Jeff is the founder of the world’s largest cryptocurrency investing group, which, in the past year alone, has accumulated over 130,000 members. He’s also an operator at Momentum Collective, a community of artists and entrepreneurs who co-work, co-live, and co-train in exotic residencies around the world.

In Jeff’s episode, you’ll learn:

• The art of community building—how Jeff built a thriving online community from zero to 130k members in under a year, including best practices to encourage engagement, acquisition and retention.
• The future of cryptocurrency—how cryptocurrency will change the world.
• How to know when it’s time to switch careers, and how to gracefully make the switch.
• How to tune out the haters, and tune into your intuition.

Key lessons from Jeff’s episode:

A Value-Centered Community Will Thrive.

Jeff’s cryptocurrency group skyrocketed to over 130,000 members in just one year. How’d he do it?

He says that endowing your community with values makes it an attractive environment that others want to be a part of.

At the core of Jeff’s cryptocurrency community are the values of openness and acceptance.

To Jeff, openness and acceptance means allowing different perspectives to coexist in your community. The discussion threads in Jeff’s community often reflect a dialogue between those who disagree. “Some people think cryptocurrency is going up and up, and others think it’s declining. In a community, there needs to be space for both voices. Openness and acceptance allows community members to express themselves without fear of judgment or alienation.”

What are your community’s core values?

Capitalize on Trends.

Jeff says his community’s explosive growth was a product of being in the right place at the right time.

Cryptocurrency has undeniably been a rising trend in late years, so when Jeff launched a cryptocurrency investing group, he benefited from the organic buzz around that topic and the fact that “cryptocurrency investing” was a highly searched phrase.

“Notice a trend and learn to trust your instinct. Be in the place that people are already looking,” Jeff advises.

Balance is the Cornerstone of Well-Being.

Jeff emphasizes that maintaining balance in his life is a major priority for him. What does this look like in practice? It comes down to structuring his time so that adequate time is allocated to both work and play.

When we spend too much time working, we actually counteract the outcome we hope to achieve. Grinding is a flawed strategy because it constricts creativity. When we work ourselves into a state of compression, such that we feel exhausted, stressed, or overworked, our creativity suffers.

Creativity underlies all of the original work you do. Whether you’re a writer, a designer, an acrobat, or engineer, creativity is the fuel for your work.

Science shows that play regenerates our creativity reserves.

“I aim to have a diversified portfolio of experiences,” Jeff says. “On average, I spend two hours a day on my business, and the rest on self-expression. That way, those two hours I spend working I’m extremely productive and can do my best work.”

How can you bring more balance to your life? Are you “sacrificing” in any one domain?

Examine your time management from a holistic perspective and recognize that a two-legged stool does not function as well as three- or four-legged stool. If you’re sacrificing in any domain, such as self-care or recreation, work to allocate more energy to that domain so you can function better overall.

Rachel Brenke is a practicing lawyer and the founder of the Business Bites Podcast, an iTunes top-rated podcast that delivers 10-minute “bites” of business content to busy entrepreneurs. Rachel is also an author, a team USA athlete, a mom-of-five, and a cancer survivor.

What you’ll learn:

• How to launch a successful “niche” business.
• How to achieve work-life balance inside a busy schedule.
• How to tune out the haters—those in your life who don’t support your vision.

Key lessons from Rachel’s episode:

1. The Riches Are in the Niches. If you’re having trouble making the impact you want, it could be because you’ve cast too large of a net. You might be better off serving those who have more specific problems inside of your industry. When you target a niche, you…

• Reduce the amount of competition (and can therefore dominate).
• Have an easier time getting people to identify whether or not your service is for them.
• Can make a more profound impact in the lives of individuals.

Rachel has generated massive success targeting (and pioneering) niches in the legal industry. She’s used her legal know-how to help photographers, bloggers, and fitness professionals protect themselves from potential legal disasters like copyright infringements.

In choosing a niche, be specific and focus on what you have a personal connection to or are genuinely interested in.

2. Know Your Client From the Inside Out. How well do you know your client? Do you have a broad sense of who you’re serving, or do you know your client avatar down to the nitty gritty details? Rachel says it’s much better to know your avatar intimately. When you only have a general understanding of who you’re serving, your sales and marketing will reflect that, and will probably have a hard time reeling in clients. You might get people who are “warm,” and resonate somewhat with your message, product, or service, but chances are, you’ll get few who are “on fire”—those with a burning, hell-yes resonance, who become repeat customers and refer all their friends—you know, the clients you really want, and who are a joy to work with.

So how do you get those kinds of clients? It’s simple. Rachel says you must target a very specific kind of person. Imagine that you’re speaking to just a single person as you write your marketing and sales copy. “Get so specific. Name your avatar, define her likes and dislikes—down to the kind of wine she drinks. By speaking to that person, you’re sticking her in the middle of the bell curve, and you also grab everyone else around her,” Rachel says.

3. Make Work-Life Balance Non-Negotiable. Many of us relate to our self-care as if it’s a nice-to-have kind of thing. When we have extra time available, we might take a bath, or meditate, or make a nourishing, home-cooked meal. But when we’re pressed for time, self-care is often the first thing to go. We go into “survival mode” and sacrifice our self-care.

This might be an effective short-term strategy, but as a chronic habit, it wreaks havoc on our sense of well-being. It actually makes us much less effective. And it comes down to how we define success.

Being cash-rich and time-poor is not success.

So how do you find a greater sense of work-life balance? You make it non-negotiable. You schedule your self-care—activities that fuel and restore you—like you would any other appointment. Anchor your non-negotiable activities as unmovables in your schedule. You will find that with with more activities that replenish you, you actually have more energy, more focus, and more creativity to pour into your work. You will be more productive, accomplishing more work in less time, because you are well-resourced for your work.

Josh Shukhman is the founder of Social Change Nation, a platform and podcast that empowers change-hungry entrepreneurs with the resources they need to create a profitable and impactful business. To date, he has hosted over one hundred episodes featuring interviews with successful entrepreneurs whose businesses are making a difference.

In Josh’s episode you’ll learn:

• The foundation of any social impact business.
• How to restore purpose and alignment to your life through service.
• Tips to plug into an uplifting support network.

Plus, Josh is giving 3 lucky listeners 6 month access to his membership program, The Impact Business Hub, which contains tons of invaluable content for social impact entrepreneurs. The winners will also gain access to The Impact Business Hub private Facebook group where they can connect with other likeminded doers.

Key takeaways from Josh’s episode:

1. Social Impact is the New Normal. In the past, companies that had a cause were the exception. But today, 87% of consumers will choose social responsible brands over their competitors, while 75% will refuse to buy from a brand who counteracts an issue they care about. If you’re thinking about launching a business or you have an existing one, integrating a social cause is virtually a requirement. Not only will it help distinguish you from competitors but it will improve consumers’ perception of you while making a tangible difference in a world that needs your help.

2. It Starts With Your “Why.” Josh says what makes or breaks a successful social impact business is the reason they’re doing what they’re doing. Those whose ‘why’ involves personal or material gain (for example, using your social mission as a marketing ploy) almost always burn out, while those who have a genuine, heartfelt interest in the cause they’re targeting are the ones who last.

Searching for your big ‘why’? Josh recommends you reflect on what angers you. “Look at the social problems that really piss you off,” he says. Where do you see injustice in the world? What group of marginalized people do you wish you could help? Anger can be the powerful fuel that inspires you to take action and sustains your cause.

3. Community Helps. Starting a social change business can feel like an uphill battle. But it’s easier with community. Josh recommends you surround yourself with likeminded others who also have a high value on service and impact. Better yet, immerse yourself in a community of doers who are actually actioning upon these values via entrepreneurship. There are tons of Facebook groups open to the public centered around this cause. With community, you will be able to endure the dips and be successful.

If you haven’t already, make sure you check out Josh’s podcast, The Dollar and a Difference Show.