Opt Out Life

Eric Johnson, a seasoned entrepreneur with a knack for building relationships, shifted from the hospitality industry to real estate, diving into sales' human side. As the CEO of various software platforms and a principal at Modus Coaching and Consulting, he dedicates his expertise to guiding entrepreneurs toward success through genuine connections and trust. His own venture into network marketing led to the creation of Teamsy, a ground-breaking platform devised to bridge the technology gap in the network marketing industry. Through years of diverse experience, Eric has honed a philosophy that champions the power of relationships in driving business growth, ensuring that each interaction is anchored in authenticity and service. I chat with him about networking and building successful relationships in the business world.    "Just connect with people as a human being. And through those connections, people respond to just a human connection, like, how is your Christmas? How are things going with your kids? Just t

When Kayla Jimenez first joined the IP and litigation sphere, she uncovered a fundamental truth that many professionals encounter: the allure of a prestigious job title isn't always what it seems. While her instincts cautioned her about the company's environment, it was this challenging position that planted the entrepreneurial seeds she would later cultivate. Kayla's transition from associate to partner and eventually to the owner of the practice illustrates a powerful narrative—prioritizing lifestyle choices without sacrificing one's career. Kayla and I unpacked strategies for small-to-medium business growth, emphasizing on scaling, creating shared services, and considering significant liquidity events. Our discussion also highlighted the BRR method in real estate investment—a wealth-building strategy that can complement entrepreneurial ventures, offering a multifaceted approach to financial freedom.   "You don't get rich working a nine-to-five. This is the huge American lie that they tell all the kids, get

Pat Flynn is a resilient entrepreneur who turned a layoff from his dream job as an architect during the 2008 Great Recession into a journey of success and inspiration. Less than a year after the layoff, Pat built a 6-figure online business, helping architects pass an exam and chronicling his process on his blog, Smart Passive Income (SPI). SPI has evolved into a premier resource for entrepreneurship and online business, with the award-winning SPI Podcast amassing over 80 million downloads and being featured in the New York Times. Pat is also a prolific author, with publications like "Will It Fly" (2015) and "Superfans" (2019) translated into multiple languages worldwide. Here, we talk about why it's good to start small and the value of feedback.   "Even though it was the worst time of my life, at that moment when I got laid off, it was actually the best thing because it actually kind of unplugged me, if you will, from the matrix I was in and made me look at everything from a different perspective and go, oh,

When I interviewed him four years ago, Cory talked about how working at a traditional job wasn’t for him. Sure, the money, the job security, those things were great, but he hated the work to the point where he couldn’t physically get himself to open the door to his office one day. That’s when he knew he needed a change. Cory’s a good friend and sometimes business partner who has been in the audiobook industry for over a decade. When he started, audiobooks were on cassette tapes! Here, we talk about books and the publishing industry as a whole. "...I assume you want to spend more time with the people you love. That's probably high in your list, and you probably don't want someone telling you to do things you're not good at ... Those are the reasons we start businesses."   Topics discussed in this episode: Sustainable business funding strategies Audiobook publishing innovations Entrepreneurial challenges and growth Importance of niche focus Leveraging personal networks for investment Impacts of early business

Jeff Goins is a writer who's truly left an impact on my creative journey. His blog is a treasure trove of practical advice for aspiring writers, filled with wisdom from his own experiences. Goins' mantra, "You are a writer when you say you are," empowered me to own my identity as a writer. I even worked with him as a writing coach. Here, we chat about how he started with a simple blog and it opened doors for his career. Plus, how he leveraged contacts, experience, and the online course space to achieve a liveable work-life balance to be the husband and father he wanted to be. “If you have the choice between making a lot of money now and never again, or a little bit of money for the rest of your life, take the little bit of money.”   Topics discussed in this episode: Entrepreneurial ventures and leadership Passive income and leveraging scale Transitioning to entrepreneurship Overcoming fear of money Online courses and content creation Writing and publishing success Seeking mentorship and advice References &a

Nate and Dana talk about getting back on the podcasting horse after COVID, how Opt Out Life became Exit Plan, and lessons learned during the pandemic. They chat about how things have changed and choosing a life that meets your needs without having to throw yourself into your business.   “...it was life changing because I realized I could do it all from home.”   Topics discussed in this episode: Work-life balance and family commitments Private equity industry challenges and goals Podcast rebranding and entrepreneurial content Remote work benefits and lifestyle changes Experiences in business acquisitions and exits Pursuing lifestyle over business growth Leveraging employment for entrepreneurial success References & links mentioned: www.danarobinson.com — Follow Dana on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danabrobinson/ Follow Dana on Instagram: @danarobinsonofficial Subscribe to Dana’s weekly newsletter at danarobinson.com — If the information in these conv

Our guest today is Merrily Orsini. Merrily founded one of the first private pay home care businesses in the United States, back in 1981, which she managed to grow successfully to more than 200 employees. She has been in the home caregiving business ever since and is now the President and CEO of CoreCubed, where she pioneered the work-from-home business model, many years before it became the norm. How did she do it? Merrily tells us about her business journey in caregiving, her efforts into incorporating technology into her businesses, and how her perseverance has led to her success. More at optoutlife.com/podcast/merrily-orsini/

Joe Bernstein, founder of Drop the Armor Wellness, is on a mission to help other men feel the love and freedom that he learned to cultivate when his life fell apart several years ago. Back in 2013, Joe decided to go through a series of lifestyle changes to take back control of his life. After going through a bad divorce and losing 160 lbs, he left a successful career in retail management to build a mission-focused business and help other men create the life they desire. Today, as a men’s coach and writer, Joe helps successful men live a better, more fulfilling life. Listen along as he helps us understand the process of transformation, and how to create a pathway to overcome our challenges. More at optoutlife.com/podcast/joe-bernstein/

2020, a year unlike any other, is finally coming to an end. As we welcome in 2021, it's a great time to look back and reflect on this year as a whole - with all of its ups and downs. In this solo episode, Dana walks us through a fun exercise to reflect on our year and project new ideas to get ready for a more productive 2021. We wish you a happy new year and as always, stay safe and healthy out there! More at optoutlife.com/podcast/dana-solo-nye-2020/

Our guest today is William Stringer. Will is the co-founder & CEO of Chisos, a company that provides capital for early-stage entrepreneurs and start-ups that have a difficult time accessing it. Chisos is the creator of a revolutionary new funding source for founders: the Convertible Income Share Agreement, or CISA - designed to equalize opportunity and give access to funding without all the usual hang-ups of traditional funding options. Listen along to learn more about this win-win investment product, and how it can provide entrepreneurs the capital and community they need to succeed. More at optoutlife.com/podcast/william-stringer/

As our listeners have already heard, the Opt Out Life podcast is all about getting the stories of entrepreneurs who have achieved the Opt Out Life their way- but is the life of entrepreneurship right for everybody? In this episode, Dana talks to his wife and Opt Out partner in crime: Heather Robinson. Heather shares the details of her entrepreneurial journey, her introspection work in the last year as a business owner, and her honest assessment that it is perfectly acceptable to find your Opt Out pathway and not have to be an entrepreneur. More at optoutlife.com/podcast/heather-robinson/

Today's guests are Russ and Joey, founders of Wealth Without Wall Street and hosts of the popular podcast. Russ and Joey came from a more traditional advisory model and realized that their methods were keeping them from reaching the financial freedom they had been seeking. They decided to focus on finding an alternative approach to wealth and money, and started an advisory firm to help regular people learn how to take control of their financial future. Listen along as they share some of their strategies to establish long-term financial freedom and help us retrain our thinking about money. More at optoutlife.com/podcast/wealth-without-wall-street/  

Happy Thanksgiving, Opt Outers! It's that time of the year again, and Nate & Dana are both back in the studio to talk about what they've been doing lately and give us an update on what's coming next! More at optoutlife.com/podcast/thanksgiving-2020/

Buying an existing business is often the fastest and least risky way to Opt Out. And if you have ever been curious about franchising, then today's episode with Lance Graulich is for you. Lance is the founder & CEO of ION Franchising, an industry-leading franchise consulting and development group, that represents over 500 franchise brands & business opportunities. Lance helps prospective entrepreneurs find their perfect franchise for free, and also assists independent business owners in creating a franchise system. In this episode, Lance gives us expert advice and tells us how to get into franchising, how to choose the right franchise to work with, how to stay away from pitfalls, and more. More at optoutlife.com/podcast/lance-graulich/

Today's guest is Greg Shepard. Greg is the CEO and founder of BOSS Capital Partners. He is a Serial Entrepreneur, Author, Speaker, and Angel Venture Capital Investor with a legacy of building and running sustainable growth businesses. But to get to the top, he had to tackle many obstacles. His journey inspired him to start helping entrepreneurs around the world by creating the BOSS Operating Support System, a strategic playbook that teaches entrepreneurs how to scale a business through a step-by-step guided process that covers functional alignment, growth, and scale. Listen along as he shares his entrepreneurial journey and explains why focus, drive, discipline, enthusiasm, and optimism are the key to success. More at optoutlife.com/podcast/gregory-shepard/

Today's podcast guest is Grant Aldrich, the CEO and Founder of OnlineDegree.com. After graduating with honors from the University of California Irvine in Economics, and overwhelmed with debt, Grant went on a mission to make higher education more accessible and affordable for everyone - that's when OnlineDegree.com was founded. This for-profit company allows people to take courses and earn degrees from over a thousand participating universities, all for free. Grant has spent his entire career working in startups with nearly 15 years of experience and 2 prior exits to a publicly traded company. He has also been a board member and donor to several non-profits, an advisor to many publicly traded companies, and a guest speaker at seminars and graduate school courses across the US. In this episode, we talk about how he got to where he's at, his opt out approach to education, and how he manages to run a business with close to 30,000 paying clients. More at optoutlife.com/podcast/grant-aldrich/

Our guest today is Geordie Wardman. Geordie has been an entrepreneur for 15 years and currently lives in Switzerland with his family. He helps other people build companies, builds his own software services and products, and still manages to ski 100 days a year while working on all of his businesses. In this episode, Geordie shows us a version of the Opt Out life that you may not have even thought of, and teaches us that no matter where you're at in life, you could pick up and move to Switzerland. More at optoutlife.com/podcast/geordie-wardman/

Opt Out Life listener, Erik, hit us up to discuss a situation that many people find themselves in - Erik is in his late 20s, works as a civil engineer, and is looking for opportunities to opt out. How could he best approach this? In this special episode, we invited Erik onto the mic and talked through the most effective strategies he, and other aspiring Opt Out-ers, can use to take back control of their time. More at optoutlife.com/podcast/erik-the-listener/

In today’s episode, we talk to Chad Peterson. Chad is an expert business broker and the founder of Peterson Acquisitions, an award-winning M&A firm. Chad is a self-made entrepreneur that has been in the trenches. He has started, built and sold 6 of his own businesses, and also wrote two books: “From Blue to White: A Working Man’s Guide to Self-Employment” and “Swinging Doors: A Guide to Selling Your Company” Learn more about his process of selling a business, how marketing strategy and online reputation come into play, and get some of his most valuable advice about entrepreneurship. PLUS, our listeners will get a FREE download of the book “Swinging Doors: A Guide to Selling Your Company” by going to petersonacquisitions.com/get-the-book/ and mentioning Opt Out Life!

In today's episode, we talk to Bob Wheeler. Bob’s crusade for personal growth has cross-pollinated with his accounting practice to create a new approach to personal finances. His passion is to help others gain insights about how their emotions trigger financial decisions. While strengthening his accounting practice, Bob has simultaneously pursued his love of satire and ventured into the realm of standup comedy, and is currently the CFO for The World Famous Comedy Store. Take a listen to this episode and learn more about how our emotions impact financial decision-making, and how we can change our beliefs around money. More at optoutlife.com/podcast/bob-wheeler/