Franklin Taggart's Virtual Coffee Break

I was reminded today of one of my favorite podcast interviews. Bronwyn Jane is an intuitive and medium who shares life insights and messages with people that come to her through her intuitive senses.  In this segment, we talk about the difficulty some people experience when accepting payment for using their gifts. Bronwyn shares her experience of learning to acknowledge the value of what she...

From a struggling single mom to escaping a 13-year narcissistic abusive relationship, Sabrina’s tenacity and optimistic spirit have inspired fans worldwide and helped endless amounts of people break through and discover their own untapped talents and immense potential. Now, creator and CEO of Human Better 365, a human transformation company, creator of the Her Version Podcast, and founder of the S...

Celebrating my son's birthday and my wife's return home from three weeks away today. Seeing my son at seventeen and remembering myself at that age is the fodder for today's Coffee Break. Like father, like son is not a very accurate prediction. Bodhi is so far ahead of where I was at his age. I was a timid, socially awkward kid who tried to make up for my insecurities by showing off and other displ...

When I was 46 I thought I was going to die. My organs were failing. My right lung was compressed and scarred by fluid. I had congestive heart failure, and I wasn't sure I'd live much longer. In the midst of that time, my experience of hope shifted dramatically. Up until then I always had a sense that I had plenty of time to do the things I wanted, and pursue my dreams. But when I started to get se...

A few weeks ago I interviewed Michael Roderick, an impresario and media maker who I've grown to admire and appreciate. He sends out almost daily emails featuring his thinking on certain topics, and one of his recent messages really struck me. The title was Why a Lot of "Hits" Miss. While we creators like to think we're making something everyone in the world will need and appreciate, the decision i...

I was asked today about my greatest concerns for the future. Climate change is obvious and urgent, but there's another future concern I have that is equally urgent. Artificial Intelligence. In recent weeks, we've all seen some of the new capabilities of artificial intelligence to both create interesting images (Lensa), and to respond accurately in conversations with humans to answer increasingly c...

It feels like the level of burnout around webinars, summits, courses, workshops, funnels, and many other popular marketing tactics is only increasing. Now the workshops are all coming with titles like, A Workshop for People Who Hate Workshops. In this Coffee Break, Franklin Taggart makes the suggestion that there may be room for a return to more informal gatherings in which conversations can go de...

I create a new business model every year. In most years, it shows up well before now. This year it's late.= Your business isn't set in stone. It's a live organism that adjusts to different circumstances and developments. That's normal. If you're looking for a sounding board for your next year in business, consider scheduling a Best Next Step coaching session at https://bit.ly/BestNextStepCall #pla...

We all have beliefs and behaviors we carry through our lives that can become saboteurs in certain situations. These internal saboteurs can be problematic when they keep people from reaching important goals and outcomes, and they can infect teams with defensiveness and mistrust, eroding relationships as they go. Our favorite organizational psychologist, Dr. Joanie Connell is back to give us some in...

I drive vehicles until they can no longer be driven. I've had a 2000 Ford van in my driveway that hasn't been started in over a year. I could sell it for parts, but finding a buyer takes time and energy I don't have right now, so what to do? Vehicles for Charity makes that a no-brainer. I filled out an online form, received a confirmation call the next morning, scheduled the tow, and had the title...

A few weeks ago, I rearranged my office space to accommodate more musical recording. I'm in a pretty small room, so anything I can do to utilize space more efficiently is a tremendous help. I also have a difficult time sorting and giving things away or selling them. I have a 2000 Ford van sitting in the driveway that hasn't run in over a year and it's been waiting for me to just decide where it go...

Many years ago, I was working with a spiritual teacher who challenged pretty much everything I said.  All the beliefs I grew up with and my biases were fair game. This deconstruction didn't happen in a violent or abusive way; in fact, there was a gentleness in how it was carried out that I appreciate to this day. This morning's inspiring conversation brought that situation to mind again. Our...

One of the recent books I've read with my book pal is The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why It Matters, by Priya Parker. This beautifully written book guides the reader through some insights and suggestions for elevating our common custom of gathering together to the level of art. I'm adding it to my list of recommended reading. https://amzn.to/3Uzn5sG (affiliate link) I also wanted to mention...

In the past few years, my participation on Facebook and other social media platforms has shifted from content creation and sharing to more group participation and looking for opportunities for discussion, service, and meaningful interaction. This has been liberating. In the old model, I'd spend hours creating content to share, hoping it would reach enough people and stimulate enough likes and shar...

One week after the 9/11 attacks, I released my first and only music CD, Falling All The Way. I had hoped that would launch some of my best musical years. Life had other plans. Today, we're remembering our daughter Sarah Grace who was born 19 years ago. After ten miraculous days with us, she departed for the great beyond and we were left to pick up the pieces. That was just the beginning. This year...

As a solopreneur consultant, Reuben Swartz found that the learning curve and the frustration he experienced trying to adapt off-the-shelf enterprise customer relationship management software made his marketing and selling experience much less than enjoyable. As he started to put together tools of his own to track and manage his customer relationships, he started to look forward to his sales calls,...

I had an email exchange with a good friend today on the topic of "enough." She wondered if the concept of enough could be applied to things like to-do lists, marketing activities, networking, and other aspects of career and business.  While we may feel overwhelmed by these things, I have started to view these as evidence of abundance instead of as a nuisance or obstacle. Honestly, if they wer...

Sometimes I review copy and messaging for people's social media, email campaigns, and sales pages to see where they make strong connections and where they don't. One place I see them struggle sometimes is when they're offering a program to people who have already surpassed the place where the offering was necessary, and they have a new set of needs and challenges. As a result of this, the messagin...

I've interviewed over 150 podcast guests and been a guest on a few dozen. Most of the people I've interviewed have been stellar, but occasionally I have people on the show who don't turn out so great. This episode answers the FAQ - How can I be a great podcast guest? I keep forgetting that common sense isn't common, so some of these things will seem like 'duh' moments for some of you. If that's th...

Several years ago, I offered a workshop called Why People Don't Buy. I may resurrect it because I'm hearing that question quite a bit from some people I know. Some reasons are obvious - not the right time, not enough money, someone else sells it for less - but the reasons I really wanted to explore were the ones from people who had engaged with the message long enough to get to the point of sale b...

If you want to save a ton of money as an entrepreneur, I have one suggestion. Learn how to sell. Don't just read the book. Practice selling. Practice until you feel as natural in a sales role as when you're having a casual conversation with a friend. Why? Because many of the people I've coached have spent tens of thousands of dollars on things they think will do the selling for them, but those thi...

Anyone who's followed me for a long time knows I teach people how to market their business by delivering valuable and memorable experiences. Last week, I welcomed Cat Stancik back to Your Own Best Company for a discussion of something she's been developing called Fireworks Experiences. After our interview, I attended her Fireworks Experience Workshop. This two-hour crash course will help you ident...

A morning phone call scuttles all but one of my plans today. I had a good time this morning on the Are You Waiting for Permission Pod-a-Thon with Meridith Grundei and Joseph Bennett. They made it the full twelve hours. It's the longest podcast episode I've ever been a part of, but I on;y had to show up for a small part of it. While I was on the podcast, my wife got a call about a family emergency...

The team is back together for a deep dive into the topic of deep work. The trigger for this conversation is this article Audrey found citing a study that suggested quiet quitting is directly related to the difficulty people have getting their work done. https://www.fastcompany.com/90801721/this-one-overlooked-factor-is-contributing-more-to-burnout-than-any-other This special Thanksgiving Day editi...

Black Friday is one of the worst ideas ever to flow from the mind of humanity. Fill large buildings to capacity with humans who are experiencing various levels of FOMO, scarcity, the urgency of impending holidays, etc. Then offer extreme deals on limited supplies and watch them fight about it. And if you really want to make it happen, start a day early on a holiday that everyone used to take off t...