Isaac Lidsky – Seeing Shouldn’t Always Mean Believing: How to Make Better Life Choices by Changing Your Perspective (AoL 102)

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In the last session with Jeremy Miller, something stuck with me. In fact, it stuck so well that I used it as the trailer for the chat. He talked about the fact that if you go through life thinking a certain way, particularly that everyone is out to get you, then you’re going to lose out on opportunity.

He’s totally right. But I think it goes further than that. I think it goes as far as ANY limiting beliefs will prohibit you from having amazing opportunity. Especially after having the chat with today’s guest.

At the ripe age of 13, he was told the news that he was going to eventually lose his site. At the time, he had recently landed a part on a popular kids’ sitcom: Saved by the Bell: The New Class.

It was soon after this, however, that he would soon change things up dramatically. He would trade in his acting career to go to Harvard and major in Mathematics.

He would then go on to help start a successful business, become the law clerk for 2 supreme court justices, and take a struggling construction and make it worth 10x as much. Then he would go on to write a book that has become a New York Times Best Seller and speak at TED.

In this session, Albert Winks and I go “behind the scenes” with Isaac Lidsky.

This session isn’t our normal format. In fact, you can think of it as a continuation of other interviews that Isaac has given. In it, we find out the answers to more “meta” questions.

Was it easy to jump from one career to the next? How did resurface in the public eye as a TED speaker and make a very successful first book? How he believes he was able to grow his construction business to the size it is today? Is it important to have people in your life that have “been there before”?

Thanks for spending some time with us and enjoy!

SPECIFICALLY, YOU’LL FIND OUT MORE ABOUT:

  • How’d Isaac get started in acting? 9:27
  • Why did Isaac leave Saved by the Bell? 10:59
  • Why did he start studying mathematics at Harvard and did that degree lead into his first company? 12:31
  • How was going blind at an early age so beneficial to who Isaac is today? 19:53
  • Does he believe that it takes a severe hardship for someone to take inventory of their lives? 24:42
  • How did Isaac realize that fear distorts reality? 26:51
  • When did he determine that he wanted to inject what he had learned about how he saw the world into other people’s lives? 31:12
  • What are somethings that Isaac thinks about as his kids get closer to school age? 34:38
  • How was he able to grow the construction company by 10 fold? 39:22
  • How can someone help foster culture in a company they’re in? 42:39
  • Did he get to pay his mom back for the loan she made for him to rebuild the company? 45:12
  • How did Isaac become a TED speaker and appear on the different platforms he’s appeared on after being pretty much out of the limelight
  • for a number of years? 46:22
  • Does he have any tips in choosing a publisher? 49:46
  • What are some influencers that have helped Isaac to where he’s at? 51:45
  • Is there anything he wishes was still a thing from the 90’s? 52:47
  • What’s a basic life skill he’s shocked people don’t have these days? 53:25
  • What’s something he believed as a 20 year old that he believes is completely inaccurate now? 53:42
  • What’s it mean to Isaac to live a life of abundance? 54:12
  • … and MUCH more!

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer.

ITEMS and PEOPLE MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

SHOW NOTE EXTRAS:

Isaac on The Doctors:

Isaac’s TED Talk:

Isaac’s YPO Presentation in 2016:

Isaac as Weasel on Saved by the Bell:

life choices
life choices
life choices
life choices

Thanks for Listening!

Thanks so much for joining us again this week. Have some feedback you’d like to share? Leave a note in the comment section below!

If you enjoyed this episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the top of the post.

Also, please leave an honest review for The AoL Podcast on iTunes! Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated! They do matter in the rankings of the show, and we read each and every one of them.

If you have any questions feel free to email them over via the email mentioned in the show or by our contact form.

And finally, don’t forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes, Stitcher, Soundcloud, and/or Google Play Music. It’s absolutely free to do so.

A huge thank-you to you guys for joining us!

Cheers!

best business ideas

Just Getting Started: Why Execution is More Important Than Having the Best Business Ideas with Jeremy Miller (AoL 101)

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What could possibly come after the big 100th episode of AoL? How about an episode where the guest does pretty much everything we talk about in that session item by item.

In this session, Albert and I are joined by Jeremy Miller. Jeremy is a well known entrepreneur around Indianapolis due to his speaking engagements and the work that he does through the multiple companies he’s involved with.

What’s great is that just like Dane Maxwell back in session 56, Jeremy’s been able to use entrepreneurship as a way to put his energy into something that has give him purpose.

Here’s the catch, though. While Dane found entrepreneurship in college, Jeremy found it while he was still in high school.

And now that he’s graduated, he’s really starting to open things up! He’s not wasting time stuck in a chair preparing for tests!

In this conversation, we learn more about his backstory, his perspectives on some of the general mindsets that someone considering to be an entrepreneur needs, and why execution beats the best business ideas!

Thanks for spending some time with us and enjoy!

SPECIFICALLY, YOU’LL FIND OUT MORE ABOUT:

  • How’d Jeremy get into entrepreneurship? 11:09
  • Did he have a mentor and how did he end up seeking them out? 13:45
  • How does Jeremy balance work, travel and life? 16:54
  • Where did he travel to once graduating? 22:07
  • How did Jeremy start living intentionally? 28:27
  • Jeremy’s thoughts on over executing the competition vs worrying about stealing an idea. 30:59
  • What are some steps that people can take to make a difference in the world? 33:30
  • Which is right? The perspective of finding passion in your work or your passion leading to the work you do? 37:31
  • What’s Jeremy looking forward to in the not too distant future? 40:37
  • What are his Top 3 favorite books? 43:17
  • What’s his least favorite social custom? 44:17
  • What advice does he hear adults giving young kids that he’d call BS on? 49:51
  • How can someone be a difference maker in their own community? 52:20
  • … and MUCH more!

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer.

ITEMS and PEOPLE MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

SHOW NOTE EXTRAS:

Jeremy’s Story:

Jeremy on WTHR 13:

Subaru Impreza Movie:

Mike Rowe on NOT following Your Passion:

best business ideas
best business ideas
best business ideas
best business ideas

 

Thanks for Listening!

Thanks so much for joining us again this week. Have some feedback you’d like to share? Leave a note in the comment section below!

If you enjoyed this episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the top of the post.

Also, please leave an honest review for The AoL Podcast on iTunes! Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated! They do matter in the rankings of the show, and we read each and every one of them.

If you have any questions feel free to email them over via the email mentioned in the show or by our contact form.

And finally, don’t forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes, Stitcher, Soundcloud, and/or Google Play Music. It’s absolutely free to do so.

A huge thank-you to you guys for joining us!

Cheers!

how to be an entrepreneur

Learning How to be an Entrepreneur: A Review of 2 Years of Business, Podcasting, and Life with Laila Rahmatian (AoL 100)

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It’s been nearly 2 years since I started this podcast. In those two years, I’ve been able to meet a ton of awesome people. Many who have been great connections that have opened me up to various ideas and new concepts. Even new ways of thinking.

The same could be said for Laila Rahmatian, who joined the show as frequent co-host after her first interview on session 14.

Since then, we’ve both had our growing pains and learning curves as we’ve climbed the entrepreneurial ladder.

In this session, we go over everything we’ve learned in the last couple of years. From taking a stand and using your past to be part of your future to not having to re-create the wheel, we’ve learned a ton!

Join us as we recap some of that information and discuss some of the common themes that we’ve learned along the way.

Thanks for spending some time with us and enjoy!

SPECIFICALLY, YOU’LL FIND OUT MORE ABOUT:

  • What’s Laila been up to recently since she was last on the show? 8:53
  • How has a goal of traveling more been able to give her the power to get more accomplished? 16:15
  • Where’s JC at in business after 100 sessions of the AoL podcast? 19:14
  • Things that Laila has learned while being involved with the AoL Podcast? 34:34
  • What has JC learned through doing the podcast thus far? 44:27
  • What are common themes that we’ve heard about throughout the different interviews of the show? 52:56
  • What’s a short roadmap that new entrepreneurs should follow as they’re getting started based on what we’ve learned through 100
  • podcasts? 1:11:50
  • What are we looking forward to working on from here? 1:20:56
  • Who are three influencers that have helped Laila get to where she is today? 1:23:54
  • JC’s Top 3 favorite books to tell others about? 1:25:22
  • Something Laila still wishes was a thing? 1:26:57
  • What was the smallest decision that JC made that had the largest impact on his life? 1:29:28
  • What is something Laila thinks all high school students must know? 1:31:02
  • Most awe-inspiring person JC has ever met in person? 1:32:54
  • … and MUCH more!

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer.

ITEMS and PEOPLE MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

SHOW NOTE EXTRAS:

Why Laila Quit Her Job:

Why Laila Chose NOT to take the Professional Engineer Exam:

Reflection: 2 Years After Wedding:

Why You Need the Perfect Wedding Photographer:

how to be an entrepreneur how to be an entrepreneur how to be an entrepreneur how to be an entrepreneur

Thanks for Listening!

Thanks so much for joining us again this week. Have some feedback you’d like to share? Leave a note in the comment section below!

If you enjoyed this episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the top of the post.

Also, please leave an honest review for The AoL Podcast on iTunes! Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated! They do matter in the rankings of the show, and we read each and every one of them.

If you have any questions feel free to email them over via the email mentioned in the show or by our contact form.

And finally, don’t forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes, Stitcher, Soundcloud, and/or Google Play Music. It’s absolutely free to do so.

A huge thank-you to you guys for joining us!

Cheers!

retail arbitrage

Escaping the 9 to 5 Through Online and Retail Arbitrage: How Selling on Amazon Can Buy Your Freedom with Tyler Philbrook (AoL 099)

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In this session, I wanted to take it back to where my idea of starting a podcast originated from. I’ve been a big fan of the SPI podcast ever since Pat Flynn started it. From that show, I’ve been turned onto several of other business and lifestyle podcasts and influencers.

Pat motivated and inspired me to do more and he continues to do so.

Today’s guest was also motivated by Pat but at a much deeper level.

Unlike me, Tyler Philbrook has experimented with multiple ways of making passive income that Pat has talked about on his show. If Pat is the crash dummy of online business, then Tyler is kinda like the dummy that didn’t turn out so hot after the wreck.

Nothing seemed to work for him. But he kept listening to Pat and eventually stumbled on session 99 with Jessica and Cliff Larrew.

For two years, Tyler has been slowly building his Amazon based business to a point where he could step away from his day job of being a pharmacist.

And now, he’s in a place where he can start helping others do the same. I’m glad to hear I have another TA friend!

In our chat today, we discuss what he learned along the way of working on Amazon, what beginners should know, and what he’s looking forward to working on now that he has more freedom with his time.

Thanks for listening, and enjoy the show!

SPECIFICALLY, YOU’LL FIND OUT MORE ABOUT:

  • What was life like growing up in Maine for Tyler? 15:56
  • When did he figure it was time to do his own business? 18:09
  • How’d he start with the SPI Podcast and applying what he learned? 21:05
  • Did growing up working with his parents’ restaurant impact his ability to start his own business? 23:31
  • What were Tyler’s first items that he tried to do retail arbitrage with on Amazon? 25:15
  • Is he only doing Amazon sales? 28:13
  • How does he determine which products to source? 30:05
  • If someone is starting from scratch, what are some definite things need to know about retail arbitrage? 34:25
  • What’s it like to be out of his 9 to 5 job? 38:02
  • What is Tyler looking forward to do with his extra time? 40:46
  • Top 3 favorite books he tells others about? 47:04
  • What’s a tool that he uses all the time that a beginner should know about? 49:04
  • Hardest thing he’s ever had to say no to. 50:52
  • What’s a few things that all high school students must know? 52:15
  • What’s the secret to achieving personal freedom? 56:47
  • … and MUCH more!

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer.

ITEMS and PEOPLE MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

SHOW NOTE EXTRAS:

March 3rd, 2017 of Ask Pat LIVE:

Jessica and Cliff Larrew Interview via Rob Anderson over at Dollar Moves: 

Chase on “How to Be a Newbie and Succeed”:

What the GaryVee School Would Look Like:

retail arbitrage retail arbitrage retail arbitrage

Thanks for Listening!

Thanks so much for joining us again this week. Have some feedback you’d like to share? Leave a note in the comment section below!

If you enjoyed this episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the top of the post.

Also, please leave an honest review for The AoL Podcast on iTunes! Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated! They do matter in the rankings of the show, and we read each and every one of them.

If you have any questions feel free to email them over via the email mentioned in the show or by our contact form.

And finally, don’t forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes, Stitcher, Soundcloud, and/or Google Play Music. It’s absolutely free to do so.

A huge thank-you to you guys for joining us!

Cheers!

finding purpose

Finding Purpose through Podcasting: How New Meaning was Revealed through a Sportz show with Cole Johnson (AoL 098)

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People find their purpose, or as I like to call it – mission, through various ways.

As we’ve heard, some people find that purpose early on in life. Many of those have the help of mentors to find that.

For others, life becomes the mentor and eventually you realize that there has got to be something else.

For Cole Johnson, today’s guest, he realized that he wanted to be a creative later in life. In fact, it wasn’t until his wife started bringing out the creative in him that he decided he needed to have a way to get his voice out there.

And talk about a voice! He knew he could sing – but have a voice for the radio? He didn’t think it was possible.

Today, Cole finds himself at the helm of two podcasts. His original Cole Sportz and his soon to be released Revelations.

In our chat today, we learn how he got here, how Cole Sportz got started, and some tips for beginner podcasters.

Thanks for listening, and enjoy the show!

SPECIFICALLY, YOU’LL FIND OUT MORE ABOUT:

  • What was Cole’s time in the military like? 11:39
  • How did he get into media? 15:08
  • When did Cole know it was time to do his own thing? 21:50
  • How does it work when you have two creatives married to each other? 25:44
  • What are some of the struggles that Cole has gone through getting his show off the ground? 28:54
  • What’s Cole Sportz experience like and has he been able to leverage living in Nashville? 33:20
  • What are some of things that really grinds Cole’s gears with new podcasters? 45:38
  • What’s he looking forward to working on in the not-to distant future? 1:00:47
  • What are three influencers that have launched him to where he’s at today? 1:06:56
  • What’s an issue that people aren’t talking about enough today? 1:09:38
  • What is something he believed as a 30 year old and now doesn’t? 1:16:17
  • What’s it mean to lhave a life of abundance? 1:19:34
  • … and MUCH more!

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer.

ITEMS and PEOPLE MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

SHOW NOTE EXTRAS:

THE GAP by Ira Glass (from Daniel Sax):

Drew, Cole, and CJ on The Haver

Cole Johnson on Kwame’s Show:

Check Your Ego at the Door with Scott and Cole:

finding purpose

Thanks for Listening!

Thanks so much for joining us again this week. Have some feedback you’d like to share? Leave a note in the comment section below!

If you enjoyed this episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the top of the post.

Also, please leave an honest review for The AoL Podcast on iTunes! Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated! They do matter in the rankings of the show, and we read each and every one of them.

If you have any questions feel free to email them over via the email mentioned in the show or by our contact form.

And finally, don’t forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes, Stitcher, Soundcloud, and/or Google Play Music. It’s absolutely free to do so.

A huge thank-you to you guys for joining us!

Cheers!

work and travel

Jobs Without Borders: How TravelGig.co is Making it Easier to Work and Travel with John Asbury (AoL 097)

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Many people aren’t necessarily ready to take the entrepreneurial plunge. For them security of a regular payday is much more valuable than living terms their own way.

There’s nothing wrong with that – it’s just not for me nor most of the guests on this show. I personally know that I suck being told what to do and, especially, how to do it.

However, that doesn’t mean that they can’t do some of the things us lifestyle entrepreneurs do.

In fact, today’s guest has started a business to help those that want to work while traveling have an easier time doing just that.

John Asbury is the founder of a recently new online company called Travelgig which is all about helping expats and world travelers find work similar to how Airbnb finds them places to live.

When John isn’t hard at work, you can find him enjoying life and traveling too – just check his Instagram account!

Recently Veronica and I had the opportunity to catch up with him and find out more about this great resource of a site and John himself.

Specifically we talk about how it got started, what went into making the original version, his background as a freelancer, and how someone can flip the creative switch for themselves.

Thanks for listening, and enjoy the show!

SPECIFICALLY, YOU’LL FIND OUT MORE ABOUT:

  • What’s John’s working background and what’s Travelgig all about? 9:24
  • How did John get into freelancing? 12:31
  • Where did he begin his entrepreneurial career? 16:17
  • What was the spark for him to start making his own lifestyle? 18:55
  • What fears did he have associated with his early days of traveling? 21:06
  • How does he feel that traveling has helped him vs living a more conventional life? 23:19
  • What inspired John to start TravelGig? 25:38
  • What has been the process in creating it? 30:30
  • What does John’s team look like at this point? 33:36
  • What kind of WordPress plugins is he taking advantage of for TravelGig to do what it does? 37:30
  • What are three or four steps that someone can employ to start being a creator today? 40:24
  • How do people break free of an addiction for another more purpose driven one? 43:26
  • What’s the future look like for TravelGig? 46:46
  • Three favorite books? 51:17
  • Hardest Thing to Say No To? 53:51
  • What’s a service that doesn’t exist that he’d gladly pay for? 56:07
  • Secret to achieving personal freedom? 57:34
  • … and MUCH more!

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer.

ITEMS and PEOPLE MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

SHOW NOTE EXTRAS:

15 Things You Probably Didn’t Know about Elon Musk:

Elon Musk at ISS Conference 2017 (Short version):

How to Get a Working Holiday Visa:

Over 30 years old? Try one of these ideas!

10 Jobs that Pay You to Travel:

 work and travel

Thanks for Listening!

Thanks so much for joining us again this week. Have some feedback you’d like to share? Leave a note in the comment section below!

If you enjoyed this episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the top of the post.

Also, please leave an honest review for The AoL Podcast on iTunes! Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated! They do matter in the rankings of the show, and we read each and every one of them.

If you have any questions feel free to email them over via the email mentioned in the show or by our contact form.

And finally, don’t forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes, Stitcher, Soundcloud, and/or Google Play Music. It’s absolutely free to do so.

A huge thank-you to you guys for joining us!

Cheers!

how to make friends online

Finding REAL Relationships in a Digital Age: How to Make Friends Online with Felicia Slattery (AoL 096)

/by

Relationships today are so much different than they used to be.

I can’t exactly put my finger on why, but it seems that so many people rely on social media to interact with other people. Personally, I’d rather have a good conversation with someone – I think these podcasts show proof of that!

The problem is with relying on social media, texting, and whatever else you want to put in the blank… these communications are usually fairly short and from what I can tell, surface level communication.

Meaning, they’re not very deep.

Growing up, I remember that everyone knew everyone in their neighborhood. This was common all over the place.

That said, I’m glad that people like today’s guest exist in helping people create better relationships in their lives.

Felicia Slattery is on a mission to bring people closer together. In her upcoming book, she tackles how people can create REAL relationships in their everyday life.

In today’s conversation, Veronica and I find out from her what REAL relationships are, the dos and don’ts of social media, and what are some ways that creatives can be more engaging with their followers.

Thanks for listening, and enjoy the show!

SPECIFICALLY, YOU’LL FIND OUT MORE ABOUT:

  • What was it like growing up around Chicago? 12:02
  • How did Felicia get started in speaking? 13:45
  • When did Felecia realize that she wanted to help people build better relationships? 17:02
  • How can people stop talking at each other and build better relationships? 21:12
  • What are REAL relationships? 26:16
  • How can we be more mindful in our lives to get more REAL relationships? 33:47
  • How can someone get more comfortable with doing LIVE videos? 38:06
  • What are things not to do on social media so you’re not being irritating? 44:14
  • What are some of the ways to get more engagement out of different social media platforms? 1:01:07
  • What’s the future hold for Felicia? 1:03:52
  • What are Felicia’s favorite 3 books? 1:06:31
  • Something under $100 that has changed her life? 1:08:32
  • What advice do you hear parents giving advice to children that she says is bs? 1:09:18
  • How can someone be a difference maker in their community? 1:14:15
  • … and MUCH more!

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer.

ITEMS and PEOPLE MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

SHOW NOTE EXTRAS:

How to Write a Speech in 5 Minutes:

Networking at a Picnic:

Funny Outtakes with Joel Comm:

Felicia on her Success Rituals:

 

how to make friends online

Thanks for Listening!

Thanks so much for joining us again this week. Have some feedback you’d like to share? Leave a note in the comment section below!

If you enjoyed this episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the top of the post.

Also, please leave an honest review for The AoL Podcast on iTunes! Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated! They do matter in the rankings of the show, and we read each and every one of them.

If you have any questions feel free to email them over via the email mentioned in the show or by our contact form.

And finally, don’t forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes, Stitcher, Soundcloud, and/or Google Play Music. It’s absolutely free to do so.

A huge thank-you to you guys for joining us!

Cheers!