in the time that's available. How do you deal with or avoid that? * Do you use a local (to you) vendor for the gear in your website store? How does the backend infrastructure work with a site like Storenvy? I don’t want to be handling the orders - at all. Let the technology do the work! Have an awesome weekend, and the “Jack Bag” is brilliant! * What are your thoughts on the THINKIFIC platform for building and hosting your online educational content, programs, etc?  If you haven’t played with it, what else on this subject would you suggest for building that level of content for loyal followers to invest in themselves with? * How do I go from dreamer with tons of ideas, currently crushing it for someone else, to an entrepreneur with ONE idea crushing it for myself? 

On this episode I document the craziness of going from concept to finished product with an absurd timeline.  Proof positive that you don't have to know what you're doing to make something happen.  You just have to do it!

Adam Lewis Walker (AYAlpha.com) has a brand new book, Awaken Your Alpha, available October 3rd 2018.  First and foremost, my apologies for the audio quality.  We had an equipment breakdown and had to make due.  Adam and I talk about the journey of being a man, and taking responsibility for your own life.  Sorry for the potty remarks. Visit our Sponsor: Listen to the world's greatest business books in 15 minutes or less! Free week and 25% off with http://blinkist.com/solohour

This was a REALLY fun episode, because I didn't know this business model existed.  You can think of a product, find a manufacturer to make it for you, brand it, and sell it on Amazon without carrying a warehouse full of inventory and shipping it yourself.  This was a really interesting, informative show. * 6:08 May 2015, Brian was signing the paperwork to leave his corporate gig * 7:06 Brian had the dubious task of making concrete look good * 9:19 When you have an industry that is woefully behind you can innovate in the space like no other * 10:12 Meeting Chris Ducker and the catalyst to becoming a full-time entrepreneur * 11:12 23 Years incorporate - somebody wants what you know, and how private labeling came about * 12:59 What an air conditioning company private label and ultimately focusing on the branding * 14:29 Born and raised in Pennsylvania and moved to Atlanta in mid-2000's * 14:50 What the catalyst was to start selling private label goods and selling them on Amazon * 17:13 Locking down a product from an intellectual standpoint. You need to find out if that brand of product is available to be used (i.e., Trademarks and Patons) * 19:45 Krieger + Söhne® hair care products - How Brian came to this brand * 22:22 Description for Krieger + söhne® 99Designs project * 24:02 The day the sample bottles came through * 25:28 Shooting the products - Not using stock photography was important * 26:16 The whole day shooting the product with the suite and the models cost $5000! * 26:55 Typical start up costs for a project like this, Brian's for this for inventory order was $30,000. You don't want to cut corners on the packaging design, photography, presentation and copywriting. * 28:51 How Amazon works for someone who does private labeling. A traffic platform in addition to a sales platform and using FBA - Fulfilled By Amazon. Brian's products also qualify for Amazon Prime as his company is a 3P Seller (3rd Party) * 31:13 Images are the single biggest impact on a conversion rate for a listing * 31:44 Taking your products live on Amazon and steps for new sellers to get traction. Everything we do to generate sales is designed to impact either traffic or conversion. * 32:29 Conversion Rate: A really bad listing would convert under 20%, Unt Session Percentage (USP - An Amazon term), The number of units you sell has a factor to the number of sessions (A session is a unique visitor with a 24hr period). This is the Amazon measure of conversion rate, not page views. You want a conversion rate over 20%. Anything under means your listing is not optimized (maximize your images). Images, headline and reviews all factor into your conversion rates. * 33:47 Bullet points are important to conversion. This is where the power of copywriting and storytelling come in. People want to buy a story. * 34:09 The story around the Krieger + söhne® brand * 34:32 How to get reviews when starting out, using follow-up emails to ask consumer feedback * 36:28 The first 48-72hours - Getting traffic, using PPC (Pay Per Click) optimizing for keywords * 38:23 It had taken six months before Brian knew he had a successful product, in that time Bryan was making income that would replace his income at his corporate job * 39:22 Entrepreneurial mindset - Business changes, what you have to do, the activities you have to undertake to be successful changes. Business changes. You need to adapt. What you need to a major faith in and not give up on is your business model. Whatever that maybe. * 41:33 Going retail at the right time * 43:05 Not knowing a thing about men's hair care products, how Brian went about finding a manufacturer. Your supplier can make or break your business. * 44:36 Trying to sell on a smaller budget, what to do * 46:30 Following trends

Amazing, remarkable, life-changing.  That's what this episode is. Since I originally introduced him at the Thrive 2016 conference in San Diego, I've been following Philip McKernan and his incredible message.  I finally got him to sit down and record a deep-dive interview about why sharing your truth is arguably the best thing you can do as a human being.  Not only for you, but for the world.  Listen to this episode.  Buy the book.  Live a better life. Pre-Order ONE LAST TALK on Amazon right now. Visit PhilipMckernan.com

In this episode, I take you through the 8 week launch process of a world class podcast. For gear:  http://kit.com/solohour For supplemental YouTube videos: http://youtube.com/solohour  

Free Coaching Monday from The Solopreneur Hour! If you're new and don't know how this works here goes: once a week I ask you to send me your questions and I answer them. If you want to be part of the fun for next week's Q&A show join us in the Facebook group here or grab my free course called CONFERENCETOPIA.  Look for my post on Thursdays, write your question in the comments or respond to my weekly email, then listen in to the show on Friday! Thanks to every one of you for tuning in on a regular basis. Support Our Sponsors Check out The Divi Theme (My favorite WordPress theme, and the theme that The Solopreneur Hour is designed from) Beyond 8 Figures Starting a business is hard. Scaling a business is even harder. And, exiting a business is harder still. So, why do some companies struggle to reach six figures in revenue while others scale to 8 figures and beyond while achieving lucrative exits for its founders? This is the core question one of my favorite new podcasts, Beyond 8 Figures, sets out to answer. Week after week, serial entrepreneur Steve Olsher sits down with accomplished entrepreneurs who have ALL either exited for more than $10,000,000, or currently run businesses that generate more than $10,000,000 annually, to uncover the proven methodologies, tactics, strategies and key differentiators that fuel their success. From CEOs and Founders, to billionaires, newly minted millionaires and corporate Icons from myriad industries, Beyond 8 Figures asks the questions other shows won't dare to ask and digs deep to find the answers you need to Start, Scale or Exit YOUR business. I'm a big fan of the show. Take a listen to Beyond 8 Figures on iTunes, Stitcher or simply go to Beyond8Figures.com to access all of the available episodes and I think you'll understand why. BLINKIST The Blinkist app transforms the key insights of 2500+ bestselling nonfiction books into powerful packs you can read or listen to in just 15 minutes. Over 5 million people are using Blinkist everyday to glean the insights they need to become their best selves. Episode Resources The Art of The Interview Course Social Media Ninja Tactics The Solopreneur Hour on Facebook Want coaching with me? I Want SoloLab! The Solopreneur Hour on Twitter Proudly Unemployable, the Facebook group Leave a review of the show!

Solopreneurs.  This was one of those conversations that I physically had to cut off, because it was so good it could have gone on forever. Dan Kuschell is the CEO of Joe Polish's Genius Network, and is insightful, bright, and brilliant.  This is an instant best-of. Check out the Growth to Freedom podcast every Monday - after you listen to episode 735 of The Solopreneur Hour! More About Dan Kuschell As a kid Dan wanted to play professional baseball, from the age of 6 he knew it was his dream. So he told his dad who encouraged him and helped him. One of the most impactful things Dan's dad did for him was to take him to his first personal development workshop at the age of 10. That experience opened the gateway for Dan, and showed him the necessity of mindset, coaching and growth to being successful at baseball and anything else he did in life. After high school Dan wasn't drafted by the pros so he went to Aquinas College for two years, then Wayne State University for another two years. During his summers his sister helped him intern at an agency she was working at in Detroit. That agency was a direct response marketing firm. While there he learned from such greats as Tony Robbins and Brian Tracy among others. Dan was fascinated by human behavior, and the psychology of why people did what they did. He was curious about why people responded certain ways to certain messages versus others. Soon direct response seemed a much better and more lucrative option than anything else he was considering after college. On This Episode You'll Also Hear: * A great coach does this - what is it? * What are the two types of marketing? * What are e.l.f. tools vs h.a.l.f. tools? * Why you should go out and do things solo. * The one phrase to take your offer to the next level. * And much, much more! At the age of 22 Dan took his life savings and started his own business. He took what he had learned from the agency he interned at and set out on his own. He wanted to do what they did, but also wanted to know what he could do better and do in a more innovative way. So he hired someone who had cashed out from Apple, and had him develop a software program that assessed your ability to sell. The program had seven categories of selling, and would determine where you were weak and then Dan's firm would help strengthen those areas. While this may not sound all that remarkable today, Dan was doing this in 1992! On today's episode Dan shares his motivation in growing his company, some of his failures along the way, as well as his assessment of Pat Flynn's 10 steps to a successful sales page. He adds a few extra bits to Pat's 10 steps, you'll want to hear what they are! We also talk about the six human needs, and how tapping into those can be the difference between being what Dan calls a "sales pest" versus a "welcome guest". If you're curious what those 6 human needs are check them out: * Certainty. * Uncertainty/variety. * Significance/purpose/meaning. * Love and connection. * Growth and mastery. * Making a difference/contribution. You'll have to listen to hear how to expand on those six to deepen your rapport with your audience, and it is well worth your time to do so! Tune in for all of that and more on episode 371 of The Solopreneur Hour. QUESTION OF THE DAY: What did you learn from Dan today that will change the way you do business? Let us know in the comments below! Do you enjoy this podcast? If so, could you please leave a review here. I read them, sometimes on the show, and will reach out if you leave your Twitter handle! Please Visit Our Sponsor To Support The Show!

Today we welcome Travis Houston (http://superfunnel.com) into Studio 86 to talk all things marketing.  After telling us a really compelling story about "finding himself" in India, he wound up in the most incredible whirlwind of 18 months of mentors. Travis then breaks down one of the most amazing marketing tactics I've ever heard.  You won't believe it when you hear it. This episode is brought to you by Blinkist.  The Blinkist app transforms the key insights of 2500+ bestselling nonfiction books into powerful packs you can read or listen to in just 15 minutes. Over 5 million people are using Blinkist everyday to glean the insights they need to become their best selves. Right now, for a limited time Blinkist has a special offer just for our audience. Go to http://blinkist.com/solohour to start your free 7 day trial. Links we chatted about in the show: http://Strategicmarketing.team http://characterdiamond.com http://contenttelepathy.com http://quarterlyscorecard.com Find Travis on FB http://Facebook.com/superfunnel

Happy birthday Solohour! On today's ep, I talk about the B.A.M concept, how to create a tier 1, tier 2, or tier 3 business (and what that means), and how to get your mindset right to be a solopreneur.

Today's show is a doozy.  Jase Bennett of The Ohana Adventure (1.7 Million Subs on YouTube), Prouduct (Did the Freedom, Mastery, and Podcast Journals with John Lee Dumas, and many more...) Jase Boards, chats with us about being a serial entrepreneur, what it's like to have a super-successful YouTube channel, and how he used to flip pencils for money when he was a kid. Advertisers Get your SEO game on POINT with Playing In Traffic.  Get your FREE SEO guide here: http://playingintraffic.co/solohour It's time to write that book that's been rattling around inside your brain. Do that with Chandler Bolt and his team.  Get your FREE training, and his book "Published", by clicking this link: http://self-publishingschool.com/solohour