Born in Toledo Ohio and a current resident of San Diego (via Philly, Boulder, Denver, and Brussels), Michael Oneal's grammar school report cards always read: "Doesn't live up to his potential" and "Talks too much." One of those pieces of feedback would come in handy, as he is now the founder and host of the award-winning and much acclaimed business and entertainment podcast, "The Solopreneur Hour with Michael O'Neal."

The show, in 2 years, has already garnered more than 6 million downloads and monetized to over 500k, features lively and highly engaging conversations between Michael and his various (and often much sought-after) guests, who share remarkable stories, advice and practical tips for an audience that badges itself as "proudly unemployable" and highly motivated to finally take charge of their own lucrative business pursuits.

Mission:  Michael O'Neal worked behind the scenes of a high-profile podcast focused on personal transformation called "The KickAss Life." After several years, it was a lunch with Pat Flynn of Smart Passive Income which sparked the inspiration to step forward as the face of his own brand as he interviews entrepreneurs to talk about all of the non-business aspects of their life.

Mindset: Two words... SAY YES. Michael shares his recent trip to the Super Bowl as a guest of former Super Bowl MVP, Hines Ward. This opportunity came last minute and required Michael to shift things around on his calendar, but he said yes and enjoyed a once in a lifetime experience.

Marketing: When it comes to launching a successful podcast, Michael compares it to producing a TV pilot.  You have to test, produce, and entertain. If you're podcast is educational, remember someone of your favorite teachers and how they made learning fun.

Momentum: The average podcast episode gets 160 listens in the first 6 weeks. Michael O'Neal knew he was on to something when he saw his downloads grow far above to upwards of 20,000 downloads per day. Even more, he knew that the Solopreneur Hour Podcast hit a unique cord because new lookalike podcasts were nowhere to be found.

Masterminds: Michael runs a group coaching mastermind called the SoloLab. Listen as he shares how this idea found him when he wasn't even on his radar.

Mastermind Challenge: I love how Michael joked about creating a podcast around the conversations you have after a couple of shots of tequila. Today, take a few minutes (with or without the booze) and think about how you can bring more of your PERSONALITY into your business and content.  Better to be yourself... everyone else is already taken :) 

Learn more at MastermindYourLaunch.com

Mission: The idea for an outdoor electronic bicycle rack came about when a friend of Thad Oviatt had two bicycles stolen in one week. When the second bike was stolen the thief left a sticky note attached to the cut bike lock chain that had a smiley face and “THANKS” written across it. How rude?!

Mindset: What I love about Thad is that he’s gone ALL IN to make ParkENT Cycles a success.  From moving in with his parents to setting up shop in their garage, he has his eyes on the prize.

There is a quote that says, “Entrepreneurship is living a few years like most people won’t to live the rest of your life like most people can’t”. Thad epitomizes this spirit quite possibly more than anyone I’ve ever met.

Marketing: Thad’s willingness to get out of his comfort zone has opened many doors  along the way. Listen as he shares the story behind landing a rare opportunity to display his invention at TechCrunch.

Momentum: Thad has just launched a crowdfunding campaign via Indiegogo.com where he is seeking to secure $50,000 to complete the app development and manufacture bike racks for a metro Atlanta pilot program.

Masterminds: That is a regular attendee of the Alpharetta Startup Circle where he and I met. It’s a weekly meeting for local tech entrepreneurs that has connected him with fellow startups as well as serial entrepreneurs.

Mastermind Challenge: When I hear Thad’s story, he inspires me to get out and get in front on a new crowd. Is there a group, organization or meetup that you’ve been thinking about attending, but haven’t? Let Thad’s story be the push you need to get out of your comfort zone and into a new environment. You never know what opportunities exist just outside of your comfort zone…

Learn more at mastermindyourlaunch.com