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Syndication

We are very excited to bring you part 2 of our conversation with Chris Plough, Entrepreneur, Storyteller, and Adventurer.

We jump right back into the conversation with Ben asking Chris Plough to help explain how to find your True North.  Chris has a very specific way that he works through his ideas to help keep him on the path and he shares that with us.

Besides jumping into a Wraith and driving around Europe, Chris Plough takes us through the methods he uses to make time for himself and gives his mind a place to work and bubble up ideas.

We then get on another tangent by Josh and Chris Plough encouraging Ben to share his own motorcycle story.  Ben shares the story of his bike wreck which includes totaling the bike, road rash, and an overpass.  While Josh and Chris enjoyed the story, it wasn't the one Josh wanted to hear and prompts Ben again for the story of a mustang, the center stripe on a two lane highway, two semi-trucks, and 130 miles per hour.

We bring things back to business with Chris Plough sharing how he makes time in his day for both business and time for himself.  Chris's method is key to making his day feel like a win and the things he gets done feeling like icing on the cake.

Finally, Chris Plough drops his Value Bombs on us:

  • You have to be vulnerable at least with yourself
  • Your network is your net worth
  • Question everything
Links for the show:

As always, a special thank you to The Strand for our intro and outro music!

Direct download: 107_Interview_Part_2_with_Chris_Plough.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:30am EDT

We are very excited to bring you part 1 of our conversation with Chris Plough, Entrepreneur, Storyteller, and Adventurer.

Chris Plough starts of the show by sharing some of his 'reset' adventures including driving an ambulance across Europe, riding a motorcycle and side car in the arctic, and racing a Rolls Royce Wraith in Europe.

Next, Chris Plough takes some time to walk us through his history. He has worked for small startups, for large companies (that acquired the small startup), started his own business, purchased ambulances (yes, more than one), the loss of his parents and how he handled that, his vision of Utopia and if he is there.

Links for the show:

As always, a special thank you to The Strand for our intro and outro music!

Direct download: 106_Interview_Part_1_with_Chris_Plough.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:30am EDT

We are excited to bring you part 2 of our conversation with Ryan Deiss, CEO of Digital Marketer, co-founder of Idea Incubator LP, speaker, loving husband, and father of four.

We jump right back into the show by learning how to ask your audience what they want and you do that by offering them a product.  Offers are great because you can drive the conversation with your offers and if your audience like it, they will vote for it with their pocketbook.

Ryan Deiss shares a couple stories about oscillating between making money and being broke.  Google made a change to their algorhythms and his business stopped.  He got better by running up $250,000 in credit card debt.  He fixed that only to find out he owed a ton in back taxes to the government.  His experience is a great lesson we should all learn and keep in mind.

Ryan Deiss drops some value bombs on us!

  • Chaos is okay
  • Life is not about checking a bunch of stuff off a list
  • Remember that you don't actually matter

Links for the show:

As always, a special thank you to The Strand for our intro and outro music!

Direct download: 105_Interview_Part_2_with_Ryan_Deiss.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:30am EDT

We are very very pleased to bring you part 1 of our conversation with Ryan Deiss, CEO of Digital Marketer, co-founder of Idea Incubator LP, speaker, loving husband, and father of four.

We start the show by learning that while Ryan Deiss is a famous and sought after speaker, that was not his goal.  He is protective of his personal life and has learned to keep his business self and personal self separate.  He sometimes feels conflict about this as he knows the value of social media and presenting himself publicly for his professional endeavors.

Ryan Deiss has given this a ton of thought (even wishing at times he had gone in under a pseudonym) and shares some of his thoughts on keeping his professional self separate from his personal self.  He even shares a story about a weirdo who found his home phone number and called his wife!

After a bit of time down tangent road, we come back around and hear Ryan Deiss's thoughts on Utopia.  His vision is the ability to choose.  He has tried living the leisurely life, and after a week or two he's going crazy and needs to get back to work.  The true heart of it is being able to choose to work now, or read quietly, or attend a tennis match of his child, or meet a client.

Links for the show:

As always, a special thank you to The Strand for our intro and outro music!

Direct download: 104_Interview_Part_1_with_Ryan_Deiss.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:30am EDT

It's the last Friday of the month and that means it is time to talk about what we've learned from our stellar guests this month! Thank you to Josh Turner, Cheryl Liew Chng, Allyn & Greg Reid, and Omar Zenhom.

Ben & Josh joke about Josh Turner starting a business with his friend Ben and how that parallels so closely with this show. Then they jump right into Josh Turner's value bombs and talk about their favorite (surprisingly, our hosts agree with each other).

Next Josh & Ben recall how awesome Cheryl Liew Chng is because of her impact on the folks around her while being able to have time for herself and her family. Our hosts then discuss their favorite value bombs.

Then Ben & Josh talk about Allyn & Greg Reid. Josh shares how he met Greg and both Josh & Ben talk about how the conversation with Allyn & Greg impacted their lives.  It was also great having the pair on together as a couple, and this leads Ben & Josh down memory lane and the couples who have been on the show in the past.

Finally Josh & Ben talk about their impressions with Omar Zenhom, Ben explains how he likes talking to people he doesn't know and Josh shares his obstacle course and training simulator experience with Omar Zenhom.

Before we close out the show, remember to get our list of Top 10 Value Bombs from our guests over the last 100 episodes!

As always, a special thank you to The Strand for our intro and outro music!

Direct download: 103_Be_Excellent_to_Each_Other.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:30am EDT

We are stoked to bring you part 2 of our fun conversation with Omar Zenhom, Educator and Entrepreneur.

Our conversation so far meanders and we finally get to hear Omar Zenhom's definition of Utopia.  Omar feels it is important to do what you feel like doing.

Next, we learn what helps keep Omar Zenhom balanced.  He works out because he feels it is important to keep your body in a good place because it impacts your mental attitude.  We also learn that Omar spends time watching movies with Nicole (his significant other, who went to film school).  It's also critical to take time off, some of his best ideas came out when he was on vacation.

We close out the conversation with Omar Zenhom with his 3 Value Bombs:

  • Know the fundamentals and then rehearse (in business, life, and even dance)
  • Completely focus on one task at a time
  • Whatever you choose to do in life, want it bad

Follow Omar Zenhom:

As always, a special thank you to The Strand for our intro and outro music!

Direct download: 102_Interview_Part_2_with_Omar_Zenhom.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:30am EDT

We are excited to bring you part 1 of our interview with Omar Zenhom, Educator and an Entrepreneur.

Omar Zenhom starts off by giving us some background on where he came from professionally.  Omar used to teach English as a second language to folks coming in and learning so they could attend other classes.  Omar also gives us a glimpse into his professional career including working out of an Air BnB for a few months just to decide if the city was a good fit.

Next Omar Zenhom talks with us about having a "plan B" versus going 100% in and really believe in what you are trying.  Omar believes this can make a huge impact on your mental attitude and your commitment to an idea.  It isn't worth the effort to put in part time work, you have to dive all the way in.  This talk leads into a corner of how Omar thinks and acts.

Omar Zenhom also explains to us the importance of having those closest to you support you in your endeavors.  Those folks need to be on board and know you are doing what you are passionate about and it will take some sacrifice.  They need to prop you up in the tough times and celebrate the wins with you.

Follow Omar Zenhom:

As always, a special thank you to The Strand for our intro and outro music!

Direct download: 101_Interview_Part_1_with_Omar_Zenhom.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 10:07am EDT

Hello Utopians!  Josh and Ben are super stoked to bring you this extra episode, Episode 100!  Thank you so much for coming on this journey with us, we wouldn't be here if not for the support of all you listening out there and our fantastic guests for sharing their stories and experiences with us.

Josh and Ben talk about how Build Your Utopia has impacted us over the last year.

Next Josh and Ben reflect on how Build Your Utopia Guests have inspired, motivated, and challenged us.

Then Josh and Ben talk about work-life balance today compared to a year ago.

Following that, Josh and Ben cover where they are personally & professionally now versus last year.

Guest Clip compilation

Free Gift!

As always, a special thank you to The Strand for our intro and outro music for the last 100 shows!

Direct download: 100_Josh_and_Ben_Celebrate_100_Episodes.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:30am EDT

We are very excited to bring you the second half of our conversation with Allyn & Greg Reid, authors, producers, entrepreneurs and chasers of freedom.

We jump right back with another huge message from Greg, change your plan to a strategy.  Strategies are adjustable and flexible.  Greg makes another point that you have to adapt and illustrates this point with a fun story about a monkey and a nut.

Next, Allyn and Ben talk about the advantages and drawbacks of having a set schedule.  As we know, Ben is very process driven and uses the "blocked time" mentality to get work done.  Allyn believes that being so regimented doesn't leave you open to unexpected events and opportunities.

Finally, Allyn & Greg leave us with a huge value bomb each:

  • Allyn -- Ask Questions, especially "How", how is the language of creation
  • Greg --  We are a reflection of our associations

Follow Allyn & Greg Reid here:

As always, a special thank you to The Strand for our intro and outro music!

Direct download: 099_Interview_Part_2_with_Allyn_and_Greg_Reid.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:30am EDT

We are very excited to bring you part 1 of our conversation with Allyn & Greg Reid, authors, producers, entrepreneurs and chasers of freedom.

Not counting the slight derailment by Ben, we jump right into the definition of Utopia.  Allyn gives us a great view of of her Utopia and it is something we've never heard before.

Allyn & Greg really live an idea we've heard before on this show.  When Allyn & Greg decide to do something, they don't ask a friend, they find an expert in the area and ask them.  There is no reason to re-invent the wheel, find someone making a great wheel and learn from them.

Next, Allyn and Greg give us some great advice for being a couple devoted to eachother as well as business partners.  They get out of each other's way.  There is Allyn time, Greg time, and Allyn & Greg time.

Most people want to be "normal" and Allyn & Greg are happy by chucking that word out the window.

Follow Allyn & Greg Reid here:

As always, a special thank you to The Strand for our intro and outro music!

Direct download: 098_Interview_Part_1_with_Allyn_and_Greg_Reid.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:30am EDT

We are very pleased to bring you part 2 of our engaging conversation with Cheryl Liew Chng, Entrepreneur, Coach, Author, and the 24-Hour Woman.

Cheryl Liew Chng keeps the value high by sharing when she would outsource different tasks.  Cheryl says the best time to outsource work to other people is as soon as possible!  It is also a good idea to look at they type of work and if it is not your forte, then hire someone else to do it.  One of the key things to keep in mind when hiring people is not only 'are they a high performer' but also 'do we get along with eachother'.

We next change things up with Cheryl Liew Chng by figuring out what her outlets are.  Cheryl loves to bake (but not so much the washing up!).  She also loves to create floral arrangements.  She finds these types of activities that permit her to create very energizing.  Thankfully her family also knows that if she doesn't get this time, she becomes grouchy.  And no one in her family is upset when she cooks and bakes.

Finally, Cheryl Liew Chng drops her Value Bombs on us:

  • We all have 24 hours, invest in what matters most
  • If you have a burning desire, take the first step
  • You are valuable as a person, so live a life that is most excellent

Get the book The 24-Hour Woman

Follow what Cheryl Liew Chng has to say right here:

As always, a special thank you to The Strand for our intro and outro music!

Direct download: 097_Interview_Part_2_with_Cheryl_Liew_Chng.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:30am EDT

We are very pleased to bring you part 1 of our engaging conversation with Cheryl Liew Chng, Entrepreneur, Coach, Author, and the 24-Hour Woman.

Cheryl Liew Chng doesn't waste any time and jumps right in with her view of Utopia.  Cheryl wants us to live our lives as a living legacy and also thriving in the different facets of our lives.  She also gives us some tips on how to thrive!  When you go to a bookstore and what section of books do you find yourself in?  What do your friends and family say are the times you are really engaged and happy?  When you look back at your life, what projects or times were you most happy?  Those three can really help you triangulate the areas where you thrive.

Next, Cheryl Liew Chng shares her vision for the future of continuing to grow the 24-Hour Woman movement by touching and improving the lives of more and more woman.  Cheryl also wants to have the time to travel with her family.  Through all of this she finds herself as a role model and has to remind herself that people look up to her.  It's a great position to find yourself in and one she takes very seriously.

Cheryl Liew Chng recalls a turning point in her life that really got her thinking about her life and her future.  Cheryl worked with a good friend and mentor who asked her if she wanted to work in the healthcare field her entire life.  That really got her thinking about why she worked so hard and was so good at and committed to her job.

Get the book The 24-Hour Woman

Follow what Cheryl Liew Chng has to say right here:

As always, a special thank you to The Strand for our intro and outro music!

Direct download: 096_Interview_Part_1_with_Cheryl_Liew_Chng.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:30am EDT

We are very pleased to bring you part 2 of this week's conversation with Josh Turner, entrepreneur, author, and fan of Sour Patch Kids!

Josh Turner continues to get right into it by sharing how he makes time for all his interests during the day.  He just does it.  Josh elaborates by saying that he makes the time for himself, he has to or he gets into a negative mental state (like wondering why he is the only one in the office working late or being lethargic).  He makes it a point to jog in the morning, it helps him start the day upbeat and energized.

Josh Turner doesn't really struggle to make time for his outlets because he has built his business up to make sure he has the time for himself.  That doesn't mean he won't hop on the computer for an hour or two on the weekends, but he doesn't spend all day working.  It isn't worth it for him.

Ben recalls that Josh Turner mentioned in part 1 that he used to work 60 hours a week and wonders what changed from then to now.  Josh says he used to think it was a badge of honor to put in that many hours.  As he's grown, he's realized that he no longer wants to brag about that.  He'd rather brag about the opportunities for adventures that having a successful business offers.

Josh (our Josh) then leads us down a small tangent based on what Josh Turner said about having a strong number 2.  Josh said he's seen successful business with overworked and stressed owners because they are wearing too many hats.  He advocates finding a strong person who is dedicated and really bought into the business.  Josh also shares how to make the compensation plan work for someone especially when a business is new and growing.

Josh Turner closes out the show with these Value Bombs:

  • It's okay to dabble to find the one thing you want, but it's better to have one thing than many
  • Don't be afraid to invest in marketing and sales
  • You can never have enough cash in the bank

Books from this conversation:

Follow Josh Turner here:

As always, a special thank you to The Strand for our intro and outro music!

Direct download: 095_Interview_Part_2_with_Josh_Turner.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:30am EDT

We are very pleased to bring you part 1 of this week's conversation with Josh Turner, entrepreneur, author, and fan of Sour Patch Kids!

We get right into it with Josh Turner and learn his definition of Utopia is to do whatever makes you happy; enjoy what you're doing and look forward every day to do what you're doing.  It could be running your own business, it could be working at a food bank, anything really that gets you pumped up.  He dives in a bit further and calls out a number of things that he really enjoys doing (but none that he'd want to do 24/7).

Next, Josh Turner shares his journey of working for himself and how he got there.  He's been his own boss since 2010 (LinkedSelling started in 2011).  He was working for a construction firm that closed up and went out of business when the market crashed and that motivated Josh to take his part time entrepreneur ventures full time.  It could have been a rough situation as he didn't really have a pile of savings to ride on, he only had credit cards.  This let to a side conversation about how credit cards are very dangerous but can also be a great benefit to a company.

Books from this conversation:

Follow Josh Turner here:

As always, a special thank you to The Strand for our intro and outro music!

Direct download: 094_Interview_Part_1_with_Josh_Turner.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:30am EDT

Happy Friday!  It is the last Friday of the month and that means it is time for just Josh and Ben to talk about what has happened this month and review the great guests than graced us with their presence on the show.

We start off the show discussing networking at conferences.  What does it mean for Josh to put his game face on when he attends these events.  What does he get out of it and how does it help him professionally and personally?  This also leads into a discussion on why we started the show.  Learning from those who are out there doing the things they do while still making time for themselves.

Next Josh tells a story of revenge!  Revenge in a pure form of being the best that he can be.  Josh went to Pei Wei after recording an interview and ran into an old friend that he lost after a breakup.  We're sure that after a couple breaks up, friends sometimes choose one person or the other to maintain the friendship.  This friendship was one of those where Josh was on the losing side.  It was very satisfying to talk with this lost friend and tell him how well Josh was doing and how satisfied Josh is with his life.

Getting themselves back on track, Josh and Ben talk about Kavit Haria.  Ben really wanted to talk music with Kavit, after all he's played with some stellar musicians!  Staying on theme for the show, Ben really tried to keep on work/life balance.  The music conversation then moved to a previous guest, Graham English, who also came from a music background.  Finally, Josh & Ben talk about their favorite Value Bombs from Kavit.

Next Josh & Ben talk about Ed O'keefe and their favorite Value Bomb from him.  In a rare turn of events, Josh and Ben both agree on their favorite Value Bomb.  This leads us down a conversation about what spirituality means and of Ed's views on how to take care of yourself, what does spirituality actually mean?  Josh also shares a valuable part of himself, he is not very woo woo.

After that, Josh & Ben cover what they learned from Austin Iuliano and what we learned from him.  Ben reflects a bit about Austin revealed that while he was speaking with us, he was also Meerkating the show.  At first Ben was very concerned about the world listening to a very unpolished, raw show and on the heals of that, how awesome that Austin's fans were listening live and enjoying the conversation!  Would you Utopians out there enjoy listening to the shows live as they are recorded?  Should we try and make that happen?  After much speculation, Josh & Ben speak about their favorite Value Bombs from Austin.

Finally, Josh & Ben review our guest from this week, Alisa DiLorenzo.  For Ben, it was like catching up with an old friend while speaking with Alisa.  That speaks highly of how easy she is to speak with. Josh & Ben then get to their favorite Value Bombs from Alisa (again, not agreeing).

Before closing out the show, Josh & Ben tease about the upcoming 100th show

As always, a special thank you to The Strand for our intro and outro music!

Direct download: 093_Noodles_or_Fried_Rice.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:30am EDT

We are very happy to bring you part 2 of our conversation with Alisa DiLorenzo, author, coach, podcast host, wife, and mother of two.

During this half of the conversation with Alisa DiLorenzo, we get really into some of the ramifications of divorce and how the decision to end a relationship can ripple out and have an impact on multiple people for many years down the road.  We live in a very disposable world, and it is a shame that people sometimes view their marriage as disposable as razors or paper coffee cups.

Josh drops a huge question on Alisa DiLorenzo, "What advice would you give someone who is working on building their business while maintaining a healthy relationship with their significant other."  Alisa doesn't miss a beat and has a great answer, SEX

  • Schedule time together - you schedule time with your clients, schedule time with your spouse and keep it!
  • Enrich the relationship - invest in the things your spouse likes to do
  • eXchange roles - sometimes you are the leader and sometimes you have to let your spouse lead

Next, we move into what Alisa DiLorenzo does to maintain balance in her life.  Alisa needs to get out and move, she takes walks (marathons are not her thing).  She really enjoys reading and she loves writing in her journals.  It is important to her to journal, and she teaches the folks she coaches the same thing.  Journal, write it down and get it out of your head so you can focus on what you need to focus on.  You can always come back to it.

Alisa DiLorenzo admits that she struggles to make time in her day for herself.  She used to use paper calendars until the world moved to digital calendars on the all of our phones.  Alisa realized that she was adding way to much to her day and moved herself back to a paper calendar, just to have the visual of how much was stacked in one day.

Finally, Alisa DiLorenzo drops her value bombs!

  • Be intentional about your resources
  • Be willing to take risks
  • Love deeply

Alisa leaves us with a surprise free gift!

Follow Alisa DiLorenzo here:

As always, a special thank you to The Strand for our intro and outro music!

Direct download: 092_Interview_Part_2_with_Alisa_DiLorenzo.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:30am EDT

We are very happy to bring you part 1 of our conversation with Alisa DiLorenzo, author, coach, podcast host, wife, and mother of two.

We start the show catching up with Alisa DiLorenzo. Her husband Tony was a guest on the show back on episode 44.  It feels like old friends catching up with eachother and really speaks to how open and easy it is to speak with Alisa.  We also find out that their show, One Extraordinary Marriage, is closing in on the 300 episode mark!  That is a great accomplishment and we are very excited for them both!

Alisa DiLorenzo shares her view of her Utopia. It's an internal sense, it's a sense that she's living her life on purpose.  She invests in herself and the world around her.  She pours so much into her life with her husband, her kids, her business, and her podcast.  Alisa wants to make a positive impact in people's lives.

With that in mind, Alisa DiLorenzo tells us the story of why she and her husband Tony wrote the book, The Seven Days of Sex Challenge.  Alisa and Tony were in a rough spot in their marriage.  They were living like roommates, not a couple.  They took a challenge of 8 weeks of sex and had a great response.  She also realizes that 8 weeks is a ton of time, but anyone can do something for 7 days.  To help other couples they sat down together and wrote the book.

After sharing where she came from, Alisa DiLorenzo shares where she wants to go in the future.  Alisa loves public speaking and she's looking forward to more speaking events in the next few years.  She also has plans to continue to grow the audience of her podcast as well continuing to grow the company ONE Extraordinary Marriage.

Follow Alisa DiLorenzo here:

As always, a special thank you to The Strand for our intro and outro music!

Direct download: 091_Interview_Part_1_with_Alisa_DiLorenzo.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:30am EDT

We are very excited to bring you the second half of our interview with Austin Iuliano, a phenomenal Brand Strategist and avid Meerkat user.

As we dive into Austin Iuliano's work/life balance, he feels it's important to give us some back story.  He lives in New York, he's 27, he has a girlfriend who is also his business partner.  He does not have a family, so his life is work/work.  Austin feels the core of the matter is defining your goals in life.  He actively decided to not have a family because he wanted to work on his business.  You also have to know what revitalizes you.  Introverted people get energy from being alone where as extroverted people get energy from other people.

Next Austin Iuliano shares how he deals with aspects of his business that he doesn't like to do.  For example, Austin loves talking with people, so he does that as often as possible.  Austin does not enjoy editing his own blog posts, so he doesn't do them.  He's carried that over to nearly every aspect of his business, if he doesn't like it, he doesn't do it.  Austin uses the barter system.  He struck up a conversation with a guy in the park, learned he is an english student and traded coaching on building your brand (Austin) for editing blog posts (english student).

Following that, Austin Iuliano talks about how he is always in work mode (even when he is having fun).  Austin shares the story of buying lift passes for a ski trip only to find out they were not good for three days.  Instead of paying full price for that day, if he waited for 90 minutes, the passes were much cheaper.  For those 90 minutes, he flipped back into work, created a video on his phone, made some minor edits, posted it on YouTube, and got it out into the world.

We close out the show with Austin Iuliano's Value Bombs:

  • Humility is essential
  • Don't be afraid of failure
  • Pursue your passion

Follow Austin Iuliano here:

As always, a special thank you to The Strand for our intro and outro music!

Direct download: 090_Interview_Part_2_with_Austin_Iuliano.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:30am EDT

We are very excited to bring you the first half of our interview with Austin Iuliano, a phenomenal Brad Strategist and avid Meerkat user.

Austin Iuliano shares how he recently got into Meerkat and how that platform is a fresh new way to interact with your fans and followers.  Not only does Meerkat allow you to directly speak to your followers, it also lets people meet and interact with the person behind the brand.

Next Austin Iuliano and Josh make plans to meet up when Josh and his son visit New York.  The conversation dives into a mini nerd fest about the Marvel universe with reverences to Iron Man, the Avengers, and Daredevil.

Getting back on topic, Austin shares his vision of Utopia.  Live each day better than the last.  He was inspired at his first job teaching folks to snowboarding (which he officially started at 16).  He learned that it isn't about age, but about knowledge.  He taught an 86 year old who was not interested in snowboarding, but how to do something new and exciting.  It helps to recognize your audience and speak to them.  After all, teaching an 86 year old is much different than teaching a 6 year old.

Next Austin Iuliano shares how he lives his vision of a Utopia.  One of his key steps is to take some time every morning to be grateful.  Starting from a place of gratitude makes it easier to have a great day.  He then shares a very personal story about a dark time in his life where he contemplated suicide.  He stopped because of his mother and he started lying to himself.  He told himself every day "I am confident, handsome, charming, I do well in school, and people want to be my friend."

Following that, Austin Iuliano shares his thoughts on what he would change, if he could, from his past.  Austin struggles with this question because there is no way of knowing what will cascade from making that level of change, but if he could, he would start earlier and work harder.

Follow Austin Iuliano here:

As always, a special thank you to The Strand for our intro and outro music!

Direct download: 089_Interview_Part_1_with_Austin_Iuliano.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:30am EDT

We are very pleased to release part 2 of our interview with Ed O'Keefe, entrepreneur, author, and father of 7!

Ed O'Keefe was reaching the end of desire to be a coach for dentists and he decided to create something from scratch.  That is really challenging to do and something very few people have done.  Ed then gives us a few high level points about this very topic.  Why go to work for anything if you are not passionate about it, especially in this day and age.

Next Ed O'Keefe walks us through some of the reasons why we (everyone) feels overwhelmed, like they are 'dumb', or like they 'stink'.  Ed starts with a mini biology lesson and helps us understand how we as a species have evolved much slower than the technology we use on a daily basis.  Take just six hours a day to pick one thing to focus on and really learn for 90 days.  When you wake up after 90 days you will be in the 1% of that niche that you chose.

Once we start talking about how Ed O'Keefe keeps balance in his life, his first bit of advice is to throw the work 'balance' out of the equation.  When you are at work, be 100% focused on work.  When you are spending time with your family, be 100% focused on your family, completely in the moment.

Finally, we get some great Value Bombs from Ed O'Keefe:

  • You need to take care of yourself (physically, spiritually, mentally, socially) you are not going to be great at supporting other people
  • If you are in business, your early focus should be what is your customer acquisition and monetization strategy.
  • When you feel like a loser, surround yourself with winners
  • Bonus! Do not talk poorly about your children or your spouse, ever

Books discussed in this show:

Follow Ed O'Keefe here:

As always, a special thank you to The Strand for our intro and outro music!

Direct download: 088_Interview_Part_2_with_Ed_OKeefe.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:30am EDT

We are very pleased to release part 1 of our interview with Ed O'Keefe, entrepreneur, author, and father of 7!

Ed O'Keefe is the 12th of 13 kids, and the youngest boy of 9.  His parents are also still together, celebrating 61 years together this month!  Ed comes from the background of working in a stable environment.  Get a job and join a union so you know where your money is coming from.  Ed was also the first in his family to graduate college.  That is a major accomplishment!

Ed O'Keefe shares a story about clothing, the tempory tattoos of our day with phrases and thoughts (and corporate messages/logos).  Ed was wearing a wrestling shirt with a message on it that struck a cord with his friend and his friend's son.  It was so important that this message is now a tattoo on all the members of this family.  This led Ed to creating his own line of clothing with messages on it that he and his family support.

Next Ed O'Keefe shares his vision of the future so that from the health supplement point of view people are living longer and healthier, from the clothing point of view that he is working with some great designers and brands that fit with the athlete market, and from his personal point of view having the time, energy, and resources to spend time with his kids as they grow up.

Books discussed in this show:

Follow Ed O'Keefe here:

As always, a special thank you to The Strand for our intro and outro music!

Direct download: 087_Interview_Part_1_with_Ed_OKeefe.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:30am EDT

We are very excited to bring you part 2 of our interview with Kavit Haria, musician, coach, and entrepreneur.

Kavit Haria shares that he is a big proponent of journaling.  He loves writing down his thoughts, ideas, plans, and tasks.  He feels that once he writes it down it is documented and no longer taking up space in his head.  Kavit, Josh, and Ben then dive down a path talking about Evernote, a great app for many journaling features.

Kavit Haria says one of the best ways for him to stay on task and also to make time for himself, is to have an accountability partner.  He has a friend the talks with at least once a month and they keep each other on track.  He also trained his assistant to manage him.  By that, he means that he shares his goals and schedule and his assistant makes sure he stays on topic and focused.  At the end of the day, it always comes down to self dicipline.  His accountability partner and his assistant can tell him what he needs to focus on, but he still has to be the one doing the work.

Finally, Kavit Haria drops some huge value bombs on us:

  • The more clarity you have, the more your confidence will increase.
  • Come from a place of humilty.
  • Realize you are an incredible unique potential to be the best you can for yourself and the society you live in.

Check out one of Kavit's (and Ben & Josh's) favorite apps, Evernote for iPhoneiPad, and the Mac.

Follow Kavit Haria here:

As always, a special thank you to The Strand for our intro and outro music!

Direct download: 086_Interview_Part_2_with_Kavit_Haria.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:30am EDT

We are very excited to share part 1 of this interview with Kavit Haria, musician, coach, and entrepreneur.

Kavit Haria is a professional musician (including playing with Jimmy Page and Paul McCartney), studied genetics in college, coaches other musicians, and a successful entrepreneur.

Kavit Haria shares that he has recently (in the last couple years) started meditating.  Ben asks for some of the noticeable improvements or changes that his two hours a day of meditation.  This leads to a great insight to the level of focus you can achieve and the quality of work you can perform.

Next, Kavit Haria shares that he currently works only 4 hours a day.  He does this by being really good at what he does as well as finding repetitive actions or tasks and automating it with systems.  Putting these in place help him stay productive, focused, and successful while only working 4 hours a day.

The conversation then moved into how Kavit Haria accidentally created his first business.  He was working as a professional musician and finding success.  As more musicians found out about his success and asked for his advice, he started creating products to teach people to find the success that he had, thus creating his first business.  He continues and shares the story of taking months off to travel and what happened to the business while he was gone.

Kavit Haria also shares how his business works and how he would like to evolve it in the coming years.  It is interesting to hear what he has to say because it echos so much his life philosophy that Josh read at the top of the interview.

Check out one of Kavit's (and Ben & Josh's) favorite apps, Evernote for iPhoneiPad, and the Mac.

Follow Kavit Haria here:

As always, a special thank you to The Strand for our intro and outro music!

Direct download: 085_Interview_Part_1_with_Kavit_Haria.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:30am EDT

It is the final Friday in the month and it is time for Ben and Josh recap all the great guests from July.

Josh and Ben start the show discussing Jon Schumacher. It was Ben's impression that despite the popularity and success that Jon has with his video podcast, Jon felt like he wasn't good at it. Seems that was all in Ben's head as Josh didn't get that impression at all. Ben then realizes that maybe he is projecting on Jon his own feelings about this show and the success it has and the guests that come on. Ben and Josh then jump into their favorite value bomb from the show.

Next Ben and Josh discuss Mark Sumpter and really enjoyed the conversation with him. Based on some of the stories that Mark shared, it is very important to value your time. Make sure you enjoy what you are doing, or that you are getting paid for what you are doing (and if you're really good, get paid for what you enjoy doing).

Then Josh and Ben discussed their interview with Shawn Manaher. This episode was even more fun for Ben to listen to and edit as he wasn't even on the show. Ben had a short notice work trip and couldn't co-host, and thankfully previous guest Shannon Hernandez joined Josh on the show to co-host. Ben really enjoyed Shannon and Shawn discussing their thoughts on working out.

After that Ben and Josh talked about Zach Obront's interview. This show was also co-hosted by Shannon Hernandez in Ben's absence. Josh shares what one of Zach's value bombs means to him and how important it is to pivot. Things change and it is always important to see those changes and adjust your game plan to compensate for those changes while continuing to move forward and progress.

Finally Josh and Ben recapped their interview this week with Ryan Levesque. Ryan was a great guest and had a great story to tell with his experience in the business world. Ben and Josh were also very grateful for the gift Ryan is giving to Utopians. He is giving away a copy of his book! Just go to AskFormula.com and use the code Utopia to get the book for free and just pay shipping! Let's make sure that we take him up on that offer and clear out all the books he set aside for us!

As a special treat, Josh brought on his son Benji! Ben spent a few minutes talking with Benji about his perfect day, and possibly setting Josh up to make that happen.

As always, a special thank you to The Strand for our intro and outro music!

Direct download: 084_We_Have_a_Special_Guest.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:30am EDT

We are excited to bring you part 2 of our interview with Ryan Levesque, Entrepreneur, Coach, and Author.

Ryan Levesque continues his interview with move value by sharing his insight with creating his first business.  He had a major breakthrough thinking that his first business as a practice business. Once he got into that into his head, he was able to step back and really focus on the processes.

Ryan Levesque shares some person experiences to get his points across.  He thinks back to hiring additional staff in his business.  To him, it always felt too early.  If your time, for example, is worth $100, then you should not spend your evenings doing $10 an hour work packing up envelopes to send to your customers.  The main challenge is that hiring someone will eat into your profits, but the benefit of opening up your time to work on your business (instead of in it) will ultimately improve the situation.

Ryan Levesque and Josh then spend some time talking about who to hire and where they are located.  Josh is looking into virtual staff finder which finds people from the Philippines while Ryan hires folks in the US.  Ryan is quick to point out that there is not a 'one size fits all.  The team you have now is the team that will get you from A to B, not Y to Z.

Keeping in form for the interview, Ryan Levesque drops another nugget of wisdom on us.  He does not believe in a work/life balance.  He believes in only doing a few things very very well.  He works very hard to minimize the choices he makes in his daily life to avoid decision fatigue.  He gives an example of this based on the clothes he wears.

Ryan left us with these three value bombs:

  • Study how people were when they were working to be successful, not how they are now that they are successful
  • You don't have to get it perfect, you just have to get it going
  • The five most profitable words of Ryan's career "Screw it, just do it"

Here are the books we talked about in the show:

Follow Ryan Levesque here and get Ryan's gift to Utopians!:

As always, a special thank you to The Strand for our intro and outro music!

Direct download: 083_Interview_Part_2_with_Ryan_Levesque.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:30am EDT

We are stoked to bring you part 1 of our interview with Ryan Levesque, Entrepreneur, Coach, and Author.

Right out of the gate, Ryan Levesque hits us with a huge message.  He and his wife started their first business with just an internet connection and a $500 laptop.  Now they run a multi-million dollar a year company.  Huge insight that you can come from a humble start and make something giant out of it.

Ryan Levesque then drops another insightful observation in our lap.  People tend to over estimate what we can do in a year, but underestimate what we can do in three years.  It's amazing to look back and see what happened this past year and compare that to what happened in the past three years.

Ryan Levesque provides us with a great example of how decision making and scheduling can have a trickle down effect on the rest of the day.  His day starts (right now) with dropping his son off at school, next he goes to work out, and then starts his work day.  He starts with what is most important (family), then moves into what energizes him (exercise), then moves into what he needs to focus on (work).

Ryan didn't figure this out all at once.  His first business iteration was a structureless business.  He worked when he wanted.  Next, he moved to a very structured business plan.  Currently, he has a blend of the two.  He has milestones and company goals, but can structure the rest of his time around what he wants.

Ryan Levesque gives us a great example of 'riches in niches' and going an inch wide but a mile deep.  One of Ryan and his wife's first business was a scrabble tile jewelry business on Etsy. Their insight in the business helped them launch their location free business selling 'picks and shovels'.

Here are the books we talked about in the show:

Follow Ryan Levesque here and get Ryan's gift to Utopians!:

As always, a special thank you to The Strand for our intro and outro music!

Direct download: 082_Interview_Part_1_with_Ryan_Levesque.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:30am EDT

We are very pleased to present part 2 of our interview with Zach Obront, Entrepreneur, Editor, and Publisher.  We are also very lucky to have former guest and friend of the show Shannon Hernandez guest hosting with Josh!

Zach Obront gave us a great example of how his type of work and desire to create business and processes is a love, but working in that business or process is something that he does not enjoy. He also gives us an example of after living the 'beach entrepreneur' life he needed to get back into creating.

Zach Obront next tells us about the impacts he has had on his business partner and vice versa. It lead to an example of Elon Musk and how he talks about continuing learning and not just in the areas you already know.

Zach Obront shares his value-bombs for all of us:

  • Think about your Utopia, once you're there, then what?
  • Let go of your Ego, you may have a great idea, but it may not be the best solution.
  • Be able to pivot, nothing stays the same, change happens

Follow Zach Obront:

As always, a special thank you to The Strand for our intro and outro music!

Direct download: 081_Interview_Part_2_with_Zach_Obront.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:30am EDT

We are very pleased to present part 1 of our interview with Zach Obront, Entrepreneur, Editor, and Publisher.  We are also very lucky to have former guest and friend of the show Shannon Hernandez guest hosting with Josh!

Zach Obront starts the show off with some incredible advice about the enormous lists of things we have to do to get things done.  He shares a story about previous guest Ben Altman of Charisma on Command and how they worked up a plan to get done all the things they needed to get done.

Zach Obront then shares how one of his outlets, improv, has helped him beyond his expectations of being funnier or thinking quicker on his feet.  Improv has helped him let go of things not going his way, which has made him more relaxed and accepting.

Zach Obront gives us his definition of his Utopia.  He was hesitant to start because he feels his vision has changed in the past and continues to change now and sees it changing in the future.

Follow Zach Obront:

As always, a special thank you to The Strand for our intro and outro music!

Direct download: 080_Interview_Part_1_with_Zach_Obront.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:30am EDT

We are very pleased to present part 2 of our interview with Shawn Manaher, Entrepreneur, Coach, Mentor, and Podcast Host.  We are also very lucky to have former guest and friend of the show Shannon Hernandez guest hosting with Josh!

Shawn Manaher shares that he is at the start of his 40s and does not feel 'old,' he feels like he is just on the start of his journey.  Shawn, Josh, and Shannon discuss how old you are verses how old you feel and act.  Huge difference and an important distinction in how you view your life.

Shawn Manaher gives us a great example of a catalyst that lead him down the path he is on now.  He had a great job, doing well, getting promotions and raises, but he was also in pain.  He went to doctors, got put under, tested and ultimately was told nothing is wrong, he was just stressed and that stress was causing his physical pain.

Shawn Manaher closes out his time with us with three value-bombs:

  • Have a forgiving mindset
  • Don't lose focus on the one thing you want to do/become
  • We only have one life, live it at your highest potential

Books we talked about during the show:

Follow Shawn Manaher:

As always, a special thank you to The Strand for our intro and outro music!

Direct download: 079_Interview_Part_2_with_Shawn_Manaher.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:30am EDT

We are very pleased to present part 1 of our interview with Shawn Manaher, Entrepreneur, Coach, Mentor, and Podcast Host.  We are also very lucky to have former guest and friend of the show Shannon Hernandez guest hosting with Josh!

Shawn Manaher starts off the show with some huge value by sharing that it is about the content and creating a following before turning it into a sustainable business.  He also calls out a few of his inspirational people like Joe Pulizzi and Brian Gibbs.

Shawn Manaher has a great view of Utopia, he wants to meet his potential on a daily basis.  He wants to do his best physically, spiritually, emotionally, and relationally to hit that potential every day.  Shawn and Shannon take a short tangent and explain how they feel with their physical journey in becoming a healthier and more physically fit person.

Books we talked about during the show:

Follow Shawn Manaher:

As always, a special thank you to The Strand for our intro and outro music!

Direct download: 078_Interview_Part_1_with_Shawn_Manaher.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:30am EDT

We are very pleased to bring you part 2 of our interview with Mark Sumpter, Coach, Speaker, and Author.

Starting the second half of the interview discussing where Mark Sumpter sees his business grow to in the future.  He would love to see his company evolve into having 5 or 6 people all working together to improve people's lives.

Mark Sumpter has some exciting (or do I mean expensive) outlets that help keep him balanced.  Mark took flying lessons to become a pilot.  He also plays in tennis (he plays doubles and enjoys playing the net) and soccer leagues.  Mark makes sure he has the time for all his events by sticking to his calendar.

Mark Sumpter shares an impressive story about focus and finding things that are good for you vs things that are good for you right now.  It is amazing how much you can do if you are focused on exactly what you need, when you need it.

To wrap up the show, Mark Sumpter dropped some knowledge on us with these three takeaways:

  • Fail forward fast
  • Invest in a Coach
  • Connect with as many like-minded people as you can

Books we talked about during the show:

  • No B.S. Time Management for Entrepreneurs by Dan Kennedy on Amazon and iTunes
  • Essentialism by Greg Mckeown on Amazon and iTunes

Follow Mark Sumpter:

As always, a special thank you to The Strand for our intro and outro music!

Direct download: 077_Interview_Part_2_with_Mark_Sumpter.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:30am EDT

We are very pleased to bring you part 1 of our interview with Mark Sumpter, Coach, Speaker, and Author.

Mark Sumpter starts the show off with his view of Utopia.  He wants the resources to take care of his parents in their golden years while still having the freedom and flexibility to travel.  He also points out that he has always had these goals and has built his life around achieving them.

Mark Sumpter shares a story about hosting a coaching call from the deck of a cruise ship just as the ship is setting sail.  That is the power of a digital company, it frees you from a 'location'.  As long as you have internet access, you can do your job.

Next Mark Sumpter dives into how he got into the digital space way back in 1999.  Back then, Mark was a police officer working two jobs (moonlighting as we know it) when he saw a guy driving a nice car headed home and Mark realized he was working harder and he needed to start working smarter.

Mark Sumpter shares how his business grew and adapted into what he does now.  Way back, folks would ask Mark to lunch to pick his brain about how to be an entrepreneur and how to do business.  Eventually, Mark was going out to talk shop with folks every single day (and he was still paying for his own meals, and sometimes the meals of the person asking all the questions!).  He had enough, and when the next person called for lunch, he said "sure, it's $500 a day," and they bought two full days!  As that model got more and more popular, Mark became more and more booked.  As his time was evaporating, Mark took all his daily contacts and created a seminar to services multiple people at once.

Books we talked about during the show:

  • No B.S. Time Management for Entrepreneurs by Dan Kennedy on Amazon and iTunes
  • Essentialism by Greg Mckeown on Amazon and iTunes

Follow Mark Sumpter:

As always, a special thank you to The Strand for our intro and outro music!

Direct download: 076_Interview_Part_1_with_Mark_Sumpter.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:30am EDT

We are super excited to bring you part 2 of our interview with Jon Schumacher, Entrepreneur, Coach, and Fitness Guru.

Jon Schumacher tells us of the benefit of learning from those who already know, but don't just stop there.  Jon spent a ton of time and money taking classes and working with other gurus in various fields to get better at the skills he deemed important.  Once you have that knowledge though, make it your own, put your own spin on it, and combine different areas of knowledge and expertise.

Jon Schumacher reveals to us that he isn't the best at work life balance.  He worked a full time job and built his side career, which didn't leave a ton of time for himself.  He's aware of the issue, and he is working to fix it.  Now that he has resigned from his day job, he is going to take back some (not all of that time) for himself and time with his wife.

Jon Schumacher then leaves us with three powerful things to think about:

  • Life only gets better when you get better
  • It's about connection, not perfection
  • Persistence is key
  • Get so busy that you don't have time to be disappointed

Books we talked about during the show:

  • Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert T. Kiyosaki on Amazon and iTunes.

Follow Jon:

As always, a special thank you to The Strand for our intro and outro music!

Direct download: 075_Interview_Part_2_with_Jon_Schumacher.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:30am EDT

We are very excited to present part 1 of our interview with Jon Schumacher, Entrepreneur, Coach, and Fitness Guru.

Jon Schumacher starts the show off with two huge points.  First, he just left a stable success job to work full time on his passion.  Second, he puts it into perspective how much time you have in your life and how much time you have for your loved ones.

Jon Schumacher didn't really have the entrepreneur itch until 2010 when he started working on his own personal brand.  After exhausting his Facebook and Google friends, the company crashed.  He was disheartened and left that for the stock market.  He found his way back and started working on his brands again, using his vast knowledge of person fitness to educate and help people.  Also, he did all this while working a full time 'day job'.

Jon Schumacher also discusses some of the challenges to overcome when you go off on your own business.  It can be a scary decision to make, but it also offers a ton of opportunity.

Books we talked about during the show:

  • Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert T. Kiyosaki on Amazon and iTunes.

Follow Jon:

As always, a special thank you to The Strand for our intro and outro music!

Direct download: 074_Interview_Part_1_with_Jon_Schumacher.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:30am EDT

Happy Friday Utopians!  Today is the last Friday of the month and that means a new recap show.  Josh and Ben talk about the last 4 interviews with Joel & Pei, Eden Sunshine, Philip Beyer, and Midori Verity as well as catching up with what is happening in their lives.

Ben & Josh start the show talking about a very recent incident with Ben at his job.  The company wants to pay his cell phone bill, great news right?  The truth is, nothing is free and paying the bill also means giving out his cell number.  What to do?

Next, our hosts spend some time talking about Josh's experiences with his new motorcycle.  He also admits to being an adrenalin junkie (which may explain some of his hobbies).  They also play with the idea of starting a new show!

Josh & Ben then talk about the conversation with Joel & Pei.  Those two were a blast to talk with and they were super accommodating given some technical difficulties that happened during the show.  As it turns out, our hosts cannot pick a top value bomb!  This may be the first time that has happened on Build Your Utopia.

Then Ben & Josh move to Eden Sunshine (yes, his real name).  Ben starts off with an apology, there was something on the audio that was very difficult to remove and it is obvious that Ben's pride was bruised because he couldn't fix it.  Our hosts decide that their favorite value bomb from Eden was "learn to do the right work."

Our hosts then have a mini intermission and talk about Josh's issues with bees!

Once they get that out of their system, Josh and Ben then speak about Philip Beyer and his fantastic accent!  Something about that southern accent makes a person super easy to listen to.   Our hosts couldn't agree on a favorite value bomb from Philip.  Josh picked "sales, sales, sales" while Ben picked "organize your business through systemization."  It actually shouldn't be that surprising based on what we know about our hosts personalities.

Finally, Josh & Ben revisit this week's interview with Midori Verity.  That was a great interview as well. Josh and Midori actually have something in common, something that Ben just doesn't understand. Our hosts were able to agree on this one and chose "look at the big picture, don't get caught up with the small things."

Here are the books and movies that came up during the show:

As always, a special thank you to The Strand for our intro and outro music!

Direct download: 073_There_is_a_Bee_on_my_Shoulder.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:30am EDT

We are very excited to share part 2 of our interview with Midori Verity, Relationship Coach, Entrepreneur, and Author.

Midori Verity shares some detail and specifics in her affirmations.  She shares the story that she is currently mentoring some young adults and invited them over to her house to create vision boards.  The vision board helps to visualize the goals and the attitudes you want to embody by making it part of something real.  Then she shares a story about communication, specifically with her husband.  She shares the Rubber Band Technique.  It is a tool to adjust your thinking from a negative space into a positive one.

Midori Verity tells us some of the things that help keep her in balance, and one of the biggest ones is working out, physical activity.  She doesn't enjoy running, but she does it every day because she knows she'll feel better once she is done.  Midori and Josh then talk about the benefits of kick boxing.  Sometimes Midori doesn't always have the time to work out, and she makes conscious, positive decisions to keep her schedule.

Midori Verity also shares her 3 take home lessons for us:

  • Gratitude, come from a place of Gratitude
  • Look at the big picture, don't get caught up with the small things
  • Take care of yourself

Here are the books we talked about in the show:

  • Secrets to a Kickass Marriage by Midori Verity Amazon.

Follow Midori Verity here:

As always, a special thank you to The Strand for our intro and outro music!

Direct download: 072_Interview_Part_2_with_Midori_Verity.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:30am EDT

We are very excited to share part 1 of our interview with Midori Verity, Relationship Coach, Entrepreneur, and Author.

Midori Verity shares where she came from and how far along she is in building her Utopia.  5 years ago she was in a very different place, battling depression and trying to find the strength to just get out of bed every day.  It is a truly inspirational to know where she came from and where she is now.

Midori Verity also shares some of her tips and some of her process in writing her book.  She didn't set aside time every day to write, but was driven by her passion to get the book written and the information out there.  Being married for 30 years definitely gave her a wealth of experience to draw from, but she also recognized some of her shortcomings and brought in other experts to co-write some portions of the book.

Midori Verity then talks with Josh and Ben about a concept that help her greatly once she discovered it, Neuroplasticity.  Affirmations, gratitude, and positive thinking all helped her change the way she views her life and what she knew could be possible with her life.

Here are the books we talked about in the show:

  • Secrets to a Kickass Marriage by Midori Verity Amazon.

Follow Midori Verity here:

As always, a special thank you to The Strand for our intro and outro music!

Direct download: 071_Interview_Part_1_with_Midori_Verity.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:30am EDT

We are proud to publish part 2 of our interview with Philip Beyer, Entrepreneur, Author, and Coach.

Philip Beyer recounts a story of Steve Jobs and his return to Apple. When Jobs came back to Apple, he asked to see everything the company was working on, and after seeing the pile of products, he cut nearly everything out and left only three or four products.  This hits home for Philip, especially after his experience with the crash in 2008-2009.  It is best for the business leaders, the business, and even the market to focus your efforts on one thing.

Philip Beyer, Ben, and Josh also talked about examples of companies that have some simple systems in place.  The act of greeting your customers when they come into the store is a system designed to make the customer feel welcome and appreciated.  It's also simple to implement from a training/management point of view as well.

Finally, we recapped Philip Beyer's top three lessons:

  • Make business contacts, don't be shy to talk to people
  • Sales, Sales, Sales
  • Organize your business through systemization

Here are the books we talked about in the show:

Follow Philip Beyer here:

As always, a special thank you to The Strand for our intro and outro music!

Direct download: 070_Interview_Part_2_with_Philip_Beyer.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:30am EDT

We are very pleased to share part one of our interview with Philip Beyer, Entrepreneur, Author, and Coach.

Philip Beyer is a proud husband and father who is very involved in his community.  His wife, kids, and daughter in law all take part in the businesses and this helps to keep him happy and grounded in what matters most.  Having the people he cares about and trusts also helps to keep away the business chaos that Philip feels is one of the biggest hurdles of modern business.

Philip Beyer hasn't always been a system driven, organized person.  He started out, in his words, as a mess.  He was even called out by one of his customers about the level of disorganization in his business.  After reading the book E-Myth by Michael Gerber, Philip really got into processes and systems.

Philip also reflects on some of the business choices in his past, both positive and negative.  His software company was doing great and he had the opportunity to sell Beyer Printing back in 2008-2009.  At the time, he decided he would just run both, after all, they were both doing really well.  Then the market crashed, and Beyer Printing took a big hit and it took years of hard work to recover.

Here are the books we talked about in the show:

Follow Philip Beyer here:

As always, a special thank you to The Strand for our intro and outro music!

Direct download: 069_Interview_Part_1_with_Philip_Beyer.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:30am EDT

We are very pleased to present part two of our interview with Eden Sunshine.  Eden is an entrepreneur, speaker, and author.

Eden is a big proponent of developing systems.  He gave us a few tips from Level 7 Systems.  It is huge to create your business around systems that drive the goals of the company.  That way, if someone is not available, others can step in and follow the system to get constant results.

We also learn the struggles that Eden and his wife face between being entrepreneurs as well as parents.  What is the right balance between work and family?  How many clients can you take on and give them all they need without losing time with the family?  Once you find that balance, know it will change as the kids grow up.

Eden also shares with us his top three lessons, and he says it all starts with the 'decision to be excellent'

  • Have the right mindset
  • Learn to do the right work
  • Find the best way to do the right work

Follow Eden Sunshine here:

As always, a special thank you to The Strand for our intro and outro music!

Direct download: 068_Interview_Part_2_with_Eden_Sunshine.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:30am EDT

We are very pleased to present part one of our interview with Eden Sunshine.  Eden is an entrepreneur, speaker, and author.

Eden Sunshine has suffered through every business problem an entrepreneur or small business owner could face.  He had financial issues, employee issues, regulation issues, government issues, and motivational issues.  Through those issues, he realized that work shouldn't be a four letter word, we should make work an enjoyable part of our life.  With that mindset, Eden has decided he doesn't want to retire, he wants to continue to contribute as long as he is able.

Eden Sunshine's vision of a Utopia is to live the Woo Hoo moment every day, both in business and in life.  It is important to continue to learn, grow, and move forward.  Once you accomplish your current goal, give yourself a big WooHoo and keep growing.

We also learned that both Josh and Eden work out of their homes and they love it.  Eden's worst commute in was bumping into his mother-in-law in the hallway.  Josh, on the other hand, got called out on a video call with a customer about working out of his bedroom (don't worry, he has a dedicated home office now).

Follow Eden Sunshine here:

As always, a special thank you to The Strand for our intro and outro music!

Direct download: 067_Interview_Part_1_with_Eden_Sunshine.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:30am EDT

We're excited to share with everyone the second half of our interview with Joel and Pei of Relaunch Show!

Joel and Pei both firmly believe that taking care of yourself is a priority and must not be overlooked.  It is because of this priority that they do not find it hard to make time to be active.

Joel, much like our host Josh, is a runner.  Pei enjoys Yoga.  Sometimes Pei feels selfish with her yoga because she teaches a class and charges for her time.  This is the perfect example of making the most of a situation!  Pei enjoys Yoga, and she knows it well enough to teach.  What better way to stay motivated than by leading a class that people pay for?  Now everyone wins!  Pei's students receive instruction from a knowledgeable person while Pei is motivated to work out and earns some additional income for herself.

The Yoga conversation then leads to a surprising revelation between our hosts.  Josh, who is very physically active, is not very limber or flexible.  Ben, who is not physically active at all, can indeed touch his toes without bending his knees.

Joel and Pei also share their experiences with hiring additional staff to remove some of the burdens of their job.  Josh asks them some detailed questions to help himself and Utopians when it comes to hiring additional staff, including virtual staff.

Joel and Pei round out the show with their three important lessons:

  • Learn to Delegate
  • Quit asking for permission and do it already!
  • Focus on marketing, it is a noisy world out there

Joel and Pei also shared some of their favorite books:

  • Finding Your Voice by Joel Boggess Amazon and iTunes
  • Secrets of the Millionaire Mind by T. Harv Eker Amazon and iTunes

Follow Joel and Pei here:

As always, a special thank you to The Strand for our intro and outro music!

Direct download: 066_Interview_Part_2_with_Joel_and_Pei.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:30am EDT

We are excited for today's show, this is part 1 of our interview with Joel Boggess and Dr. Pei Kang, both of which are Radio Hosts, Speakers, and Entrepreneurs.

Joel and Pei have a great definition of Utopia, it is the ability to live where you want, contributing how you want in a way that not only adds value to the greater good, but also to yourself.  Josh and Ben dive into that through the lens of Build Your Utopia and how the show started as a way to add value to Utopians, but it is also a way to add value to their own lives.

Pei also gives us a glimpse of her inner Texan by giving us an enthusiastic "YEE HAW!!"  Something she says she has never done before.  It also gives us a great transition into Joel and Pei's point of Seasons of Life and living in the moment.  Joel and Pei believe that life, just like a farmer has seasons for planting, tending, harvesting, and resting; there are seasons to life, relationships, and business.  It is best to identify what season you are in so you can best maximize that season.  They then share the example that with their current show, The Relaunch Show, is in the planting phase as they ramp up the show.

Joel and Pei share that The Relaunch Show is actually their 5th show. They have made this one successful by taking all the lessons they've learned from the previous shows to make this one the best it can be.

Joel and Pei also shared some of their favorite books:

  • Finding Your Voice by Joel Boggess Amazon and iTunes
  • Secrets of the Millionaire Mind by T. Harv Eker Amazon and iTunes

Follow Joel and Pei here:

As always, a special thank you to The Strand for our intro and outro music!

Direct download: 065_Interview_Part_1_with_Joel_and_Pei.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:30am EDT

Happy Friday!  We are excited to come back to you, just Josh and Ben!  Part of our 'new format' of the show is to have a monthly recap show and discuss things we've learned from all the guests this month.

First Ben and Josh talk about Brianna Wu's interview.  Josh is convinced, though Ben asserts Josh is wrong, that Ben has a crush on Brianna.  Crush is the wrong word, Ben admires what she does and how she does it.  Josh and Ben could agree on Brianna's value-bomb of "be honest with yourself, keep on your 'mission objectives'."  Ben and Josh also discuss what her message means to us.

Next, Josh and Ben review their time with Josh's crush, Shannon Hernandez.  Josh clears things up and says Shannon is just a fun guy to hang out with.  We talk about some of the stories Shannon shared and we also agree on his value-bomb "stay persistent and allow yourself to grow in small steps."  This is huge and we talk about how Shannon is living this idea.

Then Ben and Josh cover Susan Carlson.  Josh and Ben both enjoyed speaking with Susan and both have a ton of respect for her.  She is very articulate and passionate about her goals and thoughts on the education system here in Phoenix.  Susan's value-bomb that stuck with us is "keep on keeping on."  This point also echos Shannon's point.

Before Josh and Ben discuss the most recent interview of the month, they get on a bit of a tangent about motorcycles (especially considering Josh just purchased a new bike).

Finally, Ben and Josh speak about Brett Gajda.  Brett shared some fun stories in his interview.  While it was a great time, it was also super informative.  Brett left us with a great value-bomb "breakdown almost always comes before break through."  Huge advice, and something we all should keep in mind when things get difficult.

As always, a special thank you to The Strand for our intro and outro music!

Direct download: 064_Where_do_you_ride.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:30am EDT

We have a great show for you today, this is part 2 of our interview with Brett Gajda, coach, speaker, and podcast host.

According to Brett, success is being able to live your average perfect day, everyday.  While he isn't there yet, he as built all legs and is fine tuning them to be able to support his utopia.  Brett currently owns his business, which he can operate geography free, and earn passive income.

Once Brett Gajda has all the supports built up strong and stable and able to support his utopia, what is he going to do next?  He worded it great by saying he "can't plan for the back side of the mountain until he reaches the top."

Planning and building your business is key, and you have to have the vision and followthrough to make it.  Brett told a story of a friend who wants to learn to play the guitar that really brings the point home.

Brett Gajda gave us three valuable lessons today:

  • Compromise your lifestyle for what you need, not what you want
  • Breakdown almost always comes before break through
  • Ask for support, we are all in this together

Books and Movies from Brett's interview:

Follow Brett Gajda here:

As always, a special thank you to The Strand for our intro and outro music!

Direct download: 063_Part_2_Interview_with_Brett_Gajda.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am EDT

We have a great show for you today, this is part 1 of our interview with Brett Gajda, coach, speaker, and podcast host.

According to Brett, success is being able to live your average perfect day, everyday.  While he isn't there yet, he as built all legs and is fine tuning them to be able to support his utopia.  Brett currently owns his business, which he can operate geography free, and earn passive income.

Once Brett Gajda has all the supports built up strong and stable and able to support his utopia, what is he going to do next?  He worded it great by saying he "can't plan for the back side of the mountain until he reaches the top."

Planning and building your business is key, and you have to have the vision and followthrough to make it.  Brett told a story of a friend who wants to learn to play the guitar that really brings the point home.

Books and Movies from Brett's interview:

Follow Brett Gajda here:

As always, a special thank you to The Strand for our intro and outro music!

Direct download: 062_Part_1_Interview_with_Brett_Gajda.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am EDT

Today we have part 2 of our interview with Susan Carlson, Educational Leader and Cultural Enthusiast.

Susan Carlson sees an opportunity to improve education in Arizona.  Arizona has one of the lowest ratings in the country for engaged youth.  Susan explains that, in a few years, that means the work force in Arizona will be one of the least educated and least motivated in the country.  The economy will suffer and national companies will either move or not even come to Arizona in favor of cities and states with a higher caliber work force.  Susan and Josh discuss how this public education issue will impact even Josh's son, who is at a private school.

Susan also shares with us a lesson she learned from her mother.  You are not a victim, if something is wrong, you need to do something to fix it.  This has taught Susan to be proactive in creating a change and making a difference.

Susan left us with some valuable lessons today:

  • Commit to an action and do it
  • Keep on Keeping on
  • Networks matter, cultivate and maintain yours

Find more of what Susan Carlson is doing here:

As always, a special thank you to The Strand for our intro and outro music!

Direct download: 061_Part_2_Interview_with_Susan_Carlson.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am EDT

Today we have part 1 of our interview with Susan Carlson, Educational Leader and Cultural Enthusiast.

Most of Susan's professional career has been in education.  With the exception of a stint in real estate, she has taught, administered, and served school boards.  She even chaired the ACT and AMEPAC boards.

Susan Carlson's Utopia is a place where people flourish by being able to participate in something you are passionate about.

She retired from teaching and with the support of her husband, she has started down the path of her Utopia.  She knows where she wants to end up, but she is not completely sure how she is going to get there.

Find more of what Susan Carlson is doing here:

As always, a special thank you to The Strand for our intro and outro music!

Direct download: 060_Part_1_Interview_with_Susan_Carlson.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am EDT

Today is Part 2 of our interview with Shannon Hernandez, Professional Broadcaster, Podcast Producer, Trainer, and proponent of man buns.

Shannon Hernandez's Utopia is freedom.  He has found the path and walking it, but he doesn't know when he'll get there.

Speaking of walking, Shannon Hernandez found a ton of answers at the gym while on the treadmill and on the elliptical.  Shannon started working out after making a deal with himself.  He knows he needs to be healthier and lose weight but he didn't want to go to the doctor.  The deal was, if he can't lose weight and feel better on his own after six months, then he would see the doctor.

The trick is baby steps.  Any monumental journey starts with a first step.  This is how Shannon started his health plans and it is applicable to any goal you can set for yourself.  Any task is easy when you break it down to baby steps.

Shannon left us with great lessons today:

  • You cannot give up
  • Stay persistent and allow yourself to geo in small steps
  • Have fun, you have to have fun

And these are a couple books that impacted his life:

Follow Shannon on his website and on Twitter.

As always, a special thank you to The Strand for our intro and outro music!

Direct download: 059_Part_2_Interview_with_Shannon_Hernandez.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am EDT

Today is Part 1 of our interview with Shannon Hernandez, Professional Broadcaster, Podcast Producer, Trainer, and proponent of man buns.

Shannon Hernandez has a masters degree and was a high school english teacher who worked part time at a Phoenix radio station.  Then the station offered him a full time evening shift and he couldn't pass it up.  This led Shannon to working full time at two jobs and in between those finding time to grade papers and sleep.

Could you get up at 6:00am and drive into school to teach a zero hour class until 4:00pm.  Then take a nap and head to the radio station to DJ from 7:00 until mid night.  Finally, grade papers until 2:00ish in the morning before taking another nap.  This is what Shannon did for about 4 months before the school semester ended and he resigned so he could work at the radio station full time.

He made it happen because he had to.  If you're really passionate, you'll sacrifice for your passion.

Shannon Hernandez found inspiration in these:

Follow Shannon on his website and on Twitter.

As always, a special thank you to The Strand for our intro and outro music!

Direct download: 058_Part_1_Interview_with_Shannon_Hernandez.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am EDT

Today is the second half of Josh Marsden and Ben Thompson's interview with entrepreneur, game developer, podcast host and equality advocate Brianna Wu.

Brianna Wu learned a ton from her parents and thanks them for a number of opportunities in her life. As a child, if she ever wanted to learn something, her parents gave her the resources and told her to 'go figure it out.' That mentality taught Brianna to be self sufficient and independent.

When Brianna sets her sights on something, she sticks with it until she makes it happen. "The Giant Spacekat Starship should have exploded many times but we pushed through." This attitude is evident not only in her company Giant Spacekat, but also in her actions for equality in the tech industry.

Brianna Wu left us with some valuable lessons:

  • Exercise, the mind cannot live without the body
  • Be honest with yourself, keep on your 'mission objectives'
  • Get a support network of friends

Here are some additional links:

Follow Brianna on Twitter or just 'read the news'

As always, a special thank you to The Strand for our intro and outro music!

Direct download: 057_Part_2_Interview_with_Brianna_Wu.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am EDT

Today is the first half of Josh Marsden and Ben Thompson's interview with entrepreneur, game developer, podcast host and equality advocate Brianna Wu.

It is difficult for Brianna Wu to build her utopia right now, considering the stand she has taken in the fight for equal rights in the tech industry.  Due to this, she has unfortunately received numerous threats against her person and her life.  This is a deplorable situation and a testament to Brianna's conviction and personality to stand up to the threats and fight for equality.

Brianna's commitment to better treatment in the tech industry is evident in her company.  Everyone knows about 'crunch time' in the game development industry and her views on how to handle it comes out in her interview.

Part 2 of Brianna Wu's interview will be out later this week.

Follow Brianna on Twitter or just 'read the news'

As always, a special thank you to The Strand for our intro and outro music!

Direct download: 056_Part_1_Interview_with_Brianna_Wu.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am EDT

Today Ben & Josh recap this weeks interview with Ben Altman of Charisma on Command, what Josh is up to with CVO Acceleration, and upcoming changes to the format of the show.

Josh starts the show by sharing with everyone (Ben included, this was all new information to him) what he is doing with CVO Acceleration.  He outlines his new business plan, offers, and how he came to these decisions.  Josh goes over trip-wire offers, something small to provide some value that also starts the conversation, and how those can turn into a larger relationship with his customers.  This turned into a conversation about Josh presenting at Vetracon 2015 this June at Fort Hood.

Ben & Josh then jumped into some of the highlights from Ben Altman's interview.  Our hosts talked about how he 'burned the ships' by cutting his professional ties when he moved, which basically forced him to succeed.  Part of his story was to speak with his audience and and see what they want, then build the product together.  That approach is really beneficial for everyone as not only do people purchase your product up front, they get the benefit of helping guide you into creating exactly the product that works best for them.

Finally, Josh and Ben discuss the upcoming changes to the format of the show.  Initially the format of one interview a week and one recap show a week felt great, but it became evident that the time commitment was a little high.  Our hosts have decided to have one recap show a month, probably near the end of the month, to go over the last few guests at once.  Hopefully this will ease some pressure from the them as well as help keep them on topic (we all know how easily they get off on tangents).  Additionally, the interviews are longer than they had anticipated, but instead of losing great content and cutting the shows short, the decision was made to cut the show into two parts, and release part one on Tuesday and part two on Thursday.

As always, a special thank you to The Strand for our intro and outro music!

Direct download: 055_Burning_the_Ships_with_Ben_Altman.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am EDT

Today we have a great guest and inspirational story with Ben Altman of Charisma on Command.

Ben Altman worked on wall street, making great money and working 80+ hours a week. Not satisfied, he decided he wanted a career that has location freedom, geographic freedom, and freedom of time. How did he do it? What was his plan for such an ambitious Utopia?

If that isn't tough enough, how do you create a business and a hot product with 90k in student loans and only $300 in the bank? Listen to Ben Altman's interview and learn how he moved from New York to Brazil, "burnt the ships", and created Charisma on Command.

Ben Altman didn't just leave us with an inspiring story and 3 value bombs, but he gave us a 4th as a bonus!

  • Money, as a point of fulfillment, is a really hard way to be satisfied
  • Find your North Star
  • Model successful people
  • Bonus: Go talk to the people you are trying to serve

Thanks to Ben Altman for joining us and make sure you check out the resources he provided!

As always, a special thank you to The Strand for our intro and outro music!

Direct download: 054_Interview_with_Ben_Altman.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am EDT

Josh and Ben talk this week's interview with Dornubari Vizor from episode 52.

Dornubari Vizor start the show discussing company names and the unique way that he came up with his company name, Yazamo.  This ended up being a rabbit hole which led our hosts to Daredevil on Netfilx and one of Ben's favorite movies, Die Hard (on Amazon).

Dornubari Vizor's comment from his episode about being careful around meet-ups and masterminds then prompted discussion between Josh and Ben about the comfort levels and openness of meetups, masterminds, and mentors. This then evolved into a discussion about creating a mastermind and what format should the group have.

The conversation then moved into a discussion about being focused at work and tips on maintaining that focus with all the distractions we face (such as email, social media, the real world, and cloud based services).

Ben and Josh then round out the show with a recap and discussion of Dornubari Vizor's top three lessons:

  • Learn to say 'No'
  • Get as many Mentors as you can
  • If you're going to start something, stick it out.

As always, a special thank you to The Strand for our intro and outro music!

Direct download: 053_53_Im_Going_to_Fact_Check_You_on_That.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am EDT

On Build Your Utopia today, we have Dornubari Vizor, a 24 year old entrepreneur and co-founder of Yazamo, a Digital Marketing Agency. Dornubar is an Arizona State Sun Devil and graduated with a justice studies degree in 2012 while starting YazamoYazamo specializes in Web traffic and sales generation for small and medium businesses. He attributes his success to his mentor Joe Polish

Dornubari moved from Nigeria when he was a baby. At one point, he lived in a refugee camp for 3 years.

Growing up he's always dabbled in entrepreneurship, for example he used to sell products on eBay while a teenager.

Dornubari's definition of a Utopia is to have free time with his family and have a wealth of opportunities so he can be choosy and pick the ones that he really wants to focus on.

Currently, he's at 20% of his utopia...this he attests...because he feels he has a lot more growth individual and professionally before he is truly at his Utopia.

Luckily, he's made the wise move to turn to mentors and mastermind groups for both wisdom and inspiration respectively to help him reach his Utopia.

His #1 motivation is to buy a house for his mom and take care of his family in Nigeria. Most of his relatives still reside in Nigeria. He feels that this is his purpose since he's fortunate enough to be in the United States, unlike many of his relatives.

He realizes this path isn't easy and he has to focus on having a strong work-life balance. He gets regular exercise in to relieve stress and also has been investing, time and money, into a program called Strategic Coach that helps entrepreneurs put systems for life and business.

Finally, Dornubari left us with 3 Value Bombs that all Utopias can appreciate:

  • Learn how to say "no" to people and opportunities
  • Get a mentor and mentor others
  • Stick it out on your entrepreneurial path
  • BONUS: Pivot if you need to

Special thanks to Dornubari for being on the show. You can find him at Yazamo's Website, where they also have an incredible blog aimed at helping businesses improve their digital marketing.

As always, a special thank you to The Strand for our intro and outro music!

Direct download: 052_Interview_with_Dornubari_Vizor.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am EDT

Hello Everyone!  Today on Build Your Utopia our Hosts Josh Marsden and Ben Thompson talk about Pat Flynn's interview and episode 50!

They guys might get off on a couple tangents on this episode, but trust them, they do bring it back around.

Thanks to Pat Flynn, Ben and Josh spend some time talking about Gamification and how it can benefit multiple parts of your every day life.  Ben admits that he is a sucker for gamification and uses it at least 4 different apps every day.  (Check out Zombies, Run! on the iTunes App Store).  The conversation of gamification naturally leads to talks of the Apple Watch and the type of functionality it will bring to the market.

Josh and Ben also reflect on Pat Flynn's point of view on what an "F" grade in school really means.  From Josh's point of view as a father, if his son receives an "F", that doesn't mean he is a bad person or a poor student, it just means that particular subject is something that needs more attention.

Our hosts also talk about how Pat Flynn turns both his success stories and his failures into a lesson for the people that follow him. How easy is it to tell people your honest story?  Just tell people what worked and what didn't work, that way the folks that look up to you and follow you will learn from everything you've done.  It makes you a smart friend instead of someone to compete against.

Ben and Josh also reflect on Pat Flynn's philosophy of building his life around what is most important to him.  Most people have a job and they fit their life in around their job.  Pat has taken the opposite approach and fits his work around his family.  It isn't something easy to create, but it is achievable if you are committed to it and put in the effort.

As always, a special thank you to The Strand for our intro and outro music!

Direct download: 051_Im_Interrupting_You_too_Much_Tonight_with_Pat_Flynn.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am EDT

Happy Tuesday everyone!  We have a great guest for our 50th show, Pat Flynn, entrepreneur, podcast host, and responsible of Smart Passive Income.

Pat Flynn views his utopia as being able to spend most of his time with his growing kids.  He and his wife have been asked by other parents and teachers at their kids' school how they both drop off and pick up his son from school.  Pat has made it a priority to build his work life around his family life, instead of what is typical of fitting in family time around work time.

Pat Flynn recently started adjusting to a morning schedule (he self identifies as a night person).  After speaking with Hal Elrod (our guest from Episode 42), Pat decided to move to a morning routine.  He recognizes the difference between setting an alarm and getting up for work verses setting an alarm and getting up for yourself.  It was difficult for Pat at first, but he adjusted and is now on a morning schedule.

Pat's experience with moving to a morning schedule reinforced a view he has about failing.  Similar to getting an 'F' on a report card for school, that doesn't mean you are a bad person, it just means you don't get it yet.  It is something you can work on, an area for improvement.

Pat Flynn also speaks about his gamification needs.  Thank goodness for gamification, it makes every day events into something with goals and rewards and more (or easier) incentive to do better.  Ben and Pat both use apps to monitor their sleep and Pat found one for meditation as well!

Pat left us with three valuable lesson:

  • Understand that failing is okay, it's a "not yet" situation
  • Connect with and build as many relationships as possible
  • Truly understand you have the power to do what you want

Follow and connect with Pat:

As always, a special thank you to The Strand for our intro and outro music!

Direct download: 050_Interview_with_Pat_Flynn.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am EDT

Join us today as Josh and Ben talk about this week's interview with Tim Lawson of Veteran Empire.

Tim Lawson not only provided Ben and Josh with a ton of valuable points, but he also inspired a great conversation.  Ben and Josh reflect on what they know and what they've heard from people about life in the military.  (Josh served and Ben has many friends who served).

Your hosts also talked about Tim Lawson's viewpoint on honesty versus transparency.  While both honesty and transparency involve telling the truth, when you tell it makes the difference.  That viewpoint has changed the way Ben thinks of himself, considering himself a transparent person.  Now, he sees himself as honest because he doesn't always offer up details, but he doesn't hide them when asked.  Josh also provides an example of when transparency isn't always the best solution according to robots in Interstellar (on Amazon and iTunes).

Josh and Ben also talk about the type of life that a small business own lives.  Is it just a pie in the sky, all the time is free time, and we can do whatever we want when we want?  While it is more flexible, it isn't exactly that life.

Ben and Josh also talk about Tim Lawson's podcasts (he hosts more than one), and specifically 1, 2, Many: Veteran Suicide.  The timing of Tim's episode and this show is interesting because a friend of Ben and his wife (who is a Vet), committed suicide last Friday.  His family set up a fund to help pay for these unexpected funeral bills.

As always, a special thank you to The Strand for our intro and outro music!

Direct download: 049_Honesty_Versus_Transparency_with_Tim_Lawson.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am EDT

We have an amazing guest for you today, Tim Lawson. Tim is a Marine Corps veteran, college student at American University, found and owner of Lawson Entertainment, a company that has 4 weekly podcasts. The Veteran Empire Podcast for example was nominated for a 2013 Podcast Award in the Culture and Arts Category.

He's been able to do all this before the age of 30.

At 17 he defeated cancer, Hodgkin's lymphoma, it was an experience that really helped him have determination and perseverance. He actually feels blessed to have cancer at the ripe age of 17 with his immune system able to recover fairly quickly after treatment.

He believes that he is the product of his top 5 people in his life, which include his co-host Brandon of Brandon's Bromantic Comedy, his girlfriend, and colleagues in his life.

He's working towards true freedom currently with his efforts as an entrepreneur, an internet marketer, a podcast host on several shows, and a full time student at American University. He's driven to control his time and run his life on his own terms.

The Utopia he is working toward is building his business so he can maintain his lifestyle that he has currently has ripe with freedom and being able to spread his wings while working anywhere.

"The more freedom I have , the more freedom I have to do the things I want to do. "

Compared to being a Marine, he now has to create his own opportunities and has to work hard to make everything work. These are sets of challenges that he relishes.

He loves the challenge of figuring out entrepreneurship and the opportunities it yields.

He gives his girlfriend the credit for providing a level of peace that he had never felt before.. Awww.. how sweet.

"Every day is a vacation day but every hour is a working hour." Aka the life of an entrepreneur

Tim's 3 Value Bombs for Utopians:

  • Time control is way more important than time management
  • The opposite of sadness is peace, not happiness
  • Be in constant pursuit of what that 3rd title is (ex: veteran, podcast host)

Thank you Tim for your service and for being on the show! This guy is a stud and you'll definitely want to listen to this great episode in all its entirety.

As always, a special thank you to The Strand for our intro and outro music!

Direct download: 048_Interview_with_Timothy_Lawson.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am EDT

Hello and happy Friday Utopians! Today Josh and Ben talk about Vickie Kerr's episode earlier this week.

Ben and Josh think about a comment Vickie made about sacrificing now to have the time later in life to enjoy her time with her husband and when the time came, her husband had passed. Josh and Ben both have a hard time putting themselves in her shoes and dealing with a similar situation.

Our hosts also discuss gender bias towards women, especially working women and expecting mothers. Josh understands the 'old school' gender roles, though he may not agree with them, and Ben is just confused by that mindset.

We also find out that Josh was a guest on a show this week (that makes two for him and zero for Ben, so far Josh is winning).

Josh and Ben then get into Vickie's three points, and dive into the first about negativity and negative people. Our hosts explore how to remove those people from your life, even if they are family or close friends.

Josh's son turned six this week, here are some of the things they did together:

As always, a special thank you to The Strand for our intro and outro music!

Direct download: 047_Removing_Negative_People_from_Your_Life.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am EDT

We are very happy to release today's episode. Joining us is Vickie Kerr, the REAL Miss Vickie of Miss Vickie's Chips and the Arizona Language Center.

Miss Vickie's utopia is being able to do what she wants, when she wants, and to do the best job that she can. She is living that Utopia now, and has earned it as she's been working towards it her entire life.

Miss Vickie started Miss Vickie's chips as a healthy snack for her kids and she grew the business by having a fantastic product and by nurturing her relationships with retailers, customers, suppliers, and her employees. Listen to the show to hear it all strait from her.

Miss Vickie left us with some valuable takeaways today

  • Don't listen to negativity and negative people
  • Get over false pride and find the courage to try
  • Have humility and be humble

If you want to keep up with Miss Vickie you can find her

As always, a special thank you to The Strand for our intro and outro music!

Direct download: 046_Interview_with_Vickie_Kerr.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am EDT

Welcome to Build Your Utopia!  Happy Friday everyone!  Today Josh and Ben discuss this past week's show with Tony DiLorenzo of One Extraordinary Marriage.  Make sure you listen to Episode 44 or this show will spoil some of the stuff we talked about.

How do you come back from the loss of a child?  We think Tony and Alisa handled it in the most positive, productive way possible.  Now we just need to get her on the show and hear her side of the story.  Someone take a note and get her on the calendar.

Josh and Ben get sidetracked (big surprise there) and spend some time talking about movies.  Please let us know how you feel about the Andrew Garfield / Spider-Man situation.  And also Heath Ledger's performance in The Dark Knight

Josh and Ben also talk about Tony's acheivement in hiking the Pacific Coast Trail.  It is a massive distance and our hosts talk about how you can take such a huge undertaking and break it down into smaller and smaller parts so that it becomes something manageable.  It's a tip for success.

Josh and Ben also talk about Tony starting Parkour and we learn how Josh has even thought about trying that himself.  We also learn how Josh practices Muay Thai.  (It may not be as crazy sounding as the title lets on...)

As always, a special thank you to The Strand for our intro and outro music!

Direct download: 045_You_Practice_Muay_Thai_by_Just_Picking_a_Fight.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am EDT

Hello Utopians! We have a great show for you today. Tony DiLorenzo, half of One Extraordinary Marriage, co-author of the Seven Days of Sex Challenge (read on Amazon), and entrepreneur join us to share his story and drop some wisdom.

Tony DiLorenzo walks us through his path from the loss of a child, the breakdown of his marriage, through relearning how he and Alisa (his wife) communicate and relate in the wake of everything. Alisa and Tony pick up the pieces, decide their marriage is worth it, and ultimately create a company helping couples improve and grow.

Tony DiLorenzo also let's us know what he does for himself and how he finds the time for himself now that he and Alisa run a company. He's made time for learning parkour and even hiked the Pacific Crest Trail.

Finally, Tony DiLorenzo shares his three value bombs:

  • Live life in the present & enjoy it
  • Build your life as if you are on the offensive
  • Enjoy the folks around you

Find more of what Tony and Alisa have to say at One Extraordinary Marriage. Make sure you listen to episode 001 of their podcast to hear Alisa's side of their story.

As always, a special thank you to The Strand for our intro and outro music!

Direct download: 044_Interview_with_Tony_DiLorenzo.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am EDT

Happy Friday everyone! On today's episode of Build Your Utopia we talk about this week's interview with Hal Elrod of The Miracle Morning. Make sure you listen to Hal's interview, he provided all of us with a ton of valuable information.

We go through a number of Hal Elrod's points today, starting with his previous thoughts on being a husband and a father to his current standpoint. Spoiler alert, he used to think very much as Josh does, very traditional, in that the man provides for the family. While we may have differing views on the traditional parenting roles, that isn't what we talked about. After having a conversation with a friend of his, Hal realized that his role is not a provider, but as a participant.

We also talk about Hal Elrod's practice of goal setting, which he calls the CBAs.

  • Clarity - What do you want, why do you want it, what might prevent you from achieving it, and what do you have to do daily to achieve it?
  • Beliefe - What do you need to embody to achieve your goal?
  • Accountability - Do you have someone in your corner to keep you focus and hold you accountable?

According to Hal Elrod, once you have the answers to those questions, you are in a great place to achieve your goals.

Direct download: 043_The_CBAs_of_Goal_Setting.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am EDT

Hello Utopians and welcome to Episode 42 with Hal Elrod!

This show is jam packed with fantastic advice and he starts it with an amazing revelation, and very on point considering Josh & Ben's discussion on episode 41 (listen to it here).

Hal Elrod also teaches us how to set and achieve your goals, and it's as easy as C-B-A! (not ABC, but just as easy to remember as Hal explains.

Among all the value Hal provides us in this episode, it is also worth noting that he believes in something Ray Higdon called out in his top three lessons (listen to them here). Hal believes in his goals and he is 'committed until' he makes it.

As a testament to Hal Elrod's drive and commitment, working "until" you make it, he shares his story of a horrific car wreck and his amazing recovery.

With all the valuable information and inspiration Hal gave all of us, he wrapped up his 3 value bombs into one key idea

  • Everything starts with a solid morning routine

Find out more about Hal Elrod

As always, a special thank you to The Strand for our intro and outro music!

Direct download: 042_Interview_with_Hal_Elrod.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am EDT

Today on Build Your Utopia Josh and Ben reflect on Episode 40 with Ray Higdon.  Ray's episode inspired a few different feelings in both Josh and Ben.  If you haven't listened to episode 40, go listen now, we'll wait.

Back?  Good, now let's get into it.  Josh and Ben were both inspired and impressed with Ray.  He was successful, but missed his kids, so he left his job.  He was fantastic in his new job until the market crashed and he lost everything.  After denial and depression, he pulled himself up and created his current business and he is rocking it now.  What is not inspiring about that?

Then things get a little heavy with Josh and Ben.  Ray's story about getting rid of baggage (which frees you up for finding new opportunities) and reconnecting with his father impacted both Josh and Ben.  As they think about what his story means, both our hosts reflect on family, parents, kids, and making time for the people you love.

Listen to the show and hear what happens.

And if you haven't seen Office Space, check it out on Amazon or iTunes.

As always, a special thank you to The Strand for our intro and outro music!

Direct download: 041_Its_Getting_a_Little_Heavy_in_Here.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am EDT

Ray Higdon is a two-time best selling author and founder of Top Earner Academy. Just a few short years ago Ray had lost it all in the real estate market and was in personal foreclosure and has since created a multi-million dollar a year coaching and training business. His focus is helping entrepreneurs with their home based business.

Ray always had a solid work ethic and worked his way up corporate America. He was making a great salary at an insurance company at one point and he was spending more time looking at pictures of his kids then spending time with him. Ray left his job and went into real estate, did really well for a few years, then lost it all, became dead broke, went through a divorce, went into foreclosure, attended an event about building a business from home, inspired, started one, and the rest is history.

Ray's Utopia? Being surrounded by people that you want to be surrounded by and doing things that inspire you. Doing stuff at your convenience, do thing that you want to do, not things that you have to do. He created a lifestyle where he was able to vacation once per month throughout 2014. If Ray was ever on The Price is Right, he would take the Trip option in the Showcase Showdown without question. His best trip? Tony Robbins' resort in Fiji

Ray is in his current vision of Utopia, but is constantly looking to build. He has doubled his business in 2013 and again in 2014. Still hungry, not comfortable, and looking to keep building. Five years ago in 2010, he had no idea his life would be here in 2015. He translates “income earned into value provided” so he focuses on providing value to his marketplace.

When the real estate market changed, Ray's model of flipping houses still worked. In 2008 it completely stopped working. He spent about a year in spiritual and financial coma but wasn’t doing anything about it. He was having a family get together at a house that was up for foreclosure, when a guy came to the door and handed his mom foreclosure papers. His mom grilled him after that. It made him upset and motivated him through anger. Anger is better than depression because anger will move you forward. He hadn’t talked with his dad in 13 years and then decided after this time of his life to re-establish his relationship who had also never met his sones that were 8 and 9 years old. A week or 2 weeks after that, he found an opportunity that made him a million dollars in commissions. He believes if you get rid of baggage it can help you focus on your future.

Utopian Quote of the Show
“If you maintain an attitude of gratitude, you attract more things to be grateful for" - Ray Higdon, Build Your Utopia (Click to Tweet)

Ray started doing affirmations in 2009. The more that he has invested in his mindset training and being around the right people, the more it has molded his improvements to his routine.

On top of all this content, Ray had three points for us.

  • If you are frustrated with the results in your business, stop looking at results, look at habits that have created the results so you can change those habits.
  • If you want to make more money, put more value in your marketplace.
  • He embraces the word “until”, when he started blogging, he wasn’t making any money. He kept at it and then was able to improve getting leads to the point where he is now getting 1000s of leads per month. Keep at it until you get really good at it.

That last point is emphasized in one of Ray's favorite quotes "Be so good that they can’t ignore you" - Steve Martin

Keep up with what Ray has to offer on his site, on his podcast, or on facebook.

As always, a special thank you to The Strand for our intro and outro music!

Direct download: 040_Interview_with_Ray_Higdon.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am EDT

Today Josh Marsden & Ben Thompson discuss their interview with Damon Moschetto on episode 38.

One of the very first things that they review is the importance of continuing to learn. Damon is very aware of the times in his past professional career when his business stopped growing was exactly when he stopped keeping up with the advancement in his field. They relate this to Josh and how he continually learns the advancements in digital marketing.

They also put themselves in Damon's shoes when it comes to having a plan and having that plan removed from you. Damon was injured in college ball and couldn't continue his plans as a professional athlete. What do you do when you can no longer perform at a professional level and your scholarship is lost as well?

They explore the differences and challenges associated from moving from a physical location to the digital world. How does a coach correct your posture online? How does a coach motivate you when you're not in their office? The benefits of a digital world are fantastic for the consumer, and it is starting to show in customer perceptions and business attitudes.

Ben and Josh talk about how to deal with people who listen actively and people who interrupt and talk over others. They both give people their attention when they speak, but they deal with interruption differently. Ben can be passive-aggressive and Josh is actively-agressive.

Josh and Ben also have no idea what the names of coffee mean or how they are made. What is an americano? What is a cappuccino? What is an expresso? We have no idea, someone should let us know.

Speaking of coffee, would you work (or can you?) from a coffee shop? Josh can, and has, but Ben can't get his head around it.

Finally, Josh and Ben review the three value bombs that Damon left for all of us. Listen to the episode to find out their thoughts on what Damon had to say.

As always, a special thank you to The Strand for our intro and outro music!

 

Direct download: 039_What_Exactly_is_Espresso.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am EDT

Damon Moschetto is a high performance coach, author, speaker  and host of the High Performance Living podcast.

As a coach he has helped countless men and women transform their lives through his unique style of guiding people to transform themselves by living a high-performance lifestyle.

Injuries cut his college baseball career short and the natural progression for him was into the health and fitness industry. After owning and operating his own personal fitness company, in 2001, Damon began working as an account manager and presenter for a national fitness company, traveling across the U.S. training trainers and consulting with club owners regarding their fitness programs.

He's also originally from Portland, Maine and now lives in Naples, FL.

Damon and his wife own a gym there, Florida Fitness Coaches. They also do online coaching through High Performance Living Online, and run a podcast that you can check out here.

Damon believes in “Living life on your terms”. After working in corporate for 10 years, he decided entrepreneurship was the path that he wants to take and decided to build his Utopia through entrepreneurship.

Being an athlete and being competitive has always pushed him through the peaks and valleys of entrepreneurship. His will to win from sports has continued to drive him forward.

Damon's 3 Value Bombs for Utopians:

  • When it comes to big choices, get a 2nd opinion. This isn't paralysis by analysis. This gives you someone that you can turn to. Find people that you trust that are not bias.
  • Don’t settle for being average. That’s different for everyone. He runs into this a lot in his practice with people being “ok to cruise.”
  • “If something doesn’t make you happy or it’s making you miserable, please stop.” Take action to find a solution and get out of it.

Utopian Quote of the Show

“You are either growing or you are dying." -Damon Moschetto, Build Your Utopia (Click to Tweet)

You can find Damon at his website here or on Twitter.

As always, a special thank you to The Strand for our intro and outro music!

Direct download: 038_Interview_with_Damon_Moshetto.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am EDT

This past week, we had an incredible set of guests.. yes... set of guests...

We had John Lee Dumas AND Kate Erickson of Entrepreneur on Fire on the show.

Cool story to share with you...

Kate joined John at his company, Entrepreneur on Fire, at a time when the company wasn't making money. This was a massive gamble on Kate's part. Shortly after is when Entrepreneur on Fire started taking off and turning into the revenue-generating monster that it is today.

During this past week's interview, you will hear a side of John and Kate that you don't get from other interviews or each of their respective shows, Entrepreneur on Fire and Kate's Take.

For example, success takes sacrifice, pure hard work, and commitment. Entrepreneur on Fire is no exception. John admits to us during this past week's interview that he gives himself a D- for work-life balance during 2014! This goes to show that if you work hard and make sacrifices, great things can come out of it. In John's case.. 2.5 million great things...

If you haven't checked out this past week's episode, do it, you don't want to miss it. Click here!

During today's show, Ben and Josh reflect on all the value that John and Kate provide on this past week's show, in great detail.

Thanks for listening to today's show and make sure you also check out our interview with John and Kate from this past week. Click here!

If you want to catch up or listen to any older shows you can find them on iTunes or on our website!

As always, a special thank you to The Strand for our intro and outro music!

Direct download: 037_If_you_want_to_be..._DO.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am EDT

Build Your Utopia is both honored and excited to have John Lee Dumas and Kate Erickson from Entrepreneur on Fire, arguably the #1 podcast on iTunes. Entrepreneur On Fire, a Podcast interviewing today's most inspiring and successful Entrepreneurs 7-days a week. John Lee Dumas and Kate Erickson of Entrepreneur on Fire

Entrepreneur On Fire was awarded 'Best of iTunes 2013’ and generates over $250,000 a month in revenue. John and Kate have founded 3 amazing communities: Podcaster's Paradise, Webinar On Fire, and Fire Nation Elite.

With over 950,000 downloads a month, Entrepreneur On Fire has inspired Fire Nation to take control of their life and make the Entrepreneurial leap.

Kate Erickson is the Content Creator and Community Leader over at EntrepreneurOnFire. She's also the Host of Kate's Take and the author of The Fire Path.

John's Utopia is being able to have the life that he has created for himself, which is something he is really proud of. Kate agrees with John but also believes in a Utopia where she can call her own shots and also have financial freedom.

With all the success John and Kate have had, at this point, they really do not know what their Utopia is 5 years from now, although they believe in staying nimble in business to be able to pivot with the industries' changes, which are frequent. The bottom line is that they want to stay on the cutting edge.

John used a reference to Wayne Gretzky in explaining how he wants to end up in "where the puck will be."

Utopian Quote of the Show

"Entrepreneurs are willing to work like nobody else will now so they can live like nobody else later” - John Lee Dumas on Build Your Utopian. Click to tweet.

John and Kate attribute pure hard work in attaining the success that they have attained.

Kate never felt that she would be an entrepreneur and look at what she has done with John with Entrepreneur on Fire.

The path up to this point has been brutal, plenty of hard work, and a plethora of lessons. John and Kate wouldn't change a single step up to this point since every step has had value.

This goes to show how valuable it is to value every step along the way and to appreciate the path, stay focused, and not let stresses from challenges drag you down.

John also recommends building up relationships along the way. There's a tremendous amount of value in relationships.

John and Kate both maintain a semblance of a work-life balance by staying active, enjoying the beach, paddle boarding (as it has been publicized), and spending time with Kate’s family nearby. They've been able to do this while generating over $2.5 million in sales revenue.

Overall, John gives himself a “D” for work-life balance in 2014 and is aiming for a B- in 2015. Using automation through Infusionsoft is a key for this.

Finally, John and Kate left us with 3 super Value Bombs:

  • If you want to be.. DO
  • Understand that entrepreneurship is a journey and a process
  • Use your experience and skills and make it happen

Utopian Quote of the Show 

"Success is the gradual realization of a worthy ideal" -Earl Nightingale. Click to tweet.

As always, a special thank you to The Strand for our intro and outro music!

Direct download: 036_Interview_with_John_Lee_Dumas_Kate_Erickson.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am EDT

In today's episode of Build Your Utopia, we review our latest reviews and discuss the impact that this week's episode with Jason Snell (you can listen to it here) has had on Ben and Josh.

Josh also just spent this week in San Diego at Digital Marketer's Traffic and Conversion Summit, THE conference for the digital marketing industry. While he was at the conference, he also launched his newest venture, CVO Acceleration, a company with the value proposition of doubling sales in 6 months, guaranteed, or a full refund is offered. He discusses that a bit as well in today's episode.

Ben felt giddy this week with this week's guest, Jason Snell. Ben is a big fan of Jason's work. Jason started his entrepreneurial path after he left Macworld magazine. Ben and Josh reflect on the difference between working in a struggling company or owning a struggling company and just how much control you have in either circumstance.

Finally, Josh and Ben also touch upon the 3 Value Bombs dropped by Jason this past week.

  • Be open to new things
  • Nobody is better than you and nobody is worse than you
  • Find the things that you love and try to integrate them into what you do as much as possible
  • BONUS Love your parents, pay off your student loans

If you haven't checked out Jason's work yet, head over to one of his pieces of work at The Incomparableat Six Colors, or Relay.fm.

As always, a special thank you to The Strand for our intro and outro music!

Direct download: 035_Overarching_Single_Shots.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am EDT

Jason Snell was lead editor at Macworld for a decade, and recently left that job to start Six Colors, an independent web site about Apple and other technology companies. He's also the host of numerous podcasts on the Relay FM network as well as his own The Incomparable network.

He left his company to take on a new challenge because he didn’t like his previous job, it was too much management and not enough creativity. Plus, the company was showing signs of sliding downhill. Jason and his former employer parted ways mutually right around the time that the company was going through layoffs.

Luckily, Jason was planning ahead and was actively setting up the foundation of his entrepreneurial path.

Jason has a great office set up in his garage and has worked with his family to create separation.

Jason feels close to being in his Utopia. With his Utopia, he’s not looking for complete security but more challenges, freedom to make creative decisions, and a focus on content and web publishing. He also likes putting the decisions on his shoulders and then not having barriers to having decisions implemented, unlike corporate settings. This is why he loves what he's doing with Six Colors.

He has never had much of a work-life balance, whether it was in his previous media position or his current company. The challenge has been being aware of a dividing line of respect with time for work and time for family. It has been an on-going challenge for him.. sound familiar?

Jason's 3 Value Bombs:

  • Be open to new things
  • Nobody is better than you and nobody is worse than you
  • Find the things that you love and try to integrate them into what you do as much as possible
  • BONUS Love your parents, pay off your student loans

You can find Jason at The Incomparableat Six ColorsRelay.fm, and on Twitter.

As always, a special thank you to The Strand for our intro and outro music!

Direct download: 034_Interview_with_Jason_Snell.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am EDT

Great show today for you Utopians.

We share with you our best review yet and a special thanks goes to TnT Family Farm.

This leads to us reflecting on the review where we mention how important throughout life, business, pretty much all facets of life, to not focus on the past, leave it, and focus on what you can make an impact on: the present and the future.

Josh and Ben delve into this in personal detail. Josh in particular shares an experience in management at a Fortune 500 company years ago.

Josh and Ben also dive into how technology has impacted them personally and professionally. Josh in particular has felt overwhelmed at times from technologies, like his smart phone, and talks about his challenges there.

I'm sure you all can relate with the prevalence of smart phones and tablets in today's society.

Ben also just received a promotion! Congrats Ben!

Finally, Josh and Ben also reflect on some of the powerful, seriously impactful, Value Bombs dropped by Rachel Martin in this past Tuesday's episode.

As always, a special thank you to The Strand for our intro and outro music!

Direct download: 033_Fibonacci_Sunflowers.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am EDT

Today's guest really needs no introduction. Rachel Martin is truly a super-woman. She is a mom, entrepreneur, author, and speaker, that has some amazing accomplishments in entrepreneurship.

Rachel Martin, is the writer behind the site FindingJoy.net, is a partner of BloggingConcentrated.com, cohost of the Amplify Podcast,  and a featured writer for The Huffington Post.

If that wasn't enough, over the past several years Rachel has built a site with millions of visitors per month that boosts an active and engaging Facebook community, and has created a successful ebook campaign resulting in her first book publication to be released this spring.

Her articles have been featured on Huffington PostPopSugariVillage, SheKnows, Parents.com, Salt Lake City Deseret, WhattoExpect, Dr. Greene, Blogher, National Foundation for Celiac Disease, and more.

As you can probably tell from her long list of accomplishments, Rachel believes in living each day intentionally and loves working with others to help cultivate vision and potential.

To her, there really is no "perfect life", her Utopia is the “idea that life doesn’t have to be perfect be wonderful and beautiful” and when you can have that synergy, life is beautiful.

Ironically, she admits to struggle a bit with gratitude. At one point, she became dissatisfied with life and used to look at others and say "if he or she makes money, he or she can be happy". One day she finally realized that she was playing the "victim" and decided to take direct ownership and responsibility. This helped her overcome fears that she had that were holding her back towards being successful.

Utopian Quote of the Show

“Don’t worry about what people think.” - Rachel Martin, Build Your Utopia. (Click to Tweet)

You'll find in this episode that we dive deeply with Rachel into how to tackle challenges and the impact emotions tied to those challenges have on your ability to tackle them successfully.

Rachel shares with us some really trying times.. one in particular relates to her son that has Celiac disease.

Through all the trying times, she finally realized that she can do whatever she put her mind to.

When it comes to maintaining a work-life balance, 
like many of our other guests, she schedules it.

Finally, Rachel's 3 value bombs were truly inspiring, check them out:

  • Comparison is the death of contentment. Comparing chips away at joy.
  • Fall 7 times, stand up 8. Don’t be afraid of failing and falling. There’s great power in standing up and trying again and again. You learn as you fail.
  • Embrace joy in your own life. There’s beauty in life.

In a lasting note, a last quote by Rachel is one to remember, "The ordinary is often extraordinary."

This episode is being published on her birthday so please go to her Facebook page, Like her, and wish her a happy birthday!

As always, a special thank you to The Strand for our intro and outro music!

 

Direct download: 032_Interview_with_Rachel_Martin.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am EDT

In today's show, hear Josh's rap skills!

Actually, more than that, Josh and Ben discuss this past week's episode with Marc Mawhinney . Marc has some powerful quotes in his episode and recommends plenty of books to Utopians, so if you haven't checked out that episode, go here to do so.

Josh and Ben analyze some of the current challenges that Josh is dealing with in maintaining a work-life balance while preparing for the launch of his new brand that will serve as a silo of his business.

Ben coaches Josh on how he can maintain his "Flow State" through current growing pains (harkening back to our episode with Performance Optimization coach Brandon Epstein) so he can manage the challenges that he is currently going through.

Ben has a great exercise that he walks Josh through that truly surprises Josh and makes him realize how time consuming email management can be.

As always, a special thank you to The Strand for our intro and outro music!

Direct download: 031_If_you_pay_me_like_youre_a_king_I_will_treat_you_like_youre_a_king.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am EDT

Great show today with Marc Mawhinney of Natural Born Coaches.

With Natural Born Coaches, he helps other coaches build their businesses through his podcast and services.

Utopia was hard for Marc to define. It has changed over the years. His Utopia is living a life that makes him happy and is on his terms.

Utopian Quotes of the Show

"A man is a success if he gets up in the morning, goes to bed at night, and gets up and loves what he wants to do" - Bob Dylan

He has changed his life around to a more balanced life that is on his terms since he was younger.

He started at 21 in real estate and for 20 years built up a successful real estate company. He used to work crazy hours and spent plenty of time working until late at night (does this sound like any of you?).

He thought that’s what he wanted but has since realized that that wasn’t his Utopia. His son, who is now 6, changed his thought of what a Utopia is.

He has always had the issue of “chasing the rainbow” and has always had a hard time to stop and appreciate what he has.

After staying clean of stumbles and achieving consistent success for some time, then stumbling greatly in 2008 with the real estate market crash, that money and status were low priorities in life. This humbling experience had a great impact on him.

Just like other Build Your Utopia guests, he realized that quality of life, not money and status were more important.

Check out these books that Marc recommends:

Currently like many of you, Marc is working towards having a lifestyle business that allows him to focus on what's most important, his son, his family, and himself. Nothing delights him more than being able to relax and play Lego Batman with his son.

To Marc, using your time wisely with focus is his key to success and maintaining a work-life balance. 

Learn to say “no” to people, personally and in business.

The 3 Value Bombs for Utopians:

  • Don’t sweat the small stuff
  • Change is good
  • Be bold. Don’t play small and be conservative

2nd Utopian Quote of the Show!

"Don’t sweat the small stuff. Nothing is life and death." - Marc Mawhinney

Inspired by Build Your Utopia and past guests, he just changed his name to Marc Redbull inspired by past guest Jason Surfrapp (if you haven't listened to this show, you really should). Click here to listen!

 

Thanks again to Marc for being on the show! Check out Natural Born Coaches which has links to him on social media, info on his coaching programs, and podcast training products (he shows people how to start a podcast in a month! We wish we knew about it before we started up.).

His podcast show has become an immediate hit – making it into iTunes “New & Noteworthy” category in its first week of release and greatly exceeding the average downloads for new podcasts.  The show can be found at Natural Born Coaches  on iTunes, or on Stitcher.

Marc is on a mission to help coaches spread their message and their value to as many people as possible!

As always, a special thank you to The Strand for our intro and outro music!

Direct download: 030_Interview_with_Marc_Mawhinney.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am EDT

Today's show touches upon how piercings, tattoos, and mohawks at work can help you achieve your Utopias.

With all his hard work and commitment, Ben, who has tattoos and a mohawk, was able to get a promotion at work!

Josh is excited for all the business objectives that he's working on right now, although he's a bit tired and overwhelmed.

The show is going great and in today's episodes, we share with Utopians who is coming up on the show. We have some great names, like:

  • Rachel Martin
  • Jason Snell
  • John Lee Dumas and Kate Erickson
  • Ray Higdon
  • And many others!

We also talk about this past Tuesday's awesome episode with Morgan Paar, a phenomenal photographer and film director that has traveled the world. He also happens to be Ben's cousin.

If you haven't listened to this past week's episode with Morgan, check it out here!

To wrap up today's show, Josh and Ben discuss Morgan's 3 recommendations for Utopians and how they feel about them. Quick recap of what they are:

  • Do what you love
  • Be careful of distractions
  • Be confident and take chances

Thanks again to Morgan Paar for being on the show this past Tuesday. (especially since we didn't need to guilt him into it since he's Ben's cousin)

If you are interested in reaching out to him and discussing potential film projects with him, shoot him an email at info@nomadicframes.com, and feel free to check out some of his work at Vimeo here.

As always, a special thank you to The Strand for our intro and outro music!

Direct download: 029_Tattoos_and_Mohawks.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am EDT

Today on Build Your Utopia, we have an exciting guest, someone who has traveled the world, produced film projects on several continents, and is just a remarkable human being, Morgan Paar.

Morgan is a film director, still photographer, and teacher of film making. He has also published over 200 articles and columns in technology, pop culture, and travel.

Morgan has 2 degrees in film and started his professional path into owning and running a film production company in 1986 after first experimenting with film equipment.

Morgan lived in Taiwan for 2-3 years, came back to the states for Grad School to be able to teach, lived in the bay area for 12 years, completed film projects, music videos, and film work for the film industry during this time.

Shortly after he traveled abroad, and as he traveled he realized he wanted to experience the world. It was during this experience that Morgan discovered one of his passions that he wanted to focus on for his path into entrepreneurship, travel.

Morgan and his girlfriend now run Nomadic Frames. The company focuses on international film projects so he can combine his two passions of traveling with film.

His Utopia of building Nomadic Frames has allowed him to visit Africa a staggering 8 times, Greece, England, Taiwan, and other countries.

Of note, out of all his travels, Palo Hwan of the Philippines has been his favorite place so far where he biked through the breathtaking countryside.

Another factor that has drove him to build his current Utopia has been staying away from "the 9-5", since he hates cubicles, is happiest when he’s implementing his own ideas, and likes to work irregular hours.

Currently Morgan is contemplating a move to either the Vietnam or Amsterdam because NYC is very competitive to find film or teaching work. For example, others that want to teach in NYC have Academy Awards, which he doesn’t.

To accomplish this goal of moving to another country, he’s working on marrying someone that is a UK citizen… (really, listen to the show)

His top catalysts for building his current Utopia was his mom who said to go to college and don't have a kid until you are ready and his Uncle Lou who made it a rule for him to find a job, any job, in the film industry for paying for his Grad school.

Altogether, friends, family, and his girlfriend, have all helped him in some way attain his current Utopia.

This shows the power of relationships.

Morgan loves his work so his idea of not working is “working” by staying up on industry trends, camping, hiking, and futbol aka soccer.

He’s the Secretary of Arsenal’s (Arsenal is a soccer team) supporters group in NYC.

A massive value bomb that we discussed with Morgan was his tip for Utopians: focus on passion.

Utopian Quote of the Show

"Always strive to provide value without expecting anything in return. "- Josh Marsden and Morgan Paar

During the show, Josh mentioned the quote above which was born out of one of Morgan's stories.

His stories theme was to not think about yourself. Don’t think about what you are getting out of it. Think "what are you bringing?"

Morgan's 3 tips for Utopians were:

  • Do what you love
  • Be careful of distractions
  • Be confident and take chances

Another off the record takeaway he shared with us and Utopians that the biggest mistake he made in his education was that he did not participate in internships while he was in college.

Instead he focused on partying and girls. (like many of you, including Ben and Josh)

Out of his undergrad, he graduated with honors, and barely knew he has a passion to make participating in film his life's purpose. Then when he went to grad school and finished his Masters of Fine Arts in Film, he graduated with the mentality “who wants me?” expecting opportunities to come his way.

He came to the realization that he should have networked more and potentially spent time in an internship. Not making industry connections are his biggest regret.

Finally, on a closing note, get out of your comfort zone and practice outlets in moderation. Both are valuable tips that only added to the wealth of value in this episode.

Thanks again to Morgan for being on the show. If you are interested in reaching out to him and discussing potential film projects (he is one of the hidden gems in the film industry), shoot him an email at info@nomadicframes.com and check out some of his work on Vimeo.

As always, a special thank you to The Strand for our intro and outro music!

Direct download: 028_Interview_with_Morgan_Paar.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am EDT

We have a great show for you today about riding the Gravy Train to Utopia Town!

You will understand what we are getting at by the end of these show notes.

To start off the show, Ben and Josh discuss their current Utopias.

Ben just got a promotion to a senior level at his company! Yay Ben!

He anticipates his coworkers won't be too thrilled since some have been there much longer than him but that just shows that hard work and exceeding expectations pays off.

His promotion will be officially announced next week at his company's "Town Hall" meeting. With this, he received a pay grade that gets him one step closer to his overall Utopia.

Ben's wife went back to school so that means that Ben now has more freedom! Just kidding.. Ben loves his wife very much.

Josh has had a very busy life lately. Between providing impactful service to companies and becoming a charter member of the Digital Marketer Certified Partner program, Josh feels very fortunate he is being bombarded with a wealth of opportunities. His Utopia currently consists of continuing to provide the services that his team provides to clients while also expanding on, what he now calls, the Accelerate brand.

He is currently in the midst of launching the CVO Acceleration brand. CVO stands for Customer Value Optimization. (You can learn more about it here.) This new brand is going to offer a much more intensive, intimate, and extensive level of service so he can help companies that are successful but are still missing opportunities in the online space.

As far as the show, downloads have increased consistently every month so far, and we have received a wealth of positive reviews. Just this past week, Josh and Ben also planned some exciting improvements and developments for the podcast and business for 2015.For one, Josh and Ben improved on the questionnaire that serves as the basis of the discussions with guests.

This reflects on one of the overall takeaways up this point that the show has provided: the value of planning!

Planning is huge and everyone should be doing it throughout the year to make 2015 the best year ever!

Josh even took a tip from Graham English on our show about planning tasks daily! He now uses one of his smaller whiteboards to plan out his tasks on a daily basis.

In this show, Josh and Ben also spend time reflecting on this past week with Joe Fairless, who was a fantastic and inspirational guest that gives back in many different ways.

This also led to Ben and Josh mentioning why Joe stays in NY, because of his flag football team. Josh says it is because Joe is from Texas. Ben, who knows very little about football, doesn't understand.

Josh believes Texas produces more collegiate football players than any other state. Ben, who knows nothing about football, would not take Josh up on this bet. Which actually led to Ben bringing up how Josh owes Ben pizza and a pitcher of beer from a previous bet in Episode 15: Is there more coffee in tea vs. coffee?

Joe left a wealth of value bombs in this past week's episode.

Joe believes that everyone should be a "Sampler of Experiences." Josh and Ben couldn't agree more and reinforces Joe's recommendation to use Groupon to be able to do this.

Utopian Quotes of the Show

"You only have a limited time on Earth so maximize it!" -Josh Marsden, Build Your Utopia 

Joe also recommended to Utopians that people know what they are good at and go all in.

Ben and Josh discuss how some people possess limited beliefs about what they are good at and that everyone should build themselves up to believe in themselves. Everyone has something of value to offer the world. Believe in what you are good at and follow through with it.

Finally, Joe also recommended to Utopians that they realize how they are benefiting others. This caused Ben and Josh to reflect on the show and how the show provides value to Utopians.

This is what Josh and Ben hope Utopians get out of the show:

  • Inspiration from our valued guests
  • Relatability to us, our guests, and the challenges that everyone faces with work-life balance
  • Tips on how to overcome that work-life balance challenge
  • To be thankful for everything in your life
  • To set goals, daily, weekly, yearly, and more

To wrap the show, Ben says that Utopians should join us on the Gravy Train to Utopia Town, be inspired, and keep working towards your Utopia!

(This is the same Ben that cringes at the term "value bombs" and he comes up with this?!)

As always, a special thank you to The Strand for our intro and outro music!

Direct download: 027_Join_us_on_the_Gravy_Train_to_Utopia_Town.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am EDT

Today on Build Your Utopia, we have another high-achieving guest, Joe Fairless.

Joe, is fearless just as much as he is Fairless, is a graduate of Texas Tech and is actually from Texas as well. However, he lives in NYC, where he moved so he can be around the best in his craft and develop himself to be the best he can be.

Joe focuses on personal growth and contribution to the world as his purpose. Currently he is able to pour his heart and efforts into helping kids with entrepreneurship and personal development. In addition, he also donates a large chunk of what he makes to philanthropic causes!

He is able to do this because his Real Estate company has given him enough freedom in his life to be able to have time to make his mark on the world.

Utopian Quotes of the Show

“The secret to living is giving” –Joe Fairless on Build Your Utopia 

"The scariest place to be in life is complacent" –Joe Fairless on Build Your Utopia 

"You’ll be as happy as you decide to be" -Abe Lincoln

Tony Robbins’ book Awakening the Giant serves as a source of inspiration that led him down his current path. He also recommends The Greatest Salesman in the World by Og Mandino.

He attributes staying organized with planning as a routine that has helped him achieve the level of success that he’s achieved up to this point. Specifically, he recommended the Whiteboard Wall Sticker from Amazon as a cheap calendar that can be used for this.

Another awesome characteristic about Joe is that he’s a “sample of experiences” as he puts it. He has even done standup comedy (which he admits he was nervous about) in NYC at the Gotham Comedy Club.

To keep a semblance of a work-life balance, which is a challenge of most entrepreneurs, he spends time playing flag football, softball, dating, working out, reading books, and as mentioned as before, helping kids.

Finally, to wrap up, as we ask every guest on Build Your Utopia, we asked Joe what are the top 3 lessons that Utopians can take away. Here’s what he came up with:

  • Be a sampler of experiences (Groupon is a great opportunity)
  • Know what you are really good at and go all in
  • Know how you are benefiting others

Special thanks to Joe Fairless for being on Build Your Utopia! You can also find him here and follow his podcast, which is filled with value bombs consistently on real estate investing. Check it out!

 As always, a special thank you to The Strand for our intro and outro music!

Direct download: 026_Interview_with_Joe_Fairless.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am EDT

In today's show of Build Your Utopia, we do as we usually do every Friday and review this past week's excellent content from our honored guests.

This past week, we had Graham English. Graham was dropping Value Bombs left and right throughout the episode. If you haven't listened to it, you need to by going here.

To start the episode we dove into the last 3 reviews that we've received for Build Your Utopia on iTunes. (If you haven't left us a review, please go here to do so)

Special thanks to RiaWindcaller, The Entrepreneurs Library, and Mother Jen on iTunes for the fantastic 5-star reviews! Thank you!

We then transitioned to speak about how Josh closed out 2014 with his business ICE Accelerate Marketing Automation Services. Josh had the best month of business ever in December 2014 and was able to bring in 12 brand new clients within the last few days of the year.

Josh also shared on Build Your Utopia how he went on two back-to-back trips.

The first trip was mostly a vacation where Josh was fulfilling his work-life balance need by snowboarding in Breckenridge and Vail, Colorado.

The second trip was back to business in Austin, TX where Josh became a charter member of the Digital Marketer Certified Partner Program.

This was an eye-opening and beneficial experience for Josh. You'll have to listen to this episode to hear a bit about what he learned from the experts at Digital Marketer.

Ben and Josh, reflecting back on this past Tuesday's excellent show with Graham, then discussed the 80/20 rule which was mentioned by Graham.

For those of you that haven't heard of the 80/20 rule, or the Pareto Principle, you can find out more about it at Forbes here.

Josh is currently reading a fantastic book called 80/20 Sales and Marketing by Perry Marshall. Have an interest in making more money and having more time for yourself? I bet you do. Whether you are working in a corporate position or are an entrepreneur, you need to read this book.

Next on Josh's list is Tony Robbins new book, Money: Master the Game.

Finally to close out this Friday's episode, we also discuss the 5 (+1 BONUS) Value Bombs that Graham drops on this past Tuesday's episode.

As always, a special thank you to The Strand for our intro and outro music!

Direct download: 025_Do_you_have_8020_in_your_life.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am EDT

Today we were fortunate enough to have Graham English.

Graham has been a musician since the age of 14 and has performed with Fear The Monk, Field Trip and many others. He is also the author the Logic Pro X For Dummies, business and marketing consultant, and entrepreneur. He helps music producers and songwriters become more creative and productive at what they do so they can produce higher quality content FASTER.

Tip from Graham: If you have an interest in writing a book, put accountability measures in place using a simple spreadsheet and reward yourself for little wins along the way.

When we asked Graham about his Utopia, he gave us a very deep response that included statements like...

  • Don’t ignore your dreams
  • Don’t work too much
  • Speak your truth
  • Don’t think that working hard is a badge of honor
  • Friendships
  • Be happy

Graham's Utopia is simple but also always evolving.

He is also working towards a Utopia of working less, building a team, the latter being his next big step.

Just like most entrepreneurs, Graham does struggle with work-life balance but when he does establish balance, he does so by making music, exercising, weight lifting, and enjoying culture.

Finally to wrap up our guest spot with Graham, he dropped not 3, but 5 value bombs! These are what he considers the 5 fundamentals of business.

  • Identify struggles/needs of your avatar (the term that Ben loves); You can do this by running surveys, checking amazon reviews on products that you know your market is interested in, or by using Facebook Insights, for example.
  • Build a "machine" that ascends people using targeted email campaigns
  • Master just one lead source before moving on to the next
  • Put systems in place for your accounting, customer service, bookkeeping, and protect yourself legally
  • Strategically manage the growth of your business with clear objectives, operating principles, and accountability

Bonus Value Bomb: Find mentors that can lift you up and show you where to go

Thank you again to Graham English for being a guest on Build Your Utopia!  You can reach Graham by going directly to his website here.

As always, a special thank you to The Strand for our intro and outro music!

Direct download: 024_Interview_with_Graham_English.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am EDT

In today's episode about Sales Lessons... kidding...

Actually, we have a great episode for you today. Just like what we do every Friday, today we talked about this past week's impactful episode with Jamaica Winship. (If you haven't listened to it, go do it now)

Jamaica was kind enough to record a 2nd time with us after the first time had too many errors in the recording, potentially due to Skype.

Jamaica dropped a wealth of value bombs in Tuesday's show. Speaking of value bombs, Ben loves the term, along with avatar and ABCs - Always Be Conquering.

Actually, that's a lie.. he cringes every single time those terms are used.

Going back to Jamaica, to us, what made her such a remarkable guest was the fact that she truly embodied her business's purpose. Plus, she does research, tests, and more to make sure that the products that she sells are products that are aligned with her companies purpose.

In fact, she shared with us that she recently found out something about one of her products that led her to feel that it was not right of her to sell it on her website so she took it off, even though it was a great selling product!

Jamaica also shared with us in this past week's episode how she has a goal of potentially starting up a storefront to complement her online store. Ben and I go into great detail to break down what we feel are going to be some of the challenges if Jamaica were to ever go in this direction.

One recurring theme that many of our guests have discussed on Build Your Utopia has been having a solid morning routine. This was brought up in today's episode.

Ben, in particular, talked about how the guests of Build Your Utopia have inspired him to improve his morning routine. We discuss this in today's episode.

Finally, Ben puts Josh on the spot in this episode and brings up one activity that Jamaica mentioned that she participates in that helps her have a strong work-life balance: salsa dancing.

Jamaica actually met her boyfriend salsa dancing, so the activity has produced two benefits.

Ben recommended to Josh during the episode that he should potentially take salsa lessons for which Josh immediately said, "NO." There's a reason for it. Josh took one salsa class a few years ago with his ex-girlfriend that didn't work out. The salsa classes were also a gift to his ex-girlfriend and Josh quit after just one class! Terrible! (Josh still feels bad about it to this day)

Finally, Ben and Josh also break down Jamaica's 3 value bombs from this past Tuesday's episode that every Utopian needs to take heed in, if you are in entrepreneurship.

As a recap, the 3 Value Bombs were:

  • Join a mastermind group
  • Get help FAST
  • Talk to people doing something similar to what you are doing but different

These were all great tips that Ben and Josh talk about in great lengths to wrap up today's episode.

Thanks again to Jamaica for being on the show this week! Utopians, be sure to head over to The Healthy Corner Store!

As always, a special thank you to The Strand for our intro and outro music!

Direct download: 023_Should_I_take_Salsa_Lessons_to_find_a_date.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am EDT

Today's exciting guest on Build Your Utopia is none other than Jamaica Winship of The Healthy Corner Store.

Jamaica is an MBA graduate from USC, lives in San Diego, and found out as a young girl that she was an entrepreneur. She dove into entrepreneurship as a kid selling custom printed cards.

Like many of you, she went to college right after high school and then immediately worked in a corporate position. During this time, she realized that all she was doing was making her bosses rich by working for someone else so she quit.

Before starting her successful online store, she went into real estate, then into several random online businesses, then she finally arrived at her current Utopia, starting up The Healthy Corner Store while also pursuing her MBA.

Jamaica's passion for providing a purpose-driven store, has led her to curating the best of the best products on her store. She ONLY stocks products that she truly believes in, has researched, potentially tried, and will even cut products if she finds that they become poor fits. She cares <em>that much</em> for her audience.

During the show, she told us that her Utopia that she is growing her business to a point where it's on autopilot and she doesn't have to worry. Currently she's focused on building her business through expanding staff, the use of Infusionsoft, and getting media attention.

Like many of you, she consistently encounters the challenge of regulating her work-life balance. As an entrepreneur, there are many occasions where work days go much, much longer than anticipated.

She credits her dog and creating a schedule for the week on Sunday nights as the two factors that help her break away from working hard and building her next Utopia.

Looking back, she wishes that she would have dove into her passion to help others through The Healthy Corner Store sooner.

Her 3 value bombs for Utopians were:

  • Join a mastermind group, it’s helped her out tremendously, they have changed her business through insights and accountability from others
  • Get help FAST, you can’t do it all on your. Examples: web design, fulfillment, marketing, low level tasks
  • Talk to people doing something similar to what you are doing but different. Example: she collaborates with a colleague who sells groceries through an e-comm store. It's helped her get ideas for improving customer service, customer satisfaction, and her supply chain.

Utopian Quote of the Show

"Set goals, work backwards, find what needs to happen first. Getting Done is better than perfect."

Finally, she highly recommends the book Good To Great to all for identifying what Utopia they should be working towards. This book was instrumental for her to identify what her passion was, whether there was an opportunity to create a living from it, and whether she can be the best in the world at it (which she is working towards).

Thanks for checking out this awesome episode with Jamaica and be sure to head over to The Healthy Corner Store to shop for some of her awesome, health-conscious products!

As always, a special thank you to The Strand for our intro and outro music!

Direct download: 022_Interview_with_Jamaica_Winship.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am EDT

This is our first official show of 2015!

We did have a bonus show yesterday... Check it out here if you haven't.

This week we published a great episode with Jason Surfrapp, an entrepreneur, speaker, a just all-around awesome dude. What's great about him is how zany his ideas seem but really they are innovative and "out of the box", all credit to Jason and his uncanny ability to identify unique ideas.

Creating unique ideas is just one thing. We can all do that. What makes him such an awesome guy is how he is able to come up with such unique ideas and take them into action.

I Wear Your Shirt was a success only because of Jason, not just because of the idea behind it.

His hard work, determination, and effort drove the business to a wild success.

If you haven't heard this past Tuesday's show, you must! Learn more about his business selling “talking, walking billboards”.

Here were some of the topics that we discussed in today's episode inspired by this week's guest:

1. No one retires from a job that they love

There are so many men and women that are working in jobs during their senior years that are jobs that they have no passion in. That doesn't mean it has to be you or anyone else.

Josh's dad is a prime example of this. Josh's dad is an accomplished retired Army Veteran that retired at the top rank of Command Sargeant Major. Currently as he waits for his pension to kick in, Josh's dad is working hard as a field technician in his 50s to make a living.

You can hear more about Josh's story in the episode.

2. Most people follow the same path

Ben in particular has been inspired by all the guests that have been successful in creating their own paths. Utopians, you can create your own path as well.

3. College really sucked the entrepreneur out of me

Ben and Josh talk about how many colleges today do not focus enough on encouraging entrepreneurial activity and instead prepare young adults for life in corporate cultures.

This is unfortunate because forging an entreprenurial path can be achieved by anyone.

Josh and Ben even go as far back as talking about how grade school could incorporate some entrpreneurial lessons as well so young adults have "out of the box" mindsets when they make the big decisions they will make in their young adults lives on what professions they will hone in on.

Utopian Quote of the Show

If you put in part time effort you get part time results - Jason Surfrapp

This quote was from this past week's episode with Jason but it was such a powerful quote, that it is today's Utopian Quote of the Show too.

Another topic discussed in today's episode was taking a "social media detox".

This means cutting social media out of your life completely for a set amount of time. When Jason did this, he came up with a myriad of business ideas! It could be powerful for you too.

Ben would have no problem taking a "social media detox". Josh on the other hand spends a lot of time on Facebook in particular participating in business groups that have given him and his business a ton of value. This is discussed in great detail in today's show.

Finally, Josh and Ben discuss each of Jason's rapid-fire tips for Utopians:

1. Take a step back and look at your life’s foundation

The way Josh and Ben see this tip is to be humble, thankful, and appreciate the little things in life.

2. Understand that you are going to make mistakes and screw things up

Forgive yourself when you make mistakes (which is going to happen) and take action instead of letting fears hold you back. Obstacles, like fears, are often just illusions. Keep this in mind, Utopians!

3. Be willing to do something different

Think out of the box like Jason to achieve your professional goals in corporate cultures or in entrepreneurship.

If you are striving for a promotion, go make suggestions, be innovative, take up responsibilities that are extra duties, stand out and BE DIFFERENT.

If you are an entreprenuer, differentiate yourself from your competition by incorporating "out of the box" marketing or just by taking an idea and turning it into action, which that alone is being different than the majority of people out there that have ideas that go nowhere.

Check out this show and please leave your comments below!

As always, a special thank you to The Strand for our intro and outro music!

Direct download: 021_Make_Mistakes_and_do_Something_Different.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am EDT

During today's BONUS episode, we discussed how to go into 2015 with strong goals and our recommendations for revisiting your goals throughout 2015 so you conquer your resolutions and achieve more goals in a year then you have ever had!

ABC "Always be conquering!"

Utopians, Ben committed to something very important in 2015.

Ben committing to quitting smoking.

This is going to be challenging for Ben since he's been smoking since 16. Let's all hold him accountable and keep sending positive reinforcement his way, sound good?

Josh had some tips in this episode for Ben to help him conquer his goal of quitting smoking, mostly revolving around fitness. These are some great tips from Josh that you may find valuable as well.

Happy 2015 Utopians! Go out there and have an ABC mentality of "Always be Conquering!"

Happy New Years!

As always, a special thank you to The Strand for our intro and outro music!

Direct download: Bonus_002_New_Years_Day_2015.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am EDT

Jason Surfrapp is an incredible guest that we were very fortunate to have on Build Your Utopia.

He was able to build a name for himself as an entrepreneur by being sponsored to wearing branded t-shirts.

His motivation for being a successful entrepreneur is to have control and freedom. Who wouldn’t want that for his or her life? Eh?

Like many of you reading this, Jason didn’t start with entrepreneur dreams and didn’t even consider being an entrepreneur feasible for a very long time.

He followed the common path of going to college, finishing his degree, and getting a corporate job.

After joining “corporate America”, he learned fairly quickly that grinding out every day was not for him. He collaborated with a colleague and started up a design company, which allowed him to leave “corporate America”.

This business also quickly grossed up to $250K in revenue.

Shortly after attaining immediate entrepreneurial success, Jason had a thought. With the popularity of social media, he saw an opportunity to create a new type of advertising on social media.

As he was brainstorming this notion, he was staring at his closet and saw about 50 branded shirts and that’s when he had his “Aha!” moment. He realized there could be an opportunity to promote brands on t-shirts on social media.

He even took this idea to Seth Godin (inspired to reach out to him because of Seth’s book Purple Cow), who actually responded (in about an hour after an email sent too). Seth responded that he didn’t feel that the idea would fly, which only fueled Jason’s determination to turn this wild idea into a success.

So, he started it up and he made $84K his first year selling advertising for $1+ per day for Jason to promote companies by wearing their logos on t-shirts and promoting them on social media.

Jason is an advocate for living a life free of.. social media. Yes, although he created a business off social media, he believes in the value of “detoxing” from social media.

If you are reading this, you should consider taking a 30 day social media detox. Jason highly recommends it and when he did it, he was able to come up with a gob of business ideas with the extra time and focus.

Jason has also become an avid reader since picking up Purple Cow. (he even said in our interview that the last book he read before Purple Cow was Go, Dog, Go)

Currently, he’s juggling several books, including:

One wise tip that Jason left with Utopians during our interview was to get advice as early as possible, ask for help, and stop trying to figure everything out on your own. Jason feels that if he would have done that sooner, he could have accomplished more sooner.

However, at the end of the day, at least learn from your decisions, experiences, and mistakes.

Jason’s 3 tips for Utopians include:

  • Take a step back and look at your life’s foundation
  • Understand that you are going to make mistakes and screw things up
  • Be willing to do something different

I highly recommend listening to the show to hear Jason’s in-depth explanations for the above 3 tips.

Don’t miss this show. Thanks again to Jason Surfrapp for being on Build Your Utopia.

Jason would personally love for you to reach out to him at Jason@iwearyourshirt.com or his website (where you can join the action army, check it out).

As always, a special thank you to The Strand for our intro and outro music!

Direct download: 020_Interview_with_Jason_SurfrApp.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am EDT

Today is boxing day!

That means go out and find someone to box with some padded gloves on, seriously.

Ok, not seriously.

Boxing day is actually when servants and tradespeople would receive gifts.

On today's episode we reflect on this past week. We were honored to have Honoree Corder on the show.  You can listen to her episode here.

This week, Josh was also a featured guest on the podcast StartupDadHQ, which you can check out here.

In this episode, he tells the complete story for the 1st time ever of how he started up his business in early 2013.

Josh then grills Ben about if any of his childhood experiences led to him starting up Build Your Utopia.

Honoree Corder had a lot of influences growing up that led her into entrepreneurship.

This isn't always the case. Upon review, there really isn't a common "type of person" that goes into entrepreneurship.

It doesn't take parents that were entrepreneurs, money, or some of the common beliefs out there in society. In fact, these are all misconceptions.

In today's show, Josh and Ben also discuss how at times in corporate cultures, you have to pick up the slack for others, even if you are not getting paid to do so.

Ben and Josh both share their own individual stories from their corporate experiences related to this.

On a separate note, this past week, Josh was able to complete a certification to become a Certified Funnel Expert with Digital Marketer signed by Ryan Deiss and Frank Kern! (two of the biggest names in digital marketing today)

Ben and Josh then jump into discussing the three takeaways that Honoree left with Utopians towards the end of that show.

Reflecting back on this week's episode with Honoree, Ben and Josh also share their morning routines with Utopians. See, in this past week's show with Honoree, Honoree shares how she just read Hal Elrod's book Miracle Morning (Hal is a registered future guest too) and one subject discussed in the book is having an effective morning routine.

Finally, Ben and Josh wrap up the show discussing alternative diets, specially juicing diets and organic diets. These are diets that both Ben and Josh have participated in and they share their thoughts with Utopians.

Thanks for following us and please leave us a review in iTunes, Stitcher, or by leaving a comment at Build Your Utopia.

As always, a special thank you to The Strand for our intro and outro music!

Direct download: 019_Lock_Down_Your_Mornings.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am EDT

We have a special, BONUS episode for you today on Build Your Utopia.

Today, Josh and Ben share with you what they are thankful for in celebration of Christmas.

To Josh and Ben, Christmas is the time to show gratitude.

This has also been a common theme on the show amongst all our guest up to this point.

We also want to give thanks to all of our guests that we have been honored enough to have on the show:

John Allen Mollenhauer

Matt Maszczak

Brandon Epstein

Darieth Chisolm

Michelle Corr

Dominick Sirianni

Jenny Olding

Honoree Corder

In pursuing your Utopia, it's very important to have the work-life balance necessary to give your pursuits your best. With that said, enjoy your Christmas and we wish you a Merry Christmas from us to you.

As always, a special thank you to The Strand for our intro and outro music!

Direct download: Bonus_001_Christmas_2014.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am EDT

 

Today's show was awesome with Honoree Corder who has a long list of accomplishments.

She grew up with high-achieving parents whom both had advanced degrees and also had entrepreneurial activities that they participated in.

Seeing this growing up, she immediately knew that that was what she was intended to do for her life's purpose.

However, she didn't start this way. She started like many of you working for "the man".

After several years of grinding away and seeing how others profited from her efforts, she decided to finally embrace her inner purpose.

Years later, she now has several books published, a thriving business, and the balanced life that she has worked hard to achieve.

When she isn't working, she is spending time with her family, reading books, and learning foreign languages.

Building her business and engaging in all the of activities that she loves encompasses her current Utopia.

Here are some books that she highly recommends:

Finally, she also left Utopians with 3 powerful takeaways that you'll have to hear more about in the episode.

  • Master your mindset
  • Have a solid morning routine
  • Outsource as soon as possible

Plus, she left us a bonus takeaway!

  • Be very selective about the 5 closest people to you

Make sure to listen to the show to hear why these are all recommended by Honoree.

We were very honored to have Honoree (that has a ring to it!) and know how much you will love this episode too. Enjoy!

Utopian Quote of the Show

"It's no good to be making really great progress climbing a ladder that is up against the wrong wall" - Honorée Corder

As always, a special thank you to The Strand for our intro and outro music!

 

Direct download: 018_Interview_with_Honoree_Corder.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am EDT

Hello Utopians! We have a great show for you today!

This past week we spoke with Jenny Olding of Rock Your Lifestyle. She has absolutely accomplished her current Utopia in 2014 with publishing a book, launching her business, and making an impact on the world.

In today's episode we discuss all the value bombs that Jenny dropped on Tuesday.

Early in the show Josh talks about the value of direct response marketing tactics in the online marketing space and the benefits of injecting your own personality into your businesses branding, if you are a business owner.

Ben and Josh also dive into the fears of the risks that pursuing goals feel like, comparing pursuing corporate goals vs. entrepreneurship.

No matter what direction you are going in trying to accomplish your professional Utopia, milestones and goals are necessary.

Your plan doesn't have to be perfect, just functional. If anything, you should learn from our mistakes of over planning. (which you can hear more about in this episode).

During this episode, Josh and Ben also dive into how to choose who you should surround yourself with specific types of people and who you should surround yourself with.

Just a few weeks ago, Josh was in Austin, TX with an event by Digital Marketer. During this event, he was privileged enough to be around other high-achievers and entrepreneurs (some very successful), and uses this experience as an example of how it is great to surround yourself with people that are pursuing similar Utopias.

Ever hear of facetious behavior? Facetious behavior is how you adapt your behavior around certain groups of people.

During the show, Josh and Ben also discuss how people exhibit facetious behavior with different groups of people and different environments.

Another strong point discussed in this episode is the value of being true to yourself and blazing your own, unique trail.

In Tuesday's show Jenny talks about how she chose not to follow her mom's path and tells us a story between her and her mom about how she told her mom she wasn't going to follow the same footsteps.

You also get to find out more about how Ben created his current Utopia, going back to this past week's episode and how creating your own happiness is a product of your decisions.

Finally, Ben and Josh also discuss why everyone needs to pursue their own personal paths so they can achieve their Utopias.

In the show, we asked you Utopians to leave comments below of stories of when you went on one path that you thought you should go on and then pivoted and decided that you should go down a different road. We want to hear from you!

As always, a special thank you to The Strand for our intro and outro music!

Direct download: 017_Are_You_A_Thinker_Or_A_Doer.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am EDT

Jenny Olding is our guest in this episode of Build Your Utopia. She's truly an inspiration!

Jenny is an author, entrepreneur, coach, speaker, and runs Lifestyle Change International.

In 2014, she left her full-time secure sales position where she was making more than 6 figures, became a published author, produced several products, has been a speaker at many events, and is soon to be a reality TV star.

Make sure you listen to this entire episode, it's awesome.

Jenny's Utopia is about living her life to the fullest, which matches one of her brands, Rock Your Lifestyle. She loves to spend time with her family, travel the world, and empower people to get to the next level.

She also believes that a Utopia is up for individual interpretation. In this episode she contrasts her Utopia to her parent's Utopia.

In this episode, we discuss the power of focusing on your Circle of Influence. (You'll have to listen to the episode to find out more about it)

Jenny, Ben, and Josh all share their take on focusing on this life strategy throughout the many challenges of life.

Jenny also shares how many people feel that leaving a 6 figure, stable job is crazy. Her story involving her decision to move is truly inspirational.

She was fed up in her job mentally. It was impacting other aspects of her life. She had a runway in the form of a savings account built up over the years. She got sick and tired of hearing others complain about their lives. She believed in herself.

That's all it took for her to take steps into her entrepreneurial journey.

Her boldness was inspired by a childhood story of watching her mother grind it out at a bank, unhappy, as a child. Her mother told her, "you are still young, you will find out", at the time.

Jenny committed herself to never staying in a position where she was unhappy and has stayed true to herself ever since.

The point in the matter is that "your situation is your own making". (Ben's quote of the show)

The power of focusing on gratitude and positivity is unparalleled in poising yourself to achieve your Utopia.

It is also so important to focus on positive outcomes instead of negative outcomes.

Josh, in particular, shares a story about how he parents his son on "not spilling his cup in the living room" that you will hear in the show.

To achieve a Utopia, it takes a lot of work, but you truly do have to focus on having a strong foundation of mind-body fundamentals which consists of diet and exercise. (Taco Bell does not count...listen to the episode to find out what we mean here)

It also requires taking action. You can plan all day but plans and outcomes are never perfect. Come up with a plan and move forward to achieve your Utopia.

To wrap up the show, Jenny's recommendations for you to achieve your Utopia are:

  • Be yourself
  • Be present
  • Love your life and find your Utopia

We were very honored to have Jenny and know that you will truly love this show.

Jenny has a gift for Utopians that you can check out by going here. It's a free 4 part video coaching series to help you Rock Your Lifestyle and take steps towards achieve your Utopia.

As always, a special thank you to The Strand for our intro and outro music!

Direct download: 016_Interview_with_Jenny_Olding.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am EDT

In today's episode, we discuss whether there is more caffeine in tea vs coffee. Just kidding, that is discussed during the tail end.

Actually, we really deep dive into this past week's episode with the awesome guest that we had this week, Dominick Sirianni, VP of Primavera Online High School and the Internet Marketing Association.

He represents what Build Your Utopia is all about! Focusing on your passion and working towards achieving your Utopia aka your professional goals.

However, when it comes to work-life balance, to Dominick, work is fun. If you hear some of our other successful guest throughout our show, they all share this trait. They all find passion in their work so it is fun, not a chore.

If you are floundering in a career that you are not truly happy in, do something about it. Life is too short not to. Work should not be a chore.

Being an entrepreneur is tough but if you can seize it, commit to it, work hard at it, and enjoy the journey, it can be very rewarding.

In the show, we also discuss how today's culture stresses that everyone has to take the same path that includes graduating high school, graduating from college, and getting a job. There are very little, true, entrepreneurial families that encourage their children to work in your passion and create!

It is not that there is anything wrong with completing your education, in today's world it's almost crucial because of the requirements of a college education in a high percentage of careers out there.

We also discuss the value of having a high emotional quotient. Dominick's story in the last episode really inspired us to talk further about the value of developing a strong EQ.

Finally, we wrap up the show talking about the greatest debate ever that we need your vote on to settle.

Ben believes that tea has less caffeine than coffee.

Josh believes that coffee and tea have the same caffeine content.

Vote in the comments at Build Your Utopia! Ben and Josh have a bet that depends on your vote.

Thanks for listening to Build Your Utopia! Come back next week with an energetic, value-packed episode with Jenny Olding, entrepreneur and author!

As always, a special thank you to The Strand for our intro and outro music!

Direct download: 015_Tea_or_Coffee.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am EDT

 

Dominick is the great example of an individual who is high-achieving and working towards building a Utopia by working in both a corporate environment and by working at a startup, Internet Marketing Association.

He is also a proud husband, father, and a MBA graduate from the University of Phoenix.

Formerly he had worked for Chet Holmes and Tony Robbins.

For the Internet Marketing Association, he also leads a podcast that you will want to check out if you want to learn more about internet marketing. You can click here to go and check it out.

Altogether, he has an incredible resume and background.

As a Utopian, the guy is busy! This is why…

“If the stool ever gets completely stable, you go insane” is a phrase that Dominick lives by. By having many professional outlets working out, he is living by this phrase.

In this show, you will learn from Dominick about how to treat a business partnership, from his past experience that didn’t work out. If you are in entrepreneurship or interested in it, there are some great takeaways from this part of the podcast.

Rare to most, Dominick considers his Utopia consisting of less balance and more work. Following Ghandi and other high-achievers, he believes in throwing himself into work. He is well aware that he is 100% not balanced.

And that is totally, 110% ok! It's ok to pour yourself into a goal, pursue it, and work.

Entrepreneurship, like relationships, is a consistent mental challenge. To Dominick's point, you have to have self-awareness on whether or not outside forces are causing you stress or are you doing it to yourself.

In entrepreneurship, you have to take responsibility for the factors in your circle of influence that are impacting your happiness.

This rule applies to relationships as well.

It comes down to you handle your emotions internally or, in other words, what is your Emotional Quotient?

On a final note, the show had a great takeaway for high achievers. Go through the exercise on a consistent basis of what's most important from #1-#3 so you can hone in on what you should be focused on to prevent the feelings of overwhelm, which leads to stress.

Great show with Dominick Sirianni! Listen to it and please leave your comments below.

Utopian Quote of the Show

"I don't look at the time that I'm losing as something that is getting sucked out of me" - Dominick Sirianni 

As always, a special thank you to The Strand for our intro and outro music!

Direct download: 014_Interview_with_Dominick_Sirianni.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am EDT

In today's episode of Build Your Utopia, Josh sings throughout the entire episode! ...

Kidding, we wouldn't put you through that pain. Actually, it's a great episode.

This week we hosted Michelle Corr, branding expert, entrepreneur, TV/radio show host, and just all-around awesome person.

During today's episode, we discuss our thoughts on her Utopia, being able to be location independent and live between three exceptional places Hawaii, Alaska, and Arizona.

Also, we talk about the value of having someone in your circle that is a "connector" like Michelle.

Whether you are in corporate or on an entrepreneur path, you want to align yourself with successful people.

Take Joe Montana.. without Jerry Rice, he wouldn't have been one of the greatest Quarterback in NFL history.

Ben, by the way, didn't know who Jerry Rice is! Josh takes some time during this episode to educate him to raise his sports knowledge profile.

From there, Josh and Ben discuss Josh's company ICE Accelerate Marketing Automation Services branding referencing Michelle's tips on how to brand effectively.

Josh admits this is an area that he knows that he needs to work on in his business. His brand doesn't truly show as much as it could about Josh's character and how it is injected into his company, team, and more.

In addition, Josh is in the process of starting a 2nd brand to break off a piece of his company.  This will allow him to sell Digital Marketing Services and Infusionsoft, his two core offerings, from two different brands, which has marketing benefits.

For the 2nd brand, these are some ideas that Ben and Josh came up with:

  • Marsden Marketing (M&amp;M.. Ben's idea)
  • Josh Marsden Marketing
  • Munchkin Marketing (Joke... named after Josh's son)

Listen to the show to find out how these names came up and let us know which is the best!

This is a great show to follow up to an awesome guest that we were honored to have this week. Listen to it, leave us a comment below, and let us know your thoughts on where you would ideally want to live if you worked virtually.

Utopian Quote of the Show

"You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with." - Jim Rohn

As always, a special thank you to The Strand for our intro and outro music!

Direct download: 013_Which_Cities_Am_I_Going_To_Live_In.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am EDT

 

Today's episode is an exciting discussion with Michelle Corr of Michelle Corr Media.

Michelle has a very intriguing background. She is formerly a TV and Radio show personality and spent time with such stars as Jerry Rice.

In fact, she didn't even know who Jerry Rice was until she met him! Crazy!

(Ben doesn't know who Jerry Rice is so our radio show partnership has ended as of this writing.... kidding)

She now runs a successful branding company through Michelle Corr Media. Her current Utopia consists of traveling between Arizona, Alaska, and Hawaii, rough life.

Michelle has a rich presence about her that you can feel through her interview. She presents a wealth of knowledge and a overflow of genuine kindness.

When it comes to branding, this episode drops a ton of value on how to brand to differentiate you from other businesses. She believes that a businesses' staff's character should be used in a company's branding since customers buy from people, not businesses.

She was also candid enough to share with us how she is able to draw the best out of people but has a hard time reflecting on herself during her path to her current Utopia.

Someone that was instrumental to her development was Bob Proctor of The Proctor Gallagher Institute.

Bob helped Michelle realize that one of her strengths was to connect people and taking it to heart, which she has since brought out in everything she does.

This is a characteristic that she has brought to her brand, Michelle Corr Media.

Throughout this episode, Michelle shares rich tips on enhancing your brand, so if you are an entrepreneur, wanna-preneur, or solo-preneur, take notes!

Like most of you high-achievers, she struggles too with work-life balance and speaks in great detail about how she is able to juggle everything effectively and keep herself at peace.

We were very honored to have her on Build Your Utopia. Please leave your comments below on this content-rich episode.

Utopian Quote of the Show

"Often we don't change until the pain of staying the same is greater than the pain of change." - Michelle Corr 

You can find out more about Michelle Corr's current work at her website here.

Thanks for listening in. If you haven't yet, go subscribe to our show in iTunes or Stitcher.

As always, a special thank you to The Strand for our intro and outro music!

 

Direct download: 012_Interview_with_Michelle_Corr_a_Master_of_Connectivity.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am EDT

 

This week on Build Your Utopia, we had an incredible guest in Darieth Chisolm. Her story is truly inspirational.

Ben and Josh were both incredibly impacted by her story.

More people should take chances like Darieth in improving their lives and creating more time with their loved ones. Love is what makes the world worth living.

At the end of the day, the people that you love are the most important attributes of every man and woman's life.

Both Ben and Josh share stories were they called their own shots.

Ben, for example when he was younger, was thinking about joining the military while he was in high school.

The recruiter kept stressing with him that you need to study and go to these pre-ASVAB classes. Ben refused.

Ben also stated that he was going to score very well. He called his shot.

When he took the ASVAB, he scored amongst the top of testers. The recruiter had nothing more to say.

Josh called his shot when he decided in January of 2013 to start his own company. He didn't know what he was in for at the time.

All he knew is that there was opportunity and he believed in himself. The rest is history and now ICE Accelerate Marketing Automation Services is now a leading Infusionsoft Certified Consultancy.

In addition, Ben and Josh also discuss how challenges drive them. Ben is bored in his role and has just about mastered it at a local Fortune 100 company.

Josh is constantly being challenged in business and although it is stressful at times, he loves the challenges his business presents to him.

Build Your Utopia has been magnetic with audiences so far! The show has had over 1200 downloads in less than 30 days, which is amazing. This is all thanks to you.

The podcast has not been easy at times. Josh and Ben both share some of their own personal challenges that they deal with every week in running a thriving Podcast.

Thanks goodness for Automated Processes from ICE Accelerate!

Which brings to light just how easy it is, especially with automation driven by software like Infusionsoft, to start up a business now.

For our followers, we challenge you to think outside of the box and take advantage of the opportunities in front of you. Listen to the end of the episode to find out some resources that can unlock this goal for yourself.

The barriers to start a business have dropped monumentally in today's digital age.

On a closing note, all of our successful guests up to this point have talked about having Gratitude. During this week as you spend it with your loved ones, chowing down on Thanksgiving dishes, remember everything that you are thankful for.

Not only is this food for the soul but it also fuels the positivity that you create for yourself, giving you your best energy to accomplish wonders.

Utopian Quote of the Show

"Pen and paper is where the genesis of a business comes in." - Josh Marsden

Thanks for listening in. If you haven't yet, go subscribe to our show in iTunes Stitcher.

As always, a special thank you to The Strand for our intro and outro music!

Direct download: 011_Im_Calling_My_Own_Shot.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am EDT

Today's episode is on of tremendous heart, commitment, and drive from Darieth Chisolm.

Darieth is a truly inspirational guests. She had a successful job working in broadcasting but decided that she had sacrificed far too much time to her career, missing out on her only son's activities, and quit.

She was able to match her income with hard work produced success in Wrap It, a network marketing company. After that accomplishment, she decided to start up her own company, write a book, and start up a podcast called Hustle and Heart TV.

It was through the love for her son and her purpose that has propelled her from success to success.

Josh, as an entrepreneur, can relate to Darieth as a father to his 5 year old son who serves as his #1 motivator to stay the course and overcome the many challenges of entrepreneurship.

Josh and Darieth are both great examples of what's possible right now in entrepreneurship. Twenty years ago, it wasn't possible to start up a business with minimal (if any) overhead or to run a company virtually from anywhere!

Now it is and as a Utopian, you have a chance to do this, just as much as anyone else. The barriers of entry towards running a business has dropped significantly in the past 5+ years.

Both Darieth and Josh agree that one of the hardest challenges is turning the "switch off" when you work from home and run a business. Darieth even turns an alarm clock on to remind her to step away and turn her "switch off".

Darieth leans on reading, meditation, and fitness as hobbies in her life that helps her maintain a work-life balance.

This is an incredibly, impactful episode of a truly inspirational story.

As always, a special thank you to The Strand for our intro and outro music!

Utopian Quote of the Show

"If you get caught up on being perfect, sometimes you never get out of the gate." -Darieth Chisolm 

Direct download: 010_Interview_with_Darieth_Chisolm_of_Hustle_And_Heart_TV.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am EDT