Cool Things Entrepreneurs Do

Seeking knowledge is not enough, we need to find mastery in our careers. Knowledge is not power, but a commodity. We can all find knowledge by doing a search on our phone. Success is there for people who become great in the right things and then take action. To be leaders we need to show others that we have a compelling vision of the future. While we might have to pivot along the way, no goals or vision means we are adrift. People with no goals will often get lost in over thinking and research, and in a world where action is king, we lose if we are not moving forward. You have to master yourself, your understanding of you clients, your sales / marketing, your relationships with your people, and you must master your systems. Those who do all of these pop up to the next level. But chaos reigns for too many entrepreneurs. We have to stop the madness and stop hiding behind stress and "busy". Focus on actions in sales, customer service and innovation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoi

Success in the conference game can be a challenge. The demands are getting higher and the budgets seem to be getting smaller. The worst thing about having an amazing event is that the client will want a better one next year! One of the secrets to conference success is having someone who can hold everything together while adding extra value. Warwick Merry is an accomplished business person, exhibitor, performer, host and facilitator. His clients call him “Australia’s best MC”. Part of his continued success in the conference business is his authentic and engaging approach. As host, speaker, facilitator, MC, working with you to help plan the event or some combination of all of these, Warwick’s total focus is on your success. His experience working the breadth of Australia and around the globe in industries such as: IT, Financial, Manufacturing, Pharmaceutical, Entertainment, HR and Telecommunications means that you have experience on your side. Whether you are planning a gala dinner, a five day international

Ever Gonzalez is a serial entrepreneur and is currently the Co-Founder and CEO of Outlier, an online publication, physical coworking space, conference series, and podcast geared toward the dynamic community of startups and entrepreneurs. After years of working for others and being frustrated by how bosses can be sometimes, Ever felt he could do it better. After starting and selling several companies he now has Outlier and specializes in running events, hosting mastermind retreats, running a podcast, and other activities to help entrepreneurs find their path to success. In this episode Ever Gonzalez shares his journey and gives advice for those who want to create their own path. www.OutlierMagazine.co @_EverGonzalez @OutlierOnAir Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tim Storer leads strategic programs for Procter & Gamble, building ambitious organizations and creating collaborative external partnerships. He is also a board member for Siemen's PLM World. In this episode we talk about how attending industry events can be a "cheat code" for success in your business. Too often people struggle to reinvent the wheel, but those who are engaged with others in similar jobs, they can learn short cuts from each other. Tim has great advice for people who are going to attend events for the first time, as some people are naturally good at participating in conferences, while others are never noticed at all. The ROI of attending PLM World, or any conference, comes from planning ahead for conversations. Think of the areas you need to learn and have questions in your mind so that you can better navigate any encounter you have with other attendees or vendors/sponsors. Tim is passionate in his own career about innovating how organizations work and entrepreneurship in the corporate world.

Entrepreneurs often have to reassess their customer base, enter new markets and pivot the direction of their company. Jessica Pettitt has lived this several times in her business career. Jessica is a speaker and consultant in the world of colleges and universities who has recently added new clients in the corporate and association world. While being a speaker in one market might seem the same as presenting in others, the reality is that a major move to a new environment can be a lot of work. Jessica is an expert in diversity training and handling difficult situations in the workplace. She assists people within organizations to have conversations that matter and to get more done with the resources they have available now. In this episode she shares her entrepreneurial journey and gives advice for those who are both looking to pivot and who need to make changes in how they are dealing with any issues in their work environment. http://www.GoodEnoughNow.com http://www.JessicaPettitt.com Learn more about your

Josh Packard is a sociologist who studies institutional participation in America at the University of Northern Colorado. He focuses on religious, professional and voluntary associations. He is a sought after speaker and trainer for corporate, religious and non-profit organizations. His research has appeared in numerous academic and trade publications, and he is the author, with Ashleigh Hope, of Church Refugees. Josh is also the head of the Social Research Lab at the university. It is though this role that he gets to merge his academic career with his entrepreneurial side. In this episode Josh shares his journey to being both a researcher and an entrepreneur and gives valuable advice for anyone who wants to be more entrepreneurial in a more traditional job environment. http://www.joshpackard.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jon Jarrett is the director of engineering technology and systems at Orbital ATK. When others say their job is not "rocket science"....Jon's job is rocket science. In this episode Jon shares his successful career journey and talks about how being entrepreneurial inside a job is key to success. He has held a variety of positions in his career, and discusses the importance of mentors and networking. Jon is also on the board of PLM World. PLM World is an independent, not-for-profit organization, with the mission of being the voice of the user in providing an open forum for the exchange of ideas within the Siemens Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) Software product environment. Being involved in an industry group has proved to be paramount to the success that Jon has found in his career. In this conversation he talks about how he got involved, why he continues to be engaged in the organization, and ways that attendees at the 2016 PLM World Conference (or those attending any event) can maximize their experience

Michael O'Neal was guest number seven on the "Cool Things Entrepreneurs Do" Podcast. He is continuing to do great things as a leader in the world of podcasting, and his show is has continued to be a top ranked business podcast. In this episode Michael shares his thoughts on being a solopreneur, and tells more of his own journey to success. He founded his podcast as a way to reach people and talk with people in a variety of industries. His show has not only become a core part of his business, but it has opened up countless doors and allowed him to build his network and brand. It is rarely easy to be a solopreneur. There are many upsides, but there is many tough parts as well. His efforts to reach success has taken a long time. You cannot just create courses to get rich on a new platform without having experience. Too many people jump on the band wagon of Periscope (or other new tools) and try to sell classes on how to get rich, without having ever gotten rich using that tool. Michael would not want to be la

Julia Taylor Cheek is the CEO and Co-Founder of EverlyWell, a digital health startup that offers consumer-ordered diagnostic tests and easy-to-read results. Prior to founding Everly Well in summer 2015, Julia was the Vice President of Corporate Development and Strategy at MoneyGram International, a $1.5B company that operates in 200 countries. As the youngest VP in the company, she worked for MoneyGram’s CFO for several years, leading multiple corporate transactions, restructuring projects, and special projects for the CEO. Before that, she served as the founding Director of Strategy and Operations at the George W. Bush Institute and played a key role in building the organization from just a handful of employees to the Presidential Center that you see today at Southern Methodist University.After attending Vanderbilt, Julia started her career in management consulting at Deloitte and went on to earn an MBA with high distinction from Harvard Business School. She also is a former multiple World Champion equestria

Brian Kurth is the founder and CEO of Revere Software (http://www.GetRevere.com). He and his company work with associations, alumni associations, large non-profits and corporations to connect knowledge seekers with subject matter experts.In 2001 Brian was in traffic wondering if there was a better way than fighting the uphill battle of the "corporate grind". A year later he started his first company. Today, with his third business, he loves the freedom. He is excited about Revere and what they bring to their clients, and you can tell in hearing his story that he has a true passion for being and entrepreneur. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Eliz Greene is an expert helping people get past being busy and stressed while helping them become more productive.She comes from a family of entrepreneurs, as both her parents owned small businesses, and her first jobs were working in each of those companies. After college she spent time in the insurance business and non-profit sector, but soon launched out on her own to start a dance studio.In 2000 everything changed. Eliz suffered a massive heart attack while 7 months pregnant with twins. Both she and her daughters survived, but it changed her life forever. For more than a decade Eliz has been a leading expert educating people on heart health and how to manage stress. Through her work she discovered there was little data on job stress and the different ways men and women deal with the pressures of work and life. Eliz Greene has now embarked on a multi-phase study and the results are fascinating. She now speaks to association and corporate audiences on managing stress and handling the facade of work / life

Bejan Faramarzi was born in Boston and raised in San Antonio. He went to UT Austin where he started off in Business and Pre-pharmacy. After taking an improv class and meeting a fellow filmmaker, he became passionate about film and he graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a degree in Theater. He then went on to shoot films in Los Angeles, New York, Montreal and is now primarily based out of Austin, Texas.This is a great episode as you can hear his passion for being a film maker and he has great stories about his journey.His company, Space Fire Films is in the process of making their first feature length project. In addition to having a new start up, he is also raising money to produce the film (Check out the kickstarter campaign. https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/892229852/chasing-unicorns.... Thom invested right after the interview)No matter your industry you can be inspired by those entrepreneurs who have a passion for their field of work. Bejan is a great example of someone we will look b

The world of work is changing. With upwards of 50% of the workforce moving to contractors or solopreneurs, what do people need to know?Marc Miller is the founder of Career Pivot which helps Baby Boomers design careers they can grow into for the next 30 years. Marc authored the book Repurpose Your Career: A Practical Guide for Baby Boomers published in January 2013. He also authored the book Personal Branding for Baby Boomers: What it is, How to Manage It and Why It’s No Longer Optional in September 2015. He has been featured on Forbes.com, US News and World Report, CBS Money-Watch and PBS’ Next Avenue. Career Pivot was selected for the Forbes Top 100 Websites for your Career. Marc has made six career pivots himself, serving in several positions at IBM in addition to working at two successful Austin, Texas startups, teaching math in an inner-city high school and working for a local non-profit. Learn more about Marc and Career Pivot by visiting the Career Pivot Blog or follow Marc on Twitter, Facebook, or Linke

April 1, 2009 I was laid off from my corporate marketing job. It was the height of the great recession and other employment options were non-existent. On that day I decided to follow my dream of self-employment and begin my creating my own career path that would not tie my future job status to someone else's company. Becoming a professional speaker and master of ceremonies was a long-time dream, and something I had planned to eventually pursue. With a young family to support, making such a leap had seemed too scary, but with no other employment options I began to build my own solopreneur existence, and I have never looked back. As the job market continues to be awkward, there are more and more people who are making the move to becoming solopreneurs (some by choice, others by circumstance). This is not an easy existence, and while I have worked hard and had some great opportunities, each day I start over at the bottom of the hill. I have learned a lot in seven years. Here a few important lessons I have disco

Justin Christianson is the best selling author of Conversion Fanatic: How to double your customers, sales and profits with A/B testing and is a 13 year veteran of digital marketing having worked on hundreds of profitable campaigns. A self proclaimed numbers junky with a firm belief that the numbers don’t lie, has a knack for finding holes in marketing campaigns and offering simple solutions to quickly plug them, effectively improving the results. An avid student of marketing and business, he firmly believes that you must continue to improve daily in order to stay ahead and succeed.In this episode of Cool Things Entrepreneurs Do he shares his personal journey from a small town electrician to digital entrepreneur. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Patrick Jovin is part of an entrepreneurial family. Mom, dad, brothers, a cousin, and his fiance are all working together. Thom called them "The Partridge Family of Entrepreneurship"ogether they run Tropiceel and market the Naturulz natural pain products.As he grew up his parents were always running and growing companies, so it made sense for Patrick and his brothers to join the family business. As a kid he chased the dream of being a professional golfer, but today he is an entrepreneur who is taking a small business and making it a much much bigger company. This episode the shares the journey and how they are growing their company and taking their products national.http://www.tropiceel.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Chris Thompson is a dynamic personality, endurance athlete and CEO of truBrain, a venture-backed neurotechnology startup and developer of the world’s first nootropic drink. He built the company based on productivity, and has a great story about transitioning from a corporate executive position into the world of startups. He is a perfect guest for a show like "Cool Things Entrepreneurs Do".Chris discusses his journey and shares amazing tips on entrepreneurship. He's a true example and disciple of the Lean Startup Methodology coined by Silicon Valley Icon, Eric Ries. Chris started truBrain in an accelerator, assembled a team of neuroscientists, and launched a product in 5 countries all within the first month. truBrain is designed to help provide better focus, increased mental stamina and improved verbal fluency. Tune into episode 161 to hear about Chris Thompson, truBrain, and his best advice for what you can do to become a strong and driven entrepreneur. http://www.trubrain.com Learn more about your ad choices

Mike Dilbeck is the founder of Response Ability - A Call for Courage. He is a speaker, trainer and consultant who helps people find the ability to respond to any social situation by going beyond our fear and shame to demonstrate courage in momentary choices — In organizations. In business. In community. In life. — For colleagues. For family. For friends. For strangers.Mike was guest number two on "Cool Things Entrepreneurs Do" in October 2014. To learn more about his journey, go back and hear that interview.On this episode Mike shares a personal challenge that he is currently facing, and it is one that all entrepreneurs, solopreneurs, and other business leaders should listen to. In January 2016 Mike was diagnosed with cancer. He has undergone one surgery and is preparing for another. As a solopreneur, who is also single, this diagnosis was scary and would leave anyone feeling very alone. Mike is dealing with the realities and the fear associated with the disease, but is also learning that he is not alone.This

There is more to networking than sending a LinkedIn request or reading someone's SnapChat. Real relationships lead to opportunity, but too often in business we get stuck at pre-judging the value of others and we fail to cultivate long-term and mutually-beneficial connections.In this episode Thom Singer talks about the how and why of getting more engaged in the association and business events that we attend. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Motivation and inspiration matter for entrepreneurs, solopreneurs, business leaders and anyone else. The idea of motivating employees gets push back, as people think that the whole idea is fluffy. Remember Chris Farley on Saturday Night Live and his skit about the motivational speaker who lived in a van down by the river? It was funny, but it did damage to the idea of motivation and the profession of motivational speakers. Many like to lambaste the concept of motivation and inspiration... but I believe it matters.What is the opposite of motivation? De-motivation? So those who think motivation is useless.... are you seeking the opposite? While a motivation speech or an inspirational book wont forever change your life, consistent doses of things that fire you up will help you stay on track to reach your long-term success.In this episode Thom Singer shares his personal struggles with staying motivated and dealing with issues that keep him from performing at his best. He also shares six tips to help you get focus