The Futur podcast is a show that explores the interesting overlap between design, marketing, and business.Our host (and CEO of The Futur), Chris Do, holds candid conversations with inspirational people from the worlds of design, technology, marketing, business, philosophy and personal development.These conversations go deep. With the aim of understanding who these incredible people are, what drives them to do what they do, and what can we—the listener—learn from it all.Visit thefutur.com/podcast for show notes and additional information from each episode.
274 - Building Businesses The Right Way — with Leila Hormozi
Leila Hormozi began her career at the age of twenty-one as a fitness trainer. After realizing that every business sells in different ways, she began to understand how to succeed in her field and became one of the top-selling personal trainers in Southern California. After meeting her now-husband, Alex, they propelled Gym Launch and several other businesses to success. They now run the multi-million dollar Acquisition.com, a holding company for their businesses, as well as a platform for investing in other businesses. They are not only running multiple businesses, but they are also influencers in that world and have built successful social media presences across multiple channels. In the second part of a two-part interview, Leila and Chris focus on some of the lessons she has learned from running her own businesses and being an investor in others. They talk about what Leila wants to focus on when investing in new businesses, the ins and outs of embracing personal quirks as a business leader, why critique is more important than compliments, and the transformative power of self-acceptance. Leila's specific approach to business, focusing on benefiting everyone involved rather than stepping on others to reach the top, is enlightening. She emphasizes the importance of creating a working environment where everyone loves to work and partner with the company. Her perspective on the future of her business and personal life is both intriguing and inspiring. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
273 - Believe In What You’re Selling — with Leila Hormozi
At the age of 21, Leila Hormozi moved to Southern California intending to build a career in fitness. With limited resources and little knowledge and experience, she achieved the status of top-selling personal trainer in the region. She realized early on that truly understanding sales was the vital skill that would distinguish her from others. She dedicated herself to learning and refining her skills, which allowed her to maintain her top-selling trainer status until she met her future husband, Alex Hormozi. She then pivoted to work with him in a business focused on helping gyms succeed. This business became wildly successful, leading to the start of several more businesses. Eventually, Leila and Alex formed Acquisition.com, a holding company for their businesses and a platform for investing in others. In the first of a two-part interview, Leila sits down with Chris to discuss her story - growing up in a dysfunctional household, leaving for Southern California to pursue her destiny, meeting her husband and business partner, and evolving from a personal trainer who was just trying to figure out sales to pay her bills, to running a business that generates tens of millions of dollars in revenue each year. Her insights come from hands-on experience, leading to her ultimate philosophy - "Do stuff you like with people you like, and do more and more of it". Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
272 - Receiving Feedback From Others
Everyone always has something to say about what you’re doing. Whether it’s a client, a friend, a family member, or a stranger, there’s always someone who has an opinion about you or something you’ve done. Most people look at the feedback they’re getting as being a reflection of the feelings the person giving the feedback has towards them. What if we told you it’s not the person giving the feedback that makes it positive or negative, but rather, you as the person receiving it? What if you could take any piece of feedback, and receive it in a positive way? In a conversation with Mo Ismail, Chris opens up about some of his history with receiving feedback - How he reacted (whether rightly or wrongly), and the tools he now uses to process feedback, from being cognizant of his own emotional state, to reinterpreting things into non violent language, and more. They’ll also discuss how our subjective lens often distorts the slender sliver of objective truth, leading us to form stories that may or may not serve us well. Chris takes Mo through his journey to better understand his own reactions to others. Mo also sums a lot of this method up in the anagram DAPPER, which makes for a concise and easy to remember take away from a deep and impactful conversation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
271 - The Importance of Networking — with Loren Greiff
Networking is a term that, if you have a professional career, you've probably heard a million times. You've likely attended countless events and conversed with numerous people. However, networking is more than just attending a mixer or connecting with someone on LinkedIn, and quite frankly, many people are not as proficient at it as they believe. Loren Greiff, who operates the career services-focused Portfolio Rocket, joins Chris to discuss what she refers to as the "broccoli of business", something that is necessary but not particularly appealing to deal with. They'll discuss why networking is "the trampoline that allows you to get where you want to go faster", and why networking will continue to be crucial in the age of AI. She'll share her agency background, what led her into recruitment, and what eventually made her feel like she could no longer work in traditional recruiting, prompting her to establish Portfolio Rocket, a platform designed to equip job seekers with modern tools and techniques for success. Chris and Loren will also discuss some of the dos and don'ts of job searching, from a former recruiter's perspective, and some of the qualities that make someone stand out amongst other employees. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
270 - Building Communities, Part 2
Tom Ross returns for the second of our two episodes about building online communities. In this episode, Chris and Tom discuss the things to focus on when developing and honing your community - asking who your ideal community member is, how to price entry for a paid community, and how to attract people to your community. Tom provides a deep dive into creating a comprehensive profile of your ideal community member, highlighting the need to consider both hard and soft metrics. He emphasizes the invaluable role of personal conversations with potential members, explaining how these dialogues can offer more profound insights than data from surveys ever could. After all, a community is driven as much by the people in it as it is by the person who has organized it. Creating an online community can be a long and complex journey, but Tom Ross has built up a fair amount of experience in the field and is sharing it here. Tom’s goal is to help people build communities that bring a lot of value to members, while also being personally fulfilling for the one running it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
269 - Building Communities, Part 1
Many of us have heard the famous Kevin Kelly phrase, "To make a living as a craftsperson, photographer, musician, designer, author, animator, app maker, entrepreneur, or inventor, you need only a thousand true fans." When you get those TRUE fans, they're willing to support your endeavors. However, there is a difference between all of those followers you have on your social media accounts and those thousand true fans. The true fans are one of the building blocks of your community. They are the ones who will genuinely be with you on your journey to develop your voice, build your brand, and establish your authority. But, that's just one part of what it takes to build a solid community. In this episode, the first of two, Chris talks with Tom Ross of Design Cuts about what a community is and how to build one. Tom generously shares his invaluable insights and expert knowledge on key community-building questions. They will discuss the intricacies of engagement levels and how they can fluctuate, and highlight the importance of having a clear, compelling offering for your community. He'll also provide practical strategies for distribution and delve into the potentially challenging topic of how to rejuvenate a stagnant community, breathing new life into it. This is part one of a two part conversation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
268 - Convert Content To Customers, Part 2
Richard Moore continues to explore the art of attracting and engaging your audience in this second part of his conversation with Chris. They discuss transforming creative content into a loyal customer base and explore the concept of posting "Mic Drop Moments". These are pieces of content so impactful and thought-provoking that they leave a lasting impression on your audience. They also discuss why "Call to Feel" posts, those that elicit an emotional response, often work more effectively than traditional "Call to Action" posts in fostering genuine engagement. Another point of discussion is the rewards and risks of incorporating vulnerability into your posts. While this strategy can be daunting, it can create a sense of authenticity and relatability that resonates deeply with audiences if done correctly. Richard brings tactical advice to this conversation. If you're struggling to connect with potential customers or clients on LinkedIn or elsewhere, this episode is for you. Just make sure you've listened to part one! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
267 - Convert Content To Customers, Part 1
Are you a creative business owner looking to leverage LinkedIn to its fullest potential? In this episode, we’re bringing a conversation that Chris had with Richard Moore on LinkedIn, earlier this year, to the podcast. Richard is a LinkedIn guru, who’s goal is to help users find and develop clients on one of the most active social sites on the web. In Richard’s words “Everyone you’ll do work with is here… Basically, anyone in B to B, who might buy your services, they’re here”. Chris and Richard will explore the importance of understanding user needs and discuss strategies for creating content that positions you as an expert in the eyes of your customers. They’ll also discuss how to attract and engage your target audience, and learn valuable insights on how to stand out from the crowd with compelling copy and unique approaches. This is the first part of a two part conversation, so make sure you join us for the rest of the conversation in the next episode. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
266 - Creating An Authentic Personal Brand — with Ryan Alford
What do you do when you spend two decades of your life working with some of the biggest agencies and biggest brands in the world, on some of the most successful marketing campaigns of the time, and no one really knows who you are? That was the situation that Ryan Alford found himself in, after working on massive campaigns for huge brands. He found himself in a new world, where people care less about the entries on your resume, and more about the expertise that you publicly share, and the para social relationship they have with you. So Ryan did something that would, ultimately, change his life - He started his own agency, Radical, and a new podcast, Radcast. Radcast’s goal is to teach and entertain, and be a big, bright beacon bringing attention to Radical. Through Ryan’s charm and authenticity, the core of his personal brand, Radcast is now currently the #1 ranked Marketing Podcast on Apple Podcasts. In this conversation, Chris will be talking to Ryan about how he got started, the glory days of working with massive clients during a huge transition in the tech space, and the new frontier of Radical and Radcast, and how he’s successfully navigating it by being himself. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
265 - The New Innovators — with Mauro Porcini
“Innovation is an act of love.” So say’s our guest, Mauro Porcini, Senior Vice President and Chief Design Officer at PepsiCo. With over 1800 design and innovation awards having his name attached to them, if anyone would know, he would. On top of that, before joining PepsiCo, Mauro was 3M’s first Chief Design Officer, and was named one of Forbes’ 40 Under 40 (2012), Fast Company’s 50 Most Influential Designer’s In The USA (2011), and has received countless other accolades. Now he’s written a book, The Human Side Of Innovation: The Power Of People In Love With People which “reveals the secret to creating life-changing innovation: putting human needs and wants at the center of any design process.” In this episode, Mauro will talk about his youth, and how his parents steadfast values shaped the man he became, his three prerequisites for finding happiness, both personally and professionally, and how to successfully lead your employees. At the core of this discussion, like many we’ve had, is creating value, and Chris and Mauro will talk about why it is important to create emotional value for yourself, and how that emotional value can then turn into different kinds of value for others. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
264 - Accelerating Creativity — with Kevin Lau
It’s not unusual for people to be a little on edge about AI, both where it is now, and where it could be in the near future. As a creative, will you even have a job in five or ten years? If AI can create art, where do we humans fit in? In this episode, Chris is joined by fellow LA Motion Design Director Kevin Lau to talk about the similarities between starting their careers with the beginnings of After Effects and Motion Design in the mid 90’s, and how it feels similar to this dawning of a new AI era. Kevin has a long history working with the newest tools in the industry, building businesses, and winning awards, and after almost three decades, has a lot of insight to share about how the future isn’t something to be scared of. Kevin and Chris will talk about how taste will become the primary driver of a creative’s potential, in a world where AI can do a lot of the legwork, and why it’s important to pay attention to the trends of your youth. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
263 - Imposter Syndrome — with Jule Kim
It’s so common, especially amongst creatives, and manifests in so many different ways. Imposter Syndrome. That overly critical inner voice. That self doubt about your accomplishments, or your intelligence, or your skills. Sometimes it comes so naturally, people don’t even realize they’re going through it. For some, it starts in childhood, with overbearing parents. For others, it manifests as they grow and evolve throughout their career. In this episode, Chris talks to Jule Kim, a life coach who has struggled with imposter syndrome herself, and now helps people navigate that internal minefield. They’ll discuss the shared impact of growing up as the children of immigrants, compliments and how we take them, and Jule will lay out the five types of Imposter Syndrome. This podcast is the kind of conversation that could spark some self reflection, and hearing Jule and Chris discuss it could open some doors for the listener that might lead to a better understanding of a condition that so many of us struggle with. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
262 - Telling A Great Story — with Karen Eber
Most of us have seen a TED talk, or attended a conference where someone was giving a keynote presentation. Many of us have probably thought they might like to do that at some point. The reason people don’t move forward with that, though, is they feel like they either don’t have a story to tell, or don’t know how to tell it in a way that can capture an audience’s attention. In this episode, Karen Eber, author of The Perfect Story, joins Chris to talk about storytelling and how you can use it to dynamically engage with others. Whether you’re giving a presentation, selling to a client or customer, or leading a team of people, the skills of storytelling are more vital than ever. If you’re trying to get a point or a lesson across, or sell a product or service, you want to be able to engage the brain in the very unique way that storytelling can. Karen and Chris will discuss storytelling from both an emotional and scientific standpoint, including how stories can induce Neural Coupling between the storyteller and the audience, the framework for a great story, why constraints are a key part of success when telling a story, and why vulnerability is so helpful in engaging your audience. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
261 - Understanding Influence — with Rene Rodriguez
In the modern world, there’s no shortage of carnival barkers trying to grab your attention. Everyone is looking to build an audience and become an Influencer, and social media has incentivized people to act a certain way to grab people’s focus and their follows. Many of us look at them and think “If I want to have influence in this world, that’s who I have to be”. Some look at them and think they can skip the expertise building stage and go straight to the authority stage. Leadership Development expert and Keynote Speaker Rene Rodriguez knows that just isn’t the case. There’s a difference between WANTING attention and CAPTURING attention. In this must listen episode, Rene and Chris dive into the concept of Influence, why the traditional idea of the “Alpha” is inaccurate, and the three key ingredients you need to win people over when you’re telling a story. Rene and Chris will also talk about why expertise building, in real world situations, is so important, and share personal experiences from their journey’s in building their audience by getting in the ring and taking their punches. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
260 - Encouraging The Entrepreneurial Spirit — with Jodie Cook
Some people are just natural entrepreneurs. Whether it’s in their bones, or they grow up with a positive entrepreneurial role model, they just feel that need deep down inside of them. But how do you become a positive entrepreneurial role model for others? Our guest, Jodie Cook, has started multiple businesses, as well as being an author (Ten Year Career and How To Raise Entrepreneurial Kids), powerlifter, and creator of Coachvox AI, a service that can help turn your knowledge and wisdom into an AI coach. In this episode, Jodie talks with Chris about growing up with an entrepreneurial mother, starting a business in her early twenties, working with AI to create virtual coaches, and how a Mastermind group helped her understand what kind of “game” she was playing. They’ll also talk about creating positive role models for kids, as entrepreneurs, so that kids can grow up with confidence and a respect for building a business and what comes with that. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices