Podcasts about if eric

“Even today, what to study and how to study it are more important than where to study it and for how long. The best teachers are on the Internet. The best books are on the Internet. The best peers are on the Internet. The tools for learning are abundant. It’s the desire to learn that’s scarce.” - Naval Ravikant In this episode of Made You Think, Nat and Neil are joined by Eric Jorgenson. Eric is a writer, product strategist, and author of The Almanack of Naval Ravikant.  We cover a wide range of topics including: How Eric came to the idea of writing The Almanack What Eric's biggest lessons and takeaways were from authoring this book What topics didn't end up making the final cut  The future of education and online courses The idea of leverage and how it can be used And much more. If you haven't already, make sure to check out our last episode where we talked in great depth about The Almanack and discussed our key takeaways from the book. Let us know what you think of this episode by sending a tweet to Nat, Neil, and Eric! Links from the Episode Mentioned in the show Previous MYT Episode (0:35) Naval on Shane Parrish's podcast (2:27) Readwise (10:30) Bonus Section: Education (27:07)  Building a Second Brain (32:22) Lambda School (32:55) How To Think Like Elon Musk - Made You Think Episode (44:37) SpaceX (45:40) Books Mentioned The Almanack of Naval Ravikant Debt: The First 5000 Years (11:23) Infinite Jest (13:58) (Nat's Book Notes) (Book Episode pt. 1) (Book Episode pt. 2) Vagabonding (52:02) (Nat's Book Notes) People Mentioned Naval Ravikant Trevor McKendrick (7:38) Elon Musk (41:41) Tim Ferriss (50:40) Show Notes: 0:52 - Eric Jorgenson, author of The Almanack of Naval Ravikant, shares how his idea of writing the book came to be. 5:35 - From the start, Eric knew he didn’t want it to just be a summary book. How he was able to hone in on the writing style of the book to capture the interest of his readers all the way through. 9:20 - Highlight density. Using highlight data to estimate book quality. Skipping chapters and not finishing books. 14:14 - Eric’s key takeaways from the book and what knowledge he has carried away from writing it. The importance of equity, accountability and leverage. We have the tendency to want to do everything ourselves rather than to create systems and put the pieces together. 19:04 - How Twitter and other social media usage affects mindset and energy. Discussions of Naval’s Twitter usage and utilizing it as an outlet for his unfiltered thoughts and ideas. 21:56 - What were the communication patterns between Naval and Eric during the creation of The Almanack? 24:05 - The variety and depth of Naval’s ideas. Eric allowed himself to take time to dive in and explore these topics to let them sink in before writing about it. 26:02 - One topic that didn’t make the final cut was Education. Naval has talked about the flaws within the education system as well as the future of education. If you’re curious to read more, you can find that here! The rise of online courses and the potential for digital course creators. When you’re learning locally, you have the best person in the area teaching you. When you’re learning on a platform that’s global, you’ll be learning from the best of the best, plus increased accessibility. 32:44 - The future of online learning and career preparation is promising. How will the online course market grow within the upcoming decades? Tiktok education in the format of 60 second videos shot from your phone. 37:45 - English as the language of business and the history of the qwerty keyboard. 40:50 - If Eric could write about another influencer of thought, who would it be? 42:10 - Elon Musk, PayPal, Tesla, SpaceX. Writing a biography about Elon Musk: he has a hefty list of accomplishments but his principles and concepts are timeless. 48:24 - What do we know about Naval’s relationships and family? His ideas and concepts are what he is widely known for, so not much is known about his personal life. 53:53 - Eric’s next steps includes creating a course to help build a framework on this idea of leverage that Naval often speaks about. 57:01 - Leverage can be utilized at a personal, managerial, and company level in many different ways. Productivity of a company is no longer about how many employees there are. People leverage. 1:01:59 - Pick up a copy of The Almanack of Naval Ravikant on Amazon, follow Eric on Twitter, visit navalmanack.com, and follow along with upcoming projects on Eric's website! If you enjoyed this episode, let us know by leaving a review on iTunes and tell a friend. As always, let us know if you have any book recommendations! Find us on Twitter @TheRealNeilS and @nateliason. The best way to stay up to date on future episodes and show updates is to join our email list at Made You Think Podcast. Check out ways you can support the show here!

“Live a life by this statement, ‘The peace of mind you get knowing that you did everything you could to be the best that you can be’.” - Eric LeGrand It has always been our pleasure to have Eric LeGrand on the show, but this episode is a step up yet again. Eric LeGrand is the perfect example of a man who believes that “life goes on”. If you are down, depressed, or feeling hopeless this is going to be the perfect episode for you. We promise you, Eric’s energy, experiences, and life lessons will lift you up and motivate you to live your best life. Where to find Eric LeGrand:Website: www.ericlegrand52.comFacebook: facebook.com/EricLeGrand52IG: @ericlegrand52Show notes:[0:00] Intro[1:10] Sharing his book[1:57] Who is Eric?[5:20] Are you going through a hard time? Eric has a message for you[7:45] Doing something uncomfortable[9:48] On figuring out if your choice is right[14:55] Meeting well-developed people and lessons learned[16:19] Eric’s purpose[18:37] Who inspires Eric?[22:07] Do you want to level up in life, love, and wealth? Join us[23:35] What would Eric tell his 1-day-old post-accident self?[25:30] If Eric would have continued playing football, would he be giving the same impact as a player as he is now?[27:44] The most important thing he learned in his journey?[30:10] Eric’s inner work practice[34:49] What gives Eric’s life more meaning? What Eric would tell someone who feels hopeless?[37:55] 1 piece of wisdom from Eric[39:25] Where to get ahold of Eric LeGrand[41:45] OutroFEEL FREE to reach out to us for any reason on LinkedIn, Instagram, or via email Instagram:Kevin: https://www.instagram.com/neverquitkid/?hl=enAlan: https://www.instagram.com/alazaros88/?hl=enLinkedIn:Kevin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevin-palmieri-5b7736160/Alan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alanlazarosllc/Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/The-Hyper-Conscious-Podcast-106871136824274/Emails:Kevin@thehyperconsciouspodcast.comAlan@thehyperconsciouspodcast.com

Everyone knows what a “Fix and Flip Deal” is (you can even check out Episode 26 with Steven Pesavento or Episode 47 with Ian Reeves to learn more). A lesser known strategy you probably have not heard of is a “Fix and List Deal.” What is a Fix and List Deal, exactly?   Eric Young joins us in this episode to explain that this strategy works as follows: you as the investor finds a homeowner who has a distressed property looking to sell. Then, you take your capital and renovate the property (like you would with a regular flip). Finally, the seller lists and sells the property (keeping the difference in ARV) and you get reimbursed for all your hard work!   Before Eric discovered the Fix and List strategy, he worked as a superintendent for a commercial contractor for eight years, fixing and flipping properties on the side. The problem was he couldn’t scale how he wanted and, like many people getting started in real estate, felt that the barrier to entry was too costly. So Eric set out to find a way!   Eric wanted to be able to scale his business, and not lose money on his portfolio. Fix and List Deals help him do just that! Of the 90 Fix and List Deals he’s done in the past three years, he’s only had two go sour! We’d say that’s pretty good!   As of today, Eric is currently improving his track record, as well as finding more ways to differentiate himself from his competitors. It’s not long until this strategy catches on so he’s doing what he can in order to get ahead.   If Eric could go back and talk to his 16 year old self, he’d tell him, “You’re never going to achieve your goal of making money until you help other people.” An unexpected benefit of real estate investing, Eric said, was the power to turn a side hustle into a sustainable, long term business. One piece of advice Eric would tell his friends looking to get started in real estate would be, “To start with a Fix and List Deal!” Eric uses Xero to help with his bookkeeping, and recommends reading Built To Sell to help you get started investing in real estate.   If you’d like to get in touch with Eric Young or learn more about Fix and List Deals, you can find him at: www.fixandlistsecrets.com 

This week’s Misfit Entrepreneur is Eric B. Schultz. Eric is the author one of my new favorite books, Innovation on Tap, Stories of Entrepreneurship from the Cotton Gin to Broadway’s Hamilton. As a lover of history and entrepreneurship, this book was made for me. Aside from the book, Eric has spent his career in entrepreneurial and leadership roles, including senior vice president of Midwest operations for American Cablesystems, co-founder and president of Atlantic Ventures, and chairman and CEO of Sensitech, a venture-backed business twice named to the Inc. 500 before being acquired by Carrier Corporation. He has also served as a CEO and partner with Ascent Ventures, executive chairman of HubCast, on the board of advisors of multiple other companies, and as a mentor for student start-up teams in the Brown University B-Lab. Eric’s not only written an incredible book that I think every entrepreneur should read, but he has a wealth of experience and wisdom we can all learn from to help us on our journey. www.TheOccasionalCEO.com LinkedIn – Eric B. Schultz ​ Eric has a degree in history and liberal arts background. He then went on to get an MBA in 1983. He then made the decision to go into entrepreneurship which wasn’t the thing it is today. His path took him through a number of entrepreneurial pursuits. His last position was at Sensitech where he helped move the company into a digital company and develop a data strategy. Eventually, they were acquired by Carrier Corp and he started doing some consulting. It also gave him some time to write. He had written a few books, but really wanted to write a book about entrepreneurship. In doing a further consulting engagement for Carrier and UTX, he found inspiration in the founders’ stories. His goal with Innovation on Tap was to write a history of innovation for America across 3 centuries. It was almost overwhelming. He found his inspiration in an afterhours event from a venture firm’s pitch session. The idea was to bring all of these incredible entrepreneurs together in “a bar” and have them tell their stories. Just like the stories being told at afterhours events he had attended. Who is Steve Dodge and why is the book dedicated to him? If Eric had a mentor, it would have been Steve. Steve passed away unexpectedly before his time. Steve was the guy who gave him his first managerial role. Steve also advised in his first CEO role and helped him. He taught him to build credibility with the board, investors, and gave him specific advice of “Make your numbers.” Which really means do what you say you will. Define Innovation as you see it in today’s world… Eric used Austrian economist, Joseph Schumpeter as “the bouncer” for the bar in making his definition of Innovation the key to what got an entrepreneur through history in. He said the most important thing for capitalism is for it to continue to grow. The way it can grow is by an agent called an entrepreneur. An entrepreneur has two functions. They have to put together a novel combination. They have to disrupt an economic flow. The new combinations are innovations. What advice can give entrepreneurs on how to better develop their skill of innovation? Think about how we define innovation. We focus on too much technological innovation when there are many major innovation opportunities outside of it. Get out of the technology box and think as broadly as you can about innovation. At the 21 min mark, Eric tell us about the 6 themes of entrepreneurship… Mechanization – Taking something done by human labor and automate it with machinery. Eli Whitney and the cotton gin is good example of mechanization. Mass Production – Once things are mechanized, things can scale. An example of this would be King Gillette and razor blades. Consumerism – Continuing to create customer demand for increased supply. Alfred Sloan and GM is a great example of this. Sustainability – How do we make sure that we don’t ruin our ecosystem while remaining good capitalists. Digitization – How do we use digital platforms to change the way we innovate and use products/services. Social/Cultural - At any given time, there are people that conform to traditional things. The play Hamilton is good example of this. At the 26 min mark, we have a great discussion on Consumerism being one of the biggest shifts in entrepreneurship. “Consumerism is a fundamental change where America went from a land of sober and frugal citizens defined by what they produced, to a land of ravenous consumers defined by what they purchased.” What are the 3 lessons of entrepreneurship? Entrepreneurs are given 3 gifts. First is your talent. Second is your community or your network. Third is your business model. This is where the rubber meats the road. You can still win without much talent or community if you have a great business model. You work on your talent and your community/network long before you get to your business model. What are the elements of a great business model? Using Eli Whitney as example. Whitney was around at a time where the south was hurting and needed a solid crop. This crop became short, stable cotton. But it had a challenge in getting the cotton to a usable state that was very laborious and time consuming. Whitney created a machine that could “gin” 50x the cotton in one day than the standard that was happening. He then created business model where he told people to bring the cotton to him, he would “gin” it and then keep some for himself. His biggest issue was that they had not created enough machines to keep up with the supply coming from the fields. Instead of pivoting his model to building and selling machines. He kept it to themselves and didn’t deliver. This caused people to steal his machine and make their own. This resulted in years of litigation on patents. You can see what even technological innovation that big needed the right business model to go with it. The model is not about the product as much as it fits into the customer needs. Think about that. Figure out how you can focus on best fulfilling the customer need. Don’t fall in love with the product. What lessons didn’t make the list of Top 3? It’s OK to think small. You have choice over how you think. It’s very hard to predict the future. If you can improve the lives of the people around you today, that is the best place to focus. Not everything you learn today is not necessarily applicable today. Sample information widely. You never know when the information will make itself useful to you. ​ Which entrepreneur is your favorite and why? Alfred Sloan, founder of GM. Eric would say he was the greatest entrepreneur of them all. When Sloan takes over GM, Ford has 45-50% market share. When Sloan retires, GM has the 50% market share. H e was very effective and a great competitor.   Best Quote: Not everything you learn today is not necessarily applicable today. Sample information widely. You never know when the information will make itself useful to you.   Eric's Misfit 3: Don’t be fooled by the dominant narrative. There are always other ways to succeed. It’s OK to start small and solve a problem that’s right in front of you and helps those around you. Be kind. It is a huge personal competitive advantage.   Show Sponsors: Smile Software (Text Expander) - TextExpander.com/podcast The 5 Minute Journal - www.MisfitEntrepreneur.com/Journal

In episode #1077, we discuss how to make sense of traffic estimates from SEO tools. Tune in to hear how we handle this data. TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: [00:27] Today's Topic: How to Make Sense of Traffic Estimates From SEO Tools [00:38] Examples of such tools include: UberSuggest and SEMRush. [01:20] When it comes to these tools, it's hard to compare them. [01:35] You should use these tools to see how you stack up to your competitors.  [01:50] Always use the same tool for comparisons, so that the data will be similar.[02:50] When looking at these types of tools, Eric looks at trends. [03:30] If Eric sees the traffic value declining, he knows it's not something worth emulating. [04:40] B2C traffic information tends to be more accurate. [05:00] You can rent out pages that rank for certain keywords. [05:40] That's it for today! [05:50] We are going to take applications for live intensive sessions. Just go to the Marketing School site for more information and to apply. Leave some feedback: What should we talk about next? Please let us know in the comments below. Did you enjoy this episode? If so, please leave a short review. Connect with us: NeilPatel.com Quick Sprout Growth Everywhere Single Grain Twitter @neilpatel Twitter @ericosiu

In episode #1077, we discuss how to make sense of traffic estimates from SEO tools. Tune in to hear how we handle this data. TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: [00:27] Today’s Topic: How to Make Sense of Traffic Estimates From SEO Tools [00:38] Examples of such tools include: UberSuggest and SEMRush. [01:20] When it comes to these tools, it’s hard to compare them. [01:35] You should use these tools to see how you stack up to your competitors.  [01:50] Always use the same tool for comparisons, so that the data will be similar.[02:50] When looking at these types of tools, Eric looks at trends. [03:30] If Eric sees the traffic value declining, he knows it’s not something worth emulating. [04:40] B2C traffic information tends to be more accurate. [05:00] You can rent out pages that rank for certain keywords. [05:40] That’s it for today! [05:50] We are going to take applications for live intensive sessions. Just go to the Marketing School site for more information and to apply. Leave some feedback: What should we talk about next? Please let us know in the comments below. Did you enjoy this episode? If so, please leave a short review. Connect with us: NeilPatel.com Quick Sprout Growth Everywhere Single Grain Twitter @neilpatel Twitter @ericosiu

Pipeline foods is working with the Rabobank and other funders to design and implement transition finance products to help farmers transitioning to organic and beyond. A new podcast with Eric Jackson, CEO and founder of Pipeline Foods. Welcome to Investing in Regenerative Agriculture. Listen to the previous interview here: https://soundcloud.com/investinginregenerativeagriculture/35-interview-eric-jackson ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Welcome to Investing in Regenerative Agriculture. Join our Gumroad community, discover the tiers and exclusive benefits here: https://gumroad.com/investinginregenag Other ways to support my work: - Share the podcast - Give a 5-star rating - Or buy me a coffee… or a meal! www.Ko-fi.com/regenerativeagriculture --------------------------------------------- I had again the great pleasure to interview Eric Jackson, the CEO and founder of Pipeline Foods www.pipelinefoods.com. Pipeline foods bough another publicly traded (organic)company SunOpta http://www.sunopta.com https://regenorganic.org/ Regeneration Newsroom Podcast https://soundcloud.com/investinginregenerativeagriculture/sets/regeneration-newsroom-podcast Main Take aways: - Pipeline Foods kept investing in infrastructure for organic row broad acre cropping - Organic soy beans for export for the Far East, turned out to be a big growth market for Pipeline Foods - Cleaner, processing much closer to the farm gate is the goal of Pipeline - It's easier to help a current organic grower to expand than a new organic grower going through the transition - Transition Finance, Pipeline foods is working with two banks providing operating loans to farmers starting their organic transition. One of those banks is Rabobank who designed a transition finance product specific for farmers to transition to organic - Pipeline Food provides the long term off take agreements to these farmers - Some NGOs/institutions are potentially interested to come alongside the banks and de-risk some of these loans or this money can be pooled and bring down the interest rates for farmers - It is relatively easy to have the discussion today as the conventional agriculture is suffering of low returns - There is a Regenerative Organic Label, with the USDA organic as a base - The movement against pesticides and herbicides is getting stronger - One of the great myths is that organic needs to be more expensive. Maybe in the short term but the longer term probably not. - We are what we eat, including the environment. If Eric could change one thing overnight he would get away with glysofate and certain classes of herbicides. --------------------------------------------- If you want to discover more visit www.investinginregenerativeagriculture.com If you want to receive an email when I upload a new episode, subscribe here eepurl.com/cxU33P The above references an opinion and is for information and educational purposes only. It is not intended to be investment advice. Seek a duly licensed professional for investment advice.

Eric Lofholm is President and CEO of Eric Lofholm International, an organization he founded to professionally train people on the art and science of selling. Eric has used his own successful sales background to help anyone dramatically improve in all areas, including income and happiness. He joins the show today to talk about enrollment building and how his system can apply to a classroom setting. He also discusses the influence of silence, selling equaling service, and pre-framing the sale.   Key Takeaways: [4:41] Eric went from being on quota probation to being a top producer once he found the work of Dr. Moine. He found that it was also a great platform to enhance his natural calling of being able to teach without any professional training. [5:05] Eric worked for Tony Robbins for 3 years. Through this process decided he wanted to help people understand the process of sales. [8:27] People tend to think of those in sales as arm twisters, manipulators, and used car salespeople. It is normal to have a resistance to sales, which is why we must see it from another viewpoint. [11:51] Part of the language of influence is silence. [13:54] Pre-framing the order at the beginning lets people know what is in store for them and sets an expectation of what will happen on the tour. This also gives no pressure on you other than choreographing and delivering the best presentation possible. [22:42] When you feel as though your preschool is the best, in your heart, and it provides a solution, you owe it to you the parents and child to be of service and lead them to the best choice. [25:10] It is crucial to prepare your presentation. Eric mapped out the steps and they are: ● Build trust and rapport. ● Do an agenda strip to let them know how the tour will go. ● Ask probing questions. Find out what they want and care about, and how you can give it to them. ● Share stories. ● Walk them through the close, mentioning scarcity (if it’s true) using the “because” frame. ● Invite them to take one of the slots. ● A thank you gift goes a long way. [38:09] An advanced technique is to show the parents that the existing children in the school are potential new friends for their child. [40:10] If Eric was to go back and do his business again, he would have found advisors and expanded his product line. [45:14] Social media is a great way to tell your story and connect with others.     Mentioned in This Episode: Kris Murray Child Care Marketing Solutions Child Care Success Academy Child Care Success Summit HiMama.com/benchmark Dr. Moine Michael Gerber Eric Lofholm Eric Lofholm LinkedIn  

Eric and Gord are finally.back from their break and ready to talk about anything and everything IF Eric can stay alive --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/eric-brennan9/message This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy Podcorn - https://podcorn.com/privacy Support this podcast

Eric and Gord are finally.back from their break and ready to talk about anything and everything IF Eric can stay alive --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/eric-brennan9/message

In episode #780, Eric and Neil discuss how they are going to reach 1 Million downloads per month. Tune in to hear how they are going to do this and why they set this goal. TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: [00:27] Today’s Topic: How We Are Going to Get to 1 Million Podcast Downloads Per Month [00:50] They know their podcasts stats aren’t as high as some other more popular podcasters. [01:10] They want their download numbers to increase because… [01:54] ...They want to help more people! [02:16] If Eric and Neil reach 1 Million downloads, they will reach more people. They also think this community of listeners will help them learn something new, in turn. [03:18] It has been over two years of podcasting and they know they are performing a needed service. [03:51] Incentives are a great way to get what you need from customers. [04:20] Some ideas Eric and Neil are going to test out are: premiere seats for those that rated and reviewed. [05:22] Look into how you can incentivize your team to do better work. [05:28] That’s all for today! [05:34] Go here to see how many downloads the show is getting. Also rate and review to help Eric and Neil meet their goal of 1 Million downloads per month. They will throw a live event once they reach their goal. Leave some feedback: What should we talk about next? Please let us know in the comments below. Did you enjoy this episode? If so, please leave a short review. Connect with us: NeilPatel.com Quick Sprout Growth Everywhere Single Grain Twitter @neilpatel Twitter @ericosiu

In episode #780, Eric and Neil discuss how they are going to reach 1 Million downloads per month. Tune in to hear how they are going to do this and why they set this goal. TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: [00:27] Today's Topic: How We Are Going to Get to 1 Million Podcast Downloads Per Month [00:50] They know their podcasts stats aren't as high as some other more popular podcasters. [01:10] They want their download numbers to increase because… [01:54] ...They want to help more people! [02:16] If Eric and Neil reach 1 Million downloads, they will reach more people. They also think this community of listeners will help them learn something new, in turn. [03:18] It has been over two years of podcasting and they know they are performing a needed service. [03:51] Incentives are a great way to get what you need from customers. [04:20] Some ideas Eric and Neil are going to test out are: premiere seats for those that rated and reviewed. [05:22] Look into how you can incentivize your team to do better work. [05:28] That's all for today! [05:34] Go here to see how many downloads the show is getting. Also rate and review to help Eric and Neil meet their goal of 1 Million downloads per month. They will throw a live event once they reach their goal. Leave some feedback: What should we talk about next? Please let us know in the comments below. Did you enjoy this episode? If so, please leave a short review. Connect with us: NeilPatel.com Quick Sprout Growth Everywhere Single Grain Twitter @neilpatel Twitter @ericosiu

It's the year of sequels to past episodes is upon us and we're granting your wish with a follow up to a listener favorite, the straight to video follow up to Wes Craven's original with Wishmaster 2: Evil Never Dies (1999) Directed by Jack Sholder and starring Andrew Divoff, Holly Fields, Paul Johansson, and Tommy 'Tiny' Lister.  When did the rule of 1001 souls get added to the Djinn mythology? If Eric wished he was never born at the beginning of the movie how does the rest of the movie exist and Morgana remember him? What are the Djinn's plans after they inherit the Earth? All these questions and more are answered this week!   The full movie can be found on our facebook! Watch now and get all the references in this episode! Visit us online at www.facebook.com/bombsawayshow to discuss this episode, make a comment or correction on something we missed or messed or a movie suggestion. Or write us contact@bombsawayshow.com Find us on Instagram and Twitter @BombsAwayShow  For all things, Bombs Away visit us at www.bombsawayshow.com

In episode #740, Eric and Neil discuss what you should do when you aren't growing. Tune in to hear how you can stimulate growth. TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: [00:27] Today's Topic: What Should You Do When You're Not Growing [00:45] If Eric is in a rut, he likes to take a break. [01:08] Clearing his head allows him to move forward and come up with better/new ideas. [01:25] When people stop growing, it is because they are relying on old tactics. [01:37] Neil likes to run drastic experiments to test out new ideas. [01:53] Growth is often boosted by unorthodox methods. [02:00] At Crazy Egg, they grew quickly by switching the homepage from a long sales page, to a much shorter, concise page. [02:15] They also tested the “sign in with Google” option, which worked out well. [02:35] After those methods began to hurt them, they switched it up again. [03:15] In general, if growth slows down, do the opposite of what you are currently doing. [03:30] Eric has a friend that does video advertising. [03:55] His secret is that he does the opposite of what people expect or request. [04:15] Think about how you can turn ideas on their heads. [04:55] That's all for today! [04:58] If you could take two minutes out of your day, we are trying to improve the listening experience for you, so go to Singlegrain.com/survey and help us gain some insight into what matters to our listeners. Leave some feedback: What should we talk about next? Please let us know in the comments below. Did you enjoy this episode? If so, please leave a short review. Connect with us: NeilPatel.com Quick Sprout Growth Everywhere Single Grain Twitter @neilpatel Twitter @ericosiu

In episode #740, Eric and Neil discuss what you should do when you aren’t growing. Tune in to hear how you can stimulate growth. TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: [00:27] Today’s Topic: What Should You Do When You're Not Growing [00:45] If Eric is in a rut, he likes to take a break. [01:08] Clearing his head allows him to move forward and come up with better/new ideas. [01:25] When people stop growing, it is because they are relying on old tactics. [01:37] Neil likes to run drastic experiments to test out new ideas. [01:53] Growth is often boosted by unorthodox methods. [02:00] At Crazy Egg, they grew quickly by switching the homepage from a long sales page, to a much shorter, concise page. [02:15] They also tested the “sign in with Google” option, which worked out well. [02:35] After those methods began to hurt them, they switched it up again. [03:15] In general, if growth slows down, do the opposite of what you are currently doing. [03:30] Eric has a friend that does video advertising. [03:55] His secret is that he does the opposite of what people expect or request. [04:15] Think about how you can turn ideas on their heads. [04:55] That’s all for today! [04:58] If you could take two minutes out of your day, we are trying to improve the listening experience for you, so go to Singlegrain.com/survey and help us gain some insight into what matters to our listeners. Leave some feedback: What should we talk about next? Please let us know in the comments below. Did you enjoy this episode? If so, please leave a short review. Connect with us: NeilPatel.com Quick Sprout Growth Everywhere Single Grain Twitter @neilpatel Twitter @ericosiu

In episode #579, Eric and Neil explain how you can create great content when you suck at writing. Tune in to hear great tips on creating killer content with less-than-stellar writing skills. TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: [00:27] Today’s Topic: How You Can Leverage Content Marketing When You Suck at Writing [00:45] Just because you’re not good at writing, it’s ok! Everyone starts somewhere. [01:04] Think about your strong suit (what Eric calls your “content foundation”) and build out from there. [01:15] If Eric and Neil didn’t like writing, they could have just started with this podcast. [01:25] They have the podcast transcribed by Rev and they also get shownotes written by Podcast Motor; this means that things are being written without them having to write a single word. [01:46] Go to Jobs.problogger.net and hire a writer. [02:12] Use short and to the point paragraphs; this makes it easier to skim. [02:27] Use subheadings in your posts. [02:32] You need to have an intro with a hook. [02:55] A strong headline is key to getting readers. [03:22] Copyblogger will give you some examples of great headline formulas. [03:41] When you hire a writer, always give them an outline and make sure to get on the phone with them, so you’re on the same page. [04:06] You don’t have to be a good writer, you just have to be able to communicate well with a good writer. [04:25] Gary Vee doesn’t even write his own blogs; he gives ideas and outlines, but the content is written by someone else. [05:01] If you’re producing content, use the content re-usage workflow as a framework. [05:28] Content marketing is a 12-18 month journey from inception to results. [05:35] If you’re not the best writer and you can’t afford to hire someone, use Eric and Neil’s framework and just go out and write. The more you write, the better at it you will get. [05:55] You may notice that Neil has awful grammar and cannot spell; it’s ok, because he is providing valuable information. [06:35] That’s it for today! [06:38] Go to Singlegrain.com/Giveway for a special marketing tool giveaway! Leave some feedback: What should we talk about next? Please let us know in the comments below. Did you enjoy this episode? If so, please leave a short review. Connect with us: NeilPatel.com Quick Sprout Growth Everywhere Single Grain Twitter @neilpatel Twitter @ericosiu

In episode #579, Eric and Neil explain how you can create great content when you suck at writing. Tune in to hear great tips on creating killer content with less-than-stellar writing skills. TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: [00:27] Today's Topic: How You Can Leverage Content Marketing When You Suck at Writing [00:45] Just because you're not good at writing, it's ok! Everyone starts somewhere. [01:04] Think about your strong suit (what Eric calls your “content foundation”) and build out from there. [01:15] If Eric and Neil didn't like writing, they could have just started with this podcast. [01:25] They have the podcast transcribed by Rev and they also get shownotes written by Podcast Motor; this means that things are being written without them having to write a single word. [01:46] Go to Jobs.problogger.net and hire a writer. [02:12] Use short and to the point paragraphs; this makes it easier to skim. [02:27] Use subheadings in your posts. [02:32] You need to have an intro with a hook. [02:55] A strong headline is key to getting readers. [03:22] Copyblogger will give you some examples of great headline formulas. [03:41] When you hire a writer, always give them an outline and make sure to get on the phone with them, so you're on the same page. [04:06] You don't have to be a good writer, you just have to be able to communicate well with a good writer. [04:25] Gary Vee doesn't even write his own blogs; he gives ideas and outlines, but the content is written by someone else. [05:01] If you're producing content, use the content re-usage workflow as a framework. [05:28] Content marketing is a 12-18 month journey from inception to results. [05:35] If you're not the best writer and you can't afford to hire someone, use Eric and Neil's framework and just go out and write. The more you write, the better at it you will get. [05:55] You may notice that Neil has awful grammar and cannot spell; it's ok, because he is providing valuable information. [06:35] That's it for today! [06:38] Go to Singlegrain.com/Giveway for a special marketing tool giveaway! Leave some feedback: What should we talk about next? Please let us know in the comments below. Did you enjoy this episode? If so, please leave a short review. Connect with us: NeilPatel.com Quick Sprout Growth Everywhere Single Grain Twitter @neilpatel Twitter @ericosiu

On this episode, Brian converses with Eric Byrnes - a retired Major League Baseball player, current analyst on MLB Network, and one of the most genuine human beings on this planet.   00:00 - Cain and Eric talk ultra training 02:56 - Diamond To The Rough 04:12 - The history behind The Western States 100 05:43 - What does walking and exercising do for the brain? 09:01 - How does Eric use the hot tub and sauna for recovery? 10:29 - How is the ultra mindset different from the baseball mindset? 13:37 - If Eric could go back and do over the MLB, what would he do differently? 15:25 - The importance of The MOMENT 16:10 - “The Zone” and “Raising Your Basement” 18:53 - Eric's take on the meaning of life 20:14 - The importance of movement and modeling healthy behaviors/choices for your athletes. 26:00 - Closing Comments - Watch Diamond To The Rough Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If Eric gets to be nostalgic for Batman, Austin gets to be nostalgic for...Maverick? Yes, the guys devote a half hour devoted to the Richard Donner western comedy starring Mel Gibson and Jodie Foster. It's a silly world where actors get a lot to play with, but Eric seems to suggest that there are also flaws in the movie. That may be true, but he's not writing the paragraph. It's definitely a great showcase for Jodie Foster to show her comedic timing.   Jodie Foster's Five 1) Taxi Driver 2) The Accused 3) The Silence of the Lambs 4) Maverick 5) Contact     –Leave us your thoughts on this movie at TheArtImmortal.com –Subscribe to Eric’s video game YouTube channel, Constant Diversion –Listen to Austin’s other podcast, The Immortals.   Email Twitter iTunes YouTube   Join us next Friday for our episode of Contact. Artwork by Ray Martindale

In Episode #303, Eric and Neil discuss the type of content marketing you should create when you're starting off. Tune in to learn why Eric would still start with blog posting even if people are saying that it is dying and why you should start with what YOU are good at. Time Stamped Show Notes: 00:27 – Today's topic: What Type of Content Should You Create When You're Starting Off? 00:38 – First, create blog-based content 00:40 – It is the easiest type of content to create 01:00 – In content marketing, there's no right form of content to start first 01:10 – If your skills are in audio or video, then start off with those and do what you're best at 01:24 – If everything is going to one direction, try the other way 01:47 – Think of it as the Blue Ocean Strategy 01:58 – Gary V isn't good at blog posts, but he's good on camera 02:18 – If you have created video content in the past and are good at it, then go in that direction 02:30 – If Eric would start now, he would start with blog posting 02:53 – Just figure out what's the easiest and go from there 03:00 – If you can't blog consistently, do guest posting 03:15 – Marketing School has an episode about guest posting  03:29 – The content re-usage workflow 03:34 – Chalene Johnson is good on camera 03:50 – She starts with live videos, which she turns into podcast episodes, which turns to blog posts then social media posts 04:08 – A workflow tool like Gliffy can help you repurpose your content 04:20 – Marketing School is giving away a free 1 year subscription of Sniply which allows you to overlay links that you're sharing with CTA 05:02 – Subscribe, rate and review Marketing School 05:05 – Text MARKETINGSCHOOL to 33444 05:25 – That's it for today's episode! 3 Key Points: Blog-based content is the easiest type of content marketing. Focus on your strength, first—if it's video, then start with video. Repurpose your content into different channels to increase access and interaction points with your audience. Leave some feedback: What should we talk about next? Please let us know in the comments below. Did you enjoy this episode? If so, please leave a short review. Connect with us: NeilPatel.com Quick Sprout Growth Everywhere Single Grain Twitter @neilpatel Twitter @ericosiu

In Episode #303, Eric and Neil discuss the type of content marketing you should create when you’re starting off. Tune in to learn why Eric would still start with blog posting even if people are saying that it is dying and why you should start with what YOU are good at. Time Stamped Show Notes: 00:27 – Today’s topic: What Type of Content Should You Create When You're Starting Off? 00:38 – First, create blog-based content 00:40 – It is the easiest type of content to create 01:00 – In content marketing, there’s no right form of content to start first 01:10 – If your skills are in audio or video, then start off with those and do what you’re best at 01:24 – If everything is going to one direction, try the other way 01:47 – Think of it as the Blue Ocean Strategy 01:58 – Gary V isn’t good at blog posts, but he’s good on camera 02:18 – If you have created video content in the past and are good at it, then go in that direction 02:30 – If Eric would start now, he would start with blog posting 02:53 – Just figure out what’s the easiest and go from there 03:00 – If you can’t blog consistently, do guest posting 03:15 – Marketing School has an episode about guest posting  03:29 – The content re-usage workflow 03:34 – Chalene Johnson is good on camera 03:50 – She starts with live videos, which she turns into podcast episodes, which turns to blog posts then social media posts 04:08 – A workflow tool like Gliffy can help you repurpose your content 04:20 – Marketing School is giving away a free 1 year subscription of Sniply which allows you to overlay links that you’re sharing with CTA 05:02 – Subscribe, rate and review Marketing School 05:05 – Text MARKETINGSCHOOL to 33444 05:25 – That’s it for today’s episode! 3 Key Points: Blog-based content is the easiest type of content marketing. Focus on your strength, first—if it’s video, then start with video. Repurpose your content into different channels to increase access and interaction points with your audience. Leave some feedback: What should we talk about next? Please let us know in the comments below. Did you enjoy this episode? If so, please leave a short review. Connect with us: NeilPatel.com Quick Sprout Growth Everywhere Single Grain Twitter @neilpatel Twitter @ericosiu

In Episode #276, Eric and Neil talk about finding relevant guests for your podcast—who you should be asking depending on your niche and why it's important to set a guest criteria. Time Stamped Show Notes: 00:27 – Today's topic: How to Find Relevant Guests for Your Podcast 00:34 – Eric's Growth Everywhere podcast is an interview podcast 00:44 – Eric started Growth Everywhere to talk to people that understood marketing 00:52 – There was no other interview podcast before 00:57 – Eris reached out to people who knew marketing 00:59 – Eric reached out to Neil Patel and Pat Flynn 01:11 – Eric reached out through email and got his top 10 interviewees 01:17 – Eric's criteria in looking for interviewee 01:30 – If Eric doesn't have criteria, “anyone” can be on the podcast, which isn't helpful 01:53 – People want consistency in a podcast 02:03 – To find relevant guest, you need to hand off the process 02:07 – Screencast what you're doing, use Hunter to find email address 02:18 – Reach out to them by putting them into mail merge or Yesware 02:24 – Do this once a month or once a week depending on your podcast 02:38 – Look at the other podcast within your space and hit up their guests 03:18 – When the guests are on your show, make sure you ask them to share the podcast and promote it to their audience 03:32 – You can use ScheduleOnce and Calendly to schedule your guest 03:44 – You can also send your guests sample questions so they'll be ready 03:51 – You can send your guests a one sheeter where they'll see the technical requirements like good mic, internet, and other stuff 04:14 – Eric goes to GrowthHackers and Product Hunt to find whose doing AMAs 04:37 – This week's giveaway is a 1-year subscription to Alexa – an SEO tool that is now owned by Amazon 04:55 – Subscribe, rate and review Marketing School 05:01 – Text MARKETINGSCHOOL to 33444 04:53 – That's it for today's episode! 3 Key Points: You can take advantage of the other podcasts in your niche and reach out to people whom they've interviewed. Setting a criteria for your guest will make your podcast organized and consistent. Always make the interview a comfortable experience for your guests. Leave some feedback: What should we talk about next? Please let us know in the comments below. Did you enjoy this episode? If so, please leave a short review. Connect with us: NeilPatel.com Quick Sprout Growth Everywhere Single Grain Twitter @neilpatel Twitter @ericosiu

In Episode #276, Eric and Neil talk about finding relevant guests for your podcast—who you should be asking depending on your niche and why it’s important to set a guest criteria. Time Stamped Show Notes: 00:27 – Today’s topic: How to Find Relevant Guests for Your Podcast 00:34 – Eric’s Growth Everywhere podcast is an interview podcast 00:44 – Eric started Growth Everywhere to talk to people that understood marketing 00:52 – There was no other interview podcast before 00:57 – Eris reached out to people who knew marketing 00:59 – Eric reached out to Neil Patel and Pat Flynn 01:11 – Eric reached out through email and got his top 10 interviewees 01:17 – Eric’s criteria in looking for interviewee 01:30 – If Eric doesn’t have criteria, “anyone” can be on the podcast, which isn’t helpful 01:53 – People want consistency in a podcast 02:03 – To find relevant guest, you need to hand off the process 02:07 – Screencast what you’re doing, use Hunter to find email address 02:18 – Reach out to them by putting them into mail merge or Yesware 02:24 – Do this once a month or once a week depending on your podcast 02:38 – Look at the other podcast within your space and hit up their guests 03:18 – When the guests are on your show, make sure you ask them to share the podcast and promote it to their audience 03:32 – You can use ScheduleOnce and Calendly to schedule your guest 03:44 – You can also send your guests sample questions so they’ll be ready 03:51 – You can send your guests a one sheeter where they’ll see the technical requirements like good mic, internet, and other stuff 04:14 – Eric goes to GrowthHackers and Product Hunt to find whose doing AMAs 04:37 – This week’s giveaway is a 1-year subscription to Alexa – an SEO tool that is now owned by Amazon 04:55 – Subscribe, rate and review Marketing School 05:01 – Text MARKETINGSCHOOL to 33444 04:53 – That’s it for today’s episode! 3 Key Points: You can take advantage of the other podcasts in your niche and reach out to people whom they’ve interviewed. Setting a criteria for your guest will make your podcast organized and consistent. Always make the interview a comfortable experience for your guests. Leave some feedback: What should we talk about next? Please let us know in the comments below. Did you enjoy this episode? If so, please leave a short review. Connect with us: NeilPatel.com Quick Sprout Growth Everywhere Single Grain Twitter @neilpatel Twitter @ericosiu

The Relatively Speaking Podcast is here to help you prep from embarrassing yourself in the final seconds of 2016. Not really, though, as we much rather you attempt to make a move on someone a few dozen times out of your league. NFL Week 17 Picks (Jared Mints 43-37, Joseph Nardone 49-31) Browns at Steelers Bills at Jets Giants at Skins Raiders at Broncos Packers at Lions After Joseph gets done destroying Jared in their seasonal battle of who is better than the other at winning money, it is on to discuss more important things. Best of/Worst of 2016 Best: Cleveland Cavaliers and Chicago Cubs winning titles. Netflix original content. Much, much more. Worst: Sports Twitter. Loads of self-deprecation. Joseph and Jared have a hot-take concerning celebrity deaths. AMA @14TeamMocker is the kid crossing up the white lady on 23rd vid fake? Is it ok to laugh at obvious fake vids? @playorbplayd If Eric taught Jameel his moves and Jameel taught Ty his moves then who taught Eric his moves? @givenupomlife why do people pretend five guys is special The AMA is normally when the show ends, but somehow Jared and Joseph end up talking much longer about condiments, Seal, getting chubby, life, and many other aspects of things that are so important you must listen or you will melt into the fabric of space and time. Follow Jared on Twitter. Follow Joseph on Twitter. How? Work for it, you lazy bums. Seriously, do we have to do everything for you? PSA: Be safe this weekend!

The Relatively Speaking Podcast is here to help you prep from embarrassing yourself in the final seconds of 2016. Not really, though, as we much rather you attempt to make a move on someone a few dozen times out of your league. NFL Week 17 Picks (Jared Mints 43-37, Joseph Nardone 49-31) Browns at Steelers Bills at Jets Giants at Skins Raiders at Broncos Packers at Lions After Joseph gets done destroying Jared in their seasonal battle of who is better than the other at winning money, it is on to discuss more important things. Best of/Worst of 2016 Best: Cleveland Cavaliers and Chicago Cubs winning titles. Netflix original content. Much, much more. Worst: Sports Twitter. Loads of self-deprecation. Joseph and Jared have a hot-take concerning celebrity deaths. AMA @14TeamMocker is the kid crossing up the white lady on 23rd vid fake? Is it ok to laugh at obvious fake vids? @playorbplayd If Eric taught Jameel his moves and Jameel taught Ty his moves then who taught Eric his moves? @givenupomlife why do people pretend five guys is special The AMA is normally when the show ends, but somehow Jared and Joseph end up talking much longer about condiments, Seal, getting chubby, life, and many other aspects of things that are so important you must listen or you will melt into the fabric of space and time. Follow Jared on Twitter. Follow Joseph on Twitter. How? Work for it, you lazy bums. Seriously, do we have to do everything for you? PSA: Be safe this weekend!

In Episode #102 Eric and Neil talk about whether or not you should do guest posting on other websites and blogs or just post on your own. Listen to learn the pros and cons for both options and why blogging now is much harder than it was before. Time Stamped Show Notes: 00:28 – Today’s topic: Should you do guest posting or blog on your own property? 00:50 – If Eric is to pick one, he’ll pick writing on his own website 00:55 – Build on your own 01:09 – All great content should be your investment in your property 01:37 – Neil picks guest blogging 02:33 – The market changes 02:47 – Sites that get the highest quality of content tend to get most traffic 03:04 – Neil changed his blogging patterns on his website 03:24 – Blog thorough, in-depth content 04:44 – Guest blogging let’s you have quicker traction 05:16 – Choosing depends on where you sit 05:56 – Neil is cutting his guest posting in America 06:20 – Guest posting helps build your brand 06:36 – Shifting strategies 07:04 – Blogging is not as effective as it used to be 07:25 – Ahrefs’ in-depth study regarding guest posting 08:44 – Blogging is tough now 09:33 – Most people won’t go through the journey of posting content 11:01 – Blogging is just one way to go about growing 11:56– That’s it for today’s episode! 3 Key Points: Blogging, either on your own site or another, has pros and cons. What are your goals? Iron those out before committing to a guest post. Keep your BEST content on YOUR digital properties. Leave some feedback: What should we talk about next? Please let us know in the comments below. Did you enjoy this episode? If so, please leave a short review. Connect with us: NeilPatel.com Quick Sprout Growth Everywhere Single Grain Twitter @neilpatel Twitter @ericosiu

In Episode #102 Eric and Neil talk about whether or not you should do guest posting on other websites and blogs or just post on your own. Listen to learn the pros and cons for both options and why blogging now is much harder than it was before. Time Stamped Show Notes: 00:28 – Today's topic: Should you do guest posting or blog on your own property? 00:50 – If Eric is to pick one, he'll pick writing on his own website 00:55 – Build on your own 01:09 – All great content should be your investment in your property 01:37 – Neil picks guest blogging 02:33 – The market changes 02:47 – Sites that get the highest quality of content tend to get most traffic 03:04 – Neil changed his blogging patterns on his website 03:24 – Blog thorough, in-depth content 04:44 – Guest blogging let's you have quicker traction 05:16 – Choosing depends on where you sit 05:56 – Neil is cutting his guest posting in America 06:20 – Guest posting helps build your brand 06:36 – Shifting strategies 07:04 – Blogging is not as effective as it used to be 07:25 – Ahrefs' in-depth study regarding guest posting 08:44 – Blogging is tough now 09:33 – Most people won't go through the journey of posting content 11:01 – Blogging is just one way to go about growing 11:56– That's it for today's episode! 3 Key Points: Blogging, either on your own site or another, has pros and cons. What are your goals? Iron those out before committing to a guest post. Keep your BEST content on YOUR digital properties. Leave some feedback: What should we talk about next? Please let us know in the comments below. Did you enjoy this episode? If so, please leave a short review. Connect with us: NeilPatel.com Quick Sprout Growth Everywhere Single Grain Twitter @neilpatel Twitter @ericosiu

How do I get my credit score ready to buy a home?  Eric & Yanci a first hand story of success Dave: Hi everyone Dave Sullivan here with special guest Eric and Yanci, one of my very early fans on YouTube. I’m so glad that they’re here with me today. Thank you both for coming on the show. Eric & Yanci: Thank you for inviting us. Dave: They’ve been working very hard on their credit.  We have been emailing back and forth.  Now they are at the point now when they just about ready to start shopping for a new home. You get your credit scores from MyFICO.com correct? Eric & Yanci: Yes Dave:  One of the things I like to tell people about MyFICO.com is that they need to be careful because you’re getting more than one credit score, originally you used to get only FICO9 and now MyFico.com is providing FICO5 as well  as others. In the mortgage industry we use FICO5 so your scores may vary slightly. I think Yanci is in really good shape and Eric is right there 620 is considered the minimum, but if you can get to 640 you both will be in very good shape, interest rates are so low right now it is a great time to buy a home. What is your goal? What is your time frame? Eric & Yanci: Well our apartment lease is up June 15, we really wanted to find our own home. We opened an account with a credit union. My main reason was to start a relationship with a lender and get ready for our lease expiration. Eric and I are interested in applying for a Mortgage and seeing what happens from there. Dave: You said that you opened an account at the credit union, what type of account? Eric & Yanci: It was just a checking account. Dave: Good you’re establishing a relationship, a good idea, credit unions are always a good choice in a financial partner. I would definitely tell you to shop at more than one lender. People normally will call the first company they see on TV. Companies who advertise on TV are paying thousands and thousands of dollars for that exposure. Those companies have to make that money up somehow and usually it is on your loan, maybe not your specific loan but over the course of all the loans that they originate. Although it might feel like they’re making it up on your specific loan. Eric & Yanci: How do we find a good lender? Dave: I would recommend looking for your local Mortgage Association in your state. In Michigan it would be the Michigan Mortgage Lenders Association, find that group in your state then go to the president of that group because they are someone who cares about his industry to take a volunteer position like that. What state were you guys located? Eric & Yanci: North Carolina Dave: I’m sure there is a North Carolina Association of Mortgage Brokers. Eric specifically your credit situation, there is a variation in between your three scores. One is about forty points higher than the lowest one. Eric & Yanci: Yes. Dave: As you know mortgage lenders look at the middle score, that is the only score the lender care about. What I do, when there is a forty point difference, I try to figure out why there’s such a wide variation.  If you take your three credit reports lay them down next to each other. Go through and find where the differences are in between your repositories files. If you find the differences then you can figure out what your next move is. Sometimes collection companies may not reporting to all three repositories or even a balance that is not being reported correctly. Eric & Yanci: I think I know why. I had a collection on my credit report and I tried to get it removed. I paid it and they said that they would remove it, but they never did. I called and called to try and get them to remove it but they never would. Dave: You have to be careful when trying to get a pay for delete. If you don’t get something in writing from them before you pay it off. It can be very hard to get them to work with you after they get the payment. Eric & Yanci: I actually got into contact with them, I was going to offer to pay it in order to get it removed from my credit report. I went ahead and made the payment. Later, when I accessed my credit report it was still there. They keep giving me the run around, telling me that they were going to take care of it, but the collection company never did. Dave: You made the right move, at least you got some documentation from them that said it was paid. As long as it’s showing paying on your credit report that is all you can do now. As it gets older and older, further back in time, the collection account will have a reduced impact on your score. I’m sure you’ve seen this already as you work on your credit, your scores have come up obviously, when we first we emailed your scores were very low. Eric & Yanci: Oh yeah! It was Yanci, She did most of the work. Dave: It is a team effort. I don’t know if you watched the interview I did with Wes a couple weeks ago? He works in state government and he had very bad credit. He fixed his credit on his own. The most important thing he said was “don’t give up”. Obviously you guys have not given up. It is really important that people realize that it doesn’t happen overnight. If you can stick with it, you can get there. One thing that you can do is bring down your revolving balances to 5 percent of the high credit. I probably would start the mortgage process right now. Yanci you look stressed? Eric & Yanci: Very nervous Dave. Dave: It will be fine, like I said if you go to the right person. You should be fine. In the mortgage industry which I’ve been a part of for twenty years now, there were a lot very bad apples. Now because of all the regulations that are in place, almost all of them are gone. Go to your local mortgage association president or officer. They will take good care of you. Eric & Yanci: Last year we tried, I work in a Doctor’s office and a lady came in there and asked me if I knew of anyone looking for a mortgage. I told her I was and I gave her all of our bank statements and w-2’s. She tried to work with us, but our credit was just not ready. So we have been trying to establish a good credit history ever since. That is when I found you and your website. Dave: I think that you are ready to talk to a mortgage lender again. One thing I would tell you is to go to more than one. I think that is the best advice I could give.  Get all your documentation together because like before the lenders are required to document to death. They’re going to ask you for all kinds of stuff but don’t get freaked out it is just part of the process now. Eric & Yanci: okay, I get a little tensed up, they question you about everything. Dave: I know it can feel that way. Don’t feel like it is only you, it is everybody. It is just all of the regulations that the government has brought on the industry. As long as you guys have all your ducks the row and it looks like you do you will be fine. Don’t make any career changes how long have you been at your jobs? Eric & Yanci: Eric has been there two years, Yanci has been at her job for almost three years. Dave: You guys are fine then. Get your bank statements and tax statements together, then you’ll be prepared. Let them pull your credit before you give them anything. You guys have done a great job and I want to congratulate you both. I definitely want to hear back from you when you move in to your new home. Eric & Yanci: I have a question though, with our tax returns, Do they have to go behind our back to the IRS and pull the 4506T? Dave:  They’re not looking behind your back, it is just that HUD mandate that they go and get copy of the tax forms that you filed with the IRS directly. It’s not that they’re doing this to go around behind you. It is just mandated by the government. Eric & Yanci: Well the reason I ask is because we’ve been doing it separate for the past three years. I had some debt and I wanted to get it paid before we started to file jointly. Last year they questioned me about it. Dave: People are allowed to do that, you’re not required to file joint returns. I think there is some advantages from a tax perspective that you might want to take advantage of by filing joint. If Eric is not ready to make that commitment I understand. J It’s not a big deal. You guys will be fine don’t stress out. Eric & Yanci: Alright. Dave: I’m very excited for both you please keep in touch. Eric & Yanci: Thank you very much. Go to www.getloanready.com to find other ways to improve your credit score. I’m Dave Sullivan here for the credit guy TV so you with a little bit me we’re going to change the credit industry thank you How do I get my credit score ready to buy a home?

An evil army is approaching, and a lead character is lamenting the power and flexibility of evil in the world...the monologue draws to a pivotal moment...the actor's voice swells...and..."All we have is Steel!...Wizardry! All we have is defense!"This line, from a character played by the actor Steve Guynn in an upcoming Jerry Williams fantasy film, is just one of many, many examples of the great lines that one encounters in a Jerry Williams film!Jerry Williams is an indie filmmaker extraordinaire. He is a guy who usually has multiple films in various stages of production, and has crafted a style that can only be described as his very own, unique genre. He definitely pushes the envelope with his work, and elicits alot of reactions, ranging from those that love his signature style (count me in this group), to others less inclined, such as a film reviewer that actually called for someone, somewhere to punch Jerry for making the film that the guy was reviewing (true story!).One thing that is indisputable is that you will be hard-pressed to find someone who is more passionate about independent film. You will also be sorely challenged to find someone who is more gracious in the goodwill and support that Jerry regularly extends to other filmmakers of all genres and styles.From cardboard sets and creative uses of his cat (note to Humane Society: the cat has never been harmed and is, in fact, quite spoiled!), to voluptuous actresses leaving little to the imagination, to cult independent film stars such as Debbie Rochon, Conrad Brooks, and Troma's Loyd Kaufman, Jerry's works always have the unexpected and the original. What most people don't realize is that underneath all of the onscreen insanity, Jerry actually injects a serious literary undercurrent, an example of which he discusses in this interview concerning his feature "Misadventures in Space".Jerry is a playright, poet, and prose writer as well, and we wanted to bring a little of that aspect out in this interview, and encourage the reader to look into his excellent poetry collection that is in print, called Mirrors and Portraits.It is my intention that this interview gives the reader a little insight into the craziness, humor, work ethic, committment, talent, dedication, and other characteristics that Jerry possesses. (The genius right alongside the offbeat and insane, so to speak!) You will also hopefully get a sense of his collaborative spirit, as well as get to meet a few of his regular cohorts such as Pat Bowling and Eric Butts.The indie filmmaking world is not an easy one, and Jerry puts his heart and soul into his work. With all the things stacked against the no-budget indie filmmaker, Jerry's progress, success, and prolific filmmaking nature gives inspiration to all of us; the "Steel, Wizardry, and Defense!", if you will, to keep fighting the good fight for independent film.So here it goes! Buckle up, hold on to your seat! Now...Ladies and Gentlemen...the long-awaited IMM interview with Goatboy Films' legendary and controversial director, Jerry Williams!!!-Stephen Zimmer, for Indie Movie Masters, June 25, 2009SZ: We know you are a brilliant, genius filmmaker, but give us a little idea as to your background, education, that kind of thing.JW: I've always been a writer, first and foremost, and I got a masters degree in creative writing from MSU....two things from that time have always influenced my cinema work are my love of hidden messages in writing and my love of the grotesque...Lovecraft, Tolkien, and my personal favorite Clive Barker. In literary criticism, one of the things of Hemingway that struck me was he was very direct in his writing, but if you peered deeper in...there was hidden meanings in such simple direct sentence structures. I like the idea of my films, no matter how simple or silly it appears should have some deeper levels. I had read once that Gene Roddenberry made star trek a vehicle where he could talk about the human condition under the guise of a 'sci fi' show....I wanted to take that idea and apply it to indie or cult cinema, and place hidden messages or motifs in crazy surreal films. Misadventures in Space on one level is a silly send up of the sci fi genre in general and star trek in particular, but it is also a satire of the Iraqi war...when I wrote it...I was constantly watching the cable news shows, and the character Brother Bishop Tucker(Billy W. Blackwell) was named after conservative TV host Tucker Carlson. That biting satire buried in sci fi nonsense interested me...a form of commentary that hopefully some people got when they saw the film.SZ: What got you into movies so passionately, and what type of movies or what movies are your favorites?JW: I got into cinema as an extension of what I was trying to do with my poetry and coffeehouse performances. I have tons of favorite filmmakers...passion about the film is what I respond to....regardless of the genre. I took an art motif of homegrown 'slacker Dada' to my films. I like surreal films, and I love the idea of marrying cartoons, surreal, and junkfood low brow culture into sci fi or horror films. I love older cinema, and since I never had a color TV until I was into my teens, the idea of a black and white film never seemed weird to me... I watched all of the crazy shows from the 70's in black and white. Older movies seemed, to me at least, filled with beautiful women and films that needed plot and characters in them. When I see the CG inspired madness and MTV inspired 'slick shots' in films...I wonder how dated they will look in twenty years. I would rather watch an Ed Wood, Russ Meyer, or Ray Dennis Steckler film anyday over glossed over candy that passes for films these days.....the female lead from 'creature of the Black Lagoon' seems much more beautiful to me than some of these tacky celebrities out of hollywood of late.....Bela Lugosi was Dracula, and Flash Gordan fought Emperor Ming's evil empire give me more enjoyment than most current films.SZ: Do you have some favorite directors? And why are they your favorites?JW: Ed Wood, Clive Barker, Lloyd Kaufman, Ray Dennis Steckler, Kevin Smith and Russ Meyers. Each director had a unique vision of what they were shooting for, and some (Ed Wood, Ray Dennis Steckler) did great with limited or no budgets. I also love my friend Conrad Brooks and his films....definitely worth a look for fans of surreal horror and 'offbeat' films. I'd also be remiss if I didn't mention local filmmakers George Bonilla, Jacob Ennis, Cherokee Hall, Stephen Zimmer, Matt Perry, Daniel Roberts, Mark Poole, Jason Crowe and my favorite Tim Ritter. I did several films with George Bonilla as an AD, and all of his films are surreal horror and worth a look for psychotronic film fans.....I did a nod to him and named several characters after him in Ectovision!Jacob Ennis produced my film Purvos, and I learned a lot...a lot from him on making films...Stash is a 70's slasher horror film much better than anything that Hollywood puts out there...I love Stephen Zimmer's films...his Shadows and Light movie is a fantasy film that really had a unique vision, and I really liked Matt Perry's film murderer. Tim Ritter is still a favorite director of mine, and definitely influenced Purvos.SZ: Do you have a day job? Or do you just sit back and collect royalty checks from the Goatboy films Empire?JW: I'm a working stiff, and fund my films myself which gives me freedom and headaches at the same time. Perhaps one day goatboyfilms will help fuel that run for the whitehouse or Senate. Vote Williams!SZ: How in the world did you come up with the name Goatboy films? What is the story behind the name of your studio?JW:From my friend Chadwell, we were kicking around ideas for a film company name in early 2001. It was Chadwell's nickname in college by a tripped out hippy chick. The name fit what I shooting for, and we kept it. It's not related to that saturday night live skit.SZ: Tell us about Pat Bowling and others in the Goatboy Films empire, as I know you work regularly with a few particular renegades like Pat.JW: I've known Pat from college, and our differences work out for the best. I'm a 'head in the clouds dreamer' sometimes, and Pat is a 'nuts and bolts' guy and that combination helps get projects done. Trust me, Pat is worth his weight in gold when it comes to the UFO film. Pat is also a damn good actor as well, I think he likes production much more... his acting swan song will be in Queen of the Cursed World. Pat is briefly in the medieval thing I'm cooking up...Insomnia and Dragon Witch. He did a fantastic job editing 'The Cursed Doll' which is now with Echelon StudiosSZ:How in the world would you describe a “Jerry William’s Film”? It seems to me you defy classification, but I had to ask, if only to know how best to describe your stuff myself. You perplex me!JW: Live action cartoon energy slacker dada satire comedy horror show....I guess my films move to their own heartbeats....I like the idea of crossing genres...high brow motives with junk food pop culture. I have some notes about doing my version of Alice in Wonderland called at this point 'Alice Caligari'...I like the idea of bringing in older actors since our culture is so youth obsessed, and Lewis Carroll's book lends itself easily to symbolic and freudian intrepretations...I read several biographies and literary criticisms of his creative work, and agree it was his only outlet in a repressed and solitary existence. It's still up in the air at this point.SZ: You have incredible women in your films. How do you convince them to be involved in no-budget projects without shelling out big bucks?JW: Well, my films usually have strong female character roles...most films you have a finite amount of what and who you can play. Slasher films usually have two roles in them...hero or victim, and sci fi films are even more restrictive. My films may be out in left field, but the female characters have power and command respect. I like that the actresses bring something to the table. Leslie Rogers was a fanastic Fiona in Soul Robbers, and Heather Price does a fantastic turn in Ectovision. Stephani Heise and Natasha Roberts who played the lovers in Purvos did great.I wanted Purvos to be a little different. Actors will at least listen to you, if your film isn't the 'slasher-on-the loose' fare, and I don't cut off roles at 24 years old....I find the youth obsessed culture out of tinseltown is shallow to my taste, but of course that's just my opnion.SZ: What is your largest budget to date? What is a typical budget on a Goatboy project? (In US Dollars, Yen, or Euros, you can pick)JW: Zeppo definitely, but I'm not sure about the final budget...that's more with Eric Butts and Moodswing Entertainment. I work with various budgets, but I joke with Pat that some of my films cost a six pack of beer and a song! I will say that at the end of the day, folks won't care about your budget if you engage them and entertain them. I've seen several modest budgeted films and felt great whereas I've seen CGI laden films that cost more than the gross national budget of small Africian countries and though they were slick emotionally dead pieces of eye fluff.SZ: You have a knack for casting, such as using the regal William Schaeffer Tolliver, the insane Steve Guynn, the Bruce Campbell-esque Daniel Roberts, the larger than life Cherokee Hall, etc. How do you approach casting such colorful characters? Do you bribe them?JW: I bribe them with my personality! No seriously, I usually connect with actors and crews working on other films for friends....I met several talented actors on film sets by local filmmakers such as Cherokee Hall, George Bonilla, Daniel Roberts, Jacob Ennis, Eric Butts, and Cineline's Matt Perry ....you find out more about a person working with them in long period of time than someone who wows you in an audition, and are a complete pain in the ass afterward. People who want to work on my films are a pretty passionate group, and I've been very lucky to get actors like Steve Guynn, Jason Crowe, Nathan Day, Billy Blackwell, Roni Jonah, Stepahni Heise, Natasha Roberts, Claude Miles, Kat Carney and others in the regional area. I also got to mention that Chad Hundley is a fanastic comedic actor, and his timing especially with Cherokee Hall reminds me of the old Bowery Boys. If I missed anyone, trust me there are some great actors out there working.SZ: What is it like working with The Bob Cooke?JW: He was awesome in Misadventures, as was Belinda. Bob's passionate about any and all things cinema....there was one line from misadventures that makes me smile...Bob's character says 'Our heroes will come like rain to a parched desert!' Bob did the line, but swore he'd beat me if I sent him another script like that again! People should check out his site www.Kymovie.net, Bob Cooke is like Coca Cola...he's the real thing baby! Belinda is a damn good producer on films like Hellephone, and Monstrosity among others and a passionate actress(she was fantastic in STASH as the sleazy mother).SZ: Give me an idea of your filmography (Yes, I understand that we might need a couple pages worth of space for this one.)JW:Completed films:Mint condition -writer/director (a Clerks type comedy) 18 minutes 2003Manic / Happy Anniversary - producer for Jacob Ennis's shortsPurvos - 72 minutes, writer/director 2004Zeppo - writer/director, feature film 90 minutes (2007)Misadventures in space, feature film 74 minutes (2007) and 53 minutes (2009)Soul Robbers from Outerspace, feature 61 minutes.Major Power and the flying saucer from Mars (and other tales of the hero) compliation 53 minutes (2009)Pirate Candy Sampler, comedy film 49 minutesDinner for two, short 5 minutesPumpkin Joe, short 5 minutesTwin sisters of Desire and Death! (The 'lost' episode of Misadventures in Space) 10 minuteAlien Conspiracy Murders, short 34 minutesIn production:Ecto-vision!, Insomnia and the Dragon Witch, Saucer sex from beyond, and the UFO documentary film I'm working with Pat Bowling. I'm also starting an edit of'Queen of the Cursed World', and have several projects in the planning stages.As Assistant director on ZP movies:Edison Death Machine, Monstrosity, and Hellephone.SZ: Speaking of Zeppo, which is arguably your “biggest budget” project to date—what’s going on with it at the moment? Will it ever be released? Rabid fans want to know!!!! (Or will the boxed set version be out before the regular version?)JW: I'm dating myself with this admission, but when I was a kid in the late 70's there was live action TV shows like Shazam!, Isis, and Jason of Star Command. Zeppo was a homage of sorts to that crazy saturday morning craziness crossed with a surreal midnight movie like Liquid Sky and Looney Tunes cartoons. Zeppo in a nut shell is a black and white cartoony sci fi adventure with non pc humor, naked zombies, cruel sexy aliens, and cardboard tombstones! Eric brought a lot his humor, and production skills for the film (not only did he edit and produce the film, but supervised the music and special efx shots for the film). We're currently shopping the film out to distributors, so hopefully folks will get to see it soon. Debbie Rochon was fanasttic in it, and Lloyd Kaufman still cracks me up...editing Lloyd was the hardest thing since he brings so much to the table...I'd love for Lloyd to do more serious dramatic roles...the local actors Stacey Gillespie, Elysse, Amanda Kaye, Casey Miracle, etc. did a fanastic job under some crazy shoots, and I have to say we had great production help from Casey Miracle, William Schaeffer Tolliver, and makeup was done by Julia Caudill.If Eric and I were the heads of Zeppo, Eric's mom, Patsy Butts, who helped produced the film and was its biggest booster was the heart of it. Sadly she passed away last year, but her legacy lives on in the film.(Movie Trailer for Zeppo)SZ: Will there be a sequel to Zeppo? And will the sequel be released before the original?JW: Never say never, but for me it would depend on how the first film fares out with the folks out there.SZ: How do you pull off working on multiple film projects at the same time? Are you simply crazy? Or is there a method to this obvious madness?JW: Part craziness, and part necessity. I shoot fast on my solo films, but it is also cause a lot of the actors are only available for a finite amount of time, so I have to move fast. The shooting multiple films at the same time is a nod to Roger Corman's methods. He would shoot a scene for a movie for AIP, then he would move the props about and change costumes to shoot a scenefor his own film which he would sell to AIP or to other film distributors. Pure genius, but maddening at the same time.SZ: Loyd Kaufman, Conrad Brooks , Debbie Rochon…what is it like working with cult figures that you have been a fan of yourself? How in the world do you keep Loyd contained and under control on the set?JW: I worked with Conrad on my horror film Purvos, and he and I are good friends. I love classic cinema, and movie serials of Conrad's youth so we talk about his films, and his experiences. A nice man, but pretty set in his convinctions which I understand and emulate myself. I always look forward to working with Conrad on any film...a good actor, he brings a lot to the table. He's an older actor and still working...check out his Jan-Gel films. Expect more film madness from Conrad in the future. I loved working with Debbie Rochon. A beautiful and talented lady, she was fantastic to work with on Zeppo...committed to the script, and worked her butt off on it...an artistic lady with a huge heart, and I can see why guys (and gals) fall for her like a ton of bricks. Whenever I think of Debbie, I imagine she is taking her ten minutes free from Fangoria radio and production work to paint on canvas...an earth elemental, timeless and beautiful like the moonlight in June.Lloyd is great actor, and very committed to cinema on all levels. I was very nervous meeting him. His toxic Avenger films are a part of my youth, so it was great and surreal to work with him. Like Debbie, a committed actor who busted his butt on the film. He really is a genius of indie cinema, and his books on making films should be taught in schools. Even if you don't 'get' the Troma films, it does my heart good that they can be out there. I think Lloyd can say more in a 90 minute film about the current state of affairs and the universal prejudices we have in say Poultrygeist than hours upon hours of PBS programming. I think Troma and Lloyd are the best parts of Americana like the hot dog and baseball, which is why I think people respond it worldwide. If you're into films, do yourself a favor and pick up his books and see that there is a method to the madness. I kept Lloyd contained by a harem of nubile women who fed him grapes and fanned him in between scenes....just kidding...he was a pleasure to work with, although I'm sure he wouldn't have protested that grape feeding scenario.SZ: I happen to own a poetry book by you, called Mirrors and Portraits, which not many people may know about. At the risk of incurring your wrath, I would like to shed a little light on this side of you. Talk about the poetry book and any other literary projects you might have coming out?JW: In college, I hung out with the literary crowd and loved writing poetry. I also got over my shyness by reading poetry at coffehouses, although I preferred doing it at places you wouldn't think about poetry.In Morehead, it was the local bar called Spanky's....you'd get these high and drunk professors, along with bikers and rednecks playing music and reading their poetry. A rough hole in the wall, but it was fun and definitely a place of my youth. In Lexington, it was High on Rose....unfortunately these places don't exist anymore...I guess I'm more Charles Bukowski 'live life fully dammit' than hanging out at staid coffeshops talking about writing. I had written poetry from that time period, and finally got a book of verse together called Mirrors and Portraits. In a sense it a portrait of me as an angry young guy who loved everything to the fullest. It's like the first time you finally 'hear' Mozart and it moves in your heart...same thing with literature and poetry with me. Passion fuels literature, and hopefully if people see the book, and see me...flaws and all. I'm working on a new book of poetry. I love writing verse, and never want that to leave my heart or my life. I try to put poetry and some poetic ideas in my scripts as well.SZ: On that note, rumor has it that you might be developing something theater related? Is there any truth to this rumor?JW: I wrote the Halloween murder myster play, Green Ghost of the Tracks, for Kathy Hobb's theater company, Fantastical theatricals, and it was great to see a play of mine on stage. Theater is the ultimate high wire act. I have a couple of plays written together, that may or may not hit the stage. A lot of folks don't realize that I was actually more interested in forming a theater company to stage my work at the beginning, but went with films instead. I would still love to make a theater company, so maybe one day down the road when the stars are in place, it may happen. I would also like folks to check out Kathy and her wonderful Fantastical Theatricals, a wonderful experience for me as a writer.SZ: Where can people find and buy some Jerry Williams movies?JW: Purvos is available at Brain Damage films. Major Power and the Flying Saucer from Mars DVD is available at indieflix. Misadventures in space the original version is on google video and hungry flix. That film has a tight new edit, and should be in a DVD package soon with mint condition. I have a comedy film, Pirate Candy Sampler, which is a comedy in the style of 'Amazon Women on the moon' on google video as well. The Cursed doll is now with Echelon Studios, so it should be out soon. You can also see Purvos on netflix and get it off Amazaon.com. My book of poetry is also available on Amazon and other book seller sites.Links to buy Purvos, Major Power, and Mirrors and Portraits.Purvoshttp://www.amazon.com/Purvos-Conrad-Brooks/dp/B0012OTVCGPurvos on netflixhttp://www.netflix.com/Movie/Purvos/70093406?&mqso=70002140&trkid=129129Major Powerhttp://www.indieflix.com/Films/MajorPowerandtheFlyingSaucerfromMarsMirrors and Portraitshttp://www.amazon.com/Mirrors-Portraits-Jerry-Williams/dp/1413765807/ref=cm_cr-mr-titleMisadventures in space (original cut on google video)http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=895029670631039342&ei=qiE_SpqxA4WkqwLPruTKAQ&q=misadventures+in+spacePirate Candy Samplerhttp://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7192095349227927623&ei=5CU_SoasK5HwrgK-lIHLAQ&q=pirate+candy+samplerSZ: Will your cat be appearing in future projects, and will there be any parts available for other people’s cats, such as mine? Your cat’s performance was awesome as the Wizard Merlin in Major Power, and in the heavy-duty SFX sequence in the engine room in Misadventures in Space!JW: I actually jotted down an idea for 'Major Power and the Ghost train!', so if Major Power shows up...I think the Wizard would confer with the great wizards of yore...you always got to look out for ...evil ectoplasm!

Ya know that feeling when an old friend comes over to visit? That's how the guys felt during our episode with Eric Riddle. He's an OG to the FTG family, and we are excited to introduce him to our listeners. Eric's story of overcoming serious alcohol addiction is an inspiration, and we hope, an light for those who are on their recovery journeys too. If you need help walking through your own recovery from addiction, please go to Alcoholics Anonymous ( https://www.aa.org ) to find a support group near you. If Eric's story gave you hope, and you want to thank him, find him on Facebook ( https://www.facebook.com/ericharrisonriddle ) , and follow his journey on Instagram. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy