Why does selling feel so slimy — and why do prospects keep ghosting you after what seemed like a great conversation?The truth is, most side hustlers walk into sales conversations completely unprepared. Not because they're bad at what they do, but because they're winging it. I've been there. You have a great coffee chat, you send the follow-up email, and then… crickets. The good news: this is fixable with a four-step framework called BANT — Budget, Authority, Need, and Timing. Once you start using it consistently, you'll know exactly where your sales process is breaking down, and you'll close more deals without ever feeling pushy or sleazy.HighlightsWhy selling feels uncomfortable — and why it doesn't have toThe "winging it" trap that causes most side hustlers to lose potential clients without knowing whyHow to talk about money early without killing the conversationWhy talking to the wrong person first often leads to being ghostedThe discovery questions that uncover your prospect's real needs (and sometimes reveal a bigger opportunity)How to read where a prospect is in their buying journey and match your energy to theirsThe bonus move that practically eliminates ghosting: always set the next commitment before ending any conversationChapters0:19 – Why Selling Feels Sleazy1:02 – The Ghosting Problem1:55 – The BANT Framework Overview2:27 – B: Budget — Talk About Money First4:20 – A: Authority — Who Actually Makes the Decision?6:45 – N: Need — Uncover What They're Really After8:08 – T: Timing — Where Are They in the Process?10:03 – Bonus: How to Never Get Ghosted Again11:31 – Wrap Up & Next StepsBe sure to subscribe and leave us a review!For more information about The Side-Hustle Dad, visit our website at https://thesidehustle.dadRemember, build the business, but be the dad!This show is part of the ICT Podcast Network, for more information, visit ictpod.net.

If the business is working, the bills are getting paid, and people think you're successful — why do you still feel stuck? Feeling stuck doesn't mean you're failing. It might mean you've outgrown the current version of yourself and it's time to step into the next one. In this episode, we unpack the real reason so many second act business owners are exhausted despite their success — and what it takes to break free from the cycle of busyness that's keeping you from building the business you actually want.HighlightsActivity does not equal progress — this one sentence can change the direction of your business and your lifeThe story of a med spa solopreneur who was fully booked, profitable, and completely burned out — and what she had to changeWhy hiring help doesn't automatically free you up (and the mindset shift that does)The difference between "doer identity" and "owner identity" — and how to recognize which one is running your businessA side-by-side breakdown of doer mindsets vs. owner mindsetsWhy growth without direction just creates a bigger treadmillHow Warren Buffett and Bill Gates approach strategic thinking — and what second act owners can learn from themJeff Bezos's rule of making just three great decisions a day to avoid decision fatigueA simple 10-minutes-a-day challenge to start building strategic thinking into your routineThe Second Act Readiness Quiz — a free assessment to help you see where you are and where you want to goChapters0:00 – Why Success Feels Stuck1:35 – Med Spa Owner Story2:35 – Letting Go and Delegating4:43 – Doer to Owner Identity5:51 – Doer vs. Owner Mindsets7:03 – Purpose Over the Treadmill8:17 – Schedule Strategic Thinking9:45 – Lessons From Top Leaders11:00 – 10 Minutes a Day Challenge11:29 – Next Version of You12:07 – Second Act Readiness Quiz12:39 – Closing Intentional TakeawayResources MentionedSecond Act Readiness QuizWant to get more help from Lee with your business? Visit her website: https://leegray.actioncoach.com/This show is part of the ICT Podcast Network. For more information, visit ictpod.net.

Are you running a beauty business — or just doing hair?If you've ever introduced yourself by what you do instead of what you own, this conversation is for you. I sat down with my business coach, Lee Gray of ActionCOACH Business Coaching, inside one of our Utopia Modern Salon Suites locations, and we got into the real talk that every independent beauty professional needs to hear. From raising your prices (yes, really) to automating your follow-up and stepping fully into your identity as a CEO — this one is packed with actionable advice you can put to work this week.HighlightsWhy beauty professionals are business owners — even if they don't see themselves that way yetThe mindset shift from "I do hair" to "I own a salon business" and why the words you use actually matterHow to raise your prices incrementally so clients barely notice — and why you should be doing it every six monthsThe power of adding value without adding cost: hot towels, snacks, on-time service, and the products already in your handsWhy recommending retail isn't "selling" — it's service, and it directly increases your average saleHow to stand out in a commodity market by communicating your training, your products, and your processThe simple follow-up strategy that keeps your books full without spending a dimeUsing social media to showcase the experience — not just the resultHow to automate client retention using birthday acknowledgments, pre-booked appointments, and scheduling softwareBasic money habits every solopreneur needs: pay yourself first, set aside your taxes, and keep an operating accountChapters0:00 — You Are A Business Owner1:08 — Meet Coach Lee Gray2:00 — Lee's Coaching Journey4:20 — Who Coaching Fits Best6:06 — Utopia Pros and Paths6:58 — Lessons From a Success Story8:37 — Nonnegotiables For Growth11:07 — Maximize Income Fast12:25 — Add Value and Sell Products16:02 — Stand Out In a Commodity Market18:15 — Follow Up Wins Clients18:31 — Social Media Client Stories19:39 — Automate Retention Systems22:51 — Mindset of Ownership26:07 — Look Like the CEO27:20 — Keep Learning Business Skills28:26 — Simple Money Habits31:02 — Podcast, Book & Coaching InfoResourcesActionCOACH Business Coaching — Lee Gray's business coaching firmThe Second Act Business Owner podcast on Apple, Spotify and YouTubeLee Gray (direct): 316-640-2193To learn more about Utopia Modern Salon Suites, visit our website at https://utopiamodernsalon.com/ or follow us on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn!If you enjoyed this conversation, don’t forget to subscribe and share with a friend!

What happens when a kid from Lindsborg, Kansas follows his heart to a cloud forest in Ecuador — and then returns after staying for nearly 20 years? Tanner Johnson's answer to that question is one of the most unexpected, quietly profound stories we've heard. He built a bamboo house, married into a local family, taught English to kids from kindergarten through 12th grade, and somewhere along the way, picked up a knife and started carving wood. Now he's back in Kansas, reunited with his family, and using his art to honor the memory of Jewish people lost to the Holocaust — one face at a time.HighlightsPodcast listener Greg Victors (the Wichita Wardancer) inspired a collaboration with Manhattan High School Orchestra director Cody Toll — exactly the kind of cross-Kansas connection Ask A Kansan was made to createTanner grew up in Lindsborg, studied anthropology at K-State, and ended up in an Ecuadorian cloud forest as a volunteer on a bird study — and never really leftHe lived for years with no internet, no foreigners within 50 miles, and learned Spanish entirely by immersion in a rural communityHe built his own bamboo house, asked for his wife's hand from her brothers (her father had passed), cleared nearly two acres of land with his 90-something-year-old grandfather-in-law, and planted 110 trees during a pandemic military lockdownGrowing violence and crime in Ecuador in 2023 pushed him to bring his family back to Kansas — they got married here, bought a house, and are now all togetherHis daughters arrived in Kansas with almost no English and had to sink or swim in the school system — and thrivedHis woodcarving specialty is realistic faces, with a particular focus on honoring the memory of pre-Holocaust Jewish communities, inspired by Roman Vishniac's photography book A Vanishing WorldA face-to-face encounter with antisemitism solidified his decision to pursue a degree in Jewish studiesHe's carved over 650 pieces in five years — all by hand, no power carving toolsSydney debuts the new podcast segment: Fart or Art?Chapters0:05 — A Surprise Ask A Kansan Connection1:23 — Meet Tanner Johnson3:23 — From Hobby to Woodcarver5:16 — Lindsborg Roots and Music6:37 — Anthropology to Ecuador11:08 — Choosing a Life Abroad12:51 — Forest Life and Family16:34 — Pandemic Reality Check19:07 — Back to Kansas Together23:24 — Finding Woodcarving Style25:58 — Tools and Tropical Hardwoods26:58 — Relearning the Knife27:25 — Counting 650 Carvings28:25 — Finding Purpose in Memory32:01 — Art Form and Antisemitism35:11 — Choosing Jewish Studies36:54 — Spiritual Beliefs Explained39:11 — Hand Tools and Roughouts41:07 — Where to Find Tanner43:12 — Hosts Reflect on the Interview44:04 — Fart or Art Game52:20 — Episode Wrap and PlugsResourcesTanner Johnson Woodcarver — tannerjohnsonwoodcarver.comTanner on Instagram — @tannerjohnsonwoodcarverA Vanished World by Roman Vishniac — the photography book that shaped Tanner's Holocaust memorial carving focusZen Mind Jewish Mind — the book Tanner credits for shaping his spiritual perspectiveLearn more about the podcast at askakansan.com!This show is part of the ICT Podcast Network, for more information, visit ictpod.net

What if your second act isn't about changing your life — it's about finally showing up in the one you already have?Monica Packer, founder of the About Progress podcast and a certified habits and identity coach, joins me to talk about the version of personal growth nobody talks about: the quiet, internal kind. Monica spent years as a self-described aspiring perfectionist — achieving on the outside while disappearing from herself on the inside. What she discovered in her 30s (after two early midlife crises and a decade of recovery) is that sustainable growth doesn't come from hustle or apathy — it comes from progress. And it starts by asking: do I even know who I am?We talk about why perfectionism isn't just about striving — it's just as alive in the people who've stopped trying. We explore Monica's "Do Something List," the three Cs of change (curiosity, compassion, and courage), why habits built for men don't work for women, and what it means to stop waiting for arrival and start trusting the process.HighlightsMonica's "costume life" realization at 30 — loving the life she'd built but not recognizing herself in itWhy perfectionism lives on both sides of the spectrum: the overachiever AND the person who's given up tryingThe connection between ADHD, all-or-nothing thinking, and the perfectionism spectrumWhat the "Do Something List" is — and why never completing it is the whole pointWhy there is no arrival, and the mantra that will help you stop waiting for oneThe Three Cs of Change: curiosity, compassion, and courageWhy popular habit methods fail women — invisible labor, less time, less energy, less predictabilityThe inner comparison monster: comparing your current self to a past version of yourselfIdentity isn't static — and that's actually freeingChapters1:03 — Introduction & episode premise1:28 — Meet Monica Packer2:55 — The "costume life" realization: living life on the sidelines8:35 — Perfectionism as a spectrum — it's not just overachieving12:40 — Starting the experiment: the internal and external work14:06 — The Do Something List18:46 — There is no arrival: the transformation lies in the process22:30 — The Three Cs of Change: curiosity, compassion, and courage26:34 — Sticky Habits: the book written for women, not men31:08 — Comparison and the inner critic33:52 — Where to connect with Monica35:02 — Identity keeps evolving — and that's a good thingResourcesSticky Habits: A Woman's Guide to Reclaim Happiness, Ditch Perfectionism, and Create Habits That Last by Monica Packer — pre-order at stickyhabitsbook.comDo Something List free training: aboutprogress.com/dslAbout Progress podcast on Apple or SpotifyWant to learn more?The ThreadBe sure to follow me @audradinell on Instagram and LinkedInThis show is part of the ICT Podcast Network.Disclaimer: we may receive a small commission on any products purchased through the links used in this episode. I only recommend tools and resources I actually use and find valuable.