Really Good Reads | Incredible Writing Makes Amazing Audio

This Podcast is a Guest post on Brian Carter's Website BrianCarterGroup.com. Jamie Notter and Maddie Grant have written a book that profiles many different companies that are ready for the coming Millennial Storm and are ready to grow with the Millennial mindset. It also teaches you how to pivot to be ready to leverage the Millennial skillset and understanding of the world. Listen and enjoy!  

This post is targeted toward Business owners and entrepreneurs, but I spend a long time rambling about business valuations and things. Brian D. Evans really shows entrepreneurs what they need to realize and be grateful for. He was really concise. I loved this episode because it pertains to what I do. Anyway, I hope you enjoy Brian's Read!  

AJ Harbinger kills it on this post. It is really an essay on how to accept where you are, find where you need to go and go for it. He makes it really clear and outlines some steps to take. This post really struck a cord with me. Hope you enjoy it!   --SamT

Aaron @ theconfidencelounge.com really did a great job talking about Gut health and it's necessity for a healthy mind.  It is not a super in-depth article, but it does bring up some important points that you should listen to and investigate for yourself.    

Greg Nunan wrote this Profitable Partnerships BlogPost and it was exactly where I have been over the past couple of months.  My Partners and I are doing a Joint Venture on two separate Software Tools. We will be closing on them soon. We are buying businesses together. You know why it is a profitable partnership? Because we are both great at different things! It is already amazing. I know we are going to knock it out of the park.   Anyway, Greg runs NoHatDigital.com. It is a great site that focuses on "Entrepreneurship without the Bullshit/Phooey." Make sure to visit them on the web! You will love me for it.   --SamT

I'm Rescheduling the Release of the Podcast. I will start releasing on Tuesday Mornings! It's going to be awesome. --SamT

I don't know if you are like me or not, but I can't create with music or people talking in the background. I have to have quiet in order to "plumb the depths" to create. I mean, if music is playing, I can't hear you speak...Seriously, I can't hear you because my mind is focused on the music or conversation going on. It has always been a problem for me--always seemed like a curse. But, silence is my creative friend. Walter Chen hit it on the head with this "How to Work Quietly" excerpt of his book What You Don't Know about Marketing: How to take back Your Workday. Please take a listen and reclaim your work day.  Also, listen till the end and give me your opinion on my prospective new podcast based on Walter's concept and proof. --SamT

Spencer may be one of my new favorite bloggers because he admits that he doesn't have the all the answers and solutions upfront. I love it when someone shares their experiences, but doesn't profess to have the answers. It is refreshing in this marketing world of "5 Reasons you are horrible at life" and "3 Obvious things your life is missing to be full." Spencer, you have really helped me focus by just writing some of your experiences down. Thanks. Listen to the podcast--it is refreshing. --Spencer Haws is a family man who happens to love new ideas and businesses. For the sake his sanity and the success of his businesses, he has focused on a couple of things. But, they are all in the same niche. He blogs @ Nichepursuits.com and has a podcast with the same name. He also owns a Software tool called Long Tail Pro to help people find the most profitable keywords to focus on. Please check him out. He is an all-around awesome guy. --SamT

I don't know if you have heard of John Corcoran, but here is your chance to look into his mind and see how he approaches contacting people he wants to get to know. I use some of these techniques in getting guests to let me read their writing on my show. I haven't met with much resistance and most people who are actually reading my emails respond. Of course for some of my featured writers, you cannot contact them through email. Either their assistant is screening for the most important emails or they just don't have an email address available. But, that's still cool because there are other ways to get in touch with people... I want to thank Noah Kagan who has been very gracious to let me feature his blog twice now. Thanks, Noah! John literally wrote the book on Connections and increasing income. His book has a really, really long title: How to Increase Your Income in 14 Days by Building Relationships with VIPs, Even If You hate Networking. He also has a podcast and his website is SmartBusinessRevolution.com. Please go check him out and his great advice on networking and building relationships that last and are profitable.  --SamT

Hey ya'll! I am featuring Demian Farnworth on ReallyGoodReads this week. Demian is Copyblogger Media's Chief Content Writer which means he writes a lot. So, he knows how to establish authority online. He also writes for his site: copybot.com. His podcast rocks. You can find it here: Rough Draft.   Anyway, folks, I know if you are listening and have visited the site that you are interested in some kind of web business and establishing authority online. Please dig in and enjoy the read. I know it will bring you value.   About Copyblogger:   Since January 2006, Copyblogger has been teaching people how to create killer online content — valuable information that attracts attention, drives traffic, and builds your business.   These days, that’s called content marketing.   Today, Copyblogger brings you original, relevant content every week about what’s working right now in online content marketing — for free. And we’re not too humble to say it’s the most popular content marketing and writing blog on the planet.   --SamT

Sonia Simone is co-founder and Chief Content Officer of Copyblogger Media "The 7 Things Writers Need to Make a Living" is written to  writers who live to write and write to live. These 7 Things are the basic, but so many times we get distracted by the peripheral and forget the basics. This is a grounding read and peels back the layers to get at the core needs of the steady income writer. I really hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Please use it to help your writer friends and expand your mind if you are currently a struggling writer. --SamT

Jordan Harbinger is the host of The Art of Charm Podcast where they feature super famous guests and talk about topics ranging from sex to finance, fitness and career advice. It is a fantastic podcast, but they also have a great Blog @ theartofcharm.com. I have already featured The Art of Charm a couple of times, but each time, I am amazed at the value they bring. I know you will enjoy this podcast read. It reminds me of how I have gotten in touch with some of the most famous Business Bloggers in the world and featured their writing in a short 5 weeks.  Listen and learn how to write great emails and build deeper relationships. --SamT  

Empire Flippers is a Web business brokerage committed to transparency and great listings.  I have been talking to them about their businesses for sale for a while.  My main business is buying and selling small businesses.  I love business.  It is my passion. You can tell that Justin Cooke and Joe Magnotti and their team love to help people sell their businesses and give buyers a great way to make money online. This Guest Post on the Empire Flipper's Blog is really revealing--you can build a site just like Doug featured in this post.  Doug outlines the known process to build niche sites.  It is pretty "Game Changing" as Doug says to be able to build a site and sell it for over 10k in profit in 8 months!  I hope you enjoy the read! --SamT

John Lee Dumas got me started. I was doing some serious working out and time on the road in prep for a physical challenge. Think Tough Mudder x100. I found the Entrepreneur on Fire Podcast. In fact, EOF was the second podcast I ever listened to. I heard John speak with entrepreneurs and I was hooked! John interviews entrepreneurs 7 days a week on his podcast. The 7 day a week schedule makes for great content every day for his listeners. But, what makes this a good read? Well, when people look at John's income each month and they know him as a Podcaster, they think he makes that much money just through Podcasting. Well, John Lee Dumas and Kate Erickson have a media and educational giant when it comes to podcasting and webinars. They teach people how to be successful in podcasting and web-business. Their income report gives us web entrepreneurs a look behind the scenes of a successful web business. That is why it is a good read. Enjoy! --SamT

Many people don't need an introduction to Noah Kagan, but he is the founder of SumoMe.com and AppSumo.com. He was also Facebook employee #30 and Mint employee #4.  Those didn't work out as well as striking out on his own.  He took his own advice and made things happen for himself.  SumoMe is a software company that helps website owners optimize their websites and businesses.  In fact, if you look to the left, you will see a SumoMe tool "Share."  It is amazing.  All SumoMe tools are amazing. Also, go to AppSumo and sign up for the email list. I just got some sweet deals on great tools for business owners and Web aficionados. Anyway, Noah writes great stuff, and you will love this podcast.  He also likes Tacos...  Who doesn't like Tacos? --SamT

  When I heard Chris Ducker talk about what he does in the Philippines, I was floored. I heard him on John Lee Dumas' Entrepreneur on Fire Podcast. He helps people hire Virtual Assistants from the Philippines. He also owns other businesses and manages his own brand which is huge! He has a family and a life because he figured out how to be efficient and spend time on the things he is good at. Smart. I am thinking about hiring a Virtual Assistant to help me with this podcast because of Chris' influence, and you know what? I will probably be hiring a VA from Chris' company because I trust him and his passion to help others. I picked 10 Reasons to Love Being an Entrepreneur because I love being an Entrepreneur and I love all of the reasons he gives. Being an Entrepreneur is amazing. So, listen to the post and be inspired. I hope this post from Chris brings you joy.

Recently, I ran into one of these deal killers. The website owner did a shady thing--He did a marketing push as we were in negotiations and Escrow. I and my partners were buying the company, but allowing the seller to keep some ownership, so the seller's marketing push eroded mine and my partner's trust in our soon-to-be partner. We walked away from the deal. The seller lost $90,000 in cash trying to make a quick $5-10,000 on his business before finalizing the sale. Yep, I'm a business buying junkie. This article exposes some common "deal killers." So, if you are considering buying a website, I would recommend it. It is the best investment one can buy. FEinternational: David Newell is Brokerage Director at FE International. Starting out as an investment banker, he moved online to use his transaction experience for website brokerage. At FE, he spends his time speaking with buyers, executing deals and working on raising industry standards to encourage more investments. In 2014 he closed more than $6m in sales and wrote a book on buying internet businesses for investors new to the space Thanks, David! --SamT

Have you ever dreamed about a job, a business or maybe a hobby, but never known how to get into it? What was your reaction when you found someone to help you? When I found Ace Chapman, my reaction was excitement, relief, and anxiety (maybe, I'll mess it up?). Ace Chapman is my mentor. When I heard him being interviewed on the Entrepreneur on Fire podcast, I knew that I needed to learn from him. I had to learn from him... You see, he was doing what I had always wanted to do. He buys, grows, and sells small businesses regularly and helps teach others to do the exact same thing. He teaches the "dealmaker" skill set. He has bought over 30 Online businesses and over 17 Offline businesses. He regularly works with large and small investors to help them learn the business of buying businesses. Since I was twelve, I have wanted to buy and own multiple small businesses, but never new how to do it or who to talk to. Then, I heard Ace talk about his process and his Mentor program. It was life changing, and I don't mean that in a flippant way. In the last 4 months, I have already made offers on 3 companies. I am finally doing it! I am making my dream happen, and Ace is the reason. Whether you want to be a "dealmaker" and do several business deals a year, or just want to buy one business and grow it, Ace has an accurate and compelling perspective on investment and the definition of true freedom. Please listen. You won't be sorry. Find Ace: acechapman.com Thank you, Ace. --SamT

ReallyGoodReads' friend Conrad Wadowski published a great post called Thought Experiment: How to Charge $500 for Your Course. I decided to read it on ReallyGoodReads Podcast because I would like to develop a course online, and I know many of you would be interested as well if you could teach using Conrad's Web App Software. Conrad's insights are great and will get you thinking about the course you should be developing. You know, if you enjoy it, someone out on the interwebs likely would too and is willing to pay to learn. So, thanks to Conrad and thanks to you for listening and supporting ReallyGoodReads. If you have a book, blog, article or email you think would make Amazing Audio, click here to learn how to learn how submit it to ReallyGoodReads for consideration. We look forward to hearing from you! --SamT @SamTLeslie

  Seth Godin is an author. Seth Godin is a speaker. Seth Godin is a very approachable person. To say those statements without context is misleading. Yes, he is an author and speaker, but he disrupts. He uses words to make change. He makes me think. You will want to listen to his Blog posts. He has written 18 books translated into more than 35 languages. He started Squidoo and Yoyodyne. He turned book publishing upside down when he launched a kickstarter campaign for a series of books. It was the most successful book campaign on Kickstarter to date. You can learn about him on his website at SethGodin.com, and his newest book What to Do When It's Your Turn is already a best seller. Watch one of his speeches here:http://bit.ly/1ygp1sy --SamT

ReallyGoodReaders, Lane Anderson's story about Tim Ballard and Operation Underground Railroad (OUR) is amazing, educational and inspiring. If you have listened to more than one episode, you know I do a "non-profit highlight" at the beginning of the show. Basically, I sponsor an organization instead of having a sponsor in that spot. (OUR) has been the sponsored non-profit and will continue to be for the foreseeable future. So, I wanted you to understand what I am sponsoring and supporting with this show. Here is an amazing article from the Deseret News National Edition. You can read it at that link, and you can also find Lane Anderson @laneanderson and her page at Deseret News here. Children are near and dear to my heart, and if you don't know about a problem, you can't do anything about it. Open your eyes and help. Thank you, Lane and Tim. Ya'll are awesome.   --SamT

Peter Voogd has been running businesses since he was 15, and is labeled the Leading Authority for Young Entrepreneurs. He built an 8 million dollar empire by age 27 and has trained close to 5000 entrepreneurs. He’s the founder of the prestigious Game Changers Academy, author of the International Best seller 6 Months to 6 Figures, and runs one of the top podcast on i-tunes, The Young Entrepreneur Lifestyle. Thanks to Peter for writing a Really Good Read and being willing to be featured on the show. His book is a new look at entrepreneurship and inspiring. But, he doesn't want to just inspire you, His aim is to get you to change-to embrace new habits and a sense of urgency to help yourself be the best entrepreneur you can be. Its possible, just listen to the Introduction. It will get you ready for real change and give you the tools to act! Go Buy 6 Months to 6 Figures! --SamT Twitter: @SamTLeslie  

Well, What can I say about Gary Vaynerchuk? He is father, entrepreneur, businessman, investor, founder of tv.winelibrary.com, the author of 101 Wines, Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook, The Thank You Economy, Crush It: Cash in on Your Passion, and a dynamic speaker. Gary was an inspiration early in my foray into learning about internet business. He is simply an internet marketing mogul and internet personality.   I am so glad to be able to feature several of his Medium.com posts. I hope you enjoy the reads and Gary's personality that comes out in his words. I know they will bring value to your life and business.   --SamT  

Jon is the reason I Podcast. He got me on the right track. Jon is my friend. I trust him with my ideas. I trust him to give me the feedback I need and not hold out. He is also one of my favorite writers on the web. His emails are really short, but enlightening and downright hard-hitting. You can hear him speak when he writes. He is the Host of Hack the Entrepreneur Podcast and is also one of the owners of software company called Velocity Page for WordPress Sites. He has a weekly email that he sends out on Sundays. I can't say I look forward to a lot of the email newsletters in my mailbox, but Jon's email has become my favorite. I get pumped when I see it in the mailbox. It always seems he is speaking directly to my problems and situations. Now, you get to enjoy 3 of his emails, and I'm sure they will speak to you as well.   --SamT

Have you ever dreamed about a job, a business or maybe a hobby, but never known how to get into it? What was your reaction when you found someone to help you? When I found Ace Chapman, my reaction was excitement, relief, and anxiety (maybe, I'll mess it up?). Ace Chapman is my mentor. When I heard him being interviewed on the Entrepreneur on Fire podcast, I knew that I needed to learn from him. I had to learn from him...  You see, he was doing what I had always wanted to do. He buys, grows, and sells small businesses regularly and helps teach others to do the exact same thing. He teaches the "dealmaker" skill set. He has bought over 30 Online businesses and over 17 Offline businesses. He regularly works with large and small investors to help them learn the business of buying businesses. Since I was twelve, I have wanted to buy and own multiple small businesses, but never new how to do it or who to talk to. Then, I heard Ace talk about his process and his Mentor program. It was life changing, and I don't mean that in a flippant way. In the last 4 months, I have already made offers on 3 companies--now, I am waiting on word from my third offer. I am finally doing it! I am making my dream happen, and Ace is the reason.   Whether you want to be a "dealmaker" and do several business deals a year, or just want to buy one business and grow it, Ace has an accurate and compelling perspective on investment and the definition of true freedom. Please listen. You won't be sorry. Thank you, Ace.    --SamT

AJ Harbinger is the CEO and co-founder of The Art of Charm. Prior to founding AOC, Harbinger pursued a Ph.D. in Cancer Biology. With no prior knowledge about social dynamics, Harbinger pored over the material, quickly mastering the fundamental concepts. His background in biology helped him to apply the scientific method, taking his book knowledge to the next level through in-field experience. While still at the University of Michigan, he founded The Art of Charm Podcast, which was later featured on SiriusXM Radio. He lives in Hollywood, California, which provides no shortage of places for him to continue to test and develop the techniques taught by The Art of Charm. This episode ReallyGoodReads Podcast is featuring "3 Proven Behavioral Strategies To Stop Being Needy Immediately." I hope you were able to listen to the previous ReallyGoodReads Podcast "5 Signs You're Needy" because it dovetailed perfectly into this episode. These 3 Strategies really help, are proven, and are easy to start implementing. Listen and learn from the best in the Social Dynamics business. Make sure to visit them at TheArtofCharm.com and listen to their great podcast The Art of Charm Podcast. Thanks, AJ. The read was great, and I know my listeners will benefit from it. Keep writing ReallyGoodReads! --SamT @SamTLeslie

AJ Harbinger is the CEO and co-founder of The Art of Charm. Prior to founding AOC, Harbinger pursued a Ph.D. in Cancer Biology. With no prior knowledge about social dynamics, Harbinger pored over the material, quickly mastering the fundamental concepts. His background in biology helped him to apply the scientific method, taking his book knowledge to the next level through in-field experience. While still at the University of Michigan, he founded The Art of Charm Podcast, which was later featured on SiriusXM Radio. He lives in Hollywood, California, which provides no shortage of places for him to continue to test and develop the techniques taught by The Art of Charm. AJ's written material hits the spot. Personal Relationships and Social Dynamics are his specialty. Whether you are in a business relationship, personal relationship or simply trying to learn more about Social Dynamics, AJ and The Art of Charm are your guys. This particular post caught my eye because the line between "in need" and "neediness" can blur when starting up a new business. I didn't want to be needy, I was definitely in need of help, but wanted to provide value to all involved. This blog post really made an impression on me. The great thing is AJ doesn't leave his reader with just a diagnosis, but wrote a followup blog post called "3 Proven Behavioral Strategies To Stop Being Needy Immediately" that I am also featuring. That post will follow next, so tune in next time for the strategies from AJ! Check out AOC and their podcast The Art of Charm Podcast.  Thanks, AJ for letting me read both of your blog posts. They make Amazing Audio! --SamT @SamTLeslie

I'd like to welcome Kate Erickson of Kate's Take and EntrepreneurOnFire. Her Bio: Kate Erickson is the Content Creator and Community Leader over at EntrepreneurOnFire, a 7-day a week podcast that interviews today's most inspiring and successful entrepreneurs. She is the host of Kate's Take: The EntrepreneurOnFire Audio Blog and author of The Fire Path: Where your passion and our guidance unite! Kate is passionate about helping entrepreneurs create systems and processes to promote efficiency and help take their business to the next level. So, I found Kate's Take was an Audio Blog and freaked out! She was really the pioneer in the Written to Audio scene. Frankly, I don't know of anyone else reading their own or anyone else's blogs as Audio/Podcast. So, naturally, I had to have her come on to do a "Guest Post/Read." She was gracious enough to let me produce her "Just Start" blog post as a ReallyGoodReads Podcast. The "Just Start" phrase is prevalent in so many writings. But, the reason successful entrepreneur's scream it at the top of their lungs at their followers is It is the Truth... It is the Unadulterated Truth. As Jon Nastor says, "No one knows what they are doing." You will only know the direction if you take a step. No one can guide you without momentum. You have to be in motion. Just Start, folks. Just Start. Thanks, Kate --SamT @SamTLeslie

Do you remember when you started listening to Podcasts? Is this your first Podcast listen? Pat Flynn's Smart Passive Income Podcast is the first Podcast I listened to. I turned on my iPhone and searched "Passive Income." Bam, he was there, so I downloaded an episode, I didn't even know about subscribing and what that meant...I was a complete newbie. I had no idea what I was hearing when I started listening to Podcasts... Smart Passive Income? Sounds totally foreign to the uninitiated in Podcasting and Web-business. But Pat Flynn is an internet business master and an all-around great guy. Ultimately, Pat Flynn is the reason I have this podcast. I started listening in early 2014. Since then, I have undergone a educational epiphany, started this Podcast, and entered the business of buying businesses. So, here I am adding some moments of activation to my blog post about Pat. Please head on over to Smartpassiveincome.com and check out his niche sites, his Podcast, and his Video Podcast!  Pat, thank you so much for letting me feature your blog post--Why you need Moments of Activation injected into your brand   --SamT

When I read Michael's blog post about monetizing your platform. It gave me an encouraging perspective on the world of monetization. Listen to what Michael has to say on this episode--I know there is something you can apply to your life. You may have an online or offline business or maybe you are an employee--maybe not. You have a platform no matter how small. You have a circle of friends and family. What value do you provide to your platform/circle? Let's look at it through Michael Hyatt's eyes.  Thanks, Michael for writing "ReallyGoodReads"!   Michael's Bio: Michael is the author of Platform: Get Noticed in a Noisy World (Thomas Nelson)- a New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestseller. Recently, Forbes magazine named him one of the “Top 10 Online Marketing Experts To Follow In 2014.” He is focused on “intentional leadership.” His mission is to help leaders leverage their influence. As a result, He writes on personal development, leadership, productivity, platform, and publishing. On occasion, He writes about stuff that doesn’t fit neatly into one of these categories. His podcast called, “This Is Your Life,” covers similar topics. His show is consistently ranked in the top ten of iTunes’ Business category. His goal is to create insightful, relevant content that you can put to work in your personal and professional life. He typically posts three times a week. To make sure you don’t miss his newest posts, you can subscribe via RSS or e-mail. Go to Michaelhyattt.com --SamT

We’ve all heard, “This is the new thing…” But, it’s true–no one is doing what I do. Everyone in the online marketing world is constantly talking about Unique Selling Propositions (USPs) and providing value to your platform. I’m doing both with a new twist. I found a way to provide value by creating a niche: ReallyGoodReads. What? Read on–I explain. I am launching the ReallyGoodReads Podcast: Where Incredible Writing Makes Amazing Audio. I find Blogs, Articles, and Emails that provide Incredible Value, and I turn them into Amazing Audio for easy consumption and your convenience. The Podcast concentrates on the Business and Lifestyle space. Yes, there are already a ton of Podcasts out there providing awesome value, but both writers and listeners will benefit from this medium in a different way: 1. For the Listener: It is Totally Different, Easily Consumable, and Valuable  2. For the Writer: ReallyGoodReads does the work–the writing has already been done. We just make it into Amazing Audio.  Featured Authors On the ReallyGoodReads Podcast Launch: Michael Hyatt: Michaelhyatt.com Pat Flynn: SmartPassiveIncome.com Kate Erickson: Entrepreneuronfire.com (She guest posts on the episode–It’s awesome!) Jon Nastor: Hacktheentrepreneur.com AJ Harbinger: Theartofcharm.com John Corcoran: Smartbusinessrevolution.com Ace Chapman: The Ace Formula (I am turning Ace’s Book into a separate Podcast AudioBook!!) Conrad Wadowski: UseFedora.com James Morrish, David Newell, and Thomas Smale: FEinternational.com If you want to be a part of creating ReallyGoodReads shoot me an email @ read@reallygoodreads.co. Say hi, and include a URL of a ReallyGoodRead that you would like seen turned into audio. Can’t wait to hear from you. When you leave this page and submit a good email address in the leadbox, you will be signed up for my Newsletter and get an Audio Chapter of Ace Chapman’s The Ace Formula. ReallyGoodReads is awesome, and you can be a part of making this a great podcast. Share this post! And, look for ReallyGoodReads on iTunes soon. Tweet me @SamTLeslie or Shoot an email to read@reallygoodreads.co   --SamT   About SamT: He is a father of 5, and husband of one wonderful woman. He is a serial entrepreneur and has a short attention span for boring things. He buys, grows, and sells small businesses and helps others do the same. Also, he likes to help people reach their dreams by connecting people with the right resources and mentors. Hopefully, you enjoy his new venture: ReallyGoodReads.