ten dollars and a laptop

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:

What would you do if you had to start over? From scratch. You have no access to your current resources. You have no home. No car. All you have is ten dollars and a laptop. How would you begin rebuilding your life?

Sounds crazy scary, doesn’t it? To most sane people, this would be your worst nightmare. In today’s episode, Greg Hartle joins Phil and me to talk about how this has been his journey since January 5th, 2011, when he left on an epic quest to discover what it takes to succeed starting from scratch.

Greg is one the smartest people I’ve ever had the privilege of meeting in person, but what is even more humbling to me is learning from him through his actions. I carry a Greg Hartle mantra with me every single day of my life, which has made me a better person. In our chat with Greg, we talk a lot about making contributions and leaving an impact in the world. This is an episode you don’t want to miss.

Watch the show (uncensored & unedited)

Listen to the podcast

Share Some Shut Up Love –> I wake up thinking how can I put my fingerprints on the blue print of tomorrow. @greghartle via @_theshutupshow

Fun Facts:

Greg started his first business as the age of 22.
Greg has been nomading for over 763 days, reached 32 states, and helped 502 entrepreneurs.
Greg has escalaphobia, a fear of going up escalators.
Greg is an introvert and having conversations with strangers scares the crap out of him.
Greg started a new business called Academy On the Go, the busy person’s solution to continual improvement.

Defining Shut Up Moment:

I’m really afraid of reaching the end of my life and looking back and saying ‘boy, I didn’t make a strong enough contribution.’ I’m very good at accomplishing things and achieving things but they have a beginning and an end. A contribution keeps going. I get so nervous and so scared that maybe I’m not going to make the contribution I think I’m capable of making. That’s what fuels me every day. I wake up thinking how can I put my fingerprints on the blue print of tomorrow. Before I got my kidney transplant, I was told by my doctors I had 3 months to live. I know very well the thing that scares me most. I was 25 and doing a death tour. The best way for me to make a contribution is being an entrepreneur.

Shut Up Tips:

When you first start out as an entrepreneur, it’s all about digging deep. – Greg

You are not defined by your circumstances. Your personal resourcefulness will always be greater than the resources you have access to. – Greg

I know you can go no further than that which you are attached to; whatever it is you’re attached to or what you hold on to, that’s as far as yo’ll go. – Greg

Constraints make you creative. – Greg (via Berni of Srini’s quote on BlogcastFM)

Necessity breeds innovation. – Greg

When we get lulled into living a comfortable life, we lose that sense of personal creativity, enthusiasm and passion, and it becomes difficult to express it. In my business, we play games where we create some constraints. – Greg

Some people need a security blanket. Some need to protect other responsibilities. Some people can jump off the cliff and build the wings on the way down. You have to know yourself first. There isn’t a right answer there. – Greg

If you’re someone who continually makes an excuse or waits for the next thing–when you play that game–you find yourself in a nice comfort zone that you never get out of. That’s when you have to start creating constraints for yourself. – Greg

We shouldn’t be mimicking and saying so can I. We should be asking ‘what trait do they embody that I want to embody?’ Not necessarily actions I want to mimic. – Greg

As an entrepreneur or in creative work, you cannot play the game of odds. – Greg

When I first had my kidney transplant I was told I would take 53 pills a day for the rest of my life. Today I take zero every day right now because I don’t accept those as the rules. – Greg

You don’t have to choose from the options you have available on the table. You can create your own options. – AJ Leon (via Greg)

We get a lot of sunshine blowers and naysayers and we need a combination of people that give us a balanced perspective; to look at the other sides of the elephant we cant see right now. – Phil

Greg Recommends:

Greg’s goal with Ten Dollars and a Laptop is to get to all 50 states by the end of 2013. He wanted to help 500 entrepreneurs and to-date has crushed that goal. While Greg is still nomading the country, he wants to help more entrepreneurs. If you’re interested in working with him, email Greg here.

Find Greg:

GregHartle.com – all about Greg (what he’s up to and where to reach him)

TenLap.com – on a journey to explore all 50 United States starting from scratch.

Academy On the Go – co-founder of a life-skills academy for modern living.