Journey To Mastery

Elzie D. Flenard III

Welcome to The Journey to Mastery, the go-to podcast for High-Octane, High-Impact Entrepreneurs. This is your resource for actionable strategies and insights to master your-self so you can master your purpose. We focus on creating clarity, boosting performance, and fostering a vibrant community of like-minded entrepreneurs. read less
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Episodes

468: Unmasking the Myths of Sales Mastery: Discover Your Path to Success with Dr. Nadia Brown
3d ago
468: Unmasking the Myths of Sales Mastery: Discover Your Path to Success with Dr. Nadia Brown
Would you like to increase your business growth and transform your sales approach? Join Dr. Nadia Brown, renowned sales coach and strategist, as she shares her expertise on the latest episode of Journey to Mastery podcast hosted by Elzie Flenard. 🎧 Explore the secrets of mastering sales, embracing your unique selling style, and building lasting relationships.🌟 Here are 3 Key Takeaways:1️⃣ Embrace Your Unique Sales Style: Not everyone is cut out to be a slick, fast-talking salesperson. Understanding and accepting your own style can enhance how you connect with potential clients, making your interactions more genuine and effective. 🤝2️⃣ The Power of Silence in Sales: After you've presented the investment, stay quiet! This technique gives your prospective clients the space to think and respond, which can lead to more positive outcomes in your sales conversations. 🤫3️⃣ Self-Care is Crucial: Entrepreneurs often push their limits, but Nadia stresses the importance of self-care. Regular workouts, scheduling downtime, and even enlisting help for daily tasks are critical to maintaining your well-being while managing a hectic business schedule. 🌱Connect with Elzie LinkedInSupport the journeyLaunch OR re-launch your podcastJoin the JTM CommunityConnect with NadiaWebsiteLinkedInPodcastMentioned in this episode:Podcast TownCheck out our services for your B2B brand! Grow With Podcast Town
467: Success Without Sacrifice: Jim Manning's Journey to Balance and Business Mastery
1w ago
467: Success Without Sacrifice: Jim Manning's Journey to Balance and Business Mastery
What does true success look like? In this episode, real estate mogul Jim Manning shares how he manages five businesses and excels as a dad, all while staying grounded in faith and gratitude. Learn his secrets to balancing personal life with entrepreneurial ambitions. 🌟🏠🌟 **Here are 3 Key Takeaways:**1️⃣ **Success Measured by Sacrifice**: Jim emphasizes that true success is gauged by what you give up to achieve it. He contrasts his own fulfilling life with the loneliness of a billionaire mentor who lost everything that mattered. 🌟💼2️⃣ **Harnessing Failures as Lessons**: Jim recounts his numerous setbacks and stresses the importance of viewing failures as lessons rather than defeats. This mindset has been pivotal in his journey from struggling deals to owning five thriving businesses. 📉➡️📈3️⃣ **Balancing Business with Personal Life**: Jim offers practical advice for maintaining equilibrium between work and home life. He integrates his entrepreneurial approach into personal goals, ensuring he remains a present father and husband while growing his ventures. ⚖️🏡Don't miss this inspiring episode filled with actionable insights and heartfelt experiences!🎧 Listen now and unlock the secrets to a balanced, successful life! 🎧Connect with Elzie LinkedInSupport the journeyLaunch OR re-launch your podcastJoin the JTM CommunityContact Jim ManningLinkedInWebsiteMentioned in this episode:Podcast TownCheck out our services for your B2B brand! Grow With Podcast Town
465: Mastering Balance: Learning Life and Business Harmony
May 9 2024
465: Mastering Balance: Learning Life and Business Harmony
🎙️ Mastering Balance: Learning Life and Business Harmony 🎙️🌟 Discover how successful entrepreneur Logan Hughes juggles work-life balance, harnesses personal setbacks for growth, and continuously evolves in both personal and professional spheres. Tune in for an inspiring deep dive into mastering the delicate art of balance! 💼👨‍👩‍👦🌟 Here are 3 Key Takeaways:1️⃣ Embrace Structured Flexibility: Logan stresses the importance of a structured daily schedule to enhance productivity in business, while also advocating for a flexible transition period that aids in seamlessly shifting from work to family life. Learn to manage time effectively to maintain balance! ⏱️🏡2️⃣ Cultivate Resilience Through Challenges: Facing a challenging health scare with his family, Logan adopted a day-by-day approach, emphasizing the power of staying present and tackling challenges as they come. His story teaches us the importance of resilience in the face of uncertainty. 🌍💪3️⃣ Continuous Self-Improvement: From quitting a collegiate sports team to becoming a confident entrepreneur, Logan’s journey highlights the significance of never settling and continuously striving for personal and professional growth through learning and adaptation. 🚀📈Connect with Elzie LinkedInSupport the journeyLaunch OR re-launch your podcastJoin the JTM CommunityMentioned in this episode:Podcast TownCheck out our services for your B2B brand! Grow With Podcast Town
458: The R.I.C.H Method for Living
Apr 1 2024
458: The R.I.C.H Method for Living
Felicia reveals the pivotal moment when she heard the voice of God telling her to shutdown her successful business, leading her to redefine what it means to be successful and live a rich life through what she calls the "rich method for living".Episode Highlights08:27 - Understanding Fulfillment Beyond Success: "But sometimes the results that we think we want are not conducive for the life that we think we wanna live."10:57 - Finding Balance in Success and Personal Life: "Women were healing in places they didn't know they were broken, and now they're finding a way to love their business again. They're finding a way to love their life again."15:09 - Internal Metrics for Success: "Until you see yourself as successful already, you're always gonna be chasing something else."21:36 - The Importance of Relationships and Personal Growth: "But what do your relationships look like? Who makes you thrive? Who drains you? What is your relationship like with your creator? Where's your foundation? Because your relationships are what carry you through moments of success when you wanna call that person who's not gonna roll their eyes as something amazing you did. Also, when things go wrong, those relationships are gonna carry you and hug you and say, friend, it's gonna be fine."Connect with Elzie LinkedInSupport the journeyLaunch OR re-launch your podcastJoin the JTM CommunityContact Felicia KellyLinkedInWebsiteMentioned in this episode:Podcast TownCheck out our services for your B2B brand! Grow With Podcast Town
456: Navigating the E-Commerce Boom with Ken Burke
Mar 25 2024
456: Navigating the E-Commerce Boom with Ken Burke
Elzie gets into the nitty-gritty of e-commerce and e-learning with Ken Burke, an esteemed entrepreneur who took his online commerce company to generate $2 billion in annual revenue. Ken shares his transition into leveraging AI in his microcasting platform, his dedication to curating seamless courses, and his withstanding belief in the significance of specializing in the early stages of entrepreneurship. This is a master class in focus, riding the wave of emerging trends, and the critical importance of sales and marketing.Episode Highlights:16:14 - When I talk about land and expanding, I focus on one market, on selling one set of feature sets, and on one message, right? So here's what I want to make sure of, there's another one of my sayings. When you try to talk to everyone, you talk to no one because your message doesn't resonate.18:54 - When the engine is starting to work, you, as the entrepreneur, don't need to attend to the engine every day. That's when, you know, you can actually move on to something else. You can either broaden your product, or you're going to naturally broaden your product or service offering.26:30 - So, by having that thought leadership position and having the ability to educate on an ongoing basis using webinars, which is in the olden days, that's what you used to do. Now we do it through e-learning. And so, all I'm doing is bringing that level of engagement that I had with my prospects, partners, and customers to light in a system that actually works, and you can just plug content in, and it does everything else for you. Connect with Elzie LinkedInSupport the journeyLaunch OR re-launch your podcastJoin the JTM CommunityContact Ken BurkeLinkedInWebsiteMentioned in this episode:Podcast TownCheck out our services for your B2B brand! Grow With Podcast Town
455: Growing Your Business By Mastering Merchandising with Amanda Hofman
Mar 18 2024
455: Growing Your Business By Mastering Merchandising with Amanda Hofman
Elzie chats with Amanda Hofman, CEO and Co-Founder of Go To Market, a woman-owned business looking to revolutionize the way the world handles swag. Amanda takes us on a journey through her challenging entrepreneurial experiences, from running an events company in New York City to delving into the kid's toy industry. Amanda emphasizes the value of learning from past mistakes, seeking honest feedback, and the value of networking in an entrepreneur’s journey and gives us a sneak peek into the company's future, including exciting growth plans and staying competitive. Episode Highlights:08:19 - I think that's something that people miss, like people really do want to help each other. And so, if you're clear about asking for help, I think you'll find that a lot of people will outstretch, you know, put their hand out to you. Especially if you do it in a respectful way and you're not asking for too much time, but just to say, Hey, I'm really interested in getting into this industry, or I'm having trouble breaking into this industry, or I have questions about the kind of job you do. First of all, people love talking about themselves, and people like being helpful. So, if you're bold enough to ask, you might, you know, what's the harm in asking? As long as you can get the courage to do it.09:39 - I think that the main thing that I can tell people is to be open to and seek out negative feedback. So, like, you hear all the time from people like, "Oh, ignore the haters." You know, don't read the negative comments, and yeah, you don't want to hear what every Joe Schmo has to say about your business, but your friends are going to be an echo chamber for you, and people who love you are going to be an echo chamber for you. So, I looked out, and I was like, What am I doing wrong? What could I be doing better? And I would really reward people who would be honest with me.20:12 - My dream is that companies all across the country will, like, let's completely do away with boring, unsustainable merchandise. It's a real lose-lose for companies. They're spending all of this money to print their logo on something that people don't want, then they gift it, and then people have garbage from this company. And it's really like an expensive, junk-filled, time-consuming, negative process.Connect with Elzie LinkedInSupport the journeyLaunch OR re-launch your podcastJoin the JTM CommunityContact Amanda HofmanLinkedInMentioned in this episode:Podcast TownCheck out our services for your B2B brand! Grow With Podcast Town
454: Scaling the High Notes of Leadership with Susan Drumm
Mar 13 2024
454: Scaling the High Notes of Leadership with Susan Drumm
Elzie sits down with the multi-talented Susan Drumm, a widely respected entrepreneur and leadership expert. Susan has revolutionized a decade-old program, transforming it into a model that empowers anyone to foster better teamwork. Explore her journey from Harvard Law, consulting, acting, and her unique blend of music and neuroscience in leadership outlined in her book, "The Leader's Playlist". Get a glimpse into her 17-year journey with Meritage Leadership, the hurdles of entrepreneurship, and the balancing act of scaling a business. Susan also introduces the Enneagram tool, which reveals the essentially of recognizing and addressing blind spots for effective leadership. This episode is an enriching exploration of leadership, personal growth, and the transformative power of music. Tune in now!Episode Highlights:09:12 - I think I'm going to bring something that you probably never heard, which is related to how music can actually help you be a better leader and a better human. So what do I mean by that? Well, I wrote this book called The Leader's Playlist, and it's about how to unleash the power of music and neuroscience to transform your leadership and your life. And essentially, it looks at the power that music has to help us form new neural pathways in the brain. It's basically how we learn more quickly and efficiently. So, everything's faster when you kind of embed it with music, but it has an important component to it, which is the fact that I think my superpower is pattern recognition. That's what I've been coaching.10:18 - And what I noticed in those patterns is that a lot of that has to do with what happened to them in their childhood. And what happened to you in your childhood, meaning whatever challenges you had or traumas, more specifically, or just wounds. We've all been wounded in some way, that influence and help us create a superpower, and so that superpower is what you want to leverage, but it also comes with a liability.24:26 - It's going to be hard for you to get to the next level. And so in this book, I both articulate why what happens to your childhood shows up in your leadership today and also how music can actually interrupt this pattern and help you create a new path forward when you pair it with music.Connect with Elzie LinkedInSupport the journeyLaunch OR re-launch your podcastJoin the JTM CommunityContact Susan DrummLinkedInWebsiteThe Leader's Playlist BookMentioned in this episode:Podcast TownCheck out our services for your B2B brand! Grow With Podcast Town
453: Clarity, Savings, and Giving Back with Jeff Maine
Mar 8 2024
453: Clarity, Savings, and Giving Back with Jeff Maine
Dive into the journey of entrepreneurship with Jeff Maine, Founder of Pay Proudly. His mission is twofold: to provide business owners with payment clarity and to support communities through charity. Discover how Jeff, from his humble beginnings to becoming a seasoned entrepreneur, harnesses his strengths and strategy to fill the gaps in his ventures. Episode Highlights:09:06 - We know our customers need to know us. They need to like us, and they need to trust us. So how do we achieve that? Every single step of the way, and it's getting in front of businesses. And so, really, for our side, sales 101, we're bringing people in and saying, "All right, we've got to get out into the end of the town, and we've got to be talking to businesses, and they've got to know us, like us, and trust us." And so, once we cross that, the sales side is easy. It's easy to sell somebody who already likes and trusts you; you know, it's not really hard anymore from a sales standpoint.21:55 - Its real money that these business owners are saving. And listen, I've saved businesses just in rate reduction—over $10,000 a month—and fees, you know, it's businesses. A lot of businesses just don't look at this stuff, and they don't have clarity around it. And so it's real; it's a real number. It's a real line item. Businesses are paying a lot in credit card fees, and it's something we can really help them with.24:05 - We give our business owners credit for those gifts because, without their processing on our platform, we wouldn't be able to give them. And so we want our business owners to have credit for that. So through social media and through everything we do, we thank our businesses. We push the business owners to say, "Hey, because they process it with Pay Proudly, we're able to do this." Without them, we wouldn't be able to do it. So, we love it. It's who we are. We're always going to do it. And we're just going to keep giving, and hopefully we get more and more because we're going to sign more and more accounts.Connect with Elzie LinkedInSupport the journeyLaunch OR re-launch your podcastJoin the JTM CommunityContact Jeff MaineLinkedInFacebookWebsiteMentioned in this episode:Podcast TownCheck out our services for your B2B brand! Grow With Podcast Town
452: Pitching, Perseverance & Personal Growth with Precious Williams
Mar 7 2024
452: Pitching, Perseverance & Personal Growth with Precious Williams
Precious Williams, known as the Killer Pitch Master, shares a glimpse into her life-altering journey from personal despair to clawing her way back up. Precious shares her perspective on resilience and redemption and the vital role of pitching not just in business, but life. She shares the six types of pitches and their role in building success. Precious also shares insights on personal branding, the value of diversity, and the power of authenticity. Episode Highlights:07:17 - It also showed me that there were people who looked nothing like me and did not care what their backstory was. They only cared about how you present yourself, what that does for their audience, and how we can take that into bigger and bigger places. So that was a lesson that was dialed into me, and I leaned into it, and because of that, I was never afraid to walk into any room again to present myself as a killer pitch master. 08:22 - It is so important for founders to know how to pitch because. If you don't have a way of briefly introducing yourself, your books, your business, your brand, your product, or your service in a way that captivates, titillates, excites, and delights, you're going to have a hard time. You're going to have a hard time posting on social media. A lot of us started by ourselves. So if you cannot get people interested in taking a look at your products or services to want to book you, hire you, or refer you, if you don't show why you're the only choice that matters in an oversaturated place.36:01 - One of the greatest things I want you to take from me is to be the celebrity of your own brand. It's great to take pictures with all these people and that's wonderful. That doesn't impute anything to you. It doesn't, I promise. I know it looks good. You get a lot of likes on social media. But you want people to come to you.Connect with Elzie LinkedInSupport the journeyLaunch OR re-launch your podcastJoin the JTM CommunityContact Precious WilliamsWebsiteNewsletter1 one 1 ExperiencesHire to Speak at Your Event|Holiday SpecialBook LinksUpcoming EventsLinkedInFacebookYouTubeMentioned in this episode:Podcast TownCheck out our services for your B2B brand! Grow With Podcast Town
451: The Journey from Stress to Success with James Grant
Mar 6 2024
451: The Journey from Stress to Success with James Grant
Elzie Flenard talks with legal entrepreneur, James Grant, who reveals the challenges and triumphs of scaling a business. From navigating team dynamics during growth phases, to maintaining focus on the business's purpose, James' insights are invaluable for any entrepreneur. Plus, hear why not all business partnerships are disasters, and how dividing responsibilities based on strengths can be a game-changer. Get a sneak peek into James' enjoyment of his entrepreneurial journey and how it aligns perfectly with his lifestyle.Tune in to learn more about creating a business that serves you, and not the other way around! Remember, entrepreneurship is about more than just work, it's about crafting the lifestyle you want for you and your family. Discover how James did just that.Episode Highlights:13:03 - If you're listening and you think that, "Oh, I don't have the money to hire this super expensive, super qualified rockstar, start small." Hire a VA to manage your email inbox. Hire a VA to do something that is ultra small, that is super basic, but that's taking a lot of your time. With most business owners, most of what you do is administrative in some way. And if you can offload that to a virtual assistant, that's somewhere across the globe in a country where you're both getting a significant benefit by maybe paying them $6 an hour, which is wonderful to them and wonderful to you as a business owner, and everyone wins, why wouldn't you want to do that? 25:00 - I think there's a lot of typical B2B marketing platforms and methods that may not work as effective because, at the end of the day, especially when you're dealing with professionals, professionals want to speak with other professionals. So, when it comes to the vast majority of our B2B model, it's based on networking and being able to build relationships with other lawyers because you do business with those you know, like, and trust.30:29 - Hiring is tough. It's one of those skills that's not easily acquired. And when you start bringing people into your company, that's a really big step because now you're responsible for somebody else and possibly their family. And you have to understand that you have a commitment to them, but they also have a commitment to you. And being able to be on the same page, as far as where you're going, you have to be clear with your team.Connect with Elzie LinkedInSupport the journeyLaunch OR re-launch your podcastJoin the JTM CommunityContact James Grant WebsiteLinkedInMentioned in this episode:Podcast TownCheck out our services for your B2B brand! Grow With Podcast Town
450: Networking with Love and Impact with Toni Harris Taylor
Mar 5 2024
450: Networking with Love and Impact with Toni Harris Taylor
Elzie chats with the "Networking Queen," Toni Harris Taylor. Dive into Toni's journey from Cleveland to Houston at 16, and discover how this transformative move has shaped her understanding of diversity and relationships. Get valuable insights into the art of networking, with a spotlight on the importance of showing up, presenting a professional image, and mastering your elevator pitch. Listen as Toni unravels the power of following up, underscored by a recent success story. Learn about the advantages of joining a networking franchise, particularly for minority entrepreneurs. Get a glimpse of Toni's unconventional marketing strategy, using love to drive business growth. Find out how being part of a networking group can enhance your business through community, connections, collaborations, and referrals. Tune in for these and much more – a must-listen for entrepreneurs looking to build meaningful connections!Episode Highlights:12:06 - I was this close to shutting down the business and going to get a job because I couldn't figure out what my uniqueness was and what my passion was. And when I then started talking to a money mindset coach, she asked me, "What's your why?" And I told her, and she said, "You know, you've accomplished that. You need a new why." 18:08 - You have got show up and look the part. You want to be attractive, so people are like not repelled by you, but attracted to you. You have to have good brand tactics. You have to know your elevator pitch. Who are you? What do you do? What do you say? 21:57 - I want your audience to hear this, especially for brown entrepreneurs. I don't think I'll ever start another business from scratch. Franchising can save you time, money, and energy. You're going to spend that same $40,000 to build it from scratch. It may not be in a lump sum, but if you're going to build something and build it right, you're going to spend the exact same money. Why not plug into a franchise system? Connect with Elzie LinkedInSupport the journeyLaunch OR re-launch your podcastJoin the JTM CommunityContact Toni Harris TaylorWebsiteLinkedInMentioned in this episode:Podcast TownCheck out our services for your B2B brand! Grow With Podcast Town
449: AI and Entrepreneurship with Artem Koren
Mar 4 2024
449: AI and Entrepreneurship with Artem Koren
Elzie chats with tech entrepreneur Artem Koren, Co-founder and Chief Product Officer of Sembly AI. They delve deep into the world of AI, entrepreneurship, and the secret sauce to achieving success. Artem shares invaluable wisdom, from choosing the right business partner to the importance of securing funding. Listen in as they discuss his journey with start-ups, including an intriguing venture incorporating AI in cancer biopsies. Get a sneak peek into Sembly AI’s groundbreaking technology designed to revolutionize meetings. With exciting features on the horizon, the future looks promising for this AI meeting assistant. Don't miss Artem's perspectives on fostering innovation while maintaining focus. This episode is packed with insights you wouldn't want to miss! Curious? Sign up for a free trial to experience the transformative power of Sembly AI.Episode Highlights:04:54 - I would say that in any startup or in most startups, the three things that typically take center stage and determine survivability are: your ability to raise capital, your ability to build products, and then the ability to take that product to market. And if you can't put a check mark of some weight in all three of those categories, success is very not guaranteed. 08:29 - If you have a great idea, the best thing is not to start building the tech, but to get a really brilliant designer to create a beautiful visualization of what the tech will be and find those initial investors who will see it, be wowed and will help you get off the ground with that initial investment. 26:15 - Innovation is primary and has always been at Sembly. So, I think it's a factor of just me and how I view innovation. I'm probably on board with Elon Musk, and I believe that ultimately, what makes a company long-term competitive is how quickly it innovates. Connect with Elzie LinkedInSupport the journeyLaunch OR re-launch your podcastJoin the JTM CommunityContact Artem Koren LinkedInWebsiteMentioned in this episode:Podcast TownCheck out our services for your B2B brand! Grow With Podcast Town