The Graham Cochrane Show

I always thought there was one defining quality of a successful entrepreneur - a high risk tolerance. To me, every successful business owner I had known or read about did something risky and seemingly was unafraid the whole time. So a scaredy-cat like me wasn't going to make it in business. I didn't like the unstable nature of freelance work when I tried it early on so I figured entrepreneurship wasn't for me. I couldn't have been more wrong. Turns out a high risk tolerance isn't necessary for being successful. And in fact, there are OTHER more important qualities that DO lead to success. Three to be exact. Today I'd like to share all three with you. And the good news? You can learn these qualities even if they don't come naturally.

In an ever growing ocean of content online, what is going to make yours stand out?   How can you ensure people not only checkout your videos, articles, or podcasts but also love them, engage with them, and more importantly take the next step of diving deeper in the relationship with you and your brand?   Well it's all in how you structure things.   Today I'm sharing with you my 5 part formula for crafting the piece of content that has served me well for over a decade.

It’s been almost 90 days since the official designation of this global pandemic.   Back in early March I had NO CLUE what was going to happen to my businesses in light of COVID-19. Now I do.   Specifically I see 4 key takeaways from this situation that have proven true in my businesses and I think can apply to yours.   My hope is that this episode will encourage you and give you wisdom as to how to navigate your business in the wake of our current economic climate.

It's been an intense week here in the US.   In the wake of the brutal killing of an unarmed black man, George Floyd, in Minneapolis there has been a nationwide outpouring of anger and desperation in the form of protests. Including in my city, Tampa Florida.   I had some content pre-recorded for today but I felt the need to pause and address this horrific situation - and really the systemic racism that has been a part of my country for over 400 years.   Specifically I have 3 thoughts on the situation and I hope you'll take a few minutes to listen in.

I'm sick and tired of all the "gurus" online talking about passive income in front of a Ferrari. It just makes me feel icky and uncomfortable.   And I teach people how to build passive income too!   Today I want to cut through the hype and just give it to you straight. Passive income is a beautiful reality and there are 3 core ways to create it online.   I'm going to give you the truth about all 3 ways including pros and cons for each and I'll start by sharing two huge prefaces about passive income that you have to understand.   I hope you enjoy!

I'm a huge fan of passive income. Virtually 90% of my businesses are automated.   So you can imagine how I felt when a troll on YouTube recently left me this comment: "Living on passive income is immoral and does nothing to advance society."   Is he right?   Not by a long shot! Time to bust some myths and faulty assumptions !

So many online business owners are obsessed with getting that magical "k" at the end of their Instagram follower count.   Or hitting 10k and getting the all elusive "swipe up" feature!   The reason? They want to grow their business.   But does having a larger following/presence on Instagram really help you make more money?   Not really.   What most entrepreneurs should be focused on is putting out strategic YouTube videos instead. And in today's video I break down not only WHY YouTube is a better platform than Instagram if you actually want to make more money but HOW to do it right.

One of the best things you can do in life is to commit to creating more than you consume.   I know the economists want to label all of us humans as "consumers" and in some senses it's true - consuming doesn't have to define us.   But in reality it does.   Most people consume TV, video games, YouTube videos, and social media content FAR more than they create anything.   If you want to have a successful business, heck if you just want to have a happier and more fulfilling LIFE than you need to create MORE than you consume.   Today I breakdown four reasons why.

If it seems like a lot of work to build an online business, you're right.   But that doesn't mean that you HAVE to wait until you've built up a big list and finished a massive flagship online course or membership to be able to sell something.   In fact you could build, launch, and sell a simple mini course in the next few weeks pretty effortlessly if need money quickly.   In today's video I break down what the difference is between a mini course and a full fledged online course, and step by step how to build, price, and sell your own!

Have you ever been scared to put yourself out there and start sharing content with the world?   Scared that people will criticize what you say or question your credibility?   Afraid that you'll make a mistake and say something foolish?   Afraid that none of what you do will actually work and create the income you really need?   Welcome to the club.   I've been scared since Day 1 of my business, and today I'm here to tell you that's OK.   In fact I want to walk you down memory lane and open up about every moment I've been scared to death in my business, including recently.   I hope you find this encouraging.