OAO and Technology

Ric Thompson – Done For You Solutions

June 15, 2015 by

# Episode 160

**Summary:**

This week features a leaner, meaner Less Doing Podcast—no links, no special announcements, just a dynamite interview with Ric Thompson of [Done For You Solutions](http://doneforyousolutions.com/)—a game-changer of an organization within the virtual assistant space.

**Special Announcements:**

## EO Vancouver On June 18th, join Ari at the Fairmont Waterfront Hotel in b-e-a-utiful Vancouver, B.C. as he takes the microphone for _EO Vancouver_. Enjoy this unique opportunity to watch Ari candidly discuss life as an Author, Speaker, Teacher and – most importantly – Achievement Architect.

[EO Victoria](https://m.facebook.com/EOVictoriaChapter) Join Ari at one of the Entrepreneur Organization’s high-impact learning events in Victoria, B.C. Like EO Vancouver, this will undoubtedly be a unique opportunity to watch Ari candidly discuss life as an Author, Speaker, Teacher and – most importantly – Achievement Architect.

[Fuel the Fire](http://www.ippa.net/content/index.php?view=details&id=6%3A2015+IPPA+Business+Excellence+Conference&option=com_eventlist&Itemid=54) Come watch Ari light-up the Drake Hotel in Chicago on Wednesday, August 5th as he delivers a rousing keynote speech for IPPA Business Excellence Conference: _Fuel the Fire_. This will be a great opportunity to watch Ari translate the lessons of Less Doing into terms business leaders can take to the bank.

**Time Stamped Show Notes:**

– 01:21 – Introduction of Ric Thompson, the founder of [Done For You Solutions](http://doneforyousolutions.com/)
– 02:02 – Ric defines Done For You Solutions as a _team_ of VA’s rather than an individual VA
– 03:10 – Ric has always surrounded himself with an excellent team, people always (jokingly) asked about hiring his team—an idea is born!
– 03:35 – More frequently than not, Ric’s team is hired to do web development because “that’s the stuff no one wants to do or learn”
– 04:01 – They’re also asked to do a lot of admin work—why?—because admin work is a time suck
– 04:20 – Content for your business _needs _to come from a professional writer
– 05:19 – If you’re an expert on something, outsource _everything _else
– 06:08 – Ric’s team follows the distributed model (his team is all over the world) and leverages modern technology
– 07:19 – The key to defeating outsourcing objections according to Ric?—clear communication
– 08:17 – Delegation is not something you can just wake up and do—like anything else, it’s a skill that needs development
– 08:20 – [Stephen Covey](https://www.stephencovey.com/) – The 5 Levels of Delegation
– 08:45 – Most people want to start at level 4 or 5 of delegation
– 08:57 – Delegation is a relationship
– 10:48 – Steve’s Top 3 Tech Tools for successful outsourcing
– 10:51 – Skype
– 11:06 – Basecamp and Trello
– 12:09 – DropBox
– 12:30 – Entrepreneurs and small business owners want to get stuff DONE, but they tend to skip thinking things through
– 13:30 – Ric is always focused on sales and hiring because he has outsourced all of his other tasks
– 14:22 – Ric’s _Top 3 Tips to be More Effective_
– 14:28 – Own the proper mindset
– 15:32 – You are NOT your business—to your business, time is a scalable resource but YOU are limited to 24 hours in a day
– 15:52 – Keep dialing in your effective communication skills
– 16:21 – [DoneForYouSolutions.com](http://doneforyousolutions.com/)

**7 Key Points:**

Effective communication is 100% critical to the success of any outsourcing effort.
Surround yourself with a quality team and a quality business will quickly emerge.
Leverage modern technology to make your life easier.
Delegation is a skill that requires an investment of time and effort to master.
Never forget that you are NOT your business.
Content for your business needs to come from a professional writer.
If you are an expert at something, outsource everything else so you can focus on what you — Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/lessdoing/message

Christian Bjelland – Club Alfred

May 28, 2015 by

# Episode 155

**Summary:**

In Episode #155 Ari speaks with Christian Bjelland of [Club Alfred](https://www.helloalfred.com/), the new task take-down service that’s revolutionizing the way people approach getting chores, errands and other odd jobs done. During the interview, Christian explains how Alfred got started and why he feels it will change the way people run their homes.

**Special Announcements:**

# [Less Doing Does Europe!](https://www.gazelles.com/summits/EGS-2015/Barcelona/index.html) Watch Ari bring the lessons of Less Doing to some of Europe’s most famous cities including Barcelona, Munich, Amsterdam and Budapest for the 2015 European Growth Summit. Ari will be joined by fellow masters of entrepreneurship Steve Martin, Director of _Influence at Work_ in the UK, and Verne Harnish, founder and CEO of Gazelles.

EO Vancouver On June 18th, join Ari at the Fairmont Waterfront Hotel in b-e-a-utiful Vancouver, B.C. as he takes the microphone for _EO Vancouver_. Enjoy this unique opportunity to watch Ari candidly discuss life as an Author, Speaker, Teacher and – most importantly – Achievement Architect.

**Time Stamped Show Notes:**

– 19:41 – Introduction of Christian Bjelland of [Club Alfred](https://www.helloalfred.com/)
– 19:55 – Christian defines [Alfred](https://www.helloalfred.com/) as a single-point to create and manage daily/weekly routines
– 20:08 – The service costs $25 a week
– 20:21 – The essential goal of the service is to allow users to improve their time and energy usage by eliminating tasks from “to-do” lists (like buying groceries)
– 20:50 – Think of Alfred as a home or project manager
– 21:50 – Unlike other on-demand services, Alfred employs automation and a white-glove approach
– 23:18 – Are there any issues with trust? Security?
– 24:18 – Many people refer to Alfred as “hotel service in your own home”
– 24:50 – Client managers come from a variety of backgrounds and are required to have a college degree or relevant experience
– 25:35 – Client managers have ownership of their clients and are encouraged to go above and beyond
– 26:55 – For $25 you receive a primary visit and a complementary return day if necessary
– 27:30 – Thus far, the service is only available in NYC and Boston
– 28:29 – Does Alfred conduct any data-capture?
– 29:55 – The primary method of communication when using Alfred is text message base
– 30:22 – There is an app under development
– 30:35 – Quick, conversational communication is important to success
– 31:15 – Christian is originally from Norway and his background is in investment banking
– 32:40 – The success of Alfred is heavily dependent upon the client managers, for this reason all client managers are W-2 employees, not contractors
– 33:22 – Christian’s _Top 3 Tips to be More Effective_
– 33:33 – Start using Alfred
– 34:15 – Spend a little time every week to plan things out
– 34:52 – Find a place where you can be in complete isolation
– 35:58 – [www.helloalfred.com](http://www.helloalfred.com)

**7 Key Points:**

Don’t feel professionally limited by your background.
Keep communication concise and clear.
Know how to not only price your product but price it well.
The new UX is no UX.
Take the time to plan out your day, week, month and year.
When you need to work, isolate yourself and eliminate distractions.
Treat your employees well, and they’ll treat your customers well.

**Resources Mentioned:**

– [Vit](http://www.vit.fitness/) – A new meal-replacement service
– [Hello](https://hello.is/) – Makers of Sense, the smart alarm clock that helps you improve your sleep
– [Women and Chemicals](http://abcnews.go.com/Health/women-put-average-168-chemicals-bodies-day-consumer/story?id=30615324) – The average woman puts 168 chemicals into her body every day
– [Text Hotel](https://www.texthotel.co/?ref=producthunt&utm_content=bufferd5653&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_ —

Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/lessdoing/message

Clay Hebert – Crowdfunding Hacks

April 27, 2015 by

# Episode 145

**Summary:**

In Episode #146 talks to Clay Hebert of [Crowdfunding Hacks](http://crowdfundinghacks.com/), a blog that talks tips and tricks when it comes to crowdfunding. During the interview, Clay details the differences between IndieGoGo and Kickstarter, explains what makes a campaign a boon versus bust and why some products simply don’t work for crowdfunding.

**Special Announcements:**

[Less Doing Ringtone](http://www.paywithapost.de/pay?id=8c396e88-e364-4ec9-9e6f-c5620039cdcf) Want to get access to the _FREE _Less Doing Ringtone? Click [here](http://www.paywithapost.de/pay?id=8c396e88-e364-4ec9-9e6f-c5620039cdcf) to Tweet about our live event and get instant access to the ringtone created by our very own Fantastic Felix!

[Mastermind Talks](http://www.mastermindtalks.com/) Looking for an opportunity to see Ari speak live somewhere on the west coast?—Look no further! On **April 29th and 30th** , Ari will be featured at the _Mastermind Talks_ event in **Napa, California**. To learn more about this opportunity to watch Ari “_Optimize, Outsource and Automate_” in wine country, click [here](http://www.mastermindtalks.com/).

**Time Stamped Show Notes:**

– 30:00 – Introduction of Clay Hebert of [Crowdfunding Hacks](http://crowdfundinghacks.com/)

– 31:22 – Clay explains what he does: Help entrepreneurs fund their dreams using IndieGoGo and Kickstarter

– 32:34 – The concept of crowdfunding

– 35:10 – What _shouldn’t _be crowdfunded

– 35:35 – There needs to be a tribe of people who will get excited about the product being crowdfunded

– 35:46 – Is it a portable story that the backer will _want _to tell their friends about?

– 36:35 – You won’t get funding just based on the quality of your product: the quality of your marketing and your ability to find people who are willing to get interested are more important

– 37:55 – The importance of setting the right funding goal

– 38:12 – One of the biggest myths surrounding crowdfunding is the existence of a “crowd”

– 38: 35 – Set the funding goal as low as humanly possible to complete the project and deliver on your guarantees

– 39:00 – Lower goals give confidence for later backers

– 40:10 – Crowdfunded products are proof of market AND traction

– 40:35 – The two elements that make or break a crowdfunding campaign?—Traffic and conversion

– 41:10 – Traffic is rarely the issue, it’s conversion

– 41:45 – Tell a great story with the video and keep it as short as possible, ideally 2 minutes or less

– 43:07 – Own a position in your customer’s mind

– 43:40 – Fundraising and crowdfunding are NOT the same

– 45:15 – Fulfillment risk

– 46:00 – Lack of clarity—poor copywriting—is a huge issue with branding and marketing

– 47:45 – Momentum is big—Use the bartender fish —

Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/lessdoing/message

Dave Rael – Optimized Programmer

April 13, 2015 by

# Episode 142

**Summary** : In Episode #142 Air jump on the podcast with the one, the only, THE Dave Rael of [Optimized Programmer](http://optimizedprogrammer.com/)! During this episode, Ari revisits the early days of the podcast by conducting a solo “links” segment and asks Dave to talk in-depth about his brand new podcast automation software.

**Special Announcements:**

**Time Stamped Show Notes:**

– 14:58 – Introduction of Dave Rael as a first-time guest on the Less Doing Podcast and his new product _[Podcast Done!](http://podcastdone.com/)_

– 15:55 – Dave shares his background—his plan to become a teacher unexpectedly brought him to enterprise software development

– 17:59 – Ari and Dave chat about the various aspects of podcast development

– 20:35 – Audio development and quality aside, a blog post or show notes should complement a podcast

– 22:29 – What Dave’s software looks like

– 22:35 – Web-based

– 22:50 – Background process with no user-interface

– 23:05 – The initial user-interface is just a cloud-storage folder

– 23:50 – Why Dave feels there is a great deal of room to optimize time-stamping processes

– 24:20 – Dave details different aspects of Podcast Done!

– 26:15 – Making a better podcast means making a better workflow to development

– 27:15 –Dave’s software, will send notification emails for anything that cannot be automated (requires a human)

– 28:45 – It doesn’t all _need _to be automation; where human intervention is necessary there’s room for it

– 29:50 – Phase 1 of Dave’s system is setting up user-preferences as a podcaster

– 30:03 – Phase 2 is _actually_ setting up the individual podcast

– 31:35 – From the main root folder, Dave’s software will set up separate root directories for each individual podcast

– 33:20 – What is the definition of “podcast?”—Is it really just audio?

– 34:25 – Dave will be talking about podcast automation at the Less Doing Live Event and the software WILL be available

– 35:00 – Dave’s _Top 3 Tips to be More Effec —

Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/lessdoing/message

Dan Havey – Easy Checklist ABC

April 2, 2015 by

# Episode 139

**Summary:**

In Episode #139 Ari speaks with [Dan Havey](http://www.easychecklistabc.com/), the CEO and Founder of Easy Checklist ABC. During the conversation, Dan and Ari talk about processes, checklists and how the proper implementation of both can lead to a lifetime of tangible success.

**Special Announcements:**

[Less Doing Live Event](https://lessdoinglabs.businessresearchgroup.org/sales/live-event-optin) The **Less Doing LIVE Event** in NYC is _less than six months away_! The best minds in business and productivity are joining Ari in his hometown of New York City to share their tips, strategies and secrets for success. Visit [LessDoingLive.com](http://www.lessdoinglive.com) to learn more about this fantastic opportunity running from **May 1st – 3rd**. ## [Mastermind Talks](http://www.mastermindtalks.com/) Looking for an opportunity to see Ari speak live somewhere on the west coast?—Look no further! On **April 29th and 30th** , Ari will be featured at the _Mastermind Talks_ event in **Napa, California**. To learn more about this opportunity to watch Ari “_Optimize, Outsource and Automate_” in wine country, click [here](http://www.mastermindtalks.com/).

**Time Stamped Show Notes:**

– 15:38 – Introduction of Dan Havey

– 15:52 – Dan explicitly defines what Easy Checklist ABC is

– 16:20 – When Dan created Checklist ABC, he was trying to bring the effectiveness of checklists into the Accounting space…specifically improve upon the native software that the industry has used for YEARS

– 19:40 – Though individual accounting firms have individual needs, there are pre-existing templates and requirements that EVERY accounting firm has to deal with—Checklist ABC provides a reliant, consistent way to do the unique or universal

– 21:10 – Processes and checklists are _awesome_, but most people don’t even realize the steps required

– 21:40 – How Dan looks at systems and processes

– 22:00 – You could create a checklist for something as simple as a cup of coffee…_seriously_

– 22:47 – The best approach for any process or checklist is to START SOMEWHERE

– 23:20 – Discipline is the key to success

– 23:39 – Mimic successful people or organizations—They are ALWAYS process driven

– 24:50 – Granularity is GOOD…it helps us identify where efficiency is needed.

– 27:30 – When people have to make a decision in REAL time—unwanted stress is the end result

– 31:00 – Applying Easy Checklist ABC to Dan’s personal life

– 31:25 – Easy Checklist ABC isn’t trying to be an anything for everyone solution…it is best suited for small businesses and small business accounting firms at that

– 33:20 – Dan’s _Top 3 Tips to be More Effective_:

– 33:35 – Plan and visualize (2 in 1)

– 34:45 – Only dedicate a specific amount of time to complete something

– 35:55 – EasyChecklistABC.com

**7 Key Points:* —

Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/lessdoing/message

Special Episode #3 with Marc Goodman of Future Crimes

February 24, 2015 by

# Special Episode 3 **Summary:** In Special Episode #3 Ari sits down with Marc Goodman, author of Future Crimes, a revolutionary new book discussing the serious vulnerabilities we often overlook in our daily lives. During the conversation, Marc explains what concerns him most about the years ahead and how technology is both a boon and bane.

**Special Announcements:** # [Less Doing in Barcelona](https://www.evernote.com/OutboundRedirect.action?dest=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.gazelles.com%2Fsummits%2FEGS-2015%2FBarcelona%2Findex.html) Watch Ari bring the lessons of Less Doing to Barcelona, Spain for the 2015 European Growth Summit. Ari will be joined by fellow masters of entrepreneurship Steve Martin, Director of _Influence at Work_ in the UK, and Verne Harnish, founder and CEO of Gazelles.

## [American Dream U](http://americandreamu.org/upcoming-events/) On March 13th and 14th, watch Ari Meisel bring his expertise to the stage in a setting unlike any other: Fort Benning, Georgia home of the United States Army’s Airborne and Ranger schools. Ari will be joining a collection of legendary business leaders and exciting entrepreneurs to help demonstrate the _right _way to start a business.

## [Less Doing Live Event](https://www.evernote.com/OutboundRedirect.action?dest=https%3A%2F%2Flessdoinglabs.businessresearchgroup.org%2Fsales%2Flive-event-optin)

The **Less Doing LIVE Event** in NYC is _less than six months away_! The best minds in business and productivity are joining Ari in his hometown of New York City to share their tips, strategies and secrets for success. Visit [LessDoingLive.com](http://www.lessdoinglive.com/) to learn more about this fantastic opportunity running from **May 1st – 3rd**.

[Less Doing System Seminar](https://www.evernote.com/OutboundRedirect.action?dest=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.eventbrite.com%2Fe%2Fseminar-less-doing-system-by-ari-meisel-tickets-14912003203) Join Ari Meisel, the master of “_Optimize, Outsource and Automate_,” as he conducts two exclusive seminars in the heart of **New York City on March 9th, 2015**. During this seminar, Ari explains how the Less Doing System recaptures time, slashes stress and enriches lives. Best of all, these sessions are **100% free**. To register, go to [Eventbrite (https://www.evernote.com/OutboundRedirect.action?dest=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.eventbrite.com%2Fe%2Fseminar-less-doing-system-by-ari-meisel-tickets-14912003203) now!

**Time Stamped Show Notes:** –

01:59 – Introduction of Marc Goodman –
02:30 – Marc describes his background; he is a former NYPD and LAPD officer –
03:40 – How Marc was originally selected to work on cyber-crime –
06:00 – The movie _Hackers _is what people envision when they think of cyber-crime but it’s actually far from the truth –
08:05 – “The thief is truly the artist, the policeman is only the critic” –
08:55 – Most hacking is _social _hacking; lying, manipulating and deception –
11:24 – Cybercrime was only the beginning…the future of crime is _everything_ –
12:45 – Elevators, pacemakers, cars…anything with that has computer hardware and software _is_ hackable –
14:12 – With new technologies come new challenges –
16:15 – Everything in life demands a cost-benefit analysis, including new technologies –
17:05 – Marc is not for the _banning _of any new technologies, he’s for enlightened public policy that embraces new tech while making people fully aware of the associated risks –
17:45 – Drug cartels are some of the earliest adopters of new technologies –
20:24 – The good guys are al — Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/lessdoing/message

Get Chapter 1 of my book, The Art of Less Doing:

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More Happiness

Connecting to Me Personally

OAO and Technology

Get Chapter 1 of my book, The Art of Less Doing:

Less Work, More Results, More Happiness

Connecting to Me Personally

Less Work, More Results,
More Happiness