In The Trenches

ITT 029: How to Make $1 Million Freelancing with Liam Veitch

In today's broadcast of In The Trenches, I sit down with Liam Veitch, founder of Freelancelift.com and author of Stop Thinking Like a Freelancer – the Evolution of a One Million Dollar Web Designer. What you'll learn:

• how to get paid what you're worth as a freelancer or consultant
• how to improve your freelancing practice
• how Liam made $1 million in 3 years from freelancing (and the techniques and strategies he used to do it)

At the end of this episode, you’ll have learned the importance of framing your work, positioning your business, the important of performance, and the best business practices for a freelancer.

THE SECRETS OF A MILLION DOLLAR WEB DESIGNER

Stop Thinking Like a Freelancer[/caption] Liam Veitch grew his freelance web design business into a 1 million dollar business about three years ago, in 2011. Liam started his freelance web design business while working a full time job after failing in a previous freelance business. In 2009, he shut down his first freelance business and joined a multi-national corporation, with 400 employees, “and something clicked as that kind of career started to develop.” Liam says things started to click, “things I realized that…freelancers, small businesses in general, suck at.” He says he also noticed the strengths of small businesses and freelancers - agility, love, care and passion. Once he learned the strengths and weaknesses of big and small business, Liam says he wanted to start the freelance, thinking, “what would happen if you mashed those two worlds together.” That’s when he started his next, successful, freelance business, three years ago, in 2011. His first freelance business started when Liam was 19 years old, followed by the one full-time position. That perspective was, as he calls it, “a unique point of view in so far as I was looking at the other zombie employees, as I call them, were just not looking at.” He says the zombie employees didn’t really care too much for the mission of the business, or it’s values, and vision. “As a result, they’re probably going to still be at that company. And that’s where I think Iv’e been able to steal some of that knowledge, steal some of those big business principles.” As he’s captured the wisdom, he’s been able to help freelancers to develop their freelancing into a true business. “So about a year ago, I established Freelancelift.com to just to tell that story,” he explains.

THE SECRETS OF A FREELANCE BUSINESS

Liam says the difficulty of a freelancer is that things like content, blogs and other creative products are all framed within that context of being a freelancer. Freelancers, he explains, “often feel that we’re often somehow exempt from that word ‘business.’ And, that’s really due to our status as a lone ranger, and that, in some ways, keeps us tied to this so-so freelance advice, chasing ambiguous words like growth.” That, he says, keeps freelancers feeling like they’re “treading water.” He challenges freelancers who describe themselves as treading water, “how do you really know how you’re doing if you’ve not got clear objectives and goals in place?” Liam explains to freelancers, “your client’s aren’t hiring you because you’re a designer, marketer, developer, writer or whatever. They’re hiring you because they have a business problem.” Businesses, he explains, are looking for people who are solving their problems already for others with similar problems. “So, if you can be the specialist, if you can serve that specific need, and if you can do that even for a small pool of clients, then, you’ve got this chance to build 10 times more.” Liam started solving web design problems for those in the music industry.

“A lot of freelancers… feel that they’re missing out by narrowing the pool of potential clients, but, quite the opposite is true. If you have only literally got a pool of 200-300 people around the world that you could go after, then, really, if you’re that go-to guy for that particular space, then, you’ve got pretty much a blank check that you can request from people.”

Liam says that when that realization came to him, “the path to that million dollars really started in understanding that it’s all about specificity.” He says understanding specificity and how that applies to others’ pains is truly the secret to making millions of dollars. Liam says that the freelancer must be able to articulate the pain, and a solution to someone’s pain better than the business owner can. That, he says, gives a freelancer instant position of authority, which then is used to the freelancer’s advantage when the time comes to determine price and cost..

“One of the things that I teach, is that everything is based on perception.” Referring to a short book he’s penned, Hourly Rates Don't Matter, Liam says, “ a client’s perception of what value you’re going to bring to the table is everything.”

Liam explains that a freelancer on Fiverr will deliver exactly that you tell them to do, “and everybody is kind of happy with that.” But, he says, “what a partner will do, in the outset, is not really even talk cost.” They’ll ask about the business owner’s problems, understanding that they are building a relationship - “it’s not a one-hit thing,” Liam explains, “This is a long-term mutual and beneficial partnership. So, when you’re starting down that path it’s vital st start to consider yourself as a partner and valuable.” Liam says that is where his journey to a million dollars as a freelancer began.

THE JOURNEY TO A MILLION DOLLARS

Liam says from the realization, he had to begin building an authority in the space he wanted to dominate. “Being the go-to company for that type of activity, then growing from there into other areas.” The agency that helped Liam create much of that million dollars, tone.uk. He says that agency prides itself in producing world-class web design. “We frame that in all of our customer facing literature,” he explains, “there’s not point in building a website unless it’s going to provide value to you as a business and establish you as a market leader.” Liam offers 4 steps in creating a freelance business that can command rates that creates a million dollar business:

• Frame the business as an authority in solving one type of pain
• Build relationships based on mutually beneficial partnerships
• Be happy to increase rates as value increases
• Build average transaction of value

“The latest project I’ve written about this was a 50 thousand dollar project for just a website,” Liam says, “and we never met face to face.” The company was one of the best in Southeast Asia, “and we only actually went to see them and meet them face to face after winning the deal.” Even online, the formula works, says Liam. Be a trusted authority in a space, provide value more than what they could get from just going to elance.com. “It’s that really of framing yourself such that you command value.”

THE VALUE OF A CUSTOMER

Liam says a freelancer must be willing to think of a customer in terms of their lifetiime value. “I ran some numbers a few weeks ago, and what we found was over the last 18 months, from initial order to lifetime spent, on average, about 60% are using us again.” He says that those repeat customers are spending over 100% more than what they did in the previous 18 months.

“When you’re able to almost relay upon that, then building a business that’s going generate a million dollars over the course of three years isn’t such a stretch.” That’s because, according to Liam, “if you known 60% are going to come again, and if, on average, they’re going to spend 100% more, then the objective becomes a little bit less.”

He says, that intelligence helps his company build that expectation into their business. He says his company builds a  contingency in their structure “which we allow for just over-delivering.” Providing an example, Liam says one company his business is building a website for “the client has some really specific ideas and vision about what they want. And, in particular, this is for a homepage slider. So, what we're having to do is almost put together a customer photo shoot to get that specific image.” Liam says he hasn’t billed the customer for that, it’s not even included in the proposal. “But, what we are doing at every point is doing it and then telling them that we're over delivering it.” Explaining his strategy, Liam says, “If you tell them look, this wasn't included in the proposal, here's what we're going to do, we're going to do this, because in the spirit of partnership we want to make this the best possible site it could be. We want a site we can all be proud of. And immediately when you frame it like that and tell them that you're over delivering, tell them that you're not going to bill them for it, then you build an element of reciprocity into everything that you're doing.” Liam suggests that all freelancers willingly over-deliver, but that it should be determined by the amount of time you have. He also stresses the importance of telling them that you’re over delivering, in the spirit of partnership. “When you go into it,” In the Trenches host, Tom Morkes stresses to the freelancer, “recognize… when you do the proposal for the client, you’re saying [to yourself] that there’s going to be extra things I’m going to do on top of this.’.. they might not be aware of it,” he says, but, you should know that it’s a regular price of doing business. Liam agrees saying the freelancer must look at the lifetime value of the client as a partner. “What gets you double end of spend over an 19 month period is the things you can’t really quantify… that feel-good factor that the client’s experiencing when they’re seeing that you’re over delivering.” When that happens, says Liam, “it gives you so much leverage… if you give them a little bit of an overspend and tell them that you’re doing it , and don’t bill them for it, then the next time that kind of thing comes around again,” you can point to the expenses and ask for reasonableness, “and they’re more than happy to kind of go along with that.” Liam says the successful freelancer understands, “it’s about over delivering, telling them that you’re over delivering and then baking that straight into your pricing from the outset… that’s the only way you can start to do that kind of stuff.” Liam also warns freelancers to be wary of those who have limited budgets and specific desires, “if you’re building a website for somebody that has a really specific idea of what they want to do and the cost and they’ve got a budget of 500 dollars, they’re going to give you a much harder time that somebody that’s going to spend 50KI, because they trust you to carry out that work on their behalf.” He acknowledges that getting to that 50K client isn’t something that happens overnight, “for us, it’s taken two years… to be able to stand in front of somebody and say ‘yeah, you can get it for a hundredth of the price, but, what you’re not going to get is all of this.’”

STOP THINKING LIKE A FREELANCER

Liam’s book, Stop Thinking Like a Freelancer – the Evolution of a One Million Dollar Web Designer, is written to help freelancers frame their own expectations of their business. Liam says he knows freelancers who often look around them, thinking they are doing OK, “but I need growth.” He responds, “but they don’t really pin down what growth is.” He explains that there are two threads of response. Repeating an earlier explanation, “as freelancers, we feel like we’re somehow exempt from that word, ‘business,’ when, if you look at it in terms of raw facts, we have customers, we have overheads, even as a on-person business.” That, he says gives freelancers “a need to go out there and pitch our services to people, and yeah, to make a profit. That’s exactly the same for a one-person freelancer as it is for Google and Amazon.” By ignoring those principles, a freelancer ignores their own potential for growth, says Veitch. He stresses that online businesses should be thinking more objectively about their burins, looking for real, quantifiable ways to grow, “based on fact, data, benchmarking goals, and aiming towards that.” Liam says freelancers should stop thinking like a freelancer and more like a big business. Secondly, he says, freelancers should have a clear idea of what growth is, “is it growth in revenue? if so,” he asks, “how much?” Continuing, he asks, “is it growth in happiness? Is it growth in client quality?” All of those things can be left in the air if a freelancer is chasing such an ambiguous word as growth without a clear understanding of what kind of growth they expect. Liam suggests a new word, rather than growth. “I propose a new word, and that word is ‘evolution.’” If a freelancer can chart their progress through an evolutionary cicl of continually getting better, “then you can say, ‘ok, look back at six months from now and say yeah, that’s different, that’s better,’ and looking back at specific benchmarks and specific debt.” Liam then describes the evolutionary growth cycle to help freelancers understand what they should be looking for in terms of business growth.

1. Foundations for Growth, Strategy Vision, Benchmarking
2. Replacing bad clients with dream clients (more about perception of being a partner)
3. Multiplying Exposure and Building a Platform
4. Building Predictability
5. Loosen the Reigns (create processes into the business to take you out of the process)

More places you can find Liam and his work:

• Freelancelift.com
• Follow Liam @freelancelift
• Get his book on Amazon

If you enjoyed today's podcast, please leave a review on iTunes here. Thanks so much in advance for your support.

ITT 028: Fighting Soldier Suicide with Timothy Lawson

From Podcast to Movement

Today’s episode of In The Trenches features Timothy Lawson of Veteran’s Empire and the founder of 1, 2 Many: Veteran Suicide - which is a podcast series telling the stories of veteran suicide. Tim’s story of starting work with Veteran’s Empire is an encouraging tale that shows us success is a matter of breaking out of the mold, taking bold action, and ultimately doing the work. Lawson, a prior service Marine, is completing his Broadcast Journalism degree at American University, while working with Veteran’s Empire and 1, 2 Many Veteran Suicide. In today's episode, you’ll learn about:

• The impact starting a podcast has had on Tim's life
• How Tim crowdfunded his podcast (and why it matters)
• The work of Veteran’s Empire and 1,2 Many to help vets reintegrate back into civilian life

You'll also hear Tim speaks passionately about the work of 1, 2 Many Veteran Suicide and hopes the message he is spreading will put an end to veteran suicide. If it resonates with you, please share this podcast and help spread the word.

Life as a Veteran

Timothy Lawson served five years in the USMC, including a short stint in the Moscow US Embassy. Currently completing a Broadcast Journalism degree at American University as a full-time student, Tim hosts the Veteran’s Empire podcast and is creating the 1, 2 Many Soldier Suicide project, as well. Tim says he got started in Veteran’s Empire by volunteering to help with their social media. “I was getting out of the Marine Corp, had a blog called A Couple Good Ideas, focused on healthy aspects of relationship.” Later, he offered to help Veteran’s Empire with their social media, “I just thought that Veteran’s Empire needed a podcast.” Starting the podcast without permission (the result of Tim Ferris’ Four Hour Work Week) “instead of asking them if I could do the podcast, I just started doing one and I jut put their name on it.” The organization gave no resistance, “they thought it was a great idea and thy pretty much told me to run with it, keep everything in line with the mission of Veteran’s Empire.” Tim says he launched that podcast about the same time as when Cliff Ravenscraft arrived on the scene. The show organically grew in influence and in guest credibility. “It went from talking to my friends on the show to reaching out and getting guests that had a name,” he says. Tim found Veteran’s Empire after a fellow Marine sent him the logo. As soon as he got the logo he knew it would be huge.

“So I asked to get involved. Somehow I actually started running their Twitter. That’s how I actually got involved with Veteran Empire to begin with,” telling them, “you need a social media presence, no one’s running your Twitter, let me run that.”

Becoming a Podcaster

Tim says he’s launched a total of five podcasts, with four currently being updated. With the Veteran’s Empire podcast, Tim says he was completing a podcast when he came to the realization that

“this is what I should be doing… I continue to pursue it more than anything else in my life.”

Since that time, Tim has created Romantic Comedy - a weekly podcast, which gave birth to the Capital Experience, which gave birth to the 1, 2 Many Veteran Suicide project. About three weeks into his work with Veteran’s Empire Tim started podcasting. The first rendition of the podcast was, in Tim’s word, “success-esque” - inspired by the Tim Ferris book Four Hour Work Week. Saying he realized the value of Veteran’s Empire “if we promoted veterans and what they were doing.”

“Back then,” he continues, “there was no other podcast that was focusing and promoting veterans specifically in their post-military career.”

After creating the podcast, before even having been approved by Veteran’s Empire,

"I kept going with it, and as soon as the guys at Veteran Empire realized how much more attention they brand was getting through the podcast, I quickly became … officially a member of Veteran Empire."

Tom says the story is a great lesson for entrepreneurs. “Be proactive about that kind of stuff,” Tom says. Tim says he started interviewing friends who were doing cool stuff, “I didn’t have to go very far to get a guest.” Then people started recommending guests to him before he reached out to Marine Aaron Chaffs of Love and the Wild.

“I thought it would be fun to talk to a reality TV star, and he responded back to me, which I didn’t expect at first. That interview was the first bridge that I had ever been connected between my world and the entertainment world."

Tim  didn’t realize that people were so easily approachable. Later, Tim landed Marine veteran Shannon Ihrke, who’s now the Loop Rock Girl in Chicago and has been in and on the cover of Maxim Magazine.

"When I got her on the show and the guys (at Veteran Empire) realized that one, I was able to reach people that were in a sense inspiring in the veteran community, and two, the people I was getting in touch with were either successful or on their way to becoming successful, that affiliation had a lot of power."

Shannon’s return to the show after her success was when he says he realized the real value in building a strong network. Another celebrity who has demonstrated the respect others have for Veteran Empire is UFC fighter Tim Kennedy.

"He does plenty of interviews, but it still looks good for us for him to come interview with us…. when I ask an author or model, or something like that, while they’re still an amateur, and they move on to become a professional, they’re going to speak really well on us, and it’s going to look good for use to have that affiliation,” Tim says.

1, 2 MANY PROJECT

Tim says he started the 1, 2 Many project while waling around the nation’s capital, Washington, D.C.

“I started thinking — for some reason, veteran suicide was on my mind — just the stats and how the media was covering the 22 a day, 1 an hour… .it was right around the tim when the first leg of the V.A. scandal really hit mass media and that was a big thing.”

Saying the VA crisis started to bug him, Tim says he became concerned that “no one was talking about practical solutions to this. It was like we were overcomplicating the whole thing.” Saying he decided to create a podcast “because i’m not going to go run a 5K and think it’s going to save someone’s life,” Tim describes what he thought 1, 2 Many would be like. Using Kickstarter to help fund the original project, intended to conduct interviews during college Summer Break, Tim used the Kickstarter campaign to get the word out about his project and then used the funds to support himself during the summer while he traveled all summer to conduct the interviews.

“The project was happening, whether Kickstarter got funded or not. It was just the matter of the level in which is was going to happen."

Since started the project, Tim says several changes have been made from the original program to what it is today. 1, 2 Many launched in June 2014, with his own story of personal battled with suicidal behavior.

“Every Monday since,” Tim says, “a new story has come out, whether it’s been a veteran who experienced suicidal behavior and how they got out of it where they sit down now, or it’s been a friend of a family member who lost a veteran to suicide.”

Tim says his Kickstarter campaign attracted the attention of the American Legion Auxiliary.

“They heard that I was doing this project and they had a conference coming up in three weeks, and wanted me to find someone in the D.C. area who had lost a veteran who’d be willing to come up and speak.”

Lawson explained to the program official that three weeks was not enough time to arrange such appearances, and that most who had recently gone through such loss or struggle probably wasn't ready to go public. So, he tells them, “how about you just have me come up and talk, I’ve talked to a bunch of veterans, and I’m doing this project.” With the validation of his Kickstarter campaign, Tim was invited to the conference, “and I’ve raised thousands of dollars behind this project and there’s obviously an audience ready for this.”

Results of the 1, 2 Many Podcast

Tim explains that the evaluation of his podcast, 1, 2 Many, is one of the objective evaluations of his business.

“From what I’ve learned, simple things save lives. And, when I tell you these three things, you’re going to wonder why we’re not doing more of this. This is stuff, these three things that I preach to my live audiences and through the podcast, that I believe that we could use to really save, not only the veterans, but the people around us, from depression and suicide.”

Stating he learned these three things and their effectiveness as he’s had some more experience with military personnel who have struggled, Tim says one of the three things is empathy. “Most people actually just want you to understand that they're sad, and they want to make sure that it’s ok for them to be sad.” He says it’s ok for vets to be sad if transitions back to civilian life have been difficult, “and, even though your friends around you look like they’ve been successful coming out of the military, there’s a chance they’re experiencing the same thing, so you should not feel like you’re isolated in this frustration.” Empathy is something which should be shared with others even before there’s any sign of suicide, says Lawson. Second, Lawson says he has learned, as a result of his 1, 2 Many podcast, is renewed purpose. This is very important, according to Lawson, because when soldiers separate from the military, it’s hard to find a position that will make them feel as important and depended upon as when they were in uniform.

“When I was an E-2 or E-3,” he says, “I had more responsibility than I did in any of my jobs when I first got out of the military.” He says that lack of a sense of responsibility, or feeling that someone is depending on you is detrimental to a soldier’s psyche.

The third thing Tim Lawson says he’s learned through talking to soldiers, their families and experts about soldier suicide is that soldiers need mentorship, “on both sides,” he says. The advice is something any business coach or business person will tell you - it’s good to have a mentor, and it’s good to be a mentor. “so why aren’t we suggesting people who are getting out of the military find a mentor?” he asks.

Advice for Struggling Soldiers

Tim says it’s important for a soldier to focus on those things that make them feel good. Relying on advice from James Altucher, Tim says “if you don’t feel good, think about what makes you feel good. If it’s laughter, maybe watch some stand-up comedy.” Tim says depressed soldiers need to find ways to get away from just focusing on the negative aspects of life. “If you realize this is the way you’re doing down, it’s not easy to tell someone what’s going on in your life, it really isn’t,” he says, “I would never discount that… but there are things that you can do to let people know that you need a little bit of help, or you need some more involvement that could really benefit you.” One of the ways you can find happiness is through a hobby. Tim refers to Ralph Randolph from the Discovery TV show, “Devil’s Riot’. “He was on a panel we did in Nashville, and he talked briefly on motorcycle clubs, and how a lot of veterans join motorcycle clubs because they’re given a role inside that club.” He says even if that role is Treasurer and they have to balance a checkbook once a week, the soldier knows they have a task to accomplish and that the other guys in the club are spending on them to do it. Lawson says it puts them back in a unit. “We don’t have to wait for signs of suicide to intervene, we can provide empathy, sense of purpose and mentoring long before we see depression.”

Advice for Friends and Family of Struggling Soldiers

For those who love the soldier that’s struggling, Tim offers some advice as well. “If you know that a veteran… anybody… comes out, and they’re processing out of the military, talk to them. “Ask them what their kids like to do in their spare time. Show interest in their life outside of military. If there’s one thing people who are suffering mentally and emotionally dont’ want, is for that to be the focus of attention.” “If I came to you and said, ‘hey, I’m going through some emotional things and I’m starting to contemplate some scary stuff,’ I don’t want the next five times of you and I interacting, for that to be the first thing that you bring up. That’s just going to drive me nuts.” He says the lines of communication will collapse and drive their self-esteem even lower because of how they think you perceive them. He suggests that you ask all sorts of different questions, in order to get them talking and thinking about something else. He reminds those loved ones, “you don’t have to be a superhero or a therapist. Or be able to admit that you need help. There’s a lot of proactive ways to be doing this, and they’re things I believe we should be doing long before we see emotional and mental stress.”

The Future of 1,2 Many Podcast

Tim says he will continue to tell powerful stories of soldiers struggling with suicidal tendencies. “Mondays are the stories. Wednesdays, I share a short essay I’ve written on my thoughts on suicide, whether they’re in my personal life or the observations that I’ve made through the conversations and interviews that I’ve had. Then on Fridays, I will start doing a short, five or ten minute Q & A podcast.” That podcast will feature questions from Twitter, Facebook from when he speaks publicly and other avenues. “I plan on incorporating a non-profit called 1, 2 Many branded the same way, sort of, this umbrella over several different causes, and I’d like to have some sort of programming. I would like to have some sort of programming that not only addresses veteran suicide, but also campus rape, maybe human trafficking. I feel like I can get enough interviewees on that. It’s actually something else I’ve been interested doing programming on, things where I feel like America just sucks at having a conversation on.” “There aren’t any real actions for people to take to be a part of the solution to any of these problems,” Tim says, “so I would really like to see 1, 2 Many start doing both recorded and live programming that changes the conversation in all those arenas.”

Connect With Timothy Lawson

Tim invites you to listen to his podcast at on iTunes. To reach Tim directly, visit his website: one2manyproject.com

Share This Podcast

Three things you can do to help a struggling soldier coming back home @TimLawson21 http://bit.ly/1ywCdWp OneTooMany podcast host @TimLawson21 is passionate about stopping soldier suicide http://bit.ly/1ywCdWp There’a a lot of complications with saying I’m thinking about harming myself @TimLawson21 http://bit.ly/1ywCdWp Empathy, Purpose, and Mentorship: 3 Things @TimLawson21 says every returning soldier needs. http://bit.ly/1ywCdWp The impact USMC Sgt @ShannonIhrke and @TimLawson had on Veteran's Empire http://bit.ly/1ywCdWp

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If you enjoyed today's podcast, please leave a review on iTunes here. Thanks so much in advance for your support.

ITT 027: How to Promote Yourself to the Top with Dan Schawbel

How to Promote Yourself to the Top

How would you feel if I asked  you to talk about how great you are? My guess is, if you're like the majority of people in the world, you wouldn't feel very comfortable. According to Dan Schawbel, author of Promote Yourself and Me 2.0, this attitude of feeling ashamed to talk about your success, or ashamed to show people the value you add, will not benefit you in the 21st century. In fact - it's ONLY those who are willing to tell or show people everything they're capable of - who are willing to self-promote - that will succeed over time. Why? Because otherwise you'll be ignored. And if you're being ignored, someone else will take your spot, your promotion, your pay raise, etc. This is the reality of the modern world and it's something we need to get used to. That's why I wanted to talk to Dan today, an authority on the subject of selling your personal value. Dan is the Managing Partner of Millennial Branding, a Gen Y research and consulting firm. He is also the New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestselling author sof Promote Yourself: The New Rules For Career Success and the #1 international bestselling book, Me 2.0: 4 Steps to Building Your Future. Dan's had a lot of success in life, and as you listen to his story, you'll realize 2 things: One: he was given nothing - he had to work for everything he has. Two: Dan's not ashamed to talk about his value or what he's capable of achieving - and that's exactly why he's gotten where he has in life. So check out today's interview and leave a comment below to let me know what you think!

What Dan Schawbel and I Talk About:

• How to make yourself indispensable to your company

• Dan's personal story of having NO connections and no resources when he started out, and how he took life into his own hands and created the results he wanted

• How to create a niche for yourself (and why you need to in the 21st century)

• How to brand yourself (and why this is so important)

• Why promotion SHOULD be shameless (this may be the most important less of the interview...just wait till you hear what Dan has to say about this)

Quotables from Dan Schawbel's Interview:

“Luck is driven by work ethic and strategic position.”

Where You Can Find Dan Schawbel:

danschawbel.com Promote Yourself Me 2.0 --- If you enjoyed today's podcast, please leave a review on iTunes here. Thanks so much in advance for your support.

ITT 026: Creating an Arts and Culture Magazine from Scratch with Richard Melendez

Morning Brew in Kailua

I first spotted Abstract Magazine in the wild when I was ordering a coffee from Morning Brew in Kailua Hawaii. Next to the counter was a small stand with a bunch of bright, hot pink magazines. The style was so bold I picked one up to browse through it. I was so impressed with the magazine, from the artwork, to the physical design (it felt great in my hands), to the content of the magazine, that I had to buy one for myself. I asked the barista "how much?" "Nothing - it's free." I was floored. So I did the only logical thing I could think of: I hunted down the managing editor, Richard Melendez, to figure out how they did it.

What Richard Melendez and I Talk About:

• The origin of Abstract Magazine

• How Abstract relies on up and coming artists and writers to create this amazing publication (and believe it or not: they are all volunteers!

• How they were able to spread the magazine so rapidly throughout Hawaii

• Why they decided to produce a physical print of the magazine when digital can be so much cheaper

• The development of a creative incubator to produce Abstract

• And much, much more...

Where You Can Find Richard Melendez (and Abstract) Online:

www.facebook.com/abstracthawaii @abstracthawaii www.abstracthawaii.com (coming soon) www.instagram.com/abstracthawaii * * * If you enjoyed today's podcast, please leave a review on iTunes here. Thanks so much in advance for your support.

ITT 025: Crafting Culinary Perfection with Antonio Diaz

From Passion Project to Business

There are two words that define the theme of Life & Thyme: culinary storytelling. Antonio Diaz is the founder of Life & Thyme, a digital publication and production studio devoted to bringing a community together around food. Antonio and his team bring culinary fanatics the stories behind the food and restaurants they enjoy. In the past two years, Life & Thyme has grown - and evolved - rapidly. What started as a local project, featuring LA restaurants and chefs, eventually turned into a global movement, featuring the artists behind food from all over the world. In today's broadcast, I talk with Antonio Diaz about what it's like starting with a passion-based project, how he was able to launch a magazine out of a collection of Instagram photos, and how it all evolved into a full on film production studio.

What Antonio Diaz and I Talk About:

• Antonio’s background in digital publishing and the birth of Life and Thyme

• Why you should start simple and worry about the core idea first (not monetization, which comes later)

• How a passion project Life of Thyme, ended up starting a profitable video production studio

• The Power of a community and how to build one yourself

• Why meeting offline is so important to building a passionate group of supporters

• How to find people to work with /collaborate with and  why it's impossible to do everything yourself

Wise Words from Antonio Diaz:

Building a community is what matters, not product, or website. A Strong communitycan move mountains.

If you think too hard, you over think and cause more stress. Live in the moment. Some things work out, others don’t. Lighten up. Have a good time.

Where You Can Find Antonio Diaz Online:

lifeandthyme.com instagram.com/antonio * * * If you enjoyed today's podcast, please leave a review on iTunes here. Thanks so much in advance for your support.

ITT 024: Veterans Rebuild America with Chad Grills

Rebuilding America with Chad Grills

Chad Grills is a veteran, entrepreneur and the author of the currently-being-crowdfunded-book: Veterans: Don’t Reintegrate, Rebuild America. Chad and I happen to have a very similar background, and like myself, he is currently occupying his time with a cornucopia of projects. (bonus points for using the word cornucopia in a sentence) In today's broadcast, we touch on some seemingly random topics (but I promise - they make sense in context), including: Chad's military background, his new book, Antifragility, Post Traumatic Growth, and how to hit the ground running as a military veteran transitioning into the civilian world. By the way, Chad has less than two days left to fund his new book. I already have my copy preordered. You can support Chad and get your copy here.

What Chad Grills and I Talk About:

• Chad's transition out of the military and into the civilian world

• Antifragility and how it applies to creating a better life

• All about the Regret Minimization Framework

• Post Traumatic Growth, or: how to turn trauma into momentum, regardless of where it comes from

• How to transform fear into prudence, pain into information, mistakes into initiation and desire into undertaking

• How to beat entrenched businesses as a bootstrapping underdog

• Why it's important to constantly run small experiments for personal and entrepreneurial growth

Wise Words from Chad Grills on Rebuilding America:

As Entrepreneurs, we need to give ourselves as much exposure to the upside while limiting the downside.

Where You Can Find Chad Grills Online:

http://chadgrills.com/

Additional Resources:

Antifragile by Nassim Taleb http://highspeedlowdrag.org http://highspeedelite.com (exclusive veterans mastermind and network) * * * If you enjoyed today's podcast, please leave a review on iTunes here. Thanks so much in advance for your support.

ITT 023: MVP Validation with Cheryl Woodhouse

How to Validate a Minimum Viable Product with Cheryl Woodhouse

If you've been following me for a while, you know I write about product development (starting, finishing, and shipping products and services) a lot. Part of the process for successfully shipping a product or service to market is making sure it will work BEFORE you spend months or years building it. This is what we mean when we say: minimal viable product. The minimal viable product or MVP is the most basic, version 1.0 product you can build that can then be sold to early adopters to see if your idea is good or bad. Yes, it's that simple. No, it's not easy. In today's interview, I sit down with marketer and author of Start Something: A Step by Step Guide to A Successful Business, Cheryl Woodhouse to talk product development, how to validate your ideas cheaply and quickly, and how she's helped dozens of clients create something their audience loves (without breaking the bank). Listen, take notes, then leave a review on iTunes letting Cheryl and I know how much you loved this episode :)

What Cheryl Woodhouse and I talk about:

• How to identify a solution that will succeed in the marketplace

• How to create your minimal viable product (MVP) and launch it to the world

• The importance of the number 100 in the product validation phase

• How to find or create distribution channels for your product or service (i.e. how to find people to sell your product to!)

• All about Cheryl's personal story, starting as a copywriter then transitioning to marketing and strategy

• And much more...

Wise Words from Cheryl Woodhouse:

Don’t let the fear of failure stop you from putting something out there. [share]

Where You can Find Cheryl Woodhouse Online:

Website: cherylwoodhouse.com Twitter Facebook * * * If you enjoyed today's podcast, leave a review on iTunes here. And let us know what you think in the comments below!

ITT 022: Content Warfare with Ryan Hanley

Winning the Battle for Attention with Ryan Hanley

How often do you find yourself competing for attention online? If you're a writer, artist, entrepreneur, or blogger, chances are a lot. It comes with the territory. There are millions of websites and our audiences' time and attention are limited. So the question is: how do you distinguish yourself from the crowd and earn that well deserved attention for your high quality content? Enter: Ryan Hanley. Ryan is the creator of ContentWarfare.com, the host of the Content Warfare Google Hangout / Live Podcast, and the founder of Hanley Media Labs. Ryan is THE leading authority on winning the war for attention online by building your brand the right way (and a person whose advice I implicitly trust - something I say about very few people). The best part: Ryan isn't keeping his genius to himself. Instead, he's  taking all the knowledge and experience he's gained over the years from building brands online and putting it into a book he's launching through a new book crowdfunding platform called Publishizer: Check out Ryan's book (appropriately titled: Content Warfare) on Publishizer here. In today's podcast, we sit down and discuss Ryan's background and how he transitioned from corporate America to online entrepreneurship; how he became a leading authority in building brands online; and his unique journey to published author.

What Ryan Hanley and I talk about:

• Ryan's transition from accounting to online entrepreneur, Podcaster, and brand building authority
• What Content Warfare is all about....
• How to distinguish yourself from the crowd

• The three ingredients for successfully capturing a segment of any market (hint: it has to do with Audience, Story, Experience)

• The three components of Experience:
  • Customer Service: Good or Bad
  • Price: Low or High
  • Delivery: Fast or Slow

• Which components of experience matter and which don't (you might be surprised by this)

• How to tell your story so that you attract the right customers

• Which is the best social media platform and why (and how to implement it for your own success)

• Why Ryan went the crowdfunding path for his book and how crowdfunding is changing the landscape of publishing for the better

Wise Words from Ryan Hanley:

Attention without trust has little value.  [share]

 Where once we as brands and marketers chose our audience, today our audience chooses us. [share]

Where You can Find Ryan Hanley Online:

Website: www.ryanhanley.com Twitter Facebook

Other Resources:

Publishizer.com  * * * If you enjoyed today's podcast, leave a review on iTunes here. And let us know what you think in the comments below!

ITT 021: Working in the Gift Economy with Adrian Hoppel

The Business of Giving

No contracts. No selling. No price. That's how today's guest, Adrian Hoppel, a Philadelphia-based web designer, does "business." Instead, he simply gives his work away - as a gift - and expects nothing in return. Yet instead of being taken advantage of, Adrian's business has flourished. Last year, he worked on 25 projects and ended up getting paid more per project than he would have had he used fixed pricing. And less than half way through this year, Adrian's already more than tripled his total projects from last year (in fact, he's had to hire multiple employees...and get this: they ALL work in the gift economy). And the requests for his gift-based work continue to flow in. In today's broadcast, we talk all about the Gift Economy, Pay What You Want pricing, how to build and manage a team in the gift economy, and even touch on Adrian's military background and how it's helped him in his new efforts. Seriously, this is one of the most fun interviews I've done and Adrian's story is incredible. You need to listen for your own good :)

What Adrian Hoppel and I talk About:

• Why Adrian left corporate work to pursue his dream of living and working in the gift

• All about the Gift Economy (and what that means from a practical standpoint)

• How a little book called Sacred Economics changed Adrian's life

• How Adrian has tripled his business in just a few months and how he's managing it all

• What it takes to create a gift-based business where no money or exchange is expected (you're going to be blown away by this, I promise)

• How Adrian leads a team of employees using gift-economy principles

• How Adrian once argued with a client for being TOO generous in return for his work (and why he's stopped doing that...good choice!)

• The specific process Adrian goes through to live and work in the Gift Economy

Wise Words from Adrian Hoppel:

There is no road map for working in the gift economy. [SHARE!]

Everything I need happens when I need it. [share this]

Where You can Find Adrian Hoppel Online:

Website: http://adrianhoppel.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/aphoppel Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/adrianhoppelwebsites * * * If you enjoyed today's podcast, leave a review on iTunes here. And let us know what you think in the comments below!

ITT 020: How to Develop Courage In Writing with Dave Ursillo

Courage and Writing

A lot of people have books in them... But how many take the time to actually write them? Enter: Dave Ursillo - a multi-published author and entrepreneur who helps creative self-starters live their leadership through artistry. Dave’s written 8 books, is the leader of the Literati Writers – a small, private community of writers, and has done numerous speaking engagements around the country on the topics of communication and leadership. In today's broadcast, Dave and I sat down to discuss a topic near and dear to my heart:

• COURAGE in writing

Dave shares his journey from working in politics to writing books and coaching writers full time.  While his story is interesting in and of itself, Dave also walks us through actionable steps to developing courage in writing and entrepreneurship. Weather you are interested in writing, or you want actionable steps to develop courage and self-belief in your own artistry and business, today's broadcast is for you. Oh, and if you enjoyed today's broadcast, leave us a comment and let us know what you think!

What Dave Ursillo and I talk about:

• How Dave got his start in writing on September 11 2001

• How this incredible event changed the scope of his writing (and his life)

• The power of writing to create constructive thought and dialogue.

• Dave’s start in the political world and how the nature of politics compelled him to start writing

• Dave’s journey from the job he hated,to hitting 4 months of depression and working his way out using his creativity and passion

• How Dave created the exclusive writers group: Literatti Writers

• How to cultivate courage in your writing and life

• Why we need to be fearless with our writing (and all our actions)

• Why we need to surround ourselves with similar values (hint: it has to do with courage)

3 Tenets of Cultivating Courage in Writing (and Life):

1. Daily Practice
2. Surround Yourself With People who Have the Same Values
3. Have Mentors and Role Models you Follow and Aspire to be Like

*note: we go in depth on each of these in the interview, so definitely check out the interview!

Awesome Quote from Dave Ursillo:

     

"Courage in writing is everything." [Click to Tweet]

"The journey in life is the greatest reward."  [Click to Tweet]

 

Where You can Find Dave Ursillo Online:

Website: daveursillo.com Twitter: @daveursillo

Additional Resources and Links:

literatiwriters.com * * * If you enjoyed today's podcast, leave a review on iTunes here. And let us know what you think in the comments below!