The Freedom Formula Podcast: Achieving Financial, Location and Time Freedom

In this episode Neel interviews Johnny Robinson and Sergio Silesky, co-founders and owners of Orange Window Cleaning. Johnny and Sergio didn't grow up as entrepreneurs...in fact it wasn't until college when they found out that "anyone" could start a business and started a side hustle in residential and commercial window cleaning.  That side hustle became a real-deal business when they found out that they hated jobs that they had been trained to get after going to college.  And now they are on their way to amazing things. Some knowledge they drop includes: How a good partnership can really accelerate a business Why they decided to bring in a full-time content person to storytell about building a remote local business The importance of automated systems How to pick up subcontractors (hang out where they hang out and stalk them!) Enjoy the episode and find Sergio and Johnny on Twitter and let them know we sent you :-)

In this episode Neel and David discuss his upcoming disappearing act: he's going to be totally off-grid for the first three months of 2022. David has been doing meditation for 6-7 years now and sees a three-month off-the-grid training to be a teacher in the Vedic meditation tradition as the next step.  But he has a portfolio of businesses...what to do? Neel quizzes David on: What his endgame is How David used delegation, promotion, and partnership to prepare for this What "growth" looks like with his being away What things might look like when he comes back Enjoy the episode!

In this episode Neel and David build on their "New Year's Resolutions Suck" episode by reflecting on 2021. Both Neel and David built strong romantic relationships this year, and also started this podcast. For Neel, that meant getting out of his comfort zone and engaging more on social media and elsewhere.  But it was also part of something that David had introduced him to the last time they spent a lot of time together: meeting people that are very different from himself.  He's curious about replicating that through maybe joining an online community in the next year. David has been building up to taking a three-month teacher training that is going to transform his life personally and professionally.  He's enjoyed recovering from a traumatic end to a long-term relationship and has taken those personal lessons to heart, alongside some hard-learned business lessons as well. Enjoy the episode!

In this episode Neel and David tell you why they think New Year's Resolutions are no good and what they have planned for 2022. David is starting 2022 with a three month off-grid meditation teacher training.  Neel will be spending 10 days in Panama in the first quarter of 2022 doing some survival training.  They talk about the methodology they use to make plans for big events like these and what else they have planned for the year. They also discuss: Jesse Itzler's calendar hacking Tactics to make the end of your year thoughtful and reflective The concept of de-averaging: moving away from a 5 day on/2 day off schedule to something that fits better for you Measuring your impact for the coming year in numbers: how many jobs you will create, how many people you will reach, etc. Enjoy the episode!

In this episode Neel and David discuss how emotions play into personal and business decisions, and a system for how to avoid making poor decisions. When Neel isn't running MaidThis he enjoys buying and selling real estate on the side and he recently got to closing day with a buyer that ended up being dishonest.  He recorded this episode on the day he got the news that the buyer was trying to change the deal at the last moment so we recorded this as a time capsule of this thoughts. David asks: How Neel feels at the moment What he thinks he will do What Neel has done in the past to deal with emotions in business decisions David and Neel also game out a process to help negotiate these sorts of situations to get the best results possible. Enjoy the episode!

In this episode Neel and David discuss their recent deeper dives into social media and why it's been a challenge for them. David has really been very active on Instagram and Neel has spent more time on Twitter.  Both of them have been less willing to be involved in social media in the past simply because they weren't entirely comfortable on various platforms.  But both of them have come to separately realize that there are opportunities to engage with people in a real way that doesn't need to focus on follower count or number of likes. They also discuss: Why people aren't just interested in what Gary Vee or Tim Ferriss has to say What a freedom it is to be your authentic self on social media instead of a "safe corporate" version How much people appreciate being exposed to the daily grind in a way other than "everything is amazing always" mode  Hacks they have developed to make sure they don't get sucked into social media and become consumers instead of contributors Enjoy the episode!

In this episode Neel and David discuss the stress of running a remote local business. David begins the discussion philosophically by asking what the function of stress is within an evolutionary framework: it's there to give us tools to deal with a threat.  While we might not have to deal with a tiger chasing us, sometimes our body can still react as if that's the case, and we need to reframe that thinking. They also discuss: situations that lead to stress in modern businesses, particularly the remote local variety whether businesses are more stressful than jobs how you should react when you get that first 1-star review the role travel plays in de-stressing  Enjoy the episode!

In this episode Neel and David discuss the well-known abundance vs. scarcity dichotomy. Both Neel and David came from immigrant backgrounds which had a certain amount of scarcity baked into their upbringing and have had to unlearn some of that programming.  David notes that one of the ways he knew he was embracing an abundance mindset was the willingness to invest in himself. They also discuss: How you can't save your way to financial independence The inability of fear or scarcity to add any value to your business and personal lives Why chasing your dreams and playing offense always takes you further than playing defense and hoarding Why you should watch who you spend time with, what you read, and what you listen to and watch Enjoy the episode!

In this episode Neel and David talk about how to get started in acquiring a remote local business. While it can feel intimidating to get into the world of "buying a business" the reality is that like anything else, it's a learning curve but isn't nearly as complicated as it looks like from the outside.  One of the things David, who has gone through 16 acquisitions at the time of this recording, stresses is the importance of the "investor" mindset when looking at businesses. They also discuss: Tactics for finding businesses, from BizBuySell to business brokers to FB groups to Twitter How to use your LinkedIn profile to signal you are on the lookout for deals Using a VA to create a crib sheet in a geographic area for a particular type of business acquisition The importance of creating deal flow so you can afford to be selective Enjoy the episode!

In this episode Neel and David give the BIG SECRET to taking your business to the next level. That secret is...being less available to your team! This helps: Empower your team Free you up from doing less valuable work so you can add greater value Give you the space to take three month mediation training retreats (like David wants to do next year) Level up your quality of life as a business owner Enjoy the episode!