Jody has risen to the highest levels of her company ladder, but she's frustrated that she's been getting passed over for promotion to the C-Suite. She's done the work, brought innovative ideas to the table, and has seniority over all but the CEO and COO of the company. It doesn't make sense that she is not being considered for advancement. This is a perfect situation in which to call Fran Gallaher. Fran is an intuitive guide who helps individuals and organizations supplement their data, logic, and rationale with information that may be discouraged or ignored due to being outside the realm of normal business convention. Fran teaches people how to access and understand their own inner senses as they navigate their way through making their best decisions for themselves and their organizations. She also offers professional intuitive services as a coach and consultant. In this episode, we explore topics like: ** Identifying and using your inner senses. ** Being willing to tr...

This year I released a handful of new courses and have had over 300 people join my Teachable school. After some recent pricing and service changes announced by Teachable, I've made the difficult decision to leave their service and host my courses on another platform. I'm working on the last-minute details of that switch and will be sending out announcements to all my subscribers as soon as I have a place for you to access your courses. This trend of slashing services and increasing prices has been popular in the SaaS world this year. I've had four of my primary Saas subscriptions do a similar thing, and I'll be leaving all of them as soon as my current subscription period is over. As a business owner, I know that business models are evolving things, and they change as the market demands. But when you change your business model, don't piss off your existing customers. My business model is also changing, but I've made it a point to get feedback from the clients I...

A few years before her 18-year corporate HR career ended, Laura Livingston started allowing herself extended time off to travel. As her travels unfolded, she became aware of a growing need and vision for her life to undergo a radical change, but she wasn't exactly sure what that change needed to be. While still working full-time, she started to explore other interests and experiences to see if any of them would show themselves to be her next direction. When her career came to an end due to a layoff, she leapt into an ongoing process of self-discovery through serving others as a yoga instructor, then hypnotherapist, then gradually working into her current role as a mindset and transition coach. In this interview, we talk about the following: ** Leaving a job you love. ** Giving yourself time to explore. ** Growing comfortable with a new role and title. ** Feeling guilty about not feeling satisfied. ** and Navigating life changes through strategic pivoting. To learn more about Laura,...

I was reminded today of one of my favorite podcast interviews. Bronwyn Jane is an intuitive and medium who shares life insights and messages with people that come to her through her intuitive senses.  In this segment, we talk about the difficulty some people experience when accepting payment for using their gifts. Bronwyn shares her experience of learning to acknowledge the value of what she does and finding a rate that helped her clients perceive her work with the highest value. The entire interview is available here: https://www.franklintaggart.com/2022/06/honoring-your-own-gifts-bronwyn-jane.html . More information about Bronwyn and her services can be found at https://BronwynJaneMedium.com #pricing #value #worth 

From a struggling single mom to escaping a 13-year narcissistic abusive relationship, Sabrina’s tenacity and optimistic spirit have inspired fans worldwide and helped endless amounts of people break through and discover their own untapped talents and immense potential. Now, creator and CEO of Human Better 365, a human transformation company, creator of the Her Version Podcast, and founder of the Sober Society Community. Speaker, entrepreneur, and author. Today on Your Own Best Company, Sabrina shares her compelling and sometimes terrifying personal story ending on a note of hope and triumph.  Listen to her talk about: ** Her journey from fear to courage and confidence. ** Ignoring red flags and the experience of self-blame. ** The tension between leaving and staying. ** Becoming financially independent. ** Piecing together an escape plan. ** Evolving a coaching business. And more... You can find more information about Sabrina, her programs and services, Her Version, The Sober Socie...

A few weeks ago I interviewed Michael Roderick, an impresario and media maker who I've grown to admire and appreciate. He sends out almost daily emails featuring his thinking on certain topics, and one of his recent messages really struck me. The title was Why a Lot of "Hits" Miss. While we creators like to think we're making something everyone in the world will need and appreciate, the decision is not ours to make. Micheal correctly points out that the market is the decider about what will gain widespread attention, acceptance, and acclaim.  His encouragement is for the creators to engage in the hard work of iteration instead of toiling to determine what the market wants and then create for that. Sadly, that formula rarely produces anything except what has already been popular. My encouragement is to pay more attention to your own resonance as a creator. Make the things that make you tingle, and then share them. I think the only aspect of the hitmaking process the cr...

I was asked today about my greatest concerns for the future. Climate change is obvious and urgent, but there's another future concern I have that is equally urgent. Artificial Intelligence. In recent weeks, we've all seen some of the new capabilities of artificial intelligence to both create interesting images (Lensa), and to respond accurately in conversations with humans to answer increasingly complex questions ( ChatGPT ). More applications like these come to market every day, and the greatest concern I have about this is the long-term impact tools like this will have on economies as more and more human labor is replaced by machines. This isn't a new concern, but the urgency surrounding this technological revolution is one that will affect more sectors of labor than any other, including creative industries, medicine, law, and business. Human labor is one of the fundamental ways we participate in the economy. If this ability to participate is removed from even as much as ...

We all have beliefs and behaviors we carry through our lives that can become saboteurs in certain situations. These internal saboteurs can be problematic when they keep people from reaching important goals and outcomes, and they can infect teams with defensiveness and mistrust, eroding relationships as they go. Our favorite organizational psychologist, Dr. Joanie Connell is back to give us some insight about these saboteurs, and she's offering a program that helps individuals and teams recognize their saboteurs and the stress that triggers them, and allow people to have more freedom to choose their responses instead of habitually reacting. If you're interested in identifying your saboteurs, there is an assessment available at https://positiveintelligence.com Joanie can be reached at https://flexibleworksolutions.com and on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/joanieconnell/ #positiveintelligence #organizationalpsychology #selfsabotage 

I drive vehicles until they can no longer be driven. I've had a 2000 Ford van in my driveway that hasn't been started in over a year. I could sell it for parts, but finding a buyer takes time and energy I don't have right now, so what to do? Vehicles for Charity makes that a no-brainer. I filled out an online form, received a confirmation call the next morning, scheduled the tow, and had the title and let's ready for the driver. With less than an hour of my time invested, my favorite community radio station will now be getting the proceeds from the auction of my old wheels. If you're in Northern Colorado and want to donate your vehicle, learn more at https://vehiclesforcharity.org . #charitablegiving #donate #taxdeductions 

 Many years ago, I was working with a spiritual teacher who challenged pretty much everything I said.  All the beliefs I grew up with and my biases were fair game. This deconstruction didn't happen in a violent or abusive way; in fact, there was a gentleness in how it was carried out that I appreciate to this day. This morning's inspiring conversation brought that situation to mind again. Our psychological conditioning is a powerful psychological mechanism that insures our survival, but there also seems to be an evolutionary imperative to grow beyond the life we were conditioned to have. While the conversation this morning was primarily centered on deconstructing prejudice and biases, my reflections afterward threw many more sacred cows under the bus.  Beliefs about who I am and how life is, and how the world is supposed to work all can be called into question and brought to greater scrutiny in the light of awareness.  For me, the value of coaching has been a safe pl...

I always enjoy my conversations with my good friend Dr. Joanie Connell. If you haven't heard the Reinventing nerds podcast, this is a good time to check it out. We had a fun chat about the pros and cons of working alone. Listen, subscribe, and if you like it, review!

In the past few years, my participation on Facebook and other social media platforms has shifted from content creation and sharing to more group participation and looking for opportunities for discussion, service, and meaningful interaction. This has been liberating. In the old model, I'd spend hours creating content to share, hoping it would reach enough people and stimulate enough likes and shares to be picked up by the algorithm for more people to see. I did social media this way for many years until I went through a period of burnout. Looking back on all that activity, I learned some important lessons. First, the content creation didn't amount to much more than busy work when I looked at the overall return I received from my time investment. Playing the algorithm and going viral was a losing proposition in gaining business. The one area that had a high payoff was Facebook groups. I tried hosting my own for a while, but that didn't get off the ground, mostly because I di...

One week after the 9/11 attacks, I released my first and only music CD, Falling All The Way. I had hoped that would launch some of my best musical years. Life had other plans. Today, we're remembering our daughter Sarah Grace who was born 19 years ago. After ten miraculous days with us, she departed for the great beyond and we were left to pick up the pieces. That was just the beginning. This year, I've had friends face illness, deaths of loved ones, loss of jobs and businesses, and other major life events. In the midst of these hard times, I've seen them rally and dig to new depths within themselves to make it through to the next scene. Resilience is built into our mechanisms. We need to take care of ourselves and each other. #lifeevents #loss #planning 

As a solopreneur consultant, Reuben Swartz found that the learning curve and the frustration he experienced trying to adapt off-the-shelf enterprise customer relationship management software made his marketing and selling experience much less than enjoyable. As he started to put together tools of his own to track and manage his customer relationships, he started to look forward to his sales calls, and the friction he'd experienced with the larger software packages dissolved. As he showed people his new systems, he discovered there was a product opportunity there, and Mimiran was born. Mimiran is the "Anti-CRM" designed specifically for solopreneurs that will help you track your sales process and make your customer contacts easier to manage and much more enjoyable. It also allows relationship-based solopreneurs to prioritize conversations that lead to long-term connections and opportunities. In this episode, we talk about: ** The foundation of any relationship-based busine...

I've interviewed over 150 podcast guests and been a guest on a few dozen. Most of the people I've interviewed have been stellar, but occasionally I have people on the show who don't turn out so great. This episode answers the FAQ - How can I be a great podcast guest? I keep forgetting that common sense isn't common, so some of these things will seem like 'duh' moments for some of you. If that's the case, you are probably already a good guest. Here are some nugs: ** Do your research and make it thorough. ** Present yourself in the best, most positive way. No slackers. ** Don't waste the host's time. ** Follow the submission guidelines to the letter. More in the video. Thanks to Interact Quizzes, Jessmyn Solana and the Creator Stories Podcast for the opportunity to be your guest! Want to watch? Go here: https://youtu.be/NFGb7WuD1IE Want to join Cat Stancik's Lead Boss Mixer? Podcast host and guest speed networking coming up the second Friday in Dec...

If you want to save a ton of money as an entrepreneur, I have one suggestion. Learn how to sell. Don't just read the book. Practice selling. Practice until you feel as natural in a sales role as when you're having a casual conversation with a friend. Why? Because many of the people I've coached have spent tens of thousands of dollars on things they think will do the selling for them, but those things don't do the job. In essence, they've paid to avoid the thing they're intimidated by or afraid of. These wastes of money could have been avoided by confronting their fear and learning how to feel confident in selling. If you're struggling with telling people about the things you are offering and why they need to buy them, let's have a session. It's easy to set up. Click https://bit.ly/BestNextStepCall and schedule your free one-hour coaching session now. It will make and save you a ton of cash. #marketing #sales #confidence 

Anyone who's followed me for a long time knows I teach people how to market their business by delivering valuable and memorable experiences. Last week, I welcomed Cat Stancik back to Your Own Best Company for a discussion of something she's been developing called Fireworks Experiences. After our interview, I attended her Fireworks Experience Workshop. This two-hour crash course will help you identify the kind of Firework Experience that fits your strengths and your client's focus. In one part of the workshop, Cat helped me clarify a new front-end marketing strategy I've been working on that made my idea many times better than it had originally been. I've already seen some exciting results. Here are some of our talking points: ** What is a Fireworks Experience? ** How Fireworks Experiences make better buyers. ** How Cat creates safe spaces where sales can happen more easily. ** Five types of buyers. ** Gaining the confidence to go off-script. We also shared our mutua...

The team is back together for a deep dive into the topic of deep work. The trigger for this conversation is this article Audrey found citing a study that suggested quiet quitting is directly related to the difficulty people have getting their work done. https://www.fastcompany.com/90801721/this-one-overlooked-factor-is-contributing-more-to-burnout-than-any-other This special Thanksgiving Day edition of Your Own Best Company brings Audrey Holst and Erica Holthausen back together around the virtual roundtable to explore our insights, understanding, and experience of the practice of deep work. Here are some of our stopping points: ** Finding your deep work rhythm. ** Booking time with yourself. ** Learning your own work patterns. ** The necessity of deep rest for the purpose of deep work. ** Making space for car problems and hurricanes. and more! Want to find Erica? https://catchlinecommunications.com Audrey? https://fortitudeandflow.com And we're all on LinkedIn, too. Happy Thanksgiv...

I can tell when I'm in a self-protecting frame of mind when my first reaction to ideas and opportunities is the list of reasons why I can't. I'm too old, it's too expensive, I can't afford it, it'll never work, etc. ad nauseum. I'm not one of the people who suggest that ego is a bad thing. It's just a self-preservation mechanism that we all have. Its size is commensurate to the wounding it's trying to heal or prevent. Not bad. But we're creatures designed for growth and expansion, so there's a natural tension between the life force urging us into a greater expression of ourselves and the coping mechanism that's developed to keep us from harm and total abandonment. This tension has to be resolved in times when we're considering bigger options for ourselves than we've allowed ourselves to have before. I've said before I'm a fan of lists. To people who have an automatic impulse to find reasons why they can't I prescribe m...

In our last visit with author and publisher Teresa Funke, we heard about her life and pandemic imposed sabbatical and how she knew her path was changing, but she wasn't sure how. In this episode, we find that she's reached a new place with very few conclusions but a new appreciation for not knowing yet what's ahead and being OK with it. Many creatives are entering a time of questioning and reflection, like Teresa. In this conversation, we hear from Teresa on the themes of: ** Knowing when the sabbatical has ended. ** The deeper questions that accompany stopping. ** Releasing old ways of doing things. ** Getting excited before new possibilities appear. ** Encouragement for the low times. and a practical way Teresa and her husband have found to make great literature available and accessible to kids who may not otherwise be exposed to it. Find Teresa at: https://burstsofbrilliance.com https://www.teresafunke.com/ And order her latest book, Bursts of Brilliance for a Creative L...

I've talked about shifting attention before and mentioned the limitations of my faith in self-assessments. The theme is back today as I remembered a presentation I gave last year called Changing Your mind About Marketing. That talk was inspired by my experience of creating a different experience of marketing and selling by changing my thinking about those activities. And changing my thinking didn't require repeated affirmations or years of meditation. It was simply a shift in attention. I stopped paying attention to my thinking, and my thinking automatically changed. The more recent inspiration for this topic was in two recent conversations with friends who had recently taken self-assessment tests like the Enneagram or Myers-Briggs. One of the challenges associated with these tests is that we convince ourselves that they reveal permanent truths about who we are when they actually reveal generalizations about our preferences. We're not limited to the experiences that the tes...

While searching for enriching activities for her children and family, Yat-Yee Chong discovered the martial art, Tae Kwon Do. While her family eventually left the practice behind, Yat-Yee found that she had both an aptitude and an attraction to the sport. In 2020, after multiple black belts and a 2015 World Championship win, Mrs. Chong has taken her passion for Tae Kwon Do and opened her own studio. Yat-Yee opened Axon Martial Arts Academy in Loveland, Colorado with the vision of teaching individuals and families this martial art she has mastered. Starting from shared spaces with dance studios and gyms, Yat-Yee began offering classes a few times each week, fitting them in between the schedules of the programs she shared facilities with. Last Saturday, she reached a milestone in her business with the grand opening of her new space on Loveland's North side. This Coffee Break celebrates Yat-Yee and her vision, persistence, and grit. If you live in Northern Colorado and are looking for ...

In this "Best of" clip from Your Own Best Company, Silver Paw Studio Pet Photographer Monique Eckes shares her idea for a book-centered marketing project called NoCo for Doggos. This week, we share the excitement of the book's release and send congrats to Monique for yet another vision realized. If you are a pet photographer or would like to take better pictures of your pets, see Monique's Pro Pet Photog YouTube Channel here: https://www.youtube.com/c/SilverPawStudioFortCollins If you're in Northern Colorado and you'd like to book a session with Monique for your pet, please visit https://silverpawstudio.com And if you'd like to watch the whole interview with Monique for more creative inspiration, go here: https://youtu.be/4R_xVSWfOx0 #petphotography #professionalphotographer #northerncolorado 

In part 1 of this episode, Andrew Rogers of Human Design Solutions told his own story of journey and discovery. In part 2, he will explain the Human Design body graph chart using Franklin's as an example. Part 1 is available here: https://youtu.be/YAvC6NLY02I If you'd like to get your free Human Design Report, visit: https://www.humandesignsolutions.com/free-reports/ Connect with Andrew on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-rogers-hds/ #humandesign #manifestinggenerator #business 

Andrew Rogers started his career as a management accountant, where his analytical skills were put to good use. Five years into that path, he realized that he wanted something different that would allow him to travel. A random conversation with a housemate led to a decision to see Australia. Serendipitous events have opened doors for him ever since and ultimately led him to explore meditation and, later, Human Design, a profound understanding of how humans operate in the world. His interest in Human Design has motivated him to be trained in its methods and interpretations, which has led to his recent decision to open a consultancy to help businesses and organizations benefit from understanding how team members are born to operate. In part 1 of this episode, Andy tells his own story of journey and discovery. In part 2, he will explain the body graph chart using Franklin's as an example. Part 2 of this episode is here: https://youtu.be/aSFoHOPrcw8 If you'd like to get your free Hu...

I mentioned the Clients Everywhere workshop the other day, and one of the activities that tend to be most surprising - Communicating Your Specialty. There were some questions floating around about that today, so I wanted to say a bit more. Talking about what we do can be confusing and frustrating because of a few inherent challenges and a persistent belief. Starting with the belief - many of us assume that people aren't really interested in what we do. And we may have some experiences that seemingly back up that assumption. But I've come to challenge it. I believe we can make our descriptions of what we do both compelling and interesting if we take the time to think more deeply about how we talk about it, and then practice telling our own story. Building a StoryBrand, by Donald Miller is one of the best resources I've found for this and he helps people construct memorable stories about their business in a variety of sizes for a wide range of contexts. As we gain comfort and...

The holiday shopping season is starting in earnest now that Halloween has passed. Before you spend a ton of money on Black Friday deals and e-commerce that takes your money well outside the local area, consider making significant purchases from creative people you know. There are many reasons to consider, but these are my tops: ** It's validating for the person you buy from and helps them feel valued. ** More of your money stays in the local economy, supporting more than just one business. ** It's an investment in your local culture. Without your investment, your hometown loses it's character and soul. Make a list of creative people you know and prioritize buying from them. Do this before Black Friday and make it a bigger priority every year. If you don't know any creative people, please change that. Start hanging out at galleries, museums, concerts, readings, and anywhere else creative people show up where you live. We all thank you! #holidayshopping #buyart #localcult...

In this "Best of " clip from Your Own Best Company, Jason Van Orden shares how he and Michael Roderick came up with the idea for an online mixer that makes other online experiences pale by comparison. Now called the Generous Entrepreneurs in Media mixer, Jason tells the origin story and the ongoing vision for these monthly events that bring together media producers, potential guests, and collaborators. In the original full episode of this interview, Jason also gave a tremendous presentation on building your first online course. This detailed outline will help you find a great idea and make a practical plan of action as you create your first course. See the full interview with Jason here: https://youtu.be/uqnqBrxTjHY If you're interested in joining an upcoming online mixer, register here: http://generousentrepreneursinmedia.com/ If you'd like to learn more about building online courses and Jason's other services, please visit https://jasonvanorden.com . #networking...

Michael Roderick is a connector, masterfully bringing the right people together and facilitating the relationship-building that needs to happen. He teaches others how to show up more powerfully in meetings and gatherings and become more referable - becoming someone who gets other people talking about them without being in the same room. In this episode, Michael tells the story of getting started as a high school English teacher with a two-year stint as the Dean of Discipline for the summer school until a Seth Godin book inspired a move from education to becoming a Broadway producer. In a miraculously short time, Michael again created new and unique systems to bring money and people together by creating opportunities for them to gather. His company, Small Pond Enterprises, provides consulting and education to people ready to accelerate their business growth through relationship strategy. Learn more at https://smallpondenterprises.com . Michael also hosts the podcast, Access to Anyone, b...

In recent months, I've had several conversations about artificial intelligence and the future of human labor. Most of these have had a central concern about being replaced by a computer or a machine. I'm not going to pretend like that won't or can't happen. It's the most likely scenario; humans have been evolving technology to replace our labor since the first tools were invented. Every technological advance has had an impact on human labor, and we've had to adapt, learn, and find new ways to deliver value to each other as we've been equipped with better and more pervasive technology. Why should this new technological age be any different? It is happening much more quickly than past advances, and the interconnectedness of the tech is more complex than any we've had before, but the stages we'll go through will be similar to ones we've had in the past. An initial stage of resistance and grief at the losses that happen. The next stage is taking stoc...

One of the most popular episodes of Your Own Best Company in 2021 featured an energized and inspiring conversation with The Lead Boss, Cat Stancik. In this "Best Of" clip, Cat shares her social media content strategy, the 4 Ps: Popcorn Positioning Prospecting and Pitching Cat uses and recommends this conversational content framework as a part of her lead generation strategy that centers on building strong relationships and finding leads among the people you're already connected with. Find the entire episode here: https://youtu.be/BIYdUP2ZNlw To learn more about Cat, visit https://actionincubator.com #socialmedia #leadgeneration #contentstrategy 

Author of Quiet Marketing, Danielle Gardner is back to talk about some recent insights on the impact of our business practices on our nervous systems. This episode was inspired by a recent interview Dani had with an astrologer in which she talked about ways that the business and marketing techniques she's been taught caused deregulation of her nervous system, leading to heightened stress and unease in her work. In this conversation, we look beyond the surface of the topic and explore questions like: ** How does nontransparent pricing shock our systems? ** How can we release social media compulsions? ** Challenging the "everywhere, all the time" mindset. ** Learning to listen to the oracle of your body. and more! Dani's Social Hermit program will be starting the first week of November. For more information, visit https://danigardner.com If you haven't read Quiet Marketing yet, you'll find it at this handy Amazon Associate's link: https://amzn.to/3TUlRIC (R...

Thanks to Brandon Soltwisch and the Fundamentals of Entrepreneurship classes at the University of Northern Colorado for the invitation to speak today. I enjoyed our discussion of target markets and customer avatars, and I hope you found it both fun and helpful. Every time I've presented for college classes I remember the visit to my high school guidance counselor when I was told I wasn't college material and that I should change my focus to the vocational track and learn how to work with my hands. And the career tests I took didn't really know what to do with me so they suggested things like bus driver, police dispatcher, and telephone technician. I knew immediately they didn't have my number. And I've never known exactly the future path I've wanted to take. I've followed my curiosity from one opportunity to another and I've collected a long, strange set of capabilities that has been as weird as the trip I've been on. I just want you to know that tho...

Between meeting a potential client and inviting them to purchase a service, my client had four stages of free offers. Most people didn't get past the first one, and no one had the patience for all four. The only people who paid her were those who had been referred by other clients. Find out how we changed her strategy in today's Coffee Break. Hints: ** Limit stages between meet and purchase to no more than three. ** Use the freebie to help them make an educated buying decision. ** Don't call it a newsletter or invite people to join your list. ** Don't feel like you have to give things away to thank people. Let's see how this turns out. #marketing #freebies #leadmagnet 

I've been revisiting Instagram and learning about TikTok in recent weeks. When I joined Instagram, it could only be accessed by phone, and I think I may have been using a flip phone. You took pictures of whatever you were doing, wrote a brief message, and posted. The people who followed you saw it. Simple. I've become a fast fan of TikTok, with the exception of the potential human rights and privacy violations, in large part because their algorithm is really paying attention to my viewing preferences and adding more of what I'm watching to my timeline. All the other channels? Not so much. It is probably because I've only been active on TikTok for a short time, but I don't have any idea how the other platforms choose what to show me. It has made me wonder how I decide what to share. There doesn't seem to be a way to predict what the algorithm or audience will favor, so I'm left to my most reliable guide - my hunch. I believe that our intuition is connected to...

My promotions often read like puzzles when I was new to my business. I would make lists of things I did and then let the reader fill in the blanks. All to often, they didn't want to do that and they'd just move along to something else. I later learned that what I was doing was using a passive approach to my messages and offers. A passive approach features messages and offers that are incomplete or unstructured, and they depend on the reader to finish them and act on them. This isn't some kind of moral problem, but it probably isn't getting the kinds of results you want. My old way of trying to get bookings was to make a list of the kinds of places and events I'd played for and then present an offer to play for any events my audience might have coming up. This kind of messaging didn't work. When I started to tailor shows to the needs of each venue owner or booking rep, I started to get more gigs. One example was the show I put together that was Three Johns and a ...

Today I found myself at home alone for almost four hours, a rarity. I had been kind of excited about it because I've been working on a new song and I had several tasks to catch up on, but I ended up taking the time completely off. I read a Longmire book and played on the floor with our dog, allowing my mind some time without a specific focus or productive goal. I'd been feeling pretty stuck in the songwriting process, writing a lot of drafts but not reaching a level of satisfaction. And I had no motivation to catch up on the task list. The wonderful result of this downtime was that my imagination started coming back online on its own steam later in the day, and I had several ideas for the song and other projects I wrote down to come back to tomorrow. I've learned to recognize when I need downtime like this. It isn't frequent, but I see that I'm not getting the things done that I want, or the quality I desire isn't there. Those are the times when it's good to...

You've met Jess Kotzer before in some of my other podcasts talking about automation, self-publishing, and collaboration. We recently had a fun conversation about our entrepreneurial experiences and we decided to push "Record". Topics? ** Following curiosity toward learning ** Navigating the sea of offers ** Reversing the production/consumption ratio ** The day jobs that support our entrepreneurial habits ** Being yourself and your brand ** Following intuition, caring, and curiosity as trusted guides Check out Jess' new website at https://jesskotzer.com and watch her recent YouTube shorts on Airtable automation here: https://www.youtube.com/user/youngyessington Find Franklin's blog at https://franklintaggart.com #entrepreneur #solopreneur #businessowner 

Our human imagination is the most powerful tool we have in life. My coaching work is centered on imagining new opportunities for ourselves. In detailed situations in which we connect with the people we want to associate with, we grow into new capabilities and expressions of ourselves, and we serve in more meaningful ways. It's not just a job we're looking for. I think it's important to think more creatively than just getting a job or finding work. I do know that's important, but I've seen these things taken care of beautifully when people allow themselves the chance to envision the kinds of circumstances they want to live in. As always, I welcome people to use the free Best Next Step coaching session as a good jumping-off point. It's easy to schedule at https://bit.ly/BestNextStepCall. Let's talk and see what you can begin to imagine for yourself. #imagination #vision #opportunity 

For me, the easy part is creating. If I can get into a groove and stay with the commitment to finish, I can get projects done. The hard part about making a living comes after I'm done creating. The hard part is promoting and selling. Just like so many people I talk to, I have an inner voice that likes to tell me what other people are tired of hearing, and at the top of the list is anything I'm getting ready to promote. This insecurity is the most common obstacle between people and the success they've dreamed of. It's built into a lot of people, especially and including me. Yet another psychological protection that ends up keeping me less than satisfied with the life I'm making. I've worked on this much of my adult life and I've never found a way for those inner voices and impulses to go away. I've only found ways to do the things I need to do in spite of them. If you hear me promoting something I'm offering, I can assure you that behind the sound of ...