Posts

building resilience

Kristian Aleixo – Escaping the Clutches of Fate: Building Resilience to Life’s Speed Bumps (AoL 137)

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To succeed in life we’re all going to have obstacles get in our way. Sometimes it’ll be people telling us we can’t do something. Other times it might be a lack of knowledge about a certain topic.

Today’s guest, Kristian Aleixo, is all about taking obstacles head on. However, he looks at them as challenges. And while he might not necessarily have the solution to dealing with the challenge right away, he doesn’t make any excuses and makes it his mission to figure it out.

This attitude is helped him in his career as a race car driver. And because of his resilience, he’s looking to become an IndyCar racer in the next couple of years.

In this session, we hope that you’re inspired to learn how to appreciate challenges. Because once you conquer them, you can use them as part of your story in helping others!

SPECIFICALLY, YOU’LL FIND OUT MORE ABOUT:

  • How does Kristian compare to the stereotypical racecar driver? 6:31
  • What kind of mindset does it take to dig deep when obstacles get in his way of being a high performer? 12:42
  • What is the importance of building relationships with organizations around the community as a professional athlete? 17:06
  • Are there any pointers that Kristian would recommend to help assimilate into a new city or community? 23:09
  • What was the catalyst for him to write his first book? 29:41
  • How did he find the time to actually write it? 32:34
  • How many versions of the book did he end up going through? 38:57
  • What does the future look like for Kristian? 40:45
  • How does training work for today’s racer? 42:32
  • What is his top 3 favorite books? 47:26
  • Is there something he’s become good at saying no to? 48:34
  • What’s something that lot of people don’t realize is a huge waste of money? 49:11
  • What on his bucket list might surprise people? 50:48
  • What’s the secret to achieving personal freedom? 51:38

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

ITEMS and PEOPLE MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

SHOW NOTE EXTRAS:

Kristian’s Fuzion Magazine Interview

Kristian with Engel Jones on 12 Minute Convos

Kristian on Amplify Indy Podcast

Simulator Driving with Kristian

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 Castbox, 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!

find your niche

How to Find Your Niche and REALLY Act On It!

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 One of my favorite quotes from Stephen Covey could be a great subtitle for what I’ve been thinking about lately:

“The secret is not to prioritize what’s on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities.”

For the first two years of the reboot of the New Inceptions, I was working on content pretty much daily. Whether it was writing a blog post or working on the AoL Podcast (and becoming an audiophile), I was doing the work that I thought I should be doing to get ahead in this online business world.

As you might have heard on the show itself (or even on other shows I’ve been a guest on recently) I’m starting to see a bit of a shift from entrepreneurs being more interested in “hustling” to being more about “lifestyle design”.

I’ve also noticed that there’s a bit of a formula for those who seem to get it all done but also live life to the fullest.

In this post, I want to touch a little bit about both.

 

Find Your Niche: Home is Where the Heart Is

In the last week or so, I finally released the guide called Uncover Your Personal Mission. If you’re not familiar with it, here’s the gist. It helps you find your personal mission and start thinking about what kinds of businesses you would excel in. Your mission is the combination of what you love (your passion), what you’re good at (your process), and how you can provide value to other people (your purpose). I call it the 3 P’s. (Some refer to one’s personal mission as the Sweet Spot.)

In the resource, I give 9 questions per P to help you determine what it is if you don’t already know.

I wish it was something that I had access to when I was going through high school and college. It would have made my time in each more enjoyable and more focused.

Now that this resource is out there, I’ve been hearing more and more people in different podcasts talking about the importance of finding your mission. While they might use different terminology (Determining Your Sweet Spot, Finding Home, “Goldilocks” zone, etc), it’s all hovering around the same concept: How to learn what you’re supposed to as a grown up.

If You Won the Lottery, What Would You Do Differently?

Recently in the US we had a lottery where the winner had the opportunity to win $2 billion dollars.

When I was thinking about buying some tickets, a question came up. If I won, what would I change in my day to day work schedule?

I really couldn’t think of anything. Sure I might hire a team to help me do more, but I’m already starting to get a lot of that support through the Amplify team.

With that in mind, it occurred to me that while my life isn’t perfect, I’m pretty happy in general.

Because, after all, happiness isn’t the result of the obtaining the end goal itself. It’s all about the pursuit of something that you care about.

 

Pursuing Meaning at a High Level

It’s one thing to know what you’re supposed to do, it’s quite another to actually do work on a daily basis that will get you to where you want to be.

This is why one of my favorite thought leaders, Brendon Burchard, researched and released a book called High Performance Habits.

Now a lot of you guys might know Brendon for starting Experts Academy. That’s how I first learned of him myself. But since then, he’s also put a TON of time and effort in studying the habits that the top performers in the world practice regularly.

And believe it or not, one of the things that you don’t necessarily want to focus on is honing your strengths! (Yeah, crazy, huh?)

6 Habits of High Performers

Here are the 6 habits all high achievers should be focusing on:

  1. Seeking clarity
  2. Generating energy
  3. Raising necessity
  4. Increasing productivity
  5. Developing influence
  6. Demonstrating courage.

Now, after reading that list, if you’re a regular reader of this blog, you might realize that I already write about some of these.

Interestingly, I’ve already talked about clarity in this very post!

However, while finding your personal mission right now is a big help in getting started, it’s something you need to keep track of regularly. Life changes around us, and as that happens, we need to keep the right priorities in front of us. Because they will change.

And just as you should keep track of what’s important to you, it’s also important to develop and track your progress in these other 5 habits.

Sure, you can do it on your own in spreadsheets, but, in the last week or so I’ve learned that Brendon is releasing his own “journal” to help us.

However, it’s not just a journal. In fact, if you’re familiar with the 5 Minute Journal (which has been a favorite of mine for sometime) – it sounds like it builds on it. (I haven’t received mine yet to fully talk about what it is and isn’t.)

 

Action Steps

So guys, I think 2019 and 2020 are going to be years of change. People you’ve known for “hustling” for the last 5 to 10 years are going to start discussing “lifestyle” more often.

The truth is that everyone in this “online entrepreneurial” space has gotten just a wee bit older. They don’t feel the need to grind as much. On top of that, as more Millennials enter this space, “meaning’ is just going to become an ever larger presence.

So do yourself a favor. Find out what your personal mission is and then start executing it with those 6 habits!

 

young entrepreneurs

Angel Ribo – Seeking a Higher Purpose: Scaling into International Markets and Educating Young Entrepreneurs (AoL 135)

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When scaling a business, there’s many options that an owner or CEO can take.

A lot of times, especially for brick and mortar companies, one of the first things that they’ll consider is growing their company internationally.

However, if they don’t consider the culture they’re moving into, their effort is certainly going to have issues.

This is where today’s guest, Angel Ribo, comes in to help.

Having helped well over a thousand CEO’s during his career, he works on helping companies find ways to benefit the countries that they’re considering moving into.

On top of this, he also has a foundation geared towards poverty stricken kids in Latin America called Wisdom for Kids.

As you’ll hear in the conversation, teaching kids how to be entrepreneurs with the resources around them is a great way to help dilute the effect of poverty around the world.

Join Harrison and I as we talk with Angel about helping others find a higher purpose!

SPECIFICALLY, YOU’LL FIND OUT MORE ABOUT:

  • What circumstances allowed Angel to learn 5 languages and have as much international exposure as he has over his career? 9:46
  • What memories does Angel have of his travels that he believes have helped him become who he is today? 12:49
  • When did he realize that entrepreneurship was going to be a major part of his life? 14:20
  • Did he have any inspiration in becoming an entrepreneur? 15:34
  • How did he realize what his superpower was? 17:52
  • What’s the main issues that CEOs have when they’re scaling their business to an international level? 19:20
  • How does he prep companies to work with diversity when it comes to international scaling? 26:48
  • What are some challenges that immigrants have when it comes to expand their career or become an entrepreneur? 29:51
  • What’s Wisdom for Kids? How much of a challenge is it to train underprivileged youth to be entrepreneurial? 32:46
  • Why is important for these kids to use their local resources? 36:14
  • What’s Angel looking forward to the rest of this year and next? 40:40
  • In the last several years, what is something Angel has become good at saying no to? 43:17
  • What advice does he hear adults giving children that he’d call bs on? 44:24
  • What does he do when he becomes overwhelmed or unfocused? 44:53
  • Secret to achieving personal freedom? 45:08

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

ITEMS and PEOPLE MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

SHOW NOTE EXTRAS:

Angel on 12 Minute Conversations with Engel Jones

Why Kids in Need should become Entrepreneurs

How to End Poverty in Latin America FAST

What are your 3 Biggest Fears or Limiting Beliefs?

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 Castbox, 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!

quality content

Creating Effective Quality Content

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When it comes to marketing today, there’s a certain idea all digital marketers have to follow. We have to add value before we get the sale.

What does that mean?

Well, for most, it means that we have to educate our potential clients or customers about what it is that we do or make.

In fact, it can take up to 6 to 8 touches before a prospect becomes a buyer.

Typically, those touches take the form of “content”.

Content can take the form of videos, audio, or even text – like this blog. And it’s usually in the form of an educational format.

In this post, we’re going to look at a few places that we can find ideas for good content in 2018 and beyond.

 

Natural Content vs SEO Driven Content

When we’re thinking about creating content that attracts potential customers, we might be tempted to do a number of things. Most of these fall into three types.

Natural Content Creation

The first type is one where the focus is mainly on what our own individual customers or clients want. As a creative entrepreneur, this is something that seems a bit more natural.

The goal of creating this content is usually to retain and educate the clients, audience, or customers you already have.

 

SEO Driven Content Creation

The second type of content is content that is created specifically for what Google (or other search engines) suggest people are searching for.

Knowing this information allows us to create content specifically based on these search terms or “keywords”.

The end goal of this type of content creation to bring in more people into your sphere of influence.

If you’re not familiar with the term SEO, it simply is the acronym for Search Engine Optimization. The idea behind it is that If a particular site has good SEO, the site will rank hire in Google’s search results.

The goal is to appear on the first page of results.

At one point, it was much simpler to understand what would rank a website higher than another in Google. So much so, that if you understood the fairly rudimentary rules, you could start your own solopreneur business or small agency offering it as a service.

In fact, I remember back in 2010, there were several people in my social circle that worked for a couple of startup SEO companies here in Indianapolis.

Today, while SEO still exists and is still useful, it’s getting harder and harder to predict how Google ranks websites. They’re constantly changing what variables make our sites rank higher.

Some of those variables even include traffic on the site, authority of the site, and how quickly the site loads for individuals browsing the site.

 

Hybrid Content Creation

Ideally, since the SEO world has become so hard to predict, the best thing we should do is create content that not only has keywords in it, but also is made to educate your currently existing audience.

The main way to do this is to simply to find out what your audience is asking about, find out what keywords in Google are related to those questions, and then build content based on the results you find.

Doing good SEO work on your site is not the scope of this particular post. However, I have two recommendations for you if you have a WordPress based site.

 

  1. Make sure you have the Yoast SEO Plugin. I personally recommend the premium version because it has some kick butt features (including multiple keywords) and you only have to pay for it once. 
  2. Secondly, when you’re searching for keywords, you can use a free tool within Google Adwords called the Keyword Finder. When you’re searching, there are two columns that everyone should consider. The average monthly volume, and the competition.


Ideally, you want an Average Monthly Volume of 1k – 10k (number of searches a month). If you try anything higher than that, there’s a much higher chance your site won’t be seen in the front of the results. If you use anything less than that, you might be targeting a smaller group of people.

Once you find a keyword that hits that 1k – 10k search sweet spot, then you’ll want to check it’s competition. Ideally, you want a keyword that has low competition. However, from time to time you might have to use a keyword that is marked as a medium. I rarely use those that have high competition.

Here’s a visual of what I’m talking about:

quality content

How to Find Your Audience’s Questions

If you choose to go the natural or hybrid route, you’re creating your content with your audience in mind.

If that’s the case, there are a few places where you can get topic ideas from your audience – directly and indirectly.

  1. Ask them! You can send out a survey to your followers (whether it’s through Messenger, email, or whatever you prefer).
  2. Check out what’s being asked and discussed in Facebook groups or other online forums that are related to your topic. If you think you can go into further detail than what’s covered in the post, go for it. 
  3. See what other thought leaders in your industry are talking about. What are your favorite blogs, podcasts, speakers, and/or authors discussing? They probably have already done the research to find a good topic to discuss. Feel free to add your voice to the conversation!

 

Action Steps

When we’re having to create content on a regular basis for our audiences, we might draw a blank when we’re looking. Once you have an idea of what kind of content type you’re going to be creating (whether it’s natural, SEO focused, or a hybrid of the two), then you just need a spark of inspiration. If anything, this gives you a good excuse to check in with leaders of your industry!

 

the mentor

Antonio Smith Jr – The Making of the Mentor: Escaping Poverty & Building Others Up (AoL 134)

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When someone hits rock bottom, they usually have a choice to make. One, they can blame everyone but themselves for what has happened to them. Many times this prevents people from moving on from where they’re at.

They can then choose to make the other choice. They can realize that they’re actually the one in control of where they’re at and make it their mission to get out of that situation and never come back.

The term “rock bottom” is a relative term. Rock bottom for one person can be quite different than rock bottom for someone else.

For some people, a simple habit change can be enough to help them get out of their situation. But on the other hand, the person might need a complete mindset overhaul.

For today’s guest, he was more of the latter. After being homeless through the ages of 6 to 16, he thought his only way to get ahead was to excel at football. When an injury killed his chances to get a scholarship, he felt stuck. Luckily, a mentor stepped up and taught him that he had a gift of communication.

Ever since then, he’s been on a mission to develop this gift. Doing so has given him opportunities he might not have ever considered as an athlete.

Join Harrison and I as we talk with Rev. Antonio Smith Jr. about this transition and how others can make a positive impact in their community!

Enjoy!

SPECIFICALLY, YOU’LL FIND OUT MORE ABOUT:

  • Why does Antonio still feel like an immigrant to the America even though he was born in the US? 10:34
  • How did he find his first mentor growing up and what are his thoughts on mentorship through life? 12:42
  • How does Antonio reach out and help those who are living lives of quiet desperation? 26:35
  • Is there a secret in finding opportunities to work with celebrities like Antonio has? 32:21
  • Is it possible to balance Christian values with business values? 37:29
  • How does he emotionally deal with it when he knows that only a fraction of the people who listen to him actually take his advice and act with it? 41:30
  • What’s Antonio looking forward to and excited for in the future? 46:36
  • Who are his Favorite Top 3 Influencers? 54:28
  • Who would he have dinner with, living or dead? 54:38
  • What is a habit or belief that has improved his life in the last 5 years? 54:47
  • What’s a gift he likes giving others? 55:02
  • What’s something he wants to do that no one knows about? 55:14
  • How can someone make a difference in their community? 55:33

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

ITEMS and PEOPLE MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

SHOW NOTE EXTRAS:

Why High Performers No Longer Perform Highly

Profit over Popularity

Keep the Wrong People Away

From Where You Are to $100k

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 Castbox, 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!

self empowerment

Going North! – A Practical Guide in Bettering Yourself through Self Empowerment with Dom Brightmon (AoL 133)

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Anyone that has had a significant amount of success in their lives have probably done a fair amount of listening to those who have had more experience.

When you’re thinking about sports, for example, there’s no team that has been successful without having coaches and a front office who perform well at their jobs.

Likewise, in business and in the self-help world, it’s good practice to take advice from people who have been where you’re wanting to go.

Today’s guest, is all about enabling people to get out of their own way and be more successful. He does this through his podcast, on stage, and through his book “Going North!”.

His name is Dominique Brightmon and in today’s conversation we chat about the importance of mentorship and all he’s learned as a 20-something entrepreneurial educator.

Enjoy!

SPECIFICALLY, YOU’LL FIND OUT MORE ABOUT:

  • How has Dom’s past in the church set him up for success today? 10:49
  • Who are some of his mentors who have contributed to where he’s at today? 13:28
  • What inspired Dom to write his first book? 17:12
  • What’s the super power he has obtained from working at a library? 19:00
  • How can someone avoid being lost in a strictly Positive Mental Attitude mindset? 20:57
  • What are some of the things that Dom has learned as he’s been building his podcast? 23:26
  • What does he have planned for his 100 session of the Going North Podcast? 26:49
  • Has Dom had any memorable moments that come to mind during his first year of podcasting? 29:57
  • What kind of takeaways has he heard from his audience? 32:45
  • What does he want to accomplish the rest of the year? 34:14
  • Which are Dom’s 3 favorite influential podcasts to listen to? 37:32
  • Is there a recent plot twist he’s seen in day to day life? 38:24
  • What is one gift that he likes giving others? 41:30
  • Is there something that he thinks all high school students should know? 41:55
  • What’s the secret to achieving personal freedom? 42:29

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

ITEMS and PEOPLE MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

SHOW NOTE EXTRAS:

Dom on Fox 45 Morning News

Dom’s Presentation of the 5 E’s of Leadership

Dan Ally on becoming a Millionaire in 3 Years

Jim Rohn Seminar on Personal Development

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 Castbox, 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!

podcast interview

Do-It-Yourself Publicity – How to Land Your Next Podcast Interview on Your Own with Millette Jones (AoL 130)

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When you’re first starting out as a thought leader or creative entrepreneur, it can seem pretty daunting. Where do you even start? Do you build a few products that illustrate who you are and what you can help others with? Or do you start creating an audience right away and then make a product for them later?

Likewise, when it comes to getting your name out there, there are many paths one can take. You can hire a publicist, a booking agent, or in the case of today’s guest, you can utilize the knowledge of someone who can help you do it all yourself.

This session’s guest, Millette Jones, is host of the Unstoppable Coach podcast. Through her work she helps entrepreneurs learn how their story is important and understand how sharing it can propel their business to success.

On top of her podcast, she supports entrepreneurs with podcast publicity coaching, a membership site for DIY podcast interview marketing and her signature program: Podguesting for Profits.

In today’s conversation, Harrison and I speak with Millette to find out about her ups and downs as an entrepreneur and how you can use your own story to rise above the crowd.

Enjoy!

SPECIFICALLY, YOU’LL FIND OUT MORE ABOUT:

  • How did Millette become a coach? 10:21
  • How was she first exposed to the podcasting world? 16:08
  • What are some ways that she suggests that can help people rise above the crowd? 17:27
  • What are some tips to stay focused as an entrepreneur? 22:54
  • How does someone overcome broken business relationships? 26:38
  • What’s first? Creating awareness or building a product or service? 28:43
  • How can a guest best prepare themself for being on a podcast? 33:50
  • Where does Millette see her work in the next couple of years? 39:48
  • What are 3 podcasts that have helped shaped her as a podcaster? 43:47
  • What’s something that she has gotten better at saying no to? 46:00
  • Is there something in the podcasting world that Millette is excited about? 47:45
  • What’s it mean to live a life of abundance? 53:11

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

 

ITEMS and PEOPLE MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

SHOW NOTE EXTRAS:

Dan Lok Interview (Full Length)

Chris Gardner Interview (Full Length)

Shane Sams on Recording a Podcast in a Car

Pat Flynn on Starting Your Podcast in 2018 (Equipment and Software)

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 Castbox, 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!