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Schulzke Dot Com

My name is Mario. Last name Johnson.  I kid. Last name Schulzke.

I am an equal parts entrepreneur, marketer, and teacher. Or at least that is what I tell my mother.

re: entrepreneur. I founded IdeaMensch, where we have interviewed and featured over 7,000 entrepreneurs, makers, and doers since 2009.

re: marketer. I spent my twenties running digital marketing campaigns for some of America's biggest brands. Since then I have been doing the CMO thing at the University of Montana, Geniuslink, and now am the COO of Pathlabs.

re: teacher. I teach marketing to both business students and nonprofit leaders at the University of Montana and on Commonsense Marketing.

My goal in life used to be to live an interesting life. Then I had a child. I am an immigrant, a grandson of refugees,  a (slow)Ironman, and a Costco Exec member. My lifemates are a curly-haired wife, a baby girl who won't nap, a cat named Walter, and a vindictive long-haired wiener dog.

Recent Posts

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Forever Starter Home

What happens if, throughout our lives, we don't buy a nicer, bigger house? What happens if we stay in the same house for as long as possible?

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Bringing Us Along

Before I became a dad, I asked my friend Ryan about one piece of advice he'd give me as a new dad. He told me that when Selma is born, Carlyn and I should continue to do the things we do in our lives. Just bring Selma along. Go on

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Passive Income

Passive income. Everyone wants it. Nobody really knows how to create it. Except the people trying to sell you get rich quick courses. But figuring out how to generate a stream of passive income opens up many opportunities tied to your freedom and time. In this post, I'll show how

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Forcing Functions

Have you ever tried to implement a new habit and failed? Set yourself a goal but never even started making it happen? Or how about managing someone who continued to not meet your expectations regarding the tasks you thought they would get done? For me, that's a check and check.

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The Four Stages of Life and When to Prioritize Income vs Time

As you look at your career, there are largely two priorities to optimize. But, unfortunately, they're usually in conflict with each other. 1. Maximize income. 2. Maximize time. With income, you can buy things, pay for your healthcare, invest in education, and somehow eliminate financial concerns that might keep you