The Less Doing Podcast

My guest on this episode, Fabio Viviani, may not have won Season 5 of _Top Chef_. But he did win "Fan Favorite" and it's pretty clear why. Fabio is magnetic and his passion for hospitality has clearly garnered him success in the restaurant business. But it is his quest to forge genuine connections with people through social media, that's truly impressive. Find out more about his IP, automations, and processes on this lively episode. ------- [Get the FREE Optimize, Automate, Outsource Blueprint here.](https://go.lessdoing.com/blueprint?utm_campaign=blueprint-ari&utm_medium=link&utm_source=podcast)

SPOILER ALERT - You will want to listen to this podcast at least three times...and be prepared to take notes. Dan Sullivan, founder of Strategic Coach, is a legend and his insights and advice flow fast and furious in this illuminating episode. - Ari and Dan discuss the creation of the "Impact Filter". - The Jose Canseco Syndrome - Dan's Freedom Model - Finding your ideal customer - An essential Quarterly Task Exercise And why there would not be a Strategic Coach without Babs. If you listen to only one of Ari's podcast, you have to listen to this compelling conversation. ------- [Get the FREE Optimize, Automate, Outsource Blueprint here.](https://go.lessdoing.com/blueprint?utm_campaign=blueprint-ari&utm_medium=link&utm_source=podcast)

Julia Pimsleur discovered some startling things on her way to building a multi-million dollar business. She realized in her quest for VC to fund the growth of "LittlePim" - a language learning program for children, that only 3 percent of women-run businesses ever get to over $1 million and that only 4 percent of Venture Capital goes to women-run businesses. So, she wrote a book called "Million Dollar Women" and started the industry's marquis event by the same name. In her quest to help women scale up she has uncovered the three essential qualities female entrepreneurs really need. The proper MINDSET about going big. The right SKILLSET that allows them to fill in business gaps. The most productive NETWORK that mentors and strategizes. Julia is, without a doubt, a force of nature. ------- [Get the FREE Optimize, Automate, Outsource Blueprint here.](https://go.lessdoing.com/blueprint?utm_campaign=blueprint-ari&utm_medium=link&utm_source=podcast)

Ari meets up with Ben Hardy - - The World's Most Clapped For Man. Medium has become one of the most accessible and therefore, popular virtual content provider. But getting attention there can be insurmountable for many. Not for Ben Hardy who has developed a foolproof tactic for creating content that gets noticed. It's how he became the most popular writer on the site. He talks about how he began his writing career, how he discovered the world of blog writing and how he developed a following on Medium. Ben also waxes pretty damn eloquently on social psychology, making the most of your mornings and why our definition of success could use some work. ------- [Get the FREE Optimize, Automate, Outsource Blueprint here.](https://go.lessdoing.com/blueprint?utm_campaign=blueprint-ari&utm_medium=link&utm_source=podcast)

Full show notes coming soon! ------- [Get the FREE Optimize, Automate, Outsource Blueprint here.](https://go.lessdoing.com/blueprint?utm_campaign=blueprint-ari&utm_medium=link&utm_source=podcast)

In this episode, Ari interviews Trivinia Barber, the founder of [Priority VA](https://priorityva.com/). Priority VA provides dedicated Virtual Assistants with the skills and flexibility needed to handle anything from routine administrative tasks to more complex business and marketing initiatives. In this episode, Trivinia and Ari discuss the joys and challenges of running a VA company, what separates a good VA from a great VA, and how people can utilize a VA in the most effective manner. **Common Misconceptions About a Virtual Assistant** Many people have never heard of a VA or are laboring under false assumptions about what a VA can do. VAs can run the gamut from basic administrative tasks to more complex business development projects and everything in between! Listen as Ari and Trivinia discuss what a VA can do and how they can partner with you in your life and business to accelerate your success. **What Makes a Virtual Assistant Great** Trivinia explains how she hires VAs and the vetting process she goes through to ensure her company has the highest qualified candidates. For her, character traits regularly trump certifications and skills. In this episode, Trivinia explains why that is, why that is such an extraordinary benefit to her clients, and how she chooses who she works with. **Continuous Training for the Most Skilled Virtual Assistants** One of the things that sets Prioroity VA apart from other VA services is their focus on continued growth. Trivinia shares with Ari how she makes learning a part of the culture in her business and the opportunity she provides her VAs to continue to hone their skills so they can best serve their clients. **What to do When it's Not a Match** Sometimes the VA client-relationship doesn’t work out. Trivinia and Ari discuss tasks they have had to say no to and how turning people down in the right manner can help to build your brand. If you have ever considered using a Virtual Assistant but aren't sure where to begin, don't miss this episode of the Less Doing podcast! 0:25 - Ari opens the show and introduces his guest, Trivinia Barber. 1:45 - Trivina explains what her company does and the wide range of tasks a VA can perform for clients. 2:41 - Trivinia shares advice on how clients can build trust with their VAs. 3:47 - Trivinia explains her background and why she started Priority VA. 6:06 - Ari and Trivinia discuss how a VA is really a partner with you in your business and the advantages they can have over an in-person assistant. 7:25 - Trivinia shares what she believes makes a VA great and how she hires VA based on this belief. 9:50 - Ari and Trivinia discuss tasks that should be outsourced but often aren't. 11:16 - Trivinia explains what her team looks like and how she uses a VA in her life and business. 12:35 - Ari and Trivinia talk about the most in-demand skills for VAs today. 13:38 - Trivinia shares advice on how you can find the best VA for your situation. 15:20 - Trivinia offers tips for keeping your VA motivated and engaged. 18:25 - Ari and Trivinia discuss some of the craziest tasks their VAs have been asked to complete. They also share what they do when a task can't be completed and how the team rallies to help solve complex problems. 25:33 - Trivinia shares her top three tips to help people become more effective. 27:15 - Ari closes the show Go to [Priorityva.com/ari](https://priorityva.com/recommended-by-ari-meisel/) to find out more about how Priority VA can benefit you! If you enjoyed this episode of the Less Doing podcast and want even more tips for improving your productivity, join our community on [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/groups/lessdoinglabs/). ------- [Get the FREE Optimize, Automate, Outsource Blueprint here.](https://go.lessdoing.com/blueprint?utm_campaign=blueprint-ari&utm_medium=link&utm_source=podcast)

In this episode, Ari sits down with Andy Hnilo, the founder of Alitura Naturals. They discuss the evolution of the company, and Ari helps Andy work through some of the issues that are holding his company back from reaching its full potential. **Accident Turned Innovation** Andy had a promising career in the entertainment industry until a serious car wreck derailed his plans. Eager to speed the recovery process, he began researching and learning all he could about healing and skin care. Andy explains how he turned experiments in his bedroom-turned-lab into a thriving skincare company with proven results. **Managing Email and Customer Relations** Managing email and customer communications can be a challenge for a small team. Without a proper system in place, it’s easy to spend hours responding to emails and customer requests at the expense of progress. Listen as Ari explains the importance of having separate systems for internal and external communications and suggests some tools and processes that will help Andy save time and communicate more effectively. **An Optimized Process for Content Creation** Creating educational content is a hugely impactful marketing method, especially for businesses like Alitura naturals. Ari shares his thoughts on why this needs to be Andy’s primary focus in order to have the biggest impact in the business. In this episode, Ari explains how content creation will benefit Andy’s company and shares a method to allow him to optimize his content creation process. **How to Outsource Effectively** Outsourcing effectively is a challenge many businesses face. In this episode, Andy and Ari discuss the challenges with Andy’s Virtual Assistant and some of the services he is using to process orders. Ari explains when and why you would choose a specialist over a generalist and suggests some services Andy should look into. **Special Bonus:** Use the discount code “MEISEL” to get 20% off the entire Alitura Naturals store. :025 - Ari opens the show and introduces his guest, Andy Hnilo of Alitura Naturals 1:22- Andy tells his story and shares the evolution of the business. 7:32 - Andy shares his challenges optimizing his customer interactions. 8:47 - Andy talks about the unique ingredients in his products and why this is such a critical part of the business. 16:44 - Ari asks Andy about the make-up of his team. 22:48 - Andy details his day-to-day activities and processes and the challenges he faces. 24:50 - Ari explains how Intercom could benefit Andy in responding to customers 28:50 - Ari explains the importance of separating internal and external communication and how using Intercom and Slack together make an effective combination of tools. 29:30 - Andy explains his order fulfillment process, and Ari details how Intercom makes this processes more optimized. 31:10 - Ari illustrates what a customer process could look like in Intercom and how this process can help Andy’s business scale. 31:50 - Ari and Andy talk about Dollar Fulfillment. 32:26 - Andy shares some challenges he is having with his Virtual Assistant. 34:30 - Ari explains the 6 Levels of Delegation 35:00 - Ari explains GrowthGeeks and why he believes they are a great option for managing Andy’s social media. 35:29 - Andy and Ari talk more about Andy’s challenges with his VA. 36:20 - Ari offers solutions to Andy’s trouble with marketing effectively. 43:00 - Ari has some suggestions for how Andy could improve his website. 48:35 - Andy shares all the things he wants to hire someone else to do so he can focus on areas where his talents are best utilized. 51:25 - Content creation is one of the most important tasks for Andy, and Ari explains how he can optimize this process. 55:18 - Andy would be better served by hiring a variety of specialists instead of generalists. 56:58 - Ari talks ab

In this episode, Ari interviews Taki Moore, the founder of Million Dollar Coach. Taki “coaches coaches to be better coaches” and provides a practical framework to guide them in developing a scalable business that showcases their talents. A Coach for Coaches If you run any sort of coaching business, you do not want to miss this episode! Hear Taki share some of his best advice, techniques, and tools for creating a business and a life that is sustainable, profitable, and fulfilling. A Business Framework that Works for Everyone One of the many benefits Taki provides to his clients is a framework for growing their coaching business regardless of the type of coaching they do. In this episode, Taki explains how he developed this framework and the importance of it being content agnostic to enable it to work for any type of business. You Don’t Have to be a Technology Whiz to Have a Successful Business Many people might think that you have to be exceptionally tech-savvy in order to have a successful business in today’s marketplace. However, Taki proves that this is not true. Hear him share the way he does business and the analog tools he uses in this episode. Outline of the Show: [0:27] - Ari opens the show and introduces his guest, Taki Moore. [2:25] - Taki shares what his business does and why. [5:19] - Taki explains where his content-agnostic framework came from and how it was developed. [7:00] - Ari talks about Taki’s method for planning a whole year of content at once and how he is using it in his own business. [10:37] - Taki believes that it’s simple to be successful when you’re using the right framework. [11:14] - Taki shares how he got started in the coaching business. [15:40] - Taki explains his three areas of focus and why these are important to him. [18:24] - Million Dollar Coach is an entirely distributed team. Taki shares what this looks like and why it works best for his business. [20:03] - Ari loves the different touchpoints Taki has with his clients, but he’s surprised that none of them are automated. Taki explains why he does things this way. [22:10] - Ari talks about the recent call he had with Taki and why it was so effective. [24:55] - Taki explains the “3 Quicks”. [27:05] - Ari and Taki discuss the importance of a specific call-to-action. [28:43] - Taki shares the two things that help him do his best work. [30:45] - Taki explains what his typical day looks like. [34:02] - Taki gives his top three pieces of advice for being more productive. [39:58] - Listeners can find Taki’s new podcast at MillionDollarCoach.show and read his blog and find other resources at MillionDollarCoach.com. [40:44] - Ari thanks Taki and closes the show. Resources mentioned: MillionDollarCoach.show [MillionDollarCoach.com](https://milliondollarcoach.com/) If you enjoyed this episode of the Less Doing podcast and want even more tips for improving your productivity, join our community on [Slack](https://go.lessdoing.com/labsoptin) or [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/groups/lessdoinglabs/). ------- [Get the FREE Optimize, Automate, Outsource Blueprint here.](https://go.lessdoing.com/blueprint?utm_campaign=blueprint-ari&utm_medium=link&utm_source=podcast)

_“At this point, I personally am about to hit 7 years…It’s like a 40-minute video at this point... I’ve not forgotten a day of my life since I started.” Cesar Kuriyama, creator of 1 Second Everyday_ In our fast-paced world, it can be hard to keep track of the important moments that happen every day. Time goes by in a blur, months blend into the next, and it’s easy to suddenly find yourself unable to remember what you’ve done with your time. This can be discouraging and have a negative impact on mood and productivity. Cesar Kuriyama has developed a solution to this problem with the app 1 Second Everyday. This app provides a simple, user-friendly way to create a video journal made up of - you guessed it! - one second from every day of your life. In this episode, Ari and Cesar discuss the app, the amazing benefits it’s providing its users, and how it creates a meaningful way to look back on your life. If you’ve ever wanted to know how to keep a video journal, you don’t want to miss this episode! Do You Struggle With Keeping a Journal? Well, Here’s an Easy Way! The benefits of journaling are well known. The process can improve memory, boost your mood, encourage mindfulness, and increase overall happiness. However, many people don’t know how to keep a journal or struggle to maintain a journaling habit. Hear how 1 Second Everyday makes it easy, fun, and memorable to keep a video journal. Creating Habits for Success Much research has been done on how habits are created and how people can harness the power of habit to improve their daily lives. This issue created unique challenges for Cesar and his team throughout the development of the app. In this episode, Ari and Cesar discuss the complex science of habit and how Cesar’s ultimate goal is to help people live a better life by installing positive habits. An App for Greater Effectiveness Studies are currently being done on the impacts of 1 Second Everyday on its users. Initial results and personal stories reveal a significant effect on the happiness, well-being, and effectiveness of the people using this app. Hear Cesar share these stories as well as his top three tips for being more effective. Outline of the Show: [0:28] - Ari opens the show and introduces his guest, Cesar Kuriyama. [0:57] - Cesar explains the inspiration behind the app. [6:30] - Cesar shares his personal experience with using the app as a journal to remember the meaningful moments from his days. [7:38] - Deciding what moment to use can be stressful for some people. Cesar offers some advice. [10:10] - Cesar explains some of the features and how it works. [12:44] - The science of habit-forming impacts the development of 1 Second Everyday. Research is being done on the effects of the app on its users. [16:18] - Cesar explains how he chooses his second. [17:45] - There are many exciting new updates being released between now and the new year. [20:20] - 1 Second Everyday is helping people to install better habits in their lives. [22:00] - Cesar shares his top three tips to be more effective to include the benefits of trusting your gut, the value of reading and research, and how to make a distributed team function well. [26:03] - Cesar talks about new updates to the iOS version of the app versus the Android app and shares information on some great new features. [28:58] - Ari closes the show. Resources: [1 Second Everyday](https://1se.co/) 1 Second Everyday on [iOS](https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/1-second-everyday-video-diary/id587823548?mt=8) 1 Second Everyday for [Andriod](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=co.touchlab.android.onesecondeveryday&hl=en) If you enjoyed this episode of the Less Doing podcast and want even more tips for improving your productivity, join our community on [Slack](https://go.lessdoing.com/labsoptin) or [Facebook](

_“Do gifting when you don’t have to, and then you don’t have to do gifting. It already becomes a part of the process, and people want to renew with you… It just becomes a natural progression.”_ John Ruhlin, author of Giftology It’s December, and you are struggling with the eternal question: “What gift should I give my employees, clients, and the people I want to maintain a relationship with?” Bad news: you’re already wrong. In this episode of the Less Doing podcast, Ari chats with John Ruhlin, the author of Giftology and an expert in gifting and gratitude strategy. John rose from farm-boy roots and selling Cutco knives to being the leading expert on how to use gifting to deepen and maintain relationships, stay top-of-mind with your most important clients, and accelerate your business. Why Giving the Best Gift is Crucial Giving a gift can be an effective way to show your appreciation for a client or employee. However, did you know that most companies give the wrong gifts at the wrong times? This does more harm than good. The wrong gifts actually hurt your business and make people think less of you (although, according to John, nobody will ever tell you that!). In this episode, John explains the value of a gifting strategy and how, when done right, it easily turns your clients into raving fans of your business. What Types of Companies Can Benefit From Gift Giving Gifting and gratitude can give your business a competitive advantage that sets you apart from your competition. This strategy is most effective of certain types of business with goals to grow or maintain employee and client relationships. However, as John and Ari discuss, there are certain criteria that need to be met for a gifting strategy to be effective. Find out what those are and if gifting will accelerate your business in this episode. The Best Gifts For Your Clients and Employees Effective gifting goes beyond a simple item. The best gifts effectively keep you top of mind with them throughout the year. The best gifts are those that make the receiver think of you each time they interact with (whether they want to or not!). If you are struggling with what to give, you don’t want to miss this episode where John shares some of his best tips. And if you want to know what NOT to give, you can get a list of John’s top ten WORST gifts [here](http://giftologybook.com/ari/). Outline of the Show [0:25] - Ari opens the show and introduces his guest, John Ruhlin [0:50] - John explains his background and how he became “the gift guy” [4:58] - What is Cutco, why so many great sales leaders got their start there, and John’s biggest take-away from his experience selling knives [10:00] - the importance of cost per impression and focusing on tangible items [13:15] - John explains how he turned gifting into a successful business [15:30] - the ideal business that could benefit from a gifting strategy [20:30] - the best time to give gifts to clients [22:30] - John shares his most memorable experiences with giving the best gift [27:07] - gifting mistakes [30:00] - John shares where you can get a copy of his book, and Ari closes the show Resources Mentioned: [Cutco Cutlery & Kitchen Knives](https://www.cutco.com) [Giftology](http://giftologybook.com/) Download the top 10 worst gift ideas [here](http://giftologybook.com/ari/) John Ruhlin on [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/johnruhlinjr/), [Twitter](https://twitter.com/ruhlin?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor), and [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-ruhlin-0b04b01/) If you enjoyed this episode of the Less Doing podcast and want even more tips for growing your business and improving your productivity, join our community on [Slack](https://go.lessdoing.com/labsoptin) or [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/groups/lessdoinglabs/). ------- [Get the FREE Optimize, Automate, Out