Why do we place so much emphasis on compromise? And why do we so often settle for a mediocre outcome when our potential is so much greater? From the moment we're able to comprehend human language, our parents and educators have been teaching us the importance of compromise. We've been taught to think that compromise is essential for successful relationships, careers, and even in our businesses. But, what if we've been misled all along? What if the secret to a fulfilled life is actually placing greater emphasis on NOT compromising? What if it were possible to achieve success without sacrifice? I believe it is possible - and in this first episode of the Uncompromised Podcast I'm going to introduce you to exactly how we'll journey through that together.

It's been awhile since you've heard new episodes of the COPreneur Path Podcast. In this episode I'm going to tell you why...

If technology is supposed to be making our lives easier, why does it seem like it only does the opposite? Pre-COVID, the average person was spending more than 12 hours a day in front of some kind of screen. Feeling stressed? Want to unplug? Looking for a way to be more productive while still having more time off and removing yourself from "the grind." There are no "hacks" here or trendy new shortcuts, just solid advice and easy to implement practices. Start your work week with Rob Krecak's episode.

COPreneurs should be well versed in the practice of thinking ahead. ...should. Do you know where you want to be in a year? Two? Five? Do you eventually want to exit your company? Are you putting the things in place NOW that you'll need in order to make that happen? Or are your SOPs, your strategies, and your company roles only pointed to the present? Worse, are they trying to catch up to where you currently are? Don't wait until it happens, start acting on what is to come. This episode pairs well with episode 105.

Do you feel like you have all the energy of a dead battery? Feel like you're missing out on all the fun things in life that you used to enjoy? Has your self identity been the same thing as your job description for so long that you don't even remember being anyone or anything else? Well stop that, it isn't healthy. As our guest today, Heather Hansen O'Neill, explains, diversity of thought is what leads to the exponential growth that uncovers the things we were supposed to know all along. Find your inner fire, renew passions, and be more than just a job description.

Ah, the government. There is nothing more steady than a government gig, and nothing more permanent than a temporary government program. Right? Steven Lentz had quite a different experience when he joined, re-joined, and later re-re-joined the fire department only to leave, again, shortly later and go full time with his marketing agency.

When Brenden didn't go out for sports in college, his "nerd club" was presented with the nail-biting choice between hoisting a rock onto a pedestal to be their leader... or choosing him. Brenden went on to become a great leader, great communicator, and started his own YouTube channel to help others. THEN, he founded MasterTalk and began getting handsomely paid to help executives and entrepreneurs overcome fears and faults concerning communication. Today, Brenden joins us and helps break down public speaking and uncomfortable communications by using mangos, toilet paper, and learning to juggle.

Businesses run into problems in three areas. Catastrophe, Ignorance, and Ineptitude. So can you really prevent what what you can’t control, aren’t aware of, and can’t handle? Do the secrets learned in the bygone days of libraries and card catalogs and microfilm still apply today? It turns out they do indeed, and you’ve probably already been gaining experience in recognizing them throughout your LE career. It really comes down to recognizing patterns and being able to P.A.C.E. yourself when needed.

Hey. *pause for effect* How you doin'? Don't let the title fool you, this week's episode won't get you sent to HR. You not ACTUALLY dating your clients. But the parallels between business and dating are frequently heavily ignored. Pretty might get attention but it doesn't sell. The only way your business grows is when relationships grow.

All things considered, the reality of life as a fighter pilot isn't that much different than that of a cop. For every lap Luke Layman made around the desert at 40,000 feet, we made a lap or two around the city. There were moments of great excitement and hours of "meh", with a public perception that has plenty of Hollywood sprinkled in.  Did that crush a dream or two? Sorry. Luke also says you can't be your own boss, so he's likely to step on some feelings if you stick around.  That said, we HIGHLY encourage you to stick around for some of the purest words of wisdom and insight ever delivered on our show. 

One of the most important things any business can have is control of their online presence. No matter how rigid you want to be on your views of technology in general or the internet specifically, in order to run a business in the current year, you MUST have a website. Simply put, your business WILL ALWAYS HAVE an online presence. And if you're not the one controlling it, Google will take the liberty of filling out the details of your digital space with what it thinks is the best fit. Do you have the knowledge to run this efficiently yourself? Do you know if your site should be the foundation of all that you do online? Do you know how and why your website is like a crockpot? Which is better, less... or more? Less or more of what? Exactly. You NEED to listen to this episode.

You did it! You've finally reached the end! We promise this will be the last Best of Show marathon we ever do. Hopefully this has been helpful for new listeners wondering where to start or how to get caught up, as well as established listeners who might not have ever revisited some of this content since it first came out. Thank you again to all of our awesome guests and amazing fans!

With the end of memory lane in sight, we've had a hard time in the editing room. Our guests have been amazing, and creating a "Best of Show" has proven to be a little harder than we anticipated. As we head into the final months of the year, we hope revisiting the older episodes can be just as refreshing and motivating for you as it has been for us.

Don't mind us, we're just looking over our old photos and smiling like fools at the journey that brought us here. We're not quite ready to tell you to write a book again (But, have you considered it yet? We've done probably 6 episodes about it.) but we're not saying we're above that either. Instead, this episode is looking back at financial freedom, the entrepreneurial mindset, skill stacking, and how to optimize your website.

Starting this podcast, we never dreamed that it would take off the way it has. We've seen guests turn into repeat guests, or better yet, close friends. We've gained much more knowledge than we could ever hope to have imparted (though we do hope we pass it on!), and Seen opportunities arise at home and abroad. As a fun trip down memory lane, and to give some of our more memorable guests extra air time, we decided to revisit the entirety of the series over the course of the next few episodes as we finish gearing up for Season 3. Thank you guys, gals, and COPreneurs for making this possible.

When you've been doing the same thing over and over and over again for 21 years you get options. You can get really good at that thing. You can start to not like it anymore. You can analyze it in ways it has never been analyzed before and pick it apart. You can look for ways to make it better. Jason Louis may have done just that. After spending a significant amount of time training other officers, Jason took his gripe sheet and turned it into a to-do list. He started working on changing law enforcement training in a way that most haven't ever seen before, and founded The Briefing Room. Rather than the same cherry picked scenarios and 4,000 slide death-by-PowerPoint, The Briefing Room creates clear, concise videos that stay front of mind and encourage mental exercises and discussion. Did we mention that he did all this while still working nights at the S.O.?

Backlinks and schema and alt tags oh my! Do you know what things on your site are impacting your ranking on search engines? Do you know what things you can fix yourself? What things you should hire out? Did you know some of the most dramatic things you can do to rank better have nothing to do with having more people talking about your site? Brandon Leibowitz joins the conversation to help you make sense of all the tech talk.

Are there really only 5 principles that will drive your business and 5x it in 5 years? Quite possibly. Are they as simple to define as the Rule of 26? Unfortunately no. Rather than adding his two cents and giving you "another tool for the toolbox" Steve Preda breaks it down and makes it easy to understand. Without giving too much away, start with why. Always start with why.

Ryan works at a busy firehouse, runs a marketing company, runs an awesome charity for kids, AND still has time to be a husband and father. He swears this is due to his strict adherence to his calendar but we secretly suspect cloning.

Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary, Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore— While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping, As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door. “’Tis Mike Capuzzi,” I muttered, “tapping at my chamber door. Only this and nothing more.” Mis-quoth the Raven, "Just one more!" We're back, and we're talking about BOOKS! Short Books! #SHOOKS