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microphone logo

How to Get a Microphone Logo: My Mic Flag Design Writeup

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In observance of the 4th of July, I wanted to keep today’s post relatively short. I know a lot of you are busy and doing fun things today. Hanging out with friends and loved ones.

You might call this an ironic post as well, because on a day where it’s the “in” day to be patriotic here in the states, I’m talking about a flag.

But – it’s not that kind of flag. It’s a mic flag.

What is a mic flag?

Keep reading.

 

The Story of the Mic Flag

As you guys know, I wrote up a full writeup of all the software and hardware that I use to make my podcast back in three separate posts. My goal with those posts was to give you an “inexpensive” way of starting your own show.

I only spent money where I knew it was important to do so. The biggest purchases I made was the software (Logic Pro X) and my mic – an Audio Technica at875r. For the most part, everything else was done with price in mind.

I also tried to use Pat’s tutorial as supplemental info in my tutorial so that I didn’t have to create the wheel. I figure his is such a great tutorial – and it’s what I started with – why change it?

Here are those posts:

There was one thing that I was missing, however.

And that was a mic flag.

 

What is a Mic Flag?

If the term mic flag is unfamiliar to you, you’re not the only one. I didn’t know what it was called either.

It’s the little thing that sits either on a mic itself. By itself, it looks like this:

However, you might be more used to it the way that Pat and John Lee Dumas use it:

pat flynn mic flag

Smart Passive Income Podcast Mic Flag

JLD Mic Flag

Entrepreneur on Fire Podcast Mic Flag

 

Well, considering I don’t have a handheld mic, I figured I’d opt for the “above the mic” location.

But where to get it?

 

Getting a Mic Flag

So, 80+ episodes into the AoL Podcast, I finally decided to get one. Why? Because I’m tired of not doing Facebook LIVE events because I don’t feel ready. This was just one more thing on that list to do before I felt ready.

So where was I going to secure one similar to what Pat and JLD used?

Well, let’s Ask Pat!.

So on one of his recent Ask Pat! LIVE shows, I asked him who the maker of his mic flag was.

His answer: Impact PBS.

 

Choosing the Right Size:

Getting a mic flag through Impact PBS is pretty amazing. Their customer service “liaison” (at least that’s what I’d call her), Ellen, is probably one of the main reasons why people recommend them. She was very careful and precise in making sure I got exactly what I wanted.

We emailed a few times back and forth about the sizes of flag I might need. In fact, she even dug into their archive to find out what size Pat had – who he’s had his flag since 2012 – if not earlier!

We ended up opting for the 2.5” x 2.5” after I emailed Pat about how much clearance he has on his “mic mount bolt” and the bottom. Which he ended up sending me this image to actually show me:

pat flynn mic flag

The great thing about asking Pat something is that you don’t have to ask him through his podcast. You can simply just email him. He seems to almost always respond. Maybe because I’ve emailed him off and on throughout the years. Maybe I have my own inbox?? Haha – one can believe, right?

 

Designing the Flag:

Anyway, once I chose the size of the mic flag, I had to create the design for it. If you’ve ever designed business cards, this is a very similar process. You get a template, work on it in your preferred image editor (mine’s Photoshop) and upload it to the site.

In this case, Ellen emailed me the template which I used to make three different sides. 1 of which would be used twice.

Impact PBS Mic Flag Template

2.5″ x 2.5″ Mic Flag Template

Mic Flag Side 1Mic Flag Side 2 and 4Mic Flag Side 3

Once I was done, I resubmitted the Photoshop file back to Ellen through Dropbox. She removed the black lines and sent me a proof of what it was going to look like.

Impact PBS Mic Flag Proof

Impact PBS Mic Flag Proof

 

After a few consent forms and paying just under $70 (with shipping), my flag was being made!

 

Receiving the Mic Flag:

It wasn’t even a week later by the time they were made and I got my package in the mail. I think I ordered on Monday the 26th and got them on the 29th? Pretty amazing turnaround, I have to say!

Anyhow – here’s the final result:

NI Impact PBS Mic Flag Side 1 and 2

 

Oh, and I also received a thank you letter and some chocolates! How awesome!

 

Considering it was the last of June, they turned out pretty good! 😉

It all tastes the same, right?

 

Action Step – Getting a Mic Flag?:

If you want a great product to add brand recognition to your videos (live or otherwise) without you having to mention who you are, mic flags are the way to do it. They just give a more professional effect!

I can’t be any happier than I am with the final product.

Check out Impact PBS if you want a great mic flag (high quality plastic!) that you’ll have for years to come!

P.S. In case you noticed, I have opted to get a Heil PL-2T mic boom since my original podcast posts. I was able to score it for essentially half the price from eBay. If you can find it – go for it. I love mine.

personal development plan

Soft Skills for your Growing Indie Business – Why Millennial Entrepreneurs Need a Personal Development Plan with Hector Santiesteban (AoL 094)

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Do you know people who are doing exceptionally well with their indie business? Do they just seem like natural solopreneurs? How’d they get to be so polished?

I can tell you. Through a lot of personal development work.

That’s one of the biggest take aways I got out of my time in the MLM / direct sales world. How important personal development is.

I feel I can safely say that today’s guest believes the same thing – personal development goes hand in hand with building a business.

Hector Santiesteban is the founder of Millennial Skills. Like us here at New Inceptions, he feels that there is a major lack in the desires of many folks out there and the actions they’re taking to get what they want.

Like me, he probably asked himself at one point “why should the MLM groups get to only share this with all their members. Why shouldn’t the masses know?”

That’s one of the things that we find out today. We also learn why he feels it’s necessary to niche down in your new business and some of the struggles he’s had in moving to an entirely new type of business.

If you want to start thinking like truly successful people, then you’ll need to know Hector.

Thanks for listening, and enjoy the show!

SPECIFICALLY, YOU’LL FIND OUT MORE ABOUT:

  • How did Hector end up in Southern California? 12:56
  • How did he become a National Champion Sales Manager? 15:59
  • Why did he start working with Millennials and start Millennial Skills? 22:32
  • Is having one thing all in one spot not a big a deal as it used to be? 31:58
  • What are some of the biggest struggles in starting his online business? 35:20
  • What does he think about the advice of niching down? 42:45
  • How do you find clarity in your purpose and business? 49:39
  • What’s some of the things he’s looking forward to in 2017? 52:39
  • Who are his 3 biggest teachers and influencers? 56:31
  • What is a social norm that tends to irritate Hector a bit? 1:04:43
  • What is an issue that people aren’t talking about, but they should be? 1:06:30
  • If he woke up as his 10 year old self tomorrow with all his memories, what would he do? 1:11:32
  • What’s the secret to achieving personal freedom? 1:15:08
  • … 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:

Reasons You’re Still Broke:

How Do I Master Myself?

29 Steps to Starting Your Business:

Amanda Rivera interviews Hector:

personal development plan

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!

working relationships

There’s Something Brewing Here! – What Strong Working Relationships Can Do For Your Brand with Sean Webster (AoL 093)

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Relationships are made and broken on the values of the people in those relationships.

For some, a simple misunderstanding can break a weak bond. Whereas if you know people at a deeper level, then you know who they really are and what they’re about. That kind of relationship can pay dividends in the long run.

I know for me, I’ve always had a close group of friends – and then there was everyone else. It wasn’t just “treat everyone the same”. No, I’ve always had my inner group because those were the folks that would understand me the most at that point and if I ever needed help, it’d be available – and visa versa.

If you don’t have that inner group when it comes to business, then you’re essentially working for yourself by yourself.

But it doesn’t have to be that way.

Today’s guest, Sean Webster, is what I would call a catalyst for craft brewers in Indiana.

Having started his business in 2016, he’s been making a pretty big strides in his business simply because he understands where his clients are coming from. He understands their stories and why they make the product they do.

While Sean applies his skillset to the brewing industry, I think it’s important to realize it should be applied anywhere.

In this session, Albert and I ask Sean about this skillset of his and how he’s been able to build his business around it. How he identifies as someone that really knows the art of creating good brews, how his business actually functions, and how his core values fit into his daily routine.

Success looks different to different people. You might not know that if your career only involved formal education and getting a job upon graduation. In fact, if you’ve gone that traditional route, you might believe that those who have the most money or the most fame might be considered the most successful.

I believe that this model simply doesn’t fit in today’s new world. Sure, I might say that a majority of people still believe that to be considered successful, it just happens to you – but I and many other creators would say that success comes with achieving what you set out to do – whatever that might look like.

If you like craft brews, good ideas, and collaboration, then you’ll like hearing from Sean!

Thanks for listening, and enjoy the show!

SPECIFICALLY, YOU’LL FIND OUT MORE ABOUT:

  • What’s Sean been up to since session 4? 10:32
  • What’s Sean’s take on the podcasting world now that he’s been on a few? 15:58
  • As someone who’s been a bartender in the past, how does he identify as a mixologist? 22:14
  • Why’s it important to have distinguishable beers. 28:29
  • Is there any places making mead in Indiana? 32:34
  • What’s the working process of Monon Beverage? 34:28
  • How does having core values fit into a his business’ daily routine? 44:44
  • What’s the future for Monon Beverage Brokers look like? 51:45
  • What are 3 movies he recommends to other creatives? 56:24
  • Hardest thing he’s had to say no to? 57:49
  • Something Sean wishes was still a thing? 59:39
  • What’s something that all high school students must know? 1:02:01
  • How can someone be a difference maker in their community? 1:04:02
  • … 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:

Moonlight Meadery “Fling”, “Smoulder”, and “Kurt’s Apple Pie” Review:

Sean at A Better You Wellness:

Blind Pig Confessions Podcast Episode 80:

Sean Webster on Indiana on Tap:

working relationships working relationships working relationshipsworking relationships

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!

consumer research

Consumer Research: The Most Important Part of Understanding Your Market

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Once you set out on your own entrepreneurial personal mission, it’s important to know how you can actually be of value to those that you’re looking to add value to.

The best way that you do this is through market research.

However, what that actually means can differ depending on who you ask. In this post, we’ll look at some mistakes people make in their research, and how to make sure you’re asking the right questions.

 

Anti-Disruption: One Secret to Not Going Broke

When I was in grad school, I had the opportunity to judge business plan competitions a couple of times. As part of those business plans, students were to do some “market research”. This basically meant they got to use essentially academic research methods to learn about the industry in which they were going to bring “disruption”. Many of these methods are discussed in this article in a Entrepreneur Magazine post.

Haha. Talk about fun. 😛

Until I got into The Foundation, 3 years after I got out, this was the way that I thought ALL entrepreneurial endeavours started.

However, what I learned, and what many people make mistakes in is that your business doesn’t have to be disruptive at all.

In fact, if all you’re wanting to do is make an income via your personal mission, then trying to go for the home run your first go-around might not make the best financial sense.

Instead of going to go dig for gold yourself and potentially going broke in the process, why not build a strong foundation by first supplying the tools to those gold diggers? Some might be striking it rich, but there are many MANY more of them who are failing.

Don’t run those odds on yourself – play it safe and be a tool maker. Just like jean and shovel makers were needed in the actual gold rush for those going after the gold (and the most consistently profitable), people who are providing simple services are still needed today too.

 

Do Not Underestimate the Importance of Primary Research

In the above linked Entrepreneur magazine, primary research is briefly mentioned. Most of the article discusses SECONDARY Research.

What’s sad is that most aspiring and existing entrepreneurs do the exact same thing. They don’t do any consumer research!!

It’s like surveys and talking with one’s customers (or potential clients) directly is the last thing most business owners want to do – even though those same customers are the ones that are directly impacting their bottom line.

Another thing about secondary research is that many times it’s old data. You hear more talk about trends and being “where the market is going, not where it’s at” then you should. Some people really don’t know what that last statement is really saying! Sure it’s a great place to start, but it’s not going to ever you the full picture of what’s actually going on.

 

Getting it from the Horse’s Mouth

There’s an idiom that goes “straight from the horse’s mouth”. If you haven’t heard this before, well, chances are you aren’t near a farm. But basically, it’s referring to the fact that farmers want to check the mouth of a horse before they buy them from someone.

In our case, it means “to get information from the person most directly involved or best informed” or the customer.

Now I know what you’re going to say, “But JC, people hate doing surveys! How am I to get them to answer my questions?”

Good question.

As you know, there’s a few methods which can be done online or in person:

  • Interviews
  • Focus groups
  • Surveys
  • Questionnaires

I’ve listed them in the order that you’ll get the best results. If you actually get the chance to interview someone, you’re going to have great data. If you send someone a survey or questionnaire, there’s going to a much lower chance of getting results back.

 

Questions to Ask

Now, based on whether you’re developing something new or something you’ve already made, you’ll have different questions on what you’ll be asking those individuals.

If you’re planning on releasing a new product or service to a customer, there are 6 base questions you need to know the answer to.

If you were going to put these in a questionnaire, they might go like this:

  • What is the biggest challenge that they currently have in their work?
  • What are their long term goals?
  • How will achieving those long term goal feel?
  • Have they already tried in achieving that long term goal? Any failures or frustrations did they experience in getting there?
  • What are their goals right now?
  • What are they willing to change to achieve those goals this next year?

These matter for various reasons – but the main reason is that you’re looking to ask questions that they often don’t think about as often as they’d like. Also, if you’re going to be helping them, you need an emotional anchor in what they’re trying to achieve. This anchor is their Why for doing whatever they’re doing.

People don’t buy facts – they buy feelings.

However, I will add that the more personable you can make the experience, the more information you can collect and the more emotion you can tie to their responses.

That’s why it’s best to learn how to properly conduct an interview. Not only will these base questions be answered, but you’ll be able to get more clarification. If you get the chance, ask these questions as followups:

  • Can you describe your typical working day?
  • In your typical working day, where do you feel like you’re wasting the most time?
  • What factors do you consider when purchasing a certain product (or service)?
  • What do you like or dislike about current products (or services) currently on the market?
  • Any areas would you suggest for improvement?
  • What would be the smallest version of this product (or service) that’d you pay for?
  • What is the appropriate price for a product or service like this?

These are good questions because most often than not the answers don’t lie on the surface. (That’s why idea extraction has the name it does!)

Action Steps: Get Some Answers!

Depending on the type of work you’re looking to do, these questions will change. For example, if you’re looking to build a certain kind of software like The Foundation initially focused on, you’ll want to ask more software oriented questions. If it’s a service, lean that direction.

Sure, the more responses you have, the better. However, I would attempt to get 12 to 15 responses at first so you can start recognizing some patterns. The most used response – that needs to be included in your (minimum viable product). Anything after that validates what you’re already doing.

Let me know below how it works out for you or if you have any questions!

 

why am i here

David Anderson – Why Am I Here? – Why Discovering Your Personal Mission is Vital to Living a Purpose Driven Life (AoL 092)

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Why am I here? That’s a question that a lot of people have asked themselves over the years. And because success looks different to different people, you might not not be able to recognize it if your career involved just formal education and getting a job upon graduation. In fact, if you’ve gone that traditional route, you might believe that those who have the most money or the most fame might be considered the most successful.

I believe that this model simply doesn’t fit in today’s new world. Sure, I might say that a majority of people still believe that to be considered successful, it just happens to you – but I and many other creators would say that success comes with achieving what you set out to do – whatever that might look like.

Today’s guest, David Anderson, is the co-author of the book The Delusion of Passion: Why Millennials Struggle with Success.

This book might sound familiar because Laila and I had the opportunity to speak with Mark Nathan about book back in session 23. It was also the book that “I helped re-publish” last year.

For me, a lot of things have changed since then – including learning how to really launch books and courses – but one thing stayed constant: I still hadn’t met the “other” co-author of the book.

Then I found out that he did a TEDx talk.

As I watched his presentation and got the chance to know jim, I realized why Mark had chosen him to help him write the book. He really is an impressive guy. He’s seems to have accomplished everything that he’s wanted to do – and through his own experiences, he really has a lot to teach others.

In this chat with David, Albert and I find out more about his mindset he used to land a job at the White House, how the entire process of writing the book with Mark went, how he got into international trading, and much more. We even ask him questions you guys submitted about finding one’s own mission.

If you’re a fan of the Delusion of Passion, or simply want to get to hear more about what it takes to really achieve your dreams – this session is for you.

Thanks for listening, and enjoy the show!

SPECIFICALLY, YOU’LL FIND OUT MORE ABOUT:

  • Why did David opt to do a TEDx in Austria and not the US? 8:10
  • Why did he choose to support his family growing up? 10:05
  • Does he feel that he still has credibility with his home community after achieving all the success he has? 12:30
  • How did David achieve his goal in working in the White House? 16:11
  • How did he team up with Mark Nathan to write their book? 19:31
  • What’s it like to flip the switch and start writing a book? 20:58
  • How’d they go about writing a second version of the book where they included their personal stories? 23:16
  • Why did they opt to write a book vs all the other options that are out there these days? 25:36
  • When did the talk about mission come into schedule – before or after writing the book? 28:00
  • How did David get into international trading and becoming a “futurist”? 28:37
  • How can someone find their mission if they’re not sure what it might be? 41:18
  • What does someone do if they’ve come to the end of their current mission? 46:44
  • What can you do if you feel people are constantly trying to pull you away from your mission? 50:32
  • How does someone get out of a job that they dislike, but they can’t because it pays the bills? 51:57
  • How can someone find their Why (as Simon Sinek is famous for discussing in his TED talk?) 53:44
  • What’s David’s near future looking like? 56:12
  • Who are his favorite top 3 influencers? 58:53
  • What’s the worst job he’s ever had? 1:00:07
  • What’s a life skill he’s amazed people lack? 1:00:37
  • Secret to achieving personal freedom? 1:01:01
  • … 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:

David’s TEDx talk:

David and Mark featured on FOX News Chicago:

David speaks with Till Gross about life and the book:

Pre-launch video of Delusion of Passion (from June 2016):

why am I here
a purpose driven life
a purpose driven life
why am I here

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!

personal mission

4 Steps to Discovering Your Own Personal Mission

/by

This past week, I had the opportunity to be a guest on Gregory Diehl’s podcast Uncomfortable Conversations with Gregory.

We talked about a number of things, but one of the key points we discussed was how so many people would be better off if they could simply put a mission in their lives.

This is a phrase I learned from speaker and author David Anderson and it’s been resonating with me ever since I watched his TEDx presentation as part of my prep for his AoL interview.

Sure I had heard of businesses having missions, but I never thought about how it could apply to individuals. Not only that, but it encapsulates basically everything we know about passion and purpose.

If a person has a mission – I feel they have these two things figured out. So it’s not necessarily about helping people find their purpose OR their passion. It’s about helping folks find the combination of the two.


Since I’ll be releasing this chat with David this week as session 92, I thought I’d touch on a bit more about the topic – and look at how someone can develop their own mission.

 

Be Aware that there is a Choice

For the longest time in my life, I had this feeling that my purpose in life was designated by forces outside of my control. I felt like I was at the mercy of the world around me.

It’s easy to believe this because the world around us is setup to make us feel like that. It’s learned helplessness.  In the podcast with Gregory, we discussed how a lot of this problem is started with our current form of academia.

It makes sense as your typical 9 to 5 needs you to be compliant to the organization at large.

(It was this mentality which let me spend so much time in a major that while it made use of my skills, wasn’t really meant for me.)

Here’s the situation – many of these traditional jobs are on the verge of disappearing due to mega automation changes in the not too distant future.

Followers are going to have problems in this next economy, if they don’t figure out their own mission.

Religion doesn’t Necessarily Help

Over this past weekend, I thought about this mission dilemma more and more. During my travels around the state, I listened to a few more podcasts of Lewis Howes. One where he interviewed Rob Bell and another with John Gray. From these conversations, I realized that some organized religions might make their believers feel this way as well.

People go to church when they need support. I think it’s a great place to start. What Lakewood Church has done, whether you agree with the doctrine, has made going to church actually kind of cool.

However, as Rob Bell talks about in his chat, Jesus was all about reaching out to those with needs – not waiting for them to come to “the temple”. Not only did he go out and try to help the people where they were, he was very interested in the viewpoints of the people he was with.

This is very interesting to me. It seems very much like how a good coach works with their clients. They go out of their way to find people to help and not tell them exactly what to do.

On the other hand, Rob also goes on to discuss how many churches seem to focus mostly on teaching those that are there – not actively seeking new membership or engaging with folks who might actually need the support.

Again, this is backing that follower mentality.

This mentality is all around us. I just want you to know that you do have a choice to break free and do what you feel is important.

(If you’re into the study of Christianity at all, you should check out both of these interviews – especially Rob’s. Several revelations were discussed that I don’t think most people know.)

 

Start Action on Your New Journey

If you do opt to start on your new journey, you actually have to take action to get moving. Just because you choose to go this different route, doesn’t necessarily mean it will happen. You have to take action to do it.

For many people, including myself, this is the hardest step. Taking action.

Indirect Inspiration

For about 4 years I had an opportunity to pursue a new path – but tried to stay in the status quo for as long as I could. I had spent so much time getting my degrees, I didn’t want that time to go to waste. But slowly and surely, my new path made itself ever more present. I was just too chicken to pursue it; to step out and be different.

As I mentioned on the podcast with Gregory, it usually takes a deep pain or significant loss in one’s life to move people from the “comfortable / follow the rules” path to one where they’re setting the standard.

For me, it was the sudden loss of my mom which affected me this way. Besides myself, she was the only one at that point that I felt I had to prove that my life up to that point wasn’t a waste of time. She, herself, had put a lot of time and energy into my career – I couldn’t disappoint her.

Even if I personally felt I wasn’t a good fit for what I had been pursuing. Then when she passed, I realized that following that path didn’t really pan out for her – so I wasn’t going to make the same mistake.

 

Direct Inspiration

That said, it might need to take a more direct action to nudge us out of our current path.

Lewis had another interview with Andy Frisella. Who found, in about 30 seconds, his life’s path had completely changed. He went from being a normal guy to having a violent brush with death.

After being disfigured from a knife attack, he had to figure out how to spin his new look in a way that people would remember him positively. This completely changed who he was.

In both cases – things were suddenly and radically different. And as Andy said, you can either spend your time trying to get things back to “normal” or you can go an entirely different route.

He and I chose to go entirely new journeys on new routes.

 

Shift Your Locus of Control

Those routes were both dependent of our new circumstances. And they both came to us in a matter we didn’t have any control over. But does that mean that a bad situation has to happen to anyone who wants to control their own path?

Not necessarily.

What it does mean is that you need to shift your locus of control. Instead of letting the world guide the direction you’re going and what you’re doing, you need to decide that YOU are the one in charge of your own success.

You have to move from being a thermometer to the thermostat of your world.

 

Choose What’s Best For You

Now, as you know, I’m a huge proponent of entrepreneurship. But that doesn’t mean it’s the best course for everyone. Sure, I think anyone can do it (or be a part of it), but they need to believe they can perform in the arena themselves.

I feel, along with the other members of the New Inceptions team, that being an entrepreneur is a greatest example of someone expressing their own personal freedom when it comes to the work they do.

In a traditional 9 to 5, you’ll always have to report to a higher-up. But, at the same time, the success of the organization doesn’t solely ride on your ability to perform.

Whereas an entrepreneur, if they fail to perform and haven’t made the business passive income based, then the company is going to struggle.

So it’s really your decision on how much responsibility you want. For me, personally, I come from a family of movers and shakers, so it was fairly simple for me to make the leap once I had to make the decision.

If neither sound terribly great, you might prefer to be an intrapreneur (or something else in the middle). If you can find a company or institution which will allow to work at that capacity, it might be the best option for you. (That’s where several huge entrepreneurs started – so it’s not necessarily a one way ticket.)

 

 

Action Steps: Develop a Personal Mission Statement

Once you figure out where you want to be at and how you want to carry out your purpose, it might be helpful to develop a mission statement. That way if you need to be reminded daily or simply when times get tough what you’re working towards, you’ll have it available to remind you.

Again, be sure to check out David’s TEDx talk if you haven’t to seen it yet. And this week when session 92 is published, you’ll find out that he actually has another one on top of the one he mentioned in his talk.

Also, if you have figured out what your mission is (without or without an actual written statement), I’d love to hear it below!

 

performance coaching

Marc Mawhinney – Performance Coaching for Coaches – Learning How to Make a Living as an Online Coach (AoL 091)

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They say that any good professional coach is going to have their own coach. The reasoning why is that iron sharpens iron and it’s good to have that  accountability of growth. This is especially true if you’re working directly with helping other people grow.

I learned of this when I was first getting into the John Maxwell Team back in 2011. As I look back now, we were lucky enough to have a coaching mentorship program.

There’s other large names that provide this service as well. For example, co-host Clay Green is a Certified High Performance Coach through Brendon Burchard. BUT – the thing with with that is that you have to have gone through High Performance Academy to be part of that.

To be frank, I hadn’t actually met anyone that specifically was helping other current coaches get better at just coaching.

That’s where today’s guest, Marc Mawhinney, is really starting to make a name for himself as being a coach’s coach.

Having started his newest business, Natural Born Coaches, he has amassed a heck of a following on Facebook with over 6000 people adding themselves to his group in a short couple of years.

Besides having a great niche to work in himself, Marc is also the host of a podcast where he brings on other folks who can help coaches get better at their craft too.

In our conversation today with Marc, Al and I discover how he ended up doing this work in the first place, what he really helps other coaches with, and some nuts and bolts about how he’s built his business including his Facebook group.

If you’re wanting to be a successful coach in a particular field, then Marc is a great guy to know.

Thanks for listening, and enjoy the show!

SPECIFICALLY, YOU’LL FIND OUT MORE ABOUT:

  • How’d Marc get started in Real Estate? 8:28
  • How did Marc make the transition from real estate to coaching? 12:50
  • What does Marc help his clients with? 15:51
  • What kind of things does his programs specialize in? 18:51
  • Why does Marc send daily emails to his list and believe it’s ok to do so? 20:46
  • Where does he get the inspiration for the content he shares in his group and his emails on a daily basis? 23:52
  • What’s some keys in starting a good Facebook group? 28:52
  • Did Marc have any influences in how he built his group? 32:27
  • Why did he personally opt to go with a podcast instead of doing videos on YouTube? 34:03
  • What are some of the cornerstones that a successful coach uses to build their business? 39:53
  • Three teachers who have helped Marc get where he’s at. 43:25
  • Hardest thing that he’s ever had to say no to? 44:13
  • What’s something that isn’t as bad as he thought it’d be? 44:51
  • What’s a service which doesn’t exist he’d gladly pay for? 45:28
  • What’s it mean to live a life of abundance? 46:03
  • … 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:

Lesson from Matthew McConaughey:

Testimonials for Marc’s “Your First 5 Clients” Program:

Marc on Growing a Coaching Business through Online Courses:

Vanessa Talbot’s Q&A session with Marc:

performance coaching performance coaching performance coaching performance coaching

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!

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Cheers!