Optimal Work Daily - Career, Productivity and Entrepreneurship

Derek Sivers shares two short posts about the downsides of giving customers too many options and the advantage of no funding Episode 435: Customers Given Too Many Choices are 10x Less Likely to Buy AND The Advantage of No Funding by Derek Sivers Originally a professional musician and circus clown, Derek Sivers created CD Baby in 1998. It became the largest seller of independent music online, with...

Christine Comaford tells you the 4 ways that you're crushing your team's culture Episode 434: Why Your Team Doesn’t Care: The 4 Ways You’re Crushing Your Culture by Christine Comaford of Smart Tribes Institute Christine Comaford is a Leadership and Culture Coach who specializes in applied neuroscience, which helps her clients achieve tremendous results in record time. She is a human behavior exper...

Seth Godin talks about marketing to the bottom of the pyramid Episode 433: Marketing to the Bottom of the Pyramid by Seth Godin on Market Inefficiency & Capitalism Seth is an entrepreneur, best-selling author, and speaker. In addition to launching one of the most popular blogs in the world, he has written 19 best-selling books, including The Dip, Linchpin, Purple Cow, Tribes, and What To Do When I...

Erin Blaskie tells you how to build brand credibility with the "halo effect" Episode 432: Build Brand Credibility with the “Halo Effect” by Erin Blaskie on Psychology of Learning & Marketing Erin Blaskie has helped numerous businesses come online, establish their web presence and create community. Erin’s primary expertise is in creating solid systems and processes for businesses but she also leads...

James Altucher shares the 5 biggest assumptions he's made about business. This is part 2 of 2. Episode 431: [Part 2] The 5 Biggest Assumptions I’ve Made About Business by James Altucher on Taking Entrepreneurial Risks James Altucher is an American hedge fund manager, entrepreneur, bestselling author, and podcaster. He has founded or cofounded more than 20 companies and says he failed at 17 of them...

James Altucher shares the 5 biggest assumptions he's made about business. This is part 1 of 2. Episode 430: [Part 1] The 5 Biggest Assumptions I’ve Made About Business by James Altucher on Taking Entrepreneurial Risks James Altucher is an American hedge fund manager, entrepreneur, bestselling author, and podcaster. He has founded or cofounded more than 20 companies and says he failed at 17 of them...

Arthur Worsley of The Art of Living talks about Hofstadter's Law and how to hack it Episode 429: Hofstadter’s Law: Why It’s A Pain In My Butt (And 5 Ways To Hack It) by Arthur Worsley of The Art of Living Arthur believes that everyone deserves a chance at a long, happy, prosperous life. Of course, that's easier said than done. Some levers to get there are hard to pull. Others may always be impossi...

Philip Taylor of PT Money shares tips for running a successful Kickstarter campaign Episode 428: Kickstarter Tips: Secrets to Running a Successful Kickstarter Campaign by Philip Taylor of PT Money PTMoney.com is about helping you make extra money, save more money, and spend your money wisely--all in an effort to help you fix your finances so you can build the life you want. It was started by Phili...

Ryan Hoover talks about how nostalgia is a product designer's secret weapon Episode 427: Nostalgia: A Product Designer’s Secret Weapon by Ryan Hoover on Marketing Lessons & Techniques Ryan Hoover, the founder of Product Hunt, is a product guy with a passion for startups, product design, and personal growth. He also created Startup Edition, worked as an EIR at Tradecraft, and was the Director of Pr...

Joshua Becker of Becoming Minimalist talks about the possibilities of a decluttered writing space Episode 426: The Possibilities of a Decluttered Writing Space by Joshua Becker of Becoming Minimalist on Work Productivity Hacks Joshua Becker and his family decided to live with fewer possessions after a conversation with his neighbor in 2008. As a result, they found a better way to live, centered on...

Brandon Clements of Goins Writer shares a complete guide to self-publishing a book that doesn't suck Episode 425: The Complete Guide to Self-Publishing a Book That Doesn’t Suck by Brandon Clements with Goins Writer Jeff Goins is the best-selling author of five books including The Art of Work and Real Artists Don't Starve. On his blog, he shares his thoughts on writing, life, and creative work. The...

Cal Newport talks about the e-mail productivity curve Episode 424: The E-Mail Productivity Curve by Cal Newport of Study Hacks on Being Consistently Productive & Email Inbox Zero Cal Newport is an Associate Professor of Computer Science at Georgetown University, who specializes in the theory of distributed algorithms. He previously earned his Ph. D. from MIT in 2009 and graduated from Dartmouth Co...

Jen Hayes tells you 4 secrets to mastering affiliate marketing with a small blog Episode 423: 4 Secrets to Mastering Affiliate Marketing With a Small Blog by Jen Hayes on Making Money Online A few years ago, Jen and her husband were buried in $117,000 of student loan debt. Now, they've paid off over $100k of debt, and they're on track to have the rest paid off by the end of this year. Join their e...

Michael Mehlberg helps you 10x your success rate with a monthly planning process Episode 422: 10X Your Success Rate With This Monthly Planning Process by Michael Mehlberg on Productivity & Getting Things Done Michael Mehlberg is an entrepreneur and certified agile project manager who specializes in productivity and organization systems. His blog has been called "The Owners Manual to an Awesome Lif...

Kate Erickson of EOFire shares two short posts covering podcasting strategies and the risks of self-comparison Episode 421: Podcasting Strategies for Speakers and Experts AND What Happens When You Compare Yourself To Others by Kate Erickson John Lee Dumas is the founder and host of Entrepreneurs On Fire, an award winning podcast where he interviews inspiring Entrepreneurs every Monday and drops va...

Karl Staib shares 7 powerful techniques to turn your career dreams into reality Episode 420: 7 Powerful Techniques to Turn Your Career Dreams into Reality by Karl Staib of Dig To Fly on Inner Dialog Karl Staib is an author that seeks out growth at every turn. It's why he writes. He wants to process his thoughts and emotions, learn from them and share them with the world. He grew up in a little tow...

Margo Aaron of That Seems Important questions whether or not you should use clickbait to get people to read your stuff Episode 419: Should You Use Clickbait to Get People to Read Your Stuff by Margo Aaron of That Seems Important on Marketing Ethic Margo Aaron is a proud graduate of Emory University, Columbia University and altMBA where she won the prestigious Walker Award. In 2017 she founded The...

Nir Eyal and Ciara Byrne of NirAndFar talk about why Slack is so habit-forming Episode 418: The Psychology of a Billion-Dollar Enterprise App: Why is Slack So Habit-Forming by Nir Eyal & Ciara Byrne Nir Eyal writes, consults, and teaches about the intersection of psychology, technology, and business. The M.I.T. Technology Review dubbed Nir, “The Prophet of Habit-Forming Technology.” Nir founded tw...

Steve Chou of My Wife Quit Her Job teaches you how to start a business with no money. This is part 2 of 2. Episode 417: [Part 2] How To Start A Business With No Money - Here’s Exactly What I’d Do by Steve Chou of MyWifeQuitHerJob Steve Chou of My Wife Quit Her Job carries both a bachelors and a masters degree in electrical engineering from Stanford University, but spent a good portion of his gradu...

Steve Chou of My Wife Quit Her Job teaches you how to start a business with no money. This is part 1 of 2. Episode 416: [Part 1] How To Start A Business With No Money - Here’s Exactly What I’d Do by Steve Chou of MyWifeQuitHerJob Steve Chou of My Wife Quit Her Job carries both a bachelors and a masters degree in electrical engineering from Stanford University, but spent a good portion of his gradu...

Douglas Lang with Altris shares two short articles covering how to make an impact and how to spot coachable moments Episode 415: Making an Impact AND Spotting Coachable Moments by Douglas Lang with Altris on Improving Work Culture Altris has a range of specialised Leadership Development and Executive Coaching solutions. They believe that each leader, team and organisation is unique and therefore t...

Christine Comaford tells you how to make your financing pitch sizzle Episode 414: Make Your Financing Pitch Sizzle by Christine Comaford of Smart Tribes Institute on Entrepreneurship Funding  Christine Comaford is a Leadership and Culture Coach who specializes in applied neuroscience, which helps her clients achieve tremendous results in record time. She is a human behavior expert, a leadership co...

Tynan tells you how to plow through work and still produce quality Episode 413: How to Plow Through Work and Still Produce Quality by Tynan on Breaking Down Big Projects Tynan was named as one of the top 25 best bloggers in 2013 by Time Magazine. He believes in making deliberate decisions and breaking away from the herd mentality. He likes learning new things, building habits, exposing the world,...

Shankar Ganesh with Neil Patel shares 8 fresh customer service ideas worth stealing Episode 412: 8 Fresh Customer Service Ideas Worth Stealing by Shankar Ganesh with Neil Patel on Business Loyalty Neil Patel is a New York Times Bestselling author. The Wall Street Journal calls him a top influencer on the web, Forbes says he is one of the top 10 marketers, and Entrepreneur Magazine says he created...

Dr. Jeff Cornwall shares two short posts about honesty making you stronger and why you shouldn't launch just because you have a new idea Episode 411: Just Because Nobody is Doing it is Not a Reason to Launch AND Honesty Makes You Stronger by Dr. Jeff Cornwall Dr. Cornwall has spent more than forty years as a serial entrepreneur and teacher of entrepreneurs. In the 1970’s he started several small b...