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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: 2017

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!

Oct 18, 2017

This week’s Misfit Entrepreneur is Darren Moorman. Darren is a founder and partner at Reserve Entertainment. A firm specializing in feature film and TV. Darren knows what it is like and what it takes to have a dream and work tirelessly to make it a reality. He grew up passionate about film and media and began acting at age 19. Over the years, he found his calling as a producer and ventured out to LA to pursue his dreams. He found some success and worked on different projects with people like Denzel Washington, Chevy Chase, and others, but he had one main dream which took over 10 years to bring to fruition.

That dream releases in theaters the week this episode is releasing (October 2017) in the form of an amazing film called “Same Kind of Different As Me” featuring an all start cast including Greg Kinnear, Renee Zellweger, Djimon Hounsou, and John Voit – all academy award winners or nominees.

Dave and Darren talk about the film and its message, but just as importantly, they talk about the 10 year journey, the twists, turns, and ups and downs that it took to make it a reality.

www.ReserveEntertainment.Com

www.SameKindofDifferentAsMeMovie.com

Darren’s story starts over 20 years ago when Darren started his first career as a coach and teacher at an all-boys prep school. While there, Darren noticed something unique. When taught kids using the form of a story, they were much more attentive and learned more. They understood things more clearly. It was here where Darren leaned that stories really connect with people. So, Darren, who had some past experience in acting and film, decided to make the journey to LA to become a film maker.

Darren didn’t have instant success, but was a good networker and relationship builder and was able to create some great connections early on for mentors that had been there and done that in the industry. He credits this with getting him going helping his first successes. Now those mentors are business partners of his – after he paid his dues and proved he had staying power.

At the 8 min mark, Dave and Darren talk about simple, but two very important principle for success and that Darren credits with helping him get ahead: Asking for what you want and making it about them and not you.

At the 11 min mark, Darren talks about why he had to tell the story of Same Kind of Different As Me. He talks about how reading the book, a true story, over 10 years ago changed his life and showed him the power of hope, forgiveness, healing, and reconciliation.

At the 14 min mark, Darren talks about the 10 year journey it took to make this movie, how he lost the rights to it twice (including one time to Disney, and finally seized a chance opportunity to make it a reality. He talks about the mistakes he made and how even a chance meeting on a plane ride was needed to turn this dream into a reality.

Darren says the most important thing he did happened 5 years ago where he had a “Jerry Maguire moment” and wrote a manifesto and wrote the vision for his career and the stories that he is supposed to be telling to the world. The story at the top of the list was Same Kind of Different as Me – even though he didn’t have the rights to it. But, when the time came where he could get it, he was focused, ready, and had everything in place to go lock it up. And once he had it, everything came into focus and in-line including the all-star cast and a deal to help distribute it worldwide with Paramount. The latter because of a relationship and connection he had made many years ago showing the power of what relationships can do over time.

What does it mean to have a dream and vision and devote yourself to it for years on end not knowing if it will truly manifest? How do you keep going and stay prepared?

  • At moments you question your sanity of it you are really supposed to be doing what you are doing
  • Then it happens…it’s beautiful
  • You know you are not crazy and you were meant for it
  • You don’t always know how it will happen, just that it will, and you stay at it.
  • You have to always be prepared to strike when the opportunity comes. Always be ready and prepared to go on offense and act.

At the 26 min mark, Darren talks about the impact the story has had on his life and the impact he wants for it to have on you and the world. Hint: It comes down to a simple act of kindness.

What has this experience of this film and meeting the real life people of the story taught you about life?

  • We are no different from each other
  • We are all on some kind of journey
  • In the midst of that, we find that everyone has amazing gifts
  • Those gifts can be used, whether homeless, poor, or well off

TIME SENSATIVE ITEM: On October 18th, the day this episode if released, there are a 150 red carpet screenings at rescue missions around the US that will show the film to their donors, sponsors, and benefactors to create awareness and show how much impact they can have in their communities. If you are interested in participating, go to

http://www.samekindofdifferentasmemovie.com/group-tickets.php

What does it take to be successful as an entrepreneur?

You have to continue to have more dreams. Once you accomplish one, you have to have what’s next. You cannot settle for accomplishing one dream. You have a lifetime of dreams to accomplish. The key is to be consistent and stay true to your core, but don’t stop…the best is always ahead of you.

What advice for people aspiring to make it in Hollywood or film?

  • You’ve got to get into the business. You’ve got to learn your craft.
  • Once you are in a place where you feel you can be in control of your future, then you must create a business plan for yourself
  • In short, pay your dues, and look at yourself like a business.
  • You must understand who you are, what your gifts are, and what projects you are supposed to get involved in – what you are truly passionate about. Don’t sacrifice who you are. ​

At the 38 min mark, Darren talks about how important the name of his company, Reserve Entertainment is to his mission.

 

Best Quote: “At moments you question your sanity and what you are doing…then it happens and it’s beautiful. Even if it takes 10 years, you know you are not crazy and meant for it.”

 

Darren's Misfit 3:

  1. Use the power of story to help you in your life and business. Use them to move people to act and work with you in a much bigger way.
  2. Make sure that you take care of the people you are working with. Make sure they feel that they are loved, cared for, and valued.
  3. It’s not too early to start thinking about the legacy you are building and making sure to align it to your vision and dreams.
Oct 11, 2017

This week’s Misfit Entrepreneur is Matt Miller. Matt is a former Air Force Pilot turned entrepreneur. Like many guests on the show, Matt followed a Misfit path. When he left the Air Force after almost 10 years, he entered the corporate world and did well…

But there was something that kept eating at him and it was a desire to create his own business and go after his dreams. His challenge was where to start. Then, one day as he was talking to a good friend, they mentioned the gumball vending machines that he and his young daughters owned. This conversation began a 10 year journey that resulted in the creation and massive growth of School Spirit Vending.

The vending machine business is not new by any means, but it is ripe for innovation and that is exactly how Matt has created success with SSV – by thinking differently and taking a new approach.

It’s this way of thinking and way of looking at opportunities differently to create success that Dave and Matt share you in this episode. ​

www.SSVBusiness.com

If you are interest in Matt's course, "Vending Secrets for Passive Income," go to www.VendingSecrets.net

Matt went to Air Force Academy and then was a fighter pilot for almost a decade. He then went into the corporate world in sales and in the direct mail world. But, he was at the mercy of working for big corporations and when one made a decision that drastically hurt his income potential, he started to look at ways to create income. He did everything from collect aluminum cans to selling books on Amazon. He had success and created income from all the things he did, but he wanted to create passive income.

He could not even afford to own his own home, but met a friend who was in vending. So he tried it with a used gumball machine he bought on Ebay. He hustled and figured out how to get into locations and after 18 months, he had over 125 locations with his vending machines, and was making more in his part-time vending business than he was in his job. But, then 2007-2008 hit and sales went down…

It was at this time that some kids came to his door fundraising and gave him the idea for School Spirit Vending (SSV). And today, they are in over 40 states, have over 115 franchisees, and are in over 3500 schools around the nation. At the 8:40 mark, Matt talks about how he had to learn to be an entrepreneur as he started with no background.

The keys for him were learning to change his mindset, a good personal growth routine, and a willingness to get out fail and learn as he went.

To make it grow faster, Matt was working, doing his vendor routes, and delivering pizzas 20 hours per week. He practiced “chicken entrepreneurship” in that he worked his jobs to pay the bills while building and investing in his business.

At the 15 min mark, Matt talks about the fact that what you think will sell well or that is the hot item is not always the best thing to sell. It’s the things that are unique, different, and quirky that sell well and offer better margins in places like vending or Amazon.

At the 19 min mark, Matt talks about how he created SSV and his philosophies on business:

  • As Zig Ziglar said, help enough other people get what they want and you’ll be taken care of.
  • Matt’s goal is to deliver for everyone in his ecosystem – creating massive value for everyone that is a part of SSV.
  • Their mission statement says it all, “Funds for schools, Freedom for Families, Change for Kids”
  • He also believes in giving deeply and has a number of ways that they help and impact the kids that get SSV stickers.

At the 27 min mark, Matt talks about the unique way he used a podcast to communicate with his franchisees to help them and how with just over 100 listeners, the impact it has had on his business and the businesses of those involved is priceless.

He also does regional masterminds and weekly webinars which help to further the community, foster success, and share success stories from the field.

Principles and Lessons?

  • There is no such thing as an overnight success or get rich quick
  • Get excited about getting in the game
  • Are you willing to commit 3-5 years of your life to have control over the rest of your life?
  • You must be willing to do what it takes and what you know it takes to reach your dream. It will take a lot of shorter term sacrifice and you have to be ok with that.

Lessons from the cockpit that translate well to business?

  • The checklist. As a pilot you live by the checklist and Matt uses them throughout the business to create systems and get things done.
  • Think as a BIG business. What may make sense to you now will make no sense to you a few years down the road. Make decisions now like it is a few years down the road. ​

At the 43 minute mark, Matt and Dave discuss what really matters and “success to significance.” ​

Other advice?

  • Learn to be an independent thinker
  • Don’t worry about what other people think. Live your life for you.

 

Best Quote: “I needed to make money tomorrow, not 2-3 years from now. With vending – you put a machine out there and a month later you have income. It’s not sexy or flashing, but it’s tried and true. Sometimes, it pays to go against the herd.”

 

Matt's Misfit 3:

  1. Get in the game. Stop getting ready to get ready to do something. Jump in with both feet and figure it out as you go.
  2. It is a marathon, not a sprint. Get excited about the process and journey and get busy realizing that anything worth doing is going to take time and effort over a few years.
  3. Be willing to think differently. You don’t have to have experience in anything to jump in and have an impact. But, you do have to take action.
Oct 4, 2017

This week’s Misfit Entrepreneur is Isaac Morehouse. Isaac is creator and founder of Praxis, a really unique startup that has created a solution for the new world of an old and tried and true path to success - apprenticeship. Praxis connects potential employers with people to apprentice with them starting their careers and getting them a full time job in 12 months or less with no degree required.

In the information age, the old advice of go to college, get good grades, find a safe-secure job, and work for 40 years just doesn’t fly any more. We are in the age of the entrepreneur and being an apprentice is one of the best ways to learn the systems and path to success where you can eventually go out on your own. For me and probably you, the word apprentice conjures up visions of blacksmiths and bricklayers with their apprentice in tow, but in reality, they are mentorships, a sort of one of one mastermind.

And in today’s world, it’s not blacksmiths anymore, it’s is building businesses and systems online, creating new solutions, apps, and a host of other things.

And that is why Dave wanted to have Isaac on the show. Praxis is bypassing college as the best way to get from student to career. They train young people with an intensive 6-month professional bootcamp, then place them in startups for a 6-month paid apprenticeship.

Praxis grads have a 98% employment rate out of the program, with average pay over $50k. And most of them do not have degrees entry level roles like sales, marketing, and operations.

www.DiscovePraxis.com

www.isaacMorehouse.com

It started for Isaac while he was in college. Isaac worked for a telecommunications company installing cable 3 days a week while going to school. And while in school he was hit with a realization. He was making good money in his work and turning around and spending it all on school to get a piece of paper that basically says because you have it, you are statistically better than someone without it to higher. You can get all of the things that go into the piece of paper for free – just not the paper. He thought, there has to be a way to be able to do the same thing without the cost of getting the piece of paper and that is how the idea for Praxis was born. Over the next decade, he brought it to fruition. ​

At the 7 min mark, Isaac talks about the mental journey and the winding random road that weaves through the way to creating and bringing an idea to reality. He goes into the way the subconscious helps us to achieve the goals we give it.

Isaac goes on to talk about learning and makes some good points:

  • There is a difference between “Just in Time Learning” and “Just in Case Learning.”
  • Most of the things you learn are just in case and you never need it.
  • What would happen if you focused on the things you know you need to learn to solve a real problem just in time to solve it?
  • You can learn anything and do it so fast when you are interested in it and have a use for it in your life.

What should people know about apprenticeships today?

  • The best opportunities are in startups and early growth stage companies
  • Companies want more than just an employee
  • Companies want people they can invest in that will help grow beyond their initial role and help the company reach its potential and value
  • Companies want people who take an interest in the overall success of the company – essentially those that think like an entrepreneur and owner.

Isaac finds that young, raw talent is the best fit. He uses the “sleep in your car” test. If you are willing to sleep in your car and do what it takes to get what you want in life, you are the type of person that is most successful in an apprenticeship role.

At the 27 min mark Isaac and Dave talk about the shift happening with the way jobs are viewed and how we approach work.

  • The internet has given people a way to learn anything that you can learning an institution, but also provide a vehicle for them to showcase their talents like never before.
  • Showing is better than telling and now you can see what people are capable of by what they have created about themselves on all the different platforms that exist today.
  • You can be your own credential and don’t need 3rd party validation to succeed like was needed not too long ago.
  • You don’t have to wait any more for a degree to showcase yourself and that changes everything.
    • This decentralization is disruptive

What have you learned about taking effective action and overcome fear and inertia?

  • People have to go through a “de-schooling” of sorts
    • You don’t have to wait until you reach a certain level or gain a certain knowledge to get going
    • You don’t need someone to validate you or tell you that you are good enough
  • A good exercise is to write a blog post and publish it every day for 30 days
    • This causes you to do something every day 7 days a week and not being afraid to ship it out to the world.
    • This helps turn creativity into a discipline which is critical for success in today’s age.

Thoughts on Entrepreneurship

  • It’s incredibly brutal – in a good way
  • The tough days are more than the good days, but the good days waaay outweigh the amount of bad days
  • You are always overcoming challenges. Isaac early found his model was actually illegal and was totally defeated – but played a game on how to change the model and make it work. That is the key – to always be looking for the way to overcome and get around the obstacles.
  • Find GOOD people!
  • Focus on getting one good paying customer over perfection or little things like having your website all set or your product even finished. Once you find 1 paying customer, you are business. Biggest

Lesson Learned?

Don’t do stuff you hate. Period. And there is a difference between hate and hard. Don’t be afraid of hard work or things you want to do. The things you truly hates drain your energy and stifle your growth. Removing them forces you to find things or people to better fill the gaps and take on the areas that you are not fond of. This allows you to focus better and maximize your talents. ​

At the 44 minute mark, Isaac talks about overcoming the challenge of going a different direction than people think you should go.

Book Recommendation: The Act of Creation by Arthur Koestler

 

Best Quote: “Don't mistake hate for hard...Don't do what you hate, but do what you love, even it is hard.”

 

Isaac's Misfit 3:

  1. Don’t do stuff you hate
  2. Don’t’ have goals in the traditional sense. Instead, focus on one thing you can do every day to add value to yourself or your company or any area of your life.
  3. Don’t have a lot of beliefs. Instead choose a very small amount of beliefs that you truly believe and are core to you and who you are. Be open, but don’t compromise those core beliefs.
Sep 27, 2017

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.

Ok, so here goes…this week’s Lesson for Hannah.

Hannah Sweetie, I want to talk to you about how to be more productive and accomplish more. As you grow older, you will find that time becomes more and more precious, so your ability to be productive and accomplish more with the time you have is a blessing. But, how do you do that? There are tons of books and strategies written about how to be more productive and accomplish more. Most of the time, it is the same advice. Focus, plan for your success, don't multi-task, turn off email, etc.

All of that is great advice and works. But, I have found a few additional methods alongside the more standard ones that really make a difference.

First, you've probably read a million times that you need to plan your day or plan for your success. There is a reason for that. It works. But, one trick I have found that has made a big difference is to plan in two ways. First, each Sunday, I sit down and write out my “to do” items by day for each of my different businesses for the upcoming week. You’ve been watching me do this since you were a kid and know that it takes me about 20-30 minutes. The reason this is important is because it gives me a bigger picture and view of what I have on my docket and what I want to do, instead of looking at things from the microcosm of just one day. Once I am done, I can see where I need to make changes or move things around to maximize productivity. Second, each day, I the make my daily "to do" list from the weekly list. What is nice is that each day, I can also see what is to do for the rest of the week and if I think I will have time, I can start working in say Thursday tasks on Tuesday. One very, very important secret with my daily planning is this. Write your daily “to do” list the night before. At the end of the day, take a look at what you have for tomorrow and also do a “brain dump” of things you know you need to do as well. Things are fresh in your mind at the end of your day, so writing your tasks for the next day is much easier, clearer, and keeps you from forgetting things. I used to write my to do list each morning for the day and since I started doing it the day before, I have noticed a considerable jump in productivity and am getting more time with you and mommy in evenings and on weekends.

Next, a habit I started doing years ago is what I call the morning prime and my three to thrive and succeed. This takes less than 10 minutes each day. I write down 3 things I am thankful/grateful for. A lot of times it has to do with you and mommy, but doing this does two things. First, it allows me to start my day with gratitude and come from a place of thankfulness. You'll be amazed at how this makes a difference in your attitude and thus your productivity. Second, it gives me perspective of what is really important in life.

Once, I've done that which takes 4-5 minutes, I look at my to do list for the day and pick the top 3 items from that list that will make the biggest impact in my life and businesses that day. I ask myself, "If I could only get 3 things done on this list, which would be the most impactful." That's my "three to thrive." I write those down or circle them on the “to do” list and focus only on them until they are done before moving on to the rest of the list. In fact, creating this message for you is one of my three to thrive for today.

Lastly, is what I call my secret weapon. From tracking my productivity, I have found a secret weapon that when I do this vs. when I do not has proven to make a difference. That secret? Listening to music with noise cancelling headphones. But, not just any type of music. It has to be instrumental only and of 3 genre: Piano, Chill Type Music....and surprise, Movie Music Scores.

I know this sounds crazy, but you have to try it. I have experimented with a number of music types and those 3 work the best. Depending on what you need at the moment, each can help you in different ways. For example, in the morning when things are quiet and I am just getting going, I like to listen to Chill Music. It drowns out all of the thoughts going in my head as the day begins and I start on my three to thrive keeping me focused. If I am feeling anxious or overloaded, Piano Music works every time. And if, I need inspiration or motivation, Movie Music Scores. Hans Zimmer's are the best. You can just jump on the web and type what you are looking for in and find it. As of the date of this lesson, Youtube works best.

The last thing I would say to you sweetie is that doing any one of these by themselves will make a difference in your ability to be more productive, but if you combine them, planning your week/day, having a daily prime/three to thrive routine and doing your tasks listening to music, -you'll be insanely more productive.

I can’t wait to see you put these in action in your life and for you to figure out your own ways to increase your abilities and productivity. Here’s to your success!

I love you, daddy…

 

Best Quote: “One very, very important secret with my daily planning is this. Write your daily “to do” list the night before..."

 

Misfit 3:

  1. When planning for your success each week, don't just focus on planning for a day. Plan your week out first, then plan each day while being able to look at the big picture.
  2. Create a routine to start your day off in the right "state" by expressing gratitude and focusing on the most important items you have on your list for the day. I call this my Daily Prime where I write 3 things I am grateful for and decide on my 3 to Thrive - the 3 most important things I need to do for the day.
  3. Listening to instrumental music while you work improves productivity and your mood.
Sep 20, 2017

This week’s Misfit Entrepreneur is Evan Money. Evan is an incredible individual. He has worked with just about every big name you can think of from Joel Olsteen to Malcolm Gladwell to John Maxwell and had been featured on every major news outlet.

His story is the epitome of the American Dream. He started with nothing. No money. No investment. And he founded and built a multi-million dollar extreme sports enterprise. He then became a prime time sports talk radio personality in Los Angeles with no experience or schooling, and today he has businesses that span extreme sports, startup and growth financing, even TV and film. He is also a go to mentor and speaker for personal growth and transformation. Evan has his PHD and is the #1 best-selling author of “Take Action Now.”

He went from not being able to buy groceries to being able to rent out the Staples Center in LA to play basketball with his friends…and most importantly, he knows how to live life to the fullest and maximize the areas of health, wealth, and finances.

www.EvanMoney.com

Evan was raised in a dysfunctional family with a single mom. He went to Las Angeles public schools and as he said “came out with his goals and dreams beating out of it.” He says that he was a reluctant entrepreneur. After high school he was working in a job and a friend of his at the job got together with him and discussed starting a business. Surely they could create a business like the one they worked at, right? It can’t be that hard…at least they thought.

So with no business plan, no money, and a dream they started the business. After about 6 months, the friend left and Evan was responsible for the business. Evan and his wife decided they were going to do it and just figured it out through hard work, hustle, and sheer will.

Building the business brought Evan and his wife even closer and they have created a great tradition in which they get re-married every single year in a different place. This type of tradition can be used across any type of relationship and Evan has found that focusing on planning a honeymoon every year to celebrate his relationship has forced him and his wife into appreciating each other more. This has allowed him to grow a fantastic business and a fantastic relationship as the same time.

“It is about all 3. You want to have your health thriving, your relationships thriving, and your finances thriving.”

At the 14 Min Mark Evan talks about how he created success and the life he has now. Evan talks about how his journey was painfully slow.

The turning point for Evan was when he discovered, ROF. Return On Forgiveness.

Evan talks about how he had a lot of issues and past anger from his father issues growing up. The year he finally forgave his father and let it all go, he earned 3x as much. He took the mental and emotional anchor of this off his back and everything fell into place.

“The Power of Forgiveness and letting things go that you are holding onto, you can then be free to receive more.”

Why does forgiveness lead to more success and changes in one’s life? What happens for them?

  • First, it frees you as you don’t realize how much mental energy has been going into un-forgiveness and it becomes almost a virus that prays on you.
  • Second, unforgiveness affects your health and when you relieve yourself of the anger, stress, and weight of the burden, your health comes inline and you “feel” better about yourself, life, business, etc.
  • Third, getting rid of all of the baggage and burden frees you to then see and act on the opportunities around you that you were not seeing and did not have the energy to act on prior.

At the 28 min mark, Evan talks about he helps his clients breakthrough and what he looks for to help them do so.

“Everyone is essentially the same and has the same stuff. We are all highly skilled and incredibly gifted to see other people’s stuff and not our own stuff. That is the value of a coach – they will point out your stuff to you and help you work through it.”

At the 33 min mark, Evan gives a great example of money and security and the relativeness of it.

What does it take to be a successful entrepreneur?

  • Understand and come face to face with the “balance lie.” Work-life balance does not exist.
  • Entrepreneurship is like an orchestra and the entrepreneur is the conductor. When you look at the orchestra, there is no balance, it is all different with different numbers of instruments, but when the conductor pulls them together, they create harmony. Your job as an entrepreneur is to pull it all together so it creates harmony.
  • If you are going to be somewhere, be there. Be focused and present in your life.
  • Evan’s personal tip – NO technology in the bedroom (no cell phones, TV, etc.)

Advice for entrepreneurs starting out?

  • The less you know the better. The more you have to think about the more paralyzed you can become.
  • Default to action. When in doubt, have the courage to act on your goals and move yourself forward.
  • You are the expert on your idea. You don’t have to defer to others. No one else knows your idea better than you.
  • But, leverage the knowledge of others to help you reach your goals and bring your idea to fruition.

At the 51 min mark, Evan shares something that he has not talked about interviews before about his personal life.

 

Best Quote: “It’s not what you get that makes your valuable, it’s what you become that makes your valuable.”

 

Evan's Misfit 3:

  1. Try having a technology free bedroom for yourself and your relationship
  2. Leverage the power of ROF – Return on Forgiveness. Use it and change your life!
  3. The grass is greener where you water it. It is your responsibility to water your own grass. You have the control and responsibility to make it thrive.
Sep 13, 2017

58: Confessions of a Digital Nomad, Superstar Accidental Salesperson with Samantha Alvarez This week’s Misfit Entrepreneur is Samantha Alvarez. Samantha is just your every day, run of the mill, digital nomad, sales system strategist, nurse practitioner, and university faculty member who travels the world funding her adventures by helping businesses find the secrets to growing faster and more profitably hidden in their business.

Sam has traveled to almost 30 countries, lived on 5 continents and in 2016, while growing her entrepreneurial ventures lived in 7 countries in 7 months alone!

One of the most interesting things about Sam is that she has held 63 jobs in her life. That’s right 63. It just goes to show that if you never give up on the pursuit of your dreams, you will find what you are looking for…

www.SamAlvarez.com

Sam started out as a registered nurse and then a nurse practitioner for the first 10 years of her career after school. Before that, she had almost 30 jobs finding her to school and nursing. She began to get burned out. She was making 6 figures per year, but was losing her passion. She decided to save her money and then go to Japan to learn and study Japanese. She is a lover of languages and speaks 8 of them. After 6 months, she ran out of money and came back to the states.

This time, she wanted to find a way to work and travel at the same time, so she started taking online jobs and found her way to sales. She now is a consultant that helps companies throughout the world build their sales organizations. As she says, she now spends her days talking “about communication, hopes, dreams, fears, and relationships.” She gets to travel and work how she wants and help people reach their potential and grow their business.

What have you learned about sales and selling? What works? What doesn’t?

  • Get rid of the hang ups and be yourself
  • Find things to sell that you feel strongly about and believe in
  • If you are talking to someone about your service or solutions and they are taking the time to listen and have interest, you are halfway there – your job is to get them to get over inertia and take action
  • You must offer lots of value, but doing it through honesty
  • People don’t buy products, they buy people
  • The first buying decision is whether they want to do business with you.
  • The most important thing you can do is to create rapport and connect with those you are selling to first, and then everything else can fall in line.

At the 13 min mark, Samantha expands on how to make sure that the transition you or the salesperson makes with the client to the next level in providing the solution is so important and how to do it well.

At the 16 min mark, Dave and Sam go deep on selling value vs. price.

The number one thing Sam sees people struggle with in sales and setting up sales systems is mindset. They have mental roadblocks that get in their way and must be cleared.

Most important thing Sam has learned about herself going through what she has?

  • To allow herself into the flow of things and not to fight against herself.
  • You have to be fully present in what you are doing and your interactions and not be thinking about selling while you are building your relationship.

How do you find your engagements and find clients?

  • Most of Sam’s clients come through relationships, referrals, and sometimes meeting clients face to face before engaging
  • It comes from the networking she has done online
  • She uses LinkedIn connections, Masterminds, Networking events and her reputation she has built in the digital nomad community by her presence online.
  • She focuses on connections vs. getting clients as the relationships turn into clients over time either directly or by referral.
  • If you are new, find your why, and do not stop. Be willing to go through everything it takes to get your foot in the door. You must know what you want before you go after things then.
  • It takes a lot of self-directed motivation to get what you want and work digitally.
  • There are hundreds of websites, blogs, podcasts, etc. that will teach you to be a digital nomad – know what you want, take action, and go learn from all of the resources available to you.
  • You have to fail a lot in order to get where you know you deserve to be!

At the 34 minute mark, Samantha talks about how she changed her mindset and ways of thinking to help her get on a better path to success.

 

Best Quote: “People don't buy products or services, they buy people. They buy you first before anything else.”

 

Samantha's Misfit 3:

  1. Find someone who is not as far along your path as you are and give them something from your knowledge to help them for free. Gift your knowledge.
  2. Practice some sort of minimalism. Purge 3 items from your life that you have not used or thought of in 6 months. Pay attention to how you feel when you do.
  3. Connect reflectively with your own intuition. Do something that allows your inner voice to speak to you daily. Be a human “being” – not a human “doing”
Sep 6, 2017

It is amazing how much can happen in a year! After over 50 interviews with the world's highest performing entrepreneurs, the Misfit Entrepreneur is celebrating it's one year anniversary. In one year, the show has gone from starting to being listened to in over 50 countries by thousands of people each week. This could not be done without all of you in Misfit Nation!

The celebration of Misfit's success and its impact is just as much yours. Thank you, thank you, thank you for all of your support, sharing the show with others, feedback, comments, and encouragement over the last year.

With that said, it's time to turn the tables where you finally get to hear from the Misfit himself, Dave Lukas. In this special episode, world renowned speaker, best-selling author, entrepreneur, and producer, Evan Money interviews Dave on everything from his business advice to what he is most ashamed of to where he see things going next - and how you can be a part of it. Lastly, Dave shares his Misfit 3 with Misfit Nation!

What’s the hardest decision you ever had to make?

  • Dave talks about the time in his largest company where they just flat ran out of money and the decision they had to make to keep it alive and going including putting in the last of his life savings, lessons learned, and how he, his business partner, and team dug their way out.

At the 7:30 mark, Dave talks about the hardest decision he ever made in his personal life.

What lesson took you the longest to learn?

  • Empathy. Dave tells the story at the 14 min mark. In his youth, Dave was driven to a fault and had an air of cockiness about him. He tells the story of learning to lead people, gain empathy, and work with others and attributes the struggle he went through to become a better person to his success today.

At the 20 min mark, Dave and Evan discuss parenting and the unique advice Dave was given by his business partner before becoming a dad. He also talks about the mind and its conditioning and how it relates to parenting.

What are you the most ashamed of? ​

  • At the 24 min mark, Dave talks about how he has no regrets and how everything had to happen exactly as it did for him to even be here today. He does recount a dark and embarrassing time in his life that helped to make him a better person and discussed it with Evan.

At the 30 min mark, Dave talks about what he is learning that is new and “cutting edge” in building and growing businesses, wealth, and what he is passionate about in business today.

At the 36 min mark, Dave talks about a contrarian way of looking at goals and achievement. He also gives you the “secret magical” word to help propel you to great success and explains it in the detail. The word is “How"

What do you need the most help with? What are struggling with right that Misfit Nation could help with?

Help get the message out about what Dave and the Misfit Entrepreneurs are doing. Share the show with others and help give feedback on how to make it better. The show exists to help you with your biggest challenges, so let Dave and his team know how they can do that. And share how the show may already be doing that for you.

 

Best Quote: "Daddy, People need to give up on giving up”– Hannah Lukas

 

Dave's Misfit 3

  1. You have to unleash the power of your mind by understand your conditioning and where the way you think originates. Challenge yourself to find what you truly believe down to your core. Your beliefs equal your results.
  2. Choose to be deliberate about your success. Take control and responsibility of all areas of your life. Don’t get caught in the victim trap. If you are in control of your beliefs, then you control your state.
  3. Have the courage and will to act. It is 5% idea and 95% action. You must take the step to start on anything. It is easy to get conformable and fall into the inertia trap and stay there. But rarely do truly great things comes from comfort zones. You have to commit to take action and keep taking action toward what you want. It is a choice.
Aug 30, 2017

We have a little different episode for you this week with our Misfit Entrepreneur as it was recorded live on his Youtube channel. This week’s Misfit is a man that probably needs no introduction, Evan Carmichael. Evan is the author of runaway best-seller “Your One Word. The Powerful Secret to Creating a Business and Life that Matter.” Before that, at 19, he built and sold a biotech software company. At 22, he was a VC helping raise $500k to $15 million.

What he is probably known best for is the work he does at Evan Carmichael.com and his wildly popular Youtube Channel with almost a million followers. He has been named Top 100 Leadership speakers by INC Magazine, top 40 Social Marketing Talents by Forbes, and has been featured just about everywhere.

Evan lives, breathes, and bleeds entrepreneurship and has a monster goal of helping 1 billion entrepreneurs.

www.EvanCarmichael.com

Evan believes in entrepreneurs. Evan has always had an entrepreneurial streak going all the way back to when he was 5 years old, but he did not have entrepreneurs in his family. He went to university thinking he was going to be a banker, but met a couple people there who had founded a company and decide to join as an owner in the business. As Evan says, it was the hardest decision he ever had made in his life – turning down “dream jobs” that he thought he wanted to work at a startup and make $300/month.

As he says, “we sucked at the start and failed so much giving me the lowest points of my life.” He was putting everything he had into it and it was not working. But he and his partners stuck with it, figured it out, and began to be successful. They were eventually acquired and Evan then went into the venture capital business raising $500,000 up to $15 mil for companies. But, he felt a calling to help entrepreneurs get through the struggles of the journey and started EvanCarmichael.com and his Youtube channel for that reason.

At the 7:30 mark, Evan talks about the struggle of entrepreneurship and when he almost quit everything. Evan was putting in a ton of work and not getting any results. As Evan says, he could only deal with that for so long that he felt worthless and in some ways ashamed. It all culminated in him telling his business partner that he was done one day. He quit.

That was the turning the point. He woke up the next day and had some realizations:

  • First, he realized that others have been where he was before and figured their way out.
  • Second, he was ok with failing if he had given it everything he had, but he was not ok with just quitting and walking away.
  • Third, Bill Gates saved his business – Evan took some time to read how Bill Gates made his 1st million and decided that he was going to implement some of the things he learned.

He went back to his business partner, nothing was said, and they got to work and modeled Bill Gates strategies of selling through partnerships. Within a few weeks he closed his first deal and things went from there.

Two things Evan cites as helping him the most:

  • Never live with regret
  • Success leaves clues – model success and make it your own

At the 16 min mark, Evan talks about some of the key things he has learned that truly make a different in success.

  • Yes, you have to do something you are extremely passionate about
  • Money is important, but if that is the only reason you do something, it will not work. There has to be something above it.
  • Just START! There is no perfect first step or perfect plan. Evan says waiting too long cost him over $40 MILLION…
  • Persistence. If you study any successful person, they stick with it. You have to be consistent. All of the work is real and you have to take action daily, consistently. Entrepreneurs give up too soon.

At the 22 min mark, Evan talks about developing the mindset of the Entrepreneur including discussions on the reason you do what you do and the environment you put around yourself, your routines, etc.

At the 28 min Mark, Evan gives his best tips on how to start a content business online and create a following:

  • Pick the platform that best suits your interest.
    • If you love being in front of the camera, then go to you Youtube. If it’s writing, then go to Medium or a blog, etc.
  • Start with just one – get great at it, then grow from there
  • Post content that you would like to see. Chances are if you are looking for it and can’t find it, others are too.
  • Create content that you’d like your grandkids to consume
  • In the beginning, don’t be afraid to copy those that have succeeded before you and then find your original voice from there and put it into effect. ​

At the 33 min mark, Evan explains his “One Word” philosophy and the principles of his book Your One Word.

  • Start by all of the things that have made you happy and come alive. Why do they do this for you? What is the common thread?
  • When you identify the common thread, you can then apply it to your business and life and build it around your one word.
  • Choose wisely as this is a forever thing. It is your DNA, your make up – something you live.

Thoughts on failure?

  • The successful see failure as feedback
  • They see a failure as an event, not a finality
  • The successful do not define themselves with failure

At the 51 min mark, Dave and Evan get into a great discussion on mindset, awareness, and how to grow yourself and up your game.

 

Best Quote:  “When you understand what you value most, then you can design a life and a business around it that helps to fulfill that value.”

 

Evan's Misfit 3:

  1. Expect to “suck” at the start and be ok with it.
  2. Then quantity leads to the quality. The more you do, the better you get.
  3. Make it more important. Time is limited. Don’t put things off. Appreciate your time and use it be meaningful.
Aug 23, 2017

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

Hey kiddo, I want to talk to you about money and wealth. I want to start by saying that by the time you hear this you may have heard someone say “Money is the root of all evil.” They are wrong. The actual quote is “the LOVE of money is the root of evil.” And that I would agree with. If you put money above all else - family, love, relationships, doing the right thing, integrity and the like – it is a form of evil and it tortures the soul. And sadly, those that do make money their obsession and the accumulation of it their sole purpose, actually become a slave to it. They may even have a lot of money, but like a drug they thirst for more and let it control them. In their pursuit of freedom they actually end up having no freedom at all.

Money is an amazing thing. It can allow you to do so much. It can allow you to help a friend in their darkest time, support causes, provide for someone in need, and enjoy amazing experiences throughout life and throughout the world. Does more money make someone happy? Yes, but part of that is a matter of perspective. I have had times in my life where I had very little money and worked 18 hours a day for the very little that I had. And fortunately, nowadays, we have enough that we can do most things we want to. Am I happier now than when I could barely afford to sleep on a mattress on the floor in a crappy apartment? Absolutely. Did going through that experience prepare me and give me a better appreciation of money and wealth. You bet.

But here is the thing…and it is something most people never realize. Money is just an idea. Money can be printed out of thin air and money can actually “grow on trees.” Confused? Think about this. You can sit down at a computer and write a book and have it up on Amazon for free, as well as a number of other websites in no time and sell it. You just created money out of thin air….from an idea. You can plant a garden and then go sell the fruits and vegetables at the local farmer’s market or at a roadside stand creating money that grew on trees. This podcast started with an idea and creates money from our amazing sponsors who believe in us and Misfit Nation.

The majority of the world comes from a place of scarcity believing there is very little money available when the complete opposite is true. There is an absolute abundance of money out there in the world. You will hear people say that the majority of wealth is concentrated in the hands of the rich…the 1%, and that they are evil. On the contrary, while there are always a few bad apples in any group, the 1% have figured out that money is an idea and have learned how to print it in various forms. People complaining about it should be studying them and going out and creating their own world of abundance. It can be done and has been done by people from all walks of life and backgrounds. You can do it too.

One of the best ways to create wealth is through entrepreneurship, creating and building businesses, but that doesn’t mean you cannot have a job and do something on the side. It does mean that you need to learn to create wealth from ideas in one or multiple ways. One of the easiest ways to start is by sharing ideas through a medium such as a blog or newsletter, or book, etc. And then you can go up the chain from there where you might create a product or brand. You may be like your daddy and build a technology company. As you begin to create money through these endeavors, you can then learn to build that into greater wealth by learning how to invest it in things such as the stock and bond markets, real estate, investing in other people’s ideas, and growing your own business further.

The thing is that once you begin to build wealth through making money from ideas, you will find that it get easier to do so. You need to commit to never “get stale” and be on the lookout for new ways of creating abundance and where that may lead you. I never could have guessed I’d have the different businesses that I have today, but it happened through being curious and learning what I did not know. That is how new ideas are born.

You can then start to give back through your time, efforts, and money should you choose. You could help teach others how to do what you’ve done and change their lives.

Just understand that money is an idea, that there is a world of abundance out there for you, and be on the lookout for opportunities and you will see them. When you do – act on them and make them happen. I know you will.

I love you, Daddy

Aug 16, 2017

In this episode, Dave is excited to welcome Bryan Falchuk. Bryan is the author of the best-seller, “Do a Day: How to Live a Better Life Every Day,” a certified personal trainer, weekly columnist for INC Magazine, and serves as an advisor to multiple startups.

But it didn’t start out this way for Bryan. Bryan has an incredible story of transformation and how he used what he learned to create the “Do a Day” process. Do a Day is an approach you can use to change your life. Health, wellness, work, family or any situation where you want to do better, but can't seem to get there or find the missing link to make it happen.

Dave goes in depth with Bryan on this process and talks about how anyone can change their path in life, and what they need to know to be successful.

www.DoaDayBook.com

NewBodi on all social media

Bryan has an incredible story of transformation. Bryan grew up with an early divorce by his parents and he found solace at a young age in food. It comforted him. He continued this and put on weight for well over a decade. He weighed almost 250 lbs at the age of 14. He went through periods where he lost weight, but never had a strong enough why to keep it off until he had a moment in 2007 when he found out that his wife had a chronic illness. She was in bed, wasting away, and her doctors had almost given up on her. Bryan was looking at life losing his wife and caring for his 2 year old son by himself. One day, it hit him square in the face. He needed to be there and be the best role model he could be for his son. That meant Bryan had to change. He woke up the next day a completely changed person. Bryan’s wife survived, but still has chronic lime disease. Bryan went on to lose almost 100 lbs and become a personal trainer, businessman, and everything he is today.

The most important thing Bryan has learned about himself and the human spirit?

You don’t have to go through a dramatic experience to find clarity. You can do it in your everyday life. If you truly take the time to ask yourself what your purpose and your why is and what you are meant to do, you can then align yourself with it – and make the decisions needed to do so.

“People don’t change, lives do.”

It is not always that you are the problem, it could be your surroundings and other things affecting you telling you that you need to better align with your purpose. When your purpose aligns with what you are doing, it is amazing the difference it makes. Same person, different life.

At the 16 min mark, Bryan talks about the “Do a Day Process.”

  • 1st is to define what truly matters to you Keep asking “why” until you get under the surface
    • The goal is to define your purpose now in life as it may have changed from what it was years ago.
    • Get in touch with what you are interested in and what matters to you.
    • Get to your raw self, drivers, wants, and what motivates you
  • 2nd is to Create mindfulness – being in the here and the now Don’t live with the pain of the past and fear of the future
    • Your choices matter and you can choose for every aspect of your life. Your choices have gotten you to where you are, good and bad.
    • The big aha is that you can choose differently for your life and start doing so today.
    • Remember, you are a product of your choices
  • 3rd – Release yourself from the anxiety over future possibilities that have not happened yet.
    • Focus on your choices for today and make a difference today
    • Don’t waste energy worrying about things that could happen in the future.
    • Face tomorrow, tomorrow.

It comes down to self-reflection, incremental wins every day, and focusing on living and making the best choices in the moment.

Once you’ve got the clarity, then you can set your goals and focus on executing a piece to get your closer today and each day thereafter.

At the 38 min mark, Bryan talks about overcoming the challenges that come up and how to do so.

  • Progress is not linear
  • Have some sympathy for yourself
  • A tough time can “just be,” it does not have to be a sign of anything else
  • You have a choice when things go wrong to escalate problems or solve them. Solve them.
  • Allow for these things to happen. Keep your calm and respond with logic.

​Thoughts on succeeding as an entrepreneur?

  • Have your true reason and why and come from that place
  • Be honest and upfront with people you are seeking support from

Best Quote: "Running to something is much better than running from something."

Bryan's Misfit 3:

  1. Figure out your true motivation for yourself and your business. Find the true why.
  2. Point your why in some purposeful direction. Set your goals and know what you are trying to win and set your markers to win along the way.
  3. Do an inventory of your baggage from your past and areas of your life. What is it you are carrying with you? Second, what it is you are afraid of tomorrow that is pulling you out of the now. Write them down and set it aside.
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