The Mind Your Business Podcast

Today I’m speaking with Annette Stepanian, a lawyer for entrepreneurs and creatives. The topics we’re talking about aren’t sexy or flashy, but they are absolutely essential for business owners to think about NOW, before something happens. This is about protecting you, and your business, and about how to be smart as you grow. Have no worries, Annette is breaking it all down on this episode of The Mind Your Business Podcast! In this episode you’ll learn: As business owners, we have a responsibility to proactive when it comes to legal issues The first steps you should take (and some common mistakes made by entrepreneurs) There are special considerations for online businesses versus brick and mortar ones Your biggest asset is your content – protect it and don’t infringe on content belonging to others! Which actions you can take if someone has stolen your intellectual property, and the mindset I have around this issue Why a contract is a necessity, especially for entrepreneurs with service-based companies Indepen

Today I’m joined by a listener of the podcast, and student of Business by Design, Kelli Wise. Kelli discusses her journey of how she got to where she is today in her business, and opens up about the tough times she’s had and how she was able to turn things around. She is a great example of how you don’t necessarily need to have a huge email list to have a successful launch, if you have the right mindset and take the right action steps.  In this episode you’ll learn: The confirmation Kelli received that she was indeed impacting the lives of her students The critical step she took after creating her offer and testing it in the marketplace How her program is helping creative entrepreneurs brand and market themselves to stand out How Kelli took a breakdown from her first webinar and used the experience to pivot internally and propel herself forward Why confidence and belief in yourself plays such a key role in how others will see you Why Kelli refers to herself as the “Chief Executive Cheerleader” for her audien

Today I’m coming to you with a very special bonus episode, and sharing three things you can do to craft your perfect day. Not every day is going to go exactly to plan, but it all starts by setting the intention and getting clarity on what your perfect day looks like to you.  In this episode you’ll learn: Your definition of a perfect day can change over time The morning I recorded this show didn’t start out as perfect, but I was able to recognize it and move on! Perfect means whatever you want it to mean Entrepreneurship is a like a wide-open canvas (and your day can be too) What do I mean by “feel it first?” Prioritization is a necessary skill that can be developed over time Schedule time for fun (I’ve one our company’s core values)!  

In this special bonus episode of The Mind Your Business Podcast, I’m showing you a better way for creating a vision for your life and business. My goal here is to prove that it is indeed possible to truly live your life and then make time for your business, and not the other way around. In this episode you’ll learn: Why working longer and harder is the fast track to burn out, not success How “hustle” has become a safety blanket for entrepreneurs today Why patience is absolutely crucial to have when creating a leveraged-based business versus one that trades time for money Why you need to ask yourself what you love, what you’re good at and what will make you money! You might be able to outsource many things, but you can’t outsource the CEO and no one can be the visionary in your business but YOU! How looking at what you liked doing as a kid can lead you to your business by design today The importance of both your internal and external strengths, and a tool you can use today for determining these things Why you

In this special bonus episode, James talks about how you can take your goal and actually turn it into a tangible result – like cash in the bank! He shares why it’s so important to not just set big goals, and how you can create the specific action steps to get there. It’s necessary to blend things such as manifestation and spirituality with the action steps and the right plan. For James, the more he balances and integrates these things together, the better the results. For a long time, his goal number seemed so far off and he just didn’t know how he was going to actually accomplish it. However, when you do know how to accomplish your goals the right way, you can literally create money on demand. Being in the right environment is critical for achieving the results you’re after. To accommodate his growing team, James just moved his team to a bigger office, complete with a deck and view of the ocean. The importance of your environment can’t be underestimated! After moving to New York in 2012 and almost burning ou

In this episode I’m joined by Dr. Mcayla, who is a licensed psychotherapist, Brain Training and MindSet Expert as well as an EMDR specialist. We’re talking all about our core beliefs – what they are and how to change them! In this episode you’ll learn: How Dr. Mcayla really began to understand what her true story was What EMDR, or “Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing” is all about Why isn’t the mind talked about more often, and in particular, the psyche? How we’re constantly defining ourselves while we sleep… Most of our actions, feelings and behaviors come from the subconscious mind, but not many of us know what we have there! Ways that our ego will counteract our core beliefs How I survived when I was younger… Why the subconscious mind will push back memories that don’t make us look good! Society doesn’t define our truths; what defines us is the kind of person we are  

On today’s episode, James talks with Online Business Strategist Zach Spuckler about the major mindset shifts he has made over the last year that’s enabled him to grow his business exponentially. Zach also shares an effective alternative to doing a really big launch, which you won’t want to miss! When Zach first joined James’ Inner Circle Mastermind a year ago, he worked by himself and had just hit the 6-figure mark in his business. He now has a team made up of multiple people, but notes that it was the inner work he did that allowed him to expand to this. Zach admits that he used to be a workaholic, and that his health started to suffer because of this. He had to step back and ask himself why he originally wanted to start the business, which was to have freedom. Here are just a few of his major breakthroughs: Hire a team Hiring his first VA helped give Zach the systems, and space to grow. During his last launch, he realized that hiring was never an external issue, but he was so busy working that he didn’t kno

Are you marketing yourself online and feel like your message is falling flat? Maybe people aren’t getting your offer and you’re looking for a way to connect with your audience? On today’s show, James looks at how using surveys (the right way!) can lead to more effective messaging and more sales. He shares the right questions to ask, how to ask them so you’ll get people to actually fill out your survey, the software he recommends and most importantly, how to properly interpret the answers you receive. Your online niche is most likely always evolving, and surveys are a powerful way to stay in touch with your marketplace. When it comes to strategies to use with your surveys, Ryan Levesque has an excellent book, Ask. In his book, he talks about the “one question” survey, which simply proposes the following question: When it comes to _________, what is the number one biggest struggle or frustration you have right now? Your job is to get really specific on the topic when you ask this question. The more specific the

Are you looking for inspiration to host your own live event, or do something different with the ones you are creating? In today’s special bonus episode, James talks with Sage Lavine, CEO of Conscious Women Entrepreneurs and host of the International Women on Purpose summits. Sage shares her expertise on how you can crush it from stage, regardless if you are an introvert or an extrovert! For about the first 8 years, James’ entire business had been made up of online courses and digital training. In the last year he’s made an effort to make it more in-person with his community, and he and his team recently just hosted the largest live event that they have ever done. Sage notes that bringing yourself to the people that you serve is nourishing, and the attendees are really looking for a sense of belonging. Leaders are also being called into their truth or message and they need support from other people that are up to big things in the world today. Sage started her million-dollar business in her living room, with 1

In this solo episode, James reviews “The Code of the Extraordinary Mind” by Vishen Lakhiani and discusses some major concepts from the book, which can allow you to live the best life possible. In his book, Lakhiani reveals how he built Mindvalley, but got to a breaking point and almost had to close the doors. After making a major shift, which he refers to as “Bending Reality”, the company grew revenue over 400% in just 8 months and started attracting their dream clients along with an amazing team. He did this by bringing the powerful presence of gratitude and happiness into the present moment, and in the book he says: “Be happy now. Your thoughts and beliefs do create your reality, but only when your present state is joyful.” The second step was creating an excited anticipation for the future. James notes that as entrepreneurs, we already have goals, but often run into frustration, become impatient and burn out. He says there is a huge difference between going through the motions of gratitude and having an ex

In this episode, James is joined by a special guest, Rick Mulready, to discuss how to overcome the mindset hurdles that all entrepreneurs face. Rick shares that he himself, despite the success he has achieved, is still working on figuring out entrepreneurship. He says that mindset is the foundation, and it drives success in both business and life. He used to have a scarcity and fear-based mindset of not know how to do what he wanted to do with his own business. Rick also wasn’t even sure if he could do what he wanted to do, and he says he “floundered” for 14 months. At one point, he even thought he might have to go back to the corporate world. His mindset is now a lot different than it use to be, and he’s proved that he can help others in their businesses while also supporting his own family. Along the journey, you’re always going to have setbacks and you’re going to hit plateaus. Your mindset will help you think in different ways and allow you to know you can get through the hard times. James adds that you m

In today’s episode, Kimra Luna discusses her habits and mindset for success, while talking about how she uses inspiration and intuition to drive her business. She says she didn’t realize how fast her business was going to grow, and originally thought it would take a few years to make 6-figures. Kimra shares that her first website was far from perfect, and she did it herself for about $100. Perfectionism is the biggest mistake that she sees entrepreneurs making today. They often think everything has to be just right before releasing a course or product. Kimra created her first course in a weekend. She was hesitant at first when starting her business, partly because of the way she looks. “I’m the chick with piercings in the middle of her face and tattoos all over her. That wasn’t what I was seeing (in the industry).” To let go of this, she just went back to why she was in business, which was to help people. She adds that not thinking about the money aspect made it easy for her to do what she does. “I think some

Derek Halpern is the founder of SocialTriggers.com, a thriving business that sells software, online courses and digital training. In this episode, he talks with James and Phoebe about the seemingly unremarkable daily habits that help people become extraordinary in business. More specifically, how walking can change your life!    

Knowing yourself will allow you to understand more how you can show up and operate as an entrepreneur. In this episode, James explains what the Myers Briggs Personality Test is all about, while allowing the listener to answer the question “what type am I?” Personality types aren’t meant to limit you. You can learn much about yourself, and along the way, discover a lot about the people around you. At a business function in 2008, someone “read” James, based on his personality type, which fascinated him. “What it did for me was open a door to discover this on my own” He says he was an introvert growing up, referring to himself as shy and not knowing how to relate to others. “I lived the first 25 years of my life thinking there was something drastically wrong with me because everywhere I looked, I found evidence that people were the exact opposite” James discovered his Myers Briggs Personality Type is “INTJ”, which is one of the rarest of the 16 personality types in the framework. Myers Briggs allowed him to look

Kate Northrup is the best selling author of “Money, a Love Story: Untangle Your Financial Woes and Create the Life You Really Want.” She’s grown a team of 3,000 wellness entrepreneurs in the network marketing industry and her work has been featured on The Today Show, Yahoo Finance, Huffington Post and in many other amazing publications. She is committed to empowering as many people as possible to have the ultimate luxury in life. In this episode, she shares all about creating that “margin for magic” in your business!    

Today we're talking all about what the heck is this podcast, why I started it and how you can get the most out of these episodes!