The Starting Entrepreneur Podcast

Running a full-time career, being a full-time parent and trying to bridge the gap between working as a corporate employee and making it as a successful starting entrepreneur is not easy…until you get yourself one of these…a LIFE COACH! In this podcast session, we discuss how Mariki, my own life coach has helped to transform the results I am seeing in everyday life. Mariki has also inspired me to produce a financial plan which you can download for free over at our Subscriber Dashboard. The plan results in achieving a £1 Million worth by 2021…ENJOY!A special thanks to Mariki for helping me reduce Anxiety and produce a viable and believable financial plan.

Are you daunted by the idea of getting launched on social media? Fear not, the idea of social media terrified me. In this podcast session you will discover how to get social media to work for you, investing little time into it and why quality is more important than quantity. In the 1st part of this session we’ll discuss:Connection versus meeting people on TwitterWhy I chose Twitter as a starting platformNetworking on Twitter with entrepreneurial rock starsIn part 2 of this session, we cover the #1 most important aspect your website absolutely MUST have: an immediate connection through words (and NOT jaw dropping design) with your audience.Remember to check out the free tools and training over at our subscriber dashboard at thestartingentrepreneur.com where you’ll also get visibility into the latest product launch ideas.As always,Talk soon!

Tap into the skill and time of other experienced people! During these past few weeks there has been tremendous progress and development over gearing up for the LoveFlic startup business idea.Remember the product idea for LoveFlic, where cinematic videos are created for those who people want to uplift, inspire and send a personal message, to those they care about most? Yeah… it’s now called ZuluKite!Now I know what you’re thinking, what the heck? Remember this product idea is a blue ocean, with almost zero competition. Therefore, the brand has to be intriguing. A similar concept to “moonpig”. After days and days of drawing brainstorm maps and trying to link words together, I finally made a snap decision with my son Ruben – to go for the name ZuluKite. Now, bought, owned and under construction.So there’s a HUGE issue that one has to overcome when holding a full time job and also supporting heavily on family commitments, TIME!Time management and energy management go hand in hand. However, I’ve felt a tremendous amount of stress from just not getting enough done and things taking too long. However, FEAR NOT! There is a solution – CREATE TIME – but not your time. Other peoples. Here’s the secret which I’m now starting to understand.You see, many of us feel we need to save money and do everything ourselves. I can learn web design, or I could design my own logo, or I can write my sales pitch – and that’s fine. It’s good to be well rounded. The issue that I realized when doing this is simple – when you’re starting at learning something new, you usually suck at it…at first.Right now, my motivation is to have a sense of urgency and achieve RESULTS. That means, coughing up the cash and paying others who are more skilled that I am to do this – and that is exactly what I have started doing.Therefore, the #1 skill you need to really develop as an entrepreneur is how to duplicate yourself and hire motivated people who can share just a piece of the passion you have for your product launch idea. I have already failed at this. I went to a “cheaper” website than 99 Designs to have a logo done and paid just around a hundred GBP just to have a logo designed by 12 different designers. It was a Disaster!! All the logos came through looking almost the same. This was clearly just a business out there looking to provide a sub-standard service which had little to no care for my product idea. A full refund has been requested.Go to theStartingEntrepreneur YouTube channel and check out the video showing you the logo’s we received back. A special thank you to Olga for making this suggestion! It will make you laugh, so absolutely go and check it out next time you’re on a YouTube marathon.PLAN B: Choose the people that support the project Carefully. I’ve used UpWork, a freelancer website. Am also currently planning on using this platform to find the ideal logo designer, website coder and potentially sales psychologist to help me come up with the best framework possible by tapping into other peoples strengths.How does it feel spending hundreds or even in the thousands of pounds on freelancers just to get a product out there? – Horrible.However, one also has to ask, do you want a fantastic foundation for your business, built in a shorter time frame, with a lot less effort on your part through tapping into the talents and skills of others…OR…do you want to save money and spend a year getting your product off the ground.It can go against your nature if you love learning like I do. However, it doesn’t mean that you can’t start developing new skills along the way regardless.I’m personally going to take the leap and believe in this product enough to fork out the cash so that I can give it the best chance possible…wish me luck.It’s really important to believe based upon some facts too. During these past few weeks, I’ve create ZuluKite videos for friends and family. When making a video for my Grandmother, aka “Nan”, who just turned 88, I had tears in my eyes when watching the short 2 minute video telling her (from all the family), just how much she means to us. It was one of the most joyful gifts I have sent anyone. It took around 5 hours to complete, but it was so worth it to have received news that she watches it everyday and has sent it half way around the world to extended friends and family.This “product” has the power to change people, even just for a moment, to take them out of where they are at a given point in time and bring them into a state of feeling utter joy, love, laughter, and appreciation.It’s A unique product and a service which I personally want to see exist in the world. The cost of hiring talent doesn’t seem so daunting when looking at it that way.REMEMBER: Sign In to the Subscriber Dashboard (it’s free) and check out all my product ideas. Steal them, collaborate with me on them, but most importantly, join in on the journey I’m on to becoming a successful entrepreneur!Until the next session,Talk soon!

What is the number #1 skill stock traders have which you as an entrepreneur should aspire to practise?The answer is they have a strong stomach to manage their own internal support and resistance levels. They can be millions of dollars into a trade whilst watching a stock price move against them. Feeling the fear, but moving with the trade regardless.There are similarities here to being an entrepreneur:No guaranteesFearRequiring commitmentMind over emotionIn this podcast we talk about how to break through to new support and resistance levels.Here we also cover how to write a business plan for entrepreneurs which helps with product testing and taking action.Don’t waste your time writing a 20 page word document. You can fit everything you need on a couple of sheets. Go to the tools page in order to download your free template here.Remember to write in via our contact page at thestartingentrepreneur.com and get engaged to building the community for aspiring entrepreneurs! Talk soon,Shaun

Are you afraid to get what you want in life?Listen in and discover how the story and courage of Patrick BeDavid from Valuetainment inspired Shaun to ask this simple question. Once facing the honest truth to this, doors began to open during the last week and this ultimately lead to writing a business action plan to test the Loveflic product idea.Now launched on YouTubeAlso, check out The Starting Entrepreneur on PeriscopeIn the next session we cover the detail behind the business plan.Until then,Talk soon!

In this session we answer the reason why there are fewer self-made millionaires compared with people who do not fall within this category. Do you believe in scarcity or opportunity? Here we focus on dealing with extreme doubt and provide you with the tools you need to stay committed to realising and growing your potential.Covered in Session #4: The 30 Day Millionaire Envelope – who wins?Self Doubt, Who’s Voice are you Listening to?3 Self Doubt Habit BreakersDon’t wish it were easier, wish you were betterFollow the 15 min ruleHow to believe with certaintyShaun’s Tasklist – what are the next steps?The only defining difference between those who make it and those who don’t, is what the successful person tells themselves in severe moments of doubt. We all have them. See how you can destroy those moments that hold you back and focus on the mindset which will enable you to stay on the path of adding great value in the marketplace.Remember to vote in the comments and discuss whether the next few sessions should purely focus on product creation, building The Starting Entrepreneur community or both!Talk soon,Shaun

If you were to be asked to achieve double the output in half the time, would you believe it was achievable? When setting tough and challenging goals, that usually means that you have to commit to taking massive action in order to achieve the results you want, in the time you have.Productivity Rule #1 – Focus on YOUR AgendaTip 1) Write down your productivity plan for the day. Deloitte published the results from a study that they had carried out, with evidence that when you become distracted, you typically lose 15 minutes of your day for each distraction. Having a Productivity Plan enables you to prioritise and commit to following your own agenda and not somebody else’s. The plan can literally be on a piece of paper confirming what you’ll be doing throughout the day and at what time. You may think this is unnecessary, although I would challenge you in asking, have you ever tried it? Did you manage to achieve your plan? Following this rule can lead to doubling your productivity. However, it takes discipline and focus.Tip 2) Leave your inbox alone. When I get into the office, there is often the question, “did you get my email?”. To which the response is usually, no. When you are focussed on email, it is likely that you are working on someone else’s agenda and not your own (depending on your role and business).Tip 3) Execute on your most important item of the day, FIRST! This is a golden nugget. When you achieve the most important task of the day first, the remainder of the day is a bonus. Of course, the opposite is also true, whereby if you do not achieve your most important task first and your agenda is overhauled by some unknown factor (which may happen a lot), then a whole day has passed whereby you still need to do the next important item on your checklist.Productivity Rule #2 – Increase Your Energy LevelsIt seemed incredible to me that making the decision to switch from excessive consuming to excessive producing would inevitably lead to a path of better health and higher energy levels. It became clear that despite my best efforts, at times I simply lacked the energy needed to carry out a given task. In short, it is easy to get burnt out. Solution? Be healthy. Meaning eat well, sleep well, exercise and rest. Easier said than done right? Actually, quite the contrary. It has been a by-product from having focus and determination to succeed in other business related areas. It became clear that when you focus only on your health, you think of a hundred ideas and actions that you should do. By the same token, when you focus on your business and your health is simply a must in order for you to succeed, it becomes easy to take care of this aspect as it becomes as natural as breathing.Regardless, finding the time to spend energy in order to make energy is critical to leading a hyper productive lifestyle. What’s more, it is extremely satisfying. It is usually best to energise your body first thing. Stretch, exercise, eat, then shower, then off to work on your business. After that, you can go to work on other people’s agendas. This is the daily routine I live by, so getting up between 5:00am to 5:30am is just necessary in order for me to do what I have set out to achieve each day. This pattern prevents self-imposed excuses such as, “I’m too tired” as your reward for having a productive day, is always to rest at the end of it.Productivity Rule #3 – Sustain ChangeThis is the hardest part – to keep the momentum going.In order to do this, you can use the C4 Solution checklist tool found here. The tool splits your week (or day if you choose) into 4 main components:Consumption: Consuming only material that helps you to achieve your goals and aspirations.Creativity: Being productive and creating ideas, content, services or products that don’t yet exist today.Commitment: Setting agenda’s in your future calendar that force you to commit to them.Courage: Doing something that makes you feel uncomfortable, or that your fear doing but know is necessary in order to achieve your dreams.the C4 Solution ChecklistThis may seem somewhat obvious. However, if you can achieve one item in each of these categories, just once a week. You will likely be blown away by the results over a period of time. The C4 Solution was devised out of a need to break out of bad habits and to get away from making excuses which prevented me from simply staying committed.Hope you find that useful. Thank you to leave your comments below if there’s anything else you would like to add.Until next time,Shaun

The universe has a natural tendency to fall from order to chaos and this is the second law of thermodynamics. In this podcast, we discuss the importance of having direction and a life goal that you believe in and truly wish to aspire to.Sure, But What  is the Big Product Idea?Okay, so before we get to goal setting, let’s discuss the first big idea from the recent MIT TED talk presentation which covers the potential for the launch of a “personal food computer” here in the UK. This is an idea which has massively inspired me to be the first, or at least one of the first entrepreneurs to bring such a unique and incredible product to market. The product uses the same aeroponic technology that NASA has experimented with on the space station.This video and the podcast explain the details behind this product idea and how I plan to stand out quite well. Take a look below if you’re interested.Check out the idea behind the product here:So where is the business case, you ask?My thinking around this product launch is in line with the same context as 3D printers in that it exists for people who wish to design and create in a desktop type space. The difference here, is that you would be designing and nurturing food. In fact, you would be growing food which suffers from zero pesticides, with amble oxygen and perfectly controlled agricultural conditions which our plants love. Therefore, the food can grow up to x4 times quicker than via traditional farming methods.Let me know in the comments below, or by writing to me via the contacts page just what you think. Some food for though (excuse the pun):Am I crazy to share this idea with the world?Would you launch such a product?What type of team would you feel needs to be developed?From 0 to 10, how would you rate this idea, and why?Moving onto the Importance Goal Setting During the past 15 years, I had dabbled in many different types of supplemental income projects. Not that I needed the money. My full time job pays well, I have a great team and work for a solid company. However, you may be able to relate to me in that some of us feel a deep need to create and positively impact the lives of others in a way that is more free and independent of the larger corporation.Having a full time, 9 to 5 job is just not going to provide  the long-term satisfaction needed in order to feel that the gift of life was lived to the full, appreciated beyond comprehension and ultimately for our life here on Earth to become an event worth dying for.When going through a failed marriage, failed prior product launches and with the added pressure to hide deep and personal stress from the colleagues I care about, the truth became evident. When you dig for common gold, you get, fools gold. When you run aimlessly at the next “big idea” without thinking it through or having the patience to test the market, don’t be surprised when despite all your efforts, the launch fails.So how does one avoid such a demise? After all, making the leap into a new project not only takes energy, it takes mental focus, belief, endurance and discipline. So with my energy zapped due to the harsh personal circumstances, a choice had to be made to THINK this time! In doing this, I discovered that the way to make sure that all of ones efforts to succeed are aligned and that they build upon themselves on each try. In order to do this, the answer is simple – you need a life goal. Otherwise known as, a purpose.Goals are the way to becoming the future you. Without them, you can only be the past you – Dan SullivanNow, the opposite is equally true. As mentioned right at the start, the universe spreads from order to disorder due to probability at play. Without a goal and without direction, without putting energy into a “system” (speaking as a matter of physics), the truth is our lives fall into disorder. In other words, without the right direction or an avenue of moving forward, we can only be our past or present selves.It was only by realizing that my personal happiness, in fact, springs from inspiring, educating, producing (not consuming) and from believing in the future ahead. The opposite of moving in this way, would only lead back to depression. Know what I mean?I truly hope this message has resonated with you. Thank you for listening and absolutely tune in for the next session. We’ll talk on Hyper Productivity and also discuss integrating an Amazon product launch into the overall big picture. I feel that this may be a good route for beginners to experiment with all aspects of “making it”.After all,small wins count for large ambitions.Take care and talk soon!Shaun

You know the time has come when you will succeed in your ambitions. You know this because you finally reach a point and say to yourself, “I cannot go back to being who I was yesterday”. Do you ever surf the web, trying to learn new skills that you think may one day set you free, raise your game, or give you a new perspective?If so, we have a lot in common. I spent years learning from the never ending flurry of information flow on sites such as Google, YouTube, Lynda and any site which could teach me how to take care of business myself. Equally, I had also learned many aspects of areas that fall outside of business and now have a strong grasps of the concepts around quantum mechanics, how to build furniture and even know how to cut glass bottles using water. This list goes on…High Ambitions and a “Wanting” CommitmentWhilst going through a separation, times became extremely tough. To compensate for this, in addition to needing to vent from hiding the personal pressure that I was feeling from my work colleagues, I began to become more immersed than ever on the world wide web information highway.What I discovered from this, was astounding.The more I learned, the more depressed I became.The realization finally occurred when getting to the root cause of the issue, which is, ambition without commitment is highly destructive to ones mindset. This was the gap I was missing!When you start consuming information, you are not in a state of being productive and not being productive in turn means, no action. No action in turn means, no results. No results, means reinforced depression. The decision would have to be, change your life ambitions and just be happy with what you have, or, change your daily way of living and being productive.“The Switch”The trick, as you will about in this first podcast session of theStartingEntrepreneur, is making the switch from being a consumer, to being a producer.A secret to accomplishing this is to gain momentum by just changing one small aspect of your life each day or week. “The smallest tweaks in your personal routine can build to the greatest of life achievements.”Listening to today’s show you help you see why my deep depression and sickening anxiety went from sky high, to absolute zero. The secret was in making small, meaningful breakthroughs. All a breakthrough means, is making what felt impossible, possible. This is the exact opposite to what high ambitions with no commitment yields. The “Kryptonite” of pain.After years of working hard and building a great career, in a leadership role with the daily opportunity to inspire others, studying for countless hours and learning web design, video editing, carpentry and countless other new skills, no lesson has been as important to me as this one – make the switch! Change from being a consumer, to being a producer. For as the saying goes,if we want things to change, then we too must change.So welcome to the First SessionIt is important that we cover, the  most important thing first. For the #1 podcast session, thought to start with the most effective “Start” first, making the switch.At a time that I was the most lost, I asked one question, “what is the one thing, that if I keep doing, will ensure my success towards achieving massive results?”. The answer was to make the switch described in detail during this podcast.From here, you will witness in future episodes the successes and failures in real time during my journey of making my life goal a reality – to become a successful entrepreneur who creates an abundant amount of value for others. Not a small feat, but a challenge worth getting up every morning at 5:30 am to go jogging for.Now living along, in a four bedroom house, with Mr Meowskie (my deaf cat) – I can now use this opportunity to grow, develop, take risk and best of all let all our podcast subscribers see in real time what it really takes to succeed.After all, the difference between this show and anything else online is you’re walking the road with me. No secrets, no lies, no “systems”. Just the reality of building towards a greater dream.Remember, if you haven’t done so already, write to me. I care and I am keen to know more about the listeners of this podcast. Tell me:Who you are?What your life goal is?What is your biggest fear when it comes to meeting your goal?What can I provide in these sessions that will help you?Until then, thank you for listening in and as always, talk soon!Shaun