Derek Wyatt’s passion for marketing dates all the way back to his high school days, when he was vice president of his school’s local DECA chapter. Immediately following high school, he spent three years in college before being offered a high-profile, multi-unit, retail management position. At the time he felt that he couldn’t pass up the opportunity.

Over the next ten years, he was honored with numerous awards for expense reduction and financial performance. His original love for marketing carried forward in his retail career, and he adopted the philosophy that even big box retailers can operate and pivot with ease like their smaller competitors.

Derek’s life motto is, “Never give up!” When the opportunity was presented to him to finish his bachelor’s degree, he immediately switched gears and went back to finish up school. Now a graduate of Portland State University with a B.S. in marketing and minor in psychology, Derek has been fortunate enough to be able to display his marketing skills in the automotive, sports and food industries.

During his time working and consulting with entrepreneurs, Derek noticed there a lack of education surrounding some of the most basic business practices. With the help of a serial entrepreneur friend, he set out to develop CAKE (Consulting And Knowledge Exchange). CAKE’s primary goal is to educate micro-businesses and early-stage entrepreneurs with the basic information they need to help their businesses succeed.

What are you working on right now?

Currently I’m working on a local meetup group for early-stage entrepreneurs called CAKE: Consulting And Knowledge Exchange.

Where did the idea for CAKE (Consulting And Knowledge Exchange) come from?

This past year I built a friendship with Graham Talley, one of the owners of Float On, which is the west coast’s largest Floatation Tank center. Graham is a serial entrepreneur, and we would “geek-out” together to discuss business practices and marketing. The stuff we were talking about was information other people should have been receiving. With about a month of planning, we decided to go live with CAKE on the first Wednesday of 2012. Ever since then, we’ve been sharing scrappy business tips weekly.

What does your typical day look like?

I wake up around 6:30 a.m. and get my son ready to go to his grandma’s. My wife is at work before I even wake up. I head into work at ZZoom Media and make awesomesauce. After work, depending on the day of the week, I’m either rushing home to my family, meeting with my business partner for CAKE, working on my 3rd degree black belt at Dragon Brand Martial Arts, or attending a board meeting for the Oregon Chapter of the American Marketing Association. Oh, and on Wednesday nights at 6 p.m., I host our weekly CAKE events. When I get home and the family is asleep, I crack open the laptop and finish a little more work until about 1:00 a.m.

I worked in retail for over a decade. Anyone who has ever worked in retail knows that there is very little chance of having a weekend or holiday off. I do my best to cram most of my activities, projects and groups into the traditional work week. I try to hold the weekends sacred for family time, since I don’t see them much during the week.

How do you bring ideas to life?

I think out loud. When I have an idea, I’ll share it with anyone who will listen. I feel that collaboration is a key function to success and innovation. I’m not too afraid of people stealing my ideas. If they execute quicker than I do, then they deserved it more.

What’s one trend that really excites you?

The rise of startups. I’m not an economics major by any means, but I think the dot-com bust was primarily due to too many companies starting up and seeking funding without proper revenue models or organizational processes in place. This time around I’m noticing a huge influx of entrepreneurial meetup groups, incubators, accelerators, etc. that are helping people get on the right track (and hopefully stay there).

What was the worst job you ever had and what did you learn from it?

I had an extensive career in retail before I went back to school, so it would be easy for me to pick any one of the jobs I had related to that. However, the one that I will go on record saying was the worst was my time spent as a Home Depot Home Services Consultant. My car was packed to the gills with samples of roofing, actual windows, gutter displays and siding samples. I would chase loose leads (given to me from the stores) all over the Portland metro area to sell over-priced merchandise backed with a strong name and warranty. I fared pretty well. In my third month, I was the top salesperson in the region. In the process, I packed a lot of miles on my car and would go weeks without a paycheck during the winter months, because few people wanted their windows ripped out of their home at that time. Go figure!

If you were to start again, what would you do differently?

I would continue my schooling after community college and apply for internships. I’m a fan of education and didn’t realize its impact on my life until ten years after high school graduation. Not everyone is cut out for school, and sometimes the true education doesn’t come until you’re out in the workforce, but for me college made a positive impact.

As an entrepreneur, what is the one thing you do over and over and recommend everyone else do?

Start small and grow as you’re ready to grow. If possible, try to start your business while holding down a day job. If your home expenses are taken care of separately from your business, you’ll have one less stress in your life. Sure it might add quite a bit to your workload, but if you start small you’ll only accomplish what you can handle.

What is one problem you encountered as an entrepreneur, and how did you overcome it?

My skill set only covers so much. For example, I’m a horrible graphic designer. If I need an image made, I’ll have a professional do it. I’m a huge fan of the barter system. If I can trade marketing consultation for a website, graphic or ad layout, I will. It only costs my time and helps keep money in my business instead of flowing out of it. I’ll barter marketing consultation for pretty much anything.

What is one business idea that you’re willing to give away to our readers?

I have an idea for a pretty awesome mobile phone app, but I want a cut of the money and don’t know who to turn to for help. If you’re an experienced app developer, contact me.

Anyways, a free business idea is a laptop case or briefcase that unfolds into a mobile office. If I want to move my laptop from one coffee shop to another, it’s quite an ordeal to unplug cables, pack up the laptop, corral the cords, etc. If someone were to make a case with a built-in cooling pad and an easy access cord hole, I’d buy it. Basically, I just want to unzip the lid of the case, unfold two flaps, and be in business without having to remove my laptop.

If you could change one thing in the world, what would it be and how would you go about it?

I have a whole vision for changing the food industry as it relates to what can be bought with public assistance and what can’t. It all begins with corn and it’s presence in everything. Nutritional food is too expensive, which leaves cheap, processed foods as the main alternative for people with restricted budgets.

Tell us a secret.

I have to censor myself constantly. I tend to speak my mind freely, which often gets me in trouble. Life’s too short to be offended, but apparently I’m the only one who sees it that way. So I spend most of my day biting my lip for the sake of other people’s feelings.

What are your three favorite online tools or resources and what do you love about them?

Dropbox: It’s fantastic for sharing files among a group. I also love their new, automatic upload when I take pictures with my camera phone.

Google Apps: I use Google everything–email, calendar, drive, search… the list goes on. I bow to my future electronic overlords. I can’t operate without you.

Hootsuite: This is probably the single most important tool in my life. I monitor about 30 twitter accounts with it.

What is the one book that you recommend our community should read and why?

“The Way of the Peaceful Warrior” by Dan Millman. It’s a great book that helped me realize that everything has a purpose and I need to live in the now. Too many times people dwell in the past or focus only on the future, which leaves them missing life as it happens!

Three people we should follow on Twitter and why?

Aside from myself and my projects/clients?

@Hubspot: I believe the team over there is on the cutting edge of inbound marketing analysis.

@mixergy: Founder @AndrewWarner only tweets from that account once a day, to share his daily interviews. Get Mixergy on your radar and follow them every way you can!

@JoeRogan: Who knew you could learn so much from that UFC/Fear Factor guy?! He’s the reason I got into floating, and his podcasts explore things that most people don’t openly discuss.

When was the last time you laughed out loud? What caused it?

The last time I watched Tosh.0. There’s something appealing about watching crazy moments caught on camera. I liken it to a modern day (and funnier) America’s Funniest Home Videos. I’m pretty sure if you can sit through an entire episode of Tosh.0 and not laugh, we can’t be friends.

Who is your hero?

Vince McMahon! He took his father’s localized idea and built it into a worldwide empire. When competition was fierce, he rolled up his sleeves and got involved in a hands-on way until he was able to buy his failing competition. He’s guided his children to effectively carry on his empire. I liken him to a more fit Donald Trump with better hair.

Who have been some of your mentors along the way?

Both of my parents were business owners/managers. My dad passed away when I was seven and my mom did everything in her power to ensure that I understood what it would take to survive in this world. Through her guidance, I developed a strong work ethic. I’ve been working since I was 11. It began with odd jobs and yard work, and then I graduated into being a bank teller during high school. I’ve never had a professional mentor. I take every opportunity to learn something from everyone I meet.

What got you interested in martial arts?

I was heavily bullied around the age of 15. There was one kid in particular that I would avoid like the plague. I started Judo because it was the cheapest martial art in town (I paid for it myself) and learned enough so that the next time he pushed too far, I pushed back with a vengeance. I enjoyed the boost in confidence and the feeling of security. I dabbled in various martial arts since then, finally settling on Taekwondo and Jiu Jitsu and then blending them both together into my own style of MMA.

Connect:

Derek Wyatt on LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/derekwyatt
Derek Wyatt on Twitter: @derekWwyatt
CAKE on Twitter: @CAKEpdx
CAKE website:http://cakepdx.com
Derek Wyatt’s email: derek@cakepdx.com

It’s not secret that blogging is a continuing trend. Just look at how the term ‘content marketing’ is trending in Google Insights.

Today, companies are starting to understand that providing valuable content to their customers is a powerful form of inbound marketing. With blogging, you can:

• Build trust with your user base
• Attract leads
• Add longtail SEO traffic
• Build links for SEO purposes
• Grow your readership

Blogging is the very reason that Brian Clark’s Copyblogger is a multi-million dollar business today.

As an entrepreneur, there’s a good chance that you haven’t gotten around to blogging yet. If you’re already blogging, then good job! And if you’re on WordPress, super good job!

But if you want to start (and you should), what content management system (CMS) should you start with?

WordPress.

WordPress powers over 53% of content management systems and it’s very easy to set up. You don’t need to be a skilled programmer or designer either.

In fact, there are a few incredibly useful WordPress plugins that will make you feel like a programmer (somewhat) because of the utility they provide.

Here are 9 plugins that will help get a head start for your WordPress blog:

Social Media

Social Sharing Toolkit – This plug-in gives easy access for readers to interact with social buttons on your posts. This is also known as ‘social bling’. You can place it before, after, or before and after each post. Social Sharing Toolkit is both clean and useful – as easy it gets.

Tweet Old Post – If you have old posts that you think would still be relevant to your audience today, why not tweet it out to them automatically? Tweet Old Post does exactly what it says. You can customize the date range and categories to pull old posts from. You can even exclude certain categories as well.

Social Metrics – Need to see how your content performs on Twitter, Facebook, Google+, StumbleUpon, Digg or LinkedIn? This plug-in puts all your content in a table next to social metrics so you can get a quick glance at your content winners and losers.

SEO

WordPress SEO – If there’s one plugin you add from this post, make this the one. WordPress SEO will take care of titles, indexation, XML sitemaps, breadcrumbs, and more for your blog. If you don’t know what that means, it’s okay – just know that this plugin will help with your SEO down the line and it’s very easy to use. If you need a guide, the creator wrote a definitive guide right here.

nRelate Related Content and nRelate Flyout – The first plugin will add a few boxes of related content at the end of each post. This helps with internal linking and will draw interest to other pages when readers finish your post. nRelate Flyout is a post excerpt that flys out when a reader nears the end of a blog post.

General

WP Database Backup – You don’t want all your hard work to go away in one shot right? This plug-in will help you back up WordPress.

WordPress Backup to Dropbox – It doesn’t hurt to have an added layer of protection in the cloud (Dropbox).

WP Total Cache – This plugin will help improve server performance by caching every aspect of your site. People and search engines both like speed.

WP Touch – As mobile adoption continues to grow, you’re going to want a mobile version of your site. Let this plugin do the work for you.

Conclusion

Becoming an entrepreneur means your time is limited. These WordPress plugins will do wonders in helping you save a lot of time and heartache.

What other WordPress plugins do you recommend?

 plug image credit

Andy Nulman started off as a journalist for a weekly newspaper when he was 16 years old. He became entertainment editor at the age of 17 and was fired at 22.

He then went on to co-found Just For Laughs Comedy Festival, which he built to monstrous proportions. He worked with every major star from Jerry Seinfeld to John Cleese to Chris Rock to Steve Martin, and produced more than 150 TV shows for HBO, Fox, Showtime, MTV, CBC and the Comedy Network. He left when it got routine and boring.

Andy jumped into the web content business with a company called Eyeball Glue, just as the Internet bubble burst. Out of desperation, he veered off into the mobile content business before there was one. He co-built the pioneering Airborne Entertainment into a company that worked with Fox, HBO, The NHL, The NFL, Family Guy, The Food Network and Maxim. It ended up being purchased six years later for more than $100 million by a Japanese company.

Andy then went back to Just For Laughs as President of Festivals and TV in 2010 to try to inject a digital spirit into a successful analog company. He now runs events in Montreal, Toronto, Chicago and Sydney.

Andy has written four books, and his most recent title, “Pow! Right Between The Eyes!” is about the power of surprise. He does a lot of public speaking on various topics, at all kinds of venues–from TEDx to X-Rated Art Exhibitions. He is never boring.

Andy was named a “Top 40 Under 40” Business Leader in Canada, and one of the Top 100 Montrealers of the 20^th Century. He sings rock ‘n’ roll, goes to the gym consistently, plays hockey, wears too much jewelry and is renowned for his fashion sense. Andy collects outlandish contemporary art. He has two, grown sons, a long-term wife and two, adorable dogs.  He is always looking for a new thrill.

What are you working on right now?

I’m working on making interviews on IdeaMensch easier to read. Why? Because I believe that no matter what you have to say, no matter how brilliant and profound, once it’s presented in a grey clump of type, people’s eyes glaze over (particularly if it’s from someone like me, who few know and fewer care about).

The above explanation is valid if I really want to be anal retentive about the definition of the term “right now.” But loosening up on the term’s parameters, I’m also involved in:

• Running Just For Laughs, the world’s biggest comedy festival (in four cities!)

• Developing TV and web properties from said events

• Re-examining the future of humor in a digital world

• Writing some pretty interesting, twisted fiction

• Fundraising for mental health issues and destigmatization

Where did the idea for Just For Laughs come from?

Our company mission is, “Make People Happy.” Pure and simple. That said, I guess the idea for Just For Laughs came from misery. More specifically, it came from government, despots, the oil industry and a few members of one’s immediate family. There are numerous causes; we are the solution.

What does your typical day look like?

My typical day starts with me praying for a typical day. I begin in my office, waiting for the first crisis. Once the first one hits, it’s like playing “Twister” on a cornfield of landmines while avoiding sharp projectiles that are being thrown at you from all directions. Put another way, my typical day is like being blindfolded on a wild roller-coaster on greasy, old tracks–with no safety harness–while getting serenaded by a searing, heavy-metal soundtrack.

How do you bring ideas to life?

Like Victor Frankenstein, I strap them to a table, connect them to a rickety electric machine via booster cables, and wait for a thunderstorm.

Okay, more seriously, I never brainstorm. I let random events and items spawn new ideas (a process I learned from Doug Hall) and ask people their opinions. And this is really serious: if people say, “That’s the best idea I’ve ever heard!” I drop it. If they say, “That sucks and will never work,” I drop everything else and pursue the idea like a man possessed.

What’s one trend that really excites you?

The next one.

I’m not being facetious, I just find that once something is officially a “trend” it ceases to be exciting. To me, what’s truly exciting is finding the obscure, unplanted seed or nearly-inaudible hum that can mutate into a trend.

What was the worst job you ever had and what did you learn from it?

I’ve never had a bad job. I’ve loved every one, even delivering newspapers door-to-door in the freezing cold winter as a preteen. This may stem from my original career objective of being a garbage man. No joke; I was six years old and I would watch these guys ride up on a truck, jump off, yell and throw stuff into a huge munching ass-end. What kid wouldn’t want that gig?

My worst “almost-job” was as a brand manager at General Mills. I had one interview. It was an on-campus recruitment thing. It lasted 30 seconds, and consisted of the HR guy saying “No” about 20 times, at differing intervals. I guess my shoulder-length afro didn’t help.

If you were to start again, what would you do differently?

I’d be taller. I would have paid attention in accounting class–and in economics class. I would’ve gotten in tip-top physical shape way earlier. I would’ve sucked up to the rich and smart kids. I’d be less of a smart-ass.

As an entrepreneur, what is the one thing you do over and over and recommend everyone else do?

Ignore the idiots. I found it very advantageous to listen to everyone but to choose to hear only what a very few are saying. Not that I devalue mentors, but I think that people often devalue themselves. Most times, we are our own best friend and confidant.

What is one problem you encountered as an entrepreneur, and how did you overcome it?

The overriding problem facing every entrepreneur is converting “they of little faith” to see the vision you see oh-so-clearly; I was no exception to the rule. I overcame this problem through sheer tenacity, acute salesmanship and—to be frank—a little bit of lying.

When you try to convince investors in 1999 that, “One day, people will be watching videos on their cellphones,” it’s a combination of vision, hopes and lies. Over and above the necessary work ethic, all great businesses are built on a blend of fortune-telling, prayer and larceny.

What is one business idea that you’re willing to give away to our readers?

Invest in intimacy. It’s the next Google… or Facebook.

Social networking and citizen broadcasting have shrunk the world.  You seemingly know what’s going on everywhere, but how much do you really know about your next-door neighbor? Thus, I believe that one-to-one—or one-to-few—face-to-face, same-room, live conversation will become so valuable that people will actually pay for it like sex. People will smile and others will say, “Wow! That looks just like an emoticon!”

If you could change one thing in the world, what would it be and how would you go about it?

I know this one’s a heckuva BHAG, but if I could change one thing I would bring about world peace. How? I would kill all the bad guys and imprison the rest who stand in its way.

Tell us a secret.

I can’t, because I am renowned for keeping secrets. This would only sully my reputation and destroy decades worth of confidence put in me.

P.S. Nobody knows about this except you.

What are your three favorite online tools or resources and what do you love about them?

I am more general; I like sectors more than specific apps. That said, my preferred three are weather sites, stock market analysts and religious sites. Why?  Their entertainment value, as they all purport to tell us about tomorrow, today, and they are so rarely right.

What is the one book that you recommend our community should read and why?

Without a doubt, the Bible. It’s like “Harry Potter” and “The Hunger Games” combined. Best of all, it’s a two-parter (maybe more to come!). And can you believe some of the stories in there?  Whoever wrote ‘em must have been on some heavy-duty drugs or something.

What I really like about this book is that it’s like Aesop’s fables; every one of these wacky stories has a moral to it, so it makes you think as well as laugh.

Three people we should follow on Twitter and why?

I would follow:

• Jack Dorsey

• Dick Costolo

• Biz Stone

Why? Because Jack co-founded Twitter and is chairman of its board, Dick is its current CEO, and although Biz is no longer with the company, he co-founded it and he has a funny name.

But a caveat, I’d follow them in real life, almost to the point of stalking them. These are smart guys, and I don’t know of a better way to be on the ground floor of their next earth-shattering venture.

When was the last time you laughed out loud? What caused it?

Being a professional in “the business” so to speak, very little makes me laugh anymore. You become jaded; it’s like asking a sex therapist what makes him or her horny. That said, the last time I laughed out loud was when I was proof-reading this interview. Why?  I laughed because I can’t believe that it’ll actually get published.

Who is your hero?

Popeye The Sailor (no joke). Why? Because he’s this funny-looking guy who’s poorly educated and truly innocent, yet he has enough self-confidence and inner strength to declare one of the all-time great personal philosophies: “I yam what I yam.”

Another great Popeye fan is Gene Simmons of Kiss. When I was a kid reporter interviewing him, we spent 30 minutes discussing Popeye. (By the way, Gene does a killer impression of him.) I have a sizable Popeye memorabilia collection, including original comic strip art. Next up: an original Jeff Koons Popeye piece. Please send money.

What was the main criteria in choosing your career path?

My only real career criterion was to never work for a company that had its own truck. I never had a path; I always left myself open for opportunities to find me. A path would’ve saddled me with blinkers, which would’ve blinded me to what was coming at me from the left and right.

Why do you wear so much jewelry?

They make a colorful, personal statement, like loud, clanky tattoos. And unlike tattoos, I can take my jewelry off every night (and at airports).

Connect:

Andy Nulman on LinkedIn: http://ca.linkedin.com/in/andynulman
Andy Nulman on Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/AndyNulman
Andy Nulman on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/andy.nulman1
Andy Nulman on personal website: http://www.andynulman.com/
Andy Nulman on company website: http://hahaha.com/
Andy Nulman on long-time blog: http://powrightbetweentheeyes.typepad.com/

If you really want to connect, why not call my mobile at 514 592-1210? This should separate the hardcore from the grazers.

Farnoosh Brock is the President and Founder of Prolific Living Inc. She left a 12-year career at a Fortune 100 technology company in 2011 to devote herself to her passion for writing, podcasting, blogging and business coaching. She creates products and services that empower you to build your inner confidence, turn your passions into profit, and consciously live as your highest self.

What are you working on right now?

So many projects. Right now I am running a 21-day Green Juicing Clinic with nearly 30 amazing participants. This is the health pillar of my business, where I advocate healthy living through green juicing and other natural approaches.

I am also working on ramping up my 6-week course for its summer offering (this is the career pillar of my business). The course is the Smart Exit Blueprint, and it helps professionals who are struggling in their current roles–especially in corporate jobs–to fully understand their lack of fulfillment and the reason behind their frustration. It also helps these professionals put together a smart exit plan and figure out what to do, outside of the corporate world, with their talents, skills and passions.

I am also writing a new book to help you decide whether or not entrepreneurship is right for you.

Where did the idea for Prolific Living come from?

The idea for Prolific Living came to me when I decided to integrate all of my old blogs under one umbrella. I wanted to define a larger brand that represented my exploration of smart habits for rich living, without limiting myself to a single niche. I also sought to give myself an edge that would define my approach and systems as very unique.

Prolific Living developed as an outlet for my healthy energy and as a way to combat my deep frustration and unhappiness with my corporate job. The blog grew and grew, and one day, I realized that I love writing and creating my own products, programs and services. I knew that to do this on a bigger level to help others live on their own terms, I first needed to radically change my life.

So I quit my lucrative, six-figure-income job (which involved working from home and enjoying a lot of perks). I changed my lifestyle and shifted all of my priorities to start my own company and turn my passions into profit. Upon evolving my blogs into a company, I kept the core name the same (now it’s Prolific Living Inc).

What does your typical day look like?

My typical day, when I am not traveling, begins with me waking up before 6:00 a.m. (generally before 5:00 a.m. and ideally at 4:30 a.m.)! I meditate, stretch and get ready for the day. I do some writing as I drink my first of many cups of Oolong tea. Then I make a green juice or green smoothie and get back to work. I work long hours right now because I am getting a lot of my programs off the ground, in addition to creating new ones.

I usually have one or two meetings per day with my clients or fabulous network of people, from whom I learn a great deal and to whom I also offer my help. I laugh a lot and I enjoy the process of building this company, even if it is one of the hardest things I’ve ever done! When I am in my heavy cardio phase, I go to spinning classes and sweat it out on the bike 5-6 times per week. I go to power yoga twice a week. I take a break to enjoy evenings with my husband before getting back to work for a few more hours at night. Generally, I may have group coaching calls, interviews or seminars at night. Afterward, I do my “go-to-bed” ritual and spend time with the Kindle or a real book before falling asleep.

I feel and see that the work I am doing every day is touching people and making a difference. Additionally it’s building my company, and that pushes me forward. Work does not “feel like work.” I finally get that expression. No two days are alike, and a lot of adventure meets this little entrepreneur, even as she tries to stay out of trouble!

How do you bring ideas to life?

That’s a great question. In fact, I have a three-part idea series that talks about first recognizing, then capturing and lastly organizing your ideas. But how you bring them to life is key. Because I have so many ideas–as do many other entrepreneurs and thinkers who are pushing themselves and staying mentally active–I have to put priority on the ones that can come to life.

I think about them and see whether the idea really lights a fire inside me. If it does, I sit on it for a few days to see if the fire is still strong. If it’s stronger than other fires, I look at my overall business model to see where the idea would fit and what results it would deliver. I weigh whether or not those results are worth focusing my time and attention on the idea–now or ever. Then I always discuss it with my husband, who shares perspectives and angles that I never would have considered. I used to get hurt when he shot down my ideas. Now I realize he is brilliant, and I want to work only on ideas that matter and make a difference to others and to my overall business.

What happens next is similar to what happens to you when you are compelled to do something, when you are driven so much that you can’t not do it. I get into a zone where I do everything that needs to be done to bring that idea to life. I work day and night to give the idea legs, to spread its wings and to breathe life into it. And every single time, with the right focus and energy, it happens.

What’s one trend that really excites you?

The trend of people moving towards natural healing practices, such as green juicing, juice fasts, green smoothies, yoga, meditation and healthy eating. Having the ability to tap into the natural awareness of our bodies is in no small part due to the massive amount of information available to us, thanks to technology. I am in love with technology and what it’s done for our world. I’m a big advocate of the advancements we need to make in this area to bring knowledge to the masses.

I also love the trend towards positive thinking and the self-empowerment that comes from understanding your thoughts and the manifestation of intentions when followed through by decisions and actions.

What was the worst job you ever had and what did you learn from it?

I was sure, for the longest time, that my worst job was working at the Bilo grocery store and having to clean the bathrooms once in a while (for a whopping $4.25 an hour). Then I went to the corporate world, where work was meaningless. That was the absolute worst job in my life. I was beyond restless to do something that counted and that wasn’t dreadfully boring or soul-sucking.

I learned that we choose our realities, including our careers, and that no one is ever “stuck” anywhere. We have choices at every juncture in our lives. I turned the frustration and anger stemming from my corporate job into energy that ultimately produced my program, The Smart Exit Blueprint, which helps professionals escape their cubicles (or other miserable jobs) and turn their passions into profit.

If you were to start again, what would you do differently?

My husband can’t stand this question because he tells me that I can’t just do one thing differently without suffering wide-spread consequences. Nonetheless, I am not one of those people who thinks, “Oh, I would not change a thing!” I would not go to electrical engineering school. I would not date losers. I would not go to graduate school. I would allow my creativity to come to life at a younger age. I would start a business sooner, travel more, worry less and never set foot in corporate America.

But my life has turned out remarkably well, and nothing takes away from the true happiness that I experience every day now. So perhaps, I should not wish to change anything after all! Who knows?

As an entrepreneur, what is the one thing you do over and over and recommend everyone else do as well?

This is such a hard question. I think the most important thing is to be persistent and consistent. Show up every day, do the work, and really put your best effort out there. There is no faking it in this world. Sincerity is key. You become sincere when you are living your own words and wisdom, and that’s where persistency and consistency come in. Put content out there consistently. Move your projects and work forward with persistence. Don’t give up when things go wrong, and don’t expect immediate results.

What is one problem you encountered as an entrepreneur, and how did you overcome it?

Only one? Well, the biggest shift for me happened when I stopped worrying about the success of others and started working on my own success. I think at some point I crossed a line, thinking I was educating myself when really I was getting caught up in how successful others were. It overwhelmed me unnecessarily. When I made a shift, my own success started to surface. So be very careful how you let others inspire you (or overwhelm you) with their successes. When you start to feel daunted by the fact that you aren’t there yet, focusing on the success of others becomes a huge hindrance.

What is one business idea that you’re willing to give away to our readers?

I have so many that I will never get to pursuing. I would love to see an effort or a movement that helps take the focus of the younger generation off of celebrities and onto self-empowerment. The media and entertainment industry brainwashes kids and distracts them from their own true power, which often leads to high instances of low self-esteem and depression. A movement, an education system or a program that helps youth build confidence and understand the truly important stuff in life would be very worthwhile!

If you could change one thing in the world, what would it be and how would you go about it?

I would want shift the belief that money is evil. By talking about money as a tool that can be used for good, I would help people understand that money is beautiful. It has done and continues to do amazing things for us. The “evil” associated with money really has to do with misguided people. Think about knives and guns; they’re not evil, but they get abused by people who don’t have good intentions. If we have good intentions and choose to use money as a tool, then the desire to become rich is going to be an extremely well-regarded goal, as it should be.

Tell us a secret.

I am older than I look because I fool everyone by having more energy than a 25-year-old and better skin than a 30-year-old. I do it all through natural, smart living: green juicing and green smoothies, and lots of invigorating yoga and meditation. I take care of myself and teach you to do the same through my books and programs. It’s much cheaper than going under the knife or buying expensive beauty products. It yields better results too.

What are your three favorite online tools or resources, and what do you love about them?

Evernote: I love having organized notes and being able to access them from all my mobile devices thanks to the cloud computing aspect.

Dropbox: This is dream file management and peace of mind when I go to bed at night. Need I say more?

Twitter: It connects me to people I want to know and to resources I need, in a way that was beyond our imagination only five years ago.

What is the one book that you recommend our community should read and why?

I loved Seth Godin’s “Linchpin” and Tom Rath’s “StrengthsFinder 2.0.” They make great reads for aspiring or current self-employed superstars with a passion for making a difference in this world.

Name three people we should follow on Twitter.

I really like @LoriMoreno for amazing quotations and @TinyBuddha for wisdom on life. You should follow me, @ProlificLiving, because I am going to challenge you and make you set a higher vision for yourself.

When was the last time you laughed out loud? What caused it?

The answer to this is probably always going to be, “An hour ago, at the most.” Today I laughed at something very funny that my husband said. I laugh big belly laughs every day. It’s an expression of my true happiness and freedom that comes from doing work I love and living a life that I couldn’t even have dreamed up. I highly recommend the laughter thing!

Who is your hero?

My husband. My father. Celine Dion. And every soul who has defied the convention and ignorance of its current age to pursue the yearning of his or her heart.

Connect:

Farnoosh Brock on LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/fbahram
Farnoosh Brock on Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/prolificliving