Deirdre Van Nest teaches entrepreneurs and subject matter experts how to become high-performance, high-impact speakers, storytellers, and content creators so they can increase not only their income, but their influence and their impact on the lives of others. In this episode, Deirdre shares how she’s found business success and happiness in helping her fellow entrepreneurs increase their effectiveness.

Here’s some of what you’ll learn in this episode:

• The experience that caused Deirdre to “leave the stage” for 24 years.
• What Deirdre did as a “fearless living coach.”
• How her business grew through speaking engagements.
• How she created a system to meet the needs of entrepreneurs.
• Why anyone can become a skilled speaker.
• The opportunities you get as a member of the Strategic Coach® community.

Show Notes:

• The promise of technology is that it’s going to improve teamwork. But it’s teamwork that gives rise to technology to start with.
• Technology doesn’t coach itself.
• Information technology is the fastest growing industry in the world. Coaching is the second.
• In coaching other entrepreneurs, you become a better entrepreneur.
• Doing speaking engagements means reaching more people.
• Speaking is a skill that lives inside of you and goes with you wherever you are.
• Your reason for doing something has to be greater than your fear of doing it.
• Whenever you speak, people are subconsciously making snap judgments on your competency based on your communication skills.
• It’s important that you treat every speaking opportunity as a high-stakes presentation.
• If another person is willing to give you their attention, you owe it to them to be good.
• Every time you speak, it’s an opportunity. You don’t know who’s in the audience.
• Whenever you open your mouth, it’s an audition for leadership.
• Delivery is only about 20% of what goes into being a great speaker.
• To be an incredible speaker, you have to be an incredible content creator.
• When you think differently, you become different. And when you become different, you do different.

Resources:

The Self-Managing Company by Dan Sullivan

The Entrepreneur’s Guide To Time Management

Your Business Is A Theater Production: Your Back Stage Shouldn’t Show On The Front Stage

Are you overwhelmed by the financial side of your business? In this episode, Patti Mara speaks with Colin Sanburg, founder of FinElevate, about the rise of fractional CFOs and how they empower entrepreneurs to focus on their strengths. Discover how these experts streamline financial operations and drive profitability, transforming challenges into opportunities for growth.

Here’s some of what you’ll learn in this episode:

• The key criteria that FinElevate looks for in an ideal client.
• Why some entrepreneurs don’t want to give up signing authority.
• The importance of identifying your dashboard KPIs.
• The entrepreneur motivation for freeing yourself up.
• What inspires Colin the most about being an entrepreneur.
• How to overcome analysis paralysis.

Show Notes:

If an entrepreneur isn’t closely monitoring their financials, they’re likely just wasting time.

No matter how skilled you are in a specific area, you need outside perspective.

Not every aspect of business suits every entrepreneur.

People are happy to offload parts of their businesses that they don’t like working in.

A better understanding of your metrics can help you structure your business for increased productivity.

The right players want the metrics of success because they want to win.

Taking action does tremendous things for your psyche.

Top team members are unlikely to stay if they can’t access accurate metrics to evaluate their performance.

You can’t be your own sounding board.

The only sustainable way to build an entrepreneurial business is to base it on the entrepreneur's strengths and weaknesses.

Much of the financial aspect of your business relies on discipline.

People are more likely to engage with a clear reflection of their hard work.

If you measure it, you can manage it. If you can manage it, you can improve it.

If a team member sees a disconnect between lead measures and lag measures, they’ll disengage completely.

Once you focus on a small set of key metrics, you'll be surprised at how much more efficient you become.

Resources:

We Choose Local

FinElevate

Unique Ability®

Who Not How by Dan Sullivan and Dr. Benjamin Hardy

The Obstacle Is the Way by Ryan Holiday

The Gap And The Gain by Dan Sullivan and Dr. Benjamin Hardy

Blue Ocean Strategy by W. Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne

In this episode, Kary Oberbrunner reveals essential strategies for entrepreneurs on publishing their first book and protecting intellectual property. Recorded at the inaugural CoachCon event in May 2024, Kary discusses his innovative IP-protection app with business coach Chad Johnson. Listen now to discover how these tools can streamline your processes and empower your entrepreneurial journey.

Here’s some of what you’ll learn in this episode:

• What made Kary feel like he’d found his place in his first hour at Strategic Coach®.
• How and why Kary’s original IP protection idea was rejected by Coach co-founder Dan Sullivan.
• Why you don’t need a traditional publisher anymore.
• The key mindset shifts Kary has experienced since joining Strategic Coach.
• The biggest dangers Kary sees entrepreneurs facing right now.
• Why most entrepreneurs come to The Strategic Coach® Program as frustrated visionaries.

Show Notes:

• Suing someone costs you time, money, and aggravation.
• If you’re afraid someone’s going to steal what you’ve created, at a certain point, you’ll stop creating.
• Getting your creations protected isn’t a cost—it’s an investment in your creativity.
• More than 90% of the value of S&P 500 companies lies in their intellectual property.
• All of the obstacles you see are actually the raw material for achieving your vision.
• All IP is based on timing.
• Being a hero is more fulfilling than being the messenger.
• Not all money is good money, and not all clients are good clients.
• Visionaries don’t need their brains filled with all kinds of to-dos.
• Entrepreneurs can’t do it all themselves.
• You can operate so well that your competitors become your collaborators.

Resources:

Blockchain

Extraordinary Impact Filter by Dan Sullivan

Igniting Souls

What Is A Self-Managing Company®?

Kolbe A™ Index

Unique Ability®

Entrepreneurial Operating System®

Who Not How by Dan Sullivan and Dr. Benjamin Hardy

What Free Days™ Are And How To Know When You Need Them

How to Win a Heart: One Man’s Adventure in Finding and Winning His Life-Long Love by Chad Johnson

Molly Thompson is an entrepreneur specializing in creating simple solutions to very complex problems, resulting in transformational impact. When she found that what she was doing wasn’t working anymore, Molly went to a psychologist and discovered she had ADHD. In this episode, Molly shares how she’s regained her focus, discovered her entrepreneurial superpowers, and found business success.

Here’s some of what you’ll learn in this episode:

• Why The Strategic Coach® Program was designed for people with ADHD.
• How Molly’s mission-driven energy solutions company operates.
• What’s allowed her company’s business model to go from transactional to transformational.
• Why Molly was terrified to try taking medication for her ADHD.
• How being a Strategic Coach® member has changed Molly’s perspective—and her life.
• Why ADHD often gets misdiagnosed.
• Why you should look outside of your company when you’re looking to grow your company.

Show Notes:

• Strategic Coach entrepreneurs are all outliers.
• When you’re part of a community of outliers, suddenly you feel normal.
• 40% of Strategic Coach clients have some form of ADHD.
• Many entrepreneurs, particularly women, may experience ADHD differently, leading to misdiagnosis and misunderstanding.
• ADHD traits that are traditionally viewed as weaknesses can be reframed as superpowers that support your creativity and problem-solving skills.
• Entrepreneurs with ADHD often thrive under tight deadlines, which help them focus and channel their energy efficiently.
• People with ADHD often experience emotions more intensely, which can serve as a powerful source of intuition and insight when harnessed correctly.
• The term "imposter phenomenon" can be reinterpreted as a reflection of determined female entrepreneurs navigating a world that often misunderstands their unique perspectives.
• High-achieving female entrepreneurs can really benefit from connecting with others who understand their experiences.
• When you don’t have to defend yourself, all of that energy can go into creativity and collaboration.
• Doing things differently, and looking at the world differently, can be hugely isolating.

Resources:

The Kolbe A™ Index

CliftonStrengths®

PRINT®

Who Not How™

The Impulsive Thinker Podcast

Stacey Hanke grew up on a dairy farm in central Wisconsin. For over two decades now, she’s been providing executive mentoring and helping sales professionals become more influential. In this episode, Stacey shares how she applied what she observed growing up on the farm to running an entrepreneurial business.

Here’s some of what you’ll learn in this episode:

• How their father’s drive and passion influenced Stacey and her sisters/team members.
• Why Stacey spent time in large corporations before starting her own business.
• How you can see yourself through your potential customers’ eyes.
• What people have learned over the last four years.
• How receiving some harsh feedback ended up being a turning point in Stacey’s career.
• Why being part of the Strategic Coach® community is a game changer.
• How Stacey has managed having work relationships with her sisters.

Show Notes:

Strategic Coach thinking tools are like plants. They’re planted in your brain, and they develop at different rates.

All growth is compounded growth.

If you have entrepreneurial drive, you can decide that the sky’s the limit.

If you want entrepreneurism in your life, you have to choose what you do appropriately.

Having purpose becomes more important as you get older.

Communicating with influence is a process of constant development and has to be consistent.

How we show up and interact with others determines who’s in our circle, the businesses we run, and the money in our pockets.

People are finally understanding the power of communication because there are now so many different mediums that we're trying to influence people through.

Communication is the core of everything you do, no matter what industry you’re in.

It doesn’t matter what you know if you can’t communicate it effectively.

Feeling influential and confident doesn’t always translate to how you’re actually perceived.

How smart you are doesn’t determine how influential you are either.

Before we can change anything in our lives, we have to be self-aware.

When you reach a certain point in your career, people are going to stop telling you the truth and start telling you what they think you want to hear.

If you don’t demonstrate consistency, people question whether you’re trustworthy.

How you communicated years ago might not work for where you are now.

What is common sense is not common practice.

It’s important to get comfortable with being uncomfortable because the minute you understand the discomfort, growth will happen.

Resources:

Tool: The Positive Focus®

Blog: What Free Days Are, And How To Know When You Need Them

Through speaking engagements, webinars, coaching, and books, Dave Sanderson helps people understand how to embrace their uncertainty so they ignite opportunity. In this episode, Dave, who was the last passenger on the plane crash known as the “Miracle on the Hudson,” shares how that incident served as a wake-up call that transformed his approach to business—and life.

Here’s some of what you’ll learn in this episode:

• What it was like on the sinking plane, and why Dave was the final passenger to leave.
• How Dave realized he was only a number to the people at the company he worked for.
• What had previously prevented Dave from starting his own company.
• Why Dave believes that everything happens for a reason.
• What separates successful people from really successful people.
• Why the Strategic Coach® community is so important to entrepreneurs in the Program.

Show Notes:

• Embracing uncertainty can be a powerful catalyst for personal growth and entrepreneurial success.
• Life-altering experiences, like surviving a plane crash, can provide clarity on what truly matters in life and business.
• The four entrepreneurial freedoms—time, money, relationships, and purpose—work together to create a holistic framework for success and fulfillment. All four are necessary for a satisfying entrepreneurial life.
• Your most valuable asset is not your business, but your ability to transform challenges into meaningful opportunities for growth.
• Helping others during challenging times can provide a sense of purpose.
• Self-doubt and fear of failure are common challenges in entrepreneurship, but can be overcome with the right mindset and the support of like-minded people.
• Gratitude is a strategic tool that can reframe challenges and unlock new perspectives in your entrepreneurial journey. It’s the antidote to fear.
• Your purpose is your most powerful differentiator—align your business strategies with your deeper mission to create sustainable, fulfilling success.
• Preparation and having a game plan are essential when facing uncertainty in business and life.
• What’s important isn’t the resources you have, but you how use them.

Resources:

Blog: The Four Freedoms That Motivate Successful Entrepreneurs

Book: From Turmoil to Triumph by Dave Sanderson

Tool: The Impact Filter™

The Kolbe A™ Index

Nicholas Schwarz became an entrepreneur because he was lacking the Four Freedoms of Time, Money, Relationship, and Purpose. Now, Nicholas runs a company where he helps his clients expand those Four Freedoms for themselves. In this episode, Nicholas shares how he’s gone from working in a job he didn’t like to becoming a happy entrepreneur.

Here’s some of what you’ll learn in this episode:

• All the factors that made it difficult for Nicholas to be an employee of another company.
• Why becoming self-employed was unthinkable in his line of business.
• How Nicholas’s “wonderful journey” in The Strategic Coach® Program began.
• What Nicholas defines as “relaxed entrepreneurship.”
• Why, nowadays, Nicholas delegates as much as possible.
• How Nicholas’s company helps when it comes to transgenerational wealth.

Show Notes:

Entrepreneurs become entrepreneurs for the sake of freedom.

The real freedom that allows all the other freedoms to happen is being able to control your time.

Strategic Coach® members have the ability to actually arrange their life the way they want it.

The Freedom of Money isn’t the most important freedom.

Risk is always perceived as something negative, while uncertainty gives the possibility of something positive happening.

Sometimes, we stumble on rocks we put down ourselves.

Entrepreneurs who use Strategic Coach tools carve out a lot of time for themselves.

The Strategic Coach community is very helpful both as a sounding board and as an emotional support group.

Being your own boss has pros and cons, but the flexibility is worth it.

What you do as an entrepreneur is sometimes very lonely.

Talking about your entrepreneurial successes and challenges resonates more with someone who’s also gone through the whole process.

Resources:

Article: “The 4 Freedoms That Motivate Successful Entrepreneurs”

Unique Ability®

Who Not How by Dan Sullivan with Dr. Benjamin Hardy

Article: “What Free Days are, And How To Know When You Need Them”

The Cecily Group

Joe Stolte is an entrepreneur working at the crosshairs of marketing and artificial intelligence. His company, Daily.ai, uses machine learning to help thought leaders and small brands build AI-automated email newsletters. In this episode, he explains how his company supports clients in achieving business success and talks about the business lessons learned from his company’s early days.

Here's some of what you'll learn in this episode:

1. The entrepreneur ideas and entrepreneur motivation Joe showed at a very young age.
2. How Joe’s company finds the best content in the world on any topic clients choose.
3. What it means to have short-term pessimism and long-term optimism.
4. How the AI becomes smarter, making the newsletters better.
5. The change in mentality that’s given Daily.ai an edge.

Show Notes:

When it seems everything out there is negative, what grabs your attention is the stuff that’s positive.

It’s a win-win to partner with people who already have a marketplace of your potential clients.

An entrepreneur doesn’t have to be the one with the idea.

If you focus only on customers that are a good fit for your company, they’ll refer you to other people.

ChatGPT has given people a taste of the exponential power behind machine learning and AI.

If you get your clients their desired outcomes, the outputs don’t really matter.

During tough times, you have to manage your expectations.

You know you always need to get better, even during good times.

Ads almost always get less than 50% conversion.

Anything in excess becomes its opposite.

Links:

The Spark newsletter

Who Not How by Dan Sullivan and Ben Hardy

The Impact Filter™ tool