Maxwell Ivey's Blog, page 7

Voice branding expert Chip Edwards shares about becoming an entrepreneur and public speaker

Hello again;

This time I’m honored to be speaking with my good friend Chip Edwards on What’s Your Excuse.

Chip,

is not only the expert on voice branding through wireless speakers.

He’s not only a talented public speaker teaching bloggers and podcasters across the country how to grow their brands on Alexa and Google.

He’s not only a wonderfully supportive friend, but he and his wife Pam are also sponsors of the show.

Without their decision to invest in themselves and in me I wouldn’t have had the funds to attend several national conferences over the last year.

Without their financial support I would have missed those opportunities to share my story and inspire so many to take action in their lives.

And I would have missed the opportunity to learn so much and to attract new clients.

I’ve had the pleasure of learning about who he is, what he does, and why we all need to have a branding strategy.

And you can find him by saying Alexa open Create My Voice.

Or okay Google ask for Create My Voice.

Or by visiting him at www.createmyvoice.com

Click on his contact link and schedule a time to speak with him about leveraging Alexa and Google.

We talked about his transition from being part of the creative projects team at a corporate work place to reluctant entrepreneur.

How he always admired creative people but never had the courage before now to be that person who turns their ideas into a business.

How he had trouble with public speaking until he decided to approach it as teaching instead of speaking.

He’s always loved teaching people things, so this made it much easier for him.

We talked about deciding what is working and isn’t working when it comes to growing a business or promoting a product or service.

But mainly we talked about how much the future of our online lives will depend on receiving information by asking for it with our voice.

And how if you aren’t protecting your brand on these devices it will cost you dearly in the future.

Because if you don’t own your invocation, then someone else can and will control the content people receive when they ask for you on Alexa, Google, etc.

An invocation is the voice equivalent of your url. They are unique, and once one is gone you have lost it forever.

This is why with Chip’s help I have claimed the invocations for The Blind Blogger and What’s Your Excuse.

I’m sharing all of this information from Chip because I don’t want those aspiring entrepreneurs in the audience to be harmed by not knowing.

And I’m sharing Chip’s journey as a way of showing that it comes down to taking opportunities when they are in front of you.

I hope that you will soon be saying if Chip can do it then what’s my excuse.

Now On To The Show

About Chip

Technologist and teacher,

Chip helps influencers and business owners optimize their brand on Smart Speakers (like Amazon Alexa and Google Home).

Similar to domain names on the Internet, voice devices need an Invocation Name to respond with your content. Does your brand have an Invocation Name yet?

Chip is a partner at the firm Create My Voice and he can make Your Brand respond with Your Content.

Connect With Chip

Website: www.CreateMyVoice.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/cmv.chip.edwards

Linked In: www.linkedin.com/in/cedwards

Twitter: www.twitter.com/ChipEdwards4

Usually, this is the part where I ask you to visit Chip’s site to thank him for coming on the show.

But, this time I’m going to encourage you to visit the site because it’s in your own best interest.

If you have a blog or a podcast, then you need to be discoverable on these speaker devices.

And it’s not just living rooms. It’s kitchens, law tractors, cars, semi trucks, etc.

In the best case people aren’t finding your content.

In the worst case they are asking for you and your awesome work, but they are being sent somewhere else.

And if you don’t have a blog or podcast, then I would send you to Chip because he always has the latest information on how to get the most out of our wireless speakers.

I can’t tell you how cool it is to say Alexa play What’s Your Excuse? and have her play my latest podcast episode.

And I’m truly thankful to Chip and Pam. They are two of the many amazing people who have helped me become or continue to be the inspirational excuse challenging person you see today.

And that includes you. If I didn’t know you were following along, I might find it in me to quit.

Knowing I would disappoint you is a great motivator.

So give yourself a round of applause right after you share the post.

Thanks again and take care out there, Max

David Goldstein blind host of I Can’t C U visits What’s Your Excuse?

Hello Again;

I’m really excited about the latest guest on What’s Your Excuse.

David Goldstein,

is my latest new best friend who I met at Pod Fest.

In fact I had posted in their face book group that I was looking to share a motel room with someone. A few people had offered, but they wanted more money for my share of their room. David let me stay with him for exactly what I wanted to spend, and he was okay with my not paying him until I got to the conference.

Then to find out he is also blind and an established podcaster with a show focusing on blindness, vision loss, and how we adapt to what vision we have to live our lives on our terms.

We spent countless hours talking. We ate together. And he helped me navigate my way around the hotel for a good chunk of the weekend.

I wish I had photos of people’s expressions watching us follow each other around. Especially when we took the escalator. Something many sighted people won’t even ask us if we can take.

Regina Ozeryansky shares her three step method of revolutionizing your life

Hello again;

This time on The What’s Your Excuse? Show,

I’m happy to introduce you to my new friend Regina Ozeryansky.

I met her while attending Pod Fest Expo in Orlando.

We got to know each other, and I knew I just had to have her on my show.

Then I found out she is a friend of Orly Shamir.

A blind chef I met at a conference in New Jersey last January.

Orly is one of those people that comes into your life very rarely. And who attracts other great people to her.

The old expression is true to me any friend of Orly’s is a friend of mine.

So, I was really looking forward to getting to spend more time with Regena and learn from her.

She is a successful real estate broker and life coach trained in multiple disciplines.

We talked about so many things.

Including how she and her businesses are coping with the corona virus. And ho you can better handle the stress of being isolated while fearing the future.

She explained that she calls her business Internal Peace Now because we have to feel a sense of urgency about finding our version of happiness.

She was passionate about how we can’t wait for even a few minutes. We have to take action now, the rest of today, tomorrow, and every day after that.

She talked about how her life has been a long a winding road to get her to this point.

And she agrees with me that we not only never get to an end point we aren’t meant to.

I loved some of the examples she used.

Life and health coach Nick Davies shares his wisdom on What’s Your Excuse

Hello again;

This week I’m honored to bring you an interview with Coach Nick DaviesThe What’s Your Excuse? Show.

Before I introduce Nick and the podcast interview, I want to mention that I met him through my friend Alex Sanfilippo and is wonderful online networking community www.creatingabrand.com

He also has a wonderful podcast of the same name that you can find there as well.

And you can check out the awesome interview he did on my show by going here.

Nick is a Tony Robbins trained life coach and a certified health coach.

We talked about becoming that next best self and why some people overcome adversity and why others get stuck in the victim mentality.

He shared his belief that continued effort plus having passion for your subject is what leads to life-long over all success.

I love how he talked about our professions or passions be a series of tables. And we must constantly be striving for that new bigger table.

But my favorite part was about how we have the power to choose what is important to us and what isn’t.

And beyond that we can always choose to follow a different path at any time.

And changing our minds or changing our paths doesn’t diminish the value of the experiences we had along the way.

For example he doesn’t value travel as much now as he did when he was younger. But he understands the value of that travel to making him who he is now.

I don’t want to give it all away, just know that Nick is going to make you think about things in ways you probably haven’t before.

I do want to apologize for a mix-up with the name of his website.

The one I mentioned throughout the show does belong to him, but it’s a platform where many coaches have an account or profile.

His personal website is www.onemansbalance.com

Please Visit My Sponsor

Chip and Pam Edwards at www.createmyvoice.com

They will help you create a voice branding strategy that takes advantage of Amazon Alexa and Google Home to get your blog, podcast, or both in front of millions of more potential fans, followers, and customers by leveraging these voice platforms.

But the key take away from my working with him is that if you don’t claim your brand on these devices, and someone else does; then you lose control of your content.

Worst case people who like and trust you could be given content having nothing to do with your brand.

Slightly less worse case you will have to pick a different invocation name that is harder to share and less likely to be used by your audience.

Besides visiting his website you can also check out his content by saying.

Alexa play Create My Voice.

Or Google talk to Create My Voice.

And if you would like to see your company mentioned on my podcast and in these related articles; please reach out via the contact link.

Now On To The Show

About Nick

Nick Davies is a business and career coach, with 20 years of background in financial services.

Originally from London England, Nick has also lived and worked in the Philippines, Florida, NY and now calls Charlotte, NC home.

Over the last 4 years, Nick has shifted his focus on creating his purpose and now helps people and businesses through coaching.

He is trained through Tony Robbins coaching and is also a certified health coach.

Connect With Nick

Website: www.onemansbalance.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/onemansbalance

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/coachnicholasdavies

Twitter: www.twitter.com/NickDav49157628

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEJayjYMBEhJVQNWygoAm3g

I truly enjoyed sitting down with Coach Nick.

Besides the topics I mentioned earlier we had a great conversation about whether or not my blindness factors into the impact I have on people.

I discussed with him my fear that people didn’t truly love and appreciate me or they wouldn’t if I weren’t blind.

After a lengthy conversation I came to the decision. That everyone has something about them that makes them interesting and makes people listen when they talk.

My blindness is just one aspect of the story that has inspired and motivated people around the world.

And that will continue to inspire people as long as I show up and do the work.

As long as I continue to take on difficult and scary tasks and share the experiences with others.

Because as Nick points out we get to decide what experiences, attributes, skills, etc that we want to focus on.

My blindness is obvious. I can’t hide it, and wouldn’t if I could.

But everyone has something. IN fact you may have one or two somethings in your own life that cause you to read my posts and enjoy my podcast.

I hope you will visit Nick’s website and check out his youtube channel.

Lets thank him for a great interview by putting those faces behind the screens for him.

I appreciate your continued support, and hope to hear your thoughts on the interview.

More importantly I’d love to hear about something me and Nick made you think about.

Especially if we said something that caused you to challenge something you think about yourself.

I couldn’t do this without you, so give yourself a pat on the back for being part of my journey.

Until next time thanks and take care out there, Max

Dr Clue Dave Blum world leader in treasure hunt team building visits what’s your excuse

Hello again;

This time I’m pleased to have Dave Blum Founder of Dr. Clue Treasure Hunts,

on The What’s Your Excuse? Show.

I was introduced to Jonathan of The Funky Thinkers Podcast.

Because of one thing or another I didn’t get around to finally booking Dave on the show until just a couple weeks ago.

And it turned out to be great timing because Dave was able to speak to how he has been adjusting his business to deal with the hardships caused by the Corona Virus.

He operates a business where he puts on treasure hunts as a team building exercise.

Naturally, these events are usually conducted in person in the city where a given business is located.

In fact he has been something of a world traveler putting on these events around the world.

We talked about how he got into this business and how he made such a success of it.

When he realized Corona was coming and how he decided to pivot to virtual team building exercises.

He had some great stories including scouting sites after 911. Almost getting arrested for his trouble. And tracking down his hunt documents that he left in a taxi in Dubai.

He shared about how his first few treasure hunts were offered for free to groups where he had some affiliation with them. And the first time he had to pitch a new client including asking for his fee.

He talked abut the value of controlling what information you take into your mind. And he talked about good health.

The most important thing he shared for future entrepreneurs was to start with something you love, have an interest in, or a passion for.

Then try to find ways that you can generate income from the things it is that you are passionate about,

Kind of like how new writers are always told to first write what they love.

I’m sure that by the time you finish listening to Dave, you will ask yourself if he can do it then what’s my excuse.

Don’t Forget To Visit My Sponsor

Chip and Pam Edwards create voice branding strategies for you using Amazon Alexa Google Home, etc.

The key is to claim your brand name or your invocation name.

Whoever grabs them first gets to keep them and control how you communicate content to your audience.

You can find Chip by:

Saying Alexa play Create My Voice.

Or Google talk to Create My Voice.

Or the old fashioned way www.createmyvoice.com

Now On To The Show

If you’ve thought that you would like to start using podcast interviews to share your story, reach new audiences, and grow your brand; then I can help you with that.

Take advantage of my over seven years of experience booking myself, friends, and clients on podcasts and radio shows.

I just started offering a new service for people who want to do podcast interviews but have never been interviewed on one.

I call it eight weeks to a podcast guest rockstar.

It’s a combination of story clarity, practice interview sessions, podcast bookings, and mentorship along the way.

I’ll also co-promote your interviews on social media and to my email list.

You can find out more about my new program by going to www.theblindblogger.net/8weeks

About Dave

Founder and President of Dr. Clue Treasure Hunts, the world’s largest team-building treasure hunt company,

Dave Blum earned a B.A. in English from Pomona College in Claremont, California,

a professional coaching certification from IPEC,

and is immediate past president of Santa Rosa, CA Toastmasters

After a three-year stint teaching English in Japan, Dave worked in tourism and the non-profit sector before discovering his destiny as a treasure hunt master, team-building trainer, writer, and speaker.

Over the past 25 years, Dave and Dr. Clue have created over 150 team building treasure hunts worldwide, on three continents, for more than 800 clients including Oracle, Cisco, T-Mobile, Bank of America, Apple, Autodesk, and many others.

Just a few of Dr. Clue’s treasure hunt locations include Santa Rosa, San Rafael, Healdsburg, San Francisco, Chicago, New York, Orlando, London, Paris, Geneva, India and even Dubai.

Connect With Dave

Website: www.drclue.com

Face Book: www.facebook.com/teamworkhackers

Linked In: www.linkedin.com/daveblum

Twitter: www.twitter.com/drclue

Now, I do have to apologize to Dave for getting his website wrong throughout the interview.

Dave did enter the url incorrectly on my intake form, but it’s the responsibility of the host to check those things.

I hope that my error won’t keep you from finding his site and checking out what he has to offer.

I believe his virtual treasure hunts could be just the thing that your office needs to stay connected during these difficult times.

Why let Corona keep you from building those lasting ties with new staff that turn you into an unstoppable team that thrives during hard times.

As I often say the best way to say thank you is to put feet on the ground, buts in the seats, or faces behind the screens.

So, please reach out to him and at least connect with him on social media.

You never can tell when you might need someone like Dave for a friend, coworker, or boss.

Thanks again to you for continuing to support me by watching or listening to my interviews and sharing them with your friends.

For your heart felt emails and face book comments.

It just occurred to me that I”m often encouraging you to reach out to me but I don’t make it easy enough for you.

So, this time I’m going to fix that.

Face Book: www.facebook.com/maxwellivey

Twitter: www.twitter.com/maxwellivey

Linked In: www.linkedin.com/in/maxwellivey

And Youtube: www.youtube.com/maxwellivey

I really do appreciate you and want to help you. I’d love to connect on social media and help you grow your audience or promote your posts.

I love hearing from my followers and getting to know them.

And nothing makes me happier than answering questions, solving problems, and making introductions.

When I say I’m here for you I mean it.

Until next time thanks and take care out there, Max

Entrepreneur On Fire’s John Lee Dumas shares the struggles that have made him who he is

Hello again;

This week on The What’s Your Excuse? Show I’m honored to bring you a conversation with one of the Rockstrs of the podcasting world Mr. John Lee Dumas.

Now, if you are at all involved in the world of podcasting, you are going to know who John Lee, or JLD, is.

And before I share our interview I’m going to tell you how this came about.

Because I believe the story behind the interview has as much value if not more so than the interview itself.

And John Lee and I actually talk about this during the interview.

And for those of you who know me and have been following me for a while this won’t be much of a surprise.

John Lee made an appearance on my friend Alex Sanfilippo’s podcast Creating A Brand.

He would mention this during the interview he did on my podcast The What’s Your Excuse? Show.

In fact he explained how the interview with John Lee came about and that he had just recorded it prior to sitting down with me to be interviewed for my podcast.

He went on to say that he was more excited by being on my show and had looked forward to our talk more than his interview of John Lee.

Well, I’ll admit to a little bit of pride, so I shared this on twitter and tagged JLD on the tweet.

JLD was a good sport and liked my post.

When Alex’s interview of John Lee went live I shared that post on twitter tagging JLD on it.

I wanted to help my friend Alex, and yes sharing content for someone is a great way to come to their attention.

And who couldn’t use another friend online especially one with such a high name recognition.

John Lee replied to my share with thanks.

Eventually, I wrote the tweet that resulted in this interview.

I said something to the effect that I would invite him on my show except I didn’t think he had ever suffered any adversity.

Since my show is about how we become who we are today, I told him I didn’t think he would be a good fit.

Now, think about this for a minute.

I know you all love me, but basically I’m a relatively unknown podcaster telling the great John Lee Dumas he wasn’t a good fit for my show.

I’m not saying that’s how he saw this. I don’t want to stick my foot in my mouth again with John Lee. I’m only saying he could have seen it that way.

He replied back asking if any of my guests ever had to go to war and lose four of their best friends in combat.

To which I replied no and probably very few of my audience members have either.

I apologized for making assumtions about him and his story.

I concluded by saying that I was sorry but that he does come off as someone who has never struggled or suffered.

And that I would be happy to have him on my podcast.

He replied back with a link to his scheduling page.

And believe it or not friends I almost decided not to interview him for my show.

I clicked on the link to find that I was given a fifteen minute time slot. And this wasn’t for a pre-interview but for a full podcast interview of him.

My interviews generally run forty five minutes to an hour, and I am open about my struggles with anything brief or in a short form.

Thankfully, I followed some advice my dad used to give me when we were booking events. He would often advise to stall in hopes of a better event coming along.

I left the link in my twitter direct messages folder and went off to speak at PodFest Multimedia Expo in Orlando.

While there I spent some time with my friend Alex Sanfilippo. I even got to meet his awesome wife Alecia and have dinner with them.

I told him about what had happened online and about the offer of a fifteen minute interview with John Lee Dumas.

I told him I was probably going to say thanks but no thanks.

He let me know that John Lee doesn’t say yes to a lot of interview requests. He reminded me that he only got JLD on his show because they shared a table at PodFest the year before.

He also let me know that John Lee doesn’t give anyone more than fifteen minutes. And in fact JLD is famous for hanging up on anyone trying to get him to go longer.

Armbed with this information I came back home, clicked on the link, selected a date and time, and started preparing for the interview.

This one caused me to think a lot about myself, my abilities as a podcaster, and my place in the podcasting world.

I will admit to forgetting my favorite Star Wars quote from Yoda about there being no big or small there only is.

It took a lot of encouragement, reassurance, and a few good kicks in my ass to convince me that I am every bit as much a rockstar as John Lee Dumas is.

And when I did my research to learn more about his story I found he out he is a regular guy just like me and just like you.

He has struggled, and we talked about some of those.

We talked about his military service, his feelings when starting his podcast, and the belief that before he started down this road he was like many of you.

He felt like he had done everything right, was continuing to do all the right things, and he wasn’t hapy or successful in the way he thought he would be.

The interview is only thirteen minutes long. There is no singing, and very little intro or outro.

But I feel good about the answers I was able to get out of John Lee.

I think that you will see him as a regular guy who has struggled and in some areas he continues to struggle.

And I hope by watching or listening you will stop seeing him like I saw him as a podcasting super hero who rules the podcasting world, and who has never had a bad day in his life.

And that in fact hearing his origin story will make him even more of a role model.

You can look at him and his struggles and say if he can do it then what’s my excuse.

Now On To The Show

I have to get to bed now. I have an appointment for another interview at 10:00 am. but I will finish this post and tell you what I learned from this experience.

Trust me it will show you things about me I didn’t know about myself until the famous podcaster agreed to come on my show.

Thanks and take care out there, Max

Inspiring blind woman Elisa Tovar stopped by What’s Your Excuse

Hello again;

On this episode of The What’s Your Excuse? Show I want you to meet my friend and number one supporter of Team Ivey Elisa Tovar.

I met Elisa at a time when I didn’t feel real great about myself. I had come back from a speaking trip to the Northeast that hadn’t gone as well as I had planned.

I got sick, ended up broke, and wasn’t too far away from being homeless in New York City.

Two long time friends helped me get back home again.

But at the end of 2018 I wasn’t feeling much like a super hero.

I was convinced to continue sharing my story only to do it in my own back yard.

Before traveling to speak I had tried booking local events with little success.

My only speaking event in Houston before meeting Elisa was for the Houston chapter of the Foundation Fighting Blindness in May of 2018.

But Elisa saw my posts on face book about needing to do local speaking events, and she reached out to me.

She wanted me to come speak to a group that she was involved in called the Visually Impaired People of Southeast Texas.

She introduced me to their President Ron, and evnetually we made arrangements for me to speak at one of their meetins.

I think it’s great that Elisa reached out to me without any thought about whether or not I would be willing to speak to such a small group.

I think there were fifteen people there on the night I gave my talk.

And Elisa gave me a wonderful introduction. Her usual enthusiasm shown through. You could feel how excited she was to not only be meeting me in person, to be hearing me speak, but to have been the one to make it happen.

Plus she had the honor of giving me an introduction that was so off the hook that I actually paused for half a minute before begining my talk.

You can hear that talk hear and appreciate Elisa’s usual powerful personality. Because she was sick when recording this interview.

After I finished talking, I was told that their group passed the hat, and they raised $35 for me. This was great because I didn’t expect it, and because their generosity just covered my uber costs for the night.

Now that you know who Elisa is and how we met, you will understand why I wanted to have her on my show.

She isn’t famous.

She doesn’t have a sexy job or career.

She isn’t an author, blogger, or podcaster.

But what she is is exactly what my show is about.

She is a woman working hard to make a life for herself on her own terms.

She loves her family and enjoys spending time with them.

She has hopes of a job that she can be proud of and depend on to give her a living so she can have a family of her own someday.

She deals with the daly challenges of vision loss on her own terms.

And we talked about some of that.

We agreed that one of the biggest problems in a blind person’s life is finding stuff that falls on the floor.

We talked about frustrations with acquiring and using technology.

And this interview is a little random even for me.

You can hear her sincerity, honesty, and passion come through.

And yes it’s ovvious she loves me.

First time author former free lance author mom and grandma Mira Jeffreys shares her writing and personal journeys

Hello again;

This time I’m bringing you an awesome conversation with Mira Jeffreys on The What’s Your Excuse? Show.

Mira grew up in the south one of three daughters of a single mother.

She talked about growing up poor and dealing with the teasing that came from having a speech impediment.

She explained that in the south, and in a large extended family; that your family made fun of things like that.

We talked about her releasing her first book titled Archer that features a mostly female family coming together to respond to a health emergency experienced by the grandma of their family.

She touched on going from being a stay at home mom to being a single mom herself and having to find a way to support herself and her kids.

She talked about being a free lance author and the challenges that came from having to pitch your work and grow a business.

She let us see and hear the joy that came from sharing her first book with her parents and holding her books in her hands.

We talked about how someone who still suffers with a speech problem can be in a profession where she has to give talks to large groups of people.

And I loved how she spoke about her kids and grandkids especially her youngest who is her biggest fan.

I hope that by now you have realized that Mira is a true example of finding solutions and she will have you asking yourself what’s my excuse.

Now on with the show.

I will finish this post later today. Now, I have to go prepare for another interview.

I will be adding her bio, book blurb, book link, and and social media links.

Just stay tuned. Thanks, Max

Just Keep Singing bad karaoke teaches an important lesson

Hello again;

I’m always up for new experiences. Especially those that challenge my comfort zone without being actually dangerous.

And I love to sing. I have been blessed to be asked to sing during podcast interviews. And I now sing on my own podcast and during my public speaking opportunities.

So, I was very happy to hear that there would be a karaoke night at PodFestExpo last week.

I went there to speak to newbie podcasters and encourage them. to face their fears, overcome their obstacles, and launch their podcasts.

I spoke on Friday. The audience was very attentive listening to my stories and laughing at the funny parts.

I got a standing ovation and was feeling pretty good about myself.

My talk done, the whole rest of the weekend was mine. My plan was to learn from other podcasters in the workshops and at the keynote addresses. I was also looking forward to making a lot of new friends.

I went to the VIP meet ups and parties. It was at one of these where they had the karaoke set up.

Earlier in the week I had been confident about singing karaoke. I had mentioned that I loved country and hoped they would have some

Thanks for your continued love and support.

I couldn’t do this without you. Thanks, and take care out there, Max

Alex Sanfilippo shares the importance of adding value and building community on What’s Your Excuse?

Hello again;

I’m back with another awesome episode of the The What’s Your Excuse? Show.

This week my guest is my friend Alex Sanfilippo.

I met Alex at Pod Fest last year. We both spoke at the Pecha Kucha session. A series of short, five-minute talks on a verity of subjects.

I spoke on the subject of asking for help and accepting help when offered.

If you want to watch my talk, you can check it out here.

Alex was taken by me and impressed with my talk; so he came up to me after all the talks were over.

After we got home, we stayed in touch. And Alex asked me to be a guest on his new podcast called Creating A Brand.

We talked much more about the importance of interdependence as he calls it to our business success. We agree that you can move forward faster if you don’t try to do it all on your own.

You can listen to that interview below.

I’m so excited that our schedules finally aligned so Alex could come share more of his wisdom on my show.

The number one message that Alex shared is the importance of adding value in everything you do.

Whether it’s writing a guest post, being interviewed on a podcast, speaking before a group or at a conference; your number one goal is to add as much value as possible.

And it will come through loud and clear that Alex not only believes this and teaches this but he lives this approach in all areas of his business.

If you doubt that, then tell me how many other site owners would post free courses to help people solve problems and grow their businesses faster. Yes, it’s Alex, and he doesn’t even ask for your email address.

He had some great stories including how he got the famous podcaster John Lee Dumas to come on his podcast.

And he gave me a couple great ideas when pitching people especially people or groups that I want to book me as a speaker.

I thoroughly enjoyed my time talking with Alex. And I have no doubt that you are going to come to say if Alex can do it then what’s my excuse?.

Now On To The Show

Please Support My Sponsors

Did you know that people are over eighty percent more likely to listen to a commercial on smart speakers?

That’s the kind of information I get because I work with Chip and Pam Edwards of www.createmyvoice.com

Because of them you can have my blog posts read to you by saying:

Alexa, play The Blind Blogger.

Or Google talk to The Blind Blogger.

It also allows people to listen to my podcast by saying Alexa, play the What’s Your Excuse? Show on Tune IN.

You can do the same to find out more about Chip and his offerings.

Alexa, play Create My Voice.

Or Google, Talk to Create My Voice.

If you aren’t available on these platforms, you are missing out on a huge potential audience that is continuing to grow.

IN fact Google and Alexa are taking steps to push people towards getting all their content via voice.

And thanks to Alex at www.neatoshop.com

They have a simple submission process, print on quality shirts, and offer great prices both retail and wholesale.

Without them, I wouldn’t have had shirts to sell at past events.

About Alex

Alex Sanfilippo and Alecia Sanfilippo are two individuals passionate about entrepreneurship, getting the most out of life and community.

Alex Sanfilippo started his first business at the age of twelve; selling used golf balls. From there, he went on to real estate investing and a technology start up which he sold years later. For the past decade, Alex has been an executive in the aerospace industry. During his time in corporate America, he stayed active with his side hustles; which mainly consisted of conference speaking and business coaching.

Alecia Sanfilippo has been an entrepreneur since her mid-twenties. Her largest venture was owning an eCommerce and brick and mortar woman’s clothing boutique. Alecia sold the boutique in 2019 and is now the manager here at Creating a Brand. Alecia is well versed in social media management, marketing and creating startup businesses. Alecia’s ultimate goal is to add value to the lives of others.

Now days their passion is helping others grow their businesses through their Creating A Brand community Which they created with the goal of being a unique place where aspiring entrepreneurs and business experts could come together in a safe place. Where they could share openly about struggles, setbacks, and successes. A place where people can be who they really are instead of the overly positive personalities many display on social media. They also build upon this spirit through free online courses and a podcast designed to get the kinds of real world advice that we are all craving. Alex and Alecia do this because they have both seen success as coaches but wanted to help even more people. Through the podcast, the community, and their courses; they have the potential to change the world and free so many more people from the frustration of trying to build businesses and grow passion projects on their own.

Connect With Alex

Website: www.creatingabrand.com

Blog” https://creatingabrand.com/category/blog

Podcast: https://creatingabrand.com/category/creating-a-brand-podcast

Face Book: https://www.facebook.com/creatingabrand

Twitter: https://twitter.com/creatingabrand

Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexsanfilippo/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/creating_a_brand

I can’t wait to hear what you think of Alex and our conversation.

I was impressed by his genuine desire to share his knowledge and experience with you.

And I was blown away to hear that he had been looking forward to being interviewed by me for weeks.

He was obviously still excited even though he had just finished interviewing John Lee Dumas a giant of the podcasting world and of podcasting in general.

He is much farther along on his journey than I am. But I could inspire, motivate, and excite a guy like Alex.

I mention this partly because it feels good and it’s important to appreciate these moments.

But mainly to get you thinking about the fact that you too could be changing the lives of people without knowing it. Even people that you see as being more successful than you are.

Alex is one of my favorite people, and this will always be one of my favorite interviews.

So, lets thank him by sharing the interview and telling people to go check out his website, blog, podcast, and community.

Because as I always say the best way to say thank you is to put feet on the ground, butts in the seats, or faces behind the screens.

I really appreciate your continued support. I couldn’t do this without you and wouldn’t want to try.

On those days when I don’t feel a hundred percent I think about all you great people and how I don’t want to disappoint you.

So until next time thanks and take care out there, Max