8. John lee dumas, founder & host of entrepreneurs on fire
Eric: Hey everybody, it's Eric Mueller. Welcome back to The Eric Mueller Show. Today, I've got a very unique interview guest lined up for you. His name is John Lee Dumas. He's the founder and host of Entrepreneurs on Fire, an award-winning podcast where he interviews [00:00:15] inspiring entrepreneurs who are truly ON FIRE!
With over 2500 episodes, 1 million plus listens a month and seven figures of annual revenue, JLD is spreading entrepreneurial fire on a global scale. Visit [00:00:30] EOFire.com to set your entrepreneurial Journey on fire.
JLD’s new book, The Common Path to Uncommon Success is available now at UncommonSuccessBook.com. Let's go to the interview.
[EDM music begins playing and then fades-out]
[00:00:48]
JLD: Eric!
Eric: Hey JLD! Welcome to The Eric [00:01:03] Mueller Show, sir.
JLD: You know I am fired up to be here. Thanks for having me.
Eric: Absolutely! It's my utmost pleasure to be hosting you today. I'm excited to ask you a few burning questions that I have as well as discuss the upcoming release your new book, The Common Path to Uncommon Success.
JLD: And I’m excited to check out your wardrobe during the entire interview.
Eric: Yessir. Starting from humble beginnings here in the closet studio.
JLD: Hey man! Closet studio is where it’s at. [00:01:32]
Eric: That’s right. I like the background you got as well.
Eric: So, JLD the first question I have. So, the backbone of my show is to explore what makes any successful person's inner clock tick.
So, what is the one single driving force that keeps your inner clock ticking towards success?
JLD: The ripple effect. I love the fact that somebody's going to listen to this podcast, [00:01:47] maybe today, maybe next month, maybe next year, and they're gonna be inspired by something that you say or maybe something that I say, and they're going to go off and do something that they otherwise wouldn't have done.
And they're going to now go off and inspire a whole segment of people that otherwise [00:02:02] might not have been inspired who are now going to go off and do things that they're inspired to do, and then that third-degree, fourth-degree, fifth-degree of separation, that waterfall effect, that ripple effect.
Man, is inspiring to me.
Eric: I love that's a fantastic answer and kind of building [00:02:17] off of that. How do you define the term success? What does it mean to you?
JLD: It means waking up every morning and doing what you want to do, where you want to do it, with whom you want to do it with. If you are literally waking up every single [00:02:32] morning and checking those three blocks and saying yes to those three things, that's success. Like what else is there? But like that is the definition of the core of what success is.
Now on the surface level Eric, we all want different things and that's [00:02:47] great and that's fine, and that's that makes the world go round, but at the core, if you can check those three blocks, man, you are successful.
Eric: Appreciate that insight, JLD and in terms of success, you've had a very highly successful show, a podcast the Entrepreneurs [00:03:02] On Fire podcast.
How did you build such a strong listenership of that show, or do you have any marketing techniques to share with me, you know as a budding entrepreneur podcaster?
JLD: Here's the biggest piece of marketing advice that I'll ever be able to give to you or anybody else. [00:03:17] Become the best solution to a real problem. If you can become the best solution to a real problem, you will win.
If you decide to have a weak, pale imitation of some other successful podcaster [00:03:32] or entrepreneur’s business, brand, whatever it might be, you will fail. And 99% of people will launch pale, weak imitations of other successful people that they see hoping to ride those coattails, and they'll be [00:03:47] surprised when they fail.
But nobody wants a weak, pale imitation of other people.
What they want is you, and you’re special, you’re unique, you’re a snowflake. You have an amazing big idea within you if you just take the time to actually go in there and find it and pull it out of you and say [00:04:02] this is my big idea.
Now within this big idea, this is the niche or the void or the opportunity that's not being filled right now. I'm going to be the best at this thing.
And when you can look in the mirror and say I am the best solution to this [00:04:17] this specific and real problem, you'll win.
Eric: That's great. That that motivates me. I feel very motivated with that, and it also brings up another question I have kind of building into this new book that you have coming up.
So the Common Path to Uncommon Success. I have already pre-ordered my copy, I’m super excited to check it out. The bonuses excite me as well. A previous book of yours, The 100-Day Goal Journal. So that was really helpful to me last year in a variety of ways, namely building this podcast, [00:04:47] and I really appreciate that.
So thank you for doing that and writing that book, and I just want to ask you why is your big idea that you just mentioned, why is that simply not enough?
JLD: So first off thank you for supporting the book launch. I [00:05:02] really appreciate that. Your supports is very meaningful. And I'm glad you enjoyed the 100-Day Goal Journal that's was a really hard, hard project to put together for a lot of reasons, and the fact that people use it, love it and are accomplishing [00:05:17] big things again adds to that ripple effect that we talked about earlier.
And as far as the big idea question. It’s not enough because when you just have a big idea, you've only accomplished step 1 of my 17-step roadmap, and that's what this book is Eric. This is [00:05:32] a 17-step roadmap to your financial freedom and fulfillment, and your big idea is just that, it's a big idea and it's a great idea, but other people have had it in are doing it and are crushing it.
So you need to move on to step 2, which I've already alluded to earlier and [00:05:47] discover the niche. Uncover the void. Find a problem within the big idea that’s not currently being solved. Like my big idea was a podcast. I niched down to a business podcast. I niched down again to an interview business podcast. I niched down a fourth time to a daily, [00:06:02] business podcast interviewing entrepreneurs, and I launched this podcast in 2012.
And the day I launched, it was the best daily podcast interviewing entrepreneurs. It was the worst daily podcast interviewing [00:06:17] entrepreneurs. It was the only daily podcast interviewing entrepreneurs. That's why this podcast won because it was the only, it was the best solution to a real problem because other people were out there wanting a daily podcast to listen to to be inspired 7 days a week, not just once [00:06:32] a week.
What are you going to do to be the best? How are you going to find that void? Not just your big idea, but the void within your big idea that's not currently being filled and be the best solution there.
Eric: That makes me think of a quote by Elon [00:06:47] Musk, and it's “You are paid in direct proportion to the difficulty of the problem that you solve.” And that I think about that a lot when I'm trying to think what my next big idea is and got to make sure that I'm actually solving a real problem and not you know, trying to be an imitation or trying to chase something that's already been done.
JLD: It sounds like it’s starting to sink [00:07:02] in and that's exactly what it is. The words real problem. It's not just something that you're assuming might be a problem for somebody or you know a problem that maybe you just want to be solved. It's got to be a real problem that real people are having because then people will actually vote [00:07:17] with their wallets and part with their hard-earned dollars to get that solution.
Like if I was to tell you right now like I have a real solution, Eric to a problem that you're experiencing in this very moment. You would want that thing. But if I was like hey, this would be a fun little thing [00:07:32] that you can have here and like this is something that like I'm passionate, excited about.
You're like, okay John that's cool like I'm glad you have a hobby, but like how does that help me in my real world right now with my real struggles and problems and challenges. Well, the way that I can help you is by is by [00:07:47] providing the best solution to one of your real problems.
Eric: And kind of taking that a little bit further. Why do you believe that entrepreneurs are failing at such a high percentage these days?
JLD: Because they're not identifying their big idea, and a lot of people are dying [00:08:02] not even knowing what their big idea is, and it's sad. And it’s there for you if you sit down and be a little introspective and think about it and go through the very simple and clear exercises that we have in Step 1, Chapter 1, which is identify your big idea. [00:08:17] It's right there for you.
Eric: So yeah, let's talk a little bit about your book The Common Path to Uncommon Success that’s coming up. So it's due to launch worldwide next Tuesday. I know the audio and digital books will be available on that day. I think Amazon's actually shipping mine to arrive that day as [00:08:32] well, so kudos to them on that.
JDL: Yeah!
Eric: But for the listeners that are not aware, can you share some details about your book launch to get them excited about The Common Path to Uncommon Success?
JLD: [00:08:49] So March 23rd, 2021 the book will be live. If you pre-order now, and you’ll be in a great situation like Eric is where you’re going to get the book on March 23rd. Forewarning, I know how many books Amazon pre-ordered, and they did order a lot to be in stock, but frankly I don't think we ordered enough.
I told them to order at least double the amount they did. I think the book’s going to sell out, [00:09:04] and you don't want to wait for this. So get in line, pre-order the book, make sure you're on that first shipment of books that goes out.
Your book will arrive March 23rd, and you will not regret it. This book is a culmination of the 3,000 entrepreneurs I've interviewed over the past [00:09:19] decade where I boil down to 17 core, foundational principles that all successful entrepreneurs share, and I put it into a roadmap step-by-step.
So you have a step-by-step, chronological roadmap to financial freedom and fulfillment. And [00:09:34] it's right here in a 71,000 word, 273 page book, The Common Path to Uncommon Success. It comes with a beautiful PDF companion guide. It comes with a course that I created that’s also free for you. [00:09:49] All you need to do is visit UncommonSuccessBook.com.
Eric: That's great. I know the listeners will appreciate that and get on board with reading some of the gems that you’ve put out.
So share with me John, What is next for you? You've written the Common Path to Uncommon Success, you’ve written the goal journal, you [00:10:06] have other podcasting, you know materials that can help people doing that. But what is the next step for you in addition to managing Entrepreneurs On Fire? And listeners that haven't checked that out, I love how you publish your monthly, you know income statement. I think that's really helpful for people to learn from but yeah, just share [00:10:21] a little bit about what's next for you.
JLD: You know, what's next? Some resting, some relaxing, somebody recharging. You know, I've been working on this project for a long time. Once I get it out to the world, I'll continue to focus on Entrepreneurs On Fire the podcast, I’ll continue to focus on the other key movers [00:10:36] in our business like Podcaster’s Paradise, which is the biggest and best paid podcasting community in the world, and I'll take some time to rest to relax to recharge because you know what?
My next big idea, I don't have right now, and I'm not going to have it just being busy [00:10:51] and just grinding it out. I want to have it by my pool relaxing, maybe even napping, hanging out with my dog, you know hanging out with my girlfriend. My actually now fiancé, Kate and you know, who knows when that next big idea is coming, but it's not coming if I keep my mind [00:11:06] mentally taxed. So rest, relaxation.
Eric: It's important to let your mind recharge and you know sit down and allow yourself to think of that new idea, and I know you like you just said, you're not going to think of it being busy like that. So that definitely helps me keep it in perspective as [00:11:21] far as how I can come up with my next big idea and I'm in the healthcare sector. So I'm really trying to think of how I can blend healthcare and technology together to lead into the future.
JLD: Wow!
Eric: We've seen with the coronavirus pandemic how people relied on those services. So yeah. Do you have any insight into what [00:11:36] the next big problem within healthcare tech might be John or?
JLD: Zero. Here's something I always thought should exist though is I want to know what my hydration level is like 0 to a 100%. Like I should be able to like prick [00:11:51] my finger or you know, take some kind of maybe a saliva, probably a blood will be the better way to do it. That would tell me, hey you’re 77% hydrated, you should be at 100% percent, so drink another 12 ounces of water [00:12:06] right now.
Like to me that would be something really interesting to know because I think a lot of people are dehydrated all day, and they don't even know it.
Eric: I think you're right. I think potentially the Apple Watch will have something like that in the future, maybe Fitbit. But yeah, definitely sounds like a need [00:12:21] that could be met.
So JLD I just want to say I really appreciate you being on here, and I appreciate your insight. I appreciate you, you know the book promotion and you allowing me to interview you for you know, this quick segment.
I hope someday that I am [00:12:36] on the Entrepreneurs On Fire podcast
JLD: Boom!
Eric: And can share my story with your Fire Nation. But just kind of as we're closing down here. Do you have any tips or tricks that you think every podcaster should know, or is there any way to combat your, you know desire [00:12:51] to imitate someone else that you see that's been successful?
JLD: Listen. I want to keep it simple. I want to stick with the theme here. You need to become the best solution to a real problem. If you can fulfill that prophecy that I'm giving you right now. If you [00:13:06] can become the number one solution to a real problem that exists in this world you will win. And if you can't, you will struggle.
Eric: Thank you for that answer. I like sticking with the theme of the book and sticking with you know, how you can go around that [00:13:21] path to you know, the common path you say so I mean, it's something that people should be able to emulate to get that uncommon success. You mentioned the 17-step road map, so I want to ask you. Do you have a particular step in that road map that is your favorite?
JLD: I’d say step 7, chapter 7: design your content production plan. So few people have a good content production plan. This chapter will blow your mind. [00:13:45] You have a terrible content production plan. It's time to get a fantastic content production plan. Step 7, chapter 7 will get you there in 13,500 words. It's a beast of a chapter, and don't take offense to what I said. I mean my content [00:14:00] production plan used to be terrible. A decade later, it's now fantastic, and you get to emulate that.
Eric: Appreciate it. I'm excited to read it. I'm excited to build my content production.
JLD: I’m excited too!
Eric: And I'm excited to garner more listenership and you know just slowly, [00:14:15] I guess as I've read some things, you know podcasts generally grow at a kind of a steady, incremental rate.
With your show, did you see it kind of boom as you like to say on the Fire Nation?
JLD: Nope! Never. Slow and steady, and all I can say is when your podcast [00:14:30] is the best solution to a real problem, you'll see steady consistent growth.
Eric: I'm going to make a sign of that and hang it up in my recording room to know.
JLD: One thing. It’s the one thing you gotta remember my man.
Eric: I appreciate that. Well, JLD thank you so much, sir. [00:14:45] I appreciate you being a guest on The Eric Mueller Show. I wish you the best of luck in the promotion of your new book.
JLD: Boom!
Eric: I'm going to go out there and promote on it my channel and get more people to sign up and pre-order that and build your success.
JLD: Thank you. Yep. UncommonSuccessBook.com, that's where you go. Check out the endorsements [00:15:00] from Seth Godin, Gary Vaynerchuk, Neil Patel, Erica Mandy, Dorie Clark. Got the first chapter there for free. Five bonuses are currently there right now. UncommonSuccessBook.com.
Eric: Alright, man. Fantastic, well JLD, thank you so much!
JLD: Adios brother!
Eric: Peace out sir!
JLD: See you!
[EDM music fades-in, plays and then fades-out]
Voice audio: Written, produced and edited by Eric R. Mueller
EDM music: Produced and edited by Eric R. Mueller