Your Own Best Company with Franklin Taggart

If you're looking for more information and enrollment details for the Freelance After 50 Summit, please visit the Summit page here(affiliate link): https://aff.freelanceu.com/54280/162512 Welcome to this insightful conversation with Franklin Taggart and Craig Cannings, the founder of Freelance University. If you're re-entering the job market, especially if you're over fifty, this video is a must-watch. Craig Cannings introduces the Freelance After Fifty Summit, happening from April 15th to 17th. This event is perfect for those looking to join the freelance world, offering inspiration and insights from successful freelancers. You'll also be introduced to the community and resources offered by Freelance University, a highly regarded resource for freelancer careers of all kinds.In this virtual coffee break, Franklin and Craig discuss the origins and growth of Freelance University. Craig shares how he and his wife started the university sixteen years ago, rebranding in 2018. Freelance University has become an amazing resource for freelancers of all styles, shapes, and forms. Craig's new YouTube channel, Freelance After Fifty, caught Franklin's attention, and Craig explains the inspiration behind it. He reveals that over three-quarters of their audience are over fifty, committed to learning and slowly rolling out their businesses. This demographic has become their best customers, leading to the creation of Freelance After Fifty.Craig discusses the changing reasons people are freelancing today. While the laptop lifestyle was popular five to ten years ago, the pandemic and economic climate have shifted people's focus to financial opportunities. Many are starting side hustles to supplement their income or building full-fledged freelance businesses. Craig emphasizes the importance of mindset when transitioning from an employee to an entrepreneurial mindset. He shares his own experience of awkwardly shifting from a job to running a business and highlights the need to rewrite your job description as a freelancer.The conversation delves into common surprises for new freelancers, such as the significance of mindset, the myth of "build it and they will come," and the importance of community. Craig explains how Freelance University provides a supportive community for freelancers, especially during challenging times like the pandemic. He shares success stories of students who started freelancing after fifty and built thriving businesses.The summit covers various topics, including finding your freelance path, starting a side hustle, getting your first client, and carving out a freelance lifestyle that fits your needs. Craig highlights the importance of leveraging AI tools and technology to stay in demand and improve efficiency. He shares insights into the evolving freelance industry, emphasizing the plethora of opportunities, automation, and the growing interest in remote work.Freelance University Home: https://www.freelanceu.com/Freelance After 50 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@freelancefiftyChapters00:00:00 Summit Invitation and Link00:00:58 Craig Cannings Intro00:02:08 Inspiration for Freelance After 50 00:04:26 Shifting from an Employee Mindset to an Entrepreneur Mindset00:07:18 Facing Limiting Self Beliefs00:07:57 Common Surprises of New Freelancers00:10:50 Introducing the Freelance After 50 Summit00:14:42 The Terror of Entrepreneurship00:17:43 Summit Information and Enrollment Details 00:20:43 Finding a Freelance Niche00:25:59 Changes in Freelancing Since Craig Started00:29:49 Future Opportunities for Freelancers00:31:57 Next Step for Summit Enrollment00:32:38 A Couple of Summit Speaker Highlights00:34:53 Freelance University Resources and Community for Freelancers00:36:48 Franklin's Summit Topic and Invitation

In today's coffee break -- pulling the plug on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, WhatsApp, and Twitter/X My enjoyment of social media has just gone through the floor for the last few years, and it's gotten worse. I don't feel like I'm serving myself by staying in that environment. I joined Facebook and Twitter back in 2009. At that time, I was going through a pretty serious health crisis and it felt good. To be in a place where I could actually reconnect with people going all the way back to my elementary school days. It was fun to be there and you could count on that if you posted something that a good number of your people following you would see it. I want to say also it hasn't been easy to get to this point to pull the plug. I've had a lot of value over the years from from Facebook and Instagram. Just in terms of making connections there. Now every time that I've thought about leaving. I've had to weigh what makes it worth staying, and I have to be honest with you that it's just gotten worse and worse over the years. For every for every friend's post that I see. I'll see ten other posts that I didn't subscribe to. The algorithm just continues to feed me things that I didn't sign up for, and I just don't want to do that anymore I do plan on doing a little bit more direct emailing. I'm going to continue to make videos and a podcast. And I'll continue to show up on LinkedIn on occasion. One of the things that I also intend to do is to spend more time reading actual books. I intend also to look at the quality of what I post online, more so than the quantity of what I post online. So it may be that I only post a few times a year from here on out. But I really want to make sure that what I'm putting up there isn't. Just some AI generated crap. I want it to be helpful. Thoughtful. I want it to be meaningful to me at least. If you have my e-mail, send me a note. If you don't have my e-mail, there is a contact form on my blog and you're welcome to use. Find me the old fashioned way. I already feel better. I already feel like that I have some time back. I think that the quality of my life is going to improve dramatically from this decision and I'm going to encourage you to think about even just giving yourself a break from it for a little while and see what the difference is. There are some people that are going to say, am I worried about what it's going to do to my business? I haven't seen any real benefit to my business in a long time and have been very inactive in terms of promoting my business in social media. I found that there are other ways that are much more effective. I don't have a huge business to promote. I only take a few clients at a time, and I don't really do a lot of other things other than maybe release the occasional blog or podcast or video. So I don't feel like that my business is going to suffer at all, in fact. It may actually improve. Take good care. See you here on the YouTube. Chapters 00:00:00 Getting ready to pull the plug on Meta and X. 00:01:26 It isn't getting better. 00:02:39 What to do with 16 years of stuff? 00:04:28 YouTube is still where I'm going to be spending a lot of my time. 00:05:05 Weighing the decision to stay or go. 00:06:49 Making online connections more meaningful. 00:07:30 Reading actual books. 00:08:38 If you have my e-mail, send me a note. 00:08:49 If you don't have my e-mail, there is a contact form on my blog. 00:09:20 I already feel better. 00:10:05 What about my business? 00:11:06 Revisiting an old New Year's resolution.

In this Virtual Coffee Break, Franklin Taggart welcomes media industry veteran Pete Pachal for an insightful conversation on the impact of AI on the media industry and creative sector. Pete, a seasoned editor and writer, shares his expertise and discusses his latest venture: The Media Copilot newsletter, podcast, and YouTube channel. Pete has been covering technology for more than two decades and has been following the field of artificial intelligence since before Gmail was trying to complete your sentences. Pete was Chief of Staff for Content at CoinDesk where he led the publication's AI Committee and wrote the company's guidelines for the use of generative AI. He's also held senior editorial positions at Red Ventures, Mashable, and NBC Universal. His work has appeared in Fast Company, Forbes, TIME, and more. In his meager spare time, Pete also hosts Pull To Open alongside journalist Chris Taylor, a weekly Doctor Who podcast that features thoughtful and entertaining commentaries on every single televised story. You can subscribe to the podcast here: https://www.youtube.com/@PullToOpen A few of the resources mentioned in this episode: • ChatGPT • Perplexity • OpusClip Important links for The Media Copilot • Media Copilot newsletter: https://mediacopilot.substack.com/ • Training classes: https://learn.mediacopilot.ai/ • YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@themediacopilot Media Copilot on social: • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-media-copilot/ • Twitter: https://x.com/themediacopilot • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themediacopilot/ #podcast #media #mediaindustry #petepachal #themediacopilot

Since the public launch of ChatGPT 3 in late 2022, the rapid introduction of artificial intelligence into the mainstream of every aspect of human living has been a central topic of conversation and concern. AI tools have spread across the creative industries like wildfire and have been inserted into every level of task from ideation to packaging. Where we had hoped the robots would take over the mundane tasks of life, instead, we've seen the technology pointed at the big red target on the face of all our creative activities.  While the tech gods have tried to assure us that human labor won't be replaced overnight, we've still seen early signs that the trend will be toward computers and machines doing the work humans once did. This isn't an abnormal pattern. From the earliest development of tools, the whole point has been for human labor to become easier and ultimately redundant. But can we be prepared for how the race will be affected as tech takes over increasingly highly skilled tasks? Before I go any further, I must clarify that I am not anti-tech or anti-AI. I use the tools daily, and I'd be stupid not to. Some of the time required for my creative tasks has been cut by huge percentages. The search for relevant images for presentations that used to take hours has been reduced to minutes with the help of Dall-E and some well-defined prompts. I've been a Grammarly user for a few years now, and I've definitely seen an improvement in my writing as a result. Design tools for graphics, audio, and video have all helped streamline my own DIY production processes. So please don't think I'm against any of this. That said, I have a few genuine concerns about the impact of AI in a few specific areas, represented by the following questions: What will be the impact of AI on creative work and its market value? What will happen to artistic and creative professions? How will we guard against social isolation as we hand the bulk of our communication over to bots? Read more on my blog, https://franklintaggart.com --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/franklin-taggart9/message

Have you noticed a slowdown in your business in the last year? You're not alone. A client I was talking with yesterday asked an increasingly common question, "Is it always this hard to find new business?" She opened her consulting business early in 2023 after being laid off from her job in the post-COVID months. She landed a major contract within a month of opening that kept her in the black for most of the year, but that contract isn't being renewed, and now she needs to find new clients ASAP. She's not the first one to come to me with questions like this in recent months. Costs are increasing, interest rates are rising, wages are not keeping pace, and belts are tightening. When spending slows down, most businesses are impacted at some level. These downturns can be scary times, especially for new business owners who haven't experienced them before. Consistent, steady growth isn't a pattern we see in the normal nature of things. Sustainable businesses aren't that way because their circumstances are always the same. Their sustainability is more often related to their ability to adapt as circumstances change. Like the person I spoke with yesterday, many businesses haven't been around long enough to have built responsive systems to keep themselves afloat during the off-season. They're now learning about cash flow patterns, market rhythms, supply chains, demand fluctuations, and how to account for these things in their planning. Until these systems are in place, these folks have to shift gears into rapid response marketing mode, and waiting passively for the SEO to kick in and people to find your now outdated website just won't do. Two other parts of yesterday's conversation stand out in my mind. First, my client had the good fortune to have a hallmark contract fall into her lap without effort at the beginning of her business. That created an expectation that finding business would be easy for her. She's now seeing that it was a misconception. The second factor is that she is having difficulty thinking creatively because of her stress about the urgency of her situation. The three suggestions I am making here are activities I've found helpful in alleviating my own stress during uncertain times and that reawaken the creative muscles I need to start seeing new ideas and opportunities. I'll also share in this written description an unspoken fourth activity that is facilitated by the others. The three activities in the video are: Making Lists Deep Research Making Offers The fourth I'll mention here is to simply connect with people. The lists and research will fill up with people to reach out to. The next level of work is the actual reaching. For list making, I like to use spreadsheets like the one you can copy or download here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/... In the video, I share a couple of Google tools I use to guide my research and to help sort through information that may be out of date or irrelevant. I suggest to my clients that knowing how to get the most out of search tools is one of the most necessary and marketable skills of our time. AI is definitely enhancing that, as well. The last suggestion I make is to either dust off an old offer or put together a new one to usher out into the marketplace. Is there a new product, service, event, or experience you can put in front of existing and potential customers? It can be any price or package, but it needs to be seen. I've been working on a new series of video production resources for coaches that I'll be rolling out in the next month. I am hopeful these resources will stimulate many months and possibly years of opportunity for me. Stay tuned for the announcement of their availability. These four things are at the heart of my strategy when business slows. If you haven't taken advantage of my free Best Next Step coaching session, you can schedule your one-hour, no-strings-attached call here: https://bit.ly/best-next-step --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/franklin-taggart9/message

Relationships are hard. One of my supervisors used to say that when I did crisis intervention work. I believe it. The same theme has frequently emerged in recent conversations with friends and clients. We've noticed similarities as the relationship patterns from personal and family life play out in career and business situations. And why wouldn't they? The challenges I face in marketing, selling, and delivering in my business have the same root as the challenges I have as a spouse, dad, son, and brother.  That root is me. But I'm no longer labeling it as a problem. I just have gotten okay with not being great at relationships. I'm old enough to have read a lot of books, taken a lot of classes, attended plenty of weekend seminars, encountered encounter groups, and tried every way I know how to be better at it. But at almost 62 years old, I've decided that my odds for improvement seem to grow slimmer with each passing year. And it's become most important to just acknowledge all the ways I suck at relationships. And those realizations and acknowledgments apply to my career and businesses as well.  "...it's become most important to just acknowledge all the ways I suck at relationships."I like people fine, as long as we don't have to spend much time together. Read more at https://www.franklintaggart.com/2024/04/i-suck-at-relationships-why-should.html --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/franklin-taggart9/message

I've been a #selfhelp #selfimprovement #selfdevelopment junkie for decades. I've spent tens of thousands of dollars on books, programs, curricula, behavior modification, weight loss, smoking cessation, discipleship training, and seeking my vision in the wilderness. If I had invested that money in making more money, I would be comfortably retired by now. For all the time, money, and effort, I would have hoped for a better result. As Jamie Smart says, shouldn't light be streaming from all my orifices by now? But I'm not much, if any, different than I was before all of this. I struggle with the same things, think the same negative thoughts, worry about everything, and don't see the improvement I've been striving for. I use the techniques - mindset shifts, meditation, yoga, nature walks, writing my desires and goals clearly, clarifying my intentions, and doing all the prescribed work - but I'm no better off as a person or in life. Don't get me wrong, I haven't had anything better to do. There are worse ways to spend a life. I've learned a lot about everything along the way, but I've realized that most of my work has been in the wrong direction. I never challenged some important assumptions about the promise of a better me. Until recently, I haven't considered that many of the beliefs I've constructed about myself weren't mine. They came from other people. Another #realization I've had is that many of the messages about myself I've bought into were intended to persuade me to buy something. And the king of all assumptions is that there is a "me" in the first place, let alone to make it better. What if the me that is the object of all the betterment isn't anything more than a bundle of thoughts? More to read on my blog: https://www.franklintaggart.com/2023/12/the-false-promise-of-better-me.html --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/franklin-taggart9/message

I've had more than a few people contact me for coaching as they navigate new twists and turns in their career and business paths. Most recently, three find themselves having a Rip Van Winkle moment - waking up from a long nap to find that everything is different for them than before. One has been taking care of a dying parent, another has been sending the last of her children to college, and another has rekindled a music career after taking several years off to start another business. They've all returned to industries that aren't as familiar as the ones they left. The pandemic effects are still landing for many people. Music and meeting venues have only recently started reopening, and many have changed formats. I've noticed many businesses have continued to keep shortened or irregular hours than before the disruption. Schools and organizations have also changed their regular routines. I went through a similar time when my music career was interrupted by a six-year series of health challenges. #comeback #disruption #hiatus --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/franklin-taggart9/message

If you've been interested in listening to podcasts but have found the medium and apps to be difficult and confusing, this episode is for you. The good news is that you probably already use an app where you can find and enjoy podcasts, and it's most likely the same app you're using to watch or listen to this show. In this quick overview, we'll learn some of the most popular apps for podcast listening, how to find the podcasts you'll enjoy, and I'll tell you about a new free mini-course I'm offering called the New Podcast Listener's Primer. It's available now at my blog, https://franklintaggart.com. In addition to the course videos, I've included a list of some of my favorite podcasts, a playlist of episodes from that list, and a handful of videos when I've been a podcast guest. If you're interested in booking yourself as a podcast guest or would like to find out how to start a podcast of your own, I invite you to schedule a free Best Next Step call with me. My blog has all the deets. #podcasting #podcastapp #podcastlistening --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/franklin-taggart9/message

When Podcast Movement announced that their annual conference was going to be held in Denver this year, I got excited. I've wanted to attend this conference ever since it started, but the timing and finances never seemed to line up. This year, thanks to the generosity of Buzzsprout and the close proximity of the venue, I was able to attend. Here are some of my highlights. Podcasting is Still Growing And it appears to be growing even more rapidly with YouTube's new commitment to podcast support and promotion. It's not just YouTube. Spotify introduced video podcasts into its features last year, and new networks were represented at every level at the conference. The overall trend is that podcasting continues to expand in every direction. People Are Hungry for Podcast Curation As more podcasts are becoming available, people are looking for reliable sources of curation for the podcasts they listen to. Networks are one of the prominent sources people are turning to for this kind of service. This need for curation is also putting some pressure on podcast hosting platforms to improve the quality of their search functionality and discovery features. I was blown away by the number of new networks I saw at the conference and the variety of niches and audiences they represented. Video is Exploding As I mentioned, YouTube and Spotify have created opportunities for podcast producers to include video in their show offerings. I know the video option has been available and popular with podcasters for years, but the increased support is causing some important shifts in the podcasting industry. YouTube has risen into the second slot from the top as the most popular place to watch or listen to podcasts. Spotify has also gained more podcast audiences as it increases access to its video-based podcast services. Several speakers and panels were dedicated to integrating video into the podcasting mix. Monetization Options Are Increasing(In Some Ways) Making money from podcasting is taking on some new shapes and appearances. The standard list of options like sponsorships, paid subscriptions, advertising, and product promotion is still on top, but there are new possible income streams coming forward for podcasters, especially those who are growing large and engaged audiences. Larger broadcast and production companies like Paramount, Disney, and iHeart Media are signing successful podcasts to their networks and offering unheard-of sponsorship deals as they diversify their markets. New fan funding services similar to Patreon are also starting to spring up. Patreon has been a popular way for podcast producers to gain direct support from fans, but there are some fast-moving competitors whose presence at the conference was notable. YouTube and Spotify weren't alone in offering hosts direct support portals for fans to pay for support and premium access. The only disappointing monetization news is the continued shunning of shows with long track records but smaller audiences. Many advertisers are raising their minimum audience requirements to a point that excludes all but the most popular podcasts. I'm hopeful that this will change, but I think it will take an organized strategic effort on the part of certain agencies to create a package that will work for all involved. I heard a few Braindate discussions on this topic that I'll be excited to watch as they unfold. If you're just starting podcasting, I recommend checking out Buzzsprout. They are a small company with a big heart and do everything they can to nurture and support podcasters. They have packages starting at free, so you have nothing holding you back. Do You Want to Start a Podcast? I help people set up podcasts with a commitment to maximizing reach and keeping costs down. It starts with a free microphone placement session that you can schedule here: https://bit.ly/MicrophonePlacement You paid for a better microphone. Let's make it sound great! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/franklin-taggart9/message

This is the 100th and final episode of Your Own Best Company with Franklin Taggart. I started the podcast in May of 2021 during the height of the quarantine. Many people were faced with working alone for the first time, while others like me relished it. I wanted to encourage and celebrate working alone as an excellent option for people who don't enjoy working on teams or managing others. I'd like to say thanks to all who listened. We reached over 31,000 viewers and listeners in the show's two years. I'm happy with that performance. I'm also grateful to every guest for bringing such amazing stories and resources to the listeners. I will continue to offer Franklin Taggart's Virtual Coffee Break for the foreseeable future, and I may be considering some collaborative broadcast projects in the upcoming months, too. This has been a fun and rewarding show. I have several hundred clips to share, so it's not going away completely, but new episodes are no longer being produced. Onward and upward! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/franklin-taggart9/message

Is your tank empty? Do you need some time for solitude, recharge, and to reconsider how you've been living, loving, and working? Is willpower not enough to do everything that you've committed to doing? That's the jumping-off point for this visit with coach Laura Livingston on the Your Own Best Company podcast. This conversation follows up on our last, which was on the topic of listening to your body. In this episode, we cover: ** Health and business sustainability. ** The difference between willpower and empowerment. ** Making space for emotional experience. ** and inspired action. Find Laura online at https://lauralivingston.co And on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-livingston-coaching/ Thank you for listening, subscribing, reviewing, and sharing Your Own Best Company, a podcast for people who love working alone! #burnout #worklifebalance #rhythmoflife --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/franklin-taggart9/message

If the job you love were to suddenly end, would you rather try to find another similar job, or would you try to build a business that brought together your best gifts with people you care about serving? Camille Miller was faced with this kind of decision, and she opted for the latter. Not knowing exactly what she was going to do, she started experimenting with different ideas and found her direction, leading to the role of coach, then community builder, and now she's adding soulful adventurer. In this episode, we learn: ** How a high-level membership program is born. ** How personal growth often leads to a shedding of old relationships. ** Deliberate creation isn't just sitting around thinking about what you want. ** How Camille creates strategy with no end game. ** The surprising arrival of a new home close to the beach when she wasn't really looking. Check out all that Camille has to offer at: https://www.soulprofessional.com/ Find her on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-natural-life-business-parternship/ Thanks for listening to Your Own Best Company with Franklin Taggart. Your subscriptions and reviews are coveted and appreciated! #lawofattraction #deliberatecreation #liveyourdreams --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/franklin-taggart9/message

As an executive, is it often easiest just to take on more responsibility and then work the extra hours that others don't see just to get things done? And is "fine" your stock answer when people ask you how you're doing? Lauren Lefkowitz knows the feeling, and she is here to offer another set of options. When an encounter with a rogue Roomba led to a freak accident, Lauren was forced to stop working long enough to take a good look at her compulsion to take on more responsibility than she had the energy for and make some conscious choices. Learning how to sit on her hands and let other people take on responsibility gave her a new level of freedom in her work. It wasn't a seamless lesson, but she ultimately found positive and doable ways to free herself from the tyranny of saying yes. As a rare executive coach who has real-life executive experience, Lauren now helps other executives and leaders escape the "Fine" trap and discover new ways to take care of themselves in the midst of being responsible for their businesses and organizations. She shares her wisdom in this episode of Your Own Best Company with Franklin Taggart. Find Lauren at : https://laurenlefkowitzcoach.com and on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurenlefkowitz/ #executivecoaching #worklifebalance #coaching --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/franklin-taggart9/message

If you need some creative inspiration for how to reach your customers with valuable and memorable marketing tools, Monique Eckes is back on the Your Own Best Company podcast with some of her latest and greatest ideas. She's also bringing an update on some of the past year's successes and lessons. Monique is the founder and owner of Silver Paw Studio and has become a well-known pet photographer throughout the Northern Colorado region. She is also an active video maker on YouTube, contributing her endless creative ideas on three channels and across all the other socials. In this episode: ** Success with her book, NoCo for Doggos, leads to this year's book project that is a celebration of a breed many misunderstand and wrongly categorize - pit bulls. ** Moving to a new studio and the inspiration to offer her workplace as what sociologists call a Third Place - a point of face-to-face connection that isn't home or work. ** The necessity of putting a good idea on hold. ** Staying visible with video. ** Using ChatGPT to create valuable freebies and lead magnets. Find Monique at https://silverpawstudio.com https://propetphotog.com https://www.youtube.com/@ProPetPhotog And on all your favorite social channels. Also mentioned: Fridgeworthy Freebies - Franklin's course on creating leave behinds that won't get left behind. It's here: https://payhip.com/b/Yt8ja Thanks for listening and subscribing to Your Own Best Company! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/franklin-taggart9/message

A Frequently Asked Question for 2023 from people I talk to is - Is it too late to start a creative freelance career? With all the talk about AI, ChatGPT, Midjourney, and whatever the AI flavor of the day is, these friends are rightfully wondering if they've waited too long to get into the game. I don't think it's too late at all. In fact, people getting started now may have an advantage over people who've been at it a while. Enter Sheena McInnes. Sheena is a copywriter who just got into the business in the latter part of 2022. Her first career path was literally in the wilderness as a conservationist and scientist. Ten years into the unpredictable weather patterns, large mosquitos, and non-human trail company (read large wild animals), Sheena found a coach and started looking for the next phase of her work life. She discovered freelance copywriting. Departing from the usual format of teasing valuable goodness from seasoned veteran creators and entrepreneurs, in this episode, we'll hear from someone who is at the beginning of her path. Sheena is learning the ropes of a rapidly changing field, and she's experimenting with everything from finding gigs on LinkedIn, writing for agencies, and trying on the digital nomad lifestyle. We will be talking about how she discovered copywriting and how it appealed to her. We'll talk about cultivating an entrepreneurial mindset and finding mentors. And we'll talk more about how AI is changing the landscape and how people who learn to integrate it now into their creative work may well be at an advantage over those who don't. Find Sheena at https://sheenawritescopy.com and on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/sheena-mcinnes-copy/ Thanks for listening, subscribing, sharing, and reviewing Your Own Best Company wherever you enjoy podcasts! #copywriting #freelancing #digitalnomad --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/franklin-taggart9/message

▼▼▼▼▼ Time-sensitive announcement: Jessica Abel will be offering the Prioritize Like a Pro workshop live online at 1 pm on June 13. Registration information is here: https://jessicaabel.com/prioritize-like-a-pro/ Great, free opportunity to learn about the Weighted Decision Matrix we talked about in the interview! The evergreen version of the Prioritize Like a Pro workshop is here: https://jessicaabel.com/notion-mastery/ ▼▼▼▼▼ One of my biggest challenges as a creator is having more ideas than I have time to see them through. It's easy to get distracted, and I often get started on projects when they're new and interesting, only to set them aside as other ideas show up. This makes it exceptionally hard to finish things. I recently attended a workshop presented by Jessica Abel, a creative business coach, artist, author, and teacher, where she introduced a tool she's adapted for creatives called the Weighted Decision Matrix. While I've depended on standard to-do type lists to organize most of my projects, the matrix offers a better way to narrow my selection and choose the right things to work on while letting go of projects that can either wait or not happen at all. Jessica shares more about the process and tool in this interview, along with insights she's gained as she's built her businesses layer-by-layer. Creative Engine Masterclass is here: https://jessicaabel.lpages.co/creative-engine-masterclass/ Jessica's latest book, Growing Gills is only on Amazon : https://jessicaabel.com/growing-gills/ Out on the Wire and her other books are available via indie booksellers and on Amazon. https://jessicaabel.com/out-on-the-wire/ https://jessicaabel.com/books/ and https://amzn.to/43OKnjd (Amazon Associate link) Thanks for listening, subscribing, and sharing Your Own Best Company with those you know who love working alone. #decisionmaking #creativeprojects #autonomouscreative --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/franklin-taggart9/message

Humans are wired to connect through telling stories. It's been our primary way of communing with each other for thousands of years. Storytelling is so built into the design that we often don't recognize when it's happening or when we're doing it. Lori Robertson, the SpeakHer Coach, joins Your Own Best Company today to talk about the power of story as a way to encourage, uplift, inspire, and transform. In her work with professional women, organizational leaders, and emerging influencers, Lori teaches how to bring a crystal clear message to people in unforgettable and valuable ways. In this interview, Lori shares her story of being put in front of large crowds early in her speaking experience, how she rose to leadership in an organization that sponsored over 30 large-audience live events every year, and how she now works with her clients to own their message and share their gift-laden stories on stages of all sizes. You may find Lori at https://SpeakHerCoach.com and on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/loridrobertson/ Thanks as always for listening, subscribing, and sharing Your Own Best Company - a podcast for people who love to work alone. #publicspeaking #speaking #storytelling --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/franklin-taggart9/message

Depression, anxiety, and other mental health concerns are common experiences for many solopreneurs, freelancers, and self-employed. Kim Pratt from the Alliance for Suicide Prevention of Larimer County is the guest on this episode of Your Own Best Company. Kim shares early warning signs, symptoms, and support resources if you are concerned about your mental health. Her go-to suggestion is to program the number 988 into your phone. This national crisis hotline offers support and services 24/7/365 in the US and is free to call. She also shares insight into how to find the right kind of help and offers both local and national resources for help. In the meantime, stay connected to your family, friends, and peers, and be honest with yourself and with them if you're having a difficult time. More information: https://www.suicideprevent.org #mentalhealth #suicideprevention #depression --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/franklin-taggart9/message

Being her own boss seemed like the best option after being fired from a job working for someone else - her sister. 28 career pivots later, Michelle Nedelec has gathered a toolbelt full of business experiences that she draws from as she helps other business owners and executives navigate their marketing challenges. She's also a sought-after speaker, the host of five podcasts at last count, and a wickedly wise business strategist. In this episode of Your Own Best Company, Michelle opens up about: ** Being led by curiosity. ** Finding opportunities in surprising places. ** Insanity as a marketing strategy. ** The important distinction between employee and owner. ** How to become a certified forklift operator wearing six-inch stilettos. Michelle's Social Media Facebook https://www.facebook.com/michelle.nedelec1 Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/businessownershipsecretstoscaling Linkedln https://www.linkedin.com/in/michellenedelec Twitter https://twitter.com/michellenedelec lnstagram https://www.instagram.com/michellenedelec Youtube https://www.youtube.com/c/MichelleNedelec Pinterest https://www.pinterest.ca/michellenedelec TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@michellenedelec Websites https://www.AwarenessStrategies.com https://www.MichelleNedelec.com Podcasts The Business Ownership Podcast https://www.AwarenessStrategies.com/blog 7-8 Figure Speakers Series https://AwarenessStrategies.com/7-8-podcast-series The Little Blue Pill for Business https://www.TheLittleBluePillForBusiness.com Happy to Offend You https://www.HappyToOffendYou.com The Bad Girls On Business https://badgirlsonbusiness.com --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/franklin-taggart9/message

Persuasive communication is a cornerstone skill for every business owner, and many have never learned effective ways to consistently present influential messages. They may have a compelling offer but haven't established a strong enough connection to support it. Or the reader may be skeptical of claims after trying solutions that haven't worked, but the message doesn't acknowledge their experience. Billy Broas has gathered messaging wisdom from some of the greatest marketing communicators in the world and consolidated that knowledge into an extraordinarily useful framework called The Five Lightbulbs. In this episode of Your Own Best Company, Billy walks us through the framework influenced by copywriting masters like Eugene Schwartz, John Carlton, Gary, Bond, and Kevin Halbert, and David Garfinkel. Using The Five Lightbulbs framework will enable you to tailor your message for your customer's specific circumstances, and it will give you all the components of a complete persuasive message. Learn more about Billy and The Five Lightbulbs at https://fivelightbulbs.com Thanks for listening, subscribing, sharing, and reviewing Your Own Best Company with Franklin Taggart! #copywriting #framework #marketing --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/franklin-taggart9/message

If you want to increase online visibility for your business, the universal advice is that you need to post videos. Everywhere, all the time, videos. Algorithms love videos, Kids love videos. Grandmas love videos. Videos, videos, videos! I was a slow starter when it came to posting videos for my music and my businesses. I've had a YouTube channel for a long time and it sat for years while I worked up the nerve and figured out how to use my camera. A few years ago, I heard about a class called 31 Flavors of video. In that class, I learned about 31 different kinds of online video I could make, I joined a Facebook group where I got daily feedback. And I gained some amazing tools and resources that helped me make good decisions about equipment, production, scripting, and more. In this episode, I'll introduce you to Lou Bortone, the creator of the 31 Flavors of Video, as well as programs like Fast Forward video mastermind, and the new podcast, Take the Connoli: The Godfather Podcast. Lou will take us on a trip from growing up in his dad's TV workplace in Boston to his industry experiences in Los Angeles, his eventual return to the Northeast, and his reluctant entry into entrepreneurship. Lou considers himself a curator of content creation and production tools and resources. His emails, videos, and now podcasts are rich with helpful information, inspiration, and encouragement for video creators at all levels of experience. 31 Flavors of Video starts May 1st and you need to register here soon: https://mt938.isrefer.com/go/31F/franklin/ (Affiliate Link) Fast Forward group program also will be starting soon. Register here: https://fastforward.video Subscribe and listen to Take the Cannoli: The Godfather podcast here on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@LouBortoneVideo or https://thegodfatherpodcast.com Everything else Lou you can find at https://www.loubortone.com Thanks for listening, sharing, subscribing, and reviewing Your Own Best Company with Franklin Taggart! #onlinevideo #videoproduction #podcast --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/franklin-taggart9/message

Freelance writer Heidi Kerr-Schlaefer started her Heiditown blog over 15 years ago to share her experiences, interests, and point of view. It grew from a personal blog into a valued resource for tourists in Colorado looking for a more personal experience than all those on the beaten path. Heidi expanded her services in the direction of destination marketing and festival promotion, building her reputation as she and her husband and various pets traveled from small town to small town, one road trip at a time. The Heditown brand continues to expand as Heidi now offers consulting services to small towns leaders, helping them to find and articulate their uniqueness and finding aspects that deserve celebration and build local pride and optimism. Find Heidi at https://heiditown.com Also mentioned in this episode: Tacos and Pho - https://tacosandpho.com And Ryan Schlaefer Fine Furniture - http://www.rtsfurnituredesign.com/ Thanks for listening, subscribing, reviewing, and sharing Your Own Best Company with Franklin Taggart. Your attention is a valuable gift. #coloradotravel #smalltownlife #economicdevelopment --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/franklin-taggart9/message

I love what Brooke Monaghan has to say about entrepreneurship: "...this is what I always have to break down for people. Listen to anyone who has anything to say about entrepreneurship, and what they're going to tell you is, if you can figure out a way that people in your community are not being served, innovate some solution for them. That is the foundation for creating a business. So when I talk to people who are part of a community, and really care about some weird little niche thing, and they see all of the problems - here are all the ways that we are not being served - here are all the ways that we are being overlooked. Here are all the ways that we're being left behind. And they have some idea about how they can make that better. That is literally the thing that everyone like me who really wanted to be in business needed, but didn't feel like they had a thing. That's the thing that we have all been searching for. Please, please do something with it. Because that's it, that's the foundation for a sustainable business, you create a better way." Brooke is an inspired coach who leads people through the process of being rule followers to becoming game changers - people who challenge the status quo and make entirely new realities possible. Here are some of the things we talk about: ** Owning what you do. ** Commitment vs. hustle. ** The appeal of being seen as you are. ** Being OK with the struggle. Brooke's podcast, Transcend Your Dichotomy, is an abundant resource of information and inspiration for anyone who is ready to turn a great idea into a great reality. She wanted to make something that showed people what it was like to be in the experience of creating a business instead of reporting about a business after it had become successful. And she found that much of her conversation was on the topic of mindset. Find Brooke and all her resources at https://brooke-monaghan.com She's on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/briggsmonaghan/ On LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brooke-monaghan/ She also just announced that she's starting a YouTube channel called The Aligned Business Portal. This will be an amazing source of information for people who are looking for ways to promote their offers in a way that's aligned with who they are. Scheduled for launch in early April, you'll be able to find the channel at : https://youtube.com/@briggsmonaghan #mindset #gamechanger #transcendyourdichotomy Thanks for listening, sharing, reviewing, and subscribing to Your Own Best Company with Franklin Taggart! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/franklin-taggart9/message

As 2023 started, I invited Audrey Holst of Fortitude and Flow and Erica Holthausen from Catchline Communications to come back for a conversation on the topic of why we do the work we do and all the smaller questions attached to that. The chats we three enjoy are some of my favorites, and this one raised the bar even higher. We had much to talk about, including: ** What becomes possible when basics are taken care of? ** Redefining the rich life. ** What the gym can teach us about business. ** Stepping back from the production/consumption loop. ** Variable-Speed working Find Audrey at https://fortitudeandflow.com Find Erica at https://catchlinecommunications.com All three of us are active on LinkedIn, too. As always, thanks for listening, subscribing, reviewing, and sharing Your Own Best Company with Franklin Taggart! #podcast #career #solopreneur --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/franklin-taggart9/message

The first online networking mixer I ever attended in 2021 had over 100 attendees. The hosts had to pay for the extra space and had inadvertently disabled the breakout room assignments when they did. As the event ground to a halt, the host apologized and then asked, "Is Robbie Samuels here?" From one of the many screens and rows of faces came the reply, "Yes, I'm here." With a couple of his brief suggestions, the problem was solved and the rest of the meeting went off without a hitch. I spend around 90 percent of my working time in online meetings. From podcast interviews to coaching clients to group calls to summits and webinars - not a day goes by when I wouldn't love to have Robbie's expertise in the room. Robbie's new book, Break Out of Boredom: Low-Tech Solutions for Highly Engaging Zoom Events makes his expertise available to all of us, and it will raise the bar in every kind of online gathering we present. (The book was released today and is available at my associates link: https://amzn.to/3LkBkRh) Some of the cool things I added to my list of Zoom skills from reading this are: ** The Mirroring Technique - A way to make sure you're pointing in the right direction when you're drawing attention to a specific object or screen area. ** Making my screen sharing more interesting by using less text, larger text, and more images in my presentations. ** Situating my camera for optimal eye contact. ** Improving the safety and security of my events. He includes a complete walkthrough of all Zoom settings in both free and paid versions, and there are some additional resources available as downloads, including pre-planning meeting checklists, speaker preparation ideas, printable engagement tools, and more. Every time I've seen Robbie at work, I've admired his commitment to high quality and exceptional value. This resource is no different. The included tips, insights, checklists, and downloads will make it possible for your online meetings and events to be their most memorable, valuable, and impactful. I will have it within arms reach of my webcam from now on. #virtualevents #zoommeetings #onlineevents --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/franklin-taggart9/message

I've wanted to write and publish a book since I was a kid. I'm old now, so that's a long time to have a dream. I've started books many times in my life, but the determination and persistence to finish them have eluded me. I've had a lot of questions and concerns about AI. I know - I'm not alone. I've heard so many rumors, speculations, panic, and misinformation about all of it these past few months. Will it take jobs? Yes, it will. When? I don't know for sure. Some sooner, some later. Will our social structures and economy be able to weather the changes? Most likely not, at least from what we know now. But we'll know more later. That's how life works. Anyhow. I collected all my questions, thinking I'd write yet another book. Then I got discouraged at the amount of research I'd need to do to answer the questions adequately and decided to shelve the idea until three Sundays ago. I had the thought that I should put my questions into ChatGPT and see what happens. An hour and fifteen minutes later, I had a manuscript. Straight from the Bot's Mouth: A Conversation with ChatGPT ABout Artificial Intelligence is the result. The time between entering my first questions and publishing Kindle and paperback versions? Six days. To me, it feels both like I cheated on a test and witnessed a miracle. You can see the book here: https://a.co/d/1dGhuEu Your attention means a lot. Subscribing, reviewing, and sharing are the icing on the cake. Thanks for your interest in Your Own Best Company and the Virtual Coffee Break! #ChatGPT #AI #kdp --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/franklin-taggart9/message

#Solopreneurs and #freelancers business success depend on their staying healthy. And we don't tend to plan for undesirable circumstances. We almost always plan according to ideal situations. And then the #calamities of life arrive. Then what? Laura Livingston is back to talk about her experience of business being interrupted by some unexpected physical challenges. Franklin has a few stories of his own in this area. Here are some of the twists and turns in this conversation: ** Building and leveraging a team. ** Prioritizing self-care. ** Honoring the body and all your passions. ** Contingencies, priorities, and commitments. ** Making pivotal decisions and intentions. Laura can be reached at https://lauralivingston.co Franklin at https://franklintaggart.com Thanks for listening, subscribing, reviewing, and sharing Your Own Best Company with Franklin Taggart! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/franklin-taggart9/message

If you've been taking care of others for a long time, it may take a while to reawaken and recognize your own desires. Pay attention to your body. Give yourself time to relearn how to use your want muscles. They haven't had a workout in a while. My friend was taking care of other people from the time she woke until the time she fell into bed. When I asked her if she knew what she wanted, she said that was the wrong question to ask. She was struggling with how to want. Developing new habits takes time, which goes for developing or relearning how we once did things, like acting on our desires instead of reacting to others. Start, and pay attention to physical cues. Your body will lead you, but you have been out of the listening practice. #emptynester #caregiver #selfhelp --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/franklin-taggart9/message

Founded in FoCo is a three-day event for businesses of all sizes, from solopreneurs to large companies to non-profit organizations. It's a collaborative community effort that offers peer-to-peer education, inspiring speakers, networking, and more. This year's event is coming up at the Front Range Community College Harmony Campus in Fort Collins on March 1-3, 2023. If you're a business owner located within 100 miles or so of Larimer County, you're welcome to attend this free event. These kinds of events are familiar territory for today's guest on Your Own Best Company. Nick Armstrong of WTF Marketing is the lead organizer of Founded in FoCo, and he's no stranger to locally focused collaborative events. As one of the founders of Fort Collins Comic Con, Nick has a history of initiating exciting and engaging community events that all serve a higher purpose of bringing people together, having fun, and supporting the causes and organizations that matter. In this episode, Nick gives us the inside story on: ** The rebranding of Fort Collins Startup Week to Founded in FoCo. ** Some of the features and excitement for this year's event, happening Mar.1-3 in Fort Collins. ** Sponsorship and volunteer opportunities. ** How Fort Collins ended up with a Comic Con of its own. ** How coming in second in a local election led to the formation of a hot sauce company. ** How he has benefitted personally and professionally from his commitments to his community. To register and schedule your Founded in FoCo itinerary, visit https://foundedinfoco.com Learn more about Fort Collins Comic Con at https://fococomiccon.com/ Nick's businesses: https://wtfmarketing.com/ https://ftwhotsauce.com/ Thanks for listening, subscribing to, sharing, and reviewing Your own Best Company. Please visit https://franklintaggart.com for more information. #foundedinfoco #fortcolinscomiccon #northerncolorado --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/franklin-taggart9/message

When did you learn important career-building skills like networking, finding mentors, interviewing, and finding great work opportunities? Most people didn't learn these skills in college or high school. We learned them when we had to - when we were searching for our first jobs or starting our first businesses. MIT alum and teacher Mark A. Herschberg saw this gap and decided to create a solution. His career success accelerator class teaches students the basic skills they need to navigate and prepare for building the careers they want. Recognizing a similar gap in the thousands of available career-oriented books, Herschberg wrote The Career Toolkit: Essential Skills for Success That No One Taught You. (Available here: https://amzn.to/3wOe45B Associates Link) He is also the creator of the Brain Bump app - a context-sensitive content collection and dissemination tool that helps people organize the content they want at their fingertips and easily access and share it. From tracking criminals and terrorists on the dark web to creating marketplaces and new authentication systems, Mark has spent his career launching and developing new ventures at startups and Fortune 500s and in academia, with over a dozen patents to his name. He helped to start the Undergraduate Practice Opportunities Program, dubbed MIT's "career success accelerator," where he teaches annually. He also works with many non-profits, currently serving on the Plant A Million Corals board. For more information about Mark and his various projects, please visit https://cognoscomedia.com. To access the career resources mentioned in this episode and learn more about the book, please visit https://www.thecareertoolkitbook.com. More information about the Brain Bump app is available here: https://brainbumpapp.com. To connect with Mark on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hershey/. #careerchange #jobsearch #careerskills --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/franklin-taggart9/message

For many people ages 50 and up, we're adapting to a part of our life in which our normal roles are going through significant changes. Some of us are shifting into caretaking for aging parents while shifting away from the caretaking role we've had with our kids. The norms we've been used to, sometimes for decades, are undergoing great changes. Some of my friends and clients in this age group talk about the difficulty they have in regaining their own sense of priority and desire apart from those they've adopted as spouses, parents, co-parents, and partners. Some are challenged by setting aside the things they want to do in order to take on more responsibility for family members. My own newfound time freedom since my son got his driver's license has been surprisingly daunting because I'm no longer spending 15-20 hours a week driving him places. And the default reaction of doing more work hasn't actually happened. I have a friend who talks about her difficulty sustaining her own interests because her family is still in the transition between kids at home and the empty nest. She starts a project and then the holidays come, or graduation happens, or prom is coming, or ??? The main point I want to make in this video is that discovering or rediscovering your own wants, needs, desires, and goals can be difficult after so many years of letting others' needs be your deciding factor. This isn't a pathology, so don't make it into a disease. It's just a new set of habits waiting to be developed. Tune in for more, and if you are ready to talk to someone about this kind of time in your life, schedule a free coaching session with me at https://bit.ly/BestNextStepCall #emptynesters #parenting #agingparents --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/franklin-taggart9/message

In this video about pricing your freelance services, I challenge some of the things people think they're paying for. When it's all said and done, you're not being paid for your time, talent, knowledge, expertise, or qualifications. In truth, you're not being paid for your product or service. You're only being paid for one thing. Watch the video to find out what that one thing is, and join the conversation about how to price your work fairly so that you and your customer both feel great about the transaction. pricing #value #entrepreneurship --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/franklin-taggart9/message

Thanks for the supportive notes and calls after my video the other day talking about seasonal depression. I was telling a friend that one of the things that is hard when I'm feeling that way is that other people see it as a problem to solve or something broken to fix. That usually just makes it feel worse. Those of you who were able to just let me have the time I needed and my own process to work it out are appreciated beyond words. I've mentioned these people before: Sydney Banks - The blue-collar Scotsman who spontaneously awakened and realized the relationship between thought and emotional experience. Lester Levenson - The skeptical physicist who dove into relentless self-inquiry after his second heart attack at age 42, discovering a way to release emotional resistance and experience incredible freedom. Esther Hicks - A spiritual seeker and experimenter who became an open channel for another realm as she learned to meditate. I've learned something from each of them about how my thoughts and emotions interplay. More in the video about that. When I'm in the lowest points of depression, it's not helpful to tell me that it's all just thinking and that everything will be fine if I think more positively. That can trigger homicidal ideations. Please don't ever do that. I've experienced it enough to know it will subside if I just leave it alone. Living with unease is probably the hardest part, but it's necessary. I also know my propensity to imagine incredible catastrophes when in that state of mind. So thinking positively is not remotely possible at that stage. The thing that brings me out most easily is a feeling of connection with other people. At first, I find that through immersion in stories. And when I'm ready, making a connection with a trusted friend also makes a huge difference. I can tell when it starts to lift when I feel myself returning to a place where I can feel desires again. And then it becomes easier to imagine myself doing the things I want to do, and I feel uplifted by that. Again, this isn't a suggestion for those experiencing long-term, or clinical depression. It's just for the occasional low-pressure front that many of us have. If it would help to have an understanding ear, please schedule at https://bit.ly/BestNextStepCall. #depression #seasonalaffectivedisorder #imagination --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/franklin-taggart9/message

2022 ended for me with a round of depression. This isn't a new thing and is likely seasonal, but it is still depression, and it's not exactly comfortable. After finishing the year and achieving what I'd set out for, I was at a loss for what I wanted to do next. When desires seemed out of reach, I knew it was a visit from my well-known companion. Recognizing the signs, the first thing I did was allow myself a week off. I did a bare minimum of work-related activities and binge-watched a few shows on Netflix. One of the things I appreciate about great stories is that they give me a way to reconnect with humanity without having to have other humans in the room. I also read some good fiction and that accomplished much the same thing. I didn't resist the urge to sleep, and I added a little bit more physical activity into my routine via yoga and some extra walking time with the dog. Most importantly, I didn't try to force myself to feel anything different. I meditated and wrote a couple of journal entries, and ate some junk food. I know some of those things are discouraged, but when I'm depressed, the last thing I need is to force a fix. It will pass. If it doesn't pass, I'll see a doctor. The good news is that it has passed, and my new year has begun in earnest. #depression #seasonalaffectivedisorder #selfcare --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/franklin-taggart9/message

When his research led to finding a link between multi-passionate people and neurodiversity, Perry Knoppert ultimately created a movement. The Octopus Movement is, in Perry's words, a gathering of curious misfits. Now numbering over 2500 members from 60 countries, The Octopus Movement is a celebration of people who don't fit neatly into well-defined social structures and who share the common characteristic of nonlinear thinking. In this episode of Your Own Best Company, Perry tells his story of losing everything as his first step to making anything possible. Our topics of conversation include: ** Finding a link between having multiple passions and neurodiversity. ** Making a place for nonlinear thinking in linear organizations. ** The common loneliness experienced by neurodivergent people. ** The challenges of nonlinear thinkers in employment and relationships. You can join the Octopus Movement and learn more about Perry at https://theoctopusmovement.org. Thanks for listening, subscribing, reviewing, and sharing Your Own Best Company - A podcast for people who love working alone. #neurodiversity #neurodivergent #creativebusiness --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/franklin-taggart9/message

2022 has been a good year for me. My commitments were kept and my goals exceeded. I'm changing things a little in 2023. See the recap report here: https://www.franklintaggart.com/2022/12/2022-recap.html See my 2022 Reading List here: https://www.franklintaggart.com/2022/12/2022-book-list.html And see the podcasts I listened to most: https://www.franklintaggart.com/2022/12/2022-favorite-podcasts.html Thank you for your contribution to my satisfaction in 2022. I'll see you next year, tomorrow... #happynewyear #goodbye2022 #hello2023 --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/franklin-taggart9/message

Jody has risen to the highest levels of her company ladder, but she's frustrated that she's been getting passed over for promotion to the C-Suite. She's done the work, brought innovative ideas to the table, and has seniority over all but the CEO and COO of the company. It doesn't make sense that she is not being considered for advancement. This is a perfect situation in which to call Fran Gallaher. Fran is an intuitive guide who helps individuals and organizations supplement their data, logic, and rationale with information that may be discouraged or ignored due to being outside the realm of normal business convention. Fran teaches people how to access and understand their own inner senses as they navigate their way through making their best decisions for themselves and their organizations. She also offers professional intuitive services as a coach and consultant. In this episode, we explore topics like: ** Identifying and using your inner senses. ** Being willing to trust your intuition. ** Creating feedback loops to improve capability. ** Allowing yourself to have doubts. ** Incorporating intuition into your normal set of leadership skills. Learn more about Fran and contact her at https://reallyflourish.com #intuition #psychicguidance #leadership --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/franklin-taggart9/message

I made a video the other day asking the question, "What if you can't find your why?" I've had some strong reactions to that idea. There were a couple of people who treated it as a condition on par with a disease, quickly prescribing things to do to solve the problem. Why are we so adamant that life has to have a purpose? Where did we get the idea that it needs to mean something, and that we're less than if we don't land on that purpose that gives our life meaning? I wonder if my food will taste just as good if I don't have a bigger purpose than just living? I wonder if music will move me more if I know I'm here for a reason? I wonder if I can be okay without winning one of the coveted prizes? In the video I refer to a story about Buckminster Fuller that appears to be urban legend, but it remains insightful. Here's an article if you want to know more: https://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/15/arts/music/15ster.html (Sorry if there's a paywall). I wonder if we take our own presence here more seriously than we should, but then I ask how seriously should it be taken. I still hold loosely to the belief that every human is endowed with unique gifts, and those gifts will be realized whether we like it or not. To resist them is to suffer. But I also know that the idea we're all here to be great and grandiose is unfounded for most of us. As Warren Zevon so aptly said, "Enjoy every sandwich." #purpose #ingenuity #genius --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/franklin-taggart9/message

The town where I spent many growing up years had a thriving local mom-and-pop-based business economy when I was young. The big stores back then had outlets in our town, but most of the commerce that happened, took place between people who lived there and whose families owned the businesses. My Aunt Lue was one of them. Our family helped Aunt Lue run her hotel until after she died, then they sold it to make way for a new post office. WalMart moved into town in the 1990s and Main Street stores were boarded up. Even Sears, Montgomery Wards, and JC Penney are gone now. Every business has a lifespan and that includes social media platforms with all the rest. We've seen platforms like MySpace, Friendster, Google+, and others last a few years and then get replaced by something else that works better. The featured video on the end screen is the interview I did with Yifat Cohen where she tells the story of growing a community of 100,000 followers on Google+ only to have Google pull the plug on the platform. When Facebook replaced MySpace, I suddenly lost the place where I could easily reach 1500 fans of my music as they scattered to Facebook, Twitter, and later Instagram, and Pinterest. Now they're all on TikTok. Yifat suggested that our priority needs to be bringing people from our social media activities into communities that we own and manage. Email lists are one simple solution that has worked since before social media existed. TikTok and Twitter both seem kind of precarious right now. The only thing to worry about is whether or not they take your community with them when they go. It doesn't have to be that way. #socialmedia #tiktok #twitter --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/franklin-taggart9/message

This year I released a handful of new courses and have had over 300 people join my Teachable school. After some recent pricing and service changes announced by Teachable, I've made the difficult decision to leave their service and host my courses on another platform. I'm working on the last-minute details of that switch and will be sending out announcements to all my subscribers as soon as I have a place for you to access your courses. This trend of slashing services and increasing prices has been popular in the SaaS world this year. I've had four of my primary Saas subscriptions do a similar thing, and I'll be leaving all of them as soon as my current subscription period is over. As a business owner, I know that business models are evolving things, and they change as the market demands. But when you change your business model, don't piss off your existing customers. My business model is also changing, but I've made it a point to get feedback from the clients I've worked with most closely. I don't want them to be surprised, shocked, or turned away by my decisions. My bottom line is that the relationships are the business. I won't sacrifice those for a financial goal that only looks good on paper. Goodwill matters. If you're looking for the course you signed up for; please get in touch on my website, https://franklintaggart.com #businessmodel #priceincrease #SaaS --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/franklin-taggart9/message

Continuing the theme of spirituality and faith. - I want to reiterate the proposition that entrepreneurship is as viable a path for spiritual development as meditation, yoga, and religion. I think we compartmentalize life more than we need to, and we ascribe sacredness to certain activities and secular to others when it seems closer to Peter Mayer's observation that everything is holy now. Check out his song https://youtu.be/ua0PE1zulD4 Entrepreneurship and solitude work reveals our limits in tangible ways. We learn that there is a natural end to our abilities and that our imagination often isn't enough to do a job. As we reach the end of our own capabilities, new ways of perceiving become possible. These new ways of perceiving expand our consciousness. This expanded consciousness enables us to see problems differently and imagine solutions that otherwise escape us. The most common experience of entrepreneurship that fosters spiritual development is the continually deepening level of trust and surrender that is required to navigate the ups and downs of markets and trends, and stay true to our vision, sometimes when it doesn't even make sense to do so. Whether there is a God on the other end of our faith or simply a higher order of things, faith is refined through being self-employed. #spirituality #solopreneur #entrepreneur --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/franklin-taggart9/message

On this Christmas day, 2022, I remember a holiday season from many years ago when my faith had started to self-destruct. All the things I had believed in were called to question, and I was left without anything to stand on. At the time, there was a huge uproar in the community where I lived about displaying religious and spiritual symbols on city property, particularly a menorah for Hanukah and a manger for Christmas. I remember laughing myself to tears over this issue, realizing that I would have been marching in protest only a year or two before that. But at the time, I had no feeling about the issue at all. During those years of deconstruction, I still had a yearning. I yearned to know love and to know somehow that I and we aren't alone here. I expressed this desire in a song I wrote called Let It Be Born Tonight. I mentioned this song the other day in my video about hope. If you want to hear the song, I gave the song and rights to it to an organization called Hungry For Music. You can find it here: https://hungryformusic.bandcamp.com/track/let-it-be-born-tonight In the intervening years, I haven't found any answers to my questions written in stone anywhere, but I have learned to trust the experience of love from a source greater than myself. And the symbols that then seemed so meaningless now are alive as their own expressions of divine love. If any more love can be born in me, let it be born tonight. #Christmas2022 #holidays #Christmassong --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/franklin-taggart9/message

Sharing a handful of childhood Christmas Eve memories, and featuring one of them in greater detail. If you've never watched Emmet Otter's Jug Band Christmas, my sisters and I are looking at you wondering how that could have happened. Go watch it and always remember that if you meet somebody who don't like soul food, they still got a soul. If you'd like to download a copy of the poem read here, click this link, and you should be able to download it. Feel free to share with anyone who you think will appreciate it. https://bit.ly/Franklin-Taggart-Night-Before-Christmas I wish you all warm and peaceful holidays. Be good to each other. #Christmas2022 #nightbeforechristmas #podcast --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/franklin-taggart9/message

A few years before her 18-year corporate HR career ended, Laura Livingston started allowing herself extended time off to travel. As her travels unfolded, she became aware of a growing need and vision for her life to undergo a radical change, but she wasn't exactly sure what that change needed to be. While still working full-time, she started to explore other interests and experiences to see if any of them would show themselves to be her next direction. When her career came to an end due to a layoff, she leapt into an ongoing process of self-discovery through serving others as a yoga instructor, then hypnotherapist, then gradually working into her current role as a mindset and transition coach. In this interview, we talk about the following: ** Leaving a job you love. ** Giving yourself time to explore. ** Growing comfortable with a new role and title. ** Feeling guilty about not feeling satisfied. ** and Navigating life changes through strategic pivoting. To learn more about Laura, visit https://LauraLivingston.co Connect with Laura on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-livingston-coaching/ Thanks for listening, subscribing, reviewing, and sharing YOur Own Best Company with Franklin Taggart! #coaching #careerchange #pivot --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/franklin-taggart9/message

I've had a few conversations recently centered on the difficulty of identifying one's purpose. And I'm reaching a point in my work where the next expression of my purpose isn't clear. I've had some well-meaning friends suggest the book Start With Why, by Simon Sinek. I've read this book a couple of times and I've found Sinek's insights helpful, but they aren't a universal answer to people who are struggling to identify what their why is. There are times in life when considering the future is difficult because we're putting something from our past to rest. The emotions that go along with that process of grieving and letting go are from the same pool as those we need to envision and embody a new future. Often, if a client or a friend is having a hard time finding a future vision or a sense of purpose in life, it's because their emotions aren't available for the task. If you are in this position, I assure you there is nothing wrong with you. You're going through a common human experience that won't go on forever. I have some other thoughts in the video, but I invite you to schedule a free one-hour Best Next Step coaching session if you'd like to talk with someone about where you are and what's next for you. https://bit.ly/BestNextStepCall. #startwithwhy #grief #depression --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/franklin-taggart9/message

I'm reading two books on the topic of creativity, Creative Quest, by Questlove, and The Rise of the Creative Class, by Richard Florida. Creative Quest is a fairly recent release and it's a personal exploration of his creative process as a musician, a creator, a DJ, and other roles the Roots drummer plays. The Rise of the Creative Class has an updated second edition that was released within the past few years. It's more about the segment of our economy and labor market that is made up of creative people. Both books have opinions on definitions of creativity, and like all books on the subject, there is more to the mystery of the thing than words can capture or articulate. It brought to mind the difference between learning about creativity and actually having creative experiences. I have some friends who have taken university-level classes on creativity, and their own creative output didn't seem to benefit from the education. I haven't found the book on creativity yet that has actually enhanced my experience of creativity, or made it more enjoyable or effective. And every time I've tried to improve my creative process, I've ended up falling back on my old familiar ways of doing things that never stopped working. Picking up the implements and trying stuff until I recognize something worth playing with remains the most reliable way to get into a creative flow. I also question the idea of creativity on demand because, more times than not, my process hasn't resulted in something I want to finish. I mentioned the Iris Dement song, Let the Mystery Be in another video about God and faith the other day, but I think the same thing goes here. When it comes to creativity, "no one knows for certain... I just choose to let the mystery be." All that said, I am enjoying both books for what they are - insights into personal creativity and its contribution to our culture, economy, and way of life. Want to check them out? Help a guy out by using these affiliate links. Thanks! The Rise of the Creative Class, by Richard Florida https://amzn.to/3Q0hxa9 Creative Quest, by Questlove https://amzn.to/3PN7pkJ #creativity #creativebusiness #creativeclass --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/franklin-taggart9/message

We have a strange set of cultural norms around how creative people are supposed to become successful. The common tropes of the starving artist, suffering for your art, and paying your dues need to be made a thing of the past IMHO. In the folk music world that I've been a part of, I've seen people show up year after year, volunteering for menial jobs at festivals, playing free gigs and open mics, agreeing to play for "exposure", and finding a hundred other ways to chip away at their soul in exchange for opportunities that never arrive. And that is considered normal and acceptable. I believe in a different model. I stand by the idea that our creativity is meant to be a valuable service to other people, making a positive difference in the quality of their lives. And that it's worth paying for. The majority of creative people I work with have been struggling with these messages and their fallout for their entire careers. I know many musicians who have been paying dues since the 1980s and have not received any sustainable opportunities in return. Some people may argue that they're not "good enough" to merit that kind of pay. If they're good enough to ask for their talents, their talents are worth paying for. The one things I can teach creative people that will start to turn this trend around is to be much more visionary and intentional about the work they do, who it's for, and how much they require to provide it. This is the beginning of re-educating a public that has gotten used to exploiting creative talent, often for their own gain. I believe that the days of paying dues, suffering for art, and the starving artist can be over if we're willing to stop settling for a norm that doesn't serve us. Want to talk strategy? Schedule a free one-hour Best Next Step coaching session at https://bit.ly/BestNextStepCall. #creativebusiness #creativecareer #starvingartist --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/franklin-taggart9/message

I was talking with a client yesterday about her feeling about not knowing what is next for her and her art business. She's had a few very successful years but has started to experience a slowing down and a level of dissatisfaction with the work she's doing now that suggests she's ready for a new level of development both as a creator and an entrepreneur. It's tempting at times like this to try to restructure what you're already doing, but I had another direction in mind. I asked her to tell me her core values. As she talked, it became clear to both of us that her values weren't clear to her and that the words she used to talk about her values were more used to impress other people than to represent who she really is. When we took the time to identify and articulate her values more clearly, she started to see that her dissatisfaction was coming from doing work that wasn't in alignment with her values. This gave us a much more solid starting place to work on envisioning her next direction. Finding your core values may be easier than you think. We don't need a weekend retreat to get it done. Most of them will be so obvious that you'll say 'Duh' when you see them. But making them as clear and concise as possible will have a multitude of benefits as you go about your planning and strategizing. Listen to the ideas in the video and then schedule a free Best Next Step coaching session at https://bit.ly/BestNextStepCall, and we can have you unstuck in an hour. #corevalues #vision #strategy --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/franklin-taggart9/message

I made a TikTok video a while back about this, but I thought I'd add to it here. I had a client recently ask me what I believe as far as spirituality and religion are concerned. The best I can say is I really don't know. In my life, I've been a Mormon, Christian, skeptic, seeker, dabbler, and devotee. I've learned meditation, reflection, scripture, and yoga. I've read hundreds of teachings and listened to hours of lectures and silence. I've had a handful of breathtaking awe-inspiring experiences. And even with all this, I can't articulate what I believe into a cohesive set of words. Iris Dement probably captured it best in her song Let the Mystery Be. "But no one knows for certain, and so it's all the same to me. I think I'll just let the mystery be." I also honor that aspect of us that needs to know why - that seeks to make this life mean something. Science can't deliver answers to this, so we turn to spirituality and religion. And even then, we're each beholden to our own experience. I celebrate uncertainty about such things as much as I've yearned for certainty. Uncertainty leads to inquiry and humility. Certainty usually manifests itself in arrogance and ends with genocide, whether through war in this life or hell in the afterlife. I wrote a song called Let It Be Born Tonight many years ago. The chorus goes, "My faith ain't the same as it used to be. Menorahs and mangers mean nothing to me. And I don't have the patience to argue wring and right. But if any more love can be born in me, let it be born tonight." Whether you celebrate or not, I wish you a happy and fulfilled season. #holidays #christmas #uncertainty --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/franklin-taggart9/message

I was reminded today of one of my favorite podcast interviews. Bronwyn Jane is an intuitive and medium who shares life insights and messages with people that come to her through her intuitive senses. In this segment, we talk about the difficulty some people experience when accepting payment for using their gifts. Bronwyn shares her experience of learning to acknowledge the value of what she does and finding a rate that helped her clients perceive her work with the highest value. The entire interview is available here: https://www.franklintaggart.com/2022/06/honoring-your-own-gifts-bronwyn-jane.html. More information about Bronwyn and her services can be found at https://BronwynJaneMedium.com #pricing #value #worth --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/franklin-taggart9/message