Middle Class Entrepreneur with Daniel Bowling

Today we discuss how we are using Amazon to make side income as well as the plans for Middle Class Entrepreneur moving forward.  Spoiler Alert!! I introduce you to the new Co-Host of MCE, Tyson Starling!

Today I talk about some great posts on my blog including one that teaches you how to take criticism and use it to better yourself personally and in business. Criticism sounds like such a negative word.  Just the thought of it sends most of us into defensive mode quicker than anything.  However, like it or not, getting outside perspective is essential to our personal growth in life and in business. There is a time and place for Constructive Criticism.  In this episode, I give you 8 steps to surviving Criticism with your head up without falling into a defensive spiral.

Middle Class Entrepreneur is back with a purpose and a new format!  Get ready to take action! Get ready to join the conversation with like minded individuals from around the world, because we are ready connect and build a community!  The Smart Tradesmen private Facebook group is where we will continue the conversation.

Who is considered the "better" tradesman?  The perfectionist or the one who knows what good enough means and is quick about it?  The customer doesn't have trained eyes to see every flaw that you can pick out in your own work.  Knowing what the customer will find acceptable is a skill in itself.  I also talk tool tips given by a fine carpentry friend of mine as well as some social media tips that I have picked up lately.

Should I file for an LLC?  Its a question that I have heard and asked many times.  In this episode I talk about what I turned up with a little research.  I also discuss S Corp and give some book keeping advice.

I discuss the up coming launch of Smart Tradesmen the community for small businesses and independent contractors within the trades.  I also read a review that is filled with some very honest constructive criticism. 

Have you ever heard people talk about "their list" and how valuable having a list is? What they are referring to is an email list.  A list of targeted customers that they keep in contact with to offer them products or services that benefit the customer.  Does this apply to offline service based businesses? How important are email lists?  How do we start building one?  I will address what I have been finding out about the topic of building an email list as well as how a small offline business can start using an email list to keep the work flowing.

"Try not to become a man of success but rather to become a man of value".  You have to train for the marathon of life.  You can't  reach the big goal without taking smaller steps. 

Jesse Mecham is the founder of YouNeedaBudget.com, a company designed to educate people about how to get their budget under control while also offering them software to us as their tool to do so.  Jesse is also a husband to his wife Julie, and father to 5 kids! Somewhere between being newly weds and both full-time students, Jesse and Julie found them self struggling to pay for the necessities such as text books for school.  That's when Jesse started working on a system to help them track their expenses.  What started out as a simple expense recorder quickly turned into something quite amazing.  A Four-Rule approach to budgeting was born. The system worked so well for them that it wasn't long before friends and family started to express interest in needing a budget also.  With this system YouNeedaBudget.com has helped many learn how to take control of their money and their lives.

In today's episode, I discuss what podcasts are and what they have done for me.  Finding podcasts that speak to your interests are key.  Listen to many, and listen whenever and wherever you want.    I also explore the topics of getting started with your ideas, accountability partners, mentors, as well as fighting doubts and fears. 

Change is not so bad when you are the one calling the shots.  Everyone know which side we would rather be on when it comes to a break up or being fired.  Start making decisions for yourself and stop waiting for bad things to happen.  This mini episode is to inspire you to go and conquer the day and get outside your comfort zone. 

Hector Avellaneda is an author, speaker, podcast host, as well as an entrepreneur.  He is a fact machine when it comes to the middle class and where we stand with today's society.  Talking with him has inspired me to start educating myself on subjects such as debt, income, or even the politics behind it all so that I can start forming my own opinions.  I doubt that I am alone in being surprised by some of the facts that he through my way.  Not to spoil the episode or his audio book, De-Class-fied, let me just say WOW.  I can hardly believe some of the BS that has been spoon fed to us. In a world of an ever expanding income gap, are we to be happy with the 40, 40, 40 rule?  Hector explains this rule as 40 hours a week, for 40 years, then you earn your $40 Timex.  No one will remember the guy that spends his whole life on the safe side.  We need to take calculated risks from time to time if we want any chance to get ahead.  The ones in the most danger are those that

Finding a target audience is a challenge.  Especially when your message is one that so many people can benefit from.  That is what I am struggling with here at Middle Class Entrepreneur.  Follow along as I break down how each specific type of person could benefit and need to hear my message. 

Productivity, to do lists, staying focused, and organization are all things that I need to be working on and what I will be discussing today.  Inside of me somewhere there is an organized and productive Middle Class Entrepreneur waiting to get out.  At the end of the episode, I go into the details of the Amazon gift card give away.  Do not miss this one!

A mini motivation episode.  If you are stuck, discouraged, or lost then let this episode spark a fire under your butt to get moving. 

Giveaway!! $50 Amazon Gift Card to one lucky listener to show my love.  The drawing will be officially announced in one of the next episodes.  I also wrap up my conversation with Bentley Davis who is a Software developer, tradesman, and podcaster with a goal of making the world a better place.  Through his podcast Compassion Plans, Bentley interviews compassionate people that are making a difference in the world by helping other people.  If you tune into his show, you will hear inspirational stories and actionable steps to make the world a better place.  He focuses on lessons learned and the story behind how they got started in hopes to inspire and teach others who may be interested in doing similarly great things.

Bentley Davis- Software developer, tradesman, and podcaster with a goal of making the world a better place.  Through his podcast Compassion Plans, Bentley interviews compassionate people that are making a difference in the world by helping other people.  If you tune into his show, you will hear inspirational stories and actionable steps to make the world a better place.  He focuses on lessons learned and the story behind how they got started in hopes to inspire and teach others who may be interested in doing similarly great things.

In today's episode I will be talking with Eric Tivers, host of ADHD reWired podcast, Psychotherapist, & Coach.  Not only is he a clinician who specializes in ADHD but he also has it.  He has become extra aware of ways to combat productivity issues.  Less than a year ago, I was diagnosed with ADHD.  It was a relief for me to know that I was not alone in suffering from some of the symptoms that I have been dealing with all of my life.  As I learned more about everything that is ADHD, it became very clear to me that it was no surprise that I went undiagnosed for so long.  I have always been surrounded by tradesman and small business.  The symptoms of ADHD sound exactly like the struggles of owning and running a small business.

Jimbo Balaam is back to finish the 2nd half of our conversation.  A tradesman making 6 figures with his mobile auto detailing business.  As host of the Auto Detailing podcast, he hopes to become the best free resource for anyone looking to pick up the trade or brush up on their skills. 

Jimbo Balaam  is the owner and operator of Jimbo’s Auto Detailing in Southern California.   Over the past 7 years he has successfully built his business from ZERO clients, during the worst economy since the Great Depression to a thriving six figure business.  Jimbo says that when he was first starting out, he scoured the internet for Auto Detailing 'how to" help to assist in learning the trade.  What he found was that there was plenty of info about “How to Detail Your Car”, but very very little on what do to once you actually know how to detail your car and want to take it to the next level and make it a thriving business. He had to figure everything out the hard way, as he went.  The fruits of his hard labor has been he is now running a business that gives him a flexible schedule and fantastic income with multiple weekly accounts and hundreds of regular clients.