It was lovely having Susie Miller on the podcast. She’s a successful entrepreneur, podcaster, author and a Huffington Post contributing writer.

Susie’s super power is her willingness to discuss openly and honestly any topic. She feels that when people share and talk openly about what they’re feeling it builds collaboration and community, benefitting everyone.

She knows first-hand how hard it is to have a spouse and run your own business at the same time. “Entrespouse” is a term gaining in popularity and is something that Susie speaks to quite a bit. Often a spouse can feel like they’re competing with the business for the attention of the entrepreneur in the couple. This can really hurt the relationship.

In her work over the years with entrepreneurs, she found that “A lot of people were bankrupting their relationships in pursuit of success.”

Because of this issue, she found a way to tag the entrepreneur’s natural concern for profits to their personal life. This lead Susie to the P.R.O.F.I.T. Method.

• Priorities – We have plans for business or work, but not for our relationships. The things that are important to our spouses should be important to us. Every entrepreneur needs to understand how their actions communicate to their spouse.
• Rekindle – Over the years relationships can go from romance to roommates. We often get consumed with all we do for our businesses and we neglect our spouse. Rekindling the romance in the relationship has long-term benefits for the marriage.
• Open Up – Communication skills are of utmost importance in business and in maintaining important relationships. Having conversations, whether serious or fun and silly, are important as long as what’s being discussed is meaningful to both of you. Be aware of sharing too much or too little.
• Focus – Being present is an important part of business success, and it’s also a major part of relational success. When you’re at work, be there 100%. When you’re in your relationship, be there 100%. You also need to learn how to get back to the present moment when something pulls you away temporarily.
• Intentional Interactions – Be intentional in your interactions, and you can even utilize the technology you use daily in your business to bring you closer to your spouse.
• Tenacity – It takes hard work for a relationship to stay strong over time. You have to be tenacious and be willing to work hard on it. Be honest with your spouse in what will make your relationship be a lasting one.

 

Susie said something that will strike home with many entrepreneurs:

“Entrepreneurship is like a high-wire solo act, and marriage is about sharing and stability and two becoming one. They are so diametrically opposite that you really have to pause and think about it.”

Susie was a delight to speak with and she’s so insightful and experienced when it comes to helping entrepreneurs develop and maintain their relationships outside of the businesses they run. I learned so much from her and I’m sure you will as well.

 

SOME QUESTIONS I ASK:

• Why is Susie an entrepreneur?
• Was there a personal moment that led to her discovering the entrepreneur lifestyle?
• Was there a mentor or somebody who has really impacted her life and guided her?
• Does she have any stories about rock star couples who have turned their relationships around due to her help?
• What are some questions that entrepreneurs can ask themselves to engage their thinking and build up their relationships?

IN THIS EPISODE, YOU WILL LEARN:

• About the mentors that Susie has drawn much wisdom from
• Some stories from successful couples that she has coached
• Some questions that entrepreneurs can ask themselves to keep them on the right relational paths
• The type of legacy that Susie wants to leave the world with
• Plus much more…

GO MAKE AN IMPACT:

• Regarding your own relationships, ask yourself:
  • Am I really listening to what my spouse is saying and communicating?
  • What can I learn and embrace about my spouse today?
  • How does my spouse show love, and how do they want love expressed to them?

DON’T STOP HERE…

• Learn more about Susie: Website
• The Better Relationship Podcast: iTunes
• Susie’s book ‘Listen, Learn, Love: How to Dramatically Improve Your Relationships in 30 Days or Less!’: Amazon

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:

• Michael Hyatt’s Best Year Ever: Website
• Dan Miller of 48 Days: Website

 

 

 

If you could pick any superpower, what would it be and how would you use it?

If I had to pick a superpower it’d have to be healing, the ultimate physician and healer. I can’t think of a more powerful and impactful superpower. If I could touch anybody and all of a sudden ailment and disease are taken away, I think that wins.

 

What was the impact moment that launched you on the path of entrepreneurship?

The idea of Building Champions came to me after taking a sabbatical from the mortgage banking world. What fueled my passion for this business was that I loved the coaching piece of my last job. I really excelled at management and my style of management was to work with really talented, hungry, humble people and help go further, faster.

Something that really excited me was owning my own company. I was surrounded by entrepreneurs from my grandparents to aunts and uncles. They were all startup kind of folks. I saw that as really real and possible.

 

Can you tell us a story of a mentor in your life who impacted your mindset and influenced outlook on your life and business?

I’m always comfortable with asking people for help. I will always people for a cup of coffee. I will always ask people for 30 minutes.

I always pushed myself to get out of my comfort zone. Therefore it enabled me to meet with a bunch a people that other people might be intimidated by.

 

You co-authored Living Forward with Michael Hyatt, but you were the first one to introduce him to the concept?

I started coaching Michael and walked him through the Life Planning process which is one of the things we outlined in Living Forward. It made a profound impact on him, his thinking, his beliefs, his behaviors, and he’s grown immensely since then. He loved Life Planning. He began sharing it. He wrote an ebook off our process, and then a couple years later approached me and said, “Hey, would you like to write this book with me?” and I said, “Dude I’m going to write it, so let’s give it a go together.” I’m really grateful we came together and created the Living Forward piece.

 

What is a Life Plan, and why do we need it?

This Life Plan has your vision, your purpose, your primary role, and then it has specific actions that you can implement on a daily and weekly basis, so that every time you do you’re mindful of increasing net worth in all those areas. So it helps you to see what’s really important to you, and how you can strategically close the gap from current reality to that future state. A Life Plan is a dynamic tool that you plan from. It helps you to make more intentional decisions.

You need one because most of us drift through life. Most of us will not tend to what matters most today. We buy a lie that we can get to it tomorrow. You need one so you don’t amass great net worth in certain accounts in your life, and go bankrupt in some others that are really important.

 

“How you lead life, impacts how you lead others. People don’t leave companies, they leave leaders.”

 

What are the main questions we need to be asking ourselves as we approach completing our Life Plan?

Am I ready to fill my days with more intentionality? Am I at a place where I don’t want to feel like I’m out of control anymore? Am I at a place in my life where I know no matter what, I’m not going to get it all done, but I need to get the right things done?

 

What would you tell a 21-year old who looks at the word “legacy” and doesn’t think it applies to them?

The sooner you come to grips with your mortality, and the opportunity you have today to make a difference – regardless of how young you are – you can make a huge difference today, but you’ve got to be crystal clear on what matters most to you. This world today doesn’t need a bunch of people to just say yes and go along with the trend. What we need is people who stand for something.

 

What impact can we expect to see from completing the Life Plan?

You’re going to see impact everywhere. I’m not saying if you do it you’re going to have this perfect life. What is does is position to be filling your days and reacting to whatever life throws your way in ways that enable you to make proactive and intentional decisions. You’re in control more than you think so there’s peace in that. At the end of the day, when you look at your life 30 years from now, if you do this, you’re going to have a much high probability of living a regret-free life.

 

How will you measure your life?

What fans my flames is how I impact others. My life’s going to be measured by how I live out my gifts, my callings, my passions, my purpose so I make a positive and lasting difference in the life of everybody I come into contact with.

 

MP3 Direct Download

 

Show Links

Daniel’s Coaching Company – buildingchampions.com

Living Forward book – livingforwardbook.com

Living Forward Life Assesment – livingforwardassessment.com

Facebook/Twitter – @DanielHarkavy

“On the other side of fear is success.”

 On this episode of The Impact Entrepreneur Show we have Amy Cosper, vice president and editor-in-chief of Entrepreneur Magazine.

 

If you could pick any superpower, what would it be and how would you use it?

Having the ability to fly, and see all kinds of things, and go on all kinds of adventures.

I think that having a superpower that lends itself to adventures is good for the human spirit. The ability to see things from different perspectives is good for the soul.

 

Who is a person whose impacted you as a leader and entrepreneur?

The person who gave me sense of confidence and natural curiosity was my mother.

My mother exposed me to a lot of different things which gave me a different world view and an appreciation for all things adventurous, and just having the ability to be curious.

 

Do you think there’s a critical thinking gap in entrepreneurship today, and what advantages do entrepreneurs that possess the ability to think critically and write well have over those who don’t possess those skills?

I think there are always gaps in critical thinking. The entrepreneurs and business people who are layered up with business degrees and masters of their crafts, but they’re not always the most creative thinkers. I think that it’s a gap that’s largely brought on my academics.

 

What is one trait that you see in entrepreneurs that significantly enhances the probability of success?

Clarity of vision. They can tell you in 3 sentences or less what their idea, company or service is. Their idea keeps them up at night. There’s a passion that comes from a gut level and drives them towards their vision.

 

What are some ways that entrepreneurs can measure their confidence and make sure it’s not flipping into arrogance?

Staying true to your mission, and not doing things because they’re cool. Keeping the silliness in check and keeping true to yourself and your mission without all the bull s**t is how you keep arrogance out of your organization. The minute you introduce it in, it creates toxicity.

 

What are some steps entrepreneurs can do to make sure they stay true to their vision?

Know where you’re going. Focus on the execution and look for opportunities. Know what you want to accomplish.

 

What are some of the trends you see happening as it relates to bootstrapping in the future?

Crowdfunding and the peer-to-peer nature of business is going to increase. It’s going to increase opportunities and ideas and collaboration. The laws of crowdfunding are changing on May 19th where the platforms will be allowed to accept much larger investments.

Hand in hand with that is social media. The impact and reach and power of these free platforms in business is unprecedented. You can launch an entire company on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram. You don’t even need a marketing department.

 

What are some ways small companies can break through the noise on social media?

If you want to have a presence, you need to be on social media in some capacity. You need to understand your universe and you need to understand who you are trying to attract. The way to do that is to watch successful brands and how they are engaging their customers and prospects on social media. It’s never a hard sell. It’s always becoming a part of the conversation of your target area. Go out there and pick a big brand and observe. It’s not going to cost you anything. Figure out how to make those successful models work for your model.

 

How will you measure life?

The way I measure the impact my life every day is if I can impact one person’s day with something I’ve created or written and inspire them to greatness, if I can inspire one person every single month to be great that is how I measure my career and my life.

 

Parting words of wisdom:

Don’t let your fear paralyze your creativity. Go forth and conquer. It’s okay to have stage fright. It’s not easy, but if you want want to be an entrepreneur, if you want to succeed, you have to get to the other side of that fear barrier.

 

Show Links:

Read Amy’s Articles via: Entrepreneur.com/author/amy-cosper

Pitch Ideas to Amy via Twitter: @amyccosper

“Authenticity is hard because it requires us knowing who we are before we can be ‘authentic.’ Develop the hell out of yourself so that you know what you want and what you don’t want.”

 

On this episode of The Impact Entrepreneur Show we have Jordan Harbinger, founder of The Art of Charm, an iTunes Top 50 podcast, and advanced social skills training program for top performers.

 

If you could pick any superpower, what would it be and how would you use it?

Freeze time. This has so many applications. You decide, “Oh man, I’m not getting enough stuff done!” No problem; freeze time, go to sleep, wake up fully rested, keep outworking everybody.

 

What are you most excited about?

I’m excited about is moving the show [The Art of Charm Podcast] forward, and getting better at the craft of talking to other people and creating the show. So feasibly, my goal is to become one of the best interviewers in the world where it becomes a right of passage to come on the show.

 

How do you decide what opportunities to pursue and what to pass on?

The way that I started promoting the show was “I’m going to do every podcast, I’m going to say yes to everything”. What I found was, after a while I got sick of being interviewed poorly. So I created a focused filter of things that make me happy and things that move my business forward. I choose my opportunities like I choose my tools

 

How have you evolved and remained true to your vision over the years?

I don’t know if we have. We’re constantly evolving what we teach and what we do. The intent is being helpful to other people and not be spammy internet marketers. We always knew that we couldn’t sleep well at night creating a crappy business and it had to be something that had longevity. We’re playing long game and so a lot of our decisions have been made in that way.

 

How did you overcome the obstacles you’ve faced?

A lot of what we have that’s worked for us is delusional confidence in the product, as in “This is gonna work even if we have to change it a thousand times we’re probably not going to go out of business because this is so good. We have the idea. We have the technology. It’s gonna work. We’re smart. We can figure this out.” That kind of confidence.

 

How do you go about changing one’s mindset it 6 day span after a lifetime of bad habits?

The way that we change habits in that super short amount of time is that we don’t change your habits in that short amount of time. We give you 6 months of prep before your program. You have a lot of drills and exercises. There’s pre-calls with the coach before the program. Then you come in for the week-long live component. After the program, we have an alumni network, and a follow up program. It’s just the live component part of the program that’s a week.

 

How will you measure your life?

I really want to put as much knowledge, information, and practical stuff out there as I can. It’s like, have I really left it all out on the table? The real way I would probably measure my life is whether my kids are great productive members of society or whether they’re crappy.

 

Parting words of wisdom:

“Legacy is greater than currency” helps you make decisions better than you normally would.

 

Show Links:

Art of Charm: ArtofCharm.com

Twitter: @theartofcharm

Email: jordan@theartofcharm.com

Impact Entrepreneur: Someone who is impacting the world or their industry with their product, service or platform.

On this episode of The Impact Entrepreneur Show we have Nancy Hawley and Sara Kalick. Both are Vice Presidents and General Managers of their respective app products at SY/Partners in New York.

Nancy spent a years in her early career doing digital content at large publishing companies like Time Inc. and Condé Nast. She was part of the Unstuck launch team and has been with SY/Partners for 5+ years. She considers herself a “maker by nature, entrepreneur by circumstance.”

Sara considers herself a “professional storyteller”. In her early career she managed nightclubs and ran bars, and also worked in fashion. She went to business school in Spain and learned about design thinking and innovation. Sara then took that knowledge and applied during her internship at SY/Partners, where she was responsible for running their strategy group. She now works on one SY/Partners newest tools, Leadfully.

SY/Partners helps leaders transform their organizations, their teams, and themselves. Their mission statement is:

“In a world that too easily settles for less, we believe that it’s worthy work to envision, believe in, and fight for greatness. That’s the work we do every day.”

 

What it’s like to work for SY/Partners?

Sara:

• SY/Partners is about all about change, and transforming to meet the needs of the world.
• Creates opportunity for people to be entrepreneurial within the organization.

Nancy:

• The company thinks differently of how everyone works together.
• I’ve never worked at a place that’s so collaborate, and with so little ego.
• There aren’t politics or hidden agendas. Everyone is together with the same purpose and everyone has a voice at the table.

 

If you could pick any superpower, what would it be and how would you use it?

Nancy: Visual design. Design is critical to the work we do.

Sara: Helping people figure out who they want to be and how to get there.

 

What’s your favorite tool on Unstuck?

A tool incorporated in the Unstuck app is Tell Me Why, and it helps you get to the root of why you aren’t doing something. Unstuck is designed to help you dig up the answer that you already have inside, but won’t give yourself.

 

Get Your Game On is a planning tool for people who don’t like to plan.

Pros vs. Pros primarily for “wafflers” or people who can’t decide. You write all the effects of all options, and then sort them by importance.

 

About Leadfully

Helping individual leaders at companies be their best selves. Our hope is to give people practical tools in order to start taking action and building new behaviors.

 

Show Links:

Website: SYPartners.com

Twitter: @SYPartners

Unstuck App: Unstuck.com

Leadfully Tool: Leadfully.com