We’ve been dealing with an unhappy client for the past few months and I’m not ashamed to talk about him. As a coach, this is someone we should have never worked with in the first place.

Even with the best filtering in place, some bad clients get through every so often. In this case, it was a couple who needed help with their finances.

More than anything else, my Financial Coaches look for people who are willing to do the hard work it takes to change their lives. Many of them are in a rut and need to do something different to get out of it. Unfortunately, the thing that got them there in the first place, prevents them from getting out.

My team hired a husband and wife couple a long time ago (yes, we view it as hiring them just as they’re hiring us – we don’t work with just anybody). They showed up to their first coaching session and then were no-shows for the next few, and nearly unreachable after that.

Our agreement was for six months of coaching, and since we could never connect with them through phone or email, the six months ended with them only meeting my team once.

Then they got behind on a bill or had some other financial fire. You’re not really surprised, are you? Our phone rang off the hook with them expecting us to drop everything and help.

Seriously?

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Show Topics:

• Chad Jeffers – making it as a rock star
• Touring with Keith Urban, Carrie Underwood, and Kenny Loggins
• Writing a book and teaching others about the music business

Chad Jeffers is a guitarist for Carrie Underwood.  In 2010 he played 108 shows and now has most of 2011 off to work on some of his own projects.  He released a book last year called 25 Notes as a behind-the-scenes on the music business.

Chad was in a band for the first time with his family when he was 8 years old.  His first show was in front of 1,500 girls and they chased him and his brother into their dressing room after the show.  He was hooked.

“If you want to do music for a living, don’t ever work a job with benefits.” – Chad’s dad (Doc Jeffers)

Chad moved to Nashville (from Kingsport, TN) to attend college and to be near music.  He attended Bellmont university with a degree in music business and marketing.

Through college and after he was working with Reba McEntire.  Through networking he landed some jobs as opening acts for the likes of Alan Jackson.

“It’s all about networking.” – Chad Jeffers

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Covered in today’s show:

• Alex and Luke are visiting all 50 states and every province in Canada
• How social media played a huge role in their travels
• They’re traveling to 50 states, 10 provinces, 3 territories, and nearly complete with them all.

Alex and Luke set out to see the United States and Canada and they put their travel plans in the hands of their community.

Alex’s house burned down and she lost everything about two years ago.  Insurance sent her a check and she decided not to buy new stuff.  Instead, she decided to travel.  One text to Luke sealed the deal for a travel buddy.

Luke was working for IBM at the time but had the travel bug.

Their community tells them where to go.  Their twitter followers tell them where to go, where to eat, what to do, and where to stay.  They’ve even stopped along the way and waited for directions from their followers before going to the next place.

Alex and Luke started on March 20, 2010 and they’ve been everywhere in Canada and 48 states in the U.S.  They’re only missing Vermont and Hawaii.  They’ll complete Vermont this month as they travel through on the way back to New Hampshire.

Tourism boards tend to promote their travels when they see they’re coming through.  People are really proud of where they live and they want Alex and Luke to see it.  It’s a big part of growing their community.

Some people think it’s irresponsible to spend money traveling and not having a job.  I think it’s irresponsible to do something you’re not passionate about for the better part of your life.

It took them 5-6 months to get everything together before they hit the road.

They had little experience in we design or video work, but they plowed ahead anyway and learned along the way.

They had no video experience before this trip.

Together, Alex and Lukas have put over 70,000 kilometers or about 43,000 miles on Alex’s car.

Cool experiences: the people they’ve met, the sand dunes in Colorado, Glacier Bay.

Next steps: going back to New Hampshire where they’re staying for a few months.

“We’re not any different than you.” – Luke

Follow their journey on twitter @alexandluke.

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I’d love to help you turn your ideas into a business that changes the world (and your bank account).  Here’s how I help.

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085 Coach Radio – Your Story: Sutton Parks – Living in a Car

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Sutton Parks talks about about chasing a dream and living out of his car.  If you can believe it, he was thankful for it.  He moved to Nashville, TN to pursue a music career over 15 years ago.

Tony Robbins rocking chair test.  If you’re 70 years old sitting in a rocking chair, looking back on your life, would you have any regrets.

Sutton moved to Nashville with only $500 in his pocket.  He started a job working in the mail room of BMI music.  He was promoted eventually and spent six years in a computer room.  When a red light would go on, he’d call a computer programmer to fix it.

Sutton ended up hating his job, but couldn’t quit because he had a mortgage.  Sound familiar? His stuff ended up on the curb after a foreclosure when he was 37 years old.  Now he could quit the job he hated, but he had no where to live.

He ended up sleeping at a truck stop for nine months, living out of his car and being grateful for all he had.  Listen to hear just how grateful he really is.

Sutton started a cleaning business two years ago.  It gives him the freedom and flexibility to do what he loves during the day.

Reliable and Trustworthy is Sutton’s tag line in business and in life.

When Sutton wants something, he makes sure it’s important and goes after it.  He won’t stop until he gets it, but he does it smartly.

“Be grateful for everything and gratitude is an action.” – Sutton Parks

Follow Sutton @suttonparks.

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081 Coach Radio – Your Story: Jared Miller

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Jared Miller founded Keza in 2006 as an ethical fashion label.   He entered Rwanda in March, 2006 and quickly found some women who were trying to get out of prostitution.  He met his wife Illea along the way and together they’re making a name for themselves in social entrepreneurship.

Keza means beautiful in the language of Rwanda.  Jared wanted to tell a different story in a place filled with corruption.  The women make products out of recycled paper with a trash-to-beautiful story.

KEZA leverages the fashion industry to transform the image and expectations of Developing Nations.  We reveal the excellence of indigenous artisans by providing them with Product Design, Inustry Connections, and the KEZA brand.

They’re pushing the bounds of jewelry to create ‘wearable art’.

Jared can look back as far as six years old to find out exactly how he got to where he is now.

I ask Jared how this all came together and what led him to Rwanda.

How do you deal with bad days?  Jared and Illea live in a war-torn country with a 67% unemployment rate.  Prostitution is the career most women find themselves in.  Their bad days are much worse than ours.

Follow Jared @kezafashion.

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I’m often asked how I do it all. The answer – stop planning and thinking and start doing.

A simple message, but will you do it?

Click here if you can’t view the How to Get Things Done video

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064 Coach Radio – Around the Campfire

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I was in the mountains of Colorado this week with a group of Free Agents who are working on some phenomenal self-employment ideas.  At the end of the second day, the group was wiped out.

We hung out around the campfire after dinner and I recorded a discussion on becoming self-employed, finding ideas, and taking action.

I hope it inspires you to get off your butt and move!

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When someone mentions they might move to Wisconsin, people take notice. I talked about a possible move for my family and I on Coach Radio this week and many of you chimed in.

We put a time limit of four days to make a decision. Why only four days for a major decision you ask?

Well, we don’t want to spend the rest of our lives trying to make a decision. By trying to make the perfect decision, we do the only imperfect thing, which is to not take any action at all.   By not deciding, we have decided.  I hope your life isn’t like that.

So, our decision is…no.

Actually, our short-term decision is no.  I think we will end up moving.  Schools are really important to us though, and we’re going back for another visit, this time to get a tour of some of the schools.  That’s going to be later this year however, so for now, we’re sitting tight.

It’s not keeping us up at night because a decision has been made.

Thanks for your thoughts and comments.  Keep them coming!