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The Impact Entrepreneur

Mike Flynn takes you behind closed doors and invites you into his conversations with game changing entrepreneurs. These conversations go beyond success and failure, beyond product or service or platform, to uncover what is really behind the decisions these entrepreneurs make and what IMPACT they hope to have in the world.
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Now displaying: May, 2018
May 28, 2018

Cameron Herold is back, and he’s been busy since we last talked on episode 52! Cameron started a new podcast, Second in Command, in which he interviews the chief behind the chief to learn the tips, systems, and insights of the chief who actually runs the business; the COO.

 

Cameron also has an excellent new book called Vivid Vision: A Remarkable Tool For Aligning Your Business Around a Shared Vision of the Future.

 

What’s a Vivid Vision?

 

Most entrepreneurs have an idea of what they want their company to look like. However, their employees can’t necessarily see that same vision; the movie in their head.

 

But if you can pull those ideas out of your mind and write it down on a 3 to 5-page document that describes your business three years in the future, with clarity, then they can get everybody to see what they can see.

 

Here are some other things to consider when drafting your Vivid Vision:

 

  • The CEO writes it, and the COO’s job is to reverse engineer it and make it come true
  • You talk about it in the finished state, as if it’s already done.
  • Talk about the vision, and share it with everybody! “The more people that know where you’re going, the more they’ll help you get there.”
  • Cameron suggests getting a copywriter to take your words and make them pop.
  • Similarly, quality graphic design is a must because this is a forward-facing document that you share with customers, suppliers, bankers, employees, and prospects.
  • Try creating an audio recording of your vivid vision so that you can re-listen to it, while doing other things, to reinforce it.
  • You write the Vivid Vision in a way that it magnetizes people towards it – but if it attracts, it also has to push some people away. If you try to create something that everyone loves, no one actually cares.
  • Every single sentence of that Vivid Vision becomes a future statement, and you can figure out one or two projects to make each sentence come true.”

 

If you want to see an excellent example of a vivid vision, check out what Cameron wrote for the COO Alliance’s City Forums: https://cooalliance.com/city-forums-vivid-vision.

 

“I want to replace vision statements with Vivid Visions, worldwide, because vision statements or mission statements don’t work and businesses have been starving for this piece.”

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We are brought to you by the Lawton Marketing Group, a full-service advertising and design agency serving companies and entrepreneurs at all levels. They are your one-stop shop for all your website, logo, social media, print, app design and reputable management needs.

 

Visit LawtonMG.com for more info.

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The Impact Entrepreneur Show is produced by Podcast Masters

May 21, 2018

Malorie Tadimi grew up in a “normal” family, expected to get a 9-5 job and join Corporate America. Like many people who grow up in a stable environment, she felt average – which can create an uncomfortable cognitive dissonance when you grow to loathe the very concept of being “normal” or “average.”

 

Malorie was miserable, exhausted, and passionless in her 9-5 job. She was checking off all the boxes for normal, but it didn’t feel right – she wanted to be extraordinary, and she wanted to be an entrepreneur.

 

It’s safe to say she’s accomplished that. Today, Malorie is the owner of her own consulting company, Tadimi, which has crafted strategic plans to help its clients earn over $800 billion annually.

 

“I really came into my own and accepted the fact that I’m not normal, and when that happened, that opened the doors for me to stop filtering myself and to stop holding my shine in – it just allowed me to open that box and see what came out!”

 

Corporate Exit Blueprint

 

When Malorie decided to let her inner entrepreneur out, she didn’t jump into the water without a life vest – she created a Corporate Exit Blueprint for herself.

 

If you feel stuck in your current job, if it feels like you’re in a striped jumpsuit locked behind bars, then a Corporate Exit Blueprint is like your “get out of jail free” card. Really, it all comes down to assuring that you can meet your most basic needs.

 

You have two options: live off of your savings or create an income stream before you leave your job. If you can get all of your work done quickly and efficiently then use the surplus time (or time at home) for learning and building a side hustle, you will be better prepared to make the leap.

 

Plus, you’ll already have one income stream and be able to build on that momentum!

 

How do you stand out as an entrepreneur?

 

After you leave your corporate nest and set out as an entrepreneur, you’ll soon run into another problem: it’s really hard to stand out online.

 

If you want to find an audience, you have to offer something that no one else is offering – this may be a new service or product, a novel business model, or a new way to deliver the service or product to your customer.

 

One recent example that Malorie points to is the “don’t pay until you get results” trend, a strategy that many marketers use to stand out in Facebook ads. At the same time, other marketers are having success using direct mail.

 

So standing out as an entrepreneur is not necessarily about doing something brand new – you just have to do something that no one else is doing in your space.

 

“Stop being so hard on yourself. Look at what you’ve already achieved; you’ve done all of this on your own and no one has handed you a single thing! Wouldn’t it be cool to know what else you could create if you just got out of jail?”

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Resources:

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We are brought to you by the Lawton Marketing Group, a full-service advertising and design agency serving companies and entrepreneurs at all levels. They are your one-stop shop for all your website, logo, social media, print, app design, and reputable management needs.

 

Visit LawtonMG.com for more info.

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The Impact Entrepreneur Show is produced by Podcast Masters

May 14, 2018

Derek Clark, best known as The Rapping Dad from his viral YouTube videos, is an inspiring motivational speaker and the author of Never Limit Your Life.

 

Although you might see Derek having fun with his wonderful family online and think “this guy has it made,” things weren’t always going so well for him.

 

Derek spent 13 years of his life in the Alameda County foster care system, where he struggled with rejection, humiliation, abuse, emotional distress, and overwhelming anxiety.

 

The abuse and abandonment, naturally, felt like a curse – but it turned out to be one of Derek’s greatest blessings. Derek believes he thrives as a leader because of his painful past, compassion for others, and "No Excuse" attitude.

 

Now, Derek's life mission is to help others find the mental strength to recognize and take advantage of their opportunities. His keynotes are based on true-life trials and triumphs, inspiring thousands to overcome adversity and fear.

 

Although it probably didn’t seem so important at the time, one of the most influential moments of Derek’s childhood was when he was first introduced to rap, and rap battles in particular. “I was always getting in trouble for fighting with my fists, but what if I could use my mouth and tongue as a weapon, instead of my fists?”

 

Rap helped Derek, for the first time, deal with his tumultuous inner world – and this was life-changing. When your inner world is a mess, your outer world is going to reflect that. But “rap was a taxi to my spirit, and it let me get the inside stuff, the crap, out.”

 

We all get to choose how we live, and we get to choose our attitude. You’re only ever one thought away from another positive thought, and that can make all the difference.

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Resources:

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We are brought to you by the Lawton Marketing Group, a full service advertising and design agency serving companies and entrepreneurs at all levels. The are your one stop shop for all your website, logo, social media, print, app design and reputable management needs.

 

Visit LawtonMG.com for more info.

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The Impact Entrepreneur Show is produced by Podcast Masters

May 7, 2018

John Caglione Jr. has had an illustrious career as a makeup artist – over the past 40 years, his hands and creative genius have helped create new worlds and tell powerful stories on screen.

 

John is credited on over 80 shows and movies, helping to create iconic characters like Warren Beatty’s Dick Tracy (which earned him an Academy Award) and Heath Ledger’s The Joker (for which earned him another Oscar nomination). John’s work has also influenced many more incredible movies and shows, including Saturday Night Live, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Angels in America, The Sopranos, and Donnie Brasco.

 

Without John (and all of the other makeup, tech, and effects people out there), these modern stories couldn’t happen; the silver screen wouldn’t impact and move audiences in the same magical way.

 

John knew he wanted to be a makeup artist when he was just 14-years-old, after watching The Exorcist. He became a fan of Dick Smith, who John still believes is the great makeup artist of all time.

 

John eventually started a correspondence with Dick Smith, which grew into a mentor-mentee relationship. This “miraculous” series of events came at just the right time in John’s life, as his family was kind of falling apart.

 

In one phone call, Dick Smith’s generosity changed the entire dynamic of John’s life. “People really think about this master’s work, but one thing that I always think about him… was his love for his fellow man. He was so in touch with people and their lives – it was beyond the work, really.”

 

John has carried that mindset through his own career, and it’s paid off. Caring about people and focusing on the personal relationships (with Al Pacino, specifically) got him his shot at Dick Tracy, then his skill got him the job. And since then (1990), John is the only makeup artist that Al Pacino will work with.

 

“What I’ve learned, in my old age, is that we really have to care for each other, as much as possible… There’s work and art and business, and that’s good, but it’s all wrapped around me and you, here, right at this moment.”

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Resources:

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We are brought to you by the Lawton Marketing Group, a full service advertising and design agency serving companies and entrepreneurs at all levels. The are your one stop shop for all your website, logo, social media, print, app design and reputable management needs.

 

Visit LawtonMG.com for more info.

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The Impact Entrepreneur Show is produced by Podcast Masters

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