"I don't scale. Life is not scalable. You choose where your time goes."
—Scott Stratten, keynote speaker and author of UnMarketing: Stop Marketing. Start Engaging. (Co-authored with Alison Stratten)
How do you eliminate competition? According to Scott Stratten, who earns $1 million per year in speaking fees, the answer is simple: ignore it. Be yourself, and there is no competition.
This is often easier said than done in a world where there is relentless pressure to conform, whether in business, earning a living, or even how we dress. Still, Scott says, "I'd rather be me and next to broke than be somebody else and have money."
In this week's episode we talk about how Scott relentlessly follows his own path—despite people saying he was crazy to turn down lucrative consulting gigs—all the way to earning a robust and joyful living as a keynote speaker, and making a difference for others along the way. Scott is one of the most generous, kind-hearted people I have had the great fortune of getting to know better in the last year, and it's a pleasure to bring you this week's conversation!
More About Scott Stratten
Scott Stratten is the President of UnMarketing and author of four best-selling business books. He is an expert in Viral, Social, and Authentic Marketing—It’s all about positioning yourself as a trusted expert in front of your target market, so when they have the need, they choose you.
Formerly a music industry marketer, national sales training manager and a Professor, he ran his “UnAgency” for a nearly a decade before solely focusing on speaking at events for companies like Pepsi, Adobe, Red Cross, Hard Rock Cafe, Cirque du Soleil, and Saks Fifth Avenue. He has over 180,000 people follow his daily rantings on Twitter and was named one of the top 5 social media influencers in the world on Forbes.com.
Topics We Cover
Scott's story about surprising people who have hired him to speak by showing up decked out in beard, tattoos, man bun, jeans, and Doc Martins. "They will know who I am once I get off the stage."
Turning down gigs that require him to wear a suit
Principles are a matter of privilege. "I would have worn a duck costume if I didn't have other gigs booked."
"I never planned on being a brand." Goal to be the same person on stage, off stage and online
Why he doesn't bother improving on weaknesses
One of the biggest mistakes entrepreneurs make to bottleneck their business
Quality: Why he doesn't adhere to the "just ship it" mentality
Ditch "the rules" about content: find the optimal apex between frequency and quality
Why he made the bold decision in 2010 to focus solely on keynote speaking and writing, even though the demand for his consulting services was skyrocketing
Quashing the endless desire for more
Scott's response to the what's next question.
His biggest fear in life
Top 3 tips for public speaking (and bringing the house down every time)
His annual UnSecret Santa project for helping others in need
On slacktivism: "A like is not enough. If we are able to, we should do more."
How Scott thinks about online communities: "No one person is bigger than the group itself."
Resources Mentioned
UnPodcast with Scott Stratten and Alison Kramer
Scott's TEDxOakville talk: Keep Going Until We Stop
JB Blog Post: Mired in Minutiae? Bottleneck Buster Template
Scott's Books (co-authored with Alison Stratten):
Check out other episodes of the Pivot Podcast here. Be sure to subscribe wherever you listen, and if you enjoy the show I would be very grateful for a rating and/or review! Sign-up for my weekly(ish) #PivotList newsletter to receive curated round-ups of what I’m reading, watching, listening to, and new tools I’m geeking out on.
Casper ter Kuile is helping to build a world of joyful belonging. He is the author of The Power of Ritual and the co-host of the award-winning podcast Harry Potter and the Sacred Text. Casper is a Ministry Innovation Fellow at Harvard Divinity School and the co-founder of startup Sacred Design Lab - a research and design consultancy working to create a culture of belonging and becoming. He also co-authored “How We Gather” and collaborated with Holstee on his new Ritual Life Planner.
❤️ Enjoying the show? The best way to say thank you is leaving a rating or review. Free Time is listener supported—consider donating to become a podcast Insider and you’ll get access to a private monthly Q&A call:
💸 Enroll in the complimentary Free-up Founder Time mini-course before the price goes up
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📝 Check out full show notes from this episode with links to resources mentioned
Hi Friends! As I mentioned in the last solo episode, my team and I have been hard at work creating a brand new podcast that will run in parallel to Pivot! I'm thrilled to welcome you to Free Time — your home for Heart-Based Business.
I'm sharing the inaugural episode here with you on Pivot, but be sure you go subscribe to that one too, if the subject matter interests you! Search for "Free Time with Jenny Blake" or visit http://pod.link/freetime to subscribe in your favorite podcasts app.
In this preview episode, I share what inspired me to start the show, how I’m handling the Imposter Monster sitting right next to me, and what’s next for Jenny Blake Enterprises. A pivot for Pivot, if you will :)
❤️ Enjoying the show? The best way to say thank you is leaving a rating or review. Free Time is listener supported—consider donating to become a podcast Insider and you’ll get access to a private monthly Q&A call:
📘 Books Mentioned: Pivot, Essentialism, Finite and Infinite Games
🔗 Links Mentioned: Gimlet Media’s StartUp, Pivot podcast episodes 228 (how I run my business without social media) and 251 (Imposter Monsters)
💌 Subscribe to the Time Well Spent newsletter: http://itsfreetime.com/join
💸 Enroll in the Mini-Course: Free-up Founder Time
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📝 Check out full show notes and links from this episode and share it with a friend! http://itsfreetime.com/episodes/001
Hi Friends! I’m back with another “staycation” solo episode on what I’ve been up to. It’s a quick take on systems to support seasons of retreat for creativity and rest, my favorite books of the year so far, and a peek into my forthcoming projects.
Key questions:
What are you ready to let go of? How can you say no to “good” to say yes to what’s next?
For your new projects, ask: Who Not How? (Strategic Coach, Impact Filter PDF)
How can you design systems to support cyclical work? (Check out Stefan Sagmeister’s TEDx Talk on 7-year sabbaticals)
📘 Books Mentioned: Pivot, Wintering, Who Not How, Clockwork, The Power of Full Engagement
💸 Enroll in the complimentary Free-up Founder Time mini-course before the price goes up
❤️ Enjoying the show? Pivot Podcast is listener supported—consider donating to become a Pivot Insider and you’ll get access to a private monthly Q&A call with Jenny
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📝 Check out full show notes from this episode with links to resources mentioned
I’m thrilled to be back from holiday hiatus (and a deep work creation cave on my new book and podcast - more on that soon!) with an episode from someone who inspires me greatly in heart-based business: Sarah Santacroce.
Sarah’s new book is called The Gentle Marketing Revolution: A Radical Business Approach to Get New Clients with Integrity and Kindness. I was honored to co-write the foreword with Penney Pierce in a fun, delightful, in the moment, flowing way. You'll hear more about that and how to launch with serendipity and ease in this episode! Be sure to also check out Sarah’s Gentle Business Revolution Manifesto, and our most recent conversation on her podcast, Kindness in Business.
❤️ Enjoying the show? Pivot Podcast is listener supported—consider donating to become a Pivot Insider and you’ll get access to a private monthly Q&A call: http://pivotmethod.com/insider
💌 Subscribe to the PivotList newsletter, a curated weekly(ish) round-up of my favorite finds ‘round the web: http://pivotmethod.com/pivotlist
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🗣 Submit a question or comment for future episodes at http://pivotmethod.com/ask
🎧 Make sure you’re subscribed wherever you listen to ‘casts: https://pod.link/1054817076
📝 Check out full show notes from this episode with links to resources mentioned at http://pivotmethod.com/257
Pandemic-response expert Dr. MJC is back for our Sweet 16th (!) installment in the Pivoting Around a Pandemic series. We discuss updates on the Pfizer vaccine trial he’s participating in, fantasies about “when there’s a vaccine,” challenges to global rollout, our reaction to the election results, and the need for deep rest after all that we’ve collectively been through this year, and particularly this season.
📝 Check out full show notes from this episode with links to resources mentioned at http://pivotmethod.com/255, and our related (previous) conversation: 🦠248: Horseshoe Theories and Ongoing Pandemic Pivots with Dr. MJC.
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💬 I’d love to hear what’s on your mind! Take the Pivot listener survey at http://pivotmethod.com/survey
🗣 Submit a question or comment for future episodes at http://pivotmethod.com/ask
🎧 Make sure you’re subscribed wherever you listen to ‘casts: https://pod.link/1054817076
❤️ Enjoying the show? Pivot Podcast is listener supported—consider donating to become a Pivot Insider and you’ll get access to a private monthly Q&A call with Jenny: http://pivotmethod.com/insider
"The marketing-industrial complex has been on a tear for a hundred years to make almost everyone feel inadequate, because it's the single best way to sell you something. If that game isn't giving you joy, don't play that game.”
My next guest needs no introduction — though he deserves one nonetheless! Seth Godin is an inventor, thought-leader, contrarian, mentor, mensch, and an ongoing inspiration to so many of us. He is the author of 19 bestselling books, and this week we are celebrating his latest! The Practice: Shipping Creative Work, one that inspired me to get back on the mic after a two-month hiatus, to record this interview in early September.
Listen in as we celebrate our (almost) ten-year friendiversary and discuss a range of topics for those in the business of playing with ideas: shipping creative work even when tired, generosity and building with word-of-mouth in mind, choosing which information “rooms” to hang out in online, Tik Tok and social media tourism, and speaking to (and selecting for) the yearning of the people you seek to serve.
Although I’m at my awkward finest when interviewing my biggest heroes, Seth chief among them, I hope you enjoy this conversation on all things leadership and creativity :)
Links Mentioned:
Book: The Practice: Shipping Creative Work by Seth Godin
Courses: The Podcasting Workshop and (He)art of Podcasting
Jenny’s Author Toolkit: http://pivotmethod.com/authors (including the new book marketing spreadsheet, and the Behind-the-Book Toolkit for writing, editing, marketing, and launching)
❤️ Enjoying the show? Pivot Podcast is listener supported—consider donating to become a Pivot Insider and you’ll get access to a private monthly Q&A call: http://pivotmethod.com/insider
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💬 I’d love to hear what’s on your mind! Take the Pivot listener survey at http://pivotmethod.com/survey
🗣 Submit a question or comment for future episodes at http://pivotmethod.com/ask
🎧 Make sure you’re subscribed wherever you listen to ‘casts: https://pod.link/1054817076
📝 Check out full show notes from this episode with links to resources mentioned at http://pivotmethod.com/254
Pandemic-response expert Dr. MJC is back for our 15th (!) installment in the Pivoting Around a Pandemic series. In this “pandepic” two-hour round, we riff on: what we’ve been up to this summer, the five gnarly viruses we’re experiencing (COVID being only one), the horseshoe theory of political ideologies, discourse and censorship, tyranny and the fall of empires, vaccine trials, vitamin D, second-hand social media, and more.
📝 Check out full show notes from this episode with links to resources mentioned at http://pivotmethod.com/248
💌 Get my curated weekly(ish) PivotList newsletter at http://pivotmethod.com/pivotlist
💬 I’d love to hear what’s on your mind! Take the Pivot listener survey at http://pivotmethod.com/survey
🗣 Submit a question or comment for future episodes at http://pivotmethod.com/ask
🎧 Make sure you’re subscribed wherever you listen to ‘casts: https://pod.link/1054817076
❤️ Enjoying the show? Pivot Podcast is listener supported—consider donating to become a Pivot Insider and you’ll get access to a private monthly Q&A call with Jenny: http://pivotmethod.com/insider
Happy summer, friends! I’m taking a short break to pause and design what’s next for the podcast content-wise. Please enjoy this series with Penney Peirce, released M/W/Fri in keeping with my latest experiment.
Penney is consistently named as a listener favorite when I get feedback notes, and after our first interview together we jokingly started naming these follow-up conversations “The Penney & Jenny Show.” Until now, these interviews were spread out over the last four years — now they’ll be bingeable as a consecutive series :)
🗣 Want to help shape what’s next? Take the listener survey if you haven’t already! http://pivotmethod.com/survey »
📝 View full show notes from this episode at http://pivotmethod.com/podcast/penney7 »
***
Original air date: July 15, 2018
I'm delighted to bring you the seventh (!) episode in a side series of this podcast we affectionately call the Penney & Jenny show :) It's a growing set of conversations with one of my dear friends and mentors (friendtors), Penney Peirce. We had so much fun during our first interview together that we added a second . . . which became a third . . . and so on, until it was a regular feature on the Pivot Podcast!
This week we're riffing on the intersection of spirituality and small business—how we apply intuition, transparency, non-physical realms, and personal practices toward business-building, attracting clients, and earning a living in a way that feels easeful and joyful. You can check out all of our interviews here, and for easier listening, tune in on our SoundCloud playlist.
As the Republic website states, “Talent is evenly distributed, but opportunity is not.” That’s why they are democratizing angel investing by creating a platform where diverse founders and mission-driven start-ups can get the capital they need—and even those of us without millions in the bank can invest in emerging companies we believe in, for as little as $10.
This conversation with Chuck Petid was recorded pre-pandemic (back in 2019), but is relevant more than ever with so many companies looking for assistance during these trying economic times.
📝 Check out full show notes from this episode with links to resources mentioned at http://pivotmethod.com/243
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💬 I’d love to hear what’s on your mind! Take the Pivot listener survey at http://pivotmethod.com/survey
🗣 Submit a question or comment for future episodes at http://pivotmethod.com/ask
🎧 Enjoying the show? Pivot Podcast is listener supported—consider donating to become a Pivot Insider and you’ll get access to a private monthly Q&A call: http://pivotmethod.com/insider
What happens when you find yourself on autopilot, even with a perfect-on-paper role or business? It can be hard to admit—even to oneself—not being 100% #grateful, #blessed, and #fulfilled.
Longtime friendtor Antonio Neves and I talk about how to find the courage to boldly go your own way—to be your own benefactor—even when your next direction isn’t a proven Pivot yet. You’ll hear about Tony’s aha moment that helped him kick a secret coping habit, and starting taking authentic steps in a new direction into a new phase of life and work where he’s betting on himself.
📝 Check out full show notes from this episode with links to resources mentioned at http://pivotmethod.com/241
💌 Get my curated weekly(ish) PivotList newsletter at http://pivotmethod.com/pivotlist
💬 I’d love to hear what’s on your mind! Take the Pivot listener survey at http://pivotmethod.com/survey
🗣 Submit a question or comment for future episodes at http://pivotmethod.com/ask
🎧 Enjoying the show? Pivot Podcast is listener supported—consider donating to become a Pivot Insider and you’ll get access to a private monthly Q&A call: http://pivotmethod.com/insider