The Self-Employed Life

The surprising truth about highly successful people is they are not crazy risk takers. Yes, they all take many risks, but they are, calculated risks! What today's guest calls Little Bets. We’re digging into ways to hedge your success by taking constant Little Bets. Peter Sims is the founder & CEO of Parliament, inc., and of BLK SHP (“black sheep”) who is also an accidental author. His latest book Little Bets: How Breakthrough Ideas Emerge from Small Discoveries, was selected as a one of the six best advice books for entrepreneurs by the Wall Street Journal and as one of the best business books of the year by The Washington Post, Inc. Magazine, AmEx OPEN. Peter is the coauthor with Bill George of True North: Discover Your Authentic Leadership, which was a Wall Street Journal and BusinessWeek best-seller. His articles have appeared in The New York Times, Bloomberg, The Financial Times, Harvard Business Review, Forbes, and TechCrunch. A graduate of Bowdoin College, who frequently speaks or advises companies and organizations, Peter has had a long-term collaboration with faculty at Stanford’s Institute of Design (the d.school) and received an M.B.A. from Stanford Business School.

If you’re one of the lucky ones, you might have known all along what you were meant to do. But for most, this is a process of discovery. So how do you figure out what you’re meant to do? Or what if you want to try something new? We’re going to explore practical tips and practices that allow you to embrace if you were born to do what you do! Chris Guillebeau is an entrepreneur, traveler, New York Times bestselling author and creator of the annual World Domination Summit. He visited every country in the world (193 in total) before his 35th birthday and for most of his adult life, he has modeled the proven definition of an entrepreneur: "Someone who will work 24 hours a day for themselves to avoid working one hour a day for someone else." Chris's first book, The Art of Non-Conformity, was translated into more than twenty languages. His second book, The $100 Startup, was an instant New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller. His third, The Happiness of Pursuit is one of my personal favorites. And his latest book, Born for This, helps readers find the work they were meant to do.

What could be more important than building relationships? Our guest today says, success in business and life is simple….be likable. Today we’re talking about the art of people. Dave Kerpen is the founder and CEO of Likeable Local, a social media software company serving small businesses. He is also the co-founder, along with his wife, Carrie of Likeable Media, an award-winning social media and word-of-mouth marketing agency. Likable Media is one of the 500 fastest growing private companies in the US according to INC Magazine for both 2011 and 2012. Dave is the #1 LinkedIn Influencer of all time in page views, ahead of Bill Gates, Jack Welch, Mark Cuban and Barack Obama. He has been featured on CNBC, BBC, ABC World News Tonight, the CBS Early Show, the New York Times, and has keynoted at conferences across the globe. He is also a New York Times bestseller and author of four books.

I often refer to us Creative Warriors as brave souls for putting ourselves on the line every day. Today, we’re talking about being bold. Which got me thinking about the difference between being brave and being bold. I think being bold is bravery with an edge. Courageousness with a bit more confidence. We could serve ourselves and others well as creative warriors by adding a bit more boldness to our bravery. Steven Kotler is a New York Times & Wall Street Journal bestselling author, an award-winning journalist, also appearing in over 80 publications, such as Atlantic Monthly, Forbes, PsychologyToday, Wired and TIME. He is the co-founder/director of research for the Flow Genome Project. He is one of the world’s leading experts on human performance. His book, Bold, co-authored with Peter Diamandis and was called a “visionary roadmap for change,” by President Bill Clinton. His previous book, The Rise of Superman, was the first book in history to land on national bestseller lists in the sports, science, and business categories simultaneously. In it, Steven decodes the science of flow, an optimal state where we feel and perform at our best. Steven's insights are both inspiring and motivating for the creative thinker. Those Creative Warriors who like big picture ideas and a true storyteller will love this episode!

It’s time to shake up your social media strategy! If you’re currently active in social media, our guest today will help you improve your strategy. If you’re not using social media to promote your brand, this episode hands down will inspire you to get in the game, like a renegade. Amy Jo Martin had a social media following of more than a 1.2 million people and was named the third most powerful woman on Twitter by Forbes. She travels the world to speak about the latest trends in innovation, the future of social communication and women in business. Amy Jo, author of New York Times best-seller Renegades Write the Rules, founded Digital Royalty in 2009 to help corporations, celebrities, and sports entities humanize their brands online. Amy Jo has worked closely with world-renowned brands such as Hilton Worldwide, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Shaquille O'Neal to successfully humanize their presence. Her motto is, humans connect with humans, not logos. A true renegade, Amy Jo was there in the wild wild west days of social media when there were no rules in place. After asking for a lot of forgiveness instead of permission, she became recognized as a social media pioneer.

We all know something about creativity, and yet much of the universal beliefs surrounding creativity may, in fact, be myths. Today, our guest is debunking some common held beliefs that will surprise you! We’re exposing The Myths of Creativity with David Burkus. David focuses on filling the gap between what science knows and what we most often do. He has made it his purpose to facilitate the transfer of good ideas about leadership, innovation, and strategy. David also writes regularly for Harvard Business Review, Forbes, 99U and PsychologyToday. David has delivered keynote speeches at Microsoft, SXSW and TEDx and is an associate professor of management at Oral Roberts University. He's also the host of Leader Lab, a podcast that shares insights on his passions: leadership, innovation, and strategy.

Whether you refer to it as an avatar, perfect client or buyer persona, the message is clear. If you want to connect fully with your clients, you must clearly understand how they think, act, react and feel. In today’s episode, we’re peeling back the rationale for building a buyer persona. Nick Kullin is a fearless young entrepreneur who always believed that inside of every successful self-made person is a poor kid who followed his dream. Nick took a somewhat unconventional path in life and started his entrepreneurial journey at an early age. His goals for the "best life" and control over his destiny lead him away from a traditional college-bound path and instead into building a successful marketing agency. While building his business, Nick realized that the companies who needed his help the most to grow, couldn’t afford the retainers or long-term commitments. Armed with passion, an acknowledged need, and a specific ability, he Founded Second Flight Academy; a premier 8-week 1-on-1 growth hacking, and marketing program designed to develop your buyer persona's.

One of the challenges of being a creative warrior, a creative person in business, is we are often called upon to be creative on-demand for those we serve. Today we’re discussing how to cultivate our creativity and the creative process so that your best work is always available to you on-demand. Michael J. Gelb is the world’s leading authority on the application of genius thinking to personal and organizational development. He is a pioneer in the fields of creative thinking, accelerated learning, and innovative leadership. Michael is the author of 14 books on creativity and innovation including the international best seller How to Think Like Leonardo Da Vinci: Seven Steps to Genius Every Day. Michael is the recipient of the Brain Trust Charity’s “Brain of the Year” 1999 award; other honorees include Prof. Stephen Hawking and Bill Gates. A former professional juggler who once performed with the Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan, he introduced the idea of teaching juggling as a means to promote accelerated learning and team-building.

As an entrepreneur, small business owner, creative warrior, or even a parent, do you consider that you are, a leader? Today we’re discussing leadership in the only way that makes sense for a Creative Warrior: Heart-Centered. Susan Steinbrecher is a business consultant and coauthor of Heart-Centered Leadership: Lead Well, Live Well. She is also the author of the Amazon bestseller, KENSHO: A Modern Awakening. As the CEO of Steinbrecher And Associates she serves as an executive coach, licensed mediator, professional speaker, and leadership advisor. Susan is an Inc.com columnist, Entrepreneur.com contributor, and Huffington Post blogger. Her work has been featured on MSNBC’s Your Business, The New York Times, Fortune Small Business, BusinessInsider.com, CNBC.com, and CNNMoney.com.

Have you ever wanted to be apart of a rare chat with a masterful creative thinker who has spent a lifetime helping others dare to live their dreams? That day has arrived! We have with us the amazing and legendary Julia Cameron. Julia is most known for her groundbreaking work, The Artist Way, but as you'll uncover her legacy is far reaching. Julia is the author of more than 40 books that have sold more than 4 million copies worldwide and is most certainly considered the Grand Dame of creative development. She has been an active artist for more than four decades, as well as a playwright, songwriter, and poet with multiple credits in theater, film, and television on top of being a creative process novelist. Today we as discussing Julia’s most recent book; It’s Never Too Late To Begin Again. Second chances are something we create, and in mid-life, as in anytime we are making a major transition there are always constructive inspirational ways to redefine and re-create your life.