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...