Mind of All Trades

Pol Cousineau

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Entrepreneurship
Updated Biweekly

Mind of All Trades, exploring the craft and commerce of educational businesses in the digital age.

1d ago

Customers Don't Buy, They Hire - Bill Flynn

"People do not buy products and services from you. They hire them to get a certain job or set of jobs done for them." It's the idea at the center of how Bill Flynn now teaches CEOs to sell. In Part 1, Bill and Pol Cousineau dig into why most companies sell on the supply side while their customers buy on the demand side. Bill explains how studying decision science took him from struggling in his first sales job to being the number one or two salesperson everywhere he went, what a dining room table taught one condo developer about why people don't buy, and how to interview customers so they tell you things they didn't know they knew. They close on the three things thriving businesses get right, and why cash should be your primary financial metric. In this episode, you'll hear: How Bill built a solo advisory business he works about 30 days a year Why he chose Scaling Up over EOS, and why selling takes both competence and confidence How studying decision-making turned his sales results around Jobs to Be Done and Demand Side Sales 101: why customers hire products instead of buying them The functional, social, and emotional reasons behind every purchase How to interview customers like an investigative journalist The three things thriving businesses get right: teams, systems, and cash Chapters: 00:00 - Coming Up and Intro 03:43 - A One-Person Business Built Around 100 Days a Year 07:12 - Choosing an Expertise: Scaling Up vs. EOS 10:33 - Competence, Confidence, and Learning to Sell 17:58 - Jobs to Be Done: Why Customers Hire You 22:25 - Applying Jobs to Be Done to Training 25:37 - Turning Customer Needs Into Your Message 31:59 - Customer Discovery and Designing for What They Want 38:29 - Fewer Features, Fewer Bonuses, Clearer Language 41:36 - Bending the Curve: Why Most Businesses Struggle 48:51 - Getting Better and Aiming for a Million Lives About Bill Flynn Bill Flynn is the founder of Catalyst Growth Advisors and an executive coach, speaker, and advisor to CEOs of scaling companies. He teaches management science to CEOs and their leadership teams so they can take the guesswork out of growth. Bill brings more than 30 years of operating experience as an eight-time VP of sales, two-time CMO, and general manager of a $100 million-plus division, across 10 startups, two IPOs, and seven acquisitions. He is a member of Marshall Goldsmith's MG100 coaching community, and his writing has appeared in Harvard Business Review, Training Magazine, and ATD. He is the author of Further Faster and is based in Greater Boston. Bill's new book, The Hero Trap, comes out in October 2026. Like Further Faster, it centers on his core idea: great leaders build organizations that make their own indispensability unnecessary. Check out The Hero Trap book written by Bill Flynn: https://catalystgrowthadvisors.com/the-hero-trap/ Connect with Bill: Website: https://catalystgrowthadvisors.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/billflynnpublic Want to be a guest on Mind Of All Trades? Apply here: https://mindofalltrades.com/podcast-application Follow Mind Of All Trades: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MindofAllTrades Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4MixC1mfhhUVIOFO1mywUc Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mind-of-all-trades/id6807196830 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mindofalltrades/ Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/32ce7fa4-4473-4c53-9256-7fca60e47331/mind-of-all-trades LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/mind-of-all-trades/ Theme music by Breakmaster Cylinder.
5d ago

How to Turn One Book Into an App, Workbooks, and a Mastermind - Gary Mitchell

"I don't know too many lawyers that can sit down and read a 300-plus-page book in their spare time." That's why Gary Mitchell didn't stop at the book. In Part 2, Gary and Pol Cousineau look under the hood at how Gary turned one book into workbooks, an app, and a masterclass, and how each piece fits into a ladder of offers that runs from a content subscription all the way up to premium one-on-one coaching. Gary explains how he designs each level around how people learn and how much support they need, why sharing your framework doesn't cannibalize your premium offers, and the simple hiring rule that keeps you from burning out before help arrives. They close on A players, delegation, and the legacy Gary wants to leave. In this episode, you'll hear: How Gary teaches the same message through one-on-one coaching, a mastermind, an app, workbooks, and retreats Why peer learning works so well for risk-averse professionals How the book became workbooks, an app, and a masterclass, and why giving away information doesn't hurt sales How Gary builds accountability into his mastermind, one commitment at a time His 60/80/100 rule for knowing when to start hiring The AI tools Gary relies on, and how he delegates the tech he'd rather not touch How to spot your A players, and why it always comes back to attitude Chapters: 02:32 - How One Book Becomes Workbooks, an App, and a Mastermind 09:13 - The Fear of Giving Away Your Content 15:21 - Designing Offers Around Your Clients’ Time 20:22 - Accountability and the Power of a Quick Win 23:29 - Why People Don’t Change Until It Hurts, and When to Hire 27:05 - Gary’s Tools and AI Stack 31:41 - Build Leaders: Strengths, A Players, and How Deep to Delegate 38:31 - Reasonable Expectations and Knowing Your Team 42:18 - Where to Find Gary’s Book and Program About Gary Mitchell Gary Mitchell is a law firm architect, business coach, and the founder of OnTrac Coach. Since 2005, OnTrac Coach has helped law firm owners create systems and processes to scale their firms for growth, increase revenues and profits, develop best leadership practices, build extraordinary teams, and gain more freedom. Gary has twice been named a top 10 coach to law firms in North America and is the author of four books, most recently The AND Approach: How to Grow Your Law Firm AND Gain More Freedom. Before coaching, he trained as an actor and singer and performed all over the world. Chapter workbooks for The AND Approach are now available on Gary's website, and he is launching The AND Approach Law Firm Growth Masterclass and The AND Approach Podcast. Check out The AND Approach book written by Gary Mitchell: https://ontraccoach.com/the-and-approach/ Connect with Gary: Website: https://ontraccoach.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ontrac-coach/?viewAsMember=true Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ontraccoach YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/ontraccoach Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theandapproach/ Want to be a guest on Mind of All Trades? Apply here: https://mindofalltrades.com/podcast-application Follow Mind of All Trades: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MindofAllTrades Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4MixC1mfhhUVIOFO1mywUc Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mind-of-all-trades/id6807196830 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mindofalltrades/ Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/32ce7fa4-4473-4c53-9256-7fca60e47331/mind-of-all-trades LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/mind-of-all-trades/ Theme music by Breakmaster Cylinder.
Oct 6

Why Letting Go of Control Gives You More of It - Gary Mitchell

"At the end of the day, you have more control over your time, your firm, your life, because it's running smoothly." That's Gary Mitchell on the irony at the heart of what he calls The AND Approach. Gary trained as an actor and singer, ran for parliament (and, in his words, thankfully lost), then spent more than 20 years coaching law firm owners exclusively. In this episode, he and Pol Cousineau talk about why so many owners become the biggest bottleneck in their own business, how to let go of control without letting standards slip, and why the people and systems you build are what finally give you your time back. The examples come from law firms, but the lessons carry straight over to any educational business with a team. In this episode, you'll hear: How running a campaign for a first-time candidate led Gary to coaching law firm owners Why trying to control everything creates a culture of dependence and makes you the bottleneck The mistake Gary found in his own book after eight rounds of editing, and what it says about perfectionism Why Gary tells clients to hire attitude over resume, every time What McDonald's can teach you about systems, onboarding, and getting new hires productive faster The question that shows whether your business could run for two weeks without you Chapters: 03:48 - From Acting and Politics to Coaching Law Firms 09:59 - Understanding the Lawyer Mind 13:16 - Managing Your Team's Time Without Spyware 18:55 - Perfectionism and Why You Can't Do It All Alone 23:01 - Starting With the Team You Have 31:00 - Your Right-Hand Person and the Freedom to Step Away 35:09 - Digging Into the AND Approach 41:23 - Asking Your Team What They Actually Want 46:12 - Systems, Processes, and Scaling About Gary Mitchell Gary Mitchell is a law firm architect, business coach, and the founder of OnTrac Coach. Since 2005, OnTrac Coach has helped law firm owners create systems and processes to scale their firms for growth, increase revenues and profits, develop best leadership practices, build extraordinary teams, and gain more freedom. Gary has twice been named a top 10 coach to law firms in North America and is the author of four books, most recently The AND Approach: How to Grow Your Law Firm AND Gain More Freedom. Before coaching, he trained as an actor and singer and performed all over the world. Check out The AND Approach book written by Gary Mitchell: https://ontraccoach.com/the-and-approach/ Connect with Gary: Website: https://ontraccoach.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ontrac-coach/?viewAsMember=true Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ontraccoach YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/ontraccoach Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theandapproach/ Want to be a guest on Mind of All Trades? Apply here: https://mindofalltrades.com/podcast-application Follow Mind of All Trades: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MindofAllTrades Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4MixC1mfhhUVIOFO1mywUc Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mind-of-all-trades/id6807196830 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mindofalltrades/ Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/32ce7fa4-4473-4c53-9256-7fca60e47331/mind-of-all-trades LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/mind-of-all-trades/ Theme music by Breakmaster Cylinder.
Oct 1

The System That Keeps Your Business Running Without You - Lara Nieberding

"There is a time and a place for AI, and there is still a place and a need for an OBM in your business." That's Lara Nieberding's own answer to the question Part 1 left hanging, and in Part 2, she and Pol get into exactly why. This part picks up right where Part 1 ended: the actual system Lara builds so a business doesn't depend on any one person's memory. She walks through her "source of truth" method, the tools stack she relies on, how she manages a founder who never stops having new ideas, and how to structure a team meeting that doesn't turn into a fight. Then, toward the end, she gets personal about something that's affected her directly: what AI is already changing about her own industry, and what she believes still can't be replaced. In this episode, you'll hear: Why Lara tells AI the exact same thing she'd tell her own team The tools stack that keeps everything (and everyone) connected How to manage a founder who never stops having new ideas How to structure a team meeting that doesn't turn into a fight What AI already took from Lara, and what she believes still can't be replaced Timestamps: 0:00 Coming Up + Recap 2:53 Teaching AI Your Source of Truth 8:01 The Tools Stack 17:29 Protecting Your Work With Version Control 21:44 Managing a Founder's Constant New Ideas 27:11 Structuring Team Meetings That Work 32:52 The Future of the Industry (and AI) About Lara Nieberding Lara is a Certified Online Business Manager and the founder of Encore OBM. In her own words: her job is to make sure the right things (planning) get done in the right way (systems), at the right time (project management), by the right people (team management). She works primarily with business, marketing, and life coaches who offer online courses and programs. Connect with Lara: Company: Encore OBM LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/laranieberding Want to be a guest on Mind of All Trades? Apply here: mindofalltrades.com/podcast-application Join our membership waitlist: https://mindofalltrades.com/membership/ Follow Mind of All Trades: YouTube: youtube.com/@MindofAllTrades Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/4MixC1mfhhUVIOFO1mywUc Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mind-of-all-trades/id6807196830 Instagram: instagram.com/mindofalltrades Amazon Music: music.amazon.com/podcasts/32ce7fa4-4473-4c53-9256-7fca60e47331/mind-of-all-trades LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/mind-of-all-trades Theme music by Breakmaster Cylinder.
Sep 29

What Happens to Your Business When You Disappear - Lara Nieberding

What happens to your business if you disappear? Pol has actually been asked that question himself, and Lara Nieberding has spent almost two decades building the answer for other people's businesses. Lara, known online as The Purple Lara, is a certified online business manager who has worked entirely virtually since 2007. She's run six-figure coaching and consulting operations in fields as different as financial advising and holistic healing, and she earned her OBM certification in 2011 after training with Tina Forsyth. Her credo: "proper planning prevents poor performance." In this episode, she and Pol get into what it actually takes to keep a business running when the person who built it isn't the one holding it together day to day. In this episode, you'll hear: The real reason Lara deliberately gives some clients a deadline that isn't the real deadline How to tell whether a founder and an operator are actually a good fit, before it becomes a problem What happens when a launch goes sideways mid-campaign, and how to steer it without panicking the team Why "what happens if you die" is a real planning question, not a morbid one How Lara actually structures a project management system so nothing depends on one person's memory About Lara Nieberding Lara Nieberding is a certified online business manager who has worked entirely virtually since 2007, running Encore Online Business Management. She's a member of the International Association of Online Business Managers (certified 2011) and the International Virtual Assistants Association (member since 2007), and she calls herself a "Jane of all trades." Connect with Lara: Company: Encore OBM LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/laranieberding Follow Mind of All Trades: YouTube: youtube.com/@MindofAllTrades Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/4MixC1mfhhUVIOFO1mywUc Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mind-of-all-trades/id6807196830 Instagram: instagram.com/mindofalltrades Amazon Music: music.amazon.com/podcasts/32ce7fa4-4473-4c53-9256-7fca60e47331/mind-of-all-trades LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/mind-of-all-trades Apply to be a guest here: https://mindofalltrades.com/podcast-application/ Theme music by Breakmaster Cylinder.
Sep 24

Most People Are Failing Way More Than You Think - Alan Lazaros

Most people are just cowards, including himself. That's Alan Lazaros' actual claim on this episode, and he means it as an invitation, not an insult: fear is usually the real reason people don't execute, not a lack of knowledge or effort. Alan is the co-founder of Next Level University, where he offers weekly meetups and one-on-one and group coaching. He also co-hosts the Next Level University podcast, a global top 100 self-improvement show with more than 2,500 episodes and listeners in over 175 countries. He left a stable corporate path (he holds a BS in computer engineering and an MBA) to build a single podcast into a company with a 23-person global team, and says he's helped generate more than $15 million in revenue for his own coaching clients. In this episode, he walks through his Constraint Theory framework: why chasing more effort is usually the wrong move, and why the real unlock is identifying the one thing actually limiting your growth. In this episode, you'll hear: Why "you are already enough" might be the worst advice you've been givenHow to actually find your constraint, instead of guessing at itWhy most businesses aren't measuring the things that matter, and what to track insteadHow to build a leaderboard culture with real titles, roles, and accountabilityThe one metric ("true north") Alan uses to guide every decision on his teamWhy courage, not competence, is usually the real thing holding people back About Alan Lazaros Alan is the CEO of Next Level University, a podcast about personal and professional development. He's also a business coach who helps people achieve their goals by tracking habits and making decisions based on data. If there's one thing he wants you to take away from this episode, it's the importance of habits and the compound effect in reaching your goals. Check out Alan's own show and connect with him: Next Level University podcast: nextleveluniverse.com YouTube: youtube.com/@NextLevelUniversity Instagram: instagram.com/alazaros88 Facebook: facebook.com/alan.lazaros LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/alanlazarosllc Follow Mind of All Trades: YouTube: youtube.com/@MindofAllTrades Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/4MixC1mfhhUVIOFO1mywUc Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mind-of-all-trades/id6807196830 Instagram: instagram.com/mindofalltrades Amazon Music: music.amazon.com/podcasts/32ce7fa4-4473-4c53-9256-7fca60e47331/mind-of-all-trades LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/mind-of-all-trades Theme music by Breakmaster Cylinder.
Sep 21

Part 2 - How to Finally Have the Conversation You've Been Avoiding - Robin Quinn Keehn

When you decide to have a conversation, 99% committed is much harder than 100% committed." That's Robin Quinn Keehn, back for Part 2, and this time she's showing us exactly how to close the loops we talked about in Part 1. If you haven't heard Part 1 yet, that's where Robin introduced the idea of open loops: the tasks, decisions, promises, and conversations we leave unfinished, and what that quietly costs us. In this part, she walks through the actual method for having the conversation you've been avoiding, then introduces the tool she built to help you practice it first. In Part 2, you'll hear: The exact steps Robin uses to open a hard conversation, including the one line she says almost every time What to do when the other person gets defensive, and why that's not a sign to stop Why a boundary you don't enforce isn't really a boundary at all Inside People Skillz, the app Robin built to let you rehearse a hard conversation before you have it for real, including the personal reason Pol started using it himself What actually changes when people track their progress, real numbers from real teams This is Part 2 of a two-part conversation. If you missed Part 1, go back and start there first. About Robin Quinn Keehn: Robin is the founder of People Skillz Education & Consulting. Her new book, Stop Stealing From Yourself: Close the Open Loops That Quietly Drain Your Time, Energy, and Peace, is out now. Try the app Robin talks about in this episode: People Skillz is a "difficult conversation simulator" where you can rehearse a hard conversation (with a partner, a boss, a parent) safely, before you ever have to have it for real. It's free to try. App: try.pplskillz.com Website: pplskillz.com Community: skool.com/peopleskillz YouTube: @therobinquinnkeehn Instagram: @robinquinnkeehn Facebook: robinquinnkeehnsparks Follow Mind of All Trades: YouTube: youtube.com/@MindofAllTrades Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/4MixC1mfhhUVIOFO1mywUc Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mind-of-all-trades/id6807196830 Instagram: instagram.com/mindofalltrades Amazon Music: music.amazon.com/podcasts/32ce7fa4-4473-4c53-9256-7fca60e47331/mind-of-all-trades LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/mind-of-all-trades
Sep 19

Part 1 - Sometimes You Are Not' an Imposter - Robin Quinn Keehn

You're not overwhelmed, you're unclosed. Robin Quinn Keehn joins Pol to explain why the exhaustion most of us feel isn't from doing too much. It's from everything we've left unfinished and unsaid: the avoided conversation, the unset boundary, the decision we keep dodging. Robin built Aspire Academy of Expressive Arts from 15 students to over 500 a year, then walked away from it to focus on what she'd actually learned building it. In this episode, she introduces her framework for "open loops," the small unclosed threads in our tasks, our decisions, our promises to ourselves, and our relationships, that quietly drain our energy long after we've stopped noticing them. In Part 1, you'll hear: The real story behind what Robin calls "the beautiful monster," and what scaling a business that fast actually cost herThe four kinds of open loops, and why the task-based ones are the easiest to spot and the hardest to fully closeA more honest take on imposter syndrome. Sometimes the fear isn't irrationalThe moment on a beach in Oregon that became the actual inspiration for her book This is Part 1 of a two-part conversation. Part 2, where Robin walks through exactly how to have the conversation you've been avoiding (and the tool she built to help you practice it first), is coming soon. About Robin Quinn KeehnRobin is the founder of People Skillz Education & Consulting. Her new book, Stop Stealing From Yourself: Close the Open Loops That Quietly Drain Your Time, Energy, and Peace, is out now. Robin also wants you to know:She's built something she's genuinely excited about: People Skillz, a "difficult conversation simulator" where you can rehearse a hard conversation (with a partner, a boss, a parent) safely, before you ever have to have it for real. It's free to try. App: try.pplskillz.com Website: pplskillz.com Community: skool.com/peopleskillz YouTube: @therobinquinnkeehn Instagram: @robinquinnkeehn Facebook: robinquinnkeehnsparks Follow Mind of All Trades: YouTube: youtube.com/@MindofAllTrades Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/4MixC1mfhhUVIOFO1mywUc Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mind-of-all-trades/id6807196830 Instagram: instagram.com/mindofalltrades Amazon Music: music.amazon.com/podcasts/32ce7fa4-4473-4c53-9256-7fca60e47331/mind-of-all-trades LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/mind-of-all-trades

8 Episodes

Mind of All Trades, exploring the craft and commerce of educational businesses in the digital age.

Creator

Pol Cousineau
Years Active

2026
Episodes

8
Rating

Clean
Show Website

Mind of All Trades

Mind of All Trades

Episodes

Customers Don't Buy, They Hire - Bill Flynn

How to Turn One Book Into an App, Workbooks, and a Mastermind - Gary Mitchell

Why Letting Go of Control Gives You More of It - Gary Mitchell

The System That Keeps Your Business Running Without You - Lara Nieberding

What Happens to Your Business When You Disappear - Lara Nieberding

Most People Are Failing Way More Than You Think - Alan Lazaros

Part 2 - How to Finally Have the Conversation You've Been Avoiding - Robin Quinn Keehn

Part 1 - Sometimes You Are Not' an Imposter - Robin Quinn Keehn

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