Mark Bayer is the former Chief of Staff for a US Senator who turned political/business consultant. Today, we’re talking about what he learned while working in the halls of power in DC and how those lessons can help you with business strategy and communications.

Dan Kuschell started his first business at the age of 22 and hasn’t stopped since. However, a health scare in 2007 caused Dan to reevaluate his priorities and he’s now focused on helping other entrepreneurs grow their businesses.

Dan’s desire is to pass on the knowledge and skills other have taught him, and that’s he picked up on his own, throughout his 20 years as an entrepreneur.

John Ruhlin grew up a self-proclaim “poor farm boy” and by the time he was in college, he was well on his way to becoming the #1 distributor (out of 1.5 million!) in Cutco’s history.

He’s since launched his own company where he creates gifting strategies and packages for the world’s largest companies and professional sports teams.

Kevin Kermes went from being an Infantryman in the Army to placing executives with major corporations as a recruiter to now showing high achievers how to take their career to the next level with his own company.

All of these experiences have taught him the value of relationship building and that making connections in the right can have a major impact on your career.

Stu McLaren started his first online business just prove that it couldn't be successful. Luckily, he proved himself wrong.

Stu launched that first business selling Halloween decorations just a few weeks before the holiday and learned his first lesson in business. 

He's since gone on to partner with key influencers like Russell Brunson and Michael Hyatt. Now, he's stepping out from the behind the scenes to launch his own online courses about membership websites.

Stu's story is so inspiring and one I think you'll really be able to connect with.

In this episode, we also talk about:

• How One $8 Sale Changed Stu’s Life
• How Stu and Russell Brunson Became Business Partners
• Why and How Stu Created Wishlist
• How Stu and Michael Hyatt Became Business Partners
• How to Develop a Relationship with a Key Influencer
• How to Create Content for an Entire Year in Less Than a Week
• The Difference Between Being Behind the Scenes and Being Front and Center
• Who Stu Thanks for His Success

Resources Mentioned:

• Platform: Get Noticed in a Noisy World by Michael Hyatt

Sponsor: Rise25

This episode is sponsored today by Rise25 Inner Circle… Rise25 is an exclusive, application-only accountability and group coaching program for professional services entrepreneurs running 6, 7 and 8 figure businesses who want to scale up, and shift from “one to one” client work to “one to many.”

Rise25 Inner Circle was founded by my business partner, Dr. Jeremy Weisz and myself… every few months, at 4-star luxury properties, we bring together like-minded entrepreneurs who come from client-serving backgrounds and they want to make the shift from chasing clients to having large groups of clients and buyers chasing them.

What makes these events different from any other events you’ve seen for entrepreneurs is we bring in our "Sherpas" - 8 and 9 figure entrepreneurs who are there the full time, in the retreat room providing feedback. Think of the Sharks from “Shark Tank” except they only give out advice rather than investment.

Then we back up those live in-person retreats with ongoing, regular accountability and group coaching - so you are guaranteed to turn inspiration into action.

Check out Rise25 to learn more

Click here to subscribe via iTunes

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Over the course of 34 years, Brian Kurtz worked his way up the ladder at Boardroom, Inc. and became an expert in all things Direct Marketing.

Thanks to that experience, Brian's gone from being mentored by some of the industry's top leaders to now charging $25,000 for a membership to his own mastermind group.

In addition to hearing about that journey, we're also going to get Brian's insights on how to "find" mentors.

In this episode, we also talk about:

• Why High-Quality Content Is Key in Direct Marketing
• The Benefits of Hosting 150 Boardroom Dinners
• Why Brian Spends $70,000 Annually on Mastermind Groups
• Brian’s Advice for “Finding” a Mentor
• Why Brian was an Intrapreneur for Several Years
• Why Brian Left Boardroom After 34 Years
• Brian’s Challenge for You
• What Brian Learned After Giving Acceptance Speeches for Multiple Awards

Resources Mentioned:

• The Boardroom Dinners
• Brian's Original Manifesto: From Intrapreneur to Entrepreneur
• Brian's Updated Manifesto: Intrapreneur to Entrepreneur... Two Years Later
• Networking Magic by Rick Frishman

Sponsor: Rise25

This episode is sponsored today by Rise25 Inner Circle… Rise25 is an exclusive, application-only accountability and group coaching program for professional services entrepreneurs running 6, 7 and 8 figure businesses who want to scale up, and shift from “one to one” client work to “one to many.”

Rise25 Inner Circle was founded by my business partner, Dr. Jeremy Weisz and myself… every few months, at 4-star luxury properties, we bring together like-minded entrepreneurs who come from client-serving backgrounds and they want to make the shift from chasing clients to having large groups of clients and buyers chasing them.

What makes these events different from any other events you’ve seen for entrepreneurs is we bring in our "Sherpas" - 8 and 9 figure entrepreneurs who are there the full time, in the retreat room providing feedback. Think of the Sharks from “Shark Tank” except they only give out advice rather than investment.

Then we back up those live in-person retreats with ongoing, regular accountability and group coaching - so you are guaranteed to turn inspiration into action.

Check out Rise25 to learn more

Click here to subscribe via iTunes

Advertise on the Smart Business

Joseph Michael started out like most Entrepreneurs; working a full-time corporate job and still barely making ends meet.

Feeling the weight of the responsibility of providing for his family, he tried to get a second job delivering pizzas. After being turned down due to a "lack of driving experience," he started to utilize his lunch breaks to create a course, and grow a business, around teaching people how to use a popular writing program called Scrivener.

We talk about that journey today and how it's taken him from thinking he was rich if he had $200 in the bank to making more money in one webinar than he made in four months at his previous day-job. 

In this episode, we also talk about:

• The Viral Blog Post That Changed Joseph’s Approach to Business
• Solving a Scrivener Pain Point
• How One Tweet Changed His Life
• Using Webinars to Make $40,000/Month
• Joseph’s New Course About Courses
• Joseph’s Challenge for You
• Who Joseph Thanks for His Success

Sponsor: Rise25

This episode is sponsored today by Rise25 Inner Circle… Rise25 is an exclusive, application-only accountability and group coaching program for professional services entrepreneurs running 6, 7 and 8 figure businesses who want to scale up, and shift from “one to one” client work to “one to many.”

Rise25 Inner Circle was founded by my business partner, Dr. Jeremy Weisz and myself… every few months, at 4-star luxury properties, we bring together like-minded entrepreneurs who come from client-serving backgrounds and they want to make the shift from chasing clients to having large groups of clients and buyers chasing them.

What makes these events different from any other events you’ve seen for entrepreneurs is we bring in our "Sherpas" - 8 and 9 figure entrepreneurs who are there the full time, in the retreat room providing feedback. Think of the Sharks from “Shark Tank” except they only give out advice rather than investment.

Then we back up those live in-person retreats with ongoing, regular accountability and group coaching - so you are guaranteed to turn inspiration into action.

Check out Rise25 to learn more

Click here to subscribe via iTunes

Advertise on the Smart Business

Hugh Culver has taken his experience being part of building five different business, including one that chartered private flights and tourist expeditions to the South Pole, to motivate others through the art of public speaking.

He speaks about Think, Plan, Act model for business 45 times a year and also helps train other speakers to improve their skills.

He's the author of Canadian Bestseller, Give Me a Break - The Art of Making Time Work for You, and this is exactly what he's done for himself and his business.

In this episode, we also talk about:

• Selling Private Flights to the South Pole
• How Selling Became Secondary to Telling His Story
• Going From Running Out of Content to 80 Speaking Engagements a Year
• How Hugh Scaled Back at Work but Doubled His Net Income
• What is Hugh's Think, Plan, Act Model of Business?
• How Heroic Habits Lead to High Performance
• The Main Thing Hugh Says You Can Do Today to Improve Your Life
• Who Does Hugh Want to Thank for His Success?

Sponsor: Rise25

This episode is sponsored today by Rise25 Inner Circle… Rise25 is an exclusive, application-only accountability and group coaching program for professional services entrepreneurs running 6, 7 and 8 figure businesses who want to scale up, and shift from “one to one” client work to “one to many.”

Rise25 Inner Circle was founded by my business partner, Dr. Jeremy Weisz and myself… every few months, at 4-star luxury properties, we bring together like-minded entrepreneurs who come from client-serving backgrounds and they want to make the shift from chasing clients to having large groups of clients and buyers chasing them.

What makes these events different from any other events you’ve seen for entrepreneurs is we bring in our "Sherpas" - 8 and 9 figure entrepreneurs who are there the full time, in the retreat room providing feedback. Think of the Sharks from “Shark Tank” except they only give out advice rather than investment.

Then we back up those live in-person retreats with ongoing, regular accountability and group coaching - so you are guaranteed to turn inspiration into action.

Check out Rise25 to learn more

Click here to subscribe via iTunes

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