E49 Valerie Sokolosky-Do it Right The Stories That Make Us

The BS with Bob podcast featuring entrepreneurs, business people and marketers this week talking with David, David is the CEO of voices.com and is a voiceover person myself is pretty cool to be able to talk to the guy that's in charge of probably the largest place to go to get that to get voices David, welcome to the program. Thanks much Bob thought glad to be here and tell some stories. So how did you get in that the whole voiceover Dick everyone finds her own path and my nose is pretty unique. Actually I see with sound go out and share about how Bob had an old record player and dad had a shortwave radio so I always could tinkered with you technology if you could call it that went to school and got a degree in in audio engineering that I opened up a small recording studio, so this was an opportunity for a reported music bands and so forth, but actually got my name in the newspaper on my birthday and I was actually that article brought in some local businesses that were looking to how the female voiceover reported done for phone system that actually met a young woman, just the day before, who was a classically trained singer and that that ladies and now Stephanie is now my wife and cofounder voices.call that time she was a classic between singer and I asked her to do these voiceovers and so she did a phone system and some local radio commercials and that was the problem referred to it as well. Instead of us doing the production. Why don't we become this. The connector between the voice actor in the client is looking to hire them and so we got out of the production ourselves and really reinvented ourselves as as this marketplace that connects the businesses with those voice actors and that's what we been doing for much the last decade and how did you score the name voices.com we actually didn't start as voices.com we we began as as interactive voices, which wasn't exactly the greatest website name the pigeons will listen to new media or interactive media. It was around the height of what was then the Web 2.0 movement when you know everything was big bright and bubbly on the web about flashy colors and and companies like twitter and Flickr were like dropping bowels from their name and as we want to be part of this movement so we were set on changing rebranding. In effect, so I did with many entrepreneurs do you pull up a browser you Google the domain name of your choosing of your desires and we had landed on a website called as a medical Journal club silencing the critical voices in your head is a medical journal that had been updated since about 2000. And so we reached out actually through a lawyer sent an email to this owner and asked what he saw the name and if so what price and he came back he said initially said that $50,000 and then know you know through some negotiation offered six payments of $5000 can of every quarter every three months with them another $5000, and for that he went to the deal. So we were able to almost like a lift and shift their business from the old servers to the new servers and redirect all that traffic that's been actually evolved one of the biggest turning points for us. It was a name that is short. It's memorable. It's easy to spell it, since what we do in a nutshell, so it's been the it's been really great for my from that standpoint. So how does something like voices.com work for the end user so it must have a business and I want to get a voice and looking for a male voice and female voice. Can I use voices.com to have auditions with different voices or how does that. How does even work. The process is very simple. You sign up for freeing you create an account and its most points will we call client feels people are looking to hire a talent have that project in their mind and so you after signing up you can do what we call posting a job was free to post the job and that is where you outline just as you said in looking for a male voice and a female voice I you know I might be enormously particular language so into this case English will allow you to pick the accent even consider certain regions that have many thicker, stronger accents than that others you can go through and then pick each range. This style of performance. Maybe that particular role. If you want a superhero or a sports announcer or a villain that corporate executives and this helps the actor ultimately deliver auditions for the persona that you want to have you to perform the voice and then of course you attach your script what you want. Auditions is a couple even a couple sentences is fine. You pick a budget which is somewhere between you know start to the hundred to $250 and goes up depending on the duration of the recording and the complexity is of the recording itself and then your deadline when you want your auditions back is something like the dating profile or dating service for voices audios a really challenging medium because there's often not the shared language or lexicon for how we describe what we want. We know it when we hear it, but what kind of words you know are people using we seen some really funny artistic will be called artistic direction or creative direction. Your client will say all he wants me to sound taller. What is that mean then you need you know from you know you have the you know the rate dating radio and and an invoice of yourself you get this knees or these conflicting messages of you know we want you to sound your professional but also sarcastic and humorous was like okay well where's that line of my favorite all-time know is somebody want to sound more purple and I think that Mike is a more passionate is it you do fear liquid is purple sound like a Viking fan is that you so that's problem or or or Barney the dinosaur from the 1990s reference, but nonetheless that is why that job posting is such a critical part, because it provides a common understanding for what the client is looking for and then artistic direction for how the talent is supposed to interpret this and deliver initially a great audition in hopes of landing the job. But then it also serves as the basis for, you know, here's what we what we want you to sound like this is really CEO of voices.com, you know, one of the big questions I have is is a voiceover talent myself trying to break into the business is how I get my stuff out there. You know I've got a tape that I did while it's not tape anymore. It's digital, but I've got you know that I've got some projects that I've done I put them together a string them together like I used to back one is looking for a radio job but I do know how to go about taking what I have now and putting it out on something like voices.com so after that initial acting classes that you've taken you know often the deliverable at the end of that of the culminating event is recording a voiceover demo as you said sometimes is referred to as a demo reel are EDL, so however it seems it's an audio file, usually an MP3 that is a montage of a number of spots for ads that is was necessary because when someone searches on voices.com. They want to hear samples that are as close to their project that they have in mind. I mean a bit of a silly example, but you know someone producing a phone system and this set on you to update my phone system brings you not to send the monster truck rally commercial because it's it's good to miss the audience in the styles is is is all wrong. So you know you end up with this portfolio. If you will of a number of demos for each of those major categories and those can be uploaded onto voices.com again completely for free so we have a free account or you can upgrade to a premium membership but really treating a great profile and uploading those demos, which can all be done for free is the absolute best first step in terms of like practical. What can I do to help market myself on a platform like this today. Davis is really from voices.com joining us this week on the BS with Bob Schmidt podcast so the next question I have, I guess is is the talent, then in charge of doing the editing and breaking down the commercial and putting the music behind it, and all matters that go to somebody else for postproduction. Yeah, great, great question, so most of the reeds and the voiceovers that her daughter what's it's a bit of a bit of jargon here which was referred to as a dry read, meaning there's no additional processing or music that's being mixed in some clients may ask for that but usually in most cases, they just want the voiceover as a clean file with no extra attention done to it and that you know some some clients may ask for brass to be edited out some I mean that's that's can be a lot of extra work. Often times, so it's, it's, you know it is. I see it's a clean read where it sounds as natural as possible. The editing out of breath and we don't see is as much done anymore, but what is required is a is a clean recording with no kind of background noise and then he can produce or whether it's a curriculum designer at you know Microsoft putting together a series of corporate training videos or product demonstration videos there probably to have their own music selections on the backend, and so they would be making those making those choices. What about the different quality of voices I'm not voices, but the different quality of studios because I know that my studio sounds different than your studio sounds different than Johnny down the street studio how you go about matching or coming up with the right sound for the specific client. One of the memorable phrases was trust your ears and that's what we tend@voices.com to encourage our clients whether there are creative producer that is hiring voice actors all the time, or perhaps a small business that's just getting a phone. Their phone system greetings done a voicemail and some on hold messaging to ultimately trust their ears know some of these projects, let's say meet much more high-stakes are going to air on radio and TV. Other

The Steve Lynch podcast is a www.podcastforhire.com production.
If you are looking for someone to tell your story, please contact Bob Schmidt from Podcast For Hire at 608-785-0555 if you are looking for Steve Lynch find him here https://www.facebook.com/stevenllynch or find Alena Rae find her at https://www.facebook.com/alena.nicholson.7

Transcription for seo purposes only.
Founding member of the band autograph Steve Lynch joining me. I had the opportunity to interview Steve a few times over the last handful years and always enjoy chatting with them always enjoy seeing you guys live and always enjoy just the person that you are Steve because a lot of times rock stars. A lot of times people in your position. Don't give time to be ordinary person and you know were friends on Facebook. I've tagged you in a couple things and you actually respond to your fans, which I think is is cool. Well I just look at myself as an ordinary person register your lab work hard to become our guitars and you know I appreciate all the parents out there so much I may not yield to be an honor to have people listen to me naturally like what I'm doing, you still get a kick out of. When people come up to and say are you Steve Lynch yeah absolutely no will of course you know it's it's one of those things where the recognition and respect that you received the excitement from that never goes away. A lot of people get a chance to do some really cool things over the years of me being in radio I had the chance actually broadcast from inside of a bridge over the Mississippi River walk while they were building this bridge. I'm guessing that you had the chance to do some cool things that the average ordinary Joe hadn't had the chance to do is just the traveling yell and just being on stage plates, such are numerous amount of people and it was only autograph I did a lot of traveling. My clinics was promoting my books. I have three books out cultlike touch looks one, two and three of us promoting those like Dr. travel to 20 different countries in Q3 25 cities felt that was great. It's a blessed life. You know it really is. That's where I feel about him very thankful. Steve a lot of times people think of rock 'n' roll they think of sex drugs and rock 'n' roll that can ask about the typical question to most people ask, but I do ask about you know seeing some year friends and some of that you know people that you that you played with over the years, you know, succumb to drug addictions and things like that. It was, it isn't hard to be on you know be on stage and BN on the road and and and Kelly keep a clean and free life. Like the I was just you as I drink too much, but that you know that I was looking thought that I just didn't like okay so so that was that was easy for me to not but I didn't try but it was easy for me to share with you. I was just going through focusing on playing guitar and and just putting on a good performance and I've always just got My mindset that links it was difficult to also see all the people go through the hardships that you know what drugs you will because of our lives and see people go don't go very fast when they do try to come… Same as they were previously so that is. His music business different now than it was in the 80s. Europe your gambling into all these different aspects of the music business and trying to be a musician and songwriter. All the same time. Like with autograph. I was basically the general manager the tour manager and the business manager on the night on the one that was leaked the liaison in between, you know, all different aspects. The endorsements the booking agent. I did most most all the interviews and then I took care of all the banking eye to eye pain. Everybody I get all the business taxes and everything so you know those there is a big burden what I limit SSN because I think that the that the big thing now is that you have quit the band autograph. Steve stepped off from you know from from performing. Are you still a part of the band even though you're not playing with them or if you basically cut ties altogether. Well, I basically cut ties altogether. You know I wanted to move on to something different. And one thing my fiancé later told Ms. that I thought was a really good analogy of you know after your if you have a CD in your car and you play it over and over again for 35 years. Eventually you want to change that CD in your car and go on to different things you want your listener difference because you just got tired of playing the same songs doing the autograph that you know I look at myself like I have a lot more to offer the what I was contributing to autograph and point out is the last job we did get off your ass. That was mainly all written by sign that my writing was going in a completely different direction. Attached as it is now so it just didn't sound like autograph at all. I need not at all. It was a completely different thing. It was his guitar playing audit. A lot of people say that's like my guitar playing and all will. That's because it's not that silent playing guitar on that. I just by the time I got in there into the studio. I only had room to do my guitar solos are a couple little parts and that was it was very disappointed. On the whole outcome like I wanted to hear. Going to a completely different direction. Like, I became very disheartened at that time. That was a couple years ago my fiancé and I talked about working together you know last several months and she's got an incredible voice. I wanted to just do something so different it would be open to whatever we felt like writing the way the directional going in a small cutting edge music using different beats and everything and not really being influenced by one genre or another just doing whatever we feel like it – what I feel but music should really be when somebody because of the natural particular genre, then pigeonholed into that and then there know that so hard for you as an 80s rocker, you know, long hair, guitar playing master to kinda change that view window and a look at Nicole big genre. I have a salon that I did not look 23 if you type in which network 23. The numbers 22 and three. Then you can listen to the whole album is a complete departure from the autograph. I love my God Bill calls Peter Gabriel and the Moody blues. I love the Pink Floyd Formica dances, porcupine tree in all of these bands of always been really experimental and I just love that about them asking about your most commercial song turn up the radio. What was the inspiration of that was it to get radio play know you know actually that was just something that will in reverse obituary will rehearsal studios in North Hollywood that I just had this riff like that don't don't don't don't don't don't don't don't don't don't don't read. He got up and started planning to get her Bassler and then came up with that dude knew that little part in it. The next thing you know the other guys were sitting out there actually was about the whole lineup sounds cool Otto. Just jamming you know and then everybody stayed with us for all of it, we we got the whole song together really quick I need is just like all of a sudden. So you know that we start thinking about it was not all that's left the work and then we started everybody was chiming in on the lyrics of working harder working to redo it every day. You know, and then send us to send
would use that. And so it was a song that was written by all five of Jeff's right on right on the cup like that. And sometimes those of the best sponsors. What is your spontaneous like that. Just everybody's in that creative mode and we just did it and of course after the general realize you know what we should probably change. It's just radio because recommend radial mother. You know you don't wriggle scissors a while back we want will you put pushing it from a commercial standpoint, we just thought it was a cool sounding song. Then we went in and we could all the different call letters all the young woman WK Z you know you know out on the West Coast. It was all KTLA or whatever you know and we went in and we spent 28 hour days saying turn it up KTLA or whatever we sent all the colors we did over 800 really yeah so that you because when they could play that like before this all and then all of a sudden the phone just blew up in it and of the radio play was just incredible. So you can number 93 on the top 100 of mostly songs ever on radio portraits still have that opportunity to at least have a really big song. Let's focus on a new project at 222. So after I after I contact you about doing this in this interview. For some reason the number two kept popping up between the last 48 hours have seen the number two like 100 times is so bizarre what what everybody said that that that was they see the 222 may start seeing 222 on the clock and start seeing it everywhere, and since just like everywhere in what happened was my fiancé she was seeing it everywhere. She had been for years and just before we had met like a couple years before we had actually met. I started seeing a lot as well that and 1111 those two sets of numbers and so should you know she started listening still seems to 22 everywhere and I said so my you know I see it every day, sometimes five times a day and so it must mean something significant. We googled it would look it up in it. So that means it's it's it's a new change in your life that your angels are guiding you to a different place to hire well and I thought that is so cool like your spirituality is going into another place and that's with both of us felt up at the time as well. She came up with the idea of what's called the project 222

I had fun having conversation with Carnival Cruise director Deon.

Amanda McDonough
www.Amanda-McDonough.com
www.ReadyToBeHeard.com


Social Media
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBERhpWcbrcDEsM0A0D36rg
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/officialamandamcdonough/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ActingAmanda
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amanda_mcdonough/

I am truly amazed by my episode 57 guest Amanda McDonough. She is probably the most inspirational of all the guests I've had to this point. She pushed me to try to figure out how I could talk with her, I am glad I did. Ready to be heard the book that Amanda wrote is a must read.

Amanda McDonough was born in 1990 and diagnosed with hearing loss at the age of 4. As she grew older, her hearing steadily declined as she battled to hide her ongoing hearing loss from her family, friends, teachers, and the world. Despite facing unbelievable challenges, she succeeded in; getting straight A’s in school, having a successful child acting career, and leading a fairly “normal” life.
McDonough currently resides in Los Angeles, California and enjoys successful inspirational speaking and acting careers. Amanda’s recent television, theater and film credits include: ABC's "Speechless," NBC’s “Bad Judge,” ABC Family’s “Switched at Birth,” Chris Lilly’s Pilot series “Just Us Guys,” "Our Town" with Tony nominated Deaf West Theater and films such as “Listen” directed by Michaela Higgins and "Silent Star" directed by Steven Sanders.. Her films "Passengers," "Loud and Clear, " and "Lady Electric" have gone on to show in various festivals (such as Cannes) and win awards.

THE BOOK:

READY TO BE HEARD: HOW I LOST MY HEARING AND FOUND MY VOICE

WHAT YOU WILL LEARN:

How I overcame my hearing loss, discovered who I really am, and found a balance between the hearing world I was raised in and the Deaf culture to which I now belong.
How to overcome your own struggles and obstacles in life.
How to live your best life with hearing loss.As well as, how to better communicate with & empathize with the people in your life currently experiencing a decrease in their hearing. (Last chapter of my book is called "The Hearing Loss Handbook" it contains tips and tricks for dealing with hearing loss.

Kat Chrysostom
Benefab® Owner & Founder
Website: benefabproducts.com
Office: 855-957-8378

In 2011, at age 19, Kat was riding her horse back to the barn when he suddenly stumbled and fell. After Kat regained consciousness, she discovered that her horse was dying, and she was paralyzed. After a long and difficult struggle, Kat found a holistic therapy that helped her regain her mobility. Soon after recovery, Kat began exploring the possibilities of using the same life-changing therapy to reduce pain and suffering on the creatures she loved. And so Benefab®, a company specializing in wearable therapeutic pet products, was born. Recently, Benefab® has partnered with the ASPCA, a non-profit organization whose mission is to save the lives of animals.
In addition to running Benefab, Kat loves to help people channel their passion into profit. Her newly released book, Broken to Branded, is full of true business stories and real-world strategies designed to help entrepreneurs build a successful business without losing sight of their purpose.

Contact Teri Parker-Brown
1-651-269-2214
teri.parkerbrown@icloud.com
https://www.teriparkerbrownvo.com/

Teri says if you really want to do voiceover get out and take a class, acting or improv. Meet some people, get an agent, get online and see what you can find out about the business. And see if in the pit of your stomach if that is something that you should really pursue.

Lorri Allison Craig is a Certified Financial Planner
wakethewarriorwoman.com/workshop
The BS of Bob Schmidt podcast featuring entrepreneurs, marketers and business people this week talking with Lorri Allison Craig is an entrepreneur and author and a certified financial planner wanted to talk with her about starting up your own business over your lunch hour and I think that a lot of us as entrepreneurs can have that is a dream in our work and are 95 and were thinking about the daily grind and the crap that were dealing with on a daily basis with again we can do it better. Lori, is it possible for us to do better and that you know can I start a business only during her lunch hour anybody come to people that are God only 75% higher than that is a lot of people just hate what they do on a daily the grind is just there, I developed the lunch bag in the UK learn on your lunch hour to start a business doing something that you have is is that the key right there is doing something that you love you again something that it's not worth the joy you don't care how many traits you spend doing what you know, I found that II mean I really enjoy podcasting. I'm just waiting for the dollars to start rolling in. So how do you do how do you monetize the thing you love to do and end up making a living out of it that not only did that learning to halt the difference that parents see that and for asking different ways that you can make money and lifting her that when you get a bad business plan part that is forecasting different ways that you can monetize that care mistakes with your business plan is not necessarily for somebody else it's for you to… More and think to go do some research is like, okay, let's look at some other podcast. How do they make money and find some no entrepreneurs that you can just follow their plan. Instead of reinventing the wheel. You think that a lot of entrepreneurs try to reinvent the wheel every time. Why can do better than that, and then realizing that there drowning in minute I spent all this time and I could just look at this or could I just googled that you know what had the answer right there rather than spending time doing a short story. My daughter grip on my lap running a business from my home and said she didn't think anything about it. Just as she graduated from college. He started business in her home and now she went to multimillion dollar corporation from her living room while while he lived saying to me, mom and found only now – or if I'd only known that and said okay well that's Lamb writing this so that people can just you know get it in a simplified version and a male only difference Glatz like one of them is building a team of professionals explain you have decided what you want to do that next year as when you want to go find the accountants in that attorney and that can help you in that particular area to want to get your team together absolutely need to get your team going that before you going to need to know what you can again like that great idea rightly admit you'd mentioned business plan a couple minutes ago and the importance of a business plan. What kind of detail should we put forth in her business plan to make sure that people don't get that. I don't know that there tell doing the business plan because it is so big and complicated and daunting and that scripting I think the first time that you do it you start with a simplified business plan. You go to the Internet and you find a sample kind of closely related to what you want to do because it's going to have a lot of things – that maybe you haven't thought at sea as a template and go through it and see if you're on the right thing. Not you I'd thrown out more ideas than I've ever actually started business with probably 5 to 1. So if you do the business plan and simplified version you can kind of see upfront whether it seems viable or not Outlook let me ask a little bit about that because I my mind is always with all this would be a great idea. All that domain names available. I buy the domain name might be annoyed. I start jot down things I start going hundred and 27 miles an hour. Then I hit a wall in my Idea than the scroll runs by to look at the squirrel for a while and I forget where I was guessing that a lot of entrepreneurs have that same squirrel mentality that I do this I owe next thing you know that you know, it sounds like you're definitely an entrepreneurial brain so I would start no. If you do you want Dick a great idea you analyze everything that you live, you know, what are the things you like to read what you like to look at when you're surfing on the web like you and your joys in life and write those down and shrink them into another top trading you like and then do values work like what's important to you is freedom important is your home environment important to know what things that I am pointing all those things and to get it values and what you live, and gives you the direction the fillet, like a flashlight that you just highlighting the area that your you're truly interested in and then you do what we call a slot that drinks, weaknesses, opportunities and threats and you just do a one pager and you evaluate whether your internal strength that taking anything that you're interested in and what are your weaknesses. Do you need to go get some more education or knowledge that led to make that opportunity stronger you want to do an inventory of external opportunities in that environment right, you know what the market economics that are going on right now and many the social and political landscape. Okay so minutes is is basically it's it's a big long list of things he could have to look at in order to jump in with both feet and be ready to be buoyant when you did when you know when you do jump into the water a lot cheaper than making mistakes on paper so you want to do them just like building a house. When you hire an architect to help you design your house and everything you make those mistakes on paper rather than getting in to actually framing the house and you like someone at the wall over there and not making changes. Happy is gotten started. It's much better to do it. What you'd mentioned also earlier about your about your daughter sitting on your lap as you are going through and doing some of the stuff earlier on in your career and how your daughter took that and move that into an opportunity for herself. I've been kind of a closet entrepreneur my whole life as a radio guy for 30 years and then when I got laid off from radio. I jumped in both feet to do podcast and it's funny because two of my boys started job or started their own businesses as last summer as well. I've got a summons got a food truck now and another son that makes fishing lures really jumped in the some of the things that they enjoy doing and are make money that way you know you were great you are a great role model that's important about being an entrepreneur and what can I get on your children model and it takes away the fear for them. Thank you not going to get you. I can get the same thing with my daughter and Frank was just totally normal to start a business in your home, so there was just like no fears it just never occurred to her Fear when you did mention that you will be kind of a leader. That way you'd mentioned earlier before we got a mirror that you're talking about, but you're also coach and a and a mentor and I I'm guessing that a lot of times that some of the started off a business wanting to get going and something called a somebody end up getting a culture finding the right mentor for what type of entrepreneurial adventure that they have lied business coaches that are out there. I would suggest getting a business college in the area of the business that you're interested in coaches. I got Chris for coaching. Five had business coaches and I would just suggest that you do like. A web search talk to people talking your team, your CPA or attorney can get referrals far outweigh our men. People in the financial industry. I feel really strongly about giving women opportunity so I went to my assistant into becoming certified financial planners and professionals on their own but that's how I I mentor people coming at pelican industry specific to think that most people are willing to help out under the underdog or the person just started up. I think a lot of people do. I think they had black tender patent that they want to help people starting out a while back, I interviewed an author, Ralph Heath. He wrote the book celebrating failure and I'm assuming that as an entrepreneur and as a person is starting up it'll businesses on her on a regular basis. You probably have lots of failures to to go with some of the success that's all yeah yeah you embrace those tanks and now that the teachable moment and make you stronger. I think about Olympic athletes that talk about how many holy things that they lost on the way to becoming an Olympic athlete, so you have to embrace give an example of an embracing of failure that perhaps would help somebody listening right now. I think one of the things that I get tonight would hope might help people who are thinking about becoming an entrepreneur and starting a business, whereas I was helping my financial advisor in his business. And honestly I just kind of sitting on my tension letting him run the business and I was just kind like he is answering the phone. Even though I had all my licenses and everything honestly is letting somebody else do it right, you can do that for me and then he was diagnosed with cancer and given 10 days to live, and gone. I just went into shock is like all my guys know he is going to make some money and when I can do and so can others allot to the story. He added also and into health and diet nutrition in that setting. And so I went to work on him and he ended up living another 15 years

https://rodwallacephd.com/

The BS Bob Schmidt podcast talking entrepreneurship, business and marketing. This week's guest is economist, consultant and author Dr. Rod Wallace and Telluride that the one class that I got the lowest grade in in college I just graduated and that in April was economy are economics and it's weird because I like the class. I studied hard in the class but the teacher didn't allow stem open books only got a B in the class. I'm very sorry to hear that, Bobby. We can do better, but of course we can ride your business strategist. What is a business strategist actually do the work for planning and so you know, the book of what might I let you know we want to grow in Europe and Asia and we want to shrink in. You know our presence in South America, but the really interesting part of that is taking a step back and saying what's really going on in the world because that plan. We want to grow in Europe and Asia should be based on what's really going on in the world and that's the interesting part where we say okay why is it that okay that it seems that technology growth as measured by an economist has shrunk since 1980. Or it's been a lot slower 1980 than it had been before 1980. Even though you look at all the amazing stuff that come out like computers in cell phone and artificial intelligence and ego. What now the most amazing technology ever and were scared of email people being replaced by machines. And yet, the economists say that economic growth has slowed. During that time I said we want to grow and then we want to shrink we want to grow what we want to grow our presences as American businesses going to grow our what they deliver. It couldn't we talk about it. GDP, which is basically the total value of everything produced in the United States are you thinking we got 270 million people in the US, something like that and if we produce no 50 thousand dollars of stock per person that better than if we only produce $25,000 of stuff for person to talk gross domestic product that's what the GDP is as or try to grow okay because I was sure to try to make it is simple as possible because when people are listening you know sometimes your heads in the cloud. Sometimes there you know it's it's kind of on his background. Sometimes there be no pain will close attention so try to make things as simple as possible for people that are listening well the part that's really saying is that we have an increasing number of people that are going to college and are getting educated, and that that seems like it's fantastic and back at night, but the same point we are in a country where more than half of the public universities one third of the senior people in the last year cannot make a cohesive argument but cannot assess the quality of evidence in the document or interpreted table door, going to school forever. It's just that we don't seem to be necessarily learning a whole lot. The whole time were doing so would you suggest we do in place of that. I think what we need to do is first and foremost understand more clearly what it is that were trying to get out of our educational system. Right now we have everyone is is going through and improving little pieces of the educational system and we have a bunch of teachers that are really awesome and that most of them care about Arctic art, our kids, not all of them but most of them do. And then we have a really cool programs that are designed to take kids into the behind. Grade level and bring them up to grade level with other programs that are designed to take kids are younger physically and mentally handicapped in and mainstreamed in each one of those things is really awesome. The problem is when you combine them all what you have is you have yelp, the teacher is trying to help these five first-graders who are behind first grade level. Enter like 17 digit code into the computer to take their weekly standardized test and the rest of the school just going to classrooms is going haywire. We had to be much clearer about what we want from education and once we do that, then we can ask a developer that would do that well will masses that I mean I hate to say this word but eventually segregate kids and put you know the kids a little bit smarter in this group little kids that are not as smart in this group and consider trailing in this group rather than a specific solution. I think the more important they will what the purpose of education is it just like to teach our kids a certain set of skills. If so, then having different kids in different classroom probably makes it makes good sense. On the other hand, if the purpose of education is to really help people collaborate and work together and that that's the most important thing that we want from our school system than having all kinds of different kids in the same classroom is going to be helpful because it divides different challenges than we have. Otherwise, it really depend on the goal of what is a school for Rod Wallace as our guests were talking about his book drowning potential. What's your book about Rod my book is about the impact of digital technology on American society and what really happened is that as we use digital technology. Computers and cell phones is change the nature of our interactions with each other you think about you. You see all the pictures of people sitting around a table with their cell phone cell phone rather than actually talking to Kelly right and those types of things have. It is much broader than because what's happened is that we have both become more distant from each other, which is young people sitting on the table. We also increase the complexity of our world in incredible ways in, and some awesome ways. You know, we now have three different types of submissions that are specialists in different types of ways of studying the human heart that that's pretty cool. I mean there's all these people who are specialist on your little part of the heart challenges but now we have the a nurse in the average urban hospital have to work with the hundred 30 different types of specialists and if that collaboration doesn't work well then our health system doesn't work well away. Our American health system doesn't work well and so even though we have this awesome technology that's available and truly spectacular. What we can do the lifespan of the American people has actually shrunk the last two years will I read something about that. Just the other day about how it has shrunk. But a lot of that is due to the fact that there's so much opioid addiction out there and heroin addiction is out there. I guess her automobiles are the same at math and things like that that but the drugs have basically taken us down a couple notches it is that can what you're seeing is well. I will definitely definitely in. But you have to go another step deeper. Well, what is the reason why some of these you know that suicide is another major reason for the increasing suicide. So what is increasing suicide and an increasing Oak Court opioid abuse really related to coming to the fact that people have less and less relationships with each other in meaningful ones. If you think about three different factors a close human connection with somebody else. Obesity and tobacco use. Which one do you think is actually the most indicative of how long you're gonna live. I would say the human interaction. Honestly, I really and is where were having trouble with human interaction because were not sure how to apply that digital technology in a way that really brings us together. That is part of the or a big chunk of the reason why were running into problems with you how the opioids and suicides and you know it's very difficult to say that all that because now there's lots of closet but one of the big ones is that word were losing the human connections were increasing the complexity of our world. We can't figure out you know where were trying to go in the world and has some pretty negative unintended consequences. Rod Hadley's… How do we how do we stop the unknown addiction to the phones and the addiction the electronics in the you know everything else and go back to playing games on a Saturday night with the family around the of the kitchen table on part of it is exactly what you decide. I mean, in your own family that we have that the choices of things stop at a phones are allowed at the dinner table and we can play games but as a society we actually have to shift and think about the types of tools that we used to work together a little bit differently because 10,000 years ago, humans created the agricultural technology. What we learn how to farm and it may seem independent of how we structure society, but it's really connected that before farming. You and I would've been no generalists, and we would hundred coyotes one day or something. And if we fail big deal will gather berries. The next but with agriculture working at farm and we can spend like month on one crop. And if we felt like our family like a star, still working as specialize in farming and so we need to develop all kinds of economic systems and social systems to support one person being a farmer in the other. Another person being a bureaucrat and another person being a better etc. and we created specialization well now 10,000 years later really get a specialist so we have all kinds of people that are specialist on the ice in my Rolodex I got a guy who's really good at at helping people with public relations and for their plumbing and HVAC businesses will that is quite a specialized niche so but how do we all work together. That's where were running into problems and saying how do we get all of these groups are specialist work together and collaborate and so the talk about education little bit ago. It's about making sure that we understand where, as a group were trying to get to and use all of our meeting,

The BS of Bob Schmidt podcast usually dealing with entrepreneurship, business, and marketing but at this time of the year I like to reflect on the year that was in the year that's coming up as we wrap up 2018 get our journey to 2019 I'd like to reflect on a few highlights of my year. In May I lost a job that I loved, but it turned out to be a positive thing by pushing me to start my own and then to grow my own business podcast for hire.com. I also turned 50 years old, I graduated from Western technical College with an Associates degree in sales and sales management, I got my bartenders license and got my first job as a bartender a couple of days a week. I wanted couple of great trips including Chicago a couple of times went to the Twin Cities a few times, went to New York also I drove the upper Midwest with a buddy of mine through Minnesota South Dakota and Wyoming we went to Devils Tower and Old Faithful. I got a job doing national radio with hot rocket USA got to spend some time with both of my brothers spent time with my family of origin made new friends some great new friends got to spend time with some old friends that are dear and near to my heart , I spent lots of time this year reflecting on life and what I wanted to do with my life at our family land. But the best times that I spent this last year with my own family making memories and reliving them with stories and with pictures I hope that if you celebrate Christmas that you enjoyed your season. When I grew up everyone said Merry Christmas and happy new year now we have to ask if it's okay to say Merry Christmas and honestly that bothers me if somebody said happy Hanukkah or happy Kwanzaa to me I'd be happy that somebody took the time out of their day that say hello but if I say Merry Christmas to you I'm saying it generically wishing you were somebody good luck the best of times. I think that we've set this whole political correctness standards of the day to a whole new level and it is unfortunate. The start of a new year is an exciting time a new calendar new month new start of the week it's a new day it's a brand-new chance to start over the New Year's and a clean slate I do over, a chance to start over, reset if you well. I hope that the year 2019 finds you and your family with all the adventures, the love, the enjoyment, the travel, basically everything that you wish for and you do over. I know something that everyone just says but I truly truly hope that you 2019 is the year for you through hard work and desire I hope that your reset button gives you the chance to achieve all of your dreams. My hopes for this year are to continue to grow my business to cultivate new friendships to grow friendships that I already have, to listen to family to spend time with family to communicate with loved ones, you know I do have a lot of goals and a lot of dreams that I hope I'm able to achieve in 2019. I hope that I get the chance to do these things and I hope that you get the chance to do the things that you set your mind to. I hope that you're able to find the things that you need in order to have a happy successful enjoyable and great 2019. Let's take a moment and reflect to the memories of 2018 and the unpublished pages of 2019 may your new year be the best ever happy new year from podcast for hire.com

Bob Schmidt podcast featuring entrepreneurs, business people and marketers this week talking with Elizabeth Dickinson certified life coach and public speaker as well as author of the book. The concise coaching handbook how to coach yourself and others to get business results and I had a chance to meet Elizabeth a few months ago. Back in New York and had a chance eight, Hennepin conversation and chat a little bit about business and invited around of the podcasts talk about this and you know Elizabeth, I think that a lot of people a lot of self-starters a lot of entrepreneurs and people that are it you know in business for themselves have all these great ideas but sometimes the concise part is is a hard thing for people to get yeah I don't you think that I think the people have a hard time to try to be concise week, at least for myself. I also at taco stuff out there and I could whittled it down and said okay let's just focus in on this one little thing actually very true ruler and ruled McCracken' you folks in the real estate industry and outlets. Also, home remodelers, and a lot of then interesting the problems that they back and turn it in your heart you deal with people who don't get to the point here, and he needed some Texan checks around around that kind of think it is tricky to glow from storm helps to bring somebody out to just kind of rehearsing your head a little thing about what you can save on what your message is to be sure that you don't have to fumble around when you're actually leaving a message or on the phone and I think it's actually helpful. I am just going into and what are the top three things I need to get across in this conversation. Helping organize and train your brain just a little back so that you can do more effective conversation with other people know it is. I could hear was that based on my start of the start of the show. I'm just double checking, you know, it's funny that you brought that up because I know that my son he's 20 and he before he makes a phone called anybody he practices what he wants to say to those people and still nine times out of 10 he says dad is still screwed up. How do you have stuff to say when you're on the radio is and I honestly I don't know just kinda comes to me often because you're a great improviser and you're just ready to go with whatever energy of the conversation is going to be able to allow yourself to everybody. And so they really do think about it a little bit you so much radio experience, you probably don't get nervous. I totally the opposite. I get nervous all the top name yeah and it's it's crazy to think that but I route I really do it, or talking in front of a group of people. I despise that that's one of my least favorite things in the world to do what you I think it's a fear of messing up. I mean honestly, I've given myself permission to make mistakes. You know when it would have done things I said you know just got there, do the best you can do but I still sometimes have a difficult time trying to figure out that or I think that people perhaps are thinking well this guys professionally should do a better job than you really think I don't know. I really don't know. I I've taken classes of to. I actually went back to college as an adult to try to learn new skills and I had a speech class. I did well in the speech class but I think it's just I need to get out of my own head I don't. Maybe this counseling session with a lot of person in your shower. Friendly and welcoming role answers that people come up with more effect that they're more likely to listen to themselves are more likely to act on their own advice on impossible for them to stop thinking about what however he said it so firm so so I'm hoping if we were an actual coaching session, we help a little deeper and see if we could come up with strategies to help you need out how self-critical people are because I went to a real estate seminar a few weeks a few weeks ago there was a young Asian guy, very successful and incredibly successful. He started this whole company which is wholesaling property and so successful at it. He can't even renovate all the properties come his way. Available to other investors. He was Ernest Carol Carol. He just found no idea her nervously in my heart is beating a mile in and finding it difficult to believe the first time I've ever come in and effort in front of a group of people like doing public speaking when he even said it, right afterwards and they sent a thank you need to know a single person out here who would have been able to how you were nervous or that you had never done this before. I think you gave just for you just need to have some more confidence in what you doing and he took my card and he said you're a public speaker, so that means so much to me. You know people come from an acting background then one of the things I said to Mary your people come to place people come to environs and want to like you, with all of those judgment things in your head. You think they hide so you know you can trust and that people want to hear what you want to follow and not sitting there going. You know, being all persnickety in the way that you might be persnickety about yourself, and so I just wish that I could just inject everyone with confidence instead of what I can coach people there but I can't do it you know in their wake everyone across the state of your supercar or superpower you have them. That's what would be my superpower and holy moly but do find a lot of people that that's a problem that a lot of people have is the maybe, maybe not confidence but the fact of talking in front of people are being public. People fear public speaking more than curling crazy guy dear death little bit more than public speaking because I think I don't want to die today or tomorrow. You know I so I will talk to so a little bit crazy. You really understand your people warning the dance that they know what the man know that it's going to be received well and they want to know that their darkness grew up to want to control things you can control is what you say and how you are in the moment. So a lot of it is about finding ways currency compared to the best of your ready to just kinda let it go and be in the moment so is me saying to myself that you know I could just do the best job that you can do it mean is, is that, getting in the moment being coachable or mean or so for yourself what is going to mean something like coach from the Land O Lakes once he was really funny about what grades in offense cheer him up, but it was along the lines a little mantra of it really that important say to myself, I think I can sell it. It really that important. It actually gets used internal anxiety that he was having. And it would stop him from blowing a people which was a problem for him getting into trouble with his supervisor because so I think it's about framing the same each person. It's going to be a little bit different. You know there's working with you. I went into a box where we would go down a little bit deep into your little bit deeper into your unconscious and bring up the wise part of year and say what what is a wise target the widest part of you have to say about that. Good luck trying to find it is what everyone is wearing my was more of a wise ass. I think that I could be a white thing that will get to use it for you Frank for going to find a little routine you can get this kind will come and take away the nerves. It's all about training and experience of being human being in a human body and deal with other people what you would put you on edge strengths Finder and strengths Finder. I really recommend it to people. It's an expense at the Gallup organization put that out there and it's really useful tool when my strengths, but which I can use against any strength which is over you comes a weakness being an achiever. One of my top toppings and achievers just really like measurable progress. Everybody likes measurable progress. Patients found that one of the predictors of happiness for virtually everyone is making some slight sense of making some progress every day. That's really went early in me, and so are going out of town tomorrow and it's now easy opportunities. I fly glider term get those jobs don't you think putting off for forever and filling kinda hard on myself and it puts me in for Kerry get all of these things during the flyleaf. Yes, and I can kind of put me on imagine you know when to ease up for myself sometimes and sometimes you make more progress in earnings and I found this is an achiever, not just as a coaches that sometimes you have to track what I'm doing because I like to give myself credit for the stuff that I have to turn right. You know, if you make a whole bunch of phone calls and you give get the result that you want it like it was all messages or email. People keep calling back and keep missing each other and so nothing gets accomplished or something to remind yourself that Micco's phone calls I made five phone calls I made 10 phone calls today and even if it can result what and what I wanted your remarks to win so I think thinking a different kind of different ways to kindness that you not being too hard on yourself right is is that what is sometimes I've heard a few people say that you start every morning by making your bed is at least you got something done. I think that's a really good point. If you have lists and staff. They often do the hardest thing you may be asked to make the hardest first go through the goal. You literally start the day with more willpower than in the day with and it's kind of finite supply just harder to get harder things done. The later in the day you go so you know if you can get some of the hard stuff off early in the day I can feel better about stuff you know a little bit malleable because sometimes you need a couple of easy wind couple of hard days, easier things done first does not allow that basil one what y