One of the most important metrics in your business is your profit. We know that it is one thing to have a lot of revenue, but that doesn't really matter if your profit isn't measuring up. And today I have as a guest, a profit strategist, so stay tuned and listen in on how he helps business owners find the money gaps in their business.
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Welcome to the Breakthrough Mastermind Show. I'm your host, Jen Argue and I facilitate masterminds for women entrepreneurs who want to grow their businesses to help others and create financial independence. How are you? I've been in Houston, Texas for two days on a boil water notice that was just lifted today. [laughs]
Get out... [laughs] So what is your focus with this big week that you have like what's your intention that you're putting into it? Oh my God, I'm so excited. So this weekend we're doing an event called "Position Partner Profit," and we've only done this event one other time. We did it in 2018. And... gosh, um, I think I told you when we were at Chalene's event, it was going to be the... transition, you know, out of sponsorship for me.
So we did it. I was so excited, and it was the first time I ever did an event that wasn't just sponsorship. It's really my business event. Okay? And so Day one is all about positioning. Day two is all about different types of partnerships. Day three all about your revenue and your profit, and we did it.
I was so excited. Our highest profit event ever. And three weeks later, my dad. Oh my. Okay. I don't remember you saying that. That is okay. So yeah, so then we didn't have this conversation. I knew I had it with Brett a little bit, um, cause he was like, like, he's like this, this event's just like different from all your other stuff and Mm.
So yeah. Three weeks later my dad passed and I was just like, okay, now is not the time to start the new brand. Now's not the time to mm-hmm. Stop what's been working. Mm-hmm. Now's not the time to. You know, yeah. Endeavor in the new, and so I didn't, and ended up in depression, a bunch of other stuff, um, therapy to get through depression.
Um, you know, I didn't realize that what grief was. Um, I think until you lose a parent, you don't understand what grief really is. I agree. Then I was like, okay, so that was, you know, January 2nd, 2019 that my father passed and I was. January 2020. I'm like, okay, we're gonna launch the brand. We'll launch it April 2020 with my friend La Kendra.
We're gonna launch it in the Philippines. And then, well, you know, . Yes. Yes. And I'm just so excited about this event because it's four years in the making. Mm-hmm. . , it's such an energetic release. It's such an energetic healing to be able to do this event. And it's such a shift. Like we're gonna only have like 40 ish people here in Houston.
We made that shift probably in August. We made that decision to say, Hey, the event space is not where it's been, so we're gonna keep it very intimate in Houston. So we're gonna have about 40 ish here in Houston. But that said this morning we crossed a thousand registered virtual. Um, wow. And I cried. Oh my gosh.
That's incredible. Um, congrats. Yeah, thank you. And I cried because it was like coaching so many amazing women and so many amazing humans. We've seen so many like I've, I've seen this happen for so many people. I've. Coached so many amazing people through this, but I've never allowed myself to experience it.
Mm-hmm. . And so this morning I was like, oh my God, I deserve this too. And it was just like such, this epiphany Yeah. Of like, oh. , like, I've been helping everybody else do this and I deserve this too. And it was just, it was so beautiful. Like, um, in the midst of all the crazy that's going on at the hotel, not because of the hotel, but like, because of, you know, a city water boil notice and all of that, like, it's just so yeah.
That, that's what's going on. You know, we've got great speakers. New tech because, hello, A-Zoom Webinar 500 license doesn't work when you've got this many people and still people registering. Wow. Different, you know, now we need a different level of hotel wifi, which means a different level of hotel expense and you know, I mean, you've done events, you know that.
Yes, yes. So it's just, it's so beautiful to be on such an amazing high and be experiencing shifts and to know that it's all working together for good at the same. . Mm-hmm. . Mm-hmm. . And to know that you're figuring it out as you go and it's working. Listen… Yes.
Oh, that's incredible. That's really incredible. It sounds like with all these things that are happening, like the boiling water thing and the adjust adjustments with the size of the online and the wifi and all that, like put me in a spot of humility. You know, like going into it, you know, like, okay, I'm open to what else is gonna come.
Like, just kind of make you more alert. I don't know, just aware of like what's happening and what could happen, and more so than even just going into it thinking like, okay, we're all ready. We're all set, let's go. You know? Yeah. I, I would say like, two huge awarenesses that I've had is like, you know, a friend called me Sunday and was like, the boil water notice, and like, it, it's gonna be Tuesday at the earliest.
They're saying that, like, that they're gonna have this thing fixed, like, like, what are you gonna do? and I was just celebrating my own growth as a human, um, in that moment because they were like freaking the, like, they were just like freaking the fuck out. And they're like, why aren't you freaking out? I was like because it's not in my control.
Like, why am I going to worry about something that I have zero control over? Like mm-hmm. , I can't turn on the water. , I can't purify the water for a city. I can't, like if I worry about this, it doesn't change what our attendees are facing. It doesn't like all of a sudden make it where the hotel has water like it is completely out of my control.
And it was so beautiful for me to have that realization experiencing. That's just that a. You know, to see my, my own growth as a leader. Mm-hmm. and as a coach and the thought work that I've been doing to be like, oh wow, like this shit really does work when you, when you coach yourself. Um, but also at the same time, to the flip side of it, to be.
Having this awareness that as we are moving forward, as we are growing, that you know, we can still have my eye on the goal, we can still move on the goal and know that I'm not alone in it, and so, you know. Mm-hmm. , we've got people like Kenny who is working with our AV company and AV team, and him and the team are making that happen.
People like Leslie who is. On my team who is dealing with registration, um, Melanie with our marketing arm, who's handling event emails and the new program that we're launching this re uh, this weekend. And Tracy, who's also working with her on that, and Warren doing his piece. And so I get to be the c e o of the company and be a leader and, and lead the team, and lead myself so I can lead my team.
And so that was also a big awareness this weekend is like, I've been working with these people. They all do their different things, but we haven't been, you know, thrown into the fire, per se, , and to know like, oh wow. Like, there was a time, and not too long ago, like to be very specific, July, 2019, which was the last in-person event we did before Covid.
So July 2019 were like, when oh shit happened. I was the person that had to answer all of it. . Yeah. And so I'm like, oh. There's also people, there's also help. So like I'm not only. Worrying about things that I can't change because I have no control over it. Yeah. But I also have allowed myself over the past couple years to not only ask for support but to be supported and then let those people support me while we're just recording the podcast that we weren't gonna record, but there we go.
can you just, I mean, can we just acknowledge that that's probably the hardest part for most entrepreneurs is allowing themselves to be supported? Yeah. You know, and I would say that was the case for me. So years ago, my dear friend and sister Allison Bird, you know, we were talking about support. We were talking about help, and I was just like, you know, I hired these people and it's just not working, and da, da da da, and like, I, I want them to support me today.
She's like, you know, have you ever told them what support looks like to you? Hmm. And I was like, what do you mean? She's like, well, you're telling them like, I want you to support me, but have you ever s said, this is what support looks like to me? And so even going into this week and into this event, you know, um, for example, Melanie on the marketing team, we're launching a new program this weekend.
She's been working on that and it's just like, Hey, Melanie, what support looks like to me is making sure that these emails are done, that the sales page is done. Can I have it done by this day? And if there's anything that doesn't require me, can it please go to Leslie or Warren first? You know, telling Kenny like, Hey, I know you and me and Leslie have been on the phone, but this week I'm really focused on serving the people I'm working on The content for this weekend support really looks like letting Leslie or Gloria know what's going on and, um, that's what support looks like this week.
And so I truly identifying what support looks like and that it's not always work. So like today, even like somebody who's speaking at the event that. Known, you know, air quotes for years, but we've never actually met in person. Person, ZNO Andrews. And I was just like, Hey, like I'm in Houston and like it'd just be really good just to go sit down and just have happy hour and clear my brain, like the space just to go sit and just be a friend.
So I think that people want to be supportive, but we don't define what support is and then wonder why we don't feel supported. Yes, yes. Do you know I actually asked that question in my mastermind? When people just start, I ask them like literally in front of the group, in our group time, what does. Being supported look like to you?
Because when people leave the Mastermind, I like to do exit interviews and ask them, you know, did you feel supported? Or whatever. And I will get a mix of feedback. Like either you were way too hard on me or you were way too easy on me and you didn't confront me. And I'm like, oh. It's like, see, it's like different to everybody.
And so some people. They want that push. And some people are like, oh, just like invite me into it. You know, , there's like a different, but people, you know, experience that differently and I love to like custom make the experience for them, you know? And what Yeah. You know, and like you're asking about that support.
You know, one of the things that, you know, we do and my mastermind is, you know, one of the phrases. Entrepreneurs love to say. Um, yeah, especially coaches. Y'all, we love to say it, but people don't always love to be on the receiving end of it is people are just like, oh my God, I need accountability. I need accountability.
And until it's time to actually be held to account for something. And so when people are like, I want accountability, I'm like, okay, well cool. Like what does accountability mean to. . Um, and then they're just like, well, what do you mean? I've never been asked that. It was just like, well, like how can you be held accountable if you don't know what accountability is?
And so, And I think that you know, that, that even happens, whether it be accountability, whether it be support or, or whether it even be like our goal setting. You know, people just, just, you know, just being human. We, are human. We, our brains are assholes most of the time, and because of that, we can end up on this hamster wheel.
And so I was talking to someone the other day, they're just like, you know, I want to help people make enough money, but I tell clients that like, the result of them, them working with me is that they're gonna know that they've made enough money, but nobody that I've ever worked with feels that they've made enough money.
And I was like, well, is it possible that that's because enough is a moving target? Mm mm-hmm. and. We just do this thing as humans, where we just don't ever really identify what we mean when we say we want support. We want accountability, we want security. We want enough. Like what does security mean? What does enough mean?
Like, you know, will people be like, I'll be okay when I get there? Well, where is there ? Isn't that the truth? Like what is that target? Because it is always moving. And so how do you know that you hit it or. How do you recognize all the accomplishments that you made along the way if you don't even know all those things that you accomplished?
Yeah, and, and, and, and, you know, like, I, I can, I can use this, this, this weekend's event for an example. Like, you know, when we made the shift to say, Hey, We're gonna go in person, keep it very intimate, go virtual, make it no cost for the virtual. Let's try to get a thousand people. I was very clear. A thousand people virtual.
And we're gonna sell the recordings at $97 and let's try to make a 10% conversion rate on that. So you see I had two metrics thousand people virtual. 10% conversion rate. Yeah, so we've crossed the thousand people virtual. We've not hit the 10% conversion rate into the recordings. Now, what we're seeing as we look at data now is that like, oh, wow, we've had more cold traffic to this than ever before.
So we're converting at about 6.2%. Mm. That feels awful compared to, oh my God, 10%. Like we're down 3.8% from where I want to be. But compared to internet marketing standards, this is amazing. Right? One to 3% is typical. Correct. We're like, oh my God, you're doubling that. We're like, depending on the spectrum of that, we're like three times to double where it is.
Yeah. And again, It's because we had a data point to be able to look at, not like it'd be cool if we've had more people than ever register and more people than ever by a, uh, by the recordings. Mm-hmm. , because we could have had one more person than ever register and one more person than ever by the recordings and been like, well, well, like why wasn't there more?
Mm-hmm. and now, I can look at this and be like, oh my God, we did a thousand. I am totally worthy of this. Like how do we try to get to 2000 by this weekend? There's like four days left. How do we get another thousand people and we're at 6.2%? How do we raise that a little bit? Do we need to change it from?
Recordings, which we actually did this morning. We changed it from event recordings to virtual v i p. Like when we look at things and when we have data, we can make decisions because we can actually have something concrete to look at. Mm-hmm. . . Mm-hmm. . Yeah. It's that concrete measurement that really helps you know where you're standing and where your efforts are going and what's working, and how to change it like you just said.
Yeah. To what you did, which that was brilliant by the way. Via virtual. It didn't feel brilliant in the moment. It was just like, and you know, I think that that, well, one, thank you. Oh my gosh. Thank you. I'm, I'm getting better y'all. I'm getting better at learning to receive gratitude and be a gracious receiver.
I am. I'm getting better at that. I'm working at. Y'all. . Um, you know, it's something about. Being able to look at it and take our ego out of it and asking questions about things like from a place of like, not am I wrong, but like, what could we do better? And I think that as humans, like the natural inclination of so many people is to go to like, what's wrong with me?
Mm-hmm. , or what did I do wrong? Mm-hmm. versus how could the offer be better? How are people? Reading this. Mm-hmm. and like that's what we did. And so when I'm, when I go back and I look at it, I'm just like, this is actually kind of shitty. Like, we're like, Hey, come this weekend for free. And by the way, you can get the recordings three weeks after the event for $97 because we have to edit them.
There's a reason that's not converting as well as it could versus like, Hey, come all weekend and by the way, Saturday, Sunday during lunch, I'm gonna do a private q and a with just the people on virtual that register for this, just me and you. And you still get the recordings. All of a sudden that feels so much better than like, hi, you're coming to this thing and you have to wait three more weeks, to get something.
Mm-hmm. . . The reality is, is during lunch, I'd be answering people's questions in the in-person event anyways. Why not create a better experience for people in the virtual event? Mm-hmm. . And so when we can look at things from the lens of our customer versus the lens of our ego, it gives us the opportunity to actually shift.
Because then it's not like, oh my God, what's wrong with me? Why aren't they buying? Why do they hate me? It's just like when I can look at it from the lens of them, it's. That really sucked. Like we're saying like, hi, give us money. You're not gonna get me thing for three weeks. Like no wonder people didn't buy
I hope you sent a new email with the new messaging. Um, there's actually one going out this afternoon, . Okay. I think that conversion's gonna be up to 20%. I think it's gonna go up. Yeah. At least. And you know, but what it also does right, is it also gives us the opportunity. During the live stream Friday and Saturday to also share with people like, Hey, if you're watching and if you know you can't be here all three days, or if you've got a question and you like.
We can't answer every single question with this many people in person and live. And you want a better chance of being coached, like, Hey, upgrade to virtual VIP, because Saturday, Sunday during lunch, like it's gonna be an intimate group and I'll be able to answer those questions and you can do that.
Like, here's where to go. Well, as I say, you know, so it gives that opportunity for that accessibility, for that coaching, for that intimacy that. We were just during the, even keeping the original offer, being like, Hey y'all, if y'all are enjoying this in three weeks, you can get recordings for $97. It again, doesn't create something that feels good for the people, and that is exactly why I buy the VIP ticket is so I can have that access to the person that I'm going for, you know?
Mm-hmm. , if I'm going to that conference to see you, to hear you. That is such a small price to pay to have that access and Absolutely. Yeah. And you and I, we met at the v I p at this other conference. We both bought the v I P tickets. Or maybe you got in free, I don't know, but I did. Well. Yeah, I was there cuz my husband was speaking, so, okay, so there's that, but.
But that's why I paid for that. I just, I want to have those VIP lunches or the VIP panel, you know, or just whatever access. I think that's a steal of a deal because typically to get that would be a lot, you know? Yeah. And, you know, and, and, and you hit on that. It's like, you know, while at that specific event I was, you know, my husband was speaking and so I, I didn't officially pay for a V I P ticket like, When I look at events, whether it be a personal development event, whether it be a charity, gala, whatever I'm looking at, you know, I want the VIP ticket.
I want the VIP experience. Mm-hmm. . And it's not always because like the food is better. I mean, y'all hotel food is hotel food. Um, it's because of the people that are there. It's because of the connections that are made, you know, and relationships that I have. To this day are people that I've met at events and, and v i p experiences.
And you know, in fact, the event that, that you're talking about, where we connected at, you know, we actually, um, and I able to say we, we met at Marketing Impact Academy, but April and I and Warren, so April l I forgot what year if you listen to this, remind us. Um, but April held, an end of year like, Hey, all my friends come to Vegas and have.
An end-of-year celebration. We all survived Covid Christmas party, and love that. And she was like just invited friends from around the world and we all met in Vegas and at our table was me, my husband Warren, and Shalene. And that's how, and I had met Shalene several years prior with an event that I was working with, but Warren and Shalene had never met, and Warren and Shalene just really hit it off.
Yeah. But again, it was just being at a dinner table, being at a reception. Just love that. Connecting and building that genuine relationship. And you know enough, people don't understand that just being genuinely interested in people just. You and I met and we just connected and we just stayed in, touched, and just you know, followed up.
And there's so many people that'll meet at an event and be like, oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Well, we'll, we'll talk soon. And like they don't, yeah. , and I'm one of those people, it's like if you tell me to follow up, like I'll bug you two, three times and I know that you're that way too. Mm-hmm. . But it's because of like, if you ask me to follow up or if I tell you I will follow up, like that's like the very beginning of showing people that you can stay true to your word.
Mm-hmm. . And what a beautiful way to start a, a friendship, a business relationship is by showing that we can stay true to our word. Yeah, I love that. Stay true to your word. Show that you care. Just be a good human. Yeah. You know, all stuff, even like a boil notice at the hotel.
I've been through a couple of those. They're not fun. They are not. They're not. No. No, but I, speaking to that, I do. I love the friendships that I make when I go to those things. I feel like when you're able to meet somebody, especially in person, like you're having this really big event this week through the weekend, and.
For all those people to have the opportunity to get to meet other people with similar interests, similar passions, similar drive, you know, I just think that is such a gift that you're offering to all those people, you know, along with everything that's happening on stage. Thank you. Yeah, I'm so excited for it.
Like live events, um, events, period. I mean like live events are, are one of my favorite things in the world. I truly believe they're one of the fastest ways to grow your. They're one of the fastest ways to grow your network. Um, but they're also just an amazing way, like even if not for you in that moment, like you never know who you're going to meet that someone else needs.
Mm-hmm. . Um, and like that's one of my favorite things about going to live events is meeting other people that I'll never even. No, like, oh, hey, like I, it's, it's, it's not about like who I need, but I, I'm gonna meet somebody awesome. And then later somebody's be like, I need somebody. Be like, you know what? I met somebody at this one event, like in this weekend is actually a, a serendipitous example of that.
I have a client who's a life coach, who actually, well, she's a master life coach and runs her own life coaching school, and she has launched this mission and this new community called 1 million Life Coaches Around the World or around, forget if it's around the world or around the globe, LA Kendra. Fix my statement, but it's either 1 million life coaches around the world or 1 million life coaches around the globe.
Both sound amazing. It's one of them and I just love the mission of that. Mm-hmm. , I was at another event in October, , and I met a life coach and she's talking to me about how, you know like there's so many people just getting into life coaching, but that like enough life coaches aren't actually. Reaching enough people and that she's got this vision for this community called 1 billion Served.
And what happens if 1 billion people were served with life coaching and they're both going to get to meet in person this weekend at my event, oh my goodness. and like literally once a client, I met one at an event and I was just, I told them both. I was like, look, y'all both gotta be in Houston because I just need the two of y'all to meet if y'all attend.
No other session. Yeah. I need the two of you to meet because just the serendipity of what you're doing with 1 million coaches and 1 billion served, like mm-hmm. , what could you do together? Mm-hmm. . And again, like I gain nothing out of this other than like, I love seeing amazing people get together and it's so beautiful to make that happen.
Like, I, I can't wait. Like I cannot wait for the two of them. To meet. Like I'm just, I'm so excited to see what they do together. I got the goosebumps like three times as you were telling that story… I feel like you're one of those people who's like a lynchpin. Have you heard of that before? It's like a connector.
You, like you, you're a great connector. So speaking of that and speaking of your love for live events, and I wish this was coming out before your live event, but it's not, but your next one, people can listen to this and get tips for their next. What would you say are one or two things that you like to do or you found that works really well to make the most of live events and making connections?
Yeah, so as an attendee, I'd say the very first thing is just like, Just show up. Curious. Mm. And I, I love being curious when I go into places, and another way of saying that is, so my friend, uh, Justin, uh, Justin runs the Growth Now Movement podcast. One of the things that he says is, show up to be interested and not interesting.
Mm-hmm. love that. And I love the way that he words that. Um, I know people say Curiosity killed the cat, but I, I. Just being curious. Yeah. And just being playful. Um, along with being curious. Number two is, I would say be accessible. And so years ago I was at an event and many people may have heard of Dr.
Greg Reed, who wrote Three Feet From Gold, several other books, um, with the Napoleon Hill Foundation. And one of the things that he said that has always stuck with me is he said, the most successful people are the most accessible. And it is something that has stuck with me over the years that, you know, no matter where their business has been, we've had ups, we've had downs, we've had ups.
Again, is that when I'm at events, I am there to be present, I am there to be accessible. It doesn't matter whether it is an attendee, it is the hotel, staff, event, staff, whatever, like. Be accessible to people. Like just be human, be there. So be curious, be accessible. And then I would say the third thing is, um, gosh, I had like four more things, but I would say like, no, I wanna hear them all.
The most important one, I hear them all. . I would say the third one is, is be willing to learn. Like you don't have to be. The know it all. You know, I have literally gone to events with friends who run 40 million companies. Um, and just I think it was September of this year, I got to sit with a, one of my good friends who runs a 40 million company.
And it's so amazing to watch people at that level sit in the front row of an event, still taking notes because they know there's always something to learn. Mm-hmm. And I share that because, you know, whether you're making $1 or you haven't made your first dollar or a hundred thousand dollars or a million dollars, it can be very simple to fall into a trap of, of I know it all.
I have it all. I am it all. and there's always something that we can learn from another human. And when we get to the point that we've stopped learning, I, I really feel that that's when we really like. Lose our edge in business, you know, like even before this conversation, you know, as we're streaming this weekend because of the size of the virtual attendees and all of that like we are looking at new streaming software.
So I was literally texting Carson who you know, does all of Chalene's av and I was like, Carson, this Zoom webinar situation ain't gonna work out. Like, who do you use? And. And he's like, this is the platform. Here's why. And I was like, great. I got on the platform, I saw they didn't see any demo stuff. I reached back out.
I was like, Hey, do you know somebody there? And then I literally, before, we were on the call. I had a meeting with the hotel right before that. I spent an hour on the phone with somebody at the software company just learning. and then also having the AV team that we hired, they were on so they could learn it because even the AV team was willing to learn this new software.
Yeah, so we could help attendees this weekend. And so always be willing to learn because like there's always at least one nugget and you never know what that one nugget could mean for your business. Hundred percent. Oh my gosh. Can I tell you what meeting somebody did for somebody in my mastermind? Yeah.
Like, and sometimes you'll hear people say this, um, you know, they joined, they paid, you know, this huge investment to be a part of this mastermind and it was all worth it because of like one thing they got out of it. Like one conversation or one connection. One aha. I was at, what was the trafficking converts.
Event, I think it was 2021 and I was walking from dinner to the after-event cuz I had the v I P and said, I'm walking there, I run into this other woman we still had our name tags on at, you know, even though we just weren't at the event, we were eating dinner or leaving from eating dinner, going to the parking lot area after event thing.
And I'm. I am just gonna strike a conversation with this woman. I'm like, so where are you from? What do you do? What are you doing here? And she said she was a Facebook ads manager. And I'm like, oh, what kind of people do you serve? And she told me and I was like, oh, there's a woman in my mastermind who might wanna get to know you.
So I got her business card, handed it to the woman in my mastermind, and because of that connection, she started working with. She went from a $5,000 a month revenue to $90,000 month revenue in a matter of three months. That's amazing. Isn't that crazy? Of course, her profit went up too, but you know how Facebook ads are, but yes… it sounds a lot better sometimes.
But she did have some good profit margins. But still, I mean, that was just like crazy amazing. And just think of like all those connections happening at your event. So like let's say somebody is listening to this and they're gonna go to your next. , what would you say? Like what is something super practical that they could do to get outta their shell if they're introverted or a shy extrovert or whatever, you know, like how would you encourage somebody to get outta their shell to meet people?
See, I'm kind of bad at that because as extroverted as people think that I am, I really do process as an introvert. Mm-hmm. and I have the added benefit now that a lot of people know who I am, so people come to me. Ooh, okay. When I first started attending events, I was that person, and this is why even at my own events, Whenever people do that, everybody hug three people.
I like run to the door. I'm like, hug. I do not want you touching me. I do not know. You do not get near me. Especially after Covid like I'm that person. People are like, but Roberto, you love to hug people. I'm like, I love to hug people I know and so. So I would say one, like, like, like, know what you're comfortable with and like, be okay with what you're comfortable with and know your boundaries.
And like, you don't have to do things that just because people want you to do it, if it, you know, violates a boundary that, that you are not comfortable with. Mm-hmm. . And then the second thing, That I would say is like if there is a Facebook group or anything like that. Mm-hmm. , you know, like get to know people ahead of time.
Ooh, smart. And then one of the things that I do when I'm speaking at events and attending at events is I don't like to like be with a lot of people at once all the time. And so, And y'all, again, this can work if you're attending events, but also if you're speaking, I do this one, I'm speaking at events too.
I'll literally find a couple people and be like, Hey, like there's a lot of people here, but tomorrow morning I'm just gonna grab a couple tables at breakfast and like, I'm gonna be in the restaurant at this time. If anybody just wants to come and have breakfast, like everybody buy their own breakfast like we all gotta eat.
Like it'd be great to get to know each other that way. and that's how I get to meet people. Love. That. Is love. Because then I'm just like, I can be there 10 minutes. I can be there an hour. There's other people there. If they want to talk, awesome. If I'm loving the conversation, I can stay. If not, I can go and there's other people there, but like, oh, brilliant.
And it's, it's just an amazing way to get to meet people. Everybody's going to eat anyways. Yeah. And like just bring people. and sometimes those dinner table or breakfast table conversations are just so rich and you know, it's natural. People have their guard down, they're a little bit more open and. You get to see the whole person.
Yeah. Well, so like the last event I was at, like, we hired a new contractor based off a breakfast conversation. I, the last event I was at, I was sitting down having breakfast with a couple other attendees and I saw somebody walking by and I was like, Hey, what are you doing? And they came over and they were just like, uh, I'm gonna go into the VIP breakfast.
And I was like, Oh, okay, well I'm gonna sit here. And they're just like, why? I said I don't feel like listening to people talk this early. And like literally that was my response. And they were just like, that's a good point. And they like sat down and they started having breakfast and I was just like, what do you do?
And they started telling me and I was like, oh, we need that. And we had a conversation after the event and like now we're in our third month working with that company. That's incredible. Again, I didn't know what they did. I was just like, Hey, where are you going… That is a great line. People write that down cuz sometimes we need to have a little script.
Right. That helps us. Yeah. Like I was like, where are you going and what are you doing? Again, I didn't know what she did. I had no ulterior motive. I didn't notice. Yeah. She didn't know that she was gonna end up pitching me. I didn't know that she. I was just curious like, Hey, where are you going? Like, you look fun and, like I love that.
Yeah. Those are really great tips cuz I, I think it is really important to like get out of your shell and make those connections and, you know, talk to people. Yeah. Yeah. The magic happens in those spots. So what are you, what are you, you said there's something I'm kind of curious about. You talked about how your business was, was it?
Branding and partnerships prior to 2019? Oh yeah. So prior to to 2019, um, what I was known for, like, so y'all, if y if y'all get bored and Google me, um, most of what you'll find is on corporate sponsorship. And so I was known as the sponsorship guy. Um, listen, they call me the sponsorship guy, the sponsorship king, the sponsorship group, all these things.
And for who, who were your, who were your clients for that? Um, so we primarily worked with coaches, speakers, and entrepreneurs. Uh, worked with over 25 million in funding for corporate sponsorship. We ran an event, uh, 25 times called Sponsorship Bootcamp, then an event called Sponsorship for Influencers.
Still have a book called Sponsorship for Influencers. Um, we're about to actually re-release a course called, uh, just after the year. Called a sponsorship for events. We're about to re-release that after, but, as Disney likes to say, bring that out of the vault. Um, but that is, I saw you're a Disney fan,
Yes. So that, that course called sponsorship for events. But, um, we really worked with, uh, coaches, speakers, office consultants to learn how to get sponsors for their books, product services, and events. Mm-hmm. And along that process, I loved that journey, but one of the things. I personally realized is that, you know, I, I never had any intention of becoming the sponsorship guy.
I, it was never my like, oh my God, this is gonna be my niche. I fell into it and I w am very blessed to have friends that allowed me to. Fall into the industry the way that I did, um, many years ago. And at the same time, I realized that there's so much more that I can do. Hmm. And that the reason I'm so good at sponsorship is because I'm good at business.
Mm-hmm. , like, the reason we could work with so much sponsorship is because I'm good at negotiation. . The reason we’ve got so much sponsorship is because I'm good at creating offers because I'm good at pricing because I'm good at understanding market research. Right? And so because I understand business, because I understand strategies why I was so good at sponsorship and we were just wanting to, and I say we, I mean me, I mean the team really wanting to lean more into business and primarily business coaching for women.
and people of color, um, outside of just sponsorship, because oftentimes people would come to us and want coaching around sponsorship or by-products around sponsorship, but they lacked infrastructure and, and, and areas of business that. I was just like, we were always just like, oh, well go, go learn about A, B, C and then come back, go learn about A, B, C, and then come back.
And it was just like, when, when are we gonna stop saying like, go learn about A, B, C and just start teaching A, B, C. And so we, I made the decision earlier this year to intentionally take a step back from sponsorship too. To reset up the business, the new core offerings, and we'll slowly start to re-release from the vault, as they say.
Um, a few of the sponsorship trainings. Interesting, interesting. I love how it's kind of like you're building the whole ecosystem for people to have the total amount of success they could have with the sponsorships by getting the infrastructure set up. What was part of that infrastructure that you just saw was a gap for people?
Well, so what I tell people that I do now is that I help people find the money gaps in their business and fix them. I love that. And you know, because everybody has a money gap, and if they tell me that they don't, they're lying. Um, because I have friends that, like I say, make 40, $50 million a year, and they're like, I have a money gap.
Yeah. And so if they do, you do too. ? Um, I have money gaps. So again, if you don't have a money gap, then you're just not willing to be honest with your business and that's okay. Like, but just acknowledge that like you just wanna lie to yourself. And so like the money gaps aren't always sales, and I think that that's what people typically think is that like, if, if I have a money gap, I just need to sell more.
Mm-hmm. That's not the case because sometimes it's that, oh, like I don't have the right team. I don't have the right marketing. I don't have the right intellectual property. I don't have the right offer. I don't have the right structure. I don't have the right profit margins. And so there's so many different gaps that somebody can have in their business.
And so what I really love to do with the people that we work with, either in our membership or my mastermind or my one-on-one coaching clients, is really identifying the money gaps in their business and building a plan forward to fix those gaps so that they can grow to the place that they want to be.
Hmm. That is one of the things that I loved when I. From you the first time about what you did when you were like, I help people find the money gaps. I was like, oh, that is so good. I love how you just phrased that. And it's such, um, a perfect like, uh, offer for people because it identifies, um, a real missing link.
You know, that's, that everybody has like you said, we all have it, but it's like helping us to identify where it is in our business and what's so key about it, right? Is that, you know, whether that be something that, you know, in our membership, profitable Community Academy that we help with, or in my mastermind, the Propel Mastermind, or in my one-on-one coaching, like there's different levels of access to how we help people find.
Those gaps because the gap is different based on where people are at. Yeah. And also it's not a, like, it's not a cookie cutter solution. Yeah. And that's why we offer different levels of coaching, different levels of accessibility. And also what I love about this work too, is it doesn't make me, and I think that this is something.
A lot of coaches like have an opportunity to grow away from, and y'all, somebody's gonna take this the wrong way, and like, okay, like I already know it. Like so many coaches want to be responsible for a hundred percent of the transformation of their client and that's not our job. Our job is not to be responsible for the transformation of our client.
Our job is to show up. As a coach, our job is to hold space. Our job is to coach like we are not responsible for the action or the inaction of our clients, which also means that if we are not responsible for their action or inaction, that we're not responsible for their result and that their result or lack of result because of their action or an action has nothing to do with our worth.
and I know somebody's gonna fight me on that or cuss me out about that. That's okay. I've already been to therapy about this. Mm-hmm. and like, and that's so key for, for coaches to understand that. The other reason I love that this structure is it actually lets me refer out mm-hmm. , because when I can identify, I can be like, oh, hey, you know what, like, You've got some great ideas, but like you don't have any intellectual property set up.
You don't have the trademarks or like that could probably be patented or you don't have the copyrights like, Like, here's a few amazing attorneys you could talk to that could really help you with this. Oh, you know what? Like you should probably look at maybe starting a mastermind program or something like that.
Like maybe you should talk to Jen, cuz she could help you with that. Oh, hey, you know what? Like you're really looking at wanting to build a profitable community. Like maybe you should talk with Warren about that. Oh hey. Like you're really wanting to focus on high ticket offers and being able to do that while being extremely feminine.
Awesome. You should probably talk to April about that. Oh. You're in a place where you're really starting out in your business and you want to grow your Instagram great like you should go to Insta Club Hub. And so like, really what I do and, and like two ways that people have described it also is like one client says that I'm the Olivia Pope for business and another person has described me as Dr.
House is, and, and they're like, they're two very different e examples, but. It's, it's, what I love to do is like sit down with somebody and figure out like, how do we optimize your business? And I don't always have to be the answer. Yeah. I am not tied to being the solution for you. And, yet that's what makes you such a great solution is that you are so connected and you know who might have the best solution for people.
But I also love that your offers are very accessible to people at the level that they're willing to invest, you know, their finances and their energy and all that stuff. So just having all those different levels, yet keeping the coaching really custom. , yeah. Within those levels I think is a beautiful way to offer people help in the area that you do with the profit gap.
So it's awesome. Yeah, and it, and it's fun and you know, I think that what people could, can learn by watching some of the stuff that we do and. Listen, y'all like what I do, you don't have to do because I'm gonna tell you there, there is no one right way. Like yes, there's only what works for you. Yes. And so, you know, listen, I've got stuff that's $7.
I've got stuff that's. $49 a month. I've got stuff that's thousand, thousand dollars. I've got stuff that's $15,000 a year. I've got stuff that's $5,000 a month. I've got stuff that's $10,000 a month. Right? It, it depends on where somebody's business is at. And the level of access that they want. Mm-hmm. . And so there is not a one size fits all solution.
And here's the thing, your business also doesn't need all of those things. And especially if you're starting out, you don't need all of those things. Like I've been at this 13 years, so like yeah. It's not good to compare what feels amazing to you and sell in a way. Absolutely delights you and price in a way that delights you.
I have a client, Liz Wilcox. If y'all go to her website, it's Liz wilcox.com. Um, she runs a $ 9-a-month email marketing membership. And as of the recording of this podcast right here today, November 2022. Liz has had her first a hundred thousand dollars month and as of today, I think it's about 125,000. Yeah.
As of the recording of this $125,132 this month on something that's a $9 a month product, y'all. I so like you can make as much money as you want in a way that feels so good to you. , as long as you create something that delights you mm-hmm. , because you're not gonna sell it if it doesn't delight you.
Mm-hmm. , whether that be $9 or 9 cents, or $9,000 or $90,000, like create the thing that delights you and delights your customer and go sell it. That is just, you know, that's what people need to hear. That just makes people feel good. It makes them wanna do their. And be creative and give out of a good place,
That's so good. Yes. I don't think we can improve on that. I think we're done… We did it. So if people want to get in your universe, learn more about you, where would you send them? So find me on Instagram. Uh, my name is Roberto Candelaria. It is y'all. I'll spell it. It's R-O-B-E-R-T-O-C-A-N-D-E-L-A-R-I-A
Um, or, um, I have a podcast that I'm trying to be more regular on. Um, you know, I need to take some Metamucil for my podcast to be more regular, but it's called Relationships Make. and, um, we talk all things, partnerships and profits and a little bit of mindset because like, let's be real, the only reason we don't have the profits in our business are the thoughts we think about ourselves in our business.
So, good. All right, everyone head on over there… Thank you so much, Roberto. Thank you, and if you are looking for more support, challenge, and inspiration in running your online business, I would love to have you apply to my mastermind.
Check it out! @jenargue.com
