In this episode, Dave is excited to welcome Jesse Maddox. Jesse has a really cool story. He is the founder of TripLingo, one of the most awarded apps in the travel space. TripLingo is the ultimate tool to help travelers communicate when they don’t know a language. It allows you to Learn essential phrases, instantly translate your voice or connect to a live translator, get a crash course on the local culture and so much more.

TripLingo was born, as many of the most useful things in our lives are, out of necessity. For nearly two years ending in 2010, Jesse lived, worked, and traveled in 10 different countries throughout Asia. When he arrived in Vietnam, it didn’t take long to learn that without any language skills it was going to be rough. Lacking language skills, he often found himself frustrated. Perhaps worst of all, he had no sense for the culture he was now living in.

Something had to be done. Yet after an exhaustive search for options in app stores, bookstores, and websites, it became quickly apparent that each option had some fatal flaw. They were either ridiculously expensive, or they tried to teach Jesse phrases that he would never use, or they were simply impractical and difficult to use. Out of this need, the idea for TripLingo was born.

When he got back to the states, he made it his mission to help travelers better communicate and created TipLingo which is now one of the most decorated apps ever in the travel sector and has been featured everywhere from Fast Company, Forbes, Fox Business to Lifehacker.

But the story of how everything came together and the lessons Jesse learned is priceless.

Jesse originally started out wanting to be a lawyer, but saw an opportunity to help make it easier to search for textbooks and started a company around it, his first. That is how he fell in love with entrepreneurship – to take an idea and make it become a reality.

After college, Jesse wanted to spend time abroad. He spent almost 2 years in Vietnam working for Caterpillar. He had a huge problem understanding he language and culture. He had to hire 2 tutors to work with him every day for 9 months. It was out of this experience he learned some important things:

• A little bit of language knowledge can go a long way
• Having language knowledge can garner you more respect and help you to have better relationships abroad.
• You don’t have to be fluent, but even 10% of the knowledge of language and culture can get you 80% of the way there.

Triplingo became a side project at first for Jesse and he continued to work on it as he came back to the states. He left his job in Vietnam and lives in India for 6 months working on the business plan and then came back to the states.

He then began to raise money and found out it was much harder than he thought. He learned quickly that he could not raise money without having a team and readiness to execute.

At the 8 min mark, Jesse tells a great story of how he got TripLingo off the ground. It is a great example of hustle, perseverance, drive, and how you can be “professionally” persistent.

At the 10:50 mark, Jesse talks about transitioning an app from a total consumer focus to a business focus as well as how they did it.

Jesse talks about how challenging it is to start and monetize an app. He talks about how an app really is a delivery vehicle for a service that you are delivering. He also talks about the difference between individual consumer downloads through an app store vs. a business focus. But again, it is the service that they are buying. The app is the vehicle. So think about the service you want to deliver first, then build the app around that.

Jesse discusses the challenges of figuring out a market and selling a product while also developing it out per the feedback they were getting in near real time. They also had to take into account that there were multiple parties involved that affect the tool and how to get them on the same page. He also talks about getting partnerships off the ground.

Jesse offers advice when it comes to raising capital. As he says, “Raising does not only take a tremendous amount of time and energy, but it can be a very soul-sucking endeavor.” Jesse says to avoid unless you absolutely must have it. He also talks about how startup costs for anything technology related are so small compared to years ago that you should exhaust everything there first. It is a lot easier to start a company, but a lot harder to raise money based on just an idea. Investors want to see that you have a good team, good plan, and that you are executing on it. Get some proof and traction first. Lastly, Jesse makes it important to note that people try to raise money too early.

“Do not raise money unless you absolutely have to.”

At the 28 min mark, Jesse talks about marketing and hustle and gives some great tips on business in general.

Elements of a great pitch:

• Energy and excitement
• Charisma
• The materials you use to present should be limited in text, heavier on pictures. They are there to aid you, not be the focus.
• Ask for help
• Absolutely understand your audience and what motivates them to decide (and who the real decision maker is)
• Be bold

Lessons Learned:

• Luck plays a role, so give yourself a chance to get lucky. Do as much as possible to put yourself in a position to capitalize when the moment comes
• Make it a real business and don’t’ focus on growing huge without revenue or any profit. Get the revenue, maintain a profit – run it like a real business.
• Whatever the initial idea is will not be what the ultimate idea is…
• You have to be open the “throwing your baby out.”

Best Quote “Whatever you initial idea, it is not going to be what the ultimate idea is. Don’t be afraid to throw your baby out.”

Jesse's Misfit 3

1. If you can avoid it, don’t raise money. Raising money is a full time job that can take the founder(s) eye off the ball and hurt the success of the business. You have to really at a point where you and your business are ready for raising capital. You have to be committed and ready for the time, effort, and potential disappointment that come from this exercise.
2. In early stages, don’t be greedy with equity. If people are starting with you early when you have no customers or no revenue, they are building the business with you and if you don’t take care of them, as soon as some real challenges or trouble comes up (which it will), then they will leave. Invest in the people willing to take a chance on you and they will invest in you through both good times and bad.
3. Tell everybody that you know and that will listen to you about your idea. Your idea needs feedback and no one is going to steal it. It is an idea and ideas don’t become reality without execution. Everybody’s too busy to steal it anyway. Get as many people excited and willing to give feedback as possible.

In this episode, Dave is excited to welcome Marc Mawhinney. Marc is the founder of Natural Born Coaches, a unique company that focuses on helping coaches… become better coaches. Natural Born Coaches was born out of Marc’s life experience. After being in real estate for over a decade, Marc went through a business closure and challenges that almost caused him to give up. It was the help of coaches that got him back on track. After experiencing the power of having a coach, Marc decided that, that is what he wanted to do. But, as with any business, he found that it wasn’t easy and there were many challenges he had to overcome to be successful. In going through this he realized that other coaches are experiencing these same challenges and Marc knew he could help them in their journey. So, he started Natural Born Coaches which now is not just a coaching business, but a top podcast, blog, and resource for coaching success.

www.naturalborncoaches.com

www.thecoachingjungle.com

Marc@naturalborncoaches.com

Marc started out in real estate at 21 years old and was very successful. Over a decade he built a large business doubling revenues almost every year. In 2009, Marc had 5 companies under one banner with 100 employees, but decided to branch out on his own and start his own brokerage. It was bad timing with the financial crisis and by year’s end had to shut things down.

Marc then went through a 2nd business closure in 2012, also in real estate. So after a decade of success, Marc had two big failures in just a few years. What kept him going was the birth of his son. It gave him purpose to keep going and persevere.

Marc got into coaching after a mentor reached out to him after reading about his failures in the news. This mentor helped him to shift his perspective that others have gone through bad times and overcome. Marc immersed himself into coaching and being coached by mentors throughout the world. As he says, “this saved my life.”

In getting back into business, he wanted to be able to help people as he had been helped. He had coached people in his business and knew he could do it, so he got started.

During this time of learning and getting a coaching business off the ground, Marc learned a lot to be successful and realized that he could help other coaches going through the same things. That is why he started Natural Born Coaches.

At the 10 min point, Marc talks about how he overcame self-limitations that held him back as a coach and things really took off.

Marc talks about how consistency helped overcome the challenges of getting known.

Facebook is Marc’s favorite social media tool and where he focuses his energy.

Marc got his start all organically on Facebook. As Marc says, the key is effort and consistency and that is where he sees some of his clients fall short the most. That means being active every day throughout the day on your mediums. The more value you put out there, the more it will be reflected in your bank account.

Marc’s formula for success on Facebook as two-fold. As, he says, “It’s not scientific, I stay in your face as much as possible.” The other area is Facebook groups. He actively works the group and is in it every day helping people and starting conversations.

First thing to look for when coaching anyone?

Find out what people are afraid of. What is really holding them back? Then work through it with them and overcome it.

What advice do you have for coaches just starting out?

Don’t overthink it out of the gate. Plans are never perfect, so don’t seek the perfect plan and delay your success. Start with a more general focus, then niche down once you find what you really like and are good at. Getting started is more important. Don’t be afraid to “ready, fire, aim.”

For an established coach, what advice would you give to get to the next level? Getting over the “old dog, new tricks” syndrome. You can’t let the world pass you by. Things do change and change more quickly nowadays. Always stay in a state of constant improvement.

If someone is struggling as a coach, how do they get back on track?

• Be wary of burnout. When you lose the desire, take the time to change things up. Re-energize yourself
• Expand and start your creative muscle. Look for new ways to help clients or new offerings. Up your fees.
• Charge what you are worth.

What makes a good coach? Being able to listen, but ask the right questions and dig deep with client, and then enlighten them to find the “ah ha” moment that really helps them make a change and a difference in their lives

Two Important Lessons from Marc: 

• Patience is critical to success
• KMF – Keep Moving Forward

Best Quote: “Don’t try to do 20 different things. Find that one thing you enjoy doing that really works for you and then put as much energy into that thing as possible.”

Marc's Misfit 3

1. Follow your Passion: You’re going to go through ups and downs on your journey and it is the passion for what you do that will keep you going. People that don’t have passion for what they do and are just “in it for the money” tend to quit easier.
2. Charge What You are Worth: It is better to have less clients and be paid for what you are worth than to have too many clients that you devalue yourself for. Be the best and command your worth.
3. Be Careful who You Work With: Treat your business like you have a “red velvet rope with security and clipboard” that only allow the right people on the guest list in. Make sure to create the criteria for your clients and don’t let people in if they don’t fit the criteria. The wrong choice of clients or customers will drain you.

In this episode, Dave is excited to welcome Leigh Bundy. Leigh is the founder of Team Beast Mode Australia, a unique firm that works with individuals to help them unleash their true potential. Leigh has an interesting story. A number of years ago, Leigh went through an experience that caused him to lose almost everything, including over $850,000, and force him to move from his penthouse apartment back home with his parents. His life spiraled out of control and he hit rock bottom.

As Dave says in the podcast, many times in people’s lives, things happen for a reason and in this case, hearing Leigh’s story, he had to go through what he went through to meet the person that changed his life. This person, who has become Leigh’s soul mate, Regan, taught lee how to take control of his emotions and turned Leigh on to learning about psychology and the mind. Leigh immersed himself into studying the power of the mind and became a Master NLP practitioner, Master of Hypnosis, a Success Strategist, and studied spiral dynamics.

He and Regan went on to found Beast Mode in 2013, created a reality TV show called “Through the Eyes of the Beast,” and now work throughout Australia, New Zealand, and India and Indonesia.

www.beastmodeaustralia.com

Facebook.com/THE.TRUTH.15

Leigh@beastmodeaustralia.com

Leigh talks about his journey and about how he would get ahead and he would lapse because he didn’t understand the mind and how it impacted his daily life and success.

Leigh discusses how he learned about programming the subconscious to be “unconscious competent” which is when you subconscious has been trained through repetition to react in the way you want it to further your success or get you what you want.

The difference between when say you believe something and when you actually program your mind to do and be that person that you want to manifest in your life.

At the 6 min mark Leigh talks about his tipping point where he finally made a change and the catalyst for it. Interestingly, the catalyst that made him to say “enough was enough” was the pain that he was causing for himself and his loved ones. He simply could not take it anymore and lifted himself out his self-imposed downward spiral.

At the 8 min market, Leigh begins to go in depth on the subconscious. As he says, your subconscious leads to your thoughts, your thoughts lead to your feelings, your feelings lead to your behaviors, and then your behaviors lead to your actions. Your programming is like a computer processor.

Leigh discusses NLP and what he calls “pre-framing” your thoughts and teaching your mind what the positive learning is to take away from an event because your subconscious can’t hold onto a positive or negative at the same time.

Liegh talks about how the mind naturally will hold on more to negative emotional events in your life and your job is to re-program it with a positive set of thoughts for those events. He talks about the importance of making things a daily routine and how that routine becomes habit and begins to manifest in your life.

At the 11:50 mark, Leigh gives his formula for how he trains his subconscious. The first thing he does in the morning is what he calls “Success Priming.” This is typically done while moving on something like a walk where you visualize your goals, understanding what you are thinking, feeling, etc. You then “prime” your mind with the positive thoughts of where you want and will be going. Then 2 hours before bed, Leigh does what he calls “A Results Creator.” This is not a “to do” list as much as it is getting your mind ready for the next day and speaking your success/results into existence. The last thing he does is a “Daily Debrief.” This is a quick of analysis of where he went wrong during his day and then visualizing and thinking about what he will do to change and keep himself from doing that again.

Leigh spends about an hour out of his day for all of this.

Pay attention at the 20 min mark where we discuss how just having passion doesn’t translate to success, it’s the action that goes with it. And Leigh gives the simple way he started Beast Mode

Leigh says, “Remember, the more you push, even if it’s one step in front of the other, you’re still moving forward.”

Leigh’s Triple “S” to Success:

1. Strategy: Get the correct strategy, path, systems, and people around you.
2. Story: Tell the right story to yourself and about yourself. “I am moving forward.” “I can do this.”
3. State: Get youself in the right energy state. One of empowerment for what you want to accomplish.

At the 31 minute mark, Leigh talks about creating obsessions and how they can take you to your next level.

Best Quote: “Don’t do something because it sounds cool or for the money, do something because if makes you into a better person.”

Leigh’s Misfit 3

1. Become the identity and the character that you need to become to manifest your dreams and your goals. You cannot reach higher levels or new goals without making changes in yourself. You can do this incrementally by starting to work in things into your life that you know you need to do to become that person. Whether it is a healthier choice for a meal or getting up 30 minutes earlier every day so you can better plan for success, you know what you should be doing. Make the commitment and do it!
2. Choose your environment wisely: Choose the right people to have in your life, challenge you, and help you to reach your goals. Who is someone in your life that embodies this? Seek more like them
3. Be deliberate about what you are doing and why. If what you are doing is not making you into a better person, how you are going to reach your goals and help others? Look hard at your life and look for areas that are not fulfilling and decide if you need to eliminate them so you can focus on the areas that are fulfilling for you.

In this episode, Dave is excited to welcome Ryan Biddulph. Ryan is the founder of Blogging From Paradise. He’s done what so many people say they want to do… quit their job, travel the world, and fund their lifestyle by making money online. And in Ryan’s case, not just some money – a lot of money. Ryan’s story is amazing. He bounced around from job to job, making just enough to get by. And after getting downsized, he finally had enough and decide to make his dream a reality.

Since then he’s been featured on Richard Branson's Virgin blog, Forbes, The Huffington Post and Neil Patel Dot Com. He’s spoken around the world and of course traveled the world everywhere from Fiji to Thailand and everything in between with his family. Ryan’s written 126 E-books, and that is not a typo – one hundred twenty six! Been featured on 200+ blogs and has a number of businesses surrounding Blogging from Paradise. And he did all of this in less than 5 years!

www.bloggingfromparadise.com

8 years ago Ryan was a security guard in New Jersey. It took a catalyst of getting laid off to spur him to do something more in life and more fulfilling. Starting out, he didn’t even know what a blog was! But he figured some things out over a couple years. Within about 5 years he was making enough money to fund his lifestyle and travel the world. But something was off. The way he was doing it just didn’t give him the true fulfillment and passion he was looking for.

So he did what anyone making a lot of money through a business online that was funding a lifestyle to travel the world would do – he trashed it all and started over from scratch! He was scared, but he know starting over he could do it right and really follow his passion and that is how Blogging from Paradise came to be. That was 2 years ago and now Ryan is one of the most sought after blogging experts.

At the 6 min mark, Ryan talks about taking a failure/setback and turning it into an opportunity.

At the 8 min mark, Ryan talks about what it means to be open to opportunity

Ryan’s tips for success and being a successful blogger:

1. Follow your fun. The work needs to be the reward or you won’t stick with it. (Ryan talks about how he literally started out to crickets and would get maybe a couple visits per day to his blog.
2. Created content that is helpful
3. Connect with influencers in your niche

Pay close attention at the 12 min mark, Ryan tells you how to connect with top influencers and get them to promote you and your message, and how he used this secret to launch his first book.

Some fundamental tips for successful blogging:

81% of bloggers never make more than $100 during their entire online career. Because they skip the first few fundamentals which are being present and being mindful. The focus must be on developing authentic, powerful relationships over the long term. More than anything, focus on your inner game and be prepared to learn from your mistakes and get better every day. The mindset makes a huge difference.

What is the right mindset?

A lot is carrying an intent vs. just goals. Making sure you are focusing on the right tasks. For blogging that is creating and connecting. Spend your time giving and promoting others, giving value through what you do. Focus on giving and the process of it and it will make a huge difference for you. The rest will come. Don’t focus on “getting” because you will never be successful that way.

What about if someone wants to do blogging part time?

You still have to follow your fun. Strategy-wise, if you only have 8-10 hours/week focus on doing one thing really well, because where you attention and energy goes, grows. Start by focusing on writing 500-1000 words a day and a few mins a day on social and a few blog comments if you can. Then maybe write 2 really good guest posts per month.

Most Effective Ways to Monetize?

Ryan, “My passions precede my biggest profits.” For Ryan that is E-books, Freelance writing, converting his e-books to Audible, and blog consulting. Ryan has also used affiliate marketing and sponsored posts.

Lessons Ryan has learned:

1. Don’t get attached to business outcomes. Focus on what you enjoy doing vs. the outcome.

2. Be open to learning at all times. Spend 5 hours every week away from your business learning. Read, learn, implement

3. Persist – Push through, have faith, and keep at it 4. Embrace your fears. Really deal with your emotions and deep fears as they are most like holding you back and you have to get over them.

Best Quote:  “Many times the biggest life changing moments come wrapped in what appears to be misfortune or something that appears to be really negative”

Ryan’s Misfit 3

1. Follow your fun. The more your focus on a niche that you are very passionate about, if you follow your fun, it will carry you to places you never dreamed of. Ask yourself, “What can you talk about all day long?” Use that as your topic, tie into pain points, and help people with your message.
2. Double Down on Personal Development: Most limits are self-imposed. It’s always how you perceive things. Success is an inside job. What limiting beliefs do you have that you need to face and get rid of?
3. Make friends with successful people from your niche. You learn more, make other connections, and find that these people will help you in your success as well. Is there a person that you know you should be connecting with that you haven’t that can help you in your success? What are you waiting for!

In this episode, Dave is excited to welcome Stacey Mckibbin. Stacey is the President and COO of Multivariable Solutions, a consulting company devoted to helping companies, and the people within, to achieve the results they desire. They have a special focus on cementing the foundations or roots of a business to ensure greater, more scalable growth and success.

Stacey is also a Certified Master Practitioner of Neurolinguistic Programming (NLP) – which we have a lot of fun exploring in this interview - and a Certified hypnotist.

Before becoming the President of Multi-Variable Solutions, Stacey helped lead a startup that grew to over $36 million in just under 18 months before sale.

Connect with Stacey on LinkedIn

www.multivariablesolutions.com

Stacey gives us a lot of great content and useful information.

Topics Covered Include:

• Learn how to feel the fear and do it anyway
• Stacey gives some great thoughts on working in startups and becoming an entrepreneur that everyone can use no matter where they are in their career.
• We discuss the good (and the bad) of growing an organization from $0 to over $36 million in 18 months.
• Stacey tells us the best decision she ever made and how it made her an even better entrepreneur...and how you can use it to help your career.
• We go in-depth on neuro-linguistic programming (NLP), the steps you can take to put it into use in your life, and how important it can be to your success.

Pay close attention at the 10 minute mark as Stacey talks about how your beliefs lead to your results and how you can control this process.

We have a large discussion on the DISC personality profile and how this simple test and understanding of personalities can change your results and relationships dramatically.

Stacey gives us "The Platinum Rule" describing it as Treat others how they want to be treated and gives us some great examples of how this rule pays off.

Lastly, Stacey talks about how you your strengths can actually become your weaknesses and what to watch out for.

Best Quote: Ask yourself, “What’s useful to believe?”

Stacey’s Misfit 3

1. LBNT – Evaluate yourself and your performance by asking yourself every chance you get "L-B-N-T"….What did I LIKE BEST and what would I do better NEXT TIME.
2. Ask yourself in situations, "What’s useful to believe?" And then choose the beliefs you want to have in that scenario and put them to use.
3. Ask yourself, "Who do you get to become from choosing the beliefs you want to have?" Fix that person in your mind and what they are capable of and then manifest in your life. This will help you to grow in all areas.

This episode was recorded beachside with Dave's good friend and entrepreneur, Christian Redman, AKA Flipper SurfGiant. Flipper has done what most people dream of doing. Giving up the so called "Rat Race," and moving to a tropical paradise and totally reinventing himself. Flipper is now the most sought after dive master on the Big Island of Hawaii and people come from all over the world to spend time with him and learn from him about the amazing world underwater. His guests include Hollywood A-Listers, Business titans, and other dignitaries. But, you'd never know from meeting him. With all he has done, he has managed to keep his amazing humility and childlike sense of fun that most people rarely do.

Flipper has also created an incredibly unique online brand using Facebook that touches thousands and thousands of people's lives every day throughout the world.

This is one of those interviews that you just love to listen to. Enjoy!

Flipper SurfGiant on Facebook

Flipper's Under the Sea

In this episode we cover a number of topics, but its best to just listen to Flipper and his subtle wisdom and life advice.

Topics Covered Include:

• How Flipper reinvented himself and overcame the fear of doing it
• Selling through stories and how powerful that can be
• How to relate to people you've never met through common mediums like Star Wars!
• Balancing seriousness with fun
• How your outlook on life determines your success
• Why fear is good and how to overcome it
• Carving out your niche
• Turning "fun" into a business and a brand
• Challenging yourself to get out of your comfort zone
• Creating a social brand through rebellion and exclusivity

Best Quote: Having fear is good because it shows you what direction your need to go and what you need to stand up to, to get to your next level.

Flipper’s Misfit 3

1. Practice Patience – Patience allows you to not react, but respond in the right way for the best outcomes
2. Work backwards to create your systems in business and in life. Start with the end in mind and work back to the beginning from there. Is there a process or system in your life that isn't performing as it should? Try this method.
3. Find your calling and don’t be afraid to go after it. Even if it is doing it in little bites at a time. Act and Do it!

In this episode, Dave is excited to welcome a guest that was at the top of his list when started the Misfit Entrepreneur, Craig Ballantyne. Craig is the owner and head editor of Early to Rise, arguably the most popular daily source for bettering your health, wealth, self-improvement, and lifestyle. Dave has followed ETR for almost 15 years and says that the Misfit Entrepreneur would not exist without many of the great tips picked up from reading it each morning. It’s a staple in his personal growth routine.

Outside Early to Rise, Craig is known as a top Productivity & Success Transformation Coach and the author of The Perfect Day Formula: How to Own the Day and Control Your Life.

He has been a contributor to Men's Health magazine since 2000, and his articles have also appeared in Women’s Health, Oxygen, GQ, Maxim, Men’s Fitness, Muscle and Fitness, and many others.

In 2001, Craig created the popular home workout program, Turbulence Training, and in 2013 he created the Home Workout Revolution Bodyweight Exercise Program. Over 100,000 men and women have used his 6 Minutes to Skinny weight loss system since 2014.

Craig’s online success has led him to create books and a coaching program to show others how to take their ideas and help thousands of people. He holds seminars around the world, and he teaches at the annual Sovereign Academy camp every summer in Lithuania.

But it wasn’t always easy, Craig had to overcome many obstacles on his journey to success, and his toughest battle was fighting crippling anxiety attacks. He finally discovered how to beat them with his 5 Pillars of Transformation, and today Craig shows men and women how to use the 5 Pillars to lose 10 to 75 pounds, get a raise and make more money, find the love of their life, and overcome really any obstacle in the way of their success.

www.craigballantye.com

www.earlytorise.com

www.etruniversity.com

Craig grew up in Canada and went to college to be a strength and conditioning coach for hockey teams. In college, wrote a newsletter to Men’s Health and got put into the magazine showing how just taking action can pay off. Craig, started helping people of all walks of life and came out with Turbulence training in 2001. In 2011, he bought Early to Rise. But it wasn’t easy, in 2006, Craig started to get very bad anxiety attacks including mental and physical issues. He couldn’t do anything at 100%. He couldn’t exercise. He couldn’t think at optimum levels. It really consumed his life.

Through learning to control his body and using meditation techniques, Craig was able to overcome his anxiety after many months of practice. He took the lessons and tactics from this to create a system to really help people overcome obstacles in their live and grow themselves.

One of the ways that Craig overcame his anxiety was through what he calls the 5 Pillars of Transformation:

1. Better Planning and Preparation
2. Professional Accountability (includes having a coach or accountability partner)
3. Positive Social Support (surrounding yourself with good support system to back you up)
4. Having a Meaningful Incentive
5. The Big Deadline

These can be used for all areas of your life from changing the way you feel to reaching a goal or any kind.

At the 8:30 mark, Craig walks through how he used the 5 Pillars to change his life and give examples for each one.

Pay close attention at the 11:40 mark as we explore how Craig came up with his 12 rules for living and how you can use this technique to help you in your life. As Craig, says, “Everyone has rules for their live, but don’t necessarily call them rule…or write them down, but they have them whether they are conscious to it or not.” These rules provide the structure to make it easier to do the things you want to become more successful.

At 16:40, Craig gives the template of the 5 rules that everyone should have in their life:

1. Have a consistent go to bed and wake up time
2. Get up 15 mins earlier and work on your #1 priority (this give you 72 hours per year of clear thinking time!)
3. The #1 Thing Not to Do – What will you make your #1 Not to do Rule?
4. Aspirational rule – What will you live up to in your life?
5. Personal Enrichment or Socializing, etc.

At the 22:30 mark, we talk about one of the most powerful techniques of the most successful and Craig’s recommendation of how to do it.

Craig also discusses and expands on his “3 C Formula:”

• Control what you can
• Cope with what you can’t
• Concentrate on what counts

Craig took this and applied to his day. He notes that we have more control over our mornings (when we get up, the first things we work on, etc.).

Craig also shares his sometimes controversial, 10, 3, 2, 1, 0 Formula and how it’s helped him achieve more and succeed further:

• 10 hours before bed, stop drinking caffeine

• 3 hours before bed, stop having heavy meals and alcohol

• 2 hours before bed, stop work

• 1 hour before bed, get away from all electronic light (phones, tablets, etc.)

• 0 is the number of times you hit the snooze button in the morning

We also discuss Craig's thoughts on business and some of his best decisions in business, advice on starting an online business, his challenges now and how he is overcoming them, and who his mentors are.

Best Quote: "There are two types of people.  There's proactive people that succeed and reactive people that struggle."

Craig’s Misfit 3

1. Take 15 minutes each morning to sit down and work on your #1 priority in your life.
2. Brain dump- every day when you make your to do list at the end of your day,. Do a brain dump and get everything out of your head so you can go home and be present with your family and not have things eating at your mind
3. Create a vision for your life (Craig gives 20 questions in The Perfect Day forumula to help you do this)

In this episode, Dave is excited to welcome friend and longtime mentor, John Mariotti. John is the former President of Huffy Bicycles during some of its most successful years. He also held positons as a group president at Rubbermaid and then Chairman of the Board for World Kitchen before retiring. He is now the president and CEO of the Enterprise Group - an advisory and consulting group to CEOs, Presidents, & C-suite level execs.

John is also a highly published author winning numerous awards including “Top Books for Small Business.” He also contributes regularly to Forbes, Fortune, Industry Week, the Wall Street Journal and many others.

You can learn more about John at www.Mariotti.net

You can also view John’s books at His Book Page on Amazon

John’s story spans over 4 decades of leadership, but it was how he reinvented himself as an entrepreneur at age 53 after being a CEO, President, etc. that is really interesting. We spend time talking about many subjects including the secrets of how to keep your success sustainable and going for decades. John gives his best wisdom and insight across topics from leadership to sales, and building an organization.

One of the most important strategies John shares is the simple secret formula for creating a world class, high performing organization that you can remember with the 5 fingers on your hand. He breaks it down into these things:

1. Quality
2. Speed
3. Service
4. Cost
5. Innovation

John shares many examples of how to implement this strategy.

We also discuss lessons John has learned from some of the greatest business leaders of our time, such as Sam Walton of Walmart, and what it means to “Think big and try small.” John shares his top thoughts on Negotiating, Sales, Managing People, Optimizing an organization’s operations, Service, and Leadership. We also discuss his mentors in life and the lessons learned from them, as well as some of his biggest mistakes and lessons learned.

Best Quote:  "Waste nothing.  You only have 3 resources in business - time, talent, and money. Waste none of them.  If a product isn't in the hands of a consumer or client, its useless.  Everything you spend from where its made to where the consumer or client can use it is waste. Eliminate as much as you can of it!"

John's Misfit 3

1. People – People are most important to your success, but they do not change and you cannot change them. Make sure you seek out and really make sure you have the right people working with you on your mission. And if you don’t, do them and you a favor, and help them onto something else. Do you have the right people with you on your journey? Is there someone you know should be with you? Get them on board!
2. Priorities – The hardest thing in life is to decide what to work on. You have to work on the right things. For a business or entrepreneur, its Quality, Service, Speed, Cost, and Innovation. What can you do today to improve any one of these areas in your work?
3. Passion - Your passion, enthusiasm, and attitude will directly impact those around you in all areas of your life, give purpose, and directly impact your level of success. Make the decision of how you want to be perceived in your passion and be that person.

In this episode, Dave is excited to welcome Steve Cunningham. Steve is founder of Readitfor.me, one of the most unique and exciting breakthroughs in personal growth and development released in a long time. In fact, Dave liked it so much he became a customer! Readitfor.me, is a service that delivers a summary of a best-selling business and personal development books to their members every single day.

Their mission is to:

1. Transform members' business and lives by introducing them to one idea that changes everything for them.
2. Help members experience financial freedom by generating multiple income streams.
3. Give members the tools they need in order to be successful and reach new levels in their business and lives

Read it for me is used by some of the largest corporations in the world, as well as many major influencers and entrepreneurs. In fact, Tony Hseih, founder of Zappos had this to say about readitfor.me, "We use Readitfor.me here at Zappos, and we love it. Pursuing growth and learning is one of our core values, and Readitfor.me lets us do that in a fun and engaging way."

www.readitfor.me

Twitter: @stevecunningham

Steve holds the record for shortest law career ever, one week. He had gone to school for law and business, but within a week found that law was not for him, so he went into a family business and started a media company within it. In order to perfect his craft, he begin to study and perfect social media techniques for meeting influencers and acquiring clients many years before it really became popular.

He also studied and read voraciously as many books and materials he could get his hands on about business and entrepreneurship. He found that many of the potential clients he was meeting with were entrepreneurs and one of the best ways to build rapport was to see what books they had on their bookshelves and discuss them. But the funny thing was that many times, they would admit, they actually hadn’t read the books…they just had them on their bookshelves!

This gave Steve an idea. He could take those business books that everyone wants to read, but doesn’t have the time and condense them down to a 10 minute read, or a quick audio or video.  He could then use it to open doors for his content marketing business and use it as a case study to show how things can go viral on social media and grow a business. And that is exactly what happened. Within a very short time, the summaries were shared all over the world, put in email newsletters, and shared on social media.  Steve even starting getting calls from venture capitalists.

So a case study, an experiment to gain new clients for content marketing, very quickly turned into a business and recently, Steve stopped doing content marketing and social media services all together to focus on Readitfor.me full time.

Make sure to pay attention at the 7 minute mark when Steve talks about the “in-between moments.” Also tune in at the 10 minute mark where Steve talks about going from knowing nothing about creating and starting an online e-learning business to creating Readitfor.me. It truly proves that anything can be learned.

Steve talks about his tipping point when he did 10x his sales in one month. The key to this was to go HUGE and create an absolutely off the wall offer. And it worked

That is the offer Dave saw that was limited for a very short window and bought the service. What did Steve do? He went from a monthly/annual subscription to a lifetime subscription for a ridiculous price! He only does this for very specific partnerships.  His thinking was, "Why plod along and get a subscriber here or there, when you can offer something of such ridiculous value that it is too good to pass up." His rational was, "If I make it such a good deal and get a million clients in a shorter time, it’s the same as getting subscription clients 1 by one over many, many years."

The response was insane!

Here are Tips and things Steve has learned in building Readitfor.me:

• The best and most successful authors are the ones that have taken complex subjects and have made them very easy to understand and be able to explain to others. It is the same if you are a blogger, author, or selling something. The more easy to understand and relatable you make it. The easier it is to buy.
• Steve's Top Business Book: Made to Stick. Because of the acronym that they use in how to tell a story or get a point across: SUCCES – Simple, Unexpected, Credible, Concrete, Emotional, Stories
• “It not always the best information that wins, it’s the best storytellers that win”
•  Steve still wakes up every day hungry to learn and seeks knowledge and understanding to further his growth…even after all that he has read and summarized, this passion is a driver for him and should be for you as well. As he says “the more you learn, the more you realize that you don’t know.”
• Your own growth and personal development is on you. Its your job to seek and take away things to help you. Be open and learn as much as you can from everyone that you meet.

Top Books Recommendations from Steve:

Instant Influence by Michael D. Pantalon. PhD

Goal Setting and Task Performance (From an old text book delivered via module at Readitfor.me

Best Quote: “Always challenge assumptions you are making and why you are doing what you are doing…”

Steve's Misfit 3

1. Understand the changes coming in the economy. By 2020, experts say over 50% of people will be freelance workers. It will be an enormous change and based on how you decide to handle it, a major opportunity or threat. We know the Misfit audience will see the opportunity! Steve recommends 2 books that you actually get and read on both sides of this coming shift: 1.) Exponential Organizations – This book helps you to think about how you can take advantage of this trend. 2.) Raw Deal by Steven Hill. This book basically describes how horrible this trend will be for millions working at companies around the world. Companies will be replacing workers with robots, AI, and freelancers.
2. 2.) You must understand that your success is dependent on getting the right behaviors out of the people that work with you. Steve recommends reading BJ Foggs’ Behavioral Model. This book is the best in helping people understand how to get other people to do what they want them to do. The core of it is B =MAT, Behavior that you are looking to get is a combination of motivation, ability, and a trigger. All 3 need to be present for people to take action.
3. 3.) Take the time to master the most important behavior you can generate in business – Getting people to buy from you. He quotes Peter Theil, “Most companies don’t fail because of a poor product, but because of poor distribution (sales).”

In this episode, Dave is excited to welcome long time friend and quintessential Misfit Entrepreneur, John Ruhlin. John is the founder of The Ruhlin Group – a gift strategy and logistics company. The Ruhlin group helps clients send world class gifts to cut through the noise, Increase referrals, and strengthen retention with their most important clients, employees, and prospects.

John is known around the world for creating unique experiences through gifting. A practice he calls Giftology. In fact, that is the title of his recently released, best-selling book. The Ruhlin group counts everyone from major league sports teams such as the Miami Dolphins and Chicago cubs to organizations like Nascar and many of the Fortune 500 including Wells Fargo and Morgan Stanley as clients. They have also been profiled in INC magazine, Entrepreneur, and Forbes to name a few.

Learn More about John 

Giftology: The Art and Science of Using Gifts to Cut Through Noise, Increase Referrals, and Strengthen Retention

Watch John on Yahoo! Finance

How did an Ohio farm boy learn the principles of radical generosity and building a great business from the Amish? John's story gives us the answer. John started out in farm country in Ohio and worked like any of us would through high school and into the early years of college. But, John always had the entrepreneurial itch and it was this itch that led him the most unlikely place for farm kid, selling high quality knives for Cutco. Not only could John sell, but he quickly became one of the top sales people in he company and continued to be the number producer for years.

But, it was an encounter in his early knife days with a friend of his family that left a radical impression on him. John was working hard to reach high levels starting out and had sold everything he could to this family friend. It was then that the man asked what else he could buy. John didn't know what to say, this man had bought everything he possible could. It was then that this man decided to buy sets of knives to hand out to the wives of his business partners. John was confused, what would he want to do that? It was then that John learned his lesson when the man, "Take care of the inner circle." Over the years John has perfected this practice into a concept call Giftology.

And recently John released this strategy in a book titled with the same name. It is already an instant hit and best-seller. Giftology is the Ruhlin Group's play book for the last 16 years. We discuss this in detail and John explains further about his early inspiration for gifting and how it left a lasting impression on him.

John goes in depth on what it means to take care of the “inner circle” and the concept of “radical generosity,” why most people suck at gifting and how you can use this to your advantage in your life and business.

John talks heavily about the difference between a gift and an obligation. Some of John's best advice centers around a very counter-intuitive philosophy - You should not use your logo or company information as part of your gift or in strategic gifting.

As John says, "Most people don’t see the difference between a gift and a promotional item. Don’t turn your biggest prospects, clients, or opportunities into a piece of advertising for you."

John also discusses how to overcome your limiting beliefs and take calculated risks that pay off. As with most entrepreneurs, there are always tough times along the way. We discuss how John lost almost everything and came back and the core principles that help him through. John also explains his unique perspective on how he stays grounded and what he does to intentionally make himself feel small.

Best Quote: "Most people don’t see the difference between a gift and a promotional item. Don’t turn your biggest prospects, clients, or opportunities into a piece of advertising for you."

John's Misfit 3

1. Exercise your “gratitude muscle.” Practice it daily. Each day choose something to be grateful for and show gratitude to someone or for something. How will you do this today?
2. Act on your gratitude – go above and beyond. Do something for someone that they would not normally do for themselves. As John says, this can be as simple a thoughtful hand written note expressing thanks and gratitude. It does not have to be some huge expense or tangible gift. What is something you can do for someone unexpectedly to show gratitude today?
3. Ask yourself, what’s the most you can do in that situation? John uses the example of his $3 per card business cards that make the Ruhlin Group stand out. If you are going to do it, do it well. The details matter and asking how you can do the most instead of focusing on doing the least is a key to success. What’s one area in your life where you can apply this? Take action to do it today.