Entrepreneur Motivation Podcast

Entrepreneur Motivation Podcast: Season 3 Episode 1 – How I Built This (with Guy Raz)

How I Built This is by far one of my favorite podcasts I’ve stumbled on. Guy interviews various entrepreneurs and shares their stories. They aren’t just any entrepreneurs, by the way, they are pretty successful ones that started companies that most of us are familiar with. A few entrepreneurs interviewed on this show include Sara Blakely, founder of Spanx, and James Dyson, founder of Dyson vacuums and other products.

In this episode, I dive into detail on one interview in particular of Richard Branson of the Virgin companies. Spoiler alert – I cover a lot of what the actual episode covers, but at a quicker pace.

Feel free to reach out with questions or comments at chrisbello.com and remember, less dreaming, more doing.

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Productivity

The Pomodoro Technique – Work In Time Chunks

In my unending search to seek productivity increases, I stumbled across something called the Pomodoro Technique. I tried this yesterday for the first time and found it to be very helpful in eliminating distractions and focusing 100% on the task at hand.

What it is

This technique was created by Francesco Cirillo. As he says on his website, “For many people, time is an enemy. We race against the clock to finish assignments and meet deadlines. The Pomodoro Technique teaches you to work with time, instead of struggling against it.”

If you’re wondering what the heck a pomodoro is, it is an interval of time in regards to this technique. According to handy dandy Wikipedia, that is the plural in English of the Italian word pomodoro (tomato), named after the tomato-shaped kitchen timer that Cirillo used as a university student.

You don’t necessarily need a tomato shaped timer for this exercise. Your phone timer or a web-based timer should work just fine.

How it works

1. Choose a task you’d like to get done

It can be big or small, something you need to do now or even that you’ve been putting off for awhile now. It must be something that deserves your complete focus and attention.

2. Set the Pomodoro for 25 minutes

Set a timer for 25 minutes. Make a promise to yourself to stay focused for the full 25 minutes on the task at hand.

3. Work on the task until the Pomodoro rings

Immerse yourself in the task for the next 25 minutes. If you realize you have something else you need to do, write it down on a paper and come back to it later.

4. When the Pomodoro rings, put a checkmark on a paper

Nice work! You’ve successfully focused for 25 minutes on the task at hand without interruption.

5. Take a short break

Take a quick break. Feel free to do non-related work to just wind down and prepare for the next session.

6. Take a longer break after every 4 pomodoros

Once you’ve completed four pomodoros, you can take a longer break (20-30 minutes is good).

Take a longer break after four pomodoros. This allows your brain to assimilate new information and rest before the next round.

You can modify this exercise slightly to better fit your needs. Perhaps you want to work for 40 minutes and then reward yourself with 10 minute breaks. The most important thing is that you try to minimize distractions when focusing on a certain task. I intend to keep my phone in “Do Not Disturb” mode where a call will only go through to my phone if I get a call from the same number twice within a few minutes. Usually, people call once and leave a voicemail or send a text. If it’s an emergency, chances are they might call a few times in a row in which case I will answer to see what the issue is.

Let me know what you think and if you’ve tried this before or anything similar. I’m always eager and willing to learn new techniques to continue to refine my productivity. Happy pomodoro-ing!

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Entrepreneur Motivation Podcast

Entrepreneur Motivation Podcast: Bonus Episode – 5 Productivity Hacks I Recommend

Today’s episode covers 5 of my recommended Productivity Hacks. These simple steps have improved my productivity tenfold. I’m always able to stay productive no matter where I go. For example, you should take advantage of podcasts or audiobooks to learn when you are busy doing anything from driving to handwashing dishes.

Feel free to reach out with questions or comments at chrisbello.com and remember, less dreaming, more doing.

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5 Productivity Hacks To Implement

I blame my background in Supply Chain for my constant desire to minimize steps and time needed to accomplish various tasks. I’m always looking for ways to improve efficiency in all aspects of my life. Some may call it laziness, but I like to think of it as pure genius.

Below, I will share a few productivity hacks I’ve come across over time and use to free up my schedule. I definitely recommend you at least consider trying a few to see how much more time you’ll have to do things you really want to do.

1. Pack a bag of essentials no matter where you go.

Here’s what I carry in my backpack at all times:

This single step has increased my productivity tenfold. Any time I’m sitting in the lobby waiting for my car to get an oil change, I’m not just watching Jerry Springer on TV or scrolling through Facebook. I’m usually getting work done or reading a good book – I never waste time reading “People” magazine or whatever junk is on those lobby tables.

Here’s another example. There may be times when I’m meeting with someone to buy or sell something. Let’s say I’m on somebody’s side of town, but he won’t be free for another hour. Since I might as well stay close to them instead of trying home and back, I can just pop into a Starbucks and get some reading or work done for that hour.

With headphones and my iPad, I can learn on Udemy or watch YouTube videos. I tend to watch/listen to videos on my phone and use my iPad to get work done since I have this Logitech keyboard that makes typing much easier.

Snacks and water make sure that I don’t get hungry and stop at random places where I might spend too much money on foods that aren’t always the healthiest options. I try to avoid eating out too often, especially since I always have a bunch of food in my fridge at all times.

2. Listen to podcasts or audiobooks when traveling.

Whether you’re driving and are stuck in traffic or you’re sitting on a plane on a flight somewhere, consider listening to podcasts or audiobooks. This allows you to transform down time that is usually wasted into very productive time. I’ve knocked out multiple books each month by listening to 30 minutes on a drive to visit my parents or 20 minutes on a drive to a friend’s house.

You can even listen and learn while jogging or doing chores. Handwashing dishes? Listen to a podcast! Mopping the floor? Listen to an audiobook!

This is, of course, entirely up to you. You might normally prefer music, but if you’re like me, you’ll find that sometimes you just keep skipping song after song, yearning for something more. If that’s the case, it might be time to try something new.

3. Use tools like Trello or Wunderlist to organize your projects and to-do lists.

I’ve tried all sorts of things for trying to stay organized. I’ve written goals on sticky notes, on my white board, and on the notes app on my phone. More often than not, I would end up forgetting about what I noted down using different tools and missed a lot of action items. Below are a few tools that have helped me stay on top of things:

Trello

Trello has an app and website that are both very well done. You can post cards of various topics and even collaborate with others. Think of Google Drive collaboration but with a card-based organization tool.

The app mentions that “Trello gives you perspective over all your projects, at work and at home.” Whether it’s managing a team, writing an epic screenplay, or just making a grocery list, Trello is your sidekick for getting things done and staying organized.

Some options that Trello offers:

  • Create boards to organize anything you’re working on
  • Use them solo or invite coworkers, friends, and family to collaborate
  • Customize workflows for different projects
  • Add checklists of “To-Dos” on cards
  • Assign tasks to yourself and coworkers
  • Comment on items with your friends
  • Upload photos and videos
  • Attach files

Trello is free to use forever with options to upgrade to Gold for “loads of extra fun and functionality.” The free version offers so many great features and is worth checking out.

Wunderlist

Wunderlist is a tool that allows you to build checklists for any category. I’ve got different lists for workouts I’m doing that week as well as groceries I need to order. You can set due dates and even share tasks with others so that they can see it on their calendar as well.

Key features:

  • Add, organize and schedule your to-dos from your phone, tablet, or computer
  • Set due dates and reminders to ensure you never forget important deadlines (or birthday gifts) again
  • Use subtasks, notes, files, and comments to add important details to your to-dos
  • Create lists to help sort your to-dos for home, work and everything in between
  • Share lists and collaborate on your to-dos with family, friends and colleagues
  • Be productive from anywhere, thanks to Wunderlist’s apps for your phone, smart watch, tablet and computer

Wunderlist is free to download and use. There is a Pro version to give unlimited access to Files, Assigning and Subtasks for accomplishing even more for just $4.99 a month.

GoalTracker 1.0

If you haven’t checked out my last blog post, I’ve been using a GoalTracker template that I put together and am using to track weekly and daily goals. It’s on Google Drive so that I can manage a few simple priorities each day from my phone, iPad, or computer.

4. Batch your chores or to-dos.

Don’t just pick up your laundry, go home, then go wash your car, then go home again, and then take the dog to the dog park. Try to combine as many activities as possible together. Set an hour aside and have your checklist (maybe even on Wunderlist or my GoalTracker file) ready to reference. Knock everything off the list one after the other, and enjoy the freedom of having the rest of the day to do whatever you like.

Or you can even take it a step further. Order groceries online. I’ve used HEB Curbside to order everything and set a pickup date / time. I simply park, text my parking space to a number, and have groceries loaded into my trunk. I’ve been meaning to check out Instacart as well to have groceries delivered directly to my house. If I never pushed a shopping cart around a busy grocery store again, I think I would be okay with it.

5. Optimize your route and plan your day around where you will be.

Going somewhere? Why not drop of laundry on the way back to kill two birds with one stone? It does kill me a little inside when I have a friend living in the ‘burbs that wants to hang out. I can justify a 30 minute drive from time to time to see friends. But when I do make those drives, I take the opportunity to do one or two things along the route while I’m in the area.

For garage sale hunting in regards to my reselling side-hustle, I like to use RouteXL to optimize my route based on entered addresses. It may be worth checking out if you have a lot to do but don’t need to do them in any particular order.

 

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Entrepreneur Motivation Podcast: Season 2 Episode 10 – Awaken the Giant Within by Tony Robbins

Tony Robbins offers several lessons to a happier life. First, associate bad habits with pain and good ones with pleasure. Second, change the words you use to transform how you feel and deal with problems. Third, make up your own rules and communicate them to become happier.

Listen to today’s episode to learn more on those life-changing lessons and get a copy of your book here. 


Feel free to reach out with questions or comments at chrisbello.com and remember, less dreaming, more doing.

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Productivity

Introducing GoalTracker 1.0: Track and Crush Your Goals (Free Download)

GoalTracker 2.0 is now available! Click here to access the latest file. 

Introducing GoalTracker 1.0

Last weekend, I created this GoalTracker template for my new friend Samir and I to track our goals and hold each other accountable. As you might recall in my last post, I met Samir at a Secret Entourage meetup in Houston, Texas. We then met up in Dallas when I was at a conference a few days later for dinner. I joked about it being like a great first date – we were on the same page in so many areas and found that we share many similar interests.

One thing we had in common was that we tend to get distracted by a million things and ideas daily. So we decided to be “Accountability Buddies” and hold each other accountable to some major goals we have on our own projects. For that reason, I created this file so that my goals as well as Samir’s are visible on the same page. This allows us to have some friendly competition in addition to competing with ourselves in general.

You can download the template for yourself here to track your own goals. I recommend saving a copy to your own Google Drive or even just downloading to desktop if you always work from there. The benefit of Google Drive is being able to access and edit the sheet from various platforms. If you think it will help, I highly recommend finding an Accountability Buddy as well.

 

To give credit where credit is due, I adopted and slightly modified an idea I heard off Andy Frisella’s podcast, The MFCEO Project. Andy talked about The Power List, where you basically write down 5 tasks you need to get done in a day. If you get them all done, you get a “W” or a Win for the day. If not, you get an “L” or a Loss for the day. You don’t have to necessarily buy his actual planner, and he states that in his podcast. You can simply write it down on paper if you like. Like I mentioned before, I just took it a step further just by making it digital so that I can work on it from my laptop, iPad, or phone.

The way my formula is set up right now, you’re defaulted to a “Loss” until you get at least 4 days of “Wins.” I think this triggers the competitive side further since nobody likes to lose. The thinking is that to avoid a loss, you’ll do what you have to in order to get that win.

How to Use GoalTracker 1.0

Using the GoalTracker template is rather self-explanatory, but since I do have a few formulas in there, I wanted to specify exactly how I recommend using it.

1. Enter in your larger, weekly goals (cells C6:C8).

2. Enter in your smaller, daily goals to hit the weekly goals (cells C12 and down).

3. At the end of each day, select “Win” or “Loss” from the dropdowns in Column D accordingly. Be honest! You either did it, or you didn’t.

4. Add any comments in Column F next to daily or weekly goals.

 

GoalTracker Formula Explanation

  • If you select “Win” next to a daily goal, you will see a “1” appear to the right. If you get 3 “Wins” in a day (and basically accomplish your daily goals), you get 1 point for the day (cells E11, E15, etc.).
  • If you get 4 or more days that are complete “Wins,” you win the week (cell D3 shows a “Win” in the below example).

So… what do you think?

I hope you like the GoalTracker and find it useful in managing your daily and weekly tasks. I personally have used whiteboards, sticky notes, and reminders on my phone to jot down all sorts of thoughts. However, I’m constantly distracted and find that I still take on too many tasks at once. Simplicity is key. For this reason, I’m sticking to 3’s: 3 major weekly goals, and 3 daily goals. Not 5, not 10, but 3.

Please comment below or send me a message letting me know what you think. I’d love to know any suggestions for improvement you may have or how this is helping you get organized to crush your goals.

 

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Entrepreneur Motivation Podcast: Season 2 Episode 9 – Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap…and Others Don’t by Jim Collins

Let’s talk about Jim Collins’ book, Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap… and Others Don’t. Collins has a huge task in this book of identifying factors and variables that allow a small fraction of companies to make the transition from merely good to truly great.

Great suggests “better than average.” It’s defined according to several metrics such as financial performance exceeding market average. Collins and his research team identified a handful of companies that fulfilled their predetermined criteria for greatness. These were then analyzed and compared.

Feel free to reach out with questions or comments at chrisbello.com and remember, less dreaming, more doing.

 

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The power of connecting with like-minded individuals

The power of connecting with like-minded individuals is truly amazing. I wanted to run through a quick timeline of events to show you how quickly you can meet new people, follow-up with them, and both help each other out by sharing experiences and knowledge. These connections can help take you from 0 to 1, help you break through plateaus, and jump over hurdles with lightning speed. It has been an extremely productive week for me in terms of growing my network with people with opinions I already value.

February 24, 2018 – Secret Academy Networking Event (Houston, TX)

I’m a member of an entrepreneurial group called Secret Entourage. When you join and pay a one time, lifetime membership fee, you also get access to Secret Academy, where you can watch interviews of successful entrepreneurs, listen to podcasts, and more.

One of the founders, Pejman Ghadimi (PJ for short), held an event in Houston recently at a place about 10 minutes from my house. I had no excuse to miss out, and am extremely grateful for the connections I made when I went. A few folks had driven down from Dallas, TX, while others flew in from places like California or Atlanta.

February 26, 2018 – Dinner with Samir (Dallas, TX)

Coincidentally, I was heading to Dallas the following day as I had a conference to attend on Monday – Wednesday. I grabbed dinner with a new friend I’ve added to my network from this event on Monday night. Samir is a young entrepreneur that’s already had a successful exit and sold a company not long ago. He’s looking into inventing a physical product and starting another company in energy brokerage next. We literally hung out for 2.5 hours and had a lot in common. He offered advice on staying persistent while I was able to offer some words of caution on the manufacturing side based on some issues we’ve faced.

I also chatted for an hour with another older gentlemen named Scott this past Saturday that runs a successful business out of Atlanta. We actually have a follow-up call this evening. He knows a few people that may be able to help me get over some hurdles I’m having with my own business. And I can’t leave out my new buddy Ali, who is going to get something on the calendar for us to link up and chat next week.

February 27, 2018 – Aggie CEO Added To My Network

Just a day after dinner with Samir, I heard a company speaking at a conference and the CEO just so happened to go to my university, Texas A&M. I got his business card and he told me to call or email him if I have any questions or need any support. I’ll definitely plan to grab some coffee with him in Austin, TX. He sold 2/3 of his shares of his last company and raised a significant amount from venture capitalists for his current business. They’ve landed huge clients such as Dell and are doing quite swell to say the least.

DO NOT UNDERESTIMATE the power of connecting with like-minded individuals.

Connecting with like-minded individuals helps you surround yourself by people who are ready to push themselves to achieve more. Some may be much further ahead, while others might be a bit behind. Where everyone is on their journey is not really as important as the fact that they are on the journey in the first place. The path looks different for every one, but the beauty of growing your network is that you can learn from others or teach others as well. Being able to share challenges, successes, and more with others who have been through similar scenarios is invaluable. Better yet, you can get personalized feedback and advice for your particular situation from smart people who know what they’re talking about. How great is that?

No matter what it is you’re interested in, whether it’s entrepreneurship, music, or sports, connecting with like-minded individuals is always in your best interest. Reach out to those in your community. Go to Meetups in your area, attend events or conferences to meet these people. It’s truly a breath of fresh air when you meet people that “get you” and understand why you’re on the path you’re on. This is very important, especially when you might have friends or family that just don’t understand and hold a completely different point of view than you. When you’re passionate about something that others around you don’t really care about, it can be a bit of a drag. By surrounding yourself with others that share that passion, you find that the fire burns brighter than ever and you’re more motivated than ever.

I left dinner with Samir pumped and ready to pick up the pace with Flexthetics again. I left the conference grateful for 10 minutes of a young CEO’s time and advice. While I had previously lost some motivation due to manufacturing delays, these people rekindled that sense of urgency by giving me several strategic ideas and the motivation to push through, even though there may be ups and downs even in the same day.

You feeling pumped yet? I know I am! Go out and get it!

 

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Entrepreneur Motivation Podcast: Season 2 Episode 8 – The Dip by Seth Godin

The interesting thing about The Dip is that it goes against what many people advise. You often hear that you should “never quit,” but that is not the case with this book. Seth thinks that sometimes, you should quit, and refocus on something that makes sense. I guess in a sense it’s basically like pivoting. Seth says you should quit often, so it frees up space and time to do the other things that you should stick with.

Get your copy on Amazon here today to learn whether you should quit something or stick it out.

 

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Less Is More

Yesterday, I had a chance to catch up with a mentor of mine, Filip, over lunch. It had been a few months since we last spoke, and we had a lot to catch up on. Filip has his own website called The Product Startup. There are tons of great articles on there for any stage of the product invention stage, starting at designing and ending with sales. He also has several podcast episodes available to listen to. He’s sold a private label product on Amazon and done well in his chosen niche, and he’s also experienced in real estate. I forgot to mention, he’s also a Mechanical Engineer. Long story short, he’s got a solid background and tons of experience, and I really value his recommendations and advice.

At the end of the conversation, we had covered all sorts of topics. I talked about challenges in manufacturing the Flexthetics Pro as well as how I’d like to flip my house later this year. We also talked about marketing topics such as Facebook advertising, pixels and retargeting, and optimizing conversions for Amazon affiliate links. We shared difficulties, how we were adapting, and things to look into to improve on certain areas we’re working on.

I always take away so much from our conversations. He provides tips and specific advice on how to break through any plateaus I’m hitting. He takes notes during our conversation and sends a follow up email reiterating what we covered and what tools I should check out.

I wanted to share a few takeaways I got from that conversation and email:

1. Track audience behaviors with heat maps using a service such as Hotjar.

I had sort of heard of this before but had never really looked into it. These tools show where actual users scroll to on your site and what is making them leave. He said that this might help me understand how to improve my landing page for my reselling course.

For specific tools, he has used Crazy Egg (the market leader) and Capturly, but has since switched to Hotjar as they have a free, basic plan available.

2. Check out The Brain Audit by Sean D’Souza.

According to the description, this book describes how the brain goes through decision making. Customers want to buy from us, but we need to put things in place so the customer feels happy to buy those things from us. It shows the information customers need in order to make a decision.

3. Listen to audiobooks for free with hoopla.

I just signed up for this today and already know I’m going to love it. With hoopla, you can instantly borrow digital movies, music, audiobooks, and more 24/7 with your library card. They have the good stuff, too. From a first glance at the business audiobooks, I’ve already seen titles of books that are highly recommended in the field, such as The 4-Hour Workweek by Tim Ferriss or Gary V’s book, Crush It!

We talked about Audible and how it’s great to access all those books. However, the charges can add up quickly if you buy a few audiobooks. Filip said he’s saved hundreds of dollars by switching to hoopla. Like I’ve posted before, I’m developing my mindset and thoughts from “I can’t afford that” or “that’s expensive” to “how can I afford that?” or “it’s an investment.” I think it’s important to be able to spend money on true investments in ourselves. However, why not use a free resource if it’s legal and available?

4. Limit consumed content and focus on taking action.

Filip mentioned he’s taken a step back and stopped listening to so much audio content. He found that he was spending all his time consuming information but not enough time taking action.

I mentioned that I have noticed it’s easier to take action when you’re physically reading a book. You’re usually sitting at a desk or in a location where you’ve got pen and paper readily available. You’re able to write any notes down or jot down an exercise the book asks you to do. Most people tend to listen to audio content in the gym, while driving, etc. They’re usually busy and skip over any calls to action in the content.

Make sure to take action, this is something I always stress in my podcast as well (like I always say, “Less Dreaming, More Doing”). Perhaps try to implement a key idea or suggestion in each book or podcast episode you go through to make sure you’re putting what you learn into action.

KEY TAKEAWAY:

The main takeaway from my meeting with Filip this time around is that less is more. Really pick a few big things you want to work towards and focus on those. Be the best you can be at those. Do 3 things really well instead of doing 20 things okay. I’ve heard this before, but it was a great reminder. I can see when jotting down all the things I’m working on that I’ve got too much going on. Perhaps you’re like me, you’re trying everything and going down various rabbit holes to see what works and how you can add a passive income stream. However, I know I need to really stick to a few and do those very well. Filip is even selling the rest of his white label item to focus efforts more on real estate. Cut back on things that are no longer adding value to you. Take the learnings from that experience and apply them on your areas of focus to really excel.

Pick a few things you must focus on and consider eliminating remaining distractions.

Here’s what I’ve been working on. I’m focused on some more heavily than others, but I’ve taken away tons of learning from every experience.

Key focus areas:
Areas I’m experimenting in that I may need to step back from:

I’m still very focused on the Flexthetics Pro, but manufacturing delays and challenges have kind of has that area on the back burner until the supplier can get the plastic ejecting properly from the molds. While waiting on the supplier, I developed the Flipping course and wrote a book to teach others how I’ve successfully resold products for profit with consistency.

I also ordered a bunch of phone cases off Alibaba to try and sell on eBay or Amazon. I was aware that it’s a competitive area but now really am painfully aware. My listings have no reviews and probably are on page 80 of an Amazon search (exaggerating, but that’s what it feels like). Now, I’m just looking to sell the entire box in bulk to a cell phone accessory store and recoup my investment, which was relatively low at $250 for 100 cases. At least I got some practice ordering from China and having product ready to be fulfilled. I also know how to set up products on Amazon with a barcode and everything for the next product I try.

What are your key areas of focus? Jot down the top 3 things you need to get done, your biggest goals. Try to eliminate anything else that distracts you from those things and are not mission critical.

 

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