Chan with a Plan

3 learning lessons on how to start a successful podcast

EPISODE SUMMARY
One of Max's best career decisions he made in 2021, was starting his podcast and in this episode, Max gives 3 lessons that he learned in 2021 on starting a podcast and what mindset you need to have in order to build a podcast for the long term. Based on this past week's episode with Chris Templeton on how to make better decisions to achieve your career goals.
 
TIMESTAMPS
[1:23] What type of download numbers you should expect for your new podcast even with having a sizeable social media following
[2:36] Importance of having a niche and focusing on it long term
[4:41] The main thing you need to focus on to start a successful podcast for the long term and why most new podcasters don't stick around 
 
RESOURCES & RELEVANT LINKS
Chan With A Plan
Chan With A Plan Facebook Group

How to make better decisions to achieve your career goals

EPISODE SUMMARY
In this episode of Chan With A Plan, host Max Chan speaks with Chris Templeton, Founder of Oh The Stories We Tell. Chris discusses his 3 question model that he has been developing since 2003 to help you make better decisions to further your career. The podcast also discusses current employer and employee dynamics and what companies need to change in order to retain and attract new employees to their company in the present and future. 
 
QUOTES
“When you start to recognize, oh my god, I can tell a more authentic story, people gravitate to that in a big way.” - Chris Templeton [18:36]
“I guarantee you the places that aren’t losing employees are places where the employees, feel like they are partners with leadership, as opposed to minions.”  - Chris Templeton [22:39]
“I can take the most meaningful work in the world, and crush it with crappy management.”  - Chris Templeton [31:14]
 
TIMESTAMPS
[1:13] Meet Chris
[2:45] Overview of Chris’ 3 Question Framework Model and how to apply it 
[14:51] The importance on focusing on career fundamentals
[18:46] The power of career authenticity
[20:09] Discussing current employer and employee dynamics
[27:37] Leadership styles and which one will help build employee morale and loyalty
[29:53] The power of relationships in building your career
[32:22] How going to the office Monday to Friday is dead
[34:07] Importance of congruence 
[35:58] How extrinsic perks don’t work long term to keep employee retention
[38:34] Importance of onboarding and how to keep a good working relationship going with your new team member
[40:35] The best work environment Chris has ever been in and why
[45:35] Feeling guilty for quitting your current job
[47:19] The main reason why professionals fail at building good relationships for their career
[50:07] Main thing Chris wants you to take away from his model and from this interview to help put your career in the right direction
[52:23] Biggest career challenge Chris had to overcome to get to where he is today
[54:25] Contacting Chris
[56:06] Outro
 
RESOURCES & RELEVANT LINKS
Oh The Stories We Tell
Oh The Stories We Tell Youtube Channel
Oh The Stories We Tell Link Tree
Chan With A Plan
Chan With A Plan Facebook Group

The number 1 factor that causes career burnout

EPISODE SUMMARY
Max discusses the main reason why someone experiences career burnout and why leaving your current job may be the best course of action. Based on this past week's episode with Elizabeth Rosenberg, signs of career burnout and how to recover from them. 
 
TIMESTAMPS
[0:49] Main cause of career burnout
[2:09] Why most content creators burn out in the long term
[3:46] How to find out if you need a mental break from your job or it's indeed career burnout and it's time to move on
 
RESOURCES & RELEVANT LINKS
Chan With A Plan
Chan With A Plan Facebook Group

Signs of career burnout and how to recover from them

EPISODE SUMMARY
In this episode of Chan With A Plan, host Max Chan speaks with Elizabeth Rosenberg, Founder of The Good Advice Company, a marketing and communications consultancy. Elizabeth discusses her personal story of how extreme stress and burnout led her to having a scary trip to the ER and what she learned from that experience to turn her career around and become the business owner she is today. 
 
QUOTES
“I got home [from the hospital], I had 100s of Emails, I had dozens of text messages, and instead of putting it all away, and not dealing with it till morning, I jumped back into work and the next morning I woke up, and realized that something was drastically wrong.” - Elizabeth Rosenberg [5:39]
“What I’ve learned now is that there's 4 quadrants, that we need to be listening to, your physical, mental, spiritual and emotional self.”  - Elizabeth Rosenberg [7:04]
“I’ve been fired from a job, I’ve been laid off from a job, I’ve quit from a job, it’s very humbling, to experience all of those things and I think that people forget, that you can be super successful, in your career, and have places where you just not a fit either.”  - Elizabeth Rosenberg [27:09]
 
TIMESTAMPS
[1:10] Meet Elizabeth
[2:54] Elizabeth’s story of how she ended up going to the ER, the aftermath and lessons learned along the way
[8:49] Signs of burnout
[10:30] Elizabeth’s process from having her ER experience to pivoting to becoming self employed and a business owner
[13:57] Avoiding burnout as a business owner
[17:15] Managing your workload and your manager’s expectations of you to avoid burnout
[21:26] Keeping a positive mindset and not panicking when Elizabeth started her business at the beginning of the pandemic
[24:22] How to properly quit your job so you aren’t taking a drastic step back
[25:37] Elizabeth’s plan on quitting her last job before pursuing starting her own business
[27:48] Self discovery to find out what you truly want to do
[29:58] Elizabeth’s health now and advice for people who are experiencing signs of burnout
[31:47] The one major career challenge Elizabeth had to overcome to get to where she is today
[35:02] Contacting Elizabeth
[35:25] Outro
 
RESOURCES & RELEVANT LINKS
The Good Advice Company
The Good Advice Company on Twitter
Elizabeth Rosenberg on LinkedIn
Chan With A Plan
Chan With A Plan Facebook Group

Top 3 customer service lessons learned after working with over 100+ clients

EPISODE SUMMARY
Max discusses the 3 lessons he has learned in customer service after working with over 100+ clients over the past year and a half since he started his career coaching business. Based on this past week's episode with Melanie Wood, on how to confidently handle difficult conversations with challenging clients to reduce your stress levels.
 
TIMESTAMPS
[1:55] Being responsive is the backbone to delivering impeccable customer service
[2:50] The importance of being solution oriented when a client problem arises 
[3:57] Accepting the fact that not every client you have will work out no matter how much effort you had put in
[5:20] Summary of the 3 customer service lessons Max has learned 
 
RESOURCES & RELEVANT LINKS
Chan With A Plan
Chan With A Plan Facebook Group

How to confidently handle difficult conversations with challenging clients to reduce your stress levels

EPISODE SUMMARY
In this episode of Chan With A Plan, host Max Chan speaks with Melanie Wood, an International Communication and Leadership Speaker, Best-Selling Author and Founder/Owner of Speaking Styles. She provides an overview on providing amazing customer service and goes through her experience dealing with difficult conversations with clients such as managing expectations and unhappy clients threatening to cancel or withhold payment. 
 
QUOTES
“[When they object] you haven’t gone enough into exploration there to finding out and getting them to really realize what their big need is.”  - Melanie Wood [9:31]
“[When it comes to managing client expectations] that’s definitely on the onboarding, is going through those expectations there, the other things that I do is, then each step of the way, I then ask them, how is everything going for you.”  - Melanie Wood [14:33]
“[When it comes to handling difficult conversations] you always should plan and prepare your conversations, because that is the way that you’re going to get the best out of the communication, out of yourself, and out of the other person by planning and preparing.”  - Melanie Wood [20:10]
 
TIMESTAMPS
[2:22] Meet Melanie
[3:57] Communication lessons that helped Melanie build her client list during the initial startup phase of her business
[6:10] Melanie’s process on how to perform an effective consultation call with a client
[9:09] Overcoming common objections during a consultation call
[11:30] Tips for giving a great onboarding experience with a new client
[14:19] Managing client expectations
[15:46] Other difficult conversations you could potentially have with clients
[17:38] Handling an angry client after a mistake has been made
[20:25] Client threatening to cancel
[22:58] Whether you should honor a refund request for an unhappy client after they’ve already worked with you for a few months
[24:50] Dealing with clients that are withholding payment
[27:44] Signs during the initial consultation that this prospect is a red flag and would not be a good person/business to bring on
[28:51] Advice for professionals that want to start a service based business or want to work in a client facing role
[30:41] The one major career challenge Melanie had to overcome to get to where she is today
[31:48] Contacting Melanie
[32:21] Outro
 
RESOURCES & RELEVANT LINKS
Speaking Styles
Melanie Wood on LinkedIn
Melanie Wood on Instagram
Melanie Wood on Facebook
Chan With A Plan
Chan With A Plan Private Facebook Group

Networking for Beginners: 3 foundational components to have conversations with professionals that moves your career forward

EPISODE SUMMARY
Max discusses 3 foundational components for effective networking, to help move your career forward. Based on this past week's episode with Sarah Langner, how to overcome workplace loneliness to improve your mental health and have a more happier and fulfilling career.
 
TIMESTAMPS
[1:40] Preparing questions ahead of time and listening attentively to generate more questions 
[3:05] The importance of preparing your elevator pitch and why you want to learn more or work for this company
[3:24] The main principle you need to follow for networking to be enjoyable and effective
[5:01] Summary of points to network with professionals properly and effectively
RESOURCES & RELEVANT LINKS
Chan With A Plan
Chan With A Plan Facebook Group

How to overcome workplace loneliness to improve your mental health and have a more happier and fulfilling career

EPISODE SUMMARY
In this episode of Chan With A Plan, host Max Chan speaks with Sarah Langner, Founder of Hey! Lemonade, a transformative online community and coaching platform that actively works to create belonging, foster connection, and inspire members. She discusses workplace social dynamics to help you make friends at work and keep them long after the working relationship is over. She also goes over strategies on how to combat loneliness in your personal life to build a social network that improves your mental health and gives you a more fulfilling life. 
 
QUOTES
“I think that the best way forward to get more promotions is to make friends, not only friends with the people who are at the same level as you, but friends with the people below you and the people above you.”  - Sarah Langner [14:57]
“So why this [people lose touch once someone leaves for another opportunity] happens is because we only have so much bandwidth in our brains, we can really only maintain about 5 close relationships, and say about 125 secondary relationships.”  - Sarah Langner [23:06]
“We’re looking at 40-60% of the population feeling chronically lonely depending on the age group.”  - Sarah Langner [35:22]
 
TIMESTAMPS
[1:24] Meet Sarah
[3:49] Combating loneliness during COVID as a working professional
[5:48] Discussing what’s worse long term, social isolation or a regular long commute
[6:55] Decrease in social attachment to a company due to COVID
[11:12] Disadvantage of always working from home and possibility of being passed over for promotions due to lack of visibility
[12:26] Prediction on the most optimal work model for work/life flexibility and satisfaction
[13:57] If it’s possible to make real friends at work
[19:59] Reaching out to someone that got laid off that you use to work with and embracing the potential awkwardness to maintain the relationship you’ve built
[22:40] Keeping in touch with a former colleague that left for another opportunity
[27:10] Difference between a friend and an acquaintance
[27:46] Being friends with your manager
[29:48] Your diminishing social circle as you get older
[31:50] Building a social circle as a mid career professional
[34:45] The main factor that contributes to a decreasing social circle over time
[38:48] Long term consequences of chronic loneliness 
[39:43] Right amount of social interaction for a long healthy life
[41:49] Going through a scenario of a professional that recently moved to a new city for a new job and how to start building a rich social circle
[43:03] Conversation starters when meeting new people
[49:33] The one major career challenge Sarah had to overcome to get to where she is today
[50:24] Contacting Sarah
[52:01] Outro
 
RESOURCES & RELEVANT LINKS
Hey! Lemonade
Hey! Lemonade on Facebook
Chan With A Plan
Chan With A Plan Facebook Group