The Graham Cochrane Show

Morning routines. You either love 'em or you hate 'em. They have become super trendy over the years and I get asked a lot: Graham, what's your morning routine?Well today, I'm finally going to answer that questions. Up until now, I pretty much skipped over that question, I just haven't been interested in talking about it, partially because I don't think they're a magic bullet straight out the gate. But as a business owner going on his 13th year I've come to realize how critical morning routines are to how your day turns out.Morning routines may not be a magic bullet, but if you're looking to become more intentional, more productive and happy during your day - the morning routines are a great place to start (literally).I have tried everything under the sun when it comes to morning routines, but I think what you're gonna see in today's episode is something that's actually super practical and my hope is that it'll inspire you to figure out what helps you become the best version of yourself day in and day out. In this episode you'll learn: Why I avoided talking about morning routines for a long time How to tap into the power of a great morning routine What my morning routine is and how it has changed the way I run my business Hope you enjoy!- Graham

Subscribers. Followers. Likes. Dislikes - whether we like it or not my friend, whether we admit it or not, these are the numbers. These are the metrics that we clinging to, that we long for to give us credibility as business owners and as content creators. It's how we ascribe credibility subconsciously or consciously to other people. And these are what I would call vanity metrics.These numbers, in my opinion, do not represent credibility and have little to do with the credibility or the success of a person or a business owner. And so in today's episode, we're going to challenge this notion. We're going to challenge these metrics, since the reality is that they have no bearing on whether you are successful or not, and they should not be a marker that you look to for your credibility or success. And then also, they should have no bearing on whether someone else is successful or credible. And so we're going to encourage each other, to stop looking at these vanity metrics, for yourself and for other people to know whether you should follow them or like them or trust what they're saying. I'm gonna walk you through what really matters when it comes to your business success and your credibility.And I'm gonna share an interesting story that I think will tie all this together, and my hope is that you will leave this episode with a little more clarity on what to chase after and what to look for in your business and in others. In this episode you'll learn: Why we're drawn to vanity metrics and how they can harm us psychologically My personal interactions with vanity metrics and how I handle them nowadays 3 crucial things to look for when assessing someones success and credibility (and new's flash, it isn't vanity metrics!) Hope you enjoy!- Graham

I think one of the reasons we get into business in the first place is to have freedom, to be able to own our own schedule, own our time and to have flexibility. But sometimes, things don't really go as planned. There's that age old saying of trading your nine to five for a twenty four seven - which is the opposite of what we're actually after. And I get it, it's the hard reality of being responsible for all of it. A business doesn't turn off, just because you left the office. You can't clock in and clock out. This open door, can definitely become a slippery slope. I think we all want something that we're unfortunately not gonna get by default. We tend to overwork, we tend to just keep going at a pace, that if you're honest with yourself, you cannot keep up with. With the Graham Cochrane show, I'm trying to unpack what's behind all of this so that we can actually live the life we wanna live. In this episode, we're gonna talk about some of the hard things about why we have trouble putting a hard stop on our work. I'm gonna share the struggles Shay and I have had with this, and we're going to identify the four things, the four hidden driving forces, that tend to secretly drive us to hustle, to push, to grind, to not stop when we probably should stop. Let's discuss!In this episode you'll learn: Where the hustle mentality comes from and why it is so dangerous How we've struggled with stopping work in the past, and what led us to find new healthy habits and routines How working less and putting hard stops on work, can actually lead you to do better work and be way more strategic Hope you enjoy!- Graham

So my wife, Shay and I are both business owners and we have two daughters. And combining those two big categories of your life is a constant juggling act. Both categories of our life seem to demand a lot of our tension, time and intentionality. So one of the questions that we get a lot, is how do you balance the two as a couple and as a family? How do you try to both be high performers, have big goals and chase your dreams, and at the same time try to raise a family and have a thriving marriage? The short answer is we don't do it perfectly and we're in counseling, so we're working on this stuff. But what we thought we would do in today's episode is actually share with you, four commitments that we have made to each other and to our family that help us allow our businesses and family to flourish. They're not perfect, but they're things we've really held tightly to and have allowed our two categories to flourish. So in today's episode, we're gonna share those four commitments, and bring you behind the curtain in terms of how we think about family and business. We hope that maybe one or two of these might inspire you or give you some ideas of what you can do, whether you're married or single or have a family, to make sure that both your home life and your business life are flourishing. Let's dive in!In this episode you'll learn: Why family and business needs to coexists and how what kind of mindsets we have developed Our most challenging aspects of running a business while raising a family How we use each others strengths to continue to move forward, even when the going gets tough Hope you enjoy!- Graham

As far as I know, there are only three things that every human being on planet earth has to interact with on a regular basis, or at least at some point in their life.  Number one: other people, number two: your own health and number three: money. Money is one of those pervasive topics that we all have to deal with and especially business owners. And here's the problem. If you are applying everything that I'm teaching here, week in and week out and doing it, you will build wealth. You will make more income. You will have more money to manage, and that won't help you, if you don't know what to do with that money. Now I've covered a lot of the what to do's before, but today I want to cover the five biggest money mistakes that I see business owners making. Let's unpack these mistakes, not to shame you, but to just clean up a little bit of a mess so that you can have a healthier financial base so that you can actually go out and live that life you wanna live and enjoy the money that you have. In this episode you'll learn: What mindset shift you need to make in order to see financial wealth long term Why these 5 mistakes will cripple your wealth growth and always have you working up hill How you can make tiny adjustments to your money management that will set you up for wealth building big time Hope you enjoy!- Graham

►► Grab Jason Feifer's Book - Build For Tomorrow → https://www.grahamcochrane.com/jasonfeifer What do you do when everything in the world seems to be changing at a crazy rapid pace?How do we know that the career we've decided to follow or the business we've built is the right business and it can sustain all the change that's coming down the pike?This is a real problem that we face, especially when you put on the pressure of being a business owner and running your own company, it feels like it is on you to predict what's gonna happen down the pike.And we're all freaking out - but I'm here to help you out. 've brought on an amazing guest this week to break this concept down: Jason Pfeiffer.He's the editor in chief of 'Entrepreneur Magazine', who has a great perspective on this because he gets to interview the best of the best in all areas of life. People who are literally successful at business building, creating and making impact in the world. And I brought him on to discuss his new book that just dropped: Build for tomorrow: An action plan for embracing change, adapting fast and future proofing your career.I love this conversation with Jason as we break down what he calls the four phases of change and much much more!Hope you enjoy!- Graham

So honestly, I don't wanna talk about the recession anymore.It's all over the place and everyone's freaking out. I don't want to freak you out - I want to HELP you out. So today I'm going to do just that, by bringing on a special guest.  When it comes to the recession, I hear all the whispers, all the doubts, all the fears. And where most people talk about holding on to every cent you have - I'm going to go in the complete opposite direction. I'm going to bring on my wife Shay Cochrane, and talk to her in front of you about our recession plan - which centers around giving more away. Shay is a multi six figure business owner in her own right, and know's a ton about this subject as we've navigated through times like these together before - while always keeping a focus on giving (even when we literally had zero to give!). We have these conversations around the dinner table. So what we wanted to do was bring you basically into our dinnertime conversation, as we break down what we're doing in light of the coming economic turmoil and how giving relates to all of that - so that you can build a business focused on giving as well. All the details on why are in this episode. Let's dive in! In this episode you'll learn: Why me and my wife think giving is the best mentality to have during trying economic times What financial strategies we are putting in place in order to give more How we think about giving from a business and spiritual perspective Hope you enjoy!- Graham

Earlier this year when I launched my book “How to Get Paid for What You Know”, I met Stephanie Lee (out of serendipity!) and hired her to help me with my book launch. Stephanie is a media strategist and founder of Clout Monster, where she teaches creators how to get press and use it to grow their authority and business. We’ve been working together since, and she’s been so pivotal in helping me land these media features and explore new areas of growth. So for the first time ever, I’ve invited her on the podcast to chat with me about media, how we approached media strategy for myself, and how media could help your business (yes, even if you’re just starting out and have no idea what you’re doing). Stephanie is one of the rare people who lives in both the world of media and online businesses, and knows exactly what you need to make a huge impact. Here’s what we talk about on the podcast. Why even bother with media? We break down how focusing on media can actually help you grow your biz (and it's not for the reason most people think) A key related business lesson from a tiny ramen shop in Japan  3 ways to come up with a media-worthy story that will catch an editor’s attention You might think, “Oh, I’m not ready for press and being ‘out there!’” Trust me, you're probably more ready than you think. When I first worked with Stephanie, I knew I had to challenge myself to get uncomfortable and push beyond what I already knew. Luckily, Stephanie made it all seem so simple and straightforward, so even if you don’t feel ready NOW, what you’ll learn from her will change the way you look at your business.  I am so excited for you to dig into this episode! Hope you enjoy!- Graham P.S. Also, I recommend checking out Stephanie’s newsletter, where she gives expert tips and insights on getting featured in top-tier media and generally helpful advice that applies to biz and entrepreneurship. I don’t save a lot of emails in my inbox, but I definitely have some of her emails saved because they’re THAT good!   Try out her newsletter!   (If you listen to the end of the episode, she has a special bonus for listeners too.) 

So summer's over and it is time to get back to work, my friend. I always say that September is like January junior. It is a great time to get back and get focused. But maybe you are still suffering from the summer slump, and you’re asking yourself questions like: do I really have to work on my content? Do I really have to put out another piece of content for people that's free? Do I really have to interact with my customers? Do I really have to open my inbox and answer emails?  I feel you, I’ve been there. But friend, if you're asking these questions, it is a major red flag. Not that there's something bad, broken or wrong about you, but it’s a signal that you need to grow in the area of mental toughness. That is what allows you as a business owner to stay in the game long enough to see the rewards that you so desperately want to see. Today I want to walk through five ways to become more mentally tough. And my goal for you real simple: pick one, find one of these areas that you realize, this is what I got to work on this week and I think it'll be game changing for you. Let's dive in! In this episode you'll learn: What mental toughness really is and why it so important for you as a business owner How mental toughness impacted my business in a huge way Five simple and easy ways you can improve your mental toughness TODAY  Hope you enjoy!- Graham

Do you feel icky about selling? Like, do you just cringe when you realize you have to write some sales copy or ask for the sale on a sales call? Ever done a webinar and then you'd get to the sales pitch part and you're like: uh oh... Here we go. I get it. We all have some baggage when it comes to selling. Some of you have a leg up on me in terms of having a sales background, but either way selling is just a part of life. It's a part of everything we do. Selling touches everything we do, whether money is being exchanged or not. We're always selling, selling our ideas, selling our philosophy, selling something that's free etc. We have to convince people it can help them. For an online business owner, sales is real and you gotta be good at sales. But what I want to do today is to introduce you six psychological selling hacks. And here's the great news: you're already familiar with these! You have already experienced these in some way, shape or form in the real world. So these will actually be not new, they will be familiar to you. And these are proven, and these are things you can start to massage into your sales process. These are going to help you sell more in an authentic way because you're just using human psychology and it's not even something that you have never heard of.  Let's unpack these six psychological sales hacks that you can use when you sell your product! In this episode you'll learn: What the psychological aspect is to all these 6 selling hacks Why tapping into your customers psychology is a genius move for selling How you can sell more by using powerful everyday examples Hope you enjoy!- Graham