Barrie Davenport: I am so fired up I’m about to spontaneously combust.

Interviewer: Yes. Barrie is an online entrepreneur, certified personal coach, founder of two top-ranked personal development blogs, Live Bold and Bloom and BarrieDavenport.com, author of six best-selling Amazon books and creator of three premium self-improvement courses on creating habits, building confidence and finding your life passion. Barrie, you, my girl, were on Episode 33 of Entrepreneur on Fire. Now is Episode 934, so 931 episodes later you are back to join us.

And Fire Nation, you’ve heard me say it before. I needed my guests to carry me back in those days because I wasn’t confident. I had no experience. I didn’t know what I was doing, and Barrie’s a prime example. She put me on her shoulders. She crushed the interview. So Barrie, thank you publicly for doing that back then. But now we’re here. We’re back 934, so say what’s up to Fire Nation and share what’s going on in your world right now.

Barrie Davenport: Yeah. Well, first I want to say thank you for having me back and watching your success has just been so inspiring and just really, really amazing. Your listeners out there should just be thrilled to hear what you have to say because you have made it happen big time.

Interviewer: Ah, blushing.

Barrie Davenport: Yeah. Yeah. Well, what I’ve been doing? Well, I have been busy with creating several courses that you mentioned. I love teaching courses online and helping people with self-improvement, helping them build habits, build their self-confidence, especially helping entrepreneurs build their confidence because, as you know, we all have those creeping self-doubts that come in, and then helping people find their life passion.

And I create courses around those topics. I write books around them. I coach people around them. And then, I’m also working on helping people build their own online business and hope within the next few months to have a new site up called Work From Home with a podcast and a blog and sharing all that I’ve learned over the last few years building my own online business right from the comfort of my home.

Interviewer: Well, Barrie, you said my favorite word podcast, so I’m excited to dive into exactly what your vision is with that coming up here in a few minutes. But before we get into all of that, something that we instituted after your gracious coming on Entrepreneur on Fire Episode 33 was our one-minute [inaudible] [00:02:31] questions.

And to be honest, these are actually within the last hundred episodes I’ve put these in because I really want to get an insight into the mind of our guests. And that’s you, Barrie. So I’m gonna ask you five questions, five insights, into your mind. And take about a minute-ish each to answer these questions, the first one being, ideally, Barrie, what do the first 80 minutes of your day look like?

Barrie Davenport: Yeah. Well, that’s a great question. The first 80 minutes usually involve getting my teenage daughter out the door for school. I have a senior in high school and she’s about to graduate in just a few weeks. But once that happens I stick the intravenous tube into my arm and get some coffee into me and then check my email.

And then I pretty much do my writing and my heavy-lifting kind of work in the morning because that’s when I’m the most productive. So I’ll either write a post. I’ll work on a book. I’ll work on a special project like a course or something really creative that involves a lot of focus and attention. So that’s how I get my day started.

Interviewer: I love when I hear my guests share the fact that they use their first willpower tank, those creative juices when your tank is still full, on the things that are meant for creative, like the writing, like the podcast, like whatever that might be that you know you need to put your heart and your soul into because from that morning, Fire Nation, all we do is start to drain. And Barrie, I love how you use that right at the top to use for your creative things.

And you have a lot of strengths. We’re gonna focus on one in a second here, but what’s your biggest weakness?

Barrie Davenport: Well, let’s see. I think the biggest weakness that I have is just I abhor the administrative details of my work. And I’m a creative type. I’m a right brained person and love doing all of the creativity. But paying bills and doing all of that administrative stuff is really not my cup of tea. But I’ve found a solution by finding a really good admin person to take care of that for me, so when you know your weaknesses, at least you can find someone who can fill that gap for you. And I finally did that and it was one of the best things I’ve ever done for myself.

Interviewer: Well, I love how you provided that solution, too, because it’s so critical, Fire Nation, as we’re growing that team that we’re building is to be plugging those gaps and those holes that we have personally as entrepreneurs and to be aware of them. And Barrie, what’s your biggest strength?

Barrie Davenport: You know, I think the biggest strength that I have – I thought about several – I make it sound like I’ve got so many, but I thought about [inaudible] [00:05:04] –
[Crosstalk]
Interviewer: Yeah. I’ll have to count down from 100 and just randomly throw a – no.

Barrie Davenport: No. The one that I really feel proud of, I guess, is that I have a passion for what I do. And I think if you have that passion, no matter what it is you’re working on, it’s gonna make everything easier and better and more creative and more energized. I mean, passion provides that rocket fuel for making things happen with your business than anything you pursue. And I really do have a passion for the work that I’m doing.

Interviewer: I can tell you that it shines through, Barrie, because when you reached out to me not too long ago and were sharing with me some updates about what you had been doing, the first thing that popped into my mind was back on Episode 33 when I was asking you different things about your journey as an entrepreneur was how passionate you were and how genuine and transparent you were being just about how you ate, lived and breathed what you did.

Because it just excited you so much and that’s why I was like, “Barrie, that’s so exciting. I want to get you back on Entrepreneur Fire because I want to bring back that passion that you had on Episode 33 to Fire Nation.” So thank you for agreeing to do that, but I couldn’t agree more. That is something that if you feel that you have, Fire Nation, double down on it for sure.

And Barrie, you have some cool habits. We talked about a couple of them in your first 80 minutes that you have. But what’s a habit you wish you had?

Barrie Davenport: Well, it’s a habit that I have but I wish I had more of it, and that is I wish I had a more consistent fitness routine. Particularly over the winter, I tend to hunker down with my work and I get started and then I look up. And it’s 3:00 in the afternoon. And I haven’t done anything. And when I am regular with my fitness routine and I tend to get better at that in the spring – and when the weather’s warmer – I have so much more energy, so much more creativity. I just feel better in general. So it’s something that I’m really focused on starting pretty much right now.

Interviewer: Absolutely. I come from New England, Barrie. I know it’s so easy just to kinda toss a sweater on during the winter time and be like, “Yeah. Yeah. All is good now. I haven’t gained any weight here.” But out here in San Diego it’s tank tops and shorts all year round. So it’s right there in front of you. And I make sure that –

Barrie Davenport: Yeah. That’s a healthy place to live, too. I’m sure you’re inspired to be outside all the time.

Interviewer: All the time. I love it.

Barrie Davenport: Yeah.

Interviewer: So Barrie, you have a lot of cool things going on, and we’re gonna dive in depth into more than just one of them, just because of the nature of our interview. We’re gonna do some different things there. We’re not gonna talk about your failure story. We’re not gonna talk about your aha moments because, of course, you’ve had many aha moments.

But the reality is if anybody, Fire Nation, wants to hear Barrie’s journey as an entrepreneur, she shares it in such exquisite detail. Just go to EOFire.com, type Barrie, B-A-R-R-I-E, in the search bar. And it will take you right to Episode 33 and Episode 934. You can choose which one you want to check out. And you can listen to that episode there and get that whole story.

But what we’re gonna focus on now, Barrie, is one thing that just has you really fired up right now?

Barrie Davenport: Yeah. The thing I’m working on really hard right now is launching a course called Simple Self Confidence. And I’m super excited about that because I think every person listening and even if you don’t think it’s you, if you dig deep you probably have to admit it is. We’ve all dealt with issues of low self-confidence. We’ve doubted ourselves. We’ve wondered if we have what it takes to make our businesses succeed if we’re as good as the next guy. And it’s easy to look at people like John Dumas and say, “Wow, are we ever gonna be as successful as this dude? Can I do it?”

And I think the biggest part of success in the business is believing in yourself. And I’m working on this program and about to launch it in a few weeks to help people learn their scientific skills that are involved in boosting your confidence. It all has to do with brain change and changing your thoughts and actually changing your brain chemistry.

And the skills are pretty simple but you just have to know how to do them. So I’m super excited about sharing that with anybody who’s listening. And with my readers and your listeners, so that’s what I’ve got going on.

Interviewer: So one thing in the pre-interview chat that we really dove into for a hot second, Barrie, that I was intrigued by, is when people first get to SimpleSelfConfidence.com, they have to take a quiz. Can you talk about that a little bit?

Barrie Davenport: Yeah. We have a free assessment, a self-confidence assessment, that takes just a few minutes. And it gives you a score that lets you know how you rank in your own self-confidence. And then we’ll follow up the quiz and the results of that quiz with three free videos that are confidence training videos that are – regardless of whether or not you take the course you can enjoy these three videos and really get a head start on boosting your confidence.

Interviewer: Man, see, I just love that. And I feel like entrepreneurs in general, we really dig quizzes. I know that every time I see like what type of entrepreneur are you? Like take this four-question quiz. I’m like I want to find out what type of entrepreneur that I am. And I think it’s so fascinating and –

Barrie Davenport: Yeah. I think – you know, the quizzes really are great reflections back to us. I think most of us have the inner wisdom to know whether we have self-doubts or now, whether we’re confident or not. But sometimes we need someone or something to hold the mirror up to us so we can have it acknowledged and say, “Yes, I am – I do need some help in this area. I am feeling this way or that way about myself.” And the simplest things, like an assessment, can really help us do that.

Interviewer: Absolutely. And so, if Fire Nation’s listening to this and they’re like, “Well, I mean, self-confidence is something that I could definitely get into and this quiz is something interesting,” is SimpleSelfConfidence.com the best place to go?

Barrie Davenport: Absolutely. That’s the place.

Interviewer: Fire Nation, these are the type of things that you want to start going down and taking action in these areas to see where the next steps are going to be for you. So definitely check that out. It’s gonna be in the show notes page.

And Barrie, what I kinda want to shift to a little bit is something that’s probably gonna be coming out in a few weeks, I mean, you know, it’s right around the time that your moving. So it’s a little bit of a question mark, but you’re starting a podcast and a new overall – I don’t want to say business but just theme, work from home. Can you kinda speak to that a little bit? And then maybe dive into why you’ve decided to go this podcasting route?

Barrie Davenport: Yeah. It will be a podcast as well as a blog. And as you mentioned it will be called – the site will be called Work from Home Duo. I am partnering with someone, Ron Clindennon, who is an online marketing expert. And he and I will be working together to teach people the skills of building their own business online right from the comfort of home.

And for us, that is a huge benefit and you probably feel the same way, that you have the freedom and the flexibility to do whatever you want to when you want to. You can do it in your pajamas while sipping your coffee. I mean, that’s just to me a huge benefit, especially as a mom.

And we’re gonna be teaching all of the writing skills, the technical skills, the computer skills, all of the great tools and tips of building your own business online, marketing it, making it successful. And we’ll be sharing that both through articles on the site, through our podcast and as well we’ll have a book up and eventually have some courses and training that people can take to help them regardless of where they are on their journey, whether they’re a beginner or a more advanced entrepreneur.

Interviewer: And Barrie, this leads into something that I really want to talk about with you, somebody who’s been doing this very successfully for years. And that is just product and course creation in general, because when I launched Entrepreneur on Fire – in fact, back when we talked, you were actually pre-launch. Like I did 40 interviews and you were one of the first 40 pre-launch of Entrepreneur on Fire.

And a lot of my guests and a lot of other people would ask me, “John, how are you gonna monetize this?” And I had no idea. I was going forward with a mentor. I was in a mastermind. I was really focused on building the audience side of Fire Nation and then figuring things out. And to be honest, that’s exactly what I did, but now looking back in two and a half years later from launch and seeing things I did well, things I did bad, one thing that I did do well was build Fire Nation.

But one thing I did bad was I didn’t try to serve them with courses and with products that they were just asking for. I just wasn’t hearing it early enough. And now I look back, and you know, we publish our monthly income reports. Sponsorships are huge. They’re a huge part of our monthly revenue of this podcast for sure.

But overall, they’re a small percentage. In the month of February alone, our courses did over $300,000.00 in revenue, while our sponsorships did under $100,000.00, more like around $70,000.00 in revenue. So percentage wise, it was all about the products, services and courses that we do and something if I could go back I would have implemented a lot earlier. So speak to Fire Nation right now about the power of products and services and courses specifically and how you’ve implemented them so successfully.

Barrie Davenport: Yeah. And you know, John, I have to give you a shout out for some real brilliance back in those early days, as you say, when you were a newbie. Though, you didn’t seem like it at the time. You seemed to know exactly what you were doing.

Interviewer: I was clueless.

Barrie Davenport: Well, you faked it really well. And you were an early adopter to this whole podcasting thing. And you hopped on the bandwagon right away and made it happen in a big way. So I can’t wait to learn from you and look at your courses and learn what you’re doing with podcasting because I know that you’ll go a long way in helping me figure out how to do it the right way.

But regarding courses, yeah, I think that they are a great way to monetize, no question. And they are a great service to people because there are millions of people all over the world who are hungry for information. And you think about the days before the internet when you might have had something really valuable to tell and to teach somebody, but unless you published a manual or a book and figured out a way to get it to China, you couldn’t do that.

And now we can reach millions of people with online courses and it’s a win-win for everybody because you’re able to make some money and to have that fulfillment of sharing information and being of service and teaching. And there are people out there who are really getting value from what you’re offering. So I would encourage anyone who has a knowledge base of something, whether it’s building birdhouses or creating podcasts, create a course around it. Figure out how to do that. There are many courses on how to create courses out there. That’s certainly something we’ll be teaching at Work from Home.

And it’s super valuable to have that product in your back pocket, even if you’re just starting out, as John said. Better to go on and have that product up there because you never know when you might have that big burst of followers that are ready to make that purchase. And as you’re building trust, they’ll be more eager to buy your product.

Interviewer: I love that and I’m a big believer and follower of ILT, which is Invest, Learn and Teach. You know, a lot of us invest in ourselves, Barrie, and we learn the actual products or services or expertise or skills we need. But that third letter, that turning around and teaching, it seems like so few people ever get there because they don’t really feel like they’re capable of doing so.

So for those listeners, Barrie, let’s kind of end this section on this note. Tell Fire Nation what you think is the best route to go when you are starting to build that audience and you have those first few followers or fans or listeners. How do you know what to actually create for a product, service, course for them? What would be a recommendation to those budding entrepreneurs?

Barrie Davenport: Yeah. I would say listen to your audience. That is absolutely huge. I survey my audience every time I think about a course and ask them questions, get their feedback. People who are involved in a product or a service of some kind, if they feel like they are engaged in it and involved in some way, they will be much more likely to make a purchase. So that’s one of the most important things.

And then, of course, do your research. Go online and look at what people are searching for. That’s – even do some SEO research so that you know the keywords to use when you are creating your course or your product so that people can find you out there. Plan, plan, plan ahead. Don’t just say, “Oh, this is interesting. I think I’ll do this,” and then jump right in, but do your research. Plan ahead. Look at your competition. Read some things about pricing and how to appropriately price your courses. And then, begin the creation process.

And you can actually get your readers or followers involved in the whole process by asking them questions along the way as you continue to add elements to your course.

Interviewer: I’m so glad you brought up the word survey. It’s actually something that I forgot how awesome you are at. I can remember after having you on my show and signing up for your email list, like you are always doing that. You are always surveying your audience.

And it was something that I definitely took part in and saw the brilliance in but still didn’t have enough brilliance to follow suit. And I really wish I had because I probably would have found out a lot earlier the types of products and services I could have offered to Fire Nation. So listeners right now, survey, survey, survey. It will be priceless to find out what your audience tells you via this. And I love, Barrie, that we ended on this note.

And Barrie, you were on Episode 33 and we did the lightning round. 901 episodes later, girl, it has not changed a question. Some things have changed in the interview flow but not the lightning round. So when we get back from thanking our sponsors, get ready for the lightning round.

Barrie, welcome to the lightning round, where you get to share incredible resources in mind-blowing answers again. Sound like a plan?

Barrie Davenport: Sounds like a great one.

Interviewer: What was holding you back from becoming an entrepreneur?

Barrie Davenport: I would say for myself I started later in life. I was nearly 50 when I began my online business. And so, it was fear of failure. I was afraid that I was too old. It was too late for me. I couldn’t do it. I didn’t have the skills. I didn’t know what I was doing.

But that is a huge, huge limiting belief that is just so false. And if any of your listeners out there are established already in a career, they’re older, they’re in their 40s or 50s or 60s, even, this is a business that is workable for anyone. And in fact, people who are a little more seasoned actually have a lot to bring to the table because they’ve got a world of experience to bring to the table.

Interviewer: Barrie, what’s the best advice you’ve ever received?

Barrie Davenport: I would say one time when I was very new in my business I wrote an email to a young guy who was a blogger. And it was a very formal kind of business email. And he wrote me back and said, “Hey, why are you so stiff? Just be yourself and people will dig it.” And I thought, you know, people will dig it if I’m myself. And I don’t need to write like I did years ago when I was in the corporate world. I can just be myself.

And that is hugely important in this entrepreneurial world, that you have to carve your own little niche out there. And the best way to establish yourself is to be unique and to be the person you are.

Interviewer: Absolutely. And I don’t think you’re gonna have an issue with this, but you know, with your new podcast coming up, I mean, that would be one thing that I would say is be the Barrie Davenport that you are with your friends when you’re hanging out for dinner or just parties. Be that Barrie because that’s the personality that you want to shine through and your listeners are gonna want to jive with.

So Barrie, what’s a personal habit that you do have, that you believe contributes to your success?

Barrie Davenport: I’m pretty tenacious and determined to make things succeed. And I think that is something that when you’re in this kind of business, everyone gets off – most everyone gets off to a pretty slow start. And you wonder if it’s ever going to work. When are you gonna make that first hundred dollars? When are you first gonna get that first thousand followers? And it feels like you’re never gonna get there, but you’ve just got to keep at it. Be determined.

Know that if you keep working hard, if you keep learning, if you keep looking at experts like John and other experts that he’s had on his show and follow their lead, you’ll get there. You will get there. So be tenacious. Be patient. And be determined.

Interviewer: Do you have any internet resource like Evernote you can share with our listeners?

Barrie Davenport: Yeah. I’d say one of the biggest changes that has been so positive for me has been moving to Infusion Soft for my email marketing content and for my affiliate program. It’s really helped me with my course launches. So anybody out there who has looked at Infusion Soft and considered it but thought it was too expensive, I can tell you it is a really, really robust, strong product.

Interviewer: Yes. I will echo that sentiment. We moved to Infusion Soft before we needed to, but I could just see the tide building and I’m so glad I got there early. Because once it hit, Infusion Soft could take it. And Barrie, I’m pretty excited to announce – it will have already happened when this goes live, but I’m speaking a Infusion Con in just a few weeks.

Barrie Davenport: Oh, how wonderful. Wow, that’s amazing.

Interviewer: I know. I’m stoked.

Barrie Davenport: You’ve got to share how we can watch you.

Interviewer: Yeah. Absolutely. It will be a streaming. So if you could recommend one book for our listeners, Barrie, what would it be and why?

Barrie Davenport: Well, I would not be a good entrepreneur if I didn’t mention at least one of my own books.

Interviewer: Right.

Barrie Davenport: And I’d love for people to take a look at my new one that I just released called, Self Discovery Questions. And it’s on Amazon right now, but a book that I would highly recommend that I’ve just read is one by Gretchen Reuben, who wrote The Happiness Project. And it’s her new book called, Better than Before, and it’s about mastering habits. And Gretchen and I are good friends and she is brilliant at her research and has done a great job helping people learn how to create habits in their lives and make them sustainable.

Interviewer: Yeah. Gretchen is amazing. She’s actually gonna be the 26th repeat guest. You are the 24th, Barrie. I have one more coming on in between the two of you, but she’s coming back on as a repeat guest. I love everything she does. Ever since I saw her live on stage at World Domination Summit, I’ve been a huge fan. And Fire Nation, Self-Discovery Questions is waiting for you on Amazon by none other than Barrie Davenport herself. And I know you love audio so I teamed up with Audible and if you haven’t already you can get an amazing audiobook for free at EOFireBook.com.

And Barrie, this next question’s the last of the lightning round, but it’s a doozey. Imagine you woke up tomorrow morning in a brand new world, identical to earth but you knew no one. You still have all the experience and knowledge you currently have. Your food and shelter is taken care of. But all you have is a laptop and $500.00. What would you do in the next seven days?

Barrie Davenport: Well, I think I am starting to do it right now. We talked about it earlier. I would take that laptop and that $500.00 and I would build a podcast and a site that helps people do what we’re doing, enjoy the freedom and flexibility and passion of an entrepreneurial business working online, working from our homes, enjoying time with our family, being able to exercise, do the things that are really important and meaningful in addition to making money. And that’s how I’d like to use that $500.00 and my little laptop.

Interviewer: I love it. And we didn’t even mention this, but your good friend, Gretchen, just launched her podcast. So you got to catch up, girl.

Barrie Davenport: Yeah. I do. I’m behind. I’m behind. Thank you for motivating me.

Interviewer: So Barrie, let’s end today on fire with you sharing one parting piece of guidance, the best way that we can connect with you, then we’ll say good-bye.

Barrie Davenport: One parting piece of guidance is please keep at it. Don’t give up. If you’ve got the fire in your belly to be an entrepreneur that is 90 percent of the battle. Let that passion motivate you to keep moving forward, do one step at a time every day. Do just the next thing, and you’ll keep moving forward toward success.

And if you’re interested in reaching me, you can see me at LiveBoldandBloom.com and BarrieDavenport.com. And of course, if you’re interested in this self-confidence test and the videos, SimpleSelfConfidence.com.

Interviewer: Fire Nation, you’re the average of the five people that you spend the most time with. And you have been hanging out with Barrie D and JLD today. So keep up the heat and head over to EOFire.com and type Barrie, B-A-R-R-I-E, in the search bar. Her show notes page is gonna pop right up, both Episode 934 and 33. Check out both of them. Have a little chuckle when you hear me and Barrie will still be blooming on both episodes, I guarantee it. And Barrie, I just want to thank you for sharing your journey on Fire Nation today. For that, girl, we salute you, and we’ll catch you on the flip side.

Barrie Davenport: Sounds great. Thanks, John.