Thestoryographist.com and shawnkunkler.com present: Soloprenuer180 Episode 26, Embracing your personality defaults to GROW your business

As a solopreneur, personality isn't everything; it's EVERYTHING. How you keep yourself motivated during the hard times and your ability to play nice with others are essential in making a business stick. Having an entrepreneur style personality to start with will improve your chances of success. However, as unique creatures, we all have individual traits that, while a little quirky, make us who we are. Recognizing those traits will help you to know yourself a bit better and work better with other solopreneurs.

This week, San Francisco Realtor Agent Shawn Kunkler and The Storyographist explore their personality defaults to help you better understand how personality quirks can help lead a successful business. 

Things you will learn in this episode:

• Trial & Error
• How to win at chess
• Embracing uniqueness
• Enjoy the simple things
• Get sucked in and loving it.

Books Referenced:
The E-Myth

You can connect with Shawn and The Storyographist on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter @solopreneur180. We'd love to connect with you.

Know another Solopreneur who feels trapped on an island alone? Show them some love and share this podcast.

Thestoryographist.com and shawnkunkler.com present: Soloprenuer180 Episode 25, Why everyone needs to create Videos Videos VIDEOS

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then a video is priceless. As a solopreneur, you should be taking advantage of videos instead of standing on the sidelines and waiting. 

Videos have become a significant part of branding and sales. More customers are jumping on their tablets and smartphones to learn about new companies, and almost 90% of these customers rely on video to help them decide if they want to do business with you or not. 

You know this and want to do promo videos. Unfortunately, your fear of the unknown and your perfectionism is holding you back (not to mention your lack of time.) However, don't let that stop you from adding a robust digital asset to your arsenal. 

This week, San Francisco Realtor Agent Shawn Kunkler and The Storyographist explore the world of content creation and how video (or lack of it) impacts our business. The Storyographist shares her successes behind video creation and how doing the work landed her a couple of lucrative opportunities.

Things you will learn in this episode:

• Videos let people in
• Don't overinflate the process
• It's relationship marketing, not sales
• Pick an avenue and nurture
• Don't sweat the small stuff

Resources Mentioned:

• Gear recommended by The Storyographist:  https://thestoryographist.com/freebies

You can connect with Shawn and The Storyographist on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter @solopreneur180. We'd love to connect with you.

Know another Solopreneur who feels trapped on an island alone? Show them some love and share this podcast.

Thestoryographist.com and shawnkunkler.com present: Soloprenuer180 Episode 24, STOP being lazy! Do the Work!

Are these words from Bruno Mars' hit song "The Lazy Song" been ringing in your ears more often than they should?

"Today I don't feel like doing anything. I just want to lay in my bed.

I don't feel like picking up my phone so leave a message at the tone.

'Cause today I swear I'm not doing anything, nothing at all!"

The pressure a solopreneur feels can be daunting; it can take the passion out of what you do. While the flexibility of doing it on your terms is great, you still sometimes lack the motivation to continue moving forward. The stress of tracking finances, paying bills, and creating and maintaining client relationships would have anyone ready to throw their hands up in the air and quit. But.... if you keep at it.... it will all pay off.

This week, San Francisco Realtor Agent Shawn Kunkler and The Storyographist share their personal experiences of doing the work. And provide examples of how in the end, big deals were closed and new opportunities presented themselves.

Things you will learn in this episode:

• Showcase your success
• The secret sauce
• Get in front of your audience
• Stick to the plan
• Do the work

You can connect with Shawn and The Storyographist on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter @solopreneur180. We'd love to connect with you.

Know another Solopreneur who feels trapped on an island alone? Show them some love and share this podcast.

Thestoryographist.com and shawnkunkler.com present: Soloprenuer180 Episode 23, stop waiting to be an overnight success. 

Many solopreneurs dream of becoming an overnight success, where everyone knows their name and demand for their product or service is at an all-time high.

But, here's a secret: No single person who found success found it overnight — they all built it in chunks—an hour every day for the course of a set amount of time.

The 10,000-hour rule popularized by Malcolm Gladwell roughly says if you practice one skill for 10,000 hours, you'll have a good chance at becoming an expert at it.

This week, San Francisco Real Estate Agent Shawn Kunkler and The Storyographist dissect the overnight success theory and explain how there is no silver bullet that will skyrocket you to success. You need to be invested in the process and do the work. To become a master of your craft, you must invest the time to become skillful and successful. While overnight success might sound great, there is something more valuable about the process. 

Things you will learn in this episode:

• 10,000-hour rule
• Buy your lottery ticket
• Enjoy the process
• Find someone who values your hard work
• Do the work

You can connect with Shawn and The Storyographist on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter @solopreneur180. We'd love to connect with you.

Know another Solopreneur who feels trapped on an island alone? Show them some love and share this podcast.

Thestoryographist.com and shawnkunkler.com present: Soloprenuer180 Episode 22, why you should or should NOT discount prices

As solopreneurs, we're often tempted to work for free or discount our product or service, thinking it will somehow win us customers and drive growth. People are relentless about asking for discounts, believing that getting something cheaper is better. Whichever perspective you look at it, offering services for free or discounted is dangerous. 

This week, San Francisco Realtor Shawn Kunkler and The Storyographist discuss why discounting your services can be detrimental to your business. Everyone is going to ask for a discount; it's human nature. But you need to understand as a business what you can and can't do. The Storyographist believes you can negotiate if you are receiving something on the backend, i.e., the ability to put Apple on your resume. Shawn, not so much. However, both believe you shouldn't sell yourself short. Set limits on what you are willing to do, and don't be afraid to say no. 

Things you will learn in this episode:
•When it's okay to work for free
•Have a special rate sheet for friends
•Know your numbers
•Separate the person from the business
•Learn the art of negotiation

You can connect with Shawn and The Storyographist on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter @solopreneur180. We'd love to connect with you.

Know another Solopreneur who feels trapped on an island alone? Show them some love and share this podcast.

Thestoryographist.com and shawnkunkler.com present: Soloprenuer180 Episode 21, consistency is the MOST important skill you can ever develop in business.

Building a company as a solopreneur can be fun, yet challenging. The most important job you have is standing out among the competition; this requires the right amount of focus to consistently work toward more leads inside your business. 

To be consistent, stick to the plan you've got to stick to the plain you've created for your business. Prepare for being challenged on your journey and understand that a solopreneur's journey is never a continuous climb upward. You will encounter challenges on your way to the top, and there will be times when nothing works, but that's when your consistency will help you identify what is working and what isn't, allowing you to course-correct and move forward. 

This week, San Francisco Real Estate Agent Shawn Kunkler and The Storyographist discuss why consistency is the most important skill a solopreneur can have. While it's not always the easiest thing to accomplish, it can provide extensive dividends moving forward.

Things you will learn in this episode:

• Consistency develops routines
• There is no magic bullet
• Avoid shiny object syndrome
• Time block and do it every day
• Make room for consistency

You can connect with Shawn and The Storyographist on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter @solopreneur180. We'd love to connect with you.

Know another Solopreneur who feels trapped on an island alone? Show them some love and share this podcast.

Thestoryographist.com and shawnkunkler.com present: Soloprenuer180 Episode 20, the number one thing that prevented us from succeeding

Many solopreneurs start with the goal of "being successful." But what does "being successful" really mean? The straightforward (and most accurate) answer is that success is different for everyone. As with everything else for your business, it's up to you to define success.

So, if you define your success, what's keeping you from it? Look in the mirror. It's you. 

This week, San Francisco Realtor Shawn Kunkler and The Storyographist explain what's the number thing that keeps soloprenuers from succeeding and what can be down to overcome it. Both share stories of how stepping back and identifying their BS motivated them to prove the naysayers (and the voices in their head) wrong and push through to achieve their set goals. By implementing the 5c's, you, too, will be able to move through the muck and take your business to the next level. 

Things you will learn in this episode:

• Stop and observe what you are doing
• Breakthroughs come after a breakdown
• Just own it and move through the bull
• The 5 C's
• Without a goal, it's impossible to score

Materials Referenced:

• It's Not How Good You Are; It's How Good You Want to Be: The world's best selling book by Paul Arden

You can connect with Shawn and The Storyographist on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter @solopreneur180. We'd love to connect with you.

Know another Solopreneur who feels trapped on an island alone? Show them some love and share this podcast.

Thestoryographist.com and shawnkunkler.com present: Soloprenuer180 Episode 19, Skill Stacking to double your chances for massive business success

Every field is crowded by individuals who claim the most knowledge about that specific industry, so how are you going to stand out above the rest? The solopreneur's ultimate secret weapon: skill stacking.

What is skill stacking? Skill stacking merely utilizes the various skills that you have acquired throughout your life. It combines them in a unique way that is individual to you and far more useful than the sum of each skill separately.

The great thing about skill stacking is that you don't need to have every skill mastered. Combining a variety of skills you are average at is what can give you a competitive advantage. Your skills don't have to have come from any particular place or source. The fact that you have these skills to work with is what matters.

This week, Real Estate Agent Shawn Kunkler and The Storyographist dive into the concept of skill stacking and it's usefulness to the solopreneur. Both agree to pull from your current skills while learning new ones that will create a usable stack is the best approach while understanding what your business is missing and what you need to do to fix it. 

Things you will learn in this episode:

• Develop self-confidence
• How to see things others don't
• Feed the bigger picture
• How to build an edge
• Every skill you acquire doubles your odds of success

You can connect with Shawn and The Storyographist on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter @solopreneur180. We'd love to connect with you.

Know another Solopreneur who feels trapped on an island alone? Show them some love and share this podcast.