The Happy Millions Show With Liz Benny

Achieving Freedom and Finding Fulfillment Beyond Money - with Dean Holland

This episode is packed with captivating stories of the amazing Dean Holland, who has 10+ years of experience in digital products, affiliate marketing, coaching and online courses, and business management.
 
We explored his personal and professional journey, the hurdles he and his wife faced for the last couple of years, and the wisdom they gained along the way. Dean also shared how he has managed all of this without damaging his mental health and his marriage, as well as how finding good reliable people and building a strong team, helped him and his wife with their current business venture.
 
This episode will surely help you recognize what you really want in life and business, and will show you how happiness and freedom is not just about money. So tune in for this raw, real, and honest conversation, and don’t miss out!
SHOW NOTES: 
 
0:00:00 Introducing Dean Holland
0:02:25 The secret in effectively running multiple businesses
0:05:24 Overcoming probabilities and challenges
0:09:42 Living on less than 7k a month
0:13:00 Having true freedom and happiness
 
0:16:55 Discovering your true purpose and own version of success
0:23:42 Going through therapy and counseling
0:26:58 The ultimate reason for creating your own business
0:32:18 Making important decisions and facing changes
0:36:20 Dealing with stress and anxiety
0:41:30 Balancing business and personal relationships
0:50:16 The story of unexpected success in business
0:57:57 Fun Fast Q&A
QUOTES
 
“No amount of passion for what I do in business and the people I work with could help if my personal life was falling apart.”
 
“When we're talking about the three alignments, you know, alignment with yourself, alignment with your spouse or significant other, then alignment with your business. And if you're out of alignment with those first two, specifically the first one, the business doesn't work and you can, you can make money whilst being out of alignment. But it's miserable money . . . ”
 
“To me, it was like, money is everything, because I don't have any. But I look back at that viewpoint, to be honest, and I can see where it comes from, of course . . . that was my biggest pain . . . But I can safely say that it really isn't anything like I thought it would be.”
 
“A lot of people say I want 10 grand a month, 20 grand a month, 50 grand a month, 100 grand a month, whatever. And I'm like, I live on less than 7000 a month. I literally do everything I want on less than 7k a month.”
 
“If it's not about making more money, then what is it about? And I went through this huge conflict then because, wow, if the last 10 years of my life haven't actually been what mattered, then who am I now? Because I ended up in this real conflict where I was like, what I thought was important isn't important. What I thought I had to be isn't who I want to be or am. What I'm striving to do isn't really for me. And I'm clear on that now. I don't know what it is, but it's not for me. So what the hell's going on?”
 
“Ultimately the reason you would start a business is because you want to create a certain life for yourself and a certain lifestyle that you're perhaps not able to gain from having a day job.”
 
“It's not about the money. It's about what the money can provide. And if you are not clear on what you want to accomplish by having the money and the lifestyle that having your business can provide, I feel that you are going to end up in a bad place eventually at some point, because you're going to reach that goal post that you originally set. You're going to look up and realize that it doesn't have that fulfillment because actually it wasn't the result that you strive for in the first place. It was something different. It's just along the way you lose sight of what you were doing it for.”
 
“I think when you have that level of personal integrity and level of understanding around who you are and what you want, radically, honestly, then things are so much better than chasing this dream that you think you should.”
 
“I would say my biggest thing in terms of how I differ in comparison to the past in making decisions and things is that I just try and enjoy the process so much more now. And I think that makes me a bit more laid back and relaxed. And I don't really have to rush into a decision.”
 
“I think those sorts of experiences made me realize that you can do everything right in life. You can make all the right decisions, be the most upstanding member of society, business owner, leader, entrepreneur, father, mother, sister, brother, whatever, and still be wrong, you know, and still something will go wrong. And so why stress about these seemingly small things?”

Overcoming Challenges As An Entrepreneur While Balancing Personal And Professional Life - with Lauren Golden

In this episode, we explore the inspiring story of Lauren Golden, a visionary CEO and the best-selling author of The Free Mama, who was able to overcome obstacles on her entrepreneurial path while successfully maintaining a harmonious balance between her personal and professional life.
 
Lauren shared her struggles she encountered not just as an entrepreneur, but also as a wife and as a mother. We talked about how she conquered her traumas, limiting beliefs, and many more challenges that could’ve stopped her, but no, those challenges even made her stronger than she ever was. 
 
Her experiences remind us that success is not solely defined by financial achievements, but also by the fulfillment found in nurturing relationships, pursuing personal interests, and embracing the joy of living a well-rounded life.
 
So what are you waiting for? Listen now!
SHOW NOTES: 
 
0:00:00 Introducing Lauren Golden
0:03:07 Reflecting on success and overcoming challenges
0:08:15 Important lessons learned as an entrepreneur
0:12:39 Reclaiming internal sovereignty
0:16:40 A moment of realization and resignation
0:18:50 Reflection on reaching rock bottom and the transformation that follows
0:21:14 Conversation about what truly matters
0:25:48 Managing expectations and finding closure
0:30:31 Taking action and experiencing life differently
 
0:36:18 Reflection on the impact of COVID-19 on mental health and emotional well-being
 
0:41:30 Unlearning habits and chasing goals
0:46:00 Fun Fast Q&A
QUOTES
 
“Your history shows that you have the strength and the community and the support to walk through it. And you're going to use the crap out of this if you're willing to do all of that.”
 
“There is no struggle free life, but it's pick your struggle and pick how you're going to choose to have a relationship with that. You can either be mad at it and be a victim and do whatever, or you can be like, bring it on. It's going to be hard, but it's going to make me better.”
 
“Anything that was stealing my joy or stealing my sense of freedom or anything I got rid of. And it was not an easy decision. It was a terrifying decision. I knew I was going to rock some boats. I knew I was going to piss people off. I knew it had the potential to cost me money, which it did. But I did all of those things, and that felt right and true, and I felt like I was getting some of the pressure, the weight that I literally felt like I was carrying around every day off.”
 
“I think having friends who will support you when you're low is actually not that hard. I think having the friends that support you when you become someone, that's where we lost a lot, actually. That's where it became really apparent who my lifelong true friends were. And that's surprising for some reason.”
 
“What we're speaking to here is deep personal integrity. Because if you say you want something yet, your actions are not in alignment with that. There's an integrity issue. Because you're not acting in alignment.”
 
“I'm motivated by power, and I'm motivated by freedom. I want to be in control of myself, and I want to live life on my own terms. That's what motivates me. And so you have to be careful who you're following and who you're modeling. And that's what I've sunk back down into.”

The Power of Netting Up and Prioritizing Bliss in Life and Business by Scaling Down - with a High-Level Entrepreneur, Nicholas Kusmich

Scaling up is not always the main goal when you have a business. Sometimes, what you need is scaling down. 
 
In this episode, the amazing Nicholas Kusmich, owner operator instantly turned CEO overnight, shared how his life and career shifted by scaling down and “netting up.”
 
What’s “netting up”? Listen to this episode as we talk about its definition, and about the importance of reevaluating your life, how to achieve bliss in business, how to realign and orchestrate your life around the true purpose and core values, and many many more!
 
Live and have a business that feeds your lifestyle rather than a lifestyle that feeds your business.
SHOW NOTES: 
 
0:00:00 Exploring Success and Happiness with Nicholas Kusmich
0:02:50 Riding the Wave of Success: From Owner Operator to CEO Overnight
0:04:55 The Power of Netting Up: How Nicholas Found Success by Scaling Down
0:07:31 Life at Home and Business Behind-The-Scenes
0:19:05 Alignment with True Self and Core Values for Business Success
0:22:00 Advice for Stepping Out from a Miserable Life
0:26:10 Winning is an Internal Game
0:31:49 Taking Micro Steps to Reach Your Goals
 
0:36:28 Nicholas’ Recommended Books 
0:40:22 Reflection on Reconnecting with Faith and Nature
0:45:27 Creating a Business That Feels Good
 
0:49:22 Understanding Intuition and Unresolved Trauma
0:53:53 Living a Fulfilled Life and Building a Business For You
 
QUOTES
 
“I encourage everybody to ride the wave when it serves one to you.”
 
“The problem with scaling up is, yes, your top line revenue number goes up, but your bottom line revenue goes down. And I'm like, that equation doesn't make sense to me . . . I'm trying to figure out this thing where I can continue to grow my bottom line revenue while reducing the craziness, the circus, all that other stuff that's attached to scaling up.”
 
“I make decisions through this lens of netting up.”
 
“What the hell am I actually doing? Isn't everything I'm doing supposed to be for my family? And yet I'm away from my family for the sake of profits?”
 
“Why are we working so hard for a future that one day maybe, when we can work hard and play hard right now?”
 
“When we prioritize bliss, and again, people will call it different things, but we prioritize self care and us and joy and bliss.”
 
“What I'm going to encourage you to do though is don't get addicted to the grind. That is a season to get you off the ground into where you need to be with the anticipation that you are building a lifestyle business and be okay with that. I want to give people permission to be okay with a lifestyle business because that took me a long time to do.“
 
“The moment you can orchestrate the entirety of your life around the value of autonomy, you will find joy. And that just hit me. And I said, I give myself permission to be in alignment with who I am. I know that that's not everybody, but I know that that's me. And so for me, I started to orchestrate a life around autonomy because that was a core value of mine, and hence I'm able to do this.” 
 
“Find the value that drives you and pushes you forward, that you feel the best, and when you're aligned and orchestrate your life and your business around that, and the amazing thing will happen.”
 
“It's important to be in alignment and be honest with yourself and be truthful . . . Be you. Be all of you.”
 
“Sometimes fun even starts by just being quiet in a quiet place and being alone and just like, centering in on yourself and be like, can I be quiet just for a moment, and just find myself here? And then you might start here.”
 
“Buy back your time. It's a beautiful alignment idea of understanding your value and understanding how you can live or have a business that feeds your lifestyle rather than a lifestyle that feeds your business.”
 
“Build a business. Not just a business, but build a life for you.”

Maintaining Your Peace Of Mind As A Serial Entrepreneur with Wilco De Kreij

At an early age of 16, Wilco De Kreij, a dad, a husband, and a serial entrepreneur, started his journey of being an entrepreneur. He is the founder of the ultimate Viral Referral Marketing platform, UpViral. And in this podcast episode, he shared his amazing journey from being the “whiz kid”, to selling his business, and then to structuring a new one that supports his lifestyle and happiness.
 
We talked about not just the side that most people see in businesses, but also the OTHER side of being a business owner that most people don’t recognize. And more importantly, how do you keep being happy and maintain your peace of mind when things get tough in your business? 
 
You wouldn’t want to miss this awesome conversation!
SHOW NOTES: 
 
0:00:00 Conversation with Wilco De Kreij: Success and Entrepreneurship
0:06:24 The Benefits of Traveling for Entrepreneurs
0:09:28 Reflection on Business Growth and Going Through Changes
0:12:26 Selling a Business for Peace of Mind
0:16:39 Seeking Professional Help as an Entrepreneur
0:21:24 Overcoming Limiting Beliefs
0:26:59 Structuring a Business for a Lifestyle and Happiness
0:29:33 Exploring the Five and Ten Year Plan of Wilco De Kreij
0:33:48 Business’ New Challenges and Opportunities
0:37:25 Exploring UpViral Promotions for Digital Marketing Strategies
0:41:01 Fast Q&A
QUOTES
 
“Back in the day, success was definitely more money driven, even though it wasn't really about the money, but it's a way to keep track. And right now that's not as much.”
 
“Traveling for me, equals freedom. That's when I really feel alive, and it doesn't mean that I'm not feeling alive here. There's lots of pleasures in life at home.. But when you're somewhere else, especially when you're away for a longer period of time, that's when the magic happens.”
 
“For me, every time when I go away, it's actually another reset of letting go of stuff that I don't want to add back to my plate. So I can then do higher level things when I come back.”
 
“You identify yourself as this successful entrepreneur, and you're like, you don't want to give that up. But at the same time, it just did not light my fire anymore. And that's when I realized to answer that part of the question, that's when I realized that the only real way to fix that is to not have that business anymore. I was not the right person to move that along. And that's been a huge relief. I did not sell for the money. I did not sell for and it's all that I've been saying to my team as well. I sold it for peace of mind, and that's been worth it.”
 
“I personally think that having a therapist as an entrepreneur is one of the best things you can do because we're constantly on the bumpy road and it is a sensitive journey, and if we don't have momentum and if we don't know where we're going, it can be such a tumultuous journey.”
 
“I think part of what we want to do sometimes is we want to create something new because old is boring. Like, we like creating new things. So it's like we want to create new things within what we're doing so it grows what we are ultimately doing.”
 
“For me, I think my biggest motivation for growing my business I realized this a couple of years ago is not so much about the end result, but it's because when the business grows, my job changes along the like, I constantly have my my job constantly changes.”

Why Anik Singal Shut Down A $45-Million Dollar Business…. And What He’s Doing Now

How do you find the courage to quit on something that doesn’t serve you anymore, or worse, making your life miserable? In this episode, the amazing Anik Singal, a best-selling author and motivational speaker, talked about the importance of knowing when and how to quit.
 
We know that most people say “never quit” and “never give up”. But that’s not always the key to success. 
 
This episode will help entrepreneurs build businesses and lives they love, not at the cost of the things that matter most to them. Anik shared a lot about his ups and downs as an entrepreneur that will help you realign your purpose and find the right path to happy millions.
SHOW NOTES: 
 
0:00:00 How To Change Your Life From Being Miserable Into Being Happy
0:04:41 Cutting People Off Your Life And Quitting Things That Doesn’t Make You Happy
0:08:30 Exploring the Benefits of Establishing Boundaries for Entrepreneurs
0:13:26 In-depth Conversation About S.E.LF. and E.A.S.E
0:23:04 Scaling Your Business for Maximum Efficiency and Impact
0:26:46 Anik's Journey to Self-Discovery and Alignment
0:31:32 The ABCD Principle: A Conversation on Making Decisions and Getting Around Disharmony
0:41:13 The Real Power of Consistency
0:44:19 Conversation on Time and Health As An Entrepreneur
0:51:39 Anik’s Most Proud Moment as a Father and as a Husband
1:02:36 A Powerful Advice About Giving Space To Your Partner
 
1:03:05 Taking Control of Your Life
QUOTES
 
“You have to have courage to quit . . . We're always told “never quit.” Hustle, hustle, hustle. If you're miserable, quit. We got to change things. And that's what I did. I didn't quit being an entrepreneur. I didn't quit my message. I didn't quit me. I quit the way I was approaching it. And I added a lot of complexity. But I'm so much happier.”
 
“Boundaries create and feed creativity and efficiency. We do not have boundaries. As entrepreneurs, when we're at work, we give ourselves boundaries because we do not want to be there from any second beyond earlier than nine and beyond five. Right? But as entrepreneurs, our boundaries are completely blended.”
 
“That's how our time works. That's how our decisions work. So right now, you think you're stuck in this butt situation because you got to do this. That's because you haven't defined boundaries.”
 
“We quite literally make sure and filter all of our decisions in our business through the self plan.”
 
“Just because I can doesn't mean I should.”
 
“Ease is what's allowing me to run literally five times as many companies and work half as much. Because they're all in my zone of genius . . . And they're all aligned with my message. That's why you're seeing that kind of energy change online.”
 
“Stop pushing your timelines onto other people and onto your business and onto everyone else in your life because ain't no one care. Your timelines aren't the timelines that are meant to be. If you focus on enjoying yourself, having fun, being present, defining the goals, and picking the best people to run those goals and trusting them, you're going to win.”
 
“Consistency is the name of the game. And actually, consistency trumps all. I think it trumps talent. I think it trumps money. I think it trumps network access because consistency brews all of that. If you're consistent, all of that other stuff comes. So consistency is super key.”
 
“You are responsible. You do have control. You have the most powerful weapon at your disposal right now. To build the life, the business, anything you want. And that is one word and that is choice.”