The StoryBrand Podcast

If you're running your own business then you know selling your product can be a challenge. Whether it's finding leads, crafting the perfect pitch or dealing with crippling self doubt, you need to sell your product to stay in business. We're taking a slight detour from our 7-Part Series, How Your Business Is Like An Airplane, to talk with Jamie Kern Lima, who is no stranger to overcoming obstacles....

You've got no shortage of customers in your pipeline, but getting them to sign on the dotted line? That's a completely different story. In Part Four of our series, How Your Business is an Airplane, we're focusing on the Left Engine – Sales. You don't have to go full-on used car salesman to get your leads to convert. There's a better way, and we're teaching it to you in this episode.   --   Want to...

Here's the sad reality: countless businesses close their doors every day. It's not always for the same reason, and sometimes, the problems in a business totally sneak up on you. In Part Three of our series, How Your Business is an Airplane, we're focusing on the Right Engine (aka - great marketing). Getting this essential piece of a business right could truly be the difference between if your busi...

What if leadership wasn't about rallying your team around a mission or being liked? What if great leadership meant mastering seven core competencies that actually drive your team forward? In Part Two of our series, How Your Business is an Airplane, we're focusing on The Cockpit. Don, Koula, and JJ break down each of these seven pillars (and spoiler alert: they may not be what you think). ...   Wan...

In this inaugural episode of the Business Made Simple podcast, our hosts, Donald Miller, Dr. J.J. Peterson and Koula Callahan explain how a business really works and debate whether or not your college degree was worth the investment.   ...   Want to become a Business Made Simple Certified Coach? Apply now at CertifiedBusinessCoach.com   Needing to hire a Business Made Simple Certified Coach? Go to...

Well, friends, we did it! We've wrapped on yet another year of the Building a StoryBrand Podcast. And you know what that means: it's time for the annual "Best of" episode. On this year's episode, we've pulled together some of the best nuggets of wisdom from guests like Adrienne Bankert, Matthew McConnaughey, and even our very own Business Made Simple President, Doug Kiem. So join us as we revisit...

There is no doubt we're all craving a return to normalcy. But is getting back to the way things were what your customers actually want? Joshua DuBois, market research expert and CEO of Gague.ai, gives Don some surprising insight. Peeking into his "crystal ball", Joshua predicts how trends will change so you and your business can be more than ready heading into 2021!   Head to storybrand.com/survey...

There are specific qualities that highest paid people possess. I don't mean integrity or honesty or kindness — those are characteristics you have to have in order to be a decent human. I'm talking about tangible character traits that make you a value-driven professional. Traits like understanding how to receive feedback, de-escalating drama and prioritizing your highest return opportunities. There...

Have you ever found yourself feeling a bit...meh.. about your career trajectory?  You're proud of what you've accomplished, and you should be. But you just can't shake the fact that you feel unfulfilled and that there's got to be more to life... It wasn't too long ago when Good Morning America news anchor, Paula Faris, found herself in the same rut. So she decided to change things. She quit her jo...

Many artists think sheer talent and creativity are all they need to turn their art into a lucrative business. Sadly, here's what usually ends up happening: they realize talent alone isn't going to cut it so they resort to being a "starving artist" and never really achieve the type of success they once dreamt possible. Elida Field could have easily fallen into the same trap, but her focus and deter...

In a candid moment from his back porch, Don shares a few ways you can break through the noise at the dinner table this Thanksgiving and focus on what really matters--sharing love and connection with friends and family. Have a safe and happy Thanksgiving!

Fate is a terrible writer -- and it shouldn't be the one in the driver's seat of your life. But there has to be a balance between fate and control, right? Matthew McConaughey's take on this topic is an inspiring one, and in this week's interview, he talks about how fate works together with self-determination to help you create the life you really want. He argues that ego is actually a healthy thin...

We all want to live a meaningful life, but if we're honest, we've been letting fate author our story for way too long. A meaningful life doesn't happen when we let fate write it for us. A meaningful life happens when we create and follow a life plan that gives us a clear direction and purpose. Imagine knowing every task you completed was contributing to a life full of meaning. Imagine waking up ea...

Most people think there are those who are "just born" creative, and those who just aren't. Seth Godin would disagree. He believes that creativity, like riding a bike, is a skill everyone can learn and develop over time. It's an important skill, too, and if we don't develop practices that keep us creative, we could get left behind. In today's episode, Seth gives us insight into how we can become mo...

Your business can't always be booming. So what do you do when it feels like everything is slowing down? If you're like most people, you'll probably panic -- but Lee LeFever would challenge you not to. Lee decided he was going to embrace the slow down and learn how to gain success even if he wasn't making money. If you're the type of person who hates when things slow down, this is the episode you n...

When COVID-19 hit, everyone scrambled to pivot their businesses. And our friends at the Canlis restaurant in Seattle were no exception. They took their fine-dining restaurant and made it a burger joint, and a crab shack, and oh yeah ... a drive-in movie theatre?! So when we got the chance to talk to them about their (new and improved) business model, we just couldn't resist. And we get it -- your...

The beginning of the pandemic felt like being chased by a tiger. For a lot of us, this is the first time we're getting to slow down and catch our breath. This week, Daniel Harkavy stops by to share why it's important to spend time really reflecting on your wins and losses from this season. His new book, The 7 Perspectives of Effective Leaders , provides a framework to become a better leader even i...

If you've ever tried to wrangle a screaming preschooler into a car, you know what the worst days of leading a team feel like. Managing a team and parenting a small child can sometimes feel … a little too similar. But Hal Runkel doesn't think that's such a bad thing. This bestselling author of books like ScreamFree Parenting and Choose Your Own Adulthood joins  the podcast to show you how his prove...

How many times have you been told to leave your emotions at the door? Probably too many to count. But when you're sitting at your desk with chest pains or feel your ears ringing after a frustrating meeting -- that feels pretty impossible. Miles Adcox flips the script when it comes to emotions in the workplace. He gives you permission to actually feel your emotions and shows you 3 ways to use them...

You want recurring revenue for your business. The thing is — you just aren't sure if you have what it takes to create something people will actually buy. It stinks, but subscription services can sink your business — fast. So if you're going to do this, you need to do it right. Robbie Kellman Baxter literally wrote the book on creating subscription services that make money. And in this episode, she...

You have great ideas that have the power to transform your business. But it's hard to get people to pay attention. What you need is a proven framework that makes any communication campaign a success and gets buy-in from your entire team. And that's exactly what you'll get in our newest Business Made Simple University course -- Communication Made Simple. On this week's episode, we're giving you a s...

Building a profitable business takes a lot of hard work. But when you boil it down -- there are two characteristics every profitable business leader has in common. On today's episode, StoryBrand Certified Guide Sherman Merricks is sharing why these two characteristics have the power to make or break your business. Plus, Don and Sherman talk about the current social climate and how business leaders...

If you've ever tried to convince someone your position is right, you know it can feel like talking to a brick wall. But what if you were just going about persuasion in the wrong way? The truth is—most people aren't convinced by some compelling set of facts. Most people change their minds because of their emotions. Lee Hartley Carter has studied the art of persuasion and on today's episode, she's s...

Life is busy. Between email notifications, calendar reminders, and your wandering mind, it's easy to let distractions rule the day. But what if staying focused and being productive didn't have to be so hard? Nir Eyal, author of Indistractable , has cracked the code on staying focused. In this episode, he's breaking down how to control your attention-span, increase your productivity, and say no to...

You've worked hard to grow your business, so you want to make sure that every little thing is done right. But what if there were parts that would be more successful if you let someone else take the wheel for a change? London Business School professor, Gary Hamel, is sharing why top-down micromanagement structures are suffocating businesses and stifling their growth. If you've struggled to give up...