Onward Nation With Stephen Woessner | Interviews With Todays Top Business Owners | Careers

Diane Gardner is an expert tax coach, Quilly award recipient, and best-selling author whose proactive tax planning approach gives clients a leg up on Uncle Sam and helps them dodge the tax bullet. Diane saves small business clients between $5,000 and $50,000 in taxes in as little as 60 minutes! Her tax coaching prowess has resulted in a combined savings of nearly $500,000 to-date of hard-earned profits small business owners would have given to the government by overpaying taxes. Diane is the co-author of the bestselling books, “Stand Apart” and “Why Didn’t My CPA Tell Me That?” She has also authored four other books including her newest, “Stop Overpaying Your Taxes! 11 Ways Entrepreneurs Overpay and How to Stop it Now!” Secret – timesaving technique Diane time blocks her calendar -- if you don't put it on your calendar, it won't happen. ONWARD! Daily habit that contributes to success Communicate well with your team -- Diane and her team send out daily emails that outline their respective days. Could have ruin

Stephen is the CEO of Predictive ROI and host of the Onward Nation podcast. He is the author of two bestselling books, speaker, trainer, and his digital marketing insights have been featured in SUCCESS, Entrepreneur, The Washington Post, Forbes, Inc. Magazine, and other media. Good Morning Onward Nation -- how can this be episode 188 already? My goodness. The time has really flown by. So before I jump into the lesson -- the purpose behind today’s solocast -- want to say some brief words of thanks. What an honor it has been to be able to be here with you five days a week -- for what is now 188 episodes. I am grateful to you, Onward Nation for listening -- for sharing all of your feedback -- all of which has pushed us to do an even better job with each and every episode. And thank you to all of our extraordinary guests -- for what our podcast -- this community of Onward Nation -- has become. Sometimes, I do feel like I need to pinch myself in the morning when I get ready to do an interview or I read my email --

Melissa is a former Wall Street executive and now the founder of The Lion’esque Group, a firm of pop-up shop experts who have produced more than 100 retail experiences in New York City, Los Angeles, and the Hamptons. Some of her clients include brands such as COTY / Marc Jacobs, CAT Footwear, J. Hilburn, and Food52. Melissa shares her experiences in her book, “The Pop-Up Paradigm: How Brands Can Build Human Connections in a Digital Age.” Melissa was awarded “Innovator of the Year” for pop-up retail experiences by Retail Touchpoints in 2015. She is the co-founder of THE MARKET at the Roger Smith Hotel, and an advisor to startups, TheStoreFront.com, and Fotofwd. She is also a guest blogger on pop-up and immersive retail strategies for various outlets. Secret – timesaving technique Melissa lists out her daily tasks -- calendar management is everything. ONWARD! Daily habit that contributes to success Step outside and go for a walk -- Melissa does this often to give her mind a rest and it often sparks inspiration.

Pam Friedman has over 20 years of financial planning and investment experience. Prior to partnering with Silicon Hills Wealth Management, Pam was on Wall Street in New York as well as serving in London structuring and raising capital for both public and private companies. Pam is the author of the book, “I Now Pronounce You Financially Fit” and is an expert is marital financial planning. In addition to Pam’s extensive writing, speaking, and financial planning experience, she also served six years as a member of the Finance faculty at The University of Texas at Austin. Secret – timesaving technique Pam writes down what has to be discussed -- preparation is 100% of your success. ONWARD! Daily habit that contributes to success Carve out time -- Pam blocks Tuesday and Thursday morning on her schedule for regrouping and thinking. Could have ruined your business – but now – an invaluable learning experience Pam gets angry calls from clients when the market is down -- and Pam tells the whole story here. Most critical

Michael Maher’s story is one for the movies. Born into a family living in a shack in a small town in Kansas and knowing only poverty, food stamps, and hand-me-down clothes, Michael conquered incredible challenges and a near-death experience then went on to design a system, the (7L) System, based around a philosophy of generosity. He and those who have implemented the system have found that a business based on generosity leads to reciprocity in the form of referrals, help, and good beyond anything they could ever imagine. His book, 7L: The Seven Levels of Communication has been Amazon.com's #1 bestseller in the Real Estate Sales category for 5 straight years. Michael inspires audiences with his powerful, true story and has shared the stage with President George W. Bush, Tony Robbins, and John Maxwell. Secret – timesaving technique Michael uses the four enriching rituals -- make yourself more efficient, more orderly, and more productive. ONWARD! Most influential lesson learned from a mentor "Seek advice from th

Michael Hauge has been one of Hollywood’s top script consultants, story experts, and speakers for more than 30 years. He coaches screenwriters, novelists, filmmakers, professional speakers, internet marketers and corporate leaders, helping transform their stories and their audiences using the principles and methods of Hollywood’s most successful movies. Michael is the author of “Selling Your Story in 60 Seconds” and the new 20th Anniversary Edition of his classic book Writing Screenplays That Sell. He has consulted on films starring – among many others - Will Smith, Tom Cruise, Reese Witherspoon, Julia Roberts and Morgan Freeman, and has presented lectures and workshops to more than 70,000 participants worldwide. According to Will Smith, “No one is better than Michael Hauge at finding what is most authentic in every moment of a story.” Could have ruined your business – but now – an invaluable learning experience Michael got a mediocre rating in a big magazine -- and Michael tells the whole story here. Most cr

Steve Rodgers is a business, lifestyle consultant, author, and leader who helps others discover, maximize, and increase their highest good and purpose in life and business. Steve’s extraordinarily successful career spans being the CEO of a real estate firm generating $25 billion in annual sales, almost 40,000 transactions, managing a team of 4,600 agents, and starting and running his own real estate company. One of Steve’s career highlights was meeting and working for Warren Buffett for many years. His inner circle includes leaders such as John Assaraff, Brian Tracy, Marshall Goldsmith and Mark Thompson. Secret – timesaving technique Steve scores himself on his body, bond, being, business -- hold yourself accountable for the things that have to get done every day. ONWARD! Daily habit that contributes to success Take time for yourself -- Steve meditates multiple times a day to stay tuned into life. Could have ruined your business – but now – an invaluable learning experience Steve had to close 40% of his offic

Lori Highby is the owner of Keystone Click, an interactive marketing agency in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Since 2008, her agency has seen consistent growth. Lori is the 2013 recipient of the "Bravo! Entrepreneur Award" from BizTimes Media. She has been helping businesses market themselves online for nearly 15 years. Lori speaks and blogs on the topics of social media, e-commerce, online marketing, and entrepreneurship. What do you do in the first 60 minutes of your day? Lori uses the six strategies found in "The Miracle Morning" under the acronym SAVORS -- silence, affirmations, visualization, exercise, reading, scribing. ONWARD! Favorite quote or lesson? "I dream my painting, then I paint my dream." - Vincent van Gogh How do you define success? Success is a lot of things -- I have a lot of different definitions -- celebrate the little victories. What strategy do you use to combat fear? Lori believes in doing a "power stance" and positive affirmations -- and Lori tells the reasons why here. What makes as "A player

Susan RoAne was a teacher, laid off in a massive budget cut, then created a career change workshop, started her business and authored the book, “How To Work a Room” and 7 other books. Susan now speaks globally for Fortune 20 to Fortune 500 companies, universities, and associations…plus she doesn’t have to grade papers anymore! Secret – timesaving technique Susan meets her deadlines -- you get more done when you give yourself deadlines. ONWARD! Daily habit that contributes to success Hire someone to do what you don't want to do -- Susan focuses on what she's good at -- like social media -- and delegates the rest. Could have ruined your business – but now – an invaluable learning experience Susan had to take a lot of time off to write a book -- and Susan tells the whole story here. Most critical skill you think business owners need to master to be successful "The buck stops with you." Most influential lesson learned from a mentor "My mentor told me to get out from behind a lectern."   Final Round – “Breaking Do

Lee Caraher started Double Forte in 2002 as a new kind of communications firm designed to provide the best service in the business. Previously Executive Vice President at Weber Shandwick, president and founder of Red Whistle, and Vice President of SEGA, Lee has managed multiple offices and hundreds of people of all ages and was named in the 40 under 40 by PRWEEK Magazine. She holds a bachelor’s degree in medieval history -- which she finds useful every day. She lives with her husband and two sons on the San Francisco Peninsula. Secret – timesaving technique Lee starts every day by looking at her calendar -- batch your work as much as possible. ONWARD! Daily habit that contributes to success Move every day -- Lee moves around if she's been sitting still for more than 45 minutes. Could have ruined your business – but now – an invaluable learning experience Lee lost her biggest client who represented a third of her income -- and Lee tells the whole story here. Most critical skill you think business owners need t

Matt spent the first nine years of his career as an Air Force pilot before entering the private sector to work in both the medical device and advertising industries. While a top performer in the corporate world, his long-term desire was to be his own boss. A good friend one day mentioned the gumball machines he and his young daughters owned, and that conversation began a 10-year business quest that has brought Matt's company, School Spirit Vending, to the cutting edge of both the vending and school fundraising industries. Today, School Spirit Vending's franchising program provides a proven and profitable business system for busy professionals and their families looking to develop secondary income streams with a limited time commitment. Secret – timesaving technique Matt uses an Excel spreadsheet to manage his priorities -- look at your priorities in 90-day increments. ONWARD! Daily habit that contributes to success Get up early -- Matt starts focusing on his priorities by getting up before everyone else in hi

Craig Cody is a Certified Tax Coach and the owner of the New York Accounting Firm, Craig Cody and Company. As a Certified Tax Coach, Craig belongs to a select group of tax practitioners who’ve undergone extensive training and continued education on various tax planning techniques and strategies. Craig is passionate about helping business owners understand the difference between tax planning and tax paying and helping them save significant money. Craig is the co-author of the Amazon bestseller, "Secrets of a Tax Free Life." Secret – timesaving technique Craig turns off his email service off at certain times in the day -- take time and turn off the outside world. ONWARD! Daily habit that contributes to success Protect your schedule -- Craig blocks out time to do certain tasks. Could have ruined your business – but now – an invaluable learning experience Craig had to fire a very valuable client -- and Craig tells the whole story here. Most critical skill you think business owners need to master to be successful

Nathan Latka is the host of the brilliant and top ranked podcast The Top and continues to take iTunes by storm. He grew up in Northern Virginia where he learned to love to build things, and he went to Virginia Tech to study architecture. After realizing that nobody was hiring architects after the financial crash of '08-'09, Nathan quickly pre-sold $70,000 worth of Facebook fan page tabs at $700 each. He then learned to code, launched Heyo, raised $2.5 million and increased the revenue to $5 million, grew the team to 25 people, and just sold the company. Secret – timesaving technique Nathan pays for people to do tasks that aren't worth his time -- delegate the tasks that you don't need to do yourself. ONWARD! Daily habit that contributes to success You have to batch like tasks -- Nathan records 15 podcasts a day, two days a month. Could have ruined your business – but now – an invaluable learning experience Nathan got major backlash for an email he sent -- and Nathan tells the whole story here. Most critical s

Shep Hyken is a customer service expert, professional speaker, and bestselling author who works with companies and organizations who want to build loyal relationships with their customers and employees. His articles have been read in hundreds of publications, and he is the author of "Moments of Magic, The Loyal Customer" and the Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestsellers, "The Cult of the Customer" and "The Amazement Revolution," which was also recognized as a New York Times bestseller, and, his latest book, "Amaze Every Customer Every Time." He is also the creator of The Customer Focus program which helps clients develop a customer service culture and loyalty mindset. Secret – timesaving technique Shep is handed tomorrow's schedule today -- have a daily plan -- and delegate the creation of that plan out to people better at creating it than. ONWARD! Daily habit that contributes to success Use a "daily reflector" -- Shep uses a daily planner and writes down something good that happened to him today, both pe

Shawn Casemore is the President and Founder of Casemore and Co Inc., a management consultancy helping business owners and executives enable their teams to participate in accelerated growth. Shawn is the author of “Operational Empowerment: Innovate, Collaborate and Engage to Beat the Competition” from McGraw Hill. He travels the globe speaking on topics related to improving business performance -- and -- capitalizing on employee empowerment. Secret – timesaving technique Shawn notes his three most critical priorities every day -- make sure you've got your priorities straight. ONWARD! Daily habit that contributes to success Exercise, call people you don't know, and have a meaningful conversation with someone -- Shawn does all these activities daily to work on his health -- both physical and mental. Could have ruined your business – but now – an invaluable learning experience Shawn parted ways with a company he was doing business with -- his income slowed way down because of it -- and Shawn tells the whole story

Stacy Tuschl is a speaker, business coach, and the owner of The Academy of Performing Arts in Wisconsin. She is the author of “Is Your Business Worth Saving” where she reveals proven strategies for pulling entrepreneurs out of a rut and launching them toward business success. She is the host of the brilliant podcast Business Rescue Road Map. What do you do in the first 60 minutes of your day? Stacy wakes up before her husband and kids, eats breakfast, drinks tea and an apple cider vinegar drink, does her morning stretches, listens to a podcast, and dives into priority #1 -- take care of yourself physically and mentally right away each morning. ONWARD! Favorite quote or lesson? "Work like there is someone working 24 hours a day to take it away from you." - Mark Cuban How do you define success? Success is the ability what you want, when you want -- the more successful you are, the better your work-life balance will work for you. What strategy do you use to combat fear? Stacy believes realizing that things are h

Good Morning Onward Nation...this is Stephen Woessner, host of America’s best podcast for learning how today’s top business owners Think, Act, and Achieve. And when I am not interviews today’s top business owners -- I am serving as the CEO of Predictive ROI. I am thankful, Onward Nation, that you have made the decision to be here -- with me -- right now. Why? Because we all have the same 86,400 seconds in a day -- we all have the same number of sacred seconds -- so I consider you being here a sacred exchange of time for value. And I know that I need to be excellent during each and every solocast. In order to be excellent, Onward Nation -- I have to put in the effort -- because it is only through effort can I hope to deliver enough value necessary for you to consider this to be a worthwhile exchange for your time. But let me share a secret with you. There is an additional motivation -- an additional force that pushes me -- that drives me to be excellent during each and every episode. Working hard -- demonstrat

The Wall Street Journal calls Chad Hymas one of the 10 most inspirational people in the world! In 2001, at the age of 27, Chads life changed in an instant when a 2,000-pound bale of hay shattered his neck leaving him a quadriplegic. But Chad’s dreams were not paralyzed that day he became an example of what is possible. Chad inspires, motivates, and moves audiences, creating an experience that touches hearts for a lifetime. Chad is a best selling author, president of his own Communications Company, Chad Hymas Communications, Inc. and is a world-class wheelchair athlete. Chad’s speaking in the areas of leadership, team building, customer service, and mastering change has brought him multiple honors. He has graced the stage of hundreds of professional and civic organizations including Wells Fargo, Blue Cross Blue Shield, AT&T, Rainbird, IHC, American Express, and Prudential. Secret – timesaving technique Chad puts his daily tasks into four different categories -- organize your tasks so that they'll get compl

Dr. Carri Drzyzga is known internationally as The Functional Medicine Doc the go-to expert on finding the root causes of health problems so you can feel normal again. She is a chiropractor and naturopathic doctor, host of the popular podcast The Functional Medicine Radio Show, and author of the hit book, “Reclaim Your Energy and Feel Normal Again! Fixing the Root Cause of Your Fatigue with Natural Treatments.” Dr. Carri is the creator of Entrepreneurial Fatigue: How to Fuel Your Brain & Body for Entrepreneurial Success. Her private practice is Functional Medicine Ontario located in Ottawa, Ontario. Secret – timesaving technique Dr. Carri wears a sleep mask over her eyes every night -- you need great sleep to maximize your energy. ONWARD! Daily habit that contributes to success Take care of yourself -- Dr. Carri suggests eating a healthy breakfast full of protein and good, healthy fat. Could have ruined your business – but now – an invaluable learning experience Dr. Carri realized that she didn't love bein

David Covey is the 3rd son of Stephen R. Covey, author of the groundbreaking book, “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.” David was the chief operating officer of FranklinCovey. He then left Franklin Covey to start his own company, now called SMCOV. SMCOV works with the best intellectual property content experts on the planet and helps distributes their content globally through licensees. David loves working with impactful IP and setting up distribution systems around the globe. Secret – timesaving technique David gets his email inbox empty at least once a week -- you've got to have a system. ONWARD! Daily habit that contributes to success Take the time to ask for help -- David prays and reads scripture every morning and night. Could have ruined your business – but now – an invaluable learning experience David faced tremendous challenges in starting over and beginning his business -- and David tells the whole story here. Most critical skill you think business owners need to master to be successful "Persev