Screw The Naysayers Podcast

No business stays constant. A business is growing, plateaued, or declining. Learn why Tim says that a business that has plateaued is actually declining, and why millennial business owners are set to face unprecedented challenges. 

After spending seven years on-air in radio in Salt Lake City, Utah, Damon Burton founded a successful search engine optimization agency, SEO National. Since starting the business in 2007 Damon has grown his agency to 7-digits. Damon is a frequent public speaker and has been featured on BuzzFeed and USA Weekly. He clients includes an NBA team and businesses featured on Shark Tank. In 2018 Damon joined the Podcast world with his show called Learning From Others. In this episode we had a candid conversation about the process he used to start his business - it began as a side hustle - how he knew it was time to go all in, the challenges he faced and the key breakthrough that allowed him to scale his business. Damon also shared his views on work/life balance, the role parents play in preparing their children for the workforce of tomorrow, and teased us with news of an upcoming book which he plans to call “Ways To Rank.” He assures me a non-techy like me won’t fall asleep reading about SEO optimization! Damo

Jennifer A. Garrett is an author, entrepreneur, and a Judge Advocate in the Army National Guard. Along the way she has earned an astonishing 7 College degrees. Pretty amazing, especially knowing that as a teenager Jennifer became a single mom. Her corporate career includes senior leadership positions with Fortune 50 companies. Jennifer’s Book is titled Move the Ball: How the Game of American Football Can Help You Achieve Your LifeGoals. How cool is that guys. She came up with the idea for her book while watching her beloved Chicago Bears lose to the hated Green Bay Packers.   Today Jennifer, together with her organization, Feel the Push, provides lessons on how to play for success and how to step up the game in order to drive results and cross the goal line. She does this through a variety of methods, including using principles from the game of American football. Her organization also works with collegiate and professional athletes and veterans as they transition into new careers. In this episode Jennif

The year was 1984. Apple Computer launched the Macintosh Computer line,  Michael Jackson’s hair caught fire while he was filming a Pepsi commercial, and American heavy metal band Twisted Sister’s released the iconic anti-establishment anthem titled “We’re Not Gonna Take It.” The song hit a nerve with people of all generations. Parents and grandparents that wouldn’t be caught dead at a heavy metal concert, belted out the melody at house parties, around campfires, and clubs around the world. There is something so energizing about standing up, and screaming out “we’re not gonna take it”. Dig a little into the lyrics and you wonder why all those parents and grandparents we’re singing along. We’re Not Gonna Take It is first and foremost an indictment of the American way of life (although the lyrics apply in most developed countries around the globe). You see phrases like “Your life is trite and jaded, Boring and confiscated, If that's your best, your best won't do”. I was 25 when this song came out. Lead si

After leaving the military Eric “Doc” Wright wandered around in the job desert for 12 years. He chased degrees, certifications, and titles, amassing handfuls of each, piles of student debt, but always hearing he had the wrong ones, or not enough experience, to do what he wanted; to do what he knew he was capable of from reviewing the job descriptions! Then he figured it out! He wasn't framing what he had done and what he was capable of doing in the new context of what he could do for a civilian employer he entered the world of project management. Eric quickly realized that his new career provided much more than a paycheck.  It provided what he had really been missing to his very core; a sense of purpose and identity. In 2014 Eric co-founded Vets2PM, a company that helps Military Veterans become civilian Project Managers. In 2017 Eric founded Vet Stone (an intentional play on the Roseta Stone).  Vet Stone provides Veterans with a modern, relevant, technology-based tool to capture and convey the immense va

I was the child with brittle bones who refused to listen when my parents advised me not to play contact sports. My parents tried to ban me from playing sports. I just went a little further away from home to find a game of street hockey or flag football. Eventually my parents figured it was better to give their permission. That way when I broke something, I was close by. By the time I turned 15 I had broken at least 15 limbs. It might have been more. I stopped counting. In my mid teens I came to accept that I could no longer play the sports I loved. I didn’t like it but by then everyone else had gotten so much bigger and stronger. It was no longer a question of would I break a bone, it was a question of how many bones I would break. That was a long time ago. I try not to think about all those broken bones, but some days it’s not easy. Turns out broken bones and osteoarthritis are regular companions later in life. The truth is  pain has been a constant companion of mine for many years now. Today I want

This is another first for Screw the Naysayers. In 2006 today’s guest had a movie made about his life story. It was called INVINCIBLE and starred Mark Wahlberg in the role of Vince Papale. How cool is that. Invincible packed theatres and is widely regarded as one of the most inspirational sports movies of all time. It was 1976 Vince was a 30 year old teacher and coach at his HS Alma mater, part-time bartender and die hard Eagles fan. His life changed when he decided to act on a whim and a dare and entered the unprecedented public tryouts for his beloved Eagles.  A ten year season ticket holder and former track star who did not play a down of college football, Vince made the team! Having now added “cancer survivor” to his bio, Vince continues to hold the record for being the oldest rookie in the National Football League (kickers excluded). He was recently honored by the Eagles and their fans and was named “Most Outstanding Special Teams Player” during a celebration of the Philadelphia Eagles 75th anniversar

Scotty Schindler is the retired startup founder and CEO of ReNet. Widely recognised as a leading Aussie business identity, Scotty is also keen surfer who has won multiple Surfing Titles. As a fan of entrepreneurial stories, this was a special treat for me. As CEO of ReNet, Scotty presided over the growth of a start up business that began in 2000 with just 1 single property listing advertised. On his retirement in 2017 ReNet managed over $1.125 Trillion Dollars ($1,125,771,059,045) in real estate across Australia and New Zealand, represented by 5,000 real estate offices and some 15,000 real estate salespeople. In complement to his role as CEO, Scott is also a highly sought-after public speaker, trainer and thought leader within Australia, and around the world. A business mentor and sales trainer that can back up advice with proven results in his own life, Scott credits his ‘quintessentially Australian’ identity as a born optimist, and clear-cut straight talker, as key to his success in this arena. In this

Ria Story is an entrepreneur, a certified leadership trainer, public speaker, author and a podcast host.  Rita holds a Master’s degree in Business, a Bachelor’s degree in Human Resource Management, and an Associates degree in Office Management. What makes this remarkable is the start Rita had in life. Her father sexually abused her from age 12 – 19, forced her to play the role of his wife, beat her, raped me, and even trafficked her to other men. In her words, life was, at times, almost not worth living. She met her husband Mack when she was 19. She left behind the father who had abused her, and a mother who blamed her for it all. When she left the house for the last time she had a couple of pillow cases stuffed with her clothes and a determination that her past wasn’t going to hold her back. Ria started working as a waitress and earned her GED, so she could start college. She worked two jobs and attended college at night and on weekends in order to graduate. Rita didn’t really know how to deal with wh

In this weeks Tim Talks, we look at the key reasons why people stay in bad situations, and discuss the choices we have and the consequences of the decisions we make.  Please do not hesitate to reach out to me. I’d love to hear your thoughts, comments, and stories, or just make a connection. Email-  tim@screwthenaysayers.com Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/stnwithtimalison/ Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/screwthenaysayers/ LinkedIn- https://www.linkedin.com/in/tim-alison/ Screw The Naysayers- www.screwthenaysayers.com

Somebody pinch me. In the last two months I’ve gone deep into the world of brand marketing with Seth Godin, Philip Stutts and now David Brier. As the recipient of over 300 industry awards, David Brier is the Creative Director of DBD International, and to use his words, his job is to help brands defy gravity and rise above the noise. A branding veteran for over three decades, David has provided branding strategies, brand identities and package design for startups, retail, technology, and tourism brands. His work has been featured in ADWEEK, Forbes, Fortune, Fast Company, New York Times magazine, INC., Communication Arts and numerous other publications. David is also the author of the bestseller Brand Intervention: 33 Steps to Transform the Brand You Have into the Brand You Need. Grant Cardone says "David Brier is a branding genius who will revolutionize the way you do branding." I agree. This episode is packed full of wisdom and practical tips. You can reach David at: Website: https://www.risingabovethen

Christopher Plowman is the CEO of Insight Timer, an online meditation app that is shaking up an industry that some would say is more driven by money than it is by consciousness. Easy to grab free trials that quickly convert to paid subscriptions with stealth auto renewal options is the industry norm. Christopher and his team at Insight Timer have taken a different path. Their free app gives the user access to 15,000 free meditation sessions. The paid version provides access to an online community. The optin free trial for the paid version includes two reminders to ensure that people are making a conscious choice. These differences explain why Insight Timer, with 7 million global users (tiny when compared to the industry giants in this space) account for 63% of the time spent listening to online meditation in North America! Think about that. Put simply, people that download this free app use it and use it a lot. Full disclosure. After my interview with Christopher I cancelled my paid subscription with a compe

In this episode Tim explains that when it comes to quitting a corporate job to start a business, most people are not framing the discussion properly. All this talk about freedom isn't reality. And even if it was, it would be a pretty unpleasant reality.  Please do not hesitate to reach out to me. I’d love to hear your thoughts, comments, and stories, or just make a connection. Email-  tim@screwthenaysayers.com Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/stnwithtimalison/ Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/screwthenaysayers/ LinkedIn- https://www.linkedin.com/in/tim-alison/ Screw The Naysayers- www.screwthenaysayers.com

Vice Optimization as a life strategy. I confess that I never imagined I’d be using that phrase of a way of introducing a guest on my show. Benny Wallington is the founder and creator of a company called 101 tokens, that teaches people how to retrain their booze brains. The business started with a New Years Resolution. Benny was sick of how drinking was cutting into his life, but he didn't want to give it up. In his words, abstinence throws people into panic and adds stress. So Benny decided to give himself 101 tokens he could use in the next 12 months. A token could be used for one drink or a night of binge drinking. The next day he would ask himself a simple question. Was it worth it? And he would write his answer down. This simple idea has grown into a global movement of people who use 101 tokens to address any number of potentially harmful habits. This concept is going gangbusters globally, he’s been on several major TV and radio stations promoting the community and the concepts. It’s even supported by

Nick Santonastasso is a medical miracle. Not only is he one of four people alive with the rare genetic condition, Hanhart Syndrome, this inspirational keynote speaker is an internationally known bodybuilder and fitness model – despite missing both his legs and one arm since birth. In today’s episode Nic shares his amazing story, showing people that anyone can thrive if they have the determination and willpower to go after what they want. When Nick was born, the doctors handed his parents a long list of things that he would never be able to do.” Nick’s parents politely thanked them and threw the list out. They raised Nick the same way they had raised his three able-bodied older siblings and instilled in him never to let the world tell him what he could or couldn’t do. Nick tried out various sports before finding a passion for wrestling. As a varsity wrestler in his high school, he may not have been the district champion, but he did pack gyms and earn the respect of thousands of total strangers. At the same

Our world is filled with people who say they want more. People who say they want to have more impact. People who say they want to have more income, and people who say they want to have more independence. You may be one of those people. Today Tim shares with you 5 signs that your long term goals may just be goals.  Please do not hesitate to reach out to me. I’d love to hear your thoughts, comments, and stories, or just make a connection. Email-  tim@screwthenaysayers.com Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/stnwithtimalison/ Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/screwthenaysayers/ LinkedIn- https://www.linkedin.com/in/tim-alison/ Screw The Naysayers- www.screwthenaysayers.com

Doug Thompson defy’s today’s norms in many different ways. For starters, in the last 30 years Doug has only had two employers. A rare achievement for those that work in the private sector these days. He’s also an Artificial Intelligence Ambassador for Microsoft (his employer since January of 2001. Not exactly a typical role for someone that’s catching up to me in years! While at Microsoft Doug has also worked extensively in the public education space, helping them develop strategies to implement technology. The combination of these two jobs gives Doug a unique perspective on education. Like many of us, he’s tired of changes in the education system that can best be described as simply rearranging the deck chairs. We also push past all the hype about AI and get into specifics about what the future might hold. Doug stresses that AI is already here. The goal moving forward should be to augment what humans do. He also talks about the need for all of us to be vigilant to ensure AI is used for the betterment of h

Rich Cardona proudly tells us that he scored 1060 on his S.A.T. exam in high school. He actually tried several times but the other scores were lower. Turns out it was easier to learn  how to fly a light attack helicopter than it was to ace the S.A.T. I’m tempted to go on a rant about our education system, but we saved that for the interview. Fresh out of high school Rich joined the marines as a private in 1988. His plan was to serve four years, save some money, and hopefully be ready for college. He ended up staying in the marines for 17 years. Armed with an MBA from USC- Marshall School of Business, Rich joined one of the largest corporations in the world. Hint- almost everyone has ordered something online from this company). It was a good paying job, work that he knew how to do, and a horrible fit. In his words he became disinterested, distracted, and ambivalent. He was meandering through life.   In June 2018 Rich uprooted his life (and his family) and started Flybys Media. Recently he also became a tri

As of today, I’ve been self-employed for 11,830 days. I’ve started multiple businesses from scratch, the largest of which had sales in excess of $10 million, and advised and mentored hundreds of my fellow entrepreneurs. You’d think by now that launching a new venture would be second nature to me. It’s like riding a bicycle right? Once you learn to ride you never forget how. That attitude cost me a bunch of money and almost cost me my business. Here’s what happened and what I learned from the process.

Ep 106 The Big Lies Digital Marketers Sell | Phillip Stutts   Phillip Stutts is about to begin a one person clinical trial in hopes of curing an incurable disease. He is also on a mission to expose the lies that he says digital marketers use to take hard earned money from businesses of all sizes. Phillip is the author of “Fire Them Now: The 7 Lies Digital Marketers Sell…”, an Amazon bestseller, and one of the masterminds behind the curtain of political marketing. With more than 20 years of political and marketing experience, Stutts has worked with multiple Fortune 200 companies, has over two decades of experience working on campaigns with billions of dollars in political ad spend, and contributed to over 1,200 election victories, including hundreds of U.S. House campaigns, dozens of U.S. Senate campaigns, and even three U.S. Presidential victories. He is the founder and executive chairman of Go BIG Media (a political media firm) and the founder and CEO of Win BIG Media (a corporate marketing agency). Toget