If you're like me, you love good food. Even better when it's something unique and local, right? Zombie Dogz is a super popular food truck here in Dayton, Ohio, and I sat down with the creators this week on the podcast. Hot dogs have been an American classic for decades, and in most cases, they've been boring the whole time. Not anymore.
David and Lee Ann VanArtsdalen have created a culinary experience like no other with their gourmet hot dogs and the amazing toppings they add to each one. But don't just take my word for it, check out their Facebook page. A quick glance and you'll see tens of thousands of fans—and I'm talking diehard/raving fans—that spread the Zombie Dogz brand like wildfire. I hope you enjoy this episode and be sure to subscribe to the podcast here!
Create Your Online Shop - In this course, I will teach you how to create your own e-commerce website without any web design experience and with no software. If you have products or services for sale, but you don't sell them online yet, this course is perfect for you. Click the link and signup to be one of the first people to get access to this at the lowest price ever offered. I'll also be hosting a webinar very soon that will give you a behind the scenes look at what you can expect, so be sure to signup to get notified about that as well. Learn more...
Facebook: facebook.com/zombiedogzdayton
Instagram: @zombiedogzdayton
HorrorHound
Oktoberfest
Americana Festival
Cyclops Fest
Yellow Springs Street Fair
Bell, Book and Comic
Bighorn Pretzel Company
Planning on paper is very different than implementing it in real life.
We're a caring business. It's important to be socially-responsible and we're not just in it for the money.
People really respected the fact that we admitted when we were wrong and just made it right. And that's all you can do. We aren't perfect, we're still human beings.
It's our business, it's our livelihood. We have to make it work, and you have to make adjustments.
Location is the most important thing. Just because you have a concept and a good idea, you're not gonna put it in the worst spot in town.
Obviously you want a lot of people in your line, but you want to see the other people succeeding also.
I think if I knew everything we know now before we started, I don't know if I would have done it. We work 90-100 hours a week for 8-9 months straight.
A lot of people don't implement their ideas because they're fearful.
We don't want to disappoint anybody, and we take that very seriously.
You can't teach people experience. You just have to do it.
I can't tell you how your business is going to run, but here's the basics. And it's up to you now to implement it and work hard and make it work on your own.
Your heart has to be in it, you have to want it.
You can't just think about the money, because that didn't come to us for a long time.
You need to give first, then receive later.
It's in our blood, but I never saw myself running my own business.
Take your time and do it right the first time.
We could have just done it one or two days a week on the weekends and it would have been fine, but you have to do it full-time.
It's a big leap and it's scary but you just gotta do it. You gotta commit, just like anything in life.
Thanks again for listening and reading the show notes. Be sure to subscribe to the podcast here and I can't wait to share the next episode with you soon! And feel free to leave a comment below with your feedback and any questions you have.
When I hear people say they are bored, it blows my mind. How can anybody be bored these days? With all of the technological advances, everyone has access to everything and we are all connected 24/7. There's no reason anyone should ever be bored. Being lazy on the other hand, I think we all get stuck in that phase from time to time.
People that say they are bored, some of these things come to mind: no goals, they are on cruise control, no imagination, taking things for granted, no hobbies, and more.
I get lazy sometimes, and it's usually because I get distracted too much, I procrastinate, lack of motivation, and poor habits.
If you notice the people around you are saying they are bored, be careful, they might drag you down to their level. But don't think that means it's ok to be lazy. Both are places you don't want to be stuck.
My quick tips would be to eat better, exercise, get high-quality sleep, get some hobbies, increase your skills, and cancel all distractions. Easier said than done, but everything in life is a marathon, not a sprint. Take it one step at a time and you'll get there with consistent action and positive daily habits.
Thanks again for listening! Be sure to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes and I can't wait to share the next episode with you soon. Until next time, take those risks and have no regrets along the way!
One of my favorite people to follow is Joshua Fields Millburn of The Minimalists. His style of writing and the way he explains minimalism really resonates with me. If you ever wanted to live a more meaningful life, you're going to love this episode.
Subscribe to the podcast!
Things I recommend:
Bluehost - Best website hosting!
Audible - Get your FREE audio book here!
People, websites, & products mentioned:
Ryan Nicodemus
Essential: Essays by The Minimalists
Minimalism: Live a Meaningful Life
Everything That Remains: A Memoir by The Minimalists
As a Decade Fades
Create Your Online Shop
SXSW
Spyr Media
Matt D'Avella
Connect with Joshua:
Website: theminimalists.com
Documentary: minimalismfilm.com
Twitter: @jfm / @theminimalists
Facebook: facebook.com/joshuafieldsmillburn / facebook.com/theminimalists
Instagram: @joshuafieldsmillburn / @theminimalists
Best quotes:
While living the "American Dream," I learned it wasn't my dream.
It took getting everything I thought I wanted to realize that everything I ever wanted wasn't actually what I wanted at all.
I made really good money in the corporate world (six figures), but I spent even better money. And that equation never works.
Why the hell are you so happy? -Ryan Nicodemus
When I find value in something, I tend to share it with my friends and family.
I think that's the meaning in life: growing and giving. The more you grow, the more you have to give.
When you look in the rearview, your scars make up the best part of yourself.
When you buy stuff to be happy, the happiness doesn't last far past the checkout line.
Happiness is when our short term actions align with our long term values.
Just being busy for the sake of busy is a supposed sign of productivity. But it's not necessarily productive. Busy usually gets in the way of true meaningful work.
I was living the ideal life to a lot of people. And the reason it was ideal to them is it was something they aspired to be. But they didn't realize that once they got there, it wasn't going to make them happy.
As I climbed the corporate ladder, I got closer to these guys that I aspired to be like. And what I realized as I got closer to them, they were miserable. At least the majority of them were.
There's nothing wrong with making money, I'm certainly not allergic to money. But it's no longer the primary driver for doing what I do.
Debt is an anchor in our lives.
There is no such thing as good debt.
I found that the best way to give myself a pay raise was to spend less money.
Minimalism is a tool that allows me to get rid of the excess so I can focus on whats truly important.
It doesn't mean it's a perfect life, and it's certainly not an easy life. It's just about living a simpler life, one that is within our means.
Being on autopilot tends to lead us into bad decisions.
Going with the flow is easy. And if you go with the flow long enough, you end up at the rapids. And then you're in a world of hurt because you weren't prepared for that.
That's why you'll never see me tweet a picture of my breakfast, because I don't find that it adds value to other peoples lives.
I like to do other things that make me uncomfortable, it's what I call my discomfort zone. I find that the place from which I grow the most is when I put myself in a bit of an uncomfortable situation.
As we move along a path from a novice to intermediate to an expert, it just has to do with putting in the work. Being willing to drudge through the drudgery.
I don't have a college degree at all and I've never taken a writing class. The reason I started teaching a writing class online was because a lot of people kept asking me a ton of questions about writing.
Don't start a business until someone asks you to start it. -Derek Sivers
The teacher learns more than the student.
If you want to get better at just about anything, teach it. Even if you're not very good at it. Because it will force you to communicate to yourself in the same way you would communicate to others.
I'm constantly trying to find new ways to spread the minimalism message to people. We wanted to show people that minimalism isn't a radical lifestyle, it's a practical lifestyle.
While all these people lead considerably different lives, they all share one thing in common: they're all striving to live a meaningful life with less.
Sometimes you wake up in the middle of the day. Sometimes you wake up in the middle of your life. -Yarrow Kraner
That's what happened to me. I woke up in the middle of my life and realized that there was more to life than just bills and money and status and achievement. There was something else, and I needed to find that.
Ultimately, we all just want to live a more meaningful life.
The path that I was on was leading me to a place that I didn't want to be. And so, the bigger risk for me would be staying.
Thanks again for listening and reading the show notes. Be sure to subscribe and leave a review on iTunes and I can't wait to share the next episode with you soon. Until next time, hustle harder and take massive action to reach your dreams!