Podcasts about strategic coach

Keith breaks down where the U.S. housing market appears to be headed and which regions and states are quietly winning or losing in the population shuffle since 2020—and what that could mean for real estate investors.  You'll also hear about an intriguing cash-flow play in single-family rentals in select Southern markets. Then, Keith is joined by financial strategist and comedian Garrett Gunderson, who challenges the usual "scrimp and save" advice. Together, they explore how to build real wealth without sacrificing your life today, how high-net-worth individuals often get money wrong, and a different way to think about financial independence, freedom, and investing in yourself. Resources: Get Garrett Gunderson's Killing Sacred Cows audiobook free: DM @GarrettBGunderson on Instagram with the words "Keith Cows." Episode Page: GetRichEducation.com/595 For access to properties or free help with a GRE Investment Coach, start here: GREmarketplace.com GRE Free Investment Coaching: GREinvestmentcoach.com Get mortgage loans for investment property: RidgeLendingGroup.com or call 855-74-RIDGE  or e-mail: info@RidgeLendingGroup.com Invest with Freedom Family Investments.  For predictable 10-12% quarterly returns, visit FreedomFamilyInvestments.com/GRE or text  1-937-795-8989 to speak with a freedom coach Will you please leave a review for the show? I'd be grateful. Search "how to leave an Apple Podcasts review"  For advertising inquiries, visit: GetRichEducation.com/ad Best Financial Education: GetRichEducation.com Get our wealth-building newsletter free— GREletter.com  Our YouTube Channel: www.youtube.com/c/GetRichEducation Follow us on Instagram: @getricheducation Complete episode transcript:   Keith Weinhold  0:01   Keith, welcome to GRE. I'm your host. Keith Weinhold, is the future direction of the housing market trending up or trending down? Which states have seen the most population growth? Then powerful wealth mindset tactics with a financial comedian today on get rich education   Speaker 1  0:20   since 2014 the powerful get rich education podcast has created more passive income for people than nearly any other show in the world. This show teaches you how to earn strong returns from passive real estate investing in the best markets without losing your time being a flipper or landlord. Show Host Keith Weinhold writes for both Forbes and Rich Dad advisors, and delivers a new show every week since 2014 there's been millions of listener downloads and 188 world nations. He has a list show guests and keep top selling personal finance author Robert Kiyosaki, get rich education can be heard on every podcast platform, plus it has its own dedicated Apple and Android listener phone apps build wealth on the go with the get rich education podcast. Sign up now for the get rich education podcast or visit get rich education.com   Keith Weinhold  1:04   the same place where I get my own mortgage loans is where you can get yours. Ridge lending group and MLS, 42056, they provided our listeners with more loans than anyone because they specialize in income properties. They help you build a long term plan for growing your real estate empire with leverage. Start your prequel and even chat with President chailey Ridge personally. While it's on your mind, start at Ridge lending group.com that's Ridge lending group.com   Speaker 2  1:38   You're listening to the show that has created more financial freedom than nearly any show in the world. This is get rich education.   Keith Weinhold  1:54   Welcome to GRE from Mount Rainier to Mount Rushmore and across 188 nations worldwide. I'm Keith Weinhold, and this is get rich education. I am not a Lambo driving influencer that will take any brand deal just to shill a gambling platform instead. Our core strategy at GRE is aging. Well, I've spoken with a lot of LP investors with capital calls and deals that lost all their money. Well, we approach wealth building with discipline and consistency. It doesn't sound dazzling, but it really shines when things go wrong elsewhere, because at least for the core of our portfolios, we get long term fixed rate debt for income property get paid five ways and win the inflation triple crown, and we do it all with a high degree of passivity. Right before I took the mic today, I got a two sentence email from a property manager that said an air conditioning unit's air handler board had to be replaced for $420 I don't even know what an air handler board really is. Now, the manager sent some photos in a written estimate. I quickly checked chat GPT, and I saw that the price was about right, and replied to my manager to go ahead and have that done. That's it an example of relative passivity. US residential real estate has nominally appreciated over every single 10 year period in modern history, despite some occasional short term downturns, even those are not common. Well, we recently had a guest mention that it's 20 years at the longest like 20 years or less is the period of time between which real estate never goes down. He was right. But you actually can't find any 10 year period where home values fell. What about the 2008 global financial crisis, I think that's the first place that the mind goes. Well back then, home values bottomed out at 208k in 2009 before they started growing again. And 10 years before that, the median price it was 157k in 1999 so even when home values hit their GFC low at that point, they were still up 32% from the previous 10 years. So you can confidently say then that over any 10 year period, home prices are up nationally. Now, how about the future? Well, for the future, there is more evidence of rising home prices. Building permits for new homes have fallen to their lowest level since 2019 that's according to the census bureau. So fewer single family homes are being built. Now we plan to discuss that more on. Next week show when we dive deep on does America really have a housing shortage? But this week, more reasons for future home price bullishness is that the labor market now, it's not doing that great. It sure isn't white hot, but unemployment, which was already low, that recently dropped a touch lower to just 4.3% inflation has fallen to 2.4% and wages are rising faster than that. In fact, our own Fed Chair recently remarked at how he's surprised at the strength of the economy. The property market analytics firm kotality, they now expect home prices to appreciate another four and a half percent this year. They and other firms continue to believe that the Midwest will be the hottest area of home price growth even more than that four and a half percent in that region. That is because not only is the Midwest underbuilt, it's that the prices are so affordable that it's attracting young people. The other factor is that mortgage rates recently dipped just below six into the high fives again, and that can release this pent up housing demand, and think about where we've come from. In late 2023 mortgage rates were about 8% and now lower mortgage rates also reduce the lock in effect, so it can create both more sellers and more buyers. The thing to remember is that 70% to 80% of home sellers are also home buyers because they've got to live somewhere. And first time homebuyers, of course, they buy only, they don't sell anything. In fact, former GRE guest in housing wire lead analyst Logan modeshami and Barry Habib were just positing on this at housing wire's latest summit on how the volume of home sales has been depressed for so long that lower rates could very well trigger a rush of buyers, these kind of people that have been delaying purchasing for years, this pent up housing demand being released if indeed rates go lower. People think they know the future, but we don't really know that that's going to happen for sure. But a lot of optimism about this phase of the housing market supported by not great, but decent economic conditions. Of course, that new housing demand is going to manifest unevenly across the nation. So let's talk about the places that have seen the most population growth from 2020 to today, basically the states that support that housing demand. Well, between 2020 and today, the US has grown by about 10 million people. That's over 3% nearly every state grew. But the bigger story is where that growth is happening. And really, here's the jaw dropper as a region, the South, gained more people than all of the other regions combined, about 7.6 million new residents in the south since 2020 the South's population is up 6% the West's almost 2% the Midwest population is up more than 1% and The Northeast up seven tenths of 1% again, this is not per year. This is total population growth from 2020 to today, Florida and Texas, they led the nation among the big states, both up almost 9% sprinting like they just found out that income tax is optional. The Carolinas in Tennessee are big southern growers too. People clearly keep moving toward warmer weather, a lower cost of living, lower taxes and job markets. Nothing new there. California in New York are the biggest losers in absolute numbers, California losing half of 1% of population in New York, a full 1% people keep moving away from these traditionally expensive, high tax coastal states like a buffet when the crab legs run out, people just getting up and leaving. That's not any sort of news story there, either. These trends help cash flow residential real estate investors like us, because the south aligns with that favorable landlord tenant law and those high ratios of rent income to purchase price. Luckily for us, that's where people are moving too. The Midwest has those phenomena as well, although their growth has been slower.    Keith Weinhold  9:39   Now a few Midwest highlights for you. Since 2020 the population of Indiana is up 2.8% quietly benefiting from Illinois. Escape Velocity, Missouri up almost 2% and that's growing mostly in Kansas City and St Louis suburbs. Ohio at almost 1% that's pretty modest growth overall, but Columbus up 5% that is flexing like it just landed a semiconductor plant there in Columbus, the intermountain west has bicep bulging growth, but it rarely works for us, because rents are only a little higher, but property prices are way higher. Yes, those pretty Rocky Mountain states, great Instagram, tough cash flow now Louisiana, it is a state that confounds people. It's a warm place, and it has a low cost of living, you would think Louisiana would be attracting people in droves for those reasons. Well, then why is its population following Louisiana down nine tenths of 1% since 2020 Well, you've got bleak job prospects that make Louisianans leave its tax competitiveness ranks 31st property insurance costs are high thanks to environmental risk. Louisiana has more swamps than beaches. Even the NFL saints were six and 11, and if they had made the playoffs, that wouldn't have made people move back. And hey, no personal shade here, I enjoy going to the New Orleans investment conference in Cajun culture, in Airboat Tours through the alligator filled Bayou, fun stuff, but for income producing property, you got to seek out different characteristics than just vacation Glee or how Good the gumbo tastes keep emotion separate from investing, Hawaii is America's biggest percentage loser. Its population is down one and a half percent since 2020 its cost of living is stratospherically high, with a median home value of just a little over a million dollars. That results in net outmigration to the mainland parts of the Aloha state now experience natural decrease. That means that deaths exceed births. Natural decrease. That's mostly a phenomenon on the Big Island. That's not where Honolulu is. That's where you have Kona and Hilo when young people can't afford to stay demographic gravity kicks in population loss. Hawaii is also highly dependent on tourism, meaning more volatility in recessions. It has contractor availability issues and higher repair costs, partly due to shipping materials to the remote islands. What about the upsides of Hawaiian real estate? Well, you're just going to have this inherent, strong, long term land scarcity and lifestyle desirability overall. Hawaii isn't bad. It's just hard. And I like Hawaii as a place to vacation, so the best times in my life were in Hawaii. Now, with all this said, These are broad generalities about states which are big places themselves right now. There are certainly Missouri real estate investors listening to me that are actually losing, and Hawaii real estate investors that are winning, and even cash flow positive. I'm talking general trends here, and this is with respect to long term rentals, not short term rentals. If your rent to price ratio is as low as point three or point four, like it often is near the coasts, well then you are speculating on appreciation. That's what that means. All 50 states have opportunity. All 50 states have no go zones. People keep moving south. That's a trend that the pandemic accelerated six years ago. More opportunity is concentrated there. That's got nothing to do with vacation excitement. That is population math, and I'm talking about swimming with the tide here in our Don't quit your Daydream newsletter I recently sent you that colorful population change map that I was describing some of there. More recently, I also emailed you that great and rare map of landlord friendly versus tenant friendly states mapped out and a lot of other great stuff.    Keith Weinhold  14:17   Before we bring in our firebrand guest, Garrett Gunderson, I just learned about a really strong opportunity for a provider of single family rentals and duplexes in Memphis and Little Rock. They're providing a locked in 5% interest rate and 5% property management for five years. Yeah, that's not a throwback to 2020 it's what mid south homebuyers calls their triple five program. They are the oldest and most trusted, maybe turnkey investment provider in the country, operating since 2002 and what they do is they offer these fully renovated, occupied rental properties in Memphis and Little Rock, two of the strongest cash flow markets in the South. With financing and management and rates that make the math work like it hasn't in years. So again, 5% interest, 5% property management fees for a full five years. You know those markets, they already had these investor advantage numbers with rent to price ratios mere point eight in Memphis and Little Rock. But yeah, that low 5% mortgage rate, even for renovated properties, not just new build. That's the kind of spread that turns a good deal into a great one. So to give you an idea, if you get a 30 year fixed rate mortgage loan amount of 125k with a 7% mortgage rate, your principal and interest payment is 832, at a 5% rate, it's just 671, so that's $160 more cash flow right there, and it's made a tad sweetener than that with just a 5% Property Management rate. And I don't know how long that offer is going to last, but it is available now and for the next little while, you can ask about it. When you visit mid southhomebuyers.com that's mid southhomebuyers.com and you can ask them about their triple five program. More next. I'm Keith Weinhold. You're listening to Episode 595, of get rich education.    Keith Weinhold  16:19   Flock homes helps you retire from real estate and landlording, whether it's one problem property or your whole portfolio, through a 721 exchange, deferring your capital gains tax and depreciation recapture, it's a strategy long used by the ultra wealthy. Now Mom and Pop landlords can 721, the residential real estate request your initial valuation, see if your properties qualify@flockhomes.com slash GRE, that's F, l, O, C, K, homes.com/gre. You know, most people think they're playing it safe with their liquid money, but they're actually losing savings accounts and bonds don't keep up when true inflation eats six or 7% of your wealth. Every single year, I invest my liquidity with FFI freedom family investments in their flagship program. Why fixed 10 to 12% returns have been predictable and paid quarterly. There's real world security backed by needs based real estate like affordable housing, Senior Living and health care. Ask about the freedom flagship program when you speak to a freedom coach there, and that's just one part of their family of products, they've got workshops, webinars and seminars designed to educate you before you invest start with as little as 25k and finally, get your money working as hard as you do. Get started at Freedom family investments.com/gre, or send a text. Now it's 1-937-795-8989 Yep. Text their freedom coach directly. Again, 1-937-795-8989,   Dani-Lynn Robison  18:08   this is freedom family investments. Co founder, Danny Lynn Robinson, listen to get rich education with Keith Weinhold, and don't quit your Daydream. You Brenda.   Keith Weinhold  18:24   Today's guest is someone that America knows as the long haired, bearded money guy in the past, he's drawn physical appearance comparisons to Jesus Christ. He's a prominent financial strategist. Founded an eight figure company, hit the Inc 500 he's both a New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestselling author. He is just an electric speaker, including appearances in front of dozens of billionaires. And he's just got this great way of speaking to financial freedom that hits you differently. He even has a comedy special that's great to welcome back to the show. Garrett Gunderson,   Garrett Gunderson  19:02   that's good to be back. Man. Is really good. Love your energy. Has a nice intro.   Keith Weinhold  19:07   Well, you give a lot of like, nice guidance to people that's somewhat different than they're used to hearing. You know, Garrett, I think a lot of the conventional guidance is, you know, it's not very far above Elementary School advice like, put your credit card in the freezer so you don't use it too often, but a lot of times you speak to either business owners or people that have already had some success, and I think a lot of your underlying mantra is, hey, you better live your best life now   Garrett Gunderson  19:35   I kind of feel like you are your greatest asset, and if you starve out that asset because you don't feed it with knowledge, or you don't invest in yourself, or you don't gain the skills that really matter because you're so addicted to scrimping and sacrificing and building your balance sheet right, trying to build savings accounts and retirement plans and doing all you can to pay off that mortgage. Yeah, you could become a millionaire on paper. But will you live like one? Will you enjoy your. Life. What about all the memories that you miss along the way? What about having quality of life today and creating a life you don't want to retire from? The wealthy people, they didn't get that way because they shrunk their way there. They didn't get that way because they were amazing budgeters. They built businesses. They created value. They learned how to, you know, sell or speak or market or have business acumen that grow business or to hire people, and having those systems that actually impact more people or more deeply impact the people that they serve, because it's about value creation and their value creators. And I think this notion of just thinking, Oh, I could just trade time for money and set money aside. Man, that's a really painful way to get to a million dollars, but Northwestern Mutual, they just put out an article that said, 32 or 34% of millionaires don't feel wealthy, because if you have money tied up in an account that isn't kicking off cash flow, it doesn't feel like wealth. You can't spend that net worth. It's just a statement if you don't learn how to create cash flow. And I love financial independence, where people have cash flow from assets to cover their expenses now their lifestyle is covered from that cash flow. Now they can reinvest every active dollar into themselves and their quality of life, into more cash flowing assets, into taking trips along the way, not just waiting until they're too old to enjoy it.   Keith Weinhold  21:13   You work with business owners all the time, and you've even worked with some ultra high net worth people that still seemed to scrimp and save. Do you think really, what is that the function of? Is it more of the wrong mindset or the wrong tactics when someone acts that way?   Garrett Gunderson  21:32   It's a mindset that's really kind of handed down to them? Yeah, maybe from their parents or grandparents or from a different era, like there's people that were, you know, in the Great Depression, that then tells stories to their family about how tough it was, and you never know when that money could go away. So you got to hold tight, and it's a scarcity mindset. So one of the wealthiest clients I ever had, I mean, this was a guy who he was worth a lot of money, but you would never know it. I saw him on TV one day. I was like, Dude, he needs new clothes, and we found a strategy to save him a bunch of money. He was just buying his inventory with cash or like, let's buy it on a plum card, and you'll get cash back. I just said, Just take 10% of that cash back, which was over $100,000 a month, and spend it on yourself. He's like, Well, I wouldn't know to spend it on I'm like, Well, how about some new clothes to start with? He's like, Okay. And then the next month, he bought a nest system for his house. The next month he bought a sound system. Eventually, saved up enough money to buy a Tesla, which he really wanted, like it was money that was there for him, but it changed his entire paradigm, because now he had a quality of life. He was very philanthropic and donated money. He built massive businesses, but he never treated himself well. He'd never felt like it was okay to spend that money because of his upbringing, because the way that his parents viewed money and the way that their parents viewed money, and it was always something that felt scarce. So it felt like, okay, will this go away? And the reality was, we just found money in your couch cushions, essentially. So why not enjoy it along the way? He eventually bought a home that he loved on the water, that he loves the garden. I mean, it was like a total transformation with that one simple thing to help him heal his relationship with money, overcome scarcity, because he was already highly productive. He just had to break free from this budgetary mindset.   Keith Weinhold  23:09   That's great. It was almost like, Dude, I can see it in you. Before we even talk. You got that code off the rack at Burlington. I swear you can do better than this. Come on, now   Garrett Gunderson  23:17    30 years ago, 30 years ago too. You know, it doesn't even fit anymore.   Keith Weinhold  23:23   Well, you know, I recently dedicated a complete episode Garrett to the way I put it is that the risk of delayed gratification is denied gratification. Now, there are some good things to be said for delayed gratification, I think, especially when you're younger, or you're just starting out in the working world, and you just tried to cover rent for your apartment and you don't have much else. Delaying some gratification is good. You need to form capital. You need to get liquid. I try to avoid saying stacking savings, because that gets people in the mindset of becoming super savers sometimes, and they miss out on returns. But what I mean about the risk of delayed gratification, being denied gratification, if it's taken too great of an extent, is, you know, I'm talking about the guy where, when he was 24 he used to say, Oh, I'm going to visit the Galapagos Islands someday. That's what I want to do. But you can just tell by the time you talk to the dude, when he's 48 he begins to use the past tense for things he wanted to do, for example, then he might start saying, Oh, well, I guess I never did visit the Galapagos Islands. You know, you can tell with people when they use the past tense, and that's when you know that their future is not bigger than their past, and a lot of that is the reflection of their financial status.   Garrett Gunderson  24:40   I got married at age 23 and the first two years, well, it was really like the first year and a half, maybe I was just such a miser. I gave my wife a $400 a month budget for an apartment, and we found out that there's places you don't want to live in Utah. I didn't know it, but she's like, is this what you want? And I was like, This doesn't feel like a safe neighborhood. And then you. Know, I was like, All right, maybe $600 I was still kind of really scarce. And my parents were like, Why don't you just live in our basement, rent free, and my wife's like, sex free. If you think that's where we're living, I'm gonna live in my parents basement, you know? Because I just thought money was something to save. So I saved me over 50% of my income. And a lot of people were like, that's amazing. Congratulations. Great job. And so I felt really good about it, and then I realized that my business wasn't growing as fast as this other person my age. I met him at an event, and a year later, he was doing better. And I was like, Dude, what's going on? I could hear it in your voice. I could hear like, you're just a different person. He goes, Oh, I'm doing two things. One, I just hired this guy, Steve D'Annunzio, and he changed my entire life. And I was like, I need to meet him. He's like, he happens to be here in Vegas. He's from Rochester. Introduced me. I hired him as my coach right away. I'm hearing all these people talk about strategic coach at the same event, and they had a booth. So I signed up for Strategic Coach, which meant I had to part with some of my money. Think it was $7,500 I hired Steve as a one on one mentor, and all of a sudden I was investing in myself, yeah. And I broke free from those chains of like, reduction and restriction into the game of production. And then I even had a situation where a woman called me out at the same event. This was a life changing event where she's like, I wonder what it's like living in a financial prison you built for your wife. It's like, Oh, see, that's what happened. I thought I was responsible, and building that responsibility that's actually building walls. And when I came home for that event, my wife and I started looking for our home. Within a few months, we found one. I bought a home. It was very easily within my means. I basically made as much as I paid for this house that we loved. We lived there for nine years. We built so many memories. You know, we had our two kids while we were there, I started host study groups, and that year, I grew my income by $170,000 with the coaching of strategic coach, Steve dnunzio And this woman, Nancy, calling me out. The next year, it grew by even more because the skills started to compound. I decided from that moment forward, I would spend at least $40,000 a year, which I might be able to reach for some people, but at least $40,000 a year on mentors. Is a guy named Alan. He writes my meal plans and my workouts, and I'm at 10% body fat because he knows exactly what they do. I do what he says. It was worth this $10,000 investment, because now I pay attention what I pay for, and I look at like if I'm my greatest asset, how can I create more energy? How can I create more value? How can I feel better about myself? How can I show up the very best version of I am, so I can deliver the most to the other people. And so I've always just been in amazing groups. I just got back from two different events in Beverly Hills around amazing people, learning incredible things that allow me to grow. I haven't spent a huge amount of money on a mentor last year to figure out something that I hadn't been able to figure out to this point. It's the same thing I did to become a speaker, to become a writer or even learn how to sell or market, you've got to invest in the skill, not just in the savings account. You grow yourself first, and then you grow your money. If you starve yourself out because you're in that miserly mindset, you're going to stunt your growth and never be fully fulfilled.   Keith Weinhold  27:56   You're your own best investment. And yes, this stuff is the varying definition of investing in yourself. Don't live below your means. Grow your means and all of that.   Garrett Gunderson  28:05   Grow your means and be more efficient within your means. I mean, the best way I know how to save is not overpay on tax, which 98% of business owners are doing that today. You know, don't overpay on interest, because you either restructure your loans, renegotiate your interest rates, reallocate underpouring funds to pay it off, or you remove investment drag. A lot of people have unnecessary fees and hidden commissions that drag on their investments. Or just design your insurance properly so it's more efficient. Those four i's, IRS, interest, investments and insurance show you how to keep more of what you make, take some of that money, build up your foundation so you have a peace of mind fund, so you have staying power, at least six months of liquidity and then invest more into yourself or learn how to create cash flow. This is the game the wealthy play. But the poor middle class, they think it's about paying off a mortgage and funding the retirement plan, and they will argue about it until it's too late, when they get there and now their homes paid off, but the property taxes are higher than their mortgage was 20 years ago, you know. Or they have home maintenance they have to take care of, or inflation has destroyed the value. Like if someone were to put away 100 grand and they wait for 30 years if they got 10% which the market did the last 30 years, if you reinvest dividends, they're going to have right around $1.7 million but if they have to pay 2% in fees, fiduciary fees, 12 b1 fees, which are marketing fees for the fund expense ratio, you know, the fees of maybe a retirement plan, and they now have 2% fees. It only goes to 1.1 million. Huge difference. And that 1.1 million if we account for inflation, even if we said inflation was low, like 2.7% over that 30 years. Well, by the time we pay for inflation and tax, guess what? The purchasing power value is like, 300 grand $300,000 that's a problem, and it's because they didn't learn to create cash flow. It's because they didn't learn to invest in themselves. It's because they relied completely on a market they don't control. I'm not saying the market is completely something to avoid. I'm saying we go in sequence. How do you grow your income for. First, then how do you keep more of the income you make with? You know, financial savvy and plugging leaks. Then learn to grow your money, but maybe growing your money. For some I like to think of like three dimensional assets, like real estate's three dimensional. It can grow in equity, it can create cash flow, and it has tax advantages. But my business is three dimensional, the more my business creates cash flow, without me, the more equity it has, and that business has major tax advantages. So most people are one dimensional, pay off a loan, put a money in retirement account. That's the poor, middle class. Wealthy people build a system where they've got three dimensional assets, equity, cash flow and tax savings. And that is a complete game changer, because then they can employ the buy borrowed I strategy, if you have assets like, you know, an individual stock, or if you have assets, like a piece of real estate or a business, you could borrow against it. There's no tax on that five for life, right? You keep refinancing. Or you can even do charitable trust to avoid the taxes upon the sell of those paying no tax when there's gains. Or you can pass it on to the next generation with a step up in basis, which means they get it at the full value and not have to pay the difference. And if you have life insurance, the life insurance will pay back the loan that tax free as well. So buy, borrow, die. I mean, it's a completely different thought process of defer taxes. If you defer taxes, I get it. You could do a Roth IRA or Roth 401. K Sure, that'll let you put after tax money in and grow it. But where's the cash flow? What's the underlying investment? How does it help you create financial independence? How does it help you does it help you grow your skills to become a better investor? We've been taught to be lazy, not that people are lazy. We've just been taught to be lazy with our money. We've been fed a narrative. I don't have the time, I don't have the skill, I don't have the interest, but I want to have it, so I just hand it over. And who do we hand it over to Keith Wall Street. Wall would you trust Wall Street? Like you flew to Frankfurt not long ago. Would you get on Wall Street airlines where they're like, hey, sometimes our planes go up, sometimes they go down. That would brand, and he'd feel inspired, right? Would you go to Wall Street, you know, hospital? Or like, hey, he lost one of your kidneys, and by loss, we stole it and resold it. You know, like, Wall Street doesn't have a brand. That's good. It's boiler room. It's Wolf of Wall Street. It's the movie Wall Street with Michael Douglas. You know, greed is good like yet that's what people put their money into. And you can go to any downtown and any major city, and guess who has the biggest buildings, insurance companies, banks and Wall Street investment companies. So you're taking the size of your home and shrinking it to build up their building and put money in their pocket. And their story is, it's because they're Ivy League, they're smart. They try to make it complicated, but you don't have to know most of the things you think you need to know about finance. The foundational things are important, how to protect your assets, how to design insurance, to transfer risk, how to have some liquidity, how to automate your savings. And then you focus like Warren Buffett would teach. He said, You know how people would become a better investor if they only had 20 investments they could make over their lifetime? He says, I don't diversify because I'm in the know. He's like, I'm a good businessman, therefore I'm a good investor and I'm a good investor because I'm a good businessman. I don't separate the two. Yeah, most people think he's a stock market investor. No, he buys out the companies in the stock market. Rarely does he have minority stakes in it. He does have some of that, maybe with Coca Cola and apple, but he bought a lot of companies outright, whether it was Geico, whether it was See's Candies, whether it was like he buys these companies, he's so far outperformed the stock market by billions of dollars from an index fund like what he has, versus someone that put the same money in an index fund, Warren has billions more from his investments than the person that put all their money in the index fund, even if it was the same amount. It's completely about strategy, not about luck.   Keith Weinhold  33:30   Yeah, it's the Andrew Carnegie, put all your eggs in one basket and then watch your basket. Yeah? Watch that basket like a hawk. Totally. Yeah. I mean, stacks mutual funds, they have what I call those five simultaneous drags. If you think you're getting a 10% long term return over time, subtract out inflation, emotion, taxes, fees and volatility. What do you have left? Not much. But there's no friction there. It is just the easiest thing to do ever since decades ago, 401 K contributions begin to become automated throughout your paycheck, sometimes even automatically, automated   Garrett Gunderson  34:04   values your permission opt out. It's easy. You have to opt out, right? It's Big Brother. You don't know what's best for you. And by the way, how crazy are four one K's. Part of the reason the market has gone up in value is because people consistently fund for one case, whether the market's going up or down, they're told $8 cost average. So that's artificially fueling the market. When we see the numbers, there's a buffet index, and it's like 2.9 times higher than what he's comfortable with, with the stock market, because of how overinflated the market is, partially due to inflation, partially because people put money in. But let's remember, why did 401, K's even come about? Because pensions failed. And by the way, these pensions failed and they had world class money managers managing these multi billion dollar pensions, but they didn't know about something called disinvesting, or didn't know enough about it. When the market goes down and pension money is owed, they still have to pull money out of the pension to pay the employee which disinvests, which pulls more money out of the account. So now instead of just being 10% down, they might be 17% down. And so even if the market comes back 10% it's 10% of only 83% of the money. So not even back to square one. And if it goes down a second year in a row, they're in real trouble. It starts to chip away at the principal, and they can't recover. And that happened to pensions, and they said, Oh, here, we can't handle these. We're going bankrupt. We're going to get rid of pensions. You take care of it. Well, guess what? Vanguard says, the average balance in a 401, k right now is $148,000 how someone's supposed to live on $148,000 even if you could get 10% that's $14,800 a year taxable, that's not going to do it. Even if you have a million dollars, where are you going to put the million dollars to get the return without risking it going down? Maybe you're going to be in treasuries at 5% that's $50,000 taxable per year. You're a millionaire on paper, but living poorly. That's why I'm here to call these things out. I think that my book Killing Sacred Cows, which was my original New York Times bestseller, which is probably how we met. Yeah, I rewrote it. I rewrote it, rereleased it in 2024 and I'll give people the audiobook. They just have to DM me on Instagram. Garrett B Gunderson and DM the word cows with Keith's name, cows and Keith or Keith and cows. I'll hook you up with the book for free, so you can learn about the nine financial myths. We're talking about some of them here, but there's also some comedy in there, so they can laugh after each chapter. I threw some comedy in there. You know, if you like my comedy, I'm not the funniest comedian. I'm just the funniest money comedian. That's the reality.   Keith Weinhold  36:33   When we had the very inventor of the 401 k plan, Ted benna, come onto the show, he revealed to us that when 401 K plans rolled out, they were first called salary reduction plans. They had to scrap that name in order to foster participation. But reducing your salary is still principally what it does to you. You got to think about it that way and blow up some of these myths. But Garrett, you've already given a lot of great technical information about what someone can do, how someone can think differently. Bigger pictures, we're sort of winding down here. You know, when I'm thinking about this whole delayed versus denied gratification thing, how do you meter it out right throughout your life? I mean, what's your earmark your family legacy? How do you meter it out, right so you don't have too much or too little at the end of your life?   Garrett Gunderson  37:15   I like to see this strategy of, like, what would the rockfellers do that I wrote about is, you know, the beginning before that strategy is you pay yourself first, which has always been around Richest Man in Babylon. Tons of books talk about it. My argument is you want to pay yourself at least 15% of your personal income, off the top, to a separate account. Once you get six months in that account, now you start to invest that money, but you build your stability with that peace of mind. And we want 15% because the luxury once enjoyed becomes a necessity. So you want more money in the future, not the future, not less propensity to you know, there's also, just like planned obsolescence, things break down. You have to repair them. Technological change, we're buying new technology that doesn't even exist. I have now subscriptions to a bunch of AI things that help me out, right? But I'm spending more money. There's also taxes, those could go up in the future, or 38 trillion in debt as we film this, which is a crazy number. And there's also inflation. If we give 3% to each of those five factors, that's 15% now again, use the four i's, IRS, interest, investments and insurance to find that money, not just budgeting. But then here's the magic. At least 3% of your income should go to a separate account called the Living wealthy account. That's your guilt free spending, value based spending account, so you enjoy some money along the way. These are the things that are the finer things in life that people might say are wasteful. You know, there's a book called unreasonable hospitality that talks about this, 11 Madison Avenue was the number one rated restaurant in the world. And, you know, will who wrote the book talked about they had 3% of their budget to just go wild on their customers dream making money, right? So to create the special experience in the restaurant, and even the bear, I think was season three, showed some of that process of how they do that. So I highly recommend taking a certain percentage. You get to enjoy along the way. It could be higher than 3% but start there, and you're going to feel better, you're going to have different energy, you're going to show up in a different way. And then from there, I just believe in having trust, so that your money's outside of your estate, and protecting financial predators so you own nothing but control everything. And I personally use life insurance. I use just standard over, you know, like basically properly structured, optimally funded whole life, so that death benefit will come in after I die. It allows me to spend more of my money and then have it replenished so I can enjoy more of my money along the way, because I know that death benefit will be there for my wife or even for my family trust after I'm gone, so I don't disinherit the people that I love.   Keith Weinhold  39:31   Garrett Gunderson, he can take you through these steps, which he calls financially fit, to financially independent, and then finally to financially free. Tell us a little more about that going through those steps.   Garrett Gunderson  39:44   So financial fitness means your financial house is in order. You've got everything handled properly, car insurance, homeowners, liability, disability, medical life insurance, your corporate structures as a business owner, how you pay yourself, your taxes the last three years and move. Moving forward your investments. It's like, you know what it's going on. You've improved your cash flow, and you're dialed in. You're as safe as you could possibly be. Then financial independence is, how can we create income, especially from a business that comes in when you don't, that's people, that's processes, that's technology, so that you can be involved, but you don't have to be involved. This is the part most people miss, yeah, and I think it's crazy. A lot of people have this notion they're just going to work so hard so they can sell their business one day, I'm like, What about just creating a business that you love so much you don't want to sell it? What about giving up the things that are burning you out and have the employees that can take care of that so you do the things that you love and then just enjoy life along the way, take some little trips, take some time off and come back in. The business grows up when you're away, they learn how to do things without you, and then you can still create value into that business. I sold the business in 2021 and really regretted it, because I kind of was so removed from the business. I kind of felt like it lost its soul and I didn't feel connected to it. So this time around, I started a business in July of 2024 I'm like, I'm only going to work with the P with the people I love, building things that I love, and I'm not going to let myself get burned out by doing too much. We're going to take two weeks in Hawaii coming up here in April, just enjoy some time together as a family. We do quarterly family retreats with my wife and kids. We do traditions with my family up at my cabin, like I want to have this great life where it's blurs the lines between work and play. I have a little quote from someone else that talks about that art of life is blurring the lines between work and play, but also just having complete play sometimes that there is no work. So I come back refreshed, relaxed, rejuvenated and ready to create. And so really, that financial independence gives you permission to swing for the fences and what you do, knowing your foundation is handled, knowing that your lifestyle is covered, from assets to create cash flow gives you work optional freedom. But instead of retiring, think, what could your biggest impact be like? Create the life you don't want to retire from. Create a vision so compelling you can dedicate your life to it and find that the win is actually in the work, not just the outcome. I think that is the elegance of we win when we play, and when we have more play in our life. We don't try to escape from something. And when you start something, you might have to do things you hate, but you can eventually delegate it, and then life becomes great. I mean, one of my early coaches, Dan Sullivan, who I mentioned, a strategic coach. He's in his 80s, still behemoth of creating value in the in the market. To listen to him, you know, he's phenomenal. He's made such a huge difference in my life, and he has no intent of retiring. He just gets smarter every year, adds more value, builds more infrastructure, and he's the one that taught me the merit of free days, just taking time off, taking time away. So, yeah, that's financial independence. Is cash flow, and then financial freedom is a state of mind. It's when money is no longer the primary reason or excuse you would do or not do something. It's a consideration, but it's no longer the consideration means that you have a healthy relationship with money. Money is an asset and an ally, not an enemy. You don't come from a place of scarcity. You come from a place of abundance. You can be more present with your family and doing what you do without feeling distracted. I think wealth is our ability to be present, not necessarily how much money we have in a bank account. I think we have a good amount of money in a bank account, and we can be present. That is like true wealth.   Keith Weinhold  43:12   It harkens back to the John D Rockefeller, he who works all day has no time to make money. Rockefeller would have said, you can architect a wealth plan if your head is down on the assembly line, that means gradually move your offer. It's from trading your time for dollars over to owning assets that pay you to own them. Garrett's comedy special is called the American Ream. There's no D in that word, R, E, A, M. You can look that up, Garrett. It's been enlightening as always. Thanks so much for coming back onto the show.   Garrett Gunderson  43:43   Hey man, good to be back.   Keith Weinhold  43:51   Always. A lively conversation with Garrett, besides some great mindset perspective, he's really good at saving you tax and setting you up with asset protection. Though he's not as real estateish as me, he's pretty savvy. For example, He's aligned on the fact that, for example, say you have an 80k debt. Well, it doesn't necessarily mean that it makes sense for you to pay that off sometimes it does, but what happens to your net worth anytime you pay off an 80k debt, well, let's see. You've reduced your asset side by 80k and you've reduced your debt side by 80k so your net worth is the same, and retiring the debt means that you might have lost leverage, lost cash flow and lost tax advantages, all at the same time on Instagram, send a DM with the two words, Keith Cows to Garrett B Gunderson, and he'll hook you up with his book for free next week on the show, we go deep on does America really have a housing shortage with an expert analyst. Until then, I'm your host. Keith Weinhold, don't quit your Daydream.    Speaker 4  45:01   Nothing on this show should be considered specific, personal or professional advice. Please consult an appropriate tax, legal, real estate, financial or business professional for individualized advice. Opinions of guests are their own. Information is not guaranteed. All investment strategies have the potential for profit or loss. The host is operating on behalf of get rich Education LLC, exclusively   Keith Weinhold  45:29   The preceding program was brought to you by your home for wealth. Building, get richeducation.com  

What happens when technology stops asking us to use our brains, our imagination, and our judgment? Dan Sullivan and Jeffrey Madoff trace the journey from radio and early television to social media and AI, and show entrepreneurs how to stay uniquely human, think critically, and build theatrical companies that technology can't compete with. Show Notes:​The shift from radio to television showed how adding visuals can change our engagement with a story, sometimes in ways that make us more passive as audiences.​Music videos and MTV forced musicians to become visual content creators, even when their real talent and passion were in the music itself. If you rely on technology as your main point of differentiation, you lock yourself into constant, exhausting adaptation as the tools change overnight.​Treat social platforms as corporate media, not “social” spaces, and remember that if the service is free, you and your attention are actually the product being sold.​Algorithms tend to amplify negative, alarming content because it gets more attention and clicks, even though it often harms people's thinking and mood.​Our brains are more reactive to perceived threats and negativity than to calm, positive information.​Great companies are built by entrepreneurs who cast people for roles based on character, potential, and fit, not just past experience or static job definitions.​Entrepreneurs also need to consciously recast themselves over time so their role stays aligned with what they do best and find most meaningful.​What many people label a “crisis” is often just a loss of convenience or comfort, which is a sign of how little real adversity they have had to face.​Technology consistently eliminates repetitive heavy labor, but it doesn't automatically produce more creativity or fulfillment—those require personal choice and intention.​Resources: Casting Not Hiring by Dan Sullivan and Jeffrey Madoff Your Business Is A Theater Production: Your Back Stage Shouldn't Show On The Front Stage The Road to Serfdom by F.A. Hayek Learn more about Jeffrey Madoff Dan Sullivan and Strategic Coach®

Dr. Kevin Christie interviews Shannon Waller of Strategic Coach about entrepreneurial alignment and leadership for chiropractors. Shannon shares how she joined Strategic Coach after working in corporate training and dealer assessment programs, starting in sales and later moving into training design and building team programs. They discuss a key mindset shift: seeing yourself as an entrepreneur with a specialty in chiropractic care, not only a doctor focused on craft. Shannon explains Strategic Coach's Unique Ability framework—activities range from incompetent and competent to the “excellent trap” (superior skill and strong reputation, but boredom), and finally Unique Ability (superior skill plus passion), which she describes as a 10x return. Shannon outlines a leadership model based on self-awareness, team awareness, and business awareness. They cover delegation extremes that sabotage teamwork: the “delegation death grip” and “drive-by delegation.” Shannon recommends Strategic Coach's Impact Filter to clarify purpose, ideal outcome, risks, and success criteria. They close with Strategic Coach fit criteria (minimum $200,000 personal income and three years in business) and resources at strategiccoach.com and yourteamsuccess.com.

In this episode of RevOps Champions, Strategic Coach partner Shannon Waller shares deep insights into alignment, growth, and long-term team success. She explains why values and vision are the make-or-break factors for scaling, the difference between entrepreneurial and corporate mindsets, and how leaders can foster growth and unique ability. The conversation covers growth mindset, AI in the results economy, and her framework for self-awareness, team awareness, and business awareness. This is essential listening for founders and RevOps professionals aiming to build aligned, self-managing teams.What You'll LearnWhy alignment on values and vision determines whether a company scales or stallsThe critical difference between corporate and entrepreneurial mindsetsHow to spot and prevent misalignment during hiringWhy reflection, not experience alone, drives real growthShannon's three-part framework: self-awareness, team awareness, and business awarenessA simple 5-minute communication tool to improve team alignment immediatelyResources MentionedThe Team Success HandbookMultiplication by Subtraction Who Not HowMindset No Ego Working Genius Kolbe IndexEntrepreneurial Operating SystemYourTeamSuccess.com Strategic CoachIs your business ready to scale? Take the Growth Readiness Score to find out. In 5 minutes, you'll see: Benchmark data showing how you stack up to other organizations A clear view of your operational maturity Whether your business is ready to scale (and what to do next if it's not) Let's Connect Subscribe to the RevOps Champions Newsletter LinkedIn YouTube Explore the show at revopschampions.com. Ready to unite your teams with RevOps strategies that eliminate costly silos and drive growth? Let's talk!

Real entrepreneurs don't wait for permission, causes, or perfect conditions. The game is about habitually creating their own rules and opportunities. Dan Sullivan and Jeffrey Madoff share how doubling down on what fascinates you, persevering when others chase the next trend, and always being the buyer are the secrets to transforming your entire entrepreneurial lifetime.​Show Notes: Chasing causes keeps you reactive, while building personal agency gives you freedom to create your own game in the marketplace.​Everyone doubles down on something over their lifetime, and successful entrepreneurs consciously double down on a lifelong fascination, not a passing issue. Your fascination is the thing you want to get to the bottom or center of, and it quietly organizes your entire entrepreneurial life.​Strategic Coach® thinking tools exist to help entrepreneurs turn their own life experience into a clear mission and a set of repeatable structures. The real breakthrough isn't being right all the time; it's being willing to think about things nobody else is thinking about, even if you're occasionally wrong. The future is a series of guesses and bets, and top entrepreneurs build confidence in their ability to bet on themselves over and over again. Opportunity doesn't show up fully formed; entrepreneurs create value first, then opportunities appear around that value. Perseverance is a core entrepreneurial character trait because meaningful projects always take longer, cost more, and demand more capability than expected.​In any negotiation, the real buyer is the one who can walk away, and entrepreneurs build businesses so they can always be that person. You're only an entrepreneur if you can't be fired, because you created the structure that pays you instead of plugging into someone else's. Resources: Always Be The Buyer by Dan Sullivan Man's Search For Meaning by Victor E. Frankl Kolbe A™ Index Learn more about Jeffrey Madoff Dan Sullivan and Strategic Coach® 

Happiness can be tricky for entrepreneurs, especially when the outside world thinks you've already “made it.” In this episode, Dan Sullivan shares a simple daily framework for staying genuinely happy as an entrepreneur, regardless of what's happening in your business, your relationships, or the larger world around you.Here's some of what you'll learn in this episode:Why an entrepreneur's happiness depends on three simple ingredients.How to measure your daily achievement in a way that actually feels like progress.What excites Dan most about creating and sharing a brand-new thinking tool.Why your greatest value shows up when you spend your time doing activities you genuinely love. Show Notes: Entrepreneurial happiness comes from a way of being that you practice every day, not a goal or a destination. The first ingredient for a happy entrepreneurial life is making real daily progress, not just occasional big wins. Measuring yourself against an ideal future is like measuring your distance to the horizon line—you never feel any closer. You feel genuinely successful when you measure progress against where you started and what you've actually achieved. A simple end-of-day reflection on what you accomplished turns an ordinary day into a tangible gain you can build on tomorrow. The second ingredient for a happy entrepreneur is liking who you are, which means appreciating how you handle setbacks, not pretending you've never made mistakes.When you give yourself grace for past decisions, it becomes much easier to extend that same grace to other people. Even if you don't achieve your goal, you can be pleased with how you went about things. Being truly useful to other people each day is the third ingredient that makes entrepreneurial happiness feel complete.Strategic Coach® is built on hundreds of thinking tools that help entrepreneurs reframe situations and recognize the progress they're actually making. These three ingredients—progress, self-liking, and usefulness—keep you grounded in the present instead of trapped in past regrets or future fantasies. Of the three, liking who you are carries special weight because without self-respect, progress and usefulness don't feel satisfying.It's hard to feel useful doing work you're not good at or don't enjoy, so designing your role around your Unique Ability® is crucial for happiness. Greater self-awareness helps you like yourself more because you understand which situations you handle well and which ones you should avoid or delegate. Dan describes happiness as living in “local reality”—what's real, available, and actionable right now, instead of chasing someone else's reality.Viewing each day through this three-part lens is a practical way to keep your entrepreneurial confidence high, no matter what challenges arise. Resources: The Gap And The Gain by Dan Sullivan with Dr. Benjamin Hardy Shannon Waller's Team Success podcast Unique Ability® The Positive Focus®

 La mayoría de los emprendedores viven atrapados en lo que Dan Sullivan denomina la "Economía del Subproducto": un ciclo interminable donde el objetivo principal es buscar seguridad financiera, estatus y validación externa. Sin embargo, esta búsqueda obsesiva del dinero es precisamente la barrera que impide alcanzar la verdadera libertad y crecimiento exponencial.

Many entrepreneurs are technically “in business” but still trapped working for a relentless, 24/7 boss: themselves. In this episode, Dan Sullivan and Jessica Christy unpack what it takes to build a true entrepreneurial company instead. Hear how a painful team exodus became Jessica's biggest growth catalyst and how clear core values, better leadership, and greater control over your life create a company you never want to retire from. Here's some of what you'll learn in this episode:Jessica's original “entrepreneurial moment” while she was still working for someone else.How her medical aesthetics company, Beauty Culture, helps clients far beyond surface-level appearance.What makes her company stand out in a crowded, diluted industry.How to build the confidence to step into big, scary opportunities.What Jessica has gained since joining Strategic Coach®. Show Notes: Most entrepreneurs aren't running true companies yet; they've simply created a demanding job where they work for themselves. When you're self‑employed, your “boss” follows you everywhere—24 hours a day, 365 days a year—and is often tougher than any previous employer. Being your own boss doesn't automatically make you a good boss, especially for your team or for your future self. The Four Freedoms at the heart of entrepreneurial motivation are freedom of time, money, relationship, and purpose, and true entrepreneurial companies are built to expand all four. If you've designed a life and business you truly love, the desire to retire largely disappears because work is an expression of your purpose.​When entrepreneurs get together, the most valuable conversations are about how they transformed failures and crises into breakthroughs, not just about their wins.​The more you learn as an entrepreneur, the more aware you become of how much you don't know, which keeps you curious, humble, and growth oriented. People rarely leave “bad jobs” so much as they leave a lack of leadership; team members crave clear vision, accountability, and support from their boss. Strong core values act as the navigating compass for your entire company, guiding who you hire, fire, promote, and partner with. Resources: The 4 Freedoms That Motivate Successful Entrepreneurs The E-Myth Revisited by Michael E. Gerber Unique Ability®

If Elon Musk were to hit certain performance benchmarks, his compensation could reach a trillion dollars. The idea that a single individual could earn that much money has sparked strong reactions and widespread discomfort. Dan Sullivan and Jeffrey Madoff break down what's really happening, why it provokes intense feelings, and what this moment reveals about wealth, markets, and modern capitalism. Show Notes: Most people struggle to understand how a single individual could earn something approaching a trillion dollars. The idea of one person generating that level of wealth creates confusion, resentment, and widespread misunderstandings—economically, politically, and culturally.Much of Elon Musk's valuation comes not just from his companies, but from who he is perceived to be and what people believe his creations will do in the world. Taken together, that belief is what leads some to argue that he's probably “worth” a trillion dollars.Musk is a mercurial figure, and there's ongoing debate about whether the wealth he generates ultimately flows into other people's pockets or stays concentrated at the top.Investors aren't just betting on Tesla or SpaceX. They're betting on Elon Musk himself.Musk has publicly suggested he could walk away from his companies if his demands aren't met, a stance that leaves many investors exposed and uncertain.Tesla is no longer the only company with strong advantages in manufacturing, distribution, or sales networks, which changes how investors assess its future.One of Musk's most significant achievements came through SpaceX, where launch costs were reduced by roughly 90%, reshaping the economics of space travel.In Musk's case, it's precisely the scale and audacity of his bets that have elevated him to celebrity status—and made so many people willing to bet on him in return. Resources: What's In It For Them? by Joe Polish Learn more about Jeffrey Madoff Dan Sullivan and Strategic Coach®

In this episode of Capability Amplifier, I'm sharing my 2026 Annual Predictions — and they aren't abstract, theoretical, or “someday” ideas.These are the shifts already reshaping:How money is madeHow companies are builtHow teams are replaced, compressed, or amplifiedAnd how one person can now do what used to take an entire organizationThis is about more leverage, fewer bottlenecks, and protecting your humanity while everything accelerates.I'll walk you through real examples — from building medical diagnostic software in the Amazon jungle…to prototyping investment platforms, films, brands, and businesses in days instead of years.If you're a founder, operator, investor, or creator wondering “How do I stay ahead of this?” — this episode is your map.Watch the full episode on YouTube (or listen below).KEY INSIGHTS & TAKEAWAYSAI Is No Longer OptionalThe question isn't if you'll use AI — it's whether you'll use it intentionally, or be replaced by someone who does.The One-Person Company Is RealWe're closer than anyone realizes to the first one-person billion-dollar business. AI is collapsing org charts and multiplying output per human.Speed Is the New SuperpowerI show how ideas now move from conversation → prototype → revenue in days — using tools like NotebookLM, Claude, Gemini, and synthetic video.“Outside Movies” vs. “Inside Movies”Learn how to create fast, persuasive media that sells your vision — and internal media that aligns your team instantly.AI as a Time MachineAI isn't about working harder — it's about reclaiming minutes, hours, and days of your life by eliminating low-value work.Hollywood Is Dead — Brands Are the New StudiosYou no longer need crews, studios, or massive budgets to produce cinematic, persuasive content. The gatekeepers are gone.Robots Are Replacing Roles (Fast)Human hiring is down. Robot deployment is exploding. The smart move is capturing your institutional knowledge now.Community Is the New LuxuryAs AI companions rise, real human connection becomes more valuable, not less. Zig where everyone else zags.Degrees Are Losing PowerNobody cares where you went to school. They care whether you can solve $100K problems — or create million-dollar opportunities — with AI.Humanity Still WinsAI doesn't dehumanize us. Humans do that. Used correctly, AI makes you more creative, more connected, and more impactful.TIME STAMPS[00:00:00] The 2026 Wake-Up CallWhy the last 12 months rewrote the rules of business — permanently.[00:02:10] How This Entire Presentation Was Built With AIFrom voice notes to research, scripts, and video — in minutes.[00:05:12] The “Outside Movie / Inside Movie” FrameworkHow to sell your vision fast and align your team instantly.[00:07:23] The Amazon Jungle StoryUsing AI to compress a 2.5-hour fundraising pitch into a 2-minute cinematic video.[00:13:20] Building Medical Software in 90 MinutesHow a phone, AI, and a dream became a working diagnostic tool in the rainforest.[00:16:30] AI Power Shifts & Global Tech MovesWhy speed, not politics, determines who wins next.[00:22:26] Electricity = CurrencyWhy energy, compute, and AI tokens are the new oil.[00:24:39] The Ford MomentRobots replace labor, and productivity explodes.[00:26:21] Capturing Institutional KnowledgeHow to future-proof your business before roles disappear.[00:30:18] Disrupting Private Equity in a DayFrom idea to millions raised — without code, developers, or months of planning.[00:36:34] Prediction Markets & the Vice EconomyWhy platforms like Polymarket outperform traditional polling.[00:38:23] Hollywood Is Officially DeadSynthetic media, AI films, and the rise of brand-built studios.[00:40:50] The Loneliness EconomyWhy AI connection is rising — and why real community now commands a premium.[00:44:45] The Collapse of the DegreeWhat actually matters in hiring and opportunity creation now.[00:48:53] AI as a True Time MachineHow AI agents quietly work in the background while you live your life.[00:52:08] The Singularity WindowWhy the next 6–18 months matter more than the last 20 years.[00:54:01] Remember Your HumanityWhy none of this matters if you lose what makes you human.If you've been feeling the acceleration…If you sense the old rules breaking…If you know there's a smarter, faster, more human way forward…This episode will help you see it — and step into it.– MikePS – See if there's still tickets to Ai Accelerator LIVE this March 25th - Live from Genius Network HQ: 

Today's media environment constantly tugs at your emotions and makes it harder to think clearly about your future. In this episode, Dan Sullivan and Shannon Waller show how to treat feelings—especially being bothered—as raw material rather than reality, and how to quickly turn intense emotional energy into insight, better decisions, and creative projects that expand your future possibilities.​​Here's some of what you'll learn in this episode:How information overload and constant media input affect the way people think.How Dan feeling bothered has led to the creation of powerful Strategic Coach® thinking tools.What taught Dan to flip negative feelings into a new project.How you can actually change the past.A thinking process that helps you separate emotion from any situation so you can respond creatively instead of reactively. Show Notes: Modern news and social media are engineered to grab your feelings, which can crowd out your ability to think about your own future. Constantly reacting to events outside of you makes it harder to think clearly and see where you actually want to go.​Feelings are experienced physically and biologically, not intellectually, which is why they can be so overwhelming in the moment. There's a big difference between simply having feelings and using those feelings to trigger real thinking and new ideas. Strong emotions, whether positive or negative, are early warning signals that something needs to be understood, decided, or created. When you get deeply bothered by an experience, you can either stay stuck in the story or use that energy to design a better future. Many of Strategic Coach's most powerful thinking tools, including The Experience Transformer®, were created because Dan was determined not to repeat a negative experience.​Capturing the energy from a negative event and channeling it into a specific creative project gives you huge momentum—but only for a short window of time. Reinterpreting past experiences through learning changes how they feel and upgrades your capabilities going forward.​Taking ownership of your emotional responses gives you power, control, and agency instead of leaving you at the mercy of circumstances or other people.  Resources: Multiplication By Subtraction by Shannon Waller Transforming Experiences Into Multipliers Not Being Bothered by Dan Sullivan

Do you dread deadlines? Though they can feel constraining, deadlines sharpen focus and give you permission to cut out all distractions. Dan Sullivan and Jeffrey Madoff share insights on how entrepreneurs can rethink deadlines and use them strategically to accomplish their goals. Show Notes: Some people aren't clear about what they actually want to control, yet they still try to control everything.Deadlines are valuable, but they need to be realistic. It's important to understand what can—and can't—be accomplished within a given time frame.Your past experience is one of the best indicators of whether a deadline is achievable.A clear deadline gives you permission to focus on one thing at a time. Without a firm deadline, distractions tend to creep in and slow progress.When focusing on the project is your only option, your productivity increases dramatically.What looks like procrastination may sometimes be preparation—thinking through the next best action.Watching others grow can be uncomfortable for people who aren't growing themselves.Making money is one skill; knowing how to keep it is another.Resources: “Your Business Is A Theater Production: Your Back Stage Shouldn't Show On The Front Stage” Casting Not Hiring by Dan Sullivan and Jeffrey Madoff Learn more about Jeffrey Madoff Dan Sullivan and Strategic Coach® 

In this episode of Welcome to Cloudlandia, we explore how Miles Copeland, manager of The Police, turned Sting's unmarketable song "Desert Rose" into a 28-million-dollar advertising campaign without spending a dime. The story reveals a powerful principle most businesses miss—the difference between approaching companies at the purchasing department versus the receiving dock. Dan introduces his concept that successful entrepreneurs make two fundamental decisions: they're responsible for their own financial security, and they create value before expecting opportunity. This "receiving dock" mentality—showing up with completed value rather than asking for money upfront—changes everything about how business gets done. We also explore how AI is accelerating adaptation to change, using tariff policies as an unexpected example of how quickly markets and entire provinces can adjust when forced to. We discuss the future of pharmaceutical TV advertising, why Canada's interprovincial trade barriers fell in 60 days, and touch on everything from the benefits of mandatory service to Gavin Newsom's 2028 positioning. Throughout, Charlotte (my AI assistant) makes guest appearances, instantly answering our curiosities. SHOW HIGHLIGHTS How Miles Copeland got $28M in free advertising for Sting by giving Jaguar a music video instead of asking for payment. Why approaching the "receiving dock" with completed value beats going to the "purchasing department" with requests. Dan's two fundamental entrepreneur decisions: take responsibility for your financial security and create value before expecting opportunity. How AI is accelerating adaptation, from tariff responses to Canada eliminating interprovincial trade barriers in 60 days. Why pharmaceutical advertising might disappear from television in 3-4 years and what it means for the industry. Charlotte the AI making guest appearances as the ultimate conversation tiebreaker and Google bypass. Links: WelcomeToCloudlandia.com StrategicCoach.com DeanJackson.com ListingAgentLifestyle.com TRANSCRIPT (AI transcript provided as supporting material and may contain errors) Dean Jackson: Mr. Sullivan, Dan Sullivan: Good morning. Good morning. Dean Jackson: Good morning. Good morning. Our best to you this morning. Boy, you haven't heard that in a long time, have you? Dan Sullivan: Yeah. What was that? Dean Jackson: KE double LO Double G, Kellogg's. Best to you. Dan Sullivan: There you go. Dean Jackson: Yes, Dan Sullivan: There you go. Dean Jackson: I thought you might enjoy that as Dan Sullivan: An admin, the advertise. I bet everybody who created that is dead. Dean Jackson: I think you're probably right. Dan Sullivan: Yeah. I was just noticing that. Jaguar, did you follow the Jaguar brand change? Dean Jackson: No. What happened just recently? Dan Sullivan: Yeah. Basically maybe 24. They decided to completely rebrand. Since the rebranding, they've sold almost no cars and they fired their marketing. That's problem. Problem. Yeah. You can look it up on YouTube. There's about 25 P mode autopsies. Dean Jackson: Wow. Dan Sullivan: Where Dean Jackson: People are talking mean must. It's true. Because they haven't, there's nothing. It's pretty amazing, actually, when you think about it. The only thing, the evidence that you have that Jaguar even exists is when you see the Waymo taxis in Phoenix. Dan Sullivan: Is that Jaguar? Dean Jackson: They're Jaguars. Yeah. Dan Sullivan: I didn't know that. Yeah. Well, yeah, they just decided that they needed an upgrade. They needed to bring it into the 21st century. Couldn't have any of that traditional British, that traditional British snobby sort of thing. So yeah, when they first, they brought out this, I can't even say it was a commercial, because it wasn't clear that they were selling anything, but they had all these androgynous figures. You couldn't quite tell what their gender was. And they're dressed up in sort of electric colors, electric greens and reds, and not entirely clear what they were doing. Not entirely clear what they were trying to create, not were they selling something, didn't really know this. But not only are they, and then they brought out a new electric car, an ev. This was all for the sake of reading out their, and people said, nothing new here. Nothing new here. Not particularly interesting. Has none of the no relationship to the classic Jaguar look and everything. And as a result of that, not only are they not selling the new EV car, they're not selling any of their other models either. Dean Jackson: I can't even remember the last time you saw it. Betsy Vaughn, who runs our 90 minute book team, she has one of those Jaguar SUV things like the Waymo one. She is the last one I've seen in the wild. But my memory of Jaguar has always, in the nineties and the early two thousands, Jaguar was always distinct. You could always tell something was a Jaguar and you could never tell what year it was. I mean, it was always unique and you could tell it wasn't the latest model because they look kind of distinctly timeless. And that was something that was really, and even the color palettes of them were different. I think about that green that they had. And interesting story about Jaguar, because I listened to a podcast called How I Built This, and they had one of my, I would say this is one of my top five podcasts ever that I've listened to is an interview with Miles Copeland, who was the manager of the police, the band. And in the seventies when the police were just getting started, miles, who was the brother of Stuart Copeland, the drummer for the police. He was their manager, and he was new to managing. He was new to the business. He only got in it because his brother was in the band, and they needed a manager. So he took over. But he was very, very smart about the things that he did. He mentioned that he realized on reflection that the number one job of a manager is to make sure that people know your band exists. And then he thought, well, that's true. But there are people, it's more important that the 400 event bookers in the UK know that my band exists. And he started a magazine that only was distributed to the 400 Bookers. It looked like a regular magazine, but he only distributed it to 400 people. And it was like the big, that awareness for them. But I'll tell you that story, just to tell you that in the early two thousands when Sting was a solo artist, and he had launched a new album, and the first song on the album was a song called Desert Rose, which started out with a Arabic. It was collaboration with an Arabic singer. So the song starts out with this Arabic voice singing Arabic, an Arabic cry sort of thing. And this was right in the fall of 2001. And Speaker 1: Yeah, that's a good, Dean Jackson: They could not get any airplay on radio airplay. You couldn't get American airplay of a song that starts out with an Arabic wailing Arabic language. And so they shot a video for this song with Chebe was the guy, the Che Mumbai, I guess is the singer. So they shot a video and they were just driving through the desert between Palm Springs and Las Vegas, and they used the brand new Jaguar that had just been released, and it was really like a stunning car. It was a beautiful car that was, I think, peak Jaguar. And when Miles saw the video, he said, that's a beautiful car. And they saw the whole video. He thought you guys just made a car commercial. And he went to Jaguar and said, Hey, we just shot this video, and it's a beautiful, highlights your car, and if you want to use it in advertising, I'll give you the video. If you can make the ad look like it's an ad for Sting's new album. I can't get airplay on it now. So Jaguar looked at it. He went to the ad agency that was running Jaguar, and they loved it, loved the idea, and they came back to Miles and said, we'd love it. Here's what we edited. Here's what we did. And it looks like a music video. But kids, when was basically kids dream of being rock stars, and what do rock stars dream of? And they dream of Jaguars, right? And it was this, all the while playing this song, which looked like a music video with the thing in the corner saying from the new album, A Brand New Day by Sting. And so it looked like a music video for Sting, and they showed him an ad schedule that they were going to purchase 28 million of advertising with this. They were going to back it with a 28 million ad spend. And so he got 28 million of advertising for Stings album for free by giving them the video. And I thought, man, that is so, it was brilliant. Lucky, lucky. It was a VCR. Yeah. Lucky, Dan Sullivan: Lucky, lucky. Dean Jackson: It was a VCR collaboration. Perfectly executed. Dan Sullivan: Yeah. Yeah. It just shows that looking backwards capability, what I can say something that was just lucky looks like capability. Dean Jackson: Yeah, the whole, Dan Sullivan: I mean, basically it saved their ass. Dean Jackson: It saved Sting and Yeah. Oh yeah. But I think when you look in the, Dan Sullivan: No, it was just lucky. It was just lucky. I mean, if there hadn't been nine 11, there's no saying. There's no saying it would've gone anywhere. Dean Jackson: Right, exactly. Dan Sullivan: Well, the album would've gone, I mean, stain was famous. Speaker 1: It would've Dan Sullivan: Gone, but they probably, no, it's just a really, really good example of being really quick on your feet when something, Dean Jackson: I think, because there's other examples of things that he did that would lead me to believe it was more strategic than luck. He went to the record label, and the record label said, he said he was going to give the video to Jaguar, and they said, you're supposed to get money for licensing these things. And then he showed them the ad table that the media buy that they were willing to put behind it. And he said, oh, well, if you can match, you give me 28 million of promotion for the album, I'll go back and get some money from them for. And the label guy said, oh, well, let's not be too hasty here. But that, I think really looking at that shows treating your assets as collaboration currency rather than treating that you have to get a purchase order for it. Most people would think, oh, we need to get paid for that. The record label guy was thinking, but he said, no, we've got the video. We already shot it. It didn't cost us, wouldn't cost us anything to give it to them. But the value of the 28 million of promotion, It was a win-win for everyone. And by the way, that's how he got the record deal for the police. He went to a and m and said, he made the album first. He met a guy, a dentist, who had a studio in the back of his dental. He was aspiring musician, but he rented the studio for 4,000 pounds for a month, and he sent the police into the studio to make their album. So they had a finished album that he took to a and m and said, completely de-risk this for them. We've got the album. I'll give you the album and we'll just take the highest royalty that a and m pays. So the only decision that a and m had to make was do they like the album? Otherwise, typically they would say, we need you to sign these guys. And then they would have to put up the money to make the album and hope that they make a good album. But it was already done, so there was no risk. They just had to release it. And they ended up, because of that, making the most money of any of the a and m artists, because they didn't take an advance. They didn't put any risk on a and m. It was pretty amazing actually, the stories of it. Dan Sullivan: I always say that really successful entrepreneurs make two fundamental decisions at the beginning of their career. One is they're going to be responsible for their own financial security, number one. And number two is that they'll create value before they expect opportunity. So this is decision number two. They created value, and now the opportunity got created by the value that they got created. You're putting someone else in a position that the only risk they're taking is saying no. Dean Jackson: Yeah. And you know what it's, I've been calling this receiving doc thinking of most businesses are going to the purchasing department trying to get in line and convince somebody to write a purchase order for a future delivery of a good or service. And they're met with resistance and they're met with a rigorous evaluation process. And we've got to decide and be convinced that this is going to be a prudent thing to do, and you're limiting yourself to only getting the money that's available now. Whereas if instead of going to the purchasing department, you go around to the back and you approach a company at the receiving dock, you're met with open arms. Every company is a hundred percent enthusiastically willing to accept new money coming into the business, and you're met with no resistance. And it's kind of, that was a really interesting example of that. And you see those examples everywhere. Dan Sullivan: All cheese. Dean Jackson: All cheese. No, whiskers. That's exactly right. Dan Sullivan: Yeah. I mean, it's an interesting, funny, I'm kind of thinking about this. For some reason, my personal email number is entered into some sort of marketing network because about every day now, I get somebody who the message goes like this, dear Dan, we've been noticing your social media, and we feel that you're underselling yourself, that there's much better ways that we personally could do this. And there's something different in each one of them. But if you take a risk on us, there's a possibility. There's a possibility. You never know. Life's that we can possibly make some more money on you and all by you taking the risk. Dean Jackson: Yes, exactly. Send money. Dan Sullivan: Send money. Dean Jackson: Yeah. Dan Sullivan: Yeah. And they're quite long. They're like two or three paragraphs. They're not nine words. They might be nine paragraph emails for all I know, but it's really, really interesting. Well, they're just playing a numbers game. They're sending this out to probably 5,000 different places, and somebody might respond. So anyway, but it just shows you, you're asking someone to take a risk. Dean Jackson: Yes. Yeah. I call that a purchase order. It's exactly it. You can commit to something before and hope for the best hope that the delivery will arrive instead of just showing up with the delivery. It's kind of similar in your always be the buyer approach. Dan Sullivan: What are you seeing there? Whatcha seeing Dean Jackson: There? I mean, that kind of thinking you are looking for, well, that's my interpretation anyway, of what you're saying of always be the buyer is that are selecting from Dan Sullivan: Certain type of customer, we're looking for a certain type of customer, and then we're describing the customer, and it's based on our understanding that a certain type of customer is looking for a certain type of process that meets who they're not only that, but puts them in a community of people like themselves. Yeah. So Dean Jackson: I look at that, that's that kind of thing where one of the questions that I'll often ask people is just to get clarity is what would you do if you only got paid if your client gets the result? And that's, it's clarifying on a couple of levels. One, it clarifies what result you're actually capable of getting, because what do you have certainty, proof, and a protocol around if we're talking the vision terms. And the other part of that is if you are going to get that result, if you're only going to get paid, if they get the result, you are much more selective in who you select to engage with, rather than just like anybody that you can convince to give you the money, knowing that they're not going to be the best candidate anyway. But they take this, there's an element of external blame shifting when they don't get the result by saying, well, everything is there. It's up to them. They just didn't do anything with it. Dan Sullivan: Yeah. I mean, it's a really interesting world that we're in, because we've talked about this before with ai. Now on the scene, the sheer amount of marketing attempts at marketing Speaker 1: Is Dan Sullivan: Going through the roof, but the amount of attention that people have to entertain marketing suggestions and anything is probably going down very, very quickly. The amount of attention that they have. And it strikes me that, and then it's really interesting. There's a real high possibility that in the United States, probably within the next three or four years, there'll be no more TV advertising. The pharmaceuticals. Dean Jackson: Yeah. Very interesting. Dan Sullivan: Pharmaceuticals and the advertising industry is going crazy because a significant amount of advertising dollars really come from pharmaceuticals. Dean Jackson: Yeah. I wonder if you took out pharmaceuticals and beer, what the impact would be. Dan Sullivan: I bet pharmaceuticals is bigger than beer. Dean Jackson: I wonder. Yeah. I mean, that sounds like a job for perplexity. Yeah. Why don't we Dean Jackson: Ask what categories? Yeah, categories are the top advertising spenders. Our top advertising spenders. Dan Sullivan: Well, I think food would be one Dean Jackson: Restaurant, Dan Sullivan: But I think pharmaceuticals, but I think pharmaceuticals would be a big one. Dean Jackson: Number one is retail. The leading category, counting for the highest proportion of ad spend, 15% of total ad spend is retail entertainment. And media is number two with 12% financial services, typically among the top three with 11% pharmaceutical and healthcare holds a significant share around 10%. Automotive motor vehicles is a major one. Telecommunications one of the fastest growing sectors, food and beverage and health and beauty. Those are the top. Yeah, that makes sense. Dan Sullivan: Yeah. But you take, what was pharmaceuticals? Eight, 9%, something like that. 10%. 10%. 10%, 10%. Yeah. Well, that's a hit. Dean Jackson: I mean, it's more of a hit than Canada taking away their US liquor by That was a 1% impact. Dan Sullivan: Yeah. Dean Jackson: Yeah. Dan Sullivan: Well, that's not going anywhere right now. They're a long, long way from an agreement, a trade agreement, I'll tell you. Yeah. Well, the big thing, what supply management is, do you remember your Canadians Dean Jackson: Supply management? You mean like inventory management? First in, first out, last in, first out, Dan Sullivan: No. Supply management is paying farmers to only produce a certain amount of product in order to Dean Jackson: Keep prices up. Oh, the subsidies. Dan Sullivan: Subsidies. And that's apparently the big sticking point. And it's 10,000 farmers, and they're almost all in Ontario and Quebec, Dean Jackson: The dairy board and all that. Yeah. Dan Sullivan: Yep, yep, yep, yep. And apparently that's the real sticking point. Dean Jackson: Yeah. I had a friend grown up whose parents owned a dairy farm, and they had 200 acres, and I forget how many, many cattle or how many cows they had, but that was all under contract, I guess, right. To the dairy board. It's not free market or whatever. They're supplying milk to the dairy board, I guess, under an allocation agreement. Yeah, very. That's interesting. Dan Sullivan: Yeah, and it's guaranteed they have guaranteed prices too. Dean Jackson: They're Dan Sullivan: Guaranteed a certain amount. I was looking at that for some reason. There was an article, and I was just reading it. It was about a dairy farm, I think it was a US dairy farm, and they had 5,000 cattle. So I looked up, how much acreage do you have to have for 5,000 dairy cows? And I forget what the number was, but it prompted me to say, I wonder what the biggest dairy farm in the world is this. So I went retro. I went to Google, and it's what now? Google. You know that? Google that? You remember Google? Oh, yeah, yeah. Old, good old Google. I remember that. Used to do something called a search on Google. Yeah, Dean Jackson: I remember now. Dan Sullivan: Yeah. Well, I went retro. I went retro, and I said, and the biggest dairy farm is in China. It's 25 million acres. Dean Jackson: Wow. In context, how does that compare to, Dan Sullivan: It's a state of South Dakota. It's as big as Dean Jackson: South Dakota. Okay. That's what I was going to say. That's the entire state of Dan Sullivan: Yes, because I said, is there a state that's about the same size? Dean Jackson: I was just about to ask you that. Yeah. Dan Sullivan: It's a Russian Chinese project, and the reason is that when the Ukraine war started, there was a real cutback in what the Russians could trade and getting milk in. They had to get milk in from somewhere else. So it comes in from China, but a lot of it must be wasted because they've got a hundred thousand dairy cows, a hundred thousand dairy cows. So I'm trying to Dean Jackson: Put that, well, that seems like a lot. Dan Sullivan: It just seems like a lot. Just seems like Dean Jackson: A lot. That seems like a lot of acreage per cow. Dan Sullivan: Yeah. Well, they, one child policy, they probably have a one acre, a one 10 acre per cow Dean Jackson: Policy. Yeah, exactly. Dan Sullivan: You can just eat grass, don't do anything else. Just eat grass. Don't even move. But really interested, really, really interesting today, how things move. One of the things that's really interesting is that so far, the tariff policies have not had much. They have, first of all, the stock market is at peak right now. The stock market really peak, so it hasn't discouraged the stock market, which means that it hasn't disturbed the companies that people are investing in. The other thing is that inflation has actually gone down since they did that. Employment has gone up. So I did a search on perplexity, and I said 10 reasons why the experts who predicted disaster are being proven wrong with regard to the tariff policies. And it was very interesting. It gave me 10 answers, and all the 10 answers were that people have been at all levels. People have been incredibly more responsive and ingenious in responding to this. And my feeling is that it has a lot to do with it, especially with ai. That's something that was always seen as a negative because people could only respond to it very slowly, is now not as a negative, simply because the responsiveness is much higher. That in a certain sense, every country in the planet, on the planet, every company, on the planet, professions and everything else, when you have a change like this, everybody adjusts real quickly. They have a plan B, Dean Jackson: Plan B, anyone finds loop Pauls and plan B. That's the thing. Dan Sullivan: Since Trump dropped the notion that he is going to do tariffs on Canada, almost all the provinces have gotten together in Canada, and they've eliminated almost all trade restrictions between the provinces, which have been there since the beginning of the country, but they were gone within 60 Dean Jackson: Days Dan Sullivan: Afterwards. Dean Jackson: It was like, Hey, there, okay, maybe we should trade with each other. Dan Sullivan: Yeah, yeah. Dean Jackson: Very funny. Dan Sullivan: Which they don't because every province in Canada trades more with the United States than with the states close to them across the border than they do with any other Canadian province. Anyway. Well, the word is spreading, Dean, that if you listen to welcome to Cloud Landia, that probably there'll be an AI partner. There'll be an ai. Dean Jackson: Oh, yeah. Word is spreading. Okay, that's good. Dan Sullivan: Yeah, I like that. So let's what Charlotte think about the fact that she might be riding on the back of two humans and her fame is spreading based on the work of two humans. Dean Jackson: Yeah, exactly. Yeah, that's funny. Dan Sullivan: Does she feel a little sheepish about this? Dean Jackson: It's so funny because I think last time I asked her what she was doing when we're not there, and she does like, oh, I don't go off and explore or have curiosity or anything like that. It'll just sit here. I'm waiting for you. It was funny, Stuart, and I was here, Stuart Bell, who runs my new information, we were talking about just the visual personifying her as just silently sitting there waiting for you to ask her something or to get involved. She's never let us down. I mean, it's just so she knows all, she's a tiebreaker in any conversation, in any curiosity that you have, or there's no need to say, I wonder, and then leave it open-ended. We can just bring Charlotte into it, and it's amazing how much she knows. I definitely use her as a Google bypass for sure. I just say I asked, we were sitting at Honeycomb this morning, which is my favorite, my go-to place for breakfast and coffee, and I was saying surrounded by as many lakes as we are, there should be, the environment would be, it's on kind of a main road, so it's got a little bit noisy, and it's not as ideal as being on a lake. And it reminded me of there's a country club active adult community, and I just asked her, is Lake Ashton, are they open for breakfast? Their clubhouse is right on the lake, and she's looking just instantly looks up. Yeah. Yeah. They're open every day, but they don't open until 10, so it was like nine o'clock when we were Having this conversation. So she's saying there's a little bit of a comment about that, but there's not a lakefront cafe. There's plenty of places that would be, there's lots of excess capacity availability in a lot of places that are only open in the evenings there. There's a wonderful micro brewery called Grove Roots, which is right here in Winterhaven. It's an amazing, it's a great environment, beautiful high ceilings building that they open as a microbrew pub, and they have a rotating cast of food trucks that come there in the evenings, but they sit there vacant in the mornings, and I just think about how great that environment would be as a morning place, because it's quiet, it's spacious, it's shaded, it's all the things you would look for. And so I look at that as a capability asset that they have that's underutilized, and it wouldn't be much to partner with a coffee food truck. There was in Yorkville, right beside the Hazelton in the entrance, what used to be the entrance down into the What's now called Yorkville Village used to be Hazelton Lanes. There was a coffee truck called Jacked Up Coffee, and it was this inside. Now Dan Sullivan: It's Dean Jackson: Inside. Now it's inside. Yeah, exactly. It's inside now, but it used to sit in the breezeway on the entrance down into the Hazelton Lane. So imagine if you could get one of those trucks and just put that in the Grove Roots environment. So in the morning you've got this beautiful cafe environment, Dan Sullivan: And they could have breakfast sandwiches. Dean Jackson: Yes. That's the point. That's exactly it. There used to be a cafe in Winterhaven, pre COVID. Dan Sullivan: I mean, just stop by Starbucks and see what Starbucks has and just have that available. Exactly. In the truck. I mean, they do lots of research for you, so just take advantage of their research. But then what would you have picnic tables or something like that? They Dean Jackson: Have already. No, no. This is what I'm saying is that you'd use the Grove Roots Dan Sullivan: Existing restaurant, Dean Jackson: The existing restaurant. Yeah. Which is, they've got Adirondack chairs, they've got those kinds of chairs. They've got picnic tables, they've got regular tables and chairs inside. They've got Speaker 1: Comfy Dean Jackson: Leather sofas. They've got a whole bunch of different environments. That would be perfect. But I was saying pre COVID, there was a place in Winter Haven called Bean and Grape, and it was a cafe in the morning and a wine bar in the evening, which I thought makes the most sense of anything. You keep the cafe open and then four o'clock in the afternoon, switch it over, and it's a wine bar for a happy hour and the evening. Dan Sullivan: Yeah, I mean, it's interesting. I mean, you've got a marketing mind, plus you've got years of experience of marketing, helping people market different things. So it's really interesting that what is obvious to you other people would never think of. Dean Jackson: I'm beginning to see that. Right. That's really an interesting thing. What I have. Dan Sullivan: I mean, it's like I was reflecting on that because I've been coaching entrepreneurs for 50 years, and I've created lots of structures and created lots of tools for them. And so when you think about, I read a statistic and its function of, I think that higher education is not quite syncing with the marketplace, but in December of last year, there was that 45% of the graduates of the MBA, Harvard MBA school had not gotten jobs. This was six months later. They hadn't gotten jobs, 45% hadn't gotten jobs. And I said, well, what's surprising was these 45% hadn't already created a company while they were at Harvard Business School, and what are they looking for jobs for? Anyway, they be creating their own companies. But my sense is that what they've been doing is that they've been going to college to avoid having to go into the job market, and so they don't even know how to get, not only do they know how to create a company, they don't even know how to get a job. Dean Jackson: Yeah. There's a new school concept, like a high school in, I think it's in Austin, Texas that is, I think it's called Epic, and they are teaching kids how they do all the academic work in about two hours a day, and then the rest of the time is working on projects and creating businesses, like being entrepreneurial. And I thought it's very interesting teaching people, if people could leave high school equipped with a way to add value in a way that they're not looking to plug their umbilical cord in someone else, be an amazing thing of just giving, because you think about it, high school kids can add value. You have value to contribute. You have even at that level, and they can learn their value contribution. Dan Sullivan: I think probably the mindset for that is already there at 10 years old, I think 10 years old, that an enterprise, Dean Jackson: Well, that's when the lemonade stands, right? Dan Sullivan: Yeah. An enterprise, an enterprising attitude is probably already there at 10 years old, and it'd be interesting to test for, I mean, I think Gino Wickman from EOS, when he was grad EOS, he created a test to see whether children have an entrepreneurial mindset or not, but I got to believe that you could test for that, that you could test for that. Just the attitude of creating value before I get any opportunity. I think you could build a psychological justice Speaker 1: Around Dan Sullivan: That and that you could be feeding that. I mean, we have the Edge program in Strategic Coach. It's 18 to 24 and unique ability and the four or five concepts that you can get across in the one day period, but it makes sense. Our clients tell us that it makes a big difference. A lot of 'em, they're 18 and they're off to college or something like that, Speaker 1: And Dan Sullivan: To have that one day of edge mind adjustment mindset adjustment makes a big difference how they go through university and do that, Jim, but Leora Weinstein said that in Israel, they have all sorts of tests when you're about 10, 12, 13 years old, that indicates that this is a future jet pilot. This is a future member of the intelligence community. They've already got 'em spotted early. They got 'em spotted 13, 14 years old, because they have to go into the military anyway. They have everybody at the 18 has to go in the military. So they start the screening really early to see who are the really above average talent, above average mindset. Dean Jackson: Yeah. The interesting, I mean, I've heard of that, of doing not even just military, but service of public service or whatever being as a mandatory thing. Dan Sullivan: Yeah. Well, I went through it. Dean Jackson: Yeah, you did. Exactly. Dan Sullivan: Yeah. Yeah. And it's hard to say because it was tumultuous times, but I know that when I came out of the military, I was 23 when I came out 21, 21 to 23, that when I got to college at 23, 23 to 27, you're able to just focus. You didn't have to pay any attention to anything going outside where everybody was up in arms about the war. They were up in arms about this, or they're up in arms about being drafted and everything else, and just having that. But the other thing is that you had spent two years putting up with something that you hadn't chosen, hadn't chosen, but you had two years to do it. And I think there's some very beneficial mindsets and some very beneficial habits that comes from doing that, Dean Jackson: Being constraints, being where you can focus on something. Yeah. That's interesting. Having those things taken away. Dan Sullivan: And it's kind of interesting because you talk every once in a while in Toronto, I've met a person maybe in 50 years I've met, and these were all draft dodgers. These were Americans who moved to Canada, really to the draft, and I would say that their life got suspended when they made that decision that they haven't been able to move beyond it emotionally and psychologically Dean Jackson: Wild and just push the path, Dan Sullivan: And they want to talk about it. They really want to talk about it. I said, this happened. I'm talking to someone, and they're really emotionally involved in what they're talking about Dean Jackson: 55 years ago now. Dan Sullivan: Yeah, it's 55 years ago that this happened, and they're up in arms. They're still up in arms about it and angry and everything else. And I said, it tells me something that if I ever do something controversial, spend some time getting over the emotion that you went through and get on with life, win a lottery, Dean Jackson: That's a factor change. I think all you think about those things, Dan Sullivan: But the real thing of how your life can be suspended over something that you haven't worked through the learning yet. There's a big learning there, and the big thing is that Carter, when he was president, late seventies, he declared amnesty for everybody who was a draft dodge so they could go back to the United States. I mean, there was no problem. They went right to the Supreme Court. They didn't lose their citizenship. Actually, there's only one thing that you can lose your, if you're native born, like you're native born American, you're born American with American Speaker 1: Parents, Dan Sullivan: You're a 100% legitimate American. There's only one crime that you can do to lose your citizenship. Dean Jackson: What's that? Dan Sullivan: Treason. Dean Jackson: Treason. Yeah, treason. I was just going to say Dan Sullivan: That. Yeah. If you don't get killed, it's a capital crime. And actually that's coming up right now because of the discovery that the Obama administration with the CIA and with the FBI acted under false information for two years trying to undermine Trump when he got in president from 17 to 19, and it comes under the treason. Comes under the treason laws, and so Obama would be, he's under criminal investigation right now for treason. Dean Jackson: Oh, wow. Dan Sullivan: And they were saying, can you do that to a president, to his former president? And so the conversation has moved around. Well, wouldn't necessarily put him in prison, but you could take away his citizenship anyway. I mean, this is hypothetical. My sense is won't cut that far, but the people around him, like the CIA director and the FBI director, I can see them in prison. They could be in prison. Wow. Yeah, and there's no statutes of limitation on this. Dean Jackson: I've noticed that Gavin Newsom seems to have gotten a publicist in the last 30 or 60 days. Dan Sullivan: Yes, he is. Dean Jackson: I've seen Dan Sullivan: More. He's getting ready for 28. Dean Jackson: I've seen more Gavin Newsom in the last 30 days than I've seen ever of him, and he's very carefully positioning himself. As I said to somebody, it's almost like he's trying to carve out a third party position while still being on the democratic side. He's trying to distance himself from the wokeness, like the hatred for the rich kind of thing, while still staying aligned with the LGBT, that whole world, Speaker 1: Which Dean Jackson: I didn't realize he was the guy that authorized the first same sex marriage in San Francisco when he was the mayor of San Francisco. I thought that was it. So he's very carefully telling all the stories that position, his bonafides kind of thing, and talking about, I didn't realize that he was an entrepreneur, para restaurants and vineyards. Dan Sullivan: I think it's all positive for him except for the fact of what happened in California while it was governor. Dean Jackson: And so he's even repositioning that. I think everybody's saying that what happened, but he was looking, he's positioning that California is one of the few net positive states to the federal government, Dan Sullivan: But not a single voter in the United States That, Dean Jackson: Right. Very interesting. That's why he's telling the story. Dan Sullivan: Yeah Dean Jackson: Fair. They contribute, I think, I don't know the numbers, but 8 billion a year to the federal government, and Texas is, as the other example, is a net drain on the United States that they're a net taker from the federal government. And so it's really very, it's interesting. He's very carefully positioning all the things, really. He's speaking a thing of, because they're asking him the podcasts that he is going on, they're kind of asking him how the Democrats have failed kind of thing. And that's what, yeah, Dan Sullivan: They're at their lowest in almost history right now. Yeah. Well, he can try. I mean, every American's got the right to try, but my sense is that the tide has totally gone against the Democrats. It doesn't matter what kind of Democrat you want to position yourself at. I mean, you'll be able to get a feel for that with the midterm elections next November. Dean Jackson: Yeah. That's Dan Sullivan: Not this November. This November, but no, I think he could very definitely win the nomination. There's no question the nomination, but I think this isn't just a lot of people misinterpret maga. MAGA is the equivalent to the beginning of the country. In other words, the putting together the Constitution and the revolution and the Constitution and starting new governor, that was a movement, a huge movement. That was a movement that created it. And then the abolition movement, which put the end to slavery with the Civil War. That was the second movement. And then the labor movement, the fact that labor, there was a whole labor movement that Franklin Roosevelt took and turned it into what was called the New Deal in the 1930s. That was the movement. So you've had these three movements. I think Trump represents the next movement, and it's the complete rebellion of the part of the country that isn't highly educated against Gavin. Newsom represents the wealthy, ultra educated part of the country. I mean, he's the Getty. He's the Getty man. He's got the billions of dollars of the Getty family behind him. He was Nancy, Nancy Pelosi's nephew. He represents total establishment, democratic establishment, and I don't think he can get away from that. Dean Jackson: Interesting. Yeah, it's interesting to watch him try. I literally, I know more about him now than I've ever heard, and he's articulate and seems to be likable, so we'll see. But you're coming from this perception of, well, look what he did to California. And he's kind of dismantling that by saying, if only we could do to California, due to the country, what I've done to California. Well, Dan Sullivan: He didn't do anything for California. I mean, California 30 years ago was in incredibly better shape than California's right now. Yeah. The big problem was the bureaucrats run California. These are people who were left wing during the 1960s, 1970s, and they were the anti-war. I mean, it all started in California, the anti-war project, and these people graduated from college. First of all, they stayed in college as long as they could, and then they went into the government bureaucracy. So I mean, there's lifeguards in Los Angeles that make 500,000 a year. Dean Jackson: It's crazy, isn't it? Dan Sullivan: Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's the extraordinary money that goes to the public service in California that's destroyed the state. But I mean, anybody can try. Speaker 1: Yeah. Dan Sullivan: I remember after the Democratic Convention, Kamala was up by 10 points over Trump. Yes. Yeah, she's from San Francisco too. Dean Jackson: Yes, exactly. That's what he was saying, their history. Dan Sullivan: No, you're just seeing that because he started in South Carolina, that's where all his, because that's now the first state that counts on the nomination, but he's after the nomination right now. He's trying to position for the nomination. Anyway, we'll see. Go for it. Well, there you Speaker 1: Go. Dan Sullivan: And Elon Musk, he wants to start a new party. He can go for it too. Dean Jackson: Somebody. That's exactly right. Dan Sullivan: Yeah. Then there's other people. Dean Jackson: That's true. Dan Sullivan: Alrighty, got to jump. Dean Jackson: Okay. Have a great week

What if I told you the government owes you money – possibly tens of thousands, maybe hundreds of thousands of dollars – and all you have to do is ask for it back?I know - sounds like complete BS.That's exactly what I thought when my buddy Justin Maxwell told me about the R&D Tax Credit while I was speaking at an event. But he made me an offer I couldn't refuse: "Let me do all the work, show you exactly what you'll get back, and you don't pay me a dime unless you keep the money."Within a couple weeks, I had a fat check deposited directly into my bank account. Then more checks after that. Then we went backwards three years and got even more money back.And here's the kicker – this isn't some sketchy loophole. It's a legitimate government incentive designed specifically for business owners like you who are innovating, creating, building, and testing new things in your business.In this episode, Justin Maxwell from Big Life Financial breaks down exactly how the R&D Tax Credit works, who qualifies (spoiler: way more people than you think), and why your accountant probably has no idea this even exists for small businesses.If you're spending money on AI tools, developing new products, creating new systems, testing new technologies, or basically doing anything innovative in your business – you need to listen to this episode. Like, right now.KEY INSIGHTS & TAKEAWAYSWhy Nobody Knows About This (And Why Your Accountant Doesn't Either)From 1981 to 2015, the R&D Tax Credit was essentially only for Fortune 500 companies. That's why most accountants still think it's only for engineering firms and people in white lab coats. But the rules changed a decade ago, and small business owners can now tap into this incredible benefit – they just don't know it exists yet.The "Double Dip" That Sounds Illegal But Isn'tHere's where it gets insane: You already deduct your business expenses to lower your taxable income, right? Well, the R&D Tax Credit gives you an additional credit on top of that deduction for any money you spend on innovation, development, and qualified research activities. It's literally a dollar-for-dollar write-off of your tax bill – a credit, not just another deduction.You Can Go Backwards Three YearsThink about everything you spent money on in 2022, 2023, and 2024 developing new products, testing AI, creating new systems, hiring people to build things. You can amend your returns and get that money back. Mike got multiple direct deposits within weeks of filing.The July 2025 Game-ChangerPreviously, you had to depreciate the credit over five years. But the new bill passed on July 4th, 2025 changed everything – now you can take the full credit immediately for 2022, 2023, and 2024. Instead of waiting five years to get your money, you get it all at once. We're talking checks hitting your account in 3-6 weeks.Who Actually Qualifies (Probably You)If you're in tech, software, medicine, manufacturing, engineering, science, or any business where you're testing new technologies, creating new protocols, implementing AI, or developing new systems – you likely qualify. One of Justin's clients with just $450K in revenue got $5,000 back. Another with medical practices got $550,000. The range is anywhere from $2K to $500K+.Zero Risk, Zero Upfront CostJustin's team does all the research, all the work, and tells you exactly what you'll get back before you pay them anything. They only get paid when you get paid. And if the IRS somehow doesn't approve it or takes the money back, they refund everything. There's literally no risk.The Mindset Shift That Changes EverythingWhat Mike loves most about this isn't just the money – it's the permission it gives you to innovate without fear. When you know you'll get a tax credit back even if your experiment fails, you take bigger swings. You hire faster. You test more. You grow. Mike used his R&D credits to hire four new people and expand internationally.It's Not Just For "Lab Coat" BusinessesIf you're creating courses, building AI workflows, developing new client onboarding systems, testing marketing automation, or prototyping new tools with your team – that counts. The key is documentation: videos, transcripts, proof you paid people, proof you spent the money on qualified activities.TIME STAMPS[00:00:00] This Is Literally Free Money Mike introduces the R&D Tax Credit and why he was initially skeptical when Justin first told him about it.[00:01:39] Why This Credit Was Hidden From You Justin explains the history – how it was created in 1981 for big automakers and why small businesses didn't qualify until 2015.[00:03:14] The Practical Tactical: How The Double Dip Works Breaking down how you can deduct expenses AND get an additional tax credit on top of those same expenses.[00:06:08] Going Backwards In Time For Money How the 3-year lookback works and why Mike got multiple checks by amending past returns.[00:07:20] The July 4th, 2025 Game-Changer The new law that allows you to take the full credit immediately instead of depreciating over 5 years – and how to capture all that money right now.[00:09:04] Don't Self-Disqualify Justin's plea to business owners: stop putting yourself on the outside of the red velvet rope. Let an expert disqualify you, don't do it yourself.[00:11:18] Rethinking Your Business Through The Innovation Lens How working with Justin's team helps you see your business differently and classify activities you didn't realize counted as R&D.[00:13:49] The Permission To Innovate Why the R&D Credit is actually a government-backed de-risking mechanism that gives you permission to experiment and fail.[00:15:46] What Mike Did With His Money How Mike reinvested his R&D credits into marketing, AI tools, and hiring – growing instead of contracting during uncertain times.[00:17:19] The Timeline: How Fast The Money Arrives From filing to direct deposit – Justin breaks down the typical 3-6 week timeline and what to expect.[00:22:18] Real Numbers: $450K Revenue to $550K In Credits Justin shares actual case studies – from a small business getting $5K back to a medical practice owner receiving $390K net after fees.[00:25:27] The Final Offer: Zero Risk, 100% Guarantee Justin's complete breakdown of the risk-free structure – you only pay when you get paid and keep the money.If you've ever felt like the tax code is written by rich people for rich people, this episode will change your mind.The R&D Tax Credit was literally built for small and mid-market business owners who are innovating and taking risks. And if you haven't claimed it yet, you're leaving your money on the IRS's table for no reason.Go to capabilityamplifier.com/tax to schedule a no-obligation consultation with Justin's team and find out exactly how much you qualify for.Trust me on this one. I was skeptical too. Then I got the checks.– Mike

In this episode of Shed and Shine, Rob and Gino explore what it means to truly find your community. Rob opens the conversation by reflecting on how driven people often go it alone, yet many crave a space where they can be vulnerable, grow, and shed what no longer serves them. Gino shares his decades-long experience with peer groups, from early mentor circles to YEO, Strategic Coach, and the EOS Implementer Community, and how each shaped his growth and awareness.They discuss the value of surrounding yourself with like-minded people who both challenge and reflect your True Self. The conversation touches on vulnerability, evolution, and the courage to start your own circle when none feels right. Whether you thrive in solitude or community, this episode invites you to ask: Who helps you see yourself more clearly? Timestamps00:00 Finding Your Community: An Introduction02:18 Gino's Journey Through Peer Groups05:45 Rob's Evolution in Community07:47 Finding the Right Group: Gino's Advice10:37 The Depth of Connection & Individual Paths13:32 The Benefits of Authentic Community ABOUT THE 10 DISCIPLINESThe 10 Disciplines, founded by Gino Wickman and Rob Dube, is on a mission to help one million entrepreneurs realize it's possible to be driven and have peace while making a bigger impact. We want to help you shed the barriers and layers that prevent you from creating the balance between impact and peace, and your True Self. Are you ready to be fully yourself, without the burnout? This space is for driven leaders ready to stop chasing and start aligning. If you're done hiding behind hustle, achievement, and expectations… and you're ready to reconnect with who you really are, you're in the right place. CONNECT WITH US❤️ https://www.instagram.com/the10disciplines❤️ https://www.linkedin.com/company/the10disciplines/ MORE RESOURCES TO HELP YOUR INNER WORLD JOURNEY❤️ https://the10disciplines.com/blog❤️ https://www.shedandshinepodcast.com ⭐️ https://the10disciplines.com/shine

You've watched the AI demos, signed up for the newsletters, and told yourself you're staying on top of this technology. But staying in learning mode has a cost that compounds every week. The firms that moved past the flashy presentations and figured out how to integrate AI into their actual workflow are already reclaiming hours you're still spending in the weeds. Join host Jason L Smith, as he sits down with Tom Lambotte, Founder of AI Simplifier™, to explore the critical distinction between using AI tools and learning to use AI correctly, and why that difference will separate thriving practices from struggling ones over the next 12 to 36 months.Resources:Programs referenced: Strategic Coach, Abundance 360, Front Row Dads

When your business success turns into a personal trap, what's the way out? In this episode, market research entrepreneur Colson Steber shares how committing to a bigger future, installing the right structure, and transforming his leadership turned an overworked owner into a focused, confident entrepreneur with a thriving, growth-focused team. Here's some of what you'll learn in this episode:What made Colson realize he's always been an entrepreneur.How Colson was stuck in a loop early in his career.How Colson got into a positive, healthy routine.What an entrepreneur gains from joining the Strategic Coach® community.  Show Notes: Every successful entrepreneur creates a powerful story about who they are and the future they're committed to. Real entrepreneurial growth starts when you commit to a bigger result long before you have the capability to achieve it. Courage is the bridge between commitment and capability, and it often lasts longer and feels harder than you expect. If you insist on being the central problem solver for everything, your successful company quickly becomes a trap. Installing a proven operating system like EOS® gives your company structure so you can stop doing everything yourself. The right structure turns a grinding, 70-hour-a-week survival business into a Self-Managing Company® that supports your life. Your Unique Ability® gains value as you narrow your focus and design the rest of the company around supporting it. Intense preparation and consistent routines let you show up exactly right in the rare moments where you create 50 percent of the value. Culture becomes an asset when your team members are gaining confidence, growing their skills, and actually enjoying their work. Healthy exits—where people move on to bigger futures with your support—are a sign your company is set up for freedom, not dependence. Entrepreneurial timelines are always aggressive, but beating the market still counts as winning even when it feels “too slow.” Every entrepreneur's story is unique. Strategic Coach gets you thinking about the right things at the right time.  Resources: The 4 C's Formula by Dan Sullivan EOS® The Self-Managing Company by Dan Sullivan What Free Days™ Are And How To Know When You Need Them Unique Ability®

Your deepest passion is yours alone, and what lights others up may leave you completely cold. In this episode, Dan Sullivan and Shannon Waller explore why every entrepreneur is born unique, how your experiences continually shape that uniqueness, and how doubling down on it leads to greater freedom, happiness, and business success. Here's some of what you'll learn in this episode:How to strengthen and continually reinforce your passion.What actually grows and develops your uniqueness every day.What gets created when two people collaborate.How AI is multiplying individuality and adding even more variety to the world.  Show Notes: Every person is born with a Unique Ability®, and that's the central starting point for all Strategic Coach® thinking. Your entire life is a process of navigating and giving meaning to the uniqueness of your own experience. As an individual, you are constantly reinforcing a central set of interests and capabilities through every experience you choose. When you go deep with anyone, you quickly discover they're far more unique than you initially assumed. Hundreds of times a day, you're sorting experiences into “more of this, less of that,” steadily clarifying what matters most to you. Entrepreneurs are the people who have bet the most on the thing they're uniquely and intensely interested in. To operate in the world, everyone has to learn a basic level of conformity—showing up, keeping promises, and finishing what they start. Thanks to technology, individuals now have more freedom than ever to pursue and deepen their own interests.​ Whatever someone is passionate about becomes the center of their universe, and they keep reinforcing it by seeking aligned experiences. You're always looking for experiences that make your passion and Unique Ability even more central and valuable in your life. Powerful collaboration happens when people find shared interests where each can bring their own Unique Ability to create a “third thing” together. Resources: Unique Ability® Perplexity Who Not How by Dan Sullivan with Dr. Benjamin Hardy

In this special episode, Shannon Waller sits down with Program Coach Chad Johnson to explore his entrepreneurial journey, what he's learned along the way, and how he helps Strategic Coach® members grow bigger, simpler, and more rewarding businesses. Here's some of what you'll learn in this episode:Why many of Chad's early entrepreneurial ventures were short-lived.The turning point that made him get serious about building a real business.How Chad defines the entrepreneurial mindset and lives it daily.What sets Strategic Coach Program Coaches apart from traditional business coaches. Show Notes: There's value around you all the time; often, it just takes a moment of attention to see it. You can't scale a business on ambition and positive attitude alone. It's natural for entrepreneurs to want to jump to the next project, but that impulse needs to be managed. The right life partner can act as an accelerant for everything you want in life. In great organizations, everyone makes everyone else better. The work you do as an entrepreneur is closely tied to the growth you do at home. For entrepreneurs, business is not just what you do—it's part of who you are. Strategic Coach coaches are also members, so they live the tools they teach. Any new concept has to work for the coach first before it's shared with members. Freedom is often the deepest motivation for entrepreneurs. It can take time for your real-world experience to catch up with your mindset and goals. Long-term success comes from committing to a few important things, not chasing every new idea. The right coach relationship helps you turn everyday experiences into breakthroughs. Resources: How to Win a Heart by Chad JohnsonUnique Ability®The Gap And The Gain by Dan Sullivan with Dr. Benjamin HardyThe Impact Filter®10x Is Easier Than 2x by Dan Sullivan with Dr. Benjamin HardyThe 4 Freedoms That Motivate Successful EntrepreneursHow To Foster A Longevity Mindset & Reap The BenefitsThe Entrepreneur's Guide To Time ManagementThe Bigger Future™ CountdownYour Life As A Strategy Circle by Dan SullivanThe Positive Focus®The Team Success PodcastThe Only Leaders Worth* Following by Tim SpikerG5 SummitThe Big Ski Family

Ever wonder what sets thriving businesses apart? In this episode, Dan Sullivan and Kelly Knight share how strong company systems and personal growth go hand in hand for entrepreneurs. Learn why finding the right people, embracing risks, and focusing on core values lets you solve almost any problem—and why successful companies and individuals both need solid operating systems to keep growing. Here's some of what you'll learn in this episode:Where Strategic Coach® and EOS® complement each other rather than overlap.How Kelly built on EOS's Strategic Coach legacy.Why EOS is personally meaningful to Kelly.How top entrepreneurs turn mistakes into momentum.What Kelly sees as the number one issue facing entrepreneurs today.Keys to keeping your company laser-focused.How EOS Worldwide faced (and survived) a pivotal crisis.The game-changing impact of Kelly's Strategic Coach experience. Show Notes: An entrepreneur needs two key operating systems—one for running the company and one for running their own life and personal growth. Your passion is often the secret ingredient for long-term success because it's what sets you apart—and keeps you moving.​ Growth comes from leaning into risks and staying open to new possibilities.​ You can't win every time, but you'll learn more from setbacks than from any formal education.​ Don't waste time worrying about what might go wrong in the future; stay focused on what you can control now.​ Turning losses into recoveries energizes your team and inspires loyalty.​ Rapid growth always brings new challenges; expect change and meet it head on.​ Finding your people—the team that truly shares your values—is an ongoing process worth obsessing over.​ When you put the right people in the right seats, everything else in your company starts to click. Resources: Thinking About Your Thinking by Dan SullivanUnique Ability®Kolbe A™ IndexEOS® EOS One® More about Kelly Knight

Isolation is more than just uncomfortable—it distorts your thinking and drains your creativity. In this episode, Dan Sullivan and Shannon Waller open up about the risks of going it alone as an entrepreneur and why strong relationships make all the difference. Listen now to learn smart, actionable ways to reconnect, recharge, and keep yourself moving forward with clarity and confidence. Here's some of what you'll learn in this episode:Why isolation causes the mind to invent stories and distort reality.The reasons entrepreneurs are particularly vulnerable to feeling isolated.Why isolated entrepreneurs develop outrageous aspirations.What makes Strategic Coach® the perfect place for entrepreneurs to make long-lasting connections. Show Notes: Being an entrepreneur can be a lonely path, especially without external feedback.​ When there's no outside input, your mind starts making things up. Isolation causes your brain to respond just like it would to sensory deprivation. Entrepreneurs thrive on constant change, while most people resist change. An entrepreneur's creative imagination needs to be rewarded with real opportunities. Many entrepreneurs feel truly stimulated only when they're working productively. Isolated entrepreneurs use their imaginations to give themselves the sense that they're actually connected to the world. Feeling misunderstood quickly morphs into paranoia and makes isolation worse. Entrepreneurs are better than most at finding their own clarity, even in tough situations. The entrepreneurial journey means creating brand-new ideas and selling them, time after time. Seeing life from other people's perspectives keeps you connected and tuned in to reality. The more you understand and appreciate other people's experiences, the richer and more meaningful your own life becomes. Resources: Unique Ability® Always Be The Buyer by Dan Sullivan

Success in professional services isn't about doing more—it's about doing less, but doing it exceptionally well. In this episode of The IC-DISC Show, I sit down with Raffi Yousefian, CEO of The Fork CPAs, to talk about how extreme specialization transformed his accounting firm from a general practice into the leading restaurant and bar controllership service in the country. Raffi shares the counterintuitive journey of deliberately shrinking his client base to accelerate growth, ultimately tripling revenue within 18 months of selling off 30% of his practice. We explore how Raffi evolved from serving three industries to exclusively focusing on restaurants and bars, and why weekly financial reporting creates competitive advantages that monthly statements simply can't provide. He breaks down the economics of restaurant operations, explaining why 2% savings in food costs can represent an entire profit margin when you're working with businesses that operate on 5-7% net profits. The conversation reveals how subscription pricing combined with deep industry expertise solves the profession's labor shortage by making firms more profitable and attractive to talent. What strikes me most is how Raffi's specialization philosophy mirrors successful models in other industries, from medical concierge services to dating apps. If you've ever wondered whether narrowing your focus could actually expand your opportunities, this conversation provides a compelling roadmap.   SHOW HIGHLIGHTS Raffi sold off 30% of his accounting practice to focus solely on restaurants and bars, then tripled the remaining 70% within just 18 months. Weekly financial reporting in restaurants isn't a luxury—it's survival, since a 2% swing in food costs can represent your entire profit margin. The Fork CPAs moved from "insecure niching" with three industries to hyper-specialization, proving that doing less actually accelerates growth when done with expertise. Restaurant operators typically process 300-400 invoices monthly for a $3-4 million location, making specialized systems and processes non-negotiable for profitability. Subscription pricing in accounting solves the labor shortage by making firms more profitable, allowing them to pay better and attract talent to the profession. Specialization creates resonance with ideal clients who say "you sound like my soulmate" rather than casting a wide net and hoping something sticks.   Contact Details LinkedIn - Raffi Yousefian (https://www.linkedin.com/in/raffiyousefian/) LINKSShow Notes Be a Guest About IC-DISC Alliance About The Fork CPAs Raffi YousefianAbout Raffi TRANSCRIPT (AI transcript provided as supporting material and may contain errors) Dave: Good morning, Raffi How are you today? Raffi:: Good morning, David. I'm doing well. And yourself? Dave: I am doing great. I appreciate you coming on the podcast. Just a formal introduction, you are Raffi Yousefian, and you're the CEO of the Fork CPAs. Is that correct? Raffi:: That's correct. And I appreciate you having me. I'm excited to have a conversation with a like-minded individual in the accounting industry. Dave: Yes. I've been looking forward to this for some time. So what part of the world are you calling into from today? Raffi:: I am in Brooklyn, New York City. Dave: Okay. Raffi:: Specifically Williamsburg Greenpoint, which is meant to be the hipster capital of the world in case you're interested. Dave: Yeah, I have heard that name. For that reason, I don't think I've ever been there. I haven't been to New York in about 15 years, and I think I rarely have ever been anywhere but Manhattan. So I'll have to be sure to check that out the next time I'm in town. Raffi:: We would love to have you. We're right across the East River. Dave: Okay, Raffi:: Great. Great nightlife scene, great food scene. A lot of sighting. New concepts are popping up every day, bars, restaurants, so it's a great place to be. Dave: That sounds awesome. Well, first of all, let's get to the name. What the heck does The Fork CPA's name mean? Usually the CPA firm is named after the founder or the partners. So what's the fork? What's the meaning of the fork? Was one of your partners named Fork or talk? Raffi:: No. So the fork, I have a 15 slide presentation on it. Maybe I can walk you through it one day. But the fork represents a tool that is highly agile with very sharp and fine edges, and it also relates to the restaurant industry and represents us and our values as a firm. So that's where the four comes from. That's the, in a nutshell description. And then the CPAs, you add that to clarify that we're doing accounting and tax, so that's where work branding comes from. Actually, we launched the brand in 2022, so it hasn't always been our name. Dave: Okay. Well, I really like it. So are you a New York native? Raffi:: I'm not. I'm actually from dc so lived in DC for about 10 years. That's where I started the firm, and I moved up to New York in 2021. Dave: And you went to college in Maryland? Raffi:: Yes, university of Maryland College Park. Dave: Okay. And then you graduated and you went the big four route with ENY? Raffi:: That's right. I worked at ENY for about three and a half years, and then moved to a smaller firm for about a year and a half, two years after that. And this was in 2016 when I launched the firm that I currently have right now. Dave: And you just started it from scratch? Raffi:: So initially the firm was called ROYCA LLC, and I just used my initials with CPA at the end just to get started. Okay. I started it from scratch. At the time I had the potential opportunity to acquire a restaurant bookkeeping business, and that is really what initiated me or catapulted me to taking that leap from moving from a W2 job to starting my own business. The acquisition actually never ended up panning out to be anything. It ended up being more of like a referral relationship. So it was good in that it incentivized me and motivated me to actually take the leap. But as we started from scratch, didn't end up buying any book of business or anything like that and just grew from there January 1st, 2016. Dave: And is that how the restaurant and bar capability started, was from that referral relationship with that bookkeeping firm then? Raffi:: Yes. Well, the referral relationship was a result of me taking over my brother-in-law's finances, and he had a restaurant and catering business. Dave: Oh, I Raffi:: See. And so his accountant was ending their relationship because he was moving on to be the CFO of a big fast growth restaurant group. And so I asked to meet with him. I said, can I meet with the former accountant? Maybe he has a book of business that he wants to sell or get rid of. That's not where the interest in restaurants started, but that definitely had an impact on moving towards that restaurant niche at some point. My first real client was a restaurant business. Dave: Okay. Raffi:: Yeah, Dave: That is great. You've got your CPA firm, it's growing. And then at a point you realized you had a concentration in the restaurant bar business. Now, conventional wisdom says when you have a concentration like that, whether it's client industry, you need to fix it by diversifying, but you decided to go in a different direction, right? Tell me the story. Raffi:: Yeah, so initially the purpose of the firm was to provide an alternative and frictionless experience to traditional public accounting. And this was 2016 when web-based apps were all very new, and even the cloud firms were very server-based. You log into this server and it wasn't very web-based, so even cloud modern firms were still very clunky, and the client experience was terrible. So the idea was, okay, replicate the public accounting model just in a more modern and frictionless way. And so we were still providing a lot of the traditional services you get in a small public accounting firm, 10 forties, monthly bookkeeping, annual bookkeeping, industry agnostic, and one of the first moves. So that was, people love that, right? It was new cutting edge, modern virtual CPA firm. And then I think by year two, we decided we had to narrow down what we were doing. Raffi:: Again, we were trying to be everything to everyone just in a more modern way. And so I think the first change we made was limit our service offering to monthly services only. So value-based billing, fixed fee. It was a mix of value-based billing and fixed fee at the time. So we basically told all of our annual clients, mostly 10 40 clients, sorry, if you want to work with us, you have to have a business, and we have to own the entire accounting process from monthly all the way through your business tax preparation. So that was the first change we made. We didn't specialize just yet. Dave: And what year was this? 2017. Raffi:: I think this was around 2017 or 20 17, 20 18 then. So that worked really well. That allowed us to scale and grow much faster. Now everybody's on a monthly fixed retainer. You're not doing all this work during tax season, those three months trying to do 12 months of books. So there's no bottlenecks during tax season. For the most part, 10 forties are still very much a bottleneck. And in 20 19, 20 20, we decided to narrow down even further and say, okay, we're going to service three industries. And I like to say this is the insecure way of niching down. And so we narrowed it down to, I believe it was restaurants and bars for sure. Nonprofits and professional Dave: Services. Raffi:: And so that helped again, even better. Now we can scale and grow even faster with more efficiency. And then 2022, we were at a point where the restaurant and bar industry vertical was growing much double, triple what our other verticals were growing. And I believe it was just a natural result of our passion was behind that vertical, the professional services and nonprofits, great clients, low volume, easy to work with, very professional. But yeah, just stagnated the growth that stagnated. I wasn't as much interested in those verticals as I was in restaurants. And so we decided to launch the for brand in 2022 and in 2023. So in 2023, the restaurant practice was about 60 to 70% of our revenue. And so we spun off the 30%, which was nonprofits and professional services, and merged it slash sold it to another firm. And since 2023, March of 2023, we've been solely fork CPAs, Eileen niched down into restaurants and bars under the fork CPAs brand. Dave: Okay. I love the story. And then I believe, did Brandon Poe help you sell that practice? Raffi:: Yes, exactly. I think this was probably the first spinoff maybe that they did spinning off a niche and selling it to another firm, and then continuing as a, so it was new to them. And we actually did a podcast about this with Brandon. And yeah, I think it was, like you said, it sounds counter intuitive to specialize versus diversify, but to provide some context, that 70% between March of 2023 and end of 2024, I think it grew like 250, 300% our revenue. So we were basically triple the size that we were when we did the spinoff. Dave: So I have to put some numbers on this. So let's pretend the firm did a thousand dollars a year of revenue. So $700 of it was restaurants and bars. You sold off the $300 practice and then using that multiple, the firm today now is doing 200 or $300. Raffi:: Well, not today, within a year and a half, within a year and a Dave: Half, Raffi:: Within a year and a half, it was at like 2000. So you were at 1000? We were like 2100. So that 700 became 2100. Dave: Wow. Raffi:: And I think a big part of it had to do with, I actually retained my staff that was part of the nonprofit and professional services vertical. So that was about four people. And so that also helped because you need staff to grow into. Dave: And Raffi:: It did hurt our valuation because a lot of the times when firms are acquiring, they want to acquire the staff, one of the biggest problems when, Dave: Yeah, they're just buying the clients basically. Raffi:: So we took a hit on the valuation, but if we hadn't retained our staff, they wouldn't have been as easy and efficient to scale and grow within that year and a half. Dave: So why is it, so it appears based on what you're saying, that there was a underserved market in New York restaurants and bars. That's the only conclusion I can really come to have that kind of a growth implies that the market was not being well served. Is that assumption accurate or was there something else in play? Raffi:: So we definitely have competitors, but I would say underserved in a sense that the level of service and quality is just not there. It's a highly commoditized service offering restaurant bookkeeping. And so our value proposition is not just restaurant bookkeeping, it's restaurant controllership. Raffi:: So for the same price as a bookkeeping service, maybe a little bit more of a premium, 20%, 15, 20%, you can get a more comprehensive service offering under a subscription model to a controller. And the controller owns your entire accounting process. And in addition to that, we also have a tax department that will take care of the tax compliance at year end and quarterly. So I don't think we have any actual competitors that do exactly what we do. However, we have at least 40 to 50 competitors nationally. So it is underserved in that sense, but it's not something super unique or cutting edge that we're doing. It's just a different approach, a different way of doing it. Dave: And your client's all in the New York area? Raffi:: No, it's all, it's nationally. Mostly East coast. Yeah, mostly dc, Maryland, Virginia, New York City, metropolitan areas, urban areas, but it's pretty much all over the country. We can serve clients nationally. Dave: Now, when you pick up a new client, what percentage of the time is it a brand new restaurant and what percentage of the time are you taking over from another provider? Is it mostly taking over from another provider? Raffi:: I would say it's about 70% taking over. It depends. For example, we might have a restaurant group that has 10 locations and now let's say 10 franchises, and they're forming a new group and they're starting from scratch with a new concept. So there's some of that. I see most of them are fast growth. So they have the goal of, Hey, we just opened our first location and we want to be at five locations in three years. That's where a solution like ours really provides maximum value because we can help you get from zero to five in as fast as you want because you're not sitting there concerned about hiring accountants and building an accounting department. And so we take care of the back office for you through that growth stage. Dave: And what percentage of your clients are franchisees? Raffi:: It's not a large percentage. It's mostly independent operators, probably five to 10%. We have competitors that focus solely on talk about hyper specialization. They do restaurant bookkeeping for McDonald's franchises, but it gets pretty specific. And that's not necessarily our target market. Our target market is more independent operators, smaller franchise groups, 15 to 20 units, but we're not like a volume commodity shop. Dave: So I can relate to your business in so many ways, and it's why when I heard you on Brandon's podcast, I just was dying to talk to you. So as I think I told you, so all we do is icy disc work, and we're the only firm I know of that does nothing but icy disc work. We manage more than anyone else. So all we do, we live, eat and breathe it. But within that space, our largest sector by far is the scrap metal business. And what's interesting, and I hear this all the time from our clients, is that I'm the only advisor they've ever had who understands the scrap metal business, that when they have a banker that they're interviewing new banks or a new CPA, it's always the same thing. They come out and they're like, wow, I thought this was going to be Sanford and Son's junkyard. This is a whole different business. And they get so frustrating. And I've frustrated, and some of 'em have asked me to find CPAs, find them a new CPA, and one of the first things they want is somebody with scrap metal experience because it's so frustrating for them having to, every year there's a new staff person and every year they have to explain all over again how the whole business works. I'm guessing it's similar in the restaurant business. Is that right? And kind of dive into how your expertise manifests itself when you're talking with an Raffi:: Potential Dave: Client? Raffi:: Yeah, absolutely. Having an accountant in the entire spectrum of accounting services, whether that's your tax preparer, your controller, your bookkeeper, your CFO, having that industry specialization is completely invaluable. And I think the, in any industry, restaurants aside, the consumer is starting to realize that and the level of insight you can provide as a specialist and the value you can add is way beyond what a generalist can do. And sometimes people will hire generalists because of a referral or a trust that they have with this person. And I think that's really the only time where there's any justification in hiring a generalist, to be honest with you. But even that, it's okay, well, sure, this might be your dad's accountant or your family friend accountant that everybody trusts, but is that really providing any value? If you can't trust your service provider, then what's the point? Raffi:: So yeah, the level of value you can provide, and just to give you some examples, if you have three locations as a restaurant and you want to add another location, you should be able to go to your accountant and say, here is what the landlord is asking for rent. Here's what I'm expecting to do in sales. Is this a good investment? And the accountant, if they're specialized, they should be able to tell you very quickly just by reviewing your projections, your performa and saying, yes, this is an investment that we're not investment advisors, but if your projections actually pan out to be what they say, then yes, we want your occupancy cost to be 8% of sales, and you're showing that in your projection. So yeah, if this spot that you've identified can actually generate that type of sales and your prime costs are going to be this much, your bottom line is potentially going to be this, then your ROI will be X. And therefore, yeah, it's a good investment. Now, a generalist might be able to do that by doing some research, Raffi:: But that example can be applied to so many different things. When we sit down and analyze p and ls as a controller, we need to be able to look at trends and identify, wait, why do we lose money this month? Very quickly, right on a call, oh, it's because your labor was 35% and it's usually 32%. And in restaurants, it's typically 32, 33 is the ideal number. Just being able to throw out numbers off the top of your head and being well-trained in a specific vertical, it just provides so much value. And we talk about in the accounting industry about how we have to become advisors. This is like AI is going to take over all the compliance overseas hiring and all the bookkeeping is going to be automated. And so now we have to become more advisors and just data entry people and compliance providers. And the only way you can really do that, in my opinion, if you want to be a true advisor, is to niche down and specialize. Otherwise, how much value can you really add as a generalist? Dave: Sure. Well, and I was just thinking, I would imagine having come up through the accounting side, I couldn't imagine a worst controller or bookkeeper job than being the bookkeeper or controller for a restaurant. I can just picture it. There's some a closet basically that's your office, and especially if it's in the facility itself and it's not noisy and there's just all this stuff going on, and if it's a bar, all the actions in the evening, and I just couldn't imagine a worst working environment or work environment than that. So it makes even more sense to just have that outsource. And I'm also guessing my clients, probably 20% of the owners of my clients actually have an accounting background just for whatever reason, that was how they ended up there. But I'm guessing that's perhaps even lower in the restaurant business. I just imagine the average restaurateur bar owner is not a former ENY tax person. Raffi:: Right. So it's funny you bring up the bookkeeping role in a restaurant closet that they put the bookkeeper in traditionally speaking with all the stacks of invoices. So just to provide some context, a restaurant that does three to $4 million in revenue will have anywhere from three to 400 invoices minimum per month. Dave: Are you serious? Raffi:: Yeah. They need to get inputted into the accounting system to get true accrual basis accounting. Dave: Wow. I thought you just bought everything from Cisco and payroll and called it a Raffi:: Day. Well, the franchisees, yeah, the franchisees are all different. They work with a Cisco or usb, and then they have less invoices, but still very high volume. So the role of the bookkeeper 10, 15 years ago was show up to the restaurant, get all these invoices and put them into QuickBooks. And if you're not a specialist, even if you're following the traditional model from 15 years ago, there's no way to make money doing this type of work, especially when restaurants are super low margin. They don't have big budgets for accounting. And so the only way to really make it work is to specialize to have a fixed system process, tech stack around restaurant bookkeeping that allows you to process this high volume and still leave some room to make money as an accountant. So I'll just throw that out there. And then your other question was related to what kind of persona do you get, what kind of demographics do you get on the restaurant industry side, and it's mostly blue collar, a lot of creatives. So I think once you get to the groups, the restaurant groups that have five to 10 people, a lot of 'em start hiring more office workers. More people can sit at a computer and do numbers, which helps a lot on the admin side. But if you're working with a single unit operator or two to three unit operator, you're dealing with somebody that's always on the run. They're always busy, they're in the kitchen, they're wearing multiple hats. Raffi:: Most of the time they're creatives, they're chefs that created a concept, and that's their strength. Their strength isn't numbers, so it makes it even harder to get information out of them and to keep them organized. And that's really what an accountant bookkeeper does. It just helps somebody stay organized and provides them and helps digest their financials. And a big part of it's just helping them stay organized. So you can first count the numbers, put them into the system, come up with a good workflow. But yeah, it makes it very challenging to work with those types of clients. Dave: Sure, I can understand that. Now, my understanding is the restaurant and bar business has one of the highest failure rates of any type of business. Is that true? And what is the failure rate? What percentage then fail in 1, 3, 5 years? I'm sure you have some numbers around that. Or Raffi:: Actually, believe it or not, there actually is no number and the number is What's your Dave: Guess? What's your guess? Raffi:: They say the myth has always been nine to 10 restaurants fail, something like that. And I've researched this multiple times, and it's really just a myth. There's no hard evidence about that. I don't think it's wrong or it could be very much accurate because it's very high. But any industry, the reason for the failure rate is because of the supply and demand. Everyone wants to open a restaurant, the barrier to entry are low. It's easy to raise money to open a restaurant. Everyone wants to invest in a restaurant. It's just a sexy business. And when you have such a high supply of any type of business, it could be restaurants, it could be filmmakers, it could be musicians, like how competitive the music and film industry is, you end up having an overage of service providers or suppliers or restaurants in this case. And therefore it makes it extremely difficult to generate a profit. Raffi:: And it is a difficult business to run for sure as well. But I think that's the biggest challenge is once you start making a little bit of money, 10, 15%, boom, another competitor comes in and opens a similar concept down the block or a competing concept, and now there's limited amount of residents or consumers in that neighborhood. So now they go into that restaurant, and especially in cities like DC right now, DC's very competitive. There's just so much money being pumped into restaurants and such a limited amount of guests and consumers. So it's the same, let's say 10,000 people that are going to the same restaurants, let's call 'em upscale, casual restaurants. And every week there's a new restaurant opening. And then you could have the best concept in the world, but it only lasts six months because as soon as you're not the hottest thing in town, another one rolls right in and takes your customer base. So it's very competitive, very low margin, and that's why it makes the financial analysis so much more important. Dave: Yeah, I would think so. Is it safe to assume that the failure rate of your clientele is likely lower than the industry average? If you had to guess? Raffi:: Probably. Yeah. Yeah, our failure rate is pretty low. And I think which might also be overlooked, that insight into your finance is a huge competitive advantage for operators, for restaurant operators. Dave: Yeah, I would imagine. Raffi:: Because even 2%, they're mostly high volume, high revenue businesses, they're top line businesses. So an average full service restaurant probably does three to $4 million in revenue. And so even a 2% savings on your food costs, that can be your entire profit margin right there. So the average restaurant does between three, it used to be like five to 10%, now it's three to 7%. But needless to say, it's pretty low, the profit margin. So if I can provide weekly reports that give managers insight into their labor and food costs, that in itself helps them reduce food and labor costs two to 4%. And it's key to do this weekly, not monthly, right? Because monthly it's already too late. You don't know what you did four weeks ago to be able to tweak and adjust the levers in your business. So yeah, I think it's a competitive advantage. Hey, if I can save you two to 5% just by monitoring the financials, forget all the time savings that I'm going to give you automatically you've added a lot of value and you've maybe even saved that restaurant from going out of business. Dave: So I'm curious, just what are the typical expense breakdowns like in a restaurant, how much, what are the food cost percentage range typically in labor and brand, whether, Raffi:: So it depends on the type of concept, whether it's a pizza shop, whether it's a quick service restaurant versus full service versus steak versus seafood. But generally 60 to 65% is your prime cost. So that's your cost of goods sold and your labor. Raffi:: And so anytime we see, for example, for quick service, it's about 60%. So anytime we see, hey, this quick service restaurant is doing 63%, it's a red flag, and we bring that up to the operator, you need to adjust. And sometimes they can't adjust something they can't control. The sales are low because scaling of labor, when you have sales fixed labor and the rest is pretty much, it's about eight to 10% occupancy costs, rent, real estate, taxes, insurance, and then the rest is overhead, operating expenses, supplies, GNA, office supplies, things like that. And then that leaves about five to 10% profit at the end if it's run well. Dave: Wow, it sounds like a Raffi:: Terrible business. It sounds like a difficult business to run profit. Very difficult. Yeah. I get a lot of people that come to me and say, Hey, I'm thinking about investing in a restaurant, or I want to open a restaurant. I'm like, run, don't do it. Dave: Yeah. There's a joke. I forget how it goes and what industry it is. How do you become a millionaire in the oil and gas business? You start as a billionaire. It's kind of the same in the restaurant. How do I end up with a million dollars restaurant? You start with $10 million. Raffi:: Exactly. Dave: So talk to me, do you have everybody on the same accounting system? For example, all of your Raffi:: Clients? We more or less, we have two tech stacks that we support. So QuickBooks plus Margin Edge, that's one Tech Stack. And then the other Tech stack is a accounting software called Restaurant 365. Dave: Okay. Designed just for the restaurant business. And they're both, and so I know QuickBooks pretty well is the other one. Raffi:: Yes, everything is web-based. The Margin Edge is just a plugin. It's an app for QuickBooks to essentially convert it to providing restaurant. It's the bridge between the restaurant and the books. Whereas Restaurant 365 already integrates all of that, the plugins into one platform, which is really nice. Dave: Have you seen that one is a better fit for most of your clients, or do you have a preference for one over the other? Raffi:: It depends on the concept for sure. Okay. For example, we have Dave's Hot Chicken. I'm not sure if you've heard of it. The franchise, one of the fastest growing franchises in America. They have a, I'm not sure if it's an agreement, like a franchise agreement or some type of agreement with the restaurant 365, but basically as a franchisee, you get Restaurant 365 templates as part of your, Dave: Not Raffi:: Templates, but it's almost pre-configured so that it makes it very easy to use Restaurant 365. So in those cases we're like, it's going to be much easier to implement this off the shelf solution versus having QuickBooks and Margin Edge and setting it up for the franchise and all that. So it really just depends on the concept. Dave: Okay. Raffi:: Yeah. Dave: What are some of the things clients tell you, or what's the feedback you get after six to 12 months? I have to imagine that your clients are really happy with your service. What are some of the things that you hear from folks? So this is your chance to really brag about your team and your business model. What are some of the things you hear? Raffi:: Typically, it's not so much. The feedback we hear is so-and-so is so great. You have an invaluable resource for our team and our growth. We have a lot of testimonials that we get from clients. They provide so much peace of mind. Now I can focus on what I do best without having to worry about are my bills getting paid? Am I profitable? What are the numbers that I need to look out for? But really we see the results most of the time because you see a restaurant operator that has one location or two locations, and they have maybe an internal person that is a partner in the business that is overseeing the financials. And we do a discovery call with them. We find out they're spending their whole week just getting receipts from employees and uploading invoices to the accounting software. And then we're like, you spend your most of your time on this. And we tell 'em our value proposition, and it's hard for them to believe. And then within seven or eight months, they're out there scouting new locations, improving their margins, really working on the business rather than spending their time doing admin work. And that's extremely rewarding to see. Raffi:: And not all of them do this. Some will not take advantage of what we provide. Some of them, just like the time savings when we see, okay, this person was stuck at two, three locations, and now they have the time to really focus on growth and building systems and processes and focusing on their vision, and we're just essentially handling their entire back office. They're reporting and providing all the analytical information they need to make these decisions about their growth. That's really nice to see both from their perspective and our perspective. It's a nice partnership to have. Dave: And I can imagine that weekly reporting is critical. I can just imagine there's a lot of restaurants that it's a part-time person. It's their accounting firm that does it. It's one of the partners. And basically they get their financials two or three weeks after the month ends. So they're looking at six and seven week old data. And I could imagine that if you have a problem and you're losing money and you don't realize it until after you've lost money for seven weeks, I can see where that could be a problem. Raffi:: Yeah, exactly. And you're looking at your p and l 15 days after the month ends and you're saying, wait, how do we get 27% labor? Who was doing the scheduling that week? Who was doing the inventory count? What did he change? What did they not change? And when you're doing it weekly, you know exactly what affected or impacted the numbers in your reports. Whereas if it's, and this can apply to other industries as well, not just restaurants, but in restaurants and bars, it's specifically very, especially very important. Dave: Yeah. What do you enjoy the most about your current role in this business that you've built? Raffi:: I really enjoy the growth aspect of it, the vision setting, the vision, setting the goals. We follow the EOS framework Raffi:: And I love that kind of stuff. Working on the business, setting the goals, as I said, and holding your team accountable to achieving those goals. And it's crazy how quickly you see results when you really commit to it. And I'm still trying to figure out whether I'm a visionary or integrator and I don't know. But I like both. I like ops and I also like sales and marketing and being the CEO, so I'm still trying to pinpoint that. But we have a director of operations and she runs the operations for the most part. But I love setting the vision for operations. Hey, it would be awesome if in a year we can reach a stage where every client is following the same AP process, for example, or something like that. And yeah, I really enjoy that kind of stuff. Dave: So let's say we're talking three years from now, and in fact, I may just make a note to have you back in three years. I've never asked a guest this question, and it's probably because I just was in Strategic Coach session last week. If we were sitting down three years from now and looking back over those three years, what would you have liked to have happened both personally and professionally to have been pleased with your progress? Or even just professionally, what would you like to accomplish over the next few years? How do you see the business going? Raffi:: We have ambitions to grow very quickly, and our mission, I know sounds generic, is to achieve proud employees and happy clients. Raffi:: And so I'm obsessed with great businesses, which pretty much provide that proud employees that love where they work, they want to do a good job, and the customers and clients are all promoters of the business. That's the ideal goal. So we want to grow while maintaining that. We don't want to become one of these, again, commodity shops where we're just bringing on clients for the sake of bringing on clients and adding numbers to the top line revenue. I think of acquisition as a big part of that. I probably see that in the cards in the next two to three years in terms of us acquiring another firm. And it really narrows down your goal when you're trying to focus on restaurants and bars. So just trying to replicate what we do, providing that controllership level service, maybe acquiring the bookkeeping, restaurant bookkeeping service, and deploying our model so that people paying the same price for bookkeeping can essentially get a much higher level of service. And then thus complimenting our mission, our purpose, which is proud employees, happy, happy clients. Dave: I love that. Proud employees, happy clients. That was always Herb Kelleher's philosophy. The founder of Southwest Airlines is he viewed employees as his customers that if he made his employees happy, then they would do a good job with their end customers. Raffi:: Yeah. Yeah. The Southwest stories pretty amazing. But I think we debated our leadership team debated about the happy employees versus proud employees for a bit. Raffi:: And I think we very specifically and adamantly decided that we want proud employees because it's not, as soon as you pay happy, nobody's ever a hundred percent happy. We want the clients to be happy and satisfied, but we want our employees to, there's going to be tough times and they're not always going to be happy, and times are going to be tough, but as long as you're doing what you're proud of and it feels rewarding, at the end of the day, it's a job. So we're not expecting everyone to show up to work and be super happy about what they do, but at least we want them to be proud. And I think that comes with passion. If you don't have passion for what you do, you're most likely not going to be proud, and you're probably not the best fit for our company. So it attracts a certain type of employee, but it also pushes out a certain feeling amongst your team. Dave: I like it. Well, as we're wrapping things up, I can't believe how the time has flown by. If we could go back to 2011 when you were graduating from the University of Maryland, if you could go back in time and give yourself advice, your 22, 20 3-year-old self advice back then, what advice might you have given yourself based on the experience you've had over the last 14 years? Raffi:: I like to say I would have niched down earlier, but it's hard to say that's what I would've done if I had done it differently. I'm just not sure because you learn so much by not niching down early on, and Raffi:: You have to generate revenue when you first start out your firm. So in theory, that's what I would've probably have done niche down earlier. Maybe I would niche down three years earlier, four years earlier, not maybe from the beginning. But in terms of other advice, yeah, I would've probably taken accounting more seriously earlier on because I had so many little businesses at that time when I was in college, I was just still trying to figure things out, and I knew accounting was potentially one of them, but I had a, well before that in college, I had an eBay business where I was selling, going to stores, finding things for cheap and selling them online. And then I had a welding business, and then I had a DJ business. And so I was still trying to figure out, I was very on the fence about do I pursue accounting versus something else, and I would've probably told myself to take it, focus on the accounting much earlier. Dave: That is so interesting. I asked that question to a lot of guests, and they almost all have the same answer. But when I asked you the question as I was asking it, I was thinking, oh, that's a dumb question. Most of my guests, they waited 20 years before they started their own business, and their price themselves would've been, be afraid, take the leap early, but you really couldn't have taken it much earlier. You were an employee for five years. You needed to learn the industry, and obviously you had those entrepreneurial tendencies early on, but that is interesting. You wish you had taken the accounting more seriously since that you didn't know then that this is what your future was going to be. Raffi:: Right. I knew it was going to be in entrepreneurship, growing a business, starting a business, but in hindsight, again, if I hadn't done all the DJing and the parties and the events, I wouldn't have been exposed to how marketing really works and how PR really works. So I don't know. It's hard to say. Dave: Yeah, that makes sense. Well, is there anything I didn't ask you that you wish I had asked you? Raffi:: Yeah, I think when we've talked in the past, we talked about the pricing model when it comes to niche services, I think that's also very relevant. You want to share, Dave: Do you want to share how that works or is that something that Raffi:: Yeah, I think Dave: Standard pricing on or whatever your, I didn't want to get too much into pricing. I didn't want you to feel obligated to share anything you didn't want to share. Raffi:: Yeah. I think another aspect of niching down that is valuable and necessary as it comes to our industry and accounting is the pricing model. So there's various forms of pricing and professional services. You have hourly billing, the traditional hourly billing, you have the value-based pricing, you have fixed fee, and then you have subscription. And the trend, I believe, is moving towards subscription. It was value-based. Hourly is the old model that hopefully most people aren't following anymore. But the subscription model for the industry I think is going to be the best because we have problems in the industry right now. They talk about the shortage of labor and all that and the need to adapt advisory services. But I think it's not just, you can't look at labor in a vacuum. You have to look at why do we have a shortage of labor problem? It's because we have a value proposition problem and we have a pricing problem, Raffi:: In my opinion at least. And I think subscription pricing is going to change that. And subscription pricing is beneficial to our industry because it prices the relationship and not just the scope of work and value-based pricing the customer. How do they see the value that we're providing? And you price based off of that. But I think once you move into subscription, it completely revolutionizes and changes the value of public accounting and the accounting service in general. And if we want to solve the labor shortage problem, we need to make the industry more profitable and pay people better so that they're incentivized to pursue an accounting degree and get a CPA. And subscription pricing, I believe, really does that in order to provide subscription pricing you to don't need to. But it really helps by niching down, because the whole concept of subscription pricing is you pay this fixed price and we do everything for you. No hourly billing. There's no scope of work. We do everything for you that is in our wheelhouse that we can do under our roof. And when you provide that type of peace of mind and frictionless experience for clients, all of a sudden, I think the potential for profit and paying your better skyrockets. Dave: So yeah, Ron Baker would be so proud of your transition. Raffi:: Yeah, I think it's a little too early. I think he wrote his Times Up book like three, four, or maybe, yeah, three, four years ago, something like that. Something like that. So it might be a little too soon to tell whether it's going to work in practice. It's worked for us, but it's very difficult to implement subscription pricing if you don't niche down Dave: Well, and I think the monthly work also helps, like a CPA firm who all they're doing is just the annual tax return. How do you justify a subscription billing? Right? Certainly a month in subscription billing, there's more of a disconnect, but with what you're doing, the tax return is, I don't want to say an afterthought, it's just a inevitable outcome of what you've done throughout the year. Raffi:: I think the most similar example that's been tried and tested is the medical concierge. So one time medical, one medical, the subscription based medical office that Amazon acquired, I dunno, what was it three, four years ago? So I think it's very similar because you have an annual checkup, so think of that as your tax return. So you pay Amazon, it's a very low price. I don't know what it is, but I dunno, maybe a few hundred dollars a year for your subscription to one-time medical or one medical. And a lot of the medical concierge services work like this, they range anywhere from $50 a month to $300 a month depending on the Raffi:: Level of service that you're getting. And that gives you unlimited access to a primary care physician. So if I want to go see them every week, it's included in my a hundred dollars a month subscription, and I can get that once a year tax return done or that once a year physical done, but that doesn't really change anything. It doesn't change my subscription. That could be the only thing that I do with them, but just I'm paying for that peace of mind. I know if something happens or if I'm planning for something, I can just call that primary care physician or that accountant and run it by them for no extra charge. And so I think it works well. Maybe it's a little too soon to tell for the accounting industry, but I think it's generally worked with the primary care medical world. Dave: No, I think the accounting profession is perfect for it. So are most of your clients now on a subscription basis? Raffi:: Yeah, it's pretty much all subscription. We have what are called add-ons, Dave: So Raffi:: Our general subscription is controllership services. But anything that they need, for example, IRS audit, gap audit, notice defense, maybe they're pursuing a valuation or a deal, and that's something that we can handle. It's in our wheelhouse. That's all included in the subscription. But when you don't niche down, it's hard to Dave: Exactly. Raffi:: It's hard to limit what you offer. So that's why I think when you say we're very clear that we don't do budgets, so that's not in our wheelhouse. We don't really have anybody on the team that can do budgeting for restaurants. We can get on a call and talk through it with you based off of what we know, but we won't prepare a projection and budget. We're not a CFO service. We're a controllership service. So it's hard to be clear about where you draw the line with your, what's in your wheelhouse, because technically, yeah, I could learn how to budget. I'm an account. It's not that difficult. But again, you can't promise everything. Then you want to try to promise as much as possible so that your subscription has value, but there also has to be safeguards in place. Dave: Well, that is a great way to wrap things up. I'm glad that you'd mentioned the pricing. I really appreciate that. Well, I really appreciate your time. Like I said, when I reached out to you, I love your specialization approach. I just think that's the problem with specialization is you have to say no to everything else. And that's so emotionally difficult for people, especially if you have a scarcity mindset then, Raffi:: Right? Accountants basically. Dave: Yes. Yes. So I think that's great. It's no surprise to me, and I really would, if you're up for it, I'd love to check in with you in three years and see how things have gone. Raffi:: Yeah, I'm definitely up for it. And I also love, you're hyper specialized. That's the IC-disc. I think you mentioned to me how many there are in the country, and it's very limited. Yeah, a few thousand. So that's even more specialized, but it's great. The more specialized, in my opinion, the better. Right? Dave: I tell you this quick story. I've learned niche specialists, that niche and specializing firsthand. When I was internet dating in 2000, the infancy of internet dating, and I think I was 35 years old. And what I noticed that most guys did, they had an approach of casting a wide net. And it was, I'm looking for a woman between the ages of 18 and 88, any religion, any hobbies, anybody type. And I think their attitude is, I'm going to cast a wide net. I'm going to get all these fish in the net, and then I can just cherry pick the ones I want. So I'm like, I'm going to try something different. And so let's say I was 34. My criteria was they had to be a year older to two years younger. They had to be tall, athletic Christian, dog loving women with a commitment to excellence. And my friends are like, you're not going to get any response. Dave: And I'm like, yeah, you're probably right. And they were right. They were almost right. I got almost no response. But what happened when I did get a response from a woman, it's the same reaction you get. There was resonance because the woman would say, oh my God, you sound like my soulmate. I'm 33, I'm five nine. I used to play college volleyball. I have a golden retriever. And so what would happen is, I think when they were talking to the guys with the white net philosophy, they'd have dinner and the guy would say, wow, you're amazing. You're exactly what I'm looking for. And they're like, no, you're not. Your profile is 18 to 88. It wasn't really, but that's really where I learned it. And I think it's the resonance that you get with specialization, and it worked dating and it worked in my business. Sure. You hear the same kind of resonance thing from your new clients, and you're like, wow, I didn't know such a service existed. Raffi:: Exactly. Yes. Yeah. It's like a perfect match for both sides, right? Dave: But it takes a certain amount of courage and a certain amount of abundance mindset to be able to pull the trigger. The other thing is it's hard to refer people who don't specialize. If you meet an attorney and you're like, what do you specialize in? You go, well, mostly wills. We do the occasional divorce, occasional criminal defense. If you get a speaker sick, you give me a call and you're like, I can't help you. But if they specialize in speeding tickets in one county in Texas, and that's all they do, I talk to somebody, a party, and they say, oh, I got a speeding ticket. I'm like, oh, it's Raffi:: The first person that comes to mind. Yeah, exactly. Dave: Yeah, Raffi:: It makes a big difference. Dave: Yeah, it's great. Well, hey, Raffa, I really appreciate your time. This has been a lot of fun and keep up your work and let's come back in three years. Raffi:: Thank you, David. I appreciate you having me. Dave: There we have it. Another great episode. Thanks for listening in. If you want to continue the conversation, go to ic disc show.com. That's IC dash D-I-S-C-S-H-O w.com. And we have additional information on the podcast archived episodes, as well as a button to be a guest. So if you'd like to be a guest, go select that and fill out the information, and we'd love to have you on the show. So it we'll be back next time with another episode of the IC Disc Show. Special Guest: Raffi Yousefian.

When you've built success, what's next? Bryan Sweet sits down with Lee Brower, international gratitude advocate, founder of Empowered Wealth, and long-time coach with Strategic Coach. What unfolds is a masterclass in mindset, purpose, and what truly lasts. Lee shares stories that will shift how you think about goals, values, family, business, and what it … Read More Read More

What if the emptiness you feel despite your success isn't a sign you're broken, but a signal you're ready for something deeper? In this episode, Andrew Anderson, a transformational coach for high-achieving business leaders, shares his remarkable journey from elementary school playground helper to teaching career to becoming the guide that successful entrepreneurs call when they have "problems money can't solve." Through two pivotal relationships, Xavier, a Belgian mentor he met at 19 who still coaches him 21 years later, and Kevin Hall (former VP of Franklin Covey), who saw potential in him during his darkest season.  Andrew discovered how to help others move from survival to thriving, from playing defense to playing offense with their lives. From reconnecting with Xavier during his friend's divorce and flipping their mentor-mentee dynamic, to standing in the Virgin River at Zion National Park receiving divine inspiration to write a book that would later save a man's life, Andrew reveals how the right relationships at the right time don't just change your business trajectory but reshape your entire identity and calling. His approach cuts through years of traditional therapy in hours, helping clients rewire neural pathways and reconnect with who they truly are beneath the pain. Andrew reflects on honoring the versions of ourselves that went through hard things, why most people are playing not to lose instead of playing to win, and how a single conversation can absolutely change the trajectory of a career, relationship, or life.   [00:04:42] What Andrew Does: Solving Problems Money Can't Solve Shows up in three or four important roles each day First as a son of God Husband supporting wife who homeschools and does foot zoning Father to seven children [00:07:25] The Origin Story: Fourth Grade Playground Met Lap, a Vietnamese student who spoke zero English Became his playground buddy through the universal language of play Lap helped Andrew with math; Andrew helped him with sports First recognition of unique ability to see needs and show up for individuals [00:10:50] The Unique Ability Discovery References Dan Sullivan's Strategic Coach concept Like Marcus Colius told Kevin: "This is the Holy Spirit working through you" Unique abilities reveal themselves through stewardship, not searching [00:16:06] The Transition: From Teaching to Coaching Six years as a classroom teacher Went through separation and divorce that felt like life was over Lost career, marriage, and family simultaneously Left teaching, sold real estate for one year, then started coaching agents [00:20:00] Client Success Story: "Jared" Nearly million-dollar business but struggling with drug addiction, porn addiction Couldn't have children for several years, had hard time keeping money Worked at deep unconscious level to find root causes of self-sabotage Process took hours, not years - created new neural pathways [00:24:33] Playing Offense vs. Defense Andrew's 76-year-old dad's wisdom: "Play to win, don't play not to lose" Most people in life are playing defense, trying to get out of pain First day and a half with clients: playing defense but with love, not resistance [00:27:37] Xavier: The 21-Year Friendship Met in Belgium when Andrew was 19, Xavier was 28-29 Still FaceTimes to this day after 21 years Has visited Andrew's home three times, supports his retreats Andrew's best friend and coach for deepest heart and soul questions [00:29:26] Kevin Hall: The Professional Catalyst Met summer 2015 during Andrew's transition period Former VP of Sales at Franklin Covey, worked with Stephen Covey Author of "Aspire" teaching 10 powerful words Saw something in 29-year-old Andrew during training event Took Andrew under his wing in group coaching [00:32:04] The Book That Saved a Life Standing in Virgin River at Zion National Park at Kevin Hall's event God said: "You're gonna write a book" Title: "Strength of the Oak, Strength of the Willow" Two things keeping him from suicide: the Bible and Andrew's book   KEY QUOTES "Single conversation is guaranteed to change the trajectory of a career, a relationship, or a life. Any single conversation absolutely can." - Andrew Anderson (quoting Susan Scott) "You need to honor and respect that version of you because you would not be doing what you're doing and helping who you're helping or anything without having gone through that experience." - Xavier (to Andrew) "You gotta play to win. Don't play not to lose." - Andrew's 76-year-old dad "It's really hard to move forward while you're looking back." - Andrew Anderson "If you want to find yourself, you're gonna have to lose yourself. And if you're looking for happiness, the best way to find it is to give and do it unconditionally." - Andrew Anderson (referencing Jesus) CONNECT WITH ANDREW ANDERSON

What if I told you your biggest obstacle to growth isn't competition or burnout – but other people's envy? In this powerful new episode, Dan Sullivan and I unpack the hidden forces that shape (and sometimes sabotage) entrepreneurial ambition and reveal how to protect, amplify, and sustain it for life. Dan also debuts his brand-new “Four-Day Future” method for staying focused, fulfilled, and future-ready.SHOW NOTES:Ambition is the fuel that powers entrepreneurs but it's also fragile – Dan Sullivan reveals how to safeguard your drive from the silent forces of comparison, guilt, and envy.We explore why envy is the most dangerous ambition killer, how modern culture has engineered it into our daily lives, and what you can do to stay immune. Dan unveils his newest framework, The Four-Day Future a simple but profound way to measure progress, recalibrate quickly, and keep your ambition expanding at every stage of life.You'll also hear how Dan's recontextualizing Strategic Coach's entire curriculum to help entrepreneurs turn every “thinking tool” into an “ambition tool.”Whether you're an established founder or just reawakening your drive, this episode is a masterclass in staying focused, fulfilled, and fearless no matter what the world throws your way.KEY INSIGHTS & TAKEAWAYS:Ambition Is a CapabilityDan shares how ambition isn't about chasing goals it's about building the capability to think bigger, act faster, and stay confident through every stage of growth.The True Enemy of Ambition: EnvyDiscover how envy operates like gravity pulling ambitious people down, and how to protect yourself from its influence (especially when you're tired or doubting yourself).Socialism, Social Media & the Envy MachineDan explains why modern culture is engineered to make you feel guilty for succeeding, and how to escape that mental trap.From “The Gap” to “The Gain”Learn to measure your progress backward (not forward), and instantly turn frustration into fuel for the next level of growth.The Four-Day Future Method Dan unveils his new tool to measure progress and recalibrate your goals in real-time, staying focused, happy, and ambitious every week.Ambition Killers vs. Amplifiers Mike and Dan break down how guilt, fatigue, and overcommitment can kill drive, and how mini-calibrations and micro-wins keep ambition alive.TIMESTAMPS:[00:00:00] Introduction: Why NASA is betting on Ai to reach Mars by 2040[00:01:48] The biggest challenges: health, food, sanitation, power, mental health[00:06:20] How a simple brainstorm led to CoughSense - an Ai-powered astronaut health app[00:09:04] The “Genius Stack” Framework: stacking 10+ Ais for breakthroughs[00:13:12] The truth about trusting Ai platforms (and why speed beats loyalty)[00:16:13] Turning ideas into code prompts (even if you can't code)[00:19:52] Testing 10 Ai coding tools in parallel - winners and losers revealed[00:26:47] What my son built with Ai at 23 (and why it landed him equity in a company)[00:30:45] The Americium Story: turning nuclear waste into power for space exploration[00:38:22] Ai storytelling: from scripts to synthetic video to pitch decks in minutes[00:44:20] Why founders must lead by example - culture, behavior, and mindset shifts[00:47:08] The Four Quadrants of Ai: Superpowers, Marketing, Top-Line Growth, Automation[00:53:20] Real stories from Ai Accelerator Live - teams, families, and breakthroughs[00:57:59] Final message: The 18–36 month window before Ai becomes non-optionalPS – When you're ready, here's how I can help: Want to discover your next big opportunity? Meet me for a Cup of Coffee at my Digital Cafe (this is where we can meet): www.MikeKoenigs.com/1kCoffeeCAReady to reinvent yourself, your business, and your brand, and experiencing a massive personal and professional breakthrough? Watch this.

When entrepreneurs retire from their businesses, it doesn't always result in the freedom they imagined. In this episode, Tricia Wingerter shares why structure, teamwork, and purpose matter just as much after retirement—and how discovering your Unique Ability® and staying in contribution aren't just good for business, but for your mind, energy, and happiness too. Here's some of what you'll learn in this episode:Why Tricia didn't see herself as an entrepreneur until joining Strategic Coach®.How Tricia unlocked the skills and confidence needed to hire the right people.What entrepreneurs might unintentionally give up when they step away from meaningful work.How a family illness inspired Tricia to purchase her Visiting Angels home care agency.Show Notes:The Strategic Coach® Program allows already ambitious people to become more ambitious. Choosing work you love and do best keeps your brain sharp, engaged, and full of energy. Spot someone doing outstanding work? Acknowledging and celebrating it is a sign of real leadership. Retirement doesn't have a set age or template—your path is your own. All of your problems, discouragements, and heartaches are great opportunities in disguise. When entrepreneurs stop growing and contributing, boredom sets in fast. Retirement often feels very different, and sometimes much emptier, than most entrepreneurs expect. Too much unstructured time can leave even the busiest people restless or blue. Discovering and honoring your Unique Ability® validates what you do best and brings energy back to your work. There's no rulebook for when or how to step back—keep growing as long as you want to grow. Structure, teamwork, and deadlines give meaning and momentum to day-to-day life, even after “retirement.” Staying focused in your Unique Ability isn't just good for your business, it keeps your mind fresh and your purpose strong. Fulfillment comes from contribution, not withdrawal. When you feel lost or bored, helping others and pursuing your mission can reignite your spark. Valuing your strengths, asking others for help, and building a team you trust makes leadership a richer, more collaborative adventure. There's no one way for entrepreneurs to age; finding purpose every day is the true marker of success. Resources:Unique Ability® How To Foster A Longevity Mindset & Reap The Benefits EOS® My Plan For Living To 156 by Dan Sullivan Who Not How by Dan Sullivan with Dr. Benjamin Hardy

Do you ever wish difficult emotions would just disappear? In this episode, Dan Sullivan and Shannon Waller reveal why every feeling, especially the bothersome kind, is actually a valuable resource for entrepreneurial growth. Discover how turning frustration into clarity and action can lead to your next breakthrough, and learn the thinking tools that transform emotional energy into future results. Here's some of what you'll learn in this episode:How technology has increased conversations about feelings in daily life.Why your feelings serve as a built-in warning system for your thinking.How to quickly gain clarity instead of staying stuck when something bothers you.Why others struggle to truly understand your personal feelings.How Dan's own feelings inspired all of the Strategic Coach® thinking tools. Show Notes: Feelings are signals, not solutions—they alert you to something worth thinking about. Feelings don't transform themselves; vision and capability do. The real power lies in transforming emotional energy into future-focused action. Feeling “bothered” is raw material for entrepreneurial creativity and improvement. Successful entrepreneurs treat bother as a resource, turning it into planning and innovation. Asking, “If I weren't bothered, what would I be doing?” can pivot your mindset and open new possibilities. Responding thoughtfully, rather than reacting emotionally, leads to better results for you and your team. You can't control others' reactions, but you can fully own your own process and responses. Ignoring your feelings (or acting out impulsively) usually makes things worse. Every feeling brings energy—use it to fuel thinking, problem solving, and the creation of new tools. Mastery comes from skillfully transforming negative emotions into positive action, not from avoiding them. The entrepreneur's job is to turn low-productivity “bother” into high-productivity breakthroughs. Don't aim for perfect detachment; instead, get better at using what bothers you for future advantage. Resources: Not Being Bothered by Dan Sullivan The Impact Filter™ The Entrepreneurial Attitude Multiplication By Subtraction by Shannon Waller

Is growth always the goal, or is there wisdom in slowing down? Dan Sullivan and Jeffrey Madoff share how real breakthroughs happen when you pause, build new capabilities, and stop chasing cookie-cutter success. True progress as an entrepreneur means playing your own game and having the freedom to shape your life, not just your business. Show Notes: Growth comes in two forms: expanding outward and building new capabilities internally. It's difficult to maximize your existing capabilities and create new capabilities at the same time. Lasting breakthroughs often start when entrepreneurs get bored and look for new challenges. Every capability, even the ones learned under pressure, adds to your entrepreneurial tool kit. Treating your capabilities as unique assets, rather than just checking off boxes, leads to bigger, better opportunities. Strategic Coach® draws inspiration from the entertainment industry, not the corporate world. Not every business needs to scale endlessly; staying small can give you more freedom and satisfaction. A tightly scheduled entrepreneur can't transform themselves. Most people want to retire because they need time off, but entrepreneurial growth happens when you realize you can take time off now. If you want your business to support the life you want, be deliberate about choosing both growth and downtime. Resources: Learn about Strategic Coach® Learn about Jeffrey Madoff The Entrepreneur's Guide To Time Management Your Business Is A Theater Production: Your Back Stage Shouldn't Show On The Front Stage Who Not How by Dan Sullivan with Dr. Benjamin HardyAlways More Ambitious by Dan Sullivan

RE-THINK REAL ESTATE | Success brings its own challenges. Many real estate agents ("Rugged Individuals") hit an invisible ceiling that creates pressure and can lead to burnout and a loss of passion. In this episode, Dylan and Angela discuss the Ceiling of Complexity® and why the very personality traits that make real estate agents successful are also what can hold them back. They also dig into how rethinking time, money, relationships and purpose can help agents break through the ceiling and rediscover their love of real estate.   Access the resource and the rest of this series in the Forge at c21forge.com/rethink-real-estate-revisited. “Ceiling of Complexity” is a term coined by Dan Sullivan of Strategic Coach™.   Subscribe to the More Than More Podcast for new weekly episodes as we discuss building meaningful and impactful businesses, careers, and lives through real estate. Apple Podcasts Spotify YouTube 

Scott is the President & founder of Edelman Wealth Management Group and manages all aspects of financial planning and employee benefits, providing products and services for investing, retiring, insurance, and estate conservation for individuals, families, and businesses.He has a strong commitment to giving uncomplicated advice and unparalleled service and puts an emphasis on creating lasting relationships with his clients and within his community.A natural teacher and mentor, Scott is a member of Strategic Coach, an entrepreneur business coaching program. He is a thought leader in the financial field and a regular speaker at conferences. Scott is also active with local charities and is on several boards.Scott lives in Bucks County, PA, with his wife and children.Learn more: http://www.edelmanwealthmanagement.com/Edelman Wealth Management Group, Inc. Heston Hall 1790 Yardley-Langhorne Road, Suite 202 Yardley, PA 19067. Securities and investment advisory services offered through Osaic Wealth, Inc. member FINRA/SIPC. Osaic Wealth is separately owned and other entities and/or marketing names, products or services referenced here are independent of Osaic WealthInfluential Entrepreneurs with Mike Saundershttps://businessinnovatorsradio.com/influential-entrepreneurs-with-mike-saunders/Source: https://businessinnovatorsradio.com/interview-with-scott-edelman-founder-of-edelman-wealth-management-group-discussing-wealth-protection

Scott is the President & founder of Edelman Wealth Management Group and manages all aspects of financial planning and employee benefits, providing products and services for investing, retiring, insurance, and estate conservation for individuals, families, and businesses.He has a strong commitment to giving uncomplicated advice and unparalleled service and puts an emphasis on creating lasting relationships with his clients and within his community.A natural teacher and mentor, Scott is a member of Strategic Coach, an entrepreneur business coaching program. He is a thought leader in the financial field and a regular speaker at conferences. Scott is also active with local charities and is on several boards.Scott lives in Bucks County, PA, with his wife and children.Learn more: http://www.edelmanwealthmanagement.com/Edelman Wealth Management Group, Inc. Heston Hall 1790 Yardley-Langhorne Road, Suite 202 Yardley, PA 19067. Securities and investment advisory services offered through Osaic Wealth, Inc. member FINRA/SIPC. Osaic Wealth is separately owned and other entities and/or marketing names, products or services referenced here are independent of Osaic WealthInfluential Entrepreneurs with Mike Saundershttps://businessinnovatorsradio.com/influential-entrepreneurs-with-mike-saunders/Source: https://businessinnovatorsradio.com/interview-with-scott-edelman-founder-of-edelman-wealth-management-group-discussing-wealth-protection

Have you ever felt trapped by stress, trauma, or unresolved emotions that keep you stuck in cycles of pain and disconnection?In this transformative episode, I'm joined by my dear friend and world-renowned Qi Gong Master, Mingtong Gu, founder of The Chi Center. Together, we unpack how Qi Gong – an ancient, powerful practice – is changing lives by reconnecting us to our true selves, healing deep trauma, and unlocking profound freedom.Mingtong shares incredible insights from his 30+ years of practice, revealing how simple yet profound Qi Gong techniques empower high performers, CEOs, and even those facing incurable diseases to shift from mere survival to thriving.If you're longing for true inner peace, vibrant health, and emotional freedom, this is your gateway.KEY INSIGHTS & TAKEAWAYS:Why Qi Gong is Your Missing LinkDiscover how simple, gentle movements and meditative practices reconnect your mind, body, and spirit, reversing years—even generations—of trauma.Healing Trauma, Creating FreedomMingtong shares astonishing case studies, including how Qi Gong reversed seemingly incurable illnesses and transformed broken marriages and lives stuck in despair.Releasing Multi-Generational PatternsLearn how hidden emotional patterns passed through generations are held in your body—and how Qi Gong gently releases this trapped energy.Transforming Relationships with Qi GongFind out why couples who practice Qi Gong together experience profound reconnection, healing, and deeper intimacy beyond the honeymoon phase.Ai,  Technology, and Embodied AwarenessUnderstand the urgent importance of reconnecting with your physical body and emotions in the age of AI—and why this embodied connection is key to preserving our humanity.From Surviving to ThrivingHear how Qi Gong empowers you to reclaim your health, emotional vitality, mental clarity, and spiritual purpose, giving you lasting internal freedom.TIME STAMPS:[00:00:00] Introduction: Trauma, Stress & Qi Gong[00:03:32] Meet Master Mingtong Gu[00:04:25] Biggest Mistake in Health & Life[00:07:26] What Exactly is Qi Gong?[00:11:47] Qi Gong vs. Meditation & Yoga[00:16:05] Mingtong's Journey from Trauma to Healing[00:21:41] The Qi Gong Healing Miracle[00:23:12] Mike's Personal Trauma & Language Patterns[00:30:20] Multi-Generational Trauma Release[00:39:29] Qi Gong's Power to Release Disease[00:44:36] What Happens at a Qi Gong Retreat?[00:49:06] Healing Marriages Through Qi Gong[00:54:30] Why Embodied Awareness is Essential in the Age of AI[01:02:53] True Freedom is EmbodiedIf you've ever felt stuck or held back by deep emotional wounds, unresolved stress, or just a lack of true inner freedom, this episode will open doors you didn't know existed.To your freedom,– MikePS – When you're ready, here's how I can help: Join me for one of my upcoming One-Day Ai Workshops at Genius Network Headquarters, this coming March 25th or May 20th: www.AiAccelerator.com/OneDay   Want to discover your next big opportunity? Meet me for a Cup of Coffee at my Digital Cafe (this is where we can meet): www.MikeKoenigs.com/1kCoffeeCAReady to reinvent yourself, your business, and your brand, and experiencing a massive personal and professional breakthrough? Watch this.

Scott is the President & founder of Edelman Wealth Management Group and manages all aspects of financial planning and employee benefits, providing products and services for investing, retiring, insurance, and estate conservation for individuals, families, and businesses.He has a strong commitment to giving uncomplicated advice and unparalleled service and puts an emphasis on creating lasting relationships with his clients and within his community.A natural teacher and mentor, Scott is a member of Strategic Coach, an entrepreneur business coaching program. He is a thought leader in the financial field and a regular speaker at conferences. Scott is also active with local charities and is on several boards.Scott lives in Bucks County, PA with his wife and children.Learn more: http://www.edelmanwealthmanagement.com/Edelman Wealth Management Group, Inc. Heston Hall 1790 Yardley-Langhorne Road, Suite 202 Yardley, PA 19067. Securities and investment advisory services offered through Osaic Wealth, Inc. member FINRA/SIPC. Osaic Wealth is separately owned and other entities and/or marketing names, products or services referenced here are independent of Osaic WealthInfluential Entrepreneurs with Mike Saundershttps://businessinnovatorsradio.com/influential-entrepreneurs-with-mike-saunders/Source: https://businessinnovatorsradio.com/interview-with-scott-edelman-founder-of-edelman-wealth-management-group-discussing-guaranteed-income

Scott is the President & founder of Edelman Wealth Management Group and manages all aspects of financial planning and employee benefits, providing products and services for investing, retiring, insurance, and estate conservation for individuals, families, and businesses.He has a strong commitment to giving uncomplicated advice and unparalleled service and puts an emphasis on creating lasting relationships with his clients and within his community.A natural teacher and mentor, Scott is a member of Strategic Coach, an entrepreneur business coaching program. He is a thought leader in the financial field and a regular speaker at conferences. Scott is also active with local charities and is on several boards.Scott lives in Bucks County, PA with his wife and children.Learn more: http://www.edelmanwealthmanagement.com/Edelman Wealth Management Group, Inc. Heston Hall 1790 Yardley-Langhorne Road, Suite 202 Yardley, PA 19067. Securities and investment advisory services offered through Osaic Wealth, Inc. member FINRA/SIPC. Osaic Wealth is separately owned and other entities and/or marketing names, products or services referenced here are independent of Osaic WealthInfluential Entrepreneurs with Mike Saundershttps://businessinnovatorsradio.com/influential-entrepreneurs-with-mike-saunders/Source: https://businessinnovatorsradio.com/interview-with-scott-edelman-founder-of-edelman-wealth-management-group-discussing-guaranteed-income

Scott is the President & founder of Edelman Wealth Management Group and manages all aspects of financial planning and employee benefits, providing products and services for investing, retiring, insurance, and estate conservation for individuals, families, and businesses.He has a strong commitment to giving uncomplicated advice and unparalleled service and puts an emphasis on creating lasting relationships with his clients and within his community.A natural teacher and mentor, Scott is a member of Strategic Coach, an entrepreneur business coaching program. He is a thought leader in the financial field and a regular speaker at conferences. Scott is also active with local charities and is on several boards.Scott lives in Bucks County, PA with his wife and children.Learn more: http://www.edelmanwealthmanagement.com/Edelman Wealth Management Group, Inc. Heston Hall 1790 Yardley-Langhorne Road, Suite 202 Yardley, PA 19067. Securities and investment advisory services offered through Osaic Wealth, Inc. member FINRA/SIPC. Osaic Wealth is separately owned and other entities and/or marketing names, products or services referenced here are independent of Osaic WealthInfluential Entrepreneurs with Mike Saundershttps://businessinnovatorsradio.com/influential-entrepreneurs-with-mike-saunders/Source: https://businessinnovatorsradio.com/interview-with-scott-edelman-founder-of-edelman-wealth-management-group-discussing-risks-of-retirement

Scott is the President & founder of Edelman Wealth Management Group and manages all aspects of financial planning and employee benefits, providing products and services for investing, retiring, insurance, and estate conservation for individuals, families, and businesses.He has a strong commitment to giving uncomplicated advice and unparalleled service and puts an emphasis on creating lasting relationships with his clients and within his community.A natural teacher and mentor, Scott is a member of Strategic Coach, an entrepreneur business coaching program. He is a thought leader in the financial field and a regular speaker at conferences. Scott is also active with local charities and is on several boards.Scott lives in Bucks County, PA with his wife and children.Learn more: http://www.edelmanwealthmanagement.com/Edelman Wealth Management Group, Inc. Heston Hall 1790 Yardley-Langhorne Road, Suite 202 Yardley, PA 19067. Securities and investment advisory services offered through Osaic Wealth, Inc. member FINRA/SIPC. Osaic Wealth is separately owned and other entities and/or marketing names, products or services referenced here are independent of Osaic WealthInfluential Entrepreneurs with Mike Saundershttps://businessinnovatorsradio.com/influential-entrepreneurs-with-mike-saunders/Source: https://businessinnovatorsradio.com/interview-with-scott-edelman-founder-of-edelman-wealth-management-group-discussing-risks-of-retirement

Discover all of the podcasts in our network, search for specific episodes, get the Optimal Living Daily workbook, and learn more at: OLDPodcast.com. Episode 3781: Benjamin Hardy reveals how specific, measurable goals, defined through daily journaling and real-world experiences, can dramatically shift your mindset and reshape your future. By focusing on clear outcomes and transformational events, you unlock deeper clarity, creativity, and momentum toward lasting success. Read along with the original article(s) here: https://medium.com/thrive-global/here-is-a-very-simple-method-for-success-aeaca597eae2 Quotes to ponder: "Whatever it is that you want right now, you can have it, but then, you need to continue stretching your mindset and experiences." "The process of writing your goals down on paper, every single day, is actually HOW you clarify your goals." "Your brain develops as you focus on attaining specific numbers and creating SPECIFIC events!" Episode references: Strategic Coach: https://www.strategiccoach.com Napoleon Hill quote reference ("Whatever the mind can conceive and believe..."): https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/41676-whatever-the-mind-can-conceive-and-believe-it-can-achieve The Power of Now: https://www.amazon.com/Power-Now-Guide-Spiritual-Enlightenment/dp/1577314808 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Are you ready to break through your next ceiling? In this episode, Dan Sullivan and Kevin Dick reveal how boosting your energy, surrounding yourself with growth-minded people, and structuring your time unlocks new levels of success. Learn how resilience, community, and self-belief help entrepreneurs thrive—especially when the market gets tough. Here's some of what you'll learn in this episode:How The Strategic Coach® Program guides entrepreneurs to their next level of success.​Why entrepreneurism is really an energy game.​How your response to crisis changes once you've overcome one before.​The unexpected benefits of being a Strategic Coach® member.​How Kevin's entrepreneurial drive started early in life. Show Notes: Entrepreneurs hit ceilings when their environment isn't pushing them toward bigger goals.​ Raising your goals demands greater capability from your team, not just yourself.​ Breakthroughs are most likely during market crises, if you structure your time and attention to seize new opportunities. Independence only works if you build a truly great company around yourself.​ Entrepreneurial energy and resilience are shaped by who you surround yourself with every day.​ Being around ambitious, positive people makes growth contagious. You can reinvent yourself in times of adversity if you stay proactive and open to change.​ The first year at Strategic Coach is about personal growth; after that, it's about scaling your business practice.​ Introspection is an entrepreneur's secret weapon for overcoming major challenges and bouncing back from setbacks. Your brain is wired to pursue what you focus on—feed it bigger goals, not limitations.​ Self-belief matters more than anything, and it's a daily discipline, not something that happens by luck.​ Building a community with your clients creates trust, accountability, and lasting business success.​ Even setbacks, mistakes, and crisis moments are raw material for entrepreneurial growth and transformation.​ Resources: Who Not How by Dan Sullivan with Dr. Benjamin Hardy The Kolbe A™ Index The Gap And The Gain by Dan Sullivan with Dr. Benjamin HardyThe Unique EDGE® Program

Discover all of the podcasts in our network, search for specific episodes, get the Optimal Living Daily workbook, and learn more at: OLDPodcast.com. Episode 3781: Benjamin Hardy reveals how specific, measurable goals, defined through daily journaling and real-world experiences, can dramatically shift your mindset and reshape your future. By focusing on clear outcomes and transformational events, you unlock deeper clarity, creativity, and momentum toward lasting success. Read along with the original article(s) here: https://medium.com/thrive-global/here-is-a-very-simple-method-for-success-aeaca597eae2 Quotes to ponder: "Whatever it is that you want right now, you can have it, but then, you need to continue stretching your mindset and experiences." "The process of writing your goals down on paper, every single day, is actually HOW you clarify your goals." "Your brain develops as you focus on attaining specific numbers and creating SPECIFIC events!" Episode references: Strategic Coach: https://www.strategiccoach.com Napoleon Hill quote reference ("Whatever the mind can conceive and believe..."): https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/41676-whatever-the-mind-can-conceive-and-believe-it-can-achieve The Power of Now: https://www.amazon.com/Power-Now-Guide-Spiritual-Enlightenment/dp/1577314808 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Discover all of the podcasts in our network, search for specific episodes, get the Optimal Living Daily workbook, and learn more at: OLDPodcast.com. Episode 3781: Benjamin Hardy reveals how specific, measurable goals, defined through daily journaling and real-world experiences, can dramatically shift your mindset and reshape your future. By focusing on clear outcomes and transformational events, you unlock deeper clarity, creativity, and momentum toward lasting success. Read along with the original article(s) here: https://medium.com/thrive-global/here-is-a-very-simple-method-for-success-aeaca597eae2 Quotes to ponder: "Whatever it is that you want right now, you can have it, but then, you need to continue stretching your mindset and experiences." "The process of writing your goals down on paper, every single day, is actually HOW you clarify your goals." "Your brain develops as you focus on attaining specific numbers and creating SPECIFIC events!" Episode references: Strategic Coach: https://www.strategiccoach.com Napoleon Hill quote reference ("Whatever the mind can conceive and believe..."): https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/41676-whatever-the-mind-can-conceive-and-believe-it-can-achieve The Power of Now: https://www.amazon.com/Power-Now-Guide-Spiritual-Enlightenment/dp/1577314808 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Are you thriving or just arriving? In this episode, Shannon Waller and Program Coach Lee Brower explore the lifelong mindset that keeps entrepreneurs in motion long after the initial motivation fades. Discover practical ways to make growth and gratitude central to your business, family, and life—plus the powerful impact of asking the right questions and building strong traditions that last. Here's some of what you'll learn in this episode:The surprising first job Lee created for himself before he was old enough for a paper route.What sparked Lee's deep appreciation for entrepreneurship and its ecosystem.How Lee defines the mindset that drives enduring entrepreneurial success.Why motivation and inspiration play different roles on the entrepreneurial journey.How to tell the difference between genuine confidence and mere arrogance.Why great entrepreneurs are more like rivers than you might think.Lee's most powerful lesson from three decades at Strategic Coach®. Show Notes: Not everyone chooses entrepreneurship—sometimes it chooses you. Money motivates at first, but it's the freedom it brings that keeps you going. The best lessons come from learning alongside other entrepreneurs, not just from teaching. Successful entrepreneurs focus on making things better, easier to access, and more valuable. Great entrepreneurs don't ask themselves what's wrong. They ask, “What's right?” and “How can I make it even better?” Problems don't hold entrepreneurs back; they turn problem solving into daily practice. Motivation is temporary. Inspiration and purpose are what keep you going. You can elevate yourself by surrounding yourself with people who have skills you don't have. Family traditions, shared language, and rituals build lasting culture at home and in business. The most valuable assets aren't financial; they're values, learning, relationships, and contribution. Never delegate away your Unique Ability® until you truly know and refine it. Confidence grows from gratitude and from focusing on others, not just on yourself. Great results come from being open to learning in every interaction. Instead of chasing answers, ask better questions. The enemy of thriving is arriving. Resources: Unique Ability® The Impact Filter™ Range: Why Generalists Triumph In A Specialized World by David EpsteinThe Positive Focus® strategiccoach.com leebrower.com

What if the same Ai tools you're using in your business could help NASA get humanity to Mars by 2040?That's exactly what I shared live at NASA's Nexplore Conference in Arlington, Virginia - and what I'm bringing to you in this brand-new episode of Capability Amplifier.This isn't science fiction. You'll see how Ai is already being used to:Prototype life-saving astronaut health tech in under an hourSolve energy and food challenges on MarsBuild real apps, commercials, and presentations - in 20 minutes or lessTell better stories that attract capital, talent, and partnershipsThe crazy part? These same systems work for founders, consultants, and creators here on Earth - whether you're building a new business, inventing products, or scaling your team's productivity.KEY INSIGHTS & TAKEAWAYS:The Off-World AI Playbook Why NASA tapped entrepreneurs and Ai innovators to help solve its toughest problems - mental health, food, sanitation, and more.From Problem to Prototype in 20 Minutes How I built CoughSense, an astronaut respiratory monitoring app, in less than an hour using Ai tools (something that would normally take months and millions).The “Genius Stack” Framework Why you should never rely on a single Ai - and how to stack multiple Ais for faster, more reliable outcomes.Storytelling at Scale Why solving problems isn't enough - you must be able to tell a story that inspires buy-in from leaders, investors, and customers.Super Agents & Real-Time Research Discover the Ai super agents that plan ahead, debug, and build apps without you needing to write a single line of code.Business, Education & Job Creation Why rapid prototyping with Ai is the future of entrepreneurship and why young founders (like my own son) are already using it to create companies and land six-figure opportunities.The 18–36 Month Window Why entrepreneurs have a short window to embrace Ai - or risk being left behind.TIME STAMPS:[00:00:00] Introduction: Why NASA is betting on Ai to reach Mars by 2040[00:01:48] The biggest challenges: health, food, sanitation, power, mental health[00:06:20] How a simple brainstorm led to CoughSense - an Ai-powered astronaut health app [00:09:04] The “Genius Stack” Framework: stacking 10+ Ais for breakthroughs [00:13:12] The truth about trusting Ai platforms (and why speed beats loyalty) [00:16:13] Turning ideas into code prompts (even if you can't code) [00:19:52] Testing 10 Ai coding tools in parallel - winners and losers revealed [00:26:47] What my son built with Ai at 23 (and why it landed him equity in a company) [00:30:45] The Americium Story: turning nuclear waste into power for space exploration [00:38:22] Ai storytelling: from scripts to synthetic video to pitch decks in minutes [00:44:20] Why founders must lead by example - culture, behavior, and mindset shifts [00:47:08] The Four Quadrants of Ai: Superpowers, Marketing, Top-Line Growth, Automation [00:53:20] Real stories from Ai Accelerator Live - teams, families, and breakthroughs [00:57:59] Final message: The 18–36 month window before Ai becomes non-optionalIf you want to see how Ai can transform not just your business, but the future of humanity, don't miss this episode.PS – When you're ready, here's how I can help: Join me for 2 days at Genius Network Headquarters, this Oct. 28-29, for the Ai Accelerator Live Event – register here: www.AiAccelerator.com/Live Want to discover your next big opportunity? Meet me for a Cup of Coffee at my Digital Cafe (this is where we can meet): www.MikeKoenigs.com/1kCoffeeCAReady to reinvent yourself, your business, and your brand, and experiencing a massive personal and professional breakthrough? Watch this.

Do you feel alone navigating the entrepreneurial journey, even in a room full of peers? This episode uncovers the power of a shared language, showing how entrepreneurs elevate their growth, tackle obstacles, and celebrate wins together. Discover how Strategic Coach's thinking tools turn isolation into collaboration, making progress possible for everyone—no matter their industry or experience. Here's some of what you'll learn in this episode:How Strategic Coach® stands apart from other coaching companies.How thinking tools create a shared language for entrepreneurs.A simple approach for entrepreneurs to clarify their ideal role.The story of Dan building an entrepreneurial community in 1982.Why entrepreneurs tend to experience more isolation than others. Show Notes: Entrepreneurs often don't have words for their experience, and Strategic Coach provides them. A shared language empowers entrepreneurs to interpret and elevate their experiences within a supportive community. At most entrepreneurial coaching companies, every client knows that everyone else in the room is a competitor, and it makes for a toxic learning environment. Most business coaching programs actually make entrepreneurs feel more isolated, lonely, and anxious. Strategic Coach builds environments where each entrepreneur is seen as a resource rather than a rival. Strategic Coach's 250 thinking tools create a common language and provide practical frameworks for collaboration, growth, and clarity. Strategic Coach members are all making progress within the same framework. Common language shortcuts, like The 4 C's Formula®, accelerate mutual understanding and meaningful conversation. In creating his thinking tools, Dan Sullivan intentionally avoids jargon so that communication is clear, practical, and relevant to real experience. There are elements common to every entrepreneur's experience, no matter what industry they're in. Resources: Your Life As A Strategy Circle by Dan Sullivan Unique Ability® How To Harness The Power Of Negative Thinking The 4 C's Formula by Dan Sullivan Who Not How by Dan Sullivan with Dr. Benjamin Hardy The Gap And The Gain by Dan Sullivan with Dr. Benjamin Hardy 10x Is Easier Than 2x by Dan Sullivan with Dr. Benjamin Hardy

What if the key to your next big breakthrough wasn't hustling harder… But creating the space to actually think like a visionary?That's exactly what I unpack in this brand-new episode of Capability Amplifier with my good friend Allison Maslan – CEO of Pinnacle Global Network and author of Scale or Fail.We go into:Living Internationally – how Allison built her business while living half the year in Mexico (soon Greece!) and why changing your environment changes your creativity.Strategic Partnerships – her system for landing high-value partnerships with EO, YPO, WPO, and global organizations… without cold outreach.Vision Crafting – the daily practice she uses to manifest her future self, attract the right opportunities, and keep innovating.Innovation & Energy – why most entrepreneurs get stuck on autopilot—and the small shifts that can reignite creativity.If you've ever dreamed of running your business from anywhere in the world, building powerful partnerships, and designing your future instead of reacting to it – this conversation will light you up.KEY INSIGHTS & TAKEAWAYS:Living Internationally as a Founder Why relocating—even part-time—can open your mind, boost your creativity, and expand global opportunities.The Power of Strategic Partnerships How Allison intentionally built relationships that led to multi-million-dollar opportunities with top-tier organizations.Vision Crafting: A Daily Practice The exact journaling + visualization method she uses every morning to manifest opportunities, partnerships, and even her soulmate.Scaling Beyond Operations Why CEOs must transition from operator to visionary—and how to avoid getting buried in the weeds.Creating Space for Innovation How to design your environment and schedule so you can continually innovate instead of burning out.TIME STAMPS:[00:00:00] Introduction – Mike & Allison set the stage: visionary space, partnerships, and lifestyle design.[00:02:30] Living Internationally – Running a company from Mexico (and soon Greece).[00:06:20] Cultural Lessons – What it really takes to do business across borders.[00:12:00] Strategic Partnerships – Allison's system for building intentional, scalable relationships.[00:18:45] The “Go-Giver” Approach – Why generosity is the secret to partnership success.[00:23:00] Mike's Challenge – Filling events without doing it all himself. Allison advises.[00:28:10] Vision Crafting & Energetics – Daily practices that fuel creativity and manifest results.[00:34:40] From Woo to Work – Blending quantum physics with proven scaling strategies.[00:43:00] Journaling, Visualization & Downloads – Allison's exact process.[00:48:30] Breaking Out of Autopilot – Why most entrepreneurs get stuck and how to reset.[00:50:45] Wrap-Up – Where to find Allison's work and resources.If you're ready to stop running on autopilot and start living as the visionary of your business (and your life), this is a must-listen.PS – Here's how I can help: There's still time to join me for 2 days at Genius Network Headquarters, this Oct. 28-29, for the Ai Accelerator Live Event – register here: www.AiAccelerator.com/Live Want to discover your next big opportunity? Meet me for a Cup of Coffee at my Digital Cafe (this is where we can meet): www.MikeKoenigs.com/1kCoffeeCAReady to reinvent yourself, your business, and your brand, and experiencing a massive personal and professional breakthrough? Watch this.

Ever wondered what makes self-storage the perfect investment - especially during unpredictable economic times?In this episode, I'm joined by my friend and strategic investor, Arthur Hood, who's personally structured over half a billion dollars in deals. Arthur and his partner, Russ Colvin, have cracked the code on self-storage, consistently outperforming every other real estate asset class for the past 25 years.You'll discover exactly why self-storage generates immediate cash flow, offers recession and inflation resistance, and attracts institutional buyers eager for stable returns.We'll cover Arthur's exact formula for creating instant equity, predictable cash flow, and substantial tax advantages—plus, why institutional-grade self-storage facilities could be your next breakthrough investment.KEY INSIGHTS & TAKEAWAYS:Why Self-Storage Beats Other InvestmentsPredictable cash flow with low operating expenses, minimal staffing, and high stability.No toilets, no tenants' rights hassles—just straightforward business.Arthur's Perfect Investment FormulaAsset-backed investments that appreciate and produce immediate cash.Value creation through strategic site selection, zoning approvals, and entitlement.Generation 5 Storage Facilities: Premium and ProfitableDiscover what sets "Gen 5" facilities apart from traditional storage warehouses—climate-controlled spaces, enhanced security, and aesthetics that attract higher-paying tenants.Insider Strategy: Contrarian Opportunity SpottingLearn how Arthur and Russ identify undervalued markets and turn them into high-performing assets.Why locations near growing urban centers and stadiums are hot spots for profitable storage.Tax Advantages & Opportunity ZonesDeep dive into how investors leverage depreciation and Opportunity Zones to significantly reduce tax liabilities.Operational Excellence: Low Costs, High ReturnsHow Arthur ensures maximum profitability through careful construction, efficient operations, and strong management partnerships.Investor Trust & TransparencyWhy transparency and consistent communication through detailed updates and site visits set Arthur apart from typical real estate investments.TIME STAMPS[00:00:00] Introduction: Why Self-Storage?[00:02:55] Arthur Hood: Strategic Investing Master[00:03:54] The Simplicity & Profitability of Storage[00:05:52] Generation 5 Facilities Explained[00:06:46] Meet Russ Colvin: "The Storage Savant"[00:09:04] Why Storage is Recession-Proof[00:10:55] Arthur's Perfect Investment Formula[00:13:18] Contrarian Market Selection Strategies[00:15:44] Structuring Deals: Equity, Debt, & Returns[00:18:28] Tax Advantages and Opportunity Zones[00:20:27] Operational Excellence & Cost Efficiency[00:23:01] Transparency & Investor Relations[00:27:59] Essential Questions Every Investor Should AskIf you're ready to dive into one of the most predictable, profitable, and inflation-resistant investments available today, this episode is for you.Ready to see if self-storage investing is right for you? Visit https://www.YourSpaceAmerica.com to get access to exclusive investment details, site visits, and a free deal prospectus. In just a few minutes, you'll understand how self-storage could unlock predictable cash flow and substantial tax advantages for you. To connect with Arthur, reach out here: Personal Website: www.arthurhood.comContact Email: info@arthurhood.com Professional Website www.YourSpaceAmerica.comSocials: @arthurhooddotcom

What if Ai could instantly boost your top-line revenue, radically multiply your productivity, and help you land dream opportunities – like speaking at the United Nations?In this special episode, I'm sharing my full training from the "Success Summit" hosted by Michael Rozbruch. In just 75 minutes, you'll discover exactly how to get your time back, overcome overwhelm, and use Ai to find new customers, convert leads faster, and replace hours (even weeks) of work with simple Ai tools.You'll see how I prepared a UN-approved speech and bio in just four hours using Ai…How I landed a gig at NASA…And how you can replicate these results in your own business – no tech experience needed.This episode gives you a powerful blueprint for leveraging Ai to accelerate growth, streamline operations, and leave competitors behind.KEY INSIGHTS & TAKEAWAYS:The Four Quadrants of AiLearn how Ai upgrades your personal capabilities, your team, your brand, and most importantly – your revenue.Replace and Enhance Your Team with AiDiscover how I hired the perfect "unicorn" replacement in less than two weeks by leveraging Ai to create job descriptions, screen candidates, and onboard faster.Instant Institutional Knowledge (Never Lose Information Again)See how to effortlessly capture SOPs, meeting notes, and institutional wisdom with simple tools like Otter and NotebookLM, dramatically cutting onboarding time.The Multiple Genius StrategyLeverage multiple Ai tools simultaneously to instantly become an expert on any topic, get deep prospect insights, and fact-check in real time – without the effort.Rapid Revenue and High-Value OpportunitiesSee the Ai-driven sales strategy we use to close six-figure deals in single conversations and how Ai landed me prestigious speaking engagements at the UN and NASA.Monkey Pick Good Banana (No Expertise Needed)Understand how to use Ai even if you have zero tech skills – by simply selecting the best outputs from multiple Ai "geniuses."TIME STAMPS:[00:00:00] Introduction & The Big PromiseMy keynote from Michael Rozbruch's Tax Resolution Success Summit.[00:02:51] Get Customers & Replace Your Team with AiHow Ai solves your biggest fears: overwhelm, losing knowledge, and getting customers.[00:03:25] Ai at the United Nations (in 4 hours!)The story of how Ai helped me quickly prepare a speech and bio that landed me a speaking gig at the UN.[00:07:07] Creating Synthetic Videos with InVideoWatch how I used Ai to produce professional video content without a production team.[00:09:39] The Four Quadrants of Ai ExplainedWhy Ai frameworks create freedom and how to implement them immediately.[00:18:04] Ai Superpowers & Instant ProductivityMy #1 Ai tip for multiplying your daily productivity (using your smartphone!).[00:24:13] The MAC Method & Never Losing KnowledgeHow to mentor yourself, automate tasks, and critique using Ai.[00:31:00] Hiring Unicorns with AiThe exact strategy I used to find the perfect Chief of Staff replacement in less than two weeks.[00:34:08] Fixing Email OverloadHow Fixer AI saves me two hours daily by automating email responses.[00:39:07] The Multiple Genius StrategyHow having multiple Ai experts working simultaneously transforms your business.[00:44:48] Instantly Discover High-Value Tools & OpportunitiesAi-powered prospect research and revenue opportunities.[00:56:06] NotebookLM: Capture & Leverage Institutional KnowledgeNever lose vital information or SOPs again with simple Ai-driven tools.[01:02:16] Using Ai to Find Ideal CustomersQuickly build hyper-targeted lists and gain deep insights to close bigger deals.If you're serious about multiplying your revenue, simplifying your operations, and growing faster – this episode is your ultimate Ai roadmap.PS – Here's how I can help: Join me for 2 days at Genius Network Headquarters, this Oct. 28-29, for the Ai Accelerator Live Event – register here: www.AiAccelerator.com/Live Want to discover your next big opportunity? Meet me for a Cup of Coffee at my Digital Cafe (this is where we can meet): www.MikeKoenigs.com/1kCoffeeCAReady to reinvent yourself, your business, and your brand, and experiencing a massive personal and professional breakthrough? Watch this.

What if the key to differentiation isn't about your product, but your perspective? Dan Sullivan reveals how to escape the crowded marketplace by shifting your focus from your needs to your clients' futures. Learn the powerful question that instantly creates partnership and makes you the most valuable person in the room. Here's some of what you'll learn in this episode:The two critical questions that clarify an entrepreneur's most impactful actions.The two time systems in which the best entrepreneurs operate.How to determine the needs of your customers and clients.A simple method to instantly engage anyone in transformative thinking about their goals.The one essential question that builds partnership and loyalty with every client.Why Strategic Coach® members continuously achieve bigger and better future outcomes. Show Notes: Stating goals as needs puts entrepreneurs in a position of asking for permission rather than leading with confidence. Bold goals are vivid pictures of yourself in the future operating at a higher level. State your ambitions based on what you truly want, not just what you think you need. Modern uncertainty means that seeing clearly beyond the next 90 days is difficult, so it's important to focus on shorter time frames and long-term vision. Your entire future lies in helping your customers and clients achieve their own futures. The real competition is not for market share, but for a person's time and attention. Every entrepreneur can offer clients something truly unique that nobody else can provide. Entrepreneurs who make every conversation about the other person hold their attention and differentiate themselves for the long term. Maintaining calm confidence in your own future lets you focus on creating breakthroughs for others. Traditional advertising talks about the seller, but true impact comes from asking clients about their future goals. Strong partnerships are built by consistently helping top clients clarify and expand their future goals together. Entrepreneurial growth is a continuous process across 100 quarters, fueled by a commitment to others' futures. Strategic Coach's unique value is opening clients' eyes to new possibilities through insightful questions, not prescribed solutions. Resources: Wanting What You Want by Dan Sullivan The D.O.S. Conversation® by Dan Sullivan

If you're an entrepreneur, you've taken complete responsibility for your financial welfare, choosing to make a living based on what makes you unique. When entrepreneurs get frustrated and start focusing on what isn't working, it means they've strayed from their uniqueness. In this episode, Dan Sullivan and Shannon Waller explain how to recognize when this is happening and how to get back to finding business success doing what you love and are great at. Here's some of what you'll learn in this episode:The specific type of economic role every entrepreneur is uniquely designed to fill.The single root cause behind every problem an entrepreneur experiences.Why entrepreneurs get frustrated without knowing why.How to become hypersensitive to anything that will throw you off track. Show Notes: Your Unique Ability® is the innate talent you've been honing since birth, characterized by high energy and exceptional results. When children play, it's a way for them to discover what they're great at and love doing. Entrepreneurs create value for other people by doing what they're very good at and find easy to do. Most people don't bet their futures on the abilities that make them unique. Frustrated entrepreneurs become preoccupied with what doesn't work. The most effective way to solve problems is to strengthen what works, not to dwell on the problems themselves. Strategic Coach® helps you become an objective observer of your own performance. You're the only person you have a total lifetime responsibility for. Once you've figured yourself out, you can focus on being in great teamwork and collaboration with others. Powerful external collaborations are simply the linkage of unique capabilities between organizations to create new market value. Your role as an entrepreneur is to use what works for you to solve a "not-working" problem for someone else. Every transaction in the marketplace is ultimately about freeing someone else up to do more of what works for them. Resources: Unique Ability® The Gap And The Gain by Dan Sullivan with Dr. Benjamin Hardy

Dan Sullivan and Joe Polish unpack the mindset, health, and tools that turn ambition into the master capability for exponential success. Here's a glance at what you'll discover in this episode: Why 2x thinking keeps you stuck in busyness while 10x frees you to focus on what really matters Dan's definition of ambition as the “master capability” that fuels all other growth The power of agency—and why Entrepreneurs fail when they give it away How Dan cut his workshops from 144 days to 12 while scaling Strategic Coach 20x+ The hidden trap of lifestyle Entrepreneurs vs. the mindset of true growth Entrepreneurs Why health, testing, and longevity practices are non-negotiable for sustaining ambition How to spot treadmill effort vs. ladder growth in your business and life Why retirement kills creativity—and why growth entrepreneurs never stop contributing Simple tools to reframe your progress and prove 10x results are always possible How environment, peers, and collaboration multiply your impact exponentially If you'd like to join world-renowned Entrepreneurs at the next Genius Network Event or want to learn more about Genius Network, go to www.GeniusNetwork.com.