#beingagoodleader

Do you aspire to be the next TEDx speaker? Do you wish to leave your audience with The Aha Moment? Then this is the blog for you. This time on The xMonks Drive, Andrea Sampson, a speaker coach, joined us to share her insights from finding your core idea and structuring your talk, to presenting it to your audience. This is a transcripted version of the conversation we had with her.

Being an Entrepreneur

“I was not an entrepreneur.”

Gaurav: When you said, “I was not an entrepreneur”, what was the sense that you were making, from the word, being an entrepreneur that didn’t allow you to embrace that word fully and completely?

Andrea: When I say, “I’m not an entrepreneur”, it was because of the risks. For me, growing up in a corporate world, I had spent my entire career in that world, where every two weeks, there was a paycheck that was deposited into my bank account and I knew how much money I was going to make. I knew the process of getting promoted or if I wasn’t going to get promoted. I could go and get another job. The risk of not having that is unimaginable to me.

Law firm marketing Named one of “America’s Coolest Entrepreneurs” by Inc. magazine, Adam is a seven-time author, law firm marketing keynote speaker and CEO of Advantage Media Group|ForbesBooks, one of the largest business book publishers.thought leadership.

Resources Mentioned:(law firm marketing)

Audible – Get a FREE Audiobook & 30-Day Trial if you’re not currently a member! Align – Adam’s small business resource American Icon – Adam’s Top Business Book Advantage Media Group / Forbes Books – Adam’s websites Gift for Fire Nation – Adam’s books Lead The Field The Mastery Journal – Master productivity, discipline, and focus in 100 days! How To Finally Win – Learn how to create your dream life one step at a time!

3 Key Points:(law firm marketing)

You can strategically and systematically position yourself as an authority to gain advantage over your competition. Learn to use incentives to get your customers pay you in advance. Take the chance to talk and have conversations with people around you.

Sponsors

Davinci: Offers incredibly affordable meeting rooms in well-known office locations in EVERY city. For a limited time visit DavinciMeet.com/fire for 50% off your first purchase! Terms and conditions apply. Venetian Hotel: Next time you’re planning an epic trip to Las Vegas, remember there’s no better place to stay than The Venetian Las Vegas. For more information, visit Venetian.com! Pitney Bowes: Print postage right from your office and take advantage of special discounts! ​Plans start AS LOW AS ​$5 per month. Visit PB​.com/fire​ to learn more and sign up for your free trial. Terms apply, see site for details.

Time Stamped Show Notes(law firm marketing)

(click the time stamp to jump directly to that point in the episode.) – Adam, as a kid, wanted to be a professional basketball player  – His area of expertise is in authority marketing  – Share something we don’t know about your area of expertise that as Entrepreneurs, we probably should: The biggest mistake is that “authority can’t be manufactured”  – Authority can be manufactured and you can strategically and systematically create it to outsize advantage over your competition  – Worst Entrepreneurial Moment: A few years ago, Adam found himself 2 weeks from running out of cash. His business was growing and expanding that Adam forgot to keep an eye on the cash balance. When he realized this, he didn’t have any sort of backup or even lines of credit. What saved his company was 3 big contracts that brought the money in  – Incentivize your customers to make them pay in advance  – A small discount and extra marketing services were all it took for Adam to turn the tables around  – Adam shares about how this incentive works for their company  – Entrepreneurial AH-HA Moment: 2 years ago, Adam sat next to the Senior Vice President of Marketing for Forbes at an industry luncheon. He turned to her and said, “You need to be in the book publishing business.” He then explained how his business model goes and thus Forbes Books was created  – “Never take an any lunch time companion for granted”  – Have conversations with people  – What is the one thing you are most FIRED up about today? “I’m just most fired up about the momentum that we have in our business”  – The Lightning Round What was holding you back from becoming an entrepreneur? – “My head” What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received? – “As a CEO, your job is not to grow a company. Your job is to grow people that grow a company” What’s a personal habit that contributes to your success? – “Daily rituals” Share an internet resource, like Evernote, with Fire Nation – Align If you could recommend one book to our listeners, what would it be and why? – American Icon – “the book chronicles the story of Ford hiring out Alan Mulally and him single-handedly saving the company” 18:13 – Get Adam’s book, Lead the Field, for FREE at ForbesBooks.com/Fire  – Growing a business is hard — if it were easy, everybody would do it  

Killer Resources!

Named one of “America’s Coolest Entrepreneurs” by Inc. magazine, Adam is a seven-time author, keynote speaker and CEO of Advantage Media Group|ForbesBooks, one of the largest business book publishers.thought leadership.

Resources Mentioned:(law firm marketing)

Audible – Get a FREE Audiobook & 30-Day Trial if you’re not currently a member! Align – Adam’s small business resource Named one of “America’s Coolest Entrepreneurs” by Inc. magazine, Adam is a seven-time author, keynote speaker and CEO of Advantage Media Group|ForbesBooks, one of the largest business book publishers.thought leadership.

Resources Mentioned:(law firm marketing)

Audible – Get a FREE Audiobook & 30-Day Trial if you’re not currently a member! Align – Adam’s small business resource Named one of “America’s Coolest Entrepreneurs” by Inc. magazine, Adam is a seven-time author, keynote speaker and CEO of Advantage Media Group|ForbesBooks, one of the largest business book publishers.thought leadership.

Resources Mentioned:(law firm marketing)

Audible – Get a FREE Audiobook & 30-Day Trial if you’re not currently a member! Align – Adam’s small business resource Named one of “America’s Coolest Entrepreneurs” by Inc. magazine, Adam is a seven-time author, keynote speaker and CEO of Advantage Media Group|ForbesBooks, one of the largest business book publishers.thought leadership.

Resources Mentioned:(law firm marketing)

Law firm marketing Named one of “America’s Coolest Entrepreneurs” by Inc. magazine, Adam is a seven-time author, law firm marketing keynote speaker and CEO of Advantage Media Group|ForbesBooks, one of the largest business book publishers.thought leadership.

Resources Mentioned:(law firm marketing)

Audible – Get a FREE Audiobook & 30-Day Trial if you’re not currently a member! Align – Adam’s small business resource American Icon – Adam’s Top Business Book Advantage Media Group / Forbes Books – Adam’s websites Gift for Fire Nation – Adam’s books Lead The Field The Mastery Journal – Master productivity, discipline, and focus in 100 days! How To Finally Win – Learn how to create your dream life one step at a time!

3 Key Points:(law firm marketing)

You can strategically and systematically position yourself as an authority to gain advantage over your competition. Learn to use incentives to get your customers pay you in advance. Take the chance to talk and have conversations with people around you.

Sponsors

Davinci: Offers incredibly affordable meeting rooms in well-known office locations in EVERY city. For a limited time visit DavinciMeet.com/fire for 50% off your first purchase! Terms and conditions apply. Venetian Hotel: Next time you’re planning an epic trip to Las Vegas, remember there’s no better place to stay than The Venetian Las Vegas. For more information, visit Venetian.com! Pitney Bowes: Print postage right from your office and take advantage of special discounts! ​Plans start AS LOW AS ​$5 per month. Visit PB​.com/fire​ to learn more and sign up for your free trial. Terms apply, see site for details.

Time Stamped Show Notes(law firm marketing)

(click the time stamp to jump directly to that point in the episode.) – Adam, as a kid, wanted to be a professional basketball player  – His area of expertise is in authority marketing  – Share something we don’t know about your area of expertise that as Entrepreneurs, we probably should: The biggest mistake is that “authority can’t be manufactured”  – Authority can be manufactured and you can strategically and systematically create it to outsize advantage over your competition  – Worst Entrepreneurial Moment: A few years ago, Adam found himself 2 weeks from running out of cash. His business was growing and expanding that Adam forgot to keep an eye on the cash balance. When he realized this, he didn’t have any sort of backup or even lines of credit. What saved his company was 3 big contracts that brought the money in  – Incentivize your customers to make them pay in advance  – A small discount and extra marketing services were all it took for Adam to turn the tables around  – Adam shares about how this incentive works for their company  – Entrepreneurial AH-HA Moment: 2 years ago, Adam sat next to the Senior Vice President of Marketing for Forbes at an industry luncheon. He turned to her and said, “You need to be in the book publishing business.” He then explained how his business model goes and thus Forbes Books was created  – “Never take an any lunch time companion for granted”  – Have conversations with people  – What is the one thing you are most FIRED up about today? “I’m just most fired up about the momentum that we have in our business”  – The Lightning Round What was holding you back from becoming an entrepreneur? – “My head” What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received? – “As a CEO, your job is not to grow a company. Your job is to grow people that grow a company” What’s a personal habit that contributes to your success? – “Daily rituals” Share an internet resource, like Evernote, with Fire Nation – Align If you could recommend one book to our listeners, what would it be and why? – American Icon – “the book chronicles the story of Ford hiring out Alan Mulally and him single-handedly saving the company” 18:13 – Get Adam’s book, Lead the Field, for FREE at ForbesBooks.com/Fire  – Growing a business is hard — if it were easy, everybody would do it  

Killer Resources!

Named one of “America’s Coolest Entrepreneurs” by Inc. magazine, Adam is a seven-time author, keynote speaker and CEO of Advantage Media Group|ForbesBooks, one of the largest business book publishers.thought leadership.

Resources Mentioned:(law firm marketing)

Audible – Get a FREE Audiobook & 30-Day Trial if you’re not currently a member! Align – Adam’s small business resource Named one of “America’s Coolest Entrepreneurs” by Inc. magazine, Adam is a seven-time author, keynote speaker and CEO of Advantage Media Group|ForbesBooks, one of the largest business book publishers.thought leadership.

Resources Mentioned:(law firm marketing)

Audible – Get a FREE Audiobook & 30-Day Trial if you’re not currently a member! Align – Adam’s small business resource Named one of “America’s Coolest Entrepreneurs” by Inc. magazine, Adam is a seven-time author, keynote speaker and CEO of Advantage Media Group|ForbesBooks, one of the largest business book publishers.thought leadership.

Resources Mentioned:(law firm marketing)

Audible – Get a FREE Audiobook & 30-Day Trial if you’re not currently a member! Align – Adam’s small business resource Named one of “America’s Coolest Entrepreneurs” by Inc. magazine, Adam is a seven-time author, keynote speaker and CEO of Advantage Media Group|ForbesBooks, one of the largest business book publishers.thought leadership.

Resources Mentioned:(law firm marketing)

Law firm marketing Named one of “America’s Coolest Entrepreneurs” by Inc. magazine, Adam is a seven-time author, law firm marketing keynote speaker and CEO of Advantage Media Group|ForbesBooks, one of the largest business book publishers.thought leadership.

Resources Mentioned:(law firm marketing)

Audible – Get a FREE Audiobook & 30-Day Trial if you’re not currently a member! Align – Adam’s small business resource American Icon – Adam’s Top Business Book Advantage Media Group / Forbes Books – Adam’s websites Gift for Fire Nation – Adam’s books Lead The Field The Mastery Journal – Master productivity, discipline, and focus in 100 days! How To Finally Win – Learn how to create your dream life one step at a time!

3 Key Points:(law firm marketing)

You can strategically and systematically position yourself as an authority to gain advantage over your competition. Learn to use incentives to get your customers pay you in advance. Take the chance to talk and have conversations with people around you.

Sponsors

Davinci: Offers incredibly affordable meeting rooms in well-known office locations in EVERY city. For a limited time visit DavinciMeet.com/fire for 50% off your first purchase! Terms and conditions apply. Venetian Hotel: Next time you’re planning an epic trip to Las Vegas, remember there’s no better place to stay than The Venetian Las Vegas. For more information, visit Venetian.com! Pitney Bowes: Print postage right from your office and take advantage of special discounts! ​Plans start AS LOW AS ​$5 per month. Visit PB​.com/fire​ to learn more and sign up for your free trial. Terms apply, see site for details.

Time Stamped Show Notes(law firm marketing)

(click the time stamp to jump directly to that point in the episode.) – Adam, as a kid, wanted to be a professional basketball player  – His area of expertise is in authority marketing  – Share something we don’t know about your area of expertise that as Entrepreneurs, we probably should: The biggest mistake is that “authority can’t be manufactured”  – Authority can be manufactured and you can strategically and systematically create it to outsize advantage over your competition  – Worst Entrepreneurial Moment: A few years ago, Adam found himself 2 weeks from running out of cash. His business was growing and expanding that Adam forgot to keep an eye on the cash balance. When he realized this, he didn’t have any sort of backup or even lines of credit. What saved his company was 3 big contracts that brought the money in  – Incentivize your customers to make them pay in advance  – A small discount and extra marketing services were all it took for Adam to turn the tables around  – Adam shares about how this incentive works for their company  – Entrepreneurial AH-HA Moment: 2 years ago, Adam sat next to the Senior Vice President of Marketing for Forbes at an industry luncheon. He turned to her and said, “You need to be in the book publishing business.” He then explained how his business model goes and thus Forbes Books was created  – “Never take an any lunch time companion for granted”  – Have conversations with people  – What is the one thing you are most FIRED up about today? “I’m just most fired up about the momentum that we have in our business”  – The Lightning Round What was holding you back from becoming an entrepreneur? – “My head” What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received? – “As a CEO, your job is not to grow a company. Your job is to grow people that grow a company” What’s a personal habit that contributes to your success? – “Daily rituals” Share an internet resource, like Evernote, with Fire Nation – Align If you could recommend one book to our listeners, what would it be and why? – American Icon – “the book chronicles the story of Ford hiring out Alan Mulally and him single-handedly saving the company” 18:13 – Get Adam’s book, Lead the Field, for FREE at ForbesBooks.com/Fire  – Growing a business is hard — if it were easy, everybody would do it  

Killer Resources!

Named one of “America’s Coolest Entrepreneurs” by Inc. magazine, Adam is a seven-time author, keynote speaker and CEO of Advantage Media Group|ForbesBooks, one of the largest business book publishers.thought leadership.

Resources Mentioned:(law firm marketing)

Audible – Get a FREE Audiobook & 30-Day Trial if you’re not currently a member! Align – Adam’s small business resource Named one of “America’s Coolest Entrepreneurs” by Inc. magazine, Adam is a seven-time author, keynote speaker and CEO of Advantage Media Group|ForbesBooks, one of the largest business book publishers.thought leadership.

Resources Mentioned:(law firm marketing)

Audible – Get a FREE Audiobook & 30-Day Trial if you’re not currently a member! Align – Adam’s small business resource Named one of “America’s Coolest Entrepreneurs” by Inc. magazine, Adam is a seven-time author, keynote speaker and CEO of Advantage Media Group|ForbesBooks, one of the largest business book publishers.thought leadership.

Resources Mentioned:(law firm marketing)

Audible – Get a FREE Audiobook & 30-Day Trial if you’re not currently a member! Align – Adam’s small business resource Named one of “America’s Coolest Entrepreneurs” by Inc. magazine, Adam is a seven-time author, keynote speaker and CEO of Advantage Media Group|ForbesBooks, one of the largest business book publishers.thought leadership.

Resources Mentioned:(law firm marketing)

Named one of “America’s Coolest Entrepreneurs” by Inc. magazine, Adam is a seven-time author, keynote speaker and CEO of Advantage Media Group|ForbesBooks, one of the largest business book publishers.thought leadership.

Resources Mentioned:(thought leadership)

Audible – Get a FREE Audiobook & 30-Day Trial if you’re not currently a member! Align – Adam’s small business resource American Icon – Adam’s Top Business Book Advantage Media Group / Forbes Books – Adam’s websites Gift for Fire Nation – Adam’s books Lead The Field The Mastery Journal – Master productivity, discipline, and focus in 100 days! How To Finally Win – Learn how to create your dream life one step at a time!

3 Key Points:(thought leadership)

You can strategically and systematically position yourself as an authority to gain advantage over your competition. Learn to use incentives to get your customers pay you in advance. Take the chance to talk and have conversations with people around you.

Sponsors

Davinci: Offers incredibly affordable meeting rooms in well-known office locations in EVERY city. For a limited time visit DavinciMeet.com/fire for 50% off your first purchase! Terms and conditions apply. Venetian Hotel: Next time you’re planning an epic trip to Las Vegas, remember there’s no better place to stay than The Venetian Las Vegas. For more information, visit Venetian.com! Pitney Bowes: Print postage right from your office and take advantage of special discounts! ​Plans start AS LOW AS ​$5 per month. Visit PB​.com/fire​ to learn more and sign up for your free trial. Terms apply, see site for details.

Time Stamped Show Notes(thought leadership)

(click the time stamp to jump directly to that point in the episode.) – Adam, as a kid, wanted to be a professional basketball player  – His area of expertise is in authority marketing  – Share something we don’t know about your area of expertise that as Entrepreneurs, we probably should: The biggest mistake is that “authority can’t be manufactured”  – Authority can be manufactured and you can strategically and systematically create it to outsize advantage over your competition  – Worst Entrepreneurial Moment: A few years ago, Adam found himself 2 weeks from running out of cash. His business was growing and expanding that Adam forgot to keep an eye on the cash balance. When he realized this, he didn’t have any sort of backup or even lines of credit. What saved his company was 3 big contracts that brought the money in  – Incentivize your customers to make them pay in advance  – A small discount and extra marketing services were all it took for Adam to turn the tables around  – Adam shares about how this incentive works for their company  – Entrepreneurial AH-HA Moment: 2 years ago, Adam sat next to the Senior Vice President of Marketing for Forbes at an industry luncheon. He turned to her and said, “You need to be in the book publishing business.” He then explained how his business model goes and thus Forbes Books was created  – “Never take an any lunch time companion for granted”  – Have conversations with people  – What is the one thing you are most FIRED up about today? “I’m just most fired up about the momentum that we have in our business”  – The Lightning Round What was holding you back from becoming an entrepreneur? – “My head” What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received? – “As a CEO, your job is not to grow a company. Your job is to grow people that grow a company” What’s a personal habit that contributes to your success? – “Daily rituals” Share an internet resource, like Evernote, with Fire Nation – Align If you could recommend one book to our listeners, what would it be and why? – American Icon – “the book chronicles the story of Ford hiring out Alan Mulally and him single-handedly saving the company” 18:13 – Get Adam’s book, Lead the Field, for FREE at ForbesBooks.com/Fire  – Growing a business is hard — if it were easy, everybody would do it

Killer Resources!(

Named one of “America’s Coolest Entrepreneurs” by Inc. magazine, Adam is a seven-time author, keynote speaker and CEO of Advantage Media Group|ForbesBooks, one of the largest business book publishers.thought leadership.

Resources Mentioned:(thought leadership)

Audible – Get a FREE Audiobook & 30-Day Trial if you’re not currently a member! Align – Adam’s small business resource Named one of “America’s Coolest Entrepreneurs” by Inc. magazine, Adam is a seven-time author, keynote speaker and CEO of Advantage Media Group|ForbesBooks, one of the largest business book publishers.thought leadership.

Resources Mentioned:(thought leadership)

Audible – Get a FREE Audiobook & 30-Day Trial if you’re not currently a member! Align – Adam’s small business resource Named one of “America’s Coolest Entrepreneurs” by Inc. magazine, Adam is a seven-time author, keynote speaker and CEO of Advantage Media Group|ForbesBooks, one of the largest business book publishers.thought leadership.

Resources Mentioned:(thought leadership)

Audible – Get a FREE Audiobook & 30-Day Trial if you’re not currently a member! Align – Adam’s small business resource Named one of “America’s Coolest Entrepreneurs” by Inc. magazine, Adam is a seven-time author, keynote speaker and CEO of Advantage Media Group|ForbesBooks, one of the largest business book publishers.thought leadership.

Resources Mentioned:(thought leadership)