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The Business Brilliance Podcast

The Business Brilliance Podcast

By Michael Santonato

Every week we talk to the brightest and best entrepreneurs and business owners of our day. You and I will listen together as we get to know their unique version of business brilliance in a fun, light hearted conversation. We'll share their moments of Business Brilliance so we can use them in our life and business to be the best business owners we can be.

We’re fortunate to talk to the coolest people you’d ever meet from businesses of all kinds of backgrounds and industries. I invite you to join us for an episode or two and tell us what you think! We'd love to have you!
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26 Justice Law - Global Pandemic, Government Lockdowns, Forced Vaccinations, Your Sovereignty & Freedom

The Business Brilliance PodcastMay 08, 2020

00:00
01:30:55
26 Justice Law - Global Pandemic, Government Lockdowns, Forced Vaccinations, Your Sovereignty & Freedom

26 Justice Law - Global Pandemic, Government Lockdowns, Forced Vaccinations, Your Sovereignty & Freedom

My guest is passionate about humanity, humanity’s freedom, people’s inherent rights and sovereignty. His name is Justin Law, known as Justice. I care very much about this topic. And amidst the rumours of martial law and forced vaccinations, I wanted to speak with Justice candidly and I thought, if you are interested, you should hear it too.

So, lets find out, what’s going on these days from his perspective and what can we do?

First thing we touched on is of course this corona situation. Justin is very concerned because there is an accelerated push to integrate measures and controls that are violating individual’s rights. One area is with vaccines.When it comes to deciding what steps to take to counter some of these 'against our will' measures (should they occur), it is necessary to get the answers to questions. Regarding medical procedures, we should ask standard questions like these: "What’s involved? What are the ingredients? What are all the steps and all procedures? How long will it take? What are all the risks? What are the alternative treatments?"

Medical professionals have a responsibility to be able to answer these questions.

The distress of this “covid-lockdown” that we are facing is not happening for the first time. If you look back and search the history (of law), you will see that this happens and has lasted for centuries. When you study these events, you realize that if you don’t seize control, you give up control. And if you don't use or vocalize your rights, you give up your rights.

Delegating right is a relationship of trust, so just because you delegated some, it doesn’t mean you don’t have it.

We usually come to these conclusions when we have some life altering experience. And once your mind is expanded it can’t contract to its previous state, something deep within is unleashed and you start to follow your fascination and interest. In Justin’s case it was law, the history of law and its true ideas and origins.

After that kind of experience, we can ask How do we as citizens remain free and sovereign? And the answer Justin offers - knowing and realizing that we have rights and that they are to be protected by the state. They are not granted by the government. We had rights before the government was invented. We have the right to say no and we can take it to court. In the old days they used to say Live on your knees or die on your feet.

So the idea is to peacefully conduct yourself in life, to exercise your rights and use your property in the capacity that does not violate another or damage theirs.

Justin reminds us that knowing our rights gives us the power! It also brings responsibility. And the individual is the highest authority in his own life.

I brought Justin because his story inspires hope and confidence for all of us. Listen to our whole conversation to learn about his journey and find more strength to make your own journey of sovereignty and freedom a reality!

Life is a gift, let’s honor it!

May 08, 202001:30:55
25 Josef Stetter - How To Find Jobs, Work, Employment Through The COVID/CORONA Crisis

25 Josef Stetter - How To Find Jobs, Work, Employment Through The COVID/CORONA Crisis

25 - Josef Stetter - How To Manage Jobs, Work, Employment Through This COVID/CORONA Crisis
Today we are joined by Josef Stetter, the founder of The Celebrate Group. He’s not just a recruiter (with a 90% success rate), but also the author of the best selling book "Canada Congratulations, you are hired!" an award winning speaker and the author of four other books. He holds a Guinness world record as well! Throughout his life, he's switched careers nine times and switched jobs 17 times! So he knows a thing or two about jobs and people.
The Celebrate Group represents the mindset of going the extra mile for someone, adding new value, and going above and beyond the call of duty. Josef emphasizes that it is necessary to recognize people. The more you are willing to celebrate them, the more success you have. His experience, as well as the statistics, says that in the Top 10 reasons that people leave a job, salary is actually #7. The #1 reason is bad management and bad leadership.
The COVID madness is the opportunity for companies to take advantage and cut the inefficiencies that exist right now. This is exactly the kind of moment we are all facing right now.
So, what can people expect in this COVID uncertainty?
Josef estimates that it will take at least 6 months to 2 years to recover. It’s going to be a huge shift of people being displaced and those who don’t know how to navigate and distinguish themselves as better, different from others, they will find a long uphill battle of re-engagement in the workforce.
How can people prepare now?
Josef shares a model of spending time on job searching, instead of just sending your resume on a thousand addresses. You should also be ready to have a completely new strategy when it comes to writing and placing your resume.
Get ready, because even now there is someone hiring. There is always going to be a need, and new opportunities are always are created. Make a plan to go through a crisis, to supplement your income maybe. Check out the resources that Josef recommends where you can give something extra in the field that you know or are passionate about.
Because there will never be an end of jobs, the demand for jobs and types of jobs are going to change. More of the personal connection jobs are going to arise, demands for a skill are going to change. We need now to be creative, be proactive and have desire for more. If we settle for good enough, we’ll be stuck.
Even the employers are going to change. The smart ones are being proactive on how they can care for their staff. People remember the little things.
At the end of the day the more you connect with your clients, the more you stay in touch with them, the more you give them the value added and insights they didn’t think about or didn’t know, the more they trust you, the more business they give you.
As much as we are all afraid of change, when we take that leap of faith, great things happen!
Apr 21, 202051:11
24 Neelam Dhall - The Nasty Business of Divorce & Why The Right Mediator Can Be Your Best Ally

24 Neelam Dhall - The Nasty Business of Divorce & Why The Right Mediator Can Be Your Best Ally

24  Neelam Dhall - The Nasty Business of Divorce & Why The Right Mediator Can Be Your Best Ally

"Every one needs emotional support, but you need to figure out who you need emotional support from. It’s not your lawyer."

My guest today is Neelam Dhall, accredited family mediator, author, divorce coach, chartered accountant, and the owner of Simple Solutions Mediation. She handles this very unique topic - mediation, divorce, settlement, and negotiation with your partner. Neelam stresses how important it is to do your research and get all the information to make sure you’re hiring the right professional and that you are thinking through what they are telling you and what makes sense in your own scenario. (She lived through the worst of it, so you dont have to!)

Neelam divorced a lawyer and during that experience she learned how to represent herself and that mediation is a helpful way to cooperate, especially when it comes to kids. You end up not hating each other at the end of a process, instead you are working together to come up with a solution for your unique family needs.

Having gone through mediation and seeing what value it brought into their lives, Neelam turned it into a service she now offers and helps people with. She strongly felt it was adding value to people and realized it became a real passion for her (to say the least).

When people step on the path of divorce, they often expect lawyers to deal with their emotional and mental health issues, but that’s not their job. "We need to figure out who we need emotional support from." From that support point of view, we need different types of professionals. And we need the ones we click with.

"Advice we get from people around us, like friends and family, are based on just one part of the story, the one they are familiar with. It’s not good advice because they don’t know everything they need to know to help us go through the process. So it’s helpful to talk to someone objective who can help you get the information to come up with a solution, but you are the one who has to be ready for the step and be very sure is the right thing for you."

It’s essential to know that the litigation is not the only route. What steps does someone need to take when they know it is the right time to make the decision? "Research, research, research, because knowledge is power."

Mar 23, 202042:48
23 - Laura Beauparlant - How To Get Your Brand To Connect With Your Clients From The Heart

23 - Laura Beauparlant - How To Get Your Brand To Connect With Your Clients From The Heart

Today we have first branding expert on the show, Laura Beauparlant, who is going to talk to us and teach us how to attract the right clients and have your brand represent you so powerfully, you cry. (Not entirely joking! She had a client cry when saw her logo at first sight). In my opinion, Laura is a perfect blend of practical, left brain and heart intuitive, emotional right brain. She’s also got a new book, Brand Chemistry, where she uncovers the magic formula for creating the right brand!

Since I never took branding too seriously, Laura is going to have a mission to change my mind by the end of this conversation.

"We're too close to our business to look at the brand from an objective perspective."

If they feel overwhelmed with their business in the moment, she can help find clarity and confidence around who they are, who they serve - connect with clients on the heart to heart level. And that really makes a huge difference for a client, actually a huge difference for both of them: She gets to know her clients better and they get to know themselves.

"Trying to be everything to everybody makes people overwhelm their audience. And if you are not clear, then your audience won’t be clear either." You have to be yourself, no matter where you’re posting. People want to see the person behind the business, nobody wants to work with a business they can’t connect with.

How much branding do we need, and for what stage of our business? Laura explains that everybody needs a foundation piece. Because it is essential to have a picture of what it is that you are building - what pieces you need and how to put it all together. It should feel quite natural to represent your brand. Every interaction that people have with you reflects your brand. It’s a feeling that draws people to hire you. It’s how we make our clients feel that makes us successful.

But you can have the best idea in the world, if you don’t communicate it, you’ll never get it off the ground. You need to find that way and embrace what makes you different. "There’s a lot of fear around being authentic and standing out. Have a distinct voice and you not be for everybody." And that’s okay. Because it will allow the right people to show up for you. And it will bring you joy. People are craving relationships and human interactions. So the more human you can make your brand, the better. That is the path Laura leads her clients to the final answer.

Listen now and subscribe if you like the episode! Be sure to share the episode with others who might need it.

Feb 25, 202051:37
21 - Marcos Mendosa - How Can A Poet, Musician, Lyricist, and Hip Hop Artist Be A Successful Business Owner?

21 - Marcos Mendosa - How Can A Poet, Musician, Lyricist, and Hip Hop Artist Be A Successful Business Owner?

21 - Marcos Mendosa - How Can A Poet, Musician, Lyricist, and Hip Hop Artist Be A Successful Business Owner?

    First step, take the word, "How" out of your vocabulary! If you've ever heard the saying, "If you're not growing you're dying" and you subscribe to it, you'll want to listen to this episode. Now.

Marcos Mendosa is the founder of Coachable, a creative agency that helps coaches become entrepreneurs and leaders. He is a lyricist, spoken word artist, amazing public speaker, content creator and has a very authentic brand.

The brand was created when he realized that the only thing he asked from his clients is to be coachable. But not everything was so smooth. In order to get to the point of having this perfect business, as he feels it, he and his team had to evolve from the initial service model. He had to scale, but into something that feels right and in alignment. Since he already owned a running business, he was stuck between getting complete with clients and getting into the next realm of what he worked to become.

He chose to take a deep dive into his own essence. Knowing the only thing that challenges his self expression is the inauthenticity, he started searching for a way to connect back to his true self. And that meant getting back into his artistic expression. It was his way of being healthy.

(This is really powerful because change is so difficult for so many of us. And since he is coachable and coaching is his business, the fact that he changed his entire business speaks volumes.)

Feb 25, 202049:30
22 - Beatrix Montanile - From Back Injury To Flying Yogi, How To Create A Successful Yoga Studio From Nothing

22 - Beatrix Montanile - From Back Injury To Flying Yogi, How To Create A Successful Yoga Studio From Nothing

Beatrix Montanile is the founder of The Flying Yogi, an amazing suspension yoga studio in Toronto with five stars on Google (and every other social platform there is!) Her studio has a great vibe, a really amazing environment, people just love the experience and the staff is awesome.

Beatrix’s journey to this point was as interesting as the appearance of the studio itself.

As yoga businesses are a highly competitive environment, she never thought she would do such a thing as opening a yoga studio. She just enjoyed teaching people and was good with that.

What brought her to yoga was a spinal injury and yoga brought relief. When she found out about ropes, it was a big healing connection for her spine, but also for her life path. She searched, and waited for a couple of years because she knew that it would bring a revolution for yoga. But wasn’t sure if people (or herself) were ready for it. 

Listen in to find out how she did it! 

Be sure to Subscribe and share with someone whom you think could benefit!

Feb 25, 202001:02:12
20 Tracy L Clark Part 2. - Change is Coming And Now Is The Best Time To Be Alive

20 Tracy L Clark Part 2. - Change is Coming And Now Is The Best Time To Be Alive

Part 2 of this podcast episode Tracy talks about the energy about money, taxation, working, and business. In Tracy’s programs she teaches about energy, listening to your intuition, and talking to your body to help people overcome problems in business and life.

Tracy’s gifts include the way she moves energy with her hands and her voice, and she quickly realised how much power lies in her voice. Tracy doesn’t mince her words and has become incredibly straight talking, whilst understanding the power of how her voice can move energy. Tracy’s gift is that she talks directly to the body, so the body can hear it and receive it, so that the body can override its fears and doubts, this is how she moves energy to make sure people can live their lives.

Tracy encourages people to research into issues such as taxation and government spending, following the energy to seek out the truth around how money is spent and taxed by governments. Tracy encourages you to learn to tap into the energies around these topics (like the feeling when you receive your tax bill in the post), to help understand on a deeper level what changes you want to see in the world.

Change is coming in the world, and in order to feel at ease with the amount of change which is coming, you need to have your energetic house in order. The energies around popular topics, such as banking are changing and often we can start to feel a shift in the energy around a topic. An example of this is Bitcoin and cryptocurrency, we saw a sharp rise in Bitcoin in 2008 as the energy behind bitcoin is an energy of  freedom and after the 2008 financial crisis people shifted as they felt held hostage by the traditional money and banking systems and wanted more freedom. Change comes when people realise the energy behind the traditional systems we have in place and people become empowered to take action.

Tracy works a lot with children and families, and is building a TLC kids space, and creating a new platform for kids to learn and give back. Tracy left university to start her company, as the schooling system didn’t support how she learnt, and now Tracy wants to support other children who don’t fit the traditional schooling system and help them develop into strong leaders, and teach children the skills required for the future. Tracy wants to start empowering children to question the systems our society is built on.

Highlights

  • Taxation is theft
  • No matter what we learn or how we grow , if anything is against how you feel at the time, and it feels wrong, it is wrong
  • This is the best time to be alive, as this is where you are going to see the change
  • The school system is outdated and during her school years Tracy didn’t feel supported, and left university to start her company, and wants to support children and their creativity.
  • Millennials are not lazy, they are the change makers.
Nov 29, 201950:16
19 Tracy L Clark Part 1 - Changing Lives, Finding Your Connection to Something Powerful Called "Faith"

19 Tracy L Clark Part 1 - Changing Lives, Finding Your Connection to Something Powerful Called "Faith"

"When you truly wake up and say I’ve got to change something, it’s hard, you hit the bottom. You have to not only look at overriding your subconscious but you have to go deep and say ‘I don’t want to do that anymore!’"


Tracy has been sick and ill since she was a baby, growing up she only dealt with illness, depression, struggles and issues. Doctors told her that there is no hope for a cure and she will just have to manage her illnesses through life, and may not live long.

Tracy found of her own journey into spirituality incredibly lonely and through the incredible teachers she met, she started to look at something different. She met a lot of people with struggles and pain and like her they wanted to understand truth, energy and spirituality, but they were scared.

This is the reason the TLC Community was created! (TLC are her initials!) So people could have a place where they won’t feel alone in their journey. They are a very tight knit community. They talk, they share, they uplift one another, they hear real truths. In all the communities I've seen, they're actually there for each other.

"It’s a space to support one another when we fall down, so we can grow and get better."

The TLC Community is composed of different people from different backgrounds from doctors, businessmen, teens, single moms, and more and everyone is included in the TLC community. What they have in common is they are looking for a connection in their faith and themselves, to explore their ideas and be free.

Waking up means looking at a new perspective and changing your life. Changing your life requires you to walk through the fire, open your mind and see the patterns. And then do something different about them.

Going through all that and coming out on the other side is all worth it.


Nov 26, 201946:02
18 Chris Thomson - Mentoring Canada's Most Hardworking Students, Creating Millionaires

18 Chris Thomson - Mentoring Canada's Most Hardworking Students, Creating Millionaires

“A lot of times people don’t recognize that early success is an enormous impact of long term success.”

The Students Works Management Program looks for highly motivated and committed college students to train them to run home painting and window cleaning services business. The program recruits college and university students who are dedicated to working hard and students who have "big engines" something Chris Thomson describes as students who like to work hard, not because they need to, but because they just like to work hard. "They are always busy working on something, even while in school."

I don't have any regrets in life. But if I could go back and tell my past self back in college what to do, it would be to join the Student Works program.

Students Works run their Student Based (kickass) business training program in different parts of Canada. It teaches students the different tactical skills they need to run a business, namely Painting, Window Cleaning, Estimating, Marketing, Sales, Recruiting and Time Management Skills. The students then submit a business plan and spend 15 to 25 hours a week on marketing or selling or recruiting and on weekends they do estimates. All this training is filled with opportunities for students to become eligible for the next step in their lives.

The program has a lot of support because Canadians like to support students. These students are future Canadian entrepreneurs and they are also a good influence to other students to do the same.

Chris Thomson realized that if a student has an early start on making a business work at 18, 19 or 20 years of age, then "these students are going to have a very successful future ahead of them." Chris has aspired something big and audacious: to create a thousand millionaires through this program. To be a part of co-creating a millionaire is not about the money but to be able to help create the habits and mentality of successful people. There are enormous positive impacts to society of everyday hardworking individuals becoming millionaires.

At Student Works, Chris has seen different progressions and success stories from alumni who had taken the program in the past. That is why Chris not only sees Students Works Program as a business but as part of a bigger plan which impacts other people’s lives.

Nov 22, 201958:03
17 Sarah Noked - Is Your Business Optimized? What's An Online Business Manager and Why Do You Need One? (Like Yesterday!)

17 Sarah Noked - Is Your Business Optimized? What's An Online Business Manager and Why Do You Need One? (Like Yesterday!)

Sarah Noked is the founder of Sarah Noked OBM, an Online Business Management Agency, where she helps clients by systematizing their businesses’ backends and priming them for successful launches. Her mission is simple: to empower entrepreneurs to grow a thriving business online by building systems & a winning team, keeping everyone accountable to their goals, and increasing those profits.

Sarah’s team works with entrepreneurs and creatives in all stages of business to provide the structure and business management support they need. She allows owners to harness their creativity within a structured business of their dreams. Her focus is on creating the systems and automation necessary to help companies to delegate while wrangling diverse virtual teams in established firms. Sarah provides the encouragement --and the means-- to keep you thinking creatively while giving owners the kick in the pants to continue growing their business!

As one of just 3 worldwide Certified OBM® Trainers, Sarah works to share her passion for Online Business Management. Through a variety of training and certification courses, she offers the right resources to empower and educate highly-skilled VAs and OBMs around the world.

Oct 03, 201901:12:01
16 Sylwia Swider - Police Officer Leaves Career, Starts "Water Business" Crushes it, Makes A Killing, Makes People Healthier In The Process

16 Sylwia Swider - Police Officer Leaves Career, Starts "Water Business" Crushes it, Makes A Killing, Makes People Healthier In The Process

In 2016, Sylwia's mother was diagnosed with cancer. Sylwia started researching and reading different health and wellness stories in other parts of the world, hoping that she could help her mom with her illness. What she didn't know was that this research would take her on a life-changing journey and would ultimately have a powerful effect on how the way she looked at life and her life's purpose. A year and a half later after her mom passed away, all Sylwia could see through her role as a police officer was broken systems, negativity, traumatic situations, and had suffered PTSD.
Sylwia started to research further into self development and health prevention, this research directed her to an amazing Japanese technology for water processing. The Kangen Water system. The Kangen water system has been used in Japan for over 45 years, which is approved by the Japanese ministry of health, and has some astonishing health benefits. Sylwia and her husband Frank, a firefighter, started to use and drink Kangen Water, which helped him recover from medical conditions such as gout. They loved the product so much they eventually become distributors, not just in Canada but worldwide.
When she started to drink Kangen water, Sylwia started to notice changes and improvement in her health, so she shared the water to other people whilst conveying information on the health benefits of Kangen over that of reverse osmosis and bottled water.
“The technology behind Kangen is water is that the machine ionizes your water, it takes the minerals from the ground, from your tap water, eliminating all the chemicals and bringing the water back to life.”
After handing in her papers and leaving the police, Sylwia made the the same amount of income in four months, as she would have done in two years in the police.
Everyone works as a team, the more successful the people in your team are, the more bonuses you make. The company is all about true health, financial, physical, and mental.
Sep 27, 201953:33
15 Andrea Lake - How Does This Multi-Millionaire Business Owner Create Her Businesses With Ease?

15 Andrea Lake - How Does This Multi-Millionaire Business Owner Create Her Businesses With Ease?

"The part of entrepreneurship that nobody talks about is the unromantic side, that you just need to send out a bunch of catalogues and make cold calls, go to the stores, talk to the buyers, negotiate pricing on your t-shirts. It's all of the stuff that you work for years and years ... and then comes overnight success. It builds the momentum of attraction that carries you."

Andrea 'cookie girl' Lake is a serial entrepreneur who started her first company at just 18 years old. She created her
first clothing line, Anti-establishment Clothing, in the late 90s which made $150,000 in sales in it's first year, growing
to successfully earn millions in sales during it's second year.
Andrea Lake is a legend when it comes to business, not just business, but spirituality in business. She is the founder

of the Power Chick Mafia, Sticker Junkie, Yoga Junkie, and Teecher which shows you how to build a million dollar t-
shirt business. She is the CEO of Delinquent Distribution which at one point had the rights to major mega online gaming brands such as Minecraft, World of Warcraft and more.

She has a phenomenal story, we are so lucky and blessed to have her as a guest on our podcast. She has been in the
Hot Seat out of anyone ever on the planet for the Abraham Hicks Events. She's all over YouTube. Andrea Lake,
welcome to the Business Brilliance Show!

When she started her first company, she was so passionate, working hard didn't feel like work and she did not take a
day off in seven years.She has the mindset to always make sure she sets a good example to her staff by being in the workplace first and the last one out. She was able to sell her t-shirts to Hot Topic earning millions of dollars in sales.

Andrea's brand gained increased visibility after hit band Blink 182 wore her Sticker Junkie stickers at a concert and
rock band System of a Down wore her Anti Establishment brand t-shirt on the cover of Guitar World magazine. From then on, the bands fans started wearing her t-shirt brand all over the country.

Andrea was able to get an advance copy of the book 'The Secret' and she resonates deeply with the work of Esther
Hicks. She purchased CD's of Abraham Hicks and began learn more about the law of attraction. Andrea believes
'whatever you focus on is going to expand'.Andrea has built a strong and reliable team over the years, so that whenever a new company is created, Andrea has the ability to focus and dedicate her time and resources to growing one company at a time.

If you are in the T-shirt business and want to it to the next level, be sure to check out Andrea's live webinar training, sign up here

Sep 19, 201901:03:21
14 David Binns - The High Cost of Success On Your Health - And Why You Might Need a Mind Body Reset

14 David Binns - The High Cost of Success On Your Health - And Why You Might Need a Mind Body Reset

 "The High Cost of Success On Your Health - And Why You Might Need a Mind Body Reset"

Today’s guest is my good friend, the founder of Mind Body Reset, performance and wellness coaching company for real estate agents. He is a great man, leader, solid guy and person who has gone through a very big personal transformation in the last few years. Today we are going to get into what 'Mind Body Reset' is, what brought him to create it and all other good stuff.

Through ten years of personal development and leading programs he has been able to formulate a whole new paradigm of performance for real estate agents. He realized that the main need is to take the mysticism out of mindset and actually bring it to a framework of reality that people can actually use. And the other aspect of the company is around wellness - there is no one in the real estate industry that is providing people with holistic coaching.

David had been carrying an extra 50 pounds of weight for a few years. He was sitting with full bank account, but in huge jeans, without sleep, and was very angry. He knew he couldn’t be doing that any more, he had to reformulate his life.

And when he dove deep into why he was so angry, what did he find? A total absence of love - it was not the circumstances, he was angry at himself. That was the moment he started tuning in with a ruthless commitment to get happy. It is necessary to make corrections and adjustments in your life and business or life will do it for you in a lot of different ways - inescapable truth of life. It took a monumental life event for him to wake up to that.

He emphasizes that it’s not about being perfect, it’s about what are you doing 90%of your time. Keep in mind that your business should support your life, not run your life!

Aug 12, 201950:31
13 Frank De Lio - From Forklift Driver to Financial Advisor Giant

13 Frank De Lio - From Forklift Driver to Financial Advisor Giant

 Frank De Lio is one of my mentors and the number one leader at our company. He is huge... He runs the best training's in the company hands down and everyone undoubtedly agrees on that from coast to coast.

Frank is responsible for a huge part of my growth in the last few years. Part of his vision is having an impact on people’s lives, helping them overcome the obstacles with the right tools and a good dose of reality. (A really good dose of reality.)

In this conversation he talks about his beginnings - his desire to be an entrepreneur which led him to putting on a garage sale with his dad’s tools for sale (without his permission!), to bringing a newspaper to school showing stock options to friends, all the way to owning his own financial services office and nation wide team! For this final transition, Frank had to stay open, for the right offer, which was a huge pivot in his career.

He puts a big emphasis on dealing with failure and straightening yourself up from it. "Success is about your perception of failure and the opportunity to learn, so you have to embrace it in order to move forward towards your goals."

Frank knows a huge problem in business today is in relation to self delusion and the real effort that's required to truly become successful. I personally feel Frank is tapped into what people are really searching for in their progress towards success. I myself have had several deep, reaffirming, realigning conversations with Frank which have helped me stay on track.  

When ever I personally get a chance to meet with Frank or sit in his training's I do. (Every week on Wednesday! Wouldn't miss it for the world!)

Frank isn't afraid to tell us, we have to go speak to people who have more knowledge and more experience to give us advice. Because a solid dose of reality helps a lot when we are making tough decisions and career moves. 

Whats really amazing about Frank is how much of a family man he is, and how much he cares about his three daughters and wife. For him, 'there’s no separation of business from other segments of life, so we have to be continuously searching for something that can help us with our thinking, with our mindset and skill set in order to be able to beautifully interconnect all of our life stories.'

This guy is so amazing, he will make you want to get to work!

Jul 08, 201901:02:35
12 Giovanni Marsico \u2013 Knowing Yourself Is The Ultimate Game Changer In Business

12 Giovanni Marsico \u2013 Knowing Yourself Is The Ultimate Game Changer In Business

 I am humbled by this interview. I get to interview one of my most favourite mentors in this episode: Giovanni Marsico. I was so excited for this interview, I forgot to introduce him in the beginning and just got right down to it.

I’ve known Gio for a long time. But there’s a lot I don’t know about his journey from nothing. And equally important, how he manages to continue to be such a leader and giver to people like me. People in his ever growing tribe. So I got the chance to sit down with him and ask him all the questions I’ve wanted to know. 

Giovanni is the founder of Archangel. Archangel is incredible. Its what people like me and my wife needed when we needed it: A community of people just like us, entreprenuers, 'the crazy ones', leading from the heart. 

He is on his mission…. His is on his mission so much it amazes me and its the first question I lead with. He serves us. He represents our tribe. My tribe. His is our Professor X – and we are his X Men. 

At his events, he curates the most amazing speakers to match the most amazing audiences: Gary Vaynerchuck, Seth Godin, Robin Sharma have spoken on his stages. And Elizabeth Gilbert and Lisa Nichols are both on their way.  

He describes himself as a comic book nerd -  he was in the gifted school. He used the pain of being bullied because of his gifts to build a tribe of people, a community of people that are like him.

He gets us. His conversations, his marketing, his ideas, leave me and so many others feeling so understood, its remarkable. Gio is also a shower nerd, as you'll hear in the episode – he takes 30 minutes showers, which is where he does his best thinking. (He can fit 10 people in his shower if he wanted to… Not that he does.)

Giovanni attributes his success to his craving for the neuro-chemical feeling of helping someone and watching them transform.

Honestly, this episode is jam packed with tonnes of solid amazing content and fun laughs along the way. The most amazing thing that struck me in this conversation was that Giovanni knows himself so well, I think he just might know himself better than any other entrepreneur I've ever met. And its clear to me, that that's what has brought him the most success. Listen in, I know you'll enjoy it.

Jun 21, 201946:12
11 Brandon Pearce - How To Travel The World, Crush It In Business, Living With Your Family In 40+ Countries

11 Brandon Pearce - How To Travel The World, Crush It In Business, Living With Your Family In 40+ Countries

 This is a special treat for me. Why? Because Brandon Pearce has the life I want. Period.

I'm willing to bet he spends less time on his business than you or I combined. He's traveled the world with his wife and three kids for over 10 years, and he's been to over 40+ countries, all while his businesses run on auto pilot.

Yes, that's right, I said business(es). His daughter even has a business! It's a video production company called Crystal Cut Studios (I mean come on!)

In this episode I’m sharing with you a conversation of pure gold I had with Brandon Pearce. He is the founder of Music Teachers Helper, founded in 2004, now a one hour a work week job. 

Brandon has been featured on The 4 Hour Workweek with Tim Ferriss, The $100 Startup and other amazing travel-living-life-hacking-less-working books.  Brandon has a magic touch running other businesses as well. And he did all of this while traveling for more than 10 years with his family.

Together with his family, Brandon designed Family Adventure Summit and Family Adventure Academy (just for parents), which are events focused on how to educate kids on the road from birth to university, how to earn location independent income, and create thriving family relationships. (Isn't this freaking amazing!?) They also organize the "At home in the world family retreat", where you can deeper explore how to be at home with yourself, at home with your family and at home with the world, wherever you happen to be.

All the events came from their own needs - after a period of integration and introspection, and trying to understand themselves, they wanted to create more community and make something that gives back to the community that raised him. 
Brandon emphasizes how important a role great books have had on his road to growth and transformation. By cutting his work time he made his business more successful and even managed to start new ones that branched out of the Musics Teachers Helper. (He tracks his time like a NINJA and makes sure that he uses it wisely. He even developed a super sophisticated but simple to use time tracking tool - which I started using recently.)
He treats his time with so much love and care - he tracks it not only to look back and see if he is spending it on the things that he values, but because that keeps him present on what he is focusing and working on.

Jun 14, 201901:09:29
10 Kris J Simpson - Innovate or Evaporate! How To Make It In Business (21 Years Looking Back)

10 Kris J Simpson - Innovate or Evaporate! How To Make It In Business (21 Years Looking Back)

 Kris J Simpson is an absolute hero.

No like, he's an actual hero. Last year he saved a family from their burning home in his neighbourhood. He literally went in, through the smoke and fire and found a family that had no escape out of their home.

Kris is also the owner of a gym in my neighbourhood, called Bodies By Design. He is the author of “The All Inclusive Diet”, an international best selling book that gave me a lot of great tips on health and meal prep which is fantastic for me, because I don’t cook and I do not eat well.

Today on the show, we are talking about his twenty one years in business. Yes Twenty One! Kris shares his story about how 'BBD' was born and how much persistence had to do with overcoming not only financial challenges, but legal and mental and emotional challenges as well. "Necessity makes us move faster", says Kris and business is always changing and evolving, so you have to adapt. (This is NOT cliche when its coming from a guy who's been successful for twenty one years with a gym that nearly never opened.)

Having that in mind, he wants his children to make as many mistakes as possible, because that’s where change happens. We are going to fall down anyway, the question is how much time we are going to spend on the floor.

Being a person who lost everything, and managed to regain it all back and more, he emphasizes how much power comes from healing and how important it is to ask for help. Now that he’s on the other side, he uses his experience to give and help others heal. 

Kris is someone I admire and look up to as a business person and as a father. And it helps that he is a physical specimen of near perfection... so yeah there's that too. Regardless, Kris is someone I'm proud to call friend and Im proud to have on the show today. And I think you'll enjoy and resonate with why when you listen.

Jun 07, 201901:07:18
9 Brian Francis – A Unique, Impactful Way to Attract New Clients

9 Brian Francis – A Unique, Impactful Way to Attract New Clients

 I met Brian Francis at a networking event a few weeks ago. Its funny, because when we met, he was already speaking to a friend of mine. (What an interesting thing!) And what struck me about Brian was how approachable and comfortable he was talking in person.

He was confident. Not like the majority of other people at the event. Cuz you know, networking events can be awkward for people sometimes. But not Brian. He was comfortable and confident, had a great energy and smile. He was happy to connect with me and share with me about his upcoming event he was hosting.

As we chatted, I realized he had an interesting business idea and model. 

He'd taken his years of event production and stage experience, and created a new way for businesses to market to and attract their ideal clients. I thought it was brilliant! Which is why I wanted to interview Brian on the show.  His business is called Creative Ideals.

Instead of doing your normal, going to events, networking, then hope to meet someone in your target market, why not create an event to target your market and have them come meet you face to face at your event!?   Brilliant!    Listen to the episode and enjoy, and Brian shares his unique business idea and how it works. (Including a couple of great case studies!

May 31, 201943:30
Episode 8 Jamie Prickett – Do You Have A Dark Side And Can It Drive You to WIN?

Episode 8 Jamie Prickett – Do You Have A Dark Side And Can It Drive You to WIN?

I respect Jamie Prickett so much. Jamie and his wife Leeann are some of my favourite local business heroes. As far as I'm concerned they are Canadian superheroes.

As CEO and President of Experior Financial Group, they are an inspiration to me because they have built from the ground up, a 100% Canadian owned financial services company that actually does whats right for people.

I'll be honest with you, being on the inside of financial services myself, its crazy how many agents and companies think of profits first before their clients best interest. But a few years ago, I joined Experior myself as a financial advisor and while there were many reasons why I joined, the main one is because the company and executives passed all my stringent stress tests of high values in integrity, honesty and doing whats right for people.

I work with Jamie. He is my CEO and I'm proud to say it.  (How many people get to interview their CEO!?)

The business has resisted and fought past the many BS criticisms and attacks Jamie's competitors have tried to throw his way. Him and his wife have come under a lot of attack. A LOT. He has done something unique that no one else has done in their industry. Like all great change agents, they are coming under fire from naysayers. But despite all this, they are thriving!

Jamie was a wrestler in high school and all he wanted to do was be an Olympic athlete and win the gold. But that didn't happen. Instead him and his wife created a unique business model that does not exist anywhere else. He created an opportunity for people to make hundreds of thousands of dollars in their own business, while owning their book of business and becoming a shareholder in the company all at the same time. And this will

Business can be a ruthless, cutthroat world. But Jamie just loves to shove his victories and success in peoples faces. Is that his dark side? You be the judge.

May 16, 201901:17:07
Episode 7 Vanessa Ferraro – Why Selling Your Time Is A Losing Game

Episode 7 Vanessa Ferraro – Why Selling Your Time Is A Losing Game

"The old way of doing business is falling apart. There is a new way to do business and we need to embrace it."

Vanessa Ferraro is a leading six figure online business strategist and wealth advocate for women. Through the power of Soul Wisdom along with powerful and potent laser-lucid-clear-strategy, she helps service based female entrepreneurs experience more abundance and create a bigger impact.  

Wow! That's a power-mouth full!

Which is perfectly perfect, because Vanessa is a super powerhouse of a woman. It didn't happen overnight and its been a journey for sure. But Vanessa is going to be the first millionaire in her family and I believe her!  (Sorry to any siblings! I don't know you yet!)  I've known Vanessa for years and we've done many self development and business workshops together, so we often cross paths. But I have to tell you... I have never seen her this powerful! This on point! This ahead of the game! 

I had to sit down with her to find out what she's doing and where shes getting her mojo from! 

Her last few months have been ah-may-zing for me to see! Because she has packaged her offerings in a crucial and beautiful way on Facebook and online. And she is getting tonnes of great response and business because of it! What is she doing?  Well listen in and find out!

May 13, 201901:13:46
Episode 6 Andrea Ivanka - Better Ways To Market to Your Customers and Serve Them Really, Really Well

Episode 6 Andrea Ivanka - Better Ways To Market to Your Customers and Serve Them Really, Really Well

"If you're doing a form of marketing because you think you should be, because its the newest hot thing, instead of it being authentic, its not going to work."   Andrea Ivanka knows how to market to your target customers authentically and powerfully. I know her. I've known her for years. And she makes marketing easy... (Somehow!) Her clients love her, they follow her, they stand by her and did I mention they love her? I did. Okay Good.

Andrea is the founder of the Authentic Conversion System - ACS, which stands for "Attract, Convert and Serve." She knows how to market to people easily and effortlessly, and in such a way where they dont feel like they're being marketed to at all! Its a natural flowing conversation, whether online or offline. I know this because I am a huge fan of Andrea Ivanka!  She has created several Brilliant ways to Cross Promote her brand and services to her customers and they love her for it.

Andrea broke six figures with a Wix Website. (Huh!?)  She is the creator of the Total Boss Club: The best community for women to be the boss they were meant to be!    The amazing thing about Andrea is that she is unafraid to stand in the fire with her people.  She says "Cancer is when you're committed to comfort." (Eeek! That's bad for me cuz I love comfort!) Andrea believes the right community and the right problem you're solving equals major success.

Listen to this episode and try not to fall in love with Andrea! (It will be difficult!)

May 02, 201901:00:02
Episode 5 Gustavo Ortega - How To Get Over 1 Billion Views On Youtube

Episode 5 Gustavo Ortega - How To Get Over 1 Billion Views On Youtube

In this episode of The Business Brilliance Podcast, Viewer Discretion is advised!

Today we talk to Gustavo Ortega! Gustavo just celebrated a major milestone! His videos have just suprassed over 1 Billion Views on YouTube.

I met Gustavo in Jamaica when I was on a vacation with my family. And let me tell you, it was an interesting coincidence meeting Gustavo there. (I dont believe in coincidences and neither should you.)  I was not having a good time on the vacation with my family, due to a number of problems I wont mention here. But I was in the dumps. And along comes Gustavo and saves me!

We've been in contact ever since. And he is a truly brilliant business owner! (You'd have to be to reach a big milestone like that!) Gustavo starts the episode off by initiating an intention or a prayer for the episode which I felt was powerful and humbling.

He is a video producer, a filmmaker and generally joyful and successful human being. He does corporate video production, music videos, film production, documentaries and more.

He is a man of God - but he is not a man of Religion. There is a difference.

Tune in to the episode to hear what Gustavo has learned and discovered throughout his life and the magical experiences that led him to create a life serving a unique message. And how by following a few set principles since he was a young age, he was able to create a life of joy, of success and service to mankind. His work is powerful, creative, unique, modern and special.  Hear how he started out in a boy band and ended up as one of the world's most sought after video producers.

Thank you for listening to our episode and please subscribe to catch the next one!

Apr 09, 201955:46
Episode 4 Gavin Ashley - The Subconscious Programming In Your Mind, The Key To Success Or Failure

Episode 4 Gavin Ashley - The Subconscious Programming In Your Mind, The Key To Success Or Failure

We all have have viruses and bad/junk data in our mind that is or is not helping us achieve success. I believe it's the reason we are or are not achieving our goals and dreams. I am very passionate about this topic. That's why I had to have Gavin Ashley on the show and I felt the need to share him and his service with you.

In this episode, I share about how Gavin helped me overcome my block in referrals last year. There was a time where I wasn't getting any referrals in my business and it was frustrating. He helped me get over it. Now I receive referrals every week, sometimes I ask, sometimes I don't. But I always receive referrals, thanks to the work that Gavin helped me do.

In this episode I go on a couple of rants and testimonials about his service and similar services which clear out the negative programming we've accumulated in our minds and bodies over the years.

"Words are the programming that code our brains."

I get real honest about my family and my kids. I get a little vulnerable about my family situation and our living scenario with our teenage kids. They've been through a lot. I share about how I've used Gavin's service for my business but also with my kids...... its worked in great ways for helping them overcome their own blocks. Gavin also helped me with my own parenting when I was trying to run my business and be a good dad and step father, and it wasn't working.  I couldn't concentrate or focus and he helped me out.

Highlights:

  • I credit Gavin's work for helping me to become successful.
  • The brain wants to heal - the brain isnt happy to be in a bad place.
  • Our world and our success is binary. 1's and 0's. Yes' and No's.
  • Gavin's work allows to open our minds and cellular activity to success.
  • You project your belief systems onto the world.
  • "My work is permission based"  - Gavin cant do anything you don't allow him to do.
  • "Permission is desire allowed" (an aha moment I got during the episode)
Apr 02, 201952:09
Episode 3 Neil McMillan & FIFO Capital - Creative Ways to Improve Your Cash Flow You Never Thought of Before

Episode 3 Neil McMillan & FIFO Capital - Creative Ways to Improve Your Cash Flow You Never Thought of Before

I believe its my duty to bring great resources and valuable services to your attention that will help you as business owners.

And that's why I had to interview Neil McMillan from FIFO Capital.

Neil McMillan and FIFO Capital just expanded into Canada with their brilliant financing products for small, medium and large businesses. They help businesses increase cash flow and working capital by providing innovative finance solutions which the banks cant offer. FIFO Capital is founded in Australia and New Zealand and have operations the UK as well. They've funded over a billion dollars globally, providing supply chain and import finance and invoice finance solutions to help businesses expand and grow. (And sometimes stay afloat!).

In this episode, we talk to Neil about all the great ways they have taken their business from idea to execution. We discuss how they have focused on their people and relied heavily on them for their success. Neil shares how that strategy had paid off and led them to create a global business that's growing.

Show Notes and Highlights:

  • Your invoices are assets. You can trade them in exchange for increased positive cash flow.
  • Don't wait the 30, 60, 90 days to get paid - invoice finance/factor to help further your business growth!
  • FIFO keeps creative methods and unique ways to work with businesses open.
  • Their services are customizable  -  Use them as much or as little as you like - come and go as you please.
  • No locked in contracts, and no exit penalties. No hidden fees. (Hints to beat your competition!)
  • Throw away the rulebook - do what you can for your customers.
  • Don't let "It's never been done before" stop you! That just means go ahead and do it!
  • Its such a great product, I myself came on board as a business partner to bring it to Canadian business owners.
Mar 11, 201950:32
Episode 2 Dominic Scaffidi - How to Market Without Marketing and Attract an Abundance of Clients

Episode 2 Dominic Scaffidi - How to Market Without Marketing and Attract an Abundance of Clients

 This is our second episode of the Business Brilliance Podcast!

We have a real treat for you today! 

Dominic Scaffidi is someone I really admire. He is an executive coach who has a unique take on business, specifically attracting customers and clients. But Dominic does not do any marketing in his own business. He does not have any marketing strategy. He doesn't have a business plan either.

Yet he has a growing multi-six figure business.

In this episode, we talk to Dominic about attracting clients, how our thoughts create our reality, how everything IS always working out for us (even when we don't believe it) and he even proves it to me in my own life. I share a little about a nice manifestation that took me and my wife a while to achieve, and we look back at how we got there. Dominic also shares why he doesn't give answers to his clients and that blows my mind! We explore what coaching is a whole lot more! (You have to get to the part where he talks about action and abundance! approx 40 mins in.)

Mar 11, 201901:10:51
Episode 1 Mike Salisbury - How 'Throwing Caution To The Wind' Will Lead to Success

Episode 1 Mike Salisbury - How 'Throwing Caution To The Wind' Will Lead to Success

This is the very first episode of the Business Brilliance Podcast!! Thank you for tuning in!

Today, we are so excited to speak to our good friend Mike Salisbury from Guelph, ON. Mike is a landscape architect and designs children's playgrounds for a living! (Imagine if you had that business!) But Mike takes a unique approach with his designs, most notably this one - which is not your typical children's playground. He also created a brilliant new form of art/portrait that really captured our attention and inspired us to commission him for a portrait of our good friend Giovanni Marsico, with a twist! 

In this episode, we talk to Mike about how he got into about how Mike got into this form of new design, how he ended up designing playgrounds for children and more. By the way, did we mention he's also a City Councillor for his hometown in Guelph? We also start the episode with a powerful story of a turning point in Mike's life when his wife died and had to give a speech at his daughter's wedding. Mike gave us permission to share the story with you here.

Mar 11, 201946:38