#490 Earlier this week I interviewed Kevin Espiritu from Epic Gardening for session 489 of the show. He's absolutely killing it in his space and I've taken a few notes from him in terms of content creation. In talking with Kevin and interacting with him outside the show, I was reminded of some of the things I've seen other successful people do. I'll tell you all about them today, as well as something that I think it's critical all entrepreneurs realize: you have to take a stand at some point. I'...
Jun 04, 2021•15 min•Ep. 490
#489 The pandemic put a lot of entrepreneurs on high alert and changed the way we work or do business. But some businesses thrived , and today's guest has a business that pretty much exploded during the pandemic. I first got connected with him because I (like a lot of us!) decided to try and start a garden. And when it comes to learning about all things gardening and plants, Kevin Espiritu from Epic Gardening is the man to go to. But Kevin's success wasn't just due to the pandemic. He poised him...
Jun 02, 2021•52 min•Ep. 489
#488 Earlier this week on episode 487 I got to interview PJ of GoatMilkStuff.com — it'll be one for the ages for sure. And it reminded me of something, an episode from way back, episode 122 with Shane and Jocelyn Sams. In fact, I'm going to share a clip from that episode today as well. And in having my memory jogged, something crystallized for me around being an effective podcast host. We're going to get into all of it today, so take a coffee (or tea, or water) break and let's chat! Show notes a...
May 28, 2021•10 min•Ep. 488
#487 PJ Jonas started making goat milk soap in 2008 and has since grown the business into the family business. Seriously, her entire family is involved with everything from actually making the soap to social media and more. And they don't just make soap anymore, they've added lip balms, lotions, and more to the products they ship worldwide. How did she scale the operation, how did she recruit the whole family into the business, and how do the Jonas's keep a sense of work life balance? PJ's givin...
May 26, 2021•41 min•Ep. 487
#486 Sometimes our competitive edge can prevent us from finding a critical link with someone who, on paper, might look like a competitor. Well, I'm here today to encourage you to find a buddy, someone you can build up and who can encourage you as you progress, even if (again, on paper) you might look like competitors. Press play for a bit of encouragement from me and an important call to action! Show notes and more at SmartPassiveIncome.com/session486 See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/priv...
May 21, 2021•11 min•Ep. 486
#485 The pandemic has taught all of us about the importance of flexibility. Chris Ducker, a great friend of mine, is here to tell us his experience, how his business is doing, and what he's learned making major business decisions in these times. How we respond to major shifts like these are often the ultimate test of ourselves and our businesses. Chris's key learnings can help us all better plan for the future and cultivate the right mindset for the next big pivot. There are some amazing nuggets...
May 19, 2021•47 min•Ep. 485
#484 When I was a kid, when I was in school, I was afraid to ask questions. I worried that I'd look silly in front of my friends, that I'd get made fun of, or that I'd reveal something I didn't know (that I should). I'm here to tell you that your entrepreneurial journey shouldn't be like that. Asking questions, particularly at the start of my own journey, was a huge part of why I was able to go on and have success. It's just you and me today, so let's dig in. Show notes and more at SmartPassiveI...
May 14, 2021•12 min•Ep. 484
#483 Today's guest is a student of mine who has a podcast and a book called Turn Autism Around . She's on a mission and she's here to tell us how she's started to realize that mission through books, courses, and more. She'll also share some of the strategies she learned for writing her book, launching her show (now with over 400,000 subscribers), and how she handles criticism online. Mary's story shows us just how positive the ripple effect can be — it's super-inspiring for anyone, especially if...
May 12, 2021•32 min•Ep. 483
#482 I've got a great tip to share with you today — especially if you're an introvert like me. This goes way back to my first conference. If you've ever been to one of these events you know that networking is a big part of the appeal. The ability to walk up to someone, introduce yourself, and strike up a conversation can lead to incredible opportunities. But way too often we end up psyching ourselves out of making the first move. Often the answer . . . is action. So we're going to dig into this ...
May 07, 2021•15 min•Ep. 482
#481 Chris Voss is the CEO of The Black Swan Group Ltd. and the author of Never Split the Difference — an amazing book on negotiation that I'd highly recommend everyone read. I'm so grateful that Chris joined me on the show to talk about negotiation, how he got interested in the topic, as well as his in-depth advice on negotiation. We talk about how to great a lasting last impression (and why that's more critical than a first impression), setting yourself up for success, why negotiation is ultim...
May 05, 2021•39 min•Ep. 481
#480 If you're an entrepreneur, at some point you're inevitably going to compare yourself to the other entrepreneurs out there. Maybe you wish you had success like theirs, maybe you're envious because their success seemed to happen overnight. But some comparisons are healthy, like if you're trying to pull inspiration from someone or compare yourself now to where you were in the past. How can we approach those thoughts in a healthy way? I've been there, and over time I've developed a few mindset ...
Apr 30, 2021•17 min•Ep. 480
#479 John Lee Dumas is here today to share the story behind his book, The Common Path to Uncommon Success : why he decided to write it, why he went with a traditional publishing deal, and all the strategies he used to make it come together. Whether you've written a book before, want to compare notes with John, or just want to learn more about this amazing book, stay tuned! Learn more about the book by going to UncommonSuccessBook.com. Show notes and more at SmartPassiveIncome.com/session479 See ...
Apr 28, 2021•47 min•Ep. 479
#478 For today's Follow-Up Friday, we're going one-on-one so I can tell you about my own first experiences with memberships, going all the way back to the days when I was a newbie with Internet Business Mastery. There's a lot you can learn from my experience and what it taught me about the power of membership communities, how to set them up so that members feel heard and taken care of, and providing students and learners with an amazing experience. Let's dig in! Show notes and more at SmartPassi...
Apr 23, 2021•16 min•Ep. 478
#477 Creating a membership community has been one of the best decisions we've ever made at SPI! Maybe you've thought about creating a membership community of your own, or maybe you're just curious. Either way, you're in the right place! Today's episode is essentially a masterclass in membership communities. I'm honored and thrilled to have Stu McLaren on the show today, someone who has over 10 years of experience launching, cultivating, and empowering people through online membership communities...
Apr 21, 2021•52 min•Ep. 477
The podcast team at SPI has been cooking up something very exciting: a brand-new podcast called Flops ! Flops presents an honest portrait of entrepreneurial failure in its numerous forms. When we hear entrepreneurial stories, we often glorify the big wins and brush over the failures that had everything to do with why success occurred. Flops turns the atypical success story on its head. Here to chat about the concept for the show and how it came about are co-hosts Karen Beattie and Ray Sylvester ...
Apr 20, 2021•50 min
#476 We hear phrases tossed out around the word "value" all the time. "Provide value," "give value," "massive value," etc. Sometimes that can sound a bit challenging, but Michael Hyatt — who was an amazing guest earlier this week on episode 475 of the podcast — has taught me a way to provide huge value to people in a really simple way. This isn't a superpower by the way, although Michael is obviously phenomenal at doing this thing (which I'll reveal in the episode). This is something everyone ca...
Apr 16, 2021•17 min•Ep. 476
#475 Is it even possible to win at work and life? It's the so-called "double win" — succeeding at work and life simultaneously — and Michael Hyatt's here to explain some of the strategies he uses to achieve it. He has a new book out on this very topic, which he co-authored with his daughter, Megan: Win at Work and Succeed at Life . In this episode, you'll hear Michael and I talk over strategies and mindsets for achieving balance and freeing yourself from the cult of overwork. Michael details how...
Apr 14, 2021•39 min•Ep. 475
#474 Today we're going to jump back in the DeLorean and go all the way back to when I made my first time hire. Now, this wasn't a long-term hire or a team member, but I learned a lot of valuable lessons in the process (some of them kind of embarrassing, to be honest). Making that first hire was really the unlock for me in a lot of ways. Ultimately, you just can't do everything on your own, and once you realize just how much more you can do by outsourcing, hiring, delegating . . . so many doors o...
Apr 09, 2021•16 min•Ep. 474
#473 How do you show appreciation for your assistant, who basically acts as an extension of your entrepreneurial self? Or, how do you resolve conflict with an assistant, what do you do if they're not the right fit? We're going to get into all of that, discuss how my assistant's role with SPI has evolved over 7+ years, and a lot more. Jess is such a blast to work with and I'm so grateful that she's on the show with me today. Let's go! Show notes and more at SmartPassiveIncome.com/session473 See P...
Apr 07, 2021•40 min•Ep. 473
#472 We just had an amazing episode on the podcast earlier this week — SPI 471: How to Become a Better Communicator with Kolarele Sonaike . Definitely listen to it if you haven't had a chance yet. But today I want to share my own journey as a communicator. We're going to hop in the DeLorean and go all the way back to middle school, high school, and college — where I first started honing my communication skills. Sometimes you just have to hit the ground running, and when it comes to learning how ...
Apr 02, 2021•19 min•Ep. 472
#471 Communication is one of the most critical foundations to everything you do as an entrepreneur, in your personal relationships, and so much more. And becoming a better communicator is a lifelong journey — how do we do better? Our guest today is Koralele Sonaike, a Communication Skills Coach with a background as a barrister (England's version of a lawyer). He's here today to talk about approaches for becoming a better communicator, his own journey as a barrister and communicator, and the tran...
Mar 31, 2021•34 min•Ep. 471
#470: What is it I've found, you ask? Let me tell you: a topic that I'm deeply interested in and a way to share it that's unlike what anyone else is doing. In session 469, I talked to Nick from PokeRev about his Pokemon card collecting and how he's been able to create a community—and earn money—around his hobby. Over the last few months, he and I have built a friendship around our shared love of Pokemon, and I've joined a number of his live streams and even become a moderator for his community, ...
Mar 26, 2021•20 min•Ep. 470
#469 What if you could turn a hobby or passion — maybe something you loved or were crazy about as a kid — into a thriving goldmine of a business? That's exactly what Nick, AKA PokeRev, has done. Pokemon was his passion as a kid, it's something that's deeply steeped in nostalgia for him. He's managed to turn that joy into a super-successful YouTube channel. Thousands, sometimes tens of thousands of people join him on his live streams and he's been able to grow his subscribers to nearly 300k in ju...
Mar 24, 2021•49 min•Ep. 469
#468: In SPI 467 , I talked to Kristen at Bearfoot Theory , who took a month-long sabbatical from work at the end of 2020—a whole month disconnected from her business!— and managed to make more money than she had before, even while she was gone. We all need a break from time to time, and for those of us who own and manage our businesses on a day-to-day basis, it can be a real challenge to even think about stepping away for an extended time. This can feel overwhelming and stressful and trust me, ...
Mar 19, 2021•18 min•Ep. 468
#467 We talk about a lot of business topics here at SPI, most of them related to moving forward: how to optimize your time, build your business, launch courses, create a podcast. It's a lot of doing . But today we're going to talk about something on a different side of the spectrum: taking time away from your business to think, focus on your mental health, gain new clarity, and reevaluate your relationship with your business or things like social media. On the show with me today is Kristen Bor, ...
Mar 17, 2021•37 min•Ep. 467
#466: We go deep in this episode. We're talking about the entrepreneurial leap—that moment when you accept the risk and truly dedicate yourself to the path of starting your own business. For me, it didn't happen the moment I got laid off or even after I started making more than four times what I'd been making as an architect. It came later, after several eye-opening experiences and conversations with people I trusted. Today, I'll tell you that story. Show notes and more at SmartPassiveIncome.com...
Mar 12, 2021•17 min•Ep. 466
#465 Today's guest has written some truly incredible books that I wish I'd had on hand at that time. His book Rocket Fuel was a game-changer for me in helping me realize my role in the business. His new book, Entrepreneurial Leap is a powerful book, especially for anyone who's considering making the leap into entrepreneurship. Whether you've made the leap already or need to reassess where you're at, Gino's throwing down a lot of wisdom for us. Here we go! Show notes and more at SmartPassiveIncom...
Mar 10, 2021•44 min•Ep. 465
#464: I'm excited to introduce you to our first Follow-Up Friday episode on the SPI Podcast! Over the last couple of years we've had a lot of requests for more solo episodes of the show and now we're finally doing it. I'll be dropping a new episode every Friday to dive deeper into our Wednesday's guest interview. In this case, we didn't have a guest on Wednesday, so today it's just me diving even deeper into the world of YouTube. In today's episode we'll talk about my newest side project, Deep P...
Mar 05, 2021•21 min•Ep. 464
#463: Starting off in a brand-new space can be hard for anyone but there are some strategies and mindsets you can use to optimize your approach. Today I'm going to break it down for you as I talk about my new YouTube channel . . . in the Pokemon card collecting space. But how did I make some noise in a space that I was essentially coming into for the first time? How did I fit a brand-new project into my life on top of everything else that I do? My foray into the Pokemon card YouTube space is an ...
Mar 03, 2021•32 min•Ep. 463
#462: The cash flow between advertisers and podcasters recently has been insane — some projections say over $1 billion will be spent on podcast ads in 2021. So where do you start, whether you're someone with their own show or an advertiser with a product or service you want to spread the word about? If your curiosity is piqued, you're in the right place. Here to help answer your questions about podcast ads — whether you're a podcaster or an advertiser — is Heather Osgood of True Native Media. Po...
Feb 24, 2021•51 min•Ep. 462
