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Often people look to outside sources to find the motivation to get through tough times, or to simply get through a tough day. However, what most people do not realize is that it always comes from within.   The constant search for external motivation often keeps people stuck in a particular place as no one is able to motivate someone to do anything.  Motivation is an internal state of mind, that is solely controlled by our thoughts and actions.  The only way we are able to motivate ourselves is to look deep and remind ourselves why we must achieve our goals in life.  We must always look inward to find what we are looking for within ourselves.  While the world is full of answers, only inside can we find the reasons why we must do what we are destined to do. The root of motivation can be traced to two baseline emotions:  Pleasure & Pain.   These two emotions drive everything that we do.  We either move towards them, or we move away from them.  As each of us is different, we must take a moment to look inward to find which of the two drives us in life.  Look at the actions you have taken in the past.  Were they done because you wanted to avoid pain, or was it because of a pleasurable sensation as the result of achieving a goal?   Once you discover which of the two motivates you, then it becomes simpler to know what actions you must take on a daily basis to find motivation.  Whenever we have days that we need a little motivation, we simply need to look within and remember which of the two baseline emotions drive us and use it to our advantage.    

If you have ever heard someone you need to play it safe in life to avoid getting hurt, then they are living a life of comfort without rewards.  In order to win big in life, you must be willing to take risks to receive the rewards you deserve. Life can be scary, especially if it means falling down.  Every great story has a backstory that's often never told.  If you look at the most successful people in the world, each of them will have a story to share about the things they did before they finally hit it big.   There is a misconception that you will hit it big on the first great idea you have.  While this can happen, often it's one of many subsequent ideas that come to us that are successful in the way we originally envisioned. Success and failure are ultimately two sides of the same coin.  You can't have one without the other.  However, most people only want to focus on the successes in life because they are sexier.  While success is great, we achieve our greatest growth thru failure. Why? When we fail, we learn how not to achieve a particular goal.  In some cases, it's a result of not training hard enough, as in the case of athletic events.  Or in business, it might be market timing or product research.  Regardless of the industry, there will always be opportunities to learn from what didn't go right. There are those who say they haven't failed in life, my response is they haven't lived!  If you are only playing it safe, and doing things that you know you will do well at, then the rewards will match your efforts.   Can it be scary to leave your comfort zone? Absolutely! But it is a must if we want to achieve growth in our lives.  The reason most people stay within their comfort zones is because of a high need for certainty.  The moment we leave it behind, we enter a world where we don't know all of the answers or expected outcomes.  We have to believe in ourselves that we have prepared enough for the uncertain moments to know how to handle them. Does this mean it will all go according to plan? Of course not. As one of my mentors once said. "Every best laid out plan is subject to change!" Once we embrace stepping outside of our comfort zone, we can begin experiencing growth in our lives!  

http://www.byroningraham.com/podcast/229-can-you-hustle-too-much   The hustle wave is here, and I'm not talking about the dance either.  For many entrepreneurs, there is an immense pressure to work 18 - 20 hours a day, 6 or 7 days a week.  While this can yield great rewards in business, it comes at a cost! As an entrepreneur, especially in the beginning, there is a need to wear multiple hats as a business grows.  However, this will often lead to working long days to perform the tasks of several people.  As a business owner, it is vital to ask yourself a simple question, "What do I want my life to look like?" For many people, there is a belief that by working 18 hour days 7 days a week, they can provide for their family.  While this might be true financially, the need for connection will go unfulfilled.  For someone who is single, they will quickly find themselves alienated from all of their friends, as no one will have seen them in months or even years.  If someone has children, they will miss the important events throughout their lives and never truly build a relationship. So what do you do? You have to ask yourself a question.  What systems and resources do you need to have in place that will allow for you to create the financial freedom you desire, while spending time with family & friends.  When you do this, it changes your perspective on how a business should really look like.  Spending time with the people we care about in life is priceless, as no amount of money can buy back time. One of the simplest things anyone can do to gain time back in their lives is to make a list of daily tasks they can pay someone else to do.  For example, it can be more efficient to have someone else create and post social media content to the various channels online to attract business leads.  On the personal side, you might hire someone to clean your home once a week, or mow the lawn once a week.  The opportunities are endless. I've heard from some people that they "enjoy" doing some of these things, the reality is they can become time sinks.  If you had to choose between spending time with your family or cleaning your home for 4 hours on a Saturday, which would you choose? You have to look at tasks in your life from this viewpoint to determine what you should hire someone else to do. Another objection some people have is they don't want to pay someone to do it when they are capable of doing it themselves!  Here's the thing, if you can do a task that generates $100 an hour, why not pay someone $10 an hour to take care of tasks you would have done anyways.  This actually allows you to increase your revenue, as you are able to focus on revenue-generating activities, as opposed to day to day tasks you can hire someone to do for you.  

http://www.byroningraham.com/podcast/228-how-to-increase-your-engagement-on-facebook   Over the past several days there have been numerous people posting about changes in the algorithm and wanting people to comment on their post.  The key to engagement is to create amazing content that people want to consume. Every time Facebook adjusts the algorithm that controls what content is displayed within the newsfeed, there will always be a crowd of individuals complaining that people are not seeing their content.  For starters, if you are actively running a business, you should be utilizing a page instead of a profile, but more on that later. When it comes to your personal profile, the key to having people engage with your posts is to create content that people actually want to consume.  The vast majority of individuals who spend hours each day on Facebook truly want to connect with others and engage in some form of entertainment.  Who do you know that wakes up and says to themselves, I want to be sold to today?  I'm pretty sure hardly anyone has ever said that in their life.  However, people do love to buy products or services that they believe in. If you want to increase your engagement on your personal profile or on your page, you must begin treating it as a media outlet.  Look at what news channels do each day.  They create compelling content that draws viewers in to watch their channel, often for hours at a time.  Without compelling content, none of these outlets would be in existence.  If you are unsure of this, simply go to any major news media website and look at the number of ads being displayed.  The more attractive their content is, the greater the amount of ad revenue they will generate.  Without ad revenue, a media outlet would be hard-pressed to remain in business. When you embrace the concept that news media outlets are utilizing, you will quickly discover that in order to attract an audience, you must shift your focus away from selling your "wares" to attracting people who want to consume your content each and every day.  Does this mean it will all be serious content?  No of course not.  It does mean that you must be interesting enough to gain the attention of a large following. Only when you do this will you be able to attract a loyal following who will want to buy the offers you present to them, as they will know, like, and trust who you are.    

http://www.byroningraham.com/podcast/227-creating-your-destiny-with-chris-burns   Chris coaches entrepreneurs and high-achievers to eliminate limiting beliefs and take courageous action. He’s spoken at 90+ events across the U.S., to rooms of 250+ people, and in the last 10 months, has interviewed over 150 leaders on his 12hr marathon. Chris's fascination for entrepreneurship and success began while in high school.  During this time he ventured down the wrong path in life that manifested in highly unproductive ways that ultimately led to him hitting rock bottom.  At this point, he made a commitment to never be in this position again. His career in sales began like many people in network marketing and door to door sales.  This forced him to learn how to communicate, be a leader, as well as learn business skills and principles. One of the most important aspects of success is the language we use in our lives day to day.  If we want to improve the results we are experiencing, then we must change the language we utilize. For example, if you say today is an "Ok Day" then you are allowing mediocrity to enter into your life.  However,  if you say "Today is the best day ever", then you are opening yourself to a whole new field of possibilities. It is important to become aware of any limiting beliefs you may have, as each of these must be shifted and transformed into an empowering vision.  Additionally, you must commit to living a very big life.  One of the easiest ways to do this is to declare to the world that you will accomplish something massive.  Even if you do not hit this goal, you will have accomplished much more than simply shooting for a small goal in life. The One Thing Chris recommends is to take on more leadership opportunities and abilities.  Go to events and ask if you can volunteer.  Look for ways you can step up in life, and in the world around you. To learn more about Chris visit: http://www.beyourgps.com  

http://www.byroningraham.com/podcast/226-why-warm-audiences-matter-in-marketing   Everywhere you look, you will see ads promoting one type of a business or another.  However, the vast majority of people are cold marketing to an audience.  While this works, there is a better way! The lifeblood of any and every business is the ability to generate leads to convert into paying clients.  As the marketplace becomes more and more crowded with advertisers promoting their businesses it is vital to look for ways to increase the effectiveness of our marketing. One of the most effective ways is to transition away from sending offers to cold audiences and instead transform them into warm relationships.  In business, it is far easier to sell a product or service to someone that already knows, likes and trusts you.  It has been a cornerstone of business since the dawn of time.  Yet, with the rapid expansion of online marketing, most businesses have forgotten this principle as they transitioned their marketing online from offline. When we market our services in person, people have a chance to interact and connect with us allowing them to get to know who we are.  While the same process for connecting with someone doesn't work online, we can do the next best thing.  Create compelling videos. Why Video? Video is fast becoming the most popular medium for connecting with audiences.  Simply look at the rise of Snapchat and Instagram Stories.  Two platforms designed primarily with video interactions in mind.  Yes, people do use images with them but look at how many users focus on creating short videos to connect & engage with their audiences. By utilizing video, we can convey emotions and let people know how we can help them with problems they are currently experiencing in their business.  This medium also allows for viewers to get to know who we are before having to buy anything.  Think about that for a moment.  Most people don't buy right away primarily because they don't know you yet.  As a result, people take their time to investigate who you are, visit your website, look at your social media content, etc.  But with video, you are able to convey your message in a way that compels them to want to know more about you. The other main advantage of utilizing video to build a warm audience is the ability to overcome objections in advance.  Objections are the one thing that will stop a sale cold in its tracks.  However, if you dispel them in advance through content, then there will no longer be any barriers for someone wanting to invest in your offerings. This strategy can be utilized in any industry, after all, we do business with people that we know right?      

http://www.byroningraham.com/podcast/225-using-gamification-to-grow-your-business   Regardless of age, there is one common trait that everyone shares, the joy of winning.  In business, it is possible to utilize the euphoria experienced through winning to attract additional clients and customers.   From a very young age in life, a thrill is experienced when we win while playing a game or accomplish a major goal.  It is this feeling that compels people to play games, enter contests, or compete in tournaments.  In business, it has been used for ages to compel people to buy assorted products and services. A great example of a business utilizing gamification to drive purchases is McDonald's.  Each year they conduct their Monopoly contest where customers an win prizes from food all the way up to large cash prizes.  Most individuals who have played the game before increased the frequency of their purchases to obtain more game pieces, thusly improving their chances of winning. While most people who win, will only get a free food offering, it is the excitement experienced by people in the hopes of winning. Another example is to look at lottery ticket sales.  Even though the majority of people know the odds of winning are horrific at best, people still flock out in droves to play in the hopes of picking the right numbers.  As the size of the jackpot increases, the thrill of winning increases thus driving additional people to purchase tickets who normally do not participate. These same principles can be utilized by any business owner or entrepreneur to attract additional clients and customers. There are a few key principles that must be followed to make any contest a success. Prizes must be something people desire.  While most individuals will be happy winning anything, having prizes that have an emotional draw to them entices more people to be interested.  For example, offering a prize package of books might sound enticing to some people, but a romantic dinner for two at a restaurant will have a greater draw to individuals. Prizes must be buzzworthy.  Any prize utilized must be something people want to share and talk about on social media. The whole purpose of having prizes is to encourage individuals to share the contest with their sphere of influence. Must have value to the audience.  If McDonald's said to the masses the majority of people will only win a free drink, most people wouldn't play.  People are drawn to the idea of winning one of the larger prizes.  It is important for each business to utilize prizes that have a high enough relative value to their audience to encourage people to participate. When utilized properly, any business can attract additional clients and customers who will happily promote your offerings to their sphere of influence.

http://www.byroningraham.com/podcast/224-how-to-get-booked-out-with-halley-gray   Halley Gray is the CEO of Evolve and Succeed who wants people to know 3 things.  She can teach you to have months of clients booked in advanced, and that drinking gin while reading her content is a great idea. Halley spent a large amount of time experimenting to figure out what was the best way to get clients online as she truly wanted to work for herself, and not someone else.  As she worked in the consulting arena she discovered that others were having the same struggle, especially with conducting consult calls. It wasn't long before she realized that there was a better way than conducting endless consult calls as the process is not scalable as well as being efficient.  She discovered the more you educate prospects before getting on the phone with them, the more qualified they are, as well as ready to work with you. The ideal way to do this is to change your view about marketing.  If you look at your marketing as a pimp and a bouncer it will change your perspective.  You ultimately want to attract high paying clients, while keeping those you do not want to do business with at bay. One of the best ways to do this is to have a website that speaks directly to your ideal client.  Most entrepreneurs have a vague website, along with a vague sales page, that leads to attracting the wrong clients. When you attract the right clients who value your services, you only need to attract a small number of them to be financially successful. To truly scale your income, it's about creating experiences for your clients.  Info products are meant for the masses, while an experiential interaction with you is priceless. In order to attract high paying clients, it is vital for every entrepreneur to utilize testimonials in their branding.  Social proof is a necessity in today's day and age. The One Thing Halley recommends is to take a look at your life and see where you are already hanging out with your ideal clients.  Most people today are already in the appropriate social circles to find them.  It's simply a matter of engaging in a conversation and providing value. To learn more about Halley visit: http://www.evolveandsucceed.com  or to participate in her online challenge visit: http://bebookedout.com/challenge  

http://www.byroningraham.com/podcast/223-how-to-avoid-sexual-harassment-issues   As of late, there have been numerous outings of individuals who have preyed upon others in the workplace.  It is one of the fastest ways to destroy a cohesive environment as well as demoralize individuals affected by someone's actions. At this point, we are only seeing the beginning of a large number of women and even men come forward to out their harassers.  The biggest reason for the sheer amount of people being outed is a precedence has been set.  Now that people see it is ok for them to let the world know what happened without facing consequences more and more people will begin to come forward. However, this is an issue that should not occur in the workplace in today's age.  One of the main reasons why people harass others in the workplace is the false perception of invulnerability.  For the longest time, if someone was in a certain position within a company it was part of the culture to protect them as they were more valuable to the brand than if they were to let them go.  As a result of this mentality, it created a culture where it gave people permission to do as they pleased without fearing repercussions. Being in any form of leadership position, especially one that interfaces with the public require people to be a role model to everyone who interacts with them.  In this day and age of social media, a company cannot afford to tolerate the behavior of individuals who do not respect others. So what is the simplest way to avoid harassment issues in the workplace?  It's quite simple to treat everyone like they are a family member.  A person would never treat their own brother or sister in the way that they treated others in the workplace, as that would be apprehensible.  When raised as gentlemen, most men would defend their siblings from any type of harm.  Making this simple change would eliminate the vast majority of issues happening today.   After all, no one who is sexually harassing others in the workplace would want it to happen to someone within their own family. The faster people begin treating others like family, the faster we can eliminate harassment from inside and outside of the workplace.  

    Networking is one of the most powerful ways anyone can grow a business quickly.  However, it is vital to focus on building relationships and not simply pitch your offerings. When utilized properly, networking is by far one of the fastest and lowest barriers to entry methods to grow a business.  In every city, there are countless networking groups filled with people who are promoting their business, referring others, and simply making introductions to people who could possibly do business with each other. The greater purpose behind networking with others is to build relationships that can ultimately lead to sales.  One of the pitfalls of networking groups is the number of people who look at everyone they meet as a meal ticket vs a relationship.  Networking is about building relationships to ultimately be introduced to people who can utilize the products and services you offer. When someone focuses on trying to quickly sell a room, without building relationships, they can quickly find themselves out of business. Why? People love to buy, but hate being sold to! Typically in most well-established networking groups, people will have previously built a relationship with someone in every profession that is represented.  As people buy from those who they know like and trust, it is important to establish these key elements in a relationship prior to initiating a sale. Does this mean going for the sale first doesn't work?  No, it can work, but typically it results in losing more sales than gained. So how can you quickly build relationships to ultimately generate sales? The short answer is, give value then ask for the sale. People will buy a product or service when they see inherent value demonstrated.  However, it must go beyond the product, but also value must be given to the person.  For example, if someone demonstrated a way for a potential client to save money, or increase revenue, they will be more likely to utilize the services of an individual. When you begin focusing on building relationships, not only are you more likely to generate a sale, you are also more likely to be introduced to your prospects sphere of influence. Ultimately the goal of every person leveraging networking to generate business should be to obtain introductions to someone's sphere of influence.  If you are not doing this currently, then it must become your number one priority until achieved.  http://www.byroningraham.com/podcast/222-networking-is-about-relationships

http://www.byroningraham.com/podcast/221-eating-healthy-with-alina-z   Chef Alina Z is a Couture Nutrition Chef, TV Show host and creator of a #1 Best Diet helping people learn how to eat healthy. Alina's journey into entrepreneurship began after a career conducting PR for a catering company.  In her tenure there she discovered she loved food and wanted to learn more about it after gaining weight.  She wanted to learn how to get healthy, which led her to attend school for nutrition. One of the hurdles she had to overcome in school was focusing on the type of chef she wanted to become.  There were guest lecturers on a wide variety of diets and lifestyles, most of which didn't resonate with her.  It wasn't until she learned about a raw food diet that she found her true passion.  She became enthralled with the idea of how food brings life to the body. The food we consume on a daily basis must be good for us if we want to maintain a certain level of energy.  It also must be good for the environment and taste good.  Sadly, the vast majority of foods people consume on a regular basis do not meet any of the above criteria. One of the most important things anyone can do to live a healthy lifestyle is to choose a "diet" that works for them.  Diets are designed to work for the masses and not the individual which is why most people fail at them.  Each and every person is different, so we must consume foods that work best for ourselves and not others. The One Thing Alina recommends is change your perception of food.  Treat it as if you were going out on a date.  Do you want a relationship or do you want a one night stand? To learn more about Alina visit: http://www.AlinaZ.com  

http://www.byroningraham.com/podcast/219-selling-stories Once upon a time stories were told to inspire young minds to be anything and do anything.  These stories inspired people everywhere to become who they are today.  However, as adults, stories are few and far between when it comes to selling what we offer to prospective clients and customers. Stories are one of the most powerful tools underutilized in business today.  They inspire people to take actions they might not have otherwise.  Additionally, they have the ability to connect people to join in for a common cause.  Simply look at how media outlets and politicians utilize stories to galvanize their constituents around a particular cause. Most entrepreneurs and business owners utilize simple pitches to promote their products & services.  While this may work in many cases, the return on them is quickly diminishing.  This is primarily due to increased levels of competition within the market.  There was a day and age you could simply run a basic ad on any network and generate results.  Now with greater amounts of competition, if you are not stirring emotions within your prospects, your message goes unheard. So what types of stories should you utilize? Your objective should be to invoke emotions that will lead to someone wanting to buy your product or service.  It should also create a sense of connection.  If you're looking for an example of stories that are utilized effectively to promote a product, look at pharmaceutical commercials.  They are promoting a product that only a small percentage of the population would have an interest in.  Through the usage of stories, they are able to connect with prospects who are their ideal client to compel them to ask medical professionals for the drug. Regardless of the stories utilized, it is essential to end them with a strong call to action.  Without it, you've simply told a great story to someone who may or may not take the action you desire.  This step is often left out of the process by entrepreneurs.

http://www.byroningraham.com/podcast/218-choosing-fulfillment-with-tommy-breedlove   Tommy Breedlove is the founder of Choose Goodness, a movement dedicated to helping leaders and entrepreneurs focus beyond the financial bottom line. Tommy helps his clients bridge the gap between humanity and profitably. Tommy's journey into choosing goodness began after a career in the financial services industry.  To achieve the "expected' levels of success within the industry he found himself wearing a multitude of masks that were not true to who he was on the inside.  Everything within his career was about how to make more money.  This led him to reevaluate who he wanted to be in life to come up with a way to live a life of goodness without compromising success. One of the lessons learned while in the financial services industry is money is a tool, thusly it doesn't always lead to fulfillment and happiness.  You never want to compromise yourself to buy material things in life.  One of the best documentaries he recommends individuals watch is called "Happy".  It is a study of various societies around the world and what makes the people within them happy. A contributor to the obsession that people have with winning at all costs is the media.  Happiness is typically portrayed by having a large number of material possessions.  Very rarely do you hear of people being happy because they are doing something that fulfills them within the media. If you are constantly comparing yourself to others, it will lead you down a dark path as this results in the false belief you are not good enough.  The only person we should be comparing ourselves to is reflected in the mirror.  When we do this, begin to change the belief system we use on a day to day basis. In life, the one thing that it is vital we never do is compromise our values.  We can lose everything material in the world, but we can hold on to our values which makes us who we are.  Typically people will sacrifice their values in a vain effort to please everyone around them.  Regardless of what we do, there will be people who are happy because of what we are doing and there will be those who are not.  We must focus on those who resonate with our message and grow within that following.  In doing so, you are able to stay true to who you are and not compromise your beliefs. The One Thing Tommy recommends is you have to participate in your own rescue as no one is going to come along and do it for you.  Take a self-assessment of where you are in life, if there are things that you do not feel are where they need to be at, then do something about it.  If you are compromising who you are in order to be accepted by others, then you must be willing to change to truly feel fulfilled. To learn more about Tommy visit: http://www.choosegoodnessnow.com or email Tommy at: Tommy@choosegoodnessnow.com  

http://www.byroningraham.com/podcast/217-importance-journaling   Writing down the thoughts and ideas within our minds is nothing new as it is a practice that has occurred for thousands of years.  However, the number of people today utilizing it to advance their goals is minimal. Journaling can be one of the most powerful things anyone can do to create growth and prosperity in their lives.  We live in an age where the vast majority of people spend more time talking about what they want to achieve and doing nothing, than writing out their goals they plan on accomplishing.  In order to change our lives, we must first identify what we want to change, which is best accomplished through writing out our goals.  There are multitudes of courses and books on the topic of journaling, but at the end of the day what is most important is to start.  Begin with where you are in life, write out your thoughts, your feelings, your frustrations.  For everything you identify in your life that you do not like, it is imperative to identify what you will change.  For example, if you are not happy with the weight you currently are, what actions will you take each day to change that.  If you are not making the money you desire, what will you do that day to attract more of it.  Results follow the intentions we set for ourselves, and if we do not set intentions, then nothing will happen.  Have you noticed how highly successful people who have created companies all talk about how it began with an idea they wrote down?  Compare this to the person who only talks about what they want to do, but never writes anything out.   When you invest the time and energy to journal on a daily basis, you will begin noticing things shifting in your life as you attract the people and resources you need based upon the actions you take each and every day.  

http://www.byroningraham.com/podcast/216-be-your-own-hero   Often in business and in life, we have a tendency to wait for someone to come along to change the world we are living in.  However, if we want to make change happen quickly we must learn to become our own hero. Becoming our own here simply means we have to take responsibility for the outcome we want to achieve.  Typically in business, individuals will spend time "hoping" that the right person will come along and ultimately change everything in their business.  That's simply not the case.  If we waste time and energy waiting for someone to come along, we will quickly find ourselves out of business. To be a hero in your business,  you simply need to take action on your goals.  It doesn't matter the size or scope of them, you just have to begin tackling them.  Does this mean every problem will be solved overnight?  No of course not, it just means that you are taking the first step towards solving them. Regardless of how big any challenge might be, the way to take it on is one piece at a time.  Break things down into manageable tasks.  Only then will you be able to become your own hero.  Give each task 100% of your attention so you can come up with the best possible solution. In approaching tasks in this manner, you will soon find yourself building momentum in your business as you get closer and closer to achieving your larger goal of becoming your own hero.  

http://www.byroningraham.com/podcast/215-you-are-ready-for-greatness It can be very easy for someone to constantly justify why they are not ready to do something bigger and greater in life.  The reality is we are ready for greatness at this very moment. One of the main reasons why we sometimes believe we are not ready is due to how we compare ourselves to others in the world around us.  When we compare ourselves to others, we see people who are further along in their own journey which creates a false sense of reality.  Through comparison, we believe that we are not ready as someone else might have more tools, a better website etc.  However, the one thing they do not have is you. Each an every one of us has a message, a gift, a talent, that is meant to be shared.  When you look at the world around you there are over 7.5 Billion people.  This means that not everyone will resonate with the same message.  But they will only have the opportunity to resonate with the messages they here. So what does this mean for you? It means today is the day to begin getting your message out into the world.  It doesn't have to be polished, or 100% complete.  It simply needs to be done.  One of the best ways to get started with your message is, to begin with, your personal network and letting them know who you are and how you can help them.  Often we have a tendency to avoid approaching the people closest to us, but they can be the ones who will have connections needing the support you provide.  The people you know the best will want you to succeed.  If they have no interest in your success, then it's time to find new friends. There is an expression that says the best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago and the 2nd best time is now.  Now is the time to get your message out there as someone is waiting to hear how you can help them in their lives and businesses.    

http://www.byroningraham.com/podcast/214-content-creation-hacks   Creating content can be the bain of an entrepreneurs business.  How many times have you sat at your computer and wondered, what will I talk about today?  It's your lucky day as I'm going to share with you a simple system to create content on demand.   As entrepreneurs creating content is simply part of the process of building rapport and trust with an audience.  However, every once in a while we all hit a wall where we simply come up dry for ideas.  It doesn't mean that we have nothing to say, it just means it's hard to think of something relevant to share at that moment.  It's one of the main reasons to plan content out in advance so there's never a moment when you come up dry for content.  In the event that you do, here is a simple process that you can utilize. First, when you are stuck for ideas there are two things that you can do.  Begin by check search.twitter.com and look for trending topics.  As conversations are relevant to what's taking place at the moment, it is a great way to find ideas you can quickly discuss to share with an audience. The second place you can check for ideas are Facebook groups.  Look in the groups with your target audience within them.  Check for posts where people are asking questions about problems they are having.  This will allow you to create ideas that are relevant directly to your ideal clients. Once you have uncovered potential topics, simply record a video discussing it and providing a solution.  This will allow you to utilize your content on sites like YouTube.  The real purpose of creating the video is to embed it within a blog post to share within groups on Facebook, or with appropriate hashtags on Twitter.  In doing so you will be able to place your relevant topic directly in front of your ideal clients. Creating content doesn't have to be hard, it simply needs to be done.

http://www.byroningraham.com/podcast/213-investing-in-yourself-part-3 Investing in yourself goes beyond simply attending personal development seminars and reading books to grow in life.  To truly grow we must expand the concept of investing to reach new heights in life. An area often overlooked and under-discussed in regards to investing in yourself is personal health. Our health is what determines how successful we will be.  There will be people in the world who might have a high level of financial success, but they do not have the health to enjoy it.  Simply look at the number of people in your life who do not have the energy to do the things they desire.  Investing in our health goes way beyond buying a gym membership.  We must be willing to change the way we eat and act throughout the day.  It's one of the main reasons why a year ago I stopped eating meat & dairy products.  Through tracking my energy levels, I discovered I felt sluggish after consuming these products, so I eliminated them from my diet.  It didn't take long before my energy levels began to skyrocket.  While most people spend money on food that's not very good for them, I make it a point to only consume foods that provide me energy.  This allows me to accomplish substantially more than others throughout the day. While our health is internal, we must also invest in our outward experience.  We live in a society where appearance is everything.  Look at how people decide which fruit & vegetables they are going to buy.  Most people will only buy ones that are the perfect shape and do not have any blemishes.  The ones that do not meet these criteria go unwanted and ultimately end up being disposed of.  That being said, the way we appear to our audience is what can ultimately determine the level of success we have.  Appearance revolves around grooming as well as the attire we wear as it helps us relate to the clients we want to associate with.  Take a moment to go to your local shopping mall.  Look at the difference in how people are dressed in a high-end store such as Nordstrom's or a specialty boutique compared to a place like Walmart.  Which one do you believe will attract a higher paying customer? To know how to appear to your ideal clients, simply look at the people they associate with, then dress accordingly.  A simple way to improve your appearance without breaking the bank is to look for stylish brands on sale, or at various types of outlet stores.  When you present yourself in a certain fashion, you will be able to attract more of your ideal clients as they are able to easily relate to you.    

http://www.byroningraham.com/podcast/212-intentional-entrepreneurship-with-chelsea-fournier   Chelsea Fournier is a lawyer, turned entrepreneur, turned network marketer and business coach for entrepreneurs. Her biggest passion is helping entrepreneurs clarify their vision and take intentional action towards the real success they dream of.   Chelsea has always lived a purpose-driven life.  Originally her plan was to pursue a career in the legal field, however, after entering the workforce she realized it was not the lifestyle she desired.  The biggest revelation came after having an anxiety attack.  This led her to be more intentional with living her life, which began by meeting people other than lawyers. The journey to become a successful entrepreneur is similar to an iceberg, as people only see what's on the surface, not what happens underneath.  One of the most important things anyone can do as an entrepreneur is to be real.  People want to connect with someone who is authentic 100% of the time, not just when it is convenient.  A key principle that is often lost as we grow older in life is the concept of dreaming bigger.  As a child, our dreams are supported, however as we age the level of support diminishes.  If you have the typical employee mindset, you must allow yourself to dream bigger.  This is the result of employers paying individuals just enough to keep you there, so you are doing just enough to keep it. There are 3 things anyone can do in an hour a day to grow and scale their business. Create good content that is easily shareable across social media platforms Connect and engage with influencers and prospective clients Have authentic conversations that may or may not lead to business.  Try to have 2-3 conversations daily that do not lead to business. The only way to grow your business is to move away from the lottery mindset and develop daily habits that lead to results. The One Thing Chelsea recommends is creating a vision statement.  Ideally, you want to work in 3-month increments.  Create daily operations that support goals you will achieve over a 3 month period of time. To learn more about Chelsea visit: http://ChelseaFournier.com

http://www.byroningraham.com/podcast/211-know-your-audience   Advertising is a way of life in today's world, especially if you want to put your message in front of your ideal clients and customers.  However, before you spend a single dollar advertising your business, you absolutely must know who your audience is and who they are not.   The more you know about who you are wanting to market your products and services to the better.  It is easy to succumb to the temptation of running ads to simply get your message out there, but that is wasting resources.  It does more than simply waste financial resources on the business end, it results in a loss of opportunity.  Imagine for a moment you are running a special promotion for a product.  If the wrong audience is seeing your message, you will ultimately end up leaving money on the table as potential customers will not see your message. There is another downside of not being spot on with your targeting, creating disillusion of your brand.  For example, it wasn't too long ago while watching the Super Bowl I saw ads on my Facebook newsfeed promoting a chicken wing restaurant in San Antonio.  While I'm sure they have a great product, there was no way I was going to travel there from Dallas or even eat there since I do not consume meat.  When an ad is displayed to the wrong audience, it can generate a negative response from individuals. So what's the best way to know who you should market to? Begin with looking at who your best clients are.  For any business that wants to create growth, the best way to do it is to attract more of your best clients.  These are the people who invest in your premium products & services or do business with you on an ongoing basis.  You will want to identify as many traits about them as possible.  Naturally, you will want to identify demographic data, but you will want to target behavior as well. Demographics will only go so far in terms of targeting your ideal clients.  Behaviors, when used properly, will narrow down who should see your message and who does not.  For example, if you are selling an online product, targeting individuals who make online purchases would be beneficial.  This is why you must know as many details as possible about who your ideal client is. What's next? As with any marketing campaign, you absolutely must test various audiences to see which will respond to your message.  There is a temptation to use a single audience and call it quits, but that is simply just the beginning.  In any and every online advertising campaign, you absolutely must constantly refine your ad campaigns as each adjustment can substantially increase your results over time.  The main reason why you must refine your ads is ideally you will want to increase your ad spend to attract more clients and customers.  If a campaign is not optimized with a low ad spend, it will result in wasted dollars as the budget increases. Take the time to get to know who your ideal client is, and create audiences to market your product to them.  Just remember that it will take time to discover the right combination of demographics, interests, and behaviors to generate optimal results for your business.