Searching for Mana with Lloyd Wahed

AI is revolutionizing the way entrepreneurs make decisions, solve complex problems, and streamline business operations. Whether you're looking to enhance productivity, gain deep insights, or automate critical processes, AI can be your most powerful tool. In this episode, we explore the best AI-driven strategies and tools that every entrepreneur should leverage to stay ahead in an increasingly comp...

How AI is Transforming Work and Productivity AI is reshaping the business landscape, helping organizations work faster, smarter, and more efficiently. In this episode, we explore how AI-powered tools can streamline workflows, automate repetitive tasks, and free up valuable time for strategic growth. Whether you're an entrepreneur, executive, or team leader, understanding how to implement AI in you...

In this episode of Searching for Mana, host Lloyd Wahed speaks with Frederik Gregaard, CEO of the Cardano Foundation, to delve into the expansive possibilities of blockchain technology and Cardano's unique position in the ecosystem. Discussing Cardano's resilience, decentralised governance, and long-term vision, Gregaard sheds light on how the Foundation's non-profit ethos drives innovation and so...

Stop Guessing—Start Growing with a GAMEplan Too many businesses struggle with vague strategies and inconsistent execution. This episode introduces the GAMEplan—a simple but powerful framework to help you set clear goals, take meaningful actions, track key metrics, and execute with precision. The GAMEplan makes strategic planning practical and effective, helping entrepreneurs, business owners, and...

Every business owner will encounter unpredictable challenges—from market downturns and PR issues to unexpected crises that test leadership and resilience. The key to navigating uncertainty is effective crisis management. In this episode, we explore the mindset, communication strategies, and decision-making skills necessary to lead a business through high-pressure situations. Learn how to stay comp...

When business gives you lemons, make lemonade.  This week, Matt was sick and Chris was dealing with a technical emergency. Matt and Chris are real-life business owners, and sometimes crises happen.  We'll be back with you next week with another long podcast, but we thank you for your listenership. We're excited to grow this podcast into something great, even despite weeks like this.  PS -  Coach S...

Are you a business owner feeling overwhelmed by the daily chaos? Do you dream of scaling your business but feel stuck in the weeds? In this episode of Build Your Business, we dive deep into the power of systems and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to transform your business from a chaotic mess to a well-oiled machine.  From Chaos to Control - The Power of Systems in Business Even the simplest...

Conquer distractions, unlock focus, and discover the transformative power of deep work for business owners and entrepreneurs. Learn practical strategies to cultivate focus, eliminate distractions, and build effective routines for maximizing productivity and achieving sustainable success. This is a must-listen for anyone drowning in urgency, struggling to complete their to do lists and achieve thei...

Time is your most precious resource. You can make more money and you can work harder, but you cannot make more time. We all have 24 hours in a day and we all have a finite amount of days to live (we will die). Make the most of your time, and learn how to leverage effort and money to open up as much time as possible in your life.  Time Is Your Most Precious Resource: Can't Create More You have thre...

When Work is Your Passion, Work Feels Like Play You spend a lot of life at work. If you're an entrepreneur, unless you plan to fail, you will spend more than most people at it.  Don't do something you hate. Don't blindly do something you think you love.  As you practice something, you tend to love it over time. You will not know unless you expose yourself to different things and pursue them with s...

Core values serve as guiding principles that help individuals and organizations make decisions aligned with their highest ideals. They are incredibly important, and should not be posted on the wall and forgotten, but known by all and followed by all. Core values must be reflected in the company culture, hiring process, and leadership.  Why Core Values Matter: Core values define the highest ideals...

Be a person of action and officially start your business today with these easy steps:  File articles of organization Obtain an EIN Open a business bank account Starting a Business: 3 Steps to Do Today Matt and Chris Reynolds discuss the essential steps to starting a business, emphasizing the importance of taking action and not just acquiring knowledge. They outline the three primary steps to offic...

Starting a business feels risky, overwhelming, and downright scary—but it doesn't have to be. In this episode of the *Build Your Business Podcast*, brothers Matt and Chris Reynolds draw on nearly 40 years of combined experience to reveal how they went from fear to freedom in their entrepreneurial journeys.  Discover practical steps to balance your day job while building your dream business. Learn...

You are responsible for the financial health of your business, so you must have a good handle on your business's finances. This includes understanding basic business metrics that matters, using leading indicators, and ensuring a profitable business. We walk you through mastering financial management for business owners.   Have a Good Handle on Your Business's Finances   You must understand, in rea...

Matt and Chris discuss the merits of bootstrapping a business versus seeking external funding. Why You Should Bootstrap Your Business: 3 Levers to Pull A business owner has 3 levers to pull to push the gas pedal: time, effort, and money (or capital). Early on, you need to maximize time and effort and use the company's revenue to build the budget. This is what bootstrapping is. You are going to hav...

Not everyone is cut out to be an entrepreneur, but you might be. If you're a great technician and want to start a business, you will have to become a good manager and owner to run a successful business.   Passion Project or Potential Business: Master Your Craft Matt and Chris stress that in order to run a successful business, you have to learn how to manage and own that business. First things firs...

Essential Tools for Productivity: Time Saving Products, Services, & Hacks For both Matt and Chris, noise-cancelling headphones help them focus, at home or on the road, and get important and urgent work done efficiently. Matt loves the Jabra elites Chris loves Sony's over ear headphones Too many look myopically to save money, when they eat up too much time (which loses them money) and have thin...

Building a compelling Founder Brand rooted in authenticity and storytelling can help entrepreneurs attract clients and grow their businesses. Follow these actionable strategies for overcoming fear, creating consistent content, and shifting focus from price to value to stand out in a crowded market. The Concept of Founder Branding People connect with people, not brands. A founder's personal story s...

Focusing solely on price can lower the value you receive, cost you money, and harm your business. As a business owner pricing your services, you do not want to be on the low-end of the available prices.   In this episode of the Build Your Business podcast, Matt and Chris Reynolds dive into why focusing solely on price can ultimately harm your business. They illustrate how prioritizing value over c...

10x your productivity with these 6 non-negotiables. Building these habits into your daily routine increases your output & effectiveness. 10x Your Productivity Habit #1: Work When Everyone Else Sleeps Working when everyone else sleeps gives you an edge over your competitors and gives you time to knock out urgent work and complete deep work without interruption. For Matt and Chris, the best time...

In this episode of Searching for Mana , Lloyd Wahed meets with Lily Liu, President of the Solana Foundation, to unpack her journey from an early fascination with Bitcoin to leading one of blockchain’s most groundbreaking ecosystems. With her expertise spanning traditional finance and digital assets, Lily provides a rare, balanced view of where blockchain is heading and how Solana is advancing the...

Choose Hard Things: The Transforming Power of Fitness Cody had been an overweight youth but decided to begin to take his health and fitness seriously. When he wedded his nascent health and fitness journey with a passion for learning as he changed his major in college, he never looked back and pursued a career as a strength and nutrition coach. Cody found that by simply doing hard things regularly...

Moving Your Personal Training Clients Online: Online Coaching Business Model Successfully transitioning your clients from in-person to online makes a ton of sense for your quality of life and business model as a strength coach. The biggest value of in-person training comes primarily during those initial sessions, when often drastic technique changes need to be made and you develop a relationship g...

Time Audit: Why It Matters – Know Where Your Time is Going You are your biggest time waster. You may feel that others (e.g. your boss, kids, etc.) waste most of your time, but a couple things in response to this notion of your. One, you cannot fully control these things. Two, insofar as you can control them, it often comes with how you react to them, approach them, or major life overhauls (e.g. ch...

Don't Be Lazy: You Can Do More Most people do not do enough. The evidence for this is all the time people waste performing non-important, unurgent tasks such as watching TikTok, doom-scrolling through Twitter, or binge-watching Netflix. Do not build walls around your time that should not exist. "It's unhealthy to work on the weekend" or "I deserve to not work on the weekend" can be the difference...