You’re going to retire someday. And we’re not talking about just a few years of your life. People are living longer. More people will live to 100 than ever. So you might be in financial stress for a good 20 to 25 years of your life if you don’t make some changes. Worse, you could end up becoming a burden to the people you love the most. That’s not a pretty picture, but there’s some good news. Donald Miller sits down with Chris Hogan, the author of Retire Inspired, on the Building a StoryBrand podcast. He calls his book “America’s wake-up call” and his goal is to motivate you to think about retirement now and think about it differently. http://buildingastorybrand.com/69

Do you feel like no matter how hard you work, you’re always behind? The worst part is you know of highly productive people who have time for everything important — family, health, friends and business. Nothing has to be sacrificed upon the altar of success. So, what are their secrets? Today’s podcast guest will reveal them. Charles Duhigg, the author of Smarter Faster Better, used to be sitting in the same place you are now. He had achieved an incredibly successful career, but was still miserable. His daily life whizzed by in frantic activity that left him feeling empty. Charles began investigating these highly productive people who go on vacation, spend time with family, and pursue a fulfilling work life. What he came up with will help you increase your productivity and reclaim your life. http://buildingastorybrand.com/68

Does running your business feel like you’re caught in a whirlwind? That ringing phone, the unexpected appointment, the stuff piling up from last week? Urgent matters keep popping up. All the while, more important things like growing your company gets pushed aside. You know the answer lies in getting help from your team, but trying to get your team to do something new in the midst of the whirlwind is extremely difficult. Today, you’ll discover the solution to that problem. Donald Miller sits down with Chris McChesney, co-author of The 4 Disciplines of Execution (4DX). Trying to change the behaviors of the people around you is one of the biggest challenges you’ll ever face. With the 4 Disciplines of Execution, you can rest assured you’re implementing a system that is tested and proven. Once everyone is moving together in one direction, you and your team will no longer be tending to urgent matters only. Instead, you’ll be achieving goals and moving the company forward in exciting ways. http://buildingastorybrand.com/67

If you have an important, high-stakes presentation that needs to move people en masse in a given direction, Nancy Duarte is the person you’d call. She’s written, visualized, and helped people deliver some of the world’s greatest talks. Her Guide to Persuasive Presentations is the best-selling Harvard Business Review guide ever. And if you haven’t seen Nancy’s TED talk — where she lays Martin Luther King’s I Have a Dream speech over Steve Jobs’ Apple iPhone release and shows you how they’re essentially the same talk — then I don’t know where you’ve been in the last six years. So I can’t tell you enough how honored I am to have Nancy as our guest on this week’s episode of Building a StoryBrand podcast. Nancy gives you the tools you need to make your presentation resonate. She’s going to show you how to carefully examine and craft seven different sections of your presentation before stepping up on stage. http://buildingastorybrand.com/66

This week my new book Building a StoryBrand is out! If you’ve been wanting to clarify your message pick it up today at Amazon or Barnes and Noble! That said, if you don’t want to order it because reading hurts your brain, there’s a distant, distant second option I recommend. And that’s to listen to this week’s podcast because this week, J.J. and I shamelessly plug the book by going through it point by point. It’s like the audiobook but with a laugh track! The main reason I wrote the book is because I wanted to make marketing easy and I believe it accomplishes that task. To get the best points, though, you’ll have to buy the book to get. I’m no dummy. Anyway, I hope you read these ideas, apply them and make loads of money. And I hope they make you want to buy the book to make even more. http://buildingastorybrand.com/65

Being successful isn’t always what it’s cracked up to be. I mean, look at the headlines. We can all name a few celebrities who crumbled under the pressure of fame and fortune. While well-known artists may deal with the problems of success on an amplified level, most successful leaders have similar struggles and are in danger of the same downfalls. That’s why I’m so excited about this week’s episode on the Building a StoryBrand podcast. I sit down with Al Andrews, the founder and executive director of Porter’s Call, a service that counsels and supports recording artists. Al has a client list with names you’d certainly recognize so he’s very familiar with the problems fortune brings. As he shares his wisdom about how he helps his clients stay healthy and grounded, you’ll find help as a leader too. After listening to this episode, you’ll learn 10 paradigm shifts you need to make as a leader on the road to success. http://buildingastorybrand.com/64

If you’ve ever tried to write sales copy for your product, then you’ve probably felt the intimidation of the blank page. Worse, when you’ve finally beat the blank page blues, your copy doesn’t deliver the results you wanted. Your words fail to persuade your customers. That’s why I’m thrilled to sit down with Ray Edwards on the Building a StoryBrand podcast. As the author of How to Write Copy That Sells, Ray’s going to reveal some magic phrases that will help you write great copy. After listening to this podcast, you’ll no longer be intimidated by the blank page and you’ll find your sales copy is finally doing its job — reaching the people who need your product and making you money. http://buildingastorybrand.com/63

Ever thought about quitting your job to start a business of your own? Not everyone is ready to risk a secure job to launch a new enterprise. Some people really like their day job. And for many, a regular paycheck is a blessing. That’s why I’m honored to have Chris Guillebeau joining us on the Building a StoryBrand podcast. He’s the author of Side Hustle: From Idea to Income in 27 Days and he’s going to show us how to quickly and easily create an additional stream of income without giving up the security of a full-time job. Whatever your reason for starting a side hustle, listen to this podcast to learn the simple process it takes to make it happen. Chris blazes a clear path to help you earn extra income fast.

If you had a chance to sit down with a world-renowned businessman, what would you ask? As an entrepreneur, you’d likely want him to go back to the point where you are and find out what crucial decisions he made to help his business go big. Blake Mycoskie, Founder and Chief Shoe Giver of TOMS, is one of the top young businessmen in the world and perhaps the most visionary entrepreneur in forming social-minded businesses and consumers. On the podcast this week, I sit down with Blake to talk about his entrepreneurial journey. Blake shares a fascinating story of how he became a fashion mogul by giving shoes away through his One for One model, and he gives some powerful advice regarding you as an entrepreneur. During the interview, I hone in on the three critical hires he made to scale up his business during the embryonic stage of TOMS. http://buildingastorybrand.com/61

Do you feel like your job isn’t what you should be doing? Perhaps you have a side hustle that you wish could be your main hustle? Or you have an entrepreneurial itch that just won’t go away? If so, you’d probably like some help in making your business dreams a reality. Someone who can guide your through the journey from beginning to end. That’s why I’m happy to have Chase Reeves joining us on the Building a StoryBrand podcast. He’s a co-founder of Fizzle and their mission is to help you earn a living independently doing something you care about. In this episode, he outlines four steps to start you down the right path. Follow these simple steps and you’ll discover there’s wonderful wisdom in them. They will spark your business dreams to life and make your entrepreneurial journey a success. http://buildingastorybrand.com/60