Unconventional Life – Podcast, Blog, Live Events

Author: Jules Schroeder

  • Ep:182 Transitioning From the Conventional to the Unconventional, with CEO and Co-Founder of NED, Rett Taylor

    Ep:182 Transitioning From the Conventional to the Unconventional, with CEO and Co-Founder of NED, Rett Taylor

    “After spending years in different industries chasing previous ideas of “success” in some of the world’s busiest cities, there was the realization that there is something fundamentally broken about the way we, as a modern society, are approaching our health and well-being. Many of us are feeling the consequences of device addiction, stress, anxiety, and a multitude of other ailments that have come to rule our lives. We are too quick to turn to doctors and prescription drugs as the first line of defense.

    We were reminded, in our own ways, that the best answers often lie in nature… in a walk through the forest; in the glow of a campfire; and in the plants, herbs, roots, fungi, and the very soil that our ancestors have used for millennia.”

    This week on the Unconventional Life show is CEO and Co-founder of Ned, Ret Taylor. Ned is a wellness brand that produces CBD oil, hemp balms ,and medicinal tinctures.

    In this episode Ret shares,

    -His greater why in life and how that has impacted the business and work that he does today.

    -How he made the switch from a very conventional life to the unconventional life. 

    – and so much more! 

    Ret’s research into CBD started after his mother was treated for breast cancer. She had chosen to improve her health through movement and diet instead of putting her body through rigorous chemotherapy.  Ret researched natural ways to keep cancer from returning and was presented with the option of CBD use as a complementary therapy

    He started buying CBD from Alfalfas, a local grocery store, but couldn’t find “any loyalty or affinity to their brands.” He didn’t know how they were extracting or what extra ingredients were added. So he decided to start his own brand for himself and for his mom. 

    Fast forward two years and Ret and his business partner, Adrienne have created one of the highest quality hemp products in Colorado.  

    From seed to bottle, all Ned Full Spectrum Hemp products are energetically infused with love, gratitude, and positive vibrations.

    Great Vibes

    Farmer Curt sees to it that each of our beautiful, organic hemp plants receives the best of everything, including a lifetime of sun, filtered mountain water, and great tunes.

    Quality, Not Quantity

    The plants are grown in Paonia, Colorado one of the top places to grow produce. Care is put into each plant to ensure it’s healthy and symbiotically thriving within its environment.

    Love and Gratitude

    Once extracted, the words “love” and “gratitude” are energetically infused into the hemp oil according to the findings of Dr. Masura Emoto in his NY Times Best Seller, The Hidden Messages in Water.”

    Binaural Beats

    The products are attuned to the frequencies of 3.5 Hz and 7.83 Hz are then played to the contents of each bottle to promote balance and grounding. Binaural beats are the result of two different auditory impulses heard from opposite ears. The Delta 3.5hz frequency is associated with remedying depression and anxiety while promoting DNA repair. 7.83hz is the powerful healing frequency of the earth’s magnetic field (Schumann’s Resonance), which promotes focus, balance, and calm.

    Biodynamic Farming

    Biodynamic farming is the highest level of “organic”  farming. This type of agriculture practice is very detail-oriented and works symbiotically with the land to produce an exceptionally high-quality product.

    One of Ned’s company values is to keep it simple and keep it natural.  So by the time the products reach you, they have taken every possible step to ensure you’re receiving the very best of everything, including the right energy and vibrations. 

    Connect and learn more about Ned by visiting their website or follow on Instagram 

    This week on the giveaway Ned is giving away an entire package of products- tinctures, body butter, and lip balms. To be entered to win the giveaway, click here. A winner will be selected next week.

  • Ep: 181 How to Crush Sales with Linkedin, with Expert, David Tash

    Ep: 181 How to Crush Sales with Linkedin, with Expert, David Tash

    If you are looking to get noticed as a business professional or entrepreneur Linkedin is definitely where the buzz is at.

    With over 630 million users, Linkedin its the largest professional network in the world. If you think the site is just a place to keep your online resume, your missing out on some great opportunities. 

    This week on the Unconventional Life show we caught up David Tash, the co-founder of Tashrizzo which is an executive recruiter network.  During this episode, David shares with us 5 valuable tips that we can use to go from zero to hero in the LinkedIn nation and much more.

    1. Optimize your headline

    Your headline is one of the most visible sections on your profile, making it ultra-hot real estate for getting your message across. David shares that the headline should be branded to speak to your potential clients. What values and skills can you bring to others? What problems do you solve? 

    To make it simple, here is a formula: “Your Title, Helping X do Y” or “Your Title. 

    Example: “Enterprise software executive | Helping retailers find better performance, productivity, and profitability”

     The headline should pique interest and curiosity so that people engage with your profile and want to discover more about you. 

    2. Summary page

    David reminds us that “It’s not about you, it’s about who you help the most” 

    —> Position your product or service as a solution to all the problems and challenges that your customers are facing.

    —> Have a call to action – where do you want to drive customer traffic to? Your best recommendation is to have a link to your landing page. The landing page is an extended description or your product or service, the goal is to convert visitors into sales or leads.  A few other calls to action are;  a calendar link( eg.calendly or hubspot) to set up a  short consultation, inquiry forms, or any preferred method of contact. 

    3. Gaining Traction

    —> Find your target audience and business collaborations using the Boolean search function. A boolean search quickly refines your search criteria to pinpoint your buyers, influencers, and stakeholders so you can start having conversations with the right people. 

    Once you have found your prospect list start to reach out to these people via direct message. Less is more here, the key is to deliver a “benefit-driven message in a genuine way” who are you and how can you help them. 

    In your spare time, engage with your prospects & comment on their posts with relevant content related to their interests. They will see your profile & headline and instantly know how you can support them. 

    4. The Value Sandwich

    Keeping people engaged in your product or service requires a specific formula. If you pushed SALES, SALES, SALES, You would be ignored and forgotten for being too salesy. David’s golden ratio is Value- Pitch- Value. 

    The pitches should aim to sell and self promote, while the value is aimed to tell a story, trigger’s an emotional response or starts a conversation. 

    It’s important to content that is catchy and interesting enough to grab hold of someone’s attention or it will be lost in a sea of memes, cat photos, and selfies. Use Buzz Sumo to find popular and relevant news about your product or service and share it. 

    5. Advanced Support

    —> Supercharge your leads by setting up the Linkedin sales navigator. (Ps. Click the link for a free 30-day trial) This allows you to find the exact people you want to market your product and service while driving organic and paid leads to your landing page. Install the Facebook Pixel and Google Conversion Tracking Tag and the Linkedin Insight tag. This allows you to re-market to the same people you target on Linkedin on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Google. Pixels also collect data that can help optimize ads and measure your ads’ results.

    These are only five of the points that David covers in this episode, so tune in to learn how to supercharge your LinkedIn potential

    This week, David is giving away ONE personalized consulting packing – A 1-1 experience to help YOU revamp and set up a direct response client strategy on LinkedIn. 

    Also, you can connect with David Tash via his website, where you can click the “resources”  tab to receive complimentary sales scripts, sample contracts and loads of free training.

    To be entered to win the giveaway, click here. A winner will be selected next week.

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  • EP:180 How Automation Creates More Sales, with Innovate Fast Creator, Robin Alex

    EP:180 How Automation Creates More Sales, with Innovate Fast Creator, Robin Alex

    The behavior of customers has shifted drastically in the past 20 years. Historically, you would watch an ad on tv or hear about something in the newspaper or radio and that was pretty much all the information you had on the product.

    Now, with more products and consumerism in your face than ever before, you as a customer are able to do your due diligence before making a purchase. By looking at reviews, checking stats on social media and vetting out the business before you subscribe, not only saves you money but also provides you with the exact service you are looking for. 

    On the flip side, if you are a business owner, it’s crucial to accurately track interest in your product, allowing you to close the sale quickly and effectively.

    This week on the Unconventional Life show is Robin Alex, the creator behind Innovate Fast, a company that helps businesses scale by increasing revenue and exposure via digital marketing techniques and automation software called “Go High Level”.

    In this episode, Robin shares how automation can connect the dots, and lead to exceptionally high conversion rates.

    Automate the communication + speed the lead

    Automation is the bread and butter of Robin’s business. In order to track clients user experience and find where customers are falling through the gaps, the company needs to know what is happening at each step of the customer journey. The speed also matters as people lose interest quickly if you wait two weeks to follow up, your business will likely be forgotten.

    For many companies, the goal within the first steps is to obtain a name and email or phone number. Of course, people will never give that information away, but they will trade it for added value.

    Here are steps on how you can add value into peoples lives while warming them up into your funnel, and towards your desired conversion.

    1. Opt-in – A video that teases curiosity and self-discovery. 
    2. Engagement with a micro commitment – this could be with a free e-book, video series, quiz, etc where users are inclined to submit their name and email address for this free offering. 
    3. Schedule to an appointment – follow up and aim to set up short a 1-1 10 min call to answer any questions and see if your product is a great fit for the customer. 
    4. Show up to a consultation – Tracking who shows up and who reschedules
    5. Get the close – A well-written enrollment script that focuses on solving the problems the customer is facing. 

    Figuring out where the gaps are is huge in your business model because you will know what exact step of your funnel to focus on.  If you are bringing clients through steps 1-4 but are losing them on step 5 then you and your team would benefit knowing what is the correct language is to close a sale or how to handle bigger questions and concerns. 

    Creating Content. Robin shares that videos explaining your service are the best way to capture someone’s attention vs static banner ads on Google. You need to create thumb stopper content and statically only have 3 seconds to do this before viewership drops off.  If you have an intro song or animation at the opening of your video this could be the reason why you are losing customers and sales are not converting. 

    What does take to convert a client? The pitfall that Robin see’s most businesses doing is that they feel like they have the best product or service but don’t explain it well, they just imagine that people will want their services immediately. The solution to this is to educate your customers from many different angles. 

    Start by writing down every single objection or question that you have ever heard about your product or service then create content that answers and solves those problems or objections one by one. 

    For this week’s Unconventional Life Giveaway, If you are looking to add automation to your business, free access to the Gohighlevel.com automation software.

    Get in contact with Innovate Fast
    Follow on Facebook, Instagram or Linkedin

    By Lisa- Renne Delwo

  • Ep:179 Taking the First Step – From Zero to One, with the founder of Amplio Recruiting, Chris Chancey

    Ep:179 Taking the First Step – From Zero to One, with the founder of Amplio Recruiting, Chris Chancey


    Finding a job in today’s economy is challenging. Finding a fulfilling job is even tougher. Now imagine being a refugee, with little to no relevant experience, in a new country and a new language… Near impossible. However, Chris and his project Ampilo have trained and placed thousands of refugees into careers they thrive in. If it can work for them, it can work for you.

    Chris Chancey is an advocate for the refugee workforce and the founder of Amplio Recruiting, a staffing agency that helps great companies hire dependable employees from the refugee workforce. Chris and his team have placed over 4000 people who have been forced to leave their country in order to escape war, persecution or natural disaster into employment. These people have been stigmatized in the workforce and in the community but the truth is that they are very dependable, highly motivated, growth orientated and legally able to join the workforce.

    Amplio has found that these people want to give back to society, get an education, share their voice, participate in society, vote and pay taxes. Just like many immigrants before them.

    In this podcast, Chris talks about Amplio and the techniques he uses to help empower refugees, or anyone looking to start a business.


    How to find your big idea

    See what is happening around you, just outside your door. As you become more involved with your community you will see the problems people are facing and you might be inspired to provide a solution. 

    When Chris met his neighbors and people in the area he realized that most conversation’s ended with people asking him if he knew of any job leads. As the relationships with his community developed further he realized that these people were strong and reliable people and this lead to the creation of his Amplio Recruiting. 

    An exercise that Chris has found helpful was to keep a small piece of paper in his pocket and when he “saw a gap in the way the world worked” and how he felt it could be better he would write down the solution.  He then assessed if taking action seemed inspiring and exciting enough to tackle. For one week, open your eyes a little wider and look out for any obstacles that your community is facing and see if you have any creative solutions to these problems. 


    How to go from an idea into action 

    “ The risk at failing at this idea is worth the positive impact if it works- if you get to that point where the potential impact is so great it’s worth failing for, then go for it! “

    Any effort you make to begin to take notice of the things that are happening around you, you might realize that you are uniquely positioned to actually make it happen. 

    Start and find your way step by step. It’s impossible to know exactly how this idea is going to take shape. Most people feel they need to know step one hundred before they can take step one. So just take that first step and the rest of the clues will uncover themselves.

    Failure is a part of innovation and could possibly be the most important function.  We receive feedback from each action we take which enriches our learning experience and sets the stage for future iterations of development. We can also reframe the concept of “failing” into “collecting data” so we keep our minds in a positive flow and effective at problem-solving. 


    A few mindset hacks along the way

    Cultivating the right mindset along your entrepreneurial journey is essential.  If we have our warrior mindset qued we will have no problem treading uphill during challenging moments. 
    Below are three values and keywords that Chris uses with his team to keep everyone in a positive mindset. 

    Humble + Action = “Humbition” 
    This world is a reminder to not take yourself to seriously and to try to have fun in this pursuit. Maintaining your commitment and dedication to your project is important but have a sense of humility that you can control the outcomes.

    Buoyancy 
    “Recognizing that the role that you are in is endless- there is always more to do, it’s a neverending pursuit.” Think of that buoy on the waves and no matter how big the wave is, it still comes back upright. Just because you get knocked over by a wave doesnt mean its a sign to stop. The concept of buoyancy is a reminder that you are resilient.

    “Only by rising back up can you see what the next opportunities that are coming down the pipe look like.”

    Stay true to your values. Every day you will be faced with many choices and each decision may feel existential that will largely affect your business in the long term. What is required is a guiding principle, some greater metric to help you navigate. Communicate what is important to you and represents the ethos of your business. When your values become embedded in your work, they will also become embedded into your brand. These values are your foundation in which your project is built on

  • EP:178 Using Niche Marketing to Target your Ideal Audience , with Kenny Kline from Jakk Media

    EP:178 Using Niche Marketing to Target your Ideal Audience , with Kenny Kline from Jakk Media

    Whether you are launching an online course, getting started with an e-commerce company, or have a product of your own you’re looking to sell, the number one priority you will have is marketing and exposure. Even the best and most recognized companies in the world, spend a considerable amount of money on marketing.

    It’s no secret, the product is only half of the company, effective marketing is the other half.

    Thirty years ago, the marketing avenues accessible were the newspaper, radio, and tv. The audience was large, and so were the relative costs. The percentage of people who were interested in the product advertised was by today’s standards, incredibly low. If someone was advertising a product made exclusively for either men or women, they would immediately lose half of the audience conversion potential, but still, have to pay the full cost.

    By today’s standards, 1,000 views cost around $2-$5. Would you rather sell a knitting product to 1,000 random people, or would you rather sell it to 1,000 women ages 30-60 who have recently subscribed to groups related to knitting? The latter is clearly superior, and demonstrates the power of today’s niche marketing vs the old traditional mass marketing techniques, that many of the “big corporations” are still stuck in today. 

    Even though these big corporations have access to niche marketing, the majority still use traditional marketing techniques. This is a phenomenal opportunity for people like you to get ahead of the curve and lead the next evolution in the attention economy.

    This week on Unconventional Life show is Kenny Kline from Jakk Media. Jakk media is a company that leverages its knowledge and expertise to create high-quality content and launch effective marketing campaigns for other companies.

    Jakk media works with popular companies such as Barbend, Sleepopolis, Mattress Clarity and Security Baron. Each company is operated by a team of writers, videographers, editors, and designers to create content that is engaging and specific to each target audience.  One of their main techniques and area’s of expertise is building a passionate community and leveraging niche marketing.

    In this podcast, Kenny shares;

    • Insights on niche marketing and ways that they can help benefit you in your online business
    • Ways for bloggers to create income
    • Actions that Kenny took to move away his corporate job
    • How Kenny balances family life and entrepreneur life


    Kenny shares three tips for researching what product to market.



    1. Collect data reference points

    The first step is seeing if people are actually interested in your potential product. 

    Start by entering keywords that relate to your product into Google and AdWords keyword planner to see what comes up. If you find keywords with a high search volume then that is a good indicator of a profitable niche. You can also search for keywords on Google Trends, Amazon and Clickbank.


    2. What is the competition like?

    Is there an opportunity for you to stand out in the market or do you need to differentiate yourself from the crowd? If you find a keyword that has a lot of traffic but low monetization then that could be an excellent opportunity for you to insert yourself into that market.


    3. Research your audience and find the pain points.

    In order to understand and appeal to your customers, you are going to have to know what problems they are facing and what questions they are asking. Go on forums like Facebook, Reddit, and Twitter to see what dialogue is happening around the product. Once you know the problem you can create high-quality content that provides a solution.

    Kenny states that “If you can get an audience that is passionate, you’re going to find a way to monetize it. It may not be clear from day one exactly how you are going to monetize it but there is always the opportunity to do so in any passionate industry.”


    Weekly Giveaway!

    Applications from outside of the USA, Enter to win a customized weightlifting program from Barbend. Applications within the USA, choose from a mattress giveaway from Wink Beds or a home security camera from Baron Home Security.

    Stay in touch with Kenny and Jakk Media
    Jakk media on Twitter or via website
    @ThisbeKenny on twitter or linkedIn 

    Written by Lisa Renee