Chris Estrada considers himself a connect-apreneur and coworkaholic on the mission to: Influence and Drive 1 Million People to pursue their passions and develop success through joining a local coworking community.
A graduate of Kennesaw State, Chris is a rare native Atlantan. Chris hosts a weekly podcast, Coworking Success where he features coworking success stories mixed in with other amazing business success stories. Chris’ background includes 5 years of marketing/brand strategy consulting, 10 years event management and 3 years of coworking industry experience.
When Chris isn’t opening a new coworking space as a coworking consultant with the Operation Spot, you can find him riding his mountain bike on one of the many mountain bike trails or riding his road bike on the silver comet.
Mission: Sometimes a setback is truly the best setup for success. After being turned down for a job, Chris set out to launch his own business. Eight months later, he has surpassed the income he would have received working for someone else. How did he gain so much momentum so fast? Coworking. And with that, a new passion and mission was born.
Mindset: Chris poses the question, "What are you willing to give up in order to gain what you truly desire?" Looking at life and business from this prospective creates a complete mindset shift and can open our eyes to the superficial instant gratification we fill our days with, in comparison to the long-term, massive impact we have the potential to create.
Marketing: "Networking is everything and relationships are everything". Chris shares 3 tips for getting the most out of networking
Resource mentioned - Honoree Corder's Mini eBook of Business by Referral
Momentum: Earlier this year, Chris had the opportunity to partner with an industry conference. He attended knowing very few people and was pleasantly surprised when people came up to him having recognized him from his Coworking Success Podcast.
Masterminds: Community has been a huge driver in Chris' business. From gaining advice and encouragement to generating referrals and new clients, getting out of isolation and surrounding himself with like-minded people has allowed Chris to grow his business so quickly.
Mastermind Challenge: I've worked from home since 2011 and know firsthand the ups and downs that go along with it. It's hardly the glamorous life that people make it out to be. Taking a few days a week to work from a coworking space, while it may seem like a small change, has brought so much joy and new energy to my endeavors. If you are working from home, I challenge you to find a coworking space in your area and visit for a day. Most offer a free day pass to first time visitors. You have nothing to lose and so much to gain. Happy coworking!
Learn more at MastermindYourLaunch.com
Rick Fossum is a creative and critical thinker with a passion for people. He’s a problem solver who’s had unique opportunities to work alongside talented Designers and Developers, experienced Brand Strategists, Marketing Managers and Management Consultants. With over 20 years of agency experience, Rick has lead design or brand marketing efforts for major brands including General Mills, Glock, Major League Baseball, and Newell Rubbermaid. He believes that an effective brand and consumer relationship shares the same qualities of a meaningful human relationship—authenticity, value, trust, and endurance. Rick lives in Roswell, Georgia with his wife Susan and their sons Alex and Sam.
Mission: Rick found himself at a crossroads with a choice to either take a job or change the world. He chose the latter and connected to a newfound passion for doing work that he loves.
Mindset: As a new entrepreneur, Rick still has a focus on creating financial security for him and his family. However, his mindset is much more than just numbers. He describes his new role as offering a sense of freedom he never had before. "Like a lid has been removed". I love that description.
Marketing: A big driver in generating new business has been networking and word of mouth. After 2 months of networking, Rick created a infographic outlining his entrepreneurial journey. He sent the infographic to his network and the buzz generated new business!
Momentum: Rick shares that his biggest moments of momentum have come when an unexpected call or opportunity pops up where he wasn't expecting. When was the last time you had an unexpected opportunity come about from a seed you planted long before?
Masterminds: The community Rick credits with overwhelming support is his family. His wife and teenage sons are cheering him on and giving him the courage to keep making this dream come true.
Mastermind Challenge: How can you boil down your journey into an infographic that tells your story and connects with your network? Check out Rick's infographic for inspiration and try creating one of your own! Use PiktoChart or Canva for an easy to use template.
Learn more at MastermindYourLaunch.com
Brad Stevens, Entreholic, is a career entrepreneur with experience in manufacturing, product development, supply chain, sales team development, operations, financial modeling, marketing automation, digital marketing, SaaS, and growth hacking.
His most recent company, Entreholic, provides an affordable, entrepreneurial approach to outsourced digital and traditional marketing services for small to medium businesses.
Mission: Growing up in an entrepreneurial family, Brad saw firsthand what it takes to run a business. After college, his experience spanned many industries and business functions, but marketing stood out to him as an under-served yet fascinating area. It was that passion that sparked the idea for Entreholic.
Mindset: Having an entrepreneurial family, launching a business wasn’t as scary for Brad as it may be for others. Still, he makes focused effort to maintain a mindset for success and attributes his fitness routine for providing the discipline needed to follow through on what it takes to launch and grow a successful business.
Marketing: If you are intimidated by the sales process, you have to hear Brad’s explanation of how he secured many of his first clients. Approaching meetings as a way to educate clients on the opportunities and resources available to them, versus trying to “sell” them was key to helping him build relationships and a reputation as the go-to source for all things digital marketing.
Momentum: Brad shares that the biggest momentum boost has come from referrals and a focus on continuously seeking out feedback in order to improve.
Masterminds: Along with the insights Brad gets from his entrepreneurial family, his decision to join Entrepreneurs’ Organization or EO has been a game changer for his personal and professional development.
Mastermind Challenge: Hearing Brad speak about the impact his fitness routine makes on his entrepreneurial work ethic reminds me of the quote, “How you do one thing is how you do everything”. Today I challenge you to look outside your business for areas where you can begin upping your game. Whether it’s a more consistent morning or fitness routine, being more present for family time, or making the intention to do random acts of kindness, hold yourself accountable and follow through on your commitment. Watch how those actions outside of your business make you even more focused and effective inside your business.
Learn more at MastermindYourLaunch.com