#154: Building Optionality Into Your Business | Tom Morkes

Tom Morkes is the founder and CEO of Insurgent Publishing, author of The Art of Instigating, The Complete Guide to Pay What You Want Pricing and Collaborate, and host of the iconic podcast "In The Trenches," where he interviews today's most fascinating (and sometimes controversial) marketers, entrepreneurs, and authors, including: Dr. Jordan Peterson, Seth Godin, and John Jantsch among many others.   Tom is a sought after marketing and growth consultant whose helped his clients reach the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestseller lists, set the record for the most-funded, non-fiction publishing project in Kickstarter history, and generate millions in sales online using his referral, influencer, and affiliate marketing strategies.   Tom's ideas on marketing and entrepreneurship have been featured in a variety of top publications, including: Inc., Forbes, Business Insider, Entrepreneur, and Growthhacker TV.   Tom is a West Point grad and Iraq War veteran who spent 5 years as a commissioned officer in the US Army before making the plunge into writing, publishing, and entrepreneurship. When Tom isn’t helping brands and businesses grow their profit, he spends his time with his family, working outside on his mountain homestead, and drinking just the right amount of coffee. You can get inside Tom's brain by reading his blog at tommorkes.com. https://www.facebook.com/tmorkes   3:02 "I want to be the person that others would want to follow, that I would want to follow." -Tom Morkes   4:08 "He had that feeling of, 'I am serving all of my employees.'" -Brian Keith   5:33 "So, I always look at things and say, 'How does this expand or give me more options?'" -Tom Morkes   13:59 "Almost always, when I come back...I know something that I didn't know before about who I am and where I'm going." -Brian Keith   15:24 "Are you still tied to that stuff that you produced over this last decade, is that still you?" -Tom Morkes   18:14 "My monetization strategy was: this is going to be good...somehow." -Brian Keith   20:27 "I'm going to stick with these three out of ten or one out of ten [strategies] and really drive it." -Tom Morkes