Doin' the Thing Podcast

What's the difference between AI and an algorithm? How can AI accentuate and accelerate your productivity? What are the risks - and more concerning, what threats does AI pose?

From email writing to book publishing to job risks and scams - we cover it all.

Here's a link to the AI generated version of me (Phil) that we briefly played during the episode - it's uncanny. https://youtu.be/qK_7hS0jPvU?si=u7dpTiGED9KBcps4

Actor and voice talent Adam Pritchett is a gifted creative, one I've had the pleasure of working with to bring my novel The Conduit to life as an audiobook. He found job security in the Italian education system, but when a friend and mentor helped him open himself to new opportunities, he achieved success, freedom and self-sufficiency. Join us for an engaging exploration into Adam's journey to entrepreneurship!

Phil and Jason discuss a few myths in franchising and provide education and awareness around the some key topics:

- Finding the Right Business Will Make Me Successful.

- The Secret to Success in Business is Finding a Franchise Doing Something I Love.

- I’ll Know the Right Opportunity When I See It.- Most Businesses Go Belly Up.- Owning a Franchise is Like Having a Boss, The Franchisor Will Dictate Everything.

- I Can’t Be Creative in a Franchise.- A Franchise requires More Money Than I Can Afford.

And more!

The Battered Career Syndrome® means being subjected to the frustration of turning to the next career path in the company you work for, and then being downsized, right-sized or let go, and then having to start over again. Today, Phil and Jason discuss and contextualize this concept as we lead into the Thanksgiving Holiday.

Many franchisors host what is often know as a "Discovery Day" or "Meet The Team Day."   Some are optional and some are required, depending on the Franchisor.  In any case, it is an opportunity to travel to the franchise headquarters, meet their management team and get a more in-depth view of the business and the support.

In today's episode we will do a deep dive and discuss what you should get out of it, how to prepare, and what the outcomes can be after these events.

There's a big difference between making a decision, and making a bad decision. In this episode we talk through the four major "F" words and provide a helpful analogy meant to inspire you to step out from your comfort zones and explore what's possible.

Post-pandemic, Gartner Research study found that only 17% of the time companies spend making B2B buying decisions involves sales. Further, 69 to 80% of all businesses surveyed prefer Digital Self-Service to in-person sales presentations. Traditional go-to sales strategies such as cold-calls, cold emails and in-person meetings are no longer as effective as they were back in the Glen Garry Glen Ross days of "Always Be Closing." New KPIs matter, such as Time to Emotional Connection. Prospect onboarding must be intelligently structured and consistently improved upon. In today's post-pandemic digital age, to achieve consistent double-digit growth we must let go of our "Always Be Closing" strategies in favor of "Always Be Re-Imagining."

Would it surprise you to know that a full 60% of the entire global workforce identifies as being emotionally disconnected from their jobs? That last year, 50.5 million Americans (24.3% of the entire US workforce) resigned from their roles? There are reasons, and if you fall within either statistic you're certainly not alone.

If you're considering a career change, this is a must listen episode. Host Phillip Macko will share insights into what's driving these statistics and more - but more importantly he'll share his "3-R Strategy" - Re-Search, Re-Imagine, Re-Invent - a strategy he's successfully employed with hundreds of clients that creates the path for career reinvention.

Don't step on yet another "Career Treadmill," take charge of your career, finances and future by employing the 3-R strategy.

Here's a link to the YouTube version - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LS6Wy7XVghw

You've heard the expression, "wherever you go, there you are." These words hold no greater meaning than when you are considering a career change or have been displaced from your company and seeking new opportunities.

While it's important to look externally, visiting the job boards, networking, it's equally important - or even more important - to look within and define what you want life to look like for you in this next career iteration.

And that's what this episode focusses on.

If you are considering a. career change or in the midst of exploring new possibilities, this is an important episode for you. In it, hosts Jason and Phil talk about the importance of defining your Primary Aim as well as introducing a five-step method designed to help you define it.

Please like, share and comment if you enjoy this important session!

In a follow-up to last week's meeting we explore the finer refinements of personal branding. With your personal brand value in mind, intentionality, transparency and authenticity matter.

In today's digital world, the importance of personal branding cannot be understated. Whether you're applying for a job, starting a new entreprenuerial venture or promoting an existing business, how the world sees you online matters. In today's episode we'll share why personal branding matters, and outline easy steps you can take to enhance your personal brand.

Book 5 is in the can for me, and it involved deep research into the evolution of prospecting, business development and client retention in this brave new digital, post-pandemic age. While businesses evaluate tactic/strategy driven KPIs, few consider the most important driver of brand growth as found by an eight-year study conducted by the Harvard Business Review. 

Their findings may surprise you, but if you're looking for revenue growth this year, this is a must listen.

It's not what happens to you that matters, it's instead what you do about it that makes the difference. In today's episode Jason and Phil explore the principles of Stoicism, and when practiced, how the core tenets can help us live in the present and focus on those things that are in our control and let go of those that aren't.

Stop saying yes when it's not in your best interest to do so. In today's session, Phil shares a personal example on the importance of managing expectations. Saying yes isn't your only option, and knowing when and how to manage expectations can lead to a happier, healthier workplace. 

Learn the five best strategies to manage expectations in this episode and much more!

"I'm not getting call-backs" is a common comment Jason and I hear. And while our coaching helps clients explore self-sufficiency, what we care about most is helping our clients achieve what's best for them in their careers. And if the job market is right for you, then you really need to know about how an ATS works. 

The game has changed, human being don't view resumes, an ATS runs algorithms on them leverage AI to determine best candidate fits. Jason and I share insights in this sesion on how an ATS works - and more importantly we outline the steps you'll need to take to maximize your interview opportunities. 

We've just crossed a technology threshold, and the world from here on will change as ChatGPT rolls out. 

What is ChatGPT you ask? ChatGPT is a natural language processing tool driven by AI technology that allows you to have human-like conversations and much more with a chatbot. The language model can answer questions, and assist you with tasks such as composing emails, essays, and code.

With the advent of this intuitive and ever-learning technology, Jason and Phil explore the many possible implications. What industries will be re-invented? What workplace roles may be replaced? How can ChatGPT be leveraged to make you more efficient? What are the copyright implications?

All this and more in today's episode. Please like and share!

In today's episode, Jason and Phil Interview Annie Hung-Scanga. Annie's firm specializes in providing expert accounting, tax planning and financial planning advise. Today's Podcast covers the following key areas, with Annie sharing her expertise on the topics of: 1) Advise for new franchisees on which corporate structure to employ, 2) Post launch, how and when to start paying yourself a salary, 3) Tax savings strategies, 4) Multi-generational wealth building strategies for entrepreneurs.

Annie provides excellent food for thought on each topic - and we encourage you to explore her recommendations with your accountant/ financial planner to ensure they're right for your business. And if you're in the process of setting up your business and in need of accounting, tax planning and financial planning services, consider setting up a free, no obligation consultation with Annie - here's a link to her calendar - https://square.site/book/9AXE057BXPYYG/atlantis-accounting.

Jason Madden is a former CI officer, and since his transition to entrepreneurship from the military, Jason has dedicated significant efforts helping other veterans. He gives of his time to such organizations as Veterati and Recruit Military, and is expert in assisting and supporting veterans to achieve their future goals. If you're transitioning currently or have recently separated, this episode shares valuable information on programs, resources and strategies to help you.

In today's episode Jason and Phil dive deep into the many options we have to achieve financial freedom, including the employment market, passive investment strategies, buying an existing business and the world of franchising. We play devil's advocate in this session, pointing to the pros and cons of each.

Phil and Jason welcome new veteran business owners, John McDonough and Earnest Perkins on to the show to discuss what it's like to move from the military, to 9-5, to entrepreneurship as business owners with a known franchise brand! 

Although it's been said many times before, we truly are now facing truly exceptional challenges. Oil and gas, microchips, supply chain, Ukraine, the lingering after effects of COVID and increased interest rates have many Americans paying close attention. Would it surprise you to know that there were more new businesses started in 2020 than 2019, and even more in 2021 than 2020? As major companies like Tesla, Netflix and PayPal begin to eliminate jobs, Americans now more than ever look for ways to shield their portfolios from economic downturn risks and protect their careers. 

In today's session, Jason and Phil take this topic head-on. 

Jason and Phil have taken a break from our weekly Podcast for good reason. During times of exceptional challenge and loss there is an opportunity and a choice. We can be a victim of circumstances, or we can choose the path that leads to resiliency. In this episode we share the challenges we've each faced in recent weeks, but more importantly we hope to shine a light on the path forward we've each chosen and inspire others who may be facing similar complexities. It's a straight from the heart episode we hope will inspire you. 

As our listeners know, Jason and I are professional Career Ownership Coaches, and by design we work intentionally on helping our clients explore self-sufficiency strategies. Whether you're entrepreneurially curious, looking to diversify your portfolio and revenue streams, or to explore a new career direction, our tools, resources and methodologies can help you the clarity you seek on your path forward.

In our initial outreaches to clients we're both often asked to send links to our website so those who are interested can learn more before scheduling a second call. The challenge is, the website provides a general overview, but the work we do is tailored and personalized to the clients we work with - so viewing the website often isn't enough. That's why we recorded this episode, and if you've received a link to it, it's because it can help you answer the question - how can this specialized coaching help ME?

Whatever your long term financial career and wealth building goals are, one thing is for sure - we're living through exceptional times that have created mitigating and complex possibilities. Will interest rates rise, will the Ukrainian situation and it's impact on the energy markets have ripple effects on our investments and portfolios, what effects will the shutdowns in China effecting the supply chain have on our financial situations both short and long term?

In today's episode we discuss strategies to help you explore and potentially mitigate the above by sharing three important key concepts. 

Join us for an engaging and insightful conversation with Dr. Wisdom. Dr. Wisdom is a veteran, holds a PhD in Psychology and a Masters in Public Health and Epidemiology. 

Would it surprise you to know that a full 50% of all leaders are Millennials? It's true, and their needs, goals and visions are truly worth understanding and embracing. Corporate Culture matters, social good matters, collaboration matters and the ability to contribute in a meaningful way matters. If you look at the current job market trends, the Great Resignation is fueled by the elements above not meeting staff member's goals. Part one of this podcast explores viable ways to evolve organizations and create a world class company staff members want to stay at.

But when things aren't working for you, how do you know when it's time to leave. Part two of this podcast is a about not just knowing when it's time to leave, but more importantly, what steps can you take when it's time to leave.

How many of us wish we'd invested in Apple stock back in the day, or Tesla, or BitCoin? Early adopters who catch the wave early can reap significant rewards, but what about the potential risk? 

If you're exploring entrepreneurship and franchising is your chosen vehicle, you may find yourself in the position of considering an emerging brand. If so, this episode is worth a listen as we'll discuss the pro's and con's of established concepts (often defined as having 100+ locations) versus emerging (defined as under 100, sometimes even under 10).

This episode is not intended to provide a comprehensive and definitive list of considerations, but instead to help guide you toward developing your own questions and where/ how to find the answers. 

Listeners of our Podcast know that Jason and I are advocates and evangelists for healthy minds, bodies and spirits. Today we explore part two of our healthy living conversation by diving in to easy to implement and incrementally beneficial nutritional habits to help you become your best self.

Did you make a resolution to hit the gym and now find yourself unable to lift your arms or walk without hunching? You're not alone! 

As the saying goes, "I'm opening a new gym called Red Wine. It's full of folks with committed goals in January and becomes a wine bar in February."

Don't give up in your fitness goals, instead learn valuable periodization principles that will help you bridge the gap between making a resolution and creating a healthy way of living.

It's all about mind, BODY and spirit. Be your best self!

The Elon Musk origin story is inspiring. After founding PayPal he had a vision of colonizing the planet of Mars - something the majority of us dream of (kidding). His first three missions failed, and he had only enough resources to launch one more mission - which succeeded. Next, he dreamed of sustainably powered vehicles. In 2008, in the middle of what was arguably one of the worst financial situations in American history, he released his first model - which was priced two times higher than initial estimates he'd provided. The company nearly went bankrupt, he used the last of his life savings to keep it alive. We all know how this story ends.

As inspiring as his story is, it's not real life for the majority of us. That said, how can we inspire ourselves to reach greater heights, regardless of how big or small they may be. This episode is all about the value of taking risks - and how to get ourselves unstuck.

It's that magical time of year when we all envision a better version of ourselves as the calendar page flips from December 2021 to January 2022. In this episode we explore why New Year's resolutions have such a high fail rate, and more importantly - how to succeed in creating your new and better self in the New Year.

As the old adage goes..."It doesn't matter what you make, it only matters how much of it you keep." Business ownership not only builds equity, creates the potential for a sale-able asset, but also leverages potentially significant tax-saving advantages. 

In this episode, we'll talk through the four corporate structures - DBA, LLC, S-Corp and C-Corp and share insights into the features, benefits and advantages for each. 

Gen X and Millennials are re-evaluating their considering leaving their current roles in significant numbers. Learn what's driving this generational "Great Awakening"

Many dream of becoming a published author, if you're one - this is the episode for you. Phillip Macko has published three works, two non-fiction titles and a fictional work available in paperback, eBook and on Audible called The Conduit. In this episode he'll share his tips, tricks and learnings across his 9-year author's journey.

As we say, good paper makes good friends. But much more than this, how do you choose the right partner? How do you avoid overlapping competencies? And most important, how do your develop your exit strategies before launching the partnership venture? All this and more on today's episode of Doin' the Thing!

A recent ProPublica study (https://www.propublica.org/article/older-workers-united-states-pushed-out-of-work-forced-retirement) finds that there are currently 40 million Americans over the age of 50 in the workforce. According to their projections, as many as 22 million of this employed population will face a layoff, forced retirement or involuntary job separation. Of the 22 million, only an estimated 2 million will fully financially recover.

If you or someone you care about is over 50 and currently employed, this is an important episode as we shine a light on the facts and offer strategies to mitigate career risks. 

Monster.com commissioned a study - their findings were more than surprising. 95% of all currently employed participants indicated they were actively considering a career change. 92% indicated considering not just a career change, but also an industry change. The greatest driver? 32% cited burnout. What does this mean and what impacts might we see - that's what we're discussing in this episode.

On this week's episode, we're honored to have Diana Corbin join us and share the very motivating story of how her grade school dream became her passion, and then her career. For Megatrax Production Music, Diana is the Executive Director of Accounts for the country of Brazil. In this capacity, she works with major film studios, television station, ad agencies and content producers all throughout the county of Brazil. 

Diana's story is an incredible illustration of how chasing your dream can lead to it becoming a reality. Are you fulfilled in what you do, is it the career path that speaks to your soul? Diana's story will help provide you with your own clarity on these important questions. 

We've all heard about the Colonial pipeline hack, one that cost the company $5 million dollars. How did it happen? And more importantly, how can you as a business owner protect yourself and your company? We'll be discussing this and more with industry experts Brittany Fugate and David Warner from Cenetric. 

Here's the reality - 300,000 new malware programs are created every day, and because they often do not employ traditional virus coding, your anti-virus program likely will not protect you. A new hack occurs every 39 seconds. Hackers infiltrate a company's systems in as little as 18 minutes. No business or individual is safe unless they employ the proper safeguards, but the good news is that there are things you can do to prevent your company from falling victim to this pervasive threat. 

A must listen!

Cenetric is an IT/ Network Services company based in Kansas City and serving clients ranging from Law Firms to Universities to Fortune 500 Companies located in the mid-west. To learn more about Cenetric, visit their website at https://cenetric.com/ or reach out to them at 913-210-1950.

We are doing things a little bit differently this week. This is another episode from our Facebook live chat where we discuss DISC and use it as a resource. DISC is a behavior assessment tool to examine an individuals' behavior in their environment or within a specific situation. It is based on the DISC theory of psychologist William Moulton Marston. DISC is an acronym of four different personality traits:

• Dominance - relating to control, power, and assertiveness
  
• Influence - relating to social situation and communication
  
• Steadiness - relating to patience, persistence, and thoughtfulness
  
• Conscientiousness - relating to structure and organization
  

Tune in to Dr. Leroy, Jason, and Phil for an insightful discussion about DISC personality and how you can use it as a resource.

Join our community and have a conversation with Dr. Leroy, Jason, and Phil:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/391406378654576/?ref=share

This episode is from our FB Live Chat. We took a bit of a break from our hiatus.  We're slowly going to get back from our weekly episode. We just wanted to take this opportunity to go live on Facebook and update you guys and let everybody know what's going on, what we're up to, and our plans for 2021.  We've touched on many subjects,  challenges, and the things to learn from 2020 to New Year's resolutions, business talks, and what's in the future for us.  Join us and listen in as we talk about the happenings in 2020 and what we can do to better our 2021. 

Join our community and have a conversation with Dr. Leroy, Jason, and Phil:   https://www.facebook.com/groups/391406378654576/?ref=share

We have another opportunity to have our dear friend and Industrial and Organizational Psychologist, Founder of The Connect IO, Dr. Leroy Simpson, to another of our talks. You might think that there's some symbolism or unusual story behind the title. Swords and pomegranates have several symbols in different cultures, and the fruit was prominently featured in the story of Persephone and Hades in Greek mythology. Unfortunately, today is not one of our story days. I would, however, say that this is equally as interesting and entertaining. It is just a laid-back but informative and fruitful (pun intended) episode where we talk about business, franchising, brand recognition, dreams, following your passion, and life lessons in general. If you're wondering how the title of this episode came about, you're in for a ride!

Join our community and have a conversation with Dr. Leroy, Jason, and Phil:  

https://www.facebook.com/groups/391406378654576/?ref=share