Podcasts about pacific coast business times

John Grace is the Founder and President of Investors Advantage Corp., a Westlake Village, California-based financial advisory firm. With over four decades of experience, John is known for his client-first approach, emphasizing data-driven decision-making and loss mitigation. Under his leadership, Investor's Advantage has established a regional stronghold managing over $1 trillion in assets through its collaboration with LPL Financial Corp. A renowned financial advisor and author, John translates complex economic data into actionable intelligence through his work as a contributing writer for Pacific Coast Business Times. In this episode… Mentorship can be a powerful catalyst in shaping a person's career, especially in industries where representation is lacking. Too often, young professionals miss out on guidance that could unlock their potential and set them on a transformative path. How can a single mentor alter the course of someone's life and career trajectory? According to John Grace, who founded and leads Investors Advantage Corp., his entry into the financial world began with an unexpected offer from the father of a friend — a seasoned advisor who saw promise in him and offered to be his mentor. That relationship gave John not only the technical knowledge to earn his license but also the confidence to succeed in a field where few looked like him. Decades later, he continues that legacy by mentoring the next generation, including the grandson of his original mentor. On this episode of the Top Business Leaders Show, Rise25's John Corcoran welcomes John Grace, Founder and President of Investors Advantage Corp., for a conversation about financial resilience, mentorship in underserved communities, and what makes engineers the ideal clients. John also offers powerful advice on independent thinking in a saturated financial world and the importance of proactive planning for uncertain futures.

UCSB Chancellor Henry Yang is stepping away from his top role in June. KCSB's Robert Stark speaks with Henry Dubroff of the Pacific Coast Business Times about the instrumental role Yang played in creating an innovation hub on the Central Coast, his legacy and the impact he made in his three decades on the job. One of Chancellor Yang's passion projects has sparked passionate outcry on campus. Yang has played a key role in a plan to put a giant telescope atop an Hawaiian island, a project that many local residents oppose. KCSB's Alexandria Pak speaks with members of the student group Mauna Kea Protectors to find out more.

UCSB Chancellor Henry Yang announced he plans to step down at the end of the 2024-25 school year. With three decades on the job, Yang is the longest-serving chancellor in the university's history. Some observers say Yang played an instrumental role in creating an innovation hub on the Central Coast. KCSB's Robert Stark speaks with Henry Dubroff, a personal friend of Yang' and the founder and editor of the Pacific Coast Business Times, to discuss the legacy of Chancellor Yang and impact on UCSB and the greater Central Coast Community.

Martha Cantos is the owner of Ecugreen, a Ventura-based retail store that sells artisan, handmade goods. Martha began her career in early childhood education, and soon transferred her passion for community and service when she decided to start her own business. Now, Martha runs two physical locations in Downtown Ventura, each filled with quality, purposeful products with a story. Listen to hear Martha talk about the importance of resiliency as a small business owner, how to build meaningful relationships with artisans, and why it's important to always have a support system. Please enjoy this talk with Martha Cantos. Want more business inspiration? Follow Charting Her Course on social media and subscribe to the Pacific Coast Business Times for the latest news. 

  Invest In Her host Catherine Gray talks with Sidney Collin, the inventor of NexStride and is the co-founder and CEO of De Oro Devices. Sidney started the company while studying Biomedical Engineering at Cal Poly. She has an academic research background in computational neuroscience, with a research paper published in the Journal of Clinical Neurophysiology. Sidney was awarded Capital Factory's 2022 Founder of the Year award, Cal Poly's Outstanding Woman in Engineering Award, Outstanding Student Award, Lisa Hufford Scholarship Award, and was also identified as one of the most influential women at Cal Poly by the Wire in their 30 under 30 list. The Pacific Coast Business Times recognized Sidney as an accomplished young business leader in their 40 under 40 list as well as their Who's Who in Health Care, Insurance & Life Science lineup.   www.sheangelinvestors.com  www.getnexstride.com   Follow Us On Social Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | LinkedIn

Renee Grubb is the owner of Village Properties, a locally owned and operated real estate brokerage based in Santa Barbara. Renee began her career flipping homes and soon worked her way to upper management. But once she saw an opportunity to start and run her own company, she took it. Listen to Renee talk about what makes a good realtor, how to thrive in the competitive real estate industry, and how mentorship is key to standing out. Please enjoy this talk with Renee Grubb. Want more business inspiration? Follow Charting Her Course on social media and subscribe to the Pacific Coast Business Times for the latest news. 

Laura Fullilove is the founder and CEO of the Salt Ranch, a Ventura-based brand that specializes in apparel inspired by the old west, especially custom-made hats! If you're from Ventura, you've probably seen Laura's hats worn by everyone, everywhere. But what most don't know is that her business started after recovering from a traumatic brain injury. After realizing that there would be no second chance to pursue her passion, Laura fully committed to forming a business that gave her joy and paid an homage to her roots. Listen to Laura's path to becoming one of Ventura's most beloved small businesses, and the journey it took to get there. Please enjoy this talk with Laura Fullilove. Like what you hear? Connect with us on Instagram for more small business advice and content. Charting Her Course is a Pacific Coast Business Times podcast. Subscribe to keep up with the latest Central Coast news. 

Kelley Scanlin is the Founder and CEO of Pure Simple Foods, a natural food manufacturing company based in Ojai with brands like Lark Ellen Farm, Banner Road Baking and Purely Sprouted under their belt. Kelley used her experience building teams for global companies to scale her own business. From a pitched tent at the Ojai farmer's market to competing with bigger brands in grocery store aisles, Pure Simple Foods is quickly turning into a fan favorite.Listen to Kelley talk about why sticking to your values is key to leading a successful business, how to find funding when your business isn't profitable yet and how to compete with bigger competitors when you're just starting out. Please enjoy this talk with Kelley Scanlin. Liked the episode? Follow us on social media and keep up with the Pacific Coast Business Times. 

Melissa Hanson is the CEO and Co-Founder of Kelpful, a wild-harvest seaweed company based in San Luis Obispo. Melissa has always been passionate about social change and environmental impact, so when the opportunity to wild harvest seaweed cropped up, she and her team took the chance to share it with others. Now, Kelpful is a growing worker-owned business with a mission to help others acquire seaweed and learn more about its benefits. Listen to Melissa talk about how wild harvesting seaweed can help mitigate climate change and what you need to hear before starting your mission-driven company. Please enjoy this talk with Melissa Hanson. Follow Charting Her Course on Instagram! And don't forget to keep up with the Pacific Coast Business Times.  

Executive Director, Arizona Association for Economic Development (AAED).  Carrie Kelly joined the Arizona Association for Economic Development (AAED) in April of 2020, after more than 15 years of working with nonprofits and governmental entities on economic development issues, government relations and advocacy, and strategic support.  With the direction and support of AAED's members, Kelly completed the organization's first long-range strategic plan, revamped the organization's certification for economic developers, debuted new programs including Economic Development for Elected Officials, and won the highest honors from the International Economic Development Council (IEDC) for their Economic Development Week campaign in 2020 and 2021. In addition, she was named a 2021 Public Policy Leader of the Year from the Arizona Capitol Times, a 2022 AZ Business Leader in Economic Development,  and 2022 Most Influential Women in Arizona by AZBigMedia. Kelly came to the Arizona Association for Economic Development from Downtown Santa Barbara (DSB), where she served as Executive Director.  During her time at DSB, she spearheaded a public-private partnership to conduct an economic development asset mapping of Santa Barbara.  This study led to a transfer of “clean of safe” activities from DSB to the City of Santa Barbara and increased funding from the City to DSB for marketing and special events.  She was also named a 40 Under 40 by the Pacific Coast Business Times.  Before Downtown Santa Barbara, she was the Executive Director of the Mohave Community College Foundation, where she secured the largest donation in the college's history and established the Kathy Hodel Most Outstanding Student Award - a first-of-its-kind award, gifting $10,000 annually to a Mohave Community College graduate.    Originally from Indiana, Carrie worked as Local Government Services Director at McGaughey & Sosbe Law Offices for 11 years, leading economic development efforts and advising local governments on ordinances and policies.  She also worked as a nonprofit consultant in Indiana, assisting with fundraising, strategic planning, and rural community development. She holds a B.A. in Art History and Master of Public Administration from Indiana University.https://www.linkedin.com/in/carrie-kelly-mpahttps://www.linkedin.com/company/arizona-association-for-economic-developmenthttps://www.instagram.com/aaed_azhttps://www.facebook.com/ArizonaAssociationforEconomicDevelopmentMac and Bleu is the hot new podcast dedicated to all things related to building Arizona. Topics discussed range from construction, economic development, supply chain, and market segments.Mac & Bleu also includes diversity in construction, local politics affecting construction, women in construction, construction technology, and more.The host JJ Levenske of Bleuwave have their finger on the pulse of the people building Arizona.The show brings in the brightest minds in their perspective positions and industries and JJ has the unique ability to touch on the subject matter that you want to hear.If you want to know who's building Arizona, tune in and subscribe to Mac and Bleu today!___________________________________________________________________________________JJ Levenske is a seasoned construction executive with over 30 years of experience in the commercial and industrial sectors.From pre-construction services to complex quality controls and close-outs, he brings a commitment to delivering the highest levels of professionalism and customer service.

Bridget Foreman is a Partner at Barlett, Pringle & Wolf, an accounting firm based in Santa Barbara, California. In the beginning of her career, Bridget was a new and expecting mother who knew she wanted to be a successful accountant and a primary parent to her two children. Flash forward to current day, and not only did Bridget achieve those two goals, but she is currently one of five female partners at BPW. Listen to discover how Bridget built the life she's always wanted, the ins and outs of choosing public accounting as a career, and why it's always a good idea to ask for what you want – even when the odds could be against you. Please enjoy this talk with Bridget Foreman. Stay up to date with us! @chartinghercourse @pacbiztimes www.pacbiztimes.com

Rori Trovato is the Founder of Rori's Artisanal Creamery, a beloved ice cream shop and brand with 5 stores and counting on the Central Coast. Rori started out with a degree in math and a love for food. After going to culinary school, developing recipes for Martha Stewart, publishing a book and becoming a mother, Rori sought out to start her own business. From hands-on ice cream flavor production to optimizing business strategies, Rori has achieved a feat many business owners dream of: a solid fan base and a stable business model powered by passion and customer service. Listen to hear how Rori did it. Please enjoy this talk with Rori Trovato. Follow Charting Her Course on Instagram. Subscribe to the Pacific Coast Business Times. And find out more about Rori's Artisanal Creamery!

Dr. Janis Shinkawa and Dr. Jill Muraoka Lim are Founding Partners of Ohana Pet Hospital, a full-service veterinary hospital based in Ventura, California. With backgrounds in business and veterinary medicine, Janis and Jill started Ohana Pet Hospital to not only take care of animals, but to foster a healthy work environment for staff.Hear about how they prevent staff burnout by creating sustainable work practices, support their profession by partnering with educational institutions, and how their company culture prioritizes self-care without sacrificing performance. Please enjoy this talk with Dr. Janis Shinkawa and Dr. Jill Muraoka Lim. Follow us Instagram! Connect with Ohana Pet Hospital. Want to recommend an entrepreneur? Reach out to the Pacific Coast Business Times.  

Sidney Collin is the creator of NexStride, a small, versatile device that attaches to canes, walkers, or walking poles to help people overcome mobility issues. Sidney created the device as a student at Cal-Poly, after befriending a local veteran named Jack - who suffered from freezing of gait stemming from Parkinson's. Determined to help Jack, Sidney used her knowledge of engineering and her passion for how the brain works, and created a device that allowed Jack's brain to properly “communicate” with his body, helping him to overcome freezing of gait. Years later, Sidney's device has been proven to help improve outcomes for people suffering from mobility issues stemming from strokes, cerebral palsy, MS, Parkinson's & more. Sidney's academic research background is in computational neuroscience, including a research paper published in the Journal of Clinical Neurophysiology. Previously, Sidney was awarded Cal Poly's 2019 Outstanding Woman in Engineering Award, Outstanding Student Award, Lisa Hufford Scholarship Award, and was identified among the most influential women at Cal Poly by the Wire in their 30 under 30 list. Sidney has also been recognized by The Pacific Coast Business Times as an accomplished young business leader in their 40 under 40 list, as well as their Who's Who in Health Care, Insurance & Life Science list. Learn more at https://www.getnexstride.com/ Connect with Sidney on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sidneycollin/ --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/shesparkstech/message

Maritza Flores is the cofounder of Mujeres Makers Market, a Santa Barbara-based community market that highlights small businesses from women of color.Maritza and cofounders Daniela Aguirre, Elysia Guillen, Lili Munoz, and Leah Ortega started Mujeres Makers Market when they saw the need for a supportive platform and collective space for women of color to showcase their businesses.Now, they can showcase over 80 businesses in one event, and are expanding with growth workshops to help more women succeed in the business world. Hear Maritza talk about the importance of creating a platform for women-led businesses, the work it takes to start a community-based initiative and what keeps Mujeres Makers Market going. Follow us on Instagram at @chartinghercourse. Explore small businesses at mujeresmakersmarket.com. 

Christine Brown is the founder and CEO of Kind Cup, a menstrual cup startup based in Carpinteria. Kind Cup has since sold out twice, garnering rave customer reviews for its accessibility and ergonomic design. Through their partnership with Direct Relief, Kind Cup has donated hundreds of menstrual cups to underserved communities across the nation — and that's just the beginning. Listen to Christine give real advice about bootstrapping a business that sets new industry standards driven by high-quality materials, sustainable practices and social impact. Please enjoy this talk with Christine Brown.

Sidney Collin | NexStride - Creating the tools to keep people walking safely and confidently De Oro Devices makes mobility assistive devices to allow people with mobility disorders to walk confidently and safely. We use research-backed sensory cues to help people with mobility disorders walk with improved step symmetry, step length, and overall safety and mobility. In our beachhead market, Parkinson's, we help overcome freezing of gait, one of the most common and most debilitating symptoms of Parkinson's disease. Our initial device, NexStride, combines a green laser line visual cue and a metronome auditory cue into a small portable device that can attach to any cane, walker, or walking pole. These cues have been shown to reduce falls by 40% for people with Parkinson's. This patent-pending technology can be used in Parkinson's, Stroke Rehab, Multiple Sclerosis, and Cerebral Palsy, resulting in a $13B global market opportunity for our first product alone. NexStride is already available in the U.S., Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. About Sidney: Sidney Collin is the inventor of NexStride, and is the co-founder and CEO of De Oro Devices. Sidney started the company while studying Biomedical Engineering at Cal Poly. She has an academic research background in computational neuroscience, with a research paper published in the Journal of Clinical Neurophysiology. Sidney was awarded Cal Poly's 2019 Outstanding Woman in Engineering Award, Outstanding Student Award, Lisa Hufford Scholarship Award, and was also identified as one of the most influential women at Cal Poly by the Wire in their 30 under 30 list. The Pacific Coast Business Times recognized Sidney as an accomplished young business leader in their 40 under 40 list as well as their Who's Who in Health Care, Insurance & Life Science lineup. --

Today we're speaking with Jennifer Caldwell, the Chief Development Officer of FoodShare of Ventura County. You've heard her story before, as she was on our podcast before the Covid-19 Pandemic and it's a favorite episode of many of our listeners. She's been a morning show co-host and producer, 40 Under 40 Recipient from the Pacific Coast Business Times, Young Professional of the Year with the Ventura Chamber of Commerce and is the current Chair of the Board of Directors for the Ventura County Leadership Academy. She had some amazing results in her Fundamentals of Transaction Program and lives in Ventura County. Each week the Influential U Podcast is streamed live on our website, Facebook, Linkedin, and Youtube. If you enjoyed this podcast, share it with others. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, or any place you get your podcasts. Don't be shy. Give a rating or review. We want to know what you think. Check out our show notes for links to connect with our guests – plus links to websites, books, or special downloads we talked about. This podcast is made possible by the Influential U staff, mentors, and members around the world. Special thanks to our executive producer, Tyson Crandall, and video and sound by Michael Teehee and Darryl Anderle. The Influential U Podcast is produced by Influence Ecology, LLC in Ventura, California. This episode was recorded on August 24, 2022. The podcast theme is by Chris Standring and titled ‘Fast Train to Everywhere.' If you haven't yet offered a rating or review, I ask that you take a moment go to Apple Podcasts or your podcast app of choice and let us know what you think. This helps us more than you know Podcast Bonuses: FoodShare.com Jennifer Caldwell on LinkedIn

Iris Rideau is the owner and founder of Rideau Vineyard, an award-winning winery based in the Santa Ynez valley. Iris is the first black woman to own and operate a winery in the United States. She began her journey in New Orleans and eventually made her way to California to start a career in the insurance industry. After a notable career in insurance, finance and politics, Iris decided to venture into winemaking. Fueled by her Creole roots, rock-hard determination and soul, Rideau Vineyards skyrocketed as one of the valley's most renowned wineries. Listen to Iris talk about her challenging upbringing in the Jim Crow era, career advice that actually works, and her new memoir: “From White to Black: One Life Between Two Worlds.” This episode is one of our best yet. Please enjoy this talk with Iris Rideau. Follow us on Instagram and Facebook: @chartinghercourse Connect with us at pacbiztimes.com

LaVada English is the Founder and CEO of Bright Places, a business consulting firm dedicated to embedding trust, inclusion and belonging within corporate leadership and development. LaVada began her career in corporate talent consulting and took the leap into entrepreneurship in 2018 - a role she always knew she would end up in. Now, LaVada is the president-elect of NAWBO Ventura County, and her company, Bright Places, is reshaping how businesses think and act. Listen to LaVada talk about her journey, inclusion, and the importance of women claiming their economic power. Please enjoy this talk with LaVada English. Follow us on Instagram and Facebook @chartinghercourse or visit pacbiztimes.com.

GetHooked Seafood is a Santa Barbara-based seafood subscription company and Community Supported Fishery (CSF*) founded by Kim Selkoe and Victoria Voss. Before founding GetHooked, Kim and Victoria both had deep roots in fishing and marine life. Now, they're looking to uplift communities though making wild and sustainable seafood more accessible. Listen to Kim and Victoria talk about their journey to entrepreneurship, being a woman in the fishing industry and the importance of community. We hope you enjoy this talk with Kim Selkoe and Victoria Voss.

Knowing When To Take A Break - Sidney Collin, CEO and Co-founder; De Oro Devices | Riderflex - Recruiting & Sourcing Sidney Collin is the inventor of NexStride, and is the co-founder and CEO of De Oro Devices. Sidney has an academic research background in computational neuroscience, with a research paper published in the Journal of Clinical Neurophysiology. In 2019, Sidney was awarded Cal Poly's 2019 Outstanding Woman in Engineering Award, Outstanding Student Award, and the Lisa Hufford Scholarship Award. She has also been recognized as one of the most influential women at Cal Poly by the Wire in their 30 under 30 list, and as a business leader in the Pacific Coast Business Times' 40 under 40 list. Sidney holds a B.S. in Biomedical Engineering from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. De Oro Devices builds products that can be depended on to improve lives. Their first product, NexStride, is small, portable device that uses visual and auditory cues to help individuals with Parkinson's disease overcome freezing of gait. Put simply, it re-establishes communication pathways between the brain and the body, when a freezing episode occurs. It attaches to canes, walkers, or walking poles in seconds and is fully adjustable to meet your individual needs. NexStride is fully compliant with all applicable FDA regulations. Super-capacitors, Solar PV, Additive Manufacturing, and many more. Watch the Full Interview: https://youtu.be/uhY7k9X6Vps On the Riderflex podcast, CEO Steve Urban interviews some of the most successful entrepreneurs, CEO's, and business leaders. Hear them tell the "REAL" stories of what it's like to start and lead businesses. Riderflex is a national, Colorado based, premier headhunter, RPO and employment agency; recruiting and searching the top talent for staffing your teams. Top Executive Recruiting Firm - https://riderflex.com/ Podcast sponsor: Marketing 360 is the #1 platform for small business and it's everything you need to grow your business. marketing360.com/riderflex #SydneyCollin #DeOroDevices #NexStride #podcast #interview #entrepreneur #ColoradoRecruitingFirm #TopExecutiveRecruitingFirm #staffingagency #employmentagency #headhunter #recruitingfirm #staffing #staffingfirm #Denver #Colorado #National #Riderflex --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/riderflex/support

Rachel Sears-Casanta is the Co-Founder and Co-CEO of HyperCat Cycleworks and HyperCat Racing, a brick-and-mortar bicycle shop and endurance sports training program based in Ventura, California. Rachel started her career as a radio host, and has even competed as a professional triathlete for twelve years. Since then, Rachel and her husband set down roots in Ventura, where the HyperCat brand has grown into a Central Coast community staple for professional and recreational cyclists. Rachel's entrepreneurial journey is unlike anything we've ever heard before. Her story hits close to our hearts at Charting Her Course, and we're so happy that you can tune in. Please enjoy this talk with Rachel Sears-Casanta. Follow us on @ChartingHerCourse on IG and FB. You can find Rachel at hypercat.com or hypercatraching.com.

Rita Mounir is the Co-Founder and COO of Allthenticate, a cyber security startup based in Goleta, California. Rita began her startup journey in her home country of Morocco, where she implemented one of the nation's first SAT preparation programs. During undergrad at UCSB, Rita developed Allthenticate along with Co-Founders, Chad Spensky and Evan Blasband. Now, Allthenticate is a fast-growing startup with six employees and numerous mentions on national publications. Listen to Rita talk about what it takes to build a startup, the positive benefits of having multiple mentors, and much more. Please enjoy this episode with Rita Mounir. Find us on FB and Instagram! @chartinghercourse

The TJS Radio Restaurant Series, Part I - The Lark I think that it has been well established at this point that I'm a big fan of the fall season. For all of the right reasons: Friday night football games under a blanket in the bleachers, under the bright lights, in the chilled fall air, sounds of laughter, cheers, happiness. For when the sun is further from home and the shadows are long, and the light is weak during the vibrant early morning and sunset evening walks For the trees changing their leaves. For the harvest. Wine country and Wine Harvest festivals. Coffee, fires, good conversation with friends around the table in my favorite neighborhood joint. For the holidays, the excitement is in the air. Friends and family and the hope for a prosperous new year for all of us. And I'm excited for this: This is the Fall Restaurant Series. Like nearly every business, the past few years have been really, really hard on our friends in the restaurant business. But that's not what this special restaurant series is about…This series is cheering on and supporting those who have survived the years by highlighting their accomplishments and reminding all of us about what makes each restaurant special. It reminds all of us, including the restaurateurs, sometimes why our neighborhood restaurants and staff are so important to our social wellbeing. They continue to be a part of our lives. Restaurants will forever remain our happy gathering place for life's most important celebrations, or simply just to connect with friends at the end of a long week. This year we kick off the fall restaurant series with our friends from Acme Hospitality. They live for their restaurants and their guests, and they follow my favorite personal rule: Get better every day. I'm going to let them tell you why they love their restaurants. If you haven't been, go. If you've been, you will fall in love with your Acme Hospitality restaurants all over again. If you love restaurants and are curious about what happens behind the curtain, then sit back and just enjoy. And then go. - - - - First, I sit down with SHERRY VILLANUEVA Sherry is a longtime resident of Santa Barbara. She is the founder and Managing Partner of Acme Hospitality, she owns and operates eight successful restaurants in Santa Barbara including The Lark, Lucky Penny, Pearl Social, Helena Avenue Bakery, Santa Barbara Wine Collective, Loquita, Tyger Tyger, and La Paloma Café. In 2019, Sherry launched Acme Lodging, a hotel development, and management company with two historic boutique properties in California Gold Country. Both National and California Historic Landmarks, The National Exchange Hotel in Nevada City, and the Holbrooke Hotel in Grass Valley recently coming up in future episodes. Sherry's commitment to the local Santa Barbara community is reflected in the numerous volunteer positions and board roles she has held that include Direct Relief, Storyteller Children's Center, Santa Barbara FoodBank, Santa Barbara Middle School, and Santa Barbara High School Education Foundation.  Sherry lives between Los Olivos and downtown Santa Barbara with Jim, her husband of 33 years. They are the proud parents of two adult daughters, Annie and Katy. Sherry has received numerous awards and recognition for her contributions to the Santa Barbara business community including: “2021 Executive of the Year” from the South Coast Business & Technology Awards “2020 Honoree and Keynote Speaker for Top Women in Business” by the Pacific Coast Business Times “2019 (Acme Hospitality) Large Business of the Year” from the Santa Barbara Regional Chamber of Commerce “2018 (The Lark) Small Business of the Year” from the Santa Barbara Regional Chamber of Commerce Yeah, she's cool. http://www.acmehospitality.com www.thelarksb.com

Gayle Lassen is the Managing Partner of Lassen's Natural Foods & Vitamins, a health food store with locations all over California. Gayle began her career as an English teacher and eventually pivoted careers to focus more on the family business. Listen to Gayle tell the story of her mother-in-law, Oda Lassen, who founded Lassen's when she was 52-years-old. Oda created the much-loved Central Coast health food store after living through World War II, and seeing how important it was for communities to have access to higher-quality nutrients. We hope you enjoy this talk with Gayle Lassen. Find @chartinghercourse on Instagram and Facebook.

Jennifer Peck-Wheir is the Co-Founder of Beacon Coffee, a coffee shop and roaster with locations in Ventura and Ojai. Jennifer began her career in food service and started Beacon Coffee in 2010 with her partner, John, after realizing the lack of connection between grower and consumer. Since then, Jennifer and John have scaled their small business to be an iconic Central Coast experience, sourcing from family-owned farms around the world. Listen to Jennifer talk about building a business model based off transparency and education, being a woman in the coffee industry, and maintaining an honest work-life balance. Seriously, this episode is so good. Please enjoy this talk with Jennifer Peck-Wheir. Follow the Charting Her Course Podcast on Facebook and Instagram @chartinghercourse.

Michelle Richardson is the Founder and Owner of Sugar, a natural hair-removal salon and boutique based in Santa Barbara, California. Michelle began her business journey as an aesthetician out of high school, and slowly worked her way through Los Angeles, which led her to founding her own brick-and-mortar in Santa Barbara. Listen to Michelle talk about running a business as a single mother, the importance of creating strong relationships with employees, and how learning from your mistakes can often lead you to the right place. Please enjoy this talk with Michelle Richardson. Instagram: @ChartingHerCourse Facebook: Charting Her Course Podcast

Maya Schoop-Rutten is the Founder and Owner of Chocolate Maya, an artisan chocolate store and kitchen based in Santa Barbara, CA. Originally from Switzerland, Maya began her career working on boats in Greece and eventually found her way to California. After a successful career owning her own restaurant, Maya decided to open a chocolate shop similar to the ones she grew up with in Switzerland. 13 years later, Chocolate Maya is thriving. Listen to Maya talk about the necessity of passion in the business world, advice for those who want to start their own business, and the importance of believing in yourself. Please enjoy this talk with Maya Schoop-Rutten. Follow us on social media! Instagram: @chartinghercourse Facebook: @chartinghercoursepodcast

Parkinson's disease affects over one million people in the United States and ten million globally. Every year, 60 000 people are diagnosed for the first time. Parkinson's disease has a progressive nature, which means that it worsens over time. One of the most debilitating symptoms of Parkinson's disease is freezing gait. Freezing gait occurs when the brain stops sending the proper signals to the limbs, causing their gait to freeze. When this occurs, they frequently fall, resulting in trauma and injuries. A radical treatment for freezing gait was born when a single person approached Cal Poly students and asked them to design a specific device. To tell this story, we're joined by the company's founder, Sidney Collin of De Oro Devices, creators of NexStride. The mission of De Oro Devices is to improve mobility, independence, and quality of life. NexStride is a small, portable device that uses research-backed visual and auditory cues to assist people with Parkinson's disease in overcoming freezing of gait. About Guest: Sidney Collin has a background in computational neuroscience research, with a paper published in the Journal of Clinical Neurophysiology. Sidney received the Cal Poly Outstanding Woman in Engineering Award, the Outstanding Student Award, and the Lisa Hufford Scholarship Award in 2019. She has also been named to the Wire's 30 under 30 list as one of the most influential women at Cal Poly, as well as the Pacific Coast Business Times' 40 under 40 list as a business leader. Sidney graduated from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, with a B.S. in Biomedical Engineering. Website | LinkedIn 00:00 Introduction 2:41 The story of De Oro Devices 4:12 The effects of freezing of gait 6:19 What is NexStride? How does it work? And how is it different from other Parkinson's treatments? 9:58 Other types of treatments for Parkinson's that can be used in combination with NexStride 12:26 How does NexStride compare to the standard treatment and other uses 17:38 What's the cost of NexStride? Is it covered by insurance? 24:00 What's Next for De Oro Devices 31:11 The power of leading a company with the goal of creating social impact 36:29 Conclusion Join the Care More. Be Better. Community! Clubhouse: @CareMoreBeBettr (weekly on Wednesdays @3pm Pacific) Website | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn | Twitter | Clubhouse Support Care More. Be Better: A Social Impact + Sustainability Podcast Care More. Be Better. is not backed by any company. We answer only to our collective conscience. As a listener, reader, and subscriber you are part of this pod and this community and we are honored to have your support. If you can, please help finance the show. Thank you, now and always, for your support as we get this thing started!

Parkinson's disease affects over one million people in the United States and ten million globally. Every year, 60 000 people are diagnosed for the first time. Parkinson's disease has a progressive nature, which means that it worsens over time. One of the most debilitating symptoms of Parkinson's disease is freezing gait. Freezing gait occurs when the brain stops sending the proper signals to the limbs, causing their gait to freeze. When this occurs, they frequently fall, resulting in trauma and injuries.   A radical treatment for freezing gait was born when a single person approached Cal Poly students and asked them to design a specific device. To tell this story, we're joined by the company's founder, Sidney Collin of De Oro Devices, creators of NexStride.   The mission of De Oro Devices is to improve mobility, independence, and quality of life. NexStride is a small, portable device that uses research-backed visual and auditory cues to assist people with Parkinson's disease in overcoming freezing of gait.   About Guest: Sidney Collin has a background in computational neuroscience research, with a paper published in the Journal of Clinical Neurophysiology.   Sidney received the Cal Poly Outstanding Woman in Engineering Award, the Outstanding Student Award, and the Lisa Hufford Scholarship Award in 2019. She has also been named to the Wire's 30 under 30 list as one of the most influential women at Cal Poly, as well as the Pacific Coast Business Times' 40 under 40 list as a business leader.   Sidney graduated from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, with a B.S. in Biomedical Engineering. Website | LinkedIn 00:00 Introduction 2:41 The story of De Oro Devices 4:12 The effects of freezing of gait 6:19 What is NexStride? How does it work? And how is it different from other Parkinson's treatments? 9:58 Other types of treatments for Parkinson's that can be used in combination with NexStride 12:26 How does NexStride compare to the standard treatment and other uses 17:38 What's the cost of NexStride? Is it covered by insurance? 24:00 What's Next for De Oro Devices 31:11 The power of leading a company with the goal of creating social impact 36:29 Conclusion   Join the Care More. Be Better. Community! Clubhouse: @CareMoreBeBettr (weekly on Wednesdays @3pm Pacific) Website | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn | Twitter | Clubhouse   Support Care More. Be Better: A Social Impact + Sustainability Podcast Care More. Be Better. is not backed by any company. We answer only to our collective conscience. As a listener, reader, and subscriber you are part of this pod and this community and we are honored to have your support. If you can, please help finance the show. Thank you, now and always, for your support as we get this thing started!

Em Johnson is the Executive Director of the Blue Sky Center, a community-driven, place-based nonprofit in New Cuyama, California. Em started her business journey learning about yoga principles in India, and eventually made her way to Santa Barbara, where she earned her MBA in social entrepreneurship. Listen to Em talk about the Blue Sky Center’s commitment to economic development, inclusiveness and how living in a thriving rural area taught her independence. Please enjoy this talk with Em Johnson. Find out more about Blue Sky Center: https://www.blueskycenter.org Follow Charting Her Course on Instagram & Facebook: @chartinghercourse

Helen McGrath is a fifth-generation Owner and Farm Coordinator of B&T McGrath/Flying M Ranch, a Ventura-County based family-owned farm. Helen always knew she wanted to go into agriculture, and after graduating college, Helen eventually returned to her family's farming business to re-establish her roots. Listen to Helen talk about her experience as a woman in agriculture, the importance of transparency within farming and how to become more proactive to make the industry more inclusive for all. Please enjoy this talk with Helen McGrath.

Tessa Ghenender is the Founder & CEO of Amber Fort Bedding, a fair-trade, sustainable bedding company based in Ventura, California. Tessa started her career as a design student in London and later saw a gap in the market for quality bedding that prioritized sustainability. This led her to start Amber Fort, whose durable, non-toxic and sustainable hemp products have now quickly become a cult-favorite in the Central Coast community. Listen to how Tessa broke into the bedding industry, and how she's revolutionizing the way we sleep one sustainable step at a time. Please enjoy this talk with Tessa Ghenender. Follow us on social media! Facebook & Instagram: @ChartingHerCourse.

Jeanne David is the Founder & CEO of Outer Aisle, a keto-friendly and low-carb cauliflower bread that's sweeping grocery stores across the nation. Since its founding in 2013, Outer Aisle has now been featured in outlets like The Food Network and Forbes, as well as Pacific Coast Business Times' #1 Fastest Growing Company in 2020. Listen as Jeanne talks about launching a company ahead of its trend, working with family, and how she practices gratitude in the midst of an expanding business. Please enjoy this talk with Jeanne David. Connect with us! Instagram: @chartinghercourse FB: Charting Her Course Podcast

Rashi Bahri Chitnis is the Founder and CEO of Shoonya, a children's language app thoughtfully designed to foster the next generation of global citizens. Shoonya's mission is to teach children different languages while integrating different forms of cultural diversity. Listen to how Rashi transitioned from a successful career in Hollywood to changing the game in the tech industry. Please enjoy this talk with Rashi Bahri Chitnis. Sponsored by Bank of America. Instagram: @chartinghercourse Facebook: Charting Her Course Podcast

Sidney Collin is the inventor of the NexStride, and is the co-founder and CEO of De Oro Devices. De Oro Devices is a VC-backed biomedical device start-up whose mission is to develop products to improve mobility, independence, and quality of life for those who suffer from mobility disorders and the aging population. NexStride is a small, portable device that uses research-backed sensory cues to help people with Parkinson’s overcome freezing of gait and be able to walk smoothly.Sidney started the company while studying Biomedical Engineering at Cal Poly. She has anacademic research background in computational neuroscience, with a recent research paperpublished in the Journal of Clinical Neurophysiology. In addition, she has experience working in R&D at a past medical device startup during their product launch. Sidney was awarded Cal Poly’s 2019 Outstanding Woman in Engineering award, Outstanding Student Award, and Lisa Hufford Scholarship Award. She was also recognized as one of the most influential women at Cal Poly by the Wire in their 30 under 30 list, and as an accomplished young business leader in the Pacific Coast Business Times 40 under 40 list.De Oro Devices’ mission is to improve mobility, independence, and quality of life. The first product, NexStride, uses visual and auditory cues to help people with Parkinson’s overcome freezing of gait to regain mobility and independence. Freezing of gait is one of the most common and most debilitating symptoms of Parkinson's, defined as a sudden onset of immobility. Research shows that external sensory cues can be used to reconnect the brain and body, bypassing the damaged neural circuits, to overcome freezing of gait. They took the most effective visual and audio cues and combined them into one small, versatile device that attaches to any cane or walker. The visual cue is a green laser line and the auditory cue is a metronome, customizable to the person's walking speed. These cues have been scientifically shown to be effective in reducing the duration of freezing episodes, frequency of episodes, and frequency of falls. The NexStride is a simple and effective way to regain independence and mobility. Support the show (https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=BDL59C3CUWGXS&source=url)

Redefine your view of wealth and happiness with Seth Streeter, Founder and CEO of Mission Wealth, who gave up the “ideal” life to pursue his passions and leap towards his deferred dreams. From a major in Sociology to a career in Finance, Seth allowed the red thread of life to guide him to take his wealth management firm from 0 to $3 billion in assets with over 1500 happy families across the country! Seth achieved this by breaking away from the industry norms of unethically pushing financial products to optimizing the life of his clients by redefining wealth! Today, Seth has been recognized as one of the Top 100 Visionary Leaders, Worth Magazine's “Top 250 Wealth Advisors” in the nation, and Pacific Coast Business Times' “Who's Who in Banking & Finance” since 2010. In this episode of Rising High, Seth addresses: ✔️ Being a young entrepreneur and how the world is ripe for youngsters with a passion ✔️ Developing a trustworthy and loyal team by conveying your “Why?” ✔️ Singlehandedly growing a business through strategic partnerships ✔️ Using financial services as a gateway for optimizing his clients' lives I hope you enjoy this episode. Stay tuned for part two where Seth covers topics about turning anxiety to your greatest strength, mentorship, a growth mindset, and even divulges special advice for college students. Check me out and follow me on: Instagram: instagram.com/risinghighpodcast?igshid=19p5b7gdazxns LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ananya-dugar-456689150/

Redefine your view of wealth and happiness with Seth Streeter, Founder and CEO of Mission Wealth, who gave up the “ideal” life to pursue his passions and leap towards his deferred dreams. From a major in Sociology to a career in Finance, Seth allowed the red thread of life to guide him to take his wealth management firm from 0 to $23 billion in assets with over 1500 happy families across the country! Seth achieved this by breaking away from the industry norms of unethically pushing financial products to optimizing the life of his clients by redefining wealth! Today, Seth has been recognized as one of the Top 100 Visionary Leaders, Worth Magazine's “Top 250 Wealth Advisors” in the nation, and Pacific Coast Business Times' “Who's Who in Banking & Finance” since 2010. In this episode of Rising High, Seth addresses: ✔️ Being a young entrepreneur and how the world is ripe for youngsters with a passion ✔️ Developing a trustworthy and loyal team by conveying your “Why?” ✔️ Singlehandedly growing a business through strategic partnerships ✔️ Using financial services as a gateway for optimizing his clients' lives I hope you enjoy this episode. Stay tuned for part two where Seth covers topics about turning anxiety to your greatest strength, mentorship, a growth mindset, and even divulges special advice for college students. Check me out and follow me on: Instagram: instagram.com/risinghighpodcast?igshid=19p5b7gdazxns LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ananya-dugar-456689150/

Spanning six states, eight years and 50+ indictments, “Operation Varsity Blues” was one of 2019's most talked-about scandals. The FBI investigation exposed a scheme in which CEOs, Hollywood celebrities and wealthy parents conspired to bribe students' ways into top universities, revealing an admissions system rife with corruption and inequality. After UCLA and UC Berkeley were named in the indictment, the California State Auditor launched a review into the UC's admissions practices. UC Santa Barbara was one of four campuses found to have inappropriately admitted students – including 22 applicants who posed as student athletes with the help of coaches and campus personnel. For today's episode, we're joined by Jorge Mercado, a tech editor at the Pacific Coast Business Times who served as the editor in chief of the Daily Nexus from 2018-2019. The former sports editor helps us break down the audit, the relationship between donors and athletic programs, and how the UC can improve going forward. Read more about the state audit at the links below: https://newspress.com/audit-uc-wrongly-admitted-students/ https://dailynexus.com/2020-10-16/state-audit-finds-uc-inappropriately-admitted-64-students-four-at-ucsb/

Lori Volk is the Founder and CEO of Lori's Original Lemonade, an organic local lemonade line based in Ventura, California. Listen to how Lori started her business as a way to pay off her kids' college debt, and her journey to becoming a Central Coast staple. Please enjoy this talk with Lori Volk. FB: Charting Her Course Podcast Instagram: @chartinghercourse

Andrew Schydlowsky is the Founder and CEO of TrackStreet, the leading platform for Internet brand protection, channel management, and optimization. A serial entrepreneur, Andrew has founded several other internet-related companies prior to TrackStreet, including Sticky Technology and Performance Unlimited. He has also served as the Chief Growth Officer for a chain of retail stores and the Project Coordinator at BIDE, an economic consulting firm in Washington, D.C.  In 2008, Andrew received the Pacific Coast Business Times 40 Under 40 Award. In this episode… Some of the most common challenges that brands face when selling online include dealing with unauthorized sellers and price disparities across different e-commerce channels. Not only do these issues have a negative impact on a business' branding, but they also lead to inconsistencies in pricing and customer experience.  To help solve these challenges, Andrew Schydlowsky and his team at TrackStreet developed a system that helps sellers track unauthorized sellers, visualize price trends over time, and identify who is violating their policies. With this information, brands can create cleaner channels that customers love. In today's episode of the Buy Box Experts podcast, host James Thomson is joined by Andrew Schydlowsky, the Founder and CEO of TrackStreet, to talk about the common distribution challenges that brands face when selling online. Andrew shares workable strategies for creating stable and consistent branding, reducing price disparities, and building stronger customer relationships. Stay tuned.

Reyna Chavez is the founder and CEO of Scrubs on the Run, a medical retail store with three locations throughout Ventura County. Listen in as she talks about her business journey to success and how she navigates being at the forefront of COVID-19. Thank you for listening to Charting Her Course, a Pacific Coast Business Times podcast sponsored by Bank of America. Follow us on Instagram at @chartinghercourse.

Twenty years ago this month, Henry Dubroff threw caution and reason to the wind and – after quitting his safe job as editor of the Denver Business Journal – headed west to California to launch his own, independent, weekly business newspaper. Dubroff’s Pacific Coast Business Times defied the long odds, and today, with the largest full-time team devoted to business and financial news on the central coast, serves readers in Santa Barbara, Ventura, and San Luis Obispo counties, including, of course, Oprah Winfrey, just one of many prominent area residents. The secret of his survival, and that of all successful entrepreneurs, Dubroff tells host and award-winning journalist Dean Rotbart, is to know the community of customers who you serve and become an integral part of it. [The conversation with Dubroff is adopted from the Business News Visionary Awards oral history of Dubroff, recognizing him as one of 52 journalists whose foresight and efforts have transformed the journalism profession during the past two decades. For additional information, visit http://www.newsluminaries.com/.] Photo: Henry Dubroff, Pacific Coast Business TimesPosted: March 23, 2020Monday Morning Run Time: 56:59

Jennifer Caldwell is the Chief Development Officer with Food Share of Ventura County and works to feed and nourish the community she has called home for the past 30 years. Under Caldwell's direction, fundraising events have grown to not only raise more revenue for the food bank but to provide the opportunity to spread the work and mission of Food Share within the community it serves. While nourishing the community, she took a turn to sustain herself, and during the Fundamentals of Transaction Program lost 41 pounds, expanded her value and influence, and doubled her income. She has also come to cherish the daily maintenance required to meet ever-expanding aims for herself and those she serves. In 2018, Caldwell was appointed as the Ventura Chamber of Commerce Chair of the Young Professional Group and honored as one of Pacific Coast Business Times' 40 Under 40 next up-and-coming business leaders-along with Young Professional of the Year awarded from the Ventura Chamber of Commerce. Caldwell is a fourth-generation resident of Ventura County and resides in Camarillo with her husband and daughter.

In this episode of Disruptive CEO Nation, we speak with Skyler Ditchfield, co-founder and CEO of GeoLinks. Skyler is an award winning, lifelong risk taker and entrepreneur delivering innovative telecom solutions. He shares how GeoLinks was started in 2011 with $550 in startup capital and a bold vision and now stands as a highly recognized change maker in the network connectivity marketplace. Our conversation covers his founder's journey, company growth, culture, team building, taking on the big guys, the value of serving on boards, keeping money in the company, the decision for outside funding and his passion for closing the digital divide by reaching underserved communities and offering price competitive services. GeoLinks has revolutionized the way data is transferred from global data centers to its final delivery destination. GeoLinks builds custom solar powered and wind turbine relays as part of their mission of providing a green network footprint and as solar relays don't require connection to the electric grid it has allowed them to be recognized for emergency connectivity service during severe wildfires. GeoLinks has been ranked on Inc. Magazine's Inc. 5000 Fastest Growing Companies in America three-years running and they have also been recognized as one of the Best Entrepreneurial Companies in America by Entrepreneur Magazine 2018 and 2019. GeoLinks delivers Enterprise-Grade Internet, Digital Voice, SD_WAN, Cloud On-ramping, Layer 2 Transport, and both Public and Private Turnkey Network Construction. Skyler dove into the world of technology at the age of 13 when he set up a bulletin board system (BBS) to service 200 members of his local community with dial-up Internet. Directly after high school, he accepted a Network Engineer II job at the Private Network Management Center (PNMC) of MCI Worldcom in Silicon Valley where he was the youngest technician at the maximum-security PNMC and then quickly promoted to Network Engineer III. From there he started, sold and bought companies and has become highly recognized receiving honors such as 40 under 40 2019 – Pacific Coast Business Times; Most Influential Leaders 2018 and 2019 – San Fernando Valley Business Journal; 30 Most Inspiring Entrepreneurs of 2019 – Insights Success; and Top 100 Innovator in Diversity and Inclusion - Inc. 5000 2017, 2018, 2019. Discover more by visiting www.geolinks.com or follow on Twitter @GeoLinks_usa or @SkylerJesseD. Connect with Skyler at https://www.linkedin.com/in/skyler-ditchfield-9aa7b946/. #GEOLINKS #5G #clearfiber #DisruptiveCEONation #Industry40 #business #businessowners #founder #entrepreneur #CEO #network #wifi #connectivity #podcast #interview  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Briana Garcia is the owner of Tiki Girl Boutique in downtown Ventura, CA. We talk about the steps she took in buying and managing Tiki Girl, as well as her insights on social media and running a small retail business. Tiki Girl is on Instagram @shoptikigirl and online at shoptikigirl.com. Charting Her Course is a Pacific Coast Business Times podcast. Find out more at: www.pacbiztimes.com under "Charting Her Course" and on Instagram @ChartingHerCourse.

  As a Santa Barbara native, Dusty Baker’s established reputation and knowledge of the local market seamlessly integrates into a successful real estate career which includes designations such as “Agent of the Year” and “Top 40 Under 40.” For nearly a decade, Dusty has been serving the real estate needs of clients in Santa Barbara, Montecito, Goleta and Carpinteria. Dusty prides himself in truly connecting with his clients to ensure their complete satisfaction with his representation, which is one of the many reasons he is the area’s #1 rated real estate agent on Yelp. Client reviews consistently showcase themes of Dusty’s professionalism, caring personality, and local familiarity. Throughout his tenure in real estate, Dusty has educated and influenced thousands of colleagues in the industry through his speaking and writing. His writing portfolio includes penning articles for top real estate news source Inman News and authoring the foreword for the Amazon best-selling book, From The Top. He has also spoken as a marketing specialist on a national level at conferences and real estate offices. Dusty emphasizes robust marketing, skillful negotiating, uncompromised discretion, and concierge-level service. Buying and selling luxury real estate deserves nothing but the finest attention to detail, both in business practice and client experience. Dusty strives for excellence in every aspect of his business.   Transcript Stefan: Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the show Respect the Grind with Stefan Aarnio. This is the show where we interview people who achieve mastery and freedom through discipline. We interview entrepreneurs, athletes, authors, artists, real estate investors, anyone who has achieved mastery, and examined what it took to get there. Stefan: Today on the show, we have a new friend of mine, Dusty Baker. He's a Santa Barbara native, Top 40 Under 40. He's in the luxury real estate niche, and I'm really excited to have him in the luxury niche, because we get so many real estate people on this show, and it's super cool to have somebody in that super elite niche. He's also a speaker, he's also a marketing consultant. Dusty, welcome to the show, Respect the Grind. Thanks so much for joining me. Dusty: Hey, thanks for having me. This should be fun. Stefan: Awesome. Yeah, I'm sorry I can't say Santa Barbara. I don't know why I can't say it. Dusty: Santa Barbara native. Stefan: I can't say mash-chew-shits. Massachusetts. I can't say that either. Stefan: Awesome. Dusty, for the people at home who don't know who you are, how'd you get started in the business you're in? Dusty: Like you mentioned, stuttering over it, I'm a native here, and it's an incredible place if you've never been to Santa Barbara or heard of it. It's a really ... It's a small little town, about 100,000 people here, but the surrounding areas that make Santa Barbara up are about 200,000-250,000 people. It's a coastal beach town about an hour north of LA. It's radically expensive, it just is what it is. Montecito is the little portion most people know. Oprah has this huge compound. Estimates are it's worth probably $200 million at this point. Stefan: Wow. Dusty: Ellen DeGeneres buys and sells [inaudible 00:01:30]. We just have a lot of the celebrity crowd as well. But it's an area that's very different from LA, so it's this whole other vibe. But it's very expensive. I thought, since I'm going to stick around here, I better get into an industry that ... my pay is directly proportionate to paying to live here. Dusty: It's just a great lifestyle. I'm a surfer, I like to hike, get outside. It's a fantastic place, so when I was young and getting my business degree, actually, I was going to a university locally, and I got an internship for a real estate office. Unpaid intern, I worked for every agent there doing just the stupidest crap you could imagine, but I learned a lot. I met a lot of people, and that office really became my family. It's kind of fun, because instead of the competitive vibe, we still maintained a great family feel even though a lot of us are at different companies and we're competing, obviously. It was just a great, great entrance, and that was over a decade ago, so unpaid interns, you're growing and growing, really organically, actually, led me here. I loved it. I wouldn't change it for the world. I had lots of fun. Stefan: Wow. Yeah, well, it's amazing. They say riche in the niche, or rich in the niche, and you've got a really cool niche, niche there. I was down in LA in May, and I'm from Canada, up here in Winnipeg, Manitoba. I was down at Ty Lopez's house, actually, in May. I was at Bel Air or wherever he lives, and we went up to Orange County for a bit, and it's incredible, the money and the wealth there in California, right around Orange County, LA, Santa Barbara. It's absolutely incredible. Why is there so much freaking money over there between the mountains and the coast? Why do all these rich people want to live there? Dusty: The quality of life is sky high, which ... It's funny, actually. Besides the fact that it's just very nice to live at the beach with 70 degree year round weather, I've had a lot of clients I've represented from ... Actually, Denver was two of them, and people around the country, Michigan, where their doctors prescribed them to move somewhere like Santa Barbara, because you can live so much longer. Your body doesn't take a beating like it does in the winters or in the summers. It's a really great quality of life. In fact, Santa Barbara consistently ranks as one of the top cities in the country to live, and actually, they did a study of the longevity of life, and Santa Barbara is number one. We won by five days or something like that. Stefan: Wow. Dusty: But we have the longest average lifespan here. So really, it just comes down to that. People just want really nice quality of life. It starts with the weather, and then it goes to the type of life. Orange County is very different, even from Santa Barbara. My wife, I was living in Newport when we met. She now lives, obviously, in Santa Barbara with me. But we go and get breakfast burritos, and you see 20 Lamborghinis go by. People are driving their net worth. They like to show off their net worth. Santa Barbara, totally the opposite. You could get a billionaire driving up in a 1981 Mercedes or a truck. So, very, very, very different. We're a very casual affluent here. Orange County's definitely different. Stefan: You said something there, I was almost going to give you a gong for it too, but I was like, eh. It was, doctors prescribe for people to move there so they'll live longer. Man, that is crazy. I'm going to Costa Rica- Dusty: It's real nice. Stefan: Dude, that's incredible. Tomorrow I'm going to Costa Rica, I'm flying from Canada to Costa Rica, and I'm going to live in the jungle for 40 days on just water, water [crosstalk 00:04:59]. Dusty: Oh, wow. Stefan: Yeah. It's something I do. And it's crazy 'cause the guy runs the fasting center. He wants everyone to be a raw vegan, raw fruit kind of life. And I was like, man, when I go back to Canada, it's so cold. I can't stay warm, and I'm losing too much weight, and all these things. And he goes, well, dude. Just move. And I'm like, bro, maybe I should. After you say that, moving down there for the health, maybe I should move down to Cali or something. It's so beautiful. I was looking on your Instagram. It seems almost like a Barbie and Ken charmed life down there where everyone is beautiful and the sun in shining and it's just so nice. Stefan: Dust, tell me this, man. Top 40 Under 40. What does that mean? Dusty: There's a ... Pacific Coast Business Times does something. It's not just real estate related, which is why I'm really proud of it. It just looks at the top 40 under 40 business professionals in the Santa Barbara County region, and actually, I won that ... God, four years ago. I was 26 when I won that, so I felt really good, 'cause there were people at 39 winning, because they were technically under 40. So, really proud to win that. They just want to highlight people who excel in their fields. Stefan: Wow, that's great, man. Well, congrats. I think it's super cool. I've won some awards. I won Rich Dad International Hall of Fame 2014, which was cool, for Rich Dad, Poor Dad. Dusty: That's rad, yeah. Stefan: Thanks, man. But I'm not top 40 under 40. I'm 32, I've gotta get on that. Tell me this, Dusty. One of the things I think is super cool ... You're the luxury niche, so how much are these homes you're selling, typically ... How much do they cost, usually? Dusty: Right now, I don't focus only in the crazy high end. I have a $5 million listing, a $12 million listing, a few other up in that range. But I also have a $3 million home and a $1.5 million listing and some buyers in between. So define luxury. When I talk to agents in Tulsa, Oklahoma, anything over $600,000 is a mega mansion. Here, anything under $1 million is a piece of junk. So in terms of the national scale, the national median sale price is $225,000. So the fact that I basically don't have any sales under $1 million is very, very high. I'm focusing a lot more on probably the $4-20 million range. Stefan: Okay. Dude, I'm going to give you a gong for that. That's just cool as shit to me, because I live in Winnipeg. Do you even know where Winnipeg is? Dusty: I've heard of it. I haven't been there. Stefan: Yeah. Winnipeg Jets, they almost won the NHL last year. They made it to the final four against Vegas, so that puts Winnipeg on the map. But Winnipeg is like the Indianapolis of Canada. We're like the Indianapolis. If you go to Dallas and drive straight north, you end up in Winnipeg. It's crazy, 'cause we got a hardcore value market here. Average home is about $320,000, and then the market caps out at $2 million. If you go to $2 million in Winnipeg, you're done. Nobody is going to ... There is a lady here, I've talked about this story before. There was a lady here and she got $100 million in a divorce. I guess she divorced a construction guy or something. Got $100 million, and she built herself a $14 million California palace in the arctic Winnipeg. It's winter eight months of the year here. Dusty: And she sold it for, like, three. Stefan: Right. Dude, exactly. She gets $100 million, she builds a $14 million palace, $13.9 million, and then it sells for $3.9. The market just handled her. But the moral of the story is it wasn't her money anyway, so she ended up losing it. Stefan: Tell me, what does somebody get for $20 million down in Santa Barbara? Dusty: You get a lot. What's interesting, actually, is that obviously, Santa Barbara, Montecito, is very, very expensive. We're very, very cheap compared to other luxury markets, though. If you look at what's going on in LA, for instance, there are $100 million sales. We just don't see that here. And to buy something in [Bretwood 00:08:56], for instance, you're not spending less than $10 million unless you're buying a piece of crap. That's remarkable to me. Bretwood is so expensive, whereas Montecito, you get about $5 million, you're going to get a very, very nice house. For $20 million, you're getting an incredible, incredible house. There have been a few sales this year between the $16-25 million. Dusty: It's remarkable. It's amazing. It would be on a Homes Magazine, or on one of those inspirational Instagram luxury homes profiles. You'd see it and you'd think, wow, that is a spectacular, spectacular home. 10,000-15,000 square feet, one or two guest houses, pool, tennis court, views. For $20 million, you're getting something off the charts. Stefan: Right, right. It's almost like a compound. Dusty: Yeah, pretty much. Yeah. Stefan: Let me ask, for $20 million, are you getting a helicopter pad or no helicopter pad? Dusty: No, probably not. If it's a helicopter you're really interested in, most people with a $20 million house or even $10, they can have a helicopter, and people prefer that actually, and the pad is easy. The permitting, basically impossible. The neighbors are not fans of helicopters. If you had $20 million, would you want to live in a house where freaking helicopters are going over? No. So it's one of those not in my backyard things. Once in a while, there's a property that actually has the permitting and the zoning to land a helicopter, but that's pretty tough these days. Sometimes people just do it without any ... Stefan: If you're that rich, you just pay the fines, man. Dusty: Yeah, exactly. Stefan: Okay, let's talk about ... A $20 million house is cool, man. I get it. In the States, if you go to New York, there's $200 million condos that sell, some absolute retarded ... What kind of person is dropping that kind of coin? I know you dropped some names like Oprah, Ellen DeGeneres ... Let's forget about the mega celebrities. What kind of "average dude" would be buying those kinds of homes? Business owners? Who buys these homes, man? Dusty: I will say, I dropped the celebrity names. That's usually why people know about Montecito, but the average wealth in Montecito is people you have no idea who they are, and that's what's really opened my eyes growing up here, is you see celebrities that are ... At one point, their net worth is way higher than this now, but I remember at one point there was an article that said Kim Kardashian's net wealth is $40 million, and I was like, ha. That's a joke for most families- Stefan: Well, she made a porno tape. She's famous for having a porno tape and having a big butt. I don't get that, man. Dusty: No, that's crazy in and of itself. And even sane people are thinking that the $40 million is extremely high, which it is, don't get me wrong. I don't have $40 million. But most of the big time residents in Montecito and Santa Barbara are complete no names that have way more money than that. We have 14 billionaires just in Montecito. That's a big number for a small town, and a lot of people worth hundreds and hundreds of millions of dollars. You would not recognize their name. They're the average guy who ... There's one gentleman, I won't say his name, but he invented and patented a chip that's in every single cell phone. That dude's doing real well. There's a guy with one of my listings right now, like I said, I think it's 11 99 [inaudible 00:12:15]. The showings that we've had have been businessmen. It's been real estate developers, some Middle Eastern money, some Middle Eastern billionaires. So we get a lot of the no name wealthy people. There's a lot of people making a lot of money that are not celebrities. A lot. And that's what we get the majority of here. Stefan: That's cool, man. I love ... My background is I came from flipping homes, and I would go get a couple rich guys to back all my stuff. I'd get a couple rich guys and they'd back all my deals, and I'd buy it, fix it, sell it, whatever. Now I train people to do it as well. Stefan: Let me ask you this, Dusty. How do you handle the affluent and the wealthy versus maybe just the regular person? Is there a protocol for that? Do you get out the white glove service? How are these people different than the average Joe, and how are they the same? Dusty: The funny thing is they're very, very, very similar. I got in thinking, oh, maybe the crazy, crazy high end buyer, seller, they're the ones who are complete jerks, they just use and abuse you, just all the stereotypes. It's just not the case. Some of them are, some of them aren't, the same way that the average Joe Blow, some of them are jerks, some of them are nice. It's exactly the same thing in the ultra, ultra wealthy. Dusty: And frankly, I don't know ... This is going to sound so ... Dusty's tooting his own horn. I don't know how to do anything but white glove service, which is why I push the high end, because the level of service I give, I wouldn't be able to give it to as many clients in, let's say, the $500,000 range, because I wouldn't be able to sell enough homes to make enough money. So that's why my whole career, I've really been focusing and pushing the luxury realm, because there's enough profit margin to do that. Dusty: When there's profit margin to fly to Europe on a moment's notice to get a document ... I've never had to do that but I've used that as an example. When the product margin's there, I like that. I much prefer the white glove service. I really want to take care of people in a remarkable way, because I'm always fascinated by that. Last week I was in Hawaii, actually, at the St. Regis with my wife, and the service was excellent. Excellent, excellent. We'd show up at the pool, and they'd say, hello, Mr. and Mrs. Baker, and they'd go and set up two lounge chairs. There was eight towels involved. One at the top, the bottom. My wife is pregnant, so they'd roll up another towel, put a pillow behind her neck. Just unbelievable service. Stefan: Yeah. Dusty: Wow. That's amazing. I don't think that I'm so cool that I deserve that in all my life, but I'd certainly love to give that. So, yeah. There's no difference for me in my business of really, really high end to the [inaudible 00:14:37], but once again, that's why I'm really focusing my attention in only the high end, because I really prefer that method of business, which is why you probably had other realtors on your show that had big teams, 20 person teams. Stefan: Right. Dusty: I have zero interest in that, because my clients, I'm marketing Dusty Baker and my experience. I don't feel right having people sign on for the Dusty Baker experience and getting minion number six actually negotiating on their behalf. I want to be involved in all the high level negotiations, conversations, showings, everything, and the only way to do that and maintain a certain volume in sales is obviously to increase the average sale price. Dusty: There are certain differences in terms of expectations. I had a client a couple months ago, and this person was a noteworthy person, I'll put it that way. And they had some expectations that probably the average person wouldn't. I'll put it that way. And you have to accommodate things that you may not want to typically accommodate. But at the end of the day, if you actually look at, frankly, how much money I'd be making through that deal, it's not an unrealistic request that this person would want A, B, C, and D, even if it seems a little ridiculous. I'm working for a lot of money here. So it's not that unworthy. Stefan: What are some of the things, Dusty ... I'm from Winnipeg up here. An agent will get you a box of cookies and a bottle of wine or something when they buy or sell a house. You get a gift card to a steak house or something. You mentioned flying to Europe. Obviously that's pretty extreme. What are some of the normal Dusty Baker experience things that you do that give that white glove service so the customer's like, wow. I've totally gotta refer Dusty to my other rich buddy, or whatever? Dusty: It's funny you mention that, the closing gifts. That's reason number 26 why I prefer the industry that I'm in, 'cause I get some of the stupidest gifts ever, and I get pitched by certain people, certain companies, hey, you really should send all your clients this gift, and I'm thinking, I'm not going to send that in a million years. I'm not going to brand a ... I can't even think of an example. A cheap knife set. I'm just not going to do that. I'd be embarrassed to do it. Dusty: A part of the white glove service ... I'm showing a property to a high end buying in a specific part or area that this person was familiar with. We were leaving, and I said, I don't know if you two, this person, their spouse, have plans tonight. There's a certain restaurant I think would be phenomenal. Do you have time? They said, actually, we do have time. I said, just get in your car. By the time you get there, you'll have reservations, you'll be taken care of. Dusty: So they got in their car. I called ahead, they were booked, and I said, listen, you really need to make this happen for me right now. This is who I am, this is who I work for. You have to make this work, and they made it work, which ... Fantastic. I gave them my credit cards, it doesn't matter what the order, it's on me. That's the type of experience. I really want people to feel the experience of, hey, I'm in Montecito. I'm in San [inaudible 00:17:36] Valley. I'm in [inaudible 00:17:38]. And I think that that's really, really nice, and people get to not even have to make decisions. People just point and say, go eat here, I'm paying for this, order this, and they get to just sit back and relax and experience a lifestyle that we know that they'll enjoy here. Stefan: You said a big word there, lifestyle, and it sounds like you got the everything's handled part of the experience down. That's such a premium. You go to Amazon.com, you push the button, everything's handled. It's a one button experience. One thing I've done with my clients is we do a lot of seminars and training of investors in my company, and we came out with an all-inclusive package. So the flight's included, the limo's included, the dinner's included. We drive you to a property that we flipped or someone else flipped, and it's amazing, because people pay such a premium. We have people, they're so happy to pay $2,000, $4,000 for that experience. And then we strip it all down, they don't even want to pay $300 for the base experience. It's amazing how as soon as you can say, everything's handled, one price, one mystery price, how everybody just gets on board with that. Would you agree? Dusty: Absolutely. You hit something else, too. Different than what you said is people will pay anything for the right experience. The number almost doesn't matter. Stefan: That's a gong. We got an instant replay of that. Instant replay, one more time. Dusty: People will pay anything for the right experience. Stefan: Damn. Dusty: Especially in the high end. Let's say we're in the $100 million. Do you care if a steak is $50 or $200? Absolutely, no, you don't. Who cares at all about that difference? You just want quality, you just want the experience. So, specifically in high end real estate, they need that experience, because no one needs a fifth house in Montecito. Absolutely not. I'm dealing with a very different buyer than, hey, my wife is pregnant, we live in a one bedroom condo, we just need to buy anything with two rooms. Stefan: Right. Dusty: So if you're not selling that lifestyle, then I don't know what you're doing. In the same way that you said everything's taken care of, people want that luxurious experience of ... They don't want the decision fatigue, I should say. They don't want to try and figure out the area. Why are you- Stefan: One more gong, dude, one more, 'cause decision fatigue. Damn, bro, stop hitting on me like that. Tell us about decision fatigue. Dusty: Okay. I go to a restaurant. One of my favorite restaurants, it's actually 40 minutes away from here. It's called the [Santa Ana's 00:20:05] Valley Kitchen. Santa Ana's Kitchen. Stefan: Right. Dusty: And they have this world-renowned chef, they're fantastic. And part of their lunch special usually is there's just, this is what we're making. There's no, I'm going to order this, this, or this. This is what we're cooking, and I love that crap. I'm going to show up ... world class restaurant. You are the world class chef. You tell me what to eat. Why am I going into a restaurant that's fantastic and I'm telling you what you should make me? That's ridiculous. It should be completely the opposite. Stefan: Right. Dusty: And the same thing when I'm showing someone an area. They don't want to ... I can't wait for them to express what they want to see, or the experience they want to have. I need to give them that experience and make them see what's going on and show them what they should see, because they don't even know what they don't know. They don't want to make those decisions. If I'm going to ... I always think about myself. I love New York City, I'd love to own a flat out there at some point and do sort of a bi-coastal ... Not selling, this would be later on in life. I would think, okay. If I'm flying to New York City, my realtor's picking me up, what experience would I want, I just want to sit back. You show me New York, it's your backyard. You show me the restaurants, you show me what area I should by in. You show me the building. I'm not the expert here. Dusty: You can't, at the risk of sounding too aggressive with them, you have to say, this is what you want. Stefan: Right. Right. I love what Henry Ford used to say. He said that if I made what my customers wanted, they would've wanted faster horses. Instead he made the car. Or Steve Jobs, he invented the iPad. Nobody knew that an iPad was coming, nobody knew they wanted that. But you're the taste maker, you're the brand experience, you're the expert, and I love how you're like, hey, man. I'm the doctor, here's the medicine, buckle up. People pay premiums for that, man. That's amazing. Stefan: Let me ask you this, Dusty. You're in the pretty high end, relative to the country of the United States, relative to the country of Canada, a pretty high end market. How do you find these high end clients? 'Cause that's something that I think everybody has this fear about. They're like, oh, I want to get more business, I want to get better clients, I want to get wealthier clients. How do you go about prospecting these wealthier clients? Dusty: The low end ... The typical real estate, if you were to go ... I use Tulsa, Oklahoma all the time, 'cause I have a buddy out there. [crosstalk 00:22:21] Stefan: Right. Bro, I love Tulsa. Let's love on it, man. Dusty: Yeah, yeah. Let's say you're there and you join Keller Williams or something, and they say, how do you grow your business? You should farm a geographical neighborhood, you should mail that neighborhood, door knock that neighborhood, because that's how you get to know people in that physical, geographic space. Okay. That's fantastic. Dusty: The high end doesn't have that quite as much. It's more of a group of people not in a physical location, but in a network of people. So the easiest way, obviously, is to infiltrate. That's a terrible word, but infiltrate a network, because most of my business is referral based. You do a bang up job on one person, and it gets out there. But that's why something like a country club would make sense, because it's not that they all live in that specific area, but they all congregate there. Certain types of industries like the equestrian industry, obviously, gather truly affluent people. A yacht club, yachting, high end activities. Dusty: Also, Santa Barbara specifically, I can't say the same thing for your market. But Santa Barbara, a lot of people have second, third, fourth, fifth homes. They have a little pied-a-terre out here. So for me to go about getting these clients, I have to do a decent amount of travel and tremendous amount of networking around the country in feeder markets. Our number one feeder market, of course, is Los Angeles. But San Francisco, New York, Palm Beach are big, big markets. I do a tremendous amount of networking with agents in these feeder markets, the financial advisors, the attorneys. A lot of homes are sold because someone passed away, unfortunately. Dusty: There's a lot of ways to getting ... It's extremely different than the ... for lack of a better term, the lower end real estate. I really compare the two as one is soccer, one is baseball. It's different sports altogether. What marketing would work in this area would kill you in this area, and the same way ... If you took this marketing and put it towards here, it would kill you. It's radically different. One's not better than the other. It's very, very different. You have to focus on client experience, it's different, the actual terms ... marketing and listings to get in front of buyers is completely different, and certainly the networking is different. Stefan: Yeah. It's a high trust game. Rich people, they really value their privacy. There's a great book, I don't know if you read it, or maybe you should read it. It's Dan Kennedy's Marketing to the Affluent. Dusty: Really? Stefan: And they talk about the affluent people, they value their privacy. They have fetishes. They'll have something they'll spend any amount of money on. I just ordered a $450 gold pen. I want this gold pen. I write my plans with my gold pen, I want my $450 gold pen. That's my fetish. But they also have things that they won't spend anything on. They'll still get the no name canned tuna. So you've gotta know their fetish, and there's a real trust based game. It's interesting. You're talking about, there's the high end marketing and the low end marketing. In our game, we're buying a lot of wholesale real estate, so messed up stuff. We do a handwritten letter on yellow, horrible loose leaf in black Sharpie and stuff it in a mailbox, and the low end, messed up wholesale buyer loves that message. Stefan: But then we're doing high trust sales, so we have a book, a nice book with gold foil on it, it looks high trust. It's so interesting. The high trust, low trust. Another thing you said that I thought was really cool was going into the sports, and you're wearing a sport coat, and the suit and sport coat comes from equestrian. That's where that fashion comes from, and it's interesting when you look at history and you look at fashion, if you go to the ghetto in, let's say, the Bronx or something, and you see guys wearing Adidas snap pants or they're wearing some basketball stuff, sport clothes have always been a symbol of status because it means you have enough resources to play sports and have leisure. Stefan: It's so interesting, what you said there about sports and getting to the good gyms and the good country clubs and the equestrian, 'cause that's where they all congregate, right? Do you ever do charities or churches or anything like that? Dusty: I am involved in my local church, and I've gotten a tremendous amount of business from that. But I never go that angle, I think that is absolutely the most classless way to get business, is to be that guy at church. I just happen to be a trusted resource. A lot of people go to me and that's fantastic. I'm never marketing at church. Dusty: Charities, though, absolutely. You mentioned if people are affluent enough to have the spare time to do sports, like you mentioned, in Santa Barbara it's the spare time to get involved, join a board, be a part of the nonprofit. People typically are in Santa Barbara ... I keep referencing my market. Other markets could be totally different. But the average person coming to Santa Barbara is someone who has that feeling of, you know what? I'm going to join this community, I'm going to make this community, I want to be a valuable citizen. We get some good, good people here, which is fantastic. But, yeah. Charities are fantastic for that. Dusty: I was even chatting with my business coach yesterday, and that's a bigger component of this 2019 marketing, is being a lot more involved in sponsoring charity, actually, which is great. If we're going to spend marketing dollars, that's not a bad way to do it. Stefan: Yeah. If you go to a dinner that's $150 a plate or $300 a plate and there's a celebrity or something- Dusty: Or much more. Stefan: Yeah, your market, I'm talking Winnipeg numbers here. Yeah, man, your plates out there could be $1,000 a plate or more. What's so interesting about that, whether you look at that from a sacred kind of look, biblical or something, or you look at it from a secular view, even in the book 48 Laws of Power, they talk about ... despise the free lunch, and the people who are making it, they're giving back, they congregate together. Charity is a real powerful thing for meeting people who ... They've got time, they've got money, they've got resources, and your message might work with them. Dusty: Sure, sure, absolutely. But you can't be the guy that's clearly there for business. They can sniff it out pretty quickly. So it has to be something you're actually passionate about. That's the other "problem". I thought about this a lot in the past, and I've been approached for certain nonprofit boards, and I've been like, you know what? I think that could be good for business, but I would burn out so fast. I have no passion and I probably would look like the guy that's just doing this for business. Dusty: So I ... I keep getting emails. Let me ... volume off, okay. I just joined, actually, a board for some other cause that I just have a ton of passion about. I actually bring something to the table, it's a great group. So I'm also trying to be wise about that, because if you just start spreading yourself too thin or doing something that isn't true to your heart, it doesn't work out, it shows through. Stefan: Right. You've gotta be congruent. That's the main thing with branding, it's gotta be congruent, it's gotta go together, the curtain's gotta match the carpet. Stefan: Let me ask this, Dusty. Switching gears a little bit, you do some speaking, you do some writing. Tell us a little bit about the content you put out there, and what are you an expert in, your writing and your speaking? Dusty: It's funny. I got involved in that ... I got a good ... I like to surround myself with really intelligent people. Why not? It's just a lot more fun for me. I have a tough time chatting with people who are just doing absolutely nothing with their life. What do you talk about at that point? So a lot of my friends are radically driven, really intelligent, really successful people. Dusty: One of my friends that runs a marketing company, he's just one of these incredible, incredible minds. So, starting years and years and years ago, he said, you have to get out there and start blogging. He said, I know you have a big social media presence, you've got all this. But if you don't own that domain, let's say Instagram goes out of business tomorrow. Where are you? Whereas if you own that website, that blog, you capture that audience. Dusty: So, fine, I'll do that. But I'm not doing the normal real estate blog where it's like, I'm your neighborhood realtor! I thought it was cheesy, even though it probably works. I'm going to go the opposite route. I'm going to actually start writing, blogging, towards educational ... to other agents, because I've been really blessed. When I did intern early on, it happened to be for a group of really top agents, and then I had a mentor early on that had been selling real estate longer than I'd been alive, and I've just been surrounded by this incredible, incredible group of people who have helped me so much, so I have a lot more than 10 years of wisdom in me because of everything that's been passed along. Dusty: So I said, okay, I'll start writing. I started writing articles, and started getting a pretty big following, actually. Because of that, I ended up writing for Inman News. Inman News, for the time, that's the largest real estate news source, Inman News. I've read Inman. It's fantastic. It's like, yeah, it's amazing. I got involved in that, writing for them. But the first article, I said, you know what? I'm going to go in, bring a bazooka to a knife fight. This has gotta be good. Dusty: So I did some backend analytics with my friend who owns this marketing company, and said, hey, we can run the stats, even on their website, what the most popular articles have been, the topics, the this, the that. We did all this research, and it turned out at the time ... This was a while ago ... It was around tagging, it was around social media, a lot of questions about that, about what to do with marketing. So I said, you know what, I'm going to write about that. I wrote about how I grew my Instagram portfolio and how I'm getting actually a lot of business from it, and just the real practicalities that no one else was going over, and it just exploded. Dusty: It ended up being the second most read article they've ever had. It's since been beaten, obviously, but right when it came out, it was just really, really, really popular, and that kind of pigeonholed me a bit. I wrote articles on a lot, and I wrote the foreword for a book called From the Top, which ended up being an Amazon bestseller, and that was more just ... It was just a foreword, so I was chatting about what this author spoke about. I've done speaking on other components as well, but a tremendous amount went around online marketing, social media marketing, and things like that. Dusty: It's funny, because it's not necessarily something I love talking about. I actually much prefer to talk about, hey, how do we up our game at the white glove service? How do we be straight up concierge, how do we be the most trusted resource where it's total anonymity for our clients, things like that. I really prefer that, the Four Seasons approach, but usually it ends up being about online marketing. Stefan: You know what my favorite part of that story is, Dusty, is where you went in with your marketing guy and analyzed what the market wanted. That one step is such a pro step. That's such a smart step, and I think everybody, when they get into marketing, get into business, they just start putting out whatever they want. Sometimes that works, sometimes it doesn't. Like Donna Karen, DKNY, she was making clothes for her baby and her husband, and then somehow she ended up with a clothing line. Sometimes it works out, most of the time, it doesn't. Stefan: But you went in and you figured out, what does the audience want, and you delivered exactly what they want. There's a huge lesson in there for the people at home. Why'd you have that instinct to go in like that and not just write something from your ego that you wanted? Dusty: 100% from my buddy. His name is Seth, he runs Nexa Marketing, N-E-X-A Marketing, and it was all him, 100%. He was even the one saying ... because my website got pretty big, and he said, okay. You've maxed it out. You know how you get even bigger? Instead of creating your own parade and gathering people and calling city officials and pulling permits, why don't you just find another parade and jump in front and start marching? It's like, oh, okay, I'd much rather do that. Dusty: He said reach out to other top blogs and start writing for them. He said, everyone on top websites, their job is to write. You'd be doing their job for them. They'll take you. I said, okay, great. I researched all the top real estate websites. In News, number one, absolutely number one, and I thought, I could never get in there. I'm going to go for the lower end, which is the lamest approach. I went after the lower end once, and they all said no. It was like, crap. He was like, why don't you go through Inman? I was like, oh, fine. So I went after Inman and they said yes. Like, oh my gosh. Dusty: His name is Seth. He said, okay, now that you've got your foot in the door, this has to be good, and I mean good. It was his idea. I'm going to run the backend analytics, we're going to go ever everything, figure out what's worked really, really well. And then I wrote the article. I had he and another friend that I've done a lot of brainstorming with go through a couple rounds. It really was just a fantastic article. You only get one first impression and I wanted it to be spectacular, and it worked out really well, and it created this ... Listen, that was just a one time thing. I ended up getting to know everyone at Inman, on the staff, the conferences, speaking. It's a wonderful family. It's kind of real estate meets TED Talks. I have the utmost respect for them. It's amazing. I was glad I was able to connect in that way. Stefan: I love that story, I think it's a great strategy, and I think anybody at home could do that. Dusty: Sure. Stefan: Anybody could do what you did there. But the way that you and your marketing guy masterminded that is just genius. Writing that one good article and getting that thing placed properly ... because content is one thing, placing it, it's another thing to get traffic. Then you mentioned you got on some speaking stages from that, right? Dusty: Yeah. Stefan: Okay, awesome. Are those paid gigs or they just let you sell stuff? How did that work? Dusty: No, I didn't even take it that far, to be honest. I probably could've had products to sell. I never even got that far. It was just unpaid, but it just grew my presence in a really spectacular way. A lot of people even ask, on the lower level, they ask, how do you have 15,000 followers on Instagram, and I say, years of hard work and a ton of speaking engagements. And a good number will ask, how do you get all these great referrals from agents all around the country? I say, years of hard work, travel, and speaking engagements. How incredible is it to get in front of 2,000 people and be seen as an expert? You would know, look at what you do. You're on stage and people just assume you're the expert. You could be the stupidest guy in the world, but you're on stage, you're the expert. Stefan: Yeah, man. I love that. And I've got a similar background. I blogged for 120 days when I started. I did a blog every day, and I shared it on social media every day. It was a consistent blog, it was a 1,000 word blog. It's crazy, because that turned into speaking engagements. People wanted me to come speak at their clubs. Then that turned into winning awards. Somehow I was visible. Then I started winning awards, people started giving me awards, and then people started, after the awards, I started getting calls for coaching. I got calls for classes and products, and then I turned those blogs into a book. It's crazy. Now I've got five books and an international coaching company. But it's crazy how that one little article or that one little thing can just snowball and snowball and snowball and just keep going. Dusty: Have you seen the videos? There's a video on Facebook ... No, on YouTube ... and it talks about the physics of dominoes. I'm sure that you've seen it. But a domino can knock over something one and a half times its size, so they have a video where it's like a little piece of gum or something, and they push that over, and seven or eight dominoes later, it's pushing over a 100 pound piece of marble that's 1,000 times its height, and that's what it is. You get that one little domino going, and then you go 150%, 150%, and just a few steps down the road, you're a lot further along than you thought. Stefan: Bro, you just got yourself a gong for that. That's a great concept, man. I love that. Dusty: Now, let me ask you. You said you wrote 120 blog posts in 120 days. I think people listening, they would say, oh, that's not too bad. I could probably do that. Okay. Well, where were you in life that time? I imagine you had work and bills to pay. How did you fit in those 120 articles? How did you have the bandwidth and the structure and the discipline to do that? People don't understand how hard that is. Stefan: Yeah. Well, I was broke, man. I was flipping, I don't know, maybe a dozen houses a year. I had some rental properties. I remember I went to conferences and they'd say, you gotta put out content, you've gotta get your web presence, get your brand together. So I was like, okay, okay. I remember I started a little website for $7. I got a Weebly website for $7, and I got a domain and I put a picture of myself up there, and then I looked at my site, and I'm like, man, my site sucks. There's nothing on it. Stefan: So I said, okay, man. Every night before I go to bed, I'm going to write a blog, and I can't go to bed 'til I write a blog. So I'd write a blog, I'd post it, put a picture up, and every night, I just did that. I said, I'm going to take some seminar notes, I'm going to turn those seminar notes into a blog. And it just consistently did that, and now I've written five books. My latest book, Hard Times Create Strong Men, is 150,000 words. It's a big-ass book, and I wrote it in 11 ... because that was shift writing. Stefan: I'm a writer by trade, and I say to people, look. If you want to do this, make it a shift. You show up to your shift, and the best times to write, I find, Dusty, is first thing in the morning out of bed when you're drowsy, or last thing at night before going to bed when you're drowsy. You get in that mid state where you're almost drunk, and you can just type and type and just write because you're not judging yourself. Stefan: So I think the best thing you can do is make it a shift. You're just like, I'm going to show up to work for my shift at the end of the day or beginning of the day. You write something, maybe you read something right before so you've got something to think about, and then just go. Dusty: Yeah. What I love about that story and why I wanted to hear a bit more is that I think one of your prompt questions I read on the piece of paper you sent over was, what do you think being an entrepreneur has led you to see and to experience life and things like that? And first of all, I will say that I think real estate is barely getting in the door of entrepreneurship, I really do. I think what you're doing and what other people do, actually creating a real different business out of nothing, is very, very different. Real estate agents and financial advisors already have a framework. They still have to kill what they want to eat. So I think we get in the door, but barely. Stefan: Right. Dusty: I have that much more respect for [inaudible 00:40:03], because I know how hard it's been for certain times in my life, when you have to ... No one's paying you. People don't get that. They think, oh, somebody just pays you? I'm like, no. They take money out of our paycheck. But they don't pay me. It's given me this incredible perspective to even hear a story like, hey, I wrote 120 articles. People, you don't know how hard that is until you've tried to do it, period. I bet you couldn't even get someone to run one mile for 120 straight days. You couldn't get people to do anything for 120 straight days. But look at what kind of fruit you can see from your labor. People just will not do it for the long run. They'll do it for four days and then they'll quit. Dusty: So I have the most respect for things like that, and it doesn't have to be rocket science, but that's what being an entrepreneur is like. You do things, and people ... How many people asked you, why are you doing this? And then you have to say, well, I don't necessarily know. I'm laying a foundation for an area that I don't even know if I'm going to build on, but I'm just going to do it, because why not? It's better to have a foundation than not to. Dusty: But how many people asked you why you're doing this? Stefan: Well, I do it for ... The real deep reason is my parents divorced when I was 17, and my dad wasn't making enough money, and he was an entrepreneur, but never educated himself. I'm here creating an education company to try to save my dad. Some deep, deep, psychological stuff. So I'm obsessed with education, I'm obsessed with books, I'm obsessed with training and coaching. We've got ... Some of our students are Canadian investor of the year in Real Estate World Magazine. We've got some guys buying, fixing, and selling 30 homes a year. We've got some guys who are 27 years old, they've done 82 properties, as an investor. Stefan: So it's really rewarding, it's crazy. I don't have kids, so this is my thing, is educating and helping people, and what you asked is a great question. Why do you do this? This is a great question for anybody, because you're going to get hit with buckets and buckets of this every day. People are going to yell at you, they're going to tell you you suck, you're going to have stuff not work. If your why is not very strong, you're just not going to make it, right? Dusty: Yeah. Stefan: That's money. I like what you said there, Dusty. There's one thing I really want to drill down on and point out, it's you said entrepreneurs, real estate investors, financial advisors, maybe insurance too, are like the beginning of entrepreneurship, because you've got the marketing, you've got the sales. But the product's done for you. One thing that I think is really, for me, has been a major struggle in entrepreneurship, hardcore, straight up entrepreneurship, is product market fit. You guys get a product, you get a luxury house, you get a piece of crap house or whatever house, and you've gotta somehow find that market. Stefan: What I think is so crazy about Elon Musk, let's say, is he's gotta make some stuff out of thin air. He makes a car or something, and he has to hope the market wants that, or he's gotta do enough research to know that that's where the lightning's going to strike next. If you study a guy ... You ever heard of Ray Kurzweil? Dusty: No. Stefan: Ray Kurzweil, he works for Google, and he's an inventor. What he realized that being an inventor was ... right invention at the wrong time works out to be nothing. So what he did was he started trending inventions in the market and he would predict in the future what people would need at what time, and he started to do that and he got super rich, he got super wealthy, and he's one of the guys behind AI right now. Ray Kurzweil is a big artificial intelligence dude, because it's not so much about, do you have the best car? The electric car, GM tried to do that years ago, it didn't work. Well, Elon Musk, he found that little sliver of the market and he went right in there- Dusty: But also, remember with Elon, I had buddies that worked for him 14 years ago. His first concept was a Lotus, a lease type of electric car, and that absolutely tanked. Tanked, tanked. He had to switch it to the current Tesla, where it's like, okay. It's actually a family car, but it's kind of sexy as well. He went [inaudible 00:43:57] go full sexy, went nowhere. Stefan: Right. Yeah, that's the product market fit. It's interesting. When I was down in Orange County, the Mercedes wasn't nice. The Jaguar's not nice. The Audi's not nice. It was the Tesla. People are driving these white Teslas everywhere, and that's the status symbol now. He cracked the code on how to make that thing a status symbol, and all the rich people wanted a Tesla 'cause, I don't know, it's cool or whatever. What do you- Dusty: It's also a political statement. That's something interesting that not many people talk about is ... What do they call those stupid Priuses? The Prius is one of the ugliest cars on the planet. But now it's the green car. So Montecito, it's pretty left leaning in Montecito and Santa Barbara. Prius was like a status symbol, because it's saying, listen, this is how good I am to the environment. This is what I do. That's the status. It's not necessarily a Lamborghini status, it's a lifestyle political status. Elon provided actually a good looking political status, so that's a huge component too. It looks nice that's great, but it's saying, hey, I'm green. Stefan: Yeah. He doubled down on that. Dust, we've gotta wrap up here in a couple minutes. I just want to ask you some of the questions I love asking everybody, 'cause I think these are just the coolest questions ever. If you go back in time, Dusty, to 15 year old Dusty, and give himself a piece of advice, what would you say to 15 year old Dusty? Dusty: Oh man, I'm so embarrassed of 15 year old Dusty. I can say the older I get ... Every time I think I hit the threshold of, wow, I'm working really hard, the next year I'm like, wow, I didn't do crap last year. I wasn't working hard enough. This is working hard, and so on and so forth. I would've just showcased to my 15 year old self, listen. You have no idea what hard work is, and I would've pushed him 1,000 times harder. I would've pushed him to go Ivy League and focus on the right things, don't screw around with all the crap that takes up time that does absolutely nothing. I'd just tell him to focus and work harder, because it's very rewarding. I'm happier now than I've ever been in my entire life, because I'm more focused and I'm working harder. Stefan: Yeah. Love that answer. It really is about focus. I know they had Bill Gates and Warren Buffett around the same table, and they asked all these very successful rich people, what is your number key to success? Bill Gates and Warren Buffett, the top five richest people in the world at any given time, both said focus. Dusty: Yeah. Stefan: You can't split your focus. That's it. What are the top three books that changed your life, Dusty? Dusty: You know, it's funny you mentioned Rich Dad, Poor Dad. I read that early on, and that's a great foundational book. It's not rocket science, but it's a great foundational book for how you look at life, money, and finances. I have to throw that in there. For young audiences, that's a great, great entry level book. Dusty: Another great book is, gosh. Others ... There's so many good books. I don't read quite as much as you and Ty, but ... Oh, gosh. Stefan: I don't know if Ty reads the books, man. He's got the summaries. Dusty: Yeah. He skims. Dusty: I enjoyed a lot of components ... I wouldn't put this top three, but Love Is the Killer App. I thought it was well done. Have you read that? Stefan: What's that one about? Love Is the Killer App? Dusty: It's before apps, so 15 years ago. It's not cell phone app, it's like an application of life, and it talks about how societal relationships can really have you jump forward in success, the love component. But it's a lot better than it sounds. If someone were to explain that to me, I'd say, oh, it sucks. But it's actually quite, quite good, and really logistically, how you stay involved with people, grow incredible relationships, and not utilize those relationships just for success, but success always begets success. So that's really, really, really well written. Dusty: This is going to be radically controversial, and I don't mean this ... I wish he wasn't in politics so I can say this, but I read this when I was really young. The Art of the Deal, I liked, because- Stefan: Great book, great book. Dusty: Not because of Trump's statement, but because I think that there's something within entrepreneurs that actually digs the art of the deal, that digs ... I remember one portion where he said he wanted to join this specific social club in New York that it's impossible to get a hold of, and he would just call once a month to say, as confidently as possible, good afternoon. My name is Donald Trump. I would like to talk to so and so. And of course they told him to pound sand the first eight times. The ninth time, they transferred him through. After that, my name's Donald Trump, and I'm going to be the next member. And he became ... Dusty: So it's one of those things where it's sort of a dichotomy of actually enjoying deals. I don't want to retire. I enjoy deals. And then the component of, you stand up straight, you have incredible confidence, and you say, I want this. I'm going after this right now. Dusty: So I thought it was well done. Like I said, I think the Kiyosaki and The Art of the Deal, I'd say have a high schooler read them. I wouldn't say a 40 year dude read those. But I think it's pretty cool foundational wisdom. Stefan: Yeah, well, people always forget that Trump is ... He's a fucking billionaire, dude. He started with a million dollars and he turned it into a billion. Sure. He's kind of like the modern Alexander the Great. Alexander the Great inherited the best army in the world to conquer the world by 30. Trump inherited the best real estate team in New York, good for him. Stefan: But dude, Art of the Deal is a good book, good real estate book. Another one that's good, a good Trump one, is Art of the Comeback. You ever read that one? Dusty: Yeah, that's good as well. That's very good. Stefan: Yeah, that's like when the chips are down, and when shit is going down and he's getting divorced, he did some brilliant stuff, and I don't think people give him enough credit. He did some really smart stuff. He knows how to make money. Dusty: On that note, really quick, I will say people crap on him because when you start with a million bucks, that sounds like a lot of money. Yeah. I don't care where people started. If someone's successful right now, I don't care if they were given $10 million. I bet the average person, if they were given $10 million, next year, would have $500,000. Stefan: They'd be in a cardboard box, bro. Dusty: [crosstalk 00:49:51] and grown it. I don't care if people came from money and I don't care if people have resources. You still have to work your ass off to get really successful. Even to use his daughter as an example, yeah, Ivanka Trump had to have the name of Trump and a ton of money and expertise. You don't create a clothing line like that without working very, very hard. So I've learned to really respect people, even if they came from a place with much, much, much more than me. I assure you they're working hard. Stefan: Yeah. Ivanka, she's amazing, man. She's, out of the kids, she's, I think, the smartest, the greatest. Dusty: Oh, yeah. Stefan: She's the empress over there. I've had George Ross, Donald Trump's lawyer, write the foreword to my book, 10 Commandments of Negotiation. Dusty: Oh, nice. Stefan: So I've heard some stories, and they would send those kids out to the farm in Germany or Russia or wherever, and they had to work. They put those kids to work. They're not spoiled brats, they're well behaved. Nobody's doing cocaine and crashing cars. If you've got good kids, you can't lie about good kids, man. That's awesome. Stefan: Dusty, the last question I got here that I love asking everybody is, what's the one thing that young people need to succeed these days? Dusty: The ability to be malleable, I think. I read a great book, I don't even know the name of it, actually, but it was ... chopped into each chapter was a different author, actually, so it truly was a book of experts writing each chapter. It had some statistic where 20 years ago ... 80% of the jobs that exist now didn't exist 20 years ago. Imagine if someone that's 25 years old was thinking from five years old on, oh, I want to be this position. Well, it probably doesn't exist anymore. Dusty: So be very, very malleable. I can't make any promise real estate will be the same, I have no idea. I can assure you my commission's going to go down in the next 20 years, no chance [inaudible 00:51:39], so maybe I need to be a tad malleable and move into something else. There's also incredible, incredible hedge funds for the new [eye 00:51:47] buyers. Real estate could change, even though that's such a fundamental thing. So the ability to basically make hard work your ... the foundation, your identity, and then carry that in a malleable fashion. Dusty: I have a one and a half year old daughter, for instance, and I have a little boy coming. My wife and I talk, okay. How do you parent? A lot of the books we've been reading, and I think this is fantastic is ... Her name's Kinsley. Let's say Kinsley is playing soccer, and she scores a goal. Instead of saying, hey, great job scoring that goal, you scored that goal, you're the best. Now she's like, well, the goal is the outcome. If I can't get the goal, I'm nothing. I say, hey, I saw you on the other side of the field, and you had to run harder and faster than everyone else to get to that ball. You worked your tail off. It didn't look like you were going to be able to get the ball and you did. You worked hard. I saw you sweating, I saw how hard you worked in practice this past week. That's what got you that goal, and praising the work ethic instead of the accomplishment, because accomplishments always come out of the work ethic. Dusty: So I think that the coming generation needs to have just an incredible work ethic, and that will go towards anything. The dollars will always follow that. If you have that work ethic and that's your id and you can focus it in a malleable fashion depending on what's happening to the economy, you're good to go. Stefan: Yeah, yeah. I'll always say it, man. You've gotta respect the grind. You've gotta understand that it's going to take repetitive actions, you've gotta have that work ethic, and then apply it to whatever is malleable in the market. I love that. Stefan: Dusty, how can people get in touch with you if they want to know more? Dusty: My phone number. I'm so online it's not even funny. Search Dusty Baker real estate, and dustybakerrealestate.com is my website. My phone number is on there and my Instagram handle and Twitter handle is @dustyjbaker, the reason being is because there's a famous baseball player I was named after. His name was Dusty Baker, he managed the Giants in fact. Stefan: Right. Dusty: So you look up Dusty Baker, and there's a buff black dude in a Giants jersey, that's him, not me, unfortunately. Stefan: You just play him on TV, man. Dusty: Exactly, exactly. I can't tell you how many people walked in who say, oh, you look different. I'm like, yeah, I know. I'm [inaudible 00:54:01]. Stefan: Nice, man. Okay, awesome. Thanks so much for being on the show, Dusty. I really appreciated having you, man. Great conversation, and respect the grind, brother. Dusty: Hey, thanks so much. Really appreciate it. Stefan: Thanks, man.  

Michael Anderson talks with Henry Dubroff about the Spirt of Small Business awards, local news and more. Henry Dubroff, Founder of Pacific Coast Business Times What are the events and awards that Pacific Coast Business Times organizes each year? What are the top 3 tips you can share with someone starting a small business? Share some recent news about the IPO's and local companies going public in our area. Should more endowments be started with local non-profits? What are the pros & cons? Learn more about Henry Dubroff & Pacific Coast Business Times online: pacbiztimes.com Non-Profit Spotlight Emily Barany is working hard to deploy her website "Thomas Fire Help" for the Carr Fire. Northern California is experiencing the same thing we experienced down here in Southern California.  She is connecting the folks that have needs to the people that can help.  Please visit the website dedicated to this effort to learn more visit carrfireconnect.org Learn more online at CarrFireConnect.org Produced by Michael Anderson of maranantha.com .fusion-widget-area-40 {padding:0px 0px 0px 0px;}.fusion-widget-area-40 .widget h4 {color:#333c4e;}.fusion-widget-area-40 .widget .heading h4 {color:#333c4e;}.fusion-widget-area-40 .widget h4 {font-size:18px;}.fusion-widget-area-40 .widget .heading h4 {font-size:18px;}Subscribe to PodcastApple PodcastsGoogle PodcastsAndroidby EmailRSS

Michael Anderson is a Certified Financial Planner in Ventura County California. He helps clients with investment management, wealth management, retirement planning and financial planning, you can learn more about his services at Maranantha.com. 2017 Year in Review - 24 Feature Interviews Each week on Big Money in the 805 we've had one feature interview that is local and relevant.  #2 Henry Dubroff, Pacific Coast Business Times #3 Chris Figureida, Endurance Athlete #4 Dr. Stanley C. Mantooth, Ventura County Superindent of Schools #5 Mike Panesis, Cal Lutheran Center for Entrepreneurship #6 Greg Gillespie, Chancellor Ventura County Community College District #7 Water Focus Show: Susan Mulligan & Maruicio Guardado. Calleguas MWD & United Water Conservation District #8 Bruce Stenslie, CEO Economic Development Collaborative-Ventura County #9 John Greathouse, UCSB Technology Management Program, Forbes, Venture Capital Investor #10 Mary Osborne, Pro Surfer and Local Legand. #11 Husam Hishmeh, Domino's Pizza #12 Dena Jenson, Director, Center for NonProfit Leadership #13 Dan Boyd, CEO Boyd & Associates. #14 Matt LaVere, 40 under 40, City Council, Gibbs Trucking Deal. #15 John Krist, CEO Farm Bureau of Ventura County #16 Marlyss Munguia Auster, CEO Visit Ventura #17 Max Drucker, CEO Carpe Data, (SB Start Up) (mike is gone) #18 Ron Greenwood & JC Oberst, Gold Coast Veterans Foundation #19 CA Assemblymember Jacqui Irwin 44th District #20 Ron Bamieh, Lawyer & Defense Attorney. #21 E Ashley Dean, Director of Corporate Development, Sports Academy #22 Thomas Fire: Relief, Recovery, Rebuild: Jim McGee CEO of Red Cross, Vanessa Bechtel, CEO of VCCF. Chris Collier & Emily Barany of thomasfirehelp.com #23 Capt. Janke, Commanding Officer Naval Base Ventura County #24 Dr Margit Cox Henderson - Trauma from Thomas Fire & - Optimistic Aging, from mid-life to the good life. You listen to any of these shows on marantha.com/articles or a podcast app like this one blubrry.com/bigmoney/ Non-Profit Spotlight Here is a review of the 2017 Non-Profit Spotlights. Keep an eye out for these groups doing awesome work in our community. Ventura Botanical Gardens California Lutheran University - Center for Non-Profit Leadership - Dena Jenson Surfrider Foundation - Ventura County Chapter Boys & Girls Club of Greater Ventura - Spencer Garrett MOXI The Wolf Museum of Exploration + Innovation - Santa Paula Animal Rescue Center - Elizabeth Wibbelmann Hoffman Association of Water Agencies of Ventura County Ventura Rotary Club - Staci Smith Johnson Food Forward Kirwin International Relief Foundation KidSTREAM Ventura Education Partnership - Madhu Bajaj Ventura Community Partners Foundation - Ed Wehan Ventura County Farm Day - Mary Maranville Charmaine Hilton Buehner, VCLA Ventura Police Community Foundation - Ashley Bautista Gold Coast Veterans Foundation Women's Economic Ventures - Marsha Bailey Salvation Army of Ventura Museum of Ventura County - Elena Maria Brokaw Ventura County Community Foundation, American Red Cross Ventura County Chapter Resource Conservation Partners - Jessica Morrison Suz Montgomery, The Senior Advocate You can listen to any of the 30 minute shows on maranantha.com/articles or on a podcast app like this oneblubrry.com/bigmoney/ 2-Minute Drill Michael talks about investments and financial planning at the end of the show. This is called the 2 minute drill.  Do you have a written investment plan?  This written plan does not have to be complex, but it can help you segment your assets into short term and longer term investment vehicles. You can get financial planning help at Maranantha.com or find a local fee-only advisor at NAPFA.ORG The Mailbag Each week we have questions from listeners. Sometimes its a guest local expert talking a specific topic. We've had Greg Abrams from American Pacific Mortgage, Greg Mauk from Geico Local Office in Oxnard. We've had Luke from Sunrise Enterprise & Construction and Steve Lazenby from ASR Property Restoration.

Henry Dubroff is the founder of the Pacific Coast Business Times, the weekly business journal for the Central Coast of California. The Business Times is the dominant financial news source in Ventura, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties. The Business Times has won multiple awards from the Los Angeles Press Club and is a five-time winner of the Society of American Business Editors & Writers “Best in Business” competition. Dubroff provides daily commentaries on KCLU, a National Public Radio station, and he writes op-eds on economic issues for the Sunday Denver Post. He was the U.S. Small Business Administration's Business Journalist of the Year for Greater Los Angeles and was the 2013 winner of the California Coast Venture Forum's Entrepreneurial Spirit Award.

Overview Michael talks about the book Unshakeable by Tony Robins. Interview with founder of the Pacific Coast Business Times, Henry Dubroff. 2-Minute Drill Michael lays out the 1st principle of his 12 principles of personal finance.  Progress not Perfection. Non-Profit Spotlight Andy Taylor of UCSB highlights where non-profits in Ventura County can go for help. CLU's Center for Non-Profit Leadership.  Link to Center for Non Profit Leadership at CLU The Mailbag Michael answers a few questions emailed in by listeners. Contact us  allocationlink.com  or maranantha.com also via email. Michael@Maranantha.com Enjoy the show and please join us again soon! Sponsors: Geico Local Office – Greg Mauk Serving the 805 Pierpont Raquet Club – Since 1977 Spanish Hills Country Club – Previews Available Ventura Partners Foundation – Give the gift of Play! MINI OF CAMARILLO – Ask to speak with Sr.

Greg Van Ness is the CEO of Tolman & Wiker Insurance Services and one of the show sponsors. We enjoy Greg's visits to the studio, as he always leads us in a masterclass on some subject related to business. This episode is about how the conversation about culture colors most areas of business. He uses examples from his work at Tolman & Wiker to illustrate key points. The culture at the firm is largely responsible for the winning the #1 Best Place to Work in Santa Barbara, Ventura and San Luis Obispo Counties by the Pacific Coast Business Times. This award was based on direct feedback from their team members. Greg says that culture is the foundation of delivery for clients as they are focused on the customer experience first. Their culture embodies a high regard for people and a strong concern for results. We talked about how culture affects recruiting. Listen to this show with Vlad Vaiman about Recruiting and Attracting employees; he insists it is 100% about your culture. Here's some of the items and Mark, Patrick and Greg talked about: • Why you have insurance in the first place • Why recruiting is as much about selling the firm as it is about qualifying the candidate • Their 3 point checklist for cultural fit, of potential candidates • His impression of the quality of people coming into the field. The answer? He's impressed. • How they handle training and development of team members • Have you ever heard of Malware Insurance • We talked about Risk Management in an earlier episode and revisited it to discuss - How you identify the risk - What insurance to buy - How to prevent (accidents) - How to assume it (risk) - How to transfer it (risk) • What's the hidden risk in most busineeses? • What's the role of TEDTalks in the workplace?

Zhena Muzyka, author, keynote speaker, mom and activist founded of Zhena’s Gypsy Tea in 2000 to fund her son’s lifesaving operations. Celebrated for her work in organic, biodynamic and fair-trade business practices, Zhena’s story and products have been featured in Good Housekeeping, Marie Claire, Inc., Entrepreneur, Woman’s World, O: The Oprah Magazine, the Los Angeles Times, and Every Day with Rachael Ray, and on the Dr. Oz Show and Good Morning America. Zhena’s honors include Women Entrepreneur award from Country Living, Enterprising Women of the Year award from Enterprising Women magazine, a Socially Responsible Business award, Pacific Coast Business Times’s Fastest-Growing Companies award, Inc. magazine’s 5000 Fastest-Growing Companies, and Coco Eco magazine’s 20 most inspirational women. TOPICS: "How to find your purpose + Why fellowship and asking for help is so important + How to show up for your dreams and start where you are + How to turn your burden into a blessing + The power of money and your relationship with it.

In this Simply Delicious Living PODCAST, Host Maryann Ridini Spencer speaks with Jill Friedman, the 2016 Legacy Award Winner and NAWBO Ventura Board Member about her advocacy for women and women's issues. *** Jill Friedman, NAWBO Ventura Board Member and a successful civil litigation attorney dedicated to social justice and the advancement of women and minorities in the legal profession, receives the “Legacy Award” from Women Lawyers of Ventura County (WLVC) at its annual dinner on September 15, 2016, from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at the Museum of Ventura County. Jill will also be the keynote speaker. Jill receives this prestigious honor, in part, for her dedication to social justice and the advancement of women and minorities in the legal profession. While serving as a two-term President of WLVC (2011 and 2012), Jill noticed a distinct lack of diversity among the judicial officers in Ventura County. As a result, she was instrumental in organizing the leaders of other bar association groups to form the Ventura County Diversity Bar Alliance (VCDBA), which is committed to the empowerment of women, people of color, and those historically disenfranchised in the legal profession, through education and advocacy in order to promote equal justice for our community and achieve excellence and diversity in our legal profession. Jill is also responsible for forging a lasting relationship between WLVC and Girls, Inc., (including a program at the Juvenile Justice Complex in Oxnard where women lawyers work with incarcerated girls on a monthly basis assisting them with education, money matters, confidence building, and practical life skills). In addition to being a crusader of women’s rights, Jill also holds the prestigious position of being named the first female partner of the law firm of Myers, Widders, Gibson, Jones & Feingold. She works as a successful trial lawyer and civil litigation attorney in the areas of business, employment, real estate, and personal injury.. Previous to her Legacy Award honor, the Pacific Coast Business Times named Jill as one of the “Top 50 Women in Business” and “Who's Who in Attorneys,” and Legal publisher Martindale-Hubbell named her as one of “Los Angeles's Women Leaders in the Law.” Upon law school graduation in 1987, Jill first started practicing in Ventura County. In 1990, she served as President of Ventura County Barristers, and the following year Jill was named Vice-President of the California Young Lawyers Association. In 1993, Jill returned to her hometown of Santa Barbara to take care of her terminally ill mother, and during her 17 years of legal practice in Santa Barbara, she held a number of bar leadership positions, including President of Santa Barbara Women Lawyers. She returned to Ventura County in 2010 after raising her three children. *** Find out more about the September 15, 2016 Women Lawyers of Ventura County (WLVC) dinner event, click here. Find out more about Jill and Meyers, Widders, Gibson, Jones & Feingold, LLP: mwgjlaw.com Visit NAWBO Ventura: nawbovc.org    

LINDSEY Carnett, is the CEO and President of Marketing Maven Public Relations, ranked second fastest growing PR firm in the United Sates by O’Dwyer’s. Featured in the Forbes Most Powerful Woman Business Leader issue, Lindsey has taken her business expertise across America and enlightened marketing peers and those new to the industry about mobile marketing and positive online reputation. With over ten years developing brand equity, advertising, and marketing, Lindsey has garnered media attention on Good Morning America, the Today Show, the front page of Wall Street Journal, USA Today, New York Times, PRWEEK, BusinessWeek and more. Lindsey has received a Top Women in Business Award from Pacific Coast Business Times, a Silver Stevie Award as Female Entrepreneur of the Year and received multiple 40 Under 40 Awards. See her beautiful infographic show notes, plus her top tips and advice for entrepreneurs and aspiring entrepreneurs at www.TodaysLeadingWomen.com or by clicking here!