In episode 60 you’ll discover how 25-year-old Josh Haynam grew his website business to a thriving, rapidly growing quiz-building business (with over 40,000 paid subscribers!) in four short years. Josh shares his recommendations on how to start a new company as well as insights into what didn’t work for the first three years as they were starting out. Josh also explains the one strategy shift that grew their paid subscriber base by 300% in eleven months!
In this episode of Fresh Tracks you’ll also learn the one exercise Josh continues to implement every time something takes up more than half his mental space and how you can do the same. You’ll also discover why keeping a clear headspace has been so instrumental to his business success and the one reset that must happen regularly – particularly when you get stuck!
Show Notes:
1:15 – How, at 25 years old, Josh started and grew his business in four short years
4:10 – Josh’s advice on how to start a new company
6:30 – How Josh went from creating a few custom quizzes to a repeatable product of 40,000 users
8:50 – The surprising way he gained Red Cross, Home Depot and other large brands
13:00 – The secret behind the quantum leap to 300% percent growth in 11 months!
19:00 – What kept Josh going during his slow growth years. And why he didn’t give up
23:00 – The bold steps Josh took to be able to continue to think strategically to run his business
26:15 – How to know what’s worth working on in a boot strap company.
About Josh
Josh Haynam is the co-founder of Interact Quiz Builder, a tool used by more than 30,000 businesses including The American Red Cross, Home Depot, and Forbes. He’s probably seen more quizzes than any other human on earth right now.
In episode 52 of Fresh Tracks I speak with communication expert Leslie Shore on the topic of listening for success. The truth is we can ALL be better listeners and it’s important to recognize this in order to continue to expand your communication skills. Did you know there are things you can do to help the person you are speaking with listen better so they are more likely to hear what you have to say? There are things you say and do as a speaker to invite people to open up (or shut down) and they are more likely to listen to you. Leslie shares that our goal as speakers is to learn how to speak in a way that matches the person listening.
Ready to cut some Fresh Tracks but scared to share with your loved ones? Leslie teaches us how to discuss touchy topics in a way that is less likely to make the listener shut down. “Honey I’m quitting my job and starting a new business” has been known to bring up a few listening barriers as folks embark on their Fresh Tracks journey! Listen in on this week’s show to get the scoop!
Show Notes:
1:40 – Tips for finding out what may be preventing YOU from listening
4:30 – Learning to listen with your critical brain rather than letting your emotions taking over
7:30 – How to speak so people open up and are more likely to hear you
10:10 – How to communicate something touchy in a way that doesn’t shut your partner down
15:30 – Choosing to listen to ourselves (our mind chatter) or not
19:00 – Can you listen too hard?
21:40 – Boundaries and listening. Not setting boundaries will drain you fast!
25:30 – Changing the ground rules when we cut Fresh Tracks and how to work with it
About Leslie Shore
Professor Leslie Shore is a communications expert. As the owner of the consultancy Listen to Succeed, Leslie has worked with corporations, nonprofits, entrepreneurs, health professionals, and educational institutions to up-level their intra-personal and inter-personal communication skills. Her book,Listen to Succeed: How to identify and overcome barriers to effective listening, is currently used in four universities and in businesses and non-profits throughout the United States and Canada.
In episode 49 of Fresh Tracks I speak with voice coach Hilary Blair about the power of our voice. Hilary teaches us some best practices so you can you best use your voice to both communicate your message and be in your power center so you are heard. In this week’s show you’ll discover the three distinct areas of your voice and understand why they are important as well as the role of each. Hilary also shares the important role of your breath when you speak and the different types of breath that support conveying your message adequately in different situations.
Did you know that your voice is connected to you and your emotions? In fact, your voice is a vulnerable place because it’s connected to your breath and we can unconsciously hold back when we are afraid or nervous – undermining the message we are trying to share. Understanding our bodies built-in coping mechanisms and how to work with them rather than against them is a valuable tool Hilary shares in the show. Are you using your voice as a wall to hide behind? Speak and no one hears you? You don’t feel as if you are speaking as your powerful self in certain situations? Listen in on this week’s show….Hilary shares all!
Hilary shares that embracing the emotional quality of our beingness is what the world needs more of right now and people are starving to hear the full emotion in our voice – we do this by sharing our full selves.
Show Notes
2:20 – Your breath. Your voice. Knowing who you are and getting your message out there
5:00 – The three distinct areas of your voice, including your power source
7:30 – What to do if your message is not landing or not being heard
10:30 – The maturation cycle of your voice and stepping into your mature voice
14:00 – Creating the ‘balanced stereo’ in your voice
17:25 – Difference between a full voice and a deep voice and why it matters
24:30 – Contrast between the belly breath and the athletic breath when you speak
28:00 – Why networking events can be exhausting and what do to about it
31:00 – What happens to your voice when you get nervous and Hilary’s #1 tip for dealing with it
About Hilary Blair Hilary Blair trains high achievers craving honest feedback in order to reach the next level in business and/or life. She is impassioned by moving beyond habits and learned behaviors to uncover what is unique and authentic in individuals and groups. A presentation and speaking voice expert, Hilary is a highly regarded coach and facilitator working extensively across the globe with a variety of businesses including American Express, Janus Funds, Staples, Liberty Global, Slalom, Merrill Lynch, and Hunter Douglas.
Whether facilitating workshops that use improvisation to improve leadership skills, team building and creativity, or training trainers to hone their craft, Ms. Blair’s 30 plus years as a teacher combined with her professional stage, film and voice over career present a unique skill set. She has participated as a Making Cents’ speaker and mentor at two YSEALI exchanges (Singapore, 2014 and Vietnam, 2015) to deliver expert training on verbal communication and presentation skills. Her skills-building sessions were ranked highly by YSEALI young leaders and many have stayed in touch with Ms. Blair in informal mentorship relationships.
Ms. Blair is founder, CEO and lead coach at ARTiculate: Real&Clear, a communications company which has grown exponentially since its inception. She is an active member of Toastmasters International and is a board member of VASTA – the Voice and Speech Trainers Association. She is on faculty for the Denver Center for the Performing Arts and has been adjunct faculty for a number of universities. Hilary holds an MFA in acting from the National Theatre Conservatory and a BA from Yale University.
Episode 20 – Today we speak with Fresh Tracker Rebekkah Hanson, who shares her insights into astrology and how we can use the knowledge of the universal energies to make better business decisions. Working with the flow of the universal energies rather than against them allows us to work with more ease because we are working within our natural talents rather than against them. Rebekkah also shares with us simple things we can look at to help guide our business decisions.
When creating new products, businesses or even scheduling workshops or book launches it can be easier and more successful when you know your charts. By following the phases of the moon you can also know the best way to connect with prospects during a sales conversation – for example there are certain times when appealing to someone’s emotional needs is more effective than others. Finally, Rebekkah shares her insights on how to make the most of the dreaded mercury retrograde and how using the strengths of retrograde rather than fighting it is the best road to success.
Show Notes:
1:57 – Using the divination arts to your own benefit in business.
5:02 – Using astrology as a roadmap for personal and business empowerment
8:48 – Simple things an entrepreneur can look at to help guide their business decisions
12:35 – What an entrepreneur can do during the dreaded mercury retrograde
15:20 – Working with the flow of universal energies
23:01 – Trusting yourself vs using astrology in decision making
About Rebekkah Hanson
Rebekkah Hanson is a speaker and spiritual teacher who has coached entrepreneurs and individuals worldwide.
Rebekkah has been an Astrologer for over 40 years and incorporates Numerology into the Astrology as well as divining the numerical energies from traditional avenues of Current Name, Date of Birth and Birth Certificate Name.
She works with highly conscious clients and entrepreneurs to help them plan profitable launch calendars and discover their purpose and embrace their inner power so they show up authentically.
Her mission is to assist a move from newspaper entertainment Astrology into using it as a roadmap for personal and business empowerment.
About Josh
