Fix Your Business: Here is How

 

When a client starts working with me, the VERY first thing I do is a full diagnostic. I ask about 10 questions, and then I do a full review and Ill know what's wrong within 20 minutes. 

The problem usually lies within 2 areas:

The business is flawed or the OWNER is flawed. Allow me to explain. 

A business can have a perfect website, great marketing, strong conversion from Facebook ads but if the owner is a raging dick that spends 6 hours a day arguing with people online about Trump, calling them libtards and alienating his fanbase, this is going to be a SERIOUS problem. For the record, I wont work with people like this. Their egos dont allow them to change. 

Conversely, a business owner can connect with her audience daily, have HUGE numbers of comments and likes, and seem successful, but if her website looks like a high school 90s Geocities project, she's created misalignment with a strong brand. People will go to the website, think its hot garbage and move on to better pastures. 

So here are some things I look for when someone reaches out to me and says "Help, I am not making any money" 

Owner: 

Do they have a scarcity mindset and only sell low cost items?

Do they fight with people online or just post negative content all day?

Do they run their business like a hobby only checking in periodically and not being consistent?

Business:

Do they have a bad customer journey? Bad payment processes, shitty website load times etc? 

Do they have terrible photos of their products and services and a "I did it myself" feel?

Do they have low quality social media and ZERO understanding of marketing, branding, sales, audience building, etc? 




The owner or the business. Its always in these two categories. 

Now that we have a checklist, lets talk about sales really fast. 

Businesses run off algebra and patterns. You can either sell a LOT of low cost items to a lot of people OR sell a few high cost items to higher budget people. 

Statistically, if you want to sell higher cost items, you'll need a larger audience. 

A business should ALWAYS be attracting new fans outside the "fishbowl" (The fishbowl is the 20-100 people that LOVE your stuff but dont buy from you regularly). 

So where do we find them?

*Media interviews 
*Outbound FB ads
*Guest training in FB groups 
*Recos from high audience friends 
*Business meetups in your city 

Remember that you also have to connect with them regularly. This is HUGE. This is what has kept me going with no ads, no cold pitches, etc. I regularly say hi to people online, send them personal messages on their birthday and offer my help if they are going through a tough time in life. 

Notice that NONE of this involves selling?

The sales come because people trust me and like my vibe. Thats it. Nothing complicated. 

Finally, the MOST IMPORTANT THING is to simply ask for help. You can get a LOT of great advice from friends and if you need to hire an expert, DO IT. (I can assure you an expert is cheaper long term than 6 months of bad sales). 

Experts find flaws and fix them. 

CLIENT STORY: 
A VERY big name in coaching came to me because they had hit a stagnant point in business. We got on a call and I just asked him about 10 questions. 

I shared a single sentence with him, his eyes got really wide and in the next two weeks, he closed $16,000 in sales. 

In about a month, that number had gone to over $40,000. 

(Ill bet you'd REALLY like to know what that sentence was.) 

The point is, because this coach was willing to be humble and just ADMIT he needed some help, he got exactly what he needed. The sales were a byproduct of him implementing expert advice. 

You need outside eyes. Period. 

With that, Ill see you guys next time! - Rob the Warrior Strategist 

HyperIntelligence and The Entrepreneur

 

NOTE: I am not a neuroscientist, nor a licensed mental health professional. This article is bro science as shit, but if you're a Warrior Strategist fan, you realize that creativity and honest thought/observation is a part of my life. That and Iron Man comic books. - Rob

I've been called stupid my whole life. Well into my 30s. 

After awhile you start to believe it. And you start to think something is wrong with you because you don't see the world like everyone else. 

In school my grades were up and down. I had a lot of trouble focusing. My family issues were probably a contributing factor but I cant isolate that as a primary variable. (In 9th grade, my report card was straight Ds and Fs, but I had been reading 3-4 grades ABOVE my grade level since I was about 8.) 

In my 20s I started gaining hyperintelligence. It was like that movie Phenomenon with John Travolta. I started being able to "see" patterns and understand causal relationships. 

In my 30s, I had another burst and it helped me as I enrolled in Doctoral studies. I found a book that explained EVERYTHING about my learning style. 

Successful Intelligence by Sternberg. 

Dr. Sternberg was placed in remedial classes as a child because he had severe test anxiety. He hated standardized tests and had poor grades. He went on to become a Professor at Cornell. He taught at Yale. He was also the President of the University of Wyoming. 
13 Honorary Doctorates. 

Testing almost doused this tiny flame before it even had a chance to burn brightly. 

Sternberg states that there are 3 types of intelligence:
Analytical - Logical, math strong, single solutions to problems
Creative - Imaginative, wide spatial intelligence, a need to "make" things
Practical - Street smart, can see through roadblocks and maximize minimal resources 

Society doesn't reward creatives. How many rich artists do you personally know? 

We take SATs so that we can go to college. The highest paying jobs are either heavily technical, math based, or require a LOT of tests. 

So for a guy like me that is highly creative, I never had a chance. I love skateboarding, drawing, music, comic books, video games, colors, shapes, and cooking with flair. 

Now, back to hyperintelligence: I define it as simply having an advanced form of cognitive processing. 

I see it in 4 forms:

💥Educational 

💥Experience 

💥Prodigy

💥Genius 

Educational is when you have so much learning (classroom or autodidactic) that you gain above average comprehension on a topic  

Experience is when you are exposed to something and spend enough time to where patterns emerge, spatial intelligence widens and routines and processes become very easy to recite

Prodigy is having a skill at a very young age. Its usually in a concentrated area like chess, music, etc 

Genius is your Good Will Hunting example. Being able to apply a higher thought process to nearly any situation

Hyperintelligence can be derived from any of these four. But sometimes it comes with a cost. 

Hyperintelligent people feel alone, ostracized, sometimes teased for their gifts. They dont always feel comfortable in a social setting and for those on the autism scale, its three times as confining when you throw in proximity and sensory overload issues. Its also frustrating for them when it feels like the ENTIRE world is slower than them in certain areas. 

Turning Hyperintelligence Into a Strength

If you recognize hyperintelligence in your life or someone you know, there ARE ways to isolate it, and use it to create a rich and robust life. 

Hyperintelligent people make amazing entrepreneurs. They are self starters, have an independent spirit and by going into business for themselves, can shine in their zone of genius. 

I could've been a technical writer. Commute, cubicle, coworkers. $30 an hour. 

OR

Launch a magazine, become a consultant, work from home, and charge $750 a call to a global audience. The best part? I get to do work that I alone choose and LOVE doing!! 

For hyperintelligent people there are five things I recommend:

1. Go into business for yourself. Figure out what youre better at than most people and remember that even general consulting is monetizable. 

2. Build a team so that you can farm out admin and side work. You just want to be working in your skillset. 

3. Consulting is the best way to utilize your skills. You have creative control, YOU choose your rates, and you can control what goes in the contract. 

4. Accept an asymmetrical lifestyle. You are not a 9-5er. If you want an hour each day to meditate, TAKE IT. Accept that you can create any life you want and that the universe has handed you gifts. No one will judge you if you reward yourself with perks. 

5. Find your tribe. Don't self isolate. This one is HUGE. Yesterday I went to Mission Valley Mall and wrote down my friends in San Diego. The list hit 32 and I realized that a LOT of these people have fallen in the cracks of Covid and that I haven't been a good friend following up with them. I'm going to fix that ASAP. As a hyperintelligent person, my natural instinct is to shut out the world. This leads to isolation, depression, and low self esteem. You have more to offer the world, so seek out other people. 
We need human contact. 

In summary, being hyperintelligent, regardless of which type, will make you deliciously weird and a lot of fun. Don't worry about the world judging you, figure out what you excel at and make your career out of it. 

If you have questions, please ask them in comments below! - Rob 

US Marine Turned Crypto Millionaire Selected For Cover of SHIFT Magazine

 

Seth Maniscalco has one of the greatest success stories I have ever heard. I met him online and started to learn about his world. What really struck me is the vast amount of knowledge this guy has in the industry. Alt coin parameters? Easy. DeFi as a revenue option for major insurance companies? Simple.

Seth has the gift of teaching. Some people have it, most don't. 

He's VERY good at explaining things to beginners and his use of analogies and real world events is really fun to learn. 

Seth started off as an enlisted US Marine which is where he picked up his love of investing. He then started learning about cryptocurrency when it was an emerging market. He finished his Master's in Blockchain Technology and created a private crypto trading group for serious traders. 

Seth's private investing group here: LINK 

He has the district achievement of creating 60+ crypto millionaires and credits his balance of family/work time for his success. (Pretty sure he's still in Puerto Rico enjoying the beaches as I write this.) 

Seth's cover feature in SHIFT Advanced Life Design Magazine is a distinct achievement reserved for only the top performers in their industries. He joins Delta Force, SEAL Team 6 members, NYT Best Selling Author Mike Michalowicz and business analyst Scott Oldford. 

I was also very pleased that Seth included a "Beginner's Guide to Crypto" and listed some of his best resources for getting started. 

You can read his full interview here for FREE:

Click HERE to read free! 

To learn more about Seth, visit his website at www.cryptowealthcoach.com 

Thanks for reading the Warrior Strategist Blog! 

#cryptowealthcoach
#bitcoin
#blockchain
#cryptocurrency

3 Things I Learned From My Nervous Breakdown

 

Happy Friday everyone!

This feels like I'm writing the manifesto at the beginning of Jerry Mcguire. Lets do it.

I’ve spent a lot of time reflecting lately. Some good, some bad. As many of you know, I had a nervous breakdown in November of 2018 from excessive sleep deprivation.

It taught me a lot. It was my breaking point.

I literally was living in an AirBnB, apt hunting. I attended Clever Talks and was a speaker on stage and attended 12 hour days meeting amazing veterans that I had only known online like Patrick Mudge and Steven Kuhn. I was averaging 3 hours of sleep and also working on my Tactical CEQ program.

Friday I drove from Clever Talks straight to Air Force drill and did my PT test on Saturday. Its pushups, situps, waist measurement, then run as fast as you can to complete a 1.5 mile sprint. It pushed me into some mania.

Sunday night I drove back and Monday I started a new job. Yay, an hour commute each way.

Closed a $1500 deal on my lunch break and realized I was LOSING money being in a cubicle.

The entire week I was harassed by the job placement guy at an agency about paperwork. He was a real prick. During work hours, I would get voicemails, emails, and texts demanding I drop what I was doing, log in and complete forms on their shitty website that didn’t work half the time.

Still sleeping 3 hours a night.

Friday, I went to the bathroom and locked myself in a stall. Sitting there, head in hands. I listened to my voicemail. It was Agency Guy screaming at me to get some forms done.

I walked out, drove to Balboa Park and cried next to a tree for an hour.
I’d had enough. I called a suicide hotline just to talk to someone. Then I checked myself into a nice hotel and slept.

The next day my dream apartment opened up. I never went back to that job. I went full time business strategist and magazine owner and put Steven Kuhn on the cover of SHIFT Advanced Life Design.

I’ve had a stressful few weeks lately. Too many projects converging, not enough fun time, being pulled in a lot of directions. I’ve learned a few things from some of the business minds I have interviewed and I have gained some knowledge from my own breakdown.

Lesson 1: Your business runs off of YOU

 

You need to do internal work for your business to grow.
*Spiritual Growth
*Journaling
*Fitness
*Self Education
*DAYS OFF (capitalized to emphasize importance)
*Balance
*The Love From Others

If you are out of shape, arguing with people, in a loveless relationship, and struggling to turn a profit, its time to be honest with yourself. Change starts with you.

Currently I’m 15 pounds over my regular weight. I cant remember the last time I had a day off and Monday I had 7 different projects/people to attend to. I was getting a little close to the edge. Oh yeah, and some Air Force paperwork from 3 years ago is long overdue and my taxes need fixing.

These small things can set us off. When they “value stack” vertically, they can shut us DOWN.

Yesterday it bled over. I hosted a group call and people could tell that I was off. I didn’t even want to do the call but I realized the importance as people started showing up. I realized that my energy was WAY off and finally just did a few small tasks and wrote off yesterday as a shit day.

Lesson 2: Accept sadness, depression, and bad moods as temporary renters but not homeowners

Entrepreneurs are strange.

That’s why I love them. The creativity, the rollercoasters, the sheer brilliance of their lives. But it’s a fight. You know why?

We develop EVERY ASPECT OF OUR JOBS.

Every fucking decision must be made. EVERY ONE.

There are going to be days where you just feel off. Guess what? It happens to everyone. Even the shiny smile dickheads on your Facebook ads promising you easy wealth and the rented Lambo.

Have a strategy for bad days, but don’t make it a crutch. Some people smoke pot, some go feed baby goats, some visit a favorite relative. Understand your programming and what brings you LEGIT joy. (I’ve been ordering Iron Man Graphic Novels and I caught myself doing something really weird reading them. I was smiling.)

Don’t let depression or a bad experience last too long in your mind. I hit a 3 week span where I could not remember the last time I was genuinely happy and realized it was time to change.

Remember: YOU DESERVE HAPPINESS

Lesson 3: Have some form of therapy or release

Tuesdays are great in my FB group (Link)

We have a group post where we air our grievances, bitch about our companies or just talk about the nuances of life. But in a funny and positive way.

Highest engagement thread EVERY SINGLE WEEK.

Its healthy bitching and I LOVE IT. We keep it funny and constructive but we AIR THAT SHIT OUT.

My newest therapy? I go outside to my balcony, sit on my Wayfair patio set and read business books while listening to Moby. Its WONDERFULLY relaxing and keeps me grounded. Iron Man Graphic Novels give me something to look forward to and keep my creative energy flowing.

Find what makes you happy and act on it.

Thanks for reading this. Its been a very strange trip but I still am amazed that a high school dropout that never thought he would go to college ended up like this.

I’m blessed to know you. And if you are having a bad time, REACH OUT TO ME. Its ok. You aren’t bothering me. I WANT to hear from you. Let’s fight that shit together.

Your friend,
Rob

I worked with Army Special Forces For 2 Months. Here is What I Learned.

 This is one of the greatest business experiences I have ever had. 

US Army Special Forces are some of the greatest warriors on the planet. Their doctrine requires more than being tough, more than being strong. It requires CONSTANT improvement, growth and the selfless mentoring of others. 

If you get a chance, watch 2 Weeks in Hell. Its a great documentary that follows a group of candidates that have dreams for Selection. (Note to civilians, this is the pathway to the legendary Green Berets).

In less than 3 hours, the cadre has guys rolling and bear crawling until they are throwing up. Several of them are so disoriented that they have to be carried out. The amount of pain is nearly unbearable to watch and you have to admire the courage of the soldiers that volunteer for this. 

After two weeks, they are told whether they are able to move forward and apply for Selection.

They literally have been physically and mentally spent for the POSSIBILITY of Selection. Let that sink in. 

So when one of these amazing warriors reached out to work with me on his business visibility, I was a little intimidated. I'm a spoiled Air Force guy whose idea of a challenging tactical situation is the chow hall running out of lobster tail. This guy had successfully completed the Green Beret Q course, had earned his Ranger Tab and was a legit badass, while still being super approachable and friendly. 

We got on a call and discussed his needs and what he wanted to see happen. I created a battle plan that took 4 hours to write. It laid out each week, objectives, deadlines, and expectations of both of us. It was really effective. I borrowed from military planning for this and it was a great resource for us as we moved through the weeks. 

Observation 1: This guy is organized 

He implemented emails, texts, and calls to keep communications going. He was a STELLAR student and asked questions often to clarify his understanding. He knew when our calls were occurring and kept his schedule free to attend them. 

He reviewed the plan often and kept track of what his weekly objectives were. 

Observation 2: He kept me on my toes

I have NEVER seen such a change in myself coaching this guy. Just having calls with him would leave my highly motivated and I was in a high energy state for the rest of the day. 

Typical statement: "Look Rob, I don't think he understands me. I'm used to being on a plane with 11 friends, jumping out in the dark and visiting someone in the middle of the night to throw a hood over their head." 

Bet your ass I was REAL polite on our calls. 😆

Observation 3: He was efficient on a PhD level 

Chris was really good at following specific directions. 

If I told him to email x, y, and z by 1800 and email me when done, it would be done by 1600. Even if he was on a job on the East Coast. He took responsibility VERY seriously. 

There wasn't any of the fucking around you see with civilians. No excuses. He got it done and was highly motivated to do it. He never complained or shifted blame for anything. 

The end results? We got him my first 5/5 PR plan. Magazine, TV, Radio, Newspaper, Podcast interviews. 

Chris did the work and I was super proud of him. And he made me a better veteran and entrepreneur in the process. 

Check out Chris' Team Room Podcast: LINK