505: The Family First Entrepreneur with Steve Chou

Years ago, I remember coming across a podcast and blog called My Wife Quit Her Job. I had no idea then that, one day, the creator of this content would one day appear on my podcast.

steve chou

But then, he wrote a book. And our mutual friend, Jeff Goins, suggested an introduction. I’m glad he did.

Steve and his wife’s story, is a fascinating one, and one I can’t wait for you to learn more about in this episode.

His new book is all about how to create the life you’ve always wanted, without sacrificing your relationships—as so many often do—in the process. It’s called The Family First Entrepreneur: How to Achieve Financial Freedom Without Sacrificing What Matters Most.

We all want a comfortable life with plenty of time for family and friends. This vision is what inspired Steve to strike out on his own over a decade ago. But what he found was a nonstop schedule of never-ending work that wore him and his family down.

The hallmarks of modern business are making people miserable, Steve, says, and preventing them from enjoying life’s greatest gifts. Business owners get stuck on the hamster wheel of hustle only to end up burned out and looking for a better way.

For fifteen years, Steve has run two successful seven-figure businesses in twenty hours a week or fewer, leaving plenty of time for family, friends, and leisure. In the book, he shares profound insights and practical advice on business and life, demonstrating that you can, in fact, pursue your dream without sacrificing what matters most.

I hope you’ll click the play button below to learn more about Steve and his work. For a summary, just keep scrolling.

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481: How to See What Others Don’t with Constance Dierickx, PhD

This week’s guest—someone who I once referred to as “a hoot”—makes her second appearance on the show, her first in nearly six years.

constance dierickx

Her name is Dr. Constance Dierickx. We last heard from her way back in Episode #190 to talk about her book High Stakes Leadership.

This time she’s here to discuss her brand new book, Meta-Leadership: How to See What Others Don’t and Make Great Decisions.

All top leaders make mistakes, she says, simply because they are human. In fact, the more senior and successful they are, the more susceptible they are to making errors due to over-confidence and perhaps, hubris. But, as Constance demonstrates, this doesn’t have to be your fate.

In her new book, she draws on a vast body of research from psychology and business to show how great leaders can improve their judgment for stronger, more profitable results. Incorporating leading-edge data and research on the science of thinking, emotional regulation, and behavior, Meta Leadership offers fascinating stories, incisive insights, and useful takeaways for better leadership and better outcomes.

Whether you are at the start of your leadership journey or have held a senior leadership role for years, Meta-Leadership will arm you with knowledge and insights to achieve the highest results from yourself and your team.

I hope you’ll click the play button below to learn more about Constance and her work. For a summary, just keep scrolling.

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447: The Inside Story of a Multibillion Dollar Behemoth with Mike Evans

It’s not every day I get to interview the founder of a multiBILLION dollar startup. Today, however, is indeed such a day.

mike evans

That founder is Mike Evans of Grubhub and—more recently—Fixer fame.

Mike has a brand new book out today that unpacks his story in entertaining fashion. The book is called HANGRY: A Startup Journey.

In Hangry, Mike details, step-by-step, the grind of building an innovative business with each chapter including sharp lessons for entrepreneurs and startups that he learned on the fly as he piloted GrubHub by the seat of his pants.

Hangry reveals a decade of eighty-hour work weeks, detailed steps of how Mike garnered his first customers, his hunt for financing dollars, cliffhanger acquisitions, the near collapse of his marriage, a brutally difficult merger, and a pair of tumultuous quit/unquit moments, all to steer the company to become one of the most successful startups in the world.

There’s plenty of razor-sharp wit, as reveals hard-won truths about how startups succeed—and even harder-won truths about how startups fail.

Intrigued? Click the play button below to learn more Mike and his book.

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367: The Quest to Build a Culture That Rocks with Arnie Malham

How someone could create something called the Better Book Club and it not be on my radar is crazy. Especially considering they’re in my own backyard of Nashville, Tennessee!

arnie malham

Thankfully, I have friends. I know strange, right? One of them is a guy named Dave Delaney.

Thanks to Dave, I’m no longer a stranger to the Better Book Club. More importantly, I’m no longer a stranger to the man who created it. His name is Arnie Malham.

And now, thanks to the magic of technology, I get to make sure he’s someone who know as well. You’re welcome!

Arnie’s book, Worth Doing Wrong: The Quest to Build a Culture That Rocks was released in 2016 and is one of my all-time favorite books on the topic of culture.

In it, Arnie covers executable strategies and real-world tactics for creating a culture that will help you smash you business goals, achieve win-win relationships with your clients, generate buzz in your community, and cultivate a workplace that you and your team members will love.

I hope you’ll click the play button below to learn more about Arnie and his work. For a summary, just keep scrolling.

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363: The Common Path to Uncommon Success with John Lee Dumas

On the day Read to Lead was launched back in July of 2013, I had prepared three interview episodes to release on that day.

john lee dumas

One of those interviews was with a guy who makes his first visit back in nearly 8 years. His name is John Lee Dumas, and if you’ve enjoyed listening to podcasts for any length of time, you’ve no doubt heard his name.

Since 2012, John has released over 3000 episodes of the award-winning Entrepreneurs on Fire, interviewing some of the world’s most successful entrepreneurs. In fact, for nearly the first 6 years, he released an episode every day of the week!

He’s earned millions helping others do the same with membership sites, courses, mastermind groups, and more.

His new book is called The Common Path to Uncommon Success: A Roadmap to Financial Freedom and Fulfillment, and it’s been hailed as the modern-day version of Napoleon Hill’s Think and Grow Rich.

I hope you’ll click the play button below to learn more about John and his work. For a summary, just keep scrolling.

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