I don’t think that there is an entrepreneur on the face of the planet that doesn’t understand the challenges of starting-up a new company. Most startups are faced with a myriad of issues, not to mention one of the biggest issues of finding capital to drive the new venture forward.

I recently had the pleasure of interviewing Hap Klopp the founder of North Face, about his new book entitled “Almost-12 Electric Months Chasing A Silicon Valley Dream“. Our interview is a must listen too for those who are in business, and especially if you might be seeking funding for your new venture. His book tells the story about the issues that a company by the name of “Ardica” in the Silicon Valley had in finding funds, and the dynamics of the personalities working in the business. Hap, was the marketing director and was on the board of directors of Ardica. It is a wonderfully told story about a group of very bright engineers attempting to revolutionize the energy business, and in the process finding obstacles at almost every intersection partially due to the disfunction of the organization and the other as a result of a cash burn rate that was exceeding income.

I hope you will take the time to listen to this great interview with Hap Klopp about his new book “Almost-12 Electric Months Chasing A Silicon Valley Dream.” If you want more information about Hap please click here to be linked to a great article from the Stanford Business School.  You can also learn more about Ardica by clicking here to visit their website.

 

There is lots of talk today about the power of authenticity, and rightfully so.  We see the topic being discussed throughout the political campaigning that we are experiencing, and unfortunately we don’t see our current top running candidates for the presidential election showing high levels of authenticity.   As sad as that might seem, “authenticity” seems to be conspicuously absent from this presidential campaign.

In my recent interview with author Karissa Thacker about her book “The Art of Authenticity” we discuss the four components that form the basis of authenticity as a leader.

First, is self-awareness-motivation and values are individual and distinctive.  This level of authenticity requires that one really wants, what is important and why.  The second is “balanced processing–this is a skill of blending thought process with the thought processes of others without a bias one’s own view. ( I really believe this is missing with that unnamed candidate for president.)  Third, is relational transparency–when it comes to building a genuine relationship with people, transparency is critical.  Authentic leaders allow themselves to evolve, grow, and experiment regarding their personal transparency.  Lastly, is internal moral perspective–authentic leaders are students of human nature in general and experts on the peculiarities of their own particular more nature. The keep their own unique internal GPS system activated as they deal with day-to-day pressures.

If you are a leader in your organization and wanting to learn more about the keys to being more authentic then I would highly recommend that you read Karissa Thacker new book “The Art of Authenticity“.  You can learn more by visiting her website by clicking here, or you can go to the book Facebook page by clicking here.

I hope you enjoy this lively interview with Karissa Thacker about “The Art of Authenticity“.

 

Once in awhile you run across a book that can change the course of your life, and “Start Here” certainly has the ability to do just that.

I recently had the honor of interviewing Nate Klemp, PhD the co-author of a new book entitled “Start Here” and we had a lively discussion about the book and the practices that are incorporated into the book and hopefully become part of the readers daily routine.

We start our interview off by discussing the “happiness set point”, yes we all have one and we have the opportunity to re-set our happiness set point as Nate explains in our interview.  The key to resetting our set point is understanding the three set point forces.  The first one is “judgement” and is the mind’s tendency to divide the inner and outer world into categories–good/bad, right/wrong, like/dislike.  The second one is “attachement“. Is it the mind’s tendency to approach or cling to pleasurable thoughts, beliefs, or sensations.  And the third is “resistance“.  This is the mind’s tendency to fight or flee from painful sensations, experiences, or situations.   These three set point forces can certainly be monitored, managed and can have an amazing effect on your level of happiness.

The foundation of well being revolves around three stages, train, be and do.  These three stages make up the foundation of the Life-XT program that is outlined in “Start Here”.  The training stage consists of meditation, movement and inquiry. The “Be” stage consists of presence, gratitude and compassion; and the “Do” stage consists of engagement, relationship, and contribution.  While these words don’t do justice to explaining the entire Life-XT program it does provide you with the elements included in the program.  If you want to learn more please click here to be directed to the website for Life-XT.  You can also click here to be directed to the Facebook page for the book.

I hope you enjoy this great interview with author Nate Klemp, PhD about his new book “Start Here-A Groundbreaking Science-Based Program for Emotional Fitness.”

Most of us are aware that branding ourselves  or our companies can be a challenging task.  It is as if there is a magic formula that when you have the correct ingredients your company can blast off into the stratosphere where customers are clamoring to subscribe to your service or purchase your products.

David Tyreman has authored a book entitled “World Famous-How to Create a Kick-Ass Brand.  David has worked with some of the biggest companies like Banana Republic, Nordstrom, Macy’s, Nike and many others.  In my interview with David we explore the components that are required to create a kick-ass brand.  David explains there are five of them and they are:  1) Dare 2) Learn Why People Buy 3) A Defined Differentiation 4) Adding Value 5) Ready, Set Engage.  These steps make up the roadmap for someone wanting to develop their brand.

We also discuss the power of a super niche, defining what you do best and not spreading yourself too thin that your customers are confused by your offering or service.   You also need to be concerned and do you research on the demographics and psychographics of your target customer.  Remember not everyone is your customer, so develop a plan and research your customer profile so you know what makes them tick.

David is a master at helping people brand themselves or their company.  His book “World Famous-How to Create a Kick-Ass Brand” is loaded with stories, examples and advice that can assist both the newbie or the experienced marketer.

I would recommend that you check out David Tyremen at his website by clicking here.  World Famous also has a great branding course that you might want to consider taking.  If you are interested finding out more about the course please email David at david@worldfamouscompany.com.

 

How many of you have ever experimented with mind mapping?  If you haven’t explored mind mapping, then you are in for a real treat in listening to this interview with Chris Griffiths the author of “GRASP the Solution“.

Chris is a thought leader and the person who alongside  Tony Buzan has accelerated the use of mind mapping into the business world, and continues to be a pioneer.  OpenGenius his organization based in England are the software developers of two amazing pieces of software called iMindMap 9 and Drop Task along with numerous training courses.

In my interview with Chris about his book “GRASP the Solution” we discuss what gets in the way of people tapping their creative genius.  Chris states that creativity can be learned, and it is not something that is foster in the business world, even though businesses always say they are looking for more creative and innovative people.  As a matter of fact it’s the people that are putting out the fires and jumping from one task to another that get the most attention, while the people that are thinkers, and are tapping their creative genius are frequently overlooked.

The acronym GRASP stand for the four types of thinking that are the foundation to how one approaches a particular task.  “Generative Thinking-is how we generate thoughts and ideas, Reactive Thinking-is how we react to existing influences and ideas, Analytical Thinking-is how we analyze ideas to reach a solution, Selective Thinking-is how we validate and implement a potential solution, Proactive Thinking-is the strategy of thinking that utilizes all of the previous types of thinking.

Mind Mapping is the technique invented by Tony Buzan for optimizing how we use our brains.  It is a visual format that is not linear that supports the creative problem solving skills, making is more intuitive and easy to capture our thoughts while mapping them visually.  This process can be completed on a big sheet of paper, or can be captured through software such as iMindMap 9 and or Drop Task.  Below is an image showing you an example of the iMind Map 9 and Drop Task screenshots.

imindmap_computer_screens

 

I hope you enjoy this wonderful interview with author and thought leader Chris Griffiths.  If you want to find more about OpenGenius and the software and trainings that are offered please click here to be directed to the website.  If you want to join the Facebook group for OpenGenius please click here.

 

We all know that telling the truth is an important attribute and quality in a person.  The question is do we tell the truth at work? If not what are you afraid of?  If so, congratulations it is truly a lacking commodity in corporate America.

In my interview with author Mindy Mackenzie about her new book entitled “The Courage Solution-The Power of Truth Telling with Your Boss, Peers, and Team.”  We discuss the importance of telling the truth and how embracing this in the culture of an organization really makes a difference in almost everything that happens with all the stakeholders of the company.

Mindy states ” with truth telling being the commodity in shortest supply in corporate America today, “The Courage Solution” challenges business professionals to take deceptively simple actions that require vulnerability and courage, which will dramatically improve their impact on the job while increasing their happiness and fulfillment.  It is built on the simple truth that the only thing you can reliably change or control at any company is yourself’.”

There are four key areas that the book focuses on, and they are 1) You First-it offers techniques to take ownership and accountability for creating a career and life you love. 2) Lead Your Boss describes proven techniques to transform your relationship with your boss. 3) Lead your Peers provides methods for accelerating positive peer relationships to improve business results.  4) Lead your Team give approaches for generating and creating the most effective teams and having more fun while doing it.

If you want more information about author Mindy Mackenzie and her new book “The Courage Solutionjust click here to be directed to her website.  I hope you enjoy this interview about how to tell the truth and make a difference in your company, with your peers and your boss.

 

Do you own a business?  Are you thinking about venturing out and becoming an entrupauner?  Then you need to listen to this podcast with author John Warrillow and our discuss about his new book entitled “Built to Sell-Creating a Business that Can Thrive Without You.”  I know many of your reading this might be thinking, wouldn’t that be great.  According to John having a business that will thrive without you, is entirely possible.

John’s book revolves around a parable about an advertising agency where the owner is doing many of the wrong things to attain the ultimate of having a business that will thrive without him.  He meet a business guru who provides him with some sound advice, and his business starts to turn around.  Are you wondering what some of that advice was?

Well, here you go:

Tip#1, Don’t generalize;specialize. If you focus on doing one thing well and hire specialists in that area, the quality of your work will improve and you will stand out among the competitors.

Tip#2, Relying too heavily on one client is risky and will turn off potential buyers of your business.  Make sure that no one client makes up more than 15% of your revenue.  

Tip #3, Owning a process make it easier to pitch and puts you in control.  Be clear about what you are selling, and potential customers will be more likely to buy your product.

Tip#4, Don’t become synonymous with your company.  If buyers aren’t confident that your business can run without you in charge, they won’t make their best offer.

Tip#5, Avoid the cash suck. Once you’ve standardized your service, charge up front or use progress billing to create a positive cash flow cycle.

If you are looking to create greater value for your customers, and develop a business that is salable at the highest price then I highly recommend that you listen to my interview with author and businessman John Warrillow “Built to Sell“.  His advice and wisdom when it comes to developing a business that is salable and can thrive without you being present are extremely important to you not becoming a slave to your business.  I see to many people that this happens to, and it does not have to be the case if you develop your personal blueprint and follow John’s advice.

If you want more information about the book and John’s company click here for Value Builders System, or please click here to be directed to the book website.

I hope you enjoy this wonderful interview with someone who can lift most business people out of the doldrums of being chained to their businesses.

 

It seems as if in North America 90% of the population is either on a diet or considering some new fangled solution to shed those extra pounds.  Is it more exercise and less calories as we have been told for years.  It is less carbohydrates and more protein.  Regardless of the strategy you are using according to my Yuri Elkaim the author of a new book entitled “The All-Day Fat-Burning Diet” we need to reset our bodies metabolism.

Yes, we have heard this advice before as well, but not in conjunction with what Yuri refers to as a 5 day food cycling formula which includes one day of fasting.  In Yuri’s book he discusses what he refers to as “Fat Triggers”.

Fat Trigger #1: Allergenic Foods that Cause Inflammation.  What are they usually they are dairy and gluten, Yuri say that everyone that eliminates these foods from their diet will see a change in their waistline.

Fat Trigger#2: A Sedentary Lifestyle and Exercise Extremism.  Keep your body moving, but not too much.  In other words exercise is very important for your overall bodies health, but excessive exercise is unnecessary and can have adverse effects.

Fat Trigger #3 Toxins.  Toxins have an inverse relationship with thyroid hormone function, so as levels of toxins in the body go up, levels of biologically active thyroid hormone, T3, go down.

Fat Trigger #4: Deadly Belly Bugs.  Your gut health is the biggest determining factor of your overall health.  Microorganisms communicate with your immune system to help keep you healthy.  Dysbiosis, is the imbalance of good to bad bacteria–this is a big problem in today’s excessively celan, sugar-laden and antibiotic happy world.

Fat Trigger #5: Sugar Overload.  Sugar makes you fat because it’s quickly broken down and its glucose component spikes your blood sugar.  As a result, insulin is released to remove all the excess sugar from the blood, and it’s stored in your muscles, liver, and fat cells.

Fat Trigger #6: Too Much “Frankenfood”.  Much of our ultimate behavior has to do with dopamine centers in the brain.  Dopamine is a neurotransmitter intimately involved with rewards which leads us to choose the wrong foods that are high in fat and calories but with little nutritional value.

If you are interested in learning more about Yuri’s “All-Day Fat-Burning Diet” I would recommend that you click here to be directed to Yuri’s website.  You can also follow Yuri and Facebook by clicking here.

I hope you enjoy this wonderful interview with Yuri Elkaim a holistic nutritionist who really has a formula that keeps you healthy and losing weight.

 

There is not a person working in business or starting a business that is not looking to find ways and techniques to become more productive.  Most of us have heard David Allen and his process called Getting Things Done, and believe me this system if implemented and followed works wonderfully.

I recently was introduced to Ben Elijah the author of “The Productivity Habits“.  Ben has been studying how we as human beings interact with information.  In other words how we manage information as it comes across our transit.

In his new book  “The Productivity Habits” you will learn ways to capture, process and use the right tools to organize and archive the information so is can be retrieved when you want it, where you want it and how you want it.   As Ben writes ” Productivity is not about how much stuff you’re able to produce, how smart you’re able to work or your ability to juggle lots of spinning plates.  Nor is it your ability to succeed at a job that you hate.  Rather, it’s a matter of mastery and perspective.  Mastery over yourself and your resources, and the perspective to decide what’s truly important to what deserves your attention.”   

If you are feeling overwhelmed with your work and processing project after project, then you will want to read Ben’s new book “The Productivity Habits“.  It is a simple read, as a matter of fact you can probably read it in one setting.  The book is part of Lid Publishing series called Concise Advice for business people that are time bound.

Please check out Ben’s website and blog by clicking here, or visit his Twitter posts by clicking here.  I hope you enjoy our interview together, and here is to you being more productive yet with more happiness in your life!!!!!