April Zeilinger is helping to keep her husband’s family legacy alive in the challenging arena of American textiles. She is not only the Vice President of Operations but also the heart and soul behind the Brand Awareness and Marketing for the company. April is the creator of Foodie Yarn, a fun yarn line that is dyed the colors of food and launched it during the pandemic. Zeilinger Wool Company is a fourth generation fiber mill producing thousands of pounds of natural fibers per week into yarn, socks and other items enjoyed within the craft and wool lovers market. April worked 20 years in financial institutions before leaving everything that was comfortable around her, for half of her salary and took the risk to join her husband Jon in his family business. The business had no presence on social media and a twelve year old website to start her entrepreneurial journey. She is a self-taught business gal who never wants to stop learning with a certificate in leadership from Great Lakes Bay Hispanic Leadership Institute through Saginaw Valley State University in Saginaw, Michigan.         In this episode, April shares how she came into her own and stepped up in her career journey. Key Learnings: A break-up with your job isn’t fun, but you have to break-up sometimes.You will experience resistance, so get ready for it. Don’t let fear guide your decisions. When you work with your spouse, you learn to have a mutual respect for each other’s strengths. Learning to take knowledge and experience it in action is true learning. No one tells you how to be an entrepreneur; you figure it out. Ask people, especially women, where they see their career going. Write good things to yourself and speak them to yourself. Two things to do to grow in your own leadership abilities? Spend time by yourself and be curious.Links:Zeilinger Wool Company Myers Briggs Personality TestGreat Lakes Bay Hispanic Leadership Institute To learn more about Bob’s two books, find them on Amazon here: The Leap and Love Your Work.

Joe & Laura Darkangelo left corporate America in 2005 and haven’t looked back. Most of their days consisted of reaching someone else’s goals and dreams, and they found little time for each other or for their children. With Joe in the sales department for a large distributor and Laura in the airline industry AND owning their own pizza franchises at the same time, they were spent. With exhaustion and an unfulfilling life, they started their entrepreneurial journey. Today, they’re entrepreneurial giants leading teams in Bonvera. In this episode, they recount their personal journey to entrepreneurship, and they hash out the dreams, the struggles, and the victories.Key Learnings: Stress is one thing; entrepreneurial stress is another. We justify a job rather than taking a leap to entrepreneurship. I noticed a lot of people in entrepreneurship, and they had better marriages, were always learning, and had good relationships. I learned more in entrepreneurship more than I ever did in college.Negative motivation doesn’t work. Positive reinforcement works best by lifting others up and encouraging them. Education saves us from becoming who we don’t want to be. I’m different from everyone else, so I can’t be like this author or that. But I can use their teachings and apply them to myself.It’s your time that matters and what you do with it that’s important.Live your priorities. Links:Dream Big by Bob GoffLove Does by Bob Goff Forgiving What You Can’t Forget by Lysa Terkeurst Live in Love by Lauren Akins Phyzix MD Bonvera’s Global Impact InitiativeHard Easy by Arthur Coombs III  To learn more about Bob’s two books, find them on Amazon here: The Leap and Love Your Work.

“Discipline is really about doing what you don’t want to do until you often find joy in what you do.” - Anne BeilerAnne Beiler is the creator and founder behind the world-renowned franchise, Auntie Anne’s Pretzels. Most wouldn’t know this about her, but she started this incredible company with no business plan, no capital, and no education. Growing up in an Amish community, she only received up to an eighth-grade education and got married when she was 19 years old. Years of baking cakes and breads for her large family taught her how to make some of the world’s tastiest pretzels, and what started out as a small business and dream grew to be a global sensation.In part 2 of this interview series, Anne shares her professional experience learning and growing from a founder and creator to a manager and business woman. She shares her keys to success and her biggest takeaways from managing a global enterprise of tasty pretzels. Quotes:Overcoming personal challenges helped me to know I could overcome other obstacles I’d face.I didn’t know anything about training, writing a mission or purpose statement, or franchising. It was going back to my roots -- discipline and hard work. A list is good no matter your age.If we can’t manage the small things right now, we’ll never be able to manage the bigger opportunities coming.The appetite for learning is a part of your personal growth, your professional growth, your emotional growth, and your spiritual growth. You have to grow in all those areas to become truly successful.I define success as are you doing what you love to do? At the end of the day, can you put your head on the pillow and can you say I did my very best?Training isn’t barking out orders. Training is role modeling. Training is talking to your people to help them understand who you are. Create relationships with people and train them to be excellent in what they have -- loving, respecting, and honoring them. It’s about role modeling what is important to you, and you do that with grace and kindness. People will come flocking to you. They’ll carry out your purpose. They’ll do it without you being the boss. The very seeds of your greatest victory are being planted right now.Links in this episode include:Anne BeilerAuntie Anne’s Pretzels Anne Beiler StoreThe Secret Lies Within: An Inside Outlook at Overcoming Trauma and Finding Purpose in the PainBlog from AnneTo learn more about Bob’s two books, find them on Amazon here: The Leap and Love Your Work.

“With faith and hard work, all things are possible. That’s what truly makes you successful.” - Anne BeilerAnne Beiler is the creator and founder behind the world renowned franchise, Auntie Anne’s pretzels. Most wouldn’t know this about her, but she started this incredible company with no business plan, no capital, and no education. Growing up in an Amish community, she only received up to an eighth grade education and got married when she was 19 years old. Years of baking cakes and breads for her large family taught her how to make some of the world’s tastiest pretzels, and what started out as a small business and dream grew to be a global sensation.But her story of entrepreneurship and professionalism grew from experiences she was going through personally and spiritually. She overcame so much trauma, suffering, and pain in order to become the person she is today. Having sold Auntie Anne’s, she now shares her personal experiences and testimony to help others overcome their own obstacles and challenges with hope in this part 1 of 2 interviews.Quotes:The successful entrepreneur will do what others don’t feel like doing.Most of the time, I was the obstacle. I limited myself because of my pain.Perseverance is the point. You don’t stop when you feel like it. You don’t stop when you think you can’t do something.Life is hard. God is good. I’m not confused about that anymore. If I would have stayed there and didn’t have the courage, there would be no Auntie Anne’s.What I discovered was that stepping outside of that box, there is so much more room out there to be who God created you to be.We spend so much time wishing we were somebody else that we don’t take time to be ourselves and use our gifts. Be who God made you to be.Out there, it is limitless. Whining about what we don’t have is wasted energy. Understanding what we do have is enough. Focus on what we do have instead of whining about what we don’t have gave me boundless energy. Salt doesn’t speak, it only makes things tasty. Light doesn’t speak, it only draws people in. Links in this episode include:Anne BeilerAuntie Anne’s Pretzels Anne Beiler StoreThe Secret Lies Within: An Inside Outlook at Overcoming Trauma and Finding Purpose in the PainBlog from AnneTo learn more about Bob’s two books, find them on Amazon here: The Leap and Love Your Work.

“I always think there is so much more to see. I’m so excited to be alive, and there is always potential to be cultivated.” - Reggie Leonard Reggie Leonard is an education, tech, and learning fanatic. He’s a young millennial leader influencing the way we think about education, technology, AI, and the entire learning process. Reggie received his undergraduate degree from Bowie State University where he was the treasurer and founding member of the men’s soccer club. He attended Liberty University following, and he got his Master’s degree in Counseling. Today, he works at the University of Virginia, and he serves as the Associate Director for Career Connections and Community Engagement for the School of Data Science and Engineering.Bob and Reggie don’t waste a minute as they dive right into the heart of education and how it’s changing especially with the onset of COVID-19. They discuss the paradigms of education and learning, and they have an interesting dialogue about how it’s changing and what the future could really hold. Together, they banter back and forth about insights they’re learning and influencing in today’s world.Notes and Quotes: Make sure that the decisions you’re making are in line with the vision for your life. The earlier you ask the questions about who and how you want to be in the world, the more defined your path and direction will be.For those that don’t have strong social capital or access to opportunity, college is a great opportunity for that. To not go to college is to have a sense of resilience and ingenuity. Our education system hasn’t trained people in that way, it’s trained them to check the boxes. College is the most linear.Imagine living in a world where you can never take your shoes off. It’s one thing to have protection on your feet, and it’s another to feel safe taking off your shoes and can kick back. There is efficacy in creating safe spaces - comfort, belonging, camaraderie. There is a difference between peace keeping and peace making.“People are easy to hate from a distance, move in.” - Brene BrownThat’s the word -- strengthen and practice. The way to be great at something is to practice something. We don’t often think about practicing things like resilience or having enough or being uncomfortable and learning how to operate like that. We don’t seek that out nor fully exist presently while we experience them.Most people do their jobs, but they don’t think about their jobs. That’s what separates professionals from workers.Links in this episode include: About ReggieReggie Leonard, Bio at the University of Virginia The Great Mental Models: General Thinking Concepts MBA In a Book Trello board, project management toolNew Way MBA The Infinite Game by Simon Sinek The Art of GatheringWinners Take All SubstackTo learn more about Bob’s two books, find them on Amazon here: The Leap and Love Your Work.

“The number one reason you’re going to succeed is because of your passion.” - Gino Wickman Gino Wickman has been an entrepreneur since age 21, and even at an early age, he’s had an obsession for learning what makes businesses and entrepreneurs thrive. At 25, he took over the family business, which was deeply in debt and in need of help. After turning the company around and running it for seven years, he and his partners successfully sold the company. He then set out to help entrepreneurs and leaders get what they want from their businesses. Based on his years of real-world experience, he created the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS), a practical method for helping companies achieve greatness. He has personally delivered more than 1,900 full-day sessions for more than 135 companies, helping them implement EOS. He’s also the author of the award-winning, best-selling book Traction: Get a Grip On Your Business, as well as Get a Grip, Rocket Fuel, How to Be a Great Boss, and What the Heck is EOS?, which have sold more than one million copies. As the founder of EOS Worldwide, an organization that helps tens of thousands of businesses implement EOS with the aid of an international team of over 350 professional certified EOS Implementers and online support. There are almost 100,000 companies using the EOS tools worldwide. He’s now devoting his time and energy toward helping entrepreneurs-in-the-making get a jump-start on taking their entrepreneurial leap, which is why he created Entrepreneurial Leap. The mission of Entrepreneurial Leap is to find all of the entrepreneurs-in-the-making, at any age, wherever they are - to help them realize their purpose and live the life they were born to live.In this episode, Bob and Gino break down Gino’s latest book, Entrepreneurial Leap, and they talk about the principles and philosophies of what makes an entrepreneur. It’s really an inside peek at his new book and a unique conversation with the author first-hand.Notes and Quotes: -Responsibility is really this -- you tend to look at yourself when something goes wrong, and you dive in to solve your problem.-The first thing to do is discover your passion. Do some soul searching. Get clarity about what you’re built for. A simple exercise is to evaluate your 3 greatest successes, your 3 greatest failures, and what life has prepared you for. -Success as an entrepreneur is greatly accelerated and improved with a mentor. It’s undeniable.-A mentor wants to leave a legacy. Show them appreciation, give them feedback on how you’re applying what they’re giving to you, and put in the work. -Make a 10 year goal, and then work backwards from there. You’ll find you get to your goal faster, better, and more peacefully.Links in this episode include: Entrepreneurial Leap InformationEntrepreneurial Operating System (EOS) WorldwideLetting Go: The Pathway to Surrender by David HawkinsThink & Grow Rich by Napoleon HillEssentialism by Greg McKeown7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen CoveyEntrepreneurial Leap: Do You Have What It Takes to Become an Entrepreneur?Take the Free Entrepreneur-in-the-Making AssessmentSubscribe to the Entrepreneurial Leap YouTube ChannelVisit www.e-leap.com for more information.    To learn more about Bob’s two books, find them on Amazon here: The Leap and Love Your Work.

“There are no crops without both the sunshine and the rain.” - Bill & Jann Newton Bill & Jann Newton are a dynamo duo as Bonvera co-founders and leaders. Married for 44 years and with 33 years in the relationship building business, they know a thing or two about working together and overcoming trials and tribulations. Both from Kansas, they met when they were in high school and stayed together through their university days at Texas A & M. Bill was an all star javelin thrower in college, and he was bound for the Olympics. Yet, he and Jann started their journey together and were called to help the family farm in Kansas. Together and with their family, they grew their farm equipment business to a hugely successful venture. In 1980, they were one of the largest tractor dealers in America, and a year later, they were the largest combine dealer in America. Today, they’re speakers, sought after mentors, teammates, and leaders to one of Bonvera’s largest Kansas teams, VIP United. They’ve got sage wisdom and they’re leaving a legacy. In this episode, Bill and Jann join Bob in the Bonvera HQ home office studio. The key thread woven throughout this episode is wisdom. In this dialogue, Bill and Jann talk about lessons they learned through their business, even when times were hard and difficult. They recount the early days of meeting one another, and Bill unpacks what it was like to be a college athlete bound for the Olympics with a javelin in one hand and big dreams in the other. Leaving a legacy is important, and in this episode, you’ll learn why. Notes and Quotes: -Problems aren’t bad. Every successful venture has come about because of a problem. -When you go through obstacles, ask yourself: what could I have done differently? -Don’t look at others to blame or make excuses. Look to yourself. -I’m enthralled with information as I am with application. -It’s okay to be down, but don’t stay down.-There are no crops without both the sunshine and the rain. -Pain is a great motivator if you use it properly. Links in this episode include: Bill & Jann Newton Leadership ProfileBill Newton, Bonvera Board MemberWhat is the ICAA?QBQ! The Question Behind the Question book on Amazon New Way MBA, the new way to pursue continuous education online for any entrepreneurTo learn more about Bob’s two books, find them on Amazon here: The Leap and Love Your Work.

“Someone said you’re a pyromaniac at heart. I said, it just depends on what we’re burning. We try to take anything creative for clients and burn it up and make it light up the sky for them.” - Mark SullivanMark Sullivan has an interesting bio to say the least. Mark is the founder and Creative Director of Lime Biscuit Creative (@limebiscuit1), one of the Atlanta area’s fastest growing branding and design agencies. Currently, Mark also serves as a Lieutenant with the Douglas County Fire Department, where he has been for over two decades. Mark is also co-owner of Toxic Suppression, a company specializing in post-fire decontamination for firefighters. On top of all that, Mark served as the host and emcee for the Love Worth Fighting For Marriage Tour with actor Kirk Cameron and Warren Barfield. In the past, Mark worked with talent from History Channel, A&E, and other major networks. When not working, which is rare, Mark loves to attend concerts and sporting events. Mark has been married to Sherry for 22 years, and they have two children Zach and Mia. It is easy to see why his co-workers penned him as "The pyromaniac of creativity".In this episode, Bob and Mark discuss the importance of branding as well as how he decided to brand and name his own design and branding creative agency. Mark teaches that branding isn’t the same as it used to be. It’s easier now more than ever to begin a business today and get your brand out there in front of people. From firefighter by day to entrepreneur by night, Mark discusses the entrepreneurial journey and best branding tips for entrepreneurs everywhere. Notes and Quotes: -Millennials enjoy going out and seeing who you are and what you do, connecting with your personality and who you are.-“Education is what remains after you’ve forgotten what you learned in school.” - Albert Einstein.-Now that time is minimized to start a business, you can maximize your time to market yourself, see clients and customers, and network. It enables you to do that face to face with people and build that relationship with them.-Doing business with everyone is not your goal. It’s too big. You need to refine your brand to attract a particular audience.-We developed this idea of entrepreneurs to find your torch. You have to light your ship with something. What’s your torch to light your ship then? What’s your passion and what’s your gift? How to discover that and use it to light the ship and burn it down to get it out of your way to light your path.-The entrepreneurial journey is fraught with difficulty. There is no such thing as a journey with no risk involved.Links in this episode include: About Mark Lime Biscuit Design and Branding Agency Toxic Suppression The1519 Podcast GRIT by Angela DuckworthThe Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg Finish by John Acuff The1519 Podcast Spanish conquest of the Aztec empireStorybrand by Donald Miller podcast Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller Storybrand process One At a Time with Kyle Idleman podcastSoutheast Christian Church podcasts Love Worth Fighting For marriage tourTo learn more about Bob’s two books, find them on Amazon here: The Leap and Love Your Work.Follow Bob Dickie on Twitter @RobertDickie

“I wasn’t scared to try.” - Nicole Porter Nicole Porter is a business owner, entrepreneur, leader, speaker, mother, and wife. She builds teams, builds businesses, and connects with others for a living as a part of Bonvera. She and her husband also run multiple other businesses in the education, technology, and realty sectors. (And they were guests on Episode #9 inside their store, MacDaddy’s). Formerly a dental hygienist, she left that industry to start her own businesses and dictate her own freedoms. Today, with 14 years in the industry, she joins us to talk about how to build a home-based business in a socially distanced world. In this episode, Bob and Nicole recount her journey from full-time employee to full-time business owner. They discuss trends in the industry of household purchasers, the part-time gig economy, building communities online, and connecting with others.  Notes and Quotes: -Over 80% of participants in the home-based business are females. In most American households, the CFO is generally the female. She is making the majority of the purchasing decisions. -What’s unique about this industry is that you can earn a couple hundred dollars a month or you can earn a career level income. You don’t have to do a 40 hour work week either. I think that’s what is so attractive to women in this industry. -With social media, I want to add value to people’s lives by what I post on my social media platforms. I want people to see my life, get to know me, and be genuine. When you do that, people want to be a part of it. -People are going to follow you, they aren’t going to follow a product. -We’ve seen a huge need for high communication with people right now. We are no longer in the hustle and bustle, but our world is still so noisy. Your voice needs to be a little bit louder and a little more positive than the noise out there in the world. -People need to be lifted up right now, and they need to be encouraged and inspired. -We need vision casters more than ever. We need leadership more than ever. -Everyone is on social media right now, and if we know they’re on there, where do we want them to be? We want them to be getting positive information with a clear vision to see past all of this. -If you’re going to be a successful leader, you need to check your attitude and your expectancy.-If you want to be a successful leader, be hungry to grow and learn.-What made the biggest difference for me? I just wasn’t scared to try.-Success is where opportunity and preparedness meet. -Before all of this, we used to say, “I just want to be at home.” Now, look at us, we have the most time at home we’ve ever had. Think of the time we have.Links in this episode include: Kirk & Nicole Porter’s bioKirk & Nicole Porter’s Taking the Leap Episode #9The 5 Voices by Jeremie KubicekTo learn more about Bob’s two books, find them on Amazon here: The Leap and Love Your Work.

“Don’t get weary in well doing. Communicate and think about others. Don’t fall into woe is me. We can’t change what has happened, but we can change our actions towards what is going to happen.” - Jim & Dolores MartinIn part two of this episode, Jim and Dolores note the unique circumstances that COVID-19 and the global pandemic present -- an opportunity to be leaders and inspire hope in others. At the same time, Jim and Dolores talk about how to structure your time and implement daily disciplines into your rhythms. The episode concludes with a few rapid fire questions from this power couple.Notes and Quotes:  -I did learn one major thing to set my priorities to be in this order:  my God, my husband, my children, my business. To do that then, I need to structure my time that way. If I have to make phone calls, I have to clear the time before I do it. I communicated that to my kids, so they knew that they mattered. -You don’t want to make them feel like you’re putting them on a shelf, and you’re going to come back to them after you’ve become successful in your business. Otherwise, they’ll learn to hate the business. I had to make sure my kids saw that we were running for goals.-We prioritize our time. I live by what I say I live by, and I write it down.-Eliminate the distractions and be disciplined. An undisciplined life is rough. -The American dream is to own something. I believe it’s security and freedom from depending on someone else. It’s woken people up. Security is from the neck up. It’s how we think that differentiates us. What we do, what we think, and how we act. -If we can get a bunch of people together and working together, we will move mountains.-Attitude and selflessly loving people you are in business with are the two skills they mentioned to being an entrepreneur. -Last encouraging words to a global audience? Don’t get weary in well doing. Communicate and think about others. Don’t fall into woe is me. Write down 10 things that are going right in your life before you go to bed at night. It keeps you focused. We can’t change what has happened. We can only change our actions towards what is going to happen. -Don’t waste this opportunity to move your business forward. Consistency is what is going to win the day. The power of compounding will take effect. Get into action and don’t stop the action. Adapt, change, and don’t waste this. Stay consistent. Links in this episode include: Jim & Dolores’s bioUK Appoints a Minister of Loneliness, an article from the New York Times Meet UK’s Minister of Loneliness, an article from TIME magazineVertical Marriage by Dave and Ann Wilson Personality Plus by Florence Littauer Everyone Communicates, Few Connect by John Maxwell The Power of 5 by John Maxwell The DNA of Relationships by Dr. Gary SmalleyTribes by Seth GodinWinning Every Day by Lou HoltzTo learn more about Bob’s two books, find them on Amazon here: The Leap and Love Your Work.Follow Bob Dickie on Twitter @RobertDickie