Tips on simplifying your life and business

BFS Founder Rick Sapio interviews Max Borges, an entrepreneur who in 2002 founded the Max Borges Agency - a tech-focused public relations firm. In this episode, Rick and Max discuss how Max took his agency from an "AFM" or "Anything For Money" mindset to a mindset of optimism without limitation. This optimism has led Max to countless opportunities both personal and professional that have given him more success than he had ever dreamed of. Through the years he has accumulated bits of wisdom that serve him each and every day. By studying the habits of business and strategy icons, he built his agency to more than 50 employees and $10 million a year in revenue.

Do you want a life by design, designed by you? Or, do you want a life by default? We need to design our lives with the long-term in mind and live into them. When we feel like we are not in control of our lives, we can develop anxiety or depression. By following the advice Rick and Teresa give in this episode, you will learn to take back control of your life and increase your life’s fulfillment. Take responsibility and plan out your desires and plans relevant to what you want in life.

When is the last time you took an inventory of all of your finances? You should always be aware of what percentage of your money is at risk. We see it all the time, people aren’t as financially educated as they should be. We are taught that you must take risks in order to grow your wealth, when in fact- the opposite is true. Be aware of your situation. Make decisions based on what you know, not just what you’re told. It’s also good to have someone who agrees with this money mindset hold you accountable to informed decisions. Treat your money and finances as if they are sacred!

We are seeing that there is a great divide happening in our society. This divide is NOT between right and left, or sleep and awake, but between those who consume and those who create. While absorbing information is important for growth, you also need to use what you learn to create and share with others. Ask yourself: What’s the ratio of time that you consume versus the time you create on a daily basis? Unfortunately, many of us spend our time reacting to the things that happen around us instead of using our energy to create. Start your day with creating something. You can change your life, step by step.

This week we're talking about The Core Mindset of Success! All of us are busy, but few people are as busy as Joshua Boswell, owner of CopyWriter Marketer. In addition to having two successful businesses, he has 11 kids, aged 6-25 who he and his wife homeschool! Wow! We can learn a ton from Joshua about how to be focused and effective at work while being focused and effective at home. In today's episode, you'll hear Joshua and Rick discuss the "Zero Failure Belief Structure," as well as his strategies for having a successful MINDSET at your core each day. Joshua also includes two free gifts: His course - How to Persuade Anyone to Do Anything… Without Manipulating Them, and his Daily Success Routine Template that you can download here: https://copywritermarketer.com/rick

Imagine you could pay off your mortgage or your consumer debt in 1/2 to 1/3 of the time. Would it allow you to expand your business quicker? Retire sooner? Travel more? Or simply, sleep better at night? In today's podcast, Teresa Kuhn and Kristin Colca share with you how to do just that by using the cash value inside your whole life policy, without having to alter your lifestyle or refinance your home. Start 2021 with a plan for paying off debt quicker and building wealth faster! Contact us today to learn how we can help! Visit www.100YearSavings.com for more.

The BFS Remembering and Creating Exercise has helped thousands of people over the past several years transition into a new year with a clear vision for achieving their goals. This quick, 2-page exercise is the BEST exercise to have with your team or your family. Reflect on what you have accomplished over the past year, and start planning on what you want to tackle in 2021. Take 30 minutes, fill out the worksheet, and be prepared to build 2021 bigger and better than ever before! Download the exercise at www.RememberCreate.com

We all have a choice when we wake up in the morning- What kind of day am I going to have today? Choose your day now. In this episode of the BFS Podcast, Rick talks about the importance of having Faith, Gratitude, and Abundance as conscious influences on your daily mindset. Don't let outside influences, like the media, bring you down. Learn to have gratitude, not resentment. Resentment is like preparing poison for someone else, but drinking it yourself and waiting for the other person to die. Recognize the difference between the two, be more appreciative, and create the life you want.

Money is an opportunity in a relationship. When couples work together toward a common vision, they can do anything. In this episode, Teresa interviews Rick on how to manage yourself in the world of dating when it comes to money and finances. Put a tremendous amount of thought into the type of person you want to be in a relationship with. What are their values exactly? How do they spend and save money? Create a list of values that you want in a souse, and don’t compromise! If you want it bad enough, the universe will conspire to bring that person to you.

Is Joe Biden going to be sworn in as our 46th President? Will Trump uncover massive fraud and step back into power? Will Stefano Standoza get elected to the District 7 school board? Wait! Stop! Who is Stefano Standoza? The answer is: Who the hell cares who Stefano Standoza is?! Over 2,000 years ago, in ancient Rome, the leaders realized that if they could keep the citizenry focused on politics, theatre, food, alcohol, news, and distractions, then they could take advantage of everyone. The leaders further realized that a distracted, preoccupied human being is a better, tax-paying slave to the system. Has anything changed in 2,000 years? Imagine how insane we have become as a society, that we have accepted general mass-incarceration of our time and our children’s time. Billions of people around the globe are glued to screens and getting sucked into things that have one objective behind them: To make us lazy, stupid, scared, insecure, and dependent on those “superior beings” that are in charge of us sheep. When do you think that we will wake up as a society? Martin Luther King once borrowed a line and said, “If I knew the world was ending tomorrow, I would still plant an apple tree today!” What is your apple tree? Remember that there is a massive bifurcation happening in the world right now. 95% or more of the population chooses to focus on F.R.S., which means Fear, Resentment, and Scarcity; and a much smaller percentage of the population, less than 5%, chooses to focus on F.G.A., which stands for Faith, Gratitude, and Abundance. All the emotional rhetoric flying back and forth around the election is doing nothing for anyone, except setting us back. So…the truth is: No matter who our next President is, the world will be better off with all of our apples, which are the fruit of our collective purpose in action.

This month we discuss how to start a conversation with your parents to make sure that they are financially set for the future, and how to prepare if you may need to help them financially. This includes: Making sure that they have completed their will, trust, medical and financial directives, and other estate planning documents. Asking them what they would like to have happen if they have a serious health issue. Preparing financially for chronic or critical illness. This can be a difficult topic to approach with your parents, so we also discuss ways to make the conversation easier for both of you.

These days, our lives are filled to the brim and overflowing with stress, anxiety, and distractions. How can you become radically more productive? How can you simplify your life to cut out the chaos? In this episode, we talk through embracing thes philosophy of eliminating the unnecessary in order to be fully alive and on purpose. On a daily basis, start keeping track of every chore or task that you do. Then ask yourself three questions: Should I eliminate this? Who can I delegate this to? How can I automate this so that I never have to do it again? Rick and Teresa both do this quarterly, and it has saved them an immense amount of time, money, and sanity over the years. Implement this strategy today and you’ll be amazed at how much more you will be able to accomplish.

In this episode, Rick sits down with BFS Blackbelt Member and Certified BFS Coach, Jason Wasser to discuss how you can have total life fulfillment, even during a pandemic. Although the world in a state of chaos, you can change your mindset to become more fulfilled and on purpose, even during a pandemic and a global crisis. By using the Simplicity, Probability and Leverage decision-making framework, you can embrace a life-giving philosophy of positive, forward-moving action. You will realize that negative stuff happens all around us, every day. But, as you know, what you focus on, is what you promote. So, shift your focus to a forward-thinking, life-generating, profit-creating Positive Focus. These are uncertain times. The only thing that you can be certain of is how you react to these times. You are a powerful force! Use that force to unleash your values and purpose in the world. Now is the time to transform!

Today’s investors are overloaded with information on market performance. In this episode, you’ll learn why it is imperative that you tune out the noise, and refrain from buying or selling under pressure. Most importantly: always let your objectives lead your investing. Rick and Teresa suggest the first thing that all investors need to do is DEFINE their overall objectives. An objective decision is one which is not influenced by one's personal feelings, perspectives, interests and biases. Filter out any investments or investment decisions that are not aligned with achieving your objectives. Remember, risk, which causes loss of capital, is the most important thing to avoid.

You can’t always judge wealth by appearance. Your neighbors may be wealthier than you think, and your seemingly “rich” friends could be exactly the opposite. In this episode, Teresa and Rick sit down to discuss two popular books: The Millionaire Next Door, and The Next Millionaire Next Door. These concepts, developed by Thomas J. Stanley, are together a strategy of achieving long-term wealth by developing an early lifestyle of living well below your means. Building wealth is a marathon, not a sprint, with discipline being of the utmost importance. Discipline is required to transform income into wealth. Spending less than you make, always being frugal, and spending time planning your financial future can help you attain the level of legacy wealth you need to retire comfortably. Take care of your money responsibly today, and it will take care of you tomorrow.

The greatest gift you can give to a child is to teach them the importance of being independent. American kids today seem to be connected to an I.V. drip of never-ending video games, social media, and screens. There is a frustrating commitment to things that are not real, tangible, and/or value-generating. We must begin parenting and grand-parenting in a way that moves children closer to their God-given right to be entrepreneurial and independent. Teach them about money and how to save it. Help them understand hard work by assigning chores and rewarding chores with an allowance. Have family dinners together, and discuss value-generating topics, such a determination and learning from failures. We believe that all human beings are born to be entrepreneurs. It is human nature, but today's society attempts to beat entrepreneurship out of people and replace it with dependence. It’s time to beat it back into them! If we all embrace some of the practices above, imagine how we could catapult future generations into success?

Here’s the truth: Personal finance isn’t just about the math. Your words, thoughts, emotions, relationships, and past history affect your relationship with money. In this episode, Teresa sits down with Christine Luken, known as “The Financial Lifeguard.” If you're ready for a change, it's time to feel empowered and learn the strategies to confidently make money decisions. As the Financial Lifeguard, Christine shows you how to manage the emotional side of money and guide you to a place of certainty with your finances. If you aren’t where you need to be, you need to hear Christine’s message. You can learn more about her 5-step process here: https://www.christineluken.com/.

Ep. 35 "Long-Termism" as an Operating Principle by BFS

Have you ever thought about the distinction between happiness and fulfillment? Happiness is short-term and fleeting, like chasing a butterfly. Fulfillment is a permanent reward for a well-lived life. It is achieved by being clear about where you are headed in life and eliminating any short-term fixes. Overall life satisfaction will increase, while at the same time, drama, toxicity, and complications will slowly vanish. Rick and Teresa have realized that fulfillment is a by-product of decades of hard work. Rick hates working out each morning, but he is fulfilled by the results of this lifelong practice. What can you eliminate from your life that doesn't align with your long-term future? This includes both material things and drama-filled relationships. We will always have problems. People that attack problems vs. avoiding problems are more fulfilled. Attack this “problem” by writing out your long-term vision for the most important areas of your life.

We all have financial regrets. Things we bought, bills we paid late, decisions we didn’t research. But people have NO idea how bad they are at investing. Over time their results far underestimate their actual returns. It is imperative for you to learn to manage the behavioral impulses of emotional buying and selling that can come from following the market's ups and downs. It’s seems to be human nature to fall victim to media hype or fear, causing us to buy investments at peaks and sell during the valleys of the cycle. We have to break this pattern, and always buy low and sell high! Investing without emotion is easier said than done, but Rick and Teresa recommend using the Barbell Investment Strategy and invest using fixed interest-paying, mutually--owned insurance policies. Be sure to maximize all your retirement accounts and invest those funds conservatively as well. To find out more, visit https://100yearsavingssolution.com

All of us have values that we live by, both good and bad. The question is whether or not your decisions are being made in alignment with your “good” values. Stop the chaos and insanity that is modern-American life, and decide to write down your values and what they mean to you. When all of your life’s decisions and the decisions of your family are first mapped against your newly-stated values, then you’ll begin making solid, long-term decisions that increase your success and fulfillment. Rick wrote a book on values-based decision making, called, Who’s In Your Room? and both Rick and Teresa found their spouses using this simple philosophy. They are also using this with their children, to help them make better decisions, and live better, more fulfilling lives. What is your main value? Why? How can you implement it into your life today? Start there, and watch the magic happen!

Have you ever considered that you may be accepting your life by default instead of actually creating and living a “Life by Design?” Whether we like it or not, we are all being programmed by the media that we let enter our lives. The most important thing we can do is live a life that goes against the herd. Many successful people increase their total life fulfillment by living a life by design, instead simply accepting a certain way of life. Teresa and Rick have intentionally limited main-stream media and un-aligned information from entering their lives and families. Living a life-by-design takes hard work at the beginning, but gets much easier over time. The first step is to decide what you will immediately eliminate from your life that doesn’t align with your values. After that big decision, it will get easier and easier to create the life of your dreams.

BFS Founder Rick Sapio interviews Gino Wickman, the Founder of EOS Worldwide and best-selling author of the award-winning, best-selling book Traction: Get a Grip on Your Business, as well as Get a Grip, Rocket Fuel, How to Be a Great Boss and What the Heck is EOS?. Rick and Gino highlight Gino’s latest book- Entrepreneurial Leap: Do You Have What It Takes to Become an Entrepreneur? All of Gino’s books are available for purchase from Amazon. Rick and Gino discuss multiple topics, including ‘The Entrepreneurial Operating System’, the meaning of a “true entrepreneur”, and the 8 disciplines Gino says will increase your odds of success when taking your entrepreneurial leap. In this episode, you should be able to find pertinent information whether you’re brand new to business, have been in business for a while, or if you’re looking to sell your business and start something new. FREE: Visit www.e-leap.com to take the Free Entrepreneur-in-the-Making Assessment! ABOUT ENTREPRENEURIAL LEAP: Gino is devoting time and energy toward helping entrepreneurs-in-the-making get a huge jump-start on taking their entrepreneurial leap, which i s why he created Entrepreneurial Leap. The mission of Entrepreneurial Leap is to find all of the entrepreneurs-in-the-making, at any age, wherever they are—to help them realize their purpose and live the life they were born to live.

Listen in as Teresa Kuhn from Living Wealthy Financial hosts this month's episode of the BFS Financial Battleship Podcast. Teresa will discuss: -What wealth and "being wealthy" really mean. -How the financial industry changed, just like the food industry, in the 70's and 80's. -What uninterrupted compounding is, and how it can work both for you and against you. For more information, visit www.livingwealthyfinancial.com

BFS Founder, Rick Sapio explains his concept of "100-Year Thinking" If you were creating a 100-Year Business what would you do differently? Whether or not you want to actually keep your business for 100 years, just by thinking this way- with a "100-Year Mindset”, the way you make short-term decisions changes; and ultimately changing the results of your company.

Business Finishing School Founder, Rick Sapio interviews Blackbelt Member and Coach, Dr. Kalani Jose. They discuss how Business Finishing School has impacted Dr. Kalani's life and business. They explain the power of "war rooms" and the importance of values.

This month's topic is Common Challenges Business Owners Face. Teresa discusses: -Common challenges business owners face and how they can affect the scalability of the business -How to overcome hurdles like client or founder dependence and fatigue -How to use cash value whole life insurance to free up cash value and balance the risks of running a business

BFS Founder Rick Sapio interviews long-time Blackbelt Member, Dr. Jeff Danielson on the success he has found since implementing. Dr. Jeff Danielson is a passionate and creative entrepreneur. He began his business career by opening a chiropractic clinic in 1999. With the help of the Business Finishing School Program, he grew his chiropractic practice from nothing to be one of the largest and most profitable in the Midwest. For the last decade he has been training, coaching, and investing in young doctors across the country. Inspired by all he has learned with BFS, Dr. Jeff is always on the hunt for a new opportunity that makes sense and fits the purpose of his portfolio. We are excited to welcome him back to our stage with a great new message for our audience. Dr Jeff truly connects, inspires, and motivates those around him to discover and develop their purpose, and to become the best versions of themselves. Join him and others at our next Business Growth Summit in Dallas, TX! Visit www.BFSSummit.com for more info!

BFS Founder, Rick Sapio interviews Blackbelt Member, Marjory Wildcraft. Marjory is the Founder of The Grow Network, which is the online home of a global community of people who grow their own food and medicine. "Home grown food on every table" is their solution. They discuss the BFS Hiring Module, and how Marjory has implemented it and other practices taught in BFS to grow her company and increase her revenue.

Ep. 23 The Myth of the Average Rate of Return Living Wealthy President & CEO, Teresa Kuhn discusses the following: -What the average rate of return is actually telling you, and why you shouldn't use it to make financial decisions -What you are actually getting with your investment vehicles. -How does the financial strategy we work with compare? Join Teresa and many more at the next Business Growth Summit, in Dallas from March 6-8, 2020! Visit www.BFSSummit.com to learn more!

Tune in as Rick Sapio interviews Daniel Marcos, long-time friend, and CEO/Founder of The Growth Institute. Daniel shares the roadmap to grow your business with less drama, less stress, and less work. When it comes to business growth, he explains there are two types of companies: • Companies that are growing really fast but face a lot of drama and complexity. • Companies that are stuck and want to start growing fast. It might seem like they are in different situations, but they’re actually in the same boat. They both have scaling problems. Daniel believes that there are four stages of company growth. He teaches how to use these stages as a roadmap that guides how your focus, priorities, and key decisions will change as your company grows. The roadmap will prepare you for the barriers you will face and the new skills you need to develop to overcome them.

Business Finishing School Founder, Rick Sapio interviews long-time Blackbelt Member, Dr. Dustin Barton on his business and personal journey through the BFS Program. Dr. Barton discusses revenue growth, employee accountability, and how BFS rhythms have impacted the lives of he and his family.

Put your heart, mind, and soul into even your smallest acts. This is the secret of success. -Swami Sivananda Really think about having an impact and make sure even your smallest acts are done with all your effort and consideration. How you do anything is how you do everything. Are we making the most of the gifts that we were born with? Ask yourself this question.

This month we are talking about using your Financial Battleship for self-financing. Teresa will discuss: - The difference between a direct and non direct recognition policy loan - Why we only work with non direct recognition companies - How non direct recognition loans can create twice as much income in retirement.

I think it's best in life to create and control systems, not people. Because at the end of the day, it's impossible to control people. "Simple and clear purpose and principles give rise to complex and intelligent behavior while complex rules and regulations give rise to simple and stupid behavior." That quote is from Dee Hock who founded Visa in 1968. Let me give you an example of what I mean by this. My wife and I more than 10 years ago now created a family placement, which many of you know about. The family placement sits on a table when we eat dinner and we have family dinner every night. And on that family placement are our simple rules for being in our family. Our values, our family crest, what the crest means, how we run our family, our wedding vows are there, the six components to happiness, our favorite quotes, what happens at our family meetings, it's all there. And we set it in our mind, at the time we created it, that this was permanent. So by having our children see that every day, it allows them to operate with a very clear set of rules. It's very simple and it's clear. And the quote says that when things are simple and clear, it gives rise to complex and intelligent behavior. Voltaire also said this, he said, "When the rules are clearly defined, then and only then can true creativity flourish." So let's go back to where we started, controlling behavior versus controlling a system. When my wife and I sat down to create the family placement, we created a system and it's up to us as parents to make sure that our kids understand that system. When controlling people, oftentimes if the world doesn't go their way, they lose their mind. They've got to figure out a way to control people and situations. Oftentimes those people are the exact opposite. They have no system. They have no defined values that they operate from. They have no permanence. And so I would argue that if you look in areas or your life on the job, in your business, in your family, in the structures around you, where you don't have clear, well thought out principles and structure, there will be chaos and there will be people trying to control that situation. And during periods of which they're trying to control, they're losing their mind because they're not operating from a playbook, a pre-established set of rules and principles from which they are enrolling people in. I believe that all the work to create a system, whether it's a family structure, whether it's a nonprofit or a company, all the work should happen at the beginning, before you start. That's when you think about the business frame. That's when you think about the values that you aspire and all the rules and how things are going to unfold and you do that work at the beginning. So then when you hit go, you can then execute on those principles. If people opted into that system, they knew what the rules were. Just like when my kids opted in to accepting my wife and I as their parents, they're opting into following a system. And it's the leadership in that entity that controls the system, not the people. But ideally what happens is in a business, especially when the clarity of purpose, clarity of catalyzing statement, clarity of values, clarity of objectives, et cetera, are there for everybody to see, the right people over time will opt in and the wrong people opt out. And so, you don't need these controlling people. Just like the employees who own stock in Southwest Airlines saw, that everybody working in concert on the same sheets of music, like a symphony, produces far more results than everybody singing and operating from their own sheet of music. For a template to make your own Family Placemat, visit www.FamilyPlacemat.com. Happy Thanksgiving, Rick Sapio Founder, Business Finishing School

Have you ever thought about what Thanksgiving Day would be like for you and your family in the year 2070? If you never even think about the future, how can you manifest the best future for your family and for the people and things you care about? An acquaintance of mine had a Great Grandfather who was a slave, freed during the Civil War. This completely uneducated freed slave – who could neither read nor write – decided to work with a friend who could write and he developed a “Permanent Family Legacy Document,” instructing all future members of his family to do all in their power to get a college degree, and to stay married for life. That document created 300 descendants that did exactly that. They worked hard to stay married for life and all got college degrees. I believe that this incredible outcome would NEVER have happened if it wasn’t for ‘legacy thinking.’ Legacy thinking requires you to look into the future and embed your aspirational values on all that you care about. Very few people are willing to think this way for the simple reason that they are overwhelmed and swamped in the present moment. Could you imagine if our Founding Fathers decided that they were too busy to create the Constitution of the United States of America? My wish for you this Thanksgiving season is to first STOP. Create some time and space to think about all that you are grateful for in your life. Then reach out to the people that have made the biggest difference for you and give them a big THANK YOU. Then think about those people and their children in the year 2070. The last step is to take a shot at creating a “Legacy Document” for them. This document will become the roadmap for a brighter future for you and yours. Happy Thanksgiving 2019. Respectfully, Rick Sapio Founder, Business Finishing School, LLC

Ep. 16 Uninterrupted Compounding by BFS

Ep. 15 Amplifying Results Using a Lens with Dr. Ivan Misner by BFS

Ep. 14 Are You Drifting with the Current? by BFS

Ep. 13 The Simple Path to Wealth Creation by BFS

Ep. 12 How Long-Term Thinking Informs Short-Term Decision Making by BFS

Ep. 11 Special Guest Matt Manero by BFS

Ep. 10 Financial Battleship FAQs 2/2 by BFS

Ep. 9 Using KPI's to Create Freedom by BFS

Ep. 8 Are Your Standing Out, or Blending In? by BFS

Ep. 7 Financial Battleship FAQs 1/2 by BFS

Ep. 6 Creating MBO's to Leverage Results by BFS

Ep. 5 Using Mindset to Tame Superman by BFS

Ep. 4 How to Create Your Own Line of Credit by BFS

Ep. 3 Real Business Strategy by BFS

Ep. 1 The Myth of Homeownership by BFS