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Thanks, Dave Munson!

This month I’ve decided to say thanks to the people who have fed my hunger for knowledge and personal development this year. The order will be random…and likely incomplete!

Last month, while in Colorado for a Free Agent Academy event, I was honored to be the chauffeur for El Presidente, Saddleback Leather Company, Dave Munson. Okay, so I picked him up at the airport. Still, my name is James…a good driver name, right?

Dave and I with the wounded backpack from Africa (click for more detail..video below)


Dave Munson is a modern day Earnest Hemingway (the adventurous part, not the mentally unstable part). He’s also an inspiration to anyone wanting to take their passion and turn it into a business.

You’ll have to visit his website to see the best version of his story (and his amazing products), but the short version is that he went from teaching English in Mexico to owning a multi-million dollar company in just a few short years. It started when he wanted a cool leather bag (think Indiana Jones) to carry his books. Soon everyone he met wanted one, so he made more, sold them on eBay and the back of his Land Cruiser and eventually married his hot wife that he met on MySpace. Like I said, he can tell the story better!

What I love about Dave (besides the bags) is his passion. Sure, he loves making the coolest bags on the planet, but he’s also a committed Christian and family man. He’s a hilarious marketing genius, too (the SBL tag-line is “They’ll Fight Over It When You’re Dead”)! Just read his website!

Dave lives a life all men would love to live. The worlds most interesting man isn’t a pitchman in beer commercials…but he might be the owner of a leather bag company.

Dave recently spent more than 50 days touring Europe and Africa. Yes, he unplugged from his business that long and everything went just fine. He has an incredible team behind him, and his adventures automatically qualify as a business deduction! But it wasn’t all business. Dave was also serving children in Rwanda (everyone’s favorite vacation destination, right?) and is a big supporter of Africa New Life Ministries.

And while in Africa, he made a little video mash-up between his leather backpack and the spear of a Masai Warrior (and the source of the scar in the photo above:

I’ve known adventurous and outgoing people like Dave before. I liked them and been friends with them, but they were missing something.

I’ve also known amazing men of Godly character, and while they sometimes had adventure they didn’t always have a cool factor.

Dave Munson pulls off “adventurous cool Christian” better than anyone I’ve ever met. I’m honored to be a fan and a friend. I’m proud to have made some minor contributions coaching with SBL. And I’m stoked about my cool leather bags!

Now YOU need to go buy a cool leather bag for Christmas! You’ll want to have it safe and secure so the Mythbusters can’t blow it up a la Valkyrie!

[11/29/10 Update: Mythbusters Meets Saddleback plus a Contest]

(Yes, there are affiliate links for SBL throughout this article and my site…because I believe in them!)

Photo of me with Dave courtesy of my good friend Alan Jackson.

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Thanks, Justin Lukasavige!

This month I’ve decided to say thanks to the people who have fed my hunger for knowledge and personal development this year. The order will be random…and likely incomplete!

Remember the old “Bo knows…” ads featuring Bo Jackson? Well, I don’t know Bo, but I do know Justin. And Justin knows coaching!

Justin Lukasavige (owner of Lukas Coaching) is a friend of mine and fellow professor from Free Agent Academy. He’s also a pretty neat guy.

He left a job being an airline captain to become a financial coach. And now he’s helping other people learn how to be successful in coaching, business and social media (he’s everywhere!).

Hanging with Justin Lukasavige in Colorado


Justin wrote an excellent book, Become a Coach (I was honored to read an early print version and use my nerd talents to help eliminate some typos!).

But even better than the book is his online radio show, CoachRadio.tv. In this online production/podcast, he goes through all the ups and downs of running his business and teaches anyone willing to listen and learn what they can do to make their business grow.

He also frequently shares the microphone with other coaches and business owners in his Your Story series. Some are very successful and some are just starting out. But there’s inspiration in all of the stories. It’s fun to listen to and I always gain a few golden nuggets I can use to help make my business better.

Thanks Justin for being so open and sharing so much helpful info!

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Thanks, Dave Ramsey!

This month I’ve decided to say thanks to the people who have fed my hunger for knowledge and personal development this year. The order will be random…and likely incomplete!

I’m having a bit of Dave Ramsey overload this weekend. On Friday, I hosted and attended his EntreLeadership simulcast event from Orlando, FL. Today, I spent two hours presenting an overview of his material and why it’s important to get control of your money.

Meeting with Dave in Birmingham, 2006


I owe Dave Ramsey a huge debt of gratitude. Better than the financial kind, eh?

But what Dave gave me is more than just solid financial guidance. True, my finances are in much better shape because of his well-packaged common sense advice. That’s not the most important thing he gave me.

I’ve led his Financial Peace University program 13 times in the last four years. I love doing it. FPU helped me tap into my passion for teaching and helping people. FPU gave me an audience to go along with material I believe in.

I’m energized when I teach. I love seeing people get it…those light bulb moments! Beyond that, I love seeing people change their lives. I’ve had people become debt free, pay off their mortgages, and even get their first $1000 in the bank. Don’t scoff at that…Baby Step 1 can be harder than the others!

FPU also introduced me to many other people that have had an impact on my life (and will be featured in more Thank You posts soon).

Our lives are full of pivotal moments. Most of the time we don’t recognize their significance. I know now that when my father mentioned a crazy radio guy to me in 2005, everything changed. Everything!

Thanks, Dave!

If you haven’t checked him out yet, you owe it to yourself to do so. Maybe everything will change for you too!

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Thanks, Zig Ziglar!

This month I’ve decided to say thanks to the people who have fed my hunger for knowledge and personal development this year. The order will be random…and likely incomplete!

It’s hard to say anything new about Zig Ziglar. He’s simply one of the most influential people of the 20th century, and will continue to be in the 21st.

I grew up knowing the name. Zig Ziglar. It’s a great name! Makes me want to go by Wooz Woosley or something.

But even though I knew the name, I didn’t know his message. I hadn’t read his books or heard his talks. He was just this really smart motivational guy. Yet he is so much more.

A few years ago I started hearing more and more about Zig. Probably from listening to Dave Ramsey’s radio show. I started getting the Ziglar podcast, then went to Ziglar.com and checked out the resources there. I signed up a s a member of the Ziglar Vault (now Success 2.0) and enjoyed the online lessons and downloads. Dave Ramsey even sent me a DVD of Zig’s goal setting program for being an FPU coordinator. And two years ago I skipped work to attend a Get Motivated seminar in Mobile, AL where Zig spoke with his daughter Julie.

But this year, though I had heard it before, I listened to Zig’s How to Stay Motivated series again. I always learn something new when I listen to it, and it makes me a better person every time!

Zig may be older and slower now, but his message of success through serving others resonates just as strong as ever. Maybe even more so.

Some of my friends from Free Agent Academy recently visited the Dallas area and spent some time with Zig and his son, Tom. They said that Zig repeats himself a lot, and that no matter what you ask him he brings it back to one of just a few key points (including faith, service and marriage). At first they had some sympathy for him. Then they realized that the more he repeated himself, the more the message started to penetrate their hearts.

If you know Zig, you know what I’ve written here is true. If you don’t, I hope you’ll take this as an invitation to introduce yourself to him. Go to Ziglar.com and explore, and be sure to sign up for the Ziglar Podcast. You won’t regret it!

Zig Ziglar is a national treasure and will be one of the first people I put on my Wall of Gratitude. And while I may never have the opportunity to meet him in person, I will always treasure the gifts he has shared with us. His words will positively impact generations to come. That is a worthy legacy for any man, especially one born in lower Alabama and raised in Yazoo City, Mississippi!

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