Creative Warriors

Being unique is career insurance. There is no better way to stand out from your competition than to take your big idea, make it unique and put it out into the world. If you are passionate about helping others, Dorie Clark has exceptional advice on how to take control of your professional life and make a big impact. At age 14, Dorie entered college for the Exceptionally Gifted and by 18 graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Smith College. Two years later she received a Master of Theological Studies from Harvard Divinity School.  Recognized as a “branding expert” by the Associated Press, Inc., and Fortune, Dorie is a marketing strategy consultant for clients including Google, Microsoft, Yale University, Fidelity, and the World Bank. She is an Adjunct Professor at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business and the author of Reinventing You and Stand Out.    Her work reminds all of us that you can be anything you want if you put your mind to it and apply consistent action.

If you’re in business, YOU are your brand, and you are marketing yourself and your talent. Whether you want to build an empire, relaunch, transform or kick off a new venture every successful creative brand must have a solid business foundation. Lela Barker is the founder of Bella Lucce, an award-winning international beauty brand that is in 1200 spas, in 27 countries and also the mind behind Lucky Break Consulting. Lela is wildly passionate about helping creative entrepreneurs bring their products to market.    Lela shares her incredible insights and the entrepreneurial journey she has taken from rock bottom, on food stamps to the creation of a million dollar plus business. 

Our always-on, web-driven world has new rules for competing and business growth. Advanced planning is out – agile is IN! Businesses who are real-time responsive will be far more successful than those who fear change and stick to a preconceived plan.  No one knows more about using the new Real-Time tools and strategies to spread ideas, influence minds and build business than David Meerman Scott.  David is an internationally acclaimed sales and marketing strategist that has spoken on all seven continents and in 40 countries. He is the author of ten books and 3 international best sellers. We discussed concepts from his two books, Marketing Lessons from The Grateful Dead and New Rules of Marketing and PR. 

Have you ever wondered why success and acclaim don't necessarily go to the most talented or skilled, but more often to those who are most visible? Today we are deconstructing what it means to be an introvert and how to leverage the positive aspects of being introverted. Lynette Crane is a Minneapolis-based acclaimed national speaker, author, and executive coach with more than 30 years of experience in speaking and training on introversion and shyness. She is the author of “The Confident Introvert.” Through her personal experience and ongoing work in the field of introversion and shyness, Lynette has become a key voice in helping people connect and communicate across their differences.    

When the authentic voice of your work is clear, the impact you create is louder than words. It takes a strong sense of identity, vision, and mastery, and we are going to dive into the critical topic of knowing your authentic voice. Critical because today people want to connect with the real deal. Your authenticity. And your authentic voice, your "message," must be clear to stand out in today's noisy marketing world. I'm super excited to have author, speaker, trainer and podcast host Todd Henry back on Creative Warriors to discuss his latest work, Louder Than Words: Harness the Power of Your Authentic Voice. This work is one of the most important books I've had the pleasure to read and it could not have come along at a better time in business.    

We all face disappointment, failure, and loss. Some of us even experience near death struggles. There are even times when entrepreneurs feel they can't go on. Your turning point will come by deciding what is important to you and taking action!  Sheevaun Moran takes complex success principles and bridges them with science, profits, health, and universal energetics. She has helped over 15,000 high achievers and leaders achieve success to have wealth and health simultaneously.    As the founder of Energetic Solutions, Inc you can find her keynote speaking, leading masterminds and hosting the I Am Success Now live events. Sheevaun brings clarity, alignment, heart and profit to all of her endeavors.

Having the right mindset for the new economy is not an option if you want a sustainable business. Life and business are always in a state of change; how we evolve, engage and energize makes all the difference in our future.  Simon T. Bailey is the former sales director of the world-renowned Disney Institute based at Walt Disney World Resort®. He has spoken to over a 1,000 organizations on six continents. He inspires through relevant stories and thought-provoking, evidence- based research, breaking through the motivational paradigm that causes individuals to stretch and produce results.    Simon has written seven books and teaches influencers how to improve themselves and change the world. He is a catalyst of innovation!

Building a business takes a leap of faith. Achieving your goals takes persistence and coming back after losing it all takes a big dose of resilience. Jonathan Rivera gave up trading time for money as an electrician 11 years ago to pursue freedom. He made it big, lost it all in the "financial crash" and learned what it truly means to pursue your passion.  Jonathan's first start up was in real estate. Within the first year, he owned a million dollars worth of real estate. Then the market tanked, and he lost it all. After 2 years of feeling sorry for himself, he put on his big-boy pants and got to work.    Over the past 8 years, he has built a business of passive income through diversifying his work while he pursues his dream of location independence. Jonathan runs his real estate rental business in less than 4 hours of work per week leaving him time to pursue's other ways to secure his future while doing things he loves.

Blogging like all forms of communication is less daunting when you know the rules(and when to break them). It's even easier when you find an expert who is willing to offer valuable insider tips and insights.  Robin Houghton has 20+ years of experience in marketing and communication. Since 2002 her firm Eggbox Marketing has specialized in online marketing. Her work focuses on making the best use of social media for writers. Robin writes blogs on social media and poetry and has been a guest blogger for some sites including Social Media Today and MarketingProfs.  She is a published poet who also shared the award-winning and touching piece, 'Ellipsis' on today's episode. Robin is also a commercial copywriter and has published three books. 'Blogging for Creatives,' a best-seller that resulted in two more commissions, 'Blogging for Writers' and 'The Golden Rules of Blogging (and How to Break Them)' 

The act of being in business is one of the most creative things a person will ever do. While starting or running a business may appear to be nothing like "creating" your chosen work, it is, in fact, more closely aligned than you think.  Jennifer Lee, the author of Building Your Business the Right-Brain Way and The Right-Brain Business Plan, joins us to share her insights on how a creative person can apply their creativity to develop a wildly successful business. After spending 10 years climbing the corporate ladder and getting tired of living her dream "on-the-side," Jennifer took the leap to pursue her passions full-time. She has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, Entrepreneur, U.S. News & World Report, Whole Living, Family Circle, Cloth Paper Scissors Studios, and Choice.    

People or profit is not an either or choice. The way to do business today is to put people over profit. It is by its very nature a values-based approach to sustainable business and growing profits. It is as Dale Partridge says "not a liability but a responsibility."  Dale teaches leaders and organizations how to position their brand, love their people, and develop profitable social responsibility programs. He is a serial social entrepreneur and the founder of Sevenly.org and StartupCamp.com.    Dale has been featured in various business publications including the cover of Entrepreneur Magazine, Fox News, NBC, INC Magazine, Mashable, MSN Money, Forbes and the Los Angeles Times. 

The Miracle Morning is the tool Hal Elrod created to completely change the trajectory of his life. He is living proof that you can overcome adversity and create an extraordinary life and business.  Hal was hit head-on by a drunk driver (at 80 mph) and was dead alongside the highway. Despite being dead for six minutes, in a coma for six days, and being told he may never walk again, he made a full recovery. Hal went on to create the business and life of his dreams. And lost it ALL. Then rebuilt it again!

Building your business is not about hiding what makes you unique. In fact, it’s quite the opposite! It's about embracing what makes you unique! If you’ve ever felt like an outsider, this is for you! Chris Brogan's insights on business, marketing, and branding will show you the benefits of being who you are, why feeling like you belong is essential, and the importance of being part of a community. Chris’ book, The Freaks Shall Inherit The Earth, is terrific at supporting those of us who beat to a different drum. 

It's human nature to simplify the complex and put everything in a box. What if it’s not possible to NOT think in a box? Then you need to think in NEW boxes. Alan Iny's insights provide a fresh perspective at a time when creativity is more important than ever in a world where the life span of an idea is short-lived.  Alan has spent his working life researching, writing, training and speaking on creativity in the business world. As the senior specialist for creativity at the Boston Consulting Group, he trains on how to think creatively and runs a wide range of training and workshops, around the world. Co-authored with Luc de Brabandere, Thinking in New Boxes: A New Paradigm for Business Creativity is "a must-read for leaders who dare to look at the world in new ways."

We laughed, we got teary eyed and had more takeaways than expected!If you know what it's like to fall down and get back up than this episode will rock your world. Drawing on her own challenges, Dr. Susan inspires audiences by delivering personalized, practical content anyone can apply to create their own unstoppable results. Dr. Susan started as a college drop-out. She worked as a secretary for eleven years before returning to college. When she decided to become a doctor she was literally rejected by every medical school in America. The day she ultimately got excepted, she was 35 years old and six months pregnant without a husband.    A story well worth every second of airtime.

Sometimes nothing is more comforting than being inspired by someone else's success and motivated through their struggle to forge a new path. Cole Hatter made the fundamental decision not to squander a moment of his life because he almost lost it twice.  Cole is an entrepreneur, philanthropist, investor, author and speaker. He is very passionate about showing people how to be wealthy both financially and with the stuff that really counts. He works to encourage, educate and empower others to be financially and emotionally in a state of purpose. 

See how innovators and dynamic businesses harness the power of inquiry—one of the most effective forces for igniting change. Warren Berger has studied hundreds of the worlds leading innovators, red-hot start ups, designers, and creative thinkers to analyze how they ask game-changing questions, solve problems, and create. Asking questions allows you to find relevant solutions to the needs of the clients you serve. It also moves you further away from being a commodity and separates you from the standard way of doing business.   Warren is a longtime journalist with the New York Times, Wired, and Fast Company and the best-selling author of six books, including the international bestseller A MORE BEAUTIFUL QUESTION: The Power of Inquiry to Spark Breakthrough Ideas. 

Creativity and profit do not have to be mutually exclusive of one another. You can in fact be creative and have a profitable business that brings you and others great joy. We are pleased beyond words to have a leading voice on the subject of passion and profitability.    David Parrish is a business adviser, trainer, writer and speaker. He works internationally helping creative and cultural enterprises to become even more successful. David is the author of “T-Shirts and Suits: A Guide to the Business of Creativity” and “Chase One Rabbit: Strategic Marketing for Business Success.”

Too often people accept “good enough” as the norm when it comes to customer service. In today’s business world you can’t succeed meeting client’s expectations. You have to blow them away.    Doug Sandler, aka Mr. Nice Guy, is the author of the newly released book “Nice Guys Finish First” and creator of Nice Guys Finish First philosophy. His philosophy, built on 30 years of industry experience, has always been to set huge expectations and exceed them. A former DJ, Doug is a speaker, author and blogger specializing in exceeding service expectations. 

The way we use social media continues to rapidly morph and change at a pace most could never have imagined. When social media is used well it can dramatically increase your ability to successfully navigate this web of technology, literally removing the barriers of space and time between you and your followers. Yet, used incorrectly, Bryan Kramer explains all your efforts could be futile and create dismal results on social media in our digital world.