336: Building an Unbeatable Business with Square Co-Founder Jim McKelvey

When my wife Annie first launched her side business, one of the most difficult parts of the process was making her business credit card ready.

If you’ve ever gone through this process for your own business, you know exactly what I’m talking about.

jim mckelvey

The paperwork, the contracts, the fees, who could make sense of it all? You might say it was a business model ripe for disruption.

Enter Jim McKelvey and Jack Dorsey, co-founders of Square.

For my wife, her business launch overlapped with the existence of Square, and it wasn’t long before we were canceling contracts and paying the accompanying penalties so that she could say “hello” to the gift-from-heaven that was Square.

Jim McKelvey has a new book out, released earlier this year, called The Innovation Stack: Building an Unbeatable Business One Crazy Idea at a Time.

My biggest take-away from our conversation is not to count yourself out thinking you can’t do something just because no one else has yet. The world may in fact be waiting for you to make it happen.

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333: Great Leaders Live Like Drug Addicts with Michael Brody-Waite

When multiple friends reach out to you unsolicited and suggest you consider the same author, you pay attention.

First, thank you to Clark Buckner and Jeff Sanders. They know an amazing guest when they see one and were both quick to alert me.

michael brody-waite

Who is it they’re recommending? None other than Nashville entrepreneur Michael Brody-Waite. This was one of those rare interviews where I got chill bumps on more than one occasion just listening to him talk.

As you might have guessed, Michael released a book earlier this year. It’s called Great Leaders Live Like Drug Addicts: How to Lead Like Your Life Depends On It.

Michael is not only a recovering addict, but a three-time CEO, TEDx Speaker, Inc. 500 Founder, and leadership coach, and he is on a mission to revolutionize the rules of leadership

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327: The Self-Reliant Entrepreneur with John Jantsch

I am so excited as Read to Lead celebrates an incredible milestone.

That’s right. The podcast officially turns seven this week, and what better way to celebrate than with a visit from the one and only, John Jantsch.

John Jantsch

John is the author of the bestselling Duct Tape Marketing and numerous other books, including the one we’re diving into today.

That book is The Self-Reliant Entrepreneur: 366 Meditations to Feed Your Soul and Grow Your Business.

This book is filled with inspirational meditations that contain the thoughts and writings of notable American authors. It’s designed as a daily devotional, arranged in a calendar format, and features readings of transcendentalist literature and others.

Written for entrepreneurs, as well as anyone seeking to find a deeper meaning in their work and life, it’s a practical handbook for anyone seeking to embrace the practice of self-trust.

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325: Building a Brand People Love From Day One with Emily Heyward

My guest today on the podcast has come a long way in a relatively short period of time.

She is the co-founder and chief branding officer of Red Antler, the branding and marketing company for startups and new ventures.

emily heyward

In her new book, she explains how hot new brands like Casper, Allbirds, Sweetgreen, and Everlane build devoted fan followings right out of the gate.

That book is called Obsessed: Building a Brand People Love From Day One and her name is Emily Heyward.

She founded Red Antler to help entrepreneurs embed brand as a driver of business success from the beginning.

In Obsessed, she outlines the new principles of what it takes to build and launch a brand that has people queuing up to buy it on opening day.

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322: The Vital Change That Will Level Up Your Business with Mike Michalowicz

Author of Fix This Next

One of my favorite people (and not just one of my favorite authors) is this guy! The goofy-acting one in the pic below.

His name is Mike Michalowicz, and this episode marks his third appearance on the podcast. You can find those other two here and here (he also appeared as part of my Boss-Free Virtual Summit last year).

mike michalowicz

You know an author’s books are going to be solid when you realize that they spend about five years working on each of them.

It shows. Mike’s book are incredibly well researched and well written.

Mike’s latest book is called Fix This Next: Make the Vital Change That Will Level Up Your Business.

In short, it’s the ultimate diagnostic tool for every entrepreneur and business owner. With simple, efficient, and powerful tips and teachings, you will immediately identify your business’s essential need and easily drive the results you desire most.

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