The Self-Employed Life

There's a delicate balance between work life and personal life. If you have too much of one and not the other it can make you feel depressed, lonely, and uninspired. Some people put work before their loved ones, and this causes them to run into a rut. You lose out on that much needed break to develop the love you can spread across all aspects of your life. Don't stress though, you can easily find...

We always seem to be encouraged to find our authenticity, our purpose, and our why on our own. Like it's solely our work to do. I explore and encourage the idea that maybe it's not our work to do in isolation. That in fact, perhaps we really find ourselves in the interplay of others. While we have an inclination of our "possible selves", it is aligning with where we belong that really brings our t...

Technology moves quickly, and is growing at an exponential rate. As entrepreneurs, or solopreneurs, how do we keep up? Startups and tech companies alike have been breaking the barriers we know with the tech industry. Tech companies aren't just exclusive to "techies" anymore. Shocking, isn't it? It's become all inclusive, extending to the right brainers as well, or as Scott Hartley calls them, the...

When your marketing isn't working and getting you the results you want, I want you to consider what I call the 3 M's--money, market, and message. It's usually one of these three reasons why your offer isn't getting a response. Most of the time it's the message. I go through each of the 3 M's in detail for you. I even keep a post-it note on my computer that says "3 M's" to remind me to consider the...

Being a leader takes a lot more than just telling people what to do. It's about accountability and impact. As individuals, we are capable of so much more than we could even imagine at times. We are all naturally polar with our personalities, and until we learn to own those sides, we won't be able to reach our true potential as leaders. We must be whole in order to help others or even help ourselve...

One of my biggest pet peeves is hearing people being told they're too much. Or people believing they're too much because they've heard it their whole life. It seems to be very typical for us creative thinkers, groundbreakers, and trail blazers. Instead of letting others try to limit us, it's time we embrace it! The Talking Stick is in your hands now. Let us hear from you. Be part of the conversati...

Our days can be long. Sometimes hard, tiring, and just plain exhausting. What makes you smile? When do you stop yourself throughout the day to take a moment and appreciate a small celebration? We can get caught up in what we've done wrong, or what we don't have, and we forget to take time to just smile about what we DO have. That's exactly why Ryan Esbjerg started "Flex Your Face." Ryan Esbjerg jo...

As I'm writing my upcoming book, LINGO, I know I need to answer for you the very important question, "Why this book now?" What's makes this book relevant NOW? What do you need to know that's going to help you take your business into the future? In this Talking Stick, I share 4 differences between what got us here and what will get us to where we want to go in our businesses. With an important ques...

One of the most important rules in business: be authentic. But there is one equally as important in today's booming business world: stay relevant. Combine these two together, and your business could dominate the marketplace. How do we adapt to the mindset of consumers? How do we look at the business landscape as free range, instead of getting stuck in the habits of big business culture? Nicole Ert...

Just like a treasured family recipe, your special sauce is a combination of ingredients. I go over them one at a time so you can consider each ingredient and what makes your special sauce. This can become a real "selling" point for yourself. What you're uniquely qualified for. As I say in the podcast, "You have to own it to give it away."  The Talking Stick is in your hands now. Let us hear from y...

As entrepreneurs, we spend a lot of time planning our success. How we will get there? What will it take? What should I build my business on? We focus on the building and maintaining portion of our careers or businesses. What about our exit plan? What happens when we've reached the end of the road for our business or career? It's just as important to have an exit plan, as it is anything else in you...

I've been noticing a lot of talk about blocking these days. Blocking the news so they don't have to deal with it, blocking themselves from social media so as not to waste time, even blocking friends. It got me thinking how this is sort of a scarcity mindset. Blocking certainly isn't going to get you what you want. So in this episode, I talk about unblocking yourself. Let's look at several things t...

How do you ensure your business is really doing the most it can for your customer's needs? Are you taking the right approach? Are you being insightful and innovative? Ken Rutsky joins us to tell exactly how to achieve all these key factors, and more. Ken Rutsky shares his insight on how the value of your business fits into your customer's story, as well as their own reality. Ken is a marketing con...

In my years coaching Creative Warriors, the thing that I've observed that stands in the way from where you are and where you want to go is owning you gift. I mean really OWNING what it is that you are good at and what makes you different. And because what makes you different makes you marketable, owning your gift leads to a successful business. Having a successful business allows you to give more...

The caterpillar is a metaphor we often hear for positive change. Take a look at your business, for example. How do you ensure your business is evolving to keep up with the fast pace at which the world constantly moves?  Being honest with ourselves, we know the world doesn't stop turning for anyone. If we want to be successful in our endeavors, we have to keep pushing ourselves forward, ensuring we...

Are you proud of yourself? Is there someone in your life you long to hear those four words from? "I'm proud of you." I share a very personal story and the inspiration behind my social media campaign #ImProudOfYouDay, which is April 4th. And when it comes to being proud, nothing is more important than YOU granting yourself permission to be proud of yourself. Who are you waiting to get permission fr...

People say the greatest gift you can give the world is yourself. What's your story? What makes you different? If you're looking for a sign to make the leap, this is it. It's never too late to reinvent yourself and reach further than you already are. Maybe you've given up because you tried and did poorly. But what is success without failure? James Altucher joins us to discuss mastering the art of d...

To be truly innovative, you have to be quick on your feet and not wait too long. Fear of change and failure can often hang people up and the next thing you know, it's 3-5 years too late. In today's fast pace, that can cause you to become irrelevant. I discuss the true nature of innovation is being proactive, to embrace the idea to make a decision and make it right, and the value of putting things...

Would you consider yourself brave enough to put your ideas out into the world, to share with anyone willing to listen? Most of us haven't found that sweet spot of bravery yet. How do we channel that warrior spirit that leads us to success within our goals? Ibs Hyder joins us to discuss finding your inner creativity, and the warrior spirit that helps us prevail! Ibs is just 23 years young and alrea...

Do you ever find yourself making up stories? Reaching a particular conclusion based off emotionally charged thoughts or intentions? We all do it. We find ourselves worrying over things we did not, or do not, need to. When that's the case, who is really in charge of our mind? If we are holding ourselves back by being reactive, versus proactive, what are we really doing for ourselves? Tom Asacker jo...

This episode is all about money. What it really is, why it's such a challenge to be a money master, and some practical tips you can apply right away. The goal is for you to become a money master. The most important concept and practical step on your way to abundance is to separate your mindset from your daily money practices. Often, how we deal with money on a daily basis ends up affecting our min...

There's a million reasons to go into business. Here on Creative Warriors, I believe the reason to go into business is to build something that matters. To know our contributions matter. How do you create the most value within your business, though? With today's ever-changing business economy, you aren't just competing in within your industry anymore. Our choices have become worldwide. So how do we...

Creativity can be hard to reach at times. As we know, it takes a lot of time and effort to become the ultimate creative warrior. Often times, it can be a struggle to find the creative voice inside yourself. In order to do so, it takes inspiration and hard work. Most of us find ourselves good at one or the other, but who says you can't be good at both? On this week's episode, we will be discussing...

For years, there's been a lot of emphasis on knowing your why and telling your personal story. All good stuff! But now the question seems to be, "what do I do with all this?" It's a valid question. Many people think, if it's just for me, is it really important? Well, yes, it is. The biggest benefit to you is the level commitment knowing your "why" can create for you. And your story explains to oth...

What can we gain from losing? Some of you might say nothing, but hold your horses! How can we truly learn to see the positive in losing? Is it even  possible  for those of us who consider ourselves to be extremely competitive? There are some real benefits to losing, and since it is an inevitable piece of life, we might as well learn how to  win  at losing! How though? Don't worry, we have the insi...