This weekend, my friend Safir and I flew over to St. Louis, Missouri for the Arete Syndicate live event, organized by Ed Mylett and Andy Frisella and, incredible entrepreneurs with two of the top business podcast in the world!
*2022 Update* – I ended up officially joining Arete in October 2021 and have made even more amazing connections. If you’re interested in learning more or applying, you can do so here.
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I made so many new amazing friends and connections from across the nation and WORLD! People even flew in from the Netherlands and Australia for this event.
Remember in another episode when I said that if you’re the smartest in the room, you’re in the wrong room? This room had a lot of people smarter and wealthier than me, which is exactly what I want!
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There is an accelerator group that you can apply to and join to get on 3 calls a month with Andy and Ed, and the Syndicate level has a $50K entry fee and you have to be doing insane numbers, I think $1M in annual revenue minimum.
A group of Syndicate guys took a photo together the other day and geez, I felt their presence in that room. You could JUST TELL that they were in the Syndicate, the way they carried themselves, the confidence and aura. But they weren’t stuck up or anything, they were extremely humble.
I got so much out of the event, and it was straight value. They had an incredible lineup of speakers, many who you may have heard of before:
- Ed Mylett and Andy Frisella of course
- Cole Hatter
- Billy Gene
- Ryan Stewman (hardcore closer)
- Joel Marion – Did $700M in 6 years in his business
In today’s episode, I don’t need to sell you on joining the accelerator or anything. I just want to share some of the incredible tips and value I received from the speakers (this is at least $1000 of value).
Andy Frisella
Andy talked about the importance of core values, which is something I always thought was overrated. Andy said core values guide you as a leader. They create culture, and they are the reason you win.
Here are his:
- Create a positive impact – what you put out, you get back
- Leadership through action – you have to LIVE it to influence others
- Do the right thing – take ownership, make it right
- Be humble – It’s okay to be confident. Remember we are all just a speck of dust, we are all people.
- Hard discipline – No compromises, stories, justifications, get it done.
- Commit to dominating – have killer instinct
- Good isn’t enough – excellence is essential
- Be a lifetime student
Cole Hatter
Cole Hatter spoke next, who is the founder of the Thrive Conference. He had some great tips on speaking and selling from stage, and selling in general.
First, he talked about persuasion vs. Influence. Persuasion is a push, while influence is a pull. You need a little of both.
He talked about getting good at wordsmithing, which is the art of spoken copywriting.
Instead of saying “cost”, use the word “investment.” Stay true to your brand! Andy Frisella not cussing would probably confuse us, because it would not be what we are used to with his brand.
He talks about threat vs. desire.
Instead of saying “you HAVE to buy my course OR ELSE,” say “You’re going to want this because you’ll love the results.”
Next, he mentioned negative versus positive presuppositions (which are basically assumptions).
Stop using negative presuppositions like “You’re tired of being tired and broke…” This assumes the audience is tired and broke… why would they buy your stuff if you are broke?
Instead, say “being here today tells me you are an action taker and want to invest in yourself.”
Lastly, Cole talks about “us vs. them.”
Use phrases using us. For example, say “people like us, we make decisions, we love investing in ourselves.”
Then use “them.” “People out there just care about the numbers.”
Billy Gene
Billy Gene was up next! If you’ve seen his ads on Facebook, they are so damn good that you actually want to watch them all the way through.
He shared a formula: words + sounds + visuals + environment + association + trust
Next, he gave some examples of companies that have done really well that had great video ads.
-Dollar shave club has a hilarious video. They sold for $1B in 2016
Video ads give you the edge. Some tips he shares are that:
- The first 5 seconds are most important to capture attention
- You need to polarize. Have a strong message.
- For example, he yelled “I hate Trump.” That immediately polarizes the audience. I love what he said next, which was that he doesn’t actually hate Trump, and that he believes that entrepreneurs create their own economy. Hell yes.
- Next, he says to break down the fourth wall. Literally talk to the person on the other side watching the video.
- He does up close shots and says things like “come with me.” Where it looks like you are following him into his office in the ad.
For cameras, he says to use 2 to get multiple angles. Throw a few drone shots in as well for pattern interrupts.
PROPS ARE EVERYTHING. A few sites he recommends are amazon.com, orientaltrading.com and shindigz.com.
Keep attention, literally keep people curious and wondering what’s next in the video.
#1 Rule is that music creates emotion. We did a really cool exercise where you had to say a certain sentence with 3 different types of music in the background (first was angry, then sad, then motivational). The different music elicits different emotions.
Boring will put you out of business, and Facebook rewards great content. So really focus on making great content, and videos that solve problems.
Ed Mylett
ED MYLETT was up next!
He talked in detail about the 10 stages of the business life cycle. To keep it brief, I’ll just run through the list:
- Birth
- Infancy
- Toddler
- Teenager
- Young Adult
- Maximization (this is the place you want to stay where you reap rewards, have systems in place, leaders energize the business, and it is run by a management team)
- Mid-life evaluation
- Aging
- Institutionalization
- Death
Ed then talks about 7 Pillars:
- Define reality – create a specific business map, where are you really?
- Constant course correction
- Max out social media and marketing systems
- Sales and closing systems
- Constant competition and recognition programs
- Max out culture and client experience
- Evangelize and create a cult-like following
Joel Marion
Joel Marion was up next, who I actually never had heard of. Can you believe that this guy’s business did $700M within 6 years? Incredible!!
Joel talked about how email is still king… many of us have heard that it’s slowly dying. But apparently not.
He said that 83% of consumers prefer email, followed by FB at 38% and postal at 27%.
All transactions online still require email, not an IG username. So it is still king.
These days, more and more email lands up in the spam inbox. To combat this, he said the #1 strategy is to do regular list hygiene. As a rule of thumb, you should email to people who have opened your emails in the last 60 days.
Why?
They are more likely to open. If people stay subscribed but stop opening emails, it’s basically an “emotional unsubscribe.”
emailing to people who open your emails are less likely to mark messages as spam.
Here are some targets to aim for:
20% open rate and less than .1% spam complaints.
The #1 reason to build a list is that you own subscribers and customers as well as all data. More reasons is that email is more trackable. You can see who engaged, whereas on Instagram, you can’t see who bought directly from a post.
Email allows for robust segmentation and split testing.
For lead magnets, he mentioned to do a free report, free audio/video, or even a free 5 video mini course. Perhaps give away something that you see has the best engagement.
For me, my top podcast episode is 5 productivity hacks I recommend. I plan to create a lead magnet out of this to offer to my audience.
Andy Frisella Part II
After lunch, Andy spoke again on mental toughness. He mentioned 5 keys to mental toughness:
- Know your purpose for pursuing mental toughness.
- You have to set your rules in stone. No compromises because compromise leads to quitting.
- Train yourself to love the “bitch voice” – you have an opportunity. Mental toughness grows.
- Attack a mosquito like it’s a moose. Listing little battles is what is the most lethal.
- Focus on what you’re gaining, not on what you’re giving up.
Key Takeaways:
Read this entire post over again! It’s packed with over $1000 of value when you consider tickets, airfare, and hotel fees.
Daily Motivation:
“Show me your schedule, and you show me your priorities.” – Ed Mylett said this during the Q&A at the event. This ties into what I’ve said before – if it’s important, get it on the calendar and make sure it gets done!
Actionable steps:
Get around like minded people… please please please take initiative. Find a meetup or networking event in your area. Start shaking some hands and meeting people face to face. You are one handshake away from changing your life.
I met influencers this weekend, millionaires, and people who are on the path to financial freedom alongside me. It is such an incredible feeling to connect so deeply with others that are on the same page.
Literally every person I met, we would freak out and talk about how we track our goals, our morning routines, all the books we’ve read and plan to read, and more. That is something that I can’t do with most friends or family… they’re just not interested in it.
On the plane right back, I had an Instagram story showing the whole plane sleeping… me, my friend Safir, and a new friend from the event that coincidentally lives in Houston were all working through the flight and reviewing our notes from the event.
THAT Is going the extra mile. Doing whatever you have to in order to get to the next level. Find people that are crazy driven and can hold you to higher standards… I am on fire right now with motivation.
With that, I will leave you with a note I wrote at the end of the conference notes in my journal… seriously, I have goosebumps reading this to you.
I am leaving this event incredibly inspired. There is ALWAYS another level. More to achieve, see, do and experience.
I’m leaving with a fire inside to continue pushing, to increase my HUNGER and level of urgency. The time is now!
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