Aaron Orendorff is the founder of iconiContent and a content Marketer at Shopify Plus — the enterprise arm of Shopify. He's also a regular contributor at Mashable, Entrepreneur, Lifehacker, Fast Company, Business Insider and more.
Forbes Top 25 Influencer to Watch 2017
Grew his freelance content marketing business from zero to six-figures in a year and a half
Wrote the biggest articles of year at Unbounce (twice), Copyblogger (twice), Content Marketing Institute, and GetResponse
Voted both the top copywriting and top blogging articles "of all time" by Inbound.org and Ahrefs
Jared Kleinert is an entrepreneur, TED and keynote speaker, and award-winning author. He’s become a sought after Millennial thought leader after identifying and connecting hundreds of the world’s smartest and most talented members of his generation, and sharing his research with as many influential individuals and corporations as possible (more at jaredkleinert.com).
Jared’s first book “2 Billion Under 20” was released in July 2015 and voted the “#1 Entrepreneurship and Small Business Book” for the year by the Axiom Business Book Awards. He is currently working on his next book “3 Billion Under 30”, to be released in Q1 of 2017 featuring stories from the world’s smartest and most talented 21-30 year olds, including pro athletes, actors, entrepreneurs running multi-million and billion dollar businesses, social media influencers on Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube, politicians, and many other inspiring profiles (more at 2billionunder20.com).
As a globally in-demand keynote speaker, Jared has spoken to audiences of 20 to 1000+ around the world, from TED and TEDx stages to the National Speakers Associations’ main stage, Fortune 500 boardrooms, major conferences, and futuristic associations (more at jaredkleinert.com/speaking).
As a go-to marketing and biz dev consultant, Jared has helped influence the messaging and business development strategy for everyone from #1 NYT Bestselling authors to Olympians, founders of billion dollar brands, and various Fortune 500 companies (more at jaredkleinert.com/consulting).
Jared has additionally been named a “Champion For Humanity” by the United Nations, and was a U.S. delegate to President Obama’s Global Entrepreneurship Summit in Malaysia in 2013.
Joseph is a serial tech and marketing entrepreneur with several SaaS companies under his belt.
He also is working on a unique technique that may soon see every day civilians being able to affordably both experience and access near space altitudes of up to 140,000ft within the next 12-24 months.
Jay Wong is a serial entrepreneur, business advisor, real estate investor and host of The Inner Changemaker; rated #1 Self-Help Podcast on iTunes.
Jay’s mission is a merging of two journeys;
(1) to create, discover and do everything possible to embody the ethos of being a Changemaker in his life
(2) to create empowering media that summarizes all of these great lessons and those of other successful Changemakers, in hopes that these combined journeys will help business owners grow their business through online marketing.
With interviews from game-changing entrepreneurs such as Bob Proctor (The Secret (movie)) Sean Stephenson (American Therapist and top Motivational Speaker) Grant Cardone (Multi-millionaire and real estate mogul) and many other prominent names around the world, it's no surprise that his podcast has risen on top of the podcasting charts and is actively listened to in 119 countries.
In October 2016, his podcast was even featured at Toronto Downtown’s busiest intersection, Yonge and Dundas square, highlighting the message of what can happen when you begin to tackle the seemingly impossible in life.
Personally driven to help people develop the skills they will need to improve themselves and the world, Jay’s expectation is to use commerce to support entrepreneurs in finding their message and voice in the marketplace.
Jay regularly inspires audiences of entrepreneurs, change makers, and thought leaders at some of the most prestigious conferences and seminars around the world.
Ben didn’t accidentally end up in this profession. Better said, he grew up in it. Both sets of his grandparents were cutting-edge entrepreneurs. His father, Peter, still remains a highly sought-after marketing and franchising consultant after having spent years in professional sports where he was recognized as a master promoter and corporate partnership genius. His Mom is an award-winning author, a former film critic, a veteran of professional theater and currently, a writing professor at an acclaimed East Coast University. His brother is the man behind Popular Demand, a street-wear success story, inspired by L.A. and worn throughout the world. Ben credits his family for his 24/7/365 work ethic, his unwillingness to say no to what others would simply consider too challenging and his ability to bring all kinds of people together to ensure the success of any project.
Ben began working in pro sports locker rooms at the age of 14. By 16, he was helping his buddies launch a rock band that signed a major record deal with Elektra records before Ben was out of high school.
In college, besides being a performer himself, Ben was quickly charged with bringing concerts and other acts to his university. His later stint in professional media sales helped him to further develop his sales and marketing acumen and his deep foray into the national music scene as a successful music manager and promoter helped him build his astonishing network of decision-makers and cultural icons.
Ben hasn’t made a name for himself just by thinking outside the box. Rather he’s known for ignoring ‘the box’ all together. He says it best. “It’s all about understanding where the end zone is and figuring out how to get there no matter what it takes.” Because of that, Ben, Times10 and their wide array of clients continue to score touchdowns at a record clip.
Gretchen Rubin is the author of several books, including the blockbuster New York Times bestsellers, Better Than Before, The Happiness Project and Happier at Home. She has an enormous readership, both in print and online, and her books have sold almost three million copies worldwide, in more than thirty languages. On her popular weekly podcast Happier with Gretchen Rubin, she discusses good habits and happiness with her sister Elizabeth Craft; they’ve been called the “Click and Clack of podcasters.” Her podcast was named in iTunes’s lists of “Best Podcasts of 2015” and was named in the Academy of Podcasters “Best Podcasts of 2016.” BuzzFeed listed Happier in 10 Life-Changing Things to Try in June and the New Yorker said, “Their voices remind you that life is a human project that we’re all experimenting with.” The podcast consistently ranks in the iTunes Top Charts. Fast Company named Gretchen Rubin to its list of Most Creative People in Business, and she’s a member of Oprah’s SuperSoul 100.
She’s been interviewed by Oprah, eaten dinner with Daniel Kahneman, and walked arm-in-arm with the Dalai Lama.
Gretchen Rubin started her career in law and was clerking for Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor when she realized she wanted to be a writer. She lives in New York City with her husband and two daughters.
Today, there is too little courage in the world of business, education, the arts, entertainment and life in general.
Dependence on anything is a weakness, not a source of power.
One dictionary defines courage as, “the quality of mind or spirit that enables a person to face difficulty, danger, pain, etc., without fear; bravery.”
Some define the word as being brave in spite of fear or danger while others define courage as “bold and brave, unafraid to face tough challenges.”
Whether you’re afraid or not, courage comes down what we choose to do.
NY Times bestselling author Grant Cardone wrote, "It’s been said that FEAR stands for False Events Appearing Real, which aptly implies that most of what you’re afraid of doesn’t ever come to pass. Fear, for the most part, is provoked by emotions, not rational thinking. And in my humble estimation, emotions are wildly overrated – and the scapegoat many people use for their failure to act."
And this thing called courage is the what comprises the best of us. We see it in:
the best artists,
the best writers,
the best entrepreneurs,
the best leaders, and
the best innovators.
Why?
It comes down to:
The courage of our convictions.
The courage to stand up against compromise.
The courage to say no when it’s easier to say yes.
The courage to challenge being satisfied with one’s achievements in light of even bigger future goals.
And the world progresses in direct ratio to the amount of courage we collectively display and act upon.
These were the thoughts and ideas I was engaged in last year after seeing more people feeling “entitled” and less people displaying the courage to take a stand, do something possibly uncomfortable and withstand any oppostition.
Like the great Muhammad Ali said, “He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life.”
Courage, Success and Action
NY Times bestselling author and serial entrepreneur Gary Vaynerchuk said, “You aren’t entitled to success.”
Fact is none of us are.
Unless we demand more of ourselves. And our colleagues. And business partners. And wake up the next day all ready to do it all over again.
Bringing so much value to every interaction that it redefines our every gesture professionally and in business.
My Most Personal Video
And that’s what inspired me to write, narrate and edit this video.
It’s the most personal one I’ve ever created. (Thankfully, my "What is Branding" and "What is innovation?" videos have collectively exceeded over 400K views on YouTube. This is the newest in the "What is..." series of videos.)
It took some courage to even put the words down on paper.
Because this message is very raw.
Authentic.
Real.
And hopefully inspiring to you—to raise your level of courage in everything you do.
No matter what you do: business person, artist, entrepreneur, writer, entertainer or musician.
If this video had any impact on you, share it around.
The world needs courage more now than ever.
Today's guest is Gregory O'Gallagher, the man behind Kinobdy. An online fitness program that has been gaining momentum and quickly growing in popularity. He has been able to leverage his knowledge to become one of the major fitness authorities online, all by the age of 24. Kinobody focuses on transforming your physique to live the life of your dreams.
Gregory was able to define his goal at a young age. He has been persistently working towards that goal and has begun to see his effort pay off. Kinobody is about more than just getting toned or fit, it is about taking control of your life and chasing your dreams with the same passion Gregory chases his own.
James Swanwick investor and TV & podcast host based in Hollywood, California. Swanwick is the creator of the Swannies blue-light blocking glasses, 30 Day No Alcohol Challenge, and 47-Day Habit Hacker. Swanwick hosts the top-ranking podcast The James Swanwick Show, is a former "SportsCenter" anchor on ESPN and an award-winning journalist. He is the author of three books and has interviewed A-List celebrities including Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, George Clooney, Arnold Schwarzenegger and world leaders, including former U.S. Vice President Al Gore. Swanwick is co-founder of international media agency Crocmedia and has lived in numerous countries including Australia, the United States, United Kingdom, Argentina and Colombia.
You’ve probably seen today’s guest at least several times a day on social media, unless of course you’ve been sleeping under a rock…
In June 2013, Scott Oldford was $726,000 in debt due to a failed business venture. For many people, that may have signaled the end of their entrepreneurial passions. But desperation has this funny way of unlocking creativity
Scott realized that his biggest problem had been failing to bring in a consistent stream of qualified leads for his business.
The only way to get out of this mess was to find something that worked and leverage the hell out of it. So that’s what he did, and three years later, not only has he paid off all the debt and but he’s generated multiple millions in revenue using this weird but effective online formula I like to call the Sidewalk, Slow Lane, Fast Lane Method or SSF Method for Short.
Vanessa Shaw is a sought-after speaker and expert on business mastery, personal leader¬ship and 6- and 7-figure income strategies.
She is the creator of The Boutique Business Model™ and her zone of genius is helping entrepreneurs have breakthroughs and paradigm shifts around creating more wealth and success in their business and life.
Originally from the UK and having lived across Europe for most of her life, Vanessa brings over a decade of international experience working with top corporate executives and ambitious entrepreneurs from start-ups to billion dollar companies. She has also worked for the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, and has held senior leadership roles within the International Coach Federation.
John Jonas has been making a 6-7 figure income online since 2004.
He has helped thousands of entrepreneurs succeed by teaching them how to replace themselves through outsourcing. They succeed as they stop doing the grunt work in the business and become the CEO.
He created OnlineJobs.ph, the largest marketplace to find Filipino workers, and ReplaceMyself.com where he helps entrepreneurs implement everything they know they should be implementing, by outsourcing all the work.
While making a full-time living he rarely works full time. His team of 19 full-time Filipino virtual assistants do the work in his businesses, while he manages the process. They range from programmers, designers, and webmasters, to writers, researchers, a project manager, and just general VA’s.
John has made millions of dollars online directly from work that his Filipino workers have done for him and now teaches others exactly how to do the same thing.
If you’ve tried outsourcing before, but haven’t heard what John has to teach about it, give it another try. John’s teachings are SURE to change the way you look at running your business, outsourcing, and the success you have in doing it.
Virginia Salas Kastilio is the # 1 female snapchat influencer in the world and the hired gun behind organizations like the BBC, NASDAQ, and others.
Virginia is the founder of Ginicanbreathe consulting; a disruptive media firm that helps businesses build influence and online awareness.
A “third culture kid” who went to over a dozen different schools and managed over a billion dollars at Apple and Oracle without a degree, Virginia decided to start from scratch and build an online following.
She’s Spoken on over 20 stages across 11 countries…
She also took four flights without a passport.
You can find her on social platforms as @ginicanbreathe
Brandon Steiner is a legend in the sports memorabilia space. He’s a bestselling author, international speaker and CEO.
He started Steiner Sports in 1987 with a one-room office, $4,000 and single Mac computer. Today, Steiner Sports is the most successful memorabilia company of its kind with over $35 million in annual sales.
His mindset has always been to be fearless – that mentality has helped him to secure partnerships with the most elite names in sports; Derek Jeter, Eli Manning, Mark Messier and Carmelo Anthony, among others.
His focus as a speaker is to grow your business by differentiating yourself from your competitors through building relationships, motivating your team, increasing productivity, and anticipating your customers’ needs.