Coaching as a Side-Hustle 

Better face the facts. It’s highly unlikely you’re going to retire at your current place of employment. This means your current day job is temporary. Some employees hear this and “go ostrich.” Fearfully, they stick their heads in the ground and ignore this truth. Other employees wake up to the fact it’s their responsibility to create a side hustle now, before their jobs are eliminated or outsourced. Coaching is one the fastest growing professions. It’s a multi-billion dollar industry producing incredible benefits for the coach and client.

Benefits of BEING a Coach

• You can work whenever from wherever, with just a laptop or phone.
• Convert your knowledge and experience into true value for others.
• Co-create visible results in the lives of others.
• Get paid to do what you love while invest in clients from around the world.

Benefits of GETTING Coached

• A Truth Teller pushing you to dream bigger and dig deeper.
• Regular accountability for personal and professional goal achievement.
• Wisdom and insight from someone not directly tied to the outcome.
• A confidential relationship that leads to more clarity and confidence.

In today’s podcast I share how to become a 6-Figure Earner as a Coach this Year. (Listen to this episode via itunes, audioboom, or stitcher).

The Sponsor Of This Episode Is Igniting Souls Team

A few times per year we receive applications from quality candidates who have an interest in joining the Igniting Souls Team. If you’re interested in applying please click on the respective link below. And if you’d like to apply for all 3 simply fill out an application for one and we will consider you for all three.

* Your Secret Name

* The Deeper Path

* Dream Job

Check Out This Resource Mentioned

I help authors, coaches and speakers launch 6-figure businesses by crafting their message and mastering their marketing. Join me in this exclusive Master Class where I show you the 7 Essential Elements for Creating a Killer Coaching Business.

In this Master Class Experience you’ll discover:

1. The 7 essential elements for creating a killer coaching business
2. Why you’re 67% more likely to succeed starting coaching as side hustle
3. 9 Reasons why now is the best time to start a coaching business

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Please consider rating the podcast with 5 stars and also leaving a one- or two-sentence review in iTunes or on Stitcher. This helps tremendously in bringing the podcast to the attention of others. I am also mentioning the names of all who rate the podcast with 5 stars in future episodes.

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And, by all means, if you know someone you think would benefit, please spread the word by using the share buttons on this page. Finally, thanks for listening and remember, “The most powerful weapon on earth is the human soul on fire.”

Why a 6-Figure Author?

Trust me. It’s not about the money. Here’s what I mean…

I published my first book in 2004, The Journey Toward Relevance. The truth is, I didn’t know what I was doing. No one was mentoring me on the finer details of writing, publishing, or marketing. Naively, I thought I’d sell a million books and make a million dollars.

Why?

So I could do this writing thing as a full-time gig. Sure I loved being a pastor and serving in a church, but even back then I felt the pull between my day job and my dream job. Every once in a while I’d get a phone call or an email to go speak somewhere about my book. I’d literally have to tell the caller or sender, “Hold on. I’ll have to get back with you. I need to check with my boss.”

Then I’d bring up the request in my next weekly meeting with my Senior Pastor. He was a very generous leader, but rightfully so, I’d have to “sell” him on the idea. I’d explain why it was a good thing to leave my “job” for a couple days to go and talk to groups of people who needed to hear the message behind my book.

Sometimes he let me. Sometimes he didn’t. Sometimes I’d have to “sell” other people on the idea too like my director, other staff members, ministry leaders, elders, etc.

We feel imprisoned when we need permission to do our passion. (Tweet This)

I Needed Permission to do my Passion

When I didn’t get permission, I’d squeeze in a speaking gig here or there on the front end or back end of a vacation. In those days our vacations weren’t that glorious. It probably meant Kelly and I visiting her family in Michigan or my family in Wisconsin. Still, it always felt like speaking invitations were a stressful experience because I had to defend my rationale for wanting to take them.

And then there was the actual writing of the books.

I am a father of three kids. They are each two years apart. Imagine having a 5 yr. old, 3 yr. old, and 1 yr. old and trying to write as well. Since I was absolutely committed to be the best employee and father and husband, that meant writing a total of 4 books in the “margins” of life. These books were written at 12 am or 2 am or sometimes even 4 am, in between feeding the babies.

I’m not complaining.

I loved those moments of bonding with my son and daughters. And since I was up anyways, I thought rather then go back to bed I’d crank out a thousand words of the next book that loomed over my head. After all, my traditional publishers weren’t about to let me miss a deadline.

I Needed to Find a Better Way

Needless to say, the pressure of being a pastor, a daddy, a husband, a doctoral candidate, an author, and a speaker wore on me.

I tried to do it all…AND because I wasn’t a 6-Figure Author I needed to do it all.

Writing books was only a part-time job. It paid some bills, but it certainly didn’t pay ALL the bills. And because it didn’t, I needed to keep my day job. This reality created a growing internal tension.

I found a way to make it work, until the day they asked me to be the next Senior Pastor. Don’t get me wrong, I worked for an amazing church on so many levels. The people were unbelievable and the elders were extremely kind. I seriously considered being the next Senior Leader.

He was the catch. The church wanted to identify me as the next Senior Pastor and then begin a 10-year succession plan. As a young man in my mid 30’s I knew this wasn’t in the cards for me.

Although I didn’t know exactly what I wanted to do, I knew I didn’t want to sit on the bench for 10 years while in the prime of my life. And so I got incredibly focused. I told myself, I’d find a way to become a 6-Figure Author more out of necessity than out of desire.

 Becoming a 6-Figure Author isn’t about the money; it’s about the freedom. 

If I wanted to do what I loved full-time then I needed to provide for my family. I knew this meant replacing my income so I could pay for health insurance, mortgage, school, vehicles, food, clothing and the money required to start a business.

How a 6-Figure Author?

It’s been 5 years since I left my day job. Looking back, I wish I had a map or even a model. But I didn’t. Prior to leaving the church I had a ton of fear and it all centered around not being able to pay the bills and provide for my family.

David Branderhorst, my business partner today, told me I was a like a bird in a cage. The door finally swung open and I sat in the cage staring at freedom, wondering if I really wanted it after all.

I finally found my wings and a way to become a 6-Figure Author right out of the gate. I made three critical mental shifts. I also turned my books into 18 streams of income. We did this with Your Secret Name, then The Deeper Path, Day Job to Dream Job, and even my last book, a fiction one called Elixir Project.

This model worked so well, I began sharing it with other authors who also became 6-Figure Authors too. Fast-forward five years and today we have a Global 7-Figure Business. We’re helping hundreds of other authors achieve their financial goals so that they can have the freedom to do their passion full-time too.

You have a choice

What about you? Are you an author? Are you an aspiring author? Have you bought into the myth that you need to be a starving artist? Or do you believe it’s possible to write full-time?

You have a choice and the choice you make will make you. In today’s podcast I share more on this topic. (Listen to this episode via itunes, audioboom, or stitcher)

I also invite you to join me in the FREE 6-Figure Author 5-Day Challenge. Here’s why…

Writing as a hobby or a part-time passion is a tough gig. I tried it for 8 years with my first 3 books. Then I discovered a system that helped me turn my passion into a full-time gig. I turned each of my next 4 books into 18 Streams of Income and 6-Figure Businesses. Join our FREE 6-Figure Author 5-Day Challenge facebook community and I’ll show you how.

You have a challenge

You can think about becoming a 6-Figure Author or you can take the first step toward becoming one. All it takes is one simple click. It’s FREE and it will connect you to a community, just like you.

Life change can happen in a moment. And when you prepare the for the moment, the moment is prepared for you.

People will attack

The truth is if you choose to shine brightly, inevitably the darkness will try to extinguish your light. Your growth and progress makes some people feel uncomfortable because it forces them to reflect upon their own lives. But the majority of these people aren’t pleased with what they find.

Rather than making adjustments, these same people settle for an easier strategy. They prefer to attack you instead.

This tactic enables them to reject change and stay the same. Subconsciously they hope their attacks illicit an emotionally charged response. If they succeed, this provides them with a sense of achievement—albeit a negative one.

Although you can’t control whether or not people will attack you, the one thing you can control is your response.

In this episode, I unpack the 3 reasons why defending yourself can destroy you and your business. (Listen to this episode via itunes, audioboom, or stitcher)

You will respond

Human nature tempts us to meet their attack with a counterattack. After all, we have a right to exert our power—don’t we? Although such rationalizations may seem justified, when we succumb to their subpar strategies, we exchange our larger vision for a small story instead.

Weak people defend, but strong people exercise restraint.

Consider Jesus’ trial, as he stood before Pontius Pilate. Rather than defending himself, he chose silence instead. This response only angered the official.

He asked, “Do you refuse to speak to me? Don’t you realize I have the power either to free you or to crucify you?”

Jesus answered, “You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above.”

His response ripped through Pilate and even changed his behavior. The Gospel says, “From then on Pilate tried to set Jesus free.”

Defending will destroy

Remember, you have a mission. Achieving this mission requires your full focus. When you defend yourself it produces three negative outcomes that threatens to destroy you and your business:

• (1) Distractions

Defending distracts you from your mission. Rather than advancing, you settle for sideways energy instead. You clog up your creativity and pause your productivity. This only bolters your haters and equips your critics. Your opponents inflict a serious blow by distracting you from the work in front of you.

• (2) Discouragement

Defending discourages you. Rather than spending time serving your clients, you spend time battling your enemies. As someone who enjoys helping others, instead you end up hoping to hurt your opponents. This exchange takes a toll, wearing down your stamina and morale.

• (3) Defeat

Defending defeats you. Although it typically won’t happen overnight, the cumulative effect of defending yourself will eventually weaken you. It will weaken your resolve or your results. At first you won’t notice it. But after time you’ll stop pursuing how to achieve your mission and start pursuing how to debate your adversaries.

When this takes place you and your legacy are done. Instead of functioning as a servant who spreads a message you function as a soldier who shoots down his or her enemies.

You’re more than attacks designed to destroy you. Therefore, don’t defend and stay focused. You have a mission to achieve.

Need Clarity? 

Clarity is an amazing gift. It’s the first step in what we call The Deeper Path Payoff. Notice the process:

Clarity => Competence => Confidence => Influence => Impact => Income

If you want your time to count then you must count your time. You must wake up to the fact that life is too short to waste time defending yourself.

Over a decade ago, I sought out distractions on a regular basis, including the need to defend myself.. Truth be told, I used them to numb my pain. Thankfully, I woke up to the fact that numbing my pain was also numbing my potential.

At that same time, I met a man named Chet Scott who helped me break free from my addiction to distractions. He showed me a process in which I authored my OPUS.

O = Over-arching Vision

P = Purpose

U = Unifying Strategies

S = Scorecard for Significance

I took that Deeper Path and put pen to paper. I emerged with clarity for the first time in my life. (Read my OPUS by clicking the image.)

Clarity keeps you from needing to defend yourself

Set Fire to your Business and Brand

==> 1. Feel the fire

In the beginning all we see is ourselves. We feel the heat from our own fiery trials. The majority stays here forever. But our breakthrough is just on the other side of awareness—when we realize the obstacle is the way.

==> 2. See the fire

Looking outward, we now see others in need. Their struggle feels strangely familiar. Our former pain will become their future cure. With courage and clarity we do deep work so we can create deep impact.

==> 3. Be the fire

By leveraging our hurts into a helpful framework, we open a new way and a new world. Through serving and storytelling, people embrace the solution and experience success. As we show up filled up, we set fire to our business and brand.

Does it work?

Do I want you to come too? Of course!

In fact, I believe if you don’t come you’ll waste years of your life and tens of thousands of dollars. Don’t take my word for it though. Listen to the podcast  you’ll see what I mean.

• Learn cutting edge tips, tools, and tactics from industry-leading experts getting real-time results.
• Connect and collaborate with a global community of authors, speakers, coaches, and entrepreneurs committed to your success.
• Discover the clarity and courage you crave to craft an action-oriented plan that achieves your ultimate dream.

“The most powerful weapon on earth is the human soul on fire.”
—Ferdinand Foch

Should you Start a Coaching Business?

Better face the facts. It’s highly unlikely you’re going to retire at your current place of employment. This means your current day job is temporary. Some employees hear this and “go ostrich.” Fearfully, they stick their heads the ground and ignore this truth. Other employees wake up to the fact it’s their responsibility to create a side hustle now, before their jobs are eliminated or outsourced.

I meet people nearly everyday who weren’t ready for this harsh reality.

Their jobs were secure one day and suddenly non-existent the next. Understandably, this creates panic in people that have what I call a “long-term contractor” mindset. Contrast that with what I call a “functional freelancer” mindset. These people don’t worry at all. Notice the differences below displayed in the chart I pulled from my book Day Job to Dream Job.

In today’s podcast episode I share 9 reasons why now is the best time to start a coaching business as your side-hustle. (Listen to this episode via itunes, audioboom, or stitcher).

How to Create a Successful Side-Hustle

Don’t misunderstand me. I’m not suggesting you go and quit your day job today. Quite the opposite. Actually, I’m encouraging you to keep your day job while you start your side-hustle. The odds of succeeding are actually in your favor. In fact, according to an extensive study, you’re 33% more likely to succeed in your start up if you don’t quit your day job cold turkey.

Check out this excerpt from the Harvard Business Review:

Entrepreneurs who give up their day jobs in stages are 33% less likely to fail in their start-ups than those who leave their jobs precipitously to run their new businesses full-time, according to a study of thousands of Americans by Joseph Raffiee and Jie Feng of the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The staged approach, which allows entrepreneurs to gain important knowledge about their new businesses while phasing out their paying jobs, has become much easier with the rise of digital technologies that reduce the cost and time commitments of starting new companies, the authors say.

Earn Extra Income while in your Day Job

In 2011, while still in my day job, I saw the writing on the wall. Although I loved the people I worked with and the organization I worked for, I also knew I had untapped potential and unrealized dreams.

I began coaching a few clients on the side. After a few months of seeing clients become souls on fire, I knew I was hooked. The extra income helped me realize I could scale this side business and eventually leave my day job.

The model was so successful people began asking if I could teach them how to start a coaching business on the side. I took their requests seriously. I showed them how to use content from my book Your Secret Name content with their clients. In a short time, we certified over a dozen speakers, coaches, and trainers from all over the world. Today we have well over a hundred team members certified on 3 different programs:

* Your Secret Name

* The Deeper Path

* Dream Job

9 Reasons Why Now is the Best Time to Start a Coaching Business

These are the 9 benefits we provide for each of our coaches:

1. Worldwide Certification: The ability to speak, coach, and train, any individual or group anywhere in the world utilizing the curriculum (Your Secret Name OR Deeper Path OR Dream Job Coach), products, and content.
2. Total Profit: You keep 100% of the proceeds, honorariums, and income you receive from your services.
3. Daily Support: As a member of my private on-line coaching group, you are encouraged to ask questions about your business and brand. I’ll respond back with tips, tools, and tactics to help you create quantifiable success and significance as a team member.
4. Video Training: Take a front row seat and we’ll show you exactly how we run our own live events, coaching sessions, and programs. You’ll also receive videos of my keynote speeches. You’re welcome to customize these for your own speaking gigs.
5. Audio Training: Listen to over one hundred hours of coaching calls, each categorized for an ultimate audio educational experience.
6. Transformational Resources: I give you the exact same resources I use when I speak, train, and coach. This includes bumper videos, exercises, object lessons, slides, handouts, workbooks, and leader guides.
7. Marketing Tools: Digital downloads customizable for your own event.
8. Promotional Partnership: We list you and your bio on our website. Visitors are encouraged to contact and hire you through your branded email address we provide you.
9. Global Community: Lifetime access to the Igniting Souls Tribe, our global community committed to each other’s personal and professional success.

Apply to Join our Global Team of Speakers, Coaches, and Trainers

A few times per year we receive applications from quality candidates who have an interest in joining the Igniting Souls Team. We’ll open our teams on June 20th and close them on June 27th. If you’re interested in applying please click on the respective link below. And if you’d like to apply for all 3 simply fill out an application for one and we will consider you for all three.

* Your Secret Name

* The Deeper Path

* Dream Job

I look forward to helping you start your coaching business NOW.

“I’m going to build my platform before I become an author.”
“Just like all those other big-time authors, I need a bigger following first.”
“I don’t have enough fans to publish now.”

These statements might sound wise or even prudent, right?
And you might have said them or heard other people say them.
But these aren’t justifications for delaying your dream of becoming an author.

It’s time to label them for what they truly are.

EXCUSES!

Stop comparing. Start creating. 
We need you and your message.

As an author of 7 books—spanning the past 13 years—and as a coach to over 300 authors I’ve gotten pretty good at smelling fear. The truth is I used to believe these same lies. When I first started, before I saw my writing dreams come true, I was scared and stuck. I didn’t know whom to trust or what to believe.

An author named Max took a couple hours and invested in me way back in 1998. He helped me believe that I could one day become an author.

Seems like many aspiring authors can relate to feeling stuck. They cling to the soundbites above so they can rationalize their tendency to procrastinate. Besides, they’ve heard that unless you have a big platform they don’t have a chance in the marketplace. Focusing on getting a bigger platform gives them the illusion that they’re being productive.

The truth is it’s a delightful distraction that keeps you from making your dream come true. 

In this post we’ll separate fact from fiction. We’ll unpack the real issues one at a time. Then you can decide for yourself if you need a bigger following before you write your book.

What is a platform?

While platform is a buzzword that strikes fear into would-be authors, the truth is many people toss around the word without having an accurate definition.

Platform is the ability for you and your message to be seen and heard. 

In the old days, people would stand on “soapboxes” and communicate their message. These raised platforms were often wooden crates originally used for shipment of soap or other dry goods from a manufacturer to a retail store. “Soapboxes” functioned as inexpensive and portable temporary platforms for street corner speakers attempting to be seen and heard at improvised outdoor meetings. Today our platforms are more sophisticated.

How big should your platform be?

I get this questions all the time.

Hey Kary, I don’t have a big platform. I don’t have a big following. Should I still write a book or should I focus on building my platform first?

The answer is start NOW…wherever you are!

You’ll be building your platform for the rest of your life. It’s true for everybody. Look at the biggest celebrities. Did you know the Pope has a twitter account? And Oprah Winfrey and her team are trying to increase her reach every single day. She is focused on getting more listeners, viewers, and touching more people around the world. Why? Because there are more people around the world who do not know about her.

The Pope and Oprah are still focused on building their platforms. Therefore, you and I will be building ours for quite a while too.

If you wait until your platform is “big enough” or until you have “enough followers” before you publish then you will be waiting for the rest of your life. It’s just another excuse.

How do I know this?

Because way back when in 2004, when I published my first book, I didn’t have a platform. But I wrote it anyway. And then guess what happened?

I gained readers. Then I wrote another book and got more readers and more media gigs. And then a few years later, I published again and then again. The point is I got started.

You have a dream inside you for a reason. Don’t let your story die inside you. If you do you’ll regret it. I meet people all the time who are full of regrets.

3 Ways to get a Bigger Platform

Don’t think I’m against platforms. They certainly help you spread your message by getting you seen and heard. But from the beginning, my strategy has always been both/and NOT either/or.

The most successful authors do BOTH. They write their books AND increase their platforms.

Also, don’t think getting a bigger platform is a one size fits all. There are 3 ways to get a bigger platform. Intuitive authors know this and use it to their advantage.

1. You can BUY a Platform

Investing money to increase your platform is usually classified as Interruption Marketing. According to Seth Godin, interruption marketing is communicating messages that interrupt customers while they are doing something of their preference.

Examples include advertisements on television, radio, or social media. Most businesses prefer interruption marketing because it’s faster, easier, and cheaper. Here are a few examples:

Purchasing email lists
Spamming (illegal)
Running ads
Placing flyers on windshields
Delivering free community papers to your door

Unfortunately, this type of marketing doesn’t work in the long run. For starters, think of the internet as one big, noisy room. Over time people naturally tune out these interruptions. Secondly, it requires more and more money to get people’s attention. Consider this year’s Super Bowl. According to Forbes, the cost of a 30-second spot is a whopping $5 million dollars, the equivalent of $166,667 per second.

2. You can BUILD a Platform

Building a platform is effective, it just takes a very long time. I should know. My first book released in 2004 and I’ve been building my platform ever since. Examples of building a platform are:

Writing a blog
Launching a podcast
Shooting a video

When you build your platform you’re usually engaging in permission marketing versus interruption marketing. Notice the difference, also explained by Seth Godin:

Permission marketing is the privilege (not the right) of delivering anticipated, personal and relevant messages to people who actually want to get them. Real permission is different from presumed or legalistic permission. Just because you somehow get my email address doesn’t mean you have permission. Because I don’t complain doesn’t mean you have permission. Just because it’s in the fine print of your privacy policy doesn’t mean it’s permission either. Real permission works like this: if you stop showing up, people complain, they ask where you went.

3. You can BORROW a Platform

There is a much faster and effective way to getting a bigger platform. It’s not a result of buying or building. I increased my platform exponentially by BORROWING other people’s platforms.

Borrowing someone else’s platform means that they invite you on their stage. They extend their trust to you and promote you and your message. Over the years I’ve:

Stood on other people’s stages
Spoken on other people’s podcasts
Talked on other people’s TV stations
Written on other people’s blogs
Shared on other people’s radio stations

If I waited to get a big enough platform before I wrote any of my 7 books I would have been waiting forever. Thankfully I didn’t.

I wouldn’t have been able to buy or build a platform fast enough. Instead, I wrote my books AND borrowed other people’s platforms. Don’t get me wrong. Buying and building aren’t bad. However, they have limitations.

Buying a platform often costs a bunch of money.
Building a platform often takes a bunch of time.
Borrowing a platform doesn’t require time or money.

Over the past 13 years I’ve discovered how to have other people invite you onto their platform. Here are just a few examples.

I Want to Help you Like I Helped Them

I love to help aspiring authors. Over the years I’ve helped hundreds write, publish, and market their books. They all began just like me…scared and stuck. They didn’t know whom to trust or what to believe.

They clung to the soundbites floating around so they could rationalize their tendency to procrastinate. They heard that unless they had a big platform they didn’t have a chance in the marketplace. Today these people are authors. Here’s a picture of just a small amount of authors I’ve helped. They’re each holding their book. Many have gone on to do amazing things. They’ve spoken all over the world and helped many people. They’ve also increased their influence, impact, and income. (I’m the bald guy with a girl’s name in the middle.)

One aspiring author named Dalia asked me to help her get in front of a particular celebrity with 2 million followers. I shared my process with her and within days she was featured on this actress’ instagram account.

Enjoy my Free Author Training

I’ll never forget how Max invested a couple hours in me. To this day I still have his letter way back from 1998. He changed my life by believing in me. His encouragement convinced me that one day I could become a full-time writer. (See a picture of that letter below.)

As a result, I want to pass on what Max did for me and help you overcome your obstacles and help you achieve your dreams. I have a FREE training that has helped over 50,000 authors. There is nothing to buy in this FREE training. I give you nearly ninety minutes of solid content.

Since I believe in practicing 100% integrity, I’ll tell you up front that at the end of that training if you want more from me, there is a simple form where you can request more information. My FREE training even comes with a helpful interactive guidebook to help you on your author journey. I know you’ll enjoy it.

Most importantly…just get started. Stop delaying your dream and remember…I believe in you. 

Please comment below and let me know a little bit about yourself. What do you want to write about?

(Listen to this episode via itunes, audioboom, or stitcher.)

Are you ready to sell your first online product or program?

Using our latest Elixir Project Experience launch, I share the backstory behind all of our Transformation Invitations (sales pages). Integrating these 6 tips will make yours a much smoother experience:

1. Pain
2. Proof
3. Picture
4. Process
5. People
6. Purchase

(Listen to this episode via itunes, audioboom, or stitcher.)

(Listen via itunes, audioboom, or stitcher.)

Audiobooks are on the rise

Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock, you’ve probably heard of audiobooks. Maybe you’re even one of the millions of people who use an audiobook subscription service? Places like Audible are getting smarter. They remove all the risk by giving you a 30 day free trial with audiobooks included.

The “Try Audible and Get Two Free Audiobooks“ offer got me started on audiobooks a few years ago. Now I’m hooked!

Like many people, I found my margin for reading getting smaller and smaller. Yet, I also realized I had unencumbered time when I was driving, running, and doing errands. Rather than wasting this time, I popped in my bluetooth earpiece (when driving) OR wore some inexpensive headphones (when running). {There are hundreds of options for both, including the pair I use for driving and running.}

Business guru Brian Tracy reveals what’s possible in our daily “drive time.” He says:

The average person drives 12,000 to 25,000 miles per year which works out to between 500 and 1,000 hours per year that the average person spends in his or her car. You can become an expert in your field by simply listening to educational audio programs as you drive from place to place.

After a short amount of time, I found myself working out my brain and my body simultaneously. Since then, I’ve consumed many quality books and kept my edge physically, emotionally, and professionally—even as a husband and father of three little ones.

I’m not alone. Audiobook downloads have doubled in the past 5 years.

3 Reasons why audiobooks are exploding

In episode 96, I share several reasons why audiobooks are quickly becoming the preferred medium (listen via itunes, audioboom, or stitcher).

1. Audiobook players (a.k.a. smart phones) are always within our grasp.
2. Audiobooks create an entirely different experience. (The spoken word adds a new dynamic.)
3. Audiobooks allow us to do two things at once (1 cognitive and 1 non-cognitive).

Heather Masters, the narrator of Elixir Project, joins me on the Igniting Souls Podcast.

We reveal key business principles like:

• How to attract top level talent to work with you and for you.
• Why your first email to top talent says everything about you.
• How vision-casting is essential to drawing out the best in your teammates.
• Why you should treat the people you hire as your clients.

Enjoy episode 96 and click HERE to  Try Audible and Get Two Free Audiobooks. Who knows? Elixir Project might be one of two you choose.

(Listen via itunes, audioboom, stitcher, or click on the pic below.)

Are you ready for viral? 

If you’ve been around the Internet for more that a few days then you know going viral is a good thing. Let me qualify that last statement. If you have a book, brand, or business, then going viral is a VERY good thing.

Virality increases your influence, impact, and income by gathering attention and engagement around your message.

While most people would love to go viral, unfortunately, these same people have no clue HOW to go viral. Although engineering a video, website, or book to go viral is nearly impossible, there are 3 ingredients that make this phenomenon much more likely.

Do you know the ingredients? 

Going viral is a result three essential ingredients:

(1) COMMUNITY

When it comes to viral, which comes first content or community? Great question. Sometimes, it’s community (like in the case of 21 Pilots). They have a cult following and so when they drop a new video it gets millions of views automatically.

(2) CONTENT

Other times it’s content (like in the case of the chewbacca mom). She was relatively a no-name before her video hit the mainstream. Her video was so unique and valuable (entertainment quality) that it went viral quickly.

(3) CONVERSATION

Virality centers around conversation. Comments, opinions, and dialogue propels books, brands, and businesses further. When apple announced it’s new products recently, conversation happened immediately. Even spoofs about the announcement went viral, fueling the conversation even further.

Going viral requires 3 essential ingredients: dynamic content, community, and conversation. (Tweet This)

In episode 85, I unpack these 3 essential ingredients. I also give you a proven example you can use to replicate for your own book, brand, or business.

(Listen via itunes, audioboom, stitcher, or click on the pic below.)

Want to Sample the Ingredients?

With my new book ELIXIR Project, I wanted to “cook up” something amazing. As a result we decided to serialize the novel up until the launch.

If you want to see these three ingredients in real time, you can check out the:

(1) Community =

It’s called ELIXIR Project VIP Launch Experience. Click here or the pic to join.

(2) Content =

We release a new chapter every week on Sneak Peek Sunday. Here’s chapter two.

(3) Conversation =

Each chapter includes a facebook thread where readers can weigh in with their thoughts, comments, and guesses (since this book is a conspiracy).

Out of my 6 traditionally published books, 3 ghostwritten books, and hundreds of other writing projects, ELIXIR Project seems to be the perfect mix of all 3 ingredients. (We’ll see how this all shakes out on December 6th, launch day.)

In the meantime, enjoy your FREE sample. And feel free to use this strategy for your own book, brand, or business.

(And if you missed the global livestream from Friday, here’s the limited time replay.)