Creative Warriors

I’m sure you’ve heard the old cliche’ “Honesty is the best policy.” In fact, you’ve probably heard it so it doesn’t mean anything to you anymore. It should. When it comes to business, not being honest with your customers will harm you in the long run. Your customers can sense when something isn’t quite right, and it’ll drive them away. Even if they believe you, there will be a point when they find out you weren’t telling the truth - and it’ll be more devastating to your relationship than anything. Instead, be open and honest with your customers at every chance. They will trust and appreciate you, which means they will keep coming back every time they have a problem that you can solve. I should note, that honesty comes from more than just your words. Honesty also needs to come from the representation of your brand. This means being honest with yourself. Your branding shouldn’t appear like a luxury item when you’re trying to appeal to a wide variety of clientele. You want your customers to look at you and your

If you're in business and plan on being in business for the next several years or more, you better plan on understanding the often misunderstood millennials. They are a major buying force. From a marketing perspective, they are both predictable and unpredictable. To me, Shaun Gold embodies the millennial generation. A nightclub promoter, known as "the nightlife ninja", he's part partier and part intellect having written four books. Part carefree and part very intentional. This IS the millennial manifesto.

I’m sure you’ve heard a lot of people preach about how you need to find your niche. Although this is true, as an entrepreneur you want to make sure you find your niche. By that I mean your area of expertise. Although you want to be able to identify your audience, you don’t want to close yourself off from other business opportunities. For example, if Amazon had been called Online Books for Cheap, they would have significantly reduced their ability to pivot. A study has shown that about three quarters of all businesses make a pivot within their first two to three years, so you want to make sure you give yourself the ability to. I imagine you’re next question is, “How do I know when it’s time to pivot?” To be honest, you’ll know through analysis. Take the time to sit back, look over your business, your industry, and even do a bit of self reflection. Once you have a strong analysis, now comes the time to play. Let your creative side take over. Don’t use your stats to go to an obvious place. Use your creativity t

Story telling in business has become the "in" thing. It's a great way to tell the story of your business and why you do what you do. But let's flip this around. How about stories that create relevancy with your ideal customers? Told in the right way, stories can create a bond between you and your ideal customer. So it's not about you or your business. It's also not a story about them. It's a story of shared values and life experiences to create relevancy and build relationship.

One of the most important things you can do in this world is discover your purpose. It’s really heartbreaking when an entrepreneur spends decades building a business that’s something they don’t care about. They start to feel burned out, and are too scared to try anything else because they’ve become dependant on the income that’s been created. The good news is, you can start making sure your business’ purpose lines up with your personal purpose at any time: and the sooner the better. You do that through brand identity. This is where you explore exactly what your business is and how you communicate it to your target consumer.By knowing what you stand for, and what your company is all about allows you to make the changes you may feel are necessary. And don’t be afraid of change. It’s important in every business. The world is constantly changing, and any business that’s been around for decades has had to make changes to fit into this constantly evolving world. On this episode of Creative Warriors, I am joined by

Many people have a hard time charging what they are worth. This is often because it's easy to not see value in what comes easy to you. Your gift. Most people have no problem charging a lot for what's hard or takes up a lot of time. It's actually the other way around. What comes easy to you is likely what you should charge the most for. Mellissa Seaman will help you find your gift and work with your gift, not against it. The Talking Stick is in your hands now. Let us hear from you. Be part of the conversation - Join our community Facebook group, Creative Warriors Unite, at www.joinwarriors.com and share your feelings and continue the conversation. If you want to apply to be a guest on Creative Warriors Talking Stick, CLICK HERE. Guest Contact - Mellissa's website Mellissa's SoulGiftQuiz Mellissa on LinkedIn Contact Jeffrey - Website Coaching support My book, LINGO: Discover Your Ideal Customer's Secret Language and Make Your Business Irresistible is now available! Watch my TEDX LincolnSquare video and plea

Running a business is a lot like playing sports. Now, I’m not a big sports guy myself, but I certainly respect the passion and drive that athletes have. One of the most important things that sports does right, which a lot of businesses fall short on, is having the support from others. Entrepreneurs tend to try to do it all themselves, which in the beginning is a necessity. As your business starts to grow, though, it quickly becomes a team sport. You need to know who to have that makes up for your weakness, and who who you can pass the ball to when it’s required. More importantly, at any phase of a business (just like any athlete) a business really needs a coach. In sports there are always multiple coaches for one team, and your business should run the same way. Even in solo sports, like Tennis, athletes have coaches to make sure their game is as good as it can be - and they look for problems that the athlete may not see. You should be doing the same. A coach is a great thing to have, no matter how big your b

One of the things that holds many people back is a fear of becoming "that person." As if getting recognition or having financial success is going to inherently change who you are. Sure, perhaps it does for some people. But if you are kind-hearted, person-driven in the first place, it's unlikely success is going to change you into someone you're not proud of. Often, quite the opposite. Financial success can free you to do your best work and give back. In today's marketing world, recognition is also often necessary. Or, as I like to say, "recognition is a strategy, not a goal." The Talking Stick is in your hands now. Let us hear from you. Be part of the conversation - Join our community Facebook group, Creative Warriors Unite, at www.joinwarriors.com and share your feelings and continue the conversation. If you want to apply to be a guest on Creative Warriors Talking Stick, CLICK HERE. Guest Contact - Debbi's website Dare To Dream podcast Debbi on Twitter Debbi on LinkedIn Contact Jeffrey - Website Coaching

Do you ever feel ignored if you are out to eat with someone and they keep checking their phone? Does it make you feel insecure? Well, you’re not alone. We all feel that way. Today it seems like everyone pays attention to their device and not the world around them. It’s an addiction not many people are addressing, but lucky for you this can easily play in your favor as an entrepreneur. To build stronger relationship (whether personal or business) all you have to do is put your phone away. Wear a watch so you’re not tempted to pull it out. When you do this, you’re instantly going to show the person you are with that you care more than the majority of our modern world. When you do that, you’ll build loyalty. They will appreciate the fact that you are appreciating them and their time. It honestly goes a long way, and will pay you back in many ways. It’s such a simple thing to do, yet we’ve lost that genuine connection to our phones. To go more into this, I have a special guest today: Neen James. Neen James is th

Unleash your inner misfit! In this conversation with serial entrepreneur and host of Misfit Entrepreneur podcast, Dave Lukas, you'll learn how to leverage all that makes you unique. Being a misfit entrepreneur is about finding what makes you think differently and using it to your advantage. You'll also learn about the power of choice. I'm sure you'll find our conversation motivational! The Talking Stick is in your hands now. Let us hear from you. Be part of the conversation - Join our community Facebook group, Creative Warriors Unite, at www.joinwarriors.com and share your feelings and continue the conversation. If you want to apply to be a guest on Creative Warriors Talking Stick, CLICK HERE. Guest Contact - Dave's website- Misfit Entrepreneur Misfit Entrepreneur podcast Dave's guidebook- Top 10 Lessons To Thrive and Succeed Contact Jeffrey - Website Coaching support My book, LINGO: Discover Your Ideal Customer's Secret Language and Make Your Business Irresistible is now available! Watch my TEDX LincolnS

All of us entrepreneurs have heard about the importance of building a brand. What you’re not hearing enough is the importance of building a personal brand. People don’t follow a brand, they follow the founder. They don’t think SpaceX, Virgin, or Apple. They tend to think Elon Musk, Richard Branson, and Steve Jobs. That’s where you want to be. You want people to think of, because that’s when your business will become change proof. Starting a new business doesn’t mean starting from the ground up. You’ll have a strong base audience that will support anything you take on. The biggest thing to remember when trying to become a Youpreneur is that you have to be authentic. Don’t copy people like Gary V, or Tim Ferris. Find your own originality: and do that by throwing yourself out there and beta testing what you think the audience wants. They will give you feedback, and that’s how you’ll be able to hone in on what they need and how you can really serve them. To dive deeper into the subject of personal branding and b

To succeed, even survive, as a Creative Warrior takes resilience. You will get knocked down at times. Discouraged. Impatient. What really matters is your ability to get back up again. Perhaps not just survive but THRIVE after a big set back. Sandra Younger has a survival story few of us could ever imagine. Sandra not only survived but is using the experience in great service to others. Many lessons to be learned in this episode! The Talking Stick is in your hands now. Let us hear from you. Be part of the conversation - Join our community Facebook group, Creative Warriors Unite, at www.joinwarriors.com and share your feelings and continue the conversation. If you want to apply to be a guest on Creative Warriors Talking Stick, CLICK HERE. Guest Contact - Sandra's website The ComeBACK Formula Guidebook Sandra's book- The Fire Outside My Window: A Survivor Tells The True Story Of California's Epic Cedar Fire Contact Jeffrey - Website Coaching support My book, LINGO: Discover Your Ideal Customer's Secret Langua

Ever feel like you’re not smart enough for business? That maybe you don’t have the IQ you need? To be honest, it’s not about your IQ. It’s about your emotional intelligence. Let’s face it, most business isn’t conducted with logic: it’s conducted with feelings. If you can unlock that emotional intelligence, you can tap into what really makes your customers tick. You’ll be able to pull yourself out of the equation and begin to really help them. Now, I want to be clear: it’s not about manipulating your customers. Manipulation happens with ill-intent. Instead, you want to be able to understand their emotions to know how to help them. To better understand all of the components that come along with emotional intelligence, I’ve brought on a very special guest: Jim Rembach. Jim Rembach is a certified Emotional Intelligence practitioner and former call center supervisor. Jim is the Founder of Beyond Morale, Call Center Coach, Ai for CX and a founding member of the Customer Experience Professionals Association’s CX Exp

There are plenty of tips and suggestions out there about how to be more productive. But like a lot of business advice and how-tos, they don't necessarily work for right-brained, creative thinking and innovative people. Karen Fritz has a superpower to see patterns in the chaos. Since much of creativity comes from chaos, that's a great place to start when trying to learn to be more productive! The Talking Stick is in your hands now. Let us hear from you. Be part of the conversation - Join our community Facebook group, Creative Warriors Unite, at www.joinwarriors.com and share your feelings and continue the conversation. If you want to apply to be a guest on Creative Warriors Talking Stick, CLICK HERE. Guest Contact - Karen's Fritz website- PurposeDrivenProcess.com Contact Jeffrey - Website Coaching support My book, LINGO: Discover Your Ideal Customer's Secret Language and Make Your Business Irresistible is now available! Watch my TEDX LincolnSquare video and please share!  Resources - 12 Must-Have Mindsets

As creatives we’ve all heard about the importance of creating good habits. After all, it’s not people who decide their destiny: it’s their habits that decide it for them. One problem I’ve noticed a lot of people I coach have is that they try to do too much all at once. They try to change their entire routine for the day, and it makes things complicated. Chances are a huge change, even an hour or more, can be nearly impossible to turn into a habit. You’re more likely to fall back into your old habits and not make the progress you want. The secret is to instead only change your routine by 5 minutes. You also don’t need to change your routine completely. By doing what today’s guest calls “habit stacking”, you’re able to shift to add a new habit to your day and make the transition easier. As you incorporate the new habit you may find yourself naturally spending more and more time on it without hesitation. These small changes, over the course of time, will lead to huge results. To dive more into this I brought on

Many Creative Warriors tend to think it’s impossible to harness the thing they are best at: creativity. They think it’s just a fountain that you let explode, and try to sort it all out later. There is a way to help with this, and it’s by creating a solid system. It seems like rules would restrict your creativity, and a system would burn you out: but that’s actually not true. A good system will allow your mind to do what it does best. It’ll autonomize the tedious things that waste your time every day. The trick is to find the right system for you. When you make that discovery, you’re going to make every moment in your life more valuable. You’re going to appreciate your work more, have more time outside of your business, and get rid of the anxiety that being an entrepreneur brings. To dive deeper into this, I brought on an amazing expert on systems: Marina Darlow. Marina Darlow is a systems' expert, and a productivity geek. She sees her job as helping impact-driven entrepreneurs get 10-20 more productive hours

I wrote an article years ago called, When Your Purpose Is Out To Kill You. In the case of our guest, Paula Brown, a near-death experience helped her find her purpose. And then, as is often the case, when we find our purpose it can feel like it's out to kill us. Metaphorically that is. Because of what we sacrifice. How hard it is to transition. That we can feel like we have no choice but to follow what's in our hearts and the quest we've been handed. I think you will be able to relate to Paula's experiences. The Talking Stick is in your hands now. Let us hear from you. Be part of the conversation - Join our community Facebook group, Creative Warriors Unite, at www.joinwarriors.com and share your feelings and continue the conversation. If you want to apply to be a guest on Creative Warriors Talking Stick, CLICK HERE. Guest Contact - Paula Brown's website Your 5-Step Purpose Quest Map Contact Jeffrey - Website Coaching support My book, LINGO: Discover Your Ideal Customer's Secret Language and Make Your Busine

There’s one thing I’ve always been intrigued to study, and I’m sure you have too: body language. The idea that people may be saying more than they realize; that you’re uncovering their secrets. It’s a really exciting thing. There are a lot of myths, though, in the study of body language. The first is that people can’t lie with their bodies. Of course we can, and of course we all do. All it takes is being aware of what your body is doing, and know what other people may be reading. For example, in conference rooms I’m often cold so I tend to cross my arms. I’m well aware that this can come off as aggressive or that I’m not caring, so I tend to force myself to keep them uncrossed. I’m essentially lying. When you try to read someone’s body, you need to consider a lot of details - including the environment. Our digital world also has in impact on our body language, and there are things that even a book written ten years ago can’t take into account. Like when I’m speaking, a lot of times I see people with their hea

Does it seem crazy to have a conversation with an addiction expert on a podcast about entrepreneurship? Let me ask you this. Have you ever felt like your reality was different than what people thought about you? Have you ever felt like an "imposter?" The truth of entrepreneurship is that the image of success and happiness we project isn't always what's going on behind the scenes. Not that different than what an addict and the people him or her are managing. Very compelling conversation. The Talking Stick is in your hands now. Let us hear from you. Be part of the conversation - Join our community Facebook group, Creative Warriors Unite, at www.joinwarriors.com and share your feelings and continue the conversation. If you want to apply to be a guest on Creative Warriors Talking Stick, CLICK HERE. Guest Contact - Jeff Jones' website Contact Jeffrey - Website Coaching support My book, LINGO: Discover Your Ideal Customer's Secret Language and Make Your Business Irresistible is now available! Watch my TEDX Linco

If you’re like me, chances are you don’t like the idea of networking. It might feel a little sleazy, and conjure up images of a guy at an event passing out business cards to everyone he meets. In reality, that isn’t networking - or at least it shouldn’t be. You’re already in a huge network. You’re probably six degrees away from meeting everyone you already need and want to meet. The thing to work on is not making new connections, but maintaining and leveraging the network you already have. Don’t let your old connection die. Keep up with people any chance you can, even if it’s just an email to see how they are doing. This way it’s not awkward when you find out you could use their help. To dive further into this, I brought back on the show a networking expert: David Burkus. David Burkus is a best-selling author, a sought after speaker, and associate professor of leadership and innovation at Oral Roberts University. His forthcoming book, Friend of a Friend, offers readers a new perspective on how to grow their n