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Stephen is the CEO of Predictive ROI and the host of the Onward Nation podcast. He is the author of two bestselling books, speaker, trainer, and his digital marketing insights have been featured in SUCCESS, Entrepreneur, The Washington Post, Forbes, Inc. Magazine, and other media.

Good Morning Onward Nation\u2026I\u2019m Stephen Woessner. And welcome to Episode 322 \u2014 where 5-days a week \u2014 I interview one of today\u2019s top business owners so we can learn their \u201crecipe for success\u201d \u2014 how they built and scaled their business. In fact\u2026have you downloaded our 12 SUCCESS Strategies eBook? It\u2019s a distillation of the best business building advice we have collected from our incredible guests. You can get yours at OnwardNation.com/12download.

So for today\u2019s solocast \u2014 we are going to continue the momentum we have built over the last two weeks by sharing lessons I learned during my interview \u2014 as a guest \u2014 on the Business Rescue Road Map podcast.

Now, if the name Business Rescue Road Map sounds familiar \u2014 you may recall \u2014 the host of the brilliant show is Stacy Tuschl \u2014 a three-time guest on Onward Nation. Stacy was our guest for Episodes 6, 174, and 287 of Onward Nation.

And during each of our interviews \u2014 Stacy shared deeper and deeper insights. For example, in Episode 6 \u2014 she taught us great lessons about how to prepare for growth \u2014 and transparently \u2014 connected it back to story when one of her companies grew so fast \u2014 it outpaced her and her team\u2019s ability to adapt to the rapid changes.

But, they prioritized and successfully rebalanced the ship.

In Episode 174 \u2014 I asked Stacy to take us deep into platform building \u2014 and she generously did. We dug into what Stacy describes as her \u201cthree steps to platform building\u201d and how her business strategy is focused on all three \u2014 each and every day.

Intrigued \u2014 I had to learn more \u2014 especially with how Stacy\u2019s three steps were baked into the strategy behind her amazing podcast. I wanted to find out how podcasting became a key component to her business strategy.

So we had a \u201cWhy Podcasting\u201d discussion in Episode 287 \u2014 and let me say, Onward Nation \u2014 it is rare that a business owner will say \u2014 \u201cOh sure\u2026you want to know the innermost workings of my business \u2014 for me to take you deep behind the green curtain so you can learn all my secrets? Absolutely, walk right this way.\u201d But that is what Stacy did in all three episodes \u2014 and that is what all of our Onward Nation guests do \u2014 each and every day.

Pure awesomeness from our guests.

If you haven\u2019t listened to \u2014 studied \u2014 and applied all of the pure awesomeness Stacy Tuschl shared with us during Episodes 6, 174, and 287 \u2014 I highly encourage you to add all three episodes to your list of vital priorities.

You will be glad you did.

And then shortly after Stacy was my guest on Onward Nation \u2014 she invited me to be a guest on her podcast called\u2026Business Rescue Road Map\u2026and wow\u2026that was an outstanding conversation.

Now she was interviewing me \u2014 interesting role reversal \u2014 and true to form \u2014 Stacy is an incredible host.

She has this innate gift of being able to ask the questions she knows her listeners are hoping she will ask. She gracefully guides each guest down the exact right path to make sure her audience learns what needs to be learned during each and every episode.

As I am sure you can tell, Onward Nation \u2014 I am a bit of a Stacy Tuschl fan.

So, when she asked me if I would be guest on her show\u2026I responded with the lesson Jay Baer recently shared with us during Episode 305\u2026 \u201cHell yes, I\u2019ll do that! WOW!\u201d

And like Jay said\u2026if we are not letting the \u201cIt\u2019s a hell yes, or it\u2019s a no\u201d principle guide our decision making, Onward Nation \u2014 then you are saying \u201cyes\u201d way too often.

I learned a lot from Stacy when she interviewed me, which is why \u2014 in just a moment \u2014 we are going to air the full interview as part of today\u2019s solocast.

The discussion with Stacy is that impactful.

One of the lessons I shared with her audience might even surprise you \u2014 when you hear me encourage business owners to \u201cembrace the challenge\u201d and why enjoying those moments of struggle are key to your success \u2014 and happiness.

Stacy and I also dug into:

• The story of why my first company failed, how I recovered from losing $100,000 when I was just 28 years old, and how those painful lessons formed the foundation what we have build here at Predictive ROI.
• Why it is important to be at your best when the fight is the hardest. I am a firm believer, Onward Nation, in never ever giving someone the permission \u2014 anyone \u2014 to tell me what is so \u2014 to tell me what my destiny is. I\u2019ll explain why I am so fixated on this point during the discussion with Stacy \u2014 coupled with \u2014 how the the transformation of challenges forcing you to become somebody different on your way to accomplishing a goal, that\u2019s what makes this entire process so rewarding \u2014 becoming more \u2014 becoming the person you always dreamt of becoming, Onward Nation.
• We also talk about why it is important to think thoughtfully about the things that are important \u2014 about the benefits of prayer, meditation, or just general thinking time.

Stacy and I wrap up the interview with some things to consider if you happen to be thinking about or contemplating \u2014 quitting \u2014 throwing in the towel \u2014 and closing your business.

To be clear, there are oftentimes some really good reasons why a business should close its doors \u2014 but it has been my experience \u2014 that business owners can be tempted to give up way, way, way too early. So Stacy and I share some thoughts and suggestions to consider \u2014 things business owners should really look at before closing their doors.

Onward Nation \u2014 there\u2019s always a way to build capital.

So, I thought the best way for me to share these insights would be to air the full interview. I think you will get a lot out of the discussion.

And as always\u2026please let me know what you think. Drop me a line. Thumbs up or thumbs down.

One point that I want to make sure I emphasize before we close out for today \u2014 during my conversation with Stacy \u2014 you heard us offer several recommendations for business owners to consider before closing their doors. And one particular area I have studied even more intensely since being a guest on Stacy\u2019s show is the number of companies \u2014 more specifically \u2014 the number of business owners who struggle with generating enough leads \u2014 high quality leads flowing into their business on a steady basis\u2026like a stream of prospects flowing right into their sales pipeline.

In fact, the Content Marketing Institute and MarketingProfs recently released a study showing that the top goal of 85 percent of today\u2019s companies is lead gen.

85 percent, Onward Nation. Staggering.

Here\u2019s today\u2019s reality \u2014 there is a gaping hole inside most businesses \u2014 and that hole \u2014 is the lack of qualified leads within their pipeline. It has been my experience, Onward Nation, in 20+ years of working with business owners all over the country \u2014 most do not have a sales pipeline \u2014 and the stress of how they will meet this month\u2019s budget \u2014 or next quarter\u2019s \u2014 can feel crushing at times.

I am on a mission to help change that, which is why I shared several pipeline filling steps within Episode 298 several weeks ago.

But you know what\u2026when I relistened to the episode \u2014 I thought \u2014 \u201cHmmm, I can do better than that \u2014 I should have gone here and talked about that \u2014 and darn it \u2014 I missed this, this, and this. Arrgghhh.\u201d

So, I decided to create a masterclass on the 4-steps to Filling Your Sales Pipeline. You will see the full details and all we will cover \u2014 in full transparency \u2014 in very specific detail \u2014 on-screen demonstrations \u2014 it will be a very deep dive \u2014 so you can take and apply this lead gen recipe immediately inside your business.

I look forward to seeing you \u2014 virtually at least \u2014 on September 21st.

So with that\u2026I want to thank you again for taking the time to be here with me today. It is an honor to have you here \u2014 thank you for tuning in \u2014 I am delighted you chose this episode to be what you listen to, study, and take with you on your morning run, or maybe Onward Nation has become part of your daily commute, or in some other way has become part of your morning routine.

I want you to know how much I appreciate you sharing some of your invaluable 86,400 seconds you have in your day with me and the strategies we learn and share each day from today\u2019s top business owners.

And please continue to let me know what you think of Onward Nation\u2026good or bad\u2026I always want your feedback. Hit me up on Twitter or LinkedIn \u2014 or stop by our Predictive ROI Facebook page \u2014 and let us know what you think of the show \u2014 thumbs up or thumbs down. Either way \u2014 we want to know.

Your feedback helps get better. And remember\u2026you can always email me at\xa0stephen@onwardnation.com and I reply to every single message.

Please let us know how you think we are doing. I look forward to hearing from you.

We will be back tomorrow with an incredible encore interview with Nancy Marshall \u2014 my word, Onward Nation \u2014 you will not want to miss Nancy\u2019s third visit to the show. We took this opportunity to dig deep into Nancy\u2019s book \u2014 to dive into several of the exceptional PR strategies within the pages \u2014 as well as \u2014 Nancy\u2019s business strategy behind the book and how it has become her best business card ever. So\u2026if you have ever thought of writing a book\u2026listen to Nancy Marshall tomorrow\u2026because she lays out her entire strategy in precise detail. Nancy is off-the-charts amazing, Onward Nation. Don\u2019t miss the show.

Until then, onward with gusto!