Posts by David Shriner-Cahn

Yvonne Dam is an online business coach that helps driven business owners to double their turnover and not their hours.   

We discuss: 

• A good starting point to start your own business [1:46] 
• How to find your golden thread [4:38] 
• Engaging with your clients first: a time-saving strategy for entrepreneurs [6:10] 
• The one thing that makes a difference when going solo [8:23] 
• The funny thing about removing 75% of your profit source [11:48] 
• The strengths that will help your business flourish [15:04] 
• Opportunity as a question of combination [18:48] 

She has over 25 years of experience in the corporate world, within Finance, HR, sales and change management. She started Amaze Yourself as she was done with being a workaholic. Little did she know that every business owner turns into a workaholic. As a recovering workaholic, she now helps driven business owners to work less and earn more. Her book: “How to improve your work-life balance – 50 proven tips”, is a good start.   

Learn more about Yvonne at https://amaze-yourself.com/book-work-life-balance/.  

Brief Description of Gift 

Yvonne’s book “How to improve your work-life balance with 50 proven tips” which is normally $30, is available when you use the code “smashing” for only $15.  

URL for free gift 

https://amaze-yourself.com/book-work-life-balance/  

You’ll receive $5 for every sale made using that code.  

Craig M. Chavis, Jr. is an author and coach that specializes in helping working professionals launch profitable businesses and successfully transition into full-time entrepreneurship.  

We discuss:  

• Planting the seeds of becoming an entrepreneur [1:55] 
• None of us are self-made [5:18] 
• A mentorship that turns things around [6:52] 
• The most important variable in the PIE formula [9:07] 
• The entrepreneur of your life [11:05] 
• Bucket number one and Bucket number two [12:40] 
• The roadblocks to creating something from nothing [17:04] 
• The best form of security there is [19:06] 

He is a serial entrepreneur, Returned Peace Corps Volunteer, former division-1 collegiate athlete, and received his BSBA from Samford University and MBA from the University of Tampa. Craig is also a super foodie, world traveler, and lifelong learner.  

Learn more about Craig at https://www.cre8ivecraig.com/ and https://www.burdensofadream.com/.  

Brief Description of Gift  

A signed hardback copy of Craig’s book – Burdens of a Dream  

URL for Free Gift  

craig@cre8ivecraig.com 

Liz is the founder of EBC Associates, a consulting, networking and search services firm. The business is a global network of affiliate partnerships to drive growth and Erudites Networking Group was formed as a subsidiary.  

We discuss:  

• Critical steps to getting your business off the ground [1:58] 
• When you know the market place but don’t know how to do market research [3:42] 
• How to focus more on bringing in the money [4:57] 
• Techniques to effectively tap into your relationships [7:11] 
• A business model focused both on expertise and who you know [11:13] 
• Jumping to a new career without a plan B [12:55] 
• Why you need to go online and have a marketing engine going on [14:49] 
• Shifts in and opportunities for building relationships online [17:02] 
• The first thing to do once you realize your job is ending and you want to be an entrepreneur as a next step [18:33] 

Liz is actively involved with a number of associations, certification as a Women’s Business Enterprise, the Women Presidents’ Educational Organization, Manhattan Chamber of Commerce and she is a strategic alliance board partner with the Entrepreneurs’ Association of New York.  

Learn more about Liz at LinkedIn. 

Trevor Turnbull is the CEO of Linked Into Leads and Founder of the transformative Expert Selling programs where he empowers B2B SOLOpreneur consultants and coaches to connect with their “Most Valuable Prospects” using the LinkedIn LINCHPIN Method.

We discuss:

• The mistakes consultants and coaches make that cause them to be stressed and overworked [2:31]
• The less daunting perspective on scaling your business [4:25]
• All the different ways that a person could get in front of their ideal clients [6:14]
• It always starts with the profile [7:13]
• Why you should not be afraid to go niche [8:49]
• How to relate your personal story to your potential clients [12:15]
• The reason to work with certified coaches and consultants [14:16]
• How to take opportunity of the situation before marketers ruin it [16:39]
• Change your thoughts, change your mind, change your life [19:53]

He has served over 26,000 people with his Repeatable, Predictable, Measurable Client Acquisition System and has shared his story and methods in numerous media publications including Forbes, Entrepreneur, Time, Money and Business Insider about how to go from being stressed, frustrated and over-worked to confident, empowered and profitable.

Learn more about Trevor at http://expertselling.com, http://linkedintoleads.com and http://trevorturnbull.com.

Brief Description of Gift

Trevor’s LinkedIn LINCHPIN Method

URL for Free Gift

https://go.expertselling.com/smash

Keith Leimbach left the corporate world following multiple C-level roles in a career that include 2 IPO’s and an 11-figure exit to Oracle. Then he launched what is now called the Diversified Income Experiment building laundromats, car washes, and Amazon private label business, an acquisition of an existing business and 7 trips through the franchise process. Now he’s packaged up all these leanings and shares the details in his podcast ‘Diversified Income Experiment’ and his website dincpie.com.

We discuss:

• You better own your own business by now [1:36]
• Why 28 is [not] a magic number [3:38]
• The timeline to needing cash [9:34]
• The happy middle ground [15:10]
• The things that keep your income’s dream from going away [20:29]

Learn more about Keith at www.dincpie.com and LinkedIn.

Brief Description of Gift

Visit dincpie.com for tons of free content as well as detailed financial models and other high value planning assets

URL for free gift

www.dincpie.com

Craig Chavis has 29 years of experience with the research, testing, selection, architecture, design, and implementation phases of contact center and real-time communications hardware and applications solutions. This includes 9 years in customer facing roles as a sales engineer and solutions architect. Those roles included responsibilities for the requirements analysis, architecture, solution recommendation, technical assessment, and design phases of small, medium, and enterprise scale projects.

We discuss:

• A journey from on-premise to a [private] cloud space [1:35]
• How to become aware of the gaps in your business [4:36]
• The right time to get downsized [6:24]
• Resisting the temptation to saying “yes” to headhunters [8:05]
• The butterflies for being your own business person [10:44]
• The big thing about being in business [12:04]
• The answers to the questions you don’t know about your business [13:27]
• Not yet a consultant but still an employee [16:40]
• The game is years long, not months long [18:14]

Learn more about Craig at cchavis@chaveconsulting.com.

Neil Sahota is an IBM Master Inventor, United Nations AI Advisor, author of the book Own the A.I. Revolution., and Chief Innovation Officer the University of California. 

We discuss:

• Why it is so difficult for people to think differently [2:31]
• The trap of long-term consultant-client relationships [4:46]
• Why executives should get out there more often [6:38]
• What we forget about assumptions [9:27]
• Understand different: why consultants should fall out of love with their idea [12:32]
• Be different: how to avoid having a superior product fail [15:57]
• Own different: Why Tesla succeeded with electric cars while others failed [18:13]
• A little, disruptive, entrepreneurial piece within a big bureaucratic organization [19:57]

Over his 20+ year career, Neil worked with enterprises to launch business ventures by creating next generation products/solutions powered by emerging technology as well as helping organizations create the culture, community, and ecosystem needed to achieve success, like the U.N.’s AI for Good initiative. Neil also actively pursues social good and volunteers with nonprofits like the Zero Abuse Project to prevent child sexual abuse. 

Learn more about Neil at https://www.neilsahota.com/, LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram.

Thank You to Our Sponsor: SiteHub

www.smashingtheplateau.com/sitehub

Danielle left corporate accounting to pursue her dream as a real estate entrepreneur.

We discuss:

• The first 90 days of your first job [1:22]
• You can’t really get something for nothing [5:16]
• How to deal with the extreme level of pushback once you decide to be an entrepreneur [6:05]
• The motivating role of strong negative emotions [8:28]
• How saying “no” could save many problems for entrepreneurs [10:06]
• You don’t want to hear it until you have to hear it [12:03] 
• What happens if the need in the market niche you’ve chosen isn’t that strong [13:28]
• What makes us stay stuck and not think like an entrepreneur [14:30]
• [15:58]
• The first dollar you made [17:44]
• The people you should take advice from when you get suddenly unemployed [20:11]

Learn more about Danielle at www.propertypreservationmastery.com and YouTube.

Tamar Hela is an entrepreneur based in Shanghai and the COO of the digital agency Genius Encel. She helps Fortune 500 companies in Asia generate leads through LinkedIn. 

We discuss:

• What about LinkedIn makes it a great opportunity in China [2:05]
• The benefits of practicing what you preach [4:50]
• Approaching community as a good way to pivot, evolve and get feedback [6:32]
• Why you should use English content on LinkedIn regardless of your location [8:49]
• What large companies most need on LinkedIn [10:08]
• How to use a lead magnet to capture people’s attention [13:33]
• The firms that manage really well in webinars [16:26]
• It’s all in the follow-up [18:38]

As the Co-President of LinkedIn Local Asia, Tamar has created a network of communities made up of LinkedIn lovers, embracing the original idea of LinkedIn Local: getting to know “the person behind the profile.” Tamar founded the LinkedIn Local Shanghai community, which has more than 3000 members, making it one of the most professional and active networks in China.

Learn more about Tamar at www.geniusencel.agency and LinkedIn.

Thank You to Our Sponsor: SiteHub

www.smashingtheplateau.com/sitehub

Simon Brady is a seasoned financial advisor specializing in individuals coming out of a divorce, suddenly single (widows), millennials and individuals that are between the ages of 20-40, and immigrants, all underserved demographics that get taken advantage of due to emotional stress, naivety, or language barriers.

We discuss:

• An unusual niche for a financial advisor that many would avoid [1:50]
• The benefits of a fee-only basis for both entrepreneurs and clients in the financial field [4:44]
• Why the wolf quit Wall Street [7:11]
• Shifting lives instead of shifting millions of dollars [10:26]
• The time to get creative about arranging your time [13:38]
• Why it’s crucial you realize what you don’t know [15:48] 
• How to keep a steady flow in the pipeline [17:04]

Learn more about Simon at https://www.angliaadvisors.com.

Brief Description of Gift

A free initial consultation, plus Simon’s “Family and Friends” discounted hourly rate if they sign up for a Per Hour engagement

URL for free gift

https://www.angliaadvisors.com

Kenneth Gronbach is president of KGC Direct, LLC and is an internationally respected demographer who has been able to forecast societal, commercial, economic, cultural and political phenomena with uncanny accuracy.

We discuss:

• An unusual blend of marketing savvy and common-sense demography [2:23]
• The power of shifting demography [5:04]
• The connection between the millennials and the current protests [5:55]
• Why businesses should focus on the need of shelter [7:09]
• Endless opportunities based on a single generation [9:14]
• Shifts coming up from the current pandemic [11:09]
• Why there will be better cops in the future [12:47]
• A kinder business climate: how millennials change the way people work [14:16]
• Barbie Dolls, Hot Wheels, and Latinos [16:02]

Ken is predicting that the United States and the Americas, because of their superior demographics over any other continent, will excel culturally and economically in the post corona era.

He keynotes all over the United States and the world. His company does high value, customized demographic research. Ken is the author of the current best-selling book The Age Curve: How to Profit from the Coming Demographic Storm. His first book Common Census: The Counter-Intuitive Guide to Generational Marketing was released in 2005. Ken’s 2011 book Decades of Differences: Making It Work is a comprehensive guide to coping with three generations in the workforce. Ken’s newest book Upside: Profiting from the Profound Demographic Shifts Ahead was published in April 2017.

Learn more about Kenneth at www.kgcdirect.com.

Thank You to Our Sponsor: SiteHub

www.smashingtheplateau.com/sitehub

Arline Warwick shows businesses, entrepreneurs and nonprofits how to find large sums of money to build their businesses and organizations. 

We discuss:

• Why you don’t need to be big to have sponsors [2:30]
• The myth of sponsorship being a donation [5:28]
• The good guy: How to approach a sponsor [8:19]
• The best place to start making connections with potential sponsors [11:22]
• Why a big car company would sponsor a small charter fishing boat [16:34]
• The importance of following up on a “No” from a sponsor [19:24]

Arline teaches people how to partner with local businesses and corporations so they can work with them and get paid handsomely to do so. After learning from her own experiences and years of research, Arline now guides businesses through a system that reveals the easiest approach to finding the best partnerships so they can grow, blossom and bloom.

Learn more about Arline at Facebook.

Brief Description of Gift

A list of 100 corporations and contact information

URL for Free Gift

Send an email to info@findcorporatesponsors.com with “100” in the subject line

Thank You to Our Sponsor: SiteHub

www.smashingtheplateau.com/sitehub

Dov Gordon helps consultants get ideal clients by becoming “under-the-radar” leaders in their industry.   

We discuss:

• Two paths on becoming an expert in sales and marketing [1:34]
• The most influential person to be [3:50]
• How to become the under-the-radar leader in your industry [5:31]
• The wizard behind the curtain [9:33]
• An alchemy networking for solopreneurs [13:50]
• Network invitations that would help you break through the clutter [20:10]
• What corporate refugees need when deciding to go solo [21:16]

Learn more about Dov at https://www.profitablerelationships.com/.

Brief Description of Gift

A free training

URL for free gift

https://profitablerelationships.com/smashing

Dr. Joan Rodman Smoller met a guy named Ben, on a park bench, who was looking to make a career transition from contracting to diplomacy. She wrote his resume and cover letter. In a month, he had a job in Washington. 

We discuss:

• An internship at 70: Shaping programs for successful transitions [2:13]
• How to overcome the challenge of being alone on your entrepreneurship journey [4:00]
• Why you shouldn’t be writing your story yourself [5:54]
• Getting the right language for a particular audience through a concierge caring treatment [9:49]
• Writing that raises hundreds of thousands of dollars [13:34]
• What is at the core that makes writing effective [14:44]
• Why you have to be short and powerful in today’s world [15:50]
• The power of a piece of article for helping disfigured children [17:50]
• Things you might need to consider when going through a career transition [20:15]

Her article about disfigured children for Redbook Magazine led to a nationwide support group for these children. Her tutoring on college application essays for a boy with ADHD and Aspergers got him into 4 colleges. Her editing on a white paper gained her client a promotion. Formerly an NYU Associate Professor and Director of an NYU Writing Program and a program for adults developing careers, as well as a teacher at the LaGuardia High School for Music, Art and the Performing Arts, she now uses her results-driven writing and editorial skills to help others achieve their goals!

Learn more about Joan at www.resumedoc.com.

Brief Description of Gift

A 30-minute free consultation by phone or email

URL for free gift

Call 9172826868 or go to www.resumedoc.com or send an email to rsmejsr@gmail.com

Laurence was recently introduced at an Association of Fundraising Professional meeting as, “Our Fundraising Guru.” The fundraising dilemmas of nonprofits consume his thoughts each and every day, and he writes about them offering real world solutions: books, white papers, training videos, and his weekly free blog post. 

We discuss:

• Why fundraising resources often aren’t deep enough [3:42]
• How non-profits could get to know their donors better [6:15]
• Pay it forward: a career commitment to public education [7:28]
• Half a dozen ways to get overhead cost paid for [9:30]
• Laurence’s magic of being a consultant [11:10]
• Relief plans for organizational adaptability [14:22]
• How are you indispensable to your clients? [17:54]
• The merits of having consultants employed on a short-term basis [20:23]
• The next generation of fundraisers [21:31]

Laurence has served as the executive director of three nonprofits. He has been a faculty member of the New York University Heyman Center for Philanthropy and Fundraising, and has coached groups of nonprofit executive directors at New Jersey’s Rutgers Business School’s Institute for Ethical Leadership. He writes, teach and consults in order to help advance the nonprofit’s fundraising program. Celebrating 25 years as a member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP), he has served on their Planning Committee for Fundraising Day in New York City. He earned three graduate degrees all related to public service. He teaches workshops and offers webinars on fundraising all over the country, across Europe and SE Asia. In response to CV19, he launched special webinars called Our Time to Shine which draw upwards of 500 attendees.

Learn more about Laurence at http://www.lapafundraising.com and www.laurencepagnoni.org.

Brief Description of Gift

A 30-minute free phone consultation about fundraising if you are staff or board member of a nonprofit

URL for Free Gift

www.lapafundraising.com/contact

Thank You to Our Sponsor: SiteHub

www.smashingtheplateau.com/sitehub

Kindra Walker is a CPA, CDFA® professional and a Ramsey Solution Financial Coach Master. 

We discuss:

• The space between working at a corporate job and working for yourself [2:20]
• When solopreneurs need to deal with the infrastructure of a business [6:27]
• The things you loved about your previous jobs [7:12]
• The Pumpkin Plan: How to grow your biggest pumpkin [10:00]
• The people that the people in your network rely on [12:31]
• Expected and unexpected situations when starting a business of your own [13:45]
• The champions of your business [15:08]
• Helpful networking situations during a lockdown [15:48]
• The level of flexibility you need as a solopreneur [16:51]
• The experience you have that nobody has [18:24]
• Life is better with a budget [19:29]

Kindra holds a BA from Barnard College and an MBA from New York University. With nearly 30-year of experience, in addition to her tenure in public accounting Kindra has worked for both closely-held private and Fortune 500 companies in varying roles including, accounting, finance, human resources and risk management. Her more recent roles included Controller, International and Senior Director of Finance. She is an adjunct professor, teaching a variety of classes. She founded Tremont Financial Coaching, LLC, a financial coaching company in 2019.

Learn more about Kindra at https://tremontfinancialcoaching.com/. 

Brief Description of Gift

A free 60-minute consultation

URL for free gift

https://tremontfinancialcoaching.com/ – When booking a consultation on Kindra’s website select the 1 hour initial session and put Going Solo in the comments section.

David’s entrepreneurial journey begins back in his early 20’s when he sold Australia’s most loved sporting ground, the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Since then, his business experience spans from franchising retail clothing stores to founding one of Australia’s most trusted digital agencies, melbourneSEOservices.com.

We discuss:

• How not to end up locked into the machine you’ve created yourself [2:29]
• The line you need to draw in the sand [4:57]
• The hardest piece of a business owner’s world [8:06]
• How to deliver a core product without the business owner involved [12:38]
• A little extraordinary example of a business systemized [16:04]
• Healthy and unhealthy systems in life and business [19:12]
• The worst person to systemize in a business [21:10]

In 2016, David successfully systemized himself out of the business, hired a CEO and stepped back from the daily operations. Through this process he become a systems devotee – founding systemHUB™ & SYSTEMology®. Today, his mission is to free all business owners worldwide from the daily operations of running their business.

Recognized as a high achieving entrepreneur, you will find many of David’s keynote presentations on YouTube including: TEDx, WordCamp and Problogger.

Learn more about David at www.systemology.com.

Brief Description of Gift

Preview chapters of David’s coming book

URL for Free Gift

www.systemology.com/book

Thank You to Our Sponsor: SiteHub

www.smashingtheplateau.com/sitehub

Knute Kallander is a coach and facilitator with over 20 years’ experience providing leadership development and communication training to over 10,000 managers, directors and sales associates in diverse industries such as biotech, technology, banking, real estate, manufacturing, media, higher education, and non-profit. He has coached over 300 employees who were in transition from being individual contributors to becoming department heads or team leaders. 

We discuss:

• The different types of vulnerability as a full-time employee and solopreneur [2:04]
• How to live two weeks in the desert [6:01]
• You never know who your family knows [8:36]
• Exposure tactics for non-strategic people [10:03]
• Banished or abandoned: The beginning of a transition [14:32]
• What comes out of a disappointment is 10 times better [16:26]
• Useful resources for employees transitioning to entrepreneurs [19:54]
• The importance of saying your answers out loud [22:40]

Knute has devoted his career to finding out why some organizations are run so poorly while others create an atmosphere of trust, loyalty and fulfillment. As a coach, trainer, sales leader and communications consultant he has helped 100’s of companies find and leverage their strengths while implementing programs that address their challenges.

Knute is not only well known for his effectiveness and ability to move organizations. He is also routinely regarded as an approachable and friendly presence in any organization even if the tension in that organization is high. His values in integrity, compassion, and humor combined with deep systems knowledge work well together to create an atmosphere of growth and change. He inspires professional development and builds personal confidence through experiential learning. 

Knute has a Master of Science Degree in Organizational Development and Behavior, and he is a New Ventures West Certified Coach.

Learn more about Knute at https://www.linkedin.com/in/knute-kallander.

Brief Description of Gift

A 25-minute free coaching session

URL for free gift

Email to knutek@gmail.com

Catherine VanVonno is the President and CEO of 20four7VA, one of the most trusted remote staffing companies in the eCommerce industry. 

We discuss:

• The result of teaching and helping others replicate your business [2:52]
• A natural fit between eCommerce and remote work [5:14]
• How to have customers develop a new company with you [6:06]
• Strategies for achieving a balance between flexibility and stability [9:04]
• How to start adding virtual assistants to your business [14:40]
• The times when local staffing is better than remote [17:25]
• Combined hiring approaches that could save businesses money [18:23]
• What it takes to trust a person who is half a world away [20:34]

On any given day, you’ll find Catherine managing her global team of 40+ right from her kitchen table, demonstrating one of the biggest perks of remote work. Before starting 20four7VA, Catherine worked in the healthcare management industry. She has a Master’s degree in Industrial-Organizational Psychology and a Ph.D. in Research and Evaluation Methods with a cognate in Applied Statistics from the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. Catherine resides in Berlin, Maryland and enjoys traveling with her husband in her free time.

Learn more about Catherine at https://20four7va.com/hire-a-va/, LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook.

Brief Description of Gift

Waiving of 50% of the setup fee

URL for Free Gift

Promo Code: SMASHING2020

Thank You to Our Sponsor: SiteHub

www.smashingtheplateau.com/sitehub

Maki Moussavi is a transformational coach, speaker and author. Her mission is to help professionals who are overwhelmed, stuck or unfulfilled despite the outward appearance of success. 

We discuss:

• Why you may feel unhappy despite achieving all you ever wanted [1:55]
• The risk of dealing with the urgent rather than with the important [3:42]
• True supporters only reveal in tough transitions [6:53]
• It is not our job to justify our positions [8:35]
• The autopilot mode that keeps you trapped [9:33]
• The time you need to avoid the hardest summer of your life [12:00]
• Tools for high achievers inside and outside the corporate world [14:41]
• Why the reward system fails to help us achieve what we want [16:57]
• The breadcrumbs approach: how to unwind the way you operate [19:10]
• How smart people can break free from miserable circumstances [21:23]

Maki provides the mental tools and support to enable highly transformative personal development that focuses on “reprogramming” to a new mindset that is personally authentic rather than driven exclusively by outside expectations.

Learn more about Maki at www.makimoussavi.com, LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook.

Ray Silverstein is a small business expert and author with more than three decades of experience and a somewhat unusual approach. 

We discuss:

• Why it’s time to start breaking things [3:01]
• Unbiased thoughts on surviving tough circumstances [4:53]
• Hidden opportunities in thinking differently [7:23]
• What makes people move forward [9:13]
• The dos and don’ts of who should fit within a group [11:23]
• How to blend sophistications when a person naturally outgrows a group [13:55]
• The correlation between risk-taking and thriving [15:12]
• Some type of groups, in some place, somehow [16:43]

He gets most of his ideas, not from books and theories, but from in-the-trenches entrepreneurs who pool their collective wisdom in peer advisory board meetings. Ray has facilitated more than 1,500 such meetings since 1993 when he found that PRO (Presidents Resource Organization). This is a peer advisory board network based in Chicago and Phoenix and in addition they also offer online advisory boards.

In his monthly forums small business owners meet to share challenges and solutions, create accountability and offer support.

Ray is the author of two books “The Great Secrets of Great Small Businesses” published by Source Books in 2006 and the newly released “The Small Business Survival Guide: How to Survive and Thrive During Tough Times”.

Learn more about Ray at http://peeradvisoryboard.com/ and LinkedIn.

Brief Description of Gift

A digital of copy of “The Small Business Survival Guide: How to Survive and Thrive During Tough Times”

URL for Free Gift

Send an email to ray@peeradvisoryboard.com

Thank You to Our Sponsor: SiteHub

www.smashingtheplateau.com/sitehub