bob burg

Michelle Colon-Johnson Tells Us How to Never Give Up On Our Dreams – Episode 78

January 3, 2014 By Berni

Today’s guest I am deeply honored to introduce as one of my favorite new friends in 2013. Michelle Colon-Johnson has made her dreams come true and earns a living helping authors and speakers make their dreams come true. Quite an enchanting life today but it didn’t come without a lot of hard work and life-threatening challenges to overcome.

Share Some Shut Up Love –> Who we are today is not who we are going to be tomorrow or the next day. – @Michelle2dream on #shutupshow (click to tweet)

Fun Facts:

Michelle Colon-Johnson is a Motivational Speaker and a Publicist.
Michelle is known as “The Dream Connector” by her friends and fans because she loves connecting people to other people or resources that will lead them in the direction of living their dreams.
Michelle is a Mother to an Autistic Daughter, a five-time stage four cancer survivor, and like many of us has been through circumstances and relationships that leave us emotionally bankrupt.
Michelle started 2 Dream Productions, Inc. in 2010, which is a publicist company specializing in working with authors and speakers to get more publicity to sell their books and products.
Michelle currently lives in the Florida panhandle and travels the globe inspiring and encouraging others to “Never Give Up On Their Dreams.”

Defining Shut Up Moment:

ON FINDING A BUSINESS YOU LOVE: I was a manager of the outside sales program at AT&T before I got into what I’m doing now. Then I got sick with stage 4 cancer and took off 10 years from work. When I returned to apply for jobs, I knew in that moment I had to either work for someone else or decide what I wanted to do since I had the entrepreneurial bug in me. I started working at different businesses. I would buy a business, create a business, flip them, sell them and find my next venture until I could find my happy spot.

ON LETTING GO OF FEAR TO FIND SUCCESS: I literally woke up one day and I was a book publicist. A publisher called me and asked me to do a project with them knowing I had experience getting into the media because of my modeling background. They asked me how much that would cost, I threw out a crazy number and they accepted. Through that contract, I grew my business to promote 15 more authors. When my contract was coming to an end, I struggled for one day only to make a choice to not continue the contract. The second day, I was able to make up the money I thought in my head I was going to lose. But you have to let go of that fear in order to make it to the next level.

Shut Up Tips:

Modeling led me to personal development because I got to meet Paul Martinelli. – Michelle

Who we are today is not who we are going to be tomorrow or the next day. – Michelle

It’s hard to say “I’m going to do this and I’m going to do it no matter what the consequences are,” because I still say to myself at times “Oh my gosh, what am I doing?” – Michelle

If you can believe in something that’s greater than yourself, then that gives you a choice to believe in yourself. If there’s something greater, you can at least get to a higher level. – Michelle

Let go and let be and realize it really isn’t that bad. – Phil

Continue to be authentic and face your fears. That’s how we can grow. – Michelle

Michelle Recommends:

Download your FREE copy of Michelle’s latest eBook, Dream Tips from a Publicist: a Guide to Help Authors & Speakers Get More Publicity and Sell Their Books and Products.

Find Michelle:

Michelle’s web site is: michellecolonjohnson.com

Michelle loves to connect on Facebook at: Facebook.com/2DreamProductions

Photo credit: Trista Blouin

Go-Givers Have More Fun (and Make More Money) with Bob Burg – SUS17

December 17, 2013 By Berni

Phil and I were absolutely thrilled to chat with our good friend Bob Burg, a highly acclaimed national speaker and bestselling author. In our chat with Bob, we talked about being pushed out of your comfort zone and shifting from an already established career to launch projects that are more enjoyable.

The most influential leaders and best sales people around have been endorsing Bob’s books and presentations for many years, including our very own Phil. If you’ve ever wanted to know the true success principle every top producer uses, you don’t want to miss this episode.

Share Some SHUT UP Love –> Some people don’t buy a drill to have a drill. They buy a ¼” drill to get a ¼” hole. Great salespeople get that. @bobburg #shutupshow (click to tweet)

See video blog and full show notes at https://theshutupshow.com/bobburg

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

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Backstage Special: First 25 Recap Show – Episode 29

September 2, 2013 By Berni

What do you get when you cross a Polish who can do math with an Asian who is allergic to alcohol? You’ll find out soon enough when you watch a very, special backstage episode Phil and I recorded off the cuff after fueling up on some margaritas.

I happened to be in Phil’s neck of the woods giving a shin kicking development training workshop on Friday. So Phil and I decided to huddle up at our Milwaukee hub (Phil’s coworking office at Hudson Lounge in the Third Ward) to record our first ever in-person backstage episode to recap the first 25 episodes of The SHUT UP Show!

Watch the show (uncensored & unedited)Listen to the show (coming soon)

Share Some SHUT UP Love:

We are not the authority in anything. We are guinea pigs and this show is an experiment. @BerniXiong on #shutupshow (click to tweet)

We all have feedback to give. We all have insight that someone needs. @PhilGerb on #shutupshow (click to tweet)

Fun Facts:

Berni and Phil do the robot dance right before every episode goes LIVE ON AIR
None of the questions are contrived. They are asked off the cuff to keep the conversation real and raw.
Phil may or may not have been twerking before this special backstage episode went LIVE
Berni really has Asian Flush, which means she “experiences flushes or blotches as a result of an accumulation of acetaldehyde, a metabolic byproduct of the catabolic metabolism of alcohol” (via Wikipedia)

Defining SHUT UP Moment:

Berni nixed a weight management coaching project the week she was about to launch it to the public because it was excruciating work. Even though she had clients lined up and a clear plan to monetize as a newly certified weight management specialist, she decided to instead pursue what she truly enjoyed. That’s when Berni shut up and chose to go all-in with The SHUT UP Show, a project that has no guarantee of monetization, because she’s having the time of her life.

Phil recently got his ass kicked by his accountability coach only days before he was about to launch a new project. His coach helped him to realize the project was not in alignment with his core values. After 3 hours of crying and reflection, Phil decided to follow his heart, instead of leading with the prospect of making a ton of money, and completely derailed his original plan to stay true to his values.

SHUT UP Tips (Highlights from First 25):

I told people to shut up a long time ago and decided now, as my life is changing and I want to start a family, is the time to shut up myself. – Scott Ginsberg

Don’t be afraid to look stupid. Get over it. It’s just a part of being an entrepreneur. You’re going to do things that don’t work. Lean Startup: fail fast, learn, regroup, retrench, relaunch. – Catherine Morgan

If you try to play this game on an island, you’re not going to succeed. If you think you have your little baby–your idea–and you’re almost afraid to show people because you’re afraid they’re going to tell you the truth that maybe its an ugly baby. You need the flip side too; you need good people to be honest with you. – Greg Hartle

If you don’t come up with ideas every day, after 2 weeks your idea muscle will atrophy. – James Altucher

Do what you love in the service of those who love what you do. – Steve Farber

The day it really hit me I realized this is my life and it is my one and only. There are no encores. There are no redos. I don’t get another one. This is it. When you recognize this is not your practice life. This is all you have. Everything changes when you really get that because your choices become more urgent and that fear of “Am I gonna make it?” is much less relevant. – AJ Leon

Special Thanks to Guests from Our First 25:

Scott Ginsberg – Scott Ginsberg on Shutting Up and Not Giving a Shit – Episode 2
Bryson Andres – Bryson Andres on Becoming Discovered by Playing From the Heart – Episode 4
Amy Clover – Amy Clover Moves Us to Be Strong Inside Out – Episode 7
Srini Rao – Srini Rao Teaches Us About the Art of Being Unmistakable – Episode 8
John Haydon – John Haydon Helps us Flip Our Middle Finger to Fear and Doubt – Episode 9
AJ Leon – AJ Leon Helps Us Define Our Moments So They Don’t Define Us – Episode 10
Greg Hartle – Greg Hartle Teaches Us How to Succeed Starting From Scratch – Episode 11
James Altucher – James Altucher Takes Us From Broke to Choosing Yourself – Episode 13
Dat Phan – Death, Sex and Fear: What the Hell Dat Phan? – Episode 15
Craig Price – Craig Price Gives Us a Reality Check & Lots of Laughs – Episode 16
Susan Baroncini-Moe – Susan Baroncini-Moe Breaks World Records & Runs a Profitable Business in Blue Jeans – Episode 18
Jia Jiang – From Foe to Friend: Jia Jiang’s Love Story with Rejection – Episode 19
Catherine Morgan – Catherine Morgan Helps Us Get from Point A to Point B – Episode 20
Steve Farber – Steve Farber On Being More You & Infusing Your Voice with Work You Do – Episode 21
Matthew Kimberley – Matthew Kimberley Helps Us Get a Grip & More Clients – Episode 22
Paul Jarvis – How to Be Whole-Assed & Awesome at Online Business Like Paul Jarvis – Episode 23
Bob Burg – Go-Givers Have More Fun (and Make More Money) with Bob Burg – Episode 24
Chris Brogan – Love in the Time of the Owner with Chris Brogan – Episode 25

Find Berni & Phil:

Go-Givers Have More Fun (and Make More Money) with Bob Burg – Episode 24

August 21, 2013 By Berni

Watch the show (uncensored & unedited)Listen to the podcast

Share Some SHUT UP Love –> Some people don’t buy a drill to have a drill. They buy a ¼” drill to get a ¼” hole. Great salespeople get that. @bobburg #shutupshow (click to tweet)

Fun Facts:

Bob has been featured in CNN, SUCCESS Magazine, Oprah & Friends, Montel, and Bill O’Reilly, to name a few media appearances
Bob is a highly acclaimed, long-time member of the National Speakers Association and elite authority on relationship marketing
Bob teaches business professionals how to leverage their network of everyday contacts into a never ending stream of new prospects
Bob is an advocate, supporter and defender of the Free Enterprise system, believing that the amount of money one makes is directly proportional to how many people they serve
Bob is a founding board member of Club 100, a charitable organization focused on helping underprivileged local area youths
Bob was best known for his book Endless Referrals, but over the past few years it’s his business parable The Go-Giver , which shot to #6 on The Wall Street Journal’s Business Bestsellers list just three weeks after its release and reached #9 on BusinessWeek
Bob was inducted into #CousinsOfBerniXiong in 2011 shortly after meeting Berni in a weekly #KTCO tweetchat hosted by Chris Brogan and Joe Sorge

Defining SHUT UP Moment:

ON CAREER TRANSITION – I’ve made several shifts in my career. When I was first starting out, I was speaking on a different topic and I really positioned myself well. When I wanted to make a shift and start teaching referrals and networking–because I really enjoyed it–it was difficult because I had an already established niche.

ON WRITING A BUSINESS PARABLE BOOK – Go-Giver is very much Endless Referrals in a storytelling fashion. Personally I love business parables. I knew I could write a how-to book, but writing a work of fiction was outside of my strength zone. I’m lucky to be able to work with my co-author John David Mann on the series. He’s a brilliant man who can really write a story. We partnered on the book. We were turned down by 25-30 publishers. Our agent helped us re-position the book and we ended up finding the perfect partner to publish it, a division of Penguin out of New York.

ON PROFESSIONALLY SPEAKING – Whether I’m speaking to 25 people or 15,000, I get that sick feeling in my stomach before I go on. Every single time just like I did when I played sports as a kid. As soon as my name is announced, the butterflies go and it’s mine. I say a quick prayer and I’m up there feeling confident because I know I’m prepared. The fear is still there. But really, in everything I do, unless I know for sure what the answer is, there’s always a different degree of fear.

SHUT UP Tips:

It’s never about the sales person and it’s never about the product or service. It’s about the client and how what you’re offering is going to touch their lives. – Bob

My dad said “Who is a brave person? One who is smart enough to be afraid but still do their job.” My personal feeling is there are some who don’t know enough to be afraid. While we admire them, it’s not really bravery. – Bob

Now when we’re putting fear when it’s not supposed to be there, then that’s not very productive. – Bob

You become more of what you already were, the more money you make. – Berni

Really prepare yourself for what you need to do. The more prepared you are the less you have to fear. Realize its okay to have fear. – Bob

Far too often we already have the resources and tools in hand and sometimes we’re afraid to pull the trigger and apply what we learned. – Berni

Bob Recommends:

Dale Carnegie – How to Stop Worrying and Start Living

Lisa McLeod – Selling with Noble Purpose

Adam Grant – Give and Take: A Revolutionary Approach to Success

SIGN UP to receive Bob’s Influence & Success Insights along with 4 powerful special reports, and download chapters from four of his books: his international bestseller The Go-Giver, Go-Givers Sell More, Endless Referrals and It’s Not About You

Adversaries into Allies comes out in October 2013

Find Bob:

To learn more about Bob’s books, speaking, and training programs, visit www.Burg.com

Susan Baroncini-Moe Breaks World Records & Runs a Profitable Business in Blue Jeans – Episode 18

July 28, 2013 By Berni

It’s not often we get to feature on our show a Guinness World Records® record holder who has shared the stage with business giants like Michael E. Gerber, Larry Winget, Bob Burg, David Meerman Scott, Michael Port, Chris Brogan, Scott Stratten, our very own Phil Gerbyshak, among other business and marketing bestselling authors, speakers, and thought leaders. She may be running her business in blue jeans from the Midwest, but Susan Baroncini-Moe is a force to be reckoned with in the world of business and marketing strategy.

Lucky for Phil and me, we get to chat with our friend Susan on a fairly regular basis so this chat was just like a conversation with an old friend. In this episode, you’ll get a glimpse inside the mind and heart of a veteran of the web industry who shares how she tackles the “brain junk” that can often overwhelm a small business owner or entrepreneur.

Watch the show (uncensored & unedited)Listen to the show (coming soon)

Share Some Shut Up Love –> No man is an island. We all have to reach out & connect with each other. @suebmoe on #shutupshow (click to tweet)

Fun Facts:

Susan is a Guinness World Records® record holder for the world’s longest uninterrupted live webcast.
Susan has worked with clients on 4 continents and her clients include startups, well-established companies, and best-selling authors.
Berni hired Susan as her business & marketing strategy coach and made back her monthly investment tenfold within the first 48 hours working together.

Defining Shut Up Moment:

Every once in a while I get a little scared, but I don’t dwell on it. I chose a lifestyle where fear runs as an underlying current of everything I do. If I let it, it can paralyze me. But I focus on the work and what I know works. If you’re shoring up your business and you have lots of places where you’re earning revenue, you’re not going to see that big of a change if something happens like the economy crashing. When you’re doing a lot of things with consistency and regularity, that’s what holds the underlying current of fear at bay.

Shut Up Tips:

Don’t underestimate the power of connection. What you can do for people and what they can do for you along your journey. I could have not fathomed where I am today doing what I’m doing with who I’m doing it had I not been open to the connection being made. – Berni

None of us are alone. No man is an island. We all have to reach out and connect with each other. That is a part of dealing with all the fear of being an entrepreneur because it’s part of the lifestyle. – Susan

There’s a difference being by yourself and being completely alone. – Phil

The smartest thing to do is start your business on the side while you’re still working in your day job. One great way to do that is by telecommuting. – Susan

I am so persistent and have so many irons in the fire at one time, so I don’t let things get to me that often. It’s not as scary as it used to be when I first started. – Susan

If you can prepare, you should. If you can’t, stop and relate. Then it ends up not just your experience you’re drawing from. It’s the experience of others who have been there before you. Really, this is the whole purpose of The Shut Up Show. – Phil

Susan Recommends:

Susan’s newest book that just launched in June 2013 –> BUSINESS in BLUE JEANS: How to Have a Successful Business on Your Own Terms, in Your Own Style.

Find Susan:

Follow Susan on Twitter

Susan’s website