The Business Method: Interviewing Billionaires, Billion Dollar Founders & the World’s Most Successful People 🎧🔥

“In well over 90% of the cases, it’s not about what you add, it is about what you remove.” Shane Melaugh Have you ever been curious about how to make your website convert?  Do you have too many options on your landing page?  Have you ever used quizzes to generate more traffic? Today listeners, we have Shane Melaugh the co-founder of Thrive Themes on the show. Thrive Themes is an incredibly powerful platform that has proven results helping entrepreneurs around the world. On the episode today, we chat with Shane about his team in Romina and bootstrapping five businesses before finding success. Shane will share his systematic way to solve problems and work through mistakes. Towards the last half of the show, Shane talks about how Thrive Themes grew into the thriving business that it is today. He also adds some cool tricks to help your site convert. “Treat what you do as an experiment.” Shane Melaugh 01:46: Shane on His Remote Team and Slow Travel 03:55: Bootstrapping 5 Businesses and Starting as a Clueless Entrepreneur 08:58: A Systematic Way to Solve Problems and Work Through Mistakes 13:46: Thrive Themes 17:52: Using Quizzes to Add Value to Marketers 21:17: Ways to Create Converting Sites Honorable Mentions: Thrive Quiz Builder https://thrivethemes.com/quizbuilder/?utm_expid=73135304-40.jOSBkvH6QD6nL3rTc1jpdQ.0 Thrive Themes Blog https://thrivethemes.com/blog/ Contact Info: https://thrivethemes.com/ Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/entrepreneur-house-live-in/id1069958541?mt=2

“To commit to something a year in advance mentally for a lot of people is difficult…most of us are making a decision this week or maybe a couple of months down the road.” Matt Miller Ever thought about franchising?  Many of our listeners are getting to a point in their business where they are thinking about making that move.  It can be a big leap to take your business to the next level and serve more customers. Today’s guest is Matt Miller and he is the founder of School Spirit Vending.  Matt literally started this business setting up gumball machines at schools around his hometown.  Fast forward to today and School Spirit Vending has 100 franchise families working with their organization, they serve 2,500 schools in 42 states in the U.S. and has raised $5,000,000, yes $5,000,000 for schools in 5-years 50 cents at a time. So if you are thinking about moving into the franchise world and want to learn more about the science of this process check out this episode. “The thought process of being consistent over a period time is the thing that is so crazy simple that most people don’t get it.” Matt Miller 01:51: Who is Matt Miller? 07:48: Starting School Spirit Vending and Building It Into a 100 Member Franchise 09:04: The Importance of a Checklist in Business (aka SOP’s) 15:52: On Teaching Franchisee’s the Business Process 18:50: The Traits Matt Looks for When People Join His Organization 25:47: Do You Want to Franchise Your Business?  Start Here “You’re not going to learn or figure it all out by sitting at home online trying to figure it out and looking for answers there.” Matt Miller Honorable Mentions: Aron Walker and Dave Ramsey https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/dave-ramsey-why-life-coaching-aaron-walker-makes-common-aaron-walker ‘Outliers’ by Malcolm Gladwell http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3228917-outliers Contact Info: https://ssvbusiness.com/house/ ‘Live Your Dreams - The Top 10 Reasons Why You Need to Own a Vending Business' Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/entrepreneur-house-live-in/id1069958541?mt=2

What is a life disrupter? One of those moments in your life that absolutely changes everything. Our guest today is someone that has used Life Disrupters throughout his life and thirty years of experience as an entrepreneur to build business and change the way his future will look. Ray Matz is a seasoned entrepreneur and a three-time Team USA World Champion who joins us today to chat about gaining the right mentality to bring your game to the next level. Ray started out growing up around poverty in Philadelphia and has now started and sold a landscaping business, built a real estate business and now enjoys life as a personal coach and family man. Towards the end of the episode Ray shares some tips on how he has created an entrepreneurial foundation with his family.  01:54: Who is Ray Matz? 09:44: Ray On Being a 3x Roller Hockey Champion 11:47: What is Game Changing Dads? 14:34: Ray and Chris Talk Life Disrupters 18:00: Applying Life Disrupters Into Your an Entrepreneurs Life 19:07: Entrepreneur Keeping Their Head Up During the Hard Times 20:39: Ray On Creating an Entrepreneurial Foundation with His Family Honorable Mentions: ‘Rich Dad Poor Dad’ by Robert Kiyosaki http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/69571.Rich_Dad_Poor_Dad Dave Ramsey https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dave_Ramsey   Contact Info: https://www.gamechangingdads.com/ Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/entrepreneur-house-live-in/id1069958541?mt=2  

“There is some statistic that says highly practical content is 34% more likely to go viral, than content that is not helpful.” Candice Galek Her business went from a living room table to a warehouse with forty employees in twenty short months. That’s Candice Galek the founder of Bikini Luxe and today’s guest on our podcast. Candice is quite the entrepreneur and joins us today to share about the rapid growth she created in her business and landed her on Forbes 30 Under 30 list. She discusses at length about how her business went viral on LinkedIn, the leadership lessons she learned from this process, and how she uses Polyvore to drive traffic and sales. “It takes 13 milliseconds for your brain to register an image and 50 milliseconds for your brain to form a first impression. And first impressions are everything when it comes to the short attention span while browsing online these days.” Candice Galek 01:49: Who is Candice Galek? 05:57: Taking Bikini Luxe From a Living Room Table to a Warehouse with 40 Employees in 20-Months 09:21: Candice On Leadership During the Rapid Growth of Bikini Luxe 11:29: Bikini Luxe Going Viral on LinkedIn 17:54: Polyvore and How Candice Uses it to Drive Massive Traffic to Bikini Luxe “In managing my own PR and marketing, I interviewed 100 different businesses that would offer me PR.” Candice Galek Honorable Mentions: Candice on Forbes 30 Under 30 https://www.forbes.com/video/5254604102001/ Candice on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/bikini/ Bikini Luxe Going Viral on LinkedIn https://www.forbes.com/sites/cherylsnappconner/2016/03/12/how-bikini-luxe-has-engaged-and-enraged-on-linkedin/#648561384f65 Polyvore http://www.polyvore.com/ Candice’s Colum on Inc Magazine https://www.inc.com/author/candice-galek Contact Info: Website: https://www.bikiniluxe.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/bikinigeek Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/entrepreneur-house-live-in/id1069958541?mt=2

“Seventy-percent plus of Americans have thought about writing a book, or believe they have a book in them…and less than one-percent ever do.” Jesse Krieger Many entrepreneurs think about writing a book, many end up writing one, two, three or multiple books.  After thousands of hours of practical experience building business, they use their books to teach others, some use it as a marketing channel, some have an inspirational story to tell, and some use it for all of those reasons. Today on the podcast, we have the founder of Lifestyle Entrepreneurs Press, Jesse Krieger on the show.  Jesse specializes in making entrepreneurs authors and authors entrepreneurs. To date, Lifestyle Entrepreneurs Press has published over 28 personal development/entrepreneurial books and a few fiction and spiritually focused books. In beginning half of the show, Jesse and I will dive into his experience playing music on the streets of Europe and how it led him to launch a record label. We also discuss the importance of entrepreneurs expressing their creativity, and the process of becoming a published author. Towards the end of the show, Jesse shares how he keeps the author’s momentum going after the book launch, and some hacks to get on best-seller lists. “The root of most personal dissatisfaction is a lack of creative expression, or a gap or incongruency between what they currently do, for profession or even personally, and what they want to be doing…” Jesse Krieger 02:31: Who is Jesse Krieger? 07:43: Jesse and Chris Chat About Entrepreneurs Expressing Creativity 10:00: What Jesse Learned From Playing Music on the Streets of Europe 13:19: Jesse Talks About an ‘Instant Feedback Cycle’ for Growth 15:47: What is Lifestyle Entrepreneurs Press? 19:38: The Process of Publishing Entrepreneurs Books 24:57: How Authors Keep Momentum Going After a Book Launch 27:44: Jesse’s Hacks to Get On Best-Seller Lists “The core strategy of becoming a best-seller is concentrating interests and purchasing activity into a finite window of time.” Jesse Krieger Honorable Mentions: ~Harsh Krieger Record Label http://www.jessekrieger.com/about/ ~Jasper Ribbers http://theentrepreneurhouse.com/jasper-ribbers ~Top Resource for AirBnB Hosting ‘Get Paid for Your Pad’ by Jasper Ribbers and Huzefa Kapadia https://www.amazon.com/Get-Paid-Your-Pad-Maximize-ebook/dp/B00MXSLEIO ~‘Lifestyle Entrepreneur’ by Jesse Krieger http://lifestyleentrepreneurspress.com/portfolio-view/lifestyle-entrepreneur/ ~Dave Chesson, Kindle Calculator https://kindlepreneur.com/amazon-kdp-sales-rank-calculator/ Contact Info: http://lifestyleentrepreneurspress.com/ http://www.jessekrieger.com/ Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/entrepreneur-house-live-in/id1069958541?mt=2

“The things that people are generally insecure about go out the window once you’re on the internet.” Jason Wong Could you imagine being 19 and making $200,000 in 3 weeks from social media? That is exactly what Jason Wong did. Jason is not your typical 19-year old. He started exploring ways to make money online at the age of twelve. When the lesser known social media platform Tumblr was released, Jason fell in love with the idea of it and over a few years gained 2.1 million followers.  As a fun project, Jason decided to create ‘The Meme Bible’.  He then released it to his Tumblr following and three weeks later, he was sitting with $200,000.  That is a day he will never forget, but the many that might see this as a lucky win for this young man might be surprised. Jason is a very intelligent entrepreneur and connector and knows how to work the social media world. “For Tumblr, it’s really a way to express your inner-self. For Instagram, it is really a way to express your outer-self.” Jason Wong 02:01: Who is Jason Wong and What is The Holy Meme Bible? 04:43: $200,000 in 3-Weeks on Tumblr 11:06: Why Tumblr? 14:16: Gaining a Massive Following on Tumblr 15:26: Is Tumblr a More Authentic Platform? 16:42: What’s the Future of Tumblr? 18:18: Keeping Copy Simple When Retargeting 20:32: What Does Social Media Lack Today? 22:43: Suggestions to Grow Your Networks “The meme culture has become more prominent in today’s society……think about Gucci the fashion designer, (they) made an entire fashion catalog out of memes.” Jason Wong Contact Info: Websites: https://jasonwong.co/ https://thememebible.com/ https://www.instagram.com/pug/ Meme Bible on Social Media: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/holymemebible/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/holymemebible Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/holymemebible/ Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/entrepreneur-house-live-in/id1069958541?mt=2

“When you’re small if the customer says ‘We aren’t happy.” you tear up the invoice, and you eat it, and you learn a lesson from the pain.” Tim Sanders on what he learned while working for Mark Cuban  On today’s episode we welcome the great Tim Sanders, and for those of you who don’t know him, I couldn’t recommend more than to listen to this show because Tim is an incredibly vibrant lifestyle entrepreneur that has had some INCREDIBLE…and I emphasize the word incredible business experience. He has worked side by side with Mark Cuban for years until Cuban sold off to Yahoo. He then worked side by side with the co-founder of Yahoo, Jerry Yang for a number of years until Tim launched a book that was massively successful and he toured the world promoting his book and Yahoo for a year.  After his book tour, Tim decided it was time to start his own business. These days, Tim has written six books, working on his seventh, he is the founder of Deeper Media and a professional speaker. On the show, we get behind the mind of Tim Sanders and let me tell you….This is a man you want to listen to. Tim shares what he learned working with Mark Cuban and Yahoo, then starting his own journey as an entrepreneur. Tim and I talk about the difference between a true lifestyle business vs. a growth business, tactics on being a great connector and leaving a good digital footprint in today’s world. The value in this episode is HUGE! “The entrepreneur's journey is not about getting introduced to the right person, it’s about execution.”  Tim Sanders Interview Highlights: 02:30: Tim’s Book Suggestions 03:18: Who is Tim Sanders? 05:28: Tim Working for Mark Cuban 10:14: Tim Leaves Yahoo to Create a True Lifestyle Business and Zero Employees 12:42: Lifestyle Business vs. Growth Business 17:54: What You Need For a Lifestyle Business to be Successful 23:34: Tactics on Being a Connector, Not a Networker 29:57: Creating a Good Digital Footprint “When you’re small if the customer says ‘We aren’t happy.” you tear up the invoice, and you eat it, and you learn a lesson from the pain.” Tim Sanders on what he learned working for Mark Cuban Honorable Mentions: Norman Mailer https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norman_Mailer 'Subliminal' by Leonard Mlodinow http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13058637-subliminal Abraham Maslow, On ‘Being’ http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/332792.Toward_a_Psychology_of_Being?from_search=true 'Art of Happiness' by the Dali Lama http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38210.The_Art_of_Happiness Bob May Pat Summeral Productions https://www.linkedin.com/in/bob-may-802a808a/ Mark Cuban Audionet and Broadcast.com https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broadcast.com Jerry Yang https://www.forbes.com/profile/jerry-yang/ Literary Agent, Jan Miller http://www.dupreemiller.com/ ‘Love is the Killer App’ by Tim Sanders http://timsanders.com/love-is-the-killer-app/ ‘On Caring’ by Milton Meyerhoff http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1577044.On_Caring “I now have the philosophy of zero employees….I have become very good at managing contractors/partners, and I have twelve.” Tim Sanders  Contact Info: TimSanders.com http://timsanders.com/house/ Deeper Media http://deepermedia.com/ Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/entrepreneur-house-live-in/id1069958541?mt=2

Travis Beck asked a friend to wrap a phone cable with Paracord so his cat wouldn’t chew the cord again. This was the moment that sparked the idea of Paracable, a business that has set two childhood best friends free and launched them into the entrepreneurial world. Today on the show we chat with Travis Beck and David Fisher the founders of Paracable and we get the inside on how they anonymous tipped off MacRumors about their product, landing it on the front page of the site and changing their lives forever. Travis and David tell us about how they were getting 40,000 visitors a day with nothing in inventory and how they transitioned to the entrepreneurial world. Discussion Points: 01:47: Who are Travis Beck and David Fisher? 05:55: The Birth of Paracable 11:09: Getting on the Front Page of MacRumors 22:03: 40,000 Visitors a Day with No Inventory 23:49: Going From an Employee Mindset to an Entrepreneurial Mindset Honorable Mentions: MacRumors https://www.macrumors.com/ Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/69571.Rich_Dad_Poor_Dad Squatty Potty https://www.squattypotty.com/ Contact Info: Website: https://paracable.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Paracable/ Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/entrepreneur-house-live-in/id1069958541?mt=2

Hard work, consistency, and focusing on the long-term is what it takes to build a sustainable, successful business. This is what our guest was taught from her parents that immigrated to the U.S. and had a dream of being entrepreneurs. Dafina Smith is the CEO of Sunny’s Hair. Sunny’s Hair started out as a wig and extension store in Minnesota. Today, they have three locations across the U.S. and have absolutely exploded their business online. On this episode, you will learn how Dafina launched and grew the online part of her family’s business. She also discusses how she learned about humility…one of the most powerful traits any entrepreneur can have...from her father. Dafina will discuss in depth about how she structures ‘giveaways’ with her business to grow the online and offline sales. If you are exploring new ways to sell physical products to your customers, I am going to recommend this episode. “Successful friends like to have successful friends.” Dafina Smith Discussion Points: 01:45: Who is Dafina Smith? 10:29: Online Sales 10 years Ago 13:19: Growing Your List Through Giveaways 19:55: How Often to Have Giveaways 21:54: Testing Out Different Amounts for a Giveaway 22:35: Syncing Email Lists with Facebook for Smarter Advertising Honorable Mentions: Viral Sweep https://www.viralsweep.com/ Gleam https://gleam.io/ Klaviyo - Announces the Giveaways https://www.klaviyo.com/email-templates JustUno https://www.justuno.com/ Adroll https://www.adroll.com/ Contact Info: Website: https://www.sunnyshair.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sunnyshair/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SunnysHair/ Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/entrepreneur-house-live-in/id1069958541?mt=2

On the episode today we are joined by the gentleman who created Monetize My Expertise. His name is Grant Weherley and Monetize My Expertise is a done-for-you online course and training creation service. The world of online courses is huge, many businesses use courses for selling products, services and training members of their team. The type of business that can use an online course is nearly limitless and the numbers are growing every day. Grant and his team work confidently at building these courses for entrepreneurs and businesses that want the job done by a pro. Grant and I talk today about the steps you should follow to create an online course. We discuss the actual time it takes to build a good quality course and some tactics from the most successful online courses and businesses in the world. “One of your main jobs as a course creator is actually to filter information.” Grant Weherley 01:40: Medellin, Colombia 02:47: Who is Grant Weherley? 06:52: Steps to Follow When Creating an Online Course 1. Put yourself in the beginners mind 2. Why am I trying to help my customers achieve? 3. How can I break it down into smaller steps as simple as possible? 10:29: How long does it take to build a 30-min course? 13:07: What are the characteristics of the best online courses today? 16:51: What kind of businesses work well with online courses? 19:40: What are some businesses that online courses don’t work well for? Honorable Mentions: Udemy https://www.udemy.com/courses/ Book in a Box http://bookinabox.com/ Peter Shankman http://theentrepreneurhouse.com/ep-156/ Lead Pages and Co-founder Simon Payne https://www.leadpages.net/ Contact Info: http://www.grantweherley.com/ http://monetizemyexpertise.com/ Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/entrepreneur-house-live-in/id1069958541?mt=2