Creative Warriors

Usually on Talking Stick, we talk about business quests. Our guest today, David Galaudet, shares the story of a very different quest. A personal quest that led him on a 10,000 mile journey with his dead father's ashes. As you might imagine, there are plenty of life lessons to be learned here. All shared with a touch of humor. One highlight is our conversation about what keeps us on a quest when we really have no idea where we're going or perhaps, even why we're doing it. The Talking Stick is in your hands now. Let us hear from you. Be part of the conversation - Join our community Facebook group, Creative Warriors Unite, at www.joinwarriors.com and share your feelings and continue the conversation. If you want to apply to be a guest on Creative Warriors Talking Stick, CLICK HERE. Guest Contact - David's website David's book, 10,000 Miles With My Dead Father's Ashes Contact Jeffrey - Website Coaching support My book, LINGO: Discover Your Ideal Customer's Secret Language and Make Your Business Irresistible is

Have you ever noticed that there are times you feel more productive during the day? Ever felt like there are certain hours when your brain just doesn’t work? Well, it’s not all in your head. We all have internal clocks that dictate our body’s functions - and your brain is no exception. We all go through three phases in a day. We have a peak phase, a trough phase, and a recovery phase. You might think that the best time to be creative is in the peak phase, but in reality you want to save that for your recovery phase. The trough phase is when you want to do all of your administrative and “mind numbing tasks”. Of course we are all different, so the timing of these phases may be completely different. They also may change throughout your life. But if you feel like your trough phase is causing problems for you - there is a secret. It’s actually called a napuccino. What you want to do is drink some coffee, then take a nap for 20 minutes. That’s about how long it takes for coffee to kick in, and the longest amount o

I absolutely love this conversation with Anne Gordon! Anne is founder of WhaleWatchingPanama.com. After years of whale watching tours, interactions with dolphins and guiding her guests to interact with these magnificent creatures, she has compiled a wealth of wisdom from whales and dolphins that we can all learn from. Consider this- whales have been on earth for 30 million years! We humans are toddlers in comparison! This is a wonderful treat! The Talking Stick is in your hands now. Let us hear from you. Be part of the conversation - Join our community Facebook group, Creative Warriors Unite, at www.joinwarriors.com and share your feelings and continue the conversation. If you want to apply to be a guest on Creative Warriors Talking Stick, CLICK HERE. Guest Contact - Anne's website WhaleWatchingPanama.com Spirit Dolphin Meditation Contact Jeffrey - Website Coaching support My book, LINGO: Discover Your Ideal Customer's Secret Language and Make Your Business Irresistible is now available! Watch my TEDX Linc

In today’s world companies have to be transparent - whether they like it or not. If you try to hide things, consumers will find it and use any avenue they can to exploit it. Most recently you’ve seen this from Facebook and Uber. Luckily, there’s a lot you can do to protect yourself. The first thing you need to understand is that every business will face a crisis at some point. Sometimes it’s because of an employee, sometimes it’s because of a claim that is simply not true (of which I discuss my experience in this episode.) Knowing this ahead of time means that you can take a proactive step through crisis preparedness. By having all of your ducks in a row, you can be ready for anything to come along. Know that pleading the 5th amendment doesn’t cut it anymore. Consumers will take action and a moral stance. That’s why you need to make sure you have a crisis manager on your team - and be aware that a PR person is not a crisis manager. To go into how you can protect yourself, I brought in an expert to help my Cre

What really is self-love? Is it different than self-worth? I think many of us, myself included, think we don't have an issue with self-love. Why then do we speak to ourselves, judging and criticizing ourselves, in ways that we would never speak to a friend? Joie Cheng shares her journey through suicidal thoughts to finding self-love. A journey she tells in her book, Naked Truth.  The Talking Stick is in your hands now. Let us hear from you. Be part of the conversation - Join our community Facebook group, Creative Warriors Unite, at www.joinwarriors.com and share your feelings and continue the conversation. If you want to apply to be a guest on Creative Warriors Talking Stick, CLICK HERE. Guest Contact - Joie's website Joie's book, Naked Truth Contact Jeffrey - Website Coaching support My book, LINGO: Discover Your Ideal Customer's Secret Language and Make Your Business Irresistible is now available! Watch my TEDX LincolnSquare video and please share!  Resources - 12 Must-Have Mindsets for Uncommon Entrep

Being an entrepreneur - you always hear how important it is to know your “why". The truth is, you probably have several "whys". We all do, we all have more than one goal and a purpose behind it. What can be just as important, if not even more so, is your "why not". It can be pretty simple to know what your driving force is to want to do something - but we rarely analyze what is holding is back. What is it that keeps us at a standstill? You need to know why it is that you are feeling stagnant and why your goals are still just that. Sometimes your "why not" might be internal. It may be a fear of success or a fear of instability. Other times it may be a a lack of money, resources, or strong enough network. No matter what it is, you must identify the problem. Once you’ve clarified that, then you can begin to create solutions to allow you to make progress quickly and efficiently. Just like your "why", your "why not" can change - or more may appear along your route to success. Because of that, you need to continual

I could go all Matrix on you and put your brain in a knot. But the truth is, things are as you see them because of how you perceive them to be. Is it a good day or bad day? Depends how you see it. Was that a good thing that happened or a bad thing? Depends how you look at it. That's what makes this a compelling conversation with Dr. Shawn Andrews, author of The Power of Perception. Or at least that's how I see it. The Talking Stick is in your hands now. Let us hear from you. Be part of the conversation - Join our community Facebook group, Creative Warriors Unite, at www.joinwarriors.com and share your feelings and continue the conversation. If you want to apply to be a guest on Creative Warriors Talking Stick, CLICK HERE. Guest Contact - Shawn's website Power of Perception Workbook Contact Jeffrey - Website Coaching support My book, LINGO: Discover Your Ideal Customer's Secret Language and Make Your Business Irresistible is now available! Watch my TEDX LincolnSquare video and please share!  Resources - 1

One of the biggest problems creatives have is finding ways to get their products and services in front of an audience. A lot of people just aren’t wired for marketing. Luckily, there’s an option that will fit literally any industry you are in: podcasting. Obviously you listen to podcasts (you listen to mine) so why aren’t you on them sharing your story? There’s no quicker and easier way to get in front of an audience that aligns with you. It doesn’t cost money to guest on other people’s podcasts, and it’ll make sure all of your efforts are getting you in front of the right people. Also, if you’ve ever thought about starting your own podcast I don’t suggest diving right in. Being a host comes at a large cost, and it requires a LOT of time and devotion most people just don’t have. Fun fact, most podcasts stop after only 7 episodes. To avoid being adding to a negative statistic, being a guest is also a great way to test the waters and see if it’s really an endeavor you want to embark upon. To go further into thi

I’m sure you’ve heard the old cliche’ “Honesty is the best policy.” In fact, you’ve probably heard it so it doesn’t mean anything to you anymore. It should. When it comes to business, not being honest with your customers will harm you in the long run. Your customers can sense when something isn’t quite right, and it’ll drive them away. Even if they believe you, there will be a point when they find out you weren’t telling the truth - and it’ll be more devastating to your relationship than anything. Instead, be open and honest with your customers at every chance. They will trust and appreciate you, which means they will keep coming back every time they have a problem that you can solve. I should note, that honesty comes from more than just your words. Honesty also needs to come from the representation of your brand. This means being honest with yourself. Your branding shouldn’t appear like a luxury item when you’re trying to appeal to a wide variety of clientele. You want your customers to look at you and your

If you're in business and plan on being in business for the next several years or more, you better plan on understanding the often misunderstood millennials. They are a major buying force. From a marketing perspective, they are both predictable and unpredictable. To me, Shaun Gold embodies the millennial generation. A nightclub promoter, known as "the nightlife ninja", he's part partier and part intellect having written four books. Part carefree and part very intentional. This IS the millennial manifesto.

I’m sure you’ve heard a lot of people preach about how you need to find your niche. Although this is true, as an entrepreneur you want to make sure you find your niche. By that I mean your area of expertise. Although you want to be able to identify your audience, you don’t want to close yourself off from other business opportunities. For example, if Amazon had been called Online Books for Cheap, they would have significantly reduced their ability to pivot. A study has shown that about three quarters of all businesses make a pivot within their first two to three years, so you want to make sure you give yourself the ability to. I imagine you’re next question is, “How do I know when it’s time to pivot?” To be honest, you’ll know through analysis. Take the time to sit back, look over your business, your industry, and even do a bit of self reflection. Once you have a strong analysis, now comes the time to play. Let your creative side take over. Don’t use your stats to go to an obvious place. Use your creativity t

Story telling in business has become the "in" thing. It's a great way to tell the story of your business and why you do what you do. But let's flip this around. How about stories that create relevancy with your ideal customers? Told in the right way, stories can create a bond between you and your ideal customer. So it's not about you or your business. It's also not a story about them. It's a story of shared values and life experiences to create relevancy and build relationship.

One of the most important things you can do in this world is discover your purpose. It’s really heartbreaking when an entrepreneur spends decades building a business that’s something they don’t care about. They start to feel burned out, and are too scared to try anything else because they’ve become dependant on the income that’s been created. The good news is, you can start making sure your business’ purpose lines up with your personal purpose at any time: and the sooner the better. You do that through brand identity. This is where you explore exactly what your business is and how you communicate it to your target consumer.By knowing what you stand for, and what your company is all about allows you to make the changes you may feel are necessary. And don’t be afraid of change. It’s important in every business. The world is constantly changing, and any business that’s been around for decades has had to make changes to fit into this constantly evolving world. On this episode of Creative Warriors, I am joined by

Many people have a hard time charging what they are worth. This is often because it's easy to not see value in what comes easy to you. Your gift. Most people have no problem charging a lot for what's hard or takes up a lot of time. It's actually the other way around. What comes easy to you is likely what you should charge the most for. Mellissa Seaman will help you find your gift and work with your gift, not against it. The Talking Stick is in your hands now. Let us hear from you. Be part of the conversation - Join our community Facebook group, Creative Warriors Unite, at www.joinwarriors.com and share your feelings and continue the conversation. If you want to apply to be a guest on Creative Warriors Talking Stick, CLICK HERE. Guest Contact - Mellissa's website Mellissa's SoulGiftQuiz Mellissa on LinkedIn Contact Jeffrey - Website Coaching support My book, LINGO: Discover Your Ideal Customer's Secret Language and Make Your Business Irresistible is now available! Watch my TEDX LincolnSquare video and plea

Running a business is a lot like playing sports. Now, I’m not a big sports guy myself, but I certainly respect the passion and drive that athletes have. One of the most important things that sports does right, which a lot of businesses fall short on, is having the support from others. Entrepreneurs tend to try to do it all themselves, which in the beginning is a necessity. As your business starts to grow, though, it quickly becomes a team sport. You need to know who to have that makes up for your weakness, and who who you can pass the ball to when it’s required. More importantly, at any phase of a business (just like any athlete) a business really needs a coach. In sports there are always multiple coaches for one team, and your business should run the same way. Even in solo sports, like Tennis, athletes have coaches to make sure their game is as good as it can be - and they look for problems that the athlete may not see. You should be doing the same. A coach is a great thing to have, no matter how big your b

One of the things that holds many people back is a fear of becoming "that person." As if getting recognition or having financial success is going to inherently change who you are. Sure, perhaps it does for some people. But if you are kind-hearted, person-driven in the first place, it's unlikely success is going to change you into someone you're not proud of. Often, quite the opposite. Financial success can free you to do your best work and give back. In today's marketing world, recognition is also often necessary. Or, as I like to say, "recognition is a strategy, not a goal." The Talking Stick is in your hands now. Let us hear from you. Be part of the conversation - Join our community Facebook group, Creative Warriors Unite, at www.joinwarriors.com and share your feelings and continue the conversation. If you want to apply to be a guest on Creative Warriors Talking Stick, CLICK HERE. Guest Contact - Debbi's website Dare To Dream podcast Debbi on Twitter Debbi on LinkedIn Contact Jeffrey - Website Coaching

Do you ever feel ignored if you are out to eat with someone and they keep checking their phone? Does it make you feel insecure? Well, you’re not alone. We all feel that way. Today it seems like everyone pays attention to their device and not the world around them. It’s an addiction not many people are addressing, but lucky for you this can easily play in your favor as an entrepreneur. To build stronger relationship (whether personal or business) all you have to do is put your phone away. Wear a watch so you’re not tempted to pull it out. When you do this, you’re instantly going to show the person you are with that you care more than the majority of our modern world. When you do that, you’ll build loyalty. They will appreciate the fact that you are appreciating them and their time. It honestly goes a long way, and will pay you back in many ways. It’s such a simple thing to do, yet we’ve lost that genuine connection to our phones. To go more into this, I have a special guest today: Neen James. Neen James is th

Unleash your inner misfit! In this conversation with serial entrepreneur and host of Misfit Entrepreneur podcast, Dave Lukas, you'll learn how to leverage all that makes you unique. Being a misfit entrepreneur is about finding what makes you think differently and using it to your advantage. You'll also learn about the power of choice. I'm sure you'll find our conversation motivational! The Talking Stick is in your hands now. Let us hear from you. Be part of the conversation - Join our community Facebook group, Creative Warriors Unite, at www.joinwarriors.com and share your feelings and continue the conversation. If you want to apply to be a guest on Creative Warriors Talking Stick, CLICK HERE. Guest Contact - Dave's website- Misfit Entrepreneur Misfit Entrepreneur podcast Dave's guidebook- Top 10 Lessons To Thrive and Succeed Contact Jeffrey - Website Coaching support My book, LINGO: Discover Your Ideal Customer's Secret Language and Make Your Business Irresistible is now available! Watch my TEDX LincolnS

All of us entrepreneurs have heard about the importance of building a brand. What you’re not hearing enough is the importance of building a personal brand. People don’t follow a brand, they follow the founder. They don’t think SpaceX, Virgin, or Apple. They tend to think Elon Musk, Richard Branson, and Steve Jobs. That’s where you want to be. You want people to think of, because that’s when your business will become change proof. Starting a new business doesn’t mean starting from the ground up. You’ll have a strong base audience that will support anything you take on. The biggest thing to remember when trying to become a Youpreneur is that you have to be authentic. Don’t copy people like Gary V, or Tim Ferris. Find your own originality: and do that by throwing yourself out there and beta testing what you think the audience wants. They will give you feedback, and that’s how you’ll be able to hone in on what they need and how you can really serve them. To dive deeper into the subject of personal branding and b

To succeed, even survive, as a Creative Warrior takes resilience. You will get knocked down at times. Discouraged. Impatient. What really matters is your ability to get back up again. Perhaps not just survive but THRIVE after a big set back. Sandra Younger has a survival story few of us could ever imagine. Sandra not only survived but is using the experience in great service to others. Many lessons to be learned in this episode! The Talking Stick is in your hands now. Let us hear from you. Be part of the conversation - Join our community Facebook group, Creative Warriors Unite, at www.joinwarriors.com and share your feelings and continue the conversation. If you want to apply to be a guest on Creative Warriors Talking Stick, CLICK HERE. Guest Contact - Sandra's website The ComeBACK Formula Guidebook Sandra's book- The Fire Outside My Window: A Survivor Tells The True Story Of California's Epic Cedar Fire Contact Jeffrey - Website Coaching support My book, LINGO: Discover Your Ideal Customer's Secret Langua