Joseph Templin

#340: How to Craft an Epic Personal Story Arc for the New Year

#340: How to Craft an Epic Personal Story Arc for the New Year

We hold the power to write our own stories every single day and it can be one filled with extraordinary moments rich in fulfillment and rewards. But to live your best life you need to make the little choices and changes every day that can alter the curve of your career and life.

Therefore, to help guide you in crafting daily scenes of personal improvement to create an epic story for this upcoming year, we’re kicking off 2022 with Joseph Templin. Joe outlines how you can build better habits and act on them in his new book, Every Day Excellence: A Daily Guide to Growing quickly becoming an Amazon best-seller.

Joe is a reformed physicist, financial planner, startup founder and autodidactic polymath best described as a Swiss Army Knife. He has invested the past two and a half decades in helping others reach their financial potential as a planner, trainer, mentor and creator. He is also the Managing Director of the Unique Minds Consulting Group, LLC, and co-authored Do You Want To Make MDRT, Or Not? with Dr. John Stolk as well as Choices: Creating a Financial Services Career. 

Joe is a Co-Founder and President of The Intro Machine, Inc. an organization dedicated to teaching professionals in a variety of fields how to build an Introduction Based Business. He has spoken all across the US and Canada on ethical business development. In his free time, Joe enjoys running Ragnars (200-ish mile team relay races) ultramarathons and is a champion-level martial artist.  (more…)

JJ Ramberg

#339: The Power of Shared Experiences in Your Storytelling

#339: The Power of Shared Experiences in Your Storytelling

We all have a unique story to tell and you need to communicate it in a way that can connect and convert your prospects to customers. But you’re not sharing the experiences and stories that allow your audience to see the world as they see it, walking in their shoes and inspiring empathy within them.

On this final 2021 edition of the Business of Story, I’m bringing in JJ Ramberg, the co-founder of Goodpods to help us understand how to find your shared experiences that will resonate with your audience. JJ and her brother Ken Ramberg created Goodpods, the new social podcasting app (think Instagram or Twitter for podcasts) where you can follow your friends, influencers and favorite podcasters to see what they’re listening to and discover new shows. They also created a search engine called DogDog that helps feed dogs in need with every search. To date, DogDog has donated more than $7 million! 

JJ was named to Inc. Magazine’s Female Founders 100 and Goodpods was listed as one of Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies in 2021. She was a reporter for four years at CCN covering stories ranging from Hurricane Katrina to the NYSE. She was also the co-host of The Flipside, a talk show focused on the business news of the day.  (more…)

Dean Newlund

#338: How Great Leaders Use Intuition to Tell Their Stories

#338: How Great Leaders Use Intuition to Tell Their Stories

We all experience those gut feelings, that hunch that you should be choosing one direction over another or making a particular decision. And if you can find the courage to follow your intuitive superpower, then you can become a better decision-maker, creatively solve pressing challenges and deepen your connection with others.

But you need to start trusting your gut and be bold enough to act on it! Trust that it is always here to serve you.

Relying solely on your internal compass can be risky business so I’m bringing in Dean Newlund, the founder and CEO of Mission Facilitators International, a boutique training and development firm based out of Phoenix, Arizona whose sole purpose is to help organizations become more connected to their purpose and their people. 

With over two decades of observing, learning from, and guiding a diverse set of medium to large companies in over 19 countries including China, the UK, South America, the Middle East, India, Eastern Europe and Indonesia, Dean has always been fascinated by the positive effect purpose-driven leadership and human transformation has had on employee engagement, business results, and sustainable value for customers and communities. He has helped teams behave with the discipline found in successful companies and helps companies act with the supportive culture found in effective teams.  (more…)

with Sean Entin

#337: How to Turn Turmoil Into Triumph With Your Story

#337: How to Turn Turmoil Into Triumph With Your Story

We all walk a fine line between order and chaos. That’s life. We build success through our education and mastery of a subject, but we also have to keep one foot in chaos because that is where change occurs both positive and negative.

So how would you react if you were at the top of your game and then out of nowhere, at a young age, you were fallen by a stroke?

The order of your world plunged into chaos. What if you were told you’d never walk or talk again? What if the story everyone was telling you was that command over your life was essentially over?

Rewiring the Mind in Virtual Reality from Parker Howell on Vimeo.

That’s what happened to Sean Entin. He was a successful entrepreneur in Southern California financing sustainable residential housing following the global recession in 2008. He also was one of the first business managers to represent Mixed Martial Arts stars like Dan Henderson as the fledgling MMA industry grew.

Sean combined his love for business and MMA to help Navy Seals transition into a more normal life in the states. Suddenly in November of 2011, at 39 years old, it all came crashing down. Sean, during a training session, was caught in a chokehold that severed his carotid artery. This led to a stroke.

He was induced into a coma for 10 days and survived several surgeries. The story doctors told Sean is that he would never speak, walk or live a normal independent life again. 

But Sean wanted to live into a more powerful story, turning his adversity into triumph. It has been 10 years since he had his stroke and he not only regained his independence during his recovery process but is also a Survivor Coach, podcast host and founder of StrokeHacker.com, a community that helps stroke survivors recover from their brain injuries and regain their independence. (more…)

Sheevaun Thatcher

#336: Make No Mistake, You’re in Sales

#336: Make No Mistake, You’re in Sales

We are all in sales whether we like it or not. And if you can provide your salespeople with everything they need to better engage and convert potential buyers, then you’ll see more deals closed and revenue soaring for your business.

But your reps don’t have the right resources, materials and tools they need to be able to boost conversions and work more leads through your buyer’s journey. 

Today’s guest will show you how. Sheevaun Thatcher is a leading force in sales enablement with a remarkable track record of building teams and programs and delivering revenue outcomes. She even had one training video viewed over one million times in just four days!

Sheevaun is the President of Global Digital Learning and Enablement at RingCentral leading a team that trains between five and six thousand colleagues annually on Support Sales, Customer Success and Support, Channel and Partner Engagement, global corporate-wide Onboarding, Innovation Training, Product Marketing, Curriculum Design, Digital E-Learning and Video Production.   (more…)

Steven Benson

#335: What Sales Stories to Tell During These Turbulent Times

#335: What Sales Stories to Tell During These Turbulent Times

The global pandemic and current economic crises have forced times to get tighter and the way we run our businesses even tighter. And if you can approach the new challenges COVID has presented with business resilience then you can survive and thrive during these disruptive times.

But to better adapt to the world we’re now living in, you need to shift your focus from temporary fixes to a fresh approach to your sales strategy. You need to have a strong ROI story to drive sales and get your revenue back through the roof.

Here to help you tell the right stories during these turbulent times and social unrest is the CEO and founder of Badger Maps, the number one App in the App Store for outside and field salespeople, Steven Benson. Steve received his MBA from Stanford, joining Google where he became Google Enterprise’s Top Sales Executive globally in 2009.

He founded Badger Maps in 2012, designed for outside and field salespeople to upgrade existing CRMs with mapping, routing, and scheduling. Steve is also launching a new sales training platform on Badger Maps that in full disclosure will be featuring my ABTs of Selling™ short online course.  (more…)

Deborah Ostreicher

#334: How to Be a More Effective Presenter Using Storytelling

#334: How to Be a More Effective Presenter Using Storytelling

The prospect of giving a presentation fills some people with dread, while others relish the experience. And if you can deliver a phenomenal presentation with unwavering confidence, then you’ll be able to pique the interest of your audience, make valuable personal connections and your message will finally hit home.

But you’re spitting out everything you know instead of boiling down your messaging into consumable bites that your audience can easily digest. Keep it simple, clear and concise!

Today, I’m joined by my dear friend, Deborah Ostreicher. She shows us her three-step approach to making more powerful and convincing business presentations which she demonstrates in her new book, Enter, Enlighten, Exit: A Simple Guide to Making Clear, Concise and Convincing Presentations.

Deb has spent a lifetime performing on the stage and over 25 years in leadership positions around the globe, including as Marketing Director for a multi-national hi-tech company in Central Europe, as Events Manager for Prince Charles in the U.K. and most recently as the Vice President of Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport.  (more…)

Pamela Slim

#333: How to Pitch the Widest Net With Your Sales Story

#333: How to Pitch the Widest Net With Your Sales Story

You know that building and nurturing your community is the currency of this digital age. And if you capture a large, diverse and passionate audience who align with your values, then your business will explode.

But you’re not growing as you’d like because you’re still focused on one-to-one prospecting, which is time intensive, exhausting and not particularly effective. 

Therefore, consider a one-to-many approach in your business development as outlined by Pamela Slim in her new book The Widest Net: Unlock Untapped Markets and Discover New Customers Right in Front of You.

Pam calls these prospecting venues filled with potential customers “watering holes.” She is an award-winning author, speaker and business coach who works with small business owners ready to scale their organizations and intellectual property.

Pam is also the author of Escape from Cubicle Nation and Body of Work. 

She and her husband Darryl co-founded the K’é Main Street Learning Lab in Mesa, Arizona, where they host scores of diverse community leaders and regular small business programming. (more…)

Donna Loughlin

#322: The 6 Ways to Humanizing Your Tech Story

#322: The 6 Ways to Humanizing Your Tech Story

As a futurist and developer sharing a new, innovative idea to the world can be tricky. And if you can find a way to deliver your tech-driven story that doesn’t zoom across your audience’s heads then you can supercharge your story to be agile and relevant in the marketplace.

But how do you communicate your complex message to a non-technical crowd? It’s being able to bring in the human component into your narrative. Focusing on the human factor and user experience will give them the in-depth understanding and appreciation they need.

A master storyteller herself, Donna Loughlin, joins us this week to share how you can humanize your tech-driven stories through her six-step process. Donna is the founder of LMGPR and is known for her work with futurists and innovators. She has launched more than 500 companies taking them from stealth to market leaders since forming her PR agency in 2002.

Prior to establishing LMGPR, Donna spent more than 10 years leading creative PR programs for several high-profile consumer and business services and IPOs in Silicon Valley for global market leaders in the consumer and business tech sectors. She has also held leadership positions with global PR firms Burson-Marsteller and Edelman Public Relations.  (more…)

Chad Wilson

#331: How to Evolve Your Brand Story as Your Customers Change

#331: How to Evolve Your Brand Story as Your Customers Change

Customer experience is literally a memory. If you can create a positive impact that results in lasting loyalty, endorsement and evangelism then you can become unforgettable to your patrons and build life-long relationships.

But your customers can only be advocates of your vision if you pivot with their needs. Your brand story must evolve with their stories. 

Here to help you keep your brand story evolving and relevant is marketing and branding master, Chad Wilson. Chad is the Vice President and Executive Creative Director, Marketing at Grand Canyon Education, Inc, a shared services partner dedicated to serving colleges and universities with a team that has been leading educational transformation since 1983. He manages everything from strategic creative development and consumer research to dynamic media plans and multi-platform initiatives. 

As part of his work at GCE, Chad has directed the brand story transformation of Grand Canyon University, Arizona’s premier Christian university committed to making private education affordable. From a struggling institution to one of the fastest growing universities in the country thanks in part to a visionary leader and the brand storytelling work Chad and his team have produced. His creative leadership has led the University to become an undeniable force in higher education with brand campaigns that have contributed to the exponential growth from roughly 13,000 students to 115,000.  (more…)