Building Demand Before You Launch: The Barefaced Story with Jordan Harper

What if you didn't have to build your entire audience from scratch to grow your business? In this episode, I'm breaking down how to borrow other people's audiences and get in front of people who already trust the person introducing you. I share what you can learn from Tim Ferriss and Brené Brown, why getting in the right rooms and building relationships before you need them matters, and how podcast guesting opens doors to bigger opportunities and sales. Get ready to stop growing one follower at a time and start making the high-leverage moves that can change everything for your business.

Do you have a story, skill, or experience that could open doors for you, but you're not sure how to turn it into a speaking career? In this episode, I'm joined by Erin Stafford, who went from leading marketing for a major healthcare company to earning $1 million in speaking fees in just 2 years. We talk about how to find the message you're meant to share, build credibility without waiting for a bestselling book or a huge following, and turn the everyday moments people relate to into powerful stories. Erin also breaks down how to create a signature keynote, customize it for different audiences, pitch yourself for paid opportunities, and build a professional brand that makes it easier for people to book you. Get ready to discover how your story can become one of your most powerful professional assets.

What happens when the life you worked so hard to build starts feeling too busy to enjoy? In this episode, Chris and I share how a simple decision to start reading again led to an unexpected encounter with a neighbor who handed us a book that spoke directly to what we’d been asking for. We talk about why your goals, priorities, and definition of your dream life can change, and how Chris’s Dream Life Budget helps you figure out what needs to shift to create more space, freedom, and fulfillment. Because your dream life isn't something you set once and forget. It's something you keep resetting as you grow.

Your next million-dollar business idea might be closer than you think, but how do you know if it's actually worth pursuing? I'm sitting down with Mark Pincus, founder of Zynga and the mind behind games like FarmVille and Words With Friends, to break down how to turn your instincts into products people actually want. Mark shares his powerful Proven, Better, New framework for testing ideas, avoiding costly mistakes, and figuring out what will sell before you invest all your time and money. We even put his strategies to work LIVE on one of my own businesses, and he shares how to use AI, customer feedback, and simple game mechanics to create products people keep coming back to. Whether you're launching something new or trying to scale what you've already built, this conversation will help you make smarter decisions, find your next winning idea faster, and have a lot more fun building your business.

If you're showing up, sharing your best stories, and still not getting new customers, you're missing a formula that could turn podcast guesting into one of your biggest revenue streams. After 1,700 episodes and 85 million downloads, I've watched guests generate $25K, $50K, and even $100K from a single interview, and I've seen exactly what separates them from the guests who walk away with nothing. In this episode, I'm breaking down the storytelling strategy that makes listeners feel so understood they can't wait to work with you. You'll learn how to position your expertise, choose stories that actually sell, and turn podcast interviews into paying customers without needing a massive following or sounding salesy.