EOF: Caleb Bacon Talks About Failing On Stage

JohnLeeDumas

What does it take to be an Entrepreneur? Join us as Caleb shares his Entrepreneurial mindset and an inside glance at his journey to becoming a successful Entrepreneur.

Caleb is the host of the Podcast Man School and a sitcom writer, currently working on Sullivan and Son, TBS Tuesday nights.

Success Quote

  • ‘Visions come to prepared spirits.’ – David Melch click to tweet!

Business Failure

  • Caleb tells a lot of jokes, and frankly, some of them bomb. This story is one of those.

Entrepreneurial AH-HA Moment

  • We all enter the dip at various points in our life, and those who are able to power through are those who are able to thrive. Caleb powers through his dip during his powerful revelation…

Current Business

  • Caleb is fired up about a lot of things, but his current Podcast tops the list!

Small Business Resource

  • Twitter: Connect with your friends — and other fascinating people. Get in-the-moment updates on the things that interest you.

Best Business Book

button (1)

Interview Links

rsz_2star_fullThe Podcast Hangout! Join John Lee Dumas on his free weekly Podcast Workshop. Click here to join!

When to Quit Your Startup

serious startups

Everyone on the Serious Startups panel has had to make the decision to quit before. And we’re all involved in ventures now that we sometimes wonder if we should walk away from.

Kane, David, and I have slightly different thoughts on how you know when to quit your startup. Check out the video and let us know what you think @seriousstartups.

Luke Harvard: How His Daughter Showed Him the Path to True Fulfillment

JohnLeeDumas

What does it take to be an Entrepreneur? Join us as Luke shares his Entrepreneurial mindset and an inside glance at his journey to becoming a successful Entrepreneur.

Luke is the Founder of Fearless Leadership & Vision Inspired People, a global community of movers and shakers. He advises and mentors business leaders, millionaire entrepreneurs and high profile individuals. His message regularly reaches 700,000 people worldwide on a weekly basis via Vision Inspired People.

Success Quote

  • ‘If you’ve got big dreams, you’ll never be satisfied living a small life.’ – Luke Havard click to tweet!

Business Failure

  • Luke shares a failure of epic proportions. When his 3-year old daughter showed him firsthand what he was missing out on, it not only broke his heart, but straightened him out.

Entrepreneurial AH-HA Moment

  • Transparency is the true key to a life of fulfillment. Be YOU Fire Nation… and be proud of it!

Current Business

  • Luke is blown away with the power of podcasting, and his new Influence Academy is rockin’ and rollin’!

Best Business Book

button (1)

Interview Links

rsz_2star_fullThe Podcast Hangout! Join John Lee Dumas on his free weekly Podcast Workshop. Click here to join!

The Fire Path 14: How to land and leverage speaking engagements

Thumbnail for 28197

By Kate Erickson

Click here to listen to the audio version of this post, Episode 14 of Kate’s Take.

We’re going to take another sharp turn here, and this time we’re headed towards speaking engagements!

Once you’ve built your platform, started growing your audience and have released a product and/or service, it’s time to start thinking about and looking into potential speaking engagements.

Why?

Well, speaking engagements can do a lot for you and for your business, like help you gain even more credibility and authority in your niche, and depending on the engagement and how focused it is in a particular niche, it can also help you win over new fans and potential customers.

Additionally, the personal interaction face-to-face that takes place between you and your already-existing audience is unlike anything you can do online. Well, you could opt for a Webinar instead, which is also a powerful way to communicate with your audience, but let’s focus on the in-person stuff for now. :)

I hear a couple of common responses from the people I mention speaking engagements to:

1) I get major stage fright and there is NO WAY I could stand up in front of an audience and present; or,

2) I’m not smart enough/good enough/knowledgeable enough/popular enough to be able to speak to an audience.

I totally get it, because that was me one month ago – seriously, one month ago.

About four months ago I was invited to be on a Google+ Hangout with Dan Franks and Jared Easley as a lead-in to their Podcasting conference in Dallas, TX, Podcast Movement.

I was really flattered that they had asked me to come on as the featured guest, and so of course, with some nervousness, I accepted.

The night before the hangout was going down, I got a text message from a friend who said, “Heads up: Dan and Jared are going to try and get you to commit to speaking at Podcast Movement on the hangout.”

I immediately started freaking out – ME?… SPEAKING AT PODCAST MOVEMENT, IN FRONT OF PEOPLE?!… – seriously, I was panicked.

After sweating and pacing my office for a while, I stopped. I looked at myself in the mirror, and I could see in my face, and in every part of my body, how freaked out I was by the thought of speaking at Podcast Movement.

In that moment, I knew I had to do it.

The more fear you feel about something, the more reason to do it

I spoke at Podcast Movement in Dallas – it was my first speaking engagement ever – and I feel great about it. I will say, I’m thankful that my first “on stage” appearance was on a panel, because I feel like this was perfect practice for the next time I’m speaking at a conference, on stage, solo.

I share this story because the fear I’m talking about is true for 90% of the population. Unless you grew up just loving to be on stage in front of an audience, speaking is a scary thing – for John, too. In fact, the #1 fear across the entire human population is the fear of public speaking.

John didn’t realize that he could get up in front of an audience and present… until he actually did it. The more he practiced, the better he became.

And sure, he had doubts about sharing his knowledge (and really, sharing himself) with an audience who potentially had no idea who he was; but he also knew this was an incredible way to grow his reach.

If speaking engagements tend to freak you out, then that’s a GOOD THING! That means they’re probably more worthwhile than you know.

It was through speaking engagements that John really put himself out there and made himself super vulnerable

It was through speaking engagements that he gained even more credibility and authority as a podcasting figure, which has really helped him grow his reach, and therefore, our business.

And it was through speaking engagements that he was able to meet and rub elbows with a ton of the “big guys” in our industry, which has resulted in life-long friendships – and that’s priceless.

Since you’ve been on The Fire Path for some time now, you know how important putting yourself out there is; what gaining credibility and authority can do for you and your business; and how building relationships is integral to your growth, both personally and professionally.

So, even if you’ve always thought speaking engagements are something you’d NEVER do, I invite you to open your mind and really think about the benefits that I’m going to dive into right now…

3 major benefits that come from speaking engagements

1. Gain even more credibility and authority in your niche and grow your reach

Being on stage, and sharing your knowledge and expertise with an audience, is a great way gain even more credibility and authority in your niche.

Why?

Well, if you weren’t an expert on your topic, then you wouldn’t have been considered for the engagement in the first place.

Also, if you’re focused in finding speaking engagements in your industry, just being included in a lineup of other experts in your industry will bring you credibility and authority by association.

For example, John’s first speaking engagement was at New Media Expo in January of 2013, barely four months after he launched. Being able to say that he spoke at New Media Expo has helped him land other speaking engagements along the way.

So the same way John uses past guests’ names to secure bigger guests, you can use conferences you’ve spoken at to secure bigger speaking engagements.

2. Win over new fans and potential customers

Speaking at a conference in your industry or niche gives you the opportunity to win over new fans and potential customers for your business by putting you in front of a group of attendees who may have never even heard of you before.

In providing valuable knowledge through your presentation, you’ll be introducing a captive audience to what you have to offer.

3. Engage face-to-face with your audience

Meeting face-to-face with those who already feel as though they know you is powerful, because no matter how well you think you know someone from interacting with them online, there is always the next level of engagement.

Meeting with your audience members in person can also help solidify trust and likeability. If you’re looking to bring your online relationships to the next level, meeting in person is a great way to make it happen.

Okay, now that you know all the benefits of speaking, you’re probably wondering how on earth you even go about land a speaking gig? GREAT question.

3 things you can be working on now that will help you get noticed in your industry or niche

1. Really define your niche

In order to get noticed in a specific niche, you have to be present within that niche.

The same way it’s easier for your ideal audience to find you based on your niche, it’s easier for industry leaders to find you based on your niche as well.

2. Establish yourself as an expert in your niche

Defining your niche is the first step – not the only step.

Once you’ve defined it, you need to really understand who your ideal audience member is so that you can start providing them with valuable information that will help them. In doing so, your audience will start looking to you for that information and view you as the expert.

3. Be consistent

When you prove to your audience that you have valuable content to offer that can help them, they’ll start to come back to you for more – but only if you’re providing that content on a consistent basis.

Pick a schedule and stick to it so that your audience not only knows your content is valuable, but that it’s also reliable (remember our walk down this path in Chapter 6?)

If you can work on doing these three things successfully, I can assure you it will not go unnoticed by the leaders in your industry or niche.

Before you know it, you’ll have people reaching out to you and requesting that you share your knowledge and expertise with their audience, too!

Speaking can be scary, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do it, especially given the benefits it can have on your personal and professional growth.

This is Chapter 14 of The Fire Path, where your passions and our guidance unite! You can subscribe to Kate’s Take: The EntrepreneurOnFire Audio Blog in iTunes today to get all the latest episodes as soon as they go live.

This post was written by Kate Erickson, Content Creator and Community Manager for EntrepreneurOnFire. Ready to connect? Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Google+

The post The Fire Path 14: How to land and leverage speaking engagements appeared first on Entrepreneur On Fire Business Podcasts.

Source: EOF

697: Mark Sisson: A Primal Entrepreneur with the keys to YOUR success!

Thumbnail for 28199

By John Lee Dumas

Listen to the Episode Below (00:37:37)

Business Failure

  • Mark was CRUSHING the frozen yogurt world in the early 80’s. He could have gone on to become the yogurt King, but he made this one critical mis-step that brought down the house of cards.

Entrepreneurial AH-HA Moment

  • Perseverance… passion… marathon… all keys to what has turned into Mark’s MASSIVE success.

Current Business

  • Mark is fired up about the expert certification course for Primal. He continues to lead the way, and Fire Nation, I suggest you jump on board!

Small Business Resource

  • F.lux: Is your computer keeping you up late? f.lux is free software that warms up your computer display at night, to match your indoor lighting.

Best Business Book

Interview Links

rsz_2star_fullThe Podcast Hangout! Join John Lee Dumas on his free weekly Podcast Workshop. Click here to join!

Sponsors

  • NatureBox: Want to become a smarter snacker? NatureBox is always filled with wholesome ingredients and their products are Nutritionist-approved, and sent right to your door. Visit Naturebox.com/Fire to receive 50% off your first box!
  • Igloo: An Intranet software solution built with easy-to-use cloud apps like shared calendars, Twitter-like micro blogs, and file sharing. Try Igloo – free for up to 10 people – at igloosoftware.com/fire.
  • SquareSpace: Enter code FIRE for a free trial and​ 10% off. SquareSpace: Everything you need to create an exceptional website!

The post 697: Mark Sisson: A Primal Entrepreneur with the keys to YOUR success! appeared first on Entrepreneur On Fire Business Podcasts.

Source: EOF

696: Aaron Walker offers Fire Nation our best gift yet!

Thumbnail for 28201

By John Lee Dumas

Listen to the Episode Below (00:34:54)

Business Failure

  • Aaron sold his business at 27 for millions. Now comes the part where he lives happily ever after, right? WRONG. Aaron and I go into detail about what it’s like to wake up in the morning without a purpose…

Entrepreneurial AH-HA Moment

  • Success to significance. It took Aaron years, but when these 3-words finally sunk in, his life was forever changed.

Current Business

Small Business Resource

  • 99Designs: The #1 marketplace for graphic design, including logo design, web design and other design contests.
  • MicroBurst: Find micro burst design jobs, micro burst design work, micro burst design projects and micro burst design contests.

Best Business Book

Interview Links

rsz_2star_fullThe Podcast Hangout! Join John Lee Dumas on his free weekly Podcast Workshop. Click here to join!

Sponsors

  • NatureBox: Want to become a smarter snacker? NatureBox is always filled with wholesome ingredients and their products are Nutritionist-approved, and sent right to your door. Visit Naturebox.com/Fire to receive 50% off your first box!
  • LegalZoom wants to help you start your business right. Visit LegalZoom.com, where you’ll find award-winning services developed by some of the best legal minds in the country, and enter FIRE in the referral box at checkout.
  • SquareSpace: Enter code FIRE for a free trial and​ 10% off. SquareSpace: Everything you need to create an exceptional website!

The post 696: Aaron Walker offers Fire Nation our best gift yet! appeared first on Entrepreneur On Fire Business Podcasts.

Source: EOF

The Power of Staying Flexible and Embracing Gray Space

Thumbnail for 28203

By Guest

Around this time, I also received an email from the Blog Genie, a woman whose target audience is the health and fitness blogger. We started talking about bloggers who want to attend blogging conferences, but can’t due to time or money constraints.

Cue the collective “ah-ha” moment

Together, we decided to launch the online freemium blogging conference series, Blog Well Summit, with the first summit taking place in October 2014.

A Whole Lot of “Ah-Has”

I’m not sharing this to give you a list of everything I’ve got going on.

I’m sharing this to emphasize that never in my wildest dreams did I expect to host podcasts or blogging conferences as an outshoot of my original, Girls Gone Sporty business plan.

I flexed. I took action and made decisions based on general principles and guidelines (my gray space), rather than a supposedly infallible business plan I wrote before I ever had an audience.

When you’re willing to live in the grays, to flex and respond based on data and circumstances, that’s when the “ah-has” happen. That’s when your business has the chance to really grow.

Laura Williams, M.S.Ed., is the Co-Founder and Executive Editor of Girls Gone Sporty, the Host of the High Impact Blogging podcast, and the Co-Developer of Blog Well Summit.

When she’s not launching new businesses, Laura can be found working out at the playground, watching trash TV, and suckling a glass of boxed wine, all while wearing yoga pants. She’s a classy one.

The post The Power of Staying Flexible and Embracing Gray Space appeared first on Entrepreneur On Fire Business Podcasts.

Source: EOF

695: Conrad Egusa lights the Entrepreneurial world ON FIRE in South America!

Thumbnail for 28205

By John Lee Dumas

Listen to the Episode Below (00:27:57)

Business Failure

  • Conrad started a company, built it up to 10+ employees, and then the trouble began. Instead of being transparent, Conrad kept the issues to himself, and as a result he was forced to let go of his staff and eventually, his company.

Entrepreneurial AH-HA Moment

  • Conrad saw he could be best in market in a very specific niche. Great takeaways here Fire Nation – enjoy!

Current Business

  • Publicize is Conrad’s current passion and he shares why.

Small Business Resource

  • Highrise CRM: Helps you manage your contacts, keep track of who said what when, schedule follow-ups, set reminders, and convert leads into done deals.
  • ZenDesk: Customer service software and support ticket software by Zendesk®. Web-based help desk software used by 40000+ organizations worldwide.

Best Business Book

Interview Links

  • Publicize: A next-generation PR company. We help leading technology startups grow faster. We spend 6-8 hours writing your press release.

rsz_2star_fullThe Podcast Hangout! Join John Lee Dumas on his free weekly Podcast Workshop. Click here to join!

Sponsors

  • LegalZoom wants to help you start your business right. Visit LegalZoom.com, where you’ll find award-winning services developed by some of the best legal minds in the country, and enter FIRE in the referral box at checkout.
  • ZipRecruiter: With ZipRecruiter you can post to fifty plus job sites, including social networks like LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter, all with a single click. Post a job free at ZipRecruiter.com/Fire.

  • SquareSpace: Enter code FIRE for a free trial and​ 10% off. SquareSpace: Everything you need to create an exceptional website!

The post 695: Conrad Egusa lights the Entrepreneurial world ON FIRE in South America! appeared first on Entrepreneur On Fire Business Podcasts.

Source: EOF

The Secret Rules of Startups

serious startups

Serious Startups : Unwritten Rules of Entrepreneurship

Entrepreneurs are notoriously famous for breaking the rules. But, with startup culture going mainstream, there are a lot of unwritten “rules.” For example, “Thou shalt always be ‘killing it.'”

Check out the video above as the Serious Startups team educates Kane Harrison on all the ways he’s rebelling against startup norms.

How One NFL Pro Became a Podcasting Entrepreneur

Entrepreneur-On-Fire-1920x1080

What does it take to be an Entrepreneur? Join us as Ross shares his Entrepreneurial mindset and an inside glance at his journey to becoming a successful Entrepreneur.

Ross is a 2-time Academic All-American at Princeton University who played 7 years in NFL before launching a media and entrepreneurial career that includes a high school athletic recruiting service named Go Big Recruiting, in addition to his very popular NFL-based Ross Tucker Football Podcast.

Success Quote

  • ‘The will to win is not nearly so important as the will to prepare to win.’ – Vince Lombardi click to tweet!

Business Failure

  • Ross almost failed before he started. He had an idea, researched it, and lo and behold, someone was already doing it. Like so many others, he over-reacted and almost quit on the spot. Fire Nation, when others are doing your ‘thing’ that is PROOF OF CONCEPT. Learn from them, find their weaknesses, exploit them, and create YOUR masterpiece!

Entrepreneurial AH-HA Moment

  • When Ross heard about the revenue he was generating for ESPN via his Podcast Sponsorships reads, his Entrepreneurial light bulb switched on, and it hasn’t dimmed one bit since.

Current Business

  • Ross is FIRED up about his Podcast, and the overall growth trajectory of Podcasting. In 2 words: ME, TOO!

Small Business Resource

Best Business Book

  • Magazines and Periodicals in YOUR niche!

button (1)

Interview Links

rsz_2star_fullReady to launch YOUR Podcast? Sign up for our free weekly Podcast Workshop @ PodcastersParadise.com