The Mike Thakur Show

Chasing your calling, following your dream | Eric Nevins, founder of Christian Podcaster's Association #29 Mar 02, 2021

We chat with Eric Nevins, founder of the Christian Podcaster's Association. Working in a successful role wasn't enough for Eric, who walked away to chase what he thought was God's call on his life. The journey from there has been a journey we can all learn from no matter what goal we're working towards. Creating something new, learning how to monetize, so much good stuff in todays' conversation!

Creating The Billion Dollar Smile | Dr. Bill Dorfman, founder of Zoom Teeth Whitening System #28 Feb 23, 2021

Dr. Bill Dorfman has been interviewed on ABC’s Good Morning America, The View, Oprah, CNN’s Larry King Live, NBC’s The Today Show, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Dr. Phil, The Rachael Ray Show, Steve Harvey Show, FABLife, The Doctors, The Tyra Banks Show, Ricki Lake Show, Entertainment Tonight, MTV’s The Osbournes & Newlyweds: Nick & Jessica, The Wayne Brady Show, The Sharon Osbourne Show, Living It Up! With Ali & Jack, EXTRA, Soap Talk, Access Hollywood & E! Entertainment Television and more.

In 1989, at the age of 30, Dr. Bill formed the hugely successful company, Discus Dental, Inc., the world’s leading manufacturer & distributor of tooth-whitening, oral hygiene & aesthetic dental products. Here he helped develop such ground-breaking professional take-home teeth whitening products as Nite White, Day White, Breath Rx, Zoom! , and Brite Smile.

His humanitarian & philanthropic involvement has led to his being honored with 14 Life Time Achievement Awards in addition to 2 Guinness World Book records and in 2018 he was Knighted by the Royal Order of Constantine!

From Cocaine to Christ | Brian Mohika, founder of CathWear #27 Feb 16, 2021

Brian Mohika was addicting to drugs and alcohol for over 20 years when he met Jesus and his life was radically changed. Following a vision he saw of a way to improve the lives of his patients that used catheters, Brian create a prototype device and launched Cathwear. To read more about Brian’s story check out his book on Amazon here... https://www.amazon.com/Cocaine-Christ-Redemption-Reconciliation-Recovery-ebook/dp/B07RQ878RY

Balancing Relationships & Business - #26 Feb 11, 2021

Business partners, clients, your family and your spouse. You interact with them all but each one in a unique way. In today's episode of The Mike Thakur Show join Mike and Linda as they talk through some of their observations as they've navigated each of these areas over the course of multiple startups and non-profit endeavors.

Leave It Better Than You Found It | Craig Johnson with Lakewood Church #25 Feb 02, 2021

Craig Johnson is Founder of a non-profit organization called 'Champions Club', that provides incredible training, support and education to children and families dealing with special needs. Birthed out of Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas, Craig's life was changed when his young son was diagnosed with autism.

In Craig's words: Champions Club is a special needs ministry, specialized in ministering to and designing developmental areas for kids, teens, and adults with special needs and the medically fragile. We have developed a program that meets the developmental needs of individuals with special needs in four important ways: SPIRITUALLY, INTELLECTUALLY, MENTALLY, and PHYSICALLY.

"The Blessing" from Lakewood Church's 'Live in the Wonderful' album (Spotify Link).

Learn more at:

Instagram: @championsclubs
Facebook: @championsclub.org
Twitter: @championsclubs
Website: www.championsclub.org

Craig's Books:

Champion

Lead Vertically

You Are Extraordinary

Saying YES to God sized dreams | Britt Mooney #24 Jan 26, 2021

Located in Atlanta, Georgia, Phoenix Roasters is a coffee company that has directly contacted coffee farmers in places such as, Guatemala, Panama, and Honduras. The connection between this coffee company and the non-profit work they do is incredible. Mooney believes that everyone has a God given purpose.

For the full show notes head over to: https://mikethakur.com/2021/01/25/growing-into-god-sized-dreams/

What you focus on you magnify. Finding purpose through obedience | Scott Silverii #23 Jan 19, 2021

Dr. Scott Silverii is a retired police chief with 26 years in law enforcement that included deep undercover work along with special operations or SWAT. With a doctorate degree and a high profile author as his wife, he’s taken on a second purpose in life as he’s caught the author bug and has himself written over 40 books. Between them, they’ve sold over 10 MILLION (!) books

Talking coworking, community and startups | Liz Elam, founder of GCUC #22 Jan 12, 2021

On today's episode of The Mike Thakur Show we chat with Liz Elam, Founder of GCUC Global, an amazing team of folks who put on the largest, worldwide coworking conferences in exotic places like Singapore, Australia as well as here at home in the good ol' US of A! Liz has built her on the tenet that working one’s way up from the bottom instills tenacity, creates resilience and develops overall excellence. That belief, blended with an innovative spirit and a competitive yet collaborative drive, has propelled her to the forefront of the coworking movement and we learn some great takeaways in today's episode.

Frugal Noodle: The most overlooked goal of every entrepreneur - #21 Jan 08, 2021

We all think about new year goals, resolutions and ideas as we see out the old and get excited about the new, but what if one of those goals was to spend less? Be more careful? Be more frugal? Mike and Linda talk about some of the benefits you can expect by setting goals around frugality, proving that 'splashing the cash' isn't as sexy as preserving it wisely!

Season 1 Review with Mike and Linda - #20 Dec 22, 2020

Mike and Linda talk through some of the highlights of the first season for The Mike Thakur Show.

From Matt Potter with Pray.com who’s seeing one million downloads each month for their incredible app, (after raising millions in capital to dominate the faith based app landscape), to Dianna Bautista with Shear Love who left her life in California to go change lives across the globe in Thailand.

We’ve learned about redefining success (thanks Tim Winders), human trafficking (thanks Dianna AND Helen Taylor) and even the importance of developing a bucket list that you can live your life around (shout out to Trav who’s new book just launched in the #1 spot of Amazon Australia), it’s been an incredible journey.

Thinking about Christmas and the gift of Jesus, we also took a moment to think about not just being thankful for Jesus, but being thankful for God to take the time to even think about saving us and finding a way to do that. It’s not just the gift that’s important, but the giver Himself and what it shows us and tells us about him, and how he views us.

We’re so excited about season 2 and the episodes we’ve recorded so far have all just been amazing.

RESOURCES

‘The Grumbler’s Guide to Giving Thanks’ by Dustin Crowe

‘The Holiday’ with Cameron Diaz, Jack Black, Jude Law and Kate Winslet

‘6 Hours One Friday’ by Max Lucado

BIO:

Mike Thakur is CEO of WorkLodge and Founder at the Gabriel Project. He is on a mission to change lives through entrepreneurship and sustainable social enterprise. With experience both as an executive roles both at established companies and multiple startups (commercial and non-profit), Mike is committed to giving back and creating environments that leave people better off than when they started.

Additional episodes of The Mike Thakur Show available at:

https://www.mikethakur.com/show

Follow Mike:

Websites: worklodge.com (Company Website)
mikethakur.com (Personal Website)

LinkedIn
Instagram
Facebook

Achieving Global Impact: How Digital Savvy and Vivid Narrative Drive Exodus Cry | Helen Taylor #19 Dec 19, 2020

On this BONUS episode of The Mike Thakur Show, Helen Taylor from Exodus Cry joins Mike for a follow on conversation around human trafficking, sex slavery and the commercial, sexual exploitation of people against their will.

Helen was recently involved in the trafficking hub / NY Times article that resulted in PornHub, a website that in the words of Nicholas Kristof in that same article, was described as “the technology company with the third greatest-impact on society in the 21st century, after Facebook and Google but ahead of Microsoft, Apple and Amazon”!

Because of the collective efforts of many different organizations, spearheaded by Trafficking Hub and Exodus Cry, Pornhub recently (this week!) lost the ability to process Mastercard, Visa and Discover card payments and finally removed over 10 MILLION videos that featured non-consenting / exploited individuals.

Helen has committed her life to the cause of “shifting culture and changing laws through making films, documentaries, blogs and podcasts” so that the world, yes, the WORLD changes its laws around sex trafficking. Her ultimate goal is to abolish the sex trafficking industry through the team’s work at Exodus Cry, operating a multifaceted army working from the ground, and the sky to achieve this.

Originally from the U.K. Helen studied at Newcastle University where she came across someone who would ultimately found Exodus Cry, through an online video. After hearing their heart and the story they told, Helen encountered God so strongly in that moment that she couldn’t stop crying for over 3 hours. When she finally made it to the U.S., she worked for 3 years without pay to commit to the cause and start changing lives.

KEY TOPICS

Finding purpose and committing to it no matter what the cost.
Being authentic, living out that purpose in a tangible, transparent way.
Learning to dig deep and keep moving forward through challenges and obstacles.
Developing a healthy definition of success for your life that isn’t dependent upon external results.
Fighting justice with joy.

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE

Episodes 17 where with Dianna Bautista from Shear Love, who packed up and moved half way across the world to dedicate her life to the rescue of men and women being exploited for financial gain.

QUOTES

“Fight justice with joy”.
“If you haven’t defined what success is in your own life then you may be driven by the wrong motives that may hurt yourself and the people around you and does the success in your life include relationships?”
“On a micro level, we measure success as showing up, doing the assignment to the best of our ability because we know trafficking is going to exist to the end of the age.”
“It’s that purpose and passion that drives all of us.”
“I just decided that I was going to give my life to this.”

RESOURCES

Link to the New York Times article:
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/04/opinion/sunday/pornhub-rape-trafficking.html

YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MFaDHgXPbUg

BIO:

Mike Thakur is CEO of WorkLodge and Founder at the Gabriel Project. He is on a mission to change lives through entrepreneurship and sustainable social enterprise. With experience both as an executive roles both at established companies and multiple startups (commercial and non-profit), Mike is committed to giving back and creating environments that leave people better off than when they started.

Additional episodes of The Mike Thakur Show available at:
https://www.mikethakur.com/show

Follow Exodus Cry:

Website: www.exoduscry.com

Campaign/petition: www.traffickinghub.com

Youtube: www.youtube.com/exoduscry

Facebook: www.facebook.com/exoduscry

Instagram:

@exoduscry

@benjinolot

@helen.mctaylor

@lailamickelwait

Follow Mike:

Websites: worklodge.com (Company Website)
mikethakur.com (Personal Website)

Instagram

Facebook

Is Your Life Plan More Important Than Your Business Plan | Trav Bell the Bucket List Guy #18 Dec 15, 2020

On this episode of The Mike Thakur Show, Trav Bell joins Mike for a conversation around happiness, fulfillment and the importance of letting your life plan, not your business plan lead your steps on a daily basis.

Trav, The ‘Bucket List Guy’ travels the world evangelizing his core belief that “We owe it to ourselves to live a regret-free life rather than a regret-ful life.” On a mission to change the narrative around mental health, he believes that prevention is far better than the cure.

“They call me the bucket list guy, and for the last 10 years I’ve been running around the world doing my bucket list while other people pay me to talk about it, helping them to do the same. We’re on a mission to wake people up before they’re given that ‘use by date’.

Previously in the fitness industry, Trav built an impressive personal fitness brand with tens of thousands of clients and over 300 personal trainers. When things started to get ‘on top of him’, a mild depression set in. Reluctant to simply band aid the issue with anti-depressants, Trav wanted to deal with the cause and so pressed into his breakdown until he hit a breakthrough moment.

Recognizing that others were dealing with some of the same issues and thoughts, he began building his legacy, through his Bucket List network that operates in 22 countries around the world. .

Trav lives in Australia with his wife, and believes that one of the keys to prioritizing your life plan is to get an old fashioned pen and paper out, and write down your goals, because you’re 42% more likely to see something come to fruition as a result of this one simple act.

KEY TOPICS

Concentrating on the what and the why is most important because if the why is strong enough the how will work itself out.
Making your life list a bigger priority than your todo list.
Learning not to sacrifice your happiness now hoping you’ll enjoy life later because later may never come.
Recognizing that fulfillment is more important and longer lasting than happiness.
Understanding that creating a tangible life plan means our business plan should fit into IT, and not the other way around.
There is no work/life balance anymore, only a work/life blend for the most successful entrepreneurs.

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE

Episodes 6 & 7 where we talk in more detail about the importance of having a support network around you before starting any entrepreneurial journey to help protect and keep your mental wellness healthy.

QUOTES

“I’ve been very intentional about lifestyle design”.
“Live your bucket list before you hit your use by date.”
“You’re no good to anyone if you’re not on top of your psychology.”
“It’s a tangible life plan where our business plan should fit into our life plan, and not the other way around.”
“It’s not about work life balance, it’s about work life blend… Because nothing ever balances if you’re obsessed with your business.”
“It’s really about attention management. What are we paying attention to at any given time.”
“It’s not a matter of resources, it’s a matter of resourcefulness.”
“Hurry up and live your bucket list because you’re going to die soon.”
“People are dying at 40 and being buried at 80."

RESOURCES

Book: The Happiness Advantage by Shawn Achor
Book: The Path to Freedom by Barry Magliarditi

Trav’s new book, “My Bucket List Blueprint” launches THIS WEEK!

BIO:

Mike Thakur is CEO of WorkLodge and Founder at the Gabriel Project. He is on a mission to change lives through entrepreneurship and sustainable social enterprise. With experience both as an executive roles both at established companies and multiple startups (commercial and non-profit), Mike is committed to giving back and creating environments that leave people better off than when they started.

Additional episodes of The Mike Thakur Show available at: https://www.mikethakur.com/show

Follow Trav Bell:

Website: https:/twww.thebucketlistguy.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thebucketlistguy/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bucketlistguy.travbell

Twitter: https://twitter.com/travbell

Ted Talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GImTk0BzBhM

Email: trav@thebucketlistguy.com

Hashtag: #tickitB4Ukickit

Follow Mike:

Websites: worklodge.com (Company Website)
mikethakur.com (Personal Website)

Instagram

Facebook

Email: Info@mikethakur.com

Fighting for freedom from human trafficking through love, training and education | Dianna Bautista with Shear Love #17 Dec 08, 2020

Introduction

We chat with Dianna Bautista, founder of Shear Love International, who is dedicating her life to fighting for the freedom of human trafficking victims and those bound in the sex slave industry around the world.

Through a combination of missions, entrepreneurship and a ‘startup’ mindset, she moved overseas from Southern California to create a vocational training school that brings hope and offers freedom through love and education. And she’s just getting started.

Shear Love educates and empowers people by equipping people with vocational knowledge, financial training, and personal development to give them an opportunity to support their families in a dignified way.

What you’ll learn:

Why finding your purpose is so important.

Why understanding the difference between passion and purpose is necessary to be successful.

How to keep going and stay on course when challenges and setbacks try to pull you down.

The bottom line:

Amazing people become amazing by doing amazing things. Diana, a hair stylist from California saw an opportunity to change lives through her skill set and education, and decided to commit her life to that purpose. It’s the same story of every entrepreneur. What can you do today, to change other people’s tomorrow?

Links / resources

Web: shearloveinternational.org
Facebook: facebook.com/shearloveinternational
Instagram: instagram.com/shearloveinternational
Twitter: twitter.com/shearloveint

You might also like:

Subscribe now to be notified of our upcoming Season 2 episode with Exodus Cry, another incredible group of people working to end human trafficking and human slavery. Coming January 2021.

BONUS - Next Level Entrepreneurism: Charity, Profitability and Synergy Dec 03, 2020

Mike joined the 'Business Bros', San Diego's #1 rated business podcast this week to chat about entrepreneurship and it's connection to your passion and purpose. Enjoy their episode here, on The Mike Thakur Show today! "One bro is a Certified Real Estate Coach and the other an Insurance Coach. Together they have been coaching agents to become successful sales people by following specific systems to help agents F.O.C.U.S and spend time on Money Making Activities."

Walking the Path: How Business and Faith are Intertwined | Tim Winders with Seek. Go. Create. #15 Nov 24, 2020

Today's conversation with Tim starts with us being 'thankful' and delves deeper into some meaningful themes that surround the Christian entrepreneur looking to live out their faith in a business arena. Tim Winders is a Performance Coach. Author and host of the SeekGoCreate podcast, where Tim goes to the out of the way places to bring you people who redefine success and impact in remarkable ways as dreamers, movers, strategists, and connectors. Redefining success in leadership, business and ministry.

Conversation with Russ Hilton from Christians in our Soup (UK) - #14 Nov 17, 2020

We chat with Russ Hilton from 'New Sound Christian Radio's' CCM Show, and host of the 'Christians in our soup' Podcast about his journey into Radio and then Podcasting, along with Stryper, Dr. Who and all kinds of crazy turns along the way. Russ described himself as 'one of God's peculiar people', looking to inspire other peculiar people because life is simply not 'black and white'. Check out his podcast everywhere podcasts are found.

Conversation with Matthew Potter from Pray.com - #13 Nov 10, 2020

The Journey to Founding Pray.com and What Lies Ahead.

On this episode of The Mike Thakur Show, Matt Potter joins Mike and Linda for an inspiring conversation about the evolution of Pray.com, a social impact startup whose faith-based mission makes all the relentless sacrifice and hard work not only worth it, but fun. They cover a range of topics both practical and spiritual, from defining metrics for success to the meaning of service in the context of life legacy.

Matt shares the story of how his Pray.com collaboration came into being and the providential signposts that set him on the path. He describes the demands associated with a “bootstrap” venture like Pray.com and how the platform has established a gold standard for content. In addition to offering portals through which to connect with faith communities or donate to churches, the application offers a huge trove of content for all age groups: Bible sagas and bedtime stories, music and other resources. And because Pray.com’s mission above all else is to uplift and improve the lives of people from all walks of life, much of the content is free and all of it is available at an affordable $49.99 annually - - about the price of a latte a month.

It’s a conversation that will both give you the anatomy of a successful startup (Pray.com launched in 2016) and share the very personal ways in which Matt finds deep meaning and motivation in the company’s commitment to doing well by doing good. He and his co-founders want to be able to look back and feel that they have impacted people or changed the world for the better. Much like Mike and Linda, Matt and his colleagues are all about marrying profit with purpose and embracing what is truly a labor of love.

KEY TOPICS

Pray.com has an origin story very similar to that of many start-ups.
Started out with online communities where people could post prayer requests.
The platform includes a charitable portal in which 100% of proceeds go directly to designated churches.
Pray.com features “Faith Entertainment” content, including biblical sagas, bedtime bible stories, educational material for kids.
The company has received 47,000 reviews and it’s a point of pride that they respond to every single one.
Pray.com followed a trajectory fairly typical of any startup.
Challenge can be turned to advantage through healthy debate.
Pray.com’s success is built on incredibly high standards for quality of content.
Pricing is a process that requires constant testing and adjustment.
Pray.com measures success by, among other things, the number of customer “shares.”
Ultimately Pray.com is driven by a mission to serve others, but tireless hard work, strategic thinking and high standards ensure the company’s growth and success.

QUOTES

“Our vision is to create a world where everyone can leave a legacy of helping others.”
“We don’t sell the Bible. We scripted the Bible -- as an incredible, vivid show.”
“We call conflict friction and friction is actually really healthy.”
“The only way to develop the gut to make those gut decisions is to talk to the customer – being obsessed with the customer.”
“Every individual pixel has been standard checked to make sure that we are delivering the content in the best way possible for the users so they have the best experience.”
“Whether it’s a service or a product, you can always afford to give some products away for free for a period of time to bring more customers in the door later.”
“You have to love what you are doing, because if you love what you are doing you will always put the maximum amount of effort into it. And that’s what it takes to make a successful business. There’s no silver bullet.”
“Only do something you love because if you’re doing it just for the money, you will quit.”

BIO:

Mike Thakur is CEO of WorkLodge and Founder at the Gabriel Project. He is on a mission to change lives through entrepreneurship and sustainable social enterprise. With experience both as an executive roles both at established companies and multiple startups (commercial and non-profit), Mike is committed to giving back and creating environments that leave people better off than when they started.

Additional episodes of The Mike Thakur Show available at: https://www.mikethakur.com/show

Follow Matt Potter via app stores or website:
www.pray.com

LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthew-potter-35928b27/

Follow Mike:
worklodge.com (Company Website)
mikethakur.com (Personal Website)

LinkedIn
Instagram
Facebook

Email: Info@mikethakur.com

Be Branded - The How & Why Behind Successful Rebranding - #12 Nov 03, 2020

Even great companies sometimes find their name just isn't conveying the message they want to share. Apple Computers famously became 'Apple' when they wanted to break out beyond the boundaries of being known as a 'computer' company. Today we talk to Flavorly, who recently completed a rebranding as a way to better communicate who they are and what they stand for. Hear their hearts and learn from their ideas as they share the journey that took them to this point.

Be bold, because if you don't take the leap, you'll never learn to fly - #11 Oct 27, 2020

What does it take for someone to make the leap and jump from the safety of a regular paycheck, into the vast unknown world of entrepreneurship? What happens if you fail? What happens if you can't pay the mortgage? Today's episode includes our very first, top secret guest Jason, and conversation around the emotions, thoughts and ideas that people have when thinking about leaving the safety of a career, and starting something new, by themselves.

Be yourself, "there is no-one alive who is youer than you." - #10 Oct 06, 2020

It's all about YOU! Being you is the most important thing you can do because "there is no-one alive who is youer than you". Developing 'you' as part of the entrepreneurial journey is the ONLY way to true success because part of the journey is finding you.

Be Hope, it's your superpower to the world - #9 Sep 29, 2020

We all experience 'Life Changing Events' that change and shape who we are, who we'll become and what drives us to the goals we set. In this episode. hear Mike and Linda talk about one of those events that guided their steps to helping those who can't help themselves.

Be Prepared. Profits will magnify who you are - #8 Sep 22, 2020

Understanding that money magnifies and amplifies who you are, be prepared now for who you WANT to be when the profits roll in because being in love with money isn't a good thing. Being in love with what you can do and achieve with money is a whole different ball game.

Be Supported (Part 2) - Your Village Starts at Home Sep 15, 2020

Mike is joined by his wife, Linda in the studio as a follow on from last week's episode. Listen to her perspective on supporting and being a part of an entrepreneur's journey.

Be supported, it takes a village Sep 08, 2020

Starting something, anything, from nothing is an incredible experience, but you won't do it alone. If you haven't thought about the amount of support and buy in you'll need from your partner, your friends and your family, today's episode is for you.

Be Confident, you've still got this. Sep 01, 2020

Feeling like business has you feeling overwhelmed? Feel like giving up is the answer? 2020 might be throwing up challenges you never thought you'd see, but there IS a way to build your confidence, and reshape your focus to find a way through.

Be amazing! It's worth it. Aug 25, 2020

Delivering exceptional experiences and outstanding customer service is important not just because it helps you win more business, but because at a DNA level, it's the right thing to do. At least I think so, and apparently, so does Danny Meyer, founder of Shake Shack.

How does being a Social Enterprise affect Profitability? Aug 18, 2020

Ever wondered if focusing on impact and running a business as a social enterprise affects profitability? In today's show we talk about the various benefits a business experiences when focused on being generous and looking beyond itself, to better the local community it's located in.

Living the Dream. Aug 11, 2020

From dreaming about orphanages to building them 2 decades later, we all have the ability to do something, somewhere, to benefit someone. Check out this video to see what I talk about in the show: https://youtu.be/9FA06uqVzDA

Why People, Profit, and Purpose? Aug 11, 2020

Mike talks through the journey that's brought him to today, focused and intentionally looking for ways to marry profit with purpose, as a way to change lives. Joined in the studio with his wife Linda, this pilot episode will help you get to know Mike a little better, while learning the best way to make a quarter pounder with cheese, with extra ketchup!

Who is Mike Thakur? Aug 04, 2020

A few years ago I had this crazy thought. If I could take my PROFIT, and put it towards PEOPLE, I could find my PURPOSE and do something meaningful for my customers and for the world. I’m Mike Thakur, CEO of WorkLodge and the Gabriel Project, and I’m on a mission to change lives through entrepreneurship and sustainable social enterprise. On this podcast I’m going to share some lessons I’ve learned along the way, and create a space where you can do the same. So we can learn together how to marry People with Profit, and find our Purpose.