The Thoughtful Entrepreneur

In this episode of the Thoughtful Entrepreneur, your host Josh Elledge speaks to the co-founder and CEO of 1440 Media, Tim Huelskamp. 1440 Media is a daily email newsletter that provides an impartial, comprehensive overview of the day’s events. They felt the media landscape wasn’t meeting all of the needs of the daily consumer. Most consumers have to skim through lots of websites to know what is going on in the world. That, and many outlets are now biased or editorialized. 1440 feels that the consumer should be trusted to draw their own conclusions from the data that the news provides. This is what started 1440 Media and they’re now at over 1.2 million subscribers. Their audience is a third Republican, a third Democrat, and a third Independent – and it’s 50/50 between men and women. The bottom line? No matter what your views are, there is clearly a need for unbiased, impartial and comprehensive news. But how do you grow to 1.2 million readers in three years (in the email space, no less!) Tim shares that they love organic word of mouth marketing, and they also collaborate and work with other newsletters. It’s not competitive like other spaces and newsletters don’t operate with “winner take all” mentalities. Scaling your newsletter by partnering with others and by putting the word out via social media are some other ways 1440 grew their audience. Email allows you to have a direct connection with your audience, Tim shares. This is why 1440 Media chose email. You can have a direct relationship that isn’t muddied by the rules and algorithms of a platform. You also have to remind your users to navigate to your app more often if you choose to use one. Sending your audience emails keeps you top of mind and while it may be seen as “old school”, it works well in this medium. 1440 Media stands out from curated news sources because they have in-house experts constantly reading what they’re publishing. For hours a day, their experts fact check everything – so you can trust the news you’re reading. Google News, Tim shares, can get clickbaity and while they have the best tech, AI can’t replace a human expert yet. He shares that Google prefers clickbait articles that will circulate heavily and go viral. 1440 believes that your newsfeed should keep you informed about the world first and foremost – ‘fun’ news has its place, but it shouldn't be a new source’s defining factor. Want to learn more? Check out 1440 Media’s website at https://join1440.com/. Check out 1440 Media on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/join1440media/. Check out Tim Huelskamp on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/tim-huelskamp-6957334/. Don’t forget to subscribe to The Thoughtful Entrepreneur and thank you for listening. Tune in next time!More from UpMyInfluence:✅ We are actively booking guests for our DAILY Entrepreneur Success Podcast. Schedule HERE.✅ Are you a 6-figure consultant? Let us fill your sales schedule and move you to 7-figures. Learn more here.✅ Check out our free Authority Transformation Masterclass. 

In this episode of the Thoughtful Entrepreneur, your host Josh Elledge speaks with Virtual CFO and the CEO of Profit Concierge, Pam Prior. Pam explains that she began in corporate finance – she then worked her way into the mid-market and now works with entrepreneurs. She brings an amazing amount of insight to the space and she shares that the finance industry really neglects the entrepreneurial space in general. These skills and the knowledge and best practices aren’t something you’re born with. Ultimately, Pam explains that there’s no shame in not always knowing the depths of your company’s finances. If you were never shown these things, how could you know how to implement them? Pam shares that helping entrepreneurs overcome shame and fear around finances is just as important as the actionable tactics. Pam’s one to one client base is made up of six-figure or more organizations. Profit Concierge will also work in a group format with newer entrepreneurs and startups. This format is more affordable for the less-seasoned business owner who wants to get started on the right foot. The biggest thing they help with, though, is helping an entrepreneur really understand their business. They help explain things in ways that help these business owners figure out solutions and trajectory on their own. Josh and Pam explore how business owners can problem-solve when they recognize profit issues. She explains the two most common scenarios she sees; either the business is profitable but the business owner has nothing in the bank, the business owner has a lot of money but needs to scale to get out of the weeds, or they’re out of money altogether and hit a cash flow wall.  Dealing with the crisis in question is important, but Pam takes it a step further by permanently changing the business owner’s systems and path. They offer their clients that ease and peace of mind. They simply help get you and your team performing well within the system. Pam also discusses how she works with her one on one clients and who would do well making that investment with her and her team. She shares that she puts educating her clients first and foremost. At the end of the day, she just wants to help entrepreneurs take better steps on their business journey. What Profit Concierge offers is true business peace of mind and a deeper understanding of your business’s finances and profitability. Want to learn more? Check out Profit Concierge’s website at https://www.profitconcierge.com/. Check out Profit Concierge on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/pampriorinc/.  Check out Pam Prior on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/pamelapriorcpa/. . Don’t forget to subscribe to The Thoughtful Entrepreneur and thank you for listening. Tune in next time!More from UpMyInfluence:✅ We are actively booking guests for our DAILY Entrepreneur Success Podcast. Schedule HERE.✅ Are you a 6-figure consultant? Let us fill your sales schedule and move you to 7-figures. Learn more here.✅ Check out our free Authority Transformation Masterclass.

In this episode of the Thoughtful Entrepreneur, your host Josh Elledge talks to the CEO of Coolperx, Lou Elliott-Cysewski. Coolperx is a sustainable branding merchandise company that works with enterprise companies to help them create brand merchandise programs that are built on sustainability. This means they’re offering innovative merchandise that's meaningful to their stakeholders.Lou shares that she went on a discovery journey to discover the innovations of new products with branding opportunities. She saw opportunities for companies to turn the typical expectations on their head and offer something with enterprise branding to consumers that they could truly use. She wanted these items to help communities and show that these companies really do appreciate their customers. Lou also talks about what items are being branded during the pandemic. Right now, they’re seeing sanitization products and even sweatpants to help communities feel comforted and cozy!Josh and Lou also talk about other products Coolperx has sourced. One company they worked with, she shares, wanted to reinvent backpacks. The backpack they chose is totally sustainable and are refurbished after they are discarded. This is a way for major enterprises to show they care about sustainability and actually giving back to the community. Offering products that serve a purpose on a sustainable foundation is an amazing way to send these messages. It all starts with research, Lou shares. Networking is one way she grew her expertise, and she continues to invest in networking to consistently grow her business. Josh and Lou also explore her military experience. As an Army nurse, she understood how to function without a sense of stability. This training and experience contributed to how she runs her business today. She shares that she responds as needed – this is what helps her cope with the daily stressors of running a successful business. Most of Coolperx’s business comes from referrals. Their approach is so unique and different that they only target enterprises that value sustainability. No matter how you slice it, Coolperx is redefining the ‘swag’ space in big business. As thought leaders in the space, they are pushing for the industry to adapt. There are standards the industry should live up to – and they push for that message to become the norm. Understanding the carbon footprint of the products you choose to disperse as an enterprise is incredibly important and wildly under practiced. Coolperx can help enterprises take an innovative, sustainable look at their merchandise product offerings. Want to learn more? Check out Coolperx’s website at https://www.coolperx.com/. Check out Coolperx on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/coolperx/. Check out Lou Elliott-Cysewski on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/louelliottcysewski/#experience. Don’t forget to subscribe to The Thoughtful Entrepreneur and thank you for listening. Tune in next time!More from UpMyInfluence:✅ We are actively booking guests for our DAILY Entrepreneur Success Podcast. Schedule HERE.✅ Are you a 6-figure consultant? Let us fill your sales schedule and move you to 7-figures. Learn more here.✅ Check out our free Authority Transformation Masterclass.

In this episode of the Thoughtful Entrepreneur, your host Josh Elledge talks to the co-founder and CEO of Monarchy, Nicole Tabs. Nicole has a background in being an internet influencer. Monarchy started as an influencer marketing company that connects brands and influencers. They have evolved over time and added more people into their company that really understand the industry and can achieve results. Over time, they added more and more expertise until they finally became a marketing agency in general. They then evolved again into an “engine” that helps with business development strategies and solutions. Josh and Nicole also explore some best marketing practices overall. If you want to see an impact in your sales, first make sure you choose the right influencers – but only within an entire strategy. If you align your entire marketing strategy with the influencer marketing, you’ll see optimized results. Your personal social media accounts, website, email marketing, landing pages, messaging, copy, message per platform, optimization per platform, and your influencer marketing all have to move together like an oiled machine. Strategizing to align these aspects can be both cumbersome and complex – but it is definitely important if you want to see results. Today’s public is inundated with content all the time, which means it takes better ads and targeting to achieve your goals. It’s harder now than it’s ever been to reach your target audience with ads, but it is possible to grab the attention of the right audience.Thinking through the whole marketing journey is incredibly important. Influencer marketing is only the very top of the funnel. Assume every consumer is fickle – they might click if an influencer they trust is informing them about it for the first time, but if you don’t have a well thought out funnel and targeting, you’ll lose a bunch of those leads. Leave no barriers in place, especially when it comes to advertising. If you’re a business owner who has seen some success and traffic but just can’t seem to break into the next level, consider reaching out to Monarchy and their team. If you want to make a difference by making a bigger impact, you need to see results. Monarchy takes a holistic approach to marketing and offers unique insights into the influencer marketing space. Monarchy is industry agnostic and works with brands of all shapes, sizes, and verticals. If you’re interested in learning more about their background and origin story, check out their About page here. Want to learn more? Check out Monarchy’s website at https://monarchy.io/. Check out Nicole’s website at https://www.nicoletabs.com. Check out Monarchy on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/monarchy-io/.  Check out Nicole Tabs on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicole-tabs-38b66119b/. Don’t forget to subscribe to The Thoughtful Entrepreneur and thank you for listening. Tune in next time!More from UpMyInfluence:✅ We are actively booking guests for our DAILY Entrepreneur Success Podcast. Schedule HERE.✅ Are you a 6-figure consultant? Let us fill your sales schedule and move you to 7-figures. Learn more here.✅ Check out our free Authority Transformation Masterclass.

In this episode of the Thoughtful Entrepreneur, your host Josh Elledge speaks with the CEO and Fund Manager at PetroFunders, Maurice Dukes. PetroFunders is a fintech-powered investment platform that aims to provide income from the oil and gas industry in a simple and easy fashion. They offer an online dashboard where people can check their investments and distributions. They've created the oil and gas version of a real estate investment trust. They have a vehicle someone can subscribe to and leverage PetroFunders’ oil and gas expertise. At that point, PetroFunders can go and buy royalties on that person’s behalf. Royalties are portions of income strains that are already creating cash flow.Marucie shares what makes this attractive to investors. For one, the oil and gas industry is generally low risk. They only purchase royalties, they aren't going out and drilling to find new oil. They only deal in cash flow. Due to inflation, this is a natural hedge that investors are looking at. It can fit in many different types of portfolios and it is accessible to more diverse income backgrounds.Maurice’s background is in petroleum engineering. He ended up in asset management and corporate management of assets across the country. As a fund manager, that experience gives him an edge. He's not just coming from finance, he’s coming from asset management and petroleum engineering. Josh asks Maurice what types of investments people should look at the oil and gas space. He shares that the people typically attracted to this space are those who need income as part of their portfolio. Oil and gas exposure can help protect your portfolio from inflation. Consistent, regular income entering your portfolio can hedge off higher inflation prices. This is one of the most accessible platforms to use to gain access to investing in the oil and gas industry. Their platform lets anyone invest, not just those who are accredited. It’s meant to be easy and accessible, whether you’re high net worth or not. The best part? Their target return is 9 - 10%. Again, because these are royalties, they’re investments that are already generating cash flow. If you’re looking for income, check out PetroFunders. As far as growing their platform, they are seeking to get in front of new investors every day. They have already been networking with their existing connections and are also able to leverage their presence on social media. If you have a strong affinity for income generating investments, check out PetroFunder where the minimum starting investment is $10,000. Want to learn more? Check out PetroFunder’s website at https://petrofunders.com/. Check out Maurice Dukes and PetroFunders on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/petro360/.Don’t forget to subscribe to The Thoughtful Entrepreneur and thank you for listening. Tune in next time!More from UpMyInfluence:✅ We are actively booking guests for our DAILY Entrepreneur Success Podcast. Schedule HERE.✅ Are you a 6-figure consultant? Let us fill your sales schedule and move you to 7-figures. Learn more here.✅ Check out our free Authority Transformation Masterclass.

In this episode of the Thoughtful Entrepreneur, your host Josh Elledge speaks to the CEO of Havoc Shield, Brian Fritton. Havoc Shield believes security is a top competitive advantage when it comes to gaining customers. Brian started as a software engineer but ultimately became a cybersecurity expert. He shares that many businesses engage contractors for their cyber security needs, but the issues start when it comes to costs, not to mention the complexities of the foundational work. Getting serious about cybersecurity is essential, and many contractors are also booked up. Too many business owners are seeing the negative effects of bad cybersecurity, so this boom in investing in cybersecurity will only get more intense. Doing cybersecurity internally is much more difficult than you might think, and hiring a third party expert to provide top notch protection is often your best bet, both time wise and financially over time. Brian shares that it’s always been important to him to protect others, and protecting other business owners and founders gives him purpose. Brian and Josh also explore how to audit your cybersecurity measures. For one thing, your login credentials need to be truly secured. Those are your ‘keys to the kingdom’ and are extremely vulnerable. Brian says you MUST enable multi-factor authentication to secure your credentials. Use the app, not text messaging, when you use multi-factor authentication. Brian also explains that the human element also has to be considered; if your team members are sharing passwords or clicking suspicious links, the tech you invested in isn’t effective. Make the education about protecting your company’s security a learning moment, not a punishment. Humans can be used by thieves for attacks. Protect your team by teaching them all about this topic. Josh also talks about how password security has changed. Brian shares that new technology is coming out that will eliminate the need for passwords using behavior based and hardware token based technologies that work together with your biometrics, behavior, and location. It will take years, though, for this to be commonplace. There’s been updated guidance on how passwords should be changed; what’s recommended is that your password is at least 12 characters long (mixing character case can’t hurt but isn’t as important), but your passwords MUST be unique to everything you use. You might be asking yourself how you could possibly remember it all. Brian explains that password managers are either  free or extremely affordable and remember and autofill your passwords for you. There are ways to protect your business’s cybersecurity affordably, but look into all of your options and make sure to invest in better cybersecurity for the sake of your business. Want to learn more? Check out Havoc Shield’s website at https://havocshield.com/. Check out Havoc Shield on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/havoc-shield/. Check out Brian Fritton on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/bfritton/. Don’t forget to subscribe to The Thoughtful Entrepreneur and thank you for listening. Tune in next time!More from UpMyInfluence:✅ We are actively booking guests for our DAILY Entrepreneur Success Podcast. Schedule HERE.✅ Are you a 6-figure consultant? Let us fill your sales schedule and move you to 7-figures. Learn more here.✅ Check out our free Authority Transformation Masterclass.

In this episode of the Thoughtful Entrepreneur, your host Josh Elledge talks to the founder and Chief Inspiration Officer of Inspired Purpose Coaching, Tony Martignetti.Tony details that he helps accomplished leaders climb the right mountains and connect with their own inspired purposes. Even high achievers can get lost when trying to find their purpose, and this is where Inspired Purpose Coaching can help. Tony shares that he does both one and one coaching as well as facilitated group activities that help these leaders grow as a team. Bringing people together really made a big impact, Tony observed, and so this is how he does a lot of his work. Team building can be one of the best ways to uncover your purpose. Tony also explores the lessons he learned from his own experiences. He spent most of his life in the biomedical field – but he realized something was missing in his life. He was left feeling unfulfilled, burned out, and ultimately not happy. He wanted to change the view from his “mountaintop”, and so he tried something new, and this is how he found the path to coaching. Josh and Tony explore how to know when you’re climbing the wrong mountain. Is each day feeling more like a chore? What is causing your lack of fulfillment? Tony shares thoughts on which paths to explore and take and he advises experimenting rather than taking a big leap until you’re ready. Don’t put it off forever, either, but don’t rush into things when you need to do some soul searching first. Tony says that taking time for yourself to sort through these feelings and let these thoughts settle and reveal themselves is critical. Finding a new path requires adopting new perspectives. Tony and Josh also talk about finding balance. There’s never a one size fits all solution to a problem – sometimes you have to take a step back and ask yourself if the results of what you want to do will have a negative impact. You have to move fast and slow and be both compassionate and accountable. Balance is the starting point, but that goes hand in hand with being humble in the face of new challenges. You won’t have all the answers when the world is constantly changing – but you can solve problems flexibly. Offer intellectual humility, admit when you’re not the expert, and be transparent with both yourself and your team to truly live your inspired purpose. Want to learn more? Check out Inspired Purpose Coaching’s website at https://www.inspiredpurposecoach.com/. Check out Inspired Purpose Coaching on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/inspiredpurposecoach/. Check out Tony Martignetti on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/tonymartignett1/. Don’t forget to subscribe to The Thoughtful Entrepreneur and thank you for listening. Tune in next time!More from UpMyInfluence:✅ We are actively booking guests for our DAILY Entrepreneur Success Podcast. Schedule HERE.✅ Are you a 6-figure consultant? Let us fill your sales schedule and move you to 7-figures. Learn more here.✅ Check out our free Authority Transformation Masterclass.

In this episode of the Thoughtful Entrepreneur, your host Josh Elledge speaks to life design coach, advisor, and founder of Life Design, Carlos Hidalgo. For the last 25 years, Carlos had been a marketer. He’s worked for massive brands before embarking on his first entrepreneurial venture – he’s worked for himself ever since. Since then, his consultancy has grown, he learned lessons along the way, started a second consultancy, and he wrote a book. Now, he’s coaching people on how to live their lives by design.Carlos shares that companies get caught in the “shiny new object” syndrome – all while losing focus of what really matters; doing the basics and truly connecting to your customer. Know what your customers need and want to feel and empathize with them. Carlos’s book, The Unamerican Dream, is an autobiography about how he misprioritized his life by putting his family on the back burner to grind at work. As he dived into his own business, he realized many of his peers felt the same misery in their work. America has a problem with overworking, and while we do live in the land of opportunity, we are all chronic workaholics. If heart disease is on the rise as a result of work stress, something is definitely wrong. Life should be lived by design, rather than lived as a rat race. Carlos and Josh discuss the ways that Carlos changed his life after he had these realizations. After he hit rock bottom, he relocated to live a simpler life. Ask yourself why you’re working as hard as you do and what for. Don’t think about your business plan – think about your LIFE plan and fit work in where it will. Work is only a part of your life, and it shouldn't be your number one priority. Carlos works with his clients to discover what they really want out of life, how they need to start making changes to achieve that, and then they work on execution. He offers one on one coaching for a more individualized and intimate approach. He also offers cohort coaching, which just launched in January of 2022. This is a mix of peer and one on one coaching, which is where he felt he saw a need in his space. At the end of the day, you don’t have to make a massive change in a single day. Take daily strides towards what you want. You don’t need to give up your lifestyle or wealth, you have to strategize the ways in which you can live well and work less. Want to learn more? Check out Life Design’s website at https://www.yourlifedesignjourney.com/.  Check out Carlos Hidalgo on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/carlosahidalgo/. Don’t forget to subscribe to The Thoughtful Entrepreneur and thank you for listening. Tune in next time!More from UpMyInfluence:✅ We are actively booking guests for our DAILY Entrepreneur Success Podcast. Schedule HERE.✅ Are you a 6-figure consultant? Let us fill your sales schedule and move you to 7-figures. Learn more here.✅ Check out our free Authority Transformation Masterclass.

In this episode of the Thoughtful Entrepreneur, your host Josh Elledge talks to the owner and President of ENCON, David Indursky. Started in 1968, ENCON is a self-performing contractor in the mechanical electrical space. They serve most of the state of New Jersey in the commercial industrial sector. On their website, ENCON shares that it has built a legacy of trust, client care, collaboration, safety and industry leadership throughout its first 50 years. Now, it’s taking its evolving heritage and modernizing for the next 50 years of positive growth. The company started more than 50 years ago with a single humidifier installation and now features multiple divisions: Design/Engineering, Build, Connect, Maintain, Electrical Power Wiring & Systems. The core mission to create systems that help buildings run more efficiently and more comfortably remain Encon’s guiding principles.Josh and David explore how taking over a family business can be an opportunity for growth and innovation. David shares that his father had the wisdom to know his son could offer a new perspective and this is how they had a smooth familial transition. Part of this is also achieved by earning the respect of your team. You have to work just as hard, especially if you’re carrying on a family legacy. Be willing to do the dirty work when you’re called upon to do so. David also discusses how ENCON has traversed the pandemic. He shares that his business was essential during the pandemic, so they invested in safety equipment to keep his team and customers safe. They have continued their successful work throughout the pandemic, all while being thoughtful and aware of what was going on in the world they operated in. David also shares how ENCON priotritzes their employees’ family and home lives. Their leadership teams want their people to see their families and attend their kids’ ball games and recitals. Being grateful for your team and respecting that they have lives just as much as they have jobs is key. One of the biggest leadership challenges David shares he has experienced was the lack of engagement with his team during the pandemic. They’ve had to work entirely remotely and he’s missed the ‘little things’ with his employees. They have internal and external people they’re looking to work with; they’re always looking for young, talented people and they offer a lot of training in their industry. Externally, if you own a large building or campus in the tri-state area, feel free to contact ENCON. They’re a boots on the ground solution and a self-performing contractor. Want to learn more? Check out ENCON’s website at https://www.enconmech.com/. Check out David Indursky on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-indursky-2b81917/. Check out ENCON on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/encon-mech/. Don’t forget to subscribe to The Thoughtful Entrepreneur and thank you for listening. Tune in next time!More from UpMyInfluence:✅ We are actively booking guests for our DAILY Entrepreneur Success Podcast. Schedule HERE.✅ Are you a 6-figure consultant? Let us fill your sales schedule and move you to 7-figures. Learn more here.✅ Check out our free Authority Transformation Masterclass.

In this episode of the Thoughtful Entrepreneur, your host Josh Elledge speaks to business growth consultant and sales marketing strategist, Jessica Yarbrough. Jessica’s focus is breaking the myth of the traditional ascension model approach to internet marketing. She says enough of the funnels, upselling, with only the vague hope to sell high ticket items. She shares that this approach actually just isolates you from your ideal prospects. Ascension model marketing doesn’t work with high level leads – it just doesn't. High ticket prospects are sophisticated and recognize amateur marketing when they see it. They don’t have time to be sold to. The people who have time and need money will invest in an e-course, the people who have money but not time won’t. You can’t sell to those prospects in the same way. Jessica shares that you have to share your high ticket offer in an intimate setting after developing an established relationship with a prospect. Jessica explains that you have to flip the ascension model on its head. You need to offer a high ticket, intimate experience for your high level clientele. This model is faster and more profitable – you’ll hit your revenue goals faster than ever. This is easier and also more impactful, too. You’ll also get feedback in real time and you’ll know, with integrity, that your offer is proven and validated. If you’re really advocating for your audience, you should teach them what you know. Josh shares that he feels you need to feel great about your market and your offering before going broad. You have a more superior product when you take it through its various iterations before going broad; let it evolve and level itself up by being an intimate, feedback-heavy program. You can scale your product through great delivery. Acquisition is great, but if your delivery on the back end isn’t tip top, your reputation will suffer. The high touch experience can only scale when you truly help your clients and provide great results. How do you find big ticket clients, though? Jessica and Josh explore how to build relationships with high level prospects. Is your offer correct and are you marketing to the right people? They’re either not at the level to buy your product yet or they’re not seeing the value and aren’t taking you seriously. It needs to solve an urgent need and truly be impactful to attract high ticket leads. People will always be willing to pay you more if you treat them as though you’re their mentor, not their peer. They should want to aspire to achieve your level and authority. Want to learn more? Check out Jessica’s website at https://jessicayarbrough.com/. Check out Jessica Yarbrough on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessicayarbrough-bizconsultant/. Don’t forget to subscribe to The Thoughtful Entrepreneur and thank you for listening. Tune in next time!More from UpMyInfluence:✅ We are actively booking guests for our DAILY Entrepreneur Success Podcast. Schedule HERE.✅ Are you a 6-figure consultant? Let us fill your sales schedule and move you to 7-figures. Learn more here.✅ Check out our free Authority Transformation Masterclass.