Leveraging Thought Leadership

Today's episode is a compilation of our favorite guests, talking to us about the ins-and-outs of digital products and online learning! John Tota, a pioneer in online education for corporate training, moved from a Wall Street career to founding his own company, Edulence, developing online training solutions for corporate educators. He talks to us about the trends in online learning, and what thought leaders need to understand to operate successfully in that space. Patricia Fripp, the first female president of the National Speakers Association and a Hall of Fame speaker. She discusses ways to take content, put it online through multiple modalities, and scale it to every end of the price spectrum. Lastly, we have Vince Poscente, Olympic skier, award winning sales and marketing executive, and member of both the USA and Canadian Speaker Hall of Fame. He talks about how speakers and speaking agents can make each others' lives easier, how to create real relationships through digital connections, and why great production value is a must. We hope you enjoy this compilation about digital products and online learning!

Do you know the difference between using your visionary thought leadership for social interaction, and actually building a business that thrives – and helps others? Today's guest is Julian Birkinshaw, Professor of Strategy and Entrepreneurship at the London Business School, and the Academic Director of the Deloitte Institute of Innovation and Entrepreneurship. He's also the author of Reinventing Management: Smarter Choices for Getting Work Done and Becoming a Better Boss: Why Good Management is So Difficult. Listen in as he discusses thought leadership academia, and how to bring your visionary thought leadership to the world in a way that solves problems – and makes money!

A lot of thought leaders wonder how to align their thought leadership to business metrics, and what it looks like to achieve "success" with your thought leadership. If it's crossed your mind, then this is the episode for you! We interviewed Alan Alper, V.P. of corporate marketing and global thought leadership programs at Cognizant Technology Solutions, which is a global I.T. consulting and business services company. Alan's work with organizational thought leadership is groundbreaking, and helping to forge new standards for content marketing in major organizations worldwide. He talks about ways to give your thought leadership a credible foundation, why sharing your thought leadership content for free can increase your business, and why he created a "Blue-Ribbon Panel" of the best and brightest thought leadership within his organization. Listen in, and learn more!

The average business book sells less than 2000 copies in its lifespan, with that in mind, would you want to invest thousands of dollars and hundreds of hours into getting one to market? What purpose could the book serve that makes it all worth it? Michael Bungay Stanier is the founder of Box of Crayons, Canadian Coach of the Year, and author of the self-published books The Coaching Habit and The Advice Trap that have collectively sold more than 700,00 copies! Michael has recently stepped away from the CEO role at Box of Crayons and shares the experience of handing his company over to a new CEO. Peter asks about the pains of making that step and the positive outcomes from it. With Michael having two hugely successful self-published books on the market we had to ask him about the secret sauce to that accomplishment. Michael walks us through writing, publishing, and most importantly marketing his books and why you have to commit to the long game. If you want to play the long game get TLL on your team and we will help you create a long-lasting successful book campaign.

As a keynote speaker and content creator, your message will probably connect with your target audience regardless of where in the world they live. However, the business side of those engagements could be wildly different. Keld Jensen is the Founder and CEO of Marketwatch Center for Negotiations, a speaker with 20 years experience, author of 24 books including The SMARTnership Negotiation Manual and Honest Negotiation. K As a dual citizen in Denmark and the United States Keld shares his unique insights into speaking in North America and across the pond. What can you expect regarding fees and how are those audiences different? Keld has written 24 books and discusses how you narrow down what to put into a book and how to set expectations for getting your book published. Keld has managed to write two dozen books and still maintains a very successful business. Writing a book can become all-consuming Don't Let the Process of Writing a Book Control You Or Your Business!

Ten years ago many people thought the idea of being on Twitter or Facebook was a silly waste of time. Not a serious place for business leaders to be. Now building your social media platform is an essential piece of almost every business out there. Today we offer a wide assortment of advice on getting the most of your social media platform from some of the people that use those mediums best. Andy Molinsky is a Professor at Brandeis University's International Business School, with a joint appointment in the Department of Psychology and author of Global Dexterity and Reach starts us off sharing what it takes to build a platform and how you will need to change and adapt as both content and platform evolve. Then Holly G. Green the CEO of The Human Factor and author of Using your Brain to Win walks us through the rules and protocols of the various social media platforms and what value you should place on metrics. Do likes and shares have a value? Finally, we wrap things up with Rusty Shelton the Founder and CEO of Zilker Media and author of Authority Marketing and Mastering the New Media Landscape. Rusty will help you figure out which platforms to invest in, what channels build relationships and which sustain them and how you can use Twitter as a cocktail party to build relationships with targeted groups. If you want to add an extra punch to your platform take a minute to read the Four Qualities That Make a Platform Powerful!

If you are starting a content-based business you'll need to keep things lean and focused. Are you sure your hypothesis around your content, audience, and marketing are correct? Have you test them or have you starting making content without a lot of research because you have a passion to put the idea out there regardless of who might listen to it. Our guest Steve Blank is the father of modern entrepreneurship and credited with starting the lean startup movement. He is the author of The Four Steps to the Epiphany and The Startup Owner's Manual. We discuss the need to be specific about the problem you are solving and the results that will happen as a result of it. Steve explains why he gives his best ideas away and how that will attract more people to you. We dive deep into creating content, the questions you need to ask yourself and whether you need to reinvent the wheel or if it is okay to stand on the shoulders of others. One major product people are pulled towards is writing a book, but you have to understand the reason for doing it. Here is a short video of Peter talking about Reasons to Write a book that might be helpful.

The art of customer experience can be a difficult thing to master. Determining the content you audience wants, in what format, and even if you should co-create can lead to different end results and different experience journeys for the client. Our guest Claus Raasted is the co-founder and director of the College of Extraordinary Experiences, Senior adviser to McKinsey, author, coach, and host of The Business of Extraordinary Experiences podcast. Claus has a long history of experience design that started in his teens doing Live Action Role Playing. Claus shares with Peter how NOT being a perfectionist allows him to get things done and produce content at an alarming rate. We debate the time and place to bring your A-game and when it's okay to simply get the content out to the world. Plus we explore how to deal with the gap that might exist between your level of content creation and the level at which your audience can consume and comprehend it. Claus has no problem finding his productivity but often it can be a hurdle to get over. TLL has a perspective on how tension can Improve Productivity.

Many authors and content creators try to break into the speaking space to further promote their Thought Leadership and reach new clients. If this is a route you are looking to take then this is a must-listen episode for you! Today we collect advice from some of the best keynote speakers in the industry. Robert "Dusty" Staub is the founder and CEO of Staub Leadership and author of The Heart of Leadership, and The Seven Acts of Courage Robert starts us off talking about the strategic use of speaking and the type of audience you need to seek out. Next up we have Anton Gunn, a keynote speaker and author of The Presidential Principles and The Audacity of Leadership. Anton tells us how to narrow down who you'll serve best and the differences between what the buyer of a keynote and the buyer of consulting services looks like. Nick Morgan, the world-renowned founder of Public Words and the author of Can You Hear Me? and Power Cues brings us home with advice about going from entertainment versus impactful and the pressure speakers are facing today. If you are going to have any hope of achieving a successful keynote you need to keep the audience's attention. Check out our Smart Guide to Audience Engagement.

The average person only reads 18 pages of a non-fiction book. With this in mind is writing a 200+ page business book going to serve you best? Or could you get the content you need down in 50 pages and increase the chances of your book getting read? Our guest Judy Weintraub is the Founder of SkillBites, host of the SkillBites podcast and is helping empower people, inspire them to write and help them get published. Judy talks about helping clients write short-form books that act as a perfect lead generating tool. We cover the clients and industries that this type of book works best for and the advantages that it offers. We also discuss the need for a marketing plan to make the most of the book and ways to pull readers of the book into other modalities and product offerings. Don't get lost making a book and other products, make sure you have a Roadmap!

Receiving coaching can help you find new success but you have to be able to look into the mirror and commit to changes. If you are not willing to change it will be a waste of time for both you and the coach. Oleg Konovalov is on the Thinkers50 Radar, has been recognized as #1 Global Thought Leader on Culture by Thinkers 360 and is #1 Global Leading Coach by Marshall Goldsmith Thinkers50. He is also the author of Leaderology and our guest this week! Oleg talks with us about the differences in coaching in Russia versus other places in the world. He shares how he helps people realize what is new, what is coming, and how to close the gap between them and the people they need to connect with. Plus he shares the word a coach needs to watch out for from potential clients that might signal they are not ready to commit to change. Failure is something we all experience. Oleg discusses finding success in failure and we have some additional thoughts on Failing Forward.

The road to becoming a Thought Leader is seldom a straight one. Our guest this week built a thriving business from a book that was meant to close that chapter of his career. David Friedman is the Founder and CEO of High Performing Culture, author of Fundamentally Different and Culture by Design. Now David is bringing culture to the palm of your hand with the mobile app CultureWise. David and Peter discuss the process of writing a book to leave a legacy and how that turned into speaking gigs, engagements, then a whole new career. We explore the process for turning a speaking hobby into a business model that would not solely rely on having David in the room. Last we finish up by finding the things you do instinctively that need to be codified if you want others to be able to teach your method. David specializes in helping companies design world-class culture. We have some thoughts for Changing a Company's Culture.

It's hard to believe we are celebrating our 200th episode already! We have had the honor of talking to so many amazing authors, speakers, consultants, and even some musicians, comedians, and even an Olympic Athlete! In this episode, we highlight just a few of the guests and insightful stories and advice they have given us. Mitch Joel - Discusses staying true to your voice and needing a platform to get a publishing deal. Corey Blake - Shares going from actor to brand storyteller and gives advice for nailing your content. Rita McGrath - a best-selling author shares her experience writing and publishing with and without a co-author. Joe Nocera - talks about taking a long-discarded story and turning it into a smash hit podcast. Steve Farber - tells us how he uses love in the workplace to forge stronger leaders. We'd like to thank all of our listeners, and ask you to continue tuning in, sharing our content, and sending us your ideas. We look forward to making the next 100 episodes even more successful!

Branding has become a fast-growing market. Everyone and everything wants to become a recognizable brand. With everyone competing in the same fast-moving space, how do you make a brand that stands out and creates a positive emotional connection to your audience? Today's guest is Liz Nickles an award-winning marketer and advertiser. She is the President of Black Label Brand Development a company that specializes in branding, marketing, and strategic vision. She is also the author of 15 books including Brandstorm. Liz joins us to share her years of experience building globally recognized brands. We discuss how branding is an emotional institution and how hitting the wrong emotions can have a destructive effect. In addition, we get into the changes in publishing over the years and what it takes to have a successful collaboration with a publisher. Plus Liz shares what the first thing publishers ask and you might be surprised to learn that it isn't "What is your book about?" In today's business, you only have a few seconds to get your point across, this includes letting potential customers know what your brand is about. Peter shares how a Powerful Manifesto is a great way to achieve this!

We often talk about how once you have found your lane you should stick to it. What if you have a message outside that lane that you just have to get out? Should you do it? Can it be successful? John Jantsch is the Founder of Duct Tape Marketing Consultant Network. He hosts the Duct Tape Marketing Podcast, author of Duct Tape Marketing and Duct Tape Selling. His new book The Self-Reliant Entrepreneur takes a step away from the Duct Tape Brand he is best known for focusing on the Entrepreneur mindset. John shares how he made contacts and grew his network doing free speaking, which sped up the sales cycle for his consultant work. John and Peter discuss the risks and rewards of stepping outside the brand you are known for. Then we wrap up by discussing building a network to deliver your message and the investments that must be made to ensure that the message is the same regardless of who delivers it. John's new book provides evergreen content that will simply never go out of style. Do you know what makes an asset evergreen?

Moving from working at a big brand to starting your own marketing firm will present a number of new challenges. How will you face pitching to the big brands without a big name behind you? What will you have to provide to stay a step ahead? Ron Tite is an award-winning advertisement writer and creative director, author of Everyone's An Artist (or At Least They Should Be) and Think. Do. Say. and is the Founder of Church and State, a Toronto based content and marketing agency. Ron shares how he took a 20-year career as a corporate stand-up comedian and flipped the career to be a corporate professional with a sense of humor. We discuss building a marketing firm and how to win business over larger well-established brands. Testing new ideas by adding to existing speeches and finally developing a book as a framework and methodology that isn't dependent on your presence for it to be effective. Ron has done an amazing job of making his content clear and memorable. Take a minute to read this article about making your Thought Leadership as easy as "Stop, Drop, and Roll."

Too often authors start writing based on an idea they have or solution they think the market needs without having interacted with their target audience or taken the solution into the field. Then when the final product is a flop they are disappointed and surprised. Today we chat with three incredible authors who have taken their direct experience working in the industry and created books to codify their message and help an even wider audience. We start with Chip Conley who is the Founder of the Modern Elder Academy. Chip talks to us about not only identifying your audience but coming to understand what influences them. In addition, he tells us about his experience working at Airbnb and how his time as a mentor-led to writing Wisdom at Work and coined the term "Modern Elder." Next up is Shane Green the CEO of SGEi and has drawn on his past experience at The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company to create effective training to create meaningful change to corporate culture. That valuable experience ultimately became his book Culture Hacker. Shane shares why you need to have a long term vision and how you can use it as a marketing tool. Last but certainly not least is Erika Andersen a founding partner of Proteus International and author of Be Bad First. She shares how she wrote the book by mapping sections of it to her product offerings. Plus she shares how she uses her books to build credibility and increase brand awareness. When you are ready to turn your experience into a book be sure to read these tips to learn what your book will need from you!

If you plan to self publish or take a more traditional route with your book you still have to be the champion for it and have an established platform to market it to if you want it to take off. Joesph Michelli is an internationally sought after speaker, consultant and best-selling author of several books including Driven to Delight and The AirBnB Way. Joseph speaks with us about how he writes books about globally recognized brands while working with them to improve their business. We discuss the changes to publishing and what rights publishers want a big piece of. In addition, Peter and Joesph share their thoughts on moving the contents of a book into other modalities to reach a larger audience. Last we finish off with discussing speaking, what role bureaus play and if those relationships are still important. If you have a keynote or book and want to move it to other modalities you'll want to think about the market strategy. We have some tips for ensuring you have the right medium for your message.

Do you consider your favorite musician to be a Thought Leader? Take a minute to think about the message they deliver, their ability to inspire and captivate an audience. Freddie Ravel is a Grammy Nominated performer who has worked with legends like Earth, Wind, and Fire, Madonna, and Prince. Now Freddie merges his music with education to bring his message of active listening to crowds around the world. Freddie explains how his concerts bring edutainment to the stage with a captivating tempo. Peter and Freddie discuss the business side of keynote speaking, building a relationship with speaker agents, and doing your homework before a gig and being specific about what you bring to the table. If you have a unique take on the speaker's industry and are seeking to gain visibility let Thought Leadership Leverage help get you out there.

The problems that blue-collar business face isn't all that different than those fortune 500s have to deal with. High turnover rates, stagnating growth, and untapped potential of employees. Are the solutions to these problems the same regardless of the business model? Jamie Gerdsen is the President and CEO of Apollo Home a home heating & cooling and electrical company, author of Squirrels, Boats, and Thoroughbreds and Zombies Ate my Business and is connecting with traditional businesses to help them grow and renew via Main Street Leadership. Jamie talks about how he wrote his first book from the personal lessons he had learned at Apollo Home and how with Peter's help they turned that book into an assessment that traditional businesses can use to understand where they are and ultimately how to get everyone focused in the same direction. Jamie and Peter discuss the need to ensure that if you write a book it is filled with content people will want to read and that you are not writing it to fulfill your own ego. Jamie has proven assessments can be a valuable asset. If you are thinking about making your own check out our 3 Tips and Tricks for Building an Awesome Assessment.

To be a successful keynote speaker you need a lot of skills. The right message to deliver, credibility, a stage presence, and magic? Jon Petz is the best-selling author of Boring Meetings Suck and Significance In Simple Moments. He is a world-renown keynoter and emcee that brings stage magic and a performance mindset to delight and surprise audiences at all levels. Jon chronicles how he merged previous careers of sales and marketing with magic to deliver motivational keynotes around the world. Peter and Jon explore the reasons for having used both self-published and used traditional publishing house methods. Plus they discuss the often difficult topic of pricing and providing value for your fee. Jon literally uses magic to keep his audience engaged. If you find yourself struggling to keep an audience's attention check out our guide to smart (and simple!) audience engagement!

An essential part of your Thought Leadership is solid content. Without it, you will not be able to reach the audience you want or have the impact you desire. Creating compelling content isn't cut and dry but today we have a wealth of knowledge to share on the topic. Gregg L Witt is a speaker, author of The Gen Z Frequency, and Chief Strategy Officer of Engage Youth Company. He has a keen knowledge of how to connect with tweens, teens, and young adults. Greg discusses building strategy around giving content away while keeping key pieces gated. David Mammano is the author of Crash and Learn, TEDx speaker an America's Entrepreneur Coach! David shares how you have to follow the dollars to find what the market wants, why you should not create in isolation and how you can engage your followers and peers to test material. Nancy Halpern is a pioneer in leadership development coaching executives inspiring to the c-suite. We talk with Nancy about the trouble of getting lost in your head and the need to have ideas externally validated. Plus she shares why you just need to focus on what you need to do in the next 15 minutes to push things forward Once you have brilliant content in place you'll need a solid model for it. Check out this article for creating an effective content model.

When you see a professional mix-martial arts professional you don't think "There is someone who has anxiety." The fact is most people have shortcomings or demons they need to overcome. Our guest Eliot Marshall is a former UFC fighter, co-owner and head instructor at Easton Training Center, host of the Gospel of Fire podcast and author of the Gospel of Fire. Eliot gets candid about his struggles with anxiety and having a complete breakdown. He shares how with the help of friends he built himself back up and is now taking the lessons he learned to help others. We discuss Eliot's podcast and how it's the perfect medium for a guy who really likes to talk and get to know people. A common struggle Thought Leaders need to overcome is Content Insecurity, check out this article to make sure Content Insecurity isn't destroying your work.

Why are negative habits easier to build and what can we learn from them? Is it possible to use the very formula that we build negative habits with and flip it on its head to slowly build positive habits? Our guest Adam Fridman is the Founder of the digital marketing Mabbly - where exceptional cultures happen when people pursue purpose together. He is also the co-author of The Science of Story and Founder of Pro Habits - a positive psychology-based application that links professional habits to personal and organizational goals. Pro habits is a highly customizable application that can help you take your company values and make them actionable! Adam shares how authors, speakers, and consultants can use Pro Habits to help people create long-lasting change by taking micro-actions every day that help build positive habits. We discuss using similar principles social media uses to provide a shot of dopamine to keep you coming back and gamification techniques to keep you engaged. We share some further insight into the Secrets of Changing a Company's Culture that might help you determine why Pro Habits might be the tool you need if you are looking to change your company's culture.

There is no straight path to becoming a Thought Leader. Many come from careers where what they have learned can be applied to making content to help others. The question remains is the transition from those careers to Thought Leader easy? Today we talk with John O'Grady a West Point grad, former Army colonel, and distinguished combat leader who managed a 14.4 billion dollar portfolio for the US military. John shares with us the successes and struggles of transitioning into the Thought Leader space. We discuss the skills and experiences that he is using to build content and coach in the private sector. Plus John talks about the assumptions he had coming into his new career and the lessons he has learned. If you are starting the metamorphosis to Thought Leader, Peter shares the Three Things you'll need.

Whether you are just starting your Thought Leadership practice or looking to expand you are going to need cash flow. Creating multiple revenue streams and being smart about where you spend your hard-earned income can be a challenge even for veterans in the field. Our guest Ken "Mr. Biz" Wentworth is the author of the best-selling books Pathway to Profits and How to be a Cash Flow Pro. He is also the host of the Mr. Biz radio show where he shares more than 20 years of experience with his listeners. Mr. Biz explains how someone who doesn't enjoy writing ended up with on the best-sellers list, plus he describes how you can extract value from your book by giving it away! Plus we talk about creating multiple price points for content to serve a wider clientele that you might not be able to reach otherwise. Right now Mr. Biz has an incredible offer for his Profit Program. If you are looking for a financial tune-up of your business this might be the solution you've been looking for. Getting your book on the best-seller list isn't an easy task, but we've got some great tips to help you get there.

If you ask anyone how they feel about trust, you won't find anyone who is against it. Despite that becoming trusted and trusting others can be one of the hardest things to accomplish. Trust can not be measured on a chart or calculated in any ROI. In this episode, we discuss building trust with clients, partners, and your audience. Charlie Green is the Founder and CEO of Trusted Advisor Associates and as the author of The Trusted Advisor, he is well versed in the topic. He talks to us about going from product-centric to client-centric and the many benefits of having a client that trusts you. Jack Daly is the author of The Sales Playbook and leading speaker and trainer with more than 30 years of experience. Jack explains why you need to be passionate and get your ego out of the way. Plus we discuss the doors that open when you are able to build a trustworthy reputation with industry associations. Peter Shankman is the author of Faster Than Normal and living proof that having ADHD can be a blessing. You just have to learn to use your faster brain. Peter explains why we have to get into the heads of our audience and understand what they want. Then we can use that information to give them what they want and need, only then do we earn the privilege of our audience. If you want your audience to trust you, you'll need content that connects with them in an authentic and meaningful way. Check out this short video on content to Enlighten, Inspire, and Guide your audience!

When it comes to being a consultant it is a massive mistake to be a generalist. You might be able to widen your audience after years of being established but starting out you have to know your message, your audience, and their problems. David A Fields has plus years of experience include consulting, speaking and writing The Irresistible Consultant's Guide to Winning Clients. He has made a career of helping consulting practices become lucrative and lifestyle friendly. David shares his experience with us on what marketing you can do and what you MUST do. In addition, he explains why having your content solidified is vitally important and why if your core idea isn't easily repeatable then your message isn't clear enough. It can be easy to veer from your core message into topics that interest you. We share some thoughts on why you have to have message discipline and stick to an editorial plan.

The landscape for being a keynote speaker has changed. Bureaus are being more selective and most speakers booking more than 50% of their engagements directly. With that in mind, do you have a distinct value proposition to attract new clients? Our guest Vince Poscente is an award-winning sales and marketing executive, one of only four people to be inducted into both the US and Canadian Speaker Hall of Fame, best-selling author of The Age of Speed, and an Olympic athlete. We discuss the state of bureaus and how you can create a good working relationship with agents. Vince tells us what the anatomy of communication is and how new speakers can use it to grab their audience and connect in an authentic way. Plus we discuss the power of video and tips for making effective marketing videos. In this episode, we talk about making a video trailer for your speaking. Check out these additional tips for making your Sizzle Reel Sizzle!

In this episode, we continue our look back at some of our favorite guests from 2019. Claude Silver is an emotional optimist who understands and respects the range of emotions we have as humans and sees the positive side of things guides us through how she teaches and inspires with her motto of One Team, One Dream. A simple concept many find difficult to grasp. Charlene Li is a best-selling author, respected speaker, and advisor. She shares with us how creating healthy disruption can lead to creative and meaningful growth. Plus she talks about how speaking goes with publishing and finding the right time to publish. Kara Goldin is the founder of Hint Inc a Healthy lifestyle company where Kara aligns her product with her Thought Leadership. She talks with us about launching a company in a different industry and finding a passion for what you do. Dr. Ivan Misner is known as the "Father of Modern Networking". He shares what the biggest changes to technology are and the advantages we have because of them. In addition, we delve into sorting out what content to give away and how being open with your content is attractive to the public. Daniel Pink is an award-winning, best-selling author and one of the world's most influential management thinkers. He tells us of how his journey started by simply raising his hand. He also shares how hard it is to write a book and the need to do whatever it takes to promote it. This episode is chalked full of great stories and advice. We hope you enjoy it and are excited about the guest we have planned for 2020!

As 2019 comes to a close we look back at some of the best guests we've had on Leveraging Thought Leadership and the incredible advice they've shared with us. Marshall Goldsmith shares with us his incredible story of how he became the World's #1 Thought Leader. From his story, he talks about the things you can do to find your own success. Volunteering, being clear on your mission, and building a strong brand are just some of the topics we discuss. Ken Blanchard is the best-selling author of more than 60 books and one of the most influential leadership experts in the world. Ken tells us why books need to be easy to read and simple to use. Plus we discuss taking your book to various modalities to reach a larger audience. Stephen M.R. Covey is the co-founder of CoveyLink and a sought-after and compelling keynote speaker and advisor on trust, leadership, ethics, and high performance. Stephen helps us figure out what market and modalities to take our content to and how you can meet your margin by finding your mission. Brian Solis is the award-winning author of Lifescale, a groundbreaking book that examines the effects of technology on our everyday life. Brian discusses how his research into why he was losing focus and creativity led him in an entirely new direction. Jeffrey Hayzlett is the host of C-Suite with Jeffrey Hayzlett and a leading business expert. He gives a lesson on which metrics to follow and how to find meaning in them. In addition, he presents us with some wise words on getting booked as a speaker and how to make your client's life easier.

It can be easy to get frustrated and disappointed when you don't see early results from your investment of time and money into social media platforms. Growing your audience can be a slow process. You have to determine what your audience wants and what is going to help them. Figuring out these key factors can create an incredible platform you can use to launch any product. Our guest this week is a master of building networks and delivering quality content. Dave Kerpen is a serial entrepreneur who co-founded Apprentice a platform that connects entrepreneurs and CEOs with ambitious college students seeking real-world experience. He is also the Founder of Likeable Local a business that helps small business transform through the power of social media. If that isn't enough Dave is the author of the best-selling books Likeable Social Media and The Art of People, and is a globally-recognized keynote speaker. Dave doles out guidance for how you can build your platform and find your tribe and how you can use that platform to push your Thought Leadership to thousands of people. He walks us through the cadence for posting content and why you should feel obligated to repackage and repost your content often. If you have thousands of followers on a platform you need to understand that less than 5% of them will see the content you post. For this reason, you need to repost and repackage your content. Check out this video where Peter shares why you need to Repurpose Content for New Business Opportunities.

You might think once your book is written your job is done, but the fact is you are only halfway there. The other half is marketing the book in an effective way that will allow you to reach your audience and grow your business. In this episode, our guest Carolyn Monaco is a publishing consultant with 25 years of experience in consumer marketing. She works with business leaders who are ready to reassess their brand, message, and platform. Before establishing Monaco Associates she co-founded a media company for Tufts University and was Marketing Director for Harvard Business Review's book imprint. Carolyn debunks some common myths around publishing and helps budding authors understand what they can expect from traditional publishers, what you'll need to have success self-publishing, and why you need to start beating the drum about your book months before it goes to market. If you're writing your first or fifth book this episode is chalked full of great advice for authors and Thought Leaders! Writing a successful book can mean different things to different authors. Peter shares his insights into finding what success for your book might mean to you.

Small and large organizations alike face a rapidly changing globally interconnected audience with diverse needs. Do you have a strategy and the leadership it takes to stay in constant transformation to meet those needs? Our guest Jennifer Sertl is Founder of Agility 3R, author of Strategy, Leadership, and the Soul and is deeply involved in contributing to her local Rochester and is a leader in Corporate Consciousness - the convergence of neuroscience and existential philosophy. Jennifer explains how pattern recognition plays a big part in her ability to transform as the needs arise. We discuss how Jennifer gets clients to identify the three most important strategies that zero in on what they do and create behavioral branding. Plus we discuss staying focused, getting the most out of Twitter, and valuing the abilities that come easy to you. Just like you have to zero in on what you do, you have to zero in on who you do it for. Peter talks more about getting laser focus on your target markets.

One of the most challenging parts of Thought Leadership is taking your content to market? Most Thought Leaders are experts at taking their ideas and presenting it in a way that will help people, but many have no experience in how to sell those ideas. In this episode we take a look back at some of the great advice our guests have given for Content Marketing! Nadia Bilchik walks us through why you need to have online credibility to validate your brand, how being available on multiple platforms will help with that and why your online presence needs to be crystal clear about what you do. Shep Hyken shares how you can use established platforms to give your content an edge and why going for a month to month subscription model might be better than getting a big one-time payment. Phil Gerbyshak tackles the challenge of marketing your speaking engagements. We discuss speaking for free but still extracting value, the importance of saying no thanks, some tips on what you should and should not include in your keynotes. If you are struggling to reach your target, let Thought Leadership Leverage bring their marketing experience to the table and help you find success.

What would you do if you were in two consecutive accidents and had to rehabilitate your whole body? Even learn to walk again? Would you take that experience as an opportunity to create a blueprint for others to learn from your pain? That is exactly what our guest did! Katy Kvalvik is the founder of Southwestern Empowerment, creator of the Harmony Method, host of the Harmony Method podcast and a certified executive coach, board-certified health counselor, certified trainer of Neuro-Linguistic Programming, a certified yoga instructor, and business mentor. Katy joins us to share her journey to developing a flexible blueprint that can lead to healthier work-life harmony. Katy explains the process she took to make the program, the choices she made in how to present it, and the importance of establishing face to face contact with your clients. Something that is often forgotten in our online driven world. If you are looking for empowering tools and strategies to elevate performance in your home and work life this is the episode you are looking for. Katy spent a lot of time finding the right medium for her message. Peter shares some Market Strategy for helping you find the medium that is right for you.

If you struggling to manage your time and increase your productivity you might want to consider using some new technology to get where you want to be. Our guest Corbin Ball is the founder of Corbin Ball & Co, one of the oldest firms dealing with meeting planning, tradeshow, and event technology. He has written literally hundreds of articles on the topic and was inducted into the Events Industry Council Hall of Fame in 2018. Corbin shares his passion for helping people understand complex ideas in fun and coherent ways. Peter asks Corbin about what speakers need to focus on while not on stage, methods you can use to get your name out there and how to transition your content to social media. If you want to stay a step ahead of everyone else in the event technology scene this is the episode for you! Corbin shares why niche marketing can help speakers stand out. In this video Peter shares some thoughts on Finding Your Niche.

Are you struggling to grow your online customer base, but tired of dealing with the same profit based marketers? Meet our guest Andrew Gottlieb! He is the Founder and CEO of No Typical Moments. A company not only focused on online customer acquisition but on working with companies looking to advance humanity and leave the world a better place. Andrew shares how he found the balance between profit and purpose. We discuss the key questions you need to ask when seeking to grow your online market and how being purpose driven can manifest itself in the clients you take, the people you hire and even the language you should use. Purpose is a large part of what drives our Thought Leadership. Peter shares some advice for what you can do if you are starting to lose faith in your business, mission, or passion?

Daily it feels we are under pressure to succeed and deliver results in the face of unprecedented challenges. Do you have a strategic plan in place to rise to the top and make a difference? Our guest R.T. Stokes is a certified high-performance coach, author of the Relentless Rise, and a well-known speaker. R.T. discusses how his three-part process of purpose, vision, mission come together to create a cycle of success. How you can use social media as a laboratory for research and not just broadcasting. Then we discuss publishing and how you can maintain better control of your book with self-publishing. If you are want help developing your purpose into meaningful life missions check out the Purpose Bound Playbook App! Plus we have some extra tips for grabbing your audience's attention on social media or in building other content.

How much of your time do you spend creating new content? Does the process of trying to keep fresh content on the growing number of online platforms have you feeling like you are spinning your tires? Maybe it's time to repurpose the content you have and get the most out of your energy. Our guest Amy Woods is the Founder and CEO of Content 10x, the author of Content 10x, the host of the Content 10x podcast and an expert in content repurposing. Peter and Amy have a candid discussion about how to squeeze your content for all it is worth! They delve into how you can take a single piece of content like a podcast and stretch it across various platforms and modalities to reach new audiences. They ask the question is it better to use the platform that is new and hot or stick with the method you are most comfortable with? Finally, we discuss the discipline it takes to stay on message and why consistency in schedule and message of the content you deliver is so important. We talked a lot about repurposing content, but we have a little more to say on the topic in this video that we actually repurposed!

We often have a tendency to push the small things off until they become larger issues that end up taking more of our time and energy. What can we do to tighten the lug nuts before they fall off? Our guest Rocky Romanella is the President & CEO of 3Sixty Management Services, author of Tighten the Lug Nuts and a top Keynote Speaker. Rocky talks to us about his book Tighten the Lug Nuts, how it came to be and how he found his voice in Joe Scafone. We discuss what sort of legacy you can leave behind, Rocky's transition from corporate executive to Thought Leader, plus we discuss tips for making your keynote a success. Diagnostics are a great way to make sure your Lug Nuts are tight! We have some advice for checking up on your diagnostics you'll find helpful.

51% of the US population listen to podcasts. That is a massive audience you could tap into. With 750,000 podcasts out there how can you get your voice heard and not fall victim to "podfade"? Our guest Ginni Saraswati is an Award winning journalist, Founder of Ginni Media, and host of The Ginni Show podcast. When clients want to start a podcast Ginni asks "Why?" the answer to that simple question can help lay the groundwork for the frequency of your show and allows you to set reasonable goals. Plus Ginni and Peter discuss what metrics you should pay attention to, options for monetization, and tips for repurposing your content. We discuss the importance of repurposing content to maximize your reach. For more on the topic check out this video on repackaging your content.

We are excited to celebrate our 170th episode with the #1 executive coach in the world Marshall Goldsmith! Marshall is a World-renowned business educator and coach, best selling author of such books as What Got You Here Won't Get You There and How Women Rise and the master of helping successful leaders achieve positive lasting change. Marshall and Peter discuss the need to focus your expertise to build your brand, making successful partnerships, the long game of social media and so much more! Check out some additional tips from Peter for building your personal brand.

Social Media is one of the fastest ways to grow your audience and reach new clients. With so many different choices how can you figure you where you need to be and what content to be sharing on what platforms? Our guest Beth Granger is the CEO of Beth Granger Consulting, a firm that helps organizations and individuals learn social prospecting and social media platforms. Beth shares her advice for discovering the platform and content that will work best for you. We discuss why you should not use social media networking to make cold calls or sales pitches and the advantage of experimenting with new content like LinkedIn Live! Keep up to date with all Beth has to offer by joining her mailing list. Expanding your reach on social media often means creating digital content. Make sure to check out our tips for creating great digital content!

Being a woman in the Thought Leader space can introduce unique challenges that can be difficult to navigate. Can being part of a minority group also present unique opportunities? Our guest Rita McGrath is the best selling author of Seeing Around Corners, a sought out speaker, a professor at Columbia Business School and leader for innovation and growth in times of uncertainty. Rita joins us for an insightful conversation around being a female author and speaker. She shares her personal experience co-authoring and avoiding getting stuck in the role of women's leadership when her knowledge and content works corporate leaders regardless of gender. If you don't want to get mislabeled you'll need a clear brand. Check out our tips for building a solid personal brand.

Most people don't think strategically. Speakers focus on the fee. Authors on their book. Should Thought Leaders be thinking wider and seeking multiple ways to monetize their content? Our guest Cameron Herold is the Founder of the COO Alliance, author of Double, Double and Free PR and is world renown as the CEO Whisperer helping entrepreneurs achieve their dreams. Cameron shares some of his knowledge as a lifelong entrepreneur working in the small to medium size enterprise space. Cameron and Peter how to avoid going broke as a speaker, tips for maximizing your marketing, and why you need to be thinking about multiple modalities. Cameron has a passion for helping CEO's find success. If you want to make the most out of any meeting with members of the C-suite we have some additional tips for you.

What is the DNA of greatness? What are ordinary people doing to achieve success? Can greatness be as simple as emulating those who have been successful and being dedicated to producing quality work? Dan Waldschmidt is the Co-CEO of Edgy Inc, Author of Edgy Conversations, an extreme athlete and elite strategist helping businesses across the world achieve greatness! Dan shares how he turned his blog into a book but only after shooting down four book deals to ensure his book was the exact vision he wanted. Plus he tells us about his edgy marketing maneuver that paid off in a big way, and why your book needs to be more than an oversized calling card. Dan uses his energy and edginess to grab the attention of his audience. How can you grab an audience's attention with your Thought Leadership?

Finding success as a Thought Leader can be difficult if you are unable to get your message out to your audience. Whether you are looking to book more speaking engagements, launch a new book, or start a podcast hiring a PR firm can help you fast track your success. Our guest Sarah Wilson is the Founder of Pop Communication a firm excelling at book launch management, public relations, speaker management and more! Sarah has valuable advice on what you should be asking a PR firm before signing on with them. We discuss why the customization of services is ideal, how you can discover the modality that will work best for you, and what expectations you need to set when launching a book. If you want your book to stand out in the crowd but need help finding a strategy Thought Leadership Leverage can help you.

Our guest Dan Janal is one of the founding fathers of internet marketing and publicity. He is President of PR Leads to Profit and author of best-selling books including Write your Book in a Flash and Risky Business. Dan is currently focused on being a book coach, developmental editor, and ghost writer. Wouldn't it be great to have a session with Dan to get his advice for your next book? This episode is exactly what you are looking for! Dan joins us to share how stories are important regardless of the type of book, why writing a book isn't a solo job, how you can research to ensure your book hits the mark and so much more! In addition to all of Dan's incredible advice we want you to know the 3 Things Your Book Needs from You.

Most people don't grow up wanting to become a public speaker. Their careers teach them lessons that become valuable to others and eventually they want to pass that knowledge on to help others. Our guest William "T" Thompson is a world renowned keynote speaker. As an entrepreneur, Air Force and commercial pilot, lawyer, and President CEO of the Association of Graduates of the United States Air Force Academy William has mastered many fields and has spent years passing his expertise on to others. Captain T shares his journey, the changes to the speakers industry he has witnessed and what it takes to stand out as a keynote speaker. If you are starting to break into the professional speaker space, Thought Leadership Leverage can help your career take flight!