Barbara Lancaster is the Co-Founder and Manager of Parallel Planet, LLC, where she is currently building a consultancy around the GC (Game Changer) Index.  The GC Index is a personal and team assessment tool that helps people understand not only what they like to do but also why, so her clients can build more effective teams. This is not Barb's first project, however.  Prior to beginning this venture, Barb founded Lancaster International Inc, a telecommunications consultancy.  Barb became very well know as a telecommunications specialist, able to pull rabbits out of hats in the chaotic world of telecommunications deregulation; and she even had the opportunity to testify at the World Court in the Hague. In the episode, Barb explains why she left corporate America and became an accidental entrepreneur, why she went back to corporate America, and why she left yet again to chart her own course. Words of wisdom for new entrepreneurs – 1)     find chaos, because in chaos is opportunity, and 2)     test what your clients think of you.  You might be surprised at what they think you do. As an aside, listen to why projects really fail despite the advanced training and software that has been developed over the years, and how you can help your corporate clients be more successful and save money. 

Robert Nickell is the Founder and CEO of Rocket Station, a soon-to-be eight-figure company that supplies virtual assistance to a large variety of industries.  Ever wondered what life would be like if you had someone to handle all those niggling little things that have to be done every day – like email, appointment setting, travel planning, coordinating social media campaigns and more?  Well, a virtual assistant might be just what you need to explode your productivity. In this interview, Rob explains why he started Rocket Station, what it took to get it off the ground, and how he keeps it growing with rave reviews. He also explains the biggest aha moment he had in building the company and his 3 biggest mistakes. Join us to hear how Robert went from a corporate employee in a job he hated to the CEO of a fast growing and culturally fun service organization.

Your LLC is a powerful entity designed to protect your personal assets, in the event your business is sued, and to protect your business in the event you are sued personally. However, the walls of your LLC are actually your last line of defense after everything else has failed. So what is your first line of defense?  Your insurance. In this episode I discuss the different types of insurance you may want to consider, depending on where you are in your business growth and what your business does. I review ·        General business liability insurance and why homeowner's insurance is not enough for a home-based business ·        Fire and theft for office buildings and business assets ·        Umbrella insurance ·        Errors and omissions and malpractice insurance ·        Property owners and property insurance for rentals ·        Commercial vehicle insurance ·        Publishing insurance ·        Workers' comp, sexual harassment and crime insurance for employees and non-employees ·        Business interruption insurance ·        Business overhead insurance vs disability insurance ·        Key man insurance ·        Insurance to fund buy outs I also suggest speaking to your CPA about handling health insurance, (small) life insurance and long-term care insurance funded through the company. Insurance is one of the foundational elements of your business, even when you are just starting out, so don't ignore it. 

As I explained in Episode 001, it's important to build systems and processes around what you love to do – systems and processes that you can teach others to manage so you don't kill yourself trying to get to your dream life. One of the first questions new entrepreneurs face when they start building their business foundation is "Do I need to set up a limited liability company or corporation right away or can I wait?" Think of an LLC as a box, with your business and its pile of assets inside and your pile of personal assets outside.  The business pile is owned by the LLC; the personal pile is owned by you.    This concept of separation of ownership is important in the event you or your business is sued.  So the question isn't really whether or not you should set up an LLC, but when.  There are a number of things to consider when deciding at what point to set up your LLC.  It's not as cut and dried as you might think. 

Gloria MacDonald is a coach, mentor, speaker and trainer who has built two 7-figure businesses.  Figuring out how to build one 7-figure business can be tough enough. But imagine watching your business collapse in the blink of an eye. What does it take to step up and do it all over again – in a different industry? What was the secret that convinced Gloria she could do it again? In this episode you'll hear: How Gloria left the world of publishing to start her own business in a completely different field How that business collapsed overnight What kept her going The secret that helped her build a second 7-figure business in half the time

T. Harv Eker has a saying – It's not enough to be in the right place at the right time to be successful. You have to be the right person at the right time. Why is it that one person will see an opportunity and shy away from the risk -  even though they desperately want to try - while someone else will jump in and go on to 7-figure success? It all comes down to our programming, and how willing we are to do the work to change what we learned as children. In this episode you'll hear: How we develop the lenses we use to see and interpret the world around us How we are programmed to avoid risk and stay safe How the successful few stay with fear and cross into new possibilities How to create a vision of the new you An Exercise to help you move through fear and out into a new level of comfort For more information go to www.bizengaged.com/podcast/

Bill and Michelle Pescosolido are marketing experts in the true sense – they know what they're doing, and they get results. Bill specializes in blogging and copywriting. Michelle specializes in social media marketing. They are coaches, consultants, speakers and trainers.  They have been top recruiters in their network marketing companies and top affiliates, have their own educational membership and their own courses. Michelle was named one of the Top 10 Facebook Marketers on YouTube, is a Click Funnels traffic coach, and has just launched her own social media marketing agency. And I am honored to have them as my first guests. In this episode you'll hear: What caused Michelle to start an online business How she succeeded with no money The life changing message she got when she ran to her coach after a disastrous webinar How she and her husband work side by side successfully every day Remember to go to www.bizengaged.com/podcast for links and more information. 

The $10K Run is the Journey every Entrepreneur takes on their way to their first $10,000 per month in income.   In this podcast we'll discuss what it takes to build an infrastructure around your chosen business so you can blast through that $10K and keep going.   We'll also interview folks who have been there, done that and moved on to multiple 6 and 7 figures.  For more information on podcast episodes, go to www.bizengaged.com/podcast/