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Dave Lukas, The Misfit Entrepreneur_Breakthrough Entrepreneurship

The weekly podcast with serial entrepreneur, Dave M. Lukas, devoted to giving you incredibly useful and unique insight from the world's top entrepreneurs with a focus on their non-traditional methods for achieving success, their Misfit side. Misfit was created to give YOU the breakthrough entrepreneurship strategies and actionable advice to accelerate your success! The show's open format and Misfit 3 concept, combined with Dave's intuitive and engaging interview style quickly uncover each guest's key tools, tactics, and tricks that listeners can start using in their lives right now. Learn more about the show at www.misfitentrepreneur.com and become a member of Misfit Nation by signing up for the Misfit Minute, the FREE weekly email with specific resources from the week's "Misfit 3," and actionable tips and items from the world of Misfit Entrepreneurs. It is delivered every Friday to your inbox!
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Now displaying: 2019

The weekly podcast with serial entrepreneur, Dave M. Lukas, devoted to giving you incredibly useful and unique insight from the world's top entrepreneurs with a focus on their non-traditional methods for achieving success, their Misfit side. Misfit was created to give YOU the best, actionable advice to accelerate your success!

The show's open format and Misfit 3 concept, combined with Dave's intuitive and engaging interview style quickly uncovers each guest's key tools, tactics, and tricks that listeners can start using in their lives right now.

Learn more about the show at www.misfitentrepreneur.com and become a member of Misfit Nation by signing up for the Misfit Minute, the FREE weekly email with specific resources from the week's "Misfit 3," and actionable tips and items from the world of Misfit Entrepreneurs. It is delivered every Friday to your inbox!

Mar 20, 2019

This week’s Misfit Entrepreneur is Nick Santonastasso. Nick is a medical miracle. Not only is he one of four people alive with the rare genetic condition, Hanhart Syndrome, but the inspirational keynote speaker is also an internationally known bodybuilder and fitness model – despite missing both his legs and one arm since birth.

Nick has been featured everywhere from Forbes to the Today Show, FOX, TLC, BBC, Inside Edition, and MTV. He got his start on Vine making prankster videos and I have to say, they are hilarious, especially the zombie pranks. As owner of Raw Mettle Enterprises, Nick is a speaker, coach, consultant, and author of the new book Victim to Victor, How to Overcome the Victim Mentality to Live the Life You Love.

The Rock said this about Nick, “think about this for a second, Nick was born with one arm and no legs. In his mind, there’s nothing he can’t do and he’s right. He’s right because he does everything he sets his mind to. Life deals us cards on a daily basis, but we always get to decide how we’re gonna play them. Thanks Nick for helping me frame my perspective on life just a little bit more.”

Now, it’s time for Nick to help you frame yours a little bit more…

www.BookNickSanto.com

@NickSantonastasso on Social

Nick was born with Hanhart syndrome, a super rare syndrome that either leaves a baby born with undeveloped limbs or organs. Nick was the 12th person ever born with this syndrome and 8 of the other passed away due to undeveloped organs. Nick was given a 30% chance to live but made it as his organs were 100% healthy.

From there he was just a kid like any other until he got to middle school and high school where he began to be noticed as different. Middle and High school were his low points. He hated his body, he questioned why he was born the way he was. Nick sought out support and joined wrestling – but to do so, he had to voluntarily amputate 5 inches of his one limb to be able to move in the ways he needed to. He wrestled his junior and senior year which lead him into having fun doing skits on Vine. That lead him to body building and then into motivation and keynote speaking and even fitness modeling.

With all that you’ve done, what is the most important thing you’ve learned that you feel others must know?

  • Life is all perspective. Your mindset is your biggest superpower.
  • The way you think, your mind, is the one thing that can allow you to do everything or hold you back from everything.

How do people train themselves to control their mind and ways of thinking?

  • Our mind is basically a computer and it is programmed through our environment.
  • The key is to identify the bad habits – admit to them and then start instilling good habits.
  • Then repetition is needed to make the change to the new habit stick and become normal.
  • Working on yourself takes a while – it is a process can only be done through time.

How do we maintain perspective?

  • Sit and think about a moment in the past that you felt was negative.
  • Pull out one good piece of information from that event – a lesson, a thought, etc.
  • There is always something good…
  • The habit part is to develop a mantra that every time something negative happens to us to ask, “What’s the good in this?” Find the good.
  • Focusing on the negative doesn’t serve us.
  • There is a way to gain in everything.
  • Nelson Mandela, “You don’t lose. You learn, or you win.”

At the 14 min mark, Nick talks about his book “From Victim to Victor” and we start a big discussion on the victim mentality.

Nick favorite story from the book and lesson?

  • The story of how no one wanted to sit next to him on a plane.
  • The lesson is the meaning you attach to things. We dictate how we look at things, respond to them, and how much we let them affect us, etc.
  • When faced with a tough circumstance, challenge, or negative situation – Ask yourself, “What’s it going to be? What meaning will I choose to give to this?”

Thought on Leadership?

  • Great leaders are people persons
  • Everything you do has a lasting effect
  • You have to connect with people and help them and guide them to all rowing the boat in the same direction
  • People know when they are getting BS’d. Don’t BS people.
  • If you don’t genuinely care for people – it is hard to be a leader.

Tell us your thoughts on victimhood and those playing the role of the victim and what you think the answer is…

  • Parents are having a difficult time raising kids in today’s world.
  • We seem to be missing some core beliefs being instilled in our lives such as gratitude.
  • The solution to Victim mentality is not only instilling a core set of beliefs but also confidence.
  • When people feel better about themselves and gain confidence, they move out of victimhood.
  • The way you build confidence is to set “micro-goals.”
    • For example: You make the goal wake up 30 mins earlier so that you can workout for 30 mins, etc. and you do it. Very quickly after doing it, you will feel better, accomplished.
  • When you do this, you build that relationship with yourself, so you know who you are, you create and know your self-integrity. You know when you commit to something, you will get it done.
  • Confidence is having a relationship that is so good with yourself that it doesn’t matter what the outside world thinks of you or does to you.
  • The biggest limiting beliefs come in the from of not having confidence in yourself.
  • If you are in a slump, do one thing, big or little, that you know will make you into a better person and you will begin to build momentum.

Nicks biggest realization:

You have one life. The chances you are alive are so small. Get moving and make everything you can out of that life.

“Regardless of whatever hand that life has dealt us, it is our duty to play that hand to the best of our ability.”

At the 38 min mark, Nick talks about how to annihilate excuses…the flips the stables on me.

Best pieces of advice on entrepreneurship?

  • Things are always going to go wrong.
  • If you are going to blame someone for the bad, you have to recognize and acknowledge them for the good as well.
  • Do your best to work with people that honor and share your core values and have alignment.

 

Best Quote: “Regardless of whatever hand that life has dealt us, it is our duty to play that hand to the best of our ability.”

 

Nick's Misfit 3:

  1. Live in a state of gratitude and implement it into your life. Starting your day off with gratitude is starting your day off on the right foot – and I don’t have a right foot, so if I can do it, you can do it too!
  2. Perspective is the meaning you attach to things. Ask, “What good is there in this?”
  3. You have to be your biggest cheerleader. Change your language and change your life. Use only empowering words for yourself.
Mar 13, 2019

This week’s Misfit Entrepreneur is Kevin Smith. I’ve always said that one of the most powerful ways to sell a product or present a business is through story and Kevin is known as the Story Architect.

His company helps startups and tech companies figure out what their story is and how to take that to market. He spent almost 2 decades leading sales and enterprise marketing, most notably with Dell, crafting and delivering thousands of powerful messages using story. In fact, in his career, Kevin has done over 10,000 pitches.

Kevin realized the process he created could be adapted to all forms of communication for any company and decided to go out on his own. The company has been nominated for the best small business marketing company by the Canadian association of marketing professionals and has helped companies throughout the world significantly grow revenue and secure funding. In this episode, I’ve asked Kevin to come on give you the step by step processes for crafting the perfect story and pitch.

www.TheStoryArchitect.com

Kevin spent a fair amount of time at Dell, but says his story is somewhat “accidental.” He had been entrepreneurial since high school but struggled with what he would do. He went to school for entrepreneurship, but it really wasn’t teaching what he felt he needed. He started doing IT jobs and thought he would have a career in IT as a help desk person. After one company he worked for cut their workforce including him, he was asked by a recruiter if he wanted to go into sales for Dell.

Kevin was reluctant and wasn’t sure that he wanted to do sales. When he went to interview with Dell, it turned out the guy interviewing him was a former boss and hired him on the spot. He was still reluctant to do it, but found he liked the combination of selling, but helping people with the technology. He fell in love with it. He sold for 3 years and then wanted a position for very high-end technical sales, especially servers. He was rejected but studied and became the foremost server expert for Dell in Canada. He sold for a few more years and went through a few years of other promotions and then became a brand manager.

He loved brand marketing and setting the marketing strategy. He did that for 6 years. It was during this time that he found some of the secrets to how to pitch because he did a lot of high-pressure pitch meetings with CIO’s, etc. He became “the go to guy” for pitching to the C-suite. He immersed himself into presenting and learning all of the secrets of great storytellers. He then was promoted to the acquisitions team and was put in charge of one of running one of the acquisitions that he spearheaded.

In building his process to pitch, he realized he was building out his system/strategy for his business today, The Story Architect.

At the 14:48, Kevin talks about starting The Story Architect…

  • Startups think differently than large organizations
  • There is a fine line between bureaucracy and getting things done. A lot of companies fall prey to bureaucracy and lose their advantage.
  • Your goal in a startup is to find that line and make sure not to cross over it.
  • Kevin was able to start his business and put things together for it while working.
  • Kevin says that it is critical to put away money and plan/prepare to make the leap – it makes it so much easier.

At the 18 min mark, Kevin goes through his PACES framework and answers the question, “What is the most important thing that goes into crafting the perfect pitch or story?”

  • Problem: The only reason someone you are trying to persuade will listen to you is if you are talking about a problem they have.
    • The most important thing to keep in mind when relaying story to someone is credibility. Credibility is how we judge the value of the information that we are getting.
  • Answer: How do you solve the problem?
  • Credibility: You must provide credibility as to why your solution will work. This can be show through your experience and knowledge of the problem and potential solution(s)
  • Evidence: Social proof, case studies, examples of how you solved the problem before.
  • Step to take next: You have to show where things go next…

How do close the deal after you put PACES into effect? How do you get to ‘yes?”

  • This is where the storytelling part becomes so important.
  • At the 30 min mark, Kevin gives an example by asking the question of “Do you own a cat?” He then goes on to tell the story of his cat getting sick…
  • It’s very hard to change someone’s mind because of our innate tendency to think as “our tribe” does.
  • Over time our brain’s have become hardwired that “new information = death.” It is a fear response that happens automatically.
  • For people to accept new information, you have to put it into something they like. People like stories and the brain really likes stories because it is hard wired to do so.
  • Don’t just present facts to people, instead make the story the wrapper to the fact.
  • Anecdotes and stories of other people, customers, instances, etc. that were in the same position, but found that there was a different way of thinking or to solve the problem help to change people’s minds.

What is the story blueprint?

  • The blueprint begins with really understanding the buyer and what pain they have, how they are trying to solve it currently. It also understanding what they are looking for and how they are looking for it. You can do this on your own just by surveying potential clients.
  • Things that are consistent across all stories are the following:
    • Everybody has a problem that they are trying to solve
    • Everybody is trying to find the right way of solving the problem
    • Your job is to tap into what that is
  • Sometimes people aren’t looking for a specific solution, but they have a problem that needs solved.
  • And a lot of times people are focused on what “their product does” instead of figuring out what the really problem is that needs solved and figuring out how their product or service can solve it.
  • Sometimes you have to take a step back and brand the problem instead of the solution…

What is important about the delivery of the pitch?

  • Always keep the audience in mind.
  • The mistake made most often is that people do a great pitch around their product/service, but they are pitching to the wrong person.
  • Are you pitching to solve the problem the prospect has with your product or service or are you pitching your product service to solve a problem the prospect doesn’t have?

Anything else we should know on these topics?

  • The basic elements of a story are important…
  • A good story has hero
  • There is a story “arch”
  • There is a setup to the story
  • There is challenge/risk
  • That challenge has to be resolved

At the 45 min mark, Kevin gives a great example of the elements of a great and the story arch using Star Wars.

  • Biggest lessons learned about entrepreneurship?
  • Be flexible and experimentive
  • What you think will not necessarily prove out to be reality
  • Stick with it until you breakthrough

 

Best Quote: “It's hard to change someone's mind. Over time our brain’s have become hardwired that “new information = death.” It is a fear response that happens automatically. For people to accept new information, you have to put it into something they like. People like and our minds gravitate to stories. ”

 

Kevin's Misfit 3

  1. Persistence. The long game is critical to life, not just business.
  2. Get started no matter how hard it is…
  3. The stories that we tell ourselves are the most important stories.
Mar 6, 2019

Hello Misfit Nation! Welcome to another edition of "Lessons for Hannah!"

In November of 2016, we introduced a new format that we are putting alongside our regular episodes called “Lessons for Hannah.” Hannah is my daughter and one of the main inspirations for the Misfit Entrepreneur. I wanted to have a place where she could go and learn from her daddy and his Misfit friends throughout her life….even after I am gone. If you haven’t listened to the first episode of "Lessons for Hannah," I urge you to as it gives some more background and tells the amazing story of how Hannah came to be in our lives.

"Lessons for Hannah" are short, very useful, and sometimes comical lessons, that I have learned which I want to share with you and give to Hannah to help in your lives. Because I want Hannah to have these for her life, I’m going to speak as though I am talking directly to her. These episodes are a lot of fun and if you think there is a lesson that we should include in these episodes, please don’t hesitate to send it over to us at support@misfitentrepreneur.com. We’d love to share it.

This week’s Lesson for Hannah

Hannah, I want to talk to about the difference between being rich and being wealthy. I recently wrote an article about this because many people confuse the two.

Most people, if asked the question, “Do you want to be rich?” would say “absolutely.” If you asked them if they want to make more money or be able to buy more of the things they want or live the lifestyle of their dreams, they would say “yes” as well.

But, what if I told you that this would be focusing on the wrong thing.

Most people are focused on getting “rich.” They measure their wealth by how much they make. If they have a huge paycheck and make a lot of money, they think they are rich or wealthy. Being wealthy is not about how much you make, but about how much you keep. And more importantly how long what you have kept can support you without having to get a paycheck.

Wealth, simply put, is the amount of days you can live without having to work. For example, if your bills are $5000/mo and you have $10,000 in the bank, you are 2 months' wealthy. Most people that make a lot of money are not wealthy. They are rich because they make a lot. But, they also spend a lot. In fact, if a lot of these people lost their primary source of income, they couldn't get through a month at their level of lifestyle.

If you really want to have what you want, you need to change your focus from getting rich, to getting wealthy. Part of that is understanding that getting a big W2 paycheck is the worst way to make your money because it is the highest taxed form of money. The wealthy know this. That is why Warren Buffett says he pays less taxes than his secretary - because on a percentage basis, he does. His money is made from dividends, capital gains, and distributions from his businesses, which are all taxed at lower rates than the W2 income tax rates. Remember, it's not how much you make, it's how much you keep that matters.

Additionally, the wealthy have their money work for them in the form of assets such as business ownership, real estate, and investments. This helps to ensure that they remain wealthy and never outspend their ability to be wealthy. For example, if you have 10 rental properties that pay you $1000/mo each after expenses and your personal monthly bills are $7500, you are effectively infinitely wealthy.

This is a major secret that most never realize or come to understand in their lives - so they work for a paycheck their whole life, live large, but many times have little to show for it.

Furthermore, they give up their best years in this pursuit and miss out on enjoying life to it’s fullest with the ones they love. That may be the second lesson for today and one that you have really helped me to realize as you’ve grown. It’s not about having all these things in our life. It’s about the experiences we get to share with our loved ones and the memories we create. Those are lasting. A fancy car is not. But, one thing I can say is that if you turn your focus to creating wealth and not getting rich, you can have it all. You can have the lifestyle you want, the experiences that matter, and yes, even the fancy car.

This is possible because you focus on accumulating assets that work for you and put your money to work for you instead of you having to work for the money.

I also want to address another point about wealth. A lot of people will say another way to do this is to scrimp and live way below your means. They advocate clipping every coupon, going without things like TV or a car, and spending hours upon hours to save some money. Look, saving money is a prudent thing to do and where possible you should. You don’t stay wealthy by outspending your ability to create wealth, but your goal should not be to retreat and live below your means. Your goal should be to expand your means to increase your capacity for wealth. If you ask just about everyone, no one wants to live below their means or really spend a whole Sunday clipping coupons so they can save $1.00 off a box of cereal. It’s just what they think they need to do. Instead, I encourage you (and them) to change your thinking to spend all that energy you would spend to save a few pennies on finding a way to expand your means and your wealth, so you don’t have to worry about saving the pennies. Focus on growing your wealth, your investments, your businesses, etc.

This has served me very well. Any time, your mother and I have increased our expenses in a large way, whether buying a new house or investing in an experience for our family, we have focused on creating the wealth to support it and expanding our means so that it isn’t a onetime thing but becomes a regular activity and is supported by our wealth. By putting our efforts into expanding our means, we have created entire businesses to fund a goal and those businesses have gone on to create much more for us and continue to do so today. Just remember, don’t live below your means, put your effort into expanding your means – but don’t increase your expenses until you’ve succeeded in expanding!

Hannah and for all those listening, can you see the difference between being rich and being wealthy? Can you think of a change you need to make in the way you approach money that will help you begin to build wealth and expand your means? Maybe you can set a goal to be so many days' or months' wealthy by a certain date.

Hannah, whatever you do, focus on being wealthy, not being rich!

I love you,

Daddy

 

Best Quote: “Focus your effort and attention on growing your wealth and expanding your means - not being rich and/or doing it by living below your means."

 

Misfit 3:

  1. Focusing on being wealthy, not rich and increasing your number of days’ wealthy.
  2. Make sure you are building your wealth with the right reasons in mind such as creating experiences that give lasting memories. Work hard but enjoy it along the way.
  3. Focus on expanding your means and not living below them.
Feb 27, 2019

Misfits, this episode was recorded while I was on the road with live mics, so it will sound different than normal, but I promise that you will absolutely love this episode. This week’s Misfit Entrepreneur is Peter Katz. Peter is a Canadian Screen Award-nominated singer-songwriter. He’s been rated the best Male Vocalist in NOW Magazine and is has been #1 on the Itunes Singer-song writer charts multiple times. He’s toured the world playing to sell-out crowds and has built an incredible fanbase of loyal listeners, selling over 25,000 copies of his discs mostly from stage, one show at a time.

I recently got to see Peter in a private concert and meet and spend time with him - and I have to say I came away incredibly impressed. Not only is he one of the best voices I have ever heard sing, but also one of the most down to earth people I have ever met.

And make no mistake, he understands business. Especially in today’s world, where to succeed as a singer-songwriter, is radically different than the days where you could just cut an album and get it on the shelves. Nowadays, it takes the whole package. It takes having a great product, understanding all the different channels to market it through, being truly genuine and engaging your fans in a meaningful way, and above all - staying true to yourself.

There is a lot we can learn from Peter on how to succeed in business and I’ve brought him on today, to teach it to you. We may even get to hear a song or two if we are lucky.

www.PeterKatz.com

@PeterKatzMusic

Peter has been touring for the last 12 years. For the first 10 years, he was doing about 150 shows/performances a year, playing to small crowds, sleeping on floors, and figuring out how to make ends meet. He would drive 8 hours a day to do a show for sometimes just a few people. After over 10 years of doing it, his music began to take hold and he began to get a large following and got his first major hits.

“The only way I was going to get good at being a singer/songwriter was by doing it all the time.”

Peter talks about how each show he got better and he had to go all in and that everything he learned helped him to get better and better. It then led to a bunch of unexpected outcomes which added to his success.

At the 13 min mark, Peter tells the story of a certain hotel that kept popping up through his story and what he realized about life’s journey…It’s best to just listen to the story.

  • You will go through your biggest fears in your life at some point and you will be able to get through them, because they are not as big as you made them out to be. You will be OK.
  • Learning to maintain perspective in the face of all the bad and good that happens, is very important.

How do you keep perspective and stay true to who you are?

  • Live your life by the “head on the pillow rule.” When you lay your head on the pillow at the end of the night, can you honestly say that you have given your best, done your best, and treated everyone with integrity? If so, you will sleep like a baby.
  • You have to be able to stand up and believe in what you are doing, saying, and in your actions.
  • If you are going to pick an entrepreneurial or unconventional path, you might as well do something that you can believe in and be proud of as that may be your only reward as an entrepreneur for a while.
  • It’s the self-respect you must have to keep perspective and stay true.
  • Create standards to live into.

Tell us about how you built your business and lessons you’ve learned…

  • Do every job you can in your business before having someone else do it for you.
  • You will need to learn to let go of the reigns at some point and it will be challenging – but to grow you will have to do it.
  • You have to find a way, make a way, and hustle. Get out and create your opportunities.
  • The only way you can get better is by doing it every day in and out, not just once a week.
  • Your team will build over time. Be patient.
  • Make it a point to spend the most time and where you make the most impact on the business.
  • It’s a balance of hustle and continuous improvement.

Talk to us about what it means to be relentless…

  • First, you can push too far…you have to realize this.
  • You must schedule time for yourself away from it. You should be relentless in your self-care the same as you as in your work.
  • Re-charging yourself helps you to be more relentless.
  • To be relentless, you must constantly make choices toward what you believe in and not stop in your pursuit.
  • You have to want it so bad that you will move heaven and earth to get it. And this puts you into a whole new category of possibility.

What are some of the principles you have used to build and keep a loyal following?

  • From day 1, treating people with the respect and recognition they deserve.
  • Always honor people in your life and business. Remember their names. Be genuine.
  • Show appreciation to those that help you and follow up with thanks. Show up.
  • Show up on time and be your best. There is no other way to do it.
  • Be kind and remember that people will remember how you treated them- sometimes many years after.
  • Be and stay consistent

How do you overcome and put yourself in a place where you are always ready to perform?

  • Be open, honest, and vulnerable.
  • Wherever you are before you walk on stage, compete, etc. – acknowledge where you are starting from and go from there.
  • Trust that you will get into the moment. You must have self-respect for yourself in that when you perform at whatever it is you do, enjoy it.
  • Nervousness is selfishness. You should be thinking about those that you are performing for and everything it took for them to be there. You are doing it for them – not for you.
  • People don’t want you to fail – they want you to follow through on the promise of what you can be to them or their business.

Any success hacks or habits you can’t live without?

  • Going to the gym or physical activity in the morning is a miracle cure.
  • It is focused time to take care of yourself.
  • You will feel better after every time.

 

Best Quote: People don’t want you to fail – they want you to follow through on the promise of what you can be to them or their business.

 

Peter's Misfit 3:

  1. Follow the “head on the pillow” rule. Be and do your best. Hold yourself to a higher standard.
  2. Make sure you carve out the time to work on “the thing.” You have to work on whatever it is that needs your personal focus.
  3. Practice self-care. Everything falls apart if you don’t take the time to take care of your body, your mind, and your relationships.
Feb 20, 2019

This week’s Misfit Entrepreneurs are Tom Antion. Wow, where to start with Tom. Tom has never had a job. He has been an entrepreneur since he was a kid. He owned 5 apartment buildings and a hotel before he graduated college. He owned and operated the 2nd largest nightclub in the state of West Virginia. On top of that, he has started and owned everything from print shops to video production companies and entertainment companies. He was one of the early online marketers and has a number of businesses online.

And if that is not enough, he is a top rated speaker, consultant, and founder and host of the Screw the Commute Podcast.

It should be pretty obvious why I had to have him on at this point, because Tom has Misfit Entrepreneur written all over him. And today, I’m excited to share his best advice on how to succeed on the entrepreneur’s journey.

www.ScrewtheCommute.com

Tom’s family came over on a cattle boat from Syria and his father by the age of 13 had started his own electrical business, so Tom has entrepreneurship in his blood. By the time Tom was 10, he was selling advertising door to door and once he got a license sold encyclopedias. As Tom says, he’d do anything that is ethical and moral to get out of working for someone!

Tom ended up with football scholarship to play at West Virginia. In college, he read a book on how to “Turn a $1000 in $1 million in real estate.” He ended up buying 5 apartment buildings with no money down. At same time, was helping the landlord where he lived when something needed fixed. The landlord mentioned he was retiring and like Tom so much that he offered to give Tom a hotel he owned. He helped finance it and Tom owned it for 5 years making almost $400k on it.

He did some other jobs and then bought a nightclub. He took a biker bar in the country in West Virginia and fixed it up. But, there will still problems with fights, shootings, stabbings, etc. around it with patrons.

He got out of that and then created a practical joke company where people hired Tom and his group to pull practical jokes – think Jackass before Jackass. He also started speaking and training during this time.

In 1994, the internet came along. He spent two years figuring it out and eventually started learning how to make money and things went from there.

At the 9:45 mark, Tom talks about what he loves most about entrepreneurship and why…

  • The freedom of it all. The freedom to create. The freedom build things the way you want, etc.
  • You only deal with people that you want to deal with and not have to put with unethical or amoral people.
  • You can speak your mind
  • You can make your own schedule

What advice would give someone to get to their first $1 on the internet?

  • You must be somewhat frugal – not cheap.
  • Don’t get sucked into having to spend a bunch of money to start a business.
    • For example, you can use a solution called speakpipe.com and get messages to from your website directly to you and send them back to engage your audience.
  • Get some knowledge and spend time using the tools that are virtually free online. Keep your costs low

At the 14 min mark, Tom gives examples of businesses you can start online with no cash…

  • Use affiliate marketing. Market a product that already exists online and get a commission for it. You don’t even need a website. All you have to do is find a way to promote a product online.
  • You could go to Youtube, create a video on your phone and put the affiliate link in the description. When or if people go buy thought the link – you get a commission.
  • You don’t even need a website….just a phone camera and a little bit of time on Google.
  • A podcast is a great example of something you can get going in about an hour on audio.fm
  • Write an e-book. All you need to do is compile the information and there are ton of people out there that can make it into an e-book or with a little artistic license, you can do it in word and convert it to a PDF. You can sell e-books from $17 on up.
  • Record video on how to use a software or solution by recording your computer screen and put it up on Youtube or link to where they can get it.

Where can people go to sell their product such as E-books, etc.?

  • Clickbank.com is good and is kind of the old guard.
  • JVZoo.com is newer and is growing fast because it has a mechanism that if you qualify, you get paid instantly where you have to wait with Clickbank. 
  • Those are really the only two you need.

At the 21 min mark, Tom talks about how to make money online with their hobbies and make them tax deductible.

You can create things out of thin air. Try them with a free Wordpress site. And you are in business without going broke. You can try any idea for basically lunch money!

What are ways that you use to drive traffic to these ideas you create?

  • The #1 thing is also the #1 mistake. That is Key Word Research.
  • Every idea is a CSI. A “Crappy, Stupid Idea” until you can prove that someone is really willing to pay for it and can back it up with real numbers.
  • The first thing you should do is key word research. Google Keyword Planner is a free tool that tells you stats on key word research as well as related terms.
    • Make a big list of all the terms
    • You then need to include as many of those terms on your website.
    • The return on investment is huge.
    • You want to incorporate key words into your social media posts, blog posts, videos, etc.
  • Once you get some money flowing, you can spend a little money on Google or use
  • Youtube Skip Ads Youtube Skip Ads are one of the best bargains. If people don’t watch all 30 seconds, you don’t pay.
  • Youtube is more fair than Facebook when it comes to how they charge for ads.

What are some of the overarching things entrepreneurs need to do to succeed?

  • You have to be willing to give up things in the short run and delay gratification
  • At the 35 min mark, Tom details the “Marshmallow Test.” Listen in on this!
  • Reinvest in yourself and your business – spend money today that you made last year.
  • Delaying gratification, just a little bit is the BIG secret.
  • The most successful though are not balanced, they are highly focused and devoted. An extra hour a day can make such a difference in your success.

Best advice for an entrepreneur just starting out?

  • Get some knowledge and you have to avoid shiny object syndrome. Stay focused and be careful with who you learn from.
  • You can learn anything you want from Youtube Videos that are free.
  • One specific thing that can ramp in a hurry is membership sites. A membership site is one of the best ways to create a business with your knowledge. If you had 100 members at $20/mo, you can have a $24,000 a year business.
  • Listen at the 42 min mark for the “embroidery example that generates $200k per mo”

You were a college football player at WVU and a state champion wrestler – what are some things you learned from sports that have helped you to succeed in business?

  • You are pushed to your limits and beyond in high-level sports…
  • If you can learn to push yourself past what you have dreamed you can do, you can create amazing results for yourself.
  • You have to develop your own sense of confidence and sports does this. Even when you lose, you learn, and you get better.
  • You learn to work on your weaknesses. Open up and work on yourself where you are weak.

What advice can you give to maximize their business and career through speaking?

  • Know that you don’t have to do it.
  • If you are willing to improve your skills to be in front of people, they get a better feel for who you are and it helps your online business or other businesses.
  • It builds your credibility and broadens your reach.
  • There are a lot of ways to speak…
  • Being on video is public speaking
  • Being on Podcasts is a form of public speaking

 

Best Quote: “If you aren’t commuting and going to and from work in a car, making someone else rich every day, you can live 2 or lives with that time and accomplish so much more!”

 

Tom's Misfit 3:

  1. Give before you get. Prove yourself first and you will stand out like crazy to others that can help you.
  2. You have to keep going.
  3. Excellence. Don’t you ever do anything in your life that is not excellent and learn what you need to know to be excellent.
Feb 13, 2019

This week’s Misfit Entrepreneur is Dale Beaumont. Dale is an award-winning technology entrepreneur, speaker, and author of 16 Best-Selling books. He’s been featured everywhere from Forbes to Business Insider, GQ and Gizmodo. Dale started his first business at 19 and has been building companies ever since.

He is the creator of BizVersity. BizVersity has been called the Netflix for business which gives users access to over 1,000+ TV-Quality videos, which have been produced by over 250+ leading business experts from around the globe to give you The World’s Best Business Training. Anywhere, Anytime.’

With a passion to give back, Dale’s goal is to help more than one million entrepreneurs around the world with Bizversity.

Dale made his first million before 25 and has gone on to train over 50,00 people to achieve business success. There is so much we can cover today and I’m going to get everything possible that I can out of him for you in this episode.

www.DaleBeaumont.com

www.BizVersity.com

Dale grew up in Sydney Australia in a middle-class family. His father owned a small business. He grew up sort of being in the business with his dad. His journey really started at 7 years old when he started gymnastics. He was an energy ball and he had a talent for the sport. At age 9, he was selected for an elite squad and by 10 years old, he was training 36+ hours a week while going to school.

It was very intense and became his life until he was 18. He learned a lot of great lessons in hard work, the value of having a coach, how to motivate himself and push through barriers as well as discipline. He made it to multiple world championships representing his country, but by 18, he had a few big injuries that put him in place where he had to take his life in a different direction.

He decided to go into business and started seeking out mentors and coaches to help him learn. He went to seminars and events of everyone from Tony Robbins to Zig Ziglar, Tom Hopkins, Robert Kiyosaki, and others. He was always be one of the youngest in the room and people would tell him how they wish that they had learned the stuff he was learning at a young age.

This gave him an idea – to help youth get the type of training he was getting. He started Tomorrow’s Youth, a company that teaches personal development and life skills to young kids to help them get ahead in life.

He only had 3 people in his first workshop and realized that you can be great at what you do, but if you aren’t good at marketing, you can’t get that far.

He figured it out and the business expanded to other countries.

Then at 25, he wrote a series of books called the Secrets Exposed Series. He came up with a format and over the course of 3 years developed 15 books which sold over 250,000 copies.

He had a few other businesses he did but started teaching and doing workshops on how to succeed in business. This grew with him doing workshops and teaching thousands.

The need to give this content in a bigger way and reach more people lead to the creation of BizVersity.

Out of everything you’ve learned, what is the most important lesson to succeed?

  • Invest in your self-education and self-growth to become better
  • The more that you learn, the more you will earn.
  • One of the best ways to learn is to find people who have done what you want to do and learn from them. Read their book, listen to their podcast, whatever you can do.
  • Never stop growing and learning.

What do you see that holds people back the most?

  • The beliefs they have that are not serving them.
  • They are just really excuses.
  • You can make money, or you can make excuses, but you can’t make both.
  • Don’t tell yourself the wrong story and put brakes on yourself.
  • Whatever your reason or “excuse” for not being where you want to be, is, someone has had it and overcome it before.
  • You can’t control everything that life throws at you, but you can control the things you can control – and your beliefs are in your control.

How do people change their belief systems?

  • First, you must become aware of your beliefs – find out what beliefs are causing you to put on your brakes.
  • Once you start to find them, write them down and choose which ones you want to change.
  • Ask yourself what your new belief should be and why…
  • Make the conscious decision to change it to what you want and write it down in spite of what your brain is telling you.
  • You then have to start deliberately finding opportunities to make that new pattern come alive and gain evidence to support the new belief for your brain to register.

You made your first million before 25, what can you teach Misfit Nation about creating their first million?

  • Find an existing idea that is already working and improve on it by 10-20%
  • What you create must be something that can be duplicated, scale and be sold repeatedly.
  • Build a product that you can sell thousands or millions of times.
  • Dale’s tip – Document the process from the very beginning to create a model and systemize everything.
  • Patience is very important. Success doesn’t grow in a straight line but has a compounding effect. Play the long game.

You’ve sold over 250,000 books, what is your best advice on how to sell a book?

  • It’s important to realize that a book today is a doorway into your business or the products and services you offer.
  • They can be used as a great marketing piece and to gain customers.
  • In some ways, a book is like the new business card.
  • A book is a message that you can take and recreate in many different ways from workshops to course, to audible, Udemy, etc.
  • It better to sell a thousand books to one person – so search for groups to sell you books to. Examples are promotional companies that can give it as an option to their clients. Business groups are also great prospects.

At the 36 min mark, Dale talks about his 52 Ways workshop of tested strategies to become a multi-million-dollar business and live the lifestyle you want.

  • There are 8 topics: Technology, Marketing, Websites, Sales, Social Media, Strategy/Systemization, Outsourcing
  • Under Systems – you need a place to store all your systems or SOP’s such as google drive or docs. The key is to get them all in one place.
  • For project management, you can use Teamwork or Trello.
  • Get a good CRM system as well for all of your contacts. 15% of people buy in the 1st 3 months, but over 80% will buy over 18 months. You need a way to nurture your lead over a period of time to be there when they are ready to make a decision.
  • Follow up with people that come to your site through re-targeting.

How can people travel 3-4 months out of the year, while still making millions?

  • Design your business around your life, not your life around your business.
  • You absolutely can with technology.
  • You need to build a good team and systems first.
  • Have everything online in one place where people can search and find the processes they need is critical.
  • Dale uses an app called Voxer for his team to connect with him while traveling.
  • Book the travel in advance and lock yourself in, so you can’t make an excuse not to go.
  • Start small. Maybe 2-5 days. Then grow the days from there.
  • Most importantly, have the courage to do it and follow through.
  • Doing this will make your business a better one and self-sufficient without you.

At the 47 min mark, Dale talks about how to market, fill an event, and grow your message?

  • You need a good BIG idea – a concept for your event that really grabs attention.
  • It has to be appealing and bring massive value that make people want it.
  • You can fill the room through Facebook marketing, partnering with businesses that are complimentary (JV’s) – this is one of the best ways.
  • Use local media to help spread the word.
  • Engage attendees to help promote the next event.

 

Best Quote: “The more you learn, the more you will earn...”

 

Dale's Misfit 3:

  1. Invest in your self-education. The more you learn, the more you will earn.
  2. Get a good coach to guide you and support you. Someone that already has the results you want. Ask them to mentor you.
  3. Your environment and who you spend time with directly impacts your success, so choose wisely in these areas. You network = your net worth.
Feb 6, 2019

This week’s Misfit Entrepreneur is Tom Nardone. Tom is known as the Millionaire Mailman. He is a great example of ingenuity and the American Dream. He is the co-author of the best-seller, Secrets of Real Estate Millionaires and has been featured on Good Morning America, CNBC, and others.

At age 19, Tom started working for the post office, but according to him, it didn’t take him long to realize that the security entrapment of a “good job” is NOT a lot different from a 30-year jail sentence.

So in 1993, he took some real estate investing courses and bought his first property. But, he realized that he had a huge advantage where others didn’t. Every day, he would see properties along his mail route. In fact, being a mailman, gave him even more huge advantages which I won’t spoil and let him tell you about.

Because of the system he developed, Tom was able to retire at 35. Nowadays, he has purchased over 250 properties and works with and mentors others on their path to real estate investing success.

The lessons he will share with you will not only help you if you invest in real estate but also in your business as well.

www.MillionaireMailman.com Get

Tom's Free Ebook on How to Make $10,000 in Your First 90 Days in Real Estate: Text Mailman to 31996

Tom started working as a mail carrier in 1979. After 5 years, he and his wife wanted to find a way for her to be a full-time mom. And one mailman’s paycheck wasn’t going to make it work. So, Tom went to a few real estate seminars where he met a couple mentors that were real and doing the business. They helped him to realize that he was in the neighborhoods everyday where he got to look at houses and start a real estate business doing what he was doing every day.

He got started by buying run-down, foreclosed houses on his mail route. He slowly fixed them up and rented them out and after 10 years, he woke up and realized that he had enough cash flow that he could go full time.

At the 6:30 mark, Tom reveals more about how found and got his homes…

  • He would see the notices of potential foreclosure in the mail where he had to deliver a certified letter.
  • The home owner would mention needing to get rid of the house and Tom would offer to help.
  • He would come back after work in his civilian clothes and work out a deal with the seller.
  • Tom stressed that timing and being prepared to act are big keys to success.

What is different between the crisis in the 80’s and what we saw in 2008/09 with real estate and what are you seeing in the market now?

2008/09 allowed many to reinvest in the market at a very low price which hadn’t been available in a few decades.

  • There are signs to watch for to see if there will be a slowdown in real estate or a future buying opportunity.
    • Look for new housing starts to slow
    • Look for defaults on credit cards to pick up
    • Look for defaults on car payments
    • After these happen, then you see foreclosure filings go up.
  • At this point, Tom is seeing houses not move as fast and prices begin to flatten out.
  • There has been an uptick in foreclosures.
  • The next crash is not here yet, but things look to be slowing or at least in a softer patch

Tell us about your system. How do you find properties and make them profitable?

You want to buy houses for way below market value – find $1.00 for $.50.

  • Tom uses postcards/mailers to find interested parties that need to get out of properties
  • Mailers still work very well.
  • You can get much more “intelligent” mailing lists
  • You can get lists of absentee owners, 2nd homeowners, age, price range, how long people have owned properties, and also the equity spread, etc.
  • Your profit as an investor is directly related to the equity already in a property.
    • For example, if you find a property worth $100k and the owner only owes $50k on it, but wants to get out…you can negotiate to get the property below market value.

Where can an investor get a list like you mentioned?

  • Listability.com
  • Listsource.com
  • Where you need to be careful is that it can be expensive to test because of mailer costs.
  • You have to give it a shot and when you find a good response rate with a list, stay with the company you got it from because the data is good.

What is the criteria you look for in a deal?

  • Look for problems, not properties.
  • There needs to be uncomfortable circumstances with the seller and they have to be ok with selling at a discount. They just want to get out.
  • There will be work that needs to be done – so you have to have a good idea of what those costs will be.
  • If you can do a cash offer, you have a better chance.
  • Only a small amount of offers you put will have interest and you will close a few over time – so staying consistent is important.

At the 26 min mark, Tom talks about wholesaling and how you can make money that way.

When flipping a property, you don’t want to have more than the 40% mark in the home compared to similar homes in the market. This means if houses are $200k average, you don’t want to have more than $120k in it after purchase and repairs.

How does someone purchase a property if they don’t have the ability to do an all cash offer?

  • Throughout the country there are real estate clubs and meetups.
  • Go to the meetings in your area and start to make connections and learn
  • These connections will have money and or be able to help you.
  • Meeting others in the space can help you as well in evaluating deals to make sure you are not doing a bad deal.
  • There is even the ability to use 401k or IRA money.
  • There is a lot of money from non-traditional places looking for a home. It’s called “lazy money.”

Talk to us about renting…

  • That is the endgame. You want to have a rental portfolio in which the tenants pay down and eventually become free and clear.
  • This will give you great cashflow and tax benefits over time.
  • This cashflow is better than most retirement plans. But, you must be willing to play the long game to get there.

Thoughts on AirBNB?

  • You can do really well with them.
  • It is more hands on as you need to run a tight ship with them.
  • You also need to get good reviews from your guest

Any other tips and tricks?

  • Don’t become emotionally involved in a property.
  • If you are buying a distressed property, it has problems, so the numbers have to make sense.
  • Treat it like a business.
  • Be careful about borrowing money personally – make the asset the sole collateral.

What have you learned from real estate investing that translates well to running a business?

  • You cannot and should not do everything yourself
  • Put together your team of all stars in the areas where they are needed to help you.
  • Stick with your unique ability

 

Best Quote: "Look for PROBLEMS, not properties..."

 

Tom's Misfit 3:

  1. Don’t settle for mediocrity. Do something bigger and braver.
  2. If it doesn’t feel right, don’t do it.
  3. Where the mind goes, the man follows. Feed your mind with good things.
Jan 30, 2019

Hello Misfit Nation! Welcome to another edition of "Lessons for Hannah!"

In November of 2016, we introduced a new format that we are putting alongside our regular episodes called “Lessons for Hannah.” Hannah is my daughter and one of the main inspirations for the Misfit Entrepreneur. I wanted to have a place where she could go and learn from her daddy and his Misfit friends throughout her life….even after I am gone. If you haven’t listened to the first episode of "Lessons for Hannah," I urge you to as it gives some more background and tells the amazing story of how Hannah came to be in our lives.

"Lessons for Hannah" are short, very useful, and sometimes comical lessons, that I have learned which I want to share with you and give to Hannah to help in your lives. Because I want Hannah to have these for her life, I’m going to speak as though I am talking directly to her. These episodes are a lot of fun and if you think there is a lesson that we should include in these episodes, please don’t hesitate to send it over to us at support@misfitentrepreneur.com. We’d love to share it.

This week’s Lesson for Hannah

I want to talk to you about a very famous poem, IF, by Rudyard Kipling. You may have noticed that I have a canvas of this on my wall in my office. Today, I’m going to tell you why. But, in order to do that, first, I need to read you the poem.

You can view it here: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/46473/if---

After hearing it, you probably have some idea why I think it is important. It gives some of the best time-tested advice and lessons for life. Now, when it was written, it was written by Rudyard giving advice to his son, but the advice is equally as important to a daughter, a friend, a family member, and of course, you sweetie. Let me explain going through each of the 4 stanzas.

The first stanza says…

If you can keep your head when all about you Are losing theirs and blaming it on you, If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you, But make allowance for their doubting too; If you can wait and not be tired by waiting, Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies, Or being hated, don’t give way to hating, And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise:

What this says to me is that you must believe in yourself and walk your own path doing what is right. You must keep your head when all about you are losing theirs – so think logically and methodically in your actions and don’t follow the herd or lemmings over the cliff. Trust yourself when others doubt you, but at the same time, take the time to understand why they doubt you and ask yourself whether it is valid or not. In other words, believe in yourself, but don’t follow blind ambition or lose your humility in the process. Lastly, if you can wait and not be tired of waiting or being lied about, but don’t deal in lies or being hated – don’t give into hating, yet don’t look to good nor talk to wise. This is great life advice, have patience for what you want, know that others may lie about you, but you must not fall to their level and deal in lies, and don’t flaunt your looks or try to be the smartest person in the room all the time – even if you are. Let others have a chance.

The next stanza says…

If you can dream—and not make dreams your master; If you can think—and not make thoughts your aim; If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster And treat those two impostors just the same; If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools, Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken, And stoop and build ’em up with worn-out tools:

This gives 3 very important lessons. First, dream and think, but realize that dreams and reality are not always going to be the same. Second, understand that you will have great successes and failures in life and there are amazing lessons and gifts in each of them – so treat them the same and learn from them. Third, know that things you put a tremendous amount of time and effort into may not always workout or be destroyed – be ok with that and be strong enough to rebuild in the face of it.

The 3rd stanza says…

If you can make one heap of all your winnings And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss, And lose, and start again at your beginnings And never breathe a word about your loss; If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew To serve your turn long after they are gone, And so hold on when there is nothing in you Except the Will which says to them: ‘Hold on!’

This is one of my most favorite messages in this poem – you must be willing to persevere. You must be willing to take risks and deal with the consequences of them, good or bad. You must never quit and always be willing to start again, and above all else persevere and hold on!

The 4th stanza says…

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue, Or walk with Kings—nor lose the common touch, If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you, If all men count with you, but none too much; If you can fill the unforgiving minute With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run, Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it, And—which is more—you’ll be a Man, my son!

More very sage advice. To me this is all about remaining true to yourself and who you are. Talking to crowds and keeping your virtue and walking with kings, but not lose your common touch. Hannah, don’t change who you are for the audience in front of you. Be who you are and let it shine through. And the last part of the poem tells us to seize each moment and make the best out of it and that if you do all of this, yours is the earth and everything in it.

It is amazing how much wonderful wisdom can be packed into such a short little group of words…and that is maybe the last lesson for me. The lesson that a small amount of anything can make such a huge difference. A small amount of extra effort can be the difference between winning and losing a race. A small amount of ingenuity can be the difference between inventing the solution and missing it forever. A small amount of perseverance can take you to levels no one ever thought possible.

Hannah, I hope you can use the lessons of IF and the power of small things to help you in your life the way they have helped me. Yours is the earth and everything in it.

I love you, Daddy

 

Best Quote: “A small amount of anything can make such a huge difference. A small amount of extra effort can be the difference between winning and losing a race. A small amount of ingenuity can be the difference between inventing the solution and missing it forever. A small amount of perseverance can take you to levels no one ever thought possible"

 

Misfit 3:

  1. Read "IF" by Rudyard Kipling and think about how you can apply the lessons to your life.
  2. You must believe in yourself and walk your own path doing what is right.
  3. Learn and use the power of small things in your life to make a difference.
Jan 23, 2019

This week’s Misfit Entrepreneur is Alex Quin. At just 24 years old, Alex is a Forbes accredited entrepreneur, investor, and influencer. He’s worked with everyone from Adidas, McLaren to Puma and Red Bull through his marketing agency, UADV.

On top of that, he has investments in a number of other entities, owns an exotic car rental company, and produces documentaries on entrepreneurship and other aspects of the entrepreneur life.

One of the things Alex said to me when we first met is that hustle inspires hustle. He’s right and that is just one of the reasons I asked him to come on and share what he has learned on his journey with you in this episode.

www.AlexQuin.com

@MrAlexQuin on social

Since Alex was a little kid, he had an entrepreneurial mindset and was a master at arbitrage. After graduating high school, he worked in food-service doing all the lowly tasks someone can do while he built his business. His first business was car shows like you’d see in Fast and Furious. They had initial success and had partners like Lamborghini and others. The business blew up, but it was cash suck. They could pay for the events, but not have much leftover. It was the connections he made that would later help his business today.

He kept working in food-service, but also started driving as a chauffeur for the CEO of a major Advertising agency in Miami. After learning some from the CEO, he quit his job and started his advertising business.

Now, they are a private agency that carries out its own projects and invests in others as a partner.

At 6 min mark, Alex explains what it means to “just keep going” and “sometimes it is just part of the cycle and process.” Consistency is the most critical aspect of succeeding.

Was there a time where you hit bottom? How did you claw your way back?

  • Yes! At least 4 times!
  • Entrepreneurship is a roller coaster that never stops
  • There is always something happening that you have to work on, overcome, or work through.
  • Sometimes you are going to doubt ourselves and our biggest opponent is our mind.
  • You must learn to defeat your own negative thoughts and you can always make it through.

Advice on how to overcome?

  • It like a game. Like sports. The big game.
  • You start off on the team as 3rd stringer
  • You’ve got to practice and put your time in.
  • You’ve got to learn the little tricks and habits to make you better. You’ve got to commit and then you work your way up.
  • No one is a “starter” in entrepreneurship out of the gate.
  • All business is training yourself. It’s you that must be trained. 

There is no such thing as a loss…there is only a lesson to learn.

At the 14 min mark, Alex explains “Hustle Inspires Hustle…”

  • Alex loves to infect people with good energy.
  • Doing what you do and doing so well that others gravitate to you and are inspired by you. That is hustle inspiring hustle.
  • We all can inspire someone else in some way. Every day, someone can be looking up to you.

What have you learned about building a business through your experience?

  • If you are creative, at some point, you will have to choose between being a creative and business person. It is very hard to do both.
  • Getting business is about the numbers. If you reach out to enough people, you are going to see a return. If you are not getting a return, you are not talking to enough people.
  • Pivoting requires time and strategy and is not something to just do. You have to really think through what you want.
  • But, you have to be open-minded and sometimes the things you want are not life has planned for you.
  • As long as you stay true to your values, you will be good.

How does someone pivot effectively and make it happen?

  • You have to know when to keep going and when to cut your losses. Your gut will tell you.
  • You have to believe in yourself enough.
  • You can only control YOUR actions and must focus on those things you can control.
  • Sit down, make a plan, and then be obsessed with executing.
  • Entrepreneurship is not for those unsure of themselves and that don’t believe in themselves.

Can someone who doesn’t believe in themselves learn to do so? How?

  • You can learn.
  • You learn by the little victories you have.
  • Every day you will run into little adversities that give you a chance to overcome them.
  • Each time you overcome, you get stronger.
  • You have to go through the weeds to get to the flowers.

What your biggest success hacks?

  • Maintain awareness of world news at all times
  • Maintain awareness of what is happening in culture
  • Taking solid care of himself both mentally and physically
  • Remaining humble and slowing down when it is needed
  • Keep your mind open to learn new things. We know very little at the end of the day.
  • Surround yourself with people that you can really trust and that you know will stick it out through very hard times. It takes time to find them.

 

Best Quote: “There is no step by step guide on how to succeed as an entrepreneur. There are only takeaways that you can grab and apply to your situation to create your own formula.”

 

Alex's Misfit 3:

  1. Honesty. Be honest with others and be honest with yourself.
  2. Humility. Materials things come and go. Keep your humility and be true to yourself.
  3. Hustle. If you are honest, humble, and you hustle – you are going to get what you want.
Jan 16, 2019

This week’s Misfit Entrepreneurs are Sania Khiljee. Sania is a serial entrepreneur as well as social media expert. Sania has businesses in everything from children’s private pre-schools to subscription box services.

She is the founder of Losers to Legends, a social media consulting and education company that started out as a motivational movement on social media and has grown to over 1.5 million followers.

The thing that stuck me most about Sania when we met is how humble, down to earth, and willing to help others she is. I knew I had to have her on to share not just her incredible wisdom and advice with you, but her entrepreneurial spirit as well.

www.SaniaKhiljee.com

@SaniaKhiljee on social

@LoserstoLegends on social

Sania grew up in an entrepreneurial family. But, 10 years ago, Sania was not allowed to be on social media. She had a very possessive ex-fiance that was very dominant over her and would not allow her to be on social media. It took several years to find out why – he was cheating on her using the platforms.

After she got out of that terrible circumstance, she fell in love with social media and its possibilities. She built several brick and mortar businesses alongside her family, but wanted to do something her family had never done before. So, she branched out and created subscription box service using social media and sold it. Since then, she has been teaching others on how to grow their business using social media.

What’s the best advice on entrepreneurship that you got from your father?

  • Sania’s dad is very practical
  • His philosophy is not “follow your passion,” but “Do what makes you money. Do what drives cashflow. It is the lifeblood of any business. Get that right and then follow your passions from there.”
  • Don’t be afraid to be money-minded.
  • Another lesson is that he never let work-life balance get in the way. He made time for family each day. It was a priority. P
  • rioritize money, but not at the expense of the quality of your life.

At the 11 min mark, Sania talks about work-life balance in a 24/7 world…

  • Structure is very important.
  • The more you plan, the better you will do, even with the fires that come up.
  • You have to always be ready for the unexpected demands of business day to day.
  • Ask yourself, “What does a productive day really look like?

What was like going out on your own away from the family business?

  • Sania is not a rags to riches story, but a prove your own worth story.
  • She had beat imposter syndrome by building a business and selling it herself.
  • Creating businesses that make money that were aligned with dreams she had were very validating for her.
  • The lessons learned and what it took to be successful are very integral to who she is as a person today.

What did you do to actually create the conviction you now have as an entrepreneur?

  • You don’t have to be so polar or a binary decision between one thing or another. You can do multiple things at once.
  • Sania still worked in the family business but built her other businesses outside of it.
  • Having a side-hustle that you can build to a point where you can do it full time is a great way to go.
    • Gary Vaynerchuk is a great example of this.

What are your best tips on how to grow a worldwide audience through social media?

  • Have a focus. Don’t jump around between a bunch of different types of posts.
  • As much as you can niche down, you will do better in speaking to a specific audience.
  • Get granular. For example, “30 year old entrepreneurs who live in the US and are looking for morning motivation.”
  • When someone lands on your page, they should know immediately who it’s for, what it is about, and the content they can count on from it.
  • Quality of content is critical as well. 1 piece of viral content can change everything, so every piece you put our should be top quality.
  • Consistency. If you are serious about social media – it is 2-3 hours per day minimum across all platforms. Instagram, Youtube, Quora, LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, etc.
  • It is not enough to just put up content – you then have to go out and engage and attract people back to your pages and take a real interest in you and what you are doing.

Tell us about the 3 hours a day…

  • The 10,000 hour rule. If you spend 3 hours a day on social media, within 10 years, you will become world-class at it.
  • Sania chooses not to outsource, but to use the time to hone her skills.
  • If you do not want to be an expert. You can put in less time, such as an hour a day, and outsource for the rest.
  • No matter what, you are looking a devoting time daily.

What about someone that owns a business and only has 3-5 hours per week? Can they maximize their presence online?

  • Yes – you can hire an intern or hire an agency that does done for you solutions.
  • If you outsource, you may miss out on some of the engagement. If you can still find some time to engage, that is good.

Talk to us about some of the methods you use to grow your account…

  • There are paid and organic growth tactics
  • $5 per day in social media marketing, such as Facebook ads or boosting posts, can make a huge difference.
  • The more exposure you get coupled with high quality content is a recipe for success.
  • You can pay for influencer shoutouts. You can pay a little bit to someone with a million followers or more to promote you.
  • Engagement with other users in a genuine way costs nothing. Leaving comments and posts on other pages that you like will drive slower growth, but the best followers.
  • There are also software available for growth. Automations are touchy as they can de-personalize, but can and do work.
  • LinkedIn has a lot of automation as well.
  • You should also research times to post across platforms as well as which hashtags. You can study others you admire in your niche. Copy them.
  • Social media is a science – doing the right things in a consistent way.

What is a paid shoutout and what do they cost?

  • It is when an influencer promotes you to their audience.
  • You can pay anywhere from $10-$300 for a shoutout.
  • Sania usually pays $10-$20 or does a trade.
  • You have to be very careful when paying for influencer shoutouts to make sure people have real followers, not ones they bought.
  • You can go to socialblade.com and type in an influencers name to see their growth.
  • You want to see consistent daily growth instead of bursts of growth followed by a loss of followers (this is a sign they buy followers).
  • You should also look at the makeup of followers and quality of comments to see if they resonate with your focus.

At the 44 min mark, Sania talks about the types of shoutouts she does and others do…

It is generally best to give something free to potential followers or new subscribers

If you could pick only one social media platform to be on, which one would it be and why?

  • Instagram because it is where she started
  • Data shows Instagram is one of the most lucrative platform and better for organic growth vs. Facebook where you have to pay more now.
  • Instagram also has better ability for viral content
  • But, you should figure out which platform is best for you and for what you like.

What are ways to make money online from your social media presence?

  • Once you have an audience, you can promote your services to them.
  • Books, video courses, masterminds, affiliate products you promote, etc.
  • Referring business to others and taking a cut – so look for partnerships you can do shoutouts for.

 

Best Quote: “ Do what makes you money. Do what drives cashflow. It is the lifeblood of any business. Get that right and then follow your passions from there.”

 

Sania's Misfit 3:

  1. Try meditation. 30 mins to an hour a day can change your life. Search “deep-guided” meditation on Youtube. Guided makes it easy for you.
  2. Find your focus(es). Find the 1-2 things that deserve your most focus and that are symbiotic to each other and focus on them intently.
  3. Approach your sales as being a friend or partner first, then your customer. If you try to sell people right at the start without a relationship, it will make it harder.
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