The Self-Employed Life

You know the old phrase "It's not what you know. It's who you know?" Never has that been truer than today in the world of social media and online presence. Today we're talking about being a person of influence and how your social currency is a business strategy. “Before Timeline and tweets, before a blog was called a blog before anyone even knew what a web browser was, Tara Hunt was there. Often labeled a pioneer of online and social marketing, the Canadian has been an observer of the realm's development and a force in influencing it.” ~ says Entrepreneur Magazine. Tara Hunt is a digital marketing "native" with over 16 years of experience, the author of one of the first books on how the social web is changing business called The Whuffie Factor, a prolific public speaker, that has created and executed proven digital and social strategies across multiple industries and platforms. Tara stopped by to share her insights on how Creative Warriors can increase their social currency and influence.

Today we're getting our hustle on with a guy who has little time for sleep. Let's face it, success is hard work and sometimes the best thing we can do is be honest about that. Too many people in the get rich quick online marketing world make it all look easy. Success is hard work and losing some sleep may not be such a bad thing, especially the kind some people do when their eyes are open! In 2010, David Shands left his waiter's job at the Cheesecake Factory and founded the lifestyle brand Sleep is 4 Suckers which is devoted to entrepreneurship and motivating individuals to make the most out of every 24 hours. Specializing in branding and professional development, he has grown a massive audience across all social media channels. David utilizes his platform as a speaker and mindset tailor to inspire wealth-building principles and motivate growth. Since its inception, the Si4S brand has expanded beyond apparel and accessories to become a vehicle for inspiring the grind that is necessary for success and longevity. David has just released his first book; Dreams Are Built Over Night: How to Build a Bridge Between Your Day Job and your Daydream.

At the end of the day, being happy and successful is about owning who you are and making it work for you. Today we're speaking with the superhero of nerds, RebelOne, to learn about how to level up your life and bring out the superhero in you. Many people believe that Steve Kamb was created in a laboratory in the 1940s as part of a top-secret government program to fight the Nazis. Those people are wrong; that was Steve Rogers, and he became Captain America. But close enough. Steve Kamb is the founder of NerdFitness, a worldwide fitness community and the author of the recently released book, Level Up Your Life. While running his company from a laptop, Steve has adventured all over the world, explored the ruins of Machu Picchu, dived with sharks on the Great Barrier Reef, and lived like James Bond in Monte Carlo. He has guest lectured at Google, Google Dublin, Facebook, TEDxEmory, and regularly speaks at Vanderbilt University. Steve recently moved to New York City to continue his quest of becoming Captain America. He spends his free time picking up heavy things, singing off-key, gaming, and playing music as loudly as possible. He hopes to one day own an island in the Caribbean, be part of a heist, and reach level 50 in the Game of Life.

When you're doing amazing things in the world as a Creative Warrior, it's imperative you take care of yourself. There's a good chance that without you, you wouldn't have a business. So today we're changing it up a bit and talking about your health and well-being. Angela Martindale is the creator of the Ultimate Transformation Lifestyle Series, Founder of Meals That Transform, creator of Chi Yoga Flow and a nutrition and fitness expert for celebrities including Tom Cruise, Katie Couric, Jimmy Buffet, Tom Hanks and Annette Benning to name a few. Angela is a contributor to various fitness, nutrition and lifestyle publications as well as an inspirational speaker and mentor in lifestyle management and wellness, turning her personal trauma into strong messages of hope and empowerment. Did we mention the food? We speak from personal experience at Creative Warriors when we say Angela's OM Vanilla Cranberry Power Butter and OM Power Bars are the best we've had!

Being a small business owner is double the work. We have to develop as an individual and business while gaining a clear understanding of what our customers value. Joined by a behavioral researcher and strategist Dan Gregory, we dig into how to get out of our way to gain an understanding of how to inspire people to go from a prospect to customer. Dan is an author, educator and social commentator. He is the President and CEO of The Impossible Institute™, a think-tank founded to make what’s not… possible! His specialization is the why and how of human behavior and thinking – our drives, our motives, the things that motivate us to buy in. Leading one of Australia most prolific strategic and creative teams, Dan has helped develop new product lines for Coca-Cola and Unilever, invented new media formats for News Corp and launched campaigns for companies as varied as the United Nations, Vodafone, and MTV. His mission is to turn Impossible Thinking™ into an epidemic.

It's safe to say that all small businesses want customers to be drawn to them, but unlike a moth to a flame, we want them to stick with us and not get burned. We want to be magnetic! Today you're going to hear about how to be magnetic and the art of attracting business by actively challenging assumptions to create a new way of thinking. Joe Calloway helps leaders, owners, and entrepreneurs make great companies even better. He helps organizations focus on what is truly important, inspires new thinking to create opportunities, and motivates people to take immediate action. Joe is the Executive In Residence at Belmont Univeristy's Center For Entrepreneurship. His diverse experience includes having owned a restaurant in Nashville, TN, being inducted into The Speaker Hall of Fame, to currently serving as Advisor on Business Development with Gilson Boards, a snowboard design and manufacturing company. A consultant, speaker and author of five ground-breaking business books. We take ample time to dive into his latest book, Magnetic: The Art of Attracting Business.

Without a strong mindset, you won't be able to create better habits in your life. Without good habits, you will never gain any serious momentum with your biggest goals. Sometimes you can hear the same inspiring messages over and over and yet do nothing differently. Until one day, you hear the right thing at the right time. Ian Ryan's life has been full of tough lessons, crazy change, failure, success and a few BIG AH HA moments. After the loss of his brother this past January, he realized that it was time to share his story and connect with people who want to be inspired. Long before that pivotal moment, Ian became obsessed with the human psychology behind living a healthy, confident and inspiring life. He wanted to understand the keys to success in both mental and physical performance. Today Ian helps people live healthier, more confident and inspired lives. He is a certified personal trainer, nutrition coach, and entrepreneur, and the creator of the Golden Habits blog spot where he offers the best tips for creating more confidence through health.

We're coming upon that time of year when there's tends to be a lot of conferences. Our guest today is a conference catalyst who will help you get the most out of the conferences you attend and perhaps completely change your mind about why and how to network. Thom Singer has more than 25 years of sales and marketing experience and is an expert in branding, positioning, and networking. He has authored ten books on the power of business relationships, networking, presentation skills, and entrepreneurship. Thom sets the tone for better engagement at industry events as the opening keynote speaker and the Master of Ceremonies. His Conference Catalyst Program has become a “meeting planners” favorite in how it transforms the conference attendee experience. As the host of the popular “Cool Things Entrepreneurs Do” podcast, Thom interviews business leaders, entrepreneurs, solopreneurs, and others who possess an extra dose of the entrepreneurial spirit. Thom has a knack for challenging people to be more engaged and enthusiastic in all their actions.

One of the more challenging transitions for a creative person is to see themselves as a business. Today's guest writes about work and creativity in the age of distraction. She is interested in inspiring you to be creative, and get into action, so you can make your amazing talent available in the world. Jocelyn Glei is a writer who’s obsessed how we can infuse more creativity and meaning into our daily work. She is the bestselling author and editor of three books that have sold over a quarter of a million copies: Manage Your Day-to-Day, Maximize Your Potential, and Make Your Mark, which offer pragmatic, actionable advice for creatives on managing their time, their careers, and their businesses. She was formerly the Founding Editor of 99u.com, which earned two Webby Awards for Best Cultural Blog and a rabid fan base of productivity nerds. She also led the curation of the very popular annual 99u conference, which hosts an incredible array of creatives.

As Warriors often do, we're going to take an opposite approach to the New Year. While everyone is is talking about more goal setting and freshening up their to-do lists for the new year, we are talking about doing less. We have some great advice, practical tips and technology suggestions that will help you do less and live more in 2016. Isn't that what it's all about! Ari Meisel is an author, speaker, coach, TEDx presenter and the creator of Less Doing, More Living—a set of practices and principles designed to help the overwhelmed become less stressed and more efficient. Ari's ideas help people surmount the insurmountable and create flow. A New York native, Ari spent his formative years in the Empire State before leaving to attend the University of Pennsylvania, where he obtained his degree in economics from Wharton School. Following his studies, Ari began a successful career in real estate development until the unexpected took him off-course in 2006. Ever since his journey has been in service to Less Doing, More Living.