Optimal Work Daily - Career, Productivity and Entrepreneurship

Dr. Jeff Cornwall asks if you really need a CFO. Episode 135: Do You Really Need a CFO by Dr. Jeff Cornwall on Entrepreneurial Hiring Decisions Dr. Cornwall has spent more than forty years as a serial entrepreneur and teacher of entrepreneurs. In the 1970’s he started several small businesses and was involved in various family ventures. In the late 1980’s, following several years in academics, Dr....

Chalene Johnson of The Chalene Show shares two short posts about how to quit your job and how to develop a brand. Episode 134: How Do I Quit My Job? AND How to Develop a Brand by Chalene Johnson on Becoming an Influencer Chalene Johnson is a world-renowned motivational speaker with more than 30 years as a health expert. She is a New York Times best-selling author, health and lifestyle expert, and...

Seth Godin discusses the value of customer service. Episode 133: What is Customer Service For by Seth Godin on Creating A Loyal Customer Environment 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 It's Your Turn (...

Paula Pant of Afford Anything reminds you that you always have the power to create a job rather than waiting for one to open up. Episode 132: Stop Crying That There Are No Jobs. Create One. by Paula Pant of Afford Anything on Entrepreneurship & Side Hustles Paula Pant is the founder of the award-winning website AffordAnything.com and a writer and speaker specializing in money, business, and real e...

Derek Sivers tells us why it's all about who you know. Episode 131: It's All Who You Know by Derek Sivers on Networking for Business Success Originally a professional musician and circus clown, Derek Sivers created CD Baby in 1998. It became the largest seller of independent music online, with $100M in sales for 150,000 musicians. In 2008, Derek sold CD Baby for $22M, giving the proceeds to a char...

Margo Aaron of That Seems Important talks about why marketing is so confusing. Episode 130: Why Is Marketing So Confusing by Margo Aaron of That Seems Important on Market Specialization 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 Arena, the first virtual coworking space for solopreneurs. She...

Nick Loper talks about the accidental side hustle that earned him $1185 in 6 weeks. Episode 129: The "Accidental" Side Hustle that Earned Me $1185 in 6 Weeks by Nick Loper of Side Hustle Nation on Networking Nick Loper of Side Hustle Nation is an entrepreneur involved in a variety of projects. He started the website because he believes in the hustle. After all, what’s riskier: starting a business,...

Matt McWilliams with Entrepreneur on Fire talks about starting alone versus building a team. Episode 128: Help - Start Alone, or Build a Team by Matt McWilliams with Entrepreneur on Fire on Hiring vs. Solopreneur 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 value bombs every Thursday. Hi...

Colin Wright of Exile Lifestyle talks about creative triggers. Episode 127: Creative Triggers by Colin Wright of Exile Lifestyle on Entrepreneurship & Creativity Colin Wright is a professional author and international speaker who co-founded a publishing company and travels full-time, moving to a new country every four months or so--that country determined by the votes of his readers! He also blogs...

Steve Pavlina insists that entrepreneurship begins with demand. Episode 126: Entrepreneurship Begins With Demand by Steve Pavlina on How To Start A Business Steve Pavlina is widely recognized as one of the most successful personal development bloggers on the Internet, with his work attracting more than 100 million visits to his website, StevePavlina.com. He has written more than 1300 articles and...

Jeff Goins of Goins Writer tells you how you can make money off your art. Episode 125: How to Make Money Off Your Art: 3 Things You Absolutely Have to Do by Jeff Goins of 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 original post is located here:...

Arman Sadeghi with Money Mini Blog shares 5 reasons why so many entrepreneurs never turn a profit. Episode 124: 5 Reasons Most Entrepreneurs Never Turn a Profit by Arman Sadeghi with MoneyMiniBlog Kalen Bruce is the founder of MoneyMiniBlog. His story is simple… he and his wife were $24,000 in debt and became a student of finances to get out. They are now debt-free and building wealth. Kalen share...

Neil Patel tells you how to improve customer retention. This is part 2 of 2. Episode 123: [Part 2] How to Improve Customer Retention by Neil Patel on Growth Hacking 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 one of the 100 most brilliant co...

Neil Patel tells you how to improve customer retention. This is part 1 of 2. Episode 122: [Part 1] How to Improve Customer Retention by Neil Patel on Growth Hacking 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 one of the 100 most brilliant co...

Steve Chou of My Wife Quit Her Job talks about how to make real money on Pinterest. Episode 121: How To Make Money On Pinterest With An Online Store With Real Numbers To Back It Up by Steve Chou 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 graduate education studying entrepreneur...

Courtney Carver of Be More With Less talks about when your work life is destroying your good life. Episode 120: When Your Work Life is Destroying Your Good Life by Courtney Carver of Be More With Less Courtney Carver was stopped in her tracks with a scary MS diagnosis after decades of debt, discontent, and trying to do it all. She had to slow down, prioritize her health, and figure out what was re...

Isaac Morehouse discusses signals vs. output Episode 119: Signals vs. Output by Isaac Morehouse on Benefits of Remote Work & Telecommuting Isaac Morehouse is the founder and CEO of Praxis, an awesome startup apprenticeship program making degrees irrelevant for careers. He is dedicated to the relentless pursuit of freedom. He's written some books, done some podcasting, and is always experimenting w...

Laura Stack of The Productivity Pro talks about the benefits of having a virtual office. Episode 118: The Virtual Office as a Versatile Business Tool by Laura Stack of The Productivity Pro on Digital Entrepreneurs Laura Stack, MBA, CSP, CPAE is an award-winning keynote speaker, bestselling author, and noted authority on employee and team productivity. She is the president of The Productivity Pro,...

Ramit Sethi tells you how to get responses to important emails. Episode 117: Email Etiquette: How to Get Responses to Your Important Emails by Ramit Sethi of I Will Teach You to be Rich Ramit wants to use money to say YES. He knew there was a better way to live a rich life—if we could use psychology to focus on what actually works. Not just for personal finance, but all aspects of life: money, car...

Michael Mehlberg talks about what you can do to give killer performance reviews. Episode 116: 3 Things You Should Do to Give Killer Performance Reviews by Michael Mehlberg on Managing Employees 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 Life" and helps hi...

Chris Guillebeau shares the real story of how he got started in business. Episode 115: How I Really Got Started in Business by Chris Guillebeau on Entrepreneurship Chris Guillebeau is a New York Times bestselling author and modern-day explorer. He is the author of 5 books and his daily podcast, Side Hustle School, is downloaded more than 2 million times a month. Every summer in Portland, Oregon, C...

Benjamin Hardy talks about how to succeed with people according to the most connected man in business. Episode 114: How To Succeed With People According To The Most Connected Man In Business by Benjamin Hardy Benjamin Hardy has been the top writer on Medium.com since late 2015. He focuses on self-improvement, motivation, and entrepreneurship. His writing is fueled by his personal experiences, self...

Cal Newport of the Study Hacks blog talks about the dangers of constantly seeking passion. Episode 113: The Passion Trap: How the Search for Your Life's Work is Making Your Working Life Miserable by Cal Newport 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...

Elana Miller of Zen Psychiatry talks about doubt. Episode 112: Doubt by Elana Miller of Zen Psychiatry on Overcoming Self-Doubt & Working Hard to Achieve Goals Elana Miller is a psychiatrist based out of Los Angeles, California. She loves to write, read, and make music. Elana received her B.A. in psychology at Harvard University before studying at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of S...

Nir Eyal talks about the differences between you and A-players Episode 111: What A-Players Do That You Don't by Nir Eyal of Nir And Far on Getting Things Done & Achieving Your Goals) 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 two tech companies...