What defines success? Is it financial wealth, the power to influence, education, or something else? Success Fundamentals explores micro and macro points of view to uncover the success behind institutions, systems, organizations, and everything in between.
In this 7th and final episode of the Success Fundamentals podcast, our hosts Kris Sykes and Brian Goldsack revisit their favorite interviews, guests, and takeaways. After more than 70 conversations, our hosts look at how their own definitions of success have changed, and why it's not just about the money anymore. Kris and Brian also talk about their exciting new show, giving us a taste of what's to come. HIGHLIGHTSKris and Brian's favorite guests and key takeawaysLooking back to the first few episodes How we define success, 78 episodes laterIntroducing: The 8 Questions Show QUOTESKris: "In anything that you do, I think you have to look at what the intention is. If it's behind the wrong intent, you're never gonna be satisfied. You can have the car or the house or the clothing or whatever you want to have but if it's for you, then it's satisfying to you. If you're doing it to show off or to one up the next person, that's a stressful way to live." Kris: "Everybody's perception of what success is has to do with money. And money is a means of exchange. So as long as you're exchanging things, in America at least, it's gonna be of importance but it can't be the end-all, be-all." Brian: "If you can somehow find a way to sustain your lifestyle doing something that you love, I think that is the true definition of success." Brian: "We're going to ask each guest eight questions with the goal of you guys having an intimate, high level of understanding of each of these subject matters by the conclusion of each series. Each series is going to be a month long and by the end of it, you're gonna be able to go to thanksgiving dinner and speak at length about 12 new subjects every single year."Follow Success Fundamentals on the following links below: Website: https://www.successfundamentals.com/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4XCvuwxnFi5_7C6Ncm12xQLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/success-fundamentals™Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/successfundamentalspodcastInstagram: https://instagram.com/successfundamentalspodcast
Intellectual property can be one of, if not the most valuable asset for many businesses. Therefore, it makes sense that as an entrepreneur, you should be on top of protecting your intellectual property via the proper filing of applicable trademarks, patents, and copyright. In this episode of the Success Fundamentals podcast, Kris and Brian talk to patent law, intellectual property and business law expert Mark Goodman about the many ways to ensure that your IP is being protected to the fullest extent. HIGHLIGHTSWhat it really means to own intellectual propertyThe difference between a patent, copyright and a trademarkWhy you should protect your business in the first place Can you put a lean on intellectual property? Protecting your intellectual property in every countryCan you sell intellectual property?QUOTESMark: "A logo can be the subject of a copyright and a trademark. But the trademark is protecting against people using it in a way that causes consumer confusion whereas copyright is just saying you can't make a copy of this artwork." Mark: "If you have an invention and you're going for a new business based on the invention, the law makes you file early in the process -- which can trip up some entrepreneurs because otherwise it might make more sense instead of spending a bunch of money on a patent lawyer at the beginning, let's get out there and see if we sell this product, see if it really works and then go ahead later and get the patent." Mark: "The problem is once you start selling, in the United States you have exactly one year to file a patent application or else you forever lose your right to do so. It becomes public domain. That is harsh for entrepreneurs." Follow Jonathan and check out his work through the links below: Website: https://www.goodmanlawnevada.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markgoodmanlaw/Twitter: https://twitter.com/GoodmanLawNVFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/goodmanlawnevada/Follow Success Fundamentals on the following links below: Website: https://www.successfundamentals.com/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4XCvuwxnFi5_7C6Ncm12xQLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/success-fundamentals™Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/successfundamentalspodcastInstagram: https://instagram.com/successfundamentalspodcast
In this episode of the Success Fundamentals podcast, Kris and Brian talk to Award-winning Author, Podcast Producer & Keynote Speaker Jonathan Fields. Their conversation centers around Jonathan's groundbreaking work that attempts to demystify the different impulses that motivate us to be productive individuals. Jonathan also talks about the state of work today, and how technology has allowed us to redefine our relationship with work. HIGHLIGHTSThe search for the 10 'Sparketypes'The 5 components of work that sparks youHow to show up consistently everydayLessons learned while training to be a luthier Not everything that sparks you should earn you a livingWe all need to do some self discoveryHow the digital medium is changing the nature of workQUOTESJonathan: "One of the really big surprises when we started into this work, I kinda figured there's close to eight billion people on the planet. Well, there must be eight billion unique impulses, because we're all different, we're all individual, we're all special. And it would be nearly impossible to identify eight billion of these different things. What I was surprised by was how quickly distilled to these 10 universal impulses that just show up in different patterns." Jonathan: "When I talk about doing work that sparks you or that makes you come alive, I'm talking about work that gives you a feeling of purpose, gives you a feeling that you have access to that magical time feud state of flow, where the world seems to vanish away and you become utterly absorbed in the thing that you're doing almost losing the ability to distinguish between you and the activity."Jonathan: "The more that you can line up the work that you're doing with these impulses that are inside of you, the more all of those questions drop away. The more the question becomes actually, how can I make sure that I'm not doing this obsessively and nonstop because I love doing this so much and it's giving me so much back." Jonathan: "I don't believe that just because something sparks you, means that it necessarily should be the thing that also gives you your living." Follow Jonathan and check out his work through the links below: LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanfields1/Podcast - https://pod.link/1610198312Website - https://www.jonathanfields.com/Get a copy of SPARKED: Discover Your Unique Imprint For Work That Makes You Come Alive by Jonathan FieldsFollow Success Fundamentals on the following links below: Website: https://www.successfundamentals.com/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4XCvuwxnFi5_7C6Ncm12xQLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/success-fundamentals™Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/successfundamentalspodcastInstagram: https://instagram.com/successfundamentalspodcast
In this episode of the Success Fundamentals podcast, Brian talks to the host of The Mindset and Self-Mastery Show, Nick McGowan. Nick talks about masculinity and whether or not gender has a role in success. Nick claims that there are no true masculine or feminine traits that lead to success, only principles that one should live by which we often learn from role models such as our parents, who just happen to be the closest to us. However, as our societies grow, these typical role models archetypes are already changing, signaling the need for us to expand our understanding and unlearn our old beliefs. HIGHLIGHTSWhat does it mean to be masculine? Masculine and feminine traits may not exist Principles are agnostic to sexWe learn from people who are aroundSome things we learned since birth need to be undoneQUOTESNick: "At the core of a man, I think, there's really that honor, that courage, and that leadership that comes from within. That ties in to other pieces too. It's kinda like one of those big brain maps where you start with one bubble and opens up 15 others." Nick: "We as people, as humans want to find boxes and sit our ass in that box because we want to be part of something. So it can be easier to just jump at the masculine side and say well I'm just gonna take this and run with it." Nick: "I think there's a lot of men that run things, and it's great to see that women are starting to run things. And I'm not pro men, pro women, or against one of the other at all, I'm pro us figuring our stuff out."Follow Nick and through the links below: Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-mindset-and-self-mastery-show/id1604262089Website: https://nickmcgowan.com/homeInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thenickmcgowan/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheNickMcGowanLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thenickmcgowan/Follow Success Fundamentals on the following links below: Website: https://www.successfundamentals.com/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4XCvuwxnFi5_7C6Ncm12xQLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/success-fundamentals™Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/successfundamentalspodcastInstagram: https://instagram.com/successfundamentalspodcast
In this episode of the Success Fundamentals podcast, Brian talks to campaign consultant Anthony Miragliotta about the role that governments have in the success of their people. As a believer of small government, Anthony believes that the role of governments in your individual pursuit of liberty and happiness should be minimal. As Ronald Reagan once said, “When the government expands, liberty contracts." However, whichever side of the political spectrum you lean towards, the main thing is to be more actively involved in matters of government, because it's the government's job to represent you and your interests. If you're unhappy with the way the government is doing its job, the citizenry needs to have its will known. The power is in your hands. HIGHLIGHTSThe government shouldn't tell you how to live your life A properly functioning government is a limited oneLessons in governance learned during the height of COVID-19 Citizens need to be more involved in their governmentsPolitics is a game of give and take QUOTESAnthony: "Government is known for spending money on wasteful matters. Right now, we're 30 trillion dollars in debt. And who's gonna pay it off? If I'm ever gonna have grandkids they're gonna be paying it off."Anthony: "One thing the COVID-19 pandemic really taught a lot of people is the bigger the government, then the less freedoms your people have. I go back to Ronald Reagan, another quote he said that I like, is 'When government expands, liberty contracts.'"Anthony: "One of the biggest things to do if you're really unhappy with the current political climate in your local town, your county, your state, or even America, the easiest way is to just get involved. I don't care what political party you belong to, but if you really believe in certain causes but you really think that the people who are in-charge of that are not doing effective jobs, get involved." Follow Anthony and through the links below: LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthony-miragliotta-aa9167161/Podcast - https://open.spotify.com/show/0F0d6jYcgm7vVuy7EyCDmbWebsite (Priscilla Mangini Enterprise): https://linktr.ee/priscillamanginienterpriseFollow Success Fundamentals on the following links below: Website: https://www.successfundamentals.com/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4XCvuwxnFi5_7C6Ncm12xQLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/success-fundamentals™Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/successfundamentalspodcastInstagram: https://instagram.com/successfundamentalspodcast
In this episode of the Success Fundamentals podcast, Kris and Brian talk to Senior Vice-President and Head of Global Communications and Public Affairs for Starbucks, Aranthan “AJ” Jones II. AJ shares good advice for people wanting to climb the corporate ladder and achieve success by working with some of the biggest companies in the world. Besides all the technical requirements that every would-be c-suite executive needs to have, AJ also reveals that it's about how you communicate your value and your relationship with time. Whether or not being at the helm of one of the world's biggest companies is your idea of success, AJ's advice is bound to help you achieve your goals, one way or another. HIGHLIGHTSThe Starbucks brand is beyond coffee Follow the impact you want to make, not the fancy job title The elevator route vs the scaffolding route You won't get a c-suite position via job searchesThe relative nature of time can be for or against youSocial media has eroded long-term thinkingQUOTESAJ: "I start by saying, ask yourself the question, not what job you wanna have, but what impact you want to make. Because it's a lot easier to align your ambitions, your skill sets, your knowledge, and quite frankly your energies around the impact you believe you can make versus what job you can have." AJ: “The best communication you can have about your ambitions is somebody else communicating about your ambitions.” AJ: "Most positions you will get at this executive level won't be through applying to Indeed.com. It won't be there. It'll be through a search process or it'll be through a connection or a related relationship to that particular opportunity. Those are not gonna come directly to you, they are often gonna come by way of someone else to you." AJ: "If I go from farmer to retail, retail to entertainment, entertainment to oil and gas, I am searching you my ability to take the same skill set, repackage it and repurpose and restructure it to be able to deliver on behalf of any industry. That is way more valuable than being able to say, you know what, I've been in this industry for 35 years."Follow AJ and through the links below: Email: aranthan@yahoo.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ajjonesii/Follow Success Fundamentals on the following links below: Website: https://www.successfundamentals.com/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4XCvuwxnFi5_7C6Ncm12xQLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/success-fundamentals™Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/successfundamentalspodcastInstagram: https://instagram.com/successfundamentalspodcast
Success is very hard to define because it means different things to people. However, what's universally true is that the feeling of success should come from within yourself, and not from outside. In this episode of the Success Fundamentals podcast, Sounds True founder Tami Simon talks about how achieving a true interconnectedness with something outside of yourself or your tribe will help you find happiness that is far beyond mere pleasure or material delight. HIGHLIGHTSYou need to define success for yourself Find that one thing that really connects you to your conscience Going outside your tribalism will help you grow We're gradually recognizing our interconnectedness Doing something right doesn't always have to feel good Success is inside-out, not outside-inQUOTESTami: "Just imagine you're lying in bed and you're dying. It's not that hard to imagine. You look back at your life, what would it mean, in your own heart, for you to have been wildly successful? What would it mean to you from that perspective, knowing you're saying goodbye to it all?" Tami: "We have to first allow ourselves to be explorers. Try a lot of different things. And when something feels like, 'oh my, this feels really good! I love this, it feels natural to me. It tastes right,' then we have to follow it. Give ourselves permission." Tami: "I think that the ecological climate change crisis we're in is driving us. We're seeing how what happens in this part of the world affects another part of the world. We're seeing that if we want to survive as a human species, we all have to work together to accomplish that and what a huge thing that will be."Tami: "It's not just feeling right in terms of joy, joy, joy, pleasure, pleasure pleasure, tiramisu, tiramisu, tiramisu. It's not just like that. It's... this feels like a fit and it feels so right that I'm even willing to sacrifice for it. I'm willing to do hard stuff for it. It's so valuable, it feels like such a fit for who I am, I'll do what it takes." Tami: " At least in my experience, success is an inside-out phenomenon versus an outside, you know, let me just accomplish all these things. When you feel inside rich and abundant, and you have all of these capacities to listen to other people, to be in the unknown and think creatively, to bring out the best in other people on the team and have exceptional teamwork. Before you know it, your business life is growing and changing. You're becoming more and more successful."Follow Tami and her work through the links below: Learn how to lead from within: https://innermba.soundstrue.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tami-simon-1061224/Follow Success Fundamentals on the following links below: Website: https://www.successfundamentals.com/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4XCvuwxnFi5_7C6Ncm12xQLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/success-fundamentals™Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/successfundamentalspodcastInstagram: https://instagram.com/successfundamentalspodcast
A lot of people dream about retirement and living in a perpetual state of leisure or pursuing a vision of their life that they've always wanted. Some people even go so far as to live a “deferred lifestyle” and save up to 70% of their income for a few years to retire as early as possible. However, when they get to that stage they discover that retirement isn't all that it's cracked up to be. After a successful software engineering career, TheirStory Chief Technology Officer Dennis Mnuskin had the option to go on sabbatical and not work for the first time since coming out of high school. However, he quickly went back to work after coming across an interesting opportunity, and he hasn't looked back since.In this episode of the Success Fundamentals podcast, Dennis talks about his ideas of success, and how he came to the realization that he was already living his lifelong dream all along.HIGHLIGHTSDennis' journey so farWhy the FIRE movement doesn't make sense Structure your life around living your lifelong dream Success does not always mean getting to the topDefining your dream is crucial but can be difficult QUOTESDennis: "For us, the grass is always greener on the other side. Like every single time you go on vacation, and you're working down the street of London, and you're like man, I wish I lived here. Or you go to Scotland and it's like oh wow, can you imagine if we had a house on this hillside how awesome would that be? And there's a guy living on that house, on that hillside, thinking man, I wish I lived in New York City."Dennis: "We all love vacation and we idealize it because it's something different, but when vacation becomes our fulltime existence, it's no longer vacation. It's no longer fun."Dennis: "Our work is what actually enables us to make a meaningful difference in the world. Going on vacations and jumping from one sailboat to the next sailboat, it sounds like fun but I can't imagine I would be doing that for more than a month or two."Dennis: "If I align my life and what I'm doing with what I actually value, then I'm happy, I'm successful, I'm content. But I don't want to be sailing around the world. I do not want to own a cattle farm, I do not want to be a farmer. And so the question becomes, what am I gonna do?”Follow Dennis and his work through the links below: Website: https://dennis.mnuskin.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dxm/Follow Success Fundamentals on the following links below: Website: https://www.successfundamentals.com/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4XCvuwxnFi5_7C6Ncm12xQLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/success-fundamentals™Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/successfundamentalspodcastInstagram: https://instagram.com/successfundamentalspodcast
Whether it be in business or in your personal life, it's always about the relationships. However, not all relationships are built equal, and certainly not all are meant to last. In this episode of Success Fundamentals, Kris Sykes and Brian Goldstein talk to coach, speaker, entrepreneur, and founder of Ellingson Enterprises, Fletcher Ellingson. Fletcher takes us down to brass tacks on when and how you should sever ties with somebody, and even defines specific elements to consider, such as our own standards and values. Ultimately, Fletcher argues that severing ties should not be done from a place of victimhood. Rather, it should be done from a place of empowerment, where we take 100% responsibility for the decisions we make. HIGHLIGHTSAre you playing the victim role?Most people are always doing their best with the tools they have Try to give people the benefit of the doubt Always take 100% of the responsibility for your life Do not lower your standards to accommodate a relationshipStandards vs values We don't always live according to our values Tolerance can lead to discomfort as wellHow to cleanly sever ties QUOTESFletcher: "I want to make sure that we're operating from a place of empowerment, not disempowerment. If we're playing the fair-unfair game in any way, you can guarantee the deck is stacked against the other person. That's why I want to say, just check yourself." Fletcher: "A value is simply an indicator of preference. I value honesty. I value financial freedom. I value health and fitness. But how many of us have a standard that actually backs it up?" Fletcher: "If I had to let somebody go or sever a relationship business or otherwise, I will forever use this now: 'This isn't working for me, and I have not been able to make it work. So this is the end of our working relationship.' Ultimately, if I'm their employer, I wasn't able to bring something to the table to elicit the level of performance that I desired." Follow Fletcher and his work through the links below: Website: https://fletcherellingson.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fletcher-ellingson-4067072/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gocoachfletchFollow Success Fundamentals on the following links below: Website: https://www.successfundamentals.com/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4XCvuwxnFi5_7C6Ncm12xQLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/success-fundamentals™Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/successfundamentalspodcastInstagram: https://instagram.com/successfundamentalspodcast
Everybody wants to eat, but few will hunt. Everybody wants the best results, but few will ever have the tenacity to put the work in. But that's the beauty of it, you just have to outwork everybody else. In this episode of the Success Fundamentals Podcast, Kris Sykes talks to fitness coach and owner of Believe Elite Athletic Training, John Rahn.As a former federal agent working with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, John was already set for life in his career. However, his true passion lay elsewhere, and he eventually founded his own fitness gym. Today, he coaches some of the top MMA fighters, including Shane Burgos. Besides physical training, John also works with athletes on their nutrition and mental fitness to give them holistic training that sets them up for success in their respective fields. HIGHLIGHTSThe road less traveled is the entrepreneur wayA chance meeting that started the coaching businessBrush with cancer and switching careers Everybody wants to eat but few will huntNutrition is as important as training Go hard then go harder a little moreDon't let yourself fall towards comfortEntering the MMA world and coaching Shane Burgos Evolving through the pandemic and writing a bookQUOTESJohn: "Go all in, and stay consistent with your effort everyday. Have faith and just be willing to outwork everybody. Put the work in." John: "You can't take J.J. Watts' workout and try to go do it on the field. The guy literally flips a thousand pounds higher, 60 times. He's a freak of nature. But you know what you can try to do, you can try and emulate his nutrition. Start with his mental performance, then build your body." Kris: "People who normally lose or don't have longevity, defaults to comfort. The moment it gets too hard, whether you're running, whether you're lifting, whether you're starting a business, the moment it gets too hard, okay, let me just go back to the business or maybe it's just not meant to be."John: "Anybody can be an athlete and transform their body and mindset. ANd I think that's what my gym is seeing and shown. Believe Elite is adult and youth athlete, pro athlete and college athlete, the doors are open to anybody who wants to better themselves and better their life and health and fitness."John: "You could talk through nutrition, you could talk through mindset and mentality. You can't talk through a training session." Follow John and his work through the links below: LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-rahn-758b2b178/Website - https://believeyouareelite.com/Book - https://believeyouareelite.com/mindset/Follow Success Fundamentals on the following links below: Website: https://www.successfundamentals.com/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4XCvuwxnFi5_7C6Ncm12xQLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/success-fundamentals™Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/successfundamentalspodcastInstagram: https://instagram.com/successfundamentalspodcast
In this episode of the Success Fundamentals Podcast, Kris Sykes and Brian Goldsack unpack the popular saying “People's opinions do not matter.” Brian and Kris inspect the issue from several angles, but give a focus on the viewpoint of success. The pair also talks about the need to inspect popular sayings and determine whether they warrant further inspection. HIGHLIGHTSPeople's opinions do matter in specific contextsThe truth matters more than people's opinionsThe case of Colin KaepernickBe wary of popular sayings and inspect the contextYou have the right to clarify their opinion of youLook for honest people who give honest feedbackQUOTESBrian: "I think that the truth matters, regardless of people's opinions. There was a time in the United States where the general opinion of people is that slavery was okay. But the truth of the matter is that slavery is not okay. And you might actually had been in the minority in the south if you were one of these people walking around saying, ‘I don't think this is right.'" Kris: "Go to people who will give you an honest opinion because most strangers will not. They're not gonna say, oh this is terrible. They're not gonna do that because people naturally don't want to hurt your feelings." Brian: "People's opinions have a real effect on you. In that sense, they matter. But their opinions could be wrong. So what's more important, the truth or their opinions? I would say, what's the truth of this situation? And then hopefully align your opinions with the truth." Follow Success Fundamentals on the following links below: Website: https://www.successfundamentals.com/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4XCvuwxnFi5_7C6Ncm12xQLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/success-fundamentals™Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/successfundamentalspodcastInstagram: https://instagram.com/successfundamentalspodcast
In this episode of the Success Fundamentals Podcast, Kris Sykes and Brian Goldsack take us through an illuminating conversation about whether or not it is truly possible to achieve a state of perpetual happiness. For our hosts, to be in such a state does not mean being unaffected by things that cause us pain or sadness, but to have the ability to process those emotions in a healthy and balanced way. HIGHLIGHTSA perpetual state of happiness comes with experienceJoyfulness is not necessarily equal to happinessA lesson in ice cream and seagullsDon't dwell on the things you can't changeYou have to forgive to achieve happinessYou need to know hurt to appreciate what it means to be happyQUOTESBrian: "I think being a happy person means having a firm grip of reality and being able to process the things that are unfolding before you, I don't want to say in a right way, but in a balanced way."Brian: "What if justice isn't served? Do you go on your whole life carrying grudges? Do you go on your whole life being bitter? Or do you have to perhaps sacrifice that in some way, maybe apologize? Or if it wasn't your fault, maybe forgive?" Kris: "You have to allow yourself to be angry, you have to allow yourself to be sad. But those are just pockets of emotion. Happiness is an overall state. So if you know yourself and understand that it's okay to react, it's okay to mess up, but I know how to get back to my base. And then at that point, you can reach that level of perpetual happiness." Follow Success Fundamentals on the following links below: Website: https://www.successfundamentals.com/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4XCvuwxnFi5_7C6Ncm12xQLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/success-fundamentals™Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/successfundamentalspodcastInstagram: https://instagram.com/successfundamentalspodcast
In this episode of the Success Fundamentals podcast, Kris and Brian talk to award-winning wellness expert, performance coach, physiologist & dedicated runner Louise Valentine. Louise talks about overcoming physical ailments and overwhelming odds through both mindset shifts and physical health improvements. Louise specifically advises against keeping sedentary lifestyles and shares important tips to introduce constant movement in our daily lives. While not everyone needs to aspire to become an endurance athlete, simple strategies can add up to significant improvements to your overall health. HIGHLIGHTSHow Louise became endurance athlete against all odds Get the ugly out, own your feelings, but put a deadline on itMental pain can manifest in physical pain The road to recovery starts with mind shifts Your breakdown becomes your breakthroughMake it simple, realistic, enjoyable, and flexibleSmall lifestyle changes can add up to big quality of life improvementsOur bodies are not well adapted for sedentary lifestyles Thoughts on caffeine and its effects to the body QUOTESLouise: "You use it or you lose it. It's so easy to get distracted in life. There's just so much noise, even in human performance. There's so many things to give you data on your body. If you just don't have that inner belief in yourself, that relentless confidence that you can master and own when you need it, you're not gonna go anywhere fast."Louise: "It starts with shifting your mind. Because it's as you said, if your body remains in that fight or flight state, and you've got those stress chemicals and hormones, it is the absolute opposite of a badass state. We are going to be unproductive, our body is fighting against us. We can't lose weight if we want to, we can't gain muscle if we want to." Louise: "Our body has to move during the day, that's the bottom line. It doesn't have to be really complicated. It can be standing after you eat at a desk if you don't have time to go for a walk. Get up and do a couple burpees in between when you're working on a big project that you have to sit there." Get in touch with Louise and her work in the links below: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/louise-valentine-mph/Website: https://www.breakingthroughwellness.com/Website: https://www.teamvalentineproject.com/Follow Success Fundamentals on the following links below: Website: https://www.successfundamentals.com/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4XCvuwxnFi5_7C6Ncm12xQLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/success-fundamentals™Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/successfundamentalspodcastInstagram: https://instagram.com/successfundamentalspodcast
In this episode of the Success Fundamentals podcast, Oleg Lougheed joins Brian and Kris in an honest and unfiltered conversation about race, and whether or not it affects your opportunities for success. Oleg, who hosts the Overcoming Odds podcast shares his perspective on the topic as someone who has lived in the United States and now working in Ghana, South Africa. Together, the trio reflect on the topics of racism, equality, opportunity, and different strategies on fighting racial discrimination.HIGHLIGHTSRacism can look different in other parts of the worldThe media plays a big role in instituting stereotypes Racism today often comes in hushed tones behind closed doorsVery few people want to be made accountable for their ignoranceWill the playing field ever be equal for people of color?How and when do we learn racist concepts?Collaboration is better than throwing spearsQUOTESKris: "If you see an image enough, you subconsciously start to believe it. It becomes your truth. And sometimes, you're acting in ways that you don't even think is offensive but because you've seen it so much, like if somebody walks down the street and clutches a purse because I'm walking down the street. They may not realize they're doing that, but that's the image. Who owns the images? It's these media companies owned by white men."Oleg: "In my opinion, very few people are actually willing to take responsibility for the fact that, hey, I might have been ignorant once upon a time. I might have been racist. I might have said certain things to people that offended them. People don't want to be wrong." Brian: "Race is pointless. It's like saying, you know, judging somebody by looking at how big their index finger is. It's like saying, I don't know if you'd be a good accountant. I mean, after all, look at his index finger, it's like, what does that have to literally do with anything?"Kris: "If we're trying to get to a point where everybody is equal, whatever that thought is, Collaboration would be better as opposed to throwing spears, is what I'm saying. You can get a lot more done addressing the issue, talking through the issue and moving forward, as opposed to being belligerent about it."Learn more about Oleg and his work in the links below: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/oleg-lougheed-6aa2a1b5/Podcast: https://www.overcomingodds.today/podcast-1Website: https://www.overcomingodds.today/Follow Success Fundamentals on the following links below: Website: https://www.successfundamentals.com/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4XCvuwxnFi5_7C6Ncm12xQLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/success-fundamentals™Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/successfundamentalspodcastInstagram: https://instagram.com/successfundamentalspodcast
In this episode of the Success Fundamentals, Brian talks to trained psychologist and host of the Psychology at Work podcast, Dr. Casey Lankow. Casey gives us a psychologist's perspective on what drives adaptability. For Casey, it all boils down to how we look at ourselves, and whether or not we know and accept its effects on our self-image that dictates how we respond to change. HIGHLIGHTSNobody likes changeWhy do we love routines?Humans are social animals with social needsSuccess is defined by having a sense of self-acceptanceAdaptability is a muscle that can be built over timeOur personalities are defense mechanismsIt always comes back to our identityQUOTESCasey: "I think it's important to just always return to that central idea, which is our brain's first reaction to any change is always going to be: this is a disruption. Because our brains are sort of wired to be as efficient as they can be. So brains, they like routine. They like not having to expend extra energy on thinking through, well, how do I do this?"Casey: "The degree to which I know and accept myself, determines the degree to which I know and accept others. In my context, success for a human would be getting to a point where there's more and more regularity to having moments of knowing that I am good enough." Casey: "It's not the new way of doing something that makes adapting difficult. It's the split second disruptive reaction and the question that's going on in my head: what does this mean about who I am now? It always comes down to our identity." Casey: "Our personalities as individuals is nothing more than a defense and a survival mechanism for the environment that we came to be in. If we didn't have to protect ourselves in certain ways, we would all be down in the middle. But these strong characteristics that develop are reactions and responses to the environment that we found ourselves in." Learn more about Casey and his work in the links below: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/caseylankow/Website: https://adeeperway.com/Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/psychology-at-work/id1466167436Follow Success Fundamentals on the following links below: Website: https://www.successfundamentals.com/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4XCvuwxnFi5_7C6Ncm12xQLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/success-fundamentals™Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/successfundamentalspodcastInstagram: https://instagram.com/successfundamentalspodcast
HIGHLIGHTSFinishing the last 20% is harder than getting to the first 80% You require obsession to achieve elite status Your path to success will differ based on your goals Aim for a healthy body, mind, and spiritThink of the journey, not just the end goalStrength comes from stress It's all about training Celebrate all your victoriesQUOTESRobert: It's difficult at first. I think sometimes, you need to go off track to get back on track, if that makes sense." Robert: "You just gotta appreciate the positive more than the negatives of whatever you're trying to be elite at. If you're trying to be an elite football player, if you love football that much, I don't think you're gonna care about the things you got to give up." Kris: "The illusion of being elite, the illusion of being great is, when you think of that, you think of the end goal. People tend to emulate the end result, not the journey." Robert: "It's all training. You're training your mind, you're training your spirit, you're training your body. I started to think about coordination, like people sometimes come in and say oh I'm not very coordinated. And it's like, you never put in the time to build that coordination. You never made the connections in your brain to help your body do what you want it to do. Whenever you're learning a new skill, you're just making new connections in your brain." Robert: “Somebody comes in, they don't have to be older, then can be younger and in pain they're not able to do stuff they used to be able to do and then they break through that barrier. And now they can do something simple like walk around the grocery store and not be out of breath or something like that. Those are really huge wins, those are life-changing wins."Learn more about Robert in the links below: Website: https://believeadultfitness.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robbadstein/Follow Success Fundamentals on the following links below: Website: https://www.successfundamentals.com/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4XCvuwxnFi5_7C6Ncm12xQLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/success-fundamentals™Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/successfundamentalspodcastInstagram: https://instagram.com/successfundamentalspodcast
In this episode of the Success Fundamentals, Kris and Brian talk to author, life coach, and educator Melissa Oatman. Melissa is also the host of the Awakening your Inner Awesomeness podcast. Melissa talks about self-development and working to become the best version of yourself. We all grow up with certain values that unknowingly have been setting us back from achieving success, but we can always unlearn them. When we are aware of the things that we must change, we unlock our inner awesomeness, and get that one step closer to achieving what we set out to do. HIGHLIGHTSAwakening your inner awesomeness, definedSit down and ask yourself if you're really happyStart putting yourself and your happiness firstWhat if we all just pursued our interests? The importance of spirituality in achieving successIs it possible to be in a state of perpetual positive emotion?Negative self-talk can manifest into physical illness You can't control life, only your reaction toward itQUOTESMelissa: "Awakening the awesomeness is doing the self-work and doing the self-development on yourself each and everyday to bring out the best version of yourself."Melissa: "You have to learn to trust your own instincts and come to a place where your happiness is valued over everyone else's, that what you want is more important. And that is difficult especially for people who are people pleasers." Melissa: "What we have to do sometimes is unlearn the conditions that have been placed on us like when they say, don't look a gift horse in the mouth, that money doesn't grow on trees, or you're not capable of making a lot of money. You have to let go of those beliefs and they're sometimes very deeply rooted." Melissa: "You have to change that inner record that's always playing and for many of us, it's what people have said to us our whole lives or what we perceive that they think about us. So we have to change that so we can start to feel better about ourselves."Learn more about Melissa in the links below: Website: https://www.melissaoatman.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissa-oatman-0a51a432/Book: https://www.amazon.com/Beautifully-Broken-Spiritual-Thriving-Surviving/dp/198957906XPodcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/awaken-your-inner-awesomeness-with-melissa-oatman/id1409822126Follow Success Fundamentals on the following links below: Website: https://www.successfundamentals.com/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4XCvuwxnFi5_7C6Ncm12xQLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/success-fundamentals™Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/successfundamentalspodcastInstagram: https://instagram.com/successfundamentalspodcast
In this episode of the Success Fundamentals, Kris and Brian talk to Scott Snider, President of the Exit Planning Institute (EPI) and Operating Partner of Snider Premier Growth, a small family investment company. Scott takes us through his own success journey and how he views value both in his personal and professional life. For Scott, your value is all about how much you contribute, not about how much you think you're owed. He also shares the lessons he and his team at EPI learned when they decided to pivot their business model at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. HIGHLIGHTSWhat makes life and business valuable?Don't let your business define youPivot to online classes and the lessons learned when COVID-19 hitMistakes that people make when valuing themselves and their businessCreate a case study of your achievements to prove your valueThings you can do to be more valuable Have a good attitude and just try Listen to both sides and make an informed decisionAlways be open to learning QUOTESScott: "Purposeful growth. I believe we should always be learning and growing and challenging ourselves to do not just things that we like to learn, but things that are wildly uncomfortable." Scott: "Management isn't right for everybody, but growth is."Kris: "A lot of people when they start out, they think that you got to be doing what you want to do today. And that's not necessarily the case. You have to progress. For example, if you're working at Scott's company, you want to become a director, you don't start out as a director. You start out at maybe the bottom." Scott: "If you really want to get something that you really want, just be nice to the person. Because you don't know what's going on in their life behind the scenes. I think most people are good, I think a lot of people are just a little lost, and I think the world will be a hell of a lot better place if we just treat each other with a little bit more respect."Learn more about Chris in the links below: Website: http://earncepa.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scott-snider-epi/Follow Success Fundamentals on the following links below: Website: https://www.successfundamentals.com/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4XCvuwxnFi5_7C6Ncm12xQLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/success-fundamentals™Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/successfundamentalspodcastInstagram: https://instagram.com/successfundamentalspodcast
In this episode of the Success Fundamentals, Kris and Brian talk to emmy-nominated host and star of PA Live! Chris Bohinski. Chris talks about the many pivots that he's had to make to accommodate life-changing events, and why he'd make those choices all over again, if need be. From training to be a medical director to working in the entertainment industry, Chris talks about his journey so far, and the importance of trusting that no matter where you are now, you're exactly where you're meant to be. HIGHLIGHTSChange is often borne out of necessity Chris's hidden talent and breaking into NBC's Today ShowA second tragedy, moving back home, and getting another break The goal has always been to performDon't worry about the outcome and just always do your bestDon't be afraid to ask questionsWhat you thought life was going to be vs What it's supposed to be It's all about the journey, not the destination QUOTESChris: "My pivots have been out of necessity, have not been out of something not working. Just how life was unfolding in front of me, and I look forward to what journey and what path and what serendipitous life moments that my world is going to bring to me. I'm just here with open arms to enjoy and experience it all."Chris: "I always do my best. I try my best. I'm never worried about the outcome of something. If it doesn't work out, it wasn't meant to be. But I know I literally did as good as I can." Chris: "Make sure you always remember, if you want to make that step into anything, it's okay to ask questions. I believe most of my life, and what some may deem as successes in it, are because I am not afraid to ask questions. Chris: "Sometimes life makes the decisions for you. You have to trust in those moments that everything's gonna work out in the end."Learn more about Chris in the links below: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrisbohinski/Website: https://www.pahomepage.com/pa-live/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chrisbohinski/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChrisBohinski/Twitter: https://twitter.com/chrisbohinskiFollow Success Fundamentals on the following links below: Website: https://www.successfundamentals.com/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4XCvuwxnFi5_7C6Ncm12xQLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/success-fundamentals™Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/successfundamentalspodcastInstagram: https://instagram.com/successfundamentalspodcast
In this episode of the Success Fundamentals, Kris, Brian, and guest Seth J. Gillihan, PhD talk about self sabotage and the ways that it can be overcome. Seth, a licensed psychologist with training in cognitive behavioral therapy, talks about being mindful of these self sabotaging behaviors, setting better goals, and training yourself to be comfortable with change. HIGHLIGHTSTell-tale signs of self sabotage Fixed vs growth mindsetSelf sabotaging behavior is often unconscious Ways to overcome self sabotageTie yourself to a purpose, not a fixed goalMentally healthy people are able to adjust to change A case study on affirmations On CBT, Mindfulness, and StoicismQUOTESSeth: "If our happiness is based on pursuit, that dopamine drive of more, more, more, then we might know unconsciously that if I ever get there, then it's over. Because then, you know, I've got the mansion, I've got the whatever and I still feel empty inside. And that can be a reason to not reach it, like just got to keep climbing."Seth: "I used to think of CBT and mindfulness as just that, CBT plus mindfulness. But now, I've really thought of it as mindful awareness, mindful presence, is the context in which we work on our thoughts and our actions."Seth: "Reality is just reality, but so often we are fighting against it. We're saying things shouldn't be this way, I don't like this, and pushing things away instead of jus saying like, this is the way things are, let me receive that as a starting point and then I can respond adaptively to it."Seth: That helps so much with that idea of reacting flexibly to demands because I'm not locked in to one way of doing things. I'm not overly attached to a certain outcome. I'm willing to work with things as they are and to change things. Receiving and accepting doesn't mean that I leave them the way they are. It means that I'm starting from a really healthy understanding that this is reality and let's work from there." Learn more about Seth in the links below: Website: https://sethgillihan.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sethgillihanphd/Podcast: https://sethgillihan.com/podcasts/ Online courses: https://sethgillihan.com/online-courses/App: https://www.enjoybloom.com/Follow Success Fundamentals on the following links below: Website: https://www.successfundamentals.com/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4XCvuwxnFi5_7C6Ncm12xQLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/success-fundamentals™Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/successfundamentalspodcastInstagram: https://instagram.com/successfundamentalspodcast
In this episode of the Success Fundamentals Podcast, Kris and Brian talk to Mark Weisman, also known as the Alaskan Úlfhéðnar. Mark offers in-depth teachings on spirituality, primarily from a pre-Christian Celtic/Norse DanesNordic lens. Mark maintains that spirituality of any kind is crucial to success — anything else is ego. Using his unique blend of psychology and spirituality, Mark takes us on a journey towards his views on intentionality, faith, and free will. HIGHLIGHTSIs spirituality optional to success? A look at spirituality with lenses from all over the worldPrayers are basically spells The meaning of life is emotions The key to happiness is intentMaterial possession is not a good metric of successFaith requires action to workRuminations on free willQUOTESMark: "Spirituality is a part of how we think, how we act — putting rubber on road, so to speak. When we talk about you as an individual, your actions are guided by the spiritual world. They just are. That's nature, that's fact. To separate and say, well, I'm successful without that spiritual component is ego."Mark: "The meaning of life is emotions. That is the only thing that you cannot get from the spiritual world because you have no physicality. To gain emotions, we must have our physical bodies because we need the chemistry. That's what creates emotion. Therefore when we talk about why we are here, we are here to learn emotions and ultimately to accomplish empathy." Mark: "If you want to be happy, you'll be happy. If you really want it, you have in you the intent to be whatever you want. You can be angry, you can be stern, you can be all of those things, but you can also be happy."Mark: "If you seek division, or distrust, or all of those negative things, you'll find them. Because they're everywhere. But if you seek peace, if you seek harmony, if you seek growth, you will find that too." Connect with Mark in the links below:Website: https://akulfhednar.com/Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/6GnemRepuyaQxczWWBBSHJ?si=23ef6023eecd421e&nd=1Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-weisman-2a769061/Follow Success Fundamentals on the following links below: Website: https://www.successfundamentals.com/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4XCvuwxnFi5_7C6Ncm12xQLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/success-fundamentals™Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/successfundamentalspodcastInstagram: https://instagram.com/successfundamentalspodcast
In this episode of the Success Fundamentals Podcast, Kris and Brian talk to seasoned lawyer Eric Johnson. Besides being a top-notch lawyer, he is also the author of From Worst to First, his guide on how to achieve mastery of your craft built from the lessons he learned in law school where he graduated magna cum laude from literally being at the bottom of his class.Eric talks about the mindset he adopted to not only survive, but thrive in law school, and how he has turned to aligning his body, mindy, emotion, and spirit to achieve his goals. As long as you maintain focus, there are no barriers strong enough to hinder your from success. HIGHLIGHTSFrom worst student to top of the class Commit to doing your best irrespective of the resultExert extreme focus to elevate yourselfPrioritize activities that help make you the best version of yourselfStop focusing on the 1-star reviews Lessons in problem-solving from ancient shipbuilding technologyAll barriers succumb under an intense commitment to excellenceHabits to keep yourself aligned and focusedKeep your body, mind, emotion, and spirit equally healthyQUOTESEric: "I didn't come here to be top of my class. I came here because I thought, by learning the law, I could be useful to somebody. I could be helpful. And so, with that emotional determination, I decided, look, I'm just going to do my best." Eric: "It isn't just enough to put in the time. You have to dedicate yourself to be your best and really what you're doing during that 10,000 hours is you are expanding your capacity in a particular field. It's not enough just to say, I'm gonna go through the motions, I'm gonna put in the time and effort, but you have to apply yourself intellectually, emotionally, physically, and every other way." Eric: "If I can keep myself aligned, and keep my emotional, mental, and spiritual efforts and apply that in my physical life, then all things are possible."Connect with Eric in the links below:Website: https://erictoddjohnson.com/Book (Audio): https://www.audible.com/pd/Worst-to-First-Audiobook/B09LRJKY2MFollow Success Fundamentals on the following links below: Website: https://www.successfundamentals.com/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4XCvuwxnFi5_7C6Ncm12xQLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/success-fundamentals™Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/successfundamentalspodcastInstagram: https://instagram.com/successfundamentalspodcast
In this episode of the Success Fundamentals Podcast, Kris and Brian talk to Roman Prokopchuk. Roman is the host of the Roman Prokopchuk's Digital Savage Experience and the Principal Owner, CMO, Head of Digital Marketing Services & Solutions of Nova Zora Digital. As a first generation immigrant from Ukraine, Roman is no stranger to chaos and struggling for survival. Roman's family left Ukraine in March of 1990 and moved to New Jersey, where his family of six squeezed into a two bedroom apartment. He also found himself jobless after graduating from Rutgers University during the 2008 recession. At present, Roman has found success with his company and podcast. His approach to success is steady, if not contemplative. He talks about the mental fortitude needed to thrive in chaos, and always putting in the work. He also talks about his faith and why his spirituality is one of the building blocks of his success in business and life in general. HIGHLIGHTSLeaving the Soviet Union and studying criminal justice A chance encounter with search engine optimizationExperience makes you tougher Thrive in constant chaos by stepping backGet out of your own head and focus on your goals There is a link between spirituality and success Complacency is the death of innovation You always have to act and put in the workTrue success should be repeatable The love of money, not money itself, is evil Unchecked power corrupts QUOTESKris: "My dad used to always say, pressure does two things: either it bursts pipes or makes diamonds. So are you a rusted pipe or are you a lump of coal?" Roman: "Whatever you're going through, take a step back and look at it from different perspectives that it may not be the way that you actually think it is."Roman: "Majority of things in life are mental and getting out of your own head. So kind of finding just a space where it's just you and whatever you're going through and being in a calm state is key. Because we talk about chaos and sometimes that chaos is in your mind and regardless of what you do you lose focus of your goal, you start getting distracted, discouraged, so on and so forth." Roman: "At the end of the day, when it's a selfish pursuit versus a selfless pursuit. When it's a selfish pursuit and I would get a client or get compensated a crazy amount of money and get a check, that feeling only lasted for so long. But when it's selfless and you add value to other people around you and you can see that bearing fruit in other people's lives, I know that gets carried over. I live on through those actions. Connect with Roman in the links below:Podcast: https://wavve.link/digital-savage-experience-podcastWebsite: https://www.novazoradigital.com/Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/romanprokopchuk/Follow Success Fundamentals on the following links below: Website: https://www.successfundamentals.com/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4XCvuwxnFi5_7C6Ncm12xQLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/success-fundamentals™Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/successfundamentalspodcastInstagram: https://instagram.com/successfundamentalspodcast
HIGHLIGHTSIf you haven't failed, you're not trying hard enoughTurn your 'failures' into lessons that will help you do betterThe sale doesn't start until the customer says noKnow where your strengths are and sharpen themFind clarity in your purpose Cultivate your seeds to reap the fruits of your labor laterMoney is a vehicle and power is a toolTurn your successful habits into a routineQUOTESJordan: "When it comes to entrepreneurship, you've got to really embrace failure because if you're not trying, you're not gonna fail. But if you're actually out there executing and becoming a practitioner of your craft, you're gonna fail a ton. And it's okay as long as you look at it and you say, hey, what are the lessons I can take away from this?" Brian: "I think success, maybe in general, is being vulnerable enough and putting yourself in positions enough to have to face failure frequently." Jordan: "Your why has to be there. Make sure you have clarity in your purpose because it's not for the faint of heart. You go from salary to commission real quick." Jordan: "What I know about routines is when you take action, that creates momentum. Momentum creates consistency, consistency creates habits, habits create results. If you can have this set of things that you do consistently, you're just gonna turn into a better version of you."Connect with Jordan in the links below:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordanjmendoza/Website: https://jordanjmendoza.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jordanjmendoza/Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/blaze-your-own-trail-podcast-with-jordan-mendoza/id1493356125Follow Success Fundamentals on the following links below: Website: https://www.successfundamentals.com/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4XCvuwxnFi5_7C6Ncm12xQLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/success-fundamentals™Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/successfundamentalspodcastInstagram: https://instagram.com/successfundamentalspodcast
In this episode of the Success Fundamentals Podcast, Kris and Brian talk to Public Speaking coach and entrepreneur Brendan Kumarasamy. Brendan shares the challenges he encountered when he started coaching C-Suite executives in public speaking and communication at the tender age of 22, and the mindset he has developed to overcome these difficulties. Despite his young age, Brendan's business acumen and skill has allowed him to earn the trust of executives that have more years of work experience under their belt than he has been alive. For Brendan, it's all about perseverance, and staying true to the three truths that he wants to leave behind for the world. HIGHLIGHTSGetting over impostor syndrome and becoming an expert What are the three truths you would leave behind? Never say wow, always ask howFocus on the easiest problems first Be insane, or be the sameTake care of the people that already believe in you firstMoney and power just amplifies what you already are QUOTESBrendan: "Most of us think being an expert is like, oh, you need a PhD or a master's degree. Whereas for me, being an expert simply means that you are one chapter ahead of the next person in that skill." Brendan: "Make a list of the top three people you admire the most in your life and pretend they were already your friends, asking you for feedback. What feedback would you give them?"Brendan: "When every decision in your life makes sense to the only person that should, which is you, you're probably making the right decision."Brendan: "For every podcast I'm on, where I know these two people already bought into me. These people have taken the time to watch my YouTube videos. They know I'm competent, there's another nine that don't. There's another nine that go well he's just a kid, what's this guy gonna teach me about communication. But if you focus on that 90%, you're not gonna move the ball. But if you triple down on these two guys, you treat this like a Joe Rogan podcast, you show up really strong for the people who want to show up for you, you'll win by a landslide."Connect with Brendan in the links below:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brendenkumarasamy/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/MasterTalksFree Training: https://www.rockstarcommunicator.com/Follow Success Fundamentals on the following links below: Website: https://www.successfundamentals.com/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4XCvuwxnFi5_7C6Ncm12xQLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/success-fundamentals™Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/successfundamentalspodcastInstagram: https://instagram.com/successfundamentalspodcast
In this episode of the Success Fundamentals Podcast, Kris and Brian talk to Tisha Marie Pelletier. As a self-made serial mom entrepreneur, professional speaker, author, and business mentor, Tisha seeks to empower more women and mothers to take control of their lives without sacrificing family or their careers. HIGHLIGHTSJuggling business with everything else Women don't need to choose between family and entrepreneurshipPerfection is overratedThe road to success is not smooth and straightforward Everyone needs to learn to say no sometimesSeek mentorship and companionship to unlock your possibilitiesNothing's gonna change unless you want to make it changeIncome always follows impactOwn your power, believe in yourself, and see things start to shiftQUOTESTisha: "I don't agree with that statement at all, that women have to choose. I think that women and moms become entrepreneurs because they want the freedom and the flexibility to be able to design life around their schedule, make sure that their priorities are in check, and that their kids are their priority."Tisha: "Vulnerability is really what connects you to people. It's not the I have it all figured out, I'm untouchable, you can't ask me anything, you can't talk to me. I think that as women, if we open that up and we're approachable, I can tell you what it's like, we can get through this together, we're a tribe, then that just makes it more real." Tisha: "None of us are perfect. I actually say perfection is so overrated. Women, we just need to know it's okay to let your guard down. It's okay to say, 'I'm really having a rough time right now.' And it's okay to be able to ask for help when you need it, whether that's with your kids, whether that's in your business."Tisha: I don't care about failure. I really don't. Yes, I'll fail millions of times. I have failed millions of times. But I've used every single thing that I've gone through as a learning experience like okay, I know I can do this better next time." Tisha: "I always love saying that when I'm making the impact and I'm doing the things that I love, and I'm surrounded by the people that I really want to serve, the income always follows. And it always does."Connect with Tisha in the links below:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tishamariepelletier/Website: https://www.tishamarieenterprises.com/Books: https://www.amazon.com/Books-Tisha-Marie-Pelletier/s?rh=n%3A283155%2Cp_27%3ATisha+Marie+PelletierFollow Success Fundamentals on the following links below: Website: https://www.successfundamentals.com/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4XCvuwxnFi5_7C6Ncm12xQLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/success-fundamentals™Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/successfundamentalspodcastInstagram: https://instagram.com/successfundamentalspodcast
In this episode of the Success Fundamentals Podcast, Kris Sykes and Brian Goldsack talk about selfishness and why it is such a recurring theme for people who have achieved, or are working towards their own vision of success. Kris and Brian unpack the meaning of the word, and why selfishness is not necessarily a bad thing to a certain degree, unless it evolves into a negative form that negatively affects oneself and society as a whole.HIGHLIGHTSCan selfishness be good? Deconstructing the word selfishnessEveryone is selfish to a certain extentSelfishness is one of the ingredients to successBeing egotistical and selfishness are not the same thingQUOTESBrian: "Selfish is a crazy word in the way that we use it because if we are not selfish, then what are we? Can we function in the perpetual state of always thinking about other people without having some regard to the self?"Brian: "At what point does selfishness become bad? I think the distinguishing factor is some of the other words, right. I think if you become self-absorbed, that's a problem. I think if you become egotistical, I think that's a problem. I think if you become self-obsessed, that's a problem. But selfish, I think that's just a natural state of things."Kris: "It's okay to be selfish but like Brian said earlier, selfishness is not necessarily the right word. It's how you were taught. Everybody as children you're taught that selfishness is a bad word. Right? It's a bad word, you don't need to be selfish, You always need to be looking out for the other person. But you can't help the other person unless you help you."Kris: "On your journey of success, successors, you can be selfish to yourself. Meaning, understand what you need to do that's gonna make you perform and become your best self. It becomes bad when selfishness evolves into being self-centered, egotistical, conniving, self-absorbed." Follow Success Fundamentals on the following links below: Website: https://www.successfundamentals.com/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4XCvuwxnFi5_7C6Ncm12xQLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/success-fundamentals™Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/successfundamentalspodcastInstagram: https://instagram.com/successfundamentalspodcast
In this episode of the Success Fundamentals Podcast, Kris Sykes and Brian Goldsack talk to Rich Cardona, founder of Rich Cardona Media and the host of the NFT for Newbies Podcast. Rich shares his journey from the Marine Corps to his short stint working in the corporate world, before he decided to jump ship straight into entrepreneurship. Rich also talks about his ideas about leadership. While he thinks leadership is something your work on, it is also something that you notice in yourself early on. Rich also explains that good leadership will always be about helping others, anything else is just ego. HIGHLIGHTSFrom Marine Corps to Corporate to EntrepreneurQuitting corporate job and moving back to parent's basementDo you have what it takes to make it out on your own?Don't be afraid to make changes and pivot to the next thingChase attention more than moneyService is a better fuel than cashShow up exactly as you are, as much as you canIt's best to deal with your demons earlyGet comfortable with monotonous hard workPitching is the worst way to attract clients Good leaders make themselves replaceable over timeTake your leap of faith and be selfish You can always make more moneyAlways check your egoQUOTESRich: "You need to have a self-awareness which is the key to doing anything on your own ever. You know who you are and you know who you aren't. So if you think that you're cut out for this leap of faith, the valleys are far more often than the peaks. It's just literally like do you look at it as 'I learned so much from that' or 'I am learning so much from this' when a client bails a day before an invoice is due, or something like that."Rich: "If you start to see that something you're doing is garnering a lot of attention, you need to follow that more than money. Because if you can grow that exponentially, then the money is just gonna come piling."Brian: "Some people might never take the journey because they're afraid that they are being selfish and all they're doing is pursuing their own interest or own ambitions. However, once you take the leap, you're going to have to come to grips that even in your selfishness, you will have to be of service to other people anyway. So be selfish, say, 'I'm gonna do this' and then in your selfish pursuits you're gonna have to help people."Rich: "You should never say 'I'm a leader'. You shouldn't designate. Let other people designate that for you. And then, if that's the signal, that's good. If you find yourself wanting to impart knowledge or experience and help other people then you're probably a leader as well. But it's certainly something that can be worked on, it's certainly something that you can read up on and all these kinds of things. But I think it's just one of those things that you will either notice that you want to serve others, or not."Follow Rich on the following links below: LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/richcardona/Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/nfts-for-newbies/id1581483443Website - https://richcardonamedia.com/Follow Success Fundamentals on the following links below: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4XCvuwxnFi5_7C6Ncm12xQLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/success-fundamentals™Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/successfundamentalspodcastInstagram: https://instagram.com/successfundamentalspodcast
In this episode of the Success Fundamentals Podcast, Kris Sykes and Brian Goldsack talk to Victoria Meyer, President of Progressio Global and the host of The Chemical Show Podcast. A chemical engineer by trade, Victoria spent two decades doing business development in the chemical industry, particularly in Shell. After her long stint in corporate, Victoria stuck to her guns and founded her own consulting business and continues to work with chemical executives. As the founder of her own company, Victoria is no stranger to the work and determination needed to succeed. She talks about countering the demons of self-doubt, sloth, and decision-fatigue that serve to block you from achieving your vision of success. She also shares her take on money, and how power can be used to better the world. HIGHLIGHTSYour demons never really go awaySociety's expectations can instill a fear of criticismIt's always easier to do nothing Design situations that will prevent decision fatigueWhat's your catalyst?Greatness requires a degree of selfishnessYou can always find excusesEverybody wants some recognitionCan optimism hold you back?Get relevant feedback from experts Money is a metric and can create opportunityEverybody should use their power to better the worldQUOTESVictoria: "If you think about what courage is, courage is doing something in the face of fear. And so I think there's this aspect of self doubt and fear of failure that never goes away, that you just keep pushing through and working through."Victoria: "The other thing I think that's really interesting and, and there's been a lot of research, is the whole thing around decision fatigue. If you have to make a decision to do something at some point, you're just not going to make that decision. So that's where you create habits and create systems so that you don't have to decide."Victoria: "Feedback is hard. It can be really hard when you fall in love with what you're doing. And then somebody says, well, you shouldn't love it so much. That's really hard. So it's, it's part of the courage. It's part of resilience. But you need to work through that to create that success." Follow Victoria on the following links below: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/victoria-king-meyer/Podcast: https://thechemicalshow.com/Website: https://progressioglobal.com/Follow Success Fundamentals on the following links below: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4XCvuwxnFi5_7C6Ncm12xQLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/success-fundamentals™Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/successfundamentalspodcastInstagram: https://instagram.com/successfundamentalspodcast
In this episode of the Success Fundamentals Podcast, Kris Sykes and Brian Goldsack talk to Billy Samoa Saleeby, the CEO and Co-Founder of Podify. Billy is also an award-winning filmmaker and is the former Head of Global Sales and Product Training at Tesla. Billy talks about his journey from filmmaker to podcast entrepreneur, and the many lessons he learned along the way. He also shares some sage advice on how to stand out from any saturated market, focusing on the problem first, and The First Principles Thinking, which he learned directly from Elon Musk.HIGHLIGHTSAll about creating experiences Billy's creative process: give your brain a break We're hardwired to not pay attention to familiarityFocus on the problem, not the solutionProvide more value than you take in paymentStand out by using the First Principles ThinkingBe the master of the beast in your headSuccess can be more dangerous than failureFind a long term sustainable interest for what you want to be known for We all want to leave something behindDeep dive into succeeding in podcastingNiche down until it hurtsSpend time with marketing Money directs too much of our attention and too many of our actionsPower is opportunity, ability, and responsibilityQUOTESBilly: "To me, success wears many hats and it finds itself in bizarre places. But the thing to remember is we all are in control of how we show up int h world and what we bring to the world. When we do things that people remember, that's when we stand out." Billy: "Any business that's successful needs to have a few things. It needs to understand what problem they are solving, not necessarily what is the right solution. The problem that's being solved is most important. The solution to that problem is determined by your own ability to pivot and find the right solution for your specific potential customer. I think all too often, people get too wedded and too married to a specific solution and not first talking about that hair-on-fire problem."Billy: "When you provide more in value than you take in my payment, people feel like you are somebody that they can't live without. I think right now, to your point that there's so many things out there. You could get this subscription and this membership, and this, and that, but if people feel that they can't live without you, they're gonna be a customer for the long term. And they'll feel that way if you have their best interest at heart." Billy: "The First Principles Thinking is not iterating from what currently exists. So for example, in Tesla, Elon could have said, okay all these cars exist, I'm just gonna make it incrementally better than all the other cars out there. He didn't do that. Instead he said, ‘let's look at this from the ground up, if no car ever existed how can we build it in a way that will serve the need and deliver something that's gonna blow people away.'"Billy: "Don't allow the beast in your head to make you second guess in yourself and turn into the direction that you don't need to turn."Billy: "Niche down, niche down again, and niche down until it hurts. So how do you narrow down who it is you're speaking to 'cause if you try to speak to everyone, then you actually speak to no one." Follow Billy on the following links below: Website: https://www.podify.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/billysamoa/Follow Success Fundamentals on the following links below: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4XCvuwxnFi5_7C6Ncm12xQLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/success-fundamentals™Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/successfundamentalspodcastInstagram: https://instagram.com/successfundamentalspodcast
In this episode of the Success Fundamentals Podcast, Kris Sykes and Brian Goldsack talk about the recent controversy surrounding decorated American Football coach Brian Flores, who recently filed a class action suit against the National Football League as well as three teams: the New York Giants, Denver Broncos, and Dolphins organizations for racial discrimination. Kris and Brian talk about how racism is still entrenched in the NFL and other organizations, and how the odds are still heavily stacked against minorities. The duo also exchange thoughts about the role that race and compromise play in achieving success, particularly for minorities in the United States. HIGHLIGHTSThe Brian Flores - NFL controversy: a recapThe race angle and the Rooney RuleCurt Flood and the supreme sacrifice needed to enact changeRacism is still entrenched in the NFL and other white-dominated organizationsChange only happens with the help of others QUOTESKris: "I believe that in order to make change, you have to do drastic moves but it's gonna be at your expense. You are now suing a league of 32 owners, saying that you did wrong by me. But you wanna be a head coach. If nobody else opts into the class (action lawsuit), then his efforts are gonna be for naught, for one, and two, his dreams of being NFL head coach or any other franchise is dead." Brian: "There is this racism or, what's the word, prejudice, that at this time, it's not in your face like it was back like in the 50s and 60s, where the gentleman was receiving derogatory slurs right to his face. It seems like now, it's masked by almost bureaucratic methods like the Rooney rule, but it's still here. So, with Mr. Flores, you think you're getting a shot, but the whole time it's just smoke and mirrors." Kris: "If the Rooney Rule was instilled to help minority coaches coach teams, why is it every time a head coach hiring job happens, it's a white guy that either has no head coaching experience, or comes from college." Brian: "If you're a white guy in the United States, working, you can just be a white guy in the United States working. The thing that always amazes me about minorities in the United States is that you also have to be extraordinarily well-versed in social issues related to your race. And almost like versed in sociology and history. Whereas, like a white guy. that's optional." Follow Success Fundamentals on the following links below: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4XCvuwxnFi5_7C6Ncm12xQLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/success-fundamentals™Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/successfundamentalspodcastInstagram: https://instagram.com/successfundamentalspodcast
In this episode of the Success Fundamentals Podcast, Kris Sykes and Brian Goldsack talk to Andy Paul. Andy is the host of the Sales Enablement with Andy Paul podcast and author of the soon-to-be-released book titled Sell Without Selling Out: A Guide to Success on Your Own Terms. Andy's insight on sales is a breath of fresh air, as he advocates understanding and curiosity as the main driver of sales, not persuasion. Andy maintains that sales should be about helping people, not manipulating or coercing customers to close a sale. Andy's views about success are also decidedly not about monetary reward. Instead, he values flexibility and freedom to be wherever he needs to be, while also providing adequately for his personal and family needs. HIGHLIGHTSSmall businesses can compete with larger players Success starts with asking questions Most sellers have the wrong mindset about their jobCan sales be fully-automated in the future? Finding a mentor in a customer Customers are not just buying products, they're buying youCuriosity and empathy helps you understand your customer's needs betterNever stop learning, be persistent, and be intentionalSuccess can be about freedom and flexibility, not moneyFocus on the work, and monetary reward will follow Sell without selling outQUOTESAndy: "I believe in the first few years of my career, my customers really taught me how to sell to them. It was just a matter of engaging with them on a human level and using my curiosity to make sure I really got to a point where I feel like I understood them, they felt like I understood them as well." Andy: "We need to change the way we educate sellers. It's not about persuasion, it's about understanding and helping." Andy: "Sure, we're gonna see more of certain processes that are gonna be automated, without a doubt. But at the end of the day it's still gonna be a human business. Selling is still gonna be a human business because empathy, creativity, and intuition, these things that you can't automate are still so important in the whole equation."Follow Andy on the following links below: Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/realandypaul/Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sales-enablement-podcast-with-andy-paul/id1046045197Book: https://www.amazon.com/Sell-Without-Selling-Out-Success/dp/1989603572Follow Success Fundamentals on the following links below: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4XCvuwxnFi5_7C6Ncm12xQLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/success-fundamentals™Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/successfundamentalspodcastInstagram: https://instagram.com/successfundamentalspodcast
In this episode of the Success Fundamentals Podcast, Kris Sykes and Brian Goldsack talk to Sam Moss, co-Founder of 1Click Agency, which focuses on website development for B2B SaaS companies. Sam grew up with the idea of entrepreneurship in his head and has since learned never to let go just because results may not be happening for you immediately. Sam's main virtue is patience, and he knows how to play the long game. In this episode, Sam also shares his approach to marketing and how he thinks the future of B2B marketing will look like in a few years. HIGHLIGHTSEntrepreneurship is not for everyoneFocusing on website development for B2B SaaS companiesThere's always other options out there Customers don't care about your story Live your life now, now when you're 70Batch your tasks and get a groove goingTake your time and get the work in Money is a tool Why throw in the towel when you've come this far?Marketing can also be about helping people B2B brands are going to become more engaging soonQUOTESSam: "Get yourself into a routine and start getting things done. Because this work from home life for most people, like, you have kids running around, you have family at home. It's a little bit louder, it's easier to get distracted. But get your head down, get what you need to get done and that opens up your schedule if you think about it."Sam: "Money to me is a tool, and it sure makes life a lot more fun if you have a lot of it."Sam: "People are typically right around the corner from their breakthrough. And if you have proof of concept for what you're doing, as in like if it's a bad idea -- sometimes you do need to quit and move on, but if you have proof of concept, let's say you're building a business and there's product market fit, you have a product that people will like, for me that means we should continue."Sam: "What's interesting is everything that happens in the B2B world is typically already going on in the B2C world two to three years beforehand. So we kinda have a cheat code as to what's going on. Things that are coming down the pipe for B2B would be brands being more personal and more interactive with their buyers in a fun way."Follow Sam on the following links below: Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sam1ca/Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/b2b-made-simple-a-b2b-marketing-podcast/id1461772424Website: https://1clickagency.com/Follow Success Fundamentals on the following links below: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4XCvuwxnFi5_7C6Ncm12xQLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/success-fundamentals™Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/successfundamentalspodcast
In this episode of the Success Fundamentals Podcast, Kris Sykes and Brian Goldsack talk to Frederic Fekkai, a titan in the beauty industry who has worked with names such as Madonna, Sharon Stone, and even Hillary Clinton. Frederic, who originally hails from Aix-en-Provence, a small city in Southeast France, uprooted himself from a relatively comfortable life to pursue the beauty industry in New York City. He talks about achieving greatness through hard work, persistence, and trusting his vision. He found one of his greatest successes by following his entrepreneurial vision of creating luxury hair care products, which in the 80s were considered a commodity. In this episode, we take a glimpse on the inner workings of Frederic's mind, and hopefully pick up a few business and life lessons from the hairstylist to the rich and famous. HIGHLIGHTSGrowing up in the beauty of Aix-en-Provence, FranceA detour with law school and getting acquainted with the beauty industryPursuing the dream in New York CityElevating hair care into a luxuryHow to be the hair stylist for the rich and famous Beauty is about self confidenceGetting a reputation boost from Hillary ClintonKeep your integrity: it pays offIs vanity bad?People don't buy stories, not products Build and take care of your teamAlways be curious and innovativeMoney can help change people's lives for the betterPower needs to be helpfulQUOTESFrederic "When I went back to my roots and met the friends that I went to university or school with, I see them having a great job, whether it's doctors or lawyers, or whatever. And looking at their life, it's a very comfortable life but that's not what I wanted. I really wanted to be noticed. Not to be famous, but I wanted to be known for somebody that did something special." Frederic: "I'm not in the business just to make money. I mean, yes, that's great and that's the first intent. But the most important thing for me was to have a business that really moved the needle and get people's attention."Frederic: "Beautiful is about self-confidence. It's about accepting who you are and using tools whether it's hair, makeup, skin care, accessories, to enhance that. That doesn't make somebody beautiful. I give them, first of all, the sense of who they are and why they are beautiful. If they accept that first, it's easy. If they're really not happy with who they are, that's my job. I need to make them understand that they should be happy with who they are." Frederic: "I was not that famous for just doing incredible hair. Because a lot of stylists were doing that. And sometimes, to be honest with you, [they were] much more talented than ours. But those stylists were doing things that customers couldn't reproduce. The magic is I was doing beautiful hair that's beautiful enough for them to reproduce at home."Frederic: "Vanity is not bad. Vanity is about feeling good, feeling confident. Vanity is important. I would rather have someone who is vain, than someone who is neglecting their own personal look. When you're vain, you're making an effort. Just that by itself is a positive thing."Follow Frederic on the following links below: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fr%C3%A9d%C3%A9ric-fekkai/Follow Success Fundamentals on the following links below: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4XCvuwxnFi5_7C6Ncm12xQLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/success-fundamentals™Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/successfundamentalspodcastInstagram: https://instagram.com/successfundamentalspodcast
In this episode of the Success Fundamentals Podcast, Ruben Alvarez is joining Kris Sykes and Brian Goldsack. He is the founder of The Marketing Hunters and the host of the #INFORTHEKILL podcast that made it to the Top 5 Podcasts to listen to during COVID19. Ruben shares the whole concept behind branding and what drove him to be a branding expert. He explains the idea that “the brand precedes the sale” and that gaining credibility is never original, it is simply borrowed from someone else's success. Ruben also shares how empowered he feels when he becomes comfortable doing what others are not willing to do for him to achieve his success.Stay tuned to hear more about Ruben as he shares the different ways branding helps you and your business succeed.HIGHLIGHTSDelivering an experience is now the focal point of brandingA powerful brand leverages the principles of attentionAll credibility is borrowedFollow in the right people's footsteps of successQUOTESRuben: “We work with this person and we work with this person and we're delivering this experience of we're relevant and we're new and we're not going to let you feel like we're this old company that just basically is outdated and irrelevant.”Ruben: “All credibility is borrowed from somebody else. We never create our own credibility ever. I have a YouTube channel in which I review products. I am borrowing the credibility of the people's product's name to grow my name."Ruben: "That's all it is with branding is you just don't want to compete with people. Ever. Just find a way to never compete with someone."Follow Ruben on the following links below: Website: https://www.rubenalvarez.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/iamrubenalvarez/Follow Success Fundamentals on the following links below: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4XCvuwxnFi5_7C6Ncm12xQLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/success-fundamentals™Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/successfundamentalspodcastInstagram: https://instagram.com/successfundamentalspodcast
In this episode, Kris Sykes and Brian Goldsack talk to Scott Mason, host of the Purpose Highway podcast. The idea that one must know the dark to see the light can be applied to many different aspects of the human condition.Learning grit from struggle is one example, but also hoping in the face of adversity is another. Finding meaning in life can be the search of a greater purpose, whether through religion or other secular means. But Scott challenges this idea of purpose and happiness and that maybe the question of happiness does not lie in something else that is yet to be found, but instead in things that already exist in the here and now.HIGHLIGHTSPrivilege from struggle inhibits resilience against adversityThe search for meaning and connection to become greaterDemocracy as a secular alternative to religionReligious influence teaches greater purpose but affects notions of success Hope: A lack of ambition perhaps gives room to actually be happyQUOTESScott: "If we are living a life in which there is too much comfort or in which a lot of the old spiritual needs that we have that which may have been driven by some of the existential or species-wide crises that we have solved, if they're not working anymore, that leaves us internally with a profound need, and that is a need for meaning and connection."Scott: "The concept of democracy as a new secular civil religion, not democracy by the way as currently practiced, but democracy as a tie-in or a tether for true social-wide connection through the idea of open, fair, transparent, good citizenship, that if that were something that we worship, a lot of the divisions that we have would go away." Scott: "We have hope for the future here that drives us. That's why entrepreneurialism is so big. And why success... particularly financial or achievement-oriented success is such a big deal in our culture, but in a culture that is more nihilistic that doesn't have hope, perhaps they have room to be happy."Follow Scott and check out his podcast in the links below: Website: https://purposehighway.com/Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/smason1/Follow Success Fundamentals on the following links below: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4XCvuwxnFi5_7C6Ncm12xQLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/success-fundamentals™Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/successfundamentalspodcastInstagram: https://instagram.com/successfundamentalspodcast
In this episode, Kris Sykes and Brian Goldsack talk about the middle class mindset, a concept introduced a couple of episodes back by Tyzer Evans. Brain and Kris attempt to define what the middle class mindset is, and what it can entail to society, particularly to entrepreneurs.Success is definitely how you define it yourself, and getting to a state of comfort is an achievement unto itself. However, for the people who desire more and feel that they have the potential for greatness, comfort and ease can lull them into complacency. Brian and Kris also talk about Maslow's hierarchy of needs, and what it means to achieve self actualization, and why the way to achieving one's true potential is never a straight and safe road. HIGHLIGHTSDon't yuck on somebody's yumComfort can lull you to complacencyEase is a greater threat to progress than hardshipRevisiting Maslow's Hierarchy of NeedsWhat is self actualization?Defining desire and potential It all starts in your mind Desire does not necessarily induce actionGoing against the easy route is against human natureProducer vs Consumer mindsetQUOTESBrian: "I'm trying to be careful to not necessarily portray the middle class mindset as a bad mindset. Because there are some people that, let's face it, not everybody wants to be the world's next top entrepreneur. Not everybody wants to create the next tech startup or the next big nonprofit. If you're coming from a bad situation, getting to middle class might be a huge accomplishment on your part." Kris: "You can ask everybody you know, are you as smart as you can become? No. Are you in the best shape of your life? No. Are you efficient with your time? No. Not saying most of you haven't figured it out, but what I'm saying is, there is always something you can be better at. Nobody gets to a point and just say, I'm cool with it because those same people who say yea, I'm content, there's something in their lives that can be improved. Now they have to have the desire to improve." Kris: "People talk about the fear of failure all the time, but rarely do people talk about fear of success. And understanding what a self sabotaging trait is." Kris: "It all starts in the mind, and we have to figure out what kind of mental blockage that you have if your desire is to be successful. What mental blockage do you have that prevents you from doing the things that you know you need to do?"Brian: "I don't think desire is enough. I think that perhaps, action is more useful than desire. I mean, I can desire to be the president of the United States right now. Like, the president can do something right now that I view as bad policy, and I 'd go, Oh my god, if I were the damn president of the United States, I wouldn't have done that. And so in that moment, I desired to be the president, in theory. And if somebody said, hey Brian -- you know, a little angel popped out and said, hey Brian, I heard your wish, you want to be president tomorrow? Oh, you will be the president tomorrow. And then I'll go, excuse me, what exactly, what does that entail? Oh, foreign policy, and budget, and constantly almost getting assassinated. Then I'd go, yeah desire's gone."Kris: "When we're telling people to achieve more or to achieve their ultimate self at the top of the pyramid from Maslow, we're telling people to go against human nature." Brian: "C.S. Lewis then said, since we're the highest being on Earth, if we desire to hit a different level, we have to go beyond ourselves to elevate to that next level."Follow Success Fundamentals on the following links below: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4XCvuwxnFi5_7C6Ncm12xQLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/success-fundamentals™Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/successfundamentalspodcastInstagram: https://instagram.com/successfundamentalspodcast
In this episode, Kris Sykes and Brian Goldsack talk to Rob Markey, co-creator of the Net Promoter Score, a tool widely used in interpreting customer loyalty. Rob has spent his professional career studying customer experience and loyalty and has deep insight into how customer feedback can directly improve a company's products, services, and value. Rob's ideas put the customers back into the center of doing business: a concept that isn't new, but was sidelined when businesses grew from the hands of artisans to corporations during the industrial revolution. HIGHLIGHTSBusiness metrics vs real value creation Journey to working on customer retention and loyaltyWhat is customer value?As businesses grew, so did the gap between customers and business ownersEvolution from shareholder capitalism to customer capitalismControl everything you can controlFrequently ask direct feedback from your customers Create an environment where employees can be creative The making of the Net Promoter ScoreSuccess is a balanced life that is happy and making positive impactMoney can be a tool to make people's lives betterPower is an illusionQUOTESRob: "Business metrics and goals often aren't fully aligned with real value creation. In a certain way, my whole career has been about trying to figure out how to realign an understanding of what it means to earn customer loyalty with what it means to earn value and create value for business. And essentially, align shareholder value and customer value in large organizations so that they don't feel like they're in conflict."Rob: "Customer value is two things: it's the value that you deliver to your customers, and it's the value of the customer. So you earn customer loyalty by delivering value, and in doing so, you also earn the customer's business and therefore, profitability and longevity, retention if you will. You are in the opportunity to satisfy more of their needs or to earn more of their business. And if you're doing it well, customers should then be very happy to share value back with you in the form of fees or purchases, or whatever."Rob: "The concept of customer value is the very essence of any business.”Rob: "The best thing you can do include being open to feedback and trying to overcome human nature and avoid being defensive when you get feedback that hurts a little bit, and learn from it."Rob: "It's not always about being right, or getting to the right answer, or getting the decision made in the right way. A lot of what makes you successful in effecting change is earning the trust of the people that you're working with."Rob: "Are you collecting feedback from customers? And I'm not saying surveys. I'm saying, are you asking customers for feedback in a dialogue with enough frequency that you're getting the straight scoop from them, not the scoop filtered through your frontline sales people, or your store staff?"Rob: "The essence of power is the ability to continue to earn the trust and respect of those over whom you have influence or power."Follow Robert in the links below: Website: https://www.robmarkey.com/Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robmarkey/Follow Success Fundamentals on the following links below: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4XCvuwxnFi5_7C6Ncm12xQLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/success-fundamentals™Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/successfundamentalspodcastInstagram: https://instagram.com/successfundamentalspodcast
In this episode, Kris Sykes and Brian Goldsack talk about their own definitions of success and how their own upbringing and specific cultural contexts come into play with it. With both working in the finance world, Brian and Kris agree that finances are at the heart of their specific definitions of success. However, it is when discussing personal experiences and backgrounds where one can see how the idea of success may have evolved throughout the years. In this episode, Kris and Brian ruminate about pecking orders, financial autonomy, the internet as the great equalizer, and community building as a tool for financial success. HIGHLIGHTSDefining the American Dream throughout the yearsFinancial freedom and functioning autonomously as the new idea of success The role of social media in creating financial freedomCreating a community now is key to making money Being able to produce is universalMoney is not everything, but it affects everything elseBeing on top of your industry is no longer everything Expressions of wealth differ among cultures and upbringingProvincial vs Cosmopolitan outlooks How to best set up the future generation for success QUOTESKris: "If I'm being honest, I know most people say it's not about the money, but if we're having a very real conversation, I think if nobody has to worry about their bills from a financial perspective, I think everyone would deem themselves successful if bills we're not even an issue."Brian: “They said after World War II, when the soldiers started coming back, very few people had a college degree because most people were drafted into the military. So you had to repopulate the workforce once everybody came back. But the majority of people working in the corporate world were veterans. And as veterans, all they knew was the military, and therefore, the American culture of business started to become very militaristic. Like there was a very defined hierarchy of you know, Private all the way to CEO. I think that started to shape how we also viewed success as well. Like if you were the kingpin, if you were the top top top of a particular corporation. That was successful. I think that probably is still the general energy of what it takes, at least from a career perspective to be perceived as successful. To either be at the top of your field in some capacity, or to be an entrepreneur and create your own thing.”Kris: "That's why I think the internet is the great equalizer. There's no excuse anymore that you can't become successful or financially free, because nobody would give you a shot. If you're an artist, you can start creating your music and put it on Soundcloud, with nobody else and create a buzz there. If you like to knit sweaters, you can start recording yourself knitting sweaters and create a sweater knitting community and if you have enough of a community and have enough of a story to tell, you can create financial freedom in that way."Brian: "I'm wondering, like, being at the top of your pecking order, no matter what culture you fall in, is probably a goal that a lot of people aspire towards. But is the pecking order a universal thing from a human perspective or does culture influence it? Does an Italian millionaire have the same attributes as an American millionaire?"Kris: "Personally, I wonder if fame, or pecking order, or being at the top of something is losing its luster a bit. Because of how under scrutiny you are as a person in that position. Now of course, with great power comes great responsibility, but is it losing its luster in the sense of one day, I can go to the store, do what I need to do, without nobody coming to bother me."Follow Success Fundamentals on the following links below: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4XCvuwxnFi5_7C6Ncm12xQLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/success-fundamentals™Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/successfundamentalspodcastInstagram: https://instagram.com/successfundamentalspodcast
In this episode, Kris Sykes and Brian Goldsack talk to Robert Kennedy III, public speaking coach and president of Kennetik Communications, where he helps business leaders deliver critical messages with confidence. For Robert, one must have faith and courage in the midst of uncertainty to find success. He also encourages people to find significance and meaning in what you do first. For Robert, the ultimate form of success is in being a significant part of other people's lives and impacting them in a positive way, no matter how small that impact might seem to be. HIGHLIGHTSFrom mental health counsellor to teaching and public speaking Joining Toastmasters to become a professional public speakerWhat makes an effective speaker? Communication is all about influencing peopleCharisma can be taught and developed over time Faith and courage to step into the unknown is fundamental to success Seek significance first and success will followIf you want to make a change, start immediatelyWhat do you want people to say in your eulogy?It's difficult to impact others if you haven't taken care of youLove of, not money, is the root of evilQUOTESRobert: "I come in and I'm able to understand through the lens of a teacher who understands not just youth but adult education as well, and then speak with inspiration and aspiration and help people to understand where they are, and move to action from" there. Robert: "Speakers that are memorable find some way to connect with people from an emotional perspective. They do that by really resonating with experiences that people have."Robert: "Every communication is an opportunity to influence."Robert: "What's next after success is significance. You can get to a certain place financially. You can achieve almost every single material or physical goal in your life that you've set. What do you do after that? What you do after that is legacy."Robert: "If you start with seeking significance from the beginning, then success will come."Robert: "When we think about creating success, we must act quickly. A lot of times, the reason that people don't get to success is simply because they delay, they try to wait until it's perfect."Robert: "I truly believe that all of us have the same purpose. It's how we execute that purpose that's different. That purpose is to leave a mark and to transform the life of even one person. That's it. That's why we're here."Kris: "One of the ways that you can start mattering to people, even people you don't know is to just be a kind person. Say hello to people, offer some help. You can be significant and matter in your own radius."Robert: "Money doesn't change you. Money gives you more access to be who you already were."Follow Robert in the links below: Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertkennedy3/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/robertkennedy3Website: https://robertkennedy3.com/Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/whats-my-story/id1554284309Follow Success Fundamentals on the following links below: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4XCvuwxnFi5_7C6Ncm12xQLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/success-fundamentals™Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/successfundamentalspodcastInstagram: https://instagram.com/successfundamentalspodcast
In this episode, Kris Sykes and Brian Goldsack try to unpack the popular adage, “You have to get comfortable with being uncomfortable.” Kris and Brian talk about hustle culture and the sacrifices that people make in the name of success. The pair also shares some things that they do on a daily basis to manage the level of stress and discomfort that they experience. Kris and Brian emphasize that the idea of success is relative, and you need to set your own boundaries. Everybody has their own set of values and priorities that are non-negotiable. The idea is that they should be set clearly. HIGHLIGHTSThe journey to greatness is bound to be uncomfortableDon't say yes to everythingWork on your time management skillsSet a clear boundary between work and rest The problem with modern hustle cultureProtect the thing that allows you to do what you do dailyIf you want to achieve greatness, sacrifices have to be madeQUOTESKris: "I think Warren Buffet says this all the time. It's all about focus. Not saying that you can have multiple, but you have to understand which ones you want to focus on and then be okay with being uncomfortable with that journey because that journey is going to be uncomfortable, especially if you're trying to go towards the vision of greatness."Kris: “Remember, it's not about the wall, it's about the brick. Lay that brick. It doesn't have to be 10,000 things on that day. It could be one thing in that day.”Kris: "We all know that tomorrow is not promised. But I think I'm okay now without checking emails or doing this for a few hours because if you're in this perpetual state of hustling all the time, your body's going to be exhausted. And your body's going to tell you in a not so pleasant way, that you need to sit down and rest."Kris: "Most people already know what to do. They just don't do it. Right. Because it's uncomfortable."Brian: "You might say that you want something, but if you're not taking the necessary steps to achieve it, do you actually desire that?" Brian: "Sometimes you can have habits that are so bad and so ingrained, and you might go out of your way to try to change those things, but sometimes your habits are so ingrained and such a part of your life that you are like a log that's being thrown into a fire. But if the log is really, really, really big, sometimes it's very difficult for that log to catch. So the only way that you can get that log to catch is by splitting the log spiritually."Kris: "The chains of habit are too light to be felt until they're too heavy to be broken."Follow Success Fundamentals on the following links below: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4XCvuwxnFi5_7C6Ncm12xQLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/success-fundamentals™Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/successfundamentalspodcastInstagram: https://instagram.com/successfundamentalspodcast
In this episode, Kris Sykes and Brian Goldsack talk to David Cross, Senior Vice President and Chief Information Security Officer for Oracle. David talks about his illustrious career, starting from serving in the US Navy and his transition to the IT sector, where he worked for industry giants such as Microsoft and Google. He also got involved in the venture capital space where he invested in several tech startups. David's drive to constantly improve himself is invigorating. His work experience shows his innate desire to learn as much as he can about the things that interest him. And yet, his end goal for himself is relatively simple: his idea of power is that of a life that affords him the choice to do what he loves. HIGHLIGHTSFrom serving in the US Navy to working in the IT sectorThe persisting drive to improve oneselfIdentify your core values Seek mentors and learn from themAlways be learning new skillsStrive to make others successful as wellExploring cryptography and cybersecurityCybersecurity for the layman: Keep everything up to dateIn the end, investing is also about luckQUOTESDavid: “It's not about being better than anyone else. It's just more of like, okay, this is what it means to be successful for that particular role or that particular position or a particular company. Then I just want to make sure I do it.”David: “I'm going to go back to my military experience and something that I believe in is really it's about having the right values and principles in place that needs to be your foundation. If you don't know what your values and principles are, then you have no starting point. You have no dry land to stand upon.”David: "The most valuable people are those who make other people successful."Kris: “Don't let anything stand in your way. If that's what you want to do, you have to do the work where you are first, and you have to prove to people that you're willing to do it.”David: “Everything's connected to the internet. That's why we say the internet of things. And I think that's one of the challenges that we're all facing in society is that everything is now connected. You know, everything is using a chip. Everything has software, and that means everything needs to be protected.”David: "My power is that I have the best work-life choice, right. Is that I am able to make the choices that I want into what I do in my career when I do in my life. And I'm happy about it."You can connect and learn more about David through the links below: Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/%E2%98%A2%EF%B8%8F-david-b-cross-b856657/Travel Blog: https://davidcrosstravels.com/Follow Success Fundamentals on the following links below: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4XCvuwxnFi5_7C6Ncm12xQLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/success-fundamentals™Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/successfundamentalspodcastInstagram: https://instagram.com/successfundamentalspodcast
In this episode, Kris and Brian take a look back to the conversations that they've had in the past few episodes and reflect on what they've learned from their guests. Both reflect on what success looks like and ruminate on whether it's possible to enjoy success at the present. True to the name of their show, Kris and Brian break down success to a few traits that they saw were common with the people they've interviewed on their show, and encourage us all to learn from the people who have or are close to achieving their own version of success. HIGHLIGHTSDealing with the perpetual state of strivingHow do you know that you're already successful?The restless pursuit of excellence Defining the ultimate state of joy and happinessWork styles may vary, but you still need to produce results Get into the mindset of success Work ethic is a fundamental trait for successful peopleYou want to have haters The road to success will not be easy, but take the first step anywayQUOTESKris: “I don't think you ever do chill. I think, in some capacity the object of obtaining success in whatever fashion you feel it is, is to give back and bring back people, tell people who don't know to come along with you. What's being successful if you're on a boat by yourself?”Brian: “When do you feel good about what you've accomplished? Can you have a perpetual state of accomplishment in your heart? Can you have a perpetual state of joy for all of the things that you've accomplished, coinciding with the restless pursuit of excellence?”Kris: "That's the ultimate state of joy and happiness: when you're doing something that you wanna do, you're good at it, and you're able to make a living off of it, you're in a perpetual state of happiness. You're not even thinking of relaxing."Kris: “I'm totally okay giving it my all in something to create a bit of life for myself and failing at it than not trying, staying in the rat race, than when I'm 80, I'm like 'I should have just went for it' but I didn't. Why, because I thought my peers were gonna judge me.”Kris: “I don't think success has anything to do with the dollar amount. I think it's are you continually happy with your lifestyle, regardless of what it is. Some people may want to have that huge fleet and million dollars and that's fine. But if I have the life that I like, it's not cumbersome, I can do what I want, I'm making money not only to cover what I have to cover but do a little bit of what I want to, you're in heaven.”Kris: "It's almost like reading 10,000 books on boxing. Until you step in that ring to actually practice it, you don't know how to box. You just know about it. A lot of people know exactly what to do, they just never act on the information." Brian: "It seems like I haven't seen one lazy person in this show. Every single one of them, regardless of their industry, is extremely driven to achieve in the industry that they are currently in. I don't know if that's an innate attribute of the people, or if everyone is capable of achieving it if you find your purpose, but regardless, however they got to that mind state, it's there. These people work hard."Follow Success Fundamentals on the following links below: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4XCvuwxnFi5_7C6Ncm12xQLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/success-fundamentals™Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/successfundamentalspodcastInstagram: https://instagram.com/successfundamentalspodcast
This episode of the Success Fundamentals podcast features Tyzer Evans. Tyzer is a seasoned businessman, the regional vice president of ParetoHealth, and the host of the critically successful Grind Sell Elevate with Tyzer Evans podcast.Tyzer's story is a story of hard work, perseverance, and success. Growing up in a small, blue collar town in a poor family, Tyzer had the courage to dream big and be confident about his capabilities to change his life. As one of the top sales professionals in the country, Tyzer advises people to never dream big and to never stop chasing those dreams.HIGHLIGHTSGrowing up in a small, blue collar town Hard work correlates to success Don't be one dimensional: elevate yourself Own your failures as much as your successesIf you can lead and you can sell, you'll always have a jobConfidence is a fundamental attribute in salesProclaim your goals and do everything you can to achieve themMoney is an instrument and toolPower can be a beautiful thing if you come from a place of serviceWhat is a middle-class mindset?QUOTESTyzer: “I can only be accountable for me. I can't control anybody else. I can't control anything else. All I can control is my own thoughts, my own intentions, my own deeds.”Tyzer: “People are focused on building a brick wall instead of just laying a brick. The more that we just focus on laying the brick, and then we look back, and I've done 35. This is incredible. My wall is coming along. And then when that new risk, that new adventure comes and the opportunity is presented to you, you have the confidence to move into it.”Tyzer: “I proclaimed it, and this is what people don't do when they set goals. They set their goals up here, but they don't talk about it because they still wanna play small.”Kris: “It doesn't matter where you start, it's all about how you finish.”Tyzer: “Middle class mindset is to me the worst kind of mindset. It means you do just enough to feel comfortable and give up on your dreams.”You can connect and learn more about Tyzer through the links below.Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/grind-sell-elevate/id1387700042Website: https://tyzerevans.com/Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tyzerevans/Follow Success Fundamentals on the following links below: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4XCvuwxnFi5_7C6Ncm12xQLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/success-fundamentals™Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/successfundamentalspodcastInstagram: https://instagram.com/successfundamentalspodcast
This episode of Success Fundamentals features Guylaine Saint Juste, the president and CEO of the National Association of Black Accountants. Guylaine shares with Kris her humble beginnings in Haiti in a matriarchal household. Guylaine credits much of her achievements to the guidance of her grandmother and mother, whom she describes as ethical and strong women. When she arrived in the US, Guylaine started working as a minimum wage employee to make ends meet. Despite her humble stature then, Guylaine always went above and beyond her duties and conducted herself with pride, earning the respect of her coworkers.The biggest lesson that Guylaine imparts is to always have the tenacity to do the work to achieve your goals. No matter what it is you plan to do, have the patience and determination to put in your best effort, and the rest will follow. HIGHLIGHTSGrowing up with strong womenDon't chase riches, chase wealth Living up to her grandmother's legacyLeaving Haiti for the US In times of hurt, always say thank you Be the master of your reactionWhatever you choose to do, you need to do the workMoney is energyKindness is powerQUOTESGuylaine: "I was surrounded by strong women who were ethical, who worked hard, who had a view of their place in the big whole but then also realized that what you do contributes to a whole. This idea of interconnectedness, that nothing you do happens in a void. Everything you do is impacting in the whole."Guylaine: "Wealth is to have moved to a place where you can live the life that you desire to live and to leave enough space for others to have that too."Kris: "Don't wish for anybody else's success because you don't know what their burdens are."Kris: I always tell people, you can do whatever you want to do whether it's art, whether it's comedy, whether it's business. But you have to have fundamental things for that profession for you to build on. For example, from a math standpoint, you can achieve calculus but you gotta know how to add and subtract first. Guylaine: "Money is a horrible master but a fabulous servant. I like having my money, not because it rules over me, but for what my money allows me to do for the things I want to do." Guylaine: "Love is not a feeling, it's a practice. It is choosing to be kind. It is choosing to be the best in people. It is choosing to want the best of others and yourself. It is choosing to know that you are enough."You can connect and learn more about Guylaine through the links below.LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/guysaintjuste/Follow Success Fundamentals on the following links below: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4XCvuwxnFi5_7C6Ncm12xQLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/success-fundamentals™Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/successfundamentalspodcastInstagram: https://instagram.com/successfundamentalspodcast
This episode of Success Fundamentals features Rob Napoli, founder of Rise Up Coaching and the host of The Bear Necessities of Entrepreneurship. Rob is also the author of The Social Soul: Mastering Your Personal and Professional Brand with Intentionality and Authenticity, which is due to come out in January. As a master of branding, Rob emphasizes the importance of authenticity, and encourages would-be entrepreneurs to first start with writing down who they are and what brought them to where they are, before even attempting to define the purpose of their business. Rob also shares the challenges he had to overcome with creating his first business before he found success. HIGHLIGHTSMarketing vs Advertising: what's the difference?Overcoming the Birth pangs of running your own businessStart with where you are, before looking for your whyDon't be an influencer, be an engagerAuthenticity is always key The biggest mistakes that entrepreneurs always make Reforming the work-life balance Chase opportunities and experiences over moneyPower is influenceQUOTESRob: "You need to understand who you are and what brought you here today. That defines your 'why'. Everyone tries to start with the why, but a lot of times their 'why' does not define who they are." Rob: "If you want to start creating your own personal brand, the first thing I tell them to do is to not create content. You don't need to be a Linkedin influencer. Be an engager. Get involved in conversations around your business." Rob: "Brand is a full authentic essence that you need to embody. You have to live with it."Rob: I believe career paths should be non-linear. And my background is definitely not linear. I just want to help others understand that, it's okay. You're impressive because the story is yours and I want to show that and share that. Rob: An expert is just someone who did something good in the past. They're not forward thinking." Rob: "My view on money is this: in life, we gotta chase opportunities and experiences over money. If we chase opportunities and experience and we're curious, money will come through our ability to learn and overcome."You can connect and learn more about Javier through the links below.Book: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-social-soul-robert-napoli/1140516045Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robnap/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rise_up.robnap/Follow Success Fundamentals on the following links below: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4XCvuwxnFi5_7C6Ncm12xQLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/success-fundamentals™Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/successfundamentalspodcastInstagram: https://instagram.com/successfundamentalspodcast
This episode of Success Fundamentals features Javier Lozano Jr. Javier is a Wado kai Karate world champion, author, host of the Trust Tipping Point Marketing Podcast, and chief marketing officer of Anchor Wave Internet Solutions. Javier developed his competitive drive as a young child through Wado Kai karate, in which he would eventually earn a world championship. His entrepreneurial spirit started when he first dreamed and eventually opened his martial arts studio and earned his sales acumen from the different jobs he pursued along the way. Via grit and determination, Javier earned his knowledge in sales and marketing amidst the Great Recession in 2007 in order to keep his fledgling business afloat. His insights on how entrepreneurs should approach branding, sales and marketing are very interesting, and should help other would-be entrepreneurs to just start working on their business idea. HIGHLIGHTSDeveloping a competitive drive from martial arts Transitioning to an entrepreneurial mindset Weathering The Great Recession with excellent sales and marketingMarketers should be good sales people as wellCustomers today buy, they do not get sold atDirect response marketing first, branding secondSuccess is happiness and fulfillmentPower needs to be balancedQUOTESJavier: "Sales is an intimate thing, you're learning about people. you're learning about emotions. You're learning about stuff. And when you learn those emotions and triggers then what you do is say, 'okay, how can I trigger those emotions in words? How can I trigger those emotions in images, how can I trigger those emotions in a video? But you only get that with interaction with the prospect or the customer.Javier: In my opinion, a good marketing person, a good marketing leader either went to the ranks of sales and understands that, or is like literally saying to what the customers are saying and the prospects are saying, and then finding ways on how to put that onto paper and then triggering those pain points. Javier: "What Steve Jobs has done for the brand, the reason that he's able to basically say 'Buy This' without even doing anything anymore, is because he created his community and he basically said 'We're gonna throw rocks at the people that don't support us.' And who are those people? PC users, Samsung users."Javier: "In my opinion, if you're in a position of power, You need to be leading more as a leader in the trenches with your team versus being at the front and saying, 'This is what we need to do.."You can connect and learn more about Javier through the links below.Podcast - https://www.audible.com/pd/Podcast/B08JJPR7WDLinkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/javierlozanojr/Book - https://www.amazon.com.au/Influence-Income-Online-Millennial-Millionaires-ebook/dp/B07RTZ3LKXFollow Success Fundamentals on the following links below: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4XCvuwxnFi5_7C6Ncm12xQLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/success-fundamentals™Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/successfundamentalspodcastInstagram: https://instagram.com/successfundamentalspodcast
This episode of Success Fundamentals features Dorian Kieken. Video game fans know him as one of the brains behind the groundbreaking Mass Effect series. Nowadays, he heads AI Redefined, an AI startup focused on implementing the path to safe artificial general intelligence through human and AI synergy. Dorian is very keen on find something that you're very passionate about, and looking where you can make an impact. At a young age, Dorian found passion with video games. With the industry being at its nascent stages and E-Sports very far into the future, Dorian found himself in love with game development.Despite finding success early in video games, Dorian didn't rest on his laurels and found himself becoming very passionate with AI, and the potentially wonderful impact it could have for the future generation. He predicts that AI could either save the human race, or become the end of it. However, he is mostly positive and believes in human AI integration as the future that we should look forward to. Dorian also shares how he believes in a more distributed form of leadership, as he has seen how power has corrupted people who had to wield it alone. Dorian confesses that he can never be one of the Elon Musk-types of the world, and prefers to share responsibilities to create a balance.HIGHLIGHTS03:38 Finding early success in tech with video game development07:53 Life-altering moments can result in career changes10:31 Building something from nothing as a gateway to entrepreneurship15:32 Human-AI alignment: Why is it a big deal?18:00 Our brains are still smarter than supercomputers, for now25:04 The AI of today vs the AI of tomorrow40:35 Advice for people who want to shift passions46:41 Manage your money so you don't have to worry about it49:46 Power can be corrupting; always best to share it54:11 Connect with Dorian and AI RedefinedQUOTES08:43 Dorian: "I needed to work on something that will have a positive impact on my daughter's life and genuinely in the generation to come. So I was not looking anymore for me as a sign of success of basically, making great games or having critical acclaim. For me, the sign of success is can I have a positive impact for future generations."20:33 Dorian: "The point I'm making is it's absolutely not futuristic and infeasible that within a few decades from now, we'll have a computer that far exceeds our computing abilities mixed with a computer that starts to learn in a very similar way to humans."20:56 Dorian: "It's very likely during the lifetime of my daughter, we will have a computer that starts to equal or be comparable, I would say to human intelligence and eventually exceeds it."29:01 Dorian: "Like everything we've invented, it doesn't just have a positive or a negative impact. AI is having both. It's detecting Alzheimer's 10 years before a human can do it or detecting some fantastic cancer cell on one hand, and it's promoting disinformation and craziness on the other." 33:39 Dorian: "Thinking you can control something that is eventually going to be smarter than you is like having a monkey that is super happy to have put a human in the cage."You can connect with Dorian through the links below.Website- https://ai-r.com/Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/doriankieken/Follow Success Fundamentals on the following links below: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4XCvuwxnFi5_7C6Ncm12xQLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/success-fundamentals™Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/successfundamentalspodcastInstagram: https://instagram.com/successfundamentalspodcast
This episode of Success Fundamentals features Anthony Davenport, President and CEO of Regal Credit Management and author of Your Score: An Insider's Secrets to Understanding. Finding his success today has a tumultuous past of bankruptcy and recession.Anthony shares that entrepreneurs need to prepare for recessions as they historically happen every 10 years, though the exact causes are always a mystery. He teaches clients how to do this and to enhance essential skills like maximizing credit.He shares how he identifies opportunities, from taking a deep dive into your industry and finding its areas of need to reading content on current events and business. Anthony also shares his practices for success, namely the need to write down goals and to think about the decisions he needs to make today to reach those goals of tomorrow.SHOW NOTESHIGHLIGHTS02:14 Rebuilding through bankruptcy and committing to helping others 08:53 Things start to turn around 5 years after13:15 Failure was not an option in Anthony's business 17:20 Tips: Always know where you want to go and keep an eye for opportunity21:47 Identify opportunities: Know your business and read to learn30:06 To be successful, you must have goals and write them down 36:56 Staying sane: Meditation and keeping mind and body healthy 41:01 Money is a tool that enables other things to happen42:00 Power is influence and it helps dictate the flow of tomorrow43:22 Connect with Anthony and his upcoming bookQUOTES06:01 Anthony: "If I'm going through this, a lot of people are going to go through it and no one knows how to get through it because they don't understand how to rebuild their credit or how to maximize their credit. So I documented my own rebuilding process. I had a 640 FICO score, which at the time was average within three months of my bankruptcy."15:16 Anthony: "I've always had mindset that I knew this was going to work out. Stay humble. Don't trip on the success. It's expected. You should expect to have success. I've expected and dreamed of these types of opportunities where I would go on TV or I'd go on radio where Forbes would write about me."18:11 Anthony: "Always know where you're going and keep your eye on that. And that means, all right, I know that I'm on my way to $5 million in revenue. And to doing all these other things, what do I need to focus on today to make that happen?"19:07 Anthony: "Recessions happen every 10 years. Plan for them. Know that your business is going to suffer through one of them or go through it. It doesn't have to suffer. I grew during COVID, by a lot, when other people were shrinking."You can connect with Anthony through the links below.LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthony-davenport/Website - https://regalcredit.com/Follow Success Fundamentals on the following links below: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4XCvuwxnFi5_7C6Ncm12xQLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/success-fundamentals™Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/successfundamentalspodcastInstagram: https://instagram.com/successfundamentalspodcast
This episode of Success Fundamentals features your hosts Kris Sykes and Brian Goldsack as they discuss the goals of the show and what it truly means to be successful. From the many interviews they've conducted, it's clear that there are many definitions of success.But one common denominator among the most successful people is their passion for what they do. However, success also has a relative component to it. How you define success is different from the person next to you. Kris and Brian share their wisdom on becoming an entrepreneur and how intentions are just one piece of the puzzle. Handling money, making it, and growing it require skills that must be learned and honed to achieve success, monetary or otherwise.They also discuss generational wealth and the polarizing and contradictory nature of it. On one hand, being handed everything with no accountability creates lazy people. But a common desire of successful people is to ensure their children will not have to go through the same hardships they went through. The solution to this is education on how to grow wealth and a focus on its humanitarian component. SHOW NOTESHIGHLIGHTS05:19 To be successful you must be passionate about what you're doing11:49 Your success is defined by you20:58 If you have money but dependent on someone else, that's not success23:30 Before jumping all-in in a venture, ensure you have the skills to survive it29:38 Taking a pay cut to pursue passions: A question happiness and priorities37:00 Generational wealth: What lessons do you teach to sustain the wealth?47:21 Inheriting a successful business potentially creates lazy leaders57:18 Find clarity on generational wealth and being unselfishQUOTES21:39 "Success, to me, is exactly that, doing what you want to do and sustaining your lifestyle by doing it. Regardless of what that is. Social work. I'm not saying that same person wants to play the (video) game all day and eat all day. No, that's not success because you're dependent on somebody."28:52 "In your early twenties, you can afford to lose everything to start because you have enough of a runway. As you get older, it becomes more difficult to go balls to the wall especially if you have spouses, if you have children, you have obligations financially."44:36 "You have to have people intelligence for that, management intelligence for that, because you're never going to gain the respect of the people who actually do the work if you're in a high rise, if you come at them as if you know more than they do."1:00:35 "If you want to have generational wealth for many generations and you're actually successful at it... I do think that you should have a humanitarian component tied into the philosophy of your family."Follow Success Fundamentals on the following links below: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4XCvuwxnFi5_7C6Ncm12xQLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/success-fundamentals™Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/successfundamentalspodcastInstagram: https://instagram.com/successfundamentalspodcast
HIGHLIGHTS02:26 Growing up in a meth dealer's home and replicating a mentor's success 08:06 Learning survival skills early became a competitive advantage 18:10 Out-earning your parents: A motivation to seek approval or give back22:21 God creates alignment and doing your part in His plan27:41 Make boatloads of money, keep priorities straight, and grow God's kingdom38:37 Money is to be shared, power is the influence to do the right thing40:48 Meeting Collin and the goal to connect 100M people to their truth44:03 Start creating to stop living in jealousy and envy49:22 Visualize success, take the risk, and do what you need to do to achieve it50:59 Connect with Chris and SalescastQUOTES11:00 "Building that mental toughness and resilience, because I had such a tough story, I actually started to see it as a competitive advantage. I was more unique than... other people around me."23:46 "Mathematically, it makes no sense, but there's a greater power at work. And so kind of understanding that and sort of playing in the flow of that power I find creates more alignment in my life."24:57 "I 100% believe that, if I'm living by the spirit, the next best decision will come... And so I've developed this extraordinary tolerance for risk driven by faith. And I'm not even joking."29:02 "What I want to do with wealth right now, what I want to do is make boatloads of cash for the kingdom of God to help people around the world. Boatloads and boatloads and boatloads of money."31:32 "If you're an entrepreneur, if you believe in God, then God's calling on your life is for you to make a lot of money. If he's really placed you in the marketplace, so go make the money but make sure you have the moral compass installed."46:31 "You are a creator because you were created. It's really, really simple. It's a simple philosophy. Start creating and then start planting. You can't harvest anything unless you plant something. You got to put the seed in the ground and you got to start watering it."You can connect with Chris through the links below.LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/decker-christopher/Book a strategy call here - http://podsesh.com/Follow Success Fundamentals on the following links below: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4XCvuwxnFi5_7C6Ncm12xQLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/success-fundamentals™Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/successfundamentalspodcastInstagram: https://instagram.com/successfundamentalspodcast
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