Today's Business Leaders With Gabe Arnold

As a teenager, Scott Lucas knew he wanted to do his own thing. He saw his single-mother struggle, so he decided to help himself. He knew he could do things on his own, be a leader and be self-sufficient. This understanding and mindset has led him to continue to do his own thing as an adult and Scott now runs his own business: Scott Lucas Strategies.The Value of HonestyScott thinks honesty is a fundamental aspect of business and sales. “I wish people would be more honest as an entrepreneur. Tell them straight up. It’s really easy to sell the sexiness and the hype. When you sell that you kind of lie to [clients],” Scott explains. Being upfront and honest is a more effective sales strategy that leads to satisfied customers and can help lay the foundation of a strong and viable business.Work Smarter, Not HarderScott explains that being an entrepreneur is rewarding if you are smart about how you do things. There is value to hard work, but hard work doesn’t always lead to success. Working smart will lead to success

Dave Woodward has always felt like he was an entrepreneur. However, he wasn’t always on that course, and at one point he was slated to attend medical school. Dave felt that he didn’t fit the mold of what his parents wanted for him. Luckily for Dave, his family and entrepreneurs everywhere, Dave bailed on medical school the week before he was supposed to start, followed his instinct and did things his way.Being His Own BossDave didn’t know what he wanted to do, but he knew he wanted to have a family and he wanted to be able to spend as much time with them as possible. “I started off actually in the insurance business; employee benefits and things in that area. That’s kind of where I first got my start in terms of being my own boss. I never looked back, and I’ve really never had a job. At this point, I’m probably completely unemployable. Nobody would hire me,” Dave explains. Today, Dave is a partner and the Chief Business Development Officer of Click Funnels. Side Hustles and the American DreamThrough his work

Brad Milford didn’t always know what he was looking for, but he gained total clarity when he eventually found it. As the founder of Build Brilliance LLC, Brad uses his experience to meet clients on their level and help them achieve their goals. Brad took time out of his busy schedule to talk with Gabe about his journey, how he found what he was looking for and how he helps other entrepreneurs find their version of success.Early YearsBrad fostered entrepreneurial tendencies as a child. He collected bottles, delivered newspapers and held various other jobs before launching his own landscaping business, which he later sold. Brad didn’t yet understand it, but he was looking for something. This desire to find something he didn’t yet understand caused him to join the Navy and pursue his dream to travel. While in the Navy, Brad learned a lot and had some great experiences. He also had his fair share of frightening experiences, but when he left after serving six years, he was ready for the next chapter in his adventu

While in grade school, Wally Carmichael realized he was an entrepreneur. Even while he was in the military, he still found ways to put his entrepreneurial tendencies to work. After Wally realized he was, in fact, living his dream, he decided to work on a book which led him on a journey of abundance. Wally recently spoke Gabe on Today’s Business Leaders.Finding a Better WayWally grew up near Phoenix, and while he had wonderful parents, life was always a bit of a struggle. His uncle suggested that he join the military, and it took some time for Wally to come around to this idea, but it ended up completely changing the course of his life. The military gave Wally structure, leadership and mentorship. These are all skills Wally continues to use to this day. After 25 years in the military, Wally left and officially started his career as an entrepreneur. As Wally explains, “It’s been a crazy, crazy life. It’s been a lot of fun. I’ve learned a lot. I messed up a lot. I failed a lot, and I think that’s why I’m where I

Terry Ogburn started his company to help small businesses take over and grow into being the backbone of the country. Terry has had a vast career and has gained tons of actionable advice along the way. During his first appearance on Today’s Business Leaders, Terry covered how he got to the point of opening his consulting business. In this episode, he delves into how he helps small business owners and entrepreneurs.The Value of SystemsTerry uses metrics and a variety of other indicators to help his clients grow their businesses, and for good reason. Terry believes small business owners are the future. “I started my company helping small businesses, small entrepreneurs and little companies because I believe these are the people that are going to turn this country around. They have always been the backbone of our country. I think we got pushed away a little bit, and now it’s time to come back together and really take over like we should,” explains Terry.How to Harness a PerformaBookkeeping is important for busine

Brian Basilico started to hone his entrepreneurial tendencies when he was young, and many career changes and technology evolutions later, he is still going strong. His business, B2B Interactive Marketing, is celebrating 17 years as a company. Brian recently took the time to chat with Gabe about his journey, why it is important to know your space, the foundation of his system, and more actionable advice.Doing Things His WayWorking for others never really worked out, so Brian started his own marketing company in 2001. Through this business, Brian helps companies set up their online strategy to convert sales. “People talk about how to make a million dollars with Facebook ads, how to make a million dollars on Instagram, how to make a million dollars here. It’s not that hard. It’s like wherever your audience is hanging out, just talk to them,” Brian explains.All About PrinciplesAs an entrepreneur, Brian had to learn how to do everything. Learning these basic business principles from accounting to marketing practic

Kyle Lipton has enjoyed an awesome journey, but there’s still more to come for this up-and-coming entrepreneur. He started by handing out discount tickets to get into clubs, and now he’s coaching business leaders and helping people overcome their fears in order to find success. Learning on the Go Kyle dropped out of college for a great job opportunity and transitioned from one job to another. Along the way, he learned about business and entrepreneurism. A podcast interview series that never launched led to a job as an assistant, and from there Kyle stumbled into coaching. Finding What is Possible and Real The first time Kyle ended up coaching, he immediately felt a moment of emptiness. While feeling empty usually has negative connotations, in this instance, it was different, and Kyle felt positive and powerful. “When I say emptiness, I say more it’s a feeling of, ‘I gave everything that was in my tank.’ Whatever was inside of me that I wanted to express, is out,” explains Kyle. He soon realized that coaching

As a child, Aaron Muller began a business catching shrimp. While this business venture wasn’t the most profitable and possibly had a negative impact on public health, this was his introduction to entrepreneurship. Since then, Aaron has learned a lot and has tried his hand at running a variety of businesses. These days Aaron owns several businesses, including a business brokerage and a successful consulting academy. Aaron took the time to talk about his experiences with business, his tips for spotting a good deal when buying a company and more.   Learning on the Fly Aaron has always worked, and as he finished high school, he knew college wasn’t for him. Instead, Aaron purchased a retail business and ran it for several years. During this time, he learned a lot about running a business. Aaron ended up selling a profitable business he was tired of in order to help bail out the failing retail business, and invest in a new business. A business broker helped guide him through these transactions, and this set Aaron o

Mary Cravets is a very impatient person, and this trait has pushed her to continually move forward and find something better. This trait has even pushed her to start her own business. Mary started out as a realtor and tried her hand at direct sales before launching her own VA business, which she eventually left to become a business advisor. In this episode of Today’s Business Leaders, Mary shares her journey and experiences and explains the one thing that can quickly kill a business. Trusting Her Instinct While running her VA business, Mary found herself continually at odds with her clients. Customers would request something, and Mary would offer advice about a better solution or strategy to achieve their objective. More often than not, the customers would essentially ignore her input, and tell her just to do what they wanted. Mary assumed that as business owners, her clients knew what they were doing, so she didn't question them further. In most instances, Mary was right and had her customers heeded h

For many years, David Jardine was able to identify what he did not want to do before eventually, he found what he was interested in and passionate about. David shares his journey and his experiences, as well as his thoughts on theology with Gabe for this most recent episode of Today’s Business Leaders. Finding His Way Out of high school, David ended up landing a job manufacturing parts for potbelly stoves. The work was extremely monotonous, and after a few short hours, David realized this wasn’t what he wanted. He stuck it out for several weeks before he just couldn’t do it anymore, and then he left to go to university. After completing three years of school, David realized his options were limited. He could go on to teach, or he could try his luck at being an artist. He decided to reinvent himself once again, and he enrolled in a community college where he learned to program. Four months in, David had learned how to create a basic webpage. At this point, he reached out to Mel Emory, who ran a direct marketin

Erin Pheil never had a groundbreaking moment hustling candy as a child or a desire to be her own boss that lead her to become an entrepreneur, but here she is. Upon entering the workforce, Erin had no luck landing a job, so she took her degree in digital media, and in 2002 she started her own agency. As Erin explains, “I realized nobody is hiring me. I can do so much better than all of them. I’m just gonna do this myself. It wasn’t this long drive that I always knew. I just decided I was going to do this.” From the Golden Age to the Black Period The agency took off, and business was growing each year. Despite this success, Erin constantly had this nagging thought that something was missing. She couldn’t put her finger on it, but she knew there was something more. Everything was turned upside down in 2015. The agency suffered a negative SEO attack, and Erin’s health began to deteriorate. None of the medical professionals Erin visited were able to figure out the problem. Erin came full circle and decided to fix

Jessica Olbin loves chaos and figuring out how to put the pieces together to create something great. This personality trait, along with her vast knowledge, experience and confidence put her on an entrepreneurial path towards success. In this episode of Today’s Business Leaders, Jessica shares her story and loads of actionable advice. Finding Her Purpose Jessica’s journey did not start out with entrepreneurial aspirations. “I was in corporate America for a good 15 years. I was a general manager, managing employees, business, multimillion-dollar businesses, and I hated my life. It was ridiculous, and I couldn’t be me. I had to be someone else, and that was okay. I was successful,” Jessica explains. After the birth of her daughter, Jessica took the opportunity to make her exit and became a stay-at-home mom. About six months into her new normal, she realized something was missing from her life. Jessica enjoyed being a mom, but she had all of these skills that she wasn’t able to use. A fateful massage changed ev

From music to bagels to helming a successful podcast, David Wolf has run a variety of vastly different businesses. Along the way, he has learned a lot, and he recently shared his entrepreneurial story with his old friend and fellow podcaster, Gabe, in this latest installment of Today’s Business Leaders.Trial by FireDavid ran a music company before deciding to completely change course and work at a bakery run by his family. By the time David started working at the family bagel business, the company was in a dire state and had declared bankruptcy. David helped the business navigate through bankruptcy court and worked to turn things around. While there was some level of success, ultimately David reached the end of the line with the bagel business. After eight years, with no money left to invest into the business, David filed bankruptcy and started the search for his next adventure.Small Biz AmericaDavid realized he had all of this experience from his time running the bagel business, and he decided to put his

Jesse Miller realized as a teenager that he was wired differently from everyone else and he wanted to do things his way and be a business owner. During a recent interview, Jesse explains how he turned his traumatic early childhood experiences into motivation to move forward and drive him to where he is today. Born to be an Entrepreneur Early in his career, Jesse held several jobs, and at each, he worked directly with the business owners. Through this experience, Jesse learned firsthand the ins and outs of running a business. “I looked at that theme, and it was always that I was working directly with a business owner and I got to understand what makes a business work and what makes a business fail. That, in a nutshell, is what got me to where I am today,” Jesse explains. Simple Concept Jesse took the leap and bought an existing business in 2005. In one year, he doubled the business. He admits this took a lot of hard work, but more importantly, he focused on the simple stuff, and he realized the simple stuff

Les Cowie has had a long and varied career, and along the way, he has learned many valuable lessons in entrepreneurship. He spoke to Gabe about these lessons and his experiences for this most recent episode of Today’s Business Leaders. Starting Out In his late twenties, Les had a great job, and things were going really well. A family tragedy changed this momentum, and Les moved his wife and children out of Johannesburg. As per his wife’s suggestion, Les took the skill and knowledge he had from his previous job and got into multimedia training. Les learned a lot during this first go at video training, and he was able to perfect the process going forward. At this point, Les learned what he deems the first lesson of entrepreneurship: build it once, sell it many times over. Stay True to Your Calling Throughout his career, Les continued to learn more lessons about entrepreneurship. As he changed jobs and continents, Les found new ways to assetize his products to build his business. He also soon realized that cash

Eric Schudiske took everything he learned during the 12 years he worked as a reporter and launched his own public relations firm. He shares his story, along with plenty of actionable and valuable advice with Gabe for this installment of Today’s Business Leaders. Crossing the Finish Line Looking back, Eric is able to make connections between his job as a reporter and being an entrepreneur. In both instances, he had to deliver, but now he delivers for himself, instead of a boss. When working as an employee or an entrepreneur, there are deadlines that one way or another, must be met. Whether it is making his slot as a reporter, or helping his clients tell their story, failure is not an option. “You have a finish line and you’re going to cross it even if you have to drag everyone across with you. Having that mindset translated well into what I do now,” Eric explains. Following Passion Eric’s career led him to working at a PR firm, but it wasn’t where he wanted to be. When an opportunity to go out on his own cam

After being let go from a job, Marisa Cali was essentially forced into entrepreneurship, and several years later she wouldn’t have it any other way. For this installment of Today’s Business Leaders, Marisa talks to Gabe about mistakes she made early on, how she responds when she receives ‘no’ as an answer, the value of referrals and more.Prioritizing Creative TimeInitially, Marisa was so caught up in working for her clients that she neglected her own marketing. She has now learned the importance of working on her own business and allowing herself the time she needs to be creative. “If you’re a creative person, it’s good to have that time [to create]. I think entrepreneurs are naturally creative, and sometimes our best ideas come to us at the most random times, so it’s good for us to make sure we fulfill that part of our being,” explains Marisa.Finding Her NicheMarisa was drawn to social media marketing and shortly landed a job handling the social accounts for a local soccer team. During her tenure with the te

After working a corporate job, Ian Healey realized he actually didn’t want everything he had been working towards. He was sitting in a cubicle and miserable, so it was time for a change. In this installment of Today’s Business Leaders, Gabe chats with Ian about the draw of positive energy, the benefits of shifting perspective, why you need to just show up and more. California Dreaming Ian realized he is too creative to sit in a box and do whatever he was told to do, so he picked up and moved to California with friends. After arriving, Ian realized the energy in California breeds creativity and collaboration. Ian has learned to balance his new dreamy California lifestyle with his hustle work ethic. Since settling in on the West Coast, Ian has started several businesses, but he is passionate about one in particular. Getting Back What You Put Out Ian has worked with mentors and gained valuable insight that has helped him learn and grow. He even points out that he is still learning and Ian plans to always keep

Danny Veiga wasn’t always sure what he wanted to do for a living, but he knew he wanted to work for himself. He went from being a self-declared job junkie, working 22 jobs between the ages of 16 - 22, to now running his own agency and helping others through a series of courses and coaching. Learning from Experiences Danny tried his hand at a variety of work-from-home jobs and began to pick up freelance web design jobs. He didn’t always enjoy the work, but he gained lots of valuable experience, and the exposure these jobs gave him has served him well with his own business. Finding the Reward in Risk A series of family setbacks and a couple of cross-country moves caused Danny to lose all his clients on more than one occasion. However, he hustled and worked and always rebuilt. When Danny realized it was time for a change, he took the arguably risky move of dropping his clients to start over. “Most people don’t want to take those risks, but those risks are going to allow you to propel your business in whatever

Ben Matteucci started a successful marketing agency and is now making it on his own terms. He recently spoke to Gabe about how he navigated his way into entrepreneurship, the reward of planning a successful event, the three E’s of creating quality video content and more, for this episode of Today’s Business Leaders. Finding a Better Way Ben was working his way up in a successful job, but he decided he wanted to be in control of his destiny, so he quit his job and started selling door-to-door. Through this adventure, Ben learned a lot about sales and himself, and this simple act of quitting his job put him on a path towards success. “I was tired of spending my time to make money, so I wasn’t enjoying what I was doing, and there wasn’t really an opportunity for growth. I didn’t want to go to school - I didn’t have any passion for it. I wanted to go and make money the way I wanted to do it, which was selling,” Ben explains. Creating Opportunity While recovering from an accident, Ben was unable to knock on door