Paul Benigeri recently had his company go through a name and brand change, and now they're called Archive. Their focus is to blend automation, artificial intelligence and relationship building, to help people grow their brand on Instagram through nano-influencers. We get into some cool stuff in this episode, and dig into Paul's journey as an entrepreneur. Find more about Archive by going to archive.ai 

Kuda's cookie company called Nunbelievable is a philanthropic venture designed to help fight hunger, especially in his home country of Zimbabwe. At around 6 years old, his area suffered severe drought, and he experienced food insecurity. So, he grew up never wanting anyone--especially kids--suffering the same way. He's on his path to fix that problem now. Next time you have a cookie of any kind, remember Kuda's mission. And, find out more about his journey by going to spearmethod.com. 

Guest Antoan Rusinov has a couple interesting things going on. First, he's the founder of the company Levels Up, but he also has another company called You Lead Brand, where he not only helps small business get their marketing message right, but also created a board game about business strategy. Check him out at https://www.facebook.com/youleadbrand and https://www.instagram.com/youleadbrand. 

Today's guest is Jane Tabachnick, Founder of Simply Good Press. She shares with me how she describes herself as a 'recovering fashion designer' who realized the power that public relations had on her career. With strategy and a little bit of elbow grease, she found herself getting opportunities to talk with big people in the fashion space, who by then had already heard of her. She loved that aspect of the work so much that she pivoted to do that full time. Now she's helping her clients get a lot more visibility. In her career she struggled with figuring out a business model and how to get recurring revenue--which is a challenge for a lot of us too--but she's figuring it out. Constantly surrounding herself with people who have been further down the path of entrepreneurship has helped her tremendously, and it goes right in line with her advice at the end of the episode. Find Jane at simplygoodpress.com, and while you're there take her fun and free assessment to see how visible YOU are. Episode's already going, let's jump in now. 

Got introduced to today's guest by a mutual friend and former podcast guest. Dr. Denise Dennis is a marketing automation guru who started her company Action Accelerated after a surge of people kept asking her about her process and how she gets webinars set up. From there it's become a series of projects helping fellow coaches automate big chunks of their process, so they can free up more time and help more people. There's always some way to get a little more efficient and start getting a return on your time investment, especially if coaches are feeling overwhelmed. She shares with me what the journey's been like, what she's learned about herself and some principles of building the know/like/trust factor using some established tools. Dr. Denise has a heart to serve others, and has some free resources out at automate25things.com where you can find what 25 things you should automate in your process. Or reach out to her by visiting her website, drdenisedennis.com. If you're a business or leadership coach feeling like you're chasing your tail and not making much progress, might be time to get some automation in place somewhere. Let's listen in now. 

Today's guest is an energetic lady who got her start in marketing years ago, and found her calling later in cake decorating of all things. It's actually another way for her to exercise her eye for design that she's refined over the years. Amber Comadira-Smith is the founder of Commie's Cupcakes, an exclusive cake decorating boutique located in Australia, and she spends her days crafting amazing work that's good enough you might not want to eat it. But you should because, well, you paid for it and that's what cakes and cupcakes are for. In this episode we talk about what it was that made her go that direction, and the struggles she had starting up her new dream, learning about leveraging social media and treating the business like a business instead of a hobby. There are a lot of sweet angles to the conversation that entrepreneurs of any experience level would learn a lot from. After listening, check out her amazing website over at commiescupcakes.com, or follow her on Instagram @commies.cupcakes. Conversation's already baking now, come on in. 

Turns out today's guest and I have a ton in common! We met on Matchmaker and after reading her bio and getting to know her a little bit I said: girl, you're in. Nelly Yusupova is a Startup Tech Advisor, helping leaders understand how to manage their technical teams, without going Full Nerd. She helps companies build out their apps and get their products to market quickly, but she flips the script on how to go about that. Rather than let companies sling their idea out and then try to find customers, she helps them do the market research first and determine if the idea is even viable. And you can believe it, an idea that's shot down is much better than spending thousands or millions of investor funds on something that just wouldn't work. Nelly's poised to help lots of companies figure out how to pull off their dreams on time and under budget. Find more about her at techspeakforentrepreneurs.com, where she hosts free classes every Wednesday, and you can learn the Lean way to build products. Or find her under the handle @digitalwoman all over social media. Let's jump in. 

Jas Rawlinson and I got introduced by a mutual friend recently, and after hearing a bit of her story I was like, 'hey you gotta get on this podcast please'. One of the most frustrating things as an entrepreneur is seeing everybody on social media seemingly having it together. Making six figures, posing next to a lambo and living the life--and yet we don't know about the blood, sweat and tears that went into what looks like an overnight success. Spoiler alert: it wasn't. There's almost a fake kind of impostor syndrome that happens when we're exposed to too much of this manufactured success, which we dig into in this episode. Jas' mission in life is to help people share their own story and use it as a way to build their own business. Leveraging the idea of the 'know, like and trust' factor, sharing your own story is a sure way to get the kind of business that will last you for your entrepreneur journey. Listen in to hear her story about her original plan, how the pandemic made it go bonk, and how she recovered. She's doing some cool stuff these days. If you need help sharing your story, writing a book, getting a handle on public speaking or getting yourself out there, find her at jasrawlinson.com. Let's get going. 

Terry McDougall and I met up on Matchmaker, where she filled me in on all the different aspects of her coaching business. Starting her new thing up in 2017, she's carved out a unique niche of helping executives and career seekers figure out how to lead well, and what fits best in their life, respectively. She's always down to mentor her staff, and has a history of lifting others up. Listen for tips about what entrepreneurship really takes (and here's a hint: it's not for sissies!), dealing with the emotional flood that comes with starting up a business, balancing instability with stability, and more at the end. Find her at terrybmcdougall.com, or on LinkedIn too, and also check out Amazon for her book called: Winning the Game of Work. Let's get started now. 

Second-time guest Noah Pusey joins me today to catch up about what he's got going on with Ripple. Last time we talked it was clear that there's a big problem with how most companies handle performance reviews. If you've ever worked at a place where there's a week-long yearly review that leaves you feeling stressed: that's exactly what Noah and his team are working to do away with. There's so much wasted time and reactive changes when you only find out about problems a year later, and the result is a pretty stressful work environment. In catching up, we talk about what we've learned in the past year, how we've grown and what new goals are on the horizon. Got a lot of great tips for you if you're just starting out or are pretty far on your entrepreneurial journey. If you're wondering if your yearly performance review is working for you, why not take Ripple for a test drive? Head over to ripplecrew.com and see how it works. Let's get started with the show. 

A good friend of mine got me introduced to today's guest, and after hearing what he's got going on, I'm sold on the mission. Robert Hall is the founder of So-B and he's answering the call to improve lip health for everyone. Every year 45 million suffer from ailments causing unsightly lip health, and growing up it affected him in a negative way. He shared with me how he started the company in October 2020 and what the journey's been like. Many of the lessons he's learned center around actively listening to customers, and finding out ways to fold in suggestions from a small segment of those customers. The real treasure, and a great way to improve your offering, is figuring out the best blend of all the data to create a wonderful experience across the whole customer base. Not many companies do this on purpose, because it's hard, but the road less travelled is the most rewarding. Find more about Robert on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn by searching for 'sobliphealth'. Enjoy the listen. 

Kate and Natasha Trusova crossed paths with my wife Charlotte and I recently with our company Exactly Zero. They founded their company Kiwi Eco Box in April of 2020, right in the heat of the pandemic. It's a company whose mission is to help people adopt the zero-waste lifestyle easily, by providing a monthly subscription to receive a variety of these kinds of products at their door, sourced from all over the US. Based in Austin Texas, they saw a prime opportunity to start a company even though it was during the pandemic, because they noticed a big uptick in purchases of things that create a lot of wasteful packaging. The timing was perfect, and they're quickly growing into a company that can make a big environmental impact on the world. If you're interested in learning more about the zero waste movement, check out kiwiecobox on Instagram, kiwiecobox.com and their online store at kiwiecoshop.com. Enjoy the listen. 

Fellow entrepreneur, and also entrepreneur coach Purdeep Sangha joins me today to talk about his journey on the entrepreneurial path. He's learned a lot about balancing altruism with business, and why it's not terrible to raise your prices. It felt weird for him the first time he did it, but the client still said yes anyway. Making the mental switch to value-based pricing is a big part of how a business makes it in this world. There's plenty of mindset involved in it, and today's episode will help you learn more about his unique approach to helping businesses help themselves. If you're just starting on your own entrepreneurial journey--or you've been on it for awhile and could learn something new--listen into this episode. Afterward, get to know Purdeep by by visiting his site purdeepsangha.com or email him at team@purdeepsangha.com. 

'Yo dog, I heard you like startups, so I made you a startup that helps startups startup' Reuse of an old meme here, and I'm pretty sure that's the idea that today's guest John Bunting had when founding Beeso Studios. It's a startup studio, and they partner with up and coming companies who want to scale and need guidance and many hands to help make light work. John's a pretty laid back guy but has really seen some stuff as he continues on his entrepreneurial path. He absolutely loves what he's doing and is eager to help as many viable companies as possible make it in this chaotic world we live in. If you're a startup wondering if you have what it takes, John and his team of experts will tell you. And they'll help you every step of the way. Get in contact with him by going to beeso.io, and he'll take it from there. Let's jump into the show now. 

Lee Chambers is the founder of Essentialise, where he provides top notch service for fellow entrepreneurs who are trying to figure out what's holding them back in business. But before that? He ran a video game company. There were some big things that happened in his life that gave him the fuel to start Essentialise, and helped him realize he had a lot to give to the world. Entrepreneurs all over struggle with the idea of keeping their identity free from the business, while still delegating and creating something self-sustaining. But it is NOT easy, and having someone like Lee on your side is a wise move. We're unpacking a lot of cool stuff here, and if you're an owner listening in, there are some things that will resonate. After the show, if you'd like to chat with Lee and see how he can help, head over to essentialise.co.uk, or to his personal page at leechambers.org. Let's listen in now. 

It's not often that we look back on our entrepreneurial heritage and know why it is we have the spark to start a business. But today's guest knows exactly what, and who, put that spark in her. Hanieh Sigari shared an amazing story about how growing up in Iran, her mother was incredibly influential. After nearly being executed, her mother was presented with an opportunity to help girls get back on their feet, and make a living after being taught a skill. The Iran-Iraq war happening soon after gave them plenty to work on, and each girl was paid for their work. Hanieh's mother was able to influence the lives of hundreds of girls and help them live by the work of their own hands. And that's what clinched it. Today, Hanieh is a serial entrepreneur, having started multiple ventures and taking what she's learned from each, to create a sizable enterprise focused on high grade and customized skin care. Qyral is the culmination of all the influence she's had from as far back as a young girl in Iran. What a cool mom, and what a cool story! Find more about Hanieh and Qyral by visiting qyral.com, qyralskincare on Instagram, or emailing her directly at hanieh@qyral.com. You're gonna love this story happening right now. 

Talking with Matt Rosenthal today about his journey, and how he got started in entrepreneurship was a treat, because he's a huge nerd just like me! He shared how originally he was going to start in the criminal justice space, but had some events happen in life that got him in the path of some key people, and he ended up falling into IT. Happens more that you might think. Later he started up a side gig that his employer found out about, and decided to 'fire himself' and go full bore into the side business. Fast forward a few years, and he's built it into a multimillion dollar enterprise. He's figured out the key to balancing life, and really making yourself and information redundant--two things that seem counterintuitive but really go a long way toward building a scalable business. There's a lot that fellow entrepreneurs can learn from this conversation. Find Matt online on LinkedIn, their website at mind-core.com and on Youtube as well. Also be watching for a new podcast starting up called 'Digging In' hosted by his company. Let's jump into the conversation now. 

Jumping into the conversation, we right away started talking about cryptocurrency, precious metals, psychology and all kinds of other topics, all before I learned how to pronounce this guest's name! Nicholas Prouten and I talked about the project he's creating called Lode, and modernizing precious metals for the modern world. There's a huge movement to return to that standard because of the inherent allure of the metals, but how we buy, sell and trade has gotten a bit ancient. It's time for a facelift. We're talking about the value of money, investing in assets, and what it takes to get people on board with high tech currency that you find in cryptocurrency. Find out more about his mission to make crypto and precious metals investments mainstream at lodepay.com or lode.one. Get ready to learn some cool stuff. 

He's a civil engineer by day, and a Youtube video producer by night. Sidd Masand is the brains behind the Rock and Roll True Stories channel on Youtube, and hearing his story is a great example of human spirit in action. The financial crash in 2008 and 2009 and a lot of extra work stress made him realize he really wanted to reclaim his freedom and passion for work. So he started up a Youtube channel. And it's ended up being a pretty good revenue stream. The biggest piece of advice he has is, find a niche and go all in. It takes a lot of bravery to do that, but if you go that direction it'll pay off huge. And you won't wear yourself out trying to be all things to all people. If you want to hear more about the stories this chill Canadian is putting together, search for Rock and Roll True Stories to track down his channel. Let's jump into the conversation now. 

I met fellow podcast host Laurent not too long ago and learned about his venture as a business coach. Turns out he and I have a ton in common. During the episode I asked him some key questions about major challenges he'd faced, and was honestly floored how similar his challenges were to mine. If you're a frequent listener to this podcast, you already know that building a business is probably one of the hardest things you'll ever undertake. It's comforting knowing I'm not the only one who ugly cries once in awhile! Laurent decided on business coaching because again and again, he kept running into situations where he was foisted into an entrepreneurial role and made to figure things out. And he kept succeeding enough that he decided to become an actual entrepreneur, and help his fellows on the journey. The title of this episode is, 'In the Middle of a Challenge, There is Opportunity', which is his life motto. And it's good enough I might make it mine too. He's got some great tips today, and if you want to reach out to him, head over to his website at laurentnotin.com or find him on LinkedIn. Let's join in now