Cool Things Entrepreneurs Do

Connor Gillivan is a 27 year old serial entrepreneur that has built and runs two million dollar companies. He started his entrepreneurial career in his dorm room buying and selling text books on the Amazon Marketplace. After becoming an expert at Amazon, he helped to expand the company, Portlight, to other product categories eventually selling over $20 million on Amazon, building a team of over 60 people, and working with over 1,000 drop ship suppliers. Connor co-founded his second venture, FreeeUp, in late 2015 after becoming an expert at hiring remote freelancers with Portlight. He and his business partner were frustrated with the current platforms and wanted to create a simpler solution to hiring remote workers online. FreeeUp is now an online hiring marketplace offering pre-vetted workers from $5 to $50 per hour to over 1,000 businesses. The platform is experiencing rapid growth and has been featured in leading publications like The Huffington Post. Connor's first book, Free Up Your Business: 50 Secrets

After a visit it Frank Lloyd Wright's "Taliesin West" studio in Phonenix, Thom Singer was most taken with the statistic that the famed architect did 2/3 of his celebrated work between the age of 65-91. He did not always have a storybook life or career, and yet he still is the most recognizable name in his field. Henry Ford said "Whether you think you can, or think you can't - you're right". Mindset and taking actions are key to reaching your potential. Too many people at every age mistakenly think they have missed their boat and their opportunities have sailed past. But now is the time to start. Everything you have done to this point, successes and failures, are just the foundation of what is to come. Do not get caught in self doubt or self pity. History has countless examples of people who started (or re-started) their business over age 50 and are now celebrated entrepreneurs, actors, business leaders, etc... Ray Kroc was over 50 when he took on McDonald's.... Samuel Jackson was 45 before Pulp Fiction put

Shawna Suckow, CMP, was a million-dollar B2B buyer for over 20 years. In 2008 she founded an association of buyers, which now has over 3,000 members across North America. She began studying buyer behavior in earnest in 2009, and speaking to audiences of salespeople and business owners who were frustrated with the shifting marketplace. Her third book is called Don’t Become Extinct – Join the Sales Evolution, and it’s already a best-seller! Listen to this episode of "Cool Things Entrepreneurs Do" as Shawna shares her story from corporate meeting planner, to association founder, to professional speaker & sales trainer. She has been both a buyer and seller and believes that the world is changing and most traditional sales professionals could find themselves out of work in the next decade if they do not take notice of how the world is changing. How customers buy will forever be different and if you are an entrepreneur you need to be morphing how you position yourself and how you show social proof of how good you

Marketing professional, speaker, and writer Don Osmond focuses on authentic marketing to help businesses develop sound branding strategies. Widely regarded as a marketing and communications thought leader, he works with clients to develop the genuine narrative of their companies, which becomes the foundation for their branding and messaging. As a result, his clients establish brand positioning, avoid commoditization, and increase profit margins and market share. If you Google DzDon Osmonddz there’s a good chance you may find someone else with a similar name—Donny Osmond, Don’s father. Growing up in an entertainment family, they were often on the move. Don was born in Utah, but he often jokes that he grew up in a suitcase. After moving more than twenty times, he has gained more than his fair share of perspective and a knack for telling and retelling his stories. And of course, growing up as the son of an international entertainment icon provided a ringside seat for the ups and downs of the public life. After

Milestones are important in your entrepreneurial journey. Humans like to achieve success and getting to new levels is a way to show you are making progress. This is episode 250 of the "Cool Things Entrepreneurs Do Podcast".. and Thom Singer celebrates the history of the show and the success that it has brought his way over the last two and half years. He also highlights other milestones that he hit this week, including 25 years of marriage and 8 years of working for himself. In a world where many married couples get divorced (marriage is hard), he and his wife have made it this far. It is not always easy to live with another person, raise kids, and start a business. But he says his wife still likes him most days, and that is a good thing. And eight years as a solopreneur is an important milestone. April 1, 2009 Thom was laid off in the recession, and there were no jobs available. He decided that day to make the jump to being his own boss. Again, not easy, but he has cleared another year and sees that as s

After working in the addiction field for over 15 years both as a counselor and pharmaceutical representative, Megan Peterson knew there could be a better way that patients could get help. She took action and started 2nd Chance Counseling Service She believes that patients deserve that 2nd, 3rd, 10th, etc, chance. As long as you are willing to put in the work she will be there to help. Certain times in life, we may need professional counseling, why be limited by our schedules, work, family commitments, and the list goes on. Megan provides an easy solution that is just as cost efficient as current counseling solutions and provides more flexibility, easy use, and offers more choices for patients. She truly believes the Telemedicine platform fits in with the future of treatment and is here to stay!   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jimena Cortes is a marketing consultant specializing in Search Engine Marketing and LinkedIn lead generation, published author, international speaker and entrepreneur who is the founder of Wizard Media and Linked Blueprint. Wizard Media was founded in 2012 and helps businesses leverage search engines and LinkedIn to get more clients. Jimena’s clients on average get an ROI of 300% or more on their marketing campaigns and add an additional 6 figures to their bottom line. Jimena has taught over 4,000 professionals world-wide how to use LinkedIn to grow their business through her 7 week LinkedIn online course. For more information on the results of her students check out the “Case Studies” section of this website. She is also the author of “Secrets of SEO Marketing: Strategies on How I learned to Get to the Top of Search Engines and How You Can Too” Link: https://www.amazon.com/Secrets-SEO-Marketing-Strategies-learned-ebook/dp/B0… Jimena is an international speaker and speaks on the topics of marketing and

Connie Podesta is a legend. She has been speaking and coaching for over 30 years using her background in psychology coupled with her no-nonsense manner, Connie tells it like it is. This episode began as the five things entrepreneurs should quit doing, but by the time the conversation ended there were seven. In this high spirited interview Connie Podesta tells you to: 1. Quit setting goals. 2. Quit thinking time management matters 3. Quit expecting friends and family to care about your entrepreneurial venture. 4. Quit thinking you deserve to be successful. 5. Quit accepting that yourself as you are. 6. Quit selling what you want (and ask your customers what they want to buy) 7. Quit making excuses. If you are an entrepreneur, you will probably see a lot of yourself in the areas discussed. Many of the things we hold onto can be the same things that are holding us back. This episode is a must hear for all business leaders, entrepreneurs, solopreneurs, and anyone with the entrepreneurial spirit. http:/

What do you want? Thom Singer thinks you have to know the answer to this seemingly simple question if you desire to reach your potential. While you need passion and enthusiasm, those alone will not help you succeed if you are lacking the vision for what success looks like. Potential does not equal results, and the more Thom studies the gap between potential and results, the more he finds common ground. Regardless of if you are 27 or 57 you can get a fresh start and make things happen, but reaching your dreams will not happen by accident. You must be intentional in making it occur. After a phone call with an ambitious young man who is seeking his way in the world, Thom decided to record this episode about knowing what you want and going for it. The person he spoke with had made some mistakes along his journey, and it was clear he was letting fear hold him back. But this guy was in his 20s, and needed to understand that mistakes, bad choices, and failure are simply road signs along the path of every entrepren

In this episode Thom Singer talks about how to maximize your investment in sponsoring a trade show or other event. As "The Conference Catalyst" Thom attends dozens a trade shows a year, and sometimes the hosting association asks him to speak at a special session exclusively for vendors. Being a vendor at an event with a trade show is an important role. The event could not happen without sponsors, but many attendees forget this and look at the parade of sales professionals as a negative. Over time sales people have given trade shows a bad rap through their actions, and those who maximize the event do so by not trying to sell to everyone, but instead by participating as a peer attendee. What you do before, during, and after the event (both online and in person) makes a huge difference in your success. When a person looks for shortcuts (like bulk mailing or emails) they do nothing to build a relationship. Connections with other people are made individually and through shared experiences. If you are going to b

Jill Schiefelbein is: ENTHUSIASTIC. DRIVEN. PASSIONATE. CREATIVE. SHARP. DYNAMIC. Combine an entrepreneurial thinker, a college professor, a professional speaker and a communication expert, and you get Jill Schiefelbein. With eight years of business-building, ten years of university teaching, sixteen years of speaking experience and a desire to help businesses reach their goals, Jill is uniquely positioned to help you and your business utilize dynamic communication to accelerate results. Her first self-owned business, Impromptu Guru, received the 2012 “Rookie of the Year” award and the 2014 “Volunteer of the Year” award from the Gilbert Chamber of Commerce in Gilbert, Arizona—one of CNN/Money Magazine’s most livable cities. She went on to launch a national talk radio show, facilitate training and media coaching for the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury and the NFL’s Players Networking Event at SuperBowls XLVII and XLVIII, and launched an educational video campaign on public speaking and communication skills that cont

Michelle McCullough started her first business when she was 19 and currently runs 3 companies including consulting businesses all over the world. A seasoned speaker and former corporate sales trainer, Michelle teaches success principles and leadership insights that help boost employee engagement and higher performance. In addition to running her own consulting businesses, Michelle is the managing director for Startup Princess, listed by Forbes as “One of the top 10 resources for Women Entrepreneurs”. She’s worked with top brands like Visa Small Business, UPS Store, AWeber and more. She’s spoken for the Air Force Reserve, Goldman Sachs and Ancestry.com, among others. She’s been featured in entrepreneur.com, in the 40 under 40, Fox TV and has been interviewed for television and radio over 100 times, including Good Morning America and The Today Show. She was recently named in the Top 100 Small Business Influencers with Inc Magazine, Michael Gerber and Grant Cardone. Her own radio show “Make It Happen” has over

Gordie did not take the smooth route to get where he currently is in life. If there was an easy way or a "how to" book that would enable one to discover him or herself, Gordie definitely did not read it. His journey involved addictions to numerous substances and multiple mental illness diagnoses. From rock bottom, he describes the experience, the emotions, the pain and his journey back to reality. It is now his mission to share his story and inspire millions of young adults. Using their platform, Rich Legacy, Gordie Bufton, and his partner Bradley Callow, help high-performing families from around the world empower their children in a way that moves them away from self-destructive behaviors. Having both barely escaped prison and death, they now provide eye-opening insights from the perspective of the child. This approach inspires parents to engage with their children in a way they never dreamed possible. With a focus on the child's perspective, they deliver live events, workshops, information products, and

With all the recent changes to LinkedIn, it is important that everyone in business is aware of how to best use this important tool For this episode Thom invited Phil Gerbyshak to talk about the social networking sight and why it is important. Phil Gerbyshak is a LinkedIn trainer, who teaches sales people and leaders to position themselves as an expert in their niche so they can increase their impact, influence and income. ​Often he does this by connecting their offline expertise to their online expertise and help them write books, do speaking engagements, create information products and white papers, use social media tools (like LinkedIn, Twitter, content marketing and others) more effectively, use internal collaboration tools more effectively, and know when to use what tool for what message. WHAT HE DOES: Phil trains sales people how to use LinkedIn to get more leads and make more sales. He educates your sales people how to use low cost and free technology to its fullest potential. He works with your leade

Doug Sandler has over 30 years of business experience as an entrepreneur, business owner, manager and staff member. His book, Nice Guys Finish First is a #1 ranked Amazon Best Seller. He specializes in making connections, building relationships and strengthening bonds both inside and outside organizations. Don’t let the “Mr. Nice Guy” tag fool you, Doug has entered into many high level negotiations and is anything but a pushover. His speaking and consulting business is geared towards improving relationships and winning business through his time tested sales, service and relationship building system. Doug is a nationally recognized speaker, and writer for Huffington Post. His weekly posts reach over hundreds of thousands of readers. Doug has been titled by a leading social media marketing company in the top 100 of Social Media Thought Influencers to follow. He is also the co-host of the "Nice Guys on Business Podcast". Thom Singer was the guest on episode 306, and now Doug is on show 240 for "Cool Things Ent

Like all of us, Jesse Smith enjoys having fun. In fact, some have called him a "play expert" because Jesse believes that fun and play are such an important part of child’s life that he has made that he has invested countless hours to help families build stronger relationships through play. Jesse has over 3 decades of working with children and has spent the last 15 years working with both parents and their children to help them discover how they can lead a more fulfilling life. Jesse has also been involved in the hobby gaming community as a reviewer for board games from both small and large companies. Jesse graduated from Bethel Seminary with a Master of Arts in Children & Family Ministry, co-authored “What Matters Now in Children’s Ministry: Early Childhood Edition” and “The Advent Book.” He currently serves on the Cory Center, a non-profit project of Bethel Seminary where he is able to assist young leaders who work with families. Jesse also publishes game reviews on Board Games With Dad. Prior to opening

Vicki Hitzges is a professional speaker with more than 20 years of business success. In an industry where few people can have a busy career for five years, Vicki has continuously been educating and entertaining audiences in a variety of industries. She was not a natural speaker, and early on she admits to being the worst speaker in her high school speech class. But with her mother's advice of "be yourself" she entered college and found her way get past being shy, make friends. and navigate into the world. She began her after college anchoring TV news in Dallas, Texas. She interviewed U.S. Presidents, business titans, professional athletes and movie stars! Then, things got even better! Zig Ziglar, the world’s top motivational speaker, hired her as his publicist. Zig admired her creativity and launched her speaking career! (Yes, she was discovered by the legendary Zig Ziglar!) As a keynoter, Vicki teaches people what she has learned over her lifetime– how to have crucial “people skills”, how to be hard on yo

Thom Singer shares his year journey of running, eating better, and losing 30 lbs. For a non-runner this was a big accomplishment at age 50, but the funny thing is as a healthy man he apparently always had the potential to run, he just never did it. In Jr High his PE coach called him a "lard ass" as he could not run a 440. In 2017 that coach would probably be fired for saying that, but in the 1970s that was a common thing. At an early age Thom self-identified as one who was not athletic, and certainly not a runner. But if the potential was there all along, how come he never knew it. This is a problem facing many people. Individuals and organizations have a lot of potential, but they often come up short. Potential does not equal results. In this episodes Thom talks about the 10 areas his research is showing that hold people back from accomplishing all they are capable of doing. He uses his new found running as the metaphor, but relates it all his experience with business. 1. Lack of focus 2. Fear of failure

Cindy Brummer is CEO and Creative Director of Standard Beagle. Cindy currently serves as product owner on their Agile team — coordinating with clients on their projects and providing direction to the Standard Beagle team. She previously served as designer and developer on the team and works to help keep projects on time and under budget for our clients. She is passionate about user experience, interactive design and fantastic content. She founded Standard Beagle in 2012 after five years of freelancing and working as an in house web designer/developer. Before becoming an entrepreneur Cindy worked as a television news producer. While she loved the business, she shares how life stepped in and she could no longer rely on anyone but herself to ensure her future. Listen in to this interview for a candid conversation about life and entrepreneurship. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Deborah Molique is the founder of Molique EPS, specializing in consulting in-house organizational staff for meeting event success. Deborah is a future thinking, goal-oriented and nationally-minded planning leader who drives client growth through creative large- and small-picture event development. Starting as a young lady serving her community through service, it wasn’t until college that she realized that her organizing talent would become her career. An Arizona State University conference planning internship forged this pursuit while earning a B.S. Organizational Communication degree. Working for a Los Angeles hotel company sharpened her sales and customer service success and still allows her to present client events properly to industry partners. While working at Trackstar Printing, all her abilities commanded the company to a near triple revenue position while transitioning through an unexpected media-frenzy owner death. When the timing was right, Deborah started her own event business, making the decisio