How to Identify the Next Best Step in Your Business with Mike Michalowicz

SHOWNOTES

Today’s guest is one of my favorite business leaders. Author Mike Michalowicz joined me to talk about Fix This Next: Make the Vital Change That Will Level Up Your Business. The timing couldn’t be better.

Business owners often struggle to identify the biggest obstacle facing their business.

How can we know for sure the best place to put our resources and our energy to get the best results?

That’s the million-dollar question isn’t it?

Mike created what he calls "The Business Hierarchy of Needs" and explains how it will show you exactly what will make the biggest impact. Right. Now.

Business Hierarchy of Needs Includes:

• Sales (create cash)

• Profit (create stability)

• Order (create efficiency)

• Impact (create transformation)

• Legacy (create permanence)

He provides the 2 key questions you can use to know which area needs immediate attention. You’re going to find the real-life examples he shared inspiring. Be ready to take notes. 😉

Mike also explains how important it is for the business to run without you. How nice would it be to take 4 weeks off without checking in and come back to a well-running business?

Mike explains how you (and I) can make this a reality. Be ready to be inspired when you listen, then have your team check it out as well.

RESOURCES

Free Evaluation Tool

The Book

Let it Be Easy with Susie Moore

SHOWNOTES

“We’ve been worried about what other people think since day one.”

Susie Moore is the author of the recently published book "Stop Checking Your Likes: Shake Off the Need for Approval and Live an Incredible Life" and she walks the talk.

Susie has great insights on:

• Screening the raves and critical reviews. 

• Not giving away our power to others.

• Why rejection isn’t negative. I promise this will make sense when you hear how Susie explains it. 

• The story we make up is just that. A story we make up. 

• There’s no tapping out of opportunities; no one person or thing is defining. 

• Understanding the cause and effect of being stuck. (game-changer)

• Using COVID as a reason to not do the scary thing. Susie has great advice that’s not what I expected. 

Susie also shares some of the criticism she’s received for promoting her book during this time. It ties to a great section in the book about being defensive. In our podcast conversation, she breaks it down. I know you’ll find this helpful.

Hear Susie’s unique definition of confidence. I love it. It’s also connected to her love of cemeteries. Trust me, this all makes sense when you hear her explain it.

RESOURCES

Checking Your Likes: Shake Off the Need for Approval and Live an Incredible Life

Susie’s Website

The Middle Finger Project with Ash Ambirge

SHOWNOTES

You are going to LOVE this podcast episode. I got to chat with my “best friend” Ash Ambirge. She’s the creator and founder of The Middle Finger Project and book by the same name. 

This is for Front Row people. Ash says that “normal is the most disappointing thing in life for her” and I know you will relate. She starts by addressing the sunk costs of creating a life that doesn’t end up serving you as only she can. 

Hear Ash explain:

• What it’s like to realize you’re smarter than the people who are making the “rules”

• You don’t need a license to create

• How you can create whatever job you want

• Why showing up IS the game

Just one of my favorite quotes from the book:

“.. .while the rest of the world is getting ready, you’re getting better” 

Don’t miss the conversation about imposter syndrome. It’s going to change how you look at making offers. 

Ash also shares the 1 question that’s going to help you right now, today. It’s a lens that you can use when you are framing how to talk about your work and/or make an offer.  

Speaking of offers, what if you made an offer every single day? Ash makes it so simple you’ll wonder why you haven’t thought about it this way. 

Don’t miss the conversation about Brad Pitt, Ryan Reynolds and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. There’s a business-relevant point here, I swear! 

This episode is must listen and then get the book if you haven’t already. I promise you’ll thank me later. 

My copy of the book is full of hot pink and yellow post-It notes plus highlighter sections everywhere. That’s how good it is!

RESOURCES

The Middle Finger Project

The Middle Finger Project Book

Coping vs Thriving: Online Marketing During a Pandemic

SHOWNOTES

 There’s no roadmap for where we are today. I know we’re all wondering “what do I do now?” I am too. That’s why I recorded this episode. 

First, I wanted to tell you that you are not alone. Everyone of us is affected by world events that we can’t control. Second, I don’t have it all figured out, but I have decided on a few things that are working for me. I outlined those on today’s episode, and I hope you find it helpful.

I share the 2 guiding questions that help me make business decisions; especially those related to marketing and selling. 

“We’re in This Together” hashtags are everywhere and it’s encouraging. As hopeful as that is, I also know there will be days when uncertainty is going to show up. When it does ask for help, reach out to someone you trust. 

I’ve made a list of free resources that you and your family can use while we’re all at home and our schedules are out the window. 

I encourage you to continue to serve your audience. Keep showing up. Be sensitive, be real and let people know you care. 

DOWNLOAD THE RESOURCE LIST BELOW

Resources:

EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE

• If you are experiencing loss of job or income, please see this New York Times article for assistance 

• College Students in need of STORAGE SPACE, U-Haul is offering free 30 day storage

• IRS is providing tax relief for some affected families

• Find your state's unemployment benefits signup page here

• Banks offering assistance to their customers

• A pretty comprehensive list of financial relief options for people working in specific industries or states. Seems to mostly be interest-free loans and grants.

EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE FOR WORKERS

• Assistance for Service Workers

• Assistance for those in Student Loan Crisis

• Assistance for Bartenders

• Assistance for Restaurant Workers

• Assistance for Musicians

• Assistance for Authors

• Assistance for CoVid-19 Positive tested Restaurant Workers

• Assistance for Freelance Artists

• Assistance for our Military and Families

• Assistance to all Veterans, Active Duty, Reserves and National Guard

• Assistance for Painters, Printmakers, and Sculptors

BOOKS, AUDIOBOOKS, GRAPHIC NOVELS, MAGAZINES

• Overdrive Most libraries have accounts here that allow you to check out eBooks, eAudiobooks, digital comics, manga, newspapers, magazines and stream movies and television shows for free. Most libraries also have ways for you to sign up for a digital card so you can create an account online.

• Standardebooks.org has free e-books for download that are high-quality. - 

• https://openlibrary.org for tons of book options.

• You can now download over 300,000 books from the NYPL for free

• some libraries offer other services, like Hoopla, Flipster...; check your local library’s website (need a library card number usually) 

• Project Gutenberg is a digital library of books that have all entered the public domain, meaning many classics such as Shakespeare, Moby Dick, and A Tale of Two Cities are available for free as ebooks.

STREAMING FOR MOVIES, DOCUMENTARIES, AND TELEVISION

• If your library offers it, you can get a trove of documentaries through https://www.kanopy.com/ - u/FIREDrillTW

• Shudder the horror streaming platform is offering a free 30 days

• Sling, an internet alternative to television, is offering free trials

• The NFL, NBA, and NHL are offering free league passes and streaming of games from other seasons

• Crunchyroll offers many, many anime free without an account (mostly subtitled), while Funimation offers quite a number of its anime for free if you sign up for an account (mostly English dubbed).- u/Unique_Emerald_Sol_I

• Here’s How to Get in on Extended Free Trials from Your Favorite Streaming Services

• A list of free trials for streaming services

• Watch Netflix with your fellow quarantined with this Chrome Extension

• If you have internet access you can watch all local television channels for free with this not-for-profit service: https://www.locast.org/ This free streaming service is available for the cities of Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Denver, Rapid City, Sioux Falls, Sioux City, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Atlanta, Washington D.C., Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York, and Boston. 

OTHER MEDIA ENTERTAINMENT

• The Met Opera is offering free performance streams

• Mayhaps a symphony

• The fascinating world of the Marble Olympics (Hazers forever!)

• 15 Broadway Plays and Shows you can watch free.

• BroadwayHD has a free 7 day trial allowing you to enjoy Broadway hits from home

• Seattle Symphony Announces Free Video Broadcasts and Livestreams

• Metropolitan Opera to Offer Up ‘Nightly Met Opera Streams’

HOBBIES, LEARNING, TOOLS, TIME PASSERS, AND EXERCISE

• Duolingo is a free app that teaches you other languages!

• Affinity, an art studio alternative to Adobe, is offering a free 90 day trial

• The YMCA is offering free online classes and include some of the Y’s most popular group exercise classes like Boot Camp, Barre, Yoga and low impact programs for seniors

• JSTOR is allowing free access to its articles even if you aren't a university student right now

• Down dog yoga is offering free classes on their app!

• Planet Fitness is hosting daily workout routines on their YouTube channel. Live stream starts tonight at 7pm EST.

• Peloton, an exercise app, is offering a free 90 days

• Minimoog, a digital synthesizer app, is now free.

• Adult coloring book pages for printout

• KORG is a music-making app that normally costs $20, but is free until March 31st

• 450 Ivy League online courses for adults

• Yale’s most popular course is free The Science of Well-being

• Zencastr is a website that helps you start your own podcast. Right now it is offering free services due to the virus.

• Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is offering free lessons

• Creativebug offers free hobby classes through many libraries. Check to see if your library has an account with them!

• Google Hangouts Meet

• https://www.zooniverse.org/ Participate in various historical transcription projects to help scientists & researchers. Some projects available in their app. Everything from transcribing Civil War records to looking at photos from nature cams and marking if and which animal actually set it off. 

VIRTUAL TOURS AND LIVE WEBCAMS

• The Great Wall of China!

• Tons of different art and museum galleries

• Get a dose of nature or wildlife from all over the world. There are numerous live webcams, many are educational and others are simply fascinating and entertaining. https://explore.org/livecams/ Cornell Lab Bird Cams -

• The Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden is doing a Home Safari live on their FB page at 3 PM every week day. They highlight an animal each day and incorporate an at-home activity to keep children learning at home.

• The Houston Zoo and San Diego Zoo has various webcams

• Tour a real farm!

• Penguin Cam!!

• The Monterrey Bay Aquarium

• National Park virtual tours

• Disneyland Virtual Rides

The Georgia Aquarium Has Live Cams So You Can Go Under The Sea At Home

Other resources: 

Front Row CEO

Front Row VIP

Simplify Life at Home with 10+ Easy to Use Alexa Skills

SHOWNOTES

 Wonder what your Alexa can do in addition to playing music? This podcast is for you.  If you’ve been slow to use your device, you’ll find at least 3 new things (probably more) to make life easier and we can all use some of that!

Now that we’re all at home for a bit, this is the time to take advantage of your Alexa device. 

Here are just a few awesome things you’ll enjoy: 

• 4 Alexa trivia games that your entire family will enjoy

• Not only can you play with people at home, some games give you the ability to be matched up with someone else who wants to play

• Ambient sound options – great resource to reduce anxiety and help you get a good night sleep

• Learn what loop it means and why you might want to use brief mode

• Use Alexa free meditations to clear the information overload (great for those who haven’t meditated before)

• Find out how you can keep in touch with loved ones with your Alexa device – using calls and drop-ins (this is such a comfort!)

• Get the low-down on the smart home devices that work well with your Alexa (a big surprise here)

• What’s an Alexa routine and how can you use them?

• Find out about follow up mode – this is perfect when you have a series of questions

• Don’t have an Alexa speaker device – you can use the app instead

• Alexa buds are here!

Resources: 

Subscribe at Voicebrew

How to Use Coaching Calls to Grow Your Business

SHOWNOTES

 I’m pulling back the curtain and explaining exactly how we do our Q&A Coaching calls the Front Row VIP member group. Our members find this very valuable and I love knowing that we’re helping them succeed. 

I get to learn new things which I love. If know me even a little bit, you know that’s one of my favorite things to do. It’s also a great way for me to get to know the members better as well. 

I cover this process in detail on the podcast. Here’s our process outlined:  

• Neeca announces that submissions are open in our private Facebook Group. Our deadline is 5 pm the Friday before our Tuesday calls.

• She also sends an email to our members as well.

• We use a Kajabi form for members to submit their questions.

• Neeca creates a personalized slide for each member with their question.

• Speaker notes have the relevant links for me to reference on the call.

• Neeca shares her input as well as screen shots for any resources I might want to reference.

• I do my research, so I’m prepared to share the information with links and details.

• Before we go live, we make an announcement in the Facebook group.

• We also send an email 30 minutes before we go live.

• 5 minutes before we send out a message with the messenger bot.

• Calls are recorded and members can get answers even if they can’t be there live.

• The replay link is emailed with timestamps to each question.

• After the live call, Neeca downloads the recording and uploads it to our private group.

• We create a graphic to promote this resource in the free Front Row group. It’s an easy way to demonstrate the value of the membership. They can see the types of questions that were asked with the time stamps. 

Marketing tip: If you host Q&A or training calls be sure to snap a screenshot and share it via Instagram and/or Facebook tagging participants. It’s a great way to highlight the value you provide. 

I hope you’ll add this type of call if you are looking for a way to connect with members and provide some personalized feedback. It’s a huge benefit. 

Join The Front Row Facebook Group

How to Productize Your Offers with LeAnna Weller Smith

SHOWNOTES

Today’s guest is a graphic design rock-star. She’s award winning (announced on the podcast!) with incredible talent. I had the chance to work with her on my new branding for Front Row CEO and on the Front Row CEO Planner. 

She shared so much good information. Listen for great ideas for your brand and product offers. 

Find out: 

• How LeAnna helped me bring my Pinterest board ideas to life for the Front Row CEO brand.

• Why her process didn’t just make something that looks amazing. Hear how it can also give you confidence about your offers.

• The one thing that made a huge impact for the planner. It truly made it a system. Everyone loves this feature!

• Why a product can become the building block of your business. This will change how you think about everything!

• What it looks like to work with LeAnna about your project. She’s breaks it down for you. (She mentions 3 things I’d never even thought of!)

• The many ways you can use your physical product to boost business and raise your profile. One big thing that wasn’t even on my radar before working with LeAnna.

• Why people want physical products – 4 key things that you can translate to your business.

• Who is Productologie for?

• Great insights for course creators. This is huge!

• Why the trapper-keeper might be making a comeback. If you loved new school supplies, you’re going to love this.

• How LeAnna helps her clients understand selling their products – the step beyond the creative part of her work. 

Products bring your work to life. It’s also about creating experiences for your clients in a tangible way. I left the podcast conversation with a great new idea. That’s what listening to this podcast will do for you too!

Connect with Leanna: 

Website 

Productologie Quiz 

The Front Row CEO Planner

Growing a Thought Leader Brand with Jason Van Orden

SHOWNOTES

Today’s podcast is a full circle moment for me. Years ago, I listened to Jason’s first podcast before the Front Row was in existence! I learned so much from him then so it’s a treat to have him on the podcast today. 

Like many of us, he didn’t set out to be a marketing expert. It started with a need to promote his band. He figured out what worked and soon found himself helping others. His story is inspiring, and this episode is filled with actionable information. 

Here are just a few of the things we covered: 

• The power of information marketing.

• Jason shares 4 ways he found clients pre-social media, pre-email list. The best part is some of these strategies carry over to today’s methods.

• Find out how to translate your unique brilliance with Jason’s formula; Position, Platform and Product.

• How to distill your message so it’s compelling, unique and clear to your audience.

• The best way to align your marketing approach with your skills and abilities.

• Find out why shared meaning, shared value and shared stories are so powerful. (Don’t miss this - it’s the key to creating marketing that truly inspires!)

• Jason breaks down why we under-value our strengths and explains why embracing them is key to creating an impact. (game-changer!)

• Get Jason’s insight about taking time to think and create. This is a huge shift in how to look at giving away content.

• Find out why understanding frameworks is so powerful. 

This podcast episode is packed with great insights from Jason. He has a great way of framing how to step into your expertise. I know you’ll get a few aha’s when you listen in. 

Be sure to check out his new podcast linked below. 

Jason’s Podcast: Impact: How to Grow Your Thought Leadership Brand and Business

Jason’s Website

LinkedIn Strategies with Judi Fox

SHOWNOTES

Be ready to take notes when you listen to today’s episode! My guest Judi Fox shares her incredible LinkedIn strategy and it’s AMAZING. 

Listen, take notes then take action! 

There’s so much good info in this episode – here are a few of the highlights: 

• Leadership by listening. This will change how you think about commenting and posting your own content

• Get the latest info on LinkedIn Live and Judi’s experience with it so far. 

• What to do when posting on LinkedIn. The exact formula!

• Company pages. Judi shares why you want one and how to make it work for you.

• What content works where on LinkedIn. (Seriously valuable info!)

• LinkedIn in-box strategy. The good, the bad and how to manage it.

• Judi’s brilliant solution: The best way for us to start this connection is through the public comments on the platform. Go follow my hashtag #foxrocks and I’ll see you online in the comments.

• Hear why you should have a personal hashtag and the best way to use it.

• Using LinkedIn DM without being obnoxious is possible. Judie shares 2 ways that work! 

Create a LinkedIn profile that makes you $$ while you’re sleeping. For real. Judi generously shares her strategy that you can make your own. These are just the highlights. There’s much more on messaging strategies, how this can also help you on Instagram, why images work so well (and the exact type) and more. 

Here’s how to connect with Judi: 

Application process that leads to a 30-minute call

Website 

LinkedIn

Follow Judi’s hashtag on LinkedIn #FoxRocks

The Front Row CEO Content Planning System

SHOWNOTES

You’re going to love today’s episode. I’m sharing the Front Row CEO Content Planning System. You’ll see how I create 3 months of content in just a couple of hours. 

If you follow the plan that I’m breaking down in this podcast you will never have to worry about what to post, or how to show up. 

You’ll be consistent and you’ll always know what’s happening each day. That may be the best part of all, the clarity. (And the results!) 

Here’s what I cover: 

• How to determine your themes 

• The best way to support your upcoming promotions

• Anchor content – what is it and how to create it

• Micro-content and why it’s going to make your life super easy

I also cover how to determine what goes where. Literally how to put this on the calendar or your content management software so it’s ready to go. 

Get the C E O content formula. 

• Connection content – find out why it’s so important 

• Expert content – see how to use this to position yourself as the expert

• Original content – great ideas to help your audience see the real you 

Imagine how nice it would be to see more engagement while spending less time planning and creating content. This system will do that for you!

RESOURCES

Get the Content Planning Worksheets: Text: CEOCONTENT to 44222

Front Row CEO Planner (because sometimes nothing beats pen and paper!)

Get your March content planner!