Jennie Nash is the founder and CEO of Author Accelerator, a company on a mission to raise the bar on book coaching.

We discuss:

• A writer’s approach that makes all the difference [01:54]
• Helping a dream come true with no promises [04:05]
• The outcome is usually not the thing itself [07:10]
• Why [sports] people need a coach [09:53]
• How to charge as a business owner versus as a friend [11:20]
• How to have a ridiculously successful hit rate [15:03]
• Why it gets better after breaking through the one-million-dollar plateau [20:02]
• The opportunity that lies in what you’re angry at [22:31]

Author Accelerator has trained more than 60 book coaches to support writers through the entire creative process. Her own coaching clients have landed top New York agents and six figure book deals with Big 5 houses. Jennie is the author of 9 books in 3 genres, including Read Books All Day and Get Paid for It: The Business of Book Coaching.

Learn more about Jennie at https://jennienash.com/ and https://www.bookcoaches.com/.

Brief Description of Gift

Top ten tips for writers

Free series of videos about book coaching

URL for Free Gift

https://jennienash.com/

https://www.bookcoaches.com/

Jem has lived a very colorful life. From barefoot backpacker to corporate leader. Actor, singer/songwriter, tattooist, fire dancer, volunteer, teacher, travel consultant and now executive coach, speaker and facilitator of retreats in the Himalaya and jungles of Bali. Jem became ‘suddenly unemployed’ in 2013 and commenced his solopreneur journey. 

We discuss:

• Pondering on the future and laughing at yourself [02:05]
• It’s going to be hard but the timing is now [05:38]
• A conviction that empowers you to follow those before you [07:27]
• A smooth transition can help a dream come true [08:39]
• Why being present is crucial to a consultant’s success [10:19]
• From a mentee to a friend [11:34]
• It’s a numbers game [14:20]
• Remarkable stories happen during challenging times [19:36]

Learn more about Jem at https://jemfuller.teachable.com

Brief Description of Gift

A discount off Your Resilience online course. It includes 6 months of support and coaching from Jem

URL for free gift

https://jemfuller.teachable.com/p/personal-resilience

Merritt Minnemeyer, ACC, CPC, ELI-MP, is the Founder of Master of One Coaching, which serves visionary founders transforming into powerful leaders of purpose-driven movements. 

We discuss:

• Choose well, choose wisely, choose love [2:01]
• A guiding principle that creates a third option [12:25]
• Walking the walk of social entrepreneurship [14:25]
• How to turn around an employee’s mind and get them invested in the longevity of the company [18:39]
• Freedom to fail as a way to navigate a transition [20:24]

Merritt is a highly trained coach and speaker who employs 20 years in business, education, social justice, and the arts to create high-touch leadership programs for every client. Passionate about social entrepreneurship, Merritt is committed to contributing to the health, wealth, and harmony of the world. She shares her life with her remarkable husband, their three vibrant boys, and a menagerie of critters.

Learn more about Merritt at www.masterofonecoaching.com.

Brief Description of Gift

A free seven-day leadership journal

A 10 % affiliate fee commission for anybody who refers a client to Merritt

URL for Free Gift

www.masterofonecoaching.com

Deb Zahn is a practicing healthcare independent consultant and the CEO of the Craft of Consulting. 

We discuss:

• When an unrealized entrepreneurial spirit meets financial insecurity [1:43]
• The path of a consultant to becoming a guru for other consultants [5:26]
• The power of podcasts for getting known [8:17]
• How to determine and communicate your value as a consultant [9:22]
• The key factor to securing a $125,000 contract in your first three weeks as a consultant [14:35]
• Confident and comfortable in your new business [18:25]
• A granular method to picking up your market niche [21:41]

Deb helps accomplished professionals start, build, and grow their consulting businesses and have the lives they most want. She is also the host of the Craft of Consulting podcast where she interviews other consultants about what it takes to be a profitable consultant and clients about what makes them hire or not hire consultants.

Learn more about Deb at www.craftofconsulting.com.

Brief Description of Gift

25% off Deb’s online course: Get More Consulting Business Faster (use coupon code: FAST)

URL for free gift

https://courses.craftofconsulting.com/p/get-more-consulting-business-faster/

Meredith Bell is co-founder and President of Performance Support Systems, a global software company. Their award-winning assessment and development tools help leaders and team members become more effective performers. Many clients have done business with her company for more than 20 years.

We discuss:

• Lack of communication skills in a time full of communication tools [2:12]
• The foundational skill that will make your interactions amazing [5:20]
• The consequences of not listening effectively [7:42]
• Asking questions versus offering opinions [9:43]
• What most effective consultants do [11:43]
• How to improve someone’s listening skills without criticizing them [13:33]
• The confidence to start a conversation over again [19:23]
• The balance necessary to form relationships based on openness and honesty [22:02]

Meredith is author or co-author of two books. Her solo book is Strong for Performance: Create a Culture with Learning & Development Programs That Stick. She co-authored Connect with Your Team: Mastering the Top 10 Communication Skills, with Denny Coates, her business partner of 30 years.

Learn more about Meredith at https://growstrongleaders.com/.

Brief Description of Gift

A free e-book, Listen Like a Pro

URL for Free Gift

https://growstrongleaders.com/free

Erin Halper is the founder and CEO of The Upside, a collective that helps consultants advance their business and thrive.

We discuss:

• The best of working full time or not working at all [02:50]
• The “top” companies for women to work for [05:05]
• A mindset shift from a place of power and worth [08:36]
• A multilayer strategy for planting seeds [12:08]
• It’s not what you know but who you know [15:07]
• The role of the foundational client for getting a consistent income [19:47]
• A magical unicorn of a consultancy collective [21:34]

Since launching The Upside in 2017, Erin has advised more than 1,000 professionals on how to redefine the 9-5 and build a respected consultancy practice that affords them the freedom of working when, where and how they want. Prior to launching The Upside, Erin built a 7-year independent consulting career providing marketing expertise to her private investment clients.

Learn more about Erin at https://betheupside.com/.

Brief Description of Gift

For anyone already out there consulting, they’d love for you to become a member of The Upside where you’ll expand your network and learn from some of the best and brightest independent consultants.

For those who want a step-by-step action plan for launching a thriving consultancy, they offer The Upside Accelerator for Early-Stage Consultants twice a year…so stay on their mailing list to get notified of the next launch!

URL for free gift

https://betheupside.com/

Zachariah Moreno is the co-founder, CEO and CTO of SquadCast. He is a technologist, podcaster, author, and co-founder of SquadCast. Zach and his team are on a mission to connect creatives.  

We discuss: 

• Why developing only a product is not enough [1:34] 
• A side project that turns into a unique tool focused on quality and reliability [3:54] 
• When you don’t know that you’ve actually found a product fit [7:14] 
• A big leap of faith [8:41] 
• How audio quality impacts credibility [12:30] 
• Major differentiators for improving audio quality [16:00] 
• Creative opportunities to foster collaboration outside the studio [19:39]  

Learn more about Zachariah at https://squadcast.fm. 

Brief Description of Gift 

A promo code to get 10 dollars off your first month in addition to a 7-day free trial – STP2020 

URL for Free Gift 

https://squadcast.fm. 

Mark Butler is the founder of the accounting startup Let’s Do the Books, as well as the bookkeeper, CFO and confidante to top online entrepreneurs like Brooke Castillo and Stacey Boehman. Before working in finance, Mark co-founded three online businesses that brought in close to $2 million in total revenue.  

We discuss: 

• You need a budget [1:47] 
• The right amount of money that self-employed people learn to accept [4:02] 
• The three most dangerous addictions [8:00] 
• A new kind of stimuli to deal with [10:03] 
• Why entrepreneurs need to constrain the time they give to their desk [12:36] 
• The [un]willingness to reframe things as a major factor for success [15:47] 
• The importance of mentally experiencing the worst-case scenario [20:17] 
• Why administrative work comes second to building relationships [22:06] 

Today, Mark combines his business savvy with his certification in life coaching to help business owners take control of their finances and work through the shame and anxiety that almost always comes up when dealing with money. 

Learn more about Mark at http://letsdothebooks.com.  

Stacey Hanke is author of the book “Influence Redefined: Be the Leader You Were Meant to Be, Monday to Monday”. She has trained and presented to thousands to rid business leaders of bad body language habits and to choose words wisely. She’s worked with leaders at FedEx, Nationwide, Boeing and Oracle. She is a Certified Speaking Professional – a valuable accreditation earned by less than 10% of speakers worldwide.  

We discuss: 

• Why most people believe they’re more influential than they really are [1:56] 
• How to understand how influential you really are [3:27] 
• The importance of silent observers for getting an honest feedback [7:20] 
• The gift you don’t want to receive [9:06] 
• The best way to grow and develop for free [10:50] 
• The three key drivers of influence [12:07] 
• The true test of a leader’s influence [14:19] 
• How consultants and coaches can achieve an athlete’s level of awareness [16:15] 
• The big step is momentum and repetition [20:01] 
• The video camera doesn’t lie [22:46] 

Learn more about Stacey at https://staceyhankeinc.com/, https://www.linkedin.com/in/staceyhanke/, and YouTube. 

Kevin Perlmutter is a Brand and Customer Relationship Strategist. He is Chief Strategist and Founder of Limbic Brand Evolution, where he helps CMO’s, Brand and Business Leaders strengthen customer relationships through the lens of emotion. He applies behavioral science to turn emotional insights into a competitive advantage.  

We discuss: 

• Why experiences are more important than advertisement [1:23] 
• Going back to your roots in order to move forward [4:55] 
• The largest driver of loyalty for brands [6:36] 
• The hardest client you will ever have [9:46] 
• Going solo without going it alone [16:27] 
• Why you have to keep your foot on the gas [18:00] 
• The intersection where limbic sparks happen [19:36] 

Learn more about Kevin  at https://www.limbicbrandevolution.com/,  LinkedIn and Twitter. 

Michael F. Schein is the founder and president of MicroFame Media, a marketing agency that specializes in making idea-based companies famous in their fields.

We discuss:

• What marketing is really all about [3:53]
• The Hype man: reverse-engineering as a way to make people take an action [8:22]
• Milk before meat [10:13]
• Hustle, hustle, hustle [13:50]
• If only people saw how good your product is [15:57]
• What makes negative hype artists so good at what they do [19:55]
• Why you need to make sure you don’t gravitate only toward people like you [23:33]

He is also the author of The Hype Handbook: 12 Indispensable Success Secrets from the World’s Greatest Propagandists, Self-Promoters, Cult Leaders, Mischief Makers, and Boundary Breakers, published by McGraw Hill, that will appear everywhere books are sold on January 12, 2021.

Learn more about Michael at www.microfamemedia.com, www.michaelfschein.com and TheHypeHandbook.

Susan Drumm is a CEO Advisor and Leadership Coach with over 20 years of experience leading teams and senior executives to achieve their potential.   

We discuss: 

• The surprising benefits of nonlinear transitions [1:47] 
• How to get your fire back and create exciting opportunities for yourself [5:59] 
• What business leaders can learn from great actors [10:16] 
• Drawing from multiple disciplines as a short detour to your dream [13:54] 
• A powerful tool to help you think through your gifts as well as your blind spots [17:49] 

Her consulting firm, Meritage Leadership, focuses on leader and team effectiveness by helping leaders develop the capacity and mindsets to lead in today’s disruptive environment. Meritage utilizes over a dozen exceptional coaches in its senior leadership programs.  

Learn more about Susan at www.meritageleadership.com. 

Brief Description of Gift 

A free download of the Enneagram  

URL for free gift 

http://meritageleadership.com/goingsolo

Matt Zinman is a difference-maker devoted to personally enrich the lives of at least 100 million people by 2025.  

We discuss: 

• How interns could be helpful when going through a major transition [1:32] 
• Putting earned confidence in action [6:27] 
• Hiring interns versus hiring virtual assistants [8:30] 
• Ways to use interns as a multiplier [9:30] 
• Overcoming business challenges with a no-quit attitude [12:56] 
• Why it’s important to have a Plan B [14:14] 
• The impact plan: changing the lives of at least 100 million people by 2025 [15:10] 
• A snapshot of your life [18:10] 

His new book, “Z-isms: Insights to Live By” is based on his experiences as an entrepreneur, athlete, single parent, caregiver and nonprofit founder. He is also the host of “Insights to Live By,” a podcast that invites guests to share their own pearls of wisdom. In addition, Matt is CEO of The Internship Institute, which he established in 2007 to “Make Experience Matter.”  

Learn more about Matt at https://mattzinman.com, www.internshipinstitute.org and www.isazinman.com. 

Brief Description of Gift 

Free Self-care Report Card 

URL for Free Gift 

https://mattzinman.com/z-isms/report-card/ 

James Burgess is the author of the international bestselling book CHAOS: How Business Leaders Can Master the Power of Focus and “No Problem” Is The Problem; How to Attract and Retain Raving Fans. He is a professional speaker and Founder of FOCUS31 an international management consulting company that are global experts in Business Planning for businesses from start-up to millions of dollars in revenue.  

We discuss: 

• When you’re too entrepreneurial for the company you work for [1:47] 
• The simplicity of a name that makes the difference [5:57] 
• A business plan is not about a 50-word page [7:56] 
• James, what’s next? [10:18] 
• How to go through the pains of starting your own business without losing your passion [12:24] 
• The FOCUS Accountability System Protocol [14:30] 
• It is usually about somebody’s personal dream [17:34] 
• LinkedIn as a virtual chamber of commerce [18:58] 

After graduating from the University of Toronto in 1983 with an Honors degree in Commerce and Economics, James joined the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce. James enjoyed 22 successful years with CIBC with the last 10 years as a senior leader of small business responsible for a portfolio of three quarters of a billion dollars with 30 direct reports, receiving the Chairman’s Award on three separate occasions for performance excellence.   

James founded FOCUS31 in 2006. FOCUS31 enables business owners. FOCUS31 programs enable business owners to identify and focus on the right priorities, to think strategically and to improve the quality of their business decisions generating greater financial results through radical FOCUS on, and accountability for, the activities that will truly advance a business’ success.  

Learn more about James at https://www.focus31.com.  

Brief Description of Gift 

Free downloadable version of James Burgess book CHAOS: How Business Leaders Can Master the Power of Focus  

URL for free gift 

CHAOSThePowerOfFocus.com 

Uri Adoni is the author of the book “The Unstoppable Startup – Mastering Israel’s Secret Rules of Chutzpah”, published by Harper Collins.   

We discuss: 

• The secret sauce of the Israeli high-tech companies [1:53] 
• Summarizing your 30-minute talk to a tweet [4:07] 
• The six principles behind the mindset of chutzpah [6:34] 
• Why you need a good musical ear to dominate your niche [17:48] 
• How to validate a product before you even build it [21:15] 
• Foreseeing the future: the hypothesis startups should come up with [22:25] 

Uri has over 20 years of experience in high-tech as the CEO of Microsoft Networks Israel, a venture capitalist at JVP (Jerusalem Venture Partners), one of the leading VC’s in Israel, an angel investor, a board member in numerous companies and a speaker.  

Learn more about Uri at https://www.theunstoppablestartup.com/ and LinkedIn. 

After finding the courage to say “bye-bye” to her corporate marketing career, Kathy Goughenour built a 6-figure virtual assistant business from her tiny house in the middle of a forest. Today, she teaches professional women how to create their own work-at-home VA businesses so they can enjoy the freedom, flexibility, and financial security they desire and deserve.   

We discuss: 

• Why you are not getting promoted [2:20] 
• That’s called being a virtual assistant [5:14] 
• The difference between a virtual assistant and a virtual expert [7:12] 
• How to go from $15/hour to $75/hour in 30 days [11:19] 
• Why you are never actually starting all over again [16:19] 
• What’s keeping your target market up at night [18:16] 
• A hidden gem of an industry [20:57] 

Kathy also offers VA Matchmaking sessions to business owners interested in working with Expert VAs®️ and Virtual Experts®️. Kathy and her Expert VA®️ and Virtual Expert®️ Training program have been featured in Forbes, The Huffington Post, Good Housekeeping, All You, and The Wealthy Freelancer. 

Learn more about Kathy at https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/dare-to-leap/id1527322302. 

Brief Description of Gift 

Guidelines on how to become a virtual expert  

URL for free gift 

www.virtualexperttraining.com/goingsolo

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.

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