Tag Archive for: leadership

Redefining Success: The Art of Lifestyle Design and Purpose-Driven Entrepreneurship

In the second part of his interview with The Leaderonomics Show, Cody McKibben dives deeper into the concept of lifestyle design and its transformative impact on both individuals and businesses.

Cody emphasizes the importance of creating a life that aligns with one’s passions, values, and goals, rather than being tethered to conventional expectations. For him, lifestyle design is about building a business that serves your ideal life — not the other way around. By defining what truly matters, eliminating distractions, and automating repetitive tasks, entrepreneurs and professionals can unlock more freedom to focus on what brings them joy and fulfillment.

At the heart of lifestyle design is the question: What do you really want out of life?

Cody urges his audience to reflect on their passions and what motivates them to get out of bed every morning. Whether it’s traveling the world, spending quality time with family, or pursuing creative projects, knowing these priorities allows individuals to structure their businesses around those desires.

Far too often, people chase money without considering whether their efforts contribute to a meaningful and enjoyable life. Cody’s approach challenges this mindset, advocating for a life designed with purpose and intention.

Drawing inspiration from Warren Buffett’s philosophy, he underscores the importance of simplicity and focus. He shares how Buffett’s practice of only investing in what he truly understands resonates with his own approach to business and life. Keeping things simple and aligned with one’s passions leads to better decision-making and greater long-term satisfaction.

When asked about advice for young professionals, Cody emphasizes the value of self-awareness and passion. He suggests a simple exercise: identify where your skills, passions, and market opportunities intersect.

For seasoned entrepreneurs and executives, Cody advises stepping back to reevaluate their priorities. While building a profitable business is important, he warns against getting lost in the grind of long hours and endless tasks.

By deconstructing their businesses and focusing only on the most effective activities, leaders can create more balance and rediscover the “why” behind their efforts. Whether it’s spending more time with loved ones, traveling, or pursuing creative ventures, Cody believes success is ultimately about living a life that brings joy and fulfillment.

/by

Discovering the Hero’s Path: Cody McKibben on Entrepreneurship, Coaching, and the Future of Learning

 

In this inspiring 2010 interview with Leaderonomics, Cody McKibben — director of the HERO Foundry — shares his journey as a seasoned entrepreneur, coach, and visionary in the realm of personal development and alternative education. With over 16 years of experience building businesses, growing remote teams, and empowering young creators, Cody offers profound insights into what it takes to succeed in today’s rapidly evolving world.

The conversation dives into Cody’s unique coaching philosophy, which blends psychology, mythology, and entrepreneurial strategy to help individuals unlock their potential. From navigating the challenges of building businesses across cultures to creating impactful educational frameworks like the HERO Library, Cody reveals how his ventures aim to equip the next generation with the tools, mindset, and confidence to forge their own paths. His emphasis on cross-cultural understanding, personal growth, and creative freedom shines through as a recurring theme.

Whether you’re an aspiring entrepreneur, an educator rethinking traditional systems, or someone seeking clarity on your life’s purpose, this interview is packed with actionable advice and fresh perspectives. Cody’s reflections on the hero’s journey, the future of work, and the power of storytelling will leave you feeling inspired and motivated to take the next step in your own adventure.

Watch the full interview to explore Cody’s vision for a more empowered, innovative, and connected world — and learn how you can apply these lessons to your own life and career.

/by

How to Make Friends Around the World and Serve Clients on 5 Continents

 

In this thought-provoking talk delivered at the Guerrilla Entrepreneurs seminar in Kuala Lumpur, Cody McKibben, a pioneer of the “digital nomad” movement, shares his transformative journey of crafting a purpose-driven business and a fulfilling life.

Drawing from personal experiences and timeless wisdom, Cody challenges conventional ideas of success, urging entrepreneurs to prioritize lifestyle design and meaningful impact over the pursuit of profits alone.

Cody passionately explains how businesses can serve as tools for creating the life you desire, rather than being the end goal. This philosophy is central to his mission: to help others escape the “template lifestyle” and embrace a life of freedom, adventure, and purpose.

Cody delves into the profound impact of Tim Ferriss’s The 4-Hour Work Week, outlining its four principles — Definition, Elimination, Automation, and Liberation — and how they guided him to redesign his career and lifestyle. By implementing these principles, Cody transitioned to a location-independent business model, which allowed him to work remotely while exploring the world.

This approach isn’t just about working less, but about working smarter and living more intentionally. Watch this powerful talk to learn how entrepreneurship can be a vehicle for accelerated personal development, deeply intertwined with meaningful experiences, quality of life, and the ability to give back.

On a practical level, Cody shares actionable insights for aspiring digital nomads and entrepreneurs. He discusses the importance of finding mentors, leveraging online tools, and building global relationships.

Ultimately, Cody’s message is about more than just entrepreneurship or travel — it’s about creating a life aligned with your values, passions, and VISION. By redefining success and embracing unconventional thinking, Cody inspires others to take bold steps toward designing the life they’ve always envisioned.

Whether you’re a seasoned entrepreneur or someone exploring the idea of digital nomadism, this seminar is a must-watch for anyone seeking to combine purpose, freedom, and adventure.

Watch the full video to explore how Cody McKibben has turned his philosophy into action — and how you, too, can break free from the ordinary to live life on your own terms!

/by

10 Great Ways to Distinguish Yourself from One of Silicon Valley’s Top Entrepreneurs

,

Rajesh Setty is president of Foresight Plus, where he helps give his professional clients the unfair business advantage. He also blogs at Life Beyond Code, where he coaches the rest of us on how to have the unfair life advantage! Rajesh has written numerous books (he had his first one published at age 13!) and founded several successful companies, and he shares his experience and knowledge with us in his Distinguish Yourself series, an invaluable resource on productivity, efficiency, and plain old good tips to raise your likability in the workplace and beyond! In an October 2006 interview with Little India magazine, he shared his top ten life tips:

1. Focus on ROII (Return on Investment for an Interaction)
Time is precious for everyone. Ensure that you provide the highest value for anyone investing time in an interaction with you.

2. Keep the promises you make to yourself
Making promises to yourself is easy. Keeping them is very hard!

3. Set right expectations
The first step in trying to exceed the expectations is to set them right in the first place.

4. Set higher standards
Raise your standards higher than the general norm and watch miracles unfold!

5. Avoid complacency at all costs!
There is nothing like maintaining the status quo. You are either falling or rising.

6. Commodotize your work at regular intervals
You don’t have to wait for someone else to commoditize your work.

7. Balance home runs with small wins
Home runs are great. But small wins are important too!

8. Think!
Set aside time to “Think.” Most often thinking is done in parallel to other activities.

9. Never take people for granted
Would it be any fun if someone took you for granted?

10. Ask the right questions
Answers help. But, it’s not always the answers that matter.

————

Rajesh is one of a few individuals whose success and generosity with his gifts is inspiring me to aim high, continue learning, and hopefully become an entrepreneur one day. So, thank you for your continued generosity and your painstaking work to share meaningful information and lessons with us all here in the online community, Raj!

[via: Top Ten Life Tips From a Tech Wiz]

/2 Comments/by

5 Ways to Pitch Your Product Like Steve Jobs

Anyone who was present for Steve Jobs’ keynote speech at this year’s Macworld conference in San Francisco (or anyone who watched online), in which he introduced the iPhone as a groundbreaking new product, knows how captivating a speaker the Apple CEO is. And anyone who saw the long lines in anticipation of the iPhone’s release date knows how effective the PR hype has been.

Communications coach Carmine Gallo recently wrote up a great critique of Jobs’ presentation, packed with some useful tips for the rest of us to improve our public speaking skills:

  1. Build Tension. A good novelist doesn’t lay out the entire plot and conclusion on the first page of the book. He builds up to it. Jobs begins his presentation by reviewing the “revolutionary” products Apple has introduced. According to Jobs, “every once in a while a revolutionary product comes along that changes everything…Apple has been fortunate to introduce a few things into the world.” Jobs continues by describing the 1984 launch of the Macintosh as an event that “changed the entire computer industry.”
  2. Stick to One Theme Per Slide. A brilliant designer once told me that effective presentation slides only have one message per slide. One slide, one key point. When Jobs introduced the “three revolutionary products” in the description above, he didn’t show one slide with three devices. When he spoke about each feature (a widescreen iPod, a mobile phone, and an Internet communicator), a slide would appear with an image of each feature.
  3. Add Pizzazz to Your Delivery. Jobs modulates his vocal delivery to build up the excitement. When he opens his presentation by describing the revolutionary products Apple created in the past, his volume is low and he speaks slowly, almost in a reverential tone. His volume continues to build until his line, “Today Apple is going to reinvent the phone.” Be an electrifying speaker by varying the speed at which you speak and by raising and lowering your voice at the appropriate times.
  4. Practice. Jobs makes presentations look effortless because he takes nothing for granted. Jobs is known to rehearse demonstrations for hours prior to launch events. I can name many high-profile chief executives who decide to wing it. It shows. It always amazes me that many business leaders spend tens of thousands of dollars on designing presentations, but next to no time actually rehearsing. I usually get the call after the speaker bombs. Don’t lose your audience. Rehearse a presentation out loud until you’ve nailed it.
  5. Be Honest and Show Enthusiasm. If you believe that your particular product or service will change the world, then say so. Have fun with the content. During the iPhone launch, Jobs uses many adjectives to describe the new product, including “remarkable,” “revolutionary,” and “cool.” He jokes that the touch-screen features of the phone “work like magic…and boy have we patented it.”

[via: Steve Jobs’ Greatest Presentation]

/by