Launch Youniversity

Turning Good Intentions into Reality in Your Career, Business and Life

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How to Have a Stand-Out Business

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Launchers are great at spotting a need or a problem. But not only are entrepreneurs good at spotting the holes, they are wired to fulfill the need and become part of the solution. That is when most successful businesses are created.

However, it isn’t without competition. Whether you are just starting your business in a sea of solutions, or you want to stay relevant years down the road, you must stand out. How do you set yourself apart from the competition? [Read more…] about How to Have a Stand-Out Business

100: 100th Episode Celebration Part 1 — Making The Leap

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The Launch Youniversity Podcast
100: 100th Episode Celebration Part 1 — Making The Leap
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Summary:

Today, we celebrate the 100th episode of the Launch Youniversity podcast. When we launched this podcast two years ago, we had this simple goal in mind: To turn go-getters into difference makers by pooling our resources, sharing our collective experiences, and introducing listeners to some of the best leaders we know. We understand just how uncertain the next step of any launch can be, so we’re happy to mentor our listeners (and learn some things ourselves) week after week.

To celebrate, we will feature some of our favorite interviews in a three-part series. In today’s episode, you’ll learn what it takes to go all in on your dream, the importance of community to your goals, and what happens when passion propels your vision, among other topics.

Welcome to episode 100 of the Launch Youniversity Podcast. Thank you for sticking with us!

Links + Resources:

069: When Passion and Heart Lead the Way: Dana Spinola of fab’rik

016: Sid Mashburn on Launching the Number One Men’s Independent Clothing Store in the US Pt. 1

048: What Does It Take to Go All-In on Your Dream? Bryan and Shannon Miles of Belay Solutions

013: Vision and Generosity with Plywood People’s Jeff Shinabarger Pt. 1

031: World-Renowned Vocal Coach Jan Smith on Dreaming Big, Being Honest and Staying Humble

026: How to Launch When You Have a Full Time Job: Justin Dean and Van Baird Part 2

Thank you for listening to the Launch Youniversity Podcast! If you have a question that you want to be answered on the podcast… ask us here!

088: How To Use Real Time Storytelling To Promote Your Business

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The Launch Youniversity Podcast
The Launch Youniversity Podcast
088: How To Use Real Time Storytelling To Promote Your Business
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Summary:

Behind every brand is a good story, and how well you tell that story is the difference between gaining influence and customers or stalling your brand’s growth potential. In today’s episode, host, Kevin Jennings, talks with Clark Campbell, founder of Social Lion, a company that provides real-time social media content for brands and live events. Clark shares how brands have the opportunity to start engaging their consumers in a more meaningful, purposeful way with the use of features such as Instagram Stories, Snapchat, and Facebook Live.

Welcome to episode 88 of the Launch Youniversity Podcast.

Links + Resources:

Social Lion

The Launch Loop ebook

The Inevitable: Understanding the 12 Technological Forces That Will Shape Our Future

Real Time Summit

Three Takeaways:

  • Do your research. Take some time each day to watch the Instagram Stories of brands you admire. How are they telling their stories? What’s working well for them? What captured your attention? This is a learning process — make a list of the things they do well and the things they could change and then start adding these ideas to the way you tell your brand story.
  • Practice your storytelling. Choose a platform feature — whether Instagram Stories, Facebook Live, or Snapchat — and start sharing your story as it’s happening. Give your consumers a behind-the-scenes look about some element of your product or process or keep them in the loop during a live event.
  • Have a plan. Success is planned. If you’re going to be covering a live event, take a look at the activities, breakouts, and keynote speakers and decide whether you’re going to do a Facebook Live stream or snapshots of the day via Instagram or Snapchat. With a plan, you can have more thorough, thoughtful coverage.

Thank you for listening to the Launch Youniversity Podcast! If you have a question that you want to be answered on the podcast… ask us here!

 

048: What Does It Take to Go All-In on Your Dream? Bryan and Shannon Miles of Belay Solutions

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What Does It Take to Go All-In on Your Dream? Bryan and Shannon Miles of Belay Solutions
The Launch Youniversity Podcast
048: What Does It Take to Go All-In on Your Dream? Bryan and Shannon Miles of Belay Solutions
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SUMMARY:

You’ve heard the phrase before: high risk, high reward. Bryan and Shannon Miles of Belay Solutions are walking examples of that. As new parents in the middle of a recession, they decided to go all-in on a new-concept business. Now, seven years later, Belay Solutions leading the pack when it comes to virtual staffing.

How did they start? How have they grown it? What tools have helped them along the way?

Welcome to episode 48 of The Launch Youniversity Podcast.

LINKS + RESOURCES:

Belay Solutions

Virtual Culture by Steven Jones

Book in a Box: Turning Ideas Into Books

Basecamp

Slack

MobileDay

Workplace by Facebook

THREE TAKEAWAYS:

Know Your Runway

Starting a business means taking a financial risk. Whether it’s a big one like Bryan and Shannon, or a smaller one to get a side project off the ground… Shannon told us: Know your runway. Don’t get so caught up in the dream that you forget about the financial reality. Know how much you can put into the business and still survive. Know when your stopping point is.

Create the kind of company you’d like to work for

Culture happens, no matter what. So instead of just letting culture happen to your business, be intentional about creating it. Belay had a unique barrier to creating culture: every person works remotely. So, they use a simple (but effective) filter when evaluating office culture: If I didn’t own this company, would I like working here?

Celebrate along the way

Celebrating milestones matters more than you think. It reminds the team what the vision is and refuels their passion for getting there. Even during busy seasons, make time to stop and congratulate the team on wins.

045: Courage, Vision and Listening to Your Inner Voice with Garrett Gravesen and Kevin Scott of ADDO

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SUMMARY:

If you’re waiting for permission to make or do something (like launching that passion project, pushing back on the status quo at work or even chasing that dream you can’t shake from your mind) then this episode is for you. And we don’t say that lightly.

Kevin Scott and Garrett Gravesen of ADDO join Shane for a candid and inspiring conversation about listening to your inner voice, staying clear on vision and what ten seconds of insane courage could look like. It’s an episode you absolutely do not want to miss.

Welcome to The Launch Youniversity Podcast.

LINKS + RESOURCES:

ADDO.is

Read More About Kevin and Garrett

Chick-fil-A Leader Academy

8 Essential Exchanges: What You Have to Give Up to Go Up by Kevin Scott

The Lepers’ Lessons: Five Questions, Two Perspectives, and the Pursuit of Purpose by Kevin Scott

Dooley: My 40 Years at Georgia by Coach Vince Dooley

THREE TAKEAWAYS:

1. 10 seconds of insane courage can change everything

Garrett and Kevin challenged us in the best way when they said that all it takes to get closer to where you want to be is ten seconds of insane courage. Ten seconds to quiet fear and speak up when you have something to say. Ten seconds to decide which road you’re going to go down. Ten seconds to get past all the mental barriers you’ve made for yourself. If you gave yourself ten seconds to speak a dream or idea into the world without fear, what would you say?

2. The voice inside of you will eventually get quieter (or, louder)

If there’s a voice inside of you telling you to take that chance, try that project, research a career change… don’t push it away. The more you push that voice away and don’t answer its call, the quieter it will get. Don’t wait for permission to do something about the dream or idea you have. And here’s some good news: When you answer the voice, it’ll get louder.

3. Life is too short to do business with people you wouldn’t want to do life with

When you listen to Kevin and Garrett talk about ADDO and the business partners ADDO works with, it’s clear that they not only love what they do, but they love who they get to work with. Life can be challenging and unexpected and surrounding yourself with good people, that you care for even outside of work, is essential for long-term happiness.

043: Timeless Leadership In a Changing World with Tim Elmore

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Timeless Leadership In a Changing World with Tim Elmore
The Launch Youniversity Podcast
043: Timeless Leadership In a Changing World with Tim Elmore
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SUMMARY:

Do you have an idea inside of you that you think would really work, but you need the push to make it a reality? Tim Elmore, President of Growing Leaders, was the same. He had an idea for a nonprofit that would equip young adults with leadership skills. Today, over a decade after launching, Tim is joining Jeff on the podcast. They discuss the what it look to launch, what working with young leaders has taught him, and how Growing Leaders intentionally tries to march off the map into new territory.

Welcome to Episode 43 of the Launch Youniversity Podcast.

LINKS:

GrowingLeaders.com

Growing Leaders Blog

Marching Off the Map: Inspire Students to Navigate a Brand New World by Tim Elmore

StoryBrand Online by Donald Miller

Launch: An Internet Millionaire’s Secret Formula To Sell Almost Anything Online, Build A Business You Love, And Live The Life Of Your Dreams by Jeff Walker

Sell Your Book Like Wildfire: The Writer’s Guide to Marketing and Publicity by Rob Eager

5by5 — A Change Agency Shannon Litton

THREE KEY TAKEAWAYS:

Who are your guard rails?

Tim had the idea for Growing Leaders stirring inside of him for years, but it wasn’t until his friends gave him the push he needed to start. Andy Stanley calls these people guardrail friends. Do you have people in your life who are going to encourage you, help push you out of your comfort zone, and hold you accountable? Because you need them.

In this day and age, you need to be both timely and timeless.

The world is changing so rapidly, that leaders and launchers need to master being both timely and timeless. Timely means that you understand what’s happening in culture today and are fully in-tune with what’s going on. Timeless means you can reach back into the past and look for the virtues and values you don’t want to lose.

Go find the answer you’re looking for. 

When you’re getting ready to launch a new business or idea, it can feel overwhelming. How many times have you thought, “I would love to do XYZ, but it seems complicated and I don’t know how”? Those conversations with ourselves are usually where our ideas start to die and never get launched. But the truth is, you can find the answers to almost anything you need. When Jeff asked Tim what helps him keep Growing Leaders fresh, he listed off all of his favorite resources (linked above) that have helped him learn how to maintain a business. You don’t need to know everything before you launch, but harness the art of being a learner. If something seems overwhelming, make it a game to go find the right resource to help.