The Authority Builder Podcast

Having an ambitious goal is all well and good, says my guest this week Craig Ballantyne, author of The Perfect Day Formula and creator of related business coaching programs and workshops. But, cautions Craig, a goal without a plan will get you nowhere.

It’s all about preparation and consciously putting the right elements in place so you have a clear of what you must do... a support system to keep you motivated... a source of professional advice in case you get stuck... and the right “push: to compel you to get to work now.

He calls them the 5 Pillars of Success. And in this episode, Craig explains how to use these simple but effective strategies to achieve breakthroughs in your business and personal life.

Listen in to learn...

• Why normal planning isn’t enough... and how to take it to the next level
• How to create tangible action steps to achieve your “big picture” goals
• Where to find the “paid pain the ass” who will keep you on track
• Two types of accountability that ensure you don’t slack off
• Ways to transform your values into goals that will change your life

Listen now...

00:11 Today Steve speaks with Craig Ballantyne, the author of “The Perfect Day Formula”, Men's Health and coach to high level entrepreneurs.

01:23 Craig tells us how he started off in business coaching entrepreneurs.

03:02 Craig explains his 5 Pillars Of Success which can help anyone overcome difficulties.

04:11 Pillar #1: Better Planning And Preparation Than Ever Before.

05:36 Craig breaks down his 90-day plan.

08:21 Pillar #2: Professional Accountability.

09:33Craig explains why it's important to have someone who will hold you accountable.

10:44 Pillar #3: Positive Social Support.

12:20 Pillar #4: Incentive

15:18 Pillar #5: The Big Deadline

18:36 Craig talks about his Coaching Life Workshops and The Perfect Life Retreat and the benefit of taking yourself out of your regular work environment.

21:51 Craig explains why he tries to be a “polite and courteous British gentleman”.

23:00 Craig talks about the rules for his life.

• Henry Ford
• Thomas Edison
• Edison
• Newton
• Steve Sims
• Harvard
• https://freeperfectdaybook.com
• https://earlytorise.com
• Enjoyed this episode? Rate this podcast on iTunes >>

Before his current success, Ted Thomas had some very tough times as an entrepreneur and investor. As in, he lost it all almost overnight.

Ted says he wouldn’t trade it because it showed him the dangers of being over-leveraged and tamed his tolerance for high-risk investments.

We talk about how he got into a real estate-focused business with very low-risk that has resulted in steady returns since 1989... who he says is to blame for any failures in your life... and why he says paying other people’s taxes can make you a lot of money.

We dig deep into those topics, as well as...

• The importance of surrounding yourself with people who’ll tell you like it is
• A unique real estate investment with “guaranteed” 18% returns – or more
• Where to buy tax lien certificates... and places to avoid
• Why you should buy low and sell low
• What happens to your lien when a person defaults on their tax payments... and how to take advantage of it

The #1 asset you have is your network of relationships, yet for many people, it's the most neglected asset in your business.

In this interview with Zvi Band--CEO of Contactually--you'll discover how to overcome the #1 barrier to increasing the value of your network...

Following up consistently.

There are really three reasons you might not be following up as well as you should...

1. Your contact database isn't well organized (you're not alone, don't sweat it).
2. You don't know what to say when you want to follow-up.
3. You forget to follow-up with people and go months or years without reaching out.

In this interview, Zvi shares his secrets for handling all three, and how he uses Contactually to keep track of it all.

Plus, he shares how he deals with the emotional highs and lows of founding and growing a startup.

I love his perspective on this, and I guarantee it will help you stay focused on what to do next, no matter where you are on the growth curve.

Listen now...

00:13 Steve introduces Zvi Band, founder, and CEO of Contactually, a relationship, and marketing platform.

01:30 Zvi tells us how he started off in business and how he grew out of being introverted.

05:30 Zvi talking about emotions in the workplace and how perseverance is vital in dealing with the highs and lows of business.

07:34 Steve gives us his own perspective on dealing with emotions in his business, which is slightly different to how Zvi does it.

11:00 Zvi explains his employees became more engaged with the company when he was open and shared the issues with them that the company was facing.

12:57 Zvi talks about how fundraising is the toughest part of his business, having been turned down over 300 times!

16:06 Zvi talks about understanding free will and the ability to know that you can walk away from anything.

19:34 Zvi tells us what the core of Contactually is, keeping and building relationships and how they do this.

27:17 Zvi tells us some of the success stories of his clients, how GCI increases by 40% on average using Contactually.

31:35 Zvi talks about the issues of using too much technology- when it removes you too much from your message.

34:18 Zvi tells us how to get in touch with him.

• www.contactually.com
• (Article) Most People Won’t by Brice Roberts
• Rate The Unstoppable CEO at iTunes

We've all been there...

You know where you want to go, but you're stuck. Everything you try to push past the block isn't working...

In this episode of The Unstoppable CEO Podcast, I interview David Shriner-Cahn, of TEND Strategic Partners, about his process for "smashing the plateau."

David's an expert at helping business owners identify the block and develop strategies for overcoming it.

In this episode, you'll discover...

• Why it's essential to develop measures for success, and why one target number is the wrong approach...
• The importance of Plan B (and C, D, and E...)
• How to define "what it means to win" to you...
• The good, better, best planning approach...
• How to reverse engineer your long-term objectives...
• The importance of preparing for the obstacles that are bound to get in your way and build a support system you can lean on when they do...

You won't want to miss this episode...

00:13 Steve introduces David Shriner-Cahn, the host of Smashing the Plateau.

01:15 David starts us off by talking about the little talked about the fact that being a business owner can be a lonely place.

02:42 David started off as an engineer and this is where he developed his analytical approach to business and that there is more than one way to get the job done.

05:23 “Success is not an absolute, it is a scale”

09:08 David talks about the real reason for starting Smashing The Plateau- to help people in existing organizations move to greater success.

11:27 Steve outlines his reasons for starting his podcast and of the importance of staying focused.

13:55 David talks about “Reverse Engineering” your future.

16:17 David explains to us the importance of peer support.

20:35 Steve concurs with David on peer support and how impartial critique is vital.

22:39 David continues further by talking about surrounding yourself with people who have shared values.

27:17 David talks about his “curated” learning events, explains what happens there and the results he’s gotten.

31:46 David tells us how to get in touch with him.

• Smashing The Plateau
• John Lee Dumas- “Entrepreneur on Fire”
• www.tendstrategicpartners.com
• David's phone number: 212-731-0770

I have yet to meet a business owner who's not dreamed--with a twinkle in the eye--about the prospect of cashing out and collecting a BIG paycheck.

But when you really look at most businesses, the firms just aren't built to sell.

Whether you're seriously looking for an exit, or you're decades away, today is the day to design the business in a way that will be attractive to a buyer.

There are two important reasons to do this...

First, it will force you to build something that can run without you--freeing you to enjoy life and to really focus on growing the business.

Second, it'll give you OPTIONS...and options are cool. You'll have the option to exit, or not...to stay inside the business or step back to the role of "investor"...to sell internally to someone on your team or to an external buyer...

In this episode, I interview Rick Hadrava of Epic Advisory Group to discover how to engineer your business to make a "wealth creation event" possible...

Listen and you'll discover...

• Why most businesses die with the founder (and how you can avoid that fate).
• How to extract yourself as the owner of the business, and enjoy the benefits and freedom now, long before you exit the business.
• The key to letting go and delegating responsibility to your team--this is the #1 roadblock to building a business that has value without you.
• How to step back and build a bigger vision for your business.
• Rick's secret for staying unstoppable...
• And so much more...

I guarantee this interview will open up your thinking.

00:13 Steve introduces Rick Hadrava.

02:00 Rick starts off by telling us how his loves, including his wife, math, and puzzles led him to Dallas.

03:34 Rick sites overcoming his inward corporate thinking to looking outwards in creating value for his clients was one of the biggest hurdles he had to overcome, that and quitting his well-paid job!

08:49 Rick explains to us how his time working in corporate structures made him more resourceful and not depend on costly sources for help.

11:22 Rick tells us how living through certain life experiences (death) with a client re-evaluates everything for him and how a simple thank you means more to him than money.

12:15 Steve says that “money is just a yardstick”.

15:23 Rick talks about a particularly challenging case and how he mapped out their exit strategy for them using this program.

20:51 Steve sites two stories of how an explain went well and how one was a disaster.

22:33 Rick goes into detail on how he helps business owners build a legacy for, not just themselves, but for their employees and everyone connected with the business.

27:20 Rick talks about the effect his work has had on a client's business, the art of delegation and how stepping back from the business can give you fresh ideas.

31:42 Ricks answers the now infamous question of what books he is now reading.

• Valerie Oswald
• Dean Witter
• Epic Advisory Group
• Raymond James
• Value Builder Score
• Exit Planning
• The Daily StoicThe E-Myth & Beyond The E-Myth

Be Sure to add links to Rick's websites: http://www.epicsbiz.com/ and http://www.epicwmg.com/