Posts

Getting Used to Getting Paid - Bronwyn Jane

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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 

Owning Your Power and Worth - Sabrina Victoria

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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 Society C

Seventeen

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Celebrating my son's birthday and my wife's return home from three weeks away today. Seeing my son at seventeen and remembering myself at that age is the fodder for today's Coffee Break. Like father, like son is not a very accurate prediction. Bodhi is so far ahead of where I was at his age. I was a timid, socially awkward kid who tried to make up for my insecurities by showing off and other displays of bravado, none of which had any substance to back them up. I was a late starter as far as finding my own way of contributing, and I was extremely slow to ask for the things I wanted. Bodhi is much bolder than I am, and he asks for what he wants without a second thought. He's also much more confident in his social relationships than I ever was. He still has insecurities, but they aren't debilitating. He rebounds from challenges and difficult conversations and moves on. This video is my tribute to him. #birthdays #comingofage #growingup 

Hope and Odds

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When I was 46 I thought I was going to die. My organs were failing. My right lung was compressed and scarred by fluid. I had congestive heart failure, and I wasn't sure I'd live much longer. In the midst of that time, my experience of hope shifted dramatically. Up until then I always had a sense that I had plenty of time to do the things I wanted, and pursue my dreams. But when I started to get seriously ill, life took on a much more urgent quality. Hope after that was much more centered in the moment, and any consideration about results or long-term benefits were now focused on what will be left after I'm gone for others to benefit from. This video experiment has been a realization of that hope. I expect these videos to outlive me, and to be found by people who may have never known me. I've found it impossible to make even short-term plans. It's hard to see much past this present moment, and I think I'm OK with that. Being future-focused actually removes my att

Who Decides What's a Hit?

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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

AI and the Value of Work

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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

The Return of the Informal Gathering

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It feels like the level of burnout around webinars, summits, courses, workshops, funnels, and many other popular marketing tactics is only increasing. Now the workshops are all coming with titles like, A Workshop for People Who Hate Workshops. In this Coffee Break, Franklin Taggart makes the suggestion that there may be room for a return to more informal gatherings in which conversations can go deep, sharing is encouraged, and the emphasis is on being together before anything else. Instead of putting hundreds of hours into organizing a summit or a workshop where attendance isn't guaranteed, why don't we just invite some people over for dinner and share what we're up to. Get to know each other on a deep and meaningful human level before we start making pitches. My experience is that these gatherings actually create the circumstances in which these pitches are more likely to appeal. Informal gatherings will be central to my intention for 2023. #networking #gathering #tribes 

Waiting for a 2023 Vision

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  I create a new business model every year. In most years, it shows up well before now. This year it's late.= Your business isn't set in stone. It's a live organism that adjusts to different circumstances and developments. That's normal. If you're looking for a sounding board for your next year in business, consider scheduling a Best Next Step coaching session at https://bit.ly/BestNextStepCall #planning #2023goals #businessmodel 

Exploring Positive Intelligence - Joanie Connell, PhD

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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 

How to Lose 4,200 Pounds in Less Than an Hour

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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 

The Big Purge Has Begun

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A few weeks ago, I rearranged my office space to accommodate more musical recording. I'm in a pretty small room, so anything I can do to utilize space more efficiently is a tremendous help. I also have a difficult time sorting and giving things away or selling them. I have a 2000 Ford van sitting in the driveway that hasn't run in over a year and it's been waiting for me to just decide where it goes and make arrangements to take it there. Yesterday, I donated it to a locela charity through Vehicles for Charity. I don't think my donation will amount to much, but I don't have to pay to have it towed away, and one of my favorite organizations might get a few hundred bucks out of the deal. I can also write off the contribution.  Just that one bit of movement has gotten me more energized to let go of stuff. Music and recording equipment I no longer use or need? Gone! My dad's remaining book collection that I have no interest in reading? Gone! Every piece of paper I&#

Learning to See My Own Conditioned Beliefs

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 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 place in whic

The Art of Gathering and Online Networking

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One of the recent books I've read with my book pal is The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why It Matters, by Priya Parker. This beautifully written book guides the reader through some insights and suggestions for elevating our common custom of gathering together to the level of art. I'm adding it to my list of recommended reading. https://amzn.to/3Uzn5sG (affiliate link) I also wanted to mention a few online networking mixers I enjoy: The Generous Entrepreneurs in Media mixers hosted by Jason Van Orden and Michael Roderick - http://generousentrepreneursinmedia.com/ The Lead Boss Mixer hosted by Cat Stancik - https://leadbossmixer.com And all the resources offered by Robbie Samuels - https://robbiesamuels.com/videos I hope to see you there! #networking #mixer #onlinenetworking 

Franklin on Reinventing Nerds with Joanie Connell!

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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!

Finding Your People In Online Groups

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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

The Decade When Life Had Other Plans

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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 

A CRM for the Solopreneur - Reuben Swartz

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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

Unexpected Forms of Abundance

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I had an email exchange with a good friend today on the topic of "enough." She wondered if the concept of enough could be applied to things like to-do lists, marketing activities, networking, and other aspects of career and business.  While we may feel overwhelmed by these things, I have started to view these as evidence of abundance instead of as a nuisance or obstacle. Honestly, if they weren't tending this garden, there wouldn't be this much growth.  I grew up with a grandmother who canned vegetables and fruit every year. I remember some years seeing hundreds of jars of beets, tomatoes, green beans, apricots, peaches, cherries, and more in the canning kitchen in the basement of my Great Aunt's hotel. We would go around to all of our farming relative's places and pick up bushel after bushel of produce and take back to Granny in the canning kitchen. Over the course of the next several weeks, she would methodically prepare and can hundreds of jars. After all t

Growth Spirals and Stages

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Sometimes I review copy and messaging for people's social media, email campaigns, and sales pages to see where they make strong connections and where they don't. One place I see them struggle sometimes is when they're offering a program to people who have already surpassed the place where the offering was necessary, and they have a new set of needs and challenges. As a result of this, the messaging isn't appropriate or appealing to the audience in their new circumstances. Another place I see this phenomenon is when a creative artist like a musician starts to reach a new level of expression that no longer appeals to the venues where they've experienced their initial opportunities and success. Those of us who've been around the block a few times may recognize the cycles of learning and growing as we've been through it enough to notice. But for some people it the early stages of their work and business, it may be a pretty scary circumstance. The things that the

Franklin on Interact Creator Stories Podcast!

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Interact Quizzes has an incredible staff. It's small but mighty, and they're making a big dent in the burgeoning demand for great quiz software. I interviewed Jessmyn Solana a few months back and totally enjoyed the conversation and her energy and insights. This morning Jessmyn and the other interact folks released a podcast interview with yours truly. It was fun to share part of my story and be in the guest chair. I'd love for you to listen here. It's one of the best versions of my backstory that I've shared. Thanks, Jessmyn, for the excellent interview!

How to Be a Great Podcast Guest

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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