Underdog Empowerment

Who is it that keeps legendary businesses running smoothly and growing fast? Behind every huge brand is an operational genius - and if you look in the right places and listen closely, you might be able to snag some of their secrets.   Cameron Herold - or, as he's better known, "The Business Growth Guru" - is the COO of 1-800-GOT-JUNK, the founder of COO Alliance, and an acclaimed speaker, author and consultant who helps business leaders around the world achieve the dynamic, exponential growth they're after.   On this episode of Underdog Empowerment, Zach and Cameron dig into Cameron's experience building 1-800-GOT-JUNK into the industry superpower that it is, growing your business as a franchise vs. going the corporate path, and answers to Clubhouse questions about everything from podcasting to SEO to leveraging your content and beyond. Tune in for an interview and Q&A that packs a lifetime of experience and insight into one unmissable episode.   Show Notes: https://underdogempowerment.com/cameron-

How often do you get in your own way? At the time, it might seem more like that doctor visit, your kid's school schedule, or some other life event stopped you from completing what you needed to…but when you look at it just a little bit closer, what was it in your brain that actually halted your progress?   Brian Kelly is the founder of Reach Your Peak, LLC, a company that trains entrepreneurs to stop guessing and achieve massive success at rapid speeds. He also hosts The Mind Body Business Show, where he interviews top entrepreneurs and other successful people on advice to help his audience strengthen every facet of themselves and move powerfully ahead.   On this episode of Underdog Empowerment, Zach and Brian jam on Brian's background, why software automation is so mind-blowing, the "carpet bombing" strategy that Brian uses to help his clients saturate every platform with their message, the thrill and impact of speaking from a stage, and the incredible results that come out of seemingly small shifts i

Do your bad memories cripple you, or do they push you toward your potential at light speed? And if your answer is the first option, it's time for a reframe...specifically, one that will make you truly unstoppable.   Mike "C-Roc" Ciorrocco is the CEO of People Building, Inc. and the visionary brain behind the "What Are You Made Of?" movement as well as a speaker, coach, author and podcast host. He encourages his audience to use their past as fuel to light the fire that ignites their greatness.   On this episode of Underdog Empowerment, Zach and C-Roc jam on Clubhouse about everything from how C-Roc's background taught him to convert obstacles into rocket fuel to finding motivation to continue leveling up in spite of the events of 2020 to annihilating your goals whether you're just starting out, facing tough times or breaking into a new market - just for a start. Tune in for a history-making podcast recorded directly on Clubhouse with some of the most badass advice you'll hear in your lifetime.   Show N

When was the last time you checked yourself for tunnel vision? It's crazy common among entrepreneurs and business owners - but losing sight of anything outside of your sales and your latest ad campaign can put everything you care about at risk (including your business itself).   Terry Keeven, founder of St. Louis Print Co., returns to the show to drop more wisdom on entrepreneurship, keeping your other priorities in perspective, and more hard-hitting topics.   On this episode of Underdog Empowerment, Zach and Terry dive deep on Terry's background and the value of removing yourself from your own business, horizon-expanding reading habits, why you should be hanging with people you disagree with, and working fitness and healthy eating habits into your life without letting them consume you completely. Join the guys for a conversation that goes beyond simple business advice into the core of what makes you successful, fulfilled and motivated.   Show Notes: https://underdogempowerment.com/terry-keevan   Get

  Do you know why the things that hold you back hold you back and the things that push you forward push you forward? More importantly, do you know how to take ownership of those things to get stuff done?   Badass realtor and legendary entrepreneur Ramon Casaus is back to break down the facts on leadership, goal-setting, identity and so much more.   On this episode of Underdog Empowerment, Zach and Ramon jam on the advantage you gain when you stop asking for permission and start radically accepting yourself, the vital importance of gaining clarity on what you want, what you're good at and where you're going, and the (usually underrated) value of just putting in the work. Tune in for an episode that'll make you throw on the brakes and get straight with yourself so you can move successfully forward.   Show Notes: https://underdogempowerment.com/best-kept-secrets-of-alpha-performers   Get More Involved:    Leave A Review & Subscribe On iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/underdog-empowerme

What makes a person the person everyone else looks up to? Our mentors and idols didn’t materialize out of thin air. They got where they are with a combination of pure work ethic, hard lessons and strategic growth. Best thing you can do to get ahead? Learn their stories.   Tomas Keenan is an author, public speaker, high-level business coach and the host of the Step It Up Entrepreneur podcast. Through his work at Break Free Academy and his content, Tomas helps ambitious entrepreneurs and business owners make a mark on their communities and the world at large.   On this episode of Underdog Empowerment, Zach and Tomas dig into the story of how Tomas established his legend at Break Free Academy, the “eliminate, automate, delegate” system that helps Tomas and his team get shit done like clockwork, and how to find the motivation that helps true badasses smash any and all obstacles (because they will be there). Listen in for an interview that will remove your last excuse for not succeeding the way you want to.

  What makes a workplace tick? We all probably know by now that it isn’t dumbass motivational posters and snooze-worthy team meetings. What makes a team work entirely depends on the people on it and the values behind it.   Benito Ortiz is the founder and owner of Strategic Insurance Group and a company culture and leadership wizard. Having led teams since he was barely 21 years old, Benito throws all his insight towards making himself and his employees better, stronger, and more successful.   On this episode of Underdog Empowerment, Zach and Benito break down the foundational pieces of successful culture within a business, including following through and sticking to your core values as a leader, striking a balance between pushing for new goals and celebrating wins, and the insane results that show up when you and your people make an actual commitment to each other. Tune in for an episode that will completely revolutionize the way you look at your team (not to mention how you lead it).   Show Notes: htt

  Whose example are you following, whether in the way your run your business or the way you run your life? If your answer isn’t “mine,” now would be a good time to step back, examine who you have around you and why you operate the way you do, and rework your life to serve you.   Dennis Peltier is the CEO of Workforit Warriors, the host of the Workforit Warriors podcast, and a coach whose own journey to reach sobriety inspires him to motivate business owners and current addicts to get a plan in place and succeed on their own terms.   On this episode of Underdog Empowerment, Zach and Dennis jam on Dennis' uphill battle toward sobriety, the importance of the people you keep around you, how the mental game and the action steps to go with it work together to get results, figuring out how to kick ass playing your own game, and Dennis’ next mind-blowing project. Tune in for an interview that will shatter the traditional markers of “success” that you’ve heard about and get you started building your own.     S

Are you better at business than a couple of 6 year olds? Save your answer till the end of the interview… these particular 6 year olds have big plans and the instincts (and mentorship) they need to make those plans a reality.   On this special episode of Underdog Empowerment, Zach once again sits down with his twin sons Landon and Liam to talk about having the courage to overcome new-business nerves, visualizing goals with dream boards, and what the future holds for these young-but-sharp entrepreneurs. Listen in for an episode that will remind you not to overcomplicate the process of making goals, or what it takes to reach them.   Show Notes: https://underdogempowerment.com/twin-boys-business   Get More Involved:    Leave A Review & Subscribe On iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/underdog-empowerment/id1373572178 Free A-to-Z roadmap on launching a top-shelf podcast: https://underdogempowerment.com/roadmap Access Our Top Resource Recommendations: https://underdogempowerment.com/resour

What makes someone a success? There are as many answers to that question as there are people to answer it - but the only answer that actually matters is the one you determine (and then execute on).   Known as the “Godfather of Category Design,” Christopher Lochhead is also a #1 Amazon Marketing Author with multiple titles and a #1 Apple Business Podcaster. He shares insight and experience from years at the top of the entrepreneurship game with his audience and readers.   On this episode of Underdog Empowerment, Zach and Christopher dig into the strategies behind building a kickass team as you’re starting to grow your business, the difference between being polarizing and being provocative (and growing past your biases for one ideology or another), and taking charge of your future regardless of what your past looked like. Tune in for an interview that will snap your brain out of autopilot and into its creative potential.   Show Notes: https://underdogempowerment.com/christopher-lochhead   Get More I

How do you bounce back from a series of events that completely devastates your life? When you lose what you had, you are, in fact, being given a chance to start over. Would you take it?   J.D. McCabe’s 20-year love story warped into a nightmare with the onset of everything from his own health issues to growing mistrust between himself and his (now ex) wife to death threats and private investigators. Now, having freed himself from the turmoil, J.D. put the whole narrative down on paper in his book The Third Gift: My Dance with the Devil (And Her Mother), in the hopes that his hard-won insight and new sense of self might inspire other survivors of abuse and trauma.   On this episode of Underdog Empowerment, J.D. and Zach jam on the story behind the inspiration for and creation of J.D.’s book, the process of rebuilding his life and identity after having his family torn apart, and the impact he’s set on making in the lives of other traumatized and lost individuals by telling his story. Tune in for a wild

How do you make sure your brand doesn’t get lost in the sea of online entrepreneurs trying to grab attention?   Skip the nonsense tactics and start doubling down on your SEO - and that’s just the beginning.   Josh Rimmington has spent more than a decade helping small businesses get noticed and grow their following online. He serves as the director and head online marketing consultant for JR Marketing Group, as well as the host of several podcasts and a proud “dadpreneur.”   On this episode of Underdog Empowerment, Zach and Josh dive deep on the evolution of a career in SEO (and beyond) beginning before the Internet was really a “thing,” strategies for crushing podcast SEO specifically, and becoming a respected authority both in Google’s eyes and to your clients (present and future). Tune in to start getting your websites the hype they deserve.     Show Notes: https://underdogempowerment.com/josh-rimmington   Get More Involved:    Leave A Review & Subscribe On iTunes: https://itunes.apple.

When your clients, competition and connections see you online, who are they actually seeing? The Internet makes it easy for anyone to put on a front to make more money, or to make everyone think they do. It sometimes even seems necessary. But until you get past that idea, you’re never going to see any actual success.   On this episode of Underdog Empowerment, Zach digs into the biggest mental block he faced coming out of prison - specifically, the myth that he needed to build an “acceptable” image to show other people - including some hard rejections at the beginning of his story, the shit he did to try and fit in before the real growth started, and how to look past the fake “success” being sold by every phony expert on the Internet and find something real. Tune in to start seeing the value and advantage in being exactly who you are, because that person is a badass.     Show Notes: https://underdogempowerment.com/tricky-mental-block   Get More Involved:    Leave A Review & Subscribe On iTunes:

Think of the work you do every day….what does it all amount to? If you're burning to build something bigger than yourself, consider how you spend your time and energy each day. Are they spent in the service of that thing you want?   Nick Wingo is a firefighter, paramedic, father and host of the podcast Building Grit One Call at a Time, all dedicated to cultivating strength and a place in the world as a shining example and a help to the people around us.    On this episode of the Underdog Empowerment podcast, Zach and Nick jam on Nick's career as a firefighter and how it got him charged up to make a lasting impact, the philosophy of building grit, and the way your habits as a parent shape who your kids become. Tune in to push past the bullshit tactics and start engineering true, meaningful impact.   Show Notes: https://underdogempowerment.com/building-grit-with-nick-wingo   Get More Involved:    Leave A Review & Subscribe On iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/underdog-empowerment/id13735

How much of what you do in a day gets done because it’s contributing to your best lifestyle?   Yeah - most of us wish we could claim that kind of discipline and intention behind everything we do in our daily lives, but we fall short constantly for one reason or other. And why? Because we’re unaware of the mind-blowing rewards waiting for us once we build up the right habits.   A favorite guest of the show, Bart Pietrzak is back once again to lay out the philosophies and practices that make him such an incredible badass and a grade-A example of a driven, successful and 100% real human being.   On this episode of the Underdog Empowerment podcast, Zach and Bart jam on building a highly effective lifestyle with a few very simple structures, mastering the driving motivators behind the amazing shit you’re doing each day, and figuring out the thing(s) that fire you up and fulfill you so you can double down on them and blow your goals out of the water. Tune in for a no-bullshit interview that will wake you up to

If 9 out of 10 small businesses fail, how do you make sure your business is the one that succeeds? There's no perfect way to run and grow your business - but there are people out there who have cultivated some strong practices you need to know about.   Jason Portnoy is the founder and owner of JPORT Media, an agency that helps businesses blow up their online presence and grow their exposure to refine their digital marketing strategy and attract and convert more clients.   On this episode of Underdog Empowerment, Jason and Zach sit down together to jam on how Jason bucked tradition and fought his way through to owning a successful agency, building strategies for the long game, the shifts that put rocket fuel into Jason's podcast (and his marketing in general), and how to put your goals in context so you can reach unstoppable growth. Tune in for no-bullshit entrepreneurship advice that no one else has enough spine to tell you.   Show Notes: https://underdogempowerment.com/jason-portnoy   Get More Involv

Do you start your day looking at other people, or looking at yourself? A lot of us begin every morning scrolling Facebook rather than getting to work on our own success. Want to show yourself that you’re serious about moving forward? Then start acting like it.   Ramon Casaus wasn’t in the traditional real estate game for long before he knew he wanted to do more than sell real estate forever. So, he dove headfirst into building his own empire of real estate brokers as the founder of ROC Real Estate Partners, and seeking out other badass entrepreneurs who were focused on leveling up the same way.   On this episode of Underdog Empowerment, Zach and Ramon tackle attracting people who will push you - and themselves- to improve and succeed at high levels, how to structure your day to drown out the negative voice in your head, and rising above the temptation of the “comparison game.” Tune in to get your daily commitment to yourself and your growth rock solid.   Show Notes: https://underdogempowerment.com/ramo

  Who’s your favorite musician? Whoever it is, today’s guest has likely worked with them. But figuring out the formula for success in any medium means doing the work to dig down past the glitz and the bright lights.   Charlie Walk is one of the most revered names in music industry history. Over the course of his career, Charlie has worked with artists like Shakira, Taylor Swift, Lorde and Enrique Iglesias - just to name a few. After years working for huge corporations, he broke away to create his own music mentorship program called Music Mastery.   On this episode of Underdog Empowerment, Zach and Charlie dig into Charlie’s unconventional rise to the top as a producer, why having a team is vital for actual success (no matter who you are), the need for “human touch” in tech, and finding your individual starship. Tune in for wisdom from a man who has engineered insane amounts of success for decades.    Show Notes: https://underdogempowerment.com/charlie-walk   Get More Involved:    Leave A Review &a

How do you chase something everyone tells you will be impossible to catch? The answer: start goddamn running.   On this episode of the Underdog Empowerment podcast, Zach lays out the path that got him where he is today, including starting the show with barely any resources, rising above the doubting voices in his head, and doing the work to become an unstoppable force. Tune in to hear the inspiring path of this show from rock bottom to rocket fuel.   Show Notes: https://underdogempowerment.com/started-off-broke-af   Get More Involved:    Leave A Review & Subscribe On iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/underdog-empowerment/id1373572178 Free A-to-Z roadmap on launching a top-shelf podcast: https://underdogempowerment.com/roadmap Access Our Top Resource Recommendations: https://underdogempowerment.com/resources/ Subscribe On YouTube: https://underdogempowerment.com/youtube

How many fake entrepreneurs do you see per day on Facebook and Instagram? Probably tons - because it’s much easier to slack off than to run an ethical, value-driven business. But there are those out there who are dedicated to changing the game...   Trevor Cowley and Kale Goodman are two of the minds behind Real Business Owners, a credit repair and accounting company that goes the extra mile past simply crunching numbers. Trevor and Kale are on a mission to do and model better practices for other entrepreneurs getting lost in the Internet bullshit.   On this episode of the Underdog Empowerment Show, Zach, Trevor and Kale dig into how the right culture and environment for your business takes your whole team to the next level, identifying the cracks in the system as a business grows and expands so you can strengthen those areas, and the tools you can use to attract people to your business, make sure they know, like and trust you, and serve them at the highest level possible. Tune in for real advice with real