E199 - Why Financial Planning Should Help You Live Now with Ohan Kayikchyan

E199 - Why Financial Planning Should Help You Live Now with Ohan Kayikchyan

In this episode, Ohan Kayikchyan returns to share how nearly two decades in finance taught him that the numbers are only 20 percent of the work. The other 80 percent is behavior, belief, and knowing what you actually want from life. Ohan walks through the shift in his practice from pure financial optimization to life planning, explaining why listening to clients matters more than presenting solutions. The conversation covers his EVOKE process, the psychology behind wants versus needs, and the case for experiencing life before retirement rather than after. Rob also shares a personal story about his father that puts the cost of waiting in sharp relief. What we cover: - How Ohan immigrated through the Diversity Visa Lottery and built a financial career from bank teller upward - Why he says AI will soon handle the optimization side of finance, and what that leaves for human advisors - The distinction between wants and needs, and why even native English speakers confuse the two when managing money - His EVOKE process: Exploration, Vision, Obstacles, Knowledge, and Execution across five client meetings - Why the first three meetings with clients involve no numbers at all, and what that reveals - The concept of mini-retirements and sabbaticals as an alternative to waiting until 67 - The honeymoon effect in retirement and why deferred living often leads to regret - Who benefits most from life planning: immigrants, and high earners who are not rich yet (HENRYs) - The difference between YOLO spending and intentional early enjoyment backed by a real financial plan Chapters: 00:01 Welcome back and Ohan's background 01:49 Growing up in a post-Soviet country and learning English 04:05 Starting as a bank teller and breaking through the language barrier 06:22 Realizing financial planning is 80 percent psychology 07:57 From CFP to registered life planner, and the book that changed everything 10:47 Listening without judgment and creating a guilt-free space for clients 13:45 The EVOKE process explained 15:36 Tackling obstacles and when money is not actually the problem 17:51 Why the first meetings have no numbers 18:25 The honeymoon effect and the cost of waiting until retirement 20:25 Mini-retirements and the case for living sooner 22:46 Rob's story about his father and the real risk of deferring life 24:09 Inheritance, permission, and enjoying money while alive 26:58 How society embeds the nine-to-five mindset and how to challenge it 28:28 Who Ohan works with: immigrants and HENRYs 30:27 Lifestyle creep, student loans, and the HENRY trap Links: * Alohana Financial: https://www.alohanafinancial.com [https://www.alohanafinancial.com] * Seven Stages of Money Maturity by George Kinder: https://www.georgekinderbooks.com [https://www.georgekinderbooks.com] If this conversation made you think differently about money and time, share it with someone who needs to hear it. Follow Surviving the Side Hustle and find every episode at SurvivingtheSideHustle.com [http://SurvivingtheSideHustle.com].

E198 - Lessons from Anthony Cutno: Building on Faith When Everything Falls Apart

In this Friday recap episode, Rob revisits his conversation with Anthony Cutno, a marine veteran, speaker, publisher, and branding coach who built a business while navigating homelessness, health crises, and circumstances that would stop most people cold. Rob breaks down what made Anthony's story land so hard, tracing the through-line from a late-night conversation with God and an unexpected phone call to an unplanned stage moment that started a business. The recap connects Anthony's experience to two core principles in the prime performance process: resilience in its rawest form, and clarity about identity before anything else gets built. The common thread in Anthony's story was never his conditions. It was his character. What we cover: - How Anthony's business was born from a single unplanned stage moment, not a business plan - Building Divine Warriors Dimension organically by showing up for each need that found him - Navigating homelessness, being shot and stabbed, seizures, and brain damage while keeping the business moving - Why Anthony's authenticity is not a branding strategy but the only way he knows how to survive - The role of faith and self-honesty as the two things he refused to let go when everything else was stripped away - How clarity about identity, not perfect conditions, created momentum in the prime performance process - The distinction between the motivational poster version of resilience and the real version Anthony lives Chapters: 00:01 Introduction and who Anthony Cutno is 00:45 Anthony did not plan to build a business 01:10 The night outside his dad's house and the call from his sergeant major 01:40 The He-Man speaking event and the stage moment that started everything 02:14 How the business grew organically through each person who found him 02:30 The reality: building while homeless, shot, stabbed, and having seizures 03:20 Anthony's secret: radical authenticity anchored in faith 04:00 Performing vs. actually being yourself everywhere you go 04:41 Resilience in the prime performance process, the real version 05:00 Clarity as the principle people miss in a story like Anthony's 05:30 Awareness before action as the through-line of the prime performance process 06:05 How to find Anthony and follow what he is building 06:45 The one thing to sit with going into the weekend 07:02 Where to hear the full conversation and how to follow the show Links: Anthony Cutno on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/search/top?q=Anthony%20Cutno [https://www.facebook.com/search/top?q=Anthony%20Cutno] Anthony Cutno on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anthonycutno [https://www.instagram.com/anthonycutno] Anthony Cutno on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@anthonycutno [https://www.tiktok.com/@anthonycutno] Hear the full conversation with Anthony at SurvivingtheSideHustle.com [http://SurvivingtheSideHustle.com], and hit follow while you're there so you never miss an episode.

E197 - From Homelessness to Leadership: How Faith and Authenticity Drive Success w/ Anthony Cutno

In this episode, Anthony Cutnow shares his powerful story of overcoming homelessness, embracing faith, and building a multifaceted business rooted in authenticity, purpose, and community. His journey illustrates how resilience, faith, and staying true to oneself can lead to impactful success, especially for veterans and purpose-driven entrepreneurs. KEY TOPICS * Anthony's transition from homelessness to entrepreneurship and leadership * The role of faith and divine purpose in his journey * Building a diversified business in coaching, publishing, and community development * The importance of authenticity and integrity in business practices * Lessons learned from living in different cities: New Orleans, Dallas, California * The significance of mentorship and community support * The whole-person approach: spiritual, mental, and physical resilience * Challenges in structuring and scaling a purpose-driven business * The collective vision of Divine Warrior's Dimension: impacting next-generation entrepreneurs * How authenticity influences marketing, branding, and client relationships TIMESTAMPS 00:00 - Introduction and episode overview 00:30 - Anthony’s background: from homelessness to community leader 01:40 - Key turning points and divine interventions 03:00 - The role of mentorship, especially Jose Escobar 04:30 - How the business evolved from casual research to a multifaceted enterprise 06:00 - Living in New Orleans, Dallas, and California — lessons learned 07:50 - Faith, purpose, and overcoming health challenges 09:00 - The importance of authenticity in business 10:36 - Why Anthony is motivated to serve and share his story 11:50 - The significance of spiritual purpose in his work 13:10 - Challenges in pricing and business expansion 15:43 - Balancing humility with business growth 17:41 - Impact of authenticity on marketing and personal branding 20:03 - Building community through mentorship and shared values 23:46 - The importance of structured mentorship vs. trial-and-error learning 26:34 - Connecting the various facets of his business: publishing, coaching, and community 30:42 - The vision behind Divine Warrior’s Dimension and the collective 33:09 - How to connect with Anthony and future plans 34:00 - Final message: authenticity as a core value RESOURCES & LINKS * Divine Warrior's Dimension [https://divinewarriors.com/] - Official website (future launch) * Anthony’s Facebook [https://facebook.com/anthonycuttnow] - Social media profile * Anthony’s Instagram [https://instagram.com/anthonycuttnow] - Social media profile * Anthony’s TikTok [https://tiktok.com/@anthonycuttnow] - Social media profile ---------------------------------------- This episode highlights the power of perseverance, faith, and authenticity in transforming adversity into impactful leadership. Whether you're a veteran, entrepreneur, or someone seeking purpose, Anthony’s story offers inspiration and practical insights for your own journey.

E196 - Lessons from Eric Dingler: The Ultimate System Change That Frees Entrepreneurs Doing It All

Discover actionable strategies to create a self-sustaining business, even when you're completely off the grid. In this episode, we explore leadership, systems, and how to scale without burning out, all grounded in real-world examples from entrepreneur Eric Dingler's journey. ---------------------------------------- KEY TOPICS COVERED: * Why most entrepreneurs are trapped in their own jobs and how to break free * The importance of developing your leadership capacity before building a team * How to buy back your time through strategic hiring and what Eric calls the "101080" rule * Transitioning from technician to leader — avoiding the bottleneck of doing all the work * Building systems and SOPs to transfer knowledge and delegate effectively * Practical steps for turning knowledge into systems and automating your operations * The significance of leading yourself first to lead others effectively ---------------------------------------- TIMESTAMPS: 01:38 - Why entrepreneurs are often imprisoned by their own business 02:06 - Building a business that operates without you — Eric Dingler’s story 03:00 - Eric’s background: Leading a mobile family life while running a digital agency 04:20 - The core framework: “Your leadership capacity is the capacity of your business” 04:48 - How personal development lifts business ceilings 05:16 - Leading yourself first—why leadership isn’t a title, but a capacity 06:13 - The importance of developing leadership skills before building a team 07:07 - Leadership as the most transferable skill across all areas of life 08:01 - Buying back your time and guarding it fiercely 08:26 - The "CEO time" concept and the 101080 rule 09:01 - How to allocate the freed-up hours for maximum leverage 09:29 - The real cost of hiring: What you gain from investing in team members 10:20 - Small hires for big impact: reinvesting time into income-generating activities 11:08 - Getting out of the technician’s seat to scale your business 11:33 - Why staying in technical work caps your growth — Eric’s experience 13:06 - Building a system, not just training people — Eric’s SOP approach 13:32 - It’s never a people problem, but a systems problem 14:02 - Transfer knowledge into systems, not just people 14:36 - SOPs as the backbone of scalable, autonomous operations 15:02 - Documenting repeatable tasks to empower delegation 16:24 - Connect with Eric at ericdingler.com [http://ericdingler.com] for resources and coaching 16:48 - Download resources: First hire checklist and diagnostics call 17:15 - Final wisdom: Lead yourself first, then lead others — unlock your full potential 17:55 - Take action today: Grow your leadership capacity to scale and live better ---------------------------------------- RESOURCES & LINKS: * Eric Dingler’s Website [https://ericdingler.com/] * First Hire Readiness Checklist [https://ericdingler.com/first-hire] * Free 25-Minute Diagnostics Call [https://ericdingler.com/call] * Example SOPs: How to Make Eric a Cup of Coffee, How to Create SOPs [https://ericdingler.com/sops] ----------------------------------------

E195 - How Leadership Transformed a Side Hustle into a Full Business with Eric Dingler

In this episode, Eric Dingler shares his inspiring journey from running a summer camp and local church ministry to building a successful online marketing agency while traveling the world. He emphasizes the importance of leadership, systems, and intentional hiring for scaling a business without burnout. MAIN TOPICS - KEY INSIGHTS: * How Eric turned his web design skills into a fundraiser for international adoption and built a nonprofit. * The evolution from side hustle to full-time business, highlighting key moments and mindset shifts. * Strategies for creating scalable systems in your business: leadership, lead generation, lead conversion, project management, and money management. * How to build effective remote teams using SOPs, gap hiring, and systems thinking. * Practical advice on delegation mindset, including transferring knowledge into systems and SOPs to free up your time. * The importance of leadership development for entrepreneurs and their teams. * Future goals: scaling his coaching business and building a team to support remote entrepreneurs. TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 - Introduction to Eric Dingler's journey from summer camp to global entrepreneur 01:26 - Origin story of Eric’s web design agency as a fundraiser for adoption 02:34 - Building a nonprofit organization to fund international adoption 03:52 - Transition to traveling with family and how systems enable remote lifestyle 05:20 - Developing core business systems for scalability 09:07 - Leadership as the foundation of business systems 11:53 - The five core systems: leadership, lead gen, conversion, cash flow, project management 12:19 - Managing multiple systems simultaneously 13:41 - How Eric defines true leadership 15:29 - From side hustle to a full-time coaching business 16:25 - Transition from working in the business to working on the business 17:38 - Managing family life while traveling and working remotely 19:47 - The importance of hiring and systems in scaling 22:09 - Creating shared success through team building and hiring 23:37 - How to approach hiring for the right fit and culture 24:39 - Differentiating gap hires and team hires 26:22 - The importance of taking up to 80% of new hires' time to maximize productivity 28:48 - The cost of not hiring and focusing on revenue-generating activities 30:57 - Overcoming mindset hurdles around delegation 31:24 - Systems approach to delegation and SOPs 33:20 - Documenting systems with SOPs and creating a culture of continuous improvement 35:31 - Eric’s future goals: coaching full-time and building a larger impact 36:36 - Launching programs and scaling coaching services 38:28 - How to connect with Eric and take the first step in hiring 40:46 - Practical tools: first hire readiness checklist and diagnostics calls 42:31 - Final advice for entrepreneurs feeling stuck: lead yourself first RESOURCES & LINKS: * Eric Dingler’s Website [https://ericdingler.com/] * First Hire Readiness Guide [https://api.leadconnectorhq.com/widget/form/5kLWiHYXpvNv0q0XTcEY] * First Hire Readiness Checklist [https://ericdingler.com/call]