Virtual Mentor Squad: Don't Be Average.

You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with but what if you do not have regular access to inspirational business leaders and coaches? Where do you find the tips, wisdom, and motivation to get your hustle on and keep on grinding out your goals? My personal strategy has been to build a team of ‘virtual’ mentors. Through trial and error; listening to 100’s of podcasts as I crunch the miles with my work, I have refined my squad to a select band of five. Why these five?

A.R.E. Actionable Relevant Engaging.

• Actionable: I am not just looking for great dialogue and discussions but concrete, actionable tips; key takeaways that I can implement to improve both myself and my business.
• Relevant: The choice of podcasts is truly bewildering, and there’s a show to suit every taste and passion. What are you looking to achieve? For me, it is all about entrepreneurship, inspiration, startups and self-improvement.
• Engaging: You are going to be spending a lot of time with these guys so finding a good fit it crucial. Listening to a podcast is something that should be positive, not painful, and if it is the latter, it is time to make a substitute. Quality audio, minimal adverts, a great format and an authentic and inspiring host are all key to creating an engaging podcast that becomes compulsive listening. 

So let’s cut to the chase and run you through my squad.

Tim Ferris

Tim is a founder, angel investor, startup advisor, philanthropist and author of three books including the New York Times Bestseller - The 4-Hour Work Week. He also found the time to create The Tim Ferriss Show which has now breached the 80 million download mark. Tim has turned his self-confessed OCD into an obsession for breaking down the processes and principles that create success for himself and others. From the first American in history to hold a Guinness World Record in Tango to Chinese Kickboxing Champion, Princeton University guest lecturer to horseback archer; once Tim decides on a project - he is all in, and takes us on the journey, sharing his key learnings.

Tim has some incredible guests on his show, and it is the wisdom that comes from these interviews, week in week out, combined with actionable takeaways that has made The Tim Ferris Show one of my go to’s. You can find The Tim Ferris Show on itunes and Stitcher and my personal favourite - Pocket Casts. If you like what you hear I’d recommend subscribing to his YouTube channel and checking out his books:

 

Lewis Howes

The former pro athlete turned lifestyle entrepreneur burst onto the podcast scene only three years ago and is now widely regarded as one of the best in the business. His dream was to become a professional athlete but after a career ending injury, everything changed. Lewis decided to build his presence on LinkedIn, which then became a $1m teaching and advisory business. From there he pursued a bolder goal - to interview some of the smartest, most successful people in their respective fields and to share it with the world, and so The School of Greatness began.  

Lewis is an advocate and practitioner of giving through the wisdom and knowledge he shares in the School of Greatness. His disarming charm and approach bring out the very best in his guests, and he consistently shows up and delivers some incredible interviews with business founders and entrepreneurs, authors, actors, musicians and sports celebrities. His guests share stories of both their successes and failures and how they overcame adversity, all of which makes for compelling listening. 

The School of Greatness podcast can found on itunes, Stitcher, and Pocket Casts. You can also find out more about Lewis and what he is up to at lewishowes.com or checkout his YouTube channel. 

The lessons learned from the podcast form the basis of Lewis’ New York Times bestseller: The School of Greatness. 

Dale Partridge

Dale is a serial startup entrepreneur having launched over a half dozen multi-million dollar companies, from a conference company to a multi-million dollar e-commerce business. His companies have produced over $25 million in revenue of which $4 million has been donated to charity. Dale switched his focus from building companies to helping others start their own in 2014 and founded Startup Camp. Startup Camp is a 12-month course supporting entrepreneurs with coaching and study guides to help turn their dreams into reality and spawned the podcast of the same name which was listed as a ‘top 10 business podcast for the year’ by Inc.Magazine in 2015.

Every week Dale interviews award-winning entrepreneurs and successful authors to deliver inspiring content. Taking a holistic view, Dale focuses not simply on achieving success at work but on combining this with happiness at home. His guests are engaging and the stories intriguing; as the conversation flows, the lessons and takeaways keep on coming. Startup Camp can be found here: itunes, Stitcher and Pocket Casts. For more on Dale’s course, visit StartupCamp 

Dale has also shared the seven core beliefs that create success in his Wall Street Journal and USA Today Bestseller:

Gary Vaynerchuck

Gary Vee is an angel investor and venture capitalist, investing in companies like Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr and now runs VaynerMedia; with offices in New York and London. His style is authentic, his enthusiasm contagious and if you ever get the opportunity to hear him speak live - grab it with both hands. His third bestselling book, Jab, Jab, Jab Right Hook is about delivering great content and building relationships before asking for anything, and Gary is true to this ethos. The #AskGaryVee show is available as a podcast on itunes, Stitcher and Pocket Casts where he delivers practical advice and incredible insights into themes including marketing, management, entrepreneurship and social media. The show is also available on YouTube. And the ask? Simply to buy one (or all) of Gary’s awesome books, all of which I would highly recommend.

Gary is passionate about helping and inspiring others, and leaving a lasting legacy. He is high octane, full caffeine, and shoots from the hip - if you have never listened and watched any of Gary’s content, make today the day. Find out more and sign up to the hustlers digest at garyvaynerchuck.com

Gary has written a number of bestsellers what are must-reads for leaders, entrepreneurs, and social media marketers alike:

   

 

Seth Godin

Seth started out in book publishing and has become a bestselling author having penned 18 books which have been translated into more than 35 languages. He is a thought leader in marketing and business circles, founder of both Yoyodyne and Squidoo and his daily blog is one of the most popular in the world. Since 2014 Seth has been developing online courses including the altMBA; an intensive 4-week only workshop.

Seth is the exception here in as much as he does not have a regular podcast but has been included for his Startup School. These recordings were made in 2012/13 where Seth takes 30 entrepreneurs through a workshop on building and running their dream business over three days. Don’t let its age or limited number of episodes put you off as this podcast is pure gold and one of my most frequently recommended. Seth Godin’s Startup School can be found on Itunes, Stitcher, and Pocket Casts too. You can find out more about Seth at sethgodin.com. 

Some of Seth’s bestselling books include: