Today we hit pause on the usual conversation to amplify a pressing message that is rocking countries around the world. For centuries unjust practices around racism and colonialism have allowed empires to be built on the backs of oppressed people. The recent murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Trayvon Martin and countless others in the United States have boiled to the point of global protests. 

 

Problems of police brutality, income inequality and racism are certainly not unique to that country. In the Caribbean and further abroad, the remains of these systems continue. Internally people of colour also wrestle with colourism where lighter shades are viewed or consider themselves superior to darker hues. 

 

Today our message is simple. Equality, not Pity. 

 

Our hope is that all shades and colours of humanity come together to rid our societies of these foolish beliefs and the systems they fuel. 

 

#podcastblackout 

 

 

You can spend loads of time thinking, studying, planning and theorising about the best practices, or you can start producing. The tough part is accepting that all the work you produce especially in the early stages will not be your best. It may not match up to the other masters of the craft that you admire. You may not be 100% proud but to grow faster, create and produce more. 

 

Question of the day: What will you commit to producing more of this year?   

 

Essential career advice for ambitious young professionals. 

 

Full show notes and other resources available at www.dalanvanterpool.com/podcast

 

Connect with host on twitter @dalanv www.twitter.com/dalanv

 

Connect with show on twitter @focusthefire www.twitter.com/focusthefire    

 

Help us create more great content: patreon.com/dalanv

This is an important message for everyone at risk of losing hope in their dreams. If you’re frustrated with the pace of progress and wondering if the success you long for will ever become real, take a few minutes and listen to this message.

 

 

Question of the day: What are you believing for? (Comment below or on twitter)

 

Essential career advice for ambitious young professionals. 

 

Full show notes and other resources available at www.dalanvanterpool.com/podcast

 

Connect with host on twitter @dalanv www.twitter.com/dalanv

 

Connect with show on twitter @focusthefire www.twitter.com/focusthefire    

 

Help us create more great content: patreon.com/dalanv

In case it’s not obvious yet, remote work and online meetings are now a larger part of doing business. The extent of this may very well reduce when(ever) things calm down, but right now video calls via platforms such as Zoom, Skype, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, Cisco WebEx and others are connecting the world. Today we teach you how to avoid some huge fails and present yourself better than the average person online.

 

 

Bonus: Join the call early to test your video and audio settings. Tech glitches happen sometimes, but do your part to avoid them like a pro. 

 

Question of the day: What's maximum number of video calls or online meetings you’ve had in one day?  (Comment below or on twitter)

 

Essential career advice for ambitious young professionals. 

 

Full show notes and other resources available at www.dalanvanterpool.com/podcast

 

Connect with host on twitter @dalanv www.twitter.com/dalanv

 

Connect with show on twitter @focusthefire www.twitter.com/focusthefire    

 

Help us create more great content: patreon.com/dalanv

When it comes to investing, you need to be clear on your goals for each dollar. Before you put a dollar to work, determine the job description. This is the only way you can really assess whether it doing what you want it to do correctly. 

 

In investment banking, the first conversation with a client usually involves some form of the question: What are your objectives? To put it another way, what goals are you trying to accomplish here and what’s your timeline / investment horizon?

 

In this episode we discuss the three (3) main reasons people invest.

 

 

Question of the day: What's your main investment goal right now: cash flow, value appreciation or leverage? (Comment below or on twitter)

 

Essential career advice for ambitious young professionals. 

 

Full show notes and other resources available at www.dalanv.com/podcast

 

Connect with host on twitter @dalanv www.twitter.com/dalanv

 

Connect with show on twitter @focusthefire www.twitter.com/focusthefire    

 

Help us create more great content: patreon.com/dalanv

Are you working remotely? The current state of affairs in the world has many office goers figuring out the fun and follies of working remotely. As much as people complain about Mondays, traffic and annoying coworkers, it’s interesting to note the mixed reviews around this new found freedom. 

 

Today we discuss the quirks for working from home and reflect on a related article from Bloomberg describing the plight of people trying to preserve boundaries between work life and personal life. This was recorded with a live Twitter/Periscope audience.

 

 

Article: Three Hours Longer, the Pandemic Workday Has Obliterated Work-Life Balance

 

 

 

Question of the day:  What do you like or hate most about working from home? (Comment below or on twitter)

 

Essential career advice for ambitious young professionals. 

 

Full show notes and other resources available at www.focusthefire.com

 

Connect with host on twitter @dalanv www.twitter.com/dalanv

 

Connect with show on twitter @focusthefire www.twitter.com/focusthefire    

 

Help us create more great content: patreon.com/dalanv

You’ve seen or heard it before. Some colleague in the office starts reading self-development books and too many fake deep quotes on instagram about living life on your own terms and being an entrepreneur versus a lame employee. They may even listen to podcasts like this and take things slightly out of context. Yea…don’t be that person in the office. 

 

Today let’s do some house keeping about how you can share your enthusiasm and enlightenment, without disrespecting the choices others make about their career.

 

 

Question of the day: What’s the biggest mental shift you are making this quarter? (Comment below or on twitter)

 

Essential career advice for ambitious young professionals. 

 

Full show notes and other resources available at www.focusthefire.com

 

Connect with host on twitter @dalanv www.twitter.com/dalanv

 

Connect with show on twitter @focusthefire www.twitter.com/focusthefire    

 

Help us create more great content: patreon.com/dalanv

With COVID-19 gripping the world, many countries are ordering voluntary and in some cases involuntary home quarantine to slow the spread of the virus. This extreme social distancing creates many new challenges for economies, businesses, school and people. It also opens up excellent opportunities for people who leverage the time wisely. Some persons are complaining about being bored, but starting today and into the following weeks we are giving you 20 ways to maximise social distance time and come out of this mess like a boss. Here are 5 more, plus a special free bonus resource at the end.

 

16. Update your resumé

17. Actually write down your goals and a game plan

18. Make a career development plan for the next 3 years

19. Use the disruption to show your value as a leader using technology

20. Earn promotion points by still delivering results for your team

 

Question of the day: Which tips are you executing first and what would you add to the list? (Comment below or on twitter)

 

Essential career advice for ambitious young professionals. 

 

Full show notes and other resources available at www.focusthefire.com

 

Connect with host on twitter @dalanv www.twitter.com/dalanv

 

Connect with show on twitter @focusthefire www.twitter.com/focusthefire    

 

Help us create more great content: patreon.com/dalanv

With COVID-19 gripping the world, many countries are ordering voluntary and in some cases involuntary home quarantine to slow the spread of the virus. This extreme social distancing creates many new challenges for economies, businesses, school and people. It also opens up excellent opportunities for people who leverage the time wisely. Some persons are complaining about being bored, but starting today and into the following weeks we are giving you 20 ways to maximise social distance time and come out of this mess like a boss. Here are 5 more, plus a special free bonus resource at the end.

 

11. Replace the time you would spend getting dressed or sitting in traffic with specific tasks

12. Shut-up and meditate

13. Work on YOUR business

14. Fix your LinkedIn and other social media profiles

15. Network - Call, message and reconnect

 

With COVID-19 gripping the world, many countries are ordering voluntary and in some cases involuntary home quarantine to slow the spread of the virus. This extreme social distancing creates many new challenges for economies, businesses, school and people. It also opens up excellent opportunities for people who leverage the time wisely. Some persons are complaining about being bored, but starting today and into the following weeks we are giving you 20 ways to maximise social distance time and come out of this mess like a boss. Here are the first 5, plus a special free bonus resource at the end.

 

6. Write and publish an article related to your craft or industry

7. Record a video or podcast about a relevant topic (for example the one you just researched in #5)

8. Keep a daily quarantine journal to document the experience, new ideas and insights

9. Learn a new skill that can generate money or be a hobby (coding, photography, graphic design)

10. Develop a regular home exercise routine

 

With COVID-19 gripping the world, many countries are ordering voluntary and in some cases involuntary home quarantine to slow the spread of the virus. This extreme social distancing creates many new challenges for economies, businesses, school and people. It also opens up excellent opportunities for people who leverage the time wisely. Some persons are complaining about being bored, but starting today and into the following weeks we are giving you 20 ways to maximise social distance time and come out of this mess like a boss. Here are the first 5, plus a special free bonus resource at the end.

 

 

 

Question of the day: How are you using your quarantine time? (Comment below or on twitter)

 

Essential career advice for ambitious young professionals. 

 

Full show notes and other resources available at www.focusthefire.com

 

Connect with host on twitter @dalanv www.twitter.com/dalanv

 

Connect with show on twitter @focusthefire www.twitter.com/focusthefire    

 

Help us create more great content: patreon.com/dalanv

LinkedIn is one of the most powerful yet under used career networking tools available. You get free access to tools and features that can jump start new relationships, build a brand, and help you land that next big job. 

 

To help you get the most out of LinkedIn we called in the expert who literally wrote the book on How to Write a Killer LinkedIn profile. Brenda Bernstein is on the mic telling us how she went from Sesame Street, to Yale, to building a business around helping smart executives like you communicate their career through LinkedIn and professional resumés.  

 

• Should your summary be in the first or third person?
• Biggest mistakes people make on LinkedIn
• Creating a multi-language profile
• How should your LinkedIn profile be identical to your resumé?
• What will make you profile stand out
• Taking online relationships offline
• …and much more

 

Click Here for full show notes and $25 of your professional LinkedIn review from Brenda's team.

 

 

It’s no secret that women have been making a serious impact inside and outside the corporate world for centuries. Fortunately, it seems the value of this work is starting to get the recognition, and hopefully compensation it deserves. We’ve been celebrating women on Focus The Fire for many years by making space to share their brilliant stories with the world. Today in honour of International Women’s Day, we flashback to one of those moments featuring Jamila Abston, CPA, partner at EY and true professional rock star. 

 

 

Question of the day: What can we do to level the playing field for women?  (Comment below or on twitter)

 

Essential career advice for ambitious young professionals. 

 

Full show notes and other resources available at www.focusthefire.com

 

Connect with host on twitter @dalanv www.twitter.com/dalanv

 

Connect with show on twitter @focusthefire www.twitter.com/focusthefire    

 

Help us create more great content: patreon.com/dalanv

 

How do people “suddenly” accomplish great things? Sometimes it seems like they pop up out of nowhere with recorded albums, a thriving business, international awards, powerful careers and even published books. Do they possess some superior intelligence not accessible to the rest of us? Do they have more hours in a day or significantly less responsibilities jostling for their attention?

 

In most cases I believe the answer is no, or at least they actively make the answer a no. Let me explain. The problem likely is not that you lack intelligence. In fact, your intelligence may be the very thing fuelling your rampant curiosity and ambitions to explore multiple interesting paths. As a result, shifting amongst these mental and sometimes physical excursions eats away at your time each day. You’ve convinced yourself that each one is a worthy cause and eligible for your immediate attention.

 

To become great at something, to produce brilliant work, for a certain period at least, we have to forsake some other curiosities and unleash extreme focus on the task at hand. This is the bitter price of focus.

 

Related article: http://bit.ly/397ieIl

 

Question of the day: How will you pay the price? (Comment below or on twitter)

 

Essential career advice for ambitious young professionals. 

 

Full show notes and other resources available at www.focusthefire.com

 

Connect with host on twitter @dalanv www.twitter.com/dalanv

 

Connect with show on twitter @focusthefire www.twitter.com/focusthefire    

 

Help us create more great content: patreon.com/dalanv

Let’s be brutally honest here. Besides the fluffy talk about fulfilling dreams and helping humanity, you’re working because you want to get paid. That may not be the only reason, but it’s a crucial component otherwise you would be running around hunting for a full-time volunteer position. People will keep showing up at a job for years even though their personal or professional aspirations aren’t being fed, but let the money stop and see how quickly things escalate.

 

But wait a minute, is compensation only about money? Not to downplay the facts here, because money matters. Still, I believe it’s a sign of maturity when you step to the negotiation table demanding more than cash.

 

I want to challenge you think more broadly about compensation beyond just the usual salary and bonus. In this episode we discuss 4 non-cash payments to consider when negotiating.

 

 

Question of the day: What other great non-cash payments would you add to this list?   (Comment below or on twitter)

 

Essential career advice for ambitious young professionals. 

 

Full show notes and other resources available at www.focusthefire.com

 

Connect with host on twitter @dalanv www.twitter.com/dalanv

 

Connect with show on twitter @focusthefire www.twitter.com/focusthefire    

 

Help us create more great content: patreon.com/dalanv

So yes, there’s your job description or whatever. It’s important to hit those points. However, just meeting expectations is a slow path to success. There are skills and talents inside you that just need a little courage and creativity to help you leverage them for career success. 

 

You can spend years competing with people on their own terms, or go around them quietly by creating your own lane. Activate your zone of greatness and use it to add value to the organisation. In today’s episode we offer some real life examples to inspire your own game plan. 

 

Have a listen and let us know what out-of-office skill you can start bringing to work! 

 

 

Question of the day: What secret skill have you been hiding from your main job?  (Comment below or on twitter)

 

Essential career advice for ambitious young professionals. 

 

Full show notes and other resources available at www.focusthefire.com

 

Connect with host on twitter @dalanv www.twitter.com/dalanv

 

Connect with show on twitter @focusthefire www.twitter.com/focusthefire    

 

Help us create more great content: patreon.com/dalanv

In the game of money, interested rates rule the field. A weak understanding can make you lose big or miss huge opportunities.  A great career is even better when you can take the money you earn and know how to make it work for you.

 

Today we take you through some common interest concepts that you will encounter when buying a car, a house, investing, or even choosing a bank account.  

 

We included a useful article on annual percentage rates at the show notes page: dalanv.com/166-interest-rate-basics

 

Question of the day: If you have $10,000 to invest where would you put it? (Comment below or on twitter)

 

Essential career advice for ambitious young professionals. 

 

Full show notes and other resources available at www.focusthefire.com

 

Connect with host on twitter @dalanv www.twitter.com/dalanv

 

Connect with show on twitter @focusthefire www.twitter.com/focusthefire    

 

Help us create more great content: patreon.com/dalanv

So you’re working hard to build that career and earn money to pay for things that matter to you. School, food, vacation, family expenses, healthcare, potato salad, etc. Today we’re giving you 5 common fees to understand when you decide to put that money to work by investing. 

 

 

These fees go by different names so pay attention to how they work. Also I’m not (legally) your financial advisor so be sure to do your own research and ask questions. 

 

Other investment education resources:

 

 

Question of the day: What’s one question you’ve always wanted to ask about personal finance?   (Comment below or on twitter)

 

 

Essential career advice for ambitious young professionals. 

 

Full show notes and other resources available at www.focusthefire.com

 

Connect with host on twitter @dalanv www.twitter.com/dalanv

 

Connect with show on twitter @focusthefire www.twitter.com/focusthefire    

 

Help us create more great content: patreon.com/dalanv

A big part of get a high level position in a company is proving your commitment to the organisation’s long term objectives. Young ambitious professionals often lack the perspective of being the boss who has to decide whether they should take a risk on someone with a promotion or salary increase. 

 

In their head, they are weighing whether you will be around adding value for a long time, or if they will have to go through this process with someone else in a year after you get the first bonus cheque and buy a car. 

 

Today we discuss one power tip on signalling that you are ready to join executive leadership.

 

 

 

Question of the day: What can you do to prove your level of commitment?  (Comment below or on twitter)

 

Essential career advice for ambitious young professionals. 

 

Full show notes and other resources available at www.focusthefire.com

 

Connect with host on twitter @dalanv www.twitter.com/dalanv

 

Connect with show on twitter @focusthefire www.twitter.com/focusthefire    

 

Help us create more great content: patreon.com/dalanv

Successful careers are built on manual control rather than autopilot. Your ability to recognise when things need attention and make the right adjustments is crucial to building a meaningful career with more time, money and freedom. Today’s guest, Kanika Tolver, specialises in helping professionals repair, or as she would say, “rehab” their careers. If you’re looking to advance in your industry or make a transition this conversation is for you. 

 

 

Kanika is a highly decorated information technology Federal Government professional, rebel entrepreneur and Certified Professional Coach. Kanika is a serial innovator who’s fueled by an extraordinary commitment to social change and helping others create their own “epic lives.” She’s also the CEO and Founder of Career Rehab, LLC in Washington, DC. 

 

Career Rehab focuses on assisting career transformations for students, professionals and retirees. The company provides career coaching programs, events, webinars, and digital resources to help people reach their career goals.

 

… and much more!

 

 

Website: http://kanikatolver.com

 

Get the new book Career Rehab: https://amzn.to/30Ad2sS 

 

Other book recommendations from Kanika:

 

21 Laws of Leadership - John Maxwell | https://amzn.to/2RanhRG

 

The Gifts of Imperfection - Brené Brown | https://amzn.to/2NEcTiU

 

Daring Greatly - Brené Brown | https://amzn.to/30B3HBf

 

 

Question of the day: What part of your career needs the most rehab?  (Comment below or on twitter)

 

Essential career advice for ambitious young professionals. 

 

Full show notes and other resources available at www.focusthefire.com

 

Connect with host on twitter @dalanv www.twitter.com/dalanv

 

Connect with show on twitter @focusthefire www.twitter.com/focusthefire    

 

Help us create more great content: patreon.com/dalanv

There are some mental barriers that keep smart professionals from breaking the mould and generating income outside their traditional salary. On this episode of Focus The Fire:

 

 

Question of the day: What’s your $100 thing?  (Comment below or on twitter)

 

Essential career advice for ambitious young professionals. 

 

Full show notes and other resources available at www.focusthefire.com

 

Connect with host on twitter @dalanv www.twitter.com/dalanv

 

Connect with show on twitter @focusthefire www.twitter.com/focusthefire    

 

Help us create more great content: patreon.com/dalanv

Last year I realised that I wasn’t thinking big enough in many areas. To be clear, I really thought I was thinking big, but that wasn’t reflected in many areas of my life, career and business. You see it’s no enough just to have big dreams. We have to match those desires with an operational framework that can sustain that growth. 

 

Being exposed to different client negotiations over the year has been extremely useful in learning how people react to price and perceived value. With those lessons in mind the broad theme for the year 2020 is “No More Small Talk: Don’t drop your price, raise these instead”. 

 

In this powerful episode I’ll share insights on the three most crucial things you should work on raising this year to experience more personal and professional rewards: 1. Skills, 2. Communication, 3. Clients. 

 

 

Question of the day: What do you need to upgrade the most: skills, communication or clients? 

(Comment below or on twitter)

 

Essential career advice for ambitious young professionals. 

 

Full show notes and other resources available at www.focusthefire.com

 

Connect with host on twitter @dalanv www.twitter.com/dalanv

 

Connect with show on twitter @focusthefire www.twitter.com/focusthefire    

 

Help us create more great content: patreon.com/dalanv

What a year! As 2019 comes to a close we spent some time reflecting on the best practices to increase your chances of massive success in 2020. Here are 5 crucial things to do in 2020. What else would you add?

 

 

 

Question of the day:  What changes are you making in 2020 to boost your career? (Comment below or on twitter)

 

Essential career advice for ambitious young professionals. 

 

Full show notes and other resources available at www.focusthefire.com

 

Connect with host on twitter @dalanv www.twitter.com/dalanv

 

Connect with show on twitter @focusthefire www.twitter.com/focusthefire    

 

Help us create more great content: patreon.com/dalanv

The first step to building your side hustle is figuring out what you will offer the market. Today we explore two strategies to help you generate ideas and choose one or two areas to focus. 

 

Make a list of skills or other things you can use to generate additional income. Separate them into three groups as follows:

 

 

Look at what tasks and products people are already using to generate income. Browse gig websites like Fiverr and Upwork to see what people are paying for. You may consider joining the gig / freelance economy through these channels to get some experience, or launching your own distribution channel. 

 

Question of the day: What’s something you want to monetise? (Comment below or on twitter)

 

Essential career advice for ambitious young professionals. 

 

Full show notes and other resources available at www.focusthefire.com

 

Connect with host on twitter @dalanv www.twitter.com/dalanv

 

Connect with show on twitter @focusthefire www.twitter.com/focusthefire    

 

Help us create more great content: patreon.com/dalanv